PAIRING: Dialyn/Harumasa/Soldier 11 x Reader (Platonic) (Male & Female Reader)
SUMMARY: (Y/N), a human and ethereal hybrid, becomes more known within New Eridu’s government.
TOPS gathered intel of a further out hollow; abnormal behavior resulting in a large amount of fissures were detected. Dialyn was sent to investigate and it was there that she found you, a hybrid of human and ethereal. You weren’t her initial target, for as the moment Dialyn entered the hollow she heard the pleas of people close to death. Through a hardened heart she located the fleeting survivors and found you, something she thought to be a monster, comforting them in their last moments to the best of your abilities. She was then ordered to figure out if you were “guilty” or not; another headache another dollar to her.
After painstakingly thinking it over, Dialyn decided the best option was to have you work alongside her in order for her to accurately determine your morality; though she wouldn’t admit that a small part of herself already had a good hunch about you. She found your capacity for making fissures convenient both in and out of hollows. Especially when she needed to catch a target off guard. But Dialyn noticed how much it took a toll on your energy, so she decided to rely on you less as a tool and more as a person, finding alternatives to help you better adjust.
With her recommendation Dialyn landed you a job in TOPS; she came to that conclusion after a routine checkup in a hollow; you took a hit for her, one that would’ve been lethal, from an ethereal at her blind spot. Dialyn was worried you would die, just to suddenly feel immense relief as your organs regenerated due to the high ether radiation. Naturally she couldn’t find any reason to judge you as anything other than innocent.
The clock ticked as Dialyn tapped her foot on her desk, not a single word said amongst herself and her companion. (Y/N) doodled on a scrap of paper with crayons sprawled over Dialyn’s desk.
Occasionally she had to make sure her hybrid friend didn’t try to eat the crayons, but overall it was a simple evening managing the customer service line.
Ring! Ring! Ring! “Hellooooo! You’ve reached Dialyn of TOPS. How can I be of assitance—”
“You guys are a bunch of scammers! How can you sell something so broken and make it cost so much?!” An angered man shouted from the other line, his voice cracking from the constant screaming. “STOP directing me to different service providers and REFUND me the money I’m OWED!”
She covered the phone with her hand, already rolling her eyes. Dialyn looked at the clock, “I really can’t take five more hours of this.” Then she made eye contact with (Y/N), whom was confused over the loud chatter; “Brilliant idea, me. Oh, why you’re welcome of course, Dialyn~” she thanked herself as she handed (Y/N) the phone.
“Have fun! I’m going on lunch break.”
(Y/N) looked at the phone while munching on a purple crayon. The man went silent for a moment before firing back up. “I know you’re not eating right now! Is this how all TOPS customer service is handled?! Why are you eating?!”
(Y/N) paused in thought for a moment. “Because bread tastes better than key.”
Dialyn walked off with a smile on her face as (Y/N) yammered on in the background, certain that she’d return to her voice mail maxed out.
Harumasa obviously knew you through Yanagi. He heard your story and felt a connection instantly; two people seen as monsters with nothing but the loneliness to cast a shadow. He knew all too well how suffocating that feeling could be, and so Harumasa wanted to make sure you were well taken cared of, that no one was harassing you; he wanted to help you “fit in” like he had to, but without the struggle of doing it alone.
Once on a routine mission Harumasa got trapped in a hollow. His corruption was spreading badly, and just when he thought it was over a fissure appeared, and out you emerged, bringing him to safety outside. Even though his eyes were clouded, Harumasa could still make out your corrupted hand cutting into your human one, your blood dripping onto his wounds and rapidly curing his corruption. He quized you about it later, grateful yet worried, only to learn your blood and tears could permanently boost ether immunity; he knew he had to keep that a secret to protect you.
Although he was usually lazy, Harumasa had put in a larger amount of effort than before to keep you safe. Besides his close allies within Section 6, he didn’t trust others to be alone with you. He also often volunteered to help Yanagi with monitoring your playdates with Soukaku. Sometimes Harumasa would wonder if he was being too pushy; sometimes he was worried you’d grow tired of his company. But every time those thoughts would quickly be forgotten as you hugged him, thankful for all that he did.
(Y/N) gnawed on the metal desk with sunken eyes. Each word that was spoken by Yanagi going in one ear and out the other. Today just wasn’t a good day for tutoring.
“What does ‘retreat’ mean?” She asked the hybrid.
“Leave.”
“Exactly. So…,” Yanagi took four steps forward, her heels progressively getting louder with each step, “…why did you not retreat when ordered to?” Her gaze held clear disappointment within it as she arched her brow and frowned.
(Y/N) simply groaned in response.
Eventually Yanagi gave in, “Okay, it’s time for a short break. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes; do not run off anywhere, got it?” As soon as (Y/N) nodded along she left to go have a coffee break.
The ethereal spent the next few minutes looking up at the ceiling before a shadow clouded (Y/N)’s vision.
“Hey there bud.” Harumasa smiled, his eyes shining with a glint of mischief. “Wanna go slack of—I mean take a much needed mental break?” His new procrastination buddy immediately shot up, dragging Harumasa away with one large claw to the backyard of H.A.N.D.
Together they relaxed in the sun as (Y/N) ran around chasing butterflies. Harumasa sat under a tree and watched from a distance, his face blank; an expression he promised to never show (Y/N).
“I see a version of myself in (Y/N),” he said to the figure standing behind him. He looked up at Yanagi, whom had a serene smile as she watched her little friend.
“You can relate to (Y/N)?”
He shook his head. “Less than that, actually. I see a version of myself that never got to exist; that childhood innocence would’ve been a luxury for me.”
The hybrid finally turned around after eating the butterfly, face grimacing as the others chuckled.
“So I hope I can protect that innocence; not of the world, but rather what it would think of (Y/N).”
Yanagi’s eyes widened at her colleague’s words. Her gaze softened, “I didn’t know you were capable of such responsibility.”
“Oh yeah speaking of that, I’m gonna need the next week off.”
Eleven believed you to be a formidable ally as well as a great sparing partner. With Trigger training you, it became increasingly obvious how necessary it would be for you to prove your worth to the higher ups; so she considered training alongside you. But what had shocked her was that during a session, Eleven had sliced your skin; you bled ether, something the scientists definitely hadn’t caught on to yet.
She was harder on you than others due to your ethereal side. And she was more empathetic of your situation, due to a part of herself she couldn’t quite comprehend, feeling similar to you. Eleven decided upon herself to keep anything new she learned about you away from the scientists, that same part of herself worried about what they’d do if they knew of your stronger capabilities. Whenever you were still hungry after eating ethereal cores, Eleven would invite you for explosive noodles as a way to get to know you better.
Most of all, Eleven appreciated having you as an ally during battle. Especially after you were officially deployed on your first mission. Your quick response, despite having a simple mind, made a great effort in fixing any mistakes their squad made during battle. Later on she came up with “Naive Mauve Gorilla” as a nickname for you after seeing you in action; though it did seem to change quite often afterwards.
“Captain Magus, do you copy?” Eleven called out into her comms as she ran, breathing steady and eyes focused. Her movement was swift and precise as she narrowly evaded a large boulder hurled at her, footing slipping while she picked herself back up.
“Captain Magus, Orphie, (Y/N), do you read me?” Eleven called out again. She glanced down at her ankle, the pain settling in; but she had to ignore it. Eleven ducked behind the bulwark of a rundown building.
She got separated on the mission from the others. A highly dangerous hollow, one believed to become the next Hollow Zero if left unchecked. They were only sent to confirm the dangers; a checkup for if the top dog void hunters would have to assist.
“Yet all it took was me getting ambushed by some high risk ethereals for things to go south.” Eleven chastised herself, “I still have to grow stronger.”
Gravelly huffs grew louder as each stomp from those behemoth ethereals drew ever closer.
“Sold—do you—backup!” Her communicator finally picked up a signal, though it was muffled by the expanding ether within the hollow.
Eleven breathed easy, her nerves gone. “Backup huh? Then I better stay out of the way.”
Moments later a fissure materialized in front of her, appearing from it (Y/N). The hybrid checked her over, gently brushing Eleven’s bruised and swollen ankle.
(Y/N) showed no hesitation and charged into the battle, catching the attention of the ethereal’s surrounding Eleven. She expected her ally to handle the enemies with ease; but it was much more than that.
Raising an enlarged claw, (Y/N)’s eyes glowed purple as one ethereal charged forward in a blind rage. It was then forced to a sudden stop as the energy drained from the lone ethereal. The other behemoths trembled in fear of the apex predator before them as their own had shriveled like a dried wineskin in the smoke.
It took one slash each for the problems to be dealt with. While (Y/N)’s claw shrunk back to its original form, Eleven leaned on the hybrids shoulder for support.
“Thanks for the quick save Frosty Tangerine; I’ll repay you later with some spicy noodles.”
(Y/N) smiled despite having a raised brow and squinted eyes. “Why do I have a better memory than you?”
Seed Sr. killed himself for Flora. It wasn't just a choice, it was a fight against himself, against his literal basic 'instincts' to save her, protect her. He let himself bleed slowly, fading away bit by bit, until he was gone.
Anby chose to barely passed her tests, because if she was overwhelmingly the best, her sisters would've been culled and thrown away. She could only save one, and so she did, somehow survived a suicide mission, and then was ordered to kill her last surviving sister. And she chose active suicide, slicing her throat open for S11.
Twiggy - Anby tried to save Twiggy, convince Twiggy to stop what she was doing, and failed, but when she should've died, Harin, with the barest grip of who either of them were dove in to back up her sister. A sister she doesn't really know. One she'll believe abandoned her. One she'll probably never get to be a family with.
Khors took in Grace when her parents died. Grace continued to defend Khors in spite of a large amount of evidence that he wasn't a good man, choosing his honor after his death, at the cost of enraging Koleda.
Carole Arna believed in her students, her children, she left them with a powerful gift in their implants and Eous. She's presumed dead, and the worst parts of the Hollow Zero Disaster were blamed on her.
Billy we know had been around the Calydons since Caesar was a little girl, and gave a spare arm to her when she lost her own.
Miyabi's strength is her own, reinforced by Tailless, but it also came at the cost of her Mother, and her mother's mother, and everyone who wielded Tailless before her. And yet, when carrying the Blade of the Hoshimi Family, she carries all those who wielded it before.
Harumasa's master made something specifically for Harumasa, not to cure him, but to give him just a little more time. just a moment longer. It came at the cost of his life, becoming Corrupted, but even still his Master protected the Case that could (and would) Save Harumasa's life.
Trigger was blinded, and her first team was killed in the H0 disaster, they gave orders to someone to save her, take her to a medical tent or whatever- they died like so many others, and she carried that guilt. When people started going missing and winding up dead, she went after the killer. She was saved by her Harmonica- Charon's harmonica. Even in death, her old squadmates protect her.
Nicole's love of dennies originates from a childhood friend dying of Corruption, unable to see the sun because a protective suit was too expensive, from spending hours with the other kids trying to collect enough to buy her one, to make that friend's wish come true, and let her see the sun one more time.
Astra was saved by investigators. They sacrificed themselves for her. Held back ethereals for just a minute, an extra second, and so she carries that song she was taught into now, to give to others.
Yixuan's sister.
Ju Fufu and Pan are rarities among Thiren.
Lighter's whole life was him trying to pay back a debt no one asked him do to, to give his friend's sister a life she deserved, no matter how much blood he shed, or was covered with, whether it was his own or another's.
Yanagi literally carries the blood of a dead woman in her veins, and the blood of so many innocent Oni on her hands, and had their futures on her shoulders.
The old man that was the Caretaker of the Ballet Twins, the ones that sacrificed themselves so others wouldn't trample each other trying to get out of the buildings during the Hollow Expansion.
Orphie is a clone of Magus, meant to simply carry whatever remains of the Original Orpheus Magnusson as a tail, but Magus allows Orphie to have her own life as much as she can, going into "sleep mode" so that the girl can have a snack, even if it's against the rules.
It's just.
so many characters carry the weight of lives on their back, in their pockets, but their sides. There's so much death and loss, and pain and heartache, and yet ...
I dunno. There's life. Fields of Flowers blooming in a hollow. Strength gifted in excess used to protect. the Shimmer of silver coins thrown away to make an unfortunate kid with nothing be allowed to have something. The sound of Homecoming. Of a Song shared between sisters carried beyond their lifespans.
It's stories written in Blood, and sweat, and oil, and tears, and coolant, and fur, and spinal fluid, and guts, and everything else.
Life starts. It stops. It carries on. But it only carries on so long as someone cares. So long there is someone to keep and share the memories, the music, the lyrics, the scripts, the episodes and the movies, to water the plants, to see it happen!
life only carries on if there is someone that cares enough to carry it on. And ZZZ seems to say that, there will be someone that cares enough. It just might need to be you.
