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Life’s Creation and Love’s Manifestation (Dr ratio x reader)- Chapter 4: Late Appraisal
Summary: Your promotion as one of the heads of the Security Department at Herta’s Station was full of many headaches, one of the biggest being a visiting scholar from the Intelligentsia Guild, and delegate of the IPC, Dr. Ratio.
When you were forced to team up with him to solve several crises emerging at the Station, how will your tense relationship change? And what exactly is the Doctor hiding?
Taglist: @96jnie @boomie-123 @a2tral @ukiyo-ikigai @poemzcheng @kpopmenace143 @tseleven @rains-mae @comet-kun @thatanimewriter @lowlucifer @snailsposts @earthtooz @delightfuldragoncollection @soobinsgirlfriend @lvfel
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Masterlist
A/N: You can probably tell I’m pretty tired by the writing + shorter chapter, but I wanted to get something out. The original draft was longer but I wasn’t happy with the later half, so I thought I would just for with a smaller chapter this time and keep working at the later half for a better finished produce. This mainly serves as a transitional chapter anyway, with more action expected in the next one.
You know that stereotype where fanfic authors literally go through the craziest shit when they’re writing? Well the last few weeks I won my first trial as a law student, got a few good resolution for other clients all at once, ans started getting closer with my crush. So… I’ve been pretty busy as you can see lol. I have a term break in a few weeks, which is likely when the next chapter will come out, and where I will try to pre-write another chapter or two. Thank you all for being patient with the delay!
Chapter 4: Late Appraisal (3.8k+ words)
“I just don’t understand how this even happened!” you watched the short white-haired man pace around Herta’s office, his forehead crinkled in concentration and mouth twisted into a worried frown. You felt your head pulse with each of his footsteps, thumping in beat with the heavy taps of his feet on the tile floor, the ache getting worse with each motion he made. Aeons, you wish they never found you napping in the Seclusion Zone. At least then you could’ve dealt with your hangover in peace and quiet, “How could multiple researchers and a Herta puppet all go missing in one afternoon? Especially with our upgraded security! It just makes no sense.”
“If you let me go look at the security system, I could tell you,” you deadpanned, eyes trailing over to the office door briefly, as if contemplating some way to escape, before flickering back to your boss, “I don’t even get why you called me here, aren’t we wasting time with this meeting when we could be trying to fix things?”
“Wasting time?” Arlan rebutted, stopping his pacing and crossing his arms over his chest. His eyes narrowed as he looked at you, giving you little hope of making your escape from the office, “You know what’s a waste of time? Trying to track you down just to find out you were passed out drunk in the Seclusion Zone! Do you know how much time we wasted just trying to find you?”
“It was literally my day off, Arlan,” you huffed in reply, mirroring his stance by crossing your own arms over your chest, “I don’t have to tell you where I am all the time. Not anymore at least.” You let the implication of the words hang in the air, something that didn’t go over well with your usually mellow boss, who seemed to be getting angrier by the minute. But hey, if he was gonna push your buttons, you weren’t just gonna sit there and take it.
“We’re in an emergency, Y/N!” he practically shouted at you, “It doesn’t matter if it's your day off! What would’ve you done if it was your day off when the Legion attacked? Stayed in your room and brushed it off?” You felt your body stiffen at his words, arms moving from their crossed state to hang loosely at your sides. You hated this; when you argued, when he used his knowledge of you and what would set you off for his own advantage. It was almost downright cruel.
“Don’t talk about the Legion attack,” your reply was quick, emotionless as if you were trying to avoid thinking of it yourself, “You know that’s different. A lot different.” At this point, you were willing to run out of the Herta’s Office, meeting be damned. The ache in your head paused for a moment replaced by a dull pain in your chest, mind swirling with thoughts you’d rather forget. You were almost afraid of how you appeared to your boss right now.
You watched Arlan’s eyes for the shift in emotion, hoping, praying that he was able to see where you were coming from. You saw it for a moment, like a flicker of hope burning within his purple orbs, before he blinked, sending the sympathy away from wherever it came from, “Is it though? For all we know, all of those researchers are dead! Adler could be dead!” You clenched your fist at the mention of the boy, the pounding in your head seeming to grow again.
“I get it!” you exclaimed, throwing your arms in the air in frustration, “Which is why I wanna look at the security system to see how this happened! But instead were here arguing about stupid shit that doesn’t matter right now!” You watched as he began to pace around Herta’s office again, Herta’s holographic image of herself staring at the both of you, along with the other genius society portraits, as if they all were looking down on this conversation too. You couldn’t blame them.
“You know why were having this conversation,” Arlan was quieter now, but still stern, “We needed you, and you there was no way to contact you!” He let out a shaky sigh before talking again, “We even started to think you were taken too!” You took a deep breath, attempting to let the anger inside of you simmer down at the genuine tone of his voice.
“I already know that,” you sighed, “ Screwllum told me it all when he came to wake me up,” you raised an eyebrow, “You should’ve asked him sooner, I mean,” you tugged on your button-down shirt, holding back a wince at how the sudden action made your head pound harder, “You already know our relationship. If anyone knew where I was, it would be him” You released the shirt, begrudgingly moving a hand to hold your head now, unable to pretend that you didn’t feel like shit any longer. Arlan looked at you with an expression you couldn’t quite read; disgust? Pity? You’d honestly rather not know.
“How much did you drink yesterday?” Arlan asked you, pausing his pacing again to change the subject, his expression still holding anger, but voice quiet, as if he was preparing to hear bad news. You thought about putting up a fuss for a moment, but sighed, preparing yourself to relent on this point, as if the alcohol was holding you back from hiding the extent of your poor state.
“A bottle of wine,” you said simply, crossing your arms across your chest again. You almost looked stupid, standing in the office in your sweatpants and Screwllum’s shirt, confessing your problems, while Arlan stared back at you in proper uniform, leaving the power imbalance between you two evident visually and audibly, “And a bit of Vodka,” you left the part about the vodka being in your water bottle unspoken, not prepared to deal his rant on that topic that the two of you had gone through hundreds of times before, though the pitying look on his face told you that he already knew.
“You really have to stop this,” Arlan said, voice losing the anger now, holding nothing but pity. Honestly, you preferred him angry. When Arlan became sentimental and looked at you like you were a lost cause or some sort of fuck up, for some reason nothing in the world felt worse. You didn’t know what it was; the way his lips curved into a frown like no other he ever displayed, or how his big eyes became downturned, a flicker of pain etched onto them and the rest of his features, “You can’t keep doing this to yourself…”
“I don’t want to talk about this,” you stared into his pitying eyes, hand from your head moving back to your side as you forced both your features and stance into neutrality as if that would fight off the emotions that threatened to spill from you.
“You don’t have a choice,” he said firmly, though not unkindly, “You know what I think about your drinking… what Asta thinks,” he let that name hang in the air for a moment, sending a shiver down your spine that made you wince, an action that didn’t go unnoticed by your boss. Arlan sighed, the sternness from before fading away into his usual kind demeanour, “You know I can’t control what you do; you’re an adult. But when your drinking gets in the way of your job; when you pass out somewhere where we can’t find you when we need you, thats when it becomes an issue.”
“Arlan,” you spoke his name, whether in warning for him to stop, or in frustration at the change in track of conversation, you couldn’t say.
“You know the Station is vulnerable after the attack… you know it better than anyone,” he said softly, “So we need you to be at 100% all the time… I know I already extended your hours after the whole incident from a few days ago,” you gritted your teeth at the previous punishment you had received due to your actions on the night that the stupid alcaster face bastard arrived, “but I don’t think that’s enough for what we need from you right now.”
“What are you suggesting?” you huffed, tapping a finger against your thigh impatiently. It clearly wasn’t the first time you received punishment and definitely wouldn’t be the last. At least that was something familiar in your life, you mused - at least something in your life could follow a steady routine.
“... You can’t drink any alcohol for the rest of the month,” he said firmly, quickly speaking again when he saw you open your mouth in protest, “Okay, maybe not the month… but at least until we get the researchers back and solve the confidence issues… I need you sober right now, Y/N.”
“You know its not that easy to just… stop,” you muttered, eyes moving to look at your feet. Even now, early in the morning, probably a bit over 12 hours from your last drink, you felt jittery, like you needed something to quell your nerves. Without the alcohol, and even with the pounding head, things were too… vivid, real. It was overwhelming to experience the sensations in the world how they were meant to be seen without the dull drag of a foggy blanket taking over your mind. How were you supposed to go a few days like this?
“I’m sorry,” he said softly, catching your glance as you looked back at him, “I don’t have a choice right now… let's talk more later, go, try to figure out why the security system went down last night.”
You opened your mouth, as if to respond, but allowed it to close again, turning your back to the man, “Whatever… talk to you later… Brother Arlan,” you left Herta’s office before he could respond to your use of his common teasing nickname around the station, not being in the mood to deal with another yelling match today. You unceremoniously slam the door behind you before you practically drag your body towards the elevator. Around you, you could hear the panicked gossip of various researchers, a sound that did nothing to calm the pounded headache that continued to make every movement a hassle. Part of you thought about talking to them - telling them that everything was under control.
The other part of you recognized that you probably looked like a hot mess right now, and didn’t bother. They already didn’t trust you anyway - you weren’t stupid. If anything, approaching them would probably make things worse than it already was. So, you dragged your body down the stairs, onto the main floor of the master control zone and to the elevator, fully intent on not acknowledging anyone’s existence.
It was only the sniffles of one specific person that made you do a double-take before you could press the button to call the elevator. Wen Shiling was a few feet behind you, trying to hide her sobs in her sleeve, but failing to do so, her small body physically shaking, evident even from your distance away from her. It was times like these when you wondered how children were even allowed to be researchers on this Station in the first place - it made you wonder how they could handle the stress that even you struggled to deal with. You paused, mind flickering between Wen Shiling and the elevator, sighing when you ultimately decided on the former, trudging your quiet body towards hers.
“Wen Shiling?” you spoke softly, bending down to be closer to her height, the action paining your head. Honestly, with your hangover and usual tone of conversation, you really had no idea how to approach comforting her… or anyone really, “What’s wrong sweetie, are you okay?” you hesitated before reaching a hand out, touching her gently on the shoulder. Her eyes seemed to water as she took in your form, a long sob escaping her lips. She looked from your hand to you, as if contemplated whether she wanted to move away, though she kept herself firmly planted in place.
“No, I’m mad!” she cried, wiping her teary eyes on her sleeve. She offered you know no other words, too focused on stifling her sobs, which were still obnoxiously loud. You resisted the urge to cover your ears to block out the noise despite her cries doing nothing to soothe your headache. You gently rubbed your hand up and down her back, hoping that it offered some form of comfort to the girl.
Though she wasn’t clear about the source of her anger, it was clear enough to guess, “You don’t have to worry about Adler, we’ll definitely bring him back soon.” Of course you left out the part where you had no idea where the little boy was or if he was even alive… but you really didn’t want to get into discussing the philosophy of life and death with a eight year old. Your mind flickered to Adler’s stupid book you had borrowed, the one you hadn’t cracked open since the night your… enjoyable evening with Screwllum was interrupted by the damned doctor you had been forced to accommodate. What if you never saw him again… what if he never got to talk to you about the book? You internally shook your head, focusing again on Wen Shiling in front of you. Aeons, if only you could have a drink to take the edge off…
“I don’t want him back… he’s stupid!” she sobbed again. You tried not to cringe at the snot covering the sleeves of her dress, forcing yourself to focus on her words, “He doesn’t talk to me and then disappears…! I don’t even want him here!”
“I’m sure he was just busy,” you attempt to soothe the girl, cursing the Aeons for failing to give you skills in soothing children. Deciding your ability to comfort children was lacking, you decided to only logically thing you could do was change your tone to match your usual personality, “You know, once we get him back I’m sure he’ll be sorry for how he treated you. That’ll serve him right, huh?.”
“He’ll be sorry?” she echoed your words, blinking dumbly up at you. You nodded in encouragement, hoping that you finally found some method to calm her crying. You forced yourself to plaster the a smile on your face, as if everything was fine and you weren’t currently feeling like death from a hangover and dealing with the aftermath of another invasion and your alcohol problem all at the same time.
“Of course! Im sure we can even make him take an afternoon off his stupid ecology research,” you said with smirk, happy to at least let your genuine thoughts shine through for a moment before the inevitable hours of seriousness ahead, “I heard he’s horrible at board games, we could force him to play one beat him to a pulp.”
Wen Shiling smiled a bit, though her frown returned soon after, “Big sis… Can I ask you something? But you have to tell me the truth.”
Feeling like you were getting the farthest using your typical personality, you let your genuine thoughts ring through in your answer “Sure, I’m not a liar,” you shrugged, crossing your arms over your chest, “what’s up?”
“…” she hesitated for a moment before speaking, “Do you really think Adler is okay? … You think we’ll find him?” You stared at her for a moment, taking in her big brown tearful eyes and the snotty sleeves on her dress, an expression mixed with hopefulness and worry plastered all over her features. You forced a confident smirk on your face, placing your hands on your hips in mock confidence.
“I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.”
It wasn’t your first time lying to a kid, and you were sure it wouldn’t be the last either.
~~~~
Your head continued to pound as the elevator descended, countless sounds filling your head. Arlan’s yelling… Wen Shiling’s crying… it all fluttered around your brain like snow, casting an endless stream of emotions on your already overwhelmed brain. Your mind drifted to your water bottle which you knew sat on your desk in your room… would Arlan even know if you took a sip from it… He couldn’t right? How would he? There was no way he could actually expect to accurately record your sobriety, you thought to yourself. No, you just had to be sneaky with it - a few sips here and there to quell your thoughts… thats all you would need… just something to take the edge off. Even the thought of the alcohol seemed to quiet your brain, like a blanket may drive off heat on a cold night. If you were in your right mind, maybe you would realize how worrisome your thoughts truly were… but right now you really didn’t care.
“When an elevator arrives at its destination, you are expected to dismount it,” you blinked back into focus at the familiar irritating voice, eyes falling on to the Doctor. Dressed in his usual clothes, though lacking his alabaster head, he stared at you with a raised eyebrow, as if you were some sort of unusual specimen in his lab. In all honesty, you couldn’t blame him. You hadn’t even realized your elevator had arrived at the floor with everyone’s personal quarters, too caught up in your thoughts to notice, which left you standing blankly forward despite the door already having opened.
“And when someone doesn’t get out, you’re expected to politely address them, not be a snarky asshole,” you shot back, forcing yourself to leave the elevator. Not ready to end the conversation, but not wanting the elevator to go away, the Doctor stepped inside, pressing the door open button.
“Your insults lack creativity when you are hung over,” he deadpanned, sighing - whether in disappointment or disgust, you didn’t know, “I suppose it doesn’t matter. I was looking for you, you need to come with me.”
You rose an eyebrow at the Doctor, “Uh, kinda in the middle of trying to solve a crisis right now,” you deadpanned, “I’m sure you’ve heard about it… ya know, missing researchers, faulty security system. Don’t really have time for whatever bullshit you’re up to right now.”
“You wound me,” he states, though his face shows no sign of any emotion, “Since when do I act without purpose?” He looked at you with disgust, as if he was shocked at the suggestion, “Of course I am aware of the current predicament and I wish to help you.”
You cock an eyebrow at him, arms crossed in front of your chest, “And why would you do that exactly? What’s in it for you?” skepticism dripped from your tone, a fact that you knew was all too apparent for the Doctor, who met your gaze defiantly, “Literally all you’ve done since getting here is be a pain in the ass and then almost get me killed - your actions don’t really scream helpful.”
“I seem to recall I was helpful enough in procuring wine for you and allowing you to sleep in my presence,” he smirked cockily, brushing a stray strand of hair from his forehead, “Or do actions such as those not qualify as helpful in your dictionary?”
“The only thing that helped with is getting me chewed out by my boss, so thanks for that I guess, what a help you are,” you rolled your eyes, tempted to walk away, but for some reason forcing yourself to stay put, “I don’t know what the hell was in that wine you gave me, but I swear I’m not usually that… clingy.” You thought you should say more, but chose to stay silent deciding you already made enough of a fool of yourself, “Honestly I don’t even remember most of the shit I did last night.”
“Alcohol interferes with one’s ability to form long term memories, such a fact is really not suprising,” he said matter-of-factly, a cocky smirk coating his features. You barley knew this man, but he seemed to always revel in the ability of making people feel dumb, “Luckily for you, I retained my own memory of the evening, if you wish to recall more.”
“I’d rather not learn more things Arlan can yell at me about, thanks,” you huffed, forcing the conversation back to its original topic, “So really, why do you wanna help me? What’s in it for you?”
“Many things really,” he said casually, finger still firmly pressing the open button on the elevator door, “The satisfaction of helping idiots some a simple problem, the joy of reuniting the researchers with their companions… or the pleasure of building a diplomatic relationship between the IPC and the Space Station as I was directed.”
“Should’ve known of course it was about the diplomacy,” you smirked at him, propping an arm next to the elevator door, “You clearly wouldn’t act kindly on your own accord. Got your own boss who you’re afraid will chew you out like mine?”
The Doctor’s face soured at the mention of a boss, “I’d rather not think of my acquaintances at the IPC, they are not the most fond people to be around.” The scowl on his face made you interested in learning more, but the Doctor was quick to change the subject, “I merely offered my assistance to Miss Asta and she accepted. The mere certitude that doing so will satisfy my companions is simply a bonus.”
“Whatever, I don’t care if Asta got you to help, I have my own work to do,” you brushed him off, turning to move away from the elevator. You were startled when a firm hand grasped your arm, preventing you from leaving. The Doctor’s skin was warm, radiating heat through Screwllum’s dress shirt. His touch mass you freeze in your tracks, glancing over your shoulder at the Doctor.
“I’m not asking you,” he said plainly, as if disgusted that you hadn’t picked up on that sooner, “You prescene has been requested.” You felt mesmerized for a moment by his presence, the scent of his cologne filling your nose due to your close proximity. His golden eyes seemed to bore into you, as if staring into your soul. It was the first time you really took in how… handsome he looked. Of course you had noticed before… you had eyes of course, but something about how he looked at you now seemed to awaken something within you, something you were desperate to push away, while at the same time wanting to cling on to it.
Snapping into your senses, you yank your hand from his, crossing it over your chest once more, “Requasted by who?”
“Hmmm what was the word you used for it again?” The Doctor’s hand, now free from holding your wrist, went to his chin in contemplation, “Ah yes, that’s it. A situationship. Screwllum requested your prescene.” With his other hand, he let go of open door button, allowing the door to close behind him, “We’ll see you in the Seclusion Zone.”
#honkai star rail#honkai star rail x reader#honkai starrail#honkai starrail x reader#doctor ratio#doctor ratio x reader#dr ratio#dr ratio x reader#screwllum#screwllum x reader
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new chapter will be out tmmr :) A little shorter than usual but it’s kinda a transitional chapter that develops reader a bit more, so hopefully it’s still good!
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I have a rough draft of the Chapter finished! With a busy weekend ahead, not sure if I’ll be able to completely get it to a point where I like it. It will 100% be out in within the next week though! Thanks for your patience!
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Hate to delay again but update will likely be on the weekend!
I'm a law student so I just learned I have to cover a trial Thursday lmao. Have to delay to make sure I can prep for that, and finish the chapter afterwards!
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Authors note
expected update will be tuesday or wednesday!
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hey all, due to some unexpected circumstances, the update will likely be pushed back to next weekend! sorry for the delay!
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Wait- you play enstars too?! OMG who’s your favourite unit and character(s)?
I personally love Akatsuki, Valkyrie, Eden and 2wink, but all of them have pretty good songs!
We stan enstars supremacy🛐 and we (might be) down bad for some characters🤭
Have a good day/afternoon/evening/night!
I do, though admittedly not as much as I used to ever since star rail came out lol. i’m currently on somewhat of a break, but i might try to play the event tmmr!
For characters, I have way too many favs that I struggle to produce as a f2p lol. Some of my favs are hiiro, madara, himeru, tsukasa, yuzuru, and all of eden and akatsuki
eden and akatsuki are my fav units cause i produce everyone - i like their music consistently as well. further music-wise (other than the two mentioned) i most consistently enjoy alkaloid, switch, ryuseitai and undead. i used to hate knights but i gotta admit their later songs slap so they grew on me a lot and i consider them one of my favs music-wise now. but like you i think the music in general in enstars is really good!
i’m most down bad for himeru and madara the most consistently. i thought i would be a rei simp when i started the game but i’m not at all, partially cause i think he doesn’t get the chance to shine as much in enstars music.
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Authors note
Next chapter is coming along well! I’m aiming for a update on Sunday, but Monday may be more realistic. Either way, more coming soon!
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Life’s Creations and Love’s Manifestations - Dr. Ratio x Female Reader- Chapter 3
Summary: Your promotion as one of the heads of the Security Department at Herta’s Station was full of many headaches, one of the biggest being a visiting scholar from the Intelligentsia Guild, and delegate of the IPC, Dr. Ratio.
When you were forced to team up with him to solve several crises emerging at the Station, how will your tense relationship change? And what exactly is the Doctor hiding?
Taglist: @96jnie @boomie-123 @a2tral @ukiyo-ikigai @poemzcheng @kpopmenace143
Send me an ask, DM or comment to be added to the taglist!
ao3 link
Masterlist | Previous chapter
A/N: Happy New Year! Hope everyone had a fun New Year’s Eve - I spent mine in a way I think the reader would, drinking with friends. I’m officially back in Uni now, so updates will be slower (~1-3 updates a month) but my semester is lighter so I’m confident I’ll have the time to update. In other news, I officially finished pre-farming for Ratio! He’s gonna be the first character I max out traces for!
Chapter 3: Touch Deprival
“Question: Are you sure you are alright?” as usual, Screwllum’s voice was monotone and flat, sending no hints to reveal how he was feeling at the moment. Consequently, he had to express his feelings in other ways, rubbing your shoulders soothingly as you tinkered with the camera equipment in front of you, “Affirmation: it is your day off, you can easily save this task until tomorrow.”
You couldn’t have looked any more different from this morning, crop top and shorts now replaced with comfy sweatpants and a button-down white shirt which looked suspiciously similar to the one your robot companion wore under his suit jacket. Your back was pressed firmly against the front of his metallic body as you both sat on the floor in the Seclusion Zone in a room full of two things; plants and the little creatures that Ruan Mei abandoned after leaving the Space Station a few hours ago. A few of the little creatures hoped around freely, as if happy for the company, “Given all of this,” you gestured to the creatures around you, “we should’ve put cameras down here months ago,” you let yourself lean further back against your companion, savouring the feeling of his arms kneading your tense flesh, “might as well get it over with before someone else decides to run a fucked up experiment down here.”
He didn’t rebut the content of your statement itself, rather responding with a simple, “You did not answer my first question, dear,” his metallic hand trailed further down your back, massaging the space near your shoulder blade through the white shirt. You muffled a groan at the relief that shot through your body, a sign that had him continuing the motions with a firmer grip. You didn’t know how the robot managed to give the most amazing massages, but his hands were definitely missed whenever he was forced the leave the station.
“I mean, as good as someone can be after almost dying a few hours ago, I guess,” your tone was neutral, your gaze and fingers focused on the security cameras in front of you, which you were attaching to camera mounds to place on the walls around the Seclusion Zone. You knew if you dared to look back at Screwllum, he would see through your words in an instant. His title as a genius wasn’t just for show after all, “I mean, it obviously was scary when it happened, but I can’t take up more of your time. Herta’s probably already out for my head after you left your meeting with her early.”
“Affirmation, I did not tell her the reason of my sudden departure,” he replied, one metallic hand drifting from your back to your face, tilting your head so that, even from in front of him, you two were forced to make eye contact, “It was hard not to abandon my work when you texted me to inform me you were using the bathtub in my room with no context,” he let his hand drift from your cheek to cup your chin, “I care about you, my dear. I don’t want you to push yourself.”
Ah, the bathtub. It was silly really, how someone like Screwllum, who couldn’t use a bathtub in the first place, had one in his quarters while you were stuck with a shitty shower with absolutely no water pressure. It just so happened that all the guest rooms in the Space Ship were equipt with bathtubs, and though Screwllum was a frequent visitor of the station, he had no official permanent quarters of his own, though, at this point, the Station staff just gave him the same room in the Space Station anyway, making that particular room his unofficial permanent quarters.
Of course, when you finished cleaning the incubator room in the Seclusion Zone, hands covered in smelly bug guts, you had abandoned your computer and water bottle in favour of taking the elevator to the floor housing the living quarters and used your FOB to unlock Screwllum’s room solely for the purpose of his bathtub. With your one-track mind on trying to get the smell of bug off of you, you had neglected to check your phone after sending Screwllum a text letting him know about your tub use, which ultimately led him to check on and fuss over you, a pattern of behaviour that was still ongoing now.
“And I appreciate your company, as always,” you flash him a smile, pushing the camera you were working on to the side so you could turn and face him, straddling your legs over his own. You pressed a brief kiss to his cheek before pushing your body against his own, sighing at the familiar feeling of his hands wrapping around you, “But you’ve been with me all afternoon; go take a few hours, finish your work,” you let your hands trail down his chest, shuddering at the cold feeling of his metallic frame below his suit, “I’ll be here when you’re done - remember, you still owe me dinner and drinks.”
“How could I forgot?” Screwllum chuckled as you pressed another kiss to his cheek, though he made no movement to leave. You both knew why; the answer hanging between the two of you, but remaining unspoken, as if you two were playing a game to see who could avoid bringing it up the longest. To avoid doing so, you snuggled yourself into his chest, inhaling the scent of his laundry detergent as he rubbed a cold hand up and down your back.
“Ahem,” Screwllum’s hand stopped moving at the sudden sound of another voice breaking the relative silence, albeit the irregular mewings of Ruan Mei’s cat-like creatures, in the room. You forced yourself to sit up, regretfully removing yourself from Screwllum’s arms to face the new presence in the room. “Sorry if I am… interrupting something,” as per usual, Dr. Ratio’s features were hidden by the alabaster head, leaving only his toned body on display to you and Screwllum, who exchanged looks as you moved to sit beside the robot.
“You are,” was your simple reply. You forced yourself to grab another security camera from the mess of items you had scatted on the floor around Screwllum and yourself, attaching it to the camera mound to control your anger at the Doctor’s presence, “You can go away now.”
“How rude, to think you would treat a delegate of the IPC like this,” he placed his hand to his chest in mock offence. You pictured his eyes rolling underneath the alabaster read to aid to the sarcasm radiating off of his body, “I expected more from you.”
Noticing your anger and lack of motivation to carry on the conversation, Screwllum allowed himself to speak, “I don’t believe we have been formally introduced,” he stood up, you frowning at him as he took a few steps forward, sticking a hand out to the Doctor, “I am Screwllum, number-”
“Number 76 of the Genius Society, ruler of Planet Screwllum, leader of the resistance against Rupert I,” Doctor Ratio rambled out the list of title, counting each on his fingers like a child may do when trying to solve a math problem, albeit the Doctor’s action was clearly mocking in nature, “Don’t patronize me, Mr. Screwllum. I work for the IPC, of course I am aware of your identity.” He huffed, removing the alabaster head to reveal his own features, hair slightly out of place due to the action. He looked unamused, crossing his arms with another dramatic huff.
“Affirmation; your tongue is as sharp as your looks, as I have heard, Doctor,” Screwllum’s tone was even, though he retracted his outreached hand, which had gone unanswered, plainly and obviously, making the tension in the air obvious.
You resisted the urge to groan in frustration, instead stating, “Why are you here, Mr. Ratio? I’m sure you have better things to do than lounge around in the Seclusion Zone all day,” you resisted the urge to smirk at him, “keep this up and I may just report you to your employer for time fraud - its not like you’re doing any work around here anyway.”
“You’re the one who told me to come here, remember?” he questioned, leaving your quip unanswered and raising an eyebrow. He sighed at the blank look at your face at his words, as if disappointed, “Pity, it was quite a dramatic comment, I would have suspected you to remember it. What was it again?” he put a hand to his chin as if in thought, though the mocking smile told you the words were already committed to his memory, “Ah, yes, ‘We are definitely having a chat about this later’ that it.”
“Yeah, later, as in not now,” you said drily, pointing to the army of cameras surrounding you, “I’m clearly busy.”
“I seem to recall that you entertained a conversation with me just fine earlier today when you were also busy,” he sighed dramatically, leaning against one of the tubes full of plants cultivated by Ruan Mei, “I suppose idiots truly can only multitask for so long during the day; pity, I truly enjoyed our conversations.”
You opened your mouth, a retort on the tip of your tongue, but were silenced when Screwllum spoke first, “I do not mean to interrupt,” he spoke, glancing between you and the Doctor curiously, “However, I do need to depart to a meeting,” he turned from the Doctor, walking to where you sat and placing a reassuring hand on your shoulder, “My dear, don’t you think allowing Mr. Ratio to accompany you may allow you to finish this task quicker? I’d hate for you to waste more time on this venture.”
Screwllum’s shining green eyes bore into yours, almost as if he was daring you to rebut him. You knew what he was playing at as he rubbed familiar, soothing circles into your flesh. It was another silent dare, for you to bring up what you knew was on both of your minds. Of course, you didn’t, an action you knew that your companion expected. Your eyes drifted briefly to the Doctor, who was watching you two curiously as if you were a math problem that he couldn’t quite solve.
“Fine, fine,” you relented, putting your hands in the air in mock defeat, meeting the Doctor’s eye, “I’ll let you stay, only if you help me put up these cameras once they’re ready.” You hated the smug look on the Doctor’s face at your words as if he had emerged victorious from the exchange somehow, his hands moving from being crossed at his chest to instead resting on his hips like some sort of superhero.
“Quite bold of you to ask a mere visitor to help you with such a menial task,” he started, though he walked towards you and Screwllum nonetheless, “However, if you insist, I suppose I can help. The Station will benefit from my adept hand, after all.”
“Ah, yes, I can already hear Lady Asta gasping in pleasure when she see’s your expert camera placement,” you rolled your eyes as you shoved another camera into its mound, earning a glare from the Doctor. Once again, Screwllum saved the day, breaking the silence before he could retort.
“With that settled, I will take my leave now,” he gave your shoulder a small squeeze, your eyes transfixed on the Doctor, whose eyes were equally as focused on the small act of intimacy, “Conclusion, I will see you later tonight, my dear.” He let his metallic hand remove itself from your shoulder after being sure to give it one last squeeze.
“Can’t wait!” you smiled at him, dragging your eyes away from the Doctor to watch your companion retreat, keeping your focus on his form until he was completely out of your sight, before you reluctantly dragged your eyes back to the Doctor. He stood a few feet away from you, as if unsure exactly where to go or what to do. You huffed at his reactions, “What, does a genius like yourself not know how to socially interact with people? Sit down already!”
“You must forgive me, the IPC doesn’t provide lessons on social etiquette regarding sitting on the floor,” he replied drily, awkwardly taking a seat next to you on the cold metal floor of the Space Station, his eyes looking over you as you continued your work with the cameras, “We sit in chairs, like civilized people. I do not understand your logic of working here.”
“Come on, Doc, live a little, sitting on the floor never killed anyone,” you shrugged, your voice light, but lacking the usual passion you preferred to give to your retorts. Too tired to really care, you ignored his gaze to continue your work, “Plus, it’s easier to work here anyway, saves me lugging cameras around later.”
“I must say, you lack your usual passion that you provide to our oh-so-delightful conversations” he scanned the immediate surroundings as if searching for something, “Is this what you’re like sober? I dare say you make a much more entertaining conversationalist when you are slightly tipsy.” It’s only then that you realized he held a bottle of wine in his hand, a brand you didn’t recognize, “Drink then, so we can speak like intellectuals.”
“Wow, aiding my alcoholism? You must be in a good mood,” you raised an eyebrow in suspicion, though you were quick the grab the opened bottle anyway, taking a few large gulps of the wine. It was a dry wine, definitely not your favourite, but it was strong, the red liquid burning your throat as you swallowed.
“You could at least pour yourself a glass first,” the Doctor shot you a glare, grabbing the bottle to wipe away the stain of your lipgloss at the opening, “I’m beginning to suspect you have no concept of manners.”
“Do you see any glasses around here?” you retorted, both you and the Doctor looking around the room, the only signs of objects other than cameras or plants being Ruan Mei’s little cat-like creatures. That seemed to be enough to shut up the doctor, at least briefly, as he spent the next few minutes watching you construct cameras and drink wine in silence. Of course, though, the Doctor could only stand to exist without hearing his voice for so long, leading him to break the silence.
“You did not answer my earlier question,” he replied, voice even, though containing less of an annoying edge than usual. Aeons, what was it with these men and their persistence to get an answer out of you today, “Why are you colder than usual?”
You shot him a glare, standing up from the floor in anger, as if you wanted to punch him right then and there. Of course you didn’t, instead allowing yourself to pace the room, a few of the cat-like creatures hopping alongside you as you did, “You really have to ask me that? And you call yourself a member of the Intelligensia Guild?” you scoffed, pausing your pacing to stare him down directly, thriving in the way he squirmed slightly in his uncomfortable seat on the floor, “Not only did you use your stupid looks to sneak into the Seclusion Zone, but you witnessed Ruan Mei’s psychotic experiment, knew what was going to happen, but didn’t tell anyone about it, instead basically sending myself and the Trailblazer to our impending doom!” Your words were cold, harsh, streaming out like a river, as if you couldn’t hold them back any longer, “I know were not exactly friendly, but holy fuck, draw the line somewhere, right?”
He held his hands out in front of him, arm muscles flexing as he did so, “I understand you are upset, however-”
“Upset?” you scoffed, a sarcastic laugh leaving your lips, “Wrong, I’m pissed off! Is my life a joke to you? A few more seconds of fighting that stupid thing and I wouldn’t be here right now!” you pointed an accusatory finger at him, “Imagine if we did die, huh? Were you just goint to lounge around the Space Station as if you didn’t send us to death without the tinest warning? Or were you going to celebrate since I was finally out of your hair?”
“I wouldn’t have let you die,” he replied, tone cold, disappointed even, as if you were in the wrong for claiming he would do such a thing, “I’m sure you noticed that I returned to the Seclusion Zone before you left.” You had noticed. Of course, you did. You had been forced to halt your cleaning job temporarily to get the Trailblazer back to the Storage Zone. Mysteriously, despite the Trailblazer never having pressed the button for the elevator, the elevator was awaiting your arrival, as if the previous user had taken it downwards to the Seclusion Zone, despite you having seen the Doctor taking it upwards before you headed off to your impending doom. The Doctor took your silence as acknowledgement, “I was prepared to aid the two of you in defeating the creature if required.”
You didn’t speak for a moment, processing the new information to add on to what you already knew. You weren’t sure of what to make of the elevator incident til now, not knowing if the Doctor came to help you or mock you. Somehow, you found the later to be more preferable than the reality. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?” you rebutted, sitting down on the floor again, keeping a few feet distance between you and the Doctor, “Knowing that you could help me defeat a monster that you failed to tell me about in the first place?”
The Doctor sighed dramatically as if he was a child caught stealing from a cookie jar, before beginning to speak, “I… apologize for my actions,” despite his extravagant sentiments before speaking, his words were surprisingly genuine, his usually snobby voice reduced to a volume barely above a whisper, “I was confident in your ability to hold off the creature, however I should have told you about the threat it posed… I am sorry.”
You blinked dumbly a few times before bursting out into laughter, scootching closer towards the Doctor to grab the wine bottle, taking a swig between your giggles, “Wow, it’s that easy to elicit an apology out of you, Doc?” you smirked, “I should’ve recorded that shit, ahhh it was so satisfying!”
“You-” he glared at you, yanking the bottle out of your hands in anger, “Were you faking that temper tantrum the whole time? Are you capable of holding any conversation without emotional manipulation?” You continued to giggle, laughs only edged on by the warmth rising to the Doctor’s cheeks, which he tried to hide with his hands.
“I mean, I was, and am still upset,” you shrugged, snatching the bottle again from where he placed it on the floor to take another swig, sighing at the taste as you pulled the bottle away from your lips “But, why would I let that get in the way of me teasing you?” she mused, “Maybe I should’ve took it further, hmm? Waited until you got down on your knees and begged for my forgiveness before-”
“Enough of this insolence!” he exclaimed, an angry blush on his clear skin, “I have never met someone with so much gull; someone so infuriating!” he again snatched the wine away from you, though he failed to take a sip from the bottle.
“Hey, hey, you deserved all that after what you put me through today!” you pointed an accusatory finger at him before standing up from the floor, “Now come on, Doc, these cameras aren’t gonna put themselves up, huh?” you grabbed two of the cameras from their resting place on the floor, gesturing for the Doctor to do the same.
“And why would I help you exactly?” he questioned, crossing his arms across his chest, “may I remind you that I am your guest? If anything, you should be grovelling to me to fulfil my every wish.”
“You would like me on my knee for you, huh?” you teased, raising your eyebrows suggestively, causing the Doctor to open his mouth in rebut, though you were quick to cut him off before he could speak, “But you told Screwllum you would help, so too bad.” He sighed incredulously at your words.
“That was before you tricked me into apologizing and embarrassed me!’ he retorted, breathing heavily, as if relieved to finally let a retort escape his lips.
“Embarressed you in front of who exactly?” you cocked an eyebrow, looking between the Doctor and Ruan Mei’s creatures, “I don’t exactly think they’re the type to spread gossip ya know?” The Doctor and you watched as the creatures continued to jump around aimlessly, “So come on already, the sooner we do this the sooner we can leave each other alone.” The Doctor sighed, though he picked up two cameras nonetheless, trailing after you as you made your way through the Seclusion Zone. Your first step was the area overlooking the primary home of Ruan Mei’s creations, who seemed to longue by a toilet-like device nearby to where you were sitting. You easily began positioning a camera at the corner of the wall a few feet away from the toilet, allowing the device to display a view of the whole area.
“May I remind you that I have no loyalty to the Genius Society; I do not owe Screwllum my word, nor do I owe you anything,” the Doctor rebutted after a few moments of silence, as if he had been thinking of the retort, “However, I will help you this time out of the kindness of my heart.”
“Wow, isn’t this amiracle,” you ensured the camera was at least partly secure before turning to face him, placing a mocking hand to your chest, “The asshole Doctor caring for others? I’ll make sure to remember this moment; make sure to have your ghost writer reach out to me for your next autobiography so that I can tell them all the wonderful times we had together!”
“You read my autobiography?” he raised an eyebrow at you, though you didn’t notice due to your back once again being turned to him. You sensed the change in his tone though; less snarky and self-centered and more teasing, “I never knew how much of a fan you were; you should have told me Ms. Y/N, I would have gladly signed something for you.” You finished positioning the camera, turning to glare at the mocking smile on the Doctor’s face, “Is your propensity to teast me related to your infatuation with my work? It would explain why you make it you life’s mission to cause me strife; its akin to a child pulling their crushes hair on the playground!”
You scoffed, the Doctor trailing after you as you walked to the other side of the room near some plants that had been cultivated in the Seclusion Zone, and near a place where a few other of Ruan Mei’s creations had been lounging. The creatures were quick to give you some space to position the camera, “You wish, Doctor, I just find your reactions amusing,” you mused as you fiddled with the camera, “Screwllum lent me the book; I’ve got to say, eight doctorial degrees? Like holy shiy, at what could you’ve possibly learned in the eighth that you didn’t already learn in the seventh?”
A moment of silence passed again, you figured because the Doctor was looking to retort again. You weren't complaining though, the silence allowed you time to realize how fuzzy your head was becoming from the wine, and allowed you to find a suitable spot on the opposite side of the room near a staircase to plant another camera. You briefly glanced at the Doctor as you grabbed one of the cameras from his hand, earning no notable reaction. With a shrug, you tuned and began to position the device before the Doctor spoke again, “If I may be so bold… what exactly is your relationship with… Mr. Screwllum?”
“Huh?” you weren’t expecting that question, nearly dropping the unsecured camera, which you barely managed to pick up before it hit the ground. You turned to face him, as if searching his face for the intention behind his words, “What, you’re worried I’m taken? I’m flattered, Doctor, this is the second time today you’ve implied you wanted me to worship you on my knees. You sure don’t hold back on your kinks, huh?”
“Are you capable of responding to anything seriously” he exclaimed awkwardly, brushing off your attempt to deflect the situation. His eyes scanned your figure, taking in Screwllum’s button-down shirt that trailed down to the top of your upper thigh, “You clearly have… some romantic relationship with each other. I am merely curious how a man of his standing has the ability to put up with someone like you.”
“Believe it or not, I’m quite a pleasurable person to be around, you just bring out the worst in me, Doc,” you joked, pondering if you should place the camera or focus on the Doctor, but opted for the latter after you determined your next words, “The relationship Screwllum and I have is pretty simple - were just fuck buddies.”
You weren’t exactly sure how the Doctor would react to that information, though you would have never expected the mere word ‘fuck’ would cause him to open his mouth like a fish, sputtering as if he was speechless, his face red with embarrassment, “W-What?”
“What, eight doctorial degrees and you don’t know what the term fuck buddies is?” you cocked an eyebrow, a smirk growing it’s way on your features, “Ya know, friends with benefits, a situationship, meaningless sex, booty call-”
“I understand the concept!” the Doctor practically shouted, as if begging you to shut up, his face growing redder, “I just cannot comprehend how someone like him would be in a… sexual relationship with someone like you.”
“What, like you can’t picture how we do it?” you questioned teasingly, curving your middle and pointed finger in a ‘come here’ motion, “Come on, use your imagination, Doc! I’ll let you know that Screwllum is great with his fingers!”
Your actions only seemed to spiral the Doctor further into an embarrassed mess, one of his hands moving to attempt to hide the heat on his cheeks, “That is not what I meant,” he sighed, frustrated, “I merely wish to understand how one of the most notable men in the universe ended up being close to a mere security guard.”
“Oh,” you shrugged, turning away now to refocus on the camera, “I mean, that’s nothing special really if I had to be honest. Screwllum visits pretty often, so naturally we ended up talking at some point,” you looked over your shoulder at the Doctor, “Plus, haven’t you seen him? Dude’s smoking hot, of course I’d flirt with him after we got to know each other. It’s as simple as that.” By the strange look the Doctor was giving you, you were pretty sure he didn’t share your enthusiasm regarding the attractiveness of robots, not that it really mattered - more for you to have after all.
“And yet you’re not dating,” the Doctor commented, trailing after you again as you once again wandered around the room to the wall opposite the stars to put up another camera. You barely glanced at him this time as you grabbed the last camera from him, quickly turning away.
“We're not dating,” you kept your tone as casual as you could, focusing your attention on positioning the camera on the wall. You doubted the Doctor was the best at picking up on emotional cues, but you wanted to be safe nonetheless by avoiding his questioning gaze.
“I see,” he spoke simply before continuing, “I suppose that’s self-explanatory,” he commented offhandedly as you continued to avoid his gaze while focusing ion your work, “You don’t seem like the type to commit to a long term relationship; both you and Screwllum must have greater satisfaction with this… arrangement.”
God, if he was going to make you talk more about your sex life, you definitely would need more wine in your system, “Ah, Doctor, falling into assumptions of character?” you murmured as you secured the camera, “I expected more from your eight doctorate degrees.” Not seeing a way out of the inevitable, you half-hazardously finished placing the camera before wandering back towards the wine to take a swig, the Doctor once again on your heels.
“I do not understand your assertion,” he watched you impatiently as you took some swigs, the bottle nearly drained before you forced yourself to stop, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand. You were quick to grab two more cameras, motioning the Doctor to follow you once he grabbed two more of his own.
“... I was not the one who suggested our relationship be casual. It was Screwllum,” you once again kept your tone even as the Doctor followed you up the first flight of stairs, where you decided to place a camera beside the door to an experimental room. You looked at the Doctor over your shoulder after a moment of silence, “What, no witty remark for that one, Doctor?”
“I am merely confused,” he confessed, his tone curious. You preferred him more when he was mocking you, “I must admit, I am not familiar with your relationship with Screwllum, but he clearly showed care for you earlier.” Your mind wandered back to the robot, his touch on your skin, his reluctance to leave, the way his fingers expertly massaged your flesh, the way you were straddlingly him when the Doctor had found you. You shoke your head, as if to brush the memories away.
“That’s the thing,” you commented with a shrug, turning to face the Doctor now that the camera was secure to the wall, “At the end of the day, Screwllum will never seriously date someone because of who he is,” you shrugged, as if speaking those words didn’t pain you, “I obviously see him as someone extraordinary who is honestly a lot kinder than a lot of humans I know,” your eyes trailed down to the ground floor, eyeing Ruan Mei’s creations, “But at the end of the day, he’ll always be scared that he can never truly love me because he’s a machine,” you admitted, “Screwllum doesn’t think he’s capable of genuine love, so he won’t get himself in a situation where someone feels that way about him on a deeper level.”
“And yet you have feelings for him,” the Doctor commented as you walked into the experimental room after the first flight of stairs, placing another camera on the other side of the door. Your mind was foggy now with the wine, as if you knew you should stop talking but couldn’t. Maybe one of the Doctor’s degrees was in psychology, considering he seemed to know exactly how to make you spill your inner demons.
“I think I did at one time,” you said honestly, “But I accepted that whatever I wanted with him won’t ever occur, and I moved on.” With the camera secure, you turned to face the Doctor, “You’re awfully curious about my failed love life, huh? What ‘bout you? Some cute chick waiting back at the University of Veritas Prime?”
“I have no time for romance,” he spoke plainly, crossing his arms over his chest disinterestedly, “There are much more pressing matters for someone of my standing to deal with than something a fickle as a relationship.”
“Spoken like a true virgin,” you clasped your hands together with a mocking smile, “How sweet, Doctor,” you turned away from him, the Doctor again trailing after you as you left the room and walked up the second flight of stairs, “Though, honestly, if I had to deal with your attitude everyday, I wouldn’t fuck you either. I’m sure hearing your voice day after day everyday while getting a degree would be enough to drive me to drop out. I pity all the women who had to deal with you year after year.”
“Very funny,” he spoke, sarcasm dripping from his tone, “Unfortunately for you and myself, many women have the propensity to throw themselves at me,” he sighed, as if recalling the incidents, “They are dull minded and not worthy my time, attention, or energy.”
“Hmm, curious,” you commented, unceremoniously climbing on top of a few metal boxes at the top of the stair case to reach an adequate area on the wall for your camera, “And yet you seem to always find me for some obnoxious conversation? Does that make me special?” you turned, smirking over your shoulder.
“We simply keep running into each other, you are not special,” the Doctor brushed off your comment, shooting you a judgemental stare as you descended from one pile of boxes to make your way to another file on the opposite side of the landing, grabbing the last camera from his hands before climbing up the boxes again.
“Awww, don’t be shy, Doc,” you teased, eyes focused on the camera instead of him, “You know there’s more to it - you’re the one who sought me out this time, after all,” you looked over your shoulder once the camera was secure, “If you’re falling for me, might as well tell me now so I can reject you before it’s too late.”
You turned back to the camera, one foot taking a step back so you could better check the accuracy of the angle. You gasped when your foot felt nothing to rest on, flailing your arms as your body began to fall backwards, cursing the stupid wine as you did so. Through your drunken haze, your mind attempted to think of any solution to get yourself out of this situation, though any logic snapped away when you felt him.
Doctor Ratio was quick to react, arms wrapping around your waist as your body fell, pulling you away from the boxes and closer to him. He made a small grunting noise as your body collided with his chest, his warmth surrounding you as he pulled you close to him. In his arms, you truly realized the extent of his physique, feeling the muscles in his chest against your back, and truly acknowledging the size of his arms as he held you against him. His body was hot, almost unbearably so, your body used to the cold metallic arms of your usual partner. It was comforting though; as if you were wrapped in a blanket. What overwhelmed you most, though, was his scent. His clothes smelt clean, as if they were fresh from the laundry, giving him a soft smell, a harsh contrast to his more harsh figure. However, as if to cover the softness up, there was a hint of cologne, nothing too strong but definitely something there that tickled your nose as you inhaled the musky scent. His breath tickled your exposed neck as he breathed, giving you goosebumps despite the overwhelming scent surrounding you.
“If anything, it seems as if you are the one falling for me,” he whispered into your ear, voice lacking its usual arrogance, replaced by something you wanted to label as flirtatious, but were afraid to do so. He chuckled at your lack of response, “It does feel nice to finally have you at a loss of words - as if I’ve finally reached a checkmate against one of my opponents.
“No wonder women don’t like you,” you forced yourself to speak, voice lacking the confidence you wanted it to possess, “you just see them like chess pieces - a game to you.”
“I can reassure you, you’re the only one entertaining enough to resemble a challenge,” he laughed, making sure your feet were on the ground before he moved to release you. Your head was practically spinning then, a mix of the alcohol, closeness to the Doctor and some resemblance of dignity that was now absence after your tumble. You immediately felt cold at the absence of your skin, a feeling you usually were okay with. But now… now all you were craving seemed to be heat.
He let out a yelp when you pulled his body back to yours, your back against his chest again, “Aeons, this is embarrassing,” you muttered, before turning your head to look at him, “...but can you hold me a little longer?” He hesitated slightly, looking you in the eye as if to see if you were testing him somehow. When you merely stared back at him, no hint of a smirk on your features, he sighed, moving his arms to adjust to your body again. You sighed in relief at the feeling of his arms wrap around your waist again, resisting the urge to nuzzle back against him.
“How drunk are you exactly?” he groaned in annoyance against you, though he didn’t make a move to leave your side, “This type of behaviour is ridiculous, even for someone as idiotic as yourself.”
“It’s not my fault that I want some comfort!” you defended, words slightly slurred now from the alcohol “You try fighting some stupid mutant bug and washing bug guts off yourself for two hours, and get back to me about how you feel!” you huffed, forcing yourself to move away from him, “Just forget it, let’s go grab more cameras and-” You gasped when he pulled you back towards him again, this time picking you up bridal style. The feeling of his strong arms against your legs made your shudder, the less PG part of your mind wondering how they would feel in more skin tight pants compared to the sweats you wore now, “What the hell are you doing, put me down!”
“As if I’d let you walk after you almost cracked your skull open,” he scoffed, descending the stairs with you in his arms, his demeanour completely normal despite your weight in his arms, “Though I must say, your comments do make your behaviour this evening much more understandable.”
“I’m not some stupid puzzle for you to try to solve, bastard,” you resisted the urge to flail your way out of his arms, not wanting to fall on your ass again today.
He ignored your protests, continuing to speak, “I have to say, my intentions of asking about Screwllum were to try and dissect the curious behaviour you too displayed,” he began, descending the second flight of stairs, “If there truly is no romantic feelings between you two, why did he hesitate to leave? Why did he continue to touch you for as long as possible.” The Doctor carefully placed you down on the floor near the cameras before placing his hands on his hips, not batting an eye as you reached towards the wine, “It makes sense now; the anger, the reluctance to be alone, the mentions of fighting to the death.” He paused for a moment as if adding dramatic effect.
“You were scared. You don’t want to be alone. You want someone to comfort you - it is the only thing I can hypothesize behind Screwllum’s motives to suggest I remain here with you after he depart - he was worried about you.”
You downed the rest of the wine, bottle now empty as you placed it down, “Why do you have to be so smart? It’s annoying,” you murmured, the bottle falling to the ground as you failed to place it down properly, “So what if I wanna little comfort after almost dying, isn’t that normal?”
“And why, exactly, do you want this comfort from me?” he asked, cocking a curious eyebrow at you.
It was a question you asked yourself too - why him? In all honesty, your two, now three, interactions with the Doctor had all been a pain in your ass, keeping you from doing something else that you wanted to do to deal with tiring conversation with some pompous asshole who had no desire to do anything but insult you… Yet you had to admit, the conversations were fun after all. Compared to the other people you surrounded yourself with at the Space Station, Doctor Ratio was new; exciting. He wasn’t afraid to poke your buttons to see what response he would get, something that you couldn’t really say about any of the other researchers. You supposed to closest thing was Herta, but even she couldn’t be bothered to talk to people most days, too focused on the damned Simulated Universe to give a shit about you. That was it - it had to be. You were craving something, or rather someone, who could challenge you, and it just so happened that this Doctor could.
…Not that you were going to tell him that, though.
“I don’t exactly got a lot’a options here,” you gestured at the room, the only surroundings being Ruan Mei’s creations, “What, am I gonna rant to a stupid cat thingy about my fear of death?”
“You could have saved the rant for Screwllum,” the Doctor commented, eyes flickering from you to the empty wine bottle, “But you instead agreed to rant to me - you are smarter than to make excuses for your actions.”
You huffed, crossing your arms across your chest, “Aeons, and you say I’m the emotionally manipulative one - how did your stupid fancy University teach you to get information out of people so easily,” she sighed in defeat, “I’m not the type of person who wants to reflect on my emotions, and you’re the type of person to give me a distraction, that’s all there is to it.”
“I see,” the Doctor smirked, confidently sitting down beside you on the floor cross-legged, his knee briefly touching yours as he readjusted, “I’ve got to say, this sudden confession of your feelings towards me has me flustered. Perhaps it is you who wants to grovel at my feet, despite you suggesting the reverse.”
“Oh shut up, asshole,” you groaned, wishing you had more wine to drown your sorrows in. You attempted to stand up, extremely wobbly on your feet, “Lets put the rest of these stupid cameras up so I can get the hell out of this place.”
The Doctor grabbed your wrist as if to steady you, though the action didn’t seem to cure the wobble of your figure, “You’re clearly not in the condition to continue working. Why don’t you rest here and continue work later…” he trailed off, as if thinking how to finish his sentence, “...when you’re not stumbling around like a light weight.”
“Lightweight!” you exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at him, “You try drinking a bottle of wine and see how you act!” The Doctor ignored your words, gently pulling you to the ground, placing one of his muscular arms around your waist, as if to prevent your escape.
“Just go to bed, the Station will be better off for a while without you stumbling around down here,” he stated bluntly, repositioning you so that you could rest your head on his chest, the rest of your body curled up beside him.
“At least let me sleep in my room,” you groaned, wiggling against his grip, “No offence, but my bed is a lot comfier than you’re stupidly buff chest.” He snorted slightly at the comment, arm still firmly holding you in place.
“You can barely walk,” he reminded you, “And I do not think either of us would benefit from the rumours that would result from me carrying you towards your room,” you could practically hear the gossip now - its not like researchers had much better to do than start baseless rumours anyway.
“Ugh, you’re so stupid, Doctor,” you mumbled, accepting your fate and shifting your body slightly to get more comfortable, “You and you’re stupid eight Doctorate degrees, why are you so fucking frustrating?”
“Veritas,” he said softly, making you open your tired eyes to look at him. He gazed down at your figure from where you on his lap, “My name is Veritas. If we are going to be familiar enough to do… whatever this is, you may as well call me by my first name.”
“Veritas,” you tested the name on your lips, “First telling me to sleep on you, and then telling me your first name? What’s next, a marriage proposal?”
“Just shut up and sleep,” he huffed, holding you against his chest, letting you rest your body weight on him completely. You could hear his heartbeat as you rested there, a sound so unfamiliar to you considering your usual cuddling partners. However, somehow the rhythmic thumping was relaxing - a sign of life that showed you that there was someone by your side. It scared away any thoughts of that Aeon-forsaken bug that threatened to invade your mind.
“Dr- Veritas,” you corrected yourself sleepily, “You’ll stay with me, right?” your words were muffled as you spoke into his chest, eyes fluttering with the sleep that already wanted to flow over you.
“It is not like I have much of a choice given our current predicament,” he sighed, though his grip did not loosen on you. You smiled at his words, though your mind briefly wandered away for a second.
“I wanted to ask you,” you said softly, “Early today, you told the Trailblazer that you stumbled upon Ruan Mei’s research after coming down here for your own purposes…” you mumbled, forcing yourself to finish the question despite the desire to sleep, “...Why exactly were you down here in the first place?”
He was silent for a moment, though it was so brief that you wondered if you had made it up, “I will tell you when you awake, I promise.” You nodded, tired mind finding some sort of solace in his words, allowing you to finally let sleep overtake you.
It's only when you wake up the next day, Screwllum shaking your arm urgently, that you realize the Doctor went back on his word.
#honkai star rail#honkai star rail x reader#honkai starrail#honkai starrail x reader#doctor ratio#doctor ratio x reader#dr ratio#dr ratio x reader#hsr x reader#hsr#screwllum x reader#screwllum
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PART 2 OF DR RATIO WHERE? 😔 (joking sweetheart take ur time.)
Part 2 is out here!: https://www.tumblr.com/0vereasy/738058623518965760/lifes-creation-and-loves-manifestation-chapter-2
Part 3 should be in a few hours or tomorrow at the latest :)
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happy new year! <3 have a great year, you’ve received my blessings 🫶
AWWW TYSM! I’ll gladly take cute cat pics for New Years! Hope you have a great year as well!
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Pushing back the expected update date to the 2nd! Got a bit too distracted playing the new SU expansion today lmao. Chapter is about halfway done
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Thanks for all the support on the Ratio fic! Going to take tonight and New Year’s Eve off of writing due to plans with friends, but will aim for Chapter 3 on the 30th :) Thanks for your patience.
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Life’s Creation and Love’s Manifestations - Masterlist
Your promotion as one of the heads of the Security Department at Herta’s Station was full of many headaches, one of the biggest being a visiting scholar from the Intelligentsia Guild, and delegate of the IPC, Dr. Ratio.
When you were forced to team up with him to solve several crises emerging at the Station, how will your tense relationship change? And what exactly is the Doctor hiding?
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Chapter 1: New Arrival
Chapter 2: Tough Survival
Chapter 3: Touch Deprival
Chapter 4: Late Appraisal
#honkai star rail#honkai star rail x reader#honkai starrail#honkai starrail x reader#doctor ratio x reader#dr ratio x reader#dr ratio#doctor ratio#screwllum#screwllum x reader
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Life’s Creation and Love’s Manifestation Chapter 2 - Dr Ratio x Female reader
Summary: Your promotion as one of the heads of the Security Department at Herta’s Space Station was full of many headaches, one of the biggest being a visiting scholar from the Intelligentsia Guild and a delegate of the IPC, Dr. Ratio.
When you were forced to team up with him to solve several crises emerging at the Station, how will your tense relationship change? And what exactly is the Doctor hiding?
A/N: Thanks so much for the support on Chapter 1! Hope Chapter two is just as enjoyable! Note that this contains spoilers for the first half of the Trailblaze question in 1.6, including spoilers about the new boss. The Trailblazer is kept gender neutral so feel free to picture whoever.
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Previous Chapter | Masterlist
Chapter 2: Tough Survival
Word count: 7.0k+
“Why exactly do you need to go in the Seclusion Zone again?” you asked, eyebrow raised at the Trailblazer standing beside you in the Storage Zone, you tapping your foot impatiently as you both waited for the elevator to arrive. It was taking longer than usual, the display panel showing the elevator’s current location showed that the metal tube was forced to make the long trip from the bottom of the station back to your location. Your arms were tired of lugging shit around this god-awful Space Station, your full water bottle and heavy-duty laptop making your arms ache as shifting them slightly in your arms from where you stood.
Unfortunately, your comfort was also not aided by the person standing in beside you. In all honesty, the Trailblazer had been giving off weird vibes since their arrival at the Station late last night; even now they wouldn’t meet your eye despite standing beside you, shuffling slightly in their spot. You weren’t the first, and definitely wouldn’t be the last to admit that they weren’t exactly the brightest bulb, but hey, neither would you, and you could tell there was something more to their evasive answers.
“Completely legal business that is completely ethical and not dangerous at all!” they exclaimed, forcing a laugh as they scratched the back of their neck awkwardly. You resisted the urge to roll your eyes as you followed them into the elevator. You turned to watch the doors close, ensuring you were both firmly in the metal carrier before you set your laptop and water bottle down, bending at the waist to do so. You straightened once more, cracking your knuckles. To their credit, the Trailblazer quickly picked up on your action, backing themselves as far away from you as the small metal tube would allow them, “What are you-”
You turned from the elevator door to face them, arms moving up and grabbing them by the collar of their white shirt, pushing them against the back wall of the elevator. Their amber eyes widened in shock at your actions, hands lifting in a vain attempt to pull your own digits from their shirt collar. Your grip only tightened at that, pushing them more firmly into the wall in a way you expected would leave a few bruises.
“Look, I’m trusting you today; you’re the Station’s saviour after all, and you have Madam Ruan Mei’s access card,” your gaze dipped from their golden eyes to the card hanging around their neck, the picture of Ruan Mei gazing back at you as if the Genius was in the elevator right now, mocking you. You moved your face closer to their own, using your hand to tilt their chin down slightly to make sure they looked you in the eye, “But if I find out that you do anything to threaten the safety of the Station while were down there, I won’t hesitate to deal with you myself.” You whispered those last words in their ear after shifting your head to the side slightly. You moved your head back to speak again, “Capeesh?”
“U-Understood, Miss Y/N,” came their studdered response, their face visibly flushed and mouth slightly agape as they stared up at you. You sighed, releasing their shirt, though your body lingered close to their own for a second, keeping them on guard despite your hands lowering to your sides. You bent down once more to pick up your items, though this time you kept your gaze focused on the Trailblazer as you did so before inevitably having to turn your back away from them to face the buttons on the elevator panel.
God, you were getting real tired of pinning people against walls. What was this, twice in one week? Must be a new record, if not it was at least a personal best score.
“Great!” you exclaimed, turning to flash a smile over your shoulder at them. Despite the friendly nature of the action, their body flinched backwards, “Come on, don’t be like that, you know I can’t play bad cop for long,” you shrugged, turning your head back to the button panel,”let’s go then,” you shifted your laptop under your arm so you could grab your key card hanging around your neck, pushing it against the access scanner on the wall of the elevator. A green light flashed on the scanner, approving the descent, while a second green light from a panel above it turned on, the light moving across your face as a robotic voice confirmed your identity. After the light turned off, you pressed the lowest button on the elevator panel, turning to look at your companion again once the elevator started descending, “That’s why the elevator wasn’t moving earlier.”
“H-Huh?” the Trailblazer was still clearly flustered from earlier, as they looked at you blankly as if not truly processing your words, a familiar look for them really. Even from your spot a few feet away from them, you couldn’t mistake the flush on their cheeks or the way they fidgeted slightly with their hands. You allowed yourself to roll your eyes this time, taking a swig from the water bottle in your hand, the ‘water’ burning your throat nicely as it went down.
“Theirs a dual processing system!” you announced proudly after swallowing, turning to look at the panel. You pointed first to the key card scanner, “This device scans a key card,” your finger then moved to the panel above it, “and then this one scans the person’s face to make sure their identity matches the card they scanned!” you turned to look at the Trailblazer again as you leaned against the wall of the elevator with a smirk, crossing your arms confidently, “That’s why it wasn’t working earlier when you tried to use Ruan Mei’s card without me! I designed it after the Legion attack to try and increase Security; I know, I know, I’m a genius.”
“You sure change moods fast, Miss Y/N,” the Trailblazer sighed, though their body language was already slightly more open from before, their amber eyes clearly meeting yours and their feet planted firmly on the ground. You forced down a smile at the change.
“Come on Trailblazer, you know me, I’m not meant to play the serious security roll for long. Like I said, I can only play bad cop for so long before I clinically go insane,” you huffed dramatically, standing up straight so you stop leaning on the metal wall, “Besides, it’s my day off, I threatened you for safety purposes only, obviously.”
The Trailblazer opened their mouth to respond, but their attention was instead caught by the slowing of the elevator as it reached it’s destination. As the doors of the elevator opened, they looked between you and the dark space beyond skeptically, breathing slightly heavily as you took your first few steps into the Zone.
“Why is it… so dark?” The Trailblazer asked you, as you both stepped into the empty corridor. The, elevator ascending back up behind the two of you, leaving the only source of light as the stars and planets beyond the Space Station windows. Compared to the rest of the station at this hour, everything was quiet, as one would expect for a Zone locked away from the public. Your eyes scanned the place as you both walked, lingering at the work station in the distance voluntarily, before you forced your gaze to look at your companion again.
“Energy saving mechanism,” you explained casually, steps large and confident compared to the small skeptical ones of your companion, “you should see Herta’s energy bill, yeesh, I know the IPC have a payday everytime Topaz comes to collect our debts,” you explained, “No one really uses this place, so the lights are motion activated to save us some credits, they’ll come on soon.”
You both paused at the sight of a little robot in front of you, the glowing red light from its body serving as the only other source of light down in the dark Zone. Much like the little helper bots around the Space Station, the white robot seemed innocent enough. Well, that was until it decided to turn suddenly to look at both you and the Trailblazer, the red lights on its face flashing angrily for a moment beyond the cracked glass of its scanning screen, causing the Trailblazer to take a nervous step back.
While the Trailblazer flinched beside you, you merely huffed in annoyance, waving at the robot calmly, “Don’t be like that stupid, it’s just me!” the red lights of the robot dimmed at your voice, while the lighting for the floor seemed to come on given your waving, bathing the main floor of the security zone in red lights lit up from the panels serving as arm rails around the platform. The robot quickly flew off to its proper position as you turned to face your companion, “Sorry ‘bout that, the robots down here are designed for security so they can be a little extra when someone new comes around.”
“Right…” the Trailblazer murmured, still clearly taken aback by all the events they had witnessed in the past five or so minutes. You almost felt bad about pushing them against the door now… well, almost. They did give some interesting reactions after all.
“Anyway, from here Ruan Mei’s card will allow you access to whatever you want,” you explained, pointing towards an elevator opposite to the one you emerged from, the elevator in the same direct the robot had scurried back to, “That elevator there will take you down to the research and curio storage area. I’ll stay here til you’re done whatever the hell Ruan Mei put you up to.”
“Thanks again Miss Y/N… sorry for bothering you on your day off!” the Trailblazer scurried away before you could reply, clearly anxious for a chance to get away from you, not that you could blame them exactly. You let them go, watching their anxious form get onto another much more welcoming elevator than the one you currently stood in front of.
It was only when they began their descent, metal doors closing behind them, that you spoke, “I didn’t expect to see you here, Doctor,” you commented, turning your gaze from the elevator back towards one of the two work stations on the ground level of the Seclusion Zone where Doctor Ratio stood, “Have nothing better to do than hang out in dark rooms all day? I wonder what the IPC would think if they heard their delegate had nothing better to do than waste their time.” You hummed playfully, moving towards the workstation he was at.
The doctor merely scoffed, the sound slightly muffled by that stupid alabaster head that he had on again today, “Those are the words you decide to greet me with today, really?” he sighed, as if disappointed, “I expected much more from you after our previous encounter.”
“Much more?” you echoed, shooting him a puzzled glance as you plopped yourself down at one of the chairs at the workstation, sighing at the relief of finally being able to put your items down for a longer period of time. You shook your hands out in front of you, as if trying to shake off the built up tension within them accrued from your long period of lugging things around, “What, were you expecting me to push you against a wall again until you lost all your inhibitions? Sorry to disappoint you, Doctor, but I think I’ve reach my kabedon quota for the month.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” the Doctor rebutted with hostility as he sat down in the chair a few feet away from your own, “I obviously expected an apology after our previous encounter. In fact, I’ve expected an apology for the last five days since our previous meeting. And yet you avoid me! Does this Space Station have no shame? No desire to maintain diplomatic relations between important parties?”
“What, you want me to apologize for doing my job? It’s my day off, I’m not apologizing for shit,” you said bluntly, moving your gaze away from him to flip open your laptop, one hand shielding the other as you typed in your password. You didn’t exactly know how he managed to see through the stupid alabaster head, but you weren’t about to put your laptop’s safety at risk.
“You and I both know, Miss Y/N, that embarrassing and threatening a guest and pushing them against the wall is nowhere within your employment description!” he exclaimed dramatically, crossing his arms across his chest like an angry child.
“It is when the guest is acting like a little shit,” you shrugged, watching your computer screen as the device turned on. You could hear the sound of him opening his insufferable mouth to speak again, forcing you to speak sooner, “Besides, I’m sure you’re happy to know that I received internal punishment from Arlan already. I don’t owe you anything.”
“It is satisfying to know that actions do have consequences in this Station,” he removed the alabaster head, revealing a sly smile below it. God you wished you had the freedom to punch his pretty face, especially right now, as you watched his amber eyes scan your appearance, “I must say, your apparel makes much more sense with the understanding that you are off the clock.”
You looked at your own outfit; a simple white cropped top and a high-waisted pair of black shorts that rode up as you sat down, the fabric only barely covering what it was supposed to, “What, you find offence in my outfit, Doctor? This ship is hot all the time, sue me!” You rolled your eyes, forcing yourself to look away from him to your computer, deft fingers quickly moving to reopen the programs you were using before the Trailblazer interrupted you.
“Not a fan of the heat? How interesting,” he retorted from beside you. From the corner of your eye, you could see him picking at his fingernails in mock boredom, “For someone has hot-headed as you, I would expect heat to be second nature.”
“Ha, ha,” you muttered, completely stone-faced, refusing to look at him for a few seconds before a smirk made its way onto your features. You turned in your swivel chair to face him head-on, “I didn’t know my temperature preferences would be so fascinating to you, Doctor. If you’re so interested in my experience with warmth, I could give you an indepth explanation of the last time I was hot and heavy, if you catch my drift.”
“You-” he coughed, cutting his own outburst short, “I can assure you I have no desire to understand you or your… bedroom habits at all.” You snickered at the half-assed retort. Aeones, it was so easy to get under this guy’s skin; you hadn’t had fun in a verbal battle like this in a while. It almost made you sad that this guy would leave the station sooner or later, well until you realized that his departure meant an end to dealing with his arrogant attitude.
“Great, in that case you can happily leave me alone then,” you flashed a mockingly cheerful smile at him before dropping your expression to a neutral stare, “It may be my day off, but I have shit to do… so, shoo.” You flicked your wrist mockingly at him, as if he Peppy begging for attention that you had no time to give. His eyes narrowed at the hand motion.
Of course, he didn’t shoo as you requested, only scootching his desk chair closer to you instead. To his credit, he let a few moments pass, watching you as you reopened all your closed tabs on your computer before he spoke again, as if in mock courtesy, “How did you know I was here?”
“Come on Mr. Ratio, I’m sure someone as smart as you allegedly are knows how eyeballs work,” you commented, focused on your computer instead of him as you scanned the information on the screen, “I know you wear an alabaster head, but the rest of us do have free range of our vision ya know?”
He ignored the quip, speaking once more, “Please do not play dumb with me, Ms. Y/N. You knew I was here the second the elevator arrived at this platform, if not before that. I saw you look this way upon your arrival” You turned your eyes from the screen to him again, stifling a sigh at the unfinished work that kept being put off. At this point, you started to doubt why you even lugged your laptop down here
“Only five people have access to this Zone,” you started, the Doctor blinking twice, as if startled that you were actually answering his question, “Screwllum, Herta, Ruan Mei use this area for their work, and, Arlan and me make occasional trips for security purpose. The geniuses are all in some meeting in some Aeon forsaken corner of the Simulated Universe, and Arlan is working upstairs, soooo.”
“I don’t quite see the chain of your logic,” the Doctor crossed his legs, resting his elbow on his uppermost knee to glance at you again as if you were entertainment. This time, it felt more as if you were an animal at the zoo that he was excited to observe.
“Whose playing dumb now, Mr. Ratio, you clearly know what I’m implying, “ you stared provocatively into his amber orbs, crossing one leg on top of the other. You watched his gaze flicker downwards at the moment, eyes scanning your nearly bare legs, before he forced his gaze upwards again, “The elevator came from this floor when the Trailblazer ‘n I were heading down here, meaning someone or something had to be here. That’s how I knew something was here,” you broke the eye contact, focusing again on the computer, an attempt you were sure was only in vain, “As for how I knew it was you, you didn’t exactly conceal yourself; you know that wearing that head doesn’t make you invisible to the rest of the world right?. If anything, I’m betting you sent the robot off to distract the Trailblazer, just so they wouldn’t notice you standing a few feet away.”
The Doctor chuckled, mockingly clapping his hands, “Bravo, bravo. I must say, you’re logic in impressive for someone of your calibre. If only you had the capacity to understand other areas of knowledge.” He sighed pittily, scooting his chair one more step towards yours.
“How did you get down here?” you ignored his quip, once again meeting his gaze, your features contorted into a frown. The Doctor clearly noticed the shift in your tone, shifting slightly in his chair. Part of you wanted to tease him for the effect your first encounter must’ve had on him, but the other more serious part wanted to find out who was behind the breach in security that you would have to correct during your next shift.
“Oh that? That was a simple task,” the Doctor shrugged offhandedly, regaining any composure he had lost a moment ago, “I simply struck up a conversation with one of your department members? What was her name…. Hmm I suppose I forgot it, or rather did not bother to remember it in the first place,” he shrugged, “Regardless, she seemed rather enthralled for the chance to observe me as she happened to come across me during my morning workout a few days prior,” he smirked at you, “it is funny how people misplace vital pieces of technology at the mere sight of human muscle.”
You raised an eyebrow, crossing your arms around your chest, the Doctor’s eyes following your movements again. Aeons, could this dude be any less subtle, “You’re telling me you managed enter your information into the permitted visitor’s list to the Seclusion Zone simply by using your rizz to distract the poor girl while she was on duty?”
“I am unsure of the meaning of…’rizz’ but you are correct,” he smirked as the frustration grew on your expression, “I must say, considering the recent Anti Matter Legion invasion, I would expect more from a security department which must be struggling to win back the trust and support of researchers. What a pity.” You resisted the urge to clench your jaw in frustration, forcing yourself to take a deep breath to release the growing tension in your body.
“And I would expect a delegate from the IPC would have better things to do then visually undress me after illegally obtaining entry to this area,” you retorted, scootching your chair close to his for a moment until your knees touched, ignoring the jolt you felt from the contact. His throat bobbed as he watched you place a hand on his clothed knee, “Does your both know your tendency for sexual harassment? Or am I the lucky one getting to see this side of you.”
“I-If there’s anyone engaging in harassment between the two of us, it is clearly you!’ he attempted to tilt his chin upwards in a show of domination, though the stutter in his tone was as clear as day, “I’ll let you know I have much better things to do than entertain this exacting conversation.” He turned his head away from you, crossing those muscular arms across his chest again. You scanned him for a moment; it definitely was no wonder that the guy worked out, he was built like a statue or something with the girth of those arms. You let your mind wander a few unsavoury places for a moment before you remembered who you were talking to.
“Good to know Doctor,” you said drily, using your feet to push your body away from his, the heat from his knees touching yours remaining on your bare leg. You turned your shoulder, facing your laptop again, this time with the determination to do work, “If that’s the case, you have no reason to stay here. It may be my day off, but I got work to do. So, like I said before, shoo. Leave me alone.” You mockingly waved your hand at him again, eyes still focused on the screen.
You were starting to wonder if the man in front of you had no concept of the words shoo, as he once again scooted his chair closer to you, this time his eyes focused on the computer. Based on his demeanour, he had already, his movements made with no hint of hesitation. You did your best to ignore him, even the wheels of his office chair nudged the wheels of your own, his chair now firmly placed directly behind you. You could feel his breath on your face and sense the heat from his toned body as he leaned in, as if wanted to get a closer work at what you were doing. The tension resting between you two was hot and electrifying, leaving goosebumps on your skin and, despite the disgust rising in your stomach, a slight heat on your cheeks. To your credit, you kept your features neutral, even as his toned arm accidentally brushed against your elbow resting firmly on the chair, the feeling of his firm muscles only adding to the heat surrounding the two of you. You forced your fingers to move expertly across the keyboard, glad the motions were well-trained and familiar to account for the brain fog that this whole situation was giving you.
The Doctor was the first to speak, breaking through the growing atmosphere between you two, “You know how to code?” he questioned, no hint of a quip in his tone as he watched your fingers move, line after line of a carefully typed code appearing on your screen.
“What, no insult with your words Doctor? Getting soft on me?” you teased, a closed-lip smile taking over your face, though your focus remained on the screen, “I know how to code,” was your simple confirmation. A moment of silence passed between you two, as if he was trying to process the information.
“Why?”
The one-word reply broke your concentration, your eyes finally leaving the screen to face the Doctor beside you, his hand on his chin once again, as if in thought, “Are you seriously asking me why I can code? Why not? We leave in a free universe after all,” you held back an eye roll.
You were surprised, even slightly creeped out, when he replied again without a quip attached to his words, “By the way you’re typing, you clearly have experience with this. Given your young age, and the fact you have worked your way up to a senior position in the Security Department on a renowned station, you must have learned outside of a place of formal education,” you blinked dumbly at his lines of reasoning. Maybe this dude really was a genius, “So yes, Miss Y/N, I am asking why.”
You let a few moments of silence pass before smirking at him, “So, you think I look young?”
“Is that really all you picked up from that speech? Perhaps I am giving you too much credit your intelligence,” he scoffed, watchful eyes noticing you stifle a chuckle in your hand. Ah, finally, you worked another quip out of him.
“If you are so curious to know more about me,” you started, the mix of playfulness and seriousness in your words calming his agitation, “I used to work for Lady Asta’s family before I worked here,” you shrugged, “A while back, her family wanted a new security system, and the ones offered by the IPC are either overpriced or stupidly designed,” she flashed him a sly smile, “No offence of course. So, I borrowed some books from the library about coding, and I taught myself. That’s all there is to it.”
“So you are self-taught,” he pondered to himself, “quite interesting. At least you manage to possess intelligence in some areas, even if you happen to be an idiot in most others.” You laughed out loud at that one, earning a strange, long look from the Doctor that you couldn’t quite read.
“Aww, Doc, is that a complement I hear? Guess I can’t blame you, I am a woman of many talents after all,” you smirked at him, leaning back in your chair to invade his personal space, your arm brushing his own as you did. Flesh lingered on flesh for a moment until he pulled the limb away.
“If that is your definition of a complement, you are a greater idiot than I suspected,” he snapped back, the speed of which he defended your remark being oddly quick. You watched him as he scooched his chair further away from you, the warmth of his skin on your own still lingering on your arm.
“Hmm, whatever you say,” you hummed playfully, noticing the way the Doctor swallowed heavily at your teasing, “I answered your little questions, can you leave now? The Station’s security system can’t exactly maintain itself ya’ know?” You knew you should turn back to your laptop, but witnessing the Doctor like this was just too good of a reward to give up.
“You designed the security system?” he asked, tone of genuine curiosity instead of judging disgust. Wow, he must really be growing soft on you.
“How else do you think I got promoted exactly?” you raised a teasing eyebrow, “I’m not exactly the model security guard,” you let your eyes gesture to your water bottle, a knowing look passing both of your faces as you took a swig of the alcohol inside, “I had to earn my promotion elsewhere. So yeah, I did design the system; well, really I just replaced the old one from before Asta, Arlan and I got here,” you shrugged, “Same difference. I’m sure you’re glad to know the very system causing you headaches upon arrival and preventing the docking of your ship was my own! Does it feel nice to know that you physically couldn’t drive your ship forward because of my external protection shield?”
“It explains why the system is as infuriating as you,” he explained drily, tone unamused at your quips. You opened your mouth, a playful comment on the tip of your tongue, before both you and the Doctor were distracted by the sound of the farther elevator returning to the main floor of the Seclusion Zone. You and the Doctor watched in silence as the metallic door opened, the Trailblazer strutting over to you with confusion in their eyes. A quick glance told you that the doctor had repositioned his alabaster head, leaving only his figure exposed.
“Whose this?” they asked you, gaze flickering between you two. You were happy that, either given their confusion or just their pure ignorance, they failed to recognize the heat that had built between the two of you, as if their one-track mind could only focus on one stimulus at a time. You weren’t exactly prepared to explain the source of the tension.
“He’s not important,” you commented drily. Despite the alabaster head on the Scholar’s body, you almost felt that you could see him glaring at you, “Did you find what you were looking for?”
“I gotta take that other elevator; go to the bottom floor,” they explained, eyes flickering to the second metallic elevator, closer to the main elevator you had descended from earlier. You recognized the hesitation in their tone, causing you to raise an eyebrow.
“That’s fine… but you good?” you questioned, “Is something down there?” you paused for a moment, as if waiting for an answer, before sighing, “Oh right, I forgot that you’re doing that whole not talking thing. Whatever, it’s fine, I can come with, if that would make you feel better.” You flashed them a smile that you hoped was reassuring despite the less-than-civil encounter you had with the Trailblazer earlier. Luckily for you, it seemed to be reassuring enough, as they matched your expression back.
“Honestly, that’d be great, thanks Miss Y/N,” you could almost visibly see the tension leave their body, shoulders relaxing and breathing settled. Their own relief caused the smile to remain on your face before the grating sound of the Doctor’s voice invaded your thoughts.
“So? Get on with it then,” the man beside you finally regained his composure, huffing at the two of you, “Are you waiting for a sign? Time is ticking, descend via the elevator, what you seek is there.” You cocked an eyebrow at the knowing tone, forcing you to look at the Doctor, standing to place one hand on your hip.
“And how would you know, Doctor, what my friend here is looking for?” you strutted into his personal space, finger poking his closed chest accusingly. His covered head tilted down as if following the motion, before tilting up again. The action was probably a mistake, you recognized, doing nothing to quell whatever the hell you two had built up a few moments prior, but if you were good at anything, it was threatening people.
“It appears, Miss Y/N, that you became so caught up in our banter that you failed to ask a vital question; why am I here in the first place?” your finger lowered in shock as you listened to the words, the scholar taking the chance to stand and turn his back to you, leaving you face-to-face with his muscles as he talked to the Trailblazer, “I know exactly who you are, and I am aware you are in Ruan Mei’s employ. This was not my intended destination,” he turned his body to face you, giving you know choice but to tilt your head upward to meet his gaze, or else be sentenced to look at his toned chest, “If your Miss Y/N had the intelligence to question why I was here, instead of merely question how, she would have been able to tell you that I just happened to find my way here during my visit, and saw what she was up to. My goals are roughly aligned with yours. Since you’re here, I won’t intercede. That’s all you need to know.”
The Trailblazer merely blinked, as if struggling to process the words, “Sooo, what’s with the alabaster head?” Though you couldn’t see the Doctor’s expression, you could almost picture the way his jaw must have dropped at the casual comment, a thought that would’ve made you laugh, if not for the rising suspicion you had of the man.
“My question exactly,” you huffed, rolling your eyes. At least you and the Trailblazer could agree on one thing. Unlike when you made comments about it the other day, though, the Doctor kept the head firmly in place.
“Because I can’t bear to see idiots. Of course, they wouldn’t want to see me either,” the Trailblazer once again stared blankly, earning a sigh from the Doctor, “Regardless, the real Ruan Mei’s creation is hidden in the giant incubator below us.”
“Incubator?” you questioned, though besides a sparing glance, no one offered you a reply, “Ruan Mei’s creation? Aeons, I’ve about had it here with that woman and her stupid ecological research.” you rolled your eyes.
“You two best hurry. Go. Take the elevator and bear witness to this ‘Genius Masterpiece,” as if feeling confident in his reply, the scholar turned on his heel to leave, strutting towards the central elevator.
“We are definitely having a chat about this later!” you called after him, not bothering to hide the anger in your tone. The man of the hour merely glanced over his shoulder, alabaster head still in place as he pushed the button to the elevator. You hated how his muscles flexed at the motion, leaving your lips empty of threats for a moment as the elevator descended quickly to your level, and opened up to allow him access to the upstairs.
“I will look forward to that conversation then,” was his simple reply as he stepped inside, “I wonder what pathetic insults you will manage to muster this time” The metal doors closed behind him, leaving the room temporarily basked in silence. You were grateful for the chance to force your anger back down.
“Let’s go,” you nodded to your companion, following their lead as they rushed towards the other elevator, hurriedly pressing the button, as if their quick finger movements would make the machine arrive faster, “Care to explain what this incubator is, exactly?” you raised an eyebrow as you both waited.
“Can’t,” was their only response before they rushed into the now open device, forcing you to hurry after them.
“Rude, what did Ruan Mei do to you exactly” You rolled your eyes, crossing your arms as the machine started to descend. You spoke again, knowing that they, for whatever reason, couldn’t provide you with an answer, “Whatever, I’ll know soon enough anyway. Aeons, this day is exhausting,” you attempted to force the tiredness out of your eyes, your relatively calm demeanour contrasting the stress building up on the Trailblazer’s features. Their growing stress, though, was starting to give you some second thoughts too. They may not be the brightest book on the shelf, but they had fought a plethora of beasts in their short lifespan. The fact that whatever was down here was stressing them out was almost ominous.
Soon enough, the elevator arrived in the bottom room, forcing you and the Trailblazer to step out, your eyes immediately widening, “The hell? What did Ruan Mei do to our old welcome hall?” you groaned, taking in the giant broken device hanging above, dripping some type of fluid on to the floor, “Does she even know how long it takes to clean these floors? Aeons, she’s insufferable.” The normal lightening down in the hall wasn’t flickering on, leaving the round, circular space bathed in an eerie red light. Ruan Mei had replaced the old chandelier with some sort of investigation which clearly wasn’t safe or ethical, the thing suspended above the ground haphazardly.
“I think that’s the least of our problems right now, Miss Y/N,” the Trailblazer muttered, gesturing for you to look further up. You did as they told you, following their lead, both of your eyes widening what you saw. Flying right at you was a giant blue bug, probably 20 feet tall with sharp stingers and an even sharper, angry expression. The Trailblazer was quick to react, summoning their bat and swinging it at the creature in a vain attempt to drive it off. You quickly summoned your own weapon, a black pistol, pointing it in the creature’s direction.
“What the fuck is that thing?” you exclaimed, dodging out of the way when the bug flew at you two again, stifling a groan as your body hit the ground hard, your knees taking the brunt of the impact. You were quick to get your feet back under you, forcing any vertigo out of you and aiming the gun once again as the creature flew around you. You waited til it stilled momentarily to fire a shot, not wanting to risk something more reckless in a closed space with the Trailblazer around. Not that the shot made much of a difference anyway; the creature only shrieked, flying once again as if not in danger at all.
“It’s an emantor of propagation clone! How could this be…?” the Trailblazer muttered from beside you, swinging the bat hard at the big again when it charged you, not caring as he got hit in the side by one of the claws, “Miss Y/N, we gotta defeat this thing fast, otherwise the swarm will-”
Before he could finish his sentence, you watched in horror as the bug paused, making a noise somewhere between the sloshing of water and squishing of something slimy as the one bug turned into two… and then four. The replication process caused a gust of energy to swirl around the enclosed space, the force of the gust pulling you and the Trailblazer closer and closer to the center of it.
Struggling to keep their footing, the Trailblazer fell to the ground, unaware of the several bugs flying in their direction. You were quick to grab them by the waist, dragging them to the side forcefully to dodge the onslaught of attacks, throwing caution to the wind to fire your weapon at the smaller bugs. However, with the force of the dodge, and the continued harsh breeze, you too fell to your knees, leaving you to hold up your pistol protectively as the bug continued to swarm around you.
“Miss Y/N!” the Trailblazer exclaimed, pointing up in horror. Your eyes widened as the larger bug created something seemingly akin to a black hole above you, the large ball of energy blowing a dark blue colour as it grew bigger and bigger. You pushed the Trailblazer’s body behind you in vain, wondering how the hell you were supposed to get out of this situation as the ball grew bigger and bigger. You had half the mind to tell the Trailblazer to run off, to get out of there before the both of you were killed.
At the moment you truly felt helpless. It’s funny how we can take life for granted, living day after day without a care in the world, until some crazy genius lady creates a bug that threatened the safety of hundreds with her stupid creation. Your body still on top of the Trailblazers, you held them protectively, hoping that at least they would survive, even if that meant your untimely demise. Someone had to protect the researchers, and if that couldn’t be you, at least you knew that the Trailblazer would have it covered. You stared at the growing blackhole, accepting whatever fate you would be dealt.
That was, until everything exploded, the blackhole shattering into pieces as if the creature was made of shards of glass. Above you, the five bugs shook violently for a moment, their bodies growing larger and larger before they exploded into pieces. A trail of blood and guts rained down on the two of you like some messed-up version of a snowstorm, coating your body in a slimy substance that you sure as hell hoped would wash out in the bath.
You let yourself lay there for a second, your body still on top of the Trailblazers, just trying to catch your breath. Your heart was thumping like crazy, as if your body, like the bug, also was on the brink of explosion due to the build-up of adrenaline. You forced yourself to breathe, though the breaths were still shaky as you moved your head to view the surrounding area.
“Hey… it’s okay now, were safe,” you moved your body off of your companion below you, tone gentle and reassuring. They slowly opened their eyes, as if shocked to be alive. Given what you both had just seen, you were in no position to judge them for their reaction. A few more seconds of that thing and you both would’ve been toast.
“It’s over..?” they questioned, voice as shaky as their wobbly legs as they stood. You were quick to stand to, steading them by placing a gentle hand on their back “Are you okay Miss Y/N?”
“As good as one can be after almost dying, I guess,” you moved your hand away after they regained their balance, observing the piles of bug guts surrounding the two of you. You realized then that you would probably be tasked with cleaning all this up, causing your face to recoil in disgust.
“...I…I need to get some answers out of Ruan Mei,” the Trailblazer muttered, body still shaky as they turned from your form, “Thanks for the help Miss Y/N… I really owe you one.” They didn’t wait for a reply, simply dragging their tired body to the elevator, leaving you alone in the room, your hear still hammering out of your chest.
As you stared at the mountains of insect guts coating the bottom of the incubator room, only one thing came to mind.
“I really need a raise…”
#honkai star rail#honkai star rail x reader#honkai starrail#honkai starrail x reader#dr ratio x reader#doctor ratio x reader#dr ratio#doctor ratio#screwllum x reader#screwllum
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Life’s Creations and Love’s Manifestations - Dr Ratio x Female Reader
Summary: Your promotion as one of the heads of the Security Department at Herta’s Station was full of many headaches, one of the biggest being a visiting scholar from the Intelligentsia Guild, and delegate of the IPC, Dr. Ratio.
When you were forced to team up with him to solve several crises emerging at the Station, how will your tense relationship change? And what exactly is the Doctor hiding?
Dr Ratio x Reader, implied Screwllum x Reader
LATER CHAPTERS WILL BE BASED ON THE 1.6 TRAILBLAZER QUEST!
Enjoy the fic? Consider leaving Kudos on A03!
Masterlist | Chapter 2
Chapter 1: New Arrival
Word count: 5.7k+
“I’ve got to say, Mr. Screwllum,” your voice was smooth as you spoke, a clear playful undertone underlying your words. You crossed your legs in the chair you sat in, leaning in slightly closer to the robot. Your elbow rested on your knee as you leaned in, hand moving to support your chin and to cover the growing smirk on your features, “An offer for dinner and drinks? In your private quarters? At this late hour?” your gaze briefly flicked to a nearby computer screen, scanning the time, before moving back to your robot companion, “If I didn’t know any better, I would guess you were asking me on a date.”
“Hypothesis: Would that particular offer be so awful, dear?” Screwllum’s face, as usual, was devoid of emotion, his robotic features forever remaining neutral. His voice though; that was what you had to focus on to understand his tone; his meaning. Based on the way he was speaking now, you knew the robot, like yourself, had less than pure thoughts running through his mind, his robotic tone of voice lighter than usual, playful even, “It is not as if you frequenting my quarters at such a late hour is a rare occurrence. Question: Would it be an offence to catch up with someone I hold so dear?”
“Hmm, I suppose not,” you hummed, drumming your fingers against your chin in playful thought, “You know I’m not the kind of woman to turn down drinks… or your company for that matter.” You let a small chuckle escape the ever-permanent smirk on your lips, “I wonder though; what ideas do you have to occupy our evening after our little dinner party is complete?” You uncrossed your legs, briefly standing up to scootch your office chair closer to his, your warm knees now touching his cold metallic ones, “It must be something important; you interrupted my on the job after all.” Your eyes scanned the dark security room, focusing briefly on the cameras you were supposed to be watching. As expected, they were devoid of activity, researchers and most security members long having retreated to their quarters for the evening. You were happy for the privacy though, considering the direction of your little conversation. You were quick to focus back on him
“Ah yes, the job you were so carefully conducting whilst reading the same book you have been trying to complete for the last two months,” the book was now long discarded on the desk, the boring contents much less important than your current predicament. You narrowed your eyes none-the-less, allowing yourself to rest a hand on the robot’s metallic knee in front of you.
“A genius like yourself should know your company is more valuable than one of Adler’s little research books,” you said slyly, allowing your hand to drift slightly further up Screwllum’s thigh, “You can’t hide anything for me, you know. So tell me, Mr. Screwllum; what exactly do you have planned for tonight?”
He sighed, letting a small chuckle escape that had you clenching your knees together to control yourself, an action that didn’t go unnoticed by your companion, “Conclusion: You are right, nothing escapes your careful observations, dear,” the usually cold security room seemed impossibly warm now, your heartbeat increasing in your chest as Screwllum copied your actions, allowing his own metallic hand rest on your knee, “During my previous trip, I happened to stumble upon a quaint shop that sold candles and such,” he started, his words slow and sensual, leaving you internally grasping for more, “The owner happened to sell a collection of essential oils as well; for massages.”
“Interesting,” was your simple reply, not trusting yourself to comment further as a flood of dirty imagery grew in your brain. Screwllum watched your expression carefully, another chuckle escaping his metal mouth that had you completely willing and ready to jump out of your stupid office chair and straddle him right there and then.
“Hypothesis: I know you have been stressed lately. Conclusion: A relaxing meal and massage may help revitalize you before Ruan Mei’s expected visit. I have been told that I am exceptional with my hands.” You couldn’t help but swallow hard at that, your throat bobbing slightly as Screwllum’s began massaging your knee with his hand, fingers expertly kneading the flesh. You resisted the urge to clench your thighs together once more.
“You’re always full of surprises,” your voice was slightly shaky this time, body hyper-focused on his touch on your knee. You stood up again, allowing you to be face-to-face with the robot who usually towered over you, “I gotta say though, I’m curious about one thing… Mr. Screwllum.” You whispered his name, your words causing goosebumps on your own skin, as if the universe or some aeon out there was making up for the lack of physical reaction that Mr. Screwllum could afford from his own body.
“And what would that be?” He asked simply, glowing green eyes staring back at you defiantly, briefly flickering to your hands, which now rested around his neck, allowing your two bodies to be even closer together. At this rate, you weren’t even sure you could make it to dinner, your arousal ever-growing.
“Everyone knows that massages start at the shoulders,” you commented, rubbing his own metallic shoulders through his shirt, despite the knowledge that the motion would do nothing for him, “and then often trail down the back,” you allowed your hands to dip down his metal spine slowly, brushing the green butterfly wings on his back “but ultimately, they have to stop,” your hands came to a rest at his hips, your face moving close to his so you could whisper in his metallic ear, “So, Mr. Screwllum, where will your hands end up?”
He chuckled, one of his hands tilting your chin slightly so he could better look you in the eye. The room was practically spinning then, your hair clinging to your forehead due to the heat building up in the small space, “Interesting line of inquiry, my dear. Of course, my hands would end up-”
BRINGGGGG BRINGGGGG
The sudden ring of your walkie talkie from the desk made you jump, you and Screwllum separating from each other, and whatever little world you had been in, in shock. You muttered a curse under your breath as you slumped back into your chair, trying to contain your annoyance as you spoke, “This is Y/N from the security department. What is it?” You rubbed your thighs together angrily as if you were a horny teenager who couldn’t get off… though you supposed that description was pretty accurate given the circumstances.
“Y/N, it’s Leonard reporting from the Supply Zone,” you couldn’t help but hold back your groan, glad that audio could only transport through thesed damned devices. Of all the people who had to call you right now, it had to be Leonard? The same Leonard who managed to lose a hacking battle with that damned Stellaron Hunter girl? The man attracted too much drama for a night like this, “there’s a ship trying to dock in the Zone, but we weren’t expected any visitors!”
“And the identity of this person?” you asked, forcing yourself to switch into work mode despite the ever-growing desire to make out with the robot beside you. Your swift fingers quickly pulled up the feed from the Supply Zone, showing a modest sized ship waiting for permission to dock, the few staff around looking between each other and the ship like lost, confused dogs.
“He says his name is…. Dr. Ratio, a scholar from the Intelligencia Guild,” Leonard repeated the name awkwardly. At the mention of the Intelligencia Guild, you looked back at your robot companion, exchanging a look, “He says he’s a representative of the IPC on his way to Penacony, and that he emailed Ms. Asta early this evening about dropping by for a few days.” Leonard paused for a few seconds, not yet hanging up the call from his end of the line, “He’s getting impatient that we won’t let him dock, and we don’t know what to do! Were just following protocol after all.”
You let a few seconds of silence pass, briefly closing your eyes as you internally kissed your evening of drinks and a massage goodbye, “...Tell him that I’m on my way to the Supply Zone… I’ll come as quickly as I can.”
“Roger that, thanks!” Leonard sighed in relief, the walkie talkie going flat as the line died. You resisted the urge to groan and bury your head in your hands, instead only allowing a frustrated sigh to break through your lips.
“I’m sorry Screwllum… I have to deal with this tonight,” you stood up, patting the robot on the shoulder sympathetically, “but maybe we can make another night work… I still want to take you up on that massage offer.” You spoke, leaving the implied context of those words unaddressed.
“It is quite alright dear, your work is more important that our leisure, though I must admit that your prescence in my chambers will be missed tonight,” Screwllum spoke honestly, grabbing one of your hands and squeezing it in his hold, metallic grasp, “But I will look forward to having you grace me with your prescence in the upcoming days.”
“Thanks for understanding,” you said earnestly with a small sigh, quickly pressing a kiss to his metallic cheek before regrettably letting his hand fall from yours, turning away to grab your walkie talkie and Station ID card and lanyard, which you let hang around your neck, “Do you know about this Ratio dude at all? Name ring any bells?”
“Affirmative, I have heard of him,” Screwllum nodded, “He’s known for his desire to spread knowledge across the universe… and his arrogance and self-centered nature.”
“Sounds like a pleasure to deal with tonight,” you rolled your eyes, turning back to Screwllum briefly, “I’m sorry again about everything.” You hoped that he understood the truth behind your words as you stared into his glowing green orbs, though you knew you would never truly understand what he was thinking in that moment.
“Please do not worry yourself, my dear,” he said, tone light, though the playfulness from earlier had dissipated. He reached over to the desk, passing you Adler’s boring book and your waterbottle that definitely was not filled with water that you had overlooked while grabbing your items, “Please send me a text once you are sure everything is okay. I will remain here to watch over the cameras until the next guard arrives.” You couldn’t help but smile at the thoughtful gesture, pressing another quick kiss to his cheek, lips lingering slightly before you forced yourself to move away
“Thank you,” you smiled, before your mouth slipped into a sly smirk, “I won’t forget this the next time we are together… I’ll have to repay you for everything, hm?” you turned to leave then, letting the robot ponder the true meaning of your words as you strutted away.
~~~
You could hear the new arrival before you could speak to him.
Aeons, his voice was so grating on the ears, his tone refined and moderately deep, but insanely unpleasant as he yelled obscenities through the communication port connecting the office in Supply Zone to any ships preparing to dock at that station. Even from the ever white and shiny metal hallways of the Space Station, you could hear his annoying voice echoing off the walls, doing nothing to help your annoyed attitude. You took a swig from your water bottle, allowing yourself a modest sip of the alcohol inside. You had to get through this interaction somehow, right?
“... and I must say! The gall of the renowned Herta’s Space Station to treat potential guests as akin to petty criminals is preposterous! For an institution dedicated to knowledge, I would expect the grace and intelligence of the security team to be able to determine friend from foe, and to allow those with the best intentions inside. To treat a guest like this! An IPC Representative! The service here is admismal!” Leonard shot you a panicked look as you walked into the security room, the voice of your oh-so-kind visitor somehow even more grating from inside the confined space. You flashed him what you hoped was a reassuring and confident smirk, striding towards the communication system as if you were born to do so.
“I must ask you, Mr. Ratio, to avoid insulting our staff. I would expect a smart man like yourself would know how to manage his words,” you spoke cooley into the microphone serving as the communication device, which was placed in front of a few monitors in the smaller security room overlooking the docking station, “My name is Y/N, I am a leading supervisor in the security department.”
“Did I ask?” was his deadpan response from the other end, “I simply want entry into the Space Station, miss Y/N, but you’re incompetent and completely unprepared coworkers have no idea how to check the identity of guests that checked in prior for visitation rights!” Clearly he wasn’t going to let up easily, a thought of which made you sigh. You cracked your knuckles in anticipation.
“Ah yes, the check in email,” you replied drily, scrolling through your phone, “An email which was sent to Ms. Asta a mere two hours ago. I assume, given your work experience Mr. Ratio, that you understand the concept of a 9 to 5 and working hours, no?” you kept your tone neutral as you spoke, though your words themselves carried enough attitude themselves.
“You-” the man on the other end seemed flustered for a moment, his end of the line going dead for a few seconds, “I am well aware of the concept of working hours! And yet, clearly given that you are hear gracing me with this oh so pleasant conversation, working hours vary. I would expect that people with your experience, Miss, would have the foresight to check an email inbox, especially concerning the arrival of potential guests.”
“You’re right, that would be expected,” you conceded, your tone still even, though the amused smirk grew on your face, “Which is exactly why all inquiries pertaining to visits and arrival times should be sent to the alternate security email address when Miss Asta is not in working hours, a fact you would have known if you had bothered to read past the first line of the automated response you must have received when you emailed Miss Asta earlier this evening.” The eyes of the security department members, or at least the few who had had been unlucky enough to have to work in the Supply Zone tonight, were glued to you as you spoke, just as you hoped Mr. Ratio was glued to his seat as he attempted to reply to your quips.
“Again, as I am sure you are aware, the use of technology in space can be fickle when travelling, especially when older vessels are not in the proximity of an electric source,” the scholar’s voice rung though as annoying as ever, though the loss of extreme exclamations in his tone was glaringly obvious, “I therefore did not receive this automated message you speak of until I arrive here and connected to your ships internal power supply.”
“Ah, so you did receive the message?” you quipped, dropping the respectfulness in your tone with this opening the scholar oh so graciously dropped at your feet, “And yet instead of sending another email to correct your mistake, you decide to harass my colleague? For a genius, your logic seems to be lacking.” You couldn’t hide the excited bite in your tone now, or the giddeness you were experiencing due to this conversation.
You hated to admit it…
This was… kinda fun. Definitely not on the level of rizzing up a robot like you had been earlier, but this conversation was clearly entertaining. What more could a woman ask for than sassing a renowned genius to release sexual tension that had built up earlier that night?
“You- you are clearly trying to-”
You didn’t let him speak, “Lucky for you, as a senior member of the security department, I have access to Lady Asta’s emails, and was able to check them after Leonard told me about the situation. Loe and behold, there I found your little check in email. I was able to confirm your identity and status after talking to a collegue, and after running a voice analysis on this call…” you paused as your fingers quickly moved over the keyboard in front of you, “I can can officially welcome you to Herta’s Space Station, Mr. Ratio. I am disabling the external security systems now… and I’ll see you on the dock shortly.” With that, you pressed a button on the keyboard, hanging up the call before leaning back into the office chair with a small sigh.
“Miss Y/N, that was awesome!” Leonard was at your side immediately, patting you on the back as a look of relief passed over his features. He watched your fingers and you quickly disabled and re-enabled the external security system to the station, allowing the passage of the ship through, “What’s that guys deal anyway? He’s such an ass!” Leonard allowed himself to collapse in the desk chair after you stood, grabbing your book and your water bottle, which you allowed yourself a triumphant sip from.
“We should know better than anyone, Leonard,” you commented, quickly moving to the door of the security room so you could rush to the docking platform, “Geniuses are fucking weird.” With that, you walked out of the room the same way you walked into it, confidently as if this was your Space Station, leaving Leonard and the researchers to gossip over the juicy call they had just listened to alone.
You’re sure Arlan would hear about this in the morning… a fact that he wouldn’t find quite as amusing as Leonard and the others. Oh well, future problems, you supposed.
The walk from the security room to the docking platform was short, a mere 50 feet or so down a ramp and across a small black platform. As you walked, steps quick but not overly rushed, you could see the ship docking in the platform, a small ramp extending from the door to allow for easy passage to the walkway below. The man inside clearly was in no rush, and was remarkably more quiet compared to your first impression of him, with no noises traveling towards you as you approached.
You didn’t exactly know what to expect as you stood at the bottom of the ramp. Considering the vast number of people hosted on the ship, each different from the last, there could be pretty much anything inside that space ship. Your only had one experience with the IPC was with that one debt collector, Topaz, who stopped by once in a while to collect loans taken out by Herta to support the massive money sink which was the Space Station. If he was anything like Topaz, you were expecting a scantally dressed man with a nice figure and a cute trotter to accompany him.
Well you weren’t too far off with two of your guesses as you watched the man of the hour finally make his appearance. The man front of you was definitely well built, your eyes scanning over his muscular arms and broad shoulders as he descended the ramp. He also was fairly scantally dressed, his Greek-esque outfit barring cut outs on the sides, showing off his toned stomach, along with his aforementioned muscular arms, one of which was completely visible.
Unfortunately, the man was not accompanied by a trotter. Instead, he wore a alabaster head over his own, blocking his face from your view.
“Well Miss Y/N, I would say it was a pleasure to meet you, but I always tell my students that one shouldn’t lie in a professional setting,” he stood in front of your now, having finished descending the ramp. He was a head taller than you, and his close proximity meant you were basically face to face with his stupid broad shoulders and toned chest. Maybe if you were less pissed off and the it wasn’t past midnight at this point, you would find the nerve to exchange pleasantries. However, with the alcohol loosening your inhbitions and lips, you let you true thoughts ring out.
“Can you even see through that thing?”
The lack of direct response to his taunts and the sudden change of subject were clearly not expected by the scholar, who clutched the codex he carried to his toned chest, almost as if he was recoiling from your words.
“I beg your pardon?” He spoke a moment later, as if finally snapping back to reality, he tucked the codex under one arm, allowing him to awkwardly cross his arms across his chest in a show of… defiance? Toughness? You weren’t exactly certain.
“The alabaster head, can you see through it?” you tapped on the nose of the head, as if testing the material, “seems pretty thick to me, how do you even walk around in that thing?”
He now physically recoiled from your touch, quickly yanking the alabaster head off his own and allowing it to vanish, a technique of some weapon bearers that you didn’t quite understand yourself. You concealed your surprise at the man underneath. His shoulder-length blue-purple hair framed his face almost perfectly, and the golden leaf pin adorning the top of his head brought out the gold and amber red in his eyes; the very eyes that were now narrowed and glaring at you as he too looked over your appearance, “Enough! I forbid you from touching this head, do you understand the time that went into crafting this? Or does an imbecile like you not understand the concept of art and the beauty of sculpting?”
“Given the way you’re looking at me now, I’d guess the answer to my previous question was no,” you retorted with a smirk, before sticking out a hand in greeting, “Welcome to the Space Station, Mr. Ratio.” He stared at your hand, not moving to stick out his own.
“That is Dr. Ratio to you,” he snapped, “I expect someone of your standing would understand the importance of a proper label and greeting, or do you need me to read you a list of my credentials so you can truly understand the importance?”
“Considering were already stuck together, I would hope you would refrain from making both of our evenings more unbearable,” you commented, unable to resist the urge to roll your eyes, “I would expect someone of your status to shake my hand so we can end these non-existent fake pleasantries so I can escort you to your quarters so we will both be oh so happier.”
The Doctor let out a sound the mix of a scoff and a groan, reluctantly reaching a hand out to shake yours. His grip was strong, as expected based on his figure, you supposed, as he shook your hand with all the enthusiasm he could muster, “Thank you for the oh so kind welcome.”
“Great, you’re sounding more like an IPC delegate already!” you cheered in fake enthusiasm as he released your hand, “Let’s get going then, so both of us can rest easier.” You gestured for him to follow you down the platform, turning your head and not glancing back as you did so. You were reassured he was following you based on the sound fo his footsteps, evident by the quiet supply zone given the late hour.
“I must say, when that Leonard fellow said he was contacting his supervisor, I did not expect someone like you to show up,” he commented as he followed you, his tone of voice as arrogant as ever.
“Meaning?” you rebutted, not willing to show your hand and work up a retort until you truly understood what he was getting at. You glanced over your shoulder to meet his gaze briefly, his golden eyes fixed on you.
“Most higher ups in security departments are stern and unforgiving men, not some over confident zealous girl,” he expanded, spitting out the word girl as if it was some sort of insult. You didn’t bother with a reaction, somewhat used to comments of such a sort.
“Our boss, Arlan is the stern one, though he’s definitely pretty forgiving,” you shrugged, leading the man inside the security room, smirking when you caught him with a slightly frustrated expression when you look over your shoulder, “My job is to be the witty moodmaker, isn’t that right Leonard?” You let your eyes move from the scholae to Leonard, who looked up from the security cameras he was monitoring.
“Y-Yes Miss Y/N!” he stammared, flushing slightly as you smirked at him. He was quick to change his focus to the doctor beside you, “It is our pleasure to have you on the Space Station, Doctor Ratio.” The Doctor didn’t spare him a nod, only quickly glancing in his direction. Leonard’s face dropped at the lack of response, a change which angered you.
“I’m sure Mr. Ratio is thankful for the welcome,” you replied despite the indifference seen on the man beside you, “I’m sure he’s just too busy thinking of how he’s going to apologize to you, right Mr. Ratio?” you turn completely now to look the purple-haired man in the eye, tilting your head to the side innocently.
“Excuse me?” he glared at you, again crossing his arms, almost as if he was dealing with an unruly student rather than security personal on one of the most renowned Space Stations in the world.
“Oh, was that not on your mind?” you feigned ignorance, shifting your book under one arm and placing an exaggerated hand over your mouth, “my apologies, I guess I just expected for a intelligentsia guild member and delegate such as yourself to maintain pleasant relations with the station, and to apologize to those you wronged.” You let out an exaggerated sigh, looking at the other security members in the room, “I guess with the small crowd tonight, your reputation wasn’t exactly on your mind?”
He was fuming now, fists clenched at his side as he glared daggers at you. He fists remained there as he let his gaze wander from Leonard to the other security members, “I… apologize Leonard, and all of you, for letting my temper get the best of me. I suppose I am tired after my long day of travel… please forgive me.” His fists were practically shaking now, his barely-controlled anger begging to be released.
“Ah, look at that!” you exclaimed, shifting your book under your shoulder so you could place a mocking hand over your heart, “I can almost see the diplomatic relations between the IPC and the Space Station improving as we speak! Amazing! Let’s get going then, shall we?”
Leonard and the other securiy members stare at the both of you as you leave, mouths slightly agape as they watch the angry proud scholar trail after you, fists still clenched and face now red in a mix of embarrassment and anger, though he was forcing himself to take deep breaths as he went to calm his own temperament.
Arlan would definitely hear about this now…
You allowed yourself another long swig from your water bottle as you made your way through the winding silver hallways of the space station, the doctor on your heals.
“You’re breath smells like alcohol,” he stated simply, taking a few large steps so he was walking beside you, “I’ll let you know that that is the only reason I allowed you to treat me like some fool show for your co-workers. What would that Arlan fellow say if he learned you were drinking on the job?” his gaze flickered from your mouth to your water bottle, mouth crinkling in disgust.
“I was technically off work…” you glanced at your watch, “almost an hour ago at this point. Guess I’m not truly drinking on the job, hmm?” you spared a glance at the doctor, his face much less red, but his eyes angry still. You really had poked the wasps nest, huh?
“I am no fool, Miss Y/N,” he rolled his eyes, sighing in disappointment, “Based on how you are carrying your bottle, it is almost empty,” he eyed your hand, the only thing holding up the bottle being a few of your fingers clutched around the hand hold on the lid, “and based on your delayed reactions and unexplained confidence, it is clear you have been indulging in alcohol throughout the day.”
“Wow Doctor, I’m impressed,” you replied with a smirk, “I guess all the supposed titles you have aren’t only for show.” You both paused in front of the elevator, doing the best to ignore the growing tension between you to. You liked tension though, and this interaction was filling you with as much heat and excitement as your previous more steamy encounter with your robot companion earlier that evening, albeit much less pleasurable physically, the desire you had felt long ago fading away to a dull ache you would have to deal with yourself later.
“You are insufferable,” he replied, pushing in front of you to step into the elevator before you could. You rolled your eyes at that, quickly following in afterwards. You easily press the button to the floor containing the living quarters and guest rooms, cursing whoever designed the space ship for making the travel distance to them so unbearably far from your current location, “Though I must say, I am surprised a person of your intellect level is aware of Adler’s System of Ecological Classification.” Both you and the scholar’s eyes trail down to the book in your hands, a bookmark placed very close to the front cover.
“I’m not,” you said plainly, drumming your fingers against the hard cover, “I honestly don’t understand it at all. I told Adler I would try to read it so he would have someone to rant to about it.” You shrugged, looking from the book to the Doctor’s face.
“Ah, as expected, you truly are an idiot, just simply following the crowds and what people tell you to do instead of using your brain to come to your own decisions and calculations,” he sighed, as if disappointed in the outcome, “Though I don’t know what I expected from a security girl exactly. I should not have gotten my hopes up, I suppose.”
“You seem awfully sure of your abilities,” you commented offhandedly as the elevator finally reached the right floor, metal doors opening, and you and the doctor stepping out, “Interesting how this ‘security girl’ has managed to best you twice in one night. I suppose even the smartest people can be bested.”
Alone on this secluded floor, you could feel the tension building behind you, a glance in the reflection of your water bottle once again showing the Doctor clenching his fists in anger. It was kind of funny, you pondered, how someone such as him had no outlet for his emotions. Yet, the anger now was different, as if his body was a volcano on the brink of expkosion.
You heard his arm move before you saw anything.
In an instant, you let Adler’s book, the bookmark falling out of the marked pages, and your water bottle fall to floor, arm moving upwards towards your head to block the force of his codex from hitting you. Clearly surprised, the Doctor had no time to react when you turned on your heal, grabbing his wrists and slamming him into the wall beside the elevator, his muscular arms firmly held in his grasp. He attempted to wiggle free, his muscles clenching against your arms, but your grip remained solid, holding him there despite the height and size difference between your bodies.
He stared at you in shock, those golden eyes that he just loved to glare at you now wide an innocent like a childs, his lips parted slightly in shock as he blinked cluelessly at you. He almost looked beautiful then, your mind conceded, someone as stubborn as him put into his place by a woman half his size. The heat between you two was obvious, growing by the second as you held him there, staring into those pretty eyes just liked you owned them.
You had expected you would be pinning some man against the wall tonight. Though your predictions were not as exact as expected, and least the core of the guess had come true.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” your voice came out as a whisper as you held his wrists against the wall, speaking into his ear, “See, Mr. Ratio, though you may be some stupid academic genius with outstanding credentials and a stellar reputation, you clearly lack any common decency and respect.” Your breath fanned his face as you talked, “Calling me a girl, insulting the security team. You’re someone who doesn’t know their place here, so let me make that clear to you.”
You released one of his pinned arms, though his body seemed to shock to move away. You let your hand trail down his defined jaw, tilting his head downwards so he has no way to look away from your gaze. Your body felt sweaty again, hair sticking to your forehead much like it had earlier. Your love for tension, your craving for control, they were all shining through right now as you practically degraded the man in front of you.
“You have the book smarts. I have the street smarts… so next time you think about swinging that codex at me, know your place. I won’t be so merciful next time.” You let the one hand holding his wrist dig into his flesh slightly, twisting and flinching it until the Doctor winced, involuntarily letting out a noise somewhere between a moan and a whimper.
You released his other wrist then, satisfied with your work, but he remained against the wall for a second, as if too shocked to move. You were quick to turn around, grabbing your items from the floor, before strutting away, “Come on, Mr. Ratio… Your room is this way.”
#honkai star rail#honkai star rail x reader#honkai starrail#honkai starrail x reader#hsr x reader#dr ratio#dr ratio x reader#doctor ratio#doctor ratio x reader#screwllum#screwllum x reader
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Julia Rambles 2
Completely forgot to mention this, but I have a fic rec blog for star rail (blog isn’t really decorated yet but i’ve been re-blogging things)
the account is @astral-expresss
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