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In all honesty it wasn’t that cold outside. Sure it was winter, but it was winter in L.A., which meant it was slightly cooler than usual, and maybe the nights got kind of chilly. It certainly wasn’t the kind of weather anyone would call dangerous. Anyone except Waterboy, who was currently shivering his way through a tepid winter shift at SDN.
He hadn’t expressed any concern about the weather, but of course the others noticed his shaking shoulders and bright red face as he forced his way through missions, and of course they had something to say about it.
“It’s not that cold, Waterbitch. If you can’t handle the weather in L.A. maybe you shouldn’t be tasked with hero shit.”
“Jesus Waterboy you can’t be that cold, can you? Fuck’s sake, can I get someone else as backup please?”
“Maybe you should take a break or something. You seem… cold. Really cold. Unreasonably cold. It’s nice out today.”
Waterboy was standing outside of a club waiting for the police to arrive and arrest the patrons responsible for a bar fight, Flambae by his side tapping his foot impatiently as he glanced at Waterboy occasionally and rolling his eyes.
Waterboy’s hands were clutched to his chest, and occasionally they went up to rub at his temples, a headache coming on from the freezing feeling in his body. He couldn’t really think about anything but the cold. He was surprised he didn’t get hurt during the fight. He was barely clinging to reality as his teeth started chattering.
Flambae laughed and sidled up beside Waterboy, slamming a hand down on his back.
“This is really pathetic Waterbitch. It isn’t that cold…” He paused, glancing down at his hand. “Jesus fucking christ you really are cold.”
“S- Sorry. I’m sorry. I- I don’t… I’m sorry.” Waterboy stuttered out with chattering teeth as Flambae’s hand settled on his shoulder. He felt the heat permeate his body, and sink into his aching muscles, and he couldn’t help but lean into the contact. Flambae recoiled from Waterboy for a moment, but let his hand sink into the other’s shoulder with an eye roll as Waterboy leaned further into him.
Slowly Waterboy ended up leaning into his chest, his body desperately seeking the heat out without him knowing, and Flambae awkwardly let him slide further and further into his arms, until the police officers arrived, and Robert hopped back on the comms, apparently having switched back to the cameras when they got there.
“Hey guys. What’s… Going on there?” Robert asked, and Flambae could hear the smirk on his face through the comms.
“Shut it, Bobert. This is all Waterbitch’s doing, I was just standing here.” Flambae snapped back, though he made to move to push Waterboy away, or remove him from his arms.
“S-sorry. I’m… I didn’t realize I was- am- I was- I didn’t notice I got- was getting so cold.” Waterboy choked out through now violent shivers, and Flambae tried to turn him around slightly to get a view of his face.
“I think something’s wrong with him… or something.” Flambae said curtly as he turned Waterboy’s head to face him.
“Check him over, then. I’ll page medical.” Robert sighed.
Waterboy’s face was very red, not just the usual red that came with his nerves, but a deep, all-encompassing red that seemed to creep down to his neck and up to his ears. Flambae didn’t know if it was the unwilling affection he was giving, or if whatever was making him so cold was making him that red too. His eyes were closed tightly behind his goggles, and his face and body were both tense.
Flambae scrutinized his appearance closely, and reached out to pull the goggles off of his face. As he slid them up, Waterboy’s eyes shot open, and he reached his clumsy, shaking hands up to try and grab them back, but Flambae shushed him and batted his hands away.
“I need to see your stupid face, Wetwipe. Stop that!”
And Waterboy let his hands fall to his chest, tucking them under his arms with a whine as Flambae slid the goggles fully off his head. Waterboy’s eyes slid closed again with a sigh as Flambae tucked the goggles into one of the pockets on Waterboy’s suit. Flambae tapped his face lightly.
“Wake up, I need to see your eyes for a second.” He said sharply, and Waterboy’s eyes snapped open again, before he squinted against the sunlight. Flambae placed his hand above Waterboy’s eyes and gently pulled them open a bit more, before noting that his pupils were both a normal size and reacting properly to the light, so he probably wasn’t on any sort of substance, or concussed. Not that either of those on their own would explain any of this situation, being this cold in an L.A. winter after being outside for probably an hour, but if he’d encountered some sort of villain that did this to him there could easily be other issues present. Flambae sighed.
“I can’t tell what’s wrong with him. He’s just cold… Very, very cold.”
“Alright, I’ll relay that to medical. Did he encounter anyone you know of that could’ve done something like this?”
“No one. I think he’s only dealt with normies. Whoever did this wasn’t on the docket today.”
Waterboy’s body got tenser as he listened, and he propped his head up on Flambae’s shoulder so that he could look him in the eye without effort. Flambae felt an unwilling flush creep across his face.
“Not- It’s not- It wasn’t a- a villain- a person. Wasn’t- This happens, when- c-cold. I just get cold. B’cause of- water. Th’ water. Makes me cold when- gets chilly out.”
Flambae scoffed, absentmindedly pulled him further into his chest.
“No way. This is way too cold to be normal. You’re fucking with me.”
But Waterboy shook his head minutely, and Flambae groaned.
“Okay…” Robert said, typing something out behind the mic. “Okay, so no medical then?”
Waterboy shook his head again.
“He’s saying no, so what now?” Flambae asked, and he realized he was beginning to support more and more of Waterboy’s weight, slipping his arms under his arms to keep him upright.
“Just need- Warm. Warm up. I’ll be… ‘lright. S’rry.” Waterboy’s teeth were audibly chattering now, and Robert sighed through the comms.
“Jesus fucking christ. Just carry him back here Flambae, please. He can warm up in the breakroom.”
Flambae sighed, and muttered out a complaint at needing to ‘drag Waterbitch’s ass back to base,’ but he still adjusted Waterboy to be fully facing him, with his wet face pressed deep into Flambae’s chest, forcing him to hunch a bit. Flambae then tucked his hands under Waterboy’s legs and lifted him like a Koala, or a child, an awkward hold for someone this much taller than him, he realized too late. Waterboy didn’t give any complaints, but he muttered out a few sorrys as Flambae adjusted his grip to prevent him from slipping out, and shot into the air.
“Shut up. I don’t care that you’re sorry, so you can stop saying it now.” Flambae said as he rushed towards the SDN building as fast as he could. Waterboy’s shivering turned violent and intense as the cold air started rushing past them, and Flambae clutched him close unconsciously.
It didn’t take long for them to get back, but in that time Waterboy was desperately clinging to Flambae’s torso and pressing his face into it, still shaking, and getting Flambae’s suit soaking wet around the neckline. Flambae flew into the building through the balcony attached to the dispatch office, and beelined for the conference room that had been unofficially claimed by the Z-team. Robert noticed them arrive out of the corner of his eye and snagged Chase’s attention, asking him to cover for a moment as he followed suit.
Flambae tried to dump Waterboy on the couch, but he was clinging to him so hard that he didn’t budge, and Flambae groaned. He shook him a bit, trying to get his attention as Robert collected a folded pile of blankets he’d sourced a few minutes ago.
“Waterbitch! We’re back, you can let go now.” Flambae said as Waterboy lifted his head minutely, cracking his eyes open. He saw Flambae’s frustrated expression, and flinched backwards, almost careening to the floor, but being caught last second by Flambae, who deposited him onto the couch. Waterboy immediately clutched one of his arms to his chest, and the other went up to rub at his temples. Robert began wrapping him in blankets.
“Does your head hurt?” Robert asked, tucking the blankets tightly around him, almost methodically, making sure he was as covered as possible.
“S-sorry. Oh, my… Yes, it hap- always happens when- cold. When it’s- when I get c-cold. S’fine, though. I’ll- I’m fine.”
Robert sighed as he stepped back and rubbed at his own head, before turning to find Flambae sneaking out of the room silently and awkwardly. Robert shot him a disappointed look, and crossed his arms, stopping Flambae in his tracks with a hand reaching out for the door.
“Nice try, but I need you to stay with him while I grab him some painkillers.” Robert said gesturing with his head towards the shivering man with his eyes now closed again.
“Um… no. Good one, but no. I will not be doing that, thank you.” Flambae responded, though he didn’t move.
“You will be, actually, but again, nice try. It’s just a few minutes, while I make sure he isn’t going hypothermic or some shit, then you can fuck off and stop caring whether he lives or dies, which I know you’d love to pretend you do.” Robert said as he pushed past him and pointed back at the couch, where Waterboy had cracked an eye open again.
“I’m not- not… I’m not go- going…” He tried to speak, but with the cold his stutter was more intense than usual, and he whimpered in frustration and buried his head into the blankets, giving up on the sentence. Robert gave Flambae a knowing look, and he threw his arms up and stomped over to Waterboy’s side, where he glared at Robert as he left.
“S’ry, Fl’mbae” Waterboy forced out, refusing to look at him. Flambae glanced down, and he felt an uncomfortable guilt well up in his chest when he saw tears falling from his eyes. Not water, as per usual, but tears welling up in his eyes and falling onto the blanket.
Flambae’s fists clenched at his sides as he realized what he was going to do. The bitch needed to be warm, and the blankets clearly weren’t enough.
“Fucking fuck,” He muttered, and he threw himself onto the couch next to Waterboy, pulling him into his chest again, and earning a squeak of surprise as Waterboy floundered at the change in position.
“Relax, dumbass. This is because you’re cold, and that’s it. Shut up or it goes away.”
Waterboy took an annoying, and concerning amount of time to process the words before leaning back into Flambae’s chest, still wrapped in the blankets, which squelched a bit as they pressed between them. Flambae groaned as he felt water soak into his chest again, but he wrapped his arms hesitantly around Waterboy and let himself heat up. Waterboy let out a sigh and sunk into the contact, and Flambae felt himself blush again.
Robert slipped back into the room with a bottle of Tylenol, a bottle of water, and a few heat packs. When he saw Flambae and Waterboy tangled together he froze, and a coy smile crossed his face as he opened his mouth to speak. Flambae glared at him, and lifted a hand to drag across his throat as he made intense eye contact. When he did, Waterboy whimpered subconsciously, and Flambae glanced down in surprise, his blush deepening as he placed his arm back down.
Robert chuckled, but he opted to say nothing as he approached, tapping Waterboy’s shoulder to get his attention. He opened his eyes blearily, and noted Robert holding out the water and heat backs. His hands were clumsy as he took them, and he found himself immediately trying and failing to open the water while Robert took some pills out of the bottle.
“Fucking- Here. Give me that.” Flambae snapped as Waterboy fumbled with the water, and he opened it himself and handed it back as Robert handed him the pills. He took them, drank a sizeable amount of the Water, and when he was done, Robert took it back and capped it for him, before activating the heat packs and handing them over.
“For the places that still need some heat.” he said with a smile, and Waterboy placed one on his stomach and clutched one tightly in his hands. Robert looked back up at Flambae, whose eyes were averted, and whose face was bright red.
“I’m assuming you’re taking a long break, then?” He asked, and Flambae’s fists clenched again.
“Can’t let the idiot get hypothermia, right? Like you said.”
“Right, right,” Robert said, and turned to leave. “Tell yourself that, if it helps. I’m getting back to work. Have fun.”
“Shut up,” Flambae called back as he left, and he leaned his head back against the couch as he felt Waterboy melt into his arms, evidently getting tired. He groaned at the thought of him falling asleep on his chest, the intimacy of the moment sending an acidic feeling swirling through his gut, and he had to force himself to ignore it, or he’d throw the poor man off the couch in embarrassment. He sighed, and let his eyes slip closed, feeling himself sinking into the cushions. He might as well get some sleep, though it was a bit hard with water pooling slowly into his suit, and the cushions beneath him. He clenched his eyes tight and tried to ignore it. It didn’t take long for Waterboy to fully drift off, and Flambae wasn’t far behind him.
The day was nearing its end, and the Z-team was slowly trickling into the conference room for the night, a routine they’d developed to make plans for the night, the weekend, or just to say goodbye to each other. As much as most of the Z-team loathed to admit it, they weren’t just coworkers anymore, they were friends, and they liked to get together at the end of the day.
As each member of the Z-team entered the room they had a moment of shock as they immediately noticed the two sleeping members cuddling on the couch. A moment of shock followed by immense amusement, the quieting of their footsteps, and for a few the snapping of a quick photo.
They all filed in, had their moment, then took a seat and started whispering amongst themselves. That was until Punch Up arrived, mildly oblivious and in an argument with Golem, slamming the door open and scaring Waterboy into wakefulness, who shot out of Flambae’s arms and woke him up too. Waterboy glanced around the room, then down to where his legs were tangled with Flambae’s, and back to his bleary face and bedhead. His face got hot, and he scrambled off of his lap, falling off the couch in his panic and shuffling away with wide eyes.
Flambae didn’t quite know what was happening at first, just that he was soaking wet, something had moved on top of him, and now that he wasn’t touching anything the water was incredibly obvious. He glanced around the room with blurry, sleep-ridden eyes, noting that the room was full of people. He wiped his face, and blinked the sleep out of his vision, realizing that everyone in the room was looking back and forth between him and the floor silently. He looked down and saw Waterboy panting with a flush on his face, stuttering out apologies as he cowered against the conference room table. Flambae squinted as the day came back to him, then groaned as he reached for his suit and squeezed out some water.
“Shut it, Waterbitch. I told you, I don’t care about that. The sorrys.”
Waterboy’s breath hitched as tears welled up in his eyes again, and as Flambae’s composure came back to him he realized that the man was actually panicking about this. He wasn’t just trying to save face, he was fucking scared. Flambae glanced around the room, and the atmosphere had grown concerned, everyone looking down at Waterboy but doing nothing to help him. Flambae ran a hand through his hair and let out a frustrated sigh. He didn’t want to have to deal with this after already dealing with the hypothermia problem, but the room full of emotionally stunted idiots was leaving the poor man gasping on the floor, nearing hyperventilation, and Flambae found himself sliding off the couch and towards Waterboy.
Waterboy saw him coming and tried to back away, but he was caught on a table leg, and wasn’t coherent enough to navigate around it, so he tried to make himself smaller. Flambae ignored that and reached out a hand slowly. He found Waterboy’s shaking hand hovering over his chest and pulled it to rest over his own, slowing his breathing into a soothing pattern.
“Herman,” he said, clutching his hand tighter, but not tight enough to be scary, pulling him in slightly to get his attention. Waterboy’s eyes shot up to his, and he forced his face to settle into something close to soothing, as he made his breathing more visibly obvious. “Breathe with me. You don’t need to freak out right now. You’ve done nothing wrong, and I need you to calm the fuck down now. Please.” He said softly, and Waterboy stared blankly as the words filtered through the panic.
It took too long for him to give a tiny not and look down at where his hand was on Flambae’s chest. Eventually, though, he saw the pattern. His gasping breaths hitched, and he tried to start breathing when Flambae did, but he choked. When he did his fists tried to clench as he whined out, but Flambae kept it flat against his chest and scootched closer, placing his other hand on Waterboy’s knee.
“Try to count in your head. It may help. Count the breaths. In for four, hold for four, out for four, hold for four. You don’t need to get it perfect right away, just try.” Flambae said, cringing at the voice he was using. He refused to look around the room. He knew everyone was probably just worried about Waterboy, but he was going to be teased relentlessly when this was all over, and he dreaded it.
Waterboy got closer the next time he tried. He couldn’t hold his breath too well, but he was slowly growing less and less frantic, and when he was calm enough that he wasn’t heading towards fainting, Flambae tapped his arm to get his attention again.
Waterboy was shaking again, not from the cold anymore, and Flambae let his thumb trace soothing patterns on his hand as he waited for Waterboy to look up.
“Try to find five things in the room you can see. It helps you stay grounded,” Flambae commanded, and Waterboy’s eyes started circling the room. “You don’t have to say them out loud, if… if that’s hard. Just, let me know when you’re done.”
Waterboy’s eyes settled on five things, and he looked back at Flambae with a nod. He nodded back, and slowly walked Waterboy through the remaining grounding exercises. A knot in his chest that he hadn’t noticed before slowly loosened as he watched Waterboy slowly relax his body. The shaking died down, his breathing looked calm, and he seemed exhausted, but better. Flambae sighed and released Waterboy’s hand, which Waterboy then placed in his lap as he looked down at the floor with an embarrassed blush on his face.
“I’m sor- sorry. Sorry I- fell- fell asleep on you. And for- you’re- for making your out- clothes- your suit wet. And for panic- panicking. Sorry.” He muttered quietly, and Flambae shrugged.
“It’s fine. Not a big deal. I’m not upset about it, or anything.” Flambae said, though he was a bit upset about being wet, he was mostly pissed that the team had so much ammunition on him now.
“But- But I’m- you- I don’t- you don’t like me?” Waterboy stuttered out, burying his face in his knees. Flambae cringed. He did act like that, huh. He was hesitant to let anyone think he liked them. It wasn’t personal to Waterboy. He’d certainly taken it personally, though. Flambae didn’t know what to say, so he felt relief flood him when Malevola crouched down beside Waterboy, startling him as she tossed a hand around his shoulder.
“He likes you, he’s just a big baby about letting people know it. We all like you, Waterboy, you don’t have to worry about that.” Malevola said with a smile as she pulled him in for a side hug.
“She’s right, lad,” Punch up added as he rounded the table. “Don’t let the teasing fool ya, we like you plenty.”
Invisigirls hopped the table, sliding down to Waterboy’s other side, but keeping a bit of distance.
“And you’d better believe us, ‘cause you’re not allowed to leave now. We’ve adopted you. You’re stuck with us.”
Waterboy’s face grew redder and he hid it further into his knees, stuttering out a quiet thank you as he felt Malevola coo at him, calling him cute. Suddenly a voice from the door snapped them all to attention.
“They’re right, Waterboy.” Robert, who had apparently snuck in at some point during Waterboy’s panic attack, approached with a small smile. “I chose you for a reason. I saw potential in you. You belong here, and you don’t need to apologize for existing, or needing help sometimes.”
The group all nodded, and Waterboy’s eyes welled up with tears one final time as he stared up at Robert in awe. His face broke into a wide smile, and he chuckled nervously.
“Th-thanks- thank you. Thank you. I- Apprec-appreciate it.” He said, and he looked back to Flambae, who was looking down at the floor. Flambae felt his gaze, and looked up to see Waterboy’s nervous smile. He groaned, and sent him a smile of his own, before nodding in agreement. Waterboy leaned comfortably into Malevola’s side as she shifted to help him up, and he only stumbled a bit when he stood. Robert held a hand out to steady him if necessary, and when he gave a thumbs up, Robert gave him one back, and gestured to a chair at the table next to where he typically sat.
“We need to sort out how to work with your cold problem. Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble, and we’re gonna figure something out. I just don’t want you getting hypothermia on the job, or something.”
“Hypothermia?” Prism asked from the other side of the room. “How did he get hypothermia?”
“Just- It wasn’t- I just get cold easily. Because of the water. I…” Waterboy said as he took a seat, and Robert placed a comforting hand on his back.
“We’ll figure something out. Maybe we’ll send you out with Flambae more, he seems like a nice solution.”
“I am not going to babysit him all winter. Also he needs a more permanent solution than that.” Flambae shot out as he took a seat as well, and Robert Chuckled.
“I know, I know. I was just teasing you. It was really sweet of you to keep him warm today.”
“Yeah? Well, Bobert, it was really sweet of you to abandon me with a man that was freezing to death, very kind.” Flambae said defensively, but his face was red.
The team watched Flambae flounder, looking amongst themselves and silently coming to an agreement to tease him relentlessly about it next shift. Flambae looked up to see the Z-team laughing amongst themselves and let his head thunk down onto his arms on the table, only for water to squish out of his sleeves and onto his face, dripping down to form a small puddle on the table. He groaned, and Waterboy immediately started apologizing again.