#hinawa had family members in and out of the hospital all the time and quite possibly experienced some degree of neglect

[twothpaste]

a long-looming intermission au question in the back of my head is "what the absolute hell was going on with flint and hinawa back in tennessee." the details remain erratic and fuzzy, but if/when i ever hash it out it's so fucking over.

[ficforce]

White Lies

Obi x Reader

SFW

Obi’s automatic reaction to seeing his friend pour scalding hot soup over her hand was to grab her arm and pull her under the cold running tap, he’d nearly made her fall in his rush and she fell into his side, her free hand gripping his belt to stop herself landing on the floor, “Sorry,” he murmured and steadied her, “Are you okay?”

The water was frigid on her hand, already numbing her skin that should have been red and angry from the burn, “I wasn’t paying attention, Captain… I think it’s okay, it really wasn’t very hot.”

“Are you sure, you’re supposed to keep it under cold water for at least ten minutes,” He turned the tap off and chocolate eyes examined her skin for any sign of blistering or damage, there was barely a mark on her and the man ran his thumb gently over the back of her hand, “I just thought you’d hurt yourself – thank goodness it hadn’t come to boiling point.” Obi was certain the soup had been ready, perhaps he hadn’t set the stove as high as he thought? “I’m glad you’re okay!”

Y/N still had her fingers looped into his belt and was pressed into his side, she knew he was strong, he wasn’t shy about showing off his muscles but Y/N was a little overwhelmed by how hard but also how comfortable his body felt against hers. It made her feel soft and small in comparison. He was still warm from his quick shower before dinner duty and she couldn’t help but love whatever he had used as body wash, “Thanks to your lightning reflexes.”

“If they were that good then you wouldn’t have ended up with soup on your hand, let’s get this cooked before there’s a riot.” He stepped away from her and picked up the knife to continue chopping ingredients. Y/N felt a little disappointed to have been separated but went back to helping prepare dinner; she enjoyed cooking with Obi, he had some skill and was fun to banter back and forth with, she also got to admire him move around in his tight, black t-shirt…

They served up on time and Y/N took her seat opposite him, narrowly avoiding an elbow to the ribs as the boys fought their way into their seats to fill their plates. They were so rowdy at mealtimes. The evening continued as normal and just before she headed off to bed her Captain called her over, Obi took her hand again and checked it over. “Captain Obi, I’m really alright.” He gave her a smile that she couldn’t help but return and they went to their respective rooms.

 – -

Vulcan glanced to the passenger seat as Y/N’s head continued to droop, Hinawa kept checking her vitals as she drifted in and out of wakefulness, “Should I head for the hospital?”

“Keep heading for home… she’s just overheated,” the Lieutenant could figure that much out but he was a little confused as to the cause. If she had simply gotten too hot during the firefight inside then that would be simple enough, but she was showing the same signs of overheating that a pyrokinetic would have – she didn’t have any abilities though.

The panel slid open from the back of the Matchbox and Obi peeked in, “How’s she doing?”

“Even though she took a direct hit from that last attack she’s not too bad. No burning to her throat and her lungs seem clear…” Obi sensed that the man had more to say but was keeping quiet for now, he slid the panel back in place and sat back down with a loud exhale. Obi hated when someone got hurt and he especially hated that Y/N was suffering because he hadn’t moved fast enough – again

They left Y/N in Maki’s care and Hinawa pulled the Captain into their office, closing the door behind him and heading for the filing cabinet for Y/N’s resume. Name, age, height, weight, experience and finally, he found the part he needed, “Unpowered. Y/N has no pyrokinetic ability.”

Obi sat on his desk and nodded, “Myself, Vulcan, Licht, Iris and Y/N are all unpowered – what’s going on.”

“Y/N’s showing the same symptoms of a second or third-gen that’s overused their ability; she’ll recover just fine but she should have told us.”

The Captain’s eyebrows scrunched together and he crossed his arms over his chest, “Could it be something she doesn’t know about? Like, it’s a new thing or hasn’t quite manifested itself?”

“I doubt it, it’s not exactly something that comes quietly and most new pyrokinetics can’t control their abilities, she’d have known – let’s not forget that she would have to know to control it to keep it a secret.”

“Why hide something like that?” Hinawa gave a shrug in response and they both went through her history again, nothing flagged up and Obi stood up straight, he gave a stretch before heading for the door, “I’ll just ask her outright.”

They were a close team and he felt that she would be honest with him, at least he hoped she would trust him enough…

Y/N was sleeping in her room that she shared with Maki, she liked the bottom bunk and when Obi tapped on the door, Maki gave him a thumbs up to indicate that the other woman was okay and just resting. Not wanting to wake her up Obi asked Maki to have Y/N come to find him when she felt better.

 – -

She found him in his office in the late evening, the man was writing out several reports and looked a little odd with his hair dishevelled from pushing his fingers through it. She knew he wasn’t an idiot, Captains had to be strong and smart, she also knew that Obi felt more comfortable with physical action rather than academics and speeches. Not wanting to interrupt his flow Y/N sat opposite him and rested her elbows on his desk, waiting patiently for him to finish so that she could see what he needed.

“Did you lie about being

unpowered on your resume?” He came straight out with it, not looking up or stopping his pen, she thought he sounded quite neutral about it and that threw her off.

“…” Y/N’s mouth opened and then it closed again, she straightened her back and moved her clasped hands onto her lap. “I… don’t use them, so I don’t consider it a lie…” She wished he would stop and look at her rather than continue, the scratching of the pen on paper was making her feel anxious and more words seemed to fall from her lips, “I didn’t mean to hide it, I really try not to think about it… I’m a second-generation, I have been since I was twelve but… I’m… I’m not supposed to use it.” He still didn’t look up and she curled her toes a few times, waiting and waiting until she couldn’t help but add, “I’m ashamed of them, to be honest.”

Obi’s pen stopped this time and he put it down before looking up at her, she had expected him to seem mad at her for hiding it but Obi looked more concerned than anything. “Ashamed?” his voice was softer than she thought it might be and Y/N watched as he got up and came around his desk, “Who the hell made you feel that way?” Obi crouched down to her level and his hands rested on her knees for both balance and to offer some sort of comfort, “Y/N, you’re amazing whether you’re powered or unpowered. I need to know this stuff though, for your safety at the very least… Hinawa thinks your ability overheated you and not the fire. We could have treated you for the wrong thing and I don’t think I could handle that, Y/N.”

“I’m sorry…” she mumbled at him and then her eyes widened when his hands covered her, “Captain?”

“I want Company 8 to be like a family, the squabbling and teasing included. It also means I want us all to be open with each other – Me and Hinawa don’t have to tell everyone else but he did say that if you need help with your ability he’d help.” One of his hands let go of hers to rub at the back of his head almost nervously, “I don’t have powers so… even though I wish I could help…” Sometimes he wasn’t much use and he hated it, especially when it came to the younger members of his team or someone like Y/N that he may have liked a little too much. “We’re not going to judge you.”

All of a sudden the woman dived forward and hugged him, her arms wrapped around his neck and she buried her face into his neck, Obi returned the embrace and waited for her next words. He wasn’t sure if she needed comfort or was happy or if he was just lucky.

After a moment she drew back, her face a little hot from the interaction, “My parents really hated when we found out I was a second generation… they were always so disappointed and I guess I learned to feel the same way. I have a high tolerance to heat and I think I’m able to contain fires in one spot but I’ve really only ever learned to suppress it.”

“You’ve really never told anyone? Not even a boyfriend?”

She shook her head, “Never had a boyfriend – or a girlfriend. I was too worried about them finding out…”

Obi looked down at their hands, she hadn’t made a move to take her’s from his after he had held it again, “I can’t help you with the second-gen stuff, Y/N.” He felt a little sleazy for asking her whilst she was vulnerable like this but it wasn’t as if he hadn’t seen her appreciate looks now and then; some of his flexing was for her benefit. Obi cleared his throat and took a deep breath, “I can… maybe take you on a date sometime though, if you like it then maybe I could take you on another?”

“A-and maybe after that, I might try out kissing….?” She could feel how hot her cheeks were and she glanced shyly up at her grinning Captain. The clearing of a throat came from the door and they both looked up at Hinawa with wide eyes, “If I survive…”