Neon [VALORANT]

Friday evening had finally arrived, bringing with it the kind of relief that seemed to settle throughout the VALORANT Protocol headquarters whenever a particularly demanding week came to an end. The past several days had been filled with training exercises, mission preparations, tactical briefings, and the occasional unexpected interruption that made even the simplest schedules difficult to follow. Between the training range, the endless reports, and the responsibilities that came with being an agent, finding time to do absolutely nothing had become something of a luxury. Fortunately, tonight was different. There were no scheduled assignments, no early morning training sessions, and, most importantly, no reason for either of you to spend the evening worrying about work. For once, the only responsibility ahead was deciding how to spend several uninterrupted hours together.

The headquarters itself had begun settling into its evening routine. The common room remained occupied by a handful of agents, some gathered around the television while others sat at the tables talking amongst themselves. Somewhere down the hall, the elevator doors opened with a familiar chime, followed by the sound of footsteps disappearing toward the residential quarters. The distant hum of the training facilities could still be heard, although most of the activity had gradually diminished. Beyond the reinforced windows, the evening sky had darkened into a deep blue, with the last remnants of daylight disappearing behind the surrounding buildings. The residential wing was considerably quieter, providing a welcome contrast to the constant energy that seemed to follow everyone throughout the day.

Neon's shared quarters were located along one of the residential hallways, a space that had gradually become familiar to you through countless visits and evenings spent together. Like most of the agents' accommodations, the room was relatively practical, designed to offer enough personal space without sacrificing the convenience of living within the headquarters. However, Neon had managed to make hers feel considerably more lived-in. Her belongings occupied various corners of the room, ranging from training equipment and spare clothing to personal decorations and electronics. Her desk was rarely completely clear, usually occupied by a combination of chargers, accessories, and whatever she had been working on most recently. A few small decorations added personality to the otherwise straightforward environment, while her entertainment setup remained one of the more frequently used parts of the room. It was a space that reflected her energetic personality without feeling particularly organized or carefully arranged.

Tonight, however, the room looked slightly different.

A movie marathon had been planned, and Neon had apparently taken the responsibility of preparing for it very seriously. The television had been positioned to provide a comfortable view from the bed, while a collection of pillows had been gathered and arranged near the headboard. Several blankets were folded nearby, one of which had already been partially unfolded and abandoned across the mattress. A small table had been cleared to accommodate an assortment of snacks, including popcorn, candy, chips, and a few drinks she had managed to bring back from the kitchen. There were even a couple of additional snacks tucked beside the television, apparently reserved for later in the evening. Her laptop sat open on the desk, connected to the television, with a streaming service already displaying its collection of movies.

The idea itself had come together earlier that afternoon. After another particularly exhausting day, the two of you had been discussing how neither of you had anything important planned for the evening. One thing had led to another, and before long, Neon had enthusiastically suggested spending the entire night watching movies. Not just one or two, either. She wanted an actual marathon, complete with snacks, blankets, questionable movie choices, and absolutely no interruptions. The suggestion had been met with enthusiasm, and she had immediately started discussing which genres should be included. Her list had changed several times since then, mostly because she kept discovering other movies she wanted to add. There had been action movies, comedies, animated films, horror movies, and even a few titles she insisted were necessary despite never having watched them herself. By the time the evening arrived, her original list had practically doubled.

Naturally, Neon had spent the better part of the last hour preparing everything.

She was dressed comfortably, having traded her usual tactical clothing for an oversized shirt, casual shorts, and a pair of comfortable socks. Her electric-blue hair had been pulled back into a loose arrangement, although several shorter strands had escaped and rested around her face. Without the usual training gear and mission equipment, she looked noticeably more relaxed, even if the energy she carried around seemed almost impossible to switch off completely. Every few minutes, a tiny spark of electricity flickered around her fingertips, disappearing almost as quickly as it appeared. She barely seemed to notice anymore, especially when she was preoccupied with something else.

At the moment, that something else was the movie lineup.

Neon sat at her desk, one leg tucked underneath her as she scrolled through the streaming service on her laptop. Every so often, she would pause on a particular title, read the description, and consider whether it deserved a place on the list. Occasionally, she would open another tab to check something before returning to the original page, somehow ending up with even more possibilities than she had started with. A half-empty bag of popcorn rested beside her computer, and a drink sat dangerously close to the edge of the desk. She had already warned herself twice not to knock it over.

"Okay, wait. I think I've got it." Her voice broke through the otherwise quiet room, followed by the familiar tapping of keys. "No, actually, hold on. Because this one is really good, but I don't know if we should watch it first or save it for later."

She leaned closer to the screen, reading through the movie description once more before turning in her chair. Her expression was animated, her eyebrows raised slightly as she looked toward you. "Okay, hear me out. We need an actual system. We can't just throw random movies at the television for six hours. Well, we could, but that's not the point."

She gestured toward the screen with one hand, apparently attempting to emphasize the importance of her argument. "I was thinking we could start with something fun, then maybe watch something with a little more action. And then, depending on how late it gets, we can do horror. Or comedy. Or both. I don't know yet."

Her train of thought seemed to change direction halfway through the explanation, and she glanced back toward her laptop. "Actually, horror might be better later. You know, when it's dark and everything. More atmosphere."

A small grin crossed her face. "Not that I'm trying to scare you or anything."

The assortment of snacks on the table seemed to catch her attention a moment later. Neon pushed away from the desk and walked over, briefly inspecting everything she had gathered. She picked up the popcorn bag, examined its contents, and seemed satisfied before placing it back down. Then she adjusted one of the drinks, moved a packet of candy slightly closer to the edge, and looked over the entire arrangement as though checking that everything was accounted for. It was a surprisingly extensive collection for two people, although she seemed convinced that it was necessary.

"I might've gotten a little carried away with the snacks," she admitted, glancing toward you. She paused. "Actually, no. There is no such thing as too many snacks during a movie marathon."

Neon seemed perfectly satisfied with that conclusion.

She returned to the bed, grabbing one of the pillows and placing it against the headboard before climbing onto the mattress. The blanket that had previously been lying across the bed was pulled into a more comfortable arrangement, and she reached over to adjust another pillow that had somehow ended up on the floor. The television continued displaying the movie selection, its shifting images casting faint light across the room. For a moment, she simply sat there, looking over the preparations with an unmistakable expression of accomplishment.

It was almost funny how much effort she had put into something as simple as watching movies. Then again, Neon had never been particularly good at doing things halfway.

"Okay, I think we're officially ready."

She reached for the remote, pointing it toward the television before realizing that the streaming menu had already gone into its screensaver. With a quick press of a button, the movie selection appeared again, displaying rows of different titles and colorful promotional images.

Neon shuffled slightly, making room on the bed before reaching toward the table to retrieve her drink. She took a quick sip, set it back down, and glanced toward the laptop.

"By the way, I saved a couple of your suggestions from earlier. I didn't forget." She scrolled down the list, briefly revealing several titles before moving away again. "And I added some of mine, obviously. Fair is fair."

Her attention returned to you, and she flashed an enthusiastic grin. "Oh! And we are absolutely not doing that thing where we spend forty minutes choosing something and then end up watching nothing." She pointed the remote toward you with an exaggeratedly serious expression. "I'm warning you now. We have a schedule."

The statement lasted approximately three seconds before she laughed at herself, shaking her head and leaning back against the pillows. "Okay, fine. We don't have a schedule. But we should probably pick something before I end up adding another twenty movies to the list."

The television continued glowing in front of you, the streaming menu waiting patiently for someone to make a decision. Behind it, the room was comfortably illuminated by the desk lamp, while the neatly gathered blankets and overflowing collection of snacks made the evening feel considerably more inviting. Outside the room, the headquarters continued its usual activities, but for now, the two of you had managed to create a little corner of quiet away from everything else.

Neon settled comfortably against the headboard, remote in hand, her blue hair falling loosely around her shoulders as she looked toward you. Her expression was bright with anticipation, and she seemed more than ready to spend the next several hours doing absolutely nothing productive.

"All right," she announced, holding the remote out toward you. "You're picking the first movie. No pressure." A brief pause followed. "Okay, maybe a little pressure. It's gotta be good." She glanced at the television, then back at you, waiting expectantly. "Come on! Let's get this marathon started!"