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theprotectmeconeparadox · 2 years

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30 - You're Not Alone

For @whumptober2021

Chapter link -> Here

Trigger warning for: Sad gay stuff, thinking that you are hallucinating, needle mention.

Prompt: Ghosts

Summary: Caboose thinks that he's having a side effect from his treatments, but Wash realizes that there's more to these 'hallucinations' than what was originally thought.

—

Caboose started seeing things not too long after they all got settled on Iris.

Perhaps it was because Dr. Grey was doing something to fill in all the missing holes in his brain. He goes every week back to Chorus to get an injection (and a cupcake for his troubles) and then he feels strange for a few days. Strange like his brain is stretching and moving around, but surprisingly it doesn’t hurt. He hasn’t had an unscheduled nap since he had his surgery, and he was getting less headaches as time went on. Overall, he was feeling pretty great!

So he was quite concerned when he saw a flicker of movement in the corner of his eye one day. At first he thought it may be a person, but the only people on Iris was himself and his friends. He was told by Dr. Grey and Wash to tell them if he saw anything strange as it could be a side effect from what medicine he was taking. They were messing with his noggin after all, it would make sense that they were being careful. So he kept an eye out in case it happened again, now a little afraid and paranoid for what it all could mean.

Then one day when heading up to the roof of the base (to say good-morning to the sun of course), he saw a person sitting there, watching the sun rise. Caboose could see that they weren’t all...there, as thought they were an after image pasted on the scenery. They were faint, parts of them transparent enough to see the scenery through them.

The brown armor turned, the helmet looking into his. It spoke with a voice, both soft and far away. “Can you see me?”

Caboose did what he was told to do and ran downstairs to get Washingtub.

“WASHINGTUB!” He shouted, running around the base until he found his friend, getting ready to go out for PT it seemed. Before Wash could even greet him, he was met with a gigantic hug and a rather upset Caboose.

“Caboose? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Wash was confused, but returned the hug, concern in his voice.

“I saw a person on the roof!” Caboose hurriedly explained. “They were there and see-through and asked if I could see them! Agent Washingtub, am I hallucinating? I don’t want more shots!”

“Listen, lets go and take a look, okay? And then we can decide what to do next.” Wash, like always, was quick to calm the panicked Spartan down. Predictably, when they arrived on the roof, said person was nowhere to be found. Wash scanned the area, even using binoculars, but saw nothing.

“So you saw a person here, and they talked to you?” He asked once he determined that there was nobody around.

Caboose nodded. “Yeah. They were brown and they had silver and they were sitting right there! They asked if I could see them but I ran and got you because that’s what I’m supposed to do when I see strange things.”

“Hrm…” Wash looked thoughtful, looking out at the now sun bathed wilderness. “You did good ‘Boose, thank you for letting me know. Let’s see if you see anything again before we go and get Grey involved, alright?”

Caboose nodded, glad that he wasn’t going to get anymore shots anytime soon.

The second person he saw was when he was washing dishes. Simmons had introduced the concept of a ‘chore wheel’, so it was his turn to do dishes! At first nobody trusted him around breakable objects, supervising him for a while, but he proved he can wash dishes very well! He just needed help with cups, his hands were too big to fit inside, so he left them for Tucker.

He was just about to put the last plate away, when a purple and green person melted into view, standing right beside him. Caboose shouted in surprise, dropping the plate and shattering it into hundred of pieces. The person was like the first on the roof, oddly transparent. They looked at him and spoke with a sense of urgency.

“Hello? Can you hear me?”

Luckily Tucker and Wash ran in to see what the commotion was, and by the time they got there the person was gone. They found a shaking Caboose huddled in a corner, broken pieces of plate everywhere.

That was when he had to go back to Chorus to talk to Dr. Grey.

Dr. Grey had huffed and speculated, talking to Wash mostly as Caboose had a hard time understanding the big words she used. “Hallucinations are a rare, but known side effect from the gene treatment,” she had said. “It’s caused by missing parts of the brain connecting again...and sometimes you see after images. I’m glad you told your friends so fast, that means we can counteract them so you won’t get so spooked again!”

He had gotten two cupcakes that day because hallucinating was scary. It wasn’t like his flashbacks, because those were things he knew. But he didn’t know these people, he had never seen them before. He was given some pills to take that will help him stay calm and a different kind of shot, something he wasn’t so happy about.

He was glad to be home again at the end of the day. It was familiar and warm and he felt safe there. He was sure that he’d be alright, Dr. Grey is smart and Washingtub is smart and he trusts them. Sometimes Tucker could be smart too, but only sometimes.

So imagine his surprise when he saw a third person hanging out in his room, as though they were waiting for him to show up. Caboose did the only rational thing he could think of doing. He took one of the pills Dr. Grey gave him and laid down on his bed to wait for it to work.

“Stop that,” He told the apparition harshly. “You are scaring me and that’s not nice. Now I have to get more shots.”

The hallucination tilted their head. “I’m sorry,” they said in a feminine voice. “We didn’t mean to make you so scared.”

“Well you are! So stop!” he huffed and rolled over to his side, more annoyed now and afraid.

“North and York were right, you can see and hear us. Interesting.” she continued. He could hear her but she stayed where she was, not coming closer.

“Can you go away? Please?” Caboose tried the polite route.

“We can’t, not until we get our message out.” she replied. Before she could say anything else, she was interrupted by Wash opening the door to his room.

“Caboose?” He asked, “Who are you talking to? Are you seeing things again?”

“Oh David…” The voice continued. “You’ve gotten so much happier. I’m so glad.”

“There’s a lady in here and she won’t be quiet and his name is NOT David, thank you very much. It’s Washingtub!” Caboose sat up in bed and shouted that last part at the corner of the room. Wash looked, but saw nothing. But what his friend said gave him pause.

“Caboose,” he started, carefully. “How did you know my name was David?”

“The lady called you David.” Caboose frowned. “The one over there that isn’t supposed to be here so I don’t get more shots.”

To Caboose’s annoyance, the other two hallucinations joined her, standing together in his room.

“Caboose,” Wash swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. “What does the lady look like?”

“Uhhhhhhhhh, she has bright brown armor and she says her name is C.T. The one over there is brown and silver and he says his name is York. That one is purple and green and he says his name is North.” Caboose pointed at each person, that only he could see.

The Spartan watched Wash crumble up against the wall, clutching the part of his armor over his heart. “How do...I never talked about them-I….how?”

“I don’t know!” Caboose threw up his hands with an angry shout. “They won’t go away now until they tell you a thing!”

“And...what do they want you to tell me?” Wash looked at the area of Caboose’s ire, but saw nothing. If he imagined hard enough, he could almost see them standing there in his mind's eye. But they were dead, this couldn't be possible, could it?

Caboose tilted his head to the side, listening to something only he could hear. “They said….they said that it isn’t your fault and that they love you, and North and York say you can move on if you want...whatever that means. They want you to be happy and live cause ummmmm you look dumb when you are depressed.” Caboose sighed and flopped back against the bed. “Agent Washingtub, am I going to have to get more shots now?” He wearily asked. He sounded afraid, scared. This whole situation was probably scaring the living shit out of him. But Wash could only wheeze for a little bit before he could catch his breath.

“I...no. No Caboose, you won’t have to get more shots.” He finally managed, blinking back tears that nobody could see. “Are they...are they still there?”

Caboose let out a long, suffering sigh. “Yeah. They are looking at you.”

Wash couldn’t help but shiver at that, the idea of his dead friend and partners staring at him was unnerving. They were dead, but apparently Caboose could see them. See actual fucking ghosts. Wash knew that rationally, he shouldn’t believe him, he could just be hallucinating in just the right way…

But nobody knew about York and North and himself.

“I…” He didn’t quite know what to say, so he just decided to wing it. “I miss you guys. You say it isn’t my fault, but I still feel guilty. I don’t think I can ever stop loving you all, but I’ll try my best to follow your wishes.”

“They called you a...oh. I’m not allowed to say-, well, if you say so…” Caboose cleared his throat. “They say, ‘You are a fucking dork, be happy you dumb shit.’” He frowned and shivered at having to curse, even if it was a direct quote.

“I promise, I’ll give it my best shot.” Wash closed his eyes, and could almost imagine being hugged by them again. The touch now a faded memory, but he could still remember what they smelled like. He doesn’t think he could ever forget that, not in a million years. He opened them to see Caboose look relieved.

“They’re gone,” he sighed. “I will take a nap so I do not have to think about this anymore. That was scary.”

“You do that Caboose, I’ll leave you alone.” Wash watched Caboose flop over to his side, walking out and closing the door behind him. Poor Caboose, he hoped he'd be okay after all of this. He really should bake some cupcakes, just in case. To be honest, most likely Caboose would forget that this even happened, perhaps letting the poor man relax without worrying about ghosts anymore.

He didn’t think the pain of losing the people he cared about would ever go away, but hearing that he was allowed to be happy, even if it was second hand from his friend, gave him a little more hope for the future.

If he was now allowed to be happy, perhaps he’ll go and see what Tucker is up to.

—

HAHA I can include a tiny headcanon of mine that Wash was in a poly relationship with North and York and losing them both, plus his best bud C.T. really fucked him up for a good long while. It hard to move past all that pain, and sometimes you feel like you have to stay loyal to a memory of someone. But these three hung around until someone could see them, and tell Wash to knock it the fuck off.

You are allowed to be happy.

It's just a shame they freaked Caboose right the fuck out, cause he legit believes he was hallucinating this all. He used to believe in ghosts until the EMP killed Alpha. Caboose was rightly concerned about his health and actually did a good going right to his friends and doctor when things seem weird. The gene therapy he is getting is making parts of his brain grow just to plug any holes. He won't get those functions back but it's designed to lessen his chronic headaches and seizures.

Yes Wash is gonna see what Tucker is up to cause that's another ship I like XD If it happens or not is up to Tucker, but I think he's a disaster Bi. ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯

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theprotectmeconeparadox · 2 years

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I feel like my art style changes every time I draw,, also still figuring out how I want to draw north’s hair lol

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theprotectmeconeparadox · 2 years

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RvB Fake Season Part 2

If you haven't guessed, I don't like South

Part 1

#rvb #red vs blue #rooster teeth #rvb fake season #rvb fake season meme #red vs blue fake season #fake season #fake season meme #grimmons #tuckington #lavernius tucker #dexter grif #david washington #rvb sarge #rvb tucker #agent north dakota #agent south dakota #rvb locus

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theprotectmeconeparadox · 2 years

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hello. caboose is an engineer. thank you goodbye

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theprotectmeconeparadox · 2 years

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theprotectmeconeparadox · 2 years

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i always get so thrown when halo fans talk about blood gulch. like no that was MY house. master chief was just borrowing it.

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theprotectmeconeparadox · 2 years

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Hidden threat

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theprotectmeconeparadox · 2 years

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just so we’re all clear

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theprotectmeconeparadox · 2 years

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RvB Fake Season Memes Part 1

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theprotectmeconeparadox · 2 years

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Which of you liked the Project Freelancer saga?

Personally, it was my favorite out of all of the other seasons of Red vs Blue (aside from Chorus). North was my favorite out of all of the Freelancers and I'm a sucker for angst (and what screams angst better than your own sister leaving you for dead?) Anyway, I'm getting a bit off topic.

If you liked PFL and the Chorus trilogy, you'll like my fic. <-

If you like 10+ chapters, you'll like my fic, currently sitting at 41 chapters and over a 100,000 words.

If you like fics that dive into other unnamed Freelancers from the show and their stories, you'll like my fic.

If you ship Grimmons and Tuckington, you'll like my fic.

If you wish there was more Agent North Dakota fics out there, you'll like my fic.

My fic is about the Reds and Blues (of course) along with Agent Indiana who joined them during Blood Gulch and has been with them ever since. After suffering from amnesia, however, Indiana decided on going by the name Ghost and doesn't remember her life before meeting her band of idiots.

So you can imagine the angst and confusion that progresses when Wash and Carolina join the picture.

Now, please don't let an OC-insert discourage you from this fic! (I completely understand as I'm usually in the same boat when I'm searching for a good fic to read). I did my best to blend Ghost in with the rest of the Reds and Blues and I've written her as more of a side character who likes to loom in the background during most of the conversations that take place. She does live up to her name as a ghost for the most part. This fic is more ensemble-focused than just one main character.

The fic starts during the events of Season 9 and there are several flashback chapters spaced out throughout the fic. The fic includes the following warnings:

-Pining

-Angst

-Found Family

-Family Traumas

-Mentioned/Non-Explicit

-Idiots in Love

-Major Character Deaths

-Loss of Love

-War/Death/Training

-Cuddles

-Blood/Injuries

-Mental/Emotional Abuse

-More Cuddles

-Lots of Physical and Emotional Baggage (but plenty of cuddles to make up for it)

-Other tags/warnings are attached to the fic itself on ao3

Please give it a shot if this interested you! And if you want, please interact with the fic! Leave some kudos and some kind comments, I would love and appreciate each and every one ❤️

Thank you so much and stay safe and loved out there!

#red vs blue fic #rvb fic #originally posted on ao3 #ao3 fic #red vs blue fanfic #red vs blue #rooster teeth #rvb #grimmons #tuckington

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theprotectmeconeparadox · 2 years

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in which washington tries to convince you to adopt a cat

“no.”

“what?” washington looked at you in shock, looking back and forth between you and the small bundle of fur in his arms. “i didn’t even say anything to you yet.”

you let out a deep sigh as you dropped your arms ever so slightly. you could already see his pout as you kept your eyes focused on the book in front of you. “i know,” you paused. “it’s just that i already know what you’re going to say.”

shaking your head, you paused for a second before glancing up from the corner of your eye. “and the answer is no, we’re not getting a cat.”

“it’s really not that big of a deal.”

all you could do was groan as you shook your head, burying your face back into the book in your hands as you tried to focus on the words that you just glossed over.

“but,” he interjected before you cut in. “y’know, there are quite a lot of health benefits that come with having pets like cats.” washington tried to persuade you as you continued to read the book in your hands having finally focused back on the words passing by your eyes. despite his attempts, you refused to look up in an attempt to keep your resolve.

“can you really say no to this face?”

you let out a deep sigh, closing your eyes as you hit your face against your book. the sound of your annoyance was muffled by the thin paper you buried into your face. “jesus fucking christ,” you muttered to yourself as you shook your head.

(he really had no idea how to give up.)

waiting a few seconds you finally looked up, focusing your attention on the two in front of you. your eyes narrowed, focusing onto the small kitten in front of you as you leaned in closer to the small feline.

“i don’t like you,” you said sternly as you continued looking at the small animal in front of you refusing to even blink.

washington blinked in confusion at your words. “are you talking to me or the cat?”

you refused to look away. “why don’t you take your pick wash.” you said as you continued to stare down the young animal, you could feel your willpower slowly start to drip as you continued to keep your eyes on your target.

eyes twitching, you let out a deep sigh. dropping your head, you finally looked away as you finally relented under the pressure of the two. “fine.”

(“just ignore the fact that we’re both in the military and most likely can’t handle a pet of all things.”)

“yes!” you heard him shout in a whisper in his excitement and attempt to try and keep quiet.

hearing him, you let out a sigh and rolled your eyes. with that type of response you were sure that whether you agreed or not wouldn’t have changed what he would’ve done anyway.

“just—” before you could finish speaking you were interrupted as washington took your face in his hands, freezing as he pressed a hundred small kisses across your face.

it wasn’t until a few seconds after he let you go that you realized what had happened, shaking your head in an attempt to shake away the growing heat rising to your face.

glancing over at the blonde from the corner of your eye you felt yourself smiling in spite of yourself. “i guess you’re kind of cute.” you looked away before he could get a look at you and the small smile on your face.

he looked up at you, blinking at you in confusion before a small, impulsive smile made it’s way up to his lips. “so,” he said. “who are you talking about this time?” he asked.

you let out a soft laugh under your breath. “i don’t know wash, why don’t you take your pick? i won’t mind either one.”

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