Chapter Text
After the rather eventful morning with Sova’s injury, Jett’s unintentional up-close assistance, and Skye’s fair share of being a wing girl, the rest of the day seemed pretty standard for the protocol. A filling lunch saw some agents return from their missions, and others returning from their training or personal work. Despite the stale routine, a new flavor was added in the canteen during lunch, which was the plan for the nightclub visit later.
13:07 PM
Breach and Skye, the heads behind the idea, sold the plan to everyone present in the canteen for lunch, and while the agents who had just returned needed more rest, many agreed for the evening. Chamber even chipped in by announcing how he was sponsoring it and that garnered a big applause from all present, and some eye-rolls from a few.
Since Jett and Sova had already agreed, Raze, Neon, Killjoy, and Phoenix quickly hopped on the idea as well, and Yoru & Reyna soon followed suit. After some rigorous convincing from the younger agents, Sage agreed to join as well as long as no one forced her to drink. Once everything was set in place, the agents wrapped up the lunch and planned to meet in the canteen that evening as Breach assured them to take care of their rides.
In the protocol, Jett was one of those agents who could be categorized as outgoing and explorative, even though she chose to do those things mostly by herself. She would often indulge in flying across the rooftops, exploring new areas, trying out new things in and outside of the kitchen, etc. While she did go out with others for food, shopping, traveling, and things like those, she often found herself needing some “me time”. This was originally supposed to be one of those days until the entire group agreed and knowing how rarely these things happened, she couldn’t turn it down. Hoping she had enough energy to deal with the chaos later on, she reconsidered her options until hitting a brick wall which was one big reason why she just had to go~
After having two wild unexpected encounters with Sova the night before, and that morning which saw them share quite a few up-and-close moments together - his agreeing to join them for the evening was a reason more than enough for her to agree to go as well. She would be lying if she said she didn't try to find other chances through the day to cross paths with him, but the hunter had seemingly taken her advice and taken the rest of the day off. Her urge to knock on his door and check in was high, but she managed to control herself well enough. Either way, she was happy and looking forward to getting more chances to spend time with him. While she’d very much rather have a date with just the two instead, it was clear they weren’t there… yet.
18:15 PM
The day passed on a whim and with a quick glance at the clock, Jett decided to freshen up with a quick shower. The events of the morning and that encounter had ingrained such an image in her head that it was even difficult for her to close her eyes without having the image of the man beneath her, or the moments that they shared, or the touches, hugs, words they spoke. Him whispering her name and holding her, him suddenly being stupid hot even when he was writhing in pain - she couldn’t think of it during the stress but looking back, the man was quite attractive laying in her bed like that! She could feel her breath hitched just by the thoughts, her face growing warmer in the cold shower, thoughts growing from images to little ‘what ifs’ as a few scenarios developed in her mind where she couldn’t help but blush. She was glad she was in her room because she could bet she was looking stupid being flushed while staring at a wall being zoned out.
Stupid crush! She cursed herself before letting out a chuckle and leaving the shower.
She didn’t plan on anything too fancy but she also felt she should be well dressed since Sova would be there. After ramming her brain for a solid half an hour, she decided to go with comfortable wear. Slipping into a cute little light blue off-shoulder crop top with long puff sleeves that ended with a butterfly knot behind her waist and white slacks, she wore matching heels and prepped well. To finish it off, she decided to make an undone ponytail, tying it up with a velvet ribbon bow behind her head. Letting her curly hair on the side of her face, she gave herself a final pep-talk while checking her angles in the mirror and taking a couple of selfies before grabbing her little purse, her phone, and other essentials.
Without wasting any more time, she glanced at her phone which was already blowing up with texts from others about meeting in the canteen, and headed right towards it while mentally preparing for the chaotic night ahead of her.
19:00 PM
While the people were scattered in groups, chatting and getting in the party mood, Skye saw Jett’s eyes lingering towards the door quite often. Every time there were footsteps or the door opened, her face was the first to check as the owl boy was yet to arrive. Skye was taking notes while breaking up the “stupid” argument between Phoenix and Yoru.
“Oi, everyone! Gather around.. 1, 2, 3,...” She did a quick headcount before continuing. “Right, so everyone is here except Breach-”
“-and Sova!” Jett immediately added.
“Mhm, and Sova.. Do you know where the owl boy is?” Skye nudged towards Jett with a subtle knowing tone which made Jett tone down her voice.
“H- How would I know?.. I haven’t seen him since lunch!” the windgirl clarified.
Her point was quickly concurred by others present who also hadn’t seen Sova since they left the canteen. Wondering his whereabouts, Skye volunteers and summons her Tasmanian tiger from the little carving attached to her necklace and commands it to fetch for Sova. They knew Breach was out arranging rides, but since Sova seemed to have been forced into this, they thought he might have decided to back away from the plan. The discussions and chaos slowly grew back in the canteen when the tiger returned and paw’d at Skye while growling and barking, almost talking to her owner. While the tiger quickly got busy getting scratches from others, Skye informed others that her tiger did not spot Sova or his recent scent anywhere in the protocol which left everyone confused.
Just when the murmurs began, loud honking from outside took everyone’s attention. Realizing it must have been Breach, Skye suggested they ask him since no one seemed to know about the owl boy.
Breach stood outside with a stunning convertible Jeep which was clearly modified for bigger groups like theirs. Everyone impressed, wooed at the new car while the riftwalker went in for a closer look. Being the gearhead he was, he closely inspected the thing from outside before commending Breach on his choice.
“Sweet beaut. Modified it yourself?”
“Something like that.” Breach responded before sharing a lil fistbump from Yoru who left to get his bike.
While others were also about to join, Breach immediately asked them to stop saying there was a surprise. Walking back towards the door behind the driver seat, he opened it after growing some anticipation among the spectators. A foot stepped out and then the whole figure, and within a moment, everyone was stunned in awe as they saw the owl boy they had been searching for, in an albeit unseen look.
14:30 PM
Lunch had just finished and all the agents had dispersed to their rooms. Spending some time with others and having a filling meal put Sova in a much better place before the anxiety of the nightclub ate him when he reached the room. Sova was a man of duty and work, and he had never really indulged in such things with others - especially things like clubs or parties. Most he had done was evening hangouts for some snacks with others and mellow walks. So when he agreed to the club night, he quickly realized how unequipped he might be.
Scanning through his small wardrobe, he quickly concluded that the casual clothes he barely used were probably a little too casual for the big club. Just some plain tees, jeans which he hated, and some formal shoes, alongside scarves and turtlenecks his babushka had given him before returning from his last trip home. Feeling a little defeated already, he opened up the Protocol group chat which was solely made for pictures and videos that agents shared when they went out.
Phoenix was often complimented on his wardrobe by everyone so he thought that perhaps checking his previous outings could give the owl boy a better idea for appropriate wear since he was now considering buying some anyway. Lots of photos and lots of outfits that Phoenix wore somewhere overwhelmed Sova. The amount of fashion knowledge he realized he lacked was a little disheartening. But hey, at least Jett’s appearance in those pics kept distracting him and put him in a better mood. One scroll after another looking for her, and it wasn’t too late before he was on her profile, checking her out… and her pictures.
This was perhaps Sova’s first encounter with doom-scrolling in the sense that within 15 minutes of scrolling, he had looked at over 50 group pictures, specifically zooming over Jett, and had made his way to Jett’s socials too. Jett was social media savvy and had neatly organized profiles with lots of photos, themes, selfies, and stuff from her adventures. Some more time and he had practically reached the end of her profile while spending a good amount of time on each post.
Jett’s fashion, her looks, her smile, her cute attitude, her figure, and just everything about her made him feel giddy. It was almost as if his mind was playing with her giggles through the pictures while also flashing the scenarios the two had encountered within those two days. It wasn’t too long before he was laying back on his bed and just scrolling through her profile, reading the captions, and checking the comments. The exploration of her profile went deep until an Ad showed up in his notification and he realized he had spent almost an hour checking this girl out on her socials.
Quickly stopping he questioned himself what was going on with him as he placed a palm on his eyes while smiling dumbfoundedly at the images of Jett in his head. Perhaps closing his eyes was a bad idea because as the images played in his head, he could also feel the touches they shared which made him squirm, the image of her straddling him was pretty intense and arousing in itself and was the last straw which made him jolt out of the bed.
Questioning himself on his teenage-like behavior, he forced himself to close the app and focus on the night at hand. After some thinking and recon, he figured Breach was the next best person to approach since Phoenix was unavailable. Gathering his wallet and other belongings, he planned on requesting Breach and hopefully taking him to shop for him.
16:04 PM
Breach was tying his shoes in his room when Sova came to his door. After quickly getting filled in about Sova’s situation, he put his metal arm on Sova and proudly announced to the empty corridor that he was going to make Sova the most handsome and “laid-able” man in the city. An announcement that definitely made Sova rethink his decisions. But knowing he couldn’t back away now, he took the leap of faith and soon the duo were off on Breach’s motorbike to a mall in the city.
Sova wasn’t planning anything too extravagant. His plan was to go into a shop, find decent clothes, and get out. What he didn’t realize is that he had picked a nitpicky, but ‘looking out for the best material’ buddy for this trip. And so the visits to different showrooms and shops in the mall began. Some shops didn’t meet Breach’s expectations, and at others, the prices were a little too high. From one shop to another, Sova practically saw his chances of finding good clothes diminishing (as none passed Breach’s standards) until he heard a happy chuckle from his duo who had gone into a shop to do some recon.
Joining him, Sova quickly found himself joined by an assistant at the shop who was assigned to help them with their shopping. Breach explained the scenario to the assistant with good details about how he wanted Sova to get laid by the end of the night. Quite embarrassed Sova quietly moved along with the antics before the assistant took over and showed him through their collection. As per her and Breach’s requests, Sova started trying on some clothes and after a couple of changes, the assistant started hitting bullseyes with her suggestions. After almost 30 minutes of this fiasco, the assistant with them and Breach finally settled on one look for Sova. Regardless of saying, Sova wasn’t too sure about their judgment.
Sova stood there in front of them wearing a tight button-down blue shirt that hugged his body perfectly. With it were plain white chinos, a belt and suiting black shoes. The outfit was quite simple on paper, but the way the clothes sat on his build made the look spicier than anticipated. A pair of narrow blue-tinted sunglasses was just the cherry on top of it as well. He was sure he caught Breach and the assistant smirking amongst themselves when he walked out of the changing room.
“Mhm, yep. This should be your outfit man.” Breach suggested before looking at the assistant.
“I agree sir, this look suits you the best.” The assistant agreed.
While Sova still contemplated the look while checking himself into the mirror, Breach again spoke up.
“Sasha I reckon you should undo a few buttons on the top.”
Sova gave a confused look to Breach through the mirror at which Breach continued while talking loudly with the assistant.
“What? Am I wrong? What do you think, pretty ma’am? Look, this guy is a handsome motherf- he’s handsome! And we’re going to a nightclub tonight. He is also single A-F. Don’t you think maybe undoing a couple of buttons on the top might increase his chances, for y’know…”
Suddenly being put on the spot by Breach, the assistant first fumbled a little with her words before Sova turned around and looked at her anxiously for her opinion. She seemed hesitant to answer but then quietly agreed that perhaps letting go of a couple of buttons wasn’t the worst of ideas. Suddenly being in a ‘majority wins’ scenario, Sova obliged before putting them back on and agreeing that he would undo them later before meeting others.
With this thing wrapped up and Sova starting to feel comfortable in his new wear, the two made a quick pit stop at a salon where Breach urged Sova to style his hair into a sexy ponytail with strands dangling on the side of his face which sat perfectly with his sunglasses. A little run through a few more shops for some accessory shopping for Breach, the two had finished their mission for the evening. By the end of it, Sova had also noticed how he had caught quite a few eyes of the strangers in the mall with his new look which made him feel a little shy but in a way, also confident.
Realizing how others weren’t aware, Breach decided that Sova’s look would be a surprise for the others and told him to sit behind with windows open and come out at his signal. He specifically reminded Sova twice that he undoes the first couple of buttons on the shirt as well.
Once reaching protocol HQ, Sova sat behind silently while watching through the window as agents arrived outside. It wasn’t too late before his artificial eye recognized the radiant he was growing fond of among the crowd and locked on to her. Her cute top and slacks with the hair made her look adorable. The little butterfly knot around her waist made him feel butterflies too as he let out deep breaths while his eyes gazed at her from head to toe. He watched how her heels made her taller, the hair moving slightly to the breeze, the clothes making her figure even more attractive, her eyes shining in the light, the confusion at Breach’s words before he heard the click of the door.
Suddenly snapping back to reality, he quickly put on his sunglasses and stepped out just like Breach had instructed and strutted out a few steps with a model posture before wearing a slight smirk on his lips. Hearing the small group gasp at his reveal, his posture soon relaxed as he let out an anxious chuckle and folded his glasses while looking at them. His eyes immediately gazed at Jett’s face trying to read her reaction to his look only to be interrupted by comments and approaches from others.
Just when he thought he had read her face thinking she was impressed, Phoenix and others joined the fray complimenting and wooing Sova over his new look. Breach got a lot of praise too for elevating the boring owl to a model within a few hours.
In the meantime, Jett who was confused over the fiasco and anticipation from Breach watched keenly as the man stepped out of the jeep. She didn’t seem to expect another deer-in-the-headlight moment on the same day, as Sova’s reveal practically froze her in place. She could feel a chill run up her spine and the timely breeze gave her goosebumps all over her body. She stood there as her lips parted in soft awe with heat rising in her cheeks watching him stand there and talking to others. The fit was fitting too well as her eyes frantically moved all over his body. She had seen this man bare-chested just in the morning, yet the little window his shirt provided was more attractive. A bunch of thoughts started to race through her mind until a small whisper from Skye grouped her down from the high.
“He looks quite hot doesn't he?”
At which Jett just idly hummed while nodding before snapping out of it as Skye walked away towards the jeep. Realizing how she was hanging behind, she quickly rejoined them but while others got to give Sova compliments, she was a little late as everyone was already settling into the jeep. Sova hung back to talk to her but Breach insisted on getting in the jeep as the vehicle transformed into an open jeep with a carrier in the back for people to stand.
Awkwardly getting in the jeep, Sova scooted to the other side while looking at Jett standing on the side. He then looked at the empty space next to him hoping for Jett to notice it and to sit next to him. Jett who was a little disappointed that she didn't get to share a word with him, did notice his little gesture but let out an annoyed sigh when Chamber hopped into the seat next to Sova out of nowhere.
Sova got a little annoyed at the sudden interruption too and tried to speak up but was lost for words. Jett joined the other women in the carrier while Chamber kept glazing Sova about his new look while also complaining why he thought Breach was a better duo for shopping than himself. As their chat ended, Sova turned around looking at the agents in the carrier behind him, managing to catch a glimpse of Jett who was already looking at him. There was a look of apology in his eyes but a soft blink and smile from her in return made him feel at ease. The gaze they shared also shared a lot of unsaid things that kept peeking through their eyes. It was a second of calm and understanding before their ride started and they focused on the people around them.
The mood and vibes in the jeep were immaculate with lots of laughs, cheers, and people already getting in the groove with the music Skye played. The mood carried over even when they reached the nightclub where Yoru and Phoenix had already made their way to on the riftwalker’s bike.