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“Heyyy Mr bad attitude~ “
Zanka damn near jumps out of his skin at the sound.
The two had been meeting up for a while, fighting and doing... other things on occasion. And it had become apparent that choker communication was the most realistic way of scheduling their meetups. Due to that, there had always been an unspoken rule.
No calls during the day.
It had worked fine for the first few months, they were both busy people after all. Calling at night had become a habit and Zanka had assumed that Jabber also preferred that.
Apparently not.
Seems as though by pure coincidence, Jabber really had been busy the past few months doing fuck all till late at night and now that he was free?
That unspoken rule was broken.
Constantly.
Zanka quickly ends the call and whips his head around, checking his surroundings. Thankfully, Team Akuta seems occupied enough that no one had noticed his unwanted caller.
The next time it happens he isn't so lucky.
It had been a few weeks; having been crammed with cleanings and his new responsibility of teaching Rudo, meant Zanka had little time to meet up with his new training buddy. A side effect of that seems to be that the so called training buddy had gotten a bit fed up with all the missed calls.
His choker rings and he answers without thinking, assuming it's Seimu with updated job info.
“Come on baby~ when ya gonna stop ignorin my calls?”
It goes dead silent.
Zanka is seriously considering jumping out of the car.
He was of course by no means alone, because that would make his life too easy. No, he was in fact with his team, on the way to a job.
And just to add to his luck, the car that would usually be blasting Too Lily loud enough to shake the seats, had totally busted the radio earlier that very drive. (Thanks Enjin) So that car had been completely quiet.
Till Jabber's lovely call.
He severs the connection and slowly glances up. While the car is undeniably filled with baffled faces, none of them look nearly as bad as they should be.
It's in that second of quiet that he realizes—
They didn’t recognize his voice.
Thank fucking god.
“BABY????” Enjin shouts from the driver's seat.
Okay, new problem.
“Uhhhh” he chances a look over at Riyo.
“Wait, Zanka has game??” and Riyo was clearly no friend of his here.
“What the fuck.” Stated oh so eloquently by Rudo.
There is no way this ends well, is the last thing his brain supplies before the chaos starts.
The drive feels three times as long thanks to the interrogation he’s subjected to for the rest of it. Most of the questions were directed from Enjin but, Riyo made sure to pop in here and there. Rudo mostly just looked completely befuddled next to him.
He had somehow managed to avoid answering the majority of them but, he knew his question dodging was not exactly subtle thanks to Riyo’s side-eye.
"Soo~ who was that?" Enjin started tapping his finger against the wheel. He was smiling, clearly amused by this whole situation.
"Just a training partner." Zanka turns to look out the window, eye contact is literally the last thing he needs to deal with right now.
Riyo leans over from the trunk.
"Why'd they call you baby then?"
He refrains from slamming his head against the car window.
"They use it to get under my nerves— it doesn't mean anything." She doesn't exactly look satisfied with that answer but, before she can get anything else outta him she gets cut off by Enjin.
"Is that who you've been sneaking out to meet?" His eyes glance at him through the mirror.
Zanka stills, but nods after a second.
"...yes"
Sneaking out was a strong word. Technically he told them he was training and he was! — most of the time.
There's a pause and Zanka almost lets out a sigh of relief, but that too is interrupted by Enjin.
He stops tapping the steering wheel.
"Do I need to give you the talk?"
Zanka sits up so fast he slams his head into the roof of the car.
"Wha— NO????"
The rest of the job was thankfully uneventful, they cleaned up the trash beasts they had been called for, found some pieces for Rudo to use and had a quiet ride home.
Zanka should have known it wasn't gonna last.
He runs his hands across Lovely, she needs a repolish soon. The grime of trash and dirt tends to collect in the crevasses of her wood when her coating wears off. He lays her against the wall and goes to grab her cloth when he hears something tapping against his window.
Riyo probably, she liked to do that sometimes. An old habit apparently. And he bet she had more to say (cough interrogate) about the mystery caller.
But instead of her signature red hair he turned to see the mystery caller himself. Pressed against the window like a goddamn toddler at an aquarium.
He speeds over and slams the window open.
“What the fuck are ya doing here???”
“Hey Zan-zan!” Jabber greets as he tries to climb in past him.
This fucker is totally ignoring him.
Zanka doesn't budge.
“Awwwwe come on baby let me in!” he practically whines at him.
Zanka does not flush up to his ears.
“What. are. you. doing. here.”
Jabber rolls his eyes at him.
“Came to see ya, duh”
Zanka's eyebrow twitches and he notably does not shove Jabber off the windowsill.
“Kept hanging up on me, how we supposed to meet?”
The urge to shove him gets much, much stronger, “You called while I was with my team! Multiple times!”
“You’ll live.” Jabber says as he pushes past him, entering the room despite Zanka’s obvious protests.
This asshole.
Jabber starts poking around his room. He slides his fingers across his desk and looks at the few pictures he'd put up on the wall. Mostly thanks to Riyo’s nagging about the blank walls giving her a headache.
Then he gets to Lovely resting against the wall.
Zanka tenses as his hands go to brush her wood, Mankira shining in the moonlight on his fingers. In some ways he’s jealous of them, they never have to separate. No matter how much he wants to, there are some places he can never take Lovely. He watches too long, lost in his train of thought. Jabber's finger runs down her and Zanka finally jumps into action.
He shoves him away from her and pins Jabber's hands to the wall with his own.
Jabber looks genuinely surprised for a moment before morphing into his signature grin.
“Don’t worry zan-zan, I ain't the type to go after your lovely lady when she's all vulnerable.”
Zanka grits his teeth.
“Don’t call her that.”
Jabber's head tilts to the side.
“Huhhh why? Isn’t she? Or you saving that spot for someone?”
He's looking at him through his lashes now, too relaxed for somebody intruding in someone else's space.
“Ain’t none of yer business.”
“That's not fair zan-zan, you been stringing me along…” Zanka's grip loosens and Jabber moves his arms to around his shoulders.
“Who’s stringing you along, asshole.”
Zanka lets him get away with too much.
And if his own hands slip down to Jabber's waist that's nobody’s business.
After a bout of silence Jabber speaks again,
“Been too long ya know… was starting to miss the way you beat up on me.”
One of his hands leaves Zanka’s shoulder to lift up his shirt.
“Last bruise you gave me is startin to fade. Don't even hurt when I press on it anymore~”
He seems genuinely annoyed at the result and Zanka's eyes trail down to his chest. Sure enough there's a faint mark across his ribs from when he had last slammed Jabber into a wall with Lovely. His fingers move to trace the shape and Jabber’s breath hitches. The skin is hot to the touch, like he always is. His fingers must be freezing in comparison.
Part of his own chest constricts.
He wants to make a new mark, one that won't fade.
He pushes his fingers into the faint bruise.
Jabber sighs, “Yeahh whole lot a nothing. Sucks having nothing to prod at when I’m thinkin bout ya.”
He wants to dig his fingers deeper. Till they'd be covered in Jabber’s blood, till he’s left with something that will never fully heal. Something that would be stuck on his skin no matter what— no matter who he fought after, he would be forced to carry Zanka with him.
Jabber smirks down at him
“Got a real pretty look on your face there zan-zan~ ya look like you're gonna eat me alive.”
Zanka stops his prodding,“…nah ya'd like it too much.”
Jabber giggles at him.
When he looks up again their faces nearly meet, he can feel Jabber's breath against his lips. His eyes dip down for a second and that's enough. They end up meeting somewhere in the middle, clashing against each other in a way that should be too aggressive. Biting at each other's lips, tearing the skin and licking up the blood left behind. The smell of iron tends to follow them no matter what they do.
They shift back and forth as they kiss, Zanka's hands tightening on Jabber's waist enough that they’ll be bruised the next day. Part of him feels some satisfaction at that. They pant as Zanka breaks apart for air; even though he's sure Jabber would be more than happy to suffocate like that.
He trails his mouth down Jabber's neck kissing and nipping marks in a line to the meeting point of his neck and shoulder. He digs his teeth in when he reaches it.
Jabber moans above him as his teeth sink in deep enough to break the skin. Chances are he’ll get a nasty infection from it later but, for now…
All Zanka can think about is tearing his throat out with his teeth.
He slowly unlatches instead, sucking on the mark as he comes off. Jabber only leans his head to the side, stretching his neck out further. It's a real pretty sight— the skin on his neck with smears of red, all irritated. Zanka lifts one of his hands and digs his nail into the fresh bite mark.
Jabbers head bangs against the wall,“Ohh fuck..”
He bites his lip and Zanka's focus shifts back to his mouth. The kiss is messier this time, Jabber pushes more, pressing his tongue deeper into Zanka's mouth and—
Knock- knock- knock
“Hey Zanka?”
Fuck.
It was actually Riyo this time.
Zanka pulls away and slaps a hand over Jabber's mouth, just in time apparently because the motherfucker snorts at his panic. He frantically looks around his room for a place to shove the home intruder.
Riyo goes to turn the handle right as Zanka manages to shove Jabber in his closet.
“Uhhh hey?” Riyo peaks around the door.
He freezes, turning his head towards her.
“…Hey.”
They both stand still for a moment.
“Sooo whatcha doing?”
“What do ya mean?” He turns to face her properly.
She steps through the door pointing at it with her thumb.
“Cause you didn't answer the door?”
“Oh. right.”
Zanka must have used up all his excuse making power up in the car earlier because all that follows is another bout of silence.
“Oookay just gonna move on from that one.”
Riyo walks over and plops down on his bed, clearly having decided he hasn't suffered enough today.
“So who called you in the car earlier?”
You have got to be kidding.
“Uhh what are ya talking about?”
…
Clearly that was the wrong answer.
She stares at him incredulously, “Dude you suck at dodging questions.” Zanka rubs at his face with his hands, hoping to stave off his oncoming headache.
“I mean like seriously not even ‘oh just a friend’ or ‘none of ur business.’”
He sighs, “Alright I get it! It really was just a training partner of mine.”
She raises her eyebrows at him.
“Your training partner calls you baby?”
He groans. Loudly. Apparently she wasn't satisfied with his answer in the car.
“I told you, he's just messing with me, thinks it's funny to call me weird names.” He seriously doubts the reasoning will work a second time but he's sort of backed himself into a corner here.
She looks right through him. “…Right.”
They stay at a stand still for a while.
Riyo is the one who breaks the staring contest, she sighs, seemingly relenting to something.
“So.. gonna tell me why Jabber’s in your closet?”
He pales and a laugh comes from that very closet.
“Shut up!” he whisper shouts towards the offending object.
“Dude, I think it's a little late for that.” The closet speaks again. Zanka slams his fist on the door to shut him up anyways.
It’s Riyo who giggles this time, covering her mouth with her hand as a feeble attempt to hide it.
He is surrounded by people praying on his downfall.
Zanka turns back towards Riyo.
“…How’d ya know?”
She just shrugs at him, “Caught you talking to him a few days ago, also he was hanging out of your window.” Okay so leaving Jabber to dangle there had come back to haunt him. Of course.
Shuffling comes from the closet, “Can I come out now?”
Zanka wants to leave him there until he suffocates but Riyo nods so he goes to free him. Out stumbles Jabber, who was seemingly leaning on the door when he opened it. He is grinning down at him once again and—
Shit.
Maybe he should've thought a little harder before letting him out. In his panic and then leading humiliation he had forgotten exactly what Jabber looked like right now.
Riyo's jaw damn near hits the floor at the sight of his neck.
“DAMN.”
There's another second of silence as she processes and while Jabber figures out what she's staring at.
“That’s totally gonna get infected.”
Zanka is starting to think jumping out of the car earlier would have been the right choice.
“Oh shit, you think?” Jabber sounds way too excited at the idea. He starts prodding at the bite with his fingers, testing the sensitivity.
Riyo shakes her head before standing up from Zanka’s bed. She nods towards the hallway and Zanka follows. He half closes the door behind him as she turns to face him.
“Listen, I trust you okay? And you clearly like the guy enough to lie so I’m not gonna stop you. But to be so honest when I saw him outside your window I was this close—” she pinches her fingers together “to shooting him again.”
He looks down to the floor as she continues.
“Didn’t realize it was a wanted visit till I saw you let him in.” She sighs and he glances back up. Her face is genuine, Zanka almost feels worse.
“You two are clearly a weirdlyy good match and I want to see you happy so just don't go and get yourself hurt, yeah?” She pokes him with her finger, smiling at him and a small weight feels like it's lifted off his back.
“Yeah I won’t.”
She stands on her toes to ruffle his hair before escaping down the hallway giggling.
“—Hey!”
“Night Zanka!” She waves back at him as she retreats into her own room. His head drops back and he lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
Well that could have gone worse I guess; Zanka relents.
He goes to reopen his door and it's Jabber laying on his bed this time. He's staring up at the ceiling, twisting Mankira around his fingers. His locs lay out around him and Mankira glints every time the light hits her. Jabber's head turns toward him.
“Oh, you're back!” Before he can get up Zanka collapses next to him. He shoves his face in his pillow while Jabber shifts to accommodate the extra body.
He's tired, usually he would be too paranoid to let Jabber spend the night at hq but, right now all he could focus on was recuperating from the day he just had. He turns to face jabber and drags a hand down his wrist before interlocking their fingers. Mankira must have been polished recently because he can nearly see himself in her as he pulls Jabber’s hand up to face.
He lays a kiss on the center ring before moving their hands back down and placing his head in Jabber's neck. He can't see his expression but he could feel the way he tensed at the touch before relaxing into it, intertwining their legs.
“Hmm.. tough day Mr bad attitude?” he teases, letting his free hand run through Zanka's hair.
“Yeah thanks to you. Asshole.” Zanka mumbles into his chest. Jabber laughs at him again but doesn't talk anymore after that, just keeps running his fingers through his hair.