Code Red

birthday

"Go to bed, now." He seethes.

I can't even be fucked to bicker with him, otherwise we will probably end up in one of our classic arguments. Instead, I just roll my eyes and snatch my wrist out of his grasp before disappearing down the corridor.

As I stride across base towards the barracks, my mind runs wild.

What the fuck is his issue lately? He's been acting so, different. Dare I say it, he has been acting like he cares about me; even if it's just a teeny little bit.

I head inside, falling onto the bottom bunk underneath Tara. Almost scaring me shitless, her head appears as she looks down and onto my bed.

"Look who's finally getting some sleep." She chuckles quietly, careful as to not wake anyone else.

"It wasn't my choice, Leo almost manhandled me out of the room." I snicker under my breath.

From the faint light shining in through one of the letterbox-sized windows, I get a glimpse of her eyebrows raising.

"Oh did he, now? He's been acting quite unusual recently, wouldn't you say? When I think back to the pair of you when you first got transferred to the Hawks last year, it's like you're two different people. He seems to have softened around the edges, slightly. Apart from him bashing in your nose, that wasn't cool." She speaks in a hushed tone.

"I've been thinking the exact same thing, he is acting strangely. And we've spoke about the whole accusation thing, I've never heard the word 'sorry' come out of his mouth so much." I mumble, staring up at the underside of Tara's bunk.

She just chuckles slightly, "I guess that's just Leo, he did seem to feel insanely guilty. Maybe the Filipino sun got to him eventually."

I nod slightly, a grin tugging at the corners of my lips. "Yeah, maybe."

Tara blows me her usual dramatic kiss goodnight before retreating back onto her own bunk. Finally, after days, I close my eyes; laying on a mattress instead of against a wall.

—

"Jesus, Nova. You're gorgeous, so fucking gorgeous." Leo whispers into my ear, tracing a finger along my jawline before running it over my lips.

"This is why I've been acting strange. I can't help myself anymore," he breathes before bringing his lips against mine. I instantly give into the kiss, running my hands through the back of his dark, ragged hair.

His hand trails down the line of my stomach, sliding into my shorts.

—

I jolt awake.

My heart is racing at a million miles an hour and I can feel beads of sweat rolling down the back of my neck.

What the fuck?

What in the actual fuck?

"Just a dream. Just a dream." I whisper to myself, almost silently. I wipe the top of my slick forehead.

I've had dreams like that before about people I've felt nothing for. This is normal. It's because I was talking about him right before I went to sleep. That's it. That's all.

I need to fucking pull myself together immediately. It's Leo, for Christ sake. Leo and his whiskey eyes. Leo and his big calloused hands.

Stop it Nova, Jesus Christ. What the fuck is wrong with you?

I slowly slide out of bed, tiptoeing to the washroom and closing the door gently behind me. It's only now, as I look into the mirror, that I realise how damn flushed I am.