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Chapter Text

0 DRINKS

It had been Breach's idea, because of course it was. The agents didn't really have time to spend on proclivities, or free time. Vacations were scarce, and it was weird that more than one was free at the same time. They couldn't leave the island just like that, an alarm could raise any moment and they would have their agents on the other side of the world, leaving the protocol defenseless. That's why, as soon as whispers of an idea started running around, Brimstone had to begrudgingly cut their wings instantly. No one could leave the protocol if it wasn't for a mission.

But as pointed out before, Breach was a genius, storming into the engineer's shared lab and holding both Killjoy and Raze ransom until they helped him look for empty areas around their island. When he found what he was looking for, he ran out of the lab into the captain's office to show him his idea.

"Camping?" Cypher put down the soldering iron on the steel table, looking at Reyna with a frown "And you want to go?"

"I wasn't considering it to be honest" she shrugged "But maybe I'm become nostalgic with age, and the forest reminds me of my home and my younger years"

Cypher was about to open his mouth to call her out for exaggerating her age as she always did, but her glare made him think twice. Better not to antagonize the vampire "Have fun, then. There's camping gear in the warehouse. No one will miss them if a few disappear suddenly."

He heard the Mexican chuckle, and something dark and scary crawled up his back, making his shiver with the sound.

"Oh cariño, you are going too"

His eyes grew comically large "No I'm not"

"Yes, you are" suddenly, she was too close, her eyes dangerous as she stood right next to him.

He raised his hands to cover his front "You can't make me!"

"No" She agreed, but then smiled, narrowing her eyes "But since Brimstone's official excuse is a field trip for Bonding Activities-"

No. No. No. 

"-Every single one of us has to go."

"I'll hide in a closet, or under the bed. They won't know I stayed"

"We would"

"I'll fake my death"

"You know no one would believe it"

"I'll die for real"

"And make mi amor waste her power to revive you? You have no shame"

He groaned, his head hitting the table "I don't have camping gear"

"That's a lie, little rata" She laughed "But if you don't I'm sure certain friend of yours has plenty of clothes-"

He should spill all her secrets and call it a day. 

Sadly, he did have camping clothes. His line of work may not always be on the field, but just in case he did have to get his hands dirty in the literal sense, he made sure to keep gear for every occasion. 

He felt like a cell under a microscope when he joined the rest of the agents outside the compound, some of them already sitting in one of the jeeps and others mingling and chatting as they waited for the remaining ones. Most of them stared at him, inspecting him from head to toe as he tried to play it cool by putting his bag on the back of one of the cars where Reyna and Sage were already in, the healer sitting on the edge of the seat while Reyna stood outside with her arm resting in the open door.

"You're a liar, rata"

"Reyna, don't be mean"

"You look good" the duelist added a moment later after the other girl's reprimand "But the mask -"

"The mask stays on" He barked defensively, pulling the edge of it down so it covered even more of his neck, just to make his point.

Reyna hummed and smirked "Just until I get you trashed enough"

Sage spluttered next to her "Trashed? Reyna there's not going to be any alcohol on this trip. It's a bonding experience, not a party"

Both Cypher and Reyna had 'oh sweetie' expressions on their faces, even if only one of them was visible. It was Cypher who answered.

"Sage dear, nearly every trunk is filled with bottles enough for an army."

Sage's eyes opened like plates "Even yours?"

He winced, but nodded. 

To take pity on her girlfriend, Reyna kissed the crown of her head "Don't worry, mi amor, I brought stuff for us too, even that Baijiu you love so much"

Sage looked equal parts guiddy and embarrassed, making Cypher wonder exactly what Baijiu was. Still feeling a stare on the back of his head, he opened the door and climbed inside the car, closing his eyes and relaxing on the backseat to wait for the rest. It should only take a few minutes.

And the door next to him opened. 

Of course, just the person he wanted to see. 

Sova and him had a.... complicated relationship. They knew each other from day one, having arrived a week apart from each other. They were close, because they had so much and nothing in common, found the other attractive and knew they could trust the other with everything, even their life, but their morals made their possible romantic relationship non-existent, too proud to let the other know he was right in certain situation, or set their differences aside to try to actually HAVE something. 

Which didn't mean they didn't end up tangled in a bed - or the bathroom, or the balcony, or that time in the living room - once in a while, spent their free time playing board games or watching movies, or hid from the rest of their coworkers to go out together once in a while to a place they could exchange secrets and insecurities, the other being the person they trusted the most in the world. 

But no, they were not in a relationship, which made these instances when they were forced to interact in front of the rest something more than awkward for them. 

Still, Cypher aimed for normalcy, trying not to think of the way the hunter and him had been doing naughty things on Sova's balcony barely a week ago after Cypher had won a game of Scrabble. 

Yes, he could do normal. 

"Good afternoon, measured friend" he said, not opening his eyes. Yep, catching Sova off guard, very normal. 

"Cypher" the hunter sat next to him "How did you-?"

"Your steps are very particular. It could have been you or Breach, I was just making a guess" It was a half truth. He could smell Sova's shampoo even through his mask. "Excited?"

"Uh... да"

That made Cypher open one eye. Sova sounded... distracted. "Everything alright?"

"Блядь" Sova cursed. What had gotten into him? "It is a good opportunity to spend time and build confidence and trust with the rest of the team"

Oh their hunter was a terrible liar "How much vodka did you smuggle?"

"7 bottles" the Russian answered, looking out the window. Cypher's answering crackling could be heard across the yard. 

Finally, the rest of the agents arrived and the groups could take the cars to wherever they were going, Breach, Brimstone and their group on the lead of the caravan.

"Does anyone know where they are taking us?" Sage asked, which wasn't a good thing since she was the one driving, her girlfriend watching the rest of the cars behind them through the mirror. Sova shook his head, and Cypher shrugged.

"Breach found a good location from what I gathered. Deep in the woods."

Sova hummed "It must be close to the volcano, cold enough for a campfire but not too much so most would freeze"

"You better be right" Reyna said with a cold but distressed voice "I do not do cold"

Turns out, luckily for Reyna's wrath and Sova's integrity, he had been right. They were very far from the base side of the island, where the only structure was a – currently empty – lodge with no furniture and – much to everyone's relief – bathrooms. It was far enough from the volcano in an open pasture with a beautiful view of the sky and the million of stars above them, surrounded just enough by the forest to be secluded but not exposed to dangerous predators (if there were any, no one was sure what Kingdom did when building a base in the island). 

One by one they left their cars, the head of the caravan already settled, the mastermind behind the plan, instead of helping the captain and Kay-O pull the things off the car and start pitching their tent down, was opening his own bag, taking off two shot glasses and a bottle of scotch. 

"Everyone come here!"

"Breach we must put our tents down first" Sova said, but his smile betrayed how amused he was. 

"None of that! We can't work without warming up first" He poured some on the glass and chugged it down in one go, pouring some more and giving it to Brimstone who took it with a roll of his eyes, and giving one to Sova who had joined him next to the car. 

1 DRINK 

These tents were big, spacious enough for 4 or 5 people to sleep inside. Cypher had not known that when he had packed one like the rest, which had him feeling a little silly now.

It was too big for one person. 

Most agents were bunking down in pairs or groups, like Reyna and Sage, or the group of Skye, Chamber, Viper and Astra, or like the ridiculous thing the younger ones were trying to build with 3 tents pulled together to make a big common space. He knows, technically, that he could strut to Brimstone and camp with him and Kay-O – the last one who he knew would be perfect because of his integrated heater – but he was feeling a little out of his comfort zone here, uncharacteristically shy at the idea of having to ask someone to take him in. 

No, he could build his own tent, as silly or antisocial it could make him look like, and go to sleep later than the rest so no one would pay him any attention. 

Crouching down, he put the fabric of the tent aside, connecting the rods together. He was lucky – prepared , luck has no impact on this – he knew how to put a tent, saving himself the further embarrassments of having to ask someone to help him. 

Then, he felt a hand on his shoulder. 

With a startle, he looked over his shoulder, finding Sova standing behind him with the full glass in hand. Cypher tilted his head in question. 

"What are you doing?" asked Sova instead of answering. 

"Should I change your eye, little owl? Is it failing you?" He teased, not unkindly "I'm building a tent"

Sova spluttered "Alone?"

What kind of question is that? Cypher blinked twice and nodded. When the hunter didn't say another word, he turned back to his task, looping the velcro around the rod and slowly pushing it through the fabric. 

And the small shot glass appeared in front of his eyes, Sova's hand holding it steady. 

"Drink" the hunter said. Cypher raised an eyebrow, forgetting the hunter couldn't see the expression. Still, Sova seemed to understand "You can't work without warming up first" he repeated Breach's words from earlier "Drink"

Oh, he was in a mood. 

Here is the thing: Sova didn't like drinking alone, and he never, ever, got drunk without someone he trusted watching over him. Cypher hadn't understood at first, all those ages ago when the hunter slid into his room with flushed cheeks and asked him to join him and Brimstone out to the local pub, but after a few hours – and some drinks later – he understood clearly the reason for the request.

Sova didn't get drunk easily, not in the I-forget-everything-I-throw-up-in-your-shoes sense of the word. No, the hunter went through what you may call 'phases' depending on how much he drank, and he had wanted Cypher to be there to stay watchful, trusting him not to take advantage of his states. 

It wasn't so often he got to see the hunter like that, and never, ever, he had seen Sova actually be drunk, his tipsiness disappearing in little time after he stopped drinking. 

Tonight, it seemed Sova was actually in the mood to get more than just tipsy, if his offer of peace in the form of a shot was anything to go by. 

Cypher sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes for good measure, but finally complied, kneeling on the ground to be more comfortable, lifting his mask up to his nose and taking the offered glass, downing it in one go, eyes shutting and mouth opening in disgust. That wasn't vodka. 

He passed the glass over to Sova and tried to go back to work, instantly feeling the burning liquor warming him over, but Sova stopped him again. 

"You should loop them like this" The hunter was suddenly crouching next to him, holding a rod and showing Cypher how "Yours is fine for a tent used for one person, but this way makes it more steady when there's more people using it."

Cypher couldn't help but snort "That's exactly why I was lopping them like this. Good for one person"

Sova tsked and said something in Russian that Cypher couldn't understand but sounded a lot like idiot.

"I'm sharing with you" Cypher opened his mouth to protest but Sova stopped him "No point in building another tent for myself when we can share"

Well, that wasn't so bad. He'd have to share with Sova and maybe Breach who always passed out wherever he could. He just prayed that he too would be too drunk or tired to hear the man's snores. 

Breach could raise the dead with his snores alone.

Sova made himself useful then, helping Cypher pull the tent up, the easy effort of two people making it pitched down in no time. 

"Did you bring an inflatable mattress?" Sova asked, opening his own backpack to pull out some blankets.

Cypher nodded, opening the thermal bag he was carrying and pulling the item off with a smile. Then, he turned around to stare at the hunter, paling under his mask. Sova wasn't carrying one.

"I am used to sleeping on the floor" the hunter shrugged, pulling off blankets and thermal plastic to cover the ground. Then, Sova looked at him, a heated glint on his eyes "But If I get cold, I guess you will have to share with me"

Cypher was speechless, and then groaned when it caught up with him "You forgot the mattress, didn't you?"

He put another blanket down and pushed his bag to the back, stumbling a little when he tried to accommodate it out of the way. 

He gave Sova the stinky eye when the hunter laughed at him, but preferred not to say anything. They would be sharing a space – and maybe, if Cypher played his cards right, a bed – in the end. 

"Let's join the rest. The fire must be going already "

Without waiting for an answer, he turned around to leave, but Sova's voice stopped him. 

"The camper clothes, they look good in you" He snapped his neck to look at Sova in surprise, the hunter having a shit eating grin in his face at his reaction "Just thought you should know"

Cypher ran from the tent with flushed cheeks and a headache already forming behind his eyes. They were in for a long night. 

2 DRINKS

You had to give it to them, even if most of the agents only had the mind to bring liquor and clothes, somehow everyone made sure to bring snacks to share and even meat and salads for those who actually got hungry – like Neon for example, who had to eat a bowl of something when she drank or she'd pass out from exhaustion after 1 drink. 

Cypher himself had brought two bags of peanuts, salty and unsalty, not for himself exactly, since he could go days with no food even when alcohol was involved, but for his friends who he knew would be begging him for some as the night progressed. 

And of course, because he expected Sova to ask for some at some point. 

The hunter had been laughing at something Phoenix was saying, his cheeks flushed and an empty bottle of beer on his hand the last time Cypher had looked at him.

But that was 5 minutes ago. Cypher was nursing his own beer now, sitting next to Skye who was teaching him how to put a marshmallow on the fire without burning it when he suddenly saw a shadow and from one moment to another he had his shoulder smothered by a groaning hunter.

2 drinks Sova was a hungry Sova. 

Sova sat back up next to him on the log, and then frowned, looking at Cypher with a dead serious expression.

"Jett said you have peanuts"

There he is. 

"Yes, I do" he answered.

Sova frowned harder, his eyes now strained on Cypher's chest "Give it to me"

Cypher snorted "What?"

"I want them"

He opened his jacket, wondering how Sova knew he had the snacks hidden in there, and passed the bag to the hunter whose eyes sparkled like he had found a treasure.

He expected the tipsy hunter to leave and go back to his group, but instead Sova sat closer to him, leaning his back against Cypher's arm and munching on the snack as he looked up at the sky, like he wasn't making Cypher overheat under his mask. 

A few minutes passed when the conversation around them resumed, but as Sova snuggled closer to him, seemingly uncaring about actually being seen affectionate with the sentinel. Cypher for the life of him could not remember what they had been talking about.

A tap on his right hand, and he turned to look at Sage, who was holding another glass with an unknown liquor for him with a pitying smile.

Yes, he was going to need it to go through the night.

3 DRINKS

"You don't look so worried there could be an emergency" Jett said, sitting next to the fire, words directed at their local snake who was sitting in a folding chair with a warm coffee in her hand.

Viper shrugged uncharacteristically "If there's an emergency we would be the first one to know"

Yoru threw a twig into the fire, frowning and looking at the woman "How? They'd have to call us"

The woman smiled knowingly and looked across the fire at Cypher who was on his 4th or 5th drink already, not even looking tipsy. "Someone has every camera monitored, If something happens, we'll be alerted immediately"

"No way" Neon pitched, looking at the sentinel "You haven't looked through your cameras the whole night, how would you know?"

Cypher, who had now caught up with the conversation, felt both proud and embarrassed suddenly. "It's... It's an IA that does the work, truly. I programmed it to work like Kay-O's threat recognizer, and also it detects anomalies like raise of temperature, increase of people in strange zones and many things that could mean a threat"

Many impressed sounds escape the rest of the agents around the fire, but one in particular called his attention. Mostly because it came from his own shoulder.

Sova was instantly holding his shoulder, face too close and eyes full of stars as he opened his mouth.

"Friend, you are impressive"

Oh no. The hunter was usually quiet, not frighteningly quiet like Omen, but not really the talkative type, speaking only when he had something to add to the conversation. 3 drinks Sova, on the other hand, was talkative, and not only that but he was a praiser . 

Often, when Sova had 3 drinks running through his system, his tongue forgot what a filter was, and it would result in him babbling, but instead of talking bad things like others would do, the hunter started singing praises about whoever he deemed worthy at the moment. Every single one of his coworkers had been unaware victims of Sova's admiration, even Reyna, who Sova more than once had confessed to being afraid of. 

It was only his luck that the hunter had taken the instance when everyone in their group was listening to choose Cypher as his victim.

He was tempted to make the hunter sleep outside. 

"It's just a basic code. I'd credit whoever programmed Kay-O for most of it but I don't know who it is" he tried to explain, dodging the sweet words that Sova's mouth was surely going to start singing, trying to save himself from embarrassment. 

Sova shook his head and squeezed his arm more firmly, like he needed Cypher to understand. Shit . 

"Your mind is astonishing, Cypher" Sova pressed, uncaring of the funny looks others were giving him, like he had forgotten he was supposed to be the last person to be complimenting Cypher in public "You built devices that hack into people's mind, and so many forms of recon devices for us and also this whole system to keep the base safe - "

Sova was diabolical. Somehow the hunter's tipsy mind had found his weakness and now was using his newfound discovery to embarrass Cypher to death in front of their coworkers. 

Overwhelmed, Cypher pushed his mask down, completely covering his face, giving himself exactly 1.5 seconds to recover, and planted a fake expression on his eyes.

"Oh thank you friend for your words. I'll take them into account next time you are making fun of my cameras"

And the topic was dropped.

Sova no longer was leaning into him, instead having moved away to join Brimstone and Phoenix in their conversation about cars, which gave Cypher the air to actually calm himself down from whatever just happened a moment ago, looking down at the glass on his hand. 

He didn't want to drink anymore.

He heard steps and arms circling his shoulders and pulling him back, making him look up to find Astra and a very drunk Chamber hugging him.

"Astra, what did you do?" he instantly asked.

"Frenchie here can't hold his alcohol" the girl laughed, and Chamber, looking like an idiot, mirrored her "I was gonna leave him like this but we have to share a tent and I don't want him throwing up inside. Do you have those magical pills to stop him from doing that, Chale? "

He rolled his eyes, and not so delicately pushed his elbow back to hit Chamber on the chest to get him off him, Astra laughing and taking her arms off him too. Cypher rolled his eyes at them. Honestly, he was tempted to just leave Chamber like that – he would make an ass off himself, he was sure – but he also knew it would be Viper and Skye sharing with them and both women terrified him. With a sigh, he stood up, passing his glass over to Astra, and walked back to his tent.

"I could've sworn I put them here-" he found himself muttering minutes later, ruffling through his bag for the pill bottle he was sure he had stashed somewhere.

"What are you doing?"

Cypher did not fall on his face or make any undignified noise. He didn't. 

He tried to sit back up, glaring at the intruder. "What are you doing? "

"I was worried" skies above, why did Sova have to be so honest, even more so when he drank "You looked uncomfortable. It was not my intention"

Enough was enough, Sova was enjoying too much having fun at his expenses. "I was not uncomfortable. I just thought I'd never see the day you'd admit I'm better than you" He faked his normal tone but Sova's expression didn't change. Damn him. 

"What are you doing here, then?"

Cypher sighed in relief, finally finding the bottle and showing it to Sova "Activated Carbon for Chamber. Astra is going to owe me a big one later" he explained "It’s for the hangover and queasiness"

Sova chuckled then, as Cypher closed his bag "Why do you have them? You can drink anyone under the table, even me sometimes."

And there he was again with the comments "They are not for me. Everyone was bringing booze, and Killjoy, Sage and Raze usually get sick when drinking too much."

Silence. A win. He had just pulled the bottle in the pocket of his jacket and turned around to leave when he crashed with Sova who hadn't moved an inch from the entrance.

"Sova, can you mo-"

"You are impressive," the hunter babbled, making Cypher squirm under his stare "You put so much care in all of us, worrying about our health even when we are on a vacation... You amaze me"

Such beautiful words, he just wished Sova had told them when there was no alcohol involved. He didn't know if the hunter meant them or not, but he didn't like that they were being pulled from his lips under the influence.

Sova looked downcast from his lack of reaction, pouting a little. How unfair. 

The only thing Cypher could do to make him stop looking like that was crawl in front of him, touch his chin and press a quick kiss on Sova's cheek, whispering a little ‘thank you’ before he walked around the hunter and fled from the tent. 

And if Chamber ended with a pill shaped mark on his face where Cypher carelessly threw the thing at him, well, he could cry about it.

4 DRINKS

They had to build another fire, because it wasn't enough for the 19 of them, and building a bonfire was too risky with so much wind. Thankfully, they had a walking flame with them, so making said fire was easy. The real problem? The lumber pile that had gathered was awfully small after only a few hours. It was barely past midnight and they had already wasted all of it.

But! They were people of resources and good ideas, so, knowing there was no way anyone was going to volunteer to help him chop wood just like that, Brimstone defied whoever was in the mood to chop it faster than him, which ended up with Breach taking the bait, followed by Kay-O who, even being a machine, was programmed to be terribly competitive, and that led Phoenix, who was not programmed for it but was also a showoff, to trail after them into the woods.

"Brilliant plan, captain" Cypher mumbled as he carried a big pile of lumber across the forest back to the camp, teeth gritted as he sweated his way past the trees "But you forgot to leave strong people to carry it back"

Disadvantages of being one of the only ones who wasn't drunk or sleepy or pretending to be asleep, he had to carry the chunks back and forth as the burly men enjoyed their competition. He wasn't going to die alone though, volunteering (forcing) Sova to accompany him, and not only out of revenge for embarrassing him earlier, oh no, but also because he had seen Sova nursing another beer before their muscles disappeared in the forest. 

He was saving the hunter from embarrassing himself, honestly. 

Because 4 drink Sova? That was Horny Sova.  

This particular one was funny if you were Sova's chaperone, because horny Sova was not one to try to approach whoever he had set his eye in – not at first, at least – but one to stare surreptitiously, silently, his face flushing, pupils dilating, breath quickening until he worked himself so bad he was squirming on his seat. It was kind of funny – and strangely arousing – to see him like that, but only if you were Cypher and you liked to see people squirm in general. 

The rest of the team though? They wouldn't understand. They wouldn't understand Sova was not in fact going to act on it, if only got a little flirty, but most of the... reactions were going to just stay as that, natural ones. 

So, Cypher was tiring the hunter before the 4th drink took effect. Maybe the physical activity of having to carry logs back and forth between the group and the camp, staying away from people, would make him not have a reaction. 

Cypher didn't want their less friendly coworkers to get the wrong idea and think Sova a pervert or something. 

Sova's flirty nature after that mentioned amount of alcohol was targetless, he would laugh and flirt with whoever was close and he recognized, never crossing a line but enough to know it wasn't just friendly banter. 

Maybe Breach would laugh at the hunter and kind of follow along until Cypher had to take the hunter by his neck and pull him back before he got the wrong idea, or Phoenix would crackle at Sova's terrible attempts of flirting, or Viper would roll her eyes and just call Cypher over to retrieve "his hunter". But the rest... he wasn't sure. 

So, he made Sova work with him. 

He put down the lumber, remembering the conversation with Skye half an hour ago.

"Why aren't you with them? You’d easily beat the old man"

The girl crackled, the pint on her hand slushing "I'd beat any of them" she corrected, taking a gulp "But I'm not that stupid to let myself be convinced to chop wood when I can stay here and enjoy the breeze!"

He always knew Skye was the smartest of the muscles.

He sighed, pulling the logs down on the forest floor, taking off his jacket and dropping it on the grass, laying on it to rest for a moment. This was the third trek he had done, and with Sova probably already making his way back to the lumberjacks, they would have enough lumber for an hour or two.

He was tired, his arms ached, and he felt tiredness seeping into his core. Was it too early to retire for the night?

Maybe he should just ask Sage to keep an eye on Sova, steal a bottle of rum and drink himself until he passed out on his bed. 

Yes, that sounded like a good idea. 

Or maybe the hunter would like to accompany him? 

He heard a twig snap closely, and rolled his eyes. Sova was not even trying to be subtle, the alcohol making him sloppier than normally. 

"You are a terrible hunter, you know?" He called, pulling his arms behind his head to make a pillow "If I were prey I would have ran already"

"Then why haven't you?" He heard Sova's thick accent coming from the parting between some trees, the man himself appearing a moment later, cheeks flushed from what Cypher hoped was the exertion and not his "mood". 

He shrugged, closing his eyes, thankful once again for his mask which didn't give anything away "I'm tired, not all of us have so much muscle and stamina to carry so much logs"

Oh and Sova did have stamina, Cypher had been a victim of it more than once, like that time after a mission in Haven-

Not the time, Amir. 

He heard Sova approaching, but didn't move a muscle. The hunter was going to probably call him lazy or something and carry the logs himself back to the camp, which was just fine for all Cypher cared. He wanted to be admired for his mind, not his strength. 

Then, a weight dropped over him. 

Alright, that was new. 

"Can I help you with something?" He asked the hunter sitting on his waist, not opening his eyes, feeling something hot shimmering under his skin. He felt Sova's hands touching his arms, which were still flexed under his neck and slowly trailing down until he was touching his shoulders. He ignored the hunter and the reaction his hands were trying to pull from him. 

It seemed his attempts at trying to tire the hunter out of his state had failed, and for some fucking reason, he was not only Sova's horny state target, but also the russian was now choosing to get hands with him. And he was so fucking noble at it too, not even trying to touch Cypher more than he was allowed to except for him being draped over Cypher like that. 

He remained silent, just feeling Sova's breath quickening and his whole body vibrating, but he didn't move, because Cypher wasn't responding... yet. He had to give it a moment first. 

Then, Sova whined. Perfect. 

"Cypher-" Sova called, body shaking as he held onto Cypher's shoulders. "Fuck, you look so hot without the jacket"

And there it was, 4 drinks Sova. Cypher laughed "Should I feel insulted, hunter mine?"

Sova gasped and shook his head, eyes stuck in Cypher's upper body. "You looked hot with it too. I-" Sova blushed even more, gasping to himself. What was going through his mind? "I wanted to fuck you with it on"

Ah, shit. 

Cypher snickered, finally feeing his hands to hold Sova by his sides "Ah, fuck, friend, there's nothing I'd like more than just throw you down on the dirt and fuck you right here, where anyone could hear" Sova moaned then, grounding himself down against Cypher's crotch. Alright, that may have been too cruel. The sentinel let himself nurse the idea for only a second, and then sighed, pushing Sova up "-But sadly, I am not going to fuck you when you aren't in all your senses."

Sova whined, too damn loud against the silent forest that Cypher was suspecting someone could've heard. He shushed the hunter softly, using his hand to tuck his hair behind his ear. 

"But - But you said-" Sova was biting his lip so hard he was going to draw blood, and had a desperate look on his eyes. " Baby "

The hunter was trying to play dirty. He never called Cypher baby unless they were doing more amorous activities. Well , he thought, looking down where Sova was still grinding against him, they kind of were on their way there.

But no, he wouldn't do anything unless Sova was sober and in his 5 senses to actually consent. 

"You know my rules, friend. I can't trust your consent now, so I won't do anything"

Sova looked like he was going to cry. He was too gone and turned on, his eyes even filling with tears. Still, Cypher wasn't going to give up. 

"Cypher-"

"Let's do something, darling" he spoke softly, dropping his voice an octave "You are too worked up now…Why don't you go back to our tent-" emphasize the 'our', let Sova get the idea "-Lie in our mattress and play with yourself. Get yourself off, think of me, imagine it's me who's touching you, imagine all those things I've been telling you, think about all the times I've taken you apart…"

The hunter moaned again and nodded enthusiastically, and then frowned, his eyes sparkling "Come with me, then"

Cypher chuckled "Oh no baby, that's part of the fun, I won't be there for you, so you'll have to get yourself off just with your mind" 

"Nooo " Sova complained "I want-" He gasped, eyes darkening even more, touching Cypher with more purpose "I want you to see me"

Cypher had to bite his lip to stop himself from making a sound at that. Sova was a damn dirty player when he wanted to be. He was so tempted, to just say fuck it and go with him, but his head was screaming at him, don't. Don't. 

He wouldn't. 

"There's a camera" he whispered on Sova's ear, caressing the skin with his fabric-covered nose "In our tent"

"Oh?"

Cypher chuckled "I'm not telling you where, but I assure you, anything you do inside will be caught in just the sweetest frame, all for me to see later" As Sova lean back, letting Cypher sit up straight, he smiled with his eyes "Put on a show for me, would you? But don't make noise! We wouldn't want anyone else to see you like that, would we?" Sova shook his head, but instead of standing up and running back to the camp, the hunter bit his lip and looked at Cypher nervously "What is it?"

"Can I get a kiss before I go?" Sova asked, barely whispering, stunning Cypher. 

He felt anxiety crawling under his skin. They didn't do that, not when they weren't already having sex and it felt like the most natural thing, pure instinct. This was different, it felt like a kiss goodbye, a ‘see you later’, even if the objective was to rile the hunter up. 

Cypher was more whipped than he had thought, because he instantly nodded, and Sova beamed like the sun had come out, instantly leaning into Cypher, slowly lifting his mask up to reveal his mouth, and kissed him fervently, hands holding him in place as he explored him thoroughly, like he had never kissed him before and was dying to do so. 

I could get used to this kind of kiss.

It was a scary thought, and was precisely the one that made him break the kiss, not without nipping the hunter's lower lip and jaw before they separated. Fuck, Sova looked ready to explode with his unfocused eyes, wild hair and red and spit slick lips, and Cypher had only kissed him. Giving him a last long kiss, he sat back down "Go baby"

And Sova did.

Cypher only felt a little regret, followed by the sense he did the right thing by lying to the hunter and making up the thing about the camera. But it was for Sova's own good, so he felt a lot better.

Even if their sexual relationship was more than just casual, he wouldn't take advantage of the hunter in his drunken state.

He hoped with his little lie the hunter would at least take the edge off since his trekking through the forest didn't. He'd just have to check on him later and just in case, make a new plan to distract Sova.

But first, he had a not so little problem of his own to take care of. Thank the skies he was much more creative than the hunter he was currently imagining wearing a certain jacket and nothing underneath as he pushed his hand under his pants. 

That man was going to be the death of him.

5 DRINKS

Sova was dancing, and if that wasn't the only clue he had actually gotten something else to drink in the hour that passed between Cypher watching him leave the tent in the direction of the bathroom, cheeks still red but from satisfaction – or embarrassment, it was hard to say – and him now, twirling around the fire with Phoenix and Killjoy, the fact he was clumsily stumbling on the other's feet was a dead giveaway of his real state.

5 drinks Sova was a clumsy Sova.

He would stumble on his own feet, crash against anything and everything on his way, out of control of his hands and legs, which made his current entertainment of choice more than one danger alert. This time though, Cypher was going to just let him dance himself face first into the floor, let the man have his fun.

He was having his own kind of fun, already.

"Pay up, I have an hotel on St. Mer-Meriu- " Jett's hiccup stopped her from finishing the sentence, but she waved menacingly at Reyna on the other side of the table "Pay"

A snort came from their side, Astra poking her head next to him "What are you playing at?"

"Drunk monopoly" Cypher answered, taking a long sip from the bottle in his hand. Why was he holding his properties in his hand like poker cards? It was Omen's turn to throw the dices, and everyone around the table had to concentrate to make up the numbers on the cubes.

"What's the difference between this and normal monopoly? "

"Everytime you go to jail you drink a shot" Jett explained, squinting to read the word on her card "And when you pass by the start, and when you get lottery, and-"

More like just drinking and playing monopoly. Cypher snorted to himself, looking down at the fake cash in front of him and trying to count mentally. Everyone was too drunk to read numbers, and if his eyes didn't fail him, Reyna had been trying to focus on Omen all the game since he had more paper than the rest, even if most of them were 1 dollar ones.

He was counting the paper to exchange with Sage – who was playing the bank and drinking her bottle alone – when someone quite literally crashed against him, making him drop the paper in the middle of the board to catch the person before they fell into the board, Reyna and Jett instantly dug into to steal from him. 

And they called him a rat.

Cypher blinked, and Sova blinked back at him, the way the hunter had fallen leaving them in a strange and very close position with the hunter half dappled on him with the sentinel holding him by the waist so he wouldn't fall completely.

"Ummm, hi?" Sova said, cheeks red as he looked down where Cypher was holding him up "Sorry"

"It's fine" Honestly, he should have expected this. There seemed to be a magnet between them tonight since the start, it was more than obvious he was going to be the victim of his drunken state. But in his defense, he was also drunk.

He tried to help Sova straighten up, but with Sova's clumsy feet, somehow instead of doing so, the hunter managed to tangle their legs together and when Cypher pushed him up, he lost his balance and fell backwards, the hands still holding onto Cypher tugging him along as both crashed down to the grass, limbs tangled and heads crashing as the rest of the group laughed at them.

Cypher tried to stand up, but only managed to brace himself with his arms at each side of Sova's head, looking down at the hunter with both a fond and irritated sigh.

"Friend, I'm starting to think you're doing this on purpose"

"Sorry?" The hunter didn't look sorry at all in his drunken state. 

Cypher couldn't help but notice how pretty he looked with his hair sprawled around his head like a halo.

This time he managed to pull the hunter and himself up by holding him by the hands, even keeping Sova from crashing into him again. 

The hunter huffed after once again he stumbled into Cypher arms "I swear I'm not doing this on purpose"

"I find it hard to believe " Cypher teased, and holding him straight with an arm, he used the other to reach on the side of the table where they had been keeping the liquor, taking a single sized bottle of whiskey, a beer and the glass he had been using single handed "Luckily for you, I have just the cure to your clumsiness"

"Cyph! It's your turn to roll the dice!" Jett complained, making Cypher snort and roll his eyes. 

"You have more than half of my money in your pile don't act like I can keep playing"

"But-"

"Omen, take my properties. Those two already stole my money" He ignored Reyna's undignified gasp to put his arm around Sova, securing him better against him. "I'm gonna put clumsy here to sleep, you tell me who won tomorrow"

They left the table in the direction of their tent with more than one incident involving fallen branches that resulted in Sova hitting his knee painfully, their heads bumping and Cypher receiving an elbow on the stomach, but since no one fell because of Sova's sudden clumsiness on their short trip to the tents - with a quick stop to the bathroom for both their sakes - he had to call it a win.

Finally, he had Sova sitting on the air mattress with himself sitting on the blankets on the floor. With a chuckle, he discarded his jacket and his mask after he zipped the tent securely and planted a minuscule camera outside just in case.

6 DRINKS

He ignored how Sova was watching him like a hawk, tracking all his movements as he opened the cap of the beer and passed it over to the hunter.

"Drink"

Sova grunted "No water?"

"I wished the cure was making you sober, but with how much you've been drinking it's not going to help you at all" He passed him the bottle, quickly jumping to action and holding the thing to Sova's lips as he saw how much his fingers shook, nearly spilling the liquid into himself.

When he was sure Sova wasn't going to spill everything on the floor, he quickly served himself a finger of whiskey on his cup and laid down on his back, watching the sky through the small opening on the top of the tent, listening to the sounds of the remaining agents still enjoying the night while the rest slept. 

He knew soon Reyna and Sage would retire for the night, which would leave only the 20+ years old awake. For their sake, he hoped they didn't make too much noise too close to the camp. Kay-O would whoop their asses for waking up the captain.

When he finished his drink, he set the glass aside and closed his eyes, feeling the sleep seeping into his body. 

And a warm weight suddenly deposited itself on top of him carefully. 

This was going to be really funny or a pain in the ass, he just knew it. Usually at this point whatever emotion or state Sova displayed was unpredictable, and Cypher had to move accordingly to snap him out of it, or stop him from doing something incredibly funny but stupid. 

He felt Sova's arms circling his waist and his head falling into his chest, mumbling something as he intertwined their legs. Maybe the hunter was ready to fall asleep now. 

Wrong. 

A minute passed as Cypher played with the hunter's hair when he heard a small sound coming from the man over him. "Sova?"

Then, the hunter sobbed, hiding his face and fisting the sentinel's shirt as cries wrecked through his body.

Cypher couldn't understand what was happening.

"I'm sorry!" the hunter sobbed, holding onto Cypher like a child being scolded "I'm sorry I ruined your game"

Fuck.

Out of all the moods Sova could have experienced, he never expected sadness or guilt.

"Oh no Sova, you didn't" he bit his lip, trying to comfort the drunk hunter "I would have won with or without the money"

"I don't mean that!" Sova gasped, looking up at him with big tear crystalline eyes, red rimmed and sad "You left the game for me" The hunter slurred, and oh, he was going to be asleep in no time.

"I wanted to"

"The whole night-" the man sobbed, not even caring to clean his tears "The whole night you've been taking care of me- And I haven't-" Sova sniffed "I need to pay you back"

Cypher had to contain the sigh that was threatening to spill from his lips, instead taking a breath and chuckling at the man lying on him. Only Sova would drunk cry about having ruined something so ridiculous, as if a dumb game mattered more than helping him out. As if Cypher would rather do something else than be there with him.

Better to keep that info to himself. They were not there, not yet.

He kissed the crown of the man's head, pressing a comforting hand on the side of his face, slowly brushing his thumb until he was touching his lower lip with a sigh. He really wanted to kiss the hunter right now.

"The things I'd do for you, owl of mine" He whispered, hoping that Sova wouldn't remember much the next day. "Spending time with you is my pleasure, you understand?" He asked, touching the back of Sova's head, fingers tangled on his hair.

The hunter nodded, but another tear fell from his eye. Damn him for looking beautiful even when he was crying. He couldn't help but kiss the stray tear away, and even less contain the sappy look he gave the hunter.

"I still feel bad"

For a moment, Cypher panicked thinking Sova was feeling bad physically, ready to throw up, but the man didn't look pale or green. The man was genuinely feeling sad over having Cypher to himself. 

Then, he saw how Sova's eyes strayed from his eyes, looking down, eyes curious and fixed on Cypher's lips. 

Ah, there it was. 

Sova wanted comfort. He wanted to be reassured in a way only Cypher, his sworn frenemy and rival, was allowed to. 

Wasn't that ironic? 

He leant forward, nose brushing Sova's cheek, and softly planted a butterfly kiss on his lips, ready to pull back as soon as Sova showed signs of disgust. 

But the reaction didn't come. Instead, the hunter made a happy sound, and shifted to hold Cyphe tightly and respond with a more insistent but still soft kiss, barely tasting each other as Sova opened his mouth to taste Cypher's lips. 

"You taste like whiskey" Sova chuckled, voice raspy from the bump in his throat "And mint" Another kiss "I want some"

That didn't sound like a good idea. Sova had had much more than him to drink, that was for sure, and he didn't want to upset his stomach and make him throw up if he drank too fast.

He opened his mouth to tell him so, ready to be the responsible drunk, but Sova was already reaching to the side, not leaving Cypher's lap, and pulling the bottle Cypher had stolen from the table, rolling the cap and sitting back, raising the bottle to Cypher's lips.

"Drink with me?"

"You can't drink too much" Cypher slurred "Don't want to make you ill"

The Russian huffed "Я могу это исправить" then, he smirked, a lopsided smile that betrayed how drunk he was "I can fix that" he slowly translated, pressing his lips "Open your mouth"

"Sova?"

"Do you trust me?" the hunter pouted, then insisted "Open your mouth, любимый"

To his bad luck, Cypher did trust the man, even in this state. He opened his mouth, throwing his head back a little, and Sova lifted the bottle, stopping when he had Cypher where he wanted him.

"Don't swallow"

Sova poured a small amount of the liquor in Cypher's mouth, enough he wouldn't choke on it, then set the bottle aside, pressing both hands on each side of Cypher's temple. The sentinel raised an eyebrow in question, not daring to talk with the burning liquor on his mouth.

Then, Sova giggled, and pushing himself against Cypher, he pressed his mouth against Cypher's own, tongue pressing inside, tasting and drinking the whiskey directly from Cypher's lips.

"Oh... "

Sova's mouth didn't taste like anything in particular, but he could feel the strong flavor of all the shit he'd been drinking that night, his tongue was warm and so wet it was both refreshing and scalding for Cypher's psyche. He felt in heaven and in paradise under the torture that was Sova's mouth. And his hands, oh, his hands, that roamed everywhere they could reach, not in a sensual way to drive Cypher mad like earlier, but slow and explorative, like he - which was ridiculous, why would he? - was trying to memorize the shape of him, places where Sova had touched many times before with much more intent than now.

With a whine, like he wasn't satisfied with their current situation, he took Cypher's hands between his own and placed them on his own hips, purposely pressing himself forward to give him more space, and went back to kissing him with every inch of his life. Cypher may not be the fastest when he drank, but Sova's unsaid instructions were clearer than water.

Touch me.

And who was Cypher to refuse his own weakness?

Thankfully, Sova didn't seem to be looking for something more, his movements slow and passionate, like he was happy just like they were, which was lucky for Cypher since he didn't feel pressured to stop or trick the hunter again out of sex. Sova just stayed in their current position, with him sitting on Cypher's lap, arms looped around each other, the hunter's sighs and happy sounds the only thing that interrupted the sound of their kisses.

And suddenly, Sova's hands stopped wandering, and his mouth slowly stopped moving with as much enthusiasm, stopping altogether after a few seconds. It took Cypher an embarrassing long minute to notice the man above him was no longer responding, and with a shocked gasp, he opened his eyes to look at the other man, scared he had done something wrong.

Sova's eyes were closed, and his breath was even.

He was asleep.

Had it been anytime but this, he would have been offended – and even hurt – by Sova falling asleep like that mid makeout session.

He had a hard time containing the laugh that was trying to escape from his mouth, not sure if the hunter was a heavy sleeper or not.

Sova had put himself to sleep by drinking from Cypher's mouth. It would be strangely arousing if it wasn't so damn funny.

It seemed 7 was Sova's limit tonight.

Thankfully he was familiar with this part, having to move the asleep hunter to bed after a night drinking like this or a marathon sex day.

Sova was a dead weight over him, but you couldn't go around dati- sleeping with a muscular man like Sova without getting strong enough to carry him. With a gentle hand on his temple, he pressed Sova's head on the crook of his neck to pillow him and with barely a groan, he took him with his hands under his thighs and carried him to the bed. 

He laid him down on the air mattress, lifting the blankets on the floor to cover him, having a hard time doing so since Sova was doing his best impression of a clingy koala, not letting go of him even asleep. After he had arranged everything, he tried to stand up, but instead was pulled down by the hunter, miraculously saving himself from falling on the man, holding himself right next to him as Sova whined and pulled him closer, not asleep but still not opening his eyes. 

"Stay"

"You need to sleep"

"I'm asleep" Sova mumbled, his fingers tightening around Cypher's collar "Stay with me"

Cypher was only a man, how could he resist his lover's adorable face and sleepy pleas for him to cuddle him while they slept. Not even a saint could resist.

He sat down next to Sova on the mattress, scooting over until Sova was laying down on the other edge of it, and slid under the blankets, taking off his shirt and setting it aside for tomorrow, knowing very well Sova was a furnace when he slept. 

And Sova was instantly on him,turning around with his back to Cypher and sliding back until he was molded into the sentinel's front, all of it while still having his eyes closed. 

"Hug me"

For both their sakes, Cypher was praying the hunter didn't remember any of it the next day. Maybe he should escape early in the morning so Sova wouldn't suspect if he woke up tangled with him, or maybe he could play it off as himself being too drunk and not remembering, or-

Sova yawned, said something in Russian Cypher was sure meant "goodnight" and promptly fell asleep, for real this time, head pillowed by Cypher's arm, his silent snores making Cypher's chest rumble. 

He could make up an excuse later. Now, he had a drunk hunter to cuddle to death.

And if things got awkward tomorrow, well, there were many drunken phases to tease his friend over. 

For now, it was better to sleep.

9 drinks Cypher was an enamored Cypher.

Chapter Text

In the end, it was his bladder who made the decision for him, waking him up before the sun even came up, finding Sova and him even more tangled than when they had gone to sleep. With a both relieved and disappointed sigh, he slowly disentangled himself from Sova, reaching for his shirt, mask and discarded jacket. Biting his lip, exasperated with himself for being so weak and whipped, he tucked the blankets around Sova a little more, making him look like a burrito, and silently left the tent for the bathroom. 

He was lucky there was no one awake before or after he left the lodge. It was strange, but there was something shameful about the day after, when the air was still freezing cold, everyone was asleep and the sun still hasn't come up, there was something nostalgic and sad, loneliness crawling under his skin, making him feel like he was the only person around even when he could clearly hear Viper's snores when he passed her tent, or the nearly soundless music Neon always insisted on listening to sleep. 

He stayed still for a moment, not daring to go back to his tent and lay down next to Sova, but he also couldn't just go and sneak in another, and he felt silly just by thinking about sitting on the dead bonfire by himself until someone woke up, which could take hours if last night was something to go by. With a resigned sigh, he turned back to the tent, dignity be damned. He wasn't above faking ignorance just in case. Or death. 

Maybe it was a good thing he had come back, because as distracted as he was he had left the flaps of the tent open. 

"Get it together, Amir" he reprimanded himself, crawling inside and turning to zip it up again to keep the cold out, taking off his mask and throwing it aside. 

And suddenly there were two hands holding him by his shoulders and pulling him back, making him fall down with a strangled cry, a gazelle-like figure jumping above him and settling on his lap, holding his head in a bruising kiss.

Sova was awake, and apparently,still drunk. The sentinel let himself kiss Sova for a few more minutes, unbothered by the morning breath, his plans of faking memory loss already failed from the moment the hunter pounced at him with his addictive mouth. 

Gasping for air, he held Sova by the nape of his neck, stopping him when he tried to go for his mouth again. 

"What?" Sova asked, eyes dark and fixed on his face "What is wrong?"

He'd never thought Sova a stubborn drunk. He hadn't been one so far. 

"Darling" he said softly "You are still drunk"

Sova blinked "I am not"

"Yes you are"

"I am not!" Sova huffed, but his hands when he cupped Cypher's cheek was tender "Why would you think that I am?"

He rolled his eyes "You are kissing me"

"We kiss all the time" Now Sova was looking at him like he developed a second head.

"Not- Not like this"

The hunter pouted "You don't like it?"

"I" he gasped as Sova started kissing his jaw, trailing more down his neck "I didn't say that"

The hunter hummed,the vibration rippling through Cypher's neck "Then I do not see any problem" That said, Sova starter working on Cypher's jacket, pushing it off his shoulders with a chuckle that had no right to be that attractive "I've been thinking about this the whole night"

Cypher snickered, but still obeyed when Sova told him to take off the jacket as he worked on his shirt "You are lying, you couldn't even think last night"

Sova pulled back with an offended noise "Of course I could!" he pushed Cypher down and took off his own shirt before he started mouthing Cypher's chest.

The sentinel suppressed the noise that threatened to leave his mouth when Sova latched on his collarbone, sucking a red mark in there. Still, he wasn't going to lose this fight "You believed when I told you I had a camera in here, you weren't - ah, shit! - you weren't thinking - watch the teeth!" 

Sova stopped his ministration to his nipple, blowing softly at the flushed bud, looking up to him with a smirk Cypher didn't like one bit. 

Sova only looked at him like that when he knew he had won something.

Maybe it was s good thing their tent was so far from the rest on the edge of the treeline, because he couldn't stop the sounds that escaped from his lips even if he tried as Sova continued to devour every part of his chest, playing with his nipple between his index and thumb as he left yet another hickey in the center. 

At least it wouldn't be the first time they were caught in a compromising position. 

(Sorry Brim)

Sova finally stopped playing with him "Oh but I did not" Cypher had a hard time remembering what was Sova answering to "You see, I did not catch it at first, did not really know if you were lying or not. " Sova dropped his hand to the waistband of Cypher's sweatpants, untangling the cords holding it tight, reprimanding him with a shush for making noise before he continued "Of course you would have a camera, but you are too noble to actually record me when you were trying to lead me away" The hunter shifted a little, his head now at the height of Cypher's hips.  Sova kissed the exposed skin, licking his lips like preparing himself for a meal "So I made a record of my own"

"You wha-" He cut himself with a hiss. Sova had pushed his pants down, leaving him completely exposed to the cool air and the man between his legs. 

"I recorded myself" Sova repeated, kissing the V of his navel with naughty, darkened eyes, ignoring Cypher's half hard cock for the moment as he drank in the sight of him "Thinking of you as I touched myself, calling your name as I came imagining all the things you said. Fuck " Sova mouthed lower, just out of the way where Cypher needed him the most "I was tempted to just go back to the forest and suck you off until you changed your mind" 

"Sova, love-" Cypher whined, and Sova was still not doing anything but talk . "Don't say things like that"

Sova crawled up again kissing Cypher with so much passion it made Cypher dizzy, his tongue invading him with force, as if he was making a statement, parting only when Cypher started gasping for air.

"It is true, I recorded it" And just in case Cypher didn't believe him, he reached for something in his pocket, pulling off his phone, showing the thumbnail of the video. Sova, laying on the same mattress he was now, with his hand around his cock, mouth open like he has been talking. 

"Fuck"

"I sent it to you" Sova chuckled, and like the devil he was, he trailed his hand down until he had Cypher's cock on his hand, giving it a small pump, not tight enough to do anything but drive him deeper into madness, swallowing Cypher's answering moan with a kiss. "We can watch it when we get back to the base" 

It was so unfair how the hunter could reduce him unto a puddle with just a touch, his hand caressing his cock sending him straight to hell and his cool kisses pulling him back as the hunter played with him

"We could also escape one day, when we have nothing else to do, just the two of us. We could come here and make good of your promise to fuck me in the open, under the stars" his voice was breathless, betraying how much the idea appealed him too. 

When did this man learn to talk dirty like that? So far it was always Cypher making him lose his mind with tricky and dirty words that would make the devil blush,  reducing Sova into a babbling mess that only remembered his mother tongue and Cypher’s name.

Sova adjusted his hand, using his thumb to brush the tip of his length as he pumped him with slow, long strokes, his eyes fixed on Cypher's red face, drinking his expressions like the sweetest cocktail, which reminded him-

"How is your- ah" Cypher whimpered as his lover's finger trailed lower, brushing his hole teasingly "How is your head? Does it hurt from- Fu-Fuck- the hangover?"

His answer was a sweet kiss on the forehead, Sova smiling at him with wrinkly eyes. "I am fine, I stole one of your pills before you came back"

"Oh, that's... that's good to know" Cypher gasped when Sova brushed another finger in the underside of his cock, making him jump a little in surprise "I wouldn't want you to-"

Done with him, Sova put his hand on the sentinel's mouth, silencing him "Do you ever shut up ?"

Cypher smiled under his hand, shaking his head and making Sova roll his eyes, lift his hand and crawl lower, supporting himself with one hand next to Cypher's thigh.

"If you will not shut up on your own" the hunter whispered, only loud enough for the sentinel to hear, voice dropping sensually, a call of danger "I will have to shut you up myself"

With that, the man opened his mouth and with the biggest shit eating grin Cypher had seen before, lowered himself and swallowed his cock down in one go.

"SOV-" Cypher instantly slapped a hand over his own mouth, reminding himself they were very much in public with all their co-workers sleeping not far enough. But it was getting harder to remember with the hunter moving his tongue like that-

Sova looked so beautiful like this, like a pretty mess, with flushed  cheeks and half his hair falling on his face, spit falling from red lips as they wrapped around him again. Fuck it if this wasn't one of his favorite views. He felt tempted to say so, but he was sure Sova would punch him for that one. Or worse, stop. 

Somehow, it was the sight of Sova with hollowed cheeks and teary eyes that was doing it to him more than the sensation of having his dick sucked. Not that the hunter wasn't amazing at that, either. 

Sova raised himself with a pop, sitting back on Cypher's calves, ignoring the other man's whine at the loss, instead holding Cypher's hands up and pressing them on his chest, urging him to touch his pecs, play with his nipples as Sova pushed down his sweatpants and underwear in one go, face falling on Cypher's shoulder with a pant.

"I need you to fuck me, I could not stop thinking about for hours..."   Sova moved again, straddling the sentinel again, brushing himself against the exposed skin "You have been denying me enough..." The hunter let the tip of Cypher's cock brush against his backside, close where he needed him the most. Teasing him. Then, he stopped, looking at Cypher's eyes with uncertainty written across his face. "Or do you not want me anymore?"

Dirty, dirty player he was. With a groan, Cypher was pushing him back until Sova was sprawled on the mess of blanket's, his legs wrapping around Cypher's middle as the sentinel crawled above him, sliding their bodies together just to hear Sova groan, his hands instantly finding Cypher's back. 

"I'd never say that" he finally answered, looking down at his rival. Sova was looking at him with stars in his eyes. Were his own doing the same? 

If the sweet smile that appeared in Sova's mouth was something to go by, he had to guess they did. 

The mood changed after that. It didn't die, exactly, but there was something different from their usual roll in the sheets with every sweet kiss that tasted like the day before, the slow and harmonious way they pressed their bodies together, finally getting rid of the last of their clothes, Sova's hands trailing down Cypher's backside scars before he extended one arm to the side and under the pillow, pulling out a tube, cheeks flushed as he passed it to the smug looking Cypher.

"Don't tell me you had this planned since the start"

Sova raised an eyebrow "Who do you think backed Breach up on his plan and convinced Brimstone to come?"

"Who are you and what did you do with our golden boy?"

Sova hit him on the arm but kissed his cheek after "Everyone deserved a break. There is no imminent threat and I knew you would leave the whole place protected if Brimstone agreed" Sova bit his lip and touched Cypher's shoulders with intent in a mock massage "You deserved one, a good one"

"And how did babysitting your drunk ass fit into this 'vacation'?" Cypher teased, opening the cap of the tube to add some lube into his fingers, warming it up.

Sova whined as soon as the gel touched his hole, but still raised his hips to give Cypher space to work him open "I thought we would get drunk together - ah!" Sova raised his finger to his mouth, biting it to stop himself from making too much noise as Cypher worked him open with two fingers, moving his hips in tandem with Cypher's hand. "But you ran from me all night-"

Ah, that. He crocked his fingers, making Sova gasp and glare at him, pointedly looking at his weeping forgotten cock, flushed red like he was going to explode any minute. 

"I was taking care of you, like I always do" he added another finger, shushing Sova when the hunter mewled "I didn't want to take advantage of you"

He retracted his fingers, wiping the rest of the lube on his cock before he took the offered condom – Sova must have really prepared everything to get railed – and put it own with a wince, then helped Sova to sit up, crouching above him and giving him a slow, deep kiss, hands playing with Cypher's unruly hair. 

"Next time" Sova gasped as he pulled away, pushing himself up as Cypher pumped his own cock, positioning it under Sova's opening with a shudder "Next time, please take advantage, I'm consenting now"

Both knew very well Cypher was not going to do that. 

With a last kiss on Cypher's shin, Sova lowered himself down on Cypher, gritting his teeth and holding for dear life on Cypher as he adjusted. Sadly, they didn't do this often for the hunter to be used to taking Cypher like this, but the sentinel was patient when Sova couldn't be, holding him still until he adjusted, and if he had to recite the Valorant Protocol rules on his head (which funnily enough also spoke about the "no fraternizing" rule) to keep himself sane from the pressure, well, he only had so much willpower. 

"Uhh, feels so good" Sova panted, then said something in Russian Cypher couldn't understand "You feel-" 

Slowly, Sova started to move, a small shift of his hips first, adjusting to the stretch, and then hid his face on Cypher's shoulder as he started moving with more enthusiasm, guiding his movement by the reactions he was pulling from Cypher.

Cypher, his lover, the man who had taken care of his drunk ass like he had done many times, keeping him safe even when Sova had thrown himself at him with no shame. 

How could Sova not love him?

"Cypher!" Sova grunted as soon as the thought passed through his head, holding on with dear life as Cypher sped up his thrusts, pulse erratic as the realization dawned on him. He loved this man.

"Fuck, Sova" Cypher stopped for a moment, panting like he just ran a marathon "I'm not so young anymore, I can't-"

Sova wasn't that young either, but he was in better shape than the sentinel. Chuckling, he lowered his face to press a featherlight kiss on Cypher's lips before he pushed him back sharply, fully seating himself on him, moaning at the sensation of having him so deep. 

Perfect.

"I'm gonna die" Cypher grunted, teeth gritted as he was completely engulfed, pressed into the ground by his lover. Every nerve was on fire. "I'm gonna die" he whined softly, hips snapping up repeatedly without meaning to, too overwhelmed. "I'm sorry. Can't slow down-"

Sova would make fun of him in a normal day for being so overdramatic, but he was feeling awfully close to the same sentiment with Cypher pounding into him, out of control and using Sova to chase his own pleasure after hours of carefulness and soft care. 

In the end, Sova's answer to Cypher's plea came as a sharp lower of his hips, propelling himself on his rival's chest as he started mounting him freely, half out of his mind with the sounds Cypher barely contained. 

A hand pressed into his mouth then, muffling him as the sentinel touched his cock again, apparently ready to make the hunter come by the way he shifted his hand, pumping him at the same rhythm of Sova's hips, who didn't know if he wanted to move his hips down or forward, his body choosing to instead fall forward, crushing Cypher down as he moved like a maniac.

"Cyph- baby" Sova tried to talk through the hand covering his mouth "Baby I'm going to-"

"Do it!" Cypher gasped, eyes closed "Come on, Sasha, come for me, my little owl"

It would be a miracle if no one woke up after the gargled, uncontained, mind blown wail the hunter made when Cypher crooked his hand just right and angled his hips at the same time, his orgasm washing over him like a hurricane as he clung to Cypher in the aftershock, so tight around the sentinel it was impossible for him to do anything but hold on his own pleasure washed over him, making him follow Sova a thrust later with a barely contained cry of his own. 

A second later, knowing his lover was about to start feeling the overstimulation, he wordlessly shifted until he was slipping out of the hunter, quickly taking off and tying the condom and throwing it in a conveniently placed plastic bag – Sova had totally prepared everything they could need – and finally, uncaring about the weight or the mess between them, he hugged Sova until the sated hunter was half laying on his arms and the blankets with a satisfied sigh.

It was silent, too damn silent, their breathing slowing down until their sounds were more silent than the exterior, where birds were starting to sing, the trees and leaves whooshing with the morning breeze, all music that possibly - hopefully - masked the sounds that escaped their tent. There wasn't any sound of people walking outside, a small miracle.

On his right, Sova chuckled to himself, making his heart skip a beat as the younger man snuggled closer to him, his head on Cypher's shoulder as he sought the warmth of his body.

"That was good" the Russian mumbled, the satisfied flutter of his lashes betraying it was way more than just "good". He was practically boneless against him, for fuck's sake. Cypher nipped at him. "We should do this again"

Cypher frowned and looked down at him with a confused expression "We do this all the time" Why was Sova implying they didn't?

Sova rolled his eyes at him "I meant this" he snuggled closer to him pointedly, making Cypher blush and his pulse quicken, did Sova mean-? "Us"

Us. Us. Us. The word repeated itself on the sentinel's head, making it spin as he tried not to let his heart explode from his ribcage. Us.

Such a simple word that could change anything if taken wrongly. He didn't want to take it wrongly.

"Us as in the two of us alone, hiding from the rest-?"

Sova's expression turned serious, raising himself to look at him straight into his eyes. His voice, as it was expected coming from the most honest man in the protocol, didn't falter or show an ounce of deception when he answered.

"I do not want us to hide" he touched the side of Cypher's face, frown disappearing when the other man instinctively followed the motion, his eyes hooded "I want us"

Yes, Cypher wanted to say, let's do it. He wanted to jump headfirst into it, but something on his mind told him to stop, to make sure. He was not going to say yes unless both had put their figurative cards on the table. Unless there were no misunderstandings between them.

Cypher touched Sova's shoulder reassuringly, but still hardened his look. 

"Us is a tricky word, Sasha" Cypher whispered, dreading how serious this was about to turn. He was already wishing to go back to last night. He pulled a loose strand of blond hair behind the hunter's ear. Sova was looking at him with stars in his eyes. "It could mean friends, companions, people who sometimes fall into bed and don't talk about it until the next time, like we do now." He looked away, his heart thumping on his ribcage from fear of what his next words could evoke "or do you mean 'us' as in people that hold hands even in public where their friends and colleagues could see them and tease over, as in people that will willingly spend time together because they genuinely enjoy it. As in people that kiss just because they want to. As in people that want to be an 'us' because they can't bear not to be one, not to be together" his voice broke. He didn't know where all those words had come from. But he needed to say this " 'Us' as in the kind of people I'd wish us to be''

For a terrible, long moment that seemed to last hours for his tired heart, Sova just looked at him, a stunned expression on his face as his skin paled, completely silent. 

He fucked up, he fucked up so bad. This wasn't what Sova wanted 'us' to mean, and stupid Cypher had gotten carried away. 

Before Cypher could panic and run away to hide in the forest, Sova blinked once, twice, and then smiled sweetly at him, his own kind of sweet, small and private for his eyes only as he crawled forward until he was touching Cypher, and finally, even daring to make the sentinel blush after everything they had done minutes ago, he kissed Cypher's nose.

"You should hear your own words, Cypher" The man whispered against his lips "Because what you just described, and everything else that goes through your mind, that is Us . Spending time together, holding hands in front of everyone, kissing when we want to" Another featherlight kiss, this time on his parted lips "I want us to be an 'Us' because I can not bear not to be together with you"

The gasp that left Cypher's lips was completely involuntary and too loud for the silent atmosphere created a moment ago, lost in the afterglow. 

"I want...I want that too" he whispered back, whimpering when once again he got pushed back, breath stolen by Sova's lips crashing against his, the hunter uncaring now about silence as he  devoured the man under him.

He wanted it too. The kisses, the embarrassment, the long days and nights. He wanted to be taken care of on his drunken nights, completely trusting the man under him to be there for him. He wanted to be there to thank him for taking care of him in every way that he knew. 

And if their captain with light sleep woke up because of the noise and his other-worldly robot guard slash boyfriend stormed into their tent to find them butt naked, well. 

They better be getting used to it, because he was ready for it to happen again.