TONGUE TIED, mal oretsev.

00. PROLOGUE

GENIE HATED ALCOHOL, the smell of it practically repulsed her, but there was something about that specific Monday that was driving her straight to that bar.

"So you're coming?" Marko asks.

Saints, Marko. He'a a half-suli boy with a mop of curly black hair, his eyes are a vibrant green, that just happened to be Genie's not new favourite colour. He's tall, far taller than Genie, with an athletic build thanks to his training. Though she was sure she would care if he wasn't physically fit.

    "Yeah, why not?" She replies, her heart pounding so harshly she's sure it's going to break through her rib cage any minute now.

Marko sends her his infamous smile, the smile she'd seen even Zoya Nazyalensky fall victim to. Why, if he had the option of Zoya, which he did, does he spend so much time with her?

Genie had long given up trying to make sense of senseless things.

"Good, I would've only lasted an hour without my favourite heart render."

She hasn't responded, instead she was walking beside him with wide eyes. Genie didn't tend to listen to other people's heart rates, but she did find some kind of comfort in the sound, knowing that for the most part it remained the same pace. Marko's remained the same pace.

Something that was unusual for anybody when they flirted with others.

Genie knew it, her suspicions were confirmed right then and there. Marko didn't reciprocate the same feelings she harboured for him, and as they were walking she watches him smile at Zoya.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Th—

She squeezes her eyes shut and casually shrugs his arm off her shoulders, sending him a small smile as though it was an accident. It wasn't.

How could she be so foolish?

Then, just when she began to think her day couldn't possibly get any worse, it did.

"I'll, uh, meet you in the there then?" Mark said, eyeing the two soldiers that walked up to them, cautiously. He didn't wait for her answer, walking inside with an almost cruel smile on his lips.

Good, Genie thinks to herself, fuck off, far far away from me.

"If it isn't our favourite wish-maker!"

"And quite possibly the only member of the Second Army that we can stand."

Genie's eyes fell to the back of her head for a moment before looking at them.

"And the person who could kill you in half a second, careful Dubrov, it'd be a shame if your Corporal found an empty tent tomorrow."

Mikhael's eyes flew open and then, the two men double over in laughter. The only reason she even knew them was because of Lilia's obsession with watching the First Army men fight shirtless. Had Lilia been beside her in that moment, or when Markov smiled at Zoya, the dark haired girl would've drowned all four of them.

"Who pissed in your breakfast today, Evgenia?" Mikhael scoffs, using one arm to haphazardly lean on Dubrov's shoulder.

"We came with good news, too."

She rolls her eyes once more, her arms tossing over her chest.

"There's another match later! Our boy Oretsev's fighting," He nudges Dubrov. "So you know what that means."

Genie tilts her head in confusion. "No, actually, I have no idea what that means."

It's Mikhael's turn to roll his eyes now, as he shoves Dubrov harder than he was expecting and turns to her as though he's about to explain the creation of the fold to a child.

"It means, you know where to put your money, or should I say... who you should give it to."

    "Saints! You don't really expect me to fall for that do you?" She doesn't notice the tracker that is walking towards them. "There's a reason I call you two, Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee, you know? And you continue to live up to them."

    "Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee? I like that."  A voice she doesn't recognise speaks up from behind her. In shock, she visibly jumps as she turns around.

    Malyen Oretsev. Shes seen him before, watched him fight a couple of times and shared a smile with him when they past each other. Genie assumes the reason he even acknowledges her is because of Marko, why was it that all good looking people either knew each other or gravitated to each other?

    "Sorry to interrupt, First Army business." He sends her a wink and presses a finger to his lips as though it's a secret, when the truth is they were going to eat before his fight. "Come on, dickheads."

Mal wraps both his arms around the two men, who shouted their goodbyes to her rather embarrassingly and pulls them away.

Though she isn't sure why, Genie walks back to the food tent with a smile on her face, Mikheal and Dubrov were like unsupervised children.

AUTHORS NOTE!
so i'm currently reading ruin and rising and mal... i cant wait for archie renaux to body book!mal in season two oh my god. also i'm
really excited about this!! genie and mal are honestly one of my favourite couples i've written?? they're just so sweet and ugh, and i honestly rlly love writing for them :,)