JUST KISS ALREADY!!

Chapter 4

In the end, neither Victim nor Agent managed to have a conversation after that near-kiss moment. "It wasn't a kiss,"Agent thought, exhaling slowly, though the memory of the Victim's lips almost touching his left a faint warmth on his face.

Briefly, he brushed his fingers against his lips, then ran a hand through his hair, imagining what it would be like to kiss the grey hollowhead. He knew the Victim took self-care seriously; their lips always appeared healthy, unlike his own, which tended to dry out if he forgot to hydrate.

Soft, he mused. Blushing, he dropped his hand to his side. If only he had leaned in closer, he might have discovered what it was like to kiss the other person, wouldn't he?

"Do you think he's alright? He's been lost in thought for days now. I suspect the boss said something to him," Ballista murmured, casting a sharp glance, while Primal rolled her eyes. "I highly doubt that. He looks like a lovestruck teenager—just look at how red his face is!" Primal chuckled, before they all straightened up as Agent turned to them, his expression turning into a frown.

"I can hear both of you, you know," Agent stated, glaring at the pair.

They then turned to each other and started snickering. Agent sighed, looking away and clicking his tongue annoyedly as he heard them whispering to each other. Footsteps approached from behind, and a hand landed on his shoulder. Turning towards Primal, he found her grinning, with Hazard excitedly bouncing on his heels beside her, and Ballista appearing ready to jump in excitement.

"So, I did see you guys a few days ago," Primal began, prompting Agent to raise a brow and motion for her to continue. "And you know," Primal made kissy noises, causing Agent to physically recoil in surprise, unable to hide his embarrassment as he heard Ballista giggling.

"Did you two kiss?" Primal asked, grinning as Agent sighed and shook his head. "No," Agent grumbled before he could stop himself. Hazard snapped his fingers in disappointment, and Ballista let out an 'ughhh' to the side.

"What, seriously?! But I saw you and the boss's faces so close to each other, and you're telling me that wasn't a kiss?!" Primal exclaimed, waving her hands around wildly. Agent looked around and noticed a few onlookers staring at them strangely before turning back to Primal with an annoyed expression.

"Yes, Primal, why don't you broadcast to everyone that we almost kissed," he said, tilting his head as Primal flushed in embarrassment.

"Oops, my bad, but come on, I'm just... disappointed, okay?" Primal pouted as Agent frowned, silently concurring with her. "Don't tell me you aren't. Like, come on, you guys were this close," Primal said, making a pinching gesture with her thumb and forefinger. "Aw, man, I really thought it already happened," Ballista sighed.

"I am disappointed," Agent deadpanned. Of course, he was disappointed that he hadn't taken the initiative to lean in at least a little bit closer. But it had already happened, and besides, Victim promised him that they would talk about it.

Agent blushed at the thought before rubbing the back of his head, a gesture that was unfamiliar for him or even anyone for that matter. "Uh oh, did the boss say something? I feel like there's more to it," Primal said, raising a brow as Agent gave her a look. "He said we would talk about it," Agent replied as they all glanced at each other with a grin.

"When?" Ballista asked. "He forgot," Agent deadpanned, causing the other mercenaries' faces to fall.

"How?!" Ballista growled, while Hazard placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Primal only palmed her face in annoyance. "Is it because Chosen is here?" Primal asked as Agent nodded silently, his expression darkening slightly.