Battle for Love (Comp)

Khalid Thoughts

A/N: Welp! Fish out of water here soo... took a while. And this chapter has been broken into two folks! Had to get it out before I drag it out too long...

Warning : Auto corrects and typos are always behind my back so please forgive me for any mistakes. And please don't get mad at my attempt at typing Hindi, it is NOT my First or Second language so I am prone to make mistakes.

Days passed and the team slowly settled into a routine with Khalid included in it. And well, Khalid for one felt like he was at home. Don't get him wrong, any place with his mom is always his first home but this... where people aren't judging him for who his father was... Kabir did initially, he wouldn't deny that, but now? Everyone seemed to accept him for who he is and get along with him... be friends with him... he felt like it was heaven.

It almost seemed surreal for him to be in a place where he was treated like an equal (eventually, the initial days were hard on him) and not be jeered and bullied for who his dad had been... it was almost like he'd finally found his place and he was happy with it.

Kabir and Khalid started interacting more and it seemed like Khalid had finally earned Kabir's trust to an extent when he saw Kabir open up a tiny bit and enjoy around him, even feeling free to let lose and dance with him during Holi... the rest of the team swore that the two of them had something else going on judging by how close they were to each other, and because they've never seen Kabir loosen up this way before Khalid entered the scene.

And Khalid had noticed this. He'd often see his teammates betting on who will take the first step or how long will it take for the two of them to get together and stuff but he brushed it off, thinking that a) He didn't feel that way towards Kabir and b) Even if he did, there was no guarantee that Kabir will reciprocate his feelings as... you know... his father was a traitor and they were in the same team. And relationships within teammates is technically frowned upon...

But the more he thought about it, the more obvious it started to become. He could sense that shift. He often caught himself sneaking glances at Kabir, secretly staring at the way the muscles moved smoothly, the way they flexed while he exercised, and often wishing to just run a hand through those muscles and scars, the way his lips parted while working out... that was the day Khalid realised that he was a goner. He was starting to feel more than what is usually acceptable towards his mentor, his idol and he didn't know what to do.

That night, he lay down on his bed, trying to sort out whatever he was feeling. True, he'd had an admiration for Kabir even before he joined the academy. If he is correct, since the day he accepted the fact that Kabir had just done his duty and maybe had saved them from greater harm. It did leave a stigma but... maybe it could've been worse if he hadn't killed his dad that day... and that was the day he aspired to become like Kabir, dedicated to serve his country without any hesitation. And if it also wipes off the stigma that his father had given the family... its just a plus.

He wouldn't deny the fact that life had been quite hard for himself and his mother since his father had died a traitor. They often had to move from place to place, people always had something rude and snide to remark, some schools refused to admit him, some others turned a blind eye to the bullying that happened. He'd no friends growing up, no one wanted to be the friend of a traitor's son after all...

And if someone says that these doesn't have an impact on a person's self esteem and confidence? They were utterly wrong. The downside of getting bullied and pushed around without someone to help is unfortunately making the mind quite a dark place, making one believe that maybe, they aren't worth it, it dampens one's spirit, makes you believe in things that might not be true about you...

Honestly, he might've succumbed to these dreadful thoughts if not for his mother, his pillar of support, the ray of sunshine in his dark days. She always encouraged him to stand up and get moving, often hiding her own pain and showing him how to be strong. If he is where he is today, it's all because of her. And maybe his determination on making it into Kabir's team. It's surprising as to how one goal can change your life...