Archive of Our Own ^beta

Zanka could feel it all.

He had been feeling them lately; people glancing his way too often, people whispering behind his back, people going quiet whenever he entered the scene.

No matter how much he squinted suspiciously at those crowds, nobody seemed to give him a clue about what's happening.

He tried to ask Riyo, whether she knew something, but when Riyo asked what Zanka meant by that, Zanka couldn't really give her the context.

How did he explain that it felt like people had been paying attention to him lately? Too much even, he might say.

He ended up aborting the conversation, knowing that Riyo probably couldn't provide the satisfying answer.

He tried another route.

His next pick was the Supporters.

Maybe they knew something that Zanka didn't.

He knew how Follo was particularly quick to catch the wind of any news, how Tomme would diligently do her research if she knew something's up, and Gris, well he would just need to be there and he would hear everything.

But, when Zanka looked at their way, he could feel it again.

The stare and the whisper.

Like they were also complicit in whatever things that were currently happening.

Zanka dropped on his seat back, right when Enjin came in with a bottle of beer in his hand, taking up a space next to Zanka.

"Why's the long face?" Enjin titled his head. "Something's bothering you?"

Zanka wondered if he should have just talked to Enjin.

The man probably knew something, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to speak, considering that all of these feelings might have been the worst case of imagination.

Enjin didn't need to know that Zanka had been dealing with something that he couldn't prove whether it did happen or not.

"Just tired," the lies rolled easily on his tongue.

Enjin observed his face for a while, almost too intense, with him leaning forward, shortening even their already short distance.

Eventually he pulled back, didn't push Zanka further.

"Just tell me if something's bothering you," Enjin said. Zanka acknowledged the offer with a silent nod.

Zanka didn't think, he would want Enjin to know that he had been paranoid of people gossiping behind his back.

Zanka could feel it all.

He had been feeling them lately; people glancing his way too often, people whispering behind his back, people going quiet whenever he entered the scene.

He had just visited Eishia, doing his general check-up following his discharge, and when he saw Tamsy, Tomme, and Follo coming his way.

They seemed to be unaware of his presence, that Zanka could finally catch the words, as clear as the day.

"I mean, it's obvious that it's just the matter of time until they're doing it," Tomme said. "Haven't you seen them?"

Follo looked at her, rather skeptically. "Yeah, I know. And it's not like I'm against that—"

"You have a mini crush on Zanka, everyone can see that, isn't that right, Tamsy?"

Tamsy merely gave them a wistful smile.

"I do not!" Follo deflected. "I don't really mind, but, you know, doing something like that when you're around kids like Rudo, isn't that a bit appropriate?"

"I think, Enjin and Zanka are mature enough to not get caught screwing around with—"

The moment those words came out of Tomme's mouth, she stopped.

Because her gaze just collided with Zanka's horrified face.

Follo followed her eyes and he also froze at the sight of Zanka, apparently having been listening to everything they had been talking about.

The only person who's left unbothered was Tamsy, who casually strided past Zanka, giving him a warm smile.

"I advise you two to be more careful, next time." Zanka dropped his mouth, unable to get the words of deflection out. "News travels fast, Zanka."

And as if it wasn't humiliating enough, Enjin had to show up behind him, interested in the small crowd in the corridor.

He went straight to Zanka, slinging his arm around his shoulder.

"What's this little commotion about?"

Tomme and Follo exchanged glances but ended up not saying anything, just straight up bolting out the scene while making excuses for Gris needing them soon.

Enjin turned to Tamsy, giving him a questioning look.

"Be wiser, Enjin," he simply said.

Enjin gave him a confused look.

Zanka hated to be the one who had to break the news to him.

"Why do people start gossiping about us having sex?"

He knocked his head against his Lovely Assistaff, uncaring that his face went all red, to the tips of his ears.

Enjin raised his eyebrows.

"They do?" As if he should be aware of the news but genuinely surprised that he wasn't.

"Mind the kids," Tamsy said again.

Zanka took so long to figure out what was happening, but Enjin only needed to ask Tamsy about the context and he instantly got the answer.

It all started with Rudo.

Of course, it was.

Rudo who apparently misinterpreted his words, about Enjin falling asleep next to Zanka, when what Zanka meant was Enjin sleeping on the bed next to his, in the infirmary.

Rudo who apparently concluded that Zanka had been sleeping with Enjin, and then proceedings to tell Riyo about it.

Zanka doubted, Rudo was aware of the other implication of sleeping together, that it had to be Riyo who fueled the whole thing.

So it began, just like Tamsy said, news travelled fast, especially while it was still hot, fresh from the source.

The glances, the whispers—those were real. People really did stare at him, they really did talk about him.

It wasn't just his feelings, or his imaginations.

"I can't believe this," Zanka pinched the bridge of his nose. "Rudo should really learn to shut his mouth."

Enjin sighed, feigning his frustration. "Yeah, we haven't even gotten to the second base yet."

Zanka whipped his head so fast; face turned so scarlet, it resembled the Penta desert.

"Hey, Tamsy," Enjin continued, serious as ever. "Tell everyone if they're gonna gossip about us, at least get the facts right."