Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Rizwan pressed the last photo against the wall. It was an image of a pirate-like figure with long, greying dreadlocks and a black eyepatch. Another known slave of Cero had been taken down.

He reached for a marker, uncapped it in one sharp click, and drew a thick red X across the face.

The wall in front of him was a sprawling chaos of maps, photos and scribbled notes. Thin red threads wove from one pin to the next, connecting names, events, organizations and one big shadowed image in the middle. 

It was a web of blurriness. Some known, some still too far to grasp and others are half buried truths.

Rizwan stepped back a little, arms folding loosely over his chest. His eyes scanned the layout with quiet focus, tracing threads, letting patterns simmer in the back of his mind.

But then something shifted in his peripheral vision. A flicker in the edge of his vision. A subtle movement. 

He turned his head, half out of habit. Almost absently.

Across the room, near a table cluttered with machines and other tools, Dos stood with her back half-turned to him. She hadn’t noticed him looking.

One hand lifted, fingers pulling her messy black strands together. The other grabbed an elastic band from her wrist. 

She tried to twist her hair into a bun, but it kept slipping. A few loose strands fell against her neck. Her fingers tugged with a little more frustration, attempting to wrap the tie around again.

Rizwan's right eye brow moved upward slightly. He had noticed her hair was getting longer these days. 

Dos arms moved with precision. Like it was muscle memory. But they also trembled slightly, just from how tired she was.

She tilted her head, exposing the curve of her nape as she tried to catch the last stubborn strand, only for it to escape again.

And for some reason, Rizwan couldn’t look away. Nothing provocative. But it hit him harder than he expected. Something deep in his chest went still.

The nape of her neck. Exposed only briefly. 

Soft and defenseless in a way she never allowed herself to be. She was always with her fast movements and sharp words. But this was different.

He watched the way her fingers glided across her soft skin, the tiny grunt of frustration in her throat, the strand that slipped again no matter how tightly she twisted. She was annoyed. 

And maybe that was what undid him most. That this vulnerable moment wasn’t meant for anyone to see. But he did.

And something in him responded. Not in words, not even in thought, but in the quiet pull of something warm and private. Something that didn’t need to be spoken to be real.

“Ugh,” she muttered, almost under her breath.

Rizwan didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Just watched. Eyes followed her every hand movement. Silently.

There was nothing romantic in his gaze. But something warm stirred in his chest.

The way her fingers twisted through her hair with control and frustration, the sharp little grunt of annoyance she gave herself.

Rizwan was captivated. He didn’t mean to stare. But he didn’t stop either.

And somewhere between her tossing her hair over one shoulder and tying the last loop, something hit him. It made it more intimate than any plan discussion or life-or-death fight they’d ever been through.

There was a stillness inside him. The kind that made his heart slow down instead of speed up. The kind that made things quieter.

This small, ordinary and mundane moment. The twist of her wrist. The loose strand curling against her cheek. The way she mumbled under her breath when it still didn’t look right. It made something settle low and warm in his chest.

Dos paused, stretched out her hands and tried again. A twist, a loop, a pull of the band and finally a bun. A few longer strands slipped out from the bun.

Her brow furrowed slightly in concentration. She bit the inside of her cheek. Frustrated, but no longer annoyed.

Then suddenly Dos paused mid-motion, her hand still holding up the bun. She’d felt it. That prickling sense of being watched.

Slowly, she turned her head, one brow raised.

Their eyes met. There was a slight flinch in Rizwan’s eyes but he tried to act cool.

Rizwan didn’t look away in time. He should’ve. He usually did. But this time, he didn’t.

Dos’s brows pulled together, slight suspicion in her expression. “What?”

Rizwan didn’t answer.

Her lips tightened. She turned toward him fully now, sticking her Shox Stick in her bun to secure it. Then she tilted her head and crossed her arms.

“What are you looking at?” she asked again, sharper this time.

Rizwan blinked once. He looked at her for another second. Then simply said, low and quiet, “It suits you.” 

The room stilled.

Dos eyes wide opened. She suddenly forgot how to breathe. Both of her hands fell gradually on her side. Her body felt a little bit too straight for no reason. 

Then slowly, Rizwan shifted his body back toward the wall of red-threaded chaos. His arms folded again.

He said nothing else.

His gaze remained locked on the photos. Cold. Still. Like he hadn’t just said something that slipped past his usual walls.

Dos stood frozen for a moment. And suddenly, her face flushed. The heat rushed into her cheeks before she could stop it. She muttered something under her breath. Words she wasn’t even sure made sense.

From behind her, Rizwan didn’t move. But there were slight curves at the end of his lips.

Chapter Text

The door of the underground lab creaked open as Dos stepped inside backwards. Her arms were balancing three warm boxes of burgers while pushing the door with her left shoulder blade.

The lab was not that big. Just enough to fit rows of workbenches, a couple of steel file storage cabinets and an old lazy couch. Somewhere above, a faulty ceiling fan whirred unevenly. 

Not that they really need any more coldness since it was already freezing in there. But it was nice to have circulated air within the stuffy windowless room.

Trez was hunching over a limping spider bot, soldering tool in hand, muttering to himself about signal traces.

Without a word, Dos placed one box beside him.

Trez paused, took a look at it and nodded his head once. Then he continued working on the bot.

She moved to a big desk in the middle of the room, placing the other two boxes on the edge of it. She pushed one of them aside for later. The other, she placed it in front of her.

Reaching for a pen and a small pad of sticky notes, she scribbled something quickly. Tore the note clean and stuck it on the lid.

Then, from her jacket pocket, she pulled out a small white stick with a round solid shape at one end covered with wrapper and carefully placed it on top of the burger box.

She lifted the box with her right hand, turned her body slightly, and placed the box down on the table beside her. 

There was Rizwan, sitting on a chair with his arms crossed, facing the monitor, sharp eyes scanning the Cyberaya SMART Tunnel surveillance footage that Trez obtained the other day, hoping to get some leads on Neonimus. And possibly on Cero too.

He blinked, registering someone’s movement on his left side. Without moving his head, his gaze dropped to the box, then up to Dos’s retreating hand.

His right brow lifted slightly. He didn’t say anything. He looked at the small box next to him again.

A special beef burger.

A yellow sticky note stuck neatly on the lid with a cursive scribble ‘eat!’ written on it.

And resting right on top was a Candy Pop lollipop. His go-to sweet tooth.

Slowly, his gaze skimmed to the side.

Dos was back at her desk, organising tools, clearing the desk space in front of her. But she paused, sensing his stare, and glanced slightly to her right.

“You need energy,” she said simply.

His eyes returned briefly to the lollipop. There was a glint of something in his expression.

Dos caught it instantly.

“What?” she said. “Not into Candy Pop anymore?”

He didn’t answer. Just kept looking at her. And then let out a small breath. Half sigh, half amused exhale.

Dos shrugged in mock innocence. “Okay, if you don’t want it…” she started, already reaching forward to snatch the lollipop back.

But Rizwan’s hand moved at the same time. He didn’t think much about his action, it was just his reflex.

Their hands met over the lollipop. Rizwan’s fingers wrapped around Dos’s wrist just as hers curled around the stick. 

He wasn’t gripping hard. It’s just a steady touch.

But now, she was stunned stock-still under his touch.

Both of them looked down at the contact, then at each other.

Neither of them moved for a moment.

Rizwan didn’t let go.

And Dos didn’t pull away.

Her eyes locked with his, eyebrows slightly drawn.

Rizwan let out a soft grunt involuntarily. His fingers loosened slowly, but didn’t fully release her wrist.

He kept staring at her. It suddenly felt like she was the only thing worth focusing on.

Then, slowly, Dos’s grip on the lollipop loosened. It slipped gently from her fingers and dropped on the desk with ricocheted bounces.

Rizwan blinked once, like he was waking from a daze. He let go of her wrist, fingers dragging lightly as they pulled back.

Dos glanced away as quick as she could do, flustered. She rubbed the side of her neck on the spur-of-the-moment.  

“I’ll take it,” Rizwan said. 

There was a stretch of silence. Then Dos turned to him with mock offence, crossed her arms, trying to act unaffected. 

“And no thank you?” 

Rizwan didn’t answer. Not immediately.

Instead, he propped his left elbow on the backrest of his chair and looked over his shoulder first. 

Trez was still on the other side of the lab, arched over the spider bot.

Then Rizwan moved. He peeled the sticky note off the lid, grabbed the lollipop and his black cap on the desk and stood up from his chair.

One step, then two. And he was right next to her, standing close enough that she didn’t have time to react.

Before Dos could speak, he leaned slightly forward, just enough for his breath to brush the shell of her ear and his shoulder to graze her arm. Their cheeks almost touched.

His voice dropped low. “Thank you.”

Dos froze. Her eyes widened. The sound of his voice sent a jolt through her.

Her face flushed red so fast she felt the heat crawl up her neck. She stepped back instantly, hand flying up to cover her ear like it might cool the burn.

“You…!” Dos gritted her teeth, shouted in her whisper.

But Rizwan was already turning away, cool as ever, like nothing had happened.

“Going out for a bit,” Rizwan’s voice went back to his normal tone but he didn’t even look back. 

He tucked the lollipop into the inside of his jacket pocket, near his heart, together with the sticky note he never threw away. Then he walked towards the door while putting on his cap.

“Get me some apples when you come back,” Trez, still clueless about what had just happened called out from his workbench, eyes still focusing on the spider bot.

Dos stood rooted in place, her hand still half-covering her ear, her heart thumping like she’d just run three flights of stairs as the door to the underground lab thudded softly behind her.

Chapter Text

The underground lab might have been secluded and safe, but they never let their guard down. Not with M.A.T.A. and Numerous still out there. Every night, the trio took turns keeping watch.

Tonight, it was Rizwan’s turn.

Trez had passed out on the sagging lazy couch, limbs sprawled, snoring softly.

Dos had fallen asleep at the desk, her head resting on folded arms.

Rizwan had just finished adjusting the pressure points on his gloves, flexing his fingers to test the tweaks. Once satisfied, he stood and stretched. But then he paused.

Dos had curled in slightly. Her shoulders gave a faint shiver.

He frowned. Without thinking much, he crossed the room, grabbed the small blanket they kept in the corner, and carefully draped it over her.

She stirred, shifted under the fabric, and reached her left hand out instinctively. But she didn’t wake. Her breathing settled again, deep and steady.

Rizwan lingered. He wasn’t sure what to do with himself anymore. They had nothing on Cero. No intel, no leads, no trail. They were chasing shadows. They were on the dead road.

His eyes drifted, then settled on the surveillance monitors. Might as well try again. 

He sank into the chair beside Dos, replaying the footage they’d combed through a dozen times.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dos’s fingers twitch. Unintentionally, his gaze shifted to her. Still fast asleep.

He quickly looked away, tried to refocus on the screen. But his thoughts scattered.

His eyes followed the movement of people in the footage but his mind was drifting away. He pushed the stop button, rewinded the video and restarted again but it was pointless. Eventually, he pressed the stop button. 

He leaned his back on the chair, stretched his legs under the desk and put both hands behind his head, eyes closed and let go a deep breath.

Moments later, he opened his eyes. HIs eyes swept around the lab and finally landed a glance at Dos again. Longer this time. She looked so peaceful. Her features softened by sleep, strands of hair falling over her forehead, nearly brushing her eyes. The overhead light bathed her in a soft glow, making her look almost ethereal.

Suddenly, his heart slammed against his ribs. Loud and frantic.

His eyebrows creased. He leaned forward and covered his eyes with one hand, steadying his breath.

Then he clasped his hands together, elbows on the desk, chin resting on his knuckles. He took a furtive look at Trez. Still snoring.

Without moving his head, he peeked sideways at Dos. Again. And this time, he didn’t look away.

He put his hands down and tilted his head slightly, studying her. His gaze lingered, tracing the curve of her closed eyes beneath her long lashes, down to the soft slope of her sharp nose and finally paused at her small lips.

The quiet made everything louder inside him. He didn’t know why he was staring. Only that he couldn’t stop.

Suddenly, Dos’s eyelids fluttered open. Rizwan’s eyes moved to hers inadvertently. Their eyes met.

Rizwan didn’t blink, holding his breath. He froze, caught in the act.

Dos blinked, groggy, confused.

Rizwan jerked forward, then quickly straightened his posture as if nothing had happened. As if she hadn’t just caught him staring.

His neck turned red first, then the blush spread up to his cheeks, all the way to the tips of his ears. His gaze darted restlessly, like a machine trying to reboot from overload.

Dos sat up straight on her chair. The blanket was slipping down from her shoulder. She grabbed the blanket, confounded with its existence around her. 

It took awhile before she turned her head towards Rizwan. Rizwan didn’t dare meet her gaze again.

Then, slowly, Dos turned away. Lay her head back down on the table and pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders.

This time, her hand clutched the fabric tightly. Her knuckles pale against it.

And her lips? Failed to entirely suppress a smile.

Chapter Text

The long desk was cluttered with half-finished gadgets, tangled wires, and unrecognised debris.

Dos sat with her back facing the desk, chair angled slightly as she spoke with Trez, who sat a few feet away on the other side of the lab.

Trez was explaining something to her, forefinger tapping furiously at his device screen on his workbench. His brows furrowed, eyes squinted, another hand pinched his broad chin.

Dos leaned slightly forward and said, “Try adjusting the timing by…”

Trez nodded, already turning back to his workstation. 

“Tch! I haven’t finished talking,” Dos huffed, crossing her arms and legs in exaggerated annoyance until a quiet voice beside her cut through.

“Dos.”

She turned her head sharply towards her left side, eyebrows still frowned. “Hmm?”

It was Rizwan. He didn’t look at her. Didn’t even say another word. Instead, he reached out, and hooked his fingers around the edge of her chair.

Then, with a slow, unhurried tug, he pulled it closer to him. Just a few inches. But enough. Enough to make her breath catch mid-exhale and her eyes widened.

It was smooth. Effortless. Like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like it didn’t even occur to him that it might mean something.

Dos’s heart skipped. Her arms dropped from her chest without her realizing. Her legs uncrossed. Her posture shifted, alert, but trying not to look like it.

The movement was subtle, but it caught her completely off guard. Not the gesture itself, but how natural it felt. How comfortable he was doing it.

Dos tensed slightly. She wasn’t sure why it made her nervous. It wasn’t like they hadn’t sat close before.

They’d trapped against the wall, shoulder to shoulder facing Fit’s team in previous safe house in Pinggiran and shared cover behind the azurium airplane engine demonstration display against Leon’s team.

But this seemed to be different. Intimate in a way he didn’t seem to notice, or maybe chose not to.

She opened her mouth to say something. Anything. But nothing came out.

She probably should yell at him but she didn’t.

She just blinked once, unsure if she was imagining the way the space between them suddenly felt a bit tighter. A bit warmer.

Rizwan lifted the object, a lollipop, or something that looked like one. A swirl of orange and see-through circular object on a plastic stick.

Dos blinked then she looked at him, both eyebrows raised.

“Disguised comm device. For Ali.”

She scoffed, trying to play it cool. “Right. Because nothing says ‘stealth’ like walking around with a sugar stick.”

But her voice came out a little too sharp. A little too quick. Because under the surface, her heart was still pacing from that moment earlier. From how easy it had been for him to just pull her closer without asking. And how she’d let him.

Dos tilted her head and leaned in to examine the device, hoping he didn’t notice the slight shift in her breathing. But she managed to steal a glance at his face without him noticing.

“So,” she said, quieter this time, “why are you showing me this?”

“I need your help fixing it. It’s not working the way I wanted it to.”

”Trez is better at this.”

”He’s…” Rizwan’s eyes darted around before he turned his head to Trez’s direction. “He’s busy with that spider.”

Dos traced Rizwan’s face. She sensed he was making it up as he went.

”And you,” Rizwan looked at her. “You’re better than me.”

Dos’s heart fluttered. She nodded slowly, clearing her throat as she leaned in. Her eyes on the lollipop, though her thoughts were still trailing a few seconds behind.

She didn’t know what was more dangerous. Cero, or the way Rizwan could do something so small and still leave her pulse racing.

Chapter Text

Dos muttered, “Shit.”

The disguised comm device sparked in her hands, and she hissed under her breath. The transmitter had cracked. Completely fried. 

She tried to salvage it, poking around the open panel, but it was no use. It was beyond repair.

She reached into her kit, rifling through the compartments for a spare transmitter. Nothing. Just empty slots and a half-dead capacitor blinking back at her.

“Great,” she muttered, standing up. “I’m heading out. Need parts for the lollipop.”

“I’ll come with you,” Rizwan said, already moving like he’d decided long before she spoke.

Dos narrowed her eyes. “No need. I’ll be quick.”

He shrugged like it didn’t matter. “Got something to do anyway.”

She paused, watching him carefully. Rizwan walked ahead.

Dos glanced at Trez, who gave a lazy shrug. With an eye rolled, she sighed and followed Rizwan.

They navigated the narrow backstreets of Cyberaya, sticking to shadows and side alleys. Eventually, they found a dim, half-shuttered supply stall nestled between old vending bots and power junctions. 

Dos scanned the dusty crates, fingers quick and precise. She picked out thin micro-circuits, a tiny voice chip, and a rounded candy-like casing. Just what she needed to rebuild the disguised comm device.

Once satisfied, she turned to Rizwan.

“That's everything. What did you come out for?”

Rizwan was holding two cups of coffee. Without a word, he handed one to her.

She raised a brow. “Thanks?” she said, surprised. When did he even have time to get these coffee?

He just gave her a sidelong glance, then jerked his head slightly, the silent signal to follow him, and started walking away.

“Okay,” she muttered, trudging after him.

They went through winding streets and finally stopped at the side of an old fire escape. They climbed the fire escape to the rooftop of the ten storey building and the ascent felt like forever. 

Each step grated on her calves. The metal rungs groaned underfoot. Her breath came out in short, irritated puffs.

By the time they reached the rooftop, Dos was out of breath, and seething. She bent down and placed her palms on her knees with the coffee cup in her right grasp.

She cursed under her breath. “You dragged me up ten floors for what, cardio?”

She was tired, pissed off, and utterly confused. Rizwan hadn’t said a word the whole way up, and the silence had only made it worse. 

But then she looked out and paused.

From here, she could see Cyberaya stretched beneath them like a circuit board on her right side. Veins of neon threading through the city’s glass arteries, pulsing with restless light. It shimmered, alive and electric, pretending to rest beneath the night.

And on the other side, the view shifted. Pinggiran laid quiet and uneven, a patchwork of rusted rooftops and flickering streetlamps. The lights there didn’t dance. They blinked like tired eyes. No gloss, no glow. Just the weight of real life settling into concrete and silence.

The rooftop held both worlds in a single frame. One gleaming, one fading. Above it all, the sky split in two.

Over Cyberaya, it was a murky haze. Washed out by light pollution, where even the stars seemed to retreat, swallowed by artificial glow.

But over Pinggiran, the night opened wide. The stars there shone clearer, scattered like forgotten wishes across velvet black. It was quieter, softer. It looked like it was almost sacred. 

And for a moment, that side looked more alive than the city that never slept.

Dos exhaled slowly, her anger softening just a little. She stood near the ledge, arms crossed, her coffee was getting colder in her hands. 

The breeze was cool, brushing strands of hair across her face. She looked out over the city, soaking in the silence.

Rizwan had already taken a seat on a wide concrete ledge, leaning back on his hands, eyes lifted to the night sky.

Dos glanced at him, then back at the view. She took a sip, then spoke, her voice edged with teasing.

“So this…” Dos said, gesturing with the cup, lifting an eyebrow. “Is that ‘something to do’ thing?” 

She smirked slightly. Rizwan didn’t look at her.

“Yes,” he said after a pause, voice quiet. 

Dos’s eyes flicked up. Not the answer she expected.  

“Just wanted to get away from the noise,” Rizwan’s voice weighed down. Like something inside him had been too loud for too long.

The words dropped between them like a stone in water. 

Dos stared at him. Her grip on the coffee cup tightened, the heat starting to fade.

She studied the way he sat there. Even in stillness, tension clung to him. 

His shoulders were slightly hunched, like something unseen weighed him down. His jaw stayed tight, like he was holding back words he didn’t know how to say. The kind of silence that wasn’t peace, but effort.

After a moment, she asked softly, “Do you want me to go?”

He turned to her instantly. No hesitation.

“Stay,” he said, the word catching slightly in his throat. “Please?”

A quiet plea, roughened around the edges. 

And he was no longer leaning back. Instead, he sat forward, curled in on himself slightly, elbows resting on his knees, hands clasped tight. 

His thumbs rubbed slow, anxious circles against each other, like his body was grounding itself through the motion.

Dos froze at first but then slowly she lowered herself beside him, sitting with legs crossed, close but not too close. Her coffee rested in her lap, the steam was long gone.

She didn’t look at him again. Instead, she gazed out at the sky. The stars, distant and untouchable, yet somehow grounding.

She stayed. Because something in her told her, he needed her.

And maybe, just maybe, she needed him too.

Chapter Text

Rizwan felt a strong urge to look at Dos at the moment. 

Both of them had been sitting on the ledge of the rooftop in deep silence for more than half an hour now. Their legs dangling over the edge, breath misting in the cold air.

Rizwan leaned back slightly on his hands, head tilted toward the sky. But from the corner of his eyes, he could see Dos. She was sitting close to him, one knee pulled up to her chest, chin resting on it. 

The silence between them wasn’t heavy. It was quiet in a way that made his other senses more prominent. 

The soft rustle of Dos’s jacket, the rhythmic thuds of his boots heels against the ledge wall, the occasional faint drip of water from a nearby gutter and even their breathing felt louder than usual.

The wind brushed against his skin, dry and biting. Stinging just slightly at the edge of his nose. The coarse concrete cool beneath his palms, gritty from dust and the faint residue of city rain didn’t help much to mute down what he felt right now. 

Somewhere in the air lingered the smell of damp asphalt, mixed with the metallic tang of rust and rain-soaked steel.

Rizwan pressed his lips together, then slowly dragged the tip of his tongue across his lower lip. He could taste the air. Dry, a little sour from city smog and something faintly bitter like old rain. 

It wasn’t pleasant but it was familiar.

Then he paused. Eyes still fixed on the dark stretch of sky above them but his jaw tightened slightly. 

A moment later, he bit down gently on his lower lip, holding it there. Like it might stop the words piling up in his throat. Or stop him from doing something reckless. Something stupid. Something he couldn’t take back later.

Dos’s presence beside him was like a steady pulse. The quiet itch to look her way grew bigger.

Look at her.

He forced it down. Brushing it off like a stray thought. But it came again, louder this time. 

Just one look.

His fingers curled slightly against the ledge. He didn’t move. Didn’t trust himself to.

But eventually he surrendered to his thoughts.

He turned casually, pretending he was only stretching his neck. Nothing more. But at the exact time, Dos turned too.

Their eyes met.

It only lasted a second but it hit like a jolt. Her eyes were wide, caught off-guard. His breath hitched, just slightly.

There were no gasps, no startled movements. 

For a second, it felt like everything else dimmed around them. The sounds, the wind, even the lights below.

Their eyes might’ve only locked for a couple of seconds but it felt like forever.

Then Dos quickly averted her gaze to her left, eyes wide. She flung her right hand to her waist and propped her left hand on it, covering her mouth with her palm as if catching something that had slipped through. She bit the inside of her cheek.

Rizwan turned the other way, gaze landed on the far-off lights. Heat crawled up the back of his neck. His left hand came up to the back of his head, fingers raking through his hair in a show of nonchalance that didn’t quite land. He closed his eyes and tried to take in a deep breath.

Their cheeks were flushed. Neither of them dared to look at the other again just yet.

Crickets.

Crickets.

Crickets.

“We…” Rizwan said finally, his voice quieter than usual, the edge of his usual cool manners dulled by something else. “We probably should head back.” 

Dos flinched slightly. She didn’t answer right away.

“Yeah,” she said softly after a pause. “We… should.”

But neither of them moved.

They stayed a little longer. Pretending they were only waiting for the other to move or for the moment to feel less awkward. 

But deep down, they both knew, neither of them really wanted to leave.

Not just yet.