Monthly Bonus Content #2—Unit Alpha AU (Tane's and Tamiko's Versions—Book One, Chapter 6) (Patreon)

TANE VERSION

Back at the Square

Forty-one minutes left. Counting down isn't really helping, but at least it's something to do. Silence stretches as long as the night's shadow, and I let out a breath just to break the quiet monotony.

Turning the corner of the block, my heart leaps into my throat as a figure emerges from the dark alleyway beside me. It settles again when I recognise the shape of…

“Tane!” I blurt, trying to relax the adrenaline that had been injected into my system from the fright.

He slinks out of the shadows with a lazy smile that turns my ‘stranger danger’ alarms into a whole different type of alarm.

But the warning doesn’t stop his expression to tempt me a step closer before I can stop myself.

His gaze shifts to my motion, the smile turning from lazy to satisfied before his eyes flick back up to meet mine.

“How are you doing?” he asks as he moves closer.

I stay standing on the spot, ignoring the trail of goosebumps which shiver across my skin everywhere his inspecting gaze lands as he circles me. “A bit tired. You?”

He shrugs and comes to a stop. “Fully awake. I don’t need sleep as much as you hu—”

I arch a brow as his words come to a stumbled stop, but the hesitation is held back behind another knee-weakening smile.

“As much as me?” I finish, my brows shooting back down into a frown as I fold my arms. “You don’t know anything about me, especially about how much sleep I need.”

The shadows seem to fall in step with him as he makes to close the gap between us. His finger hooks into my belt loop so as he can drag himself closer, gazing into my eyes. I keep my arms firmly folded between us…even if it means grasping my fingers tighter to my arms to stop them reaching out to him like they’re tingling to.

“I’d certainly like to find out,” he murmurs as his head inching close enough that I need to decide whether to hold my ground or back away.

His eyes sparkle with delight when I stay put.

I spread my hand against his chest, ignoring the way his muscles react to my touch…or at least trying my best to ignore it. “Then maybe you should make more effort on this patrol so I can get to bed, rather than trying to distract me.”

“Trying?” His finger crooks tighter into my belt loop as he angles closer, tilting his head so as he can still take in the full length of me in one casually cool sweep of his eyes. “You know I’m succeeding.”

…I kinda wish he didn’t know that I know he’s succeeding though.

The thought is ripped away with the same sharpness as Tane’s gaze snaps from me to glare into the darkness.

“What is it?”

His dark brows knot together, his hand sliding away from me as he turns on the spot, but his concern is wiped away by a wide gleeful grin.

“Just what I’ve been waiting for,” he exclaims before speeding off down the alleyway at a pace that leaves me winded.

----

TAMIKO VERSION

Back at the Square

Forty-one minutes left. Counting down isn't really helping, but at least it's something to do. Silence stretches as long as the night's shadow, and I let out a breath just to break the quiet monotony.

Turning the corner of the block, my heart leaps into my throat as a figure emerges from the dark alleyway beside me. It settles again when I recognise the shape of…

“Tamiko!” I blurt, trying to relax the adrenaline that had been injected into my system from the fright.

“Yeah?” she replies with her brows shooting up. “Did you need something?”

I shake my head. “No. I just…didn’t expect you to appear out of nowhere.”

She bobs a shoulder up, but a smile plays at her pink-tinted lips. “That’s how I like it. Keeping you on your toes.”

“Just me, or everyone else too?” I ask through a light laugh.

She sucks in her lower lip before flicking a tongue over one unusually sharp canine. “Just you.”

…I’m not entirely sure how to respond to that, especially when her reply makes my mouth go so dry, so instead I clear my throat and look back down the night-shadowed street.

“Oh, come on, Detective. You can play with me a little, can’t you?” she asks, sidling closer and bumping me with her shoulder.

A straight lock of glossy hair falls across her eyes as she almost throws me a half-lidded gaze.

I chuckle. “Playing, is it?”

“What else would you call it?”

I purse my lips and look up in faux thought before smiling at her. “Some people might call it flirting.”

She blows out a breath. “Flirting is just playing but with higher stakes.”

“The stakes being how quickly you can get into someone’s pants?” I ask, continuing to keep the conversation light.

She blinks at me before shaking her head. “Wow. I was thinking more the stakes being a person’s heart, but…I think your answer says a lot about you.”

My amusement creases into disappointment—with myself more than anything.

She manages to hold the shock on her expression for a second longer before breaking into a laugh. It’s a beautiful sound that instantly knocks me off balance and blows my disappointment away.

“I’m just teasing you,” she says, sliding her arm around my waist to bump her hip against mine.

“So was I,” I reply with a half-smile that draws her focus to my lips for the briefest moment.

She forces her gaze back up with a sigh. “I kind of wish you weren’t.”

I’m not sure if it’s her directness or the speed with which she zips away from me, but I’m left reeling for a moment and have to place a hand on the wall to balance myself.

The pace at which she moved away was…I didn’t even see her move!

She hunches down before me, staring into the empty darkness and giving a few sniffs at the air, her arms drawn back as her hands clench into fists. She almost seems to be shaking.

I watch her with a brow arching. “Uh…are you all right?”

She glances back over her shoulder. “Give me ten minutes and ask me that again when you find me.” And with that, she disappears into the darkness and is gone from my sight.

Though weirdly, I think she was tearing off her jacket as she went….

--

Oh man, it's been fun going back through Book One and seeing how much things could have been different—like the fact Unit Alpha are way more reactive in their approach to things than defensive like Unit Bravo!

Murphy would have had a much different scenario here if it had been Unit Alpha! :D

I will be doing Lesedi's and Maaka's versions of this next time!