Draco watched Joshua with a silent intensity, his mind still seething over what the guy had said about being Seventeen's best friend. It wasn't jealousy, Draco told himself. It was more than that. He was obsessed with her—not just because of who she was, but because of the way she made him feel like he was constantly walking on the edge of a blade, never sure whether he'd fall or fly.
But Joshua was just... there. A constant presence. Too familiar with Seventeen, too comfortable. And it drove Draco insane.
As the group began to settle, discussing their next steps, Draco felt the weight of Joshua's eyes on him. He met the gaze head-on, unwilling to let the tension between them go unnoticed. Joshua smirked, and Draco bristled.
"You got something to say, Whitlock?" Draco asked, his voice low and dangerous, trying to mask the bitterness in his tone.
Joshua's grin widened, and he tilted his head slightly, as if he found Draco's irritation amusing. "It's Duke, I'm not a Whitlock, I'm Noah's brother-in-law, not his son. And, oh, I've got plenty to say. Just wondering if you can handle it."
Draco's lips thinned into a line, his fists clenching at his sides. "Try me."
Joshua stepped closer, far too close for Draco's liking, the smirk never leaving his face. "You know, I get it. You're obsessed with her. She's... captivating." He said it softly, but Draco caught the knowing glint in his eyes. "But you might want to ease up, before you burn yourself out."
Draco scoffed, his voice a sharp edge. "You don't know anything about me."
"Oh, I know more than you think, I've been at Seven's place a lot, she has a lot of things on all of you, even before leaving," Joshua said with a casual shrug, the playful tone in his voice suddenly shifting into something more mischievous. "But let's not make this all about Seventeen, yeah? You seem tense. Maybe you just need to loosen up a bit."
Draco narrowed his eyes. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Joshua's grin turned wicked. "I'm just saying that, if Seventeen's driving you that crazy, maybe you need a distraction." He glanced at Draco, then at Claus and Hunter, before his eyes swept over the girls too, lingering just long enough to make his point clear. "I'm free, you know. And I swing both ways."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Draco blinked, his mind racing to process what Joshua had just said. ["Wait, what?"] He could barely believe it. Out of all the things he'd expected Joshua to say, this wasn't anywhere near the top of the list. A million different responses warred for dominance in his mind, but he was too thrown off to pick one.
Claus burst out laughing, clapping Draco on the back. "Looks like you've got some new competition now that I'm out of the run, cousin."
Hunter raised an eyebrow, trying and failing to hide his smirk, his tan skin reddening, "Didn't see that coming."
The girls exchanged glances, half-amused, half-skeptical. Amelia snorted softly, while Sablina shook her head, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
Cassandra, on the other hand, groaned loudly and shot a mock glare at Joshua. "Oh, for the love of Khaos—will you stop flirting with everyone already? I'm done with you."
Joshua gave his twin a wink. "You say that now, but we both know I can't resist it. It's stronger than me. Not my fault if I stole all the charm and charisma in the womb and left you with nothing."
"Yeah, yeah," Cassandra drawled sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "And I took the intelligence for myself, way more valuable. But seriously, if I have to listen to you hit on one more person, Josh, I'm leaving you in the next Dark Zone we pass in a mission."
Joshua chuckled, clearly enjoying the chaos he had created. "Fair enough. But just so we're clear, the offer stands." He winked at Draco, and Draco felt his brain practically short-circuit. Joshua turned back to the others. "Now, where were we? Oh, right. Training."
Claus, still chuckling, shook his head. "Well, that took a turn. I'm straight however, and I am sorry to disappoint you, but Draco is even straighter than I am. But thanks either way, you've got some good taste."
"I respect that. But have you tried before to be sure you're not into it, though?" Joshua purred.
Draco finally managed to snap out of his stunned silence, glaring at Joshua, though his face felt like it was burning with both embarrassment and frustration. "You're not serious."
"Oh, I'm serious about a lot of things," Joshua said with a smirk, clearly pleased with himself. "But let's focus on what matters right now—helping you lot not die."
Cassandra, ever practical, stepped forward, her sarcasm giving way to a more serious tone. "Look, if you're going to survive this mission with Seventeen, you need to sharpen up. She's tough, stronger than any of us combined, even if she lacks control given how many abilities she possess. But she's not invincible. If you want to fight alongside her, you need to be just as sharp."
Draco crossed his arms, his jaw still tight from the earlier banter, but he forced himself to focus on the matter at hand. Training. If it meant becoming better, becoming strong enough to protect Seventeen, then that's all that mattered. He couldn't afford to be distracted.
"We're here to help," Joshua said, his voice softer now, though that smirk still lingered at the corner of his mouth. "Cassie and I have been training with Seven for years. We know what she's capable of—and what she expects. If you're serious about fighting by her side, then you'll need to listen."
Hunter nodded, crossing his arms. "We're serious."
"Good," Cassandra said, her expression hardening. "Because this isn't just about surviving. This is about proving to Seventeen that you're worth fighting alongside. She's not going to hold your hand through this."
"She'll expect you to keep up," Joshua added. "And if you can't, she'll leave you behind."
Draco's hands clenched into fists. He wouldn't let that happen. Not in a million years. "How old are the two of you again?"
"24 years old," Cassandra rolled her eyes.
Draco couldn't help his competitive spirit as he purred, "I'm older than you."
"Wow, big difference. You're from October 31st, we're from December 4th. So?" Cassandra mocked. "Focus, De Lavissaye. You can do your measuring contest later."
"I'd win either way," Draco mumbled, unable to control the childishness within him.
Joshua grinned mischievously, "You're white, I'm black. I'd think before answering that, if you don't want to humiliate yourself."
"It's not out of arrogance, Duke, it's confidence in the factual data. I'd win," Draco said firmly.
"I need proof for that," Joshua flirted shamelessly, undressing him with his eyes.
Draco felt his brain being short-circuited again, cringing, his body unconsciously taking two steps away from Joshua, "Stay away from me."
Claus, ever so loud, burst out laughing at the horrified look in his cousin's face, "We bathed together growing up, Joshua, my cousin isn't being modest."
"He is... rather abnormal for the... stereotype that follows his... pale skin tone," Hunter spoke robotically shy, his face burning ten shaders of red.
"I'm hooked, but I still need some proof of that," Joshua chanted, giving lustful eyes to Draco, who took a long step away, grabbing Sablina by the shoulders softly and putting her between them. "Hey, pretty girl."
"I'm into girls," Sablina countered him bluntly before he could try flirting with her, exactly why Draco had picked her to defend his dignity. "Solely girls. And I'm taken," she rolled her eyes at his attempt, pointing her right thumb to Amelia, who blushed hard.
"I'm with her and... Hunter," she exclaimed.
"Insatiable much, are you, girl?" Joshua taunted. "Leave the ambiguous one for me," he shamelessly eyed Hunter, who turned into a... flustered strawberry.
"I rather not," Amelia scoffed.
"You?" Joshua threw the ball at Light, who cackled at his audacity.
"You're not my type," she said honestly.
"A pity, you're losing out, red," he winked.
["This guy is unhinged, and shameless,"] he thought. ["How is he Seven's best friend?"]
"Now that I'm... safe," Draco muttered, eyes on Cassandra, who was looking profoundly amused with how her twin had scared them with his flirting, at the same time as done with him. "What's the plan?"
She stepped forward, her sharp eyes sweeping over the group, "We'll start with combat training. One-on-one sparring. Joshua and I will gauge your strengths and weaknesses, figure out where you need the most improvement. Once we've got that down, we'll move on to more advanced techniques. And before you ask—yes, Seventeen fights dirty. You're going to need to learn how to deal with that too."
Joshua gave him sly grin. "Think you can handle it, pretty boy?"
Draco shot him a glare. "I can handle anything."
"I wish," Joshua's grin widened. "But we'll see."
Cassandra looked between them, her lips twitching into a faint smile. "Don't go killing each other, boys. Save that energy for training."
"Wish I could kill him with something else," Joshua purred with all the dirty intentions.
"Joshua, stop," she punched his shoulder.
"I'm just befriending him."
"I rather you didn't," Draco snapped hostilely. ["This asshole gotta be messing with me."]
He ignored the amused look Cassandra gave him and focused on Joshua. Fine. If this was how things were going to be, he'd take the challenge head-on. Sarcasm, training, fighting—fighting against Joshua's overbearing advances—whatever it took to prove that he wasn't just another guy hanging around Seventeen. He'd make sure he stood out.
Even if Joshua kept pushing his buttons.
["Whatever it takes to be with her."]