You hated each other. You couldn’t spend three minutes looking at each other without wanting to throw a punch. You didn’t even remember when this rivalry started — you just knew it had always been there. During missions together, you were always shoving each other around, pinching whenever there was an opportunity, provoking on purpose.

To everyone else, it looked like nothing more than silly bickering between young adults, almost a childish competition. But for you two, it was something serious. Being “under” the other was never an option. You got deeply irritated whenever you ended up at a disadvantage, and so did he. No one really understood why; this game of deciding who stayed on top only made sense in the private little world you both shared.

And honestly, nothing was better than what came after a fight. Zanka would push you against the wall, pin you there, and kiss you hard just to shut you up. The intensity would turn soft after a few seconds, and he’d slip a hand into your hair, pulling just enough to leave you breathless. When the kiss finally broke, Zanka looked at you in that way… something between seriousness and something you could never quite name.

The routine was almost always the same: teasing, fighting, arguing, and then ending up together, tangled in kisses — maybe even something more intimate — in the room at night.

Was he more vulnerable in those moments? Yes. Did both of you like that? Very much. Would you stop competing? Never.

This was the essence of your relationship with Zanka: enemies with benefits. Something only the two of you understood.