Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Life took a sharp U-turn for Khalid. It's not that he had ever had smooth sailing, but at least he had order. He had a routine: Eat, sleep, train, train more, exhaust yourself until you fall, and make sure never to walk out of line and always keep discipline because he knew that he was not one of those people who would have the luxury of second chances. One mistake, one failed mission, one wrong move, and he would be declared a traitor, just like that. His efforts would never amount to anything as he will forever be scrubbing the horrifying stains on his family name, all because of his scum of a father. 

As Khalid had never had any friends before, Aditi’s appearance in his routine life was making him anxious. She was naturally a kind and soft-spoken lady who could speak her mind without being intimidated by anyone. Khalid admired her but felt guilty that he was being cautious with their interactions. Whenever she actively conversed with him, he went on autopilot and assumed that she had an agenda; if she helped him in training, she must have an ulterior motive to ambush him. He tried to convince himself that she was not like others and genuinely wanted to be his friend; his default thoughts would not let him put his guard down. 

Two months had passed by since Kabir ran the code of punishment. Things did not get better for anyone as Khalid was the apparent “snitch.” They were not aware that Aditi interfered with their little “roughing up,” so naturally, they suspected Khalid of running to Kabir with his little complaints. This rubbed everyone the wrong way; why was Khalid the only one who got to sleep comfortably inside the dorm and eat good food when the rest had to suffer like this? Why was the apparent “snitch” the one who was enjoying the comfort while everyone else couldn’t even access basic necessities? Day by day, people were losing their patience with him. Khalid’s relationship with his supposed teammates was getting tense by the second, and he could not do anything. He tried speaking to Kabir once again regarding this, but he was subjected to more sarcasm and dismissal. He knew he would have to do something about this, or he would never be able to be a part of the “team.” 

Aditi slammed her bowl full of fried rice in front of him as they sat down for dinner. “These idiots have no idea what they are dealing with yet. You know Natasha? She still thinks that Kabir sir is going to forgive them soon, and they can go back to how things were before. Fools!” she exclaimed. 

Taken back from this sudden information dump, Khalid sat straighter and looked at her curiously. “I mean, Kabir sir will have to relive them soon, right? This can’t go on forever,” he said. He ate his paratha quietly, only wishing he would ask his ammi for her recipe, as the ones he made never turned out as good as hers; he was missing something and craved his mother’s hand-made food. 

“Oh, trust me, this is not the first time Kabir sir has punished us. About two years ago, Nishant messed up on an important mission; he let confidential information slip into the media, which compromised the whole project. On top of it, he tried to cover his tracks and hide this debacle. Now, Kabir sir can forgive a mistake like that after some tough grilling and minor restrictions, but he would absolutely not forgive people lying to him; he believes trust to be more important in his division than anything. Nishant was suspended for six months and was transferred to the worst possible location for a year before he was brought back. All the people who tried to cover for him were suspended for six months as well, and when they came back, they had to start from the bottom of the barrel before they could crawl back to the position they had before. It was absolutely brutal but well-deserved. Since then, an example had been set, and nobody had tried any funny business until you came. They got too brave, Kahlid; trust me, this is a good thing.” Aditi spoke, and even though she was one of the people to suffer this punishment, she was glad that people had finally stopped bothering Khalid; some were even civil towards him, hostile, albeit. 

“If you say so.” Khalid tried to process what she said, taking mental notes on his teammates and Kabir. Even though he could never completely open up to Aditi, he had slowly, somehow, started to feel comfortable in her company. He could talk to her about everyday stuff and not feel like he bothered her. It was new for him, but he was making progress. 

“Don’t you have a family visit tomorrow?” Aditi asked. 

Hearing her mention that set a smile on his face. “Yes, Ammi is coming to see me. It's been a while, and she has been feeling restless without me. It's always been just the two of us for so long, and even I feel weird not seeing her face every day. I really miss her,” he said shyly. 

“That’s so sweet. My mom and dad were so sick of me that they wanted their rebellious child to become a disciplined soldier finally. I rarely see them, but it's mostly because of how far they live. Otherwise, amma would have been on my neck every other day.” She laughed. Khalid laughed with her and shook his head.

“They must be proud of you, right? Being on Kabir sir’s team is not something anyone can accomplish.” He asked curiously.

“They are. They never miss a chance to talk about me with our relatives; it's a little embarrassing, but they have earned that right, I guess?” She said, and Khalid nodded. “By the way, you are absolutely obsessed with Kabir, sir, aren’t you?” She smirked.

She said this when Khalid was trying to drink water from his glass; as soon as the words were out of his mouth, he choked on the water and almost died. Aditi chuckled at that reaction and laughed at his embarrassed face. “Calm down, big boy.”

“Why would you say that?” He coughed more and wiped his mouth with a tissue. “It’s not like I am obsessed with him, you know.”

“Then what is it? I saw you from afar when you first came here with Colonel Luthra; you couldn’t take your eyes off Kabir sir; it was like you were looking at your favourite celebrity or something. The fact that you choose to be here, in Kabir sir’s division, despite knowing that the odds will not be in your favour, says something about you. So, why this place? Why Kabir sir?” She asked, lowering her voice. The second of silence gives her a sense that maybe she should not have pried. “You don’t have to tell me. Sorry if I said anything out of the line. I know its none of my business-”

“No! It's just that I have always admired Kabir sir. Ammi always talked about him, that he was the best soldier and told me to be like him. After what happened with my father, she wanted me to have the right role model. She did not want me to bear anger or hate against anyone, especially my country, so she always encouraged me to be like Kabir sir. And that’s what I have always believed in, so yeah, he is like a celebrity to me. I just want him to acknowledge me, you know? I want to be a part of his team like you all are so that, maybe then, the anger in his heart can lessen.” He poured his heart out; it was the first time he had ever shared this with anyone, and it felt good to talk to someone about this. He was so passionate about being acknowledged by Kabir that it drove his spirit. 

“You are really something, ha Khalid? Most people come here to satisfy their parents, gain glory, or be disciplined and live a meaningful life like me. For us, this is just a part of our lives, but for you, this is it, isn't it? This is your life.” She smiled at him, finally on her way to understanding this man. 

“Yeah. And thank you for defending me, Aditi. I know it was you who talked to Kabir sir about what was happening. I appreciate you standing up for me. Nobody has really done that for me before, so it means a lot. I don’t want you to get in trouble for sticking your neck out for me.” His warm smile and caring eyes made Aditi feel like she could trust this person. He was not like what everyone was saying. This guy was a good man and deserved to be treated like one. 

“I won’t, don’t worry about me. I’m a big girl. You are a good guy, Khalid; you did not deserve to be treated that way. Just know that whatever you need, I am always here for you, okay?” She said, reaching out her hand and placing it on his, squeezing it a little to assure him. 

He nodded and returned her a genuine smile. This was the first time Khalid had made a friend, someone to have his back, someone who would be there for him. His heart swelled up in his chest with a hint of happiness. He could finally be a part of a group, a part of a friendship, and rely on someone. This was new, but whatever it was, it was good. 

Although good things never lasted long for him. 

A shadow loomed over both of them, and they turned around to see the devil himself looking down at them, his eye fixated on where Aditi had placed her hand on Khalid’s. Veins in his forehead protruding, the smile on his face was not fooling anyone that he was vexed. 

Khalid quickly pulled her hand away from Aditi’s grasp and squeezed his hands together. He did not want Kabir to get any wrong ideas about them in his head. He was always walking on eggshells around him and did not want any misunderstandings to mess things up.

“Did I disturb you guys?” He asked, his voice sounding overly sweet and the fake simple wavering.

Aditi stood up quickly and said, “Absolutely not, sir. We were just chatting. Anyway, I am off to bed. Sir. Bye, Khalid. Good night.” She signed off and swiftly vanished. 

Khalid stood up, left alone with Kabir; his guard was down, and he did not want to risk saying anything stupid right now. But before he could open his mouth, Kabir captured his wrist harshly and dragged him away. He was confused as to where they were going but didn’t resist. Kabir took them far from anyone’s view and finally stopped, pushing Khalid against the wall, not letting go of his wrist. He noticed that it was the same hand that Aditi held as a gesture of friendship. He hesitated but looked up at Kabir to ask him what this was about, but he beat him to it.

“What. were you two doing?” Kabir’s voice was rough as he pushed against Khalid, getting closer to him and looking down into Khalid’s eyes. He demanded to know. 

“Nothing, we were just-”

“Do not fucking lie to me, Khalid.” He ordered, raising his voice. “I saw you two holding hands; what's going on? Tell me.” Silence. “Now!” He growled through his teeth. Getting frustrated by the second. 

Khalid pushed back gently, “I’m not lying, sir. We’re just-we’re just friends.” He did not want Aditi’s name or image tarnished in Kabir’s eyes, so he had to clear her name. This was what he wanted to avoid, but he always managed to drag down those who cared for him. He had to make Kabir understand that she was only being friendly and nothing else. 

“So you have started making friends here? Want them to be a part of your little plan? What's going on in that head of yours, Khalid? Tell me, c’mon.” Kabir was relentless. 

“I swear, sir, it's nothing like that. We were just having a conversation; she asked me about Ammi, and we were just talking about family. We-We just got caught up, and that's when you came in and saw, I swear, that's it.” Khalid tried to explain. Omitting the unnecessary things but also telling the truth.

Kabir’s eyes did not leave his face, judging him and calculating what to say next. He tilted his head to the side, “Are you telling the truth?” He asked again. 

“Yes, sir.” Khalid said, lips trembling slightly; he looked away.

The answer did not seem to satisfy Kabir; he looked away from him and shook his head, suddenly pulling Khalid towards him by the wrist. He did not let go, the grip only tightening more. 

“I don’t like it Kahlid. Her touching you. You letting her touch you.” Their eyes met again. One pair alarmed, one agitated. “It makes me angry every time you let someone else be all over you, do you know that?” He whispered, his grip on Khalid’s wrist finally loosening, but he didn’t let go. His big, warm hands slowly travelled up Khalid’s arms, eyes never leaving the places he touched. Khalid’s entire body felt like it was on fire, his heart almost beating out of his chest, lip parting slightly because he couldn’t breathe through his nose; he rested his hand on Kabir’s chest lightly, gripping his worn-out shirt lightly. He didn’t know if he was allowed to touch the older man. Kabir’s hands finally stopped at his shoulder and gripped them tightly, bringing them closer, faces just an inch away, “Don't let anyone touch you like that, Khalid.” He whispered, his voice deep and heated.

Khalid felt brave being so close to him, so he asked, never breaking eye contact, “Why?”

Kabir squinted in amusement. “Do I need a reason to give an order? Will you not obey?” he asked. Didn’t you say you would follow my every order? My every command? Was I mistaken?” he asked cunningly, slightly letting go of his grip. He knew what this was doing to Khalid and played the game.

As expected, Khalid’s eyes widened, gripping Kabir’s shirt tighter, bringing them closer. “No. No.” He searched Kabir’s eyes to make the older look at him and pay attention to him. “I will not let anyone touch me, sir. Only you.” 

He must have said the right thing because that captured Kabir’s attention. “Only me?”

“Only you, sir.” Khalid nodded, looking away.

“How do I trust you, Khalid? You have a way of sweet-talking people, you know. You are well aware of what I want to hear, and you say it just like that. But can you prove it?” Kabir knew he was playing a very dangerous game, one in which he wins and loses altogether. 

“W-What?” The younger asked.

“Prove it to me that you will not let anyone touch you. That I am the only one who has that right. Can you do it?” Kabir swallowed, his mouth watering at the thought. His eyes were turning wild, and he was hand-grabbing Khalid’s body anywhere he could, which happened to be his shoulder and waist.

“I can. I will. You ask for it, and I’ll do it, sir. Anything, I’ll prove it.” In his trance, in awe of this man to prove his worthiness, Khalid did not notice the changes in their position away from the wall. 

“Anything, Khalid?” The older asked, slowly letting go of the younger, stepping away and creating distance between them.

Khalid, alarmed, could only nod. “Anything, Sir.”

Kabir knew that he was falling into dangerous territory. It had been years since he last felt this incomprehensible burning in his chest. He remembered the exact moment he felt it last. 

Seeing a 19-year-old, young Khalid, barely legal, so innocent and small. Kabir saw him from far away as the young boy clung to his mother and balled his eyes out after getting rejected from the University he wanted to get into. Khalid’s mother, a woman brave enough to sacrifice her husband for the country, begged Kabir to help her son. At that time, Kabir’s heart was filled with disdain and anger. Khalid had his father’s eyes, and in those eyes, he could only see a traitor, nothing else. But that day, as heavy tears filled them, Kabir was burning from the inside out. 

He knew of Khalid’s existence ever since the younger was a child but never had the chance to meet or see him. After killing his father, he had never felt the need to contact this boy who was the offspring of that traitor. So seeing Khalid there in front of him, ashamed of himself that his ammi has to beg someone else for his future, that distraught look on Khalid’s face was exhilarating for Kabir. He wanted to see that face again; he wanted Khalid to always be in pain so that it could keep Kabir’s heart burning. 

But he knew the boy was young, and he had no fault in his father’s doings. Kabir knew it very well. But the wound on his chest was still too fresh, both physical and emotional. He lost his team, his friends, and his long-standing mission to protect his country. He had refused to help Khalid at that time; he gave the reason of not having any say in that matter and had asked her not to see him again, ever. Associating himself with this family seemed like hell to him at that time. But he did give her the contact information of a guy he knew who could help them out; Kabir was an extremely influential person back then, and he knew important people who owed him favours. Khalid’s ammi was thankful for his help, and although Kabir could not be of direct help to them, that one phone call shaped Khalid’s future as a soldier. 

Kabir forgot about the young boy and erased him and his emotions entirely from his memories until fate brought him back, right before the older man’s feet. The same eyes that once lit a spark within Kabir’s chest were now burning him inside out. 

Years ago, Kabir could control himself; he could hold himself back from ruining the boy, but today was different. Today, Kabir was a worse man. He was going to give into the fire and burn Khalid with him. He was going to destroy Khalid and leave him a shell that would belong to Kabir and obey him only. This way, Khalid could never betray him, could never fall into enemy hands; this was the only way he could assure it. 

So when Khalid said “Anything” Kabir was going to ask, no demand, for everything. 

“Kneel,” he said, pocketing his hands, relaxing his shoulders, and leaning back. He saw Khalid’s confused look and smirked, explaining himself. “Get down on your knees for me, Khalid.” 

He watched slowly, with a slight wobble in his legs. Khalid got on both his knees and looked up expectantly at the older man, hands fidgeting before him. 

“Good boy,” Kabir whispered, a hand reaching out to caress Khalid’s cheek. His hooded eyes focused on every single muscle twitching on his face. He was enjoying the younger’s uncertainty, confusion and mostly his fear. Khalid’s eyes never left Kabir’s, but their breaths were turning heavy; the atmosphere raged as if someone had started a wildfire around them. Kabir had committed arson on Khalid’s body; from the bottom of his feet to the tip of his hair, everything was set on fire. Kabir’s touch was surprisingly soft but firm; he held Khalid as if he owned him, his palm making a home on his face; Khalid clenched his hands in fists. 

Kabir’s thumb moved steadily toward the younger’s lips. He dug his thumb into the corner of his mouth, signalling him to open. Khalid pursed his lips slightly; his mouth had gone dry from anxiety, but he didn’t part his lips, confused and scared. 

Kabir’s thumb then hooked onto his lower lip, dragging it down, forcing his thumb between, and pulling his jaw open. Khalid’s eyes turned wide, but he didn’t resist anymore, his mouth falling wide open as Kabir’s thumb landed on his tongue. 

The inside of Khalid’s mouth was warm and wet, saliva pooling at the corner of his lips; Kabir felt like a beast at that moment. Only if he could shove his cock in his little mouth, fuck Khalid’s throat until he would choke on it, feel Khalid’s heat and watch him swallow his seed. Kabir’s deranged thoughts made him twitch in his pants, control leaving by every second as he kept on exploring Khalid’s willing mouth. 

Should he?

He shouldn’t.

He should.

No, he shouldn’t.

A devil and an angel sat on his shoulders, debating whether or not he should absolutely take advantage of this man, who now was literally on his knees in front of him and begging to be fucked out of his mind. 

He had made up his mind. 

“Khalid,” Kabir called out. “Tell me,” He began, breath heavy, mouth-watering and eyes full of demonic lust. Khalid looked at him expectantly, still feeling Kabir trace every corner of his mouth, from his teeth to his tongue to his throat. 

“Have you ever sucked a cock before?”