16maniac

[16maniac]

“defending what’s ours”

pairing: malakai x fem!reader

warnings/tags: none. tooth rotting fluff.

summary: after a rough breakup, things between you and malakai are strained. the tension follows you both around during school, but things take an unexpected turn when he defends you at a party.

[the day after the breakup]

it was hard to avoid the tension between you and malakai. since the breakup earlier that morning, neither of you had said much. you were still in that weird limbo—feeling hurt, but also unsure of what to say to fix things. every class felt like it dragged on, and even though you were surrounded by people, the silence between you and him was deafening.

you could feel the stares from everyone in school. some were sympathetic, some were judgmental. it was no secret that you two had been the power couple for months, so seeing you two acting distant was bound to cause rumors.

your friends noticed the awkwardness too, trying to talk to you, but the words felt heavy. they kept trying to get you to talk about the breakup, but you weren’t ready to open up yet.

at lunch, you spotted malakai sitting with his friends, laughing with them like everything was fine. but when his eyes met yours across the cafeteria, it was like a silent exchange of pain. he looked away quickly, as if he didn’t want anyone to see how much it hurt him too.

[the party]

later that evening, you decided to go to a party to get your mind off things. you didn’t want to, but you knew it was better than staying home with all your thoughts. you were surprised to see malakai there too—his presence made everything feel even more complicated.

the night dragged on, and you tried to have fun, but you couldn’t shake the tension in the air every time malakai was around. you were both avoiding each other like the plague, but you could feel his eyes on you every now and then. he wasn’t being obvious, but you knew he was watching.

a couple of hours into the party, a group of his friends started talking loudly near the kitchen. you were talking to your friends when you overheard someone mention you.

"you see how she's acting? i can't believe she’s already moving on from malakai," one of them said, and someone else laughed.

you tried to ignore it, but it stung. it wasn’t even about what they were saying, but the fact that you knew malakai could hear it too. the last thing you wanted was for him to think you’d moved on that quickly.

before you could react, malakai stepped in, walking straight over to the group.

"yo, cut it out," he said in a low, commanding voice. his presence made the room quiet down immediately.

"what’s your problem, malakai?" one of the guys asked, raising an eyebrow.

"my problem? talking shit about her is my problem," malakai shot back. he stood up straight, his jaw clenched as he looked around the group. "it’s none of your business what’s going on between us. so unless you wanna deal with me, i suggest you keep it down."

the tension in the room shifted, and people started scattering, clearly intimidated by malakai’s glare. your heart raced. you couldn’t believe he just defended you like that, especially after everything that had happened.

you stood there for a second, stunned, before you walked up to him.

"malakai... i didn’t ask you to do that," you said quietly.

he turned to face you, his expression softening. "i know you didn’t, but they had it coming. nobody talks about you like that, not while i'm around."

you couldn’t help but feel a rush of emotions. the night had been so hard on you, but hearing malakai stand up for you like that made you feel like maybe, just maybe, things could be okay again.

"thank you," you whispered.

he shrugged, a small smile on his lips. "don't mention it."

after a beat, he added, "look, i know we’re... not in the best place right now, but that doesn’t mean i’m just gonna let people talk shit about you."

you nodded, your heart swelling. "i get it. but we’re still figuring things out, right?"

malakai hesitated for a moment before he nodded. "yeah, we are. but i’ve got your back, no matter what."

you smiled at him, and for the first time in a while, you felt a small sense of relief. maybe things weren’t perfect, but they were better than they had been earlier that day. and that was a start.

[end]

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[16maniac]

⊹₊ ⋆ 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘦 ⋆ ₊ ⊹

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music taste: lizzy mcalpine, lana del rey, chappell roan, charli xcx, radiohead, cigarettes after sex, laufey, (musicals), khamari, sabrina carpenter, bryson tiller, tyler the creator, alex g

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fav movies: challengers, sharp stick, don’t blink, la la land, mickey 17, lolita, spring breakers, eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, passengers, moonlight, spiderman, tick tick boom

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fav shows: the walking dead, greys anatomy, the last of us, gilmore girls, insecure, saiki k, you, outerbanks, black mirror, monsters, euphoria, shameless, heartbreak high

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ask me anything. dms are always open feel free to text :))

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