A/N: I've always wanted to write Jess/Mahesh…they're like my second OTP after Sio/Adam. I always imagined them to have this friends-with-benefits type relationship, but secretly, I think they would like something more—only they're too fearful to really pursue it. Some suggestive content but nothing explicit.


#DrunkJessWillForceAKissOnMaheshsWaistIfThisGets5RTWithinAnHour

She almost considered posting the spontaneous selfie—herself perched precariously on top of his shoulders in nothing but a tank top and short shorts with a half-empty bottle of wine in one hand, he wearing the same t-shirt they'd gone out to dinner in—with that hashtag onto her now-defunct Twitter feed; almost. But despite the haze of alcohol and playful lust, the blonde remembered just in time that a) they were no longer regular members of society (popular model or not) and b) DOGOO would probably have their heads if anything even remotely close to the type of behavior she and the Indian engaged in fairly regularly were to leak out. Oh, and also c) her Twitter account didn't exist anymore.

Oops.

Giggling, she nearly dropped her phone, but he caught it with relative ease—while somehow also holding the myriad of bags she'd managed to accumulate during their little post-dinner, seaside mall jaunt while the other two went off on their 'first date'. She sighed as thought of just how shy and sweet the Ripper and sniper acted around each other—how cute. There was a time where she'd wished for, maybe even considered entering such a relationship with the man who was currently juggling her, her bags, and her phone. But that was a while ago—and now, she was pretty sure, they'd missed that opportunity when it came knocking for all of three seconds when they first met, after he casually invited her to his room during the 'tour' and that was the end of that.

"Ah, Jess…if you want me to carry you back, how about not moving around so much…?" The Indian gave her a slight grimace, but quickly reverted to that of his usual charming smile. Oh, that smile…even to someone as experienced as her, it was hard to resist. It was that very smile that piqued her interest in the first place, for she knew, that underneath, there was a layer of hidden cunning and wit that could more than match her own. That, combined with his silk tongue (in more than one sense) and handsome looks, and sure, why not, they could certainly 'take a rest' in his room. For the next two hours or so.

"Hmmm…hey, I wonder what those two're off to now?" Knowing them, probably something incredibly silly and juvenile; Adam, despite his rough exterior, she knew for a fact to be still a kid at heart, and Sio was a kid. She was amazed he'd even taken the initiative to kiss her in the first place, but anything beyond that? Highly doubtful, teenage hormones or not.

When they'd won that volleyball match back on the beach, she hadn't thought much of it—simply a chance to show off her athleticism and have fun, the first time in a long time. Shopping had been a natural given, as a result; DOGOO did not allow much for casual wear, but she needed something to connect back to the person whom she used to be, the up-and-coming sportswear model, Jess Beckham, before this whole 'e-gene' ordeal exploded and she'd been forced to give up that life completely.

Not that it mattered much, when she really thought about it; as glamorous as being a model may have seemed, it wasn't all posh celebrities, wild parties, or whatever else the tabloids liked to push onto their headlines. Mostly her days were tiring, if anything else; go to class, study on on the Tube, do a quick-change 20 or even 30 times for the camera while writing an essay during the five-minute set change breaks, then arrive back at the flat past midnight and collapse. Long-term relationships were out of the question; occasionally if she felt like it and they were both in agreement that this was just to be a fling, a one-night stand, then she might go for it. There had been a sweet girl that seemed really interested in taking things further, but in the end, DOGOO came calling and that quickly squashed any notions of romance.

"Hey, what's with that scary face, Mahesh?" She peered down at him curiously, oblivious to the fact that he was trying to hold her (and everything else) with one arm while wrangling with the card key in the other.

"I'm serious, you'd better stop or else…" His tone was half-teasing, half-threatening, but she knew him better than that. Always on the line between playful and serious, until sometimes even she wasn't sure just exactly what his true nature would be. He was an interesting one…at first glance, he was like her, in terms of just wanting to have fun and not be committed, but soon enough she'd come to learn, there was much more beneath that warm mocha-toned skin and glittering onyx.

Perhaps, if this war was to end soon, maybe there would be a chance they could have something as well…

"Well, I'm not doing anything, so how can I stop?" The walls were slightly wavy in her vision as the two finally stumbled back into her room, the wine having miraculously not been spilled. "Hey, you could've been nicer instead of just throwing me onto the bed…" she pouted, setting the bottle onto the nightstand.

He gave her a look, before shrugging and collapsing into the chair with a sigh of relief. "Yeah, well next time perhaps we should both just walk and carry our own bags then, no?" Eyeing the bottle, he gave it a swirl before finishing it off; no use in wasting good wine, despite the generous amount of drinks they'd both consumed before even splitting off from the lovebirds. To him, shopping was more of a torture than anything else; he was good after the first store, but Jess had dragged him to every corner, insisting on trying on something every time and even going so far as to buy a full set of outfits for the rest of their platoon. He was quite sure that Sio would probably faint before consenting to wearing that cut-out swimsuit and Adam would balk at the idea of looking like Tommy Hilfiger's poster boy. The alcohol had helped to dull his irritation, but not the boredom. "Ah, if only I hadn't missed the ball…"

She laughed and tossed her tank top over the chair, her generous bosom cupped in lavender-hued floral lace. "Please, you know we had that one in the bag." The nice day at the beach, having fun, and just spending time with someone you liked made her feel quite warm and relaxed…or was that just the wine talking? Actually, now that she thought about it she was feeling kind of horny, too. "Hmmm, are you coming or not?"

"As demanding as ever…" The shirt dropped to the floor along with his pants, the sheets feeling nice against his sunburned skin. "Mmm…I just realized, I'm quite tired—ow! For god's sake, I think you smacked me a record number of times today…"

"That's because you deserved it," she replied tartly, loosening her hair as he loosened her bra. "Ah…feels much better."

Mahesh Mirza. She hadn't expected to be attracted to an Indian, of all things, but it wasn't like she was against it—just very pleasantly surprised. Even if she was never quite sure how serious he would be, or if he would ever be interested in anything more than this 'friends-with-benefits' thing they had going on, there was no denying the fact that he was a talented, and quite devious, lover. It was amusing how different they were on and off the field; in battle, nobody dared mess with her, lest they find themselves buried six feet under, and he took it upon himself to quell even the tiniest of arguments. In the bedroom though, it was a bit of a different story… Sometimes he was passionate, and made sure she was satisfied first. Other times, such as right now…

"O-oh…! Nngg…n-not so…f-fast…"

"Sorry…but I don't feel like being patient today…"

Maybe it was his way of saying he did not appreciate being dragged all over, bags upon bags in hand while Adam and Sio got off scot-free, in that subtle, passive-aggressive way of his. He never outright confronted you bluntly—that was Adam—but you would always know if he wasn't pleased with you. A slight grunt of pain as he pushed her up against the headboard, but it felt too good for her to even complain. It always irritated her a bit at how well he could keep his composure during sex, while she keened and whined and always gave in to his demands.

Who was the say that she couldn't turn things around, once in a while too?

"H-Hey, what the—!" Mahesh was used to leading during sex, but this—a warm, moist tongue tracing itself over his torso and he shuddered, losing the momentum he'd been pushing for. "J-Jess, are you—"

"—You've been doing such a marvelous job so far, I just thought, you deserved a reward…" That was part of it, but also, she'd always wanted to see how he tasted, if his skin was really as warm and smooth as the rich coffee hues that dyed it. "You're warm…" A delightfully gorgeous contrast against her own creamy porcelain skin, like white and dark chocolate.

"…Ah. Same could be said for you…" A blink, not sure what was coming over the woman all of a sudden. Perhaps it was the alcohol. While they certainly liked each other enough, at least to continue this strange relationship, the Indian definitely would not put them in the affectionate/romantic category. For her to act so…tender, it was…new territory, to stay the least.

But interestingly enough, it was most definitely welcome.

Perhaps it was not too late to go back and pick up that opportunity, that had been so carelessly dropped in front of the holders' quarters that first time. That, despite the words of warning to the Ripper, maybe there was a reason those two decided to just forge ahead with their own hearts anyway.

At the very least, it was something worth remembering.