cw: agent00 x betasquad!reader, slightest angst, comfort, bugs, panic attack, corny title sorry 💔
sypnosis: constantly being pit against eachother because of their competitive personalities is typically blamed for thick tension between the two that lingers off camera. agent quickly disproves this theory after acting on his aching need to comfort the reader.
you often wished you were more like niko. he was an effortless leader. patient, assertive, diplomatic, all wrapped up in a quiet hunger to win. people said the same about you, especially when talking about the sibling-like bond you shared with him. but for you, the need to win didn’t just live under the surface it pulsed through every part of your being, louder and more consuming than it ever did in niko.
your personality clashed directly with agent's. ends on ends of twitter threads featured clips outlining the so-called fued between you, tension palpable through the screen. niko somehow managed to keep things civil with agent, despite their competing ambitions. but you? there was something about him you couldn’t bring yourself to stand. maybe it was the way he carried himself, cool and collected amongst the chaos of his brothers. maybe it was how he let his stares linger, or spoke with that infuriating calmness, like nothing ever really got to him.
and maybe, deep down, you hated how much of that unsettled you.
you assumed agent shared this dislike. he never shied away from the demeaning comments as soon as you were in earshot. everything he did seemed to hold the pure purpose of milking a reaction out of you. and on days like this, that feeling only got worse.
you stood awkwardly at the craft table, abandoned by sharky to converse with the rest of amp before the shoot started. having done the box video with your own boys should've given you an upper hand on the other boys, but you couldn't have felt more defeated going in. you had almost tapped out during the try not to move challenge during previous video, and weren't feeling confident if the challenge reappeared. fear fueled the silent war waging in your head, soon interrupted by a sickeningly smooth voice.
“i like your outfit.” agent chuckled warmly, taking his time to drag his eyes up and down your frame.
you stared down at your white jumpsuit clad body, resisting the urge to roll your eyes before responding, “don't look too bad yourself.” quickly, maybe even calculated to the untrained eye.
agent however, saw deeper into the unbothered facade you tried to portray to mask the fear plaguing your bones. he always found a way to see right through you. your words were defensive, empty if you will.
“having regrets?” he questioned. it came less sarcastic than usual. his tone was softer, if that was even possible. he held more worry than anything. despite his tendency to provoke you, he cared much more than he let on. it almost made things feel real.
“worry about yourself, yeah?” your eyes glinted playfully, building you walls up even more. letting him in on your fears only gave him leverage against you, which was the last thing you needed.
you held eye contact as you reached past him for a grape, closing the space between you. he didn’t move. his breath hitched. you were close, close enough for him to catch the soft vanilla scent emitting from your body.. it messed with his head more than he wanted to admit. the noise from the boys playfully arguing in the background suddenly faded out for him, as if someone had turned down the volume.
“i'll see you in there, din.” you breathed out, before turning on your heel and in the direction of the rest of the boys.
agent turned around, desperate to hide his flustered appearance. large hands gripped the edge of the craft table as he tried to steady himself. he hated how easily you were able to make him second guess himself. a word or even a look and his typical effortless confidence could be shot in a matter of seconds. all he could do was play it off as more hate then pining.
denying his feelings to himself appeared easier, especially considering the public image they both upheld. he could run from the issue while still keeping her relatively close.
nobody else could ruin something he already sabotaged himself.
you hadn't expected yourself to get this far in the game. pairing yourself with fanum during the knowledge game, your high spice tolerance, and sharky's ability to win over the speed date contestant carried you relatively far on.
you stood behind niko, hands on his shoulders as he sat doubled over, fighting off the pain from the hot wings. sweat beaded at his forehead, small groans coming out every now and then. aj and sharky stood on either side, the three of you trying to talk niko through it. he was one of your strongest contenders and losing him could've led to a loss for the entire of beta squad.
aj's far from quiet pep talk caught the attention of agent. he used the situation as a ploy to coax niko out of the box.
“i think he's got it, thanks.” you turned over your shoulder to cut im before he could continue, acting as a barrier between him and niko.
agent didn't stop. he took a few strides to situate himself behind you, mouth close to your ear. “you really think you can do it without him?” his voice was only loud enough for you to hear. low and dangerous. you were sure his mic picked it up anyway, already envisioning the edits that would soon appear on your timeline.
niko lifted his head, hands still clutching his stomach, somehow being somewhat coherent in his current state. “you clearly haven't met her if you think she can't.” he jokingly muttered out before dropping his head again.
agent looked amused at niko's response. you turned your head slightly, eyes now locked on his. “you don't seem too confident. odds aren't really in your favor though are they?” agent's lip quirked up as he spoke.
thoughts began to consume every fold of your brain. he knew, reading you like it's absolutely nothing. you knew that you weren't on the best of terms with agent, but you didn't think he would stoop as low as using your fears against you. maybe he watched beta's video or maybe he saw something you failed to hide.
you allowed hurt to wash over your face for a split second, leaving agent's to drop in confusion, the ghost of a smile still present. your stomach twisted and suddenly, it started to feel like something more than just a stupid game.
“fuck off.” accent thicker than usual, dripping like venom from your lips. you snapped your head back to niko. agent didn't have time to decipher your actions, being brought into a conversation by davis and fanum.
he allowed himself a moment to glance back, taking in you clenched jaw and you tried to reassure niko. he shook himself back to reality, not giving himself the chance to wonder if he had gone too far. if he had ruined everything that the two of you built, even if it was based on trying to beat the other.
the rest of the challenge was awkward to say the least, tension filling the empty spaces of the container. agent's attempts at reconciliation between the two of you were met with silence. you refused to meet his eye, taking a harsher shot at his heart than he expected it would.
the challenge dawned upon the group faster than they expected, breaking up the light conversation between everyone. you stood quietly in the circle as they distributed straight jackets, hands becoming more and more unsteady by the second. a warm hand grazes your shoulder, gently turning you around to face it's owner.
he didn’t speak at first. he just looked at you. really looked. it seemed like he was trying to figure you out, taking in every feature to do so
“talk to me, please.” agent begged, not worried at the trials they would soon face. he couldn't focus in such a state. “i can't focus on anything else if you keep acting like you hate me." he continued, eyes darker than usual. he couldn't understand why you looked so utterly betrayed after their conversation or why you had quieted down when the round started.
“agent and Y/N, can you please have a seat with the rest of the players?” the automated voice rang out, catching the attention of the remaining players in the glass box.
you blinked, abruptly removing yourself from agent's hold and taking a seat in the furthest corner away from him. he paused for a second before of course sitting across from you, back leaning uncomfortably against one of the black posts to do so.
“you really don't know when to quit, man.” aj barked out a laugh, pointing out agent's behavior. “honestly this is the most entertained i've been all day” he started to ramble.
you rolled your eyes, but not without a smile suppressed behind your teeth tugging at your bottom lip. “he has a point.” you finally muttered out, catching agent off guard. he didn't know how badly he yearned to see you smile or hear your voice until being deprived of it. he let his nerves settle slightly, but not enough to drop the concern entirely.
the first level was simple. one of the dogs had perched itself on your criss crossed legs for a moment, before wandering over to aj who struggled a bit harder to remain composed.
the next level had your stomach bubbling in purr discomfort. the rolling of the various bugs and snakes into the tight space caused your breathing to pick up on instinct. this didn't go unnoticed by niko, but his current position didn't allow him to properly calm you without losing the game altogether.
“you lot got this. nothing we haven't done before.” niko attempted to keep spirits high between you and aj. aj gave you both the slightest of nods in return, a small encouragement for you and an i'm okay for niko.
agent noted the way you let your eyes close, teeth coming down harder and harder to gnaw at your lips. fear wasn't something he had seen you adorn often, if not at all.
your chest heaved at a rapid pace as a snake was placed around your neck. maggots and roaches followed suit. your skin burned, eyes glossing over.
“hey, hey, look at me.” you heard agent's voice, yet your eyes remained staring at the ceiling unable to face the reality of your situation. “you're okay. i'm right here. just breathe. just look at me, please.” he spoke in hushed tones as to not alert the other boys in the box. not that they would notice over fanum's mix of laughs and screams as niko's shouted for help.
you reluctantly let your eyes flicker down to meet his, met with a longing adoration. his chest tightened at the sight of you. he wanted nothing more to reach out. hold you and tell you that everything would be alright. that somedays he feels he needs you more than he needs air to breathe.
tears began to slowly leak down as you tried to level out your breathing. “breathe, y/n. in and out. don't think about it, focus on me.” he tried his best to calm you. the task was easier said than done as the snake continued to wrap around your throat. “don't think about it, just listen to my voice.”
a few minutes passed of agent talking about what he'd do with the money, what he ate for breakfast this morning, a shoot he had done earlier in the week; anything possible to calm you down. slowly your breathing steadied again.
“sorry.” you laughed, faint tear streaks painting your face. wet lashes rapidly blinked to keep any lingering tears at bay. “this is dramatic.” you wished you could wipe your tears, pretending that you didn't have a panic attack for millions of viewers to analyze and replay.
“no, no. being scared isn't dramatic. it's human.” he negated your thoughts. his voice was firm. like he couldn't be more sure about anything.
“this level is over.” the voice played over the box's speakers yet again, handlers coming in to remove the animals from each player.
upon the end of the round, you immediately stand, shaking off the feeling of things crawling around her body. niko patted your back, whispering a good job in your ear before moving to check on aj.
you turned around, forced to face agent who was seemingly waiting for you. your held your arms crossed around your front, hugging your body as if they were preventing you from falling apart. you stared at eachother for a moment, letting comfortable silence consume you.
“thank you.” you finally spoke. your voice was raw, something unfamiliar to agent.
instead of responding, he pulled his body into yours, arms coming to envelop you into his. you kept yours crossed in front of you, yet leaned your body into his.
you let out a breath, relief washing over you. your muscles relaxed, head coming to lean in the crook of his neck. you completely zoned out the whistle fanum let out and the complaints from niko about the bites littered across the back of his neck, letting it blur into background noise. you allowed peace to slowly overtake your body.
he pulled his head back, arms still tangled around your waist. he stayed silent for a beat. “anytime.” he answered so softly you almost missed it.
his arms retracted from you. he turned on his heel, going to talk to chris and fanum. the warmth faded into cold. the echo of his touch settled against your skin.
your feelings felt like they were too much to bare, the small room not helping.
you had tried so hard to reject his touch, but you couldn't help but yearn for more occurrences like this.
secure, raw, just unapologetically yourselves.
hi!!! this is my first time writing for amp so sorry if everything's kinda everywhere 😞. requests are open for both beta and amp though!!
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