first kiss
pairing: bodhi durran x ridoc gamlyn
genre: fluff
synopsis: As Section Leader, Bodhi Durran has many responsibilities he must complete. Keep his cadets out of trouble, sneak out daggers for the Resolution, be Xaden’s eyes and ears at Basgiath, and of course, help his cadets whenever they need it. Especially when it’s a cadet that tests his restraint.
warning(s): cursing, takes place in IF, making out, ridoc is a flirt, bodhi is secretly a flirt, implications of smut but no actual smut
w/c: 2.2k
a/n: happy bodoc week!! here’s my take on day 1: firsts!! @empyreanevents
ྀིbodhi durran masterlist
ྀིridoc gamlyn masterlist
˚ʚ♡ɞ˚
Bodhi’s footsteps echo within the empty hallway at Basgiath. These were the rare moments in which the chaotic war college was eerily silent. Had he not had a target on his back, perhaps Bodhi could relax within the silence. He always craved the silence, just like his mother did. He picks up his speed, the familiar sight of the stone doors of the gym coming into view.
He didn’t believe he actually agreed to this, especially when he has too many responsibilities to juggle in his cousin’s absence. Last night, either out of pure idiocy or because he was too tired to properly think straight, he had agreed to a one-on-one training session for one of the cadets in his section. Bodhi knows Ridoc Gamlyn doesn’t need training, he’s watched him spar Sawyer many times. But that didn’t stop him from agreeing.
“Durran,” the sound of Ridoc’s smooth voice enters the space in which Bodhi was quietly listening to Quinn and Imogen bicker. They’ve grown accustomed to his silent presence, while Bodhi has come to love the sound of their bickering.
Bodhi’s back straightens automatically, ensuring to keep his mask in place. “What?” He slightly narrows his eyes at the younger cadet, though his eyes don’t hold as much ice as Xaden’s.
Ridoc leans one muscular arm on the table, ignoring the way Imogen feigns disgust at the move. “I need your help, since you’re our section leader.”
Bodhi raises a brow, thinking it must have to do with Violet. “What is it?”
“I was wondering if you could train me with sparring. Sawyer refuses to help me fix my weak spot.”
What? Ridoc made it seem as if someone was in trouble, but he was simply asking to train. Bodhi couldn’t find it in himself to be angry–he had no energy. With all the events of the day thus far, he didn’t bother to stop and think before the words were tumbling out of his mouth, “sure.”
Imogen and Quinn perk up at this, shooting a look at their friend. Ridoc’s arm leaves the table, slightly taken aback before a mischievous grin tugs at his lips. “Tomorrow night?”
Bodhi waves him away, slightly nodding his head in confirmation. Ridoc gets the hint, leaving as quickly as he entered. Bodhi can practically feel the way Quinn and Imogen are glaring at him, “what?”
“Did you actually just agree to being alone with Ridoc?” Quinn questions, leaning in to keep the conversation amongst themselves.
“I–” Bodhi begins, abruptly closing his mouth. He drops his head into his hands, “I’m so fucked.”
“Gods, I can’t wait to hear what happened,” Imogen chuckles.
Now, Bodhi stood in front of the closed doors of the gym. He had a strong feeling Ridoc had beaten him here, as he saw him leave dinner a little early, presumably to change into his training clothes. Thankfully, Bodhi’s last period of the day was sparring, so he was already changed and could mentally prepare himself before leaving. But now he was here. His heart hammered in his chest–forcing deep breaths to calm down his heart. He didn’t need to pass out before he even started training.
With another deep breath, Bodhi pushes open the doors, met with Ridoc’s bare back.
He’s so fucked.
Ridoc turns, his signature grin already on his face, “for a second, I thought you’d be late.”
“I’m never late,” Bodhi scoffs, closing the doors behind him as he nears Ridoc.
“I know,” Ridoc says softly, a stark contrast to his usual tone. Bodhi ignores it, not allowing his soft tone to squeeze his heart.
“So you said you need help fixing your weak spot?” Bodhi questions, casually folding his arms over his chest.
“Yes,” Ridoc suddenly remembers, tucking his hands in the pockets of his pants, “Sawyer said I have an unguarded spot on my right side.”
Bodhi nods, “let’s do a round of sparring so I can see for myself.”
At least Bodhi could smugly tell Imogen she was wrong. He practically got his eyes stuck in the back of his head from the amount of times he rolled his eyes at his two friends for betting on him. Imogen’s highest bet was that Ridoc actually didn’t need help with anything. Quinn disagreed, not worried if she lost all the money to her name for a silly bet.
“So?” Ridoc questions, a light layer of sweat covering his chest.
Bodhi willed his eyes to not look at his chest, especially the defined muscles of his abdomen. “You do have a weak spot on that side, but it’s not bad.”
Ridoc nods, resting his hands on his hips, “so how can I fix it? I can’t have an opening like that in this war.”
Right, the war. For a moment, Bodhi had forgotten his mission at Basgiath. Keep getting the daggers out of Basgiath for the Resolution, to fight against the venin. He hadn’t realized Ridoc knew about it, but before he could question it, the younger boy clarified–”Violet told us. Rhiannon, Sawyer, and I. We won’t tell anyone, but I’d like to be prepared if I’m going to fight to protect thousands of lives.”
Bodhi nodded, seeing the truth in Ridoc’s eyes. It was a stark contrast to the usual demeanor he put on. Not caring about academics, flirtatious–the list goes on. Without a word, Bodhi steps closer, noting the way Ridoc’s breath catches. His hands land on Ridoc’s arms, readjusting them so they are in the position they were moments ago. Stepping around to his right side, he taps on Ridoc’s thigh, watching as he readjusts his position.
“This is the position you were in that opens up your side,” Bodhi acknowledges, gesturing with his hand how the right side of his ribcage is easily open for someone to attack. “The worst injury you could get aside from your chest is your ribcage.”
Ridoc frowns, “couldn’t I just swiftly move to block?”
Bodhi scoffs, a smile tugging at his lips, “some of them throw daggers–just like how Violet does. They’re fast, it’d be dumb luck if you move fast enough to block.”
Ridoc winces, knowing how Violet throws her daggers. A way that Xaden had worked day and night with her to perfect. “How do I fix it, then?”
“It’s actually really simple,” Bodhi says matter-of-factly. He steps to Ridoc’s right side, placing one hand on his shoulder while the other one grips the bottom of his elbow. Ridoc’s body relaxes under his touch, allowing him to easily move his arm into a lower position. “Are you a righty?”
“Yes,” Ridoc answers, confused as to where Bodhi was leading with this.
“Your shoulder is too bunched up on the right side, probably because you use that hand to land your punches. It allows you to put more weight into your punches, but it leaves you open. The stance is now muscle memory, even when you’re wielding weapons. Am I wrong?” Bodhi raises a brow on him, a playful smirk gracing his lips.
Ridoc goes to say something, a rebuttal–anything. He finds himself speechless at how Bodhi figured it out so quickly. A flirtatious smirk makes its way to Ridoc’s face, “you got me, I cheat with my punches.”
Bodhi playfully rolls his eyes, “mystery solved.” He turns on his heels, ready to retreat to bed before Ridoc makes him too flustered with that smirk.
“Where are you going?” Ridoc questions, folding his muscled arms over his bare chest. “You need to help me make sure I remember this new stance.”
Bodhi takes a deep breath before turning back around to face Ridoc, who’s looking as smug as ever. It’s going to be a long night.
“Again,” Bodhi orders as Ridoc places his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. He was far more sweaty now, and Bodhi took the opportunity to drink in the miles of toned skin while Ridoc was distracted.
“We’ve been at this for hours,” Ridoc responds. It’s true, it was taking too long for Ridoc to break the habit of his stance. Every time he returned to his original stance, Bodhi forced him to start over from the top.
“You’re the one who said you wanted me to help you break the habit,” Bodhi reminds him, cringing at the feeling of his shirt sticking to his own sweaty skin. Bodhi peels his own shirt off, the cloth sticking to him like a second skin. He throws it to the side of the mat they occupy, landing a few feet away from Ridoc’s.
Ridoc finally rises to his height, a retort on the tip of his tongue–finding himself speechless at the sight of Bodhi’s bare chest. Whenever they sparred for the past two years, there were two people that never stripped their training shirt. Dain, mostly because he was critiquing cadets rather than sparring himself, and Bodhi. And fuck, Ridoc would be lying if he said Bodhi wasn’t attractive.
Air becomes taut in the large gym, though Bodhi shakes it away. Alongside Ridoc’s stares. He gets in his usual stance, watching as Ridoc ever so slowly joins him. The next couple of minutes are filled with grunts, curses from Ridoc’s end, and a tangle of two sweaty bodies. The ending to their sparring is one that not even Bodhi could’ve predicted.
Ridoc’s body pressed against Bodhi’s, keeping him in place against the mat. The two of them are breathing heavily as Bodhi fights against Ridoc, attempting to escape his grasp. He wasn’t entirely sure how he ended up in his position, or how Ridoc had found an opening in his stance.
“Fuck,” Bodhi breathes out, finally giving up. And gods, that may have been the hottest thing Ridoc has ever heard leave his lips.
Ridoc sneaks a glance down at Bodhi’s lips, full and slightly bitten from Bodhi’s habit of gnawing on it in high-stress situations. Ridoc knows he shouldn’t do what he’s thinking, especially when he’s mostly certain the boy under him is not into men. He takes a moment to contemplate, but when Bodhi’s body is pressed against his own, his willpower is a thin thread that is ready to snap.
Fuck it.
Ridoc dips his head, pressing his lips against Bodhi’s. He feels Bodhi gasp against his lips, and for a moment Ridoc thinks he royally fucked up. That is, until Bodhi kisses him back. Ridoc’s hands leave their spot on Bodhi’s wrists, dragging his hands down the various planes of Bodhi’s chest and abdomen, relishing the way he tenses under the heat of his hands. Bodhi’s relic-clad arm reaches up, his hand firmly grabbing onto the back of Ridoc’s neck, keeping him in place as Ridoc’s own hands settle on Bodhi’s hipbones.
Bodhi knew he should not be laying here, under his subordinate, allowing him to run his hands down his body as his lips and teeth clash with his own.
Bodhi knew he should have left the moment Ridoc requested him to help him remember the stance–to throw out some excuse and assign it to Imogen or Sawyer.
Bodhi knew he had an overwhelming pile of un-imbued alloy-hilted daggers hidden in his closet that needed to be done within the next 48 hours before Xaden arrived.
Bodhi Durran knew all of this, but for once in his life, he didn’t care. He didn’t care that he would most likely be scolded by his older cousin for not completing his work. He didn’t care that he’d be given dirty looks by other section leaders and wingleaders if word spread about him and Ridoc on this mat.
The boy above him tasted like sin, and Bodhi loved it. His tongue runs against Ridoc’s lips, pressing against, demanding that Ridoc grants him entry. He obeys, opening his swollen lips for Bodhi’s tongue to enter, their tongues fighting against one another. Bodhi may be under, but it didn’t take long for Ridoc to submit, their fight quickly turning into a dance as Bodhi memorized every curve and plane of Ridoc’s tongue and mouth.
When the need for air becomes too necessary, Ridoc retreats from Bodhi’s mouth with a slight pop, resting his forehead against Bodhi’s. The hand that has been locked at the back of Ridoc’s neck slides to his cheek, resting there for a moment. Bodhi’s thumb extends, tracing Ridoc’s swollen and wet lips as the two catch their breath.
“So,” Ridoc is first to break the silence, finally opening his eyes to look at Bodhi. “Safe to say my stance is fixed, wouldn’t you agree?”
Bodhi’s gaze goes from Ridoc’s lips to his eyes, a smile tugging on his lips. “I think you need a little more practice,” Bodhi teases.
A mischievous grin spreads to Ridoc’s lips, his gaze falling on Bodhi’s lips, tempted to feel how perfect they fit around him. As Ridoc goes to dip down to feed his craving, Bodhi moves them in one smooth motion, flipping so that Ridoc is now under him. Bodhi gives him his own mischievous grin, relishing the way the boy under him becomes flushed. Bodhi dips his head down, pressing hot kisses along Ridoc’s neck, promising a long future ahead of them.
˚ʚ♡ɞ˚
