Beat after beat.
Malachi Barton x fem!reader. word count: 2.1k. pt 2.
synopsis: Malachi Barton is your brothers best friend, and it had to stay that way, even when his heart is so full of you he can hardly call it his own.
warnings: brothers best friend trope. pet names. use of y/n. cursing. probably a part 2 (if you want it). stupid teenagers. i’m sure there could be some mistakes, i’m so sorry.
a/n: please don’t take this too seriously, for the sake of the plot i just made it a little bit too dramatic.
You had always loved baking in your kitchen while watching the sunset through the window, listening to your favorite singers. It was a way to clear your mind and even helped getting him it out of your head.
But it didn’t work much if the guy that left you thinking and overthinking that afternoon, appeared at the kitchen door with that unique cocky smile of his.
“Hi, mal. I didn’t know you where here.”
Malachi leaned against the counter and smiled at you. He watched as you were mixing the cookie batter and then crossed his arms across his chest.
“Yeah your brother invited me over. you making cookies, princess?”
Since you had memory Malachi had always been present, always there for Christmas, birthdays, parties and of course, the same school. And since you remembered, he had always had that nickname for you, because he said it reminded him of when you dressed up as a princess for Halloween as a kid.
You smiled slightly at the nickname however because it always made your stomach turn “yeah, want some?”
Malachi chuckled and walked over to you, he stopped behind you, towering over you as he watched you make the cookies. He rested his chin on your shoulder, his breath tickling your neck as he spoke.
“Is that even a question. If i want some? i obviously do, princess.”
You felt butterflies on my stomach but at the same time you frowned. Why would he always do this and then say you are just friends? You turned around and looked up at him without saying anything.
Malachi blinked, caught off guard by your silent stare. The playful smirk faded just a little, replaced with something softer—something real. He leaned back slightly, giving you space, but his eyes stayed locked on yours.
”Hey... what’s that look for?” he asked quietly, voice no longer teasing. “You always do that, like you’re mad at me for wanting to be close… but still letting me.”
A beat passed.
Then he smirked again—but it didn’t reach his eyes this time.
“Kai…” You were looking at his eyes with so much love just like he was, and deep inside it burned both of your hearts “You know what that look is for.”
He knew.
A pang of guilt flared in Malachi's chest, but he swallowed it down and replaced it with a charming smirk—the perfect cover. He leaned against the counter again, arms crossed, trying to seem casual as he looked down at you—as if your words hadn't hit him the way they did.
“Oh yeah? do tell, princess.” he tried joking. It was his way of trying to calm the air and it almost always worked.
Almost.
“Mal…” you shook my head “i’m not joking.” you said hurt, knowing that he couldn’t hide how your words hit him.
His smirk wavered. he was good at hiding his feelings, but sometimes you saw right through him. And right now he knew he wasn't fooling you. Malachi inhaled deeply, letting out a sigh. His eyes met yours, and he knew he couldn't keep up the act any longer.
He pushed away from the counter, moving closer. “You drive me crazy… you know that?” he murmured.
“Why would i know that?” you whispered trying to hide your hands on the pockets of his hoodie but he caught them in his before you could hide them completely, pulling them out gently.
“Because I see the way you look at me,” he whispered, thumbs brushing over your knuckles. “Like I'm something worth waiting for… even when I don't deserve it.”
His voice dropped lower, rough with emotion. “And it kills me, y/n… because I want to be that guy for you. But your brother—” He broke eye contact briefly before looking back, jaw tight.
“—I don't know how to want you and keep him as a friend at the same time.”
You bit the inside of your cheek trying to hide the pain. There it was, again. “Kai, i don’t want to mess up your friendship with my brothers because of this.”
Malachi's grip on your hands tightened slightly. His voice was softer now, almost pleading. “You think I want to mess things up too? I've been wrestling with this for so long, trying to find a solution that doesn't screw everything up—”
His eyes met yours again, and they held all the pain and confusion of someone stuck between wanting something he can't have and being loyal to someone else who means a lot to him.
“But god damn it, I can't ignore these feelings anymore.”
“Mal, you know the feelings I have for you. God i’m so sure you’ve known about them all this time, but I don’t want to take this good thing from my brother.” your eyes got watery and looked at the floor, you didn’t want him to see you this way “I—”
The sight of you getting teary-eyed, the sound of your voice breaking slightly, it broke something in him too. He gently lifted your chin, making you look up at him.
“Hey, look at me.” he said softly, the teasing tone in his voice replaced with genuine concern.
When you met his eye, his voice was low, intense. “You can't think like that. You're not taking anything away from your brother. You're not betraying him. Y/n, feelings aren't something you control.”
“So what do I do, huh? do I just ignored it? are we supposed to ignored all we have and could have?” one tear fell from thinking about staying away from him.
Malachi's hand moved to cup your cheek, his thumb brushing away the tear that had slid down. He held your face gently, eyes locked with yours.
“No. We can't. I've tried for so long, princess. Ignoring it doesn't work. Trying to convince myself it's just friendship doesn't work…” he paused, looking conflicted for a moment. “Can I ask you something? and I need you to be honest with me.”
The distance between your faces was very small. You could feel his unsteady breathing, just like him. Malachi didn't take his eyes off you, and even if he tried, he knew he wouldn’t be able to.
“Anything, baby.” you whispered immediately regretting it. You had never called him that way before. It just slipped from your lips.
Malachi's breath hitched slightly at your use of the pet name. Hearing you call him baby sent a shockwave through him. His eyes flickered between yours, searching for any hint of uncertainty. But all he saw was love, genuine and unwavering feelings for him that had been there this whole time. He leaned in even closer, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Say it again. Call me that again.”
You smiled slightly and caressed his cheek “Tell me, baby.”
He swore his heart stopped for a second at the way you said it. The nickname, your touch, the look in your eyes—it was like a jolt of electricity in his veins.
He leaned into your touch, his hand moving to gently cup yours over his cheek. His eyes never leaving yours, he replied, his voice rougher than before, “God, I don't deserve you.”
He moved even closer, almost no space between you now. “Can I ask my question now?”
You sighed feeling some kind of weird nostalgia, like if that moment was something that would never happen again. Having him that close to you, looking at you that way. However, for some reason you tried to hide the sadness in your face and laughed nervously. “Yes, Mal, anything.”
He smiled slightly as the sound of your laugh reached him—even when you were sad, he loved your laughter. The boy let out a sigh, gathering his courage with his voice steady, but there was a hint of vulnerability beneath it.
“If we're being completely honest here, no holding back… then I need to know one thing.” he paused, locking eyes with you. Malachi took a breath, preparing himself. It was now or never.
“If we forget about your brother, about what everyone might think, about the risks, the complications—if we forget all that for just a moment… and only think about what we want…”
He paused, his thumb rubbing circles on your hand, his grip on yours tightening slightly. “Do you truly…” he hesitated, then continued, his voice softer than before. “Do you really want me?”
You were gonna answered yes, that you obviously would, but the sound of the stairs made you stay away from him and look somewhere else, seconds after your brother entered the kitchen.
“Hey, man. Why you taking so long?”
Malachi mentally cursed under his breath because the timing was terrible. He took a step back from you, putting space between you as your brother entered the kitchen. Then forced a casual tone into his voice, plastering on a familiar smirk.
"Just talking to y/n, man. Lost track of time," he replied, shoving his hands in his pockets.
While you listened to the voices of your brother and Malachi you felt like something was slowly breaking inside you. Would something really work between you when you knew your brother wouldn’t forgive you? The thought of forgetting whatever you had with Malachi made your eyes water, which you tried to hide and you knew that you would manage to hide it from your brother, but never from Malachi.
“What where you talking about?” my brother asked and went to the fridge looking for something to drink.
“Nothing important.” you said quickly, voice too light to be real.
Malachi watched you—really watched you—the way only he could. His eyes traced the shake in you hands, the way you refused to look up, how your lip trembled just once before you bit it still.
And even with your brother standing right there, laughing as he grabbed a soda from the fridge... Malachi didn’t look away from you.
He took one small step forward —not enough for anyone else to notice— and gave you that look.
The one that said: We’re not done. The one that made your heart pound like it knew something no one else did.
Then, quietly —almost under his breath so only I could hear— he whispered:
“Later.”
A tear finally fell down your cheek while you heard your brother say “well let’s go” and seconds after he was gone, expecting Malachi to follow him.
Malachi's eyes flicked between you and your brother, then back to you. He could see the tear falling down your face, his heart aching at the sight. He wanted to reach out, to comfort you, to pull you into his arms and not let you go but your brother was waiting, expecting him to leave with him.
And so, even though it near killed him, Malachi took a step back, glancing at the door his friend had left through.
“I'll catch up.” he said quietly.
“You have to go.” you said without looking at him, only at the cookie dough.
He heard the pain in your voice, even when you were trying to hide it. The boy wanted to protest, to stay and talk, to fix this, to make you look at him, but there was no more time, so he let out a sigh, knowing you were right.
“Okay. But we're not done with this conversation, he said quietly. “We'll talk later, princess. We need to talk later.”
You had always hated how you couldn’t hold back your tears, and that red color that appeared on your cheeks when you cried. Especially at times like this, where crying in front of someone was the last thing you wanted. God, even your eyes got all red just because of some tears.
And one look at your red eyes, and Malachi’s chest tightened. Now he didn’t care about the time, the place, or who might walk in. he stepped forward—fast—and gently cupped your face with one hand.
“Don’t cry.” he whispered, brushing his thumb under your eye. “I hate when you cry.”
A beat passed. Then he leaned in just enough to press a soft kiss to your forehead—brief, tender—but full of everything he couldn’t say out loud.
Then he pulled back, voice low and raw:
“Tonight. We talk tonight.”
And before you could respond—he turned and walked away. Leaving behind only the warmth of his touch… and a promise hanging in the air between you both. You just closed your eyes still feeling his kiss on your forehead like it burned.
find part 2 here!