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beezyland · 4 years

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The Good Kind of Distracting - Saanvi/Drea (a Manifest fic)

Fandom: Manifest Pairing: Saanvi Bahl/Drea Mikami Rating: G Word Count: 1700 Summary: Saanvi can't seem to get out of her own head long enough to enjoy herself at Michaela and Zeke's wedding. At least, until Drea comes along.

... Saanvi feels more than awkward standing in the Stone family’s living room that’s been transformed into a fairytale wedding reception. Candles line the walls, casting an almost ethereal glow across the smiling faces of family members and close friends chatting over flutes of champagne. The celebration isn’t making Saanvi feel awkward. The celebration is actually quite beautiful and everyone seems to be having a wonderful time, ignorant to or somehow blocking out impending doom.

The ability to find even a moment of respite, to be keenly aware of the chaos that is their lives and carve out the smallest pocket of happiness is remarkable, commendable, enviable. It’s Saanvi who’s being awkward, who can’t calm her racing thoughts for even a second, not even after her failed cure has finally cleared her system.

She missed half of Zeke’s vows during the nuptials, preoccupied, staring into space, thinking about the Major, thinking about Vance and his wife and the hollow husk once known as Saanvi Bahl.

No.

She shakes her head to try to chase that thought away. Once she gives in to the existential dread, it’s game over. She needs to think about something else, anything else, as she waits for Vance to make contact, if he’s even alive to make contact…

Her eyes sift through the room and find Olive and TJ basking in puppy love, Grace dancing the newest addition to the Stone family around the makeshift dance floor, Cal sneaking off with a third piece of cake. Even Ben and Michaela who are knee-deep in this fight against fate manage to make time for a loving brother-sister moment. Ben Stone is the most obsessive, determined person she’s ever met. It’s what she both admires and detests about him. (It reminds her entirely too much of herself.) And even he somehow manages to put all of their troubles aside even for just a few hours.

Despite the effort she puts into not thinking about her sham therapy sessions, Saanvi can’t help, but remember the Major’s interest in her relationship (friendship? partnership?) with Ben. The unwanted memory sets her on edge all over again.

“Are you here for the bride or the groom? Oooor the bride’s brother?”

Saanvi blinks, realizing someone’s talking to her. Big, brown, beautiful eyes. Dark hair set in loose curls that just barely touch her shoulders. A dark burgundy, velvet dress that doesn’t show much skin, but fits her so well it’s almost obscene. The beaming smile that lights her face is the very definition of distracting.

“I, um, C. All of the above, I guess.” Saanvi twists her fingers together even harder and notices that Zeke has stolen Michaela away for a dance to a terrible cover of a terrible 90s song. All she feels when she sees his black and blue bandaged fingers against the pristine white lace of Michaela’s dress is guilt. She has to look away. “What about you?”

“I work with Michaela. I’m her new-ish partner actually. I’m Drea.”

“Wow. I mean, I don’t mean to sound rude,” Saanvi rambles, and the worst part is she knows she’s rambling and can’t blame a failed experimental cure coursing through her bloodstream this time. “You’re just a little young to be a detective, aren’t you?”

“I’m no younger than Michaela,” Drea says matter-of-factly opposed to defensively even if she has every right to be defensive. “No younger than you. And my stelar detective skills tell me you’re at the top of your field for someone so young too.”

Saanvi glances down at the small, round table she has her elbows braced against, fighting the sudden urge to smile. “That’s a tad presumptuous, but correct. Doctor and medical researcher. Prior to Flight 8-2-8…” Saanvi watches Drea’s face for any reaction to that, but only sees the other woman listening intently. Like she doesn’t hold any prejudice against 828ers, being Mick’s partner. She must be a good one. “I was compiling data for a research project on cell-regeneration for pediatric cancer patients before, well, everything.”

“So you’re a superhero.”

“Hardly… That honestly feels like a lifetime ago…” Saanvi realizes how hard she’s twisting her fingers together and makes a conscious effort to loosen them, to relax.

Drea doesn’t need to know about her recent unemployment. That’s a little much for wedding reception small talk.

“I’m Saanvi, by the way.”

Drea’s smile grows impossibly wide. “That’s really pretty.”

“Yeah, well, I was named after the Hindu goddess Lakshmi who presides over wealth and prosperity both on a material and spiritual plane.” Saanvi can’t stop from thinking about the irony, how far she has strayed from her family’s expectations.

Drea whistles. “No, no pressure at all, mom and dad.”

Saanvi laughs and why does it feel like it’s been so long since she last laughed? Maybe because it has. “You have no idea.”

“Try me.” Drea effortlessly lifts two flutes of champagne off a passing waiter and offers her one. In addition to having a smile that can light up any room and an easy presence to be around, she’s devastatingly cool too. Fantastic.

“Oh, no. But thank you anyway.” Saanvi glances down at the screen of her phone. No new notifications. Come on, Vance. Where are you?

“Waiting for someone?” Drea asks, taking an elegant sip of bubbly. Is that disappointment in her voice? If Saanvi were better in social situations maybe then she’d be able to riddle it out, but no such luck.

“Yeah, actually, waiting on a colleague to return my call,” Saanvi says offhandedly. “I’ll spare you the boring details. Even in a setting as beautiful as this one, I can’t seem to take my mind off my work…”

“It happens,” Drea assures her. “Lucky for you, I’ve been told I’m very good at being distracting.”

“Yeah, I can see that about you,” Saanvi says. And she thinks Drea knows she means that in the best way. Why she cares, why she even bothers, Saanvi can’t understand for the life of her, but it feels nice. Good even.

Laughter interrupts her thoughts and Saanvi realizes she’d been staring into Drea’s warm, inviting eyes this entire time. It’s best to stay clean, especially this soon after her ex had to swoop in and save her from herself. Saanvi turns to see everyone forming a circle, clapping and orbiting Cal and Michaela as they dance to an upbeat song.

“Little dude’s got moves,” Drea says.

“Apparently.” Saanvi grins with surprise and delight. Seeing Cal so happy, so young and innocent, reminds her of why she does what she does, why it’s so important to find a way around the Death Date and to free them of the Callings. If she can help it, the Major will never get anywhere near that happy little boy.

“Come on,” Drea says. “Show me your moves.”

Saanvi laughs nervously. “Are you serious?”

“I know someone who needs a distraction when I see them.” Drea does a shoulder shimmy and somehow makes it seem cool, cute even. Saanvi finds herself smiling without her explicitly thinking to. “Dance with me. I’ll show you just how distracting I can be.”

When Drea extends a hand, Saanvi takes it and allows herself to be led to where all her friends, people she considers family, people she’s desperate to protect, all greet her with smiles, like they’re happy she’s decided to join them, happy to have her here, like she belongs. She bumps into and hugs Michaela, bears witness to Ben busting out a patented Dad Move, even dances with Cal for a bit. Eventually she finds herself back with Drea who takes her by the hand, gives her a spin and reels her back, which has Saanvi laughing, a sound so carefree, so delighted, she can scarcely believe it came from her.

“Distracting enough for ya?” Drea asks, but her grin says she already knows the answer.

“Yes,” Saanvi replies. “The good kind of distracting.”

“Good. I’m glad.” Drea nods proudly. “I’m always happy to be distracting.”

At the end of the night, as wedding guests start to trickle out the front door, Saanvi watches Drea talking with the bride and groom from afar. Clearly, Saanvi has stopped trusting her own judgement of character, but she trusts Michaela’s. She doesn’t quite understand how Drea got her out of her own head, got her to put all her troubled thoughts aside and live in the moment, but she’d like for it to happen again and again and again.

Saanvi squeezes her fingers around her phone, trying to build up the courage to ask the young detective with the heart-stuttering smile for her number. She hasn’t thought of anyone like this since Alex while Alex has made it abundantly clear, even if she feels the same, she won’t act on it. Can’t.

Saanvi gets two steps in her direction when her phone dings.

An unknown contact. A simple message:

Your ticket to Havana is ready.

Vance.

Finally.

Saanvi steals one last glance at Drea who catches her eye and waves. She feels out the soft upturn of her lips. It’s almost too easy to imagine grabbing coffee together, texting too late at night, eating takeout from her favorite place on the couch as some TV show Drea’s entirely too excited about plays in the background. Maybe in another life. Perhaps in another universe, another earth, a different timeline, Saanvi could be happy.

Maybe once this is all over, Saanvi tells herself. She wants to hope for a future where new love is possible, not even new love, but simple companionship away from serious discussions about life-ruining government officials and life-controlling Callings.

However, in this universe, on this earth, this timeline, Saanvi waves goodbye to the young detective with the unique ability to freeze time and quiet Saanvi’s loud, scattered thoughts. Saanvi gives her one last smile in return and leaves before Drea can catch up to her.

In this lifetime, Saanvi is an 828-er. She has her work to reclaim, a family to protect and save. Even if Drea wants to get to know her better and spend more time together, Saanvi knows she shouldn’t act on it with everything else going on in her life. She can’t.

...

Inspi.

#saanvi bahl #drea mikami #saanvi x drea #nbc manifest #my fics

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