Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Jett!” Neon called out warmly, sitting down next to the wind girl. “Are you free tomorrow night?”

“Uh… yeah. I think so?” Jett hummed, scooting over on the bench to make room for her friend. “Why? What’s up?”

Neon grinned, “What do you think about a movie marathon? Horror?”

The Korean raised an eyebrow. “Horror? Since when were you into horror?”

“I’m not.” Neon replied bluntly, shrugging. “But you said you weren’t scared of them.”

“I’m not!”

“Great! So it’s a plan?”

Jett huffed, “You’re not baiting me into this. I don’t want to stay up late watching movies– I have a mission the next morning.”

Neon groaned, standing. “You’re such a killjoy.”

“Haha, very funny.” The wind girl retorted, glancing at her friend with a frown. “Why do you want to do a marathon so bad? We did one a few weeks ago.”

“Yeah, but I’m bored… c’mon, please?” 

“I don’t want to…”

The lightning agent sighed, muttering. “You’re just too scared.”

Jett snapped her head over, raising an eyebrow. “Bullshit. I could watch them the whole night and not flinch once.”

“Prove it.”

—

Jett was wrapped up in a weighted blanket, curled up in a fetal position on the couch in the common area. It was stuffy but she had more pressing problems on her mind.

It was supposed to be cozy and comfortable. The horror movie was definitely getting to her, but the gore was the least of her concerns. The entire scene was meant to be something along the lines of a friendly date– but no. Her hopes for a perfect night would’ve been fulfilled if it weren’t for a certain agent resting beside her, sitting at the opposite end of the couch. 

Instead of the blue-haired Filipina, it was Fade.

But even that didn’t satisfy Jett in the slightest– especially not with the way the Turkish woman kept glancing over at her with such… disdain.

The hell does she want? A fucking thank you for being a decent human being? Asshole.

Out of anyone in the entire protocol, Jett had ended up stuck next to Fade , watching a horror movie. God forbid anyone doom her to a worse situation– but she didn't have to worry about that, because it simply wasn’t possible. It couldn’t get worse than whatever her circumstance was at that very moment.

Jett’s soul nearly left her body as the final woman of the cast was put through a meat grinder of chainsaws. She could’ve sworn she saw a wisp of her soul leave her mouth as the movie ended

Just as she grimaced and slid further under the blanket, a bored, unfazed , voice chimed in. 

“It’s over, you can look now.” Fade mused, not taking her eyes off the screen even as the credits began to roll.

“Yeah, yeah. That movie wasn’t anything worse than what we do.” The wind girl huffed at the dry attempt at a conversation. “The movie doesn’t even have a plot.”

The bounty hunter trained her expression to remain still, no matter how doubtful she was at Jett’s statement. That pissed Jett off. Fade always managed to piss Jett off, no matter what she did, there was no right action.

“Oh so now you’re just ignoring me?” The wind girl scoffed bitterly. She’d promised Neon not to stir up any trouble with the dream stalker– especially tonight– but Fade was intentionally provoking her, right?

“What is there to say? We still have two movies to go.” The Fade grumbled, reaching for the remote laying haphazardly on the coffee table Jett was resting her feet on.

The Korean’s eyes narrowed at the response. Fade’s emotionless tone just… shoved her the wrong way. She accidentally kicked the remote off the wooden surface, glancing away innocently as Fade shot her a glare.

There you go.

Jett felt a spark of sadistic happiness in seeing the bounty hunter finally express an emotion other than nonchalance. 

“What the hell was that for?” 

“My foot slipped.”

Fade scowled at the childish excuse. “If you’re that tired, you’re more than welcome to head to bed— trust me when I say no one will miss your presence.”

It was a battle of pettiness– and neither of their egos were willing to take the loss.

“Like hell I will!” Jett retorted stubbornly. “Hell will freeze over before I lose to you.”

A competition. That’s the only reason the wind girl even bothered to try and bear the dream stalker’s presence, let alone watch a movie with her. Neon had challenged Jett to see who’d back out of a horror movie marathon first, only to have something come up last minute and send a replacement in the form of an emo goth girl. 

Jett had suggested, pleaded , to Neon to just cancel and reschedule, but Neon had baited her into it once again by calling her a coward.

Fade simply rolled her eyes, like she knew something Jett didn’t. “So you’d rather lose and waste a few more hours?” A mocking smirk tugged at the corner of Fade’s lips as she tapped her chin, nodding thoughtfully. “I suppose that does seem like something you’d do.”

“God– you’re such a bitch.” Jett snapped back, her patience thinning quickly.

“And yet you’re still here.” With a soft scoff, Fade shifted her body forward and straightened her back. “You should really learn to keep that temper of yours in check.”

“I don't have a temper.” Jett muttered coldly, trying to suppress the molten anger threatening to burst. She wasn’t about to prove Fade right in any capacity. She curled up on the other side of the couch, continuing to grumble. “If it weren’t for Neon, I wouldn't even be talking to you.”

“Aww, how sweet of Neon.” Fade mimicked a cutesy voice, which was very unfitting for her. The act dropped quickly as she turned to glare at Jett before letting out another scoff. “So, what? You’re just here out of obligation?”

“Yeah.”

The bounty hunter’s tone shifted from suppressed frustration to snarky with that response. “So you’re being forced to spend time with me– how tragic.”

Jett returned the burning gaze. “Don’t act like that’s a surprise, why would I ever want to spend time with you?”

Fade managed to chuckle, lifting her hand to cover her mouth in preparation for a yawn. “I’m aware you hate me. Trust me.” Her response was a bit too nonchalant for the situation as she stared back at the screen with a knowing look in her eyes. “I just didn’t realize you were a coward as well.”

“What?” Jett bristled, indignation flaring as she sat up straighter.

The bounty hunter suddenly turned to face the duelist once more, shifting a wide margin closer to her on the couch. Jett, in turn, flinched back at the sudden movement, her glare darkening as Fade scoffed.

“You act like I’m going to bite you. You pout like a child when things don’t go your way— for God’s sake, I get you hate my guts, but at least act like a fucking adult, Jett.”

“Excuse me?” The wind girl chortled in disbelief. “How the hell am I being childish? For holding a grudge against you? Well my bad– I guess I should just be a damn sheep and just follow everyone else that just completely forgot about your blackmailing!”

Fade’s scoff quickly turned into a laugh. “ Forget about it? No one has forgotten about it, your friend’s are just mature enough to look past it. Neon forgave me, and wants us to get along. Brimstone and Cypher recruited me because they respect me. I know, a shocking revelation.”

“Yeah, especially Neon!” Jett cried, more of her anger resurfacing from past arguments– fuck, maybe Fade was onto something after all. Not that the wind girl would ever acknowledge it. “You literally made her relive her worst fears over and over again, you weren’t there to see her cry– you weren’t the one who comforted her!”

“I know that!”  Fade’s tone held an element of annoyance as she sat up, yanking one of the blankets from Jett’s mountain and throwing it to the side. “I know the horrors I inflicted on all the agents who went on the mission to capture me, I’d be stupid not to know!” 

Fade’s gaze now focused on the wind girl, who returned the annoyance and anger. “So you know all the harm you caused and you still have the balls to act like you’re one of us?”

An agitated sigh left the bounty hunter’s lips as she slammed hand on the coffee table, leaning against it in an effort to hold back her anger. “What do you want me to do?! I said I was sorry to Neon, and she forgave me.” 

Jett recoiled as Fade sat up, looming towards her. “I apologized to everyone individually, including you, and they all managed to understand!” She jabbed a finger at the wind girl’s chest with every word. “Clearly, you won’t, so tell me, what do you want me to do, Jett?”

A scream was building up in the wind girl’s throat, but for once, she held it back. Instead, drowning out her anger was a mix of helplessness and frustration.

“I– I don’t fucking know— something better than just saying sorry!” Jett cried out, shoving Fade away from her. “M-Maybe stop plaguing my sleep with your stupid nightmares!”

… Shit.

A wave of dread washed over Jett along with the silence that ensued. She hadn’t meant to let that last comment slip.

The wind girl expected another mocking comment from the opposing party, but she was met with the shock in Fade’s features and the uneasiness as the dream stalker sat back down on the couch.

“You’re… getting nightmares?” Fade’s tone was different now, a mixture of confusion and disbelief.

“Don’t act like you don’t know!” Jett snapped, dragging the edge of a blanket over her shoulder and looking away. “I know you’ve been doing it on purpose.”

“What the fuck— I haven’t!” Fade’s response was immediate, as a look of concern and desperation clouded her expression. She leaned back against the sofa, and let out a huff as she tried to reset the mood. “I… I’ve never given you nightmares before.”

“Bullshit.”

“I swear!” Fade nearly growled the words out, her frustration reaching a point where she was now sitting on the edge of the couch. “Why would I even be giving you nightmares?!”

“You tell me—!” Jett cried, whirling around to match her agitated confusion. “You hate me?! You enjoy seeing me suffer— I don’t fucking know!”

“If I wanted to see you suffer, trust me, I think I’d come up with something else other than nightmares.”  Fade’s hand subconsciously clenched into a fist as a dark mood was now present in her features. 

She gritted her teeth and spoke through them, taking the rare moment in which Jett didn't immediately fire back an insult. “...And I don’t hate you.”

“...Tch.” The wind girl heaved the pile of blankets off of her body and onto the couch, inadvertently creating a wall between the two women. She took that opportunity to stand, rubbing her eyes. 

The fire in her tone had died down significantly, her voice hoarse from yelling. “I’m so tired of your crap.”

“And I’m tired of yours.” Fade grumbled, also standing up. “I just told you that I’m not giving you nightmares, and you call me a liar. What the hell do I have to do to get through that thick skull of yours?”

“Don’t you get it?!” Jett snapped again, swivelling on her heel. If the bounty hunter wished to continue this fight, she’d be a coward to back out now. “I don’t want you in my head, so stop torturing my life!”

“Oh please — your life isn’t that bad.” Fade sneered, walking after her. “You’re a radiant with tons of adoring fans. If the worst thing that’s happened to you is getting sent some nightmares, we can trade lives any day.”

“So it is you!” 

The initiator let out a groan of frustration, unable to cool her anger. “Are you listening to anything I’m saying?! You’re as stubborn as a mule— God— even Clove’s pet rock is smarter than you!”

“Shut up!” Jett hissed, flashing Fade the familiar sight of a middle finger before storming off.

The wind girl would hear the other agent cursing her out in Turkish as she dashed down the hallway towards the dormitory wing. 

Jett could feel her throat burning with emotion, trying to vent it out by stamping her feet as loud as possible. She wanted to scream, but she had to mind to not disturb the sleep of everyone else in the compound.

I hate Fade.

I hate Fade.

I hate Fade.

Repeating that phrase of resentment in her mind was the only thing keeping the tears at bay.

It took all the restraint Jett had to resist slamming her room door. She immediately slid to the floor, her back against the metal door as she buried her face in her hands, shoulders shaking with broken sobs.

I don’t have fucking time for this.

Jett grit her teeth, trudging her way to bed.

She stared at the ceiling for a long while, trying to even out her breathing. Upon finally checking the time on her phone, she was hit with the reminder of an impending mission the next day.

Jett finally caved with a loud groan of frustration. Why the hell did she decide to stay up late watching movies with someone as bitchy as Fade when she had a mission the following day? 

She should be resting.

Except she wouldn't get a wink of sleep that night, being forced to toss and turn, an eerie feeling of dread pooling in her gut.

In fact, Jett couldn’t remember the last time she did get a good night’s rest.

~~~

“I’m guessing movie night didn’t go too well…?” Neon asked tentatively, looking up from her breakfast to be met with the sight of Fade looking worse for wear.

“Oh, it went great .” Fade entertained the idea sarcastically, her smile as bitter as her coffee. “She got scared during the movie then started yelling at me.”

The lightning agent winced. “Oh… Did you provoke her?”

“You really have to ask me that? I don’t want to sound like a child, but she started it.” Fade scoffed, glaring down at the brown liquid resting in her mug. “She just has the temperament of a wild animal.”

Neon frowned, poking at her scrambled eggs. They didn’t look nearly as appealing now the conversation had started. “I still don’t know why she’s so upset with you. It’s been months since the blackmailing and she didn’t even get the worst of it.”

“I might have a clue.” Fade muttered, the events of last night flickered through her head like a 90’s film, zeroing in on that one statement that had left Jett’s lips. “She says I’m plaguing her sleep with nightmares.”

“Oh.” The lightning agent tilted her head, “have you?”

“Of course not.” Fade grumbled, a hint of defensiveness present in her tone. “Why the hell would I? Last time I checked, I’m trying to get her to hate me less .”

“Sorry, sorry, I just wanted to make sure.” Neon sighed. It really felt like she’d hit a dead end in trying to get her best friends to bond. “She’s been having nightmares? She did mention she hasn’t been sleeping well since you joined, but I thought it was just paranoia or… something.”

The bounty hunter rolled her eyes, her gaze still boring into the mug of coffee. “I swear, anything could go wrong in her life and she’ll still choose to accuse me.”

Neon smiled weakly, “I really don’t know why she has it out for you…”

“The worst of it is she doesn’t even bother hiding the fact she can’t stand me.” Fade scoffed. A hint of frustration was present in her tone, the result of holding back her anger. 

Recognizing the irritation in the dream stalker’s demeanour, Neon reached over to pat her hand. The lightning agent made a face as Fade chugged the rest of her coffee, still trying to offer reassurance. “Hey, I know you’re upset, but she’ll come around.”

The initiator set the mug down, staring at the younger agent tiredly. Fade’s expression held all the skepticism she could manage.

“C’mon… I’m trying, Fade…”

“I know you are.” The Turk sighed, waving a dismissive hand to try and reset the mood. “But I’m not going to hold my breath– we both know how stubborn that girl is.”

“Only sometimes…” Neon mumbled, finally starting to pick at her plate. “She changes her mind if she thinks it’s necessary.”

That statement earned a scoff from Fade who stared down at her empty mug. “I’ve yet to have the pleasure to see that happen. She’s way too prideful to admit her fault.”

“I… I’m not sure about prideful … Well, maybe.” The lightning agent pursed her lips, trying to find the words. “I think she’s just scared.”

“Scared of what?” Fade asked incredulously. “I can understand not trusting me, but I just can’t comprehend hating me to the extent she does.”

Neon winced at the hint of aggravation in her friend’s tone. “Hey, if I knew, I’d tell you.”

“You don’t know? You two are best friend’s— doesn’t she tell you everything?”

“Not everything .” The lightning agent huffs, “it’s fine if she wants privacy on some things, but whenever I ask about anything remotely related to you, she either starts ranting about how nosy you are or closes off.”

“Typical.” Another scoff left Fade, as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “I don’t get it. She doesn’t even bother to hear what I have to say anymore. It’s just constant arguing whenever I’m around her, at this rate there’s no way she’ll ever be on neutral terms, let alone get along.”

The dream stalker stops herself from spewing more complaints as her eyes lock onto a girl with a head of white hair.

A small glare was instantly plastered onto Fade’s face, replacing the look of mild irritation.

For fucks sake.  

I just can’t seem to catch a simple moment of peace anymore.

“Oh… she looks exhausted.” Neon mumbled, frowning with worry.

Fade squinted, inspecting the state of the new arrival. The lightning agent’s analysis seemed to be spot on, with the normal energetic– or at least fierce– look and stride of Jett’s seemed watered down. 

“Great.” Fade huffed, her glare neutralizing into a cold stare. “Now she’s going to be in a bad mood, too.” Seeing Neon’s look of disappointment at her comment, the initiator sighed and rephrased. “I… suppose she does look a little rough.

“Yeah…” Neon mumbles, not bothering to hide her concern as she kept her eyes on the wind girl as she walked over to the buffet. “I didn’t think she was still in the compound. I thought she had a mission today.”

Fade kept silent as she watched the wind girl stand before the buffet, unmoving. 

Yeah. None of that looked too appetizing.

The young duelist sighed, resting her face on her palm, propping her arm up on the table. “Well, um… about last night again. Thanks for at least trying.”

“Trying?”

“Yeah. Trying to get along with her.” Neon smiled weakly, briefly glancing back at Fade. “I know she’s really mean to you so… Thanks for agreeing to just give it another shot, even if it was just watching movies.”

Fade huffed softly. “Just watching movies. Right.”

Neon grimaced, glancing back over at the wind girl. “...Even if it didn’t work as planned.”

“Yeah…” The word came out as a resignation from Fade. She tore her gaze away from Jett, now staring at her hands. 

They argued with each other all the time, last night was no different. But those few words that Jett had spat really left its mark.

“M-Maybe stop plaguing my sleep with your stupid nightmares!”

Jett had said plenty of nasty things to her, but knowing that her colleague truly believed she was bitchy enough to haunt her sleep purposefully was… painful. It was something so farfetched in Fade’s mind, and perhaps that was why it was so hard to brush off. 

“She’s just… ugh. I know she hates me, but she really goes out of her way to make it clearer than day.” Another loud sigh left Fade as she leaned against the counter. “I don’t even know what she wants from me at this point.”

Maybe to stop giving her nightmares.

But I’m not— I’m not giving her fucking nightmares…!

“I know… it’s just so weird.” Neon groans in despair. “She’s so nice to everyone else; well, mostly. She’s so… herself, with me– it honestly sucks to see her be such a… a bitch.”

Fade chortled at that. “Tell me about it. She’s all fun and teasing with everyone, but when it comes to me, it’s death glares and bitter insults.”

The lightning agent was silent, glancing back at jett once more before burying her face in her hands. “What do we do…?”

“Don’t look at me for solutions. She’s stubborn beyond belief and refuses to listen no matter how much I try.” The dream stalker scowled in exhaustion. “I think it’s about time to give up.”

Neon rubbed her face in aggravation, looking desperate. “I can’t just let you guys at each other’s throats! Plus— look at her, look at you! There is clearly suffering going on because of this.”

Fade rolled her eyes, long past trying to facilitate a civil conversation with the Korean duelist. Her words were blunt as she narrowed her eyes at Jett who had retrieved a plate from under the counter. “She refuses to give me the time of day, refuses to listen to anything I say, refuses to hear the reason I joined the Protocol, and most of all she won’t admit that she’s being a stubborn child!”

The lightning agent slumped onto the table, wincing as Fade raised her voice. She followed her friend’s gaze back to the wind girl. “Loud much…?”

“Tch. Not like she’s even paying attention. Look at her– she’s in her own world right now.” The bounty hunter grumbled, her eyes never leaving Jett’s slumped figure.

“Hey… you have every right to be pissed, okay? But I just… I really want to help you guys.” Neon whispered dejectedly. 

“I know that– and I appreciate it, but I don’t think she does, let alone give a shit.” Fade hissed, trying to redirect her annoyance away from Neon. “She’s hellbent on holding a grudge against me, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“Yeah…” The lighting agent mumbled, watching as Fade broke her gaze away from Jett. “Thanks for trying.”

The dream stalker’s eyes lingered on the sad puddle Neon had drooped into, sighing defeatedly. “If… if you make any progress, let me know. But I doubt you’ll be able to get through that thick skull of hers.”

Neon pursed her lips at the diss towards her best friend, but couldn’t bring herself to defend the Korean any longer. Fade felt a pang in her chest, seeing the miserable state the lightning agent had been rendered to. 

The young duelist groaned loudly before shaking her head, sitting up and swinging her legs over the bench to stand. 

“Where are you going?” Fade questioned, seeing the last spark of determination in the Filipina’s eyes.

“I’m going to go talk to her.”

Fade scoffed. “Good luck with that.”

Neon smiled weakly, but neglected to respond before walking over to the wind girl with equally defeated steps.

Fade had truly tried her best. She could open the door for Jett, but the Korean duelist still had to be the one to walk through. 

At this point, it was completely out of her hands.

~~~

Jett kept her eyes on the floor as she trudged into the canteen. Instead of helping carry her weight, her flesh and limbs only felt like extra weight, daring to drag her down with every step. Her posture resembled a boiled shrimp, trying to keep a low profile as she stumbled in.

It wasn’t any surprise that she hadn’t slept well.

What was a surprise, was that someone had noticed , and blatantly pointed it out, then proceeded to gently encourage her to take a break.

That someone had been Sage. 

And Sage had made the abrupt decision to remove her from the mission lineup upon seeing the dark bags under her eyes and the way her body moved like a living corpse.

That had surprised the wind radiant. Sage usually was strict with punctuality and keeping missions clean and organized, not letting an agent skip even if they had a few sniffles. With radiance powers that let her control the very material, the healer never fell for any ‘sick’ excuses. 

Normally Jett would’ve taken the exclusion as a blessing– it meant she could laze around and go around bothering people instead of risking her life out on the front line.

But this was a special occasion, Jett wanted, needed , to be on that mission. She desperately needed a distraction after last night’s disaster, and she’d been banking on the mission to do that for her. The last thing she wanted to do was to accidentally bump into her living nightmare in both day and night.

Instead, she was shamefully stuck walking to the cafeteria for something that could offer a quick burst of energy, so she could spend the rest of the day busting her ass off at the gym until failure.

It wasn’t a healthy coping method, but it worked.

Don’t fix what isn’t broken.

Jett stared bitterly down into the buffet trays, wrinkling her nose at the scrambled eggs that looked dry as a carpet and sausages that had been delicately cremated. 

Who the hell thought it was a good idea to put Breach on cooking duty as a punishment?

Scraping a spoonful of the scrambled eggs onto a plate along with half a sausage, Jett opted to take after Fade, just this once, and gas up with coffee. 

“I can’t believe I’m actually doing this…” Jett huffed under her breath, turning to head to the coffee machine only to nearly drop her plate as she sees Neon watching her only a meter away.

“Oh–! Sorry— Sorry…!”

“Geez–!” The wind girl yelped, her free hand flying to grasp her chest in shock. “What the hell are you doing?”

Neon had her hands behind her back, rocking nervously on the balls of her feet. “Just… wanted to say hi. Check in— y’know. I… I saw you looking pretty rough.”

Jett raised an eyebrow, “is it that obvious? I just didn’t sleep great.”

“Mhm. I can see.” Neon acknowledged with a nod, pointing at her face. “Why are you still at the base? I thought you had a mission this morning.”

The wind girl’s scowl deepened at the mention of her apparent mission. “I got kicked off it.”

It was the Filipina’s turn to be shocked, but it quickly morphed into concern. “What? What happened? What did you do?”

“What— why the hell do you think I did something?” Jett snapped, quickly catching herself. 

Geez– don’t yell at her. Why am I so irritable today?

Backtracking from her initial aggression, Jett waved her hands in the air, trying to reset the conversation. “Sorry, sorry. I just… Sage saw how out of it I was and told me to just get some rest.”

“Ah.” Neon nodded slowly, still taken aback by the abrupt shift in moods. “Well… if you’re trying to feel better, maybe you should eat a bit more than… that.”

Jett’s eyes shifted down at her plate of what looked like leftovers. 

“I mean– it doesn’t look too great, but if you’re hungry, we can make something together?” Neon suggested kindly, looking her friend over with concern. “It doesn’t have to be something elaborate, we’re both cooks, it’ll be nice and quick.”

As tempting as the offer sounded, Jett was in no mood to do more physical labour. She also felt a strange pain in her chest, a feeling of guilt to see the lightning agent offering her time all while knowing she had a tough day of training in just a few hours. 

“I’m okay.” 

The lightning agent frowned. “Are you sure…? You shouldn’t starve yourself, you know. Us as agents, duelists , kind of need to get enough calories…”

“I’m fine.” Jett repeated tiredly. “I just want to go sleep.”

Neon pursed her lips. The wind girl recognized that look– the one that didn’t want to relent in an argument. 

Please, please, please… just let me go this time.

“...Okay.” The Filipina sighed, running a hand through her hair. “But promise me I’ll see you at lunch?”

“Yeah, yeah. Of course.” The wind girl nodded immediately. Anything to get this persistent little girl off her back. “Lunch, I will definitely be there.”

“Dinner too!”

“Mhm. Gotcha.”

Jett tried to smile, shake away any of her exhaustion just for a moment in an attempt to fool her friend. Neon narrowed her eyes, scanning over her expression.

…

“I still don’t—”

“I’ll make some instant ramen!” Jett blurted, cutting off the lightning agent. She didn’t pause a moment after. “Right now. And then I’ll have calories– ‘cause carbs. And then I'll go sleep, okay?”

Neon rolled her eyes knowingly, shaking her head with disbelief. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Is that good enough for your highness?” Jett mused dryly, hoping that a return of her insufferable humour would be enough of a sign for Neon to leave her be.

“Yeah, yeah. Go, then. Make your shitty instant ramen. Add an egg.”

The wind girl grinned in relief, offering a mocking salute. “Yes ma’am.”

“And you can heat up the leftover brisket that Brimstone made! It’s in the fridge– you know the tupperware he always uses.”

“Yes, yes, hurry up and get out of here.” Jett huffed, shooing the lightning agent away with her free hand. Her eyes flicked to a familiar brooding figure, sitting at a table. Fade had been hidden from her sight, behind Neon’s body up until then. “...Plus, your ass of a friend is sulking.”

Neon stiffened, glancing back and sighing. “Jett–”

“No.” The wind girl cut off abruptly. She had quite a few ideas as to what her friend wanted to branch into, but she also had half a mind not to stir up her unstable mood anymore than she already had. “I’m going to make my ramen. Bye.”

Thankfully, the Filipina also let out a resigned sigh. “...Yeah. Bye.”

Jett didn’t waste another moment before bolting into the kitchen and yanking on the string that let the blinds fall down.

Even as the icy stare from the dream stalker was finally gone, the wind girl still didn’t feel at peace.

A whole month's sleep plagued by nightmares would do that to a person.

Chapter Text

Fade watched as the wind girl walked across the commons straight towards the canteen, not sparing a glance at anything on her way there. “Does she ever get sick of moping?” 

Neon huffed, embodying the same misery as her fellow duelist. “You would know, wouldn't you?”

“What?” The dream stalker turned to her friend, offended. “Just because Jett hasn’t been insulting me doesn’t mean you have to pick up the part.”

“Sorry, sorry. I’m just annoyed.”

“Aren’t we all.” Fade mused dryly. Her eyes still locked onto Jett. She squinted, observing the wind girl until she stepped out of sight. The bounty hunter could’ve sworn she felt Nightmare stir inside her. “...She sure is.”

“You still haven’t talked to her?” Neon asked, bewildered. “I thought you said you were going to ‘figure things out’ last week.”

The dream stalker crossed her arms defensively. “You try talking to someone who wants nothing to do with you. It’s not exactly easy.”

Neon smiled weakly at that, her eyes betraying her sadness. “I just wish we could just start over again. Maybe she’d hate you less.”

“Start over with what? Not blackmailing you all?” Fade snorted, “Then I wouldn’t even be in this stupid protocol. Plus, I’m not miserable; most of the agent’s have come around. I’m not letting that child be the reason I’m upset all day, everyday.”

“I’m just being hopeful, okay?” Neon grumbled, her expression dropping. “You’re seriously just okay with this… relationship?”

The bounty hunter shrugged.

“Don’t do that!” Neon cried in frustration. She sat up, fixing her posture in addition to an air of confidence. “You might be okay with Jett hating your guts, but don’t you think I want us to just all get along?!”

“Of course you do!” Fade scoffed, propping her head up on her hand. “But even if I was willing to cooperate–”

“Which you are; right?” 

“...Just because I’m willing to cooperate, doesn’t mean she is. Why are you moping at me? Go convince your sad puddle of a ‘bestie’ .”

“I have!” Neon groaned. “You don’t know how many times I have tried!”

Fade chortled lightly. “Maybe you’re just not good at convincing.”

The offended look that the Fade received almost made her chuckle. 

“Well you can’t convince her either, so that makes two of us.” Neon rolled her eyes, the familiar raising of her pitch was present as she continued. “Plus, I was the one that convinced Jett for the movie night!”

“And that turned out fantastic, didn’t it?”

“Okay– well, that part was on you.” 

Fade whirled around to stare at Neon in disbelief. “It was your idea.”

“Yeah, but you were supposed to bond and become friends.”

“In one night?” The dream stalker asked, almost amused. “You want her to banish that hatred and pettiness in one night?”

Neon elbowed her friend in the side, huffing. “Shut up. I’m just trying to help, okay?”

“I know, I know.” Fade sighed, her irritation bubbling up again.

Neon was just trying to help. She was trying to help both of them.

So why can’t Jett see that?

She’d be dense not to, but would it kill her to just pretend to bear me for even an hour, just to appease Neon’s worries?

“—at the party later tonight.” Neon muttered, her voice finally breaking into the sphere of thoughts in Fade’s mind.

The dream stalker blinked, focusing her attention back to the duelist before her. “Sorry, what was that?”

“Are you zoning out again?” The lightning agent sighed, rubbing her face. “I told you to get more sleep and you just—”

“I slept enough! Just– what about the party? What did you say?”

Neon dragged out the silence for a painful amount of time before finally rolling her eyes. “...I said that I managed to convince Jett to show up to the party tonight.”

Fade wasn’t sure why she cracked a smile– genuine or desperate. “Really? That's… that’s good.”

“What? Why?” The Filipina questioned, tilting her head. “You just said earlier that you hated seeing her moping around.”

“Well if she’s at the party she can’t be mopey. Drunk people don’t get mopey.” Fade concluded. “Which means I might have a chance to talk to her and… figure things out .”

“Pft.” Neon laughed in her face, breaking off into a yelp as Fade smacked her. “So you're going to show up to the party?”

The bounty hunter scrunched her nose, internally sighing. “...I suppose so.”

Neon cracked a grin, the corners of her mouth pulling up to her cheeks. Fade hadn’t seen her smile this bright in the past week or so. “I never thought I’d be able to convince you to show up to one of Raze’s parties. Let alone talk to Jett .”

“I guess the prophecy is being fulfilled as we speak.” Fade commented bitterly. “I hope you know I’m doing this to appease you; not Jett.”

“I know.” Neon hummed, still smiling. “It’s fine, her and I usually stick together so she’ll be easy to find.

The bounty hunter felt unease bubbling in her gut. “Right. So… Raze’s parties. Are they loud?”

———

“Does this answer your question?!” Neon yelled to Fade.

The bounty hunter stared down at her friend, hands over her ears. She could feel her body vibrating from the sound waves, her ear drums ringing in a way even bullets couldn’t bring upon them.

Fade could only rely on reading lips to communicate.

“How do your ears still work?!” Fade asked incredulously, trying her best to raise her voice to an audible volume. 

Neon still couldn’t hear her. “Huh?!”

The bounty hunter knew better than to play a game of two person telephone, where neither could hear the other. She waved her hand dismissively, straightening her stance to try and scan the room for anyone with a head of white hair.

Fade squinted, trying to see past the neon lights shining in her eyes. 

Where the hell is she…?

“OW—!” Fade hissed in pain, glaring down at the lightning agent who’d elbowed her in the ribs. She snapped back in annoyance, knowing that her cry would go unheard. “What the hell was that for?!”

Neon elbowed her again, glaring as Fade tried to return the attack. The bounty hunter squinted as her shorter friend tried to be heard.

“Let’s go get something to drink!!” 

Are you kidding me?

“No!” Fade yelled incredulously. “I’m not here to party like a teenager— I’m here to talk to Jett!!”

Fade scoffed as she watched Neon try to stand up on her tippy toes, unable to see past the crowd of agents. After a few moments of attempting to coerce the bounty hunter into providing a piggyback ride, Neon tried scanning the room as Fade had earlier.

“...What the hell…?”

“What?!” Fade snapped back, a little disturbed by the fact the lightning agent was whispering into her ear. The confused tone of her voice didn’t help either.

“Nothing– nothing! It’s fine.” Neon insisted, jumping down from the taller woman. “Let’s go find Phoenix! She’s usually with him and Yoru at these parties.”

Right. Sure. Not contradicting at all.

Fade might’ve brushed Neon’s suppressed worry aside had she not suddenly caught sight of a sickly darkened tendril now wrapping around the lightning agent’s arm.

Fade’s expression hardened.

What the–? Why is she scared?

The dream stalker hadn’t seen anyone in the protocol with a terror trail outside of battle in quite some time. Maybe here and there when someone’s anxiety spiked, but now? Why was Neon so troubled?

She reached out, gripping Neon’s shoulder tightly and forcing her to halt. The Filipina turned to face Fade with a frown. The bounty hunter didn’t waste time in trying to communicate, simply reaching out to yank away the tendril of fear, watching Neon blink in confusion.

Fade simply waved her hand dismissively, drawing close to huff into her ear. “I don’t know what has you nervous, but you need to calm down. You’re manifesting them.”

The lightning agent’s eyes widened, pulling back to stare at her friend. She scanned Fade for any sign of a joke, sighing as she realized her sincerity and replied with only a nod.

Fade would’ve pressed for more of a response, but accepted the wordless acknowledgement when she felt the pressure of fear lessen.

The bounty hunter follows the shorter agent through the maze of people and tables of food and drink to find Phoenix and Yoru. They each had a red solo cup in hand, lounging by the couches arranged in a semi circle around the TV.

“Hey, Neon.” Phoenix greeted, raising his cup. His eyes flicked to Fade, eyebrows raising. “Woah. Never thought I’d see you at one of these. What brings ya here?”

Neon wrinkled her nose at the alcohol wafting from the cup. “Geez, I can smell that thing from here– what kind of kidney-destroying concoction did you two brew up this time?”

“Nothing you’d be able to handle.” Yoru taunted.

Fade stood silently, her mind drifting away as the duelists bickered for a moment. She glanced behind her to see that Raze had set the speakers up by the doorway. She wouldn’t have realized if it weren’t for the fact she could hear voices over the music for the first time since entering the room.

The bounty hunter nudged Neon with her elbow, frowning. The lightning agent rolled her eyes,jumping to the question at hand. “Have you two seen Jett? I thought she’d be here.”

Yoru shrugged. “No clue.”

“Jett? Isn’t she usually with you?” Phoenix asked. He sat back on the couch, arms sprawled back to rest on the cushions. “She mentioned she was going to work out at the gym to try and get back into a schedule, but that was hours ago so I doubt she’s still there.”

“I’ve been here all afternoon and she hasn’t set foot in the commons all afternoon. Yoru took a gulp of his drink, the cup already half empty. 

“Oh…” Neon pursed her lips, looking over to Fade, who was clearly displeased.

The one time I decide to take initiative, this little shit doesn’t even show up? Are you kidding me?

Already having been irritated by the incessant noise, Fade’s mood only worsened at the news of Jett’s absence. She didn’t bother to hide her displeasure in her expression, and Phoenix picked up on it.

“Why are you guys looking for Jett anyways?” He asked, titling his head. He jerked a finger at Fade, making an iffy expression. “I thought you two were on bad terms.”

Fade’s scowl deepened, wishing she could drop her pleasantries, but she didn’t want to come off any more rude than she had to. 

She could also feel Nightmare starting to react to the outrageous volume, stirring in her radiance and its restlessness was the last thing she needed.

Gods be damned if I lose control of it because of a knock off college party.

“Yes, we are on shitty terms.” The dream stalker couldn’t help but snap, her mood only worsening at her previous thought. 

“Then why are you guys looking for her?” Yoru mused.

“None of your business.” Fade glared at him, recognizing that smug tone of voice. “Neon, this was a stupid idea. I’m leaving.”

Neon frowned, recoiling in shock. “What? But you just got here!”

“Well the only reason I bothered to come isn’t here at all. So I don’t see any reason I should stick around.” The bounty hunter replied dryly, already swivelling to retrace her steps back out of the common room and away from the noise. “Feel free to stay.”

“Fade, c’mon, don’t just—”

Fade ignored Neon’s calls and pleads, making a beeline for the exit of the common room. She gripped the handle and tugged it open. The weight of the door was surprising, considering they were always open.

The only reason it's closed at all is to try and muffle that horrendous noise.

Shutting the door behind her drowned out some of the obnoxious partying. But that didn’t matter. Fade knew there would be a long night ahead of her.

Fade decided she didn’t want to partake in any more noise pollution, returning to her usual routine of seeking peace and quiet. Even as she walked down the hallways, stretching farther down than she would ever get used to, the bass booming in her ears never seemed to fully fade.

She reached her room, staring up at the metal plaque sealed to the metal bearing her name. Her hand stood floating by the keypad, unmoving against the first digit of her room code. After a few long moments swept by, Fade let her arm fall back to rest by her side before turning to return down the hallway.

The stinging wind brushed past Fade as she stepped out of the compound. She wished that bitter feeling would leave as easily as the breeze did.

Fade closed her eyes, only opening them to the feeling of Nightmare brushing against her thigh.

“What are you doing out here?” Fade scolded lightly. “You’re not supposed to come out without me summoning you.”

The growl that sounded in response made her chuckle. Time may have passed, but Nightmare really was still just a housecat. If it were up to Fade, she would’ve kept it safe, spared it the everlasting images of bloodshed they’d witnessed together.

The bounty hunter didn’t draw back as the wispy being drifted around her, trying to slink into the darkness. 

“Don’t you think you’re being a little greedy?” She mused, guiding Nightmare back towards her side with a wave of her hand. “I’m already letting you off your leash quite a bit.”

Her prowler snapped their jaws in protest, reaching away again. This time Fade didn’t tug the catlike creature back, simply sighing. 

“Are you mad about the noise from earlier? I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking. I know it was a stupid idea to go.”

…

“This is me making things up to you! Some peace and quiet– outside of my room. I know you haven’t had some fresh air in a while, I’ll try to get Brimstone to assign me to the next mission.”

Fade snorted at the growl of whining that emitted from the nightmarish being. “I’ll feed you when we get back, keep that appetite of yours controlled. If I catch you trying to claw out my friend’s fears you’re going to be in a world of trouble.”

The bounty hunter watched Nightmare roam around the gardens for some time. She kept a careful eye on her creature, lingering on the sight of the wispy tendrils starting to manifest around her own body. 

Again? I thought I already had this under control.

Fade shot Nightmare a glare as it stared hungrily at the trail of terror. The dream stalker had nearly forgotten what that eerie feeling felt like. She’d marked so many enemies with terror and watched her prowler hunt them down without batting an eye. Yet each time it stained her hands once more, she had to stop.

…Tch. 

The bounty hunter huffed, wiping her hands against her sweater, then waving them in the air as if she were drying her hands without a towel.

It seemed to help the terror trail dissipate for that moment, but Fade was done testing her limits that night.

“We’re going back.” Fade announced abruptly, beckoning to Nightmare. She didn’t give it a moment to linger, curling her fingers into a fist and forcing the wispy prowler back into nothing but a manifestation of her radiance.

———

As the evening finally settled in, the bounty hunter could finally feel the ringing in her ears dull. The partying was going to continue long into the night no matter what, but at least the frustration in her chest had somewhat died down.

But now I have a different problem.

As Fade walked down the dormitory wing for the third time that night, she looked down at her hands, tracing every detail of the henna she’d drawn on a few days earlier. The lines were clean, the design something she’d only be able to produce on the spot. 

But that wasn’t what she was truly reflecting upon.

Why have I started to see so much more terror? I thought the agents had long moved past that– I’ve been here for more than a year.

The appearance of a terror trail lingering on Neon as a manifestation of the lightning agent’s fears was a strange one, but not something that would’ve occupied Fade’s mind for too long. But then she herself began to leak out those nightmarish tendrils. 

She’d experienced many times– more than she could count— but with the help of Sage and her newfound control that she’d trained with both KAY/O and Neon, Fade hadn’t let her fear manifest into a physical form like that in quite some time. 

The bounty hunter thought she had it under control. The danger of her radiance that once toyed with her like a puppet should’ve been wrapped around her finger. But it wasn’t as easy to tame as she’d thought.

Not only did it manifest, it didn’t come from my fear. I wasn’t scared. I was just… uneasy.

That thought only made Fade more tense with doubt, but she wouldn’t make the mistake of letting her guard down and risk Nightmare losing control for a second time that night.

Fade looked to the right side of the hallway as she walked, counting down the doors until hers.

Sage.

Viper.

Skye.

Jett.

The dream stalker halted to a stop, staring up at the crooked nameplate bearing the name of the wind duelist. She frowned, feeling a frustration beginning to rise again. 

This little shit really promised Neon she’d show up to the party only to bail. I don’t care about her lying to me, but why didn’t she just tell Neon she didn’t feel like—

“...”

Fade instantly cut off her train of thoughts, zeroing in on that sound she heard. It didn’t sound like much, just heavy breathing at most. Their rooms were soundproofed quite well, but she could still hear muffled noises coming from the other side of the door.

From Jett’s door.

…So she is inside. What the hell is she doing? Hiding again?

She could hear panting inside, like someone gasping for breath, yet fully able to breathe. It was odd, a noise she used to be so familiar with.

Is she… crying?

As that thought dawned on Fade, she suddenly could make out the senseless noises into sobs, heavy and broken gasps in an uneven rhythm. There were words along with Jett’s cries of distress, but they sounded distorted through the door.

But the content of the wind girl’s sorrows weren’t what she cared about– all Fade knew was that something was wrong. Very wrong.

She was tempted to turn around and leave. Leave Jett alone and avoid her like the wind girl had done to her. She wasn’t cruel enough to leave the Korean in a pit of sorrow all alone, but she wasn’t fit to be a therapist. 

I can– I can just go get Neon. Or Sage. Or hell– even Phoenix.

Fade’s hand reached up to the keypad, only to let her hand fall back to her side like it had earlier that evening. She didn’t even know the password. What was the point? Neon could help cheer up Jett better than anyone.

I’ll just go get Neon.

…

Fade let her arm reach up to gently knock on the door.

All sound from inside instantly ceased, the sounds of distress silenced the moment that Fade’s knuckles met the metal surface.

Immediately following the emptiness, Fade felt a painful regret over her decision. A haunting feeling washed over her in the span of that silence. 

…Shit.

I should’ve just called Neon.

Instead of walking back and retreating from the increasingly tense situation, Fade bit back her fears. She couldn’t be afraid. She wasn’t afraid. Who cared if Jett snapped at her only to turn her away? It had happened a thousand times already, Fade should be desensitized to such a thing.

Resisting the urge to knock louder, she went for a gentler approach, calling out just loud enough for her voice to make it past the door. “Jett…?”

Fade winced as the tension only seemed to rise. Even without an audible response or a face to observe, she knew that the wind girl had instantly grown wary.

“...Fade.” Jett whispered back hoarsely, its gravelly and weak traits quickly reinforcing itself. “What do you want?”

The bounty hunter nearly stepped back at the sound of Jett’s voice. She’d never heard the wind girl with such a roughed up voice. It sounded so much more… hollow. “I… I was just walking by and I thought I heard you crying.”

“Well you heard wrong.” Jett muttered back, the familiar annoyance back in her tone. “Go away.”

A scoff left Fade’s lips, returning the pettiness. “What, I’m just supposed to leave you here sobbing? Do you think I’m that heartless.”

“Only to me.”

“Well don’t you think you’re special.” Fade replied bitterly, “don’t pretend you’re fine. A blind man could see something’s wrong.”

“Even if there is, what do you care? Leave me alone.”

“Are you being serious? I’m supposed to just walk away after hearing you cry your eyes? Just let you sit and suffer alone?” Fade’s annoyance kept rising with each word that left her lips and entered her ears. “How fucking selfish are you?”

“How is that being selfish?!” Jett cried out, followed by a frighteningly loud bang of something colliding with a piece of furniture.

Fade’s heart jumped to her throat at the sound, a sense of genuine worry breaking through her frustration and filling her chest. 

What the hell is she doing in there?!

“Is that even a question?” The bounty hunter nearly snapped, in disbelief that Jett could ask something so careless. Her words came out colder than she’d intended, but Fade was beyond that. “Don’t you realize how irresponsible you are to just shove off all your issues like this? If something is wrong, you should at least try to talk to someone—”

Jett laughed, “oh so that’s what you’re here for? To be my therapist? Go to hell.”

“That’s–” Fade sputtered in shock and fury. “That’s not what I’m trying to do you dumbass! I’m just trying to help for fucks sake!”

Another loud bang followed before Jett yelled in reply. “Well I don’t want it! You–You’re just here to keep hurting me! So just LEAVE!”

“Hurt you?!” The bounty hunter slammed a hand against the metal door, glaring down at the keypad. “I’m trying to help your stubborn ass! What about that don’t you understand? Why are you so convinced that I’m hellbent on making your life horrible?!”

Fade could hear Jett stand up. “Maybe because you keep giving me nightmares– Don’t lie, I know it’s you– I KNOW IT!!”

The dream stalker gripped the door frame furiously, resisting the urge to slam her head into the barrier between them. “Why would I purposefully give you nightmares?! What does that give me?!”

As Jett continued to sputter nonsense mixed in with a garble of words, Fade felt the last string of her patience snap. She let her anger channel through her radiance, tendrils of nightmare manifesting to wrap around her left forearm and enveloping her fist.

Jett screamed as Fade bashed the keypad in and barged into the room. 

The initiator stood in the threshold, her boiling anger settling down to a simmer as she saw the light from the hallway cascade into the dark room, illuminating Jett’s tear-stained face.

The wind girl was slumped over the foot of the bed, sitting on the floor. Her eyes were wide when Fade broke in, her body seized in fear.

Fade froze at the sight, the pit in her stomach doubling at the sight of just how much terror stained the room. She tugged the door closed, its locking function having been broken with the smashed keypad.

“Jett, I—”

The dream stalker cut herself off, mouth agape, shaking her head in disbelief and horror. Dread filled her like a sinking ship. Jett looked exhausted, her face pale and features dull in contrast to her past liveliness. 

The way Jett was gasping shakily made Fade want to reach out and help her breathe, it was wrong. Everything was wrong. Jett wasn’t supposed to look like this, she wasn’t supposed to be so scared.

And then there were the terror trails. Nightmarish tendrils draped the walls, patches of ink black and red swirls stained the cracks and crevices or where the darkness lurked the most. The concentration was at a level at which a dreadful mist was clouding the atmosphere.

Why– why are there so many–?! 

The dream stalker tried to pull out some of the fear, opening the door halfway, expecting the terror to seep out into the hallway and dissipate, but it all stood still, uninterested. It seemed conscious. They weren't the normal manifestation Fade was so used to seeing, they seemed… alive.

Fade had to take a step back, the suffocating pressure of all the terror stuffed into such a small space. She hadn’t sent any of it here, she hadn’t caused any of this. She’d never seen such an intense fear, much less from Jett. 

She’s suffocating. This… this is what she meant. This is why she’s so… dead.

The bounty hunter’s heart clenched painfully, forcing herself to push forward. The moment she stepped past her initial entry point, Jett yelled, her voice strained with straight fear. She scrambled back, hitting her head on the wooden frame of her bed.

“Stop– stop, STOP!”

Fade halted, the tone in jett’s voice sending a shiver down her spine. She’d rarely ever heard someone so utterly and truly terrified without being on the brink of death.

But maybe that’s how she feels right now. With all this… shit in here.

The initiator took another cautious step forward, her heart seizing as she saw the nightmarish tendrils coiling up Jett’s arms, starting to wind against her throat. “Jett, please, I’m not trying to–” 

“STOP!!” Jett screamed again, her breathing hitched and on the verge of sobbing. She was hugging her head, arms heavy with the weight of fear.

Fade didn’t know what the fear stemmed from, but it was very clearly there. The look of pure terror and the trails of lingering pain was enough to start scaring her as well. 

“I’m not going to hurt you!” She yelled, her own tone wavering with uncertainty.

Jett couldn’t seem to hear her, simply curling up into a ball on the floor. Tears fell from her face in a stream, clinging to her cheeks before falling to her lap. Her chest wracked with sobs so hard she was struggling to breathe cohesively.

As Fade felt her panic begin to seize her own senses, she could feel Nightmare start to stir hungrily inside her. 

Her eyes widened as she saw the terror trails in the room react to Nightmare’s famished presence. They started to cloud closer to Jett, almost offering her up.

What…?

Why are they reacting to Nightmare? THis– this hasn’t happened before. What’s happening?!

Fade had to stop herself from approaching Jett any further, looking down at her hands and trying to force back her own tendrils of fear before she lost control. 

She could control Nightmare, and Nightmare was the being that could create and control the dark tendrils and the one that allowed her to see the manifestation of everyone’s fear. The terror trails were just that– a person’s fear. They weren’t supposed to react.

Am… am I the one doing this?

Fade started down at her hands, the once neat and proper henna patterns on her skin beginning to blur. Or was that just her hands shaking?

Her heart dropped as she looked over to Jett who was still struggling with a breakdown.

Is she right–? Am I the one at fault? Have I been doing this unconsciously all along…?

No. There's no way. I dont– I have to think for Nightmare to act like this. It’s harmless. I can control it. This is– it can’t be.

Despite the excuses her mind kept generating, a guilt began to stung deep in her chest, pushing forward and kneeling by Jett. 

She tried her best to keep from making direct contact with the wind girl, simply reaching out and keeping a respectful distance as she tried to guide the tendrils wound around Jett’s body away.

Fade’s fear only settled stronger in her gut as she watched the terror trail, that should’ve obeyed easily, retract away from her. It seemed to realize her intentions of ripping it away from Jett, and binded tighter around the wind girl’s forearms in an attempt to cling on.

Jett let out another muffled sob in response, her breaths growing strained as the tendrils wound up the column of her neck.

The bounty hunter didn’t allow herself a moment to think. She didn’t have time to think if Jett was suffering like this, she’d thought enough. She needed to act.

“Jett, hold still.” She forced out, trying to keep her voice somewhat calming and reassuring. 

Jett was unresponsive, simply whimpering.

The tendrils of raw, unfiltered, fear kept retreating from Fade. She extended a hand slowly to grab at the trails, watching as it broke apart where she’d made contact, the tethered ends multiplying and sneaking back around Jett’s chest.

“What the fuck…” Fade’s voice shook with disbelief and anxiety as she tried again, and again. Each time they continued to multiply, constricting around Jett’s body. Each breath that the wind girl took only made them wrap tighter, as if—

“Are they— are they trying to kill me—?” Jett choked out, looking up from her lap at Fade with despair and fear.

“No— no. No. ” Fade insisted, her voice tight with denial. She grabbed Jett’s shoulders, trying to squeeze her with comfort. That probably was a bad idea in this situation. “I’m– they aren’t you’re fine. You’re okay. Okay?”

Jett just let her head drop again, her voice breathless, colour draining from her face. “...Okay.”

Fade’s own breathing pattern began to mimic Jett’s.

Fuck. Fuck. FUCK. Why can’t I control these damn things?! Why now– now of all time– when I need to–?!

Fade’s usually cold demeanour was replaced with a look of concern and worry. She tried to run through everything she knew about her powers.

Even then she couldn’t think of anything else but to try guiding them away again.

Fade pulled her hands back, guilt piercing through her heart like an arrow at the sight of Jett’s disheveled form, nearly wrapped with the nightmarish tendrils like a mummy.

Holding her fingers near the ones trying to constrict Jett’s throat, Fade tried to steady her hands. She could feel Nightmare stirring deep inside her radiance, but she didn’t have any patience for it then and there, instantly shutting it down with a burst of internal power.

As Nightmare no longer lingered near the surface of her conscience, she noticed that the terror trails began to behave how she was used to once more. They seemed to shrink and disperse at her touch again.

A small, desperate flicker of hope flashed across Fade’s face as she put aside any self control for that moment. She started grabbing and ripping away at the tendrils off of Jett’s body, quelling the discomfort she felt at Jett’s whimpers of pain and how tense her body was under the touch of her hands.

Once all the tendrils were gone from her body, Fade kept her radiance channeled and warded the rest of the terror in the room from reaching them. Even then, she looked at Jett, trying to calm the girl down again.

“Are– are you okay…?”

The wind girl just looked up at Fade, her lips moving, but no words leaving her mouth. The bounty hunter frowned, still sending a strong presence of fear but she couldn’t see any tendrils. 

It wasn’t until she met Jett’s eyes that the dream stalker saw it. The hint of a terror trail lingering beyond a physical form.

…Are you kidding me?

Fade had rarely seen it manifest this way, but then again—

I guess this night is just full of surprises.

Shitty surprises.

The bounty hunter hesitantly reached her hands forward to hold the side of Jett’s head, biting her lip in guilt and frustration as the wind girl jerked away, whimpering.

Fade was already over respecting her boundaries after all that happened. She lunged forward and grabbed Jett by her face, her grip strengthening as the wind girl thrashed against her hands, clawing at her arms and crying out.

Closing her eyes, Fade channeled her radiance. She should’ve released Jett once she felt the wind girl cease any struggling. She should’ve stopped back to give her some space.

But Fade didn’t let go. She loosened her grip, her hand reaching to the back of jett’s head and pulling the wind girl into her arms. The initiator held the younger girl in a firm grip, biting back any pained hisses as Jett still struggled weakly against her, pleading hoarsely, yet desperate all the same.

“Hey– hey, I’ve got you. I’ve got you, okay—?”

The wind girl sobbed, her movements growing weaker with each passing second. “No– please… stop— it hurts… why— I saw it. I saw it– why did you make me see it—?”

Fade frowned, trying to tilt Jett’s head up to see her eyes once more. “See what?”

Does she still have that thing in her head? I thought I got rid of it…

“Jett, are you—? What the hell— Fade?”

Fade snapped her head back to the door, forgetting that she’d left it half open in an attempt to let the fear clear out. Neon stood bewildered in the doorway, shock, confusion, and worry, written into her features.

“I… I can explain later.” Fade whispered, surprised at how fragile her own voice was. She winced a little as Jett weakly hit her in the side, still trying to squirm away. “Just… help. Please.”

Neon’s eyes widened further at the state of jett, rushing over to their side. She kneeled, and only then did Fade let the wind girl out of her arms.

The bounty hunter slowly let her arms fall back to her lap, watching as Neon pulled Jett into a comforting embrace. She wasn’t sure what the feeling residing in her chest was as the lightning agent held Jett close, rubbing her back and shushing her. The shaky and hyperventilating form of the Korean duelist settled back into broken sobs.

Fade’s heart clenched as she saw Jett immediately relax into Neon’s arms when she’d been thrashing and struggling on her own just moments before.

The bounty hunter’s gaze drifted to the ceiling where tendrils still lingered around, waiting. Guilt and self-hatred flashed across her solemn expression. Fade moved to lean on the bedroom dresser silently, glancing down at the two duelists.

Neon let Jett bury her face into her chest. She took the moment to look over the wind girl’s shoulder at Fade, frowning in confusion and worry.

Fade bit her tongue, averting her gaze as she felt the judgement. 

Even as she lost sight of the wind girl, she could still see Jett in Neon’s arms. Jett at peace, in a way Fade wasn’t able to accomplish. Closing her eyes only made the sight more vivid. She could see Jett’s shoulders relaxing, her breathing calming.

It only made another drop of guilt fall into the pit of Fade’s gut. 

…I deserve this all, don’t I?

This is my fault.

She was right. Jett was right.

…

I can’t believe I’m saying that.

“Fade… what happened…?” Neon asked softly.

The dream stalker was silent for a moment. That was a jam-packed question, one she wasn’t sure how to answer correctly. Her gaze drifted back over to the two duelists sitting on the floor, her expression hardening. “I heard her crying. So I broke the door down and I found her… like that.”

Neon blinked, taken aback. “Broke the door down? Is… is that why the keypad is—”

“Yes.” Fade huffed, crossing her arms. She glanced away again, unable to keep her eyes on the wind girl. Her voice was tense as she continued, trying to recount all the events that seemed to happen in a flash. “I found her like that. On the ground, and the… the tendrils…”

“Tendrils?” Neon questioned again, frowning. Hearing Jett whimper, she held the Korean girl closer to her chest “Like… the ones you can see? The fear?”

Fade’s guilt intensified as Jett cuddled closer to Neon. She closed her eyes in thought, opening them as she found some words. “The… the tendrils. The tendrils were wrapped around her, they were… They were choking her…”

“What…?” Neon whispered, looking down at her friend. Fade pursed her lips as the lightning agent gently tilted Jett’s head up to inspect her neck. Jett made another miserable noise, slumping back against the Filipina’s chest. “Shhh… you’re okay…”

Fade had hoped that moving across the room to stand against the dresser would give them some privacy and relieve her of the feeling of intruding, but it clearly hadn’t. She cleared her throat, pushing off of the furniture to head toward the door. 

“I’m… I’m sorry.” Fade whispered, glancing back at Jett’s balled up form. 

She slipped out of the room silently, not waiting for any kind of goodbye. She avoided looking at either of the girls as she slipped by. She knew her presence was no longer needed.

Not like it was ever needed.

Fade closed her eyes, walking down the hallway to her room. Her fingers hovered over the digits on the keypad, slumping against the wall and resting her forehead on the metal. Her eyes snapped open once more as she saw Jett curled up against Neon.

She punched in the digits, scowling in guilt and frustration.

I should’ve just gone to get Neon. What the fuck was I thinking, trying to go in and help her? 

All I’ve been doing is hurting her, she’s right.

As Fade heard the mechanical whirring end as the door sealed shut behind her.

She stepped forward to her desk, staring blankly into the mirror that hung on the wall above it.

A rush of emotions had passed in the last half hour, and Fade was over thinking, or feeling. Frankly, she was tempted to smash the mirror into pieces.

Fade stood from her chair, kicking it across the room. She bit the inside of her cheek, relishing in the feeling of the sting on her shin where one of the legs of the chair had made contact.

She sighed.

…I hope she’s okay.

Just when she thought she’d found a moment of peace, Fade felt Nightmare whimper.

Irritation flared up again, and she once again pushed it back into the depths of her radiance. She wasn’t letting it out for at least a week.

“You have some fucking nerve.” The bounty hunter snapped. She knew the prowler could still hear her. “You know, I was feeling nice when I said I’d bring you out on a mission. I said I’d feed you when we got back here. Then you go out there and act like that?!”

…

“I can’t believe you just– what the hell even was that?” Fade asked, scoffing in an attempt to settle her nerves. “Why did you– How did you manage to rally the terror trails? THey’ve never done that before.”

…

“...Tch.”

Fade took a step back from where she stood before the desk, letting the back of her legs hit the foot of the bedframe and falling backwards onto the mattress.

Am I really the reason she’s been having nightmares…?

I wasn’t the one that summoned those tendrils. I didn’t cause any of that. Not directly, at least.

Fade rolled onto her side, rubbing her face in frustration.

Is she that scared of me to the point of manifesting that much fear?

The bounty hunter didn’t bother changing clothes for the night, rolling back to stare up at the ceiling. Hers was clear, free of any nightmarish traces. But Jett’s. Jett’s entire room was filled to the brim with unbridled terror, so strong it made Fade feel like she was suffocating just being in there for a few minutes.

Not knowing how long Jett had been dealing with a force like that made her feel sick.

I get it now.

If I thought someone did that to me just for the hell of it, I would hate their guts too.

Fade couldn’t help but reflect on all the times the wind girl had snapped at her. Lashed out over something so small. Having this new context didn’t excuse any of it, but she understood. 

And that was enough for the time being.

Jett… 

I hope she’s not mad I broke her keypad.

For someone who controlled the wind so cold, Jett was… warm.

Chapter Text

The following two weeks were barren of contact with Jett. Fade’s attempt to coerce the wind girl back out into society and form a non-hostile bond with her had only resulted in worsening her reputation.

Was that even possible?

Fade was back at her now-routinely meet-up with Neon. And the topic at hand? 

Jett. As always.

“I think it’s time to give up. For real this time.” Fade muttered, her head in her hands as Neon accompanied her to the gardens.

“Well…”

The dream stalker turned to give her friend a deadpan stare. “Don’t even try to convince me anymore. I made an attempt, and it somehow ended with her hating me even more.”

Neon sighed, staring at the vegetation that Skye had been cultivating. “She… she doesn’t hate you. You know, when you left, she stared at the doorway for a long time. Maybe… maybe she’s thankful you helped her…?”

Fade scoffed. “Did she say that?”

“Well, no, but–”

“Then she still hates me.” The initiator huffed, “No amount of words or actions is going to resolve this. Honestly, I don't even know how you convinced me to try in the first place.”

“Because you still have hope!” Neon insisted, “if you were really fine with her hating you, why does her ignoring you bother you so much?”

“ Had hope.” Fade scowled as a tree branch smacked her in the face. “It’s a problem because it affects our missions when she doesn’t listen to a word I say! And is it such a bad thing to want a teammate to not hate my guts?”

The lightning agent slumped her shoulders. “Of course not! I really don’t think she hates you as much, believe it or not.”

“Right. I’ll choose the latter.”

“Fade, I’m serious!”

“Me too!” The dream stalker hissed. “You think almost being strangled by my powers helped rekindle our relationship?”

Neon pursed her lips as she took a moment before she spoke again. “Were they really your powers though? You– you said that you controlled Nightmare, but the tendrils it controls is a different thing.”

…

Fade had thought nonstop about that very question since that night. She did control Nightmare, and the tendrils of fear were simply an emotion she could see. Other’s usually wouldn’t be able to see them unless she’d sent Nightmare at them, and they’d never acted on their own like that.

So had Fade been unconsciously trying to kill Jett? Or was it just Nightmare’s hunger that triggered such a terrifying effect?

She had yet to come to a conclusion, and it was driving her mad.

“...I don’t know. I– I wasn’t trying to kill her, Neon. You know that.”

“Of course I do. I just… you’ve explained your powers before, but it’s hard to understand.” Neon sighed softly, staring up at the sky. “Most of the agents have seen the terror trails before– from both you and the Omega agents, but… sigh, I don't know.”

“Don’t know what?”

“Well… Jett said that her head was basically fogged with fear.” Neon spoke in a stagger, trying to find the words. “Kind of like when you’re having an anxiety attack.”

Fade nodded slowly. She was familiar with those. “Yes. I have no idea what happened… I’ve never seen fear manifest like that before. It– it wasn’t physical.

“...Isn’t fear an emotion?”

“No, no. Not like that, I… I could sense tangible fear in her head . As if it was physical, a being.”

“Oh…” The lightning agent wasn’t quite sure how to respond. “Jett said that when you grabbed her, you… you did something, and then she said she could see something similar to the terror trail, but… in her head. Like what you’re describing.

Fade was silent as she processed Neon’s words. 

…That must be what she meant when she said I made her see something. She– she was able to see it in her head when I was dispelling it. 

“...Yes. She must’ve seen it when I was chasing it out of her head.” Fade muttered, running a hand through her hair. “I’ve never seen anything like it and it’s stressing me out.”

The duelist gently reached over to pat her friend on the back. “I guess our powers just get stronger as time goes on… I think I would’ve lost control a long time ago if it wasn’t for the surge protector.”

Fade made a noise of acknowledgement, her attention drifting to the scenery. The plants all looked like they were thriving, all thanks to the caregiving of Skye and Omen.

It would be so much easier if I was one of these damn flowers.

Bzzzzzt—!

The sudden buzz from her phone jolted the dream stalker out of her brief thought. Neon stopped by Fade’s side as the initiator pulled out her phone.

“...Shit.” Fade immediately cursed.

“What? What happened?” Neon questioned, her tone a meld of curiosity and concern.”

The dream stalker handed her friend the phone, laughing at the irony. “Leave it to Brimstone to assign me a mission with Jett. FUCK!”

“Oh…” The lightning agent mumbled as she scanned over the brief message. “Um… at least you two can talk again?”

“Like hell I’m doing that.”

“I mean, you kind of have to. You know, communication.” Neon shrugged meekly, “I still don’t think Jett hates you as much.”

Fade scoffed. “Then why is she still avoiding me? Even more than before that night, by the way. I’m in the canteen? She leaves. I’m watching that stupid movie with you? Gone. I don’t even get to catch a glimpse of her anymore.”

The duelist groaned. “I’m trying to make the best of your situation okay? Can’t you just try and be a little optimistic? She doesn’t hate your guts, you just remind her of the tendrils.”

“Lovely.” Fade muttered sarcastically. “My radiance that is going to be used on the mission is going to be of great help.”

“She’s just scared of you…”

“I know that!” Fade suddenly snapped, snatching her phone back. “Being scared of me is still hurtful. I… I don’t want to terrify her, okay?”

Neon closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. “Yeah. I know…”

…

“I just…” The dream stalker shook her head in defeat. “I wish there was a way to show her I wasn’t trying to hurt her.”

“Give it time—”

“How much time?” Fade interrupted. She was tired of hearing the same words of reassurance. As much as Neon was trying to help, it was only making it worse. Fade wanted Neon to tell her to give up– to say it wasn’t possible to convince Jett, to tell her it was okay to just… try and accept that this was how things were going to be. “Am I going to have to deal with being seen as a monster for the rest of my life?”

“No.” Neon insisted, frowning up at the Turk. “You won’t, okay? You’re not a monster, and Jett sees that. She… She knows you saved her that night.”

“...Did she say that?”

“Yes.”

“...”

Fade huffed.

“I’m serious, Fade. She did, she knows you were trying to help, it just… it was also terrifying. You get that, don’t you…?”

“I do.”

The dream stalker could feel Neon’s saddened stare on her back as Fade moved to step back into the facility. 

—-

Fade had originally planned to keep her mouth shut and eyes low the entire ride to Icebox, but she’d unfortunately boarded the airship after Jett. 

The wind girl had already chosen a seat in a secluded corner of the VLT/R, and Fade now had to decide whether she wanted to sit near her, or on the opposite end.

Sitting by her is going to make me look desperate or scare her even more. But if I sit away, will she think I hate her?

The decision should’ve been an easy one considering the plan she came in with, but upon seeing Jett, Fade now was stuck in a stalemate.

It would’ve been so much easier if someone else had already chosen a seat. Fade would have joined them instead, or they could’ve accompanied Jett. But unfortunately, they were all busy. Omen was in the cabin, being the designated pilot for the trip. Sova was double checking the medical supplies in a separate area in the VLT/R, and Killjoy was talking to Brimstone.

Fade was currently standing awkwardly for way longer than she would’ve liked. Her mind was battling as she was stuck between the main bunker of the ship where Jett was, and the ramp where Killjoy was conversing.

She didn’t particularly want to join in on the conversation, but being even relatively close to having an isolated conversation with Jett made her want to return to her room and never leave.

“I really don’t think she hates you as much, believe it or not.”

…

I hate you Neon.

Fade ignored the blaring alarms in both her head and gut as she shuffled over to sit in the seat next to Jett. She didn’t miss the way Jett glanced and shifted away. It was barely a movement but it stung nonetheless. 

I can’t even blame her. 

Out of all the empty seats in the entire ship, I choose the one next to her. I am such an idiot.

The dream stalker eyes drifted to observe the duelist for more of a reaction. Jett didn’t offer her anything.

…Damnit.

The ignoring and blatant fear was really starting to get to Fade. As much as she understood the wind girl’s hesitance in this situation, her heart ached.

Fade was tired of saying Jett's opinion of her didn’t matter. She didn’t want to be hated anymore. When she first sent out the threats of blackmail, she truly couldn’t care less. But when she was inducted into the protocol, she understood that a team of agents that despised her wasn’t a good thing, and put in the effort to incorporate herself into their community. 

Some of them held grudges, Jett included, but she tried to ignore it.

The time had worn her down, and she was sick and tired of it. Sick of not being welcomed, tired of being treated like some evil. 

But what could she do? She’d rejected all of Neon’s hopeful and glittery ideas for a reason.

Because they didn’t work.

Fade knew from experience that Jett was too stubborn, and now terrified, to try and bridge the abyss between them. The few plans that she’d followed through with only ended in cultivating the hatred Jett had rather than easing it.

The attempted movie night was bad enough, and Fade barging into the wind girl’s room was one of her worst ideas.

“She knows you were trying to help.”

Fade’s lips thinned into a line as she recalled Neon’s words. She wanted to believe it, but it felt like a bait, an excuse for her to shed the guilt for what Jett went through that night.

It wasn’t even my fault– I didn’t command them to hurt her.

But what if I did? The fear tendrils never act on their own like that, I had to have influenced them somehow…

The dream stalker pinched the bridge of her nose, slouching over. 

Even if I somehow control them to strangle her, why couldn’t I rescind the order? Why did they multiply like that? They shouldn’t be… conscious. Not like Nightmare, not in a way that lets them act on their own. They’re a representation of fear, that’s all it is.

Fade glanced back at Jett. The wind girl was fidgeting with the barrel of her vandal, adjusting it over and over. She noticed that Neon often made repetitive motions when she was nervous. It seemed the habit had transferred over to the other duelist.

The wind girl wasn’t looking in her direction, but Fade couldn’t help but feel incredibly awkward and ignorant for taking the seat right beside Jett when the entire bunker was empty. She wanted to offer reassurance in some twisted way, but she was only scaring her further. 

That was far from the goal.

Should I say something? Apologize—? 

But for what? What the hell do I say— sorry for nearly killing you? Sorry for breaking your door because I heard you crying?

That’s just admitting guilt to something I don’t even know if I did!

“Hey, um…” Fade started, wincing at how dry her throat was. She could see Jett tense, meaning she wasn’t completely ignored. “You’ll be talking during the mission, right—?” 

God, that sounds like I don’t care if she doesn’t talk to me otherwise!

There was a long pause as Fade desperately pleaded that she wouldn’t be blatantly ignored like she had so many times in the past. She prayed that Neon was right in saying Jett didn’t hate her, that she had in fact, somehow improved their relationship with that traumatizing night.

“Yeah.” Jett muttered quietly.

Fade’s eyes widened as she received a response, genuinely shocked at the fact she hadn’t been left on read. “Right. And… sorry. About that night. I really wasn’t trying to hurt you.”

Why did I say that?! 

The wind girl fell into silence again, still entranced with her gun. Was she fidgeting more than she had been a moment ago?

“Neon told me that.”

Fade blinked, a multitude of emotions crossing her. “Oh, she did—? Well, I… yes. I heard you saw… something. When I, uh, grabbed you.”

Jett nodded slowly, her voice not upset or frustrated, just… confused and afraid. “What was it…?”

“I… I don't know.”

Did that scare her more? Fuck.

“Oh.”

Fade winced, her face contorting at Jett’s lackluster response. “I’m not trying to scare you, I’ve really never seen it before… I think– It looked like my terror tendrils in your head. Not as an emotion but… a being.”

“ Your terror tendrils…?” Jett echoed. The dream stalker cursed internally as the wind girl faced her for the first time. “You— you did that? All the choking a-and—”

“No, no!” Fade quickly clarified, nauseous at the thought. She wasn’t even sure if she was lying to the duelist. “That wasn’t me— god, I was not trying to hurt you! The– the tendrils have never acted on their own like that before, I don’t know why I couldn’t get them off you…”

The wind girl stared at Fade for a moment before glancing away once more. Any attempt at continuing the conversation was shut down as the VLT/R’s engine roared to life, followed by the ramp retracting. 

“Everyone buckle up, we’ll arrive at Icebox in around an hour.” Sova called out, walking out from the makeshift medbay on the airship. 

Fade felt a rush of both relief and annoyance at the interruption. She had no idea how to continue the conversation after the jumble of words that had fallen from her mouth, but she desperately needed to continue to clarify herself.

As expected, Jett stood from her seat by Fade and quietly excused herself to move across the expanse and into the cabin to join Omen. 

The dream stalker didn’t follow, slumping back into her seat. “...Damnit.”

—-

“This should be a relatively short mission— they won’t be expecting us here this soon.” Sova spoke, pointing at the map of Icebox. “Getting onto site will be the easy part, but let’s still take caution. Fade and I will use our utility to help us enter the site. Remember, we want no casualties— our missions have been free of any serious injuries for months.”

Fade strained to pay attention, her gaze continuing to flicker over to where Jett was leaning against the wall right beside her.

“Sova will have his Hunter’s Fury to defend the spike, and I’ll also have my Nanoswarms, so just play it safe after we get the spike down.” Killjoy added, punching the button to let down the ramp.

Jett was the first to leave, pulling her hood up to block the snow. Sova and Fade shared a glance before quickly following the duelist.

“Jett, wait.“ The dream stalker began, her boots crunching in the snow as she followed Jett to the entrance of B site.

The wind girl ignored her for a moment, then decided to glance back. “…What?”

Fade tried to push away all her personal issues with Jett at the moment. She needed a clear mind for this mission. “Omen told me to stick with you and help clear the corners with my abilities, so just… don’t run off. Please.”

Jett looked less than happy at the new information, but nodded nonetheless. 

Killjoy soon joined the rest of the group after having set up her bots to watch their flank, nodding at Omen. “Ready when you are.”

The ghostly being let out a growl before turning towards sight, his head bowed and hands gesturing as he sent out his Dark Cover.

Jett immediately activated her Tailwind and Fade took it as her cue to summon her Prowler to clear the corners. 

The wind girl froze in place as the nightmarish creature drifted past her. Her eyes were locked onto the cat, and even as the space ahead was cleared, she made no attempt to move.

A sudden weight of guilt fell upon Fade’s shoulders again as she saw the fear in Jett’s eyes. She discreetly shooed away the fear tendrils squirming at the Korean’s feet.

“Jett…?” Fade questioned quietly. She knew the duelist had undergone a horrific experience under the influence of her powers, but she had no idea that the fear rooted this deep.

Sova also noticed, lowering his bow to frown at her. “Jett, is something wrong?”

The wind girl exhaled shakily as the Prowler finally faded, her voice weak but firm. “No. I’m… I’m fine. Sorry…”

“Alright, well… push up. We’ve already shown our presence, this needs to be quick.”

Jett nodded, taking a quick breath before stepping forward to lead the team. Fade followed close behind, closer than she normally would’ve. The wind girl had shown that she wasn’t in the right mindset, and Fade wasn’t about to let the mission go awry from a mistake.

Jett would never forgive herself if she was the reason we went home empty handed.

The Korean duelist jogged forward to claim the space, her gun raised as she stepped to peek into site, only for Fade to yank her back.

“What the hell?” Jett snapped, shoving her hand away.

Fade felt a pang of annoyance that was instantly squashed as Sova also reprimanded the younger girl. “Wait for my drone, Jett. then you can dash to the yellow crate.”

The wind girl bit her tongue, turning back to face the potential threat. 

Sova’s owl drone flew past the opening and cleared the corner around the yellow crate only for it to be shot down. “There’s one there!”

“I got him.” The dream stalker raised her hand, channeling her powers and tossing her Seize to where the enemy had been tagged with Sova’s dart.  

As she threw it, Jett had already dashed over. A single gunshot set a flurry of relief in Fade’s chest. Her abilities didn’t hinder her own allies, but Jett should’ve waited for it.

Fade quickly followed the duelist, only to see Jett staring at her stiffly. She frowned back in confusion, lowering her rifle. “What?”

The wind girl retained her piercing gaze for another moment before dropping it with a huff. “Warn me before you throw that thing.”

Had it still been a few months ago, Fade would’ve called her an idiot, and to deal with the consequences of being impatient, but she knew Jett was just on edge. “Right, okay.”

“Get the spike down, my smokes won’t last much longer.” Omen growled from the B main, urging Killjoy to step forward. “Jett, cover her.”

The wind girl nodded, stepping out of cover from behind the yellow crate to protect the German scientist as the spike was planted.

Fade ducked behind the crate with Jett once more. She barely caught a glimpse of Killjoy tossing down her Nanoswarms bear the bomb as she retreated to join them behind the crate.

A flurry of bangs sounded in the distance, followed by the sentinel calling out to the team. “My turret got shot down! I’m going to fight flank—“

Another gunshot rang in Fade’s ears as Omen replied. “He’s dead. I’ll keep watch.”

“Okay, I’ll come help you.” Killjoy nudged Fade. “You two play safe— don’t take unnecessary fights.”

“We won’t.” Jett muttered, nudging Killjoy towards B main. “I’ll smoke you across, just activate your mollies when you need to.”

Killjoy nodded and waved to them before using the wind girl’s cloudbursts to cross safely.

Bullets were unloaded towards the smokes as Killjoy crossed, one of them grazing her side. Fade heard the girl curse as a few splatters of red now taint the snow. “Are you okay?”

“Ah.. I’m fine, I’ll patch it up later…” Killjoy replied, hissing as she felt her side. “There’s only two left, let’s not get overzealous.”

Sova beckons Killjoy to retreat further, using their utility to prevent any defuse rather than risking someone dying through a gunfight. Fade’s lips thinned into a line as her and Jett were still instructed to remain by the yellow crate as a precaution.

“Got it.” Jett muttered dismissively as Sova left.

Fade frowned as she noticed the wind girl’s absent stare. Her hands were still shaky, and it sure as hell wasn’t from the cold. “You okay?”

Jett’s shoulders stiffened at the hesitant ask. “Of course. We kill people all the time.” 

“Not that, idiot.” The dream stalker scoffed on reflex. She was too used to bickering with Jett to stop herself from retorting with an insult. And yet she regretted it, kicking the girl when she was down. “I mean– that’s not what I meant. I know we do, but…”

Jett rolled her eyes, leaning against the metal container and peeking into the open to try and spot the last enemy. Shots were fired, and Fade felt a drastic spike of fear as she heard the wind girl grunt.

“Hey, don’t just go out into the open like that!” Fade hissed, instinctually grabbing the duelist by the shoulder and pulling her back behind cover.

Jett responded by jerking away, glowering at Fade. “Don’t touch me! She’s dead, I’m fine!”

The initiator chortled in exasperation. “Why the hell are you even peeking in the first place?! Killjoy and Sova can handle them, we don’t have to play risky!”

“You two alright?” Killjoy called out.

“We’re fine!” Fade replied, glaring at the wind girl. “ Someone just decided to risk her life for no reason. God– at least let me use my haunt!”

Jett let out another huff but made no move to peek again. The bounty hunter summoned her radiance. She didn’t miss the way the duelist stepped back at the sight of her powers once more. The haunt landed, and the last enemy didn’t break it. Their outline was now visible through walls, and Jett instantly moved out into the open with her gun raised. 

Fade’s eyes registered the stance of the enemy outline, her heart jumping to her throat.

“WAIT!!”

All her annoyance at Jett was overpowered by horror as the sound of an operator ripped through the air, followed by a hoarse scream.

Fade rushed out to yank the wind girl back behind the yellow crate. Her heart was pounding in her ears, drowning out the cries she could see leaving Jett’s lips. Her form was shaking; each sob that clawed out from Jett’s throat was tearing the hole in her heart.

The snow below them was quickly turning scarlet as the dream stalker laid Jett down on her stomach. Her uniform was already so sodden with blood Fade could hardly make out the wound. 

“Jett? Jett?!” Fade asked, her voice higher pitched with panic. “You fucking dumbass– stop moving!”

The wind girl was spasming, her body convulsing as she desperately tried to cope with the immense pain. Fade pressed her palms hard against Jett’s wound, gritting her teeth and ignoring the horrific guilt as the Korean yelled out.

Her hands were stained a deep crimson, the fresh blood wetting her hair as she reached up to her earpiece. “Jett’s down— Jett’s down! I need help—”

Hearing Killjoy curse in her native tongue did nothing but worry her further, but Omen replied quickly. “I’m smoking for you, get her out of there.”

Fade muttered incoherent pleads and words of uncertain reassurance as she tried to stem the bleeding with Jett’s jacket. Tying the soaked fabric tightly around her abdomen would have to do. 

“a–aH!” Jett screamed as she was lifted from the ground, her throat was hoarse, cracking from the sudden stimulation.

“Sorry, sorry…!” Fade yelled back, unsure why she was matching the duelist’s volume. “I need to get you out of here– just hang on to me, okay? You’ll be fine—”

As soon as Omen’s Dark Cover bloomed, she bolted for the rest of the team. She had never been the best sprinter. Neon would've done a much better job. Fade had never felt her lungs burn worse. The crunch of the snow with each step, a steady rhythm she focused on to push aside the searing ache in her muscles.

She made it to where Sova and Killjoy had retreated to, panting. Sova had a grave expression, his voice stern. “She’s losing blood too quickly– take her to the Vulture and see what you can do. We can deal with the straggler.”

Killjoy was paler than usual as she reached to squeeze Jett’s hand, whispering. “Hang in there…”

Fade wanted to sit down and take a break, rejuvenate her lungs, but that could wait. She nodded and set off for the VLT/R. Hearing Jett’s sobs grow weaker with each step was the only thing driving her forward. She rushed onto the ship, struggling to hold onto the wind girl all while opening the door to the medicinal quarry of the airship. 

“Jett? You’re– you’re still with me, right?” The bounty hunter asked worriedly, setting the girl down on the cot with as much caution and speed as she could muster.

Fade couldn’t feel relief, even as she heard Jett exhale with a raw cry. She ripped the cabinets open and grabbed the first roll of bandages she saw. The bounty hunter ignored the fear in Jett’s eyes as she unsheathed her melee and cut through Jett’s clothing. 

“Shhh— you’re fine, you’ll be okay! Just– just stay with me…” Fade muttered, her words failing her as she pushed aside the fabric as much as she could. She winced as she heard Jett scream brokenly once more at the pressure on her wound.

The wind girl was trying to keep still, but each small movement sent a jolt through her body resulting in unbearable pain.

Fade hands began to shake with nearly as much intensity as the girl she was wrapping the bandages around. She tried to tighten it as much as possible, but the trembling and agonized sobs were too much. 

God– her body doesn’t even know how to react to this injury…

The bounty hunter wasn’t sure exactly where the bullet had hit or how bad the wound truly was, but the sheer volume of blood leaving Jett’s body was concerning.

“Fuck…” Fade hissed as the roll of bandages ended. She dug into the drawers for more, clenching her jaw as she heard Jett’s pitiful whimpers. 

“Fade… I’m– aH–! I’m scared…” 

The dream stalker instantly froze at Jett’s whisper, panicking as she nearly dropped the fresh roll of bandages. “H-hey! Look at me—” She insisted, rushing back over to the cot and looking down at the wind girl’s pale face. “You’re fine, Jett, you’re fine– ”

Fade could hardly concentrate on patching Jett up between the girl’s sorrowful words and now the tears in Jett’s eyes.

“A–Am I going to die…?” 

The bounty hunter’s concern multiplied tenfold, the aching in her heart reaching an intensity she hadn’t felt in ages. “No, no! You’re fine, you’re not going to die, okay? You’re going to be perfectly fine… just… shit…” 

Fade’s voice grew weaker with every word. She was uncertain if she was speaking the truth. Could Jett really survive until they made it back to the compound? Sage and Skye couldn’t heal her until then.

She frantically tried to stem the bleeding, but the blood kept coming, fresh and dark. Her thoughts would’ve continued spiraling, but her heart lurched once more as she keened in on a tendril of fear, sneaking out from beneath Jett’s body.

Goddamnit not now—

“J-Jett, I need you to roll around, here–” Fade whispered, her own voice cracking. She tried to help the duelist flip over, but Jett’s body arched up in response, her muscles spasming in reaction to the scorching wound. 

Jett screamed again, weaker. Her cheeks were wet as she sobbed. “S-STOP! Please– it hurts– it hurts…!”

Fade nearly snarled as the tendril poked out further. She stamped it out with her palm, her throat burning with emotion. “No, you’re fine, you’re FINE! I’m sorry– I know it hurts but you can handle it…”

The dream stalker stepped back for a moment, trying to catch her breath in all the chaos. Her head was pounding, and her heart still sat in her stomach. She’d done all she could– that should’ve offered some relief. But hearing Jett’s ragged breaths reduced any of that feeling to dust.

She reached out to squeeze Jett’s hand like Killjoy had earlier, hoping it would somehow mitigate her suffering even a little. “H-hey, you’re okay, alright? Just– you’ll be okay, Sage can heal you when we get back, you’ll—”

Fade flinched slightly as Jett crushed her hand, followed by a sickening cough. She spoke no words. The pain was clearly overwhelming her. Fade wasn’t sure how the wind girl hadn’t passed out– it would’ve been an act of mercy.

But what if she doesn’t wake up? 

“Fade…” Jett croaked, her voice broken in a way that was terrifyingly similar to the last night they spoke. “Please… please stay. I– I dont… gasp— I don’t want to be alone…..”

The dream stalker could’ve sworn she felt a physical crack in her heart. “Y-yes, I will, of course I will. I’ll… I’ll stay.” 

Fade stiffened again as she heard the spike detonate in the distance. For the first time in the last few minutes, she felt a sliver of relief and gratitude. She was eternally grateful that at least the main objective had gone according to plan. If things somehow went astray, she knew Jett would’ve blamed herself forever.

“See? We did it– we completed the mission. You did it.” Fade tried to sound brighter to no avail.

She stood by Jett’s side, feeling sick and nauseous. Her head was starting to spin, the aching devolving into something much more than simple discomfort. Any words she spoke, questions, and pleads to hear a response, were all met with silence.

Jett was slowly losing consciousness, losing herself, losing the battle.

Fade had killed many, had seen the deaths of many, hundreds, perhaps thousands by now. But she’d never been so personally present to see someone die so… slowly, awfully. 

…Maybe if I hadn’t spooked her that night, she wouldn’t have been so irrational to peek. Maybe if we just got along, none of this would’ve—

The dream stalker’s hand slowly pulled free from Jett’s desperate grasp. She ignored the fact they were sticky with Jett’s blood. Fade’s hands went up to her head, pressing against her temples. 

She couldn’t handle it.

She didn’t want to see Jett die like this, not after what she did. She was a major reason this ended up happening. Fade could blame Jett’s stupid decisions all she wanted, but she was the one that influenced those decisions, she was the one—

I could’ve warned her faster, I should've known there was an operator— if Jett wasn’t scared of the monster I fuckinga m, maybe she wouldn’t have made the mistake, maybe she wouldn’t have to be the one that kept hurting —

Fade could barely make out the thunks of footsteps returning to the VLT/R. 

They’re back, Sova, Killjoy, Omen—

At that moment she made a decision. A horrible decision, the worst decision.

“F-fade…” Jett pleaded, tears rolling down her cheeks. Fade didn’t see it, but she could imagine it in her head.

The bounty hunter refused to glance back at the wind girl, closing her eyes. She whispered back hoarsely. “Jett, I… I’ll be right back, okay? Just… I swear– I’ll be back.”

Fade couldn’t bear to lay her eyes on the dying girl for another moment. It had been so long since an agent had passed on a mission. They’d developed safer protocols, been taking on easier missions, lessening the load for each task. 

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

Fade stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind her. She stumbled over to Sova, her voice wavering between catatonic and sounding like she’s on the verge of tears. “Sova, can you go stay with Jett…? I… Please. I need a moment.”

He nodded, squeezing her shoulder. Fade was eternally grateful he didn’t ask anything or say another word.

Fade watched Sova enter the medical ward with an empty feeling. It felt quieter now, even with more people. Jett had stopped sobbing at one point while Fade treated her, but the internal screaming made up for it.

Her eyes remained glued to the door even as Jilljoy sidled up beside her, asking tentatively. “Is she…—?”

“…” Fade inhaled shakily, her voice weak. “I don’t know.”

When Sova exited only moments later, the bounty hunter shook his head, murmuring solemnly. “She’s already gone.”

Fade’s world came crashing down.

“What—! She— she was still alive, she was alive when I left. She was just..— did you— you were not—“ 

Killjoy patted Fade’s shoulder, and that’s when the Turk cut herself off. A static now rung in her ears, blocking out everything else.

Jett had died. Died while she had left her alone. In the few moments that Fade wasn’t there with her, Jett had died.

Fade had made a false promise to the wind girl. Most of all, she was a coward. She couldn’t bear witnessing the death of the wind girl, knowing that she could’ve been a reason as to why it got so bad in the first place.

She had promised Jett that she would stay, only to leave the girl alone in her dire moment.