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I did not lie, Hazal. I'm loved. I'm cared for. You can be too.
The words echoed somewhere in her mind. A mind so strained from its own self-destructive habits. The words buried within her psyche that held thousands of other random phrases and broken pictures. These words were so loud, however. Her own words. Told to her with genuine love. One of the only times she ever indulged in any amount of self-care. It was enough to shake her from the current hollow dream.
Fade woke with start. The gunfire thudding against her head. Muffled shouts and panic. Her eyes hazed over as she saw the blur of Sage kneeling down next to her. Flashes of light blinded her peripheral vision. Her head lulled slowly over to Reyna who was ruggedly breathing as blood pooled around her. The ringing in her ears increased in volume. Neon suddenly ran over and kneeled over the Turk, her eyes blinking away tears. Sage yelled at her for something - she didn't react to it. Sparks jumped from her pigtails and across her skin. Her hair lit up a bright blue and yellow.
Beautiful. It was all Fade could think. Her mouth attempted to say the words but she couldn't speak. She couldn't feel her own body. The thoughts in her head remained so as she lay across the ground nearly-lifeless. Sage yelled something else to Neon but her eyes remained glued to the blackmailer's glazed over look. Neon attempted to stand and the mere thought of Neon leaving her again forced her hand to move. Reaching. Shaking. Grasping for Neon's calf as she stood. Neon looked down at her with a worried look. Despite the apparent impossibility to speak, she forced out what she could to keep her close.
"Please…tatlim. Stay…"
Rasped and coarsed, her words reached the Filipino. She stared down at her. Confused. Scared. More tears started to form from Neon's eyes.
"Neon! If we don't get that portal working then none of us are safe! Please!"
Sage's once muffled voice cut through her hearing. Seemingly, Neon acknowledged her plea this time. Fade felt something stir below her vision. The Nightmare rumbled. The tendrils of fear formed from the three women next to her. Neon she had been familiar with, but Reyna and Sage? That was new and it was far from comforting. As her consciousness started to grow more and more aware, a larger amount of fear tendrils sprouted from all the other Valorant agents as the situation grew far dire. Fade squeezed Neon's calf. A begging touch.
"It is…ok…stay…calm. You all…must."
The words were barely a whisper and the pain in her throat did nothing to help. Sage yelled to Neon once more.
"Go, Neon! I'll take care of her!"
Her plea lost on deaf ears. The tendrils only grew. Her vision grew red. Neon left her sight and the feeling on the tips of Fade's fingers left the ghost of her touch. The Nightmare's control gripped around her heart, her lungs, her ribs…her everything. The amount of fear within the room became overwhelming. A flood of emotions washed over her and the room filled with a dark mist. The endless cycle of the Nightmare caused its existence to create even more fear. The noises around her deafened and her already hazy vision blanked over. Her chest tightened causing her pain when she tried to breathe.
The clouds of shadow blinded her and soon the flashes of gunfire exploded through the dusk. The sounds completely muted and she could only stare as time seemed to slow. One by one, less and less flashes peaked through. The Nightmare worked its way to each and every being around her. Until one flash remained. A bright blue light scraped across the distant fog. A flash here. A flash there. It dotted across her view. It seemed to get closer and closer, yet nothing Fade could do would bring her closer to it. Maybe this was the end she so dearly desired.
It seems fate had other plans as Neon kneeled over her. Her features bright and sparkling. Her hand was placed on Fade's cheek to which Fade leaned into. Her energy sapped all at once. And soon, the clouds rolled over her and the sparks had completely died out.
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The streets smelled of piss and grime. Dirt, mud and dampness stained her prison suit. Long ago her exhaustion hit, slowly burning her insides with each intense breath. Prowler stalked near her, the Nightmare on full display. A few errant looks and many scuffling feet told her she needed to calm down. Control her shifting emotions. The anxiety of her pursuers being close behind would never leave. She found a tight, closed-off alley. A deceptive oasis in the late evening city roads. Garbage stacked along a building wall. Flies infesting the rusty dumpster filled with who-knows-what. It was far from ideal but anything was better than returning to that hell-hole. Better than returning to that twisted doctor.
She leaned on the brick building only to painfully slide down as her aching legs gave way. Hours of running, crawling and climbing took its toll. Prowler cuddled next to her, rubbing into her side lovingly. Hazal placed her hand on top of its head. The smoke leaked through her fingers as she rubbed her palm across the material. Whatever it was. Even after four years she couldn't figure out the nature of this…this thing. Of what she was. Of who she was any more. Her breathing was labored. Slowly, but surely, she tried not to break down as the adrenaline of her escape waned. Tears threatened to leak through. On instinct she forced them back, despite the rare opportunity she would have been allowed to cry in recent years.
The Nightmare settled as it gestated its recent meal. Its hunger thankfully sated. It had been a long day. The creature under her arm purred its content. The Nightmare no longer scared her the same way it once had. Now, it only unsettled her. Nagging her. She saw it as a pest to keep under control. The danger only rose from its own starvation. Regardless of the many fears it just feasted on, She was an amateur. Ignorant. In no way did she know how to bend the Nightmare to her whim. Instead relying on its direction for her to follow.
Their first meeting was none too pleasant. Her father attacking it with a broom handle. Her sister crying in terror. Her mother shouting a prayer. No, none of that brought decent memories. The being inside her had corrupted her mind. Or perhaps her own mind had already been messed up, causing a symbiotic relationship. She hoped that wasn't the case. Rings formed around her eyes in mere weeks of First Light. Paranoia and the symptoms of schizophrenia. Sleepless nights. Even as she lay down in some dirty alley as a steady rainfall soon turned into an outright downpour, she couldn't be sure if the voices and visions were from the Nightmare or just her own sanity faltering.
As she sat in contemplation, Hazal realized that she had nowhere to go. No one to help. She had no bearing of where she was. The Nightmare led her within the dangers of its feeding ground. Keeping the lost girl mostly unscathed. Four years. Four long years. Just on the cusp of turning 17. No friends or family. Not even a clue to how the outside world has dealt with First Light. Was she the only person with this affliction? The thought sent a shutter through her. Head in her hands as hopeless sobs wracked her.
"What am I going to do?"
Her head fell back and rested against the brick building as she stared up into the sky. Her legs splayed outward on the ground, Prowler curled into her lap. The hand that wasn't lifelessly combing her horrific pet just plopped to the now wet, flooding ground. The skies began to darken with ominous clouds moving overhead. Distant sparks of light flashed across the endless void of danger from above. Hazal's glossy eyes jumped to each spark. Drawn to the blasts that lit up the blackened night. Somehow, Hazal knew that no matter how dusky the day became, the shining bolts of electricity would guide her through the drowning darkness.
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"I want a full report on my desk, Neon. Whatever you can recall."
Neon's eyes screamed tired. Exhausted. Beaten. Her constant use of her radiance took a toll. In the end she still ended up succumbing to the monsters. The memory of a lifeless Fade haunted her, despite hearing her voice guide her through her Nightmare. It was surreal.
The last thing Neon remembered was hoisting Fade and herself through the portal after extracting everyone else as they shivered and struggled against Fade's inner demons. Fortunately, her electric volatility kept the beasts at bay while she worked to get everyone out. The second her body fell through the portal, however, the strain proved too much and she collapsed into a nightmare soon after. Neon nodded to Brimstone's order while still looking at the ground. Resigned to her duty and leaving the office curtly.
"Cypher, I want busy work dolled out. Keep everyone who's not in the med bay busy. I also want all the security data from that facility, whatever you can extract."
Cypher was one of the operators who stayed back and ran overwatch for the mission. He had gained access to security footage soon after he pinpointed their location within the facility thanks to their German engineer placing a signal to latch on to. Cypher was able to start extracting that footage for review later.
"The footage should be ready soon. Shall I exclude Neon?"
The American nodded to him, giving Cypher his que to leave. Brimstone was left to sulk in his office as he leaned over his desk. A dent still present from his anger.
"It could have been much worse, you know."
Viper spoke from the side as the debrief winded down. It was just her and Brimstone in his work space.
"It shouldn't have gotten to that point. This was a disaster. "
Viper shook her head.
"There's no guide book for this. For what we signed up for. These aren't normal circumstances. We can only be thankful that they survived. And that Fade was brought back into the fold."
Brimstone raised an eyebrow at her.
"When did you become so optimistic?"
Viper glared at him.
"I'm not. I'm realistic."
Viper stood from her seat. Arms crossed. Stature as menacing as ever.
"We work with young conflicting personalities with the ability to affect the world with just the snap of their fingers. That doesn't stop at just the Radiants. It's a miracle when we go a day without some incident. Fade is only the first of perhaps many down the line that will conflict so totally. So stop sulking and just be glad everyone is in one piece."
Brimstone smirked at her. There was a reason he founded Valorant with this woman. For all of her faults, she came through when she was needed.
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Her skin tore open as the sharpened steel dug in deep. The black smoke poured out and mixed with Turkish blood. Crimson stained her pale skin as it ran like rivers down her arm and onto her hand. Dripping from the tips of her bitten fingernails. The smoke quickly flooded in and around the wound. A cry of anger from within her head. Thoughts of her justification swam in her head.
This was different, afterall. Atleast, that's what she told herself. It's what she assured herself. A necessary precaution to keep her pain and misery from exasperating the demons within. Six months free from her prison did nothing to organize her fractured existence into anything other than a lost little girl. This wasn't a cry for attention. This wasn't some pathetic way to cope with the insignificant problems of a broken family. This wasn't a way to will away the insecurities of no one liking her. The knife struck deeper. Sharper. It caused her to gasp and flinch the knife out of her hand. A whispered Turkish curse from her lips as the blood sprayed from her punctured vein.
She wasn't stupid. She wasn't looking to die…mostly. Her first aid supplies lay open next to her. She quickly wrapped her arm to stop the bleeding with gauze, a bandage and alcohol. No. This was to keep the damned Nightmare at bay. To distract her. To annoy it.
"You can't keep doing this, Hazal."
"I won't let you."
"You'll have to trust me eventually."
"Get out of my fucking head."
*meow*
Hazal jumped at the foreign noise, quickly scanning the presumed abandoned building. It was hard to miss the black cat skulking the doorway into her homeless abode. Out of all the rooms within this large complex this feline chose hers. The cat had a white underbelly with white socks. Its chin donned white fur with a single white stripe between its eyes that spread out to each of its ears. A pair of heterochromic eyes curiously studies the other pair of heterochromic eyes. The cat's left eye was hazel while its right eye was green. Hazal was frozen still. Trying so hard not to startle her sudden guest. The cat sauntered in with a cautious yet exploratory look. Once it decided that Hazal wasn't an immediate threat, it walked up to her.
Hazal's features softened and she held out her hand towards the creature. Silently, she begged it would come to her. To comfort her. She missed even the gentle touch of another being. She missed anyone other than Nightmare. It eventually did. Rubbing against the open palm of Hazal's hand before rolling onto its back just out of reach of turk from her sitting position. Hazal didn't mind, however. She scooted closer to the animal and lightly petted its stomach. Its purring had the power to drift the idle and negative thoughts from Hazal's dark mind. Calming her.
"You're lost. Just like me."
Hazal spoke aloud to no one that would understand her. That would care for the words to leave her lips. Despite everything, she enjoyed this single moment of not being truly alone. Of not being truly damaged. Of not being truly abandoned.
Nightmare formed in front of her. Prowler's sinister grin stared at her expectantly. It was then that Hazal noticed the uncanny resemblance. A twisted morph of a feline monster. It rubbed against Hazal's outstretched leg. The turk scoffed. The being that caused her all this pain and suffering was expecting love and care? Unbelievable. Yet Hazal couldn't resist. She stretched her other hand with an already smoky wrist from the cuts and rubbed lightly on the horror. Just like a cat it rubbed against her. Purring. Closing its eyes. Giving all the signs that it trusted her. For a subtle moment she had played with the notion that the Prowler wasn't Nightmare. Just its own being. Just a tool for Nightmare, just like her. Maybe the thought had lingered in her head for much longer after that. A desperate plea that maybe, just maybe, she wasn't totally alone. That her, Prowler and Watcher were suffering together. Though what kind of suffering did the others experience? Nothing like hers, surely. No. Nothing like hers.
Watcher formed on her shoulder. Perched. Watching. Strangely ignoring the vulnerable per laying before her. Perhaps this was their way of giving her a break. Allowing her to relax. Doing what she wanted for once. She spent hours cuddled up against this cat and her beasts. Fighting the cold night away and the itch in her arm.
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Her breath came flowing through her like water as she exfoliated. Cross legged and resting her hands in front of her core, she relied on the teachings of her monastery. Her own fatigue caught up with her. The Nightmare had a powerful effect on her psyche that she had yet fully recovered from. The constant use of her radiance in the days that followed had helped little. It was her duty, a duty she bore for the sake of her family.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Constant healing took its levy. Sapping her. A common feeling among everyone it seemed. The attack had been sudden. The effect was felt throughout. A slight ping of worry gnawed at her. It seemed only those that did not care, that did not stay on Fade's side were spared her wrath. What message will that send? What result will that cause for Fade? Her heart ached again. She couldn't help her anger at Fade's treatment. Her own failure to ensure her well being. She furrowed her brows and squeezed her hands into a fist. Her emotions grew more wild and unrestrained. Her orbs reacting around her belt. She let out a scream as she slammed her fists into the dirt she sat in and a wall of ice formed in front of her. Jagged and spiked, the wall was a perfect symbol of her disjointed feelings. A struggle to hold in her intense anger represented by a relic of her troubled past. It was enough to stop her spiral in its tracks.
Her breath hitched and her eyes widened slightly. Standing to get away from her fragile space. Work. I must focus on my work. She hurriedly moved away from the zen garden and back to the infirmary.
…
Neon observed Fade's sleeping features, she looked so peaceful. The slight rise and fall in her chest signaling a balanced breathing. The lack of a grimace on her face showing a rare moment of solace for the turk. Neon rested her head on her lap, cheeks stained with errant tears. It had been two days and she still wasn't awake. Her hands rested on her knee and over Fade's stomach. Her fingers picked at themselves as she tried to will the time to go by faster.
There was a noise of whirring to her side. Kay/0 standing sentry next to her bed, a vibration of his knife in his right hand as he twirled it. It angered Neon that they still treated Fade like a threat. Like she needed to be controlled.
"Is that really necessary?"
Without skipping a beat, he answered in his annoyingly robotic tone.
"It's for everyone's safety. And hers."
"She's safe. We're safe. She doesn't deserve this."
"Sorry, Neon. Brimstone's orders. I won't let her get the upper hand again."
Neon stared daggers into Kay/0. Her anger spiked at his words. If it weren't for his knife, she's sure she'd be glowing.
"Upper hand? It wasn't her fault, you idiot!"
Kay/0 chuckled.
"You Radiants are all the same."
Neon stood from her seat, letting go of Fade. She walked over to Kay/0 and jabbed a finger into his torso.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Neon gritted her teeth. Unable to hide her disdain. Kay/0 grabbed her wrist in a sudden attack with his free hand, holding her arm away from him and leaning to get in her face.
"No accountability. You cause nothing but destruction and who's left paying the bill? Humans."
Neon was slightly shocked. His words had cut deeper than she thought they would. Hesitation showed in her features. Her brows suddenly furrowed, her anger returning. She opened her mouth to speak again but a loud cough had stopped her. They weren't alone.
Sage gave them both a stern look. Arms crossed and her eyes sharp.
"Let go of Neon this instant."
He did as he was told and released the young agent in his grasp. Neon pulled away immediately to move back to her seat next to Fade. A pout donned her expression that Sage did not fail to see. Her gaze turned to Kay/0.
"You do not assault other agents unprovoked. Do you understand?"
The robot nodded his head.
"You may wait outside and take your knife with you. I must work."
"But Brim…"
"Now, Kay/0."
Kay/0 nodded his understanding and sighed. Even with Brimstone's orders, Sage outranked everyone when it came to what happens in the infirmary. He reluctantly left and took his position outside the door and out of sight of Neon and Sage.
The healer looked over Fade's body and sighed. Unfortunately, an all too familiar sight. How many times has Fade landed herself in the infirmary? How much pain had she had to deal with? The worst part was that she knew she wasn't fragile. The Nightmare's price was a high one. Even disregarding all the "accidents" and other agent induced traumas, Fade's own self-destruction had been a constant burden. Not on just Sage's energy to keep her together but to Fade's own well being. Both physical and mental. This had been the worst so far. The furthest to the brink Fade had been brought. It seemed it all spilled over in her little attempt at taking matters into her own hands.
Neon sat back down and rested her head back onto the turk's laugh and grasped her limp hand in her own. Never leaving her side until Sage insisted she eat or train. Two days. It seemed so much longer. How long would Fade be away? Sage placed a hand on Neon's shoulder.
"Reyna should heal just fine but she's still in a lot of pain."
Neon didn't seem to react to the statement but in her head she told herself to thank the empress for keeping her promise.
"Fade is strong. Whatever we faced we shall overcome."
Sage tried once more. Neon shook slightly.
"It was our fault."
"Neon…"
"We drove her away." Neon chuckled. It sounded so tired. "We got what we wanted in the end."
Neon lifted her head to look at Fade's face. Taking in her features. Her markings. The face that looked its happiest when she was disconnected from everything. Away from this hell they created for her. Neon couldn't hold back the occasional tear at the thought of her contribution to all of this.
"We let our fears get the better of us and she's worse off for ever having met us."
Sage squeezed her shoulder in comfort. In a vain effort to keep her whole.
"My god, we almost drove her to…" Neon choked. Sage breathed. Neither could say it. Both thought about it a great deal. "...If I hadn't…if I wasn't curious. If I wasn't nosy. She'd…"
"She'd still be with us. I would have brought her back." Sage reassured.
"She would have died alone!" Neon yelled. Turning her head to scowl at Sage. "We tormented her enough to make her do that to herself! You don't just fix that!" More tears spilled from her eyes. Her sudden anger holding the breakdown at bay.
Sage held her tighter. "But she didn't. Because she had someone who cared, even a little. That's all you could do."
Neon glared at her. Eyes bloodshot and sleepy. "How many times did I put her in here? How many burns did you heal?"
It had been a significant amount. Fade had injuries of all varieties from training. Far more than any other agent despite Fade being one of their strongest and most experienced. It wasn't hard to put two and two together on why that was the case.
"I was scared of her. I just wanted her gone." Neon whispered. Her unoccupied hand, the other still holding Fade's, held her mouth as she cried. "What is wrong with me?"
Sage couldn't see a way out of Neon's spiral. No words, she felt, would help. Sage stood next to Neon while she sobbed. Letting her unload her scattered thoughts onto the healer. Until eventually she slept soundly on Fade's lap.
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"You should have been there with us!"
Jett practically seethed at the Yoru from across the mess hall table. The Nightmare was visceral and it only caused several bits of irritability to sprout from all involved. Most of all from the wind radiant. Phoenix sat next to her, and while his sleep had been just as disturbed he hid his anxiety within his confidence. Still, he shared in Jett's assessment: their so-called friends and allies left them out to dry.
"It doesn't sound like I would have been any help."
Yoru picked at his fingers haphazardly while leaning in his chair. Ignoring the angry glares from Jett and Phoenix. He had been fairly unconcerned with the grizzly return from the excursion into the mirror verse. Not even the troubled looks and conditions of everyone drew his immediate attention. They all made their choice. He thought to himself.
"Besides, it's not like it was worth the trouble. Now I'm going to have to pick up the slack around her because of her mess."
Jett threw her hands up in frustration and looked at Phoenix in angry solidarity. Phoenix scoffed at Yoru's attitude, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Man, I can believe you. I thought we were tight."
"Hey! You did that to yourselves. Not my fault she betrayed you."
Jett slammed the table with an open palm and skittered her chair loudly as she stood.
"She didn't betray us! She wouldn't do that!"
Yoru still sat laid back. Jett's bark did nothing to fret the Japanese agent. A scoff left his lips.
"If that's what you want to believe, whatever. That shit you all were tangled in tells a different story."
In truth, Jett didn't actually know what happened or why the Nightmare infested everyone's minds. When she and the other's came to; Fade didn’t. One moment they were holding off Kingdom soldiers and the next the most real hallucinations and memories ripped through them. Everything slightly twisted enough to distort reality but not enough to not fool the naive minds that were dropped into a pit of despair, begging for relief.
"Nah, we're tellin' you. Fade ain't like that."
Phoenix reaffirmed. Jett's resolve shook slightly at Yoru's comment but Phoenix's support doubled her confidence. She looked over to him with a warm, thankful smile. Grateful for whatever experience brought them closer that he saw the good in her. The human within her. It was assuring to know the new attacks on them from the Nightmare hadn't swayed him away from her, either.
"Oh, you're all best buddies now?
Yoru let out a scoff and shook his head. Disbelieving the naiveté of his comrades. Jett wanted to protest. Wanted to deny what he insinuated. But how could she? She hardly talked to Fade. Not even Neon spoke to her that much despite having the most time with her. Could she even call Fade a friend? Phoenix noticed Jett's uncharacteristic hesitation and put a hand on her shoulder. The Korean looked up at him with a confused look that quickly changed to a smile.
"We're getting there. Ya?"
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The all too familiar beeping noise stirred her awake. On instinct, Fade immediately knew where she was. Confusion of how or why filled her still. Not only did the beeps gnaw at her senses but a soft clicking. Her eyes opened, spilling fresh tears trapped by her lids. It was dark. The infirmary ceiling. Expected. Turning her head on the pillow, she saw the ominous figure knitting in a chair several feet away from her but close enough to observe that she was indeed awake.
"Good morning."
Omen's gravelly voice sent a shudder through her. Filling her with a disturbing feeling. She looked at him with a furrowed brow.
"Where… where am I?"
She knew the answer. She doesn't fully know why she asked such a stupid question. Fragility in one's psyche will do that, she supposed. Reaching for the safe, the comfort. Only asking questions she isn't afraid to have the answers to.
"Valorant HQ. Alpha earth. You are safe."
The optimism in that little statement sickened her. You are safe. She knew what he had meant. It filled her with a sense of anxiety that she couldn't describe. When had outside threats ever been the real problem? When was the last time she had been scared of being hurt by something other than her own mind? Her own power? The closest thing she could think of was Neon. Hurting her. Disappointing her. Scaring her.
Omen continued his knitting unfettered. The object of his creation hadn't been realized yet enough for Fade to recognize what he was making. She sat up slowly. Painfully. A forced grunt sounded out when she pushed past the pain.
"Careful. You should probably keep resting."
Fade shot him a worried glare. Pleading.
"Neon. Where's Neon?"
She doesn't know why she was asking. A worry deep inside her chest stabbed at her. She knew she had come for her. She just needed to make sure she was alright. She needed to know she was safe. Omen simply set his knitting kit down and stood from his seat.
"I will go retrieve her."
Relief washed over Fade. But the realization of how late it was caused her to hesitate.
"Wait! Don't…don't wake her. I don't want to bother her."
Omen chuckled.
"Trust me. She'll want to see you."
That statement alone almost made Fade's heart stop in its tracks. A cruel, cruel fantasy.
It didn't take long for the door to swiftly open. Almost as if Neon had sprinted to her. Because she did. One look at Neon made Fade's face fall into a frown. Bags under her bloodshot eyes. Assumingly crying from what Fade could only assume was because she had given her Nightmares. Or because she hurt her. Fade looked away in shame. Unwilling to make eye contact. Terrified of the Neon's scornful look.
To her surprise, all she got was a hurried hug with the shuddering shoulders of Neon as she cried into her neck. Fade immediately hugged back, not hesitating a moment to comfort her despite her confusion.
"I'm so sorry, Hazal. I didn't…I don't want you to leave. I'll do anything to make it up to you…please"
Fade squeezed her tighter. Unsure as to why Neon felt she needed to apologize. Fade had hurt her. Even as Neon tried to be her friend.
"Tatlim, shhh. You have nothing to be sorry for."
To Fade's disappointment, Neon pulled away but kept her hands on her shoulders.
"Don't give me that. I have so much to be sorry for! Hurting you. Treating you like an enemy. Abandoning you when you needed me…"
As Neon listed off all the things she was sorry for, it made Fade's heart swell. Why must I feel this way? Before Neon could continue her anxious rambling, Fade cut her off by holding a hand to her cheek and pulling her into a sudden kiss. Everything in Fade's head is telling her this was wrong. This could only end badly. That Neon would never reciprocate. Her heart, however, told her the opposite. That she needed to do this. That she couldn't wait a moment longer. Fade was about to pull away from her once the kiss seemed to not become mutual but Neon was still in a daze at the shock of Fade kissing her. Her hair sparked and jumped off of Fade's body but Fade couldn't care less.
Neon finally caught up and pulled Fade back to her. Deepening the kiss by grabbing the back of Fade's neck. Both of their hearts were pounding and their radiances flared from them. Sparked jumped from Neon, crackling against Fade's skin but never burning her. The lights within the room blinked and twitched. Fade's smoke surrounded them. Cocooning them from the outside world. A smokescreen that danced across each other's skin but never drowning Neon. This was all so much more than any words could have said in that moment.
The two finally pulled away breathing heavily. Foreheads touching. Hands holding each other's faces. They stared in exasperation at each other. Disbelieving what had happened. Neon's eyes were still blued out and her cheeks were bright red. Her radiance seemed to brighten everything about Neon. Including her blush. Fade couldn't ignore how beautiful her radiance made her. In contrast, Fade's radiance made her grimace in pain. Tore her apart. Exhausted her. The more it flared the more disheveled she became. Neon didn't see it that way though. It pained her that she went through such misery but she only saw Hazal. Not Nightmare. Not something to be feared. Just Hazal.
"Hazal…"
It came out as a whisper. She layed her hand on the Turk's hesitant hand before allowing their fingers to intertwine. How could she have missed her for so, so long?
"Spark…my little spark."
Neon smiled and pulled her into another passionate kiss. Tongues dancing and randiances mingling together. Just like a storm cloud filled with lightning to beautifully contrast the dark sky. The pulled away from the kiss and embraced each other. Holding tightly to one another long enough for exhaustion to catch up with both of them. Fade patting the her lap to tell Neon to climb onto the bed. Neon curling up into Fade's body and Fade wrapping an arm around Neon's stomach. Fade gave occasional kisses to the back of Neon's neck that caused her to shiver.
"Don't let this be another hallucination."
Neon pulled Fade's hand up to her face and kissed her knuckle.
"It isn't. I promise."
They fell asleep in each other's arms. Soon Omen arrived back in the infirmary to watch over Fade once more but to not much of a surprise he found the two lovebirds laying together. Quietly he picked up his knitting kit and sat back down to finish his project. It wasn't until sunrise that he finished and left it on the side of Fade's bed for them to see when they wake up. Despite his secluded nature, he was always happy when everyone got along.