-> X meets with F who presents him with an ultimatum, stop writing fanfiction featuring him or find a new roommate.
Feat: F, V (Virgo), and C - and 'Nameless'
An unfortunate technical glitch.
That's what they would call it— his botched murder, the mission F sabotaged…
There was more to the lead up than most would ever know about, part of that took place six months before the incident when Xenial sat across from Feng, Fatality, the Fucker in Charge…
X cast his sarcastic glare over F's shoulder, his attention on Virgo's careful diplomacy between one of his white rats and a stray cat that had been let in… by someone— it was on X's list to know who and why, it felt like a personal slight.
They should be doing this far away from here but urgency had pushed this meeting into the (mostly) empty courtyard.
"Your fanfic isn't funny, I need you to straighten up or get out."
Xenial looked Feng dead in the eye with renewed pique, knitting freshly manicured nails.
"Get out? It was my room first, you get the fuck out-!"
The chime from his phone interrupted the menace X was trying to engender— it was hard to maintain seriousness with the vintage care bears theme in the background— but the boy with the careless smile was suddenly giving him a sullen look that sent a little chill of regret up his spine.
"You can't be this dense. You can't possibly think someone wouldn't read through that, that they can't see it's about me, it's about you,
it's about our business." He said incredulously,
"Why are you doing this? Is this just one big fuck you?
I've tried to reason with you, I've tried to hear you out, I've tried to give you some grace and you make me regret it every time."
Xenial's attention had turned to the notification—
"[Review Removed for Community Violation]"
They would be getting 1-star later for their antiquated policies.
The public had spoken, that review already had a couple hundred hits, over 40 helpfulness votes, and they still took it down.
They were kowtowing to American sensibilities and X's personal review of 'Sheer-Lace-BabyDoll-Nighty' was going against the censorship regulations for feminine bodies...
Xenial tried to suppress a grin as she folded her arms, laying her head in their nest dramatically. The metal garden table was cold against her skin.
"My writing isn't that transparent," She murmured,
"I'm just venting… What I really need is to rise in the ranks… I know I could do it if I just-… If they would give me a chance. Maybe if I could get in on one of the Alpha's missions and prove myself-"
Feng sighed, the legs of his chair scraping against the concrete and grating on her ear drums.
"Uhh-Not this fuckin crap again…" He whined openly, "I've told you, they don't give a fuck about us. It's better to stay off their radar. If they think you're useful, you'll spend the rest of your life like a dog in a kennel. You will have their secrets and they'll have you on a leash."
Detecting her distraction he reached out and touched her arm.
"Do you not get it? You won't have a life anymore, your every move will be directed by them, to serve their purposes. They can't have you running rogue or you would become a liability. Maybe they put you down behind the shed then, I dunno, but least if you're working for me, you get a choice."
"They-... They could open doors for me."
"Xen, you don't exist! —Not on paper. That's a big blank check, if you know how to cash it. Think about it, we could get you everything they could ever promise but without the red tape and without their bureaucracy. You want a house? we can get you one. You want to be someone? We'll print up the documents. We can rewrite your whole history, you can be anyone you want to me. We could get you a name, an apartment, a degree…"
Feng paused, seeing Caustic exit the double doors and throw himself over the railing, heading for the greenhouse right on schedule.
"…You want a dog, we'll get you a dog."
F talked confidently but X knew he was staring down the barrel of an uncertain future as much as anyone else.
Xenial rolled her eyes and groaned petulantly.
"I'm tryin' to help you... I'm also trying to protect what's mine. If you get wrapped up in this mission shit, it's a dead end… and, I don't want to heat from any of these fancy fuckers."
"But, ...what if I could get us useful contacts?" X purred, setting doe eyes on Feng.
F gave his roommate a rather exasperated gape but then, he seemed to soften to the proposal, "I don't know… You still gotta knock it off with the A-0h-three stuff… I'm serious, no more of this Bird-bin and Phenyer or whatever it is-"
"Birdynn and Phelyur, and he's not even a main character, this is a love story and he runs a brothel for street urchins called the Come Right Inn."
The look on F's face is indescribable so Xenial knew she needed to continue.
"You see since it's staffed by the unhoused, they're uniquely well versed in making a bed out of any available surface—"
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