Patch 6.01

Night after night, Neon stayed in bed and listened, plagued by hesitation, as Fade had nightmares over and over. She gripped her bedsheets harder as Fade walked out of her room and headed for who knows where. She always tried to stay awake, see if Fade would return, but always ended up slipping into the peaceful embrace of sleep before she did.

In the day, Neon stole glances at the Turk whenever possible. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, during missions or just relaxing somewhere, but always discreet and unseen. Brimstone had emphasised a no fraternisation policy, and Neon wasn't about to get kicked out of the protocol over some crush Fade wasn't even aware of.

~~~

Even after Fade told Brimstone about the visions Nightmare had sent to her, they didn't stop.

Night after night, Fade listened to wails of pain and fear, watched the walls of the world tumble and fall, and climbed until her entire body trembled with exhaustion and her fingers were ripped and torn from how many times she'd slipped and gripped.

When Fade woke, she always got up. She didn't want to sleep and suffer through the same nightmare again and again. She avoided the common room, not wanting to bump into Skye again. That exchange had left her more exhausted than she started with.

Instead, each night, she turned left, up the staircase to the rooftop. People rarely went to the rooftop, and the cold, night air helped her stay awake and ground herself in reality with a real sensation.

Resting her arms on the railing, Fade let the ocean wind blow past her face and through her hair. It was cold, but it was calming, relaxing, and most importantly, silent. Fade closed her tired eyes and rested her tired head on her arms, letting the soothing sensation flow over her.

In this moment, there was no Nightmare. There was just the cold wind, welcome even as it prickled her skin, and gentle silence with a backdrop of quietly rustling leaves. It was peaceful, and perfect.

Until a quiet rumble started in her mind.

Beware the end of your time, it murmured, stirring Fade into unrest.

Sighing, Fade stood, returning indoors. She would have no peace tonight.

~~~

Chowing down on an egg and mayo sandwich she had thrown together, Neon headed for where Jett and Raze were already seated, animatedly talking about something despite the early hour.

But then, out of the corner of her eye, Neon spotted Fade standing alone in a corner, leaning against the wall with one arm crossed under her as she nibbled on her own sandwich.

In the spur of the moment, Neon changed course and headed for Fade. By the time she realised she didn't even know what she was going to say or do, Neon had already gone too far to abruptly turn back around. Heart pounding for no particular reason, Neon committed to her destination.

Upon her arrival, Fade glanced up at her in silent question. Neon hesitated, not knowing what to say. Instead, she just shrugged and leaned against the wall, next to Fade, and took an awkward bite of her sandwich while her brain whirred at high speed as she tried to figure out what to say.

Thankfully, Fade didn't seem in a hurry to initiate conversation or even ask why Neon was there. She just accepted her presence, and both ate in what Neon felt like was awkward silence, although Fade probably felt comfortable with how relaxed her posture was.

"Um, good morning," Neon said. She was halfway through her sandwich. Why did she even start talking?

"Good morning, Neon," Fade answered, unbothered that she, too, hadn't finished her breakfast. "What brought you over here, and not to Jett?"

Shit. Neon thought, aggressively chomping on her sandwich while she tried to compose an answer that seemed plausible.

Swallowing, Neon decided the truth was easiest and most obvious. "Well, you just looked kind of lonely. I get you're a lone wolf, but having some company from time to time has got to be nice, right?"

"Friendly company is appreciated," Fade nodded. "I'm used to being alone so it doesn't bother me as much, but yes, it is nice."

Perhaps it was due to how she had grown up in a tightly knit household in a culture centered around family, but the words 'I'm used to being alone' bothered Neon. They made her want to reach out to the Turkish agent, invite her to be friends and to be with her more so that she wouldn't have to be alone all the time.

Nodding enthusiastically, Neon finally found purchase in the conversation for the first time. "Do you have a mission later?" Neon asked. "Maybe we can hang out together."

Fade didn't answer immediately, instead taking the final bite of her sandwich, taking her time. Neon took the opportunity to finish her own breakfast as well. By the time she was done, Fade had her answer.

"Sorry, I do have a mission." to Neon's surprise, Fade reached a hand up and ruffled her hair. "Next time?"

Eyes widening at the affectionate but rather welcome gesture, Neon stuttered out a "Oh, yeah, sure, that's alright."

Fade chuckled. "Great. I have to get ready for that mission now. It was nice talking to you, Neon."

"Bye, Fade," Neon managed, desperately clinging on to the feeling of Fade's fingers running through her hair and the sound of her chuckle, vaguely wondering what it was about the older agent that sent her heart thumping rapidly and her words running away from her.

~~~

"You've been troubled recently. Your fear grows. It disturbs the silence, starts a cacophony. Do what you need to keep yourself sane. I find playing music helps my thoughts settle."

Fade considered the voicemail. The Nightmare had been restless, warning her about the end of the world, urging her to do something. It was playing at Fade's patience, taking away her sleep, eating at her nerves.

Although Fade never let her restless state interfere with the missions, the Nightmare's activities had made that even harder recently. Just yesterday, Fade was sent on a mission to defend from an attack is Russia. Once they had defused the spike, Fade had let herself relax too soon, already thinking about how she could relax without Nightmare bothering her, and was punished for it.

Had Neon not reacted in time and fired some shots, Omega Jett would most likely have sent a knife flying through her head. Instead, with Neon's shots startling her, the knife clipped her arm and Sage easily healed it up.

On the ride back, Fade had wondered how she could have been so careless, internally cursing herself for her mistake.

Grabbing her book and phone, Fade headed for Omen's room. Perhaps music would help.

~~~

It was bound to happen.

Fade could see from a mile away how lovestruck Killjoy and Raze were. All of the stolen glances, whispered words, shared laughter, and of course, the amount of time they spent together. And Fade couldn't forget that time in Russia, the first time she had seen Raze actually angry.

Omega Reyna had cornered Killjoy and was taunting her, playing with her. When they found Killjoy, she was tracing a razor sharp knife up and down her puffy jacket, slicing it to shreds, whispering promises of what she would do, comparing what she would look like compared to the jacket. In vivid, gory detail, Omega Reyna explained where she'd start cutting, what it would feel like, what it would look like.

They hadn't been able to hold Raze back. The usually playful Brazilian charged forward with her own knife out, screaming and stabbing at Reyna with a fury akin to the Mexican herself when she was on the battlefield.

Flying out of Raze's mouth were all sorts of Portuguese words, words that Fade could only assume were insults, Reyna likely understanding them given the twist of her face into a snarl of rage and lividity.

In the end, they had rescued Killjoy and Reyna had retreated, but everyone noticed how uncharacteristically Raze had behaved and how she had rushed straight back to a certain shaken German, grabbing the remains of her jacket and asking if she was alright.

Fade wouldn't be surprised if some of the other more observant agents who didn't witness the incident noticed Killjoy and Raze's behaviour. But for whatever reason, everyone remained silent and tense over their increasingly apparent relationship, no one willing to be the snitch, waiting with bated breath to see if and when Brimstone would notice.

Now, everyone watched on as Brimstone stood over a terrified Killjoy and shameful Raze, eyes blazing, brows furrowed so far down they might as well be vertical.

"What the hell is this?" he demanded. "What in the living hell do you two think you're doing?"

Fade had been watching, too, as Raze kissed some of her food before feeding it to a giggling Killjoy. They were being too careless, thinking Brimstone wouldn't be watching them.

"You two had better give me a good fucking explanation of what the hell I just saw, or you're booted!" he roared. "What the fuck did I just see?"

Fade could feel the fear emanating from her and Raze, but also from the rest of the room. Killjoy and Raze's fears were loud and prominent, grabbing and lashing. The gears of their sharp brains worked hard and whirred fast, but they struggled as fear gripped like chains that bound and restricted them down, taking over and stopping them from working.

"Uh, Brim, we can...we can explain," Killjoy began nervously.

Around the room were silent, creeping, anticipatory fears. Would they get kicked out? Could the duo of geniuses make up a good enough excuse for Brimstone to lay them off? At least distract him so they had more time to think?

"Yeah, Brim, no need to start yelling like that, you know?" Raze chuckled, although her voice was skittish and jumpy.

But the fear that stood out to Fade originated from a certain blue haired agent, currently sitting with Jett and Phoenix one table away from Killjoy and Raze, watching with wide, brown, anxious eyes.

Neon's fear was sharp, like a jump, a shock, a realisation. It was a terror that curled at her heart and caused it to speed up, clutched at her muscles and caused them to stiffen. Her fear was on par with Killjoy and Raze's, something Fade found intriguing. What was she so scared of? It wasn't like she was about to get kicked out of the protocol.

"Come on, Brim," Breach called from where he sat, with Skye. "Lay off of them. You never played truth or dare before? Too scared, maybe?"

The Swede laughed, although he was the only one.

Brimstone glared at Breach, who was unfazed by him.

"You probably always went for truth!" Breach joked. "No guts to take a dare."

"Breach, shut up," Brimstone gritted out. "This doesn't concern you, and unless they confirm it's all a dare and they're not involved, which is probably not it judging from how they terrified they are, it doesn't involve truth or dare either."

"Naw, old man, it's truth or dare," Phoenix called confidently. "I set 'em up. Thought it would be hilarious. They spend so much time together, always tinkering, you know? I dared them to act like a couple during dinner."

"I put 200 credits that they would," Yoru smirked, raising his hand and dropping a fistful of credits into his other one.

Brimstone deflated as more agents joined in the chorus, defending Killjoy and Raze and speaking up for them. "Alright, alright," he said. "Bad dare, though. No more dares like that, got it?"

"So many rules, old man?" Breach spoke up again. "You know I don't do well with rules. I can't remember most of them."

"Breach, we have a total of, like, five rules," Brimstone grumbled. "If you can't remember them, we need to check your brain out. Maybe open head surgery?"

"Ah, shit, nah," Breach refused.

~~~

"Good morning, Fade."

Fade was starting to enjoy Neon's company, leaning against the wall and watching the door as the other agents slowly drifted in, waiting for one person in particular.

Usually, Fade resented having to be so social so early on, after a restless night of tossing and turning, waking from nightmares before returning to a fitful sleep filled with more nightmares.

But now, Fade had come to wait and watch in anticipation, wishing for morning to come faster for another reason, wondering if Neon would come over to eat with her and talk or if she would just wave a greeting before going over to her friends.

"Good morning, Neon," Fade answered.

Neon's fear was still there from the night before, prominent, and she couldn't quite hide it in her expression. The way her eyes wandered, flickering from her to the window to the wall, then back, gave it away. But there was also a disappointment in her, shown in the way her shoulders were slumped and how she lacked the usual energy in her step and words.

"You seem rather tense," Fade observed. She didn't push further, merely taking a bite of her breakfast, waiting to see if Neon wanted to elaborate or if she would just stay silent.

"I'm just really worried for Killjoy and Raze," Neon sighed. "Do you think Brimstone believed everyone?"

"No," Fade answered honestly. "I won't lie, Neon. I don't think anyone could fall for that. But Killjoy is basically Brimstone's daughter in law, and he loves her dearly. I don't think he would kick her out. He's put in a difficult situation, and I don't know how he'll respond."

Neon sighed again, shuffling closer before abruptly stopping. Fade watched the gesture, confused but silent as Neon instead took a bite of her sandwich and refused to look up.

At that moment, Brimstone's voice sounded over the speakers. "All agents are to come to the meeting room now. This is important and no one can skip it for any reason. Well, I guess besides Viper, but I'm demanding your presence, too! Thanks."

Fade looked down from the speaker to Neon, who was staring up at Fade as well. The fear from Neon got stronger.

"What do you think that's about?" Neon asked as she stuffed the entire other half of her sandwich into her mouth.

Slightly amazed at how she could just inhale food like that, Fade shrugged and finished the last bite of her own breakfast.

"Something that Viper already knows about, I guess, but that could be anything," Fade answered as she started walking with Neon towards the meeting room, following the trail of agents as they, too, exited, discussing what the impromptu meeting could be about.

Killjoy and Raze were looking apprehensive, trails of fear escaping them, and Fade realised the meeting could very well be about them. The fate of the two lovers was about to be made public.

~~~

Neon could not comprehend how Fade could be so calm about everything, but at the same time she was thankful for it.

The cool collectedness of the older agent allowed her to compose herself and prevent the unwanted jolts of electricity from becoming too strong. Her steady presence alone was enough to calm her down as they sat down in their designated seats, directly next to each other.

"Thanks for arriving so promptly," Brimstone said, eyeing the plates and bowls still in some agents' hands. "And sorry about the timing. I'll make it fast."

Brimstone returned to the front, frowning at Viper's empty seat, then said "Alright! Viper and I had a discussion."

The grizzled war veteran's eyes briefly landed on Killjoy and Raze before roaming again. Neon's anxiety spiked, and she was unable to help the flicker of electricity that escaped her fingertips.

"We've decided to terminate the no fraternisation rule, but at all of your own risk. We put that rule there to prevent emotions from getting in the way of the line of work. But obviously, rules don't control emotions, and some of you have formed bonds. We value each and every one of you-"

"Even me?" Breach interrupted, waving his mechanical arm in the air with a large grin on his face.

Neon couldn't help her small laugh at that, too relieved and shocked at not only the idea that Killjoy and Raze weren't just kicked from the protocol and their romance allowed, but also the realisation that, perhaps, she could start something with Fade.

Brimstone exaggeratedly cleared his throat, clearly not interested in answering the question. "As I was saying, we value each and every one of you and removing an agent will always go through intensive consideration. That's all I want to say. Sorry about breakfast."

As soon as Brimstone finished his little speech, certain people in different sections of the room erupted.

Killjoy and Raze were close to crying, running to each other and clinging hard as they hugged, doing little leaps of joy together.

Jett was screaming as she, too, leapt for joy, but boosted by the wind so she ended up flying around the meeting room.

Phoenix tried to high five Yoru, who just frowned and grunted at him. Phoenix ended up slapping an indignant Yoru on the shoulder, hurrying closer to the two lovebirds and congratulating them enthusiastically.

Breach was roaring his approval, saying "Oh, yeah! Go get her, Raze!"

The rest of the agents just watched and smiled, some laughing.

Neon couldn't help her own smile as she watched the scene around her, her friends elated and excited, the other agents pleased and relieved, Brimstone face palming but with a fond smile on his face. She glanced up at Fade to see her reaction to all this.

Surprisingly enough, the Turkish agent wasn't watching the others, but her. On her face was a soft, unreadable expression that took Neon's breath away for a moment. But it was replaced by a teasing smile as soon as she noticed Neon looking.

"Not going to join them on their celebrations?" Fade asked, indicating to where Jett had hit her head against the ceiling with how enthusiastic her jumps were.

"No," Neon decided, stepping closer to Fade, heart hammering, hoping she wasn't overstepping any boundaries. "I'm happy here."

Quietly, oh so quietly, Neon added under her breath "With you."

~~~

"With you."

Fade rolled over on her bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering if she had misheard what Neon had whispered.

It had been five days since Brimstone's impromptu meeting about the no fraternisation rule. In that time period, Sage and Reyna had announced their relationship, much to the shock of Brimstone. Chamber had also openly flirted with Viper several times, and the American chemist had to threaten to slip poison in his room, his food, his water, his toothpaste, his clothes, everything, before the Frenchman finally took the hint.

And every single day after those five days, Neon had come to her during breakfast, even following her after missions or when she was bored to chat or hang out.

Before the meeting, the Filipino had always been upbeat and cheerful, but there was also always a sense of restraint around her. But after the meeting, she seemed brighter and more relaxed, less...inhibited. Fade wasn't sure what word she would use to describe Neon's change, but she was more carefree and perhaps affectionate than before.

Neon would shift closer to her until they were almost touching, offer to share food with her, poke at her and claim she was too thin, but always with a special, soft gleam in her eyes. It made Fade's heart thump when she got close, conscious of her personal space, but not in a bad way. It wasn't a fear of getting zapped or stabbed in the back, but an excited, forbidden feeling that sent her heart racing.

Something else Fade noticed was that, after the meeting, nearly all of Neon's fears had dissipated in an instant. There used to be many murky, circling fears, like a wolf just out of sight stalking a rabbit. Although most of those fears had disappeared, one still remained, a lingering fear at the back of her mind that haunted her like a silent ghost.

Suddenly, two sharp knocks on her door jolted Fade out of her thoughts. Taking a moment to readjust her thoughts, Fade heard another two knocks that finally got her moving.

Rolling out of bed with a sigh, Fade fixed her hair and stood up. Padding to the door, she turned the handle and cracked the door open slightly, peering out to see who needed her.

"Good afternoon, Fade," Cypher greeted.

"What do you need, Cypher?" Fade asked.

"Nothing much," Cypher said. "I just thought to invite you to a game of chess. If you're willing, of course."

Fade shrugged, briefly considering the pros and cons. Go out somewhere loud and do something to distract herself from her thoughts, or stay in the soft silence and perhaps have Nightmare consume her.

The answer was obvious.

"Alright," she agreed, opening the door wide enough to step out of her room and into the harsh brightness.

"Excellent," Cypher said, turning and leading the way to the common room.

Although it was around three in the afternoon, a time when many people were most commonly on missions, several agents were still hanging around various parts of headquarters.

Finding an empty table, Cypher took a chessboard and a bag of chess pieces out of his coat, looking remarkably like one of those cartoons where a person could take an impossible amount of items out of their back pocket.

As they set the board, Fade on black, Cypher said "So, I've noticed that recently, a certain speedy agent has been hanging around you more."

Fade didn't answer for a moment, putting her pieces in the right place.

Cypher opened with his pawn, putting it one step forward, and Fade contemplated her options and Cypher's unasked question. Settling on a neutral response, Fade just mirrored his move.

"She has," she agreed.

"In fact," Cypher said, moving his other pawn to be one step diagonally in front of the first one. "She appears to have been spending more time with you than her friends."

Fade had, indeed, noticed this, but she hadn't mentioned it to Neon, afraid she would take it the wrong way and stop coming so often. The company was all too welcome and she didn't want it to stop in the slightest.

"Really?" Fade responded, mirroring Cypher again. Although she had played with the Moroccan several times now, she hadn't really grasped how to start the game in an advantageous way. For now, mirroring him seemed like a good idea.

"Now, now, Fade," Cypher tsked in mock exasperation. "It's been five days. Don't tell me you haven't noticed."

He brought his bishop forward, all the way until it had checked her king.

"I have," Fade said, blocking with a pawn while also threatening to eat the bishop. "What I'd like to know is why it concerns you. Do you think I have malicious intent?"

"No, no, of course not," Cypher said, moving his bishop back a few steps until it was two tiles in front of his queen. "I was merely wondering about the status of your relationship."

Fade considered her moves as she considered her answer. She ended up moving her king side knight forward.

"Our relationship is purely platonic, nothing else. Neon likely just wanted to make friends and hang out," Fade said, keeping a straight face although those words caused her heart to ache.

Cypher moved his queen side knight up as well, next to his bishop. "Hmm, if you believe so," he said. "Although, if you recall, Neon does not enjoy making new friends. Why do you think she chose to befriend you?"

Fade mulled over the state of the board, trying to figure out what Cypher was doing. She ended up moving the pawn originally in front of her king side knight forward one step, opening a safe passage for her king side bishop to move out.

"Neon's choices are her own," Fade shrugged. "Why should I question her intent? As long as she isn't doing it as a big joke, I'm grateful for the company."

Cypher seemed to perk up at that. "Ah, so you enjoy her company?" he asked as he moved the pawn in front of his king forward one step, creating a point of contact between his pawn and Fade's.

Suspicious, Fade chose not to take his pawn. Even if Cypher took hers, she could just trade it back. It would also allow her to further develop her pieces.

"Why not?" she asked, opting to instead move her king side bishop forward one step, in between her knight and rook. "She's friendly and good fun, but not too energetic. I believe we both enjoy it."

Cypher took her pawn with his own.

"Besides breakfast, how often do you hang out?" Cypher asked. "Jett and the others were saying the other day that Neon was always too busy to do anything."

Fade took his pawn back with the pawn in the same column as her king, both kings now exposed.

"Quite often, I suppose," she admitted. "I hope for your sake that you didn't tell them I'm intentionally 'stealing Neon away' or something," she added, eyes narrowed as she looked up at her opponent. "Because she's always the one seeking me out."

Recently, most of VALORANT had been too pleased with the relaxation of the no fraternisation rule that some hadn't bothered Fade as much as usual. The agents thinking she had done something wrong would just cause her more issues.

"Oh, no," Cypher chuckled, moving his queen side bishop all the way until it was threatening her knight. "Don't worry, Fade. I just overheard them. My lips are, as always, sealed."

"Until someone pays you," Fade remarked. Since her bishop was protecting the knight, Fade wasn't too concerned. Instead, she moved her own queen side bishop forward until it threatened Cypher's queen.

Although castling was an option, Fade had once lost to Cypher sneaking his queen right into her castled king's face, protected by a bishop, and had lost. She wasn't too interested in having that somehow repeat again.

"Oh, of course, information can be exchanged with something of equal value," Cypher nodded, choosing to move his queen up a step instead of blocking with his pawn.

Fade decided to move away from the stalemated part of the board, looking for another area to probe at. She soon decided to move the pawn in front of her queen side knight forward one step.

Cypher moved his queen diagonally up a tile, checking Fade's king.

"Let's talk about you," he said. "We can agree that you don't often enjoy constant company, preferring to retreat back into your room. Why is Neon an exception?"

Fade glanced up at Cypher, not liking where the conversation was going now. But of course, she couldn't look into his eyes and facial expression to tell his intent.

"So blunt?" she instead asked, moving her king one tile towards her rook. "You should know better than that if you wanted an answer from me."

Cypher moved the pawn between his king and king side knight up a tile, threatening Fade's bishop.

"When you look at her, your eyes become soft, your face relaxed, your movements gentle," Cypher pressed, Fade quickly glancing left and right as he exposed her mannerisms. Thankfully, any agents that had previously been in the room were gone. "I don't need an answer from your mouth, Fade. You've already given me one."

Fade moved her bishop back until it was in front of her queen. A retreat, but one that still held some board presence.

"Alright," she conceded. "Even if I do enjoy her company that much, what should I do about it? Is Neon interested in me romantically? I think not."

Cypher moved his king side rook's pawn up two steps until it was in a position to protect his bishop.

"Why do you think she chooses to spend so much time with you, and not anyone else?" he asked.

Fade shrugged, opting to move a pawn on the opposite side of the board forward so it was in contact with Cypher's pawn.

"Does that mean anything?" she asked. "We still don't know much about each other. It's just a way for us to improve our understandings of each other."

Cypher didn't seem too concerned about the contact and the pawn. He just kept moving his same pawn forward again, creating a second point of contact with another of Fade's pawns.

"You're both gone for hours each day," Cypher pointed out. "How much about each other are you learning about?"

Fade just shrugged and took Cypher's basically offered pawn, threatening his queen.

Cypher responded by eating her pawn with his queen.

Fade moved her queen a step towards her king, checking Cypher's king.

The Moroccan spy moved the knight next to his rook forward, blocking the queen.

They went back and forth, silent and focused on the game.

Fade's pawn moving forward.

Cypher's pawn taking another insistent step forward, deep into enemy territory, to threaten Fade's bishop.

Fade eating the pawn with her bishop.

Cypher taking the bishop with his rook.

Fade's pawn taking another step forward.

Cypher broke the silence as he used his queen to eat Fade's knight.

"I believe I asked a question," he said.

Fade moved her queen forward two tiles to be side by side with Cypher's queen, threatening to trade it.

"Sometimes, we're silent together," she said. "We talk and spend time, sure, but sometimes we're just silent together. We just...appreciate each others presence, I suppose. It's nice. It's peaceful." Fade knew it was a lame counter, basically playing into Cypher's hand, but she wasn't interested in winning, anymore.

Cypher took Fade's rook with his queen.

"She's talkative enough to be nice, but also silent enough to be nice," he remarked. "It's safe to say both of you enjoy it. What does that say about how much Neon likes being around you? And you around her?"

Fade examined the board, but realised she couldn't make another move.

"With you." Neon's voice echoed in her head.

"I believe that's checkmate," Cypher said.

Fade stood up, almost glad to be freed of Cypher's 'interrogation'.

"Teşekkürler," she said, turning and leaving. She definitely had plenty to think about.

~~~

It was around 5pm, and Neon was feeling bored. There was still an hour until dinner, but Fade was still out on a mission.

Before she got closer to Fade, Neon would always join Jett and the others in their games and entertainment. But after she hung out with Fade for the first time, Neon realised the Turk's leisurely, almost lethargic pace was a good way to help her relax her tired muscles and unwind her entire self after a long day.

And Neon would definitely call training in the morning and a mission in the afternoon a long day.

Jett had asked Neon whether she wanted to join in on a race between her and Yoru to see who was faster, but Neon declined. It just sounded too exhausting and Neon wanted nothing more than to sit back and relax. Preferably with Fade, idly talking about whatever that came to mind but also just basking in each others' presence, but beggars can't be choosers.

As she laid in her bed, smiling at the thought of Fade, Neon heard two sharp knocks on her door.

Sitting up, she wondered who that could be.

Jett would have knocked much faster and more impatiently, even yelling through the door, Sage would have a much gentler knock, and Reyna would've snuck Sage's doctor's access card and opened the door herself.

"Coming!" Neon called as she untangled herself from her blanket, hopping out of bed and opening the door.

She found Cypher, still fully kitted out in his trench coat and hat and, of course, mask.

"Oh, hi, Cypher," she greeted. "Need something?"

"Would you like to play a game of chess?" Cypher offered, holding a chess piece up.

Neon barely held back her laugh, unable to see if he was joking due to the mask. "Me?" she asked. "I don't know anything about chess. I think you're better off asking Brim. He's probably old enough to know chess, right?"

"That's perfectly fine," Cypher chuckled. "Do me a favour and humour me, would you?"

"It'll be humourous if I losing immediately, right?" Neon joked. "Alright, where are we going to play?"

"The common room is a fine spot," Cypher suggested.

Neon grinned at him, feeling a spark of energy return to her at Cypher's antics. "Race you there!" she called, dashing away.

She arrived in the common room in no time, feeling the exhilarating rush of the wind speeding past her face as her legs pumped.

"Neon!" Brimstone yelled, sounding annoyed, from somewhere behind her. "No running in the hallways!"

"Sorry, old man!" Neon cheekily answered as Cypher appeared.

They sat down and Cypher reached into his coat, taking out a chessboard, then chess pieces.

"What are you, a cartoon character?" Neon joked, although she wasn't surprised at the amount of things Cypher could fit into the long piece of clothing. She'd already seen him take a laptop out of that thing before.

"No, no," Cypher said, voice laced with humour. "Merely well prepared."

Neon copied as Cypher set the board, following the Moroccan's instructions as he showed her how to set it and what each piece did.

"Seems pretty simple," Neon said as she listened.

"Simple to play, but difficult to win," Cypher corrected.

Cypher started by moving a pawn forward two steps, and Neon just copied him. She quickly realised she knew absolutely nothing about strategy. She'd just have to wing it.

"So," Cypher said casually, moving another pawn forward. "I noticed you've been spending a lot of time with Fade recently."

Neon squinted up at the spy, wondering if he was trying to distract her from the game. Well, it wasn't like she'd win, anyways.

"Yeah," she said, trying her best to just eat whatever she could. "I really like her. She's calm and friendly and smart and it's a nice change from the constant chaos when I'm around the others."

"And she enjoys her time too, doesn't she?" Cypher asked. He didn't seem to mind how fast paced Neon made the game, searching for ways to eat his piece or trade a piece for another.

Neon thought for a moment as she tried to remember how the knight moved, and how she could position it to eat the bishop.

"I think so, yeah," she finally said, moving it in its signature sideways L shape. "She always looks happy, and her tone is always less...I guess moody? Or short? Defensive? When we talk together."

Furrowing her brow, Neon briefly abandoned the game as she thought over Fade's expressions and mannerisms. "Like, when we're with Breach, Fade's got this clipped and neutral voice that's all business. If we're with, maybe Sova, she'll be more loose and friendly, but still kind of restrained. She kind of half smiled at Sova once. But when it's just us together, it's like she lets loose, you know?"

Neon realised it was her turn again and moved a pawn forward, looking to aggress the rook. "She's more talkative and makes funny jokes. Oh, and she laughs. She always looks angry or something with Breach, but she laughs with me."

Neon couldn't help the giddy feeling rising in her stomach as she remembered the first time she'd heard Fade laugh. They were both sitting on Fade's bed, side by side, and Neon had just made a terrible joke about Breach and arm day. Fade still found it funny and she threw her head back slightly as she let out a full laugh instead of her usual brief chuckle or smirk.

"With how much you talk about Fade," Cypher began. "Is it safe to say you like her? More than just as friends?"

Neon stared at Cypher for a second, frozen, surprised at how quickly he had dug through her head.

"You're easy to read," the Moroccan chuckled as he ate her pawn, denying the little trap she had been trying to set up.

"Fine," Neon grumbled, eating a rook with her queen. "Yeah, I think she's cool and I want to spend a lot more time with her."

At first, Neon wanted to avoid sounding like she had a crush on Fade, especially because she was talking with the literal information broker of the Protocol. Even if Cypher was always polite and gentlemanly, she couldn't forget that he would willingly sell any of her information if it meant he got a good trade.

Cypher let out an amused huff as he plucked Neon's queen off the board, a pawn of his own taking her spot.

"With how much time Fade has willingly spent with you, wouldn't you think she feels the same?" he asked.

Neon froze again, thoughts running a million miles per second as she tried to think of what Fade felt for her.

"Um," she said hesitantly, hand hovering uncertainly over her king as she realised the pawn had checked it. "Yes, I think she likes spending time with me," she began slowly, anxiously. "But that doesn't mean anything, you know? She said she appreciated friendly company. Maybe I'm just friendly company to her."

She found a spot diagonal to the king's current position where it was safe from being eaten.

"Neon." Cypher shook his head as he moved his piece. "Please. Fade spends so much time with you. How much time does she spend with everyone else? She can barely stand to read with Omen for two hours, even though they don't even interact with each other, yet the two of you could stay in her room until the sun rises and sets."

"Oh," Neon frowned, trying to think, momentarily pausing in her answer as she tried to figure out how to eat the queen that was suddenly knocking on the door of her shabby defense, eating the rook that was guarding the king and checking the royal piece.

"I mean...I don't know, I guess," Neon sighed, suddenly overtaken by equal levels of nervousness and excitement as she realised Cypher spoke the truth. Did she actually have a chance with Fade?

Refocusing on the board, Neon tried to move her king one tile to the left, only to realise that would result in the bishop eating it. Testing each movement, she realised the king had nowhere to go, and nothing could eat the queen nor block its path.

"That, my dear Neon," Cypher said. "Is called checkmate. I believe Fade is due to return very soon. Would you like to wait for her?"

Neon brightened, not at all bothered that she'd just lost. "Yeah, I think I will," she said, standing up. "Thanks a lot, Cypher!"

~~~

Sitting on the very last seat closest to the door, Fade hugged her arms around herself as she looked down at the floor.

Breach's passive aggressive insinuations and Phoenix's cocky, self absorbed attitude were already a pain to deal with. Coupled with Omen's unhelpful and indifferent silence and the fact that Sage was piloting the jet, Fade felt the energy draining from her as Breach and Phoenix continued to talk and talk and talk about how great they were for winning a fight they were outnumbered in and how bad Fade was for missing a shot on Omega Neon.

Huffing a small sigh, Fade closed her eyes and tried to block out their loud voices. She was hungry and tired and didn't know whether she should skip dinner and unwind in silence or mingle amongst agents and fill her grumbling stomach.

It seemed like too long until the jet alighted, the door opening as Fade stood up and walked straight out without a backwards glance.

Waiting in the hangar was Neon. Fade expected she was likely waiting for Phoenix, so only nodded a greeting at her before continuing on her way. She didn't want to listen to that particular conversation.

To her surprise, Neon ran after her and intercepted her.

"Hi," Neon said, her voice slightly strained.

"Hello, Neon," Fade answered, only just noticing the slight fear that was slowly emitting from the Filipino. How distracted was she that she could miss fear?

"So, I had a talk with Cypher," Neon said as they started walking.

Fade briefly grimaced as she remembered the chaotic conversation she had with Cypher over that game of chess a couple days ago. She partially blamed him for her embarrassing whiff on Omega Neon. The way he created hope in her made her unable to shoot the otherworldly twin of the person she may be able to find love with once more.

"And that talk made me wonder about our relationship," Neon continued, sounding a bit hesitant and awkward.

Fade nearly missed a step when she heard that.

"Um, what did you wonder about?" she asked, forcing her voice not to tremble. She guided Neon past the dining room, towards the dormitories. If this conversation was going where she thought it was, she wanted it to happen in the privacy of her room and not where all the agents would soon be gathered.

"Well," Neon began as Fade opened the door to her room, allowing Neon in as she followed behind. "We spend a lot of time together, you know?" she said, sounding uncertain. "And I think we both really like it."

Oh, this was definitely Cypher's doing. The spy had basically said the exact same thing to her.

"Like, sometimes we talk, sometimes we just sit in silence, and it's nice, you know? I think you think it's nice, and I know it's nice."

The electric agent was so nervous, and Fade felt bad. She was almost certain Neon felt the same to her as she did to Neon, and that knowledge made her feel more relieved and relaxed.

"Neon, Neon," she interrupted, trying to muster some feeling of vengeance towards the information broker but only finding affection and care for the cute, blushing agent beside her.

"Yeah?" Neon asked, tentatively looking up at her.

"Cypher told me the exact same thing, a few days ago," Fade admitted. "But we can only speculate about each others' feelings, so let me ask you: do you want to take our relationship a step further?"

Neon's eyes widened at Fade's first sentence, and her eyes might as well have fallen out of her head with how big they went once Fade was done.

"Wait, wait, wait," she said, not immediately addressing Fade's question. "He set us up? He literally took a look at us and thought he'd just...hook us up? What the fuck?"

Several little sparks leapt off of Neon's hands, her strong emotions inhibiting her ability to control them.

All at once, Fade felt the relief and affection in her vanish in a flash as Neon ignored her question and continued to spark.

Shit, what if she doesn't feel the same way? she wondered, panicked and worried and feeling that vengeance instantly bubbling up. Cypher, fuck you! Leave me the fuck alone! Why the hell did you have to butt your head into someone else's business? Fuck!

Fade turned away from Neon so she wouldn't see the desperate tears that were brimming at the edge of her eyes, feeling a wave of exhaustion take over. Too many things were going wrong, and she didn't want to hear Neon's rejection on top of all those things.

"Hey, Fade?"

A hand tentatively landed on Fade's shoulder as she just barely held her tears in, adhesion and cohesion being the sole forces that worked overtime in making sure they didn't fall down her face.

"Fade, are you crying?" Neon asked, her voice concerned. "Was it...what I said about Cypher?"

Adhesion failed Fade, allowing the droplets to spill from her eyes as Fade heaved a shaky breath in.

"Hey, hey, Fade, come on," Neon said, getting up and straddling her lap as she hugged her, gently pressing Fade's head down until it rested on her shoulder, letting her cry into it.

Fade tightly hugged Neon back, wanting to tell her to stay, to never go away, never leave her, but stay by her side as Fade would willingly do for her.

"Fade, it's ok," Neon soothed.

Shaking her head, Fade managed to whisper out "No, it's not." as she tried to contain her tears and sniffles. She buried her head deeper into Neon's shoulder, inhaling the scent of slightly singed hair and electrical warmth. It was a strange smell, but comforting because it was Neon's smell.

"Why not?" Neon asked, gently rubbing her shoulder. It helped her calm down, helped her regain her breath and steady it, as well as give her the chance to wipe her tears properly.

Organising her scattered, messy thoughts, Fade kept her head resting against Neon's shoulder. The intimate action helped her recover control of herself, and she indulged in it while she had the chance.

"I...I was too impatient, I guess," she sighed. "I'm sorry, Neon. I thought...with Cypher's probing and persuading, and then you mentioned him too, I thought you...had feelings for me."

The last four words were particularly hard to say out loud, completely exposing her intentions and thoughts. She liked Neon, but Neon didn't like her. Who knew what would happen to their budding relationship now? If they could still stay as friends, or if Neon would feel awkward knowing how Fade felt and opt to cut their ties.

Sighing again, Fade took her head off of Neon's admittedly comfortable shoulder, knowing she couldn't indulge anymore now that her true feelings were out. She relaxed her arms too, allowing Neon to slide off if she wanted.

"Hey," Neon said softly, arms still tightly clutching on to Fade. "Put your head back. I'm pretty sure you like it."

Confused, Fade drew back to look at Neon in a silent question. She was rather surprised to see such a soft, tender look on the electric agent's face.

"Fade," Neon said, the look disappearing as a powerful blush took over, Neon's eyes wandering away as her head dipped slightly. "I like you too, Fade. A lot. You asked just now if I wanted to take our relationship further, right? I do, a lot. I'm sorry I made you think I didn't like you. Cypher was super right. I'm sorry, Fade."

Fade choked back her breath as more tears came to her eyes, burying her head back in Neon's shoulder as she hugged her tight once more. Her throat was too constricted with too many emotions for her to speak, but Neon didn't press. She just held her and let Fade cry into her shoulder.

After a bit of clinging and comforting, Fade finally finished crying up all of the pent up emotions from the day. She released a small, soft chuckle, embarrassed at how childish she was acting when she was older.

"You're comfortable," she murmured to Neon instead of voicing her thoughts, scooting back onto her bed as best as she could with Neon still on her lap and clinging to her like a koala.

"Is that something funny?" Neon asked, faking her indignance, refusing to let go of Fade.

"Hmm," Fade just said, too tired to keep up the conversation.

"Are you tired?" Neon asked as Fade laid back down on her bed, eyes closed.

"Yeah," Fade muttered. "The day was too chaotic."

Neon chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry," she said, rolling off of Fade and pulling the blanket over them.

"No, you're fine," Fade yawned, snuggling closer to Neon, basking in her warmth and presence. After such a rollercoaster of emotions, cuddling her crush to sleep was something Fade was actively seeking for.

"Yeah, just sleep," Neon whispered. "Good night, Fade."

"Good night," Fade answered, drifting away into peaceful, black silence.