Page 122 of Fragile Facade
I shove him back and try to leave the room, but Director stops me with a look. The only thing keeping me in this pleasant as fuck therapy room is the fact that he told me I need to be open about it if I want to stay in Vile House.
“Two of my masked members are together. Do you see how this is a risk for all of Vile House?” Director asks, nodding at the relaxing little couch I’m supposed to be sitting on. “Have a seat, Ghost.” Looking at Killian, he adds, “You, too.”
Reluctantly, we squeeze onto the tiny couch with all its plush cushions and fuzzy blankets. This feels like couple’s therapy, and to be honest, the best couple’s therapy I can think of is a bloody fight that ends with his cock in my ass and a few new battle scars.
Director stays standing, but Psych, the doctor who manages all our mental issues, sits in the bucket chair across from us. She’s around Director’s age, might even be his cousin or something, if I recall that introduction, and is too pretty for my current mood. Not yet haggard and worn down by our twisted town. Probably because she spends most of her time in the asylum, letting her crazy out in the comfort of these stone walls.
“This isn’t a study,” she starts, since we both refused to take part in some learning experience about why our personality traits decided to attempt a relationship together. Apparently, we’re so alike that it’s basically unheard of for people like us to choose to be a couple. “But we want to understand what a relationship means to the two of you. Mostly so we can support you, but also to ensure the safety and continuation of Vile House.”
My turn to snort. “Really? We’ve been trying to kill each other for years, and now that we actually half-ass like each other, you wanna talk about safety?” I stand up, done with this.
Killian pulls me back down. “The fuck you mean by half-ass, sweetheart?” His arm wraps around my lower back, squeezing my hip. “You’re full-ass in love with me.”
I glare at Psych. “Get on with it then. There’s a fucking town-wide manhunt for me, and we’re sitting here doing this bullshit?”
“Yes,” Director says, all blunt. “You’re both prone to defying orders because of your self-absorbed tendencies, and now that you’re in it together, I want to know where your society ranks on your priority list. Can I still trust you both as leading members of Vile House?”
Oh, the rage. We both bristle at that. Because fuck anyone who questions our authority.
“Fuck you, Director!” Killian snarls. “You like to focus on our fuck ups and blame it on whatever iffy diagnosis we have, but you never give us credit where it’s fucking due. We got through the Reaper City job together, didn’t we? And what about the night Death Row was bombed? You think I wasn’t losing my shit that he was at Misfit Hall? I didn’t abandon the other guys and go running to him, did I? I fucking stayed where I was supposed to stay and let him almost die. So fuck off with all your accusations.”
I’m about to cut in and remind him that I didn’t almost die and had a lot of fun killing that Draco guy, but Director’s grin stops me.
“You did. And Ghost, I’m proud of you for getting Riot out of there before he killed someone last night. You two work together really well when you drop the attitude and stop competing.”
“No, we don’t. We only work together wellbecausewe’re competing.” I lean back, crushing Killian’s arm.
“Oh? Like the night you blatantly defied your job orders and killed a guy because you thought he was part of your sex games?”
Fuck. I won that night, so I’m not even mad.
Director comes over to sit beside Psych. She leans back, letting him lead this ‘appointment’ or whatever the hell it is.
“You have sociopathic tendencies, so how can you love him?” he asks Killian.
“He feeds my ego and gets me exactly what I want.”
I hate him, but Director moves on. “And you? You have narcissistic tendencies, so what makes you love him above yourself?”
“Never said shit about ‘above myself,’” I scoff.
“Say it,” Director tells us. “You claim to love one another, so say it.”
“We don’t do that.”
“Why not?”
Because my pride can’t form the words and Killian’s confusion about it won’t let him either. But maybe that’s not it. Maybe it’s terrifying to say those words because no one else gets what they mean. What if they mean something different to me than they do to him, and what if that means Director is going to kick us out of Vile House?
Killian leans forward, knuckles bleeding again. “You want us to be like everyone else. That’s your problem. Not ours.”
Director nods like he agrees. “For years, I’ve watched you two war with one another. I’ll admit, this isn’t how I saw it concluding, but I’m happy for you if this is what you want. But we have to come to some sort of an agreement. I need to be able to trust you together, mostly on jobs and while we’re gearing up for this war. Can I?”
“Yes,” we both snap.
“Then tell me what it means to love each other.”
“Why?”
