The Razor's Edge [[Feitan x Reader]]

9: The Celebration

   The boss was already back at the base with the merchandise by the time we arrived, as were most of the others.

   "Y/n!" Shizuku called, waving me over.

   She was sitting with Machi and Nobunaga. They were filling him in on the night's events. He had stayed behind to keep an eye on some kids that had been following him and Machi earlier in the day.

   "Hey," I said as I joined them. "You beat us back."

   "Yeah, we stole a car," Shizuku smiled.

   "Oh."

  Right. They're bandits.

   "That's what we should have done!" Phinks said, coming up behind me.

   "Well, why didn't we?" I asked him.

   Machi laughed to herself. "Probably because Feitan couldn't reach the pedals."

   "Very funny," Feitan said in his usual deadpan tone as he joined us.

   "Oh, sorry, I couldn't see you past Phinks."

   "Another short joke?" He asked, unamused.

   She smirked. "I mean, it's not a joke."

   Shizuku and Nobunaga were doing their best to contain their laughter, but Phinks didn't care. It seemed that everyone in the troupe enjoyed this dynamic of poking fun at each other. It was strange to see. They were supposed to be some of the most feared villains in the world and here they were cracking up at a bunch of stupid jokes. It felt wrong for them to be this normal.

   "At least I was not outsmarted by a couple of children," Feitan said, turning his attention to Nobunaga.

   The others started laughing.

   "Alright, alright," Nobunga said, looking very irritated. "At least it proves I was right about them being spider material."

   When the rest of the troupe had arrived, the boss called us together. He stood on a ledge above us so that we could all see him as he spoke. "Congratulations on another successful mission."

   There were a few scattered whoops of excitement.

   "Phinks," the boss said, "Will you open that crate behind you?"

   Phinks did as he asked and smiled as he lifted the lid. "Aww yeah." He pulled out four bottles of beer, two in each hand, and held them triumphantly over his head.

   The boss looked amused. "You've all earned a bit of celebration tonight. Let's drink to the spider, and to all of you, because the spider could not keep moving forward without each of its legs."

   Phinks and Machi passed bottles out to all of the troupe members. We raised them high and toasted to the spider.

   The troupe celebrated long into the night. For a group of assassins, they sure knew how to have a good time. Some members had had a bit too much to drink, namely Shizuku, who practically had to be carried up to bed by Machi before the night had ended. Phinks was also pretty sloppy. He was more loud and obnoxious than usual as we played cards—which I didn't even think was possible.

   Most of the troupe members decided to sleep in the main room that night, feeling too lazy and uncoordinated to climb back up to their rooms. I thought this might finally be my chance to escape, since the majority of the group would be in the same spot. As long as I avoided the main room I'd be fine.

   I went upstairs and started to quickly gather my things together. No one was in a state to fight me right now. If I could slip out of the base without anyone noticing then I might be able to get a decent amount of space between us before they even realized I was gone.

   I didn't want to leave. Really, I'd started to care for some of the troupe members and I liked the feeling of belonging to something bigger than myself, but I had to keep moving.

   I threw my bag over my shoulder and stepped out into the hallway, only to be pulled into another room. I blinked a few times, trying to get my eyes to adjust to the darkness. I could make out a figure standing in front of me, blocking the exit.

   "Should I even bother asking where you are going?" Feitan's voice carried through the darkness, sounding rather annoyed.

   I didn't know how to answer. It was obvious I was trying to run again. I decided to just avoid the subject all together. "Were you just sitting here in the dark or something? Why are all your lights out?"

   "I was in bed. You woke me up with all of the noise you were making. It is a good thing I am such a light sleeper," he said, coming toward me, "or you actually might have gotten away."

   He grabbed me, spinning me around and pulling me to him so that my back was against his chest. He focused his aura into his fingertips and pressed them into my neck like a blade, ready to slit my throat at any minute.

   "W-Wait," I breathed, trying not to move too much. Despite my efforts, I could feel the trickle of blood running down my skin.

   "If you are about to tell me that you were not leaving—"

   "No, I was. I'm not dumb enough to think I could actually lie to you. But it's not that I want to leave the troupe, okay? It's something I have to do."

   "What do you mean by that?" His tone was no less harsh than it had been before. It was clear that he still didn't trust me—if that wasn't already apparent by the knife-like-aura he pressed into my throat.

   "Someone's looking for me, and I can't let them find me. I don't know what will happen if they do."

   "You are leaving because you are scared?"

   I sighed. "Yes, I am." Admitting it felt so stupid and weak of me, but it was the truth, and lying wouldn't save my life right now. If I wanted to earn Feitan's trust then I had to be honest with him.

   He dropped his hand and pushed me away from him. "You are foolish for trying to run."

   I heard him walk across the room. I wasn't sure what he was doing until a light came on. I groaned and squinted. "Because there's no way I could get away from you, right?"

   I would have rolled my eyes if they hadn't been under assault. When I finally opened them I felt my cheeks get hot. He wasn't in his usual cowl and long robes, covered from head to toe. He was in a pair of black sweatpants. That was it.

   I hated myself for staring. I shifted my gaze, trying to focus on literally anything else. The floor, for example, was suddenly very interesting.

   "Yes," he said, "but the safest place for you to be is with the troupe. If this person does manage to find you, they will still have to get through all of us."

   I was taken aback by his words—and especially by the fact that they were coming from him. "You'd really do that for me?"

   "Tch. The troupe would. It is what the boss would want."

   That was more believable.

   "Does that mean you aren't going to kill me, then?"

   "Not tonight," he decided, sliding his hands into his pockets. "But I will know if you try to leave again. If that happens, I will not hesitate."

   He nodded toward his bed. It was up against the wall that we shared. He really would be able to hear everything.

   "Good night," he said with a wicked smile.

   God, I fucking hated him. He loved toying with me like this—making me feel stupid and weak and helpless. I'd find a way to get back at him.
  
   It took me forever to fall asleep that night. I tossed and turned in my bedroll, wondering if he was still lying awake, listening, waiting for any excuse to follow through on his promise.