Playing With Fire (R6xOC)

Chapter 14

I dreamt. I dreamt of everything. Tina, Mason, Reaper, Harry, Spectre, you name it. One kept coming to mind. Mason. He didn't even say anything, yet I still predominantly thought of him. It was strange. For the first time since I can remember, he was quiet. He wasn't berating me, manipulating me, shaming me, or cursing me out. In fact, he didn't speak at all. It was like he wasn't there.

Then, I dreamt of Tina, a false memory I relived every time that I could. It was an empty ballroom, with tables full of food and drink all around us. She was wearing the most elegant white dress I had ever seen. Looking up at me, she smiled as we swayed to a slow, romantic song.

"I love you, Krystof Kötz." She would sigh contentedly before laying her head on my chest, listening to my heartbeat.

"I love you too, Tina Lin Tsang." I would reply, before the lights dimmed and I woke up. Every time, I would wake alone. This time, I awoke surrounded by friends and acquaintances.

Looking around, I saw many faces, some I hadn't seen in weeks. Some of the faces were of people I hurt, people I betrayed.

"Krystof, you're awake!" Tina wrapped her arms around my body, as she pulled me into a surprisingly tight hug.

"Yeah.. I'm awake." I hesitated, looking around. Reaper, Spectre, Elias, Olivier, He, Marius, Doc, and Harry all looked at me.

"What's wrong?" Tina asked, pulling away and looking at me concerned.

"Is- is this a dream? I betrayed you all."

Their countenances collectively grew dark, spare Reaper and Spectre.

"You betrayed us. You tried to kill us. You hurt us. You deserve to die." They began to chant, before Tina looked me in the eyes, a flaming crusade marching behind hers. She wrapped her hands around my throat, choking me.

"Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!" She screamed, as my breaths became fewer and farther between. My eyes bugged, as I pried at her arms, to no avail.

•••

I awoke gasping for breath. It was dark out, and I was alone except for the quickened beeping of the heart monitor. Another steadier beeping was in the background, as I looked to my right to see Nero in a bed as well.

"Where the hell am I?"

"This room look familiar, Krystof?"

"What!?"

A figure stepped out of the shadows, before laughing.

"Relax Krystof, I'm just fucking with you." He's voice became clear now.

"Oh, He. Hey." I said, as she sat in the chair next to me.

"Hey."

"Listen, I'm sorry about almost killing you."

"Oh don't worry about it, it happens all the time. Besides, you weren't yourself." She waved it off surprisingly quickly. "And that makes us even."

We chucked together, before she placed her hand on mine. My eyes darted down to our hands, before they shot back up to her eyes.

"He-"

"Just hear me out, please." Her eyes held a sincere look of neither asking nor ordering.

"Okay, He. I'll hear you out."

"Ever since I found out that you were influenced by Mason I kept thinking back to that conversation we had before this all happened. When you said we were done. If you weren't yourself, that might not have been you talking. So I'd like to ask you one more time, because you never leave my mind. Could we try one more time, for old times' sake?" A tear dotted her lower eyelid, as I put my hand up to her cheek, brushing it away.