Ennemies with benefits

The fuck-up

The sun dipped lower as Kacy and João sped toward Barcelona, the sky a deepening shade of orange. They'd tried to escape the city's stress for a few hours, but João's brother, Ugo, had been blowing up his phone with messages that couldn't be ignored.

"Shit," João cursed under his breath as he stared at his phone. He hadn't told Kacy everything yet, but she could feel the tension building in the car.

"What's going on?" Kacy asked, her voice cutting through the heavy silence.

"It's Ugo. He's freaking out. We've gotta get back to the city, now," João replied, his tone sharp.

"What the fuck happened?" Kacy's heart pounded as she tried to make sense of it.

"He's not saying much, just keeps going on about 'nuking MSF2.' Whatever the hell that means," João said, his frustration clear.

"MSF2? Sounds like some kind of code," Kacy mused.

"Yeah, and Ugo's not one to fuck around with this kind of shit. If he's losing his mind over it, it's serious," João replied, speeding up as they neared the city limits.

The silence between them grew heavier with each passing mile, the tension wrapping around them like a vise. When they finally pulled into the outskirts of the warehouse district, João's phone buzzed again. Another text from Ugo.

"Meet me at the old warehouse. Don't bring anyone else," João read aloud, his jaw clenched tight. "What the fuck is he dragging us into?"

Kacy frowned, but nodded. "Let's just get this over with."

They parked outside the dilapidated warehouse, the building barely holding itself together. João killed the engine, and they both sat in the car for a moment, gathering their thoughts. Kacy reached into her pocket, pulling out a cigarette and her lighter.

"Really? Now?" João asked, glancing over as she flicked the lighter. "You're trying to quit, remember?"

Kacy rolled her eyes, sparking the lighter until the flame caught the tip of her cigarette. "Yeah, well, desperate times call for desperate measures. Besides, with all the shit that's about to go down, I deserve one damn cigarette."

João sighed, shaking his head as he watched her take a deep drag, the smoke swirling around them. "You know Ugo's gonna give you hell for that."

As if on cue, Ugo emerged from the warehouse, catching sight of Kacy just as she exhaled a cloud of smoke. His face twisted into a mix of concern and mockery.

"Kacy, I thought you quit that shit," Ugo called out, smirking as he approached. "Or are you just trying to look cool for my brother?"

Kacy blew another stream of smoke into the air, unfazed. "Cool? No. But it definitely helps when I've got to deal with the two of you."

"Watch out, João, she's turning into a bad influence," Ugo teased, nudging his brother as he reached them. "Next thing you know, she'll have you chain-smoking and drinking straight from the bottle."

João chuckled, shaking his head. "I think I can handle myself, thanks."

Kacy shot Ugo a playful glare. "Like you're one to talk. Last time I checked, you're not exactly a saint."

Ugo raised his hands in mock surrender, grinning. "Hey, I'm not judging. I'm just saying, if you two start puffing away together, I'm going to have to join in, and then we're all screwed."

Kacy flicked the ash from her cigarette, smirking. "You wish you could keep up."

"Don't tempt me," Ugo shot back, before shifting his tone to something more serious. "But seriously, Kacy, you should take it easy on those. We've got enough shit to deal with without adding lung cancer to the list."

Kacy sighed, glancing at the cigarette in her hand before taking one last drag and stubbing it out on the ground. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Just needed to take the edge off."

Ugo nodded approvingly. "Good. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's get down to business. We've got a situation to handle."

João gave Kacy a quick, appreciative look, relieved that the cigarette was out. "Alright, Ugo, spill. What's going on with MSF2?"

Ugo's smirk faded, and his expression turned serious. "You're right. We've got to deal with this fast. The server's in a building downtown, old place we used to hang out at. We've got to get in, wipe it clean, and get out. Easy peasy."

João raised an eyebrow. "Easy peasy? You mean after we dodge security, hack into the system, and pray nothing goes wrong?"

"Exactly!" Ugo said, grinning. "Piece of cake."

Kacy groaned. "We're so screwed."

"Maybe," João admitted, but there was a twinkle in his eye. "But at least we'll have one hell of a story to tell."

As they hashed out their plan, the humor and banter between them made the whole situation feel a little less daunting. Even in the face of whatever mess they were about to dive into, they still found a way to keep things light. And that, more than anything, made them feel like they could take on the world—even if it was one ridiculous situation at a time.