The purple lights from the mall got smaller behind them. Aiko walked just a little behind Nash, hugging that stupid shopping bag so tight the plastic made crinkly protest noises.

Every few steps, her eyes would dart up to his back, those wide shoulders moving smoothly like a boss, hands chilling in his pockets, head tilted just enough to scan the creepy hallway ahead.

She kept looking, and she hated that she kept looking.

What is wrong with me?

The thought burned circles in her brain. She remembered standing there with no bra like an idiot, basically offering herself on a plate, then whispering "do it" like a desperate loser with zero dignity.

She swallowed hard. Her throat felt weirdly tight. Her cheeks wouldn’t stop burning. Every glance at his stupid back sent another wave of feelings drowning her, wanting him, hating that she wanted him, being mad at herself for wanting him, scared he thought she was just being dramatic little Aiko again.

He didn’t even care. Just... kept walking.

That part hurt the most.

Before she realized it, her feet sped up until she was right beside him, her twintails bouncing with each step.

"You walk too fast," she mumbled, mostly just to say something.

Nash didn’t slow down.

"You’re the one who wanted to come."

"I didn’t—" She bit her tongue, face getting even redder. "I mean... okay, I did. But only because you’re the kind of idiot who’d walk into traffic without someone watching you."

He let out this little *pfft* sound that might’ve been a laugh.

"Watching me. Right."

She peeked at his profile, sharp jaw, calm, watching the shadows like he was reading a menu. Her stomach did a stupid little flip.

Why does he have to look so... Hmph! Stupid, don’t say it...

Then a system message appeared above Nash.

→ Risk Factor Alert: Aiko

Emotionally volatile. Craving exclusive attention and verbal challenge.

Competing focus or dismissal will spike anxiety → regression risk high.

Nash’s smile got a tiny bit bigger. He looked at her sideways.

"You’re really quiet there. What’s up? Still thinking about how you begged me in that dressing room?"

Aiko’s face turned into a tomato.

"I DIDN’T BEG!" she screeched, voice cracking like a teenager’s. She shoved his arm, not hard, but enough to make her twintails whip around. "You were the one staring! And touching! And saying creepy stuff like ’you’ll get what you’re asking for’! And then you just... walked away like a chicken! All talk, no action! You’d probably fold in two seconds if I actually—"

Nash caught her wrist mid-shove, his thumb brushing the inside in this slow, meaningful way before letting go. His eyes locked onto hers, that stupid smirk turning sharp.

"Careful, Aiko," he murmured, voice dropping to that rough tone that always messed with her head. "Keep calling me chicken and I might stop playing nice. You really think you could handle me going all out? Just you and me? No holding back?" He leaned in just enough for his breath to tickle her ear. "You’d pass out before I was halfway satisfied."

The words hit her like a lightning bolt.

Aiko’s breath got stuck. Heat flooded her body so fast her knees almost gave out, cheeks blazing, ears on fire, and worst of all, this stupid throbbing between her legs.

Her lips parted shakily, glossy and trembling. She could feel how her body reacted to his threat, the mental image of him pinning her down, no mercy, just raw and rough like he was with Jaz. She wanted it. God, she wanted it so bad her legs felt weak.

But no way was she letting him win that easily.

"Ha!" she shot back. She crossed her arms under her chest, pushing it out defiantly, lips pouting in her classic sulk. "Big talk! You’d be the one begging me first! I’d ride you so hard you’d shake! Squeeze you so tight you’d lose it in, like, two seconds! You’d be begging me to go slower, but I wouldn’t stop! I’d keep going until you were a total wreck under me!"

Nash caught her wrist again, thumb brushing the same spot.

"Oh?" he said softly. "Really? Then what?"

Aiko blinked, surprised he was actually asking. The question poured gasoline on the fire in her head. Her fingers twisted together nervously, thighs pressing tight.

"A-and then..." Her voice got smaller, breathless. "I’d... flip you over, grab your hair, make you look up at me while I rode your face u-until I came so hard you drowned in it! You’d beg me to stop, but I wouldn’t! I’d make you lick every drop, then I’d—"

She was panting now, chest heaving, eyes glassy. Each word made her hotter, more reckless, the fantasies spilling out like she’d lost the brakes.

Nash just watched, calm, patient, totally enjoying what he had provoked. He didn’t interrupt, just let her dig herself deeper, eyes never leaving her face.

"Hm?" he prompted when she stalled. "Even if I went really hard?"

Aiko froze.

Her lips parted wider, almost drooling. She stopped walking completely. Her voice dropped to a shaky whisper.

"I... I could take it. All of you. You could do... anything. I’d take everything."

She trailed off, breathing fast. Her eyes darted to a dark alley on the left; the shadows looked deep, private.

Nash stopped too.

He looked at the alley. Then back at her. This was another invitation.

Aiko’s heart pounded so loud she was sure he could hear it. She bit her lip hard, body trembling.

"Maybe Paz wasn’t wrong after all." Nash finally said.

Aiko blinked, confused.

"W-what?"

Nash’s gaze swept over her, slow, appreciating the flush on her face, the way her thighs kept rubbing together, how her chest rose and fell too fast.

"You look ready to drag me into that alley right now," he said softly. "And I’m tempted. Very tempted."

Aiko’s breath hitched. Her knees wobbled.

"But," Nash continued, stepping closer until she had to tilt her head back, "we’ve got a job. Pier 9. Harlan. The mission." He reached out, tucked a twintail behind her ear, thumb lingering on her burning cheek. "We finish that first. Then... we’ll see how much of that big talk you can actually back up."

Aiko stared, eyes wide, lips trembling, body still asking for him. Then reality crashed back in. Her face went from flushed to nuclear in half a second. She puffed her cheeks, crossed her arms, pouting so hard her lip jutted out.

"I-I didn’t mean it like that!" she squeaked, voice cracking again. "I’m not some amateur! Don’t get the wrong idea! I was just... talking! To shut you up! Yeah!"

Nash smirked.

"Sure you were."

He turned and walked away.

Aiko stood frozen for two whole seconds, legs weak, body throbbing, face on fire, then scrambled after him, clutching the stupid bag like a lifeline, still flushed, still shaky, still so turned on she could barely think straight.

They ducked into a narrow alley to change. Aiko went behind some crates first, muttering curses, then came out in the new outfit, crop top, jacket, tight leggings, choker, and a half-up hood. Nash switched into his dark hoodie and cargos in seconds. Now they looked like they belonged in the Underground.

Aiko adjusted her choker, still pouting, thighs pressing together every few steps like she was trying to ease the ache without him noticing.

"Happy now?" she grumbled, voice rough.

Nash glanced back, eyes sweeping over her once.

"Very," he said. "Let’s go."

They stepped out of the alley together and walked down into the subway station. The platform was all grimy, with yellow bulbs buzzing overhead like angry bees. A single train was there, looking like it had seen better days, rusty, tired, its doors opening with a hiss like it was sighing.

They slipped inside with the crowd. And what a crowd. There were scavengers who looked like they hadn’t slept in weeks, some guys who probably owed money to the wrong people, and a couple of sailors in jackets that smelled like they’d been dipped in oil.

The train moved forward with a groan, like it didn’t want to move.

During the trip, Aiko kept glancing at Nash’s profile while he did that thing where he looked half-asleep but was actually watching everyone around them. She kind of wanted to lean in and whisper something dirty just to see if she could crack that calm mask of his, but the car was packed.

So instead, she crossed her legs tighter and let out this tiny annoyed huff, like she was frustrated but trying not to show it.

Twenty minutes later, the train hissed to a stop. They stepped out into air that smelled like salt and rust. And there, waiting like some kind of junkyard reject, was this beat-up taxi. Except "taxi" was generous, it looked more like a golf cart someone had welded armor onto.

Nash waved it down.

"Pier 9," he said.

The driver, an old dude missing a tooth and wearing a cap stained with who-knows-what, gave them a look. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"You sure, kid? That place chews up pretty girls for breakfast."

Nash didn’t even hesitate.

"It’s okay," he said. "She’s with me."

The ride was short but bumpy as hell. The cart’s tires crunched over broken pavement, swerving between flickering streetlights like it was playing dodgeball with the dark. Aiko kept her hand on Nash’s thigh the whole time, pretending it was just for balance. Yeah, sure.

Ten minutes later, they reached the port. Nash handed over some crumpled cash, and they stepped out.

And wow.

Pier 9 wasn’t a harbor. It was a mess. Like, someone took cracked concrete, half-sunken barges, and a whole lot of rust, threw it all together, and called it a day.

Tall cranes loomed overhead, frozen in place like giant skeletons, their hooks swaying in the wind. Shipping containers were stacked everywhere, some leaning like they might topple over any second, others half-submerged in the oily black water.

And the lights? Yeah, they were flickering too, because apparently flickering was the theme of the night, casting these sickly yellow pools on the ground.

The water itself was thick, black, and gross, lapping at the barnacle-covered posts holding up the pier. Every now and then, an oil slick would shimmer in rainbow colors before disappearing again. The air smelled like diesel, rot, and something sharp and metallic that made Aiko wrinkle her nose.

She hugged her arms tighter.

"This place feels... so wrong."

Nash didn’t even look at her, just kept scanning the shadows.

"Stay close."

They started walking.

The path was narrow, squeezed between stacks of containers. Nash moved like a ghost, silent steps, quick glances, his hand brushing Aiko’s lower back whenever she hesitated. She tried to copy him, crouching low, breathing quietly, but her damn sneakers kept scuffing on loose gravel. Every time, Nash would steady her without a word.

Deeper into the maze, the path opened onto a narrow dock sticking out over the black water. The concrete was cracked, slick with oil, crumbling at the edges like it was falling apart.

One of the overhead lights was dead, because again, of course, so the only light came from the faint, gross reflection off the water below.

Nash slowed, crouching near the edge. He stared down at the water, thick like tar, barely moving, streaked with those rainbow oil slicks. His eyes narrowed, like he was trying to see something beneath the surface.

Aiko crept up behind him. She glanced at the water, then quickly looked away, like she didn’t want to see it too long.

"You’re wondering why there’s water down here, right?" she said, shifting her weight, her sneakers scuffing softly. "I mean, we’re underground. Shouldn’t it be dry?"

She hesitated, then went on.

"I heard once... it’s not real water. It’s all the junk from the Upperworld. Their factories dump everything through these huge old vents, and Pier 9 is right under some of the biggest. So all the chemicals, the gross stuff, it ends up here."

She shook her head, raising her hands.

"But hey... at least it’s useful now. Gives them another way to come down here, so they sell us the leftovers. Cheaper than buying it legit or climbing all the way back up." She snorted. "So yeah. Thanks for the trash, Upperworld. Really generous."

Nash didn’t say anything for a second. Then he stood up smoothly.

"You know a lot more than you let on."

Aiko blinked, caught off guard. Her twin-tails bounced as she turned to face him fully, her mouth dropping open for half a second before she puffed her cheeks in that pout she always did when she was flustered.

"W-what? Don’t act so shocked!" She crossed her arms, lifting her chin like she was trying to look tough, but the corners of her mouth twitched like she was fighting a smile. "I’m not an airhead, you know!" Her twin-tails bounced again, like they had a mind of their own.

"I’m smarter than you thought, huh? Hmph. Obviously."

Nash watched her for half a second, just long enough for the tiniest smirk to touch his mouth, then turned and kept walking.

Aiko huffed again and followed.