[Y/N] - Your Name
[M/N] - Middle Name
[L/N] - Last Name
I
["Talking"]
["SCREAMING"]
["Whispering"]
["Thinking"]

* - Translated directly from Italian.

<<<<<< I >[---]< I >>>>>>

Y/N: ["So tomorrow is the big day..."]

Y/N said while standing with both hands in his pockets, staring over the looming railroad that seemed to drag on for miles and miles into the horizon. He had his eyes narrowed as the wind whistled past him, shaking his hair and clothes. There was an undeniable gaze to his eyes — Was it fear? Hesitation? Commitment? Courage? It was hard to tell, and even harder to focus on, as the horn of a train echoed around.

The machine shot underneath the bridge he was on top of at rapid speeds, leaving behind little more than smoke and dust. Y/N, resting his face on his palm, and his elbow against the bridge, only watched. There was a feeling of hesitation in his neck, and the muscles in his neck throbbed at the sensation of fear. However, slamming his fist down, he inhaled, and let out a long exhale after filling up his lungs, with a nod.

Y/N: ["And tomorrow, if it's the last thing I do..."]

Y/N rested his head against his arms, crossed on top of the bridge which he overlooked. Eyes closed, fists clenched, biting his lower lip, and trembling arms, bouncing his leg in excitement, everything was starting to swell and overtake him much more than he would've wanted to. The fear of nervousness was overshadowed by the commitment and will he felt, enough to raise his head with a triumphant gaze.

Y/N: ["I'll tell them, if it's the last thing I do on this Earth..."]

The sound of approaching footsteps and the smell of expensive cologne did not diminish Y/N's focus in the slightest. If anything, his eyes only became even more serious and annoyed by the presence, and an ever-familiar laugh that made him clutch his fists even tighter. Stopping by his side, still overlooking the tracks, the blonde shot Y/N a look, a small smirk on his face, a teasing one of smugness.

Florentino: ["Look at you, all quiet and brooding on a bridge overlooking the train tracks you are going to escape on~"] He said with his annoying voice ever present, a small chuckle overtaking his lips ["Is this what you kids call "aura farming" nowadays?"]*

Y/N: ["Is everything ready on your end?"]*

Florentino: ["Oooohh, look at the man of business and seriousness! Honestly, looking at you right now is almost making me convinced you got what it takes"] He let out another snarky laugh which really made Y/N want to punch his guts — Alas, he held it back ["Yes, everything is set and arranged. The car will be in place during the raid, no worries"]*

Y/N: ["Good. After this we'll follow the route to NY that we planned, everything should be fine, right?"] Florentino nodded, but Y/N's eyes only narrowed as he did so ["If father finds out about this, everything will be in jeopardy, so I'll try to keep ourselves quiet"]*

Florentino: ["Yeah, good luck with that, man. This will be loud, and your face, if not in the news, will surely spark his interest the moment he sees I was involved"] Florentino's words brought no comfort, and only made Y/N huff out in annoyance and visible anger ["And he is sure to come after you from that moment onwards — You sure you wanna do this?"]*

Y/N: ["What? Getting concerned for me now?"]*

Florentino: ["Hardly. I would just prefer not to irk father any more, and, if I'm delivering a blow, it is one that keeps him down"] He sneers with amusement, landing his eyes on Y/N once again before he went back to looking out at the tracks, pulling out a pack of cigarettes from his jacket's pocket and putting one in his mouth ["You want one?"]*

Y/N: ["No. I've quit"]*

Florentino: ["Quit?! You? Shit, maybe you did kill my brother and replace him, goddamn"] Florentino's laugh did not get an amused response from Y/N. In fact, it hardly earned him little more than a glare ["You know, you really have changed... If I knew that all it took was a faggot and a ginger I would've gotten some for you a few years back, you know?"]*

Y/N: ["... One of them knows me. Logan's guardians- Well, they know us, I should say"] At Y/N's words, dismissing whatever else his brother had said before, Florentino hummed in amusement ["He was with a minor family. Apparently he recognized me"]*

Florentino: ["Well, if he's on our side, whatever — How'd that conversation go?"]

Y/N: ["... Well ..."]

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Mike: ["What do you mean the Andragathía?!"]

Everyone sat gathered around the room, the kids on one side, the adults on the other. All save for Y/N, of course, who listened on from his room, sitting on the window with his legs hanging out, and staring off into the distance, eyes narrowed at the mention of the name, something he hadn't heard in quite some time. Still, he decided against speaking, and decided to let the man go on — Which he did after a moment of silence.

James: ["We were only part of one of the lower, smaller families, and retired quite a long time ago. Our influence and ability to ask for favors is limited, especially since we are no longer active"] Arms crossed and a unsmiling gaze on his face, the man carried on, being under close watch by most of the parents ["But I have a few friends that are still working with the syndicate I can try to call on. They most likely won't go as far as taking the kids in, nor would I want them to, however they might be willing to cause a ruckus here"]

Mike: ["So you are with a criminal organization"]

James: ["Were. If you wanna talk to someone who still is, though..."] He directed his eyes towards Ashlyn, who, herself, glanced down at the walkie-talkie in her hand ["You should ask Lorenzo's kid how he ended up getting roped in this situation to begin with"]

Y/N: ["That's one of the things I was meaning to talk about, my family and whatnot... Before I say anything, I'd like to mention that I have no real ties to them, nor their activities"] Y/N said, and Ashlyn stepped forward, placing the device on top of the table in the middle of the room so everyone could hear them properly ["For those of you unaware, my father is Lorenzo Cadaverini, and my name, before I ran away, was Don Leonardo Cadaverini — But I dropped that once I ran from the family in order to change my life"]

Mike: ["Lorenzo Cadaverini... That name sounds familiar"]

Y/N: ["He isn't exactly your "gung-ho" criminal. He is methodical, calculative. Head of the biggest crime family in Italy. As I said, I ran away because I wanted no part in that"] Y/N continued, now his gaze looming down to the empty streets of the Phantom world ["My butler, Elio Rossi, also was part of that family before moving to the United States with me. My family apparently has some sort of ties to the Phantom dimension which I didn't know about until my brother, Florentino, told me the night the others were taken..."]

Ashlyn: ["I'll vouch for him. Y/N has been nothing but of great help for us, even with his past in the way. After months of coming to this dimension, I hoped he would've said something, but-..."] The girl's silence was a bit of comfort, too, as she looked down to find the proper words of what she wanted to say ["I won't fault him for holding this back from us"]

Aiden: ["What she said. He is actively working to help us to break out of here as well, so I ain't got my complains"] He crossed his hands behind his head with a large grin on his face, leaning back on his wheelchair ["That's some heavy stuff to be talking about, too"]

Tyler: ["Yeah, I had my complaints, but... I also stand by Y/N"]

Taylor: ["Me too! He's been of great help many times by now"]

Logan: ["He also put himself in danger to save us a lot, too..."]

Ben (through TTS): ["And he has helped in many other ways"]

Y/N: ["... You fucking idiots are gonna make me cry, shut up"]

The adults looked around from one to the other, trying to gather their thoughts and reach some sort of silent consensus. The kids all gathered around the walkie-talkie on the table, taking turns speaking when Y/N — with his voice starting to break — was speaking to them; mostly telling them to shut up, with love, of course. Mike, with his leadership attitude that passed onto his daughter, let out a sigh, and spoke up first

Mike: ["Alright, since everyone says you're cool, I'll take their words for it. You said you're also planning a way out, yeah?"] From the other end of the line, Y/N, clearing his throat to get rid of the crying voice, hummed along ["And how exactly is that going to go?"]

Y/N: ["Alright, I told this to Ashlyn already, but here's the deal-"]

◁━━━━━━━━◈━━━━━━━━▷

Y/N: ["We're going to break out, with Elio waiting for us in the parking lot"]*

Y/N spoke up, taking a step forward and pointing directly towards the place where the facility was. Florentino, still standing back, hummed as he followed his gaze, taking a drag of his cigarette and following along. With that, Y/N directed his attention, and finger, to the direction which connected the road to the bridge they were on. Not too far off was Florentino's black SUV, as well as two others seemingly on the wait.

Y/N: ["He'll take us here, since we can't drive by car, otherwise we're going to be identified and caught quickly, or, even worse, shot down"] Following his brother's words, Florentino's eyes directed themselves to his finger, where he pointed at the bridge ["If all goes well and according to plan, the train should be here after that. We'll jump, and take it until a few hours from now while Elio and the others will be buying us time during that"]*

Florentino: ["And then, you'll lay low with the cash you asked me for, for as long as it takes, as well as the change of clothes in the bag I prepared"] The man, flickering his cigarette over his shoulder, and blowing out the smoke, smirks and nodded ["Alright, it's a good enough plan — Though, with your neck all fucked like that, are you sure you can make it?"]*

Y/N: ["It's not about if I can or not. I have to make the jump, and I will. This is the best thing we can do since we can't break them out in a reasonable time during the night"] He directed his eyes back to the direction of the facility once again, with them narrowed and focused ["Otherwise we could make a silent escape and, during the night, repeatedly make out way farther and farther until our bodies reset. But we can't tell what they'll do to us in a week, a month, or even tomorrow, so we can't really be just be sitting and waiting"]*

Florentino: ["... Color me surprised, you might actually be able to pull this off. I'd offer protection, but against the government? No sir~ too much shit for me to deal with"] He chuckled while making his way back to the S.U.V he had parked, stopping only to glance over his shoulder with a grin ["I'm already doing my part by helping you kids out by also lending some of my men — Don't you let me down, little bro! I'll be watching~"]*

Y/N: ["Yeah..."]*

Y/N sighs as he leans back against the railing of the bridge, looking up at the blue skies. The clouds passing by, the feeling of the warm sun on his skin, a perfect contrast of the usual cold nights he had to spend on that hellhole of a dimension. Eyes closed, relaxing himself, and letting out a long sigh after inhaling enough to fill his lungs, Y/N's eyes opened again — They were soft. Relaxed, but also focused.

Y/N: ["Fuck you too"]*

◁━━━━━━━━◈━━━━━━━━▷

His heart was almost bursting through his chest.

His leg was also bouncing at the feeling. The grip on his weapon never felt so unstable, shaking almost uncontrollably while he kept tapping in on the floor. Eyes focused on the mirror of the car while he sat on the backseat, Y/N could see the sweat dripping down his face. An undeniable feeling of insecurity was washing over his determination enough to make him almost question if he was doing the right thing.

That is, until a siren rang out, and he kicked the door open while stepping out. He looked at the driver's seat, where the scarred butler gave him a reassuring smile and a confident nod, which Y/N repaid with one of his own. He made his way towards the facility as the sirens rang, and an explosion rang through the entrance before a bunch of cars came driving in, invading the place and tearing down the house while at it.

He continued walking with a confident stride as people around him fell left and right, mostly people of the facility and its workers. Gunshots rang in the distance, but he remained unshaken while still walking with the baseball bat tapping against his shoulder, and the gun being held on his other hand. Y/N was quick to run into the facility, narrowing his eyes while he made his way around, looking left and right.

"Once in the main wing, take a right turn". Elio's voice and his route rang on his ears, prompting him to follow the path that the butler laid to him. He did so quickly, immediately running across the corridors of the place, trying to avoid the main fight going on in the entrance gates after slipping away. Not everything was as easy as that, however, as he had to take a swing against a guard that had spotted him.

Both of them turned the corner on the same time, but Y/N was the quickest, swinging at his guts, before jabbing the hilt of the gun against his face, before punching him in the back of the head to knock him out as he leaned over. Breathing heavily from having to dash all around, Y/N immediately followed his way to the designed meeting spot, his eyes narrowing with focus for every step that he took closer to the place.

He came to a stop when another figure got in his way, and since the distance was so close and he wouldn't have time to swing, Y/N tackled said person to the floor, ready to raise his bat and strike him down as he assumed a mounting position, when he stopped. The man raised his arm, with long, brown hair and wearing glasses that miraculously had not been knocked out of his face, he began talking immediately.

Alex: ["WAIT, WAIT! I'M ALEX, I'M WITH YOUR FRIENDS!"]

Y/N: ["You're... Ashlyn's other caretaker, right? Sorry, the adrenaline got me moving first, thinking later"] He replied while stepping off the man, helping him to his feet and looking at him with a serious face ["You should get out of here as fast as you can, shit is only about to get worse — I'll be meeting with them, and escaping on our route, so run"]

Alex: ["Jeez, for children you all sure as scary... Hey, man, you're Y/N, right? Ashlyn talked about you"] As Y/N was ready to run off, the man's words caught his attention again. He turned to face him with a raised eyebrow ["She said you would be coming, and that you were planning something, too... She- She cares about you, so try not to die, alright?"]

Y/N: ["Thanks... There's a car waiting outside if you can make it. You're going to find our butler, Elio. Tell him I sent you, and he should help you find a safe spot"] Y/N's eyes remained glued to his a while longer before he directed his attention towards the corridor again ["With your help, they are sure to come after you, so better get going"]

Y/N did not bother to say anything else amidst his heavy breathing when he took off again, running at full speed, and trying his best to remember the route he had been given. Upon turning one final corner, however, he came to a grinding halt when she spotted a figure, one known to him. A face he recognized, even from months ago, and one that made his teeth clench and eyes narrow in nothing short of extreme anger.

He aimed his pistol directly at the woman's head, before spotting a bunch of other known figures, particularly that of a ginger girl who had the same angered eyes as him. The woman that stood in front of the kids, also with a gun in hand, was bleeding from a few spots, clearly wounded just now, and crouching to the floor. Seeing her injured state, Y/N's arm trembled and he lowered his gun, if ever-so-slightly.

The woman turned to the side just in time to see a bat flying at her face, impacting her nose and sending her to the ground. Y/N held himself back from striking again, reminding himself that drawing human blood might take him a step too far into whatever "infected creature" he was, and instead, turned to face the group. They all looked at him, even two unfamiliar faces which he had never seen before today.

Y/N: ["Hey... Thought you guys could use a hand?"]

Taylor was the first one to tackle him, almost sending him to the ground when she hugged Y/N, with her face to his chest. A hand behind her head holding her close, Y/N reassured them calmly while laying his nose to Aiden's hair, as he hugged him a bit from the side, resting his face against his neck. He also gave a hug to Ben, Tyler and Logan, before turning to face Ashlyn, the girl being the last one to embrace him.

She stood slightly on her tip-toes thanks to their difference in height, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him down a bit so that he would rest his face on her shoulder, to which he did with no complaints. His arms held her for a seconde before letting go, having been gently wrapped around her waist before Y/N took a step back — And only now he could hear the sirens and the gunshots on the place again.

Ashlyn: ["Would love to stay and chat, but we got to go"]

Y/N: ["Right. Come on, we're almost out already!"]

Y/N was the one to run on ahead first, dashing past the woman and the other two figures, that of a man with a shaved head and another one with a tattoo of a crane on his finger, giving them a small nod as he ran. Him and the group rapidly made their way to an elevator, shutting off the door and, for the first time since this whole thing began, being able to catch their breaths. Y/N was the first one to lean against a wall.

He breathed out heavily from all the running and gunning he did, having to catch his breath for a moment. Everyone was silent, with different gazes, but all which leaned towards seriousness. All save for one, which landed a hand on his shoulder, prompting Y/N to look at his red eyes again. He wanted to give him the middle finger as a joke, but even he couldn't help but open a smile at the way Aiden looked at him.

Logan: ["I'm sorry... I should've taken her out before Ryan got shot"]

Taylor: ["It's ok to not want to kill anyone"] The girl's soft voice was heard as she softly enveloped Logan in a hug ["We've been through a lot, but we're still just kids after all..."]

Aiden: ["Where'd you get that other gun from?"]

Logan: ["Picked up from that woman when we were running..."]

Y/N: ["Speaking of, she was that bitch from Savannah, right? The one that dragged us into all of this"] Y/N saw Ashlyn nod, which prompted him to open a very visible scowl on his face ["I really was close to pulling the trigger at her head... Maybe I should've, but... If we're really infected or transforming in some way, human blood is sure to be the last drop"]

Ashlyn: ["That, and not to mention the shit that would bring to you during the real world"] The girl softly tapped his shoulder, turning to face the entrance to the elevator with a narrowed gaze ["We can deal with her and Maverick later, for now, we really need to go"]

Y/N merely nodded, letting his eyes move towards the door of the elevator one more time, especially once a dig occurred and they came face-to-face with a parking lot. Although they saw one of the guards turning to face them, before he could even say anything, the ones at the front of the pack had already turned a corner, much faster than he would have reacted. In the distance, Ashlyn could hear him calling out.

Y/N took the front as he ran towards a car which already had its doors open, jumping into the passenger's seat, coming face-to-face with the scarred driver on his side. Everyone else got on the back, and Elio immediately began driving. It didn't take long, at all, for shots starting to fly at them, but, just as quickly, bullets were fired by Aiden who stood through the sunroof, Logan and Y/N who both peeked from the windows.

Logan: ["AIDEN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"]

Aiden: ["It's fine! Ben's holding me!"]

Y/N looked at Ben, who seemed mortified at doing that. He did not even question why a gun was given to Aiden of all people, but instead, turned to face Elio. The man gave him a smirk, one that never before failed to make Y/N feel at ease also served to calm down his nerves at this situation. Y/N smiled back, even seeing the man wearing a bullet-proof vest, with no small amount of weaponry locked and loaded by his side.

Y/N pulled the glove box open, reaching inside and handing a handgun to everyone, as well as a magazine for each. He made sure to exchange the one on his Brixia 1911, letting out a breath to calm down his nerves while they continued to drive. The car began to steer out of control when a shot landed against one of the back tires, but Y/N didn't seem to be too distracted by it, and instead, he was the first one to jump out.

He looked around at the bridge they were in, and Elio also stepped out, with his FAL ready, and aimed at the crowd of policemen that were close on his tail. Everyone else approached the railing on the side, all of them with nervous looks, save for Aiden who still had that same smile on his face. Y/N turned to face Elio one more time, the man giving him another one of his reassuring grins, and a wink before he went back to it.

The sound of the train's horn was enough to make Y/N's heart almost leap out of his chest from fear of the thought about what they had to do. Breathing heavily, he turned to face the direction in which it was coming, but there was someone else who looked as frightened as him — Aiden could remember everything. How Y/N got hurt because of him back at the house raid, how his recklessness ended up on Y/N almost dying.

Y/N: ["You, of all people, are not about to pussy out on me, are you?"] Y/N slinged a duffel bag over his shoulder from the car, turning to face Aiden with a serious gaze as he stepped close to him ["The Aiden I know would be the first one to agree with this idea"]

Aiden: ["I don't know, maybe we shouldn't-..."]

Tyler: ["Yeah, there has to be another way, right?! Just call your brother, Y/N!"]

Ashlyn: ["Aiden... I don't see how else to get out of this. Especially since Florentino said he isn't going to help more than this"] Y/N nodded as the girl held onto her shirt, giving it a tight squeeze from nervousness ["If we go back, even if alive, we won't have Alex, Ryan, Elio, or even Y/N and the mafia. They'll know we can move around at night and take measurements against it... I don't think we would be able to escape again, and-"] Ashlyn's face was darkened as she took a much more serious tone ["It's better to be dead than to go back, all of us separated. Not able to save our parents, and causing who-knows how many deaths from either this stupid cult, or the government, so-..."] She inched ahead, her hand softly wrapping around one of Aiden's fingers ["We have to escape now..."]

Y/N: ["I get this plan is reckless. Stupid. Borderline suicidal — But what have we done that isn't?"] Y/N stepped closer to the railing, put his foot up on it, and turning to look over his shoulders ["Those guys might not have orders to kill us, but Elio is staying back and making sure that we won't be followed. We have done a lot more crazy shit. The raid at the house? Escaping that giant monster? Hell, Aiden and I literally died to that thing!"] Y/N now stood up on it with his entire weight, looking over his shoulder at the group with a smile as he did so ["And if I didn't die then, I sure as hell am not going to die right now"]

Aiden: ["... We're jumping on the train"]

Tyler: ["STOP CHANGING YOUR GODDAMN MIND!"]

Taylor: ["I say... We take a group vote. I vote for jumping as well"} The girl said, raising her arm, visibly scared and shaking, but still with a fire burning in her eyes ["Since I also don't think we'll be able to pull off something like this, ever again in our lives..."]

Everyone, save for Ben and Tyler, raised their arms, and so, the decision had been made. Everyone else climbed onto the railing by Y/N's side, glancing at the passing train underneath them, and then back towards the cars that were following. Every time one of them would approach, even a little bit, Elio would open fire, not letting any of them get close. This time, Y/N looked down at the machinery, and his heart sank.

His body instinctively swallowed thanks to the fear, but he let out a composed breath after filling his lungs, getting his mind back on the game. Even Ashlyn's words about not second guessing themselves didn't do much to help, but he was already too deep in it to care, every single one of them were. Everyone held hands, holding each other tightly, staring at the carts moving by underneath, and getting ready to do the leap.

Y/N turned to face Ashlyn, the girl also looking at him for a moment. That's right, he couldn't afford to be afraid, not when he was with her. So, Y/N smiled warmly as everyone made their mental preparations and mental prayers. Y/N threw a look over his shoulder at Elio, who gave him a two-finger salute as well as his usual grin. Prompting Y/N to smile back at him before turning to face the train carts once again.

One.

Two.

THREE.

They all leaped together, landing with a loud thud on one of the containers, a red one that passed by much faster than they were expecting. They rolled, especially Aiden, who barely did not fell down thanks to Ben catching his leg and holding onto the cart. The asm with Ashlyn, who had her wrists held by Tyler, mere inches away from her doom. They all pulled up back on top of the cart, standing up and looking around.

Everyone looked towards Ben hearing his grunts and his frantic pointing, his finger stretched directly to Logan, who rested against the intersection between the trains. He was starting to slip and fall, were it not for Taylor's hand holding his arm and pulling him back in place. Taylor as well had someone holding her, as Y/N, with a single hand, pulled the girl, who pulled Logan, towards somewhere that was safe.

Y/N motioned for them to come down as he opened a container and they all made their way inside. He was the first one to fall to his hands and knees, breathing heavily as the adrenaline started to wear off, and his body was starting to catch up to everything now that him and everyone had some time to properly rest. They gathered around in a circle and, ever-the-leader, Ashlyn was the first one to speak up.

Ashlyn: ["No one broke anything, right...?"]

Tyler: ["Ugh- Everything feels broken..."}

Logan: ["I don't think so... I lost my glasses, though"]

Aiden: ["I'm good!"]

Taylor: ["I think I bruised a rib, but it's not broken... Probably"]

There were two other people remaining. As Ashlyn faced Ben, who motioned to explain that his wrist was in pain, she turned to look at Y/N. He stood on his knees, holding out his arm that clearly had been dislodged out its socket during the fall. He glanced towards Ben, extending his dislocated arm towards him, with his eyes narrowed. The tallest of the two looked a bit nervous as he held onto it with force.

Thanks to Y/N's unique condition, Ashlyn wasn't exactly worried about what could happen or the pain he would feel, but it still made her a bit sick to see his arm just dangling like that. Everyone flinched at the sound of it being put back into place, and Y/N, at the small feeling of his body being tugged, surely a fraction of what it could've been were it not for his painless self, laid back with a long, tired sigh leaving his lips.

Ashlyn: ["We're all beat up... But nothing major at least, that's good"] The girl let out a relieved sigh, turning to face Y/N ["Did the money and the clothes made it in?"]

Y/N: ["Yep, everything is here"]

Ashlyn: ["Good, cause the phone Alex gave us surely didn't..."]

Aiden: ["Oh, I should probably mention that Ben dented the train cart earlier"] Everyone turned to look at him, most confused, some doubtful ["Like, full on crumpled it and left a hand impression. Glad that he did that with the steel and not my leg when he held me..."]

Tyler: ["How did he do that...?"]

Ashlyn: ["Probably the same way I snapped the infected's neck the day it attacked me"] The girl chirped up again, narrowing her eyes and letting out an exhausted sigh ["We're all becoming progressively more and more like the Phantoms — Faster, stronger, and more volatile... It's not just us racing against an unknown limit and unknown changes. It's probably going to be worse for our parents since they're stuck there constantly"] Everyone laid quiet as the girl lost herself in her thoughts, allowing for her green eyes to wander down towards the floor of the cart, deep in her own mind ["What if by the time we do find a solution and help, they're already... No, no, I can't let myself think that"]

Taylor: ["So, are we all that strong now, or just Ben?"]

Logan: ["Likely all of us, though I'm not sure if it's a good sign"]

Aiden: ["Oh, oh, I know! I'll go punch the wall and test it out!"]

Tyler: ["Yeah, go off and break your hand, dumbass, great idea!"]

Ashlyn: ["Guys, focus. We'll get off the train once it starts slowing down for its next stop. We'll find food, some gear, and figure out the best route to New York"] The girl chimed in one more time, letting her voice ring across the mostly-empty container they sat on ["The clothes and the money that Y/N brought, and his weapons, should be good for now-"]

Aiden: ["I could test it by doing an arm wrestle with Ben, then!"]

Taylor: ["Oooh, that could work..."]

Ashlyn: ["𝐎𝐫 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮"]

Taylor and Aiden flinched at the girl's harsh words and her threatening tone, immediately shutting up. Behind Ashlyn, Y/N too, was laughing until the girl made him stop. He put the bag down, and everyone got some new clothing from it, changing it up while everyone else looked at the wall to give each other privacy. Once properly changed, and with the white clothing discarded, they gathered around once again.

Logan: ["... Ah..."] Now, he was the one to speak up, bringing the attention of everyone in the circle ["Can't they just track our train and make it stop at any point?"]

Y/N: ["Yeah, and when they do, we'll run and hide. Once the train starts up again, we'll jump in, and keep going as far as we can, into whatever town we can find"] Y/N said while laying back, feeling the jacket softly rub against his body as he did so ["That shouldn't take too long from now. Let's make use of this time to rest while we can, we're on the run..."]

The words echoed on people's head as they all laid back down against the container, looking up at the ceiling, letting out a long, exhausted sigh in unison. As Y/N laid back down, he felt the cart softly shake as someone else laid near him, opening a single eye to look at Aiden — That's right. There was something else for them to take care of. Y/N stood up again, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck as he did so.

Y/N: ["Aiden, Ashlyn... Can we talk?"]

Both turned to face him at the same time, and his serious expression. The rest of the group couldn't quite read what he was trying to say with his face, but Ashlyn and Aiden knew from the moment he called their name. They both stood up and nodded, Y/N telling the rest of people that they were moving on to another cart real quick just so they could talk, which they did immediately afterwards with some hurry towards it.

Once inside, they looked between one another as they stood around. Silently trying to see who was going to talk first, and silently wishing it wasn't then. As Y/N and Ashlyn looked at one another for a few moments, their gazes directed towards Aiden, who immediately gave a bit of a jump under their looks. He looked between them, waving his arms around, before Ashlyn and Y/N turned to look towards each other yet again.

Y/N / Ashlyn: ["He's going first"]

Aiden: ["WHY ME?!"]

Y/N: ["You're the one who kept hurrying the two of us to get to this, dude. Since you wanted so much... You're the one who goes first"] Y/N shrugs his shoulders, putting his hands against his jacket while turning to look at Aiden ["Sounds only fair to me, y'know?"]

Ashlyn: ["Plus, both Y/N and us were quiet before, and since you are the one who approached us? Yeah, you're going first"] Ashlyn nodded alongside Y/N, also putting her hands against her pockets as she did so ["You wanted us to get to it, so get to it"]

Changing his eyes between the two, he saw that there was no real argument against them, nor their conviction. Instead, all the blonde did was sigh, and, through the awkwardness he felt, scratch the back of his neck, glancing around the room. He licked his lips, rolling around his tongue inside his mouth as if searching for what to say. Having reached a conclusion, he smacked his lips together, and talked, shyly.

Aiden: ["For the longest time I never really bothered, y'know? We were just going to move somewhere else, so why make long-term friendships?"] He shrugs while still looking around, his massive grin betrayed the shyness he was feeling ["I thought this would be no-different. I saw two quiet people and I wanted to have some fun and help them break outta their shell, since I know how being alone is like — Then this whole thing happened"] Scratching the back of his neck, Aiden carried on, still looking away from both of them ["It was something I found kinda interesting, you know? I've always loved the adrenaline in my veins, so being thrown in this... Nightmare-Apocalypse-Zombie-Thing was definitely cool! ... Then, we raided the house, and because of my recklessness, Y/N ended up being hurt"] He directed his gaze towards the ground again, mustering up the courage to look at him in the eye ["And from that moment onwards, after we talked, and you just kinda accepted my apologies? Especially with the way you were fighting, how much you were caring not only for me but the entire group- I... I kinda ended up liking you more than I thought I did. And Ashlyn with her leadership, always pushing herself and others forward no matter what, even in this whole crazy scenario we have been through and her bravery..."]

Aiden mustered up the courage to look up, now changing his glances between Ashlyn and Y/N, who both remained leaning back, the former also looking away, while the latter kept his eyes on Aiden, and his arms crossed. There was a faint smile on his face as he did so, before turning to look at Ashlyn who, herself, was smiling, gently twirling her fingers and trying to distract herself from the shared embarrassment.

Y/N: ["You know, my plans were just finishing school, maybe getting into college, and finding a regular job. Living a normal life. Hell, what's a single project going to stop me now, right?"] He shrugs while uncrossing his arms, his smirk also little more than a cover to the feelings he truly held behind his confident voice ["I thought it was just going to be normal. I was going to curse people in my head, make fun of them, do my job, get my grades, and leave, never to remember the group again... Then, here we are now"] He looks at Aiden and then at Ashlyn, facing the former for a moment longer before carrying on ["Before all of this, I just wanted to get done with everything. Be on my own, otherwise the others would risk being hurt simply by being close to me — Now I couldn't care less. Because I know that, if anyone tries something, there is a blonde and a ginger ready to adct, with a whole group also on the ready. I thought I would never need friends, never need to grow clos with anyone, until I did. I felt like you both were good friends. Now, I-.. I kinda feel like something far, far more than that. And now, here we all are... The three of us..."]

Y/N looked at Aiden with a smile on his face, before turning his attention towards Ashlyn. The girl clearly was having it the hardest, scratching the back of her head, looking around, biting her lower lip, trying to come up with what she could say. Aiden and Y/N just shared one more look and a knowing smile. The tension was still high, but they both still faced Ashlyn, giving the girl a warm, sincere smile on their faces.

Ashlyn: ["I... ... Never thought it would come to this. None of us did. But when it did, and we were locked into the Phantom dimension, even if forcefully, for the first time ever, I actively had people to talk with, even if it was just for survival purposes"] The girl carried on, her gaze lingering on the floor a moment longer before it began to make its way up ["I thought we'd just figure it out, and great! Back to my old life, just with myself, not realy bothered by that — An introvert who just wanted to carry on. Nothing new there, right?"] Ashlyn held onto her left arm with her right hand, swallowing the nervousness away as best as she could ["Then we started talking. Learning about each other. Getting closer. Caring for one another. For the first time in my life I had some proper friends I could lean on, and that said friends could lean on me. It was new. Strange. Scary, but also comforting...?"] Her eyes slowly met Y/N's, and Aiden's, both of which continued looking at her with their soft grins ["Then eventually, with our constant talking, interacting, hanging out, inevitably this ended up developing into something further than what I could've imagined. I never felt this way for anyone before, and... I'm scared. So, so very scared, because I know that if we take this extra step, losing any of you would just hurt me that much more..."]

Aiden: ["But you ain't gotta be worrying about that, because we simply cannot be stopped! Not by the Phantoms, not by these people!"] His grin widened as he took a calm step forward, looking back at Y/N, and over his shoulder ["If we could even conquer the mafia to leave us alone, who says what we can and cannot do, right? We just gotta hang on!"]

Y/N: ["But... That's not all. Because what if I do something wrong? What if I'm not enough? All these questions, they... Have been there since day one, on all of us, I think"] His tone became a bit more serious as he looked on with his eyes softening, and his gaze falling a bit ["The three of us worry that something is going to go wrong, not because of the other, but because of ourselves — Because us three fucking suck at talking to people"]

Ashlyn: ["Right... And I'm not even sure if this is the best moment for us to be talking about that, I mean- Do you know how weird stuff is going to be when we get back? To explain stuff?"] The girl's tone grew more nervous and worried, showing some signs of the fear starting to break through her voice as she talked ["How are we going to explain to the others that, while they were worried, tired, hurting, the three of us came here to talk-"]

Before the girl could carry on, she was silenced with a quick motion. Aiden leaned forward, putting his lips against the girl's for a moment before stepping back. He heard a small draw for air as if someone was ready to talk, and before he could, Y/N, too, had his mouth shut by the blonde's lips. That one lasted a second longer before Aiden stepped back, now having their attention, and starting to talk before they could.

Aiden: ["I know the situation for this is... Terrible, frankly. I know. But at the same time, look at everything we have been through! Don't we deserve, even if for a moment, to have it easy?"] His tone bordered on worry and exasperation as he talked, even as his happy eyes and smiles continued presenting themselves ["Even if it's just for a few minutes, don't we deserve to be happy, and be able to talk about all of this?! Who knows what could happen next — I think we need this. To talk. To express ourselves what we are feeling!"]

Y/N: ["... You're right. The adrenaline is still pumping so much that I hadn't even thought about that, but we definitely deserve, even if for now, just a small break"] Y/N sighed while allowing himself to shut his eyes for a moment, trying to rub away the sleepiness from his eyes as the excitement began to wear off ["I understand if you don't want to say it just yet, and is still a bit more reserved. I wouldn't force you even if I could, but I want you to know this-"] He took a step forward, gently placing a hand on Ashlyn's shoulder, and giving the girl a warm, wide smile ["Aiden and I will wait for when you're ready, alright?"]

Aiden: ["Don't just leave us hanging too long... Who knows what could end up happening next, right?"] He said while hugging Y/N from the side, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and flashing a peace sign with the other ["... ... I'm kidding, of course, you take your time. And when you're ready, you can tell us everything you want, alright?"]

Ashlyn: ["... Thanks... It's difficult balancing being myself, and being the leader of all this. Balancing my thoughts of how we're going to survive another day with what I want to do..."] Ashlyn sighs, closing her eyes. She could also feel the weariness on her shoulders and the heavy weight on her back from all of this ["But-... Thanks. The two of you. I don't know how ready I am to express this yet, especially if we're talking physically, but-..."] She, again, looked all around the room, trying to avoid eye contact, and doing so, even as her voice fell into a whisper, and she mustered up the courage to speak ["I love you"]

Aiden: ["... And we love you too, Ash"]

Y/N: ["... From never having a relationship before to now being in a polyamorous one. Ugh... My life really can't get any easier, can it?"] Y/N groans while rubbing his face, throwing his head up and then running a hand through his hair ["From never having kissed anybody to not being attached to this idiot... God, just let me rest, I beg you..."]

Aiden: ["Hold on- So... That was your first-...?"]

Y/N: ["Are you kidding me?! Have you SEEN how I was up until a few months ago?! Of course I never kissed anyone, dumbass!"] Y/N spat back, looking incredulous that Aiden needed to ask such question, and visibly having to hold himself back from smacking him ["We haven't even made things official for 30 minutes and I'm ready to end it..."]

Ashlyn: ["Don't. I would rather have to deal with the Phantoms than with a divorce case"] Ashlyn also sighs while taking a step closer to the two, turning to look up at them ["But you know what, you're right. If it's us, then we can make our way out of this. Even if it takes us this long, even if, in the way, we end up changing more... I'm glad it's you two"]

She wrapped an arm around the two of them, putting one around the shoulder of each before pulling them down, and hugging them tightly. Y/N and Aiden both hugged back, laying their heads against Ashlyn's shoulders. They could see each other's eyes, and Aiden's malicious grin told Y/N everything they needed to know. Ashlyn was caught off-guard when both of them kissed each of her cheeks at the same time.

Ashlyn, amidst her surprise, also softened her gaze for a moment at the feeling, letting her head rest against their shoulders for a moment longer before she stood on her tip-toes. She bonked their head with her knuckles, causing Aiden to flinch back, and Y/N to just throw him a glance as if calling him a wuss with his eyes. Arms crossed in front of her chest, Ashlyn looked at them with her tongue hanging out.

Ashlyn: ["Don't get yourselves too comfortable just yet"]

Y/N: ["You heard the girl, Aiden. Learn to control yourself"]

Aiden: ["What?! But you kissed her just like I did, dude!"]

Y/N: ["You should respect the boundaries of your partners, you know?"]

Aiden: ["Don't act as if I'm not talking to you, Y/N!"]

Ashlyn stood back as the back-and-forth between the two continued, always with Y/N saying something and completely ignoring what else Aiden had to say. The girl looked down at her hands holding each other, fidgeting around with her fingers while her gaze remained soft, and her smile was still large. She looked up at the two, watching especially as Y/N began to tease Aiden, and joke around with him, she chuckled.

Ashlyn: ["Right, if it's these two idiots..."]

Since he was taller than AIden, all Y/N did was stay back with both arms outstretched, holding the blonde's shoulders as he went in for another one of his "Shut up kisses". Pushing Aiden and holding him in a teasing manner, always a step short from lunging into him. That is, until Y/N was the one to hold onto the blonde's collar, and pull him in for a quick smooch before softly pushing him back, and smirking at his triumph.

Ashlyn: ["Everything will be ok..."]

<<<<<< I >[---]< I >>>>>>

[Published in - 04/17/2025]
[Word Count - 8.340]

"But Zui, didn't you post a chapter yesterday?" why, yes. Yes I have posted a chapter yesterday. But who says I can't write 8 thousand words within 24 hours, huh? And you know what? If you mfs complain about that, I'm dropping ANOTHER CHAPTER, you hear me? That's right, I don't play around when it comes with giving y'all content. Accept my love, or be disturbed forever! ... Anyways, yeah, hope you enjoyed~!! <3