Katelyn's POV
I wake up that night and sit up. The place is awfully silent. I step onto the floor, only to trip and fall flat on my face. I look back. Jason is asleep on the floor, wrapped up in a blanket. Well, he was asleep. Jason's eyes blink open, his ears tilted as he stared at me.
"Katie? Wha... what are you doing on the floor?" Jason muttered.
I groaned, pushing myself up from the floor. "I could ask you the same thing," I mumbled, rubbing my forehead.
Jason blinked a few times, looking confused. His ears twitched as he glanced down at the blanket wrapped around him. "Huh... I don't even remember laying down here," he mumbled, still half-asleep.
I sighed, sitting back on my heels. "Well, you're here, and now so am I. You know you have a perfectly fine couch, right?"
Jason rubbed his eyes, sitting up. "Yeah, well... maybe I was... keeping an eye on things," he said, his tone uncertain, like he didn't quite believe it himself.
"Keeping an eye on things? Like what? The floor?" I teased, smirking.
Jason shot me a sideways glance, his ears flicking in annoyance. "Okay, okay, I get it. But don't act like you're so innocent. You're the one who always ends up taking over the whole couch."
I couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, fair point. But next time, just wake me up if I'm hogging the space."
Jason stretched, shaking his head. "Nah. It was... fine. I usually sleep on the floor anyway."
"Maybe next time you sleep on the floor, don't lay so close to the couch," I said.
Jason grumbled, sitting up fully and rubbing his neck. "Yeah, yeah, next time I'll make sure to give you all the space you need, princess."
I rolled my eyes, standing up and stretching my arms. "I never said I needed the whole couch, just... maybe enough to not fall on you again."
Jason chuckled softly, shaking his head. "You're lucky I love youuuu... uhhh... being silly. Yeah! I love you being silly!"
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Riiight, 'being silly.' That's what you were going to say."
Jason quickly stood up, brushing off the blanket. "Exactly! I'm an evil mastermind, remember? No time for... uh... feelings."
"Of course," I said, smirking. "No time for feelings. Definitely no feelings at all."
Jason cleared his throat and put on his jacket. "Anyways, I have places to be, a city to destroy, and uh, yeah. You just stay here."
Jason's POV
"But Jason, you're not fully healed," said Katelyn.
I shrugged. "Not my problem."
"Plus, what if you end up destroying your own house?" Katelyn asks.
She has a point... I guess. "Okay fine. You can come with me. But you stay close to me. And don't talk to anyone!"
I glared at her, hoping she wouldn't see how flustered I felt. Love? Me? No way. Absolutely not. I'm an evil mastermind, and we don't do that.
Right?
Katelyn slips on a jacket and follows closely behind me. "What are you going to do?" she asks curiously.
I glance back at her, smirking. "You'll see."
"If this plan fails, I'm going to laugh," she says with a teasing grin.
I grit my teeth. "It won't fail this time!" I barked. "It can't! It shouldn't!"
Katelyn raises an eyebrow, clearly amused by my frustration. "Uh-huh. That's what you said the last time... and the time before that."
I turn back, marching forward. She's always doubting me. But this time—this time—it's going to work. It has to. There's no room for failure.
I lead Katelyn through the darkened streets, the cool night air cutting against my skin. My mind is buzzing with a thousand plans, strategies, and—well—revenge.
Katelyn steps up beside me, her eyes scanning the surroundings, her unease growing. "So... what exactly are we doing here?" she asks.
"You'll see," I mutter, barely sparing her a glance. I still don't know how I feel about having her along for this. It's one thing to have her by my side when things are calm, but this? This is dangerous.
Katelyn's POV
I can feel the nerves tightening in my stomach as I trail behind Jason, his tense posture and the way his jaw is clenched like he's preparing for something big. His focus is unwavering, but there's a weight behind it. A weight I don't fully understand.
I thought I had a grip on things after everything we've been through. But this? This is new. And I'm starting to realize I might not know him as well as I thought.
"What's your plan here, Jason?" I ask, unable to hold it back anymore. "You're really going to destroy this city over... what, revenge?"
Jason's POV
Her words hang in the air, and for a moment, I almost stop walking. Her voice carries too much weight, too much truth. Revenge. That's been my driving force for years. But she doesn't understand—how could she? She hasn't felt the anger, the grief, the burning need to make them pay.
I keep walking, but my pace slows, my fists clenching at my sides. "Revenge," I finally say, almost too quietly. "It's not just about destroying things. It's about making them feel... what I felt. Losing everything. Watching it all burn."
I hear Katelyn take a small step closer, but I don't look at her. I can't. "I'm not asking you to understand. I don't need you to understand," I mutter, more harshly than I intended. "I just need you to stay out of the way."
Katelyn's POV
His words hit harder than I expected. I want to understand. I want to help. But how do I help someone who's bent on destroying everything around them?
"You don't have to do this, Jason," I say softly, the words leaving my mouth before I can stop them. "This won't fix anything."
Jason's eyes flash toward me, his expression hard, but there's something softer in his gaze. Something I can't quite place. "It's already broken, Katelyn. It's too late for fixing."