Pride-Niklaus's Point of View
♕︎ ♕︎ ♕︎
The room was thick with tension, a palpable pressure that seemed to seep into every corner. It hung in the air like smoke, suffocating everything it touched. The silence that followed was deafening, heavy with unspoken words, filled with a discomfort so thick you could almost feel it pressing on your chest. Everyone was avoiding looking at Loki, avoiding acknowledging his presence. Everyone, that is, except me and Scarlet. Nobody wanted to pair with that bastard. Nobody. And I, for one, wasn't even bothering to hide the disgust I felt.
Loki had this way of existing in a room that could drain all the energy out of it, turning even the simplest conversation into a headache. The way he moved, the way he spoke, it was all designed to make you want to strangle him. His very existence seemed to create chaos, and that was something I couldn't tolerate. I couldn't stand it. Not one bit.
"Gods were good with him," I muttered, my voice low, practically hissing the words as I turned away from him. "Because had he fallen in pair with me, I would've murdered him by tomorrow morning." I said it almost casually, but the weight behind my words was real. There was no exaggeration here. No dramatics. It was a cold, hard fact. If Loki had been my partner, there's no doubt in my mind that I would've ended up killing him. I wasn't joking. We both knew it. Everyone in this room knew it. One of us would've been dead before the sun rose, and it wouldn't have been me.
"That's my girl," Scarlet's voice broke through the tension, sharp and amused, as she leaned in toward me. There was an edge to her words, a glint in her eyes that I couldn't ignore. "I would do the same if I were to partner with him. After all, there's a way to murder foxes like him." Her grin was all teeth as she flashed it at Loki, who seemed momentarily stunned, blinking in confusion, his eyes widening at the venom in our words.
Loki, predictably, sputtered in disbelief. "What did I even do to you, arsehole?" he gasped, his voice faltering as though he couldn't fathom why we might dislike him so much. I could see it in his face—he genuinely couldn't understand what he had done wrong, or why we'd have such disdain for him. It was almost sad. Almost.
I didn't even flinch. "Your mere existence annoys the hell out of me, filthy fox," I said, my tone as flat as the expression on my face. It was the simplest way I could put it, and honestly, it was the truth. "You're the lucky one out of the six of us, for falling with the one person who would try to kill the hell out of you." I crossed my arms over my chest, leaning back slightly as I looked at him. My eyes narrowed, and I couldn't hide the annoyance in my voice. But, deep down, there was a twisted satisfaction in watching him struggle. Even sitting down, with Scarlet next to me, I still towered over her, and that alone made the whole thing that much more entertaining.
Before Loki could gather his thoughts, Atlas's voice rumbled from somewhere on the side, low and grudging, tinged with reluctant agreement. "I hate to say it, but I agree with Niklaus." His words were barely above a murmur, and I could tell he didn't want anyone to hear him admitting it. But I heard it all the same.
I turned to him, flashing a wink as if I'd just been handed a small victory. "It's because I'm right," I said, shrugging casually. Then, with a sudden shift in tone, I added, "And you better be extra careful with my sister, got it? Or I'll stab the hell out of you." My words were light, teasing even, but there was a coldness to them. I meant every single word.
Dove, who had been standing off to the side, watching the exchange with a mixture of concern and embarrassment, groaned quietly. Her hands flew to her face, as if trying to hide from the reality of what was happening. "He's not joking," she mumbled, her voice muffled by her hands. "It's infuriating. He's done that more than once."
Her words were full of a resigned frustration, but beneath it, there was an underlying acceptance of my chaotic nature. She had learned by now that I wasn't someone you could reason with when I was in the mood. And honestly, I was kind of proud of her for that. I'd made my peace with my temper, and if she'd learned to accept it, then so be it.
"Awesome. She's not my type, though, no worries," I said nonchalantly, stretching my legs out under the table. "And I would tell you to be careful with my sister, but it would be useless. Either way, you'll still end up trying to kill each other. She'll definitely stab you by the end of the day. Good luck with that, by now you must know how she loves stabbing."
The words left my mouth without hesitation, and the silence that followed felt uncomfortable. I couldn't help but wonder: Had Dove's siblings been on the receiving end of one of those 'affectionate' stabs before? Was that how she and her family communicated? A part of me couldn't help but be curious. After all, they couldn't die, could they? So maybe a few stabs here and there didn't mean much.
It reminded me of my own upbringing. My parents had a similar way of showing love—a twisted, violent sort of affection. It was almost like a bonding ritual.
"Stabbing is our thing," I said, breaking the silence with a grin that felt far too comfortable. It didn't even faze me anymore.
"I told you, red," Kai's voice cut in, filled with playful teasing. "You are coming to Inferno now."
Scarlet groaned, her face falling into her hands in mock despair. "I'm doomed," she muttered, her voice muffled as she slumped. "Diana and Samuel fucked with me. They did it on purpose. There's no way I would fall with this... devil if they hadn't done that. No way," she growled, frustration heavy in her tone.
A wide grin spread across my face as I took in her defeat. "It is what it is," I said nonchalantly, unable to keep the satisfaction from leaking into my voice. "As we can't die, you're stuck with me, Scarlet!" The words slipped out easily, but the challenge in my eyes was unmistakable. She wasn't getting out of this one.
Her glare was sharp enough to pierce through the walls. "Why do you sound amused? Are you insane?" she snapped, her anger seeping into her voice. I didn't even flinch.
For her? Absolutely. "Just because," I said, my grin widening as I leaned back even further in my chair, making myself comfortable in my position of dominance.
"You give me the creeps," she said, visibly repulsed by me.
I raised an eyebrow, not even pretending to be offended. "Must be hard to be near someone as hot as me," I said with a teasing smirk.
Scarlet didn't miss a beat. "It's not. I look in the mirror all the time, I'm used to it. I'm a lot hotter than your hybrid arse could ever be." There it was—the mischievous spark I loved so much. The fire in her eyes that made everything worth it. The wit that matched my own, and that was something I couldn't help but admire.
"So, you think Nik's hot?" Dom's voice popped up from nowhere, his sudden appearance catching everyone off guard.
"When did I say that?" Scarlet's defensive tone was immediate, but the flush creeping up her neck said everything I needed to know.
Kai, ever the troublemaker, grinned crookedly and pointed at her. "You didn't deny that he was hot."
Scarlet glared at him, but the lie was already exposed. "I don't think he's hot," she said flatly, but we both knew the truth. She was lying, and we were all too familiar with that game.
"You're not hot either," I said, not even trying to hide my amusement.
Her frown deepened, offended by my comment. "You are lying," she accused, her voice tinged with frustration.
I shrugged, feigning innocence. "What? I thought we were playing a catch-a-lie game!" I said it with a grin, loving the way the tension was slowly shifting.
Scarlet rolled her eyes, her patience clearly running thin. "I don't know what you're insinuating!" she snapped, trying to sound unaffected, though I could see the flicker of understanding in her eyes. She knew exactly what I was getting at.
I raised an eyebrow, leaning in slightly, letting my words hang in the air. "Scarlet, you are the top 1 girl in everything in here, so I think you are smart enough to know exactly what I meant." The air between us thickened, and for a brief moment, there was an unspoken understanding. Scarlet might try to act unaffected, but deep down, she knew exactly what I was getting at. She couldn't deny it. Neither could I.