Spite and Tea

The Fallen Is Falling

Summary: What hurts more? Your heart or your ego? You'll find out whether you want to or not, as they all gravitate towards MC.

Pairings: LADS Love Interests x Non!MC.

(Part 1), (Part 2), (Part 3), (Part 4), (Part 5), (Part 6 - End of first series).

The Fallen Is Falling (The Other Side)

Summary: What hurts more? Knowing that her existence is meaningless or being rejected by her mothersisterloverhomegodmorealiverealperfectlookatmelookatmeloo? She'll find out whether she wants to or not, as you drift further and further away.

Pairings: LADS Love Interests x Non!MC???

(Part 1), (Part 2), (Part 3), (Part 4), (Part 5), (Part 6 - End of second series).

The Fallen Is Falling (SurREALism)

Summary: What hurts more? To realise that their 'perfection' is purposefully written or how easily it is to be discarded by the one they were written for? They'll find out when you make your final decision.

Pairings: LADS Love Interests x Non/MC

(Part 1), (Part 2), (Part 3), (Part 4), (Part 5)

Supplementary materials to the Fallen series:

Of Sides & Coin (Non!MC & Rafayel's dynamic)

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Secured Insecurity (Xavier) 

Summary: Secure in a 'I'm on that god-tiered level type of shit' kind of way and yet also insecure like 'I'm a literal piece of trash on the sidewalk fr'. Got it? Now, let's break some clichés and guilty-pleasure tropes.

Prompt: You're minding your own business with Xavier, but the hotness metre between you and him is apparently soooo astronomical that some girls just can't help but comment on it.

Pairing: Xavier/Non!MC

(Oneshot)

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Mirishira Romeo & Cinderella

(Non!MC x Caleb ft Lowkey Manipulative!MC)

What to be expected: Angst, of course. Confrontation. Swearing. Memes stolen from TikTok, but the court has decided to give you a pass. Self-loathing, but you quickly got over it via good old-fashioned introspection. Giving an existential crisis to Mephisto for attempted theft on multiple occasions. He'll get over it.

Somehow, without his men knowing or Caleb's, for that matter, you suddenly appear in the Fleet's newly fortified base right after a particular report about Linkon University and a damaged faculty wing was submitted to his table. You're seething, as he predicted, behind a thinly veneer of nonchalance that they're all accustomed to now. At least from a distance.

But he still remembers how you could summon wave after waves of Wanderers with human-capable intelligence without a Metaflux.

You're the unknown variable that Caleb made the mistake of underestimating, and now, the sheer magnitude of his colossal fucked up is in front of him. Which is why, if he needs to get you to listen, he has to do it as carefully as walking through a minefield.

Navigate.

"I take it that Sylus told you about our deal?" Caleb begins smoothly. He does everything by the book to de-escalate the situation. He's still sitting at his desk, both hands on the table so you can see them. His guns were on the counter somewhere, with some measurable distance between them, so you'll know he's unarmed. The large window behind displays the open sky and drifting clouds, hoping they could lighten your heart. He also spared the courtesy of offering you refreshment because most likely, you'll throw it at his head.

"None of you were ever going to help me go home!" You scream, and all pretense of nonchalance disappears. Hurt and so, so much anger practically drips from your tongue. There's something primal about it, the urge to tear him and probably the others, too, in pieces is clear in your own eyes, and yet, Caleb faces you head-on. "Y'all had me 1-on-1 just so you can figure out how I tick! What part of I don't wanna be here anymore none of you get? I know every single one of you fuckers doesn't give a shit about me, so stop pretending that you do, but Infold writers would've never written any of you to treat a woman so cruelly just to make MC look good, so why are you doing this to me!? The GAME is broken to the point that all of you are semi-aware enough, right? Right!? So all of this is on you, not the GAME!"

The silence that descends feels like a familiar hammer, only this time, Caleb is alone.

Slowly, he pushes himself up and does something that had you utterly flabbergasted and beyond anything you could’ve imagined.

Colonel Caleb Xia, one of the most, if not the most, powerful public figureheads in the world, bows with arms firm at his side in a sincere form of military apology.

"I am sorry. I... from the bottom of my heart, I offer you my sincerest apologies for treating you like a criminal." Caleb's voice is rough. You hate how he actually sounds like he means it. "All I ever wanted was to protect her, and in doing so, I treated you despicably. You deserve the truth, and that is... I was, no, am still afraid." His fingers curl into fists, as if he's mustering the courage to push the words out. "One day you appeared out of nowhere. A woman who shouldn't exist. Someone so impossible who knew things she wasn't supposed to know. Someone who could change things simply by being here." He then slowly lifts his head to stare at you again. "And from the moment you came here, all you did was try to survive. I can barely imagine how that feels like; to wake up in a world you recognise but didn't belong to. Every face was familiar and yet completely different. You must've been terrified." The realisation seems to hurt Caleb and against your wishes... it does something in you. You hate that you can see the man before the explosion changed him. Oh, you know Caleb was always a possessive freak when it comes to MC, but he was vulnerable behind the walls he built to protect himself, and by right, he only showed that side of himself to her. So you have no idea how to react now.

But much to your chagrin, Caleb wasn’t done yet. Oh, God.

"And instead of helping you, I kidnapped and tried to interrogate you. You didn't deserve that. I'm sorry. I know what you've lost."

"No, you don't." You interject waspishly, refusing to give him an inch. "What do you know of a healthy family? Josephine was a shitty excuse. I don't even wanna touch your whole deal with MC with a 10-foot poll."

Caleb's jaw ticked, and you would've grinned if you weren't so emotionally exhausted with everything.

"I know enough. You're far away from home and loved ones. Whatever future you've planned for yourself." He swallows. "And I'm sorry for every moment I made that burden heavier. I can't speak for the others but I'm sorry for the pain I've caused you."

"As if the others gave a shit! Pretending to actually—"

"Pretending? I've seen how Xavier's eyes find you even in a room full of people. He mentioned how you light up whenever there's a red bean bun. He loves that about you, the little things about you that he hoard like speckle of stars."

You turn away from him.

"Zayne keeps asking if you've been sleeping. He worries about your health more than his own. Did you know he's been researching patients with immunocompromised? He can't wait to share his progress with you. And Rafayel... he wants another chance. He thinks if he says the right words this time, you'll stop looking at him like he's already lost you."

That got your nose scrunched up and arms folded.

"And Sylus? We all can see how you have him in the palm of your hand. He's utterly fascinated. He sees a woman who keeps fighting, going so far as to defy our world. He admires that about you. And me?"

Caleb exhales once. Deep and heavy. "I envy you."

Your attention immediately snaps back at him. Say what!?

At your shock, a hollow smile adorned his handsome face.

"It infuriates me that... that you don't know how free you are. You move wherever you want. Say whatever you want. You're like a bird." Here, something wistful enters his expression. "You soar through the sky without asking for anyone's permission. You have to know that I've spent my entire life following orders. And somehow you became important to all of us." He then presses a hand on his chest, where the necklace you know is hidden. "You matter to her so naturally... you matter to us too."

The Colonel's office becomes so suffocatingly awkward that you just—

Then you started to laugh, a truly broken sound.

Caleb freezes.

"What does that matter? The GAME can erase me at any point now! I can die in a split second because I'm not supposed to be here, and all of you are too busy trying to play mind games on me, all because of your precious MC! So what exactly is all this love worth, hmm?" You sneer with shaking hands. "And by the way? Apology not accepted. Go kill yourself."

You could tell that your words hit him because Caleb had to stop himself from recoiling. For a moment, genuine pain flashes across his face.

Then something changes.

Something subtle.

Dangerous.

When he opens his eyes again, they are calm. Far too calm for your liking.

"You still don't get it."

"...Get what?"

"None of us chose this world. But you did. You downloaded the App."

A chill crawls up your spine. You... you didn't like the sudden shift of his tone.

With his gaze on you never wavering, you felt like a pinned butterfly underneath a microscope... or a magnifying glass on a hot day. "You chose to enter our lives. That's something none of us can do. Your existence isn't part of the GAME, which in theory, the rules don't own you because you're not MC or any of the side characters. You're a PLAYER... and your choice itself is power. If you stay—"

"Shut the fuck up."

"—you can become real here. You can become one of us."

"I don't want to fucking hear it!"

"If you choose to stay, we'll love you." His voice softens. "The GAME won't be able to delete you. We'll give you a home, a family and you'll never be alone again. All you have to do is choose."

"I don't want that! I want the life that I had! None of you could ever be my family! I want my parents, my siblings, and the friends I made from around the world. Even if my life isn't perfect and I hate my job, at least they belong to me! So no, Caleb. I won't ever choose this world because I will never want to. All of you need to accept that and let me go."

After your tirade and for the first time ever, Caleb looks tired. His shoulders sink with unseen weights.

Then he sighs. A sound heavy with regret. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this."

Communicate.

Alarm bells started screaming at you.

"Sylus and I made an agreement: He was supposed to convince you with music and the promise of a new family. It's kind of funny, but he was supposed to play the part of the good cop due to his sins against you is lighter than mine." Caleb's expression then hardens. "But you're still not listening."

Your eyes warily follow him as he walks toward a nearby table and reaches for a plain black case. An easy thing to overlook, so don't be too harsh on yourself. The heavy-duty locks on it click open.

"Understand that I never want to do this. If you would just give us a chance, then none of this would've been necessary. Once you've calmed down enough, I'll remove it. I promise."

Terror, unlike anything you've ever experienced, tears through your body as panic begins to make you short of breath because...

Because Caleb is holding up a chip.