Archive of Our Own

Jay...

That's all he was really sure of. He knew his name was Jay. It was something he repeated to himself when he felt confused, the one thing he knew for certain. The ninja would shout things at him, like "Don't you remember us?!" or "Snap out of it!" But he never knew exactly why. It didn't matter much. He didn't care. And when an odd feeling or deja vu arose, he only needed to remember that he was Jay, and it would go away. 

Power. Their armies of nindroids were crushing the ninja. Apparently, Jay hadn't always been around to power them, and they were once much weaker. That's right, Jay knew this, too. Of course.

Where... where did Jay come from, then? If he wasn't always here, where was he before? 

[UNIMPORTANT.]

Right. The ninja. They'd been separated. The earth one was alone in a desert. Stranded. He was going to kill him. 

...Yes, he was. So why was he unable to move?

"No... oh man, say something!" A voice said.  "Jay!"

"I'm Jay," he said instinctively. 

"Jay! I thought— I thought I'd killed you!"

Something was touching his body.

[HANDS.]

Hands were touching his shoulders. 

"You hit your head really hard, huh?" The voice said softly. "Or, I guess I hit your head, technically..."

Something about the sound of that voice was familiar. It sent him into a panic. 

"...I'm Jay," he repeated. 

"Shit, are you stuck in a loop?! Oh, no, no, tell me I didn't break your brain!"

[VISION.]

Yes, it occurred to Jay that he had eyes. He'd forgotten. He opened one and turned on the other. 

Above him was a face. Frantic but wary. The man it belonged to sat next to him on the ground. 

[TARGET. COLE. KILL.]

"...Can you say anything besides your own name?"

"Cole," Jay said instead.

"Yeah. I'm Cole. Do you..." His mouth tightened. "Do you remember me?"

[TARGET. COLE. KILL.]

He needed to kill him. Oh, he wanted to kill him so badly. But given his current state, a confrontation would be unwise. 

"Yeah," Jay said. 

Cole squinted. "You... remember me, or do you really remember me for real?"

"I... really remember. For real."

[KILL.]

Oh, he'd get there. But not yet. He could barely move. 

"You—!" Excitement gave way to pause. "How do I know you're not lying?"

He had to improvise. "I guess... you don't? I don't know! Why are you always like this?! Can we not just have a moment here?!"

Cold blinked. "Yeah, that sounds pretty Jay-like. What's my favorite color?"

[KILL.]

Jay was getting antsy. 

"Uh... man, you've never told me!"

Cole sighed. "No, I never did. Good memory. Who's Nya's brother?"

[NYA. TARGET. KILL.]

Right... so who was her brother? The... fire one?

[KAI. TARGET. KILL.]

"Ugh, my head... Yeah, I remember Kai too, man."

"So you really... y'know, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember." Insistence without proof would lead to doubt. He had to seem natural. "I bet you wish I didn't, though." A stab in the dark, but not a risky one. 

Now, Cole looked ashamed. Perfect. Jay had to hold himself back from grinning at the sight. He looked so much better like that. 

"Look, I'm really sorry about... everything. I know I don't have any right to interfere with your dating life."

...So, wait, he wasn't trying to confuse him? Cole really knew him from before—

[UNIMPORTANT. KILL.]

"Nya's really great," he continued. 

"Obviously," Jay interrupted. 

"But— but I'm aware that I've kinda just been... butting in on something when I didn't belong. I'm just... I don't know. I've been realizing since you've been gone that I care more about our friendship. I shouldn't have said those things to you that night..."

Jay frowned, hoping to look offended by the memory. Or, really, he should remember this, shouldn't he?

[KILL.]

Why did he not only not remember, but not want to remember? 

[UNIMPORTANT. KILL.]

Of course.

...But why was it unimportant?

[KILL. KILL. KILL.]

Cole. But his head hurt. Everything hurt. He couldn't fight. But he had to. Oh, this was gonna make him crazy. 

"...know you don't have to forgive me. I don't even know if you should. But I miss you."

"...Really?" Jay asked quietly. 

"Yeah. So..."

Jay shifted his eyes around to mimic worried contemplation. "I'm... scared."

What? He hadn't meant to say that.

"Scared of what?"

"E—everything! I don't know what to do!"

Ghosts of ants skittered across his skin. Something was horribly wrong. Being around this guy without trying to kill him was nauseating. 

"I don't know how I should feel about you!" Jay continued, allowing whatever instinct this was coming from to keep going. "You make me crazy! I hate you, and I can't stop feeling like— like I..."

Was he... crying? 

Jay touched his eye. Indeed, he was. But why?

[KILL.]

Why?!

[KILL.]

Why couldn't he just finish his own thoughts?!

[KILL.]

Cole embraced him. It was overwhelming.

[KILL.]

Why couldn't he ask himself any questions?!

[KILL.]

Maybe he shouldn't have been trying to kill Cole! This didn't feel like Jay! This wasn't Jay!

[HARD RESET.]

...

He was Jay.

There was a man hugging him. 

[TARGET. COLE. KILL.]

Of course. He unsheathed his knife silently and hugged the man back, preparing to—

"Jay knows my favorite color," Cole muttered. 

Jay stopped just as the knife touched his back. 

...What? But...

"But I'm Jay," he said aloud. And he didn't. He didn't know this man's favorite color. 

"No... you're not."

"No. That's not— no! I'm Jay! I know I'm Jay!" 

"It's gonna be fine. It'll be okay." His hands crept up Jay's back. 

"You—"

But he was being choked before he could say any more than that. It was so sudden that he dropped his knife in shock. 

"We're gonna figure out how to fix you," Cole said. 

Jay tried to reach for the blade, but couldn't find it. He flailed desperately, but the hold was too strong for him to manage anything. 

"I'm not gonna hit your head again. I don't wanna break your skull. So... sorry."

[LIGHTNING.]

Jay sent electric shocks out through his whole body, but Cole powered through it, only flinching slightly. Why wasn't it as powerful as he'd meant it to be?

He screamed with rage— at least, he tried to. It came out as a mere rasp.

"I know," Cole said. "I know. Just go to sleep."

[KILL.]

But he couldn't. 

[KILL.]

"And soon, you'll remember..."

[KILL.]

He could hardly think. 

[KILL.]

"...that my favorite color is blue."

[KILL.]

Blurry...

[KILL.]

[KILL.]

[KILL.]

...

[HARD RESET.]

[HARD RESET.]

[HARD RESET.]

...

[WAKE.]

...

...

...

[WARNING: UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS DETECTED. ANY ATTEMPT TO ALTER OVERRIDE CODE WILL RESULT IN—]

...

Jay began to dream for the first time in weeks. 

——

Prime empire was a little weird on its own, but what truly made it crazy was this place. A club full of... Jays. 

"Where's Superstar Rockin' Jay?" One of the Jays that led them there asked. 

"You didn't hear?" Another shouted over the pounding music. "He's off looking for better equipment again!"

The first Jay sighed. "He'll be back here before tomorrow. I suppose we'll just have to wait in the meantime."

Cole wasn't really sure where to look, so he just stared at the ground. It was kind of funny, honestly, that all these players were worshipping Jay of all people, but more than that, it was unsettling. When Jay went missing, it reminded him a little too much of the first time he'd gone missing, when the overlord took him. But now, he was surrounded by his face, facsimiles of who he was, clones in appearance only. He was stuck in a rapid loop of feeling relieved to see him and disappointed from remembering that it wasn't him. 

How were the others able to remain so calm? Cole felt like he was on the brink of a panic attack. 

"What are we supposed to do in the meantime?" Nya asked. 

"Well... it is a club. Let's just party!" Kai said.  "And... try to ignore that everybody looks like Jay!"

Cole tried looking up again. It was like something from a weird dream... or a nightmare. 

One Jay caught his eye— at least, he assumed it was a Jay. They were wearing a cloak that obscured most of their form, save for the bottom of their face. Yellow eyes glowed from the shadows under the hood. 

Cole tilted his head and stared. This one was definitely looking at him, right? Right at him?

"Cole," they mouthed clearly. They put a blue finger up to their lips, shushing him before Cole could say anything, then waved their other hand in a "come hither" motion. The eyes squinted slightly, like they alone were smiling at him. 

...That was a shitload of red flags, right? Like, Cole definitely shouldn't follow this person. Right? 

They started to walk away. Cole was losing them fast. 

Fuck it. He followed them. 

Slipping between a bunch of Jays was horribly awkward and made Cole flinch every time he saw one of their faces, but he managed to keep up with the person as they went into a back room. 

And through another door, which took them into a different room. 

And another door, which took them outside in an alleyway. The person stopped. 

"Who are you?" Cole asked. 

They pulled off their hood, revealing another copy of Jay's face, this time with blue skin and white hair. 

"That doesn't answer the question— everyone in there looks like Jay!"

"It's me, you dumbass!"

Cole could tell in an instant that the voice belonged to Jay— his Jay, their Jay, the real Jay. A thousand different emotions flooded his abdomen so violently that he thought he might throw up or pass out. 

"Cole?" He said, brow furrowing. 

He threw himself at him with full force and wrapped his arms around him. "Jay! Oh, man, I was so worried about you!" After a moment, he pulled away and started for the door. "Come on! We've been looking for you!"

"Ah—! Actually... I kind of wanted to talk to you... alone?"

"Oh!" He stepped back toward him. "Uh... what's up?"

"It's just... there's something I've really, really wanted to do..." His hands fidgeted with each other. 

"O... kay? Sure? What is it?"

"C—could you... close your eyes?"

"Uh... yeah, sure, I guess." He fulfilled the request. 

There was a tiny shuffling sound, like Jay was taking a step closer to him. 

...He wasn't gonna kiss him, was he? Or... was he? That'd be crazy, right? But what else was he gonna do? Give him a gift? They definitely weren't gonna kiss... right?

A sharp pain flooded his stomach. Cole flinched, opening his eyes in shock. 

Jay stared back at him, grinning. He'd untied the cloak, and it fell from his shoulders as he retracted the knife almost mechanically. "I can't believe you actually fell for that!" He cackled. 

"What are you doing?!" Cole demanded. 

Jay stabbed him in the chest, this time with more force. It must have hit Cole right in his virtual heart, because before he knew it, he'd died and respawned about a meter away from where he'd once been. 

"Two lives..." Jay lunged for him. 

The pathetic base stats didn't give Cole enough speed to escape from him. The knife was thrusted squarely into the back of his neck. For a video game, the sensation of pain was unsettlingly and unbearably real. 

And then, not even a second later, he'd respawned again. Before he could register the sudden change in location, Jay had tackled him to the ground, pinning his arms. 

"You're such an idiot!" Jay laughed. "I finally get to kill you!"

"Stop it! What's going on?! Let me go!" He struggled, but to no avail. 

"Too bad, isn't it?" Jay released one arm just to stab its respective shoulder. He let out a soft, whiney sigh. "I don't even get to see you bleed. I guess I'll have to make do with the pixels your body spurts out." Another pointed stab to the other shoulder as he released that arm in turn. 

Soft, yellowish cubes were fizzling out of Cole's wounds, the shade identical to the color of Jay's avatar's eyes and shiny details on his rockstar suit. 

"Why?!" He pleaded simply. Attempts to move were met with pain and even more forceful straddling from his attacker. 

Jay stabbed him beneath the collarbone, body shuddering in some kind of obscene pleasure. "What's wrong? You feeling helpless? Powerless? Just a taste of what I feel?"

"What happened to you?!"

Another stab. Cole couldn't even place where this one was; he was in too much pain. 

"It hurts, doesn't it? It hurts a lot?" He grinned. "You're finally gonna die!"

"Why won't you answer me?!"

"Oh, look! You're crying!" His golden eyes sparkled as he grinned with delight. "You're so pathetic!" He dragged the knife over Cole's cheek, tracing the path of the tear he didn't even notice he'd shed and opening the skin in its wake. "Ah, it feels so good!" He stabbed him once more in the shoulder for emphasis. "You know what it's been like? It's like I have this itch in my brain, and it just won't go away unless I do what it says! I swear, I've been going crazy!"

It was agony. He'd been avoiding lethal spots on purpose. Cole shouted. 

Jay's free hand joined the other on the hilt of the blade. "I've been waiting for so long..."

"Jay, please, I don't want it to end like this! There's so much I haven't said to you!"

Swiftly, the knife dug precisely between his ribs, piercing everything in its wake. 

The last thing Cole saw was Jay's avatar's joyful face. The last thing he heard was a blissful sigh. After that, there was nothing. 

——

"Cole... can we talk?" Jay asked. 

Cole paused his video game. "Something wrong?"

"I just..." Jay sat down next to him. "I don't really know how to put this, so I'm just gonna come right out and say it: I'm really, really sorry for... murdering you in Prime Empire."

"That wasn't your fault."

Jay sputtered. "I killed you three times! Directly! With a knife!"

"But you weren't yourself. And there was no way any of us could've known the Overlord's old programming would get re-activated by the game."

"But it's still me! I still killed you! I was conscious and aware and I stabbed you to death!"

"You weren't fully conscious and aware, though."

"But I remember it!" He screamed. His face twisted into a miserable expression. 

Cole waited for him to continue. 

"I barely remember a thing from when the overlord was controlling me. It's like... like I've only got an occasional frame of a movie. It doesn't feel like me, and it's only brief moments and jumbled nonsense. But... I remember... killing you. It's so clear in my head. I really was fully conscious that whole time we were in the game. I remember being so happy and relieved watching you die by my hand. And how you begged me not to."

"Didn't Zane say part of the original programming was memory suppression? Maybe that part just didn't get activated."

"Can you stop brushing me off and just accept that I did something horrible?!"

"I'm not brushing you off!" He took a deep breath. "I'm not. It's been a few days, and I've thought hard about it. I also... thought hard while I was in that cube portal."

"Oh, fuck, you were conscious for that?"

"Kind of? My sense of time was all fucked up and I didn't even know I was a cube. It was more like I was dreaming. But— look, being murdered isn't fun, especially when it's your... best friend doing it. I'm just saying that I've already forgiven you."

"Then why couldn't you just say that?!"

"I was trying! I don't want you to feel so guilty over it!"

"It's fucked up, though! I killed you to appease the code so it'd finally stop tormenting me!"

"Yeah, well it's fucked up for both of us! We both have to have that in our memories!"

Jay groaned. "I'm just sorry! Can you let me be sorry?!"

"I don't control you! I'm just saying you don't have to be! I... look, you're sorry you killed me while murder-coded, I'm sorry for strangling you while you were murder-coded, we can call it even."

"...You strangled me?"

"I mean, yeah... did I never tell you? That's how I captured you so we could... de-program your shit."

"...So you've got two horrible incidents in your memory."

"Can you stop? I forgive you. Can't you just take that?"

"It's not so easy."

Cole sighed. "I mean, I get it. I've got guilt I can't let go of, either. But... I'm telling you you don't have to feel it. That should make it feel at least a little better. And you were trying to make me feel better by apologizing. That makes me feel better, too."

"I thought you said you forgave me."

"I did. But I'm still kinda fucked up about that whole thing. I just don't blame you for it."

"...I'm the idiot who decided to activate Prime Empire in the first place. I'm the one who stepped through a portal without knowing where I'd go. All of this is my fault. I just couldn't leave shit be. I had to mess with it."

"Sure, but I love that about you. I mean— you know, it, uh, often produces good results that you're like that."

Jay blinked. 

"Keeps me on my toes."

Jay raised an eyebrow. 

"Fuck, even when you were killing me. When you asked me to close my eyes? Man, I didn't know what the hell was about to happen. My only guess was that you were gonna kiss me or some shit—" He flinched at his own words. "But— y'know, I didn't— it's not—"

Jay's entire face had turned strawberry pink. "What?!"

"I didn't—! Think that you would! Of course! Why would you ever do that?!"

"Wha— why did you think about that?!"

"I don't know! You tell a guy to close his eyes so you can do something you're acting nervous about, that's a classic kiss setup!"

"In what realm?!"

"Bitch, this one!"

"Well that's not how I'd fucking do that!"

"Oh really?! What would you do, then?!"

"I'd work up the courage to tell you how I feel and then ASK if I can kiss you, like any sane, consent-respecting man!"

"But... you don't mean me... right? You... you mean some theoretical person...?"

"Uh..." Jay choked on his own spit and began coughing. 

Cole pointedly stared at the ground between his feet. 

When Jay finally stopped coughing, he stayed silent. 

"...You good?"

"Yup."

Neither spoke further. 

Cole swallowed hard. Jay's eyes wandered nervously. 

"Can I..." Cole began. He closed his eyes. "...Nevermind."

"...Were you gonna ask me?"

"I don't know what you mean. Ask you what?"

"I know you're dumb, but you don't have to play dumb on top of that."

"Hey!"

"Hey yourself," he muttered. 

"Are you... mad at me?!"

"What gave you that idea?"

"You're being a bitch!"

"Sometimes, it feels like you're lying to me because you don't trust me. Or it's funny. That's all."

Cole's jaw dropped. "Because I said I didn't know what you meant?!"

He glared at the ground. "It's not just that! I'm not an idiot!"

"Where is this even coming from?!"

"I remember everything. I remember you saying there's so much you hadn't told me. And now this? You know, don't you? Are you just stringing me along?"

"Stringing you along with what?!"

Jay scoffed. "What kind of sick game is this?"

"I don't know! You won't tell me! Can you just explain?"

Jay got up and left without a word. 

"Jay?! ...Jay!"

He didn't come back.

——

"Man, what the fuck did you do to Jay?" Kai asked, hushed and scandalized. 

"I don't know! I don't even know!"

"He said he was sick of you jerking him around."

"I don't even know what he means by that! Honest!"

"You... don't? For real?"

"No! Of course not!"

"Ah... I think I might know what's going on."

"What? You gotta tell me."

"How do you feel about Jay?"

Cole laughed nervously. "What? What kind of question is that? He's... y'know, he's a great ninja. My best friend."

Kai deadpanned. "Just tell me the truth. What am I gonna do, spread rumors?"

"Uh, yeah? That's exactly what you'd do."

"To who? Jay's a part of all this, Lloyd and Wu would tell me not to spread rumors, Zane wouldn't care, Nya would laugh at me for trying, Pixal would think there's something wrong with me. And that's everyone."

"Well, still, it's... it's complicated, okay?!"

"Even more reason to believe I wouldn't tell anyone. I'll forget it all."

Cole frowned. "It's not easy to... say. And you aren't that great at keeping secrets."

"Uh huh. I bet you didn't know I'm seeing someone. Actually, I'm seeing two people. And it's going great."

"What? No."

"Yeah. And unless they want to make it public, you will never find out who. Ever."

"...See, now I just think you're lying."

Kai grinned. "Exactly. You don't even believe me. Secrets secure."

Cole rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine! You really wanna know?"

"Yes."

"I'm in love with him. And I have been for years. Okay? But he's my best friend. And he doesn't feel that way about me because you're not supposed to feel like that about your best friends, but I do. And if we lose that..."

"Oh, yeah, it's exactly what I thought."

"Huh?"

"Dude, just tell Jay that."

"I can't!"

"You can and you have to. Just do it."

"What would I do if—"

"Look, it's not my place to say anything. But I can tell you what he's already said to you. He thinks you're stringing him along."

"I know, but I don't know what that's supposed to mean!"

"I can't say! I can only say he thinks you're..." he wiggled his eyebrows. "Stringing. Him. Along. You get me?"

Cole stared. 

"Stringing. HIM." Kai winked. "Aloooong."

"Saying it over and over doesn't make me get it!"

"Oh, for fuck's sake, you know what the phrase means, don't you?!"

"Of course! But I don't know what context—"

"Agh! Just go tell him you love him right now or I'll punch you in the balls!"

"Yeah, fine, I'll go ruin my life— as if!"

"It won't ruin your life, it'll make it better! Now go or I'll make good on my promise!" He punched his own hand for emphasis. 

"Okay! Okay! Where is he, then?"

"Bedroom."

"Right. Of course." 

Cole meandered down the hall and stopped in front of Jay's door. How was he supposed to do this? Especially since Jay was mad at him! 

"Go on," Kai said. 

Cole flinched. Kai had followed him and was standing across the hall behind him. "Fuck!" He hissed. "What's your problem?!"

"You. Come on. Knock on the door."

Frowning, Cole knocked. 

"Who is it?" Jay called from inside. 

...If he said it was him, Jay would just tell him to go away. Cole opened the door without answering and walked in. 

Jay was sitting on his bed, playing a game. When he saw Cole, his expression darkened. "Oh, what now?"

Cole shut the door behind him. "Kai said I had to come talk to you or he'd punch me in the balls."

"Oh, come on. Kai's punches don't hurt THAT much."

"I'd still rather talk to you than get punched in the nuts!"

"Right, I'm sure it's fun for you."

"Can you stop accusing me of things before I've even had a chance to say anything?"

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. Fine. What are you gonna say, then? Go on."

"...I love you...?"

Fuck, wait, why was he doing this?! How did he let Kai talk him into it?!

The raw confusion on Jay's face would have made Cole laugh in any other context. 

"...Excuse me?!"

Cole groaned. "Kai said this would make my life better..."

Jay growled. "Kai told you to say that?! Where is he?!" He shot up. "I'm gonna kill him!"

Loud footsteps beginning at the door quickly shifted down the hallway. Kai had bolted. 

"Hang on! He's not— ugh, this is so stupid! He's not putting words in my mouth!"

Jay calmed down a bit. "What do you mean?"

"I knew this was a bad idea..." 

"Hey." Jay grabbed his shoulders and glared straight into his eyes. "Tell me what the fuck you mean."

"I... have feelings for you? Sorry. This is weird." He looked away. "Sorry," he repeated. 

"Are you fucking kidding me?!"

Cole winced. "...No. So... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. I should've just let Kai punch me in the balls."

"Ugh, you dumb bitch..."

Yeah. Cole felt like a dumb bitch. 

"Sor—"

Jay yanked him forward and planted a sloppy kiss on his mouth. 

Well. Cole hadn't expected that. He'd gladly take that opportunity, though. He kissed him back. 

Jay pulled away first. "Me too," he said. 

"...I thought you said you'd ask before kissing me."

Jay weakly headbutted him. 

"Ow! What the fuck?!"

"You seriously need to learn when to shut up."

"You're one to talk."

Jay bit his nose. 

"Ahh! Stop!"

He grinned. "Got any more to say?"

"Well—"

Jay bit his shoulder. 

"Quit it!"

"Make me." He smirked. 

He bit Jay's ear. 

That smile dropped fast. "What the fuck?!"

"...Oh, you wanted me to kiss you, didn't you?"

"Obviously! And you were going on about how what I did before killing you was an obvious kiss setup..." He pouted in a way Cole found adorable. 

"You're cute," he admitted aloud. 

"Huh?!" 

"We should kiss again."

"There's something wrong with you."

——

"Have you two started dating?" Zane asked them one day. 

"Yes," Cole answered. 

"No," Jay answered in unison. 

"...Ah. There appears to be a discrepancy."

Cole turned to him. "What do you mean, we're not dating?"

"Well..." Jay sighed. 

Zane stood. "I will excuse myself." He swiftly left the room. 

Cole was still waiting for an answer.

"Look, it was a gut reaction, okay?"

"But... why would you have that gut reaction?"

Jay bit his lip. Cole could be really blunt at times. Dumb, too. "Neither of us has asked the other out. We've never been on a date. This all happened, like, a week ago."

"I guess I just... assumed it meant we were dating. Do you not want that?"

"I didn't say that!"

"But... you don't... NOT want that?"

Why was Cole so stubborn? Jay huffed. "I didn't say that, either." 

"So, you're... ambivalent." Cole crossed his arms. "About... dating. Cool."

"I just... I spent so long dating Nya only for that to just... slowly vanish. I don't want that to happen again."

"You'd rather not even date me in the first place."

"No, I..." Jay groaned. "It doesn't make sense for me, either! It's not like I'm scared, but... I am!"

"You're assuming that being with me is gonna make you stop liking me? Doesn't that mean you're already starting to feel that way?"

Jay gasped. "No! That's not what that means!"

"Well, that's how it sounds to me..."

"I don't... wanna lose it." Jay took a deep breath. "I love you. And I don't wanna stop."

This only appeared to make Cole feel worse. 

"It's funny. I've never really thought this hard about it before. It really is pretty stupid, huh? Why am I thinking so much about the end if it hasn't even started?"

Cole's shoulders fell, and his expression lightened. "That's what I'm saying!"

Jay let out a little laugh. "Saying it all out loud makes me realize how dumb I'm being."

Cole laughed in turn, much to Jay's relief. 

"Hey, Cole." He took his hand. 

"Hm?"

"Can we... start dating?"

He grinned. "Yeah. Of course."

It occurred to Jay as he saw his smile that he might have been kind of obsessed with this guy for a long time. It went beyond infatuation. It wasn't shocking that the Overlord managed to reprogram that into murderous intent, because damn, was it powerful. 

"Jay? Is there something on my face?"

"I love you so much. I'm so glad I don't feel compelled to kill you anymore."

Cole bursted into laughter. "What?! I mean, me too! But where's that coming from?"

Jay threw himself at Cole and squeezed. "I promise I'll never murder you again."

"I'll hold you to that."