Work Text:
Phan's body trembled as she struggled to steady her legs. She wasn't sure if she was scared, angry or both. He'd killed and defiled the good names of her friends. He could very easily overpower her and end her life here and now. She wasn't of use to him if she wasn't compliant, right? What was stopping him from disposing of her like he did everyone else? She stood on the upper step of the holding cell. Despite being higher, she was now only equal level with Ara. Something she had never achieved was equal footing with her fellow leaders. She was handed her position on a bloodied platter that mocked her failures. Ara gave her the power she had and yet, like his promises, it meant nothing. She was finally on equal standing though.
Ara's face twisted into what can be seen as a sickening grin to most and an even deeper plummet into mania. He sucked in a breath that caught in his throat and came out as a contorted, forced wheeze. He managed to choke out a cackle that sounded horrifyingly maniacal. Phan forced her feet to dig into the deteriorated stone ground. Her eyes caught a blackish red stain that was smeared across the stone. Her heart plummeted as she'd remembered its origin. She remembered Night's body laying on the medical bed, lifeless. There was a look of terror and pleading still plastered onto their cooling body. They fought so hard to live all for Ara to call them weak.
“I see what this is!” Ara's voice tore her from her thoughts. She took a step closer to Ray, her anger slowly boiling within her chest. Her rage for his insults against her, her rage for his incredulous accusations, her rage for how inhumane he could truly be.
“You got what you wanted and now you don't need me anymore!” Ara's eyes were dull despite his grin. Even with all of her hatred and fury, her heart ached to see him like this. Ara looked after her and asked for nothing in return. He always protected and stood up for her. He would put his name on the line for her no matter what. Though, now she knew that his name meant nothing.
“Ara–” Ray tried to speak but Ara kept rambling nonsense about them using him and casting him aside. “Ara, did we get what we wanted?! Really?!” Ray grabbed one of Ara's shoulders and yanked harshly to make Ara stand up straight and face the two of them. Ara, quicker than Phan thought possible in his current state, snapped his arm up and shoved Ray back to where he was previously. A grim almost vicious snarl spread across Ara's lips as he spit at Ray's boots. Wiping his mouth, he advanced towards the pair once more.
“Hah! Well played both of you– bravo!” He chided with that wild look on his face again. Phan wanted to hit it off of him. He didn't deserve to act like the victim after everything he'd done. “I can't believe it! I applaud you!” He made sure to enunciate the ‘applaud’ by swinging out his arms and taking a bow before shooting back upright to clap. It made Phan's stomach churn. She opened her mouth to speak but all that came out was incomplete words that were cut off by Ara's rambles.
He shot up quickly and turned to face Phan. She thought the way he moved to be crazed and unnerving, like a strung up puppet that had its strings twisted and pulled in the wrong direction. “What?” She managed to get out.
“All of this!” He looked at Phan again, dull eyes staring horribly into her round, tear filled ones. “I really believed you.”
Shut up.
“No–” Phan took a step back.
Shut the fuck up.
“Phan,” Ara moved closer, “I believed you!”
I said shut up!
“No, fuck you!” She lunged forward. She didn't register the pain in her fist until Ara was already reeling from the punch. She shook her hand as she memorized the way his nose indented at the pressure of her fist. That felt incredible. “Fuck you!” She screamed, her throat burned as the tears finally spilled over her cheeks and she curled her fist into his dark sweater. She yanked him forward towards her, “I defended you!” She spat before shoving her hands down on his chest, sending him to the ground. He landed with a thud as his head whacked against the wooden frame of the purgatory beds. She couldn't help the feeling she felt at the sickening sound of pain that came from Ara as she shoved him. She expected satisfaction, hell, maybe even concern. But nothing. She felt nothing. She felt the same rage she'd felt before attacking him as she did now.
Ray's voice brought her out of her clouded mind. “Phan! Phan!” Let's go.” She looked up at Ray, his eyes which were normally composed and calming were now swimming with hurt and betrayal. That pissed her off more. She tried to shove past Ray, to get at Ara at least one final time before Ray dragged her out of the cell.
“I defended you,” She took in a shuddering breath, having not realized how terribly she was shaking, “to my wits end, Ara!” Ray had grabbed both of her arms and pulled them behind her in an attempt at getting her outside. She wasn't going that easy. She'd need to be dragged out of the purgatory cell kicking and screaming. “I fucking defended you.” Ara Gray had made a mockery of her and everything she stood for. He set her up to fail with the position he gave her. He took advantage of her. “I defended you against everything, Ara, and that's all you have to say?!” She couldn't stop the tears from falling. She choked on them and cried out how she put everything on the line for him.
Ara's grin spread as blood leaked from his battered nose.
“Oh, Phan–” He positioned himself to stand back up and when he did manage to stagger to his feet, Ray whipped around to face him.
“Ara, back it off.” His voice was stern. Phan watched what she assumed was the urge to fight leave Ara's eyes. He lowered his defensive stance and looked at her the way he used to. Minus the bloodied face and deranged eyes, he still was Ara underneath it all. It made her sick.
“I think you better go, Phan.” He smiled at her and she wanted to vomit. He tilted his head back to Ray with a grin that could almost be seen as genuine from an outsider. “You too, Ray! Don't you have more friends to abandon?” Phan felt Ray's body stiffen. She couldn't see his face nor hear the words he spoke, if any, over her own sobs. He recovered quickly though and shot a cold look at Ara.
“I have a glade to protect, unlike you. Move along.”
Phan turned as Ray put his arm around her shoulders to lead her outside.
“Oh, one more thing, Phan.” Ara called to her. She stopped. Why did she stop? Did she stop because she was spoken to? Did she stop because she wanted him to explain why he did it all? Did she stop because it was Ara?
“What?” She recoiled at the way her own voice broke. She felt as though she was hearing herself from somewhere else rather than from her own body.
“I really did care about you, Phan.” She was glad that she was still half being supported by Ray or else she would've crumbled to her knees. The rage she'd felt had all but ebbed away into a heavy, agonizing sorrow.
“No no no don't– don't say that to me now.” She whispered, not trusting her voice to speak any higher. Ray's grip on her shoulders tightened as she swayed on her feet. Ara's face was shadowed in something unreadable. She had to be seeing things because it almost looked like hurt. Was it physical pain or emotional? Did he regret it? Was he sorry? However, that softened look quickly melted into something akin to what it was before. Accusing and disdainful.
“I'm glad to see that you're not keeping your pinky promise.” Ara said, unblinking. If it hadn't already, her heart broke at that. Phan shook her head desperately, head beginning to throb at the harsh movement. Ara gave her a shrug, “Now go out there and escape! Leave me to rot. That was always your plan, wasn't it?” Phan couldn't stop the wail that wanted so desperately to escape her lips. She wanted to escape with Ray and Ara. She wanted to escape with everyone. Phan shook her head again wanting to open her mouth and protest but the purgatory door swung open and Ash stormed in. His hand landed on her shoulder and she shook it off, moving towards the door on her own. Ara wasn't the man she thought he was. She wasn't sure if anything she knew about him was true.