Laughter broke out as soon as Kai finished his serious monologue.

It was hardly the reaction he was expecting.

Nadya was the first to snort, barely holding it back before she burst into a full-on cackle. "Why're you getting all soppy and saying such stupid things?"

Kai blinked. "…What?"

She leaned forward, grinning like he'd just told the world's dumbest joke. "Seriously, you sound like some tragic protagonist getting ready to die in the next volume. Stop being so dramatic."

Sven slapped his thigh. "Yeah, that was almost... touching." He shivered. "Ugh. Never do that again."

"I thought he was going to ask us to write his will next," Nadya added, tilting back her bottle and chugging what little remained.

Even Amina, who was usually quiet, cracked a small smile. "You do realise how weird it is for you to say that you don't want to drag us into danger, right?"

Kai scowled. "What? I meant it."

Isaac adjusted his invisible glasses, a habit he still had, and crossed his arms. "We know you did. That's what makes it worse."

"Huh?"

Isaac stood up, squinting at Kai like he was an idiot. "You think, after all this, we wouldn't care. You've fought and sacrificed just as much, or even more, than the rest of us. You always charge in without a care for yourself, and your healing factor is just the excuse you use to cover your recklessness. Do you need me to list them off for you?"

He began counting with his fingers. "New York. That nightmare in Nadya's hometown. Even fighting the freak in there, no offence."

"Hoho, none taken," Iancu called out, shamelessly listening in on their conversation from the shade of the manor.

"Kai, you're always the one putting yourself in the fire and always have our best interests at heart. You've helped me progress, watched out for Amina, saved us multiple times, and..."

"And you recruited me!" Lenny chimed in, before being glared at for intruding on their moment as a group.

Kai rubbed the back of his neck, not used to being praised, especially not by Isaac of all people.

Isaac exhaled sharply. "Look, I might be the most cautious one here-"

"The coward," Sven added helpfully.

"-but even I'm not okay with you thinking we're just dead weight."

Nadya clicked her tongue. "Exactly. You're one of us, idiot. Mutant Outlaws, remember?"

"That name still sucks," Kai couldn't help but comment, before falling quiet for a moment and watching the fire crackle.

The warmth of the flames paled in comparison to the unexpected warmth their words left behind. It caught him off guard more than any enemy ever had.

"I just didn't think it was your fight."

"Doesn't matter," Nadya said, pointing at him with her bottle. "You're our fight. If you've got shit to deal with, we'll help you deal with it. End of story."

"Don't get the wrong idea," Isaac mumbled, looking away. "You're still a pain in the ass most of the time."

"But you're our pain in the ass," Sven grinned.

Kai laughed. Actually laughed. A genuine, chest-deep kind that caught them all off guard.

He didn't say it, but he didn't need to.

They understood.

Because the truth was, none of them had pressing goals or families to go home to. They had each other. A broken, mismatched, reckless little group with more scars than sense. But somehow, that was enough.

Kai wasn't sure if he had friends before Nyx's facility or what his life was like, but he doubted they were as weird and great as the ones he had now.

If there was anyone he wanted to stand beside when the chaos hit, this was it.

But the laughter from before barely had a chance to fade before the tone of the group flipped.

Like wolves sensing weakness, they pounced.

"You idiot," Nadya said, smacking Kai in the chest, not gently. "What kind of moron thinks we'd let him sneak off and do something that stupid alone?"

Sven jabbed a thumb at himself. "Right? You think we'd just sit back and let you wander off to go die or something?"

Amina crossed her arms, for once, the one looking genuinely annoyed. "What part of 'we're in this together' is hard to understand?"

Even Isaac chimed in with a scowl. "I thought you were reckless, not brain-dead."

Kai raised a brow. "Wow. Okay. So we're just roasting me now?"

"Yes," Nadya said flatly. "You deserve it."

"You think you're the only one who wants answers?" they asked. "The only one with unfinished business?"

"You're not," Amina said, softer this time. "And you're not alone."

Sven, surprisingly, looked the most wounded of all.

"You were gonna go kidnap her alone, bro?" he said, clutching his heart dramatically. "Even knowing how much of a crush I have on Seraphina? She's my idol!"

Everyone stared at him in silence.

Then - smack!

Nadya slapped the back of his head.

"Ow!"

"She's a mutant mind-control freak and probably evil, you dumbass!"

"I know! But she's so hot," Sven groaned.

Kai couldn't help it - he laughed again. The kind of deep, unfiltered laugh he rarely let out.

The others followed, and just like that, the tension cracked and broke like thin ice underfoot. What had moments ago been a clash of heated emotion was now washed away with teasing, laughter, and a few lingering groans.

And maybe none of them said it outright, but Kai felt it. That weight pressing down on his chest - the one he'd been carrying silently for a while - had finally loosened. Not completely gone, but lighter. Manageable.

He looked around at the weird, chaotic, dysfunctional mess that was his group.

They weren't perfect.

But damn it, they were his.

-

The laughter lingered in the air like the last note of a song, but it didn't take long for the mood to settle. Slowly, the fire popped back into focus, the flickering flames casting long shadows across their faces.

Kai let out a breath and looked around the circle.

"I meant what I said," he said, voice calm but unyielding. "I'm going after Seraphina, the AMC, and lastly and most importantly, Nyx. No matter how insane it sounds."

Nadya leaned forward, arms resting on her knees. Her earlier grin had faded into something more serious. "Yeah. We know. And we meant what we said, too."

"I'm with you," Lenny said simply, not needing to elaborate.

Isaac sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Our lives are already on the line every damn day. What's one more reckless death mission among friends?"

"Exactly," Sven added with a lopsided grin. "Besides, Seraphina's not just your enemy. She's connected to Nyx, right? That makes her our problem too."

Isaac nodded. "She's one of the Association's darlings. We take her down, we cut off one of Nyx's arms. And I wouldn't mind watching her fall from that shiny pedestal she's on."

"The way I see it," Nadya said, "this isn't even your mission anymore, Kai. It's ours."

Kai blinked, caught off guard by just how quickly they were falling into step. It was happening too naturally, like they'd been waiting for something like this to dive into.

Isaac held the bridge of his nose, the way he always did before delivering bad news. "And if you are connected to the AMC… we'll figure it out when we get there. Could be helpful."

"Could also be a complete shitstorm," Nadya muttered.

"They're the Association's elite mutant-killers. As non-mutants, they are well-trained and extremely well-equipped," Sven added, "but hey, we've survived worse."

Nadya raised her bottle. "And if it is a shitstorm, we'll just blast our way out."

Sven smirked. "You're optimistic for once."

She winked. "Just buzzed."

Kai couldn't help but shake his head. "You're all crazy."

"And you're stuck with us," Nadya said, grinning again.

With the air cleared and their shared path set, it didn't take long before the group began piecing together a rough plan. It was chaos, of course - half-serious, half jokes, with everyone talking over each other.

"We'll need fake IDs," Isaac said, already mentally calculating logistics. "But how are we going to travel? We could... No, that wouldn't work... But we could..."

"Or we sneak abroad," Amina said. "Boats. Back channels. We could even swim there, or find some water beast to ride."

"Then let's crash the concert in style," Sven said. "Smoke bombs, laser lights, dramatic entrance - boom!"

"Shut up, Sven."

"I'm just saying! Theatrics matter!"

They bickered and argued, blurting out crazy ideas that were very unfeasible. Even Lenny was getting involved, as they brainstormed how they were going to help their red-eyed companion.

Kai sat back, watching them work, feeling something stir deep in his chest.

He'd expected resistance. Doubts. Hesitation.

Instead, they'd given him loyalty.

It was something that felt foreign and almost made him uncomfortable, since he now owed them the same and more. He also didn't want them to die for his sake.

Maybe they were all mad. Maybe they were walking straight into hell.

But they were doing it together.

And that made all the difference.

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