Whiteout Ch. 08

Val stared at Weiss, taking in what she just said. "Is that why you did all that stuff with Sky and Raymond? Because you couldn't control yourself?"

Weiss nodded silently. "Sky, yes. But Raymond... all I did was make him want to use his resources to protect me, keeping the cops and your team off my back. He's the one who came up with that ridiculous fantasy of us being together."

Val raised an eyebrow. "So it was his idea to get naked and masturbate on the couch when we came in?"

"He said it was to 'sell the relationship.' Maybe he's just got an exhibitionist streak, I don't know."

Val sighed. It sounds completely unbelievable. And Weiss has lied to me so many times before, but... something tells me she's telling the truth. She's not faking this. "So... where does that leave us?"

Weiss paused. "Well... I kinda thought you'd portal out of here right when I used the memory trigger, so... I don't know. I don't trust myself after all this. I'm scared I'm gonna hurt you even more if we keep this up."

"So you're... breaking up with me?"

"Feels like a somewhat blasé way to say it, but... yeah."

Val sighed deeply. On the one hand, she wanted to stay with Weiss. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so happy being with someone. But on the other, she knew that staying with her would certainly lead to disaster. Even if she could trust Weiss to keep her safe, sooner or later her team would find out about the two of them, and the fallout from that would be a nightmare. She rose off the bed. "Alright... Gwen."

Weiss was taken aback for a moment, but then she nodded. "Oh, right. You heard Patricia call me that."

"Well, that's your name, isn't it? Your real one?"

"Yeah. Gwendolyn, Gwendolyn White."

"Christ, you named your hypnodomme persona after your last name?" Val cracked a smile. "That's hacky, even for you."

Weiss chuckled. "I'm just incorrigible, aren't I?"

Val smiled, but still couldn't hide the sorrow in her eyes. "I... I don't think I'll turn you in."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I did enjoy our time together, after all. I don't hate you, I just... I know we're not supposed to be together, I guess." Val opened a portal at the end of the room. "Goodbye, Weiss."

Weiss smiled back, tears welling up in her eyes. "Goodbye, Valerie."

* * *

Val stepped through the portal into her apartment and sighed deeply. "Fuuuuuck..."

She looked around and frowned. Wait... the lights are on. I don't remember leaving the lights on.

"Hello, Val."

Val jumped and spun around. Raymond and Reuben were sitting on her couch, waiting for her, Reuben in his Red Angel uniform and Raymond in a button-down shirt and slacks. His collar was undone, his tie and jacket thrown on the coffee table.

"Sorry for startling you," Raymond said, rising off the couch. "We came by about an hour ago, but you weren't home yet."

"S-Sorry for keeping you waiting," Val said. "I just, uh, wasn't expecting company."

Raymond slowly approached her. "Well, I normally hate to drop by unannounced. But I'm afraid this is an urgent matter."

Val backed away from him, her mind racing. How does he even know where I live? Why is Reuben with him? Why isn't Reuben saying anything? She pressed up against the door to her apartment. "Wh-What seems to be the matter?"

She felt a hand touch hers. She looked down and felt a buzz in the back of her head.

Raymond smiled, gently holding Val's hand. "We need to talk about some things."