They're about five minutes into explaining what their big plan to overthrow the Nocona family is and Marley still has absolutely no idea what is going on.

Why? Well, all they've been doing is arguing. Nero hasn't said anything, and neither has Lola, but everybody else has been talking over one another, disagreeing on what they're going to do. It seems to Marley that they don't actually have a plan. At least, if they do, they disagree on quite a few variables.

"Uh, no," Eli is saying, "we're gonna threaten Brazzo into giving us the keys and we'll sneak out the back."

"We're asking him!" Bren replies, losing patience, "threatening will get us nowhere."

"Brazzo would go straight to Olucard if he knew we were conspiring anything, do you really think he'd agree to give us his keys?" She argues.

"Um, guys?" Lola says quietly, looking between them. She's also been glancing at Marley, something tells him she knows how confused he is.

They don't pay any attention to her, though, "oh come on, even if he did that we could just bribe him or something."

"With what?" She's starting to walk toward Bren, alarming Marley on multiple levels considering Bren is but a few feet away, sitting in front of Sushi's tank. Marley may not like her, but she's still intimidating, and he's trying to avoid conflict anyway.

Nero's staring at him, Marley realizes since he accidentally makes eye contact while scanning the room to see if anyone else will take pity on his confused expression.

"In case you didn't know, we have literally nothing they could possibly want."

"We have Nocona!" Lenny pipes in, "he's worth something!"

Marley's eyebrows raise. Say what? Are these people seriously planning his betrayal in front of him? At least do it in secret, god.

"Guys," Lola says again, still too quiet for them to hear her. Why doesn't she speak up? Now that Marley thinks about it, she hasn't really raised her voice since the minute he met her. Wonder what's up with that.

"What could they possibly want with him? Nobody even cares about him anymore—not since they figured out he's like us."

Wow, thanks Eli. Marley can't help but wince, like he didn't already feel shitty and insecure, why not make it worse? Guess there's a reason she's close with Nero. Well, Marley's assuming there. He's pretty sure they're dating, though he hasn't seen them do anything super coupley. Maybe it's just the stereotype that girls and boys can't be just friends.

"He's still the prince of the Westhem. Who wouldn't want him? He's got a net worth of like... a trillion dollars." Which is wrong but okay, Bren.

"Guys!" Lola finally shouts, something Marley has never heard her do. Coincidentally, a notebook on Nero's desk lights up—catches on fire—and smoke erupts from it.

Almost immediately, Lenny's rushing over to it and grabbing a water bottle, dumping half the contents on the desk. The flame dies out immediately.

What in the world?

Lola's hand is now covering her mouth, and she has everyone's attention in the room. This is not helping Marley's confusion.

"Can you people not tell he has no clue what's going on?" She finally asks, removing the hand, quieter than usual. Marley frowns. Just like that, everyone's looking at him again. Fantastic.

"Okay," Bren says, sitting back on his heels, "someone who actually knows the plan, explain."

Marley doesn't notice that the entire room is now looking at Nero until he and Marley make eye contact and Marley has to divert his attention to them all. Something about Nero's eyes confuse him into both wanting to stare into them forever but also never look at them again and also a bit of an urge to cower in fear and an adrenaline rush, somewhere in there.

Sorry, but one doesn't see red eyes on a person—or any living being, for the matter—and not tie it with evil. That's how it's portrayed in movies and books and shows and it's hard to believe Nero is the exception. Marley doesn't trust him, plain and simple, even though a small part of him (one he tries not to think about) wants to.

"We never said when we'd tell him, just that we would if he agreed. I want to wait and see how loyal he is—I'm not about to risk our only hope to someone like him, no matter how desperate." And goddamn, Marley's been found out. So what if the guilt would have weighed on him and he'd have probably turned them in? He thought that was a secret! It's not his fault he's weak and terrified of being a failure. Yeah it is. Shit, he's breathing a bit heavier now, isn't he? Not right now, please.

Evidently, Nero has mind-reading powers. Noted. There's no other explanation for him knowing that... well, unless it was paranoia. It was probably paranoia. If the fact that this man hates Marley and his entire bloodline is anything to go by.

"Yeah, that's fair." Lola is the first to agree, and it doesn't take much for the rest of the room to hop right on board with Nero.

"How am I supposed to help you if I don't know what to help you with?" Marley asks. It seems only logical, even though he can't be trusted and his voice is shaking. Good god, he's used to lying, why is it so hard when has to here?

"Eh, we'll figure it out I guess," Bren replies, not really looking at Marley. His eyes are on Lola. She seems pretty shaken from the whole fire thing.

Marley blinks, confused and a bit irritated. Leave it to Nero to find a loophole and screw everything up. Now Marley has to help them, which sucks major ass. So much for loyalty to the throne, huh?

"Alright, we're meeting at 1 A.M. on the dot," Eli states, staring at Marley just like Nero has been this entire time. They're probably both reading his mind. Just as a precaution, Marley tries to think of nothing. Just blank abyss.

Wait a second—1 A.M.?! Marley needs his beauty rest. No wonder Nero always has those dark circles under his eyes, he has to go conspire with Eli at 1 o'clock in the morning. That's insane, Marley should back out of this before it starts

"Well cool! Glad we got that sorted out." Lenny says, "I've got Rellik to deal with, so have fun!"

He exits, and not long after that, a voice comes over the intercom asking him to head down to Supervisor Rellik's office.

"Yeah, I'm gonna go work on homework," Lola says, and Bren follows that up with, "I'll come with you."

Eventually, everyone's out except for Eli, who gives Marley a hostile look before leaving without an excuse. It takes Marley a moment to realize he and Nero are now alone.

Oh god, please leave. Marley wants to take a nap and do his homework. He doesn't need this.

"Aren't you gonna leave with the others?" Marley asks before he can stop himself. Shit, he just broke a rule. Don't talk to Nero unless he speaks first. Wow, Marley's really about to be electrocuted, isn't he? He's headed down the road, that's for sure.

"And do what?" Good god, does he ever use a tone that isn't harsh? Like a teacher talking to a disruptive student? "Newsflash: I live here."

Marley should leave, shouldn't he? All this disrespect towards him—all this shitty treatment he's not used to—is starting to lead down a road he doesn't want to go down. One filled with rudeness and attitude and making more enemies than he already has.

"My bad," Marley replies. Good, nothing antagonizing there. "Don't have to be an ass about it, but my bad."

Oh god, he did not just say that, did he? Yeah he did—no, yeah he definitely did. Did Nero's eyes always glow like that? Wait, yeah, they have. But have they ever glowed that much? Where they're almost white and his hands are turning red and Jesus Christ why did Marley ever think it was a good idea to call this unstable man who he's already on thin ice with an ass—

"I'm an ass, right." He nods, voice low. He's also walking now. He's walking towards Marley. Marley's already right up against this dresser so it's not like he can go anywhere. He's trapped.

Holy shit he's trapped.

"You broke a rule, so guess I get to. Even, yeah?"

Good god, talk about sentences that trigger your fight or flight response. The burst of adrenaline Marley gets from that is enough to make him momentarily nauseous.

Right then is when he realizes, Nero isn't walking towards him. No, he's walking towards Sushi.

That was Marley's one rule. Not to hurt Sushi. Now that he's broken a rule, Nero is going to make it even. Nero is going to kill his fish. He's going to turn him into a pile of ash. Hell, if he just sticks his finger in the water then Sushi's done. With the way that red crackling electricity is swallowing his finger, the sheer power in his gaze, he could touch anything and destroy it.

Including Marley's fish.

He doesn't even think twice. Nero's two feet from being right in front of the poor defenseless fish and there's no way he's going to kill Marley's last piece from home.  Absolutely not.

He's in front of Nero in seconds, practically sandwiched between the man and the dresser. He doesn't know what else to do but be a barrier. He can't take Nero in a fight, especially with the guy's powers.

"No no no, I'm sorry." He says in a haste. "You're not an ass! Not at all, I was just kidding. You actually have a very nice ass—"

Did he just say that? Did he really just tell Nero he has a nice ass?

Nero kind of... glows a little less. He looks just the slightest bit confused but still pretty pissed. Marley, as usual, makes it worse.

"Not like that! I didn't mean it like that!"

"You didn't mean it like that?"

"Yeah! Or... no? I don't—I don't look at your ass!" Marley's starting to panic because that was quite a homosexual thing he just said there and nobody, especially Nero, can know how truly fucked up he is.

"I'm still killing your fish." Nero threatens, voice low, but Marley takes into account that he seems a bit closer now.

Nero's probably about a foot taller than Marley, so he reaches his hand over Marley's head with no problem. Marley has no choice but to grab his wrist, which is thankfully covered in cloth so it doesn't hurt enough for him to actually let go, and bring it back down. Nero has to have let him, seeing as by his size he could probably lift Marley off the ground.

He ends up holding Nero's hand against his chest, the only thing he can think of right now and looks right into his red eyes. It sends a shiver down his spine that he chooses to ignore.

"Look, Nero Whatever-Your-Last-Name-Is, I don't know how to get you to not kill my fish, so how about you just electrocute me? Not like it'll kill me, right?"

Nero just looks down at him. Marley feels like he's under a magnifying glass. He honestly can't think of anything else to stop him.

Part of him was expecting Nero to show some mercy, but he's still not surprised when the man reaches up with his other hand and grabs Marley right under the jaw.

His visions whites out, heart picks up. He goes completely still, nerves all set aflame and only twitching in the slightest as it cracked through his veins. His heart feels like it's about to explode. He feels burning where Nero is holding him, even after the merciless asshole lets go.

Marley is expecting to bounce back any minute. For it to be like it has been so far, he heals almost immediately and everything's back to normal.

Which is why he's beyond shocked when his vision is still blurry minutes later and his fingers are still jerking. His heartbeat has slowed down fractionally but it still feels like it's going to burst out of his chest.

When he can finally focus back on Nero again, he realizes something. This is the only thing that has genuinely damaged him. That's had a lasting impact.

Judging from the look in Nero's eyes, he's noticed too. He's leaned back a bit but he's still pretty close.

"You..." Marley's breathless, he can hear his heartbeat in his ears; "I just—I feel..."

Then, surprising no one, the world turns black and he crashes against the one person holding him up.