Ever since Jonathan had stuck around, things were different. For example, Miranda's alcohol intake went through the roof. That maybe wasn't the best thing, but hey.
Ramos' favorite part of it all though, was the breakfast. Groff's breakfast was so damn delicious, even Lin agreed to keep him around.
"What the fuck is that smell?" Lin had harshly asked, surprised to see a half naked Jonathan, stripped down to his boxers.
A part of Lin wanted to kill him on the spot, and the other wanted to bite the living hell out of him.
Jonathan rolled his eyes, stretching his arms. And he knew, knew that Lin's eyes were on him, watching his muscles move.
"It's eggs and toast, you piece of shit," Jon flipped the egg, being cautious, "Want any?"
Lin frowned. He didn't normally eat breakfast, but when he did, it was normally takeout or leftovers.
"I don't care." He articulated his answer, leaving it vague.
Groff grinned at him, grabbing a plate, "Where's Ramos? And Chris-"
"Why would I know?" He snapped. He hated that someone was cooking for him, he hated it, "Go find them yourself if you're so keen on cooking for the whole bunch."
Jonathan scowled, putting his arms on the table. He glared at him, and threw him a napkin, "You're such an ungrateful piece of crap. Stop being so uptight all the time."
Lin leaned back in his chair, smirking at him, "Please, it's not like you can do anything about it."
Jonathan smiled softly, his gaze hardening, "Miranda, you never know when to shut up. We'll have to fix that one day." He sighed, stretching again. He knew how to push every one of Lin's buttons, and he wasn't afraid to explore that.
/
The other that had changed, was Lin's attitude.
Jonathan noticed that Lin never smiled, and by never, he meant never. He even asked Chris about it.
"Jackson!" He called out, catching him just before he exited the door, "I have a question."
He nodded, raising an eyebrow, "Shoot."
"Okay," He rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, Lin never smiles right?"
"Yeah, nothing new."
"Okay, but what does make him smile?" He asked in all earnesty, Chris kinda just stood there baffled.
"Well, look kid," He sighed, "He doesn't get happy. He just- I dunno, he gets excited when he solves a puzzle. And not those stupid kid games, but something like yours. No one came to get you, and he solved it. He hates not knowing."
Jonathan smiled, his grin so wide, it wasn't normal. "So... all I have to do is confuse him?"
"Wait-"
Jon was already off, skipping excitedly.
/
"Lin," Jonathan sang, "Do you need anything? Want anything?"
Miranda froze, his frown deepening, "What the fuck is your problem."
"Whatever do you mean?" He grinned, the corner of his eyes crinkling.
"Stop being so," He waved his hands around, "Nice. You're weird."
"Just wondering," He shrugged, "How are you today?"
"Y'know what?" He questioned, "I was actually doing great until you came around-"
"Wow," He frowned, matching his expression, "Do you need a hug?"
Lin almost screeched, and he threw his gun at Jon's head (he barely missed).
/
Almost an hour later, Lin came out of his secluded space, and met Groff, "Where's Ramos?"
"Out getting me groceries."
"What?" He yelled, his tone cold.
"What?" Groff mimicked, "How am I gonna cook dinner without the proper ingredients?"
"You're a criminal, Jonathan, not a housewife."
"Oh, so I'm your wife now? I'm honored-"
"Shut up," He growled, "Shut up, shut up, shut up."
Jon shrugged, winking at him (he laughed at Lin's subtle blush).
/
"Jackson," Lin called, his tone angrier than normal. It had been a week since Jonathan had started messing with him, and he was sure he had never hated anyone more than him, "What's wrong with Groff?"
"What exactly do you mean, sir?"
"He's..." He tried choosing the closest word to whatever he was doing, "He's nice. Too nice."
Chris's expression hardened, his mind going to work, "He's toying with you-"
"Why?"
"I don't know, sir."
And there it was, the inner monster and hatred. He groaned, scratching the back of his head. That's what he did, when things started getting bad. Scratching, and hurting himself. Chris didn't know why he did it, but he knew Lin was mad. More than mad, maybe.
"You don't know!" He laughed (always a horrible sign), "You don't fucking know!" He sighed, biting on his fingernails, "Alright. Out."
/
"Jonathan." Lin said calmly, hovering over him.
Groff grunted, continuing his pushups.
"Get up!" Lin raised his voice, which Jon just rolled his eyes at. He continued working at it, not yet stopping.
Lin growled, extending his leg to kick him. Jonathan though-
He caught Lin's leg, tugging on it. He tripped, which Groff took advantage of. He straddled his hips, successfully pinning him down. "Look who we have here."
"Fucking get off me!" He tried reaching for his gun, which Jonathan already retrieved from his back pocket.
"You're confused, aren't you?" Jon cooned, smirking, "God, you just hate not knowing, it's hilarious."
Lin shook his head, gritting his teeth, "I'm wasting my time on you. You're just a bother, you're useless."
"You like me here, don't deny it, Miranda," He got a grip on his throat, eyeing Lin as if he was a piece of artwork, "I'll win someday, you know that, right? I'm just so much better than you."
He stood up, and sighed (almost as if he was bored), "Get up!" He mimicked (once again), "You're pathetic, Lin, really. Get a hold of yourself."
Miranda stood there, bewildered. His breaths started becoming shaky, and-
He charged after Jonathan, successfully knocking him down. They wrestled all the way to the ground, their anger surrounded them as if it was an aura.
"You need to fucking go." Lin breathed out, using his shoulder to jab into Jon's abdomen.
"Miranda," he laughed, he fucking laughed, "I'm the only thing keeping you here. I'm not leaving."
Lin suddenly pulled back, tears in his eyes. He was shaking so bad, and something in Jon's heart stung, "You're insufferable you know that?"
"Sue me." He whispered.
Lin took him by the back of his head, forcefully bringing their lips together. "You need to learn your place." He whispered against his lips.
Jonathan groaned, biting down on his bottom lip (it started bleeding), "I don't. This is the only advantage I have."
Lin laughed, scratching his nails down his bare back. "No, it isn't. Your only advantage is me."
