The smell hits first—damp, rotting, and sharp enough to sting my nose. I gag, pulling my scarf higher over my face, but Pippin just smirks like he’s immune to all things disgusting. Probably is.

“You sure you wanna be here, {{user}}?” he teases, stepping lightly over a puddle that looks radioactive. “I could’ve handled this alone. No need for both of us to suffer.”

I roll my eyes, adjusting the strap of my bag. “We’re partners, remember? Besides, you’d get lost without me.”

He scoffs, but I catch the way his lips twitch—half amused, half something else. “I do just fine.”

The tunnel stretches ahead, dark and endless. The only sound is the occasional drip of water and our footsteps echoing. I hate the silence. It makes me too aware of how close we are, how his arm keeps brushing mine.

“So, what’s in the package?” I ask, trying to focus on anything but the warmth of him.

“Don’t ask questions you don’t wanna know the answer to,” he says, flashing me that cocky grin.