Whenever I see people writing post-Security Breach fics where Gregory's just this untrusting, feral gremlin and Vanessa is all desperate regret, I'm hooked. There's a quiet tension there that's way more interesting than outright villainy. The conflict doesn't need big confrontations; it's in the tiny moments, like Vanessa hesitating before offering him food she bought with her own money, or Gregory pretending to be asleep on the safe-room couch but watching her every move through slitted eyes. The best ones make you question whether her care is born from guilt, a genuine shift, or some leftover programming.
Exploring that weird, fractured trust forces writers to get creative with the setting, too. It's never just 'they live together now'. It's them navigating the ruined plex, Gregory using his knowledge of the vents to avoid her, Vanessa trying to rebuild systems to prove she can keep him safe. The emotional payoff is always delayed, which I love. You get scenes where he finally snaps, accusing her of everything, and she just takes it because what can she say? That's the core of it—two people shattered by the same evil, but one wore the mask.