Chapter Text
The next morning, the sun was strangely a bit too light, waking Tai not with a slow, gentle insistence, but with an annoying beam that irritates the eye. He grunted, trying to burrow deeper into the warmth, but the harassing sunlight still jolted him fully awake.
He wasn’t on the couch.
Finally, he was able to focus on his surroundings; he wasn’t imagining it when he thought that the couch was more comfortable and larger. Because they were, but it wasn’t even a couch; it was a bed. He was in bed. A large, absurdly comfortable one with dark, silk-like sheets. The room was spacious but chaotic, a bookshelf crammed with enchanted tomes and random redstone components, a wall lined with weapons racks displaying everything from diamond swords to a suspiciously glowing trident, and in the corner.
And there, in a large, worn armchair pulled right up to the bedside, sat Rejoice.
He was asleep, head tilted back against the chair, one arm dangling over the side. He’d changed out of his netherite armor into simple, dark trousers and a loose linen shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. In the quiet morning light, without his usual sharp grin or predatory energy, he looked… different. Younger. Calmer. His face was relaxed, his lashes casting shadows on his cheeks. In the quiet, stripped of his usual manic energy that always made Tai want to die, he looked disarmingly human. Tai’s throat went dry.
He was also, Tai realized with a jolt, holding Tai’s hand.
His fingers were loosely curled around Tai’s wrist, his thumb resting gently on the pulse point. It wasn't a possessive grip, more like a casual, sleeping anchor. The intimacy of it sent a bolt of pure, undiluted panic through Tai’s system. He jerked his hand back as if it burned.
Though, unfortunately for him, his sudden aggressive action managed to jerk the other awake.
“Well, good morning, sunshine,” Rejoice crooned, his voice rough with sleep. He stretched, the muscles in his arms corded, and let out an exaggerated yawn. “Sleep well in my bed?”
“Your—?” Tai’s voice was a ragged whisper. He pushed himself up on his elbows, the world doing a slight, familiar tilt. “What am I doing in your bed??”
“Because,” Rejoice yawned, shaking his head as if trying to help his eyes recover from the piercing sunlight, finding the way Tai's voice was cracking amusing. “I realized my bed would be much more comfortable for you. I don’t really have a guest room for you to sleep in, too lazy to find a sheep to craft a bed.
“You carried me?” Tai’s voice rose up, his face starting to heat up.
“Uhh… what else?” Rejoice stared at him like he was looking at an idiot who just lost their last remaining brain cell. “I can’t just put you in my inventory, can I?”
Tai… Honestly? Didn't know anymore. Everything’s been way too… okay, comfortable… maybe a bit calm and domestic between them. It was reaching its peak of absurdity.
“‘Sides, aren’t you much more comfortable here?” Rejoice stood up, looming over the bed. “Feeling better, princess? Or do I need to brew a potion and spoon-feed you?”
“I feel fine,” Tai said, pushing the covers off. He was, unlike before, feeling completely fine now. His head wasn’t heating up like before, and his entire body didn't feel like it was straining every second.
“Good.” Rejoice’s grin turned sharp. “Because you owe me. Big time. And I don’t mean for the potion or the stew.”
Tai froze, one leg over the side of the bed. “Owe you what?”
“Entertainment.” Rejoice leaned down, bracing his hands on the mattress on either side of Tai, caging him in. His eyes, bright and mischievous, scanned Tai’s face. “You were adorable last night. More compliant and calm than when you slept on the couch. A man could get used to that. Now that you’re not dying, we need to rebalance the scales.”
Tai narrowed his eyes, uneasiness and suspicion creeping up his spine. Was this the part where Rejoice betrays and kills him? He looked up at Rejoice, just centimeters away from the bed, just a few inches away from his face. “What kind of entertainment?”
Rejoice threw in a grin, leaning closer to Tai until their faces were merely centimeters apart. The proximity was overwhelming. Tai could see the faint stubble on Rejoice’s jaw, the tiny scar near his eyebrow from a long-ago tussle with a creeper. He could feel the heat radiating from him. “Hmm… Baby, how about you try guessing?”
Tai’s eyes widened in utter disbelief, his face heating up like never before. “Get off,” he snarled, shoving at his chest.
Rejoice didn’t budge. He just laughed, low and warm. “See? There’s the spirit I missed. All fiery and flustered.” His gaze dropped to Tai’s mouth for a heartbeat too long before he pushed himself upright. “Get up. I’ve got a project that needs an extra pair of hands. Consider it payment.”
He turned and walked towards the door, pausing only to glance over his shoulder. “Unless you’d rather stay in my bed. I wouldn’t really mind. It’s a good look on you. All rumpled and pissed off.”
“What??” Tai shrieked.
“Tai, relax, maybe I could even join you, if you know what I mean,” he wiggled his eyebrows at Tai.
Tai’s mind went completely blank, then filled with a white-hot static. The shameless suggestion, it was too much, becoming too much to handle. He scrambled off the bed, his feet tangling in the absurdly soft sheets, and nearly face-planted onto the stone floor.
Rejoice’s laughter echoed from the doorway, obnoxious and unapologetic. “Careful, princess. Wouldn’t want you to get hurt before the fun even starts.”
“Fun?” Tai spat, righting himself and glaring, ignoring the nicknames suddenly getting thrown in his direction to avoid any undesirable chit-chats. “You call slave labor fun?” He walked passed Rejoice before doing a complete 180 to face him directly.
Rejoice raised an eye brow, slowing his steps. “I call your company fun,” he corrected, his tone dipping into something softer, more suggestive. “The labor is just a bonus. Now come on. I’ll even make you breakfast. Unless you’re not hungry…” He let the sentence hang, his eyes doing a slow, deliberate sweep from Tai’s rumpled hair down to his bare feet. “For food, that is.”
Tai felt the flush spread from his face down his neck. Everything coming out of the other’s mouth is just vile. Tai wondered how he even encountered anyone so brazen, so completely unfazed by his glares or his sniping. It was like trying to fight mist with a sword. But then, it was Rejoice—someone so addicted to violating boundaries. “You’re impossible,” he muttered, stepping to the side and then letting Rejoice get passed him.
“And you’re adorable when you’re flustered,” Rejoice shot back, falling into step beside him. He walked close enough that their arms occasionally brushed. Each contact felt like a tiny spark against Tai’s skin. “It’s blushing. Really brings out the gold in your eyes.”
Tai refused to acknowledge that with a response, fearing that it would just get a lot worse if he did. He focused on the hallway.
The light around them continued shimmering, but the air… oh, it was hotter. “So,” Rejoice said, not looking at anything in particular. “You never answered my question.”
“What question?” Tai asked warily, slowing in his steps.
“About the entertainment. You didn’t even try to guess.” Rejoice glanced over, eyes glinting with unrestrained mischief. “I’ll give you a hint. It involves you, me, and a lot of… concentration.”
Tai’s heart gave a traitorous thump. “If you’re about to suggest something vulgar—”
“Building an arrow cannon!” Rejoice finished, his face the picture of feigned innocence. “What did you think I meant, Tai? Your mind, honestly.” He tsked, but his eyes were glittering with wicked amusement.
Tai gritted his teeth. He was being played with, masterfully. “Right. Arrow cannon. How thrilling.”
“Admit it.” Rejoice stopped on his tracks, making the other stop beside him too, and nudged Tai’s boot with his own. “You were thinking about something else.”
Tai’s jaw tightened. He did. He hated that he did. “I was thinking about you forcing me to kill for you, actually. Nothing vulgar about that.”
“Kill for you?” Rejoice turned to fully face Tai and lean a bit, suddenly in his space again, a mock-offended glint in his eyes. “Tai, come on, Tai, you think I need you to kill for me? I just need you beside me, baby.” His gaze deliberately traveled down Tai’s body and back up again, lingering. “Flustered. Like right now.”
“Stop it. I am not flustered,” Tai gritted out, heat refusing to leave his face. He was, and they both knew it.
“Ease up,” Rejoice reached out, poking his finger at Tai’s cheek. “I should get you angry more often. You’re prettier when you’re thinking about strangling me.”
The tension coiled in the space between them, thick and hot as netherrack. It was a duel of a different kind, all loaded glances and provocative words. But all coming from only one party. Rejoice.
Tai wanted to shove him, to wipe that smug smile off his face with his fist… or something… Anything that would result in them killing each other.
Tai didn't think; he just moved. Fury, bright and messy, burned through the haze of embarrassment and weird tension. He wanted to shatter that infuriating smirk, to replace this confusing, intimate energy with the simple, honest language of violence they both understood.
With a wordless impatience, Tai launched himself across the short distance. It wasn't a fighter's lunge; it was a tackle, all momentum and raw intent. He caught Rejoice in mid-surprise, driving him back. The back of Rejoice's knees hit the leg of the heavy small table, and they went down in a chaotic crash.
They didn't hit the floor. Rejoice twisted mid-fall, taking the brunt of the impact against the stone wall with a heavy thud that rattled the weapons on the nearby rack. The air left his lungs in a sharp gasp, but his reflexes were honed from a thousand Nether skirmishes. As Tai scrambled for purchase, trying to pin him, Rejoice's legs scissored, flipping their positions in a blur of motion.
Suddenly, Tai was the one against the wall, the cold stone biting through his thin shirt. Rejoice’s body was a solid, unyielding bar of heat and muscle pressed against him, pinning him. Tai drove a knee up, aiming for a vulnerable target, but Rejoice anticipated it, shifting his hip to block and trapping Tai’s leg between his own.
"Feisty today, aren't we?" Rejoice rasped, his breath hot against Tai's ear. The words were amused, but his eyes, up close, held a wild, battle-ready glint. “Glad you’re finally recovered.”
Tai responded by whipping his head forward, a vicious attempt at a headbutt. Rejoice jerked back just in time, Tai's forehead grazing his chin. Seizing the fraction of an inch of space, Tai got an arm free and swung, his fist connecting solidly with the muscle of Rejoice’s shoulder. It was a good hit, one that would bruise.
Rejoice grunted, a sharp, pained sound, but his grip only tightened. One hand fisted in the back of Tai’s shirt, the fabric tearing slightly under the strain. The other arm wrapped around Tai’s waist, hauling him flush against the wall and against Rejoice’s body, eliminating any space for another swing. Tai struggled, a trapped animal, throwing his weight side-to-side, but Rejoice held him firm, his own body a cage of relentless strength.
"Had enough, princess?" Rejoice breathed, his voice low and rough. His face was inches away, a faint red mark already blooming on his shoulder. He didn't look angry. He looked exhilarated, alive, his gaze locked on Tai’s with an intensity that was far more disarming than any glare.
“Stop fucking calling me that.” Tai’s chest heaved against Rejoice’s, their rapid breaths mingling in the scant space between them. The fight had shifted. It was no longer about escape or victory; it was a brutal, a stalemate, a raw testament to their matched stubbornness. Every point of contact, the hand tangled in his shirt, the arm banded around his ribs, the press of their bodies from chest to thigh—crackled with the hard energy of the struggle.
The air wasn't thick with tension anymore; it was with something else, and Tai, pinned and breathless, was utterly grounded in the current.
“There it is,” Rejoice breathed into his ear, his voice thrilled and strained. “That’s what I wanted. None of that sick, compliant shit. I honestly wondered how much more bullshit I have to do before I get you to snap.”
They were chest to chest, hearts pounding against each other. Tai was glaring up at him, breath coming in short pants, covered in ridiculous glitter. Rejoice was looking down, his own breathing uneven, his earlier laughter gone, replaced by a dark, intense focus. His eyes dropped to Tai’s mouth.
For a terrifying, exhilarating second, Tai thought he would close the last inch between them.
He didn’t.
Instead, Rejoice slowly, deliberately, loosened his grip. He brought his dusted hand up and gently brushed a thumb over Tai’s cheekbone, leaving a shimmering streak. “Cute,” he murmured, the word a soft, dangerous promise.
“Get out of my sight,” Tai spat, the words etched with their usual venom, trembling with something akin to rage and something else entirely. He pushed against Rejoice’s hold, but the fight had drained his reserves, the adrenaline was gone, leaving only the heavy, sick ache from Rejoice’s blows in its wake.
Rejoice didn’t move. His grip shifted from loose to imprisonment. “No, can’t do, baby.” With a quick motion of his hand, he fisted a bottle from his pocket and drank it before popping another completely different potion against the ground.
The ominous potion’s effect was immediate; Tai instantly felt drowsiness wash over him. He was feeling okay just moments ago, way more okay than before, albeit still in his rival's debt, and the world outside was still an anarchy server full of traps and betrayal. But it was already too late; something had exploded between them. Darkness rushed up to meet him.
He was stupid, Tai was stupid. Always charging, always going at it without even thinking. It was a losing game from the start. He couldn’t even really blame it all on Rejoice because by the end of the day, it was his fault for snapping.
“Thank you,” Rejoice said after a while, softer now as he dimmed the lanterns in the hallway, “for showing up every Thursday.”
He knew Tai wouldn’t answer. The guy was already sound asleep, a deep slumber had already pulled him under its grasp, but Rejoice still said it out loud nonetheless.
He lingered by the wall for a moment after Tai’s breathing evened out, arms crossed, expression unreadable. Then he reached out and carefully brushed a stray lock of hair away from Tai’s forehead. A strange twisted smirk stretched on his lips. His eyes glinted with something akin to interest, maybe something darker.
“You’re cute, Tai.”
“Next time you set foot into my base, voluntary or not,” he murmured, mostly to himself, “you’re definitely going to be mine.”