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Mint hummed a quiet tune to himself, staring at the moonlit sky from his mansion windowsill. He held up his chin with his hands, smiling as he fondly thought about a certain letter from a certain individual. He let out a giggle as he recalled what exactly he was sitting here and waiting for in the middle of the night. He was waiting for the Phantom, known for their dramatic and dazzling performances of thievery, as well as their ability to always get away with their crimes and keep their true identity secret despite all their frivolous antics. They were both a thief of precious jewels and hearts, their act charming many, and admittedly Mint had fallen prey to it as well. Though, it wasn’t some mere celebrity crush. Mint had been in contact with Phantom for a couple of months now, the two exchanging written letters rather frequently, and had bonded quite well in that time span. Any sort of idle admiration Mint had for the thief before had quickly escalated into desperate swooning.
How exactly Phantom found Mint’s letters or how they managed to get their responses in his room with no trace was a mystery to him, but one he wasn’t concerned about. The secrecy made them all the more alluring to Mint. Gah, it sounded just like a silly teenage crush, but surely he was allowed to indulge in some fantasy, even as an adult! Especially when the fantasy was quite real.
The Phantom’s most recent letter, or rather calling card, to Mint detailed how they would come to visit him in person tonight and steal him away, in their typical riddle-like writing style of course. Mint was thrilled at the idea, and here he sat beside his window, his excitement not allowing him any sleep tonight until he met the one he yearned for. How long had he been sitting here anyway? Daydreaming about the mysterious thief?
Suddenly Mint felt someone lean over his shoulder from behind. “What are you looking for, darling?” A soft yet cunning voice asked. Mint jumped and snapped over to look at the newcomer, letting out a little yelp that tumbled into nervous, pleasant laughter as he recognized the masked figure. The other grinned at him, their turquoise eyes sparkling behind the dark navy mask that covered half of their face. Mint took a second to process the one before him before replying, subconsciously holding his breath as he took them in. They looked even more stunning up close than they did in newspaper photos.
“You, of course.” Mint returned the grin, relaxing as he gazed into their eyes. He could get lost in them so easily.
“Well, I am here.” Phantom kept their smirk. They leaned forward towards Mint, hands folded behind their back. Mint nodded and hummed in acknowledgment to their words, but wouldn’t say anything, focused more on their beauty. A moment of quiet eye contact passed before Phantom spoke again with a chuckle. “You have been staring for longer than I expected. The night has only just begun, and it seems I have already stolen your heart.”
Mint blinked, sitting up and briefly shuffling around in his chair, easily flustered by their smooth talking. “Ah, haha… My apologies, it is difficult not to admire your stunning grace.”
The compliment was well received, and the Phantom brushed their hand against Mint’s hair. “No need to apologize, dear. It is flattering to know how you have fallen for me.” Mint foolish grin would only widen with each word the other said. He shifted around more in his seat, unable to keep still with all the fluttering in his stomach. He attempted to respond, but found himself shy, any word he spoke devolving into bashful giggling. Phantom laughed alongside him, and then extended a hand. “Why don’t we have a dance in this extravagant home of yours?”
Mint glanced down at the hand and then back up at their face before nodding and accepting the offer, taking their hand in his. Phantom pulled him up from his chair, gently but clearly having some strength behind it. Suddenly standing, Mint fully realized just how tall the Phantom was, having to slightly raise his head to meet their gaze. It wasn’t an enormous difference, but one he still noticed and flushed over.
Holding his hand, Phantom guided Mint through his own expansive manor. The trip was silent, perfect for Mint to daydream and stare. Maybe he should have been disturbed by the fact that the Phantom moved so effortlessly through his maze of a house, every step clearly made with intent, implying they knew the layout by heart despite never having been invited in before… but, if anything, Mint expected it. The Phantom planned all their heists flawlessly, of course they knew the layout of places they would “steal” from. Mint did not know if they would be literally stealing anything from him, but he wouldn’t mind if they did. He had plenty of valuables. He was rather wealthy after all, he didn’t mind if the thief wished to have some of it for their own.
Finally, the duo arrived at a wide open room. It was near pitch black in the corners, only patches of the large barren floors and walls being lit up. Mint barely recognized this place, not often going so deep into his mansion to wherever Phantom had guided him. All at once, the Phantom thrust Mint forward, holding tight onto his hand and pulling him right back in one sweeping motion. Mint’s breath caught in his throat as he swung around and found himself against their chest. The dance had begun.
Mint was used to fancy, slow waltzes- this new style of being practically thrown around had caught him completely off guard, but almost immediately did he begin to relish the rush. Heart racing, he laughed wholeheartedly from a joy he had not experienced in a long while, leaping across the stage with Phantom’s lead. They traveled through the patches of light and patches of dark, spinning so fast that Mint easily became lightheaded, but it was swiftly overshadowed by the flow of adrenaline. The world was so blurry, and he couldn’t process just how much time was passing. Mint wouldn’t realize how draining it was until the dance abruptly ended. Flung into one of the shadowy corners, Mint stared up at Phantom, the thief having trapped him against the wall. His breaths were heavy, occasionally being broken up by faint chuckles, giggly from it all. He felt so dazed. He wanted to say something, ask why the sudden halt, but he was still recovering from all the whirling. Phantom seemed perfectly fine, however, their face was adorned with a sly smile.
“Are you feeling dizzy, Mint?” The Phantom asked. Somehow, there wasn’t even the slightest hint of exhaustion in their voice. Still out of breath, Mint huffed out another breath and nodded.
Their grin widened. “How fortunate for me, then. I suppose that marks my heist as a success, doesn’t it?” Mint blinked and tilted his head to the side, confused as to what exactly they meant. The Phantom recognized his expression and cackled, teasingly placing a finger on his nose. “I told you I came to steal your heart, didn’t I? Don’t you wish for such a thing?”
Something about their demeanor felt off to Mint, but… They were correct. He did want them to, but hadn’t they already done so? He paused, and gave a hesitant nod. He didn’t want to make them think he was denying them.
The Phantom nodded alongside him. “Good, good. I shall take that as a thanks.” With that, they raised their hand- Mint watched, bewildered, as it seemed to draw from the shadows around them. Rapidly their teal glove was enveloped in darkness, not simply becoming black but rather something not seen by light at all. Something in the Phantom’s eyes twinkled, before plunging their altered hand straight into Mint’s chest, somehow passing through bone and clasping their fist right around his heart.
Mint yelped, agony striking through his body as such a vital organ never meant to be touched by anything was crushed in between the Phantom’s palm. After taking hold of his heart, Phantom began pulling back, slowly ripping the organ away from it’s connected veins and tissues. Mint cried out again, tears already streaming down from his eyes. Pain blazed through his blood.
“Why do you cry? Isn’t this what you wanted?” Mint was barely able to make out the words, his head throbbing from both exhaustion and being torn from the inside out, but he wished he wasn’t able to at all, as they just made the torment even worse. The Phantom continued on with their gradual extraction, their shadowy hand cracking every bone in it’s way. Mint’s muscle held onto the heart for as long as it could, and when all of the fibers inevitably snapped apart, there was practically nothing stopping Phantom’s pillage. They wedged the heart as best they could through such a tight squeeze, managing to pull it right beneath the surface of his skin. They paused for a moment, letting Mint suffer through the anguish for just a little longer before giving one last yank and finally breaking the organ out from it’s meaty home. Mint could already feel himself mere seconds from unconsciousness, only barely keeping it together in his searing misery. Before he fell away though, besides all the pain, he could feel the cold air burn against his inner chest, his blood seeping from the wound. His body went limp and his eyes fluttered. He was already slipping away from reality, and before he would completely shut down, his vision locked onto one last thing. Phantom’s wretched smile.