Chapter Text
When you wake up, you find yourself chained to a chair, manacles digging into your wrists and ankles. You thrash around, panicked for a moment, yanking at the chains, testing how much force they could take.
There’s no give, and as your eyes adjust to the darkness, you register the cold, thick metal of the chair. No amount of struggling could break your way through that.
Short of dislocating every finger you have, or maybe degloving your hand, there’s no way of slipping out of these things.
Fuck.
You slump backwards in defeat.
What now?
Your eyes dart around the room, trying to make sense of your surroundings. There’s not much to see – the room you’re in is windowless, the walls smooth and featureless, and aside from the chair you’re sitting in, there’s not a single piece of furniture to be seen.
This is mostly likely an interrogation room, you decide. Or possibly a prison cell. Subterranean, maybe? It’s cold, but without a window, there’s no way to tell for sure.
What’s the last thing you remember?
Fighting. No big, epic battle – you and your group had been ambushed on the road. You remember the rush of violence, the look in your enemies’ eyes as you overpowered them, the clashing of swords and–
You freeze.
Swords.
“…Hyunjin,” you hiss.
There’s a pause, and then the room is suddenly engulfed in light and the roar of flames.
You manage not to flinch. You know that sound. These days, it seems you can never escape it for too long.
On the wall in front of you, now illuminated by fire, you can see the perfect silhouette of your current position – and the figure of the man behind you.
You watch it move, tracking it across the wall, until he enters your peripheral.
Hyunjin takes his time circling you, eyes fixed on you. All the while, his sword trails against the floor, nearly two feet long and consumed by red-hot fire. You know it’s not ordinary fire – it doesn’t smoke, it doesn’t smoulder, but you know it burns. There’s a scar on your left shoulder blade that proves just that. A memento of the first and last time you underestimated Hyunjin in a fight.
You lift your chin, staring him down in defiance.
“You’re awake,” he notes, his voice entirely devoid of emotion.
For all your dealings with Hyunjin over the past few months, you’ve rarely heard him speak. He’s silent on the battlefield, swift and lethal. You’d almost respect it, if it weren’t for all the times he’d tried to murder you.
“This is new,” you quip, raising an eyebrow as you try to lift your right hand, the chains barely allowing an inch of movement. “You don’t really seem the kidnapping type.”
He doesn’t respond. He just keeps staring you down, eyeing you carefully, as if cataloguing your every perceptible strength and weakness. You’ve seen him give you the same look right before battle, and you can’t help but tense in anticipation.
“I guess I could be wrong. Maybe you’re into the whole creepy abduction thing, how would I know?” You shrug, or at least you attempt to, as much as your restraints would allow. “Still, this strikes me as a Chan idea. Am I wrong?”
No response.
You roll your eyes, and decide to aim for the jugular with your next question. “Are you back to being Chan’s little lapdog again? Because–”
Hyunjin’s eyes flash, and in an instant, the sword is up and pointed directly at you. You can feel the heat rolling off it, pricking at your skin. “Careful.”
“Or what?” You retort, trying your best to ignore the raging flames just inches away from your face. “You’re not going to kill me right now, not after going to all this trouble. If you really wanted me dead, you would have done it on the battlefield.”
Hyunjin frowns, giving you the deadliest of glares. Still, after a pause, he begins to lower his sword, even as he retorts. “I still want you dead anyway.”
“Hyunjin, you’re hurting my feelings,” you say, pouting at him.
“I still want you dead, but…” he trails off for a second, as if reluctant to finish his sentence. But eventually, he does with a sigh. “I want answers first.”
Interrogation room, you called it.
“If it’s about the war, you’re wasting your time,” you say. “I’m basically hired muscle. The higher-ups don’t trust me with anything more than my next location and a new squadron to target. Sorry to disappoint.”
“It’s not about the war. It’s about you.”
You stare at him, struck well and truly speechless for the first time in this conversation. “…Me?”
“You’re an anomaly,” Hyunjin tells you, his lips curling around the word ‘anomaly’ like it’s some kind of insult. “I’ve faced you in combat seven times now–”
“It’s cute that you’ve kept count.”
“–and you still live. That doesn’t happen. Ever.”
You should probably find it a little alarming that you find this flattering.
“Who did you train with?” Hyunjin asks, demanding.
You tilt your head. “No one exceptional. I joined the army when I was fourteen. Received basic training. Made enough money to discharge myself. Tried out a few different swordmasters in the capital, none really stood out. Everything else, I figured out on my own.”
Hyunjin’s eyes narrow. “I don’t believe you.”
You scoff. “Believe all you want, it’s the truth. I work my ass off, and I’ve been in and out of scraps most of my life. That’s the secret to my success.”
He presses on. “Magic?”
“None. You really think I wouldn’t have busted that out against you by now?” You ask, before you nod towards that flaming sword. “Tried to level the playing field against that thing?”
He knows you have a valid point. You can tell from the way frustration creeps into his expression, the way it tightens his jaw and gleams in his eye.
Yeah, you’re definitely at least a little bit flattered.
“Maybe I’m just special,” you shrug again, flashing him your most charming grin.
Hyunjin stares at you again, practically burning a hole through you – and shocks you when he mutters. “…Maybe.”
You...you cannot wrap your brain around the idea that Hyunjin thinks you’re special. You actively refuse to comprehend that idea, that would be bad, because already, you can feel your ego swelling. You are dangerously close to preening under his attention.
Instead, you clear your throat, and change the subject. “So, what now?”
Hyunjin seems to consider your question carefully, and his response is perfectly flat. “I suppose I kill you.”
You blink, words already spilling out before you can even stop yourself. “You’re not going to kill me.”
This statement sparks something in Hyunjin, judging by the way his eyebrow raises. He’s taking this as a challenge. “No?”
“After all that talk about us fighting? The whole ‘seven times’ thing?” You remind him, staying strong in the face of his dangerous look, in the face of that sword that hovers just a little too close for comfort. “And you’re going to kill me like this, restrained and unarmed? No. That’s basically admitting defeat.”
Hyunjin pauses at your words, and you watch them sink in. You know you’re speaking the truth. You know exactly what killing you here would mean for him. You know exactly how much it would eat at him for the rest of his life, the way he’d taken the coward’s way out.
You know because, if the roles were reversed, you’d feel the same way.
And because Hyunjin is just full of surprises tonight, his response catches you entirely off-guard.
“…Come join us.”
“What?”
Hyunjin’s eyes sweep you from head to toe, and you wonder in that moment if he’s considered this before. There’s nothing new to the way he appraises you, brow creasing just a touch in concentration. A tendril of blond hair has come loose from his ponytail, falling over his face, framing his intense gaze. “You’re…how did you put it? Hired muscle? I can’t imagine you have any particular loyalties to your side.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m going to join yours,” you splutter.
He frowns. “Why not?”
You can’t help it. You laugh, and the sound comes out bitter, edged. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but your leader is a genocidal maniac intent on razing half the country to the ground.”
Hyunjin tenses, grip tightening on his sword, and you see a muscle in his jaw twitch. “He’s taking back the throne that belongs to him.”
“And?” You ask, unimpressed. “I’ve never really cared for politics.”
Hyunjin’s expression sours, for just a moment, and you think you might have finally gotten under his skin. It’s about time. “…Fine. Then abandon this war. It’s not a fight you can win.”
“I don’t know,” you say, drawing out the words. “I managed to win against you. Seven times, apparently.”
“You never won,” Hyunjin argues, quick to correct you. “You just didn’t lose.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Winning would be killing me,” he declares, and his next words are laced with just a hint of arrogance. “You haven’t managed that.”
“So, what? It’s been a draw?” You ask. The word doesn’t sit right with you. Maybe it’s just your competitive streak talking, but the idea of a ‘draw’ only makes you want to keep going. Keep fighting until you win.
Hyunjin seems to agree, judging by his reluctance. “A stalemate. For now.”
“For now,” you agree.
Silence falls between the two of you. It’s only now that you start to take him in, taking note of the sleek, black leather he always seems to favour in a fight. It clings to him like a second skin, streamlining his movements, camouflaging him in the dark.
Outside of combat, though, it highlights just how lean his frame is. You take one look at that tiny waist, and you can’t help but imagine hooking your arm around it. Grabbing it with both hands and pinning him down, fingers splayed so they can brush his ribcage, watching his legs kick out as he struggles.
You think you’re imagining a fight. Honestly, you’re not really sure anymore. You’ve never been sure when it comes to Hyunjin. That’s probably another thing that should alarm you.
“So, if you’re not going to kill me, I’ll ask again. What now?” You say, challenging him once more. And, because you’ve never had the knack for self-preservation, you push him just a little more. “Are you planning to keep me in your secret sex dungeon forever?”
It’s meant as a sarcastic little quip, nothing more, but the way Hyunjin stills immediately captures your attention.
With a tone just a touch too insistent to be entirely innocent, Hyunjin argues. “This isn’t a sex dungeon.”
You smirk. There’s something here, something to this that catches him, the same way a thorn snags at a piece of fabric. You keep pushing. “I bet you say that to all the helpless rivals you tie up in here.”
Hyunjin shoots you a look, probably intended to shut you up, but all it does is encourage you further. After all this time, this is what draws out such a human reaction from a cold-blooded assassin.
You gasp. “Wait, don’t tell me I’m…am I your first?”
“Enough games.”
“I’m honoured, truly.”
“You–”
“I’ll be gentle, I promise.”
There’s a look of pure disbelief in his eyes. A hesitation in the way he stands, balance just slightly off. “…Why are you flirting with me?”
You could say you’re bored. You could say it’s just for fun. You could tell him that the longer you’ve been sat here, watching him try and fail to puzzle you out, watching him treat you like an equal, the more you’ve been imagining him under you.
Instead, you smirk. “Let’s be honest with ourselves. We’ve been flirting for a while now.”
Hyunjin’s stunned reaction speaks for itself. It feels nice to finally be the one to surprise him.
“What?” You ask, head tilting, smirk growing.
“…We haven’t been flirting.”
“Oh, haven’t we? You really went to all this trouble to capture me alive, transport me here, and get the two of us alone, just to ask me where I learned to fight? I mean…” you laugh, tugging at your manacles to demonstrate your point, paying specific attention to the way your legs have been spread to chain them to each chair leg. “This alone is just a tad suspect, Hyunjin.”
You don’t know if Hyunjin has it in him to blush, but you don’t miss the swallow he takes as he stares at your restrained form through this new lens.
But he’s still so quick to deny your point. “I don’t flirt with people. And people don’t flirt with me.”
“Their loss,” you say, and you can’t believe how fun this is. Watching Hyunjin’s reaction as he struggles to comprehend the new battle he’s unwittingly stumbled into. Watching the way he doesn’t quite reject this new style of combat. “You’re an attractive man.”
“I kill my enemies by setting them on fire and watching them burn to death. That’s enough to scare most admirers away, don’t you think?” Hyunjin asks, and you catch the underlying meaning to his words. Once again, you’ve distinguished yourself as an anomaly, different from the others he surrounds himself with.
“You don’t scare me,” you tell him. He did once, you’ll admit. Back when he was still a mystery, a threat that brought you the closest to the brink of death you’d ever been. Back when that still panicked you, before it began to thrill you. You look him directly in the eye, downright gleeful as you ask him the question you know will irritate him. “Do I scare you?”
“No,” he snaps, immediately, as if he’s offended at the very idea.
“Do I interest you?”
This time, he has no quick answer. You wait patiently as he stands there, conflicted. Lying now would be just like killing you where you sat – the easy way out, the empty victory. Telling the truth, however, means giving you exactly what you want.
But he does it anyway, if reluctantly. “…Yes.”
You lean back, head held high as you settle into your chair, so confident and comfortable that you could mistake it for a throne of your own.
“Hyunjin, do I excite you?”
The answer is obvious. You can see it in his eyes, that tiniest little spark of realisation. You can see it in the way he hasn’t been able to look away from you this entire time, pressing you for answers so eagerly that he’s found himself hanging onto your every word.
You have him, and he knows it.
That’s why, after one long moment of guilty silence, of staring at you with wide eyes, of letting his gaze dip just a little, Hyunjin swallows and turns on his heel – storming out of the room before you could tease his answer out of him.
On impulse, you try to push yourself up to your feet to follow, before you’re quickly reminded of the restraints that have you pinned to this chair, allowing Hyunjin to escape.
You slump, scowling at the door as irritation swells up within you. You had been so close to victory; you could practically taste it.
And now…
Stalemate. Once again.
You sigh. Time to plan your next move, just as you’re sure Hyunjin will be planning his, as soon as he’s recovered from this particular battle. From what you can tell, you’re going to be here a while.
Might as well make the most of it.