𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 !? ♡ [BL]

⟢ 07 .

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A goodnight... kiss.

You not-so-discreetly glanced at the man beside you, who had a peculiar smile curling itself across his lips as his eyebrows raised behind his bangs. A snake. You had a dozen more comparisons of his vile self, but just imagining placing your lips on his... your entire body gave a shudder.

Now, it wasn't as if you'd never kissed before... you'd kissed ( or more so, were kissed by ) that one girl back in the organization, after she'd handed you some sappy love note drowned in her sickly perfume, colored all rosy and pink. You'd given it a brief glance, read the first two words, deemed it as a love proclamation, and swiftly declined her offer. She'd burst into tears, brusquely smacked her lips on your cheek for a total of half a second, and then fled. Thinking on it now, you never did see her again. She wasn't a bad person by any means, but in this sort of field... it was like barren soil, dead. There wasn't exactly any time, or place, for something as wholesome as love to bloom.

"What's that look for?" Nikolai laughed, placing a hand over his heart like he was wounded. "I don't bite, you know..."

As if. That guy was like a rabid animal, provoke him in the slightest and he'd lash out. "Hah, I wouldn't put it past you."

"...'wouldn't put it past you', Your Highness." His mocking tone was something akin to a cement block, one that was being painfully scraped against the ground, grating against your ears and only sending another wave of disgust through your body.

You scoffed, not all too willing to comply. Originally planning to speak in a harsher manner, you quieted your words. A relapse of what had happened, twice already... you'd rather not relive it a third time. "...Shouldn't I be the one correcting you every time you call me dear assassin? What's with that?"

Nikolai's eyes curved upwards cheekily. "So? I'm the prince, what's stopping me?"

Shit, there wasn't too much you could say to that. "Your... moral code?"

Wow, and here you thought you were skilled in lying. Clearly not — one should at least make up falsities that were believable. Considering the fact that he'd decided to reject you the mercy of execution and instead decide to "keep" you like some sort of pet... it was easy to assume that his so-called "moral code" was in tatters.

"There's that, I suppose." He didn't give your suggestion much thought, like he'd never heard it in the first place. That, or he acted like it didn't even apply to him. Either way, you wouldn't be surprised. "Well, now that it's come to my attention, I am the prince, so..."

What, you want a golden star for figuring that out?

"... if you don't want to give me a goodnight kiss, I can just order you to?"

You paused.

"...That's extortion of authority, your highness."

"And it's also insubordination if you choose not to! I could have the axe guys down there in the dungeons lop your head off, but in all honesty, I think seeing you tortured would be much more entertaining!" Nikolai's eyes were slightly widened, giving him an unhinged feel ( though, he acted that way unprompted, so you supposed it didn't matter much ), and he shut them in a closed-eyed beam, one that radiated such cheeriness and innocence as if he hadn't just suggested fucking torture.

To be fair, you had been trained to resist torture, a tedious process that you wished fervently not to repeat. The tormenting bit of the practice wasn't even the worst part, just the acrid, constant smell of bleach and hydrogen peroxide that lingered in that cramped ass room- oh, and the way blood got just eeeeverywhere. You'd walk in there with some nice clothes and come out absolutely dripping, ripped sleeves and pant legs, covered head to toe in blood and likely a dozen more scars, on your fingers, chest, midriff, whatever. You didn't know how many of those you had now — you'd only started naming them after the first year passed.

Thinking back to those times in a fond light was strange. People said you never truly knew what it was like to miss something until it was gone, but people were stupid, and now that the physical anguish of those days had translated to mental, courtesy of Nikolai... you pinched the skin of your knuckles absent-mindedly, leaving reddish, crescent-shaped marks on your hands.

No, that wasn't what you should be agonizing over at the moment, there was a far more pressing issue at hand! You felt a migraine coming on, a suspicion that was most unfortunately confirmed as a familiar, pestering ache entered your temples. You snuck a glance in at Nikolai, who seemed to be rather accustomed to your spacing out sessions, and was leaning back against his office chair, hands raised and supporting his head. Your gaze, hesitantly, traveled from his averted eyes to his lips, and you fought back another shaking session. There wasn't anything wrong with his lips in particular, but there was most certainly something wrong with Nikolai-

"And that makes thirty seconds. Done pondering your sarcastic responses to my questions yet, dear assassin?" Nikolai stood, walking in tall, but slow steps towards where you sat. Pressured, you stood up as well, mentally cringing when you found the top of your head only reaching the bottom of his jaw.

"Your Highness, are you really ordering such a..." Your voice trailed off, and you grew quiet as red flashed across your features. Oh, nine hells. Frantically, you flicked your gaze sideways, finding the words too humiliating to speak. "...indecent act, I mean, to do such a thing to another man like that is-"

Nikolai's laugh was abrupt, sudden enough to startle you out of your flushed state. It wasn't a quiet one either, but rather, one of the first normal-sounding ones you'd heard from him. Amused, yes, but not in a twisted way, and more akin to playful teasing — like something you'd hear from someone familiar to you. You blinked at him, watching as he doubled over comically, clutching his sides.

"Ah-Ahaha- dear assassin, don't tell me you were actually thinking that we'd make out, or something?" Seeing your stunned expression, he laughed once more, this time the grin lingering on his lips afterwards. You liked it better when he smiled like this. It was likely the only something of Nikolai you could grow to be fond of. "Nonono, it's simple. On my cheek is fine, m/n. You're an idiot."

Oh.

'Oh'?

You frowned, flopping back down in your chair and instantly regretting it with the way Nikolai now easily towered over you. "I... I'm not an idiot, Your Highness. I knew that was what you meant, I just-" You swallowed thickly. "Ah. You... said my name?"

"Hm? What, you don't like it?"

Dangerous, this man is seriously dangerous.

"With the way you were calling me 'dear' left and right, I never expected you'd use my name so freely."

You'd said it half-jokingly, not expecting that Nikolai would only smirk and respond, "Come now, isn't one's name being said more intimate than some throwaway nickname just about anyone can be called?"

"Hah, is your target in this intimacy, Your Highness?"

That glint in his eyes, paired with that cursingly charming, sideways smile of his... He leaned in, still standing, but caged you in with his arms, regarding you ardently.

"And if it is, m/n?"

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. . . www the plot progressed so slowly this chapter... ( dw, something major will be happening in the next one or two !! )

... ahem, are you noticing the 'signs'? im dropping hints but i wont be elaborating any further- it'd be no fun just telling you the answer, would it? ill see you next week <33

— 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬: 𝟏𝟑𝟐𝟒