They climbed the stairs in silence.
Kin's leg ached. His shoulder throbbed. But the adrenaline from the car dealership had faded, leaving behind a bone-deep exhaustion he couldn't shake.
At his door, he stopped.
"I'm going to lie down," he said.
Lina crossed her arms. "We need to talk."
"Can it wait?"
"It's been waiting since last night."
He opened his mouth to argue. His stomach growled instead.
Lina raised an eyebrow. "Hungry?"
"Starving."
"Then come to my place. I'll feed you. And then we'll talk."
"You're not going to let me avoid this, are you?"
"No."
He followed her into her apartment. She reheated leftover dumplings and made fresh rice. They ate at the small table, the yellow flowers still in the jar between them.
Kin ate slowly. Buying time. Thinking of excuses.
Lina watched him the whole time.
"You're stalling," she said.
"I'm chewing."
"You're chewing the same dumpling for three minutes."
He swallowed. "Fine. What do you want to know?"
"Everything. Starting with why you left in the middle of the night."
He opened his mouth—
And yawned.
Not fake. Real. Exhaustion crashed over him like a wave. His eyes watered. His jaw cracked.
Lina stared at him.
"Did you just yawn while I was trying to interrogate you?"
"I'm sorry. I can't help it." He rubbed his eyes. "I haven't slept properly in days."
"You slept this morning."
"I slept on your couch and woke up elsewhere . That's not sleeping. That's collapsing."
She sighed. "Finish your food. Then we'll talk."
He finished. She cleared the plates. He moved to the couch—the same couch from last night, the same blanket, the same pillow.
"Don't fall asleep," she said from the kitchen.
"I won't."
The TV was on. Some afternoon talk show. Bright colors. Loud laughter. Kin leaned back. The cushion was soft. The blanket smelled like her.
I'll just rest my eyes for a minute, he thought.
He was asleep in ten seconds.
***
He woke to a shadowy silhouette that blocked out the little sunlight that wanted to seep in and it took him a while to adjust his vision and see .
The room was dim. The TV had gone silent—someone turned it off. The afternoon light had faded to a grey gold.
And Lina was standing in front of him.
She wasn't wearing her usual clothes.
And Lina was standing in front of him.
She wore black lace—but not the kind you'd find in a shop window. The kind you'd hide in a drawer. The fabric traced her body like it was painted on, hugging every curve, every hollow. Thin straps barely clung to her shoulders, threatening to slip with the smallest breath. The lace cut low across her chest, revealing the soft swell of her breasts, and lower still, a whisper of transparency that hinted at the warmth beneath.
Her hair was down—not the tight bun she wore for business, but loose, dark waves spilling over her bare shoulders and framing her face like a secret. Her lips were slightly parted. Her eyes were half-lidded, heavy with something between challenge and invitation.
Her feet were bare. Toes painted a deep red. She stood with one hip cocked, the curve of her waist accentuated by the dim light.
She wasn't just standing there.
She was presenting herself. Every inch of her said: I know what I want. The question is whether you're brave enough to take it.
Kin's brain stopped working.
"What—"
She stepped closer. Her knees touched the edge of the couch.
"You bought me a car," she said.
"I—yes?"
"Two hundred thousand Spirit Nether. On a whim. To spite a rude salesperson."
"That's not the only reason."
"No?" She leaned down. Her face was inches from his. "Then why?"
He couldn't think. She was too close. She smelled like the soap from this morning, like tamarind and warmth.
"I wanted to," he said. Stupid. Weak.
"You wanted to." She climbed onto the couch, straddling his hips. The lace brushed against his sweatpants. "You wanted to buy me a car. You wanted to carry me to bed. You wanted to kiss me. You wanted to leave in the middle of the night without saying goodbye."
"I didn't want to leave—"
"But you did." She grabbed his wrists and pinned them above his head. She was stronger than he expected. "So I have to ask myself. What do you actually want, Kin?"
"Lina—"
"Do you want to fuck me?"
His face went hot. "That's not—"
"Because you bought me a car. And men don't buy women cars unless they want something." Her voice was sharp, but her eyes were soft. Vulnerable. "So. Do you?"
"Yes." The word came out before he could stop it. "But not like this. Not because you feel obligated—"
"I don't feel obligated." She released his wrists. Sat back on his thighs. "I feel confused. And angry. And... something else."
"What something else?"
"I don't know yet." She looked down at him. "But I'm in the mood to find out."
He tried to sit up. She pushed him back down.
"You're afraid of me," she said.
"I'm not—"
"Your heart is pounding. Your hands are shaking. You're looking at me like I'm a bomb about to go off."
"You're not a bomb."
"Then what am I?"
He reached up and touched her face. His fingers traced her jaw.
"You're the only person who's seen me," he said. "The real me. And that's terrifying."
Her expression softened. Then hardened again.
"Your pretentious act is faltering," she whispered.
"Good. I'm tired of pretending."
She kissed him.
Not soft. Not gentle. Rough. Demanding. Her hands tangled in his hair, pulling, holding. He gasped against her mouth and she swallowed the sound.
She bit his lower lip. Not hard. Just enough.
He groaned.
"Lina—"
"Shhhhh." She pulled his shirt over his head. Her fingers traced the bandages on his shoulder, his thigh. "You're still hurt."
"I don't care."
"I do." She kissed his neck. His collarbone. The edge of the gauze. "But I'm not stopping."
She was strong. Too strong. She pinned him again, her hips grinding against his, her mouth hot on his throat.
"You're too strong," he breathed.
"I know."
"Why?"
She pulled back just enough to look at him. Her eyes were dark. Serious.
"Because I want to tire you out," she said. "So you can't run away from me like last time."
"Lina—"
"I woke up alone, Kin. In a cold bed. With your dent still in the pillow." Her voice cracked. "I'm not letting that happen again."
He wrapped his arms around her. Held her tight.
"It won't," he said.
"Promise?"
"I promise."
She kissed him again. Slower this time. Deeper.
The afternoon became a blur of warm skin and tangled limbs. She was rough when she wanted to be, gentle when she didn't. He learned the sounds she made—the small gasps, the bitten-off moans, the way she said his name like a question and an answer at the same time.
At some point, the blanket fell off the couch. Neither of them noticed. They were deep in each other.
When it was over, she lay on top of him, her head on his chest, her fingers tracing lazy circles on his stomach. Neither of them spoke.
The room was dark now. Evening. The clock on her wall said 3:47 PM.
"I'm not moving," she said.
"Okay."
"For at least an hour."
"Okay."
"And when I do move, I'm going to make you dinner."
"You already made lunch."
"That was before. This is after."
He laughed. His chest rumbled. She pressed her ear to it, listening.
"I can hear your heart," she said.
"Is it beating normally?"
"It's beating fast. But not from the sex."
"No?"
"No. It's beating fast because you're scared." She looked up at him. "Why are you scared, Kin?"
He stared at the ceiling. The crack. Smaller than Gerald, but similar.
"Because I've never had this," he said. "Someone who stays. Someone who sees me. Someone who..." He trailed off.
"Who?"
"Someone who makes me want to be better."
She was quiet for a long time.
Then she kissed his chest, right over his heart.
"That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me," she whispered.
"It's the truest thing I've ever said."
They fell asleep like that. Her on top of him. His arms around her. The blanket on the floor.
***
Kin woke to darkness.
Real darkness. The kind that came after sunset. The clock on the wall said 6:12 PM.
Lina was still on top of him. Still asleep. Her hair was spread across his chest like dark water.
He didn't move.
He lay there, listening to her breathe•
Then his stomach growled.
Lina stirred. Blinked. Lifted her head.
"What time is it?" she mumbled.
"After six."
She groaned. "I slept on you for three hours."
"You slept on me for three hours."
"Are you comfortable?"
"My arm is numb. My leg is throbbing. And I'm starving."
She sat up. The blanket—which someone had retrieved—fell away. She didn't bother covering herself.
"You don't look tired," she said, studying him. "You look... energetic, actually."
"Good sex will do that."
She smacked his chest. "Don't be smug."
"I'm not smug. I'm honest."
She climbed off the couch and stretched. Her body moved like water. Kin watched. She caught him watching.
"Eyes up here," she said.
"Sorry."
"No, you're not."
"I'm really not."
She laughed—a real laugh, warm and open. Then she pulled on her robe.
"Dinner?" she asked.
"I thought you'd never ask."
"Let's go out. I don't feel like cooking."
"You? Not cooking?"
"Don't get used to it."
***
They drove the silver SUV.
Lina behind the wheel. Kin in the passenger seat. The city lights blurred past the tinted windows. She drove with one hand, the other resting on his thigh.
"You're staring at me again," she said.
"I'm admiring."
"Same thing."
"I'm allowed."
She didn't argue.
They found a small restaurant—the kind with candles on the tables and menus written on chalkboards. Lina ordered for both of them. Kin didn't protest.
Halfway through the meal, a blue screen flickered in his vision.
[System Notification – Hidden from Lina]
[Objective Complete: Win over a woman.]
[Reward: 50,000 SN. Biometric key acquired. Changeable Mask now available for purchase.]
[Lina Status: Bonded (Unofficial). She has chosen you. She has claimed you. She will not betray you lightly.]
[New Status: Lina is now under System protection. Passive defense field active within 50 meters of her location.]
[Warning: Emotional bonds are double-edged swords. Protect her. Do not let the Quiet Commission find her.]
[Next mission in: 147 hours, 12 minutes.]
Kin stared at the screen.
Bonded, he thought. She's bonded.
He looked across the table. Lina was eating noodles, oblivious. A strand of hair had fallen across her face. She tucked it behind her ear.
She doesn't know, he realized. She doesn't know the System is watching. That it's protecting her now. That she's part of this.
"Kin?"
He blinked. "Yeah?"
"You spaced out. Everything okay?"
He smiled. It was small. Genuine.
"Everything's fine," he said. "Just... thinking."
"About what?"
He squeezed her hand and smiled.
They finished dinner. Drove home. Parked the SUV in its spot.
Upstairs, she pulled him into her apartment.
"You're sleeping in my bed tonight," she said.
"Your couch is comfortable."
"My bed is more comfortable. And I want to wake up next to you."
He didn't argue.
That night, for the first time in years, Kin slept without dreaming of blood.
[System Notification – Hidden from Lina]
[Mental stability: +15%. New total: 71%.]
[Lina Trust Level: 52%. She is no longer just an ally. She is yours. Do not fail her.]
He didn't see the notification.
He was already asleep.