Chapter Text
Subaru analyzed the rope binding him to the chair. Then he looked down to his legs, where two more ropes tied them to the chair's legs.
It was supposed to be easy, routine. He would do his duty as a knight and patrol through the Mathers' domain, check and deal with any threats he would find together with Beatrice, and then they would return home.
But like always, easy was not in the world's dictionary when it came to Natsuki Subaru.
An ambush happened, separating him from Beatrice. The last thing he remembered before waking up tied to this surprisingly comfy chair was the sight of shapely legs he'd long resented knowing.
He looked at the woman standing across from him, who watched him with amusement clear on her face.
Elsa Granheirt. The Bowel Hunter. One of the most infamous assassins throughout the four kingdoms. Someone he fought against multiple times in the past, whether it was directly or indirectly.
It had been more than a year since they last met, and he still remembered it vividly. She, badly injured and with her mind lost, had moved to kill him. How he had trusted in Beatrice to open the door to her library and save him from the flames behind it. How he escaped. How Elsa hadn't. How she should be nothing more than ashes right now.
Should being the operative word.
So now here he was, captured and alone in a room with one of deadliest women in the world, one that he had a very bad history with.
He just kept on winning, didn't he?
He tried to be discreet as he analyzed the room, from the small bed in the corner to the vase of flowers that was on a table. And of course, Elsa herself. He knew there wasn't much he could do in his position, but he had to do what he could if he wanted any hope of escaping.
Elsa's smile widened across from him.
"Ara, are you worried, Natsuki Subaru~?"
She approached him slowly, as if she had all the time in the world. Then she grabbed his chin roughly and tilted his face until he had no choice but to meet her playful gaze.
"You shouldn't work so hard~ I'm sharper, stronger, faster than you. Squirm. Struggle. It won't mean a thing here, you know~?"
His glaring eyes met her teasing ones.
She reached with her second hand and, in contrast to his chin, gently ran her fingers through his raven locks.
He hated how nice it felt.
"With our black hair, we're quite similar, aren't we~? At least in Gusteko's standards. It's always nice to see another with hair like mine~"
That line, about them being similar, finally snapped something in him.
"Quit the games, Elsa! Why did you capture me? What, are my guts no longer enticing to you?"
He knew that he was playing with fire with that last line, but he needed to figure out why he was alive right now. Elsa was not one to spare or capture anyone of her targets.
Did she aim to torture him? Extract information out of him? Enact her revenge?
She let go of him, her warm hands leaving a chill where they had touched him.
She circled him, her hand caressing his shoulder as she moved, until she reached his back. Then, that gentle touch became a grip. It was not rough, not hurtful. But her hand was firm and strong enough to let him know that regardless of his bindings, he would not have been able to resist her.
She bent down and sweetly whispered in his ear.
"Oh, I have no intention of harming you. Much at least~"
She brought her lips closer to his ear, her hot breath sending chills down his spine.
"I saw how Meili cares for you, and I wouldn't want to erase that smile from her face~"
Hearing Meili's come out of her mouth sent a wave of panic through him.
He knew from Meili herself that Elsa loved her. But her words made one of his suspicions become a rising possibility.
He won't allow it. He refused to let Elsa take her back to the assassin's life. Never again.
"Leave her out of this!"
She giggled in response.
"How could I, when she is one of the reasons I'm doing this?"
He stared at her in silence, his glare and wariness prompting her to continue.
"You know, I care for that girl. The fact that she managed to keep her life and have a home is very impressive for a former assassin, especially one who lost~ But I know that those things come with a price. So, tell me, and don't lie~"
Her grip around his shoulder tightened, transforming his discomfort into a crushing pain, one that took everything out of him not to make a sound.
He would not give her the pleasure.
Even though Elsa's tone remained playful, the edge of a threat was clear in her voice and sent a shiver down his spine.
"What did you take from her?"
The implication didn't hit him until only a few seconds later. Of what she implied. Of what she suspected.
He felt his panic, his need to analyze, disappear underneath the babbling wrath that her words prompted.
The fury in his voice was clear, his voice rising with each word spoken.
"Oi. Don't even imagine it. I would never do something like that! Sh-she deserved the chance! The chance to learn, to grow! To be safe, happy, she deserves it! She's just a child, dammit! Like hell I would let something like that happen to her!"
His chest heaved with anger when he finished speaking, every survival instinct of his silenced in order to glare hatefully at the assassin behind his back.
Tense silence stretched between them for a few seconds, Elsa's grip still iron-clad on his shoulder.
And suddenly, she let him go, her hand resting tenderly on his shoulder again.
She allowed a smile of relief to show briefly on her face.
"I see…"
She circled him again, her fingers sliding from his shoulder to the back of his neck before trailing to his other shoulder as she stepped in front of him.
Her grin was unlike the predatory one she usually showed her victims.
Instead, it was more calculated. And within it was something else he couldn't quite pinpoint.
She slid her knee between his knees and placed her hands on the sides of the chair, trapping him.
He did not allow himself to show how uncomfortable the sudden closeness made him.
Her voice carried the same sweet tone she usually uses, but it held something else within it as well.
"You see, I have a proposition for you."
Although his chest still heaved with fury, he forced himself to focus on her and try to calm down, letting her continue with a grin.
"For the last year, I used my presumed death. I went undercover, gathering information about Mama's operations. From her associates, her spies, everything. I'm sure you're familiar with her, no~?"
The words scraped out of his throat, even as he felt his arm and leg burn from her words. His rage stirred anew as he was reminded of what Meili had told him about her supposed "Mama".
"I'm…acquainted with her."
Elsa's smile faltered for a second, then quickly returned, fast enough to make him wonder if he imagined it.
Her voice gained a touch of seriousness to it as she leaned closer, their noses almost touching.
"Meili would never be safe as long as she is alive. Neither are you, or me. But you already know that."
She continued, her smile like that of a predator who had finally caught her prey. He felt the heat of her breath on his face.
"So, here's the deal~, convince your elf girl that I'll be under your protection, permanently, and I'll aid you with everything I have. Every nitty detail and every drop of blood that I can offer~"
"…"
He hated it, but it was a good deal. Capella was the last archbishop that roamed free. She had been good at evading them, out of all the archbishops she was probably the smartest and with the widest network of support.
With Capella gone, no archbishops would remain to lead the Witch Cult, stripping it of its main firepower and leadership.
As much as he hated the idea of working with Elsa, he had worked, and was still working, with far more vile people, like a certain clown.
Her safety for the chance of finally ending the Witch Cult. It was clear where the scales tilted.
…And it would make Meili happy, wouldn't it?
But still, he refused to just back down and accept it as it was. Bound, trapped within her looming presence, with the threat of death hanging over him.
He drew a breath, ready to accept…but not before reminding her that she didn't have complete control, even if she could crush his throat with her bare hands right now.
He challenged her with a smirk.
"And if I refuse?"
Her smile widened in response.
Her hand drifted from the side of the chair, tracing the curve of his stomach before moving toward his face.
She brushed her finger lightly over his lips, following the line of his smile.
His own smile faltered, and he turned his head away, a flicker of resistance in his eyes.
"Even if help arrives in time to rescue you, you can't kill me, can you~? That would make Meili sad. And neither of us want that~ You're doomed if you refuse, no matter what, just as I am~ And I know you already accepted me in your heart~"
Shit. Did he give anything away?
He forced himself to lock eyes with her again. He clenched his jaw and let out a forced grunt, trying to sound casual.
"Fine."
She held herself in place for a few seconds, her eyes not moving from his, then stepped back, giving him room to breathe.
The air between them finally felt less hot, less suffocating.
"Lovely~", she purred.
He growled at her, his last shred of resistance.
"Get your fingers near my lips again and I'll bite them off."
"Ara ara, that's less of a threat than you think~"
He sighed tiredly.
It seemed things would never be simple around him.