11.

Chapter 11

Sunoo didn't sleep that night, either.

Riki's words followed him home, slipping into the quiet spaces between his thoughts, unsettling in their honesty.

I didn't want to remember.

Everything.

Sunoo had seen many things behind Riki's sharp gaze—mockery, calculation, amusement—but not this. Not the raw edge of something broken, something that mirrored a feeling Sunoo had buried long ago.

He sat at his kitchen table, untouched coffee growing cold in his hands. The sterile walls of his apartment felt suffocating tonight, pressing in on him with memories he didn't want to face.

Maybe Dr. Choi was right.

Maybe he was too invested.

But it was too late to stop.

And when morning came, Sunoo found himself right back at Blackthorn, a dull ache behind his eyes, hands trembling slightly as he reached for Riki's file again.

A knock on the door interrupted him.

It wasn't Dr. Choi this time.

It was a guard.

"Patient 082 has requested a session," the man said gruffly.

Sunoo's fingers tightened around the folder.

Riki never requested sessions.

The air in the interrogation room was heavier than usual. The overhead lights buzzed faintly, casting shadows across the cold metal table. Sunoo sat across from Riki, watching as the younger man leaned back in his chair, hands still bound in chains, expression unreadable.

"You asked for this," Sunoo said, keeping his voice steady.

Riki's lips curled at the edges, not quite a smirk. "I did."

Sunoo waited.

Riki's eyes dragged over him, slow, deliberate, assessing. "You didn't sleep again."

Sunoo exhaled through his nose. "This isn't about me."

"Isn't it?" Riki echoed, tilting his head. "You should know by now, doc—everything is about you."

Sunoo ignored the way his pulse skipped. "If you have something to say, say it."

Riki watched him for a moment longer before leaning forward, elbows resting on the table. The chains around his wrists clinked softly.

"I want to make a deal."

Sunoo frowned. "What kind of deal?"

"You stop treating me like a patient," Riki said smoothly. "And I'll give you what you want."

Sunoo's heart pounded against his ribs. "And what is it you think I want?"

Riki smiled—slow, knowing. "Answers."

Sunoo's fingers curled against the table. "I don't make deals with manipulative criminals."

Riki's laugh was quiet, almost fond. "You think I'm manipulating you?"

Sunoo didn't answer.

Riki leaned in closer. "If I wanted to manipulate you, doc, you wouldn't even realize it."

Sunoo held his gaze, refusing to let the words get under his skin. "Why now?"

Riki's expression flickered, something sharp and unreadable flashing behind his eyes. "Because I like you."

The words sent a shiver down Sunoo's spine. He wanted to laugh, to scoff at the absurdity of it, but something in Riki's tone stopped him.

This is a game, he reminded himself.

Riki was a master of deception.

Sunoo should have walked away.

Instead, he found himself asking, "What do you mean by that?"

Riki smiled, slow and dangerous. "I mean, you see me. You don't even realize it, but you do. And that makes you different."

Sunoo forced himself to stay calm. "That doesn't mean anything."

Riki's gaze darkened. "It means everything."

Silence stretched between them, heavy with something neither of them wanted to name.

Then, Riki sighed, tilting his head. "Tell me something, doc. Have you ever been touched?"

Sunoo's breath caught.

"What?"

"Not like that," Riki murmured. "I mean—really touched. Not by a doctor, not by someone analyzing you. Just... touched."

Sunoo swallowed. His throat was dry. "That's not relevant to—"

"I think it is," Riki interrupted. "Because I don't think you have."

Sunoo clenched his jaw. "You don't know anything about me."

Riki's eyes gleamed. "I know enough."

The room suddenly felt smaller. Sunoo was too aware of the space between them—of how close Riki was leaning, of the way his voice dropped just enough to make something in Sunoo's stomach twist.

This was wrong.

He needed to leave.

But before he could move, Riki spoke again.

"Do you want to know why I didn't want to remember?"

Sunoo froze.

Riki's smirk softened into something almost thoughtful. "Because it hurts, doc. And I don't like pain."

Sunoo exhaled slowly. "You think I don't understand that?"

Riki's gaze flickered. "Maybe you do."

A long pause.

Then, so quiet that Sunoo barely heard it—

"Maybe that's why you can't stop coming back."

Something in Sunoo snapped.

Maybe it was the exhaustion. Maybe it was the way Riki's voice wrapped around him like a trap. Maybe it was because, for the first time, Sunoo wasn't sure who was pulling who under anymore.

He moved before he could stop himself.

The chair scraped against the floor as he stood, stepping around the table.

Riki didn't move as Sunoo grabbed his collar, pulling him up just enough for their faces to be inches apart.

Riki's breath was warm against his lips. His eyes gleamed, triumphant.

"You—" Sunoo started, but the words died in his throat.

Riki's lips curled, voice barely above a whisper.

"Don't fight it, doc."

And then—

Sunoo kissed him.

It wasn't gentle. It wasn't careful. It was messy, desperate, a collision of breath and heat and something far more dangerous than either of them had prepared for.

Riki's chains clinked as he pulled against them, trying to close the distance even more, tilting his head to deepen the kiss.

Sunoo should have pulled away.

He didn't.

When he finally broke the kiss, his chest was heaving, his hands trembling against Riki's shirt.

Riki licked his lips, looking far too satisfied for someone still in chains. "See? Told you I wasn't manipulating you."

Sunoo's grip tightened. "Shut up."

Riki laughed, low and breathless.

Sunoo stepped back, his mind reeling, his pulse erratic.

He needed to leave. Now.

But as he turned, Riki spoke one last time.

"You can pretend this was a mistake," he murmured. "But we both know you'll be back."

Sunoo didn't answer.

Because, deep down—

He already knew Riki was right.

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Long chapter yohoooo