pairing: ChenLay
length: 1208 words

Jongdae smirked as he leaned back in his seat, shamelessly resting his shiny black leather shoes atop the table and draping his elbows over the back of the chair. A set of three poker chips clacked together as he continuously shuffled them in one gloved hand with practiced ease. “So, what’ll your final offer be, Mr. Zhang?”

“I can’t go any higher, Mr. Kim. The company doesn’t have the capital to do so. I’ve already stretched the budget to its limit. If I add any more zeroes, I won’t have a job to return to,” Yixing grimly replied.

“Then just find a new one,” Jongdae flippantly suggested. “Your employment status bears no importance to me, Mr. Zhang. Besides, won’t it be worse for you if you end up failing to secure this deal?”

There was a sharp intake of breath from the Chinese male upon hearing the thinly veiled threat.

“Just think of this as…a necessary sacrifice you’ll have to make in order to fulfill your mission, Mr. Zhang. I’m sure your superiors will understand,” Jongdae purred, the edges of his lips curling up even higher.

“That isn’t how it works, Mr. Kim,” Yixing coldly reiterated. “They’ll instantly cut me loose—both of us, in fact—if we end up being overall liabilities.”

Jongdae just shrugged in response. “Like I said, Mr. Zhang, that’s a ‘you’ problem.”

“But it will become a ‘you’ problem as well, Mr. Kim, if they end up selling us out to the authorities because of our failures,” the Chinese male pointed out.

“Tch, alright then.” Jongdae let out a loud sigh as he swung his legs off of the table and stood up from his seat, nimbly pocketing the poker chips. “It seems we’ll have to do this another way, since you’re being rather…difficult right now, Mr. Zhang.”

“Excuse me?! I—”

“Hush,” the younger male commanded, interrupting Yixing with a finger on top of the Chinese man’s lips. Jongdae could feel Yixing instinctively freeze under him and he grinned widely as he casually stepped back, dark eyes trained on the other man’s still frozen form. “Since we’re running in circles right now, Mr. Zhang, why don’t I help get us back on track?” Jongdae then hummed lightly for several seconds as he reached into his inner pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a revolver, which elicited a sharp gasp from Yixing.

“What are you doing, Mr. Kim?” the Chinese male harshly asked.

“I just thought we could play a little game, Mr. Zhang,” Jongdae innocently replied while skillfully twirling the revolver around his pointer finger. The chandelier lighting glinted off of the gunmetal, which was reflected in Jongdae’s shining eyes. “You don’t seem to be taking me seriously, so I figured this would help move negotiations along a tad faster. As much as I’d like to continue dilly-dallying here with you, I’ve got a few more appointments on the calendar that I can’t miss.”

“But what are you planning to do with that, Mr. Kim?” Yixing asked. His voice was strong and calm, but the slight tremble in his slender hands did not go unescaped by Jongdae, whose sneer deepened.

“Oh, don’t worry, Mr. Zhang. This game is quite simple, I promise,” Jongdae smoothly replied before theatrically sweeping his left arm in front of him as he bowed slightly to the taller male. His right hand was extended in front of him, the revolver sitting squarely on his gloved palm.

Yixing furrowed his eyebrows in palpable confusion, eyes darting continually between the gun and Jongdae’s impish grin.

“Go on, Mr. Zhang.” Jongdae then let out a light chuckle upon seeing Yixing make no movement to grab the gun. “Don’t be scared. It won’t bite.”

“You still haven’t answered my question, Mr. Kim.”

“I can’t explain our game until you take the gun,” Jongdae glibly said. “So, tick-tock, Mr. Zhang. Let’s get moving, shall we?”

“But… But why?”

“I’m a gambler, Mr. Zhang,” Jongdae saucily explained, not even trying to hide the devilish glint in his eyes as he delicately ran his pointer finger across the top of the gun. “If I don’t raise the stakes, there’s no point. Wouldn’t you agree? Besides, if your lot had just offered more, we wouldn’t be in this situation, now would we,” he added with a wicked grin.

Yixing remained stoic and silent, although Jongdae could easily see the other man digging his heels into the ground to keep himself steady.

“Well then, if you have no objections, Mr. Zhang, let’s start.” The Korean male then dramatically tapped the face of his gold-plated watch. “And just so you know, the more time you waste, the less willing I am to…continue our collaboration.”

There was a long stretch of silence until Yixing gingerly took the revolver from Jongdae and awkwardly cupped it with both hands, consciously keeping his fingers away from the trigger.

Jongdae smiled triumphantly. “Good boy.”

Yixing scowled upon hearing the facetious nickname. “Might I remind you, Mr. Kim, that I am technically older than you. Do not talk down to me like that.”

“And might I remind you that age has no hierarchy here, Mr. Zhang,” Jongdae easily countered. “While you are on my turf­—asking for my help, I should add—I will speak to you however I so choose to.” He then held up a lighter and deftly started a small flame. “Otherwise…you can kiss our contract goodbye.”

A low growl escaped the Chinese male’s throat as Yixing glared back at the other man.

Meanwhile, Jongdae maintained direct eye contact with him, whistling as he did, while calmly extinguishing the lighter and pocketing it.

They both stood silently, carefully watching each other, until Yixing finally asked, voice tinged with caution, “What am I supposed to do with this?” He gingerly held up the gun while taking great care to avoid touching the trigger.

The Korean male trilled with laughter before replying, “Ah, it’s really quite simple, Mr. Zhang. I assume you’re…familiar with the concept of Russian Roulette, correct?”

Yixing’s face instantly paled as he slowly nodded.

“Perfect. In case you couldn’t tell, you’re holding a six-shot revolver, the standard gun used for Russian Roulette. If you manage to release the single bullet that’s loaded inside, you win. And I’ll go along with your initial offer.” Jongdae’s smirk then widened dangerously. “But if you shoot five blanks, I win. And you’ll pay up, according to my terms.”

“…You—you’re insane.”

Jongdae’s devious grin widened even more. “Oh, didn’t you know, Mr. Zhang? Everyone is insane. We’re all just…insane about different things. Now…” His gaze darkened considerably and his voice dropped several octaves as he stepped even closer, until the barrel of the gun was squarely touching his chest, and ruthlessly ordered, “Shoot.”

Yixing’s hands trembled as he gradually moved his pointer finger to the trigger. The gunmetal was incredibly cold, every last bit of heat from his hand. And Yixing shivered as he locked eyes with the other man once again.

Jongdae was still wearing that confident, sly smirk. And his eyes were darker than ever as he stared straight back at Yixing, as if piercing straight through his tattered soul.

And just like that, he finally pulled the trigger

♈♈♈