“Leo? Leo?! Taekwoon!” he screamed. His voice echoed in the cement prison, bouncing off the walls. Room after empty, open, connected room. He ran, eyes searching, never finding. Suddenly he saw it. A white shirt, blonde hair, metal.

He stood there, shirt partially ed, hair messy, sunlight reflecting off his… collar. Hakyeon froze. Taekwoons eyes were cast down, looking at the floor, his shoulders broad and straight, as always. He ran.

He nearly smashed into Taekwoon but managed to grab his shoulders before that, shaking the man.

“Taekwoon! Taekwoon!” he yelled, but his voice was low and quiet, strung with fear. “Are you alright? We have to go!”

Slowly his head rose, eyes hidden by light hair. He brought himself up to full height, gaze meeting his friend’s. His eyes were sharp- sharper than Hakyeon had ever seen them, sharper than they ever had been before…

He swallowed, hands still clutching his friend’s arms, squeezing so hard he might have hurt someone more fragile. He searched his friend’s eyes, begging with his gaze. Suddenly it turned to anger. He ripped his hands away.

“Why?!” he screamed. “Why do you let her do this to you? Th-This woman?! Why Taekwoon?! It’s like you're her pet or something! It’s disgusting! We need to leave-!” his voice was cut off by a crack. It echoed, hard and loud like Hakyeon’s own voice had just moments before. He felt his body stop. Every fiber of him didn’t dare move. He watched as Taekwoon’s eyes again cast themselves down.

Fear flooded Hakyeon. His brain screamed to run, but he couldn’t. He could barely blink, breathe, swallow, see. His eyes slowly caught the reflection of light off material to his left, behind his friend.

She walked out, turning the corner, her dress like gossamer, flowing around her. Her dark hair fell around her shoulders like an obsidian waterfall as she glided towards them. Behind her, held in her right hand, dragged a long, black, whip. It was woven with care and quality, each strand branded with pattern. She was beautiful.

No, beauty could not encompass what she was. She was blinding.

Then he met her eyes. They swam, like a deep abyss, not one color, constantly changing. drawing one in and pushing them away. One could have more easily looked in the devil’s eyes.

He tried, he tried to hold her gaze, but he could not. Every part of him compelled him to look away, cast his eyes down like his friend, towards the cement floor beneath his feet. Hr balled his fists.

“Who are you?! Did you do this to him?! Give him back! What have you done?! He’d not some dog-!”

Her hand was on his chin, the tips of her feet, bare, in his sight. and his words were stolen from him. His throat closed and he swallowed deeply, so deep he thought he might have swallowed his own tongue.

The soft fingers pulled his chin up, forcing him to meet her eyes.

It hurt.      

He wanted to desperately to look away, to look down, to do anything but keep eye contact, but he couldn’t.

He had never understood.

He had watched Taekwoon, his best friend, as he seemed to have slowly deteriorated. He became more quiet, more secluded. He’d come to hang out, play video games and eat pizza like they used to do nearly every weekend. But for weeks, every weekend had become an excuse. “I can’t come, I have to do something,” he’d say. He watched as his friend ever so slowly stopped making eye contact. Near constantly casting his gaze to the ground, almost as if it was a habit and not out of guilt. But when he did meet his eyes it was sharp, deep, bone shaking. Soon he found out when she called in the middle of their dinner one Saturday night and he rushed from his house, barely giving an excuse. It became more clear and then finally one day he noticed the collar around Taekwoon’s neck that his friend had so desperately tried to hide. How? How could Taekwoon, his most resilient, most intense, more independant friend, just be… tamed like that?

He had never understood.

But now he might have.

She moved her hand from his chin, smoothing it over his cheek. His entire being shook but when the touch of her palm slid over his skin his felt his heart grow quiet, calm.

He wanted to submit, so badly.

He ached to.

He finally understood.

The deep bass of his friend’s voice drew him out of the trance. His eyes shot to him. His head was raised now, eyes strong and posture tall and straight.

“She has not broken me, the only thing she has done is made me stronger.”

His voice echoed. Hakyeon found himself gasping for breath. His knees hit the ground, slamming against the cement, but the pain did not register. His felt his gaze go hazy, black starting to dim around the edges of his vision.

She was before him again, hands reaching out. She slowly cradled his face and he could breath again. His gripped her hands ferociously. He panted, body heaving. Her eyes bore into him, turning his insides.

Her gaze was the only thing keeping him sane yet the only thing driving him insane.

He understood.

He then noticed Taekwoon approaching and finally noticed what he held in his hand.

The gold and black leather collar glinted in his hand under the rays of the sun.

Some part of him screamed, to run, to flee. His was falling into her trap, just like Taekwoon had… But he couldn’t. No, he must stay.

She delicately took the collar from him and smoothed her hand over Hakyeon’s neck.

“Do you understand now? You belong to me. You and Taekwoon are mine. Do you understand?”

Her voice was satin, ambrosia to her new pet’s ears.

He understood.

Click.