Why didn’t he just kill her? Why didn’t he just kill her?

Baekhyun fumed as he strutted down the maze of hallways, the words playing over and over in his mind as they had been for the past few days. Here he was, being ever the valiant savior, sparing the girl’s life for a few weeks and she had the gall to ask why? Who ever asks why their kidnappers aren’t killing them? Who ever actually wants that? The thoughts alone made his blood boil.

Without having realized it, the young man came to an abrupt stop, finding himself before the large metal door through which he could practically see Navy Shoes waiting. He brought a hand up to the handle, lingering for a moment as he composed himself, taking long, slow breaths to soothe his temper.

The handle clicked as he pushed against the heavy metal with his shoulder, forcing the door ajar. She looked up tiredly, almost rolling her eyes at the man as he collapsed into the chair before her.

"Good evening, princess." he smiled crookedly, a dark gleam in his red rimmed eyes, "Enjoyed the dinner?"

She glanced down at the protein shake, still unopened beside her heels.

"I didn’t untie your hands so you could sit here and starve to death, okay?" he frowned.

"How do I know it’s not poisoned?"

"It’s unopened," he pointed out, "And I thought you wanted to die anyways.”

She made a face at his remark, pushing herself off the chair to walk around the barren room. With her new found freedom, she’d finally been able to get a better look at her surroundings, quickly discovering the large garage door situated behind her chair. She wandered over to the metal ridged gate, her hand running over the large rusty lock chaining it closed.

"You’ll never get it open." Baekhyun called from his seat, watching her apathetically, "I wouldn’t have untied you if you could."

"Why did you untie me?” she turned towards him, wringing her hands together, “I thought I was a hostage.”

"You have to eat." he replied solemnly, gesturing towards the protein shake.

"I don’t want to."

"Drink the ing shake, princess."

"No." she glared, despite the tremble in her fingers.

 ”What is it with you?!” he shouted, finally losing his patience, “Do you actually want to die? Do you want me to shoot you in the ing face? Is that better than being in here for you?”

"It is." she declared, her voice shaking almost as much as her body. Baekhyun scoffed, clearly unsatisfied with her answer.

"You’re ridiculous."

"You’re the one who said I would die anyways." she snapped, "What’s the point in living for a few days, just counting down the hours till your friend comes and kills me?"

"So you’d rather give up the last few days of life you have?" he scowled, "You should be grateful to be alive still. You should be on your knees, praying that some ing miracle happens and you make it out alive, not resigning yourself to an early death."

"Of course, because you should know what it’s like, right?”

"I should." he hissed, "I’ve killed enough people to know."

She held in a breath, her eyes falling to the floor. He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he curled in his lip. His gaze fell upon her hands, laced together, trembling still.

"Would you please just drink the damn shake?" he mumbled, folding his arms over his stomach as he slid down the chair.

She chewed her lip, perhaps mulling over the idea before returning to her seat to take a hold of the bottle. She unscrewed the cap, bringing it to her lips to take a tentative sip. Baekhyun watched tiredly, noticing the way the bottle shook in her hands. He leaned his elbow against the armrest, propping his head upon his palm. “Does that always happen when you’re afraid?”

She furrowed her brow questioningly when he gestured towards her hands, still clutching onto the bottle. Her lips pressed together.

He waited another moment before asking quietly, “Are you afraid of me?”

"What makes you think it’s because of fear?"

"Well, what else could it be?"

She shrugged, taking another sip of the shake.

"Then it is because you’re scared?”

"I suppose," she answered slowly, choosing her words with caution, "Fear is one of the factors."

The young man nodded, his eyes running up and down her figure, taking in the slight quiver of her shoulders and legs. She was almost too fragile, he thought. A slight touch and she might just shatter beneath his fingers. She stared down at her hands, her chest rising and falling as she seemed to make an attempt at regaining composure. He sighed and sat up straight, absentmindedly running his fingers through his fringe.

"Well-" he began, having decided that she wouldn’t be saying much more on the matter, only to be cut off by her soft, trembling voice.

"It’s something I’ve had to deal with for a while now."

He pressed his lips shut, looking up at her in surprise. She gripped onto the bottle in her hands, her eyes trained on the floor.

"How long?" Baekhyun asked tentatively, testing the waters.

"Since I was nine." she furrowed her brow, lifting her head to stare at the wall to her right, her eyes shifting as if summoning the memory before her. "I must have been nine. We stopped going there for my tenth birthday."

"Going where?" he leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees.

"There was this shop," she replied slowly, "They sold knick knacks. Just random things, really. Maybe it was an antique shop. I could never remember, exactly."

She paused for a moment, her forehead creasing. He held in a breath, silently hoping for her to continue.

"We went there for my birthday every year," she explained, "My parents were only just coming into their money at the time, so they didn’t like to spend it too frivolously. They used to take me there to pick out a present for myself, like it was the greatest privilege in the world."

A hollow laugh escaped her lips as she shrugged, “And it was nothing special, I guess. Not in this town anyways.”

tightened as she returned her gaze to the floor, the twitch in her hands amplifying. Baekhyun slid to the edge of his seat, stopping himself just before he stood up. She heaved a sigh, her features seeming to harden as she took long, steady breaths.

"What happened?" he asked lowly, his tone hesitant.

"A couple of boys came in and robbed the place." she replied stiffly, "When I cried they pointed a gun to my head, told me to shut up, or they’d shoot the owner right in front of me."

Baekhyun pressed his lips together, his fingers curling into fists upon his lap. She sighed, glancing up at him for a split second as she finished, “When I covered my mouth they shot him anyways. They took whatever they could get their hands on and disappeared.”

"Did they ever… get caught?" the young man inquired reluctantly.

She shook her head, “My parents never even reported it.”

"What?" he furrowed his brow, "Why not?"

"Like I said, they were just coming into their money." she pursed her lips, "Something like that certainly wouldn’t have been good for their image. And then I started acting up."

She looked up at him, her eyes swirling with a mix of sorrow and anger and something else he couldn’t quite place. “I had panic attacks. I’d get sent home from school because I cried all the time when I couldn’t breathe. So my parents told me to stop. They taught me to hold it in and fight it back and pretend like nothing happened because that’s what was normal and that’s how it should be and I don’t want to be sent to a mental institution for the sake of someone I hardly even know.”

She let out a small gasp, her hand instantly making its way to her chest. The young man flinched in his seat, his stomach churning with a sensation he hadn’t even known he was capable of feeling anymore. He stared at her pitifully, waiting as she gathered her breath, his legs itching to move.

"Why are you telling me this?"

She looked up, her breath once again under control. Her shoulder rose and fell in a dull shrug. “I never told anyone before.”

He bit his lip, his eyes shifting between hers calculatingly before he understood what she meant. His palms clenched into fists, the knuckles white, the nails digging into his soft skin. He looked over her shoulder at the metal door, a deep breath gracing his lungs. She’d never told anyone before. And she didn’t think she’d have the opportunity to tell anyone again.  

"Please," her frail voice echoed in the empty room, each tremble of her vocal chord so distinct it almost seemed to ring in his ears, "B-Baekhyun,"

His eyes immediately shifted to her, the sound of his name sounding so completely foreign, so completely exposed, coming from her lips, it sent a chill down his spine. She glanced away for a moment, perhaps cowering out of her words, before returning her gaze to his own, a new determination gleaming in the watery surface of her irises.

"I’m gonna die in here." she declared softly, her voice hardly louder than a whisper, "You said so yourself-"
 
"Not this again," he groaned, his nerves switching on, "Look, princess, I already said-"

"You said so yourself!" she screamed, causing the words to die on his lips. Her figure trembled as she sat at the edge of her seat, her small hand clenched into fists upon her lip, gathering the fabric at the hem of her dress in between them.

"I’m going to die no matter what-" she explained, her breath coming out in short, panicky spurts, "Baekhyun, please-"

Before she could continue, he shot up, swiftly reaching for the gun tucked away against his waistband, pointing it at directly between her brows. She gasped, her mascara clumped eyes widening for an instant as he clicked off the safety, his jaw squared in frustration.

"Is this what you want?” he asked, straining to keep himself from yelling. She didn’t respond. he stepped  closer, the barrel just inches from her skin. She watched him intently, his irises swimming with a hundred different thoughts, a hundred different emotions. “Is it?!”

He took another step, the cold metal of the gun now pressing against her forehead. He grit his teeth. He could feel her skull beneath the barrel.

"Please." she mumbled, her gaze unfaltering. His grip on the gun tightened, his palms growing sweaty, his skin growing cold. He curled in his lip, his index finger shaking before the trigger. Navy Shoes closed her eyes, her brow furrowing just slightly as his finger came into contact with the trigger.

"!"

She opened her eyes. Baekhyun let the gun fall from her face, letting it rest limp against his side as he ran the fingers of his free hand through his hair. He muttered another curse, his fingers tugging at his locks. He glanced down at her, his hardened features faltering for a split second before he muttered, “Consider yourself lucky.”

Before she could respond, he was out the door, his broad shoulders disappearing behind the thick metal.