Chapter Text
For the first group vote of the games, Nam-gyu stuck close to In-ho. Given that he wasn’t present for the first game, someone eagle-eyed enough could possibly pinpoint him as an unfamiliar face, so he strayed away from entrenching himself into the environment right away. Nevertheless, he spent the entirety of his first fifteen minutes back in the dorm room with his eyes locked on Player 230; Thanos, he’d learned.
Nam-gyu wanted to crack open his skull and study the way his mind worked. He wanted to tear him apart piece by piece until only the barest of his person was left behind, just so Nam-gyu could see the intricate parts that made up his person.
In-ho picked up on his fascination quite quickly, but Nam-gyu had only raised an eyebrow and darted a look towards Gi-hun when In-ho gave him a disapproving stare. The man had immediately backed down at that, murmuring a quiet, “be careful.”
Nam-gyu ran with the indirect permission. He stayed close to In-ho as numbers were called and the vote commenced, but he was swaying on his feet, so eager to immerse himself in the mystery of Thanos. He had so many questions. Where had he come from? What had gone wrong to make him come here? Did it feel good to kill those people?
When the number 230 was called, Nam-gyu perked up like a dog, his eyes tracking every single movement of Thanos’ body. There was nothing special about the way he moved or the way he held himself, but Nam-gyu thought he was fascinating.
Once Thanos had voted, Nam-gyu lost him in the crowd of the other O players. He didn’t worry though, he’d join them soon enough, and that would be his chance.
When his number was called, he fell into an easy-going confidence like it was a second skin. It had been six years since he’d played in the games, but he knew how to present himself as a player. With no hesitation, he pressed the O button, smirking when that side of the room erupted into cheers. He joined in on the energy, letting a few of the O players grab at his shoulders in excitement, but he had a very specific goal.
He pushed through the crowd, looking absent-minded and nonchalant, until he found himself standing next to Thanos.
The other man was taller than him, Nam-gyu noted. It made him feel small. He wanted to grab Thanos by his bright hair and force him to his knees. He wanted to hurt him and find out what his blood tasted like. Nam-gyu swallowed, trying to calm his breathing as he looked away.
The voting continued, and Nam-gyu continued trying to catch little glimpses of Thanos out of the corner of his eye. And eventually, Thanos caught him looking. Thanos immediately turned towards him, his expression caught somewhere between suspicion and anger. Nam-gyu’s entire figure relaxed, his eyes widening as they locked gazes.
“Sorry,” Nam-gyu quickly stuttered out, “I was a fan of yours when you were still active. It’s a bit surreal to meet you like this.”
Thanos’ wariness was gone instantly, an easy smirk rising on his lips as he turned his body fully towards Nam-gyu. “Once a fan, always a fan, my boy,” he snickered, arrogant and intoxicating.
Nam-gyu snickered at how smug Thanos suddenly seemed. Even in a place like this where he’d just watched countless people die, he was still bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and confident. “Yeah, yeah, don’t let it go to your head, fucker,” he laughed, nudging at Thanos’ arm playfully.
The man swayed with the light shove, smirk growing even wider as he crowded a little closer. Nam-gyu felt his breath catch and his heart pound. “What’s your name, fanboy?” Thanos asked, completely focused on Nam-gyu, all proceedings of the voting out of sight and out of mind.
Nam-gyu raised an eyebrow, popping out his hip as they stared at one another. He had a feeling Thanos was used to being handed the things he wanted on a silver platter, and the chance to test that easy-going and carefree confidence was too enticing to pass up. “If you’re gonna be a cocky asshole, I’m not gonna tell you, Thanos,” he spoke, drawing out the other man’s name teasingly.
Surprisingly—amazingly—Thanos didn’t falter at the clear dismissal. Instead, the narrowed his eyes in challenge, teeth on display as he grinned dangerously. “Oh, I’ll find out one way or another, pretty thing,” he teased, and Nam-gyu knew he’d already been beaten.
“Nam-gyu,” he answered after a second of quiet, “and yours?” It was a little risky giving his real name out, but he doubted Thanos had any connection to anyone from his past. Even if he did, that Nam-gyu was dead and gone and buried somewhere in some dirty alleyway. There was no way to trace him here.
Thanos’ grin brightened into a genuine smile for just a moment, and Nam-gyu was certain the entire room seemed to light up with him. “Nam-su,” he murmured, ignoring how Nam-gyu rolled his eyes at the intentional mistake, “you already know me, baby! I’m Thanos—“
“Your real name,” Nam-gyu countered, narrowing his eyes, “it’s only fair, y’know.”
Thanos faltered, and Nam-gyu felt a rush of excitement burn down his spine at being able to throw off someone so sure of himself. Distantly, Nam-gyu heard In-ho’s number get called. The voting was about to end. Finally, Thanos hit his lip and nodded hesitantly, “Su-bong, but that’s just between you and me, got it?”
The sound indicating another O vote rang out, but neither Nam-gyu nor Thanos turned towards the front of the room to celebrate. Thanos seemed fixated on him, his posture swaying like he wanted to get even closer. Nam-gyu was going to have so much fun with him. “Su-bong,” he purred, delighting at how Thanos’ breath hitched a little at the use of his real name, “it suits you.”
The guards were talking again, Nam-gyu vaguely recognized. Thanos still did not turn away from him, the attention was better than any high Nam-gyu had ever experienced. As the crowd began to depart from the formed voting groups, Nam-gyu took a step back with a wink. Thanos instantly reached out, snagging his wrist before he could walk any further away.
Nam-gyu hid his smirk behind his sleeve.
Got him.
“Stick with me, Nam-gyu,” Thanos whispered, tugging Nam-gyu back to his side from the hand around his wrist, “I’ll protect you.”
Nam-gyu narrowed his eyes, twisting his wrist in Thanos’ hand until the hold fell away. With his now free hand, Nam-gyu reached up and snagged Thanos’ collar, pulling his ever-so-slightly closer. Thanos’ pupils swallowed up his irises. “I don’t need protection,” he shot back, “but since you asked so nicely.”
Abruptly, he let go of Thanos’ shirt, grinning when the mama tumbled towards him as Nam-gyu stepped away again. Nam-gyu tossed his head back with a laugh, turning around to walk over towards where he knew Thanos’ bed was. He raised a hand in the air, beckoning Thanos along with two fingers. “Come, puppy,” he demanded.
He didn’t hide his pleased smile at the sudden sound of Thanos rushing after him.
Obedience looked good on him.