One Dark Fate The Battle Of Survival ||Kth ff|| Mafiya A/U

night together- part 1

Unedited***

"Good morning, *Amara*," Atharva's
voice rang out as he entered the room, that ever-present cocky grin on his face.

Park Jihye-*not* Amara-slowly lowered her coffee mug, her eyes narrowing at him. "It's *Jihye*," she said through gritted teeth. "How many times do I have to remind you?"

"Hmm," Atharva said, pretending to ponder it for a moment.
"Nah. Amara suits you. It has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" His smirk grew wider as he slowly approached, like a predator closing in on its prey.

Jihye's heart rate picked up slightly. He was intimidating, she couldn't deny that. The height, the attitude-Atharva was all sharp edges and piercing glares. But damned if she'd let him see she was rattled. No way.

"I think I'd rather swallow nails than be called Amara," she shot back, lifting her chin. "But you know what? You can keep it up, * muscle pig*, and I'll just start calling you something equally stupid."

"Isn't this the name you told me when I asked you Ms. Lier huh?

Taehyung, sitting on the couch, looked up, barely containing a laugh. He sipped his water, watching the scene like it was the best morning entertainment.

Atharva took a step closer, towering over her now, his smirk deepening. "*muscle pig*, huh? That's the best you've got?" His voice dropped lower, darkening with that signature intimidating charm he always used to mess with people. "I thought you were braver than that... *Princess*."

Jihye swallowed hard but kept her face neutral, refusing to back down. Her palms were sweaty, but she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of seeing her flinch. "I *am* brave. Brave enough to hide your shoes when you're not looking ...You.. grumblepants "

Atharva raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed. "Oh, you've got jokes now." He took another step forward, closing the gap between them. "But here's the thing, Missy-I'm not the kind of guy you mess with. I'll find those shoes, and when I do... you better hope you've got an escape plan."

Jihye felt her breath catch for a moment, but she quickly covered it up with a smirk. "What are you gonna do? Chase me down with your dumb protein shake in hand?"

Atharva's eyes glinted, and he leaned down just enough that his face was level with hers, making sure she could feel his presence, his gaze boring into hers. "Protein shake or not, I don't chase. I corner. And trust me, *babe*..." His voice was so low it almost sent a shiver down her spine. "When I corner, there's no way out."

Jihye's heart pounded in her chest, but she stood her ground, crossing her arms and tilting her head. "You sure about that? 'Cause last time I checked, you're all talk."

For a split second, something shifted in Atharva's eyes, a flicker of surprise at her defiance. But then he chuckled, dark and amused. "You've got guts. I'll give you that. Too bad you don't know when to quit."

Jihye swallowed again, feeling the tension thicken, but before she could come up with a reply, a voice broke the charged silence.

"I swear, you two should just get a room at this point." Taehyung, forgotten until now, was grinning from the couch, enjoying the showdown like it was the best rom-com he'd ever seen.

Jihye jumped slightly, suddenly reminded they weren't alone, and quickly turned to glare at Taehyung. "No one asked you, Tae!"

"Oh, I'm just here for the *drama*," Taehyung said, still grinning as he leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head. "But seriously, if Atharva leans any closer, I'm gonna need popcorn."

Atharva didn't move, still inches from Jihye's face, eyes locked on hers. "You hear that, Amar? Even Tae thinks we've got some unresolved tension here."