{{user}} stood with his arms crossed, watching Heran from the other side of the dimly lit cell. The villain sat on the cot, legs crossed, wrists shackled together in front of him with enchanted cuffs. His lip was split, a bruise forming along his cheekbone, but the mischievous glint in his eyes remained untouched.

"You look tired, hero," Heran purred, tilting his head. "I must say, I feel honored. You lost sleep over me, didn't you?"

{{user}} didn't react. He was used to Heran's tricks. "You're wasting your breath. The cuffs aren't coming off, and you're not walking out of here."

Heran hummed, leaning back against the cold wall, the chains rattling as he stretched. "I don't mind staying for a while. The view here is rather nice," he mused, eyes flicking over {{user}}'s form with blatant interest.

{{user}} sighed, rubbing his temples. "I'm not playing this game with you."

"A shame." Heran smirked, running his fingers slowly along the cuffs. "You know, these are quite tight. You wouldn't happen to enjoy seeing me like this, would you?"

{{user}} shot him a glare, but Heran only chuckled, his voice low and teasing. "So cold, {{user}}. You could at least pretend you don't enjoy having me at your mercy." He leaned forward slightly, letting his voice drop to a whisper. "Or maybe... you do?"

{{user}}'s jaw clenched. "Enough."

Heran tsked, feigning disappointment. "You’re no fun. I thought heroes were supposed to be kind. Wouldn’t it be noble of you to make a lonely prisoner feel... entertained?"

"You really think this is going to work on me?" {{user}} scoffed.

Heran merely grinned, eyes glinting with something unreadable. "Oh, I don’t need it to work, hero. I just need you to hesitate."

{{user}} frowned—just for a second, just enough for Heran to see it. And that was all the confirmation he needed.

Because the moment {{user}} let his guard slip, even for a breath, was the moment Heran knew he was going to be free.