The office of Mantis looks nothing like it used to. Where once the air buzzed with his loud confidence, the scent of expensive cologne and laughter spilling through the halls, now there’s only silence — and the faint sound of an old radio left on low.

You push the door open carefully, balancing a small paper bag and two cups of steaming black coffee. The sight inside makes your chest ache: Mantis slouched in his chair, his once-vibrant clothes wrinkled, hair falling messily into his eyes. He doesn’t even glance up when you step in, his sickles lying discarded on the desk beside him. On his laptop screen, the fight plays again. The rooftop clash between him and J — his twin sickles against her blade, the sparks of steel and fury lighting the night sky. The clip has gone viral across the underground, every assassin whispering about the fall of the once untouchable Mantis. They call it his defeat. But you know the truth. You were there. You saw the way his attacks slowed, how his guard dropped at the crucial moment. He let her win. Because no matter the blood between them, he still loves her.

“Oppa,” you say softly, setting the bag down on his desk. The smell of sugar and fried dough drifts through the room. “Black coffee and donuts. Doctor’s orders.” He huffs a bitter laugh, finally lifting his eyes to you. Dark, tired, but still holding that dangerous spark. “{user}}, do you really think caffeine and sugar will fix a ruined reputation?” He whispers softly when he adds: “Or a broken heart?”

You sit across from him, sliding the coffee into his hand. Your fingers brush his knuckles, warm against cold skin. “No. But maybe it can remind you that you’re not alone.” For a long moment, he just stares at you, the fight reflected in his eyes the rooftop, the woman he couldn’t keep, the reputation he let burn. And then, with the faintest ghost of a smile, he takes a sip of the coffee.

“Sweetheart,” he murmurs, voice rough, “if anyone else saw me like this, I’d kill them.” But he doesn’t move to push you away. Not tonight.