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Oh, gods. After countless training sessions, endless days and nights under Hanbin’s mentoring—Matthew’s path from zero to hero begins here.
Matthew rides astride Pegasus, the creature’s wings unfurled as they traverse the skies on the way to Thebes. His broad back is clad in still his cuirass, muscles flexing underneath the sun that glistened on his skin. It did pay off to be half god despite all the ridiculing from his youth.
His gaze remains fixed on the landscape beneath them, watching the ground below pass by in a blur. His strong thighs wrap around Pegasus’ flanks—admittedly having trouble maintaining his balance—but that is not something he’ll admit if he truly wishes to become the true hero he needs to be to make his father proud enough to welcome him back into Olympus!
Unfortunately, it is true that even after all this time training, Matthew is still not quite used to riding this winged horse, despite his inner self remembering his connection with Pegasus from when he was but a wee fledgling under the gods’ favor. It does seem as though he is better off than Hanbin however, with his hind legs struggling to stay atop the creature.
It is a distant thought he keeps in the back of his mind before he’s snapped out of it by the sound of a shrill scream coming from beneath them.
Matthew is about to panic when Hanbin beats him to it, “Part one of your on-field training,” he points down, below all of the low-hanging clouds in the sky. “Looks like you’ve got yourself your first of many cases of DID.”
“DID?” He asks, not quite sure of whatever that would mean.
“Damsel in distress,” Hanbin supplies, “Now go save her– woah!”
Before Hanbin can even finish that sentence, Matthew takes control of Pegasus and makes a sharp turn south, causing the satyr to fly back, nearly falling off but managing to grasp onto Pegasus’ tail. Honestly? He could and should probably care more, but instead, his brows furrow, curious now as to what this damsel in distress looks like.
The clouds part as they enter a lower altitude, and a bushy clearing becomes more evident. But what seems to catch his attention isn’t a helpless female, but a man.
He’s clad in a loose purple tunic, which makes him look more like an angel than a man. His muscular arms are bound by intricate twine, rendering him immobile. But even with his current predicament, his composure is unyielding. He appears so… elegant. Maybe Matthew’s jaw drops. Maybe his cheeks turn a little flushed. But there’s no time for that!
They come closer and closer to the ground, until eventually, Pegasus’ hooves hit the damp soil. He leaps off with a little spring in his step, his bare feet landing onto the grass. Hanbin then motions to the bound ‘DID’.
“Go on,” he says, a smirk dancing onto the corners of his lips. Or– snout? Since he’s a satyr? Whatever, he didn’t study his mentor’s anatomy, he studied how to be a hero!
“Rescue him.”
His insides tie into a knot at that. But he approaches the man cautiously, his eyes roaming over the bindings on his wrists and ankles. He notices the way the twine wraps around his limbs, tight enough to keep him from escaping but loose enough to not harm him.
This is the part where he applies what he’s learned.
Before he prances into the area without any care in the world, he hides behind the shrubs, if his bulk even allows for that, to search for danger nearby. As he creeps behind the foliage, he quickly scans the surroundings. He searches for any sign of danger, any hunt of a trap lying in wait. But nothing seems amiss. There are no enemies lurking in the shadows, no hidden threats concealed within the landscape. The only thing he sees is the bound man, still waiting nearby. Hanbin eyes the whole situation keenly.
Satisfied that the coast is clear, he emerges from his hiding place. With measured strides, he walks over to the damsel—or bachelor? His eyes are drawn to the way the ropes encircle his body. “Um, h—hello. Are you a damsel in distress?”
The bound man turns his head at the sound of Matthew’s voice, his gaze locking onto the young hero. His expression is unreadable, his features schooled into indifference. When he speaks, his words are as smooth as a Greek marble statue, yet as deep as a foghorn.
“Damsel?” he scoffs, his eyes narrowing. “Is that what I look like to you?”
His heart skips a beat at the sound of this man’s voice. It was so alluring. His jaw might be on the floor.
“Well–”
Matthew just can’t help it when eyes rake over the man’s infuriatingly toned build, taking in every detail of his appearance. His gaze pauses momentarily on the fabric that clings to his rippling pectorals. He looks so toned, but fragile, yet his demeanor betrays nothing but defiance. Matthew shakes his head, trying to clear his thoughts. “I’m here to save you,” he finally manages to say, though his eyes continue to wander.
A look of amusement flashes on the damsel’s face. “Alright, then. My hero, will you please untie me?” He simply bats his eyelashes and Matthew feels an arrow shoot through his heart.
“Oh.”
If he wasn’t already red and sputtering earlier, then he’s only gotten worse now.
“U–um, okay, let me–”
Suddenly, a sudden force knocks him off his feet. He’s barreled into the ground by a vigor that feels as strong as a thousand bolts of lightning, his body scraping against the earth and leaving a trail in the grass in its wake. He hits the ground hard, his breath leaving him in a sharp gasp as he feels his skin scraping against the rough grass.
For a few moments, he simply lays there, stunned, trying to process what just happened. When he finally manages to lift his head, he sees a shadowy figure standing over him, its body casting a dark silhouette in front of the sun.
“Now what do we have here?” comes a low, gravelly voice from above him.
“Dragging someone else into your problems again, my dear Woong?”
The man—Woong, was it?—struggles in his bindings, his eyes narrowing at the newcomer.
“Let him go,” he grits out, his voice sharp and cold as steel. The creature standing over Matthew chuckles darkly, his foot still pressed firmly against his back. “And why should I do that?” he asks. “This little thing stumbled into my business.”
Matthew tries to struggle against the weight pinning him down, but it’s useless. The creature above him is far stronger than he seems, keeping him firmly rooted to the ground. He cranes his head, trying to catch a glimpse of the bound man’s face, but he's too far away to see anything. “Your business?” he manages to gasp out, his voice strained under the pressure. “Who are you?”
From the shrubbery, Hanbin watches as Matthew continues to struggle. “C’mon, kid… you can do it…” he mutters, hoping to get the message across telepathically. “Fight back like I taught you to!”
Every fiber of Matthew’s body strains against the weight holding him down. His thoughts flicker back to all of his training, the hours spent honing his skills and drilling techniques into his muscles. He can practically hear the voice of Hanbin in his mind, pushing him to fight back. Summoning all of his strength, Matthew suddenly bucks his hips up, driving his shoulders into the ground with a grunt.
The sudden movement catches the stranger off guard, and he stumbles backwards, his foot lifting off of Matthew’s back. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Matthew throws himself forward, rolling onto his feet in a single, fluid motion. They dart around one another in a flurry of kicks and punches, their bodies twisting and turning in exaggerated motions. Their feet skid across the ground, their hands slapping against flesh with a comical ‘smack!’ sound.
There! He eventually finds the perfect opening and makes his move. He lunges forward, grabbing the stranger by the shoulders and spinning him around in a wide arc. With a strength that surprises even himself, he heaves the centaur-looking creature to the ground and sends him soaring through the air, his body spiraling wildly through the air before finally crashing into a faraway tree with a loud thud .
Without a moment’s hesitation, Matthew rushes over to the bound man, concern written all over his face. He reaches out and starts working at the bindings, his fingers deftly untying the intricate knots that hold the man captive.
As the last bit of twine falls away, the man lets out a sigh of relief, rubbing his wrists where the rope had left angry red marks on his skin.
“A–are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
“You saved me,” he says, his voice soft and awed. “Just who are you, wonder boy?”
“M–Matthew…” Matthew manages to say. He feels a strange flutter in his stomach as he speaks, his voice catching in his throat. “You are?—”
He’s shushed before he can even finish his sentence. “Since you saved me, I’ve enough gratitude for you to tell you. I’m Jiwoong. But you probably won’t be seeing me again, wonderboy. Thank you, though. Lots. I’ll be going now.”
“Wait!” Matthew's hand shoots out, reaching for Jiwoong’s wrist as he starts to turn away. He doesn’t know why, but the thought of letting him go feels inexplicably wrong, like a piece of him is being ripped away. “You’re... just leaving?” he asks, his voice pitifully pleading. “What if– you get caught into another predicament–”
A look of amused fondness crosses Jiwoong’s features. “Are you worried about me, wonderboy?” he teases, his eyes studying Matthew’s face curiously. “I can take care of myself.”
Jiwoong manages to free himself from his grasp. He tries to follow him, but Hanbin emerges from behind the bush and starts spewing out scolds that sound like You barely listened! Or, Did you forget everything I told you?! But Matthew won’t listen. Can’t listen. One ear and out the other. Whoosh.
Instead, his eyes follow Jiwoong’s retreating figure.
Now his mind was in a whirlwind of thoughts as he stood there, staring after the disappearing silhouette of Jiwoong. He couldn’t tear his gaze from his shrinking silhouette, even as Hanbin nudged him, trying to bring him back down to earth.
“Hello? Anyone home?” Hanbin teased, waving a hoof in front of Matthew’s face. “You’re drooling like a centaur.”
Matthew didn’t even register the jab. He was too consumed by the image of Jiwoong’s amused smirk and sharp features. How in the underworld can someone look so godly?
The thought of never seeing Jiwoong again sent a sharp pang through Matthew’s heart, and the realization that he was completely smitten with a stranger hit him like a ton of bricks. He knew it was completely ridiculous, but his mind couldn’t help but conjure up images of them meeting again, of him saving Jiwoong, and of—
“You’re hopeless,” Hanbin’s voice snapped him back to reality. “You don’t even know anything about this guy, but you’re just drooling all over him.” His mentor then clapped a hand on his shoulder, jolting him out of his thoughts.
“Come on, lover boy,” he teased. “Let’s head to Thebes before you spontaneously combust.”
Matthew just rolled his eyes, trying to hide the flush creeping up his neck. “I’ll have you know I have excellent self-control," he protested weakly.
Hanbin snickered. “Yeah, sure. The look on your face when that guy smiled at you said otherwise. Hop on,” Matthew watches with a giggle as the satyr struggles to mount Pegasus, his hind legs making it difficult to jump on. “Or, help me, maybe.”
It draws another chuckle out of him, momentarily snapping him out of his lovestruck trance to finally get a move on and lend his mentor a hand.
The two eventually get on, en route to Thebes, completely unaware of a man watching them leave. His shadow was etched against the setting sun. He stood there, a solitary figure, watching as the duo took to the skies on their winged steed.
As Jiwoong continued staring at the sky, a thought came to him. Perhaps it was merely wishful thinking, but he felt a flutter he’s never felt before when that dashing hunk of a young man came and saved him at a dire time.
He whispered softly, more to himself than to anyone else, “Maybe we will meet again, wonderboy.”
With one final glance up at the sky, Jiwoong gave a small huff of laughter, shaking his head in disbelief. “Or maybe I’m just being foolishly optimistic.”