There was no helping it, was there? That abrupt laugh was enough to tell him that his words meant nothing to the other. Noah struggled to hold the gaze that loomed ever closer, but whether it was out of fear or out of spite, he still managed to hold that much. To try pinning Reyna’s fate as his responsibility made Noah grit his teeth. Of course, he’d find some twisted way to absolve himself of blame, even being the one who orchestrated this whole scenario to begin with. Noah wouldn’t want to run, and Reyna wouldn’t have been in danger of punishment if Dmitri never involved himself in either of their lives.<br/><br/>Or even if he was just less of a dick about it.<br/><br/>With Dima pressing beyond the invisible boundary of distance he could tolerate, Noah winced uncontrollably at the man’s touch. The room was beyond his awareness as all his senses honed on the one threat standing in front of him. Even his breath trembled with the sharp exhale of air that followed his urge to ‘be creative’. “I seem to recall just saying<i>you</i>should be the one who owes me,” He muttered. Dmitri made it clear he’d never be fair. It was frustrating and sickening, but the look in his eye said he was entertained by all this. A sadist through and through.<br/><br/>He was far from bargaining for something so simple as an outing. He wasn’t that desperate, not with the ultimatum that was held over his head for Reyna’s well-being. He surely wasn’t going to bargain<i>just</i>to go out. As the other mentioned, it’d been less than twenty-four hours. A bit of reprieve would have been welcome if it came at little expense, but Noah didn’t have anything to offer he didn’t consider ‘expensive’.<br/><br/>He was convinced that somehow he’d worked into a position where he had no choice but to at least humor the cold eyes boring into his own with an answer. “What am I offering in exchange for? If it’s a few hours in shops I’ll be content sending a list instead.” He lowered his voice to match Dmitri’s tone in mockery, “I don’t appreciate lackluster rewards.”<br/><br/>Only then did his gaze break away, body sliding to get distance between them even if he suspected the attempt would be in vain. If Dima wanted him pinned to the counter, he’d be pinned to the counter and powerless to resist. But even with feigned bravery, like the frightened animal he was, Noah wanted to bolt. This invasion of his personal space was toxic. He needed distance. He needed air to breathe before the snake squeezed all of it away.