#exquisite angst! damn right past!me | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

atiny-dazzlinglight · 3 years

Text

Red Strings of Fate - Chapter 3

Genre: Fantasy, Fluff, Angst, Slight Humor, Romance

Rating: PG-13

Au/Tropes: Supernatural AU, Demons AU, Monster AU

Pairing: No pairing, Eventual OT8

WC: 14.9K

Chapter Warnings: Symptoms of PTSD mentioned, Jealousy, Manipulation, Implied Smut (at the end but no graphic details)

Ao3 Link

Notes: As I said in the last chapter notes, we are back into Hongjoong’s pov and we are continuing from where we last left off. So please enjoy!

Taglist located at the bottom. Fill out this form if you want to be added.

Last Adventure☜︎☜︎ Next Adventure☞︎☞︎

Hongjoong eyes widened as he felt the other male bring his arms in front of him, stretching them both out in front of him.

He watched the prince’s hand touch the hilt of his sword and that’s when Hongjoong squirmed.

“ I asked a question. Your left hand or your right hand?” He drew his sword closer as he bent down.

“ Please! Don’t do this! I do anything else! Just don’t cut off either of my hands.” Hongjoong pleads, his heart beating fast and damn near in his throat. He hasn’t felt this type of fear since Liam and Elijah. His body started to feel numb as Seonghwa sat there as he decided which hand he wanted to cut.

Hongjoong squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to think of something other than the fact that he’ll be losing a hand. The advisor was holding his forearms firmly and out the way as his sword hovered before selecting his left hand.

Seonghwa nearly brought the sword down and through the flesh and bone of his wrist when he stopped. The faintness of aura seeped into the air and had his body hesitate. It was nothing great from the array of beings he dealt with before, but it’s more so the fact of that type of malicious aura coming from a human.

The prince used his free hand to lift Hongjoong’s chin, “ What are you?”

Hongjoong was confused as he looked up at is blue eyes, “ What?”

“ Don’t try to lie to me. I asked you what you are?” He watched his brows get furrow, clearly a tad annoyed from his first answer.

“ I’m a human.”

“ Don’t lie to me.” Seonghwa grit through his teeth as Hongjoong shook his head back and forth.

“ I swear! I’m just a human man who has human parents and average human strength. There is nothing else to me. A simple peasant boy and nothing more!” Hongjoong yelled at him, his voice firm as he felt his head get pushed down near the ground.

“ Watch your tone.” The man above him said as Hongjoong tried to shake his hand off of him.

Seonghwa had glanced at his advisor. Hongjoong watches them have a silent conversation through their eyes for a minute before Hongjoong gets pulled up off the ground and made to stand on his feet. The bag he stole snatched off his hip as he watched the prince hang it from his belt.

He walked past Hongjoong, and the shorter male watched him before he shoved him to follow. The brown-haired elf gave him a look when he turned around. Hongjoong huffed as he just followed him, knowing very well that he can’t outrun them again. His legs were still screaming at him due to their soreness.

Hongjoong walked through the less crowded area that he ran through just some moments ago. He looked around at the brick structures, covered with vines, a few flowers blooming that he didn’t notice before that he found pretty.

“Don’t even think about trying to escape from us again.” He heard the elf behind him say as he turned his head behind to look at him.

“ Can I have your name?” Hongjoong asked, and he can tell that he threw the wood elf off. His brows raised enough to give himself away.

“Why would you want to know?”

“Well, it’s annoying to try and talk to someone without addressing them with at least a name. I was raised better than that.” Hongjoong watched the man’s face before he slowly opened his mouth.

“It’s Yeosang.”

“Well, Yeosang, I would like to tell you that I have no plans to escape because my legs are still screaming at me even now as we walk, so no, I don’t plan on escaping,” Hongjoong spoke, watching him all the same as he noticed they made it back to the Main Street of where he first ran from them.

Hongjoong watched the prince head back to the stands, and when Hongjoong went to follow, his shoulder was gripped tightly and turned in the opposite direction.

“I thought we were following the prince,” Hongjoong asked as he forced him to go in the direction of a carriage, opening the door to move him inside. He watched the elf say something to the driver before getting in himself and shutting the door.

“ We will be staying here until the young prince comes back from finishing his errands he was supposed to do before you foolishly stole from him.” Yeosang spat out, obviously still passed that he had to bring him here.

“Again, I am sorry for what I did, but I truly needed the money.” Hongjoong watched as that only made the other man more upset.

“You don’t have to steal from people to gain money. There are always other options. It’s the lowest of lows to steal from others.” Yeosang criticized him, and it slowly started to make him irritated.

“You know I have been trying to get a regular job since I traveled here three years ago. I did everything I could for a job and was denied every second I tried. I was forced to be homeless for six months, and I still struggle to find a solid job, even after someone was kind enough to offer me a home. I wasn’t raised to steal by my parents, but when the people and the city are so unforgiving to me every chance they get, am I supposed to accept it?”

Yeosang wasn’t expecting him to speak to him like that, and he tried his best not to have that shred of pity for him show on his face, “ Everyone has a hard time at some point in their lives. You haven’t seen anyone steal here.”

Hongjoong scoffed, and it made Yeosang turn his attention back to him, “ Just because you don’t hear or see anything doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. I’ve seen plenty of them because we can all recognize each other.”

“It’s not that many of them. There’s always a group of bad people in a sea of good.” Yeosang rebuked, but Hongjoong was quick to respond.

“The line between good and evil and what is right and wrong can be blurred, and if you work in that damn castle, then you should know that very well. Not all the people who steal are bad because they have to choose to steal to make ends meet simply. If stealing were such an issue, there would have been reports about such, yet they never make a fuss because what’s pocket change to you is a fortune for us. Our values and lifestyles are the opposite of each other, so just because you can’t fathom the idea doesn’t mean you are right.”

Hongjoong didn’t care how reckless his tongue was. He wasn’t going to let some uppity wood elf, who only knows how to kiss the ass of the rich that has gold endlessly, fall into their hands. He can royally fuck off.

He saw it in his face.

He saw that he wanted to argue back with him, and he was ready for him to, but then the door of the carriage opened to reveal the prince holding a few things. He looked between the two of them with a raised brow.

“ Was there something that I missed?” He asked, looking at Yeosang, waiting for a response.

Yeosang gave him another look before turning back to the prince, “ Everything is fine. Do you need any help?”

Seonghwa nodded, passing the flowers and bags of fruit to Yeosang, telling the driver to head back to the castle before climbing inside next to Yeosang. Hongjoong felt the carriage move as he huffed.

He should have just listened to Eden. He told him not to get too greedy, or he would deal with the consequences.

But what else was he supposed to do?

Eden stuck his neck out to help him instead of living on the street for the rest of his life. Eden started by stealing until he could have enough to open his tavern. Since then, he had a simple life, and even when following the proper protocols, the city takes most of his earnings and barely has enough for his expenses.

He even makes sure to feed him and make sure that he’s well-nourished and is clean.

All he wanted to do was give the man that helped him start a new life after being forced to start over again, and he couldn’t even do that.

Hongjoong didn’t want to look sad in the carriage with the two elves, but the shift in his demeanor and facial expressions didn’t go unnoticed by the prince that stayed silent.

Seonghwa couldn’t wrap his head around what gave off that malevolent energy from the supposedly human male. It didn’t look like he could use magic, and he gives off no type of physical distinctions of being nonhuman. So what could it be?

He couldn’t help his c,urious nature about it. He hasn't come across someone like him, and he just had to figure it out for himself before he disposed of him.

The carriage stopped and Yeosang was quick to open the door for the prince and Hongjoong tried his hardest not to roll his eyes at his eagerness. The Prince stepped out first, and Hongjoong followed after Yeosang retrieved the purchases they made in town.

Hongjoong eyes scanned the massive structure in front of him, eyes glancing at the fountain in front of the building, slowly walking along the perimeter, mouth slightly agape.

He has always seen the manor from the tavern, and it was always quite beautiful from there, but seeing it in person was something different.

It was elegant and refined. It was truthfully exquisite, curious and Hongjoong found himself angry that he would have dreamed of something like this.

“If you're done daydreaming, follow me,” Yeosang said, making the smaller man turned to him. They both started to walk inside, and Hongjoong rushed to follow behind them, ignoring the side glances that the guards had given him.

The walls were massive, ceilings high with the sun gleaming on the stained glass from the colorful windows above them. Paintings of other high elves mounted on the wall that Hongjoong admired before he nearly bumped into the back of Yeosang.

He watched Seonghwa walk away down the hall, hair flowing behind him as Hongjoong found him watching the prince's body get smaller before he was plucked in the center of his forehead. Looking up, he saw the wood elf scowl at him.

“ Follow me, and don’t you dare try any unnecessary crap.” He scolds, and he ticked Hongjoong off for how he acted towards him.

“ I’ll follow if you tell me where exactly we are going.”

“ I don’t have to tell you anything.”

“ Then I’ll stay right here in this hall.” Hongjoong moved to the wall before sitting down on the floor, enjoying the irritated look on his face.

“ By the Gods, why are you humans so damn difficult?” He berated and it made Hongjoong give a dry laugh.

“ By the Gods, why are wood elves so damn stuck up?” Hongjoong retorted with a smile as he watched him get angrier, “ I promise I can be such an easy guest here and for you, but if you continue to be such a prick to me, I’ll make everything worse for you.”

Yeosang walked over to him and reached for his arm, pulling him up, “ I promise that I’ll cut your tongue off with my sword if you keep running your mouth like this.”

“ If you or the prince wanted to do something, you two would have done that by now. But instead, you brought me here. I don’t know why you both had brought me here against my will, but I do know that if he didn’t tell you to do anything to me, then you can’t.” Hongjoong shook out of his grip as they both stared at each other, “ Now start treating me with some common decency and then this can be easier for us both.”

Yeosang looked at the man up and down, thinking over what he said before mumbling something that Hongjoong couldn’t hear and walking away from the human, “ Just follow me to the living quarters.”

Hongjoong taking his time to follow behind him, a few feet behind him as he stared into the back of the wood elf’s head, “ Why am I going to the living quarters?”

“ Would you prefer the dungeon instead? You living with the other servants of the family sounds too generous in my eyes.” Yeosang looked over and nearly laughed as Hongjoong quickly shook his head, “ So, as I said, that is where I am taking you for now.”

Hongjoong was confused. He tried to steal from the prince and he didn’t lose any limbs. The dungeon would be the most appropriate place for him to be, but he will stay around the other workers who also live in this massive estate. It didn’t make sense to him, and it made him a bit uneasy since he feels that there’s an ulterior motive for doing this.

Hongjoong was led far down the corridor, passing other workers that greeted them and waved at Yeosang or ask him for quick advice that he happily answered. He could tell that they all looked up to the elf and valued his input. Yeosang also looked genuinely happy and satisfied to help them. So maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t as bad as Hongjoong seemed.

Yet again, the harsh behavior could be due to his sticky fingers grabbing the heavy bag of gold and running away when they gave him a chance to return it with no issues.

“ This will be your room until the prince says otherwise.” Yeosang pushed a door open and stepped to the side to let Hongjoong step inside. Hongjoong quietly walked inside, mouth slightly open as he looked at the beautiful room. He walked around the bed, admiring its size as Yeosang watched him from the door. Hongjoong hand touched the sheets and was amazed by how soft they were.

Hongjoong felt like this room cost way more than his life and his next two lives too.

He’s never been in such a place before and he couldn’t help but be stunned by its elegance.

“ Thank you.” Hongjoong’s voice was low, but Yeosang heard him, a tad intrigued by his reactions.

“ If you plan to thank anyone, then thank the prince when he comes by the room. Stay in this room until he comes back and tells you what you can and cannot do. I have other tasks to take care of, so I will be leaving you here alone. However, that doesn’t mean that you can do anything stupid and try to escape. If you try to leave, I will personally come after you myself. Do I make myself clear?” Hongjoong nodded as Yeosang spoke to him.

Hongjoong watched Yeosang close the door and his footsteps leading down the hall before it got quiet.

Hongjoong let out a deep sigh as he took his boots off as he looked around the room, his toes wiggling in the plush carpet underneath his feet as he never felt something this soft. He wondered what animal the fur came from.

He pushed it all to his mind as he walked around the perimeter of the room, hands dragging across the wooden dressers.

He pulled open the drawers to find some clothes sitting inside. He wasn’t sure if he should touch them or not. He doesn't want to give the tawny-haired elf any type of motivation to yell at him. Not that he cared, but more so that he didn’t feel like dealing with that.

So Hongjoong silently walked back to the bed and hesitantly sat down on its expensive sheets. They were soft to his touch. Fingers gliding with ease as he somewhat became enthralled with the material that he never experienced before. It was then that he decided to lay down on the bed completely.

He felt his body slightly sink into it, almost welcoming him with such ease that he closed his eyes for a minute.

Maybe it’s because he doesn’t know how long he would be able to touch such luxury. He exhaled before inhaling the strong smell of fresh cotton from the bed, and Hongjoong felt his aching muscles from running sigh along with him.

He would do anything to be with Eden and laugh around with the patrons of his tavern because that’s his home, but he can’t help but wish to be entangled in this lifestyle just a bit longer.

The moment Hongjoong’s body started to quiet down and convince him to relax in this unfamiliar place, the door opened suddenly, and it made him open his eyes and immediately sit up in the bed.

He greeted him with the face of the prince, who happened to be alone this time. You couldn’t see Yeosang at all from where he sat, and he didn’t see him in the hall either before he shut the door behind him.

It was quiet.

Both of them were staring at each other. Hongjoong, not knowing what to expect from the prince, sat back near the headboard of the large bed. Seonghwa's eyes were piercing him as it felt like he was planning something that Hongjoong had no idea of.

“ It’s good to see that you got comfortable enough for a nap here, but now I have business to talk to you about.” His tone was harsh, and Hongjoong knew that he better pay attention to what he had to say. “First off, I’ll introduce myself. I am the first prince of Crescent Hill and next in line to the throne, Park Seonghwa. What is yours?”

Hongjoong swallowed before answering him, “K-Kim Hongjoong.”

“So Kim Hongjoong is the name of the man who was foolish enough to steal from me in broad daylight?” Seonghwa started as he walked away from the door and made his way to the center of the room. Hongjoong’s eyes following him the whole time he moved, “ But this is now besides that point of you being a petty thief.”

“Then what is this about?” Hongjoong asked him as he adjusted himself on the bed. Hongjoong admiring his side profile before he stopped his pacing and turned his head in his direction.

“ What did I ask you out in the alleyway?” Seonghwa hinted at and watched Hongjoong rake up his brain for the answer before looking back up at the high elf.

“ You had asked me what I was?”

“ And I still need an answer to the question.” Seonghwa turned his body to face him completely.

Hongjoong huffed, crossing his arms over his chest, “ I did give you an answer. Whether you find the answer I gave earlier efficient enough is a problem for you and not myself.”

It was then that Seonghwa crossed the room very quickly and had slammed his hand beside Hongjoong’s head on the headboard. It startled Hongjoong enough to jump and stare up at the prince with wide eyes. His blonde brows were furrowed and his eyes were sharp.

“ You may have human strength and some human agility, but your aura says differently. I know I’m not wrong in this.” Seonghwa argued and he saw the confusion in Hongjoong’s expression once more.

“ What is an aura?” He questioned, a slight tilt of his head as he waited for an answer from him.

“ Aura is this very distinctive atmosphere that surrounds and is generated by a person, place, and thing. Whether it is small or big, there’s some type of aura surrounding everything around us. So that also includes humans, but usually, it’s a tiny amount of aura that’s produced from them, and they are all generally the same.” He explains in great detail as Hongjoong listens.

“ So, what is the problem with my aura?” Hongjoong looked up at the elf, now curious in his reasonings.

“ Despite it being faint, I sensed such evil and tainted aura coming from you that wouldn’t be possible for a regular human to generate. As much as history knows, it’s completely unheard, yet here you are.” Seonghwa gritted through his teeth, and it made Hongjoong glance down.

None of this made any sense to him. He was strictly human and nothing less.

How could he be walking around with a ‘tainted’ aura like this?

It made his head spin as the back of his head rested against the headboard. Seonghwa pulled his face away but was still fairly close as he sat down on the bed. He was still staring at him when he looked up.

“ I seriously don’t know how to answer your assumptions about me. I was born by human parents and was surrounded by nothing but humans for the most part. I wouldn’t know how this could happen.” Hongjoong’s eyes were cast down, still lost in thought as Seonghwa tried to think of some possible explanation.

“ You said you were surrounded by humans ‘ for the most part.’ So I can assume that you are around other beings besides them. If that is true, then can you tell me what type of species you commonly stayed around.”

Hongjoong gave an empty laugh as he looked back up at the prince, a look of agitation in his eyes, “ My old home had a small number of nonhumans who lived there peacefully, but there was a pair of demons who decided to make my life a living hell because I stopped them from hurting someone.”

Hongjoong crossed over his chest as he chewed on his bottom lip as he thought about, “ It was always stupid things and nothing serious, but the last time, they crossed the line and hurt me real bad.”

His mind flashed to that brutal beating. He heard their morphed voices and laughter echoing in his head until it overlapped, and he wanted to leave his mind. He was hearing Ava screaming for them to stop and to leave him alone. He was feeling incapable of breathing since he got slammed down. Remembering how weak he felt, how tiny he truly felt, and how hopeless he felt.

Seonghwa watched the look of pain and terror rise to his face, and it took him by surprise. The smaller male was squeezing his arms so tightly that he could see his blunt nails slowly dig into his skin. He could see him holding his breath and never exhaling.

“ Kim Hongjoong?” He questioned, hesitantly reaching forward to tap his leg.

Hongjoong was so deep in the nightmare replaying in his head that when he felt something touch him, he jumped back. Panicked, he looked forward and realized who was in front of him.

Wasn’t he in the alley?

“ Are you okay?” Seonghwa grew concerned for him. He knows nothing of what those demons did to him, but for them to cause a reaction like this from just thinking back to it.

Hongjoong finally took a deep breath and released his hold on his arms as they fell to his sides. He couldn’t find the strength to look up at him after all of that. His hand reached up to wipe away the tears that almost threatened to fall in front of the prince. It made him angry with himself.

Hongjoong didn’t want to show this man his weaknesses, but I’m guessing he couldn’t control himself as his mind had spiraled out of control. But maybe it had brought some clarification to him.

He was a human, but his aura was ‘supposedly’ evil.

Hongjoong had finally looked up at Seonghwa, who was patiently waiting for him to respond to him, “ Could aura be transferred to another person?”

Seonghwa brought up his hand to rest his chin in, “ Most of the time, beings that can control their auras usually place them on valuables or their territories, so no one bothers them. I haven’t heard of them placing their auras on other people.”

Could that explain everything? It could be the reason why it is so faint and why most people wouldn’t notice it. But again, what if he is just trying to trick him into escaping? Seonghwa doesn't think that he is that much of a fool, but he did steal from him.

Seonghwa looked back up at the man, “ When did that situation happen?”

Hongjoong ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to calm himself down slowly, “ I was 18 when it happened, and I’m 21 now.”

“ That sounds more than just aura. Do you regularly hang around such demons?” Seonghwa questioned him, watching his body finally ease itself against the wooden bed frame.

“ Demons and nonhumans never really scared me before, even after that incident. I haven’t been around any of them since I was here, but then again, some kinds hide in plain sight, and I wouldn’t know. Does aura not stay attached for that long?” Hongjoong tilted his head, and it made him look more childlike to the prince.

“ It’s unheard of as far as my knowledge, but I’ll figure that out for myself,” Seonghwa stood up from the bed and walked back to the center of the room, “ Because of my need to learn and comprehend everything, I want to figure out the mystery of this dark aura that surrounds you. You’ll be under surveillance for as long as that takes. I won’t bind you to this room and you're allowed to walk throughout the premises and you will be fed and bathed. Try and escape and I will put you down and just examine your corpse if need be. Do you understand, Kim Hongjoong?”

“ B-but what about my life outside of here? I can’t just stay here!”

Hongjoong is grateful that they aren’t killing him or taking any limbs from him, but he would rather be back in the tavern with Eden and the rest of the tavern’s patrons.

“ You should have thought about that before you committed the deeds that you did. Try if you must, but it would only result in death.” Seonghwa gave him a stern look. He knew he was serious.

Hongjoong couldn’t just run like how he did in town. This was a heavily guarded place with trained guards. He was royally screwed.

“ Oh, before I forget,” Seonghwa watched the smaller man process his words as he walked back to the door before looking over his shoulder. A grin that gave no sense of calm to Hongjoong’s nerves

“ Welcome to the Park Estate, Kim Hongjoong. I do hope you enjoy your stay.”

THREE WEEKS LATER

Several days had passed since he was invited ( very much forced) to stay in the royal family’s estate who ruled over the town he lived in.

It was honestly better than what he had initially imagined. The staff was told that he was new help, so he simply joined in with some of their duties.

With him joining with the help, he traveled throughout the massive home and had a bit of an idea of where everything was.

The left side of the estate was where the King and his family, meaning Seonghwa, lived. Some higher-up employees, such as Yeosang and some generals in charge of warriors, stayed there as well. There were some standard rooms like the study, the library, and meeting halls, but he knows nothing as far as anything else.

The center of the estate is where the main hall room was located and the kitchen and a few other rooms that he didn't know about. He only passes some of these rooms because he has to go clean some of these areas.

The right side of the estate was where he and the other staff members lived. Everyone had a bedroom, storage, and bathrooms, while some shared a common area. It was shocking to see so many staff there that were genuinely eager, let alone happy, to work for the prince and the family. Even though Hongjoong says that he can’t blame them when he bears witness to how well they are treated.

While Hongjoong truly wants to be back home with Eden, he did make friends with some of the other staff that managed to keep him hopeful and happy.

One of the friends he made was a young man named Subin. He’s been working there for a little over a year. Even though his main job is cleaning-related, he never voices any compliments and is usually in a good mood whenever he speaks. It’s always nice talking to him, and he gives him a good laugh when he needs one.

Hongjoong pretty much did a little bit of everything, even though he wasn’t supposed to. He was usually just supposed to clean a particular area that he was assigned for the day, but he would always end up helping the staff in the kitchen or tending the vast gardens. He even helped some of the warriors polish their weapons after battle and sparring.

Neither Yeosang nor Seonghwa predicted how fast Hongjoong would become well-liked at the estate, but that was just Hongjoong’s personality and friendly nature.

It was just another day Hongjoong had finished his tasks for the day and bored out of his mind. He was walking by the stained windows as he gazed outside into the town, wondering if he could see the tavern again before he heard loud giggles echoing the halls along with fast pitter-pattering of feet.

Hongjoong turned his head in the sound direction before he felt something bump into his legs and let out an ‘oof. Looking down, he saw two children, one on the floor and the other one catching up the other.

“I told you to be more careful!” The taller one yelled as the other one rubbed her nose.

Hongjoong squatted down to be her height as he tried to make sure she had no wounds or marks on her body, “ Hey, are you okay?”

The tiny child looked up at him and nodded, “ My nose hurts, but I’m okay!” She rubbed her nose before looking up at Hongjoong.

Hongjoong gave her a soft smile and also offered his hand to help her stand. The bigger child had watched Hongjoong help her up, “ Are you new?”

Hongjoong nodded as he looked at her, noticing how the younger of the two stared up at his face, “ I’m Hongjoong. What’s your name?” Hongjoong kept his tone light and friendly as the little girl smiled at him.

“ Elva!” She yelled, and it made Hongjoong giggle.

“ What a pretty name,” He looked up at the other child, “ And yours is?”

“ I’m Estel. She’s my little sister.” Estel watched her younger sister reach for him; arms stretched that had Hongjoong shocked himself. She watched him hesitantly lift the girl, and she smiled the moment that he did. Hongjoong had her body resting on her forearm.

“ Can you take us to the kitchen, please? We were on our way to get us some snacks.” Elva giggled as she waited for him to answer.

“ Well, you asked so sweetly, so how could I say no to you?” Hongjoong said as he started to turn his body before looking at the older of the two, “ Will you still be joining us?”

Estel shook her shock as she nodded as Hongjoong started to head for the stairs, Estel looping her arm when he walked. Estel watched her sister talk the man’s head off, still shocked that she trusted and got comfortable with the random man so fast in so little time.

Estel knew her sister was usually wary of any new person for a while, whether she met them or not. But this was the first time either of them had seen the man Hongjoong, yet there she was in the kind man’s arms.

Hongjoong didn’t notice the other sister’s stare as the younger talked his head off about the different foods she liked to eat, nor did he notice how some of the staff glanced at him to see the sister’s so close to him when he was barely in the castle for a month.

But they continued to walk down the stairs and made their way to the kitchen. Hongjoong used his shoulder to push the door open and peek inside, seeing a familiar face. The man turned his head after hearing the door, and he watched the man sigh.

“ What do you want now, Hongjoong?” He put down the knife he was using and stared at him.

“ Well, I missed you too Jin, but I wanted to get some snacks for myself and these two,” showing both sisters, and it made Jin widen his eyes.

“ Didn’t I give you two snacks earlier? Why are you back here, and you brought him back too.” Jin pinched the bridge of his nose as Hongjoong put Elva down.

“ Can’t we have a bit more Mr. Jin? Please?~” Elva ran over and clung to his leg.

“ If I keep giving you sweets and you fatten up, your mother and the prince will have my head!” Jin exclaimed as he rubbed his throat, and it only made her giggle.

“ We would never let him hurt you” Estel smiled as she eyed the desserts on the table that Hongjoong’s eyes also caught as he moved closer to the tray.

“ Jin, what type of dessert is this? I haven’t seen those before.” Hongjoong tore his eyes away for a split second to look at Jin with a childlike gaze.

Before Jin could speak, one of his assistants, Jaemin, came inside with an empty tray, “ Those are peach puffs.”

“They look fluffy and soft and look delicious~” Estel added as she and Hongjoong stared at each other and looked back at the tray. Elva was heading back to them, asking for Hongjoong to pick her back up, and he did.

Hongjoong knew the look that she had. It was the very same look he gave when he decided to steal from the prince.

Without a second thought, Estel snatched two puffs in her tiny hands, “ Grab one for Elva!” Estel yelled as Jin tried to run over to them.

Hongjoong hesitated for a split second before taking a puff as well and rushing out the door, hearing Jaemin’s laughter and Jin’s nagging.

“I make it up to you tonight, Mr. Jin!~” Hongjoong shouted as he followed behind the girl with her giggling as they ran. He knew Jin wasn’t going to chase him and just smack his hands when he sees him again.

They slowed down and sat down in the hall by the steps on the floor. He gave Elva her puff before placing her in his lap, smiling when she started munching on it. Estel handed Hongjoong his own, and you all ate the puffs quietly in the halls.

There was a sort of peace as you three ate the stolen food on the floor enjoying the silence as they enjoyed the sweet treat. The peaches were fresh, and the cream was fluffy. Hongjoong was enjoying his time with the sisters as his eyes were closed.

“Ddeonghwa!”

Hongjoong’s eyes opened as he watched Elva scurry out of his lap and run towards the blonde prince; his blue eyes were staring at Hongjoong, a stoic look on his face until Elva drew closer and he gave her a sweet smile.

A smile that Hongjoong didn’t know the man could take.

“ Now, what are you doing out here? Are you and Estel causing trouble? ” The prince’s voice was soft, maybe even delicate as he crouched down, opening his arms as she ran right into them.

“ We ate some peach puffs with Hongjoong!” She yells as she goes to feed the last bit of puff she had to Seonghwa, who chuckled and opened his mouth.

“ It does taste delicious.” Seonghwa smiled as Hongjoong watched with wide eyes.

Estel had gotten up as well, a big smile gracing her face as she ran over to hug him as well, “ Are you busy with duties for the rest of the day?”

“ No, I just came back from finishing my tasks for the day.” Seonghwa tucked her dark hair behind her ear as he spoke.

“ Can we go to the gardens then?” Elva asked with big doe eyes, hoping that the man would say yes.

“ Of course we can go. Would you like to go now?” Seonghwa tilted his head as she jumped up and down with excitement, a clear yes by her actions.

“ Oh! Can we bring Hongjoong with us too?” Estel asked and both Hongjoong and Seonghwa weren't expecting her to ask that. They both had looked at each other, not initially knowing how to answer it.

Hongjoong tried to help the prince as he’s stood up, “ Maybe I shouldn’t go with you all-”

“ Nooooo,” Elva runs over to him, clinging onto his leg, “ Please come with us, so can I show you the flowers there pleaseeeee.” She begged and Hongjoong felt like he couldn’t tell her no.

“ Join us, Kim Hongjoong. It’s quite hard to tell the little one no.” Seonghwa spoke, looking at him with eyes that were unreadable as Hongjoong eventually agreed.

The sisters eventually pulled both of them out towards the gardens, Seonghwa sitting on one of the benches as the sisters pulled Hongjoong around to the flowers that they found were pretty. Hongjoong stared at the white camellias and pink roses that Hongjoong found himself getting so enthralled in them as he reached out to touch them all.

Seonghwa watched from where he sat, watching Hongjoong’s movements as he noticed the childlike gaze he had just for the flowers, and Seonghwa found his face softening a bit.

They were just flowers. They weren’t too memorable or unique, but here was the tiny human being memorized by some vibrant flowers.

Seonghwa immediately found it foolish and childish in his mind, but something in the back of his mind found his reactions adorable, and the moment that it crossed his mind, he froze and shook his head back and forth to get rid of the thought.

He looked back up and realized that the sisters were pulling the man before, having him sit right beside him. He smiled at them as they told them they would get them both a surprise and ran away before either of them could say anything.

The moment the girls were far enough away from them, Seonghwa’s smile dropped, and he turned to face the shorter man, “ What ulterior motives do you have, Kim Hongjoong?”

Hongjoong giggled, his legs crossed as he leaned back onto the bench before turning to look him in the eyes, “ I was waiting for you to say something to me. I wasn’t expecting you to do it so soon, though.”

“ Answer my question.”

Seonghwa watched him roll his eyes before looking back at him, “ There’s no motive or planning. I like my life very much. Those lovely children ran into me in the halls after I finished my duties for the day. Elva asked for me to come with them to the kitchen.”

Seonghwa stared at him, nowhere near satisfied with his answer, “They don’t usually warm up to any new faces so fast. Perhaps, you used some type of magic on them.”

“ Wouldn’t such a high-ranked elf like you would have noticed any magic traces on them as you did with the tiny amount of dark energy on me?” Hongjoong raised his brow and it took everything in him not to laugh at the look on the prince's face.

It was a mix of shock and maybe a pinch of flustered as he watched him scramble to try and respond to him, his mouth opening and closing, not knowing what to say.

Hongjoong found that face more fitting on him than the stoic one he walks around with.

It makes him look younger. It made him look youthful.

It made him look cuter.

Huh?

“ I guess you're right….” The prince mumbled, not looking at him anymore

Hongjoong, being lost in his thoughts, nearly missed what he said, “ Did you just say I was right?”

“ I did,” Seonghwa answered, feeling Hongjoong lean closer to him.

“ Say it again.”

“ What?”

“ Say that I was right again.” Hongjoong pushed, moving closer to the elf, feeling their thighs touch.

“ No,” Seonghwa turned to the side. He felt the man close the distance between them again, and he was ready to yell at him when he turned his head around, but his voice died down when he noticed how close their faces were.

Hongjoong wasn’t expecting him to turn around either, and he knew the prince could see him visibly swallow as he also took note of their closeness. The last time he had his face this close to his face was when they were in his room, and he was threatening him with the sword.

But now, there were no weapons in sight. It was just the two of them, up close and personal. Hongjoong couldn’t stop his eyes from looking over the handsome face. He found himself admiring his cheekbones, the shape of his nose, and daringly eyeing his lips.

They looked pretty and soft before his eyes glanced back up to catch the pair of bright lapis staring back at him.

He was waiting for the man to yell for his staring and the lack of personal space, but it never came. He just kept eye contact with him, and Hongjoong wasn’t sure what he should do. He knew that he could see the faintest of blush coat his cheeks, and he was going to lose it.

By the gods, he was lucky to be broken from the trance as he heard the sisters yell for them as they got remotely closer to them.

Hongjoong was quick to move back to where there was a reasonable amount of distance between them, and he heard Seonghwa clear his throat and turned his head back away from him.

Hongjoong smacked his cheeks a bit before quickly putting on a smile as Elva ran over to him, her hands dirty from the soil as Estel came over with some flowers in her hands. Hongjoong picked the younger sister up and sat her on his lap, and Estel sat in between him and Seonghwa, which he was grateful for. “ What were you two up to for you both to have such dirty fingers?”

Hongjoong’s tone was light and bubbly as he took out a cloth from his pants pocket and gently took her tiny hands to clean them.

“ We found some pretty flowers and we pulled two up for you both!” She squeals as Estel hands them both a flower. It was a red Gardenia and Hongjoong brought it to his nose to smell, smiling when he did.

“ This is a beautiful flower. Thank you.” He gave them a big smile that they quickly returned, not catching Seonghwa looking at him once more with a smile that went unnoticed by the party as the children talked both of their ears off, but they didn’t mind as they sat in the gardens with them.

They both stayed there with them, idly talking and playing with the children, as they were watched from the window, their earlier interaction not going unnoticed as a brow twitched before walking away.

ONE MONTH LATER

It’s been about six weeks since Hongjoong was made to stay there in the castle, and the time he was having there was completely different from that initial week.

Especially when it came between him and the prince of the estate.

He found his eyes lingering on the prince whenever he walked past him, or he caught him after a lesson or meeting. Sometimes, he would see the prince meeting his gaze, and it would immediately make his face flash and have him quickly walk away.

He didn't know why he started to get so nervous around the elf prince, but he did. Ever since their trip to the gardens with the children, he hasn’t been able to look at him calmly.

Speaking of the sisters, Estel and Elva always tried to steal him away while he was doing his tasks for the day. Whether it was bringing in shipments from other cities to him having to clean the floors and windows thoroughly, they tried their best to steal him away.

The other workers found it amusing, never really minding if they stayed out, not as they worked since they never really caused anyone trouble, but they did find it odd how much they went to strictly Hongjoong and no one else.

Hongjoong had just managed to avoid the sisters, both feeling mischievous as they were messing with Subin before quickly asking where the small brown-haired man was.

It wasn’t that he didn’t love their company, but he just didn’t have the energy to play with them. Sadly, they didn’t give up that easily, and they were chasing him.

Hongjoong had some reasonable distance between these girls, them both giggling and smiling as they were trying to catch up. “ Hongjoong, where are you going?” Estel giggles and it took everything in him not to laugh.

He glanced around the halls, spotting a wooden door and quickly opening and shutting it silently as he pressed his ear against the door. Hongjoong heard the girls go past the door, quickly stopping when they couldn’t hear his steps or see him since it was a long hallway.

“ Where did he go?” Elva asked, confused as Hongjoong backed away from the door. He knew their hearing was better than his, so he tried his best not to make any sounds. His eyes never leaving the door until he bumped into something and a hand quickly covered over his mouth.

Hongjoong’s heart jumped into his throat as he tried to turn around and was greeted by those same hypnotizing blue eyes as he leaned to his ear, “ Say calm if you want the girls to leave.”

His voice was low and it sent a shiver down his spine, but he stayed still and quiet. He could still hear the girls talking right outside the door.

“ You think he went into here,” Elva asked, pointing to the door that indeed had Hongjoong right behind it.

“ I don’t think he did. No one is allowed in there and that includes Hongjoong,” Estel thought for a bit before the two heard a sigh. “ We lost him, Estel, so let’s go and get some snacks from Mr.Jin!”

Hongjoong heard Elva make this happy noise as she started to run off to the kitchen, Estel right on her tail as the footsteps and laughter slowly went away, and Hongjoong let out a sigh, unconsciously resting his head against his body and Seonghwa stiffened a bit.

Seonghwa stared to the top of his head, staying completely still and not knowing what to do for a minute.

Hongjoong, unknowing of him stiffening behind him, turned around to face him for a split second before looking past him, “What room is this?”

Seonghwa snapped out of it for a split second before turning around to look in his direction, “This is the castor room. This is where I study and learn new magic.”

Hongjoong walked deeper into the room, eyeing the tree and wood decor in the room, his eyes trailing to the colored glass that brought in the light that illuminated the room. Hongjoong eyes landed on the book that must have been where Seonghwa was sitting.

“So you plan on staying here, even though the young ones left you alone already?” Seonghwa walked past him as he sat back in the chair that Hongjoong was eyeing. He turned in his seat, leaning back to look at him and wait for his answer.

“ I won’t touch anything. I just want to watch you work. I finished my task for the day and I have never seen magic before, so I’m a bit curious.” Hongjoong admitted as he eyed the chair that was next to him.

Seonghwa thought it over, tempted to send him off so he could enjoy his time alone like he usually does. But glancing at the look on his face and eyes made him sigh and turned back around. “ Sit in the chair and don’t touch anything.”

Hongjoong sat in a chair, far away from Seonghwa and his work. Hongjoong eyes scanned the table and saw the books and vials that were over most of the table. His eyes were trailing up to look at the elf prince, who was focused on the text in the book.

His blonde hair pulled back this time in a ponytail, a few loose hairs as his eyes scanned over the text. His hand reached for the feather and dipped it in ink before writing some notes on his own, him noting how pretty his handwriting was as well before looking back up to his face.

Hongjoong doesn’t know how he found himself staring at his profile as he worked, despite wanting to bother him just a bit. He was just enamored with how the gods decided to sculpt such a beautiful-looking man.

He had to be honest. He found Seonghwa attractive. Yeah, he tried to kill him and take his fingers from him, but he was still hot.

Hongjoong chuckled to himself and the sound drew in Seonghwa’s attention, “ What’s so amusing over there?” He asked as he got up, grabbed some materials from a shelf, and brought them back to the table.

“ Would you prefer that I be honest?” Hongjoong asked.

“ I don’t like being lied to, so yes.”

“ I was sitting here thinking about how handsome you are.”

He almost dropped the materials in his hands.

“ Pardon?”

“ You told me to be honest and I said I was sitting here thinking about how handsome you were. Do you not know that you are handsome?” Hongjoong tilted his head, eyes glancing back at the other vials, his fingers tempted to reach out and touch them.

“It’s not that I don’t know that I have good looks, but that’s not what I was expecting to hear. But why would that have made you laugh?”

“ I thought that despite you threatening to take off any type of limbs, I couldn’t lie and say you aren’t attractive. I don’t think I can be good-looking anymore if I lose an arm.” Hongjoong smiled as he dragged his fingertips over the vials, despite being told not to touch anything.

“ A missing limb wouldn’t make you less attractive,” Seonghwa said bluntly, and Hongjoong wasn’t expecting that type of response. It made him stare at the icy blonde prince.

“ I’m sorry, what was that?”

“ I know you heard me loud and clear, but maybe those human ears of yours aren’t too good, so listen closely,” Seonghwa grabbed his collar, making Hongjoong yelp as Seonghwa ghosted his lips by the shell of Hongjoong’s ear, “ I said a missing limb wouldn’t make you less attractive, Kim Hongjoong.”

Hongjoong felt the blush cover his cheeks and a shiver run down his spine from having his voice and breath so close to him. His voice sounded more profound than usual, or was that just his mind playing with him? But this man. This prince had called him attractive and he didn't know how to react to that.

Seonghwa enjoyed the silence from the man as he let go of his collar and went back to focusing on the magic in front of him. He watched from the corner of his eye at how Hongjoong adjusted himself before getting comfortable and watching him work once more.

He enjoyed the sort of “ peace” that befell them both. It was comfortable and relaxing as the only thing Seonghwa could hear was him mixing the elixirs and potions and the glasses occasionally clinking together. But then his ear picked up on a sound that made him look over again.

He saw the tiny man with his head resting in his arms, lightly snoring. He watched his shoulders rise slowly with every breath, and tossed his hair slightly to the side.

Seonghwa marked where he was at last and closed his book before turning to face him fully. He slowly reached over and moved his hair out of his eyes. He pulled his hand back when Hongjoong moved before going still again.

Seonghwa found himself gradually leaning closer, basking in the scent that was rolling off of him. He couldn’t put his finger on it. He never had the chance to figure out what his smell was when he got close the last few times.

Seonghwa didn’t even realize how close he had gotten to Hongjoong’s sleeping face. His nose was almost brushing against him, and he didn’t fully grasp the idea that he wanted to kiss his forehead. But that sounds….wrong.

He shouldn’t desire to do such a thing, especially someone who should just be treated like a common thief. Everything in Seonghwa’s mind told him not to do it, and he knew his lips were inches away. All he had to do was inch a tiny bit forward and he would do it.

Just a tad bit closer and that’s it. Just that simple. But it still felt wrong.

It took a few seconds, but Seonghwa relaxed and looked back at the sleeping man before backing up in his seat. He knew better and he wouldn’t. Whatever urge he had will be swallowed and locked away since he knows it was wrong.

But at the very least, he petted his head and couldn’t stop the small smile as he leaned into his hand a bit.

Seonghwa enjoyed the feeling before he heard a quick knock on the door before it swung open. Seonghwa pulled his hand away fast and went back to grab his book, almost doing it in such a calm and collected manner as if he wasn’t petting the sleeping man.

Yeosang turned around and brought Seonghwa his tea with a smile before he stopped, his eyes immediately locking on the Hongjoong.

Yeosang did his best not to have his face falter as he walked over to the table, sitting the tray of fruits and tea down on a nearby table, “ I brought you some fruits and tea. I didn’t know you would have a guest, or else I would have brought another cup of tea.”

“ This wasn’t planned, but there is no need for that,” Seonghwa reached over and grabbed a strawberry and took a bite from it, letting out a tiny hum as it touched his tongue, “ But I appreciate the snacks. I was a bit famished.”

“ Then you should be eating something more filling.” Yeosang quipped, boldly stealing a grape for himself and popping it into his mouth as he saw the prince smile.

“Then do you know what is being prepared for lunch, Yeosang?.”

“ I can find out if you’d like.”

“ There’s no need for that,” Seonghwa stood up and went for another book on the shelf, “ You do enough for me as it is.”

Yeosang looked back at Hongjoong, sending the sleeping man a look that Seonghwa couldn’t see before fixing it as the prince turned around. Yeosang watched the head back to the table, seemingly comfortable with having Hongjoong stay beside him like that.

“ Yeosang, do you know what the rest of my day looks like? I didn’t meet with the King recently.” Seonghwa asked, eyes glued to the new book in his hands.

Yeosang stepped forward, on the opposite side of the table from Hongjoong, “ As far as today, you have to spar with the general and Lady Nora before dinner. Your schedule is quite free beside the event the King had planned that needs your actual attendance.”

Yeosang watched the man tsk as he looked at him, “ It is coming up, isn’t it? I don’t want to be there.”

“ I don't either, but you know we have no say for this one. You already have some attire being made; the seamstress is almost finished with that. You have the fitting tomorrow, and then the event is two days from now.” Yeosang explained as he heard another deep sigh from Seonghwa.

“ I don’t want to be in the faces of so many nobilities, especially with most of them being fools and not wanting to listen. You ask how to improve things, I tell them, and they don't listen or just resort to saying I’m a spoil and know-it-all brat that understands nothing. But if that's the case, why ask me for my input to begin with? This happens all night long, and you know this.” Seonghwa allowed himself to slip into his chair just a bit and Yeosang gave a small smile at the action.

“I’ll assist you the best way I can.” Yeosang bows slightly and Seonghwa gives a smile of his own before his head turns around when he hears a groan coming from his left. He watched Hongjoong stretch and sat up from where he was, yawning and stretching his arms. Hongjoong turned and looked over at Seonghwa before his eyes turned to look at Yeosang.

“ I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep here.” Hongjoong rubbed his eyes a bit and the prince thought it made him more childlike as he watched him.

“ I would have woken you up if it was a nuisance for me.” Seonghwa pointed out a comment that didn’t go unnoticed by the advisor, “ Also, while I’m thinking of it, there is an event that will be happening in two days, and you will also have to attend.

“Why?” He wasn’t expecting both Hongjoong and Yeosang to say it at the same time.

“ Only you and I know the real reason why Kim Hongjoong is in this castle, but to others, he is a mere worker. Just like the rest of them, he will be working and most likely be a server to the guests.” Seonghwa pointed out and Yeosang got quiet. Choose to say no.

Hongjoong knew he was right, and he didn't have a choice to say no in this type of situation. “I’ll do my best during this event.”

“ I expect you to.”

TWO DAYS LATER

“Never knew you could clean up so well, Hongjoong. Almost didn’t recognize you.” Subin teased, adjusting his clothes as he smiled at him.

The two of you had spent the day together getting everything ready for the event that’s happening tonight. You expected not to see the Prince and his advisor until the evening, and so far, you’ve been correct. After all the necessary preparations, the workers were all told to change and hurry back before the guest arrived.

Hongjoong eyed himself in the large mirror, admiring his appearance. He never dressed in something like this before, primarily to him not being able to afford something like this. He was dressed in white. A long-sleeved flint-colored top that was buttoned as that top before split down the center passed his belly button and stopped at his knees with delicate gold details that could go unnoticed. White pants that were a bit scrunched at the ankle due to his height, but nothing too bad to where he would walk on them. A high necked vested jacket latched at the top before flowing down and stopping at his thighs. The latch was gold, the edges of the material, and some white and gold shoes to match.

It was pretty simple in appearance, but it indeed was the fanciest thing he had worn. Subin was wearing the same color scheme but was designed differently. “ So funny, now let’s hurry up because we have to go back.”

“ Do you remember how to get there?”

“ No, not at all, so hurry up so you can show me how to get there.” Hongjoong laughed with Subin as they walked out of the room, following other staff that had to work.

If Hongjoong was honest with himself, he didn’t want to help any rich and stuck-up assholes tonight, but he knows he can’t say that out loud. Luckily, Subin would be there with him to brighten the mood.

Jin told them to station a table on the end, and you two were happy to be stuck together.

You both watched how quickly the hall filled up, countless demons, monsters, and humans all dressed in the finest of silks and fabrics to impress each other, and it took everything in Hongjoong to not roll his eyes. He believes that they might get stuck in his head if he did so.

But he did what he was told along with Subin, serving any and everyone that approached their tables. He was a bit shocked when some thanked them but wasn’t surprised by the judging looks he did receive.

Hongjoong found himself getting tired fast, having Subin kick his shin once in and while to keep him up. But soon enough, that kick felt like nothing.

“ Hongjoong, wake up! The prince has arrived!” Subin whispered yell as they both turned towards the more oversized doors.

Hongjoong straightened up and had his eyes glued as he finally got his first look at the King and Queen, Seonghwa’s parents. His father gave off a regal aura; His hair flowed down to his mid-back. He was dressed in black, white, and gold. Hongjoong could see some of the finest jewels adorning his neck apart from his attire.

His eyes went to Seonghwa’s mother and she must have been the most elegant woman he has ever seen, dressed in layers of silk and expensive fabrics that flowed around her beautifully. Her beautiful headdress and intricate hairstyle made her shine like an actual jewel.

But then his eyes landed on the prince, and it felt like his breath got caught in his throat. He was adorned in all black, a great contrast to his pale skin and blonde hair. His attire was flowy as well, similar to his mother’s. As he saw them walk past, he noticed embroidery of dragons on the sleeves and along the collar and hem of his clothes.

His eyes followed him as he walked behind his parents, having Subin smack his arm once more to gain his attention once he noticed some guests walk to their table. But no matter how many times Subin had to slap his arm, he found his eyes going back to Seonghwa.

Maybe it’s because admiring the prince’s beauty made him focus enough to stay up now after seeing countless forgettable faces. But then it became something more familiar when he noticed Yeosang heading to the table.

His pants were plain and straightforward and just white in color. He was dressed in this black vest with a high collar. The seams are traced in white trim, and wearing black and gold cuffs on his wrists. This other piece was a fabric matching his shirt and had a white border and some gold.

“ Mr.Kang, I wasn’t expecting you to come by,” Subin said with a smile, and Hongjoong watched the corners of Yeosang’s lips curve upwards.

“ It’s good to see you as well, Subin.” Yeosang turned his head to look at Hongjoong, and he noticed a slight change in his gaze, “ Nice to see you too, Hongjoong.”

“Anything that you would like?” Hongjoong asked him as Yeosang’s eyes scanned over the array of foods, leaning over to look at it all before standing up once more.

“ I’ll come back later since I’m not quite hungry yet. I plan on seeing you two later then, so make sure you two enjoy yourselves later on.” Yeosang told them before heading off just as quickly as he arrived.

Subin was distracted for a split second when another guest missed the quick change in Yeosang’s face. His eyes narrowed, a frown on his lips before turning his head once more to head back to Seonghwa.

Hongjoong found it odd. He knew the advisor wasn’t fond of him and would prefer if he was dead, but the look in his eyes this time seemed more intense than before.

He just pushed it to the back of his head before he felt Subin smack his arm once more, this time to get his attention as Jin arrived. “

“ You both are done for now. Eat and relax. Just don’t cause any trouble for me, or I’ll have your head. “ He threatened before pushing both of them away, Hongjoong laughing a bit.

“ Now you know you would mourn my death. I’m quite fun to be around.” Hongjoong joked as Jin kicked his ankle as they both stumbled away laughing.

Hongjoong and Subin had made their way to some of the other workers that were switched out to eat. It was away from the more high-status guests, but Hongjoong preferred that.

He has fun and enjoys his time with them. Maybe it’s because this was something that he wished he could have back in his hometown with Ava. Perhaps he’ll get some money and get her to visit.

He knows that’s not a realistic plan, but he could dream.

“ Did he zone out? Oi Hongjoong!”

Hongjoong looked up and realized that Eric, one of the other coworkers that he has made friends with, was calling him. “Hm? What is it?”

“Did you hear anything that I just said?” The younger asked and Hongjoong gave a sheepish laugh before saying no. The boy rolled his eyes before giving him a look.

“ I said that soon with have to go from table to table and collect and dishes and trash from them,” Eric explained, and Hongjoong couldn’t stop the look that appeared on his face.

“ Why can’t they get rid of their trash?” The words flew from his lips quicker than necessary.

“ Look, it's a party for the rich and they are all guests of the family. They aren’t supposed to lift a finger for anything as trivial as cleaning up after themselves.” Eric says sarcastically, a grin on his face as he ate more food, “ You knew what you were getting into when hired here, Hongjoong, so don’t get stupid now.”

“ Aren’t I older than you? Who are you calling stupid?” Hongjoong brow raised and gave him a look that Eric wasn’t fazed by.

“ If you know you aren’t stupid, don’t get offended by it. But seriously, Jin or someone higher up will have your head if you're disrespectful to them. So even if they do something, bite your tongue.” Eric gives him an honest look and Hongjoong huffed.

Subin pats his shoulder, “ It should be fast since most of us are doing that, so don’t worry too much. Okay.” Subin gave a dimpled smile and Hongjoong let out a small smile of his own.

He enjoys this. Bickering and smiling with each other felt very on end and it’s a bit bittersweet that it’s with people that he just met and not his parents. Well, with his mother, yes, but it would be nice if his father were included in that as well.

Before he knew it, they were all splitting up which tables they were going to and grabbed some carts before heading off.

Hongjoong took a deep breath before putting on a fake smile and approached the first table. His greeting was friendly and respectful as he asked if anyone was done with their plates. Some raised their hands and he came over and collected everything that they were finished with. He made sure not to make eye contact with them despite a few leering into the side of his head.

Hongjoong was quick to bow before leaving and dropping his smile the moment he was gone. He nearly mumbled something under his breath before remembering that no humans were sitting at these tables.

So Hongjoong continued this pattern with a fake smile, cleaning and leaving until he reached this last table. He could tell that he was an elf by the pointed ears, and the man was sitting there all alone.

“Excuse me, sir, but are you finished with your food? I'm here to collect your dirty dishes if so.”

The man tilted his head up and gave a light smile, “ Don’t your cheeks hurt from smiling like that? I gave you no reason to smile and neither did those other snot-nosed nobles. Relax and treat me like normal.”

“ I’m sorry, but I-”

“ I may be a royal, but I'm nobody to them. I would rather be treated regularly than a noble,” He turned in his seat before putting his dirty plate on himself as Hongjoong just stared at him, “ I didn’t catch your name. What is it?”

He shook his head as he looked at him, “ my name is Hongjoong.”

“ Hongjoong. That’s a different name, but I like it. I’m Prince Gerold, but I don’t need any formalities. Gerold is just fine.”

“ How could you tell that my smile was fake?” Hongjoong asked, stepping a bit closer to the man.

“ Cause you gave the same type of smiles that I do.” He rested his head in his hand as he glanced back to Hongjoong, “ Please sit, or you can’t waste any time chit-chatting with me?”

“ Well, I’m not supposed to do anything that would upset the ‘royals,’ but since I’m not upsetting you, it should be fine.” Hongjoong watched the smile grow a bit bigger on his face.

“ Well, then let’s sit and chat only for a little while. Maybe this event won’t be as boring as anticipated.”

༄༄༄

Seonghwa was tired.

He was ready to call it a night the moment he stepped into the grand room. But of course, being the son of the current king kept him occupied and busy.

He had to answer to some neighboring townships as well, as they praised him with cheers about what a great king he’ll be, and by the gods, was Seonghwa tired of the repetition.

There were questions on what he would do once his father steps down and how many children of his own he plans to have or if he has selected a queen.

Soon to Seonghwa ear’s, their voices became inaudible and would only pick up a few words that would remind him of what the bloody hell they were talking about.

While some of the guests started to talk to themselves, Seonghwa’s eyes swelled across the crowd as he was quick to stop once he saw a familiar brown hair at a table.

He watched him talk to one of the nobles. It didn’t seem like it was anything terrible because Hongjoong looked utterly relaxed.

But the more he stared, the more he realized that he looked a tad bit too relaxed.

He was able to see how close they were to each other as they talked about whatever. He could see the other person putting his arm on the back of Hongjoong’s chair and give a grin.

He couldn’t read their lips, but he did know that something had made Hongjoong laugh, and the smile was genuine. It made his heart jump a tad bit before remembering that it wasn’t directed towards him. It was someone that he just met and made him smile big like that.

Fascinating.

“ Prince Seonghwa?”

Seonghwa turned back to look at the guests in front of him, “ Yes, what is it?”

They pointed to the glass in his hand, and his eyes followed suit and noticed how tight his grip was on the glass. It caught him off guard cause he never saw his grip tightening. He placed the tall glass down on the table.

“ Are you okay, Prince Seonghwa? Did we say something to upset you?” Seonghwa could see the concern on their face and he snapped out of the slight haze he was in.

“No, it wasn’t you. However, I do have some business that I need to handle. Please enjoy this event to the fullest.” The prince gave a slight bow and smiled before quickly heading off, his feet with a mind of his own.

༄༄༄

Maybe nobles weren’t all too bad.

Hongjoong knew he was supposed to be working, but he couldn’t find himself getting up and ending this conversation. Prince Gerold had a charm about him that just made him stay. Maybe it’s because he was somewhat of an outcast among the nobles and he just seems a bit more humble in a sense.

He found himself smiling and laughing as they talked, not noticing how close the man had gotten or how friendly they would look to any guests. He was just hoping that he wouldn’t get into too much trouble.

“ Hongjoong, can I asked you something?” Prince Gerold tilted his head as he looked at him.

“ Of course. What is it?”

“ Would you like to leave this party? It’s not quite as interesting as you.” Prince Gerold grinned.

Hongjoong wasn’t expecting him to ask such a question. He wouldn’t mind being with him a bit longer, but he knows very well that if he leaves after all this, he might get killed by Jin. or even worse. Get killed by Yeosang.

“ Oh, I don’t think I can. I’m supposed to be working right now, to begin with, so if I leave, I’ll get in tro-” Hongjoong breath hitched when he was pulled a bit closer to him by his chair, catching him off guard.

“ Come on~ We could walk through the city or the gardens and just have a good time. You don’t wanna spend that time with me?” Prince Gerold’s smile was sweet, but maybe it felt a little too sweet that made Hongjoong want to leave, but he couldn’t. It felt like his legs were made of steel.

“ B-but I have to-”

“ I thought we were having fun together. Just for a little bit. I promise to bring you back before this shit of a party is.” Prince Gerold grabbed his hand gently, a complete opposite from the tone, despite being laced with sweet words. His thumb rubbed over his knuckles before bringing his hand to his mouth. He placed tender kisses on each one. Hongjoong wanted to pull his arm away, walk away and deal with all forms of scolding from Subin and Jin, then stay here. Even though he thought that he couldn’t move. Was it fear? Was he scared again? He just wanted to leave.

“Let’s go. I’ll sneak you out to avoid any trouble.”

“Well, it’s a bit too late for that now, is it?” Hongjoong watched how quickly his eyes looked up and passed him, and despite still not being able to move, he knew who was behind him. He knew that voice well enough.

“Ah, Prince Seonghwa. A great party you have here. Not my cup of tea, though, so I planned to leave here with this lovely muse, so if you don’t mind.” Prince Gerold stood up, still holding Hongjoong’s hand. He wasn’t expecting to stand up with such ease when he struggled to do it with his willpower. Hongjoong finally glanced over at Seonghwa as Prince Gerold tries to walk past him.

Hongjoong felt his shoulder get gripped on, and it felt like lightning struck him the moment the elf prince touched him. It made his ears ring, then his spine tingled, and his toes curl before he was finally able to pull his arm away. He faced Seonghwa in shock, but his gaze was rigid set on the other prince in front of him.

“ You went out of your way to compel him? You lured him in with such a fake smile and tried to snatch him off somewhere else. Truly pathetic.” Seonghwa's voice was cold, and he enjoyed the way his lip twitched as he spoke to him, “ You have some nerve bothering my workers.”

“ Now you're saying that as if you care about all of your workers.” He smirks as he crossed his arms.

“ Why wouldn’t I? Their hard work made this event as successful as it is. I owe them all some proper gratitude for their efforts, and it’s just a shame that they still have to deal with something as rotten as you.” Seonghwa stepped forward, right in front of Hongjoong and gave him such a cold glare that made the smirk fall from his face and replaced with a scowl.

“ You watch who you're talking to!” He growled out and Seonghwa laughed in his face.

“ Oh, and what would you do? Did you forget that part of the land that your father owns was a gracious gift from us? Did you forget how much we helped you and your father get to where you are? We hand-fed you everything, and it would be just as easy to make you starve. Be foolish enough to doubt my bluff, and I will personally ruin you. You need us. We don’t need you.” Seonghwa’s aura crackled, and it made the other Prince step back even more from them.

“All of this fuss and threats over one of the hundreds of workers?!”

“ For your information, I hand-picked this one, so yes. Now I suggest you leave like previously intended,” Seonghwa grabbed Hongjoong’s rest and started to walk away. Hongjoong turned around to at him before Seonghwa’s voice cut through the air, “ Don’t look at him.”

Seonghwa walked fast and scouted the area before stepping up to Subin and tapping his shoulder. Subin turned around and nearly dropped the plates he had in his hands. “ Prince Seonghwa! W-what can I do for you?”

“ Take care of the rest of Hongjoong’s work if you don’t mind. I need him for something else more important.” It was then that Subin noticed Hongjoong behind him, and it looked like Subin was trying to get a sense from him about what happened, but Hongjoong sheepishly looked away.

“ Of course! I’ll get right on it.” Subin bows before heading past them and Seonghwa continues to pull Hongjoong out and out the doors, not going unnoticed by the prince’s advisors as he gives a sharp gaze with furrowed brows.

Once Hongjoong believes that they were far enough from anyone, he spoke up, “ Seonghwa, where are we going?….”

“ Just wait. We're almost there.” Seonghwa gave a short response as he guided them through halls that Hongjoong had never been down before; he opened a door and pulled them both inside before shutting the door. That’s when Seonghwa finally let go of his wrist and slumped against the door.

Hongjoong watched how the prince’s back and shoulders slouched before looking up at him. “ Are you okay?”

Seonghwa made a small smile, “ I should be asking you that. A nonhuman just compelled you. The longer you stayed there, the more control he would have had on you.”

Hongjoong looked at his hands and legs, moving them slightly, “ I thought it was fear again. I thought I was that scared and couldn’t move. Not because of magic.”

Hongjoong missed the soft look he gave him as he stayed by the door, “ No. It was magic that a good variety of nonhumans know. If you can use magic or have any items to help you comply, it is quite easy to do. Humans usually fall prey to it naturally. Folks of magic sense other magic, so it would never have worked.”

Hongjoong gave a tiny smile, “ That’s good to know, but that just reminds me of how much weaker I am to everything.”

Seonghwa pushed himself off the door and stood in front of him, “Humans can learn magic too if they practice hard enough. The only way you can stop being weak is if you put the time and effort into being strong. You don’t just need to be physically stronger to beat someone. There are other ways, and I'm sure you would be capable of it.”

Hongjoong looked up at his eyes and let out a laugh, “ Who would have thought that your words would give me some comfort,” Hongjoong rubbed the back up his neck and stared at the ground, “ Thank you.”

“ There’s no need to thank me.”

“ Yes, there is. I found myself in some trouble and I was lucky enough that you were there to help me. I’m sorry for causing trouble and making you leave the party. I’ll—I’ll take whatever lecture or punishment for everything.” Hongjoong stared at his hands.

It could have gone a completely different way and Hongjoong didn’t even want to think what would happen if no one came over to stop him.

“ I was forced to attend this party. I’m the next in line to the throne, so of course, I had to be there. I would have rather hid than talked the same nonsense with all of those guests. And did you think I dragged you all the way here just to lecture you?” Seonghwa raised a brow as he gave him an amused look.

Hongjoong looked back with a confused look, “ Then why did you drag me here? Was it just a chance for you to get away from this event?”

Seonghwa walked past him and headed towards the window, the moon illuminating his skin in hair and almost making him glow, “ Maybe you do have some magic because I don’t know why, but you have been compelling me all on your own.”

Hongjoong slowly walked towards him but kept some distance, “ What does that even mean? Whatever you have to say, just say it.”

Seonghwa never turned around, “ I’ve developed some feelings for you.”

It was silent. No sound was made as they both stood in the same spot. Seonghwa expected this type of reaction and silence, so it took the silence to elaborate more.

“ I don’t know when it started, but I can be honest enough to say that I have developed some type of feelings for you. Maybe it started when I watched how caring and nurturing you were with Estal and Elva and how much they genuinely adored you. I was worried about you manipulating them, but they seem smitten with you. Most people don’t like them because of their mother, but they’re innocent in that matter.”

Hongjoong quietly walked over as Seonghwa continued to talk, just listening to the words that came out of his mouth.

“ Then I started to notice the little reactions and thoughts I would have about you. I didn’t think I could do it after stopping the last time I had feelings for someone. But then you came along, stealing from me in broad daylight and slowly stealing away my heart before I even knew it.” Seonghwa turned slightly to see Hongjoong just a couple of inches behind him.

The prince turned to face him, “ I came over there not because I knew you were in danger. I originally came over there cause my heart couldn’t stand the image of you smiling at someone else. I nearly shattered a glass when it ran through my mind. Like I couldn’t allow it and that’s out of character for me.”

Seonghwa could sense it. His honesty was overwhelming Hongjoong and that’s not what he wanted at all. He could feel and see how tense he was as he stood there.

“ I’m not asking you to recuperate my feelings. I threatened you into staying here and I can’t blame you for hating me. I…I just wanted to get these words off my chest. Don’t feel inclined to return them. You have my word on that.”

Hongjoong finally looked up at him, “ I don’t hate you.”

“ You don’t?”

“ I don’t. Everything you did was logical, especially after what I’ve done. I just don’t know how to take someone saying they ‘care’ for me.” Hongjoong walked towards the window, looking out at the moon-casted town as Seonghwa watched him.

“ Did you not come from a loving home?” Seonghwa asked as he saw Hongjoong frowned at first before giving a smile.

Hongjoong pressed his hand to the glass, “ In the end, my mother cared the most about just one other person and me. So in a sense, yes, I did. But I’ve never had someone admit having feelings for me. I just don’t know how to respond.”

“You don’t have to. That’s what I’m trying to tell you.” Seonghwa gently placed a hand on his shoulder and was happy that he didn’t tense up from it.

“ You sure?”

“ I swear on it.”

Hongjoong turned around to face him. They both stared down at each other, but Seonghwa’s eyes glanced down to his lips before forcing himself to look away, “ What is it?”

Seonghwa shook his head, “ I don’t want to ask that of you. I can’t ask that from you.” He was speaking more to himself and was about to ramble until Hongjoong gripped his chin and made him look back at him.

“ What did you want to ask me?” Hongjoong’s voice was as firm as it could be as he looked up into those ocean eyes of his.

Seonghwa stares for a while longer before letting out a sigh, “ Can I kiss you?”

Hongjoong was hesitant as he twiddled with his thumbs, “ I haven’t kissed anyone before...”

“ Then maybe you shouldn’t waste that on me. I just wanted to ask.” Seonghwa turned around and started heading towards the door, “ You can stay here until the party ends. I must head back to-”

“ It wouldn’t be a waste….” Hongjoong shifted on his heels

Seonghwa stopped, “ That’s not a yes. I’m no creep. I won’t do anything to you unless you give me a solid yes.”

“ That’s embarrassing for me to say!”

“ Embarrassing to want consent?” Seonghwa raised a blonde brow and Hongjoong grew quiet. He took the silence as an answer and as his hand reached the doorknob.

“Please!”

Seonghwa looked back at the man and noticed the faint blush on his face.

“ You...you can kiss me.”

Hongjoong listens to Seonghwa’s footsteps as he walked towards him again. “ Look at me.” He heard Seonghwa’s voice as he slowly looked up at him. “ Are you sure about this?”

Hongjoong hasn’t felt this nervous before. He wasn’t being pressured into anything. He had complete and utter control of this situation, and as much as he was worried about this, he found himself wanting it as well. “ I am, but you might have to guide me.”

Seonghwa gently tilts his face up and Hongjoong’s eyes looked up at him, “ You can tell me to stop at any time.”

Hongjoong nodded as Seonghwa slowly closed the distance between them. His eyes fluttered close when he felt his breath against his lips. He knew he could probably hear his heart pound. Seonghwa stroked his cheek with his thumb as his lips pressed to his.

His lips were soft against his. Hongjoong felt himself relax as Seonghwa pulled back slightly, opening his own eyes, and found Seonghwa staring back at him. They were quiet as they looked back at each other before Hongjoong leaned forward and Seonghwa leaned back in to kiss him again.

Seonghwa moved his lips slowly, so Hongjoong could learn how to kiss. Hongjoong tried his best to follow him, steadily getting better as Seonghwa cupped his face. Hongjoong found himself slowly reaching up to grip his shoulders. He relaxed more as he started to kiss him with a bit more force, catching Seonghwa off guard a bit.

He pulled away to look at Hongjoong, panting a bit as before speaking, “ Maybe...that’s enough for now.”

“ B-but…”

“ I’m afraid that I’ll do something more if we keep going, so let’s not continue this.” Seonghwa put some more space in between the two.

“ I want to keep going, though.” Hongjoong found a small amount of confidence as he looked at him and Seonghwa gave him an unreadable look.

“ Don’t say something like that to me. I’m trying to have some self-control. Don’t do this because of me admitting my feelings. What you're doing is more than enough. Don’t feel pressured to do anything with me.” Seonghwa's voice was harsh sounding, but Hongjoong wasn’t offended by it.

“ I’m not asking you to have self-control. I want more too. I’m not pressured. I feel comfortable and relaxed right now. I have the confidence right now to say this out loud, so don’t let it go to waste.” Hongjoong stared at him with flushed cheeks before slowly walking to the bed and sitting on it, “ I’ll tell you to stop if I have to. Just make sure your self-control is as good as you say it is.”

Seonghwa gave him a look before walking to him, standing in front of him, slowly pushing his body down on the bed and hovering above. Seonghwa could see how relaxed he was and could sense how confident he was in his choices right now. He feels hesitant, despite Hongjoong giving him all the consent he would need. His fingers flexed beside his head, and now he felt his heart pound. It was only when Hongjoong gently grabbed his wrist, forcing him to look at him.

“ It’s alright. I told you it’s okay. Don’t chicken out on me now, or I’ll feel silly about all this.” Hongjoong gave him an awkward chuckle as he reached to cup his face and brings him closer to him.

Seonghwa closed his eyes for a split second before looking back at him with a soft smile, “ Don’t go regretting this in the morning, Kim Hongjoong.”

༄༄༄

Tagging: @atiny-piratequeen @gettin-a-lil-hanse @queen-of-himbos @jacksons-goddess-gaia @kimnamshiks

༄༄༄

©atiny-dazzlinglight 2021. do not repost, translate, or use my works without permission

#kdiarynet #8makes1teamnet #kpopficsnetwork #dee writes #red strings of fate #RSF CH.3 #ateez fic #ateez fanfic #ateez ot8 fic #hongjoong oneshot #seonghwa oneshot #yunho oneshot #yeosang oneshot #san oneshot #mingi oneshot #wooyoung oneshot #jongho oneshot #ateez oneshot

26 notes · View notes

ssson-of-sparda · 3 years

Text

A TRIP TO THE BEACH - PART 2 (DANTE X FEM!READER)

Summary: When Dante shows up, Patty finally learns how things ended between Y/N and him but that's not the kind of ending she likes. (Part 5 of A Tab To Erase) (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4)

Tags: Dante is Tony Redgrave / Love / Angst / Blood and Gore / Minor Character Death / Violence

Author’s note: This is the end! I hope you enjoyed this fan fiction as much as I enjoyed writing it. I can't wait to read your thoughts about it. Is it the end you expected? How did you imagine it? Tell me everything. I'm all ears

Patty dared peeping from above the headrest of the couch when the woman opened the door, definitely curious to see the two adults’ reactions when they would finally see each other – though she still feared Dante’s wrath a little. But when she finally saw them face-to-face, this couple she had been imagining – and rooting for - for weeks, she didn’t care about her friend’s anger or disappointment - He would definitely thank her later - . They looked so perfect, like coming from an episode of one of those telenovelas she loved so much. Dante was towering Y/N perfectly and she was so pretty. And the lighting. Gosh “Like a scene from a movie.” She sighed. If only she could read their minds right now. “There you are, young lady!” Dante declared with a menacing finger as he entered the house “Hi Dante! What are you doing here?” Patty tried to play innocent but there was something in her voice that couldn’t fool Dante. “I’m sorry, Y/N. I never thought this annoying little brat would dare come here … or steal my stuff.” “That’s alright, Dante. We were having fun actually. And at least, that girl dared visit me … unlike someone else.” Dante definitely felt that sting and he knew he deserved it. “How long has it been?” “A while.” He said, pretending to be casual even though he had the right amount of years and months in mind. “And this day never happened. Come on, Patty. Let’s go.” No, no, no. This couldn’t end like that. Patty thought. Not after all this time. “Can I at least finish my tea please?” “ I’ll buy you a tea on the way back to Red Grave. Let’s go!” Dante insisted as he came closer to the girl to grab her by the arm and drag her away from Y/N’s place as fast as possible. “Right. Like I’m going to believe you. You never buy me anything, even when you owe me.” Y/N smiled while Dante sighed deeply. “Damn it.” “ Plus, you still owe me a trip to the beach.” “ Alright. I’ll take you to the beach. You happy? Now let’s go.” He tried to pull her from the sofa but the girl resisted. “ Or … you can let Y/N finish her story.” Patty suggested. Dante glanced at Y/N whom he hadn’t seen go to the kitchen to prepare him a strawberry sundae. “Actually I’d prefer that. Y/N can you continue your story, please?” “ Well, maybe Dante can tell you so that you can finally erase his tab while I’m making this devil a strawberry sundae. Topped with a cherry and two pink wafers, is that it?” “I don’t know. You’re the pro.” He had a faint smile at her that Patty noticed and beamed at. About time. “Where did you stop you damn story?”

A TRIP TO THE BEACH - Part 2

Dante was sitting at his desk, eyes closed, a magazine covering his face while he was listening to some good old school metal on the jukebox he had just acquired when the damn machine starting to sizzle and shake. “You gotta be kidding me.” Dante complained and, with a deep sigh, got up from his chair to kick the jukebox like Y/N had once taught him. “Funny how those machines always need a good kick to work.” When he thought of his beloved girlfriend and realised how late it was, he wondered how the hell she had not arrived yet. It was very dark outside and the clock was striking one. The restaurant should be closed by now and Y/N should have been in his arms at least an hour ago, naked preferably.

Not sure Patty needs to know that.

Worry tied Dante’s stomach in a knot in spite of his sleepy brain screaming at him not to be paranoid. “Relax, Dante. She’s probably helping clean the kitchen or something”, he told himself And yet, tired of repeating this sentence over and over again in his head, he decided to grab his coat and head to the diner. Better be paranoid and look like fool rather than wait here and worry one more second. Plus, he had waited long enough already and he had made a fool of himself in front of Y/N more than once. So what was one more time, huh?

But when Dante arrived at the restaurant and found it empty and dark, he wished he looked like a paranoid fool. But he was not paranoid and he was not a fool. He was terrified and alert in ways he hadn’t been for years. “Please be okay.” He whispered as he entered the place, feeling once again like a little boy hidden in a cupboard, crying for mommy and his brother. A ghastly feeling for someone who had spent years burying his past deep in his armoured heart as a promise … a dying wish.

Dante climbed the stairs quickly, very quickly and yet not quickly enough to his taste, only to stop and freeze at the sight and smell of warm blood on the wooden floor. But there was not just iron and salt flowing to his nostrils, there was this stench, rotting and disgusting, a stench only his demon sense could pick but that would soon be unbearable for humans too, he was sure of it. The stench of decaying corpses.

The son of Sparda never really liked Y/N’s parents. He actually lost almost all sort of respect for them the second they insulted him and made him understand they would never approve of him or of his relationship with their precious daughter. But when he saw them both, drenched in blood and completely ripped apart, their broken bodies lying on the floor of in their bedroom, he couldn’t help but feel sadness and compassion especially for the woman who was standing in the corner of the room, petrified and in tears, her small feminine frame strongly hold in a demonic grip. A nightmarish vision that had been scaring Dante for too long. “Took you long enough… Son of Sparda.” The demon said with a calm and yet menacing cavernous voice that would make anyone tremble in fear. But that wasn’t the sound of his voice that made Dante afraid – because yes he was afraid –

You? Afraid? Rrr, shut up!

It was the sight of the woman he loved so close to that monster’s sharp claws. The half-demon squinted at the devil before him, at his cloaked silhouette hidden in the darkness, trying to hide his fear, turning it into a nonchalant and over-confident mask he knew how to wear better than anything else (except his red leather jacket) but that somehow didn’t look as convincing as usual. “I’m afraid you’ve got the wrong guy, pal. Sparda may have a son. But that's not me.” “Tony, what’s going on?” Y/N’s voice was shaking just like the rest of her body. “It’s alright, baby. I’ll get you out of here. I promise.” He had too. “You can try and pretend to be someone else. But I know who you are. Dante, Son of Sparda. And soon, your blood will flow for what your father did to my master.” Usually, that same old routine would have made Dante scoff and slice that creature in two for he was used to demons coming at him with pathetic threats and silly villain monologues. But today, what was at stake was simply way too important for impulsiveness. “And who would that master be?” “The one true king of the underworld. Mundus.”

Dante had heard that name before, long ago, in something that was now a long-time memory. Mundus was the villain of his favourite bedtime story, the one his father would always tell him and Vergil before going to sleep, when they were nothing but kids tucked in their beds. Mundus. He remembered how that name would make him fidget and jump in anticipation and how his big brother in the bed under his would always kick him through the mattress to make him stop wriggling like a hyperactive goldfish out of water. Mundus, the so-called Prince of Darkness Sparda had cast away and locked in the underworld a long long time ago to free the human world from his diabolical tyranny. Never thought he would have ever heard about him in another context though.

“Oh. That dude. Thought he would be dead by now… like you soon will be” “Cocky, just like that filthy betrayer Sparda.” The demon smiled, showing short pointy black fangs that yet shone in the dim moonlight. “And in love with a human, just like he was. It would be a shame …” He grabbed a strand of Y/N’s (colour) hair to toy with it with a vicious smirk, making the young woman shiver even more. “… if something were to happen to her the same way something happened to your slut mother” Dante felt his jaw clench tight and his nails pierce the flesh of his palms. The rage, it was slowly yet surely eating at him. “Don’t you dare talk about my mother! And don’t you dare lay even just a finger on Y/N!” Dante growled, not realising he had just given his identity up. But the black demon did and with a satisfied smile, he cupped Y/N’s face in between his vile sharp claws to burry his long nose in Dante lover’s soft hair and smell her human perfume that was oh so exquisite to him. An intended provocation and an effective one. “How chivalrous! How noble! I’m sure your father would have said the same thing…” Dante frowned and clenched his fists even tighter, trying to stay put and in control, trying desperately to resist the powerful will to pounce on that demon and impale him on his sword and spill his guts on the floor. He knew he had too because he knew that the reaction he thought so much about was exactly what that monster wanted. He was trying to infuriate him, to make him reckless and stop thinking rationally so that he would have him at a possible advantage when he let his rage have the best of him. Provocation at its finest. A strategy Dante knew all about. “… had he been here when I and my fellow demons tore her apart.” Yes, he knew all about it and yet... “Mundus says farewell, hybrid filth.” He suddenly stopped caring about what he knew.

Dante jumped and with a scream, unsheathed his sword to slash the arm that was holding Y/N. An impulsive move, a mistake he realised only too late, when the demon pierced the soft neck of the one he loved the most with his sharp claws in an attempt to protect himself from the demonic blade. Everything went so quick to Y/N and yet so slow to Dante. She didn’t scream. She didn’t even have time to realise what was going on or to process the sudden pain. She only understood something was wrong when her body hit the floor and she saw Dante’s icy blue eyes widen and stare at her in horror. Then she felt the blood, her blood she was quite certain of it, running along her pale skin covering it in shades of dark red. Dante screamed like never before, like no human could, so loud the walls trembled and the demon slightly bowed down in fear. He screamed with an anger, a rage he didn’t know he was capable of, something so deep and passionate he never thought was in him. Something fiery … something … demonic. It felt like his skin was burning, like there was a ravaging fire spreading, growing in his body, menacing to burst, to combust him. And it almost did. It almost did but it stopped just when Rebellion sliced the head of the demon open, spilling his brains and his blood on the walls behind him. Then, there was a relief that all this was over. The fight. The fire. The fear… No not the fear!

“Y/N” Dante ran to her and quickly pressed her body against his. His hand found her neck to apply pressure on her bloody wound. She was barely conscious but she was still with him. “I’m so sorry, baby. Hold on, I got you.” He kissed her forehead. It was so cold against his lips. “You’re gonna be okay. I promise.”

Dante stayed by her side for what seemed hours to him, holding her tight against him, trying to keep the weakening life in her safe, when finally blue and red lights began to flicker in the bedroom. What happened next was so blurry. All he could make out were a group of men dragging Y/N from his embrace, saying they would take care of her and that he had to let her go. He didn’t know how he did it but he eventually obeyed those men, in spite of his arms trying to reach for her. He followed them- followed Y/N- to the crowded street where the nearby residents were crammed into, whispering and trying to take a peep at what was going on in this usual very quiet neighbourhood. But he didn’t care about them or their judgmental looks. All he cared about was Y/N being taken away in an ambulance. The paramedics didn’t let him in. And in spite of how much he wanted to fight their decision, Dante chose not to. He couldn’t delay them. Y/N’s life depended on time and too much had been wasted already.

But he found her again, like he would always find her, and he spent days waiting for her to wake up, waiting for her beautiful (colour) eyes to open again, for her sweet voice to say she was alright, his hand holding hers in an eternal grip that only her awakening could break, days in which he had to think about what happened, about what could have happened and what will happen. So many hypothesis, each one worse than the last. And when Y/N finally awoke and, with a soft smile that bear no grudges or hatred, said. “Hey handsome.” He did what he thought he should have done days ago. “We need to end this.”

***

Patty’s eyes were glowing with tears as she was staring at Dante without blinking. This was certainly the saddest love story she had ever heard in her entire life. Even Bolero in Spring had never made her feel so much. “You can’t do that!” She declared as if in denial, as if she could change the past. “The story can’t end like this!” “But it is not a story, Patty. This is not some television show made to satisfy a bunch of hopeless romantic little girls. It’s real life. And real life is tough and …” Dante looked at Y/N, at her sad eyes and at the scar she was trying to conceal under a red silk scarf. “What’s done cannot be undone.” “But you loved each other!” The girl was almost furious, shaking her head nervously. “Patty.” Dante said calmly. “And you still love each other, I’m sure of it. I can tell by the way you both tell your story.” “Patty.” Dante repeated with insistence this time. “I won’t have this ending! No way!” She shouted with a deep frown. “It has already ended!” Dante screamed and Patty froze. He had never screamed at her, never in his entire life, even in times when she was incredibly annoying. He had never screamed at her. “It has ended. And neither you nor anyone can change it, okay? If it doesn’t please you, you can leave, wait in the car and go back to your mushy love series.”

There was a pregnant silence in which Patty stared at Dante with a disappointment he had never witnessed. “Y/N was right. You know how to fight demons. But you don’t know how to fight YOUR demons.” And she got up and left the house to do exactly what her beloved friend had told her, meaning wait in the car to go back to mushy love stories, leaving Dante and Y/N alone in the living room with nothing else but a heavy discomfort.

“I’m sorry for making a scene.” “ Well, you always had a flair for the dramatic.” They both had a conspiratorial smile similar to the ones they used to share when they were younger except it was fainter, sadder. “ She read the letter, the one you wrote me” Dante said staring at his hands in discomfort. He couldn’t look at Y/N, not with all the memories rushing in his head. “ I figured.” But she looked at him, excepting deep down he would say something, anything about what happened.”Never thought you would have kept it though.” “ Why not?” “ You never replied.” And there it was, that disappointment Dante well deserved. “I did reply. I just never sent the letter.” Y/N's eyes slightly widened at this unexpected confession. What did he mean by that? “Huh, words of advice. After writing a letter to someone, you need to mail it.” She declared sarcastically, not really knowing how she managed to crack such a joke. Was it a joke? Maybe, because Dante laughed a bit. “ I had no money to buy a stamp.” The girl scoffed. She knew the man before her all to well to know that this was “Bullshit.” But she had missed it, missed him. “What did it say?” “ Same crap I told you at the hospital. How much I was sorry and … You know what? … There.” He opened his red coat to take a crumpled letter from his inside pocket. It was unsealed, stamped –obviously- and her name and address were written on it. “ I hope Devil May Cry will never provide delivery service cause this has clearly arrived way too late.” However she took it in her hands, gathering all her inner strength not to tremble as she could feel all those emotions shaking inside of her. “ Years too late. You can say it.” Dante smiled as he watched the letter he had kept to himself for so many years finally reaching its long-awaited recipient. “I don’t expect you to read it … or open it. You can actually turn it into a paper plane or shove it down my throat if you want. I won’t fight you.” Of course he had to joke, to play it cool but she didn’t mind. She knew it was just one of his defence mechanism and she couldn’t blame him for it. “ So why giving it to me?” Dante shrugged, refusing to admit he did want her to read what his young 19 years old self had to say, what he still had to say. “You can’t stop with the devil-may-care for a second and admit what you truly want, what you truly feel, can you?” “ Fight my demons, huh?” He quoted her and she nodded. “Yes. Would that be so complicated for a ‘menacing devil hunter’ like yourself?” It was her turn to quote him but that quote made him melancholically happy. “ I guess that’s a challenge I still can not face.” “ Or don’t want to” There was a new pause and as they finally looked at each other’s eyes, they knew they would not fix what had been broken years ago today. He was not ready. Not yet anyway. And that was okay. Y/N was patient. She could wait. She could keep waiting. “Goodbye Y/N” Especially when this time a kiss on her forehead and a hand on her cheek felt more hopeful than ever. “Goodbye, Dante.”

And she watched him leave, again, but certain that someday, one day he would come back to her as he always would. After all, he promised.

#DEVIL MAY CRY #DANTE #DANTE X READER #DMC FANFICTION #DEVIL MAY CRY FANFICTION #A TAB TO ERASE #PATTY LOWELL

47 notes · View notes

chrysalizzm · 4 years

Note

Do you have fic recs or head canons? please ramble for paragraphs im bored and looking for something to read.

oh boy do i have some fic recs for you (and everyone who sees this), my friend! this one is quite long because there are a lot of fics i like and this isn’t all of them, so if you’d like more, you can check out my bookmarks page ^^

The Run and Go by Numanum

“That’s not fair,” Bad protests. Dream raises an eyebrow at him and jerks his tied hands in emphasis, clearly saying that none of this is fair.

“Look, you keep running! Who runs if they’re not guilty?” Bad challenges, staring him down with obvious distrust from the generous distance of exactly five feet. It’s fair, as much as Dream hates to admit it; it’s not like he’s been the most honest hostage in the past, with all of his escaping and running and framing himself for his own murder, apparently.

“Only the good die young, and only the guilty run,” Technoblade chimes in, holding his own potato and sitting in the snow like it’s not cold at all.

A hot flash of irritation burns through him.

“Someone being chased?” he counters sarcastically, jerking his tied wrists up again to wave them in front of the group. Sapnap laughs so hard that he almost chokes on his potato, but it dies off when Dream gives him an icy stare.

Or: Dream is having a hard time, and the hunter just want to adopt him like a stray puppy that bites you at every opportunity.

multi-chapter, ongoing.

a manhunt with plot-style fic! exquisitely written, visceral in the emotions it evokes. it’s the kind of fic that makes me feel all shaky with anticipation, the kind that i have a physical reaction to; you can’t put it down.

pain. all-consuming pain. this one feels bad, man

and as he fell (you walked away) by Teahound

Once upon a time, there were three hunters.

They were good at what they did. If you wanted something-- or better yet, someone-- found, discovered, or destroyed, they were the people you asked. They didn’t have much to their name, besides a formidable reputation, but they were a team, and that was enough for them.

Once upon a time, there was a king in the forest.

He wore a mask, but it didn’t matter. That deep in the forest, in a hidden fortress, buried behind leaves and monsters and broken stone, no one could see his face anyway. He had been there a very long time, and he was alone.

Being a king can be a very lonely thing. So one day, the king left the fortress.

A Minecraft manhunt AU, with a fantasy twist. Dream is a cryptid, and Hunters are idiots.

multi-chapter (11), complete.

tea’s fic!! a manhunt-with-plot fic, featuring a forest spirit dream and circumstantial hunters and friendships that feel both intensely real and desperately melancholy because they can’t last.

or can they?

The Real World by Cinammonzoa and Fire_Fly464

"Ten, paces fire!"

Time stopped.

Tommy’s entire body went numb. He tried to open his mouth to say something, but his body was determined to keep him silent. His vision went dark, and he could no longer feel his headphones over his ears. The mouse in his hand. The slight breeze of his ceiling fan. For a few seconds, he couldn’t feel anything.

His senses came back to him all at once. The first thing Tommy noticed was the weight in his right hand -- a bow. His nostrils stung with the lingering scent of gunpowder. In front of him was a masked figure. Their right arm was bent, their elbow by their face. In their left hand was a bow, aiming directly at--

~~~

Aka Dream and Tommy get transported into the SMP world and have no idea what the fuck is happening

multi-chapter (23), complete

you’ve probably seen this one if you haunt the video blogging rpf/minecraft tags of ao3 often! an irl!dream and tommy replace their smp counterparts type of beat, very upbeat in dynamic and fun to keep pace with, great read.

staying alive (though the city is dead) by Alice_Not_In_Wonderland

"Damned if you do, damned if you don't," Schlatt smirks, his words lilting, almost song-like. His eyes seem to glow brighter. "Tell me, Dream, when did you realize that you could talk and talk and talk and no one would ever believe you?"

---

or: if dream's damned to be a villain in every story he's in, then he's going to show them exactly how much of one he can be

one-shot, complete.

the gratuitous greek mythology references are truly everything and this fic is such a good dissection of dream and schlatt’s motivations and how their goals intersect, and dream’s likening to cassandra really hits different

Green & Gold by HognoseSnake

George’s legs ached.

His lungs felt tight and too small.

His breath was loud in his ears.

His pack bounced uncomfortably on his shoulders.

George, homeless and adrift, is an outlaw of the Mad King's reign. He'd spent the last two months being hunted across the wilderness at the fringe of society by a ruthless killer in a smiling mask and bright green coat. This, he understood.

What he didn't understand is why such a ruthless killer kept letting him go.

multi-chapter (8), complete. sequel ongoing.

a breathtaking pseudo-manhunt-with-plot fic, with george and dream running from a kingdom that wants them dead for perceived transgressions. this shit hurted, and the sequel hurts even worse ;-; snake please i beg

We’re Only Young series by ImperialKatwala

It's easy to forget amid the chaos and bloodshed how similar - and how young - Dream and Technoblade really are.

collection of both one-shots and ongoing multi-chapter fics.

((bangs on table)) please read this series it is dream and techno friendship fics that alternate between lighthearted and heartwrenchingly comforting and imperialkatwala’s characterisation of them and their respective groups of family and friends is so frickin’ good i read this series when i’m not having a good day and it never fails to make me crack a smile

kept promises and old ruins and names carved into stone by verecundiam

"Would you... would you want to stay here?" Bad wrings his hands, looking away. "Like, like actually stay? I know it's not, ah, not exactly comfortable, or all that homey, but I don't want you two to get hurt out there on your own, and I just... I think maybe you could stay? If you want?"

"That sounds nice," Sapnap says, because it does.

(Or: How four kids managed to build a family, against all odds.)

one-shot, complete.

muffinteers found family that makes me want to go to the smp writers and beg it to be made canon. unbelievably soft yet excellent at parsing out the younger counterparts of the four and creating backgrounds that feasibly form them into the people they grow up to be.

in the age of icons by BananasofThorns

“Yeah, keep digging,” Tommy crows.

The pickaxe hesitates on the downswing. The air shifts; Dream’s aura bursts into visibility, brilliant green and jagged. Ozone hums on Techno’s tongue and Bad stutters in the middle of his sentence. Up on the wall, silhouetted by the sun, Dream stands frozen and furious.

L'manberg messes with something it shouldn't. Techno watches the repercussions and tries not to laugh.

one-shot, complete.

i love deity aus (figures, i wrote one myself akjdfh), and this one hits. there’s something exquisitely delicate about how dream and the repercussions his godhood both on himself and on the people who are exposed to him in that moment of unbridled rage.

that's how we keep going (we make the best of things) by lieyuu

[ i can’t decide if this is heaven or hell. the walls keep closing in and we’re running out of space, but you’re pretty cute ]

“So, do you want to build a flower shop, a cottage, or a coffee shop?” Puffy asks, smiling like just Niki’s presence is enough to light up her world.

Niki looks at her, thinks, I want to bend nature to my will and weave tapestries in your name, says, “I think I might like the flower shop best.”

one-shot, complete.

a niki/puffy fic that crushed me in its hands in just six hundred words. the delicate love and wonder and beauty of this fic killed me softly and i welcomed it. it’s girls in love rendered by lieyuu’s masterful hand, what more could you want

i need it to be known that as i was typing up my thoughts midnight love by girl in red started playing from my playlist if that’s not a shining endorsement i don’t know what is

did i ruin the moment? by itisjosh

Ranboo drags himself through the snow, burn wounds going up and down his body. His suit is crumpled, half of it discarded as he crawls along the ground. His eyes are firmly pressed shut, and he refuses to open them, just in case he sees him, Dream, again. Ranboo sobs as the snow melts on his skin, the water scalding him as it trickles down his arms and chest.

one-shot, complete.

it’s character death, i do need to put it out there because it felt like i was punched in the stomach at the end even though i knew. josh knows exactly how to drag his readers kicking and screaming into angst hell, as always - a ranboo is rescued by phil fic wherein ranboo ends up convincing himself that the only reason for his presence in the nearly-empty anarchist commune is because phil sees him as a placeholder for his sons ;-; pain

Frame The Halves, And Call Them Brothers by MusicallyActive

"Let's go!" Quackity roared. "Let's fucking go!"

The anvil dropped, and Techno reached for his totem of undying. This was going to hurt like a bitch.

Phil screamed something, and instantly a crushing force struck Technoblade's skull. It rattled him to the core, doused his vision in red, and then all he knew was black.

He gasped awake moments later to the sound of his communicator pinging softly at his bedside table, and when Technoblade opened his eyes, New L'manburg was nowhere in sight.

one-shot, complete.

a techno timeloop fic that shows off the unintentional cruelty of the children who run l’manberg and techno’s own inability to allow the people he tries so hard not to love to come to harm. techno’s rendered in painstaking detail; this one was cathartic in the best way.

on i go (move to move) by Aenqa

If you ask someone whether they’ve ever experienced real, severe physical pain, you’ll learn a lot from their response.

Techno knows what it means to be in pain. He’s accepted it as a necessary consequence of keeping his family safe. But when the pain he's experiencing starts to become too much to bear alone, it takes his family to show him what it might mean to feel better.

one-shot, complete.

chronic pain fic featuring sbi!! it’s really good - aenqa wrote chronic pain well, and incorporated respawn mechanics into it well, and the dynamic between sbi is impeccable.

Yellow and Blue and- by nic_takes_Ls (nic_L)

It’s another gorgeous day in New L’Manberg. Tubbo’s stilted streets of deep toned spruce and honey-touched oaks are warm under his feet from the sun, and a sign and a small banner proclaim the country’s name in front of his face. Wilbur is so happy to let the ‘L’ roll of his tongue as he says it, ‘Manberg’ was harsh and too guttural, but the two extra syllables make it something that could fit on a melody, a four-note beat he could set the pace of his unbeating heart to.

The citizens of New L’Manberg track him with cautious eyes at first, until Tubbo changes his eyes to slightly sad ones, listening along to Wilbur’s rambles, warming up to the truly soot-grey sight of his face and sunshine yellow of his ever-present sweater. The rest of the population soon follow, laughing at Wilbur’s strange innocence and telling him what he’s done with only a little bit of spite in a pitying mask and fixing their mouths in a line when he suddenly forgets what he’s doing or stares into space or laughs at nothing.

But all the people who get sad when Wilbur starts laughing after shock-still silence are dumb.

Because Wilbur’s not laughing at nothing.

one-shot, complete.

a ghostbur fic from quite early on! it includes references to wilbur and schlatt’s older videos/smp experiences and has a super interesting take on the nature of wilbur’s amnesia i enjoyed this fic a lot ^^

east of eden series by subwaywalls

Philza protects his home.

(An angel with a singing blade of fire guards the gates to paradise.)

two one-shots, one ongoing multi-chapter fic.

READ IT READ IT READ IT. the eoe series is exquisite in both content and presentation, centering around sbi and the powers they all respectively have but also bringing in people like grian and dream, and subwaywalls is a master of packaging her words ever so delicately to create an experience that is ethereal.

#long post #fic recs #chrys rambles #asks

55 notes · View notes

sweetwritertanya · 5 years

Text

Happy Valentine’s Day (Jungkook)

Summary: You thought this Valentine’s Day would be the last one with your boyfriend Jungkook, who had been distant the past month. However, as it turns out, it’s quite the opposite.

Warnings: SMUT! With a surprising amount of angst at the beginning that I didn’t really plan, I wanted to keep things fluffy and smutty, but somehow it turned out like this. Anyway, be aware of: erotic body touching, oral (female receiving), unprotected sex (yet again, is anyone surprised), against wall sex.

Word Count: 3934

Since the beginning of the year, your worst fear had been coming true. Somehow you always suspected this would happen, that was how little confidence you had in this relationship. In yourself, really. The fact that you got to date Jungkook at all was just some cosmic mistake, surely.

He was just too good to be true. Not only was he the most handsome man you had the opportunity to lay your eyes on, with big brown eyes, a perfect button nose, kissable lips, strong jawline and a fit body to envy, but he was exceptionally caring and loving at the same time. All wrapped up in a shy but eager package of a man.

What he saw in you, you had no idea. You were beyond curvy, you had fat rolls down your sides, squishy arms, a soft jawline, large stomach and wiggling thighs. Not everyone always cared for a body like yours, something you knew since a long time. And you were certain that you were just not what Jungkook was looking for in a girlfriend. Until he asked you out.

For almost a year now, it felt like you had been living a dream. With fun dates, shaky hands holding yours in his, blushing cheeks and shy kisses. Tickles and laughing under the sheets. You honestly started to believe he actually loved you. And you had long fallen deep for him.

But since the first days of January, Jungkook had gone distant. He would spend most of his free time away from you, mostly on the gym. Whenever you asked him to come by your apartment and stay over like he usually did, he would find some excuse to not show up or leave early. Like he didn’t want to be there anymore.

So, when Valentine’s Day arrived, you didn’t even bother to ask him about it. In your mind, you were counting the days until he came by to break up with you. It made your stomach turn awfully and heart ache to even think about it.

You were watching some soppy romantic comedy on the TV, feeling worse about yourself as the beautiful main lead got the man of her dreams and her happy ending, when there was a knock on your door. You frowned, not expecting any one and checking on your phone that no one called to tell you they were coming.

“Who is it?” you asked from behind the close door.

“It’s me, Y/N” you recognized Jungkook’s voice.

You heart dropped. He wouldn’t be so cold hearted to break up on Valentine’s Day, right? You shook your head and brushed away such a thought from your mind. He was too much of a sweet person for that.

“Kook, what are you…” You lost your train of thought when you opened the door and saw him.

It felt like so long since you last saw him. He was wearing a black suit, with straight pants down to his shiny black shoes and a fitted blazer over the black turtle neck he had underneath. The silver buttons stood out against the dark outfit and matched his rings and piercings on his ears. Hair straightened and voluminous around his sculptured face.

He was holding a single red rose on his hands, enclosed in a clear wrapping paper with small baby-breaths around it. Coughing shyly, he held it with both hands towards you, a small smile on his pink lips.

“Happy Valentine’s day, baby” he wished.

A bit taken back, truly not expecting anything from him, you took it silently from his hands, unsure of what to do. Jungkook placed his hands on his pockets, fidgeting a bit in his place, apparently a bit nervous.

“Hum, can… Can I come in for a second?” he shyly asks, taking you out of your trance.

“Oh, yeah, sure.”

You allow him in and close the door behind him, going to the kitchen next and finding a glass to fill with water and place the rose inside.

“So, I wanna take you somewhere with me today” he shared, leaning against the kitchen table.

“What? Why didn’t you tell me, I would have gotten ready beforehand!” you reproach, being clothed in some old leggings and a stained hoodie.

“We have all the time in the world if you want to go and change. Can I wait for you in here?”

“Of course. Okay, give me a few minutes. Is it somewhere very fancy?” you ask, already going towards your bedroom door.

“No, not at all. Dress however you like” he told you, crossing his arms and sitting on a chair at the kitchen table.

Somehow you doubted that, when he was so well dressed himself. Sighing, you got in your bedroom and thanked your past self for taking a shower earlier in the day, meaning you only had to style your hair a bit, since it was properly washed.

You stared at your wardrobe for a few minutes before deciding that, if this was your only Valentine’s Day with Jungkook, you wanted to look your best and make it memorable. So you picked out a royal blue dress you had never worn, with a deep sweetheart neckline and cold shoulder short sleeves, a thin sparkling belt at the smallest part of your waist and a skirt that fell to your knees in a straight line, your wide hips making it curvier. A bit of makeup, curled hair and a long coat on top, you got out of your bedroom with your nude heels already on.

Jungkook looked up from his phone to regard you when he heard the door open and choked. You looked absolutely exquisite, your voluptuous form filling out your dress amazingly, curvaceous legs on display for him to see and resist the temptation to brush his hands up the soft skin. When you bent down to pick your purse, his eyes were drawn to the deep cleavage and he marveled at the roundness of your breasts, hands itching.

“Ready. Should we go?” You innocently ask, completely unaware of the effect you had on the boy. He cleared his throat, looking away from your eyes in embarrassment, and got up from the chair he was still seating on.

“Y-Yeah, it’s a short drive” he informed, meeting you at the door of your apartment.

While in the car, Jungkook couldn’t help but notice how silent you were while he drove. Although you had your quiet moments, you were usually more conversational than this and it had him worried.

“Is… Is everything alright, Y/N?” he hesitantly asked.

You pressed your lips together nervously, playing with your fingers on your lap as you tried to decide if it was a good idea to get into it while on the car. You honestly just wanted to ignore everything that made you sad about his recent behavior, but you knew you could never have a good time by pretending everything was fine when it wasn’t.

“I didn’t… I didn’t think you would show up today, that’s all” you confessed, eyes kept on your hands. “You haven’t been very present lately.”

Jungkook bit the inside of his cheek, not quite ready to tell you why yet.

“Yeah, sorry about that. But I’ve been very busy. And I’ve been working out a lot at the gym.” It was the truth, although not the complete truth he wished he could tell you right then and there. But he had to be patient and await the right moment.

You breathed in shakily, feeling extremely uncomfortable with tears pooling on your eyes.

“Are… Are you going to break up with me, Jungkook?”

The wheels of the car screeched and the car behind yours beeped as Jungkook almost let the car break down. His heart was hammering against his chest and panic was getting in the way of his breathing. Thankfully he was almost at his destination.

“W-What? Why d-do you think that?!” He questions in stammers, brown eyes as large as saucers, trying to focus on the road.

“Sorry! Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up, I’m sorry” you immediately apologize, beating yourself up for voicing your concerns like this.

Jungkook pulls up and parks the car at the edge of the road, taking his seatbelt and turning to you with a fearful expression. You couldn’t quite look him in the eyes.

“I don’t wanna break up! Far from it!” he stated with determination and a bit of panic behind his words.

“Then… then why have you been so distant? For the last month, you have barely come to see me, I thought you grew tired of me and wanted to break up” you finally voice your fears, looking at him with glassy eyes, tears threatening to fall.

“That…! I was…! Damn it” he stumbled with his own words, banging his fist on the car wheel when he couldn’t get the right words out. “Just come with me and I’ll explain everything.”

He got out of the car in a hurry, running to your side of the vehicle and helping you stand up. You noticed how the hand he intertwined with yours seemed to be shaking a bit. He pulled you to the other side of the road and you frowned in confusion when he guided you through the front yard of a two story house, stopping at the main door.

Turning towards you and taking a deep breath, he pulled something from his pocket and looked at you. For the first time, you noticed how red his eyes seemed to be as well, making your heart clench in pain at the thought of hurting him.

“The main reason I was so busy was because of this.” He showed you a key he had in his hand and, with it, opened the door for the house you were in. “I bought a house.”

You gasped.

“You got a house?” You were astonished. He never talked about wanting to move.

“Yeah, I’ve been looking at a bunch of houses with the help of my hyungs” he shared, leaving the door open and turning back to you. “That’s why I’ve been so busy after work. And it is true I’ve been to the gym a lot. Mainly, because I really wanted to do this.”

Suddenly, Jungkook leaned down and, with an arm on your back and the other at the back of your knees, lifted you up in his arms bridal style, much to your disbelief.

“Wha-! Jungkook, I’m heavy, put me down!” you yelled at him. He had never picked you up like this before, just maybe momentarily every once in a while.

He ignored you and, with you in his arms, carried you inside the house and closed the door with his foot. You would have paid more attention to the house itself if you weren’t still amazed at how easily he was holding you up.

“I’ve been working out so I could do this. I wanted to carry you like this throughout the whole house” he explained, twirling you both around and making you giggle as you cleaned the water at the corner of your eyes.

“You’ve been going to the gym so you can pick me up?” you repeat, still in disbelief.

“I could already pick you up. You’re not as heavy as you seem to think, Y/N. But I wanted to build up my strength so I don’t get tired as easily” he corrected, smiling shyly with tainted cheeks.

“Kook, you idiot… I thought you didn’t care for me anymore! I thought you were about to leave me!” you complained, tears coming back.

Jungkook put you down just so he could cradle your face close to his and clean your tears away, speaking softly with you as he did so.

“Far from it, so far from it, baby. I… Damn it, this is not how intended to ask this but… Y/N, will you move in with me? Live with me here, Y/N.”

Your bottom jaw falls in disbelief at his words, completely taken back and unable to understand what he just asked you. The tears he had cleaned up were suddenly replaced by a whole bunch of others, much to his concern.

“Y-Y/N? Wait, I’m sorry, if… if you don’t want to, it’s okay. I-It was a dumb idea, I’m s-” he was panicking at your tears.

“Yes” you interrupted him, a smile spreading on your lips as you looked up into his eyes. “Yeah, I’ll move in with you, Kook. I love you.”

Chuckling out of pure relief and happiness, all the sadness of the last month completely fading away at his explanation, you stand on your tippy toes and join your lips together with his. You felt him sigh in relief under your lips and a smile forming as the mouths move together in sync with each other, your arms surrounding his neck and his arms around your plushy waist. Jungkook tentatively skimmed his tongue across your lower lip and you opened your mouth to allow him access.

The kiss deepened and tongues slipped against each other, skin growing warmer and air becoming thicker around you two. Your mouths only separated when you gasped in surprise as Jungkook descended his arms from your waist to bellow your ample ass cheeks and pulled you up, your heavy legs automatically wrapping around his waist in the process.

“Jungkook! What are you doing?” you asked as he started moving with you straddling his waist, his mouth clinging to your neck.

“Taking you to the bedroom” he simply said against your skin.

You blushed at the same time you smiled, heart beating fondly against your ribcage.

“You’re gonna hurt yourself, I can walk there” you stated.

“This is what I’ve been working for, let me have this” he asked of you, licking your earlobe to make you stop talking, knowing how sensitive it was.

“Ahh… You’re so stubborn.”

“No, I’m determined. I really enjoy having you in my arms like this, baby.”

Claiming your mouth so you wouldn’t talk back, Jungkook took you up the stairs, stopping every other step to push you to the wall and kiss you heavily, impatience starting to bubble up from the way your hands had already found themselves beneath his blazer and turtle neck, scratching at the skin of his muscular back and teasing the skin under the hem of his trousers.

Thankfully, the house was already fully furnished and there was a bed made for Jungkook to lay you in, moving away from your luscious body in order to get rid of his clothes. Your coat had already been left downstairs, all you had on was your dress.

You sat up in bed to watch your boyfriend strip, breath getting caught in your throat at every inch of him. He was so beautiful, his muscles even more defined after so much time at the gym, skin so radiant and smooth. You had no idea what you did to deserve him.

Coming back to kneel on the bed beside you clad in only his boxers, Jungkook held the back of your neck with one hand as he kisses your lips deeply again, the other hand finding the zipper of the dress and pulling it down. He had you on your back as he undressed your top, kisses following the skin his hands uncovered. His mouth pecked at your round shoulders, down your neck, to the dip between your breasts left in a black bra, down your pudgy stomach.

He started pulling at the skirt of the dress and you lifted your hips so he could take the dress all the way off, leaving you in your underwear.

You watched as Jungkook took you in head to toe, trembling a bit before returning your gaze.

“You look so good, Y/N. Can I have you like this every day? Can I wake up with you beside me all my mornings and kiss your pretty skin like this?” he asked with lust blown eyes and red cheeks, hovering above you in his forearms, hands brushing the skin of your face.

You held his face in between your hands, eyes looking between both of his, amazed at the love behind them.

“Yeah, Kookie. For as long as you want” you promised him.

He groaned and united your lips again for a searing kiss, goosebumps awakening up your spine and a wet discomfort becoming unbearable in between your legs, as his hands found your breasts and started to fondle with them over your bra. He left your mouth to start leaving wet kisses down your skin again, pulling the cup of your bra just slightly down and taking the nipple that stood out into his warm lips.

You squirmed as his tongue played with the little nub, your nails scratching at his strong shoulders as the electric shocks of pleasure it instigated. His tongue swirled around it and then his teeth pulled at the nipple, a wail escaping you at that.

Understanding how hot and bothered you were, Jungkook’s head traveled down your body until he was kissing your fleshy thighs, strong hands opening your legs so he could stand in between them.

“Ah, Jungkook… Please” you begged shamefully.

Hearing your request, he took off your drenched panties from your body, his face now mere inches from your hot center, dripping with want and need for him. Your body jolted and you saw sparkles at the first movement of his tongue, up and down your folds, tasting your sweetness like a starved men. You writhed and moaned under his demanding mouth, sucking and lapping at every right spot that had your muscles trembling with the need to let go.

At the sounds you were making, Jungkook felt himself growing painfully hard under his boxers and it made him want to move things along. He sucked on your clit harshly, licking it right after and repeating the process until you were completely drenched in your juices, about to reach your end. But he couldn’t take it anymore.

“Ahh, ahhh… N-No, don’t stop!” It would have made you blush the whine in your voice as he lifted his head from between your legs, if you weren’t already completely flushed head to toe.

“I’m sorry, baby, I can’t take it! Can’t wait anymore” he huffed in a painful voice, and you saw how he had pulled his boxers down and was stroking himself, his beautiful cock so incredibly flush and burning red, crown covered in his own overflowing juices already. Your insides clenched hard and you whined again.

“I want you so bad, Y/N!” Jungkook whimpered, his hand growing faster as he looked pleading at you.

“I want you too, Jungkook. Hurry, please, please!” you rushed him, opening your arms so he would take you.

However, instead of getting on top of you like you assumed he would, Jungkook pulled you by your extended arms and grabbed your wide hips, one hand on your back and another on your butt cheek as he stood up with you in his arms and pushed your back against the wall, hissing at the friction of his erection against your burning slit.

“Damn it…” he cursed under his breath. “A-Against the wall, like this. Can we do it like this?”

You would have complained, you would have worried about how heavy you were, about tiring him too much or risking you falling from his arms or he falling after carrying you for so long, but your brain was so completely clouded with need and he felt so damn good against your aching entrance that you would have agreed to absolutely anything at that point just to have him inside.

“Yeah! Yeah, Kook, yes, please-”

With wavering breaths, Jungkook lifts your hips just enough to position himself against your entrance and when you slide back down, back rubbing a bit against the wall, he is completely bottomed out inside of you. You moan so loud, arms tightening around his shoulder and neck, legs crossing at his lower back, feeling him so incredibly deep.

A cross between a grunt and a whimper escapes Jungkook lips too, his cock completely surrounded by your throbbing, hot and wet silk walls, pleasure running thorough his veins at the feeling. It feels so good he doesn’t even process the weight of you in his arms, all he feels is your body pressed against his and he automatically is thrusting up into your hole, you being completely at the mercy of his movements.

He starts yanking his hips, slowly at first, building up a pace that had you biting your lips. A deep tense pull of nerves starts forming on your lower belly and you yearn for more. Jungkook’s shaft is rubbing your walls just right, this new angle enticing new sensations you never felt, your back against the wall cooling your skin down only for his movements to heat it back up. But then he starts picking up speed, pounding into you so fast that the friction against the wall starts hurting a bit, but it only expands the feeling of pleasure somehow.

Jungkook feels incredible as he holds you like this, he feels so strong and manly. Through half-closed eyes he sees your face constricted in pleasure, he feels the reverberations of each of his thrusts on your flesh, jiggling so delectably on his hands. It almost undoes him.

The sound of skin slapping skin and the sounds of your wetness mixes in with your moans and his grunts, heavy breaths from both of you. Jungkook grabs your ass cheeks and moves you away from the wall, holding you close as his pelvis keeps slamming fast against yours and it’s stimulating your clit at the same time he rubs the spot inside, making you cry out as your stomach falls and your inner walls spasm uncontrollably around him, coating him with your juices as you cum violently.

“Ahh, Y/N! Y/N, Y/N!”

Jungkook cums in just a handful more of thrusts into your still throbbing tunnel, blood roaring against his ears and mind going blank as spikes of electricity rush through him, shaft twitching inside of you as he releases white strings against your walls.

Spent, Jungkook falls back and thankfully he lands with you on top at the bed, sweating and flushed but satisfied in every level. You are trying to control your heart and regain your breath on top of him, never in your life having considered it possible to have sex in such a position due to your weight.

“Jungkook?” you call, head on his chest hearing his heart beating loudly under his skin.

“Yeah?” he breathily responds.

“When you were going to the gym, you were envisioning doing this to me, weren’t you?”

He stays silent for a moment and then turns you over, so you are suddenly on your back. You whimper at the sudden loss of him against you, but have no time to focus on that when he is right in front of your face, large eyes staring at you with red cheeks and swollen lips.

“Shut up.”

He kisses you and you giggle into the kiss, knowing you were right and he just didn’t want to admit it. He pecks at your lips, then at the corners, then at your flushed cheeks and sweaty forehead.

“Let me go see if our shower is working.”

Your heart does a complete flip at the word ‘our’ and you know then and there that he was going to be your forever and always, the love of your life.

1K notes · View notes

missfluffywriter · 4 years

Text

Purple Irises I Mafia Park Jimin x Reader

Authors note: Hello everyone! I know I’m supposed to be working on something else, but I couldn’t help myself. I read this amazing fic by @taetaewonderland Its called “The Bird Cage” and Oh My god it is so amazing. That is where I got the inspiration from, so please check out their blog. This isn’t my first BTS fic but it is my first mafia au fic. I had so much fun writing this I did this in like two day. And I was so inxplicably motivated. But yeah. And the fic does contain some medical stuff, and I tried doing my research but I could be wrong, and if you know something is wrong please tell me. :’) But there isn’t a lot of stuff. Just some here and there. If you think see any grammatical mistakes or mistakes in general, please let me know. Okay, that it for me. Happy readings!

Word count: About 7.6k

Genre: Mafia AU, no angst yet :)

Pairing: Park Jimin x Reader

Summary: You were supposed to be delivering flowers, how did you end up in an operation room digging out a bullet from a mafia boss’ shoulder?

Purple Irises: Royalty and wisdom

Warnings: Blood, guns, language, violence

Next chapter I Masterlist

Gentle rays of light peered in through the store windows, the sun barely peeking over the mountains. A soft zephyr breezing through the streets. You admired the quaint peacefulness of the early mornings one more time, before starting your work in the flower shop. Relishing the freshness brought by the morning, you got up and grabbed your apron sitting on the reception desk, with a gentle smile you made your way to the back of the shop.

You made a mental to-do list as you collected the modified bucket. All the watering of the plants was done by hand. And this bucket was large enough to hold the amount of water needed to water all the flowers and plants in one trip. Only the problem was, when full the bucket was impossible to lift. So as a simple solution you suggested adding wheels to the bucket. Which had been working pretty well since installment. You wheeled the big bucket to the hose, and started the water as you waited for your boss to arrive. Sang Soomin, she was the owner of this lovely shop, and a good friend of yours. You were at a low point when she offered you this job, and helped you get back on your feet, and you were grateful for that.

“Good morning (Y/n)!” Speak of the devil, “Working as hard as always I see, We’re gonna need that kind of concentration today. There's a huge order that needed to be delivered later this afternoon” She smiled, putting away her bag under the reception desk. She rolled up her shirt sleeves before throwing her apron on.

“Oh?”

“Yeah, they asked for daisies, marigolds, white lilies, asters. And they ordered enough to decorate a mansion, I’m guessing a party.” She said, gliding over to where you stood. Ah, another party. The flower shop may have been small but it was in a rich neighborhood, a filthy rich neighbourhood. That was also why you were able to survive on only one job. You were snapped from your thoughts when you heard the splashes of water falling to the ground.

“Ah Darn it,” Soomin let out a soft giggle at your dismay. You hurried to close the faucet and sighed at the mess. Though not much had spilled over, you still had to clean up what had. You turned to grab some paper towels when you felt a hand on your shoulder.

“ I got it.” She threw some paper towels on the ground, she used her foot to move around the paper towels to soak up the spilled water. “Actually, leave all the watering to me. There's still some roses that need de-thorning. Can you get on that please? Seeing as you happen to be better at it,”

“Got it,” You smiled, turning to the smaller flower room where most of the flower arranging happened.

“Okay, and that's the last one,” You heaved, hands tired from clipping thorns from roses for the past, what? Two hours? You pulled out your phone to check the time, 11:23 PM, okay maybe it was more than just two hours, then quickly pocketing your phone. Didn’t Soomin say the delivery was supposed to be made in the afternoon? It was about that time. You stretched before making your way to the main store. There were a few customers roaming the small shop, probably choosing flowers for a custom bouquet.

“ Hey (Y/n) can you make the delivery? Hyun is out today. The address is with the daisies” Soomin asked, reading over what you assumed was the inventory list.

“Sure thing,” You quickly replied before leaving to load the van with the flowers. “Kay, I'm heading out” You called to her, grabbing the delivery clipboard and heading.

“Be safe,” She waved at you. And you smiled in return.

‘Wow’ you thought as you looked at the mansion, which seemed more like a castel. They had an extensive front lawn, well manicured, neat hedges and bushes. And was probably bigger than a football field. Sure, you had seen your fair share of rich people houses. But this was just on another level. The front gates were large iron bars that bent to make beautiful floral designs, and two large pillars that supported the gates.

The house was beautiful, four large columns supported roman style columns supported a roof. Wide carrara marble steps that lead to large sierra double doors. You hesitantly climbed up the steps, reaching for the small doorbell. You rung the doorbell, somewhat nervous, the exquisite mansion making you feel smaller than any human being ever had. This whole place, basically calling you poor.

Tapping your foot on the ground, you impatiently waiting for someone anyone to pick up the flowers. You had rung the doorbell twice now and there was still no answer. They had to have known you were coming as the front gates were left open...right? And just as you let out another sigh, you heard a loud scream and glass breaking from inside the house.

BANG BANG

‘Gunshots!?’ Ducking on instinct, you covered your ears as loud bang’s echo throughout the property, only now there were more than a few guns firing. Loud cries and curses came from beyond the sierra doors.

Finally gathering your barings, you beelined to the van, hurrying to get out of there, when the doors burst open and a man groaning and grasping at his bleeding shoulder fell to the ground, and you saw what was going on inside. People in black suits, crouching behind large objects and holding up guns.

“Who the fuck are you?!” The man who came barreling out the door yelled. At his loud cries, a man from within turned to your direction.

“Shit, she saw. Kill her!” He yelled before a bullet narrowly missed his head. Eyes widening at his words as you tried again to rush to the van, when a grip on your right ankle nearly tripped you. “You’re not going anywhere, god damn it!”

You tried using your other foot to kick yourself free from his grasp, but he roughly pulled at your ankle making you fall. You tried to stay as calm as possible you scrambled to get up on your feet, until you felt a hand on the base of your neck pull you towards the door.

You frantically tried to free yourself from his grasp, clawing at his hand, trying to kick your foot. But the man was on you left, and your legs wouldn’t reach so far left. As he dragged you inside, you took one more breath before grabbing the arm that was holding you with you left hand, then turning sharply, reaching with your right for the back of his neck and kneeing him in the stomach until he let you go.

As he fell to his knees clutching at his stomach, you axe kicked him, his head crushed onto the beautiful marble floor, knocking him out. A gunshot behind you brought you back to reality.

You turned and saw a man aiming his gun at you. You tried to move but your brain was processing faster than your body. Closing your eyes expecting you doom, but instead to be tackled onto the ground. You gasped and tried to push whoever it was that tackeled you off and scramble away from them, but hands grabbed at your waist and pulled you behind the bar counter. He had chocolate brown hair, and hazel eyes. His wore a black suit that had been bloodied and drenched in sweat.

“Who hell are you?!” He asked breathless, “What’re you doing here?!”

“Flowers!” you gasped, “I’m here to deliver flowers!”

His eyes widened in remembrance. Right they were supposed to have flowers delivered today.

“Stay here, and don’t move! Understand?!” You nodded, breath ragged as you eyed the young male. He tried peering from the above the hiding spot, then cursed dashing out from the behind the counter.

You brought your knees to your chest, trying to make yourself as small as possible. It was strange, you were terrified but calm. Anyone would be in tears by now in your situation. But now wasn’t the time for that, right now you needed to focus on not getting shot.

Moments passed and the number of guns being fired were dwindling. Until a man stepped beside you, his focus was at the people shooting at him. But he wasn’t alone, he had someone at gunpoint, it was the same guy who told you to stay here, and the two slowly backed away.

“Let him go Haewon, you’re done” A voice came from behind you, behind the counter. So this guy was the last of them. Out of nowhere you felt a brashness you had never felt before. Adrenaline bubbling.

You grabbed hold of the tall vase that was in front of you, clutching it to your chest, you could feel your heartbeat in your hand, you took a deep breath.

Standing as fast as you could, you smash the vase into the man's head. The man lets go of his hostage and crashes onto the floor, unconscious. You put the surprisingly unbroken vase on the counter, then breathe in deeply, trying to get your erratic breath under control.

One of your hands was on your hip as you hunched, taking a final deep breath, before looking up. To be greeted to the sight of men with stunned expressions, pointing their guns at you.

“Who the hell are you?!” one yelled. Oh this was getting old, you breath out, your head slightly hanging.

“Hyung, the flowers. Remember the flowers we ordered.” The brunette that saved you life breathed.

“Guk step away from her,” A tallest of them, with syrup brown hair exclaimed, still holding the gun at you. You slowly raised your hand so as to not make any sudden movements, and to show you did not have weapons, and that at the moment you could in no way, do them any harm.

“It’s like he said, I was here to deliver daisies, roses, white lillies, and asters from the Kabloom flower shop,” You said in a steady voice. Heart hammering in your ribcage.

“And we should believe you because?” A man with silver platinum hair asked, voice strained. His hand gingerly holding his shoulder, leaning against one of the sofas.

“Is the van standing outside proof enough?” You answered with a question, sighing you continued, “You can call the shop and ask them.”

The short one with silver platinum blonde hair fell to his knees.

“Jimin!”

“Hyung!”

You lurched forward on instinct, naturally making a mental list of supplies you would need. So his name was Jimin. ‘This isn’t a time for names, we can worry about that later,’ you chide yourself, shaking your head back into focus.

But just as you stepped forward,you were stopped where you stood.

“Stop right there! And don’t move!” One of them said, threateningly pointing his gun at you. All the men around rushing to Jimin. But you were intently focused on the one on his knees. How long had he been bleeding for? This wasn’t good, at this rate he would bleed to death.

Two men, the one that saved you and another red headed one supported Jimin by the arms. ‘No don’t do that, you have to stop the bleeding, gauze, alcohol, tape, tweezer’ that was the bare minimum you would need, you bit your lip as you thoughts raced.

“How long has he been bleeding?” You asked, stepping towards the huddle of people.

“ Stay right where you are!” Nostriles flaring as you breath through your nose. Anger gradually bubbling within as you were being kept from helping a patient.

“Okay! Listen here, it takes less than ten minutes for an average human being to bleed to death after a gunshot wound. So unless you want your friend to bleed to death, Let me help him?!” You said, tone expasrated but still firm, getting a little louder as you spoke. The men nervously looked at each other.

“And you would know because”

“Let. me. help” You said worriedly, stressing each syllable, looking at the man on the floor further pailing, as he tried to brush off the other. Probably telling them he was fine.

“And what exactly makes you think we would trust you,” A shorter male with light brown hair, and wore a navy blue suit exclaimed. You understood they didn’t trust you but that guy was bleeding to death.

“Look, I am trying to help! Your friend is bleeding out as we speak一” But you were cut off as said injured male collapses. The men around him worriedly call his name, panic in their eyes. Nervouseness hitting gull swing, if they would just一

“Can you really help him?” The tallest one of them asks.

“Yes,” You replied, fidgeting as you thought of just in case alternatives you could use for some of the supplies, if they didn’t have them.

“Then please help him’’ You exhaled loudly and stepped forward, but stopped when he spoke up again, his voice threatening,“BUT, we’re gonna be watching. You make one fishy move and we shoot you on the spot.”

“Fine,” You gulped, quickly making your way to the platinum blonde on the ground.

“Gauze, alcohol, surgical thread, sterile needle, tweezers, um...um lidocaine, and tape,” You recited your mental list as you pressed your hands onto Jimin’s shoulder, trying to slow the bleeding.

“Well help him!” Guk? Stange name, cried, throwing his arms in the air.

“I can’t just do that here. We aren’t in some movie where you just rub some alcohol on and wrap the wound up and you’re done. We’re gonna need an operation room, and surgical thread, his bones don’t seem broken, but we still need a lot of stuff,” You replied to them as cooly as possible.

“Alright then let's take him to an operation room. We should have everything you just said, there. Jeongguk, carry him,” The tallest one commanded, his eyes moving throughout the room. His mind seemed to be running a mile a minute. And Jeongguk, effortlessly hoisted Jimin into a bridal carry. And walked to the winding staircase that was along the wall facing the door.

“You have an operation room?” You asked, amazed, rushing after them up the staircase.

“Which door?” Jeongguk asked.

“The doctor's room, Guk,” The tallest of the bunch answered. And you felt yourself relax a little hearing the childish yet adorable name for the sterile room.

You were surprised to say the least when you saw the room. Eyes wide as you take in the room that was almost identical to an OR, only this place had cupboards along the right wall. The lights and monitors and everything. You snapped out of your thoughts when you heard Jimin being placed onto the table. There were too many people in the room.

“There were too many people in this room, you can’t all stay here.” You ran your eyes through the cupboards, searching for things you needed.

“Like hell we’re leaving him with you一” One of the men at the back exclaimed.

“Please” You pleaded, placing the alcohol you had found on one of the tables.

“Yoongi, Jeongguk, and Seokjin stay in the room, everyone else go clean things up,” It was the one who had let you work on Jimin again.

“But, Namjoon一”

“Hoseok please,”

“Fine, alright you lot get out,”

“Thank you,” Namjoon gratefully said to the men as they turned to step out.

They were having their moment, but you were focused on finding what you needed to listen in. And astonishingly, they not only had surgical thread but also, dissolving thread. Anesthesia was out of the question, you didn’t have enough knowledge about it and you doubted any of them were anesthesiologists. And they didn’t have lidocaine injection, which numbed the wound and was a much safer option. But you weren’t too surprised, though that also meant you had to do this with Jimin still conscious, or could come to consciousness mid procedure.

Okay, you didn’t have a lot of time. You needed to do this and you needed to do this fast.

“Wait, some of you might have to stay after all,” You said before all of them could leave.

“Why? Nevermind, how many should stay?” Namjoon looked at you, alerting further at your words.

“Four maybe five, depending on how strong he is. There’s no anesthetic so we need to hold him down in case he moves mid procedure” You answered both questions as you washed your hands as furiously and as fast as you could. You were running out of time, you didn’t have time for proper protocol. You put on clean gloves then hurry back to the table. When you returned there were five men standing around the table.

“Okay hold down his legs, arms and torso,” You instructed them as you put on the surgical mask you had found.

“This is gonna hurt a lot. So he’ll thrash around, if he moves too much I may end up hurting more than helping. So hold him down tight.” You looked at each man with calm eyes, and began removal.

Jimin did wake up mid procedure and he did thrash around quite a bit, but Namjoon managed to somehow talk to him. After that he was as still as he could be with you digging around his shoulder. Eventually he passed out again from the pain. You didn’t have time to hook him up to the monitors, so you had Namjoon constantly keeping track of Jimin’s pulse. You told him to inform you immediately if he felt any changes. You found the bullet rather quickly, and neatly sutured the wound. Once all sutures were in place, you cleaned the new neatly stitched wound and bandaged his shoulder. After bandages were in place you took his pulse one last time to make sure everything was fine. You still needed to look for a stethoscope but after all that you just didn’t have the energy for that right then.

Heaving a relieved sigh you eased away from the table and towards the sink to wash off all the blood. You peered behind your shoulder to see what the others were doing, and their expressions were still twisted with worry. You smiled as you saw how worried they were for him. They weren’t bad people, just worried for their friend. If anything they looked kind as they watched their friend rest. But you still feared the future to come as you thought back to the prior events. The shoot out, the guns, those people, you had an idea of what was going on. And an idea how they afforded to live in such a lavish mansion. You wiped your hands with paper towels as you explained Jimin’s situation.

“He’s out of the woods for now but we’ll have to monitor him twenty-four-seven for the next few days. His wound will have to be cleaned and his bandages will have to be changed twice a day. We can move him to a more comfortable room but you’ll have to be super gentle. We should get him pain medication too, lucky no bones were broken, but He’ll still be in a lot of pain. He’s also lost a lot of blood, and foods such as lean red meat, poultry, fish, leafy green vegetables, brown rice, lentils and beans can all boost haemoglobin. Vitamin C helps with iron absorption, so to get the most from the food you eat, so make sure he drinks a glass of vitamin C-rich fruit juice with his meals. I recommend pomegranate just the fruit or juice, whichever he prefers”

All five men seem to release a breath of relief as they heard you talk. Their shoulders slumping, finally relaxing. You watched with a smile before your eyes widened as you realized. You had been so focused on Jimin that you forgot about everyone else that had been injured. You jumped at the realization. The abrupt movement startled the men, and all jumped into an alert.

“Is anyone else injured, bleeding, hurt? No wound is too small,” You said, looking at each man as they sighed and relaxed their shoulders. The men looked at each other before looking back at you.

“We’re fine but some of the men outside maybe,” Namjoon said, pointing towards the door.A questioning brow rose on his face as he saw your eyes narrow.

“Is that right? So the red stain on your shoulder is part of the outfit then,” You hummed. To which no answer came. “Thought so,” You coasted towards him, picking up the alcohol and left over gauze from the table along the way. You firmly instructed Namjoon to take off his blazer and shirt, which he refused...at first. As he continued to deny your help you stared him straight in the eyes and repeated your instruction.

He caved the second time around, removing his blazer and shirt. The other four attempting and failing to hide their grins and giggles. You dressed his wounds in record time before asking once more, “Is anyone else hurt?” They all shook their heads no. You sighed, the hard way it is.

“Jeongguk can I see your foot?” you asked, scuffled to the cupboards to get the arnica cream you had seen earlier. You returned quickly, sitting on the floor before looking at Jeongguk expectantly. He wore an uncomfortable expression, good. He was gonna cave.

He hesitantly gave you his left foot, “Your other foot,”

“It’s nothing really, there's nothing there,” He stammered out.

“Well then let me see your foot,” You said passively. He caved after thirty seconds of continuous eye contact. You smiled softly and applied the arnica cream on the deep purple bruise above his ankle.

“Arnica, it's a cream that helps with bruising. Looks pretty deep, you might feel tender tomorrow. Take it easy and apply this cream three times a day, and the bruise should get better faster,” Words thoughtlessly escaped your lips as you finished applying his cream.

“Ahem一” Namjoon coughed to get your attention, “一So thank you for you help. And I apologize for what happened earlier, we were all just worried. But I’m afraid we can’t let you leave.”

You smiled, sighing, “I figured as much. After all I’ve seen, I have a pretty good understanding of what your...job. Don’t worry I won’t try to run away or anything, I know it will only make my situation worse,” Getting up you headed to the drawers, collecting bandages and tape, then returning to the table for the alcohol bottle, and struggling as you did, there being too much to carry. “And if you want to apologize, help me dress everyone’s wounds.”

“You’re awfully calm for someone in your situation, you have Stockholm syndrome or something?” Seokjin laughed, kicking himself off the wall he was leaning on and taking the alcohol bottle from your hands.

“Well, will me panicking and screaming about the situation make it any better?” You chuckled softly, making your way to the door.

“Touche” He laughed softly.

“But一” Yoongi interrupted, asking the question that was on everyone's mind, “Tell me something why are you doing this? Why are you treating our wounds?”

“Well, there’s a simple explanation really,” You tilted your head. Which the men couldn’t help but compare to a puppy.

“And what explanation would that be?” Yoongi raises an eyebrow.

“I was just hoping that if I made myself useful, you don’t kill me, and preferebly feed me too,” You answered simply.

“That's it?”

“I’d say that’s a pretty reasonable reason.” You lips stretched into a smile.

Yoongie looked incredusely at your answer, which seemed to be a common reaction to your words so far. That was honestly your thought process, you thought if you could make use of your skills, they would hold off on killing you, or decide to keep you alive all together. You knew the minute you saw what you did you couldn’t escape this. And the only escape you would find would probably be death.

But there was a strange feeling resonating deep within you. And you knew what it was. It was a feeling you should not be feeling in the situation you were in, it was thrill. You were excited to be where you were. It was terrifying but you liked the adrenealine rush that had felt. Was it wrong of you to feel that? A tinge of excitement when most people would feel dread. These men, judging by their demeanor were most likely forced into this life.

And you felt guilty for feeling this excitement when you shouldn’t be, these men must have suffered much in their lifetime. And would probably give an arm and a leg to get out of this life, and here you were excited for what would happen next.

Your chain of thought was broken when you saw movement in front of you. Jeongguk carrying Jimin in his arms. Ah they were moving him, and it seems like everyone was going together. You stepped aside to let them pass, and followed them. Out the door, down the corridor, they banked left and down another tall, long corridor.

“I’m assuming we’re headed to his room?” You asked, walking next to Seokjin, still holding the bandages.

“You assumed correctly,” He answered, “His room is in the east wing, right down the hall actually.”

You walked down the hall in silence, aside from slight groans of pain some of the men. Which you registered for later, but perhaps it would be best not to push you luck with them. If you bothered them too much they might just kill you because you were annoying them. Eyes on the floor, you let your thoughts drift.

But your mind didn’t get to wander long as everyone stopped, you raised your head, taking in your surroundings. The door were large white double doors, they were doors you would see in a palace or castle. There was a large window at the end of the hallway and flowers in vases every few doors. There was clearly a color scheme, blues, whites, and beiges, and seemed like marble was a common occurrence throughout the house, well mansion.

Wait, flowers, flowers! You were here to deliver flowers! What time was it? Soomin must be worried. Your hands were full you couldn’t couldn’t pull out your phone, no clocks in sight. And you didn’t really feel like asking anyone right now. You thought of ways you would apologize to Soomin as the men opened the doors and walked in.

The room was huge, probably bigger than your apartment, then again your apartment was more of a studio with a bathroom, but a very cozy studio. And the ceiling was high and the color scheme seemed to bleed into this room. There was a large rectangular rug on the floor. It looked so soft, and so expensive. There was a window of the far left wall. And a window bench underneath it, fluffy pillows decorating it. There was a painting on the wall, a medaow. The room was neat, aside from some papers lying around the floor. The room was well lit from the natural light coming in through those ginormous windows. But getting a good look at the room it was simplistic. And said a lot about Jimin as a person.

Lots of soft colors and soft, fluffy things, he must be a gentle person...well maybe. Then your eyes landed on the cabinet along the wall that connected to the bathroom. A built-in liquor shelf, so he drank, no...a conisure? From what they eye could see, none of the bottles were empty. No ash trays, did he not smoke? Or was it just put away.

A small bookshelf next the liquor shelf. An armchair and a small, hickory brown table by the books. Which was surrounded by white sofa set, with beige pillows.

Your eyes roamed the beautiful room, you couldn’t help it. You’d never seen a room this luxurious, except in movies and films. ‘I think I finally understand what writers were try to describe.’ You thought as you let your eyes return to the people whom you entered the room with.

Jeongguk gently placed Jimin in the large king size bed. Lined with white and baby blue sheets. Namjoon pulles the blanket onto Jimin tucking him in, a dimpled smile stretching across his face. The sight was endearing, they took care of each other as though they were brothers...were they brothers? Jimin now laying on his bed still wore an expression of pain. It was a bullet sound of course it hurt.

You placed the bandages in your arms on the table that was right next to the door. And quickly pulled out your phone, it read ‘4:30 PM’. You had left around 11:30 AM and now it was 4:30 PM, you had been gone for nearly five hours. The van! You needed to return the van!

“Hey you guys一” The men looked to you, “一I need to return the van, and check in my boss.”

“I’m sorry but we can’t let you leave,” Namjoon shook his head.

“Okay, easy solution, can someone else drop it off at the store?” You asked with urgency in your voice. Hyejin had done so much for you, you didn’t want to make her worry, plus it was her van.

“Well, I guess we could do that,” Namjoon shifted his weight to his other leg, “What’s the address?”

“Just go down the rich people avenue, you’ll find Kabloom flower shop along it,” Jeongguk snorted at you directions, his hands on his lips as he stifled a laugh. An amused smile played at Yoongi’s lips and a simple smile stretched across Namjoon’s face.

“Or… the address is on the van,” You chuckled with them.

“Rich people avenue? Really?” Yoongi chortled.

“What? Its true.” You said, stretching the what into something more of a whine. All of them looked much more relaxed now, Even Yoongi, who was the most suspicious of you, laughed at that.

“But一” Jeongguk piped in, “一we looked over something kind of important,” Important? What had you missed? Your forehead scrunched, head tilting in question. Jeongguk gave a short laugh when he saw your confused expression.

“Your name. We don’t know your name?” He asked, light-heartedly. Ah, looks like the finer details were missed.

“Ah right, My name is (L/n) (Y/n), but please call me (Y/n),” You smiled, making sure not to forget that the van still needed to get to the store.

“Well (Y/n), tell me something, who are you exactly?” Seokjin questioned, his tone wasn’t threatening, but the way he worded the question had you on alert. “I mean, with all that stuff about vitamin-C and hemoglobin, and I saw how you worked on his wound, and you knew what you were doing, one would think you were a doctor or something,”

“That’s cuz I am a doctor, well I never finished my residency, so I’m not an official doctor but I do have a PhD,” You shrugged, you didn’t mean to hide it, besides it wasn’t like it was a secret.

“That’s not possible, you’re too young to be a doctor,” Yoongi commented in disbelief. You didn’t look old enough to be a qualified doctor, you looked no older than twenty-four, twenty-six at most.

“I was in an accelerated program, so I graduated high school early, plus I never finished my residency, so again, I’m not an official doctor,” You played with the edges of bandages.

“Wait, wait how old are you?” Yoongi asked, still perplexed.

“Twenty-four,” You looked up, only to be met with five confused men.

A still confused Seokjin asks, “Then why is someone with a PhD delivering flowers? Is it like a side job? Or did you just not like being a doctor?”

“I… have my reasons…” You trailed off, and they saw your expression somber, and understood not to push the subject.

“Alright (Y/n), we’ll have the van sent back to your store,” Namjoon smiled at you, he appeared to be much more relaxed like he trusted you… to some degree. You were grateful they were doing this for you. But there was something you needed to get from your house, for one, if you were going to be staying here then you would have liked to get some clothes, and more than that you needed to get someone from your apartment. As you thought the cluster had broken off into two and three person groups.

Namjoon and Seokjin were talking amongst themselves, wearing serious expressions, probably talking about all that had happened today. Yoongi, Jeongguk and Hoseok were chatting with each other. They held lighter air to them.

“I just had one more thing,” attention reverted to you, “I need to get something from my apartment, and I need to go get it,”

“We’ll just bring it to yo一” You cut Namjoon off.

“I’m sorry but I have to go, you guys can come with me but, I have to go” You declared firmly. It wasn’t something you could just grab and go.

“Why?” Namjoon frowned, confused as to why you had to be there.

“I have to go because what I need to get isn’t a something it's a someone, I need to get my dog, and you can’t go alone because my dog is special,” You exasperated, your shoulders slightly slumping.

“And how is your dog special?” Yoongi inquired.

“Well my dog isn’t just a dog, she’s a wolf dog, and she’s more wolf than dog, and I don't think she'll appreciate strangers in her home trying to grab at her. And More than that I’m afraid she might end up attacking you, and you guys end up shooting her,” You sighed.

Namjoon nodded, understanding the situation. “Alright but it will have to wait till?”

“Yes,” You replied, knowing this must be just as stressful to them as it was for you. And your pupper would be fine without you for one night, she should be tied down for tonight with the whole chicken you left her.

“Okay一” Namjoon sighed, “一 so (Y/n), you said we had to monitor him, right?” You nodded. “You and Jeongguk stay with Jimin, while we’ll deal with the mess outside,” You bobbed your head in understanding, as the rest of them poured out of the room. And seeing as Seokjin grabbed the bandages on the table, you assumed he would take care of the injured.

“Well, I guess it’s just us now,” You smiled at Jeongguk. To which he returned one of his own. His face scrunched as he did, he had a bunny smile. ‘How cute’ You thought, taking a seat on the floor, next to Jimin. But there was a rug underneath, that honestly felt more like a cushion.

“So you have a dog?” He inquired intrigued.

“Yeah, her name’s Shelty,” Jeongguk nooded as you thought about your adorable puppy.

“And she’s a wolf dog?”

“Yeah, a german shepard, wolf hybrid. But I’m not sure what kind of wolf,” You said, thoughtfully.

“You know I had a pet fish once,” He began.

By the time you had realized how much time had passed, the sun had set. When had you turned the lights on? The day seemed to have melted away talking to Jeongguk. You found out a lot of things about this group. He was one of the seven founding members. And that one of them was out right now. That he was the youngest of the seven, about how they would sometimes eat so much someone threw up, and that they weren’t actually blood related but were as close as brothers.

And you listened and imputed comments when you thought necessary. But there was a common theme in his topics, it was his hyungs. He somehow always returned to his elder brothers, you couldn’t help the smile that made its way on your face . He was a good kid, sweet and caring. And judging by how his eyes softened and that gentle smile that you saw on his face. You could tell how much he loved his brothers. You couldn’t help but wonder, how had he ended up as a mafioso.

“Gebus, it’s late, where did the time go?” You stretched your arms, then got up and stretched your legs.

“Thank you (Y/n), for listening to me,” He says, looking at his lap, then up to you, “With my kinda job you don’t really talk much about anything besides business...so this was nice. So thank you,”He smiled. Oh it was his bunny smile again, you were going to melt. Too late, you melted.

“I liked talking to you too, Jeongguk,” You eyes softened and you grinned, as you ruffle his hair. He let out a noise of protest before the door opened behind you.

“We brought food!” Hoseok entered, beaming. White plastic bags in hands. He was followed by Namjoon and Seokjin, and Yoongi entered a little later, clutching: wine, whiskey, and soda.

“I get fed,” You cheered, as you laughed with the five men.

“Yes, yes you do (Y/n),” Namjoon chuckled, placing the bags of food he held on the coffee table. Hoseok, doing the same, opening the chinese take out boxes and throwing the bag somewhere in the room.

“I for one think I’d be pretty rude to not feed the person that saved our boss,” Seokjin concludes with a smile. “Well then, come on, eat!” He waves his hand to invite you to sit with them. You playfully roll your eyes and scuffle to an open seat.

“I’m surprised you’re letting me sit here and eat, not to mention with you guys,” You thanked Seokjin as he handed you a plate of food.

“Well, you cooperating and not screaming at us helped your case, though I would understand why you would,” Namjoon said, reaching for a plate. You hummed at his answer as you ate your stir fried noodles.

“(Y/n) what drink do you want?” Jeongguk asked, pulling out lowball whiskey glasses from the built-in cupboard, beside the liquor shelf.

“Hmm just coke please,” He nodded and poured coke into a lowball glass, then handed it to you, as you thanked him.

“No alcohol? Why cuz it’s bad for you?” Yoongi laughed, softly throwing his back.

“I for one recall being on montering duty, and I can’t exactly do that drunk now can I?” You laughed.

“True, true,” Yoongi said, sipping his whiskey.

Dinner went by just as fast, you made small talk with Seokjin. Favourite food, favourite animal, surface level question. During that small talk you learned some interesting things. Turns out Seokjin or Jin as he went by, was the only one with any skills in the kitchen. He told you stories of mishaps that occurred in the kitchen, complaining about the guy’s culinary skills, or their lack of said skills. Jeongguk protested, refuting Jin's claims, only to be silenced with tales of the tin foil in the microwave incident.

You helped Jin and Hoseok clean up the area, gathering all the empty boxes in a plastic bag and handing them to Hoseok, who volunteered to take out the trash. All five men had decided to stay in Jimin’s room tonight. You chuckled because you thought it was because they didn’t trust you. But thinking more about it, it was probably for you than for Jimin. Considering he didn’t know about you. And you doubted he remembered anything from the surgery.

Jin turned off the lights, to your surprise, a lot could happen in the darkness. He waved you off simply saying it was so Jimin wouldn’t wake up. But you knew the actual reason for the lights being out. Everyone was tired, and the yawn Namjoon let out, proved that point. Jin must’ve wanted everyone to get some rest, it was probably going to be a hectic day tomorrow. You gave an understanding nod, before going back to your original stop on the floor beside Jimin. This time however, Jin sat next to you instead of Jeongguk, who sat at the sofa with Hoseok and Yoongi.

And sure enough, one by one most of the men had dozed off, lulled to sleep by the quiet darkness. Even Jin had nodded off, you smiled at them. You wondered if there were any extra blankets around, you looked about the room, not you could see anything. But knew better than to just get up and search for blankets. So you sighed and nudged Jin. Who gasped awake, hand reaching for his concelead gun.

“Hey, it's just me,” You whispered.

“(Y/n) what? What happened?” He asked, still dazed from sleep.

“Blankets, are there any extra blankets? Looks like nearly everyone’s asleep” You said softly, as to not wake anyone.

“No, I’m not,” Jeongguk’s mischievous piped.

“Well, almost everyone,” You rolled your eyes in a playful manner.

Jin smiled at your words, not that you could see in the darkness. He got up yawning and stretched. Then left the room to fetch the blankets.

Sensing the question from the youngest mafioso, you answered before he could ask, “I just wanted everyone to be comfortable, we all need blankets at night no matter what you say. Besides I wasn’t gonna risk searching around for blankets in the dead of night only for you guys to shoot me for snooping around,” Jeongguk gave a short laugh

Jin was having trouble carrying multiple blankets. You let him in and placed one of the blankets on Yoongi and gave one to Jeongguk, who accepted it happily. As he placed one on Namjoon and Hoseok. You had returned to your spot when Jin handed you a blanket as well. Turned out he got one for you too, which you took gratefully.

Minutes passed and the moon had completely risen, the moonlight pouring through the tall windows, you had much better vision now. You took Jimin’s wrist and took his pulse just in case. Pulse was steady and everything seemed normal. You placed his wrist on the bed and sighed, at this point Jin had dozed off again, but weren’t too sure of Jeongguk.

You sighed, your head resting on your palms as you continued your monitoring. You blinked as you took in Jimin’s features. He was pretty, well, handsome. Flawless skin, plump, soft lips. And he had a peaceful expression as he slept. His silver locks seemed to have this strange luster in the moonlight. He really was beautiful, like an angel.

Before you knew what you were doing, your hand had moved to brush his hair off his face. When your fingertips made contact with his forehead, you felt his skin, and he was burning up. Your stomach twisting, you fully placed your hands on his forehead. He had a fever, now that you were looking properly he wore an expression of discomfort. It wasn’t unusual for people to get fevers after surgery, but you had to get it under control. How had you not noticed this?

“Jeongguk, you up?” you questioned quietly, trying not to disturbe everyone, you stood. Your sudden movements seemed to have Jin awake again.

“Yeah, why? What happened noona?” He replied quickly sitting up.

“Wha? What's going on?” Jin asked, still half asleep.

“Jimin has a fever, I need a thermometer, a cold compress, and a fever medication, tylenol, Advil either will do,” You said, a hand on your hip, turning on the lights.

Jeongguk sprung into action, dashing out the door with an ‘I’ll get it”. Which seemed to have woken everyone else up. All of them with sleepy confusion written on their face.

“Will he be okay?” Concern lacing Jin’s voice.

“Fever after surgery isn’t unusual, his body has been through a lot, we’ll give him some medication and a cold compress. Then we’ll watch his fever. Okay?” You give a reassuring smile. Jin nods.

“Here! (Y/n) I got everything you asked.” Jeongguk burst into the room, materials in hand. You quickly thanked him, placing the cool ice pack on Jimin’s forehead. His features, relaxed at the feeling of the cool ice pack. You gently opened Jimin’s mouth and placed the thermometer under his tongue. Letting him rest for a while, as you waited for the thermometer to beep. But now that you were thinking about it, he was going to have to eat something before taking any kind of medicine. You bit your lip, not really wanting to have to wake him up.

BEEP BEEP

The thermometer beeped, and you gently pulled it out. 101 degrees, okay a low-grade fever. So it wasn’t too serious. You decided it would be best to wait a few minutes, if the fever went down great, if not he needed the medecine. And the cold compress seemed to have been enough.

You took Jimin’s temperature again, and smiled at the result, 99 degrees fahrenheit. Good the fever went down. You sighed in relief, “The fever broke, we’re all clear, we won’t even need the medicine”

Everyone heaved a relieved breath, Jeongguk coming to sit on the rug next to where you sat on the bed. Namjoon and Yoongi relaxed where they sat, and Hoseok had a hand over his face. Jin sat down behind Jeongguk. And the lights turned back off.

You took your seat back on the rug, next to Jimin. You reached for Jimin’s wrist one more time, this time not to take his pulse. You just played with his fingers, tracing small scars you felt on his hand, you didn’t know why, but you felt this inexplicable need to be in some sort of physical contact. You rested your head on the bed, and the fatigue of the day hitting you like a truck. ‘No I can’t fall asleep,’ were your last thoughts as everything fell to darkness.

#Jimin #Jimin x reader #Jiminxreader #park jimin #Park Jimin x reader #Mafia au #Mafia Boss Jimin x reader #Mafia jimin #mafia jungkook #Mafia Yoongi #violence #Doctor reader kind of #Purple Irises #badassreader #blood #Mafia boss jimin #BTS #Mafia BTS #bts mafia au

344 notes · View notes

dokoni-mo · 4 years

Text

Back Again, Together || Darth Vader x Reader (Chapter 5)

(A/N: prepare yourself. )

WARNINGS: canon-typical violence, nightmares, angst, fluff, little bit of blood, cursing, implied sexual innuendo, otherwise none.

Masterlist (link to part one of this story) : [x]

Chapter One : [x] || Chapter Two : [x]

Chapter Three : [x] || Chapter Four : [x]

Key: (F/N) = first name

Word Count: ~6100

~~~

The fear you felt when you awoke that night was almost unbearable.

Out of a dead sleep, your body jolted you awake, making you rise into a sitting position upon your bed. Letting out a quick yelp, you felt your chest start to heave up and down, your lungs cold with the amount of air you were taking in. Your eyes wide and a sheen of sweat covering your body, you began to search around your quarters for any form of danger.

There was nothing.

What had woken you up then?

Pressing a hand to your temple, you felt your breaths slowly start to calm down and slow. Moving your gaze to the blankets that covered your bare legs and closing your eyes to collect your thoughts, you were hit with the answer to your question.

You had a nightmare. The worst one you had ever had in your life, in fact.

You remembered the feeling of the air in your nightmare. It was cold and damp, and the sky above was dull grey.

Water.

Water was everywhere, crashing around you and threatening to swallow you whole.

You heard voices in their currents; just faint whispers.

Don’t go.

Don’t trust.

Don’t go near.

Your brow furrowed as you tried to remember what they were talking about…

You couldn't.

The last thing you remembered was a streak of red engulfing your vision, as well as a searing hot feeling in your gut.

Your head started to hurt, ache even, and you were still quite upset. Feeling tears starting to prickle in your eyes, you looked to the clock on the bedside table.

It was terribly early in the morning; you were certain that no one would be awake by now.

Except, maybe him.

Still terribly frightened and confused from your nightmare, you wanted nothing more than for him to get in the bed with you and hold you until you fell asleep again. And, the only way you were going to get that was to check and see if he was awake.

Pushing the covers off of you, you hoisted yourself up off the bed, your body shuddering at the cold air around you. Padding your feet upon the cold floor, you made your way over to his meditation pod, it's silhouette looming in the corner of your quarters. Pressing your ear to the cool, black metal of the pod, you listened intently for any sign that he was awake.

You heard nothing.

“Vee?” you said, loud enough for him to hear past the metal but quiet enough as to not disturb his slumber.

Still nothing.

You bit your bottom llp as you moved away from the pod, eyeing it up and down.

The fear that had awoken you was still hung over your frame. You didn’t know why, but you were exquisitely frightened. For seemingly no reason at all, your heart was beating a mile and minute, and it felt as if your senses were on high alert. Perhaps it was silly to be so scared from a dream, but you couldn't help it.

You wanted to wake him up.

You wanted to hear his voice ask you what was wrong.

You wanted to tell him what was troubling you.

You wanted to be held in his big, strong arms.

It would be so comforting…

But, you couldn’t. You simply couldn’t bring yourself to wake him. This was one of the only nights in a long, long time that he was able to rest…

You didn’t want to disturb him. Not for something so silly.

Letting out a quiet sigh, you padded your feet back to the bed. Slipping back under the covers, you hugged a pillow close to your chest without even telling your body to do so.

It took you a while to get back to sleep.

The pillow was nothing compared to him.

~~~

That morning was one of the rare mornings of which he woke up before you.

You were awoken for the second time that morning much more gently than the first, and much much more to your liking. Babying you out of your sleep, you felt his large, gloved hand on your arm, gently rocking you awake. Taking in a deep breath through your nose, you were hit with the smell of freshly brewed caf as you squinted your eyes open. Your eyes adjusting to the dim light of the room, you were met with the sight of your love staring down at you, making a closed-mouth, broad smile appear on your face as you felt his gloved hand push the hair out of your face.

“Good morning, my dear.” you heard your lover say, his voice as deep as ever.

“Morning, Vee.” you responded, your voice still laced with sleep.

“I have brought you something.”

You let out a soft giggle as you sat up in the bed, reaching over to the bedside table to retrieve the cup of caf, “I’m surprised you even know how to make this stuff.”

He sat in front of you upon the bed as you took a sip, the wood beneath him groaning under his weight, “The intruder was kind enough to aid me.”

Another giggle from you, “Her name is Rey, love.”

“I am aware.”

Smiling at him warmly, you looked down at the cup of hot drink without another word. Your smile fading, the memory of your nightmare shot through your mind, and soon after accompanied by the memory of how it made you feel. Your smile now fully gone and your gaze locked on the caf, you wondered if now was the right time to tell your love what your nightmare was about.

Sensing your feelings, Vader was quick to acknowledge them.

“You seem unsettled, darling.” he rumbled out, tilting his armored head to the side.

Picking up your gaze from your drink, you felt your lips part in compilation. Now was the perfect time to tell him, for him to hold you like you wanted him to a few hours prior…

No.

It wasn’t important now.

It was silly to begin with, anyway.

You shot him another small, warm smile, “It’s nothing, Vee. Just missing home, I guess.”

He said nothing to you, falling in to another one of his trademark long pauses as he stared at your face. The steady sound of his respirator was comforting to you usually, but made you a tad nervous now.

He was probably reading you like a damn book. He had the force with him anyway, so stuff like that was second nature to him.

Why did you even bother trying sometimes?

“Darling,” he said, “you need not lie to me. Your feelings are never a trivial matter. You are able to tell me anything, dear.”

Shhiiiittttt, he was good.

You let out a smile sigh, taking another sip of your caf before talking.

There was no point in hiding it now.

“I…” you began, your gaze dropping to your mug again, “I had a bad dream last night.”

You saw his back straighten out of your peripheral, “What was it about?”

“That’s the thing,” you retorted back, your gaze moving to his mask again, “I don’t really know. It was all so confusing.”

“Confusing?”

“Yeah…” another sip of caf, “All I remember is water. Lots of water, and the sky. It was grey everywhere, and the water was crazy. It was all around me, and it’s waves were so loud. I...I could have sworn they said things too.”

“What sorts of things?” he asked.

“Things like… like don’t go and don’t trust. I assume they were talking about someone or some… thing, but I can’t remember who or what they were. The last thing I remember is a flash of red, and then I woke up.”

Silence, yet again from him.

“Do you know what it means?” you asked, your voice barely above a whisper, “I know it sounds silly, but… It really scared me, Vee. I’m not sure why...”

He finally spoke after your words, “I believe that perhaps the force is attempting to warn you of something, darling.”

You felt your brow furrow without you commanding it to.

The force?

But why?

You’re not force sensitive…

“The force works in a plethora of mysterious ways, dear.” he said, reading you yet again, “There is sometimes no way to make sense of it. You shall learn the meaning of this vision in time.”

He paused briefly, extending his hand out to you to place your own upon it. You did so happily, feeling his thumb rub the back of your knuckles.

“Trust your instincts, my sweet. I am certain you will do what is right.”

You felt another warm smile envelop your features, your heart swelling at his words.

He always knew what to say to you.

“If I end up being sensitive to the force, you should show me how you do that chokey thingy.” you teased, taking one last sip of your caf.

“I am afraid that ability is reserved for more… intimate usage now, darling.”

You nearly spit out your drink at his words, a bright blush rising to your cheeks as you swallowed the hot drink.

“Vee!” you said, protesting his joke.

A rumble rising up from his broad chest, he gave you one last squeeze to your hand before standing up again, “It is time to get up now, dear. We have a meeting to attend.”

~~~

The rebels seemed to be more comfortable with the two of you that morning than they were the night before. Less than half of them started this time around.

What a victory!

After pulling on your normal outfit of a tanktop, pants, belt, boots, and arm strap and brushing through your hair, you and your love made your way over to the meeting room; the same one was the night prior. Catching you by surprise, the meeting room was almost completely empty, except for a few familiar faces and a few unfamiliar ones. The familiar faces were Rey, BB-8, and Poe, and the unfamiliar ones were that of one chocolate-skinned man next to Poe (his boyfriend, you took it) and one tall wookie.

The wookie surprised you the most. You had never seen one before, and you didn’t think they were that tall.

Feeling the awkward tension in the room, you pulled your love down closer to your height, whispering so that only he could hear.

“You didn’t tell me this was a private meeting.” you said in a hushed voice.

“Is this an issue?”

“N-No, it’s just… Nevermind.”

As if on cue, Leia entered the meeting room, calming your nerves of having to interact with the group. Taking her usual place at the head of the table, you took your love by the hand, walking the two of you closer to the structure, the light of the maps bathing you in a wash of blue. Your eyes moving to Leia, you noticed the serious look on her face.

This must be quite the pressing matter.

“Thank you all for coming.” She said, making sure to look at everyone in the room, “I’m sure you’re wondering why you’re here, and I’ll just cut to the chase. We’ve recently gained intel that the First Order is searching for every sith holocron remaining in the galaxy. They plan to destroy them so that we have no way to find Palpatine…”

You pulled your love down to your height again as Leia continued to speak, whispering to him again.

“Sith holocron?”

“It is a device used to store vital information. My former master never said much of them, however.” he quietly said back.

You tightened your lips into a line as you listened to Leia again.

“Our informant also told us where the First Order is going next.” she said, pausing briefly as a certain unplaceable look flashed over her face.

“The Endor System. The moon where the second Death Star crashed. They’re sending Ben there to get the holocron.”

You felt your muscles tense as you heard those names.

Endor…

The Death Star…

A wave of jitters washed over your skin as memories flashed through your mind, some more pleasant than the others.

Vader squeezed your hand, bringing you back to reality.

“I’m assuming this Ben person is our grandson?” you asked Leia, being the brave one for both you and Vee.

“Yes, he is.” Leia responded.

“You want us to go there,” you heard Poe finish for Leia, “To stop him from getting the holocron, and to get him home.”

“Yes, that’s right.” Leia responded, glancing to you and Vader, “And we have the right people for the job.”

Swallowing before you spoke, your brow furrowed in confusion, “Why us though? I’m sure you could do it too. You are his mom.”

“Believe me,” Leia said in a somewhat exasperated yet sarcastic tone, “I’ve tried. He doesn’t want to listen to me.”

“So if all of us go there,” the man next to Poe said, “We might end the war against Palpatine before it can even start.”

“Exactly.” said Leia.

“I am afraid it is not that simple.” Vader chimed in, his deep voice making everyone look to him.

“Why not?” asked Rey, “Without Kylo Ren, the First Order is in shambles. Palpatine will have no army to command.”

“My former master would not be as careless as to make the same mistake again.” your love retorted, “He trusted in the darkness that surrounded myself, and it ended in failure. He will have an alternate plan in case the original goes astray.”

A silence fell over the group. Vader was right. With that, why should they even bother trying? If Palpatine would just continue to scheme in the background.

Staring off into space for a moment of compilation, you spoke once your idea came to fruition.

It was off the walls crazy.

But perhaps it would work.

“What if…. What if we go to the Endor system for both?”

Cue everyone’s stares to turn to you. The man beside Poe was the one to break the silence.

“What do you mean?”

You licked your lips before speaking again, your gaze darting from person to person.

“Leia said we go to the Endor system to bring back Ben, but what if we bring back Ben and the holocron? The holocron is a map to Palpatine right? Then we use it to find him and destroy him for good. I know it sounds insane, but with all of us and Ben, it might just work.”

Another silence fell over the room. You felt butterflies in your stomach.

You had to say something.

“Look, I--I know it’s crazy, but-”

“I like it.” Poe said with a smile on his face, “It’s crazy, but crazy enough to work. Palpatine won’t stop until we stop him.”

“I like it too.” Rey chimed in, alongside a roar from the wookie and a nod from the man next to Poe.

All that was left was Leia, and all eyes fell to her.

She eyed everyone curiously before talking.

“Don’t look at me, I’m not the one with the plan.” she said.

~~~

The group had decided not too long after to leave in the morning rather than leave that evening.

You were grateful for this. This meant you got the evening alone with your lover to talk and fix up his suit.

It was evenings like that you cherished the most.

As if to recreate a scene from before, the two of you were seated at the table inside of your quarters, facing one another from opposite ends. He had taken off his left glove for you, leaving the palm of his hand up towards the ceiling for you to work on. His metal skeleton of a hand in yours, you prodded it's surface with one of your tools, your goggles secured around your eyes.

“Let me know if this hurts.” you mumbled out, digging in further with the tool in your hand.

All you got in response from him was a low rumble.

Leaning your weight over the table, you watched as close as possible as you fiddled with a few of his wires. Your tongue sticking out in concentration, you found it hard to actually concentrate. Your mind was racing a mile a minute and you could barely focus on your love. A million different thoughts shot through your mind at once.

You didn’t even know if some of them were your own.

You aren’t cut out for this.

You aren’t good enough to actually destroy him.

All you are is a burden.

He would have been better off without you.

You will always be in the shadow of their real mother, his real wi-

The sparks that erupted from the wires and the twitch of his fingers made you nearly jump out of your skin.

“SHIT!” you bellowed out, pushing up your goggles and throwing your tool down on the table as you fanned the sparks away.

“Fuck, Vee, I’m so sorry…” you sighed once the sparks were gone, reaching for your tool again.

“It was not as bad as you make it to be, darling.” he responded.

Not knowing what was taking over you, you let out a scoff, “Whatever.”

Vader tilted his armored head to the side at this. Sure, you would get frustrated sometimes while tinkering with his suit, but never to this degree.

Something was off. He could sense it as clear as day. Something was pestering you…

Or perhaps someone.

No.

It couldn’t be.

No one would dare pester his love in such a way.

“Darling.” Vader said eventually, the face of his mask pointed down at you, “You seem troubled.”

You let a sigh escape your lips, you set your tool down back on the table, slumping back in your chair, “I’m sorry Vee. It’s just… I’m so on edge being here, and now we’re going on a mission? I’ve never been on a mission before…”

“You accompanied me on the trip to that king’s planet.”

You breathed out a small laugh, “I’d hardly call that a mission.”

“It is all the same, dear.”

“Okay, but still,” you continued, “It’s been a long time, alright? The damn force is reaching out to me, and now we’re meeting our grandson for the first time? What if we ruin it? What if he hates us?”

“I highly doubt either of those scenarios will come to fruition.”

You leaned forward again, resting your elbows on the table as your lips tightened into a line.

He was right, you knew he was.

But, still…

“I’m just… I’m trying to be strong for us, Vee, for you, I really am.”

Another sigh escaped your lips, making you close your eyes briefly.

“I’m just getting too worked up. I’m sorry.”

“There is no need to apologize, dear.” he responded to you, pulling his glove back upon his metal hand, “You are doing everything you possibly can, and correctly for that matter. By this time tomorrow, our grandson shall return home, and our family shall be complete…”

He shifted his gaze from his hand to your face as he continued.

“I only wish Luke were here to enjoy it as well.”

Your face adorned a warm yet sympathetic smile as you gazed back at your lover, reaching your hand across the table to rest upon his.

“He is here, Vee.” you said softly, “No one is never really gone.”

Another pause from him as he looked from your hand to your face. The dim, orange lighting of the room had crept across your skin so uniquely, and accented your fame perfectly. Your eyes were shining with nothing but pure warmth and love for the former sith lord in front of you, and your soft lips were curved beautifully upwards. Although your clothes were old, your hair was somewhat of a mess, and your shoulders were in desperate need for a massage, Vader was only able to see a perfect human being before him.

Perhaps love had blinded him.

He refused to accept this.

There was no way the girl sitting across from him wasn’t perfect in every regard.

~~~

It was an early morning for the whole company, but one full of high nerves and jitters.

While loading the Millennium Falcon with the necessary tools and equipment for the journey, you were able to get acquainted with both Poe’s boyfriend, Finn, and Chewie, the wookie from earlier. They were both quite good fellows, and you were able to get along with them quite well.

You wished you could say the same about your love, however.

He was never one for acquaintances.

Even so, your love was never one to back down from a challenge either. So, when Chewie challenged him and Poe to a game of holochess, he didn’t refuse.

The sight of the three of them gathered around the small chess table was quite amusing. An ex-stromtrooper, a rebel wookie, and a former evil sith lord dictator gathered around playing a game of holochess.

You were sure that you had now seen everything.

Finn was in quite the conundrum at that moment. Chewie and Vee were playing the same team, and had Finn right where they wanted him. Serving as referee, you watched and listened in amusement as he tried to convince you that Chewie and Vader were cheating.

“C’mon this is so unfair!” he pleaded with you, “There’s no teams in holochess!”

“Hey, I didn’t make the rules.” you responded, “If you wanna argue them, argue with the wookie.”

This earned a growl from Chewbacca and a sigh from Finn.

“He’s making up the rules so that he’ll win!”

“I advise letting the wookie triumph.” your love chimed in, “They are known to become violent upon failure.”

After a brief moment of the continuation of the game, Rey came out from the cockpit of the Falcon, BB-8 following close behind her.

“We’re landing soon.” she said, “We might have company soon too. Bring your weapons.”

After Rey disappeared back into the cockpit, you reached your hand under the holochess table and turned it off, the holograms of the pieces fading to nothing.

“Let’s continue this later, boys.” you said.

“No way!” Finn responded, standing up from his chair, “I want a rematch!”

This earned a growl from Chewie.

“What do you mean you won? The game wasn’t even finished!”

Chuckling to yourself, you walked your boots over to one of the crates that was holding your and Vader’s stuff, lifting up the lid and setting it on the ground. Reaching in to it’s contents, you pulled out both your love’s old red lightsaber and his new blue one. Securing the red one to your belt, you carried the blue one over to Vader, extending it out to him.

“Here you go, love.” you said, a small smile on your face.

Taking the saber from your grasp, Vee clipped the weapon to his belt, noticing the one on your own.

“I see you have taken over my weapon.” he said, watching you as you took a seat next to him.

“You said I could have it!” you said back, looking up to his mask.

A rumble from him, “Do you know how to use it properly, darling? I do not recall training you in such a matter.”

“I watched you use it for years, Vee.” you smiled, “I think I got at least some idea.”

Another rumble from him, “I suggest you take your blaster as well, dear.”

“I have it with me.” you said, patting it with your hand as it sat in it's holster, “Vee, you’re getting nervous. It’ll be fine! I’ll stay next to you the whole time.”

“You better.”

You breathed out a smile, taking his hand into yours.

“Leaving your side is the last thing I wanna do, Vee.”

~~~

The moon you and the others landed on was far different from your home.

It made you miss it even more.

Although there was green grass beneath your feet, it's hue was mulled and diluted from the sky above. The sky was a dull grey, and a few small raindrops fell from above. The wind there was quite strong, and it made your hair flutter in it's breeze.

After watching everyone exit the millennium falcon, you allowed yourself to turn around and view the scenery of the moon.

The sight before you made your stomach sink and your lips part.

Of course, there was the wreckage of the second Death Star. This you could deal with, this you were expecting.

However, what surrounded the Death Star made a chill run up your arms.

Huge, navy blue waves. Very similar to what you saw in your dream.

You pondered going back on the Falcon, hiding there until the mission was over. You were stopped by a familiar, tall, black figure standing next to you, his blue cape fluttering in time with your hair.

“I sense your unease, darling.” he said, his voice and thee sound of his respirator calming you.

“These waves…” you begun, “They’re exactly like the ones I saw. In that dream I told you about.”

Vader moved his gaze from the horizon down to your face. You made no attempt to look up at him.

“Stay close to me, (F/N).” he said.

“I will.”

A silence fell over the two of you as you stood side by side, overlooking the horizon of the moon. The others contemplated on joining, but decided it be best to give the two of you a moment alone.

The sight of the Death Star must be bringing up old memories for both you and him.

Feeling the dew of the water on your skin, you spoke again, breaking the silence.

“Is it like you remember?” you asked, referring to the wreckage in the distance.

It took him a moment to respond.

“Yes.”

Another silence. You didn’t know what to say.

You were glad that Rey eventually took you out of the moment, saying it was time to get on a boat over there.

~~~

The little boat you and the others had to get to the wreckage was quite dilapidated and old. You were kind of scared to get on it, really.

Practically shoulder to shoulder with the others, you were quite eager to get what you were here for and leave. The water around you was making you quite nervous, and the overall feeling of this moon was… off.

You weren't sure why.

With nothing but the sound of the boat’s engine, waves, and your love’s respirator in the air, you were glad when someone eventually said something.

“So, erm, Vader.” Rey said, addressing your love, “The holocron… would you have any idea of where it might be?”

He paused for a moment in compilation before responding.

“I would assume it would be adjacent to the throne room.” he said, “If this item is as essential as it seems, my former master would make a personal matter of protecting it.”

“And where would the throne room be?” she asked.

“South of the Death Star’s main…”

Vader was quick to trail off, his head tilting to the side. Noticing this, your looked around the other members of the group, seeing that both Rey and Finn had perked up as well.

“What’s going on?” you asked.

“You guys feel that, right?” Finn asked, looking over to Rey and Vader.

“I do…” said Rey.

“What?” you asked again, your tone becoming more pleading, “What is it?”

Your love spoke next, his words making your stomach drop.

“He is here.”

Almost on cue, you heard the roar of ship engines above your head. Looking to the sky alongside the others, you were met with a streak of black moving quickly towards the wreckage on the horizon. The streak resembled a TIE, but was far longer and faster than any TIE you had seen.

Must be the new technology you weren’t around for.

“We need to move.” Rey said, her tone quick, “Fast.”

“This rust bucket is moving as fast as it can.” Poe said from behind the control panel.

“Well it needs to move faster!” Rey bellowed back to him.

“How am I supposed to do that?!”

“I don’t know! I-”

“Maker above- MOVE!” you commanded with a scoff.

Pushing Poe out of the way, you knelt down in front of the control panel of the boat. Ripping off the flimsy metal of it’s base, you were greeted with the sight of the many wires that made up the controls. Reaching your hands in, you fiddled around with them all until you found the two correct ones. After stripping away the plastic covering of them, you pressed the two wires together, making the boat lurch forward with the new-found speed. Standing back up, your legs strained to keep you grounded on the boat as you steered it as best you could.

Over the sound of the engine and the crashing waves, you raised your voice as much as possible as you saw Kylo Ren’s ship land, “Me and Vee will go deal with Ben! The rest of you go get the holocron!”

Skirting the boat to a sharp stop at a low piece of rubble, the group separated into its groups without another word.

Force be with them, you thought.

You hoped the force would do the same for you and Vader.

~~~

The waves of the moon had seemed to grow larger and larger as you helped your love climb up the rubble of the Death Star, climbing as steadily yet quickly as possible.

When the two of you reached the top, you were grateful to see that Kylo Ren had not left his ship yet. You were glad that you and Vee didn’t have to go chasing after him.

Was this because he sensed the two of your coming?

You didn’t know. You couldn’t possibly know.

Standing beside Vader, the two of you stared at Kylo’s ship without a word, your hair and his cape swaying in sync.

The butterflies in your stomach were seemingly creating a tornado inside of you.

Your hands were clammy, your brow lacing with sweat.

Your grandson was over there.

You hoped you and Vader’s presence would convince him to come home.

After what seemed like forever, the door to Kylo’s ship hissed open, making your spine stiffen and your shoulders tense. Sensing your nerves, Vee reached down to your hand, taking it in his own. Feeling this, you looked up to his mask, squeezing his hand.

All Vader gave you was a nod as you shared a gaze.

You have him one back.

Everything you needed to say, compressed into one motion.

Returning your gaze to the ship, you watched with Vee as you saw a large, black figure step out of the cockpit. The figure eventually made it’s way down to the ground, it’s bootsteps heavy as it drew closer to you and your love, stopping about a few hundred feet away. With the figure now closer, you were able to see more detailed features upon it's person.

He wore black robes, and his long, scraggly hair matched it’s hue. He was quite large, with a stocky build and a tall frame. In that regard, he took after his grandfather. He had good cheekbones, and his eyes, lips, and nose accented them well. His eyes were dark, glazed over with exhaustion. In his hand, he held a piece of metal in the shape of an upside down T. A lightsaber, you took it.

There he was.

Your grandson.

You were speechless, both you and Vader.

You were glad that Ben was the first to say anything.

“It was foretold you would be here.” He said. His voice was deep, but only added to how tired he seemed.

It broke your heart.

“Ben…” your love said, the waves below crashing harder and harder against the rubble.

The usage of his real name seemed to anger him. You noticed how he gripped his saber tighter.

“Don’t call me that.” He said, his tone sharp, “Ben Solo is dead. I destroyed him.”

Your brow bent in sympathy for Ben…

He took after his grandfather far too much.

“That’s not true!” you said, raising your voice over the sound of the waves, “You’re still Ben. You’re still your mother’s son… Our grandson.”

“And who are you to talk?” Ben snapped back, “You and I share no blood between us.”

You felt your lips part in shock as your heart broke all over again.

Your grandson…

Hated you.

Your worst fears were coming true.

“Do not speak to your grandmother in such a way, Ben.” your love commanded, defending your honor as best he could.

Ben turned his attention to Vader, “Grandfather, please… join me. Together, we can rule the galaxy. You can have everything you wanted. I will be your apprentice… I promise I will make you proud.”

Your love bowed his armored head slightly, shaking from side to side briefly, “No, son. I never wished to wield such power. I was only convinced I did by my former master. If it were not for your grandmother, I would have continued to believe such a lie. It seems as if you are falling for the same trickery.”

“No, no!” Ben bellowed, his stance changing to a far more defiant one, “I am not being tricked! Palpatine, Snoke, they-”

“Ben.” you said firmly, cutting him off, “Trust your grandfather… We wouldn’t lie to you. Your mother, she misses you so much. We all do…”

You swallowed the lump in your throat before continuing.

“Please, just come home. We… We want a chance to meet you.”

You watched as Ben’s stance changed to a more neutral one, his eyes wide as he gazed at you and Vee. The waves continuing to crash below, Ben paused for a moment, searching for the correct words.

“I… How could I trust you? How can I trust that you aren’t trying to trick me too?” he said.

“Ben…” you said, your eyes threatening to spill over with tears, “We love you. Both of us do, including your mom… Please, just come home.”

Seeing the look in Ben’s eye coupled with your newfound courage, you stepped closer to him.

“We already have a room waiting for you.” you said.

Ben’s eyes moving to meet your gaze, a small smile assumed itself on your face.

Vader watched on carefully.

This was…

“I-I want…” Ben said eventually, his voice noticeably quieter, “I want to go home… I really do. I just… I don’t know if I can.”

Your smile broadening slightly, you lifted your hand out to Ben, your palm eager to meet his.

“There’s nothing…” you said, “We can’t do, together.”

Ben looked down at your hand.

Vader continued to watch.

This was…

Ben lifted up his own hand.

Expecting him to come to you, you were surprised as you were pulled towards him by an invisible force.

Confused, you looked to Ben.

The look in his eyes…

No.

Everything happened so fast, Vader was unable to do anything to stop it.

“B-Ben, what are you-” you began to say.

Now right next to your grandson, you were soon cut off by the sound of a saber igniting.

Your eyes wide, you slowly looked down.

A crimson blade…

His blade…

Right through your stomach.

Was this another dream?

It didn’t hurt.

You felt nothing.

You weren’t sure why.

Everything around you faded into nothing. Every sound faded into a high-pitched hum as blood started to drip from your mouth, falling down and staining the hilt of Kylo Ren’s saber.

Was that your love’s voice you heard? Calling out your name? Screaming for you?

You weren’t sure.

He sounded so far away…

Wasn’t he just beside you?

Where were you again?

Everything was so terribly confusing...

You looked from the crimson blade up to your grandson.

The look in his eyes...

Conflict? Regret?

You couldn’t tell.

You weren’t certain.

Nothing made sense.

Ben...

Why?

His voice cut through the white noise, hushed.

“You will never be my grandmother. You will never replace Padme Amidala.”

That was the last thing you heard as he let you go.

That was the last thing you heard at all.

Your body was weak.

You couldn’t hold yourself up for long.

You barely had enough time to see the pool of blood engulfing your middle.

Your legs were so weak...

The gray sky was the last thing you saw before falling off the rubble, the waves below swallowing you whole.

Everything faded to black as you drifted further and further down into the abyss.

~~~

TAGS: @spaghetti-666 , @soullesstaco , @arsonistvoyager , @robin-obsessed , @glitter-rian , @captainrexstan , @easterncryptid , @deviatedwinter , @roseangel013bf , @danicalifxrnia , @dartheldur , @finest-trashbag , @yeah-boiiiiiiiiiii , @elongatedmusk-rat , @shads121 , @muffinbeliever , @sakuramadae , @padme-parker , @khapikat222 , @the-official-memester , @rens-angel , @obiwankenobiness , @yvette1703 , @missmannequin , @breakfastpizzagalaxy , @scarletsinsandsnowwithetragedies , @clearnostolgia , @ahs0ka-skywalker , @teddyteddy

#darth vader #darth vader x reader #anakin x you #anakin skywalker #anakin x reader #fanfiction #star wars fanfiction #fanfic #star wars fanfic #star wars #star wars x you #star wars x reader

157 notes · View notes

hobidreams · 5 years

Text

Bloom | KNJ {M}

Family is who you kill for. Who you die for. In this society, you and your kin are shadows, clinging to the darkness to obey orders absolute. But when such orders command you to abandon what little honor remains for wealth and notoriety, you find yourself lost in lonely uncertainty about the only vocation you’ve ever known. That is, until you meet a man with gentle hands, a poet’s heart, and a love for coaxing the world into bloom.

pairing: assassin!reader x florist!namjoon genre: smut, angst, action, sprinkles of fluff words: 20.7k contains: descriptions of violence & blood, weapons, minor character death, fingering, dirty talk, oral (f), protected piv, multiple smut scenes, namjoon talks to his plants a/n: this piece challenged every ounce of my creativity (in the best of ways) & i’m so ecstatic to share it with you all! i tried my best with the floral research, please forgive me for any inaccuracies.

Night is coming.

With steady hands, you draw taupe curtains on windows that reflect the light of a dying sun, melting into the horizon to pave the way for the illustrious moon. The space now cast in darkness, you follow the trail of shadows to the full-length mirror that lines a wall in the entryway of this hotel room.

“Lights on, 60%.”

You tilt your head to a side, scrutinizing the dress that hangs loosely from your figure, done in a muted, subtle navy. With no loose threads to be found, you focus on your hair, on the carefully pinned bun and the solitary tendrils that weave their way down the side of your face. Just below, two earrings, diamond studs, add just a hint of distracting sparkle. But the most important accessory of your night will be the ring on your right hand’s middle finger, and the thin, imperceptible needle hidden inside, filled with exactly one dose of lethality.

From the designer purse that sits at your side, you extract your mini-communicator. A few taps has the hologram pixilating to life, bursting from the screen as you confirm the details of your mission. Tonight, you intend on making the acquaintance of one Park Siyeon. Multi-millionaire. Entrepreneur. Target.

Why Siyeon? That’s the one thing this file doesn’t mention. Nor did your brother Yoongi, when he issued your orders, though that’s been the trend for the last while. Tonight is the culmination of months of extensive planning, and Yoongi made it clear that this mission was not one you could afford to fuck up. Especially not after the last... incident.

Inhale.

Exhale.

It’s been a while since you were in action, but you’ve pored over the documents. You know Siyeon’s face, her habits. And this is not your first kill.

You drop the mini-com back into its home with your handkerchief and lipstick. The watch on your left wrist reads 7:31pm. The charity event downstairs started thirty minutes ago, and now you will be perfectly, fashionably late. Thoroughness (or perhaps paranoia) dictates you take one last look in the mirror. Then you slip into your nude heels before reaching for the door handle.

“Lights, off.”

By the time the steel elevator doors slide open to deposit you on the luxury hotel’s ground floor, the mingling is in full swing. Confidence radiates from your every step as you stalk to one of the men standing guard before the entrance. “Good evening, ma’am.” You offer a stolen invitation in response to his outstretched hand. “Thank you. Please enjoy your night.”

“Thank you.” You step inside, blending in effortlessly as you lift a flute of fizzy champagne from a nearby waiter’s tray. You have less than an hour before the main event begins to make contact, to make use of the hidden syringe that will render Siyeon incapacitated exactly twenty minutes after injection. It will look like a heart attack, a sudden tragedy brought on by unfortunate circumstance (stress being the usual suspect). By then, you will be safely miles away, retreating into the shroud of your underground headquarters.

You return smiles and head nods to those who toss them your way, probably assuming you are another one of the countless business associates in this flood. Weaving your way through the crowd, you sip at the bubbly drink.

“I haven’t seen you at one of these events before. What’s your name?” A deep voice interrupts your search. You turn to find a pudgy man grinning at you. Well, more like leering. You rattle off a fake name. “That’s pretty. Which company are you with?”

You feed him another false tidbit. He starts rattling on about how his company knows yours, how he’s senior executive whatever, and would you like to get a “business” lunch sometime? You’re not actually listening, too busy landing eyes on the lady of the night. Siyeon stands near the front of the room, draped in exquisite Chanel and a glittering shawl. Though her back is turned towards you, you catch enough of her face when she turns to greet someone who approaches her. Perfect.

“Of course, I’ll have my office call yours.” All the creep gets is one perfunctory nod before you step away, ignoring his protests that you didn’t even give him a card.

It is just your luck that there are a few tables set up near where Siyeon stands. You pick the one slightly to her right, in earshot of her conversation with an elderly woman. You need the perfect opportunity to cause a quiet commotion, just enough to distract her from the slight pinch of inevitability.

“Oh, please, you flatter me! I didn’t start my company alone. I have a lot of people to thank for all of this, truly.”

Hearing Siyeon’s voice in person is somewhat jarring, as you’ve only listened to it in surveillance footage. But if it bothers you, it never shows on your perfectly-crafted face.

“Always so humble, Siyeon. That’s why we all like you so much. By the way, I hear congratulations are in order! How far along are you now, Siyeon?”

“Thank you, thank you. I’m about eighteen weeks in now!”

Your breath catches. No... Purposefully, you shift. You swivel just enough to catch a better glimpse of Siyeon’s body. Your stomach drops.

Looks like the file left something else out.

Siyeon has loosened her shawl. The midnight of her dress bulges over her stomach. It’s not too obvious yet; you perhaps wouldn’t have noticed at first glance. But now, you can’t ignore the growing swell, no matter how much you want to. Siyeon cups the underside of her belly with dreams in her eyes.

Damn it. You’re no expert, but eighteen weeks doesn’t sound like very much. In fact, it doesn’t sound like much at all. Medical advancements in the past century have been vast, but a tiny infant of eighteen weeks might just be impossible to save on its own.

...But that’s not your problem, is it? You were given orders. Orders that have to be carried out, or else.

You spot someone walking purposefully towards the pair from the other side, probably to pull her speaking companion away. This transition would provide the perfect chance for you to make your move. You will only have a few seconds, not enough time or space for hesitation.

This is what you’re supposed to do. This is what you’ve always done. You finger the ring on your hand as you shift in your shoes, moving just an inch closer. You find the activation switch, though you don’t press it yet.

“Siyeon, are you feeling alright, my love?”

You fight the urge to spin towards the voice as your thoughts are interrupted. You recognize the tone, one smooth and self-assured. It comes from beside you. The owner, suit-clad, slim, brushes your arm as he passes by. Kim Seokjin. Siyeon’s husband of a few years, another company head and one of the most handsome men you’ve ever seen.

Through your peripheral vision, you watch Seokjin slide an arm around Siyeon’s waist to pull her in close. He presses a kiss to her cheek, turning her towards him as his other hand comes down, slides over her belly. “You’re not tired? Do you want to sit down?”

“No, no, I’m just fine, honey.” Siyeon beams at him.

“Ah, Seokjin! Siyeon was just telling me about the baby.”

Seokjin’s smile blossoms into utter bliss. “Our favorite topic! We just renovated the baby’s future bedroom, actually.”

“Jinnie here is going to build the cradle himself when we get to England. Can you believe it?” A burst of laughter, like chimes.

“Anything for my baby girl.”

You want to curse but hold your tongue. You press your eyes closed, squeeze in irritation at yourself, at Siyeon, at chance. You could still do it. Erase the light from her eyes and his. It would be simple. Too easy, in fact. But your thumb falls away from the ring like dead weight. It would take a strength far greater than what you possess to find the switch again, no matter what logic dictates.

The unknown guest reaches the trio to pull the older woman away as you predicted. But you stand rooted to the spot as you let them go, watch the opportunity slip away like sand through half-heartedly cupped fingers. Seokjin and Siyeon are still trapped in their bubble of pure joy, gushing about baby clothes or names or something you can’t stand to listen to any longer. You turn away.

Excuses whirl through your head, knowing there’s going to be hell to pay but there’s probably worse if you carry out the orders. You’ve found another damn line you can’t bring yourself to cross. Another line that reminds you that you’re weak, no matter how you try to hide it. Your footsteps feel too loud on the marbled floor despite the music and the chatter as you surge through the bodies in seek of the exit.

Then your instincts kick in.

The raise of a hand to an ear, from one of the suits standing against the wall: the telltale sign of a hidden ear-com. You whip your head around, spot another woman in a short dress speaking into a com that looks far too official for your liking. You don’t even make it ten more steps before you spot a man with a bulge in his jacket that can only belong to a holstered weapon. They would be invisible, well-camouflaged to the layman’s eye. But you’re a professional.

To make it to the exit, you have to pass the man near the wall. But now he’s on the move, seemingly headed to the same direction you are. Have you been made?

You reach for your communicator. Now you’re less than fifty steps away from the exit. He’s less than thirty from you. There would have to be something from HQ if they caught even a whiff of danger, especially from the NIS. The National Intelligence Service has always been a pain in your ass, trying their best to ruin what you and your family have built. But the mini-com you pull out is devoid of any new info. You fail to notice your handkerchief coming out with it, falling onto the floor as you shove the com back into your purse.

Close. Freedom is so close. You speed up.

“Ma’am?”

A man’s voice comes from behind, but there’s no way you’re going to stop for him. If you turned, you might have noticed him pick up the bit of cloth. Instead, you rush past the guards, keeping a pace that just looks like you have to run to the washroom for some emergency. But instead of going deeper into the hotel, you head for the automatic double doors that part quickly for you.

“Ma’am, you dropped something!” But the words aren’t loud enough to surpass the music to make it to your ears.

Onto the street, you’re hit with the last rays of sunlight. You blink, mind working overtime. You can’t outrun them; hiding is your only option.

You decide right instead of left. Two doors down from the hotel, you find a store overflowing with flowers in the storefront. You ignore the almost-sickly saccharine perfume as you yank open the entrance and throw yourself inside.

A glance at the counter tells you that any employees here are thankfully absent. Hidden behind several, giant potted plants, you watch as your pursuer runs out past the glass window. He looks around, turns a few times, but can’t find who he’s looking for. Afraid he’ll look into the shop, you turn as well, focusing on the table behind you. Which just so happens to be laden with flowers, delicate and exploding with color.

It occurs to you that you’ve never been in a flower shop before. While the scent of the blossoms was overwhelming at first, your nose is steadily becoming accustomed to the sweetness that is nature coming to life. There’s no harm in taking a few more minutes here, you think as you take steps towards the table. You have to wait out the man outside anyway. And curiosity has always been one of your vices.

The flower that catches your eye is circular in shape; its oval, almost-spikey petals are dyed in a soft pink. It sits elegantly in its pot, a single floret amidst a bed of green. You reach out for it with a palm, not wanting to crush or ruin anything as you cradle it in your warmth. You don’t notice the soft smile waning your lips as you memorize its curves. You haven’t the slightest idea what kind of flower it is, but you can’t remember the last time you saw something this beautiful.

“I see you’re fond of the dahlia.”

“Oh!” Caught off guard by the sudden voice, your hand jerks up. The pot shakes violently from the sudden movement. It spins, wobbling over and—

“Whoa!” All you see is a flash of dark hair and flying clothes as the speaker hurtles towards you. He catches the pot just as its about to tip over. Then he sets it back onto the counter. “Phew... That was close.” He’s squatting, tall enough to still comfortably reach the pot as he gives the dahlia a light pat.

“Sorry! I’m sorry.” You hide both hands behind your back, not wanting to accidentally ruin anything else.

In response, he offers you a dimpled smile that does the opposite of setting your heart at ease. “No worries. I’m sorry I scared you. Are you alright?” He stands up, faces you.

“Yes, I’m fine. But is the flower okay? The, uh, dahlia?” You’re trying your best not to stare, but that’s a difficult task when he goes to brush his bangs back, taut arm muscles shifting along with it. His outfit is simple, a white tee and black jeans, with a stained black apron thrown overtop, but there’s something oddly attractive about it.

“She’s fine too.” There’s a fondness when he stares at the bloom, a tenderness that makes you feel more like the intruder you are in this precious space. “She’s been giving me trouble during growth so I’m a bit overprotective. Haven’t you, girl?” He chuckles lightly at himself, covering his lips with his palm as if he’s embarrassed.

“That’s cute,” you blurt out before you can help yourself.

“Is it?” That makes him smile again, and you swear your cheeks flush. He makes sure the dahlia is secure before he looks back at you. You follow his eyes as they rake across your outfit, taking in the formal dress and diamonds. “It can’t be comfortable walking around in that all day. Me, I prefer jeans over heels.” He laughs, and you can’t help joining him.

“No, no, I was at an event.”

“Oh, at the hotel?” You raise your eyebrows, not expecting him to know of it. “A few people came in to buy bouquets and wreaths for it earlier.”

“Ah, right. I remember seeing them. They’re beautiful. You did a fantastic job.”

“Thanks.” You’re beginning to realize it makes him shy to receive compliments, from the way he breaks your gaze to stare distractedly at the dahlia with lightly pinking cheeks. “So, why aren’t you there now?”

“I can’t stand those kinds of events.” It’s not technically a lie. “They’re always boring.”

“Why do you go then?”

“...Family obligation.” You cut this line of questioning short by focusing on another flower, this one multiple spheres of small purple blossoms. “What’s this one?”

“Oh, that one? It’s a hydrangea. If you look here...” He continues to talk as he closes the distance. A scent like fresh linen and soap cuts through the floral perfume, a summer’s day at its most stereotypical but you find yourself drawing closer for more. There’s something so soothing about his voice and the love weaved into every syllable as he gushes about the flower. Yet, you don’t even know his name. And it should stay that way for your safety, and for his.

When he takes an elongated pause for breath, you realize enough time has probably passed. You don’t see the NIS agent outside any longer, and the best course of action is to make your way back home as swiftly as possible.

Yet you find yourself asking, “why do you love flowers so much?”

He looks taken aback, like he wasn’t expecting the question. Then excitement glows in his warm eyes. “Stop me if I’m rambling too much, okay?” He smiles as if he already knows you have no such inclination. “At first, I was interested because there’s something so satisfying about watching a plant grow. About raising it from a tiny seedling or rescuing it from dying.” He reaches for a nearby pair of scissors to lightly trim off some greenery. “But the more I learn about nature and flowers, the more fascinated I am with how much they really understand and silently absorb from us.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, for example, if you talk to a plant every day, it’ll grow much better than a plant left in silence.”

You look absolutely bewildered. “Really? That can’t be true. There’s no way they understand us.”

“It is!” He’s becoming more and more elated as he talks, his entire face brightening at your inquiry. “Research has proven it. And I know the latest tech in 2105 is that self-watering, self-growing planter but I think that’s all bull. Those flowers will never grow as beautifully as these ones. Plants are just like pets, or people. They need care, affection, and interaction too.”

“Hm. I’ve never thought about it that way.” You’ve never thought about flowers at all before today, actually. But his smile and clear enthusiasm is infectious, making one of your own bloom on your lips. “I think you might just be right.”

Before either of you can say anything else, your phone buzzes. A succession of three pulses, like the quick-quick-slow of a dangerous tango. “Sorry,” you mumble, grin faltering as you pull out your com. Come back. Now. Three short words spell your doom. You let it fall into your purse, keeping neutrality on your face even though there’s disappointment in your heart. “Um, I should get going. It’s getting late.”

“Right.” Is it your imagination or does he look just as upset to let you go? “Wait, just a second. Let me give you something. A gift for letting me talk all over you.”

“Uhh, no, that’s alright. I was happy to listen.”

“Please. I insist.” He disappears for a few moments behind the shrubbery to the back room.

You stare at the door, feeling your communicator and the words on its screen spurring you to leave right now. You just walk out the door, and this florist will never find you again. That’s the logical thing to do. ‘Never get attached’ is practically lesson number one. Right up there with ‘don’t accept anything from strangers.’ But you’ve already broken one rule today. What’s another?

“Here.” The man returns with a small cardboard box, the top flaps yet to be closed. You tilt your head, look inside to find a tiny plant with rounded petals, almost like a lotus, but swathed in dirt instead of water.

“What is this?” You take the box though, mimicking how he held it – like something precious.

“A succulent.”

“I really can’t—”

“Just take it. It reminds me of you and... I get the feeling you need it.” There’s that smile again, the one that makes your heart weak, its doors pliable. “Take good care of it. I know it’ll be safe with you.”

“Ahh, fine.” You fold up the box, feeling like you’re standing on the cusp of something wholly new and rather terrifying. You’ve never been responsible for another living thing before, even if this is just a plant. “Thank you.”

“Joon. I’m Joon. And you?”

You purse your lips. “...Dahlia.”

That makes Joon laugh, and you half-expect him to question you over the obvious pseudonym but he doesn’t. He just nods his head. “I hope I see you again, Dahlia.”

You’re not afraid to return his grin before you push out into the fresh air, knowing too well that this meeting will be your first and last.

“Where have you been?” The second you plunge into the darkness that is the underground headquarters, your arm is grabbed. The voice belongs to Taehyung, one of the members of the family. “Yoongi hyung is really angry.”

“Shit.” You hurry through the dimly-lit hallway, familiarity trumping illumination as you head towards the meeting room. “I didn’t know it was so late.”

Another body comes up to join you on the other side, this one belonging to one of your younger siblings, Jun. “Hey, what’s that?” He indicates at the box in your hands. “Food?” He grins with cheeky hope.

“No. Uh, can you put it in my room?” You pass it over to Taehyung, careful not to jostle it too much lest the small pot overturn. “It’s fragile, okay?”

“Mhm.” Taehyung nods, taking it from you.

Jun’s eyes soften with pity. “Good luck.”

You know you’re going to need every ounce of that luck as you continue on alone. Rounding the corner, you’re a few feet away from the dark door of Yoongi’s office. You gulp, desperate for any sort of excuse to delay your entrance, but you know that reckoning is inevitable.

You knock. Twice. Short raps before you let your hand fall.

When the door opens, it’s Hoseok that greets you instead of your brother. His face is somber, betraying no thoughts as he backs up to grant you entry. Yoongi utters your name like a curse as he pushes up abruptly from his chair. It rolls backwards, colliding with the wall to rattle before joining the tense silence that follows as you walk inside. “Where have you been?”

“Out for the mission.” You gesture at your dress.

“Oh, right, right. The mission.” Yoongi’s fist lands on the desk with a crash. His old-fashioned fountain pen jumps an inch to the right and you’re seconds away from doing the same. “The one you fucking failed.”

You stay silent, because that look in his electric eyes says he’s not done yet.

“Park Siyeon is on a private jet as we speak. She’s not coming back. Not for years. Tonight was the only chance we had and you let it go.” You want to shy away from the anger in his expression but he rounds the desk to trap you in his glare. “Why didn’t you kill her?” The question sits in the stale air; you can taste its bitterness on your tongue. “Why didn’t you complete one of the simplest jobs we’ve ever had?”

“She...”

“She, what?” Yoongi leans in. You can see Hoseok in your peripheral vision, but he's not about to intervene. “Speak up.”

“The files. The case files...” You squeeze your fingers until they ache. “They didn't say she was pregnant.” Right now, the truth is the only thing you have. You cling to it like a lifeline. But it’s going to be the thing that drowns you.

Yoongi stops, as if frozen on a screen. You actually see mirth seep into his eyes, false as it is. “Pregnant? She’s pregnant?” His bark of laughter rings out like a bullet. It makes you jolt back, instinctively needing distance before-- "Who the fuck CARES if she’s pregnant? You had one task. One fucking task and you just cost us three hundred. Million. Won."

"B-But it's just money, Yoongi." Your hands twist together as you cast a look at Hoseok only to gain a frown of sympathy. "We can get it back with the next job, I promise! There'll be other contracts."

"Bullshit. Your promises mean nothing to me right now. We need the cash!" Yoongi scatters the stack of silver credits on his table with an angry swipe. "We need as much of it as we can goddamn get."

"Do we? Do we really?" You try to stand your ground, despite trembling legs. "We're all doing decently. Well, even! Isn't that enough, Yoongi?"

"No!" His voice surges. It’s an explosion in the taut space. "It's not enough! When will you understand it will never be enough if we want to be on top? Those damn Foxes have already been stealing clients and contracts from us, getting more powerful by the minute!"

"But when did it start being about who’s on top?” Frustration leaks through your every word as your pinned hair comes more undone by the second. “You never even told me why we have to kill Park Siyeon anyway! Is it really that important? What if she did nothing wrong? We have to punish her baby too?”

Yoongi makes a face so vicious that you know if you were anyone else, you’d already be violently punished. “We are not the police. We are not the fucking NIS. We’re assassins. It’s not our job to question why.” His voice has quieted but lost none of its intensity. You’d prefer the yelling. It’s this coolness that truly frightens you. “We just carry out the hit. And then we get paid.”

“But I—”

“I don’t have the time to argue with you anymore. Bottom line is, you fucked up the job. Again.” Yoongi pauses, inhales deeply. When he speaks next, he does so deliberately, enunciating every word. “If you fuck up one more time, you’re out of the family.”

“Wait, what?” You blink. “Yoongi, I’m your sister. Your blood sister, I—”

“Family is who you kill for. Family is who you die for. If you don’t understand that, then you’re out.”

He turns, forcing the conversation to come to an end even though you’re far from done.

Your voice trembles. “The NIS. They were there tonight too. They looked like they knew that someone, like they knew I, was going for Siyeon. If I had done anything...” You don’t even wait for an answer before you whirl on your heel. “Maybe I should have just let them take me.”

You steel yourself, managing to keep your head high as you stalk out of the room. Your pace quickens as you speed towards your room, heart pounding in your ears. You crave sanctuary, somewhere you can just wilt without witnesses. Somewhere along the way, you started sprinting. You don’t stop until you burst through your door.

Off go the shoes. Then the purse, tossed onto the floor. You unravel the rest of the bun, let your locks fall freely, haphazardly. Your fingers claw at the zipper of the expensive dress, uncaring if some seams are ripped apart in the process. You just need to get out of this. Out of this constricting fabric and out of this makeup and out of all of this.

The dress collapses into a puddle around the shoes. It’s joined by your bra, then the thin knife taped to your thigh. Your heart thrums, pulsing like a livewire that causes jitters to spark beneath your skin and they won’t stop, they won’t calm down because your mind is just as much of a mess as your breath and—

You spot the box when you whirl around to grab an old t-shirt.

A tiny box, inconspicuously perched on top of your cabinet. You pull the shirt on as you walk towards it, prying open the top like a gift even though you already know what’s inside. A succulent. Sitting delicately at the bottom, its teal leaves are gentle, soft.

With great care, you lift it out of its cardboard cradle. You force yourself to inspect it, your trembling hands stilling more with each ounce of care you pour into the action. You remember Joon, with his soft voice and kind eyes.

“Um... Hi?” You mumble at the pot, feeling a bit silly. You pat one of its leaves, and it wobbles a bit to the side. “Hi. Guess you’re mine now.” Of course, there’s no reply. But there’s something oddly cathartic about this whole process nonetheless.

Before you can do anything else, you hear three quick raps at your door.

“Come in.”

You know it’s Hoseok even before his face appears. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

You manage a sort of shaky half-smile, meant to put that worried look on his face at ease. It doesn’t work. “Can I stay for a bit?” He asks, already settling himself on your bed.

“Yeah. Always.” You join him, the bed creaking under your weights.

“Boss was pretty hard on you.”

“He’s right though. I failed the job. I cost us a lot of money. I knew that when I walked away.” You stare at your hands. “But when I saw how happy she was... And the baby... I just couldn’t do it.” Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. “Isn’t that pathetic? That lately, I can’t do something that I’ve been doing all my life?”

Hoseok says nothing. He just wraps his arm around you, lets his warmth and cologne comfort you.

“Hoseok, it... It never used to be about the money.” You have no qualms taking out a corrupt politician or a criminal set free by a failed system. What laws cannot govern, you take into your own hands. But just a few weeks ago, it was a nameless father whose life you ended. And it was that father whose three-year-old you spared, leaving a potential witness. Yoongi had found out about that too. Before the father, it was an inventor, a professor, an heiress. All these people. And you were given no reason for their demise. Only promises of deep pockets and the jingle of ill-gotten credits.

“I know.” Hoseok squeezes you tighter. “But we do as we’re told. Those are the rules. Those have always been the rules of being a Nightingale. You, of all people, know it best.” He frowns. “Besides... We can never escape death in this world. If we don’t kill, someone else will. That’s the way it goes.”

You bite your lip. You don’t think that’s good enough of a reason, but there’s truth behind it. Exhale. “You’re right, Hoseok. This family... You guys are all I have. You’re what’s important. I can’t lose you.” You’re not related by blood except to Yoongi, but they’ve been with you since you were barely two feet tall.

“Then you know what you have to do.” Hoseok’s eyes harden. “This is the legacy we have to uphold. Family is—”

“Who you die for,” you finish. “Yeah.”

“And for what it’s worth... We didn’t know about the NIS. There were no signs that they planned to be there, and no information leaked. Yoongi would never have sent you in if he knew about them.”

“I-I know. But these jobs just keep getting riskier. Our chances of getting caught keep going up and I’m worried that...” You can’t bring yourself to finish the sentence. “Anyway, thank you, Hobi.” You slip easily into the childhood nickname you created when you first met him, when you were five and him a couple years older. When you knew nothing of this dark world, and he already knew too much. “Truly.”

Hoseok holds you for a few seconds more before he lets go. “I still have to scout a location tonight, so I can’t stay any longer. Are you going to be okay? Should I get Tae or Jun to keep you company?”

Instinctively, your eyes flicker to the succulent on the dresser. “I’ll be fine. Thanks for checking in on me.”

Hoseok follows your gaze. “That’s new,” he chuckles. “Never pegged you for a gardener. But alright. Whatever works, as long as you feel better.” He stands, pats your head. “Don’t forget to water it!”

You summon the strength to smile back. “I won’t.”

It is two weeks before you are sent on another contract, though you’re certain it is only because you are the sole member of the family with the right appearance and time for the job. Still, it’s a sign that Yoongi’s irritation with you is lessening with the passage of time.

Tonight, the plan is a seduction, leading to a sudden, fatal ‘heart attack’ in a locked hotel room.

You sip on a glass of wine as you watch the target pull up and park his car outside the bar. He looks like an average man in every sense of the word, a suit in tie corporate drone, and you wonder who would pay to have him gone. The ring on his finger glints in dull gold. His shiny oxfords look well polished, expensive. You finish the last dregs of your drink, setting the long-stemmed glass on the counter as he enters the bar. You compose your mask. Time to make the approach.

Hours later, the job is completed. Your escape is safely secured and executed. Everything has gone to plan. You return to headquarters with a desperate wish for a scalding shower because you feel utterly disgusted. Chiefly by the haste in which the target followed you into the hotel, then with how he made for you with his ring-clad hands without a trace of hesitation. Finally, it was how eager he had looked when you flashed him a bit of skin to distract him from the needle.

You need to wash the feel of him off. But first, you have a report to make.

“Yoongi, the job is done.”

Yoongi looks up from his computer. “Good.” He’s buried back in the work for about a second before he locks eyes with you again. “You okay?” Maybe he’s caught on to how much paler you look.

But what can you say? You just end up nodding, a few curt dips of your head. “Fine.” You close the door firmly shut behind you as you leave.

Back in the safety of your own room, you let the fatigue wash over you. Each contract seems to take more and more out of you, no matter how easy the actual task is. “Do it for the family,” you remind yourself as you strip from your dress. Each job fulfilled just solidifies the Nightingales’ position further, ensures that you will prosper for the years to come. This is bigger than you. This is what you have to do.

After the relief of a hot shower, you change into dark jeans and a hoodie.

As is your new nightly routine, you pad through headquarters in sneakers, making your way upstairs to the ‘house’ parts of the space that act as camouflage towards the rest of the public. You’ve been moving the succulent between these two worlds every day, for you figure it needs sun that your basement room cannot offer. But you can’t seem to sleep without it at night, without the comfort that there’s something growing, thriving in life just a few feet away.

“Time for your watering.” You fill a small cup with water, dousing the succulent until its soil is pooling, collecting the excess liquid before it sinks in. You watch the dirt suckle at sustenance, lips twisting into wistfulness. Joon was right again. Something about sustaining a life tugs so fondly at the pit of your stomach. “I’m sorry,” you end up whispering, an apology that the family of tonight’s target will never hear. You pour another splash of water in.

It is when you pick up the pot that you realize something is off.

The leaves on the side facing away from you are puffy. You capture one petal lightly between your fingers, but its squishy where it once was hard and sturdy. “Lights on, 80%.” You’re stunned when the room floods with light and the succulent’s once teal color has yellowed, becoming almost translucent. “What the...” When you nudge a leaf aside to check on the ones at the bottom, it falls clear off.

Even with your limited plant knowledge, this is one thing you can diagnose too well. It’s dying.

He trusted it to you and now it’s dying.

Strange, overwhelming panic douses you like a bucket of ice water. Instinctively, you grab a tote bag, nestling the plant inside. You swing the straps over your shoulder, one hand placed on the pot to ensure it won’t shake too much as you rush out the door. Your destination: the quaint flower shop you swore you’d never visit again.

It isn’t until you’re standing right outside the flower shop that you realize it’s half past ten, and no reasonable person would still be at work. All the shops around you are closed, neon signs turned off for the night. The streetlights blinking red and green and the cars flying over your head are the only illumination. You should probably just go home.

But you’ve come all this way. And your succulent needs saving.

Stubbornness and panic dictate you peer inside the glass door. The plants that are normally decorating the storefront have already been brought in for the night; they obscure your vision, but you think you can just faintly make out a light in the back.

You knock, biting your lip as you wait. When there’s no answer, you knock again, harder this time. Please. Please be here.

It’s another minute before a familiar face appears through the plants like a woodland spirit. You step back as the door swings open. “Hi, sorry, we’re closed...” Joon’s sweet eyes meet yours; recognition flickers. “Oh. Dahlia?”

You don’t blame him for the question mark. The last time you saw each other, you had a full coat of makeup on. Right now, you’re bare faced and a sweaty mess. “You’re still here!” you breathe in relief.

“You okay? Come in.” You follow him into the maze of flowers. “What’s wrong?”

You wipe away the perspiration coalescing on your forehead with a sleeve. “The plant. The succulent. I messed up somehow, I must have...” You’re almost ashamed to show him the pot, but you unwrap it from the bag. He takes it gingerly to place it on the counter, before crouching down beside it. “I’m really sorry! I’ve been trying to give it sun and water and I’m even talking to it, but it’s just...” Your babble trails off as he inspects the leaves, then touch a finger to the soil. The poor succulent looks even more sickly in this light. “I know you’re closed. I just didn’t know where else to go.”

When Joon looks at you next, he’s smiling so softly it stirs your heart. “Don’t worry about it. I’m usually here working late anyways.” He straightens, dusts off his apron. “And the succulent is just overwatered.”

“Overwatered?” You repeat, incredulous. “Plants can be overwatered?” You were under the impression of the more the better.

Your surprise makes his eyes crinkle with a chuckle. “Yup, they can be. Especially succulents. They’re used to much drier climates. It’s my bad, really. I should have given you better instructions.”

“So... it’s not dead, then?”

“No, just weakened. If you dial back the watering and let it stay in the sunlight, it’ll become nice and healthy again. Don’t worry, it’s a good thing it’s summer! This little guy will recover quickly.”

“Wow... Thank god...” Your tired muscles finally relax as you lean against the counter, relief spreading through your veins. You never could have imagined feeling this way about a plant of all things, but there’s no denying that it’s become a sort of companion to you in the last few weeks. The only thing that listens without demanding, without commanding.

An adorable, low-toned chuckle makes you turn your head to him; Joon is all dimples with a grin so wide it makes you bashful. “Now who’s the one that’s all cute, fretting over a plant?” He doesn’t seem shy now, keeping the eye contact between you so steady you’re afraid he can see right through you.

“I just panicked, okay?” You mumble, playing with an errant lock of hair as you feel a heat on your cheeks. You wish he’d stop staring. “It’s my first time taking care of anything like this. Ugh, I really should have at least looked it up online or something. It was careless of me.”

“Well, don’t beat yourself up about it. Your heart was in the right place.” Joon pats the succulent fondly. “This isn’t easy.”

“No, it sure as hell isn’t.”

He laughs, his easy, pure-hearted mirth addictive. “You can ask me for help anytime. I live in the apartment above the shop, so I’m usually around. But try not to come out so late! It’s not safe. You never know what’s out there in the dark.”

The weight of the hidden blade taped to the back pocket of your jeans reminds you that you know perfectly what secrets the shadows hold. “Right. Thanks.”

Joon turns back to your succulent, snipping away a curled leaf you hadn’t even noticed was there. “Had a long day at work?” He asks.

“Mm, something like that.”

“What do you do, anyway?” It’s a casual question, but it sends you for a spin. Thankfully, he’s too focused on doing something to the soil to notice how you tense. “Definitely nothing to do with gardening, huh?”

You roll your eyes. “No... I’m in the family business.”

“Do you like it?”

It’s clear nobody could love their job as much as Joon does. You know you should lie to him, but somehow that makes you uncomfortable when he’s always been straightforward and honest with you. “It’s alright, I guess. I never really thought about doing anything else.”

“Why not?” Joon cocks his head to a side. “I mean, I know family obligations are strong, but it’s your life. You should live it how you choose.” He grimaces. “Not to be preachy or anything.”

“... It’s complicated. But my family needs me. Even though we may yell at each other or want to bite each others’ heads off, they’re still all I have.” You bite your lip. “And I owe them everything.”

“But what do you want?”

You stare blankly at Joon, mind searching for words that only come up muddled. When is the last time someone asked you that? All the letters, the languages that you speak yet there’s nothing coherent enough to be sent out on your heavy tongue. You’re barely aware your hands have clenched into fists, nails carving crescents into your palm. You don’t even realize you’ve begun to hold your breath.

Then your com buzzes.

[11:01pm] hoseok: where are u?

“Everything okay?” Joon asks as you shake yourself out of your stupor after reading the text on the tiny screen. Reality calling yet again.

“Yeah! Yeah. Sorry. I was just...” You slide the com into your pocket. You give an awkward laugh, not sure who you’re trying to convince more, yourself or him. “Anyway, I should get going. I shouldn’t be keeping you here this late.” You throw a glance towards the door.

“Hah, you had to leave early last time too. Are you Cinderella?”

“Can’t let my jeans turn back into a pumpkin. Is that how it goes?” You smile, turning back for your succulent. You weren’t expecting Joon to be right beside you. He’s standing so close you can feel his warmth, smell the scent that makes you think of home. Not yours, but what you always imagined the magazine depictions would be like in your childhood.

“For what it’s worth, I think you’d look adorable as a jack-o-lantern,” he murmurs. Those sweet midnight eyes could hold a galaxy’s worth of stars within them, but tonight, they reflect only you.

...You could kiss him right now. It would be so simple for you to touch those gentle lips with your own and leave a trace of yourself behind in this oasis forever. But you know better than that.

Taking the succulent from his hand, you force yourself to walk to the door. At it, you bow, grateful for how he’s saved the life of the plant, grateful for how he listened to you ramble, grateful for him. “Goodnight, Joon.”

His eyes sparkle. “See you soon, Dahlia.” You don’t, can’t, respond.

It isn’t until you get home that you discover he slipped a dart of hardened paper into the pot, hiding just beside a petal. When you unfold it, ten numbers in raven ink stare back at you. And at the end, a single word: Anytime.

“Ugn! Hah! Yah!”

Sweat drips in rivulets down your forehead as you slam your glove-wrapped fists into a punching bag. You relish the bite of the friction, the soreness in your muscles as you whip around and kick the side to a satisfying thwap. Evening training has always been your favorite. Especially these days, when your body feels like one of the only things you have control over. Well, your body and the cute succulent you’ve named Moon.

“Hey, boss called a meeting!” Hoseok’s voice blares out just as you land another hook on the abused sandbag. He pokes his head into the training room, his expression carefully neutral.

You lower your fighting stance. “Okay. I’ll be right there.” You peel the moist gloves off your hands. Why a meeting? Weird.

When you walk out of the room and into the common area, the familiar faces of your family are already gathered. All fifteen of them look nervous as they mumble amongst themselves, probably trying to guess what this is about. You fill the open space between Hoseok and Taehyung. Yoongi stands at the head of the room, inspecting documents.

“Where’s Jun?” You quietly ask Taehyung.

“Mission.”

“Okay.” Yoongi straightens, drops the papers on the table before him. “Listen up, Nightingales. I’m sure you’ve noticed that we’ve been losing contracts. To the Foxes.” He spits the name out like poison. “Those assholes have been taking what’s rightfully ours. The money that should be in our pockets. I found out today that we were passed over for the assassination of that visiting VP of GCF Industries.”

“Shit.”

“Shit is right.” Yoongi paces a few feet before he whips his cold eyes to behold his brothers and sisters. “We have to do better. We have to be faster. But we still have to be careful. As if the Foxes aren’t enough of a pain in my ass, the NIS have been poking their noses where it doesn’t belong again.” Yoongi rests a strained hand on the table. “If any of you are caught by them...” His gaze finds yours.

Slam!

The sound of a door being violently thrown open makes all your heads snap up.

Within seconds, Taehyung’s off, his lazer pistol in hand. You’re right behind him, extracting your switchblade. Nobody would be stupid enough to attempt an infiltration of your headquarters. But lately nothing surprises you.

This long hallway seems to go on forever.

You can’t see what’s right in front of you. Taehyung’s form blocks the bulk of your vision, but you trust him to be your eyes. You focus on silencing your steps.

“Jun!”

When you pool into the foyer, Taehyung bolts forward like a bullet. “Jun! Shit!”

You see the puddle of blood first. Then you see Jun at the foot of the stairs, clutching at his leg. His top is stained dark crimson, his breathing too haggard. That sweet face is contorted in pain, as if living itself hurts him more than anything else.

Rushing to the wall, you smash the hidden switch for the secret cache. You’re not going for the weapons, but instead the first aid kit. You drag the whole bag to Jun’s side. Immediately, you inspect the wound. A deep slash scars his thigh. Your thoughts sharpen into hyperfocus: you have to stop the bleeding.

“What the hell happened?” Yoongi bursts into the room, eyes blazing. “Jun?!”

Jun automatically tries to push himself up a little further. He’s so earnest, always trying to impress Yoongi, even at a time like this. It almost makes you smile. “Foxes... Park J-Jimin...” Jun takes huge shuddering inhales. You try to shush him, to tell him to conserve his strength, but he shakes his head. “Client must’ve given them the same contract. I got in his way so...” He waves a hand over his wound. “Fuck, that really... hurts...”

“No shit, you got stabbed!” You spit out as you clean the wound. Your hands are trembling because the energy is draining from Jun’s usually bright eyes.

“Let me do it,” Hoseok says, taking over. You acquiesce.

“Fuck!” Yoongi slams his fist into a wall. When his hand comes away, his knuckles are scraped and bloody. He hardens his jaw, clamping down so aggressively on his lip you’re afraid you’ll have to treat him next. “Fuck...!” For a moment, just a flicker of a second, you think you see the brother you once knew. Fearful, uncertain, worried.

But Min Yoongi, head of the Nightingales, is back just as soon as he was gone. “You. And you.” He points at Taehyung, then, surprisingly, at you. “Tomorrow... Tomorrow, you two have a hit to do.”

“On who?” You’re bewildered that he’s still thinking about contracts at a time like this. “Can’t we talk about this later?”

“On that Park Jimin’s girlfriend. The one he thinks he’s kept hidden from all of us.”

“W-What?” You stutter in surprise, almost biting your tongue. “Why her?”

“You have to teach him a lesson. You have to teach him not to fuck with us. There are consequences for taking our hits. And hurting our men.”

If Jimin’s hiding his girlfriend, she has to be a civilian. An innocent. One who just happened to fall in love with the wrong man. “No, Yoongi, I’m not going to take his girlfriend out! There are other ways to send a message.”

“No, there aren’t. So just listen for once and do as I say.”

No, no, you’re not getting this go without a fight. Even if you have to resort to a low blow, a gutter punch. “Mom and dad would have never—”

“Mom and dad are gone!” Yoongi actually draws blood when his teeth sink into his lip this time. “They left the family to me. And I’ll be damned if I let it die in my hands!”

You fling yourself to your feet. “You’ve gone too far, Yoongi! Min Yoongi!”

“Just take a look at Jun and tell me if it’s too far.”

You don’t have to look. You don’t think you’ll ever forget Jun’s face, losing color by the second.

“Or what? Are you going to wait until they kill one of us next?”

Yoongi turns his back on the silence he’s created. You watch him stalk out, shoulders slightly hunched, cradling his bruised fist. It’s a sight you’ve become familiar with after all these years. But for the first time, it’s like staring at an utter stranger.

“I’m sorry you had to come.” Taehyung’s voice is doused in pity. “I could have done this alone.”

“No, you need backup just in case. And besides... Yoongi gave me the order.” In the darkness of your hiding spot, you offer Taehyung a tight smile. “I’m doing this for Jun.”

“I know.” Taehyung turns his attention back to the tiny, obscure café across the street, where Park Jimin’s girlfriend has the closing shift every Tuesday night. You had to travel quite a bit outside the city to get out here. He really tried to hide her well, though he should have known it could come to this one day.

The plan is straightforward. You are to approach when she is alone, and you are to activate the fast-acting poison that has none of the subtleties of the heart-attack mimic. No, this poison is one specially developed by the Nightingales. The traces of it left behind will let Jimin and the rest of the Foxes know exactly who carried out the hit. And they’ll ensure the police don’t catch a whiff of this, lest it be traced back to them.

You watch the girlfriend wave goodbye to her coworker with a sunny smile. “We’ll wait one more minute, then we’ll go,” you say. She’s already begun pulling the blinds down for the night.

“Okay.”

There are two exits to the café, which bodes well for escape. You and Taehyung, arm in arm, looking like a picturesque couple, take the one to the right when you enter. You pretend to be taking in the quaint décor, but you’re actually scoping out any potential hazards, any signs that the Foxes have put protective methods in place. You don’t see anything. Did Jimin hide her from his family too?

“Hello! Welcome!” She greets you both, grinning widely. “Sorry, we’re closing in a few minutes, but I can still help you until then.”

You force yourself not to look at the nametag pinned to her apron, because you don’t want to know. You don’t want to remember. Instead, you squeeze Taehyung’s arm twice before letting go. All clear. You hope he also gets the message to do this quickly.

“Thanks. Could you tell me about this cake here...this one in the display?” Taehyung chooses a dessert that’s not so easily seen from behind, forcing her to come around the other side. While she’s distracted, you flip the open sign to closed.

“Of course!” She leans down, bending to see what cake Taehyung’s referencing.

She never sees it coming, but you do. The quick flash of a silver needle.

“Ow!” A gasp. A squeal. Her doe eyes widen as she jerks back and stumbles.

You swallow guilt with a dry throat. “Let’s go,” you harshly whisper, grabbing Taehyung’s hand. You don’t want to stay here any longer than you have to. He nods.

You’re about to take the second exit when the door chime jingles again. Shit. A customer?

“Honey? Surprise!”

A voice that’s full of love rings out just as the woman crumples to her knees.

“What... What the hell?!”

The person that enters, you’ve only seen once before. Park Jimin. But you might as well be seeing him for the first time. Anger corrupts his face when he recognizes you. When he realizes who the hell you are.

“Nightingales!” He growls, his blade in his hand in an instant. You reach for your own knife, shifting into a defensive crouch. You’re sure he’s going to rush you. Certain he’s going to do whatever it takes to sink his own silver into your flesh in another twisted cycle of retribution. You wouldn’t blame him for it.

Jimin takes five steps and falls beside her. His weapon clatters to the ground.

He reaches for the woman with desperate hands, cradles her close against his chest with a rough fragility, a brutal elegance. “No,” he sobs. “No, no...” It’s a wail. A carnal howl that claws at your shattering soul.

“Please, stay with me.” He’s dropping desperate kisses against her forehead, against her cheeks, anywhere he can reach as if to capture the last remaining warmth in her veins. But her hazy eyes refuse to focus. Refuse to acknowledge his existence even with the tears he weeps on her paling skin. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. Please...!”

“Let’s go!” Taehyung’s yell yanks you back. He forces you out the door. Even though Jimin makes no effort to give chase, you’re running as soon as you hit the cool night air, sprinting at full speed towards the hidden car. You need to get as far away from this place as possible. As if that could make you forget.

You shiver in the front seat as Taehyung speeds away. This. This is why you’re taught never to stay. Never to see the aftermath. Because ignorance is such sweet bliss and now even that’s been ripped from you. And it’s your own damn fault.

It is no wonder you cannot find comfort in sleep later that night.

You don't deserve it. You're haunted by the images imprinted in your mind, stubborn and too real. You can feel the weight of them crushing your heart but you're more afraid of who you'd be if it weren't there at all.

The hour has stretched past midnight, and you are no closer to relief. Sick of staring at the concrete of your ceiling, you turn to a side. Catch sight of the space where your plant usually sits, except you've forgotten it tonight in your haste to bolt into bed. But your communicator sits nice and handy bedside.

Before you can stop yourself, you're thumbing through the screen for a certain number saved beneath the sole symbol of a leaf. And by the next second, you're calling it.

Brrrrng.

You should probably hang up.

Brrrrng.

Your breath is coming quicker.

Brrrrng.

It's almost two in the morning, he's not going to--

Click.

"Hello?"

The comfort that floods you is instantaneous, palpable.

"It's me," you say, before realizing that's not helpful at all. "Dahlia. I'm sorry, I know it's late..."

"Dahlia." He breathes the word. It's not even your name, but there's such a fondness in his tone that you can't help but flush. "I said anytime. I meant it. What's up?"

"...Can I come over?" You end up asking. "You can say no."

"I'm unlocking my door right now."

"Thank you."

"Thank me when you get here, yeah?" You can hear the smile on his lips.

It takes your hasty steps and a short Skytrain ride to deposit you in front of the floral shop less than twenty minutes later. There's a strange sort of anticipation, a thrill humming beneath your skin that makes you more and more nervous with each step you climb, up the stairs that lead to Joon's front door. Just as he promised, you find it unlocked.

It still feels like you’re intruding, even though he gave you permission. But you forage ahead. You knock on the door after you close it behind you to announce your arrival. Then you turn to catch your first glimpse of Joon’s apartment amidst the dim, muted lights.

It’s a simple space, sparser than you would have imagined. But the warm, earthy colors of the wooden coffee table, the couch, come as no surprise. The only decorations that Joon seems to have are plants, in all shapes and sizes as they scatter across every open counter, flourishing and well-nourished with their crisp greens and exploding scarlets. And among them, he stands, tipping a mini watering can over a succulent.

“Dahlia.”

“Hi.”

The light casts shadows over his handsome face, over the full lips you force yourself not to stare at. The white shirt and grey sweatpants fit his lean frame nicely, though you’re not sure if the top is half-tucked out of fashion or carelessness. “Is it too dark?” He asks.

“No,” you murmur, “it’s perfect.”

Joon sets the can down. He washes his hands as you inspect a nearby purple bloom. Then he beckons to you with a hand like one would a stray cat as he pads to the sofa in his slippers. “Come, sit. I made tea, if you drink that.”

“Sure.” You peel off your shoes.

You’re not quite sure what you’re doing here, really. But when you join him on the couch, when take your first sip of hot tea surrounded by his scent, overwhelming normality hits you. A feeling that’s familiar yet so foreign all at once. Like some ancient crevice inside you is being filled.

“Dahlia.” He waits for the tea to spread its way through your veins, heating your chilled system before he calls your attention to him. To him and to the doleful eyes that always behold you with such care. “What happened?”

“It’s just... Family stuff again. I know, I’m a broken record.” You pull your legs up onto the couch and rest your cheek on your knees. “But I just had to get out of there. I couldn’t sleep.”

You take Joon’s silence as encouragement to go on.

“It’s not like they were trying to hurt me.” Yoongi’s face floats in your mind. How ashen he’d looked when he saw Jun. How the doctor said he’d visited the infirmary more than a handful of times over the course of a single day. “They try to do what’s right for everyone. I just... I don’t agree sometimes.”

“You don’t?”

“No. And I don’t think I ever will. Not with some things.” You let your eyes trace the lines of the floorboards. “But that doesn’t matter, in the end. What matters is that I do as they say. For the good of everyone. How I feel about it... That’s just my problem.”

“That doesn’t sound right.”

A small exhale that’s almost laughter escapes you. If only he knew. “No, to me, family... Family is who you die for.”

“But if they care for you, if they love you,” he whispers, “wouldn’t they want you to live?”

Your tongue finds naught but silence in response; you make no move to rectify that. The truth is, you don’t dare to search your mind for the answer. Like how a child fears what might lay beyond a closet door, beneath a four-frame bed. Not the monster itself, but the possibility.

“Dahlia.” You can’t bear to meet his eyes, to accept the intensity within their dark depths. “Are you okay?”

Maybe it’s the knowledge that you don’t have to lie for once, to say that you’re fine. Maybe it’s that Joon doesn’t need you to be strong or stoic. Or maybe you’re just tired of it all. But that question, so plain, so easy, is what breaks you.

You fight the sobs that surface, swallow them down with each stuttered breath. You have absolutely no right to let the tears fall, damn it. No right when they belong to Jimin as his grief, his sorrow. But still they choke you like hands wrapped tightly around your throat. Squeezing, squeezing until they’ve stolen every last vestige of oxygen from your exhausted lungs.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” you babble brokenly, closing in on yourself as if that would make you disappear.

You feel the weight of the sofa cushion next to you as Joon reaches for you, wraps his arms around you for the first time. Warmth. All-encompassing warmth that could rival the sun that you’ve spent so long hiding from. “Don’t be sorry. Never be sorry.”

Now you give yourself to the heat, let it melt away the fatigue that drips down your face as salty droplets of rain. You can’t recall the last time you let yourself cry, and in front of someone else, nonetheless. But now you can’t imagine why you’ve held yourself back, not when every tear you shed eviscerates another burden, at least until you’re made to leave this sanctuary. But for now, in this blessed now, you just let go. You memorize the rhythm of his breath against your skin, and you let go.

When you finally muster the courage to meet his eyes with your own, red-rimmed and watery, he just smiles. It’s a gentle smile to reassure you, and tell you that he can withstand anything. “I’m here for you,” he says without decorum, just a plain stating of fact as if anything else would be a ridiculous notion.

And before you can control yourself, you’re kissing him.

He’s so soft, lips tasting like oolong tea and promise as you drag him closer with hands carded through his hair. You shift. Your feet hit the floor in a bid to remove any obstacle between you. Why haven’t you done this before? Your mouths come together like miscolored puzzle pieces, never meant to belong but somehow sliding into place all the same for a perfect fit despite logical reasoning. He groans into the kiss, a delicious noise that stirs at your heart.

Here, you feel something different. Something so terrifyingly visceral that you can only describe it as being alive.

You want more.

But Joon is already pulling back, guilt in his expression. “No, Dahlia, you’re upset, we shouldn’t—”

“Please, Joon.”

He is the one secret that is yours, and only yours. That knowledge alone makes you want to be irrefutably selfish. Because you know damn well that he’ll let you. You know by fleet gallop of his heart and by the arms that hold you like precious blades of nightshade, blooming silently in this pensive dark. “You asked me what I want before,” you mumble against his lips, cupping his cheeks in your calloused palms. “It’s you.”

You can no longer register the tears that roll down your face for he whisks them away with his thumbs. All you want to focus on is the feel of him against you, his hands sliding down to find your waist. There’s a clumsiness to how he acquaints himself with your body, but you find it utterly charming. Nibbling on your bottom lip, he coaxes the first moan from your hoarse throat. You respond by tracing the outline of his mouth with the tip of your tongue, encouraging him to open and to let you in.

When he draws your hips towards him, you let yourself fall. Your back meets the plush couch, welcoming the weight of him on top. What you think is his cock presses fervently against your thigh, but he makes no move to seek his own relief. Instead, he trails his lips down your jaw, across the smooth column of your neck.

You pull him back to your mouth, seeking the warmth you’ve already become addicted to. Every kiss stokes the urgency in your veins further, turning it into an insatiable, impatient beast that cannot be reigned in. “More,” you exhale, afraid of what might come back if he stops. “Give me more, Joon.”

“More...?”

You guide his broad hand to the waistband of your terrycloth shorts. “Yes.”

“Are you sure?” He refuses to cross that barrier while he searches your eyes for hesitation. But he’ll find none. Only the desire to lose yourself in this moment and his touch.

“Completely.”

He swallows before he slides his hand inside for his first intimate contact. You arch into him when his fingers brush past your fabric-covered clit, testing the waters. That seems to give him confidence, as do the silken moans that drip from your tongue. He hungers for more, knowing every ounce of pressure he lavishes pushes you closer to the edge. Intentionally or not, the underwear becomes a kind of torture, dulling the friction of the fingertips you want against your bare skin.

“You’re so beautiful.” His voice has dipped lower, gathered a husky quality that stirs you, rouses like no other. What poetry could that tongue could pen against your clit? “I’ve thought so from the first time you walked into my shop.”

“What if I never returned? You didn’t have my number.”

He chuckles. “I knew.” He nudges aside the cotton to find you soaked. “I knew you would come back.” He collects arousal with upward swipes, parting and teasing the petals of your lower lips until you can’t stand it any longer. You moan into his ear, feeling his hot breath brush against your neck in return.

“Liar.”

“You tell me.” And he plunges in a finger. Before you can become accustomed to the stretch, he adds another, curling ruthlessly against your walls. His digits are much longer than you thought as they fill you so, so well. You can only dream of how his cock must feel, but there’s no time for fantasizing when his thumb finds your clit again.

Even your shorts cannot staunch the soaked squelch of your cunt, made thoroughly subservient to his agile fingers. You haven’t any idea how he manages to find your sweet spot in seconds, dancing around only to suddenly zero in on it again. You’ve never been one for whimpering but it’s a natural reaction when he scissors in tandem with the relentless strokes. Every pump forces you closer and closer. All the while, his mouth makes love to your tongue, sucking hard as if to claim it as his.

You know you’re not going to last long.

Clinging to him, you scrunch his shirt in a tight fist as climax sweeps you away in its fury. You don’t know how noisy you are with the moans that burst forth, but you can’t control them. Can’t hold anything back as he thrusts through the pulse to elongate the high. Even your legs are trembling in their strain, but god, you’re purring with pure pleasure and delight.

When the peak finally wanes, it’s a tiredness that settles in, renders you immobile while you just let everything melt away. All your worries and stress that have built up seem to go along with it, a welcome change even if it’s only temporary. You just breathe him in, let his scent wrap you in ease.

He doesn’t push you further.

Perhaps he can tell that you are exhausted, not only in your muscles but your mind, weary of this long night and of thinking. Despite his own need, he just holds you until your breathing calms. Until you are truly spent, shuddering against him while the last throbs of your core peter out, but leave you so satisfied.

He wipes his fingers on a tissue then drops a kiss to your forehead. “Will you stay?”

You sigh. “No. I can’t.” You have to be home for the morning, before they discover you’re gone. In fact, you’re already probably late. Still, you take your time re-doing the tie on your shorts. “Joon... I’ll see you again.” Another rule now utterly broken. But one you don’t think you can bear to uphold any more anyways.

“Okay.” You don’t know if he recognizes that this is the first time you’ve promised a future possibility, but he smiles all the same. “I’d really like that.”

You stand, the soon-to-rise sun marking the end of this tryst. He walks you to the door, watches as you pull on your shoes. “Goodnight, Joon. Thank you for listening to me, again.” Your heart flutters as you can’t resist turning back for one last swift kiss on his full mouth. “I’ll text you.”

“Goodnight.” He leans against the frame, arms crossed, expression content as you start down the steps. “Be safe.”

From that night on, Joon becomes your most cherished secret, a treasure of which you are fiercely protective. For him, you slip the confines of your headquarters, of your family, and become simply Dahlia for a handful of hours. Dahlia, who is ironically more yourself than you have ever been. It’s a mask that you’ve grown comfortable in over the past three weeks; it and he are the only things that keep you sane through the contracts Yoongi sends your way.

“No, no, look there! See it?”

Lying on a picnic blanket, shoulder to shoulder, you follow the arm Joon points up at the midnight sky. “Mmm, nope. Still don’t.” You turn, snuggling into his side. “Just looks like stars to me.”

Joon turns too, but to plant a kiss on your cheek. Then he captures your fingers, laces them together with his own. “Here.” Raising your linked hands, he walks you through the trail his sleepy eyes have found. “They look like flowers, don’t they?”

You squint. “I guess... Is that even a constellation?”

“No.” Joon grins, never letting go of your hand. “I just wanted to give you a bouquet tonight.”

“How very on brand of you.”

Joon pops a grape into his mouth. “I’m always consistent, huh? Or maybe you just know me too well.”

“Not well enough, I don’t think.” That’s the truth. With Joon, you’d gladly become an encyclopedia of information, voracious for every tidbit you can uncover about him, about the entire world that he seems to treat with such fascination. Just last week you listened to him describe the allure of crabs with rapt enthusiasm. You, in turn, gushed about the facets of language, how interesting it was the way a tongue wrestled with a foreign sound and structure. Conversations that could go on for days but must end when the first rays of sun peep over the horizon.

“We’ll get there.” He holds up a grape to your lips.

“I hope so.” You open, drop a flirty kiss on his fingertips before biting into the exploding sweetness. “Let’s start with you telling me why you chose to go stargazing. Besides the opportunity to feed me fruit, that is.”

“Heh. While that has its own charms… I like to come out here at least once a month.” He runs fingers through his dark hair. “It reminds me that my problems aren’t as big as they appear to be. There are just so many stars and so many universes out there. It seems like a miracle I was even born in the first place. So, shouldn’t I try to shine the brightest before my time is up?”

You didn’t expect a less eloquent answer from him. You swallow his poetics, imagine them settling in the cavity of your chest, right next to your thudding heart. With wide eyes, you stare at the twinkling lights that wink at the two of you, wind-cooled and half-drunk on life. “I think I’m glad I was born in this galaxy,” you softly confide. Something you never thought you could feel. “In this world, that is.” In this world that has brought you to him.

Joon squeezes your hand as if he’ll never let go again. “Me too.”

You creep inside headquarters just as the sunlight begins to filter through the windows above ground. You’ve made it two feet past the stairs when a hand slaps down on your wrist. You whip your head towards it. You have the good sense to clamp your lips shut before any noise can betray you. A low voice mutters your name.

“Where have you been?” Taehyung’s eyes come into view in the darkness. They’re not filled with anger, but worry instead.

“Tae. Uh, I was scouting,” you lie. You hate to do it, but the truth is far too caustic to reveal. “It took longer than I thought.”

Taehyung’s fingers release you from the hold as he sighs. “Okay. You weren’t answering your com. So. I just. I got scared. Especially after…” He trails off, but you know what he means. It’s only now that Jun has really started to heal; the stab had been immensely deep, the blood loss great. But he had escaped with his life.

“I know. But I don’t think the Foxes have made any moves against us. And they probably don’t plan to. Not if it’ll lead to more death on both of our sides.” You can still recall Jimin’s face with startling clarity. It still comes to you in the depths of particularly quiet nights, when you are alone with your all-too-active thoughts. “Maybe we’ll be okay.”

Taehyung looks off into the darkness aside your ear. The gauntness in his eyes suggests he hasn’t been able to forget either. Biting his lip, he utters, “…I’m not so sure.”

You are so accustomed to seeing (your friend? your lover?) your Joon beneath the cover of night that it is almost startling when you run into him by pure chance a week later on your quest to fetch coffee. And to gather intel on a future target.

“Joon?”

He turns at the sound of your voice, face brightening with surprise, then delight. “Dahlia! What’re you doing here?”

“Just getting some coffee,” you say, holding up the cup. The target has settled in to eat his scone, so you have a few minutes. He’s practically beaming at you, and you imagine you look the same. You can’t seem to control the smiles around him. “You?” It’s then that you look beyond Joon and realize he’s sat at a table for two. There’s a young, bright-looking man on the other end, staring curiously at you. “Oh, sorry, I’ve interrupted you!”

“No, no, don’t worry, you haven’t. This is my friend.”

The man stands politely to offer you his hand with a sweet smile. Hm, he’s handsome, in an effortless, boyish way. “I’m JK. Nice to meet you.”

You take the hand, find his grip strong. “Are you a florist too?”

“Nah.” He sits back, relaxes in his seat again. “Personal trainer.”

Considering the muscles that bulge from beneath his dark t-shirt, it most definitely suits him. Maybe Joon catches you slightly ogling, because he cuts back into your field of vision with a subtle tilt. Too cute. He’s always cute, today especially in his blue jeans, a casual button-up thrown over top that’s just a little dressier than his usual tees. Impossible to resist.

“What are you doing later tonight?” You surprise even yourself by asking, but you seem to be riding on the instinct that you want to see more of him; this small run-in just reminds you of how much you’ve missed him in the past few days. Headquarters feels so empty when his presence is only in your mind, for you’ve been too busy even for your whispered midnight calls. Your outburst makes JK’s eyebrows raise in cheeky amusement.

“Well...” Joon ignores JK as a smile stretches across his plush lips, flashing you those dimples that have become your greatest weakness. “I usually go to the gym on Thursday nights with JK but...” He gives his companion a look. “I’ll stay in for you.” Joon trails his fingers lightly down your bare arm. “Why don’t you come over and I’ll try to make us dinner? Or order us takeout when I mess up the cooking?”

You laugh. “Okay. I’ll be by around eight?” The target has now scarfed down the scone, and is pushing up from his seat. Time to go.

“Perfect.” Joon gives your arm a last squeeze. “See you then.”

“See you. And nice to meet you!” You wave to JK before quickly turning away, feeling actually giddy, like the schoolgirl you never were. It feels like your first ‘official’ date instead of a stolen moment here and there. It feels like you’ve taken one huge step towards the realm of normalcy, something you thought was something outside your grasp. And you wouldn’t give that or Joon up for the world.

It is half past seven that night that you slip from your room, a dark trench coat pulled over the dress that you finally settled on after much agonizing. Normally around this time, most of your siblings are in the training room or in their rooms, working on their skills. Jun is among them now, recovering slowly but well. Yoongi has the habit of locking himself in his room immediately following dinner (or sometimes without it), so it shouldn’t be difficult for you to slip out. You’ve never left this early before, but you hate making Joon stay up so ridiculously late every time. You owe him at least this.

You chose flats tonight for the ease of movement. You move through the familiar halls silently, hurrying along because you are just too damn excited. You wonder what he’s attempted to make. Then you wonder what he ended up ordering after he burnt his attempt. Just the image of him standing over a smoking, charred pot puts a silly grin on your face.

“You’re heading out?”

“Eep.” You skid to a stop, emitting a noise of surprise. You turn to find Hoseok advancing from a side corridor, head tilted to a side. “Sorry, what’d you say?”

“What’re you thinking so hard about?” Hoseok asks with a hint of a smile. “I just asked if you’re going out.”

“Oh. Yeah, I am. Just for a bit. Just… want to go for a walk and get some air. Clear my head.” Being with Joon does exactly that.

“Ah… Okay.” Hoseok doesn’t look too convinced, but that’s probably because you’ve never been one for walks. Usually, you prefer the sanctity of your room and the heaps of blankets. “I... won’t hold you any longer then.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you later.”

You hurry along, taking the steps up two at a time. You make sure to check on Moon before you leave. You give her a few ounces of water, watching with satisfaction as the soil eagerly accepts the liquid. “Grow up big and strong,” you say, eyes tender, full of hope.

You are unsurprised when a thin layer of smoke greets you from the cracks of Joon’s apartment when you get there almost right on the dot at eight. You snicker as you knock on the door, wondering just how much of a panic he must be in right now. Poor guy. He’s amazing at a lot of things, but anything in the kitchen sends him into a tailspin.

He opens it seconds later, sweating in a dark apron, his bangs falling down. “Hey! Dahlia!” He sniffs the air, watching as a small cloud of smoke billows out. “Oh god. Sorry about all of this. Come in.”

“What happened?”

“Turns out, making pasta is pretty hard.” Joon grimaces. “I managed to put out the fire though.”

“There was an actual fire?” That’s impressive, even for him.

“Uh… no? Nope. Definitely no fire at all…” He chuckles awkwardly, using a hand to break up the smoke. “I lit some candles to get rid of the smell.” He’s cracked open a window a few inches. And by ‘some’ candles, he means about fifteen, that all fill the space left by the plants he seems to have moved aside for the night. Joon clearly doesn’t do anything in moderation. “Good news is that we have takeout coming. So, we’ll still get Italian. Actually edible Italian.”

You giggle at how he flusters. Watching him run around, you leave your shoes by the door, then undo the knot of your coat to hang it up.

“How’s a glass of red wine sound?” He asks, rattling something in the cabinets.

“Sounds perfect.”

You make your way to the kitchen island. You slide into one of the barstools that faces the stove. Joon pops the cork, pouring crimson liquid into a tall-stemmed glass. It’s when he turns to give it to you that he gets his first good look at your outfit, at how you’ve dressed up for the evening. His hand jolts so much that he almost drops the glass entirely.

“O-Oh!” He (unusually) manages to catch himself at last minute. He sets the wine down on the table with a loud clatter. “Shit, sorry. I just. God.” He grabs a towel from the side to soak up the stray droplets that spilled. “Wow. You look amazing.”

You smile as you tuck a lock of hair behind your ear. “Thank you.”

“No, seriously, like… wow.” He takes in the tease of a neckline, purposefully curved over your chest. Subtlety has never been his strong suit but now he’s abandoned it entirely as he practically drinks you in like the wine in his hands. You don’t mind. Quite the opposite really. It bolsters your confidence when he reacts like this, as if he hasn’t been knuckle-deep inside you while you cried out in release.

You lean forward under pretext of reaching for the glass, giving him a bit more to dream about. Joon almost chokes on his sip of alcohol. You just grin in response.

“A-Anyway… Honestly, I’m surprised your evil stepmother and stepsisters let you out this early.” He turns and effortlessly throws the towel into the sink.

“Hehe. I did an extra good job of cleaning the house.”

“I’m sure even the floors are sparkling.” He’s about to take a seat when the doorbell rings. “Ah, that has to be food. Be right back.”

Minutes later, he returns with takeout boxes in hand. “Give me a sec. I’ll make it nice.” He moves swiftly, moving like he has much practice with plating the food. That amuses you too, as you wonder what other ‘special’ skills he has hidden away.

Joon adds one last sprinkle of parmesan. Then he sets it down in front of you with all the flourish of a gourmet. “Tada. Dinner is served.”

“Why, thank you.” You take up your chopsticks. “You have excellent taste.”

“Ah yes. I cooked it with my credit card.”

You can’t help laughing along with him. “Well, my compliments to the chef!”

Between bites of creamy linguine and a soon-depleted bottle of wine, the evening passes quickly. Too quickly for your liking as the hours slip by, counted by peals of laughter and flirty grins. The plates have long been emptied, sitting messily in front of you both. The conversation has winded down to a temporary lull as you both drain the last dregs of wine from your cups.

You’re fairly certain you haven’t drunken enough to be tipsy, not that you’d allow yourself to become so inebriated in front of him, so you decide it’s not just your imagination that he keeps looking aside your ear at something behind you. The first two times, you just figured he was searching for the next conversation topic. But now, you’re seriously convinced it’s either a ghost or you’re boring him.

“Joon... Why do you keep looking behind me?” You ask as you turn. Your eyes fall onto the couch you became quite familiar with just a few weeks ago. Oh. Oh…

“Um, sorry,” he mumbles when you look at him again. He puts both hands over his lips, as if that could hide the slow blush creeping across his cheeks. “I, uh, can’t seem to stop thinking about what happened the last time you were here…” You decide he’s probably too honest for his own good. You stay silent, and he seems to take that in the worst way possible. “Is that awful? Oh god. I don’t want to make this night about that or anything. That’s not why I invited you over for dinner. Seriously. You don’t have to—”

“Joon.” You push your seat back and let your feet hit the floor. “It’s not weird. It’s not awful.” You feel more nervous than you have in ages with each step you take towards him. “I’ve been thinking about it too.” His hands drop at your words. You seize this chance and press your mouth to his.

He tastes like cream sauce and the dizzying sweetness of wine. By now, you’re no stranger to his lips, to the chaste kisses he drops like butterflies during your brief pockets of time together. But these kisses are more, much more as you push yourself up on your toes. Every cell in your body seems to be tingling, sparking to life to urge you closer to those plush lips.

You try to deepen the kiss but can’t shake the feeling there’s some hesitation on his part; he’s merely responding to you, not taking any initiative when you want the opposite. “Come on, Joon.” You rest your forehead against his, let your tone dip around his name. “What’re you afraid of?”

He knows he’s been caught. His large palm comes up to cup your cheek. “Sorry... It’s just, last time things were so strained and—”

“This isn’t the same. This time, I’m here because I want you.” You lick your bottom lip, torturously slow so he has to watch. “And I’m not as delicate as you seem to think.”

“...Fuck.”

That’s all the warning you get before he’s finally, really kissing you. He’s half-falling out of his chair but it doesn’t matter when your tongues are moving in tandem, matched in desire. One hand finds itself in your hair, threading through the locks while the other stays on your cheek like reassurance that he isn’t going anywhere. That there is no place in heaven or hell he would prefer.

He moans when you coax his tongue between your lips, when you hollow your cheeks to suck. “Let’s move this to the bedroom,” he mumbles, “please.” The obvious bulge in his pants is convincing enough on its own, but you appreciate the need in his tone all the same.

“We should blow out the candles first. We don’t want to cause another fire, right?” You laugh, pulling away with all the grace of a fairy as you flit around the room, dousing flame after flame. He helps you out, too eager to feel you against him again not to.

When you blow out the last flickering candle, he scoops you into his arms. You take it a step further, daring to wrap both legs around his waist, trusting him to hold you aloft. He cups your butt securely as he maneuvers the familiar darkness to his room. All the while he can’t keep his mouth off your skin, tasting anywhere and everywhere.

Once inside, he kicks the door closed behind you with a little too much force; it slams closed before he’s pushing you against it. Neither of you bother with the lights, too enraptured in the feeling of the other, using touch to understand instead of sight. What soft moonlight drifts in the half-open blinds is enough to cast a glow upon your bodies, tangled in heat. You both seem to acknowledge that some things are better left to be experienced, like the lush of his lips against the crook of your neck, the need in every nuzzle ineffable.

When the hands beneath your ass squeeze with the excuse of finding a better grip, you grin. Then you grind against the clothed bulge you didn’t get to sample before. It makes him chuckle right back – a rich, delicious sound. “Like what you feel?”

“Very much.”

You squeal in delighted surprise when he spins around to make you both fall onto the softness of his bed. His weight on you feels so natural, so effortless that you could just cuddle here for a lifetime and be content. But the wetness between your legs longs to be slathered over his shaft.

“Mm, I want to feel more of you,” you whisper, pushing your hips up to meet his bulge.

“Patience, baby.” He gives you one more kiss before he shifts down to the edge of the bed, settling right between your thighs. “Let me have a taste first.”

“You’re still hungry after all that pasta?”

Joon flicks his gaze up and you instinctually swallow at the darkened lust in his eyes, lit by beams of moonlight slashed across his face.

“Starving.”

His nose indents your thigh as he breathes in your scent. You silently pray he won’t take his time nibbling his way up your legs, because you’ll be even more of a mess by the time he reaches your sex. Thankfully, he seems every bit as impatient as you. Too eager to even deal with your dress as he scrunches the fabric up. He exposes the dark lace that clings to your core, sticky with viscous arousal. He pauses at the sight, fingers stuttering to a complete stop.

That makes you nervous. You’ve only worn this set once before though it’s your favorite; you didn’t want to taint it with the hands of your targets, didn’t want guilt staining the delicate stitching. The sole other time had been for a hookup, just a quickie to sate bodily needs before you realized it didn’t matter what you wore because it wasn’t about you. It was only about what your body could offer. But Joon’s touch replaces your memories of that man with every stroke.

“…Is something wrong?” You whisper.

Joon shakes his head. “No. Of course not. You… You’re so damn beautiful.” He traces the fabric stretched across your mound. “You just keep drawing me in more and more.” He slips a finger into the waistband, crushes the elastic as if he’ll rip it off. “It makes me want to say things I shouldn’t.”

You can feel his breath swirling over your skin, making you whine in anticipation. “Like what?”

“Like how much I’ve been missing your pussy.” The word sounds almost too dirty for him but god, what it does to you is undeniable. Especially when he eases the underwear down, removes it entirely and you barely notice in the process because you’re too distracted by the infuriatingly gentle kisses he plants around your clit.

“Joon…”

“Mmm, like how I’ve been dreaming about you so slick, dripping around my fingers.” Perhaps it’s the wine that’s so loosened the tongue that hovers above where you need him most. You’re already drunk on the honey it produces. “You sang so prettily when you came. I want to hear it again.”

You obey with a heady moan when he finally dips his mouth enough to swirl the tip of his tongue around your clit. You scrunch his bedsheets in tight fists, pushing the back of your head against the firm pillow as he follows up with long, reverent strokes, splayed like his calloused fingers across your quivering thigh. He smears your wetness across his mouth without care, only focused on the hitch of your breath, the guttural song wrenched from your parted lips.

Your legs jerk, tense around him when he drags the flat of his tongue against you again and again, sliding along down the folds to tease your cunt with a shallow dip. Then he’s right back at your clit, suddenly sucking so hard you whine. You automatically buck into him as the need for something to fill you eviscerates everything else.

“God,” you gasp when he releases with a noisy pop, leaving you breathless and wanting.

His eyes slide up the gorgeous canvas of your body, finding your gaze. He holds it with a certain, thrilling confidence as he gathers wetness on his finger, coating himself thoroughly. “God can’t help you here,” he teases. “So just cum for me, baby.”

You wait for the delicious stretch, but he turns those slick fingers on your needy clit instead. You’re still sensitive from his mouth but he walks the fine tightrope, instinctively knowing what’s too much by your spilled whimpers. His tongue teases what’s to come next as it plunges inside your cunt, lapping at the walls that contract so tightly around. His fingers just keep circling, the pressure building in relentless crescendo with the blinding pleasure between your thighs. You know you’re no match for him. Him and that mouth, those hands, fuck...! You let yourself fall with hands fisting his hair.

A sharp expletive and the sudden cinch of your walls mark your peak as everything skids to a standstill. You’re vaguely aware that he’s watching you cum but you haven’t the mind to care, not when you’re grinding into his mouth, deliriously needing his heat. Sweat pricks your skin, proof of the bliss that is white hot through your veins: merciless.

Finally, you drop back onto the sheets on a tremulous exhale.

Joon extracts himself lazily, a trail of saliva clings to his lip before he licks it off. “Just as incredible as I remember,” he groans, grinding his bulge into the bed as he indulges in the scent of your lost control. “Hope you don’t mind. I plan on giving you more.”

“Not without you inside me,” you say, still finding it hard to speak properly but you pull you up to kiss. You taste yourself on the tongue that tangles with yours.

“Your wish, my command. Let me get this dress off you first.” He rocks back on his haunches after a nibble on your bottom lip. “It’s gorgeous, but right now, it’s in the way.”

Gladly. He could ruin it for all you care. Still, you spin around to expose the zipper holding the outfit together. You stretch out upon the sheets that are drenched in his scent, fleetingly wishing you could stay here forever. Then you’re distracted by the broad hand that finds the steel clasp and starts to pull. His bangs tickle your skin as he leans down, kisses every inch of skin he exposes in a languid, mesmerizing trail down your spine.

You feel the cool air fan across your body when the last of the dress falls away. His broad hands cup, then part your ass cheeks, admiring the bounce, the glisten of your soaked cunt. “Do you even know how wet you are?” He mutters. “So ready to be taken.”

“Mmm... Fill me, Joon.”

You hear the thump of his clothes landing on the floor, then a rustle, a hurried rip of a package. Then his weight advances, knees on either side of your legs as he slides his hands down your waist. His thick cock presses against your cunt with such firm urgency you moan at the expectation alone. He drops one kiss on your back and plunges his cock inside.

“Oh, fuck, you’re so damn tight,” he groans the second your walls accept him, squeeze him for all he’s worth. You sink deeper into his pillow, but it can’t staunch your moans from the stretch. Incomparable to anything you’ve ever had before, you can only tremble with pleasure as need builds in your stomach again.

“Fuck,” he swears again, unable to even form words with how good you feel around his cock. He feeds you well, sinking in deeper with every thrust until his crotch presses firmly against your ass. Length translates to him nestled right against your cervix, nudging against your deepest core. And his first full thrust makes you cry out, not expecting the jolt of pain when the head smacks roughly against the tight nerves. He pauses. “Are you okay? Does it hurt?”

“No, no, never.” You feel him shift, the friction tantalizing. “Joon, I don’t think it’s ever been this good.”

“For me too.” You can hear the smile in his voice. “Never.”

There’s no more time for speaking, only fervent moans when he falls into the pattern of brutal pumps, drawing your wetness every time he slams into you to the sound of a fresh slap. His hands can’t keep off you; they caress the slope of your back, the curve of your waist, finally finding home over your breasts while his breathy groans define the nape of your neck. You’re addicted to him in this form, unrestrained and desperate like you’ve never seen him before.

Every stroke of his cock is devastating to your cunt, carving the shape of his cock into your walls as you spur him on for more. You want him to ruin you until you can never forget the feeling of him even if it’s deep, too deep it hurts, because that’s the ache of being so fiercely alive. You throw your hips back, forcing him further still.

“Mm, I really want to see your face.” That’s all the warning you get before the pressure disappears, and he rears back to give you space to flip. You’ve barely been on your back for a second before he’s between your thighs again, grinding the entire length of himself against your sodden slit.

“Are you teasing me?” You laugh, knowing he’s torturing himself in the process too. You reach down, capture the swollen cock head between your fingers and pressure his frenulum enough to wrench a heady gasp.

“Not half as much as you tease me with those little moans.” He lets you guide him back to your cunt, dips himself in your ambrosia. “So,” a thrust, “fucking,” a delicious stretch, “hot.” He palms a breast while his mouth finds the other, tongue toying with your taut nipple while his hips work ceaselessly.

He’s forced to let go when his pumps become too rough, too frenzied in their lust for him to stay bent. He’s slamming himself into you, hooked his arms beneath one of your knees to give himself the space to fuck against your core. The bed is practically vibrating beneath you from the sheer strength of every plunge. He drags over your upper wall every time, ensuring you haven’t a second’s rest. Not that you’d want it.

You are reduced to mewls by the time his rude fingers find your clit to rub. “Too... Fast... Joon...!” You can already feel your undoing rising but he doesn’t slow even though you want this to last. Thank god he lives alone as your voice climbs in volume, feet curling, back arching—everything is heat and everything is him.

“Let go, baby.”

He forces you into climax before you know it, cock battering against the sweetest, most wanton spot as the ultimate thrill rushes through you. His fingers never relent upon your clit because he’s high on how you sing for him, how your throbbing cunt accepts him whole for a perfect, damning fit.

Your orgasm drags him into his own, one so blinding he hardly recognizes his own voice as he drops down over your body. He gives you his deepest thrusts yet, shoving himself as far as you’ll allow and then some more. His groans come out choked as he empties his cum inside your walls, wishing there wasn’t this flimsy plastic in the way so you could truly feel him. But you squeeze him all the same, clutching him close so your heartbeats match and his mouth never leaves yours, not even for air.

“Joon, god, Joon,” you mumble, palming his cheeks and returning every kiss until the crest has ebbed into lazy waves of bliss that lap at your shores. You are exhausted and sated, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

He flashes the dimples at you as he straightens, wipes a few droplets of sweat from his brow with the back of his head. He disposes of the condom with haste, so he can collapse at your side seconds later, breathing deeply to quell his thrumming heart. You smile deliriously as you turn to face him, to slip yourself into his embrace again despite the sweltering heat. Satisfaction and fatigue pull at your eyelids, but you fight their siren call. You need to savor every last moment you have in this space where you are naked—wholly, completely so in every sense of the word.

“Hey. Stay with me tonight,” he whispers, tracing your cheekbone with the backs of his fingers as if he knows what he’s asking for is too much. “I think... I think I need you by my side.” They are words like glass, so fragile it is as if they’ll disappear if he dares to utter them any louder.

“Joon, I...”

The arms that shelter you tighten, longing in every flex. “Forget your family. Your curfew, the rules. Just—everything. Please. Forget it all, at least until morning comes.” Intimate kisses brush across your forehead. “Then... I promise, I’ll let you go.”

You can find no argument. You never could against those sombre eyes, their darkness alight with the moon, betraying just how deep his affection runs. Though you’ve never said it aloud, you are certain your gaze reflects the same. Something you’ve been afraid of feeling all your life, but now you can’t imagine why, when it’s so precious.

“Okay. I’ll stay.” For tonight, one single night, you’ll pretend that the rest of the world has disappeared.

He grins, the dimples making their appearance as if to reassure you that you made the right choice. He presses one last kiss on the tip of your nose. Consequences are a problem for tomorrow. You watch his eyelids droop and his breathing slow. Smiling, you lay your palm over his chest to feel the strong beats of his heart. Your own vision blurs, slumber finally coming easily against his steady rhythm.

The next thing you register is a clatter.

Instantly, you’re alert.

You didn’t hear the front door open, but that could have just been a symptom of the sleep working its way through your body. You quiet your breathing and listen. The walls shake almost imperceptibly in time with silent, foreign footfalls, undetectable to anyone else. It’s an intruder. And they’re a professional.

You need to get to your dress. A hidden pocket sewn inside contains your knife. It’s not the best, but it’s better than no weapon at all. Thank god the candles are out. It has to be the Foxes. You were a fool, really, to think they wouldn’t try something. You just... never thought they’d find Joon.

But that’s what Jimin had thought too.

You untangle yourself from his arms as subtly as you can, but he stirs the second you move off the bed. Damn it. “Dahlia? What’s wrong?” Joon’s voice is hushed, sending goosebumps up your spine.

You swallow with a dry mouth. “I heard something.”

“A noise...? Let me go check it out.” He rubs at his sleepy eyes.

“No!” You snap it, a harsh whisper that makes his eyes widen. “No, I mean, I’m sure it’s just the wind...”

Joon’s already moved the blankets off, dropping to a crouch like you are. “Well, if it’s just the wind, then I’ll just close the window. I am taller than you.”

You roll your eyes in mock amusement. “That means nothing to me.” You pull the dress on, then fumble through its fabric. You slip the switchblade into your hand, one finger on the trigger.

“Just stay back, Dahlia.”

Damn him and his heroics. Still, there’s no use fighting him. Not when that increases your chance of being heard. He creeps towards the door. You shadow him; he doesn’t have to know you’re ready to fling yourself in front of him at moment’s notice.

You hold your breath when he reaches for the doorknob.

He knows how to turn it silently. The wood doesn’t betray him as he eases it open a sliver. You can hear the footsteps clearer now. They’re roaming through the kitchen. What the hell are they searching for? Is this not a hit but a heist instead? You stay carefully out of view.

Before you get any answers, Joon suddenly straightens. He whips the door open. It slams into the wall with a thundering crash. “Whoever the hell you are, get out!”

Your heart stops. What the fuck—

You catch the glint of steel in Joon’s hands.

A shot rings out before you can react. Is it coming or going? All you know is there’s an enormous clatter, like all the pots tumbled to the ground in the intruder’s unfamiliar haste. What the fuck is Joon doing with a gun? He holds it with practiced fingers, a proper grip.

Another shot. Definitely going. You recognize the telltale muted snip of a modified pistol; one with an excellent silencer. The kind those in your business routinely use. The kind Joon has pointed right at your uninvited guest.

“Get out!” Joon roars. He turns, using the doorframe as leverage. He uses practiced point swivels to keep his advantage. One more shot. This time, it results in a strangled choke of a noise. The shadow hurtles towards the front door in the moonlight. The door is yanked with so much desperate ferocity it almost rips off its hinges. Seconds later, the shadow is gone, disappeared into the darkness of the night.

When Joon looks back towards you, he finds himself on the business end of your knife.

“Dahlia, I—”

“Save it.” You’re trembling. Your legs are shaking harder than they’ve ever been. You despise the worry on his face. You hate the fact you still feel the ache he left between your thighs. “Don’t fucking say a word to me.” You don’t know who the hell that person was, and apparently you don’t know Joon either. Assassin that he is. The Fox has been by your side all along.

“Why didn’t you just kill me when we first met?” You circle the room. Blood pumps hot through your veins. “Why? You wanted intel on our family? Is that it? Is that why you asked all those questions?” You’re moving towards the door like a caged beast. Were you the one that lead to the stolen contracts? Has it been your fault all along?

“I’m not trying to kill—”

“Bullshit! That’s bullshit! You just shot at whoever the fuck that was, and you...” You blink away a hot tear, wishing it’s from fury, not grief. “You just...” Even now. Even now you can’t understand why the hell he doesn’t just shoot you where you are.

You’ve reached the bedroom door.

One quick sprint and you’ll find the freedom from him you never thought you would need. You take one last eyeful of his frame, frozen solid like ice. You can’t bear to look into the false constellations in his eyes. “I hope you got what you wanted.”

You turn.

You run.

You burst through the doors of home like a mess, hair wind-blown and feet blistered, jacket pulled tight around your body. You’re afraid you’ll definitely be caught this time. Excuse after excuse pop in your head, none of them sticking or coherent as you rush down the stairs. When you reach the bottom, you realize that didn’t matter at all.

Headquarters is in an uproar.

“What’s going on?!” You ask one of your sisters, who seems to be rushing from the infirmary.

“Hoseok. Hoseok was shot!”

“Badly?” You ask, but the look in her eyes is answer enough. “Got it.” You head right towards the storm.

First thing you see: Hoseok lying prone on a white bed, blood staining his stomach and sheets. They didn’t even bother to undo the harness strapped across his chest. His black turtleneck is yanked up to give your in-house doctor space to work. Hoseok groans, sweat dripping from his pale forehead and matted bangs.

“Where the fuck have you been?” Yoongi’s eyes blaze as they take in your dishevelled appearance.

You ignore him. Your shoes clatter on the tile as you speed to Hoseok’s side. “What happened? Where were you? What did you send him into?” You glare at Yoongi, certain he took another unnecessary risk. Another gamble with someone else’s life.

“Not his fault...” Hoseok breathes out. “A scout. Supposed to be... empty...”

“You got shot scouting? Where?”

“Stop talking if you want to live through this, Hoseok. Save your energy.” The doctor holds up forceps. “We have to take it out. It’s a modified bullet. Can’t leave it in, you’ll get poisoning.”

“Fuck.” Hoseok leans back, squeezes his eyes shut.

You look away, not wanting to watch the doctor work. “Where, Yoongi? Where did you send him?”

Yoongi grits his teeth. “Where else? To find one of those NIS dogs that’ve been on our ass.”

“NIS?” You repeat. Your brow furrows. Not the Foxes?

Hoseok fights for strength. “Asshole had... pistol. Nice one. With a silencer.”

“Hoseok, shut up!” The doctor is terrifying in his own right, and Hoseok finally falls silent.

You, on the other hand, want to scream.

Because this is too much of a coincidence.

Because you just saw the dull light of a silenced pistol thirty minutes ago.

No. Your mind instantly rejects your next thought as you stumble, reaching behind you to grasp desperately at anything to support your falling weight. Joon... There’s no way. He has to be a Fox. Or someone from another family. Not a NIS agent. Anything but. No. No. No—

“What’re you doing?” Yoongi snaps.

You whip your eyes up, then bolt in lieu of answer out the door. The room is too suffocating despite your aching feet. You need time to think. You need to figure out what the hell is happening. You need to know the truth, god damn it, and not just the twisted mess your mind is making of every little piece of evidence that just seems to lead to the worst conclusion.

“Hey!” Taehyung calls, but you blow past him.

You finally find safety in the form of your room and a slammed door. You slide down against it, cradling your drooping head in your arms. Don’t be stupid. Think! You force yourself to focus on the evidence, on the knowledge that you know for a certainty, not the way he smiled into your kisses with lips lethally sweet. Or how he held you close as if he could be your safety, your world instead of the very knife that slices across your heart. You close your eyes.

One fact remains absolute.

He has betrayed you. No amount of feelings, regardless of how complicated and intense, changes that. He is your enemy. He has always been your enemy, even if you only feel alive, truly alive in his arms.

“...I have to tell Yoongi,” you whisper to yourself, but you can’t bring yourself to move, unknown whether from sorrow or fatigue. Your breathing slows. “He needs to know.” But sleep is heavy on your body, refusing to release its hold. You don’t fight it. You let your head fall another few inches. You’ll tell Yoongi in the morning, in a couple of hours. The settling darkness decides this for you.

This is the last shred of kindness you’ll give to Joon.

You wake to cold steel pressed against your forehead.

It is crammed with enough strength to leave a pink indent, a painful swell that you instinctively shift away from. You are still disoriented from slumber, blinking, trying to gather yourself. But the tapered end chases you down like a relentless hound.

Something shoves your arm. You wince when you hit the floor, forced from the door. Your instincts finally kick in, and you propel yourself away, as far away as you can. Who the hell... You let out a strangled noise when you see.

Yoongi stares down at you, ice in his eyes, a gun pointed squarely at your head.

“Yoongi, wh—”

“You betrayed us.”

You immediately shake your head. “No. No, I haven’t!”

“You think I haven’t noticed you sneaking out?” Yoongi takes a step, bringing his gun closer. “Creeping around like a rat.”

He... knew? You made sure you weren’t being followed each and every time. But did you slip up in your haste?

“I let you go. I know you’ve been having issues. But tell me, is it fun to spill all our secrets to your friends at the NIS?” A delirious grin is stretched across Yoongi’s lips. Your quivering eyes shift between that and the barrel of the gun. “Is it fun to watch the rest of us flounder in the dark? You hate what’s been left to us so much?”

“No, Yoongi, please, you have to believe me, I didn’t—”

“Then how did the NIS know Hoseok was coming?!” Yoongi shakes the pistol, tilting it on its side. “Every Thursday, they have a meeting. A mandatory meeting. Yet there he was, waiting for OUR MAN to appear.”

Your tongue is fat in your mouth. He said he was free. He said he was going to the gym. He— Oh god, it’s your fault. It’s your fault Hoseok was shot.

“No answer, huh? Just as I fucking thought.” Yoongi snorts. “Maybe you should be more careful the next time you talk to ‘Joon’.”

“H-How...”

He holds up your com, the triple lock utterly bypassed. “Or should I say Kim Namjoon. Agent of the NIS.” Your stomach lurches. “I told you not to trust anyone outside of the family, and look what you’ve done! You’ve compromised all of us. You’re out, sis.” Yoongi raises his hand and he cocks the gun.

Do you knock it out of his hands? Do you run? Or do you just take the punishment you deserve?

You suck in a breath that could very well be your last one.

“Get down!”

A scream hurtles through your open door. “Get the fuck down!” Explosions like fireworks blast from far away, sounding like they’re coming from the foyer.

A body dashes past your room. “What’s going on?” Yoongi yells as he turns, his hand faltering. “What’s happening?”

You see your chance. You lunge forward and wrestle the gun from his grip. “Hey!” You twist your body to avoid a shot but none goes off as you shove Yoongi to the floor.

“I’m sorry!” You gulp as you speed past him in bare feet. “I’ll explain everything later, I promise!” You can’t die yet. You can’t die here. You know Yoongi has other weapons on him. He’ll be fine if it comes to that.

You run towards the source of noise, staying in the shadows of corners, of tiny hideaways. The shots just keep firing, peppered with yells and cries so muddled you can’t recognize any of them. You are a turn away when you spot Jun in the foyer.

“Ju—”

“Aaagh!” Jun crashes to the ground, skids. A suit has one knee on his back, yanking his arms behind him to slap steel handcuffs on. NIS. So clearly NIS with that uniform. How did they find you? How did they get here?! You’re rooted, your face half hidden in the dark, half lit with the bleary, unchanging light. You desperately want to save him, but you only have one gun.

The agent on Jun suddenly whips his head up. His eyes connect with yours, and you recognize him. JK. Joon, no, Namjoon’s ‘friend’. They really played you for a fool and you ate it all up. But now JK’s arm is coming up, about to betray your location.

“Get out!” Jun screams at you before his cheek is forced to the concrete again.

“I’m sorry,” you whisper, knowing your voice is too quiet to reach him. Then you go.

The agents swarm your headquarters, spreading like flies across the space. You spot them down the corridor leading to the infirmary. Hoseok must be compromised too. You keep running.

There is one exit deep within that is bound to be safe. There’s no way they’ve penetrated so deeply. Not yet. It’s hidden in the office that used to belong to your parents: a tiny tunnel. You just have to get past the dining hall first. A wide open space.

“Get the fuck back!”

Yoongi’s voice cuts across the hall as soon as you reach the doors. You duck, taking shelter behind a wall. Yoongi is locked in a stalemate, staring down an agent with his lazer pistol. They’re taking steps back, slowly moving closer to where you are. He’s trying to get a vantage point, knowing this space much better than the NIS.

Then you see the agent coming from his blindside.

No! You leap out, instantly aiming your gun at the agent’s arm. You pull the trigger.

No shot comes out. You desperately pull it again, but it’s too late.

“Fuck!” Yoongi finally spots the suit but by the time he spins, an electric shock pulses through the air from the agent’s immobilizer. It smacks Yoongi right in the side, coursing through his system as he shakes uncontrollably before collapsing. And he stays down.

You blink away the tears as you rip yourself from the scene. The breaths come up in great shuddering gulps as you try to keep calm but your hands just keep shaking. They shake so badly you can barely pull the bullet chamber out. It’s empty. God damn it. God damn your brother and his bleeding heart.

You claw at your coat collar, trying to loosen what feels too tight around your constricting throat. Adrenaline makes your head pound, and you know you have no more time to spare. You have to go. You have to leave Yoongi behind.

The dining hall is out, but there’s one more pathway to the office. It’ll take longer, but you have no other choice. You change directions, tucking the gun into your pocket like a safety charm.

A handful of excruciating minutes later, you find yourself in front of the office door. You haven’t been here in years, unable to bear the emotions that surface but you’re already so frazzled it doesn’t matter anymore. You slip inside.

The entrance is only accessible via fingerprint, built into the wooden desk that looks so ancient no one would suspect the technology it holds. You approach, instantly swept with relief. Thank god. On the desk, you see a tiny V drawn in red. Taehyung was here. Taehyung is safe. Three dots are haphazardly smeared next to it. Three others made it out with him. You’re going to be the fourth.

You flip the cover and press your thumb to the scanner.

Then someone calls your full name. Your real name. The voice is a rich baritone, one you could never forget. “Please. Wait.” The door shuts again with a click.

You face him, hoping every line of fury is carved in your expression. “Kim Namjoon.” Your hands curl into fists. “NIS agent.”

“...Yeah. That’s me.”

Namjoon stands before you in one of those tapered black suits that look so odd on him when you’re used to the slacks, the baggy tees. His hair is slicked back, and he holds that same pistol you saw in the darkness of his apartment.

You scoff. “I have nothing to say to you, Namjoon.”

“What about to Joon?”

“He doesn’t exist.”

“Neither does Dahlia.”

You press your lips together into a thin line. “What do you want with me? I’m useless to you now, aren’t I?”

“No. Never.”

You rake an exasperated hand through your sweaty hair. “I don’t know what you want me to say, really.” You want to scream at him, to let out every ounce of frustration but you just feel exhausted. “I fucking slept with you, Namjoon. Meanwhile you and all your buddies were probably laughing your asses off at how stupid I was. I broke every rule to be with you and you were just lying to me. About everything.”

“Well, I broke protocol too! It’s not like I went in there trying to sleep with you. I would never use you like that.”

You scoff. “Forgive me for finding it hard to believe you right now.”

“Please.” He tries to step closer, but you shake your head, glare at him to keep his distance. “Tonight and every night we’ve spent together. It meant something to me.”

“It meant you were getting the info you wanted.”

“No. My duties as agent ended the second I kissed you tonight. What came next was all me. It’s always been me with you on the drives. The picnics. Watching the stars.” You have to give him credit, he actually looks apologetic. Maybe ‘actor’ should be on his resume too. “Please.” He repeats your real name, and it sounds so foreign in his mouth you almost want to recoil. “You felt something tonight too. You can’t deny it.”

“Don’t talk like you know me.”

He shakes his head. “But I do know you. I know how your eyes sparkle when you talk about all the things you want to see, all the world you still want to explore. I know that you laugh at stupid puns and that you love the smell of stale movie popcorn like a weirdo. And I want to know so much more. I always do.”

You swallow the emotion that you can’t make entirely disappear, hating that he’s so goddamn right. “Look, Joon, Namjoon, whatever. None of that matters anymore. I... I have to go.” The trapdoor in the floor is still open, standing by. And the longer you wait, the more agents infiltrate your family, corrupt this space.

“Okay.” Namjoon sighs, and you think he’s going to arrest you. But instead, he just looses his grip on his gun. “You can leave. I’ll let you. I’ll pretend I didn’t see you, that I was too late.” He lets the pistol fall. It hits the floor with a dull thud. “But just know that you’ll be running forever.”

He suddenly extends his arm to you, palm up. “Or you can come with me. And you’ll have to face the consequences, but I’ll fight for you. I promise, I’ll fight damn hard. And at the end of it all... It might take months, it might take years, but you’ll be free.”

You stare at the pitch black of the tunnel.

Taehyung is waiting for you on the other side with your family. The people you’ve grown up with, the people responsible for giving you life. Or at least, the façade of life you’ve lived up until now. How much do you still owe them? When will it be enough?

On your exhale, you find Namjoon’s eyes. See the flicker of light reflected in their depths.

Trembling, you place your hand in his.

a/n: thank you for reading. truly. this is my first time writing something so ambitious. i wanted to present a world where things are all various shades of grey, where there is never a right answer. some characters were so difficult to write, but i hope their reasons for their actions were clear enough in the end. i would love to hear your thoughts on the piece & any feedback is always greatly appreciated!

special shout out to @jeonshome who fed my insanity throughout the writing & kept me from imploding. please send her tons of love. i would give her all the star flower bouquets in the sky if i could ✨

p.s. you can find extra drabbles for this AU on my masterlist!

#bloom #namjoon x reader #bts smut #namjoon smut #bts imagines #bts reactions #kim namjoon #bts assassin #assassin au #criminal au #bts angst #under fire collab #bscproject #thanks for reading everyone!!#this one is so dear to me #i really hope you enjoy it #rain writes

4K notes · View notes