#ive gone so much of my life trying not to react while getting tickled so they dont find out about the thing

[happyandticklish]

Me: It’s so nice how when you’re tickled you can laugh freely and just be yourself ^^

Also me while getting tickled: If I laugh I will get a bad grade in getting tickled, something that is both normal to fear and possible to achieve. 

[godsofmonster]

Bangtan MC ≽ IV.

Reader x Bangtan- Motorcycle Club

Word Count- 8.9k

Warnings- sexual content, death, murder, guns, drugs, violence, betrayal,  mentions of suicide, mentions of rape, etc.

For as long as I can remember back, I always wanted to be in a motorcycle club. Since I was six years old, the only thing on my mind was getting my hands on a Harley and a cut. I was a wolf, a wild cur, cut from the pack with bloodstained on my fur. Every wrong has marked a debt because a beaten dog never forgets.

My foot tapped against the pavement while I kept shuffling in my seat. The surrounding tables were empty, despite it being lunchtime. I could see over the balcony from my place at the table. My eyes watched down the street for any oncoming cars. I played with the glass of water in front of me, swirling the straw and knocking the pieces of ice against the rim. 

"(Y/n)?" 

I caught a glimpse of his figure from the corner of my eye. I immediately rose to greet him but hit my knee on the metal edge in the process. The feeling tickled my bone and shot down my leg.

I attempted to groan quietly but could not mask the injury in my expression. 

"Are you alright?" 

I felt his hand on my shoulder as I leaned over in pain. Great first impression, I thought. 

"Yes, I'm fine," I replied, sucking up the pain and standing straight. When I turned to look at him, I was taken back by a pair of dark eyes. A set of thick black brows hung over his eyes, matching a head of full black hair cut short on the sides. His skin was tan and his jawline was cutting, I didn't expect him to be so young. 

"Anthony Romero," He said gently, offering his hand out for me to take in a greeting. 

I held his hand and couldn't help but stare at how attractive he was. "Please, sit."

I looked down to take my chair, being wary of the edge of the table, before seating myself. He took the opposite seat across from me, allowing us a moment to settle before speaking, 

"Well, you certainly look the part," He joked lightly, trying to break the tension between us. 

I looked down at what I was wearing. It was a rendition of what I had been wearing this entire week; dark-colored jeans, a Guns and Roses t-shirt, and my leather jacket. It was definitely a 180 to his city boy outfit. 

"I haven't had time to go shopping," I replied, stiffly. Even though, my current style was simply a more mature version of this. 

"Have you looked through the-" He took the menu in his hands, speaking casually. 

"I'm not very hungry." I cut him off fairly quickly. I didn't mean to be rude, however, I was uncomfortable being seen in public. 

I had advised him beforehand, that meeting, and staying out of Blackburn would be the best idea. The town could recognize an outsider from a mile away. In my opinion, the next town over was not far enough. "I'd like to say something first before we begin," 

"Of course," He set the menu down and gave me his full attention. 

There was a switch in his head that brought him from casual to business. I could see it on the night of his eyes. It was almost intimidating.

"I've been working with the DEA for three years, this job has given me a sense of moral direction- if you will," I said, hoping for him to understand where I was coming from. "I've had to leave this life behind a long time ago. I literally left everything here in California."

Romero watched me intently, his eyes searching my being for any signs I could give off. He read my body language, how tense and worried I was. 

"I can still leave all of this behind, but I can not- will not let this club die."

He sighed at my words, sinking back in his seat, as I continued,

"I want to help you take down the Camilo Cartel, but I need to know that our investigation isn't going to hurt the MC."

"(Y/n) I understand your relationship with the club, but you said it yourself, you haven't had a connection to them in seven years." I grabbed my drink, taking a sip of the cold water as I felt my body heat with emotion. "Bangtan has been on ATF's radar for years. They aren't a Robinhood club anymore- they're a gang. One that's been dealing arms to gangs all over California."

"We aren't ATF," I told him bluntly. 

He looked at me severely offended. I knew what my words sounded like to his ears. I had looked at him in the eyes and told him I didn't care. 

"You want us to cut a deal with the club?" He scoffed at the idea. "You know they'd never take it."

"No, I want you to make a deal with me," I tried not to sound demanding, but I needed to be honest with him if this was going to work. “Nothing I say about this club can be used against them.”

"You had a deal," He snapped. He didn't have to raise his voice to make me feel his rage. I could see it in his gestures, the fire burning in his eyes. "Don't forget, you came to work with us so you wouldn't serve a ten-year sentence for heroin possession."  

"The deal was I helped the DEA put away a shot caller," Back when I was shooting up heroin nearly twice a day, I had grown close to a high ranking gang member, who was part of a large network of dope dealers. "I came to work afterward because it was the only good thing I had ever done with my life."  

His stare only became more troublesome. I sighed to myself, also leaning away from the conversation. "I understand if you can't make me this deal. But then, I need you to fire me and find another way to get to the Cartel. I'm not going to destroy this club or let them destroy themselves."  

"You think you can save them?" He asked as if I was filled with senseless hope. 

"If they don't taste this drug money, I think we can," I was stubbornly hopeful.  

"The DEA just wants the Cartel. As long as you help us through the information from Bangtan, we won't prosecute them." Agent Romero stood from his chair and pulled out his phone. "I'll make the call and get you the paperwork."

I could finally breathe easy once he stepped away to make that phone call. Bangtan could never understand my situation, why I would be working with the DEA in the first place. It was everything our lifestyle preached against. We were anarchists. 

Emma Goldman said,

Anarchism stands for the liberation of the human mind from the dominion of religion. The liberation of the human body from the coercion of property; liberation from the shackles and restraint of government. It stands for a social order based on the free grouping of individuals. 

That's what Bangtan was supposed to represent and it did, a long time ago, before it knew the payment of sin. When your life is moved off the social grid, you give up on the safety that society provides. On the fringe, blood and bullets are the rules of the law and if you have convictions, violence is inevitable. When you take action to avenge the ones you love, personal justice collides with social and divine justice. You become a judge, jury, and god. Some people cave under the weight, others abuse the momentum. But the true outlaw finds the balance between the passion in their heart and the reason in their mind. 

Bangtan was lost under my father's leadership. I didn't realize that until I was gone from his side. I hated to admit that maybe, under Namjoon, the club could find their way back. I just had to make sure that happened.

"I'll have the paper ready for you later tonight," Agent Romero said, returning to the table. He pulled the chair out for himself, "I'm hoping to just go over some basic information with you for right now." 

"Alright," I would still be mindful of the information we discussed, nothing would be set until I signed those papers.  

I moved into the front of my jacket, taking hold of a pack of cigarettes that I regretted at the moment of purchasing, but now was grateful for. Romero remained with his phone in his hands, looking through images that I couldn't make out from my seat. 

"As of right now, the number of members in the club is unknown to us. However, we think it's somewhere between twenty-five to thirty." He said, his eyes still trailing over the screen. I pulled out a square from its tight pack, arranging it between my dry lips and flickering my zippo lighter. Romero reacted to the sound, his eyes finding their way to me but not daring to say anything against it. "Of course, there are the eight members who are at the head of the table as of right now- well, seven now,"

He stammered over the sensitive information. Romero looked over my expression for any sign of discomfort. The only thing he found was the nicotine leaving my mouth in smoke form. "Bangtan was established in 1987, all of the original founding members are either in prison or dead. They are what is identified as part of the 1% of motorcyclists that practice in criminal activity for a living."

That was something that Bangtan wore as a patch on their cuts. The 1% patch referred to a comment by the American Motorcyclist Association, that 99% of motorcyclists were law-abiding citizens, implying the last one percent were outlaws. "According to ATF reports, Bangtan established a direct line to a secret Russian group that dealt with firearms. Despite constant observations and raid attempts, they've never been able to catch them with a large possession of illegal firearms."

"Bangtan doesn't cross their money streams, the bar is a legitimate business. They have a separate location for their illegal activity." I said to him. 

They learned that the hard way. The only thing you would find in the bar is watered down alcohol and burner phones. 

"They built a compromise with the Pure Brotherhood fifteen years ago, to keep the drug trade out of Blackburn." My father knew what drugs could do to a person. He didn't want me, or any of the youth in the town to grow up knowing that trouble. 

"Until now," Agent Romero placed his phone on the table and sighed. He knew my words were true and that things were about to get much worse. 

"You have to know, as well as I do, that Bangtan joining the Cartel is a matter of when- not if." I did know. I just didn't want to admit it. "If it comes to supporting a neo-nazi group, who are preparing for the great race war- or an organized, billion-dollar trade. The option is pretty clear to me." 

Romero was right. Supporting a racist organization was never something the club appreciated. It was bad business and the Camilo Cartel was the perfect way out of it. 

"The club knows how commanding Camilo will be. They won't give in without some kind of backlash of other members." I said, hoping that was enough to stall them. 

He didn't seem very convinced by my reasons as a waitress came by with a glass of water for him. He thanked her and ordered something for himself that I didn't quite hear. 

"For you?" She politely smiled at me. I waved her off with a hand gesture, trying to be as pleasant as I could. 

We observed her leave the balcony to place his order. Romero set the notes of his phone away and began to ask me questions.

"What can you tell me about the local law enforcement?" There wasn't much to say.

"They obviously don't appreciate the sense of authority the club has over the town. But they have let a few things slide from time to time." I took another drag, a deeper one than before. "Are they going to assist in this investigation?"

"We'll have to let them know so that they don't interfere with anything." It was just courtesy but I didn't trust the Blackburn police. Bangtan would definitely have cops who were on their side. 

"How is your relationship with the current members?" A combination of the question and the nicotine made my hand tremble.

"I went to school with some of them. They're rather polite to me because of my father." I'm sure he wanted more detail than that. 

"What about your step-brother? Namjoon Kim?" 

"It's complicated," I said growing sick of the cigarette in my hand, tossing it to the floor. 

"Can you get close to him?" I looked Romero in the eyes and knew what his words meant. 

However, with our history, his words took on a whole other meaning in my head. A twisted smile appeared on my lips. 

"Yes, I can." 

-

After I met with agent Romero, I retreated to my crappy motel. I sat on my standing Harley in the parking lot and dreaded entering the depressing space. Then I recalled the comment Romero had made about my outfit. I decided against entering, taking his advice, and putting my father's money to good use. 

I left my bike parked at the motel and went on foot to the nearby boutique shops. I might have been raised by bikers, but I liked to think I still had decent taste in fashion. At least, when it comes to dressing myself, I'll wear anything as long as I can put my leather jacket over it. 

I stared at the racks filled with hanging clothing, the colors arranged in no particular order, made me feel discouraged. There was nothing but low-cut blouses that would slip off the second I hit 20 miles on my bike. I was pleased to find pants that weren't ripped or acid dipped. This particular store also had a fine selection of vegan leather. It wasn't as nice as real leather, but it was certainly cheaper. 

"Hey, (Y/n)." 

I didn't recognize the male voice at first, but when I turned around, I was greeted by a sunny smile. Hoseok was standing a few feet beside me, and Yoongi was just behind him. "Doing some shopping?"

"Uh, yeah," I responded, placing the brown leather jacket in the pile of clothes I had already picked out. I turned to face them a little more before asking, "What are you guys doing here?"

I specifically referred to the fact that this was a female boutique. The two of them looked humorously out of place in their leather cuts, standing in the small, soft-colored store. 

"His sister's back in town," Yoongi responded fairly bored. 

"I wanted to get her something," Hoseok explained further. I assumed he had dragged Yoongi along for some reason. "But honestly, I have no idea what to look for."

Hoseok looked a little flustered in his expression. I sensed that he was entertaining the idea of me offering him guidance. I suppose this could be my chance, to put my fashion senses to the test.

"Well, what does she like?" I prompted, hoping he would have some kind of outline for me to think in.

 "She's really into fashion but I don't know what size she wears," He said. His hand lazily pushing through the rack of clothing, like he didn’t know where to start.

"If that's the case, you can get her accessories," I told him. I figured that would be easiest for both of us. My eyes peered around the room, remembering having seen some stuff earlier. 

I spotted some things hanging on the wall on the other side of the store. I advanced in that direction with Hoseok trailing behind me. We pushed through some racks of clothing to reach the large wall of accessories. 

"There are hats and scarves,” I said, reaching out to touch some of the fabrics. Jewelry also hung in packs and pairs, the false metal reflecting the sunlight. “Maybe not this jewelry though, it looks cheap."

Hoseok chuckled as he eyed the things on the wall. Any of the things on the wall didn't seem too horrendous. I even kept my eyes open for anything I might like. Most of the wall was fool’s gold of necklaces and earrings. The bottom shelf held hats, nothing I found particularly interesting though. Some of the items looked to have been savaged by kids who could reach. That only left the scarves. They were dangling, one after the other, rows and rows of them. I came across a silk scarf that was cool to the touch. 

"Look at this," I said, getting Hoseok’s attention. It was a square shape scarf, with berry colors of flowers and patterns. "These colors are in right now, since it's almost autumn. The silk also won't stick to her in this California sun." 

"Yeah, this looks nice." He sounded satisfied with this item. He fiddled with the material in his fingers and then found the price tag. "$80?!"

I knew that silk scarfs were expensive, especially in a little boutique like this one. I patted his shoulder and gave him a fake empathetic look,

"That's the price of beauty," I joked. 

"As if this scarf is going to do all the work," He responded, a little annoyed. 

Hoseok settled on the scarf as a gift, regardless. I felt content with the hangers in my hand. It was enough clothing to keep me from looking like an angsty adolescent.

"I didn't see your bike parked in front," Hoseok mentioned as we strolled together to the register. 

"I'm staying at the motel nearby," I replied vaguely. Hoseok stood back and allowed me to put my things down first. I greeted the woman politely and turned back to look at them.

"That lousy place down the street?" Yoongi then questioned. Just by the look on his face, he seemed to know exactly which one."That place has roaches." 

"Thanks for reminding me," I bantered lightly. I should definitely look for a better place, I thought as the woman began to scan my items. I leaned against the counter, my feet aching a bit from just being up and around. 

"I thought Namjoon told you to stay at his place," Hoseok said, recalling the exact moment. 

"The prince doesn't always get what he wants," I shrugged. 

Then I failed to hide the sneer on my mouth as I found myself to be hilarious. I made eye contact with the other two also, only Hoseok smiled at me, while Yoongi awkwardly nodded his head. I thought they were a strange pair as I searched for my wallet on my person.

"Well, you should check out my new Harley," I was admittedly intrigued by Hoseok's offer. I located my purse in the depths of my jacket and peeped his way. By the look on his face, I could tell he was excited to show off. He was like a child in a candy shop.

"Oh, yeah?" I was interested to find out more. My eyes scanned the monitor of the register for my final price of the clothing. 

"Year model," He beamed proudly. 

I counted the bills of twenty in my hand before handing them over to the women. I grabbed a hold of the three large paper bags where my purchases had been stuffed into. Hoseok set the dainty scarf on the register next. 

"You still got your Deluxe, Yoongi?" I asked out of curiosity, recalling just barely the bike he used as a prospect. He simply nodded his head as an answer. 

I had been thinking of getting myself one a while back. I loved vintage style bikes, especially when they had modern engines. 

"Yeah well, I left the cruiser for a street bike," Hoseok remarked as we waited for him to finish paying. 

I thought a bike could say a lot about a person. I personally liked cruiser bikes over any other style. However, everyone in the club had their own preference. Jimin and I had a similar taste in bikes. We mostly found interest in the same Harleys, except that he owned a Low Rider, which was a billiard blue color. 

"What is it? An Iron 833?" I guessed. Thinking, in my head, that it was a well-suited bike for him. 

"Close," Hoseok laughed, as he took hold of a smaller version of my bags. We all began to walk toward the exit, the woman wishing us a good day. "It's an Iron 1200, solid black." 

I had an idea of what that bike looked like, but I had yet to see the new model for the year. "I just picked it up yesterday morning,"

Yoongi held the door open for me to step out first. Hoseok was still speaking in my ear as they followed out the door of the shop. His talking came to a soft silence as we were faced with the two member's Harleys. Their bikes were parked right in front of the boutique. Except, it appeared that Hoseok's new Harley was being used in a photoshoot.

There was a pair of strangers, a man who was posing on the bike with his motor racer jacket. A woman stood in front of him, trying to capture the image on a cell phone. 

"Take the damn picture, already." He cursed at her. The man looked annoyed every time he wasn't posing for the picture. 

"I'm trying," The blonde woman responded. She sounded very apologetic like she didn't want him to get upset with her. Like she knew what would happen if he did. 

Before I could even think to look at the boys, Hoseok was handing me his shopping bag. I took a hold of it and followed behind them as they approached the scene.

Hoseok walked up the woman as Yoongi circled his bike. 

"Here, let me do it." Hoseok smiled at her, gently taking the phone from her hands. The woman looked startled. 

"Shit," She was wide-eyed. "I-I told him on to,"

"It's all right," Hoseok was sympathetic to her. I came around to her side, gently taking a hold of her arm and guiding her away from the position.

Hoseok’s eyes rearranged to look at the man. "He looks like a guy that knows how to get what he wants,"

She followed my advice and stepped aside with me. Now seeing her face more clearly, I took notice of the healing injury on her mouth. "Did you do that to her lip?"

Hoseok questioned casually. The guy didn’t seem alarmed by any means, not even when he stepped toward him.

"Bitch has a mouth on her," The man said chuckling. He spoke to Hoseok as if he would understand where he was coming from. "You know how it is, right?" 

"Yeah, I do." Hoseok laughed, returning the man's smile. I was painfully aware of how close Hoseok was getting to him. He, who still hadn't moved from his seat on the bike. "So you like Harley's, huh?" 

"Well, they look good," He replied, patting a handprint on the metal of the gasoline tank. That made even me. even a little angry. "But I'm more into the slant bikes, for their speed." 

I eyed the Kawasaki Ninja 300 that was parked a few spots over. There was no way this couple was from Blackburn- people around here knew better. He was in for a rude awakening. 

"Right, right." The courtesy in Hoseok's voice brought an uneasy feeling in my stomach. He looked back down at the phone in his hands and tapped the almost sleeping screen. "Here,"

He said, holding the phone up to take the picture of the man. Yoongi stepped around his bike, standing right beside Hoseok. "Say cheese,"

I almost felt bad for the guy who dared to smile for the picture. After the phone clicked, Hoseok handed the phone to Yoongi. 

"That's before," Yoongi muttered loudly. 

It wasn't until then that the man noticed something wasn't right. 

"Before?" He asked. 

Hoseok grabbed his helmet off the handlebar. He gripped it tight in his hand as he used the back of it to swing a blow to the guy's face. The single impact was strong enough to make him drop off the Harley. He landed on the cold, hard ground. Blood was draining from his nose and into his mouth.

"Don't ever sit on another man's bike," Hoseok spat. 

"Oh my god," The blondie gasped beside me. You couldn't fail to recognize the giggle in her voice. 

"Shut up, bitch!" The man barked as he was still struggling on the floor with pain. 

Yoongi stepped in as Hoseok went to take care of his bike. He swung his boot into the man's rib cage, making him groan and spit out his own blood. 

"A little respect for the ladies," He warned, squatting down to get a good angle on the man's phone. The shutter of the phone went off again, capturing the man's new state of humble. "That's after."

Yoongi stood back on his legs and allowed the phone to slip from his hands, hitting the floor. 

By the time I thought to check on the blondie next to me, I caught her gawking eyes at Hoseok. I was half surprised to see Hoseok returning the look. He leaned forward on his bike, 

"So, where are you heading?" He flashed her a killer smile.

"Oh," She blushed under his stare. Her fingers fiddling the ends of her clothing as she tried to remain casual. "Nowhere special," 

"Me too," He smirked. Looking the girl up and down before gesturing his head behind him, "Hop on, angel."

This girl wasted no time hesitating. There was even a little kick in her step as Hoseok handed her the helmet he had just used to break her boyfriend's face. I stepped forward to return Hoseok's gift as she straddled on behind him, slipping the helmet over her face. I lost interest sometime before they exchanged names. 

I glanced at the man still laying on the ground. His eyes were wandering over the blood that stained his hands in disbelief. I imagined the blow to the face had left him a little hazy in the head.

"Why don't you let Yoongi give you a ride, (Y/n)?" Hoseok then suggested. The engine of his new bike began to roar. 

The thought wasn't well-received in my head. I had a personal ordeal with men seeking to have me on the back of their bikes. Though I was well aware this wasn't the situation, I couldn't help but be hesitant. 

"Unless you want to stay with the likes of him," Yoongi pointed out, motioning his head to the unfortunate figure on the pavement. 

He gave me the time it took to light his cigarette to think about it. I wasn't afraid of that guy, not after what Hoseok did to him, not after what I had tucked into my jeans. But I figured avoiding the confrontation would be beneficial for everyone. 

"Alright," I said stepping off the sidewalk into the street.

Yoongi left his helmet on the handle of his bike for me to grab. Unlike mine, he had a half helmet that would only serve my brain on a platter if we crashed. I adjusted the loose straps around my chin and switched all my bags to one hand. 

"Better hold on, princess." Yoongi teased as I mounted the seat behind him.

"Don't call me that," I groaned, starting to get irritating flashbacks that made me doubt my current judgment.  

The engine of his Harley trembled under me as I hooked my free hand around his waist. 

His Delux wasn't necessarily meant to hold a passenger but we weren't going very far. I had to scoot in closer to his body, to make sure the weight distribution wasn't too off-center. Many inexperienced riders don't know the difference between riding solo and with someone else. In addition to the extra weight, a passenger changes the center of gravity and how the bike rides. Though, I was certain it wasn't the first time Yoongi had company during a ride. 

"Gem?" I heard the man call over the rumble of the motor. "Gem!"

We were already backed into the street, Hoseok obnoxiously hit the gas on his bike. Yoongi and I followed closely behind him, leaving the man to stumble onto his feet. 

The motel was roughly five minutes away from the shop. Hoseok and his new friend accompanied Yoongi to drop me off. Riding in the back reminded me a lot of being young, I would beg my father to take me for a spin. I would wrap my arms tightly around him, as my head rested on his back. Down these same roads, he would drop me off at school or take me for ice cream. It didn't help that I stared at Yoongi's cut the entire way. Those were some memories I didn't visit very often because they saddened me. Now, more so, than ever. 

The Harleys pulled up in front of the motel. Hoseok parked just beside my bike. Yoongi pressed on the break gently, allowing the bike to come to a complete stop, before planting his feet on the ground. I freed his torso from my arm, adjusting my other grip around my shopping bags, before patting his shoulder.

"Thanks for the ride," I said a bit stiffly. I had to depend on Yoongi's shoulder for stability as I attempted to unmount the bike. 

"No problem," He spoke, still maintaining a cigarette in his mouth. 

He took his hands off the handlebars and rested back in his seat. "I'm sure you could have handled yourself,"

His comment fell ghastly on my ears. I transferred my bags to my other hand, my left-hand aching from having been gripping them as I watched him. 

"I mean, I've seen what you could do with that foot." He said, taking his cigarette out of his mouth and between his fingers. He was clearly referring to the night I arrived when I lost my temper with that PB member. 

"Yes, well, I have my old man's passion," I replied calmly. Though, something in Yoongi's stare made me feel a bit uneasy. His words were hinting at something else. 

"And you're pretty passionate with a gun." The way he looked at me when he said that it was full of doubt. Our eyes correlated, and I felt like his black orbs could see right through me. 

"It reminded me of a cop,"

 A shiver crept down my spine, and my shoulders fell heavy. My manner of confronting that PB member screamed police to any outlaw. My impulsiveness had kept me from thinking that through. 

It was the first time I was being questioned about it. I thought it had slipped by everyone's mind, but not his. 

"Did I scare you that bad, Yoongi?" I teased, trying to react the way I normally would. "I'm just cautious like the rest of you," 

Yoongi didn't appear to be swayed by my words. He brought his cigarette back to his mouth, his cheekbones hollowing in as he took a drag. I was debating on waiting for him to say something else, or on trying to keep justifying myself before Hoseok cut into our conversation. 

I had never been so grateful for Hoseok's existence. 

"Yoongi," Hoseok called out in front of us. We both turned to look at his place still sitting on his Harley. 

We then realized that Hoseok was gesturing to the other side of the lot. We followed his gaze over to a set of people by the sidewalk. 

They were too far away to distinguish any particular details of their identity. However, it looked like two males that were having an eager conversation. I noticed their head kept turning from side to side, and they couldn't keep still. Just when I began to think that it was nothing, one of them reached out for a handshake. 

No one was supposed to deal in Blackburn.

"Jesus Christ," I caught sight of Yoongi flinging his cigarette in a fit. He beat down his kickstand with the bottom of his boot, before making his way off the Harley. 

"Looks like PB," Hoseok stated, accompanying Yoongi's action. 

When he unmounted his bike, blondie gave him a confused stare as she reached out to touch his hand. Her eyes like a lamb gazed at Hoseok sweetly.

"Stay put, angel." He said, using the touch to bring her in closer. He gently touched her chin and planted a kiss on her busted lip. She smiled, uncertain by his words but agreed, regardless. 

"Let's go," Yoongi called, his hand reaching behind him. Without drawing his weaponry, he maintained his hand resting on the handle of the gun under his leather cut. I followed in his footsteps, unsure of what I should do in this situation. 

 Should I attempt to interfere? Or will there be a shoot out right here?

I set my bags on the floor before catching up to Yoongi who was already by Hoseok's side. 

The hooded man remained standing at the end of the parking lot, near the street corner. His customer had vanished but he was still occupied with his cell phone. 

Hoseok noticed me trailing behind Yoongi, 

"Keep an eye on her," He told me, gesturing his eyes to the scared woman on his motorcycle. 

I had to babysit his groupie? 

I stopped where I stood, just beside Hoseok's Iron. I could see blondie looking in my direction, but I was watching Hoseok and Yoongi approach the standing figure. I forced strands of hair away from my line of sight. I could feel my heart begin to beat against my chest. My limbs become stiff as stone. 

I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do in a situation like this. This was my first event as a field agent, and I was about to let a shootout take place. With a liability sitting right next to me. 

"What's going on?" She urged me, but I neglected her completely. 

The hooded figure was so distracted he didn't take any notice of the impending threat. The two members quickened their steps, Hoseok dawdling just a little more ahead of Yoongi.

Without warning, Hoseok skulked behind the body, his arms both wrapped tightly around the torso. It was like a kidnapping scene. He used his large hand to shield the man's mouth. The force of Hoseok's legs pulled them back as he was able to dominate him easily. Yoongi kept his eyes peeled for any potential bystanders as they stumbled their way against the wall of the motel. The wall cast a shadow and provided them with coverage from the view of the street. 

"Oh my god!" Blondie gasped in disbelief. 

She took a hold of my arm in panic. She pulled on my arms as if she wanted us to run. Her frenzy state pestered me greatly.

I yanked her hand from my arm, my fingers clutched around her wrist tightly. She heaved at the pain, I could feel her pulse quickening against my fingertips.

"You make a fucking noise," I hissed at her between my teeth. Her eyes remained full of fear as I pushed her from my hold. "It'll be your last,"

Her eyes followed my actions as I withdrew my Glock from its cover on my hip. She froze with fright, only continuing to remain silent in her place.

I guess I wasn't very good at being a good guy.

The next I looked back, Yoongi was holding the barrel of his gun against the guy's head. He was still fighting against Hoseok's restraint but he was becoming more frantic and less functional. Yoongi's lips were moving, saying words that were too far away for my ears.

Just then, as if things couldn't have been complicated enough; I noticed an oncoming party. Approaching from down the sidewalk was a large white man with a bald head. His arms revealed a clash of tattoos, the only one that I needed to make out was a black swastika peering out his shoulder. He also wasn't shy about the gun tucked in the front of his jeans. He appeared to be searching for his lost friend.

"Shit," I cursed to myself. I had to do something.

I took a moment to look back at blondie, making sure to be as intimidating as possible when I warned her. "Don't move from here,"

I took off immediately, my feet moving at a jogging pace. I attempted to not appear alarmed. I discreetly lead my gun to my side, trying to go unnoticed for the time being. I made it to the end of the parking lot, sitting between me and the sidewalk was a few bushes at waist level. 

Yoongi and Hoseok were preoccupied with the man in front of them to worry about their surroundings. 

The bald man was only a few steps away from reaching the corner, where he would surely find his buddy taken captive.

I moved closer toward the building, both parties coming more clear in my line of sight. If he makes it around that corner, he could catch them by surprise and gain an upper hand quickly. One of the boys could get injured for sure.

I had to follow my instincts. 

I leaned into the bushes for more security. They couldn't have been more than fifteen feet from me. I clutched the metal weight in my hand, raising my arms and seeking to find aim. 

Aim small, miss small. 

I concentrated on the man's shoulder. I took in a deep breath to steady my hands. He was getting bigger with each step. When I exhaled the breath from my nostrils, I pulled the trigger. 

The gunshot rang through the open air and into my ear. Blondie's scream echoed somewhere behind me. The man stumbled on his legs, he clutched his right bicep and his face tore with shock.

Yoongi found me by the bushes. He quickly recognized that my target wasn't far from them. 

My victim quickly discovered me at the end of the sidewalk. He reached for his firearm, but at that moment, Yoongi stepped out of the shadow. He pulled two quick shots before the man could ever hold up his gun. 

He tumbled onto the floor, his legs giving out at the bullet that pierced his foot. The second one ripped through the flesh of his arm and caused his gun to fall from his grip. 

I ran up behind Yoongi, I kept my gun drawn and pointed at the fallen form. With my foot, I stretched for the dropped pistol, dragging it across the cement into my area of reach. I was able to pick it up with ease after that. 

The bald man stared at me with hate emitting from his eyes. He spit at my feet.

I noticed Yoongi's eyes on me, as well. It was almost as if he was conflicted by my actions. With a nod of my head, I assured him that I had their back. Whether he believed me or not, he returned to the current situation.

Hoseok remained holding down the other guy who, was still yelling through his muzzled mouth. His face was red and his eyes were watering with anger and fear. Hoseok released his mouth after the bastard threw a bite at his hand.

Yoongi had enough.

He pushed his hair out of his forehead and, in that same step, hurled his fist to the guy's jaw. Yoongi growled at the impact. He left the man silent in Hoseok's arms. His nose was dripping blood, a gash on his cheek also overflowed with the red liquid. 

"Tell me where the PB is cooking the meth!" Yoongi demanded.

He cocked his gun and pressed the pistol against the fabric that covered the man's genitals. The man cried, he begged Yoongi to not pull the trigger.

"Now, you son of a bitch!"

Hearing it was hard enough, I couldn't watch it.

"I-In Blackburn! In Blackburn!" He ratted instantly.

My stomach churned at his answer. I looked at the scene unfolding beside me. I could see Hoseok and Yoongi were as startled as I was.

"They've got a lab down Riverside road! I-It's an ugly little red house- you can't miss it!"

Yoongi freed the man's crotch from gunpoint as Hoseok shoved him onto the floor. Hoseok stepped around the man's body and came directly to my side. I maintained my aim on the other guy, who was still sitting on the floor, blood oozing out of three different wounds. 

Hoseok rested his hand on my shoulder, gently guiding my arm to lower my gun.  

"Let's get out of here, angel." He whispered sweetly. 

His words somehow managed to ease the knots of tension in my chest. I took a breath of relief and handed him the extra gun I had confiscated. Hoseok smiled at me and tucked the gun away from my sight. He then put his hand on my back, escorting me back the way we came from. 

We had no problem turning our backs to them. They were both disarmed, one was bleeding out, and the other was frightened beyond recognition. There was no need to stick around for the police to show up. If those two guys were smart, they would find a way out of here before they came. The Blackburn policemen would know what happened to them and why.

Yoongi followed right behind us. I could hear his footsteps on the pavement as we strolled toward our bikes. From where we were, I could see blondie was still sitting on Hoseok's Harley.

Except, she appeared to be making a phone call.

"Oh, for fuck's sake." I groaned. Hoseok noticed my gaze and soon saw the same thing I did. She saw us walking in her direction and quickly hung up the phone. 

She looked frightened when we finally approached her. She swung her leg over the bike, getting off on the opposite side of us. As if the Harley would keep us from getting to her. I allowed Hoseok to handle her. 

"Sorry about that, angel," Hoseok's voice was something dangerous. He leaned his hand on the handle of the bike and smiled. "Who was that?"

"M-My boyfriend," She stuttered, trying to not buy into his enchanting smile, not after what she just witnessed. "He's coming to pick me up."

"Good," I muttered. I locked eyes with her for just a moment while I passed by to pick up my shopping backs. I imagined I had traumatized her enough for one day.

"That's too bad you've got to go," I could hear the suggestiveness in Hoseok's voice. 

I walked past Yoongi's bike to my own. I had never been so happy to mount my Harley. The way the engine roared when I turned the gas made me shiver with delight. I walked the bike backward, turning slowly to line up beside Yoongi's. Who was taking advantage of Hoseok's flirting to light up another cigarette.

I followed in his thought and tried to locate the same pack from earlier. 

"I didn't expect you to step in like that," Yoongi suddenly muttered as he stood next to his bike. 

I took the smoke between my two fingers, putting the pack back on my jacket pocket. I held it between my lips and fiddled with my lighter. 

"You didn't think I was trying to arrest you?" I mocked. 

I flicked the lighter a few times, a flame igniting out of the chamber. I held the frame between my palms and used my fingers as a shield from the wind.  

"I'm trying to thank you, here, princess." He sighed.

I smiled and brought the fire to the end of my cigarette. I sucked in the burning tobacco, quickly flicking the lighter shut. 

"Go ahead," I smirked as I held the smoke in my lungs. 

I could tell Yoongi didn't do this very often. His brown eyes glared at me from underneath his black lashes. 

"Oh, forget it." He hissed, inhaling another drag.

Yoongi held his cigarette between his lips and turned his back to me. He mounted his own bike and called out to Hoseok. "Let's go already!"

Hoseok seemed to be working his magic on blondie all over again. He was still leaning on his bike, and she had taken a few paces closer to him. She wasn't scared anymore.

If it wasn't for the obnoxious speed bike coming down the road, Hoseok would have probably been able to convince her back to his place. The black and green bike came to a screeching stop. His face was covered by a full style helmet, so we weren't able to see the aftermath of his humbling experience. 

Hoseok stood up straight, a smirk jeering onto his lips as he viewed the new arrival. Blondie looked over her shoulder and gave Hoseok a sympathetic look. She didn't want to leave now. 

Hoseok grabbed her hand, bringing her knuckles up to his lips. He sent her away, drifting on a cloud. 

Blondie slipped on her matching helmet, before mounting his motorcycle. 

"Ready?" Yoongi asked sarcastically. 

Hoseok's smirk remained on his face as he climbed on his bike. He was just on time as we began to hear police sirens off in the distance. 

"Ready," He replied. 

-

We had made it to the lot of the House of Cards without any trouble. The other handful of Harley's left in the front indicated a full house inside. Standing along the wall of the entrance, Taehyung held a conversation with Yeonjun as he smoked. 

I followed the boys in parking alongside the other bikes. Removing my open-face helmet from my head, I relieved myself of the pressure of its protection. 

"Prospect!" Yoongi called from his place, on his Harley, beside me. 

I set my kickstand down, resting on my bike as I watched Yeonjun leave Taehyung's side. He was wearing his prospect cut over a dark blue flannel, his feet moved quickly, down the open lot. Taehyung remained against the wall, finishing his cigarette alone. 

Once Yeonjun presented himself in front of us, he took a moment to acknowledge me with a smile. Before Yoongi demanded his attention,

"Listen closely," He said, also removing his helmet and slumping in his seat. "You're going to take (Y/n)'s bags, go to the motel on 15th street and check her out."

It made sense that I couldn't stay there after the disturbance. If what the man said was true, it meant that the PB was already taking action against the club. Blackburn wasn't safe anymore. 

"Grab all her things and bring them back here." 

Yeonjun nodded his head in understanding. Both his hands reached down to feel around in his front pocket. From his right one, he pulled out keys to his Harley. 

"Woah!" Taehyung came up behind the young prospect. He reached around him and snatched the keys from his hands. "Who said you can take your Harley?" 

Taehyung stuffed the keys into his pocket and wore a grin while his lips still held his cigarette. 

"Oh come on, Tae," Yeonjun attempted to not sound too annoyed. He sighed, " It'll be easier if I-"

"I bought you a brand new bike, Yeonjun." Taehyung's voice was teasing. "Don't be ungrateful." 

Taehyung took the smoke from his mouth and watched the poor boy give up. I could hear Hoseok chuckle from the other side of Yoongi. I was questioning what they had him doing this time. 

Yeonjun left without another word. He walked toward the back of the bar, I lost sight of him as he disappeared around the corner. Taehyung was left with a permanent grin on his mug. He then turned his attention to the three of us that remained on our bikes. 

"Where are you all coming from?" He asked. We were an odd combination to anyone who saw us.

"We ran into some trouble while shopping," Hoseok replied. He set his helmet on the seat of his bike as he rose from it. "And we picked her up on the way." 

"Lucky me," I quietly joked. 

"What kind of trouble?" Taehyung seemed to be more interested in that. 

Hoseok sighed as he removed his leather gloves. He stuffed them into his front pocket and slowly advanced toward his friend. 

"The kind that we should bring up at church," Yoongi replied. 

Hoseok slipped his arms around Taehyung's shoulder and reassured the gravity of Yoongi's words with his slow head bob. His brows furrowed as he adjusted the bandana that was holding his hair back. 

"Everyone's here now," Taehyung informed him. "I'll let Joon know to call a meeting." 

Yoongi joined the rest of the boys in standing. I was the only one who remained mounting my Harley. 

There was no doubt in my mind that they were going to discuss forms of retaliation. With the new information, it would have to be something powerful. It was going to be a declaration of strength. It was already long overdue. 

"Check it out," Hoseok suddenly called. He was laughing as his eyes were staring down the back of the bar. 

My mouth dropped as I finally got a glimpse of what he was referring too. Literally, on a brand new bicycle, Yeonjun came pedaling down the sidewalk. It was painted black, with rainbow streamers and a gold horn. Yeonjun looked miserable wearing a matching rainbow helmet.

My soft giggle was masked by the loud laughter of Hoseok and Taehyung. They were barely breathing in between the enormous amounts of joy. Even Yoongi failed to conceal the smile on his face as he shook his head in disapproval. 

Yeonjun had no other choice but to accept his cruel fate. 

He came into the parking lot. He stood on his bicycle right beside me, staring at his laughing elders. I put my hand on his shoulder and gave him my most honest look of compassion.

"I'll take your bags now, (Y/n)." The bitterness in his voice was adorable. 

"Thanks, hun." I handed him the shopping bags. "All of my things should be in a backpack on the floor."

He pushed the bags up his arm so that they rested in the crook of his elbow. I also pulled out and handed him my room keys, making sure to give him the money to pay for my short time there. 

"Be careful prospect," Hoseok said. He sounded sincere at the beginning of his statement. But he ultimately couldn't hold back his urge to make jokes. "Don't get a speeding ticket." 

Taehyung broke out laughing all over again. His arms came hurling at his crime partner. The actual image of Hoseok's words killed him. I had never seen them laugh so hard. They looked like a pair of schoolboys. 

"Yeah, yeah," Yoenjun muttered. 

He took off, down the parking lot exit without saying goodbye. Hoseok and Taehyung continued to tease him even as he rode off. They yelled out a combination of mockeries and whistles. 

"Come on!" Taehyung cheered. "Honk your horn for us!"

A distant sound of honking down the street melted my heart. It sent the two boys into another giggling frenzy. One that continued as they turned to walk toward the entrance. Only through the doors is that it finally dissipated from my ears.

Yoongi and I were the only ones who remained. Like me, he watched the pair wander off into their own world.  

"Idiots," Yoongi muttered to himself. 

I was amused by his criticism since he participated in their laughter just moments ago. Yoongi slowly turned my way. His eyes noticed that I had failed to make any sudden movements. 

"You coming in, princess?" He questioned. I tried to accept the new nickname but continued to not endorse it.

"I will," I said, reaching for the whereabouts of my phone. I held it up for him to acknowledge. "I'm just going to look for a new place to stay,"

He didn't need any other form convincing than that. He gave me a single nod and retreated to follow the boys inside. I watched his slim figure walk down to the entrance. He must have sensed my eyes because he looked back before opening the doors. All I could do was send him a wave and a barely visible smile.

I needed to be alone to make this phone call.  

I pressed the phone to my ear and hunched over the fuel tank of my Harley. The ringing made me anxious as I coped to remain calm after everything.

"Yes, Ms. (Y/n), I've just received your final paperwork. You'll be happy to know, the agency has agreed to all your terms just as long-" I had to cut him off. 

"That's going to have to be activated as of right now because I have something," I still kept aware of my surroundings, making sure my voice wasn’t too loud.

I looked out for anyone, even just bystanders on the street.

"What did you find out?" His voice asked instantly.

"They have a possible chance for retaliation, with location and everything," I muttered into the phone, still trying to remain vague for several reasons. 

"Listen, (Y/n), we need to be there when they make their choice. Stay on the club- when they move, so do we." He spoke to me sternly. His voice wasn't comforting at all. "Do you understand?"

Bangtan's next moves would decide the future of this club. Their alliance with the PB was beneficial. Did they have the necessary tools to cut that deal on their own? Or were they going to turn to Camilo for help?

I sighed.

"Yes,"

Masterlist ≽

[civilians-of-nothingtown]

“ Be careful. ”

Jakkal's low, rumbling voice echoed from the couch, where he's been sleeping. He wasn't about to have Rose sleep on the couch -- so he took it instead and let her sleep in his bed.

“ I should be alright, Jak. I'm bringing my pistol. ”

Despite being off-duty, she shakily took the familiar gun off the table and shoved it into her waistband. She was wearing a heavy sweatshirt and jeans, not caring to conceal her wings and tail. It was nighttime, after all.

The door creaked as she opened it, starting out onto the cold street. It was rainy season; it made the usual lively neighborhood dim and lifeless. The streets shone with the light from the florescent signs of still-open motels as she walked.

‘ That thing has been here for ages. I thought they were tearing it down..? ’

She thought this to herself as she passed a huge old warehouse. It was a restricted area -- private property. As an upholder of the law, she strongly refused the urge to go inside, but it's usually dark interior was aglow with an eerie light. It was a soft purple.

The place was in disrepair -- more than a dozen eviction notices were stapled and taped to the rotting wooden door, and it stunk of garbage and something Rose couldn't put her finger on. She drew her pistol and begrudgingly decided to investigate -- she had her badge with her anyway, if anyone tried to stop her.

She pushed the door open, yelping when it simply fell off of it's hinges and splashed into the mud. The light was coming from the main room.

Once she got there, her shoes were caked with mud -- but that didn't matter.

Medical equipment was set up and strewn all over inside the room, all surrounding a glowing glass tube. The instruments were disgusting, caked with blood and dirt. She was glad she couldn't see what the floor was actually covered in -- it may not have been mud at all.

She carefully made her way up to the tube, cautious as to not touch anything. She's planning on reporting it immediately, and getting a team out here. But for now...

A sudden sob made her stumble backwards into a medical table; cursing in surprise. So much for not touching anything. She went up to the tube again, wiping the grime off of it so she could peer inside.

A small figure with soft white hair and odd marking on their skin sat curled into a ball. Oddly, their hair was the only clean thing about them. Everything else was caked in their own blood, including the floor of the tube itself. They cracked an eye open, and gasped upon seeing her face. They backed up against the wall, revealing an equally dirty tail.

“ Hey, hey, calm down, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm a good guy. ”

Rose said quietly, trying to get them to calm down. She searched for an opening, or a door of some sort, but there was nothing.

They didn't move, they simply stared at Rose with their milky white eyes, filled with fear. Tears left clean patches of skin where they washed away the grime.

Finding no other way, she made a difficult choice. She's going to have to shoot the glass.

“ Hey, little buddy, I know you're scared, but I'm going to have to shoot the glass to get you out, okay? It's going to be loud, but I'm doing it to help you. ”

She hoped the person understood, but they still didn't move. She sighed softly and aimed at the bottom of the tube, and fired. The person screamed loudly and started to sob again, glass shattering all over them both.

Rose stepped into the remains of the tube, extending her hands out to the person -- but they scrambled away, slipping off the metal pedestal and into the mud below. They didn't care.

Right then, Rose realized something. She realized why she's so compelled to this person. They remind her of herself. When Leo still had his hold on her mind. She shuddered just thinking about it.

She stepped down into the mud, carefully approaching the person again. They looked at her fearfully at first, but oddly seemed to relax ever so slightly when they saw her wings. She got close enough to grasp their hand softly, their little claws digging into her palm. They were trembling.

“ I'm not going to hurt you... ”

She repeated, still murmuring. She put her gun to the side and held their other hand, right before they lurched forward and grabbed onto her for dear life. Rose tensed up at first, but with how much they were shaking, she realized that she had to be the strong one here.

She yanked the sticky probes off of their head, but left the IV and the cuffs on. She didn't want to hurt them anymore.

“ This is gonna tickle, really quick... ”

Rose gently caressed their cheek as they cried into her chest, the long cuts and scrapes on their face slowly closing up. Whatever markings on their skin flickered dimly, like a dying lightbulb.

They still said nothing.

“ Here... Let me get you someplace safe. Jakkal'll take good care of you. ”

For the first time, they acknowledged what she said with a small nod. Rose stood up, her lower half covered in mud, and carefully picked them up out of the glop and carried them. They were surprisingly light, despite the mud caking their tail.

It had started to rain outside, and she regretted not bringing an umbrella.

‘ What are they? ’ She thought, having taken her hoodie off and slipped it onto them. They'd likely freeze in the rain without it; she had neglected to realize that they were naked until the rain had washed away some of the mud. The walk home wasn't long, but by the time she rang the doorbell, they were both soaked.

“ ... Mmh, welcome ba -- ”

Jakkal, who had answered the door, paused. He looked at the sopping wet person she was carrying and asked no questions; he simply let the two in and sat the person on the table in the kitchen with towels. For having such a big house, he had only one guest room -- which was reserved for emergencies.

Which this definitely was an emergency.

Jakkal slipped the hoodie off, the person too cold and in pain to react to his presence. Rose healed up the minor cuts the best she could, while Jakkal worked on the bigger cuts. He stitched them up nicely and wrapped them with gauze, scrubbing at the dirty skin with a warm, damp cloth.

“ You say you found it in the electrical warehouse? I thought that was abandoned. ”

“ They're not an it, they're a person. And yes, I did. It was filled with weird medical supplies, and they were in a tube... ”

Jakkal carefully worked out the IV from their arm and pulled the cuffs off. His ears twitched, the smell coming from the person's infected wounds making him gag a little.

Rose took a small flashlight and opened their eyes, observing their pupils. Unnoticed before, they were shot wide. Like they had been drugged.

“ They must've been pumped full of sedatives and painkillers to not have been crying beforehand. They only reacted when they saw me. ”

“ That sounds... That sounds like the way I found you. They must've been abused, or... ”

Jakkal then wrapped them in warm blankets and carried them into the guest room. He mumbled something about them feeling better in the morning, hopefully. Rose, in light of his other comment, spoke up.

“ I'll stay with them. ”

“ What? No, you need sleep, Rose. ”

“ No, Jak. They need help. Would you have left if it was me? ”

Jakkal was about to argue, but closed his mouth and huffed.

“ Fine. But if they try to hurt you, I'll kill 'em. ”

“ They won't. ”

He left to go back to sleep, but Rose simply changed into pajamas and pulled up a chair. The person was asleep now, gripping a pillow like it was a lifesaver. She held their hand for a bit, rubbing circles into it.

She couldn't help but see herself in them, again. The way they were cuffed, and the cuts... She shuddered again. What if...? No. Leo was dead. Dead and gone. He couldn't have done this.

But the cuts from that same knife... The same iron cuffs? The burn marks? It was all too familiar.

He was dead. He was supposed to be dead. But until she could confirm it, see his body, lifeless, with her own eyes? She wouldn't let this person out of her sight.

[crosbys-guccifloral-crocs]

What Was Once Mine -- Part IV

AN: Here it is y’all, Part 4 of WWOM! 

"In My Life" as written and originally performed by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

Warnings: fluff, some smut, daddy kink and cock warming

Word Count: 2.2k 

Part III --- Masterlist 

8 HOURS LATER…

As the newly reunited Styles family slept in their bed with their baby girl between them, Harry was soon awoken by a shrill cry.

“Oh, my sweet little bird, what are you cryin’ fer, huh? Daddy’s here, wha’s the matta’ love? Did yeh have a bad dream? Nightmare’s over baby. Daddy’s home again. We’re all together now m’love.” Harry says, walking with Lennon downstairs to the kitchen. “Are y’hungry little bird? S’tha what the tears ‘er for?” H asks his 2-month old baby girl as he goes to the fridge to retrieve some of his wife’s milk.

After an unsuccessful attempt at trying to feed his daughter, Harry realized that it was just her nappy that needed changing. “Oh, daddy’s sorry, baby. He’s still learning. M’sorry, Len. Let’s have a nice bath first, okay?” Harry coos, cradling his daughter as he goes to the linen closet at the end of the hall to retrieve Lennon’s baby bath. Just as Harry placed his baby girl in the bath, he heard his wife coming down the stairs before wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and watching him bathe their baby.

“Good girl, Len. You’re being so good for daddy, little bird. You’re a natural, love. She usually hates when I put her in the bath. I have to FaceTime with your mum just to calm her down.” The missus smiles leaning forward to stroke her baby’s soft head and resting her own head on his shoulder.

“Really? M’mum knows how to calm her down?” Harry asks curiously while pulling Lennon to his bare chest and out of the bath.

“Yeah,” Y/N says, handing H the pink Care Bear bath towel. “Y’know how she loves the Beatles, she can’t sit still for me without your mum singing to her – especially Blackbird. I think it’s because she spent so much time with us here after Len was born. Isn’t that right, little bird? Maybe we should give Nan a call tonight, yeah?” Y/N smiles, taking her baby girl from her husband and taking her up to her nursery. Once Lennon is changed, nursed and comfortable she begins to nod off in Y/N’s arms.

“Can I have her for a bit, baby? I’d really love t’sing to ‘er.” Harry asks, reaching for his infant daughter.

“’f course you can, love, I’ll be waiting for you in our room.” Y/N replies ask she kisses her baby’s forehead and exits the room.

“Now, baby girl. This song has gotten me through some pretty tough times in my life, especially these last few months without you and your mumma with me every day. I hope it can help you too. It’s your mumma’s favourite song as well.

Across the hall in the master bedroom, the missus can hear her husband singing a song that means so much to their family.

There are places I remember

All my life though some have changed

Some forever not for better

Some have gone and some remain

All these places have their moments

With lovers and friends I still can recall

Some are dead and some are living

In my life I've loved them all

But of all these friends and lovers

There is no one compares with you

And these memories lose their meaning

When I think of love as something new

Though I know I'll never lose affection

For people and things that went before

I know I'll often stop and think about them

In my life I love you more

Though I know I'll never lose affection

For people and things that went before

I know I'll often stop and think about them

In my life I love you more

In my life I love you more

“Good night, my little bird.” Harry whispers after putting the baby down and exiting the nursery. When he re-enters his bedroom he sees his beautiful wife looking at him with tears in her eyes.

“what’s the matter, love? Not still hormonal are yeh?” he chuckles, crawling into bed and kissing her cheek.

“Yeah, I am, I’m just so happy you’re home, H. Back with us as a family, and y’know what that song does to me – especially when you sing it. I just can’t stop thinking about Jeff and what he did. What are we going to do? We need to expose that bastard for what he is.” Y/N says, her voice cracking with both anger and sadness.

“I know, our baby girl was conceived to Rubber Soul, love. S’why we named her Lennon, innit?” H chuckles. “And, y’know what, love? I think we just need to confront him head-on. I’m gonna go into the studio and just show him the video and give him back his filthy money. God, I don’t even want to think about seeing that bastard again after tomorrow. I’m going to ruin him. I’ll plaster his picture and what he did to us all over every magazine in the country. That wanker took everything from me, from us. I won’t allow it.” Harry seethes.  

** Next Day at Studio**

“Hey, H. You’re four hours late to the session, dude. What gives?” Jeff says as he stands from the studio sofa looking more annoyed than Harry has ever seen him. Though it takes everything in Harry’s power not to pummel his ugly mug into the ground.

“Yeah, sorry ma’e. Was up late with little bird and Y/N.” Harry replies through gritted teeth, attempting, and nearly failing to keep his annoyance at bay.

“Oh. No worries, ma – wait? Y/N? Why were you with her?”

“Y’know. Funny you should ask tha, ma’e. I actually received some interesting information about the night I ‘cheated’ on her in Toronto that made her see things a little differently, and she decided to give me another chance.” Harry smirks, pushing Jeff’s shoulder in a fake ‘playful’ way yet soon getting angry again.

“Ah, man. You were so much better without her, dude. Look at how much progress you were making on the new album.” Jeff says, doing nothing to hide the disappointment in his tone.

“That’s enough! Cut the shit, yeh fuckin’ asshole. We know what yeh tried to do. Cayla found me. So give it up.” Harry spits walking away from his manager and former friend. Turning back one last time Harry says, “oh, and in case you hadn’t already figured it out, you’re fired.” Before Jeff could react Harry threw in a mean right hook for good measure and tossed an envelope at the man on the ground, “that was for Y/N, she sends her regards. Oh, and there’s your $20,000 and your video. Before you try to destroy the evidence or spin some bullshit story don’t think I haven’t made several copies of that video and put out a story to every publication in the UK and the Americas. Your life is over, dude.”

** Later @ Styles House **

“Oh, God, baby. You have no idea how good that felt to confront him.” Harry says as he sits on the floor of their living room having a tea and some tummy time with his girls.

“I’m glad it all worked out, love. But are you really going to go to the press with what Jeff did? I mean, I just don’t want it to start a ton of drama and rumours about why we’re really back together, not that that really matters. I just don’t want any more cameras and strangers around Lennon than there already are.” Y/N wonders looking up from her baby to her husband sitting next to her.

“Nah, I don’t think so, I think that bastard and Full Stop as a whole will have a ton of shit to sort through after losing me as a client. I mean I am kind of a big deal you know.” He winks at his wife, “And besides, who cares what the fans think. We know the truth, we’re happy, that’s all that matters, right? We’re a family again, love.” Harry beams tickling Lennon’s tummy and basking in the sounds of her glorious giggles filling the house.

“Hey, love? Where’d you disappear to? I finally got Lennie down after singing Yesterday to her like 6 times.” Harry exaggerates as he pulls off his white tee shirt and unbuckles his belt before entering the master suit bathroom where his gorgeous wife was already anticipating his entrance into the shower. He steps into the stream of steaming water behind his wife and kisses her back as she runs the loofah down her breasts.

“Oh, pet. Y’know how I love to do tha for yeh,” Harry groans, spinning Y/N to face him and tossing the loofah toward the back of the shower stall.

“Oh, well excuse me, Mr. Styles. Why don’t you just finish the job for me then?” Y/N smirks leaning in to kiss her husband’s plump raspberry lips.

“Who said anything about finishing, love? We’re just getting started. Haven’t had yeh fer months, I’m insatiable.” Harry grins as he trails slow kisses down his wife’s neck and over her breasts before taking a pebbled nipple into his mouth. Causing his missus to let out a loud pleasure-filled moan. “Yes, H!” Y/N gasps as she brings one hand up to rest in her husband’s hair, while the other hand snakes down the front of her wet torso to make contact with her tingling clit rubbing it desperately to find some sort of relief. Harry’s mouth is quick to leave his wife’s breast with a pop. Y/N opens her eyes, whimpering at the loss of his warm mouth around her.

“Are you touching yourself love? Y’know I don’t like it when you touch yourself without permission, right, pet?” Harry asks, getting onto his knees as he awaits his wife’s answer.

“Yes.” Y/N replies breathlessly. Placing both hands in her husband’s hair this time. Desperately trying to attach his mouth to where she wanted it most.

“Wha was tha, love?” Harry asks, smirking up at his needy wife.

“Yes, daddy.” Y/N answers, gasping as her husband’s mouth makes contact with her clit. Taking his time with her, he licks a teasing stripe up her center before delving into her as if he were feasting on his last meal. Y/N’s gasps and moans soon become uncontrollable and Harry can tell that his wife is about to find her release.

“So wet f’me, love. Haven’t even been inside of yeh yet and yer goin’ mad. Missed this, love. Let’s take it t’the bed, yeah?” H says as he stands up to take her by the hand and lead her to the bed.

“N-no, please, Ha -- daddy. It’s been so long. Need you, now.” Y/N says as she nearly cries from the pressure build up in her lower belly.

“What do you need, baby? Tell me.” Harry wonders.  

“Want, you, daddy. I need your cock inside me. Please.”

“Well, since you asked so nicely…” Harry smirks picking his wife up and throwing her over his shoulder and exiting the bathroom before tossing her gently on the bed. He wastes no time crawling up the bed and swiftly entering Y/N’s dripping center.

“Ugh, baby. You’re still so fucking tight. M’ not gonna last, love. Haven’t been inside yeh fer months, yeh feel like heaven around m’cock.” H grits out reaching down to rub Y/N’s clit, helping her find her release as quickly as he’s about to find his own.

“YES DADDY! YES, RIGHT THERE!” Y/N screams as Harry continues to pound into her clenching center several more times. With a shout of her name H cums long and hard inside the woman he’s longed for for the last 5, nearly 6 months.

“Fuck, love,” Harry groans, before collapsing beside his wife and turning to kiss her shoulder. “I came inside yeh, love, m’sorry. Shit, I shoulda been more careful. I feel like a teenager again.” He laughs, yet Y/N can sense some slight anxiety in his voice.

“H, baby, it’s okay. I went back on the pill a few weeks after Lennie was born, it’s fine.” Y/N assures her panic stricken husband.

“Oh… w-was it because you and that—that – uh, were you two like together?” Harry stutters, tears ready to spring free from his eyes.

“No, baby, of course not. There’s been nobody but you, my love. But you know I’ve always struggled with my skin and period pain, so with the stress of our formerly-impending potential divorce and Lennie’s first few weeks of life my skin was going mad with breakouts and the post-pregnancy cramps were insane, so I started taking them again.” Y/N smiles wearily at her husband stroking his face, clearly warn out from all of their previous activities.

“Oh, well, I must say, my love, your skin does look flawless now that you mention it. I could also get very use to you calling me daddy now that I am an actual daddy. It has a nice ring to it, dunn’it?” Harry winks and smiles, kissing his wife’s lips.

“Sure, H.” she giggles before turning away from her childish, but happy husband.

“Oi, come back here, love. I want some cuddles and m’cold.” He says before sliding his flaccid cock back into his wife as they drift off to sleep.  

[horansqueen]

Meant To Be - Part 2

HERE IS PART 2

(read part 1 here)

- this is my new story - Niall x OFC (feat. Harry) - chapter 1 from her POV, chapter 2 from his POV. - chapters will be short. this one is 2.6k. - smut! and fluff of course. - im pretty sure not many people will read but if you do and you like, reblog or send me a comment, i love you more than anything :) - ive had this idea stuck in my head for so long i just had to write it. - i didnt proofread. i never proofread. i hate to proofread. - feedbacks? likes? reblogs? comments? asks? PLEASE? :) - thanks to @paynesqueen for the banner :)

When they first met, Harry was all Olivia ever wanted.  However, a decade later, the high school sweethearts had changed and she felt like most of the sparkles she once had were now gone. Then, she met Niall, and it clicked instantly and intensely and since then, they’ve been seeing each other in secret, lying to their whole entourage about the nature of their relationship. Feelings started to grow, things started to change, and maybe, just maybe, it’s meant to be. Or maybe not.

A tale of broken hearts, unforgettable love and many... way too many lies.

Who knows where this road is supposed to lead We got nothing but time As long as you're right here next to me Everything's gonna be alright

IF IT’S MEANT TO BE, IT’LL BE, IT’LL BE BABY JUST LET IT BE.

HIM

"I haven't felt like myself lately." I admitted as i was putting my shirt back on.

I glanced at her but it seemed like she was doing everything she could to avoir my eyes. I couldn't blame her. When this whole thing started, she already had Maggie, and although i've found myself wondering if she could be mine instead of Harry's, I knew it was impossible. I wouldn't know how i'd react if she'd tell me she was going to have an other kid with Harry. I think it would destroy me.

"Liv..."

No answer.

"Livi!"

She stopped moving completely, her jeans still unzipped, and i heard her breathe in, trying to find courage to turn to me. I got up and walked to her, putting myself in front of her as she brought hers hands to her face. She looked sad and it killed me. I grabbed both her elbows and tried to move them apart but she just shook her head. She tried to hide it but when she started sobbing, my face twisted in pain. I wrapped my arms around her and brought her closer, pulling her into a warm embrace. She didn't resist but started crying more as i rocked her gently, leaving a few kisses on the top of her head.

"I haven't felt like myself since Nat told me the news. I promise this wasn't planned, I promise I didn't want this." I knew no words would make this okay, but I wanted her to know the truth. "I'm so sorry."

I was not going to mention the fact that I would love this baby with all my heart and that I would take care of him or her until the day I died. I was not going to make this worse by telling her this baby was going to be the person i would love the most in the world. I didn't have to, I knew she already knew it, since she had a kid of her own.

She remained in my arms for a few minutes, just crying, her arms around my chest and gripping my shirt on my back like her life depended on it.

"I'm sorry." I repeated in a whisper, hugging her tighter against me.

When she pulled away, i raised my eyebrows, staring at her. She wiped her cheeks and sniffed before to turn around, her back facing me.

"Are you okay?" I wondered in a sweet tone, not daring to touch her again.

"Okay, but embarrassed."

Her words made me frown but i didn't have time to ask anything. She turned around quickly and sent me a sad smile, tilting her head on the side.

"I didn't know you two..." she started with a shrug, looking away. "It's stupid."

It took me a few seconds and it suddenly hit me. I watched her wipe her tears again and try to put a smile on her lips, but i knew her too much to be fooled by that. She was just trying to be strong in front of me and although it was endearing, it was also heartbreaking.

"You didn't know we still... had sex?"

I used those words because it was really all it was. We never fucked the way Livia and I did : intensely, hard and impatiently. And we surely didn't make love.

I took a few steps in her direction and licked my lips, trying to find the right words, but i was speechless. She turned around to look at me again, and i noticed how red her eyes were.

"I want to stay with you tonight."

I stared at her in shock, my lips slightly parted as she closed her eyes.

"I want to sleep in your arms, Niall." she continued, breathing in and out slowly. "Not just a nap, the whole night."

The thought of waking up with her was intoxicating and I held my breath, feeling my heart jump a few times in my chest. I allowed myself to think about it for a few seconds and I closed my eyes too.

"I'll just text Harry to tell him i'm sleeping at a friend's. Anyway, I told him I was going out with them tonight."

I could hear hope in her voice and I loved it. This whole idea sounded incredible. Cuddling her all night, her hair tickling my face and my arms around her waist... Hearing her light snore more than just half an hour... having sex while spooning when we wake up and even eating breakfast in bed. It's not a night I wanted, it's a fucking lifetime.

I finally opened my eyes and reality hit me. Hard. My eyes found hers, full of expectations, almost begging me to agree to this unrealistic idea.

"Petal, you know... you know I can't."

Her smile fell and the last glimpse of hope that made her eyes sparkle disappeared. And I felt like shit. I felt like the most horrible human being on the planet. I knew there were many more reasons why I was an execrable person but at this exact moment, I couldn't find a better one.

"You can't, or you don't want to."

Her question sounded more like a blame and my heart twisted thinking she could believe I was lying. I walked up to her quicker and cupped her face gently, moving her chin up to look down in her eyes. She stared at me through her eyelashes and my jaw twitched.

"I want it so bad, you have no idea. I want to wake up with you, kiss your neck in the morning. I want to watch you stretch, stare in your sleepy eyes, watch your morning smile. Liv, I want it all. But I can't."

Her eyes fluttered at my words and she seemed to relax in my arms before to open her eyes quickly and stare in my eyes. It seemed like it lasted an hour but it was probably just a minute.

"Things... Things were easier when you were single."

I wanted to agree with her, I wanted to tell her she was right, but my mind wandered around and i remembered she was actually dating one of my best friends. I took a step back and tried to remain calm, my arms falling on each side of me.

"That's unfair, Liv." I started in a low tone, shaking my head. "You have a family, you're practically married with Harry, and you say it would be easier if i was single? Me?"

I frowned, looking down at my feet, and saw her take a step closer.

"Nee, that's not what I-"

"No!" I looked up, trying to stop the tears from running on my cheeks and the anger from consuming me.  "You don't get to say that, you don't get to say my relationship is less important than yours, not anymore, because i'm gonna be a dad."

I didn't know if I wanted to cry of pain or anger but either way, it was hard to contain all my feelings inside.

"I never asked you to drop Harry because I had still some respect for him, but mostly because of your daughter. I was not going to be the one breaking such a perfect family. But now, you don't get to break mine. You.. You can't, Olivia. You're not allowed to do that anymore."

She remained silent, her lips slightly parted, and despite all the sadness and wrath running in my veins, I surprised myself thinking of how beautiful she was. Her mascara ran on her cheeks, two long black lines that reminded me that she cried because of me, her hair was a mess and her eyes were swollen... but it didn't matter. She looked gorgeous, she always did.

I shook my head and looked away, knowing if I stared at her more, I would probably stay, and I wouldn't even regret it. And that was probably the worst thing someone could do.

"Anyway, i'm leaving now."

I didn't have time to turn around completely when she grabbed my arm.

"I'm sorry!" she almost yelled. "I'm sorry, i'm so sorry Niall, don't leave."

The despair in her voice broke my heart again and i held my breath for a few seconds before to take a step closer to the door. Only a few more and I would be out.

"I have to."

I glanced at her but quickly closed my eyes. I heard her start to sob again and I swallowed my feelings. I could pretend it was easy all I wanted, it was one of the hardest things I had to do recently.

"Goodnight Olivia, i'll text you."

I rushed out and closed the door behind me before to lean against the wall, right next to the room. I shut my eyes tight and swallowed again, trying to get back to my senses. She didn't run after but I could hear her cry on the other side of the door. I knew she had noticed that I used her whole name instead of a nickname, or a pet name. It was not something I did often. I only used her name in public and that's pretty much it. The only other time I used it was the first time I broke her heart... and mine.

It took me a few minutes to finally walk to the elevator. This night hadn't gone as planned at all.

I was so lost in my thoughts that the ride home seemed short. I parked but stayed in my car for a while, my phone in hands, typing and erasing messages i wanted to send Liv. I passed my hand in my face with a sigh and put my phone back into my pocket without sending her anything. I was not even sure what our last conversation was all about. Did we break up or did we just fight? Liv and I never fought before, I made sure of it. We always left our life at the door before to meet and although she enjoys telling me a few things about her daughter, we mostly talked about ourselves, what we liked, what kind of person we are. With time, I found out so many things about her I probably knew her better than herself. Better than Harry.

Reluctantly, I got out of the car and walked inside, throwing my keys on the kitchen's counter before to look around me. The apartment was quiet and it made me frown.

"Hello? Nat? Are you home?"

I  walked to the room and opened the door only to see her already asleep. The lights were on and so was the tv. It made a fond smile creep on my lips and i sat on the bed next to her gently, bending down to kiss the top of her head. She woke up slowly and groaned low before to turn my way, her eyes fluttering open.

"Hey, Niall." she whispered, sending me a small smile.

"Sorry I woke you up darling, how do you feel?"

She made an effort to sit up and my eyes fell on her tummy. Her pregnancy didn't show yet and I was wondering how it would feel when it would. For her, it was already concrete but for me, it was different. I knew there was a baby... my baby... inside of her, but at the same time, it was hard to understand.

"I'm good, just extremely tired."

She giggled lightly and it made my lips curl again.  My mind wandered on Liv and i couldn't help but imagine her pregnant. I've only seen pictures of her carrying Maggie but thinking about her pregnant with my child brought a rush to my brain and sent a shiver run up my spine. I felt guilty. I felt fucking guilty. I wanted her to carry my child but i didn't want to admit it to anyone, especially not myself.

I shook my head slightly to get rid of my thoughts and licked my lips, giving all my attention to my girlfriend.

"Do you want a cup of tea?"

Her eyes softened and her shoulders fell as she tilted her head.  She was pretty. Her eyes were the first things i noticed when I met her. They looked like they carried a secret at all times. That had attracted me to her a lot and i knew I wanted her in my life the very first time i made her laugh. And now she was there, in my bed, carrying my child... and I was cheating in her. In fact, I've been cheating on her the whole fucking time.

"That would be amazing, Niall, you're too sweet." she said, bringing her hand to rest on mine.

I glance at our hands together and my heart twists a bit in my chest. When she touches me, it doesn't do the same thing than when Liv touches me, and for some reason, it makes me feel even more guilty.

"Come on petal, join me downstairs." I just let out, getting up quickly.

Our skins touching was making me sick to my stomach and i turned around to reach the door when she stopped me.

"Petal? It's the very first time you call me that." she pointed out with a chuckle. "It's cute, I like it."

If I didn't feel guilty enough already, this time, it literally made me want to throw up. I didn't answer and i honestly couldn't meet her eyes so I just ignored her comment and ran downstairs to the kitchen. I quickly started heating water before to lean against the counter, eyes closed, breathing in and out, trying to get my heartbeats to a normal speed.

Why was I doing that to her, and why was I doing that to myself? I remembered that time I actually broke things off with Liv and the simple thought of that week without her brought tears to my eyes. I was a loser. I was a loser and an asshole, and i was a very bad person.

Of course, Liv and I had thought about just stopping things with Harry and Nat to be together but it never became concrete. We both knew it had to remain a story we'd tell ourselves late at night before to part.

I felt hands run on my waist and jumped, holding my breath and making my girlfriend laugh before to turn around. She pressed herself against me and i breathed in, wrapping my arms around her.

"Did you have fun tonight?"

The irony made me grimace and i was glad that tea was ready, giving me a good excuse to move away. I walked past her and grabbed cup, pouring hot water in it. I added a tea bag and brought it to her as she sat at the table.

"Yea." I just answered, hoping there wouldn't be more questions.

I was already a liar, but this was going so much further than I intended.

"I'll just go take a shower okay?"

I got up and walked to her to kiss her forehead before to leave the room as quick as i could. Recently, it was hard to be in the same room as her, and it was not normal. I ran upstairs, taking my phone out of my pocket.

'I hate when we fight.' i quickly typed. 'I'm sorry.'

[happy-meo]

Masquerade 3.2: Arranged

Will love overcome the fate of being arranged? Or will love arrange its own fate?

SPOILER ALERT!! If you haven’t, please read the main stories of this series: MASQUERADE& Masquerade II & Masquerade III !! As well as the connected story: Silver Spoon. (FYI: This also contains important information leading into Masquerade IV.)

Summary: With your upbringings being significantly different, the time has come where it becomes an obstacle in your relationship. Jungkook’s parents are forcing him to participate in arranged meetings to stabilize his future, and the future of their family’s company. Where will your relationship lie at the end of it all?

Jungkook x Reader (ft. Jimin, Hoseok, Jin, Yoongi and their lovely female leads) Cop!Kook/ Police!Kook, Host au Fluff, Rom-Com, Slight smut   

A/N: As said above, I’m setting up the stage for incoming Masquerade IV mwehehe, and I figured it was time for a little reunion of my lovely characters ^_^ Enjoy ~

           "Ugh." Jungkook grunted as he threw himself on top of you as you lay flat on your stomach on your bed.

           "Well hello to you too." You hummed as you continued typing away on your laptop. "Rough night at work?"

           Jungkook sighed, "That I can handle."

           You nudged him off of you so you could talk face-to-face, putting your laptop away. "Parents again?"

           Jungkook frowned, showing you that you had hit the nail on the head.

           "What did they say?" You whispered.

           Jungkook averted his eyes timidly.

           "Hey." You grabbed Jungkook's hand. "You promised to tell me the truth."

           "But they're being stupid." Jungkook scrunched his face.

           It had been a few months since you and Jungkook became "official". He hadn't exactly told his parents about you, but they seemed to be intensely invested in pairing him off with someone of status and wealth. Long gone were their hopes of Jungkook taking over the family business, but now they seemed to have settled on an alternate plan, which included marrying Jungkook off to a rich heiress. He had attempted to mention many times that he had a girlfriend, but quite aware of their son's very limited ability to interact romantically with females, they just brushed it off as him trying to get out of it.

           Obviously, you weren't a rich heiress nor did you have a name for yourself, having just recently been promoted to a full-time employee. So Jungkook always seemed to sugarcoat his stories about his parents around you, conscious of how it would make you feel. But you weren't a fool though. You had read enough books, seen enough movies, experienced enough of society to know that something like this might eventually become an obstacle while dating Jungkook. But you hadn't expected Jungkook to react like this. You had expected the chic, confident man who had defended his passion to be a police officer adamantly.

           You smiled as you outstretched your arms, and he fell into your torso with another big sigh. Running your fingers through his chestnut brown hair, you spoke.

           "You're torn."

           Jungkook remained silent, but you knew that meant you were right. Not that you doubted his feelings for you, but you had come to realize that Jungkook truly cared about his parents' opinions and approval about this matter more so than his career choice. So he was stuck.

           And you knew he did nothing because he was praying his parents would eventually stop. But with each passing day, they only became more aggressive about the arranged meetings while Jungkook's excuses became more ridiculous. Soon enough, a war was once again waged between him and his parents, but it left both parties miserable.

           "Jungkook..." You felt him melt into you.

           "No. Don't give me a lecture." he groaned as he embraced you tighter. "I don't want to make amends or beg for them to stop. That's just childish."

           "I was just going to say that maybe...you should give it a try."

           You felt him still and look up at you, surprised. "What? You're kidding me."

           You chuckled and shifted. "Okay so hear me out first."

           He sat up, pouting slightly. "I can't believe you're telling me to date after wanting to keep me all to yourself. Take responsibility woman!"

           "You're so cute when you're pouting, my little coconut." You squeezed his cheeks.

           "Let me hear your solution, nerd." He flicked your forehead.

           "Okay." You grinned and crossed your legs, smacking your knees firmly.

           Jungkook chuckled, knowing it was the pose you usually took when your gears were turning. He found it incredibly endearing, but he knew you got annoyed whenever he interrupted, so he simply grabbed your hands attentively.

           "So remember how you just messed up all the internships with companies they sent you to?"

           He snorted. "Yeah, that was fun."

           "Then eventually your parents got tired and gave you an ultimatum. One last company and if it doesn't work out, then they'll accept it, remember?"

           "Yeah, of course I remember." Jungkook leaned forward and kissed you lightly.

           "Thennn..." you smirked as you tickled his chin playfully. "you met a beautiful, captivating co-intern that changed your life forever ~"

           Jungkook scoffed, "I changed my life. She just happened to be there when it was all happening."

           You squinted at him, displeased. "Fine. I'll give you the company issue, but I helped with your relationship status."

           He laughed and nodded. "I can't argue with that."

           "Okay so back to my suggestion --"

           Jungkook captured your lips deeply, stopping you mid-sentence. He knew you hated it, but he loved pushing your buttons.

           "Jungkook! Let me fini--"

           He didn't let you once again, so you stuck your hands under his arms and tickled him. He cackled and wiggled, easily holding your hands down to stop your attack.

           "Truce. Truce." he grinned happily.

           You smiled playfully.

           "So you're telling me to go on all these dates and be a completely horrible, un-charming person until my parents give me an ultimatum?" he raised an eyebrow.

           "Well...yes." you shrugged.

           "You do know that it took me years and a whole lot of companies to get to that point." He looked at you intently. "I don't want to go through that, and I don't want to put you through that."

           Your lips turned up warmly at his genuine affection. "Then how about you give them the ultimatum?"

           "What do you mean?" he tilted his head.

           "You put your foot forward first. Tell them you refuse to go through with this matchmaking, but if they continue to insist, you're willing to go to one. Just one. Tell your parents to go through their lists and files, do the interviews or whatever rich people do to pick a match. Pick their best candidate to put forth. Someone they're confident will suit you. Make them promise that they'll drop the subject if that doesn't work out."

           "Will they even buy that?" Jungkook questioned.

           "Look, Kooks." You caressed his cheek. "I know your parents love you so, so much. If they didn't, they wouldn't be forcing this in the first place. They want you to do what you love without having to worry about financial restraints. That's why they want you to marry into more wealth. But of course the last thing they want is to lose you. They'll take the bait."

           "How can you be so fearless?" Jungkook chuckled as he covered your hand with his. "I've never met someone who would tell their boyfriends to try to date someone they might have to marry."

           You leaned forward to whisper, "Well we all know I'm the only one who can handle your ass."

           Jungkook bit his lip and pressed his body forward until he had you on your back. "And we all know I'm the only one who can eat your ass until you're screaming bloody murder."

           "Hm?" You smirked, unbuttoning his uniform. "I don't think you've reached that level quite yet, Mr. Jeon."

           "Well I've been holding back. Can't have anyone calling the cops." he teased.

           "Well the joke would be on them." You grinned as Jungkook pressed his lips hungrily onto yours.

           "I'll do it." He breathed. "For us."

           You nodded with a gentle smile. "I'll be here waiting."

           And so the day came for his firm stand.

           "I can't believe you brought in gear from your police department for this." Your voice drawled into his ear.

           You knew he was extremely nervous and so in his desperation, he shoved police undercover gear at you, begging you to help him with his confrontation. Obviously, you couldn't abandon him when he asked so earnestly. So here you were, speaking into a microphone while watching from a camera pin he had put on so you could monitor his movements, whilst in your pajamas.

           "You know I could get used to this. I could keep a list of all the girls that hit on you during the day."

           "Not the time." he hissed.

           You remained silent; your attempt at lightening the mood failing.

           Jungkook sat with his hands clasped together in deep, serious thought. He was running through the scenario in his mind, garnering his complete concentration to pull this off without a hitch. His parents tiptoed into their dining room cautiously, unsure of what to expect from their son.  

           "So it seems you've finally come to your senses and agreed?" His mom questioned.

           "No." Jungkook opened his eyes to look at them firmly, taking them by surprising.

           "No?"

           "Just one." Jungkook stood up and dramatically slammed his hand onto the table.

           "Okay, take the dramatics down Mister."

           His face faltered, and he hurriedly pulled his hand off the table. He cleared his throat to regain his composure.

           "I will only agree to one of these arranged meetings. I'm not a kid anymore so I'm not going to waste my time trying to rebel secretly until you give in like last time. I don't like fighting like this so I'm putting my foot down on this situation." He straightened up confidently. "So it's one date. If it doesn't work out, then you need to leave my love life alone. Got it?"

           "No don't ask! Answer yourself and walk away."

           Jungkook nodded and awkwardly clapped his hands together, "Got it. That's all I wanted to say."

           He spun around to walk away nervously, never having stood his ground so boldly and openly in front of his parents. They also seemed to be in a state of shock and awe because he was met with silence and flabbergasted expressions. Before he reached the front door, he heard his mother answer.

           "Fine. Just one! But you really need to make an effort! None of your antics!" she yelled out, her voice laced with worry and hesitation.

           Jungkook smiled and simply walked out the door. Well, that was easy.

           "See? What'd I tell you? I knew they'd agree to it."

           He chuckled and looked up to the sky. "Your genius really creeps me out, you know?"

           "And that is why you love me."

           He nodded, his lips curling up fondly. "True."

           "Oh my gosh. I can't believe I'm actually going through with this. Oh my goodness. Why did I listen to you?" Jungkook paced your living room as you tried to finish up some stuff to send to Jimin and Hoseok.

           "You listened to me because this is the best solution to stop your moping and your fighting with your parents." You stated, quite over his constant complaints.

           It had already been a week and half since his parents agreed to his ultimatum. Jungkook had been fine during that interval, having pushed the issue in the back of his mind. Until he received details of his meeting from his mother, which caused him to breakdown. Every night he would argue with you and himself, trying to plot ways to get out of it, but you would always straighten him back up.

           "But a GIRL, Y/N. A GIRL! I HAVE TO MEET A GIRL!" he bellowed incredulously.

           You hit send on your file and shut your laptop, raising an eyebrow at him. "And what am I? Not a girl?"

           He exhaled, "You know what I mean."

           "No, I don't. Mind clarifying what exactly you take me for?" You pursed your lips. "You took me on a couple of perfectly fine dates."

           "But that's cause it was a teaching opportunity." He lunged into you, knocking you down onto the couch with his sheer weight on top of you. "Plus you were easy to get along with."

           You peered at him. "I recall you running away with 2 large jugs of milk when we ran into each other at the supermarket."

           "Okay, maybe not right away." he frowned.

           You sighed and cupped his cheek as he hovered over you. "Jungkook, this girl is a person like you and like me. Who knows if she's being forced into this too? Get to know them. You're not actually going on a date...unless your plan is to leave me for some rich heiress."

           Jungkook chuckled. "I mean, we'd be set for life if I married rich. Obviously, I'd let her know you were my mistress. We come in a set."

           You shook your head and patted his cheek. "There's my little Gold Mask."

           He inhaled sharply at the mention. "Oh my gosh! That's it!"

           "What?"

           "The big corporation party I'm supposed to meet her in is a MASQUERADE PARTY!" he jumped off the couch.

           "Yes? You knew that."

           "But it's not so scary anymore if I'm behind my Gold Mask." he grinned giddily. "I'll just do it like I used to."

           You glared at him briefly then relaxed your features, shrugging. "Do it however you want then."

           He pouted, "Yah! How could you be so relaxed?"

           You pulled off your glasses and yawned. "Cause of how you were about to pee your pants at the thought of having to meet a girl a few minutes ago."

           Jungkook grumbled. "I'll show you. I can seduce this girl."

           You rolled your eyes. "Sure, sure."

           "I can too!" He huffed and went to grab a jacket.

           "Where are you going?" You tilted your head.

           "The gym!" He snapped as he made his way out of your apartment.

           Your lips curled up as he shut the door behind him angrily. "My boyfriend is so simple."

           You knew making it into a competition would make him less nervous. You would rather see him fired up than sluggish any day. And if it was one thing you were good at, it was psychological warfare.

           "Now," You stood up and stretched. "I should change out of these sweats and tease him when he gets back as retaliation."

           Jungkook froze as he stepped into the apartment and found you lying down on your side, reading on the couch. Usually that would not be such an odd occurrence, but you were currently wearing a satin nightgown that didn't hide any of your assets. He dropped his gym bag and made his way to you, ripping the book out of your grasp.

           "Hey! Jung--" Your complaints were cut off by his lips hungrily on yours.

           "You're teasing me." he growled.

           "Am I?" you smirked. "I didn't think the Golden Host was capable of being so easily seduced."

           "You know I love that on you." He bit his lip, and easily lifted you up from the couch, flipping you around so that you were straddling his lap.

           "And you know," You rubbed his arms, freshly hardened from his intense workout. You traced the veins down his forearms. "I love when you come from the gym."

           He pulled your waist forward so that you two could make out again. You grinded into his hardness, making him moan breathily. Then you quickly retracted and latched yourself off his lap, leaving him stunned.

           "What in the world?" he breathed.

           You smirked, teasingly.

           "Go take a shower. You gave in too easily. What kind of Gold Mask are you?"

           He snorted as he rushed towards you, easily throwing you over his shoulder as you squealed.

           "I've been going easy on you nowadays, huh?" he smacked your ass. "I'll show you why you couldn't get enough of me before."

           You grinned, happy to see him confident once again.

           He gently lay you down on the bed and pulled off his t-shirt in one swift motion. Your eyes roamed his chiseled torso, causing you to lick your lips. He noticed your gaze and he smirked.

           "That's all it took, huh?"

           "I mean I guess you're pleasing to the eye." You shrugged nonchalantly. "But can you deliver?"

           Jungkook chucked his sweatpants and boxers to the side, freeing his strained cock.

           "I'll show you how I deliver, babygirl." His eyes darkened. "Open those legs for me."

           You smiled as you happily accepted him climbing between your legs. He crawled to place a chaste kiss on your lips before anything, and you took the opportunity to hold his face gently.

           "There's my man." you whispered.

           He grinned as he captured your lips deeply; all the while he pulled off the thin fabric that separated his bare body from yours.

           "You won't be whispering much longer, love." he hissed. "I'll have you screaming my name."

           "Make me, Jeon Jungkook." You bit his lip then went to press kisses down his neck.

           "God, I love you." He chuckled as he dipped two fingers into you immediately, causing you to groan loudly.

           "You what?!" Jungkook stared at you in horror a few days later.

           "I told you the other day. I can't make it to the corporation Masquerade party 'cause I have plans with my family." You were washing the dishes.

           "But ...no! You can't not be there when I have this arranged date!" he bellowed.

           "So you could use me as way to get out of it?" You chuckled. "Your parents will be there Jungkook. I hardly think it'd be appropriate to introduce me like that. Plus part of the ultimatum was that you'd look like you actually were trying on this date."

           "Can't you hang out with your family another time?" He pouted as he embraced you, nuzzling his head into the crook of your neck. "I need you there. I promise I won't use you. I just want you there to keep me sane. Seeing you from afar would be enough. Plus you know I feel so stuffy with anything company-related."

           "I know. I'm sorry." You spun around and dried your hands on his shirt, which caused him to scrunch his face. But he didn't let go of you. You patted his chest warmly and gazed at him intently. "But Kooks, you're a big boy. Show your parents you can handle this situation properly and maturely. Then they'll stop treating you like a child who needs them to keep looking out for your future."

           He exhaled and rested his chin on top of your head. "I hate that you're always right."

           You grinned and embraced him tightly. "I know you can do it."

           "I can't believe you'd abandon your boyfriend in his time of need." He playfully made sobbing noises.

           You smacked his butt, laughing. "You're such a big baby. I can't with you."

           He chuckled and tightened his arms around you. "It's for us, isn't it?"

           "Hm?"

           "I have to get them off my back so I can finally introduce them to you, and they'll take me... and us seriously." he hummed. "That no matter your background, I'm going to choose you so they have to deal with it."

           You smiled.

           "You'll pick out my suit for me at least, right?" Jungkook separated your bodies slightly so he could take a good look at your face.

           "Of course." you brushed his shoulders. "I have to make sure you give Park Jimin a run for his money."

           Jungkook grinned widely.

           "Okay, Jungkook. You can do this." He hummed as he looked at himself in front of the mirror.

           On your suggestion, he had pulled his bangs up with some gel, exposing his forehead and his sharp eyebrows. Then with renewed confidence, he once again placed his Gold Mask over his eyes.

           "It's been awhile, Nochu." He grinned at his reflection. "And hopefully the last time we meet again."

           With that, he stepped out of the bathroom and into the lobby of the Grand Hotel the corporation ball was being held in.

           "Ohohoho. I'd know that mask anywhere." Jimin cackled as he threw an arm around Jungkook.

           "I see you still kept your ancient relic." Jungkook teased as he tapped on Jimin's infamous red mask.

           "It is not ancient!" Jimin gasped, offended.

           "There, there. Don't start a war with the muscular child." Receptionist handed Jimin a drink.

           "A red mask too. Nice." Jungkook grabbed his own drink from a passing waiter and toasted glasses with the Receptionist.

           "If there was a female Masquerade Club, she'd definitely be my equivalent." Jimin whispered proudly.

           "Wouldn't doubt it." Jungkook chuckled. "She surely has a lot of male customers at Burlesque."

           "Jungkook! Long time no see!" Hoseok beamed as he and Silver walked to them hand-in-hand.

           "Oh my gosh. Nostalgia." Silver sighed as she looked at Black Mask and Red Mask endearingly.

           "Remembering all the good times we had, hm?" Jimin wiggled his eyebrows.

           Hoseok clicked his tongue and glared at his best friend.

           "Well, well, well....look who decided to show up." Jimin beamed suddenly and shoved his drink to his confused girlfriend before sprinting towards the person currently entering the lobby area.

           The others watched as he lunged onto the unsuspecting person with obnoxious blonde hair and a mint green and silver mask.

           "MINNNN YOONGGIII!" he bellowed excitedly.

           "Oh my gosh, Park Jimin. Get off of me." Yoongi huffed, embarrassed.

           "Where is she? Where is she? Where is she?" Jimin bounced excitedly.

           "Jimin!" A female wearing a matching mask called out soon after.

           "My Farm Girl!" Jimin raced to her and spun her around enthusiastically. "It's been ages."

           "I know. I'm so proud of you for staying in a relationship this long." She squeezed his hand, dramatically clutching her chest.

           "But I mean look at you, all engaged and stuff." Jimin teased as Farm Girl showed off her ring.

           Yoongi smiled subtly, trying not to show how happy he was she was flaunting her engagement ring.

           "Well you know, he practically threw it at me and ran out of the bedroom." She teased.

           "Hey! That's not how it happened!" Yoongi bellowed.

           "You have to say hi to the others. They're all over there." Jimin gestured for the others to come join him, and they all exchanged greetings.

           "My little Kookie ~ look how you've grown up." Farm Girl smiled fondly as she patted his cheek. "It seemed like yesterday you were giving me a headache at my company."

           Jungkook giggled. "And that's why you and Yoongi-hyung sent me to Seoul."

           "We figured you'd do well under another headache of ours." She winked as she glanced at Jimin.  

           "Well, I'm proud of you two for actually coming out and showing yourselves." Jimin grinned.

           "Well, we had ulterior motives." Farm Girl confessed.

           Yoongi grumbled under his breath.

           "Oh holy hell." Jungkook groaned as he noticed the appearance of a very familiar tall, lean man wearing a purple mask donned with musical notes.

           "Hey there fellow Chairman candidates." Namjoon walked over and ruffled Farm Girl's hair fondly. Then he and Yoongi proceeded to stare at each other intensely for a few seconds. Afterwards, he finally noticed Jungkook beside him. "Jungkook. Fancy seeing you here."

           "I am still one of the company's biggest investors." Jungkook crossed his arms defensively. "And my family still is a large part of the corporation. So why wouldn't I be here?"

           "Whoa, put the claws away boys." Receptionist stepped in. "We can head into the Main Banquet Hall now."

           "Wanna escort me too?" Farm Girl smiled as she offered her other arm to Jungkook.

           Yoongi chuckled and nodded as Jungkook glanced at him for permission.

           "Wow, look at all my arm candies." she giggled.

           "How about I take one for my own?" Namjoon swooped in and threw an arm around Yoongi. "Can't go in solo."

           "No! Don't touch me!" Yoongi snapped and flailed his arms, but Namjoon was already dragging him chummily ahead.

           Jungkook and Farm Girl laughed at the humorous situation of Yoongi one-sidedly bickering with Namjoon, who easily towered over him.

           "Who came up with your mask designs?" Jungkook questioned. "It's a very unique color."

           Farm Girl chuckled. "Yoongi wanted to re-dye his hair mint again, but I was against it. Especially since the Chairman, all the sponsors, investors, and the big shots will be here tonight. So I appeased him by saying we could wear mint masks instead."

           "It looks nice. It's different." Jungkook complimented.

           "Thanks." She patted his arm. "You've definitely grown up."

           "I'm trying." His lips curled up.

           "For yourself? Or for someone else?" she eyed him curiously.

           "A little of both." he blushed.

           "Ohh ~" she nudged him.

           "Well, you should probably get back to Yoongi." Jungkook pointed as the man was squaring up in front of Namjoon.

           "Oh lord. Leo!" Farm Girl called out.

           Jungkook flinched as a stoic faced man appeared beside Farm Girl in a flash. "Yes?"

           "What in the world?" he gasped.

           "Take care of that will you?" She sighed.

           Leo nodded curtly before striding towards Yoongi and pulling him away from the self-created fray.

           She rubbed her temples. "Anyway, I'll see you around. Enjoy yourself, okay?"

           Jungkook smiled and waved as she hurried off to scold her fiancée.  The music began amidst the chatter. As always with these gatherings, food was scarce and it was all about communicating and networking. Luckily, he had stuffed himself with a hefty meal to make sure he was able to make it through most of the night. A few people made their way towards the dance floor with their partners though, and began gently dancing to the slow classical music. He glanced around, wondering which of these disguised faces was the woman his parents chose for him.

           As if on cue, someone tugged at his suit.

           "Um...uh Mr. Jeon?"

           He blinked at the familiar voice. "Yes?"

           "It's me." She pulled down her mask shyly.

           "Miss Puppy!" Jungkook called out.

           She blushed and nodded. "I'm happy you remember me."

           "Of course. My friend, Tae, mentions you here and there." Jungkook smiled.

           "Oh does he?" her lips curled up.

           Then Jungkook froze. "Wait. Did my parents talk to you?"

           "Oh." She looked around. "Yeah, they did."

           "Oh."

           Well, this wasn't bad. It'd be easy to explain why things wouldn't work out for them. He kind of knew her already, so things might not be so awkward. He could make a convincing attempt to try to enjoy their time together this evening so his parents could see.

           "Um..." Jungkook scratched his head. "Would you like to dance then?"

           She was visibly flustered and stammered. "M-m-me? D-d-dance? Oh no...I'm not very--"

           Jungkook smiled warmly, slightly reminded of his old self, and grabbed her hand. "I'll lead. Don't worry."

           He could feel her shaking a little out of nervousness, but after a few seconds of swaying, she felt more at ease.

           "Do you come to these often?"

           "Not so much. I get a little nervous and shy. But I've been trying to get out there."

           "Same here." Jungkook separated slightly so he could take a good look at her then gasped slightly.

           "What? Mr. Jeon? Is there something on my face?" she flustered.

           He shook his head frantically then pulled her into his chest, in panic. He knew that mask. He had seen this exact mask at the Club. His eyes closed, trying to recollect when and with whom. Then all of a sudden, he felt something hit the back of his head.

           "Hm?" He glanced down and found a small piece of bread on the ground.

           He followed the line of vision, just in time to catch a glimpse of pink tiptoe-ing away.

           And that's when it hit him.

           Immediately, he let go and stepped back.

           Miss Puppy was Jin's longest running customer. The one who had always come in crying and upset about her latest terrible date and/or break-up. The one he had a soft spot for.

           "Mr. Jeon?" She looked at him, puzzled.

           "Oh my gosh." He hurriedly covered his face, afraid she would recognize his mask. "I-I'm so sorry. I don't think this'll work out."

           "Wait, what? We were just dancing?" she blinked.

           "I- uh- I know my parents arranged you to meet with me, but um yeah, I --" Jungkook bowed. "I have to check something real quick."

           "What? Your parents?" she tilted her head. "They never arranged for us to meet. All they said was hi to me earlier...." She responded meekly as he sprinted off behind the column.

           "You!" Jungkook pounced.

           "Ahhhh!" The man hiding behind the pillar spazzed out and screamed loudly.

           "It IS you! Hyung!" Jungkook beamed at the familiar figure in front of him. "What're you doing here?"

           "I don't know who you're talking about." Jin averted his eyes and attempted to walk away.

           "Oh please. You threw a piece of bread at me." Jungkook snorted.

           "I didn't."

           "Yes, you did."

           "No, I didn't."

           "Yes, you did."

           "I'm not doing this right now, Jeon Jungkook!"

           "Ha! It IS you, Jin!"

           "Shhh!" Jin covered his mouth. "I'm working right now."

           "A hotel waiter. Hott." Jungkook smirked. "You didn't use your Club mask."

           "Well, this is my other place of work." Jin looked around. "We had to wear the standard white masks."

           "But you still added a hint of pink on yours." Jungkook tapped on the small pink sticker on the side of his mask.

           Jin frowned.

           "You know your client is here." He smirked.

           "I do. I don't appreciate you googly eye-ing her when you have a girlfriend." Jin hissed.

           "Somebody's jealous." Jungkook teased and started poking his hyung.

           "No! Stop! I'm ticklish, remember?" Jin began wiggling his body and fighting back laughter.  He strongly grabbed onto Jungkook's hands, trying to stop him.

           "Jungkook?"

           Jin and Jungkook froze.

           "Hi, mom." Jungkook grinned weakly as he slowly let go of Jin's hands.

           His mom eyed the two of them worriedly. Jin coughed and bowed, making his escape swiftly.

           "I didn't know you were close to the waiting staff." she blinked.

           "Oh. He's an old friend is all." Jungkook waved it off. "I met your arranged date, but I don't think it's going to work out. We danced already and--"

           "What? But she's not even here yet." His mom cut him off.

           "Wait. What? She's not?" Jungkook looked at her in shock.

           "Yeah, she should be coming soon. She just called to say she was pulling in at the valet. So come." She grabbed her son's hands warmly. "I think you'll really like this girl, Jungkook. I really want you to try to get to know her."

           Jungkook sighed sullenly.

           "She is absolutely astounding. She got recommendations and high regards from FIVE of the CEOs. They're all heads of the biggest branches too. 3 of them are the Chairman candidates and..."

           Jungkook tuned his mother out, mentally preparing himself for this dreaded meeting. He preoccupied himself with the thought of coming home to you after all this was done. Throwing on his favorite warm hoodie and playing video games with you as you sat in his embrace. His lips curled up.

           "Jungkook." His mother sternly called, probably long since aware he was not paying attention to what she was saying.

           "Yes!" he straightened up obediently.

           "Oh for goodness sake. I was telling you a little about her to give you the upper hand, but you weren't paying attention." She frowned as she fixed his suit up. "Now she's going to come in soon. Your dad is escorting her. Please stay still and be nice."

           "I'm always nice." he grinned.

           His mother gave him a knowing look. "Now I know it'd be awkward if we introduced you two so we asked two other people to do the introductions so it's more natural."

           "Who?" Jungkook raised an eyebrow.

           "Sadly, us." Yoongi appeared with Farm Girl beside him.

           Jungkook spotted the tall, lanky man that had pulled Yoongi away earlier, nodding his head to the beat of the music behind them. His face still not changing expression, but for some reason he seemed very into the song.

           "CEO Min." Jungkook's mother bowed. "And almost CEO Min."

           Farm Girl smiled warmly as she returned the gesture. "Mrs. Jeon."

           "Please take care of my son." She smiled before scurrying away.

           "What's the meaning of this?" Jungkook furrowed his brow.

           "Shh..." Farm Girl put her index finger over his mouth. "Jungkook, let me introduce to you, your arranged date."

           "I don't--"

           "Just shut up and turn around!" Yoongi spun Jungkook around swiftly, in time for the banquet halls to open up.

           The creak was so loud that other guests stopped what they were doing to see who was entering the party so late.

           Jungkook's eyes widened, and he felt his entire body freeze on the spot.

           The woman entered gracefully, wearing a beautiful, black off-shoulder floor-length silk dress and a familiar mask with wings. Stunned, his feet moved him forward unknowingly, praying he wasn't hallucinating.

           His father bowed beside you and knowingly disappeared. Your lips curled up at the sheer shock painted on your boyfriend's face at your entrance.

           Farm Girl patted Jungkook's shoulder triumphantly. "Jeon Jungkook meet my sister... Y/N." Then she leaned over to whisper. "Though you two seem to already be quite acquainted."  

           "You've got to be shitting me." Jungkook cursed.

           "Jeon Jungkook, your language!" His mother scolded from afar.

           You grinned as you outstretched your hand, "Y/N."

           "Jungkook." He pressed your hand, still not quite believing he was seeing you in front of him. "But how--?"

           "Well, you should ask me to dance first, don't you think?" she smirked.

           "Ohh ~" Jimin obnoxiously reacted, earning looks from people around him. "What? I'm trying to make it interesting."

           "Well then Y/N." Jungkook bowed and offered his hand. "Would you care to dance?"

           "I'd be honored." You curtsied and soon found his arm wrapped around your waist, where it belonged. He pulled you close to his body and clasped your hands together. "A little close for our first encounter. Don't you think, Mr. Jeon?"

           "I can't believe you." he breathed.

           "Well I did tell you I had plans with my family." You cheekily grinned, then glanced over at Yoongi and Farm Girl. "Thanks Sis. Thanks Bro-in-Law."

           "I swear Jungkook. If you hurt her, I'll...I'll..." Yoongi fumbled for a threat.

           Jungkook waited patiently, quite amused.

           "I'll take away your investments! All of them!" he bellowed.

           "Alright, you've said your threat, honey." Farm Girl patted Yoongi's chest. "I'm sure Jungkook felt your intimidation."

           Farm Girl glanced at Jungkook pleadingly, and Jungkook firmly nodded. "Yes, I take my investments seriously, Mr. Min."

           Yoongi peered at the two of you. "I know you two are shitting me. Don't pull that crap."

           Jungkook and Farm Girl giggled.

           "Let's leave them. Come on." Farm Girl tugged at Yoongi's hand gently. "Your past rugged ways were already a bad influence on the child. Now your cursing has infected him."

           "I'm pretty sure that's Jimin's influence." Yoongi mumbled.

           Jungkook smiled fondly at you once they disappeared.

           "What?" You chuckled.

           "Why didn't you ever tell me you were related to them? I didn't think we kept secrets from each other."

           "Well," you hummed. "At first, it was kept secret because I didn't want people feeling like they needed to give me special treatment at the office. I'm sure you could relate."

           Jungkook nodded.

           "Then it just never came up." You shrugged. "To me, they're just my older sister and my clumsy, weak but over-protective, adorable brother-in-law."

           "Did you have this planned from the beginning?" Jungkook pulled you closer so his cheek was leaning against your temple, no longer caring that his parents were watching the two of you in awe.

           "No." You admitted. "But then I guess the thought of you running off with a rich heiress started bothering me. Then I started wondering...what if your parents would compare me to whoever they chose? Will I ever be truly accepted? So, I decided to just go all in and beat the competition so I wouldn't be compared to anyone."

           Jungkook laughed.

           "I needed to grow up a little." You smiled. "I didn't want you to fight for us alone."

           "I love you." Jungkook whispered as he pressed your foreheads together.

           "I love you too."

           Jungkook twirled you around and kissed your forehead, "You and your beautiful brain."

           "Guess you're still stuck with me, huh?" You grinned cheekily as you tilted your head up.

           Jungkook leaned down, moving his lips closer to yours.

           "Yah, yah, yah. Too close!" Yoongi bellowed.

           "Shut up Yoongi!" Your sister smacked him.

           Leo, on the other hand, was watching in anticipation, giving you an encouraging nod supportively.

           "Oh maybe we should properly introduce me to your parents first." You shied away.

           "Oh, who cares?" Jungkook grinned as he tugged you forward to close the gap and kissed you square in the mouth.

           "WOOOOO!" Jimin's obnoxious yelling was heard above the others, causing you two to break the kiss and laugh.

           Jungkook glanced over, not surprised to find the flabbergasted expressions of his parents at the sudden turn of events.

           "Guess they weren't expecting things to go this well." You grinned.

           "No, definitely not." he chuckled.

           "So...Red Mask was Jimin, huh? And Black Mask was Hoseok?" You questioned.

           Jungkook choked on his own spit at your sudden revelation. "What?"

           "Well I was waiting for your dad to come get me when Jimin ran across the lobby yelling 'RED MASK IS BACK BITCHES!' before Receptionist smacked him upside the head and dragged him back inside." You giggled. "Then it all kind of just fell into place."

           "Yeah..." Jungkook blushed then he gawked at her, having his own realization. "So wait...you're Tae's cousin..."

           "Yes?"

           "And Farm Girl's sister."

           "Um yes..."

           "And I know someone who told me HIS sister was Min Yoongi's fiancee...and if you are her sister then that makes him your BROTHER and --"

           "Oh, you know Jin?" You perked up.

           Jungkook started coughing violently.

           You worriedly patted his back. "Are you okay?"

           "Does your erm...your brother know about us? About me? Specifically?" He worried.

           "Yeah, why?"

           "Uhh...hmmm..." He scratched the back of his head nervously. "Well I guess it's a funny story."

           "I know he works in this hotel during weekends." You smiled, looking around briefly. "He's working today actually."

           Jungkook laughed half-heartedly as he was horrified at the thought that his fellow mask knew this whole time he was having sex with his sister. He recalled the few months when Jin had challenged him consistently and randomly hit him or gave him the cold shoulder. He had thought it was just the elder's way to play around with him.

           He groaned. "It all makes sense now."

           "What does?" You blinked.

           "I am so sorry, Jin." he exhaled. "Can we treat your brother out one of these days? Something expensive?"

           You chuckled. "Jin loves to eat so I'm sure he'll have a few restaurants in mind."

           "Most expensive Korean BBQ place in Seoul, and Leo's coming too."

           The two of you jumped as Leo appeared out of nowhere and put forth the suggestion.

           "Said Jin." he finished.

           "Who IS this guy?" Jungkook blinked.

           "Oh, he's Yoongi's bodyguard, but he's become the family's dearest friend too." You smiled at the lengthy man warmly.

           Leo's lips curled up, pleased.

           "Was he listening in?" Jungkook continued to study Leo skeptically.

           "I think Jin asked him to." You chuckled.

           "What shall I reply with?" Leo questioned.

           Jungkook glanced at you and you nodded encouragingly.

           "It's a deal." Jungkook responded.

           "Master Jin says if you agreed that I should give you a warm embrace and a hit to your head." Leo outstretched his arms and marched robotically towards Jungkook.

           "What?" Jungkook stumbled back. "I don't even know you!"

           "I must give you a warm embrace." Leo drawled and continued to follow Jungkook as he tried to escape frantically.

           "I'd just give in! He takes his job seriously!" You called out happily.

           "What a wimp." Jin appeared beside you, snorting.

           You grabbed a drink from the tray he was holding. "Says the one who used Leo to do his dirty deed?"

           "You know as well as I do that Jungkook is too strong." Jin frowned. "I just evened the playing field."

           "So you in Club Masquerade, hm?" You smirked.

           Jin looked around, his eyes threatening to pop out of its sockets. "What?! Who? Me? Noooo!"

           You glanced at him amused. "My dear brother. You forget that I'm the genius in our family."

           Jin averted his eyes, hoping that would make him less guilty.

           "Jungkook said he knew you from somewhere, and seeing as I, his girlfriend know usually where he frequents his time, and I, your little sister, know that you aren't a police officer or someone who worked at our company, narrowed it down to you working at Club Masquerade." You snatched another drink and handed it to Jin, who chugged it blankly. "And your reaction confirmed it."

           Jin turned red.

           "I won't tell if you don't." You whispered.

           Jin sighed and held out his pinky. "If I go down, I'm taking you with me."

           "Of course." You smirked and locked your pinkies together to seal the pact. "But wow, I'm so proud of you. I thought you were wasting your age and beauty, but here you are getting a lot more action than I thought."

           "Ahhh!" Jin covered his ears and walked away, yelling intermittently to drown out any further comments from you, which earned him odd looks from the people he passed.

           "Who in the world is that?" Farm Girl turned to look at the origin of the yelling. "Sounds a little like Jin, don't you think?"

           Yoongi glanced over and realized that it was in fact, Jin. He hurriedly started dancing wildly to distract his fiancée.

           "Woo! This is my jam!" He bellowed, prancing around and wiggling his torso.

           "Yoongi... it's a waltz song." She looked at him, amused.

           He coughed. "Well, who says we can't party to a waltz?"

           "Maybe you should lay off on the drinks." She worried.

           Yoongi exhaled as Jin successfully disappeared.

           "Parties are so exhausting." he slumped.

           "You were just literally wildin' out a few seconds ago." She shook her head.

           "Who came up with this mask idea anyway?" Yoongi tapped on his. "It's a bit stuffy, like someone I know."

           Coincidentally, Namjoon bumped into Yoongi after his comment, knocking the latter over easily. Luckily, Farm Girl caught him with a chuckle.

           "Oh sorry." Namjoon fixed his suit with a smirk.

           "You did that on purpose." Yoongi hissed.

           "If you weren't so short, I would've gotten out of the way." Namjoon retaliated.

           "Whoa there." You interjected. "Play nice, my elders."

           Jungkook snorted as you two finally joined the crowd.

           "Hi Y/N." Namjoon smiled warmly.

           "Hi Joon." You returned his greeting.

           "Hi Jungkook!" Jungkook intervened and high-fived himself.

           "How did you end up passing the interview, Y/N?" Namjoon leaned around Jungkook to speak to you.

           "Ah...that." You grinned.

           "The interview? What interview?" Jungkook tilted his head.

           "The interview to be your arranged date." You smiled. "I acquired some help from my good friends."

           Jungkook then recalled what his mother was saying to him before your entrance. "She got recommendations and high regards from FIVE of the CEO's. They're all heads of the biggest branches too. 3 of them are the Chairman candidates."

           "Hoseok, Jimin, Farm Girl, Yoongi..." he counted as he glanced up at Namjoon. "You helped her too?"

           Namjoon shrugged. "Why not?"

           He squinted skeptically. "Why?"

           "I like and respect Y/N. I want her to be happy." Namjoon answered. "And I think you two are good together."

           Jungkook peered at him still. "I don't believe you..."

           "Jungkook." You chuckled and hit his shoulder.

           Namjoon snorted then leaned down to whisper. "But I'm still keeping an eye on you, Nochu."

           With that, Namjoon saluted the group and disappeared suavely.

           "He's still so cool." You watched dreamily.

           Jungkook rolled his eyes.

           "Anyways, how did you get my parents to choose you?" He questioned.

           "Mmm...I was just my charming self." You grinned and shrugged.

           You nervously drummed your fingers on the folder you held with your resume, certificates, and letters of recommendation. You had experienced a few interviews for jobs, but none of that prepared you for an interview in order to be chosen as someone's possible bride-to-be. As nervous as you were because failure here meant they wouldn't accept you as Jungkook's girlfriend in the future, you also knew it could mean easing the burden Jungkook put on himself if you were able to get their approval.

           "Ms. Y/N?"

           A voice called out, signaling your turn.

           "Yes!" You stood up and nervously entered their large office.

           The sheer grandeur of the Jeon household was amazing. Being with down-to-earth Jungkook, it never truly struck you that he had come from a rich upbringing. But then again, his company did create a lot of the products you used every day. All you could do was gawk at the large library behind who you assumed to be his parents.

           "H-hello." You sat down obediently as you handed them your folder.

           "What brings you here today Ms. Y/N? What family are you from?" Jungkook's mother started.

           "Um...actually..." you cleared your throat. "My family isn't quite known in the business world. Well, my sister and my brother-in-law are."

           "Oh my goodness." Jungkook's mother gasped as she pulled out your recommendation letters. "Do you know all these people well?"

           You leaned forward to check that she had the right documents. "Oh yes. I work under CEO Park and CEO Jung. I'm a personal friend of CEO Kim. And my sister and brother-in-law are the two others."

           "Chairman Min's grandson is your brother-in-law?" His soft spoken father questioned.

           You blushed and nodded. "I know it's not enough to just be bound by titles, but I have similar ambitions of following my sister and my brother-in-law."

           They perked up. "You want to become a CEO."

           "I hope to be so. I also would like to start my own franchise like the other Chairman candidates as well."

           "You came at the top of your class from Seoul University too. Wow." His mother read through your resume. "Well you surely blew everyone out of the water by recommendations alone. It seems you're intelligent and ambitious too."

           You bowed gratefully.

           "But of course, we're parents first and foremost. On paper, you have wonderful potential and we both think you would be a positive influence and supporter to our son." She glanced at her husband. "But if your family didn't force you here to share in the wealth of our brand name, why would you be interested in our son?"

           You smiled, "I actually had the luxury of getting to know Jungkook personally as we were both interns under CEO Park and CEO Jung."

           "Oh? And what do you think of our son?"

           "He's warm." You glanced at them fondly. "Down-to-Earth. He has a strong sense of justice, and at first, he may seem shy and reserved, nervous even, but when you get to know him, when you truly step back and try to know him, he takes care of people subtly. He's conscious of people's emotions. He's caring. And he always tries his best in something he really wants to do." You chuckled. "He's really funny. He can probably make me laugh even when I'm in the worst of moods. And don't get me started when he gets competitive, he's like a different person."

           You realized you were rambling about their son so you averted your eyes, embarrassed.

           They were both smiling at you warmly from where they were seated.

           You blushed.

           "I think we've definitely heard enough." his mother stood up. "Y/N."

           "Y-yes...?" You stammered.

           She walked over and hugged you, taking you by surprise.

           "We'd love to have you date our son." She fixed your hair. "You're beautiful, smart, observant, ambitious, and it seems like you care a lot about him already. We couldn't ask for a better candidate." Then she whispered. "And it'd be great if you could inherit the family name and help raise the company back to independence."

           You laughed loudly while Jungkook's father looked puzzled at your secret exchange with his wife. Her eyes twinkled as she studied you warmly.

           "Now he might try to run away from you and make excuses, but please stick to him." she pleaded.

           "Mrs. Jeon, I'm afraid I'm already quite stuck to him." You grinned.    

           You smiled as Jungkook held you against while the two of you danced. Resting your head onto his shoulder, you shut your eyes and let yourself relax in his lead.

           "Sleepy?" he questioned.

           "Why? Will you take me home?" You grinned.

           "Don't tempt me." He chuckled.

           "I just like being here with you." You hummed.

           "Me too." He kissed your temple sweetly. "And Y/N?"

           "Hm?" You lifted your head up curiously at his serious tone.

           His eyes bore into yours intently, filling you with butterflies all over again. Leaning forward, he captured your lips deeply, leaving you breathless from its passion and intensity.

           "I'm glad it was you."

[jj-ktae]

Fragrance IV : Leather

Title : Fragrances

Genre : Fluff, Angst, Romance

Pairing : Jaebum x Reader

Summary : You are a perfume composer, he is a lyricist, and while you’re left with too many possibilities, he is out of inspiration. Your only bond is an unknown fragrance.

- Teaser - Vetiver - Chypre - Fougère - Leather - Oud - Neroli - Gourmand - Ambergris -

Fragrance IV : Leather

A strong, smoky scent that stems from ingredients used to tan leathers—it’s usually used in fragrance with the help of synthetic chemicals.

Choi Youngjae’s smile is lunar. It’s illuminating his shy face in a way that makes you grin like an idiot. He is looking at Jaebum like he is a star and you finally understand how loved this guy is.

“I’m working on an album and I would love for us to work together on it.”  Jaebum doesn’t seem to like what he is hearing, and you and Bambam don’t know how to react so you look at each other before slowly moving away from the two. You don’t go that far though because Jaebum grabs your arm to keep you next to him. You see his pleading gaze and Bambam understands right away, moving away without you and you see your tiny glint of hope fade away from the awkward situation.

“I can’t.” Youngjae’s smile fades as soon as Jaebum speaks. He looks disappointed suddenly and you want to pet his hair and comfort his puppy state. “Why not? I know we don’t create the same music but your lyrics are wonderful and my agency needs some change in my artistic orientation.”

Jaebum snorts, his hand still around your forearm like you’re his only ally on earth. You don’t move nor speak, conscious that you can do nothing except being here and support him silently.

“This is why I can’t. I don’t write for the sake of a career. I’m sorry.” He pulls on your arm and you both walk away from a surprised Youngjae. Jaebum’s face is indecipherable. He grabs another glass of champagne on your way to the tiny balcony across the reception room, feet soft yet hurried against the hotel’s marble.

He stops to look outside and it’s like a fresh bowl of hair for him. You stay silent, waiting for him to let go of your arm and puzzled by how different he looks without the entrancing smell of his tortured being. You can’t stand the tension though, and if Jaebum is okay with staying quiet and watching the view like he is nostalgic of lost times, you pull on your arm, like a proof of your existence next to him.

He snaps his head toward you and the fingers around your forearm are gone in an instant. Jaebum is lost, right now.

“Are you okay?” You ask as carefully as you can. From what you know and observed ever since you met him, you can feel he is not okay with the sudden opportunity.

“No. I’m not okay.” His now free hand goes to his forehead before rubbing the skin, expressing his growing frustration. “I’m scared.”

You tilt your head, not surprised. “I can see that.” You wish you could be more of a support, but Jaebum without his smell is not Jaebum. His cologne is a tad too strong and it’s going against his subtle natural accord. You hate it.

“I’m not scared of failing. I’m scared of taking people down with me.” And he chuckles because the thought itself is scary. Ruining another artist’s career would end him for good.

“It could also work out and become a bop.” You lean against the balcony’s bench, eyes scanning the room and you see Bambam chatting with a depressed Youngjae.

Jaebum can’t see it, he is too busy watching the horizon. “I don’t want to create a bop; I want to do something beautiful and valuable.”

“A bop can be beautiful and valuable. Following a trend doesn’t mean being greedy.” You know what he means. Jaebum isn’t mainstream, he runs by his beliefs and what he thinks sounds good, he doesn’t want to be in the charts. It’s the same with perfumes.

“You know about it, luxury perfume maker.” He snorts and it shocks you. Your eyes swiftly go from the room to the side of his face and you suddenly feel offended. Are you being belittled by Im Jaebum, right now? He sighs, looking back at you with eyes that you didn’t know could exist on Jaebum “I’m sorry. I should just go home.”

You shake your head, trying not to think too much about his mean comeback. “Sure. If it makes you feel better.” You know it’s not the best comfort you gave in your life, but Jaebum feels so different you can’t do anything about it. You’re only a passer-by in his problems and you already have your own. There’s so little you can do to help him, except making sure he doesn’t do something stupid.

“Well...” His voice is so low you almost don’t hear him, but you don’t need to ask because he is already walking away along with his strange odour. You watch him enter the room, you see him avoid every eye and looks, you see Youngjae hit Bambam’s shoulder softly and you see your assistant check to look for you.

He comes as soon as he notices your bored face on the balcony. “Boss, I’m sorry, I didn’t to-”

“I know.” You cut him. It’s too late for apologies and too early to talk about this. You don’t want to think about this guy for now. He has issues he can’t deal with, so there is no way you could do it for him. Maybe your mind is turning into a cold bitch, maybe you’re only using this guy for your own benefit.

But then again, he does look like he is doing the same so it’s fine by you.

“Youngjae is kind of sad, now.” He points at his friend who is pouting into the room and you both enter the place again, doing your best to try and defend your roommate who brushed this guy’s hope like dust on a chest of drawers.

You come back home by 4 and find Jaebum writing at the same spot he always is. You smell this bloody perfume in your living-room and you want to throw it out the window but you head to your room instead, ignoring him as much as he is ignoring you.

You fall asleep at 6.

Bambam arrives later with croissants and freshly made orange juice. He is wearing a burgundy suit with golden jewellery and you open your flat’s door still in your pyjamas.

“Week-ends are chill days, got it.” He snaps his fingers with a grin when he enters and hands you the bag. You can smell butter from it, it must be delicious.

“I’m exhausted, let’s just work for a couple of hours.” You explain while going to the kitchen.

Bambam agrees. “Sure. Now that we found the base notes, we can focus on the middle notes.”

At this, you make a face. Thank god Jaebum took a shower before going to bed and erased that damned scent from himself. But now the familiar feeling is back. It’s back from god knows where and aiming for your head again, blurring your consistency and shaking your sanity.

Bambam sips on his drink and speaks again. “I think this perfume is going to be great.” You love his positivism. Bambam is not the type of boy who would let you feel down. He always comes up with great compliments and positivity. If only you could be like him.

You smile at him, nodding. If he says so.

“Youngjae doesn’t want to give up on Im Jaebum.” Bambam continues the talk and now you react. It tickles your interest because it’s much more intense to think about Jaebum when you’re surrounded by his aroma.

“He doesn’t look like he wants to work with him, though.” You explain. Bambam acquiesces.

“Youngjae told me he needs to get in touch with him. I don’t want him to kill me so...do you think you could help us?” To this you lift a questionable brow at your assistant.

“How? It’s not like he will listen to me.” You have no powers over him. He drags you toward him without knowing yet he doesn’t give a damn about your mere existence.

“Do you mind if I give Youngjae your number?”

You open your mouth, in shock “Why is that? I really can’t help. Have you seen how he is, here? Tell your friend not to waste his time and look for another lyricist. There must be people who can write as well as him.” There must be, Jaebum is not the only genius in town.

Bambam shakes his head. “I think you could help us. Please?” His puppy eyes are working way too much for your taste and you don’t like it when you agree, feeling trapped into a plan that is doomed to fail.

Bambam grins so wide you can count his teeth one by one. “Thanks, boss. Youngjae will be so happy.”

“Tell him not to expect too much, honestly.”

You start working 30 minutes later and finish 4 hours later. You both came up with nothing new and you decide not to insist. You knew from the moment you woke up that you would be even more useless today. Bambam grabs his stuff and thank you again for your cooperation. You scratch your head, ready to go back to bed but Jaebum’s body is out, and heading to the bathroom.

You close your eyes, in awe. It’s like a drug you need. It gives power and motivation, but also dissatisfaction.

You decide to go to the kitchen, instead. Knowing Jaebum, he must be in need of food and pretty much very hungry at this hour. You don’t know why you start preparing food for him, and you decide to blame his scent, because it’s the only explanation to your kindness.

He goes out shortly after, sniffing the delicious smell of food and you wonder if it works on him like his own scent works on you.

“Hey,” he says, eyes puffy. His clothes are huge on his body, and it gives him cool vibes. He sits by the table and yawns.

“Want some food?” You ask, your back facing him while you’re already putting stuff into a big plate. You know he is going to say yes. He would never say no to sausages.

“You made some for me?” He is surprised. You hear a sound and the next thing you know, he is right behind you. You close your eyes because his shower gel adds to the spell he put on you.

He sees you nod and smiles. He is happy. “Thanks.”

You walk away, grabbing another glass of orange juice. You can’t talk now, but you still need to help this poor singer who wants to entrust his career to this weird guy.

“Bambam came this morning and he said-”

“I know what you’re about to say, but I won’t work with this guy.” Jaebum stops you before you can even try. How did he know?

He rolls his eyes, already stuffing his mouth and it’s difficult to understand what he says at some point “Bambam knows Choi Youngjae, Bambam is your assistant and we are ‘roommates’, so obviously he is going to ask for your help.”

“What a perceptive man.” You mock him but to your surprise, he laughs. It seems he likes it when you become daring.

“I know, right? I have a sharp nose for these things, no bad pun intended.” He munches like it’s his last meal on earth, not the least annoyed by your poor attempt at making him change his mind.

“You could still work on the song you showed me. I mean, with him.” It sounds simple. Jaebum has a song ready, and Choi Youngjae needs one, so why not work on it?

“It’s not that easy. You can’t offer a song like you give a perfume to someone.” He says and regrets it instantly.

“You should really stop talking about me like I’m doing shit.” You get angry. It’s the second time he talks to you like you’re nothing. Like your job is pointless.

“No, I mean- Shit. Sorry.” It’s surprising to see him apologize but you won’t give in. His smell is awesome, but his behaviour is the total opposite.

“I’m really doing my best. You’re the one who agreed to come to the party, and you’re the one who made me stay with you when you had to deal with this singer. I’m only trying to help.” Your voice is filled with frustration. You’re frustrated because of his behaviour, the way he deals with things and most importantly, the way he acts like life is over every time someone mentions music-making.

“I didn’t ask for your help, if you remember.” His fork is long forgotten on the table, but his voice is steady, too calm for what he is about to say. “You dragged me here instead of letting me deal with things. You’re the one who involved yourself into my business, and I don’t even know why honestly, so don’t complain when I imply that I don’t need you.”

“So why are you still here?” You know what he is about to answer, it’s logical.

“I don’t know, you tell me. If not because of you, I would be long gone, out of this bullshit. But I’m here, trying to write the shitty things I come up with in my mind. If my behaviour is too much for you to handle, I guess I can take myself out.” He reacts fast and gets up, already walking to his room and you know he is about to grab his stuff and leave. Even the tiny wind following his walking body smells like heaven but you don’t stop him. Maybe it’s for the best, maybe this whole situation isn’t meant to continue.

He is gone less than an hour later, and when he closes the door with a soft noise, you want to cry. You don’t miss him, but the smell is slowly going away and it’s ripping your insides because it was giving you fuel to continue, and now you have nothing.

You will never be able to feel this again.

“I’m taking a couple of days off.” You tell Bambam over the phone the next day. It’s a fine morning. The weather is great, you slept well, you’re about to grab lunch but your mind screams for help. You take your keys and hear Bambam ask if you’re okay.

Of course you’re okay. Your flat smells like shit, but you’re totally fine.

“I’m okay, just not feeling well. Tell the boss I’m sick.” You hang up when Bambam tells you to take care of yourself and close the door behind you. What a day to feel like crap.

The day is boring, it means nothing and it is so unlike you to feel so down. You’re not a cheerful person, this you know, but to the point of finding everything tasteless? It never happened. Jaebum won’t leave your mind and you find yourself wondering if he finally did what he wanted to do. You walk slowly whenever you see a bridge. It makes you look anxiously, hoping he didn’t do it.

You spend the rest of the day thinking about what you’re going to do. You can’t possibly create this perfume anymore, not when you have no idea where you’re going. Maybe you should let Bambam do the job and pray for it to work. He is good, he can do it.

You get a call from Choi Youngjae who pleads you to convince Jaebum and you can’t tell him he is long gone god knows where so you assure him you’ll do your best. You hate lying, but somehow you can’t crush him. 

It stays that way for three days. Three days of wandering the streets and sleeping until your eyes get puffy and red. Three days of long grunts and sighs. Three days of trying to persuade yourself that you don’t need him, that he was a mistake that stained your already messy mind. 

You decide Jaebum means nothing, his smell is just an illusion and you don’t need it to live. You’re strong, independent, you need no jerk to function. You convince yourself at some point, ignoring your subconscious who laughs at you for lying to yourself so blatantly.

Bambam comes back when you tell him you can start working again. You’re back on hard-working mode, sniffing bottles after bottles and talking to Bambam like you’re a new person. He is surprised by your sudden motivation, and when he doesn’t hear about Im Jaebum and doesn’t seem him, he prefers not to ask.

He is obnoxious, but not stupid. He knows your leave wasn’t for the sole purpose of healing.

“What do you think about Bergamot?” You try. It’s better than everything you mixed so far, and it’s not the best, but it’s good enough for now.

Bambam approves, opening another tiny bottle. “Oriental Leather.” he smells it and starts coughing violently.

You take it away from his hands before it can fall. It’s too precious to go to waste. “Let me see. Maybe...12 percent?” You used it only once, and it was for a very specific perfume. Back then you didn’t like how it smelled, but maybe it could go well with your current base note.

“Oriental leather is strong, even stronger than musk and maybe, maybe we’re about to make something good.” Your eyes shine when you start working on the proportion, hands as busy as your mind. Bambam watches intently, even taking notes from time to time. He will never get enough of your knowledge; he feels so lucky.

The result is great; you can feel it. Bambam loves it and it’s suddenly jackpot.

But when you’re about to take a much-needed break, a soft knock on your door makes you rush to answer. Apprehension fills you from the deepest it can reach as you open the door, breath long gone. It’s not Jaebum. It’s a stranger. You feel stupid for being so eager to smell him again and you decide to ignore the disappointed feeling into your stomach.

“Are you Y/N?” He is elegant, all suits and hair neat. His eyes are a not so typical shade of dark brown, and they shine so bright it feels like a human doll is standing in all its glory right in front of you.

“Yes...? And you might be?” You ask back. Bambam arrives behind you when he doesn’t hear any sounds coming from the door.

“I’m Park Jinyoung, I’m here to see Jaebum. He told me you’re both roommates, but he hasn’t been answering his phone for the past days so I decided to come.” He gives you a smile which fades when you answer, voice barely above a whisper.

“He moved out three days ago.”

---

You’re panicking. This Jinyoung guy looks angry and you can’t understand how he can stay so calm when Jaebum completely disappeared.

He takes out his phone when it rings. “Yes, father. I had to meet with Jaebum. No, I won’t be late.” He turns to your questioning gaze, “Work.” He smiles before looking around the place, waiting for you to speak.

“So this is where he stayed. It’s a huge flat. Are you rich?” he asks and you can’t believe it.

“No, I’m not. Do you have any idea of where he could be?” You ask. You need to know if he is safe. He can’t be dead, can he? No it’s impossible, he has all the talent in the world, he smells great, it can’t go to waste.

“No. Not at all. Jaebum often disappears and comes back like it’s nothing. I’m sorry for coming without further notice.” He is about to go like nothing dramatic is happening.

“But, you’re not going to look for him?” It’s crazy. You hear thunder outside, and understand it’s starting to rain heavily. You see flashes of Jaebum crying under the rain before jumping off a bridge, or even a roof, or anything that would hurt him.

But Jinyoung laughs, and his eyes go back to playful when they were annoyed a minute ago. “No, I won’t. I told you he often does that. He will come back soon.” Your first thought is to slap him because, come on, his friend is suicidal and he doesn’t move? But you don’t say a word, you don’t move, you don’t even show how worried you are.

Maybe he doesn’t even know Jaebum wants to end his life.

Knowing the guy, he obviously omitted to inform his friend about his dreadful intentions. It’s not a surprise then, to see his friend so relaxed, like Jaebum went on a soothing week-end in the countryside.

The latter walks past you and you get hit by the smell of pepper and musk. It fits his fierce feature. “I’ll be going then. Sorry again for intruding.” He notes how concentrated you are, deep in thoughts like you’re trying to find the answer to a complex puzzle.

You simply nod, and Bambam leads the man to the main-door, not noticing the way Jinyoung looks at him like he just came out of a very tacky movie. Your foot taps the floor restlessly and it’s a miracle you didn’t rush to look for him yet.

He wouldn’t even care anyway.

“Are you okay?” You assistant has warm eyes and your worry reflects upon his face. You try to smile back to keep your façade but inside it’s twisting. Your insides are a mess.

“Yes. Let’s stop here for today okay? It’s starting to rain; you should head back home.” You care about your assistant, you really do, but you can’t talk to him about it. If Jaebum didn’t even mention to his closest friend, then Bambam can’t be included into this. No matter how friendly and concerned he looks, he can’t be dragged into this huge mess you created yourself because of a stupid smell.

A stupid and addictive smell.

“Yes. Right.” Bambam looks away, somewhat hurt that you wouldn’t share what’s on your mind and grabs his jacket from your office’s chair. He comes back and his long fingerS suddenly tap your shoulder.

“It’s going to be okay.” You’re not surprised to hear his words. Bambam is perceptive and way too social not to understand that you and Jaebum are not complete strangers to each other. He doesn’t know about the scent, but he can see that there is something that makes you go to him.

He doesn’t ask and prefers to stay silent. He is here for work, but you’re always so lonely and have no confidence that it makes him want to scream. To him, you’re amazing and he wishes nothing more than have a tiny bit of your talent to exist. He sighs and turns around, legs tightly wrapped into torn jeans and disappears with soft motions. You look outside when a bolt of lightning illuminates the whole living-room and wonder if Jaebum is safe. You hate feeling this way. You’re even more pitiful now.

It’s hard to sleep that night. You blame it on your lack of exercise. Your body isn’t drenched enough to feel tired, so you turn around again and again, legs blocked into pale blue sheets and hair messy, spread on your cushion like a fighting octopus. You stereotypically look at the ceiling from time to time, picturING images of you creating something beautiful mixed with the familiar and dazzling scent of Jaebum. You wish nothing more than for it to stop, but you can’t decide for yourself and your soul leads the way, ordering you to be miserable and in need of his being to be able to be rational again.

You hear noises and blame it on the heavy rain clapping against your windows along with thunder. It’s tapping softly and adding to your anxiety, following your heart rate in an off-putting manner. You ignore it, scolding yourself and aware that you’re not going to be productive when Bambam will arrive next morning.

But the tapping comes back shortly after and you get off your bed. You grab your abandoned robe and wrap it around your exhausted envelope, rolling your eyes at your own paranoia. So what now, someone is going to rob your place? You decide to check the windows because maybe it’s only a matter of wind hitting the glass. You hope it is. You check all the rooms and when you don’t hear it anymore, you rush to bed again. There’S only a little time left before you’re supposed to be up and you can’t waste it on idiocy.

But on your way to your room you jump, hand over your mouth to silence your horrified cry. Your chest is about to explode and you got so scared you’re trembling. You freeze and blink when the shadow you spotted in the tiny lobby doesn’t move, against the wall. Your hand silently reaches for the wall and you turn on the light when you finally get a grasp of the situation. So this is what it is.

Jaebum is on the floor, drenched and looking exhausted.

And you can breathe again.

[cosmosogler]

hnnnnnnnnnnnghhhhhhhhhhhh

i woke up on time but i didn’t want to do anything so i ended up getting out of the shower late. and then eating breakfast late. i was hungry, and i knew i had to teach for four hours straight, so i made four waffles instead of two. and a pbj, and the rest of my lunch, in the last 5 minutes before i left instead of like 15.

i biked to campus pretty fast... i got to class 1 minute before it started. i did my lecture and stuff and tried to be a lot more active with the matter model. 

they asked another question that stumped me and i’m embarrassed because my notes were wrong too and i had to correct them when i figured it out. i’m embarrassed because it’s a basic physics newton’s laws sort of thing.

i was hung up on why the force on the sensor and the frictional force are always equal even when the block the sensor is attached to is accelerating. i looked up the horse and cart problem and understood it way better... two hours after the students had asked and the new section had started.

it really rustles my jimmies that i can’t make the three sections of exactly equal quality. i feel like i let my students down when i can’t very well explain a concept to them specifically, but i can to the next group!!!

suzanne mentioned today that she has a lot of trouble with basic stuff too, along with jennica, just because we haven’t taken the classes in forever. i did apologize to the students while trying to answer the question- i said i’d been working with energy for so long that forces didn’t really mean anything any more. we don’t even work with any numbers in class basically.

i was so exhausted afterward but i only had a five minute lunch break to shove the entire pbj in my mouth before i had to head over for my psychiatry appointment. i let the doctor prompt me on which information she wanted, but i did have a list of things to talk about in my life in chronological order to keep me on topic. i think it was a productive meeting since i kept it kind of, more organized than if i was just rambling about my childhood for an hour and a half, you know? 

she raised her eyebrows a couple times... especially at the stuff leading up to and just after my heart surgery. i don’t know if i’m too focused on the negatives or what but i really just remember having a pretty bad time social life wise. 

i know one family did come to visit me in the hospital- actually it was a student i didn’t spend a lot of time with. joey. he and his family came to bring me a card and hang out in the common area for a few minutes to see how i was doing. i was hooked up to my iv and i think i had just gotten the drainage tube out so i was on some strong painkillers. mom must have been talking to them. i fell asleep in the wheelchair.

it was too much i guess. the painkillers on top of the effort of keeping up with a conversation while my insides were still putting themselves back in place after getting a garden hose yanked out of my entire chest cavity.

i guess some people care more than they let on. and some people care less. he didn’t really do much to help me out with the bullying that doubled down after i got back. i still reflexively punch people that try to tickle or touch my nerve-damaged side. maybe his parents were more worried than he was. i dunno. it was 15 years ago.

now that i think about it... what the doctor said i should have had, at the hospital and going back to school afterward... i’m really upset. at the time i’d blinked and smiled and said “none of that ever occurred to me.” 

but now i’m really sad. knowing what i didn’t have that should have been provided, i guess. i told her the hospital really was very busy, and that my parents were basically always around so they must have thought i was covered. and i had no idea the school was supposed to, i guess, assign some kind of buddy to make sure i could get around okay? 

i’ve already talked about the wheelchair. 

near the end she said “it sounds like no one’s really been there to support you.” i said “yes.” and showed her my teeth. it wasn’t really a smile. i think she could tell though. wasn’t foolin no one.

she made sure my meds were refilled for the next month. i talked about my grandparents too. on glenn’s side. how nice they were to me. i can’t say how they treated everyone, or even glenn and my uncle don, but the people who attended grandma pearl’s funeral had only the most glowing, actually kind of really sincerely fond memories.

uncle don seems to have had a complicated relationship with his parents. but he loved them enough to take care of them for a very long time after they got old. glenn didn’t. i don’t think i should ask what happened. i know parenting is hard and there’s probably not a perfect way to do it. but there’s... functional ways to do it. and i hope that they were functional parents.

anyway i caught the bus back to the physics building and had sooo much trouble sitting down to actually study. i didn’t want to open anything or even get out my notebook to try some practice problems. i sent danielle at the drc a semi-long email about my academic progress, since i had that midterm on tuesday, and some concerns about the upcoming friday test.

after that i strongarmed jennica into getting dinner with me. we went to subway. she didn’t actually want anything but i figured some exercise might help her settle down, and also it gave suzanne a small break. entropy can get contagious and jennica had been stopping her to look at this or that dress for several minutes. and i appreciated the company. going to subway alone when i’m so exhausted is super awkward. at least with jennica there if i couldn’t make a decision quickly enough i could smile apologetically at the lady behind the counter and say “sorry, i’m hella tired.” and jennica would laugh and the moment would continue.

it ended up not helping jennica that much but it did help me to get some food. 

i think this was after i realized mom never put the 900 dollars back into my bank account. i talked seriously with jennica and taylor about some bank options and how to switch my direct deposit and stuff. they said it’s super easy. i asked one of them to go with me on saturday to make sure i get a good deal. taylor said that wouldn’t be a risk but jennica told me a couple things to watch out for and i think she also agreed to go with me but i’m not 100% sure on that.

anyway, after i ate i was in a much better mood. not a good mood, but a less bad one. i did finally get out my notebook and start... actually taking notes on the textbook. i didn’t get very far at all- i was interrupted- but i felt like it was working for me a little bit. i was trying to take the equations, and finding the main ideas for how we interpret those equations, and then writing that down in my own words. it’s been four hours and i still remember the difference between poisson’s equation and laplace’s equation- even though laplace is just a special case of poisson. i think, if i can identify the most important ideas behind the main equations given in the text, i can write that down and that will help me remember what the hell green’s theorem is or whatever next time it comes up on a test.

i also tried something new after i was interrupted. suzanne had gone to talk about the class with one of the undergrads in the same section and he allowed me to sit in on the session while we worked through practice problems covered in class. 

suzanne made it so much easier though.

the new thing i tried is that i tried to basically repeat what suzanne was saying but in my own words. and i asked questions about what each variable *was*. and if i felt i didn’t understand it well enough i said it again a different way. 

i couldn’t tell if it was slowing her and john down or not. i tried to pull back on the goofs at least. i also talked to john a little bit just trying to identify what it is about the professor’s lectures that has me so lost. and i figured it out!

he takes these practice problems from the book but then generalizes them to include all cases. this turns his math into monstrous entire-blackboard-spanning messes of variables and summations. and he skips important logic steps so it looks even more like a wall of chalk.

suzanne walked us through the simplest cases and then explained how some parts could be expanded to account for harder scenarios. i found that SUPER helpful because it let me point out myself where something could be made more complicated. 

i have a lot of trouble with lectures, but conversations are so much easier. i don’t necessarily remember exact words or phrases but the idea sticks with me a little better. maybe it’s an active listening thing? or a participation thing. i had a good time in discussion-based classes back at villanova too.

i like john though. i hope he likes me enough to let me intrude on his tutoring time again. i felt bad that i was explaining really basic concepts- not to him, but to myself. but he seemed to react as if i was kind of, splainin at him about how image charges worked. 

really it was because i had to remind myself a couple times that they are not actual charges that appear in a grounded plane as a response to a real charge. they are a math thing we use because it’s convenient.

hopefully that helps tomorrow on the test! i think the discussions are starting to help a little more... now that i’m getting less anxious about not getting stuff right away. i mean taylor and jennica give me Looks, sometimes, when i ask for a definition i should probably know by now. i get turned around by the notation kind of easily though, especially when i’m trying to identify the point where i stopped understanding the question. but if Looks are the worst they can do, well, i’ve had worse happen. in this department! with the e&m professor. 

in the conservatory, with a knife.

dated jokes are the best.

anyway i think that is also going to be my good thing about myself for today because i am already running kind of late since mom called and wanted to chat for 10 minutes while i was trying to write. i got my test tomorrow. so i will try to rest now.

[inkognito97]

Youngster V

Sequel to 'Youngster IV' 

Summary: A Sith Knight comes face to face with the past, as well as the possible future...

“And you are truly sure that this is going to work?” Anakin sent his former Master a bemused look while they were flying in one of the public transportation systems through the bright night of Coruscant. The city planet never slept and was always bright, either from the sun or from the street lamps and vehicles.

“Yes Master, I KNOW this is going to work.” He couldn’t quite keep the amusement out of his voice. He had lost count on how often the ginger haired man had repeated this question. But the blonde could not blame him. If their roles were interchanged, then he would probably react similar or even worse.

“Well, if you say so,” it warmed the young Skywalker that his Master was putting so much trust in him.

Anakin and Ahsoka had spent the last few weeks, months even, with undercover research. When they had finally found out that Qui-Gon was indeed not far away – a poor Council member had to suffer by the talented hand of Obi-Wan, of course he did not remember this incident – they had started to plan. At one point Dooku had been informed, he had immediately agreed to help when the ginger haired Sith in Jedi disguise had explained everything. Anakin was still a little uneasy about the Count’s involvement, especially since Ventress would be there with them, but after his former Master’s reassurance, he had accepted. Besides, Ahsoka would be able to handle Dooku’s apprentice quite well, should the need arise that is.

“And you have not forgotten to include Padme and Satine?” Obi-Wan was still worrying his brilliant mind. Then again, he was probably trying everything to keep his mind from coming up with the worst possible outcomes.

“Yes Master, they are informed and more than willing to help, especially Satine.” He winked at his shorter companion, who returned with one of his annoyed glances. “What? You love her, don’t you? And she loves you. I don’t understand why you make such a fuss about it.”

The older male rolled his eyes. “It’s a little bit different from your and Padme’s situation, young one.” “How so?” he furrowed his brow while Obi-Wan’s gaze returned to the buildings they were passing.

“I am a Sith Knight Anakin... I don’t know if she will understand.”

“Of course she will. I mean, Padme understood when I told her that I would not leave the Jedi Order. It is still working.” Anakin distantly remembered when he had gone to Obi-Wan’s quarters one evening and confessed everything about his and Padme’s secret relationship as well as their wedding back in his late Padawan days. He had been surprised when Obi-Wan had reacted almost nonchalant and it had become even worse when the older male had revealed that he had known all along. Afterwards Anakin had managed to tickle the truth about Satine out of his stubborn Master. It had felt like a great relief to be able to talk to someone like this. That and the Sith had become a valuable help and presence in his relationship with his sometimes stubborn wife.

“We’ll see about that, but for now, we should focus on the task ahead.” Anakin nodded in agreement and for the rest of the ride they remained silent.

After they had exited their transport, the two men had to walk a few minutes. They had their hoods up, protecting their faces from cameras and passerby alike.

“Had I known that he was being held so close to the actual temple... I should have expected it.”

“You couldn’t know,” Anakin tried to calm his Master down. He could already feel how the Force was shifting around the older male, but not yet in a dark or even dangerous zone. Ever since their confrontation and Obi-Wan’s revelation, he had been more open with his emotions and Force presence. It had been quite the shock for Anakin to realize how much his usual serene and calm appearing Master actually felt behind that well crafted mask of his. It rivalled his own state, with the difference that Obi-Wan had better control. But the blonde was already working on that, with the ginger haired Sith’s help of course.

“Hiding him in close proximity, in perfect reach to watch him and to use him against me should the need arise,” the shorter man shook his head in disgust, “They will pay for that.” “I thought you were not one for revenge?” the young Skywalker was slightly getting worried.

“Oh, I am not talking about revenge. But there will undoubtedly come a point when the mighty Jedi will require my help and I will see if I am going to jump to their aid willingly.”

Anakin hummed in thought. He was not going to argue with Obi-Wan about this point. He knew that it would be a match that he would lose. He was never one for talks and negotiations, at least not, when no lightsaber was involved.

“Dooku will be ready, won’t he?” Anakin tried to change the subject.

“He probably has everything set up for a few days now. He would never endanger our lives willingly.” “And with ‘our lives’, you mean Qui-Gon’s and yours, right?”

Obi-Wan gave him a smirk, “Dooku knows that I would not be very pleased if something would happen to you. He learned that the hard way, after he wounded you on Geonosis. Believe me, he will not make THAT mistake ever again.”

Anakin furrowed his brows, “What exactly did you do to him?”

They turned another corner, always staying in the shadows. They could already see the building they were heading for. Who would have thought that the Jedi Order would actually have a hidden base on Coruscant, with underground cells and laboratories?  At least they now knew what happened to all those, who were not true to the Order and the Code. An information Anakin did not really want in the first place.

Obi-Wan’s eyes sparkled and for a moment they had a golden touch to them. “Oh, I just wiped the sparring ground with my dear Grandmaster.” He huffed, “Qui-Gon would have found it hilarious... I hope I can find the footage again.”

“You bested Dooku? Alone?”

“No Anakin,” the man sighed dramatically, “I had my undead Sith army to back me up. Of course I bested him alone, ever since I turned twenty, he was no match for me.”

A picture of his former Master appeared in the forefront of the young Skywalker’s mind. He pictured countless zombie like creatures creeping behind the ginger haired man, whose eyes were glowing gold and on whose face black marks had appeared. It was a ridiculous thought, but also felt extremely terrifying.

“Would it be possible? The undead army, I mean.” “Well,” the shorter man cleared his throat, “legends says that there once WAS a Sith who could command the dead. But as every legend, you do not know which parts are actually true and what parts are not. Perhaps he just brought someone from the edge of death, I don’t know. I just know that I am not able to bring the dead back to life and no other living person right now is capable either.”

“Not even Sidious?” he just wanted to be absolutely sure.

“Not even Sidious,” Obi-Wan reassured his young companion. “Now, I think we have arrived,” he turned his back to the building, “I’ll contact our comrades and you prepare for our entrance.”

Anakin immediately followed the order. From one of his pockets he fished a dark mask that would hide his face. With a lot of fantasy, it looked like the head of a gundark, but only with a LOT of fantasy. Obi-Wan would put his on as well – his mask was less colourful, actually it was just a creepy smile painted on a black and white mask – namely as soon as he was finished with his call.

“Good, everybody is in position. As soon as Asajj, Cad and the other bounty hunters create the distraction, we go in. Once we got to Qui-Gon, we free him and bring him to the hanger bay, where Ahsoka will wait with the escape ship. Asajj will take over later and she will bring Qui-Gon to Dooku’s base on Serenno. I guess that my Grandmaster will have the medical bay ready by then as well.”

Anakin nodded dutifully at the short summery of their mission. It sounded easy and makeable. The two of them had often accomplished worse things, which meant that a little rescue mission couldn’t be that hard, right? Then again he had never worked together with bounty hunters, especially not Cad Bane, but Obi-Wan had said that he was trustworthy. Apparently the two of them had become something like friends after the ginger haired Sith had rescued his blue skin one or two times in the past.

The two men exchanged a last glance before they set to work. They did not have to wait long for the distraction to take action. At first, a loud explosion was heard, followed by a distant alarm. The guards and Jedi in the building would go and investigate, leaving their prisoner mostly unprotected.

“That’s our signal,” the older male stated and he was already moving towards one of the hidden entrances. There were several, probably to make sure that special prisoners could quickly be moved out of the danger zone, not that it would help the Jedi now.

A light shudder ran through Anakin Skywalker’s whole body when he felt his former Master’s aura darkening, he had still not gotten used to that aspect just yet. He could feel the other’s Force presence reaching out, searching for any sign of life, danger or something else. He himself quickly followed the Sith’s example and promptly spotted his Padawan’s Force signature, along that of Ventress. The bounty hunters were close by and a few Force sensitive beings, those were the Jedi, were closing in rapidly.

“We don’t have much time,” the blonde said while igniting his lightsaber, just as Obi-Wan had just done.

“How about we stop talking then and focus on cutting open the entrance instead,” came the sarcastic remark. The Jedi Knight did as he was told and together, the pair was now standing inside a bright hallway. It was almost beautiful and peaceful in there, hadn’t it been for the flashing blood red light.

“This way,” Obi-Wan motioned his companion to follow. Meanwhile the Jedi had closed in on the distraction, oblivious to the true threat that had already infiltrated their defences.

The masked men made quick progress. Only two times did they had to hide behind a pillar or false wall and only ones did they have to take another path, because they had met obstacles and patrols along the way.

“Master, I am not sure how long Ventress and the bounty hunters can hold their position,” Ahsoka’s voice sounded through the comlink on Anakin’s arm. Golden eyes looked at his companion, Obi-Wan had heard what had been said as well.

“Master,” Anakin began, but he was quickly interrupted. “I will not return, not at this point. You and your student are free to leave whenever you want however,” the accented and cultivated voice said.

The Knight hesitated only a second, “We won’t abandon you.”

“Master is right,” the young Togruta chirped in.

“Thank you,” and from the way the older male’s voce quivered, Anakin knew that he truly meant that.

“Not for that my former Master,” and with that they continued their search, steps just this much quicker. They had refrained from using any names, in case the cameras were able to record audio.

“He’s here,” Anakin allowed himself to sigh in relief at the words of his dark companion. He had hoped and begged to the Force that they would find Qui-Gon soon, not only for the Jedi Master’s sake, but for Obi-Wan’s sake as well. The ginger haired male was greatly bothered by the whole affair and whenever that particular topic had came up, there had been an almost undetectable shift in the man’s Force presence. An outsider would never have noticed it, but the young Skywalker HAD been Obi-Wan’s Padawan for over ten years after all. You learn a few things about a person in ten years and the person about you as well. It was just natural.

“What are we waiting for then?” he had his lightsaber back in his hand, its blue blade shimmering and ready for action, but an outstretched hand stopped him. “No Anakin, wait. We don’t know in what condition he is and how he will react to contact with another being or the Force. We have to be careful.”

The younger male hummed, “I should let you do it then,” he deactivated his deadly weapon and took a step back again, to give the Sith in Jedi disguise some room to work with. He received a grateful nod in return.

The ginger haired man took a calming breath and released all his emotions into the Force, leaving him in a calm and almost meditating state. He called back the darkness and made his presence in the Force as neutral as humanly possible. He guessed that his old Master would react positive to the dark energy, but he couldn’t be one hundred percent sure, which is why he lowered it. Then he reached out with the Force and slowly, very slowly opened the cell door.

All his training as Jedi and as Sith, could not have prepared Obi-Wan for the sight that greeted him upon the opening door. The cell was dark, pitch dark to be exact. The only light inside, was the light that came from the hallway. The cell’s inhabitant immediately tried to escape the brightness, but it was to no avail, for he was chained like a dirty animal to the wall. There were Force suppressing cuffs on his wrists, on his ankles and around his neck. All cuffs were connected with laser chains to the wall. The man was gagged as well, with an uncomfortable looking mask. Obi-Wan noticed with horror that his beloved Master was not well cared for. He was clearly dehydrated and underfed, probably just given the minimum for his survival. His brown hair was tangled, unkempt, matted in most places and was also a lot longer than the last time Obi-Wan had seen the man. The same could be said from the beard, or at least from the parts of the beard which were not covered by the mask and could therefore be seen. Midnight blue eyes that used to sparkle with life and contentment, were now lifeless and full of fear. It was as if there was a completely different man right in front of the ginger haired Sith.

He took a hesitant step into the cell, only to stop dead in his tracks, when a whimpering sound escaped the gagged man. Qui-Gon’s whole body was shivering violently and he wanted nothing more than to escape, that much was clear.

“What have those monsters done to you?” Obi-Wan asked out aloud and he fought hard to force his emotions under control. There were hate and anger pulsing deep in his veins, but he couldn’t allow it to run free, not when Qui-Gon needed him clear headed. He took another step forward, ignoring the obvious flinch of the older male and his worsening trembling.

“Master, is everything alright?” Anakin whispered just loud enough for the ginger haired adult to hear. Obi-Wan was thankful for that.

“No...” he replied honestly, “I fear that I have to use a Force suggestion to calm him down... he is disorientated and in a lot of distress. Also those cuffs have to stay on for now...”

“Oh,” was all Anakin could reply, not that Obi-Wan blamed him. He himself struggled with finding the right words, and he was ‘The Negotiator’ after all, or at least that is what the people liked to call him. He himself was not very eager for such a title, it had no real use, it could not save people or make a change after all.

Obi-Wan lowered himself to the floor and did not allow himself to be bothered by the dry substances on the dirty ground. Right now the only thing that mattered, was getting Qui-Gon out of here. He reached out with the Force, focusing on the Sith Lord in front of him, or what remained of the once proud and strong man. The man’s mind was just like his outward appearance, in complete disarray and not well cared for. There were no real mental shields protecting the older male’s mind and it was easy for the trained Sith to get into the other’s mind to plant drowsiness and the overwhelming desire to sleep there. Eventually the tall man just slumped in his cuffs, haunted eyes closed and breathe calming down. Only then did Obi-Wan open his own eyes again. In one fluid move, he was at his Master’s side, opening the cuffs on his wrists and ankles, but not the one around his neck, with the aid of the Force and capturing the tall frame in his arms when he cut through the last chain. The man was a lot thinner than he used to and therefore a lot lighter. With Anakin’s help, Qui-Gon was positioned on the ginger haired Sith’s shoulders.

“Ready Master?” the blonde asked. He received a short nod as an answer. “Alright, let’s go then, I will contact Ahsoka on the way.”

The next phase of their plan worked as well. Ahsoka was waiting, like she was supposed to, with an unobtrusive little transport vehicle at the meeting point. With much care had Obi-Wan positioned his Master on one of the makeshift beds and secured the man so that he would not fall out. Ahsoka had taken off then, leaving Anakin and Obi-Wan to help Asajj and the bounty hunters in their escape. They knew that their third phase was quickly approaching and that the time in between was short, but they would never leave a comrade behind.

“It was nice working with you again, my dear Obi-Wan,” the bald Sith assassin purred once they were outside the base. The ginger haired Sith just huffed and gave her a quick kiss on her cheek, which she promptly returned, before he was able to rearrange his mask. She then vanished into the darkness of the night, undoubtedly on her way to join and assist Dooku, who would await Ahsoka and Qui-Gon. The young Togruta Padawan would leave her cargo in Dooku’s capable hands and then she was to return to the Jedi temple.

Cad Bane did NOT want to be kissed, nor did Obi-Wan want to kiss him. It was different with Asajj, because she was like a sister or a cousin for him. But the blue bounty hunter with the ridiculous hat at least allowed the young Sith to hug him.

���Till the next time I have to save your behind, Kenobi,” he was wearing his trademark smirk on his face.

“Excuse me? Usually it is ME, who is doing the rescuing,” Obi-Wan laughed. They quickly parted ways after a last handshake, to Force knows where. Obi-Wan and Anakin however, had a meeting with a senator and a duchess and they did not want to let the ladies wait.

“Come on Anakin,” the young Sith whispered fiercely and pushed his former pupil with the aid of the Force onto the balcony of Senator Amidala’s quarters. He himself quickly followed suit, much more elegant however.

As expected, the glass doors that led to the apartment’s insides, was not locked and the two Force users silently slipped inside. They listened for voices or other sounds, but could only hear the two females talking, which is why they carefully walked into the living space, where the two females were dining together.

“Padme,” Anakin exclaimed happily and he had already crossed half the distance between them, with the mask ripped off of his face, before she looked up. Obi-Wan was a little shyer.

“Satine,” he bowed his head to the blonde beauty, while the other pair had embraced each other. She had discarded her royal clothes and her usual head gown, for a plain blue dress, but she still looked stunning to his eyes.

“Obi-Wan,” the Mandalorian returned the greeting, before she boldly reached out to pull the hideous mask from his face. She carelessly discarded it onto the floor, where it laid upside down. “You should change your clothes,” she continued.

He nodded mechanically, but did not move from the spot he was standing on and neither did he turn his gaze away from her face. Her brow slightly furrowed when he did not move, which is why she took his hand into her own and led him towards Padme’s bedroom, where two bags rested on the bed. One belonged to Anakin and one to Obi-Wan.

“Is everything alright?” her worried voice cut through his thoughts and he was able to pull away from her enough, to get rid of the black robe he was wearing. He carelessly let it slight onto the silky sheets of the king-sized bed.

“Yes,” a pause, “no.” He sighed and he felt her come up behind him, while he slowly changed back into his usual Jedi gear.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked while helping him with the heavy armour.

He hesitated, “I want to tell you a secret.”

“A secret?” her curiosity was spiked and only then did he turn around, fully dressed as Jedi Master and General of the Republic Army, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

“Yes, there is something important I have to tell you about,” he gripped both of her hands and pulled her towards the comfortable bed, so that they could sit on it.

“What is it?” her thumb was soothingly rubbing over his gloved knuckles. They still had strong emotions for each other, but they had never acted upon them, because of Obi-Wan’s status as a ‘Jedi’ Knight. This was just one of many reasons why he wanted to tell her the truth about himself, about his true nature. He still was not sure she would understand, but he hoped she would. He didn’t want to lose her, not like he lost Qui-Gon all those years ago. Of course he WOULD let her go, if she wanted to leave that is. But still...

“It’s about me,” as if in trance did he watch the regular movements of her thumb. It was what kept him grounded in the here and now, what gave him hope and strength to continue speaking.

“Does it have to do with your rescue mission?” her voice was patient and calm. She could see how hard it was for him and she remained calm until he could say what he wanted to talk about.

“Not directly no, it is somehow connected, but I will tell you that later, if you want,” he sighed heavily, his shoulders slumped a little. “I’m, I’m a Sith, Satine...” he trailed off.

Her thumb stopped moving, but she made no further move to pull away. Actually she did not move at all, nor did she say anything for a while. Now it was Obi-Wan’s turn to wait. She had given him his time and he would give her hers.

“I,” she cleared her throat, “I don’t understand.”

Only now did he look up, his eyes meeting hers and she gasped when she saw that blue-green had turned into a shimmering gold. “I am a Sith... not one of those monsters, who are responsible for this war, mind you, but...” he exhaled through his nose.

Her slim finger wrapped slowly around his gloved ones, he too tightened his hold on her hand. Her eyes were calculating, clearly searching his face for something. He waited.

“Does it... make you a bad person?” she had tilted her head away, a little to the right.

“The Jedi would say ‘yes’.”

She hummed and her gaze left his to look at the closed door, “Is he one as well?” It was clear that she was talking about Anakin.

“No,” he shook his head, even though she couldn’t see it. “Does he know?”

“Yes,” he wondered where this conversation was going, but he counted it as a small victory, that she had not left yet.

“You use the... dark side of the Force, don’t you?” It reminded him of that night all those years ago, when the two of them had huddled close to a fire, separated from Qui-Gon and any other help. Obi-Wan had still been a student back then. He and Qui-Gon had been sent on the mission to save her from assassination attempts. He was glad they succeeded.

“Yes,” he replied again, wishing he could say more.

“Explain it to me,” she demanded from him.

He cleared his throat and his gaze settled on a picture on the wall, without really seeing it. “The dark side of the Force is impulsive and sometimes reckless. Of course it exists because of the light, light cannot be without the darkness, but it also exists because of strong emotions. Hate and fear are often believed to be the dominant ones, but love and happiness are a part of the dark side as well. It is not as restrained as the light, it loves its freedom. It is not calculable; it can be destruction and chaos, but also safety and health. The dark side is more than darkness, hate and destruction.”

“Yet the Jedi fear it, why?”

“People tend to fear what they don’t know and don’t understand. That and the Jedi are stuck in traditions and old tails. They got to know the dark side as something evil, due to the wars. Little do they know that it were monsters like Bane who destroyed everything.” “You refer to this ‘Bane’ as monster, but he was a Sith...”

“He was not a true one,” his voice sounded harsher than he intended to, “he belonged to a separate group, who had the audacity to call themselves Sith, when in truth they were corrupt people, using the dark side to their advantage, to gain power and to suppress the innocent and those who are weaker.”

“You don’t do that,” he looked at her and found that her brows were furrowed.

“No...” he was not sure if it had been a statement or a question, but the ginger haired Sith had answered nevertheless.

Her gaze found his again and to the Sith’s surprise, there was a small smile on her lips. “Then you are not a bad person...”

“Satine,” he did not come further.

“No matter what you call yourself... Jedi or Sith, you are still my knight in shining armour,” it was the closest they had ever gotten to say ‘I love you’ to each other. He gave into the desire and lifted his free hand to her cheek and she immediately leaned into the contact. “What else does it mean, for us?” she wanted to now, her voice barely above a whisper.

“The Jedi Code forbids attachment and it frowns heavily upon romantic intercourses and relationships, the Sith Code... does not.” It was all she needed to now, before she darted forward.

He was too stunned at first to respond to the pair of warm and sweet lips on his, but the young Sith quickly caught himself. He raised both his arms and held her tight against his chest, while her hands tightened in the front of his tunics. Slowly one of his gloved hands, found their way into her unbound blonde hair and he closed his eyes, their kiss full of passion, but not hectic.

They pulled apart, both breathless. Golden eyes that were slowly returning to their previous colour, locked with blue ones.

“Obi,” it was almost pleading.

“Hush, my beloved,” again he pressed his mouth to hers, stealing small kisses from her. She made a surprised but pleased noise when he pulled her onto his lap and he smiled against her mouth.

Her gip on his arms was almost painful, but also very much welcomed, for it grounded him in the reality. Both of them knew that they could not go further, not now and definitely not in Padme’s apartment with said Senator and Anakin in the next room.

Speaking of which, a loud cough parted the two lovers. Satine was bright red and hid her face in Obi-Wan’s neck, who lazily and with an innocent look on his bearded features, looked over, to the pair at the door. Anakin Skywalker looked way too amused for the Sith’s liking, but he decided that it was wiser not to say anything about it. Padme Amidala did NOT look amused, she was almost as red as her friend, clearly embarrassed to have watched those interactions. Even without reading her mind, Obi-Wan could tell that she was thinking about herself and Anakin. Her embarrassment turned to horror and the young Sith guessed that she just realized that they often made such public displays as well.

“Did we interrupt something?” the blonde Knight asked smugly, he had his arms crossed over his chest.

“Yes,” Obi-Wan replied boldly and he felt his beloved gasp in outrage against his chest, “and you are embarrassing my betrothed.” That caught the attention of all people in the room, even Satine straightened up and looked searchingly into his calm face.

“Obi-Wan?”

“Yes sweet one,” he urged her to stand, only to slip to his knees right in front of her. She gasped in shock, when he produced a small black box out of one of his pockets on his belt and he opened it, revealing a silver ring with a small blue crystal worked into it. It was a part of his saber crystal and from the increased shock in the air, the people present knew that as well. “Will you marry me? I know this is rash, but with the war going on and me being a Sith...” he trailed off.

Had Obi-Wan’s attention been on Padme, he would have seen her horrified gaze and Anakin whispering something assuring to her. He would have seen her nodding in understanding and though there was still a little doubt in her eyes, she would have smiled. But Obi-Wan did pay her no attention, he was solemnly focused on the woman who was standing in front of him, clearly struggling to form words.

“Well?” even though there was humour in his voice, his blue-green eyes started to show a hint of worry, but Satine had herself finally back under control.

She breathlessly said, “Yes.”

With shaking hands, did Obi-Wan put the ring on her finger and then – in one fluid motion – did he stand up and scoop her into his arms, spinning her around, both of them laughing merrily. The couple shared another brief kiss, before Satine was wrapped into the hug of her friend, who was congratulating her and then dragging her out of the room to discuss female stuff, probably related to the current happening.

With great amusement, did Anakin watch how his former Master sat on the bed with a relieved sigh, before letting himself fall back onto the soft mattress. He himself started to change quickly and only when he was in his normal Jedi uniform, did he join the older man on the bed, who had his eyes closed at this point.

“My congratulations Master, even though I TOLD you so.” He was lying on his stomach, propped up with his elbows and looking down at the ginger haired male.

One blue-green eye peeked up at him, “I don’t know if I should thank you or hit you right now.” He joked back and the young Skywalker laughed out loud.

“I would prefer the first option,” he bumped his arm with Obi-Wan’s shoulder.

“Of course you would.”

A moment of silence passed between the men, “I didn’t know that you had planned to ask her to marry you...” there was a strange tone in his voice.

The young Sith opened both his eyes now, “That’s because I didn’t.” The blonde shot him a curious and questioning glance and Obi-Wan continued, “It was not my intention to ask her now and today... it was... a rash decision, made in the rush of the moment.”

“Yet you cut off a part of your crystal and somehow found the time and resources to get her a ring, a wonderful one, might I add.”

“I did, didn’t eye...” his gaze was distant.

Anakin’s eyes softened, “Sounds more like me and less like you.”

The bearded male sent his younger companion a smirk, “I always told you that in a real Master-Padawan team, the student learns from the teacher and the mentor also learns from the apprentice.”

Anakin huffed, “Perhaps I SHOULD have listened more to your lectures,” he looked sheepishly down at the raised eyebrow he received from his former Master before he got a Force hit to the head. “Hey!”

“Consider this as your punishment, insolent youngling; I am not in the mood for more.” He got up, quickly followed by the younger Knight. “We should get back.” Anakin only nodded in agreement.

As soon as the two Force users entered the living area again, the two females looked up from whatever they were doing. Padme quickly hid something behind her back. Obi-Wan and Anakin shared a look. They silently agreed that it would be better not to ask.

The two males users had just sat down again, in front of the two females, when a heavy knock sounded at the door to the apartment. Padme quickly went to answer it.

Obi-Wan was not surprised when Mace Windu, closely followed by Kit Fisto and Plo Koon, as well as two temple guards entered. It was a little overdone, thought the Sith Knight, but he did not comment on this either. Instead he sent Anakin a disapproving look, when he started squirming on his seat.

“Good evening Senator, Duchess, Master Kenobi and Knight Skywalker.”

Obi-Wan had figured that this was an official visit. “What brings you here on this fine evening, Mace?” Thankfully one of the ladies had removed his mask that had previously rested on the floor and had hidden it somewhere.

The Korun Master cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable with this whole affair. Obi-Wan made sure to remember that. “There has been an attack on one of OUR bases on the lower levels.��� The Sith furrowed his brow for show.

“Our bases? I didn’t know the Jedi had other buildings aside the temples,” Anakin said aloud.

“They are more like hideouts or... prisons for certain kinds people,” Plo Koon explained.

“What do you mean by ‘certain kinds people’?” Anakin was completely in his role.

“Sith or other Force users... perhaps traitors,” Obi-Wan explained and Plo Koon nodded.

“Alright,” the blonde Jedi said slowly, “and I guess you want us to hunt whoever was freed?”

“No exactly,” Mace was shifting uncomfortable again.

“The person that has been freed was... Qui-Gon Jinn.” Obi-Wan, who had been taking a sip from his tea cup, was coughing violently now. He bend forward and his former student hit him on the back to help as best as he could.

“What,” another cough, “what did you say?”

“Your former Master,” Kit Fisto finally said something as well.

“Qui-Gon is dead,” the Sith put his cup back on the table and stood up. He made sure to allow a healthy amount of uncertainty into the Force. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw that Anakin was standing as well now.

“No he is not,” the dark skinned Korun Master took the word again, “We kept him imprisonment on Coruscant, to have an eye on him and to ask him after his intentions with you. He was not cooperative.” The last part was added almost as an afterthought.

“I cannot believe that you kept him here and that you faked his death without telling us,” Anakin snapped. “Anakin,” Obi-Wan’s tone was warning, “don’t.”

“What? This is what they are calling trust? We had a right to know... YOU had a right to know.”

“Enough,” the Sith in disguise bellowed and the young Knight immediately shut his mouth. Obi-Wan could feel that they were actually fooling the three Council members with their acting. “I am sure that the Council had its... reasons, for keeping this affair private and secret.”

Mace nodded, “Indeed.” “Well, why did they tell us now then?” the ginger haired Sith did not answer, but gazed at the older males in front of him.

Again the Korun Master cleared his throat, but he did not say anything. It suddenly dawned on Obi-Wan, “You suspect us.”

“In our defence,” Kit Fisto cut in, you ARE of his line. It is only a precautionary measure we are taking.” The green male suddenly slid down much further on Obi-Wan’s mental list. It was his personal ranking, on top were the persons – most of them NOT Jedi – that he somewhat liked or respected. Anakin, Ahsoka and Satine were on top, as well as Dooku, Asajj and Cody too. Cad Bane was relatively high on that list as well, Mace Windu and Sifo-Dyas not so much. The latter was kind of creepy really... and he had been the leading source when he had been thought a traitor.

Both Anakin and Obi-Wan were not at all fooled by those pretty words and from the looks of it, neither were the two females in the room. They were keeping their distance, but were still listening to what was being said.

“Understandable,” the ginger haired male forced himself to say in a calm and understanding voice, “how do we proceed then?”

At this the masked Jedi turned to the two senators. Plo Koon bowed and only then did he start to speak, “Senator, Duchess, if you don’t mind me asking, how long have Master Kenobi and Master Skywalker been here?”

Satine stepped forward, head held high in a sign of surety and pride, “They have been here almost all evening, since the sixth hour.” The lie came easily to her, she was keeping her betrothed save after all.

“Is there any evidence?” Kit Fisto wanted to know. And Anakin wanted to hit him.

Apparently he was not the only one, “Evidence?” Padme was not at all pleased, “Of course there is no evidence except OUR words, or do you expect me to spy on my friends and comrades?” “He didn’t mean to insult you,” Plo Koon quickly tried to assure the angry senator, while sending an evil glare over his shoulder to the green Council member. He at least had the brain to do so. Plo Koon was also one of the few Jedi, Obi-Wan actually respected and liked. He was located somewhere in the middle of the Sith’s mental list.

“No harm done,” the Naboo senator eventually replied and once more did Plo Koon bow to her, this time in a sign of gratitude.

“Besides,” Satine cut in, “our words should be evidence enough, we are members of the Senate after all... unless you are calling us liars.” Kit Fisto was clever enough not to walk into this one.

“Of course not, duchess,” Mace Windu took a step towards the door, “We are finished here.” He motioned for the other Jedi to leave the apartment, which they of course did.

“What about us? Do you require our assistance?” the blonde Knight asked aloud.

The black skinned Korun Master sighed, “We will require your presence tomorrow before the Council.”

“What about the accusations against us?” Anakin further wanted to know.

Mace turned towards Anakin, “I think we can agree that your alibi is... enough to eliminate all suspicion.” Both Obi-Wan and Anakin mentally sighed in relief.

“This went well,” the ginger haired Sith remarked once all Jedi had left, not only the apartment, but the whole building. The duchess of Mandalore immediately walked to him and cuddled close to his side. He could feel her anxiety and relief in the Force. “It’s alright, dear one,” he mumbled into her hair that smelled like flowers. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Padme and Anakin embracing as well.

Obi-Wan put a comforting kiss on his betrothed’s forehead and only then did she pull away. “We’ll be alright,” he repeated.

“Yes,” she agreed.

[loxare]

A Talon By Any Other Name

Chapter 7 - Getting to Know You

“Wonderful. You're awake.” Dick beamed at the dry British voice. Every time he heard it, it was followed by cookies and a general feeling of calmness. In the Court, it had been calm any time he wasn't on an assignment, but it was a tense calm. Like the calm before a storm. Agent A was the calm after the storm, when you knew everything was going to be ok now.

As usual, there was a tray full of cookies in the butler's hands. Unusually, there was a glass and a paper cup full of pills as well. “Here we are.” Hood made a tentative grab for the delicious-smelling treats. He'd always been grabby about food. But Agent A gently slapped his hand away. “None of that now. You must have these first.” He held up the paper cup and a glass of water.

Hood was instantly suspicious, recoiling as far back into his pillow as he could. “What is it?”

“Nutrient pills. We attempted to get you on an IV drip, but you continually pushed the needles out. And your blood work was severely lacking in several essential vitamins and minerals.”

There was something about Agent A that made a person instantly want to obey. Batman had obviously built an immunity, and Red seemed to be well on his way, but luckily, Little Wing was new to the butler's no nonsense demeanor. Demurely, he took the cup and dry swallowed the pills. Dick couldn't really tell, because of the mask, but he was fairly sure Agent A rolled his eyes at the action.

He pushed the glass closer. “And the water young sir. Then you may have your cookies.” Dick had to say, he'd never seen something disappear that fast. Hood had gotten the entire glass drank in one gulp.

Satisfied, Agent A maneuvered the tray so it was sitting on Hood's lap and the Talons dived in. They were still eating, savouring every bite, ten minutes later when the Batmobile pulled into the Batcave. Those were the terms now. As soon as he figured out how, he was hacking into the Batcomputer and changing them there.

Red Wing bounded into the medbay as soon as he was showered and changed, as he had been for the past few days. When he saw Hood, his face covered in crumbs, chocolate chips, and raspberry jam, he broke into a smile. “Hood! You're up!”

“Yup. Not dead yet squirt.” He bit down on the last bite of cookie, ignoring the napkin Agent A was not-so-subtly holding out in his direction, choosing to wipe his face off on the back of his hand instead. “So, how've you been since the last time I tried to kill you?”

“Nice try. You never tried to kill me. You were training me.”

“Ah! Little detective, this one!” Hood grinned, and Dick mirrored the expression. His little brother didn't seem to have any bad side effects from Joker's attacks. No brain damage. That was good.

Red Wing's smile dropped into a serious frown. Dick followed that one too, knowing what Red was going to ask and showing silent support. Even though they were Talons, Red idolized them a bit. Probably because of the no-fatal-attacks thing, but probably something else too. “Why? You had plenty of chances. But you never went for a death blow. Not even a maiming one. Why?”

Hood blew out a breath of air. “Right to the heavy question, huh? Alright. First time I ever saw you, you were talking some druggie woman down from a ledge, saved her and her kid. I checked on her a month later. She'd gotten checked into rehab. Her kid was doing well in school.” He scratched at the back of his head. “Dick tell you how we can get memories back sometimes? Just random, out of the blue ones caused by some trigger or another?”

Red Wing nodded. “He got a memory the first time he saw you.”

Hood's eyebrows flew up. Dick frowned. Had he never told... Nope. He had not. Oops. Giving him a Look, Hood continued. “Well, watching you talk to that lady that night gave me one too. Some blonde woman, maybe my mom. Maybe not. I was reading to her. There were needles everywhere and her eyes were all glazed. But sometimes, she smiled.” His eyes were faraway. Dick was listening intently, and he knew Red was doing the same. Anything Hood could remember was a hint as to who he had been. “You were so kind to that lady on the roof. And I thought, maybe, if my mom had had someone to check her into rehab, if she'd gotten clean, I wouldn't have gone to the streets. I wouldn't have been Talon.”

He snapped back to reality and flicked Red on the forehead. “You kind of sucked though. Any Talon could take you out with both hands behind their back and blindfolded. You had a job to save people and you couldn't do it if you were dead. That's why.”

Rubbing his forehead, Red nodded. “Thank you. I'd been wondering.”

“Well stop it. It'll give you little creases that will never go away.” Intent on being annoying, Hood rubbed his thumb between Red Wing's eyebrows, trying to erase the crease there while Red protested. After a moment, Dick joined in, pulling Red's mouth into a smile. “Frowning is bad for you Red. Lighten up!”

“Let go you guys! Stohahhaap!” The last word was severely distorted by giggles when Hood gave up on the seemingly-permanent crease and started tickling the poor little crime fighter. After a particularly fierce chortle threatened to take one of Dick's fingers off, he moved to tickling too. Fingers were a pain to regrow.

“What's going on in here?”

The sudden, stern, Batman-voice had all of them freezing in place. Slowly, they turned to the door, Red still hiccoughing a few snickers. Dick pressed his mouth into a straight line. “He is much too serious for his age. He has way more growing up to do before he becomes a broody tower of darkness like you.”

Hood nodded. “Small children need to smile Bats.”

Ignoring Red's protest (“I an not a small child! And you're not much older than me!”), Batman just glared at Dick, who glared right back. Probably not a good idea to glare at the guy who had decided yesterday that he wouldn't put them in the little cells the Batcave had for some reason, but it needed to be done. “Now if you'll excuse us, we were in the middle of something important.”

Hood got in first, grabbing a very ticklish spot on Red's knee, producing a startled yelp from the boy. Dick went back to focusing on his sides, Hood on the bottoms of his feet. Dick wasn't sure, but he thought he saw Batman smile, shake his head, and turn to leave.

Red didn't escape until twenty minutes later when Agent A walked back in with a new batch of cookies. That man really had the best timing. “Alright Master Dick, Master Hood. I do believe that Master Red has had enough for now.”

Tim jumped. Master Dick and Master Hood...? But Alfred only ever called people he considered family by that title. People who belonged in the Manor. He caught the butler's eye and received a knowing smile in return. So Alfred saw it too?

It had been a bit slow, but Dick had managed to very much incorporate himself into life in the Cave. Any time he wasn't watching over Hood's bedside, he was helping, teaching Tim new moves, showing Bruce how he could use acrobatics to climb buildings faster than even a grapple, helping Alfred dust the computer. Or sometimes making a nuisance of himself, hopping from stalactite to stalactite and scaring the bats, taking naps on top of the computer screen, hanging from the car's platform to startle Tim when he jumped out at the end of a long night. Hood himself had been awake for less than an hour, and he'd already impressed Alfred with his hearty appetite and willingness to pull the ever-serious vigilantes out of their brooding.

A day or two later, once Alfred let Hood get out of bed officially (and after he'd snuck out at least six times), Hood had managed to work his way past the Bat's very impressive walls. A good majority of it was hiding in the stalactites and jumping out to startle him (which never worked) and spotting things in cases that Bruce and Tim missed. For example, one of Riddler's riddles had involved a classical novel, one Bruce had read, but not often and not for a long while. Hood had the entire relevant passage memorized.

By way of explanation, Hood just waved a hand. “I was sent to pick up a delivery from an Owl's house. I may have made off with a book or six as well.” At Dick's raised eyebrow – because really, how did he manage to get away with that? – he grinned. “They were the dusty ones, in the very back of the library. He probably didn't even notice they were gone. That's where I got most of my books. Deliveries. Read them a hundred times, at least. Never took any from any assassination assignments though...”

Soon after, Tim found himself browsing the bookshelves in the study, trying to find something Hood might like. All four books were finished in two days and piled neatly on Tim's workbench. After a half hour, he looked up to see a pair of teal eyes peeking at him longingly from the far end of the table. With a sigh, he stood and walked up the staircase, pulling off his mask as he went.

Bruce, in his usual paranoid fashion, had installed a fingerprint and retina scan, as well as a vocal key, to the door. To keep the Talons out, he said. Tim just smirked and shook his head. Neither of them had shown any interest in going upstairs, although Dick did start waiting at the bottom of the stairs every time he heard someone open the clock.

The study was empty. So was the rest of the house actually. Bruce had gone to a Wayne Enterprises meeting and Alfred had driven him. So it was just Tim and the secret basement of Talons. And apparently, as he grabbed another book off the shelf, someone else. He heard their breathing beyond the door, but there wasn't any time to hide or react. The door burst open and Tim let out a strangled cry as the assailant tackled him, then another as his head slammed into the desk. Dazed, he could barely follow the intruder's conversation as he spoke into a walkie-talkie.

“Yeah, alone, just like you said. ... Nah, I didn't have any trouble breaking in. ... That code the Court gave you really does work on everything. Easiest kidnapping I've ever been paid for.”

The conversation was cut short when the clock burst open. Thankfully, the kidnapper had his back turned as Hood shouldered his way past the magnetic locks and Dick flipped into the room, landing on the guy's head. He went face first into the same desk that Tim had landed on, going unconscious instantly.

Dick gathered Tim in his arms while Hood hogtied the intruder. Then they raced back down the stairs, pulling the clock closed on Tim's insistence. Before Tim could get his bearings, he was sitting in the medbay, with Hood stitching the cut he didn't even realize was bleeding while Dick tried unsuccessfully to call Bruce on the computer.

“Ok, I got nothing. Hood, you still haven't fixed your shoulder?”

“It's fine. Just dislocated. It'll heal.”

“It'll heal faster if you fix it. Red, how do you work this thing?”

Later, Tim would blame the head injury for this. At the time, it seemed like a spectacular idea. “The passwords are 0527DC1939, 0437DC1940, 0416B1943, 03357B1983, 08436B1989, 08647DC1992, and 09655B2006. Batman can be called on the third icon down.” He faded in and out of consciousness, only hearing brief snatches of conversation as Dick relayed what happened.

It was almost like his brain was taking snapshots instead of video. Click. Dick was by the computer, Hood was leaning close to inspect the stitches. Click. He'd fallen over. Hood was picking him up. Dick was rushing over. Click. They had pushed a bed so it was against the wall. Click. They had sat him up and put themselves on either side of him, to keep him from falling over again. Click. They had both fallen asleep. That sounded like a good idea.

Meetings were long and almost always uneventful. This one was one that Lucius could have taken care of by himself, but the board members insisted on his presence. Of course finances were crucial, but this was beyond him, let alone his facade of idiot billionaire playboy. And it was boring. Fighting crime was simultaneously more interesting and more fulfilling.

No, that wasn't quite right. Wayne Enterprises employed thousands of people. Money was donated to charities which he used to fund the criminals who were more desperate and down on their luck than the hardened thugs he normally encountered.

Bruce truly believed that his charities helped those people. The ones who turned to gangs or petty crime so they could feed their little ones. It was largely in part to the Wayne Foundation. Not to mention his own night time activities, which were not as promiscuous as the board wanted to believe. Of course, he normally had a good sense of which person he encountered was a criminal and which one was just desperate.

His phone rang, jostling him from his not-related-to-finance thoughts. Hiding his relief with a look of annoyance, he gestured to the board to continue. Stepping out, he pressed his phone to his ear. “Hello?”

“Ah! I got it to work. Hood, it's working!”

“I can hear that Dickie. Just tell him what happened. Whoa Red, stay upright. I need to bandage this.”

And now Bruce was freaking out a bit. Bandage what? And how had Dick gotten into the computer? “Talk. Now.”

“Right, right. So Red was upstairs getting Hood more books and we heard him scream. Once, and it was probably just him tripping on something. But he screamed twice and we got all worried. So we broke your door and there was a guy and Red was lying on the floor bleeding a bit from his head. I knocked him out and Hood tied him up and now Red is getting stitches and I thought you should know.”

Bruce sighed and rubbed his eyes. “He's alright?” From the sound of things, he was, but Bruce wanted to make sure. He started towards the elevator. He'd give his apology to Lucius tomorrow.

“A little woozy. He probably has a concussion.”

The elevator door closed behind him. Pressing one of his shirt buttons, he temporarily shorted out the camera. And now for the second important question. “Did the intruder see the Cave entrance?”

“Hm? No, he had his back turned when Hood bashed through. Speaking of, Hood, fix your shoulder or I'll fix it for you!”

“Fine!” There was the distinct crack of an arm going back into its shoulder socket.

And the third question. “And you saw the room upstairs? Any notable objects?”

“Oh yeah. There was a desk, and a bunch of decoration stuff!”

“And wall to wall books. Tell him about the books Dick!”

“Hood says there was books.”

“That was the least excited mention of books I have ever heard.”

“That's because it's not exciting.”

Before Hood could reply, Bruce barked, “Focus!” The elevator dinged, and he swept his eyes across the room. Spotting Alfred speaking to the receptionist (a lovely young woman, sir, she wants to go to Yale next year), he waved him over. One last question. “Do you know why the man was there?”

“Yup. Heard him just before we broke in. The Court sent him he was going to kidnap Red.”

“WHAT?”

“No idea why. Maybe we'll find out later? Ah, who am I kidding? You're Bats! You'll figure it out.”

He would have preferred a concrete reason, but this would have to do for now. “Keep an eye on him,” he meant Tim, but he couldn't tell Dick his name, and calling him Red while there was twenty or thirty people in ear shot would be suspicious, “I'll be home in half an hour.” He hung up, and turned to Alfred. “Someone went after Tim today, but whoever it was clearly wasn't expecting our guests to be there. Tim likely has a concussion though.”

Alfred sniffed, holding the door open for Bruce. “Some people have no sense of decorum. Entering a person's house while they're away is the height of poor taste.”

Giving a short laugh, he smiled at his lifelong friend through the mirror. “Indeed it is Alfred. Now let's see how he's doing.”

The ride home was definitely a half hour according to the clock on the dashboard, but it felt like so much longer. As it wore on, Bruce felt something unfamiliar creep up on him. He was trying to shift through every possible culprit who could have gotten past the Manor's security, but his focus kept slipping sideways to Tim. If he was alright, if he was scared or worse, if this was so in the norm for him that he was simply used to it. Maybe making him Red Wing had been a bad idea. If he hadn't, he wouldn't be getting injured on a regular basis. Actually, if he hadn't taken Tim in in the first place, he wouldn't be getting targeted by unknowns. And that wasn't his only failure. He should have kept a better eye on Dick, that day at the circus. Should have gone up and comforted him right away instead of looking for clues as to the murderer's identity. If he had, the Court might not have grabbed him. And Hood had dislocated his shoulder?

“Oh, do stop worrying sir. I'm sure Master Tim is fine.” The curt voice cut through his thoughts.

“I'm not worrying. Am I worrying?” Was he worrying?

Alfred gave him a wry smile. “It appears so Master Bruce. Fret not. It's natural to worry about your children when they're injured.” Children? It made sense for Tim, he supposed. He had adopted the boy after all. But he'd been worrying about Dick and Hood too.

Bruce was saved from having to reply by Alfred pulling up to the front door.

Leaping out, he pushed open the door, already standing ajar, and raced down the hall, to the study. As promised, there was a thug lying on the ground, thoroughly tied up and unconscious. As a precaution, Bruce lifted the man and tossed him into the hall. Alfred could call the police on this one.

He opened the clock, noting the broken magnetic locks, and took the stairs two at a time. He raced through the training room, the main area, and the garage (complete with boat, plane and motorcycles), before he remembered the medbay. Hood had been stitching Tim's head.

And there they were. Sitting on a bed parked longways along the wall, each of them fast asleep. It surprised him a bit when the tight feeling in his chest lessened, not just at the sight of Tim's general health (head wound not withstanding), but also at Dick's and Hood's. Grabbing a blanket from another bed, he covered them and turned to leave, flicking off the lights as he went. He had to speak to Alfred about some guest rooms.

It wasn't until a few hours later that he noticed someone had altered all his equipment records. The “Batmobile”? What?

AN: Another happy chapter! Yay! I don’t know if you noticed, but I am working very hard on getting these out by the end of this week and not forgetting.

[k0saji]

Darling I’m Dying(Don’t Worry I’ll be Fine) Ch. 3

AO3 Link

Fandom: Katekyou Hitman Reborn! Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Gokudera Hayato/Hibari Kyouya Characters: Gokudera Hayato, Sawada Tsunayoshi, Hibari Kyouya, Dino (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), Ensemble Cast - Character, Vongola Tenth Generation Guardians, Bianchi (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), Doctor Shamal (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!) Additional Tags: Hanahaki Disease, Blood and Injury

Status: Complete

Summary:

We deal with the fallout of Hayato’s episode. Plus a picnic!

Hayato wakes up to many pairs of eyes staring down at him and immediately pulls the covers over his head. "Oh no you don't," Bianchi says, yanking the sheet off his face, ignoring his hiss at the bright light. "You owe us an explanation, Hayato." Damn. Hayato finds himself propped up on pillows, a glass of water with a straw in hand and the attention of most of what he considers Tsuna's Family. Even Lambo and I-pin are there, sitting quietly on Kyouko and Haru's laps. In fact the only people missing were Mukuro (good riddance), but Chrome will probably fill him in and- An ominous aura fills the air just before the door slams open, revealing Hibari. Think of the devil. Amusement quickly turns to panic as Hibari turns to him, focusing on the the IV in his arm and back to Hayato. "It was an accident this time! I'm fine now!" Hayato blurts out as Hibari approaches, fingers twitching like he wanted to bite everyone in the room with his tonfas. "Wait, Hibari knows?" Tsuna looks between Hibari and Hayato. "When- HOW does he know before us?" "Explain," Hibari's voice cuts through the chatter. He has his Flames licking just below his skin, ready to unleash the minute he hears something he doesn't like. Well crap, Hayato swallows. "I misunderstood something Tenth was saying and overreacted." "To be fair, I could have said it better," Tsuna offers weakly as Hibari turns the full weight of his stare on the two of them. "This was never necessary before," Hibari motions to the hospital bed with a pointed look. Hayato winces and looks away. "Yeah, this is because I maybe ingesteddeadlynightshade while I was throwing up." "Repeat that." Right, still mad then. "I ingested some of the deadly nightshade that I coughed up, its a poisonous plant," he adds when he gets blank looks from everyone except Bianchi and Reborn. "Shamal has the antidote, and Lawn-head took care of most of the side effects so I'll be better soon," he hurries to reassure Tsuna, who's starting to pale. "You aren't moving from that bed for the next two days!" Shamal calls from his desk. "What? Why not?" Hayato demands, making to get off the bed. He's all but tackled back down as hands push him back into bed. Ryouhei even tucks him in so he can't move, the jerk. "Sun flames aren't a cure all, you need rest and supervision to make sure all the toxin is out of your body. So no running off," Shamal says, turning around in his chair to give Hayato an unimpressed look. "If I find you're ignoring my instructions I'll have your boy toy here sit on you." Shamal ignores the glare Hibari shoots him and turns back to his paperwork. "Hibari-san and Gokudera? Wait, so you weren't confessing to Tsuna-sama?" Haru demands, looking between Hibari and Hayato with wide eyes. "Why does everyone think I like the Tenth!" Hayato bursts out as Tsuna shakes his head no wildly, both their faces bright red. This was the third time, dammit. Hibari looks like he agrees, finally settling down to lean against the wall, away from the crowd but within eyesight of the bed. "It did look like a confession gone wrong," Ryouhei says, patting Lambo's head as the brat chews on a lollipop. "It was extremely worrying when you started coughing up flowers." "Gokudera-kun, Shamal explained some of it, but can you tell us what happened?" Tsuna's voice is gentle but there is an undercurrent of steel running through it. He's not getting out of an explanation anytime soon. Hayato sighs and takes a fortifying sip of water. This is going to take a while. "It started when I was around six, I think." Bianchi startles, and only Reborn's hand on hers keeps her in her seat. Hayato throws a grateful look him and resumes his story. "At first it was just a tickle in my throat," he presses a hand against his throat to demonstrate, "but it came and went so everyone just thought I got sick a lot. It got worse after I ran away from home a few years later. I think I started coughing up petals then." Hayato keeps his eyes on his cup, "Shamal found me pretty much right after, and then kicked me into learning how to use my Flames to keep the symptoms down. Storm to disintegrate the flowers, and Sun to heal the damage." He raises a hand, the respective flames dancing on the tips of two fingers. "The flowers react to anything, so keeping them down took practice. Most of the kids who were like me didn't have access to Flames, and well, kids can't really control their emotions well," Hayato laughs self-deprecatingly. No, as a ten, eleven, twelve year old Hayato really didn't know the definition of emotional control. "Then factor in puberty right afterwards I was using Flames to keep the flowers down pretty much once a week." "But, how come we didn't notice? You haven't been sick all year!" Tsuna tries, looking upset at the obvious conclusion. "I didn't want you to know." He says simply, silencing them all. Why would he? This is exactly what he wanted to avoid. "Look," he continues, because it looks like someone was going to cry or yell at him, "All it would do is make people worry about something I have a handle on. This is the first time in months that I've had an episode, I'm fine." He smiles, trying to look healthy as possible from a hospital bed. Tsuna looks like he's going to argue, Yamamoto has that dangerous glint in his eyes that shows when he's actually being serious and the rest of the group look ready to put up a fight right behind them when Reborn of all people interferes. "That's enough," Reborn hops off his seat and onto his bed, turning to face the horde. "Gokudera will recover soon enough and you can yell at him later." Reborn turns to him with a sharp look, "You will listen to everything they have to say if you don't want to undergo my punishments." Hayato gulps as Reborn, satisfied he has sufficiently scared several months off Hayato's life, heads out the door. The rest of the group follows hesitantly and soon the room is emptied of everyone except Hayato, Tsuna, Hibari and Bianchi. "Tenth..." Hayato doesn't know what to do. "It really isn't that big of a deal." "Yes it is!" Tsuna glares at him, hands fisted on his lap. Hayato blinks in confusion as he continues, "You could have died so many times! How are we supposed to help you if you keep hiding things like this from us?" This again, he isn't dying! "Hayato." His words shrivel up as Bianchi gets up to take a seat next to him. "You are being obstinate," Hayato scowls furiously, but a harsh squeeze to his hand keeps him quiet. "If I was sick would you want me to hide it?" He looks away as Bianchi sighs. "Alright then, if I was compromised in a way that puts the Family in danger would you want me to hide it?" "Bianchi, that's not-!" Tsuna cries out as Hayato shouts, "I'm not compromised!" "You are," Bianchi cuts both of them off with steely look. She's angry, Hayato realizes too late and he can't help but bristle up at the accusation she throws in his face. "I'm taking care of the problem," he says, will continue saying because this is his problem so why is everyone trying to get in his business? "You're not, otherwise you wouldn't be here. What would have happened if we hadn't gotten you to Shamal in time? You say you have everything under control but this," a wave at the bed and IV,  "proves you don't," Bianchi says, each word designed to get under his skin. Worst thing is that it works, and he finds himself doubting for the first time since he woke up. "Gokudera-kun," Hayato meets Tsuna's orange tinted eyes. "I know I rely on you and Yamamoto and everyone a lot, do you think it makes me weak?" What? "No!" Hayato denies vehemently. Just because Tsuna is crap at schoolwork and clumsy doesn't mean he's worthless. "Then trust me when I say that none of us would have thought badly of you if you had to admit you needed help. It's only when you try to hide it that you make me think you don't trust me," Tsuna finishes quietly. Hayato stares at him, absolutely gutted as Tsuna stares him down. "...I'm sorry for worrying you, Tenth," Hayato says, head bowed. "No you're not. Not for what I want you to be sorry for anyways," Tsuna sighs and gets up. Hayato wants to reach out, to keep him there and apologize until he gets it right, just as long as Tsuna doesn't leave. "That's not ok, Gokudera-kun. How can I trust that if I ask you if you're ok that you'll tell me the truth?" Tsuna presses forward and grabs his other hand. "You're supposed to be my right hand, that means you need to trust the rest of us to watch your back while you watch all of ours." Hayato looks away from Tsuna's burning gaze, shame filling him. "I just-" didn't want to worry anyone (didn't want to show weakness). He can't say anything though, can't get the words out, can't find the words to make this right. Tsuna just nods and gently puts his hand down. "I know. I don't expect you to change immediately, that would be rather hypocritical of me, won't it?" Tsuna's laugh has a self-deprecating edge to it. "But if you just try to trust us a little bit more, I think that will make me very happy." His piece said, Tsuna turns and leaves. Something unfurls in his chest and he slams it down with his Flames, furious at himself and his stupid disease for ruining everything. Bianchi looks like she wants to say something but closes her mouth and pats his shoulder once before following Tsuna, closing the door behind her with a near silent click. "You going to yell, too?" Hayato asks Hibari, finally breaking the silence in the room. Hibari stares at him and Hayato fights to meet his gaze with red and damp eyes. "Go ahead, it's not like you're the only one who's going to get a free shot." He looks down as Hibari moves off the wall in one sleek movement. There's a hand on his chin in the next second, lifting it up so they were face to face. "In a herd the sick and weak are driven away to prevent them from risking the group," Hibari says. He tightens his grip on his chin when Hayato tries to look away. He isn't weak, he wants to snarl but Bianchi's words echo in his mind and he's uncomfortably aware of how often he uses his flames to burn away the flowers. He's not weak, but he is sick. And in his world the sick and weak are so, so easy to discard. "You know, I'm really getting sick of your animal analogies. We're not a damn herd," Hayato hisses out. "No," Hibari agrees, meeting Hayato's eyes furious glare with his usual even look.

"You are a pack." Hayato breath catches and Hibari's lips curl into a half smile,  satisfied in making his point. "Pack takes care of each other. Stop thinking like a herbivore Gokudera Hayato, and like the beta of your pack." His chin is let go in favor of his hair, long fingers petting the strands into place around his face and Hayato gives in, slumping down to rest his head on his knees. He feels the bed dip as Hibari sits down and continues to run his fingers through his hair, playing with the ends occasionally as Hayato's shoulders shake. Hayato is starting to think its a new fixation. Not that he's opposed, it feels nice. "Your analogies still suck," Hayato says, voice thick and nasally. The hand leaves his hair to knock on his head with one sharp rap as Hibari pulls away, quiet footsteps heading to the door. Herds and packs. Where exactly does Hibari fit into that? Hayato wonders. "Hibari," Hayato lifts his head, eyes firmly planted on the poster on the wall across from him. He hears more than sees Hibari stop, his back to Hayato which gives him the courage to say the word. "Thanks." "For pointing out the obvious?" Hibari says and Hayato grits his teeth. Why did he like this asshole again? There's a soft huff of laughter and Hibari's gone, his jacket fluttering out behind him. Still a jerk, Hayato thinks, settling down to sleep, a small smile tucked away into the sheets.

-

He's given one day of rest before the herd, sorry, 'pack', steals him away with Shamal's blessing. They take it in turns to lecture him, from Haru and Kyouko asking him to take better care of himself, to Yamamoto and Ryouhei backing up their words with physical violence if needed. Lambo and I-pin cry on command, which is horrifying. Moreso because he thinks Fuuta is the one behind that whole show, and got permission from Tsuna to do it. His boss is becoming more devious and clever by the day. He would feel proud if it isn't currently being used against him. "It's not like I don't understand," Kyouko says over a plate of cake. Beside her Haru demolishes her second piece while Hayato stares queasily at the confections. "When we all were in that future and no one was telling us what was going on I tried to put on a strong front too. But all it really did was make me resentful of everyone involved, even when it wasn't their fault, not really." "You were Tsuna's friends, it was his decision whether to get you involved or not. Besides, the Mafia isn't a game. Once you're in it's almost impossible to get out," Hayato says, unapologetic. It's rare that so many civilians are involved with a Mafia heir. Looking back Hayato doesn't know if Reborn planned on having the Tenth Vongola generation mirror the First or of he got really lucky. Knowing him, both. It is probably the reason no one is putting up a fuss over foreign civilian nobodies inheriting the strongest Mafia family. Haru looks ready to fight him and honestly? He kind of wants her too. It is better than having every smile or scowl scrutinized by everyone to see if he starts coughing. "It's our lives too! We were already involved, keeping us out is dangerous and stupid," Haru declares, stabbing at Hayato with her fork. Awesome, one fight coming up- "What I'm trying to say," Kyouko cuts in with a smile and just like that the fight goes out of both of them. Scary woman. "You all tried to keep us from worrying but not knowing what was going on, it just made us worry more. And it hurt that you all didn't think we wouldn't understand why you were training so hard," she says, and Hayato flinches as she unconsciously mirror's Tsuna's words to him two days ago. "I'll think about it," he mumbles. Kyouko smiles sadly for some reason and Haru pouts at him before finishing their cake.   At school everything is normal. Tsuna smiles and welcomes him back, Yamamoto is unnecessarily cheerful and from the classroom he can hear Ryouhei scream about Extreme training as he runs to class. They head to the roof for lunch when Yamamoto asks Tsuna to go ahead, leaving Hayato and Yamamoto alone in the empty stairwell. Great. "Do you remember when we first fought Gamma?" The question is asked idly, Yamamoto leaning back against the railing while Hayato rests his arms over it, looking down the stairs at nothing. Yes. "We got beat up like idiots," Hayato says, ignoring the way Yamamoto's shoulders shudder with laughter at the answer. "And that fight we had during it?" Yamamoto's eyes sharpen as he looks at Hayato from the corner of his eye. Hayato makes a noncommittal sound that is taken as confirmation. "That still applies. You might not have wanted us to worry about you but keeping it to yourself, not letting anyone help share the burden. It just hurts us." Hayato buries his head deeper into his arms. He already got this lecture from the girls. When he tells Yamamoto so he gets a hand ruffling his hair just a shade too hard. He yelps and tries to pry off Yamamoto, who slips an arm around his neck and grounds his knuckles into his head. "Then listen to us when we tell you things, yeah?" Yamamoto says into his ear, finally letting go. Hayato huffs and tries to get his hair flat, ignoring how Yamamoto grins at him, teeth showing but shoulders relaxed and open. One more person done lecturing at him. Ryouhei doesn't bother with subtlety and drags him away at the end of the school day. Hayato squawks with indignation, dynamite ready to stuff down Ryouhei's shirt when he's lifted over the boxer's shoulders and carried off like a sack of potatoes. "I will kill you, Lawn Head!" Hayato huffs out as Ryouhei's shoulder digs into his stomach with every step. "Normally you would be Extremely correct! But Reborn would be EXTREMELY happy to give you a penalty game so you can't!" Hayato can feel the sunny rays coming off of Ryouhei as they jog through the school, stopping not at the boxing ring like he thought but further away near the vending machines. He's set down on the bench as Ryouhei rummages through his pockets for change, inserting the coins into the machine and getting two cans in return. He tosses one to Hayato, who catches it and turns to see the label. Strawberry flavor. Not his favorite but not terrible. The tap pops with a sizzle and Hayato sips at his drink while Ryouhei takes a seat beside him. "I get it," Ryouhei says suddenly, resting his elbows on his knee, the can dangling close to the ground from one hand. "Not wanting people to worry about you and your decisions," he clarifies when Hayato looks at him in confusion. "When Kyouko asked me not to fight years ago, I didn't really get it at first. I was protecting others, protecting Kyouko but I forgot that she also worries about me too." Hayato rolls his can between his hands, waiting as Ryouhei take a sip from his juice. "It's hard," Ryouhei admits, looking down at his hands, taped up for practice later that day. "I tried to stay out of fights, keep it to boxing but when I got the Sun Ring I jumped straight into fighting again. I don't regret it," he's quick to reassure. "Maybe it makes me a bad brother but I don't regret my choices, just that it hurt Kyouko when she found out." Regretting the hurt you cause. Hayato thinks it over as he chugs his juice. He remembers Tsuna's hurt face, the ice trapped in Yamamoto's eyes and the way his sister hovers over him when he's over the Sawada house. Even Lambo and I-pin treat him gingerly, like he's going to keel over any minute, and Hayato hates the coddling, but hates that he's the reason why their behavior changed in the first place. Keeping it a secret was supposed to keep them from worrying, dammit. "Sometimes I forget, like with the Shimon family and the stuff that went down with the Arcobaleno," Ryouhei continues, "None of us told the girls anything because it didn't involve them but they knew something was going on. Kyouko didn't make any of my favorite meals for a month when she found out why so many of us were in the hospital," he laughs and scratches his nose. "She made me promise to tell her if I'm going to be in a fight, because she's rather know than keep wondering if I'm fighting every time I'm out of sight." "All I'm saying is," he turns to pin Hayato with a serious stare, "it's ok if you don't want others to worry about you, but the fact is we're all friends and worrying about each other is what we do and you need to accept that. So try to keep us in the loop, octopus-head." Ryouhei leaves with one final pat to his shoulder, jogging back to boxing practice, leaving Hayato to think his words over on the bench.

-

He doesn't want to head back to his apartment, and he's surprised to find he doesn't want to go to the Sawada house, either. Not yet at least. Hayato wanders through the school hallways aimlessly until he finds himself in front of the Disciplinary Committee's office, a light shining from underneath the door. He bites his lip, rolling it between his teeth as he loiters outside, debating on whether or not to go in. When they graduated Nami Middle and entered Nami Highschool, Hibari graduated alongside them, taking over the Disciplinary Committee within minutes of the entrance ceremony. If anyone is still in school at this hour, it would be him. Steeling himself he knocks on the door once before opening it. Hibari's alone, thank God, sitting at his desk with a pile of paperwork in front of him. "Hi," Hayato says awkwardly. "Mind if I crash here for a little bit?" Doesn't hurt to be polite. This way he might avoid a tonfa to the face. Hibari stares at him for a beat before turning back to his work. "Do as you wish." "Great," Hayato says under his breath, heading towards the black sofa. He stretches out over it, hands pillowing his head as he stares at the ceiling and wonders how this is his life. It's almost silent in the room interrupted occasionally by the sound of a page turning and Hayato feels his eyes get heavier. He fights sleep for a moment but between one blink and the next he's gone. When he wakes up he's curled into a ball, huddled underneath a familiar black jacket. Blinking to make sure he isn't dreaming Hayato sits up, looking over the back to the sofa to Hibari, who's finishing what looks like homework at the desk. The jacket is missing from behind his chair and Hayato looks down at the jacket still covering his front like it could tell him what is going on. "How come you're being so nice?" Hayato blurts out. He wants to hide immediately after he says that, hating how pathetic it makes him sound, that people being nice to him is a freak occurrence. To be fair, it is Hibari he's talking about. The only time he's nice is if there are soft and cute animals around. Or I-pin. The sound of a pen being set down pulls Hayato from his musings on if Hibari would treat the kindergarten kids the same way or if I-pin gets a pass due to her turning into a human bomb. He jerks back when he looks up because Hibari is suddenly there in front of him. How can even he move so fast? "Are you still ill?" Hayato blinks. Hibari stares down at him, unblinking, waiting for an answer. "I have another appointment with Shamal tomorrow but I'm fine, its just to make sure everything works okay. Why?" "When you are fully recovered you will be punished-" The tonfas flash ominously in their holders, "for the following infractions: refusing to disclose pertinent health risks, causing a disturbance in a public place and crowding." Hayato gapes at Hibari, who stares down dispassionately at him. Punishment? For not letting people know- oh that bastard. "Are you seriously going to beat me up for worrying you?" Hayato demands, kneeling up on the sofa so he wasn't giving himself a crick in the neck staring up at Hibari. "What the hell, it's not like I did it on purpose! Seriously, what's wrong with all of you?" His breathing gets harder and the corner of Hibari's lips are twitching, like he's hiding a laugh. Hayato sees red. "Laugh it up asshole, you want a fight? Then lets go," he growls, lighting a stick of dynamite. The wick is put out with a swipe of a tonfa as Hibari glares at him, smile gone. And why, exactly is he mad? He's not the one constantly getting ragged on for something that shouldn't mean anything. He didn't come here for more lectures, dammit! "Just because I like you doesn't mean I'm going to put up with your bullshit. If you want a fight just say so instead of dressing it up with excuses," Hayato snarls at Hibari, who narrows his eyes and for the first time bites back with his words, not his weapons. "You should take your own advice." Hayato blinks at vehemence in his tone and takes a closer look at how tightly Hibari is gripping his weapons and the unhappy set of his mouth. He sits back on his knees, Hibari putting his weapons away when he notes Hayato's lack of resistance. Sasagawa's words, Tsuna, Yamamoto, Kyouko and Bianchi's words, which have been simmering in the back of his mind boil over, mixing with what Hibari just said and turns into something Hayato recognizes. "So that's why everyone's pissed off? Because I wasn't, what, being honest?" Hibari looks at him with raised eyebrows, exasperation written over his face. "My opinion of your intelligence is sinking with every word," he informs Hayato. "Like you have a good opinion on anyone," Hayato scoffs and flinches away when Hibari's hand pinches his ear. "I don't bother with people who are worthless," Hibari says with a sharp tug before releasing his ear. "Stop acting aloof when you are not fine." Not fine, not fine. The words echo in his head, pissing him off again. "I am fine, you asshole," He ignores the look of disbelief shot his way. "Look, whatever you think fine is? I'm not going to be it. I've had Hanahaki for years, I'm never going to be your definition of 'fine'," Hayato sneers. Hibari leans back on his heels, head tilted towards him as if to say go on. "I burn flowers in my lungs once a week, hell I'm doing it right now! That is what fine feels like to me, because if my lungs are on fire then I can still fucking breathe. Your cousin might have gotten better but that isn't an option for me," there's a faint creak of the door opening but Hayato ignores it, glaring up at Hibari, who's watching him with a serious expression, and the feeling that someone is actually listening to him for once has his throat choking closed with something that isn't a flower. "There isn't a fucking cure, this is it. I am never going to get any better. So yeah," he continues, desperately hoping Hibari doesn't comment on his burning eyes, "yeah, when I say that I'm fine, I fucking mean it." He pants when he's done, taking deep breaths to keep from coughing. He isn't kidding about the flowers, even now something keeps trying to curl its roots into his lungs despite his flames burning it down every time. "Why didn't you tell us that?" Tsuna asks. Hayato jumps, looking past Hibari to where Tsuna stands at the doorway, clutching his bag. From the wet shine to his eyes he's been there for a while. "Tenth! When did you get here?" Hayato rallies desperately, pasting on a wide smile. Tsuna steps forward, "Stop that! This is exactly what I was talking about before. You never say anything about yourself and expect us to just be okay with you suffering, it's wrong!" Hayato's smile falls as Tsuna comes closer. "But I'm not-" "You are! Just because this is normal for you doesn't mean its right. You shouldn't have to deal with being in pain all the time." Tsuna drops his bag as he circles to couch to face Hayato directly. His eyes search Hayato's face for something, he can't tell, before growling in frustration and reaching out with both hands. Hayato jerks back as Tsuna hugs him hard around his shoulders, digging his chin painfully into Hayato's shoulder. "Fine, I get it. You don't believe us yet, but you will," Tsuna's voice drops to the low register he uses in Dying Will Mode, "We'll just keep reminding you until you do." Hayato squirms at the promise, uncomfortable with it for some reason but wraps his arms around Tsuna, returning the hug. He looks up at Hibari, who's watching the two of them with a considering look. He gives Hayato a small nod before turning away back to his paperwork. "After school hours will end soon, be gone by then." Or else, is implied. Hayato rolls his eyes but nods, ushering Tsuna up and out of the room. He folds the jacket, leaving it on the couch before grabbing their bags on the way out. The walk to the school yard is silent, but not oppressive, the tension that has been building for the past few days finally gone, leeched away like poison from a wound. As they walk to the gate where Yamamoto's waiting, Hayato bumps Tsuna's shoulder with his own. "So we're ok, then?" Tsuna laughs, bumping Hayato back like normal, and he smiles. "Yeah, we're good." Good.

-

"How did you know I was at the clinic in the first place?" Hayato asks, tossing dynamite into the air. He leaps back onto the Storm Disc, needing the extra maneuverability as Hibari dodges the projectiles and rushing towards him.

Hayato flies up and over Hibari's head, shooting with his Flame Arrow at Hibari's legs.

The blow connects, or at least Hayato thinks it does until a steel cable whips out of the smoke to wrap around his leg. "Oh shi-" A sharp yank pulls him from the Storm Disc to the roof of the high school and he hands with a crash, Lightning flames lighting up to prevent any broken bones. The cable pulls taut and reels him in, dragging him across the roof towards Hibari. Hayato tosses one of his tubes at him, smirking when Hibari smacks it aside. The tube explodes, the Rain flames covering it delaying the blast to shove Hibari forward, loosening the tension on the cable and letting Hayato free his leg. He rolls to the side and brings the Flame Arrow up, Cloud tube shooting its branched rounds at Hibari, forcing him to back away. "Cavallone has a big mouth," Hibari says, settling into a ready stance, watching as Hayato keeps the Flame Arrow trained on him. "Dino called you?" Maybe he shouldn't be surprised. Dino seems like the type to butt his nose in other people's business. Speaking of which, "How come you have his number, didn't you keep trying to beat him up the entire time we were in the future?" He fires just as Hibari shoots him a disgruntled glare, running for cover as multiple Rolls shoot at him. Jokes on him though, Hayato thinks, shooting a Rain tube into the air, immobilizing the Rolls. The hedgehogs uncurl from their balls once they are coated in flames, two of them toddling over to Hayato, who picks them up with a smirk. Roll likes getting picked up by Hayato just as much as Uri likes clawing at him, which Hibari hasn't picked up on yet, given the betrayed look he gives his box animal. "Hedgehogs can learn to be social you know," Hayato calls out, unable to resist the jibe. "Maybe we're rubbing off on you- hey!" He jumps away from the chain and onto the Storm Disc, all three Rolls in his arms, squeaking merrily. He rockets across the roof, Hibari close behind when the door to the roof opens and Tsuna pops his head out. "Tenth!" Hayato yelps, braking hard to avoid crashing into him. Tsuna lets out a high pitched squeal but is pulled back by Yamamoto, who's right behind him. The two fall backwards while Hayato hovers at the doorway, looking down at them in confusion. "That was a close one!" Yamamoto beams from underneath Tsuna, who's looking at Hayato like he's insane. "Are you fighting with Hibari-san?" Tsuna demands in a high pitched voice, looking between Hayato sitting on his Storm Disc and behind him where Hayato can see Hibari hanging back with his tonfa at his sides. "Sparring," Hayato corrects, juggling the squirming pile of hedgehogs in his lap. One of them crawls underneath his shirt and claws up his undershirt to pop his head out of the collar. Hayato jumps off the Disc and unbuttons his shirt to take Roll out and put him on the Disc with his brothers before turning to help Tsuna up, who's gaping at the pile of Rolls and back at Hibari with a twitching eye. He looks up to catch Yamamoto with his eyebrows raised and snaps, "What are you looking at?" "Nothing," Yamamoto says, "I didn't know you and Hibari-senpai were such good friends." Hayato scoffs, looking away as a heavy gaze settles on him. "Whatever. Were you looking for us, Tenth?" He turns to Tsuna with a wide smile. Tsuna still has a weird look on his face, like he wants to stop seeing something but can't turn away, but nods his head. "Yeah, we're having my birthday party at the old shrine now, since we couldn't last week," Hayato winces at the reminder but Tsuna ignores it continuing, "I was going to invite Hibari-san too, so we came up to the roof since he wasn't in his office..." Tsuna trails off, looking at Hibari with hopeful eyes. And Hayato can't believe his eyes, but somehow it's working. Hibari stares at Tsuna for a long minute before blinking. "I refuse to join in the crowding." "That's ok, we're setting up by the old shrine, there's plenty of space!" Tsuna says and perhaps sensing Hibari's patience has reached its limit grabs Hayato's and Yamamoto's hands and drags them away to the stairs. "That was close!" Tsuna breathes a sigh of relief once they are outside, away from Hibari's wrath.

"Tenth, about the party..." Hayato trails off, he should be the one worrying about the party, not Tsuna.

"Hmm? Oh right!" Tsuna rubs the back of his head. "We really didn't have to do much, Yamamoto found your notes for my birthday and all we did was follow them. Even the fireworks were ok, since you stored them away safely in the shrine. Mom and Kyouko-chan are taking the food up there right now, so we should hurry."

Hayato lets himself be herded to the shrine, extremely flattered that his boss likes his ideas. If only he got to see his face the night of his actual birthday, instead of celebrating it belatedly.

The thoughts bring the tickle in his lungs back into focus, and he frowns and sets his flames to work, ignoring the sharp look Tsuna gives him. The tickle subsides and disappears when they get closer to the shrine, and is replaced by surprise at the large group congregating around the stone steps leading up to the shrine.

Kyouko and Haru are there, large picnic baskets in their hands, along with I-pin, Lambo and Futa. Ryouhei isn't a surprise, neither is Dino and his men, all carrying more picnic baskets or blankets and supplies. What is a surprise is Shamal and Bianchi, and for some really, really weird reason, half the Varia.

"What are they doing here?" Hayato demands, stepping slightly in front of Tsuna. He didn't see Xanxnus, though Squalo is there to squawk about disrespect for people taking their sweet time to show up for their own get well party.

Wait what?

"This is a party for the Tenth's birthday," Hayato says slowly. He turns to Tsuna who scratches his neck with a nervous smile but stares at him with determination. "Right, Tenth?"

"We thought that it would be nice to celebrate you getting better, but we knew you wouldn't want that so we just combined my birthday with it. This is fine, right?" Tsuna asks.

Hayato looks between Tsuna's determined eyes and then behind him, where Ryouhei has gathered Kyouko, Haru, Kurokawa Hana, Lambo, I-pin, Fuuta, and Basil to look at him with wide, sad eyes.

That's cheating, Lawn-head, Hayato thinks but sighs and nods as everyone cheers and starts heading up to the shrine. By the time he makes it up there the party has just started, picnic blankets are laid out on the grass away from the games being set up by Lussuria and Ryouhei. Hayato spots Shamal getting chased away from the food by an irate Haru and walks over.

"Hey," Hayato says, leaning against a tree. Standing a little away from him Shamal raises an eyebrow and lights up a cigarette.

Hayato struggles with the words, starting and stopping until Shamal starts looking annoyed and finally get the words out. "How come you called Hibari my, my-" Hayato flushes, he really can't call Hibari his boy toy (mainly because he thinks Hibari will somehow KNOW and show up to kick his ass).

Shamal snorts, "I don't give love advice, kid. Not for men anyways."

"I'm NOT-" Hayato catches Tsuna watching him worriedly and lowers his voice, "I'm not asking for love advice you bastard, I just want to know why you thought we were together when no one else had clue!" It's been bugging him since he got released from Shamal's care. No one knew about him and Hibari and hell if Reborn didn't know (and he didn't, Tsuna told him that Reborn grilled him on if he knew about him and Hibari) then no one knew.

"Oh, that," Shamal takes a long drag, waiting till he blows all the smoke out to answer him, "He broke into the clinic and demanded all information on your condition, since there wasn't anything useful in the hospital records." Hayato's jaw drops as Shamal shrugs. "I might have hit him with a Trident Mosquito during the fight, so give this to him when you see him," Shamal tosses a small paper bag at him. "Dosage is the same as last time."

"Same time- you hit him with Sakura-kura again?"

"Such worry for your beau, he hit me too, you know?" Shamal rubs the side of his head. "Why couldn't you have seduced a pretty girl instead of a violent boy? I've failed to pass on my teachings," he sighs as Hayato turns more and more red.

"You didn't teach me shit!" He shouts and stomps off towards the picnic. And just when his luck couldn't get worse, Uri decides to hop out of her box and make a beeline to the grill, where Yamamoto is grilling fish.

"Uri! Yamamoto watch out!" Hayato shouts, running after her but its too late. Uri jumps from the ground and off Yamamoto's head, making him toss several sticks of fish into the air. With a twist of her spine on the way down she catches a fish in her mouth mid-air, bounces off Basil's head forehead and makes a run for it, Hayato on her heels.

"Uri!"

Hayato slows to a jog, following the path Uri took with a sigh. What is he going to do with that cat? He reaches the end of the trail and exits into a small clearing where a smaller shrine sits near the back on a raised rock. Hayato spots Uri's tail and follows it to where she crouched, gnawing at her meal.

And across from her, sleeping underneath the shade of a tree is Hibari.

Oh shit, Hayato freezes, one foot in the air as he stares in horror. After years of being conditioned, he knows better than to wake Hibari up from his naps. And Uri is over there purring away over fish.

Crap, crap, crap, Hayato thinks, slowly setting his foot down. When that doesn't elicit a reaction from Hibari he lets out a sigh of relief only yelp as his eyes snap open with a surge of blood lust.

"Oh, its you," he says and the blood lust disappears, taking the oppressive aura with it. Hayato watches in dsibelief as Hibari yawns and shifts to rest on his side, arm pillowing his head. "Don't disrupt my sleep."

Okay then. Hayato slowly makes his way towards Uri, but when he reaches out for her the damn cat scratches him and leaps towards Hibari.

"Uri!" Hayato hisses, even as he lunges for his box animal.

Except he forgot one thing, he realizes mid-jump, catching Uri in his arms.

"Shit!" He tries to twist to avoid falling onto Hibari just as Hibari's eyes open, half-lidded. Strong arms reach up to catch Hayato, guiding his fall so he lands sprawled over Hibari, Uri meowing between them. His Storm Kitten wiggles her way out between them and purrs, headbutting Hibari gently before jumping off to clean herself.

"Dumb cat," Hayato snarls, and tries to go after her but a tonfa rapping against his head painfully gets his attention. "What-?" He closes his mouth with a click,when he realizes he's on his hands and knees above Hibari, who glares up at him, one tonfa out and ready to smack him again.

Hayato curses and tries to get off him. Key word tries. Something small hits him in the middle of his back, sending him down on his elbows. He can hear Roll chitter and Uri's meow loudly and turns his head to the side to see the two of them playing together. He turns away with an eye roll only to come nose to nose with Hibari, who's watching him with a raised eyebrow.

"Umm," Hayato looks back at him, wide eyed, a blush growing as he feels Hibari's breath against his skin. His eyes flicker down to Hibari's lips and he yanks them up before Hibari can notice.

Too late, Hayato thinks, mouth dry as Hibari's face shifts minutely from 'murder' to 'interested' and the world spins as he's flipped onto his back, Hibari straddling his hips and his lips against his.

Hibari kisses like he fights. Domineering, sure, and with absolutely no mercy. There's a hand at the back of his head, clutching his hair and craning his head up like an offering as Hibari deepens the kiss, mouth slanting further over his. Hayato kisses back, heat pooling at his stomach as his hands move, one clutching at Hibari's shoulder and trailing over to the nape of his neck while the other is wedged underneath him to give him leverage.

When he finally pulls back, Hibari's mouth is red and shiny, and Hayato can feel his lips tingle as he pants. Hibari raises an eyebrow, a satisfied smirk on his lips that Hayato wants to bite off.

Well, something like that, he thinks as he pushes Hibari back, following him up as they shift from lying down to reclining against the tree, and pulls him back against his lips.

He doesn't know how long they sit there, kissing. Every time one of them pulls away the other is there pulling them back with trailing kisses along a jaw or hands running along the other's waist. Hibari's hands skims under his shirt as Hayato works at his neck when his stomach growls.

They both freeze and Hayato stares at his stomach in betrayal as Hibari scoffs and untangles himself.

"Lunch was six hours ago!" Hayato says in his defense, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. Hibari rolls his eyes and lays down, arms tucked behind his head, the order not to bother him left unsaid as he closes his eyes.

"Jerk," Hayato says, brushing off his clothes before heading back to where the party is in full swing.

Someone had hung plastic lanterns from the trees, lighting up the area with a warm glow. He gets a plate of food from where Haru is manning the table with Chrome, both of whom turn red and giggle at him. A smiling Kyouko sidles up to him, motioning discretely to his neck and hands him a bandanna. A look at his reflection in her hand mirrors shows that yes, there are red marks running up his neck. Dammit, Hibari!

"Thanks," he mutters, tying the bandanna around his neck like a kerchief. Kyouko just giggles as he stalks off to find Tsuna, the tips of his ears flaming red.

He wanders around, passing Lambo playing some game with hoops and a stick. Well, more like I-pin is trying to catch Lambo to make him play properly, with Yamamoto cheering them on in the background. Ryouhei is talking with Lussuria and Hayato veers away from where Belphagor is standing next to Mammon, chatting away while avoiding the Mist users barbs and threats of financial ruin.

He finally catches a glimpse of Tsuna standing under the roof of the shrine, talking quietly with Xanxus. Hayato makes an aborted move to rush over there but Xanxus seems to be ignoring Tsuna while Tsuna talks calmly, no sign of panic or fear in his body language.

Well, he supposes he doesn't have to keep watch, Hayato thinks, spotting Mukuro and Chrome nearby, him with one eye on Tsuna while Chrome and Fran talk to  Squalo.

That taken care of, he heads back to the food table, looking at the various snacks and food everyone brought with consideration.

"Are you going to make a plate for Kyouya?" Hayato jumps when Dino slides next him, an empty plate in hand.

"No!" Hayato denies with a hot blush. "I was getting more for myself!"

Dino gives the full plate in Hayato's hands a disbelieving look and Hayato strangles the urge to shove it in Dino's smug, knowing face. "Shut up," he mumbles, grabbing a new plate. He looks at the offered food, ignoring Dino's shaking shoulders. What did Hibari like to eat?

"Hamburger steak, and the dango."

Hayato looks up at Kusakabe in surprise. The older boy just smiles, still in his Disciplinary uniform and a plate full of food in his hands. How many people showed up for this? He could even see the Shimon family over by the games.

"Those are what Kyou-san would eat," Kusakabe says with a smile, holding the plate out to Hayato. "Would you make sure he gets it?"

"What am I, his mother?" Hayato snarls, taking the food anyway as he ignores the knowing look Dino shoots him.

"Now, now," Dino says, holding one hand up as Kusakabe hides a smirk behind his hand. "There's nothing wrong with spoiling your boyfriend, Gokudera."

"I'm not his boyfriend," Hayato says lowly as the two older men look at him disbelievingly. "We didn't really talk about it."

"Huh," Dino says, drawing the sound out and Hayato bristles.

"Talking isn't really Kyou-san's preferred method of communications," Kusakabe intervenes again and Hayato can see why Hibari trusts him as his second in command. "Actions are clearer to him, though it might be difficult for us to understand without practice."

"Tell me about it, I'm still sore from the fight earlier," Hayato says, the bruises under his shirt aching in echo of his words.

"He fights you? And you aren't dead?" Dino looks at him speculatively and Hayato frowns. Yeah, he knows Hibari can beat the crap out of him with one hand tied behind his back, but that's why they use handicaps. Its more equal that way. When he says that though, both of them look at him in surprise.

"Really? Kyou-san sure had changed since meeting with you all," Kusakabe says, a far away look on his face as Dino sputters about how his cute student never takes it easy on him.

"Right," Hayato says, feeling a little awkward. Hibari didn't really seem to change that much? But he supposes Kusakabe has a wider frame of reference than him. And Dino deserves whatever beat down he gets from Hibari. Probably. "I'm just gonna...go then," he says, walking away to the trails, a plate of food in each hand. No one stops him as he ducks beyond the tree line, following the path back the the clearing where Hibari is still asleep.

Hayato sighs from a safe distance away, setting the food down where he can see the glow of Uri's flames, the Storm kitten sleeping away on Hibari's chest. Hayto glares, just a little jealous that his box animal likes Hibari better.

"Tch," he tsks softly, looking around the clearing. The sun's already set, and its dark, much darker than he thought before, standing at the shrine with all the lights.

That gives him an idea and so leaving the food on the raised stone near the small shrine he jogs back to the picnic and swipes a spare blanket and two unlit lanterns.

The food is still there when he gets back to Hibari's clearing and he lights the lanterns with his lighter. The light or maybe the smell of food wakes Hibari up because his eyes are open when Hayato approaches with the lantern, hanging it on a low hanging branch, the other one set next to Hibari.

"What's this?" Hibari says, watching Hayato snap open the blanket.

"It's a picnic, haven't you been to one before?" Hayato snaps, motioning for Hibari to move.

Grey eyes narrow, shifting between the food, Hayato and the blanket in his hands before Hibari gets up, brushing off his pants as Hayato spreads the blanket over the spot he just vacated. And he doesn't even bother to help, Hayato grumbles to himself as he finishes pulling the edges of the blanket straight and sets the lantern on one end. The blanket set, he turns to the food, barely saving it from Uri, and hands one plate over to Hibari, who's already sitting on the blanket, leaning back against the tree.

They sit in silence, Hayato fidgeting as they eat their food, Hayato sharing his with Uri when the cat prowls forward and starts begging for scraps.

"Box animals can eat?" Hibari asks, watching Uri devour one of Yamamoto's grilled fish in fascination.

Hayato shrugs, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Yeah. I don't know why, the Fuuta from the future said that box animals don't need food but Uri seems to like it." He shrugs at Hibari's look. "It hasn't hurt her, so what's the harm?"

Hibari stays silent but reaches into his jacket, pulling out his own box. A quick insert of his ring and Roll pops out, taking a look around before zeroing in on Hayato and flying over, making happy snuffling sounds.

"Hello," Hayato says, offering out a piece of carrot. Roll sniffs the vegetable but ignores it, settling on Hayato's lap with a cheerful gurgle. He smiles, petting the hedgehog as Uri finishes eating and pads over to investigate. Uri sniffs at Roll before jumping into Hayato's lap too, knocking Roll out of his lap and onto the middle of the blanket, pinning him in place before starting to groom him.

Hayato leans back on his hands and considers the two box animals, the words of the Hibari from the future echoing in his mind again.

Box animals mirror their owners, he remembers Hibari, the older one, telling him once, as Uri pushes Roll around, the hedgehog allowing her to move him even placidly rolling onto his back so she can clean him thoroughly. Hayato catches Hibari watching their box animals play together with a soft look in his eye and gathers his courage.  

"Why do you even like me?" Hayato asks, looking Hibari in the eye. Silence reigns and the clearing is tense as Hayato fidgets and Hibari pauses, giving him a look  before returning to the remains of his meal. Just when Hayato thinks screw it and ask again Hibari starts talking.

"Storms die." Well that is enlightening. Not. Hayato glares at Hibari, who stares out over his shoulder at the trees surrounding them.

"They rise and form and ultimately loose power and are snuffed out," Hibari shifts his eyes to Hayato. "You don't. You rage and storm but at the end when you weaken you don't die, just get up and storm even harder."

Translating the Hibari-speak takes a few seconds as Hayato absorbs what he is saying.

"So you like me because I'm hard to kill?" Hayato tries, and gets an annoyed twist of Hibari's lip at him. "What? You can be a little clearer instead of talking in metaphors."

There is a small smirk on Hibari's face, one that tells Hayato that he thinks that metaphors are the best method of communication, and that he enjoys annoying Hayato.

"You are interesting," Hibari says, a hungry look in his eye. "Strong and still growing stronger. You will be magnificent when you are fully grown." The look in his eye makes Hayato shiver, and Hibari tracks that, eyes flicking over his body in approval.  

And that's it? Hayato thinks, feeling maybe just a little disappointed. He isn't sure what he expects to hear, Hibari likes him because  of his winning personality? But he expects hopes for something a little more than the equivalent of 'you fight good'.

If that's all, then what's separating him from Ryouei or any of the other fighters in Nanimori? He gets caught up in his thoughts that he misses the hand reaching out to touch his chin.

Hayato jerks back from Hibari, who has crawled forward on his hands and knees in front of Hayato. Hibari frowns and reaches out again, slower, letting his fingers gently rest against his jaw, stroking the skin there slightly. "You stay loyal to the small animal, even if it gets you hurt. Despite that you still fight till you die and then you get up to fight again. You find your weaknesses and eliminate them by changing or adapting."

Hayato thinks this is the longest Hibari's ever talked to him outside of a spar, and leans into the touch slightly. He's rewarded by the widening of Hibari's pupils, and the hand shifts to fully cup his face. "You are always changing, always something new or different," Hibari says, softer, pulling Hayato closer, the hunger in his eyes more pronounced, spreading to the sharpness of his smile, teeth tucked away but still there, ready to cut Hayato to ribbons to see what he's made of.

Hayato swallows, going along. Alright, he thinks, as their lips meet again and sparks fly up his spine.

Alright, he can live with that as a reason.

Hibari grabs him by the shirt and pulls backwards, Hayato sprawling over his lap as the kiss quickly moves from slow and sweet to something that has Hayato clinging to Hibari's shirt even as he pushes the older teen down on the blankets. Hayato moves his lips over Hibari's shivering as the other boy grabs the back of his neck, keeping him in place as the other goes under his shirt, splaying over the skin of his back.

He shivers at the light touch, barely feeling it through the scar tissue on his back, though Hibari does hum appreciatively and run his fingers over each one he can reach.

Something itches at the back of his head, breaking through the cloud of lust and pleasure he's been reduced to and Hayato looks up, instinct or just the feeling of being watched to see Dino's sky Pegasus trotting up through the clearing.

"What the hell?" He says, puling away from Hibari, ignoring the grumble that gets him. Hibari lets him up but keeps his hands on his hips as Belphagor's mink sneaks up to them, growling at Hayato before circling into a ball by Hibari's head.

"Seriously? Are you box animal catnip or something?" Hayato asks as slowly every single box animal present makes their way to the clearing.

He can see Alfin diving through the trees, careful not to go over the tops. Bester prowls forward, Natsu running under his paws with Jirou. Kojirou flies a quick circle around the tree they are under before settling on a branch, while Lussuria's Kuu and Kangaryuu walk behind Gyuudon and Dino's turtle. He can see Mukurowl and Levi's Liviya make their way through the dark, lighting up the clearing temporarily before they too settle near by or at a respectful distance from Hibari. There is quick scuffle as Alo bursts through the trees, wood shavings falling down around them but Alfin is quick to block him, pushing him down to rest with the other animals.

"This is weird, tell me you find this weird too?" Hayato asks Bester walks straight up to them and flops down, Natsu taking the opportunity to curl up between his paws. Hayato looks down at Hibari, who's smiling as Hibard flies down and perches on the lantern they managed to keep from knocking over. Not that they need the light anymore, Hayato thinks, the box animals lighting up the clearing with multi-color flames.

"Oh, hey! So here's where you two went!"

Hayato scrambles off Hibari's lap, only to be yanked back by the grip on his hips. He lands on his side next to Hibari as Yamamoto steps into the clearing, holding a lit sparkler in one hand.

"Hey guys, they're over here!" He calls back into the woods, probably to where the rest of their group is waiting. "We've got the fireworks ready to go, wouldn't want you to miss it," he continues brightly as they sit up, Hayato's face completely red while Hibari focuses a gimlet stare to the entrance of the clearing as people start filing in. Luckily, most of them stay away from where the box animals form a little buffer between Hibari and the rest of the clearing, which helps calm the tension in Hibari's frame as the last of the stragglers show up.

Though everyone does make a point to smirk or look knowingly at where Hayato is sitting practically flushed to Hibari's side, to which Hayato very calmly uses a rude gesture in return, getting a laugh from Dino, the bastard, who has the audacity to wink at him.

"Ok, they're starting!" Haru shouts, running into the clearing. She takes a seat next to Kyouko as muted explosions ring out, and the first of several rockets fly into the sky, leaving a faint trail of smoke.

As the first of the fireworks light the sky with color Hayato turns to Hibari.

"So does this mean we're dating?"

Hibari rolls his eyes and yanks Hayato forward for a quick kiss when no one is looking.

"Yes."

Hayato looks back at the sky, a wide grin on his face as Hibari lays back on the blanket, one hand interlaced with his as they watch the fireworks, surrounded by friends and family.

-

When Hayato goes home that night, happier than he has ever been he coughs up pink and white cosmos, along with a single red rose. These flowers he keeps, washing and carefully drying them with his flames, he'll pick up some resin the next day to preserve them. He doesn't look up the meanings of the flowers, already know them and thinks for once maybe he's doing better than fine. [Cosmos: Harmony, Peace, The Joys that Love and Life can bring] [Red Rose: Love]