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cryingcow · 4 years

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Character Story - Yuki (2006) [RGGO]

The next few stories will be about three very beautiful, very elegant, very alive ladies (which should narrow it down quite a lot lol). First up: She’s single! She’s 39! She’s probably addicted to gacha games! It’s Yuki!!

Story: Yuki learns that her father is ill, and wants to show him that she is reliable and capable so that he won’t pass on with regrets. Everyone tries to help her maintain the lie because she is, in fact, neither reliable nor capable. Majima gives a speech about the power of friendship.

(Featuring the 3 different artstyles of RGGO-verse: anime, paint-y, and Dragon Engine; all in the same weird screenshot!)

Majima & Youda: “We love you, Yuki-chan. Even if you’re dumb, and clumsy, and stupid, and gullible . . .”

Yuki: “. . . I wish I had better friends.”

CHAPTER 1

|Four Shine wins the Cabaret Club Grand Prix, and became a popular cabaret club after that . . . The temporary club manager Kiryu leaves Sotenbori, so the owner Yuki and the club manager Youda handle the club in place of three people.|

|Four Shine, Sotenbori.|

Waiter: “Kirara has been nominated for Table No. 2! Bring a wet towel for Table No. 4!”

Yuki: “Phew~ . . . I’m even busier than usual . . . Oh? Koyuki-chan, you look pale. Maybe you’re sick?”

Koyuki: “. . . I couldn’t sleep much yesterday. But it’s fine. We’re short on staff today.”

Yuki: “No, no! What if you break your body! Please go home now and get some rest!”

Koyuki: “But the 5th table . . .”

Yuki: “No buts! I’ll do something about your absence, just leave it to me!”

Koyuki: “I . . . I understand. But, I want to work once I feel better, so I’ll just rest here in the back.”

{Koyuki leaves to take a break.}

Yuki: “Indeed . . . Koyuki-chan is a hard worker.”

Waiter: “Yuki-san. Where is Koyuki-san? Table No. 5 has been waiting for a while now . . .”

Yuki: “Eh?! Table No. 5?! That’s right, I forgot . . . Koyuki-chan is resting right now. What should I do . . .”

Waiter: “If Koyuki-san can’t do it, then I guess they can wait a little longer, Aika-san would be available then . . .”

Yuki: “Y-Yeah, yeah! I’m sorry, please do that . . . ! I’ll go apologize to the customer later . . . !”

{The waiter leaves to give Table No. 5 the news.}

Yuki: “Haa . . . I said to leave it to me but then I completely forgot . . . I’m losing my mind . . .”

Cast Member Erica: “Uuugh . . . Yuki-san . . .”

Yuki: “Oh?! What’s wrong, Erica-chan? Isn’t it your day off . . . ?”

Cast Member Erica: “I . . . I was dumped by my boyfriend . . . I was feeling sad and lonely . . . so I came here . . .”

Yuki: “Oh . . . Don’t cry Erica-chan. I’m sure you’ll find a better boyfriend. And even if you don’t have a boyfriend, it’s fun! It’s great to be able to play online games by yourself at home!”

Cast Member Erica: “I-Is that okay for Yuki-san? Even though you’re 39 years old, you haven’t had a crisis about having no boyfriend . . .”

Yuki: “Eh?! I-I . . . ? I-Is that actually bad after all . . . ?”

Cast Member Erica: “Well, I guess it depends on the person . . . you’re 39 years old. If you like older men, would you like me to introduce one to you?!”

Yuki: “Don’t mention my age so much . . . you’re making me depressed. At the very least, Erica-chan seems to be feeling much better. . . . Oh!! Look at the time! Youda-san wanted us to talk about shifts!”

----

Yuki: “Ah, I’m here . . . but, is he on the phone?”

Youda (on the phone): “. . . I want to go to the amusement park with my family too, but as the club manager, I can’t take a day off on a busy Friday. So maybe next time, when everyone’s schedule lines up again . . . yes, I’m sorry.”

{Youda hangs up.}

Yuki: “Youda-san. Are you talking about next Friday? You can take a day off if you want to go with your family!”

Youda: “Eh?! Ah, Yuki-chan. No, that’s not the case . . .”

Yuki: “It’s not a problem. I’ll do something about it when the day comes. You should enjoy yourself with your family once in a while!”

Youda: “. . . Thank you, Yuki-chan. Your words have brought me happiness.”

----

Yuki: “. . . Ah, this is bad, this is bad! Before I forget, I should make a note of the change in Youda-san’s schedule . . . Is Takada also on break that day . . . he said he’d be on a date with his girlfriend so he’ll be taking a day off. Oh? Shirota is also taking that day off. That means . . . there are no waiters for that day?! I’ve done it now . . . how can I do this without Youda-san . . . But it’ll be hard for me to say he should work again . . .”

Youda: “Hey, Yuki-chan. I’m grateful for you giving me next Friday off. Thanks to that, both my wife and daughter were happy.”

Yuki: “I-Is that right . . . I’m happy for you . . . Haha . . .”

{Yuki’s phone rings.}

Yuki: “. . . Hello? My dad’s . . . you’re a colleague of my dad? . . . Eh? He collapsed and was brought to the hospital?! What . . . What should I do . . . I . . . What should I do . . .”

Youda: “Go do what you need to do! Leave the club to me . . . go on!”

Yuki: “. . . Yes. Youda-san, thank you very much. Excuse me . . . everyone, please let me through!”

----

{Yuki bumps into someone on her way out.}

Yuki: “Ah! S-Sorry . . . I’m in a hurry . . .”

Rough-looking Man: “Oi, oi . . . that hurt, Neechan . . . my bone is broken where you hit it. I think the cost of treatment’s gonna be pretty high.”

Yuki: “B-Broken bone?! Are you okay?!”

???: “If you can get a broken bone from getting hit by a girl, you’re a pretty pathetic man~.”

Rough-Looking Man: “Oh? Who’s that?”

Majima: “Hi~hihi! Awfully hostile for a weak kink! Are you a masochist looking to experience some pain?”

Yuki: “Ma-Majima-san!”

Majima: “Yo, Yuki-chan. I was in the area so I dropped by . . . but it looks like you’re in a hurry! I’ll handle this pathetic Niichan. You should get going.”

Yuki: “Th-Thank you very much . . . Please excuse me. I’ll pay the treatment fee later!”

{Yuki runs off.}

Rough-Looking Man: “You let that Neechan go without my permission. Are you paying for my treatment fee instead?”

Majima: “No one’s paying. Unlike Yuki-chan, I ain’t a fool who believes ya actually broke a bone.”

Rough-Looking Man: “. . . So I guess you’re not paying up obediently. If you go against me, you’re paying for your own treatment!”

{Majima beats up the guy.}

----

Yuki: “Haa . . . Haa . . . My dad’s hospital room . . . is here . . .”

???: “I’m . . . so terrible . . .”

Yuki: “. . . ?!”

Yuki’s Father: “. . . Doctor. Please keep it secret from my daughter. My daughter . . . I don’t want her to know. How much longer do I have . . .”

Doctor: “. . . Around 1 month.”

Yuki: (1 month?! My dad only has 1 month to live?! So . . . to not make me sad . . . Dad has been trying to keep his illness from me . . .)

Doctor: “Excuse me.”

{The doctor leaves, and Yuki enters the room.}

Yuki: “D-Dad . . . Are you okay? I heard you fell down . . .”

Yuki’s Father: “Oh, Yuki . . . you came. It’s not anything major . . . nothing to worry about.”

Yuki: “Is that so . . . that’s good.”

Yuki: (That’s a lie . . . it’s really a major illness. But . . . it’s a lie he’s telling just for me . . . so I can’t say I know it’s a lie . . .)

Yuki’s Father: “That’s right. So . . . urkk!!”

Yuki: “?!”

Yuki’s Father: “Oh, it’s nothing bad . . . I just got a big hiccup, hahaha.”

Yuki: (. . . that’s also a lie. I’m sure he’s sick and his body is in tatters . . . to be enduring such pain . . .)

Yuki: “Dad . . . I’m going to the bathroom for a while.”

{Yuki leaves and starts pacing outside the room, crying.}

Yuki: Uuugh . . . Don’t cry. It makes no sense for my dad to hide his illness so desperately.”

Yuki’s Father: “. . . Haa. I hope Yuki’s alright.”

Yuki: “. . . !”

Yuki’s Father: “I can’t help but worry about the future of that child.”

Yuki: “Dad . . . he’s worried about leaving me all alone. It’s because I’m not reliable . . . If Dad is worried about me, he’ll die with regrets . . . That’s not good! I have to let him know I can make it on my own . . . I have to reassure him at least . . . !”

{Yuki marches back in the room.}

Yuki’s Father: “So Yuki . . . is work going well?”

Yuki: “it’s going really well! It’s going so well, I’m actually worried about needing to expand the club!”

Yuki’s Father: “Well, that’s good. Isn’t Yuki’s clumsiness causing trouble for the club?”

Yuki: “Ughh . . . speaking of which, earlier today . . .”

Yuki: (I shouldn’t . . . I have to reassure him . . . ! He has to know I’m not a bad owner!)

Yuki: “Don’t you know, I’m not the same Yuki anymore? I’m called a charismatic owner now. I’m so reliable, everyone in the club is piggyback riding on me! So I’ve been busy lately!”

Yuki’s Father: “I see . . . Yuki has become great too. Okay. Can I come see the club tomorrow? I want to see the work of a charismatic owner.”

Yuki: “Eh?! Come see me work?! But you’re ill . . .”

Yuki’s Father: “I’ll talk to my doctor about it. It won’t interfere with your work, right?”

Yuki: “Y-Yup. Of course. I, I, I . . . I’ll show you what a charismatic owner looks like.”

----

|Four Shine.|

Yuki: “Hiii~! Everyone, Wh-What should I do~!!”

Koyuki: “You really went all out by saying you’re a charismatic owner . . .”

Youda: “Moreover, your dad is dropping by tomorrow . . . you don’t have time to grow up . . .”

Majima: “Hihihi, then I have no choice but to show off my charisma skills to Yuki-chan!”

Yuki: “You’re going to help me Majima-san?! Thank you so much!”

Youda: “Making Yuki-chan look charismatic . . . It’s a difficult problem, but I have no choice but to do it.”

Koyuki: “For Yuki-san . . . we’ll overcome any troubles!”

Majima: “Alright! Let’s turn the stupid, stupid Yuki-chan into a person full of charisma!”

Koyuki & Youda: “Yeah!”

Yuki: “It’s like being casually told something so cruel . . .”

-END-

CHAPTER 2

Yuki’s Father: “Sorry for bothering you. Oh, this is the first time I’ve seen it, but it’s a lively club.”

Yuki: “Fufu. That’s because it’s a club run by a charismatic owner like me. I’ve told everyone, so you can tour around as much as you like.”

Yuki’s Father: “Yeah. I want to see Yuki’s hard work. I’ll just be careful not to get in the way of everyone in the club.”

Majima: “. . . Alrighty then, Youda-han. Let’s start the operation. Ask away.”

Youda: “Please leave it to me!”

Youda: “Owner! I want to consult about our monthly sales.”

Yuki’s Father: “Oh, it’s Yuki’s turn right away . . . good luck, Yuki. I’ll be nearby.”

Youda: “Compared to last month, weekend sales have dropped by about 10%, what measures should we take?”

Yuki: “I see . . . last month was a busy month, we’ll need to deal with the decline immediately.”

Youda: (Good, Yuki-chan. Just like I taught you. Now just talk about the measures as it is. That way your dad will think you’re an owner who makes solid management decisions . . . Operation ‘Make Perfect Management Decisions’! Yuki-chan, tell me exactly what I taught you . . . !)

Yuki: “Since the seats are almost full by 7:00 PM, If we want to increase sales, we should consider opening at other times or making outdoor seating available. To the customers who come in early . . . you need to be ‘sensitive’.

Youda: (?! No, Yuki-chan! You need an ‘incentive’! You don’t need to be sensitive!)

Yuki: “Besides labor costs . . . you also need ‘Cosmo Cut’. Make a list of the things you need to buy in large quantities.”

Youda: (Yuki-chan! You’re supposed to say ‘cost cut’! Cosmo Cut is a special move . . . !)

Yuki: “I’ll do it, I’ll call our suppliers. I’ll be out for a while.”

{Yuki leaves.}

Yuki’s Father: “. . . Sensitive? Cosmo Cut?”

Youda: (No, no! He has doubts! At this rate, the hopeless owner will be revealed . . . I got it!)

Youda: “Oh, you might not know about it. Those are technical terms used in the nightlife industry.”

Yuki’s Father: “Oh, is that right?”

Youda: “Yes. ‘Sensitive’ means good customer service that enhances customer satisfaction and encourages future visits. ‘Cosmo Cut’ is a cost-cutting method where we purchase on a large scale, as large as the universe.”

Yuki’s Father: “I see! I was wondering if Yuki had made a mistake. I learned a lot. Thank you very much.”

Youda: (Phew~ . . . that’s good. Somehow I managed . . .)

Yuki: “Fufufu. How was it, Majima-san? I did it perfectly.”

Majima: “Yuki-chan, did you even notice you made a mistake . . . you should thank Youda-han later.”

Yuki: “Eh?! I-I made a mistake?!”

Majima: “No worries. Youda-han managed to fix it. Operation ‘Solve the Cast’s Worries!’ is ready to go, so it’s okay. Good luck.”

----

Koyuki: “Yuki-san. I have something to consult with you . . . is that okay?”

Yuki’s Father: “Oh, a consultation from the cast. Can I watch from nearby?”

Koyuki: “. . . Yes. No problem. Because you’re the father of the charismatic owner Yuki-san.”

Yuki’s Father: “Thank you! Then I’ll be close by. Good luck~ Yuki!”

Yuki: (It’s fine . . . Koyuki-chan is going to talk about customer service and I just have to give advice . . . I failed earlier . . . but I can’t make any more mistakes. I have to give solid advice as an owner.)

Koyuki: “Actually, I’m worried because the number of requests for me has decreased recently. How can I give good customer service that will increase my number of nominations?”

Yuki: “I see . . . That’s . . . um . . . hmm . . . That’s . . .”

Yuki: (Why is nothing good coming out of my mouth?! Wh-What do I do, what do I do!!)

Yuki’s Father: “Oh? Is something wrong, Yuki? If you keep silent, you won’t be able to give advice . . .”

Yuki: (Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What should I do?! Nothing’s coming out! My dad’s going to figure out the lie!)

Koyuki: “. . . I understand, Yuki-san. You’re saying I should find the solution myself.”

Yuki: “. . . Eh?!”

Koyuki: “Even if I think I’ll understand if I ask other people for help, I won’t really get it. Instead, I should think hard and figure it out myself . . . ! You did something as bold as shutting up, just so I’d be aware of it. Thank you very much! I’ll try my best!”

Yuki’s Father: “I see . . . It’s better to figure things out by yourself. To convey that through silence . . . Yuki has grown up.”

Yuki: “A-After all, there are things better communicated if unsaid . . .”

Yuki: (That’s good . . . thanks to Koyuki-chan’s wit, I managed to keep up the lie . . . Next, Majima-san’s friend will cause a ruckus and I’ll stop him in Operation ‘Don’t Tolerate Annoying Guests!’ . . . What kind of person is this Nishida-san who’s going to play as the annoying guest?)

Majima: “So, is it time to give the signal to Nishida and the others?”

Waiter: “Excuse me, Majima-san. A thug outside the club said to ‘give this to the man in an eyepatch with a Techno haircut’ . . .”

Majima: “Haa~, it’s hard being so popular. . . . I’ll give the signal to Nishida and the others when I get back.”

----

Rough-Looking Man: “I thought I saw a similar guy entering this club . . . looks like I was right on the mark.”

Majima: “. . . Huh. You’re the weak Niichan from yesterday. Did you come back to have your bones broken for real?”

Rough-Looking Man: “This is the end of the line Eyepatch Guy! This time I brought a friend who prides himself on fights! We’ll kill you and sink you in Sotenbori River!!”

{Majima fights the guys.}

----

G.B. Holmes: “Nishida-san. Is it okay to rampage now?”

Nishida: “No! Stop, stop! We have to wait until Boss gives the signal. But what is the boss doing . . . it’s been too long since his last instruction . . .”

???: “Stop screwing around, idiot!!”

Nishida: “?!”

Waiter: “C-Customer. Please calm down.”

Troublesome Customer: “No way! I’m paying a lot of money for so few drinks!! I’ll teach you what happens when you try to scam me!! Bring me the person in charge!!”

Nishida: “Eh . . . ? Is that a real disruptive customer? We have to stop him . . . but . . . knowing Boss, he could have actually prepared someone other than us to make it a surprise . . .”

G.B. Holmes: “Would you like to go ask the boss . . . ?”

Nishida: “Yeah. It would be bad if we get in Yuki-san’s way . . . I’m sure Boss went out the club a while ago . . . Let’s go look for him, Gary!”

----

Troublesome Customer: “Where’s the person in charge!!”

Yuki: “The person in charge is here! I’m Yuki, the owner. If you have any complaints about our club, I’ll listen to them as much as you want!”

Yuki: (. . . I keep failing so far. I have to make a quick decision here and recover my honor! Even so . . . He’s a much scarier person than Majima-san said . . . this Nishida-san.)

-END-

CHAPTER 3

Troublesome Customer: “Where is the person in charge!!”

Yuki: “I’m Yuki, the owner. If you have any complaints about our club, I’ll listen to them as much as you want!”

Yuki’s Father: “That customer . . . that man looks like he’s yakuza . . . will Yuki be alright?”

Youda: “She’ll be fine. Yuki-san is a charismatic owner.”

Youda: (It’s a customer we prepared . . . but, I didn’t know Majima-san’s friend Nishida-san was this kind of person . . .)

Yuki: (Repel this disruptive customer prepared by Majima-san . . . I’ll show my dad what I can do! Show him I have a solid place . . . my dad with a low life expectancy . . . I’ll reassure him!)

Yuki: “This is my club! I won’t let you do anything! If you have any complaints, then settle your bill and please get out!”

Troublesome Customer: “You’re the owner? How dare you speak to your customers like that!!”

Yuki: (Huh . . . ? Nishida-san is supposed to run away if I say ‘get out’ . . . Did he not notice the cue for the little arrangement? I’ll say it more clearly . . .)

Yuki: “G . . . Get out!!”

Troublesome Customer: “Who are you to order me around!!”

Yuki: (Eeh . . . ?! He still hasn’t noticed?! It’s really spontaneous, Nishida-san. Maybe he’ll understand if I speak in a Kansai dialect? . . . Alright then!)

Yuki: “L-Let’s get out!!”

Troublesome Customer: “. . . Huh?”

Yuki: “Eh? Did I say it wrong? Then . . . Can’t get out! . . . Is it still wrong? How about . . . Please get out!”

Troublesome Customer: “What are you doing! Are you playing around!! I’m being serious!!”

Yuki: (Kansai dialect isn’t working . . . ?! I-I don’t know what more I can do!)

Yuki: “N-Nishida-san . . . I’m already saying your cue to turn back. Next time I say it . . . please run away.”

Troublesome Customer: “What the hell are you whispering!! And who is Nishida! I’m Kawano!!”

Yuki: “Ka-Kawano-san?!”

Troublesome Customer: “You keep saying a Miss like you is the owner, the owner! I was just having fun, just got a little handsy and rattled the pitcher a bit! I’m a customer who paid lots of money! How will you make up for making me feel bad!!”

Yuki: (He’s different from what I heard from Majima-san . . . This person, could it be . . . h-he’s a real disruptive customer?!)

----

Majima: “You’re a really stubborn guy . . . Hm?”

Nishida: “Boss! I have a little something to tell you . . . uguh!”

{Nishida suddenly gets Tachibana’d and drops to the ground. Fortunately, unlike Tachibana, Nishida is wearing a Majima Construction Helmet ™.}

G.B. Holmes: “Nishida-san!”

Rough-Looking Man’s Friend: “That’s one of your buddies down . . . Don’t think you can get away with doing that to our friend.”

Majima: “. . . He still has friends. I thought he only had one. But . . . it can’t be helped, Nishida. Sorry I didn’t keep them away.”

Nishida: “I’m sorry, Boss . . . ow ow . . .”

Majima: “I’ll show you right now how to pass judgment on a fool who chooses the wrong kind of prey!”

----

Troublesome Customer: “Hehe, I finally see a scared face. Then I’d like you to apologize quickly.”

Yuki: “A-An apology . . . ?”

Troublesome Customer: “I was looking forward to throwing back drinks here, so get me a lady and a waiter. Shouldn’t you pay me too? Call it a compensation fee. Then I’ll think about forgiving you a little.”

Yuki: “Th-That’s . . .”

Troublesome Customer: “I don’t care about your opinion! Bring me a lady and a waiter!!”

Yuki: “B-But . . .”

Troublesome Customer: “Do it!! Or I’ll kill you!!!!”

Yuki: “Hiii! Do-Don’t kill me!”

Troublesome Customer: “Heh, you’re a pitiful figure. If you don’t want to get killed, bring me a lady and a waiter and give me back my money! I’ll hit the waiter until his face is messed up, then I’ll bring the lady to a hotel and punish her a lot.”

Yuki: “. . . ! I . . . I won’t let you do that.”

Troublesome Customer: “. . . Oh?”

Yuki: “To do my best to give the staff peace of mind . . . that is the work . . . of an owner . . .”

Troublesome Customer: “Huh?! I’ll kill you!!”

Yuki: “I’m sorry you’re not satisfied, but everyone in the club is doing their best to serve customers. Doing things that the girls don’t like . . . If you have any complaints, you don’t have to come here anymore. Here’s your bill. Now go home and don’t come back again.”

Troublesome Customer: “Don’t come back again? Is this your attitude towards customers!!!!”

Troublesome Customer: “. . . what are you doing?”

Youda: “Apparently, he’s not the guy we prepared. As the store manager, I can’t forgive any violence!”

Yuki: “Youda-san . . . Erica-chan . . . Koyuki-chan . . . ! it’s dangerous! Stay back! Don’t get hurt for a bad owner like me!”

Youda: “. . . Didn’t you switch around my shift so I can go to the amusement park with my family? Think of this as me returning the favor.”

Koyuki: “That’s right! I also have a lot of gratitude towards Yuki-san for caring about my physical condition!”

Cast Member Erica: “Me too! You showed me a lot of kindness after my boyfriend dumped me!!”

Yuki: “E-Everyone . . .”

Troublesome Customer: “This disgusting club . . . treating me as the bad guy. If you all get in the way, then I’ll kill you all together!”

{All four of them gang up on the guy and beat him up.}

Troublesome Customer: “Haa . . . haa . . . you cowards . . . fighting 4 against 1 . . .”

Four Shine Customer A: “Not just 4! If you do anything else, we’ll join in too!”

Four Shine Customer B: “That’s right!! There’s no better club than this! If you have any complaints, then get out!!”

Troublesome Customer: “. . . ?! That’s it, I’m never coming back to this club again!”

{The disruptive customer runs out.}

Koyuki: “. . . Yuki-san, are you alright?!”

Yuki: “Y-Yeah . . . I’m okay. Everyone . . . thank you so much for your help.”

Yuki’s Father: “. . . That was great, Yuki.”

Yuki: “. . . I don’t think so. My clothes got dirty . . . I’ll go get changed a little.”

----

Yuki: “Haa . . . it’s no good . . . I . . . Even this year, I’m still being helped by people . . . Because of this, my dad can’t be reassured by the lie that I’m a ‘charismatic owner’ . . .”

Majima: “. . . As usual you’re thinking so negatively~. I . . . I don’t think that’s the case.”

Yuki: “Oh! Majima-san?!”

Majima: “Yuki-chan did well today. Didn’t you stand up against a real nuisance customer? Besides, it’s not a bad thing to be helped by people. It’s all thanks to Yuki-chan’s humanity. Youda-han, Koyuki-chan, Erica-chan, the customers, they all took the risk to help Yuki-chan.”

Yuki: “Ma-Majima-san . . .”

Majima: “I don’t know if anyone can live by themselves. If you need help, then you’ll be given help. As a father, if I found out that there are many people who can help Yuki-chan, I think that’s enough to give me peace of mind. . . . even if Yuki-chan herself is a stupid, stupid owner.”

Yuki: “. . .”

----

Yuki: “Dad . . . do you have a moment? . . . Actually, I have to apologize for something.”

Yuki’s Father: “Eh? Apologize for what . . . ?”

Yuki: “Actually . . . it’s a lie that I’m a charismatic owner of the club and everyone relies on me. As you saw, I’m a hopeless owner who can only do things with the help of everyone . . . Dad, I’m sorry for lying to you . . .”

Yuki’s Father: “. . . Is that so. I had a feeling it was like that. But I’m glad I could see your hard work even if it was a lie. Even if you being a charismatic owner is a lie, I could see you were loved by friends.”

Yuki: “Dad . . .”

Yuki’s Father: “I’m relieved that you are blessed with good friends.”

Yuki: “U . . . uugh . . . Daaad! I don’t want you to dieeeeeeee!!!!”

Majima: “Yuki-chan . . .”

Yuki’s Father: “. . . Die? What are you talking about?”

Yuki: “. . . Dad has a serious illness and only has a short life expectancy. I heard you ask the doctor to hide it from me, to ‘please keep my illness secret from my daughter’ . . .”

Yuki’s Father: “Oh, you heard that?! I should have told you properly.”

Yuki’s Father: “This is hard for me to say, but my illness is . . . ‘hemorrhoids’.”

Yuki: “Hemorrhoids . . . that is a serious illness . . . wait, hemorrhoids?!?!”

Majima, Youda, & Koyuki: “He . . . Hemorrhoids . . . !?”

Yuki: “Hemorrhoids . . . that’s . . . is it the one found on your butt? It has a similar name with a serious illness . . .”

Majima: “. . . you can’t find hemorrhoids anyplace other than the butt.”

Yuki’s Father: “I was so embarrassed it hurt so much that I fainted . . . so I kept it secret from Yuki . . .”

Yuki: “Th-Then . . . wasn’t it your life expectancy that the doctor said was only ‘one more month’?”

Yuki’s Father: “. . . That’s how long it takes for my hemorrhoids to heal completely.”

Yuki: “So when you sometimes looked like you were in such pain . . .”

Yuki’s Father: “. . . It’s because the hemorrhoids hurt.”

Yuki: “Then when you said, ‘I’m worried about Yuki’s future’, didn’t that mean you were worried about leaving me all alone?”

Yuki’s Father: “. . . I heard that the tendency to get hemorrhoids is inherited. I was worried you’d develop terrible hemorrhoids.”

Yuki: “E-Eeeeeeeeh?! So it was just a misunderstanding that you have a short life expectancy?!”

Yuki’s Father: “Th-That’s right. I’m sorry for the misunderstanding . . .”

Yuki: “I-I see . . .”

Majima: “. . . Haa, I was so exhausted trying to make this work. And it was all because I was swayed by hemorrhoids.”

Koyuki: “I was almost crying until a while ago . . . but it was just hemorrhoids . . .”

Youda: “What was the point of the strategy we brainstormed last night . . .”

Yuki: “Majima-san, Koyuki-chan, Youda-san . . . um . . . I-I’m so sorry!! I-I know! I’ll apologize to everyone with sushi! So . . . please forgive me! See, with the money in my wallet . . . huh? Huh?! I don’t have my wallet . . . Wh-Where did I drop it? Le-let me look for it for a second! Aaa~h, I can’t find it anywhere!!”

Majima: “Haa . . . Yuki-chan will always be Yuki-chan.”

Yuki’s Father: “You’re right . . . hahaha.”

Yuki: “Where did you gooo~ my wallet!!!!”

-END-

Masterlist

#Majima's such a different person when he's not dealing with yakuza problems #is it too early for me to be making Tachibana jokes in the year of our lord 2020 #rgg online #rggo lore #rggo #rgg #Ryu ga Gotoku #yakuza #Yuki #Goro Majima #Majima Goro #Youda #Koyuki

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emsvegetables · 4 years

Text

“some kuroo and iwaizumi boyfriend hcs please?”

AHH BEST BOYS!! ofc anon!!! my first hc req!!

Kuroo:

* This man is a tease.

* He loves to make you blush and flush, especially with the nicknames he calls you.

* He literally has a myriad of nicknames for you.

* He calls you “Babe, Baby, Sweetness, Darling, Love” and all other things he can think of.

* His favourite is “Love”, because it just reminds him of his grandparents’ relationship, and because you guys sound like a married couple!

* He’s secretly a baby for those.

* He LOVES touching you!!!

* If he sees you in the halls, you can be sure that he’ll run up to you and press a quick kiss to your lips or cheek.

* If you guys are together, he just likes to hook an arm around your waist or sling an arm around your shoulders.

* If you’re watching a movie together, he’ll be holding you, with his head resting on yours.

* The moment you become Kuroo’s s/o, you instantly subscribe to a lifetime of stupid chemistry jokes, no take-backsies.

* “Your body must be made out of oxygen and neon because you are the ONe!”

* “Are you made of beryllium, gold, and titanium? You must be because you are BeAuTi-ful.”

* “You're so hot you denature my proteins.”

* Literally. He makes it his personal goal to say one to you every morning when he meets you to walk you to school.

* Will send you memes at 2am, when he can’t sleep.

* Please laugh at his jokes, and return the energy he gives you, because he’s a big BABY for those.

* He’s very observant, and notices all your quirks and tells.

* He can tell when you’re a little sad, and he instantly finds ways to cheer you up.

* Gives you snacks that he brought from home at the most random times!

* He can retain his body heat really well, and he’s warm 100% of the time, so be ready for warm cuddles and hugs!

* If you’re cold he instantly pulls of his jacket and hands it to you, no questions asked.

* He likes the way you look in them.

* He’s very protective!!!!!!

* There was once you had to hold him back from beating Lev up when Lev said that you were very pretty.

* There was another time where you went to cheer him on at one of his games, and was sitting on the stands before the game started.

* Some guy from another school came up to chat with you, and decided to sit beside you.

* Kuroo sees the guy’s pathetic attempts at trying to hit you up from the court, and instantly stops his warmup drills to run up to the second floor.

* “Who’s this, love?”

* “Just...some guy.”

* The guy instantly freezes when Kuroo’s eyes locks on his, and immediately apologises and runs away.

* Kuroo smirks at him, and drapes his team jacket over you.

* “I’m not even cold.”

* “This is to keep you safe, babe.”

* HE JUST LOVES YOU SO MUCH!

Iwaizumi:

* This man is so soft for you.

* He usually calls you by “Babe” or “Darl”, “Princess” if he’s feeling super, super soft.

* Did i mention he was soft for you? Because he is.

* The first time you visit him in practice, your presence literally shocks the entire Seijoh volleyball team when you press a kiss on Iwaizumi’s cheek, and he just smiles gently at you.

* “Is that a smile?” Even Hanamaki is shook.

* During practice, you usually sit on the benches by the side and do you homework, occasionally glancing up to smile at Iwaizumi, who always returns your smile with one of his own.

* He brings you milk and a snack from his bag when he gets a short break, and just looks over your work to see if you need help.

* He LOVES to hold your hand.

* He loves the way your hands feel against his.

* So small and so soft.

* You can bet that on your walk to school, you guys will be chatting about some random things and Iwaizumi will just lace his fingers with yours.

* If you’re watching a movie, your head is on his chest, and he’s holding your hands and just smiling at you.

* He’s the type of guy that will stay awake through the night to talk to you if you need him to.

* But he’s also the type of guy to lecture you if you don’t take care of yourself.

* Re: the milk and the snacks.

* He will pass you his bottle when he sees that you aren’t drinking water.

* If he sees that you’re cold, he’ll instantly hand over his jacket.

* He’s literally a human radiator, and it’s worth it to be even a little cold when he sees you under the flowing jacket.

* He’s very, very protective!

* He whacked Oikawa for flirting with you once. So hard that there was a handprint left on Oikawa’s back when he was changing out after practice.

* Saw a guy flirting with you once while he was getting ready for his games.

* “You okay, Babe?”

* The guy can feel Iwaizumi’s glare piercing into the back of his skull, and he freezes when he turns and meets Iwaizumi’s eyes.

* Iwaizumi is an intimidating man.

* When the guy runs off, Iwaizumi just smiles at you and asks if you’re okay.

* You say yes, because now you have your man with you!!!!!

* He just smiles and presses a quick kiss to your lips and jogs back to the court.

* OVERALL BEST BOYFRIEND. MOST CARING AND SWEETEST MAN EVER.

AHHH OKAY I HOPE I DID THEM JUSTICE HAHAHA!!!! Please feel free to send me any constructive criticism if you feel that i write kinda weird!!!! Thank you for reading!!!

#kuroo x reader #iwaizumi x reader #haikyuu hcs #kuroo headcanons #iwaizumi headcanons #kuroo tetsuro imagine #iwaizumi imagines

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vagrantblvrd · 3 years

Text

Modern day spy/assassin AU where former singer/musician/~artiste works in a cozy little coffee shop neatly sandwiched between a bookstore and, idk, a flower shop.

Expected to be one of the hottest new stars coming out of Oxenfurt if it hadn’t been for that scandal with fellow band member and rumored lover Valdo Marx over alleged song theft and so on. Followed by a messy break up - band and personal - and a drawn out legal battle that drained what money Valdo hadn’t stolen from him.

(And a year or so after all that Jaskier doesn’t like to think about too much before he got his feet back under him and a friend mentioned this coffee shop she frequented, and anyway, he’s doing much better now and also somehow ends up owning it himself when its previous owner retires and sells the business to him for like, five bucks, because the power of friendship or something, idk.)

One day on his way home he stumbles over someone half dead in an alley and is like oh, oh, no because the last thing he needs is another scandal attached to his name?

Like.

He’s kept his nose clean for just over six month now, has been playing around with new melodies and bought a new notebook for lyrics and whatnot. Looked into playing at some local places, not really wanting to be a megastar or whatever these days, but he loves music and performing in a little bar somewhere would be nice, you know?

ANYWAY.

Turns out the guy isn’t actually dead, thank goodness but might as well be? Has this medallion around his neck, a cat? Which, okay, whatever he’s seen stranger and he’s getting his phone out to call an ambulance or whatever, crouched next to the guy.

Memory from the CPR course he took in college surfaces in his mind - the instructor was hot and even if Jaskier never got the guy’s number he learned valuable life skills. (And also met Shani and that proved better than getting the guy’s number because she’s one of his best friends and also incredible and anyway.)

Reaches out to check for a pulse, which is when the guy grabs his wrist - surprisingly strong grip for someone who looks like he lost a fight with a freight train - and hsi eyes snap open and they are...extremely striking and not at all normal - cat eyes, to go with the cat medallion and hahaha, oh shit, this is bad, bad news, isn’t it?

The guy tries to threaten him, which. Not as effective when the growl he’s trying for just sounds sad and pathetic, and anyway, there’s something...not fear, no, in his eyes, that has Jaskier forgetting to put the call through for an ambulance.

It’s very close to fear though. Worry? Concern? Something that Jaskier relates to in some incredibly fucked up way.

(The way he felt when Valdo Marx fucked him over and everything he’d built fell apart around him, and anyway, yes.)

He doesn’t even know why, he does, or why he ends up hauling the guy up to his apartment and patches him up best he can with wwhat he has on hand.

Will probably end up being murdered by the guy the moment he’s on his feet, but eh, that’s a problem for future Jaskier, really.)

Anyway, Aiden - because of course it’s Aiden - is super suspicious of Jaskier and his everything and there is indeed a moment where he pins Jaskier to a wall with a kitchen knife - it was an apartment-warming gift from Shani and Essi and Jaskier’s more worried about it being damaged than Aiden slitting his throat, which just confuses Aiden?

Because what even is Jaskier and his priorities???

But he doesn’t kill Jaskier and the knife gets put back and aside from that little bump in their relationship they actually become friends after that.

Jaskier takes to referring to Aiden as a stray cat whenever one of his friends or whoever asks why he buys more groceries or hurries home after work instead of sticking around to gossip a bit the way he usually does.

Aiden thinks it’s hilarious as opposed to insulting, which is great seeing as how Jaskier’s pretty sure the man’s a hitman or assassin or other similar career?

(Might be the way he mentions past jobs and his dark sense of humor and also the time he could have killed Jaskier if he felt he was a threat? So, yes.)

And Aiden, okay.

Got burned or something to leave him half dead in an alley for just anyone to stumble over and since Jaskier hasn’t made any fuss about him moving out decides he might as well stay where he is for the time being, you know?

He goes and gets a job...somewhere to help with rent and so on. Offers Jaskier enough hints to make it sound like he’s out murderizing people right and left the moment he’s out of the apartment, but then Jaskier sees him helping Triss bring in deliveries out behind the flower shop so he knows Aiden’s been fucking with him on that front and is like, dude, not funny.

(Aiden begs to disagree, but whatever.)

And then!

A month or so after Aiden’s back on his feet Jaskier runs into one of the owners of the bookshop next door?

New management and so on, and oh no, he’s exceedingly hot.

White hair and gold eyes and, sure, he’s not the most talkative guy around? But Jaskier’s cracked tougher nuts or some other way of phrasing it that doesn’t sound like a euphemism.

Also, also, there’s another painfully attractive man working there who is incredibly sweet and has a menace of a goat that they have instead of a bookstore cat?

Which.

Seems like a bad idea since Jaskier often hears about how Lil Bleater nibbles on the books if someone isn’t watching her and anyway, it means he gets to listen to Eskel lament about her latest misadventures while Geralt stands there and tries not to let on how amused he is by both the bookstoer goat and her owner and Jaskier is like shit, because Geralt and Eskel are so, so hot and he’s only human and Aiden, Aiden, do not laugh at his pain, you utter bastard of a man.

ANYWAY.

Shenanigans in which Geralt and Eskel think Jaskier has this insufferable bastard of a former stray cat at home and Jaskier piiiiines like a sad bastard while Aiden laughs and laughs and laughs.

(It should be pointed out that not once in all the time Aiden started working for Triss - and Geralt, Eskel, and Lambert - who Jaskier has heard all about but not yet met - have seen one another even though they spend most of the working day a few hundred feet apart, because Plot Reasons.)

And then!

Some shenanigans in which Geralt or Eskel - who are totally spies who are using their cozy little bookshop as a cover - get tangled up in trouble and Jaskier stumbles on them with this incredible sense of deja vu.

He drags them into the coffee shop to patch them up, and he forgets to lock the front door, which is convenient because then Aiden wanders in hoping for a free coffee?

(Power of ~friendship, and also roommates, and yes.)

Jaskier is kind of covered in blood - Geralt and Eskel’s - and Aiden is immediately in Assassin!Mode because he’s fond of Jaskier, right, owes him his life and such.

But also, Geralt and Eskel who have also had their oh, oh no he’s hot moment when it comes to Jaskier are likewise fond of him - and working up the nerve to ask him for a date, but that’s neither here nor there - go into Spy!Mode and there’s an honestly kind of terrifying, kind of sad stand-off.

Jaskier is in Adrenaline!Mode because fuck his life, of course Geralt and Eskel can’t just be incredibly hot bookstore owners and is like “If you fuck up my coffee shop I will not be happy, and also please consider my delicate sensibilities,”

Which manages to stop whatever fight was about to break out and he essentially does the Chris Pratt with the raptors thing, only with a couple of spies and his assassin roommate.

Pretends the three of them aren’t throwing menacing looks at one another as he patches Geralt and Eskel up and then is like “Well, that was fun!” because no, no it was not, and his heart is going to burst with all the tension and whatnot in the air. and hahaha, this is fine.

Which of course is when Lambert comes stomping through the front door and there is even more Drama and Angst because his ~forbidden relationship with Assassin!Aiden and heartbreak when it was assumed he’d been killed by his agency a few months back, but wait, he’s still alive???

And idk, just a lot of ridiculous spy movie cliche nonsense in which Jaskier is reluctantly dragged into things because he saved Aiden’s life that one time, and is piiiiining for Geralt and Eskel and of course he gets taken hostage and they have to band together to save him but shenanigans and ~plot twists and so on.

(And then when it seems all is lost Triss and her utterly terrifying girlfriend Yennefer actually save the day because they, too, are spies and Jaskier would honestly like to know if he’s the only normal person he knows or what, because really, what are the odds???)

Whenever the death-defying events and such are over Jaskier does, actually, go on a date with Geralt and Eskel and some smooching happens.

(Technically not their first, because that happened after they saved Jaskier’s life in that oh thank god none of us died moment after all the danger and excitement, but none of them mind, because smooches.)

Lambert and Aiden make fun of the three of them, but gently because they, too, are prime targets for mockery as they also decide to try a proper relationship and not just stolen moments here and there, and anyway, anyway

A year or so down the road Jaskier gets tired of coming home to find the two in compromising situations and is like, why, though, which conveniently happens around the time Geralt and Eskel approach him about moving in with them somewhere and he’s like, well, if he must, like he’s not thrilled about it because he’s kind of gone on the two of them, you know?

So they get this place big enough for the three of them and Lil Bleater and Aiden and Lambert get his old place and it all works out?

Sure, sure, there are a few close moments where Geralt and Eskel’s work puts Jaskier in danger, and that time whoever tried to kill Aiden targets Jaskier and so on?

But he’s like, eh, it happens, because obviously it does.

Which means Geralt and Eskel take it upon themselves to teach him to defend himself - and half the time it ends in smooches and sexytimes because hand-to-hand and being pinned to mats and adjusting his stance while learning how to use firearms and such, you know?

But also Aiden and Lambert teaching Jaskier knives and explosives - “I’m sorry, but one of these things is not like the others,” in regard to Lambert and his explosives, but it’s a ~bonding moment, so whatever.

(Also, also, that time Jaskier was able to defuse a bomb in some highly improbable and ridiculous bit of shenanigans with spy nonsense and Lambert being a smug prick about it for forever afterwards.)

And then Jaskier finds out Geralt has this incredible kid with Yennefer and what the hell is his life that all these people know each other and he doesn’t find out about it until ages afterwards, but anyway.

Ciri is awesome and after her Vesemir comes to meet the guy two of his sons are in love with, and Coen shows up along with other assorted characters I’ve forgotten and anyway, yes???

(Also, also, Yennefer happens to find out about Valdo Marx and she straightens out that mess quietly and efficiently in such a way that Jaskier doesn’t realize it until long after the fact and is like hm, because he didn’t think she particularly liked him, but apparently he was wrong? Which leads to brunch dates with her and Triss and gossiping about the other idiots in their lives and discussing Jaskier giving Ciri music lessons and anyway, yes.)

#witcher nonsense #geraskel #geralt/eskel/jaskier #aiden/lambert #technically not a fic #vagrant fic #stray cat au #¯\_(ツ)_/¯#long post #the witcher

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facelessfrey · 3 years

Text

Roswell New Mexico - Season 3, Episode 1

Okay since last season, I kept trying to count all of the different plots going on and kept losing track, I want to start a plot counter for this season. So...

Plot Counter: 5 1. Who is in the coffin?/ Maria’s visions and deterioration 2. Saving Max/Jones 3. Deep Sky 4. Masked Alien Attackers????! 5. Liz’s research

Okay some of those maybe kind of merge together but I will reevaluate next week. Moving onto my episode thoughts...

Overall, I thought it was a decent premiere. It resolved some things from last season (rather hilariously) and opened up some new avenues for this season. So that’s good. We did get a couple friendship scenes...so that was nice too. Not enough really, but I’ll take what I can get. I still want more group scenes.

Liz’s scenes were fun. I like the new guy. I hope he stays nice and doesn’t become a villain or anything like they like to do sometimes. The heart rate scene was great. Also, still prefer Kyle and Liz over Max and Liz and their scene just proved that again. Hopefully they won’t wait too long to connect her back to the main group. Although, I’d rather see her help Maria than get sucked into the Max vortex again.

Speaking of Max...haha...two of him is too much. Also, he’s such a sad sack. I can’t take it sometimes. I’m kind of over him dying or possibly dying every season but I guess it is what it is. I just hope Jones can at least bring in some interesting mythology. Also that singer with him at the end is way too good for him. I wonder if she was just a one night stand or if she’s going to be a real character.

I still want to see Isobel actually with a woman and not just talking about it and I don’t know that I wanted her to be dating Blaire. I would have rather really seen her meet someone this season and start the relationship from there. I know we saw her meet Blaire and I liked her well enough but I get very annoyed when shows skip over the foundations of a relationship.

Speaking of skipping over a relationship...not gonna lie, I laughed when Forrest brought up Deep Sky and then disappeared in the same episode. Is this it? Is this all they’re going to be? Hahahaha. It’s just kind of pathetic. But sure. I’m not sure how I feel about Alex and all this Deep Sky nonsense though. First of all, I never wanted to hear about Deep Sky ever again because it was nonsense the first time around and I’m also not sure I like the idea of Alex being isolated from everyone else. That’s actually the opposite of what I want so...we’ll see how that goes. I did like his little chat with Kyle though.

Overall, I’m happy that Kyle is back in the mix with everyone again after last season’s isolation. Speaking of that, I kind of spaced a little in that conversation with Liz. So...Steph is just gone? Hahaha. Sure. I mean, that’s great because I hated her and I did not want to deal with that lackluster relationship again so hooray! But it was nice to see him with Liz and Alex and Isobel and Maria and even Max. This is the Alex I want. Although I would like him to find love again, just not so far removed from the group. If I didn’t want to see Isobel have a girlfriend, I’d be totally up for Kyle and Isobel. (If they won’t give me Kyliz)

Love Maria and Greg. That was a solid choice and they do have good chemistry so far. I approve. I also liked her little conversation with Michael. I like that the banter was back a bit but there was also plenty of acknowledgement of last season and they showed their growth. I wonder if it’s going to be her in the coffin though with her brain deterioration.

On the whole, I’m not a fan of a “who is in the coffin” plot. It’s one of my least favorite plot devices but I suppose we’ll have to see how it plays out. At least it’s something that they know about and can actively fight against rather than just seeing a regular flash forward.

Michael didn’t have a ton to do in this episode but I did enjoy him fixing his hair before Alex was due back. That was cute. And he built a fancy cage so go Michael!

I’m glad to see Rosa doing art therapy and getting better. I’m not happy to see Wyatt Long. I’d rather see her interacting with all of the other characters and not stuck on her own again so I hope that changes as we go forward. Is this drug she stabbed Wyatt with going to erase his memory of her and then they’re going to get to know each other again or something? Cause...I don’t want that. Maybe she’ll just erase him seeing her and then she can just avoid him forever again. Also, as I said in my liveblog, Rosalinda was the dumbest cover name ever. Haha.

What the fuck was that ending with the alien masks??! Haha. Oh dear.

Well...I’ve missed writing these really long recap/review things and yelling about the show so it’s good to be back!

#roswell new mexico #roswell nm #rnm spoilers #roswell nm reviews #rnm 301

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wychive · 4 years

Text

𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨

summary // you found your pile of ‘letters’ to hyunjin that contain thoughts that have never been said and decided to write to him one last time.

pairing(s) // hyunjin x gn!reader, hyunjin x oc, slight minho x reader

genre(s) // angst, letter fic

warning(s) // mentions of food, themes of being forgotten, vulgar wording, humiliation, overthinking

word count // 2.0k

author's note // happy birthday @noya-sannnn !! im sorry this was so late hhh you know how i am irl,, but i hope you enjoy this! i love you so much, jane <3 i apologize for the many grammar mistakes gn. i recommend listening to iu’s ending scene while reading this! btw y/n/n means your nickname.

[10/01/14, 3:55am]

dear jinnie,

hi there! it's y/n <3 i hope you're doing okay - i mean of course you are pfft anyways, just writing this short letter (more like paragraph) sort of as a venting mechanism? for things i cant tell you about lol im not so sure how you would call it, since you're so much better at words than i am. basically were like:

hyunjin: ow a brain freeze!

me: haha brain go brrrr

anyways haha yea <3 it's 4am so like,, ill see you at school!

signed,

your loser,

y/n/n

[15/02/14, 12:34am]

yo heartthrob!

im back with this kinda stuff haha it's been a whole? week? since ive written one of these so like yes..hi! i just wanted to say thanks, for today. you really know how to cheer me up huh? you really outdid yourself by setting up that little picnic for us. congrats on making the strawberry cake so perfectly <3 this day will always stay as a core memory in the back of my brain. you're too caring sometimes,,, istg you'll pay for this [maybe hugs?] >:)

signed,

your partner in crime,

y/n/n

[30/02/15, 01:29am]

jinnie-senpai~~

LMAO you hate me calling you that, doesn't change a thing though. hehe,, nways i hope you enjoyed your birthday present :) i got you that really cool skateboard that you wanted. i worked my ass off for that in my mother's garden so like,, you gotta thank me for that a thousand times :D nah jk, its a sincere gift, from me to you. i rarely do this for ANYONE so consider yourself lucky to have a best friend like me -3- also, seungmin is like….kinda the cutest person ever. introduce me to him pls, thank!

signed,

<your bestest friend3,

y/n

(p.s. you're kinda cute too,,,, ig,,, still stinkee tho)

[13/04/15, 9:04pm]

hey 'baby' (HAHAHA ihy for this)

i hope your day was okay! i didn't see much of you today (which was sort of a bummer but wtv) so like…. uh yea. you told me you were doing okay over text, which kinda surprised me because like?? we always video call lol this is kinda the first time,, but its okay, i trust you! (i really hope youre doing alright tho, i'll beat anyone up if they make you sad >:( ) you also called me 'sweetheart' today which was like…. omg wtf haha????????? that was so weird to me for some reason… a good kind of weird :D we haven't done those kinds of nicknames in a while so…. happy to know that they're back in session <3 i talked to the new girl today, she's really cool! like she knows the bean song on tiktok so like its a total win heh, ill introduce you to her tomorrow! you'll love her a lot

signed,

your 'lover',

y/n/n

[08/06/16, 10:23pm]

hey howl (hehe go back to that movie night we had)

this spring break sucks so much,, esp because youre not here (you still couldve brought me along :'[ ) but wtv i hope youre enjoying yourself. ive been hanging out with yeonnie lately and i found out she likes conan grey too like pls i love her sm. can we adopt her?? please???? she told me you guys have been video calling too and that makes me so happy!! you two are getting along so well aaa my precious babies </3

what if you developed a crush on her? haha…..jk unless?? (no jk dont shes all mine, stay away >:) ) anyways, i hope the three of us hang out soon. maybe go to that ice cream parlour where they serve the best cookies and cream?

signed,

your daisy,

y/n/n

[19/07/15, 01:23am]

peepee poopoo hello

heyheyhey!! (heh, haikyuu thingz) i hope youre doing okay! i mean sure you are, with everything going so well. also i feel like you're not telling me something. maybe it's just me? is it? i hope it is because you tell me everything,, we've been talking less these days but its okay! i know how busy you are, especially with your dad always bugging you,,

also, i think yeonbin likes you :0,, she keeps talking about you whenever we hang out. don't get me wrong, its not bad that she likes you but...something doesn't feel right. i feel like i'm being the third wheeler here and like ugh idk. haha laughs yea i think its just me.. im sorry, i didnt mean to do you like this,, anyways, ill see you soon + her too ofc- yall are inseparable lmao

signed,

your moonlight,

y/n/n

[23/07/15, 01:56am]

greetings, kind sir

lol more like mean sir but like aight KSKSK,, anyways,, how have you been? we haven't really talked in a while,, our convos are always so short with it being one-sided :/ i wish you were online more. yeonnie is ignoring me,, do you know why? i think you do,,, but when i asked you just said you didnt know. did i do something wrong? pls tell me..

she blocked my contact the other day and she won't even smile at me when i pass her in the hallways. its,, sad and stressful especially because she was the only one that would genuinely talk to me. i hate to say this,, but i miss you. us, hanging out like the best trio we are, yknow? but i dont think you miss me the same way. sorry, im getting out of hand. i know im just overreacting. im just gonna sleep ig,, good night! sweet dreams,,

signed,

your pink lemonade,

y/n/n

[25/07/15, 03:25am]

hi there

i heard you and her got together?? congrats, jinnie! im so proud of you,, especially because you never had even considered getting a girlfriend a few months earlier lmaO you really woo the ladies huh? anyways,, i hope you've been well since we last talked,, how many days has it been?? i would say nearly a week or so but honestly it feels like a hundred years,, considering you and i used to talk every day. but you have her now to keep you company.

keep this a secret but can you possibly tell me why it hurts when i see her? or when i mention her or even think of her?? is it because she's connected to you? but.. you're my best friend, so why? is it because i miss you? is it because im alone now? is it because you left me with a simple 'i have to go now,, bye y/n/n.'? im not sure either. im being silly, i apologize. ill figure it out sooner or later. sweet dreams, jinnie

signed,

your asswipe,

y/n

[25/07/15, 04:30am]

jinnie

it's because i love you.

signed,

your butterfly,

y/n

[??/08/??, 05:??am]

you

i miss your lame jokes. i miss your smile. i miss your laughs. i miss your funny faces. i miss the way your eyes twinkle. i miss th way you would make me happy just by doing the bare minimum. i miss the disaster you made when cooking breakfast. i miss the night when you snuck me out just to go to that pretty lantern event. i miss when you would call out my name everytime we met. i miss when we would share earbuds in train rides. dont you get it, hyunjin? i miss you.

[??/??/15, ??:??am]

asshole.

please tell me that isn't true, please. you're too kind to do these kinds of things, right? + i was your best friend,, then, why, why did you hurt me like this. i didnt do anything wrong.. you couldve just told me you didnt like me,,, why did she have to tell me? out of all people.

youre so pathetic for this,, i thought you were brave, bold - but youre just a fucking coward. i loved you, i really did. and i realised too late… im sorry. she,, i shouldn't have talked to her in the first place, right? i bet you knew she humiliated me, in front of everyone. of course you did, you were the only one that knew. you told her. fuck, i hate you so much (yet why do i long for you on a night like this?). you know how much that'll affect me and yet, there you are, laughing about it with her.

signed,

fuck off,

you know who i am.

[31/08/15, 03:41am]

ah, jinnie

please tell me this is just a nightmare. please, please. stop just reading my texts, please answer them. jinnie. i miss you so much. i dont care bout her, please just let me be in your arms. i dont care if you love me back, please just talk to me at least. tell me what i did wrong,, jinnie,, please,,, clear these tear stains on my cheek with kisses.

signed,

your fuck-up,

y/n

[15/09/15, 04:59am]

jinnie

why do i keep crying because of you? its been a few weeks since everything has happened. please, nothing has changed. i still love you the same even with all the hatred i have pent up in this stupid brain of mine. i wish i could just walk back in time, to where it all began.

when i first met you in third grade and you pushed me while playing soccer or maybe when we took those ridiculous prom pictures, remember those? i hope you still have them,, because i do too. i hope the pictures of us on your wall still hang there,, it'll remind you of the happy times. hm,, maybe you don't need them.

you already have millions of pictures with you and her,, i bet you printed some and replaced those with ours right? sly dog.

signed,

friend,

y/n/n

[04/02/16, 12:57am]

hey

i went to the park today and saw both of you being happy. it's nice to see your smile again. im sorry i didnt go up to you,, i just thought it would be awkward. when i heard that adorable laugh of yours, it made me realise that i lost something special. but it's okay isnt it? as your happiness matters more than mine.

signed,

y/n

[06/01/20, 08:00pm]

dear hyunjin,

im doing fine here. how about you? gosh,, how long has it been? years? since we last talked to each other. i havent heard from you since. i would just like to say i still think of you sometimes, when watering the plants or dancing while making pancakes. sometimes i think you're here with me too, just being the pals we were.

sometimes i'd see you out, just reading a book in the park or buying pasta sauce at the grocery store. it's nice to see you having a stable life. im not sure if you're still with her or not, but its good to know that you still have that large friend group. also! you're never gonna guess who im dating--

it's minho! do you remember him? the one that i used to hate,, uh yeah. he asked me out the other day- you may wonder how tf,,, i too do not know how tf but he gives the best hugs ever. he gave me the love i wanted from you. he stitched my heart back together after it broke,, i love him so much, jinnie..

it's snowing,, do you remember when we would skate on the frozen lake in front of your house? are your parents well? i wonder if your mother still has those earrings i bought for her birthday. i never told you this but your laugh and hers sound so similar.

i would just like to say thank you, for everything. you were a big part of my life, up until now. when we see each other after this, we would just be strangers. maybe flash a little smile or give a little wave whenever we greet each other but nothing more. some memories of us would flow in every now and then but it'll just be a short teaser. well, i'll be going now. smile for me, okay?

signed,

the one that loved you the most,

y/n.

taglist // @/noya-sannnn, @crvgio , @neo-shitty

reply to be in my gen taglist!

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benhardyisdaddy · 4 years

Text

must be a dream - part 1

MASTERLIST

(this is my first ever 6U fic with billy so plz dont judge if its bad hahaha i hope u like it! ALSOOO i needed a last name for billy so i just used jones lolol okay byeeee)

Word Count: 3,221

Description: what happens when you run into your “dead” boyfriend at the park?

“I love you.”

Those three tiny words held so much meaning to you. Your boyfriend, Billy, made sure to constantly remind you of how much he loves… loved you. He always had a sweet, soft smile on his face when the words slipped from his lips. On this specific occasion, you were on your back with Billy’s bare chest pressed against yours.

You’re both breathing heavily as your naked bodies are tangled together. Your hand was caressing his cheek as he moves his head to kiss your palm. You smile up at him as he stares into your eyes - his green orbs almost hypnotizing. He speaks those three words and you believe every ounce of it as your heart flutters.

“I love you more.” you whisper back.

He grins big and shakes his head. Suddenly, out of nowhere, his face falls as he fights back a wave of tears. He blinks them away, but not before you notice the change of expression. You knit your brows as you grab his face and make him look at you.

“Hey,” you say softly. “What’s wrong?”

Billy just forces a smile as he shakes his head.

“I’m fine.” he says fast.

He leans down and nuzzles his face into the crook of your neck. You wrap your arms around him as he leaves tiny, gentle kisses all over your shoulder. He’s so warm and comforting - you don’t want him to get up. As if reading your mind, he sits up and sadly smiles.

“I have to go.” he whispers.

You shake your head fast and wrap your arms around him even tighter. You look pathetically sad as you whine.

“No! Not yet! Maybe you can reschedule for tomorrow?” you ask with puppy dog eyes.

It takes everything in Billy to not fall to his knees and do exactly as you say. You were his kryptonite, his weakness. He had done anything and everything for you - except this.

“Baby,” he whispers. “I have to go. They’re… They’re waiting for me.”

You frown even harder as you slowly rub your hand up and down his arm.

“I don’t want you to go.” you say quietly.

His heart breaks right then and there. I don’t want to go either, he wants to say, but he doesn’t.

“I hate that this is your job.” you say, referring to his heists.

Billy takes in a deep breath and closes his eyes.

“I’ll be...fine.” he says hesitantly.

“Promise?” you ask as you hold up your pinky finger.

This was yours and Billy’s way of trust. You don’t ever, ever break a pinky swear. He started this when you first started dating and it’s stuck ever since. Billy opens his eyes and his voice gets stuck in his throat as he stares at your pinky. He tenses his jaw and slowly reaches his hand out.

If he makes a promise, he’d break it. If he doesn’t make the promise, you’d know something was wrong. He takes in a deep breath as his pinky wraps around yours. You break out into a huge grin and his heart skips a beat. Remember this smile, he reminds himself.

“Alright, you promised. You can’t break it now.”

Billy tries to smile as he nods. You lean up and kiss him once more. He gives you a quick peck to your cheek as he jumps up from bed and starts getting around. You’re lying there with the sheet wrapped around you as you watch him. He slips his shoes on and he’s finished. He turns around to slowly look at you. He looks you up and down and wants to back out of everything right now. You just sweetly smile and sit up.

“You better not forget to kiss me bye.” you tease.

Billy swallows hard as he walks over to you. You’re smiling like a little kid as he bends down and cups your face. He kisses you, but this kiss is different. It’s slow and sweet as he savors every last ounce of it. He wants to remember what your lips feel like, taste like. He wants to remember how soft your skin felt on his fingers. He wants to remember what your slight moans sound like as the kiss deepens. He just wants to remember… Needs to remember. Billy leans away as he rests his forehead against yours. You graze your finger against his bottom lip as he smiles.

“I have to go.” he whispers.

“I know.” you whisper back. “Please be careful.”

All he can do is tense his jaw and force a sweet smile as he nods. He stands back up and turns around as he walks to the front door. You’re still watching him sadly as he grabs his backpack and swings it on his shoulder. He opens the front door and steps out. He turns around to look back at you. A tear trickles down his cheek, but you don’t notice it.

“I love you.” he says loudly, thankful that his voice didn’t crack.

You place your hand over your heart and smile.

“I love you more.”

Billy then places his hand over his heart as well and smiles. He gives you a slight wink as he slowly shuts the door behind him. Once it’s closed, he walks away and leans against the wall. His eyes are squeezed closed as tears finally pour out. He tries to catch his breath as his body trembles. He wants to run back into the room with you, but he can’t.

“It’ll get easier.”

Billy looks up fast and takes in a sharp breath as One is stood in the hallway with sunglasses on. His voice is flat as he looks down at his watch and then back up.

“Listen, can we please have this life changing moment while we walk to the car?”

Billy walks past him and gives him a death glare. One just smiles as he follows behind him.

“This better be fucking worth it.” hisses Billy.

One takes in a deep breath and pats him on the back.

“Watch.”

***

10 Hours Later

Billy isn't home yet and you were beside yourself. You had called everyone you knew and were pacing around your apartment and shaking like crazy. This wasn’t like him. He always came home when he promised you he would. This wasn’t like him.

You were currently on the phone with the police as they were trying to calm you down. They tried telling you that maybe he was just late. Maybe he got caught up with something and forgot to call. You tried to file a missing persons report, but they wouldn’t allow you. He hasn’t been gone long enough. You were about to freak out on the woman over the phone, but she interrupted with an almost slight gasp.

“Ma’am?” she asks fast. “Ma’am, was your boyfriend’s last name Jones? Billy Jones?”

You freeze and your whole body begins to go numb. Your throat is dry as you just nod. You realize she can’t see you as you close your eyes and whisper.

“Yes.”

Your voice was so tiny. The woman just sighs and you can tell she’s about to say something that you don’t want to hear.

“Miss y/l/n,” she starts with a sad voice. “Ma’am, we have a deputy dispatched and on his way to your home. Can you please stay on the line with me until he gets there?”

“Why are cops coming over? Where’s Billy?” you shout. “How did you find out his last name!? Where’s Billy!?” you scream as your face turns red.

Suddenly, there’s a loud knock at you door as a man yells out that it’s the police. You keep the phone on your ear as you walk over and look through the peephole. You slowly open the door and watch as two male cops looks beyond sad and distressed.

“Miss y/l/n?” he asks with a soft voice. “I am so terribly sorry-”

The cop didn’t even get to finish his sentence when suddenly the phone you’re holding slips from your hand and hits the floor. Your face is in complete shock as their voices become mere background noise. A loud buzzing fills your head as you feel like you can’t breathe. You take a few steps back and shake your head no.

Suddenly, the word dead is all you hear and you snap. You cover your mouth with your shaky hands and allow tears to pour down. You squeeze your eyes shut as your knees give away. They buckle under you as you fall to them. You hunch over and wrap your arms around yourself.

“No, no, no!” you scream out.

The officers hurry to you and fall to their knees as they try to help.

“Please, no!”

It hurt. Every inch of your body… Your heart. It all throbbed. It was like a nightmare had come true. Billy’s dead, Billy’s dead, Billy’s dead. That’s the only thought racing through your mind. What you would do for another day with him. What you would do to feel his touch one more time. What you would do to just have him be okay.

***

1 Year and 3 Months Later

“Those disguises are fucking awful.” says Billy.

The group was on a mission that happened to be back in his hometown. Everywhere he looks it reminds him of you. He’s been in an awful mood ever since they landed here. More hot headed than usual. He’s been drinking more and hoping it will help him not to be constantly reminded of you every waking second. He regrets what he did. He regrets faking his death. He regrets seeing his funeral and having to watch you catch your breath as you cry. He regrets leaving you. He hates himself for it and he always will.

He is now currently walking through a large park that the two of you always went to with Seven next to him. Seven’s been the only one to help him with everything. He hasn’t been on the team long, but Billy’s already so close to him.

“Why is it that I get a costume and you don’t?” asks Seven to Billy.

He just laughs and shrugs.

“Guess One wants to utilize my good looks.” he jokes.

The speaker in their ears crackle on as One speaks.

“Excuse me, ladies? Can we please stay on track and, ya know, find the bad guys?”

They both roll their eyes as they continue walking around a large fountain that’s in the middle of the park.

“I don’t see any sign of them.” says Two through the earpiece.

“Maybe they’re in horrible costumes too.” Three says snarky.

“Four, you see anything? Anything that might even look weird or suspicious?” asks One.

Billy shakes his head as he scans around some more. There’s a playground just beside him as he looks through it. He doesn’t spot who he needs to see.

“No, I don’t see any-”

He freezes.

“Four, you still there?” asks Five.

Seven looks over to him confused.

“Four, what’s wrong?”

His eyes follow his line of sight and he freezes as well. He sees you. You’re at the playground with two other women. The three of you are laughing as you watch tiny kids run around. There’s a stroller perched in front of you as you look down in front of it and smile widely. You’re making silly faces as you bend down and slowly pick up a small baby in your arms.

Billy stops breathing. The baby was six months old and had Billy’s identical green eyes and blonde hair. He swears up and down that she could be his twin. You hold the sweet baby close to you and kiss the top of her head. She’s laughing at you as you stand up with her.

“Four,” Seven says fast. “We need to go. I know what you’re thinking. We need to go.”

Billy can’t move. He’s in a trance as he watches you walk around and kiss the babies chubby cheeks. You look so happy with her. You’re still so beautiful and he wants to so badly rush over and hug you. You were just right there. So close, yet so far away.

“What’s going on?” asks Two.

“Yeah. Can someone keep the rest of us informed?” asks One.

“It’s…” Seven trails off. “It’s her.”

That’s all he has to say and they automatically know.

“Get him out of there!” yells One. “Now!”

“Come one, Four. We have to go!”

Billy just keeps his eyes on you as Seven grabs his wrist and tries to drag him away. Billy’s not fighting him, but he’s still frozen in place. Suddenly, you spot the movement from the corner of your eye as you turn with a smile still on your face. It takes your eyes a moment to adjust to the two men that are staring your way.

At first, you’re a bit worried by it, but suddenly… Suddenly, your eyes land on Billy. Your smile falls as your eyes lock. You feel like you can’t breath as you just stare at him. You’re dreaming, you tell yourself. You’re just imagining it. That’s not really him. You blink a few times and open your eyes once more. He’s still standing there. You take a step forward and find yourself breathing hard.

“Billy?” you whisper.

“Four, we have to go!” harshly whispers Seven.

“Four, I swear to god, if you get caught, I will kill you myself!” shouts One in the earpiece.

“I have a baby…” whispers Billy.

Everyone goes silent.

“Shit.” One barely whispers.

You find yourself slowly walking forward. Billy’s not disappearing, so that must be a good sign. Right? This wasn’t like the other times. You could have sworn you saw him on the other side of the street or right outside your apartment window. He was actually standing there. You shake your head as you get closer and eventually you’re stood right in front of him. You didn’t know what to say. Your throat was dry as tears pour down your face. Billy’s crying too as his eyes are locked with yours. You find yourself shaking your head and almost laughing.

“You’re dead.” you whisper.

It’s almost comical to you now.

“I’ve actually lost my mind.” you laugh out. “You’re dead!” you say a bit louder, your face now serious.

Billy says nothing as he just stares at you with sad eyes.

“Am I dreaming?” you ask.

He slowly shakes his head no. You gasp and cover your mouth with your hand. Your baby has her head on your chest as she’s dozing off. Billy looks to her and can’t fight back a smile.

“I don’t understand what’s happening.” you whisper.

Just then, you begin taking steps backwards. You’re shaking your head as you stare at him and Seven cautiously.

“I’m going crazy.” you whisper. “You’re not really here. I’m going crazy.”

You turn around and go to walk away, but not before Billy reaches out and grabs your free hand. You gasp at his touch as you fly back around. Your eyes are wide as he stares down at your hand holding his. Your chin is quivering as your face scrunches up. You’ve missed his touch so much. You forgot how comforting and warm it is. You shake your head as you look up to him, tears pouring down.

“It’s me.” he whispers.

“Four, we have to go.” Seven says with a dark tone.

Seven gives you a sympathetic look as he tugs on Billy’s arm.

“Go home and stay there, okay!?” calls out Billy as he’s walking away backwards. “Just promise me you’ll go there and stay?!”

Just then, Billy holds up his pinky and you feel like you could faint. That’s when you know it really is him. You're sobbing now as you shakily hold up your pinky as well. Billy’s face falls into a huge grin as he stares at you until he’s gone. You still don’t understand what’s happening. Maybe you really were in a dream. You find yourself wiping your eye and hurrying back to the stroller. The mother’s you came with all look worried and confused by your teary eyed expression.

You explain to them that you need to go home and say it’s a family emergency. They hug you goodbye as you speed walk back to the apartment just down the block. You get inside and close the door. You lock it fast and quietly lay your baby down for a nap. She looks so peaceful as you smile and kiss her forehead. She looks so much like Billy that it almost broke your heart.

“Billy’s dead.” you whisper to yourself. “They saw him fall. He’s dead.”

You wait at your apartment just like he had told you too. You lay down on your bed and close your eyes. If this was a dream, maybe you could finally wake up from it. Dreaming of Billy was the worst thing ever. The two of you would be together and laughing and the next thing you know, you’re waking up by yourself and with the feeling of utter loneliness. You would have rather fallen asleep and stayed asleep.

At least you felt that way until Stella was born. You found out you were pregnant with Billy’s baby a month after he had died… Or at least you thought he did. It was the happiest yet saddest time of your life. You got to be a mother to a beautiful baby girl, but you were still losing Billy. Mixed emotions had become your constant state of mind.

You’re still lying in bed and realize you must have dozed off. You sit up and look over to the crib where Stella was and realize she’s still asleep. You smile at her as you lay back down and stretch. Your mind goes to Billy as you feel yourself about to cry again. Maybe it had all been a dream. Or maybe you really were crazy. Whatever it was, that wasn’t really him. He’s not here. He’s dead-

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Your eyes go wide as you sit up fast in bed. Someone was at your door. You slowly stand to your feet and don’t move. You listen closely and slightly jump when there’s another knock. You’re almost trembling as you slowly tiptoe over to the door. You close your eyes and take in a deep breath before leaning forward and looking out the peephole. Something was covering it and blocking you from seeing out. Your heart was now racing as you were scared. You close your eyes and call out.

“Who is it!?”

There’s silence for a moment before someone speaks out.

“You kept the promise!”

Your eyes go wide as you take in a sharp breath. It couldn’t be… You must still be dreaming. You quickly unlock the door and fling it open. In front of you is stood Billy with a small smile on his face. You can’t look away from him until five others begin standing behind him with awkward smiles on their faces too. You gulp as you look back to him and then it happens. What you thought would happen to you at the park finally did.

Everything goes white and you pass out.

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celestialmark · 4 years

Text

Solitude - Part 5 (finale)

Characters: Mark Lee x reader, members of nct

Category: sniper! mark, mafia au

Word count: 15.8K

Warnings: cursing, mentions of death, blood, violence, drugs, guns.

Author’s note: hello hi! it’s been soooooo long, how are you guys? I hope you’re well and healthy! so after how many months of working on this series, I am so happy to share to you the final part! I'm so sorry for the wait, life really does come at you full blast at times hahaha but I had so much fun writing this series as a whole and I just want to thank you for patiently waiting for each part to come out regardless of how long it took me to write it ;; thank you so much for journeying with me and the characters throughout the whole five parts! all that’s left is the epilogue now! I do hope you enjoy it! and once again, thank you all so much <3 ilysm!!!

“What happened?”

Mark is the first to come through the door that’s barely hanging off its hinge. He sees Taeil pacing back and forth the hallway, phone in his hand, his distraught eyes scanning all the furniture that’s broken to pieces and overthrown to the floor. Johnny and Jeno are the ones to follow after, walking past Mark and examining the damage behind Taeil.

“Mark!” Taeil exclaims. Mark can see his fingers shaking. “They, they took her. She’s gone.”

“Who took her?” Mark asks calmly just as Johnny and Jeno fall beside him. He’s trying to stay calm but on the inside, Mark is anything but calm knowing you were somewhere they didn’t know.

“I don’t know,” Taeil says weakly, his voice faltering. “I woke up and y/n wasn’t in her room anymore.”

Jeno looks upwards and scans the entirety of Taeil’s house. “Do you have CCTV around the house?”

Taeil is quick to nod, “I do. But they destroyed the cameras too. I’m not sure if there’s anything there.”

“Can we have a look?” Johnny asks.

Taeil leads Johnny and Jeno away while Mark makes a conscious decision to stay behind and look around the place a bit more. In his mind, he’s already pointing fingers to potential suspects but he knows he can’t act without solid evidence first. His thoughts drift to you as he steps over the remnants of the damage, feeling worried all of a sudden with the thought of you being scared.

Mark bends down when a shattered picture frame catches his attention. When he picks it up, carefully removing the broken shards of glass, you’re the first one he sees on the picture, along with Taeil who’s grinning widely beside you, an arm slung around your shoulder. There’s a date stamped on the bottom left corner and from what he recalls, it’s the date of your birthday. You look so happy in the photo, your smile travelling to reach your eyes and it saddens him that the last memory he has of you, was when you gave him a sad smile yesterday, both of you unknowing and unsure of what’s ahead.

“That was the last birthday she ever celebrated before her parents died,” Taeil pipes up from behind Mark when he sees him holding the photo. He bends down beside Mark, smiling somberly. “The last time I’ve seen her smile like that too.”

Mark’s heart clenches at the thought of you having to go through so much suffering in the absence of your only family. You had such a blinding smile in the photo, it literally pains him to think that even that, had been taken away from you.

“She’s been through so much,” he says quietly, feeling too helpless and clueless of where even to start.

“You know,” Taeil starts, averting his eyes from the photo and onto Mark. “Yesterday, she told me what happened I felt really relieved when she said she’d found her soulmate and that her soulmate was you.”

Mark looks at Taeil. “Taeil, I almost killed her.”

“But you didn’t,” Taeil corrects and he smiles. “Mark, do you know the exact percentage of the amount of people who get to meet their soulmate?”

Mark blinks.

“A little less than forty percent,” Taeil points out. “Even though we’re all pretty much born with one, with a mark on our skin, it doesn’t guarantee we get to meet them. Hell, I’ve never even met mine and I don’t think I’ll ever will.”

“But you…” Taeil pauses and claps a palm on Mark’s back. “You’ve found yours. You’ve found her,”

“And I find great comfort in that because there’s someone out there who will for sure look after her for the rest of her life.” Taeil stands and extends a hand out to Mark who takes it, pulling him up.

“You’re the closest thing to family she has left, Mark.”

On the return to the loft, Mark is the last to enter when Johnny and Jeno lead the way with Taeil trailing right behind them. Mark is about to enter the door when someone grabs a hold of his arm and pulls him backwards. What meets him next is a hard fist to his cheek causing his whole body to sway to the side, a groan coming from his throat. His head spins momentarily and when he regains his balance with much difficulty, he sees Donghyuck who’s in the middle of swinging another fist at him, this time landing on his other cheek, sending him flying to the opposite direction. Mark grunts lowly again, feeling his lower lip split open. His fingers fly up to examine the damage and it comes in contact with his blood, the stinging on either of his cheeks so raw and painful. It’s expected, Donghyuck had always been the strongest one when it came to physical fights.

Mark doesn’t get enough time to process the whole situation fully when Donghyuck grabs him by the collar of his shirt, hauling him until his face is mere inches away. “How dare you fucking betray Taeyong?” he hisses. “What’s gotten into you Mark Lee?”

Johnny rushes back outside when he hears the commotion, immediately breaking the two apart. “Hey quit it!” He blocks Donghyuck from Mark, who’s panting from the blows, still trying to recover from the impact of Donghyuck’s fists.

“You have no sense of loyalty whatsoever you traitor!” Donghyuck growls, trying to push past Johnny, pointing an accusing finger at Mark. “After all that Taeyong’s done for you!”

“Donghyuck stop it,” Johnny advises as politely as he can. Donghyuck may be strong, but Johnny was definitely stronger.

Donghyuck gasps for air, his screaming not ending soon, “And all for what? For a girl? For a pathetic girl who’s going to die anyway? Wake up Mark! She’s not worth—”

“Donghyuck she’s my soulmate,” Mark interferes quietly, eyes imploring his angry ones, hoping he would somehow understand, hoping that his best friend out of all people would console him.

But he doesn’t.

Donghyuck frowns and attempts to push past Johnny again but to no avail, “What the fuck? That’s the reason why you turned your back on Taeyong? That’s a lousy excuse. That doesn’t mean anything! She’s still supposed to die—”

Mark doesn’t hold back, walking up to Donghyuck and swatting Johnny’s arm away in the process. With Mark’s already balled fist, he swings back and lands a forceful blow on his face. Still, Mark isn’t content, giving Donghyuck another blow when Donghyuck stumbles backwards. Mark is about to swing again if it wasn’t for Johnny who has to use all his might to pull the younger back. Mark is fuming and Johnny can feel it in the way his chest rises and falls heavily along with the shaking of his shoulders.

“You don’t know shit Donghyuck!” Mark roars. “You can’t say shit about me or y/n when you have no fucking clue what’s happening!”

Donghyuck spits blood to the side, his eyes glowering as they fall on Mark. “Look how pitiful you’ve become Mark,” he gestures at his friend, scoffing at him as he rests his hands on either side of his hips. “You think saving a girl will make your life a whole lot better? What did you say? A soulmate? How fucking ridiculous.”

Jeno and Taeil emerge from the doorway and watch the scene unfold quietly. Donghyuck catches sight of Jeno and scoffs once more, shaking his head, “And you’ve gotten Jeno to join you in the dumb ordeal.”

Donghyuck turns around to leave, but not before sparing one last look at Mark and the rest,

“Good luck to you, bastard.”

“Based on the footage caught in Taeil’s CCTV just moments before they destroyed it, it was definitely Kun’s doing,” Jeno announces, spreading out screenshots from the CCTV footage onto the coffee table minutes after the commotion outside settles.

Mark studies the pictures and frowns, “How do you know that? These guys are masked.” He switches from one picture to another until he comes across a blurry screenshot of an unmasked Kun in the middle of trying to make his way into Taeil’s house.

“What do these people want from y/n?” Taeil, who’s sitting on the couch asks, frowning at the pictures.

“Revenge,” Jeno replies curtly.

A sudden lightbulb goes off in Mark’s head. “Taeil, y/n’s mentioned how she was nearly stabbed before, if it wasn’t for you. What happened that day?”

Taeil nods and shivers as he recalls the memory. “I was supposed to pick up something from her house when I found her front door open which was really unusual because she always made sure to extra lock her doors for safety ever since she began getting threats. I went in and found someone with a knife literally metres away from her. When the stranger realised I was there, he ran away but not before slashing me with his knife.” Taeil lifts the hem of his shirt until a scar located to the side of his lower abdomen comes into view for the three to see.

Johnny grimaces as Mark forms a fist.

“Can you remember what he looked like? What he was wearing?” Johnny questions.

Taeil taps his chin with his index finger, “He was wearing all black, really tall guy. We couldn’t see his face because he was wearing a hood too. But I did see a tattoo of a wolf all over his middle finger.”

Jeno frantically types away in his laptop the moment Taeil finishes talking and not even three seconds later, he’s already turning his laptop around so that the three can see his screen. “It was Lucas.” On the screen shows a picture of Lucas as well as the tattoo Taeil described on the said finger.

“Lucas is under Kun,” Johnny explains to Taeil. “Kun was the person behind the death threats.”

“For what reason?” Taeil questions.

“Y/n’s parents owed him a lot of money,” Jeno says, returning his laptop in its original position in front of him. “Same goes for Taeyong and the main reason why a lot of people are after her life.”

“So does that mean one of them is behind the murder of y/n’s parents?”

Mark shakes his head, “Not sure. It’s not Taeyong. And we don’t have evidence Kun did it.”

Jeno pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he leans forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. “Wait. You said Yuta wanted y/n as well right? In exchange for the proposed deal?” Mark nods. “Did he give you a time limit or some sort?”

“A week.”

“From what Jeno has been telling me about this guy, I don’t think he’s the type to sit around and do nothing for a whole week,” Johnny suggest, crossing his arms just as his brows knit together in utter concentration. “You’re sure Kun’s behind y/n’s kidnapping?”

Jeno nods and firmly and gestures to the pictures, “Taeil’s CCTV says so.”

“And who is this Yuta guy?” Taeil asks, dumbfounded, scratching and tilting his head upwards.

“Some mafia guy from Japan who also happens to want y/n’s life,” Johnny replies with a frustrated sigh, nothing was adding up.

Taeil’s eyes widen, “Just exactly how many different people are after y/n?”

“Just the people we’ve mentioned,” Jeno answers and clucks his tongue after, “So far.”

Mark suddenly stands up from the couch and grabs his jacket in the process. Taeil and Jeno watch him and when he’s about to walk past Johnny, the elder stops him from going further by placing a hand across his chest.

“Woah, where are you going?”

“Kun’s,” Mark replies. “I want to see if she’s there.”

“Are you crazy? We don’t even know where they’ve kept her,” Johnny reasons, brows knitting together in the middle. “They wouldn’t keep her somewhere so obvious, Mark. Why don’t we do a little more research.”

“Johnny, I have to start somewhere,” Mark defends, eyes hard. “Every second that passes is making me worry so much it’s making me crazy.”

Johnny nods understandingly and drops his arm, “Okay but let’s not act so irrationally. We have to—“

“Johnny, I have to go,” Mark insists. “I have to know she’s okay.. I, I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to her.”

Johnny sighs and nods after a few seconds of finally giving in, “Let me go with you at least.”

You’re hungry, thirsty and beyond exhausted. You don’t even know what time of the day it is or where you are because of the blindfold that’s been covering your eyes the moment you were snatched out of your bed this morning. There’s fear running through your veins as a bead of sweat rolls down the side of your face, too helpless to do anything with your hands tied harshly to your back with a rope that feels painfully aggressive on your skin. You couldn’t even scream for help, the cloth tied around your head to cover your mouth, feels too bitter on your tongue. But what you do know is that you’re in a moving vehicle, in a corner of what you imagine to be a container van, the occasional bumps along the round making you sway in your seat. But more than fear, you’re preparing yourself for the worst, for the probability of the end because you’ve been running for as long as you can remember and at this point,

you just wanted it all to stop.

Someone grabs you by the shoulders when the van comes to a complete halt. There’s indistinct yelling in the distance but you don’t make out the words, the growing pains in your body you didn’t notice before, becoming too prominent it makes you groan involuntarily as you’re forced to stand. You’re led out the van and when your feet comes in contact with the ground, you hear multiple footsteps coming in all directions.

“Bring her to the back,” one of them says and your head immediately snaps to its direction before you’re being pulled away again. Whoever was clutching on to your arm, was definitely not the most gentle, their grip on you sure to leave marks on your skin later or maybe even bruises. The more you squirmed under their hold to signal how uncomfortable it’s becoming, the more they seemed to clutch you tighter.

You know you’ve reached your destination when the stranger shoves you away from them, finally letting you go. The sound of the door shutting rings in your ears and not long after, you hear the door being locked. With no concrete plan in mind, you walk around aimlessly, hoping to find at least something, or even just get a feel of where you are. Minutes of shuffling only bring you to a conclusion that you’re most likely in an empty desolate room with the lack of furniture you thought you were going to bump into, only ever coming in contact with walls in all directions you’ve possibly covered.

You heave a sigh, falling to the ground when the exhaustion catches up to you. You scoot blindly until your back comes in contact with the nearest wall, your shoulders drooping instantly when it relieves the pressure. You’re panting, the energy left in you becoming depleted with each passing second and you’re sure you’ll pass out soon, the subtle ache in your head beginning to pound against your skull.

The click of the lock becoming undone awakens your senses with the door emitting a screech as it opens following a second after. Your head is directed straight ahead and you vaguely estimate the door’s located to your right, judging from the footsteps that are coming from that direction and towards you.

You feel someone in front of you and they say nothing when they’re reaching for your mouth cover, pulling it down until it falls around your neck to set your mouth free.

“Who are you?” You demand, your throat dry and your voice hoarse from not having spoken all day. You know you’re not going to get an answer though and your futile attempts of trying to guess who’s behind all of this becomes tossed aside when they don’t speak to answer your question. Instead, you feel fingers graze your chin, tilting it upwards. You feel the tip of what you guess is a bottle touching your lips.

“Water,” they say, voice low and deep and you know it’s belonging to a man. You down the water straight after, the temporary hydration making you feel a little better. He lets go shortly after he’s sure you’ve had enough. You hear him move away from you then but you feel his lingering presence, eyes on your helpless state.

He says nothing more, the only sound getting lost in the suffocating air being the door shutting and locked.

“Renjun?”

Almost everyone’s heads in the room follow where Mark is looking the moment he calls out the said person’s name. Renjun is there, standing awkwardly by the doorway, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he grows too conscious by everyone’s questioning eyes.

“H-hi,” Renjun utters quite lowly, a complete contrast to his usual demeanour that exuded confidence.

Mark tears his eyes off Renjun and shifts his attention to Jeno who had been staring at Renjun just a few moments ago before redirecting his focus to his laptop. “We could do with a bit of help,” Jeno mutters when he feels Mark’s eyes linger on him.

“Wow, you knew about this too?” Renjun asks when he sits beside Johnny. Johnny nods and ruffles the younger’s hair with a brotherly smile. Renjun’s eyes fall on the stranger sitting across him, “Renjun.”

“Taeil.”

“So I’m guessing Taeyong told you guys?” Mark asks cautiously, still pacing back and forth the floorboards in poor attempts to keep calm.

Renjun nods, “Yeah. He isn’t happy. Which is expected, I mean, nothing out of the ordinary.”

“What about the others?” Jeno questions.

Renjun shrugs, “Donghyuck stormed off to somewhere and Jaemin… I don’t know where he is. I tried to get him to come here.”

Johnny points at Mark, an unamused expression on his face, “Well, Donghyuck stormed here and punched Mark a few times.”

Renjun blinks, “Sounds like him.” He leans forward and laces his hands together as he rests his elbows on his thighs. “So what’s your plan?” he directs the question to Mark who takes a moment to stop his legs from taking further steps, contemplating Renjun’s question too hard.

“None yet,” Johnny answers when Mark doesn’t.

Renjun raises a brow, “None? That doesn’t sound like you,” he genuinely sounds confused, still directing his words to Mark. “You always have a plan.”

At a loss for words, the silence drags on for seconds, everyone now blinking up at Mark. Johnny and Jeno silently agree with Renjun, thinking back to all the times Mark had conjured up excellent plans even under pressure and even under lives were at stake. Mark knows Renjun is right and the lack of concrete plans even after hours of brainstorming proves how much he fears for your life; any wrong move, and it can cost everything he’s trying to protect.

And even when Mark doesn’t say anything, just excuses himself to get some fresh air, Renjun understands. And so does Johnny and Jeno when they see the confusion and dread in Mark’s eyes before he leaves. Renjun releases a sigh. In all the years he’s known Mark, never has he seen the member be so stuck in a predicament and now that he’s confronted with a Mark who appears so helpless, he isn’t so sure what he can do to help ease the burden on his shoulders. Renjun runs a hand through his hair in frustration before staring directly at Jeno.

“Okay, so what do we have so far?”

Jeno and Renjun are discussing amongst themselves with the occasional pitch in of ideas from Johnny and Taeil, their chatters resonating in Mark’s loft along with the tapping of Jeno on his keyboard. Johnny takes it upon himself to begin sketching helpful diagrams and notes they would find useful in the future while Renjun and Taeil analyse the situation over and over again while trying to think of potential events that could go wrong once they do try and attack.

All of this comes to a halt when someone, Jaemin, bursts through the door in a panic. Renjun can already tell Jaemin is going to bring nothing but bad news by the way he’s panting and from the distraught on his face.

“They have Donghyuck.”

Kun is smirking when he sees his desired target sitting helplessly on the chair before him, hands tied to the back to render him powerless and defenceless. Donghyuck’s face is dotted with bruises, glaring up at Kun the moment he was forcefully pushed down to take a seat. Kun’s smirk grows wider by the second, taking too much pleasure in the defeat of the enemy in front of him.

“We can do this the easy way,” Kun announces menacingly, “Or the hard way if you choose not to cooperate.”

Hendery, Lucas and Sicheng are standing behind Kun, watching the scene before them unfold. Hendery and Lucas are enjoying just as much as Kun is, having been the ones who had made all of this possible.

Donghyuck stays silent on the chair, the loathing in his orbs intensifying, his hands behind his back twitching and aching to land a fist to Kun’s face.

“Alright, let’s get started shall we?”

Kun circles Donghyuck’s chair once, an arm folded across his chest while he uses the other to tap a finger on his chin. “How much has Yuta offered Taeyong in exchange for that arms and drugs deal?”

Donghyuck doesn’t bat an eyelash nor does his features give way no matter how surprising it might have been for him for Kun to have some knowledge about their overseas affairs.

“Well?” Kun asks a moment after when silence ensues, bending down to meet Donghyuck’s eye level. Donghyuck’s eyes are seething and it only heightens Kun’s amusement. Kun doesn’t hesitate though, delivering a forceful blow on Donghyuck’s left cheek, making the hostage swing to the side.

“You asked for the hard way, you’re getting the hard way.” Kun straightens up briefly, rubbing his knuckles with his palm. “I’ll ask you again,” his voice rigid. “How much did Yuta offer?”

Donghyuck raises a brow and spits out blood pooling in his mouth from the punch before smirking up at Kun, “And how come you just can’t seem to ever mind your own business?”

Kun clenches his teeth and strikes at Donghyuck again, this time on his stomach, making him groan in agony yet still managing to smirk afterwards. No way was Donghyuck going to give Kun the satisfaction of seeing him suffer no matter how many blows he was going to get.

“What is it? Too incompetent to even get that info without needing to take one of us hostage?” Donghyuck challenges, as the corner of his lip begin to swell. A mocking laugh emits from his mouth after, “How pathetic,” he grins but his eyes piercing. “As usual.”

Kun is about to come for him again when he stops himself, realising how easily he’s been biting Donghyuck’s accusations. He takes a step back, a stoic expression finding appearing on his face as his brow arches upwards, “Alright, let me change the question.”

Donghyuck narrows his eyes at him.

Kun grins.

“How much did Yuta offer for y/n?”

You don’t realise you’ve fallen asleep, for who knows how long, until you’re being jolt awake with the feeling of someone bumping into you. You gasp in horror as the stranger groans beside you, doubling over in pain after he’s thrown to the ground.

“Wait!” he yells rather loudly as he scrambles in his spot and what you hear next is the door being slammed shut again. You scoot away from him, suddenly feeling extremely cautious of the unknown man in the same room as you. Though you figure he’s being held captive just as you were.

“Y/n?” he calls out toward the direction you’re resting yourself against the wall which, apparently isn’t too far from where he is despite your efforts to move away. You jump in your spot slightly at the sound of your name being called. It’s a voice you’ve never heard before. It wasn’t Johnny and most definitely not Mark.

You listen as he scrambles again, trying to pull your hands apart in hopes of snapping the rope into two so that you could defend yourself for the danger you felt was about to come your way. Your efforts are in vain and before you know it, you feel his presence right next to you. You hold your breath as your heart hammers against your ribs, preparing yourself for the worst.

“One sec,” he mumbles and even when his voice comes across as reassuring, you don’t let go of the breath you’re holding. You feel him move even closer to you and you grow weary with the way you feel his breath tickle your skin. You feel him swerve away from your face and settle onto the side of your head as you stay completely still, too scared to even move an inch. But then it dawns on you what he’s doing when your blindfold is lifted away from your eyes, the faint light of the bulb above, too harsh on your eyesight for a few seconds.

A moment passes and you’re successful in readjusting your vision to your surroundings. That’s when your eyes land on the person in the same room as you, dropping your blindfold to the ground, that had been in between his teeth seconds prior. His hair is messy, strands sticking out in all directions and face mottled with bruises and cuts, hands tied to his back in the same way as you. He looks like he’s about to pass out anytime soon with the way he’s panting hard to catch his breath but he doesn’t, only stares at you.

“Shit, you really are alive,” he says, eyes growing wide.

You frown, trying to add bits and pieces together from his statement but nothing’s coming to mind, the possibility of who he might be, too wide. “W-who are you?”

The boy with brown hair opens his mouth but doesn’t speak and you know he’s hesitating. You have a small inkling that he knows you too well than you might have expected. “Donghyuck,” he answers not too long after.

You don’t even need more than a second to remember who he is. This guy is one of the people who wants you killed. No wonder he looked oddly familiar, you had caught a glimpse of him at the day of your shooting and he was the one beside Mark in that photo you came across. Instinctively, you move further away from him, the thought of what he could do to you right now drilling into your head despite the tie around his hands.

“You know who I am?” he asks carefully, eyes too gentle to even want to kill you at this moment.

You nod slowly, “You were there, when I was shot.”

Donghyuck blinks and confirms your answer with a nod of his head. You watch as he scans you from head to toe wearily and slowly. “Did, did they hurt you?”

You don’t remember criminals to be this concerned about their target’s wellbeing but then you remember how Mark and Jeno proved you wrong. Donghyuck sounds genuinely concerned and he doesn’t stop searching your body for any signs of injuries even when you eye him in suspicion, too doubtful of his kindness. “No, they didn’t.” You swear you see him sign in relief.

“Why are you here?” You ask, not really sure whether he heard you or not with how quiet your voice came out that originally intended. “And what happened to your face?”

Donghyuck grins mockingly, “Kun’s boys don’t exactly like me.”

“Wait, this is Kun’s doing?” you ask, finally getting an answer to what you’ve been pondering ever since your abduction.

Donghyuck nods, then raises a brow. “How do you know Kun?”

“Kun is after my life,” you reply curtly. “That’s why I’m here.”

Donghyuck raises a brow, “How did Kun find out you’re alive?”

You shrug your shoulders, “No idea. Jeno says it’s got something to do with Kun tailing you guys’ backs since day one.”

Donghyuck smirks again, “Well, we take pride in that.” The smirk disappears just as fast as it appears when he leans forward. “Wait, why does Kun want you killed?”

“Apparently my parents owe him money. It’s for the same reason as Taeyong. Revenge, they said.” He nods slowly then, letting all of it make sense in his head. “Donghyuck, what day is it?”

“Wednesday.”

“Woah, okay I’ve been here for a day.”

“Yeah, I heard the guys are going crazy trying to figure out how to get you out of here,” Donghyuck points out, looking around the empty room.

“Guys?”

“Johnny, Jeno and Mark.”

You think of Mark then, your heart clenching at the reminder of missing him.

Donghyuck smiles at you when he catches you blinking into nothing.

“No worries, y/n. We’re going to get out of here, I know how.”

Jaemin and Renjun are busy trying to develop a plan on how to get you and Donghyuck back with Jeno and Taeil in the living room while Mark has excused himself out of their sight to give himself time and space to think and re-evaluate the whole situation. Nothing is making sense and it’s making his head ache, the pounding of his brain against his skull only worsening with the mere thought of your life in danger. He doesn’t remember ever feeling this worried nor determined to save someone else’s life, not even the guys. It’s an unusual feeling for him, foreign almost, to put someone else’s safety and life before his own. All Mark remembers ever feeling is the sheer conviction of staying alive from all the other times he’s been so close to actually losing his life.

He figures he’s fought greatly up until now so he could save yours.

Mark lower his head from staring up at the sky in his conservatory when he feels a presence step in his space. He finds Johnny beside him, an ice pack held out in his hand. “Gotta look after yourself too before you can save y/n.”

Mark musters a small smile as he takes the ice pack from Johnny, thoughts of you making him momentarily forget about the hard blows he received earlier in the day. When the cold finally sinks in his skin, he feels relief wash over him for the first time ever since you were gone and it soothes the pain on his cheeks he didn’t even notice until now.

“She must really mean a whole lot to you, huh,” Johnny says, looking straight out the window.

Mark snaps his head to the side and finds Johnny smiling slightly, the corners of his lips twitching upwards. Mark redirects his gaze ahead when he repeats his words in his head a few times to grasp what they mean. “I.. I guess.”

“I don’t think I've ever seen you this worked up about anything, anyone before,” Johnny adds, his tone friendly and coated with ease, an utter contrast to how Mark has been all day. “It’s... good to see.”

Mark raises a brow but lets out a scoff, “Y/n being in danger isn’t good to see, Johnny.”

Johnny finds the strength to laugh, trying his best to lift the younger’s mood, knowing painfully well just what he's feeling. “I meant seeing you care for someone else this much is good to see.”

Mark lowers the ice pack from his face and purses his lips as he dips his head low, his eyes now meeting the floor. Johnny’s right. Mark felt it. The short span of time he isn’t around you is enough proof of that. And he knows it’s not just because you’re his soulmate, though it’s somewhat a big part of the reason.

“Y/n... I don’t know,” Mark begins although unsure of what to say next. “Just, I just, I feel the need to protect her you know? No, I want to protect her. And it’s not just because I’m the reason why she’s in this mess, even though that’s a part of it too. I just, I,” Mark stops to catch a breath when he feels the words getting caught in is throat. He lifts his head upwards before exhaling, “I just, want to keep her safe. By all means. Even if it costs my life. And I can’t think about anything else but her, and getting her out of there.”

Mark shakes his head after he utters his final sentence, wondering just when he began to feel this way. “Is this what soulmates do to you?”

Johnny chuckles with a shrug of his shoulders. “Maybe.”

Mark rolls his eyes and nudges Johnny’s side with his elbow. “Thanks for the advice.”

Johnny falls silent, his thoughts taking him to Ari, a sudden gush of longing overtaking him. He smiles fondly to himself at the thought of her, at the realisation of seeing himself in Mark when he was once put in a similar situation some time back. He remembers how good it felt, how exhilarating everything had become and how everything appeared a lot more colourful somehow whenever Ari was around.

“I think,” Johnny smiles wider at the memory of Ari smiling at him blissfully, “It doesn’t take much for you to eventually feel like you’ve lost all control. One day, you’re living your life normally like you always do, and then the next, it all changes, everything you thought you knew, you’re suddenly questioning.”

Johnny turns to Mark who’s now staring at him with curious eyes, “We’re all born with a soulmate and beyond our reasoning and understanding, it just... happens, loving them becomes second nature even before we know it.”

Mark half smiles, his thoughts drifting to you as Johnny speaks, feeling the words fit all too well. “I think it’s crazy how the universe works sometimes.. How can it just know, how can it just know Y/n is the one for me from the beginning.”

“There will always be things we will never understand and sometimes, I think, not knowing is better,” Johnny smiles again, “We just gotta be thankful.. To be given someone in this lifetime you feel in your bones you will love for the rest of your life.”

Mark runs a hand through his hair and lets out another chuckle, “I don’t even know if she feels the same. She probably hates me right now after all that’s happened.”

“So you love her?”

Mark blinks.

Then he turns to Johnny again, a frown now evident on his face, “Do soulmates guarantee.. that the other feels the same?”

Johnny laughs, feeling all too relieved to lift Mark’s spirits up briefly during such a challenging time. “There’s only one way to find out Mark.”

Mark’s shoulders droop almost instantly at the reminder of your absence and at the reminder of the impending danger if he didn’t act soon. Johnny sees it and senses the younger’s anxiety shoot up even more. He claps a palm to Mark’s back, giving his shoulder a light squeeze.

“We’ll save her, alright?” Johnny reassures, earning a small smile from Mark.

There was no way Johnny was going to let Mark experience what he did.

You watch in awe as Donghyuck frees himself from the rope that once held his wrists together. You’re not too sure how he’s done it, only ever seeing him wriggle here and there for what seemed like a few short minutes before he’s moving over to you to get rid of your restraints. You heave a huge sigh of relief when your wrists finally become free, your fingers immediately flying to rub the now burning skin. Donghyuck takes both of your hands to haul you up on your feet, dusting off your dirty clothes when you find your balance.

Donghyuck surveys the empty room, its dirty white washed walls not really giving much option for an escape. He examines all four corners, until his eyes stop on the rectangular glass windows lining up a portion of the far wall, opposite the door. Donghyuck walks closer to it and draws a conclusion this room must be basement from being able to make out the ground through the blur of the dirt of the panes. The windows look too small for two people to escape through, the height of it seemingly a bit too high with a width that’s almost too narrow, meeting the ceiling and Donghyuck isn’t too sure either where this route will lead to nor is it guaranteed there is no one keeping watch on the other side.

But they’ve got to try. And they’ve got to try quick.

“Step back y/n,” he warns lowly, mentally calculating the mechanics of what he’s about to do. You don’t say anything when you follow as Donghyuck says, secretly growing weary of the dark glint in his eyes you didn’t see before.

Donghyuck takes two steps backwards before he’s charging forward, his right arm drawn back fully with his hand forming a firm fist. His fist meets the glass in less than second when he pulls his arm forward, the momentum he’s gained from his short jog adding to the strength in which his arms could muster. You wince in your spot when you hear a bang, the mere sight of Donghyuck trying to dismantle the glass making you feel the pain on your own wrist. You turn around to look away when Donghyuck charges again, the glass merely deflecting his efforts the first time around.

The glass cracks the second time and on the third, Donghyuck uses all his might to finally break it, shards of glass falling to the ground, some falling outwards on the ground. Donghyuck hisses when his fist begins to bleed, small pieces of glass digging into skin. He’s shaking his right palm as blood trickles down his fingers at an alarming rate.

“Donghyuck!” you exclaim as you run up to him and study the damage on his hand. Bright red blood gushes in more than one spot on his bruised skin and you’re extra careful when you gently pick at the shards that had sunk into his skin. Donghyuck stays still and lets you do what you’re doing as he continues to investigate the gap he’s made. It’s dark outside and the lack of light coming from outside makes Donghyuck hopeful that no one is out there to guard.

When Donghyuck looks back down, there’s a cloth wrapped around his knuckles and he realises it’s the blindfold he once took off your eyes. “Donghyuck we have to wash it,” you absentmindedly say when you finish tying a knot to keep it in place.

“Y/n, that’s the least of our worries right now,” Donghyuck says sternly. “We have to get out of here.”

He pulls you towards the window then and your eyes widen with the idea that’s now beginning to unfold in your mind. “I’ll go up first so I can help you from up there,” Donghyuck is already moving before you can even process his words.

Donghyuck climbs with ease, stealthily sliding himself through the gap, broken glass dropping to the floor when he does. In no time, he’s successfully made it outside and stays lying on his stomach with his hands outstretched to you. “Come on,” he urges. “Run towards me and jump and I’ll catch you.”

You nod in determination, wanting to get out desperately and feeling the need not to disappoint Donghyuck. You do as Donghyuck says and when you jump, he catches your hands as promised. Donghyuck uses his incredible strength to haul you upwards and you begin to worry when you see his knuckles bleed through the thin cloth. You purse your lips together as you use your feet to scramble against the wall just as Donghyuck grits his teeth hard to pull you out.

But you’re screaming the next second when you feel being aggressively pulled from the wall, strong arms wrapped around your body until your hands are no longer grasping Donghyuck’s. You’re thrashing around, kicking your legs into the air to try and rid of the body that’s keeping you from leaving, but they’re way stronger than you and already carrying you out through the door you didn’t notice had become opened during your attempt at escaping.

“Keep still,” the man carrying you growls into your ear and you recognise him as the same man who had given you water yesterday.

You catch a glimpse of Donghyuck when you look back and he nods firmly at you before he’s getting up on his feet to make a run.

Donghyuck won’t let you down. His eyes said so.

Donghyuck runs frantically for his life, his legs having no sense of direction with the only focus of escaping to bring help to you before the worst can happen. He’s relieved when he comes across no one in his path, but skeptical with the lack of people guarding the opponent’s headquarters. Nonetheless, he sets that thought aside and exerts his remaining energy in seeking refuge.

Donghyuck falls back on the ground when his body collides with someone else’s after a sharp turn. He groans inwardly, his head spinning as he lands on his injured hand, feeling a new gush of blood seeping out the cracks of his skin. Donghyuck can only see a silhouette when he looks up, eyes squinting to adjust to the light behind the stranger after having ran in the dark for so long.

“Hyuck!”

He recognises that voice anywhere.

“God— ow, that hurt like a bitch,” Donghyuck curses under his breath, letting his guard down completely when Mark helps him up off the ground. “Watch where you’re going idiot!”

Mark rolls his eyes, “I should be the one saying that to you.”

Behind Mark, Johnny emerges who is now staring at Donghyuck. “What happened to your face?” Johnny asks, eyeing the younger from head to toe. “You look horrible.”

Donghyuck swipes the back of his hand across his swollen lower lip, “Kun happened.”

“Jaemin said they caught you,” Mark says, blinking rapidly, trying to make sense of the situation. “What happened?”

Donghyuck shrugs, “They took me on the way home from yours earlier. You know, Lucas, Xiaojun and Sicheng?” Mark and Johnny nod. “Yeah, them lot. Thought they’d just taken me for the fun of it, since you know, they hate our guts. Turns out they wanted information from me.”

“Information?” Johnny asks.

Donghyuck rests his palms on either side of his hips. “Yeah, about Nakamoto. Didn’t budge though, that’s why they beat me up.”

“Wait, they know about Yuta?” Johnny questions, the pieces of the puzzle seemingly not adding up to make up a picture that makes sense.

Donghyuck nods, “Y/n’s in there too, Mark. I tried to get her out with me but Xiaojun caught her just in time.”

At the mention of your name, Mark’s hands balls into fists, chills covering every inch of his skin at the thought of you hurting under their mercy. Mark purses his lips in sheer anger, mentally promising to get rid of anyone who dared lay a finger on you.

“What are you guys doing here anyway?” Donghyuck inquires.

“We came as soon as we got the news about you,” Johnny answers. “And because we had our suspicions they had y/n too. We were going to get you both out.”

Mark doesn’t hear a word Johnny says when he pushes past Donghyuck, the thought of saving you the only thing running in his mind, the hours of structuring a plan flying out the window. Every moment that passes where he’s unsure about your safety, the more impulsive he becomes into compromising his life just to save yours.

Donghyuck is quick to get in Mark’s way, succeeding in stopping him in his tracks. “Mark, going in there isn’t a good idea.”

“What do you mean! She’s in there Hyuck— I have to save her.”

Donghyuck firmly stops Mark again with a palm to his best friend’s chest. “Stop,” he calls out and looks at Mark straight in the eye. The desperation in his friend’s eye is devastating because it spoke of just how much he was willing to give up just to save you. “I need you to listen to me. And I need you to listen well.”

Johnny steps in beside Mark to make sure he doesn’t move an inch. When Donghyuck is sure he’s gotten all of Mark’s attention, he begins but not before drawing in a deep breath, “When I was in there, Kun asked me about everything I knew about Yuta and Taeyong’s proposed deal. Mark, they know about our shit. Somehow they’ve found out. Now is the time to be careful and not take any careless chances.”

“Hyuck what are you trying to say—“

“Kun asked me how much Yuta offered in exchange for y/n,” Donghyuck’s voice suddenly lowers, as if to save the remaining intact parts of Mark to refrain them from shattering.

“Mark, I think they’re giving y/n to Yuta for money.”

“It’s happening tomorrow, Kun’s boys are leaving their headquarters one by one to secure the the port they’re meeting at tomorrow,” Jeno announces, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“We have to get to them before they can even meet Yuta,” Mark insists, his hands clasped tightly together, sitting on the centre of the counter table, the rest of the boys sitting on either sides in front of him.

Johnny leans forward into the table and shakes his head, “They’re on high alert Mark, they know as much as we do, how dangerous of a person Yuta is. Going in there to snatch someone they could get millions for is basically a death wish.”

“But wouldn’t it be more dangerous if we go in there at a later time?” Renjun points out, tapping is chin. “Intervening when Kun and Yuta’s guys is the biggest death wish to me. We’d be outnumbered,” Renjun pauses and glances at everyone around the table. “By a lot.”

“And knowing Kun’s boys and how much they hate us, they definitely wouldn’t hesitate to kill, especially if there’s a lot of money on the line,” Donghyuck adds, his bruised and wounded face now all patched up thanks to Johnny.

There’s silence for a while, everyone getting lost in their own thoughts. As much as Mark hated to admit it, everything his comrades had said was right and as much as he wanted to save you, he didn’t want to put anyone’s lives in danger like that, even though his job literally meant risking his life every day. He wanted as little casualties on his end as possible. It was the least he owed his friends for being in on this despite it being against their will and against Taeyong.

“Jeno is there any way we can meet Yuta before tomorrow?” Mark asks lowly, his eyes hard and directed at Jeno.

Jeno blinks once before he’s typing away again, all eyes now on him, “He’s supposed to be arriving sometime tomorrow in the morning and according to my sources, he’s supposed to be leaving the day after. I think we can possibly meet him if get in contact with him now.”

“And can we do that?”

Jeno nods and cranes his neck towards Renjun, “Renjun and I will trace his contact.”

Mark nods gratefully. “Thanks.”

“What do you plan on telling him?” Johnny asks, looking up from where he sits on the couch.

Mark draws in a breath, “I don’t know yet. I just have to talk to him before they do.”

“You don’t want to get through to Kun first?” Jaemin asks curiously.

Mark spares a glance in Donghyuck’s direction, guilt seeping in him to see his friend in such a state. Mark shakes his head firmly, “No. He has his eyes set on Yuta. He’s never gonna settle for anything less than what Yuta would have offered him, and I’m guessing it’s a lot.”

Jaemin nods slowly, realising how much Mark must have thought this through in his head.

“But I’m going to need eyes on Kun,” Mark continues, rubbing his chin with his thumb and index finger. “Just so I know they’re not harming her while I negotiate with Yuta.”

Johnny volunteers as he nods, “I’ll do that.” He turns to Taeil beside him, “Taeil will help me.”

Taeil blinks unsurely at the mention of his name but nods after a good five seconds when Johnny’s words finally sink in. “Yeah, we’ll keep an eye.”

And no one sleeps for the rest of the night. Jeno, Renjun and Jaemin study the blueprint of the port Jeno has somehow managed to get his hands on, locating potential hideouts to put themselves in until they can execute their plan. Johnny and Donghyuck are in a corner teaching Taeil some of basic self defence, knowing he’s never fought anyone in his life ever while Mark is busy readying his guns for tomorrow, a sick feeling coating the pit of his stomach when he realises he’s in the room you came across that day you realised he was the one who had shot you. He sets his sniper down and turns to find your picture still pinned on the board. He takes it and examines the picture in a way he has never before. It’s a random photo of you he had gotten off the internet, but taking a closer look now, it’s one of you smiling, your smile reaching your eyes. You looked beautiful, he thinks and the guilt of putting you in more danger than you already were in seeps in stronger than ever. Mark swears he’d never be able to forgive himself if there was anything to happen to you.

Mark continues to long for you as he keeps gazing at your photo, he doesn’t notice Donghyuck sliding in the room until he’s beside him and craning his neck to look at where Mark’s attention is focused on.

“H-Hyuck,” Mark calls out as he clears his throat, setting the picture aside.

Donghyuck throws him a knowing look before picking up a small gun previously laid on the table, “Miss her already?”

Mark is about to shrug Donghyuck’s question off knowing he wasn’t usually the one to talk about these things, but Mark feels it’s okay to be vulnerable tonight, especially to the friend who knows him the best. “Yeah, I do,” he finally admits, dropping his head low.

Donghyuck smiles a little, satisfied Mark trusts him with this side of him, a rare side one would never think he possessed because with what Mark did for a living, there was almost always no room for emotions or second guesses.

“We’ll save her, okay?” Donghyuck attempts to console his friend, the feeling unfamiliar to him for the mere fact they’ve never been put in this situation before. “We really will.”

Mark smiles gratefully as he glances at Donghyuck. “Hyuck, what really happened today? How did Kun catch you like that?”

Donghyuck disassembles the gun he’s been holding with ease before he turns to Mark, an already apologetic glint in his eyes. “I, when I left after screaming at your face earlier, I thought about what you said. And Kun’s boys aren’t exactly the discrete type of people so I found out about them having y/n earlier. and,” Donghyuck sighs, “I realised just how important she was to you.. you know after you punched me like that because you’d never do that. You’d never do that to any of us. Never. So I knew I had to do something.. I, I don’t want what happened to Ari happen again.”

“So I went in there, without a plan in mind, just the thought of needing to do something. And I thought I had it, I thought I had her. Turns out Kun needed me for other reasons too and made their job of abducting me a whole lot easier for them,” Donghyuck stifles a laugh.

“You were there to save y/n?”

Donghyuck nods. “Not sure what I was thinking, it was really irrational. But.”

“I realised she might just be what you have left..” Donghyuck trails off. “I mean you have us, you’re always going to have us. But, soulmates are different I guess, even though I literally said they meant nothing earlier. I guess I needed you to punch me a few times before I could finally understand.”

Donghyuck sighs and turns to Mark, “Look, I’m sorry for what I did to you earlier and for all the things I said. I guess, I was just too angry at the thought of betraying Taeyong and keeping everything from us but after thinking about it now, I think I understand better why you did what you did.”

Mark breaks out into a small smile. “I’m sorry for punching you too.”

Donghyuck grins, “Nah, I deserved it.”

The two chuckle together, bruised cheeks lifting into smiles.

“She’s gonna be okay. We’ll make sure of that.”

And Mark believes and holds onto his best friend’s words.

Mark kicks at the ground outside his parked car just when the sun is about to peek from behind the horizon. The air is cold and crisp, the occasional breeze blowing towards his direction making him ball his fists deeper into the pockets of his jeans. The sound of the water hitting against the shore echoes into the stillness of the air and it offers Mark some sort of comfort, his mind unconsciously bringing him back to the time he confessed to you, to that morning he explained just why he had tried so hard to save you. And just when his mind is about to completely become filled by thoughts of you, his chest tightening at how much he just wants to see you, the sounds of cars pulling up in the distance snapping him out of his trance. Mark instinctively straightens his back and pulls himself from against his car, twisting his body to greet the oncoming cars coming his direction. He lifts his wrist to view, the time on his watch reading seven forty in the morning, the exact estimated time Jeno and Renjun had predicted in the earlier hours of dawn during the planning process.

Mark steps in the middle of the road when the series of cars drive nearer to him until they eventually come to a stop when he impedes their path. Mark lifts his chin up in full confidence, inhaling a breath of hair to prepare himself of what’s to come. Securing a meeting with Yuta was impossible despite Jeno’s skills and so interfering like this to buy even five minutes of his time had to do.

The driver of the first car opens the door of the van and steps outside, eyes trained on Mark with a frown. Mark spots the gun tucked underneath his belt but doesn’t cower. “Who are you?” the stranger, a big man, inquires, coming forward but far enough from Mark as a precaution.

“I need to talk to your boss,” Mark replies calmly. “I know he’s in the car behind yours.”

“My boss doesn’t see just anyone,” the man replies sternly, crossing his arms across his chest just as another man, who had been sitting on the passenger seat, exit the vehicle also. “And it really isn’t a good idea for you to be out here either.”

Mark scoffs and tears his eyes off the two men momentarily, darting them to the ground before looking back up at them again. “Is that a threat?” Mark was going to do anything to spare a few minutes of Yuta’s time but it didn’t mean he was going to submit to them so hastily, knowing all too well how quickly they’d be in control of the situation if he lets them.

“You decide,” the second man replies, slightly smaller in build than the other. “The fact that you know who we are, should be enough for you to decide.”

Mark makes sure the two sees him roll his eyes, to ensure they know he’s clearly mocking them. “I think I’ll decide once I’ve gotten a word with your boss.”

“And how many times to we have to remind you it’s not possible?”

Mark mirrors the man’s actions by crossing his arms across his chest. “Tell him it’s Mark Lee. Either you do that right now or we stay here like this all day.” Mark’s voice shift in an instant, his tone lowering and deepening just as his eyes darken in the same way. “And I'm sure neither of you,” Mark leans to his side and eyes the cars lined up before standing straight again, “Or everyone else here has the time.”

The two exchange unsure glances until one of them eventually walks away to make his way to what Mark can make out to be car behind the one in his view. Mark taps his foot at the ground as he waits impatiently, the man left behind watching him closely.

It isn’t long before Mark hears another car door opening and shutting in the near distance and another moment that passes further before Nakamoto Yuta comes into view, a small smirk already playing at his lips. He walks forward, two of his men following closely behind him.

“Ah, Mark Lee,” Yuta greets with a sinister smile when he stops in his steps, a metre away from Mark. “I haven’t heard from you since.”

Mark shrugs his shoulders, “We couldn’t get through you for some reason.” The only reason why Yuta severed ties was only because he knew you were in someone else’s hands now, shifting his focus completely to whoever had a hold of you, despite attempts of making negotiations with Mark first during the initial encounter in Japan, a fact that Mark knew very well, getting a good grasp of who this Nakamoto Yuta really was.

Yuta breathes a laugh, “I’m a busy man. I must have missed you,” he tries to shrug off even though he knows Mark isn’t buying it. He shakes his head a raises both of his brows, “Well, what brings you here today?”

“I’m here to propose a deal,” Mark replies instantly, refusing to beat around the bush.

“A deal?”

Mark nods firmly. “Double of what Taeyong initially proposed you.”

Yuta arches a brow, the corner of his lips turning upwards. “That’s quite a deal Mark. Does Taeyong know about this?”

Mark ignores the question and keeps his eyes trained on Yuta. “Are you going to take it?”

Yuta lands his palms on either side of his hips and swipes his tongue across his lower lips. “In exchange of what?”

Mark looks at Yuta directly in the eye and without missing a beat, he replies,

“Y/n.”

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?”

All heads turn in an instant, Donghyuck’s mouth hanging open in the process. Mark tightens his grip around the duffle bag hanging in his hands as he lets go of the door he has just locked. Johnny and Jeno exchange weary looks towards one another while Renjun, Jaemin and Taeil blink at the uninvited guest.

“To get y/n.” Mark breaks the silence that seemed to stretch on forever.

Taeyong smirks mockingly and kicks at the ground mindlessly, his gaze shifting to somewhere else in the distance before returning it to Mark. “With this amount of people? With what reinforcements exactly?”

Johnny raises a brow, “What are you doing here anyway?” His tone of voice rigid, his jaw taught, an unpleasant taste in his mouth at the sight of Taeyong.

Taeyong stuffs both of his balled fists in the pockets of his jeans and shrugs his shoulders, “Trying to stop you all from getting killed.”

Johnny laughs, but he isn’t amused. Renjun cowers at the sound that leaves Johnny’s lips, knowing that whatever was about to come out of it next won’t be anything good. “Brave of you to talk about preventing ourselves from getting killed when killing has been the only thing you’ve been doing all your life.” There’s a menacing glint in Johnny’s orbs as he speaks, his eyes directed straight at Taeyong, making sure every single word jabs at him directly.

Taeyong inhales a sharp breath as he shuts his eyes for a few seconds, already expecting this hostility from his once best friend. He tries to compose himself in the silence in dire attempts of looking for the right words to say to convince them of his genuine intentions to help.

Mark watches the scene unravel and when it appears that the current situation wasn’t going to improve anytime soon, especially not when Johnny and Taeyong are around one another, he takes it upon himself to get moving first, walking past Taeyong without saying a word as the younger ones follow behind him.

Jaemin and Donghyuck glance at Taeyong sadly just when they’re about to pass him and Taeyong catches it, nodding at them both reassuringly before they’re out of his sight, following Mark to his van. Taeyong also catches sight of Johnny’s glare when he’s the last to walk away from him, his anger clearly indicated in the way he purposely bumps his shoulder against his.

When Taeyong hears the doors of the van slide open behind him, he inhales another big breath, clenching his fists tighter than ever, still contemplating if the words he’s about to say are the right ones.

“I want to help.”

The six halt in their tracks again, Taeil’s leg hanging in the air just as he’s about to get into the van first. Mark sees Johnny frown from where he stands on the opposite side of the van, eyes hard trained on the roof of the van. Mark looks past Johnny and sees Taeyong still standing there, his back facing them.

Before Mark can even speak, Johnny beats him to it, “The last time you offered to help, you killed Ari.”

A loud sigh gets lost in the wind when Taeyong finally turns around at the same time Johnny does. Taeyong looks furious now as he storms towards Johnny, steps heavy and desperate.

“How many times do I have to keep telling you that wasn’t meant to happen,” Taeyong almost yells, his shoulders now heaving with anger. “How many times do I have to fucking apologise for that one fucking mistake!”

The raise in Taeyong’s voice only aggravate Johnny further and the rest of the boys are quick to divide themselves between Taeyong and Johnny in order to prevent an impending fist fight that’s waiting to happen.

“Why are you the one all worked up?!” Johnny practically yells even though Taeyong is a mere two meters away from him. “You’re not the one who lost her!”

“Because you’re being unreasonable!” Taeyong retaliates as Renjun and Donghyuck stand closely beside him, hands on either sides of his shoulders to stop him from trying to advance. “Because no matter how much I apologise to you, no matter how much I try to make up for it, you still act like I wanted it to happen!”

“Hell you have no idea how much—“

“Of course I have no idea!” Taeyong exclaims exasperatedly, throwing his hands in the air in utter frustration. “I’ve never been in your shoes before! I can only fucking imagine how much it must have hurt but shit, how many times do I have to tell you I’m sorry until you finally—“

“Until it no longer fucking hurts!”

Taeyong stares at Johnny, shoulders drooping low when he sees the hurt in his eyes that have now brimmed with tears. The boys switch gazes between the two helplessly, despair and disappointment running through their veins when they watch the two people, who were once the best of brothers, go at each other’s throat.

“Until... I forget it ever happened,” Johnny’s voice is cracking but he’s gritting his teeth in futile attempts not to crumble. “Until I get the image of Ari dying right before my own eyes, out of my head.. because, that’s all I see before I sleep, all I think about when I remember her..”

Taeyong drops his head low, the sight of a broken Johnny for the first time ever in all the years he’s known him, too much for him to see. He feels his heart breaking, knowing all too well the immense damage he’s caused because of that incident, yet not fully realising how much it has ruined his friend all these years. Johnny was a friend, he always has been, in fact, one of the closest Taeyong ever holds close, and man did it hurt to see strong friends like that crumble.

“I.. I really am so sorry, John,” Taeyong breathes, his eyes sad and hurt as he looks up again. “I’m sorry.”

Johnny’s eyes are blank as he gazes towards Taeyong,

“Me too.”

Mark has never seen Johnny this quiet before but he knows he’s following well even when it appears as if his eyes are blank and staring into nothing. Taeyong speaks fluidly, the steps in executing his proposed plans flowing out one after the other with so much ease, as if he’s already mulled the situation over a million times before, having even constructed alternative plans in the event that something does go wrong.

The younger ones keep silent, letting Taeyong do all the talking, only ever nodding when the elder clarifies if they’ve been keeping up with everything he had just said. Renjun and Jaemin are too stiff in Mark’s eyes, and he figures it’s gotten something to do with how Taeyong initially exploded when he found out about him saving and hiding you, too afraid and too cautious to say or do something that might upset the alpha who hasn’t stopped talking ever since he sat down on the couch, drawing everyone’s attnetion to various maps and blueprints of buildings with the help of resourceful Jeno.

“You know it would really help if I got some feedback from all of you,” Taeyong suddenly says, pausing midway his evacuation plan when he notices everyone avoiding his eyes.

Taeil purses his lips as he fiddles with the loose threads of his ripped jeans, Taeyong’s presence still sending chills down his spine, remembering he’s the one who was after his best friend’s life in the first place. He feels the hairs on his skin stand when Taeyong cranes his neck to look towards his direction and when he meets his eyes briefly, Taeil’s heart drops, the sensation alone making him turn his head somewhere else in less than a second. Taeyong’s eyes were too much, too intense, and too scary, no wonder everyone in the room fell silent when he spoke.

Mark, who’s standing by the edge of the table, overseeing every plan spread out on the coffee table, crosses his arms across his chest and raises a hand to grasp his chin as he envisions the plan coming to life. When he’s about to speak, Renjun beats him to it unconsciously, “The plans sound good. Better than the ones we’ve come up with honestly,” he glances towards Mark wearily who only nods at him encouragingly, silently agreeing with him. “But those plans involve a lot of manpower. We only have, like, what? Eight of us?”

“You’re not the only ones in this mafia, are you?” Taeyong asks lowly.

Donghyuck raises a brow inquisitively, “Wait, what? You mean-”

“I’ve already told everyone else. All transactions and activities are on hold right now to focus on this. We have way more manpower than we need.”

“Everyone?” Jaemin clarifies.

“Everyone.” Taeyong confirms.

Jaemin, Renjun and Donghyuck smirk amongst themselves, already feeling the success of their plans, knowing all too well how brilliant Taeyong’s people were when put altogether. Taeil nods silently, relief washing over him, the thought of you coming back to safety seeming more and more possible.

“So let me get this straight,” Johnny says abruptly, leaning over the table, too lost in his own thoughts all this while as the others conversed amongsth themselves. Taeyong directs his gaze at him, a hint of comfort bubbling inside of him after years of being invisible to Johnny’s eyes. Johnny meets Taeyong’s eyes when he looks up from the table and he sees Taeong with expectant eyes, his eyebrows arched upwards to urge him to talk. It feels foreign, Johnny thinks, to be speaking to someone he considered gone for years.

“You want to propose another deal to Yuta in exchange for y/n?”

Taeyong nods.

“And what makes you think he’d agree?”

Mark knows Johnny isn’t mocking Taeyong, though his tone of voice and the blank expression on his face could easily make anyone else think so.

Taeyong doesn’t sway though, deciding that he’d put up with anything Johnny decided to throw at him if it meant earning his forgiveness.

“Because it’s a deal he won’t be able to make with anyone else,” Taeyong answers confidently, straightening his back. “We’re the strongest mafia in Korea. That, combined with what I’m about to offer him is something only an idiot would decide to pass on.”

Johnny falls silent, the conviction in Taeyong’s eyes and words enough to tell him he means it.

“This deal...” Jeno starts carefully. “What kind of a deal is it?”

Taeyong pauses before answering, “Remember that time you went to Japan? Remember what we initially offered him?”

Renjun, Jaemin, Donghyuck nod as Mark raises a brow.

“Triple that price. More drugs. More arms. A formal alliance between us and them.”

Mark frowns while the three widen their eyes. Johnny looks up from the floor and up at Taeyong. He doesn’t know the actual price or the amount, but knowing Taeyong, anything that was double or triple anything was a lot.

“Taeyong, that’s a lot you’re putting on the line,” Mark points out. Even though he wanted to so badly save you, he was unsure Taeyong risking his livelihood for someone he barely even knew, would be something that would benefit not just him, but the entirety of his mafia in the longrun. “Are you sure you want to go through with this?”

Taeyong nods firmly with no hesitation whatsoever.

“We can always think of other plans, we can come up with other deals,” Mark reasons, knowing hell would literally come upon them if they made permanent alliances with someone as manipulative as Yuta.

Taeyong breaks into a small smile, appreciating what Mark was doing. “He's rejected your proposal already, Mark. There’s nothing else as good as this one that Yuta would even consider thinking about. It’s the best we can offer.”

“But-”

“Mark, I’ve made up my mind. There’s no changing it.”

Mark’s shoulders droop in defeat, knowing that it was completely useless arguing with Taeyong once he made up his mind.

“Are you sure?”

Taeyong glances at Johnny for a second. And then he looks back at Mark.

“Very.”

The sun is up high in the sky when Taeyong’s troop arrives at the agreed meeting place; a deserted factory by the docks at the edge of the town neighbouring theirs. As planned, Taeyong, Donghyuck and Jaemin are the only ones who appear in the open while the rest set up camp in isolation on either sides of the factory, in order to position themselves in their designated locations. Taeyong rolls down the window of the van a soon as he hits the brakes when he’s stopped by Yuta’s men just outside the gates of the meeting place. Taeyong doesn’t speak, even when two big men scrutinise his face for a good two minutes and even when one of them stick their head in through the window. Donghyuck fakes a salute with a smirk on the passenger seat while Jaemin raises a brow to feign confidence.

The stranger nods at the other men impeding the entrance and they eventually part from each other, the gate sliding open, the bars separating from each other from the middle. Taeyong rolls the window back up and drives straight through.

“We’re in,” Donghyuck speaks into his mic that’s concealed very well, no one would suspect it ever existed, just like the others’. “Taeil, status?”

“We’re in position,” Taeil’s voice rings in their earpieces. “Not sure about the other side though, we can’t see them from where we are yet.”

“Renjun?” Donghyuck calls out just as Taeyong comes to a halt when he finishes parking. “You guys good on the other side?”

“Yup,” Renjun replies. “We see them now.”

Taeyong unbuckles his seatbelt but doesn’t exit the van. He ducks his head between the gap of the steering wheel and the windshield to inspect the location, a tall, rundown building with cracked windows greeting him. It’s exactly like Jeno’s blueprint, he thinks.

“Mark, I need a visual,” Taeyong inquires.

Mark, who has the highest point of visual due to the mere fact he’s situated on the rooftop on the building next to the factory, aligns the viewer of his sniper left and right. “They’re preparing to leave. They’re packing up as we speak.”

“Right,” Taeyong answers. “Alright everyone, the goal is to prevent them from leaving. I need all potential exit points secure and as soon as anyone gets a visual on y/n, report immediately. Do not shoot unless extremely needed.”

Taeyong, Jaemin and Donghyuck begin to set out from the van and into the building after having their identity confirmed by the men manning the main entrance into the factory. Once in, they’re escorted by another five, who surround them as they lead through the corridors and walls of the place. Donghyuck and Jaemin play dumb even when they know this place like the back of their hand, having made many transactions here in the past with Taeyong. Taeyong does the same, mindlessly following the man in front of him until they come to a complete stop in what he remembers to be what used to be the main packaging area of the old factory.

Taeyong sees Yuta in the middle of the room, examining the last remaining boxes that are being packed by his men, of contents he presumes to be from Kun. Yuta turns around when he feels company enter the room and he greets Taeyong with a smile for show.

“Taeyong,” Yuta’s voice echoes as he walks up to them to meet them halfway. “Your guys sure are persistent.”

Taeyong lets out a breathy laugh and tips his head forward slightly. “We don’t stop unless we get what we want.”

Yuta smirks, “And that’s a vital quality in our world, isn’t it? Persistence.”

Taeyong shrugs, “Depends if it gets you what you want in the end.”

Yuta laughs and it booms through the empty room. Once he’s gotten a hold of himself he holds his palms out and gestures over to the three. “So what can I do for you today?”

“A deal.”

Yuta arches a brow. “Another one? Mark proposed one to me yesterday as you may know.”

Taeyong nods, unfazed. “A better one.”

Yuta holds a hand up to stop Taeyong from going further. “So let me get things straight. Mark wasn’t able to settle a deal with me yesterday, so now Lee Taeyong, the alpha of the group is stepping up to try and seal another one?” Yuta grins and rubs the palms of his hands together, a dark glint coating his orbs. “Well this should be one heck of a deal then.”

From the corner of Jaemin’s eye, he sees Taeyong clench his fists and he knows Taeyong is about to submit himself into something that’s potentially going to be the cause of their downfall as a mafia.

“Triple the price of what we initially offered. Triple the amount of arms. Triple the amount of drugs. And a formal alliance between you and me.”

Taeyong doesn't skip a beat nor does he breathe as he speaks his words and everyone else listening on the line are holding their breaths, already preparing themselves for what’s to come in the near future once the deal does go ahead.

Donghyuck shifts uncomfortably in his spot when silence follows. Yuta’s expression doesn’t change as he continues to eye Taeyong who doesn’t cower away either. Yuta presses his lips into a thin line and exhales a breath before asking the next question.

“And in exchange for what?”

And Taeyong doesn’t hesitate.

“Y/n.”

Yuta breaks out into a smile immediately, his teeth coming to full view. He shuffles in his spot until he’s comfortable and rests both of his hands on either sides of his hips. “Wow,” he exclaims sarcastically. “What the fuck does y/n have for her to be in such high demand?”

Taeyong remains stoic and Jaemin and Donghyuck behind him remain quiet.

“First, it was Kun, yesterday, Mark and now you? Lee Taeyong? Lee Taeyong, also known as the strongest and most powerful mafia leader in the country, willing to basically give his life away for some damsel in distress?” Yuta taunts with so much hostility dripping from his words. He steps forward and keeps going until he’s a mere inches apart from Taeyong’s face. “Tell me, what does this girl have for you to go this far? Surely, it’s more than just money, more than what her net worth is.”

Taeyong can feel Yuta’s breath against his skin and if it were another day, he would’ve already punched him once or twice for invading his personal space. But today was different because your life was on the line and he had to do everything in his power to behave, even if it meant letting go of something as small as this.

“Like you said, she's worth millions,” Taeyong calmly replies, meeting Yuta’s eyes. “A person worth that much doesn’t appear very often.”

“But you tried to kill her,” Yuta questions.

“Her parents owed me money. They died before I could kill them so I opted for her instead.”

“And what made you change your mind?”

“For the same reasons you want her. Money.”

If there was one thing Taeyong took pride in, it would be his lying skills, something he's mastered overtime for having been involved in businesses like this for years. It’s a skill no one questions and one that his peers usually are confident in, but knowing how notorious Yuta was, and how his skills may just be on par with Taeyong’s, he’s suddenly questioning whether Yuta can see through his lies no matter how hard he’s tried to conceal the truth.

Yuta shrugs and steps away for what feels like decades. “I have to thank you then, for not killing her completely in the first place. Otherwise, you would’ve left me with no choice but to come for you.”

“Are you threatening me?”

Yuta laughs again and shakes his head, his hair swaying along with the motions of his head. “No, I’m not,” he smiles. “But it is my way of politely saying no to your deal.”

Taeyong frowns.

“The deal is off Taeyong.”

Taeyong is about to retaliate when a gunshot is heard in the distance, making everyone in the room jolt in their spots. Two of the men behind Jaemin and Donghyuck leave the room immediately while the remaining three are quick to grab a hold of them each.

“Fucking hell, some bastard just tried to shoot me,” Johnny speaks into the earpieces.

Yuta curses under his breath and signals for his men to drag Taeyong, Jaemin and Donghyuck away and before they know it, they’re already being pulled from the room. Taeyong grits his teeth together, his jaw becoming taught.

“Johnny, people are coming over to where you are now,” Mark points out. “Ready yourselves, and we’ll send backup. Renjun?”

“We’re on it,” Renjun answers and orders half of his guys with him to head onto Johnny’s location.

“Taeyong? Status?” Mark calls out.

When Taeyong, Jaemin and Donghyuck are some place quieter, along a corridor that appears to be deserted, Taeyong is the first to fight by pulling himself away from the man who had been holding him, elbowing him squarely on the face, catching him off guard and leaving him no time to recover as he stumbles backwards with a groan. Once the other two men let go of Jaemin and Donghyuck to assist their comrade, Taeyong has already pulled the man’s gun from his stow, shooting him in no less than a second, followed by the other two, knocking the three down in a glimpse.

“We’re good, but that won’t be the case for long,” Taeyong answers. “Alright, Jaemin and Donghyuck I need you both to search the entire area and find where they’re keeping y/n,” he instructs just as the two finish taking the abandoned guns from the two unconscious men. The two nod before they’re out of Taeyong’s sight in search for you.

It’s not long before a series of gunshots resonate in the distance and Taeyong runs in the opposite direction in hopes of finding you. Mark from where he’s located on the rooftop, try to block incoming enemies heading towards Johnny’s direction by shooting at them one by one, not missing a single target. Johnny and his troop do a good job of securing their hideout by defending and while all the attention is drawn on to them, the rest of Renjun’s troops that were previously left behind to man their area, move in slowly to infiltrate and secure the inside of the factory while it remains unguarded.

“Movement by the South,” Jeno speaks. “They’re heading for the factory.”

“We’re moving in,” Johnny declares when he takes the last man down. “Any signs of y/n yet?”

“None yet,” Donghyuck breathes into his earpiece. “We have two more locations to check, she should be in one of those, but I think we’re going to need backup, that place is probably guarded too.”

“Coming Hyuck, I need a location,” Johnny says.

“Basement. There’s a room by the clearing after the second corridor, we’re keeping watch here. A lot of them are evacuating to see what the commotion is outside. Be careful on your way in.”

“Copy.”

“Mark and Jeno, stop anyone from coming in the factory, I need Renjun’s troops to come in easily,” Taeyong commands as he shoots a stranger in his path.

Mark and Jeno do as they’re told and switch their target to those incoming the factory. Mark shoots the first of the lot coming in from the gates and when the rest of them try to figure out where the bullet is coming from, Jeno takes advantage of that time to begin his shooting spree with an eighty percent success rate.

“Jeno, we’ve checked everywhere in the basement, she’s not here,” Jaemin admits when two minutes pass. “Is there anywhere else we could have missed?”

“There’s nothing on the first floor,” Taeyong adds.

There’s silence on the line as Jeno racks his brain and tries to recall even the most minute detail of the blueprint he’s studied for four hours straight. “Unless they’ve taken her out of there already.”

“Shit,” Taeyong hisses.

“Secure all exit points guys, we cannot, and I repeat, we cannot let them leave,” Mark announces loudly and firmly so make sure everyone hears.

Taeyong ducks down immediately when he hears a gunshot in his vicinity and judging by the way the bullet penetrates the wall beside him, that it was intended for him. Taeyong shuffles behind the said wall as he huffs, “Renjun and Johnny, I need backup on the first floor.”

“Got it.”

“I have a visual on Yuta coming out of the factory from the back,” Jeno confirms.

Mark squints his eyes and attempts to get a visual through his viewer towards the back, “I see y/n with him.”

One of the other groups within the area are quick to act on their feet and begin shooting once localising Yuta’s whereabouts, taking down the men guarding him in one blink. This prompts Yuta to head back into the shelter of the factory, aggressively dragging you with him.

“They’re headed back inside,” Mark warns. “Johnny and Renjun, keep a lookout. Jaemin and Donghyuck I need you both to come back up the first floor and help Taeyong and the rest. The rest of you all, stay on guard outside and intervene as appropriate.”

Once Mark and Jeno secure the outside and see no unusual movements, they both pack up to leave the rooftop and set down to infiltrate the factory themselves. Meanwhile Taeyong keeps hiding behind the wall, knowing all too well he’s outnumbered by the enemies who are gradually coming closer to him. He scans his surroundings and in all directions, is a dead end, leaving him no option but to stay put for the meantime.

Johnny and Renjun are just in time when they come across the crowd trying to target Taeyong, shooting at them relentlessly and succeeding with major ease as their troop falls behind them in assistance. Taeyong emerges from behind the wall when the gunshots cease in less than twenty seconds. He nods at Johnny as a token of gratitude but falls to the ground straight after when a bullet penetrates his body. Taeyong’s world spins in the process, meeting the ground so harshly in a blur.

Renjun and Johnny immediately shift their focus to the right and there stands Yuta with you held as hostage, his gun now pointing dangerously close to your temple. Taeil, who had been hiding behind another wall, as per Johnny’s instructions, see everything happen and retreat behind his shelter to report. “Taeyong is down, I repeat Taeyong is down. Yuta is here and y/n is with him. First floor, main hall.”

Taeyong at this point is struggling to breathe, the bullet in his neck making blood gush out faster than anything else. He finds the strength to lift his hand in attempts of stopping the gush, using a piece of clothing he’s teared off from his shirt as a makeshift gauze.

“Put your guns down or she dies,” Yuta taunts, eyes glowering, an arm wrapped tightly across your neck. “Down!” He growls when no one does as they’re told.

Renjun and Johnny are the first follow his commands, slowly lowering to the ground and putting their weapons on the ground and raising their arms in the air shortly after as the others behind them follow suit. Johnny keeps a close eye on Taeyong on the ground and sees that Taeyong is by now, barely moving, the colour of his skin becoming drained of colour at an alarming rate.

Your hands are clasped on Yuta’s arm, tears brimming down your face at the sight of Taeyong struggling to keep his eyes open. There’s a piece of cloth covering your mouth and any noise you make comes out in inaudible muffles. You try to break free from Yuta’s grip, tugging down at his arm every now and again but his strength only seems to grow with each passing minute. Johnny is the only familiar face in the crowd but even seeing him, doesn’t give you much comfort.

When Mark and Jeno enter the scene from different ends of the room, they immediately position themselves in a secluded corner to prepare for what’s to come. Mark sets up his sniper on the ground, his eyes locked on you the moment he catches sight of you. His heart breaks when he studies you, even as he crouches down to align his sight to his viewer. You looked exhausted, your hair disheveled and sticking up in various places, your body looking as weak as ever as you desperately try to cling onto Yuta just to hold yourself up, your sunken features evident as ever behind your tears. Your clothes are dirty and splattered with dirt and when Mark takes a closer look, he can see blood stains on your shirt.

Jaemin and Donghyuck arrive at the scene and just when Donghyuck is about to run over to Taeyong to help him, Jaemin stops him by holding him back when he sees Yuta in the middle of the room.

“Yuta we don’t have to do this,” Johnny warns lowly, inching a little closer to Yuta in the most subtle way possible.

“You all started this,” Yuta spits and tightens his grip around you even more, making you tilt your head further up just as to not restrict your airway. “If you had taken my no for an answer, we wouldn't have gotten to this.” He gestures at Taeyong with a nod of his head.

Mark aligns his viewer to Yuta, who now has his back facing him, still oblivious to his presence.

“Yuta-”

A gunshot is fired and it’s followed by a scream.

You let out a muffled scream when you see the person beside Johnny crouch down in pain when Yuta’s bullet penetrates his leg. “Renjun!” Jaemin exclaims and flies out of his spot to help the his friend.

Yuta fires his gun up in the air once again and it startles you so much the shaking of your limbs don't stop. “I said no one fucking move!”

Renjun groans in pain as Jaemin presses his palm to his wound to stop the bleeding. “Somebody help Taeyong!” Donghyuck screams when he looks to see Taeyong suffering by himself, a pool of blood beside him becoming bigger with each second that passes.

“One more person move and I'm killing y/n!” Yuta screams, his gun now pointing back at you. “I mean it! I’m serious! No one fucking move!”

“Taeyong needs help now,” Donghyuck snarls under his breath loud enough for Johnny to hear. Mark hears this over the line and aims for the back of Yuta’s head stealthily.

“Johnny, help Taeyong,” Mark speaks in his mic quietly while Johnny listens without moving an inch. “If Yuta shoots, Jeno and I have visuals. We’re right here with you. Everybody else, be on guard your surroundings, there may be some of Yuta’s men left.”

Not withstanding the sight of two injured people right before your eyes any longer, you gather the last remaining bit of your strength your body can muster and lift up your leg only for you to stomp in on top of Yuta’s foot forcefully. Yuta groans in pain and that’s when you take your chance to elbow him in the gut, making him let go of you momentarily as Johnny uses this opportunity to dart to Taeyong who’s just on the verge of passing out.

Donghyuck holds his breath when Yuta grabs a hold of you again and that’s when you come into full view in Mark’s direction, your whole face appearing in his viewer, his target now becoming you as Yuta keeps a hold of you again across the neck, ready to pull the trigger. You yelp loudly, the cloth falling off your mouth after having the chance of tearing it apart from your mouth in the short seconds that passed. Mark’s skin grows cold as he shuffles to slightly shift his sniper to Yuta who’s face is dangerously close to yours, making it almost impossible to penetrate through him without harming you.

“Shit,” Mark curses under his breath.

You continue to struggle under Yuta’s hold and you’re sure he’s going to shoot you when you hear the faint sound of the trigger clicking. Jaemin’s attention shifts to the group when the remainder of Yuta’s men flood in, everyone suddenly shooting in different directions to get rid of them.

And it all happens in no less than a second.

Half a second is all it takes for Mark to make his shot, heart racing and sweat running profusely down the side of his face, the feeling of nerves flooding in like waves just like that time he had tried to shoot you for the first time as he lets go of the trigger he’s been trying to hard save for the right moment. Half a second is all it takes to make get his target. All the successful critical shots he’s fired before didn’t matter to him anymore because all that mattered now was if this one saved your life.

Either he succeeds by taking down Yuta or blames himself for the rest of his life for killing you instead.

You drop to the floor, your knees landing first, your ears ringing, your head pounding against your skull. You’re sure you saw the bullet whizz past you and you’re not quite sure if you’re the one hit. But Yuta falls right next to you, his whole body collapsing to the ground, face first, blood streaming out of his head like a waterfall.

Mark just killed the person responsible for your parents’ death.

Your shaking hands are trying to block out all the gunshots that don’t stop even when Yuta falls, every single one causing you to jolt. And when you realise what had just happened, you croak out a weak sob, the utter fear and exhaustion getting the best of you.

Someone’s yelling in the distance, but you can't make out what they’re saying when the ringing in your ears don’t stop. And through the blur of your tears, someone’s running over to you, the sun that’s shining in your eyes making it impossible for you to decipher who it is when the person’s silhouette is the only thing you see.

But then he holds you. And that’s when you know who it is.

“Y/n! Y/n!” Mark’s exclaims, his hands grabbing a hold of either of your shoulders, lightly shaking you to bring you back to life. Your eyes finally refocus and that’s when you see him, Mark Lee is there, eyes so worried and features still as perfect as you remember them to be. “Y/n! Are you okay?”

You don’t say anything, too overwhelmed from having missed him so much, from having wondered days on end if you’d ever get to see him, from having been so incredibly scared for you life. So when your words betray you, your waterworks take over. You lower your head down, too ashamed and embarrassed for Mark to see you in this state. But when the gunshots die down until they completely halt, Mark moves closer to you and uses his index finger to gently lift your chin upwards. “Hey look at me,” he says quietly, his features softening. And you do, you look at him even when your tears are making it difficult to do so. “You’re okay now. You’re safe,” he comforts you, pulling you into his embrace.

“I am so sorry for being so late.”

And you break down in his arms, for so many reasons.

But the biggest one being that,

It was all finally over.

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