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everlastingdreams · 5 months

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The Weeping Monk x Reader : Born In The Dawn Chapter 15

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Story Summary: Locked inside a dark room in a dungeon, kept alive only for your power, you believed you’d never see the daylight again. That is until the Weeping Monk finds his way down and steals you from your captors. It is the beginning of a journey that leads you through hardship and newfound hope, but nothing is assured in a world that is changing for the Fey. The magic that runs in your veins is drawing out the worst the world has to offer, does it include the man who pulled you from the dark?

Chapter Title: Fighter

Notes: 👀 The Hidden in this fic is like a shitty fairy godmother that only shows up when she feels like it.

Warnings: Grief. Violence. Torture. Sexual Assault. Rape Threat. Gore. Enemies To Lovers. Pining. Trauma. Flagellation. Manipulation. Strong Language. Blood. Gore?. Misogyny. PTSD. Spicy and smut parts. Slight redemption arc.

Other warnings: Jealousy. Forbidden Love. Romance. Slow-burn…

Word count of this fic: +190K

Chapter: 15/ It’s a secret.

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Just when you were having a nice dream for once, you were startled awake by the Monk shaking you whilst covering your mouth with the palm of his hand.

“Mmh!” You angrily mumbled at him.

He actually hushed you and whispered while close, “Wolves.”

Your widening eyes told him that you understood the importance of being silent and he let go off you.

Then he woke Squirrel the same way, it was a miracle the boy didn’t kick up a storm for being woken up by him.

He helped the boy up to his feet, and all of you froze when hearing the wolves move between the trees.

“Lancelot?” You whispered highly concerned.

He beckoned for you to come closer and you quietly did.

What baffled you was that he caught you by the arm and moved you closer than you would have expected, he did the same with Squirrel.

“They can smell the blood on you.” He kept his voice hushed.

It was highly possible, your shirt was stained by blood.

He explained the plan, “I am going to bring the horses over. Leave the linen, it’s not worth dying for. Take a branch, set it on fire to keep them at a distance if they try to close in on us.”

You nodded, as did Squirrel who was quick to pull out the knife he had.

It caught your attention that the Monk looked anxious, that was not a good sign.

He drew his sword and tried to quietly walk towards the horses, in the hope that the wolves would not be provoked by the movement. He loosened the reins from the trees as quickly as he could, by now he could hear their steps all around him.

The rustling of the fallen leaves in the darkness was terrifying, you kept Squirrel within your arm’s reach and found a branch to use.

After lighting the branch on fire, you used it as a torch.

“Y/n…” A frightened Squirrel tugged at your arm.

You turned your head and saw a wolf stalk closer, it was targeting him.

It happened fast, you had wanted to move Squirrel backwards with you slowly but the wolf decided to attack. By pulling Squirrel away and behind you, the wolf jumped up against you instead.

The torch had fallen to the ground and when you punched the wolf’s head to get it off of you, it only moved away enough to set it’s teeth in your ankle.

A blood-curdling scream forced it’s way out of you, you drew your sword and tried to get the beast to release your ankle. While it tried to pull you along by your ankle, you kicked the wolf with your free foot. The others of the pack emerged from the shadows of the trees.

Squirrel launched himself at the wolf with his knife, but was stopped before he could risk his life.

The sword of the Monk pierced through the side of the beast’s neck and was swiftly removed again, the wolf’s hold on you was released as it took it’s last breath on the ground. Lancelot picked up the torch and used it to keep the wolves that were surrounding you away.

You felt helpless on the ground, your sword would not be of much use against them if you could not even stand up. You prayed to the Hidden for help, for them to stop the wolves from getting closer, but it was hard to focus through the pain.

The whispers were carried in the wind and he found himself calling for their aid.

He focused on the whispers and saw the wolves begin to shake their heads before darting off into the woods again.

“The Hidden… they’ve helped us.” Your voice shook.

It would be unwise to wait and see if they would return.

You were shaking and couldn’t hold back the tears from the pain in your ankle.

The Monk wasted no time asking, he knelt down beside you and removed your boot to be able to roll up your trouser’s leg somewhat.

Seeing him remain so focused with everything going on was something you envied.

He was not even thinking about what he was doing, or about how many lashes it earned him to do this.

He inspected the injury. Your trousers and boot had taken the most of the damage, the wounds from where the wolf’s teeth had pierced your skin were not as deep or severe as they could have been. Still, it did not look good and infection would be difficult to avoid.

The Monk was honest about it, “You need a healer.”

You found some comfort in Squirrel who was rubbing along your arm. “Manbloods will not heal Feys, if those of the Church hear of it they will be seen as traitors.”

His stubbornness rose to the surface, “They will heal you.”

You frowned at him through the tears, hearing how determined he sounded to find help for you.

He told the boy, “Percival, hand me one of the sheets.”

Squirrel took the sheet closest to where you were and handed it to him, Lancelot tore it into pieces, Squirrel understood what he was doing and began to help him.

The Monk bound the fabric around the wound, the bite was enough to grow an infection, it was best kept safe from other hazards.

To his dismay, blood was already beginning to soak through it, but it was not safe to remain there much longer.

He looked at Squirrel and asked, “Percival, have you ever ridden a horse?”

The boy quickly nodded.

He was glad to hear it. “Very well. Go and mount y/n’s horse, we are leaving, she is riding with me.”

“What? No-” You began to protest against the idea.

He would not listen to it. “It is time I proof to you that Goliath is not against you.”

Was that a jest? Now?

Once you had your boot back on, he helped you up from the ground and supported you whilst walking towards Goliath together. He made you hold on to his shoulder and put your good foot in the stirrup.

“Ready?” He asked.

No?

“Yes.” You didn’t even believe yourself.

You pulled yourself up and into the saddle while he helped you move your leg across. You held on to the horn of the saddle when a sharp pain coursed through your ankle.

The Monk patted the horse in front of the saddle. “Over here.”

You already didn’t like not riding yourself, and now you had to move aside for him.

Still, you did as he asked and moved over. Before he got on the horse as well, he extinguished the fire before it cold burn the forest down.

He mounted the horse and took place behind you, his arms came around your waist to take the reins. “Percival, stay close to us. If you hear or see anything moving around us, tell me.”

Squirrel nodded. “I will.”

The Monk kept his horse’s pace not faster than a trot and saw that the boy was able to ride beside him well enough.

You were trying to control your breathing to handle the pain.

“We’ll find a village with a healer. Do not fear.” Lancelot tried to keep you calm.

Your body was left shaking after the attack and now you had the arms of the Weeping Monk around your waist, it was a bit too much to process all at once.

He leaned forward and spoke over your shoulder to you, “Breathe.”

The pain was getting on your nerves a bit. “Don’t tell me what to do.”

In return he gave two gentle pats to your arm.

At least you had not lost that fighting spirit.

~~~♡~~~♡~~~♧~~~♡~~~♡~~~

By the time the Monk found shelter for the night, you were nauseous and dizzy.

You could feel that the bandage around your ankle was soaked in the blood.

A deserted abbey was his choice of shelter and you could not believe that you, a FEY, would have to sleep in such a place again.

A monastery and now an abbey. Great.

“Can’t we go back to the inn?” You asked when he dismounted Goliath.

“Where you robbed the man?” He reminded you.

Alright… he had a point.

Lancelot wanted to help Squirrel dismount first, but the impatient boy scrambled off of your horse alone.

Now there were two people who were there to help you dismount safely, it still took some effort. You couldn’t put your weight on the ankle, it hurt too much.

The Monk was confident in the ability of his horse to stay still while you crawled off of it.

You did not expect him to use his body as support to make sure you did not end up falling to the ground, it felt strange to be so close and personal with him, like both of you were aware that these were not normal circumstances.

“Go see if the door is open.” He asked Squirrel.

With a nod, the boy darted to the entrance of the abbey and tried to open the doors, it did not budge. “It’s stuck!”

The Monk let you lean against the wall while he made quite some effort with the boy to get the doors open, not even his sword was able to open them.

He was getting visibly agitated and told Squirrel and you to wait where you were.

You watched him walk around the corner and a few moments later you heard glass shatter.

“What’s that?!?” You drew your sword.

Squirrel looked around the corner and saw that a window had been broken.

The door being opened pulled your attention back and you saw the Monk walk out of the abbey.

Your brow arched, “Did you break a window to crawl in there?”

“Yes.” He replied, then called for the boy. “Percival!”

Squirrel came around the corner and looked oddly at him.

“It’s open. Come on.” He said, while coming closer to help you again.

Once inside, it was a big open space that once served as a church with arched ceilings that led up to an altar. He let you sit down on one of the few pews, then went to open the door at the other end of the room. This door went open without any trouble.

“Stay with y/n.” He told Squirrel and walked out the door.

It led him into the cloister surrounding the garden, the first door he encountered was the one of the chapter house. The second led to the refectory where dust covered all the tables and benches. Behind the third door was the kitchen that was now home to mice.

It was the fourth door that held what he was looking for, the infirmary.

Needles and thread he found, a modest amount of bandages and vials of medicine.

He opened every single one of them and not one smelled safe to drink. After leaving the infirmary with some of the bandages and the needles and thread, he saw the stairs that led to the upper floor and found the dormitories. By the looks of it, it had been abandoned long ago.

Those who did not agree with the Church’s views, were treated as the enemy.

Even in the beginning of the war, no one was spared from the Holy fires if they did not agree to banish the Fey from the churches or other holy grounds.

Some abbeys and churches had refused and their inhabitants had paid the price.

Lancelot returned to where you and Squirrel were.

“Is it safe?” You asked him the second he returned.

With a nod, he confirmed it. “Percival, there is a bucket in the kitchen, third door on the left. Can you bring it to me?”

Squirrel’s interrupted sleep had put him in a bad mood, “Couldn’t you have brought it yourself?”

The Monk send the boy a stern look, “Please?”

It was the plea that made the boy do ask asked.

Who would have thought that one day a Fey child would hear that word from the Monk?

You could tell that something was up, “What’s wrong?”

Once Squirrel was through the door, he explained the situation.

“The good news is that I found these…” He put down the needles and thread beside you. “The bad is that the vials of medicine have expired.”

You still hoped for the wounds to just heal on their own. “Maybe I won’t need them.”

At that, he knelt down and took a look at your ankle again, his hands were covered in blood just from removing the bandages.

“How are you feeling?” He asked while inspecting the wounds.

It took you a bit longer than usual to answer and his eyes lifted to your face.

He could tell that you were thinking of lying about it. “Don’t lie.”

There was no point in lying now and you chose to speak the truth, “I feel faint. And warm. My leg feels like it is burning.”

He quietly cursed.

You didn’t want to be lied to either. “Just tell me the truth. Is it going to kill me?”

Lancelot took the bandage off of your ankle, it was not useful like this. “It can. The wounds need to be cleaned and sewed shut. That’s why I send Percival for the bucket. Once that is done, I will go and ride until I find a village or a healer that can provide me with the medicine you need.”

You did not realize you were staring at him for a second and blinked, “What do you mean? Alone?”

He gave a nod. “Yes.”

Your thoughts slipped out of your mouth, “Is this where you leave us? Considering I am not of use to anyone if I am dead.”

It was visible on his face that he was insulted by it.

The reaction vanished from his face. “You do not trust me…”

Squirrel returned with the bucket.

He opened the satchel hanging at your side and got your flask of water out of it, he offered it to you. “Drink some water. If the fever strikes, you will need it.”

You took the flask and watched him walk away, he picked up the bucket and headed out the door.

It gnawed at you to see the disappointment in the Monk’s eyes. Once that would have been a victory to you, but now…

To see him actively try to help made it difficult to try and stop yourself from trusting him. But in the back of your mind you still heard the saying among the Dawn Folk.

‘To trust is to die’, they’d say.

With Squirrel it was different, he was still a child.

But the Monk was a man raised as a weapon of the Church.

It wasn’t easy to allow yourself to trust him.

Squirrel was looking down at your ankle. “Yuck.”

Hearing it actually made you chuckle a bit, “Looks that bad, huh?”

The boy was bluntly honest. “It’s so disgusting.”

“Yes, yes it is.” You could only agree on the matter.

Squirrel took one of the bandages the Monk had left at your side, and grimaced while using it to get some of the fresh blood off. “Yuck..”

“Thank you.” You deadpanned.

Lancelot returned from the well that had it’s home in the garden with a bucket of water, it had not been easy to get the water out of that well in the dark, he put the bucket right beside your feet.

He took over from the boy and wettened a rag in the water, then touched it to your ankle.

You veered up from the pew a bit. “Ow!”

A curse almost escaped you.

The Monk actually looked a bit apologetic. “Take slow deep breaths.”

That wasn’t easy to do with the sharp burning pain cleaning the wound caused.

Tears stung at the corner of your eyes and Squirrel went to sit beside you to offer some comfort. “Don’t be scared. It’s going to be alright.”

It took a whole bunch of rags before your ankle was mostly clear of blood.

When the Monk reached for the needle and thread, he send you a compassionate look.

This was going to hurt…

It tore at him to see those tears of pain. Especially when they cascaded down the cheeks of the person who had healed so many.

All that power you held within and none of it could be used to aid yourself.

It was a grave injustice to witness.

To distract you from the pain, he started talking to you, “Who healed you when you were wounded?”

You kept quiet for a little while, then decided to answer. “Usually my mother did.”

He asked another question while focusing on the task, “You know how to sew a wound shut?”

You tried not to look at what he was doing. “Not really. I’m not much good at it.”

A concentrated frown creased his forehead. “I was taught how, three days after I sustained the first wound that needed it.”

It must have been one of the ways for the priest to gain power over him when he was a child. “They let you walk around with it for three days before teaching you?”

He gave a shallow nod. “Father considered it motivation for me.”

The thread moved through your skin again and you pressed your eyes shut to keep yourself from screaming.

Squirrel praised your ability to sit still while someone was sticking you with a needle, “You’re doing well.”

It was nice of him to say, considering you felt close to bawling your eyes out.

“Ew…” The boy then exclaimed when taking a look at what Lancelot was doing.

He looked up between you and the boy. “Almost done.”

Thank the gods for that…

Once it was over, he proceeded to wrap the fresh linen bandage around it.

You took note of the proficiency it was done with. “I can see that you have done this a lot.”

He rolled your trouser leg down again. “There were times that I had to do this daily for myself.”

As he stood up, he said, “I want to bring the horses in here, before someone notices them.”

It was a wise thing to hide them in the building to prevent someone stealing them. “Are we going to sleep here with them?”

He pointed up a little. “There are beds on the upper floor, there’s a stairwell. If we help, do you believe you can reach it?”

You were in a lot of pain but could still move. “I’m wounded, not dead. I can make it.”

He looked at your face for a moment, his eyes narrowed and you flinched a bit when he reached down to touch your forehead. “You feel warm.”

It got him a very odd look from Squirrel, “Isn’t she supposed to be?”

The Monk clicked his tongue. “Not that warm. That is a beginning fever.”

You were scared of what that meant for you, would you survive this injury?

Lancelot touched your arm. “Come. Let us go to the dormitories, you can rest there. I will handle the horses myself.”

You let him help you up from the pew, he and Squirrel supported you all the way to that stairwell.

It was a lot more narrow than you had anticipated.

The Monk saw the change on your face right away. “Percival, wait at the top of the steps.”

The boy looked up at you and you gave a nod, only then did he rush up those steps swiftly.

It would not go so swiftly for you.

“Just give me a moment.” You placed your hands against the walls that created the narrow space.

After the first step, the Monk slid between you and the right wall.

His arm went around your waist and you reflexively held on to his shoulder for support.

He was determined to get you up those steps safely. “Go slow. You will not fall, I have you.”

You paused and looked him in the eyes, “Aren’t you afraid that when I fall, I could drag you down with me?”

A smirk grew on his face. “I have considered that possibility. Would you do it on purpose?”

You flashed a smirk back at him and let him guess the answer for himself.

He shook his head and proceeded to help you climb the steps.

On the last couple of steps his hand moved to your back, he did not step away until you were a few steps away from the stairwell and safe on the upper floor.

It felt so strange to have the Monk help you, like he already saw you and Squirrel as his company to work with. He was moving forward with the options that he had, in a way you respected that.

Most of the doors in the hall were open and he gestured to the first room so you wouldn’t have to go too far.

Dust covered all the furniture and Squirrel began to draw on one of the cabinets with his finger.

Lancelot said nothing and took the dusty sheet from the bed himself, then let you sit down.

You put your feet up on the bed. “The bed’s better than the one at the monastery.”

He made the observation, “You hated being there.”

Well, he wasn’t wrong.

The Monk walked towards the door. “I will bring your horse inside the building and then I leave with Goliath to find medicine. Perhaps that innkeeper will have some to sell?”

You couldn’t resist teasing him. “Ask the barmaid. She was eager to help you.”

Almost did he roll his eyes at you.

“Wait until dawn” You said. “You shouldn’t have to ride through the night. We already encountered wolves.”

To him it was not an option. “By dawn that fever will be worse, believe me on this.”

This all but confirmed that he was trying to spare you from most of the bad news.

If this was true, there was a chance that you would not survive the infection.

The Monk walked to the door and you called out for him.

You worried what your declining health meant for Squirrel. “Maybe you should take Squirrel with you. I can’t protect him well like this if anything were to happen.”

He seemed to consider the idea.

“No! I can protect myself.” Squirrel heavily protested against the idea.

“I-” Lancelot began.

“No!” Squirrel told him. “y/n needs me.”

Your heart warmed at the sight of the boy being protective over you. “Squirrel…”

The boy did not listen to protests. “You wouldn’t leave me either, and I won’t leave you here alone when you’re sick.”

The honor Percival had was admirable.

Lancelot spoke to the boy, “Stay here, with her.”

He watched the boy nod and then walked out of the door before you could protest again.

~~~♡~~~♡~~~♤~~~♡~~~♡~~~

Hours passed and by dawn you indeed felt much worse. The burning of your ankle and leg met it’s equal in the weakness that fell over your body.

“Y/n?…” Squirrel gently nudged your arm.

The poor boy had been trying to wake you for minutes already and was relieved to see you finally respond.

“Squirrel?” You weakly replied.

It felt like you were still stuck in a dream, everything felt so far away.

“Drink some water.” The boy had brought you a tankard of water.

Your mind was slow and you shook your head. “Did you… go to… well…”

The question was a puzzle that Squirrel was able to solve. “No, Lancelot filled two buckets of water before he left.”

The boy wanted you to know that he wasn’t acting reckless.

Every time you spoke, your chest hurt, “Good… did you… eat?”

Squirrel grew more and more worried by your weak tone. “Yes, cheese and bread. Do you want to eat something?”

You weren’t hungry, only tired, very tired. “No…”

The boy put the sheet over you more. “Lancelot will be back soon.”

Was that doubt you detected in his voice?

If the Monk had left you to die, you would understand it. But if he abandoned Squirrel, your spirit would haunt him for the rest of his days.

Squirrel looked so very sad just before your eyes fell shut again.

And you prayed that that would not be the last thing you saw on this world.

Incomprehensible voices sounded far away.

It took you a a while to realize they belonged to Squirrel and the Monk.

You forced your eyes open, the heaviness of the lids made it so much harder than it should have been.

Your vision was very blurry, and by the darkness around you, you believed it to be evening or night.

You could make out two silhouettes before your eyes were not able to keep themselves open anymore.

~“How long…she…”~

~“Since last night.”~

It was all you could understand of the conversation between them.

You felt something warm being placed against your cheek.

Then something cold was against your lips and liquid dripped into your mouth. You coughed a little, but in the back of your mind you knew this was the medicine and tried to swallow the drops as best as you could.

Minutes had passed before you had taken in the needed medicine.

The warmth left your cheek again.

Not long after, you felt something on your ankle and then the burning sensation started to lessen.

All you managed to do was move your hand a bit.

That stopped when you felt it being squeezed, not by Squirrel, this hand was bigger than a child’s.

It released you and you felt the warmth of the covers over your body again.

All you heard before falling into the darkened state again, was the Monk’s voice right next to your ear.

~“You are a fighter. Be a fighter.”~

It was encouragement to not let this fever take you under.

The medicine made it’s way through your body and did it’s task as best as it could.

How much time had past since you had last been conscious? Upon opening your eyes, a ray of daylight had found it’s way into the room.

Your throat felt raspy from thirst, “Squirrel?”

No one was in the room, you thought, until you looked to the side and saw Squirrel asleep next to the bed with a pillow on the floor and the Monk sleeping while sitting against the wall right beside him.

You sat upright and moved the sheets from your legs, your ankle no longer burned and you could smell that an ointment had been administered to it. You didn’t want to disrupt Squirrel’s sleep, so you took a pillow from beside you and gently threw it towards the Monk.

It hit his legs and he jolted awake, at first he looked at a sleeping Squirrel, then at you.

His expression changed from annoyed to relieved in a matter of seconds.

You’d never seen anyone get up from the floor so fast and ungraceful as he did just then.

You put a finger to your lips, signaling for him to stay quiet.

Lancelot came closer, put the pillow next to you again and lowered himself next to the bed. “You were overcome by fever for two nights and a day.”

It had been a frightening experience and you feared it wasn’t over yet, “You found the medicine, did you not?”

He noticed how raspy your voice was. “I did. There was a traveling merchant I encountered on the way to the inn. He had salve and medicine to sell. I returned here as fast as I could, I thought it was too late.”

You couldn’t ignore how truly relieved he sounded to see you awake.

“Can I have some water?” You asked, feeling your throat protest.

Lancelot reached for the jug of water that stood on the bedside table and poured out a tankard that he handed to you.

You downed that tankard in one go and he was ready to fill it up for you again.

Your throat felt much better after that, “Is there salve on my ankle now?”

His eyes traveled to your leg, “There is. Does it feel better?”

It really did feel better. “It does. It’s not burning anymore.”

Good. It meant it was working.

You drank the water a little slower and felt that the heaviness in your chest was gone. “I always thought that the Church forbade it’s clergy from touching a woman.”

He admitted to breaking the rule, “They do.”

The honesty was appreciated. “And yet you did, to help me.”

Lancelot sounded conflicted, “I do not know if I still belong with the clergy, after everything…”

You quietly conversed with him, “You could have given us up to the Abbot that night, but you did not. Maybe you never belonged with them.”

“Where do you think I belong?” He fired the question at you, his eyes held genuine curiosity.

You handed him the tankard and he put it down on the bedside table. “I cannot tell you where you belong or not. That is the power of freedom, you get to choose that for yourself.”

His eyes darted over your face, then fell on the sheet, “Are you hungry?”

“Yes.” You said.

There wasn’t much choice in regards to food. “Hungry enough for cheese again? Or do you want something more special?”

You frowned, “Special?”

He jested, “Moldy bread with cheese?”

You took the pillow next to you and smacked his shoulder with it. “Oaf! You had me excited for nothing.”

The Monk looked absolutely lost.

Had you done this out of anger? Were you upset?

That slight smile of yours made those thoughts disappear.

Playful fighting had never been part of his upbringing, or life, and he didn’t really know how to respond to it happening.

You noticed the uncertain look, “What?”

He was not give the chance to reply, Squirrel had woken up, and upon seeing you awake the boy flung himself into you.

The unexpected embrace took you off-guard.

Lancelot made room for Squirrel and went to stand a little off to the side, his hands were folded behind his back.

Seeing the child embrace you so fiercely was a reward worth more than anything else he could have been given.

~~~♡~~~♡~~~⚔︎~~~♡~~~♡~~~

~In the forest.~

Black boots disrupted the grass beneath them.

They stopped at the linen sheet that had been ripped to shreds.

The dead wolf led him to find what he was looking for.

His silver ring bearing the cross glistened in the sun’s light while his fingers touched the stained grass

Blood, not much of it, but still visible.

~“Sir, we found no bodies. We believe they escaped the wolves.”~

The Abbot had told him of Father Carden’s death and the Weeping Monk’s betrayal. What angered him was that this Fey monk had taken you with him.

The Brotherhood had reaped all but four remaining Dawn Folk, but he did not just want the Dawn Folk. No, he wanted the one these old gods had chosen.

He rose to his feet and looked towards the remains of the extinguished fire. “Find them. We are getting closer.”

Taglist:

@ourlazydetectivekitten @the-great-adventures-of-me @linkpk88 @fxrchxldws @elenaoftheturks @slytherlight @beananacake @crystallizedtime @moonlightaura03 @angrygardendeer @have-aheart @5am-cigarette @arcanenature @thewinterskywalker @notyourwildestdream @coloursforyourportrait @koressecretidentity @nike90 @n1ghtlux @rachlovesactors @luckyzipperscissorsbat @morena-doing-stuff @the-fangirl-diaries @gipsydanger17 @heavenly1927 @phantasmalbeiing @labyrinthonmymind @asarcastic-thiamstan @rainyv-skies @kissingandromeda @stclairesplace @katjusja

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#the weeping monk #weeping monk #weeping monk x reader #cursed netflix #cursed #lancelot x reader #weeping monk x you #cursed lancelot #lancelot #the weeping monk x reader

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bangtanfancamp · 5 years

Text

the Devil wears Gucci -Part 4

•masterlist

•series masterlist

•Kim Taehyung x reader (feat. Kim Namjoon)

•6k words

•Enemies to lovers au, fashion industry au, f*ckboy au Fluff, romance, slight angst, slow burn

As the dedicated personal assistant of the genius mind behind House of RM, the empire that rules the fashion industry, your world is turned upside down the day Namjoon personally asks you to train his newest hire- the eternally insufferable Kim Taehyung.

(Pic cred to vantaeholic)

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Hey guys! I know it’s been a while. Yesterday was the first day all week that I actually had time to write, but the jungkook chapter was just not flowing. So in my attempt to shake off the rust, I revisited this series and all 6k of this flew out. 👀 so yeah.... there’s that. Hope you guys enjoy it!

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Two weeks later, you were finally starting to feel a little less like you wanted to run a pencil through your own eye. Despite his antics on the first day, Taehyung had turned out to actually be fairly decent at this job- not that you were ever gonna tell him that.

Since he was your assistant, you’d unfortunately had to give him the desk space that connected to your own to keep an eye on him. You’d only regretted it a few times- like when you caught him watching YouTube in a side browser he thought he’d hidden, or when Mina would stop by to flirt with him. Or when he’d shoot off ridiculous comments about having the best view in the office as he’d lean his chin into his hands and wink at you. Gag. But honestly, other than that, he hadn’t rocked the boat too much.

After that glorious disaster in the cafeteria on his first day, you’d kept yourself as far away from any personal conversations with Kim Taehyung as possible. You’d been genuinely flabbergasted when he’d pointed out in three easy steps how much of a workaholic you’d become in the past year and a half. Even worse, he’d been right. You were astonished at yourself. You couldn’t remember the last thing you’d watched on Netflix or if you’d even signed up for a membership past the free month trial right after graduation, but you’d drive yourself to hell in a hand basket before you ever told HIM that.

So you kept what threads of a personal life you did have to yourself, vowing to treat yourself to a small vacation this year because dang, you really had earned it. And you’d rub it in his face when you did. If the sleezebag was still here by then...

Today was a typical Thursday- the atmosphere agitated like a shark had just smelled blood in the water. Namjoon was about to launch a new collection, and the office was in an absolute frenzy. People had been pulling all nighters left and right to meet their deadlines. Because of that, bodies had been dragging in all morning as either sleep deprived zombies or cracked out, crazy people wired on energy drinks and too much espresso. You fell into the first category, your weariness making you a bit sharper tongued than usual. Taehyung, however, took the situation in stride as an opportunity to draw attention to himself amidst the chaos.

You knew he was in the room that morning without ever having to look up. The sudden chorus of female voices filling the room- cooing and making a fuss over how handsome he looked today, could he help them with something and wow, his hair really looked INCREDIBLE today, only he could pull something like that off- announced his presence for him. Some version of this happened most mornings. You’d quickly realized it was pertinent to your sanity to ignore it. At this point, you’d gotten pretty good at tuning it all out.

“Morning, my mistress.” His smooth voice called out to you. You rolled your eyes at your paperwork when you heard Tae approaching.

“Taehyung.” You snipped back in response, never bothering to spare him a glance.

“Oh my god, your hair looks AMAZING!!!” came a high pitched squeal. Looking over your shoulder, you realized Mina had made her approach in less than 5 seconds flat. That was a new record for her. Who knew she had that kind of top speed in those stilettos? Currently resting her ample backside on the edge of Taehyung's desk, she effectively blocked your view of whatever she was commenting on.

“Thank you, Love. It’s growing on me too-God. Mina, have I ever told you that you look bewitching in red?” Tae drawled.

You felt yourself gag a little. “Yes, you have told her. That’s why she wears it everyday now.” You muttered to no one in particular, realizing two seconds too late when you heard Mina’s indignant huff that you’d said it much louder than intended. Blame the sleep deprivation for the wonky senses.

“I do not. I just happen to have a lot of it in my closet.” She whipped her thick brown hair over her shoulder to glare at you, hurt.

“Sorry, Mina. I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m just tired.” You ran your hands over your face and into your hair. “I’m running on fumes over here. Namjoon kept me here forever last night going over mockups and reviewing written proposals for this new merger. When I finally thought I could leave, he me had go back to repull all the samples for the Harpers Bizarre spread. He said Hailey’s selection didn’t fit his vision and every look needed to be scrapped and redone. If I see one more swatch of chiffon, I’m gonna barf.” You dropped your head to the desk. No one should be this tired at 10 am.

Mina crinkled her nose at you. “What a visual. We’re cool. All is forgotten. You still like my outfit, right Taehyungie?” She turned her gaze back to him, her back arched and chest curved out.

“Oh yes. Better and better the longer I look at it,” Taehyung replied. Great, now you had an entirely new reason to vomit. Mina’s airy giggles filled the space asyou tried your best to contain your eye roll.

“All right, I need some fresh air. I’m gonna jet. I’ll be back in an hour.” You swiveled your chair away and pushed back from the desk. You still hadn’t seen Taehyung- Mina’s Jessica rabbit curves blocking him from view. You threw your workbag over your shoulder and began to make your way to the door.

“Hey! Where are you off to? You can’t just leave me here in the middle of the day!” Taehyung's voice was swift behind you. He must have gotten up to follow.

“I can and I will. Namjoon’s usual dog walker is out with the flu so I get to go make sure Sophie gets her daily dose of exercise.” You punched the down arrow for the elevator with your thumb and twisted your neck to try to crack it- it didn’t budge. Maybe you should consider taking up yoga. Should someone your age be this stiff all the time? Another twist- still no relief. You really did need that vacation.

“I can go with you! I’m great with dogs. They love me!” Taehyung bargained.

“We really don’t need two people to walk a shih tzu, Taehyung,” you sighed.

“C’mon. Please? How come you’re the only one who gets some sunshine around here?” He pleaded.

“Aren’t you supposed to be helping Jin prep for the menswear shoot this afternoon?”

“We moved it to this morning. They even asked me to fill in for one of the models that didn’t show up, but I graciously declined. I didn’t want to show the other boy up.” He sounded so proud of his self control.

“Of course you didn’t. How benevolent of you, ” You shifted your weight into your other hip, still not looking back at him as he buzzed at you over your shoulder like a mosquito in summer. “What about the editing work you were supposed to do? Surely you haven’t proofread that press release yet. Or contacted the silk wholesaler? Ordered Namjoon’s Uber to his CrossFit session?

“Done. Done. And done. AND I had time to get that cute barista’s name at Namjoon’s coffee place. Marina and I are on for dinner and drinks tomorrow night.” He was positively radiating in his own accomplishments. Gross. But as it stood, you were out of objections at this point and too tired to come up with any new ones so you buckled.

“Okay!! Fine. Okay. You can come with me. But if you slow me down AT ALL, I swear-“ you pivoted to look him in the eye and that was your mistake.

Suddenly, you realized what all the fuss had been about earlier- he’d done it. He’d talked about it the day you met, but now he’d actually done it.

His silky chestnut locks were now an ethereal silver, platinum white as cornsilk. He’d styled it in glossy waves- how on earth had he made it do that? -and center parted it, sweeping it up out of his eyes with a thick black headband across his forehead that shouldn’t have worked at all, but DEFINITELY did. He wore an all black ensemble to match the headband, every detail of the suit perfectly tailored and structured to him, all topped off with a single silver earring dangling along his jawline.

Those details alone were all ready too much to deal with, but the most unsettling part of it all were the pair of incredibly light contacts he was wearing. They were such a pale hazy grey, so subtle they almost looked clear- the same indescribable shade as sky just before it rains- and they made him even more startlingly handsome than usual. Like he somehow didn’t belong on this earth. You hadn’t thought it was possible for him to become better looking, but clearly, he’d found a way to level up. The knowledge of that unsettled you to no end. No wonder Mina had almost broken her neck trying to claim him.

“You swear what? What will you do to me?” He stepped too close as he let the implication of his words sink in, lashes dropping as his eyes took you in. That tongue of his was tracing over his bottom lip, making you feel like you’d been hypnotized by a serpent. You’d been silent for too long-given yourself away- and from the way his teeth dug into his bottom lip in satisfaction, you could tell he was ecstatic with the effect his new look had had on you.

“I will... have you put on the most boring grunt work I can find,” you managed untriumphantly. “Now hurry up if you’re coming. We have things to do.”

“As long as you’re one of them.” His tongue flicked out and caught his lip as his eyebrows bounced up behind his fringe.

“Mother of God. Just get in the dang elevator before I change my mind.” You were already regretting this.

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As you pulled out of the parking garage with Taehyung leaned back and manspread in your passenger seat, you wondered how on earth you’d let him wear you down. It was those stupid contacts, wasn’t it ? sigh.

This shouldn’t be too bad though. Namjoon’s high rise was only ten minutes from the office-you’d only be gone half an hour, tops. And really-how much damage could Taehyung do in thirty minutes?

“Aaah! Hey! No!” You slapped at his hand. “The Aux cord is a privilege, not a right. Drop it!” You sneered at him.

“What? That’s insane! We both know I have better taste in music than you. Besides, you’re not talking to me- it’s too quiet! Giving it to me is the least you could do.” He reasoned.

“No, the least i could do would be leaving your high maintenance butt back at the office. If you’re in my car, it’s my music, capice?” You narrowed your eyes at him. “And you don’t know anything about my taste in music.”

“Bet I could figure it out.” Taehyung shuffled around in his seat, studying your profile. “Fluffy bubblegum pop stuff, yeah? Whatever happens to be at the top of the top 40?” You pulled to jerky stop at a redlight. How dare he.

“Get out of my car.” You deadpanned.

“Oh no, did I hurt your feelings? Hit a nerve?” His smiling eyes glittered with laughter. He was enjoying this.

“You’re never riding in my car again.” Snatching at your phone, you turned on your go to playlist. Training your eyes to the road, you prepared yourself to tune him out.

“Oh, I did. I’m sorry, my princess.” He teased.

“Shut up, Taehyung….and don’t call me that.”

“Why? Do you like it too much?” He leaned on his elbow, eyes flicking hungrily over you.

Deep breaths,_____. In through your nose, out through your mouth. So you don’t punch him in the mouth.

An intricate guitar riff began to float through the speakers then, grabbing Taehyung's attention. “Bruno Major. Huh. Not bad. Not many people know this track of his. Impressive.”

You forced a begrudging smile his way, as you stifled an eye roll. Having the music on seemed to temporarily distract him. There was mercy in that at least. He started to hum along to a few parts, and for the first time, your ear perked up. His singing voice was- how did you even describe that? It was rich and dark- borderline alluring- and stirred something in you that you didn’t understand. Unsettled by whatever it was, you skipped to the next track just so he’d be quiet.

“Okay, so your taste in music’s not complete garbage. Nice to know. I should’ve had more faith in you, Jagi. Never should’ve have doubted you.” He winked proudly at you, like he was taking credit for your music preferences. It annoyed the crap out of you.

“What do you care what I listen to anyway? Why does it matter?” You’d finally pulled into Namjoon’s parking garage.

“Music’s kind of what I do,” he said smugly.

“Oh is it now? I thought what you did was stare at yourself in the mirror all day and lose our custom gown for Shakira.” You smiled pettily. Tae did not seem amused.

“Okay, that happened one time, _______. And I found it right away and calmed her down. Pretty sure she had a thing for me.” He rationalized, a cocky grin plastered on his face.

“Yes, I’m sure she’s been contemplating leaving pique ever since.” You scoffed, putting the car in park.

“Hey, you never know. Gotta shoot your shot. My hips don’t lie either.” He executed one tortuously slow body roll in your passenger seat, playfully baring his teeth. Gagging on air, you fell into a fit of coughs, attempting to hide the way your own body was somehow reacting to him.

“First of all- Never do that again. Especially not in my car. Second of all- get out. No, seriously, we’re here. Get out.” You ignored his satisfied smirk as you slammed the car door behind you, not waiting for him as you strutted toward the doors.

“Slow down, Jagi. Not gonna say I wasn’t enjoying the view though. I didn’t know that was gonna get to you so bad. My girl likes a dancer huh? Duly noted. ” He tipped his head to the side happily.

“I’m going to murder you.” You mumbled under your breath as you entered the lobby. “Morning, Jacques!” You nodded to the kind man in the front lobby. He was a sturdy, distinguished creature who’d helped you keep your sanity during the early days of this job. His eyes were kind, and his patience had been endless. He’d really helped save your behind more times than you could count back then. You wouldn’t have made it this far without him, that’s for sure.

“Good morning, Miss____. Are you taking care of Sophie today?”

“Excellent memory. Yes, I am.” You smiled graciously.

“I’ll be helping her out today.” Taehyung added out of nowhere. When had he even caught up to you?

“Ah, that’s lovely of you, young man. I don’t believe we’ve met before.” The edges of Jacques eyes settled into happy wrinkles. He’d probably quite dashing in his day. Honestly, he was still quite handsome in his own right, if way too old for you.

“Don’t mind him. He’s my new assistant, Taehyung. I’m trying to teach him how to carry on my mantle should I ever need him to.”

“I’ll leave you to it then. As long as you don’t go anywhere any time soon, dear. You’re in very capable hands there, Taehyung. Never met anyone lovelier. Make sure you keep up. She’s sharp as a tack, that one.” He nodded your way, and the fondness in your smile for him made Taehyung bristle a little.

“Such a sweetheart. Thank you, Jacques.” You waved as you made your way toward the elevator.

“So… is he daddy figure number 2?” Taehyung grumbled once you were both safely inside the elevator.

“Oh my god, are you serious?” Your head whipped back toward him. “What is actually wrong with you? He’s literally old enough be our father, you crackhead.” Your face rumpled in offense.

“What? Im just sayin,” He shrugged, eyes dead ahead, fixed on the elevator doors. “Namjoon’s older than you too, right? Maybe that’s your thing.”

“Yeah by like 4 years, not an entire generation. Weirdo.” You spat back at him. You risked a glance over in his direction. His jaw was set tightly, tongue poking at his cheek. Was he….jealous? “Jacques is just a really nice guy. He’s known me since I was brand new at the company. He helped me figure out what the heck I was doing for Namjoon. Why do you care anyway? Why is this bothering you so much?” You felt the corner of your lip twitch up.

“It’s not.” He bit back, straightening his blazer.

“Uh huh. Sure it’s not.” You brushed past him through the elevator entrance and stopped at Namjoon’s door, punching in the entry code. He followed a few steps behind, sulky energy radiating off him in waves. Once you were inside, you slipped out of your heels and padded off in bare feet to find Sophie. “Don’t touch anything. I’ll be right back.” You called over your shoulder.

Taehyung was frozen still as a statue in the entryway. Namjoon’s apartment was stunning. Floor to ceiling windows around the entire living area gave him a panoramic view of the city. The furniture was as unique as the art installations, all modern angles and sharp edges. None of it looked even remotely comfortable- but he would bet one chair alone was probably worth his entire year’s salary.

An immaculate white grand piano was positioned by the windows. He couldn’t help but think it was a little Bond-villain-meets-Christian-Grey of him, but his fingers itched to play it just the same. It really was a thing of beauty. He couldn’t find where you’d went, so he made his way across the room and settled onto the piano bench. Stretching his long fingers, he gently began playing the introduction to an intricate melody.

The sound filled the entire space, multiplying in the room’s decadent acoustics. It was beautiful but sad- it squeezed at your heart and stopped you in your tracks. His voice began to float in over the piano melody- warm and complicated. It was distinctly Taehyung. Something about it reminded you of whiskey- smoky, strong and a little intoxicating.

When you heard it clear as a bell from Namjoon’s bedroom down the hall, you paused for a moment, letting it wash over you, surprised at how it affected you. It was beautiful. Could you call a man’s voice beautiful? Semantics. Either way, it was gorgeous. God knows you’d never tell him to his face, but it was hands down one of the most incredible things you’d ever heard. It was almost hypnotic.

Abruptly, you snapped yourself back to the task at hand. There was Sophie- contentedly curled up in a heap atop Namjoon’s voluminous duvet cover. “There you are, sweet girl.” You whispered to her as you scooped her up. “Rescue me from that awful, odd boy, won’t you? What are we going to do with this one, hmm?” Sophie squirmed excitedly in your arms, absolutely no help at all. Which was unfortunate- because as his mournful song continued, you were truly at a loss.

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A few minutes later, you made your way back to the living room, unsure of how to proceed as Taehyung continued his song. You picked up Sophie’s leash and clipped it to her collar as you cradled her, coming to stand a few feet behind Tae. “So you really weren’t kidding were you? Music really is your thing.”

Taehyung startled a little bit at your voice, fingers crashing into the wrong keys and stumbling for a second. He quickly scrambled from behind the bench, eyes darting around guiltily. For the first time since you’ve known him, taehyung seemed at an actual loss. It felt nice to have a bit of an advantage for once.

“Oh, sorry. I got a little carried away. It’s just... such a nice instrument,” he said distractedly as his fingers caressed the piano.

“That she is. Shame he never really plays it though. I don’t think he’s home often enough to even use it.” You shrugged, setting Sophie on the ground.

“What a waste.” He frowned.

Sophie’s nails clattered on the tile floor as she made her way over to investigate Taehyung, who had yet to notice her. Her nose poked at his ankle as she assessed him, his face lighting up in boyish glee the instant he saw her.

“Oh my gosh! You’re adorable!” He bent down to play with her, eyes sparkling as she instantly submitted to him, excitedly rolling over to bare her belly to his insatiable fingers. He cooed at her and she drank up every drop of it. You hated to admit it, but they were actually pretty cute together.

“Okay, Okay, that’s enough, you two. We need to take her downstairs so we can get back to the office.” You tried to reign them both in, but Taehyung was too busy playing an exaggerated version of peek-a-boo with her as she happily yapped back at him. Realizing no one was listening to you, you took the end of her leash and began tugging her toward the door.

“Hey!” Taehyung followed behind you, slipping his shoes on and following you out the door. Sophie was dragging, more interested in Taehyung’s affection than following you. He managed to sneak the leash out of your hand and take it for himself, but not without brushing your fingers with his. A small spark crackled in you at his touch that you didn’t understand. It was quickly stomped out like a cockroach.

“Hey yourself. Give me that back. She doesn’t know you. She’s not gonna follow you.” Your brow dropped over your frustrated eyes.

“Um, I think that’s going just fine.” Sophie was contentedly pressed against taehyung's ankle as you both rode back down in the elevators. “Finally. It’s about time at least one of Namjoon’s girls liked me.” He cooed at her. Disgusting.

Once you were both outside, Taehyung began to stride confidently ahead of you as Sophie guided him down the sidewalk. You crossed your arms behind them, disgruntled and betrayed.

“Come on. Keep up, _____. We’ve got things to do. Haven’t got all day.” He called back playfully over his shoulder. He was the only one laughing.

“Ha ha.” You mocked.

“Lighten up, gorgeous. It’s a beautiful day! And you’re finally outside for once! I know how much you like the outdoors. You’re always staring at the trees out the window when you think no one's looking.”

You didn’t know he’d caught that. No ever seems to notice. “I do not. I am a very competent worker, thank you very much. I don’t waste my time daydreaming out the window like some flimsy Disney Princess.” You corrected.

“Oh, you’re an excellent employee. No one’s gonna argue with that. I’m just saying, it’s cute when you get that little smile on your face when the wind knocks the leaves from the tree.” He’d slowed down so you could catch up and smiled over at you. It was less greasy than usual, a little more like a friend. You relaxed a little bit.

“Besides, Disney princesses are tough as nails. Severly undervalued.” He said matter of factly without a trace of irony.

“You don’t say.” You said incredulously, sneaking a peak his way.

“I do say. Now, why do you get so googly eyed over trees, Princess?” His endearment was delivered gently for once, without a trace of condescension. His tone was light, easy; his smile soft, and before you could catch yourself, there was the tiniest, faintest dip in the walls you usually keep so fiercely high around him.

“Fall is my favorite season.” You confessed.

“It’s a gorgeous time of year.” Taehyung agreed as you both settled into a comfortable stride, a perky Sophie leading the charge.

“I didn’t grow up in the city, you know.” Why were you telling him this?

“Yeah?” Taehyung’s ears perked up.

“Yeah, My hometown is beautiful this time of year. Lots of mountains- absolutely covered in trees- all turning these amazing colors everywhere you look. I used to sit out on my parents porch with some cider and just enjoy it all back then. It was so simple and beautiful. I miss it when I’m here.” The words tumbled out of you. You didn’t realize how much you meant them until you’d said them out loud. Where had all that come from? Lost in your thoughts, you didn’t catch the way Taehyung carefully watched your wistful face.

“That sounds pretty great. I’ve always lived in the city. Never seen anything like that in person.” He said thoughtfully.

“Oh, you have to someday. You never get the full effect of the seasons in the city. You just have to deal with the parts that make them inconvenient without ever getting to really enjoy their beauty.” Why am I still talking? You wondered

“I’ll keep it in mind.” He nodded with a small smile. It seemed- genuine. You liked when he was this way. Less aggressively flirtatious and more like a real person. Maybe deep down-way deep down- he was all right.

“So, how long have you been working at this music thing? That was pretty impressive up there.” You tried out a gentle compliment. You weren’t sure what he’d do with it, so you held back how much you’d actually liked it-just in case. There was no telling the things that inflated ego could do. You braced for impact, but the snide remarks never came- because for the first time, he looked a little....humbled. A boyish smile tugged at his lips as he sheepishly fussed with his hair.

“Oh that? Thanks. It’s something I’ve been messing around with for a while now. I can’t seem to get the bridge on that one to flow quite right though, but it’ll figure itself out.” He looked down at the sidewalk almost bashfully.

“Wait, you wrote that?” You staggered a little.

“Oh. Yeah.” He smiled proudly. Wow. Didn’t see that coming.

“Well dang. So, you actually are pretty serious about this, huh?” You queried.

“Absolutely!” His eyes took on a fire you hadn’t seen before. “Music is my whole world, ____. I’ve got a gig next weekend actually. You should come check it out.”

“Seriously?” Full of surprises this one.

“Yeah! It’s at this little jazz spot downtown. If you actually get out of work before you turn back into a pumpkin, I’ll save you a seat on the front row.” He prattled excitedly.

“Cinderella didn’t turn into the pumpkin, dummy. So much for your Disney Princess knowledge.” You bumped your shoulder into his lightly as something almost like a blush flushed across his elegant cheekbones. “ but I’ll see what I can do.” You looked up him, taking in this new softer side of him. It wasn’t so bad. Maybe you’d gotten him just the littlest bit wrong.

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You guys walked peacefully beside each other, enjoying the way the crisp breeze ruffled your hair away from your faces, as Sophie happily trotted down the street. By the time you’d made it back to Namjoon’s building, the two of you had settled into an oddly amiable place. You re-entered the apartment, and this time Taehyung followed you to put Sophie back in Namjoon’s room.

“So this is where the magic happens huh?” His wide eyes surveyed the room as he leaned, arms crossed, in the doorway.

Rolling your eyes, you set Sophie down to unclasp her leash. “Ew. Hardly. But yes, this is his room.”

“This bed has got to be a what- queen? Cal King?” He squinted.

“I have no idea, Tae. Does it really matter?” You sighed pointedly.

“So….you’ve never...tried it out?” He asked slowly.

“NO! Tae, I thought we talked about this.” The look you shot back at him of ferocity mangled with hurt made him quickly realize his misstep.

“What? No, not… god, that’s not what I meant. I remember. Chill. I just meant he has you running around all the time, you’ve never been tempted to take a nap in it?” He sauntered toward the mattress, hands in his pockets.

“That would be weird. No.” You scrunched your nose at him.

“It looks so soft though. And clearly, Sophie’s the only girls who’s been in it recently with how uptight that man is- clearly needs to get laid” Taehyung quipped.

“Please don’t talk about that.” You grimaced.

“Fine. I won’t…. if you join me.” His voice had dropped impossibly low. His eyebrows arched playfully as he spun on his heel and collapsed, arms spread on Namjoon’s bed. The action made Sophie bounce in the air a little from where she lay on the other side. His new silver hair fanned out around him as he stretched his hand out to you. He looked beautiful reclined like that. A heat you weren’t used to ignited in your belly as his eyes sparkled at you with a seductiveness you found hard to pull away from. What was that ?

Get it together, ____.

“Um, absolutely not,” your refusal came out a bit less confident than you’d hoped. “I am going to head to the restroom and then we are heading back to the office.” You stepped backwards, stumbling over one of Sophie’s toys. Taehyung propped himself up on his elbows, angling his exquisite jaw at you with laughter on his lips.

“Whatever you say. Quick makeout session in the backseat before we clock back in ?” He offered optimistically.

“You wish.” You squinted at him, before bolting out of the room. You hadn’t even needed to go to the bathroom. You just needed to get away from him.

You gripped the marble counter of Namjoon’s sink and stared down your reflection. “Get. A. Grip” you gritted out at yourself.

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When you returned, Taehyung was no longer on the bed and nowhere to be found. “Tae? Taehyung? Where ARE you?” You called out.

“In here!” The sound was coming from- Namjoon’s closet? Oh no. “This place is amazing! It’s like a whole nother bedroom in here. How many square feet is this???” Taehyung had slipped into one of his Gucci blazers and was posing in the three way mirror. The jacket was made of an ornate brocade fabric, immaculate in its intricate detail of golden, hand embroidered water lilies. It looked spectacular on him. Arguably better than it ever had on Namjoon- but it was a $10,000 jacket and he needed to take it off now.

“Are you insane?? Take that off! That jacket costs more than both our lives.” You rushed at him in a panic, attempting to tug it off.

“Speak for yourse- hey! Slow down, Jagi. If you wanted my clothes off that bad, all you had to do was ask.” His tongue peaked out of the corner of his smirking mouth.

“This is not a joke, Taehyung. Take this off. Namjoon would kill you. He’d kills us both and then bring me back to clean up the mess.”

“You need to breath, little one. Let me have this. When am I ever gonna wear Gucci again? Although, gotta say, I think it suits me.” He winked at his reflection before shirking the blazer off his shoulders and returning it to the hanger. He walked over to a display of sunglasses and watches. Picking up a silver watch, he held it beside his wrist. To your horror, you realized he was already wearing Namjoon’s favorite gold Rolex on the other wrist. Turning to you, he asked “which one do you like? I think the gold suits my complexion better.”

“Are you mad?!? Kim Taehyung, stop being a child and take that off!” You were furious at him, but he showed no remorse. Instead, your anger just seemed to make this idiot laugh.

“I feel like I’m in the princess diaries in this closet. Are Jimin or Hoseok gonna pop out of a secret panel and surprise me now?” He slipped on a pair of red shades and smoldered at his reflection. Everything looked incredible on him but that wasn’t the point.

“I dont know who either of those people are-“

“They’re my best friends. Get it? Because it was her best friend hiding in-“

“I get the reference, Taehyung. But you need to get out of here. Namjoon hates people touching his things. Everything in this room is insured. He’ll notice if anything in here even has a scratch or fingerprint on it. I’m not even allowed to be in here. He has a specific person he trusts to move these things for him when he has to pack for a trip. He has security cameras everywhere. You need to get out.” Your eyes pleaded with him.

“Security cameras? In his closet? Seems a little kinky to me, but somehow I’m the inappropriate one.” He shook his head at the injustice as he returned the sunglasses to their display.

“Taehyung.” You snapped desperately, your patience evaporating.

“I’m coming, I’m coming.” He put his hands up in surrender as he walked past you.

“You’re gonna get us both fired at this rate.” You shoved him between the shoulder blades and toward the front door.

“How was I supposed to know princess Di wouldn’t want his Crown Jewels rearranged?” He whined.

“Because! It’s basic human decency to not go rummaging around in a stranger’s closet and trying on their things! Do you not have any boundaries? My god!” Your voice was becoming increasingly shrill as your stomped back into your heels and snatched your keys off the front table. Swinging the door open, you impatiently tapped your foot as he meandered through like a scolded child.

“Calm down,____. I was just having some fun.” He defended.

“Fun that could make us both lose our jobs. Very funny. See how hard I’m laughing?” You pinned him a look so hateful that it finally silenced him. How could he so instantly make you regret letting him in? You were stupid to think there was anything more to him than an immature child.

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The ride back to House of RM was tense to say the least. Taehyung moved on, trying to talk about other things to fill the silence but you resolutely froze him out until he took the hint. Upon arriving on Namjoon’s floor, the two of you were immediately greeted by the nervous eyes of silent coworkers. You weren’t sure why until you saw a fuming Namjoon standing just outside his office, demanding you both come inside- immediately.

The door was slammed behind the two of you the instant you’d entered the room. There went your perfect record of avoiding the full brunt of his wrath. You’d never been so embarrassed by the sound of your own name until you heard the displeasure Namjoon spoke it with. The irate man stormed over to his desk and pivoted his computer monitor in your direction.

“Can either of you care to explain to me what this fool was doing wearing my custom Gucci blazer? Or playing my piano? Or lying in my bed? Or why in God’s name he was in my home to begin with?” A vein was straining in his neck as he attempted to control his volume.

You stepped forward, hands clasped in front of you apologetically. “That would be my fault, sir. Your usual dog walker was sick so I went to take care of Sophie. I brought him with me to show him what to do in case he needed to do it without me in the future.”

“What future?” Namjoon snapped, glowering in Taehyung’s direction. “If I let him survive that long. You should never have let this get so out of hand,_____. You know better than this. What happened to you? I have never been more disappointed in you.” His volume was escalating and the venom in his voice was palpable . Your eyes fell shamefully. Much to your surprise, Taehyung stepped forward.

“Hey, don’t speak to her like that. If i’m the one you're mad at, then talk to me. Don’t you dare raise your voice at her.” The intensity in his tone startled you. His shoulders were rolled back, chin lifted and his body was angled so he stood between you and namjoon.

“Fine, then I’ll speak directly to you then- so listen clearly. This is your first strike. You only get one. Only an idiot would let someone who’s clearly incompetent get all the way up to three. If I ever see you near my things again, you will be immediately terminated and evicted from this building, do you understand me?” Namjoon leveled his gaze at Taehyung whose teeth were gritted with his own ferocity.

“Understood.” came his choked out response.

“Then leave. I don’t want to see you again today. If you see me coming, evaporate.” Namjoon demanded. A muscle tensed in Taehyungs jaw as he turned to leave. He was almost to the door before Namjoon turned his icy gaze to you.

“_____, I expect better from you. Don’t let him corrupt you.”

Your brows furrowed as you bowed timidly. “Yes, sir.”

“Both of you are dismissed.” He turned his attention back to his work as the two of you swiftly exited the room.

———

Your grasped the edge of Tae’s sleeve and pulled him down the hallway to a private corner. Letting go of his arm, you paced a few feet in front of him, hands on your hips. “I told you….I told you he would know and he would hate it.”

Taehyung made a disgusted noise at the back of his throat. “Namjoon is an overpaid jackass. He should never speak to anyone that way, especially not you.” His dark brows knitted furiously.

“How he reacted is not the point. He would never have been in that position if you hadn't put him there by ignoring basic ground rules. I told you not to touch anything” You huffed out, exasperated.

“You didn’t seem to care when I was playing piano for you.” For me? What was he talking about? You attempted to regain your composure.

“That’s different, and you know it. Can you imagine checking your surveillance footage and seeing someone rummage around in your closet? It’s a complete invasion of privacy!”

“You can’t possibly be defending him right now.” Taehyung looked hurt. “I don’t have to imagine because I’m not an arrogant enough jerk wad to insure my boxer briefs! How can you be on his side, _____? He treated you like garbage!” His words stung, but they were true.

“We’re not talking about him. We’re talking about you. Your actions are a direct reflection on me, so please think before you do something stupid again. Because if we get fired, I don’t think you have any plans to come pay for my bills any time soon, so the next time you decide to go rogue- don’t involve me.” Your stony demeanor shook him a bit.

“You really do worship that egomaniac, don’t you?” He looked almost, disappointed at you.

“No, I don’t. I-“

“_____, I tried on a jacket! He was willing to fire someone over a jacket. You’ve busted your ass for him on a daily basis for almost three years and he didn’t even care! Why do you let him have so much power over you? Why do want him to like you so much? Don’t you get that you’re worth more than that?!” He was left panting in the wake of his outburst. Silence stretched like a chasm between you as his words hung heavy in the air.

“Look,” he started softly. “it’s your life… do whatever you want to do with it. Just… don’t let douchebags like Namjoon push you around and win, okay? I shouldn’t have been in this things- Fine, I get that - but no job, no person is worth getting spoken to like that. You deserve better than that.” His words were quiet at the end, almost lost as he looked down studying his shoes. Something heavy gripped your chest at his advice- because he was right, and you knew it. Had Namjoon always been that bad? Or had you just never seen it. You looked up at Taehyung. His expression turbulent and his eyes unreadable. You should thank him. You should apologize to him. You should-

“Tae…” you’d just barely opened your mouth to reply when his own words cut you off.

“Hey, I’ve got some things to get to. I’ll uh, see you back at our desks.” Without waiting for a response, he was already turning away from you. He was halfway down the hallway with his long stride before you could properly string your words together again.

“Thank you.” You whispered, but by then, he was already too far away to hear it.

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