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sinner-as-saint · 3 years

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I Am Your Fall.

Mob!Bucky x Ex-Spy!Reader

Run-through: You’re hiding from your past, in Madripoor. You did nothing wrong, other than mix dangerous business with a lot of pleasure. You couldn’t go home because... he would find you and Madripoor was the only place he didn’t do business, or had any allies or friends. But little did you know that the mob boss had finally found you after obsessively looking for you ever since you left, and left him in pieces. He didn’t want revenge, he just wanted the one thing he had hopelessly fallen in love with; who also happened to be the one who had betrayed him and hurt him more than anyone or any bullet ever did before - you.

Themes: mob!bucky, smut, angst, fluff, Ex-Spy!Reader, slight daddy kink, guns

“The usual?”

You nodded at the man in front of you with a faint smile as you took a seat at the bar. You kept the hood of your jacket up as you let out a quiet sigh. Moments later the bartender placed a glass half filled with whiskey and ice in front of you.

You whispered a ‘thank you’ and swirled the drink around in the glass before lifting it up to your lips and taking just the tiniest sip. You often came into this bar after work, just to feel normal again. You worked at a diner right around the corner; it was lowkey and shabby and didn’t attract many customers, neither did it pay well but you weren’t there for the money.

Your last job, the one you had before ending up in Lowtown Madripoor, paid really well. So much so that you wouldn’t have to worry about money for a long, long time but you still had to blend in and pretend to be as normal as you could; hence the job at the diner.

You thought of home as you took your second sip. You grew up in a nice family before joining the organization you worked for, as a spy. You let out a quiet little chuckle as you thought of how ever since you were a kid you wanted to grow up and catch bad guys. Which is exactly what you did as a spy. And you were great at your job, your organization couldn’t be prouder of your work.

You took another sip. Everything was going great for you, until the day you were assigned to infiltrate the life of and take down the infamous mob boss, James Buchanan Barnes. The day you heard that you were being sent to him, you were excited because James was notorious for a lot of bad things. You couldn’t wait to step inside his evil lair and take him down. What you didn’t know was that you would end up finding love right where it wasn’t supposed to be.

You felt a strange knot in your gut as you thought of him. Bucky…

Oh you had loved him despite his mean, dark demeanor. He was a cold-hearted man to the rest of the world, but only you got to see the warmer side of him. And you fell in love, harder, faster and deeper than you ever thought you could. It got to a point where you had to choose between either betraying your organization or betraying the man who shouldn’t have fallen in love with. That’s when you ran away, far from home. Far from your work which you loved so much, and far from him.

You couldn’t bring yourself to betray him, nor did you have the courage to tell your people that you failed in an important mission all because you fell in love with the enemy. You knew what happened to people who betrayed Bucky, you had seen it. And you also knew what happened to spies and agents who betrayed the organization you worked for. Both of those situations weren’t ones you wished to find yourself in, so in order to save yourself, you ran.

And now here you were.

As you took another sip of your drink, you felt the hair at the back of your neck stand up out of nowhere as a shiver ran down your spine. You were being watched. During your training you were taught to absolutely trust your gut, and if you ever got the feeling that you were being watched it meant that there was a high chance that you actually were.

Shit.

You set your glass down and placed the money down beside it before slowly sliding off the stool and casually walking out of the bar. You made sure your hood was still up, and you tucked your hands in your pockets. Your fingertips gently felt the hand gun you always kept with you, just in case, secured at your waist under your jacket.

You looked around, and so far no one was following you. The streets were busy given that it was a Friday night and you were sure that you could make it home safe because no one would attack you or anything in a crowd like this.

You lived in a modest, 2-bedroom apartment. And you always took the fire escape at the back to get into your apartment because you didn’t trust the rusty elevator at the front, nor did you ever want to run into a neighbor or anyone by taking the stairs inside the building. The fire escape was discreet and lowkey.

You entered your living room shortly and sensed that something was off. The air was colder somehow, and you never left any windows open. Ever. You shut the door behind you, not locking it. You gently took out your gun and held it out in front of you, at the ready. You moved stealthily, quietly. You knew which spots on the wooden flooring made the most noise so you avoided those.

Someone was in here, you could tell. The air… it smelt different the further you walked into your apartment. You didn’t switch on any lights, you checked the kitchen first. Clear. The living room. Clear. The spare room. Clear. And your heart raced as you went into your bedroom. The door which normally always remained closed, was wide open.

You couldn’t even run. Whatever it was, whoever it was you were gonna have to face it. You stepped into your room and with whatever little light was coming through the windows, you tried to scan the room.

“Lower your gun, babygirl. You don’t need it. I’m not gonna hurt you, and I know you don’t wanna hurt me.”

The sound of his voice had you frozen in the spot where you stood, a few feet away from your bed. The voice came from behind you. You slowly turned around, not lowering your gun and keeping it aimed right at him. It took you a few seconds to process everything.

You could make out his silhouette as he stood in front of one of your bedroom windows. Tall, built, his metal arm glistening. He was here. You let out a shaky breath. He was here, he found you.

You didn’t move from the spot that you were standing on. There was a time when whenever you saw him you’d run into his arms, and despite wanting to do just that even now, you knew you couldn’t. That was back then, this was different, wasn’t it?

He sighed before moving, walking to the other side of the room to light a table lamp. The soft, golden light illuminated the room just enough. Your heart burned as you took in his appearance; dark suit as always, shorter hair, his metal arm just as intimidating and mean as always and his pretty blue eyes - the same ones you loved, belonging to a man who eventually became the reason why you had to leave your old life behind.

Bucky was still; calm and composed as always. He was the kind of man who had mastered the art of looking completely steady even when he wasn’t. He could have a storm inside of him, or raging flames of anger but on the outside it would never show. He was as devious and subtle as a predator, moving with the grace and elegance of a ferocious but calculated animal.

“You seriously thought that moving across the globe and changing your hair color would keep me away from you?” He sounded like he was mocking you. “Took me about almost a year, but I found you.” He walked towards you, making you envy the way he could move so effortlessly. You couldn’t read him. His face was… blank. Void of any emotion.

He spoke again once he stood right in front of you. “Now, you’re gonna tell me why you ran away.”

You remained quiet. He could tell you were thinking. He could always tell, he knew you too well. You made a makeshift plan in your head. If you were to shoot him in his arm, just to injure him enough to make him lose his focus, you could grab the emergency bag you always kept under your bed and run. But you didn’t want to hurt him.

Also, how far would you go? Knowing Bucky, if he had made it to Madripoor he probably had his men surrounding this apartment building right now; all armed and ready to fight. He probably even had people from here all the way to Hightown; which meant that even if you ran from here right now you wouldn’t be able to make it out of Madripoor.

Like you said earlier, he had found you. There was no way to run anymore.

“I know you’re thinking about running again.” He teased, shoving his hands in his pockets, letting you know that he had his guard down; which meant that he had thought this through. “Maybe you have an emergency bag somewhere, or you plan on shooting at me to distract me and make a run for it.” He chuckled. “Trust me, you wouldn’t make it out of this apartment, babygirl. And even if by some miracle you did, I will burn this island to the ground to find you again.”

Despite his tone being all calm, and almost monotonous you could hear the bitterness and the evil promise in his words. He was probably angry, he felt betrayed for sure, he was also frustrated given that he mentioned having searched for you for a year, he was also probably hungry for answers.

You still remembered that night you left. Your people at work had been pestering you to hand over information and sending you all sorts of threats if you didn’t, but you also could no longer lie and manipulate Bucky, because you loved him. So you left in the middle of the night, leaving your old life, your job, the man you loved, your family, everything behind.

No notes, no messages, nothing. You and him had been together for a little over a year at that point. And you just snuck out of a one year relationship with no explanation. It was wrong you’d admit, and Bucky had every right to be hurt and angry.

“Answer me. Why did you run? Why did you leave out of nowhere? And didn’t you go back to your people like the good little spy you are? Why Madripoor?”

So he knew about your past. You could only imagine what he did to the organization you used to work for when he found them.

“How did you find me?” You knew how much he hated it when people answered a question with another question. You were surprised when he answered instead of being even more pissed off.

“It took a lot of people, a lot of bullets and a lot of patience to track you down.” He chuckled. “I must say, you’re good at whatever games you play. But I’m gonna need you to stop for a moment, and give me the answers I need.” He took a small step forward, reducing the distance between you and him. “Why?”

Such a broad question, why.

“I had to.” You gave him the most vague answer ever.

He scoffed. “Okay, let me make this easier for you. Let’s start with, what’s your real name?”

You almost rolled your eyes, but you couldn’t afford to let your guard down at the moment. Not when you couldn’t even figure out what he was here for.

“You know my name.”

Of course he did, he had moaned it so many times in bed.

He gave you his signature smirk, the one who captured the hearts of many including yours. “I’m assuming that since you’re a spy everything which comes out of your pretty mouth is a lie. So what is your name?”

You corrected him. “I used to be a spy. I don’t do that anymore. And I didn’t lie about my name. I didn’t lie about many things.” You looked him dead in the eyes when you said so. You wondered if he thought that you lied when you said you loved him. That was real.

He scoffed. “I’d beg to differ.”

“You plan on killing me?” You asked, thinking that now would be a good time to know whether or not you would be dying tonight.

“No.”

“Then why are you here, Bucky? Why did you look for me for a year, why are you halfway across the globe right now if you don’t plan on killing me for betraying you? What do you want?”

“You.”

You rolled your eyes, finally lowering your weapon. You still couldn’t read him.

He spoke up again, “Why didn’t you lead your people to me? Why didn’t you finish your job?”

“You might have actually done just that yourself. If you were able to find me, so could they. They probably have eyes on right now. By coming here you just-,”

He cut you off. “They don’t have eyes on you. No one does.” He answered confidently.

“You don’t know that. You-,”

He cut you off yet again, he smirked, “Oh I do know, babygirl. I know because I… dealt with each and every last one of them. The people you used to work for, the whole organization, it doesn’t exist anymore I made sure of that. You see, I’ve been quite busy this past year. Between dealing with your people, dealing with my own and playing hide and seek with you.”

You froze again. Dealt with? “And how exactly did you deal with the organization?”

“I watched it burn.” He answered, proudly.

Oh. “You plan on doing the same with me? After your little Q and A, you’re gonna just… deal with me?”

He fake gasped and placed his metal hand over his chest as though surprised. “I would never do that to you. You see, unlike you I didn’t lie when I said I loved you.”

That caught you by surprise. You said nothing, pretending like that confession didn’t make your heart race.

“I’m gonna ask one more time, why did you run?” His tone was cold.

You scoffed. “I didn’t think you’d be understanding regarding the whole situation. If you ever found out who I was, let’s be real, you’d kill me right where I stood. And I could no longer go back to my people because they would force me to lead them to you.”

He raised his eyebrows, then chuckled. “You protected me? What for?”

I didn’t lie when I said I loved you either. “I didn’t want to manipulate or lie. I didn’t want to infiltrate lives and be dishonest. I didn’t want to have to live a double life any longer. I needed freedom, I needed a way out. So I came here.” You paused. “I’m not proud of what I did to you.” You added.

You lowered your eyes once you finished talking. Bucky moved closer to you, he reached out and grabbed your chin with his metal hand, tilting your head back gently until you looked into his stormy, ocean blue eyes. You hated how you still couldn’t read him. Was he angry or no?

“Are you lying right now?” He whispered, and smirked knowing it would piss you off. You pushed his hand away. He chuckled, leaning into your ear, his lips brushing against your skin as he spoke and it sent shivers down your spine, “Let’s play a game.” He pulled away and took a few steps back. “You love games, don’t you babygirl?”

Your heart raced. Oh this can’t be good…

He took some more steps back and then pulled out his gun; the shiny golden one he loved the most out of the arsenal he owned. He aimed it at you, smirking. “I’m gonna ask you some questions and as long as you answer truthfully, I won’t shoot.”

You remained very still. You hated to admit it, but there was something so immorally powerful about him when he handled his guns. You remember back when you two were together, you could spend hours watching him clean his guns; his favorite toys he called them. Bucky always told you that he believed that weapons shouldn’t be intimidating, but the person handling them should.

In his case, it was true. Just looking at him made your body throb for a moment. You tried not to let it show but judging by the smug look on his face you could tell that he knew exactly how you felt.

You knew he would never shoot you.

Bucky Barnes was, afterall, a cunning man who knew how to toy with one’s head. He could have easily taken your gun away from you, could have tied you down on a chair and interrogated you until you gave in. But no, by doing this he was letting you think that you still had some control over this. He knew he had given you the chance, you could’ve easily shot him the moment you walked into the room. But you didn’t. You chose not to. And he knew that.

You almost smirked when you put it all together. He wasn’t here for answers, because he already had them. He just wanted to hear it from you. He wanted you to verbally say it. He was here for this dark, twisted game of his.

“Fine.” You agreed.

He cocked his gun, the sound rang in your ears and it reminded you of the times you pretended not to know shit about guns and had him teach you how to aim. He had done so with a lot of patience and a lot of kisses.

“How much did you tell your people about me?” He asked.

You could tell he was easing into it. “I stopped feeding them information after the first six months. I told them it would be risky to keep meeting up with them in secrecy, and that I would soon come back with everything I can gather about you. But I never did.”

He seemed pleased with that answer. “Of course you didn’t. Instead you ran away.” He watched you cautiously, “How many people know you’re here?”

“No one does, except for you.”

That was true. You couldn’t risk going back to your family, not when you were certain that the moment you stepped foot outside of Madripoor your people would find you.

“Why Madripoor?” He asked, tilting his head to the side. “You could’ve easily hid in the country itself given your… skills.” He knew just where to poke you to make it hurt. “Then why here?”

“Anonymity. No one knows or cares about who you are or where you come from here. Also because I knew that neither the organization nor you had any connections here whatsoever.” You paused. “Clearly I was wrong.”

He got really serious, clenching and unclenching his jaw. “Why didn’t you just tell me the truth then? If you couldn’t trust your people at the time, why not turn to me?”

His question made you chuckle. “I already told you, you would’ve killed me.”

“And I already told you that I-,” he cut himself off and took a breath. “Why didn’t you trust me?”

You stared into his eyes, looking. Searching for something you once saw in them. Love, for you. There was a time when he would look at you with nothing but adoration and love. Now he was angry, hurt, frustrated, his power challenged.

“Because I’ve seen what you do to people who betray you. I knew how much loyalty mattered to you. And I… I couldn’t have possibly looked you in the eyes and tell you that I’ve been lying and manipulating you for a whole year, and that I was sent to take you down.”

It hurt to say it out loud.

“You ran because you were scared of me? Of what I would do to you if I found out?” He didn’t bother hiding the hurt. He wasn’t calm and composed anymore, he was visibly troubled. Jaws clenched, fingers tightening around his gun, eyes shooting daggers at you. “Answer me!” He raised his voice out of nowhere and you jumped.

You lowered your gaze to the floor. In all those years, be it during training or even while on missions, you had never succumbed in any way when a weapon, no matter the size, was aimed at you. Yet now, you could feel your hands starting to shake just a little.

“Yes. I ran because I was scared of you.” You answered, not having the courage to look up at him.

He was quiet for four seconds - you know because you counted them - before he lowered his gun and shot at the wooden floor, several feet away from your legs. The sound made you flinch and groan, not in fear but in annoyance. He was breaking you, he was getting everything he wanted out of you. You were giving in, too easily. You hated it.

“Liar!” He growled and walked right over to you, quickly. His eyes reflected the anger and frustration he felt inside. He placed the barrel of his gun right under your chin. The cold metal made you shiver, mainly because you still remembered that his metal arm felt the same way against your warm skin. “I said no lies.”

He used the gun to tilt your head back, making you look up into his eyes. He spoke up again, “You ran because you love me, and you couldn’t live with yourself after betraying me. You chose not to lead your people to me, because how could you? How could you do that when you fell in love with the enemy?” Bucky chuckled, removing his gun from your chin and replacing it with his metal hand.

He leaned in so close that when he spoke next, his lips brushed against yours. “You chose to run away rather than give them what they wanted, because they wanted my fall. You ran from me because you couldn’t admit, nor accept that you cared too much about me.” He chuckled. “You did all of this not because you were scared of me, but because you were scared of them since you had failed in a mission.” He shrugged. “That’s understandable, given you fell in love with the one they sent you to ruin.”

Your eyes watered. He broke you, finally. He said everything you’ve been avoiding to tell yourself over this past year. And he was right about everything. You were quiet. You didn’t have anything to say to him.

He spoke up again. “I know for a fact that you knew I would never, ever hurt you. Betrayal or no betrayal.”

“Buck…” You whispered, your voice cracked as you held back a sob. You felt a single tear slide down your cheek.

His hand moved from your chin, down to your waist. He pulled you closer, pressing his body to yours. The feeling of his built, taut body against yours brought back memories you weren’t sure you could ever forget.

“Say it.” He demanded, looking down at your lips, then back into your eyes. His scent filled your senses. He was all you could, and wanted, to focus on. “Tell me I’m right. Tell me the truth you’ve been running from.” He leaned in, as though he was going for a kiss. “Tell me you love me.”

“Bucky, I…” you almost choked on another sob you couldn’t let out. You wanted to tell that you loved him. But the words wouldn’t come out. Something was stopping you; worry or fear or just guilt.

It was guilt.

He scoffed. “Too proud? Too self-righteous to admit that the good little spy fell in love with the bad guy?” He pressed his forehead to yours as he walked the two of you back, towards your bed. You knew what he was doing, and you didn’t stop him. “Admit it, babygirl,” he leaned in to whisper in your ear and you felt goosebumps all over your body, “Or maybe I should remind you…”

Bucky pushed you down on your bed, and he hovered over you supporting himself with one hand while the metal one held his gun right above your face. “You’ve been a bad, bad girl lately.” He murmured, gently lowering his gun and brushing the barrel against your lips, then slowly dragged it down your skin. “Did you think you could hide from me forever?”

He dragged the tip of his gun all the way down till your thighs, making you tremble. His eyes stared down into yours as he carelessly tossed his gun aside and brought his metal hand over to your mouth again.

“Do you know how bad I’ve missed you?” He mumbled, tracing your mouth with his cold fingers. For a moment he forgot why he was here in the first place.

You shivered under his touch. “I’m sorry, Bucky. I never meant to-,”

He scoffed, cutting you off. “Shut up, babygirl.” He had a mean smirk on his face. “You’ve been bad. And what did daddy tell you about babygirls who misbehave?” His calm demeanor could fool anyone. Anyone but you.

You knew him too well. You could tell he was burning inside, agitated. Like a wounded predator, planning his next attack. There was no escaping him now. Not that you truly wanted to.

“They get punished.” You whispered quietly as he tugged on your bottom lip with his thumb. The simple gesture reminded you of all those times spent with him; the nights you spent in his bed, in his arms…

He chuckled. “Exactly. Now come on, you have a lot to make up for.” He pulled away, and stood up straight at the end of your bed. “Take your clothes off. All of it.”

The sound of his authoritative voice had your thighs clenching together to try and alleviate the sweet pain in between your legs. That tone of his was a weakness of yours, and he knew it.

You hesitated only for a moment, but the longer he stared into your eyes the warmer your body felt, and all you wanted to do was to get rid of all that you were wearing. You took your jacket off first, followed by the long sleeved shirt underneath it. You scooted forward, sitting on the edge of the bed to take the rest of your clothes off; shoes, skirt, stockings which left you in your matching set of black underwear.

You looked up at him, waiting for further instructions.

“I said, all of it.” He let his eyes roam your body for a moment and then he spoke up again, “Don’t be shy baby, I’ve seen it all before, haven’t I?”

He had done so much more than just seeing it all. You held his stare as you took your underwear off and had to fight the urge to throw it at his face just for the hell of it.

“Good girl.” He whispered. “Now lie down, spread those legs for me. Show me what’s mine.”

The crudeness of his words would’ve surely made you blush if you didn’t know just how vulgar and dirty he could really get, this was nothing.

You did just as he asked. You held yourself up on your elbows, still holding his stare. Bucky eyed you like you were a warm meal and he was a starving man. There was nothing but lust and mischief in his eyes.

“Touch yourself for me.”

You felt your face get really hot for a moment as your heartbeats rang in your ears. “What?” The question just slipped out before you could stop yourself.

Bucky smirked. “You heard me. Use your pretty fingers and touch yourself. I assume you thought of me each time you… tended to your needs over these past many, many months. I’m sure you missed me,” he chuckled, just as cocky as you expected him to be, “Or at least you missed having my cock buried deep inside of you. Hmm?”

You studied his face for a moment. Your emotions were shifting; from guilt to annoyance to shame to lust. And you hated how well he had you figured out. “How do you know I haven’t had someone else tending to my needs instead?” You asked, quickly realizing that this wasn’t an ideal situation to be the brat you used to be back then.

Bucky let out a little laugh; a hot and evil laugh. “No one will ever satisfy you like I do.” He shoved both of his hands in his pockets. “Even if you did, for some reason, fool around with someone here I assure you they won't be breathing for long.” He responded with a straight face. “You are mine. Nobody touches what’s mine and lives.”

That speech shouldn’t have turned you on as much as it did.

“Now come on, be a good girl and do as you’re told.” He spoke softly. “Show me how you touched yourself when I wasn’t here to take care of you.”

Your hands moved on their own; caressing your inner thighs before placing your fingers right over your clit. The look in his eyes made your walls clench around nothing. Your lips parted and you let out a shaky breath as you toyed with your clit, smearing your wetness around before slowly rubbing down your folds and slipping past your entrance with ease given that you were dripping already. Your other hand toyed with your nipple, twisting and tugging.

Needless to say, Bucky was hard just looking at you.

You stared into his eyes as you gasped in pleasure as your fingers effortlessly slipped in and out of you. You whined as you fingered yourself, thinking about the last time he touched you – all those months back, on the same night that you left him. And how lovely his mouth felt against your body. Whining in need and frustration, the palm of your hands rubbed against your sensitive clit over and over again as your middle finger slipped in and out of you.

“Bucky…” you whimpered.

He just stood there and smirked. “Faster. And don’t you dare cum.”

You whined, slipping your finger in and out of your wet hole rapidly. “Fuck…” Your own touch took you higher, and higher, and you were on the edge.

“Stop.” He ordered, moving closer to you but not touching you yet. “Add another finger.” He waited until you did, whimpering as you pushed another finger in. “Good girl, now fuck your little cunt faster for me.” He leaned over and traced your lips with his cold, metal finger, his touch was agonizingly slow. He was so close, but he still wasn’t touching you like you desperately needed him to.

You took your bottom lip in between your teeth to keep yourself from moaning too loudly. Bucky smirked when he saw how you were struggling to keep quiet. He noticed the way your body squirmed, and he knew you too well so he could tell that you were so close to coming undone.

“Poor baby,” he cooed, “Is it hard?” he taunted, his fake concern morphing into an evil, handsome and sly smile. “Is it frustrating to not be allowed to have something you so desperately want? Hmm?”

“Buck… please,” you whined, releasing your swollen lip from your teeth. Your body felt hot, and you needed to just let go and come undone.

“Stop.” He ordered, shamelessly ignoring your pleas. You stopped, and pulled your hand away from in between your legs. He knelt on your bed, in between your legs. You tried to look away but he grabbed your chin before you could turn your face to the side. He stared into your eyes for a few seconds, not saying anything. Eventually he spoke up, “What do I do with you?”

You stared at him, a thousand thoughts in your head. “You’re crazy.” You spat, hoping to rile him up.

He just chuckled softly. “You did this to me.” He sounded bitter, and hurt. He leaned in to brush his lips against yours, making your heart race, “Thoughts of you were messing with my head for the past year.” He confessed, and you felt your heart hurt. “People think I’m cruel, clearly they haven’t had their heart broken by you.”

You opened your mouth to say something, or maybe apologize, or perhaps you’d say something which would piss him off even more but before you could, his mouth was on yours. He kissed you with passion, but also pent up anger and frustration. He was conflicted, so were you. Both of your pride were hurt, egos bruised but your hearts still yearned for each other. Nothing could change that.

Before you could process anything, Bucky was kissing down your body; you were a whimpering mess by the time he kissed along your inner thighs. He chuckled darkly when you let out a loud moan as he kissed your throbbing clit ever so gently. Like he used to when he was madly in love with you.

“Your body remembers me, babygirl.” He seemed proud of that.

You hated how you couldn’t resist him. You hated how you didn’t even try to. You melted right under his touch as his tongue gently licked down your folds. His hand found yours and he laced his metal fingers with yours while his other hand rubbed up and down your thigh as he pushed his face further into your wet core.

You couldn’t bring yourself to look down at him, but you were sure he looked enticing with his plump, pink lips on your wet heat; your arousal dripping down his chin and coating his lips as he devoured you. You heard him growl before he bit down on the soft skin at your inner thighs to get your attention.

“Look at me.” He mumbled. And when you didn’t obey him right away, you earned yourself a gentle smack on your thigh, which only made you squirm even more; causing you to accidentally grind against his mouth. He chuckled again. “Impatient, are we?”

You supported yourself up on your elbows finally, and looked down at him. His handsome face in between your thighs was a sight you weren’t sure you would ever get used to. You could feel his warm breath fanning your wet skin occasionally as he stared into your eyes until you couldn’t handle the intensity of his stare.

Bucky held your stare as he attached his lips to your core again, making you whimper in pleasure. He wasn’t planning on stopping until you beg him to. He had missed you, your taste. He had missed this; your warmth and your soft whimpers as he teased you with his tongue.

“Do you wanna cum for me, babygirl?” He asked, before pressing his lips back against your wet folds.

You nodded, quickly. “Yes, please…” your legs had begun shaking just a little as he took his time and dragged his tongue up and down your slit. But the way his lips lifted into a smirk gave away that his answer would only disappoint you.

“No, you’re not allowed to cum.” He cooed, playfully. “Not so easily.” He whispered before he got back to teasing your sensitive spot with his warm and wet tongue; relishing your taste and humming in pleasure as he ate you out. He let out a little laugh, “I forgot how good you taste.”

You moaned out loud as your back arched off the bed for just a moment, your eyes closing and your head leaning back as you felt a wave of intense pleasure wash over you. You weren’t sure how long you could take this sweet torture. Your fingers tightened around his and he chuckled against your skin.

“What is it baby, you can’t take it? Hmm? All that sass, all those mind games and now you can’t even handle my tongue?”

He taunted you before getting back to teasing your entrance with the tip of his tongue. Your body tingled and you felt a sweet pressure forming in between your legs. You were sure he could see the tears of frustration escaping your eyes, falling down your warm cheeks.

“Please…” you moaned pathetically.

He licked around your clit one last time before pulling away and kissing his way up your body again. The twisted side of him loved the way you whined when you realized he wasn’t gonna let you cum so easily. He leaned in to kiss your open mouth eventually, making you gasp and moan and forget how to breathe with just one kiss.

When he pulled away to look at you he smiled at the mess you were. Lips swollen, and bruised with how many times you or him bit down on it. Red marks all over your neck, bite marks along your inner thigh, and your arousal dripping out of you. He quickly placed his fingers where his mouth had been earlier, teasing your clit before shoving two fingers inside of you and stroking your walls so slowly that you were losing your mind.

“Why won’t you admit it?” he kissed along your cheek and reached your ear where he whispered, “Are you that proud? That heartless?” Judging by his tone you could tell that his emotions were wavering as well. “I searched the whole world to find you.” His fingers sped up as he spoke, your moans got more frequent and holding them back became much more difficult. “And now you’re still gonna be a stubborn, disrespectful brat?”

The bitterness in his tone woke something inside of you. Did he not realize that you’re not exactly pleased with what you had to do? Did he not understand? Pissed, your annoyance mirroring his, you pushed his hand away and pushed him down on the bed. He wasn’t expecting it so he went down rather easily. You got on top of him, straddling his waist, ignoring the nudity, and stared down at him.

“Enough! You can’t just walk in here and do or say whatever the fuck you want.” Your sudden outburst took him by surprise. Part of him had always loved it when you got a little aggressive. “I’m not proud of what I did. That’s why I left, the guilt was killing me. It still kills me, every single day. I haven’t had the best year of my life since I left you either. I had to leave my homeland, my family, and I… I had to leave you.”

He remained quiet.

“I moved to a place where I knew no one. I’ve been alone for the past year, living amongst strangers, no friends, no family, nothing! All because I couldn’t let them get to me. You were right, because if my people found me they would somehow find a way to get the information they needed and they would’ve surely taken you down. You would’ve never seen it coming.” You sniffled, realizing that you were tearing up again.

Bucky had, surprisingly, nothing to say. You went on.

“You want answers? There you have it then. I couldn’t just stay and watch myself become that reason for your fall. I couldn’t let that happen to you, because I love you too much. When I realized I loved you, I panicked. I ran because I didn’t know what else to do, or how to keep them away from you. And I am so sorry for what I did. I understand if you-,”

He cut your long speech off by sitting up and grabbing you just in time before you lost your balance, pressing his lips to yours. You immediately wrapped your arms around his neck and let him hold you, kiss you like he wanted to for so long. His kiss was gentle this time, careful, loving. His metal hand ran up and down your spine slowly as his other hand grabbed you and pulled you close to him by your butt.

He slowly pulled away and his heart felt like it tore in half at the sight of your teary face. He had been so busy being heartbroken after you left that he didn’t even take a minute to consider this perspective. He was too hurt to even think properly.

“You could’ve just told me the truth. I would’ve handled them. I would’ve done anything for you, I… I would’ve done whatever it took to keep you safe. You know that, right?” Bucky finally spoke up, sounding much more emotional than he thought he ever could.

Truth is, before meeting you he always thought that he was incapable of love. But then you walked into his life and everything changed for the better. So when he lost you, without any explanation, he went insane.

You sighed. “I was scared. I didn’t understand, I thought I was doing the right thing. I was hurting too. You think disappearing out of your life and leaving you behind without saying a proper goodbye was easy?” Your voice cracked as you fought back a sob. “How many times do I have to-,”

He cut you off. Once he saw the tears accumulating along your water line again. “Okay, okay shh. I just got you back, I don’t wanna fight.” He mumbled, pressing his forehead to yours.

You sniffled, your heart skipping a beat as his body heat wrapped around you. “I’ve missed you. Every day. I missed you so much. I couldn’t risk reaching out to you to even apologize, I was so scared. I… I didn’t…,” your sentence ended in a whisper, you didn’t know how to articulate your thoughts too well.

He tightened his arms around you. “It’s okay, baby. Everything is fine now, I found you.”

You were quiet for a while, enjoying his calming touch and processing all that happened since you stepped inside your apartment tonight. “Are you mad at me?” you asked, seeking to find some sort of sense in all that just happened.

He sighed, and kissed your forehead. “I was. When I woke up the next morning after you left, I was confused, hurt. Then you didn’t show up for a couple more days and I had my people look you up, and I was told that you were a spy.” His words made you feel uneasy and ashamed of your past. “I was broken, but I never knew what a heartbreak feels like so instead all I felt was anger. But despite all of it, all I wanted was to have you back. Then I found the organization you worked for, and I made sure to destroy it. Since then I’ve been looking for you like a madman.”

He pulled away to look at you. You managed to look up into his eyes without tearing up again. “I’m sorry.” You whispered.

He pulled you closer. “I’m sorry too.”

“I love you.”

Bucky smiled at you. “Say it again.”

You reached up and cupped his face in your hands. “I love you. I love you so much and I’m sorry. For everything. I just… I just want you back, please.”

He leaned in for a kiss, whispering against your lips, “I’m right here, babygirl.” He gently turned to the side and laid you back down on the bed. “I’ve got you now,” he mumbled, pulling away to take his suit jacket off, then his shirt. He tossed both somewhere on the floor and bent down to kiss you again. He kissed down your neck, leisurely; taking his time on you as he unzipped his pants.

“Buck…” you groaned as he teased you with the soft, feathery touch of his lips. He had been teasing you for so long now, you couldn’t take anymore. Your body felt burning hot again, you needed him. Bad. You needed him like you needed air.

“Yes, baby?” He asked, kissing down your cleavage; pretending he doesn’t know that you were practically shaking in need.

You whined, sliding your finger into his dark, soft hair. “I need you. Please, I need you. Now.” You spoke through gritted teeth by the end, tugging at the roots of his hair.

He chuckled. “So aggressive.” He murmured, kissing up your neck until he reached your mouth. He noticed the way you had unintentionally, gradually parted your legs to accommodate him; your naked body squirming under him, your bare chest pressing up against his, your body heat mixing with his. “I’m gonna take care of you, baby…” he whispered as he lowered his underwear just enough to free his cock. He was rock hard.

You were a whimpering mess by the time he aligned his erected cock to your entrance. You instinctively spread your legs further apart to give him more room. With a slow, steady push, he inserted his length into you. You shuddered, moaning as you felt all of him filling you up. You heard his ragged breaths as he seated himself completely inside you and waited, giving your body time to adjust to him.

He could still make you tremble in pleasure just like the first time he touched you. Bucky held back his moans and growls as he felt your warmth wrap around him so perfectly. He clenched his jaw as he relished the feeling of being inside of you, finally.

“Is this what you needed, babygirl?” he asked, looking down at you, and gently grabbing your face, causing you to look up at him.

You couldn’t talk given how full you were. You just stared at him with parted lips, breathing heavily. Bucky smirked, pulling out just a little before pushing back into you again. You closed your eyes and moaned, arching your back off the surface of the bed again.

He smirked as he looked down at you. “You waited, didn’t you? You waited only for daddy to stretch you out like this. I know you didn’t let anyone touch you while I wasn’t here.” He remained still as he leaned into your ear, whispering, “The way you’re clenching around my cock right now gives it away.” He chuckled, proud.

Your face burned. He knew you too well.

Bucky leaned in to kiss your open mouth, shamelessly shoving his tongue past your parted lips and stroking the inside of your mouth while he began moving in and out of you. He sped up gradually, rocking his hips against yours; his hand reached up to grab your chin gently. He stared into your eyes, speeding up into you again. You gripped the bed sheets as he pounded into you.

He stretched you out deliciously, perfectly. Filling you up and reaching all the right places as he went. He couldn’t hold back any longer, so he moaned and growled right against your mouth, clenching his jaw or occasionally biting down on your lip as he pounded into you relentlessly.

“You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.” He spoke as he sped up into you again. You could whine senselessly, overwhelmed by how good he felt deep inside you.

He leaned down to push his face into your neck as he lifted one of your legs and hooked it to his waist, pushing himself deeper inside you. “Fuck…” he moaned as you clenched hard around him. He down for a moment just to hear you moan wantonly before he sped up again, fucking you relentlessly. “You’re mine. Only mine, you hear me?”

You nodded, or at least tried to.

The louder you got, the closer he felt his release coming and the filthier his mouth got. “Your little cunt is mine. Only mine.” He spoke through messy kisses; growling and causing goosebumps to erupt all over your body. “Only I can fuck you like this, you hear me?” Bucky quickened his pace and pounded into you harder than before; the sounds of your skin slapping one another resonated around the modest room.

Bucky was all you could focus on. The sound of his voice. His body pressing down on yours. His cock inside you. Your walls began to clench tighter around him. His moans, his hot breath against your cheek, his messy kisses. Just him. You had missed him so terribly, and only now did you wonder how in the world did you survive so long without him?

He took you higher, and higher, and higher until you felt more tears escape your eyes. “Please, Buck…” you whined, begging pathetically and unable to arrange your words or your thoughts any better. “Please…”

Your eyes were droopy in lust. His eyes were too as he stared down at you with a handsome and arrogant smirk on his face. “Please what, babygirl?”

His pretty blue eyes put you under a trance. “Please, can I cum?”

Bucky caressed your cheek with his knuckles, his metal hand holding him up above you. He didn’t know how he managed to survive without you all these months. He was barely living without you. He looked down at you with nothing but love and adoration in his eyes.

“Go on, baby. Cum for me.”

You let the pressure build inside you, before simply letting go. He didn’t slow down as you felt your orgasm wash over you, Bucky kept pounding into you as your eyes rolled back and you moaned out loud as you came. You whimpered at how he kept slamming into you even as you came, and your face burned as you felt a familiar knot forming again right at your core.

He fucked into you relentlessly. “Fuck…” He panted and groaned at how good you felt around him; wet and warm all for him. Your walls clenched around him violently and your body arched off the bed.

You felt your second release approaching even before you could recover from the first one. Your leg around his waist was numb but you still wanted more of what he had to give. You would take whatever he gave you in that moment, given you had gone so long without him.

You felt your mind getting foggy again. His large frame hovering above you as he fucked deeper into you, just a little more. “Cum for me again, baby.” He growled, his lips dangerously close to yours as you whined and whimpered under him. Your body trembled as you came for the second time, walls tightening around his length, gushing out around his cock while he still pounded relentlessly into you until he came as well.

You felt his thrust getting sloppy and irregular until he came to a stop and just groaned as he came violently. His warm cum filled you up and some of it trickled out of you when he carefully removed his cock from your entrance.

He collapsed on the bed beside you, catching his breath before pulling you into him. You were slightly shaking as he wrapped his arms around you, kissing your skin wherever he could, murmuring sweet nothings.

“You okay, babe?” he asked after a few minutes of just holding you in his arms, in silence; both of you just enjoying each other’s warmth and presence.

You nodded, placing your arm over his chest and scooting closer to him, pressing up against his side.

You both remained quiet for a while longer. Thinking about the past, and the future.

“Are you sure you’re not mad at me?” You asked, your brain starting to overthink again.

Bucky sighed. “Baby I couldn’t stay mad at you even if you intentionally stabbed me through the heart and watched me bleed to death.”

You took a second to process what he just spoke of, and you made a face at him, showing your horror and concern, which then made him laugh out loud. “You’re sick.” You muttered, placing a gentle kiss to his metal arm. The cold metal against your lips reminded of somewhere you desperately wanted to be - home.

He shrugged, pulling you closer. “Yeah. Also cruel, devious and pure evil. But you love me nonetheless.” He teased.

You smiled, your worn out body snuggled up against him. You felt your eyelids drooping as sleep slowly took over you. Today has been a lot. “I do.” You spoke softly.

Bucky looked down and saw that you were slowly drifting off to sleep. He adjusted the covers so that you were well covered with the warm blankets. He tucked you in and wrapped his arms around you protectively, as though you might slip away from his grasp again.

“I love you, babygirl. Sleep tight, we’re going home soon.”

You didn’t respond so he figured you must have fallen asleep. While he hugged your sleeping figure, he thought back on everything you said tonight. Your biggest fear was that you might end up being the reason for his fall. But little did you know that ultimately, you had been the only reason he knew what truly falling in love was like.

#mob!bucky #bucky barnes #bucky barnes smut #tfatws #marvel au #bucky barnes x reader

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hanniiesuckle17 · 4 years

Text

Pros and Cons

A/n: im sorry it took so long for me to do this bb! This is for @poeticallyspaghetti you've done so much for me lately. you were there for me when no one else was. I love you and I hope you like this! I also can’t wait for our collab together

Look out for Checkmate on both of our accounts!

(not thoroughly edited)

Member: Bangchan ft. 3RACHA, Jae & Dowoon of Day6

Word Count: 20.2k

Warnings: POV switching, censored cursing, mentions of theft, slight violence, mentions of the mob, sensual themes?

Summary: Y/n L/n has lived her whole life locked up in a fancy penthouse. Chan has spent his whole life living one adventure from the next. When fate brings them together by accident Chan takes on the task of whisking her away from her seemingly perfect life, but little do the both of them know bigger problems arise forcing them on the run.

Genre: Con-artist au!, romance, scammer!au, Non-idol!au, comedy, a little bit of angst?

♛

Y/n’s POV

The sound of violins floated across the grand foyer of my parents' penthouse. Well...my penthouse. Really, the presidential suite of the nicest hotel in Seoul. The older I got the more the luxurious mansion in the sky seemed like a prison instead of a palace. Once again my mother was throwing one of her high society parties. The parties were one of the few chances I got to actually interact with the outside world. My parents were convinced that I was some delicate flower that needed protection and isolation.

The closest I got to the outside world was the balcony in my room.

A man over half my age was talking to me about the stocks my father held in one of the many corporate companies in Seoul. “So, it would mean a great deal to our organization if you could pass the word along to your father.” I nodded and downed the rest of my champagne. Now would have been a great time for friends to come in handy. But, there was no one but myself to save me from this dreadfully boring situation.

“Excuse me, sir,”

The man nodded graciously and let me walk away, my heels clicking across the polished wood floors. A hand grabbed my elbow, yanking me in the opposite direction my feet were moving. “Y/n would you be a dear and go talk to the Minister of Education’s daughter.” My mother’s voice nagged in my ear. Her smile was basically permanently plastered on her painted face. “The two of you would be terrific friends. Also, your father needs more pull in the Cabinet.”

My eyebrow rose as I looked across the room to the Minister’s daughter. “Mother she is eight.”

“Yes and?”

“Can’t I have friends my own age?”

“Yes. When both your father and I are dead. We can’t have you hanging around boys and other bad influences. You could ruin your father’s reputation.” She then took my wrist and spun me around taking in every single inch and fiber of my being. “Darling, who dressed you? You look thoroughly underwhelming.” I rolled my eyes as she started unlatching the heavy and bling filled diamond necklace from her neck.

“Mom-”

“Don’t fuss. Photographers are here tonight.”

My chest instantly gained a little under a pound as the close to twenty-thousand dollar necklace was clasped onto my neck by my controlling mother. After it was safely secured on my neck, my mother pushed me in the direction of the little eight-year-old girl snacking on hour devours. “Hi, you’re Jisoo- right?”

I sighed and prepared to sit next to this tiny little girl for the rest of the evening.

♛

Bang Chan’s POV

Several shouts could be heard behind me as I raced down the hall of the hotel. I can’t believe some people live here permanently. My fingers hurriedly started unbuttoning the black button-down I used to pass off as a waiter. The staff's hall was practically empty as I walked through and tossed the button down onto a laundry cart. I shivered feeling the cold air on my arms.

My hands latched onto the black backpack I stashed behind a potted plant. I pulled out my flannel and threw it on over my tank top. “There he is!” A quick glance behind me showed three overly buff goons chasing after me. Maybe swiping that dude’s watch was not the best idea. But this was easily like $3,000. He didn’t need it given what I heard the waiter saying his meal cost. “You won’t get away with this!”

“Yeah, that’s what you think,” I whispered, shoving the watch in my pocket. Maybe I should stick to cons and leave the pickpocketing to Jisung. The one time I try and pickpocket I get caught. My pace quickly turned into a run and burst through the nearest door.

Smells of gourmet food flooded my senses as I weaved through the kitchen. “Where is he?” I pushed passed another waiter, shoving the backpack over my shoulder. Please tell me there is a back door somewhere. My eyes frantically searched for an escape.

“Ha! Score!”

An old dumbwaiter came into my sights. Most hotels had them but didn’t use the mechanisms anymore. I opened the door and climbed in slamming the up button before closing myself inside. It was close to one a.m so hopefully, the guest in whatever room I ended up in was asleep.

♛

Y/n’s POV

The party was wrapping up as I trudged down the hall. I had spent the past several hours talking about cartoons and other childlike things with Jisoo. The sound of mt parents talking with some final guests could be heard behind me. A random staff from the hotel walked passed me as my feet carried me down the hall. The hotel usually lent staff to help with our parties.

My tired body pushed the door to my room open to be greeted by the dark and looming space. Moonlight streamed through the patio door that led to my balcony. I kicked off the painful heels my mother forced me into and took out the tight pins and tie in my hair, walking over to the mirror. My hands shook out the tightness and threaded through my H/c strands.

A large thump had me turning to the far wall. My eyes searched the dark in panic. Blindly, my hands grabbed for an object behind me on my bureau. I looked to see a lamp in my grasp. Well, better than nothing.

“Hello.....who’s there?”

My eyes picked up on a dark shadow standing up from the floor. My heart pounded against my chest. the shadowy figure hulked on the other side of my room, clearly looking around. “The f***?”

“Who are you? Stay where you are.” The head turned at my words. I tried to steady my hands and voice; both were shaking. The figure inched closer and I raised the lamp over my head.

“Oh sh**!”

The figure made a break for the window and I tossed the lamp. The sound of it crashing against the wall filled the room. I grabbed a heavy candle on my dresser. My eyes searched the dark for his movement but the string of panicked curse words gave away the intruder.

“SUCK ON A EUCALYPTUS MINT CANDLE, YOU THIEF!!”

I heard a loud thud and the room was quiet. There was no movement. Inching forward I saw the body of a boy about my age slumped on the floor. The candle lay about a foot away from his head, the glass cracked. Cautiously, I nudged his shoulder with my foot. When he didn’t stir I started to panic.

“Oh crap. I killed a guy. Now, mom’s never gonna let me leave the penthouse.”

A knock on my door sent me jumping out of my skin. “Y/n? Y/n. Open this door. We heard a crash. Is everything okay? Y/n, open this door.” Smoothing down my hair, I rushed to the door and opened it enough to stick my face out. She studied my face and tried to look passed me. “Y/n, what the hell is going on? You should be going to sleep soon.”

“I’m fine, mom. I just tripped and knocked over a lamp.”

She rose a brow and folded her arms. “Really? It sounded like more than that.”

I kept my grip firm on the door, knowing she might try to push through. “Yeah. I’ll leave it for Soonyoung to clean up in the morning. I’m gonna shower and go to bed. Night Mother.” Before she could say anything else I slammed the door and locked it.

Okay. Dead body. In my room. What the heck do I do? Who do I call? I pulled out my phone and opened my contact list. Empty. Okay, so I’m on my own. I paced the floor, staring at the boys with shaggy brown hair. On instinct, I lightly kicked his stomach and he let out a groan.

Okay, not dead. Good. Not dead. Bad for me. I dragged the chair from my vanity to the middle of the room and grabbed some pantyhose and scarves from my closet. It took all of my might to lift up the heavy boy into the chair. “Good grief. How much does this guy weigh?”

With a final grunt, I threw him into the chair and started tying him up with the sheer tights. When I was finished I stuffed a scarf in his mouth and looked at my work. “Who is the fragile one now, huh Dad?” I said, hands on my hips. Another soft groan had me jumping across the room and grabbing the heaviest book near me.

There was no way I could just leave him here. There was also no way I was sleeping in this room tonight. So instead I grabbed a fluffy bean bag and dragged it in front of the chair. I was going to sit and watch this dummy intruder all night. Or....until he woke up.

♛

The sound of a muffled grunt sent me shooting out of the chair. I had fallen asleep while watching the thief. I readied my weapon: The Complete and Full Works of William Shakespeare. I had hurt many a toe dropping this thing.

The boy was looking around wildly before his dark eyes focused on me. “Who are you?” I asked, the heavy book ready to swing. He sighed and nodded his head before I realized what he was referring to. “Oh...sorry.” He sighed when I took the scarf out of his mouth and stretched his neck.

“I’m Chris.” He replied in English. “Do you speak English?” He asked adjusting in his bonds. I scoffed and kept my Shakespeare weapon at the ready.

“Yes, I do. But, you speak Korean. I heard you last night. Don’t play with me.”

He sighed and hung his head. When he looked up I saw his stare flash to my neck. His eyes turned to saucers before coming back to my face. “Alright, alright. What do you want to know?” The boy, Chris, answered back in Korean. Slowly, I lowered the book and sat down on the bean bag.

“How did you get into my room?”

“I climbed in the dumbwaiter and got off on a random floor.”

“Why were you in the dumbwaiter?”

Chris looked around my room before turning back to me. “Would you believe me if I told you I had a crazy ex-girlfriend. I’m sure you’ve got a crazy ex or two. I’d do anything to get away from her.” He shrugged his shoulders and plastered on a smile. The kind I had seen all the boys wear in movies. The kind that made your knees go weak.

“Really? An ex?”

“Yeah.” I watched him gulp and look down at my necklace.

“Is there something wrong?” He shook his head and looked away, squinting.

“No. It’s just the sun is bouncing off the rocks on your neck. You trying to blind me or something?” I glanced down at the necklace my mom gave me last night. Then I turned to find the sun rising up above the Seoul skyline.

“Yeah well....deal with it. You broke into my room.”

“By accident! Look, I’ll be happily on my way if you would let me go. What is this- underwear?” He said struggling against his DIY restraints.

“Pantyhose.”

My parents would be up soon. My father would be going into the office and my mother would be attending numerous social events to further my father’s reach in the political parties. Or shopping it was a 50/50. “What are you? Sixty?” I scoffed and shoved the scarf back in his mouth. “MMmrrpphphh.”

“Yeah, no wisecracks now, huh?”

“NRRgghhrrgggg!”

“You gonna behave, pretty boy?”

“.....Mmpph.”

Smirking I grabbed the scarf from his mouth and tossed it onto the bean bag. Chris shot me an annoyed glare. “So, let’s say I believe this whole ex-girlfriend thing. There’s no way I can sneak you passed my parents. Even if they both left early the staff is coming up to clean. We had a sort of gala in honor of my father last night.” I started pacing the floor, the sunrise leaking into my room.

“Oh, a ‘sort of gala’. Unlike a full f***ing gala. Those are for royalty.” Chris mocked in a British accent.

“Shut up.”

He watched me pace the room and nervously tug at my messy hair. He sighed and hung his head, his chest resting against the tight make-shift bonds. “Look. As long as your parents leave, I’m sure I can make something up with the staff. Then we can go our separate ways and you can go back to shopping in Gangnam or whatever it is girls like you do.”

“I’ve never really been out of the penthouse...so I wouldn’t know what girls like me do.” He blinked at my response.

“You’ve never left? That’s insane.”

“You haven’t met my parents.”

“I don’t think I want to.” I saw his eyes flick back to the necklace and an idea popped in my head. My fingers dragged across the diamonds and I tried not to break a smile when his eyes widened ever so slightly.

“You like this don’t you?”

“I mean,” He shrugged, pursing his lips and looking out the huge door that led to my balcony. “It’s not bad. I’ve seen better.” I smirked and gently played with the necklace causing him to glance between me and the window.

“Oh...I would agree. $20,000 is basically trash. Chump change really. They could have ripped me off for fake diamonds.” Chris’s eyes bugged out of his head.

“$20,000?!”

I rushed to cover his mouth, looking to the door. “Shhh! My mother is a light sleeper.” After waiting a few moments I brought my hand away from his mouth. His eyes couldn’t help but bulge out at the payday sitting inches away from him around my neck. And I knew it.

My fingers undid the clasp behind my neck and I dangled the necklace in front of his face. It was like dangling a carrot in front of a mule. The diamonds swung back and forth slightly, his eyes tracking every move.

“You want it?”

All he did was gulp and look back up at me. He let out a heavy breath when I backed away still holding up the necklace. “What’s the catch?” He asked, still eyeing the diamonds.

“Take me with you. Get me out of here.”

“Won’t your parents notice your gone.”

“My mother will miss these diamonds before she’ll miss me. And she won’t even notice they’re gone until tomorrow. She’s got tons of these.”

Chris seemed to be thinking about the deal. I was finally getting my hopes up. I could maybe start a new life. Earn my own way. Have friends. Have freedom. “Okay, are we talking like get you out for the day...or...’get you out’?”

“I can’t stand being here anymore. Get me out. I can always come back if I want to.”

Chan’s eyes followed the bling as I swung it back and forth. “Deal. Untie me.” I dropped the necklace on my dresser and untied Chris from the chair. I saw him make a break for the dresser, but I beat him there, grabbing the necklace. “Hey! Deal is a deal!”

“You haven’t gotten me out of here yet. You aren’t getting this necklace until you completely finish the job. If you know what I mean. And I think you do.” Chan sighed and crossed his arms.

“So you didn’t believe the girlfriend story?”

“Not for one second.”

“Da**.”

“Sorry, pretty boy.”

He backed away from me and shrugged. “Okay, princess. Change out of that freakshow dress and get ready to leave. I’m gonna show you what the world really looks like.” A huge grin overtook my face.

♛

A few hours later I slipped out of my room and stuffed a backpack behind a plant near the door. First I had to sneak Chris passed the staff, then I was one step closer to freedom. Quietly, I snuck back into the room where Chris was lounging on my bed.

“I still don’t know why you want to leave. This thing is the softest blanket I’ve ever felt.”

I scoffed and started grabbing a pair of jeans from my dresser. “Yeah. I would trade freedom for those blankets and everything else in a heartbeat.” Chris sighed and started rummaging through my drawers. Probably looking for more stuff to steal or at least clues about my personality.

“Is it really that bad?” I nodded and grabbed my favorite shirt and a jacket from my closet. After closing the bathroom door I started to change. “They don’t let you have any friends?”Chris called through the door.

“I mean, Dowoon and Jae. But, they work for my father. Jae has always been...nice to me. But, my father hardly ever leaves them alone with me.”

A smile twitched on my lips thinking about Jae. He had been working for my father as a PA for almost five years. I had always had a big crush on him, but I could never know if he liked me back. He was always a stickler for my dad’s rules.

“You ready?” Chris asked as I exited the bathroom fully changed. With a nod, the two of us headed towards my bedroom door. Cracking it open I verified that the hallway was clear. “Okay let’s blow this popsicle stand,” Chris said as I motioned for him to follow.

The staff seemed to be minding their own business in other rooms of the penthouse. Chris carefully followed me into the living room, quietly marveling at the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. My ears picked up on the front door opening. “Get down!” I whispered.

“Where am I supposed to hide? Everything is out in the open?”

“I don’t know just get down!”

Finally, I shoved him behind a white couch and sat on the arm just as a pair of leather shoes rounded the corner. A nervous smile graced my lips seeing who it was. “Y/n? What are you doing out here?” Jae asked. He looked insanely good standing in the pressed black Italian suit. It hugged his lean figure in all the right ways.

“Uhhhh, Jae? I..uuh-..wanted some air?” I said the first thing that came to mind, instantly regretting it. I heard a groan come from Chris so I carefully kicked my leg behind me to keep him quiet.

“Miss, you have a balcony...”

“Yeah well, the air in here is better than in my room?” Come on Jae, just buy it.

“Miss, the hallway air is exactly the same as the purified ultraviolet filtered air in your suite. Is the filter broken? Should I check on it?”

He started advancing towards me but I pressed my hands against his chest stopping him from moving past the couch. My eye darted over to Chan who was quietly watching the whole scene from his hiding spot. “Uh..no! Umm....I just...heard you come in and....wanted to see you...”

My voice trailed off at the last part and I looked up to see a light dust on Jae’s cheeks. “You wanted to see...me?” Jae’s voice was soft and he chuckled before looking around the room. I saw a thought flash through his mind before he backed away running a hand through his blonde hair. “Well- uh...your father forgot some papers for a deal with China and asked me to come get them.”

I nodded and shoved my hands in my pockets. This was usually how most encounters with Jae went. Hopefully, he didn’t suspect anything. “Oh...okay. Do you know if he’s gonna be home for dinner.”

Jae shrugged and gave me a smile that screamed pity. “Sorry, I don’t know.” Jae turned around and headed for my father’s office. A few minutes later he came back out a file in hand as well as a briefcase. Jae gave me another smile sending heat to my cheeks and butterflies to my stomach as he existed the penthouse.

The second the front door closed, Chris shot up from his hiding place. “So....you like that guy or something?” He said dusting himself off. I shrugged and stood back up. A hand to my cheek told me my skin was still hot.

“Oh...that was just Jae. I told you about him earlier.”

“Jae......?”

“Yes, Jae.” I couldn’t help the smile on my face when I said his name. Chris scoffed behind me as I grabbed the backpack I stashed. I glanced back as the two of us walked out the front door and into the hall. “What’s with the attitude?”

“Nothing. It’s just I thought you would have better taste.”

“What?”

“Please. He’s just some pretty boy with skinny chicken legs in a nice suit,” Chris took the lead, as we approached the elevator. He pressed the button for the basement and turned back to me with a smirk. “No muscle on him at all.”

“Okay, pretty boy. Whatever you say.” Before Chris could make a retort the elevator doors opened and we entered, leaving him fuming. We rode the first two floors in silence. Then Chris opened his mouth.

“You know your little boyfriend was packin’ right?” My eyes went wide and I felt another blush rise to my cheeks. I tried to keep my stare forward. Chris chuckled at my expression.

“He’s not my.....-what do you mean- HOW WOULD YOU KNOW, YOU PERVERT?”

Chan smirked and rolled his eyes. “No. I mean, your little chicken boy- he had a gun on him. I don’t know any personal assistant who carries that’s all.” Jae had a gun? He was with my father twenty-four seven. Maybe Dad wanted extra protection?

“So, why are we going to the basement?” I asked changing the subject.

Chris handed me a black cap from his bag. “We can’t just go out the lobby doors. Your a chaebol’s daughter. We’re gonna go out the loading dock. I’ve got some friends Itaewon that can maybe help you out.” Nodding, I put the hat on and sighed when I had to tighten it. Before the door opened Chris shoved the brim down over my face and threw an arm over my shoulder. “Pretend to talk about something that pissed you off.”

The doors opened and a couple of busboys stood in front of us. They looked the both of us up and down and then up to me when I started to speak to Chris. “So, this random girl jumps in front of me and steals my cab. Like who the hell does that? I was already late for work and I literally heard her tell the guy to take her uptown. No one works uptown!” Chris smirked and pulled me closer as we walked past the busboys.

“That sucks, babe.”

“I know! I was fired for being late. That freaking hag in 705 reported me for being late to clean!” Chris glanced back and then dropped his arm from my shoulder. “Good job, princess. Let’s bounce. The train for Itaewon leaves in fifteen minutes.”

“Isn’t Itaewon....”

“Yeah. Don’t worry you’ll love it. Jisung does anyway.”

♛

Bang Chan’s POV

Y/n sat next to me, backpack in her lap. The boys were probably chilling at my place waiting for me so I knew where I could find them. The train doors opened and I motioned for Y/n to get off. She followed me out into the streets of Itaewon. A couple girls at the station called out to me and even to Y/n. She smiled at them, but I pulled her to my side.

“Don’t talk to them.”

“What, why? I was just being nice.”

“Just keep walking and stay close to me. You’re practically a walking dollar sign.” She shrugged and walked closer to me. No way was I gonna let someone else scam my prize. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Y/n pull out her phone. She called out when I grabbed it.

“Hey, give that back!”

“We’ve gotta scrap it. Parents like yours are bound to have put a tracker on this.” She quieted and let me search through her phone. Sure enough, a quick search through it showed a program embedded into the software. It would take way too long to remove it. My eyes scanned the street we were on and landed on a pair of girls on the street corner.

Y/n followed me as I walked towards them. “Hey!” Their heads turned and they stood up a little straighter. Their painted lips turned upwards into a smile. “You girls work for Yeji?” One girl nodded and crossed her arms. “Tell her I said hi. Also, here take this. Give it to one of her rookies.”

“And who should I say sent the message,” the girl with pink hair inquired, twirling a strand around her finger. The other pocketed the phone.

“Tell her Bangchan sent it.” The girl nodded and motioned the girl in the opposite direction. “Okay, princess let’s go.” Taking her arm I led her towards the burrows of Itaewon.

“Who were those girls?” Y/n asked. I ran a hand through my hair as we walked through the streets. I was hoping Y/n didn’t look too out of place. Hopefully, Changbin would have some clothes that might fit her. He was small enough.

“Well let’s just say Yeji provides girls to people seeking private entertainment.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. That’ll be fun for your mom to find.” I heard Y/n laugh behind me. “You think that’s funny?” I asked confused. She shrugged and looked around her. She seemed fascinated by everything around her. It was almost endearing.

“I think anyone would think that’s funny.”

“Jisung is gonna looooove you.”

A few blocks later we stood in front of a two-story brick building with trees that hid most of the house, and what wasn’t hidden was fenced in by a wall. “You’re a pretty private person, aren’t you.”

“Yeah. Congratulations you are officially the fourth person to know this location.”

I opened the gate door and closed it behind us before walking up to my front door. My fingers quickly entered the key code and the security system beeped letting me know the door unlocked. “DADDY’S HOOOMMMEEE!” Someone screamed inside.

“Who the heck is that?”

“That’s Jisung. Try not to touch him. He may or may not have fleas.”

She chuckled and walked through the door. Jisung lounged across my couch and raised his arms when he saw me. “Chan! Channie! What’s up, dude? Where have you been?” I threw my backpack on the couch and motioned to Y/n behind me.

“Got a little held up.” Jisung’s eyes went wide as Y/n rounded the corner. He stood up and brushed off what seemed to be Cheeto dust from his jeans.

“Hyung, who’s the chick with the great ass?”

Jisung started walking towards her but I grabbed the back of his collar pulling him back in front of me. “She’s a payday.” His eyes widened and that mischievous grin lit up his eyes.

“SHE’S GOT CAKE AND CASH!”

“Shhhhh!”

“My type of woman.”

I rolled my eyes as Jisung continued to ogle Y/n’s backside as she looked around. “Where’s Bin?” Jisung shrugged, his focus still on Y/n. “Hey! Can you not? Look she’s got a huge payday and I might split it with you.” That perked his attention.

“50/50?”

“Try 90/10.”

“60/40?”

“80/20.”

“85/15!”

I paused. “Yeah sure. I’ll split it 85/15. You drive a hard bargain.” Jisung laughed and shook my hand. His blonde hair bounced as he went over to Y/n. I climbed the stairs in search of Changbin. “Yo, Bin! You up here? I’ve got a favor I need.”

Changbin was indeed upstairs. He was hidden behind multiple computers, typing away at lightspeed. The office door was open allowing me to see him. At my voice, he peeked out from behind the monitors and then returned behind his technological shields. “Chan I’ve done enough favors for you. Remember Gangnam?”

“Yes. I do. And that was very generous of you to help.

“No ‘ands’. No more favors.”

“1,000 bucks?”

“Sold. What am I doing?”

I laughed and sat at the edge of the desk. “YO, JISUNG! GET UP HERE!” Changbin shook his head and continued working on his previous project while Jisung took his sweet time climbing the stairs.”Can you find someone just off a first name?” I asked Bin, as Jisung walked in.

“I can find someone off the first letter of a nickname.”

“Search for ‘Y/n’.” I turned to Jisung. “So, what did she tell you?” He shrugged and picked up a random half made device on the desk.

“Put it back,” Changbin said without looking away from the screen.

“Not much. She just told me you were helping her get away from her parents.” Jisung drummed his fingers on his thigh. The boy had enough energy to power half of Seoul. “So how big are we talking about?” Jisung questioned, his tongue swiping over his bottom lip.

“Found her,” Changbin said, leaning back in his chair. “This better not be your favor.”

“Already?”

“Her name popped up in a google search along with a picture.” Jisung and I both moved to peer over Changbin’s shoulder. He was right. The screen showed a picture of Y/n in a very nice dress standing next to a very powerful looking man. A man I recognized. My eyes widened as I saw her full name listed under the photo. Y/n L/n.

“Oh, f***...”

“What? She's loaded.” Jisung said next to me. He took the mouse and clicked on images. He scrolled through all the photos of her at high society parties. “Da**. She is one hot chick.”

“No, idiot. Look at her dad.” Turning I saw Jisung’s face pale.

“Dude, we are so f***ing dead.”

♛

*Later That Same Night*

Jae’s POV

I stood hands clasped in front of me as I stood off to the side in the L/n dining room. Dowoon stood next to me. We listened to the soft clink of silverware against china as Mr. L/n and Mrs. L/n ate their dinner. “Have you seen Y/n today, honey?” Mr. L/n asked his wife.

She shrugged and continued to daintily eat her food. If I knew anything about her she would be throwing it back up within the next two hours. She was obsessed with image. It made me sick how she always had to control everything. Even Y/n.

“No. I haven’t. I was out all day. She’s probably still sulking in her room like always.” I tried to hide the frown on my face, but Mr. L/n saw it.

“Jae. Have you seen my daughter?”

I cleared my throat and glanced at Dowoon. “Yes sir. I saw Y/n-Miss Y/n earlier this morning. She seemed a little off-put.” Mr. L/n sighed and rubbed his temples.

“Dowoon, please go check on my daughter. I’d like to speak to her.”

Dowoon nodded and bowed to both the lady and the boss. Without a word he left the dining room and headed down the hall to Y/n’s room. I drummed my fingers against my hand. I hoped Y/n was feeling better. She was acting a little weird this morning. I blushed thinking about what she said to me.

Feeling a tap on my shoulder I turned to see a nervous Dowoon. He leaned in to whisper to me. “Uh, hyung...she didn’t answer the door. I knocked like four times. What do I do?”

“She must still be upset or something. I’ll check on her.”

Dowoon nodded and went back to his place watching over Mr. and Mrs. L/n. I walked across the penthouse to Y/n’s room and sighed when I saw the lights off from under the door. Gently, I wrapped my knuckles on the door and waited to hear her voice. When I didn’t, I called out for her.

“Y/n?”

No response.

“Hey, Y/n? It’s Jae. You wanna talk?”

Nothing. Again I knocked.

“Y/n? You okay, beautiful?”

There was no response. Something was wrong. “Hey, Y/n, I’m coming in.” My hand found the doorknob and turned. I was surprised to find it unlocked. My eyes quickly adjusted to the low light in the room.

“Oh sh**.”

The room was empty. She was gone. “Y/n? Please tell me your hiding somewhere, beautiful.” I started searching the room. Under the bed. In the closet (Some of her clothes were missing, but the staff did laundry today). In the bathroom. On the balcony. Then I saw it. The dumbwaiter. It was open. My heart started racing, panic starting to set in.

“Jae is everything okay-”

I turned to find Dowoon standing slack-jawed in the doorway. “She’s gone.” I rubbed the back of my neck. Mr. L/n was gonna kill me. Literally. It wasn’t official, but not only was I in charge of his safety and affairs but also Y/n’s. I can’t believe I didn’t check on her when we got back to the penthouse. This was all my fault.

“What’s that?” Dowoon pointed to the center of the room. I walked over and picked up a cheap pair of headphones from the floor. These weren’t Y/n’s. “Those aren’t hers, right? We’ve gotta tell the boss.”

I nodded, pocketing the headphones and leading my partner back into the dining room. Nervously, I walked up to Mr. L/n and whispered in his ear. “Sir.....we...can’t find her. She’s missing.” I winced, waiting for the storm.

His face reddened and he slammed down his silverware and stood up abruptly, startling the whole room. “Jae. Dowoon. My office. NOW!” Mr. L/n stormed into his study, not waiting for us to follow, which we did. Quickly.

I closed the door after us, knowing exactly what was to be discussed. As I turned around a large hand flew across my cheek, causing me to stumble into a bookcase. I touched my cheek, feeling blood. Mr. L/n adjusted his cuffs, a furious expression on his face. His ring had sliced my cheek.

He came back with a second blow. Dowoon watched, hiding his fear. I would rather take it than him. “MY DAUGHTER WAS IN YOUR SAFETY.” He screamed, backing away from me. Mr. L/n started pacing, his hand twitching with agitation. “SHE MIGHT HAVE BEEN TAKEN BY ANOTHER KINGPIN!”

Dowoon and I flinched at his words. “We apologize, sir.” We both bowed low.

“Jae,” I looked up, hesitantly. “While I am furious...I trust you more than anyone else in the syndicate. If you can find her and bring her back unharmed...I will give her to you. It was in discussion already.” My eyes went wide. I knew there were plans to marry off Y/n. Mr. L/n wanted for her to marry within the syndicate so she could be protected.

“Sir, you mean-”

“Only...if you bring her back to me. I’m hoping your infatuation with my daughter drives you even more to find her. And you WILL find her.”

“Yes sir.” The blood slowly trickled down my cheek. I fought the urge to wipe it away. His eyes bore into me. Mr. L/n was one of the most dangerous men in Seoul and he loved his daughter very much. He had many enemies that wished to harm him and his family, so this job might have been near impossible. But, it was Y/n.

“I will find her.”

♛

Y/n’s POV

Jisung raced out of the room closest to the stairs and leaned over the balcony.

“YOUR DAD IS A F***ING MOB BOSS?!?!?!”

“My dad is a what?” I asked as I watched the wide-eyed blonde boy on the staircase. Chris followed him out and started pushing him down the stairs. Another boy with dark hair, much shorter than the other two, appeared on the landing. He was seemingly unfazed by this shocking news. “What do you mean my dad is a mob boss? He’s a cabinet secretary. He works for the president.”

“I hate to break it to you princess, but that’s not all he does,” Chris said sitting down on the plush sofa in his living room. Jisung stood near me, a tentative and slightly wandering hand on my waist. I slapped it away making the silent boy chuckle. “Your dad runs one of the largest and most dangerous mob syndicates in Seoul.”

“And he doesn’t like Chan too much either.” The silent one said while scrolling through his phone.

“Changbin, shut up will you?” Chris said throwing a pillow at him.

“I’m sorry, who is Chan?”

The other two boys looked at Chris. Jisung backed away from me and rubbed the back of his neck. Chris hung his head low and half-heartedly rose his hand. “That would be me.” I was very confused.

“But you told me your name was Chris?”

“Yeah, that’s one of the many names I go by.” I looked to Jisung who just shrugged and gave me a nervous smile. Tension hung in the air. “I’m what some people call a hustler.”

“He’s a con artist. Quit beating around the bush.” The shorter boy, Changbin said.

Chris, or Chan, sighed. “Your dad hired me to scam a couple candidates into giving me their campaign plans. It worked. Piece of cake. But, your dad refused to pay me the agreed amount,”

“Yeah...he can be a little cheap,” I said rubbing my arm and sitting down across from him. Jisung followed like a loyal puppy, listening intently with me, even though he had probably heard this story many times before.

“Anyway, I made the not so great decision and I sort of...swindled $10k from him.”

“That’s nothing to him-”

“And a Porsche.”

“Oh......” My dad was really serious about his cars. I did remember him telling me about someone stealing one of his sports cars about two years ago. “That was you? Jae told me someone swiped it while it was in the shop.”

Chris laughed and Changbin high fived him without looking up from his phone. “Here’s the thing,” Changbin said still laser focused on his screen. “With your dad being who he is, it will be harder to get you under the radar. Your dad has eyes and ears everywhere. I’ve got to completely erase you from the system.”

I felt a touch on my shoulder and I turned to see Jisung pulling away from me. “Were you smelling my hair?” I asked crossing my arms.

“......No...”

“Jisung can you not be a thirteen year old for a second?” Chris said rolling his eyes. Jisung scoffed and spread out on the couch, purposefully pushing his thigh against mine. He yelped when I slapped it away. “So, Changbin, how long before we can set her up with her new life?”

The boy sighed when Chan pulled away his phone, trying to see for himself what the boy was working on. “I should be able to get off the grid within the next 32 hours. Getting her new ids shouldn’t be a problem. Jisung can swipe me some templates from that guy...what’s his name?”

“Minho?”

“Yeah, him.”

“Minho is not gonna like me ‘borrowing’ his things again,” Jisung awkwardly shifted on the couch next to me. “Last time I barely made it out with my head. He threw a f***ing toaster at me.” I had to stifle my laughter with my hand.

“Y/n, you can stay here until we get you new ids. I’ve got a house in Jeju we can set you up in after that.” Chan said pushing himself off the sofa. I watched him walk around the back of the couch before he turned back to me again. “Jisung, sleep on the couch tonight. Y/n, you’ll sleep in his room.”

“What! That’s not fair! She should sleep in your room. You’re the one who brought her here!” Jisung stood up from the couch to continue whining but Chan stopped him.

“Who’s the one who accidentally burst all the pipes in their apartment with a boomerang?”

Jisung shuffled back and forth on his heels. “....Me..”

“And who’s the one who has been letting you stay here for the past six months rent-free?” The blonde boy quieted and looked at the ceiling. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” While the conversation seemed light hearted, I knew Chris meant business.

Changbin grabbed back his phone. “You all should sleep. Chan you’ve got that deal tomorrow and Jisung you’ll have to give Toaster Man a visit.” Jisung groaned, stuffing his face in a couch pillow. “I’ll stick around and start working on her stuff.”

Soon everyone dispersed. Jisung showed me to his room like a gentleman. Unfortunately, I had to physically push him out like a four year old. I put my backpack at the foot of the bed. I slipped under the covers and tucked my hand under the pillow only to be met with a couple crumpled up candy wrappers. I laughed and tossed them into the trash can before returning to the bed. Soon, I fell into a deep sleep.

♛

Jae’s POV

Eighteen hours had passed already. It took me eighteen hours to remember that her mother put a tracker in her d*** phone. Dowoon sat in the passenger seat of my car, a computer in his lap.

“Turn left up here.”

“What the hell is she doing in Itaewon?”

“They have good fishcakes.” Turning I saw Dowoon’s innocent smile. It fell when he saw my serious expression. We drove in silence for the next few seconds. “Dang it. Now I want fishcakes.”

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I hadn’t slept since yesterday morning. In the rearview mirror, I could see the beginnings of dark circles forming under my eyes. I wouldn’t rest until I found Y/n.

“Okay, the tracker says she’s in that building over there.” I sighed and pulled the car over onto the side of the street. Dowoon and I got out and I squinted in the afternoon sun. The building ahead of us was unmarked but several women, wearing revealing clothes stood out front talking amongst each other.

“Hey, cutie,” A girl with long red claws said, gently grabbing Dowoon’s arm as we walked past. “You got time to talk?” She twirled a strand of hair around her finger while looking at him with big doe eyes.

“Actually I-”

“Sorry, we’re working,” I said dragging him away and through the door.

“What’s wrong? She was being nice? We could have asked her about Y/n.”

“She was gonna give you more than that.” My eyes scanned the large room we entered. Dowoon stood next to me trying to decipher what I just said. Several girls, scantily clad, milled about. Some had men on their arm.

“I don’t get it. What else was she gonna give us?” Dowoon asked confused. I sighed and pressed forward. A girl with blonde hair walked up to me, pressing her hands against my chest.

“Looking for some fun, hot stuff?” I opened my jacket and the girl backed away seeing the gun I had stashed there. “Sh**, a simple ‘no’ would suffice.” The girl walked away and I checked my phone. The tracking program said Y/n was upstairs.

“What is Y/n doing in a place like this?” The thought sickened me. I knew for a fact she wouldn’t be here voluntarily.

“I don’t know but these all seem like nice girls. Maybe a little cold not wearing a sweater in here. But, they seem friendly.” Dowoon was a great shot. He could shoot an apple off someone's head from an entire building away, but somehow be completely innocent in the weirdest ways.

I checked my phone seeing that the tracker led behind a closed door at the end of the hall. I pulled out my gun and motioned for Dowoon to follow me. Pressing my ear against the door, I listened for voices in the room. I picked up the muffled sound of a female voice that sort of resembled Y/n. Nodding to Dowoon we burst through the door, guns aimed.

The girl screamed and rolled off the bed, scrambling to find a sheet or a shirt. “Oh My- Dowoon, cover your eyes.” I blindly grasped his face trying to hide his view. I looked away giving the half naked girl who was not in fact Y/n some privacy.

“What the f*** is going on here?” The man the girl was with asked.

“Sir, I need to talk to this woman. Please get out before I decide to make you.” The man’s eyes widened and he quickly ran out of the room. My eyes landed on a phone on the bedside table. I picked it up and saw the case was Y/n’s.

“Hey! That’s mine!”

I looked up to see a girl with pale pink hair. She had managed to slip on her shirt and now stood furious on the other side of the bed. “This?” I asked holding up the phone, gun still trained on her. “No, this- this is not yours.” Her body obviously tensed up under the barrel of a gun. “What’s your name?”

“Jae, can I look now or?”

I turned to see Dowoon still with his eyes closed pointing his gun in the opposite direction. I pointed his gun in the correct direction and elbowed him. His eyes opened and he let out a nervous chuckle before he focused on the girl.

“My name is Irene. Look, that’s my phone. It's used though. I don’t know anything about the previous owner.” I lowered the gun and put it back in its place.

“Who gave it to you? When?”

“Yesterday. Some guy came up to me and a co-worker. Said he knew our boss, Yeji, and that the phone was a gift.” Dowoon lowered his gun and got out his phone. We would have to report back to the boss soon.

“What did he look like?”

“What are you cops or something?” Irene said sitting on the edge of the bed.

“No. We aren’t cops. But, we do have quite a few of the police on our payroll.” She visibly gulped, shifting uncomfortably under my stare. I was so close to finding Y/n, I could feel it. “Now tell me everything you remember about this guy.”

“I don’t know. He had brown hair. He looked like a foreigner, but he didn’t have an accent. I don’t remember his name. He was really cool looking, to be honest. Had that whole boy next door look, but you knew he was a bad guy. In a good way. Oh! He had a girl with him. I remember because she didn’t look like she was from around here and she was way out of his league.”

I listened carefully, a scowl forming on my face. Dowoon noticed my change in demeanor immediately. “You know who he is?” I nodded, turning towards the door. I was furious. Dowoon followed me out the door, eager to hear my answer.

“It’s Chan. Bang Chan. He’s got Y/n. And I’m gonna kill him.”

♛

Y/n’s POV

This morning I woke up early. I wanted to thank the boys for helping me finally leave that hell hole. Their kitchen was useless. Chan had practically nothing stocked and what little food there was Jisung devoured. So, instead in ordered them takeout..

Chan was set to come back around the time it got dark. Changbin was still holed up in the Pit, that’s what Jisung called his computer room. Jisung and I had taken over Chan’s living room, takeout, and soda bottles on the coffee table as we screamed at the drama playing on the huge TV.

“NO, YOU LOVE HER DON’T PUSH HER AWAY!” Jisung said as he grabbed onto my arm. Through tears, he reached for another slice of pizza.

“JISUNG WHY ARE WE WATCHING THIS? IT’S SO SAD!”

He shook his head next to me and wiped his tears. “Because your teenagedom was deprived of sleepovers. And I am dubbing myself your official best friend.” I cried harder not only because Jisung was my new best friend but because the lead actress was chasing her lover through the rain. Jisung and I clung onto each other and continued our rant at the screen.

“Um.....what pre-teen girl tornado blew up in my house?” Turning we saw Chan walking through the front door, a confused look on his face.

“DADDY’S HOME!”

“Jisung stop screaming in my ear!” I yelled as he jumped over the couch. I then took in Chris’s attire. He wore a white coat and he had a stethoscope draped around his neck. His dark brown hair was pushed back and parted, exposing his (as I was just noticing now) handsome features.

“Someone answer my question.”

“I was showing Y/n what it’s like to actually have fun with people her own age.”

“Since when were you or Y/n thirteen year old girls? What’s that I smell?” Jisung slowly moved his hands behind his back. “Holy sh**. Jisung you let her paint your nails?”

“What are you talking about? Jisung painted mine than practically forced me to do his.” Jisung’s eyes went wide and he turned around and made the shushing motion towards me. “What’s with the getup?” I asked Chris, changing the subject. “You look like a doctor.”

“Oh- it’s just uh....some business I had planned before this stuff happened.” I crossed my arms coming to stand next to my new BFF. Jisung glanced at me before crossing his arms like me and listing his head and pursing his lips.

“You know you can be honest and say you were working a con.”

“Fine, princess. I was working a con. Happy?” I shrugged and patted his shoulder.

Jisung chuckled and gave Chris a thumbs up before throwing an arm around my shoulder. “I think we should all call it a night. I’m starting a new life tomorrow after all!” With that, we left Chris standing in his fake doctor's coat in the living room.

“Are you guys gonna clean up?”

“Nope!”

♛

A crash sent me shooting up from the bed. “What the hell?” I drowsily asked myself. Another one sent my eyes flying open like saucers. The bed shook and I practically screamed. Jisung shot up from the bed, drool on his mouth and blonde hair sticking up in all directions.

“Jisung! What the hell? What are you doing in here?”

“The couch was lumpy. What’s going on?”

The third crash sent me rocketing out of bed. Suddenly the door burst open. I grabbed the closest thing which was the lamp on the bedside table. Chan burst through the door in sweatpants but lacking a shirt.

“Oh- Sh**! WHAT IS WITH YOU AND LAMPS?”

“WHAT IS WITH YOU AND NOT WEARING A SHIRT?”

“I’M SORRY IF I DIDN’T BOTHER TO PUT ON A SHIRT WHEN YOUR CHICKEN LEG BOYFRIEND IS ATTACKING MY HOUSE!”

“What? Jae is here?” I asked putting the lamp back The sound of gunshots confirmed Jae’s presence. “What is he shooting at?” I asked as I grabbed my shoes and started slipping them on.

“Wait, Jisung what are you doing here? You know what- nevermind. UH- Changbin. He’s throwing plates at your boyfriend and his monkey friend.” Chan started rummaging through the closet and throwing a bag and clothes at Jisung. “Get your stuff, princess. We’re about to make a getaway. Jisung meet us at the hideout in Gwanak. Get Bin out of here after we leave.”

“After? What about us?”

“You are gonna give us a head start,” Chan said pulling me out the door.

“SO I’M BAIT?”

“Chan, are you gonna leave like this?” I asked, shouldering my bag. A peek over the railing revealed several men in black suits brandishing guns. Except they were clearly thugs and not agents looking for aliens.

“I’ve got a getaway bag in the car.” He kept a strong grip on my hand and looked around him. He looked up and grabbed a metal pieced of artwork before adjusting our hands. “When I tell you to run, run. Got it? You run for the garage and don’t look back.” I nodded and he held the metal sheet in front of both of us.

Chan pulled me down the stairs. “Hey! There he is! He’s got the girl!” The pounding sounds of gunshots rang against the metal sheet less than a foot away from my face.

“Chan! I’m gonna kill you!” I heard the familiar voice of Jae scream. “Y/n! Come on let me take you back to your dad! Come back with me, beautiful.” If Jae really wanted me to come back with him sincerely he would tell Dad’s goons to stop SHOOTING AT CHRIS AND ME.

“RUN, Y/N! NOW!” Chris yelled just as Jae charged him ripping away the metal sheet he was using as a shield. Following his instruction, I bolted for the garage. When I looked back I turned to see Jae land a pretty hard blow just above Chris’s eye.

“Chris!”

“Y/n, GO!” I sighed and burst through the garage door. That little-....There in pristine condition sat my father’s favorite lightning blue Porsche. I tossed my bag in the car and jumped in. My hands frantically searched for the keys. The sound of gunshots had my heart pounding against my chest. I found them in the glove compartment just as Chan burst through the door.

“START THE CAR!”

“I’m going! I’m going.”

The car started and Chan dove into the car. I opened the garage door, but it was only halfway up when the garage door opened again. I turned to see Jae and Dowoon in the doorway. Jae was bleeding from the nose and Dowoon hand a pieced of a plate in his cheek. “Y/n-GO!”

“I can’t! The door!”

“Just GO!”

Screaming, I slammed my foot on the accelerator and the sports car shot forward, erupting through the garage door. “GET IN THE SUVs!” I heard Jae yell back into the house.

“How are Jisung and Bin gonna get out?” I asked keeping my eyes on the road, frantically looking behind me.

“Don’t worry about them. They’ll meet us in Gwanak.” Chan reached behind him and pulled out a bag from behind the driver's seat. He slipped on a shirt he pulled out from the bag. “Woah! Wrong side of the road! Move over!” Chan screamed grabbing the wheel and steering the car onto the right side of the road. “What’s wrong with you? Do you not know how to drive?”

“NO I DON’T!”

“YOU’RE DRIVING WITHOUT A LICENSE?”

“YOU SCAM PEOPLE FOR THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS AND YOU CARE ABOUT THIS!?” I said frantically and sporadically looking from the rearview mirror to the road ahead of me as we drove at top speed in the middle of the night. My skin went cold as I saw tow black SUVs appear behind us. “Chan...what do I do? They’re right behind us!”

He turned around and muttered a string of curse words. “Okay...um...We are gonna switch places.” Chris said turning back to me.

“Chan we are going ninety-three miles an hour!”

“Do you trust me?”

“.....Yes.”

“Okay, princess. On the count of three, I want you to let go of the wheel and take your foot off the pedal okay?” I nodded and got ready to do as he asked. In my peripherals, I saw Chan reach near my seat and I nervously looked behind me. “Ready, princess?” I nodded and gripped the steering wheel. “One...two...three!”

I let go of the pedal and steering wheel and Chris jerked my seat back and climbed over me. “Great job, love! You can move over to the other seat!” My heart was pounding against my chest. I was sure any second now I would fall into a panic attack. When I was safely in the passenger seat Chris pulled his seat forward and shifted the gear of the car.

Chan did his best to shake the two tails we had on us. “Your boyfriend is seriously crazy,” Chan said shaking his head, turning down a narrow alley still going at top speeds. I gripped the door handle in fear. “He is seriously determined.”

“Again, not my boyfriend!” I said turning around to check how far away the sedans were.

“Hold on tight, love,” Chan said, throwing his arm in front of me as we drifted into another tight alley. This time, Chris slid the car to a stop and shut off the lights and engine. “Get down, baby girl.” He said pushing my head down below the windshield. After a few seconds, we heard the SUVs race by us. Chan and I stayed down, his hand on the back of my neck and our heads inches away from each other.

“Well.....that was fun?”

♛

Ten minutes later Chan was pulling into another dark alley. We had finally made it to Gwanak without anyone following us. “Is this the safe house? Where are Changbin and Jisung?” Chris shook his head and shut off the Porsche.

“No. We’ve got to make a stop first. We’ve gotta go deep undercover. Your face and mine are about to be plastered everywhere.” Chan got out of the car and before I could reach for the handle he was running around the front to open the door for me. “Come on, let’s hope he’s home,” Chris said quickly ushering me to a dimly lit back door.

“Who are we talking about?”

“An old friend,” Chan said pounding on the door. He kept his hand firmly on my waist. Every few seconds he scanned the alley, making sure we were still not followed. “Hey, it’s Chan! Open up!”

“Chris, we should keep moving. I know Jae. He’s gonna figure out where we are soon enough.”

“All the more reason to be here.” He pounded on the door again. “Dude! Come on! You owe me! Open up!” While Chan continued to yell at the door I watched the ends of the alley, hoping not to see Jae or Dowoon rounding the corner.

“I’m coming, I’m coming. F***...” A muffled voice said from behind the door. Chan stepped back from the door and took my hand, dragging me further into his side. “F***ing sh**. Chan, d*** it. It’s two a.m!” An angry voice said as it approached the door. I flinched as it flew open. A giant of a man with bright red hair and dressed in a fancy robe appeared. “What, pipsqueak?”

“BamBam. Long time no see.”

“What do you want, Chan? I was asleep-.....who’s this hottie?” The cherry headed man, BamBam, said leaning on the doorway looking me up and down.

“This is Y/n L/n,” Chan said his hand gripping onto my hip. BamBam’s eyes went wide and he slammed the door in our faces.

“NO! NO! I AM NOT DEALING WITH L/N’S SYNDICATE. NO. CHAN YOU CAN’T MAKE ME. A FAVOR IS SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE BORROWING SUGAR. NOT BRINGING THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN SEOUL’S DAUGHTER TO MY DOOR!”

“BamBam you barely eat carbs let alone processed sugar.” The door opened and he stuck his head out. “Come on, Bam. We need your help. Or at least your bathroom.”

“Bathroom?” Both BamBam and I both questioned.

♛

“What is this place?” I asked as BamBam lead us through the first floor of the building. It was covered head to toe with clothes and hats and crazy objects.

“It’s my personal treasure trove. Everything your man Chan uses for his little schemes most likely came from here.” BamBam said picking up a policeman’s uniform and throwing it behind another rack of clothes. The giraffe with red hair rummaged through the piles of clothes and costumes. “Here, Chan. You need this.....and Y/n.....look through these.” BamBam tossed Chan a brown bottle and handed me a container with a bunch of hair in it.

“Wigs?”

“Don’t worry. They’re all the finest synthetic hair. Bathroom is back there, you two.” He said pointing a long finger in the correct direction. I smiled and tightened my hold on the box Chris’s weird friend gave me. “Stay as long as you need. I’m going back to bed.” BamBam dragged his feet up some stairs that probably led to where he was previously sleeping.

“You wanna help me with this, princess?” Chan said holding up the brown bottle in his hand. I shrugged and followed him to the back of the building. My eyes trailed down Chan’s shoulders as we looked for BamBam’s restroom. “Ah, here we go.” Chan opened the door and let me enter first. I dropped the big box on the toilet seat and started searching through them.

I heard Chan pull a chair into the bathroom from the hall. “Why does BamBam have all these? Chan shrugged and searched something up on his phone. “There are some weird colors in here.” He laughed as I threw a neon green wig at him.

“Oh yeah. That’s perfect for you, princess.” He laughed and tossed it back. “Have you ever bleached hair before?” Chris said looking at the bottle. I laughed seeing the familiar brown bottle of hydrogen peroxide. The bottle was a familiar sight from my mother’s bathroom counter.

“Not personally.”

“Do I just like...pour it on?”

“If you want to permanently fry your hair! We can��t damage those cute curls you’ve got.”

Without thinking I ran my fingers through Chris’s dark brown and tangled mop. His eyes looked me up and down, a small smirk. “Cute?” He asked, poking my side. He laughed when a rosy dust fell on my cheeks. “You want to help, princess?”

Chan sat down in the chair and handed me the brown bottle which I immediately put down. I looked around and grabbed two bottles from the shower. Chan watched me struggle to get the cap open like an idiot. “You good there?”

“This plastic bottle of.....designer conditioner....is smarter than me.” Chris laughed and reached for the bottle. In less than a second, the bottle popped open for him. He laughed when I sent him a glare. “I loosened it for you.”

“Sure, baby girl. Whatever.” He leaned back in the chair and looked at the ceiling, a genuine smile on his face. Heat flushed to my face at the new pet name. Chan seemed unfazed by it. Nervously, I turned on the sink and began washing his hair. “What’s your favorite candy?” Chan asked as I was rinsing the conditioner out of his hair.

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I’m bored. Entertain me, princess.”

“Okay...um...I like Milkyways.”

“Milkyways? Really?”

“You bash my candy choice, pretty boy, and I’ll make sure your hair turns orange.” He laughed, his eyes turning into crescents. Chan continued to ask me random questions while I bleached his hair. It was fun getting to know Chris...well the real Chris. “You must really be dedicated if your bleaching your hair.”

“Bleaching my hair....or dying at the hands of your boyfriend. I choose the former.”

“Again. Jae is not my boyfriend.” I said squeezing hydroperoxide into his hair. Thank goodness BamBam had gloves in a cabinet otherwise my hands would be messed up. “Jae is just Jae.” I was surprised when I didn’t feel myself smile as I said his name.

I took off the gloves as Chan sat forward, waiting for his hair to dry. “What’s the deal with you two anyway.” He asked poking my arm. “You two were totally into each other back at the penthouse.”

“Well...I think my feelings have changed after he shot at us.”

“Well, he was mostly shooting at me.”

“Yeah...guess he was, pretty boy.” I smiled looking down at Chan. He grabbed my hand and swung it back and forth. I glanced down and then back up at him.

“Hey...it’s gonna be okay, Y/n. I’ll take care of it.” I scoffed and rolled my eyes. He tugged on my wrist. My feet shuffled forward making me stand between his legs. Chris brushed his thumb over my hand.

“Take care of what?”

“Of you. I’ll make sure you get what you want.” Chan stared up at me with a look I had never seen before. It was hard to tear my eyes away from him. Like he had this hold on me. But, I felt safe with him. I felt fully myself. “We’ve got twenty minutes. Why don’t you try on some of those wigs? Put on a little fashion show for me, baby girl?” He said with a smile, leaning back in the chair, his hand still attached to my wrist.

Chan laughed as I tried on all the crazy wigs BamBam had in the box. After his phone timer went off, I helped Chan wash his hair again. Then he let me towel dry his hair. “Woah,” I said, pulling the towel away.

“Is it that bad?” He asked standing up and rushing to the mirror. He ran his fingers through his new blonde hair and he stared into the mirror at his locks.

“No...you look really good.”

He smirked and messed with the new blonde strands before turning to me with a bright smile. “You think so?” His hands rested on my waist, his thumbs grazing over the fabric of my t-shirt. There was a tension in the air. One that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

“Yeah, I do...”

Hesitantly, I let my palms press against his chest. Was he going to kiss me? I could feel my stomach start to do somersaults. Chris leaned down, only barely enough for me to notice. He was. Chan was going to kiss me.

“HEY LOVEBIRDS! I NEED TO PEE!” BamBam said pounding on the door.

The two of us burst apart, Chan scratching the back of his neck. “We should probably....- Bin and Sung are probably waiting for us.” Chris nervously grabbed my backpack and I grabbed the closest wig to me, stuffing my hair inside it.

“Yeah totally.”

Chan opened the door for us to find a pissed off BamBam. “Can I pee now?” Chan laughed and took my hand, pulling me out into the hall.

“Thanks for letting us hideout and stuff!” Chan called back to his friend who was already in the bathroom. Chris pulled me back out the Porsche, which was still sitting safely in the alley. Like a gentleman, Chan opened my door before sliding across the hood and getting in the driver seat.

He spared me a glance and cast a smile my way. “Short and Dark is a good look on you.” I brushed the wig’s bangs out of my eyes and blushed, turning away from Chan as he started the car and drove off into the early morning.

♛

Jae’s POV

“F***!” I exclaimed slamming my hand on a nearby table. Stressfully, I ran a hand through my hair. Dowoon just stood off to the side, awkwardly watching our guys rummage through the house.

“That did not go the way I expected.”

Daggers flew from my eyes. He instantly shut his mouth. “Dowoon...she was right here. I missed her. She just...slipped through my fingers.” Dowoon waved off a man who was trying to ask him a question before turning back to me.

“You know she more ran...than slipped.”

“You’re right. She did run away.” I said standing up straight once again. “She practically flew when Chan told her to run.” My eyes returned to the door I watched Y/n run out of.

“Why do you think she ran?”

“Chan’s probably got her brainwashed or something. I wouldn’t put it passed him.” I reached for the mail that was left on the kitchen counter. “Remember I want this entire place searched!” I called out to the men. “Man, she knew I was here for her. Why didn’t she come to me?” I said tossing it onto the marble island.

“Maybe she’s just not into you dude.”

“No. That’s not it. It’s got to be Chan. He must have told her everything about her dad and then freaked her out. It’s all his fault.” Dowoon, sifted through the week-old envelops I had tossed.

“What’s this? Does this Chan guy go to university?”

“What- no?” I scoffed and leaned against the counter. “He barely has his highschool diploma.” I watched Dowoon pick up a magazine and flip it over.

“Maybe one of the guys that were here. The blonde one looked kind of young...and dumb.” Dowoon flipped through the magazine smiling at some of the pictures.

“Why do you ask?”

He shrugged and tossed it to me. I flipped through the magazine and saw it was a college-based magazine. Student made. “Well...that magazine is only sold in Gwanak. Near Seoul University.” My eyes went wide and I looked at the cover of the magazine.

“I’ve got a call to make. We need another pair of eyes.”

“More than the thirteen guys we have now.”

“I just want her back Dowoon...” I said pulling out my phone. I scrolled through my contacts until I found the one I needed. Pressing the name, I brought the device to my ear and waited for the dial tone to end.

“Hey. It’s me. Look, I need you to find someone. This asshat took her...She’s somewhere in Gwanak, we know that.” I listened to him speak while drumming my fingers on the counter.

“Yeah. You’ll get the money when you get her and bring her safely back to me.” I pursed my lips, feeling myself getting angry as he asked his next question.

“I don’t care what happens to the guy she’s with. Just get her back.” With that, I hung up the phone.

♛

Chan’s POV

Jogging around the blue car, I opened Y/n’s door and helped her out. She grabbed her bag and started walking towards the dark apartment building. The sun would be rising in a couple of hours. I reached for her hand and led her up the stairs to the top level.

She laughed when we came to the door. “Another passcode? Mr. Privacy?” I smiled and shrugged my shoulders, taking her backpack for her.

“The code is #0325.” She turned to me and smiled.

“You trust me with the code to your safehouse?” I shrugged and tried to hide the smile on my face. I watched as her fingers touched each number gingerly on the keypad. She smiled when the bright tone notified her that the door was unlocked.

“Y/N’S HOMMMMMEE!” Jisung yelled. I heard his feet thundering down the small hall. I rolled my eyes when Jisung tackled Y/n out of my grasp, hugging her tightly. With serious eyes, he turned to me, still holding onto Y/n. “From now on, Y/n and I are inseparable! You will not drag her into messes and get her killed! She is my best friend!”

I sent Jisung a hard glare and took one step towards him making the blonde squeal, hiding behind Y/n. “Sorry, Chan. Nevermind take her she’s yours. I can see now that I clearly overstepped my boundaries.” Jisung said, words flying out of his mouth faster than I could comprehend.

“What’s going on?” Y/n asked. I saw Changbin saunter into the hall and join us. He leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and face stoic.

“Don’t worry. Chan just wants you all to himself.” The short boy said smirking at me.

“WHAT?!” Both Y/n and I exclaimed looking from each other to Changbin. Y/n turned to me, a curious look on her face. The same one from when we first met, except this time my head didn’t hurt.

“Well...this isn’t awkward at all,” Jisung said, coming out from behind Y/n. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and puffed out his cheeks, looking around the four of us. “Hey, Y/n, lemme show you something!” He practically dragged her out from the hall and towards the bedroom. Fearing for what he did to my apartment, I followed.

“So, what is it you're showing me, Sung?” Y/n asked and Jisung guided her into my room. Wait. Sh**. My room.

“This was originally Chan hyung’s room, but I figured with a few touches you would like it better! I figured since he loves you and all he can sleep on the sofa.” They entered the room a few feet ahead of me. “It’s his turn to have back problems. Y/n gasped. I rounded the corner and my jaw dropped.

“JISUNG, WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO MY ROOM? HOW DID YOU EVEN GET ALL THIS?”

My room was plastered with posters and pictures of unicorns and rom-com movie posters. It looked like a fourteen year old girl from a Disney channel sitcom threw up their essence all over my bedroom. There were boyband posters and albums everywhere and heart shaped hangers in the closet. My clothes were in a huge black pile in the corner marked ‘Chan’s Sh**’. One wall on the far side was spray-painted pink and stuffed animals were all around the room.

“When did you have time to do all of this? We got here two hours after you! Where did this all come from?” I said picking up a Super Junior album that was sitting on what used to be my dresser.

“You’d be surprised,” Changbin said standing in the doorway.

I sighed and turned to Jisung. He turned to me with an innocent smile as I grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out into the hall while Y/n continued to marvel at the room. “Sung...you do understand she’s not staying right? We are just helping her get to Jeju so she can start a new life.” He stared down at the ground, fiddling with the rings on his fingers. His light blonde fell in front of his eyes as he looked back up at me.

“You don’t really want that...do you?”

I looked into his eyes. My friend looked genuinely sad. No, that wasn’t what I wanted. Not now at least. Maybe before, but it wasn’t what I wanted now. “What I want doesn’t matter. It’s what she wants.” I said patting his shoulder. “Do you understand?”

“Yeah...of course...”

Jisung sulked back into my room, which I would be burning after Y/n went to Jeju. “Jisung! Thank you so much! I love it!” Y/n said hugging a huge stuffed toy.

“Sung, how did you even pickpocket a three foot tall stuffed rabbit and four B.A.P posters?” I asked looking at the toy Y/n was holding in her arms. I tried to suppress the thumping against my chest at the sight.

“Chan I don’t remember asking for your opinion, but it’s called talent, okay?”

Y/n laughed and set the bunny down next to my bed. She gasped and picked up a heavy purple candle on the bedside table. “Oh, a candle! I love these! I always had candles and stuff like that in my room at home!” I saw Jisung’s face turn soft and he ran out of the room.

“HOLD ON ONE SECOND!” He screamed through the less than small apartment. He returned with a hand full of candles.

“Oh no no no no no,” I said pushing him back out of the room.

“What? Y/n says she loves candles.’ Jisung said shrugging and trying to push past me and back into the bedroom, where we heard Changbin and Y/n talking.

“Jisung I will not have candles in my house after she attacked me with one!”

“What about incense?”

“NO SMELLY THINGS!” I shivered at the thought of what Y/n could accidentally do to me with burning incense. My eyes found Y/n walking out of the room holding the lit candle, her eyes happy.

“Chan, thank you so much for helping me and for all of this! And Jisung, I really love the candle.” With that, she went back into the room and jumped onto the bed.

Jisung turned back to me with his eyebrows raised. I crossed my arms and then looked back to Y/n sitting happily on my bed watching the candle flicker happily. I felt Jisung nudge me bringing my attention back to him. “Okay...one candle.”

“Bro, you are so whipped.”

“Shut up before I throw you off the roof with all those candles strapped to your head.”

“You wouldn’t...”

♛

Y/n’s POV

Chan slept in his room that night. Well, he rested. He said it would be hard to sleep with all those pop stars and animals staring at him. I had told him I wasn't tired, so I scrolled through the phone Jisung had pocketed for me.

When the boys awoke a few hours later, I had prepared breakfast for them. This place was actually stocked with food. I gasped seeing Jisung emerge from the guest room. He had bruises on his shoulder and the strong scent of candles came from him.

“Sung, what happened to you?” I said taking his face in my hands. He glared at Chan as he exited his bedroom and sat down at the kitchen table.

“Ask your newly blonde boyfriend.” He said sitting in the farthest seat from Chris.

When I turned to Chan he just gave me a sweet smile and turned back to the breakfast I had made. “This is good, princess.” He said slipping a strawberry into his mouth. I blushed and sipped on the mug of tea I had made earlier.

“So, what’s the plan today?” I asked, setting the cup down.

Chan took a sip of the orange juice in the glass near him and looked to me. “Changbin still needs templates to get you IDs. Jisung knows where to get some, but I’m not gonna leave you here so you’ll come with us to the meeting.” I nodded and took another sip of tea.

“Sounds good.”

“We’ll leave in like...an hour?” Chan said.

Jisung turned to me, mouth full of toast and berries. His eyes turned down and his cheeks were full, but somehow he still managed to frown with toast sticking out of his mouth. “I’m gonna need more than an hour. It’s just too good.” Jisung muttered with his mouth full.

“Fine. Y/n just go get ready, princess. Don’t forget the wig.”

♛

The black bangs of the wig kept blowing in my face. It was about noon when we finally left Chris’s apartment. “Stay right here, princess. Jisung and I are gonna go pick up the templates.” Chan said stopping in front of one of the many stalls around us. He had taken us to a local thrifting fair. A bunch of college students milled about, helping us blend in.

“Okay, what should I do while I wait.”

“I know the shop owner, so they’ll let you stay at the booth.” His hand rested gently on my arm as he spoke to me over the noise of the crowd. “Just pretend you are looking for a gift.” He motioned to the wares the vendor was selling. “I’ll be back soon. If someone asks, just say you’re waiting for your boyfriend or something.”

Chan and Jisung left and I watched them disappear into the crowd. Running my fingers through the short locks of the wig I waved to the vendor who sent me a polite smile. There was plenty to look at from the booth. The woman was selling very pretty handmade silver jewelry.

I picked up a very simple chain necklace with a small silver ring on it. I thought about how nice it would look on Chan. Maybe I had enough cash with me to get it for him?

“That’s very pretty.” A voice said behind me.

A man came to stand beside me. He had shaggy black hair and a boxy smile. His long fingers picked up the necklace and held it up to the light before gently giving it back to me. “Thank you,” I said, keeping my answer short.

“Is it for you or is it a gift?” The boy asked again.

I sighed and avoided looking at him. “Um...a gift.” He nodded and began looking at other necklaces. Every so often he would cast a look my way.

“I’m Wonpil, by the way.” I nodded and gave him a tight-lipped smile. Why would he not go away? I put the necklace down and moved further down the table, pretending to look at other things. “What’s your name?”

“Uh...Jessica...”

I said turning back to the table. He nodded and moved down the row as well. He moved o the other side of the table to look there. However, he was clearly intent on talking to me. “So, Jessica...are you here by yourself, or are you with friends?” I nervously laughed and looked in the direction Chris left.

“I’m here with my boyfriend. I’m waiting for him to come back.”

Wonpil gave me a kind smile and went back to looking at jewelry. I glanced up at the boy. There was something off about him. He was just barely too old to be a university student. Maybe he just lived near here?

“So, is it a gift for him?” I nodded, then turned my attention to the box of rings near the middle of the table. “What’s his name?” Should I give Chris’s name? No. That would be a bad idea. I don’t want him to get hurt.

“His name is Chanyoung.”

Wonpil nodded and continued pursuing the wares and jewelry. Come one, Chris. Where are you? “Has he been gone long? You seem nervous.” I laughed and shook my head.

“He and our friend just went to go pick up something. He’ll be back...any minute now.”

“I’ll wait with you if you’d like?” Wonpil suggested, that kind smile on his face. He came around my side of the table and placed a hand on my shoulder. I shook my head and backed away.

“I’m fine, really-”

“Hey, baby girl! Sorry to keep you waiting.” I felt a strong arm wrap around my waist and lips press against my cheek. I turned to see Chan with a cool and composed smile on his face. “We didn’t mean to be gone for so long.” His hand came up to my cheek and he pressed his lips against mine like he had done it thousands of times before.

Not wanting to break the charade I closed my eyes and let him kiss me. Chan pulled away and pecked my lips once more before Jisung coughed and gently kicked him. “Oh- sorry. I’m her boyfriend. Who are you?” Chan said holding out his hand to shake.

“Oh, you're Chanyoung. I’m Wonpil.” They shook hands and I could see Chan’s face sour for just a second. His eyes glanced at me and then doubled back.

“Oh, baby, you’ve got a bug on you!”

“I’ll get it!” Jisung shouted, eyeing my shoulder. He swatted the bug away, grabbing it in his fist. I looked at the two boys wondering what was going on. “Hey, we’ve got lunch plans so we should go soon,” Jisung said, sticking his hands in his pockets.

“Did you get what you needed to get, baby?” I asked, palms pressing against Chan’s chest. His grip was still firm around my waist, keeping me as close as possible.

“Yeah! Let’s go get lunch, baby girl.” Chan said kissing me again. “It was nice to meet you Wonpil,” Chris said waving goodbye before steering me in the opposite direction of the booth. Jisung followed us and sped up to keep our pace. “Y/n, who was that guy?”

I shrugged and looked back. Wonpil was no longer at the booth. “I have no clue.” Chan shook his head and gripped my side tighter.

“He’s gotta know who you are.” The three of us walked through the streets of the thrift fair quickly hoping to evade whoever it was Wonpil actually turned out to be. “He actually planted a bug on you. That’s why Jisung and I freaked out.” I shivered. My feeling about Wonpil had been right. We walked a little further before Jisung spoke up again.

“So...like, can we actually get lunch though?”

♛

The little bell rang as the three of us entered a little sushi shop Jisung knew about. “Jisung didn’t you have sushi like four days ago?” He shrugged and led us to a secluded booth in the back. A few waitresses waved at him as we passed by.

“Chan, you can never have too much sushi. Plus I get discounts here.”

“How do you get discounts?” I asked.

“Used to date the owner’s daughter. She dumped me. He still liked me so... free sushi.”

I nodded, still not quite understanding as I slid into the booth. Chan scooted in next to me, his leg just barely touching mine. My hands reached for the menu, but Jisung quickly whisked them away. “Nope. I’m ordering for us.” Chan laughed and pressed his hands to his temples. The waitress came by and Jisung ordered practically everything on the menu and sake.

“Jisung that is a lot of food.”

“I’m a lot of hungry.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Chan said throwing his arm over the back of the booth. Jisung shrugged and started blowing bubbles in his water with the straw. “You are such a child,” Chris said laughing.

“Speaking of, I need to pee,” Jisung announced. I grounded and shoved my face into my hands. Jisung hopped out of the booth and shuffled to the restroom. That left me and Chris...alone.

“So...”

We looked at each other and burst out laughing. “You kissed me,” Chan nodded and looked away. I was surprised to see a dark blush on Chan’s ears. “Thank you. For saving me from whoever that guy was.” Chan shrugged, a shy smile lighting up his face. His fingers tapped against the booth.

“My pleasure.”

“Your pleasure saving me, or your pleasure kissing me.”

“Would you be mad if I said both?”

It was my turn to blush and look away. My fingers locked onto the cold glass filled with water and I took a heavy sip, before turning back to Chris. “Not...entirely,” I said unable to keep the smile from leaking onto my lips. Chris looked around the restaurant before looking back at me.

“Would you be mad if I did it again?”

“Not entirely,” I said, a smirk flirting its way onto the corner of my mouth.

I felt Chan’s other hand reach for min under the table, making me smile. “If I kiss you, you promise you won’t whack me with like a lamp or something right?” I laughed and rubbed my thumb across his hand. He smiled when I shook my head ‘yes’. Slowly he leaned closer until he was only a breath away.

“You gonna make me wait for it, pretty boy, or what?”

He let out a soft breathy laugh before connecting his lips to mine. He tasted like the strawberries from this morning; sweet and decadent. Chris deepened the kiss and laced his fingers with mine. My heart pounded against my chest as his lips ghosted over mine. He pulled away just long enough to smile before coming back for more. It felt like Chan and I were the only two people in the world.

“WHY THE F*** ARE YOU KISSING MY BESTFRIEND?!”

I heard a loud clang and several shouts and pulled away to see Chris grasping the back of his head and Jisung standing there holding a waitress’s tray. “What the hell man?” Chan exclaimed.

“STOP! KISSING! Y/N!” Jisung said, whacking Chris each time.

“Jisung! Chill out! I wanted him to!” I said to the tray maniac in front of me. “It’s okay! I wanted him to kiss me.” Jisung slowly lowered the tray, giving Chris a wary eye. Chan rubbed the back of his head and I cupped his face checking to see if anything was bleeding.

“Okay...fine. Sorry. I got a tad bit overprotective.” Jisung said completely lowering the tray and sitting back down. “Oh- here this is yours.” He said handing the metal tray to the confused waitress. “Don’t worry, I’ll leave a big tip!” Jisung said with an innocent smile as if nothing ever happened.

Nervously, the waitress walked away to get our food. Now, safe from Jisung’s wrath, Chris gently reached for my hand under the table. I smiled feeling his thumb gently rub circles on my skin.

“Jisung, don’t you think that was a little overkill?” Chan asked as the waitresses set down mountains of sushi in front of us. He shook his head and dived into the flavorful bites.

“Not at all. A psychic once told me my spirit animal was a vicious chihuahua.”

“I can attest to that,” Chris said before placing a roll onto my plate. I smiled at him and ate the piece. “Okay, let’s eat and get out of here.” We all nodded and ate quickly, enjoying every bite.

“I don’t know if they’ll let me back in here,” Jisung said after we paid the bill.

♛

The three of us rode back to the safe house in the Porsche, Jisung sat with his legs squished to his chest in the back. When we got out Chan punched in the code and we all spilled across the living room in food comas.

“What happened to you guys?” Changbin said wandering into the living room.

“Sushi coma,” I said laying across Chan’s lap. Changbin nodded as if completely understanding. I looked over to see Jisung lying face down on the sofa, his butt sticking up in the air.

“Did you guys get the templates?”

Without speaking Jisung started rummaging around his pocket until he pulled out what looked like a blank passport and ID card and raised it in the air. His head was still thoroughly buried in the cushions.

“Great. I should have these done in like...four hours. Then you can start your new life.” Bin said checking the templates. I watched him leave the room before staring back up at the ceiling. My fingers tucked under the hairline of the wig and I pulled it and the wig cap off my head.

“I like your natural hair better than that old thing,” Chan stated, pulling the hair tie from my updo. He ran his fingers through my hair, shaking it loose as I stared up at him. “You better not change it too much once you get to Jeju.” I laughed and tossed the wig onto the coffee table.

“Y/n, do you really have to go?” Jisung whined. He had turned his face just enough so he could speak without sounding like he had cotton balls in his mouth. “I’m going to miss my new best friend so much!”

“I don’t think it’s safe for you all here. The longer I’m with you the more Jae is going to come after me.”

Jisung sighed and put his butt down, fully laying on the couch. Chan and Jisung eventually fell asleep in their places, but I stayed awake thinking about what was to come. I was less excited about leaving Seoul than I was before. Jisung was in Seoul. Changbin was in Seoul. Chan was in Seoul. I would be in Jeju. All by myself.

I felt like they were my family now. Chan stirred in his sleep, his fingers twitching on top of my stomach. Gently, I traced light patterns on the back of his hand. “Did you not sleep?” He asked drowsily, lifting his head.

“No.”

“Thinking about Jeju?” I nodded and played with his fingers. It was easy to tell I was nervous. “You know, Yn,” He whispered, wrapping his hand around mine. “I could always stay with you the first couple of days. Just to make sure everything is alright of course.” Chan shrugged, but couldn’t stop the little smile edging itself onto the corner of his mouth.

“Oh, of course. Just to make sure everything is alright.”

“Yeah, just for that.”

I laughed, keeping it quiet hoping not to wake Jisung. “Oh, I have something to give you. Actually two things.” I said, getting up from the couch. Chan watched me bring my backpack from his bedroom and sit back down next to him. He waited patiently as I dug through the bag. “Here is the first,” I said. Chan’s eyes widened when I pulled out the diamond necklace.

“But, I haven’t gotten you to Jeju yet?” I shrugged, placing it in his hands.

“You’ve already been through so much for me.” He looked from me to the jewels in his hands. He gently placed it on the coffee table, before pulling me close and kissing my cheek. “And... the second thing. Hold on.” I tried to hold back my grin as I pulled the silver chain out of my pocket.

“Where in the world did you get this?” Chan said, as I delicately placed the necklace in his hand.

“Jisung may have taught me a few things. It’s from the booth you left me at.” He laughed and looked at the simple piece of jewelry. “It’s nothing much. I just saw it and thought of you. It can be something to remember me by.”

“Baby girl it will be near impossible to forget you.” I smiled as he traced his finger along my jaw, bringing me closer. His lips brushed over mine, sending butterflies into wild flight patterns in my stomach.

Chan pulled away, a soft smile lighting up his eyes. I watched as he draped the necklace over his neck. “Would you really come with me to Jeju?” He nodded, his grin growing as I cupped his cheek.

“Guys get a room. Some of us are trying to take a nap!” Jisung said throwing a cushion at us.

♛

I looked at the passport and ID in my lap. Changbin had done an incredible job. These looked immaculate. My fingers brushed over my imprinted picture. “You take a pretty good photo,” Chan said, glancing over at me with a smile.

He sat beside me in the driver’s seat of the Porsche, watching the road. “I’m sure you do too.” Chan shook his head, checking the rearview mirror.

“Nah. No pictures. Part of my job description.”

“You don’t have any pictures of yourself?” I laughed bewildered, as he shook his head. Chan shrugged, pulling into the line for cars to board the ferry. “How far away are we?” Chris let out a hefty sigh, dropping his hands from the steering wheel as we inched forward closer to the boat. His fingers reached over and held onto mine.

“Um...I’d say about forty-five minutes on the boat and another twenty to get to the house.” Chan leaned his head against the seat, rubbing his thumb over the back of my hand. “You’re almost there, Y/n.” I turned in my seat, leaning against the headrest.

“Thank you, Chris. For everything.” The blonde shrugged it off, a shy smile spreading to his cheeks. Soon we made it onto the boat. Chan parked the Porsche near the bow of the ferry. With both our stomachs rumbling, Chan went up to the top deck before bringing us back down cheap slices of pizza.

The radio played softly while Chan and I laughed and ate the subpar pizza in his car. I giggled when Chris took one of the crusts from my plate and stuffed it in his mouth. “Don’t steal my food!”

“Can I steal something else then?” Chris said turning to the setting sun.

“If you’re gonna say something cheesy like my heart, I’ll toss you over the railing.”

He laughed, taking my hand again. “Fine, I won’t.” I played with the silver bands and rings around his fingers. It felt so normal to be with Chris. Everything about him felt...good. Wonderful. “Please let me finish! Y/n I haven’t been cheesy in so long.” He almost whined, bringing our hands up to his forehead.

“Fine...” I groaned though a smile was still creeping its way onto my face. “What are you going to steal then?” I said cringing and closing my eyes. They opened when I felt his hand on my jaw.

“First I was thinking, a kiss...” His lips ghosted over mine, leaving a lasting sensation when he pulled away. “Then maybe another...” His lips pressed against mine again, his thumb running over the back of my hand. His forehead rested against mine. “Why don’t you just give me your heart?” He whispered,

“Why should I do that, pretty boy?”

He smiled, glancing at the sunset before his eyes looked back into my own. “Because you already have mine.” My teeth dragged across my bottom lip, desperately trying to hide the grin I was threatening to give him. Tilting my head, I pressed a kiss to his cheek and then again on his jaw.

“Do I really now?” Chan nodded his head softly. His eyes twinkling in the setting sun. “Well, that was fast,” I whispered before leaning forward and kissing him.

♛

The sun was almost gone from the sky when we pulled up to the house in Jeju. I was surprised to find it right on the beach. The house was lined with huge windows on every side facing the ocean. “Chan, you can’t be serious right? This is yours?”

I watched him come around to my side of the Porsche. “Nope. It’s not mine.” He said wrapping his arms around me from behind. He smelled like cinnamon. His long fingers wrapped around mine before pressing something into my palm. “It’s yours, baby girl.”

Opening my hand, I saw a set of keys. “Chan this house...it must have cost a small fortune. I can’t take this from you.” He shrugged, kissing my shoulder.

“I’ve got the one in Itaewon. The apartment in Gwanak. And maybe...a small place in Bora Bora.”

“Excuse me?”

“Come on! Let’s go inside and see your new house!” Chan said dragging me inside. I laughed and let him pull me inside. He showed me every inch of the house. It was bright and open and gorgeous. I covered my mouth as Chan led me out into the sunroom. The walls were entirely windows and stairs to the right led down to the waterfront. “You like it?” Chan asked.

I turned to see him standing in the doorway holding a bottle and two glasses. “What is this?” I asked with a laugh. He smiled and sat on the day bed on the porch.

“This,” He said popping the bottle open. “This is your housewarming party.” I watched with a smile as he poured me a glass of champagne. His fingers brushed against mine as I took the flute. “I know it’s not the parties you’re used to.”

I took a small sip of the bubbly drink and smiled. “Are you kidding?” I said, standing between Chan’s legs and looking down at him as he poured his own glass and took a drink. “This is the best party I’ve ever been to.”

The waves crashed on the beach behind us. A cool breeze blew through some of the opened windows, but I felt warm near Chan, his hands around my waist. “You’re just saying that cause I’m here,” Chan whispered.

“So what if I am. It’s the truth.” I said running a hand through his hair.

“Come here, baby.” He whispered, pulling me down onto his lap. I took another sip from the champagne, before reaching across Chan and setting it on a table. “F***, you’re beautiful.” He whispered, pushing a piece of hair away from my face. I smiled, draping my arms around his neck.

“You keep saying things like that and I’m going to have to keep you here with me.”

“Do you see me leaving?”

He smiled when my fingers carded through his blonde locks. His arms wrapped tightly around me, pulling him closer to me than I thought possible. My lips reached down for his desperate for even more of his touch.

I felt a cool breeze on my back as Chan’s hands pushed up the hem of my shirt. I shivered feeling his hands on my bare skin. His lips attacked mine as if I was the only thing in this world keeping him alive. I let my fingers drag down his chest. He smiled against me, feeling me play with the hem of his shirt.

His teeth dragged over my bottom lip giving me goosebumps. My hands traveled under his shirt. I was surprised to feel so much muscle under my hands as they rested on his stomach. Chan smirked before he turned his attention to my neck.

Having had enough of the barrier between myself and Chan I tugged his shirt off, holding onto him tightly as he marked my neck. “Chan...” I whispered, bringing my lips back to his.

“Sh**,”

Chan let out a content sigh and pushed me down onto the cushion of the day bed. “How about...we move this somewhere...you know....not outside?” I said between heated kisses from the man above me. He nodded before kissing down my jaw. “Chan, did you hear me?” I asked the breath leaving my chest feeling his teeth graze my skin.

“Sorry...I got a little distracted,” Chan admitted with a smile. I laughed feeling Chan pick me up. “Into your house, we go!” I laughed as he carried me in his arms through the dark living room and down the hall. The master bedroom was full of moonlight from the huge windows on the far wall. I screeched as Chris tossed me onto the big bed.

“CHAN!”

He laughed and jumped onto the bed. I smiled as his lips rejoined with mine. His body fit perfectly into all the curves of my own. I sighed against his lips feeling his hips press down against mine. I tangled my fingers in his hair pulling on the blonde locks.

I watched the moon glisten over the ocean before my eyes closed, the only thing on my lips the name of the man with me.

♛

Jae’s POV

My fingers drummed against the wood of the desk. Not my desk. No. I didn’t get a desk. This was the desk of an old friend. A friend who was late to meet with Dowoon and me. “Wasn’t he supposed to be here an hour ago?” Dowoon said, messing with some of the books on a shelf.

I kept my feet propped up on the desk and my stare focused on the door. To keep myself busy I had been disassembling and reassembling my firearm and timing myself. “Don’t worry. He owes me more than one favor.” I said slamming the gun down on the desk.

The door creaked open and both our eyes shot to the door. “Woah! You guys scared me. Jae, you look like the f***ing Grim Reaper himself.”

“I will be if I don’t find her. Then, believe me, Wonpil, if I don’t find her and kill that bastard; then there will be too many souls for the gates of heaven to hold.” In the corner of my eye, I saw Dowoon shiver.

“Dude.....that’s creepy,” Wonpil said, tossing a folder onto his desk.

“Jae just really loves Y/n,” Dowoon said with a dopey smile.

I rolled my eyes and picked the gun up off the desk. “What did you find?” Wonpil stat on the edge of the table, casting me a side glance. Dowoon picked up the file my friend entered with.

“I planted a bug on her, but one of the dudes with her snagged it.” Wonpil got up and shooed me from his chair. Reluctantly I complied. He stuck a flash drive from his pocket into his computer.

“The guy who took the bug- dark hair, foreign-looking?” I asked.

“No.” He said opening up a program. “Both of the guys with her were blonde. She also went by a different name. She called herself Jessica.” I sighed, rubbing my temples. Chan had definitely gotten in her head.

“Sh**.”

“You’re really not gonna like this. One of the guys she was with- she called him her boyfriend. Not gonna lie, she looked happy.” Everyone jumped when my fist slammed into the nearest wall.

Taking a few deep breaths, I calmed myself down and waited for Wonpil to access whatever file he wanted to show me. “The bug should still be going, though.” With a few clicks, Wonpil started playing a live feed.

The sound of two male voices filled the office. “Dude...I’m gonna miss Y/n so much!!” One yelled. Wonpil sighed.

“That’s one of the guys she was with. Not her boyfriend, the other one.” Wonpil stated.

“Don’t worry, Sung. Chan will be back from Jeju any day now. He just went with her to make sure she settled in alright.” I pushed myself off the wall I was leaning in. She was in Jeju. With Chan. I was fuming.

“Are you sure she was taken?” Wonpil asked. “Because it sounds to me like she was paying these guys to take her.” Dowoon laughed and poked Wonpil’s shoulder.

“No way. Y/n loved her life in the penthouse.”

Wonpil shrugged and continued to listen to the live feed. “Do you even know where is place is in Jeju?” The rougher voice asked. The one called ‘Sung’ laughed.

“Of course not. That was Chan’s special place. He never took anyone there.”

“And he’s just giving it to her?”

I sighed rubbing my eyes. “Okay, can you track this thing?” I asked looking over Wonpil’s shoulder. He nodded and tapped away on the keyboard. Impatiently I waited to see where these little sh**s were hiding.

“Looks like the bug is in an apartment complex near Seoul University,” Wonpil said pointing at the screen. I nodded to Dowoon, who took the file from earlier and stuffed it in his jacket.

“Thanks, Wonpil. We’ve got some business to take care of.”

♛

Y/n’s POV

Three days had passed. Three incredible, wonderful, magical days. All spent with Chan. Spent drinking wine on the beach, spent making homemade dinners in the amazing kitchen, spent in bed where Chris whispered sweet nothings into my ear as I fell asleep.

I opened my eyes to be greeted with the morning light seeping in through the large windows of my bedroom. I sat up in bed watching the waves crash against the sand. This was my life now, I thought a sleepy smile spreading across my face.

I looked beside me to see Chan missing from his side of the bed. “Chan?” I called out. Maybe he was in the kitchen. “Babe?” My bare feet pressed against the cool wood floor and I grabbed Chan’s black shirt from off the floor. The fabric brushed against my thighs as I walked into the kitchen.

“Chris?”

“Out here, baby girl,” I followed Chan’s voice out into the sunroom. He sat on the day bed most of the windows cracked open and the doors were propped letting the warm morning breeze flow through the room. His blonde hair blew slightly in the wind. “Hi, baby.” He said setting down a coffee mug.

“What are you drinking?” I said crawling over him and nuzzling into his side.

“Tea. You want some?”

I shrugged feeling his arm wrap around me. “I’ll get some later.” I closed my eyes and enjoyed being next to him. He sighed as I ran my fingers up and down his chest softly.

“Is that my shirt?”

“Maybe...”

“It looks good on you.” He whispered, placing a kiss on the top of my head. I draped my leg over his and rested my head on his chest. “Did you sleep well?” His arm wrapped tightly around my back, rubbing my side. I nodded and looked up at him.

“What were you doing out here?”

“I was trying to get in touch with the boys,” Chan said pulling out his phone. “Jisung isn’t answering my calls, which isn’t far from normal.” He sighed and scrolled through various text messages. “But, neither is Changbin.” His brows furrowed and he placed his phone next to the mug.

“Do you need to leave early? To check on them.”

“You couldn’t rid of me if you tried.”

I laughed looking up at him. “You keep saying things like that, but how do I know you’ll actually do it?” He scoffed and sat up. I scooched upward so I could still lay on his chest.

“You see that out there,” Chan said pointing out into the ocean. “That whatever is out there.” He smiled, looking down at me before he turned back to the sea. “Japan, the Philipines, whatever is in that direction. I would swim there and back if you asked me to, without hesitation.”

“You don’t know what’s in that direction?” I said with a laugh.

“Y/n you are missing my point!” Chan said chuckling.

“No, I get it. I was just teasing you, Chris.” Leaning up I pressed my lips to his. Chan smiled and pulled me fully on top of him. His fingers tangled themselves in my hair. I felt his heartbeat going crazy against my hand. “I don’t think I’ve ever been happier than I am now,” I whispered against his lips.

“You make me happy,” Chan whispered, looking up at me. “I swear if you tell the boys I ever said something like that I’ll be so embarrassed.” I giggled watching him cover his face, hiding the blush growing on his cheeks.

“Don’t worry, I wo-”

I was cut off by a crash coming from inside the house. Both our heads shot towards the sound. “Did you leave something on the edge of the counter?” Chan asked staring at the door leading back into the house. His grip on my waist tightened when I shook my head.

“No...Chan, what’s going on?”

The door burst open and I screamed seeing Dowoon aiming his gun at the both of us. “Jae they are out here!” He called back into the house.

“Dowoon!” I screeched, pulling down Chan’s shirt further over my legs. Before I could say anything else, Dowoon grabbed Chan roughly by the arm and pulled him away and into the house. “Let him go! Dowoon!” I screamed and pounded on the man’s back.

My eyes widened as he threw Chan down onto the floor in the living room. Right at the feet of Park Jae. The man who used to make my heart skip a beat. Now I was furious. “Chan!” I screamed, holding onto him.

“I’m fine, just stay behind me.” He whispered to me, getting up. Chan stood tall, though his height was no match for the whopping half a foot Jae had on him. I did as Chan told me, sending a glare at Jae from behind Chris, my fingers holding tightly onto his arm.

“Really, Y/n. You’re with this guy!?” Jae screamed pointing his gun at Chan. “What about us?” Jae said quieting down. He looked genuinely hurt.

“Jae it wouldn’t have worked...” Chan laced his fingers with mine, still keeping his eyes on Jae and Dowoon.

“Look, Jae...I remember you from a couple years ago. This isn’t you. Let’s put the gun down and handle this like men.” Chan said with a calm tone. Jae scoffed.

“Fine.” Jae tossed his gun to Dowoon and nodded to him. “Let’s settle this like men.” I heard the sound of his fist making contact with Chan’s face before I saw it. Chan reacted immediately pushing Jae off him before landing a punch of his own.

My eyes widened when I heard the front door opened. During the scuffle, Dowoon had exited and was now dragging in two men. “HEY MAN WATCH IT! I bruise easily.” I would know that voice anywhere.

“Jisung?” His blonde head turned to me eyes wide.

“Y/n! Y/n, save me from this Mad Monkey Man!”

“CHAN STOP! They have Ji and Bin!” Chan’s eyes widened and he looked up to see his friends being held by Dowoon. I pulled him off of Jae, who stood up and dusted off his suit. He smirked seeing our reaction to the boys. Jae shrugged off his jacket and turned to our friends. Even Bin looked a little scared. “Jae, leave them out of this.”

“I can’t do that Y/n. I know for a fact...this one,” He said grabbing the back of Jisung’s hair and lifting up his head. “Was seen helping you make a getaway in Gwanak and he was at the house in Itaewon.” Jisung struggled against Jae’s grip. “Gave Dowoon quite the scar on his cheek.” I turned to see in fact Dowoon had a fresh scar on his left cheek.

I let out a short scream as Jae’s fist flew across Jisung’s face. My friend glared up at him and spat on the floor, a dark red substance falling from his lips. “don’t hurt him.” Jae’s eyes widened and a surprised smile spread over his face.

“Well, seems both men have got you wrapped around their finger, Y/n.” He said taking Jisung’s face in his hand. “The question is,” He said turned to me and reaching behind him. “Which one matters more to you?” Jae pulled out another gun and aimed it at Chan. Dowoon pulled his out as well and pressed it against Ji’s temple.

In the corner of my eye, I saw Chan’s hand move behind him and reach into the lampshade. When his hand reappeared he was grasping a gun. I held onto his arm and shook my head ‘no’. Chan watched as I stepped between him and the barrel of the gun.

Jae scoffed. “You’ve got her brainwashed pretty well, don’t you?” I scowled and stood still staring down the barrel of the gun. I knew he wouldn’t fire if I was standing between him and his target. “You probably tried to take advantage of her. Luckily she’s not dumb enough to fall for that sort of f***ing scam.”

I heard Chan scoff behind me and I shot him a look. He ignored it, however, stepping forward. “Really?” He asked with a smile, listing his head. “From what I remember...she came on to me.” I could see Jae getting angrier and angrier. “Man, you should have been here the past few days. Things were pretty crazy,” Chan said with a smirk.

“D**MMMMMM BRO! THAT’S COLD!” Jisung laughed. Another punch from Jae silenced him.

“You’ve got a right to be jealous,” Chan said, grasping my hand. That was the last straw. Jae launched at Chan, taking him to the flower. Dowoon, thoroughly confused as to what was going on, dropped Changbin and Jisung. Bin ran over near me, wanting to be as far away from Dowoon as possible. Jisung on the other hand stayed over there, enthralled by the fight.

“YES. STEAL HIS GIRL CHAN! SHOW HIM WHO’S BOSS!”

“Jisung, dude, she wasn’t his in the first place,” Bin said narrowing his eyes at our friend. Jisung looked from me and then back to the fight.

“.......KICK HIS ASS, HYUNG!”

Both boys rolled around on the floor throwing punches and wrestling for dominance. “Stop it!” I screamed pulling on Jae’s shirt. “Stop!” They kept on fighting, not hearing me over Jisung’s trash talk to Jae and his cheers fro Chan. “That’s it.”

My eyes scanned the room for something relatively heavy. I raced over to the end table and grabbed the purple object before slamming it against the back of Jae’s head. “ENOUGH!” I screamed. All the boys stopped what they were doing and stared at me, eyes wide with fear.

“Chan you were right....what is with your girlfriend and candles...” Jisung whispered to his friend who lay at his feet. Chan looked up and then let his head drop to the floor. I looked to see a Black Cherry Merlot candle in my hand, the lavender tinted glass cracked from the impact of Jae’s cranium.

Jae rolled off of Chan and held the back of his head. “Enough. Stop this madness. I have had it up to here with you all.” Dowoon flinched at my yelling and I almost felt bad. Jisung helped Chan up from the floor and I dragged Jae by his ear to the kitchen.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow...” He whined all the way.

“Shut up and listen okay?” Jae nodded and silently watched me grab a bag of frozen peas from the freezer. “I’m not going back with you,” His eyes saddened and he opened his mouth to say something but I stopped him. “I left on purpose. I hated it there. I wasn’t living my own life. I felt like I was locked up in a prison.”

Jae nodded and pressed the vegetable bag to the back of his head. “So, you really love him?” He looked broken. I still loved Jae, very much. But, not in the way that I used to. His head fell when I nodded. “Your dad is going to kill me, you do know that right?” There was a tiny laugh in his voice, but the words were more true than I would have liked to believe.

“Give me your phone.”

He passed me his phone and I scrolled through the contacts until I found my father. I waited, arms crossed for him to pick up. “Jae! Have you found my baby girl?” My father’s voice exclaimed through the phone.

“Hi, daddy!” I said, looking around the mess of my new house. Changbin was helping Chan and Jisung was having a sort of staring contest with Dowoon. He flinched away when Dowoon uncrossed his arms. I tried not to laugh.

“Y/n! My darling! Please tell me you are coming home.”

“Daddy, I love you,” I started. He went quiet hearing those words.

“You aren’t coming home are you?” I shook my head before telling him what he didn’t want to hear. I told him all about my deal with Chan and how he kept me safe until he got me to Jeju. I told him about how I never expected to fall in love with someone like him, but it happened.

“I’m happy, Dad.” I heard a slow sigh on the other end of the call. I could just picture my father rubbing his temples in his study.

“If you are happy and you are safe... then I trust you.” I smiled hearing those words. I wanted to jump and scream and sing all around the house. I wanted to run into the ocean and bask in the sunlight. “Please promise me, that you will come visit us.”

I agreed and told him I loved him before hanging up the phone and giving it back to Jae. “Would you and Dowoon like to stay for lunch? Chan and I were going to grill some shrimp and other stuff.” Jae seemed shocked by the offer.

“That would be nice.” I smiled and patted his shoulder.

“The bathroom is just down the hall, but I’m sure Jisung would also like to clean up his face...so I would run.” He gave me a confused look. “He is a strong supporter of ‘dibs’. So, I would run before he calls it.” Jae nodded and turned to leave.

My hand on his wrist stopped him. “Jae, I’m really sorry. About us. About everything.” He gave me a tight-lipped smile and placed a hand on my shoulder.

“It’s okay. As long as you're happy with...Chan...then I am happy for you.”

I smiled and reached up to give him a hug. “Now go before Jisung calls dibs.” He smiled and walked down the hall, breaking into a sprint when he saw Jisung was doing the same.

♛

Chan and I watched from the sunroom as Jisung and Changbin pushed each other around on the beach. Jae and Dowoon had left after lunch. Now the sun was setting and Chan was grilling up some more food while I sat and talked to him. I laughed watching Changbin throttle Jisung into the ocean.

“How into this are you?” Chan asked flipping some vegetables over on the grill. I gave him a lopsided grin and stood from the daybed. I wrapped my arms around his waist feeling the muscles beneath his tank top.

“Into what? This? Us?” He nodded. I pretended to think about it, making him smile. I let my lips trail down his shoulder. “Very.”

“You’re saying that you want to be my partner in crime?” I rose a brow and he gave me a nervous laugh. “Okay, semi-legal partner in crime.” I laughed and kissed his shoulder again.

“Let’s start with ‘girlfriend’ before I break the law with you.” He smiled and closed the grill.

A scream called our attention back to the beach. I was relieved to just see Jisung running away from Changbin. Unfortunately, Jisung wasn’t fast enough and Changbin had his hands around his shoulders, shoving Ji down under the waves.

“I’m friends with literal children.”

“Yes, yes you are.” He leaned down and pressed a heated kiss onto my lips. I was seriously falling in love with this man. “What do you want to do now, handsome?” I smirked seeing him roll his eyes, but a rosy blush tinted his ears.

“I don’t know,” He shrugged.

“Something good? Something bad?” I played with the ends of his hair before kissing the corner of his lips. “Bit of both? Whatever you want, pretty boy.” Chan sighed and wrapped his arms around my waist. His eyes turned to the sunset, twinkling in the light.

“Bit of both then.” He said with a smirk, leaning in for another kiss.

♛

Requests are open my lovelies! Just send an ask!

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shortytori · 3 years

Text

Tori Tales

Robert Moss: First Day of School

“What is this?” Robert angrily demanded as he slammed a class schedule on the kitchen counter in front of Delta.

Without looking at him or the schedule he took a sip of her morning coffee and responded, “Those are the classes you’ll be taking starting next week. We know that you haven’t been going to school for some time, and I have decided that it would be best for the team if you also worked out your mind as well as your body.”

“Bu-but,” the young teen took a deep breath, “but I didn’t join the Alliance to go to school--I joined because I want to get to the same level as those on Team B and Team A!”

Delta looked down at him from the side, “As long as you remain dumb and ignorant you will never be on their level. You will go to Townsville High Monday to Friday, and you will not skip any of your classes. I have requested Adam and Zuri to keep an eye on you and make sure you are on the school grounds during school hours. If you do go to your classes there will be consequences, understood?”

Robert wanted to object but as he looked her in the eye he just frowned and nodded. He knew she was strong and a great leader, and he respected her commands even when he didn’t agree with them. “Yes ma’am.” He picked his schedule back up and walked back to his room. As he walked he passed Zuri and Adam and slipped them a pouted glare.

“What’s his problem?” Zuri made a face back at him.

Back in his room, Robert slammed the door and threw himself on his bed. This would be the first time he’d ever go to school. The last three years he had Cherry and Boss teach him what he needed to know to survive living on the streets, and before that he learned some things in the science lab. Was school like how shows and movies made it look? Drama about romance, teen girl fights in the hall, clique arguments? ‘What if I get made fun of and they all don’t like me?’ He sat up and frowned at himself in the mirror, then smirked after seeing his reflection. “Nah, I’m too handsome for anyone to make fun of!” He shook his head as he fed his ego.

Robert was humming to himself as he brushed his hair, getting ready for the big day ahead of him. He had woken up two hours early and had already gone for his morning swim, his strength workout, taken a shower to smell fresh and clean and eaten breakfast. Since today he decided to switch up his look and dressed in a white button up shirt tucked into light seafoam green pants and finished the outfit with laced up white vans. One last brush and finished! He smiled proudly to himself and winked, “Looking good like always!~”

With a knock on his door, Zuri called out, “Are you done looking at yourself yet? We have to make our way to the school now. I wanted to hang out with Gigi before classes start!” Robert took one deep breath as he stared at his reflection, getting rid of any nerves that were trying to make their way up.

Opening his door he smirked at Zuri, “How can I not look at myself when I look this good?” He did a few poses to show off his pampered self while Zuri rolled her eyes and walked away. “Hey! I wasn’t done showing off how good I look!” Closing his door he ran after her and they, along with Adam, made their way to their private driver--which was curtesy of the Alliance. Within twenty minutes they were in front of Townsville High.

Getting out of the car Robert looked up at the school and was only shocked for a second. It was pretty big for a school--didn’t these things usually only have one building? There were multiple! But those were the only things that impressed the young teen. As the three of them walked up to Gigi who had been waiting for them, Robert looked around while Zuri elbowed Adam playfully causing him to blush. It was similar to a mall that there were teens everywhere, which was good for him because he enjoyed hanging out with people his age.

Gigi waved excitedly at Adam, who shyly waved back blushing and quickly made his way into the school alone. She looked at Zuri and Robert questioningly which they just shrugged and walked into the building together. “It’s really cool that you’re going to be going to school with us Robert!” She threw an arm over his shoulder and brought him in for a side hug. “Lucky for you, you have a cool and awesome older friend who can tell you the ins and out, the whose and what’s, and the best places to hang out!”

“Already covered all of that in the car ride here,” Zuri smirked as she too wrapped her arm around Robert’s neck. Gigi pouted and Robert laughed at her reaction.

“Don’t worry, Gigi,” Robert smiled at the blonde, “since I’m new I’m going to need some help. So please be my ‘cool and awesome older friend’ who makes sure I don’t make a fool of myself.” She nodded with a grin and threw an arm up in a cheer.

They showed Robert where his locker was, got his books from the school library, and showed him where his first class was. “This is your first period; 9th Grade English with Mr. Go,” Zuri gestured to the entrance of the classroom, “a warning before you see him. He looks big and intimidating, but he’s a big softie who is really into helping his students.” Gigi nodded along in agreement. “The rest of your classes are pretty close by, so just pay attention to the numbers by the classroom doors and hopefully you won’t get lost too much on your first day. We’ll see you at lunch, don’t make any trouble!” Gigi and Zuri waved as they walked to their first period class.

As he opened the door and walked in, all eyes were on the new kid in the classroom. Mr. Go stood up and Robert immediately realized why Zuri said he looked big and intimidating--the guy was huge! He walked up to him and reached out his hand, “Hello, you must be Robert! It’s great to have you in our class. Once the bell rings I’ll have you introduce yourself to the rest of the students and we’ll start our first day! If you ever need any help, please don’t be shy with asking me anything.” He pointed to a seat in the second to last row, “no one is currently assigned to that seat, so that’s where you’ll be sitting. Get your materials out and get comfortable because there’s about seven minutes before class starts.” He smiled, then walked back to his desk and took a seat.

Robert, unsure of what he needed, looked around the classroom and saw that some students had their notebooks, their copy of Lord of the Flies, and a pen or pencil so he copied them. He had noticed since he walked in that a few students were talking and looking at them, and he smirked at the thought of them talking about how good he looked. A few classmates came up and introduced themselves and made some small talk, but none of them were very memorable.

The “bell” sounded more like a loud buzzer and it made him jump. “Alright class, in your seats! You know when the bell goes off it’s time to start the day’s learning. I know you all have noticed a new face in our class, and I’m going to give him the floor so he can introduce himself.” Mr. Go gestured to Robert who nodded and stood up.

Loving the attention, Robert smiled as he spoke, “My name is Robert. I like swimming; I actually have swam a few times in local competitions where I used to live. I also making myself look good all the time, because I do not like looking like a mess in front of other people. I also love taking walks on the beach,” at his last statement he laughed to himself and winked at the student to his right, causing them to blush with a confused look on his face.

Mr. Go laughed as well as Robert sat down. “You seem like a character Robert, so I know you’re going to fit in well with the class. Now we’re going to start class by reading the next chapter in Lord of the Flies. Last class we finished chapter two, so can everyone please open to the start of chapter three.” As everyone opened their books and found the page, Hue’s eyes scanned the room, and his eyes met Robert’s. “Robert, since you’re new how about you take the honor and read the first page of chapter three?”

Nodding, Robert looks down at the page and began to read. The way he read was slow and choppy, and he made multiple pauses to slowly sound out words. It took him about seven minutes to read the entire page, and as Mr. Go thanked him with an awkward smile and moved on to picking the next student, Robert could feel the rest of his classmates talking about him and giving him weird looks. His ego was deflated and he felt weird, his shoulders felt tense and his stomach felt like it was flipping around inside of him. The rest of class didn’t get better, they had a group conversation about the book and he didn’t know how to take part in and they had to write and he wasn’t able to finish and was lucky to have at least wrote a page. First period ended, and Robert put his writing face down on Mr. Go’s desk and quickly waved goodbye before he had the chance to look at his work.

Second period went even worse than first, and by the time the lunch bell rang he was ready to go home. ‘I don’t get any of this. Why does any of this matter? Haven’t seen Adam or Zuri since before classes started, so how would they know if I skip my other two classes?’ He then remembered that the teachers took attendance and Zuri has most likely been hacking into the school’s system to make sure he had been in his classes. He groaned and not looking where he was going, accidentally bumped shoulders with another student. He looked at them and saw it was a girl with blonde hair and looked like someone poured 90s fashion all over her and dyed it all pink.

“I’m sorry,” the girl apologized.

“No, it was my fault. I’m sorry,” Robert mumbled and walked away before she could reply.

Having followed a crowd of kids to the cafeteria, he looked around and couldn’t find Gigi, Zuri, or Adam anywhere in the mob of teens. As he took out his phone from his pocket to text one of them, someone shoved him as they walked passed him causing him to drop his phone. “The hell!” He bent down to pick it up and tried to glare at the jerk that bumped him, but was shocked when he saw who it was. “Vain?!”

The said teen turned around and looked down at him, looked surprised for a second, then smirked. “Well, well, well, I didn’t know you went to Townsville High.”

Wiping the dirt off his pants, Robert shook his head as he stood up. “I didn’t before today. This is my first day here.”

“Hopefully not being a complete loser,” Vain circled around Robert, “because last time I saw you was last year at the local swimming meet behind me and losing.” He then leaned in to Robert and whispered in his ear, “do you think others would find it weird that you’ve been living in Townsville all this time but haven’t been attending school? Hopefully word doesn’t get out.”

Robert’s eyes flashed red for a second and he snapped at Vain, yelling out, “Why don’t you just mind your own business!?” The students that were around the two all turned and looked at them.

A hand was placed on Robert’s shoulder, pulling him back and he heard Zuri’s voice, “There you are Robert! Already making friends I see. Hey there, hope he wasn’t being too friendly with ya,” Zuri gave Vain a friendly yet deadly glare and he scoffed.

Before he could reply another familiar face walked up in the form of Mr. Go, “I heard some yelling over here. Not fighting now, are we?” He gave all three teens a look, and with a frown Vain shook his head.

“Why of course not, sir,” he then looked Robert and Zuri and then looked back at the adult. “If you don’t mind I’m going to go eat lunch.” Without getting a response he walked off.

Mr. Go shook his head as he looked at the two teens still in front of him. “Thank you, Zuri, for helping Robert here out. It’s good to see that he’s already made some friends while he’s been here--I know being new to a big school like this can be hard to adjust to.” Zuri and Robert shared an eyebrow raised look, if only he really knew. “Though if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to talk to Robert for a minute.”

Not having an excuse to argue Zuri nodded her head. “After you’re done talking to Mr. Go, you can come sit over there with us,” she gestured to a far off table where he finally spotted Gigi and left to go sit with her.

With a smile Robert looked up at his teacher, “What’s up Mr. Go?”

The man had a bead of sweat roll down the side of his face as he rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “I saw this morning you were having a hard time in class, and I’ve talked to your second period teacher and found out you had a difficult time in their class as well. I know it’s your first day, but I could tell that you’re quite behind academically. So I...” he hesitated, feeling bad and mumbled, “I hate doing this.” He took a deep breath and looked Robert in the eyes, “I sent an email to your guardian. You’re not in trouble, but I don’t want you to fall even more behind.”

From there all Robert could think about was what would happen when he got home. How was Delta going to react?

Finally home, and instead of running to his room to hide, Robert walked into the kitchen and found Delta sitting and waiting at the dining table. Nervous, he sat down as well and waited for her to speak first.

“First day of school and already getting emails from your teacher? I know this is all new to you, but I never expected I would get news so quick.” She looked at him and noticed his head was down, his eyes looked sad, and his hands were clenched into fists. She picked up the mug that sat in front of her and took a sip of her tea. “I know you feel disappointed in yourself. You’re a crucial member of this team, and you feel you’ve let us all down by being so behind in school.” She placed a hand on his head and smiled, “But you haven’t.”

Robert looked up at her in surprise. He’d expected her to be mad, to get yelled at, or even a punishment of some kind. It’s what he was used to. But Delta wasn’t like that. She is understanding, she’s smart, she’s a good leader and knows how to help her comrades--that made Robert’s respect for her grow even more. Giving him a couple pats on the head she folded her hands in front of her.

“Luckily for you there are ways to help you out with your schooling. You’re going to go to tutoring after school Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.” He looked at her in horror as she continued to speak, “it will be good for you to get the extra help so you can get to where you need to be.” Robert rubbed his face in annoyance; he understood why but it was just going to take time out of other things he could be doing. “I also heard that you almost got into a fight today during lunch--”

“Who told you--” Robert tried to interrupt her while he spoke but immediately stopped talking when she gave him a cold look.

She sighed. “Because of your ‘almost’ fight and the large amount of information the Alliance apparently failed to collect on you, you will be seeing a professional psychologist by the name of Jocelyn Drakken every other Tuesday.” Robert made a face at the therapist’s last name, wasn’t that-- “yes, she is Charles’ younger sister.” Delta got up from the table and pushed in her chair. Before leaving she told Robert, “I know you will be able to handle the additions to your schedule and will work hard to improve mentally and emotionally. You are an amazing member to this team and we wouldn’t be as strong without you. Just know that all of this extra work doesn’t give you an excuse to skip your strength and combat training.”

Robert groaned as she gave him another pat on the head and left the kitchen with a soft smile. She was happy that he had a teacher like Hue that cared about their students’ education.

‘That actually could have gone a lot worse,’ he thought to himself and smiled while he stared out the window to the beautiful view of the beach.

Hue Go belongs to @kururu418 and is a part of the callyieverse

Mention of Blair Mystery Vanquez belongs to @aj-thegreatest

Delta, Vain, and Jocelyn belongs to @princesscallyie

Adam belongs to @purfectprincessgirl

Zuri belongs to @des-the-girl

#robert moss #first day of school #school anxiety #hue go #callyieverse #writing #oc #aboutmyoc #other people's ocs #my oc #fanfic #story #teen story #villain story #qued #tori tales

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thirsty4theextraordinary · 4 years

Text

Everything Burns - Chapter 15

Pairing: Ledger Joker X OC

Warnings: Fire, violence, implied violence.

Word count: 2081

Chapter 15: Better Class of Criminal

By the time midday came around The Joker and Jester were ready and waiting. He had briefed her on his plan or rather as he called it, 'idea' of going to pay Harvey Dent a visit in hospital.

He had asked Scarlett to get him a nurses outfit so early that morning she had gone home to raid her closet finding one that was given to her by mistake and was far too large.

It was an odd turn her life had taken but she was rather enjoying it and she could no longer see her life any other way, the thoughts of going back to work filled her with dread, but the thought of a life without Jack was even worse.

She had agreed to go with him and a few of the 'boys' to the meeting with the mob that afternoon, to pick up the Joker's payment.

Jester prepared herself to leave as she pulled on her boots, the boys switched on the TV and something caught her ear. With one boot on and the other off she hurried over in an odd limp-y fashion and snatched the remote out of the goon's hand before turning the channel back to what it was just on.

On the TV was the usual news anchor for GCN and below him was the caption.

Later on GCN

REVEALED: BATMAN'S TRUE IDENTITY

In the upper left corner of the screen was a video link to another man.

"He's a credible source, an M&A lawyer from a leading consultancy. He says he's waited as long as he can for Batman to do the right thing. Now he's taking matters into his own hands. We'll be live, at 5, with the true identity of the Batman. Call in at 5 to have your say." Said the News anchor and Jester quickly pulled on her other boot before running to tell Joker.

"So he knows who the Bat really is and he's going to broadcast it on TV," clarified Joker, looking up at her from behind his desk, she simply nodded. He burst out into hysterical laughter and she was a little taken aback. She had expected him to be pleased but not this happy, but then this was Jack and he didn't do things by half measures.

"Well you said there was a number do you remember it?" he asked and she nodded he held out a pen and scrap of paper and she wrote down the number that had come up on screen.

"Well done Jester!" he said laughing again before he pocketed the number and stood pulling on his coat.

At 3 thanks to the Joker's police 'connections,' they were told about Maroni going to see Gordon. They knew he had ratted them out, having told Gordon where The Joker was going to be. The 'boys' were sent on a small errand after that to fill the basement of Gotham General with a large amount of ammonium nitrate. They had it rigged up within the hour but were not back in time for the meeting so The Joker and Jester were left with just four goons. The hospital explosion would be the distraction they needed to get the cops off their backs while they paid Harvey a visit.

She was surprised how quickly the Joker could get things done, and it was somewhat of an honour to witness him at work.

He caught her staring at him when he got off the phone with one of the goons and shot her a quizzical look.

"What?" he asked, his eyebrows knitting together.

"Nothing. It's just awe inspiring to watch your brain work. I mean less than an hour ago you were told about a police ambush and already you have a way out and a pretty spectacular one at that. I just forget sometimes that you are an absolute genius" she said and he chuckled.

"Come on, let's go check on our guest," he said, as he walked past her his hand ran along her side, it was some kind of a habit now.

After a night in the boot of a stolen cop car, Lau was surprisingly well, and Jester squeezed his cheek playfully when they opened the boot to make sure he wasn't dead, yet.

The meeting with the mob was on a container ship, the money was already there and waiting. At 4 they left for the meeting, knowing full well the police were planning their ambush.

They arrived at the docks just past 4 and The Joker jumped out the van before offering a hand to Jester which she gladly took. The goons followed behind with a bound and gagged Lau. The docks were empty apart from the enormous red coloured container ship. It was enormous and Jester looked around the ship curiously. There must have been thousands of shipping containers all stacked at least ten high. As a door to one creaked slightly, something snapped inside of Jester and she stopped in her tracks. She couldn't tell if she wanted to laugh or cry. Joker turned back to look at her, watching the turmoil going on inside her head. The sound of a chainsaw motor rumbled in her ears.

"Come on Jester," he said and she seemed to come back to herself, a twisted grin spreading across her face. She skipped over to him laughing slightly to herself.

He led them down into a large room within the container ship, in the middle of the room was a huge pile of money. It must have been at least half a storey high and spread out across much of the room.

"Put him on the top" the Joker said to the goons motioning to Lau, and they dragged him up quickly. Either Lau was stupid or very clever as he did not struggle as the Joker climbed up the pile behind the goons with a chair. He placed it on the top and the goons pulled Lau into it before the Joker dismissed them and left them to go look out for the Chechen.

He began to tie Lau, who was now dressed in a straight jacket to the seat.

"He's here" shouted the voice of the goon no less than a few minutes later and the Joker looked up from his place, before ducking back down to continue tying Lau to the chair securely.

Jester stood back to lean on the wall as she heard footsteps approaching. The Chechen was a skinny man with a shallow face and sharp features and he smiled disgustingly at Jester as he entered the room.

"Not so crazy as you look." said the Chechen loudly to the Joker who began to stand up on top of the pile.

"I told you, I'm a man of my word," said Joker standing up fully, on top of the pile of money before he patted Lau on the head sarcastically and jumped down the pile, sliding down most of it to come to a standing stop in front of one of the goons. He looked back at the money as piles of it slid down in his wake.

"Where's the Italian?" the Joker asked though he knew full well that Maroni would not be coming.

"I don't know, but he's not here so he doesn't get a share. We go 50/50" said Chechen in his broken English. The Joker shrugged at this before picking up wads of money and beginning to launch them up at the Lau hitting him in that face a few times.

"Please" Lau begged and Jester laughed loudly as yet another wad of money hit him.

"Joker-man, what you do with all your money?" asked the Chechen pointing to the pile with his lit cigar.

"You see, I'm a guy of simple taste," said the Joker turning to the Chechen.

"I enjoy... dynamite … and gunpowder... and gasoline," he said the last one much louder than the rest. The Joker took a step back, as a goon with a gas can came in and began to soak the bottom layer of cash in petrol.

"What the...?" exclaimed the Chechen rushing towards the goon angrily.

"Ah, dah, dah. dah." sung the Joker pointing his gun at the Chechen who stopped dead in his tracks.

"And you know the thing that they all have in common?" the Joker asked the Chechen approaching him again.

"They're cheap," he said with a slight growl in his voice. Jester glanced down at her phone, checking the time, it was just past 5, and she shot the Joker a meaningful look.

"You said you were a man of your word," said the Chechen , the cigar in his mouth causing him to slur.

"Oh, I am." said the Joker before he pulled the cigar from the Chechen's mouth. He held the cigar up blowing on the end a few times.

"I'm only burning my half," he said before he turned and threw the cigar at the petrol-soaked pile of money. It was engulfed in flames in seconds and Lau began to wiggle in his restraints. The Chechen face went grey and he looked at the burning cash in horror.

"All you care about is money." spat the Joker to him.

"This town deserves a better class of criminal... and I'm gonna give it to them." said the Joker, his face close to the Chechen's.

"Tell your men they work for me now." said the Joker poking the Chechen hard in the chest with his gun.

"This is my city," he said and the Chechen moved his face away.

"They won't work for a freak," the Chechen said.

"Freak." mimicked the Joker making fun of the Russian's accent.

"Why don't we cut you up into little pieces and feed you to your pooches? Hm?" the Joker said as he brought his knife out and waved it in front of the Chechen's face.

"And then we'll see how loyal a hungry dog really is." shouted the Joker, as a tow of the Chechen men came up behind the Chechen and held a blade to the Russians throat, before pulling him away.

"It's not about money, it's about sending a message." muttered the Joker to himself, before he pulled his phone out his pocket and began to dial.

"Everything burns" he cried loudly as Jester began to laugh.

"I had a vision" began the Joker into the phone, after a few moments Jester moved over to him and began to play with the buttons of his waistcoat.

"Of a world without Batman. The mob ground out a little profit and the police tried to shut them down one block at a time. And it was so boring! I've had a change of heart. I don't want Mr Reese spoiling everything but why should I have all the fun? Let's give someone else a chance. If Coleman Reese isn't dead in 60 minutes then I’ll blow up a hospital" said the Joker before he hung up and pushed his phone back into his pocket. He looked down at the raven haired clown still playing with the buttons of his waistcoat.

He reached out and pulled her chin up so she was looking at him before his arms moved to encircle her waist, he leant in and kissed her hard and she let out a squeal of delight. He bit hard on her bottom lip, drawing blood and she grinned at him.

"Come on gorgeous," he said, taking her hand in his and leading her away from the flaming pile of cash.

The Joker really was a man of his word as before they left the ship, he did indeed chop the Chechen up into little pieces and feed him to his beloved Rottweilers.

"Can we keep them?" Jester cooed as she knelt down and stroked one's head as it ate lumps of its old master.

"You want to?" The Joker asked as she began to scratch the dog behind the ear, causing its back leg to kick strangely.

"Yes, please, they're so cute and they are trained as attack dogs, they could be useful," she whined looking up at him with big eyes.

"Sure, put the dogs in the van," the Joker said, turning to his new men, who without question led the three enormous dogs away.

"Thank you," she said getting up and moving closer to him.

"Anything for you" he purred against her ear as he brought her close to him again.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you so much for reading, sorry it took me longer to post this chapter but things have been a bit mad at home recently. Hope you enjoying please, please like and reblog.

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mulderist · 4 years

Text

Wicked Game

Chapter 1 // read on AO3 // @today-in-fic

Washington, D.C - 1948. Fox Mulder is a detective on the top vice unit; scandal, corruption, and lies come with the territory. He is forced to investigate a fellow officer and finds the lies go much deeper than the truth.

CHAPTER 2

U Street NW 3rd District 11:00am

I tried to tell myself I was rested, but that was a lie. Insomnia is a bitch and she makes a hell of a bedfellow. I couldn’t be bothered with the percolator in my apartment, though day old coffee hadn’t stopped me before. I didn't bother shaving, instead deciding to give my five o’clock shadow an extra half hour. My dress shirt lightly concealed the white bandage on my shoulder and I found a set of grey pants and matching suit jacket. I remembered my raw brimmed fedora and locked the door behind me. I debated whether or not to take the car but I didn’t want to deal with public transit this afternoon. The starter on the Pontiac needed a wake up call and after some persuading I made my way out of Alexandria.

I drove across the bridge and further into the district, stopping about a block away from the precinct so I could hop into the corner diner. I needed a decent cup of joe and some bacon and eggs. Sure it was almost lunch but I hadn’t eaten breakfast yet.

When I arrived at headquarters the bullpen was buzzing like a hornet’s nest. I removed my hat and took a seat at my desk. My shoulder burned and I felt the stitches pull slightly as I reached down to unearth a group of files from a bottom drawer. I winced as I placed everything I had on Vincenti atop my desk. From behind the stack of papers I watched a parade of suits and uniforms flow in and out of the captain’s office. A cloud of Morley cigarette smoke signaled each time the door opened or closed; it reminded me of how they choose the Pope in the Vatican. I was waiting for that smoke to turn black when I saw Skinner in the doorway. His eyes narrowed and he flicked two fingers like an impatient father. I gathered the assortment of files I was reviewing and brushed past the remaining uniforms that were heading back downstairs.

“Nice of you to join the party, Mulder.”

“Well after my patch job I decided to take a powder and take my phone off the hook. My shoulder is fine by the way.” Skinner took a seat behind his desk and asked me to close the door.

“Funeral arrangements have been made at Arlington. We’re still waiting to receive the final report from the coroner. This of course will tell me how he died but I want to know why. I know you and Detective Spender had been working for some time on the Vincenti ring.”

“Well you did make it a top priority for vice if I’m not mistaken. At the request of the mayor?” I questioned as I glanced at a crowded ashtray then lowered into one of Skinner’s leather chairs.

“Last year, the mayor asked the commissioner for help decreasing drug related crime in the district. And this precinct’s vice squad had a no-nonsense reputation which the commissioner spoke so highly of.” Skinner stated as he pressed back in his chair. “I assume those files you have are related to the case?”

I handed him the papers.

“Since you gave us this assignment, Spender and I discovered Vincenti likes to run operations out of the Navy Yard. Spender wanted to find an informant, or at least pressure someone into being an informant. We staked out a flophouse near the old factory and watched for any dealings. Saw a street-savvy kid who looked like an easy mark and followed him. I remember Spender turning on the bad cop routine and pinned the kid to the wall. We told him he could stay anonymous but he gave us a name; Dimitri Kristoff.”

“A Russian?” Skinner questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“A Russian alias. He gave us that and a phone number,” I replied with a shrug, “At the time, the less we knew the better. Spender may have contacted him and pushed for more info. Eventually we were able to build a file on our friend Dimitri.”

“That might give a little more motive for Spender’s murder,” Skinner stated as he leafed through the file, “Do you think Spender was sold a bad tip or do you suspect the kid?”

“If Spender was dealt a bad hand he must have kept it pretty close to his chest. We were partners but I personally wasn’t very close to him. I kept Dimitri at arm’s length and I don’t think he’d squeal. You could stake my no-nonsense reputation on it.” I replied as I shifted in my seat, “Frankly if the kid knows what’s good for him he would get out of the game all together.”

“Admirable,” Skinner said while he closed the file and placed it back on top of the stack. I could see the wheels in his head turning, grinding as he tried to rearrange the puzzle pieces. He removed his wire-frame glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. There was something itching at the back of my head.

“Sir. Can I speak off the record?”

“What is it?”

“I think Spender might have gotten in too deep with Vincenti.”

“Do you think he was working for him?”

“Not directly but he might have been pulling a side job. Thinking he could take a little off the top and offer the precinct’s blind eye as collateral.”

“He wouldn’t have been that stupid, Mulder. He wasn’t a green recruit fresh out of the academy. He had several years climbing the ranks before getting in with the vice unit. Not to mention his military history.”

“Absolute power corrupts absolutely, sir. He also has connections to The Hill and those connections have mob ties.”

Skinner leaned forward on his desk and put his glasses back on. I could see the wheels turning again.

“Surveillance can post-up in one of the abandoned warehouses at the Navy Yard and gather more intel, see if Vincenti makes an appearance. They’ll be coming out of the woodwork once this hits the papers. In the meantime I want you to find your junior informant and bring him in for questioning.”

I rose from my seat and reached for my files with a wince and headed towards the door.

“And Mulder,” Skinner began before I had a chance to leave, “it will be military dress blues for Arlington. Regardless of your opinion, the precinct lost a man with high honors.”

I nodded in response and headed back into the fray, closing the door behind me. I weaved back to my desk, dropped the files, and searched in my drawer for a memo with Dimitri’s phone number.

I listened to the phone ring on a seemingly endless loop, the long shrill sound reverberated in my left ear and I could feel my eyelids get heavy. The ring evolved into white noise and I was one dim chime away from disconnecting the call when I heard the receiver click on the other end.

“You’re lucky I’m a patient man, Dimitri,” I started as I tried to stifle a yawn, “we need to arrange a meeting.”

“I don’t know if I can do that,” he responded.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means, detective, I’m no good to you. My sources are as dry as the Sahara.”

“Is that so?” I questioned as I switched the phone to my opposite ear. “Well how about we just meet for a coffee.”

“That’s sweet detective but lunch dates aren’t really my style. I like something with a bit more spirit if you catch my meaning.”

“Fine. I can meet you in the nearest alley and serve up my fist to your goddamn nose. That spirited enough for you?” I heard him laugh through the phone, my fingers tightened on the receiver. “Georgetown University library. I’m giving you three hours.”

“You gonna have a carnation on your lapel so I know it’s you?”

“Try a grey fedora and a pissed off look on my face.”

And I ended the conversation then left the office to get something to eat.

------

3:35pm

Georgetown’s gothic spires, stonework, and green fields reminded me of my stint at Oxford. My professors felt that I could use more than a State-side education and my father agreed. He shipped me off to England hoping I would return top of my class. I studied psychology, took in the local pubs, local women, and managed a little bit of travel. After completing my academics I knew I wanted to return to Europe. However, in 1941 I was shipped off to the Pacific in a crisp Marine Corps uniform. Never got to see the Old World before things changed.

I found a bench near the library at the edge of campus and checked my watch. Some students took their studies outside due to the favorable weather.

Springtime in the city.

I surveyed the quad: A male student was more focused on a small group of chatty sweater girls than his textbooks, a professor struggled with a satchel as he hurried into a nearby building. I clocked a young man in a pork pie hat headed my direction but he stopped suddenly to retrieve a gauzy scarf that was snatched by the breeze. He caught up with the shapely owner and said something to make her smile. The man adjusted his hat and continued towards me.

“Nice weather isn’t it?” he began, “Spring is truly in the air and the winds of change are a-blowin’.”

“Dimitri?”

“One in the same, detective.”

“I take it you’ve heard?”

“It hasn’t made the papers, but yes,” he replied as he took a seat on the far end of the bench. I fixed the brim of my fedora as another breeze rolled across the quad.

“I need some answers from you.”

“Well it depends on what you’re asking,” Dimitri said as he took a pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket and tapped them against his palm.

“Do you know who bumped off Spender?”

“That’s a tall order.”

“Did you set him up last night?”

Dimitri took a drag off the cigarette then exhaled a short plume of smoke.

“I got an alibi if you’re interested,” he said confidently as he flicked away fresh ash.

“Let me guess; you were home all night, listened to the radio, brushed your teeth then went to bed like a good boy,” I replied as I shifted positions.

“Nah, I’m not the homebody type. Never was good company.”

“I can see why. I honestly hate being around you at the moment.”

He laughed and placed the cigarette between his lips. His glance followed a co-Ed as she walked down the path towards the library.

“Instead I was out following a tip.”

“A tip? Related to your boss Vincentti?” I questioned.

“You could say that,” he replied, letting the statement hang in the air. It appeared I wasn’t going to get a simple answer.

“Let’s go for a ride,” I said as I leaned forward and rose to my feet. The kid chuckled.

“Are you arresting me?”

“Not yet, I just want a change of scenery. My car’s this way.”

Dimitri pulled out another cigarette as we walked, waiting until he got in my car to light it. I turned on the radio so I wouldn’t have to talk with him on the drive to the precinct. We would have plenty to talk about once we got there.

Upon arriving, I got the attention of the older uniform at the desk who led us to a vacant interrogation room. I handcuffed the kid to the table and told him to stay put as I left to find the captain.

Skinner tucked a thick file under his arm as we entered the room. I closed the door and took a seat across the table. Skinner handed me the folder.

“Dimitri Kristoff. Or should I say Alex Krycek,” I began as I turned the page, “you’ve got a record colorful enough to hang in a gallery.” I thumbed through a series of reports. “Petty theft, bribery, breaking and entering, minor assault, and this last one - public indecency? Don’t see that too often.” I watched him shift uncomfortably in his chair. His eyes found the corner of the room and carved a path back to focus on his hands.

“A guy’s gotta make a living,” Krycek said flatly.

“Well Alex, you must have been deep up shit creek,” I said reaching the end of his file. “I want to know a few things.”

“You’ve got it all there in front of you, detective.” He gestured with a cuffed hand. “Besides I already told you everything I know.”

“Actually you haven’t. I want to know set us up that night? What was your gain in all of this?” I questioned as Skinner rounded the edge of the table. I let Krycek idle for a moment and think. He looked towards the ceiling.

“Can I get a smoke? I got a pack in my pocket.”

I shot Skinner a look then leaned over to uncuff one of Krycek’s hands. He cleared his throat as he reached in his shirt pocket for cigarettes and a matchbook.

“I was in a bad way when I came home from the Pacific. Better off than the boys who didn’t of course, but I was still living alone, scraping by. Did you serve Detective?”

“Marines,” I said curtly.

“Ah. Semper Fi,” he said with a quick salute, “ I was in the Army myself. I couldn’t find a decent job when I got back to the States so I got involved with a fair amount of indecent work. I tended bar at one of Vincenti’s haunts. After a conversation one night I was asked to drive them to a job they were pulling. I had driven a troop transport while I was overseas, so I figured how hard could it be? I signed on with no questions asked.” Krycek flicked a match and lit his waiting cigarette. “I put my lead foot to good use and the more jobs I ran, the more green I had for my pockets. Shakedowns and bank jobs were fine but when the heroin came into the picture I knew I needed to find a way out. I had seen enough of that when I was over there, lost a few friends to it when we got home.”

“So that’s when your moral compass pointed north?” Skinner asked.

“I got involved with a dame. She was a honey of a blonde named Marita who was in deeper with Vincentti than I realized. She worked at a nice club the crew would frequent. I chatted her up one night and she said I was different than the others. Well, she played me for a fool. She had a strong addiction that I helped fuel and it got her killed.” Krycek let the cigarette hang on his lower lip. “Hell of a dame.”

“Okay. So the motive was revenge,” I said as I rose from my chair. “Sounds simple enough. Thought you could single-handedly take down a mob boss because of a woman. Change of heart, realized the error of your ways, and all that.”

“Why get two of my best detectives involved in the first place Krycek if you wanted to handle this yourself,” said Skinner from his corner.

“The top vice unit would have easily wrapped this up with a ribbon,” Krycek responded as he twisted the butt of the cigarette into the ashtray. “Apparently Detective Spender didn’t play by the rules. But that wasn’t my department.”

I was growing impatient and paced the far side of the room.

“Son, you better elaborate,” Skinner said with arms folded tightly.

“I’m stating that the detective might have had another agenda at that meeting. He might have been linked up with them longer than you realized. Maybe he was working as a mole all along. Or, perhaps the goon didn’t want Johnny Law getting an extra cut from the drop so he cut him out of the picture.” Krycek mimed two shots with a finger gun. He sat there grinning like a dirty rat. I ran a hand over my face and let my palm rest on the side of my jaw, feeling the muscles tighten. My eyes darted in Skinner’s direction then back at Krycek.

CRACK

I felt my new scar tissue stretch and tear as I swung a right cross that plowed into his cheekbone. The impact knocked him sideways but not entirely to the floor thanks to the thin chain keeping him tethered to the table. I rubbed my knuckles and backed away, waiting for a retaliation.

“Mulder!” shouted Skinner as he stepped in between, “You’re dismissed.”

I rolled my wrist and watched Krycek adjust his jaw then situate himself in the chair. No blood yet but mine coursed through my veins like a superhighway. The fact I hadn’t left the room caused Skinner to approach me.

“Leave. Now Detective,” he said with a deep tone to his voice. I exhaled and obeyed with a heated walk to the bullpen.

#i wrote this #xf fanfic #historical au #mulder pov #noir fiction #my fic #wip

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drethanramslay · 4 years

Text

Chapter 2

Pairing: Cassian X MC ( for this chapter)

Warning: Slight swearing and violence

Word count: 3.2 K words

Chapter 1

Taglist: @choices-love-affair @miyakokurono @openheart12 @trappedinfandoms @noboundariesplease @nooruleman @madampugzalot @sekizincimektup @dailydoseofchoices @choicesfanatic86 @kaavyaethanramsey @junggoku @flyawayboo @whatchique @vampiregirlsblog @squishywizardhq @lilyvalentine (let me know if you want to added or removed from the taglist 😊)

Song: Cross your Mind by Niall Horan

forgive if I make any mistakes

I am an early bird.

I love the period just before the sun rises. To see the sun slowly come out of the cover of darkness and illuminate every thing in its wake is truly beautiful. The chirping birds, the cool breeze which blows against my face and to see the sky slowly become a mixture of different hues almost makes it feel like it heaven on earth.

Dawn. The start of a new day. The chance to rewrite your slate. To have a fresh start.

Just like the way the sun paints the night sky with a variety of colours, I try to bring the different shades of happiness in my life. I have seen so much violence and gory as a US Marshall that I am still surprised I haven't gone for therapy.

I think it's because I try to find the happiness in everything? I know sometimes it feels like finding a needle in haystack but no matter how ever small that reason is, it's always enough to hold on to.

I was sitting on the beach, crossed legs as I closed my eyes and felt the warmth of the rising sun on my face and the sea breeze which whistled through my shoulder length brown hair. The feeling of the white sand in my hands and smell of the ocean made me feel alive. It's only during moments like this that I feel like the original me.

It's short, it's fleeting but a great reminder on how different I am now.

"Cassian?"

I turned and saw Adira walking towards me in nothing but my shirt and runner shorts. A smirk was pasted on her face as she sashayed towards me.

Being the lead on this case was... Interesting.

I learnt many quirks about her and the one which stood out the most was that, she was a grade A spoilt brat.

I am usually very respectful towards woman but damn, she drives me up the wall. Hell, she threw a fit when I tried making her wear a life jacket.

When we were on the houseboat to Nantucket, I debriefed her on the case and her identity. "So Adira, they finished putting together your cover. You'll be Adira aka Maliha Johnson, a working class girl who just lost her parents. The money your parents left you allowed you to purchase a small house on Nantucket, where you'll be working odd jobs to pay for the contractor helping you repair the weather damage on the place."

The look of aghast which painted her face almost made me wheeze. "Working class? Me?" I thought she was being comical and I just gave her grin. "What is wrong with that?"

I thought wrong.

"You want me? Adira Lockhart.. daughter of the CEO of Lockhart industries, the girl who has a motherfucking MBA, to scrub barnacles of yachts? Excuse me while I puke."

I observed her. Her hands were smooth with no callouses and her skin was flawless, with not a single scar. She was definitely one of those obnoxious rich people who thought that they were above everybody and that the poverty was a disease.

Yup, I hated them.

Serves her right, maybe she can learn a thing or two about humility.

"Yes, Adira that's how it's gonna be and I'm sorry you are going through this. We can't put you in some big place like your old job because that will be the first place they will look for you. We need to rework your entire cover identity so that it's completely different from what Adira Lockhart is."

She sighed and looked out on the ocean. "I was supposed to be settling into my new position at work... Not start a fresh."

I reached and squeezed her hand, conveying my empathy the best way I could. "It's hard to not feel like this is a punishment, but believe me you are doing the right thing. Not only will you be protecting yourself but, you will also be protecting the countless others when you testify."

She turned towards me, her hair whipping her face. "I hate it when I am not able to be in control of my life.." I turned towards her and gave a small smile our eyes meeting.

We stared at each other's eyes, the air between us cackling with lust and the need to be close to each other.

She was about to lean in when an icy gust ripped across the desk, spraying water all over her back.

She shrieked and I swear I momentarily became deaf.

"You need something to cover you up." As I was reaching for my jumper she stopped me.

"I'm fine without it." She said in a voice as cold as the ocean water.

"But, you are shive-" she stopped me with a hand up.

"No, I don't need it Cassian."

And it had been like that since the last week. The hot and cold moments. At one time she is all open, carefree and flirty and then suddenly like a flipped switch she will give Elsa a run for her money at being the coldest person. The silent treatment would be so harsh that it felt like my ears would ring.

She would throw major tantrums and I would have to end up doing maximum amount of work, but then she would profusely apologize by sucking my dick and ride me seven ways to Sunday.

Cassian, don't you love the challenge? The thrill of tasting the forbidden fruit? Don't be so harsh in judging her... She is going through shit.

But, it was surely a new experience. It felt natural to wake up next to her and it was natural to make breakfast in the morning, even if she didn't eat it. I felt like I was the mother hen, trying to make sure she ate and was physically fine so that she won't slip into depression.

And it's a proven fact that exercise get the endorphins rushing through your veins so, I have taken up the responsibility of teaching Adira how to fight so that if I'm compromised, she can at least defend herself.

"Good morning, your highness. Shall we begin?"

"I'm sorry I'm late... a certain someone kept me up till late night." She said with a smirk as she picked up the jumping rope near me.

I just rolled my eyes playfully and started skipping rope.

We did our warm ups which included running and basic stretching. There was teasing and playful shoving which made the entire thing fun. Her eyes would trail to my abs whenever I picked up my singlet to wipe the sweat of my face. And my eyes would trail to the sweat trailing down her chest into her cleavage.

I am not one to deny the view.

"Okay Adira, we have mastered basic punches and blocks but, it's not always gonna be that easy... Have you watched 'Knight and day'?"

"The Tom Cruise movie? Hell yeah."

"Great. So do you remember the part when the bad guy wrapped his arms around-" I went behind her and wrapped my arms around her chest tightly, trapping her hands there "-like this?"

She started breathing heavily. "Yeah.."

"Good. Hands like Houdini. Put your palms down and all at once, throw your hands to the ground and move your hips back."

She did that but, ended up falling on the ground with a smile.

"Nice. The other guy won't know what hit him."

I reached forward and held my hand out. She grabbed and stood up, dusting off the sand on her ass.

"Are you ready for work?" I asked as we started walking back home.

"Ugh nooo." She whined.

I chuckled. "Adira its-" a sudden crash and bang sounded from the house and I stopped in my tracks, my shoulders tensing.

Adira was going to open her mouth to say something but I help up my hand to quieten her.

"There is someone in there." I quietly whispered as I picked up the gun which I had buried in the rose bushes. I stepped in front of her. We entered through the back door and tip toed in.

"The place could be surrounded, stay close to me."

"What if it's them?"

I reached down and squeezed her arm. "I will protect you."

I grasped the gun tightly and Adira just clinged onto my arm. Stepping into the house, I noticed every nook, corner and shadow. Another bang resounded and Adira shrieked and my eyes narrowed onto the open front door.

Moving slowly, I led her to the door and checked the handle.

"No signs of forced entry." I said as I let go of the door.

"But why... Oh." As realization dawned on her.

"What do you mean by oh?" I asked as I turned towards her.

She looked away, guiltily and stared at her feet. "I may have opened the door for getting the newspaper... Guess I never shut it."

What.. the FUCK?

I take my hand down my face, trying to keep my anger at bay. Can't she understand that even the smallest mistake and she could die? Just the smallest feeling of security and she could be on the floor with her throat slit? Is it so hard to understand that this is WITSEC and not some fucking vacation in the Hamptons?

"Adira, how am I supposed to protect you when you're literally leaving the door wide open for the people who want to kill you?" I asked through clenched teeth.

She just crossed her arms and let out a huff of frustration. She just turned the other way.

How dare she have the audacity to get angry?

"Fine. Nice chat. Go for a bath and we are going to work."

She stomped up the stairs and shut the bathroom door so hard that it resounded throughout the entire house.

Well, annoying Adira is back at it again.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I trailed behind Adira, trying to match her pace, but she just kept stomping on the sand, full steam ahead.

"Walking angrily on sand doesn't have the effect you're going for. Unless you're trying to look cute." I called out to her.

She just huffed and walked even faster. I ran a couple of steps and fell into stride with her. "UGH! Can you not?"

"I'm just trying to do my job ya know? Try to protect you from a mob that is after your life?"

"I hate this. I'm sick of being escorted around."

"But Adira-"

"Shut the fuck up Cassian." I raised my hands in surrenderance, not wanting to ruin her mood even more.

"I'm sorry Adira."

Apologizing will make it better, right? Even if it isn't my fault?

"And you should be." She said haughtily.

I could have given a fucking powerpoint presentation on how this wasn't my fault but I would really like to keep my balls intact so I just shut the fuck up. Avoid conflict, they say. The shit we men go through...

We reached the lobster shack but, Adira didn't slow down her pace. This resulted in her feet getting tangling in the fish nets on the deck. She let out a huge groan and stared at the sky as if to ask "Why is it happening to me?"

What a drama queen... But, I still like her.

"Do you want me to help you?" I asked, preparing myself for a brutal rejection.

She just sighed and looked up at me with her tired blue eyes. "Yes please."

I bent down and slowly untangled the net out if her ankle. After I was done, I slid my arm up her calf and smiled up at her.

"There."

She gave me a soft smile. "Thanks Cassian."

I was going to say something when Renata called out to us. "Why are you both standing there doin' nothin'? The lobsters aren't going to shuck themselves!!"

Adira rolled her eyes and said lowly. "Well, that shucks."

Barking out a laugh, we both headed to the shed to get on with our work.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was outside the shed doing my work when I heard Renata sigh with frustration. "This... Is really getting my goat!"

I couldn't help but snort. Who even says that nowadays?

"Anything I can do to help?" Adira's voice spoke up. I stopped my work so that I could hear how their conversation goes.

I heard a loud crash and bang which made me flinch. Renata really must be pissed.

"Rockport Dining needs fifty-seven ounces by tonight, and I keep losing track. Numbers have never been my strong suit."

Please Adira don't blow your co-

"Well, you're in luck. After years in finance, there's nothing I can't keep track of in my head." I heard her gleeful smile.

I sighed and pinched my nose in frustration. This is just like Jonah all over again.

I heard Renata's loud boisterous voice which I swear, the entire town could have heard. "Aren't you full of surprises!"

"Everyone has their surprises."

Yeah and your fucking surprises will be the death of me.

"I knew you had that smart look about you. Any other secrets locked away in that head of yours I should know about?" Renata asked in a teasing manner and my eyes started surveying the area, to see any suspicious activity.

You never know when your enemies can creep up on you and one stumble, boom you are dead.

But it was crowded and it was hard to narrow in on any suspects.

I creeped close to the door of the shed and peeked in. Adira had a fake smile plastered on her face and said, "No of course not. I'm an open book."

Renata laughed. "We'll just have to get our hands dirty together then Let me get you a new pair of gloves." She headed for the door and I blended myself in the shadows so that she couldn't notice me.

She leaves and I storm inside the shed and throw the bucket of crabs on the floor.

"Grab your things and tell Renata you are quitting." I said as I started taking my own gloves out.

"WHAT? Why?'

I took a deep breath, trying to prevent myself from breaking out. "She's going to start asking questions about how someone with your work history ended up here. Your cover is blown, Adira. Let's go." I reached for her hand but she just pulled away.

Rolling her eyes, she turned to her work station. "Nothing will happen, you are just being paranoid."

She. Just. Didn't.

I was just gonna speak up but Renata came in, bustling. I casually leaned against the wall, staring at Adira with hard eyes. "So tell me more about your talents. My son is finance so he might know more about this topic."

I smoothly cut in. "I'm sorry Renata but Maliha needs to leave. There has been a family emergency."

Adira's eyes widened before she played along, stammering." Yeah.. uh there has been an emergency. I have to quit."

She was heading out when Renata grabbed her hand, eyes full of compassion. "Maliha, I'm a mother too. And I know that look in your eyes is sheer fear. I don't know what it is, but I hope everything is okay."

Without saying anything, Adira turned and fell into step with me.

We biked back to the house, but I still couldn't shake off the feeling that we were caught. That maybe, just maybe they are on to us.

And that's because she couldn't keep quiet.

I saw Adira peek at me from the corner of the eye. She opened her mouth to say something but ended up not saying anything.

And I'm damn glad she didn't because I swear to god, I would have snapped so hard.

After a few minutes, Adira blurted out. "How many times have you done this? You must be an expert in helping other people leave their lives behind."

I sighed. "Don't get comfortable. The moment you do, you'll make a mistake you can't take back."

Adira stayed quiet as we peddled the rest of the way. We parked the bicycles and I bent down to put the chain on the wheels.

I entered the house and headed to the kitchen while, Adira went up the stairs. I sighed and started getting dinner ready. The sun was setting over the ocean and the sky was a mixture of pink and blues, as if it was confused as to which colour it wanted to show. The sun gleamed a vermilion hue and it painted the entire house orange in its wake.

I heard the shower run and I took out the cutting board to cut some vegetables. I was thinking of making stir-fry with a side of noodles. And I didn't care if Adira didn't fucking like it or not.

I cut the vegetables, pouring in all my day's frustration into massacring them. I took a break and grasped the counter tightly as I let out a sigh.

I stood up and looked out fo the window, to see the dying sun. But that's not what caused me to grasp the knife tighter.

A reflection.

A reflection that was not Adira.

I ducked and the crow bar whistled over my head. I turned and flipped the knife so that I could hold it tighter. Let's call the intruder Thing 1.

Thing 1 tried to go for my head again, but I blocked his hand and punched his face with my left hand.

Disoriented, his grip on the crowbar loosened. Seizing the opportunity I twisted his arm and disarmed him. A parry of blows were exchanged but I managed to stab him twice in the gut. Moving like water I ended up behind him and got him in a headlock.

"Lights out motherfucker." I said as I snapped his neck, ending his life.

But that wasn't the end of it.

I was tackled to the ground by another person. I ended up hitting my temple on the counter edge and I swear, I heard ringing. Things were blurry and I saw the guy lift a knife, trying to stab me but I was quick.

Making an 'X' with my hands, I blocked the knife and it stopped inches from my face. “Oh you just. did, not....Not the face asshole.” I reared my leg up and kicked him as hard as I could on the balls.

"Fuck." Thing 2 said with a thick Irish accent as he writhed on the floor.

"Take this you cunt." I kicked him hard in the ribs and picked up the crowbar.

"Say hello to Thing 1, when you meet him in hell." That being said I hit him hard on the head which ended with him having a cracked skull.

"ADIRA!" I called out as I ran up the stairs, tightening my grip on the crowbar.

The bathroom door was open but I heard the crash of the lamp and a high pitched scream from the bedroom.

I kicked open the door and there was Adira.

But that's not what made my blood boil.

The asshole was standing there, his arms around her, trapping her.

With a gun pointing at her head.

well well... guess who is going to have his ass handed

can we just say that angry Casian is hot yeah?

I will probably post the third chapter next week? because currently I'm taking writing requests for hitting 400 followers and to fill the void of Ethan Ramsey in my heart

maybe you might get to see the character I have been raving about next week?

like, comment and reblog!! tell me what do you think will happen?

#choices #playchoices #choices stories you play #choices stories we play #choices witness #witness: a bodyguard romance #cassian witness #witness mc #witness #wabr #choices wabr #cassian keane #Cassian x OC #cassian x mc #adira lockhart #anushka writes

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marbledaesthetics · 4 years

Text

Only on Principal | afi | part ii

masterlist part i

pairing: ashton irwin x ofc

warnings: angst, hurt/comfort, slow burn, mutual pining, fake (semi-coerced?) relationships, injuries, implications of anxiety

word count: 4.4k

a/n: sorry this took so long, I just recently restarted classes and I never have the time to write. I wish I could say the next one will be sooner, but I haven’t even started it (oops). I do have an idea of where this will go moving forward, so hopefully, once I can get around to writing, it will go quickly.

~~~

It’s nearing 10 o’clock when Ashton pulls up to the building Hylla described, a brick building with tall windows, two stories high. The sign above the front door reads The Ink Pot, but he passes it by in favor of following the small alley to his left, as per her directions, where he found a small side door.

He hesitates before knocking, knowing he’s a few minutes early. He’d spent the past week kicking himself over the way he had treated her, and he was anxious to see if she would still be upset by it.

The door swings open, snapping him from his thoughts, to reveal Hylla, holding a mascara wand and small, squirming dog. “Hi, you can come on up, I’m not quite ready, yet.” She motions for him to follow him up the stairs just inside the door. “You can chill wherever while I finish up.”

Hylla disappears after setting down the small pup, who immediately scuttles over to Ashton, at the top of the stairs. He crouches down and scratches its ears lightly, giggling when it attempts to climb into his lap. “Well, hello there.” He moves to sit on the end of her couch, leaning back down to continue petting it.

Hylla comes back a minute later, shaking her head in amusement at her dog, who is now lying on Ashton’s foot while he scratches her stomach. “Are you being needy, Karma? Worst guard dog I’ve ever seen,” she teases, laughing as the dog gets up and barrels into her shins.

“What breed is she?” Ashton asks, brushing a bit of dog fur from the bottom of his jeans.

“A mini Australian shepherd. She’s super smart, but she’s also a total brat.”

Ashon giggles, and she immediately yearns to hear the sound again. She mentally scolds herself, reminding herself that she needed to keep their relationship amicable for the next eight months.

“Are you ready, then?” Ashton asks, breaking the slightly awkward silence. He stands and slides his hands into his pockets.

“Yeah, I just need to put this little one somewhere she won’t cause trouble.” She herds Karma into a corner of the kitchen full of dog things, closing a baby gate to keep her there. Upon watching this, Ashton notices that most things he could see are baby proofed.

Gesturing to the nearest baby lock, he asks, “Do you have a kid?” then quickly backtracks. “Wow, that was really blunt, sorry.”

Hylla just laughs, brushing it off as she pulls on her shoes. “No, like I said, Karma is super smart, but she loves causing trouble. She knows how to flip light switches, open cabinets, doors, the fridge, so: baby locks.”

Ashton laughs, a full sound from deep in his chest. “That’s amazing. In theory, that would be great, but I could see how she could make a mess, though.”

Hylla makes a small noise of affirmation, and they head out. They make small talk on their way, allowing the radio to fill stretches of comfortable silence.

Ashton parks a few blocks from the coffee shop, giving them a chance to be spotted before they enter. He gives Hylla a small, reassuring smile before hopping out of the car, opening her door. He helps her out of the car, lacing their fingers together as they make their way to the shop.

A handful of fans recognize Ashton, but none make a fuss about Hylla’s presence, being kind without prying.

They choose to sit at a bar along the front windows, keeping an eye out for the paps that were bound to arrive. They continue to keep their conversation light, occasionally speaking to fans that approach.

After some time, they notice the herd of paps outside had grown to a size plenty more than sufficient for their purposes. They meet each other’s eyes before rising from their seats in unison.

Ashton takes Hyllas free hand in his, squeezing lightly. “You ready?”

She smiles back and nods, using her drink to gesture for them to leave.

As soon as the door opens, they’re overwhelmed by flashes. Ashton makes a point of ignoring the cameras, leading Hylla toward the pier, where it would be more difficult for the paps to follow.

Hylla tries to keep her head down, knowing there are already enough pictures of her face for Twitter to find her. The noise was overwhelming, with questions being shouted over each other, and Hylla is forced to press closer to Ashton to keep her balance as they fight their way through the crowded sidewalk.

One man pouches forward, gripping her arm tightly and asking a question she doesn’t quite hear. She freezes, eyes going wide as the man’s grip grows tighter. Immediately, Ashton puts himself between the two, dropping her hand in favor of pulling the man’s off of her and pushing him back. As soon as she’s freed, she stumbles back, heart still racing, and watches Ashton shoo away everyone who hasn’t already taken their cue to leave.

Once they are gone, he turns back to her, concern pinching his features. “Are you alright?” he asks softly, lightly brushing his fingertips over the bright red marks left on her elbow.

“I’m okay,” she says quickly, “just a little shaken up— I wasn’t expecting that.” Her reply comes almost too fast for Ashton to believe her, but he just nods, drawing her closer to him, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead before continuing toward the pier.

Their silence is comfortable as they walk, filling the long stretches between bits of small talk.

Occasionally, a fan will ask Ashton for a picture, and Hylla happily takes the photos, opting to stay behind the camera, despite several invitations to join them.

They eventually find themselves at a picnic table, their gazes drifting between each other and the water.

“I’m actually kind of surprised we didn’t get more questions today,” she mentions, absentmindedly running her nails through the groves in the worn wood.

Ashton shrugs, drumming his own fingers on his thigh. “They usually aren’t the type to pry, but those pictures are probably trending by now.”

“I suppose it’s nice how they don’t track you everywhere. I imagine that would get old.”

“It can when it happens a lot, like when we’re on tour. Usually, it screws up plans more than anything.” He pauses for a second, taking in the sounds of the boardwalk before looking back to her. “So, I still don’t know much about you. Where are you from?”

“I grew up in Long Beach. My mom grew up in the LA area, but my dad is actually from Puerto Rico.”

“Puerto Rico, I think you might have mentioned that last week.”

She raises her eyebrows a bit, shocked he remembered. “Yeah, I did.”

“Does that mean you speak Spanish?”

His voice is genuinely curious, but Hylla can’t help but tease, “How original, no one has ever asked me that before. But, yes, I speak Spanish.”

“Well, I’m sorry I asked,” he says, holding up his hands in mock surrender. “I feel like you mentioned your mom, too. Are you a family-oriented person?”

“Yeah, my entire family is pretty close.”

“Mine, too. Do you have any siblings?”

“Two brothers and a sister, plus a few cousins I’m super close with.”

Ashton gave a quick glance around, making sure everyone was out of earshot before speaking. “This whole thing must be hard then, not being able to talk about this.”

“A little, but I’m honestly so busy I don’t get to see them half as often as I’d like to even have to avoid talking about it. I assume it’s gonna get even harder with this being public now.” Hylla spoke quietly, also concerned about potential eavesdroppers. “This probably isn’t the place for this conversation.”

“You’re probably right,” He said, standing up from the table. “Should we move this somewhere more private?”

He held out a hand, which she took, lacing her fingers in his as they made their way back up the pier. “What other things should you know about me?”

“Well, apparently you speak Spanish. Any other fun talents you’ve been hiding from me?”

“You already know I do art. That takes up most of my time.”

“Other than tattoos, what kind of art do you like to do?”

“Uh, a little bit of everything, I guess? I do a lot of digital things because they’re the easiest to get to clients that commission me, and I can print them into stencils. I paint, sometimes. As long as I have a pen and something to write on, I’ll doodle. How about you? Any random talents you’re holding out on?”

“Nothing spectacular. I can whistle really well, but I suppose that goes with the music thing.”

They spend the rest of the walk back to the car chatting, talking just enough to fill the silence. They had almost made it back to the car when they saw a few more paps; though, they appeared to be less pushy than the ones they encountered earlier.

Hylla’s first reaction was to ignore them, avoiding direct eye contact, but Ashton smiled at them, politely telling them he would answer any of their questions. She was honestly surprised they left graciously, allowing the pair to go about their business.

Ashton opened her door for her, allowing her to climb into the passenger seat before getting in the car himself. Neither of them spoke until Ashton pulled into traffic. “Are you doing okay? I know all of this can be overwhelming.”

Hylla shrugged, running her fingertips over the seams of the center council. “I’m fine, I wasn’t really as prepared for dealing with them as I originally thought, but it’s something I’ll just learn with time, I guess. Honestly, the fact that they just left when you asked them to really shocked me.”

“They aren’t all quite as pushy as the ones this morning,” Ashton assured her. He made quick glances at her while he drove, debating whether he could hold her hand without people around. “The shoving and mobbing is something we hardly ever have to deal with around here, and security is usually with us in places where the pushy ones like to show. Speaking of which, how’s your arm?”

Hylla hadn’t really had much time to think over the morning’s events, so she was surprised to see how dark the bruises were when she looked down. “It looks worse than it feels. It’ll probably be pretty sore tomorrow, though.”

“Once we park, I can take a look at it. I might have something at home that could take care of them.” He couldn’t help but feel guilty, partially responsible for what had happened. “We probably should have iced it earlier, stopped it from getting this bad.”

Hylla shook her head, shrugging off his concern. “It really doesn’t hurt, Ash. It’s not a big deal.”

“I know, but I hate that they hurt you. I should have expected something like this.” He speaks quietly, shifting his eyes back to the road.

“This isn’t your fault, Ash,” she said, not even thinking as she put her hand over his on the gearshift. “You know that, right? I signed up for this. This whole thing doesn’t need to make me your responsibility.”

Ashton’s fluttering heart sank at her words, feeling pushed away. “I know that we really aren’t that close, that I don’t necessarily need to, but I’m still worried about you, and I still care that you got hurt.” His face is red as he pulls into a park’n’ride, catching her gaze before quickly averting his eyes. “Is it okay if I take a look at your arm?” His words are cautious, not wanting to overstep any boundaries or make her uncomfortable.

“That’s fine, Ash.” She twists slightly in her seat to face him more and whisks the knuckles of her uninjured arm over his cheek to bring his attention back to her face. “And, thank you for caring, even if you don’t really have to.”

“Of course, Hylla. I’m not about to just ignore you as soon as we aren’t in public, even if I technically can.” He speaks softly, but with a tone of finality that affirms his words.

Hylla hums softly in response, taking more reassurance from his words than she realized she had needed.

He takes his time inspecting her bruises, softly grazing them with his fingers. Ashton sighs, his tone softer when he continues. “I know I wasn’t particularly pleasant when we first met, scratch that, I was a total douche, and there isn’t an excuse for that, but I really would like us to be friends, to be able to enjoy each other’s company if we’re going to be spending so much time together.”

“I completely understand why you acted the way you did that first day; I probably would have reacted the same way if our roles were reversed. You didn’t get a choice in the situation, and I was the person they were forcing onto you, so you lashed out. I’m not upset about you having feelings, Ashton, and I also want to be able to enjoy each other’s company throughout this.” She paused in a way that suggested she wasn’t done talking, but couldn’t bring herself to suggest that their relationship could go further than just friends.

Hylla was snapped from her thoughts when Ashton’s gentle hold on her arm trailed, taking her hand in his, drawing her gaze back to his. “I’m glad we both want that.” He wore a light smile on his face, gently stroking her hand with his thumb as he spoke. “Those bruises are getting kind of gnarly. Want to maybe get some food and head back to mine so I can clean them up?”

His tone is meek, bracing himself from the rejection he feared, expecting her to ask him to just bring her home. Despite her reassurance that she understood, he still was worried he had screwed over anything that could have ever possibly happened between them with his behavior.

“That sounds good.” She squeezes his hand, smiling at him. He sighs lightly with relief, taking her acceptance of his offer as a good sign. With a small, mischievous smile, she mutters, “Feels good, too.”

Ashton barks a loud, sudden laugh and throws his head back, completely caught off guard by the change in mood. He continues to giggle as he pulls back into traffic, heading toward his house. “A pun at my expense? Already?” He trails off into a fit of giggles, his smile growing further. “Oh, you are just gonna love the guys.”

Ashton falters, worried he’s jumped too far ahead of himself, despite the fact that they both knew that she would be meeting the guys sooner rather than later, but Hylla's unfazed. “It’ll probably be even harder for you to keep this from them than it will be for me to keep it from my family.”

Her comment throws him— he hadn’t even considered the fact that he couldn’t tell the guys about the nature of their relationship. “I guess we never did finish that conversation, did we?”

She shrugs off the question, hiking one knee to her chest and leaning against the door. “I don’t really know what else to say. I mean, it’s going to suck keeping this from them, but what more is there to dwell on, really?”

Ashton takes a quick glance over at her, sensing that the situation bothered her more than she was letting on, but decides not to push the matter. “Tell me about them.”

Hylla tilts her head just enough to stare, quirking her eyebrow at his request.

“They’re clearly important to you, so, tell me about them.” She smiles, shaking her head as she thinks.

“Well, Kendall is the oldest, she’s 28. She loves to tease, and is bossy as hell, but her heart is always in the right place. Micah’s 26. He can be a little protective, but lets me get away with everything because he’s a total softy. Kian’s only twenty, but protective to the point of overbearing and likes following the rules. He loves playing tough guy, and hates acknowledging that I can handle myself. Issac and Lydia are my cousins, but we spent so much time together as kids that we’re practically siblings. Lydia is 27, and Issac’s my age— actually, he’s two days younger than me and I will never let him forget it.”

Ashton smiles as she rambles, listening attentively to her stories with the people she cares so much about.

She trails off in the middle of a story from her childhood, blushing when she realizes they’ve stopped in Ashton’s driveway. “Sorry, I got a little carried away.”

“Don’t be. They sound amazing.” They both exit the car, walking up to the house. “I wish I got to see my family more, but the guys are like my brothers, now.”

Ashton opens the door for Hylla, stepping in behind her and dropping his keys into a bowl by the door. He kicks off his shoes, and Hylla follows suit before continuing to stand awkwardly, unsure of how to proceed.

Ashton shows her to the kitchen, telling her to make herself comfortable before disappearing upstairs to grab some things for her arm. Hylla perches herself on a stool at his counter, pulling out her phone to see the pictures of them starting to trend.

Ashton returns carrying an assortment of first aid supplies. He chuckles lightly when she shows him her screen, mildly impressed that they’ve already seemed to have identified her, along with several of her socials.

“Twitter really is better than the FBI, aren’t they?” He nods, pulling a stack of takeout menus from a drawer.

“What are you feeling for lunch?” he asks, flipping several of the menus to face her.

She glances up from her scrolling, returning her phone to her pocket. “I’m not picky, but I’m always a sucker for Thai.” She pulls a few menus from the stack, allowing Ashton to pick from those.

Once they’d placed their orders, Ashton sits facing her, inspecting her bruises again. He holds her arm gently, careful not to put more pressure than necessary on the sore area. He rubs a balm over it before wrapping it with a soft ice pack, smiling at her gently.

“You really need to stop feeling so guilty about this, Ash.” Her words stun him, and he meets her eyes again. “This is not your fault, and your guilty face is making me sad.” She jokingly pouts at him, earning herself a giggle.

“I know,” he sighs lightly and sits up straighter, twisting to face the counter, “but I can’t help but feel bad that being around me got you hurt.” He has his own small pout, fuming over the incident.

“It’s a bruise, Ashton. It’s not even that bad.” She moves the compress, poking it harshly to prove her point, but the small wince she makes nullifies it. “Okay, maybe it’s a bad bruise, but I’ll be fine. I’ve probably given myself worse bruises running into tables, so you can stop worrying so much.”

Ashton resituates the compress, holding it there to keep her from moving it again. “Was awful to you that first day, and now this happened. I can’t help but think that you're gonna hate me if this sort of thing keeps happening.”

“I’m not a dog, Ash. A few bad days aren’t gonna train me to hate you.” She chuckles a bit, smiling warmly. “I already told you that I’m not mad about you being in a mood that first day and that this isn’t your fault. You don’t need to be so hard on yourself.” She reaches out to cup his face, rubbing her thumb over his cheekbone soothingly.

Her touch feels natural, and Ashton has to restrain himself from leaning into it. “I’ll try to stop worrying so much, but you need to leave your ice pack on so it actually starts healing,” he teases, placing his hand on her knee, brushing the inside of it with his thumb.

“Deal.”

They remain in a comfortable silence for a bit, enjoying each other’s touch within their own little bubble, until the doorbell rings, startling them both. They jump apart guiltily, breaking their worry free bliss, and they both flush. Ashton sighs lightly before moving to answer the door, already missing her touch.

Hylla readjusts in her seat, trying to process the moment they shared. She ached to return to it, to pursue a romance outside of their contract without regard for the consequences, but she chastised herself, unable to push her worries from her mind. No matter what happened between them in private, they would be forced to regularly see each other until their contract expired, and she wasn’t sure she could keep something like that to herself for so long.

Ashton comes back with their takeout a minute later, firmly refusing to allow Hylla to pay him back for her meal. Once they are both settled with their food, he rekindles their conversation for a third time. “Tell me more about your family.”

Hylla thinks for a moment on what she should start with, surprised at how interested he is. “Well, my dad’s family is from Puerto Rico; They moved here when he was eleven. My mom’s family came over from Southern Europe before the first world war. They’re both deeply connected to their cultures, so we have a lot of strong traditions. Between running the shop and now this, I don’t get to see them half as often as I’d like, but we try to make a point of doing big family dinners as often as we can— which you will most definitely be getting dragged to at some point in the near future. There is no way they will let me get away with not bringing you around more than once, now that we’re public.”

Ashton chuckles, heart fluttering at the prospect of meeting the people that were so important to her. “Well, I’ll give it a week at most before the guys start showing up here unannounced to try and meet you, so I guess we’re even there.”

“Speaking of meeting people, we’re going to need a solid story of how we met because my family will pick up on anything that doesn’t quite match up, so our details need to be on point without seeming rehearsed.”

“The guys won’t necessarily need details, but if the situation seems weird, they’re gonna start asking questions we probably won’t be able to answer.”

“So we need details and a vibe.”

They sit quietly, only the sounds of their chewing disturbing the thoughtful silence as they run through scenarios. They occasionally bounce a few ideas off each other, shooting down the ones that would spark too many questions, before settling on meeting at a farmers market they both occasionally shop at.

They discuss the details of the meeting, occasionally jotting down details to remember, until long after their food has been finished. The conversations strayed frequently, and Hylla longed to hear more about the man beside her, who she suspected was holding something back, giving few details of his own life when she tries to reciprocate his curious nature.

Even after the details had been arranged, their conversation flowed easily, but Ashton remained reserved, worried if he shared too many of his own experiences, he’d lose sight of what he has in common with Hylla. He could recognize so much of himself within her— valuing her connections to her family and culture, the strong sense of creativity she pursued— despite the fact that they led completely different lives, and he clung to that connection, terrified she would lose what little interest in him he hopes she has without it.

What Hylla does learn about him is mundane, but she adores the knowledge, nonetheless, They exchange random favorites— foods, movies, authors— and other small things, keeping their conversation light until Hylla decides she’s stayed her welcome.

Upon arriving home, she immediately takes Karma for a walk, taking some time to think over the predicament Ashton presented. She’s close with her family, and has never been good at hiding things from them. If one of them directly pointed out something was weird about the couple, she isn’t sure she will be able to keep up the act.

Her worries continue to pester her as she sets things up in the shop for the next morning, and while she attempts to sleep. Eventually, after giving into her insomnia, she pulls a sketchbook from the pile on her desk and settles back on top of the comforter to draw.

She doesn’t pay as much mind to what she’s drawing as she does to blending each part into a single piece. She starts with thin line work, dainty lines flowing to the edges of uncompleted figures, but quickly switches to thicker, bolder marks, all but overtaking the delicate start to the piece. When she comes back from her place deep in her thoughts, and takes the time to examine what she’s done, she is shocked at the wholeness of the piece. Even without the detailing of a finished piece, it seems cohesive and clear-cut, as though it told a story.

The upper half of a wolf vaguely encircles the dainty, loopy outline of a girl holding a flor de maga, a Puerto Rican hibiscus flower, as though using it as a pen. The wolf’s teeth are bared, but its expression is soft and curious as it faces the girl, who appeared to be unbothered by the beast’s presence, focused on the image below them. In roughly the shape of a tiara, vague figures of half sketched people struggle toward a man holding a flag, standing firm against strong winds. The piece bleeds with emotion, feelings of passion, admiration, understanding, and inner strength.

Hylla stays up until the wee hours of the morning, shading and adding details to the piece until she feels as though she’s done it justice. It’s raw, and she doesn’t quite understand why the textures and patterns work together, but everything fits together in a way that satisfies her. Finally, she moves the sketchbook to her nightstand, sprawling out on the bed to get some sleep before she has to open the shop.

~~~

masterlist

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squidpro-quo · 5 years

Text

Wind

AN: Modern!au because I can never resist a good heist and thieves are my favorite type of characters.

“You know, I didn’t sign on to be the face.” Obi’s voice sounded tinny through Zen’s earpiece but the put-upon quality of it came through loud and clear.

“The face?” Zen questioned as he leaned down to look over Kiki’s shoulder and watched the cameras pan slowly over Obi as he neared the entrance. Thank goodness for mob bosses and their fanatically obsessive security system, it made their job so much easier to just hijack what was already there, and in such high resolution color too.

“I’m the hands of this operation, you’re the face, and Shirayuki’s the mastermind,” Obi muttered, eyes meeting Zen’s through the camera feed for a split second before he kept his gaze moving. “You don’t switch those elements up and expect it to be smooth sailing.”

“We already agreed, Obi. They made me last time, so our only ace up our sleeve is your complete anonymity. Embrace the face.” Remembering the hours of discussion over how to go about doing the job, he knew Obi would perform his role no matter the gripes or groans that might come over the line. He would admit that putting him as the frontrunner was rather like trying to contain wind in a box, it wasn’t free to move as it wanted and sneak in where it would, but unfortunately, Zen had already blown his own chance at it.

He traced the pixels that made up Obi’s figure with a slow look, wishing he could be there even more. It had taken some convincing to get Obi to wear what he suggested, but it looked even better than his imagination could have foretold. It was truly a sin that life did not put Obi in suits more often, the tux’s sharp lines doing him all kinds of favors while the camera did not do it full justice in the least. He’d just have to convince Obi to don it once more for him and Shirayuki, another time.

And speaking of Shirayuki, he checked her progress towards the safe and crouched next to her by the grating, taking one look at the concoctions in her lap and figuring it safe to leave her to her tinctures; judging by the intense calculations scribbled down before her, distraction was the last thing she needed.

Returning to the cameras, Zen wished yet again that he had something more to do than just watch and wait. Obi had reached the weapons check area only one step from the main hall and stood with his hands in his pockets as the guard gestured through the prohibited list of items.

“Ah, I understand.” Obi pulled a knife from his pocket and a handgun from his boot, setting them both on the tray laid aside for his things. Standard protocol, if you attended a mob boss’s celebration dinner then you were expected to be packing at least a little, it was more suspicious to bring nothing. It raised questions of what else you could have as leverage. Zen nodded approvingly, so far so good, now to keep moving—

But Obi continued, unsheathing a set of knives from both pant legs, extracting each from the holsters in order from smallest to largest and laying them carefully on the table, before sliding yet another pistol from his jacket. Finally, he handed over the silencer for it and gestured with a roguish smile.

“All clean. Don’t forget, I’ll be wanting those back.” He strode into the venue and Zen wondered why he’d been reticent to be there if he could joke around like that.

“What were all of those? When did you put those on?” Zen asked, rubbing the bridge of his nose instead of sighing. “That was unnecessary.”

“Got your attention though, didn’t it?” Obi snagged a glass of champagne and took a sip before continuing. “What are you going to do? Give me a patdown next time?”

Zen was glad they were in the maintenance shafts, where the bad lighting could hide the fact that his face felt hotter than the chemical fires Shirayuki sometimes set and he could chalk his distracted cough down to the dust floating in the air. Kiki didn’t spare him more than a glance, but even that was enough to let him know he hadn’t fooled her.

“Mission first,” he managed to choke out.

“We’ll discuss what comes later,” Obi agreed, the purr in his voice not helping Zen’s matters much but thankfully they were interrupted by a group of men approaching Obi. Leaving him to schmooze with the best, Zen got himself more under control during the short walk back to Shirayuki, finding her mixing the last batch with a self-satisfied hum.

“I heard him,” she said before he could make any excuses. “Let’s finish this quickly.”

Unlike him, she was too professional to let anything like that distract her from their work, but even she wasn’t above being motivated by a sense of urgency that wasn’t entirely from the promise of money and a lot of jewels that lay at the end of the line.

Passing him a vial, she kicked open the hatch above the vault’s entrance and jumped. Zen’s heart leaped into his throat, wondering if she’d grown reckless in her haste but she beckoned to him to follow as she set off towards the reinforced door. Dropping into the hall, he straightened up to find the junction of the three corridors an unnerving amount of open space to have at their backs as they worked. The vault door yielded to the contents of Shirayuki’s beakers, slowly eating through the outer casing and revealing the keypad underneath centimeter by centimeter. One workaround for a keycard was merely melting through what it opened, but that only worked for so many inches of hard steel with what little corrosive concoction Shirayuki could make that wouldn’t also be melting through the alarm system embedded inside.

Zen couldn’t keep himself from glancing over his shoulder every few seconds. His usual job was working the crowds, finding the weaknesses in people’s smiles and small talk, and the long meters of empty hallway surrounding them left him with no cover from anything. How could he ever talk his way out of this one, if it came down to it? There might be more mobsters up there but the weapons were words, and although he could handle anything Obi had set on the table, it was where others were stripped bare that he could keep his facade intact.

“Got it,” came the soft whisper in their ears as Obi disengaged from the target. Zen could imagine the look in Obi’s eyes as he lounged against the side of a pillar as if checking his watch while those white-gloved fingers fondled the champaigne’s flute stem in apparent boredom. “Fifteen, twenty-seven, eight hundred ninety three.”

Zen punched in the numbers as soon as Obi said them, letting out his held breath when the click sounded and the door swung open. Doubt didn’t have any place in their line of work, and neither did hesitation.

“Get out now. We’ll see you in ten,” he said, locking eyes with Shirayuki and hurrying to grab what they’d come for. They had a bigger prize waiting for them later.

#answeek2019 #ans #anweek #day3 #obizenyuki #i imagine mitsuhide is their getaway driver #he's got mad skills behind the wheel #kind of pulled zen out of his comfort zone #but that's fine they make a good team regardless #spiffy obi is my favorite too #Akagami no Shirayukihime #answeek #my writing

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bittersweetsongbirdsworld · 4 years

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Jimin and Yoongi had already parted ways for the night, but that doesn't mean Jimin was going to bed right that moment. How could he possibly sleep now when he read the message Jeongguk had texted him? He knew Yoongi was exhausted with all the dancing Jimin forced him into, but they could finally dance and transform at the same time. It was smooth and Yoongi always ended in a twirl with Jimin in his hands, in scythe form that is.

Oh God, Jimin was day dreaming again. Call him petty, but after Yoongi praised him and even said that the dancing and transforming was that smooth that he decided that was how they'll prepare for most battles from now on. Jimin was nearly vibrating with pure joy because he actually made Min Yoongi comfortable with him, even if it took him four months and twenty six days to achieve his trust. He was beyond joyful, but he had to watch his steps. It was like walking on egg shells around the elder. One wrong move and Jimin was done for.

Though, that wasn't the thing worrying Jimin at the moment. He had to reread the message three or four times for it to finally sink in. Yoongi suffers from a severe case of PTSD from years of missions that he never once talked about. Jeongguk was specific with him though, which Jimin noted he'd have to thank the kid later for it. Don't mention kids, his family, the dark, or missing. Jeongguk said if he mentioned anything like that, Yoongi's breath would hitch before he'd start to breath heavy. If the topic continued, he'd start to sweat and biting his lip. If Jimin finally asked about it, Yoongi would be shaking uncontrollably and gasping for air.

Jimin knew to never step over these boundaries, but it made him curious at the same time. He wanted to know what was hurting Yoongi so much that he couldn't even be in a room that was pitch black. He was beyond curious and it made Jimin want to ask him. He wanted to get to know Yoongi more and more everyday that he didn't even realize that he was falling head over heels for him. He didn't complain though, he didn't have the right to complain when he wanted to fall for the elder. He was happy and he thinks Yoongi is happy.

His thoughts were cut off when he heard strange noises coming from Yoongi's room. Jimin was surprised he actually heard the noise because Yoongi's room was on the other end of the hallway, which was quite a walk compared to Jimin's room. Jimin literally had to strain his ears to pick up another noise the came from Yoongi's room. It sounded as if there was someone walking around, throwing books off a high shelf, and the sound of something wet and sticky hitting the wooden floor. It honestly sounded like someone had skinned someone and thrown the bloodied skin onto the ground.

Jimin didn't have a chance to process everything before he was flying towards Yoongi's room, his hand grasping the doorknob. He twisted the knob with so much force that he neatly broke the whole thing in the process. Still, the door swung open and Jimin rushed in, his eyes meeting but pitch black nothingness. That was the first thing Jimin noticed when he rushed into the room. Pitch black. Nothing. Complete darkness.

One of Yoongi's triggers.

Jimin knew that it was way too dark for Yoongi, so he looked for a light switch. As he shuffled along the wall, he stepped right into a puddle of something unknown. It was warm, which made Jimin shutter because it only made his mind wonder. The liquid was warm and thick, the liquid soaking into Jimin's socks. He had to bit his bottom lip to stop himself from screaming out in pure terror. There was a pile of- Something in the middle of the floor and Jimin was dead set that someone skinned Yoongi alive and got away. He felt like he was going to cry, but he needed to see it to believe it.

When his hands landed on the light switch, Jimin didn't hesitate to flip it on, the room now rather brightly illuminated by the light of the ceiling light. His eyes wondered around the room before the fell on Yoongi's bed. Jimin's heart sank when he saw the condition Yoongi was in. No wonder there was a mess in Yoongi's room, the footsteps making more sence now that he was actually in Yoongi's room.

Yoongi had his hands tangled in his hair and his face buried in his knees, his shoulders raising and falling at a great speed that Jimin knew he was hyperventilating. Taking his socks off first before anything else, Jimin rushed over to Yoongi's bed and carefully made his presence known. He brushed Yoongi's hair out of his face before he carefully cupped Yoongi's cheeks in his hands, the elder's trembling lips curled into a frown. There was red stains on Yoongi's cheeks, identifying that he was crying before Jimin welcomed himself in.

Yoongi's breathing was haphazard, hysterically at that as he shook violently in Jimin's gentle hold. He was trying to breath properly, but with his eyes darting everywhere in the room before his eyes landed on Jimin, he could only choke on nothing. They stared at one another but when a choked, pitiful sob bubbled passed Yoongi's lips, Jimin felt his heart break even more. Yoongi was clearly having a panic attack and Jimin didn't know how to help someone through one. Still, he took a deep breath before he stared Yoongi in the eyes.

"Come on, hyung, breathe with me." Jimin took a deep breath, Yoongi shakily imitating Jimin's deep breathing before letting out shaking breaths. "That's it hyung, let's keep doing that, ok?" The two breathed together, the bruising hold Yoongi had on Jimin lossening with every deep breath. When Yoongi could actually breathe properly without Jimin coaching him through it, the grip on Jimin's arms completely vanished, Yoongi's arms resting atop his trembling knees.

Jimin looked around the room, eyeing the books that scattered the floor. He continued to look around the room to see what the hell he had stepped in when his eyes landed on a mug. There was lukewarm coffee all over the floor, the smell finally hitting Jimin like a punch in the face. He nearly facepalmed with how stupid he was being, but when he felt Yoongi grab his sleeve, he tore his eyes away from mess on the floor.

Yoongi was still shaking, but he looked so wreaked, dark circles under his eyes as he gnawed at his bottom lip. Jimin was concerned about Yoongi, he really was, but he also knew Yoongi doesn't like a mess. He was about to slip off the bed and start picking up the books when Yoongi spoke.

"Please stay with me till I fall asleep."

Now how the hell was Jimin supposed to say no to that? All he could do was smile at Yoongi before nodding his head softly, Jimin going so far as to help Yoongi lay back down and cover up. He turned on a lamp, the bulb warm and no white light to blind Yoongi. He turned off the main light though, the soft glow of the lamp just the perfect amount of light for Yoongi to fall asleep to. Jimin was placed on the couch in Yoongi's room, his eyes trained on the steady rise and fall of Yoongi's shoulders, the elder already fast sleep.

Quiet steps and muffled giggles, Jimin walked around the room and put every book away, placing them in their proper spots before he wondered back out to grab the mob as to mop up the coffee all over Yoongi's floor. He washed the mug and put it back, Jimin wondering back to Yoongi's room so he could check up on Yoongi. The elder was still asleep, a slight curl to his lips that it looked like he was pouting and Jimin melted.

He closed the door softly, Jimin's heart pounding against his ribcage as his eyes fluttered closed. He ran a hand through his hair before pushing his body away from the door. He wondered back to his room and got himself ready for bed as well, nothing but a white tshirt and sweats. Just as he was about to slip under his covers, something stopped him. Instead of getting under the covers, Jimin ripped the blanket off his bed before he shuffled over to Yoongi's room.

Jimin basically made himself comfortable on the couch in Yoongi's bedroom, just one pillow not comfy enough, but Jimin was too lazy to actually get up again. He made sure he was facing Yoongi so if anything happened again, he was there to comfort him when he needed it. He swore he'd stay by Yoongi's side, even it he strayed from the path of good, Jimin will stay with Yoongi. He smiled softly before everything started to fade to nothing, a quiet voice filling the quiet room before Jimin passed out himself.

"Thank you, Park Jiminie."

______________________

A sound soul

Dwells within a sound mind

And a sound body

. .

. . .

The DWMA is was widely know around the world, even in Korea. Every child wanted to be either a weapon or a meister, but only a select few were blessed with such a golden opportunity. These students were admitted into the DWMA as soon as they could walk and talk, many of them not showing any signs of weapon form till years on. Yoongi was a meister, a scythe mister to be exact. How is he going to feel when he finds out there is only one in the school and the kid just so happens to be fucking annoying?

🖤 9/?

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justheretobreakthings · 5 years

Text

Joy Is the Flag

Because there’s no way I wasn’t going to write an aro-ace Keith fic for Pride Month! Enjoy!

Read on AO3

“You doing okay there, kiddo?” Shiro asked Keith as they walked side by side through the crowd.

Keith nodded, silently, eyes not on Shiro but on the booths and decorations and people swarming around the two of them as they made their way through the crowd. Shiro felt a frown tugging at his lips as Keith’s arms tightened where they were crossed over his chest and leaned toward Shiro to avoid being knocked into by a group hurrying in the opposite direction.

Shiro had been utterly delighted when Keith had tentatively offered to come along to Pride this summer as an ally. He had invited him along the previous year, after Keith’s first school year at the Garrison, but the latter had turned the offer down. Shiro hadn’t been surprised. Keith wasn’t great at dealing with large amounts of sensory input; he tended to tense and become snappish when the cafeteria was too crowded, was known to lose his temper and devolve into shouting when the cadets ran emergency drills in the simulators, and during one particularly busy visitors’ day Shiro had sat with Keith in his silent and darkened dorm room for two hours while the latter cried his way through a sensory-overload-induced meltdown, just rubbing his back and not saying a word until Keith was back to normal and stubbornly behaved as if nothing had happened at all.

So a Pride festival, with its large crowds and loud music and bright colors and myriad decorations and fragrances from mobs of food booths and shouting and cheering and constant sound and movement - well, Shiro hadn’t really expected Keith to take him up on the offer to come along.

The fact that he had come this year meant a lot in terms of Keith getting out of his shell and facing new experiences, which, of course, gave Shiro a second thing to be proud about today. But he also stayed on his guard for Keith’s sake. The boy had a tendency to push himself beyond the point of brave and into purely hell-bent, regardless of whether it was any good for his health, mentally or physically, from staying awake for three days straight to work on a school project to attempting hoverbike stunts far beyond his skill level.

If the festival got to be too much, Keith wasn’t likely to show it, at least not in any obvious way. He would no doubt just try to grit his teeth and power through, shoving down any distress or frustration until there was no more room to shove any more and it would all explode out of him.

So he kept his eye on Keith as they strolled through the festival, pausing at craft stands to browse through the merchandise on display and peering into food booths and glancing over various non-profits’ posters and brochures. His own enjoyment at Pride was important too, sure, but Shiro couldn’t just turn off his big-brother-mode at the drop of a hat. If Keith was uncomfortable or unhappy, there was no way Shiro would be able to enjoy himself either.

Keith held up well, but about half an hour in Shiro noticed Keith starting to fade. His posture was growing more hunched, his shoulders gradually tensing, with every minute inside the noisy crowd, and he had started running his thumb over his knuckles, a subtle stim that Keith had adopted due to it being one that other people wouldn’t notice.

Shiro wasn’t other people; he noticed.

“Hey,” he called, leaning in toward Keith, not so much as to startle him but enough for him to be heard over the crowd and the speakers blasting music a few booths down. “I’m starting to get tired. Do you wanna go meet up with Adam, see if he needs any help?”

Keith’s shoulders sagged in relief as he nodded, and Shiro smiled at him before lightly taking him by the crook of his elbow and giving it a reassuring squeeze before starting to lead him through the crowd.

They made their way from the center of the festival and onto the outskirts, eventually passing through the roadblocks that signaled the edge of the fest and into the relative quiet of the streets that had been reserved for parade prep. Shiro kept his eyes peeled and his hand on Keith, trying to locate Adam. The Garrison’s Queer Student Alliance had a float in the parade, and as a student officer of the club, Adam had taken charge of the committee to build it this year. Shiro, busy with his own work and prepping for the Kerberos mission, hadn’t had the time to help out with it, and in fact didn’t even know what their float looked like.

That question was answered as he turned a corner and broke into a grin at the site of the giant foam space shuttle one block down.

He let out an impressed whistle as he approached the float, catching the attention of the handful of Garrison students standing on and around it, each of them decked out in their own pride gear. “Man, this came out nice,” Shiro said, eyes roving along the smooth surface of the shuttle and down to the float’s platform, which was bordered with an array of glittering planets painted in the color schemes of a variety of pride flags. “How long before I’m flying this thing out to Pluto?”

A door opened on the platform underneath the shuttle, and Shiro smiled at the bespectacled man who climbed out. “Shiro!” Adam said, straightening up and dropping down off the float. “What are you doing here?”

“Distracting you from your work,” Shiro answered. He stepped forward to greet him with a peck on the cheek before turning back to the float. “You did a really nice job on this.”

“You haven’t seen it in action yet,” Adam replied. “The main engine nozzle’s got a decoration of its own. You can see it in a sec, once someone gets the wiring fixed up.”

A girl Shiro recognized as a student from the year below his turned to scowl at Adam from where she was working at the tail end of the shuttle, a couple of visible grease stains on her pink, purple and blue shirt. “If everybody hadn’t been so careless while they were attaching the shuttle to the platform and moving the float out here, it wouldn’t need to be fixed at all!”

“Just finish it up before the parade starts!” The girl stuck her tongue out and adjusted her glasses before returning to work, and Adam turned back to Shiro. “So, hey, what’s with the change of plans? I thought we were going to meet after the parade. Coming in behind the scenes like this kinda ruins the magic, don’t you think?”

“I just missed you; can’t help it.” He leaned in closer, then, so that Keith, who was busy examining the planets painted on the side of the float with narrowed eyes, couldn’t hear, before continuing, “Keith was starting to get pretty tense with all the noise. Thought we’d go somewhere quiet, and this seemed like a good option.”

“Ah, okay.” Keith looked over toward the two of them, perhaps sensing that eyes were on him, and Adam grinned and waved his hand. “Hey, Keith! Enjoying the Pride fest?” Keith nodded before turning back to the float. “Least you could have done was get the kid some face paint or a pin or something,” Adam said to Shiro. “I know his all-black thing usually blends into crowds, but he’s sticking out like a sore thumb today.”

Shiro shrugged. “Eh, he’s already far enough outside his comfort zone as is. Think getting him all bright and colorful would be pushing it.”

“Mm. Fair enough. How’s that wiring looking over there, Veronica?” Adam called.

“Literally just finished, your royal highness,” the girl said, plopping down to sit on the float and wiping the back of her hand over her forehead. “And thanks, by the way, for being oh so fucking patient.”

“We’re on a time crunch,” Adam said. “Can’t help it. All right, let’s give it a test run.”

“Fine, whatever,” Veronica said, stretching her arms out before leaning back to fiddle with something under the nuzzle. “Everyone stand back, there’s like a forty percent chance this thing’s gonna blow. Kidding,” she added in response to the pointed glare Adam shot her. “God, you’re so serious. Ready?”

There was a little metallic thunk, then lights in the windows and along the sides of the shuttle switched on. A whirring began to sound in the engine nozzle, and as a bright light inside of it clicked on, lengths of multicolored fabric started to unfurl from inside and dance behind the shuttle. At a distance, the effect made it look as if the shuttle were emitting rainbow flames.

The Garrison students let out applause and a couple of whoops, Shiro joining in. Adam simply sighed in relief. “Thank God,” he said. “Can you imagine how bad it would have looked if students of the most prestigious space program on the continent couldn’t even get a parade float operating correctly?”

“I’m sure it would have been the scandal that rocked the world,” Shiro said.

“I hear your sarcasm, and I must say, I don’t appreciate it.”

“Aw, come on, Adam,” he said, slinging an arm around his shoulder and gently rubbing his arm. “It came together great, didn’t it? You worry too much.”

Adam shrugged, giving Shiro a little smile. “Every couple has their thing. Apparently ours is worrying.”

“Damn it. I was really hoping ours would be piloting.”

“It’s a close match.” He patted Shiro’s hand before slipping out of the half-hug. “All right, I’ve got a couple things to double check before the parade starts. Text me where you’re standing to watch the parade once you’re there, and I’ll join you when we finish, okay?”

“Will do,” Shiro replied, and they exchanged a quick kiss before Shiro turned back to Keith. He was still standing off to the side, silently examining the float. “Hey, kiddo,” Shiro said. “Ready to head back to the festival soon, find a good viewing spot?”

“... I don’t recognize any of these planets,” Keith said after a pause.

“Hm?” Shiro looked over at the planets painted along the side of the float, and he grinned. “Oh, no, these aren’t actual planets. They just took the color schemes and patterns of different pride flags and made them into planets. See?” He tapped a finger against a rainbow-streaked planet on the corner of the float.

Keith’s brow furrowed as he looked at the rainbow planet, and then moved his gaze along the others. “But, um, there’s - there’s a lot?”

“Outer space is a big place, you know.”

“No, no, I mean - I mean, isn’t it just, like, four? L, G, B, and T?” He strode over to turn the corner of the float and glance at the other side. “There’s enough here to cover the whole float, and they’re all different colors, so, how…?”

Shiro couldn’t help but let a little laugh escape him, which he quickly swallowed back at the scowl Keith shot him. “Sorry, I wasn’t making fun,” he said. “Sometimes I just forget that to a lot of people, this is new stuff. It’s fine. See, those tend to be the four, like, primary identities in the acronym, but it’s not actually just LGBT, it’s LGBT-plus.”

“Plus-what?” Keith asked.

“Plus anything that’s a marginalized sexuality or gender, really. Didn’t you notice any of the other flags while we were walking through the fest?”

“I dunno. Wasn’t really looking for them.”

“Well, there’s plenty out there. Like, this flag here - ” He pointed to a planet that was shaped like Saturn, pink at the top of the center sphere melting into blue, with bright green rings. “This is polysexuality, which is attraction to multiple genders, but not all. And this one - ” He gestured to a crater-laden planet striped with yellow, white, purple, and black. “This is non-binary, for when a person doesn’t identify as strictly male or female. Right here - ” He pointed to a planet shadowed to look like it was fading between stripes of black, gray, and white, leading to a large splotch of purple at the bottom. “This one is asexual, which is for when you don’t feel sexual attraction.”

Shiro turned the corner of the float and started on the next row of planets. “This is pansexual, which means - ” He paused and glanced up, realizing that Keith hadn’t followed him around to this side of the float. “Hey, Keith? You with me?” Keith, though, didn’t look up. Instead, he was staring at a spot on the side of the float as if mesmerized. Shiro sidled back over to see what had him so transfixed, and found him still staring at the asexual-themed planet. “Bud, you all right?”

“Asexual,” Keith repeated, moving his mouth slowly and deliberately as if he were trying a new food for the first time. “That’s - that’s a thing?”

“Mm-hm,” Shiro replied with a nod. “Think the pride club at the Garrison’s got a good handful of ace members - though, haven’t been all that involved in it this year what with all the Kerberos stuff, so I couldn’t give you numbers. There’s also, let’s see - ” He scanned the planets before finding the one where the grayscale ended with two stripes of green and pointing at it. “There we go, aromantic. Same concept, but with romantic attraction instead of sexual, see. Some people are both, some people are one or the other.” He looked back over at Keith, who had edged toward the aromantic planet Shiro had pointed to, that same fascination still on his face. “Why? Is something wrong, Keith?”

Keith shook his head slowly, letting a beat of silence pass before softly saying, “I didn’t know. I didn’t know it was - it was a - a thing.”

“Yeah, understandable,” Shiro said. “I guess they’re not identities that get a whole lot of attention. Same goes for quite a few of these, really. But, yeah, there you go. Keith?” He tilted his head. “Hey, something else on your mind, or…?”

Keith finally pulled his gaze away from the painted planet to turn to Shiro, and the latter’s brows shot upward in surprise at the dewy shine in Keith’s eyes. Frantically he tried to figure out what was distressing Keith badly enough to make him tear up. “Keith, you okay? Is it still too crowded here? Do you, um, do you want me to take you back to the apartment?”

Keith shook his head. He opened his mouth, let out a single choked sound, closed his mouth and swallowed, then tried again. “It’s just that - it’s just - ” He took a breath. “I thought it was just me.” His voice was soft as he finished, practically a whisper.

Shiro blinked at him before glancing back over at the float. “Wait, you mean...”

“Or, I - I thought maybe it was - that something didn’t work right, or got numbed, or - or something,” Keith continued quietly, and his thumb was moving again, that twitch along his knuckles. “Like because of - because of everything that - all the stuff with mom and - and - and the homes, and stuff, that it kinda… it messed me up…”

“Oh, gee, hey, hey, Keith,” Shiro stammered out as one of the tears in Keith’s eye began spilling over and down his cheek. Quickly he wrapped Keith into a hug, mostly as a means of comfort, partly because Keith would definitely want to keep his face hidden now that he was crying; it was enough of a struggle for Keith to even cry in front of Shiro, let alone out in public with total strangers about. “Hey, shh, it’s all right,” he mumbled, bringing a hand to Keith’s back to rub. “Just getting a little overwhelmed, huh?” Keith lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “So, you’re saying you think you might be aromantic? Asexual? Both?”

“Both,” Keith answered, voice muffled by the way his face was buried in Shiro’s chest.

Shiro kept up the hug and the soothing, but inside his mind was awhirl. Keith had just come out to him. Hell, Keith had just come out to himself, too. How had Shiro not noticed before? How had they not talked about this? He searched his memories, trying to figure out if there was something that should have tipped him off. Keith had never shown any interest in any of his classmates that way, had never come to Shiro to ask for any advice about dating or sex. But Keith was a private person, and besides, it was much harder to notice the absence of something than the presence.

Still, the fact that this sort of revelation had reduced Keith to tears the way it had suggested that this was something that had been bothering him, had been weighing on his mind. And he had been getting so much better lately about coming to Shiro to talk about things that bothered him. So it seemed a little strange that Keith hadn’t given Shiro any indication that he was struggling with his sexuality, that he felt the need to keep this to himself.

Unless…

“Keith?” Shiro said, pulling. “You know… if you do feel that those are a fit for you - if you think you’re aromantic or asexual - that’s not a bad thing. It isn’t something wrong with you.” Keith didn’t reply, so Shiro continued. “It isn’t, Keith. It’s just an orientation, like any other. Just as legitimate as being gay or straight or bi or - or anything. It’s real, and it’s okay. It’s good, Keith, it’s a good thing, to be able to learn these things about yourself, to be comfortable with them.”

He moved his hands to Keith’s shoulders and leaned down to be at eye level with him. “Are you okay with it, Keith? Do you think it’s a good fit for you?”

“I… don’t know,” Keith answered. “I guess it… makes sense… but I don’t want - I don’t know if - ” He sniffed and swiped the back of his hand over his nose. “It’s - it’s probably stupid, it’s stupid, but - but I just had hoped - you know, I’ve had, like, you know, foster parents and stuff in the past, who said - who told me I was, um, I was… unlovable…” He said the word softly, intently, as if it were a particularly filthy swear. “But I had been hoping that… that they were wrong…”

A heat flared up in Shiro’s gut, one that had gradually become familiar in the time he had known Keith. Keith had given him occasional glimpses into his life in the foster care system, and every time he mentioned one of the bad ones, Shiro would feel himself growing closer and closer to wanting to strangle anyone who had ever caused Keith any amount of harm. And if this was the sort of message one of them had been instilling in Keith, then it was no wonder that he had kept it hidden, and no wonder that he’d thought this was some sort of failing on his part.

“Keith,” Shiro said. “Look at me.” Keith did, blinking wide, damp eyes up at him, and Shiro said, firmly and deliberately, “I love you.”

Keith blinked, brow wrinkling. “What do you - ?”

“I love you,” he repeated. “So if you need hard and fast evidence that you’re not unlovable, there it is. I could not possibly have asked for a better little brother than you, and I love you for it. And you being aroace doesn’t change that, okay? Not one bit. Love doesn’t have to be romantic, or sexual, and not feeling that type of attraction doesn’t mean you’re not perfectly capable of other types of love, and being loved in return. Okay? You are loved - you deserve to be loved. Don’t you dare believe anybody who tells you otherwise.”

Keith was silent, his lower lip trembling as he squeezed his crossed arms tighter around him.

“And it’s perfectly all right if you don’t like the labels, if you don’t think they fit or if you don’t want to use them. You don’t have to. But just know - ”

“I love you too,” Keith interrupted. “And I - I like them. The labels, I mean. They’re… I have to get used to them, I guess, is the thing, but, um, they - they make sense. They fit.”

“Okay.” Shiro clapped his hand firmly on Keith’s shoulder and smiled. “Okay. That’s good, that’s good.” He paused, then asked, “Are you still feeling up for staying at the festival?” Keith nodded. “In that case, we should probably find our spots to watch the parade. It’ll be starting soon.”

“Right,” Keith said, nodding again, and he obediently followed Shiro as they turned back toward the festival.

The curbs of the streets were growing crowded as the parade’s start time approaching and people were clamoring to secure a spot where they could see it all. Shiro and Keith searched two blocks before they found enough space on a set of bleachers set up at one of the street corners where they could squeeze in together.

Shiro noticed as they took their seats that Keith had begun to stim again amid the stress of the crowd, this time knocking his knuckles rapidly against his forearms. He watched thoughtfully for a moment. Then, he tapped Keith’s shoulder and leaned in to say, “You mind saving my spot while I grab something real quick?”

“Okay,” Keith said, and Shiro gave him a reassuring squeeze before slipping out of the bleachers and making a beeline for one of the merchandise booths he had browsed earlier.

He returned a couple minutes later, slid back into his spot, and handed his new purchase to Keith. “Here.”

Keith stared down at the object in his hand. A flag, a foot long when unfurled, on a little wooden stick. It was two-sided, its stripes bearing the same colors as those of the planets Shiro had shown him on the float, the one with the purple stripe on one side, the green on the other. “What’s this for?” he asked.

“If you want it,” Shiro said. “You can keep your hands busy this way, and well, most everyone here’s got a bit of decoration, so I thought maybe you’d like some too. Or you can just pocket it for now, if you don’t want to have it out. Your pick.”

Keith continued staring at it, but he didn’t make any move to put it away either, and Shiro’s attention was drawn away from him when cheers went up through the crowd and he looked to see the first of the floats making its way down the street.

For several minutes the parade had his full attention, and he watched with rapt attention as the first couple of floats passed by, followed by a dance troupe. He managed to pull his attention away from the little procession of cars that followed them, and he couldn’t help but grin at the sight of his little brother, arm up as he waved his little flag in the air with as much fervor as all the other celebrators in the crowd, and with a small, rare smile on his face.

#aroace keith #autistic keith #keith #shiro #gay shiro #my writing #fic: joy is the flag

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shijiujun · 5 years

Text

[ENG] History3: Trapped Novel - Chapter Five

~4,200 words (proofread by @weilongfu)

Translation Masterpost can be found here

Disclaimer: Translations are entirely mine and Wei’s - these are not official translations and some phrases have been changed for better English interpretation so you’ll definitely see better/different translations elsewhere. Also keeping in mind when we translated this we aren’t exactly thinking about the style of writing and this translation is as close to the novel as we can make it XD So yes, some parts may be a little awkward to read. And yes some teeny weeny details and words may not turn up in the translation because the Chi to Eng mind acrobatics didn’t work out. If you see asterisks, scroll all the way to the bottom for notes!

Full chapter below the cut

Chapter Five

“That despicable Zuo Hong Ye,” Shao Fei vents his anger out on the courtyard’s swing set, having stormed out earlier to calm himself down, “Why didn’t you give me a chance to explain? Why are you angry with me?”

The chains hanging from the swing on both sides clash, the noise piercing to his ears. Shao Fei glares at the way the swing shakes incessantly, muttering to himself. It’s not as if he doesn’t know how important Zuo Hong Ye’s place is in Tang Yi’s heart. How was it any of his business who the Young Tang Master dotes on, is biased towards, or cares about - so why did he feel so annoyed and upset?

“Hmph!”

Still, he really does feel upset!

Bam!

The innocent swing set is kicked another time.

“What is Officer Meng angry about?”

Jack walks out from the dark, with his hands playing with his sharp butterfly knife*.

“Everyone knows that Zuo Hong Ye doesn’t hold back when she speaks. Besides, the perspectives of a police officer and the mob has always been different. Is there a need to be this angry?”

Even though Jack is the type of person who always has a smile hanging off his lips, someone who seems hard to get close to, he looks at Shao Fei who is currently considering his words and shooting confused looks in the direction of the main house, and continues, “Looks like you’re not angry with Zuo Hong Ye, but more concerned with our boss. I’d like to remind Officer Meng, don’t forget the reason why you’re staying here. If you act on your impulses, you’ll only ruin things. Goodnight.”

Jack says his piece, then smiles and leaves the spacious courtyard, leaving behind Shao Fei with his eyebrows furrowed.

===

Shao Fei stands in the courtyard for a long time, and only sometime in the middle of night does he drags his numb legs back to the guest room on the second floor. Just as he pushes open the door and enters, he hears a voice coming from the dark, unlit room.

“I know what Hong Ye said, and I also know how much Lee Li Zhen means to you. I apologise on her behalf.”

As quickly as Shao Fei tensed up, he relaxed just as fast as he recognised who the person was. Reaching out to hit at the light switches on the wall, switching on the big light on the ceiling. Looking at the Xing Tian Meng’s leader who has been sitting here for who knows how long, Shao Fei waves him off.

“Forget it. If the person involved doesn’t think she’s in the wrong, then as an outsider, your apology is unnecessary.”

“Hong Ye is the only person I can trust completely.”

“I’m going to sleep now, please leave. Whoa-”

The more Tang Yi stresses on the bond between him and Zuo Hong Ye, Shao Fei feels increasingly frustrated and upset. So he might as well just go over to the bed, flip the sheets over and demand Tang Yi to leave, hoping that the man who’s making him feel this annoyed can disappear from his sight. Suddenly, a hand grips onto his wrist and pulls.

“What are you doing?!”

Shao Fei ends up sprawled over the bed. He turns around and looks at the man who’s sitting on him, stunned. Tang Yi is even pulling his shirt up high from the back. Holding onto a bottle of ointment made to treat bruises, Tang Yi shakes it before Shao Fei’s eyes. “Applying ointment.”

“I can do it myself.”

“You’re hurt on your back, how are you going to do it yourself? Lie properly.”

Tang Yi presses on Shao Fei’s shoulder so that he’s lying flat on the bed. With his palms smothered in the ointment, Tang Yi places them on the back of Shao Fei’s waist and gently massages the bruises that emerged from when Shao Fei struck the chairs during the argument with Hong Ye earlier. At the soothing sensation, Shao Fei who is comfortably lying on the bed, squints - he can smell not only the smell from the ointment**, but also a scent that is uniquely Tang Yi’s.

His gaze following the line of bruises stretching from Shao Fei’s back downwards to his buttocks, Tang Yi then hooks his fingers into the elastic waistband of Shao Fei’s pants and pulls them down towards his thighs.

“Wait a second!” exclaims Shao Fei, startled into sitting up, but he’s once again pressed back to the bed with pressure to his shoulder.

“Be good, lie still!”

The ointment is applied to his firm buttocks, its minty scent wafting through the air. Shao Fei buries his embarrassed, red face into the pillows, because no one has ever massaged his buttocks for him like this before. However, since he is unable to use his eyes and see what’s happening behind him, his brain is coming up with the sensual scene for him based on just the sensation of the fingers on him.

“Nnn…”

“Does it feel good?” smiles Tang Yi, gentle, at the sound that Shao Fei made unconsciously.

“It’s… it’s okay, oh-”

Shao Fei refuses to give more than an average rating for the massage, but he can’t help but think, “Damn it! This guy’s hands and the way he’s applying the ointment is really pornographic.”***

“Since you’re comfortable, then I’ll help you to massage a little more.”

The fingers massaging at his buttocks start to move towards the end of his spine and entering the crevice between Shao Fei’s tailbone and a more private area.

Shao Fei, with his face stuffed into the pillow, suddenly stiffens at the movement. Sensing the reaction and afraid that he was hurting Shao Fei, Tang Yi asks, concerned, “What’s wrong?”

Shao Fei straightens immediately without warning, and red-faced, he pushes the man sitting on his thighs off of him. With a really strange posture, bending over, he shoves Tang Yi towards the door.

“Enough, enough! You can go now, goodnight!”

Bam!

The guest room door slams shut, the lock turning from the inside.

This is a first for the Xing Tian Meng leader - for Tang Yi to be so pathetically thrown out of a room. He stands in the corridor holding onto the bottle of ointment, staring uncomprehendingly at the tightly shut door.

“Whoo… whoo… whoo.”

Leaning against the door and panting harshly for air, Shao Fei pulls open his pants which are already halfway down his legs and looks at the bottom half of his body - at his own biological reaction. He then slaps himself on the face.

“Meng Shao Fei, are you fucking mad?!”

He was only touched a few times, and he’s already hard?

“Not only is the other person a man, he’s also a mob boss that’s standing against the police, you wouldn’t have really fallen for him… right?”

Realising suddenly what he’s saying, Shao Fei slides down to the ice cold floor, his back against the door and stares at the messy bed sheets with wide eyes.

Hold on, what did he just say?

Fall in love with Tang Yi? How is that possible-

Just as he’s about to refute his own thoughts, he suddenly remembers the conversation he had with Zhao Zi.

“You’ve been hounding him for the past four years. People who don’t know you would think that you have a crush on Tang Yi.”

“Have a crush, your head! He’s a gangster and I’m a cop, how is that possible?”

“Let me tell you, don’t be so confident. God loves to slap people in the face.”

“If I say it’s impossible, it’s impossible!”

“Fuck..” Shao Fei rubs at his face, cursing under his breath.

Suddenly, he understands why he was so mad at Tang Yi kissing someone else at the bar the other day, and the anger at seeing Tang Yi believing more in Zuo Hong Ye than in him earlier.

“Why… did I have to realise…”

Reaching out and grabbing at his left chest, Shao Fei endures the waves of pain there. The person on the chase, falling into love’s trap, falling in love with a man - a man who’s currently a mob boss. And in the other person’s eyes, Shao Fei doesn’t even rank as a ‘friend’.

“Of course…. God indeed loves to slap people in the face. Haha… haha…. Ha”

Shao Fei sits leaning against the door and laughs, the sound mocking. Turning his face upwards and closing his eyes, he lets the tears fall from his eyes.

Under a bridge

A black van is parked in a secret spot under the bridge, and a man carrying a briefcase heads towards the vehicle. He stands at the side door with his arms wide open, allowing a subordinate to search him, until he’s sure that the man is not carrying any weapons with him. Then, he opens the door to let him sit in the back seat. In the back seat, the man takes out a tablet and on the screen the personal details of Xing Tian Meng’s main members are seen, including Tang Yi, Jack, Zuo Hong Ye, Gu Dao Yi and some other important members of the group.

“Boss Chen, Wang Kun Cheng passed away too suddenly. The foundation that he’s built all these years can’t vanish like this, and since Tang Yi doesn’t want to give us a way out, we can only look towards you.”

Also seated in the back seat, Chen Wen Hao picks up a bottle and takes a sip of the strong whiskey. Using the back of his palm, he slaps at the man’s face and says snidely, “Do you think I can’t get these things myself? What I want is all the information and details on Xing Tian Meng’s processes and dealings with both the underworld and in their legal businesses. If you want to cooperate, then bring out your sincerity, understand?”

“Boss Chen, Xing Tian Meng, during Boss Tang’s time-”

“Boss… Tang? Why, you still can’t bear to change the way you address him?”

Chen Wen Hao’s challenging raise of a brow has the other man correcting himself anxiously, and continues, “Xing Tian Meng was already reforming before Tang Guo Dong died. Originally he left a bit of space for the brothers to make some money, but after Tang Yi took over, he’s been steadily cutting off all drug deals. On the surface, all of us don’t have any place to say anything, but privately, we’re pissed off. My brothers and I just can’t take this lying down, which is why we’re here to support Boss Chen. So Boss Chen… we-.”

Chen Wen Hao interrupts the man in his drivel, and asks, “Tang Guo Dong and Tang Yi, what is their relationship?”

Even though the man wants desperately to confirm their partnership as planned right now, he also doesn’t dare to not first answer him.

“We’re not very sure either. That year, when Tang Guo Dong brought Tang Yi and Zuo Hong Ye back, only Tang Yi changed his surname.”

“All these years you never investigated where Tang Yi came from?”

“Boss Chen, how could we dare to ask more? But the both of them really are as close to one another as a biological pair of father and son would be. Plus, when Tang Guo Dong died, he left a will pointing Tang Yi as the successor, so when he took over as the leader, no one said anything else.”

“Fuck!” Chen Wen Hao snaps, slamming his whiskey bottle down.

Everyone watching him swallows, no one daring to say another word. All they hear is the air being blown out from the air conditioner in the car, and Boss Chen spitting out, “Son!”

The Tang Household

Due to Shao Fei’s request, Zhao Zi can only bring a big bag of equipment and tools to the Xing Tian Meng leader’s home, and help to check out and strengthen the security systems here.

“Shorty.”

“Hi!”

“Hey! You’re a little too comfortable with me, aren’t you?”****

When Jack saw him earlier, he immediately walked up to him, but Zhao Zi responded by throwing down his heavy bag. In this place, where everyone who sees him has to call him ‘Jack Ge’*****, only the shorty would dare to be this rude to him.

“What?” asks Zhao Zi, staring confused at Jack, whom Zhao Zi feels he doesn’t need to guard himself against, and not understand that he’s done anything wrong.

“Forget it, but I really didn’t think that you would know this.”

Lifting his chin up in pride, Zhao Zi boasts, “Don’t look down on others. If I had money, I could assemble a Bumblebee****** for you, and the kind that can transform!”

Jack whistles, putting his thumb up and praises, “Great, you’re great.”

“Oh right! When are you going to introduce some girls to me?

“Girls?”

“Didn’t you say you were going to introduce some to me?”

Or else, what did they exchange their LINE for?

“Oh, that. We’ll talk about that next time. I haven’t thought of anyone suitable for you just yet.”

“Is that so? Then when you find one you must contact me.”

“Nnn.”

Zhao Zi’s shoulder droop in disappointment. Taking a few tools out, he then moves towards one of the surveillance cameras.

“Tch, he actually remembers,” Jack watches as the shorty indiscriminately touches another Xing Tian Meng subordinate, and scoffs, annoyed.

The muscular subordinate walks over to Jack, clears his throat and mutters, “What is that idiot cop actually doing? This is a complete waste of time.”

All he did was to bring Zhao Zi a ladder, and the cop began to touch him all over.

“Watch him carefully,” Jack says, pointing at Zhao Zi, who is stopping with every few steps he takes. “The areas where he’s stopping at are the cameras’ blind spots. He’s probably intending to search for all the dead corners, then make adjustments to the lens of the cameras or increase the number of cameras. No wonder he’s Meng Shao Fei’s partner, he’s a got a trick or two up his sleeves.”

How interesting! To be able to make him so interested, Zhao Li An, you’re the first!

“But is it really okay for the police to have a look at our security systems? What if they do something to it?”

“I will check another time, don’t worry,” Jack smiles and pats at the man’s shoulder, looking at the shorty who is now adjusting the ladder.

“I really hate cops the most, the moment they come near my entire body starts to itch.”

“Then earlier when he touched you, why didn’t you feel the itch?”

Jack retorts at the man who let Zhao Zi touch him all over without stopping him, his voice tinged with jealousy.

“My fists were really itchy.”

The muscular man clenches his fist and comments, then immediately leaves this place where the idiot cop is at.

The corners of Jack’s lips curve upwards coldly. He then walks over to the ladder and asks, “Do you need help?”

“No need, but the men you have here are really petty! They don’t even want to let me touch a few more times.”

“Do you have a muscle fetish?”

“It’s not that serious,” Zhao Zi’s nose scrunches up as he laughs, and touching his own chest, he adds, “It’s just that no matter how I train, it’s still all soft, it can’t firm up, so everyone laughs at me and calls me a white chicken.”*******

Jack opens his right palm, and to the shorty, he says, “Hand!”

“Huh?”

The red-haired man cannot be bothered with further explanation, and so he simply grabs both of Zhao Zi’s hands and presses them directly to his own chest. He doesn’t mind at all that the shorty is squeezing and pinching in a way that would constitute as sexual harassment.

“Wow! Your chest muscles are so big and so firm! You’re not like the legends say, someone who when wearing clothes looks slender, but when you take off your clothes, you actually have a lot of muscle on you?”

“If there’s a chance, you should check it for yourself.”

“Really? When the time comes you can’t find excuses to refuse me just because you get shy!”

Jack smiles, charming, and moves closer to Zhao Zi’s face. He knowingly says, “The person who will be shy later is definitely you.”

As Zhao Zi climbs up the ladder with his tools, he says, “Tch. It’s not like I haven’t seen men naked before. Previously when I was at the police academy, I even saw my peers and seniors’ butts!”

“It’s pretty dangerous, being a cop. Why did you choose to be one?”

“Because I didn’t have to pay any school fees studying at the police academy, plus they’ll give us a living allowance. Grandma went through a lot of hardship bringing me up, and after investing in me for so long, she should have gotten some returns on that. Unfortunately she died when I was in year two, and she couldn’t even reap any rewards before it ended…” Zhao Zi says wistfully, sitting at the top of the leader.

Jack presses his lips together, berating himself. He only asked intending to have a casual conversation, who knew he would remind shorty of sad memories? So he deliberately lightens the tone of his voice, and jokes, “Then your grandma must have thought she was losing out big time.”

“I think so too! You’re not the first person to say this to me.”

“Who’s the first?” Jack squints, his neck straining upwards and asks, annoyed.

How can there be someone who thought of this method to comfort shorty, earlier than he did, before he met shorty?

“Ah Fei!” Zhao Zi straddles the ladder, and says, “When grandma passed away I cried so much, Ah Fei said that to me, and then I was laughing.”

In that moment, Jack suddenly feels the urge to murder Meng Shao Fei.

“Okay done!”

After installing a new surveillance camera in the blind spot, Zhao Zi pats off the dust from his hands and happily prepares to move down the ladder, when the shift of balance suddenly has the ladder leaning to the right.

“Watch out!”

Jack, with his fast reflexes, immediately opens his arms wide to catch the person falling from the ladder, but he is also unable to stop the momentum from pushing him backwards, so both of them end up falling into the pool outside.

“Am I… Am I still alive?” Zhao Zi asks the man who has been hugging him to his chest all this while, his eyes shut tightly and peeking only just a little bit.

“Please, at this height, no one will die, okay?”

“Wow!”

After ensuring that he was alright, Zhao Zi’s eyes flew open immediately, and then he sees Jack’s white shirt made transparent by the water, revealing the two firm nipples on his chest.

Jack lowers his head to see what Zhao Zi is looking at so intently, then laughs, incredulous, “You don’t intend to ‘check’ my body here, do you?!”

Zhao Zi swallows, the sound echoing from his throat. Jack, who’s suddenly so intently scrutinised, suddenly understands what it feels like for a wild wolf to be targeted by a rabbit.

Shi Hai Corporations

“Did you check it through?” Tang Yi asks Dao Yi, who’s standing right next to him, as he flips through the documents on the table.

“Boss, through the dealings we’ve had in these few years, about 70% of the accounts are already clean. We will invest the returns to next month’s D82 project. This time, this BOT has gained quite a lot of attention and popularity in the industry.”

Hong Ye sits on the couch, picking up the tea cup and taking a sip of the tea that Tang Yi brewed for her earlier and says, “Ah Yi, I think D82 is worth not only this amount of money. There are still a few days left before we have to make our bid, you lend me a few people and let me check it out first, and at the same time do a last assessment.”

“You make a list for me, I’ll get them to go over and help you.”

“Okay,” Hong Ye smiles and nods, then moves off the couch, walking out of the office just in time to see Shao Fei who’s busy brewing coffee, so she points at him. “Ah Yi, I want to buy some things. You make him go with me.”

“Me?” Shao Fei points at his nose and repeats,

“Miss, let me-” Dao Yi walks over, but Hong Ye completely ignores him to continue looking at the person she dislikes.

With a challenging raise of her brow, she adds, “Officer Meng can fight really well, but he’s here washing cups and brewing coffee. Aren’t we squandering his skills by making him do these small things? Why not you lend him to me, and he can also properly show his skills off.”

“Thank you CEO Zuo for your praise. Indeed, I fight pretty well,” agrees Shao Fei, nodding happily at the praise.

“Alright, Meng Shao Fei, I’ll have to trouble you to protect Hong Ye.”

“Wait, that’s not right. The person I’m supposed to be protecting is you, not her.”

“If you protect her well, that’s more important than protecting me.”

Shao Fei looks at Tang Yi’s serious expression, and even though he’s still upset at what happened before, he is able to put it aside. There’s nothing he can do about it - after all, Li Zhen Jie did tell him that no matter what happened, he’s supposed to first protect women and children.

“Okay! Let’s go! Where does CEO Zuo want to go?”

“There are a lot of places I want to go, you better prepare yourself.”

“Haha, I Meng Shao Fei, have nothing but energy!”

“That’s what you said, later don’t tell me you’re tired, Officer Meng!”

“Ladies first, please.”

Shao Fei moves aside for Hong Ye to step in front in her high heels, then only does he slide both his hands into pockets and follow behind. Both of them are going out to shop, but it feels like they both are prepared for a fight, and Tang Yi cannot help but laugh.

Seeing Dao Yi’s helpless expression, Tang Yi makes a rare comment on the relationship between him and Hong Ye.

“If you don’t want to promise her, then don’t blame her for being this cruel to you.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to give, it’s that I can’t give her what she wants,” Dao Yi responds dejectedly, holding onto his own wrists.

“It’s not that you can’t give her what she wants, but you’re not willing to give, and thinking too much on it will only hurt you both.”

Tang Yi pats Dao Yi’s shoulder, then leaves the office as well, leaving behind Dao Yi to stand alone in his spot with an indescribable expression on his face.

Department store parking lot

“I really went all out today, and seeing that you worked so hard today, I’ll treat you to ice cream later.”

“Thank… you…. CEO… Zuo…” Shao Fei replies wearily, carrying with him seven to eight bags of shopping, and putting the items in the boot of the car.

“Open the door for me.”

“Yes-”

Just as he rolls his eyes, offering his service to this spoilt Miss Zuo, he suddenly sees from the rearview mirror another car in the same parking lot, strangely winding down the window on the side of the front passenger seat. A black gun emerges.

“Zuo Hong Ye!”

Shao Fei jumps over out of reflex, and in that moment all he feels is a sharp pain in his abdomen, then everything fades to black before his eyes.

*I usually refer to Jack’s knife as a knife because I wasn’t sure what kind of knife it was and if it really was a butterfly knife (literal trans from Chinese) but I just googled and yes there exists a butterfly pocket knife!

**The novel says ‘万金油’ and the most common ointment (it’s minty, burns a little when you put it on ur skin because it’s so cooling) - And the most common brand of ointment of this kind is Tiger Balm

***The novel says ‘OS’ - So a little bit of Taiwanese slang tangent here, OS was taken from ‘off-screen’ and is meant to annotate what the person is really thinking on the inside LOL i was confused and had to go google a bit, anyway this means that SF was thinking in his head about that, even while trying not to praise TY’s massage skills

****The exact phrase is “you really don’t stand on ceremony with me, do you?” but I don’t know if it sounds weird, so I paraphrased a little

*****Jack Ge = Brother Jack, but I think Brother Jack sounds a little too formal for him hahahaha

******Yes, I think he really means Transformers’ Bumblebee

*******If any of you have had chicken rice before, then you’ll probably know Hainanese chicken rice - we’ve got a few variations, but the ‘white chicken’ he’s referring to is one where the meat isn’t fried or roasted but boiled/braised-ish

#history 3: 圈套 #history3圈套 #history3: trapped #history3: trap #history3 novel #translations #history3 merchandise #chapter five finally

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