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kookiecrumb · 3 years

Text

jjk|| Your Head

"tags": @kazthebrekkerofinej

word count: uhhhh

summary: Jungkook is the heir to the throne of your Kingdom! In this tale of duty versus heart, will love prevail victorious?

tags: Royalty!Jungkook x Peasant!Reader, oneshot, smut, fluff, slight angst, some crack, pining, forbidden lovers, Jungkookie has a sweet tooth, strangers to friends to lovers

warnings: explicit language, impact play, birthday sex (technically), fingering, oral (m receiving*), love marking, alcohol consumption, s&m themes, horny grinding, praise kink/body worship

a/n:

hey guys!

Firstly, I want to say how proud I am of myself for growing so much during this fic. I learned a lot about what I'm comfortable with, what I'd like to work on, and where my confidences lie.

I won't lie and say it's been easy, because writing this meant dealing with a lot of my fears? I'm excited for all the works that are to come.

The only thing I can do is be as receptive to growth as possible, so I'm looking forward to learning...

*I actually learned that Vaseline wasn't invented until like the 1870s? The fic is written in the 1810s, so I actually had a choice between having them do it with vegetable oil or spit. Spit won.

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5 years ago

You bend over to pick up an apple that had rolled over under your father's produce cart, praying that it isn't bruised so that you have to pay for it out of your dinner, when a crumpled piece of paper hits you in the ass.

Confused, you crawl out from under the stand and unwrap the paper.

The paper itself is of the finest quality you've ever seen. It's a sturdy cardstock, bleached white with gold etchings on the borders. The print on the top of it reads "His Highness Jeon's Royal Study," and scribbled in some kid's amateur cursive below, "Nice butt."

You directed your gaze upwards, towards the towering castle walls. Sure enough, a boy no older than 15 had his noggin popping out from the top of the rampart, with two wide eyes staring down, curious as to your reaction. This was Prince Jungkook, heir to the throne of your kingdom.

"Shouldn't you be equestrian horse riding or playing polo or something?" You shout. He furrows his eyebrows, apparently offended at your assumption, and then disappears behind the edifice.

Moments later, another paper hits your shoulder as you're practicing your caligraphy behind your cart. It lands between the apples, so you reach your hand over and fish out out.

You glance up at the anticipant, and sure enough he's there with his doe eyes and his coconut head, ogling.

"No, dumbie. That's at MID-day." Well how were YOU supposed to know the royal schedule of the crown prince, it wasn't just common knowlegde you learned from being a humble farmer's daught--

Ah!

"Will you STOP?!" You put your foot down. "Unless you're here to buy my apples, then you're not getting ANY, little Prince." Oh, shit. You gave him ideas. Now it was really over for you.

In less than half an hour, half a company of men arrived at the marketplace, asking about your little old apple stand, and sure enough, Jungkook had bought out the entire cart so that you were forced to help with the transaction.

The young prince had eyes frankly too big for his head, with the most prominent cupid's bow you've ever seen. His nose slightly outgrew his face and his ears were hidden away behind his short, black hair. "Now you can talk to me." He gave you a rose he'd stolen from the royal garden. "I am Jungkook, heir to the throne of--"

"I know who you are." You interrupt him, documenting His Highness' total in your calligraphy book.

With a hand perched on his chest from surprise, he scoffed. "And I happen to think you're really pretty, so I was going to ask you to be my very first consor--"

"You're 15, you have playmates not consorts."

"And how old are you?!" He's had it, raising his voice and taking a bite out of one of your apples with force.

"16, old enough to have suitors." You tease. Jungkook hangs his head a little. He just needed someone to talk to, it would seem. Reluctantly, you scribbled down your address down on a piece of note paper and handed it to him.

"Look, if you buy more of my apples, I'll have an excuse to tell my Dad so I can hang out with you." You spoke in a low voice as to not raise suspicion.

Your dad is standing negotiating with the guards about prices, his usual embarassing haggling gruffly overpowering the guards elegant twiddle-tones.

"Wonderful! See you soon, my sweet!" He resumes his confident demeanor, tucking the paper into his overcoat with a small smile. He salutes you boyishly and marches away with a year's supply of apples.

For the next week, the royal kitchen had baked 3 apple pies, made 5 fruit salads, 4 batches of apple muffins, and threw the rest of them in Sangria; that's the same Sangria as King Jeon finds himself drinking in his wife's drawing room on Sunday.

"Call Chef, fetch him up here." He waves to his assistant, keeping his eyes on the outside. He was deep in thought, his hands stoicly behind his back.

The Kingdom had been prosperous for over many years now, and war had not come close to threatening its borders in a lifetime. Negotiations were always successful, and quality of living was high. The work of a King, in a situation such as this, was to perfect the image of the royal family as strong rulers, and to paint his daughters as desirable to foreign heirs.

"Your Grace," the assistant called his attention, "Head Chef Sung." The dainty man bows and scurries off somewhere else.

Chef Sung is a portly man, who carries himself heaving with every step, his great belly inflating with each hefty inhale. He approaches the King, and kneels down to kiss his hand with his fat lips.

The King recoils in disgust, but quickly collects himself and his words. "Where are these apples from, is it France or Spain?" He demands.

"Neither, Your Highness." Mr.Sung lifts up his eyes. "They are from our Holy Kingdom; by order of Prince Jungkook, an entire cart was purchased of these apples and we have not been able to get rid of them." Tears threatened Chef Sungs eyes at the very mention of the fruit.

'Well, there's one thing the kid's done right.' King Jeon now faces the Chef, setting down his drink on a mahogany table, leaning against it casually. "Well! Good. I'd like to meet the owner of that cart, invite him to my Sunday brunch."

"Oh, yes, of course sir! You'll never see them in our kitchen aga--What?" Chef Sung takes out his handkerchief, waving it around in the air and drying his tears at once. "So you like them! Why...Yes! Yes, of course!"

Your father thought it would be valuable to have you around the kitchen, learning from the skilled men and women employed by the Jeon family. He only visited once a week to drop off fresh produce, (he'd been officially hired to handle restocking of goods) but you, after showing promising signs of being a gifted baker during one of your father's restocks, were granted scholarship by Ms.Kang to be her aid.

You were now, officially, a resident of the Jeon Estate, residing in the servant's quarters, immediately adjacent to the kitchen. This was convenient. It was far too convenient for a certain little Prince to get the idea of wanting a midnight snack and wandering downstairs.

One day, he does just that. He finds his way into the first bedroom to the right of the stairs facing the kitchen, and that happens to be your bedroom.

He pokes you awake. "Ow! Ow, whyyy~" You whine and toss yourself over to the other side of the bed. His irritating poking persists. You grab his fingers and your eyes shatter open.

You sit up, alarmed. "You could have me arrested, what the fuck are you doing?!"

"I wanted a midnight snack! Besides, I wanna talk to you." He pouts, still holding a small teddy companion.

"Fine. I'll bake you ONE sheet of cookies." You slip on your night shoes and shuffle to the kitchen, and Jungkook tags along.

By the time Jungkook's 18th birthday comes around, he's in the kitchen helping you whisk buttercream to top his cake while having a tease at the Austrian Princess' mole.

"You have one right under your lip, look!" You take a little buttercream from the bowl and stain the dark spot with it.

He licks it up and hastens to add, "it needs more sugar, lady!" as he turns to grab a puffy bag of confection sugar.

"You're impossible to please." Snatching the sugar away from him, you smirk. "You can gobble down as many sweets as you want when the ball commences. Remember, this is the year you're supposed to be keeping your eye out for a girl of a good fam--"

"Yada yada, must have hips for childbearing, yada yada yada..." He mocks the speech his mother had told him that morning when he got dressed.

"Exactly." You set your bowl aside to fix Jungkook's tie. "Yes, and that's your duty, as our heir."

You step back and examine Jungkook one more time. He'd grown so tall in the last year, his legs like spider's and he was just beginning to grow into his features. Handsome boy.

You, too, had grown into an elegant young woman. You had a poised complexion, ready-mannered and graceful. Your hands seemed out of place in your otherwise feminine frame, carrying an extra bit of girth from baking. You were 19 years old.

Marriage was becoming an uncomfortably frequent topic during your visits home, as your mother had married young, herself, she expected the same of you.

Truth be told, there were plenty of offers for your hand. You were a skilled and very esteemed individual, who had broken into thr artisinal class. But your father knew better than put a dowry on your happiness. So long as you worked, he saw no reason to marry you off just yet.

"Now, go. Your sisters must be worried sick! Go out there." You shoo him, pushing him out the door of the kitchen despite his flailing arms.

Throughout the party, you'd been carrying a platter of your own baked goods, serving them to the aristocrats attending the Princes' coming-of-age ball. Accents from all over Europe and some from Kingdoms as far East as Cyprus jubilantly engaged in artful conversation which filled the air with good spirits.

Jungkook, himself, was busy being introduced to as many women as possible, a medley of presenting duchesses, ladies, and even Princesses of your Kingdom. They were each more qualified than you'll ever be, ten-fold.

One was a Greek Princess, her hair cascaded in darling curls down her shoulders and her eyes were deep-set, her voice a flirtatious trill.

Another, a Prussian Princess', posture radiated excellency, and whose complexion sparkled like powdered snow. Jungkook greeted her warmly, pleased with her appearance.

Distracted, you tripped up your skirt and dropped the remainder of your pastries. With that, you stepped off to use the restroom.

The sound of Strauss' Rosen aus dem Süden faintly loomed in the air as you wiped tears from your waterline in the mirror. That was just the way it was, wasn't it? Princes come of age, and they find wives who they commit their lives to.

"Married men don't have friends who are girls." You say out loud, just to realize it. Jungkook was now expected to find a mate within the season, and he was, in fact, quite the eligible bachelor.

Little did you know that Jungkook had been keeping an eye out for you throughout the party, not only because you were carrying his favorite Danish pastires, but because he knew your company was his greatest comfort.

He's in the midst of greeting the Duchess of Kent when he excuses himself to go look for you. He finds your mess first, frowning as he realizes something has gone terribly wrong.

He catches you in the hallway, face puffy and shaky. He grabs your wrist to keep you from darting back to the kitchen.

"Please don't do this, it's my birthday, y/n." It's as if an unspoken rule had been broken between you, and he feels it. Something is making you uncomfortable. "Was it the girls? You told me about this, it's my duty to at least greet them and--"

"Yeah, you sure did greet the Prussian woman nicely." You speak through tears. "She's the girl you were born to be with, huh? Your birthright?"Jungkook is silent. "Every girl at that ball wants to be your wife, want to have your children. They haven't known you for a day and yet they're ready to be your bride."

You search Jungkook's eyes for any sign of coherence, hoping that he would defend against you, that he would speak up and tell you otherwise. No such argument comes.

You yank your arm from his grip and march to the kitchen to remake the pastries you spilled.

You had the job of clearing off all the tables upon the departure of the last guests. It is midnight, and the windows of the castle stream moonlight down on the carpet beneath your feet. The glow of candles soothe you as you hum the waltzes which echo in your mind. It's a brilliant evening.

The centerpieces of the tables were gardenias, lush rose-like flowers with yellow pistils.

Summer, 1809

"Jungkook, wait! You're going to make me trip!" You shout from the top of the hill.

"You've gotta come see before the sun sets! It's the only way we'll get there on time, now run!" Jungkook's speeding down the terrain towards the Sycamore tree which grew deep and wide beneath the banks of a great rushing river.

You groan and throw caution to the wind, rolling down the steep mount in your Sunday dress. Jungkook turns to watch you, a grin spreading across his handsome face. "Look at you!"

You land on your feet at the bottom and scurry off to join Jungkook under the grandfather tree, out of breath entirely. "Now, look what you made me do. You're such a boy, you know that?! Making me come out here just to see some bloody--"

Jungkook has plucked a gardenia and placed it behind your ear. "Would you shut up? We got here on time. Behold."

In all its glory, the sun bathes you in its vivacious rays, creating a feeling of heavenly bliss as it dips below the horizon. The sky blushes pink, its clouds mere whisps above you. Wind rustles the leaves of the grand tree, rousing the birds to chirp their afternoon song.

"Mom used to come here all the time with my Dad, because of these." Jungkook clasped the blooming flower in his tender hands.

After a while, he says "the bugs will come out soon, so we ought to go back," as if he's trying not to scare something away. He helps you up, and with one last look across the valley, you walk next to each other back to the East Quarters.

You take all the silverware and plates by the tub to the dish-washing station and toss all of the linen napkins into the washing machine. All you had left was to blow out the lights in leading upstairs.

"Prince! It is very late, and there are no guests left for you to entertain. What troubles you?" Jungkook's sitting on the stairs with his head in his hands, still wearing his best suit.

"I disappointed you, y/n...I didn't like any of them." He admits, lifting his head up to sulk at you. "I should have told you then, but I didn't want to make you upset!"

Did Jungkook mistake your jealousy for disappointment?

"I'm not upset because you didn't hit it off with the girls..." You sigh. A confession is due, and he's ready to hear the truth from you about how you feel about him.

"Well, the truth is, I didn't like any of the girls because I like you, y/n. But you know that, don't you?" You pause, asking him to elaborate.

"Remember when I bought all the apples because I wanted to be with you? Like...I told you that you were my consort and I kind of meant it?" He felt pathetic now, realizing that you weren't just ignoring his advances. "So you didn't friendzone me for 2 years, you actually didn't know that I liked you."

It was almost laughable, a situation you would read in one of your illegal novels which you kept tucked away in your pillow at night. "No, Kookie, I didn't." You admit to your insolence.

You can't bear to lead him on any longer. You needed to put duty over your own self interest for the sake of the kingdom, even if it shattered his hope. It was better this way.

"But, you do know that we can't ever be a thing, right? It's just silly." Your heart tightens with the words which fall out of your mouth. "It is. Nevermind what your parents would think, what would it do for your image? You're on the world's stage, Jungkook, and you're a selfish person if you think you can just throw all of your duties away to date a scum of the Earth like-- like me!" With your heart in your throat, dry your eyes with your sleeve. "And...I want to, I really really want to, more than anything else to love you, Jungkook. I love you! I...can't." Through the blur of your tears, the shapeless blob that Jungkook has become stands up.

Taking his thumb and swiping it under your eyes, he sighs. Words escaping him, he takes your trembling body against his chest and nestles his head in the crook of your neck. Your cold hands travel underneath his overcoat to hold his waist. The Princes' lips plant a gentle kiss on your neck, chaste yet deep and satisfying.

"I will not accept any bride if not you, my love." He draws back, meeting your fervid gaze. "To the world, I remain a bachelor for a few years."

"And after those years, Jungkook?" You ride your hands up to caress the man's jaw. "You will still love me after those years, and then what?"

"I don't know," he says, voice as soft as powder. "I don't know many things, y/n, that's why I need you to teach me." His palms are rubbing at your waist, beckoning you closer.

His breath quickening as you lean your body against his hold, and you figure it must be the wine he drank to calm his nerves. That was it, wasn't it? He was drunk.

"You're not drunk, are you?" Your face sours, really hoping it's not the case as you feel your body temperature rise.

"Y/N, I've only had a glass. You saw I was a wreck back there." His lips kept chasing yours in a dance you can't quite describe. "I have wanted to hold you like this since I saw you selling apples on the street. Give me the honor..." His forehead against yours and his strong hands supporting your back, he's already fucking you with his eyes.

"The pleasure of being your lover." He squeezes your waist tight with his forearms, planting brisk kisses behind your ear and breathing in your scent. He smiles against you. Your skin pebbles at his affectionate touch, purring softly as your eyes roll back in delight.

"Kookie..." You breathe, leaning on his broad chest. "Kook, the maids are wondering where I am, I have to go..." You slur, tugging at his collar.

He grunts in protest, taking your ear between his teeth and nibbling it.

"If you let me go, I'll steal some cake for you tomorrow at breakfast." If there's anything Jungkook likes more than Cream Ice, it was cake. He unravels you from his arms and nods, his eyes softening.

"Request my service tomorrow, from Ms.Kang. She's been sweet on me lately." You peck his cheek before stepping back. Your rouge has embarrassingly stained His Grace's cheek.

Jungkook bows and presses a kiss on your hand, eyes rising to meet yours. "Til' morrow, babe."

Jiyoo shakes you awake the next morning, handing you a cake and a note that reads: "Prince Jungkook has a commission he must discuss with you. Meet him at his chamber immediately."

Lacing on a simple corset over your nightgown, you try not to look too red in the face as you climb up the stairs to His Majesty's room. You'd be up there alone, as requested. The girls would absolutely start rumors based on that alone-- rumors which you realize are probably totally true. This was stuff of scandal, after all...

'There shouldn't be anything scandalous about love.' You decide as you rap on His Highness' door.

"Please enter...but only if you have my cake!" Jungkook says in his morning voice. He's so cute.

The simplicity of Jungkook's abode takes you by surprise. His bedroom is very well lit, a capital display of the flowered valley through his bay windows washed the room in gold, painting his porcelain white carpets and his cotton sheets a warm creme color. His drawers and vanity were etched in gold, with breathtaking detailing.

The Monarch himself was splayed across the bed, laying on his side casually. He held a glass in his hand, holding a white wine. He puts down his glass and sits up as your presence.

"We both know that you didn't come here as my servant." You lock the door behind you. "And I have no such commission to give you, darling." The innocence which undertones his usual speech is missing as he coaxes you towards him.

"This much I know, Your Majesty," You say, taking a bit of frosting on your index finger and smudging it on the Princes lips. His black eyes, as cunning as a viper, watch you dangerously as you push two fingers past his plush lips. He wraps his hands around your wrist and draws your hand away, his gaze fixating on you.

"Set the cake down." At his command, you carefully place the confection down on a nearby chest, feeling Jungkook's eyes on you, drawing you back towards his grip.

"Let me pull your laces apart," with your waist held by his Herculean hand, he hums "and then let me pull you apart. I want to memorize your pleasures and gratify your desires, I need it, y/n..." Your back flush against his chest and your thighs split, his hands knead into you as he litters your collar with his mark.

You gasp softly against the crook of his neck, giving into his hold of you. His hot tongue spreads under your jaw, closing into a hard kiss as his hands travel back up to undo your corset and free your tits.

One by one, his fingers pop open the buttons left on your gown until the collar hangs off-shoulder to expose your collarbone. At the sight of new skin, Jungkook's tongue darts to stain it.

His hands stagger above your breasts. "Is it okay if I touch you here?"

"Oh, Kookie, touch me everywhere~" Your hands form fists around Jungkook's shirt, beckoning him impossibly closer.

Grasping one ever so carefully, his thumb grazes your bud as he playfully bites under your ear. "ah-- ahh,"

Jungkook groans in response, he can't believe how cute you sound. Curious, he wants to hear more, so he traces your thighs and experimentally pushes up the outside your cunt.

You squirm, tensing up immediately in response. You bring your hands down to find the latch on his trousers and dip your hands below to rub him through his undergarments. He heatedly bucks up to meet your touch, a panting mess.

You face him now as he watches you ride his fingers while you grip his girth through his clothes. He takes you by the ass and places you on his prominent bulge, hips rolling into you as he hungrily kisses you, his firm hands grinding your core on his cock.

His face is a sinful red, panting under you desperately.

"I've been wanting to do this," His voice warbles through your touch, running your thumb along his underside. It's his turn to gasp. He sits up and collapses his lips into yours, softer than rose petals and his taste faintly like wine.

You place your hand on his chest, and his heart is pounding, a thin layer of sweat already forming on his honeylike complexion.

Hastily, you pull your dress over your head and lean back to allow him to familiarize himself with your stark form, a dainty chain hanging between your bosom. Jungkook bites his lips as he wriggles out of his clothing, desposing of it beside the bed.

He's giddy behind those sultry eyes, you know him well enough that he's overexcited to get inside of you. It goes straight to his cock, your playfulness as you feel up his bare shoulders and discover his abdominals, your fingers tracing his ridges with a sense of innocent wonder.

He takes your hands and looks at you in this way-- Butterflies fill your stomach instantly. Jungkook's thumbing at your pout with his intrepid fingers.

His eyes flutter when grip his base and submerge your upper body below his hips. You lick a long, thick stripe up his underside, causing his breath to hitch and his head to fall back on to the bed.

Those goddamn cupid's bow lips of his would whisper the dirtiest things under his breath, lewd thoughts that sounded completely alien coming from His Majesty's mouth, he said for you.

"Oh, such a pretty mouth~ It's so good, y/n, you swallow me so good--" he moaned like a mantra, trying to keep his hips from snapping up into you. Your hot, wet tongue wrapped around his throbbing cock was only a fantasy to him for years.

He fills your throat with his girth, his taste tantalizingly smooth. It leaves your mouth with a 'pop.' You struggle to keep your legs apart as you crawl up to kiss him.

He takes those fingers of his and slides his index and middle into you and languidly thrusts them, smirking against your lips. "Shit, you liked that, hmm..."

"Kookie...please," you whine as he squeezes your ass hard before smacking it. You yelp, the sting of his fingers radiating from your skin.

"I like it when you beg, y/n, it's so cute..." He pulls your ass up to his thighs. He's flush hard against your abdomen, already sticky with his precum and your spit. You marvel at the self control he has.

You don't finish your thought before he has his head inside of you, impaling you on his cock and stretching your entrance, hissing at how incredible it felt to have you around him.

His shaft reached pleasure points within you had yet to discover. You clench, feeling his tip brush against your cervix. "Wh... hngh," he groans, "how did you do that, do it again--" You wrap your legs around his thighs and clench around him, biting your lip. You watch as he shivers from pleasure, feeling his skin horripilate under your touch.

His thumb is softly circling above your clit as he pulls out of you carefully. He swirls back in, nestling himself inside your heat, hissing. "Ahh~ Jungkook~!" At the sound of his first name moaned out of your mouth, he groans and rolls his hips up to create messy friction. That familiar knot in your stomach tingles as he plays with the bundle of nerves buried within you.

He glances up at your ruined lips, clashing with them again as he lifts your knees up with his hands and thrusts nice and rough, making you yell with every jolt of his cock. The smell and sound of sex fills the room as he experiments with positions, laying you on all fours.

"Get your ass up for me." You obey, ever servile. You're reminded-- you're his servant. He owns your work, he owns your services, and now he wants you in the most lucrative way, he wants your soaked cunt around his imperial cock. He gets what he wants.

Jungkook's palms smack against your ass one more time, just to watch the way it jiggles for him. He smirks a little before he shoves himself into your pretty little cunt. You bury your face into the pillows in pelasure as he chases your orgasm with vigor, fingering your clitoris while you move your hips back to meet his hard thrusts.

You whine like a harlot, his cock allowing you every satisfaction as he works a head-spinning orgasm out of that cunt. "I'm gonna cum, Kookie~!" you warn as you spasm against his length, moans ripping from your throat as you coat him with your thick juices.

His hips stutter up and he just barely pulls himself completely from you as he paints your back white, a guttural groan escaping his mouth.

After a while of loud panting and scattered giggling, Jungkook reaches over for a wet cloth and cleans the both of you gingerly. You trail your hands up to caress his jaw and kiss his lips softly.

"You need to tell everyone that I had a long and extensive request for the Harvest party, that I wanted a lot of fall fruits and vegetables featured in the baked goods, make it as specific as possible and make sure that you mention that I want to meet with you again, over dinner." His labored breathing punctuate his words, as youd kisses consume him. "And..."

"And?" You cock an eyebrow, simpering.

"Doyouthinkmaybeyoucouldbringmesomemilktogowithmycake?" He mumbles, eyes glued on the bed.

"What?" (If you give a Kookie a Cookie...)

Disgruntled, he sighs and repeats: "Milk! Milk for my cake. I know it's moist cause you made it but I'm really thirsty, especially after..." His cheeks flush a cute pink. You wait for him to continue just to fluster him a little more. "Y/N, just please!" You can't ever refuse his pouty face.

Next week, Jungkook's got you pinned against the hallway wall, making out with you hungrily as his hands ride up your dress. Just across the hall, his Dad is negotiating war with Portugal over land in the West.

The next month, you have his cock buried in your throat underneath the table at an important conference about how to create jobs.

All this while the pressure for Jungkook to find a bride continues to rise as he reaches seniority, and as his father's grey hairs pronounce themselves.

Warm touches are always hidden away to the public eye, but often shared between two kindred spirits underneath the man in the moon's watchful eye. Jungkook, as he reaches his maturity, grows strong. His jaw sharpens, and his eyes darken. His hair grows long, and he gains weight. Now at the proud age of 20, Jungkook had become a man before everyone's eyes, including the eyes of foreign monarchs and their eligible bachelorettes.

One day, you're serving the Royal family at a private dinner, when the topic of marriage comes up for the first time since his birthday.

"Your mother has made friends with the mother of the Austrian Princess, and she's invited you to the cordial ball to introduce yourself to the Princess. An allyship with Austria would prove advantageous for our relations with France, so you are to make your best impression." The King wipes his mouth. Setting his fork down, he continues: "It is in the family's best interest for you to marry her, if the French Princess, Anastasie, does not present this season or the next." The Queen holds the King's hand firmly, reassuring him from his shoulder. She wears a slight frown on her face, her eyes worrisome, somber. The King hides his anxiety, as he's been accustomed to from decades of responsibility. Would this be the face of Jungkook soon?

For now, Jungkook's face is scrunching at the thought of marrying Anastasie. She's not the most delightful young woman, her imprudence ruined her enjoyment of any event. She couldn't keep an intuitive conversation about regional politics and domestic policy for the life of her. Her people were on the brink of overthrowing the aristocracy, he was sure of it.

"Yes, father," is what you hear from him before you disappear down the stairs to fetch desserts.

Jiyoo interrupts your quest for sweets with a letter, signed by His Grace. She has a naturally innocent demeanor, her cheeks rosy and her frame as delicate as a feather. "Y/N, you have another special request from His Majesty...can I ask you why you get so many of these?" She looks genuinely curious, not a single menacing thought behind those eyes.

"It's because the Prince really really loves his cake." I mean, technically it was true. Jungkook never passed up an opportunity to squeeze, smack, or dig his fingernails into your ass during your sessions.

"Oh." Jiyoo pouts. "So it's not because you're like, in love or anything?" Her eyes are glued to the floor. You were expecting this question eventually, as the other girls in the kitchen were already suspecting it. It was only a matter of time before word slipped into the girl's ears.

"As much as I enjoy the Prince's interest in my baking, it isn't my place to confess any sort of feeling for him." Your answer is straightforward enough, so Jiyoo nods and hands you the letter. Another request.

Outside the Palace, Winter came like the wind. Lakes froze over, and couples tied up their skates and danced on the ice. The trees were bare and brown, not a single leaf persisting through the chilling breath of Jack Frost.

Jungkook had left for the Winter Palace, to volunteer and raise spirits up in the North. As heir to the throne, he was to be Commander in Chief of the Royal Armed Forces, and therefore needed to undergo intensive training in order to boost morale.

You're back home, and in your wake is your father, who has now grown tangibly tired. He's been on a strict diet of warm vegetable soup for about three months, now. His eyes are sunken, but he still wears a subtle smile even during his most trying days.

Match girls make their rounds at night, you watch as the lamplighters illuminate the streets with their tall ladders and their taller peacoats. Shop windows glow warm shades of yellow and creme; inscriptions on the glass create shadows on the white snow.

"Wow. It's almost as cold as the King's heart out here." You step outside one day with a cup of tea, sneaking in a cheeky smirk. Yeah, good one.

"I heard that!" You turn towards the little voice. A child, maybe about 9 or 10 years old is pointing at you. You squint at it.

"Well, it's true..." You mumble. You have a bit of change in your pocket, so you walk towards a stand to buy a hot bun and a paper.

"Chilly today, hon...Best you take this on the house." The tenant hands you a steaming cake wrapped in a simple cloth and your paper. You stick the paper in your dress pocket and take back your change. You nod a 'thank you.'

You spill the contents of your pockets on the dining table and snatch the paper, snapping it open. Your eyes eagerly skim the headline: "Prince Jungkook Fires Up Royal Army." Below is an article detailing the happenings of His Majesty. All of it sounded very intense, the running, strategizing, first aid training...Was there anything Prince Jeon couldn't nail on the first try?

You set the paper down and pick up your now lukewarm tea. In the back of your mind you're coping with the fact that the Spring Solstice is next week, and that marks the beginning of Jungkook's last season as a Prince.

The King is ill with tuberculosis, and recovery is unlikely. If Jungkook is to marry, it is next season and that was final.

Sitting at the window of his Winter Castle study, Jungkook plays with a ring nestled between his fingers. He looks out onto the lake, as if he's trying to reach you with his gaze. His heart is tight knowing that it would be the season he chooses his bride. Actually, he'd already made up his mind long ago. If his duty was to marry, there was no way to evade such a responsibility. He had to fulfill it, despite his anxieties.

He straightens up and walks out of the hollow room with a firm step.

You awaken with the sound of horse's hooves thudding against the Earth. It is yet to be dawn, and in the distance, thunder roars mightily.

A figure wearing a long, black hood hoists itself off of the animal, tying it to a nearby post. It walks towards an obscure entrance, unknown to many staff.

Intrigued, you wrap a blanket around yourself and peek out at the stranger. His fingers are shorter than his palms, and that's when he tosses of his hood, his eyes set on you. "Y/N..."

You're bewildered by his guise, questions filling your head.

"I was horny, so I left camp" He sits down at the counter, catapulting a cookie into his mouth.

You roll your eyes. "And the guards let you?! Jungkook!" You whisper-yelled at him, readjusting your makeshift blanket-dress.

"Obviously not!" He puffed out his chest with pride. "I bribed them," he smirks.

"You're insufferable," you scoff, your eyes wandering down to observe his physique. His shirt is anything but conservative, highlighting the muscle he'd earned through laborious, sweat-inducing drills. You can feel his eyes on your face as you observe him.

"You can't hide it either," he crosses his arms. "You're standing in the kitchen with a blanket around your naked body." He flicks his tongue. He steps forward, putting a finger under your jaw so you're looking him in the eye.

Your eyes fill with lust as he speaks over your lips. "Look at yourself..." A crash is heard in the other room.

Jungkook's head darts up and in a flash, he disappears into the night.

'Fuck.' You gather your dress from the floor and shuffle back to your chamber.

The first event of the season commences with the most exaltant of spirits as friends of old greet each other with youthful smiles. Juicy exposés, enticing tales, and thoughtful greetings are exchanged in the most formal manner, and the conversation is lively; the most controversial topic of conversation, however, is the rumor that Jungkook is to marry this season.

So far, he's been to four different private residences within his own Kingdom and has been invited, by the secretary of King Louis XVII to meet their daughter. It would be an understatement to say that stakes were high for the pending King.

You were kneading your dough a little too hard thinking about it. "Not so rough, y/n!" Ms.Kang snatches the mixture from your hands. "What is up with you lately, you're so tense! It's really disrupting the kitchen's dynamic."

You shrug it off. "It's going to be hard sedating Anastasie's sweet tooth, I suppose."

"Well, you seem to be doing just fine dealing with Jungkook's addiction to cakes...She's perfect for him, really." Ms.Kang throws more flour on your kneading table and steps off. You give up on the dough, covering it with a cloth and letting it rise.

Jungkook is tapping his feet, munching on finger sandwiches as he waits on you to make an appearance.

"Dearest Prince, look, I am wearing Mediterranean violet!" A duchess shouts as she passes by him, to which he raises his eyebrows at. Another, with dark green eyes approaches and begins speaking rapidly in French at him. Frightened and undereducated, his canned response was: "Excusez-moi, Pouvez-vous répéter plus lentement s'il vous plaît," to which the duchess furrows her eyebrows before something else catches her attention, elsewhere.

Truth is, Jungkook is incredibly shaken at the thought of announcing his engagement tonight. Well, that and the fact that you had yet to pop out of the kitchen. Man, those finger sandwiches were good.

As the night progresses, Jungkook realizes that if he doesn't get up on that platform and say what he needed to say, he'd have to say it in London. Setting his fears aside, he plants himself on top of the orchestral stage and taps a champagne glass with a cheese fork. The music comes to a stop.

With conviction, he begins: "The time has come that I announce my engagement. To all of my beloved friends, who have introduced me to the most beautiful, talented, diverse, and benevolent ladies I've come to get to know over the years, I thank you from the depths of my soul." He swallows and continues, his confident voice masking his trembling. "The life of a Prince is defined by the virtues presented to him at birth. Those virtues are: duty, responsibility, grace, kindness, mercy and integrity." Here comes the part, oh shit.

"I am abdicating my throne to my Cousin, the Duke of Namseong."

Silence sweeps the room. You poke your head out to see what was going on.

"...to marry the love of my life, y/n." He points at you. Your face is cherry red, and you find yourself dropping those same Danish fucking pastries all over the carpet.

"Shit," you fall on your knees, plucking them from the ground one by one. You don't know whether to run as fast as you can or to present yourself, but your body seems to be currently doing the latter. You go along with it.

Jungkook takes your hand tenderly on the stage. "I am unable to perform my duties as King, and therefore am ineligible for the throne." His touch gives you the will to continue beside him. You feel the pure fear rushing through your love's veins, and he knows that this is the hardest thing he'll ever have to do, yet he stands by his announcement.

So, if Jungkook doesn't get to be King of this World, he at least will forever be the King of Your Heart.

But all this, of course...is all in Your, dear reader, Head.

a/n:

hope you enjoyed.

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jiminniethemarshmallow · 3 years

Text

Thank You For Your Service IV (M)

Thank you @7stars-aligned13 for the beautiful mood board!! Pairing: Jimin x Reader Genre: smut, angst, fluff Warnings: mentions of trouble conceiving, lots of time skips, squirting, face fucking, dom!Jimin, slight role play, impreg kink, dirty talk, fingering, cream pie Word Count: 24,500

Part 1~ Part 2~ Part 3~ Part 4

You hiccup, already crying fat tears before you’ve even heard the news. You fear those words, feel the emptiness, and it hurts your soul. The straight faced doctor takes her time coming into your room, letting out a sigh once she sees your face. It’s from exasperation, but you would like to interpret it as sympathy. She stands at the foot of your bed, waiting until you calm your breathing enough to hear her.

“As I am sure you have guessed, you are not with child.” Those words break your heart for the sixth time and you break down into sobs, hiding your face in Jimin’s pillows.

Six months. It has been six long months since you were wed and you still are not pregnant. Even after all those late nights, early mornings when you’d send the servants away before your schedules began, the remedies and special foods, the slightly uncomfortable positions and pillow mountains, you still are not yet carrying your husband’s child. And it crushes you.

Yes, you know having children is not all you are good for, but it is one of your duties as a Queen. Having heirs is something that only you can do and the entire kingdom awaits expectantly for the news of an incoming prince or princess that they can idolize and adore, so you feel the pressure at all times of day— as well as guilt in regards to your barren womb. You should be fertile at this youthful time in your life. Both you and Jimin have passed every physical examination and remain in excellent health, which is why it is so perplexing to you that you are having trouble conceiving. Rosé, Queen of the kingdom just north of yours, is already pregnant and she was wed to her husband an entire month after you. Twins, you hear she’s having. You’d hate to fall behind her kingdom in any aspect, even in such a trivial competition as having children. She has nothing to do with your family, and yet, you still feel so inferior because you do not yet have one.

“To put it bluntly,” Your doctor begins, looking down at the paper she’s holding, scribbled with notes. “I believe the cause of your current condition— or lack thereof— is due to the poisoning you endured several months ago. It is possible that the potion affected your reproductive organs in some imperceptible way; your kidneys exhibited symptoms of its effects for nearly a month after your recovery, so we cannot completely rule out this possibility. But, Your Highness, the only way I would be able to test this hypothesis is through surgery to visually inspect your organs.”

You shudder at the thought of being cut open, shaking your head animatedly. Maybe you would consider this “inspection” after a year of effort and failure, but you would not take such drastic measures this early. No matter how much the constant failure hurt.

“If my infertility is due to the poison-“ You swallow thickly when your voice comes out as a mere whimper.

“Let us not be so hasty in calling it infertility, Your Majesty.” She interrupts, stare lightening just slightly. She’s learned the tiniest bit of respect since working under Jimin, his low tolerance for rudeness and spiny disposition during medical examinations slowly beginning to unnerve her cold discourse. Many a time has he reprimanded her for speaking to you informally or for her lack of sympathy, and you are finally starting to see a change, though she still interrupts you to interject.

“If my current inability to conceive is because of the poison,” You try again, “Are there any elixirs or pills I could take to lessen its effects? There must be something!”

“Because we do not know entirely if this is due to the poison, I am hesitant to give you treatment— sometimes getting pregnant is difficult for some people and there is nothing medically wrong with them. For now I can only give you advice on conception: try to lower your stress levels, eat more fruits and vegetables for vitamins, and do not over exert yourself. That is all for today, I will be back in a month for your regular check up unless I am needed sooner.” With that she turns and leaves, not waiting to be dismissed and leaving you alone in your room.

It is the middle of winter and the bone-chilling winds whip against your windows. The palace is heated by fire, but you refuse to light your fireplace, choosing to sit and suffer in the cold alone as you wallow in your gloom. Jimin has been busy all day with kingdom affairs, out and about performing duties that not even your father cared enough to get done. The people love him, love how involved he is and how much he cares, and they never hesitate to alert him to any problems they might have that Jimin could take care of. Of course he doesn’t mind, you knew he would never be able to stay inside these sheltered walls for long when he was so used to the excitement of training and battle, but you wished he would spare a little time to cater to your issues. His absence during your monthly checkups is not unusual. For the first three he held your hand and sat with you, on the fourth he left in the middle due to an urgent matter, and these last two he has been out of the castle altogether. Since your third appointment, when your hopes of being pregnant were at its highest, he seemed to have a very negative attitude toward your checkups. He told you he did not intentionally avoid these meetings, and you think that is partly true, but you know that he must hate the constant rejection and is deliberately making himself unavailable when he thinks you will be rejected again. He would much rather hear the bad news from you instead of your cold doctor.

When you asked your father to accompany you, he sort of grimaced and then politely declined. You understand, the thought of addressing the fact that your daughter has not only been deflowered, but is being repeatedly taken in the efforts of bearing fruit is sickening to you, too. Also, he is not very adept at comforting you when you break down like this, face buried in your husband’s pillows and shoulders shaking with sobs.

Telling by the ache in your skull and the completely soaked through cushion beneath your head, a long time has passed by the time you finally raise your face at the sound of Jimin shuffling into your bedroom. He shivers once the door is closed again, expecting warmth but being met with bitterness.

“It is freezing in here.” He rasps beneath his breath, ignoring you momentarily to light the fireplace, moving to shed the outer layers of his clothing once the fire is of decent size. The single glance he took at you upon entering is all he needed to know what has transpired, and he is in no rush to hear the devastating words. It’s only until he is in comfortable attire that he turns to face you, easing your head onto his chest with a curled bottom lip before he’s even settled properly on the mattress. “My love...”

Your tears flow freely onto his chest and he says nothing, sighing into your hair because by now this has become a common occurrence.

“She said it might be,” You snivel, “because of the poison.” He closes his eyes, having suspected the same thing but praying that it was not true. He wondered if the poison would have any long lasting effects on you, or on your future offspring, but dismissed the thought immediately. Although he knows nothing of what the doctor has said, he feels discouraged nonetheless. His past failure to protect you continues to circle around his head like a vulture, tormenting him to no end and making its appearance to pick at his wounds whenever he starts to move on from it. Six months feels like a long time, but it is apparent that his emotional scars need far longer to fully heal. And for that he owes to Jinwoo.

“I am s-sorry for being s-so weak.” You wipe your nose, face red and puffy from both tears and embarrassment. “Half a year ago you had not yet seen me shed tears, and now...” Almost as if the word itself had summoned them, fresh droplets fall from your eyes, looking pitifully up at the man who had stolen your heart. Only, he must have given it back to you at some point because you feel too much these days and you are tired of hurting like this. God, you probably look so ugly right now, you can feel how swollen and red your eyes and cheeks are, your self confidence plummeting to an all-time low.

“You are beautiful and strong, (Y/n), do not ever think less of yourself. You have good reason to feel the way you do, please do not think that you have to be stoic in front of me.” Like always, Jimin says exactly the right thing to ease your mind, using his hand to wipe your wet face and burrowing into the sheets with you attached to his side, his heat warming the icy sheets that drowned you when you had been alone.

You retired to bed early last night, which is why you can afford to wake up with the sun this morning. Jimin sleeps soundly behind you, but his presence is felt stiffly on your ass between the thin layers of clothing. Snow twinkles on your windowsill, probably the last snow of the season, but you find the sun beaming as brightly as ever to illuminate the room. With the weather beginning to warm in preparation for spring, you’ve grown accustomed to the gentle sound of melting snow dripping outside your window. Mornings like these are scarce and you plan to make the most of it.

You attempt to turn and face your beloved, but his arms tighten around your waist, locking you in your position. A sleepy groan tickles your ear, the vibrations of his voice sending a shiver through you.

“You’re up early.” Jimin mumbles, pressing a kiss to your shoulder. His voice is always so deep and raspy in the mornings, his dialect coming forth with a yawn. You could listen to him speak like that forever, but all you can think about at the moment is how good his moans would sound with the added rumble of bass that comes from sleep.

“So are you.” You snort with a sly wiggle of your hips. The twitch of his length against you sends a flash of exhilaration through your system— time has been short lately and it has been far too long since you’ve last felt him. Apparently he feels the same way, his hand effortlessly gliding up your rib cage to palm at your clothed breast with a deep sigh. You can tell his eyes are still closed due to the laziness of his movements, but it doesn’t matter when his tender touches set your body on fire like this.

His lips find their way to your neck as he shifts closer, kissing and sucking gently enough not to leave marks but to get your heart racing with need. “Take this off.” You follow his instructions and promptly shed the nightgown from your body, leaving you nude against him as he presses himself to you once again, this time slipping a hand between your legs. Your nipples harden from the brief chill of the room before you adjust the covers over your shoulder again, and Jimin takes advantage of this with two fingers, twisting the bud between them to send a spike of pleasure down your spine.

You muffle a groan once his fingers begin to tease at your lower lips, spreading them and toying with the outer skin just to build your anticipation. He wants you to drip before he’s even touched you properly, to whimper into the sheets until you can’t take it anymore and call out his name in frustration. Your clit gets pinched between his fingers when he squeezes them closed, trapping the bud as he continues to rub you up and down, and you find yourself panting in a matter of seconds. Soon, his fingers start to get coated in the essence that seeps from you. It’s so sexy that he can barely stand it. Jimin loves to feel your warm juices trickling out of you, working you up almost feels better than tending to himself, and his breathing hitches too when you begin to wiggle in his grasp.

“Look at my gorgeous Queen, getting soaking wet from just a few light touches. So cock hungry this early in the morning.” His words make you quiver and whine, the teasing quality of his voice right up against the shell of your ear driving you absolutely insane. “I’ll give you what you want if you tell me~” You hadn’t expected him to be so playful after just waking up, but it’s a pleasant surprise.

“I want you to make me cum,” You breathe out between pants. “Then I want you to pump me full of your seed. Please, My King.” Your words have their own special effect on him, evident by the lustful groan he releases into your hair and how his hips subtly shift behind you. Immediately, his fingers move to your clit to lightly graze over the hood until you buck into him, only then does he add pressure. Your back arches into his palm as he continues to play with your nipple, having turned his attention to the other in order to provide the same treatment, pulling and tweaking at it, working the nerves until they’re raw and sensitive enough to have you gasping with every flick.

Jimin doesn’t need to be able to see you in your entirety to know how you look right now. You’re completely helpless to his touch, he can feel you writhing against him and heating up the space between the sheets as your temperature rises. He can feel your heart beating hard against your chest— and he wonders if you can feel his from his position pressed against your back. It has been a while since he’s allowed himself to indulge in these fantasies. He’s pleased to know that he still has every inch of you committed to memory and is able to so easily have you at his fingertips, quite literally. These past months, your focus has been solely on procreating in the bedroom and rarely for the fun of it, so this is refreshing. But he still asks anyway.

“You want me to spill my seed into you, hm? Are you fertile right now?” His words slip past your ears as you lose yourself to the circles he draws into your bud, but somehow you manage to catch them at the last second.

“It does not matter, I want you anyway.” The answer is no, you aren’t at your most fertile at the moment, but this isn’t about that. Regardless of if anything will come of it or not, you want to feel Jimin paint your walls white with his love, something you think you’ve become addicted to. You bask in the feeling of having him throb and twitch and lose control while at the mercy of your tight walls, even when he’s pounding your weak frame into whatever surface he’s decided to take you on, and the thought has you galloping toward your peak faster than expected.

His leg slips between yours to prop them open, two of his fingers dancing their way into your clenching entrance, the intrusion pulling a loud moan from your lips. They glide and twirl within you much to your delight, but before you can enjoy it fully, they pop out and slither back up to your clit with a thick coating of your own slick. It doesn’t bother you, you could cum like this easily, but what really makes you gape is the feeling of Jimin’s hard member grinding against your ass. You can feel that his briefs are now damp with a mixture of precum and your wetness as you continue to drip down your thighs and make a mess of yourself, and you can’t help but rock your hips into his motion. You grind into each other with sensual synchronization and soon he’s panting along with you, the swollen head of his cock peeking out from his briefs to wet your cheek, teasing you endlessly.

“Jimin,” You whine, praying that he’ll let you cum quickly this morning despite his teasing mood. Every buck into his fingers shoots jolts of pleasure through you and every press against his hot cock has you throbbing at your emptiness. It’s a never-ending loop that has both of you moaning in no time, and it isn’t long before the coil in your stomach tightens to its peak. “Fuck, I’m cumming.” You whisper quietly, your breath being stolen away by the feeling of your orgasm. Your husband groans behind you, forcing his own hips to jerk to a stop as you roll against him to ride out the waves. He can feel you pulsing against his fingers and suddenly craves to feel you around his member, removing his hand from between your legs to push away his bottoms.

“Are you ready for me, darling?” He whispers with soft kisses to your shoulder as you begin to relax again. His tip glides effortlessly against your drenched lips and the fire inside you reignites instantly.

“I am always ready for you, my love.” Turning your head, you find his lips and savor the passionate kiss you share, a warmth blooming in your chest that saves you from the cold of the bedroom. Ever so slowly he pushes inside you, bringing a hand up to hold your face to his as his tongue slips between your lips. Vibrations mingle throughout your bodies as you both moan, the insertion tight as he stretches you open in the early morning light, his morning wood always so sensitive especially with your recent bout of abstinence. On the first thrust his fingers intertwine with yours, and this is the most intimate moment you’ve had with him in a long while. It feels like ages have passed since you’ve indulged each other in slow sex and you are starting to realize just how much you’ve craved it. “I missed you.” You mumble against his lips, barely wanting to pull away to look at him.

“I’ve missed you, too.” Jimin smiles, his eyes still closed but hand still caressing your face. He uses it to skim down your figure, hooking under your leg to lift it over his own and allow him deeper into your cavern, angling himself until you squeeze his hand with a shaky moan.

He honestly thinks he could stay like this forever: wrapped up in your warmth, surrounded by blankets, giving you all the love and pleasure he can provide. Things have been so hectic these last few months, an odd tension growing between you two that he can always feel but can’t quite put his finger on, but in these calm moments before the chaos of the day, he feels completely safe and at ease. Being King is no easy task, this he expected, but this is the only time he gets to shed the expectations, the pretenses, the pressure and just be your lover. Just like at the beginning of your relationship— and how things were 8 months ago, when the Crown was first placed in his hands.

You feel almost like a rag doll in his arms as he snaps his hips into you, allowing him to take you and guide you to bliss. Your hips rock back into him subtly, inner muscles squeezing around his shaft and gripping onto him, begging him to stay buried inside to occupy your lonely walls and empty womb. Pressure builds in your lower abdomen again, accompanied by a flush that takes over your body and warms you uncomfortably under the sheets. Jimin tosses the coverings aside when it gets too much, sweat slicking where your bodies connect. Your nails dig into the flesh of his ass when you reach a hand back to rest on the muscle, groaning at how you can feel every movement whenever his hips surge forward, his strength jolting you with his slow, powerful strokes. His length curves perfectly inside you, touching all your favorite spots and it becomes increasingly apparent that you won’t last long like this. He encourages you with gentle sweet nothings tickled against your ear.

“My lovely wife, always so good to me.” Jimin nuzzles his face in your hair, pulling you impossibly closer as his hand returns to your breast. “Always so soft and wet around my cock, darling. Are you getting close again, my love?” You whimper loudly and nod, not trusting your voice entirely when you’re feeling so breathless. “You sound so sweet moaning for me like that. Shall we let the entire castle know what a splendid morning we’re having together? Let them hear how well your King takes care of you.”

“Jimin~” You croon as he picks up pace, hips slapping against your backside and filling the air alongside your heavy breathing. Removing his bottom hand from yours, he props himself up on his elbow to look down over you, opening his legs wider to gain as much leverage as possible to fuck into you. The speed and power he achieves like this has you crying out into the open air, uncaring of who hears how wrecked you sound. You’re certain that the guards keeping watch at your door are uncomfortable by the display of lust, but who are they to judge when Jimin touches just the right places within you to have your body coming apart at the seams?

“Cum for me, my love,” Your husband’s voice feels distant as your thoughts float away. You are not aware enough to marvel at the sheer strength and endurance of his hips, his pace not faltering even once. Crumpling the sheets beneath you, you turn your face into the pillow as your body starts to quiver, a warm hand gripping onto your hip to keep you in place against the onslaught of pleasure. “There you go, milk me of my seed.”

Just the simple thought he plants in your mind’s eye is enough to send you into heaven, your walls clamping down around him with a scream of bliss, just as he requested. Feeling him so deeply makes your eyes roll, every stroke kissing the entrance of your womb and you pray he gives you every last drop he has. With only a few more pushes of his hips, you feel his body tense behind you and shiver, an overwhelmingly sexy groan breathed right into your ear.

It takes several moments of gentle thrusting before he’s satisfied, your body sufficiently full of his sperm and skin tingling with the aftermath of a beautiful orgasm you happily shared. Jimin kisses his way down from the side of your cheeks and neck to your shoulder and arm, ignoring the thin layer of perspiration that dries quickly in the brisk morning air. Though soft, he remains inside of you as he settles himself back against the mattress and holds your body to his, lifting the sheets to cover you before the chill returns. You feel safe. Completely and utterly safe and comfortable in your lover’s arms as you drift back to sleep.

But the peace is short lived because just as you begin to dream again, you feel Jimin pull out of you and shift away, attempting to be as stealthy as possible as he slips from bed. He winces when you turn to your other side to face him, sleepy eyes watching as he pulls on his underwear again. You are unable to return the sweet smile he offers you, already missing the way his skin felt against yours.

“Will you not stay to cuddle me?” You ask quietly, unable to understand why he must leave so soon. The smile on his face turns sad, eyes flickering to the door as several consecutive knocks sing on the wood.

“I have many duties to fulfill today, my love.”

‘And no time for me...’ You think with a poorly concealed frown, burrowing deeper into the bedspread when he opens the door for your servants, who get to work on preparing him for the day immediately. Deep down you know you likely will not interact with him until nightfall as he scrambles around the castle and kingdom serving his duties, but you try not to feel the distasteful irritation in your chest and send him off with a kiss when he makes his exit. Sometimes, though, you cannot help but think he was more eager to be with you when he was merely a soldier.

Jimin sits at a round table meeting with his advisors to discuss the affairs of the kingdom, in which there is not much to report. This is a mandatory meeting they must have weekly and they rarely last long. Most of the time, the conversations divulge into unrelated, off topic subjects just to pass the time, and Jimin has no problem with this on most days. He has a good relationship with his advisors and there is almost never any need for him to use his status as King during their discussions. Today, however, his fuse is a little short. It may be because of the all too frequent restless nights he has been experiencing, or from the lack of quality time he has spent with you, but he is far more irritable than usual. All he can think about is how disappointed you looked when he left and how much he’d rather be cuddled up back in bed with you instead of sitting in front of this counsel.

“Do not worry, the Queen has already taken care of it.” Someone says, he does not know who said it because he is barely paying attention.

“Pardon my coarseness, Your Highness, but it is my understanding that Her Majesty has not yet conceived.” The man presents this in a questioning manner, but Jimin can hear the underlying condescension.

“You are correct.” He replies in a low voice.

“It has been 9 months since your matrimony. She should bear your heirs with haste.” The room swells with voices as his advisors begin to talk about you, each taking their turn to put in their opinions and criticism. He can hardly believe what he is hearing. They speak as though it is your fault that you are not pregnant, as if you are being defiant by not bearing him children, like it is a choice that you have made consciously. Anger bubbles in his chest, blood boiling as they continue ranting about you right in front of him as though they were not saying terrible things about his wife. He stands abruptly upon hearing someone tell a story about how his wife refused to birth him any more children because he “was acting like one” himself. Jimin interrupts just as the man is about to make a comment about stubborn wives, his voice billowing from his throat like heavy plumes of smoke that quickly engulf the room.

“How dare you speak of my wife— your Queen— in such a disrespectful manner! Do you accuse her of treachery against me? Against this nation? You have the gall to insult her efforts on something she cannot control, to doubt her intentions and loyalty to this kingdom and her own family? I should have you all removed from this castle permanently for suggesting such a thing, what do you have to say about that?!” He looks around the silent room at each of their faces, all of them looking utterly shocked by his outburst. Jimin has never needed to assert his authority over them like this, but they have gone too far today. Though he is the youngest in the room, he is easily the most intimidating when angry, regardless of if he were the King or not. Drawing in a deep breath, he tries to calm himself, running a hand through his hair as he takes his seat once more. “It is my fault anyway, not hers. It is my duty as well.”

It is quiet for a long while, the men around the table hesitate to speak again until one man builds up the courage to break the stillness.

“Do not despair, Your Highness, you are both still young, there is plenty of time to have children.” He reassures, followed by similar comforting phrases from the others. Jimin does not respond as he stares out of the window, a solemn look overtaking his face in place of the relaxed and neutral expression he normally wears. He wonders if you face this criticism regularly wherever you go, if people who are supposed to be your supporters are slowly losing hope in you. You already beat yourself up about not being pregnant, he fears what would happen if those thoughts were validated by others. Something must be done about this immediately.

It is silent for another long pause. “You are all dismissed.” He says with a flick of his hand.

*** *** ***

Your servants follow you around quite stubbornly, attempting (and failing) to be as unnoticeable as possible, but their presence is the only thing you can focus on. If you sigh too heavily they all come scurrying over, asking what was the matter, offering to take care of whatever task you had set out to complete. Yes, it was your mother’s dying wish for you to accept your loyal attendants, and it was your father’s order for them to look after you, but you cannot help but feel that this treatment is a bit excessive. It is almost laughable when you reflect on it: how just a year prior you were known largely for your independence, and now you could hardly find a moment to yourself. The only times you can get away with having minimal supervision is when you go out into town, where you may request only one or two guards or servants to accompany you.

Since becoming the official Queen of this nation, you have taken it upon yourself to care for the nuances of your society, to help individuals and keep a close relationship with the people. Jimin was focused on many of the larger issues that affected groups of citizens, like rebuilding one of the marketplaces that suffered damages in a fire last week, as well as handling international business with neighboring kingdoms. Naturally, everyone took a great liking to him and his policies and the people offered him immense support, but your job as Queen was to support the people. So, every week you go into town and buy a book from a novice writer, read it, then publish an unofficial review for the stories you enjoy. Not only does this boost the writer’s credibility, popularity, and sales, it also allows you to communicate with your people. Your presence in town never goes unnoticed, and often times people give you great recommendations on stories you should interest yourself with. It is the highlight of your week since all you can do is read in the quiet moments within the castle.

It is now early spring, trees budding with sweet smelling blossoms and the beginnings of greenery, displaying their proud potency in brilliant hues that bleach you into the gray of a dead willow. Still, your spirits are beginning to lift the farther you distance yourself from the castle. Walking through town, you breathe in all of the scents around you. Street vendors sell an array of foods that you do not see within the castle often and your mouth waters as you step up to one, picking out a pastry covered in sugar, something that you can easily pull apart with your fingers without the need of utensils. Before you can lift it to your mouth, the guard beside you stops you, plucking a small piece for himself to taste for poison. As a royal, you always thought this job was unnecessary and ridiculous before, but after the catastrophe at your wedding, you now understand it’s significance. That does not stop you from pouting, however, as you are forced to wait at least 5 minutes before the stiff guard allows you to dig into your snack.

You continue through the market, admiring crafts from artisans with masterful handiwork and struggle to keep your hand out of your purse whenever something catches your eye. This market is not the closest to the palace, in fact, it is quite far from it, but you have found that the most valuable work comes from the honest workers that live in smaller homes and lead honest lives, not from the traders and merchants who buy their goods from others and claim them as their own in the wealthy districts. The people who live on the outskirts work harder, and they are the ones you need to support the most.

“This would look beautiful hanging from the palace walls, don’t you think?” You turn toward Lilian as she browses the collection of jewelry that sits beside the tapestry you are holding, her eyes inspecting it briefly.

“I think it would look lovely in one of the sitting rooms.” She grins. Lilian always accompanies you on these types of trips. You value her opinion and reason and sympathize with her lack of outside interaction. Both of you are in the palace at almost all times and you are sure you both would go crazy if not for these couple hours outside those claustrophobic walls.

“I think so, too!” You agree, turning to the guard who continues to survey the area. “What do you think, Kyungsoo?”

He looks at it for a while, then at the others around it, finally bringing his eyes back to yours. “Whatever you desire, Your Majesty. My opinion is insignificant.” His answer causes your face to fall, rolling your eyes at him because he always says that. This is another reason why you bring Lilian along.

Sauntering into your favorite bookstore, you cheerfully greet the clerk and begin browsing for newly released books. Not long after, two women approach you, one of which you recognize to be the bookkeeper’s daughter and a new friend of yours. She always comes to talk to you about the store’s newest additions, and it gives others around her the confidence to speak to you as well. Today she is with a slightly older woman who she introduces as a rising author.

“I believe I have read one of your books before; remind me, which ones have you written?” You prompt, making the woman blush and brighten.

“Snowflower is my most popular work. It is all thanks to your review that I was finally able to get noticed in the writing community!” She beams, sparking conversation with you and Lilian about the book that the two of you enjoyed so much. It must be more than 15 minutes later that you finally decide on what to purchase, you have been listening closely to all that the ladies have to say about each author and the summaries of each story. There were multiple that piqued your interest and you could not decide so you ended up with 3 books in hand as your friend walked you to the register. One of them happens to be a story following the trials and struggles of a mother who becomes pregnant during a war. Of course you hadn’t picked this book for its theme of motherhood. It promised to be a good read— though you had overlooked it many times before today— and you certainly did not choose it because it was the closest thing to a lesson on pregnancy you could get without purchasing the entire series of “Preparing for Parenthood”, perched on a shelf that you found yourself eying the majority of your stay in the store.

Your friend talks mindlessly as she rings you up for your books, inspecting your odd selection. “So tell me, Your Majesty, are you with ch- ow!” The woman beside her pinches her arm just out of your sight, offering up a tight lipped smile when she turns to pout at her. A short flash of realization crosses her face before she returns her attention to you.

“Am I with whom?” You ask, confused.

“Are you with t-the children! Have you- have you come to see the preschoolers perform today?” She covers quickly with a nervous smile. Lilian glares at her when you are facing the other way.

“Oh! I recall hearing that they will be performing a play today, I nearly forgot!” The people around you sigh in relief at your obliviousness, resuming conversation as though nothing had happened. They give you instructions to the school and you rush there, Lilian carrying your books and Kyungsoo leading the way.

When you arrive, there are only parents and family members filling the auditorium, signifying that the play has not yet started. They chat amongst themselves in a rumble of murmurs, but the noise quiets quickly once you are noticed by a teacher that stands near the stage area.

“Her Majesty!” She gasps. “Welcome, welcome!” She practically runs to you, approaching clumsily while Kyungsoo moves to shield you with his body, stopping the woman before she can get too close. You gently move him aside to allow the woman to see and speak directly to you. “I had no idea that the Queen would be visiting today! To what do I owe you the pleasure?”

“I have come to see the children perform. It is imperative of me as Queen to support our kingdom’s youth.” You smile, noticing a weird look that crosses her face for a moment before smoothing out. Lilian has a tight smile spread across her lips just out of your peripheral.

“Of course! Well, you are just in time, the show is about to begin.” She tries to clear the front row of parents for you, but you insist that the parents of the children should get the best seats, settling for the chairs she pulls up for you at the sides of the small theater.

The moment the toddlers waddle onto stage in their costumes, your heart liquifies. They are the cutest things you have ever seen. Some of them look confused, some are pouting, but most of them are excitedly waving at their parents in the crowd, nearly tripping over each other from not looking at what’s happening in front of them. Even more heartwarming is the reactions of the parents, each and every one of them sitting up straighter and beaming with joy at the sight of their offspring, even the parents who had previously looked bored. Your attention is split between what is happening onstage and in the crowd throughout the entire play, watching the silent interactions between child and parent. You could always tell which tot belonged to which parent because of their reactions. Every child had their own lines, and whenever one stepped up to speak, the parents would lean in closer to the stage or straighten up to send a thumbs up to the wide eyes that stare back at them.

At some point, you had begun to imagine what it would be like if your own child were up there. You scan the faces of the toddlers, determining that a shy little girl bears the closest resemblance to your future baby, and you watch her the entire rest of the play. Her finger reaches into her nose several times during the performance, something your toddler would be forced to learn not to do, and she appears to be quite hesitant to say her lines. You and Jimin would act just as her parents are now, waving at her and mouthing words of encouragement when it seems like she will not speak at all, smiling proudly after she executes her parts flawlessly. Jimin would probably hold your hand as you watch her and you would be able to feel the sweat on his palms from how much he would worry for her, whispering to you how he hopes she will not cry because of how shy and quiet she tends to be. And you would whisper back that your baby is talented and will do great because she is very mature for her age, being a Princess and all.

Your eyes do not leave the girl for a minute and you are so caught up in your fantasy that you almost miss when everyone stands to clap at the end of the show. You rise slowly and offer your applause, cheeks hurting from smiling too much, but you cannot ignore the bittersweet feeling in your chest that comes when all of the children disperse and run into the arms of their waiting parents. And you are forced to remember your situation. The teacher begs you to make closing remarks and you take your place on the empty stage to address your people. Unable to focus properly, you barely know what you are saying; you thank the students and teachers for a great show, repeat a total of 4 times how adorable the children were, speak at length about how much you enjoyed everything, and once you notice that you’re rambling, you conclude quickly and move from the spotlight awkwardly. The families don’t seem to notice as they return their attention to gushing over their babies.

Just as you are about to make your exit, someone runs up to you and stops at your feet, her hair barely reaching the bottoms of your knees as she looks up at you. It is the girl you had been watching, and her arms reach up to be held once you make eye contact with her. At the approval of her parents, you lift her light body and rest her on your hip, the position comfortable and natural despite you having held a child only a few times in your life. You congratulate her and she smiles at you, turning to look at her parents as you try not to marvel at how perfectly innocent and sweet her face is.

“Your Majesty,” Her mother greets with a bow. “I was very surprised to see you here today. I had heard that you often come to these parts of town, but I would have never expected you to grace us with your presence on an occasion like this.” She is very polite, noting how the little girl has taken a liking to you already.

“I believe it is important to keep in touch with my people, and what better way is there to connect with you all than to attend a performance of my kingdom’s children?” You grin.

“I heard rumors that lately you had been feeling quite under the weather.” At this you quirk an eyebrow. She continues. “Many had assumed you were pregnant, so word spread that the King would not allow you out of the palace and that is why you had been absent for the past few weeks.” As if Jimin could tell you what to do. Yes, it is true that you had not gone outside of the palace in about 3 weeks, but that was of your own accord.

Jimin’s mother had taken a short vacation to your home upon your request after you detailed to her your troubles with conceiving in a lengthy letter, and she spent those three weeks improving your physical health with things like yoga and kegal exercises, as well as offering you very blunt and personal advice that you were almost too embarrassed to put into practice. Jimin warned you of how she was unafraid to talk about intimate topics, recalling a specific conversation she had with him in his teenage years, but you were still unprepared for the sheer amount of information she gave you during that time. You simply did not have time to go on your weekly shopping trips.

“That is... not the case.” You reply, adjusting the girl on your hip.

“Oh, then you are not pregnant?” The woman seems surprised and Lilian seems almost outraged, cutting in when you open and close your mouth with no other response.

“We have not been to this part of your town yet, are there any places you suggest we visit?” Lilian’s voice sounds through her teeth, swiftly changing the subject. You didn’t think you would have trouble talking about this, but here you stand, blinking away tears at her question. The girl’s mother seems to realize her mistake when she takes in your watery eyes that you try to hide with a fake smile. You let Lilian continue her conversation as you wander away a few steps, pretending to inspect your surroundings as you gather yourself, until a nearby newspaper catches your eye. On the cover are the words “KING’S NEW ORDERS! PROTECT THE QUEEN” and your heart jumps at the suddenness. You bend carefully to turn the page and read the article, a mix of emotions rushing through your body that almost makes you lose grip on the child in your arms when you understand their significance. You quickly return her to her parents, excusing yourself from them on the pretense that you had to be back at the palace for important business, and you instruct Kyungsoo to guide you back to the carriage to head home.

Upon entering your bedroom, Jimin finds a note on the bed in your writing, reading it with curiosity. It leads him to a familiar place and he hurries there with mild concern, mind rushing with thoughts of what your note could have meant.

Curled up in your favorite chair, he finds you reclining with a new book in hand as you look through the window of your Secret Library. Your servants know nothing of this place, you and Jimin have made certain that it’s location remains hidden, so this is the only place you can truly be alone. To his knowledge, you only come here when something is troubling you or when you need to think, and his mind jumps to all of the worst case scenarios of what could have happened.

“My love, you wished to speak with me?” He asks, approaching urgently as according to your urgent letter. But you remain relaxed and unresponsive as you continue to flip through the pages of your novel. He looks down to inspect your choice reading, taking note that it speaks of a woman who, in this current scene, is just learning that she is pregnant. You take your time reading it, only turning to him after the chapter is finished. When you turn to him your eyes are blank and unreadable.

“Why have you placed a censorship on our people, My King?” You ask suddenly, and it takes him aback.

“A c-censorship?” He stutters out.

“Yes, you recently placed a censorship on the people of this kingdom, have you not?” You look him in the eyes and find that he can barely hold eye contact, his entire body tense. It is difficult for him to respond, especially since you were not supposed to know about this, at least not this soon.

“It is not a censorship.” He evades.

“Really? So you have not ordered our people to be silent about anything pertaining to pregnancy and children around me?” He fidgets under your piercing tongue, unsure of how to respond. “That sounds quite close to censorship to me.”

“It is only to protect you, My Queen,” He relents, stepping closer to you as you snap your book closed. “People can be very insensitive and I did not want you to be hurt by their words.”

“Hurt by their words? What words would they have said to me? I am not a child, Jimin, you need not protect me from words!” Your volume rises along with the redness of your face. “Are the people criticizing me in some way? What have they said? What have you heard to make you so wary of words?”

“Their words hurt me, (Y/n).” He says quietly as he lowers himself to his knees and takes hold of your hands when he sees the worry in your eyes. “What I heard hurt me, and I could not bear the thought that you may hear such things too. I did not do this because I think you are not strong enough to endure it, I did it because you do not deserve to hear such negativity.”

“Even so, how dare you make such a rash decision without consulting me.” You remove your hands from his and he does not reach for them again. “You saw me directly after your council meeting last week and mentioned not a word of this to me. If you had asked, I would have told you that none of this is necessary, that I can handle whatever my people have to say about me because I am the Queen!” Your voice cracks annoyingly as you fight back hot tears. “I should be able to answer them when they ask me questions. And maybe I should hear what they say about me. Because they are correct, I am not pregnant and I do not know if I can ever become pregnant and maybe they should be worried. My sensitivity should not warrant their silence.”

“You are not sensitive, my love, you have every right to feel the way that you do.” You ignore him.

“But what troubles me the most is how you so easily excluded me. You acted without my consent and planned to keep this from me indefinitely— you even made sure Lilian was the first to know so that she could keep watch over me today! What happened to our communication, Jimin? We should be able to talk to each other about anything and everything, but instead you felt the need to keep something so important a secret from me. You could have simply talked to me and told me how you feel. It feels as though we have not spoken in days, it is almost like you aren’t trying anymore. It feels like you have given up.”

The fire in your tone dies down until all that is left is pain, and Jimin realizes that it is he who has hurt you the most.

Lilian told him about where you went today and how you acted. She told him of the lost and pained look in your eyes as you watched the children, even though you were smiling. Most importantly, she relayed your exact reaction when that woman asked if you were pregnant. It was just as he had feared. Putting these pieces of information together with the book you had been reading, Jimin knows that this argument is about more than what you’d like him to believe.

“This is no longer about the censorship, is it?” He asks cautiously, guilt leaking onto his features. You appear shocked at first, not having realized your own subliminal shift from the topic, but then your face twists with emotion and you bite your lip and turn your head from him in an effort to hold yourself together. You are tired of crying in front of him.

“You-“ Sniffling, you try to control the shakiness of your voice. “You do not talk to me anymore. I never know how you are feeling these days because you have been avoiding me.”

“I do not try to avoid you, my love.” He frowns, moving his hand to rest on your knee.

“It feels like you are. You do not come to my health examinations anymore, you can never seem to make time for them.” He opens his mouth to speak, but you don’t let him. “I am always forced to go through them alone and I sit there the entire time wishing that you were there to hold me or reassure me, but I’m always alone. And it may be easier for you to hear the bad news from my mouth, but it hurts me more every time I am forced to tell you that I have failed once again. And we haven’t tried in a long while, I am beginning to fear that you no longer want to touch me.” Your eyes convey a deeper pain than your words can communicate, and the earnestness in them when you look at him breaks his heart. He didn’t mean to make you feel this way, it‘s the last thing he would want.

“I still very much want you, My Queen, I always will. I have been hesitant to initiate anything with you as of late because you seemed so disheartened and dejected and I did not want to further upset you with inappropriate timing. I have also been struggling to keep my optimism, forgive me for my misjudgment.”

“That is another problem,” You sigh, knitting your eyebrows. “I have no idea what you are thinking or feeling. You always comfort me and tell me that I can be open with my emotions with you, yet you do not listen to your own advice and tend to lock up around me. It will not lessen my sadness, but to know that you are just as affected by this as I am and that I am not overreacting would give me the tiniest bit of comfort. But when you force yourself to appear unaffected, it feels as though I am the only one who cares.”

“But I am the King,” Jimin starts, conflicted. “I cannot afford to show weakness or lament in our misfortunes. I must be strong for the people.”

“Strength is not the only trait of value!” You hiss, irritated that he has this perception that is so inaccurate. “Emotion does not always entail vulnerability and the people will see that. They adore how much you care about them, how you grieve with them when you learn of their losses, so why would it be inappropriate for you to care about me? Do not forget that you are also my husband. That is what you signed up for on our wedding day; you married me and the kingdom followed. Why is it that I am never your priority?!”

Sadness transforming into boiling rage, you stand and push past him toward the exit. This is your first real argument with him and it seems that everything that has been bothering you for the past few months is now exploding out of your mouth. You did not mean for your words to be so harsh, yet you could not control them and figured that you should let everything out while you had the chance. Much of your frustration is about your own incompetence, but you redirect it toward him because you cannot handle anymore mental self-abuse. A tiny part of you wants him to yell back at you and affirm everything you already thought about the direction of your relationship just so you could be right about something for once. Most of you, however, wants him to run after you, take you into his arms, look you in the eye and dispel all of your worries by pouring out his heart to you.

And that is exactly what he does.

“My love, do not run away.” He says gently, grabbing your hand before you can even make it 3 steps past him. He moves to the front of you, taking your face in his palms so he can stare into your eyes, hoping they can fill in the blanks between his words. “You are always my priority and you always will be. I-“ He sighs, looking away for a second before returning to you. “I do not always make the best choices, and for that I apologize. Being your husband and a King is far different than being a military general, and it is taking longer to adjust than I anticipated. I love you so much, to the point where I am afraid of making mistakes and losing your heart somehow, so I try too hard to be perfect. I take care of your kingdom because it was yours before it was mine and I know how dearly you hold it’s people. I try to be as tough as possible for you because I thought you would expect it of me when you were feeling weak.” His hands fall to your shoulders. “As a General, I learned that the only way to gain respect and love was to work hard and solve all issues, but it appears that I will need a different mindset in this situation. Because it seems I have become too consumed with work and too busy to show my love for you, and I know I will need to change that if I want to be a good father to our children.”

“You do not need to change at all, Jimin. Who you are trying so hard to be is not the same man you were when I met you. Yes, you were strong in front of others, but you never closed yourself to me. I do not want you to change or pretend to be tough, I want you to be you, because that is who I married.” This causes him to think back to how he has behaved in recent months. Maybe he was avoiding your appointments purposely so he wouldn’t have the chance to break down in front of the doctor or Lilian. And maybe he had been ignoring you so he wouldn’t have to face his own pain that you reflected. He’s been treating you unfairly in an effort to play a role that doesn’t exist, and he welcomes the guilt that slaps him in the face at the realization. He hates that he ended up like this even after all that you went through in the aftermath of your wedding. It is like he had forgotten all that he promised you.

“I apologize for everything, My Queen. I will remove the censorship immediately.” His head bows with heaviness. “I do still want a family with you, but maybe we should take a break from trying, just for a little while. Maybe this building friction between us and the stress it caused has been affecting our fertility. Maybe we are trying too hard and should take your advice to just be ourselves. A baby should be made from love, not by expectation. I do not want-“ He thinks about his next sentence carefully. “I want to improve our relationship first, before our attention is shifted to other matters. We are young and have not yet been married a year, my love, we will have plenty of time to conceive. Let me make up for the neglect you have suffered these past months. Let us take it one day at a time.”

He’s right, your relationship has been strained, and it is not only from the fact that you are not pregnant. The discord between you two has taken a toll on your body: you are constantly exhausted, your head pounds with headaches most days, and the loneliness has changed your positive attitude into one of sulking and disdain. It has changed you. So how could you think of bringing a child into this world when you are at this level of dysfunction? Things needed to be resolved first, and here he is, willing to work everything out with you after accepting his faults. You couldn’t possibly reject him.

It’s been nearly a month since your argument, and things have taken a turn for the better. You helped Jimin realize something he didn’t quite understand before: that as King, anything he says goes, so he has been taking frequent days off to spend time with you. He’s taken you on many dates around the kingdom, showing you his favorite places to go when he was a child, exploring different towns you hadn’t gotten a chance to see yet, he even accompanied you on your shopping day to meet some of the friends you’d made. Being able to spend time with him like this reminds you of what it felt like in the beginning of your relationship. The novelty of seeing him and the excitement you’d feel in the pit of your stomach. Except this excitement is now from your curiosity of what activities you’ll do with him that day and not from the thrill of possibly being caught together by servants.

You’ve kept things fairly innocent these past few weeks, focusing on rebuilding your emotional connection instead of being physical. You’d lost a lot of weight during the months you were at odds with Jimin, but you’re happy to say that you’re gaining it back now that you’re paying more attention to your health and happiness and not the crazy diets and detoxes that people recommended to you to help with conception. What’s more, you’ve been keeping busy by accompanying Jimin on his political duties instead of remaining put away in the palace. He didn’t want to involve you in political affairs to keep your stress levels low, but you remind him that you’ve been involved in things like that since you where a young princess, so this is the norm. So now you happily travel with him out of the kingdom to attend meetings with neighboring rulers and assure them of your health.

This is the first trip you’ve taken, and it feels absolutely liberating. Seokjin insisted that you and your husband stay in his family’s vacation home located in the area— one of many acquired throughout his travels as a collector and salesman— and it is arguably nicer than the one offered by the royals of this kingdom. Perhaps not as luxurious (though very close to it) but certainly more private. You’d take any opportunity to escape any hovering servants. Your eyes sparkle as you walk through the doors, taking in the modern furniture, high ceilings, and breathtaking view of the green valley and hills surrounding you. The altitude is quite a bit higher than you’re used to, the kingdom poised along a mountainside and sourcing its water from the river that flows through the valley below.

You blame this altitude for the sick feeling in your stomach and the lightness of your head, trying your hardest to keep your etiquette and not plop face first onto the huge mattress. You sit gingerly on the edge, aided by Jimin, who kept hold of your arm ever since he saw you swaying when you stepped out of the carriage. He fusses over you, letting out a disgruntled grumble when you remind him that you saw the doctor before your departure and she found no troubling conditions within you— not even pregnancy, which you were disappointed to hear, but not surprised. The symptoms come and go and you assure him that all you need is some rest and you’ll be back on your feet, and he leaves you under the watch of Lilian and Kyungsoo (who accompany you everywhere) while he travels to the castle to greet the King and assure him of your safe arrival. You nap while he’s away and awake just in time for dinner, feeling refreshed and symptom free, much to his relief.

Being away from the palace and kingdom is sure to do wonders for your physical and mental health. Just being here with the people you love is a breath of fresh air, and you can’t wipe the smile off your face. Seated at the table accompanied by Jimin, Lilian, and Kyungsoo, you feel this is the closest thing you’ll have to a family dinner for a long while. As your servant, Lilian never eats with you at the same time, let alone at the same table, but you begged her to join you and fill the evening air with casual chatter. Kyungsoo is your favorite guard and you’ve always wanted to get to know him, but he remains relatively quiet throughout the meal and never lets his guard down, taking the farthest seat from his monarchs to silently observe. Typical. With your energy levels still quite low, Jimin and Lilian do their best to raise your spirits by showing off their goofy sides, telling stories and making you laugh almost nonstop. But just seeing them bond so well is enough to make your heart swell. You wonder if Jimin will have this type of relationship with your children, one where they can joke freely and build trust with each other without being hindered by the forced power dynamic. You hope their relationship will be better than the somewhat estranged one you have with your father.

“Are you comfortable, my love?” Jimin asks as you settle in for bed. This mattress seems to be made from the clouds of the heavens, you’ve never felt relaxation like this. You’ll have to purchase one for your own bedroom.

“Yes, My King.” You return, grinning at the way his cheeks lift. He climbs in behind you after blowing out the lanterns, the scent of smoke wafting gently through the room.

“How are you feeling? Better?” He sounds tired and you have no desire to keep him awake with your troubles, so you nod.

“Yes, after my nap and dinner, I feel just fine.” You don’t mention your growing headache because you’re certain a good night’s sleep will resolve it. You’re feeling uncharacteristically tired, exhausted even, and it’s most likely from the long journey here. Hopefully, you’ll wake up refreshed and energized in the morning.

“Alright. Let me know if you need anything tonight.” He whispers, already starting to drift off.

“I won’t trouble you.” You assure him, sinking into slumber.

“Are you sure you are well enough to go out today?” Lilian sifts through your clothing, trying to decide what to dress you in for today’s events, accounting for the warm mid-spring weather. She is alone in the bedroom with you, Jimin having stepped out to give you privacy while getting ready.

“Yes, I am feeling much better.” This isn’t a lie. Although you felt extremely sluggish upon first waking up, you now feel great. Jimin had asked you about a thousand questions before leaving bed this morning and at breakfast, and you dispelled each one of his worries with confidence.

“I am glad to hear that, but please do pay attention to your condition, Your Highness.” She says this as she holds up a pristine gown for your approval, handing it to you when you nod both at her words and fashion choice.

She doesn’t need to vocalize what’s on her mind, you know what she’s thinking, and frankly, you’ve been having the same thoughts. But your doctor was very clear that you are not pregnant when you saw her before the trip. Also, you bleed 2 weeks ago, and though it was short-lived, it was accompanied by cramps and headaches, dutifully reminding you of your empty womb. So you ignore Lilian’s concerns and move about your day like normal, smothering the tiny bud of hope that tries to bloom in your chest.

“Are you excited for today’s meeting?” Moving away from the topic, she smiles at you through the mirror at the way your face lights up, beginning her work on your hair.

“This is the most excited I have felt in a long while! It will be my first diplomatic duty as Queen.” Finally, you feel useful.

“Would you like me to accompany you?” What she means is ‘would you like me to keep an eye on you to make sure you are feeling okay/ nothing bad happens’ but you pretend not to notice.

“No, Lilian, I want you to treat this as a vacation of sorts. You work so hard my humble, loyal friend. Go and explore the towns, have fun while we’re away from the kingdom.”

“I do not want a vacation, I want to make sure you are alright.” She responds quietly, blushing. You hum.

“Respectfully, I do not need to be looked after like a child.” You chuckle. “I can do well on my own. Besides, Jimin and Kyungsoo will be there if anything happens.”

“Then I will take my leave tomorrow after I make sure you are alright today.” She says stubbornly, not meeting your eyes in the mirror. “I cannot relax in good conscience without being assured of your safety.” Nodding, you accept her terms with a smirk.

“Always a pleasure to see you, Queen (Y/n).” King Jackson smiles at you, bowing his head in greeting. You grin widely as you sit across from him and his wife at the large conference table, Jimin placed closely at your side.

“You as well, Jackson.” Last you saw him, he was a prince. In fact, he submitted the first marriage proposal you’d ever received, asking your father for your hand in marriage as soon as he heard you were of age. He is a little less than 4 years older than you, handsome, bubbly personality, likable and charming on all fronts, and you had no qualms with marrying him, but you also had no desire to leave your kingdom to rule another. As King, he would have you move into his castle and be at his service where you would likely not hold any power or say in most matters involving the people, something that deeply displeased you, so you turned him down. Now he has a wife and several small children, as well as the throne and an entire kingdom to lead. And as of your coronation, he is your kingdom’s closest ally.

“No need to be so formal, Queen.” He jokes, immediately setting a relaxed atmosphere. You are meeting to discuss and update the terms of a treaty between your allied nations, one that your fathers had written and agreed upon many years ago, but legally needs to be reviewed thanks to the recent shift in power. Your father is quite close with Jackson’s own, therefore you have a good relationship with the young King from years of getting acquainted during your childhood. Jimin, however, has no such history with the man and seems rather tense around the lighthearted playful. “I was disappointed when you refused by marriage proposal, but it seems that you have chosen a handsome and competent spouse in my place, just as I have.” He grins, winking at his wife, Lena.

“It was never ‘your place’, do not be so big headed,” You roll your eyes but he ignores your quip, eyes trained on Jimin.

“We spoke yesterday evening, but I am intrigued to get to know more of you, King Park. May I call you Jimin?” Jackson barely waits for a reply before continuing. “I must know more of the man whom I am to be allied with, and the man who married the ever-so-independent princess.”

“I must admit, I am curious about you, too. But if my beloved trusts and acknowledges you, then I will do the same.” Reaching under the table, Jimin’s hand finds yours and you smirk, pleased that he won’t let the other King intimidate him.

“Regarding the treaty;” Jackson pulls out a long document, skimming over the lengthy script that you are both irritatingly familiar with. “Will our kingdom’s continue to remain allied during times of war, help financially and provide resources in times of natural disaster, respect the borders set by each nation without the intention of gaining territory, and continue to keep trade borders open?” He reads off the major points of the list, you and Jimin answering with a ‘yes’ to each. “Is there anything else you would like to add?”

“Not that I can think of.” You respond, Jimin saying the same. Feeling satisfied by your responses, Jackson signs his name under the print of your fathers, passing the document to you for your signature. But you slide the paper to your husband, whose name appears in ink now instead of yours. Surprised by this, you can see the unfiltered comment bubbling out from the brazen King’s dome.

“I would not have expected, (Y/n), that you would submit the powers of your status to a man.” It is obvious that he has already assumed that your action means that you no longer hold the highest authority in your own land, but you are both quick to correct him.

“You are mistaken.” Your voices harmonize into one as you say this, Jimin continuing on to explain. “My Queen has not yielded even an inch of power to me. As I am sure you know, she is fully capable of handling affairs such as these, any responsibility she has shifted to me has been due to her own discretion.” Though his tongue is quick, Jimin is sure to keep a light, non-malicious tone so as not to offend your friend. You’d much rather focus on internal public affairs, leaving international and business related issues to your husband. But it seems others have the wrong idea about you.

The man across from you blinks at this, raising his eyebrows, and you know Jimin has just gained a large amount of respect in his eyes. You find it quite flattering to see him so defensive of you and you give an approving squeeze of his hand.

“As expected,” Jackson hums with a grin, receiving the document as Jimin passes it back to him. “Well, it seems that our business here is complete! Shall we have champagne to celebrate this swift agreement?” He doesn’t realize his error until his wife nudges him in the ribs and he looks up to see your faces pulled into wide-eyed frowns. “Ah, yes— my apologies,” He scratches his neck bashfully. “Then, may I interest you in some exercise?” Eyes boring straight into Jimin’s, he asks this as the men share a look.

“Oh, this is so exciting!” Lena beams, nearly bouncing in her seat as you both observe from a bench on the side of the field. Somehow you hadn’t expected this when Jackson offered his proposal. Your husbands are standing in a marked area with protective gear covering their bodies and gleaming swords, preparing for a sparring match in the warm weather. The sun beats down on you as you squint at them, using your hand to shade your eyes before Lilian appears with a parasol to place over your head. “Have you ever seen your husband fight before?” She asks, staring at your side profile.

“Never.” You respond. “This should be interesting.” Admittedly, you tend to shy away from violence, resenting the thought of people battling each other for bloody glory. Though you are in charge of the military, you never ask for too many details, and skillfully avoid any training grounds near the castle. It may be ironic, then, that you married a General who has seen more battles than he’s cared to mention and carries more scars than he’d care to explain. But you must admit that you’re intrigued by the spectacle he’s sure to put on for you, comforted by the fact that this is completely safe.

“Jackson has been training sword for most of his life, but has never seen an actual battle. I wonder how their skills will compare.” Lena states proudly, sipping from the drink one of her servants comes to offer, dismissed when you decline.

“I hear that you were a General, King Park.” Jackson checks the cap at the tip of his sword, nodding to the instructor that stands at his side.

“I’d like to think that I still am one.” Jimin responds as he stretches out his stiff muscles.

“Even after being promoted to Commander in Chief?”

“I’ve done nothing to earn that title but get married.” The man before him hums.

“I assume you are quite skilled with a sword then, have you practiced fencing before?”

“Of course, it is taught as the basics of sword fighting. Though, I would not say I am a master.” Humbly, your husband lowers his head to inspect his blade, shaking his head at Jackson’s outcry.

“Nonsense! Any man who has done battle for his life is surely a master. Though, I do ask that you do not hold back on me here; I certainly will not do the same for you.” A wolfish grin creeps up onto both Kings faces, mirroring each other as they pull down the hoods of their face guards.

“You’ve said nothing of your own skill thus far, I will not make the mistake of underestimating you.” The match starts swiftly after they take position, Jackson lunging forward and barely missing Jimin’s side as he dodges out of the way.

Your mouth falls open as they move, each motion calculated and precise. You know nothing about fencing, but it is clear that they are both highly skilled. You’ve never seen your lover move this way before, so dynamic and captivating as though he were performing a dance. Powerful and graceful in every step taken toward his opponent, wielding his blade as though it were an extension of himself. He is beautiful to watch, your heartbeat speeding up in your chest as you are enraptured by the display. Both King’s are even in size and capability, but you can see the ease of movement Jimin possesses compared to Jackson’s deliberate strokes, almost as if he were teasing him. Lena cheers from beside you, but you can’t make a sound. Seeing him like this— completely in his element and moving so gracefully— has your body heating for another reason unrelated to the unrelenting sun. You’ve married an amazing man.

“You’re quick.”

“That is a great compliment, coming from you,” Jackson grunts, keeping Jimin on the defensive with his bold attacks. “But I can tell you are merely playing with me.”

“Not playing.” Waiting. One thing Jimin is an expert at is waiting. Patience is his strength, in fighting and in his daily life. He was patient when it came to you, taking his time with each step of your relationship until he was entirely sure that you were ready, that you wanted him. He was patient with each of his military promotions, climbing up the ranks with hard work and diligence until he was recognized. And he will continue to be patient with the next stage of his life, trying his best not to lose hope that you will become pregnant one day, so he will deal with the disappointment and trials with you for as long as it takes.

As soon as Jackson falters he takes his shot, attacking with swift consecutive swings until his opponent is pushed far back on his side of the space and leaves an opening, one decisive lunge ending the match. They both pant as Jimin’s sword makes contact with the center of the other King’s chest, the cap pressed into the padding protecting his flesh. There’s silence for a beat before they both drop their guard, retuning to the start position. Jimin turns his head to make sure you were watching, lifting his mask to wink at you and smirking salaciously when you blush.

“Well done.” Jackson nods. “But I won’t let you get the better of me next time!”

“Your husband is a bit intense, no?” You ask Lena as she giggles, humming in agreement.

“And it seems your husband is a bit competitive.” You also nod, the heat drying your mouth as you watch her sip her drink again. She calls over her servant when she catches your stare and they hand you a glass— Kyungsoo swooping in annoyingly to try it first before you can taste the sweet liquid. “He seems very fit and possesses a beautiful physique, I’m astounded that you have the willpower to leave bed with a man like that, especially as newlyweds.”

You choke on your drink mid-swallow, nearly spitting it out because of her words. Jackson has a notoriously dirty mind, it is no surprise to you that his wife shares that quality— she’d have to, in order to tolerate him. She laughs as Lilian takes the drink from you as you wipe your mouth, turning the comment back on her.

“I could say the same to you, Jackson is just as built.”

“Oh, trust that he kept me in bed for months after our wedding date. It is no coincidence that I have this many children now.” Her eyes shift back to the men on the field, seemingly satisfied with the rosiness of your cheeks. Recovering, you address her once more.

“Speaking of, may I meet them?”

“I’ve known (Y/n) for most of my life,” Jackson speaks up during their final round. “Though I submitted a proposal, she’s grown to be like a sister to me over the years.”

“Is that so?” Jimin grunts, their swords clashing loudly.

“I was skeptical of what kind of man she had chosen when word spread of your betrothal. Wondered if you would be able to protect her as she tends to venture out and do things on her own; sometimes-” He jumps back as Jimin closes in. “-befriending the wrong people. I worried when I heard of the catastrophe at your wedding ceremony.” The cap of Jimin’s sword touches to his opponent’s chest once again, ending the sparring match. They both remove their helmets and masks, breathing heavily as they look at each other. “I truly empathize with what you were forced to experience. I could not imagine being in that situation with my wife.” Both men turn to look at you and Lena, their 4 children surrounding you as you hold the youngest in your lap. It is a sight that simultaneously melts and breaks your husband’s heart. “Nonetheless, after meeting you, I am confident that she is in good hands. I like you a lot, Jimin, and though my approval may mean nothing, I think you are an excellent match for her.”

You look up to see them shaking hands, both of them walking over to you with content looks on their faces. The child in your lap looks up as his father approaches, making grabby hands at your friend until he reaches down and lifts him from you. You watch with starry eyes as Jackson props the child up on his hip, kissing over his chubby cheeks and forehead, but then your attention is pulled away when Jimin stops to stand in front of you.

“Did you win?” You ask, already knowing the answer.

“Yes, My Queen,” He bows dutifully, running a hand through his sweaty hair. It should be offensive how sexy he looks right now, standing in the sun with his wet hair, skin shining with hard work and eyes landing lazily on your figure with a lazy smirk. Your heart jumps and you have to look away before your mind slips even further away. “Do I get a victory kiss?” He bends down toward you, puckering his lips, and you push lightly at his chest with a laugh.

“But you’re all sweaty!” Your nose wrinkles at him but your eyes still lock onto his lips, even as you continue to swat at him.

“No kiss for your King?” Jackson quips, turning to his own wife who is already shaking her head in disgust. “Lena~ Don’t I get a reassurance kiss after my defeat?” The same look Jimin has on his face is contagious to the other King, who grins at Lena as she shields her face with another one of their giggling children, peeking out from over her shoulder. Both men approach with puckered lips, causing their Queens to squeal at their playfulness— you even hop up from the bench to avoid him, taunting him as Jimin chases you around the field. It’s rather immature, but you feel no need to pretend here or uphold appearances in front of your hosts. Lilian and Kyungsoo look on fondly, never having seen you so carefree.

“You never minded my sweat before, my love.” Jimin whispers to you when you finally allow him to give you a peck on the lips, his arms wrapped loosely around your waist. You don’t respond, rolling your eyes at him with a barely hidden smile.

“You seem to be getting along nicely with Jackson.” You comment as you rummage through your luggage, searching for one specific item. Jimin replies from behind the partition of the bathroom, bathing away the grime of the day in preparation for the night. You had both sent Lilian away when she offered to help and she took off to explore the nighttime activities of the kingdom, one of Jackson’s male servants offering to be her guide. You’ll be sure to ask her for details in the morning.

“Yes, he is quite an interesting character. He gave me his official approval to marry you, which I suppose I am grateful for.” Hearing the smile in his voice, you giggle, silencing the gasp that leaves your chest when you pull out the delicate lace garments, your heart rate speeding up. You aren’t sure why you feel so anxious about this. It’s not like you to get nervous about being intimate with Jimin, but you’ve never done anything like this before. Maybe it’s because it’s been a while since you last had him, the recent abstinence keeping your body on edge. Or maybe you are worried about what he will say when he sees you. Embarrassment colors your face as you quickly slip on the set, covering yourself with a robe when you are finished.

“He gave you his blessing to marry me?” You chuckle.

Stepping onto the tile of the partitioned washroom, you stand before the full length mirror to inspect yourself before tying it closed. The robe covers you from Jimin’s viewpoint behind you as he finishes washing up, and you try to appear productive as you move to moisturize yourself. When he is finished, your husband approaches from behind, a towel hung low on his waist as he comes to wrap his arms around your midsection. You can feel his sturdy body pressing into you as he pulls you closer, his eyes staring into yours through the glass when he rests his chin on your shoulder.

“His ego hasn’t shrunk an inch since I last saw him.” You sigh, letting your eyes flutter shut as the two of you sway gently together.

“Well, he is a King.” Jimin reasons in a whisper.

“But so are you.” His arms loosen around you when he feels you start to turn, both of your eyes open now as you peer up at him with glittering eyes, gingerly locking your fingers behind his neck. Your heart kicks up as you watch the easy grin on his lips, the absolute and unwavering adoration he holds for you so evident in his gaze. It reminds you of earlier times, his expression the exact same as when he first confessed that he was in love with you and you reciprocated, kissing him so certainly. Now, you kiss him with practiced ease and press ever closer into his warm body. Jimin’s tongue dances with yours, both of you getting lost in the moment until you are forced to pull away for air. “You were amazing today, General Park.”

The use of his former title makes his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. It isn’t like he doesn’t like the name, it is simply that he never expected to hear it come from you again.

“I did not realize that you were so agile and powerful, I was very impressed with what I saw.” One of your fingers trails down his chest, playing in the dip of his v-line before coyly tracing back upwards with each slow word you speak. “That is not to say that I was unaware of your capabilities, you have found great success in protecting me and my kingdom, but watching you was eye opening... and quite arousing.” His breath hitches in a way that gives you more confidence, courage swelling in your chest that helps you ignore the redness of your cheeks.

“Is that so?” Jimin swallows, curiosity lighting his gaze.

You hum in affirmation. “You must work extremely hard to become that skilled, so I thought it appropriate to give you a gift to show my appreciation for all that you do.” Taking a step back, you play with the ribbon of your robe, amused by the sudden change in Jimin’s expression. He watches you like a predator stalking it’s pray, detailing every movement of your nimble fingers with a heaving chest as you move at a snail’s pace to untie your robe. You decide to tease further once the ribbon is finally untied, only revealing the tops of your shoulders from the silk, holding yourself in modesty until it looks like he’s going to go insane before you open the from to reveal yourself.

Jimin feels like he could faint from what he sees when the robe drops. You are decorated in a lacy white lingerie set that is quite transparent, your nipples visible through the designs of the fabric. The bra of the set extends downwards under your cleavage and he feels his hands lifting to rest on your ribs to touch the material, following it delicately until he cups your breasts with his palms. Maybe it is due to the design of this expensive undergarment, but you fill out the bra much more than either of you would have expected, your breasts round and pushing at it in all the right spots. This is the lingerie set that Jin had hidden behind your commissioned painting as part of your wedding gift, and Jimin had completely forgotten that it was in your possession. He chooses not to question how Seokjin knows your body measurements in order to purchase the present. Eyes trailing down, Jimin takes in the equally scandalous panties that adorn your hips, all parts solid white except for the crotch that remains lacy and see-through giving him a view that makes his mouth water.

You look absolutely stunning, and he tells you in as many words as possible.

“Your gift is not yet complete, General.” The look on his face is everything that you had hoped for, and you wish to shock him even further with your next move. Hooking your fingers into the towel at his waist, you unravel it and expose his growing length, sinking down in front of him.

Quickly, he grabs your arm once he realizes what you are doing, preventing you from going lower. You pout up at him. “My Queen, a woman of your status should never kneel on the ground for any man. You must remain dignified.”

“My dignity,” You half scoff at the notion, rising to look him in his beautiful brown eyes. “I have neither dignity nor pride. You have it all, my love; I have given myself to you completely.” You allow yourself to break from your role play just this once, he needs to know that your words are true. If there is anything he should know by now, it is that you hold no reservations toward him. With him, you are equal and you trust him completely. It is not like you have never serviced him before, but he has never seen you on your knees below him due to his own beliefs and you would like to change that tonight. “I want to do this for you.”

This time when you lower yourself, he allows you to drop until your knees rest on the ground. The view he has is undeniably sinful. You can tell how much he enjoys it by how rapidly he hardens in front of your face. But when you look up from your own spot on the floor, you find that your view is equally as jaw dropping. Jimin looks down at you from over his nose, the damp hair on his head sticking to his forehead and dangling over his eyes, shadowing his features into sharp lines. Every inch of his body is chiseled to perfection, displaying the hours of training he has undergone over the years to get to the level of skill you witnessed today, and if it were not for you already kneeling on the marble, your knees would have buckled right from under you. He is like a statue carved by the gods. And he is all yours.

“If a Queen wants her soldiers to keep performing for her she must reward them, and you are the very best, so I will be sure to give you special treatment.” Lightly grasping his member, you take the time to feel how he grows in your grip. Just the feeling of you running your fingers over his plush balls has him almost fully erect, the muscles of his abdominals tensing as you lean forward to slide him into your mouth, caressing the underside of his cock with your tongue without closing your lips just yet. You’ll work him up slowly, you decide, wanting him to savor this rare occasion in hopes that he will allow you to do it again sometime. Your palm smears your saliva around his shaft and starts to steadily pump him up and down, the simple action causing a groan to tear from your lover’s throat.

Jimin does not know where to look in this moment. Should he focus on your hands as the diligently work to pleasure him? Your tongue when it peeks out from your lips to tease at his slit? The dip of your cleavage that lie in his direct line of sight, framed so perfectly by the underwear you don? Or perhaps those smoldering eyes you stare up at him with, those plotting, gorgeous eyes that call to his deepest desires? You look as if you would do anything for him at this moment— you have intentionally put yourself at his feet to show how vulnerable you are willing to be with him, that you trust him to the utmost degree and you would sink this low, literally, to demonstrate that.

“Shit,” Jimin curses, eyes trained on the way your lips wrap around his reddening tip. You sense his hands fidgeting at his sides, so you take them to place on top of your head, nodding encouragingly until he weaves his fingers into your hair. He throbs in your mouth and you fight back a smirk.

Working meticulously, you take the time to circle your tongue around every sensitive place at his cockhead, licking slowly over his frenulum and flicking over his slit as it starts to leak. The flavor is slightly salty and entirely him, and it makes your legs press together from where your knees dig into the polished marble. Your lips and tongue play at his upper half for a while, one of your hands rubbing whimsical patterns along his tensing thigh while the other tends to his aching base, pumping in time with your mouth with a slight twist to your wrist that has his fingers tightening against your scalp.

“Are you enjoying your gift?” You break away to speak, twirling your tongue around the line of saliva that connects you to his tip in the most lewd way possible.

“Yes,” Jimin pants, clearing his throat when his voice comes out raspy. But the sound makes you drip into your designer panties, the flimsy material doing little against your increasing wetness. “How did you become so skilled at this, My Queen? You are such an angel but possess devilish talent with that pretty mouth of yours.”

“I had an excellent teacher.” You wink up at him, hoping he was imaging all the times he guided you when you wished to taste him, becoming more confident as time passed and you no longer feared your gag reflex. You figure now is a good time to demonstrate just how well you absorbed those lessons, you finally sink further down on him until he touches the back of your mouth, collecting your spit to slick him before pushing him deeper and into your throat. Your stomach quivers as you hold back the urge to gag, but he sees none of that because when you look up his head is tossed back in ecstasy and concentration. He must focus so he doesn’t cum so soon.

“Just like that.” Biting into the plush of his bottom lip, Jimin falls into the trance of your movements, bobbing up and down on him with his tip lodged in your throat. The first moan he lets out has a shiver crawling up your spine, deep and loud so it echoes against every surface of the room. Drool slides out of your mouth as you continue to suck him but you pay no mind to it, only focused on the way your lover’s body reacts to you. His chest heaves for breath and you can see perspiration beginning to coat his chest and neck, Adam’s apple bobbing every time he swallows. The hand that was previously occupied with the rest of his length moves to his balls, kneading and massaging the sack gently as more moans pour from his mouth. Your clit throbs the longer you suck on him, his cock now at full length and hardness and feeling so thick and heavy on your jaw that you can’t help but fantasize about feeling it inside you again.

His hips eventually begin to twitch and rock into each of your movements, but you can tell he is restraining himself from bucking into you fully. When his eyes connect with yours again, you nod as best you can, pulling off slightly to take a few deep breaths and kiss along his silky skin. Once you have your breathing back to normal, you poise yourself with your mouth open wide and tongue poking out, the sight of you inviting him into your warmth while dressed so scantly and looking up at him with such confidence making it incredibly difficult for him to keep his composure. Here you are, his Queen, the ruler of an entire kingdom by birth right who possesses such elegance and high esteem, sitting below him and offering your throat for his pleasure. This is something that no one else in the entire world will ever see and he feels something similar to pride swelling in his chest at that fact. He knows what you are silently asking him to do, so he does not keep you waiting a second longer before inserting himself back into your mouth and easing his way in until your nose is nestled in the trimmed hair above his pubic bone.

Curses leave him in a continuous string as he takes time to adjust to the sensation, a lightness filling your head that makes you feel like you are floating through the clouds. And that feeling only increases when he starts to move, pulling his hips back for you to take in air through your nose before thrusting in again. Jimin fucks your mouth slowly at first, warming you up to it before he starts to get a bit rougher and visibly more eager, his lips sucked into his mouth as he glares down at you. In any other context, you would think him angry if he ever peered at anyone this intensely, but now you only feel the pool of arousal that builds in your core and gushes out of you at the intimidating glower. Still, his muscles are rigid with hesitance.

“May I go faster?” He breathes, never pulling out to free your mouth to respond. You moan out an answer as best you can, running your tongue against him in approval until he finally releases his tension and follows the urges of his body. He doesn’t aim deep into you, but his pace is quick, surely bruising your esophagus, yet you cannot bring yourself to be bothered. The sensation is indescribable, his hands cupping the back of your head and the sheer heat of his body almost overrides the lack of oxygen in your lungs— and simply imagining the pleasure he is feeling because of you has electricity shooting down to your core. Jimin has his eyes glued to the sight of his cock disappearing into your mouth, but they quickly shift when your hands find their way to your chest to pull down the bra just enough so your nipples poke out, both hands pushing your breasts together to give him a sight that almost causes him to lose his load right then and there. His hips lose control, stuttering and twitching as his eyes widen comically at the dream-like image of you, and he is forced to pull away after little over a minute of fucking your face. “Fuck-!”

“Is something the matter?” You ask innocently, knees screaming out from your sustained position. The veins in your husband’s hand bulge as he grips himself so tightly his knuckles turn white, his length jumping every time he opens his eyes to look at you. His use of hard profanity is enough to tell you how much you have unraveled him and you revel in the accomplishment.

“Get up here.” He pants, taking your arm in his free hand and helping you to your feet. You hear him click his tongue at the redness of your knees, but don’t have much time to dismiss it before his lips are on yours. Jimin kisses you deeply as if your face is not sloppy with saliva and his precum. He kisses you like it could save lives. And above every filthy thing you have done with him, this kiss is what makes you feel a bashful heat color your cheeks when he pulls you closer.

“Am I to assume I performed well?” You mumble against his lips, eyes crossing slightly to see his smile.

“You were outstanding. So much so that I nearly came down your pretty throat.” Smugly, Jimin unclips your bra, parting from your lips after several minutes of kissing to trace his tongue down your neck until he reaches your chest, forgoing all teasing to wrap his lips around a pert nipple.

“Oh-“ A surprised yelp leaves you and he has to use his strength to keep you from falling over, your legs suddenly feeling like jelly. Your fingers card through his drying hair, tugging at the unbothered man as he has his fun marking and sucking at you. As always, his mouth works miracles, but you have never felt anything like this before. Each swipe of his tongue around your nub has you moaning out his name, when he twists at the other nipple your head falls back in absolute bliss. He’s not doing anything extraordinarily notable, but it is like your body has reached a sensitivity that is completely new to you both. Jimin certainly is enjoying it immensely. His eyes are closed but you can see how they crinkle gleefully at the sides, his cheekbones high almost as if trying to conceal his amusement at your reactions. With puckered lips, he suctions one of your nipples before pulling back to speak.

“I can’t wait,” He grazes his teeth over your other tit before continuing. “-until these fill up with milk for our baby. I’m sure you will look incredible carrying our child inside you— even more amazing than you already look, my love. So round and plump... your cute little womb filled to the brim with my cum and baby.” Your eyes roll when one of his hands slips down your panties to tease at your lips. A growl resonates in his chest at the feel of your wetness. “You like the sound of that, don’t you? What would the people say if they found out that their elegant Queen got soaking wet just from sucking cock and thinking of getting her pussy stuffed full of cum? Hmm? Surely they will know how filthy you are once they see you swollen with my child, walking around the kingdom so shamelessly after getting marked by my seed. They’ll know just how good you’ve been for me, darling.”

“I want them to know I’m yours; I want to be pregnant with your baby so badly!” You sob, hips bucking into his hand as soon as he makes contact with your clit.

He soothes you with soft kisses along your face, ending with a lick to the corner of your mouth as you pant out loud moans for him. “I know, love. The time will come soon enough.”

Once again his lips return to your chest, and the combination of his mouth and fingers has your walls fluttering and clenching around nothing. Even after he removes his hand from your panties to hold you closer to him, you feel the building of an orgasm. Your body is completely taken by his tongue and teeth as they suckle cherry blossoms into your skin. And when his wet fingers travel up to twist at your unattended nipple, you feel your body careening off the edge unexpectedly.

“J-Jimin, I-“ Your sentence is cut short by a long whimper, mind going blank at the pleasure. You are able to feel how your walls snap open and closed, each pulse growing more intense as the high drags on for what seems like an eternity to you. Jimin groans at the sounds you make and he looks on in awe from where he still laves at your breast as you bite down on your lower lip to ground yourself. He doesn’t mind the way you tug at his roots in your bliss. The pain only adds to the throbbing of his cock.

“So sexy,” He murmurs as you regain your senses. You seem embarrassed, unable to meet his eyes, and he questions it.

“I have never-“ Averting your eyes to the ground, you look for words in your scrambled mind.

“You’ve never cum like that before?” For some reason you find it slightly humiliating and you have no idea why. Were you really that sensitive from not having sex with him for a few weeks? Your nipples were never that receptive before. Nodding in agreement, you hide your face until Jimin lifts your chin with his finger. “Do not shy away from me, My Queen. You look gorgeous when you cum.” Before you can process it, his hands are yanking down your ruined panties, drenched all the way through and dripping. Your back connects with the wall next to the mirror as you are pinned against the surface with his weight. His fingers slide over your clit and you jolt, attempting to close your legs, but he is faster and jams his thigh between yours to hold you open. “In fact, you look so good that I want to see you do it again.”

Without warning, he plunges 2 fingers knuckle deep into you, searching with little trouble for that spongey area inside you. You are wet enough to lubricate his fingers until he drips down his hand, the slick part of his palm beginning to rub harshly against your clit when his fingers curl upwards.

“Oh fuck,” You gasp brokenly when he reaches your spot. Feeling you clench, Jimin hums and goes to work massaging the area with the pads of his fingers, pressing his other hand to your lower stomach to increase the pressure. Since the first time you squirted he has been almost obsessed with the sight, working diligently to figure out how to make you do it again. There have been many nights dedicated solely to that cause— nights that you endured with bright red cheeks each time he made fun of your fucked out expression and hoarse voice— it is to the point where he now knows your every weakness and can manipulate your body with mastery. He knows exactly how much pressure you like when his fingers are deep inside you. He knows just the right way to massage that sensitive area to get you to fall apart again even if you feel overstimulated. He knows how to move his entire arm to hit that spot each time without fail, his technique flawless as he moves rapidly inside your clenching heat. Almost like a balloon filling with water, you feel another high building up in your core frighteningly fast and the lewd squelch coming from between your legs soon becomes the loudest noise in the room.

“Let go for me,” Jimin encourages into your skin, burying his face in the crook of your neck and panting hot breaths. It is easy to tell how easily he gets himself worked up when pleasuring you. His hard, wet cock twitches incessantly against your thigh, teasingly close to where you want him, and the feeling alone has you galloping closer to your second release. “You look so beautiful like this, pushed against a wall and taking my fingers. I bet you are just starving for my cock, aren’t you, My Queen? I’ll give it to you right after you cum for me. I want you to show me how badly you want it by soaking my arm with your sweet juices.”

The filthy words he feeds you only add to the hunger you feel for him. One of your legs lifts to wrap around his waist, pulling him closer as the balloon in your core continues to grow. Your heart is in your ears, beating rapidly, and you have no other choice but to listen to him and release your pleasure. With one synchronized prod of his fingers and circle around your clit, you descend into depraved ecstasy and let the balloon pop. You black out slightly, ears ringing and body numb to the world except for everywhere that your husband touches you, but you are aware of the satisfied moan he gives at your obedience. Whispers of delicate praises tickle your chest as he rests his forehead on your collarbone to watch you soil the floors and his lower half with your clear cum. The sound of it splashing and splattering against each nearby surface is quite embarrassing but you can’t bring yourself to think of it when your legs are shaking this hard and your body is tingling with joy.

“Good girl,” You hear Jimin groan, pulling his fingers from you to wrap his arms around your waist so you don’t topple over on your wobbly leg. He figures it may just be easier to keep you up if both of your legs are off the wet floor, so he moves your other leg to wind around his waist before carrying you out of the room and away from the mess to the bed.

Your glazed eyes take him in as he stands above you, a hand running through his disheveled hair as he studies you as well. His face is flushed and sweaty and his chest rises and falls quickly, but you’re sure that is only partly due to the effort he has just put in. There are claw marks on his shoulders and you gasp. You hadn’t realized you were gripping him so tightly, but he doesn’t seem to mind the marks at all, focused entirely on the throbbing member between his legs. Your eyes drop down his toned body to where his hand leisurely strokes up and down his shaft, purposely avoiding the tip to keep himself on the edge. It is almost purple with built up pressure, likely painful by this point, and you will yourself to move your weak limbs to reach out for him, pulling him closer to invite him between your open legs.

He takes his place at your center, one hand pressing into the soft mattress beside your head as he leans over you. You want him to kiss you so badly, but you want him inside you even more. He acquiescences this by sliding into you smoothly before swooping down for your lips.

“Mm~ Jimin!” The thick girth of his shaft stretches you perfectly, ignorant of your ticklish sensitivity as it searches for the deepest spot within you. In no time at all Jimin’s hips are flush with your ass, lips and tongue swallowing your moans into his own mouth.

“(Y/n)-“ He moans in response. Eyes squeezed tight, he forces himself to remain still. “I lose my breath every time I take this dripping pussy of yours. I’ll never get used to it.” Flattered, you hide your face with his by pulling him in for another kiss. The two of you stay like this for a long while, adjusting to each other’s bodies and basking in the intimacy of the moment.

“My love, please move.” You whine when the stillness becomes unbearable, yet you grieve at the loss of his heat when he leans away to pull you closer to the edge of the bed.

The first thrust of his hips already has you squirming. Your slick makes it so easy for him to pump into you that he barely has to put in any effort at all, his hips snapping sharply into you from the beginning. You let your legs fall farther apart at his sides and bite your lip when Jimin’s eyes land between your thighs, staring intently at the place where your bodies connect. You’re sure he can see everything, from the way your lips spread open around his wide member, to the shiny streaks of your arousal that quickly slick the inside of your thighs. It’s like you can feel his gaze caressing you, your body feeling sensitive everywhere he studies. You moan unabashedly at the sensation.

“Do you like it, My Queen? Does this feel good?” He prompts, eager for your praise.

“Y-yes, I-“ It has been so long without his cock inside you that you can’t think clearly. All you can do is shout his name and cling to the bedsheets as he wraps his arms around your thighs and holds them flush against his front. The angle makes you stutter, his tip touching somewhere sensitive that has your thighs squeezing closed. “P-please, harder. Use me.”

“Keep these fucking legs open.” Jimin growls, thrusting more harshly now. You attempt to follow his command and unclench your thighs, but they shake violently as soon as they part and it takes immense focus for you to hold them there. Looking up at your lover, you see the dark look that overtakes his features, dominance radiating off of him as he gets lost in you. You haven’t seen this look on him in a long while, but you’d be lying if you said it wasn’t sexy. He looks like he wants to eat you alive, devour you whole and leave not a morsel of you left until he’s had his fill.

Watching Jimin gain so much pleasure from you takes you to another level of bliss. His fingers dig into your thighs as he pounds his cock within your depths, determined to pull more desperate sounds from your throat, and his teeth bite down on his plush bottom lip in concentration. Sweat now trickles down his brow from the humid heat of the room, undoing the bath he took prior and replacing the soap with the scent of sex that leaks from his pores. This man is undeniably the hottest person you have ever laid eyes on and you can’t help but clench around him at the visuals he’s giving you.

Feeling you clench, Jimin moans, dragging his eyes up your figure until they land on your breasts. They jolt with every harsh thrust he gives you and dance flirtatiously in front of him— he can’t look away. Suddenly, he leans down and snatches up your hands, pinning them above your head with his fingers intertwined with yours, nearly drooling at how delectable you look under him. Your breasts certainly look different, the shape has become rounder and they jiggle slightly more than he can remember, but Jimin doesn’t think much of this as he focuses on delivering hard strokes. You shiver when his tongue licks a stripe up your damp neck, sucking a spot just below your ear before nibbling the lobe. He knows this is a weak spot for you, and just as he expected, your walls tighten around him once more. You push against him, trying to free your hands, but he has them locked sturdily in his grasp, silently forcing you to submit to him. You probably want to wind your fingers in his hair or grip onto his biceps, but he won’t give up an ounce of power at the moment. Not while he is ravaging you like this. So you settle for squeezing his hands and soaking in their warmth, gasping breathlessly as he takes you. You are entirely at his mercy and you absolutely love it.

One of his hands moves down to grip your thigh and push it open, unlocking you from where you have been clenched around his hips. Both of your wrists now held in one hand and still pinned against the sheets. The bed frame creaks noisily as he changes pace, abandoning his hard and fast thrusts for a slow and deep grind that has your eyes rolling to the back of your head. Something feels different about you, about the way you feel around him as the head of his cock licks at your cervix. It’s softer than usual and open for him, almost begging for his sperm, and he thinks this is the perfect time to get you pregnant. He aims to stay deep inside you. Each powerful movement is purposeful, everything down to the slight arch of his back that allows his pubic bone to grind into your clit, and you feel like you’re going crazy.

“Oh fuck, Jimin! I’m close again!” Your voice is strained in your throat and he smirks at the sound. He can feel it, the swell of your walls around him as you near your third high, and he swears it’s tighter than usual. Your muscles begin to tense up and push against him, preparing for your inevitable release. And just because you feel like pushing his buttons today, you allow your thighs to attempt to squeeze closed again.

“What did I say?!” The depth of his voice shocks you briefly and your eyes snap open to look at him. His jaw is tight as his stare bores into you with deadly intensity. “Keep your fucking legs open. Or do I have to hold them for you?” You let out a whimper, not daring to move your hands from their raised position when he drops your wrists to push open your other thigh, leaving you dripping and exposed in front of him. Your skin dimples where his fingertips dig into you— though he is careful not to bruise you— and he seems to hit even deeper like this. “You used to be so well behaved, My Queen. Are you acting out just to get a rise out of me?”

You dodge the question. “Please, Jimin, please make me cum again.” You can hardly hear anything aside from the slap of his balls against your ass and the squelch of his cock pushing through your warm walls.

“You think you deserve to cum? What will you do for it?” A dark chuckle leaves his throat when he sees you genuinely thinking of a response, biting so hard on your lip that he fears it might bleed.

“Anything.” You breathe. You’re unsure of how long you can hold back your orgasm, he feels so good fucking you like this, pushing his whole length into you without mercy.

“Anything, darling?” A lecherous grin plasters itself onto his mouth at your expression. “Hm, are you just saying that because you’re desperate? I can tell it feels good, you’re leaking all over me. Do you like it when I go deep like this?” You nod with a whine, eyelids pressed closed to hold back from cumming. “Open your eyes. Look at how deep I am inside you.” Peeling your eyes open, you peer down at yourself upon his command and see where his own eyes are glued. A small bulge presses against your lower abdomen every time he pushes in, disappearing when he pulls out only to reappear with the next thrust. Neither of you can take your eyes off of the sight, absolutely mesmerized by it.

“Please, I’m so close!” You groan loudly.

“You say you’ll do anything, my love?”

“Yes!”

“Will you be a good girl and let me put my baby in you? Let me cum right here against this fertile womb and get you pregnant with my baby?” The effect of his dirty talk is immediate and you clamp down on him, barely holding back as his hand rests over the bulge in your tummy, adding the tiniest amount of pressure to it.

“I will! Please!” Tears wet your doe eyes as you look up at him, digging your nails into the soft sheets above your head to keep from moving your arms from their position. He notes this with a hum, speeding up his hips in reward for your obedience.

“I know you will. Now cum.” On command, your body lets go of all the pent up pressure in your core, gripping onto his length with unbearable strength. Your walls pulsate with so much force that you nearly push him out, and when he finally pulls out of you, you squirt once again over the ledge of the bed. His hands on your legs do nothing to quell the wild tremors that overtake you and the streams of tears that flow over the apples of your cheeks. You are truly a sight to see, flushed red and glowing with the aftermath of yet another ferocious orgasm. Your sensitivity once again shocks him into silence. He didn’t even need to touch your clit for you to climax.

His stiff member bobs like a flagpole in the wind as he takes you in. It’s so hard that it stands straight up against his abdomen, jumping with its own pulse. When you open your eyes it is the first thing you see, and your body heats up again.

“Can you take any more, my love?” Jimin questions with concern, tracing his hands up your waist soothingly.

“Always. I can always take more of you.” Despite the screaming in your limbs, you sit up abruptly and pull him down to the bed, rolling the two of you over as you lock lips. Jimin seems surprised but not opposed to the shift in power dynamics, sensing that you want to take the reins for now. Your fingers wrap around his base and line him up with your slit, showing not even a moment’s hesitation before dropping down and knocking the wind out of both of you.

“You do not have to-“

“No, Jimin, I want to. I am supposed to be treating you after all, let me make you feel good.”

Fuck, you’re hot. Not only do you look amazing on top of him, but your pussy feels much hotter than usual. And it’s so tight, as if it’s greedy for every inch of him and eager to suck out his release. He won’t last long like this, that is for certain. His hands support you as you shift into a squat above him— and maybe it’s the novelty of the position, but he swears it’s never felt this good before.

“I imagined this so many times, but I never thought I’d actually get to see you riding me like this.” He confesses in a strained breath. You press your palms into his chest to lift yourself up, lowering yourself experimentally before repeating the action with less restraint.

“Am I living up to your expectations?” It could just be the angle, but his cock feels unbelievably deep inside you, and you half expect it to hurt yet you feel no pain. There is not even the slightest bit of discomfort as he nudges at your womb and you attribute this to the three incredible orgasms you have already reached tonight.

“God, yes.” He can’t look away from where you impale yourself on him, your shaky legs spread wide to let him see every second of the erotic display. From the way you grip him every time you lift up, to the strings of your arousal and cum that weave a sticky web between your ass and his pelvis, and even to the way your clit swallows in delight, he almost goes lightheaded as he takes it all in. His throat bobs as he gulps, back arching off the sheets under your warm hands.

“Faster?”

You don’t wait for a response before you start speeding up. He’s close, you can feel it in the way he swells against your walls and see it in the way his neck and chest color that pretty pink color you adore so much. Your limbs are aching for relief and it takes all of your remaining energy to keep up your efforts, but you wouldn’t dream of stopping. No, you are determined to bring Jimin to his end no matter what. The high pitched moans he lets out for your ears only are more than enough motivation to keep going, but you are working for a prize much more valuable that the lovely sounds he makes for you. You want his cum. You want it so badly that it is the only thing you can think of, so despite the pain in your fragile legs as you bounce yourself as hard and fast as you can, you continue for him. You’ve never been afraid to put in a little effort, and this is something you are willing to work for.

“(Y/n), I’m gonna cum!” Jimin’s dialect shines through strongly as he grits his teeth through the pleasure you bombard him with. You know it must feel different for him, the pleasure is always so much more intense when you aren’t the one doing all the work, and this is the first time you’ve pinned him down like this. It’s the first time you’ve dropped yourself down to clamp your knees on either side of him and wrap yourself around his upper body as you pant into his neck, leaving sloppy kisses and coaxing him toward his high with whispered words. Now that the roles are reversed, you can see just how wrecked he is for you— the usually composed king now lies spread in a heap of matted hair, sweaty skin, and bitten lips, completely speechless and grasping onto your thighs in a desperate bid to hold onto his sanity. “Please, I- I-“

“Cum for me, My King,” You are sure your body has just about reached its limit, but you feel no pain or fatigue when you look into your lover’s eyes and find an unraveled man. “I promised I would take your cum and let you get me pregnant. Give it all to me, my love, I want it. Cum inside me, Jimin.”

Bucking his hips, Jimin loses all control and throws his head back in anticipation as he aids your movements with his strong arms. When he feels your lips on his chin, he leans forward and allows you to swallow his groans of pleasure, both of you starved for breath but unwilling to pull away from the kiss. Everything you have done for him tonight— wearing sexy lingerie, getting on your knees to please him, squirting not once but twice— culminates into this one moment and he doesn’t think he can take take it. It’s all too much. With three sharp thrusts from both of you, he climaxes with a shout, lifting you up along with him as his hips rise off the bed.

“Oh fuck!” Maybe you shouldn’t feel this way, but you giggle giddily at the state of rapture he’s in because of you. The veins in his neck pop out of his skin as he dumps spurt after spurt of his semen into you, and you think this is the biggest load he’s ever given you. It takes a long time for him to come down from his high and for a moment you wonder if he will be okay with the way he twitches and shivers as your hips roll to a stop.

He doesn’t seem to mind your weight resting on top of him, nor does he react to the light kisses you press to his drenched skin. He does, however, wrap his arms securely around you when you shift to roll off of him, holding you on top of his body until you both have caught your breath and can open your heavy eyelids enough to look at each other with tired smiles.

“I love you.” You grin, running your digits through his disheveled mop of hair.

“I love you more, My Queen.” He pulls you down for another kiss to silence whatever rebuttal you surely have prepared at the tip of your tongue because he knows what you will say. And the thought makes his heart swell.

It seems like hours pass before both of you can work up the strength to part from each other. You have to be carried to the bathroom because your limbs feel far too weak and Jimin is not yet willing to let you go from his embrace. He is mindful of the puddle that you left on the floor as he carries you to the bath, and both of you sink into the depths together to wash away all your sins. You stay like that until your toes are pruned and the water is slightly cooler than lukewarm, the time flying by as you talk freely about everything you can think of: your hopes for your future family, your day with Jackson and Lena, gossip about Lilian and her whereabouts— she has not yet returned to the lodge even at this late hour and you hope that she is safe, but more importantly, you hope that her night with that handsome male servant ends similarly to yours. She could afford to take tonight and tomorrow off to unwind a bit, you feel a tad guilty that her needs may be neglected in the kingdom as she tends to you nonstop in the castle. Sleep finds you both easily and you cannot drop the smile from your cheeks as you cuddle up with the man you love.

This afternoon would have been perfect if not for the way you were feeling. Sparse clouds float through the sunny blue sky, the mountains surrounding you blossoming with vibrancy, but the beautiful scenery is dulled in your bleary eyesight. The lightheadedness you’d felt upon arrival two days ago has returned, along with a pounding headache that dampens your mood.

Jimin and Jackson walk ahead of their queens, talking casually as though they had been friends for years. The sight makes your heart grow warm and you use it to distract you from your discomfort as you walk along the outside pathways to a different section of the enormous castle. Lena notices the shift in your demeanor fairly quickly, commenting that you look less energized than yesterday.

“Did you not sleep well last night?” She implores, her brow creased with worry.

“I had a very restful sleep last night, but it feels like my body is dragging behind.” You try to keep yourself from rubbing at your face. Royals are not supposed to show weakness and vulnerability in public, and even though you are only surrounded by Kyungsoo and a few of Lena’s servants, you wish to uphold your appearances. “I do not feel sick, however, so I do not think it is caused by illness.”

“Would there be any other reason for you to feel fatigued? We did spend quite a considerable amount of time in the heat yesterday.”

“Well,” The guards and servants lag behind you far enough for them not to hear your conversation, but you still lower your voice in modesty. “Jimin and I were intimate late into the evening...” You figure your late night activities are also the reason for the tenderness you feel in your breasts, your tight undergarments causing slight pain as they bind your chest.

“Ah, I see!” She beams back at you, giggling. “You were not used to such strenuous exercise. I have experience with that— one time Jackson kept me in bed for so long that I nearly fainted from dehydration! Jimin seems like he would have a lot of stamina, be careful with that one.” The wiggle of her eyebrows lifts your spirits a bit. Speaking of such lewd subjects is seen as unladylike, especially for royalty, but you find yourself uncaring of that when you are with Lena. You have never had a woman of your same age and status to converse with before, no one could ever relate or felt comfortable enough to speak freely with you. This closeness you have with her is a novel feeling— and it is likely that Jimin feels the same with Jackson.

“I’ll be sure to be mindful of that.” You smile, staring at the back of his head. Your husband turns to look at you when he feels your eyes as he passively listens to the other King recall a story, sending a wink your way before returning his attention to the man beside him.

“Is there any other possible explanation for your symptoms?” Redirecting your gaze to Lena, you catch how her eyes flicker down to your stomach, a small smile on her lips. As soon as you realize her meaning, you stiffen, legs nearly bringing you to a halt.

“No,” Your eyes fall to the ground. “I... do not think it is pregnancy. Before I departed from home I was examined by my doctor and she-“ You sigh. “I am not pregnant.”

“Hmm. Well, I have been pregnant 4 times and have experienced many symptoms with each of my children. What you described to me sounds familiar. Do not dismiss the idea just yet, (Y/n).”

Before you can even open your mouth to form a reply, you are hit with a wave of dizziness that makes the world spin. Kyungsoo is by your side in an instant, stabilizing you as someone asks if you are alright. You are led to a nearby bench where all of the servants crowd around you, Jimin rushing over when he hears the commotion.

“(Y/n)?! What’s the matter?” The world spins a little less when your eyes are closed, so you do not look up at him, but you can imagine the almost sickly worry covering his lovely face. You know he has been especially traumatized by the events of your wedding and you never want to put him in a situation like that again, but you can’t help the way your body feels. Distantly, you hear Jackson order a servant to get the doctor, footsteps skittering away as he comes to squat down in front of you.

“Are you ill?” Jackson’s voice calms the anxiety you weren’t aware you were feeling. It is frightening not knowing what’s going on with your own body. Lena’s words ring in your mind.

“N-no, it is just the altitude. I just need to rest for a minute.” Your excuse is almost convincing, but no one moves— except for Jimin, who moves closer to you on the bench to support your back. After a few minutes, your head begins to clear, though your vision remains blurry. Eyes silently peer at you from all sides and you can feel them hot on your skin, embarrassment now the prominent emotion you feel. “Please do not worry about me, I am fine, really.”

“Are you certain? We can rest here for a little while longer.” Jimin suggests gently, but for some reason this irritates you.

“I said I’m fine.” You snap, earning an even more concerned look from him. Just then, the doctor approaches, slightly out of breath and sweating. “I don’t need a doctor! I’m feeling better already. Look.” You no longer feel dizzy anymore so you attempt to stand, rising quickly from the seat to come face to face with Jackson as he rises as well. Jimin still has his arm around you, both men watching you closely. “See?” But as soon as you’re stable on your feet, the spinning returns as if on cue and you come toppling forward into Jackson’s arms, everything going black.

“You don’t need to do this, Jackson, I told you I feel okay now.” You grumble as he carries you to the infirmary inside the castle. He took you into his arms without hesitation when you fell, offering to carry you because Jimin was rapidly descending into distress. While you were only out for about 2 minutes before you regained consciousness, everyone had reacted as if you were dying.

Looking at your husband now, you can see how unnerved he has become. Because he is a General who has seen many battles, he has trained himself not to react emotionally in stressful situations— but you can read the look in his eyes as clear as day as he walks alongside you, watching you more closely than what is in front of him.

“That is what you said earlier, and then you fainted immediately afterwards. Do not worry, I don’t mind carrying you. I needed a little exercise today anyway.” Always a jokester, you crack a smile at his comment, rolling your eyes as the doctor leads him into a room to rest you on the bed. The doctor works quickly, taking a blood sample from you and leaving for the lab, having already taken your vitals when you initially passed out. “We’ll be waiting outside.” With that, Jackson takes Lena’s shaky hand and exits the room, leaving you in bed and Jimin hovering over you awkwardly.

“Please sit down, you are making me nervous.” You breathe. He blinks and nods absently, perching himself on the edge of the bed next to you. “Are you okay?”

“I should be asking you that.” He laughs dryly. Jimin bites his lip when you give him a sympathetic gaze and take his hand. Your words from the argument you had nearly a month ago echo in his head. This is a chance for him to open up to you about his emotions and seek your comfort, your expression shows that you are expecting it of him, so he takes a deep breath. There’s no use hiding his emotions from you. “Truth be told, I am a wreck. You fainting brought back some rather unpleasant memories.” He confesses.

“I’m sorry.” You really are apologetic, stressing him out is the last thing you ever wanted to do.

“It is not your fault. I just worry about you so much. I cannot bear to lose you, my love, and I feel so helpless when things like this happen, it feels like I always have to wait for others to come to rescue you.”

“Would you like to become a doctor so you are more prepared, then?” He wasn’t expecting that response and snaps his head up to look at you when you laugh. “You cannot control everything that happens to me, Jimin. It is okay to let others help. All I need is for you to stay by my side, your presence is more than enough.” He nods at this, accepting the kiss you plant on his cheek and squeezing your hands.

Long seconds of silence pass as you wait for the doctor to return. Then, a sudden thought pops into your mind that makes you groan aloud.

“Lilian is going to be pissed at me.” You can’t help but chuckle at the circumstances.

“Why is that?”

“I told her to take off today and enjoy her time here, but she was worried about me so she initially refused. I assured her of my health this morning before we left. I can only imagine to look on her face once she finds out what happened.” You do feel a bit bad, Lilian knows you better than anyone and it is clear that she could tell something was off, but you convinced her that her instincts were wrong and now you find yourself in the infirmary. She will surely put herself down over this incident because of her absence when you most needed her.

“You can worry about her after we confirm that you are okay. For now, let us focus on this.” Just then, the doctor enters the room again, coming to stand at the bottom of the bed as you and Jimin look up at them with expectant eyes. Your heart pounds in your chest. You’ve become so used to hearing bad news from doctors, you are almost conditioned to be nervous and guarded around them.

“(Y/n), I have determined the cause of your sudden collapse.” Jimin squeezes your hand tighter and you can feel the sweat on his fingertips. “It appears that you are pregnant! Congratulations! The blood tests showed high levels of-“

“Pardon?” You interject with a raspy voice. Your brain is having a hard time processing the words and you blink slowly for a few seconds, unaware of Jimin’s shell shocked expression. “I- H-how can this be? My physician tested me right before I left and she said I was not pregnant.”

“Well, it is entirely possible to get false negative results, especially when it is early in the pregnancy. I don’t think it reflects poorly on your physician, these things just happen sometimes and are completely out of our control. But looking at my test results and the symptoms you have been experiencing, I am certain that you are about 6 weeks pregnant.”

“B-but I bled last month.”

“For how many days?”

“One or two...”

“Then that was likely implantation bleeding, which is to be expected. Dizziness and even fainting are also fairly common symptoms, so there is no particular need to worry about today’s incident— though I recommend that you make sure to get adequate rest and nutrition to avoid complications in the future. Once again, congratulations.”

Finally, you drag your gaze over to your husband who has been silent since the doctor appeared, and his eyes are filled to the brim with tears when they connect with yours.

“You- (Y/n), you’re finally pregnant!” He whispers, and the way his voice cracks causes the dam to break within yourself and all of your emotions come flooding out. Before you know it you’re wrapped in his embrace, both of you simultaneously sobbing and laughing into each other’s necks from pure joy and surprise as the doctor excuses themselves from the room. It is like all of the building frustration from the past several months has been crushing you slowly and now that weight has been lifted, allowing you to breathe freely for the first time. Jimin feels similarly. He has been holding back so many of his emotions since you first started trying to get pregnant and that has taken a tremendous toll on his mind and body, but for the first time, he can finally release those emotions and let himself feel the heaviness of it all. He is crying harder than you are, soaking the top of your dress as you cradle his head to you and hold him there. His hands ghost over your waist and lower abdomen so delicately, as if protecting the growing life inside of you.

When you’ve both gotten yourselves together enough to allow Jackson and Lena to visit, they rush in without hesitation.

“Is everything okay?” Lena is by your side first, immediately noticing your red and puffy eyes. You’re a little bit hesitant to tell her because you know she’ll gloat about her “sixth sense”.

“Yes, I’m alright. We just found out that I am pregnant.” The room erupts into noise, the two of them sounding like an entire circus as Jackson nearly jumps on Jimin in a bear hug and Lena squeals excitedly beside you.

“I knew it! You dismissed me so offhandedly and it turns out that I was right! I have a sixth sense for these things, you know; you should trust me more often.” Just as expected.

“And here you were, just telling me how worried you were about not yet yielding an heir to the throne,” Jackson throws a heavy arm over Jimin’s shoulder. “I suppose we should celebrate before you depart in the morning. I will throw a lovely ball tonight in your honor!”

“Oh, I must oversee the preparations then! Get some rest, (Y/n), and congratulations again!” And just like that, the couple is gone, rushing back out of the room and leaving you and your husband giggling.

“I am sorry, Lilian.” You apologize for what feels like the thousandth time. She continues to pout as she helps load your belongings into the carriage, barely sparing you a glance.

“I knew I should have stayed; I had a feeling something would happen.” She turns to scowl, not necessarily at you but it is in your direction. “I cannot believe I missed such a huge announcement as well! Both Jackson and Lena found out before me, this is so unfair.”

“You sound like a child,” You snicker, taking Kyungsoo’s hand as he helps you into the carriage behind Jimin.

“Yes, well I think I am allowed to throw a tantrum just this once.” You catch Kyungsoo crack a grin at her, the first time you’ve seen any emotion from him, and it brings a smile to your own face.

“If it makes you feel any better, Kyungsoo found out after Jackson and Lena, too.” Jimin comments, taking your hand and pulling you into his side.

“It does not make me feel better because he still found out before me!”

The sun is still low in the sky but slowly rises as you depart from the kingdom. Once you return to the castle, there are many duties that you must take care of, and many traditional processes you will have to go through now that you are pregnant— you are carrying a possible future heir to the throne after all. But you have never been happier. For now it still feels surreal, even though you have waited nearly a year for this moment, but as soon as the people of your kingdom come to greet you and celebrate the news of your conception, the reality of the situation will hit and you are sure you will be overwhelmed with new challenges. Pregnancy is not an easy thing, but at least you will have Jimin with you to help you through it all, just as he has always done. You rest your head on his shoulder with a mischievous grin.

“So Lilian, how was your date the other night? You seemed rather cozy with that young man at the ball yesterday evening.”

“It was not a date!”

#tyfys #jimin smut #ksmutclub #btscreatorscorner #clubjimin #ficswithluv #Jimin angst #jimin fluff #bts royal au #purplearmynet

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detectivecarlosreyes · 3 years

Text

A delicate touch

Ao3 | 3k | Rated: Teen | Hurt Carlos / Tarlos

Summary: Carlos gets injured at work and ends up at the hospital before being sent home, TK comes home to find him in need of some TLC and does what we know he would do and takes care of him

Tropetember Day 3: Hurt/Comfort / Sickfic / Whump

Of all the ways Carlos expected his day to go, he wasn’t expecting this.

Though, how could one expect to be chasing down a perp on foot in the late hours of the afternoon to an abandoned building where they could be hiding anywhere. He radioed his position for backup and his partner was already circling her way around to the other exit.

Carlos couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease over the situation as he stepped inside the threshold to assess its interior. There were sheets of opaque construction plastic hanging from the ceiling. Portions of the wall, incomplete in its framework, still in need of drywall. From where he was standing, Carlos could only assume that through the door ahead of him, he would expect to see much of the same throughout.

Maybe he and Mitchell should have stuck together.

At least then he would have the backup for what was about to happen.

The man they were after came charging out from behind the plastic sheets in a side-on assault from the doorway where Carlos was standing. He didn’t have the time to react before a swinging hand connected with the side of his face, hard enough that Carlos knew it would instantly bruise.

It didn’t help to know that the man in question was a known bodybuilding steroid user and had the muscles to boot. Carlos couldn’t even get his gun around before a hand grabbed on the front of his uniform and he was literally lifted off his feet and thrown several feet into a stack of metal beams that were hidden behind more sheets of plastic. The impact causing his breath to escape him all at once.

He lay there in a stunned stupor for a moment as he regained his breath, pain blossoming along the left side of his ribs and back. With a groan he rolled from his back off the beams onto his hands and knees, eyes following the retreating silhouette of the perp exiting through the door and steeled himself to get back on his feet and give chase.

He was prepared to ignore the lancing pain each breath sent to his ribs and winced with each step it took just to get back to the doorway. He breathed out a shallow sigh of relief upon seeing the flashing lights of the requested backup had already arrived and were taking the perp into custody, thankful he wouldn’t have to send himself on that painful mission. Watching them struggling with four officers to get him in the back of one of the patrol vehicles, provided Carlos with some modicum of relief from his innate sense of embarrassment from being overpowered so easily.

With an arm wrapped around his side, he radioed for Mitchell with an update and moved towards the corporal who had taken charge of the perpetrator’s apprehension. When she caught sight of him, she moved to meet him, eyebrows raised in thinly veiled concern at his appearance.

“You’re looking worse for wear Reyes. What happened?”

“I stepped inside one of the entry points to assess where he could have gone and he charged me, ma’am,” he said, gesturing to his blooming cheek, where he felt the drying crust of blood which he hadn’t noticed before, “knocked me, before throwing me into a bunch of metal beams.”

“I am not surprised he managed to do that, considering how much manpower it took to get him under control,” She gave him an appraising look, “report to your CO, let them know what happened, then I’d strongly suggest getting yourself checked out at the hospital. I’d imagine your CO would say the same.”

“Yes ma’am.” He responded with a grimace and turned to leave, seeking out Mitchell who was waiting back at their patrol car and did as the corporal ordered. He wound up at the Emergency Department with his partner in tow, following the same recommendation reiterated by his CO.

By the time he finally got home it was dark. All he wanted to do was wash away the day and fall into bed with an icepack attached to his side. However, thinking about doing those things and actually doing them did not factor in how much torso movement was required.

It was easy enough to get out of his button-down uniform shirt at the station and had assistance to get out of his APD undershirt when being examined but now that he was home, the muscles surrounding the offending ribs had seized up and were spasming with every movement. All he could do was stand in the bathroom half out of his shirt while continuing to remain clothed from the waist down, looking mournfully at the already dark bruises in the mirror that made it near impossible to bend over without pain.

So preoccupied with the task before him, he didn’t hear TK arriving home.

* * *

TK entered their home in the late hours of the night, firehouse duffle bag on his shoulder and exhausted from a long and busy 24-hour shift. He knew that from the calendar of their work schedules hanging by the kitchen that Carlos’ own shift would have ended not long before his own, meaning that his boyfriend should already be home, likely already passed out from his own long shift.

With a yawn he dropped the bag by the door, noting with a furrowed brow that the entryway was bathed in darkness, an unusual occurrence for the two of them. It had become a regular habit for them that whoever got home first would leave a light on in welcome, especially if they knew the other would be arriving home in the dark hours of the night.

knowing the man was home after seeing his car in the driveway and keys in their customary place by the door, he called quietly, “Carlos? You still up?” not wanting to wake the man if he was indeed asleep,

He padded through the house, noting that there were no lingering smells of reheated pre-made dinners prepared for such an occasion as nights like these. Toeing off his shoes by the stairs, TK felt the cool temperatures of the wood seeping up through his socked feet as he made his way upstairs to the bedroom.

It’s not until he’s partway up the stairs could he see light filtering from the partially closed bathroom, indicating that Carlos was not yet in bed. Just as he stepped on the landing TK heard the quiet hiss of pain from the man he was looking for.

Concerned and curious at the same time, he peered through the crack in the doorway to see Carlos’ reflection. His eyes were immediately drawn to a deep purple bruise decorating his cheek that had stretched to shadow around his eye as well. He couldn’t contain the small gasp at seeing Carlos hurt and pushed the door wide open, startling his boyfriend and causing him to turn towards him with a pained wince, catching a hand on the basin with a white-knuckled grip.

TK pushed past the door, stepped into the bathroom, and sucked in a breath as he saw what he couldn’t before. The mottled bruising wrapping around Carlos’ side to the back of his ribcage which he could now see in the mirror’s reflection.

“What happened to you?” He asked, ghosting his fingers over the blossomed bruises as his eyes catalogued the small cuts and grazes adorning Carlos’ shoulder and forearm.

Carlos shrugged in the barest of movements with a bite of his lower lip. “Got thrown into a stack of metal beams by a guy I was chasing down today. Bruised some ribs.”

TK could tell that Carlos was brushing over the details, but what he said was enough and the main takeaway TK got from it was that his boyfriend got hurt and was in a decent amount of pain just from the small movement of twisting his body. It was then that he took in Carlos’ appearance, taking note of the shoes still on his feet and the half-worn t-shirt.

Slightly bemused, he bit back a smirk, “You can’t get undressed, can you?”

Carlos just gave him a pained expression as he huffed out a short breath sounding defeated, “No, it hurts and spasms every time I try to move.”

“Come here,” TK said softly turned Carlos enough so that he could easily manoeuvre around him. From here he helped to finish the undressing process, making quick work of removing the shirt, shoes, and pants, minimising the pain dramatically compared to Carlos’ attempts by himself.

TK stood up when he was done, eyes lingering on the bruise to his boyfriend’s face, “Shower?”

“Yeah,” Carlos breathed out shallowly.

TK moved past him towards the door, “I’ll leave you to it,” he paused by the door, half turning, “unless you want some help washing.”

Carlos waved him off, “I think I can handle it.”

“Alright then, I’ll have ice packs and bruise cream for you when you’re done,” he said over his shoulder as he stepped out, eyes already scanning blindly as he tried to remember the last time they had used the bruise cream, and where they would have put it last.

It didn’t take him long to mentally replay the cream’s last use and found it in his bedside table drawer. Triumphant, he put it on the bed along with Carlos’ pyjama pants. Having already showered at the end of his shift, TK got dressed in his own pyjamas before heading back downstairs to retrieve two icepacks from the freezer and two clean dish towels to wrap each of them.

By the time he was back upstairs Carlos was already out of the shower, attempting to dry himself with minimal bending or twisting. TK smirked slightly, rolling his eyes as he picked up the pyjama pants and rejoined his partner, seizing the towel from his hand. He quickly finished drying the spots that Carlos was reluctant to reach before grabbing the pants and wordlessly crouched down, offering each leg hole for Carlos to step into.

“Thanks,” Carlos murmured when he stood up and moved back to stand beside the bed. TK responded with an acknowledging hum as he picked up an icepack offering it with an outstretched hand and a soft smile, “Come on, I found the bruise cream.”

He watched as Carlos stepped towards him, accepting the icepack, and sat on the edge of the bed as he brought the icepack to his cheek with a wince. TK folded his legs underneath him as he sat behind Carlos and untwisted the cap of the tube. He rubbed it between the fingertips of his hands in an attempt of warming the viscous cream and started lightly applying it to the dark purple bruises adorning Carlos’ back and side.

Carlos stiffened slightly at the touch and his breath hitched in obvious pain, “Sorry,” TK murmured and lightened his touch as he smeared the cream over the mottled skin and gently rubbed it in.

There was a sense of quiet intimacy between them as he worked. It wasn’t often that their roles were reversed with TK being the one to take care of Carlos, having been on the receiving end of numerous injures since they’ve been together. In a way, it was nice to finally be able to return the favour.

He could feel Carlos taking quiet measured breaths beneath his fingers, definitely not taking full breaths as he should. TK hummed, “Babe did you go to see a doctor?”

“Yeah,” Carlos breathed out in a strained exhale and shifted uncomfortably.

“And did they say anything about how you should be breathing?” TK probed as he finished up his ministrations to Carlos’ left side, already knowing what the answer should be.

“They did.”

TK scootched up close behind Carlos and wrapped his arms loose and low across his waist, pressing his cheek to the side of Carlos’ neck, “And are you doing what they said to do?” he asked warmly.

“I suppose not,” Carlos admitted in defeat, clearly aware of what TK was alluding to.

“They prescribe any meds?”

“They said to take some Advil if I needed it and they gave me a prescription for some stronger stuff if it doesn’t help.”

“Trust me, I know you want to tough it out but you’re better off taking them so you can breathe properly, I don’t want to see you get pneumonia.” He pressed a kiss into Carlos’ neck and moved off the bed.

“You know?” Carlos asked, concern colouring his voice as he turned his head to look around at him.

TK shrugged nonchalantly, “I may have fallen through an unstable floor once back in my second year on the job, got some nasty rib bruises like you have. It sucked.”

“Oh gee, thanks for making me feel better about it.”

“You’re welcome.” TK leaned in and pecked Carlos on his uninjured cheek, and then picked up the other ice pack from behind him, gently pressing it to the worst point on his ribs, “Hold that, I’ll get the Advil.”

Carlos replaced his hand holding the icepack in place and called quietly to him, “Should be somewhere behind the mirror,” as he walked back towards the bathroom where they kept the medicines. Finding it where Carlos had said, he returned with the box and picked up a water bottle left on the dresser before taking up his place back in front of Carlos.

Carlos abandoned the icepack he had been holding to the right side of his face in favour of holding out his hand to which TK distributed two pills from the blister pack. He popped them in his mouth and took the bottle to wash them down, scrunching his nose as he swallowed.

TK looked at him questioningly as he picked up the bruise cream again and Carlos answered with a simple, “stale water.”

He let out a huffed laugh and shook his head at his boyfriend’s dramatics as he started dabbing away at the now icy skin around Carlos’ eye, making quick work of rubbing the cream into his skin before gently caressing his cheek below the contusion when he was done, “There, how’s that?”

Carlos gave him a soft smile, “I already feel better.”

TK stepped in closer between Carlos’ legs, bracketing his arms around his head and kneaded his fingertips in the back of Carlos’ head as he tilted his face up, giving him a kiss on the forehead, “Much as I would like to believe you, I can’t imagine that the ibuprofen has kicked in just yet.”

“Well, maybe it’s because of your excellent caretaking skills.” Regardless of his words, Carlos couldn’t completely hide the pain and discomfort from TK. It was plain to see in his eyes.

“Mhm hmm, I’ll take your word for it,” TK said, humouring him as he continued to lazily scrub his fingers against his scalp, “In any case, we should get some sleep. It’s late and we’ve both had long days.”

He stepped back, leaving Carlos to sit on the end of the bed as he turned on one of the bedside lamps and turned off the bedroom and bathroom lights, and flipped back the covers of the bed. With an assessing gaze, he turned back to his partner, noting which side the bruising was on. “How do you want to sleep?”

Carlos cleared his throat slightly and immediately winced at the action, “Definitely on my side.”

“Thought so. With me in front or behind you?”

Carlos stood up with a grimace, “You in front of me, I think, I don’t think I could handle anything touching my back right now.”

TK nodded understanding what he meant, “In that case, you sleep on my side of the bed.” He offered.

Carlos gave him a tired smile before his gaze slid down to the abandoned ice pack and made a move to pick it up, forehead creasing as he bent over, grunting slightly at the action. He collected the ice pack and cream from the bed and straightened back up, removing the second icepack from his side, and returned it to TK with the other items, an unspoken request for him to put the icepacks back in the freezer downstairs.

“You didn’t want to keep them for tonight? We’ve got a couple more in the freezer to rotate through.”

Carlos shook his head, “Nah, I think I should be right. Think the Advil is starting to kick in.”

“That’s good.” TK shook the packs slightly, “I’ll be right back.”

He returned from the kitchen to find Carlos gingerly easing himself beneath the covers on his side of the bed. He slotted himself in on the other side on his back, allowing Carlos to properly turn onto his side and nestle against him. His top side was slightly leant forward pinning TK’s arm against his side, and a firm arm snaked across his waist, hand tucked under TK as far as it could go like an anchor to keep himself from falling backwards in the middle of the night.

TK craned his neck slightly to look down at Carlos who had his head angled just so on his shoulder that his cheek wasn’t touching anything but air. “Comfy?”

“As much as I can be,” mumbled Carlos, voice already heavy with sleep.

TK reached over to the lamp switch and turned it off, sending the room into darkness. He placed his hand over Carlos’ arm and turned his head against his pillow until his cheek was resting against the top of Carlos’ head. Feeling the steady and fuller rise and fall of Carlos’ chest against his arm.

They managed to stay like that all night, both somehow falling into a deep and heavy sleep. The following next few days had a repeated similarity with TK doing what he could to assist and accommodate Carlos limited movement. Their nights ended the same as the first unless TK happened to still be on shift, then he was replaced by a pillow, in the same position until Carlos could move more freely as the tender muscles around his ribs healed.

Carlos couldn’t remember the last time someone looked after him that wasn’t his parents, it was nice, and he appreciated TK’s diligence even if he went a little over the top with his caretaking. He supposed that’s what you get when your boyfriend is a paramedic who knows what it’s like from his own misfortune. And that’s something that he will always love.

#tropetember #jess writes #my fic #tarlos fic #911 lone star #911 lone star fic #userkourt #userkimmy #userpauline #tuserpaige #userjillian #eddiesdiaz #userjilly #usernelly #userKatieJayne #tusernikki #tuserkaz #useraninha #aliceschuyler

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readyplayerhobi · 5 years

Text

A Court of Moonlight | 01

; Werewolf!Yoongi x Witch!Reader

; Genre: Fantasy, fluff, future angst, future smut

; Word Count: 14.7k

; Synopsis: As Prince Hoseok’s personal attendant, you travel with him on a diplomatic visit to Lunatis, home of the werewolves. There, you meet the enigmatic and intrguing werewolf prince, Min Yoongi, and discover more than you expected as a mere attendant.

; Spin-off from A Court of Curses

; A/N: So...this is only part one but as you can see, it’s already almost 15k so I thought it better to split in two! I’ve been working on this for a while; I hope it’s okay and you enjoy! Please, please reblog if you enjoyed so that other people can see it alongside liking it and I would love you forever if you leave me a comment or ask giving me feedback or your thoughts! :3 it helps encourage me on!

Folding the silk shirt in your hands carefully, you placed it down alongside the other articles of clothing that take up the large, ornate leather luggage case before running your fingers along the incredibly soft material gently. Turning your attention to the next shirt that has been passed to you by Soyeon, you give her a soft smile as she smiles in turn at you.

“Are you excited? I’ve never travelled beyond Hekatalia before.” She asks, her face sweet while her pretty eyes are wide and round with excitement for you. Soyeon is the Queen’s personal attendant, working almost solely to accommodate the Queen of Hekatalia’s wishes and demands.

Due to her busy life of ruling the kingdom, the Queen of the Witches was unable to travel to foreign kingdom’s herself. For the first 100 years of her rule, she had emissaries sent to her or hosted visiting royals and leaders while Hekatalia sent out its own emissaries to foreign nations.

But the last ten years had seen her husband take on a larger role in Hekatalian Court. Prince Hoseok, the Crown Prince of Sanguinus and Prince Consort of Hekatalia, had slowly begun to undertake diplomatic journeys to neighbouring kingdoms to provide a personal touch from the royal family that had been simply impossible beforehand.

The Queen’s entire family had been killed during the Great Demonic War, which had left her physically unable to leave her lands rulerless. Her marriage to Prince Hoseok had been forced upon her by the Faerie and werewolf kingdoms which had combined the vampires and the witches for the first time in history.

But it wasn’t a typical marriage; the marriage bonds also resulted in a curse being laid upon them both. Immortality was granted to them, but they had been forced to spend six months of the year in one another’s company and the remaining six months apart.

Any attempts to stay away or see each other during the respective time periods resulted in great pain for them both. Their kingdoms had to remain invested in the curse as well, as if the curse was ignored then the pain would spread out to the people of their kingdom, slowly killing until there was nothing left.

As such, both kingdoms had grudgingly accepted the marriage and curse itself.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the first one hundred years of their marriage had been cold and glacial to onlookers. Centuries upon centuries of hatred, anger and bloodshed did not merely vanish overnight. Or so everyone thought.

Ten years ago however, Prince Hoseok had returned only three months after he had left. It should have been impossible, and they should have been screaming in agony at the pain of being near each other. And yet the Queen had ran to him, hands trailing over his face gently before they had sealed their reunion with a deep and passionate kiss.

While those closest to the Queen had been aware of the kindled love between the star-crossed lovers, the rest of the kingdom’s had been shocked to find out that the cursed couple had fallen in love decades before.

Despite this, the vampires were still not trusted by the majority of the witch population of Hekatalia, but Prince Hoseok had become slowly beloved by the population. His obvious adoration of the Queen likely had something to do with that, alongside the much heralded arrival of Princess Soo-Ah nine months ago.

For one hundred and five years, Prince Hoseok had not been assigned a personal attendant when he resided in the palace and simply had various servants serve him temporarily. As far as you understood it, Soyeon had acted as an informal personal attendant for him sometimes while she served the Queen as well. But Soyeon’s marriage to the Keeper of Words, Park Jimin, had meant Prince Hoseok had required a legitimate attendant.

Which is where you came in.

For five years now, you have acted as Prince Hoseok’s personal attendant in Hekatalia. You have dressed him, cleaned his room and his clothes, attended to his every whim and ensured that he has been happy in the palace. The appointment had been nerve wracking to you, still afraid of being around a vampire but you’d been pleased to find Prince Hoseok was a kind and sweet master.

This would be the first time that you were to travel with him outside of Hekatalia to accompany him on his diplomatic travels though. His normal attendant who accompanied him on such journey’s unable to due to illness. And it was to the strange wildlands of the Lunatus Pack, the ruling werewolf class of the Lupine nation.

“I am excited, but nervous as well. What if I do something that reflects badly on Hekatalia?” You chew at your lip nervously as you finish folding the remaining clothes and pack them away carefully, closing the lid of the luggage case and securing it so that nothing will fall out during the journey there.

Soyeon lets out a light laugh; the sound airy and sugary sweet. You watch her for a moment as she finishes packing a second luggage case that is filled with Prince Hoseok’s formal clothing and locks that case up too. Gesturing to the two guards who stand just inside the doorframe, they immediately whisper a spell that has the cases levitating slowly and following them out of the room.

“I doubt you will do anything that will make Hekatalia look bad. You’re not going to be meeting any of the royalty while there, that’s Prince Hoseok’s job. So unless you plan on destroying his room for him, or doing something illegal then you will be fine. And His Highness will protect you, you know that. He’s got a soft spot for you.” She grins, nudging you lightly in the ribs as you both leave his rooms.

Rolling your eyes, you stick your tongue at her rather childishly. Soyeon was right though, Prince Hoseok was incredibly kind to you and part of you thought it was simply because he appreciated someone being nice to him in turn. He had spent a long time being lonely in the halls of this palace, so just as Soyeon had become a friend to the Queen, you had become a friend to him alongside his close friendships with Soyeon’s husband, Jimin, and the Captain of the Guard, and your cousin, Jeon Jungkook.

“Is the Queen saying goodbye to him?” You ask, reaching the corridor upon which the door to the carriages resided. Soyeon chuckled and shook her head, fingers lifting up to place a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

“She said goodbye to him earlier, unfortunately she has the dignitary from the Sídhe to court today. I believe Prince Hoseok was going to the nursery to say his goodbyes to little Princess Soo-Ah, so you will likely need to go retrieve him.” Face breaking out into a smile, you chuckle in response and bow your head slightly.

You wait to leave until she disappears behind the door, likely to go say goodbye to her own husband who will be accompanying the prince on his journey due to his knowledge of werewolf society and trade agreements.

Turning, you move through the halls of the palace with an experienced ease, the intricate routes written into your brain from years of travelling them. The nursery is a new addition to the palace, an old storage room on the first level being converted into a room that Princess Soo-Ah would use as she grew up.

Her days were spent here, in the company of nursemaids and assistants while her parents attended to their day-to-day jobs. They both came and spent as much of their free time as they could with her, and Princess Soo-Ah slept in their bedroom at night.

The Queen and Prince Consort both maintained their own rooms, though it was well known that they both slept in one bed. Princess Soo-Ah, by their command, was to spend her nights with her parents. Even if it meant they lost precious sleep.

Due to his lesser schedule, it was usually Prince Hoseok who could be found in the nursery with his daughter. His complete and utter adoration for the tiny ball of dual sunshine and thunder was well known to all citizens of Hekatalia by now, and there was nothing that could put a smile on his face quicker than the sight of his tiny daughter.

Which is why you knew he would still be here, cuddling with her and likely reluctant to leave her for three months.

Opening the door, you look around the vast room with an idle eye for a moment. The walls had been painted a soothing pale yellow with an alternating white that had been specifically created to make everything seem cheery and bright. Princess Soo-Ah was deeply beloved by her parents and they wanted her childhood to be as happy as possible.

As such, exquisite handmade wooden toys sat around the room on cabinets and shelving units, simply waiting for the little princess to be old enough to play with them properly. Comfortable, plush armchairs sit beneath the giant window that looked out onto the gardens, a bookcase already filled with famous nursery rhymes and stories from both Sanguinus and Hekatalia.

In the corner of the room is an intricate rocking horse, its skin a gleaming midnight black with a soft mane and tail of silver stars that fell to the floor. The dip in the horse’s face gave away it’s Sanguinati breeding while a delicate, red leather saddle and bridle sat waiting for the princess to ride. It had been a gift from Prince Hoseok’s parents in Sanguinus to celebrate the birth of a child that no-one had thought was possible.

Princess Soo-Ah’s nursemaid sits in a rocking chair in the opposite corner, hands working diligently on a knitting pattern and you recognise the beginnings of a warm and cosy jumper. Unlike her parents, Princess Soo-Ah was always dressed in what looked comfortable and warm. They felt that there was no need for a baby to be dressed to impress and simply wanted her to be happy.

Her crib stands against a wall, the dark and rich wood sourced from a copse of trees that have been soaked in magic from a nearby Source before being carved by master carpenters. All along the elegant wood are tiny engravings symbolic to both the vampires and witches, combining her heritage together.

And in the centre of the room, on a pale white rug, lay perhaps the most important person to the entire kingdom right now. Princess Soo-Ah is tiny, even at nine months old. She had been born two months early, likely due to her dual nature according to the physicians, and there was a worry that she would remain small.

But you had seen how quickly she was growing, and had no concerns about the sweet girl. She was likely going to grow up big and strong, just like her parents.

The man you had come to coax away was laid next to her on his side, his head resting on his arm where it lay underneath him while his other hand lay on Princess Soo-Ah. She was still so small that his hand took up almost her entire stomach, causing you to smile at the sheer love and adoration that radiated from his eyes.

You couldn’t hear him, but you could see the way Prince Hoseok’s lips moved as he whispered to his precious daughter. She gurgled in response, legs kicking happily as her head moved to face him and give him the brightest smile of happiness.

He grinned in response and you heard his soft laugh as his body shook before he shuffled closer to press a sweet kiss to her head before pulling back to watch her some more.

It was quite the dichotomy to watch, the large and astonishingly handsome vampire wearing all black, from his leather boots to his coat, in the middle of a room that was everything soft and mellow. You found it hard to believe vampires were capable of extreme bloodshed and violence while watching the gentle and tender way he handles his daughter.

“Prince Hoseok? We are ready to leave now and are waiting for you. Please can you accompany me to the carriage?” You keep your words low and quiet, noting how he doesn’t even give any indication he was surprised by your arrival.

He wouldn’t be of course; vampires had superior hearing to witches.

Sighing, his lips turn down in an unhappy frown as he moves even closer to her until he’s got his nose in her downy soft hair, inhaling her scent deeply with closed eyes. “Daddy has to leave now princess. I’ll be back before you know it though, so be good for your mummy okay? And...don’t grow too fast while I’m gone. Please. I love you sweet girl, daddy loves you. So much. I’ll miss you.”

He presses a final kiss to her head before getting up, simply kneeling there and watching her for a few moments with a forlorn look upon his face before he stands. Looking at the nursemaid, he bows his head to her. “Please take care of her. And make sure she gets her mid-morning cuddles.”

“Don’t worry, Your Highness, I’ve already cleared out my schedule to make sure she doesn’t miss out.” The voice comes from behind you, causing you to jump with a squeak. Turning, you spot the adorable smile of Jeon Jungkook and scowl at him. Your cousin has always had an annoying ability to jump up on you.

With a final glance to his daughter, Prince Hoseok follows you out of the nursery and to the carriage, slapping a hand onto Jungkook’s shoulder with enough strength to make the younger man wince. “What does that mean?”

“It means...I know you’d worry about her so I’ve made sure that I can give her the cuddles you can’t. She’ll know it’s not you, but it’s her routine now right? And I’m not saying no to some cuddles with my favourite girl.” Jungkook smiles sweetly and you can’t help but shake your head with a smile. He’s always been a giant softie underneath his hard exterior, but you can see how much it means to Prince Hoseok as he struggles for a moment to keep a composed face.

This is the longest he will be apart from his daughter and wife, and despite spending years used to not being able to be near the one he loves, it obviously hasn’t gotten any easier for him.

“Thank you. I appreciate it.” He whispers, nodding at Jungkook before heading out the door. Watching as he leaves, you turn to Jungkook before giving him a quick hug and patting at his chest.

“You are so soft. He really does appreciate it though, I hope you know that.” You grin, opening the door and turning to face him. Jungkook laughs and nods, resting a hand on the pommel of the sword at his hip.

“That’s why I did it.”

The journey to Lunatis, the land of the werewolves, was a long one and it passed through a wide variety of landscapes that changed drastically, including Sanguinus. Prince Hoseok’s own homeland was to the north of Hekatalia and according to all you had heard and read, it was a land that was vast and varied in its geography.

Barren sand dunes ate at the land in the west in vast deserts that shifted constantly before giving way to rocky peaks that soared into the sky in the east. Hills bucked their way in the land inbetween, and it was only as their land reached the Hekatalian border that it calmed and became gentle fields fit for growing crops and other plants.

The magic that enriched the very soil of Hekatalia also calmed the lands you and all your ancestors had been born onto. Forests were a rarity in Sanguinus apparently, but they were fairly common in the witchlands. Magic adored nature, and the careful use of it over the millennia by witches had soothed it into a pleasant presence that explained the absence of any extremes in either weather or landscape.

Lunatis however, was a land that was wild even by the vampire’s and the faeries standards. The people who inhabited it were closer to nature than anyone, even the witches. You lived with your magic in harmony with nature, but the wolves were a part of the very fabric of the land. The link between animals and humanity, joining the two together in an eternal bond.

You’d heard many rumours over the years about the wolf clans that inhabited the mountainous forests of Lunatis; situated to the east of Sanguinus and the north of the Fae lands. Some said their animal natures were a curse from a long dead witch, others said it was nature’s punishment for doing something so evil it had been forgotten in the minds of all.

Even the immortal Fae claimed ignorance of their origins, proving them to be one of the original races of the world you inhabited. The vampires were the newest, created millennia ago by a rogue sect of witches according to the Queen.

Still, you were excited and nervous to travel to the heart of their wildlands. During the long days it had taken to finally cross into the border of Lunatis, moving through Sanguinus at a steady pace, Prince Hoseok and Jimin had informed you of many tales involving the werewolves.

Apparently Prince Hoseok had visited their lands a few times as a dignitary for the Sanguinati court and was more acquainted with the Lunatus Pack than any other. It had been with fascination that you’d listened to his stories of their Great Hunts upon which the howls of hundreds of wolves could be heard echoing through the dense forests.

He always seemed to be half fascinated and half disgusted with them, but Jimin had informed you with a sly grin that it was purely because the two races didn’t get along very well. At their very nature, the vampires had originated from witches and so when they weren’t trying to kill each other the two got on surprisingly well.

Particularly given the positive interactions over the last ten years since the revelation of the Amendment to the curse.

But the vampires were a prim and proper race, a society that thrived on rules and fashion and elegance. It was a rare day to see Prince Hoseok without looking like he could take the starring role in an epic ball, dancing his way through a ballroom with royalty from any nation with a grace and poise that had been drilled into him since childhood.

The wolves apparently, were a little more baser in their instincts. An incredulous look had often appears on Prince Hoseok’s face when he talked about some of their customs. Their love of leather and fur seemed to be a particular sticking point, along with their complete lack of fighting skills.

You had pointed out many times that they could turn into wolves, so what did they need to fight for? To which he’d sneered lightly and pointed out that witches could use magic, so why did your soldiers learn to fight too?

It was a good point, but you’d simply retorted that you thought he sounded a little snobby and prim. That had Jimin chortling for a good five minutes while Prince Hoseok had looked distinctly unimpressed.

He wasn’t stuck up, he’d insisted, he had just learnt how to be proper.

As much as you enjoyed working for him, and he was your Queen’s husband which automatically meant he had your respect, you couldn’t help but tease him constantly about it on the journey in the cramped carriage. Which was why the topic was being repeated once more as you looked out in wonder at the towering forests.

The forests of Hekatalia felt like home, welcoming and warm with a current in the air that whispered of magic that had kept your ancestors going through tough times. Lunatis truly did feel wild and untamed, the magic here almost crackling with energy from the lack of a source and a conduit like your Queen.

Your carriage was moving along a mountain road, bumpy and uneven yet still well used. The vantage of being so high up the mountain meant that you could see ahead for miles, and all you could see was a veritable ocean of rich, sumptuous green as conifer trees spread far into the distance.

They grew untamed along the sides of the great, heaving mountains that had punched their way out of the ground in angry bursts, jagged peaks covered in layers of crystal white snow. Endless blue sky stretched ahead, making everything look so bright and vivid and you found yourself pressing your face closer to the glass window.

“You know Your Highness, I can understand why they wear furs now. It’s quite cold here, so it’s surely just common sense to make sure that you can live comfortably?” The question slips from your mouth as you scan over the top of the wave of the forest, noting the smoke that makes its way lazily to the sky at various points.

Werewolf villages likely, maybe even hamlets given how dense the forest was packed. A ribbon of shame ran through you as a momentary thought of the wolves being too uncivilised to be able to have great cities ran through your head and you shook it carefully.

They lived in an untamed nature, but it did not mean that they themselves were untamed.

You recalled seeing some of the Lunatus Pack a few years ago when they had arrived for a meeting with the Queen. They had looked just as everyone else had, if only their outfits had looked a little more weather worn.

The imposing landscape in front of you made it all the more understandable, and you understand why they retained a part of their wildness. It was likely the only way to survive in such a foreboding land.

Prince Hoseok lets out a quiet murmur, his gaze focused far beyond the mountain range as he rests his chin in his hand. These last few days have been the closest you've seen to him being almost casual, the long hours in the carriage cramped for you all and campsites at night testing all your resolves.

It's obvious that he misses his home though, and most importantly the family in it.

“It's beautiful isn't it?” Jimin muses quietly as he looks out of the window too. You nod in response before sighing.

“It's magnificent. I love Hekatalia but it has nothing on this.” And you truly mean it. You loved your homeland and the way everything seemed peaceful and pleasant, but there was something astonishingly beautiful about Lunatis. As if nature had fought magic for millennia and nature had won.

“You should see Sanguinus if you want natural beauty. Lunatis is beautiful and rugged, but Sanguinus has everything. Mountains, deserts, plains…” Prince Hoseok's voice trails off slowly, almost as if he’s aware of how he sounds, but a glance at Jimin tells you that you both heard the wistful tone to his words and you recognise that he’s not being mean.

He doesn't visit his homeland very often anymore; his duties as a husband and father out weighing those of an heir. You know the vampires are okay with this at the moment, but the future is uncertain.

One day, he will take the throne of Sanguinus. But his wife, the Queen of the Witches, would be unable to rule in that land with him due to the symbiotic relationship between her and the Source of magic in Hekatalia.

Which likely explained why he spent so much time with his family now, because it would be reduced in the future.

Still, you are curious about his homeland. He rarely mentions it, preferring not to stir any potential vampire hatred but the mountains of Lunatis must be somewhat similar to those of his childhood home.

“Do you miss it? Sanguinus? I know you haven't visited in two years,” He doesn't respond for a moment and you bow your head. “My apologies for intruding Your Highness.”

Prince Hoseok waves a hand lazily, his mouth quirking. “It's fine. You both are almost family anyway. And I do. I miss the blazing heat of summer when the winds blow the desert air to us and the freezing cold of the winter when the mountains hold us in their grasp. Hekatalia is wonderful, but it is tamed. There's something delightful about being at the mercy of nature.”

“I feel if a werewolf said that then you'd be snorting and rolling your eyes at them for being savage or something.” Jimin points out dryly, stretching out his legs as best he can in the cramped space.

The Prince let's out a small laugh and nods. “Maybe. I don't really think they're savage though. They respect nature in a way that no one else does and are a very hardy people. We just...don't have a good history. You forget that the wolves have a whole academy devoted to vampire hunting.”

“That's to hunt wayward vampires though. The ones who have gone rogue and won't submit to law.” You watch the conversation with wide eyed fascination.

“Yeah, they do. At the behest of my own kingdom sometimes because they're that good. The perfect trackers. Doesn't stop them from killing innocents too. If you can believe it, the witches are not our bogeyman. Ours howls in the night as a warning.” The small space goes silent then, and Jimin catches your eye with an awkward smile.

Prince Hoseok doesn’t seem to recognise the uncomfortable situation though and that alone tells you that he’s speaking the truth. Only people who have experienced things like that can talk about it with so much carelessness.

None of you speak further for the rest of the day, the night spent in a comfortable inn that had the protection of the guards who had come along with you to protect the Prince. Though as far as you knew, he was military capable himself and could probably deal with whatever came his way.

Although his comments about the vampire hunters made you worry for him that night, fussing over him a little more than normal as you helped him prepare for sleep. To his amusement, you’re sure, because there’s no way Lunatis would murder the Sanguinati Crown Prince and the Hekatalian Prince Consort.

You shuddered at just imagining the destruction your Queen would rain down on this mountainous nation in her grief and anger.

Not that they could actually kill him of course, but this was all just hypothetical obviously.

Needless to say, you’d been a little more anxious throughout the night and the rest of the journey to the home of the Lunatus Pack. Jimin could tell and kept trying to reassure you that all was fine, but it was hard to stop the anxiety that filled you.

The city that the majority of the Lunatus Pack inhabited proved to be an awe-inspiring sight when you finally came upon it, even if it looked almost nothing like the cities you were used to seeing in Hekatalia. Lykos, named for their animal counterpart, was imposing in a way that Hekatalian cities could never be.

Small buildings of timber dotted the outskirts, buried within the expansive forest before they slowly merged into a blend of stone and wood. By the time the carriage had reached what you presumed to be the centre of the city, the buildings were tall and built of solid stone. Further along the road, you noted an impressive looking complex that had been carved into the mountain itself, the solid rock protecting the inhabitants.

Hard to be attacked if your home was literally a mountain.

“That’s Mount Selanus, the largest mountain in Lunatis.” Prince Hoseok noted, peering out of the window to look up at the remarkable peak. Blue-grey stone was dotted with trees along the base before becoming barren rock as it reached into the sky while pure white snow rested atop the crest. It was beautiful.

“It’s impressive. And a good defense, they’ve built their homes into the mountain itself.” Jimin notes idly, causing you to feel pride at the fact you had noticed that too. The prince consort nods slowly, his eyes scanning the surroundings slowly.

“Yes, clever. That mountain is important to them too, I don’t remember the story properly. Something about it being a great wolf god who tried to reach the moon goddess but failed. I believe there’s some kind of pilgrimage every year from all the wolf pack’s who travel here to celebrate it.” He murmurs before shifting back in his seat and running his palms down the front of his jacket.

Your prince consort was no longer wearing his regal attire and had long since swapped it for more temperature appropriate gear. He’d claimed that it was because it was better to fit in with your host, as otherwise it could look like you were trying to be superior to them.

As such, his jacket was tailor made to cope with the colder weather while the outside retained characteristics that portrayed his loyalty to both Sanguinus and Hekatalia. Black with a subtle red accent was his overall colour scheme with silver buttons and fasteners. Prince Hoseok looked suitably regal while still observing the local fashions of the Lunatus.

Finally, the carriage came to a halt for the last time in this trip. You were finally here, the very heart of the werewolf lands and suddenly more nervous than ever. Jimin had coached you extensively on how to act around them, but what if you did something wrong?

The werewolves and the witches had never really had any truly bad blood between them, merely annoyances when the Sanguinati and witch conflicts had spilled into their lands. But still, they were often ruled by an animal instinct in a way that no other magical race was.

After checking over Prince Hoseok quickly, you exited the carriage first with the help of one of the Hekatalian soldiers who had travelled with you. The small retinue was already removing the Prince’s luggage and you eyed it carefully as they were directed by a Lunatus woman to head further into the mountain compound.

Stable boys were already quickly taking the horses from the soldiers who had ridden while others were removing the carriage horses, the tired animals being led away in the direction of the stables where they would be brushed down and cared for during your time here. It made you wonder how they would move the carriages without horses, but you supposed that was an issue for someone who wasn’t you.

The air smelled remarkably fresh here, to say that it was in the middle of a city. A small city yes, it had only taken around fifteen minutes to move from the outskirts to here, but it was a city all the same. In Hekatalia, that would mean the smell of rubbish, sewage, bodies and heat.

Here however, you scented pine and earth alongside the simple smell of the open outdoors. Indescribable, yet instantly recognisable. Perhaps it was due to the close proximity of the mountain and the surrounding forest; even from here you could easily see the towering tops of the striking trees.

The werewolves may live together in civility, but they were never far from the wilderness. You found that fitting, and this small city, strange to you, felt oddly homely to say that you had never been here before. But you liked it all the same.

“Good evening Prince Hoseok. I trust your journey was safe and well?” A low voice rolls out to your side, the owner appearing while you had been busy staring at your new surroundings. Turning, you note the newcomer through steady eyes with interest.

He stands shorter than the Prince, around the same height as Jimin it would seem. And unlike the other two, he doesn’t stand with a regal bearing. Instead, he almost slouches in front of them with his hands in the pockets of his brown leather trousers, thick black boots on his feet kicking the floor lazily and causing plumes of pale dust to fly.

A brown linen shirt covers his chest, laces stringing together a gap along the top but even these are left undone to dangle down. His coat is long, reaching down to his knees and is an intriguing mix of dark brown leather, aged until it almost looks like it could crack with a mere movement, while the inside is lined with thick, warm fur.

He looks slim beneath his large clothes, almost like he could be frail, but you have no doubt that he could likely kill you with the barest amount of effort. Given where you are, this man is most likely a werewolf.

It’s only when he glances over to you that you know your suspicions are confirmed. His hair is an ashy-grey, almost silver before shifting to a colour that looks almost dark blue as the light moves through the soft strands. Wolf grey, you think to yourself. His skin is paler than Prince Hoseok’s, still golden but more along the lines of Jimin’s but it’s his eyes that truly give him away.

For a moment, they are simply dark before they flash a vivid amber for a second as they scan you over. A blink, and they’re back to their original dark shade once more. Yes, a wolf to be sure.

“Prince Yoongi. What an honour to have you meet us here.” Prince Hoseok states airily, giving the slightest bow to the man. Your eyes widen momentarily, scanning over the new prince quickly with a confused look. He does wear what you would presume a prince to wear, nor does he stand like he has had any training.

Sure enough, his eyes roll while a despondent breath leaves him. “You’re impossible. You know we don’t have royalty here. You’re the only prince in Lunatis right now.”

Prince Hoseok chuckles, his hand coming to rest on Yoongi’s shoulder lightly as he nods and walks alongside him. You begin to follow, Jimin stepping into line with you before giving you a light shrug in response to your questioning glance.

“True, but I know it annoys you. Which is why I do it. How have you been? My Queen sends her condolences for not being able to travel; you know the story.” Yoongi lets out a low hum, nodding as he strides through the open courtyard towards the entrance of the large building.

It’s a barren courtyard, with stone upon stone upon stone. The only things of note are the beautiful wolf statues that litter the area, standing guard at each entrance and exit. Each one stands taller than you, with the details lovingly sculpted until they look like they could come to life and savage anyone wishing ill harm.

“Thank you. I’m fine. And I don’t think anyone expects her to leave her kingdom honestly. How is she? You have a child now, I believe, a little girl correct?” You can’t tell if the question is just idle chatter or if they are actually friends. Prince Hoseok seems to be very relaxed around him, which is at odds with the centuries old fear and rivalry the two races have had.

But then again, he never misses a chance to wax poetic about his little girl. Sure enough, you see a dreamy look appear on his face as a dopey smile appears. “I do. Soo-Ah. She’s perfect. So tiny.”

You almost expect Yoongi to tease him at that, the way Prince Hoseok’s voice softens and fills with a love that makes your chest ache. Instead, he smiles and pats the Sanguinati on the back. “Fatherhood suits you apparently. I wish her many moons and an easy childhood for your Queen and you.”

“Are they friends?” You whisper to Jimin, confusion threaded through your voice and evident in your body language from the tip to your brow. The Keeper of Words smiled slightly, eyes narrowing as the movement made his cheeks rounder and softer before nodding.

“In a fashion. It’s because of Min Yoongi that Hoseok got the courage to petition the Faerie Queen. We owe our royalty’s happiness to him, and despite their differences I believe them to be friends. Or as close as friends that as Sanguinati and a werewolf can be.” At that, Yoongi turns around with a brow raised at you both.

“I can hear you. And no doubt your prince can hear you too.” Prince Hoseok laughs before gesturing to you both.

“They mean no insult, I think they just forget the advanced hearing of other races. This is Park Jimin, our Keeper of Words who has accompanied me to keep note of our meetings and arrangements. And this is my personal attendant. She normally resides in the palace the majority of the time but my normal travelling attendant is unable to accompany me.” You bow slightly to Yoongi, unsure of what the protocol is for him. Or what he even is. “This is her first time in Lunatis. I believe she is suitably impressed by your beautiful nature.”

Yoongi doesn’t respond for a moment, simply letting his eyes track you up and down until you almost feel naked before him. A silly thought of course, as your hands touch the fabric of your heavy dress while your ribs push at the bones of the corset. And yet...he watches you like you’re his prey.

A disconcerting thought given he is very much a predator.

The moment is gone suddenly when he gives a polite smile, nodding his head. “I welcome you to Lunatis then. It is a beautiful country, if rugged and harsh. I hope it lives up to your expectations.”

As he scans you over once more before turning around, you can’t help but wonder what he thinks your expectations are. For that moment, you’re not even sure what your own are anymore.

A feast was given that night by your hosts, in honour of their royal guest who represented two nations. Delicious food that filled your stomach was brought in continuously; crisp roast chicken cooked with garlic and thyme, butter soaked carrots and parsnips, rich beef stew with hearty onions, potatoes and more than a splash of luscious red wine, seared pork chops coated in honey and mint, a leek and potato soup so creamy the serving spoon almost stood up in it and more.

It was a feast of the kind that you’d never truly witnessed before, the foods all homey and rich in flavour but with nothing too outrageous or exotic. No lemon soaked chicken, no orange drenched beef or anything that would be common in Hekatalia.

This didn’t surprise you though. Where would the wolves grow summer fruits such as that in their cold homelands? The Lunatus pack made their home in the northern reaches of Lunatis, deep in the mountain ranges and far from the mild lands of Hekatalia, the Sídhe or Orkana; the traditional home of tasty fruit and spices that sung of summer and spring.

Instead, the sweet foods that dotted these tables were a mix of decadent baked goods and cold resistant fruits. Luscious cakes with dense sponge layered in sweet buttercream frosting and dotted with apple slices, succulent liquor soaked cherries baked into pies with golden and crisp shells.

Everything was beautiful and made your tongue sing in delight, leading to you deciding that you would most definitely have to assess your own internal prejudices towards the werewolves. The absence of knowledge about them has resulted in a vacuum filled with terrible stereotypes, of which you would fully admit to believing.

You had been convinced that the food here would be basic, heavy on the meat with not much taste. Instead, you had found a veritable bounty of delicious food and even a few that you would happily beg the recipe for the cook's back in Hekatalia.

Jimin, beside you, had been most amused by your quiet yet lustful groans of delight as the flavours had burst on your tongue frequently. It had only been after five minutes of this that you had realised why, when many young male members of the Lunatus Pack had been staring at you with wide eyes.

Yoongi, further down the table, had simply looked amused while Prince Hoseok had laughed quietly to himself.

At least you were appreciating the food and not turning your nose up!

“Why do I get the feeling that people are surprised I’m eating?” The Prince asked his host towards the end, an elegant brow raising as he takes a sip of the strong ale from his goblet. You’re pretty sure it’s iron, but maybe it’s actually silver. Though weren’t werewolves supposed to be allergic to silver?

You didn’t know, though you would most certainly be querying Jimin to find out more after the meal had ended.

Yoongi lets out a low chuckle, spearing a piece of chicken before placing it into his mouth and chewing slowly. “Because they are. It has been a long time since your last visit, almost twenty years I believe, and many in this room have never seen your face. You are the only Sanguinati that we have seen in years and the stereotypes are still strong amongst the people. Not only that, you’re the Cursed Prince. That always gets you looks, as I’m sure you know.”

Prince Hoseok sighed deeply, taking a slice of apple from atop a cake and chewing on it. “Yes, the novel Prince. It’s always amusing to gaze upon someone else’s misfortune. And they are aware that I only drink blood, I don’t entirely rely on it?”

“Oh they know, but I’m sure it’s the same as your attendant over there being surprised that we eat things other than meat,” He gestures to you idly, causing your cheeks to heat as you squeak an apology. “Just ignorance that can be rectified once they are shown. And I believe you came out pretty well with this curse, correct? A wife that you love dearly and a much beloved daughter. There are other cursed beings who would give much for that.”

Your Prince nods sagely before sighing, running a hand down his face. He looks tired, which you have no doubt that he is after the weeks of travel. “Yes, I believe I did. But you must remember that everything good comes with a price for us.”

He stands at that, giving a slight nod of his head while Yoongi stands as well. Almost immediately Jimin and you follow, protocol stipulating that you follow your Prince’s movements. And he clearly means to retire for the night, for which you will be needed.

“What price is that? You will be king of Sanguinus one day; your wife is Queen of Hekatalia. Your daughter will rule both the vampires and witches, uniting them both.” Yoongi brow creases in confusion and you sighed sadly, glancing at Jimin who looks just as awkward.

Princess Soo-Ah was much beloved and she had been dearly desired by her parents. But everyone in the kingdom knew the cost to them. It was perhaps understandable that Yoongi did not know or understand, the curse was merely a story for the Lupine nation.

For Hekatalia and Sanguinus, it was their life.

“My daughter will never rule either nation. Our curse states that are our lands and people are directly tied to our lives. I will be king, she will be queen. Our lands will never know another leader, for we are cursed to immortality.” The werewolf still looks perplexed, and you can see his expression mirrored in those wolves who can overhear the conversation with the Prince.

Jimin takes pity on his ruler, and someone he has come to call a friend over the years as well, and informs Yoongi of what Prince Hoseok cannot manage to say. “Prince Hoseok and the Queen are cursed to immortality. Their children are not.”

Your Prince makes his excuses then and leaves, following one of the Lunatus maids as she directs him to his room. You follow behind quickly, glancing back at Yoongi to see the stunned look on his face. It’s almost enough to make you feel sorry for him, for the inevitable guilt he is likely feeling right now.

But there’s nothing to be done for it now.

Instead, you simply help Prince Hoseok to undress before leaving him to bathe in the warm water that has been drawn for him. He promises that he will be fine dressing in his bed clothes and bids you a good night as well, smiling softly as you rest a hand against his arm in a silent message of sorrow and strength.

Your own room is next to his for convenience, though you note it to be much smaller. Understandable obviously, given who he is and who you are. There’s no bath waiting for you though, so you leave to find a passing maid and ask where you can clean yourself as well.

She directs you to the closest bath house, located past a small garden that sits exposed to the world in a tiny courtyard. There’s not a lot here, but the ground has been turned and layered in dirt to allow sparse grass to grow along with a few carefully trimmed trees and colourful flowers.

A stone bench sits in the centre, looking slightly inconspicuous but you note that it once more carries the beautiful craftsmanship of the stone wolves outside. Combined with the awe inspiring compound, house, palace or whatever this place was called being carved into the mountain itself, you were positive that Lunatis contained some of the best stonemasons in the world.

Running your fingers along the edge of the bench, you crouch down to take in the detailed scene that plays out along the sides before spilling onto the back. It’s a series of wolves, painstakingly created until it looks like they could bound into the grass itself, leaping before they slowly begin to shift into half-man creatures before walking and running like the men and women they appear today.

An incredibly simple, and perhaps bastardised, tale of how the werewolves became as they are today maybe?

Either way, it was stunningly beautiful and you can’t help but admire it for a few moments.

“It’s not our history, if that’s what you’re wondering.” You can’t help the squeak that escapes you, jerking sideways before falling into the grass. It feels cold, the ground beneath almost freezing and you shiver beneath your thick fur coat.

Looking up, you sight the tall and lean figure of Min Yoongi before he crouches down with concern on his face. His hands hesitate over you for a moment before he’s gently pulling you up and looking you over.

“My apologies, I did not mean to scare you. I forget that witches cannot hear like we do.” His lips pursed slightly in a pout that looks far more adorable than you think he intends it to, and suddenly his foreboding image disappears. Gesturing to the bench, you sit upon the cold stone and watch as he sits next to you.

There is no ceiling in their garden, and instead you stare up with wide eyes at the awe-inspiring sight before you. Mount Selanus looms astonishingly tall above you, the wide and expansive base glowed a soft orange from the light of nearby fires before seeping into a deep black that blots out the stars.

And what a field of stars it is.

You see plenty of them in Hekatalia of course, but today it’s a pure expanse of tiny pinpricks of light that glitter and dot the surface. As if someone has taken a handful of sugar crystals and carelessly thrown them across the sky.

“You’re at one of the highest points in the whole continent here. We have more stars than anywhere else and Mount Selanus reaches higher than any other mountain.” Yoongi’s voice is soft, the syllables quiet and you find yourself curious as you stare at the large mass of stone and rock.

“Prince Hoseok said that you have a story about it. Something about a wolf god and the moon goddess?” The question you ask is implicit, even if you do not actually voice it out loud. His lips turn up slightly as you glance at him before he acquiesces to you.

“In our folk tales, Selanus was the first of us. In the beginning we were simply wolves, who ran across Lunatis on four legs in our great packs and hunted anything that came in our way. But then one day, Selanus looked into the night sky and instead of the thousands of stars he normally saw, he saw Lunarias, the goddess of the moon. Her face was pale and bright, lighting up the night and letting him see far beyond what he normally could. For years he would wait for her to brighten the dark skies and over time, he fell in love with the beautiful goddess.” Yoongi pauses for a moment, running his fingers over his chin before smiling.

“I mean, how could you not? The moon is beautiful on a dark night, and she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He would howl his love to her, as loud as he could, and she heard his cries of passion even from so far away. She would burn brighter for him, night after night to guide his way. But he was a wolf, and she had the form of a goddess, of a woman. And so he begged and pleaded with her. She acquiesced, and made bargains and pleas with the other gods to let her love take on the shape of a man. For then she could love him as an equal.” You were entirely enraptured by the story, imagining the ancient beings in such a passionate love, their story painting itself across your mind.

“They agreed, and Selanus was given the power to shift to a man. But the gods are fickle, and nothing comes without a price. Their price was that Selanus must forever be a wolf on the night the Lunarias’ power was strongest, her face the most beautiful. And Lunarias was banned from the Earth, forbidden to show her face at its full strength except for three days each month.”

You frown at that in confusion, looking up at Mount Selanus. “But..that means they couldn’t be together? And they did that to be together...right?”

Yoongi nods. “Yes. When Selanus was allowed to be a man, Lunarias was mostly gone with only glimpses given. When she was allowed to face her love, he was relegated to a wolf. She was forced to watch over him from above and the power she had given him meant she couldn’t fight it.”

“That’s terrible.” You whisper softly, looking down at your hands sadly. It may only be a folktale, but stories like this were important to your people and you could tell that this story held great importance to the werewolves.

“Yes, it is. Selanus was despondent with loss and Lunarias cried tears of pain that never reached the ground. He decided that he wanted to be with her forever, and he found the highest peak in the world with the conviction that if he could climb it, then he could reach his love. He climbed to the top of this mountain, but his love was still out of reach. His heart ache over it caused him to curl up at the top, where he eventually turned to stone under the watchful gaze of his beloved.” Yoongi lets out a soft laugh before shaking his head with a wry, almost embarrassed, smile. “I’m not the best storyteller, my grandmother tells it better than me.”

“No, no. We revere stories in Hekatalia. Oral history is important to us as so many of our spells comes from tradition. Thank you for telling me. It’s beautiful, if sad.” The night is quiet around you both, the smell of the earlier feast slowly dancing to your nose before passing by on a cold breeze.

“It’s just a story. I doubt that’s how the werewolves actually came about. But it gives us a reason as to why we have to take wolf form every full moon. Our actual history is lost to time but there is a statue of Selanus and Lunarias carved into the peak of the mountain by a generation long lost. It’s considered an honour to take a pilgrimage there.” He pauses for a moment, chewing on his lip carefully before sighing deeply. “About earlier...I did not mean to upset Prince Hoseok like that. I did not know, or think. The curse is just some story to us unfortunately, just like Selanus and Lunarias.”

You let out a deep breath of your own, stroking the soft grey fur of your coat. “I understand. But you must remember that it’s his life. He refuses to think about it. Princess Soo-Ah will live a few centuries at least and he takes consolation in that.”

“But why have a child if you know that one day you will bury them?” He sounds confused and you look at him with a raised brow, causing his cheeks to redden in the dim lighting of the nearby torches. “I’m sorry. Children are important in Lunatis, family is pack and pack is family. The very idea of having children that you will have to bury every time...it’s anathema to everything a wolf is.”

“Again, I understand but...think of it from their point of view. Everyone they know and love right now will die. And they will live. And the people they grow to love afterwards will die. And they will live. And the cycle will continue forever. Is it selfish? Yes. But they have so much love to give and none of us begrudge them the chance to have a family, to give that love to someone. Princess Soo-Ah will one day have children, and they will watch over them and so forth. I don’t envy them their position, and I don’t think anyone who does not have to go through what they will should judge their choices. They only have each other for the rest of time. They’re such good parents too, it would be such a waste.” The words you speak are truthful and you feel an ache in your chest at the idea of having to live forever and watch everyone you love die.

The silence falls once more for a few minutes, neither of you willing to say anything as you both absorb what you have explained. You can practically feel Yoongi turning it over in his head.

“I did not think. I don’t think anyone has. Is he a good father? He seemed happy earlier?” You smile at that, lips turning up as you remember the many times that you have walked in on him with his daughter, sometimes with his wife alongside him.

“He dotes on her. It’s well known in the kingdom that our Prince is completely smitten,” Yoongi smiles and laughs, shaking his head slightly. The poor lighting makes him look even more handsome oddly, and you watch his profile in the flickering light of a nearby sconce while curiosity bubbles in you once more. “If you’re not a prince, then what are you? I don’t really understand the structure of your...pack?”

The werewolf hums quietly, eyes flicking around the place as he chews on his lip while thinking of a way to explain his home. “My father is Alpha of the Lunatus Pack. That’s the equivalent of your Queen, only it is not inherited. Only the strongest take up the mantle of Alpha. Beneath him are his ten Beta’s, who give him advice and help him to run his pack. The Lunatus Pack is the largest and most powerful in Lunatis, which makes him the de facto leader of our nation which is made up of six packs. The five Omegas in our pack each lead a different area of society such as healing, the arts, education and so forth.”

“And you? What are you then? Everyone seems to defer to you here? I apologise if I overstep my boundaries, please tell me if I do. I’m just...curious.” You worry, concerned that you are asking too much of someone who you shouldn’t even be talking to. It’s an odd position to be in, being so close to one of the dual leaders of your own nation yet being only their attendant.

There’s every chance that Yoongi could become offended. But instead, he just gives you a sweet smile as his eyes flash that wolf amber once more.

“No, please. It’s fine. You’re a guest here too, and Prince Hoseok evidently trusts you. We have trials here, to judge the next Alpha apparent to see who will be the one to lead our nation once the Alpha retires or dies. I am the Alpha apparent.” He looks a little meek to be admitting that, and you let your eyes run over him once more.

“So...you’re important then? The Princess Soo-Ah of Lunatus?” A snort is your response, along with an eye roll.

“I guess so. But I’m not a prince. I’m not anything yet. I just stay with my father and learn what he does, because one day that will be me. The unfortunate fact of being born too strong to be anything else.”

“Oh...how ever will you cope.” Your words come out far more teasing than you intended, particularly for a mere personal attendant and almost immediately you bow your head in response while mumbling an apology. He merely waves a hand at you, uncaring of your faux pas and you wonder at the culture of the Lunatus Pack.

Were his own maids allowed to speak to him so casually? Although, you were technically with the guest of honour. So maybe you were being given more freedoms than you would be otherwise.

The night quietens around you, the windows slowly going dark as people retire to their chambers for the night. You note idly that there are no light wisps here, glowing softly amongst the sparse grass. Instead, there’s simply emptiness.

No sound escapes the Grand Hall anymore, nor do any scents and you presume that the kitchen staff are merely washing up for the night before eating their own meals. That’s how it was for the help. Serve first, self last.

It would likely be no different here.

“I presume you are a witch then?” Yoongi asks softly, breaking the silence between you both. For a moment, you simply look him over once more in the gentle warm light of the nearby sconce that burns merrily on the stone wall.

He looks almost soft, with his silvery-ash hair burning a pretty orange from the fire while his skin almost appears warm to the touch. Lips glisten as his tongue runs along them while his fingers trace along the stone bench slowly.

His chosen outfit for the dinner meant he wore less clothing than when he had greeted you all, but it still bore the distinct look of the astonishing wilderness that surrounds you. Supple leather that had been dyed so dark it was almost black clung to his legs while he also wore a shirt of clean white. It had buttons all along the front, each one an intricate piece of ironwork with the sigil of a wolf’s head howling.

For his venture outside, he had donned a black coat, the leather creaking pleasantly as he moved while the thick fur on the inside kept him warm. It pleased you to see that even the werewolves needed to remain warm in this cold place, even if he appeared far more content with the ambient temperature than you did.

“Yes. Isn’t that what Hekatalia is famous for?” Your smile kicks up slightly as you run your fingers along the pleasing fabric of your skirts. A lot of the women here seemed to favour trousers of leather or fur much like the men, and you wonder for a moment if women are allowed into their hierarchies as well.

“True, but it doesn’t mean everyone is capable of doing magic right? We have people who are born and cannot shift into their wolf. Instead, they are stuck in the body of a human.” Turning, you place a leg over your knee daintily as your brow creases.

“Isn’t that bad though? Do your people curse them for that? I would have thought it would be...well embarrassing or something.” You try hard to keep your tone neutral, afraid of offending him in some way but he simply smiles and turns towards you as well, drawing a leg up underneath him on the bench.

“No. I mean...it’s tragic yes, because everyone should have the chance to let their wolf free and run wild as our ancestors did. But we don’t judge them any worse for it. Lunarias makes them nowol’s for a reason. We don’t know what that is, but everything is done for a reason. Besides...why be cruel when they already have to live with their wolf trying to claw free?” At your confused look, he lets out a quiet laugh. “Nowol is what we call those who can’t shift. It’s just a shortened version of no wolf, because their wolf will never be heard.”

“That sounds...awful. I mean no offence when I say that but...I can’t imagine not being able to use my magic. Everyone born of a witch line can use it. Princess Soo-Ah will be able to use it, though it is unlikely that she would be powerful enough to act as a medium of power to the Ancient Oak given the Sanguinati in her. But she will still be able to wield magic of a far greater strength than anyone else.” The wolf heir looks confused at this, his face scrunching up almost adorably until you laugh.

Gesturing in front of you, tiny balls of light appear and begin to glow an ethereal blue-white in the darkness. Yoongi’s eyes widen as they form the shape of a tree, its branches overflowing while a tiny figure stands next to it.

“Magic exists in the world freely, but it is strongest in Hekatalia because there are more Sources there than anywhere else. The Ancient Oak in the Sacred Grove sustains most of the palace and city alone. We believe that these Sources exist as a way for magic to be channelled efficiently, to stop too much power coming at once and keeping a healthy balance with the land. The magic runs through the Sources before diverting through our Queen, and through her we all get a piece. If she was not there, then it would run rampant and wild, too much for us to comprehend. Magic would go haywire.” His mouth is open, the pink interior just visible to you as tiny balls of light filter from the tree to the figure and then back out.

“Like a dam? Your Queen makes it more manageable?” You nod with a smile. “That makes sense. Are you powerful then?”

“I have never been asked to join any of the Great Guilds. Not the Alchemists or the Pyromancers, the Healers or the Warriors, the Potion Masters or the Astronomers. My magic is small and if it was not for the fact that my cousin is Captain of the Guard then I would likely be working the fields with my parents.”

Yoongi watches the lights before they sputter and fizzle out of existence, his face falling slightly as darkness overwhelms once more. “I remember him. Jeon Jungkook right? Big, surprisingly muscular for a witch.”

“Don’t tell him that. He won’t be sure whether to be proud or take offence.” You titter, letting your hand rest against your mouth as you take note of the silver ring that glints on his finger. It too has a wolf’s head engraved in it.

“Witches are connected to the earth right? So can you make proper grass grow here? And not this grass that reminds me of the Deadlands?” He asks, pointing to the sparse and sad looking grass that dots the area in clumps. Attempts have evidently been made to make the earth it grows in rich, but he’s very right in that it reminds you more of the corpse grass that grows wild in the Deadlands to the west of Lunatis and north of Sanguinus.

You only know what it looks like because you have seen specimens grown in the experimental garden in the castle. It’s long and thick, the blades sharp and pale of all colour. There’s no wonder as to how it got its name.

“Well...I’m not the Queen and we are far away from a Source at the moment. It feels like we’re at least one hundred miles from the closest which means the magic here in your forests is wild and harder to control. On top of that...we are on a mountain and that is stone which seems to have...bound the magic almost? The earth cries but is muffled by rock.” But you have the urge to impress him, to make that sweet gummy smile you had seen at the feast come back to life.

You want to see his eyes flash that molten gold once more while he watches you, with the knowledge that it was caused by you and you alone. The thought of that makes you pause for a moment, a tiny frown creasing your brow before you shake your head.

It’s just because you never get to show off your powers. They’re nothing special, and living in a country of people far more talented than you...why would you need to show it off?

Kneeling down from the bench, you can’t help but grimace slightly as the earth presses against your knees beneath the layers of your dress. There’s little wonder that the grass is so coarse and hardy given that the dirt feels like it is made of purely small stones.

You try to ignore the small pinpricks of pain that radiates from the sharp ground, instead leaning forward to rest your hands against the frozen, hard floor. Closing your eyes, your breath leaves you in a long and slow exhale as you call to the magic that lies deep within the earth.

Your queen would probably be able to do this without even touching the ground, without even calling that hard. Even this far north, in this land of great stone where magic had run rampant and wild for millennia before sinking into the Sources that dot the continent.

But you do not have her power, and sweat begins to dot your brow as you call and call. Magic is an intrinsic part of you, as easy to use and wield as it is to write a letter but connecting to something that has been hidden, that has slumbered for so long is hard.

After a few minutes of silence, you have no doubt that Yoongi is probably wondering what the hell you’re doing on the floor but he seems to be too polite to question you outright, you finally feel a flicker responding to you.

Reaching for it, you grasp it desperately and twine your magic through it slowly and gently. It’s a small flame in comparison to the warm, ever burning fire of Hekatalia, but it’s fire and power all the same. Weak and unsure, struggling to reach you as you gently tug it forth through the heavy stone that blocks its way.

The magic follows the path you trail, slipping through tiny cracks that widen as it pushes through and moving the earth as it comes to you like a willful puppy. “That’s right,” You whisper softly, smiling to yourself as you encourage it to stay with it. “Come to me. Bring life to this barren garden.”

Images of what you imagine leave your mind and travel down the tremulous link you have and the magic sparks in response, zipping after you faster until it finally reaches your hands. For a moment, the skin burns before the magic calms down beneath you, soothing the hurts and spreading out across the ground.

The next few minutes are a flurry of energy that sparks and crackles in the air, the hairs on your arms rising as the air becomes electric. Hard stones beneath your palms smooth out before disintegrating and when you open your eyes to look, you smile at the rich, dark soil that cushions you.

But then you notice everything else and your eyes widen in shock. The few flowers that had been there are now overflowing with an abundance of vivid and bright colours; species that hadn’t even been present and are sure to die in the cold weather this far north.

Smuggler’s ivy creeps across every wall, crawling upwards on the buildings and dropping over the edge of the walls while a tree sapling dances in the soft breeze that blows through. From the color of the bark and the leaves, you estimate it to be a witchling tree which causes you to lean back in even more confusion.

Witchling trees only grow in Hekatalia, their bark soaking up wild magic until they are pure white. Their leaves often end up a rainbow of colours, ranging from dark purple through to maroon through to brilliant azure and a hundred shades inbetween. It was a common witch tale that no witchling tree was the same, and they had never been found outside of Hekatalia.

Until now it would seem.

“Err….I thought you said you weren’t powerful?” Yoongi asks from the bench, looking around with eyes so wide that you can see the whites even from here. He stands before crouching down, running his fingers through the silk soft strands of rich green grass before moving over to the tree. “What is this? I think I remember these when I visited Hekatalia last?”

You send a small pulse of thanks to the magic, a little concerned at how strong it suddenly feels whereas before you hadn’t even been able to feel a whisper unless you concentrated. The magic flares in response, tugging at your feet almost childishly and you wince as the tree suddenly grows another foot.

It’s taller than you both now, with the tiny leaves glimmering in shades ranging from rich gold to burnished copper, a few glinting with striking silver inbetween them all. It would appear this witchling tree has taken on the colours of the land it inhabits, with its range of shades representing the colours of the wolf furs that run rampant.

“I...er...well...I’m not. This...I can’t even make flowers grow in Hekatalia. The magic is too refined, too tame there for me to do much of anything with it. Lunatis is too...rocky and barren, at least that’s what I thought. I thought I was just catching a tiny sliver of the magic that slumbers far beneath us, to make the grass grow a little smoother and softer.” Yoongi laughs as he runs his finger down the witchling, turning to you with a bright smile.

“Well...it looks like you did that and more. This is an actual garden now. I’ve never even seen some of these things. What is this? How did it get here?” He asks, reaching up to stroke one of the amber leaves. It reminds you of his eyes when they shift.

“It’s a witchling, and it shouldn’t be here. They only grow in Hekatalia because of the abundance of magic there. The Fae have a similar tree species only theirs looks more like an oak and the leaves are simply purple. Witchling trees are never the same. I...don’t know. I’ll ask Jimin, he’ll know more.” Your voice tails off, hands twisting as nerves take over.

Yoongi seems to be able to tell, his nose twitching with a few deep inhalations before he gestures for you to move ahead of him. You do so quietly, heading towards the bathhouse you had initially intended to enter before becoming sidetracked.

“Well...it’s pretty that’s for sure. If that’s what someone with no real magical skill can do, then I never want to meet your queen in combat. I can see now why Hekatalia has never been conquered despite its indefensible position.” Laughing slightly, you nod your head.

“She is far more powerful, yes. Though I think you’d need to worry about Prince Hoseok first. I’m sorry if...people don’t like that.” You point to the now overflowing garden but he shakes his head while bringing a hand to rest on your shoulder lightly. It’s an innocent gesture, done thousands of times before by hundreds of people and yet you can feel the sheer heat of him through your clothing.

It seems to affect him as well, with his eyes flaring gold for a second before he coughs and shifts away from you. “Don’t worry, no one’s going to complain that we have flowers and nice grass for once. Anyway, I believe I’ve wasted enough of your time tonight. I apologise. I will see you on the morrow.”

You don’t even get a chance to say your goodbyes to him, for he turns immediately and walks away from you. Instead, you’re just left with the sounds of the night and the gentle crackling of the torch nearby.

A final glance to the garden has your head tilting once more, wondering why it had grown so rapidly and why species that shouldn’t be here look to be content. Even just the last few minutes has resulted in the witchling growing another foot, and you have suspicions that when everyone wakes in the morning they will find a fully grown tree in their midst.

You just needed to focus on not doing anything damaging in the future.

The Prince Consort is not in his rooms when you arrive the next morning to wake him, leading to you panicking momentarily and wondering if he has perhaps been kidnapped. You were not in your own lands after all, and the Prince was a race that was not well liked in this land of wolves.

But it only takes you mere minutes to find him when you rush outside to the little courtyard you had discovered the night before. He’s standing with Jimin, dressed in plain black clothing that is lined with grey fur and you wonder for a moment what your purpose is here if he’s just going to dress himself anyway.

Although he was prone to doing that sometimes back at the palace, so used to attending himself over the years.

Neither of them notice your arrival however, their gazes fixed on the small garden before them. Or what had been a small garden last night, before you’d pulled magic through the stone where there had been none before.

Sure enough, just like you’d suspected, the witchling now towered over the building; its enormous branches reaching outwards desperately towards the peak of Selanus and the skies that loomed over Lunatis. The leaves almost shimmered in the morning light as they swayed in the breeze; golds and coppers and silvers and hundreds of shades in between.

The stark white bark of the trunk stood out against everything else, leading down to the dark dirt that overflowed with emerald green grass. Flowers dotted everywhere now, pinks and purples and yellows peeking out from between the grass and even on the smuggler’s ivy that covered the walls.

“Okay...I know that I drank a little wine and ale last night, but I’m pretty sure I didn’t drink enough to misremember this courtyard.” Prince Hoseok states bluntly, confusion evident in every syllable of his voice. You cringe slightly, shuffling forward to take your place beside him.

Jimin hums lowly, his own expression a mirror reflection of Prince Hoseok’s. “No, you’re right. This was not like this last night. I know that for a fact...because that’s a witchling. And they do not grow here. Something happened.”

“Like what? What makes a whole tree appear? And...all this?” His hand waved towards everything and you eyed Prince Hoseok, wondering if he would be angry at what you’d done. You should have known that Jimin would be able to tell what went wrong.

“Well...last night there was no magic here. It was as barren magically as it looked in terms of plant life. Now...now there is magic here. Seeping from a tiny crack in the ground. The witchling is absorbing most of it, but the bits that are escaping are causing everything else to grow. I have a suspicion that in a month’s time, when you walk the streets outside that they too will be covered in vibrant colours.” You want the earth to open up and swallow you at that, to ask the magic to take it and disappear back to where it came from.

But you can’t, because that’s not how magic works.

“Is that...going to be a problem? We came here for diplomatic reasons, to negotiate trade. Instead, we’ve apparently decide to send their city to the whims of nature. Will they be offended over that?” Prince Hoseok’s voice is decidedly concerned and your veins turn to ice, wondering if perhaps the Lunatus Pack will take this badly.

“Fear not Prince Hoseok, if anything we will welcome the beautiful nature. It’s hard to find fragile nature this pretty so far in the mountains. And I believe it may allow us to plant crops that are will not grow in our normal stony soil. Besides...it was my fault. I asked your lovely attendant to show me some magic and it appears the magic hidden beneath our land really wants to be free.” Yoongi’s voice is soft and calm as he approaches, his grey hair soft while his mouth quirks up slightly.

At his words though, Prince Hoseok and Jimin both turn and look at you with incredulous gazes. Jimin is the first to speak though, pointing out towards the garden. “You did this? I thought you had no real skill of note?”

He doesn’t mean the words to be offending or insulting, nor do you take them that way. Jimin speaks the truth, and you can understand why they are both confused. “I don’t. It was hard to feel anything but I found a sliver that responded to me. All I did was just...encourage it up. It would seem there’s a well under the Lunatus Pack lands that has been stifled by the mountains. Now it’s free. My apologies for anything that happens, I am not skilled with this.”

Jimin sighs softly, rubbing at his nose before looking back up at the overflowing garden. “I can stem the breach slightly. Magic will still flow but at a much slower pace. Ideally, you’d have a witch here who would be able to weave the magic and make use of it before it goes wild but I’m afraid you’ll just have to get used to the witchling. It will absorb the excess magic for you.”

“I think we’ll be okay with that. It’s possibly the most beautiful tree I’ve ever seen. And given that I live in the midst of a forest, in a nation of trees, that says a lot.” Prince Hoseok chuckled at Yoongi’s words, shaking his head.

“Yeah, that’s the witches. Powerful, but pretty.” He teases Jimin then, smiling as he pushes the Keeper of Words forward with more affection than might be expected.

Jimin rolls his eyes in response, looking markedly close to his ruler, but he said nothing as he instead places his focus on the task at hand. Crouching down, he looks around the area quietly before he places a hand on the ground.

There’s a moment of silence and you note Yoongi and Prince Hoseok looking at each other with raised brows, probably wondering what was going on but you can feel the weaving that Jimin is doing. Even from here, you feel the way he carefully crossed the magic over and under, over and under until it made a barrier woven entirely of itself before feeding the ending back into the ground.

It was skillful work and you half felt ashamed that you had worked magic so badly, particularly given the wonderful show you’d just experienced from the Keeper of Words. There was little surprise as to why he’d gotten to high and lofty position at such a young age.

Your shame must be written on your face as Jimin sighs quietly, standing and brushing his hands clean on his trousers before walking over to you. Resting a hand on your arm, he squeezes in reassurance and gives you a small smile.

“Don’t worry too much about it. You couldn’t have known how desperate the magic was to be released. This is a land which forced its magic underground long ago and we aren’t used to this. Don’t be hard on yourself, this would have taken all of us by surprise. Besides, it looks pretty at least.” He grins at that, gesturing towards the courtyard which now bloomed with a multitude of colours and delightful scents.

“That it does. I doubt there will be many who complain about this. We are a nature loving people.” Yoongi said, moving over to you both with that long and loping stride that gave him so much innate grace. You simply give a strained smile, hoping that he’s right and that you haven’t actually made a huge mistake here.

There could be nothing worse than going to a foreign nation to serve your Prince Consort and ending up accidentally offending said foreign nation. Perhaps you just were not made for diplomacy.

Yoongi stands surprisingly close to you, the sheer heat of him warming you even beneath your thick clothing and you look up at him in surprise. He doesn’t seem to notice his close distance and you choose not to mention it. Perhaps a nation of shape shifters who live in packs wouldn’t think anything strange about being close all the time.

You see the way Jimin’s and Prince Hoseok’s brows rise slightly and know that they’re thinking it’s strange though. You can feel your cheeks warming from the rush of blood as embarrassment curls through you and you hasten to find a way to distract them all.

“Your Highness, I believe the morning feast is available now if the smell is anything to go by. Why don’t we head inside and make sure that you break your fast to start the day well?” Hands move to gesture towards the door that leads to the hall while you give him a bright smile. The slight wideness to your eyes probably gives away your desire to no longer be the subject of attention and his lips quirk slightly before he schools his face into a mask of pleasant indifference.

Bowing his head slightly, he begins to move towards the door with Jimin in tow before glancing back towards you, the corner of his mouth tilted up. “Thank you. After last night, I’m expecting a lot from this morning meal Yoongi.”

The wolf raises a single brow in response, his face carefully neutral and you chew on your lip slightly, wondering whether to rush after Prince Hoseok or wait for Yoongi to enter. It wasn’t seemly for the help to precede their hosts, particularly when their hosts were so high up in the hierarchy.

But this wasn’t Hekatalia, and you weren’t sure what you were supposed to do. Prince Hoseok gave no help, instead looking back once more as he reached the door and giving you a bright, white smile before he disappeared within. You got the sense he was enjoying something, and you disliked the fact that you didn’t know what that was.

“Should we go ins-”

“Would you like to co-”

The both of you speak at once; words rushing over each other and silence is suddenly deafening as you stop. Grimacing slightly, you gesture for him to speak first given his superiority to you. He gives a tiny, awkward smile and bows his head in response, rubbing at his neck.

“Sorry. I, err, would you like to come with me and explore the city? I can show you around...the interesting places and…” He trails off slightly, cheeks pinkening and you frown at him in confusion, wondering why he was asking you this. “Well, I mean...if you want to.”

“Don’t you have to go with Prince Hoseok and attend the meetings? And what about the morning meal?” The words are full of confusion, soft as they fall from your lips almost unsure. You don’t understand what’s going on, yet there’s a warmth in your stomach at the thought of exploring Lykos with only Yoongi and you didn’t know why.

Yoongi’s flush deepens, his eyes shifting amber as he looks away and works at his jaw before he shakes his head slowly. “No, he’s not meeting with me. I don’t need to be there. I just thought...that you might like to see Lykos. You seemed interested in our culture last night. And I know a nice bakery nearby to break our fast on.”

Teeth nibbling at your lower lip, you hum lightly as your fingers twist and play with each other before nodding slowly. You didn’t imagine that you would get much chance to explore with how busy Jimin and Prince Hoseok would be, nor did you want to make them pander to you. But it did mean that you would have many hours of loneliness and potential boredom while waiting for something to do.

“If...if you’re positive. And that I won’t be a burden to you. Then...I would like that very much. Please.” There’s a shyness to your words that fascinates you, wondering what it was about this man that causes such a reaction in you. A sense of relief washes through you as you see his shoulders lower as he lets out a deep breath, his lips widening in a bright and gummy smile that positively lights up his handsome face.

“Excellent. That’s...great. I mean...we should go. Now...because...the bakery,” He fumbles over his words endearingly and you smile widely, wondering what’s gotten into him and why he seems so nervous suddenly. He had no problem talking with Prince Hoseok and you were merely an attendant. “I mean...yes. Let’s...let’s go.”

Without another word, he turns on his heel and strides towards another door that leads off from the courtyard, a low mumbling sound reaching your ears and you chuckle quietly as you realise that he’s grumbling to himself. It’s only when you make that sound that he freezes suddenly, shoulders stiffening before he turns around with a slight wince.

“I...it would be better if I actually took you with me I suppose. Not much of a tour if you’re not there.” He mutters, waiting quietly as you make your way over to him and follow him through the door. Eyeing his slim figure, you smile to yourself and shake your head.

Min Yoongi was an important person in the world, the heir to an important nation. And yet he was like no one you had ever met before. A contradiction of things, all fascinating and amusing and you simply could not figure him out.

This was definitely going to be one of the most interesting times of your life.

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twiceblackvelvet · 4 years

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Can I request a ceo playgirl Tzuyu x fem reader ? Where reader makes tzuyu believe in love? Thank you in advance and love your writing so much!

A/N; thank you so much. i have seen requests like this before where the writer places the character insert as an employee of the ceo character but i decided to try something a little bit different. also, i’ve got to be honest, i struggled to picture Tzuyu as a playgirl so this may not be too good but i hope you enjoy🖤

For the last two years, you’ve been single. Whilst you’d love to say it’s been a peaceful time-period for you, the two girls currently sitting in front of you have made it nigh on impossible. Nayeon and Sana have been your best friends since you were children but their unhealthy obsession with your dating life is beginning to become unbearable.

Sitting down to lunch, the conversation between the three of you quickly landed on the topic of what they consider your lonely, boring life. They’re animatedly discussing a brand new dating app that some wannabe hipster rich boy has created.

“So basically, you set up a profile and decide whether you wish to be the finder or the seeker. The finder is anyone looking to earn extra money by accompanying the seeker to events, parties, galas and all those other fancy things that rich people attend. They pay you for your service as their fake date and you can decide if you wish to stick with them or move onto the next millionaire. You both rate each other based on how compatible you felt the date went, it’s all very professional.”

Nayeon’s explanation of the application deserves to be placed into an advert, she’s seemingly looked into it very thoroughly before presenting the idea of you signing up.

The idea of dating some pretentious, stuck up person with too much wealth for their own good does not sound appealing whatsoever, and yet as you think about your dead-end job and various bills that are quickly mounting into an enormous chunk of your bank account being whisked away from you at the end of the month, you can’t help but give it a second thought.

“We both have profiles, there’s no shame in it. You don’t have to sleep with them or anything, well... unless you want to. You’re basically just arm candy for them to show off to all of their friends that they aren’t losers who isolate themselves to their offices to flirt with numbers and stocks. Trust me, it’s sad for them not you.” Sana adds.

“Fine, but if I end up with some weirdo who tries to get a little handsy, I’ll hunt you both down.”

A high-pitched squeal is all Nayeon and Sana gives you in response as they get to work in setting up a profile for you. Surely nothing will go wrong, right?

It’s been three days since the app has been taking up space on your phone. No messages. No notifications. Nothing. It’s not like you’re mindlessly checking it every couple of hours to check that your friends didn’t include something embarrassing that has been turning every potential seeker away from you, but it is starting to play on your self-conscious every now and then. Even more so when Nayeon reveals she has been on four dates since your lunch meeting.

Just as you’re about to switch off for the night and get some well-needed shut-eye, a small vibration emanates from your bedside dresser where your phone is placed.

[YOU HAVE ONE NEW MESSSAGE]

The bold lettering alongside the app’s logo lights up your bedroom. Truthfully speaking, your curiosity is in fact piqued for a split second until you realize it’s almost 3 AM and anyone using a dating app at this hour can’t be a good sign. You decide to still check who has sent you a message but only so you can tell them to get better nighttime hobbies.

However, what greets you when the app loads the singular message is tame compared to the despicable things you expected to see.

Hello. My name is Chou Tzuyu, I am the CEO of Chou Technology. You’ll have to forgive my being blunt but I am a bit of a newbie to this here app. If you are free tomorrow, I’d like to meet with you to discuss potentially accompanying me to a business event that I am attending the following night. If this is something you are interested in I will schedule a time-slot and give you instructions on what to wear and where we will be meeting. I know this is all very last minute but please let me know as soon as possible. Thank you.

God, just reading the message has given you a slight headache. This girl couldn’t be any more business before pleasure if she tried. You decide to click onto her profile picture to get a better sense of who she is to help you decide whether to agree to meet her or delete the message.

Flawless golden skin, wide cat-like brown eyes, plump red lips formed into a small smile and hazelnut brown hair accentuate all of the features perfectly. You definitely did not expect the person behind such a straight-forward and bland message to be quite as beautiful as the girl you’re currently looking at through your screen. Upon scrolling through the images, you can see her alongside a small Maltese dog, posing with several other women who you assume are her friends, in a business suit outside of her company building which reveals that she’s fairly tall and her figure is to die for. All in all, you’re sold that either this woman is a catfish with impeccable Photoshop skills or there really is a goddess-like beauty using this shady app when she could probably bag anyone possible.

Hi Tzuyu. Yes, I’d love to meet with you tomorrow, anytime is fine for me just let me know.

You hesitate for several minutes debating on whether or not to add an emoji to make things a bit more casual between the two of you. You eventually decide against it and hit send. The follow-up reply comes a lot quicker than you expected.

Great. 1 PM @ Jungsik.

A quick search reveals that Jungsik is a restaurant not far from your apartment, however, the reviews and images show that it’s rather expensive and definitely way out of your very small budget.

Would it be possible for us to meet elsewhere? It isn’t exactly in my price-range nor will I have anything remotely fancy enough to wear to a place like that.

Three small bubbles appear and disappear several times with Tzuyu’s face beside them. You begin to worry that she’s going to cancel and realize that someone like you probably isn’t a good fit for attending the event alongside her.

Send me your address. My driver will pick you up with an outfit for you to change into and dinner will be on me.

You must be dreaming. There’s no way any of this can be real. You read the words several times to try and kickstart your brain into processing them properly and despite believing they’d disappear or change into another message, it remains the same. You consider pinching yourself to double-check but decide against it. Your fingers disobey your thoughts about it being a bad idea to give Tzuyu your address as they lightly tap on the screen to tell her where you live.

You wait for a response but it never comes. You can see that Tzuyu has read the message though and decide to finally get some rest.

Sure enough, at 12:30 PM. the buzzer to your apartment goes off and a gentleman speaks through the intercom summoning you on behalf of one Miss Chou. Entering the sleek looking car with blacked-out windows, you quickly realize that this Tzuyu woman is from an entirely different world to the one you are used to. A white box is resting beside you and the driver instructs you to put it on.

You open up the box and pull out a black satin mini dress. The texture of the item alone calls you broke but you also notice that whoever purchased the item forgot to remove the price tag. Your jaw almost hits the floor upon seeing that it’s worth more than three times your monthly salary. Again, you’re left to question whether any of this can possibly be real until the car suddenly comes to a stop.

“I’ll step out now to let you change but please be quick. Miss Chou does not like to wait.” The driver says as he exits the vehicle.

You change into the dress as fast as humanly possible and exit also. You follow him through a set of doors into the stylish restaurant. This is no doubt be the cleanliest place you’ve ever eaten and worlds apart from the diner you’d regularly visit on your work breaks. Oh, how the other side lives you think.

“The table at the back, blue jacket. Enjoy.” The driver directs you towards a woman with her back facing you and hurriedly leaves.

Your steps towards the table are hesitant and you can’t help but smooth out the new dress several times in fear you aren’t wearing it correctly or rather doing such a fancy item of clothing justice. When you finally reach the table where Tzuyu is seated you decide upon clearing your throat to gain her attention instead of sitting straight down. She stands to face you and her eyes scan over your entire body on the way up.

Even in high-heels, Tzuyu is still somehow towering above you both in height and demeanor. She’s elegant and graceful in her movements and you instantly feel self-conscious under her intense gaze. The pictures of her showed you that she is beautiful and yet here before you, they do not fully do her justice as she’s that and more.

“Please, sit.” She motions you towards the chair opposite her own and waits for you to be seated until she herself does the same. “Thank you for joining me. I hope the dress is adequate enough, I had to guess your size based on your pictures. I wasn’t sure if it was something you’d like but it felt like a safe guess.”

“It’s beautiful, thank you.” She nods at your graciousness and moves to pick up one of the menus, when you go to do the same she grasps your hand and prevents you from doing so.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to order for both of us.” You drop your hand back to beside your lap and allow her to inform the waiter she’d like you to have her usual whilst she goes for filet mignon. “It’s by far the best dish, you won’t be disappointed.”

However, when a lobster dish is presented before you, you can’t help but feel out of place. Tzuyu is quick to notice your confusion and fears she has in fact let you down before she’s even been able to present her plan for you to join her next week to you.

“Is everything okay? Do you have an allergy? Is it not cooked to your standard?”

“No, it’s fine. It’s just, well… I’ve never eaten lobster before. I’m unsure of where to start.” A laugh lodges itself in Tzuyu’s throat with your words. “I’m glad you find my lack of fine-dining experience funny.” You roll your eyes annoyed at her clear arrogance.

“I promise you, I am not laughing at you. I was once the same, I had no idea about any of this kind of stuff for a long time.” She offers you a genuine smile as she stands to move beside your seat to show you how to properly remove the flesh and what not to eat. “There you go, this stuff here is fine but this is the shell. Unless you wish to choke, stay clear of it.”

Before you can truly think about it, words just begin flying out of your mouth after seeing such a kind action from by far the most gorgeous woman you’ve ever laid eyes upon.

“I have to ask, how come you’re using that app? If you don’t mind me saying, you’re a beautiful and charming woman. I don’t understand how you’re possibly single.”

A more genuine and louder laugh exits Tzuyu’s mouth this time and for the first time, you can see that this is the real her and not the person she must try hard to present.

“Well, for a lot of years I struggled to see the appeal of commitment. I had plenty of companions to fill my spare time, however, none of them were ever the right for me. The position I’m hoping you will fill is somewhat different. As far as the women I have previously engaged with, I’d rather not show up to something like this with someone I have had casual sex with on my arm.”

Your face must be in a stunned state as Tzuyu continues to chuckle looking deeply into your eyes. Her honesty is weirdly refreshing and unsettling at the same time.

“I apologize if my bluntness surprises you, I just figure it’s best if we are both honest with each other here. In fact, that leads me to my next question,” She lightly brushes her mouth with a napkin before continuing. “Are you currently dating or meeting with anyone else from the application?”

Not willing to ruin the flow of honesty between the two of you, you tell Tzuyu that she is the first to reach out to you and that you wouldn’t be using the app if you were dating. She seems surprisingly happy with your answer though you’re unsure why.

“That’s… good. I’d like it very much if you would keep it that way until I am sure that I no longer need your services. I don’t believe you will run in the same circles as those attending the event but I have to be sure.” You nod along not wishing to interrupt her thoughts. “Don’t worry, the event may be formal but I promise you the people attending will all be far too busy discussing themselves to bother you much. If you feel uncomfortable, simply tell me you need some fresh air and I will make sure to get you out of there.”

So far, Tzuyu is too good to be true. You will have to thank Nayeon and Sana for convincing you to sign-up for this app.

“I will have another dress delivered to you in the morning with suitable shoes and accessories. Do you have a-” Tzuyu physically stops herself from finishing her question and curses to herself. “I will also send a stylist to take care of your hair, make-up and anything else you’re worried about.”

“Are you sure all of this is necessary? I’m no one special Miss Chou.” The use of her family name stirs up a dark expression as Tzuyu’s eyes appear to be mentally undressing you. She shakes herself out of it before you can take notice of it.

“Yes, you are. It may have been on short notice when I contacted you but quite frankly, you are a naturally beautiful person. I have seen plenty of attractive people within my life but none more so than you. Why do you think I have gone to all of this trouble thus far? I don’t just do this kind of thing for anyone. The majority of my relationships are a one-time thing that are not given the chance to progress further.”

Once again, Chou Tzuyu has managed to confuse you. Your eyebrows have never felt so scrunched together quite as tightly as they are now.

“What exactly are you saying?” is all you can whisper out in response.

“I’m saying that I’d like for you to attend this event with me. But, more importantly, I’d quite like it if you’d agree to do something like this with me more often. I will gladly pay you for your services tomorrow night in making me look good in front of a bunch of boring, old businessmen. Afterward, I’d like for you to allow me to date you. I can’t say that it will be an easy thing for either of us as I still very much so fear commitment, but I am hoping to learn, for you.”

This time, you do pinch yourself to make sure everything you’re hearing is real and the stinging in your arm confirms you’re not currently dreaming. Your brain is running at a thousand miles-per-hour and struggling to formulate clear thoughts.

“You do not need to answer now, attend the event with me. We can get to know each other whilst everyone else inflates their own ego. Then, we can see where things lead us. How does that sound?”

Truthfully, it sounds like a whirlwind, and yet you can’t help but agree.

“It sounds lovely.”

#twice #twice scenarios #twice reactions #girl group scenarios #kpop scenarios #chou tzuyu #tzuyu #twice tzuyu #fluff #kpop

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marveloussupernerd · 3 years

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Crowns and Courtships - A Mystic Messenger AU

Chapter 3 - The Threat

Summary: turns out some people aren’t happy with your decision to court a suitor. Sounds like you’ll need some full-time security. Cue Sir Zen. A lil bit of alone time with Miss Jaehee and Sir Zen. A little danger too

Words: 2600

At ch 10 the readers pick the LI! Options: Prince Jumin, Sir Zen, Duke Yoosung Kim, Mr. Saeyoung Choi, Miss Jaehee Kang

Chapter 2

Jaehee had no trouble getting you ready in the morning; your outfit consisted of two modest layers was al, and your hair just had to be all at the top of your head.

However, when you went down for breakfast, your father was nowhere to be seen; this was odd, since you two always had breakfast together, with your stepmother, of course.

“Good morning Mother,” you greeted her kindly. “Where might Father be?”

“He had an emergency meeting with his soldiers. He should be back around lunchtime, although it may run longer,” she explained. You nodded. You didn’t really enjoy spending breakfast with only your stepmother; when you both were aware your father wouldn’t be there, you often went and dined in your own sitting areas outside of the bedrooms in the mornings. You got along fine; she had been your mother for twelve years now and treated you as if you were her own child… which probably was difficult, given the fact you were born out of wedlock. But it was obvious that you mostly bonded because you both shared so much affection for your father. Without him around, the room felt empty, cold, lifeless.

“Did you meet any viable suitors last evening?” She asked. She had been at the event but kept her distance; her job was primarily to greet the guests, so she didn’t often get to fully participate in the evening’s festivities when she was the host.

You nodded again: “I reunited with Yoosung, who is finally courting, as well as Prince Jumin. They both wanted to share a dance with me.”

The Queen raised her eyebrows in surprise: “Well that’s wonderful news. I knew you wouldn’t have any issues finding a suitor.” The table grew quiet once again, the only Sounds being the small chime of glass as a teacup was placed on its saucer. Finally, your stepmother confessed, “I may have disagreed with the concept of you not entering an arranged marriage, but there’s something undeniably exciting about the social season that I wished I had gotten to witness. I may even be living vicariously through you.”

You giggled. You definitely were excited as well. “I will do my best to please you then, Mother.”

“Every man you have met thus far seems to be a well fit for you; however, they may not be a good fit for the crown. I suppose that’s one of the reasons why arranged marriages began. If a princess were to marry a prince, she knew he was capable of holding the title. You must spend time with these men in order to ensure that they not only have your best interests at heart, but that they also have the kingdom’s best interests in mind.”

You smiled, set your empty teacup down, and stood up from your spot at the table. “You are so wise; I hope to follow in your footsteps on day. If you would excuse me, though, I am going to go off for a walk around the grounds. Unless you would care to join me?”

“Oh, going outside in this weather makes me simply ill. Do enjoy yourself though.”

You notioned to Jaehee to follow you for your morning walk, then left the building to begin your stroll. It was always the same path: out the front, past the side of the palace near the river, to the back where the garden was, to the other side in the tall grass by the stables, then finally back to the front. It was a surprisingly long walk for a circle around the grounds; the walk took about twenty to thirty minutes, but you liked to take your time to take in the surroundings and make sure everything was as it should be.

Jaehee followed three steps behind as you began your stroll. Nothing too exciting seemed to be happening around the palace today; although when you went to the back you could hear some of the soldiers’ meeting. Still, you decided not to listen, since Jaehee was with you. You didn’t want to force her to get into trouble for eavesdropping. Your father’s tone did sound quite tense though; it made you slightly worried something was wrong. Looking for comfort, you decided to stop at the stables to see the horses.

The stable boy wasn’t there, which was sort of odd. He was always spending time with the horses. You walked over to each of them to pet them. One was low on food, so you made a mental note to tell one of the castle attendants. Jaehee herself pet a horse or two, smiling up at you as she did so.

“Have you ever had a horse before?” You asked her. “You seem to get along with them well.”

“I did when I was a little girl,” she confessed. “I did not have any brothers so it was my job to take care of them in the mornings. I guess they remind me of the simpler times.”

Finally you made it back to the palace. “I’m going to go upstairs to my sitting room, if you could have the kitchen prepare some tea and a light lunch for me and bring it up please,” you requested of Jaehee.

Jaehee followed her orders and rushed to the kitchen; while you went upstairs to wait. You pulled out some of your embroidery and decided to work on it as you waited. You were currently working on a scene that looked like your garden, with the river in the background and all. Despite years of practice, it was still challenging. You found the small detail work the hardest, but knew that the more you worked on it, the easier it would get.

There was a knock at the door. “Come in,” you chimed. Your father walked in, followed by a man with hair so light it was almost white, bright red eyes, and high cheekbones. His face almost looked chiseled like a statue from the Renaissance. You quickly drew your attention away from the man and to your father instead. “Father, I just sent for some tea; I can arrange to have some brought up for you and your guest as well if you would like.”

“Actually, this isn’t my guest. This is Sir Zen, one of our kingdom’s soldiers. He’s going to be looking after you for a while,” your father explained.

The man bowed, eyes trained on the ground, glancing up to you with a smile, then back to the ground. “It is an honor to meet you, Princess.”

“Is there a reason I need a knight watching over me? I’ve been quite alright on my own all this time,” you asked both your father and Sir Zen. You couldn’t help but think of that meeting earlier… Sir Zen’s eyes were still focused on the detailing of the floor, so you had to wait for your father to respond.

“Darling, there’s been a small problem,” he began to explain, taking a seat next to you, “there’s some sort of group that has formed that doesn’t want you picking who you’re going to marry, and does not want you ascending the throne one day.”

“I’m not surprised they feel that way about a woman on the throne.” You confessed, unable to meet his eye.

“Especially since the man you marry may not be a prince after all…” he put his hand on your arm, causing you to look up at him, and scanned your eyes. You were trying to put on a brave face, hide the concern you were feeling. “I’ll leave you to explain your daily schedule and needs to Sir Zen; remember that he will be posted outside of your room each night in case of trouble.”

“Yes Father.”

He frowned, standing from his spot. “I’m truly sorry that we have to deal with this; I hope that it’ll be worth it.”

You smiled at him, trying to comfort him. “It will; don’t worry: I can handle it.” You weren’t sure if he believed your words, but you hoped they made him feel better. He bid his soldier farewell and left the room.

“Well, Sir Zen, it’s nice to meet you. Please, take a seat so we can discuss your job,” you offered, pointing to the chair across from you. He took a seat, leaning back slightly in the chair. A knock on the door indicated that Jaehee was back with your tea. You instructed her to pour some for herself and for Sir Zen and take a seat so you could instruct both of them on your expectations for the next few months to come. Jaehee was blushing. You weren’t sure if it was because Zen was so handsome or because she was uncomfortable about having tea in such a casual manner, but she quickly composed herself to hide any flush.

“So Jaehee, it seems that a group of people are unhappy with my new plan for my marriage. This is Sir Zen. He will be watching over me primarily in the evenings to ensure that nothing goes awry.” The knight nodded in acknowledgement to Jaehee, while she greeted him.

“Sir Zen,” you started. His eyes snapped up to meet yours. “I’d like you to keep watch of my room at night, of course, and also accompany me on my morning walks around the grounds so long as we aren’t having visitors in the afternoon. If we have visitors, I have to postpone my walk to walk with them. After that, you’re free to take a break until the evening, since Jaehee will be accompanying me at evening events.”

“Sounds simple enough,” Sir Zen retorted. He stood up from his spot: “So if you don’t need anything, Princess, I’ll be taking my rest until the evening.” He excused himself and left the room.

“He certainly is something else, if you do not mind me saying so,” Jaehee mentioned. You laughed, almost spitting out your tea as a result.

You had to take a minute to compose yourself before answering: “He does seem quite… I’m not even sure how to put it into words. Hopefully he puts more work into his job than into his conversations.”

Jaehee covered her mouth in surprise at the comment. “I’m kidding! Kind of. I think he was just nervous. I hope I’ll get to know him better, though.”

Later in the evening, as you went upstairs to retire to bed, you noticed Zen was already standing outside of your quarters. “Good evening Sir Zen. I’m assuming you slept well.”

“I did.”

You stood in front of him awkwardly, expecting more conversation than that exchange. You really had thought he was just nervous earlier. Maybe not though? “Well, goodnight. I will see you in the morning.”

“Good night.”

The next morning, you got into your morning attire: just a simple lavender dress that flowed past your ankles, then went out to meet with your guard.

“Good morning Sir Zen. Did anything happen last night?” You asked, a wide smile on your face; you were trying to do anything to get a reaction out of him.

“Nope, quite uneventful, which is good. At what time do you plan to go on your walk today?”

You thought through your schedule: your father was off consulting with Prince Jumin’s kingdom to discuss the apparent threat against the throne, so you would be eating breakfast in your quarters. “I’m going to have breakfast in my sitting room, then I’ll be ready for a walk,” you paused, “why don’t you join me for breakfast? I’m sure you must be hungry.”

There it was! The corner of his lips pulled up slightly; he was almost about to smile! “That would be quite nice, if you wouldn’t mind.” His face went back to its blankness, but it was nice to see his expression change. You motioned for him to follow you through the doorway, then you took your seats where you had sat the previous evening. Jaehee came up soon after, delivering a tray of pastries: croissants, bread with different spreads and jams, as well as cut meats and eggs.

You took a variety of the foods in front of you, while Zen stared blankly at the array. “Please, help yourself,” you urged, handing him a plate.

“I’ve never seen this much food for breakfast,” he explained, a little color rising to his cheeks. It looked quite beautiful as a contrast to his naturally pale complexion and hair.

“Well don’t let that intimidate you,” you giggled, loading up your warm bread with some of the cuts of meat. “I know it was an uneventful night, but still, standing outside my door for hours must have been exhausting.”

He followed your suit, eyeing a croissant curiously before finally deciding to place it on his plate. “It’s no problem; it’s my job.” He had closed himself up again. Maybe she shouldn’t have mentioned work. Perhaps he felt uncomfortable talking so casually with you, as Jaehee often felt. You ate in silence.

When you were finally finished, you set down your plate and looked at your guard-turned-guest. “Ready for the walk? It should be nice outside.”

“Yes, of course.” You led him outside of the castle then began the walk.

“Have you ever walked around the entire grounds?” You asked, looking back at him. He was following his respectable three steps’ distance behind.

“I can’t say I have.”

You turned back, smiling to him: “Well I guess I’ll have to give you the grand tour.” You turned to face him while you walked. “This is the river… Uhm, I like it. Downstream some more is the Duchy Embleword, which is where Duke Kim reigns; he’s been a close friend of our kingdom for quite some time now.”

You continued on the walk, making your way to the garden. “This is the Royal garden. It’s one of my favorite places to spend my time, especially in the spring.” He had stopped to observe the flowers; most people didn’t. He was looking closely at one of the flowers with black in its center and a striking burgundy on the edges of the petals. “A black fox dahlia,” you explained. “One of our many flowers. Quite an unusual one though; most people don’t take a liking to it.”

“I like it,” he plucked the stem of one, eyeing you to make sure you wouldn’t be upset if he did so. He wanted to look at it up close. “How does it get this color?”

“I’m not entirely sure, but I can find out for you,” you smiled eagerly. It was exciting to see him take such an interest in something.

He actually smiled this time. “I would like that.” Then he handed the flower to you. “I think you would appreciate this even more than me.”

“I feel it may be too personal for me to accept,” you admitted, looking away awkwardly.

“I’m pretty sure it is your garden, your flower.” You reluctantly accepted, thanked him, and continued on the walk. As you strolled, approaching the stables, you kept your eyes trained on the flower. Why had he felt so drawn to it? Most people found the dahlias to be somewhat of an eyesore, but you requested that the garden keep them, as the color was a nice contrast with the other many colors of the garden.

“Princess!” He called from behind you. He sounded alarmed. You looked up from the flower. All of a sudden, thud, you collided face-first with the ground.

#mystic messenger #mysme #crownsandcourtships #au #Jaehee kang #zen

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crystalwillow · 3 years

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Against All Odds, Part One

Pairing: James Whitmore x Lillie Jones

From: The Vampire Ball series on the Love Sick mobile interactive game app

Characters Backgrounds: James Whitmore is a magic professor at the prestigious Karnsein University, a school for the upper caste members of society. But they aren’t just ordinary upper caste members, they are vampires and witchers. Lillie Jones is an ordinary human, a lower caste member of society and works a normal mundane 9-5 job to help the man she believes to be her biological father pay the bills to keep the lights on, and her mothers medical bills to help her get the best care that can be given. When her mother sadly passes away she receives an invitation to Karnstein and as much as she tries to ignore it, she has no choice but to enroll. There she becomes the main target of a host of attacks from a mysterious Masked Man. Very soon after meeting James Whitmore she feels some kind of attraction to him. When the two venture away from the university to a town full of werewolves to fix their totem which helps them with their transitioning, James and Lillie discover they feel so connected because of a magical bond put on some ancestors many years ago, but Lillie’s ancestor wished not to marry James’ ancestor so now the magical bond sits in their bloodlines, waiting to be acted upon.

What this is: This is an AU of the story where I’ve taken out the magic that James has in being a witcher, and put the two characters in a more modern and accepting setting. James is not a professor, but an influencer, just like Lillie is in this AU. I know it’s not Choices, but I need to take a break from writing so full on for Choices characters until I’m ready to continue on with my AU’s (3 out of 4 of which are Ethan Ramsey), and just write for other pairing I like from similar apps to Choices. I will make a separate subsection for them in my masterlist so if you enjoy them you can find them at any time

Word count: 5.5K

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It had been two years since Lillie Jones had taken the dive into the deep end of life and brought the camera she had been saving for during the entirety of her teenage years hit record, then edited that video and posted it on social media. She hadn’t expected her first ever video to go anywhere far, so when it went semi-viral and she was getting calls from radio stations and offers to appear on national TV daytime shows, it was a lot for her to process. But now, it was as if it were second nature for her, she had a wedge of experience under her belt and was happy she had taken the dive. She was currently in the back of a taxi making her way into the heart of New York for an interview with a well esteemed magazine. But it wasn’t a solo interview this time, there was going to be another social media influencer there. After many minutes of car horns honking, and being jolted about like a salad being tossed in vinaigrette, Lillie paid her taxi driver and collected her things, heading inside the building with a pep in her step. Once she was inside she was greeted cheerfully by the staff upon arrival and escorted to her dressing room backstage to get ready. After about an hour of being there she was called onto set but stopped in her tracks behind the cameras as she stared at a gorgeous man with free flowing short brown locks of hair and a smile so white, she could have sworn it was visible from space.

“Miss Jones?” A voice said next to her bringing her back to the present moment.

“Who’s that?” she asked the lady standing next to her in a hushed tone.

“That’s James Whitmore. Our other interviewee for this take.”

“You mean… I’m being interviewed, alongside… him.”

Lillie started to internally panic and turned on her heel running out of the room and into the nearest bathroom, locking the door behind her. She had never been good around men she found attractive. She always managed to put her foot in her mouth, stutter too much and just make a complete fool of herself. It was the main reason she’s single, not that she could complain, she had her 2 pomeranians, Jasper and Rose to keep her company. And in the bedroom she had become such an expert at pleasing herself, she was convinced nobody else could learn so she just shrugged it off and didn’t even bother looking for love.

“Miss Jones, we need to start this interview to stay on schedule.” the same voice from before filtered through the door.

“Uh, it’s okay. Go ahead and interview James without me. I’m feeling a little queasy.” Lillie called back as she turned the cold tap on, wetting her hand before splashing the little droplets from the end of her fingers onto her face.

“What’s going on?” a muffled male voice sounded from the other side of the door.

“Mr. Whitmore! Ah, n-nothing major. Miss Jones is just feeling a little sick. We’ll commence the interview in just a moment.”

“Miss… Lillie Jones. Correct.”

“Yes sir. I’m sorry, just give me two mi-”

“Not necessary. Let me speak to her.”

Lillie swallowed harshly as there was shuffling outside the door, not only was she hiding from this man to avoid making a fool of herself. The hiding had turned into the very thing that was making her a fool. She jumped as a sharp knock rapped at the door.

“Miss Jones. Or Lillie. Can I call you that.” James asked and waited for an answer.

“L-Lillie is f-fine.” she stuttered back.

“Are you going to open the door so we can speak face to face?”

“No.” she squeaked out quicker than she probably should have done.

James gave a low, rich chuckle from the other side of the door. “It’s the looks right?”

Fuck. How did he know? Did he clock her staring but she just didn’t notice?

“Look it’s okay. I’d be nervous around me too. In fact, I am… nervous around myself.” he admitted openly.

Lillie stared at her reflection for a few more seconds before unlocking the door and opening it a crack. James sighed and asked to be excused and not followed for a moment before slipping inside the bathroom and shutting the door. Inside her found Lillie looking at herself in the mirror as she played with her hair, trying to position it right.

James stopped in his tracks as and watched her.

“Wow.” he gasped quietly.

Lillie froze. “What?”

“You- You’re even more beautiful in person. I-” James blushed furious at the realisation of what he had said as Lillie made eye contact with him in the mirror and cocked a brow at him. “I um… follow you.” he said, clearing his throat.

A small amused smile graced Lillie’s features and she suddenly didn’t feel so awkward anymore. “You. follow me?” she asked.

“I do.” James admitted.

“Wow. and here I am not even knowing who you are.” she chuckled as James faked being offended.

“I know my looks are… intimidating.”

“Understatement of the century.”

“But. Don’t let them turn you into every other girl I’ve met. Because at heart. I’m a nice guy.”

“Every other girl?”

“Running from me because I come across as a self centered jerk.”

“That’s not why I ran.”

“Then why did you? … Run that is.”

“Because… Because I got a feeling I haven’t felt in a long time and it’s terrifying.”

“Is running from that feeling and hiding because you’re scared the best thing to do?”

“Yes. No. Maybe… I… No. No, it’s… it’s not.”

James chuckled that low, rich chuckle again and it sounded so much better not filtered by a door that Lillie found herself squeezing her thighs together as she softly bit her lip, looking at him. James caught her looking and she looked away with a furious blush.

“Now. if you’ve finished hiding. I believe we have an interview to do?”

“I…. guess we do.” Lillie smiled. “Sorry for freaking out and making you run late.”

“It’s fine. I only have leisure time planned after this until The Met Gala tonight.”

“You’re going to that?!”

“I am. Don’t tell me that a pretty face like you wasn’t invited.”

“Of course I was. If you watch me, you’d know. Now unless that was a lie…”

The two laughed as they walked back on set and had microphones attached to them. The next hour passed smoothly with the energy between James and Lillie, light and playful as they did an interview for the magazine and filmed a Q&A video for the magazine’s YouTube channel. After returning the mics and gathering their belongings, The two headed outside, closely followed by their managers and waited on the sidewalk for their cars to collect them.

“So uh… Lillie?”

“Yeah?”

“Could I… get your number?” James asked as he shyly held his phone between them.

Lillie gave a smile and took his phone entering her number. “Let me guess. You’re going to get a picture of me off line and add it through edit later.”

“Actually… I was going to ask if we could take one together.”

“Now?”

“If you’re not opposed to it, that is.”

“Of course not. We can take a picture.”

“Awesome! Could you take it?!”

Lillie laughed “Tell me when you’re ready.”

James eagerly positioned himself behind Lillie. “Is it cool if I kiss your cheek?”

“I… sure!”

James lightly pressed his lips to Lillie’s cheek and she smiled as she took the photo.

“There.” she smiled, handing James his phone back.

“Thanks. You’re awesome.” James grinned as their hands grazed against each other.

It was clear there was a spark between these two, the energy on the part of the street they were on was so strong they hadn’t realised their cars had arrived. Until they heard their names being shouted. They pulled apart and shook their heads as if breaking a spell and both flushed bright pink.

“So I’ll um.. Hear from you soon?” Lillie asked as she stopped at the door of her car.

“Yeah. Real soon hopefully.” James smiled back, then the two headed off in opposite directions to get ready for The Met Gala later that night.

Around 8pm that evening Lillie’s phone rang with an unknown number and she answered putting it on speaker as she got her hair and makeup done.

“Hello?” she said

“Lillie! It’s James.”

“James, hey! You’re on speaker phone by the way. I’m having my hair and makeup done.”

“Ha, no sweat. You are too. I’m having last minute alterations made to my suit.”

The two spoke up until the moment they had to leave and make their way to the event and when she arrived, Lillie smiled brightly as she waved to the camera’s and people gathered around the event. She made her way along the red carpet and stopped for interviews and for the press to take their pictures. She was in the middle of posing for pictures when she heard her name being called from her left, but she remained professional and focused until she was let go and turned to find the source of her name being called when she spotted James waving at her.

“Hi!”

“James, hey!”

“Twice in one day huh?”

“Small world.”

They looked at each other before bursting out in a fit of laughter. James took in Lillie’s appearance once they had stopped laughing and whistled lowly.

“You look absolutely gorgeous.” He complemented

“Thank you! You’re looking quite dapper yourself.” Lillie smiled.

Once they had finished outside and were in the building where they had a little more privacy, the two wandered around together in deep conversation until James was called away to talk with some very powerful looking people and she was left to her own devices. She mingled throughout the night by herself but at some point snuck outside for some fresh air as she started to feel faint from how hot it was inside. James excused himself from his conversation and quietly followed her, concern filling his chest. Lillie found a bench nearby and sat on it, heaving in a deep breath and exhaling it slowly. James sat next to her and stared ahead, waiting to see if she would speak, but when she didn’t he took it upon himself to do so.

“Are you okay?” He asked, turning to her with a concerned brow raised.

“Yeah. Just… getting a bit stuffy in there. I needed some air.” Lillie explained with a small smile.

“You sure?” James asked

“Yeah.”

The two sat in companionable silence before James spoke up again.

“Lillie?”

“James.”

He chuckled a little at her beaming face. “What’s it like to kiss you?”

“What?”

“Nothing. Don’t worry it was… a stupid question. I should-”

“James, wait.” Lillie grabbed his arm spinning him back around and closer to her so their chests almost touched. “Why don’t you find out? I mean… I’m right here aren’t I?”

“Are you giving me permission to..?”

“Yes. James, I am.” She whispered with a smile.

Suddenly, nerves were all James could feel alongside his heart hammering in his chest. This was it, he was finally in a moment where he could kiss his year and a half long internet crush. He couldn’t fuck it up. His eyes felt heavy as they closed slowly whilst his lips connected to Lillie’s. His mind and stomach simultaneously bursting with joy and doing metaphorical backflips. Her lips were even softer than he imagined and dreamt of, they tasted of his favourite snack, salted caramel popcorn and it mixed perfectly with the small traces of wine left on her tongue. He was so absorbed into the moment he hadn’t noticed a few cameras flashing around them until he pulled away and softly opened his eyes, his gaze locking onto Lillie’s bright emerald orbs gazing up at him and the smile on her face. He felt giddy and like he was back in school again, sneaking off from a party to kiss the pretty girl he had a crush on. Except this time, he knew it was a serious crush because if this woman walked away and he never saw her in person again his heart would shatter.

“Wow.” He sighed and a small smile, his hand naturally connecting to Lillie’s cheek and brushing a stray strand of hair away.

“Did I meet your expectations?”

“You surpassed them by a long shot.”

Lillie giggled and the voices of the shouting press and other media outlets filtered through.

“James how long has this romance been going on?!”

“When did you two meet!”

“Does this mean you’re no longer single Mr. Whitmore!?”

“Lillie Jones. Are you only going after him because of money!”

Lillie stopped in her tracks, the look in her eyes scared James so much he took a step back as Lillie turn towards the reporter.

“Excuse. Me.” She asked through gritted teeth.

“Well James Whitmore has been in this game longer and has more money at this point. Is this a money motive love?”

“One. I don’t think it’s any of your business or your right to ask such insensitive questions. Two. If you’re even having to ask that question you clearly haven’t researched me well enough to know that I don’t need to chase romance for money motives because I’m sitting on a healthy 6 figure bank balance from all that I do from modelling to YouTube to 8 days a month I work at my local animal shelter! So… Maria. I suggest if you want to keep your job, you think before asking such insensitive things. Because next time you might not ask someone who is as nice as I am and willing to let you go with only a warning to NEVER ask me something like that ever again.”

The rest of the press diverted their attention away from the situation as Lillie stepped back from Maria and back over to James.

“Remind me never to get on your bad side.” James said and Lillie giggled as they headed back inside the gala.

The rest of the night went by smoothly and Lillie and James once again bid each other farewell outside and headed in separate directions.

The next morning greeted Lillie in the afternoon as she awoke with a hangover and a bunch of missed calls and texts from people. Groaning she trudged to her kitchen and took out a ginger juice shot and backed it in one, wincing at the spiciness, before turning around and heading to the bathroom to freshen up. Once she had taken care of that, she grabbed her phone and placed an order for food and watched the TV as she waited for her order. She stared at the screen and zoned out the the point where when her doorbell rang it scared the living daylights out of her. She rushed to answer it, however when she opened the door, it wasn’t her food delivery that greeted her, but a concerned looking James.

“Oh James! How did you-”

“Get your address?”

“Yeah.”

“I bugged your manager until he gave in.”

Lillie groaned. “Now he’s gonna hate me and keep going on about it at our meeting across town tomorrow.”

“Sorry. But you weren’t answering your phone. I thought maybe it was off because of the tabloids.”

“The tabloids?”

“Have you not seen yet?”

“I’ve literally just turned my TV on and put it straight onto netflix.”

James winced.

“What?” Lillie asked curiously.

“Can I come in?”

“Uh, yeah. Sure.”

Lillie moved aside letting James in and closed the door behind him. “The living room is this way.” she said walking forwards and James followed her.

Together they sat on the couch and James turned on one of the channels that reports on “hollywood drama” just as a segment about them came on. Lillie zoned in on their every word.

“Next on The HollyTrend, is she Pennsylvania’s Princess or just an uncouth, foul mouthed demon from hell. Last night at The Met Gala, Lillie Jones and James Whitmore were spotted by some paparazzi, sharing what seemed to be a very intimate and steamy moment together. But just seconds later, Lillie Jones snapped at a member of the press at a seemingly innocent question. When asked if the kiss they just shared was a PR stunt, Lillie turned on the paparzo and snapped at her in a very undermining tone. I can say one thing for sure here. And that is, James if you are dating her, get out. And get out now!”

Lillie couldn’t believe what she was hearing, and even though he was holding her hand. It wasn’t enough to comfort her from the lie and harsh words she had just been called. She ripped her hnd from James’ and rushed into her bedroom, locking the door behind her, climbing into her bed and letting the tears fall.

“Lillie, wait!” James called just as the doorbell rang. He sighed and answered it, taking in the food order and finding Lillie’s kitchen, placing the bags on the side, then going to the door which he heard slam shut and knocking gently. But the only thing he heard in response were muffled sobs.

“I just hate this job sometimes!” she yelled. “No mom, you don’t understand, I put myself out there. They see me as knowing what I was doing and inviting this kind of thing into my life!” the pain in her voice ripped at James’s heart as well as he mom’s on the other end of the line.

“He’s here. He came by to show me so I wouldn’t be alone when I read a paper or something I think. … He is. He’s a great guy. I only met him yesterday mom, I wouldn’t be able to tell if I’m in love yet! … Yeah, he’s a great kisser. MOM NO! DAD DON’T LISTEN TO HER! MOM! MOM!”

James knocked again as Lillie placed her phone on the bedside table as she realised her mom had hung up the call. She sighed heavily and got up to unbolt it. James entered with a small smile.

“Your food came. I’ve put it in your kitchen.”

“Oh. Thanks. You didn’t have to do that.”

James sat on the edge of her bed. “So you like locking doors huh?”

They both chuckled at his attempt at a joke. “Shut up.” Lillie giggled lightly kicking his leg.

“What? Are you gonna say it’s not true?”

“...No.” Lillie replied as she playfully rolled her eyes.

“What have you got planned for today?”

“I’m filming a vlog and a batch of about 7 videos for my channel.”

“Can I help?”

“Don’t you have a schedule of your own?”

“Trying to get rid of me now? Miss Jones?” James smiled mischievously, before launching himself at Lillie and attacking her with tickles.

“Ahh! James!” She laughed trying to push him off, but it was no use, he knew what he was doing and tickled her until she tapped out to catch her breath, lying next to her on the bed.

“That was fun.” He breathed heavily.

“Yeah.” Lillie responded in the same way.

As they laid catching their breath, in the middle of them, their hands brushed. They turned their heads and Lillie smiled at James whilst he blushed furiously from the slight contact.

“James?” Lillie asked, curiosity in her eyes.

“Yeah?”

“Be honest. Do you… have a crush on me?”

“What?! Nooooo. I just think you’re very.. pretty. A lovely woman. Uh…” he said, blushing bright red and truing his face away. Was he seriously being that obvious that she could tell he had a crush.

“James. I’m not stupid. Last night you wanted to know how it felt to kiss me. Today you came to warn me about the tabloids and held my hand as I watched and listened, then just a few moments ago you attacked me with tickles just to get me smiling again. There’s only one conclusion here.” She said and James sighed defeatedly.

“Okay. I’ll admit it. I do. … have a crush on you. I have for a while.”

“How long?”

“Hm?”

“The crush. How long?”

“A little over a year.”

“A little over… wow.”

“I’m not a stalker! I promise!”

Lillie laughed loudly at his outburst. “I never said you were.”

“No. But I just want to make it clear that I just think you’re extremely beautiful, caring, funny and down to earth. I love watching your videos where you give back to your community by helping all those charities. The looks on the kids faces, or the gratefulness from the people working the food banks when you donate ready made hampers…”

Lillie zoned out and listened to him, looking in his eyes and realised that he didn’t just have a crush, he was deeply in love with her and she didn’t even know him.

“... but my favourite thing that you’ve done by far, would have to be delivered care packages to the homeless. It just truly shows what a lovely human you are. And the tabloids don’t know shit about you if they want to call you an uncouth, foul mouthed demon. Because you aren’t. You aren’t Pennsylvania’s princess either. You’re Lillie Jones and if that’s not enough for them, they can go fuck themselves.”

Lillie sniffled and reached for a tissue to dab away the tears in her eyes, gaining James’ attention.

“Did I make you cry?”

“Don’t worry. These are good tears!” Lillie chuckled as she wiped the fallen tears from her cheeks and blew her nose. “It’s just… you’re… you’re amazing.”

“I know. But thank you.” James grinned.

“You’re also way past a crush and deeply in love with me and haven’t even taken me on a date yet. I call that quite rude.” She joked.

“When are you free?”

“What?”

“When are you free? I’ll arrange a date. You and me, no cameras that aren’t our own, unless they belong to fans.”

“Are you being serious?”

“Deadly so.”

“Um… give me a second.” Lillie said, grabbing her planner from her desk and flicking through the pages. “I’m free on a Thursday 2 weeks from now.”

“Awesome. Keep that day clear. I’m going to make it the best day of your life.”

“I’m holding you to that, Mr. Whitmore.”

They chuckled and headed back downstairs, into the kitchen where Lillie ruffled through her bags and pulled out her food.

“It’s almost cold.” She sighed, turning around to get a plate from the cupboard, whilst James sat on a bar stool across from her.

She put the food on the plate and set it in the microwave to heat up and heard her phone ringing from in the living room, where she discarded it on her way through to the kitchen.

“Can you watch my food? I should get that.” She said running off and James chuckled as he rose to his feet and stood by the microwave.

As James looked through her drawers for the cutlery, Lillie raised her voice in anger making him worry about what the phone call was about.

“...NO MARK BECAUSE IF YOU KNOW ME AT ALL! AND I MEAN AT ALL! YOU- NO I WILL NOT CALM DOWN WHEN YOU’RE TELL ME TO STAY AWAY FROM HIM UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE! UGH! THIS IS ONE TIME TOO MANY MARK, YOU ARE FIRED! EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY!” Lillie shouted then hung up angrily throwing her phone on the sofa and letting out a scream before heading back to the kitchen.

James was drinking a glass of water as she walked in “you… don’t mind do you?” He asked.

Lillie looked at him, somewhat dazed “huh? Oh! No. You’re fine.” She waved and plopped down onto a stool.

“You wanna talk about it? Things sounded pretty intense.”

“They tend to be that way when your now, ex-manager, tries to break any new friendship or relationship you try to make work over and over again.”

“Let me guess. That was about the tabloids and me?”

“Got it in one.”

Lillie sighed as James placed her plate in front of her. “I’m not that hungry anymore, do you wanna share this with me?”

James was about to protest when his stomach grumbled loudly. “Oh I… yeah.. okay.” He smiled and grabbed another fork from the drawer and sat next to her.

Later in the afternoon, Lillie was wide awake and ready to start filming sit down videos and the end to her vlog.

“So what’s the first sit down video?”

“A get ready with me. I haven’t done one in a while, so I need to bring my makeup down from my room, set up on the coffee table and film away.”

“I’ll sort your ring lights for you.”

“Thanks James. You’re amazing.” She smiled and found herself naturally pecking his cheek before skipping off upstairs, whilst James stood frozen in his spot.

“She kissed my face.” He whispered to himself before shaking from his daze and getting the work on sorting Lillie’s ring lights.

Lillie came back carrying a decent sized box with all of her makeup and tools in it and started setting out the basics on the coffee table.

“That’s a lot of makeup.”

“It takes a lot to go from textured to flawless.”

“I prefer you textured.”

They looked at each other before bursting out in laughter again. It had only been a little over 24 hours since Lillie had met James but she felt so comfortable around him, and she hadn’t put her foot in her mouth once. She could be 100% herself and he didn’t judge a bit.

“Do you want to be a guest in this video? Or would you prefer to sit and watch?”

“I’d like to watch. I find it calming watching you do your makeup.”

“Aw. You do?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. I’m ready, could you hit record for me?”

“Of course. In 3… 2…” James motioned one with his finger then nodded as the camera started recording.

“Hello my little Lilypads, welcome back to another video! And today, we’re going to be getting ready together. Now the look I want to show you this time is one you can use for date night. You know how I do it here, I will be showing you a dressed up and dressed down version of this look so… let’s get it!”

James watched as Lillie spoke to the camera as if he wasn’t even there. He was transfixed with how she seemed to work so quickly whilst talking to her audience. He silenced his phone as texts started coming through, and mouthed a quick sorry to Lillie. She smiled at him subtly and carried on with her makeup.

“You’ve all probably seen the tabloids by now about me and a certain someone, and are wondering if I’ll address it. Which I will, it just won’t be in this video. Because this is a get ready with me, not Lillie's bitching sesh.”

Off camera James suppressed a giggle and shook his head as he smiled whilst Lillie put the finishing touches to the dressed down version of the look.

“Now this is, ladies and gents, the dressed down version. It’s soft, a little playful, subtle with the glitter.” She stood up and got closer to the camera to show her eye shadow. “Now if it’s a night out with the girls. You’re going out for a meal, then hitting the club for a little bit, to dress this delicate little golden number up, all you need to add is some navy blue or black eyeshadow and white eyeliner, which I will show you how to do, right now.”

A couple of hours later Lillie had finished 3 sit down videos and her vlog, and was not getting ready to film a last minute video with James. They had both taken to their social media pages to ask for questions and were having dinner, allowing enough to roll in.

“How many questions are we answering?” James asked.

“As many as our hearts desire.”

After dinner, James and Lillie watched some TV whilst they let their food settle then they set up the camera in front of the sofa and worked through the questions, some were funny, some were rude and addressed so, whilst other were just normal questions any curious person would ask.

“... OOO! This is a good one. It’s from Lillies_Angels. Does James have any pets of his own? He seems like a cat kind of guy but I could be wrong. From Charlotte.”

“I don’t have any pets, but I have adopted a baby elephant, who I try to go and see once every two months. I named him Winfred, after my father. It’s also my middle name, so he is technically named after both of us.”

“Really? Wow. Thanks for that question Charlotte. I hope you and the girls are doing okay, it’s been a while since we spoke, let’s talk soon! … Okay, one more question from your side James and then we’ll wrap this video up.”

James scrolled through the thousands of questions he had in response to his post until he found one that made him chuckle. “Okay. I’ve put you under pressure in this video so I think it’s only fair I answer a similar question.” taking a deep breath he read out the question. “Do you ever think Lillie will like you back as much as you like her? You’ve been pretty vocal about wanting to meet her over the last few months.” He blushed as he locked his phone and placed it aside on the table. “I.. don’t know. Is the honest answer to your question Sam. I am just thankful for being blessed enough to have this moment come. She knows that I have a crush on her now, but I’m not trying to rush a love story. Love stories take time to craft and make. If anything more were to happen between us, I’d want it to be natural and unforced.”

“Plus, he is taking me on a date Sam. so you needn’t worry. But sticking to what James is trying to say. We won’t be a couple to continuously post every couple thing we do on social media, if we become more than friends. I think we’d share milestones and highlights from vacations maybe, but anything else, I’d like to think we’d keep that private.”

James smiled and answered Lillie’s statement and Lillie wrapped up the video before James got up and pressed the button to stop recording.

“Okay 4 sit down videos complete, 3 to go and then I can hit the hay before waking up tomorrow and looking for a new manager.” Lillie said as she took a deep breath to center herself.

“I admire you even more now you know. You work so much harder than I thought. I thought you filmed one video a day every day for a week, but you film in batches like this?”

“What and you don’t?”

“I don’t. Actually. I film 2 videos a day, 3 days a week. And vlog whenever I feel like it. On top of that I model for Hugo Boss, Dior and BooHoo Man. But you do so much more.”

“It’s not a competition James. We each have our own limits and boundaries.” Lillie smiled.

“Yeah. I guess you’re right.” James sighed checking the time. “Woah is it really that late?”

Lillie yawned as she looked at the clock on the wall and saw it read 11:48pm. “It must be.”

“Are you going to be okay to record on your own now? I’ve got a flight to catch in two hours. I’m going to Italy for a photoshoot.”

“Yeah. I’ll be fine. I’ve only got a bake with me, a clean with me and a wine and chill to film. So I’ll be fine. You head home and grab your things then head to the airport. I wouldn’t want you to miss your gig.”

They stopped at Lillie’s front door and shared a hug before James pulled his coat on. “You’re sure you’re going to be okay?”

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

James smiled and gave her another hug before walking out of the door and descending the steps.

“Oh and James?!” Lillie called out.

He spun on his heel and looked up at her “Yeah?”

“Thanks for checking on me and … spending the afternoon helping me out. I… Thank you.” she smiled

“It’s no problem. Anytime I’m free, if you need me just call.” James replied.

And with a small smile and wave to each other he headed off towards the taxi rank not far from Lillie’s house, Lillie closing her front door, locking it and turning on her security system before heading back to filming more videos.

#not choices #love sick interactive game #james whitmore #lillie jones #love sick vampire ball #love sick james whitmore #love sick lillie jones #vampire ball AU #james whitmore x lillie jones #vampire ball mc #james whitmore x mc

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ladyreapermc · 4 years

Text

Fic: This isn’t a rom-com 6/?

Wordcount: 3156

Warnings: lots of fluff! someone is still oblivious, the other not so much.

Previous Chapters:

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

It might be a cliché, but Keanu hadn’t felt like this over a person in years. He cared about everyone he ever dated of course. However, thinking about them constantly, wondering what they were doing, feeling this urge to see them and talk to them every day? That didn’t happen all that often anymore and it was both wonderful and terrifying.

And it was so stupid because he and Lilah weren’t even dating. They were friends. Just friends. And Keanu was ok with that. As a matter of fact, it was probably for the best that they were just friends.

For one, Keanu would have to go back to Los Angeles when John Wick’s principal photography ended in a couple of months. New York was Lilah’s home. Besides, no matter how much he enjoyed her company, the age difference between the two of them would give the press a field day.

So it would probably be for the best if he took a step back from this, avoid getting even more involved. Except Keanu didn’t seem to have full control of his own mouth anymore whenever he was around Lilah, because he always ended finding ways to see her again. Now here he was, after shooting fight scenes all night and a considerable part of the day, getting ready to go meet her.

Keanu was exhausted, sore and stiff from exertion and he knew that Lilah wouldn’t really mind if he scheduled, but Keanu couldn’t bring himself to do it. It was almost as if he was addicted to her and couldn’t go long periods of time without seeing or speaking to her, especially not now that they were talking on the phone every day.

Most of the time, it wasn’t even anything important. Just silly stories of their routine or comments on Scanner Darkly. But whenever his phone beeped with a new message his heart did a flip on his chest and Keanu hurried to pick up and call back.

Keanu popped two painkillers as he changed into a clean pair of jeans and a t-shirt, startling a little when his phone rang. Once again, his heart sped up, but it wasn’t Lilah. It was his sister Kim.

“Hey, I’m heading out. Can I call you tomorrow?” he asked as he put on his coat.

“Sure. Where are you going?” Kim asked, tone curious.

“Just meeting a friend,” he replied after a moment of hesitation.

Keanu had very deliberately kept this entire thing with Lilah from his family and the rest of his friends with the exception of Chad. They were always ended getting way too excited whenever he was dating again. Not that he was dating Lilah. But still…

“What was that?” she asked, and he could almost hear her smirk. “That pause? Who are you meeting?”

“You don’t know them.” Keanu tried to be as vague as possible, but it was Kim and she knew him way too well.

“Are you going on a date? I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!”

“It’s not a date. We’re just friends and I really gotta go,” Keanu said, walking towards his bike.

“Ok, but I wanna hear all about it when you get back,” Kim declared, voice giddy. “I don’t care how late it is. Call me!”

She didn’t wait for his reply, just hung up before he could tell her no and Keanu sighed, slipping his phone on his pocket. He knew there was no escaping now. Kim would prod until he told her everything. Maybe that could be a good thing. He needed a second opinion about this entire thing. But that was something to think about at another moment.

Right now, he was standing outside her door, heart pounding on his chest as he knocked. A moment later, Lilah pulled it open, flashing him a wide smile, as she talked on the phone in a different language.

She stepped aside so he could walk in and silently asked for a second before she disappeared inside her bedroom. Keanu closed the door behind himself, took off his shoes and hung his coat, before settling on the couch, rolling his shoulders to try to loosen the muscles, grimacing at the sharp pain that shot through his back. Maybe he might be getting too old for this kind of work schedule.

“Are you ok?” her voice startled him, making his eyes snap open and he didn’t even realize he had closed them. “You look dead on your feet.”

“Gee, thanks,” he shot back with a mock glare and Lilah chuckled as she joined him on the couch.

“That’s not what I mean. You look good, of course. You always look good…” she trailed off with an embarrassed wince and Keanu grinned. He loved when she did that.

“Likewise,” Keanu said, sneaking a quick once over.

She had on an oversized sweater and a pair of denim shorts, her hair pulled up in a messy bun on top of her head, exposing her long neck. Lilah flashed him a smile, a hint of color tinting her cheeks.

“Thanks. I just meant that you look tired.”

“It was a long day, but I’m fine.”

“You’re sure?” she asked, catching her bottom lip between her teeth and Keanu couldn’t help but watch her mouth. “I understand if you wanna head home…”

“I really am fine, Lilah,” Keanu assured taking her hand, squeezing lightly.

She still hesitated, watching him with narrowed eyes and Keanu could see the hint of worry in her frown. It made him smile. Even if he was exhausted, there was nowhere he would rather be right now.

“So, what are we watching tonight?”

“Right, so…” Lilah started with a sheepish expression. “I totally understand if you don’t wanna watch this one. I should’ve checked before I invited you.”

“Why wouldn’t I…” Keanu trailed off when she showed him the cover. “This is for your research, you say?”

“Yeah, I'm reviewing 25 rom coms with biggest box office in the last twenty years to analyze what kind of behavioral rules they establish for women. Something's Gotta Give is number 18 in my list.”

Keanu wasn’t really surprised that her research involved movies, Lilah seemed to love everything that had anything to do with storytelling.

He took a moment to consider since he didn’t rewatch his movies all that often. If they were on, depending on what it was, Keanu might stop and watch it, take a trip on memory lane. This wasn’t the case and he felt a little self-conscious to do with Lilah, but he still hadn’t really learned how to say no to her.

“Then I don’t mind watching it. Can’t get in the way of science, after all,” Keanu replied and Lilah grinned wide, jumping to her feet to set it up. He took a moment to examine the DVD case, noticing the absence of a rental logo. It made him smirk. “I thought you hated rom-coms?”

“I do,” Lilah replied distractedly.

“So this belongs to one of your friends?” he asked with an arched eyebrow. Lilah flushed bright red as she sat next to him again, taking back the DVD case.

“No. It’s, uh, mine,” she confessed in a low voice, avoiding his gaze. “I might own a few of your movies. Is that weird?”

“That you like my movies? No, it’s fine… I mean, unless you have posters of me and other shit in your bedroom. Then I might have to leave…” he joked with a goofy grin, making like he was about to stand up and Lilah pulled him back, chuckling.

“No posters. I promise.”

Keanu chuckled too, enjoying the way she kept her arm hooked around his even after he sat back next to her. She started the movie, shifting a little, searching for a comfortable position. After about a minute of that, he gave her a pointed look.

“Sorry, I’m just used to stretching my legs over the couch.”

“Go ahead, I don’t mind,” he replied with a shrug and after a minute of hesitation, Lilah leaned back on the couch’s arm, resting her legs over his.

And maybe Keanu should’ve thought this through because now he had her bare calves over his thighs, her skin looking silky soft and tempting him into running his fingers up her knees and thighs and into her shorts…

He cleared his throat and looked back at the screen, feeling too warm, his jeans a little tighter than before. He prayed that Lilah hadn’t noticed it and fought to keep his focus on the movie. but his gaze kept traveling back to Lilah, watching as she chewed on her pen, eyes on the screen with a cute little frown of concentration. Every once in awhile, she would press pause, to make a notation.

It was only because Keanu was watching her instead of the movie that he noticed the shift on her expression, her knitted brow relaxing and her expression changing into a wide smile. When he glanced back at the movie, he saw a twelve years younger version of himself on the screen.

“Ok, how come you haven’t aged a day?” Lilah asked with a teasing grin. “I mean, with the exception of growing a beard, you look exactly the same.”

“Trust me, I don’t,” Keanu replied with an uncomfortable snort. His aching muscles told him exactly how things had changed.

“It makes you wonder…” Lilah continued as she sat up, pulling her legs away from his lap. “If the internet might be right.”

“About?” Keanu asked with an arched eyebrow.

“You being immortal.”

There was a mischievous glint in her eyes and there was the only reason Keanu wasn’t annoyed about it. He really hated all the comments of how young he looked for his age as if it was some kind of special merit.

“So, how’s the movie so far?” Keanu asked as a way of shifting the conversation.

“Well, it technically passes the Bechdel's test, which is a good start,” Lilah explained. “The protagonist is over forty, with a stablished career that she doesn’t give up on at the end, also good. And the age gap between the main couple isn’t too big,”

“What would be a too big age gap?” Keanu asked, feeling a knot in his throat.

“Anything over 10 years would already be a bit problematic,” Lilah replied, glancing over her shoulder. “I made hot chocolate. Want some?”

“Yeah.” He had to force his voice to work, his mind flashing to the fact that he was 20 years older than Lilah.

“Why?” Keanu asked because apparently, he was a masochist.

“Why is it problematic?” Lilah questioned, returning to the couch and offering him a mug. “Well, for one it tells women that they only attractive and desirable while young.”

“Not all relationships are about looks” He knew he should stop and keep his mouth shut but he couldn’t help himself.

“You still have a guy that’s already stable on his job, probably have been through a previous marriage, against a woman who’s figuring herself out, probably really insecure… There’s just a bigger chance for power imbalance in the relationship…”

“So, you’re saying an older man’s gonna try to control a younger woman? Every time? Isn’t that a little dark? Jaded?” Keanu asked with a frown. If she really thought that then it was no wonder she couldn’t see him as anything more than a friend.

“I’m not saying he would do it on purpose,” she said, maybe picking something on his expression because she was frowning too. “But yeah… Bigger chance of him being paternalist too.” Lilah paused for a moment, chewing on her lip. “Can we just go back to the movie, please?”

Keanu just nodded, turning his focus to the screen but the uncomfortable tension lingered as they avoided looking at each other and any point of physical contact that existed only moments ago was gone.

“The fact that the male protagonist is a womanizer that needs to be reformed is pretty bad,” Lilah said breaking the awkward silence.

Keanu looked her way, catching her hesitant but sort of hopeful look. It almost as if she was silently asking him if they could move on from this.

“Why is that?” He relented with a sigh.

“Because it suggests women are required to fix their significant others in the name of love. That not only sends a terrible message, but it’s also lazy writing!”

Her voice went a little squeaky with her irritation and despite the turmoil of thoughts going through his head, he couldn’t help but smile at that. It was cute.

“Also, if you’re trying to convince me they fell in love for each other after a weekend, give me something better than damn pancakes and beach stones!” Lilah rolled her eyes with a snort of derision.

“You know, you’d probably make a great screenwriter,” Keanu commented.

“Thanks,” she replied, ducking her head to hide her shy smile. “I thought about it when I was seventeen. Going to film school, I mean.”

“Why didn’t you?” he asked turning to face Lilah with a curious look. Keanu was always interested in learning a little more about her.

“Because I needed something that could actually pay the bills,” Lilah declared with the kind of certainty that only came from a rehearsed speech. Those were words she repeated quite often even if she didn’t really believe them. “Just something my dad used to say.”

“It pays my bills just fine,” Keanu pointed out and Lilah snorted.

“That’s because you’re very good.”

There was a different kind of certainty in her tone this time. It was almost matter-of-factly. Almost as if to her, that statement was as obvious as something like the sky was blue.

“A lot of people wouldn’t agree with you.”

“Because they’re morons!” Lilah declared with an eye-roll. “I mean, you can go from airhead with heart of gold like Ted, to emotionally stunted jerk like Constantine to complete sweetheart like Julian. That’s a lot of range, ok? And sure, you’ve made some sketchy choices throughout the years with some weird indie movies that I couldn’t bring myself to watch, but overall your movies are awesome, you’re very talented and anyone who says otherwise deserves to be punched in the face.”

For a moment, Keanu didn’t know what to say or do. He knew despite the bad reviews he received, a lot of people enjoyed his work. But he never had the chance of hearing such passionate speech about himself. It was humbling and heartwarming and he could feel himself blushing with a mix of pleasure and embarrassment.

Not to mention he caught that same glint of excitement in Lilah’s eyes, the one that always appeared whenever she talked about something she loved.

“Sorry. Too much?” she asked.

“No… it’s…” he stuttered, glancing at her with a hesitant smile. “Thank you.”

“I mean every word. Even before you were my friend,” she said, bumping her shoulder against his and Keanu sighed, trying not to let his disappointment show. There it was again. that damn word. “And anyway, I like psychology just fine. Film school was just a stupid teenage dream.”

“Doesn’t have to be,” he said because Lilah was like an open book sometimes. He could see right through her attempt of a brave face.

“It’s too late, Keanu. I’m not gonna throw away ten years of work for some pipe dream,” Lilah declared with a sigh, avoiding his gaze.

“Is that another thing you father says?” The words escaped his lips before Keanu could contain them and Lilah’s expression quickly shifted into a scowl of irritation.

“You don’t know anything about my father or my family, ok? You don’t get to talk about them.” She grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. “Maybe you should go.”

“Lilah…” Keanu started, wanting to kick himself. “I’m sorry.”

“Whatever,” she breathed out, sounding a little like a petulant child.

“Please look at me,” he asked and after a moment, Lilah reluctantly shifted her gaze to him. Keanu took her hand in his. “That was a shitty thing to say. I had no right. I’m sorry.”

“I know…” she sighed, shoulders dropping, turning her hand up so she could entwine their fingers together. “It’s just a touchy subject.”

“I really am sorry,” he repeated because the thought of Lilah being upset with him made something in his chest hurt.

“I know. You’re forgiven.” Lilah flashed him a small smile.

Keanu nodded, relief washing over him and in an impulse, he brought her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles and her smile grew, her fingers coming to his cheek, caressing his jaw and he sighed in pleasure, leaning against her touch and all he wanted was to kiss her.

“I should go…” he whispered and Lilah grimaced.

“I didn’t really mean that… we can finish the movie.” she urged,

And Keanu wanted to say yes and stay with her for as long as Lilah wanted him, but he couldn’t. Not when he could feel the words on the tip of his tongue. The longer he stayed, the harder would it be to keep them at bay. The second they were out Keanu knew it would ruin everything. And he was already too far in love with her to handle not having her in his life. Even if only as a friend.

“I guess I’m a lot more tired than I first thought.” He smiled at the way she pouted at him. “But we can do something this weekend, how about that?”

“Yeah, ok.” Lilah grinned and strangely this time it made his heart settle in his chest instead of speeding up. Almost as if making her happy relaxed him.

Lilah walked him to the door and waited as Keanu put on his coat and shoes. As he bent down to kiss her goodnight, Lilah got up on her tiptoes to do the same and they ended up bumping noses and giggling.

Keanu held her chin and met her gaze for a moment, before he brushed his lips against her cheek, way too close to the corner of her mouth.

“Bye, Lilah,” Keanu said almost reluctantly before walking away from her.

When Keanu arrived at home, he knew he should head to bed. He had been awake for over sixteen hours and needed to be on set 6:30, but instead, he took his laptop and did a quick search on screenwriting programs.

He found a master's program that seemed very good at the New York Film Academy. They were still taking applications for the first term of 2014 on both campuses: New York and Los Angeles.

He texted Lilah the link with a quick message, before lying back on his bed. And if Keanu tried hard enough, he could pretend he didn’t send that one with a secret hope that Lilah would choose the LA campus.

(tbc)

go to part 7

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fiction-boys-rule · 5 years

Text

Talking In Your Sleep

Pairing: Eric/(Y/N)

Warnings: swearing, sexual references, alcohol references, Eric being an asshole, fluff

Song that inspired this fic: Talking In Your Sleep - The Romantics

Link For Song: Talking In Your Sleep

(Y/N): your name

Eric opens his eyes, glancing down to the sleeping female sprawled over his chest. He slightly flinches, stilling when the female moves. He frowns, laying his head back when he starts to recollect his knowledge of the earlier hours. As usual, he took out his stress physically, but this time is different. Way different. He never lets women sleep in his bed for the night. Never. But this woman is different. For once, a friendship formed before an actual attraction. If Eric had to describe this relationship, he would use the term friends with benefits very loosely. Yes, physical release was sought and achieved, but respect was both mutually received and given. Loyalty as friends came first before personal gain. If one of them had to cut the bullshit and deal with a problem, they dealt with it.

This relationship is very complex, something only Eric or the woman can understand. Commitment is not something that is asked for, but both follow the rules of commitment. Eric would have moved on by now, would have sought another person, would have ended whatever this relationship is. But this woman has become the exception to many rules originally held by Eric. Eric often uses excuses for these rule breakers, like they have the same schedule, the same job, nothing to lose if they decide to stop. But deep down, Eric knows his excuses are only attempts at hiding a much deeper and terrifying secret.

When you close your eyes and you go to sleep And it's down to the sound of a heartbeat I can hear the things that you're dreaming about When you open up your heart and the truth comes out

Eric sighs, looking around the dimly lit room towards the clock; 3:00 a.m. A few more hours of sleep will help to relieve the pounding pain in his head. His thumb absentmindedly rubs the woman's arm. Eric frowns, stopping the action and contemplating pushing the woman off of him. But he decides against it, finding a small amount of comfort in her warmth and the content look on her face, something he will never admit to anyone.

"Eric…"

Opening his eyes, Eric looks at the woman, seeing her eyes closed and body still. Eric starts wracking his brain for any memory of how much alcohol he could have consumed to possibly explain a chance of him hallucinating.

"Fuck, Eric….I need you."

Eric realizes she is talking, but he doesn't believe what he is hearing. He has never heard her talk in her sleep, although she has fallen asleep shortly with him before many times.

"No, Eric…" the woman mumbles, followed by other undecipherable words.

Eric doesn't move, straining to keep listening. His curiosity has been spiked, and now the pain in his head doesn't bother him as much.

"I need you, don't leave me. I want you," the woman whimpers, slightly moving.

Eric hesitantly rubs her arm, careful to not wake her.

She stills, and Eric pulls away, coming to the conclusion that she has settled down. He sighs, laying back down and closing his eyes.

"I love you Eric, don't leave me. I love you."

Eric jumps up, staring at her. She turns around, sighing and settling back into a deep slumber. He is speechless, wanting to believe that he has heard her wrong, but he knows he's wrong. She loves him, and he loves her too. Eric gets out of bed, going into the kitchen and grabbing some pain pills. He downs them, standing tensely at the counter. He looks towards the bedroom door, tapping his foot. Grunting, he walks back into the bedroom and slowly gets back into bed. Back facing her, he struggles to fall asleep before dozing off.

You tell me that you want me You tell me that you need me You tell me that you love me And I know that I'm right 'Cause I hear it in the night

Eric wakes to the sound of footsteps quickly scuttling around the room.

"Eric…?"

Eric groans, peeking his head up from the covers.

"We're late. You should get dressed. Unless you want Max to yell at us for being late to a meeting for the fourth time this month."

Eric sits up, watching closely as she pulls her clothes over her body, every inch of her mesmerizing him. Suddenly, the revelation of last night settles on his shoulders like a ton of bricks. He is slowly losing control, knowing that he is going to have to make a decision. They perform their usual morning-after routine, navigating through each other to prepare for their days. Eric likes her here, the scent of her in his bed, her clothes all over his bedroom floor, the memories from their late nights out and their times together, not only as his sexual partner, but his friend.

But Eric knows he will never be good enough for her, and she deserves better. Their relationship will never work and he should stop delaying the inevitable; breaking her heart. She loves him and he loves her, but love isn't enough. Love scares him, love isn't meant for the bad guy. Good girls like her belong with Prince Charmings, and he is no prince.

They walk out of his apartment, Eric closing the door. Walking in silence, Eric is filled with hate for himself, and confusion as to what he is supposed to do next. Even if she did love him back, he would just end up breaking her heart. She could have been dreaming for all he knows. Maybe she doesn't even feel anything but sexual attraction for him; and even then, that attraction will die out eventually. The confusion leads him to one conclusion; one that he never thought would come this soon and in this way.

He stops her in front of the office doors, gaze turned cold and unmerciful, the switch for his usual persona turned on.

"What?"

"(Y/N), we have to end this."

"End…what?" "The whole fucking each other and using each other."

"I was never using you, Eric. I told you this was going to be a respectful thing for both of us. Wait, where you using me this whole time?"

"It ends now." Eric glares down at her, his heart guarded by a thick wall of thorns.

"Is this because I slept over last night?"

"Just stop, okay? Stop being this way. It needs to end. It was never going to last. I used you, you used me. It was fun while it lasted, yeah. But that is all it was. Fun. I'm tired of it now. You were a good fuck, but that's all you ever were."

(Y/N) blinks, stepping back. Eric knows he has gone too far, and he has lost his only true friend. But at this point, he isn't taking anything back. He is going to die alone, anyway. Might as well get used to no one caring about him.

She frowns, "I don't…"

"You don't have to get it. It's over. That's it. Don't make this more complicated than it is."

"You're just going to end it like that? What did I do to-"

"Stop! Just fucking accept it and move on. You were just someone stupid enough to think that I would keep you around. Well guess what? That's it. I'll find a replacement for you. You think you're special? You're not. You just had a good body, and you were a good bitch to fuck. I'm bored of you now, so fuck off."

A sting on his left cheek makes him touch his face, realizing that (Y/N) has slapped him. She has tears falling from her eyes, a furious look on her face, something Eric has never seen, and that makes something in him break slightly.

"Fuck you, Eric Coulter. You lying son of a bitch. I hate you, I hate you!" she yells, punching his chest.

Max walks out, frowning at the pair.

"You're late again.." he mumbles uncertainly.

(Y/N) glares at Eric, turning away and wiping her face. Eric stares at her, something in him making him unable to move.

"Eric. Get inside. Start the overview for the reports. Now."

Eric silently walks in, seeing the leaders around the table looking curiously at him.

"(Y/N), let's take a walk." he hears Max say before he slams the door shut.

"Grab your reports and let’s begin." he snaps.

I hear the secrets that you keep When you're talking in your sleep I hear the secrets that you keep When you're talking in your sleep

Eric pauses his punching when he hears Max walk into the room, eyeing him curiously.

"What?" Eric snaps, stopping the bag.

"You're an asshole, Eric. I'll give you that. But you don't just break good people's hearts for nothing."

Eric scoffs, continuing, "I got tired of her. I did her a favor by-"

"Shut up!"

Eric stills, frowning incredulously at Max, who has never raised his voice at Eric in such a way.

"Only an idiot would believe that lie. I know you're scared for what you feel for her, and that's why you're pushing her away. If it were anyone else, I wouldn't care and I wouldn't make it my business. But I am good friends with (Y/N)'s father and she has been like a daughter for me ever since she became a leader. She deserves better from you. You didn't need to hurt her like that. Unless you want to be fired and expulsed to become a Factionless, I suggest you apologize and try to make things right."

"Max, you're fucking-"

"I'm serious, Eric." Max says lowly, pacing around the room.

"I'm not going to-"

"Well then, you can pack your things and go." Max says pointedly, walking away.

Eric yells, accelerating his assault on the bag.

Later that night, with a preposterous amount of alcohol in his system, Eric drunkenly finds himself in front of the door to (Y/N)'s apartment at an outrageous hour.

He raises his hand to knock, but stumbles and ends up falling back against the door. He groans, attempting to stand back up. Before he can right himself, the door opens and he half falls back.

"Fucking great…" (Y/N) mumbles, stepping back.

Eric groans, still attempting to sit up right. (Y/N) sighs, grabbing him and dragging him into the apartment.

"You are so stupid, Eric Coulter. You get drunk, you decide I'm too nice to not leave you alone and you come here to take advantage of how I am," she roughly pushes him in a sitting position against the couch, "just like when you decided to end our friendship and anything good that we had going for each other, you prick."

Eric grimaces, head pounding at her loud tone. His drunken state makes him more vulnerable, and right now, he doesn't have the heart or mindset to treat her badly. So he takes the hits, and hopes to not mess this up again.

She shoves a glass of water in his hands, glaring at him.

"Drink."

Her eyes soften, "It'll sober you up, make you feel better."

Eric slowly takes the glass, staring up at her.

"Max sent you here, didn't he? I wonder what he threatened you with to make you swallow your pride and come here. Got to say though, even drunk you have some nerve showing up here. Fuck you for knowing I wouldn't have the heart to turn you away," she sighs, leaning on the kitchen sink, "God damn it, why did I let myself get close to you?"

She is crying now, Eric is staring at the floor, feeling like more of an asshole than usual. He curses himself in his head, over and over, wishing he could say something, anything, to make her stop crying.

Eric sets the glass down, closing his eyes. They fall into a long silence, neither daring to speak. She is quietly sniffling, head in her hands.

"Fuck, I think I need a drink now too."

She grabs a bottle and glass, walking to the couch. Sitting, she pours a drink and sighs heavily.

"What the hell am I doing?"

"Giving an asshole a second chance."

"Who said anything about a second chance?" Eric sighs, "I came here for one."

She stares, confusion written clearly over her face.

"Max is going to kick me out if I don't apologize. Or at least make my life a living hell. Not like it isn't already."

"So you came here to keep your job? Is that it?" "I came here to keep my job and get a friend back that I never deserved."

Eric looks away, running a hand through his hair.

When I hold you in my arms at night Don't you know you're sleeping in the spotlight And all your dreams that you keep inside You're telling me the secrets that you just can't hide

"Damn right you never deserved me." she takes another drink, setting the glass down forcefully.

"I don't even know why I should forgive you. All those things you said about me, you used me, you led me on, you…"

She sighs, starting to cry again.

Eric glances at her, rubbing his hands together.

"You don't have to. You probably shouldn't." "I just-"

"You hate me, I know. A lot of people do."

"I don't. That's the thing, Eric. Even after all this, I can’t hate you. I-I can't. I wish I could, but I can't. I forgive you. If that's what it takes for Max to let you stay, then so be it."

"Okay then-"

"I want you to say it."

"What? Say what?" "Apologize. I-I want to hear it. I think it's the least you could do."

Eric sighs, running his tongue over his bottom lip.

"What? You want me to say I'm sorry?"

"Fine then, don't." she stands abruptly, heading to the bedroom.

"I'm sorry!"

She stops, slowly turning.

"I'm sorry," he sighs, "I was an asshole, but I took it too far. If you give me a second chance, I can't guarantee that it won't happen again, but I'll try harder to keep myself in line. After all, I don't want Max coming after me again."

She laughs lightly, throwing a pillow at him.

"You're such an ass."

"I can be your ass."

She frowns, slowly sitting again, "What?" "I heard you talking in your sleep last night. It’s why I said what I said."

"What, did you hear me talking about another hot guy in my sleep?" she smirks.

"You said you loved me."

She scoffs, "What?"

"You said other stuff too, but I'll spare your pride."

She smacks him lightly, laughing.

"Did I really say that?" she whispers.

"Yeah."

"So what, you got scared of being in love and decided to completely cut me out of your life?"

"That was the idea."

"Never took you for a coward."

He rolls his eyes, making her smile.

"It's true, just so you know."

"What?" "I do love you, Eric. I have for a while now. But I knew you wouldn't want something serious and I was scared of telling you. I didn't want to get hurt. Everyone said girls like me aren't meant for guys like you."

"They were wrong."

"Why do you say that?"

He stares at her, his mouth unable to form the words. She smiles at him, a look of understanding on her face.

"I'm not going to make you say it, Eric. I kind of figured it out when you showed up at my door with your tail tucked between your legs. The only way to get through to you is when you're drunk."

"Not going to argue with that." he mumbles.

You tell me that you want me You tell me that you need me You tell me that you love me And I know that I'm right 'Cause I hear it in the night

"Are you willing to give us a try, Eric?"

Eric clenches his jaw, closing his eyes. He feels like passing out and never waking up again.

"I am."

He opens his eyes and sees her smile, making his heart jump.

"But for now," she stands, "you are sleeping on the couch and we are starting from scratch. So don't start anything and don't do anything sneaky, asshole. I'll bring you a blanket and you can stay the night but only tonight."

"Fair enough." he grumbles, struggling to stand.

She rolls her eyes and helps him up, leading him to the bathroom.

"Shower, and be careful. Don't want you falling and splitting your skull open."

"Yes, that would be unfortunate."

He strips, (Y/N) standing in the doorway.

"What? I don't get a show, but you get all the entertainment?" he grumbles.

"You are on probation and you owe me big time. So I get to admire you while all you have is your imagination. You're not getting any action for another few weeks, mister."

"We'll see about that. I heard I'm very hard to resist." Eric mumbles, reaching out to grab her arm. She maneuvers out of the way, shaking her head, "No way, no how. You smell like whiskey and regret and that is very resistible at the moment."

She quickly closes the door, making Eric groan. After showering, he walks out naked into her bedroom.

"Eric, what the hell? Put on some clothes!"

"Well you're forgetting that my clothes are on those drawers and you didn't give me anything new to change into. Call that a coincidence, I call it temptation."

"Trust me, your drunk mind is making you hallucinate. Here, change into this. No more walking around naked!"

"You didn't mind before." he grumbles lowly, walking away.

She rolls her eyes, walking back into the room.

He plops down on the couch, sighing heavily. He is physically and mentally exhausted, not used to being so open emotionally. Something in him tells him that Max was bluffing when he threatened to throw Eric out; he is too much of an asset to dispose of. Or maybe he doesn't know Max as well as he thinks he does.

Stirring slightly, he finds a comfortable position and soon dozes off, the day's exhaustion hitting him like a ton of bricks.

I hear the secrets that you keep When you're talking in your sleep I hear the secrets that you keep When you're talking in your sleep I hear the secrets that you keep When you're talking in your sleep I hear the secrets that you keep When you're talking in your sleep

The next day, Eric jumps up, gasping for air. (Y/N) laughs, holding the empty bowl in her hands. He looks down, most of his upper body soaked with water. (Y/N) is on the floor now, holding her stomach and rolling with laughter.

"What a fucking wake up call." Eric mumbles, sighing.

"You-you should have seen the-" she laughs, "the look-on your face!"

Eric rolls his eyes, standing up and dripping water into the floor.

"You're such a child." Eric grumbles, walking into the bedroom to change.

(Y/N) is still on the floor, gasping for air amid her cackles.

A few minutes later, Eric walks out, completely dry in a new outfit. (Y/N) smirks at him from her place at the sink, biting her lip to keep from laughing more.

"Yeah, yeah, keep laughing. You're lucky I like you, or else you would have been dead." "Hey, did you ever catch those kids from my initiation class that put a bucket of blue paint over your office door and you got soaked with paint when you opened the door?"

He mumbles, "No."

She snickers, "Guess some people get away with doing some things to Big Bad Eric, huh?"

"Some idiots." he clarifies.

"Alright, what do you want for breakfast?" "Something that isn't poisoned." he sits.

"Nothing is poisoned, Eric. My cooking has gotten much better, no thanks to you. I could make you an omelet, pancakes, anything you desire."

"Anything?" he asks, a mischievous smirk on his face.

She is turned away from him, and doesn't notice his facial expression.

"Sure." she chirps.

He stands and quietly walks behind her, hands greedily grasping her hips.

"Eric!" she reprimands, attempting to push his hands off of her.

"I think I know what I want for breakfast." he whispers in her ear, running his hands under her shirt.

"I told you, you're not getting any action from me! Fresh start, remember?" "Oh, I remember. But it just doesn't seem fair to me."

"Fair? What would you know about fair?" He fakes offense, "Whatever do you mean? I'm fair, when I want to be."

"Not how that works. Eric, get off."

He sighs, slightly releasing her. His hands lean on the counter, caging her in. She turns, glaring up at him.

"You really just care about sex, don't you?" she snaps, eyes ablaze.

"Who said anything about that?" he asks, hooking a finger on her pants, pulling her closer.

"Eric, come on." she whispers.

"Come on, what?" he mumbles, leaning down.

"Eric…" she whispers.

"Hm?"

"Get. Off." she snaps.

He rolls his eyes, pulling back. She moves past his body, walking into her bedroom.

Eventually, they both get ready, (Y/N) avoiding Eric while she gets ready for her day. Exiting the apartment, they walk in silence. Reaching the office, (Y/N) curses herself for having chosen to share an office with Eric while hers gets repaired.

When you close your eyes and you fall asleep Everything about you is a mystery

"Ladies first," Eric chimes, extending an arm inside.

(Y/N) rolls her eyes, walking inside reluctantly.

"Today just had to be paperwork day." she grumbles.

"Every day is paperwork day, you just don't do it."

She glares at Eric, sitting at her chair.

Eric sits across from her, organizing his papers, "Well then, let's get started."

A few hours later, the amount of work has fried (Y/N)'s brain, making her tired. She looks up from her work, seeing Eric's face in a focused trance as he reads a paper. She smiles softly, admiring his facial features. The way his eyebrows furrow, or how his hands play with the pen he is holding when he is frustrated.

"You're welcome to look and touch, you know." Eric suddenly remarks.

(Y/N) blinks, blushing.

"I wasn't looking at you." she snaps.

"Didn't say you were." he smirks, looking up at her with a glint in his eyes, "Just saying you're welcome to look and touch."

She rolls her eyes, quickly looking back down.

"What do you say we get out of here?"

She looks up, widening her eyes and frowning.

"You never want to leave early."

He shrugs, "I'm still hung-over and you look tired."

She narrows her eyes, "Okay?"

He stands, walking next to her. He grabs the papers and throws them to the floor, looking down at her with a grin, "Let's go, then."

He extends his hand and surprisingly, she takes it. They both walk together to her apartment, stopping when they reach the door.

"Well then, thanks for the early leave then." she smiles.

"I can be fair."

She laughs lightly, "Yeah, you can."

He walks away, leaving (Y/N) with a longing feeling in her heart. She shakes her head, entering her apartment. A few minutes later, a knock on the door sounds loudly.

Opening it, (Y/N) is met with Eric's face, a welcome sight for her heart.

"I'm not trying to do anything, just so you know. I left my keys here."

"Oh, uh-come in, then." she stutters.

He strolls in, walking into the bedroom.

She stands in the middle of her living room, debating with her heart and her mind. He walks out, holding up the keys for her to see.

"See you tomorrow. Early meeting."

"Yeah.." she breathes, following him out.

As he walks away, an impulsive feeling overtakes her.

"Hey!" Eric turns, frowning.

"Um, do you want to-I don't know, hang out or something?" she asks.

Eric turns, walking back to her. He stops in front of her, looking down at her with a peculiar expression.

"What’s with the change of heart?" he asks.

She shrugs, pulling him inside.

"You're right," she whispers, gently grabbing his hands.

"About what?" he mumbles.

"I want to take up on your offer to being welcome to look and touch." she whispers, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Oh?" he asks, slowly moving his hands up her body.

"Guess you're not as resistible as I thought." she says as she leans up and gently kisses him.

Expecting a rough response, she braces her body to be picked up. Eric surprises her though, as he responds with a slow and sensual kiss, something that is not usual for him; at all. Her hands caress his face, enjoying the feeling of his face in her hands.

"Guess I made you a softie," she whispers, giggling.

Eric smirks, running his hands over her hips.

"Tell anyone, and you're dead." he whispers.

You tell me that you want me You tell me that you need me You tell me that you love me And I know that I'm right 'Cause I hear it in the night

They soon find themselves lying on the bed next to each other in silence. Eric in his boxers and (Y/N) in a shirt and underwear.

"Maybe I can forgive you sooner if you keep this good behavior up." she whispers.

"Don't count on it."

They laugh, finding comfort in each other's company.

"I would have never imagined this."

"What?" "Big Bad Eric Coulter sleeping in my bed without us both being naked."

"We can still make that happen, you know." he says.

(Y/N) smacks him, making him smirk.

"I'm serious. I thought you didn't want anything serious. I was trying to hide my feelings by accepting the fact that it was just for sex."

"Glad it isn't." Eric whispers.

"Me too. I love you, Eric Coulter."

Eric stares at her, a loving look in his eyes.

"It's okay, you don't have to-" "I love you." Eric says, smiling.

"Wow, I don't think I'm ever going to get used to that coming out of your mouth." "Well, don't get used to it. Because I'm not going to say it often."

They laugh, moving into each other. (Y/N) lays her head on his chest and sighs, the silence providing her with a sense of tranquility and happiness in knowing that although many challenged may lie ahead, Eric will always be there for her, by her side no matter what. Maybe some things aren't better left unsaid after all.

#Eric Coulter #Divergent

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blankdblank · 5 years

Text

Hobbit Soulmate Pt 11

Pt 1 - Pt 2 - Pt 3 - Pt 4 - Pt 5 - Pt 6 - Pt 7 - Pt 8 - Pt 9 - Pt 10 -

Tags –

All –

@himoverflowers, @theincaprincess, @aspiringtranslator, @sweeticedtea, @ggbbhehe4455, @thegreyberet, @patanghill17, @jesgisborne, @curvestrology, @alishlieb, @jogregor, @armitageadoration, @fizzyxcustard, @here2have-fun, @lilith15000, @marvels-ghost, @catthefearless, @imjusthereforthereads, @c-s-stars

X all Rich. A - @abiwim, @deepestfirefun, @thestorybookmistress

Hobbit – Soulmate - @evyiione, @deepestfirefun, @rhaenaatargaryen

Here you go Deep, sorry it took so long to get more for this one out. Short and fluffy after a twinge of pain. :D

…

“Babu, I wanted to ask you your opinion first.” Pacing in Richard’s living room you waited to hear his answer to your chance at a place in the London Ballet Company catching glimpses of the growing snowfall outside. The early wake up and rehearsal for the violin went easily distracting you from the call that took Richard from your bed rather early at Chris’ trip to the ER for a bruised rib from a brawl he broke up. His shift after granted you far more time than necessary to make a few calls, this one being the second most important.

In an all but elated tone after the sound of a clatter of a dropped tea cup sounded the stunned yet elated reaction from your grandmother at his sharing the news. On her feet she neared his side as he grinned sharing, “If it is what you wish we would be honored to attend your debut performance and as many after as possible.” The sound of their doorbell sounded and he stated, “That is our taxi for our flight, think hard little bubble and follow your heart. Our lawyer will get a message about this and meet you when you sit for the papers.”

With a grin you wished them a safe flight and then eyed the cell phone in your hand after hanging up lighting up with a ring making you grin at your father’s number. The email you had sent him about news the other day had granted him the leverage to barter some spare supplies for a phone call out to you using another’s allotted phone time.

“Daddy!”

A deep chuckle sounded and he rumbled back, “Hey Pumpkin. Having an adventure of your own again?”

“Yes. It has been eventful.”

He chuckled again then asked, “You mentioned your news?”

Eagerly you giggled climbing onto the arm of the couch curling your legs in front of you, “I got offered a spot in the London Ballet Company, in April.”

Anxiously your lip was tucked between your teeth at the muffled conversation around your father that fell silent at his loud laugh only to pick up again at the signing of the others to the new guys who he was speaking to making them understand the sudden animated reactions form the usually silent giant among them. “That is spectacular news. You’ve worked so hard.” Without so much as a pause for breath he asked, “Are you willing to skip your final year at Julliard to accept it? I know this Richard of yours is elated no doubt.”

You couldn’t help but giggle, “It definitely would be worth it. All my professors there say I have well earned my degree by now. Only problem-..”

“Lee?”

“Ya. He’s a good friend-..”

“Who dumped you for someone else. You have emails and phones, contact is possible, plus it’s not as if you’re forbidden to see one another ever again. Besides, it seems he might need some convincing he’s made a poor choice and no doubt being away from you will make him see that.” You rolled your eyes and he rumbled, “I heard that.”

Making you giggle, “I know.” You wet your lips, “I just hate the chance I might lose a friend.”

He chuckled and replied, “No doubt Pumpkin you would feel the same about having to leave Richard for another year. How is he handling your busy schedule so far?”

“Well. He’s been picking up a few extra shifts in the pub to keep him busy and fluff up his savings. He’s planning on flying out for a trip of his own before April.”

Another chuckle sounded through the line, “Good, give him a chance to be the one to be led around.” He paused then eyed the clock and stated, “Now, about this run in of yours with those actors. Tell me everything.”

You grinned widely and spilled all you could leading to his sharing his own suspicions that the men seemed to be learning more about you for a possible role in the future only widening your smile. As long as he could he learned all he could until he had to hand the phone over to another man only to face the crowd on intrigued men who caught his spreading grin as he shared news of your offer earning him congratulatory pats on the back and arms from his coworkers.

“You’re what?!”

At once your eyes started to burn as you stated, “Lee if you’re going to be like this my whole trip-..”

“You’re skipping your last year? What about us?”

Holding back your scoff you shook your head standing up from the couch to start pacing angrily, “You dumped me Lee, for Jordan. Remember?”

“That’s besides the point! You’re not just my girlfriend but my best friend! And now you’re just leaving! For another continent!”

“Lee, you got that movie role to film too, you’re going to be gone the first semester anyways.”

“Still..”

“We can stay in touch.”

He scoffed again and you bit your quivering lip, “I doubt, Richard, would allow that.” Glaring at his cousin through the opening in the kitchen he stretched the chord as far as it could to the guest bedroom across the hall.

“You’re my best friend, he knows that. I just hoped you might be a bit more supportive of me.”

“I am supportive! I am proud of you damnit!” Over the sound of the game the men paused to stare at the empty hall with the chord across it as he groaned against the wooden door holding the receiver away from his face for a calming breath. “I just, we had one semester, so far, with only one to go and we’re just going to be off in separate corners of the world, possibly forever.”

“Or at least until you graduate. You’ve already gotten one role, more than I have, you can easily get another.”

“You’ll get a role.” He paused mouthing threats to his cousins through the window as they mimed kisses and hugging at him. Though the bathroom door opened and his half naked great uncle came out of the steaming room in just his briefs making Lee shudder and slip out through the door again before he was noticed.

Stepping over another gaggle of young cousins and easing through their parents he sat on the stool beside his grandmother as she was baking, instinctualy opening his mouth for the spoonful of whatever she was offering him. A nod later she smiled as he held back his pucker at the tart mixture for one of her famed desserts he swallowed along with the sip of cocoa he stole from his brother’s mug when he set it down in search of marshmallows.

“If I’m not trapped as a dancer for the rest of my life.”

“You met those actors! They seemed to like you, could put a good word in. Two Sirs, great people to know. You have people now.”

You rolled your eyes, “I highly doubt they would ever agree to being my people.”

“I highly doubt you were noting their expressions rather unbiased. Far too busy gushing in your excited ramblings to notice their awe of you and plotting stares. There are few who see you perform without trying something to help you along. I doubt they are unlike the rest.”

Trying to avoid the subject of yourself after the first hour of grilling you blurted out, “How’s home?”

The stunning question made him stop for a moment to think to himself where home was, unable to see it around him in the middle of nowhere in Oklahoma with family, somehow his home had been his times with you wherever you roamed over the past few months. Before he answered he rose and moved into the pantry using the cover of a wave of cheers at a touchdown to lowly state, “You know I’m not home unless I’m with you.”

At that the tears silently were freed down your cheeks as he forced himself to say while claiming a ho-ho from the shelf he eased into his pocket for later, “But all’s fine out here in Pace territory. Going tree hunting here in a bit. Aunt Nim said it wasn’t fluffy enough.” He wet his lips then groaned at his name being called making him blurt out, “You do what you gotta do for you,” he paused with a sigh, “Just come home in January. Don’t make me lose you just yet. I need a few more months of being yours before we get torn apart by the world.”

Slipping out of the pantry to hang up the phone where he found all his cousins smirking and repeating in varying enthused tones, “Just come home to me!”

In silence you sat folding into a ball with your forehead pressed into your knees on your bed on the couch, unable to take your whimpering emotional disaster of a self out of sight from the man you knew would be returning soon. But there you blubbered and sniffled sure if he saw you in all your red faced blotchy tear stained hyperventilating glory he was bound to drop you at least a few pegs minimum on his scale of attraction.

You weren’t certain when you had fallen asleep, only that your tears had ended and you had slumped onto the couch fully still wrapped into a tight ball. Though you were fully aware when you woke up to the soft bed you were now stretched out on as a warm wet cloth dabbed around your eyes and across your cheeks while another was draped across your closed eyes. For all you knew on the other side of it was a scowling brit irritated at having to tend to a possibly ill young woman he had planned on showing off tonight at a meet up with his friends at the pub, instead having to play nurse maid to your puffy emotionally damaged self.

The rise in your chest stirred his soothing hum of a voice, “Leave the cloth in place.” His hand claiming yours to press a kiss to your knuckles and palm, setting the other cloth aside to stretch out alongside you gently stroking your pink cheeks, “What could have possibly upset you that I found you in this state, my darling?” His warm lips pressed to your cheek, “Was your father upset with the offer of moving here?”

Gently he peeked under the cloth at your hand rising fighting the urge to remove it so you could look at him as you spoke, carefully he eased it off your face and wiped around your eyes again with a loving smile, “He was thrilled. Loved that all this is paying off. Even commented on his being able to relax knowing I won’t be bicoastal and having to jet across the world for school anymore, just a few blocks away.”

He raised a brow at your pained eyes creeping open to burn at the dry air from lack of tears left to wet them, “You told him you’re staying here?”

You nodded, “He approves, never liked my being forced out of the dorms to be with the guys and their rotating bed schedules.”

Richard chuckled then purred through another stroke at your cheek from his warm hand, “Then darling, what upset you? Did Lee call again?”

Your sigh said it all, and he gave you a knowing nod, “I just, he’s one of my first good friends in New York, sure he’s a bit self centered, but he’s really great.” In a dart your tongue wet your dry lips, “I mean even if I stayed he’s got a role making him have to skip the first semester of next year anyways. I don’t want to drift apart.”

He smirked, “It’s understandable. Though you have me no matter what.” Again his eyes scanned yours and he felt his stomach clench at the obvious path back to tears you were on making him purr after a gentle press of his lips to yours, “I’ve upset you. What did I say?”

You shook your head, “You make me happy.” Making his brow inch up, “Every time I’m happy like this I lose something. Or someone.”

Exhaling slowly he moved in, unable to say anything, just kissed you again hoping that with his continued affections he might be able to sate his own creeping suspicion of the shared fear you held about the other shoe being ready to drop. Meeting your Mate is a huge step, one that alters your life completely, most likely into something far from recognizable for some. Together you hoped to hold onto yourselves and what you had built so far while looked forward to growing together.

One kiss merged to two at your hands smoothing over his shoulders to wrap your arms around his neck drawing you flat above you. In a break for air however his lips eased across the ridge of your nose from his peck on your forehead to plant chastely before his purr of, “I bought ice cream. Want some?”

Planting your eyes on him you asked, “What about dinner?”

Richard chuckled, “Apparently Chris wasn’t the only guy in the brawl. The group has all been grounded by their girlfriends, so dinner has been moved till after Christmas.” He grinned at you, “So, ice cream?” You nodded and he kissed your lips again then eased out of bed, exposing his flannel bottoms and t shirt, ensuring you were fully covered and vanished through the door.

But in his time away grunting was heard and he returned with a tv stand only to dart away again and return with a large tv in his arms to rest on top of it and plug in revealing the static screen when he hit the power button, raising a brow you sat up watching him dart away then return with a vhs player he hooked up and turned on with a grin leaving you staring at the blue screen. Next he arrived with tapes in hand he left on the stand, easing the first one into the machine with a bowl of ice cream in the other hand he carried to the bed. Wetting his lips he eased in again and propped up the pillows to lounge behind you with the bowl on your laps easing his plan of feeding you both the ice cream.

Teasing spoonful after spoonful his game of stealing more away eventually led to the setting aside of the bowl as your retaliatory stroke at the muscle poking into your back bled into a more heated bout of kissing ending with the fetching of a condom from the nightstand distracting you fully from the film till nearly halfway in. Panting in a tangled hug you both lingered in your euphoric wave with your foreheads touching fully at your place on his lap you slowly regained your breath. Though a gunshot earned a startled flinch from Richard making you both chuckle after his whisper of, “Shit.”

Wetting his lips he joined you in looking at the screen only for you to ask, “Isn’t that the main guy?”

Richard nodded, “Ya. Why’d they kill him?...” Carefully he eased you off him, disposed of the condom, using one of the cloths from before to clean you both up before fixing the pillows and wrapping you safely under the covers across his chest with one arm exposed to rewind the tape purring, “Now on to the mystery.”

You giggled as he set the remote aside and buried his arm to wrap around you under the covers. In a tilt of your head however his eyes met yours for a moment before he leaned in accepting your slow deliberate loving kiss that ended as the previously noted opening credits spilled into the opening scenes signaling your nestling back into focus on that again.

Pt 12

#Richard Armitage x Reader OC #Lee Pace x Reader OC

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heeydolan · 6 years

Text

L A {G.D.} – Part 3

Summary: moving to LA her senior year, Y/N goes into this new journey with low exceptions. Surprisingly, the new school has tons of drama to keep her occupied from what she’s missing out on back home.

A/N: ok i know it took forever to post this but i have been looking for an apartment and all this other adult stuff that’s really been stressing me out so please, don’t hate me.

Warnings: N/A

WC: 2.5k

masterlist

After Grayson ran off last night, Ethan called me again, thanking me for telling his brother what I saw.

In no way do I feel like the hero Ethan is making me out to be though. From what I gathered with the way Grayson bolted like he did, telling him about Tara brought him pain. I hate thinking he’s in pain.

Walking into school this morning, I am very unsure on how the day is going to go. I mean hell, it’s the second day and there has already been enough drama to entertain me for a whole year. I assume that’s just LA in a nutshell, though.

By the time I’m in fourth period, I begin to worry about Grayson. Class is about to start and he isn’t in his assigned seat beside me.

“Good morning class.” Mr. Bennett greets us as the bell chimes throughout the halls.

In unison, we all reply with a simple good morning.

Halfway through class, I receive a text from Grayson.

Grayson Dolan

We need to talk asap.

Y/N

Kinda sitting in class like you should be. Where are you?

Grayson Dolan

Had to take care of something. Meet @ bathrooms on west hall in 5.

Without any questions, I do as he says. I get permission to leave class and head towards the bathrooms all in the 5-minute time frame Grayson asked of me.

Once I reach the bathrooms, I don’t see Grayson anywhere. As I’m scanning up and down the hall, a force pulls me into a janitors closet.

“What the hell, Gray?” I question when I realize it’s him.

“Y/N, I’m sorry about last night. I shouldn’t have ran off like that. I know you were just trying to help and I’m sure you’ve been confused but I just– once you told me, I had to go end it with Tara and–”

“– you broke up with her?” For some reason, I wasn’t expecting him to cut things off with her so soon after I told him. Honestly, I don’t know if it even crossed my mind that they would break up at all. I just assumed he’d address the issue and it’d be worked out.

“Yeah.” He chuckles and scratches the back of his neck, “She’s with someone else. She doesn’t need me and frankly, I don’t need her.”

“And you couldn’t have told me that over text?”

“Well, I wanted to ask you something and it would be rude if I asked you over text.”

I fold my arms across my chest and raise an eyebrow, indicating for him to continue.

His hazel eyes glisten with hope in the dimmed light of the tiny room. “Y/N, would you go to dinner with me this Saturday night?”

“Like a...” I begin, unsure if I should say the word or not.

“Date? Yes, like a date.” He confirms.

During lunch, Tara and Sabrina sit at a separate table. At this point, I’m sure the whole school is aware of the breakup considering Tara’s sudden change in dining location.

Jordan ends up sitting with us and it seems as though him and Holly can’t stop flirting. How sweet.

Grayson and I give each other a couple glances but unless we speak conversation within the table, it doesn’t go any further than that.

After school, Holly gives me another ride home. I could just start driving my own car to school but I honestly despise driving. Also, LA traffic is the worst. I’d probably have a mental breakdown trying to maneuver through it.

“So,” I turn down the radio, “Grayson asked me out on a date.”

“What?” Holly looks over at me shocked then quickly back at the road. “Grayson asked you out? And what did you say?”

“Well, since Tara isn’t in the picture anymore I figured it wasn’t a big deal so I said yes.”

As she turns on to my road, she sighs, “I hate to break it to you, but Tara will always be in the picture. I know Grayson is insanely attractive and no one in their right mind would turn him down but in reality, he’s stuck in this bubble with Tara that is never going to pop.”

All night, I go back in forth with what Holly told me. As much as I like Grayson, and given our history, everything in me wants to try with him. I mean, like I said, we have history. It could be different with me and the bubble really will be popped. But if it’s not, and I’m just a distraction until he gets back with Tara, I will be devastated. I had to disconnect myself from Grayson once before and it was hard. I really don’t know if I’d be able to do it again.

As much as I want to convince myself that Grayson and I have something special, I end up letting the cons outweigh the pros and I decide to just look out for my own heart and I back out of the date with Grayson.

Being the hypocrite I am, I do it over text. Of course I feel bad but I know I wouldn’t be able to do it in person.

I can picture it now: I’d tell him to meet me to talk, which seems to be a trend with us, I’d look into those beautiful hazel orbs and immediately forget what I had to say. Instead, my mind would wonder to the things we did 2 summers ago and I most likely wouldn’t be able stop myself from jumping his bones.

So, this simple text would have to do the trick.

It takes him a couple hours to respond, which freaks me out, but once he does, he questions me. I simply let him know it’s just too soon.

Agreeing, we leave it off with the mutual decision to not let this ruin our friendship.

Thank God he doesn’t hate me for bailing because I really don’t think I could deal with anymore drama this week.

When Saturday finally arrives, Holly and I decide to have a girl’s day and go shopping.

Part of me thinks she is using it as an excuse to see Jordan when she comes to pick me up. That’s fine with me, though. Jordan needs a girlfriend so maybe he’ll get disconnected from fortnite at 3 am and reconnected with a normal sleeping schedule.

With how fancy this house is, you’d think the walls would be thicker. We live in this huge place yet I still have a bedroom right next to his.

“What time are you going to be home– oh, hey Holly! Didn’t know you were coming over.” Jordan tries to play it cool as he walks into my room.

I laugh as I get my things together, “Shut up J, I told you she was coming to get me. As for when I’ll be home, I don’t know and I’m sure you don’t care.”

My brother’s face turns a nice shade of red as Holly and I walk past him towards her car.

“Hols, do you like this top? I think I might get it for the party on–” turning to face my friend who I thought was right beside me, I bump into a tall, blonde guy who has a smile to die for.

“–woah there, slow down now!” He chuckles, offering his hand as support as I stumble a little.

“I am so sorry!”

“Well, ‘so sorry’, that’s an odd name. I’m Ross.”

I can’t stop myself from giggling even though his joke was absolutely terrible. Good thing he’s cute.

“Actually, my name is Y/N.”

“That’s a pretty name for a pretty girl.” He flirts. Again I giggle even though this wasn’t meant as a joke. “Listen, I really gotta get going. I just ran in here to grab a present for my sister but do you think you would be up to going to dinner with me tonight?”

I slowly nod, giving him a soft smile. We exchange numbers then he’s on his way.

“Oh my gosh, Y/N!” Holly whisper yells as she walks up to me, her mouth basically hitting the floor. “Ross Bradley?”

“What? Is there something wrong with him, too?” I question, worried she was about to tell me some dark story about his past and how I shouldn’t even associate with him.

“No! He’s one of the hottest guys in school! Well, after the Dolans and your brother of course.”

“Ok, ew Hols.”

She laughs then continues telling me about him, “He’s on the lacrosse team, has connections with the owners of most of the bars downtown, and is so rich that his family could basically buy the state of California and make it their own country.”

I act as if his bank account fascinates me but in reality, it doesn’t.

After her quick over view of the guy who just asked me on a date, she jumps right back in to our earlier conversation about my least favorite subject: my brother.

Like a gentleman, Ross knocks on the front door, compliments me on my appearance, walks me to the car, and also opens the car door for me.

I’m quite surprised at his hospitality but one hundred percent impressed by it as well.

He takes me to one of the fanciest restaurants I’ve ever been to. I mentally thank Holly as she is the one who helped me pick out my outfit tonight. Without her, I’d be sticking out like a sore thumb.

As the host leads us to our table, I try to keep my head down because of how out of place I feel. Also, I feel as if I might fall in these heels so if I don’t watch where I’m going, it will be inevitable.

Even though my focus is on my feet and making sure I don’t wipe out, I still manage to catch the single pair of eye in the room that are watching me.

They belong to no one other than Grayson Dolan.

And who is he at this beautiful restaurant with?

Tara Rhodes.

He gives me an ‘I’m-sorry’ look but I break the eye contact.

Holly was right about the bubble and for the second time tonight, I mentally thank her.

I purposely sit with my back to Grayson so he doesn’t distract me from my date. Once I brush off the feeling that he’s staring holes into the back of my head, the dinner with Ross goes great. In attempt to impress my parents, he doesn’t want to keep me out too late, so he takes me home afterwards.

“I had a lot of fun with you tonight.” Ross says.

“I really enjoyed it, too.”

We stand there for another few seconds not saying a word. It’s obviously a little awkward until he finally breaks the silent by simply telling me goodnight. He pulls me into a hug then walks back to his car, only turning around once more to send me another smile.

I make my way inside, following the voices in the kitchen. Holly stayed and had a movie night with Jordan. Before I can reach them, there’s a knock on the front door.

I spin around and head back to the entrance, expecting to see Ross standing there with something I left in his car.

For the second time tonight, I am making eye contact with the guy who was not my date.

“Grayson,” I breathe, “w-what are you doing here?”

“I- uh- Jordan left his math book in my car so I brought it to him. I thought maybe he’d need it.” He scratches the back of his neck as he begins to realize how dumb he sounds.

“Oh yeah, he’s been devastated because he couldn’t study statistics on his Saturday night.” I laugh, grabbing the book from him.

“Really? I–”

“No Gray, not really.” I cut him off, unintentionally letting another giggle slip.

His face turns red, realizing how dumb he sounded again but something inside me can’t help but be even more attracted to him.

I walk outside with him, taking a seat on the top step of the front stoop. He is quick to follow and sits beside me.

“What’s on your mind?” He asks. I shrug my shoulders and look down at my feet.

The summer we met, Grayson and I never expected it to end. Our naive 16-year-old selves thought that those two months would last forever. In this moment right now, sitting beside him in our spot, I felt like I was back– like it never ended.

But I wasn’t going to tell him that.

“Are you and Tara back together?” I quietly ask.

“Nah, we were just talking tonight.”

Nodding my head, I fumble with my thumbs. Knowing this is a nervous tick I have, Grayson grabs both of my hands and pulls my full attention to him.

“I just want you to know, I really was looking forward to our date.”

“I was too.” I whisper.

“Then why’d you back out?”

“I- I don’t know I just- I guess it’s just so obvious that you’re in this constant cycle with Tara that I don’t want to be caught in. I didn’t want to be your rebound and I didn’t want to get hurt when you went back to her.” I struggle to confess.

He simply nods, not arguing with what I’m saying. I simply watch him as he stands up. He turns to me before walking down the driveway in the direction of his house, “You look beautiful tonight by the way.”

As he disappears out of sight, I stand up to go inside. Just as I’m about to push the door open, a car pulls into the driveway.

Realizing its Ross coming back, my heart begins to race as he quickly gets out of the car and rushes up to me.

“There’s something I forgot to do.” He says. Grabbing my face and pulling me towards him. He connects our lips, kissing me like he wanted to before he left the first time.

If anyone was watching this, I’m sure it would look like a scene from a movie.

Out of breath, Grayson rounds the corner of the large hedge at the end of the driveway, taken aback with what was going on in front of him.

Little did Y/N know, it was like a scene in a movie. The genre being horror for Grayson.

He had come back to do the same thing to her, maybe convince her to give him a chance. But it was too late for him. She was already lip-locking with someone who is not him and as much as he wanted to run up to Ross and punch him square in the face, he knew he shouldn’t because she wasn’t his anymore.

Tags: @atlas-of-a-human-soul @agirlssfantasy @freewill-is-an-illusion @lexi-victoria

#grayson #dolan #grayson dolan #grayson dolan imagine #grayson dolan imagines #grayson dolan fanfic #grayson dolan series #grayson dolan x reader #grayson x reader #dolan twins #imagine dolan twins #dolan twins imagines #dolan twins fanfic #dolan twins series #imagine #series #fanfic

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currentlyfangirrling · 6 years

Text

Taxi pt. 3 ( Sebastian Stan x Reader

Plot: a young girl gets into an occupied taxi...

Warnings: none

When I woke this morning, my head was throbbing from last night.

As I sat up slowly, I thought about last night. I laughed to myself as I almost let myself believe that I hung out with Sebastian Stan. “That’s funny,” I said as I convinced myself that I only dreamt that.

I leaned over to my bedside table and checked my phone to see that it was 8:32 am and that Claire had called me 20 minutes ago.

I put my phone up to my ear as I called her back. Claire answered, “Hey! Sorry I didn’t mean to call you, but I’m on my way back to the hotel.” Her voice was too high of a pitch for me to handle as I stretched the phone away from my ear. “Ok. I will just be here. See you in a few,” I told her.

After I hung up, the sound of water running caught my attention. I just assumed it was from next door. I rubbed my eyes and ran my hands over my face to wake myself up. I let out a loud yawn as I had my morning stretch.

As I stood up and walked to the bathroom to take a shower, the door was closed. I shook the doorknob as I tried to open it, but it was locked.

“One second,” I heard someone say from behind the door. What the fuck?

I assumed I was just hearing things so I decided I should go back to sleep. Just as I was turning around, the bathroom door opened and revealed Sebastian standing there with a towel wrapped around his waist showing off his bare chest.

I shook my head as I tried to collect my thoughts, “Wait, so...this actually...no...what?!”

Sebastian laughed at my confusion, “Good morning.” He smiled as I just stood in front of him confused as ever. “I’m sorry. Is it ok if I took a shower? I didn’t know-“

“No, it’s ok. I just thought that ‘this’ didn’t actually happen last night.”

“Oh, should I leave? I was going to, but there are a ton of people with cameras downstairs and I wanted to wait,” Sebastian turned back around to gather his things.

“You don’t have to leave! I mean, unless you want to,” I said, stopping him from leaving.

“I don’t want to overstay my welcome. I mean you probably don’t remember last night. Do you?” He questioned as he ran his hands threw his wet hair.

“Not completely, but I’m happy that the things I do remember were real,” I smiled as I looked up and down his figure.

“What things do you remember?”

“Well, right now my head is throbbing a ton and I was hoping to take a shower before I went over everything,” I explained.

“Ok. I’ll get out of here so you can shower, but can I borrow your phone charger? Mines dead.” He said, holding up his phone with a sad face.

“Of course! It’s next to my bed,” I said, pointing to the white cord peaking out of my night stand. Sebastian walked out, holding his clothes in his hands.

I stepped into the shower and instantly felt better than I did when I woke up. After a few minutes of shampooing and conditioning, I heard Claire walk in. Shit.

I immediately turned off the shower, grabbed a towel to wrap my body with, and walked out to see Claire talking to Sebastian.

Claire turned around to face me with her mouth wide open and enunciated “Oh. My. God.”

“Sebastian, this is my friend Claire. Claire, this is Sebastian,” I introduced them to each other.

“Yeah, best friends since High School,” Claire said, enthusiastically.

“Right,” Sebastian smiled at Claire and stood up from the bed. “Well, (Y/N) I just got a call from my manager and I have to be somewhere,” he explained, putting his phone in his back pocket walking towards you slowly.

“Oh ok. Well, thanks for everything. I’ll let you out,” I said as Sebastian walked with me to the door, I shifted my gaze to Claire and widened my eyes at her.

One step out the door and he turned around. “Before I go, I’m gonna need your phone number so that I can possibly take you sightseeing,” he whispered trying to keep our conversation private. I rolled my eyes with a smile on my face, “Ok!” He handed me his phone so I could type in my number.

Right as I thought he was going to leave he dialed the number. I looked at him with a confused facial expression and then at my phone to answer it. “Just making sure you didn’t give me a fake number,” he winked turning around walking towards to elevator.

When I came back into the room Claire was sitting with her legs and arms crossed with a smirk on her face. “Well,” she spoke. “Are you going to tell me what happened or will I have to guess?”

I rolled my eyes at her and walked back into the bathroom to dry my hair. “Excuse me, I deserve a very detailed story of how you and him met,” Claire shouted, following me into the bathroom.

I pulled out the hairdryer and plugged it into the outlet while Claire impatiently waited for me to tell her what happened.

“Well, my night is a bit blurry,” I stared, before turning on the hairdryer. With that being said, Claire walked up to me and pulled the hairdryer out of the wall. “Hey!” I said, dropping the hairdryer to my side.

She was determined to hear what I had to say, “Spill the beans!”

After I told her what happened, she started jumping up and down while shouted, “oh my god! oh my god! OH MY GOD!”

I rolled my eyes at her as ran out of the room still shouting. “Would you stop! There are other people staying here,” I told her. Once she stopped I plugged the hairdryer back into the outlet.

Once I was done I walked back into the bedroom to find Claire on the phone with Sarah telling her all about what happened. She then put Sarah on speaker, “WHAT THE HELL?! (Y/N) you better bring him as your date to the wedding!!”

“I’m pretty sure he has better things to do than hangout with me at my friends wedding,” I told her.

“You still need a date since Daniel and you split. Plus, I want to meet him,” Sarah explained.

Daniel was my ex-boyfriend who I had dated for about a year. Everyone thought we would get married. Even I did at one point, but things changed and he cheated on me. No one knows that he cheated on me though. I thought I shouldn’t tell people since all my friends were still friends with him after.

“I don’t ‘need’ a date and if he wants to hangout again then you will meet him, but until then let’s not tell anyone else about this. I don’t want to get my hopes up or anything.”

I could sense that Sarah was rolling her eyes at my response, “You do ‘need’ a date because I already have you and Daniel marked as coming and the seating was very expensive and I will not let that seat go to waste!”

“Let’s just see if he will even want to hangout with m again,” I explained.

Sarah let out a sigh, “Fine. Anyway, I’ll be at the hotel at 4 and then everyone else should be here by then. I will send everyone the details later. Love y’all!”

When she hung up the phone I looked at Claire with angry eyes, “Why did you tell her that! She’s going to tell everyone else and it’s going to be weird!”

“I’m surprised you don’t want everyone to know about this. It’s Sebastian Stan for Christ’s sake!” Claire said.

“I don’t want him to feel like I’m going to use him or anything. He’s nice and I don’t want to ruin it with my friends attacking him!” I explained.

“Ok, fine! I’m going to take a shower now. You should take a nap. You look exhausted,” she said, giving me a side hug before going into the bathroom.

She was right. I was exhausted. I probably only got 3-4 hours of sleep last night. After that thought I climbed into bed with my towel still on. When I turned my phone on, I had received a text from Sebastian already.

He said, “Last night was fun! I’d like to hangout with you again while you’re still in town. I have interviews and some other things to do today, but maybe we can get dinner tonight?”

I responded with a smile on my face, “I’d love to, but I am celebrating with my friends for Sarah’s wedding tonight. Maybe another time?”

I turned off my phone and plugged it into the charger before I took a nap. It was a nice 2 hour long nap. I probably could have slept all day if Claire hadn’t woken me up.

When I woke up, I looked at my phone to see if Sebastian texted. He did! Before I could respond, Claire insisted that I get ready now because it was nearly 3 in the afternoon and Sarah was getting here at 4.

I picked some clothes to wear for the evening, put on some makeup, and straightened my hair. Before I knew it, Sarah was here!

Claire opened the door to see that Sarah, Morgan, Grace, Lucy, and Elizabeth were already here! Morgan was holding a bottle of champagne when she walked in, “Hey guys! Are y’all ready to party?!”

“It’s only 4,” Grace commented.

“5 o’clock somewhere, right?” Morgan replied. Everyone grabbed a glass to make a toast to Sarah and her soon to be husband, Ben.

After we finished our glasses, Sarah told us the schedule for the night. It was your usual girls night out kind of schedule which was always great, but I wanted to hangout with Sebastian.

I then remembered that he had texted me a while ago. I got up from my seat and went over to see my phone. Everyone stared at my sudden burst of excitement, but I didn’t care.

He said, “Alright! Have fun tonight. Don’t get into any occupied taxis!” I started to laugh at his reply.

“I’ll try! I wish you were coming tonight,” I said.

When I went back to the table to join the conversation, everyone asked me who I was talking to. “My mom,” I lied.

“Alright! Y’all ready to go?” Sarah interrupted.

“Yeah!” Everyone agreed.

When we left the room, I felt my phone vibrate in my purse. Sebastian replied, “Maybe I will!”

I felt my stomach turn at his message. While waiting at the elevator and everyone was occupied talking to each other, I showed Claire the message and asked her how I should reply. She smiled and bit her lip at me, “Say something like, ‘I would really like it if you did!’”

I typed and sent it without a thought. Claire was always better at flirting than I was so I trusted her opinion. Then we all piled into the elevator and I could feel my face heating up at the fact that I was texting Sebastian Stan! It didn’t hit me until now and I was freaking out on the inside.

When we exited the elevator, he already replied, “Just tell me when and where and I’ll be there.”

I texted him what the plan was and he sent a reply instantly as if he was waiting for me to respond.

“I’ll try to meet you at the club around midnight. I don’t want to pictures of me being taken. The paparazzi never leave me alone.”

“You’re such a popular man. It’s going to be hard,” I said, biting my lips waiting for his reply.

“I just need to warn you that I can’t be seen with you because I don’t want to drag you into my world, yet. It wouldn’t be fair to you.”

I was a bit confused at his reply so I gave my phone to Claire again and let her deal with it. Claire seemed to have trouble coming up with a response as well. We both were way out of our comfort zones when it came to this.

“Thank you for warning me. I understand,” she said, handing my phone back to me.

I put my phone back into my purse as Sarah got us our car to take us to dinner.

When we got into the car we all began talking about how we all met and how crazy it is that one of us is getting married.

It was weird when I thought about it. Sarah was 25, which in my opinion was too young to be married but I was happy for her.

Claire and I were the youngest girls in our group. We all met in college and kept in touch after everyone graduated.

Once we got to the restaurant Sebastian had replied, “It’s a complicated world that I live in and I don’t want to make your life complicated as well. I’ll see you tonight!”

“See you tonight!” I said, stuffing my phone back into my purse.

After dinner, we walked down the street to a dessert shop that Sarah has been talking about all night. They had all kinds of desserts. We spent probably an hour at the shop testing different types of gelato.

When we left the shop I opened my purse to get my phone to check my makeup with my camera.

Sebastian hadn’t texted me back, but I ignored it. It was only eleven now and we were heading to the club. When we got there, there was a line out the door and my feet were already aching. We waiting in line for what seemed to be an hour before we got in.

I went straight to the bathroom when we walked in to use the restroom. When I got into a stall I turned on my phone to see that Sebastian said that he was on his way.

I didn’t reply because I knew he would text me when he got here. I went back out to order a drink and dance with my friends. After a while I noticed that he didn’t hadn’t texted me so I decided to order another drink.

When I looked around I noticed that there were less people inside than I remembered. And then I noticed two large men in suits walked in and behind them was Sebastian. I felt my face start to glow with excitement.

I decided to keep my cool and wait for him to come to me. So I sat at the bar and finished my drink until I felt someone’s hand press against my back. “How many of those have you had,” Sebastian asked, whispering in my ear. “Enough,” I said, smiling to myself as his grip tightened around my waist.

“I take one also,” Sebastian told the bar tender. “And she’s on my tab. Thank you.”

“You don’t have to do that,” I said. “I do since I made my pretty girl wait for nearly an hour. Sorry it took a while. I had to sneak in through the back so that I wouldn’t be seen,” Sebastian explained. “It’s ok. I’m glad you’re here,” I said, drinking wrapping my arms around his waist.

“I think you have had enough of whatever your drinking,” he stated, laughing at me.

“You’re probably right,” I agreed. “Wanna dance,” Sebastian grabbed my hands and lead me to the dance floor.

On my way over to the middle of the room, I saw my friends all staring at me with shock. “Oh god,” I said. Sebastian turned to look at me with concern, “What? Are you ok?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. My friends just saw us.”

“Oh. That’s ok. As long as they don’t tell or take pictures,” he said.

He turned me around so that my back would be touching his chest. I stuck my butt out so that I could feel close to him. Sebastian knew what I was doing so he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer. He was so hot.

After a while, my friends decided to interrupt and introduce themselves. Sebastian was kind and spoke to them while holding my hand. Everything seemed to be ok, until Sarah decided to open her drunken mouth and said, “So your gonna be (Y/N)’s date to my wedding this Tuesday, right?”

Shit.

#sebastain stan #sebastian stan story #sebastian stan gif #sebastian stan headers #sebastian stan fic #sebastian stan fanfiction #sebastian stan fandom #marvel #marvel imagine #sebastian stan x reader

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master-sass-blast · 6 years

Text

Strong as Stone --Part Nineteen

*sings* 3 AM EDITING! NOTHING COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG WITH 3 AM EDITING!!!

This week has sucked. Fortunately, we have fanfiction to dissociate with!

*whispers* Okay, Sass, stop roasting yourself and do the intro thing.

Welcome back! Last week, Okoye tried and failed to capture Klaue’s associate. This week, we’re in the Jabari lands to celebrate Dewani’s birthday!

*celebrate good times plays in the background*

We’re going to meet some of Dewani’s friends, Shuri’s going to see how the Jabari build their bridges, and F’Tendi’s gonna show up... because of course he is. Asshole.

Pairings: M’Baku x Okoye, Shuri x OC, and background T’Challa x Nakia if you squint. Maybe.

Rating: T for language and assholes being assholes.

Warnings: Strong language, implied nudity, implied sexual content (as in sex), mild sexual content (as in passionate, fully clothed kissing), and assholes being assholes.

@the-last-hair-bender

There are going to be people in your life that refuse to celebrate you. They’ll claim that you need to meet some unspoken standard to be worthy of recognition.

Kick those people to the curb, my loves. They’ll only bring you down. You are, and always will be, worthy of celebrating, just the way you are.

Don’t be that person, either. You’ll find yourself isolated and lonely for it.

She woke up slowly.

It started with the noises --birds chirping, wind blowing, the sound of muffled footsteps in the hall, that sort of thing. At first they were muddy, indiscernible from each other, and slowly grew crisper as she rose further and further into consciousness.

The light followed the noises, staining the insides of her eyelids. It started with a dull gray color, then transformed to a soft periwinkle, and finally blossomed into beautiful golds and reds as night fully shifted to day.

He brought her the rest of the way out of sleep, though. The weight of his arm around her, the warmth of his chest against her back, the soft puffs of his breath on the nape of her neck, and the light touches of his fingers against her side and arm all grounded her, bringing her fully into wakefulness.

Okoye sighed, stretched, and opened her eyes. She blinked slowly she took stock of her surroundings.

She was in M’Baku’s bedroom, snuggled in his bed and lovingly tucked under thick layers of blankets --something that the Jabari Chief had done himself when she’d fallen asleep beside him last night, no doubt.

M’Baku’s lips pressed against her temple. “Good morning, my love.”

Okoye rolled over so she was facing him and placed a half-awake kiss on his lips. “Good morning.”

“How’d you sleep?”

“Well. Better than I have in a while.” She stretched again, then cleared her throat. “What time is it?”

“About nine. I think Dewani and Shuri are already up; I heard them laughing in the hall earlier.” He smoothed his hand down her bare side. “Do you want breakfast?”

“Not yet.” She nestled closer to him. “I want to enjoy this for a little longer.”

M’Baku let out a contented hum as she tucked her head under his chin. “It’s been too long since we’ve been able to do this.”

“I know.”

“I want to do this more.”

“Me too.”

M’Baku sighed. “Is this ever going to be easy?”

“Relative to simple travel and scheduling? Probably not.” Okoye smoothed her hand over his chest, relishing in the mixed textures of smooth skin and puckered scars. “We live at opposite ends of Wakanda and lead busy lives.”

“I know, I know...”

“I sense a ‘but’ coming.”

M’Baku propped himself up on one arm and stared down at her. “I want us to spend more time together, ‘koye.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you asking me to take more vacations?”

“Yes and no. Yes, because you almost never take them unless you have to, and it’s annoying that you won’t take off work now and then. No, because I know your work is important to you and Wakanda, and I wouldn’t ask you to shoulder the burden of making this work on your own anyway.”

“You’re sweet.” She pressed a kiss against his shoulder. “But it’d have to be mutual because our schedules conflict so much. How often do you want to see each other?”

“At least once a month, for a couple days.”

Okoye did the math and nodded. “I think I could manage that. We could alternate months for where we stay.”

M’Baku grinned. “That sounds amazing.”

“I mean, obviously if an emergency happens we might have to reschedule--”

“Yes, yes, obviously. Very good and all that.” M’Baku kissed her passionately. “You’re thinking too much, ‘koye.”

“Well, maybe you should stop me.” Before she could pull him back in, her stomach groaned loudly.

M’Baku laughed and ran his hand over her abdomen. “Perhaps I should order breakfast now.”

Okoye grinned up at him. “Kiss me again first, then breakfast.”

“Relax.”

“I am relaxed.”

“No, you’re finessing. You only finesse when you’re nervous.” When Shuri didn’t stop fidgeting with the hem of the dress she was wearing, Dewani grabbed her hands. “Stop.”

“I can’t help it, okay? I’m meeting your friends! I want to make a good impression!”

“They’re going to love you. Who wouldn’t?”

Shuri gave Dewani an unconvinced, mildly annoyed look. “Oh, I don’t know. Why would members of a traditionalist tribe that shuns the use of vibranium dislike the head of the scientific development program for the rest of Wakanda?”

Dewani sighed. “It’s going to be fine.”

“Doubtful.”

“Relax,” Okoye said, inserting herself into the conversation before the two girls could start arguing with each other. “The Jabari are more open-minded and outgoing than you believe them to be. Provided you don’t try to force conversations about vibranium, you’ll be fine.”

Shuri nodded, then let go of the hem of her dress.

“I didn’t take her as this nervous when I confronted the King at the falls,” M’Baku murmured as the group resumed their progress towards the library.

“We all have our soft spots,” Okoye replied, equally as quiet as Dewani opened the doors to the library.

Three teenage girls were resting by the massive library windows. The one closest to the doors had a book in her hands and thick rimmed, round glasses perched on her nose. The one furthest from them was leaning against a bookcase and wore leather armor not unlike the pieces worn by the Jabari warriors. In between them sat a smaller girl dressed in blue robes similar to the flowing garments worn by the priestesses.

“Shuri, this is Fukayna--” Dewnai pointed to the girl with the glasses “--Abayomi--” She pointed to the girl wearing the priestess robes “--and Izegbe.” She pointed to the girl wearing the armor. “Guys, this is my girlfriend, Princess Shuri.”

Abayomi stood and favored Shuri with a sunny smile as she nodded her head respectfully. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you, Princess. Dewani’s told us a great deal about you.”

“Just Shuri, please. And it’s lovely to meet all of you; Dewani’s told me a bit about all of you, so let me see if I can get it right...” She pointed at Abayomi. “You’re studying to become a priestess?”

Abayomi nodded. “Yes. I’m in my fourth year of studying under the holy women.”

“And how are your studies going?” M’Baku asked.

“Very well, Chief M’Baku.”

Shuri pointed to Fukayna next. “And you’re... a scholar of history, I believe.”

The bespectacled teenager nodded curtly. “Yes. The preservation of our traditions demand that we know the lives that came before ours.”

She’s going to be a tough nut to crack, Okoye thought as she watched the girls interact.

“And you’re...” Shuri pointed at Izegbe. “Dewani’s sparring partner.”

Izegbe raised an eyebrow and smirked. “And?”

“Training to be the first female Prime.”

She laughed and clapped her hands. “Very good. I see Dewani wasn’t overselling your mind when she was gushing to us about your wit and genius.”

“Hey!” Dewani frowned. “I do not gush.”

“You spent four hours rambling about the intricacies of her mind and her application of her intelligence,” Fukayna said dryly. “‘Gush’ is an appropriate descriptor.”

“It was sweet,” Abayomi added with a comforting pat to Dewani’s forearm. She peered past Dewani and Shuri and grinned at Okoye. “And you! We’ve heard about you!”

Izegbe’s eyes lit up. “Yeah! You’re General Okoye of the Dora Milaje!”

“I see my reputation proceeds me,” Okoye said with a smile.

“Well, yeah. The Chief is very smitten with you, and Dewani loves reporting back to us on the two of you,” Abayomi explained.

M’Baku narrowed his eyes at his sister. “Have you been spying on me?”

“You can’t call it spying when you’re blatantly obvious about everything.”

“Besides,” Fukayna added. “The well being of the Chief is a cause of concern for all members of the tribe, including in areas of love and coupling.”

Izegbe grimaced. “Oh, blessed garden, do not ever call it ‘coupling’ again.”

M’Baku smirked and shook his head. “Well, I think Okoye and I will leave you five to get better acquainted.” He held out a hand to her. “My love?”

“Yeah,” Dewani muttered. “Leave us so they can resume their ‘coupling.’”

“Enough, Dewani,” M’Baku said as Izegbe and Abayomi groaned.

“Sorry.”

“Try to keep the room in one piece,” M’Baku replied to his sister as he escorted Okoye out of the library.

“They’re quite the trio.”

“You should seem them once they get going. I can’t catch a break.”

“I’ve heard humility is a very attractive quality in leaders.”

M’Baku rolled his eyes, but it was good natured. “I have humility coming out of my ears whenever I’m around those girls. But enough about them. We have a considerable chunk of time to ourselves; what would you like to do with it, my love?”

Okoye smiled coyly at him and pressed her hands against his chest. “Oh, I thought we could engage in some more... ‘coupling,’ if you’re not opposed.”

M’Baku chuckled and swept her off her feet, carrying her to his room bridal style. “I like the way you think, ‘koye.”

“They hate me.”

They were standing next to a massive gorge, the cool breeze cut by the warm summer sun. It was the day after Shuri’s introduction to Dewani’s friends; by all indicators, it hadn’t gone well.

Okoye stealthily glanced to the side, where Shuri and Dewani were standing.

Shuri was tucked under Dewani’s arm and looked downright crestfallen. “They can’t stand me! I can tell!”

“They don’t hate you,” Dewani murmured as she pressed a reassuring kiss against her girlfriend’s temple.

“Fukayna glared at me!”

“Okay, she does that with everyone. I’m convinced she doesn’t actually like people. She just needs some time to warm up to you, is all.”

“Right, because a scholar of Jabari traditions and history is absolutely going to warm up to the head of Wakanda’s scientific development program.”

M’Baku frowned slightly as he watched his sister and her girlfriend. “It doesn’t seem that the first impressions went that well.”

“Give it time,” Okoye said quietly.

“I don’t know. Even the elders like you.”

“The elders are not teenage girls. Take it from someone who was one, the art of social integration is extraordinarily complex at that age.”

“I hope you’re right.”

Okoye raised her eyebrows as she looked up at M’Baku. “I’m surprised you’re so concerned.”

“As much as I give her a hard time, I like Shuri just fine; I wouldn’t let her pursue a relationship with my sister if I didn’t,” M’Baku said pointedly. “And, as much as I disapprove of using vibranium, I don’t want her shunned by Dewani’s friends just because our traditions and values are different.”

Okoye smiled softly and patted his shoulder. “Give it time. It’s a big adjustment for all of them.”

“Look, if she ends up being a bitch about it, I’ll tell her to knock it off, okay?”

“Dewani--”

“Shuri, please. Just relax a little. It’s going to be alright.”

Okoye caught sight of the holy women walking towards the gorge. She reached out and gently tapped the Princess on the shoulder. “You’re going to want to pay attention for this part.”

Shuri’s brow creased as she watched the priestesses perform the ritual. “How is this supposed to work? Are they blessing the site?”

“Watch,” Dewani whispered, grinning excitedly.

Okoye couldn’t help but smile as Shuri gasped when the roots embedded themselves into the ground and started stretching towards the opposite end of the gorge.

“What in Bast’s name?” Shuri surged forward to get a better look.

Dewani latched onto her arm with a panicked gasp. “We’re right next to a thousand foot drop! Shuri!”

“Cats are curious.”

“Yes, and you don’t have nine lives!”

M’Baku shook his head as he slung his arm over Okoye’s shoulders. “Well, that went basically how I expected it to.”

Okoye chuckled as Dewani physically carried Shuri back from the edge. “Pretty much.”

Dewani leaned back in her seat, stretched her arms, and let out a satisfied sigh. “Alright. Time for the best part. Everyone, show me how much I mean to you by way of expensive gifts.”

The private celebration for Dewani’s birthday was coming to a close. It had been kept small --T’Challa, Nakia, and Ramonda had flown up to celebrate, which left Okoye, M’Baku, Shuri, Abayomi, Fukayna, and Izegbe as the other guests.

M’Baku narrowed his eyes at his sister, feigning contempt. “Is this what I have raised? Where did I go wrong?”

“Hey, I just modeled myself after you and turned out this way. You have no one but yourself to blame.”

“Humility is a virtue,” Okoye murmured in his ear as he picked up his gift for Dewani.

“So I keep telling myself.” M’Baku handed Dewani a large gift half the length of the table, wrapped in an elegant gold colored paper. “You probably already know what’s in here.”

“Well, yeah. You’re nothing if not predictable.” Dewani tore open the packaging and lifted out an expertly carved staff, crafted out of Jabari wood.

“You’re starting the transformation from child to adult. You’ve overcome many challenges and are building a reputation for yourself that you should be proud of. I am. I’m so proud of you and the woman you’re becoming, Dewani.”

Dewani smiled as she regarded the staff with respect and reverence, then hugged her brother after carefully handing it off to one of the servants. “Thank you, M’Baku.”

“Happy Birthday, usisi omncinci.”

Ramonda went next, as the eldest non-family member present. “These are styled after jewelry worn by nearly all the tribes,” she explained as Dewani opened a small box to reveal a pair of intricate gold earrings. “I remembered you saying that you wanted some more ‘valley-styled’ pieces to wear when you visited Shuri, and I thought these would suit you.”

Dewani smiled and nodded her head in thanks. “Thank you, Queen Mother.”

T’Challa and Nakia were next, with a mutual gift of a collection of Wakandan myths and history.

Dewani appraised the book --a physical copy, instead of a transcription stored on a kimoyo bead--with an appreciative gaze. “This’ll be interesting to look through. I’ve been looking for a way to learn more about the other tribes, but I couldn’t figure out where was a good place to start. Thank you.”

“There’s a tradition among the valley tribes regarding sisters,” Okoye explained when Dewani opened her gift --a nice camera and some decent lens attachments. “Older sisters are expected to act as guides to their younger counterparts. When the younger sister is at an age to fend for herself, the older sister gives them a way to document their life and the world around them --hence the camera.”

Dewani beamed and leaned over to hug Okoye. “Thank you.”

Fukayna went next, presenting her friend with a book of Jabari history and traditions.

Izegbe followed --her gift was a set of three wickedly sharp daggers.

“You can go ahead of me,” Shuri said to Abayomi. “I’d like to go last, if that’s alright.”

“That’s fine,” Dewani said as she held her hands out for her youngest friend’s gift. “Ah. A book of prayers and meditations. Thank you... Why did you mark all the ones for patience?”

“Oh, no reason.”

Shuri giggled and shifted her chair so she was sitting right next to her girlfriend. “Alright. If you wouldn’t mind humoring me, I want to see if you can guess what I got for you.”

Dewani picked up the box --wrapped in smooth, dark purple paper--and lifted it up and down, testing its weight. “Hmm. It’s got some heft to it... Is it a book?”

“Nope.”

“Okay... I don’t think it’d be clothes or shoes...”

“Not either of those.”

“Is it a painting?”

“No.”

Dewani smiled softly as Shuri laughed. “Well, consider me stumped. May I open it now?” When Shuri nodded, she ripped the paper off and lifted the lid of the box.

A gleaming, sleek tablet sat inside the box, carefully buffered by layers of padding.

“A piece of your... technology,” Fukayna muttered, disdain evident in her voice.

“She doesn’t have to tailor her gifts for me to meet your standards,” Dewani said in a low voice, a clear warning to her friend to stand down.

Fukayna raised an eyebrow, but relented with a nod. “I didn’t mean to cause offense.”

“You turn it on here,” Shuri said as she pressed a button on the side of the tablet. “And you navigate by swiping or tapping.”

“I know. I’ve seen you use these before.” Dewani smiled curiously as she examined the tablet. “What are... vlogs? Why are there videos on here?”

“I guess you’ll have to check them out and see.”

Dewani tapped at the screen, and a video began playing, projected above the tablet so everyone at the table could see.

It was one of T’Challa --specifically, him being launched through the air by the kinetic energy blast from Shuri’s latest suit after he’d tried to kick it. Shuri’s laughter was audible in the background as her brother rolled across the floor.

“I thought I told you to delete that footage!” T’Challa groaned as everyone else laughed.

“When you gave me your book for my birthday, I knew I wanted to make something like that for you. Well, obviously, not an exact translation, but--”

“No, no, it’s perfect,” Dewani said with an exhilarated smile. “So, what all am I going to find on here?”

“Different kinds of videos, mostly --rants, vlogs, prank videos, those sorts of things.”

“I love it.” Dewani grinned at the tablet, then at her girlfriend. “It’s like a version of your brain --appearance and all.”

“I’m nothing if not modern.”

“You’re wonderful, too.” Dewani leaned forward and gave Shuri a brief, sweet kiss. “Thank you.”

Okoye smiled as Dewani’s friends made various cooing noises --or, in Izegbe’s case, loud retching noises--then crowded around Dewani’s chair so they could start taking pictures with the camera.

After watching the girl struggle, time and time again, it was nice to see her revel in pure joy for a change.

“Today was good. I’ve been needing a day like today for a while.”

“Yeah? Even with Shuri’s gift?”

“I got a better look at it while Dewani was playing with her camera. It’s shockingly low-tech --does only what she needs it to do, which is store and display files and videos. She clearly thought of Dewani and her heritage as a Jabari when she made it.”

Okoye smiled as she and M’Baku ambled through the halls of the lodge, made shadowy by the ever-darkening dusk. “You seem like you’ve really warmed up to her.”

“I said it earlier, and I’ll say it again. I don’t mind Shuri, nor do I dislike her. I think she’s young, and I think she has more to learn about life than she realizes, but she’s rightfully earned her confidence. Plus, she’s good to my sister and considerate to her views on life. Why wouldn’t I like that?” M’Baku paused, both in what he was saying and his stride, and frowned. “Do you hear that?”

Okoye frowned and closed her eyes so she could focus.

A series of soft, strained sobs pieced the air.

“That’s Dewani,” M’Baku said, alarm creasing his face. He surged forward, head swiveling back and forth as he scanned the rooms adjoining the hall for his sister. “Where is she?”

Okoye darted after him, nearly smacking into his back when he lurched to stop and peered into a small alcove that connected to the porch that wrapped around the lodge.

Dewani was tucked inside, slumped against the wall, hands pressed against her face. Her shoulders heaved as she tried to keep her anguish quiet. “I miss her so much.”

Shuri was standing in front of her, smoothing her girlfriend’s hair away from her face and wiping tears off her damp cheeks. “I know. You loved her, and she loved you.”

“I think they’re talking about Olufemi,” Okoye whispered.

M’Baku’s face was heavy with grief. “I know they are.”

Okoye latched onto his bicep when he tried to step in. “Wait. Give the Princess a chance to calm her.” When M’Baku gave her a look that managed to convey worry and brotherly indignation at the same time, she added, “You have to let her lean on other people. You won’t be there all the time to swoop in and save her.”

M’Baku swallowed thickly, and --with great reluctance--stepped away from the entrance to the alcove.

Dewani let out a wet, ugly sounding sniff. “Hanuman help me, what am I doing? I’m sobbing like a child over the loss of an elder who lived a full life, and you’ve lost your father before his time. I’m so selfish.”

“No, you’re not.” Shuri’s voice was loving, but firm. “Loss is loss. Your grandmother was dear to you the same way that my father was dear to me. My pain doesn’t make yours childish, and it definitely doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t let yourself it experience it.”

Okoye smoothed her hand against M’Baku’s arm, up and down, as Shuri soothed Dewani. “See? She’s going to be okay.”

M’Baku frowned, but said nothing.

Okoye’s hand stilled when she realized that Shuri and Dewani had stopped talking. She motioned for M’Baku to stay where he was, then leaned to the side to see what the two girls were doing.

Shuri and Dewani were locked in a passionate embrace, lips pressed together and arms encircling each other.

Okoye fought the urge to cough and leaned away, tugging at M’Baku’s arm. “Come on. I think the Princess has this well in hand.”

“What’s going on?”

“They’re two teenagers in love. What do you think?”

M’Baku’s eyes widened, and he blinked hard as he shook his head. “Not a mental image I needed.”

“Come on. I think we can let them have this moment.” She took his hand walked down the hall in the direction they had come from.

The next night saw the larger, public celebration of Dewani’s birthday. Music and laughter filled the air, a glorious cacophony of celebration and glee. Countless members of the Jabari tribe --most of whom were extended family and friends Okoye had never met before--filled the Great Hall of the lodge.

Okoye couldn’t help but smile as she watched Dewani, her friends, and Shuri dance with other cousins and companions in the center of the room.

“So, what do you think of a traditional Jabari celebration?” M’Baku asked jovially as he clasped her shoulders.

“Chaotic.”

M’Baku threw his head back and laughed. “Life is chaos! The garden is chaos! Too many people focus on trying to control it, to force it into order. Sometimes, it’s better just to flow with it.”

Okoye nodded as she returned her focus to the bouncing group in front of her. “I couldn’t agree more.”

“My feet hurt. Do all Jabari celebrations involve this much pain?”

M’Baku chuckled as he rubbed his hands up and down her legs, smoothing away the soreness. “Usually. We don’t do anything by halves.”

She was stretched out on the couch in front of the library fireplace, legs propped up in her lover’s lap. Okoye groaned as M’Baku hit a particularly tender spot and covered her eyes with her arm. “I’m supposed to go back to work two days from now.”

“Well, I guess I’ll have to make sure you’re feeling your best before you leave.”

Okoye smirked. “And what, exactly, might that entail?”

Before M’Baku could answer, however, the library doors opened with a smack. Izegbe stumbled in, expression panicked. “F’Tendi’s here! He’s trying to corner Dewani! I saw him by the Great Hall!”

M’Baku was off the couch and out of the library in the blink of an eye.

Okoye lurched into a sitting position. She winced as she yanked on her shoes, then took off after M’Baku, pain largely forgotten in favor of stopping F’Tendi in his tracks. As she closed in on the Great Hall, Abayomi burst into the hall, tailed by T’Challa and Shuri.

The doors to Great Hall were still open, revealing that F’Tendi and Dewani were locked in a heated argument. Fukayna was there as well, attempting to moderate as best she could.

Izegbe slipped past Okoye and M’Baku and sprinted into the hall. She shoved F’Tendi to the side with a vicious snarl. “The fuck is your problem!”

“You dare treat an elder with such disrespect?”

Okoye stepped between F’Tendi and Izegbe, forcing the girl to step back as she activated her spear. She knew F’Tendi well enough by now to know that peaceful de-escalation was seldom --if ever--on the table.

M’Baku stepped between Okoye and his uncle, seething with barely controlled rage. “How many times do I have to tell you to leave Dewani alone before you’re going to heed me? How many times?”

“My darling nephew, I simply don’t understand why you feel the need to limit my interaction--”

“Oh, will you step off it already?!” Shuri exclaimed. “You’ve been nothing but an unbearable, unrepentant pain in the ass to Dewani since the day I met you --which happened to be the day her grandmother was dying, by the way. You don’t have a single leg to stand on, so how about you drop the ‘polite and charming’ bullshit and admit that you hold no respect for your nephew or your niece!”

F’Tendi turned and scowled at the Princess. “I’ll tell you this once, Princess Shuri. Stay out of my family’s affairs.”

“And all tell you this once, Elder F’Tendi,” Shuri said as she stepped up to face the man down. “If you don’t stop harassing Dewani and Chief M’Baku, you’re going to see what the wrath of the panther really looks like.”

F’Tendi looked at Shuri, then glanced to the other Dora Milaje guards --who had their spears out and were poised to take him down if he so much as flinched wrong--and at T’Challa --who was shooting him a look that clearly conveyed that if he hurt his sister, F’Tendi was going to be a direct recipient of the Black Panther’s claws. He rolled his jaw and glared at Shuri. “I don’t believe in empty threats made by little girls.”

Shuri flicked her wrist, and a vibranium gauntlet encased her arm and hand. A repulsor-style blaster opened at the end, humming softly with blue energy. Shuri lifted her hand, aiming her weapon squarely at F’Tendi’s chest. “I don’t call shots that I can’t make.”

When F’Tendi looked to M’Baku, as if to question whether his nephew was really going to permit this, the Chief shrugged. “Honestly, I’m inclined to let her blast you through a wall or two. It might shake your remaining brain cells loose and prompt you to listen to me, for a change.”

F’Tendi stared at his nephew for a moment, then silently walked out of the Great Hall, leaving everyone else behind.

Ramonda, who had stepped in just in time to see her daughter holding a deadly weapon to a tribal elder, tsked once F’Tendi was out of earshot. “That was dangerous, Shuri.”

Izegbe let out a short laugh and shook her head. “Okay. Okay. I’ll admit, I didn’t think much of you when I first met you, but you’ve got some serious bite to back up your bark, Princess.”

Fukayna nodded, looking pleased for the first time since Okoye had seen her. “We were worried that you wouldn’t be willing to stand up for Dewani.”

“Seriously?�� Dewani groaned. “You’re going to run her off!”

Shuri smiled and looped her arms around her girlfriend. “I couldn’t ever be put off you.”

“Are you alright?” Okoye asked M’Baku as Dewani’s friends gathered around her and Shuri.

M’Baku let out a heavy sigh and nodded. “I’m okay. Everything ended alright, all things considered.”

Okoye squeezed his hand. “It can’t last forever. He’ll hit the end of his rope eventually, and he’ll hang himself when he does.”

“No, but I fear it’s going to get worse before it gets better. I just hope he doesn’t take Dewani down with him in the process.”

Okoye studied Dewani for a moment --she looked cheerful, especially in light of being hounded by her uncle--and shook her head. “I don’t think he will. She’s getting better.”

“Better, yes, but being around him is like putting salt in an open wound for her. If he gets worse before the official hearing, gets more aggressive--”

“She’s going to be okay,” Okoye said reassuringly. “Look at her. She has friends who love and believe her. She’s connected to a larger queer community. She has Shuri, has love and support from the Princess’s family and Nakia. She has you.” She smiled up at him. “She has me.”

M’Baku smiled slightly and squeezed her hand appreciatively.

“She’ll be okay,” Okoye repeated. “Take it from someone who’s come up the hard way in life: Dewani’s going to make it.”

M’Baku still didn’t say anything, but the tension in his face lifted, just a little.

#sass writes #black panther fanfiction #okoye x m'baku #t'challa x nakia #shuri x oc #ramonda is the best mom #lots of ocs #i'm sorry #i tried to make them all unique so you could tell them apart #don't know if i succeeded tho #oof #black panther #wakanda forever

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