#kpop fan fic

[jjhyn]

“seven”

pairing: jeon jungkook x reader “y/n” 

genre: angst

plot: your relationship with jungkook was hanging by a thread, it seemed that day by day and night after night, it was constant fighting and you felt like everything was falling apart 

warning: uhhh i think like cursing, yn and jungkook fight a lot so theres like some toxicity there

notes: jungkook’s “seven” ft latto is so good guys im going crazy, i took some inspiration from the mv for some of the scenarios and others i made up to add onto the story. also sidenote, sohee is so pretty wth ok byeee

word count: 3535

sunday

you woke up a bit late that sunday. the afternoon sun was shining onto your face from the window. you stretched your body across your bed and realized jungkook wasn’t in bed. this wasn’t something new to you, the last few weeks it seems like you guys were barely even together. you found yourself going to bed alone and waking up alone. like it had become a new routine for the two of you. scratch that, new routine for you because as of late, it hasn’t felt like there was a “two of you” anymore. 

you made your way to the kitchen where you were met with unwashed dishes in the sink, a dirty pan on the stove, and spills all over the counter. typically this would’ve made you go crazy, you’d probably go over to jungkook, yell at him, and the two of you would argue but you had grown tired. too tired to argue. too tired to fight. too tired to even bring it up. god knows where he even is. you scoffed and made your way back to bed, pulling out your phone as you decided to order delivery and not even bother getting out of bed that day. 

monday

you had forgotten you had to attend that work dinner with jungkook and his boss. so there you were, a fake smile plastered on your face as you had to greet jungkook’s stuck up colleagues. you swore that if you had to fake laugh one more time you’d break the champagne flute you were holding and stab someone.

“what’s wrong with you?” jungkook asked when his coworker walked away.

this brought you out of your thoughts and when you made eye contact with jungkook he was looking at you like you were crazy.

“what’s wrong with me? yeah, okay” you responded sarcastically and this didn’t help, at all. 

jungkook rubbed his chin before shaking his head at you, clearly upset with the way you’ve been acting all night. in your defense, you didn’t want to be there and what makes it worse is that he wants to act like everything is fine when both of you know that the two of you weren’t in the best place in your relationship at the moment. 

“look, can you at least act like you want to be here. you don’t have to talk to anyone but you can at least act like a decent human being.” he said as another stuck up prick approached the two of you.

before that man could even reach the two of you, you scoffed and walked off but not before you downed your glass of champagne and shoved it into his hand. at this point, people have noticed the tension between the two of you and you walking off only made it worse. this made jungkook extremely upset, not only did you just make a scene but the man who was approaching the two of you just so happened to be the guy that jungkook needed to sweet talk to close out a very important business deal. 

however, instead of running after you he stayed there. continued to talk to that man, as if he was more important than your relationship, and in that moment, he was more important. and you weren’t. 

tuesday

you had gotten home last night by uber and decided to drink yourself to sleep. you woke up still in your dress, even with one heel still on. you got yourself dressed in regular clothes before noticing the pile of dirty laundry you had been putting off. almost like how you’ve been putting off the inevitable. 

as you dragged your shared hamper with jungkook you threw the clothes in the washer. whites and light colored clothes first, to avoid any of them getting stained by the other clothes. when you walked out of your laundry room you caught a glimpse of jungkook still asleep on the couch. you felt a small pang of guilt strike your heart but you decided to lock yourself in the laundry room to avoid him altogether. 

after half an hour, the first load of laundry was done. when you opened the door to the washer to transfer them into the dryer you were met with what was supposed to be white clothes that were now various shades of pink. you were beyond shocked as you made sure to check that none of the clothes got mixed up. it wasn’t until you had pulled the clothes out of the washer when you saw a pair of red boxers stuck to the side of the washer. jungkook must’ve forgotten it there the last time he did laundry and now all of the white clothes were stained with pink. this made you furious. a lot more furious than it should’ve but you weren’t thinking when you stormed out of the laundry room, a pile of wet clothes in your arms, as you made your way to where jungkook was sleeping and dumped the dripping pile of clothes onto him. 

“what the hell?!” he yelled as he woke up.

“yeah, what the hell is right.” you yelled back “your dumbass forgot to take out one of your boxers from the washer and now all of my clothes are fucking pink!”.

jungkook shoved the wet clothes off of him as he stood and shook the water off of his arms and body. 

“is it that serious? it’s just some clothes!” he yelled as he made his way to the closet to grab a towel. 

“yes! it is that serious!” you yelled from behind him.

“serious enough that you need to dump a bunch of wet clothes on me?” he responded and this made you even more upset, because even though it wasn’t serious to him, it was serious to you. 

you groaned and pushed past him into your shared bedroom. before you could slam the door he finds his way in and the two of you are now staring at each other. anger in both of your eyes but not saying a thing. it wasn’t until jungkook broke the silence when all hell seemed to break loose.

“you know what, since we’re talking about things that are serious. what the hell was that about last night, huh? you make a scene in front of some very important people at my job and expect me to just forget about it?” he says, bringing up the events of last night that you had forgotten about in your drunken phase.

“i wouldn’t have caused a scene if you even remotely cared about me! i didn’t even want to be there, yet you forced me to be there and you expect me to be fucking jolly the whole time?” you yelled as you started picking up random clothes laying on the floor of your room. 

“are you kidding me?! you didn’t just make a scene, you fucking embarassed me in front of all those people!” jungkook responded, a vein starting to protrude from his neck.

“oh yeah? all those fucking people? like i give a shit! you care about those people more than you care about me. if you took some time to fucking take your head out of their asses and paid attention to i don’t know, ME? then maybe we wouldn’t have a problem now would we?” you were now throwing things at him with every word. clothes. your pillows. plushies. you even considered picking up the framed photo of you two but chose not to. 

“what the fuck is wrong with you?” that was all he could say. tears were threatening to pour down your face but you refused to cry. not over this, you were better than that. you took one deep sigh and walked out of your room. you hastily grabbed your keys and put your shoes on and left your apartment; slamming the door on your way out. again. jungkook didn’t follow. he stood there rubbing his temples and let out an aggravated grunt. one that you could hear as you passed the window of your bedroom as you got to your car. 

you looked up at the window, hoping that maybe he’d poke his head out and call for you. but he didn’t. 

wednesday

jungkook spent the day cleaning the house. you hadn’t come home after your fight and he didn’t know what to do. the two of you had fought before but it was never like this. one of you always apologized right after but this time it was extremely different. it felt like everything was falling apart and he didn’t even realize it until now. 

he finished doing the laundry that you had left. cleaned the kitchen and washed the dishes. he even fixed the squeaky lopsided chair you had been bugging him to fix. he entered your shared bedroom and plopped down on the bed surrounded by the mess of the day before. as he laid there on your bed, he recalled the events of your fight. the way your eyes welled up with tears. the anger in both of your voices. the way you had left. and the way he didn’t run after you. 

he shifted his vision from the ceiling to the nightstand. where a framed photo of the two of you sat. you looked so pretty that day. and you still do. he thinks about how he’s barely seen you smile lately and how your smile was his favorite thing about you. 

when was the last time you smiled? 

when was the last time he called you pretty?

when was the last time you laughed?

when was the last time you hugged each other?

when was the last time the two of you went a day without fighting?

thursday

jungkook has been sending you nonstop texts. he didn’t at first. it wasn’t until today that he started sending you texts. asking where you were, when you were coming back, that you needed to talk; and when you didn’t respond to those he resorted to calling. but he was instantly met with your voicemail. 

you weren’t ready to talk to him yet. you don’t know what would happen if the two of you talked right now. would you yell again? would he yell? would the two of you just stare at each other in silence? who knows, definitely not you. 

you spent the rest of the day ignoring jungkook’s messages and calls. you were staying with your sister at the moment and even though you didn’t tell her why you were there, she knew exactly what was happening and respected your wishes to not talk about it. you don’t know what you’re doing. how did the two of you get here? everything seemed so good, you were with the love of your life and suddenly it all fell apart. 

where did it go wrong? 

friday

after you had been ignoring him, jungkook had no idea what to do. he was getting worried and had been sleepless the last few nights. he paced back and forth in your bedroom, rubbing his chin, hair disheveled, when he got a phone call. he didn’t even bother checking who it was and answered immediately. 

“yn?” he asked

“no, it’s y/n’s sister. before you say anything else, they’re fine. they’ve been staying with me” your sister reassured him and he released the biggest sigh of relief. 

“look, i think you need to come get them or at least come here and talk. they haven’t left their room or eaten or done anything since they got here. i don’t know what happened but the two of you need to talk and fix this.” she said and as jungkook processed your sister’s words to think of a response, she hung up. 

jungkook was spiraling, he had no idea what was wrong but you were clearly going through it and he needed to be there to talk to you and fix whatever was left of your relationship. the two of you have never fought like this and it was starting to seem like this was a lot more serious than he may have first thought. 

he packed a small bag of his things and made his way out of his apartment before turning around. he went back to your bedroom and took the photo out of the frame on your nightstand. he stared at the photo before he folded it and put it into his back pocket. 

saturday

“where are you going?” your sister asked

“i don’t know, i’m gonna go to the train and see whatever ticket i can get and go as far from here as possible” you deadpanned and this made your sister roll her eyes. 

“really, y/n? is it that serious?” and before she could even fully ask that question you erupted.

“YES! it is that serious! why does everyone always ask me if it’s that serious?! does it even matter if it’s not serious to you?! because it is to me!” you were yelling and your sister was starting to put the pieces together. 

“look, just be careful, okay? i love you and you can always come back here if you need to. i don’t know what’s going on between the two of you but i’m always here for you.” she responded, knowing that if she continued to question your behavior it wouldn’t lead anywhere, so she decided to reassure you instead of continuing to add onto the stress you were already going through. 

you muttered a small thanks and gave your sister a hug. 

jungkook arrived at your sister’s house and when he saw your car out front he was so glad you were still there. he knocked on the door and was met with your sister. 

“where is she?” he said pushing past your sister into her house.

“y/n?” he called for you 

“they’re gone.” your sister responded

“what? their car is right there, you don’t have to hide them; you told me to come here.” jungkook was now confused

“they left. they took the bust and went to the train station half an hour ago. they’re probably on a train by now to wherever” she explained.

“what!? you didn’t think to stop them? you just let them leave?” he made his way out of the house and back to his car.

“you think that would’ve done something? they’re hurting jungkook and if i’m being honest, it feels like it’s because of you. you’re a little too late, maybe had you not let them walk away the first time, then you wouldn’t be in this position.” she said harshly.

your sister’s words stung because jungkook knew she was right and this was his fault, but he still believed he could fix this. he made his way out of your sister’s driveaway and sped to the train station, hoping you were still there.

“here’s your ticket. safe travels!” said the lady at the ticket counter. you muttered a thank you and went to find where your section is to wait for the train. 

as you found your spot you sat down with a heavy sigh and felt like your chest was getting tighter and tighter. you felt like you haven’t been able to breathe for a few days and it’s really getting to you. 

the led sign above you changed, now indicating that the next train would be arriving in 20 minutes. you don’t even know why you’re leaving. you do know why, but you weren’t entirely sure if this was the right thing to do. all the times you’ve left without thinking twice and here you are now, thinking twice before you walk away for what it seems like could be, if not forever, for a long time. 

some time passes and a lady on the intercom announces that your train would be arriving soon. you stared at the unopened texts from jungkook but didn’t bother opening any of them. the led sign above you changed from an ETA to “NOW ARRIVING”. you gathered your things and stood up, waiting behind a yellow line as the train approached from afar. 

when the train stopped in front of you and the doors opened, you waited for the previous passengers to exit the train before you got on. just as you were about to step into the train, a voice called out for you. 

“y/n! wait!” he said

you turned your head when you saw jungkook running towards you. you made a confused face, how did he even know you were here? before you could finish that thought, you realized your sister must’ve told him where you were. 

he reaches you and pulls you out of the line. 

“what are you doing here?” you said as you pulled your arm out of his grasp

“please, just listen to what i have to say. please?” he practically begged and when you didn’t respond and simply motioned with a nod for him to continue talking, he did. 

“i know, i haven’t been treating you the best lately. i haven’t been there for you, i haven’t listened, i haven’t shown you my love, but please know that none of that has ever waivered. i love you endlessly and eternally. more than you know and more than i can show.” he finishes and you're just staring at him. 

he shifts his vision from each of your eyes, waiting for a reaction or response. he takes your hands into his and says, “please, say something.” his voice slightly breaking. 

you thought that you wanted this. he’s finally realizing what he did wrong, he’s running after you, and he’s trying to make it right. you almost gave in until you realized he hasn’t even apologized, hasn’t uttered any form of the word “sorry” whatsoever. you slide your hands out of his before you begin to talk. 

“what do you want me to say? that everything is fine? let’s go back home and go back to our life as if nothing happened?” his face goes from sad to broken.

“i needed you jungkook, and you weren’t there. you never chose me. i was never your first option. it felt like you completely forgot about me. i walked away and you didn’t even call for me to come back let alone run after me. but it’s fine. because i’m done. us? we’re done.” you calmly said as jungkook was fighting tears from falling down his face. 

you cleared your throat and the lady on the intercom called for the last of passengers to board your train before it left. you slipped something off of your hand and dropped it into the pocket of his coat. 

“bye, jungkook.” you said as you made your way on the train. 

after a few steps jungkook calls for you again and runs up to you as you’re entering the train.

“jungkook, please. enough.” you said, almost begging him to let you go.

he doesn’t say anything except he gives you one last hug. unknown to you that he’s slipped something into your bag. you pull away and as you enter the train the doors close. the two of you stare at one another and after what felt like eternity, the train starts to move, leaving jungkook behind and taking you away. 

jungkook makes his way back to his car. when he finally enters, he breaks down. tears pouring down his face as the realization of what happened is now settling in. you’re gone and he has no idea how to fix it or if it can even be fixed. 

he suddenly remembers that you slipped something into his coat pocket. he pats his coat down to feel for the object and when he feels it, he grabs the small item out of his pocket. the sight of your wedding ring only breaks his heart further as it serves as a sign that the two of you are done. 

you found your seat on the train and once again sit with a heavy sigh, this time with less tightness in your chest. you set your bags aside when you realize something was sticking out the side of your bag. confused, you go to grab the crumpled piece of paper when you recognize the writing on the back. it was the date of your wedding, followed by you and jungkook’s signature. you unfold the paper and are met with your wedding photo. 

the two of you looked so happy. your wedding day was truly the happiest you had ever been. you recalled all of the laughter and smiles. jungkook’s smile was your favorite and it’s felt like you hadn’t seen him smile in so long. you folded the photo back up and put it into your bag. 

you stared out the window, contemplating on whether this was the right decision. obviously you couldn’t just run away forever. divorce takes time and you would have to see him at some point but was running away right now the right thing to do? you had run away so many times before and he finally ran after you, so why are you continuing to run? 

maybe it’s because he’s seven days too late.

#bts #bts jungkook #jungkook #jungkook au #jungkook fic #jungkook fanfic #fan fiction #au #bts fan fiction #bts au #jungkook seven #jungkook 7 #army #kpop #kpop au #kpop fan fic #kpop fic

[gongsanghada]

Spark Pt 2

Sneak Peek: He gestured to us and the room, “This! This should be enough of a reason to leave him!” He shouted.

“This? This what?” I matched his volume, “This is nothing. We hook up. We get dressed. You say bye and go back to work. You call me when you want to hook up again.” I paused, catching my breath. My chest felt heavy, “What is this?” I repeated his gesture.

“Apparently it’s nothing. Thanks for letting me know.” He said emotionlessly, spitting my own words back at me.

I was beyond nervous about the next day. It was something I’d never done before, that was nerve wracking enough. I had to be a fake couple with a man I actually had a huge crush on, who had a girlfriend, and on top of that I had to be flirtatious and do PDA with him in a room full of people watching us. It was so awkward.  

The only bright side was that it got me out of going out with Gray. I loved hanging out with Gray, he was fun, he made me happy, he was just a good friend in general. I just hated going out.

I kept tossing and turning. I couldn’t sleep at all and it was already 11. I had to be on the set in 6 hours. I was going to feel miserably tired tomorrow.  

I felt my phone vibrate under my pillow. The only people that usually text me this late was Gray or Jae Won. Either way I was going to be angry if it was one of them. They both knew I had to be up early the next day.  

It was a number I didn’t know. I opened the message.  

Hey, it's Zico. I hope it’s okay I got your number from Jae. I just wanted to thank you again for doing this. I know it’s not your thing, but I really do appreciate it. I promise to make it up to you.  

I felt my heart flutter as I read his text. I reminded myself he was taken and was a client. This was a professional situation and I had to treat it as such.  

I rolled over and responded.

Hey! It’s fine. Don’t worry about it :)  

As I sent it I regretted the exclamation point. It made me sound way too excited that he was texting me.  

Another buzz from my phone.  

Are you nervous?

He had no idea how nervous I was or why I was nervous.  

Absolutely terrified.   I held my phone and waited for his response.  

It came quickly.   Don’t be. I’ll be there to help and if you ever feel uncomfortable just tell me.  

That was the issue. He’d be there and I’d be uncomfortable the entire time.   I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t be honest with him.  

Thanks Zico. :)  

It was simple and professional.  

You’re welcome. Try to get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.  

I didn’t respond. I was sure he meant to ease my mind but it just made me even more nervous.  

I found Gray’s number in my phone and called him.  

“Shouldn’t you be asleep?” He asked right away.  

“I can’t sleep, I’m too nervous.” I answered honestly.  

“Don’t be. It’ll be easy. You just get to stand there and look pretty.”     I heard fabric ruffle on the other line and knew he was in bed. I just hoped I wasn’t interrupting anything.  

I had told him what my role in the music video was going to be. He thought it’d be easy but I disagreed.  

I sighed, “I have an issue. I need your advice on.”

“Ah you need my advice for once.” I could hear the smugness in his voice.  

“Gray, please. I’m already hating that I have to ask this.”

“You know I’m always here to help. What’s going on?”

I took a breath before confessing my real emotions.   “I like him. Like for real. And now I have to pretend to be his girlfriend. I’m so uncomfortable about it and terrified that I’ll just fall for him even more.”

“What’s wrong with that?” He asked.  

“He has a girlfriend.”

“Ah.” He thought for a moment before continuing, “Babe I wish I had some easy fix for you or great advice, but I don’t. I’ve been in that situation before too. It sucks.” He moved in his bed again, the sheets brushed against the phone. He sighed, “Take it as a hall pass. That’s what I’d do. You like him and he has a girlfriend. You get to act like his girlfriend in his music video, so go for it. Ignore everyone in the room and just see him. Be his girlfriend. Don’t hold back.” I wasn’t sure if I could do that. I didn’t like his girlfriend at all, but I still didn’t like feeling like I was helping him cheat on her.   I had to keep reminding myself it wasn’t cheating. Actors do this all of the time. It’s not cheating.  

“Besides, if you both go for it, the chemistry will be fire and the music video will be incredible. You’ll be the hero.”  

“And after filming?” I asked. The fallout was what I was worried about.

He sighed, “After filming you go back to being you and he goes back to having a girlfriend. He’ll think you did a great job and will be grateful and you…” he paused. I think we both knew it wasn’t good news for me, “You will be hanging out with me every day until you don’t think about how much it hurts, because it will hurt unfortunately.”

Part of me wanted to smile at Gray's kindness but the other part of me was already crumbling into pieces.   I was going to take Gray's advice as best as I could. I’d go for it. That’s what was expected of me. If I held back we’d look awkward together and it wouldn’t work. I'd go for it completely and worry about picking up the pieces when we were done filming.  

I took a deep breath and released it. “Thanks Gray. I appreciate it.”

“Always.”

…

I arrived on set and immediately felt nervous. Everyone was running around getting everything ready, I just felt so out of place. I was happy to see Jae Won almost immediately, even if he was the reason I was in this situation.

“Hey, question, did all of the invoices for this get paid? Or at least in the process of getting paid?”

I smiled, of course he was asking a work question, he really would be lost without me. I nodded, “I made sure to pay everything yesterday before I left work. All receipts are in your email, in a folder labeled “One Man Show MV.” I also sent them to my email, and I have copies of them all on my computer at the office.”

He breathed a sigh of relief, “You're amazing. I need you in hair and make up.”

I was so much more comfortable talking about work things than music video things. I followed him as he walked me to where I'd be getting ready for the video. He introduced me to the hair and make up team and left me in their hands. I sat my bag down and squeezed my phone in my hands as I sat in their chair.

I watched them in the mirror as they pulled and curled my hair in every direction before pinning it temporarily so that the curls would set and last longer. They sprayed a cloud of hairspray around my head to ensure the curls would hold.

Make-up was next. It was nice having an entire team do my hair and make up, I could get used to it. I almost forgot what it was for, until my phone pinged

I   held it up so I wasn't messing up the make-up artist, it was Zico.

You look nervous. I was extremely nervous, and now even more so knowing he was watching me.

I am I answered honestly.

Don't be, if you feel uncomfortable at any time just tell me. I want you to feel comfortable, okay?

I couldn't help but smile, it really was kind of him to be concerned about my feelings regarding the video. I didn't get a chance to respond. The hair stylists started taking my hair down and spraying, what seemed like, gallons of hair spray.

When I opened my eyes Jae Won was next to me.   “Have you seen the outfit you're supposed to be wearing?” His tone and the look on his face told me I wouldn't like it.  

“How bad is it?” I asked as I slid out of the chair.

“It's not you.”   he rubbed the back of his neck, “it’s a dress. And frilly, and pink.”

It was literally everything I was not. I inhaled, “it might work.” I tried to sound positive.

Jae Won laughed quietly, “I've never seen you in anything pink, or frilly, or a dress. It's not going to work with your tattoos.”

“I'll try it on, it might work.” Deep down I was desperately hoping it wouldn't work.   One of the nice ladies working the shoot came over just on cue and handed me the dress. Jae Won was right, it was even worse than he described. I followed her back to the dressing room.   I could already tell it was going to be too short for my frame. It was a baby pink colour, with capped sleeves. The sleeve hem and skirt hem had ruffles. I definitely was going to look odd.  

I pulled it on either way, fixed my hair and walked back out to my boss. This time he was accompanied by Jiho whose back was to me. I tugged the skirt down and smoothed it out as I got to them.

“Wow.” Was all Jae Won said.

“It's not good.” I laughed nervously.

Jiho turned around, his mouth fell open. I watched him look me over as Jae Won started talking. I couldn't focus on what my boss was saying, I was more focused on Jiho’s   eyes.  

“It's not that bad, but it's definitely not you. What do you think Zico?” Jae Won asked.

“You have a lot of tattoos.” was all he managed to get out.

I nodded and fumbled with my fingers. That was my giveaway that I was nervous or anxious–fumbling with my fingers.  

“You didn't know?” my boss asked. Jiho shook his head.   “Does that ruin the look you were going for?” Jae Won asked.

Jiho smiled and shook his head again, “No, it actually makes it better. I don't think the dress will work though.”   He tilted his head and looked at me. It seemed like he wanted to say something else but he held back.

“Lennon, what did you come here in?” Jae Won asked.

“Jeans, a black tank top and a jacket.”

Jae Won called over the woman who gave me the dress and spoke to her in Korean. I think he was telling her   I was changing outfits and to help me make it look fashionable for the video.

The woman motioned for me to follow her and I did. I tried to ignore the feeling of Jiho watching me as I walked away.  

I slipped my own clothes back on. The concept of personal space when dressing for a music video was thrown out the window. The woman helping me tucked my tank into my jeans and did a single stitch in specific spots to my pants so no matter how I moved the tank stayed tucked and in place. She pulled out some body tape and further invaded my personal space by hiding tape below my bra, taping my boobs in such a way they looked like a perfect Victoria’s Secret set. I felt awkward, but I made sure to file that trick away in my memory bank for later use.  

I walked back to my co-star and boss, somehow more nervous now than I was in the dress.  

“Much better.” Jae Won smiled. “What do you think, Zico?”

Jiho also smiled, “Perfect.”

I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and smile. I didn't realize I'd been holding my breath the whole time.

“How many tattoos do you have?” he asked, glancing at my sleeve.

“I'm not sure. Quite a few, I have them all over.” I wasn't sure why I suddenly felt so nervous. Tattoos were one thing I could talk about all day every day, but right now I was nervous. I knew he wasn't judging me, he had probably as many tattoos as I did, maybe a couple less.

“I'd love to see them.” he smiled, then quickly added,   “I didn't mean it like that.” Realizing his statement could have been taken in a different and inappropriate context.     “It’s fine, I don't mind showing you.” This felt vaguely like flirting and I didn’t know what to think about it. We hadn’t started acting yet, so I wasn’t in the head space to remind myself it was all fake. It felt real, but it couldn’t be real for more than one reason.  

“You two can compare tattoos later. You have a visitor.” Jae Won nodded behind me.

I turned and saw my best friend walking towards me with a big smile.

It was such a surprise to see Gray, I immediately ran and jumped into his arms. I wrapped my legs around him and hugged him tightly, “What are you doing here?”  

“I'm not going to miss your first music video.” He sat me down, “It's what friends do. I’m sure you'd do the same for me, if you were around for my first music video.” He smiled and held my hands.

“You're the best.”

 He shrugged, “I know.”  

We walked back to the two men I was just talking to moments ago. They all said their “hellos'' and did that weird high five bro hug thing guys do.  

“The set looks awesome guys.” Gray looked around the studio.

“I think it's going to be the best music video released this month.” Jae Won spoke confidently, “What about our leading lady? What do you think?” Jae Won asked Gray. I felt like I was on display, all three men critiquing my appearance.  

Gray looked at me and smiled, “You look hot.”

I couldn't help but laugh, “I literally wear this all of the time and you never say anything.”

He shrugged, “Something about it today is different.”

It was my duct taped boobs that made it different. I rolled my eyes at his typical man comment.

Jae Won started to go over how the day was going to work. He explained what type of scenes we were going to film and that we might have to film them multiple times. That's usually what took the most time was getting the scenes perfect. Because it was such an emotional song, there was going to be a lot of acting and improv involved and that terrified me. One of the scenes we had to shoot was an argument scene. Jiho and I would have to fight about something, even though we literally had nothing to argue about at all. Another scene was us being a normal happy couple, of course there would also be a lot of “B roll,” just extra random scenes filmed to fill empty spaces in the video or to get the vibe of the video on track. The final scene we had to do together was more of a physical scene, I was extremely nervous about that scene as well.

There were two sets we were going to be working on today. One was a plain white set, it was supposed to look almost like a dream, they were going to edit it in post to make it have that airy dream feel when appropriate. The second set was a bedroom. This set was where we'd have the fight and the “physical��� scene.   As Jae Won explained all of this, I became even more nervous. I squeezed Gray's hand nervously.   Jae Won excused himself to go check and make sure everyone else was ready to start filming. Jiho followed him, his head bowed.

“Has he looked that bummed out all morning?” Gray asked, nodding towards Jiho. I shook my head, “No. He actually looked happy before you got here.'' I nudged him.

“I wonder if Jae Won has spread the rumour that we’re dating.” Gray laughed.

I didn't think it was funny. There was no reason for Jae Won to tell people Gray and I were dating, whether it was true or not.  

“It shouldn't matter either way. He has a girlfriend, remember?” I looked towards Jiho. He was standing with Jae Won overseeing the production of his video. He did look like he was in a completely different mood than he was five minutes before Gray showed up.  

Gray lowered his head closer to mine and spoke quietly, “If I were him and had to do a make out session with you, I'd want to forget I had a girlfriend. I’d also be nervous if your so called boyfriend showed up”

“Why? I mean other than it being awkward.”

Gray leaned in a little more, “Because you look hot. Remember what I said last night? About not holding back? If I were him I wouldn't want to hold back a bit, but now your “boyfriend” is here, it definitely puts a damper on his plans.”

“You just got here though, you can't leave me. This is the most comfortable I've felt all morning.” I was already nervous, but having Gray made me feel a little better. He knew my true feelings, he’d know what to say if he saw me having a tough time with filming. He’d remind me to “not hold back” like he said last night.

He smiled, “I'll stay if you want me to. He's not going to like it.”

I shook my head, “He has a girlfriend.”

Gray shrugged, “Okay don't believe me.”  

“Lennon, are you ready?” Jae Won called to me. My stomach did flips. I absolutely was not ready, but I had to be.

As I turned to walk to the set, Gray wished me luck in his own way. “Go get ‘em tiger.” He said as he slapped my ass.

“Gray!” I turned to swat his hand away. He smirked and I couldn't help but smile at his attempt to ease my nerves.

Jiho was sitting on a white block on set. It was meant to blend into the surrounding white space. He was looking down at his hands, messing with his rings.  

“You look nervous now.” I said gently.  

He looked up at me then over to where Gray and Jae Won were standing. “Yeah. I guess I am.”

“Alright, let's get started. You two go ahead and start acting like a couple and when you’re in the groove of it we’ll start filming.” Jae Won clapped his hands together, his voice resonated through the entire set.  

I looked at Gray, who gave me a look of encouragement. When I looked back at Jiho, I knew this was going to be harder than it was the other day at casting.  

“Happy couple you two.” Jae Won spoke again.  

I didn’t want to upset my boss, so I carefully took Jiho’s hand in mine. It wasn’t much, and I knew it wasn't what Jae Won was wanting, but I was hoping it let Jiho know that it was okay.  

“This is painful to watch.” I heard Jae Won’s voice.  

Jiho dropped my hand and stood up, “I just need a minute.” He spoke directly to Jae Won and walked away.

I looked back at Gray. He mouthed “Go” and nodded towards Jiho. I hesitantly walked over to where Jiho was. I didn’t know why he was nervous or why his confidence had gone down so much, it made me feel like it was my fault. Like I had done something to make him upset or to make him not want to do the music video with me.  

“Hey.” My voice came out quieter than I expected. I was surprised he even heard me.  

He looked up, his eyes were full of worry. “Hey.”

“What’s going on?” I asked.

He shook his head, “Just nervous I guess.” He looked at me then over to where everyone else was. “I respect Gray a lot as an artist and producer.” He began explaining why he was nervous, “I don't feel like I can do what I need to for the video for it to be what I expected since he’s here.”

I understood where he was coming from. I respected Jiho and I was a ball of nerves around him all of the time.

I sighed, “Just pretend like he’s not here. Pretend like no one is here, it’s just us.”  

He laughed quietly, “I guess we’ve switched places. Now I’m the nervous one and you’re reassuring me.”

I smiled, “I need you to not be nervous. It makes me even more anxious. I thought I did something wrong or that you didn’t want to do the video with me anymore.”

“What? No, you didn’t do anything wrong. I’m just in my head with Gray being here.” He reached his hand out to mine, his fingers grazing against mine.  

I shook my head, “It’s just us here. Ignore them.”

Jiho smiled, “Thanks Lennon. You ready?”  

I nodded, even though I wasn’t so sure that I was ready, “I’ll give you Gray’s version of encouragement, “go get ‘em tiger.”” I smiled at him.

Jiho looked at me, his smile gone. “you’re the one I’m supposed to be getting though.”

It was time to start putting my own emotions to the side and go into “don't hold back” mode.

I smiled at him as I walked past him, turning my head to look at him and say, “then come get me.”

When we got back to the set, the entire vibe had changed. It was uncomfortable before. There was a nervous tension in the air. Now, Jiho stood close to me, a different type of tension filled the room.

“Let’s try this again.”Jae Won cleared his throat, “Happy couple take two.”

Jiho looked down at me, a flash of nervousness crossed his face.   I stepped closer to him, “It’s just us.” I said quietly so that only he could hear it. “Don’t hold back.” I repeated Gray’s advice.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” His voice matched my volume level.

I smiled and brushed my hand across his cheek, “You won’t. We’re here to make an incredible music video, so let’s do it. Do whatever feels right.” My confidence was surprising even me.  

“Cue music.” Jae Won’s voice came from somewhere. I took that as he was pleased with what we were doing, and they started filming.

Without missing a beat, Jiho slid his hands down my waist and picked me up wrapping my legs around his waist. Our faces were inches apart. I smiled and slid my hand through his hair, cupping his face in my hand.  

He smirked, “hold on tight.”

“Wh–.” Before I could ask why, he spun us around in circles. I wrapped my arms around his neck, “Jiho!” I laughed and squeezed him.

He stopped and looked at me, our eyes almost level for once. Without a word he sat me down on the same white box he had been sitting on earlier. He moved in between my legs and let his hands slide up my thighs. I kept my arms around his neck letting my hands slide through his hair pulling him closer to me.

He pressed his lips to my forehead and I could feel my heart melt into a puddle. He kissed my temple, down to my cheek. His hands slid around to my back and pulled me closer to him. He pulled back slightly and looked at me again. His hand tucked my hair back behind my ear before he kissed my cheek again as his fingers lightly glided down my neck. I automatically tilted my head to the side, opening my neck up. I closed my eyes and felt his soft lips kiss my jaw.

“Keep calling me Jiho.” He whispered before kissing my cheek again.  

I hadn't realized I called him Jiho again. I didn’t mean to. For the video, I was happy to call him Jiho.  

“Cut.” Jae Won’s voice pulled us out of my utopia. “That’s perfect guys.” He and the hair and make-up team walked over to us. As Jae Won spoke again, our hair was being restyled back into its perfect place. Our make up was being touched up where necessary and our outfits were even being tugged and tucked back in.

“Love what you guys are doing. Let’s save some of the hot and heavy stuff for the last scene. I want to get more cutesy couple shots. I loved the spinning around and laughing, that was cute. Keep the heat for later, but can we get some cute ones first?” Jae Won pat Jiho on the shoulder and walked back to the camera.

The hair and make-up ladies hurried off set behind him. I took a breath and tried to get back into my utopia world with Jiho. All of his hesitations seemed to have left as soon as Jae Won called action Jiho jumped into action.  

He took my hands in his and kissed each of them before helping me down from the box. His music was still playing in the background, it echoed throughout the building.

“Dance with me.” He said sweetly.  

“I crashed into you the last time we did that.” I laughed.

He nodded and stepped away holding my hand out, “I’m counting on that happening again.” He smiled and pulled me to him. I put my free hand up before I slammed into him. We both laughed and he wrapped his arms around me and gently rested his chin on my head. We both swayed back and forth, mimicking dancing. I let my head rest on his chest. I could feel his heart beating. Somehow hearing his heart beat got to me and I realized all at once how close I was to him which also reminded me that this wasn’t real. After today it was going to be like nothing happened. He’d go back to being Zico, and I’d go back to being Jae Won's personal assistant.  

I heard Gray’s words echo in my head. I pushed all of that away and focused on right now, this moment. For right now, Jiho was mine.  

I let my hands move up his back slowly, feeling every inch of his back, every curve and ripple of muscle. He moved and looked down at me, he smiled for a moment then spun me out away from him. I returned his smile knowing he was going to pull me back in and try to off balance me.  

He did pull me back in, but didn’t off balance me. Instead he stood behind me and wrapped his arms around me, leaning down so his cheek was touching mine. I let my head fall back and rest against him. We continued to sway together. I closed my eyes for a moment just enjoying the feeling of his body against mine.

“Is everything okay so far?” He asked quietly.  

I turned my head to look at him. He was so handsome, somehow even more so now than ever before. I nodded, “Perfect.”

A smile spread across his face.  

“Now kiss.” Jae Won’s voice cut like a knife into our little world. Jiho’s smile faded.  

He stood up and looked at my boss, “I can’t.”

It felt like a dagger through my heart.

“It’s what couples do. Just a quick peck.” Jae Won continued.   Jiho looked at me. I gave him a sympathetic smile. I didn’t want to push him, if he felt like he couldn’t I didn’t want to force him to. I wasn’t sure how the rest of the scenes would go, but it was his video and I’d respect his comfort levels just like he was respecting mine.  

“It’s fine. It’s cuter without a kiss. Especially with the meaning of the song.” I offered him an out. I knew he’d do the same for me. I also felt like Jae Won wouldn’t fight me as much on it as he would Jiho.

My boss sighed, “Okay, okay.”   We were overtaken by the hair and make up team again patting our faces and adjusting our hair. “Is the bedroom set ready?” Jae Won asked someone off set.   Jiho went over to Jae Won as Gray walked up to me, a big knowing smile on his face.

“How is it?” He raised his eyebrows.  

I put my head into his chest and exhaled deeply. My chest felt so tight, which usually meant I was going to cry soon. I tried to take a deep breath.  

“Oh,” Gray put his arms around me and pulled me into a hug. “That bad huh?”

I looked up at him, “We’re going out tonight and you’re going to make sure I get absolutely wasted. I don't want to remember any of this. Deal?”

He nodded sympathetically, “Deal.” He squeezed me tightly, “Hey, you know what they say, to get over someone, get on top of someone else. I’ll be your wingman.”

I laughed, “Slow down bud. One bad decision at a time, okay?”

He sighed, “If you say so. You’re doing the argument scene next.” He pulled away from me, “In my experience, it’s the hardest type of scene to do. If you’re not actually angry or hurt, it’ll show on screen. It’ll look stupid.” He pushed my hair from my shoulders, “Use the hurt you’re feeling now to your advantage. As much as you don’t want to feel it, lean into it as much as you can. Remember this is all fake, every kiss, every touch, every look he gives you, it's not real. He doesn’t actually like you.” If I didn’t know what he was doing, I would have thought he was just being unnecessarily mean. I knew he was trying to help me get into the correct mood though. “In a few hours you’ll be nothing to him. He’ll go back to his girlfriend and you’ll be alone.”

I blinked away a couple tears. Gray was right. In the moment it was hard to remember this wasn’t real. I meant nothing to Jiho, this was just a job for him. Tonight he’d be laying in bed with Yuri and I’d be in bed alone, foolishly wishing I was with him.   Honestly, it was ironic considering the message of the song. Being in love with someone who doesn’t want to truly be with you.

Jae Won called me over, I murmured a “thank you” to Gray before joining my boss and Jiho. I couldn’t meet his eyes right now. I felt like I really would burst into tears if I looked at Jiho.  

Jae Won began to give us a scene to act out and I was thankful for it. I did not want to improv this scene.  

“Okay Zico, you want to be with Lennon, but she’s still with someone else.”   Gray joined us and squeezed my hand.   “Perfect,” Jae Won looked at Gray, “for argument's sake, Lennon is with Gray, and Zico you want her to leave him. She keeps promising she will but never does. Zico, you'll start the scene sitting on the bed.” Jae Won moved him to his spot. “And Lennon, you’ll be on your phone, texting who we’ll assume is Gray.” My boss ushered me to my spot and handed me the phone.  

None of the audio from the “fight” would be in the video. It didn’t matter what we fought about, just the imagery of us fighting would be included and Jiho’s song would be playing over the scene. We could just yell “bubble gum” over and over and it wouldn’t matter as long as we looked like we were fighting. Even though the audio wasn’t going to be used, I was more than happy to have an actual scene to act out. It would hopefully make this a little easier.  

Gray was right, this was going to be tough. Jiho and I were going to have to fight about something that was real. I held the phone in my hand and tried to block out everything. I replayed Gray’s words in my head again. I let myself feel every single word, the realness of it all. I let my heart break, I encouraged it to.  

I barely heard Jae Won shout action. Jiho’s track played in the background. I tuned it all out and focused on this scene.  

I tapped my thumbs on the phone screen as if I were texting Gray. Within a moment the scene started.  

“Who are you texting?” Jiho asked in a serious voice.  

I looked at him as if I were caught, “No one.” I looked back at the phone and kept “texting.” I tried to think how I’d feel in this situation. If it really were me, torn between Jiho and Gray there would be a clear reason I hadn’t just chosen Jiho. I’d have always chosen him even over Gray. I just never had those types of feelings for Gray. I decided that was my story: Jiho never gave me a reason to “leave Gray” if he had I would have “left him” in a second to be with Jiho.

“You’re texting him aren’t you?” Jiho asked as he stood up.  

I sighed as if I were tired of this conversation that we’d had probably fifty times. I looked at him, not saying anything.

“Aren’t you?” He asked again this time a little more forcefully. “What if I am? Why does it matter?” I tossed the phone to the night stand next to me.

“You said you’d leave him.” He spoke, he actually sounded hurt. “But you’ve said that how many times now? Do you actually plan on leaving him or are you just going to keep lying to me?” The anger in his voice was so intense and real.

I looked down, worried that I’d start crying. “Why should I leave him?” I asked quietly. I glanced up at him.

He huffed and looked around the room before back at me, “You’re kidding right?”  

I shook my head, “Why should I leave him? Give me one reason I should leave him.” I questioned him.

He gestured to us and the room, “This! This should be enough of a reason to leave him!” He shouted.  

“This? This what?” I matched his volume, “This is nothing. We hook up. We get dressed. You say bye and go back to work. You call me when you want to hook up again.” I paused, catching my breath. My chest felt heavy, “What is this?” I repeated his gesture.  

“Apparently it’s nothing. Thanks for letting me know.” He said emotionlessly, spitting my own words back at me.

 He turned and I reached for his hand. “What is it? I’m asking you. If you want me to leave him, tell me, give me a reason.”

He jerked his hand out of mine. I felt that familiar twinge in my chest, the twinge that warned me, I was about to start crying. I always felt like crying when I got frustrated or when someone raised their voice at me. I hated it.

“I thought I had!” His voice and expression were full of anger.

“How?” I asked, my voice urgent.    I stepped closer to him, “Give me a reason, please, I’m begging you.”

“I thought I was the reason.” Jiho shouted and grabbed my hands, “I thought I was the reason.” He repeated himself quietly, his eyes searching mine.  

I looked at him and could feel my eyes well up with tears. I gently blinked, anything more would force them to fall down my cheek.

“You want me to leave him just because you’re you?” I took a broken breath, “That’s your reasoning?” I waited for his response, but none came. “Not because you want to be with me? Not because you care about me? Not because you love me? None of that… I should just leave him because you’re you?”  

He shook his head and pulled away, “I thought it was clear I wanted to be with you.” He replied with his back to me.  

“Obviously not.” I blinked and a single tear rolled down my cheek.

He turned, “So that’s going to make you leave him? If I say I want to be with you?”

I shook my head, “No, but–.” He didn’t let me finish, he grabbed my shoulders, “Fine, Lennon, I want to be with you! Is that what you want me to say? I want to be with you. Are you happy?” He was yelling now and I couldn’t help but start to cry.  

I pushed his hands off of me, “No, I’m not because I don’t believe you. You’re just saying it to say it.”

A flash of concern crossed Jiho’s face when he saw the tears rolling down my face. He stepped closer to me and put his hand on my arm, “Lennon…” his voice was quiet. He wasn’t acting.

I pushed him away as hard as I could, which wasn’t a lot, he was much bigger than me. “Stop!” I looked up at him, his angry face came back, “Give me a reason, a real reason.”

He groaned and turned away from me, running his fingers through his hair.

“Please, Jiho,” I stepped closer to him, “I will call him right now and break up with him. I’m begging you, Jiho,   give me a real reason. Anything.”

In the blink of an eye he turned around, his hands slid across my cheeks and pulled me to him, his lips crashing into mine. He held me so gently, but firmly. His lips opened slightly to close around mine.   He pulled inches away, looking down at me, “Because I’m falling for you.” His voice was only loud enough for me to hear.

“Cut!” Jae Won’s voice cut me like a knife.

Jiho’s hands dropped and he stepped aside.  

“You two are incredible!” He walked over to us, his face lit up like a kid in a candy store.  

I focused on a random piece of equipment behind him. I couldn’t look at anyone right now, and I was almost positive my voice would crack if I spoke to someone.  

Thankfully the make up ladies rushed over to me to fix the make up I had ruined with my stupid crying. I put all of my focus into what they were doing. I was trying to distract myself from feeling like I was still on the verge of a breakdown. I felt the tissues tap on my cheeks, I listened intently to them asking me to look up or straight ahead. I felt the soft brushes and sponges cross my skin. The smell of the make-up they were using mixing with their own perfume. I focused on anything arbitrary that would take me out of the argument mindset

I took a deep breath and finally began to feel like I was in a safe zone and there was no risk of waterworks. I felt confident enough to replay the kiss in my head. I felt my heart flutter and I tried not to smile. It was almost perfect. The fact that it was all an act was the only part that made it not perfect. I tried not to think about that.

Jae Won kept talking, but it felt like Jiho and I were in a glass box and he was talking to us from outside. I could barely concentrate on what he was saying, my mind kept going back to the kiss.

“We’ll start where we just left off, because that was so perfect. Go all out, this is supposed to be heated, don’t go too far, but do what you two are comfortable with. Lennon,” my boss spoke directly to me, “don't hesitate to punch him if he’s doing too much. Both of you, communicate the whole time. If you’re uncomfortable, say something.” He made sure we were clear on that.   Jiho and I nodded in agreement. For some reason, neither of us could talk.

“Great, go back to where you just were.” Jae Won pulled Jiho and I together and moved Jiho’s hands back to my cheeks. “You both are doing great.” He reassured us before walking off set.  

Jiho and I looked at each other, there was barely any space between us.

“Are you okay?” He asked quietly.

I smiled slightly and nodded.

He tried to smile, but failed.  

“Stop me if you get uncomfortable okay? That’s the last thing I want.” His voice was full of concern.

I smiled again and placed my arms around his waist pulling him closer, “Don’t hold back,” I repeated Gray’s words, “This is your video, do what you think feels right. I promise I won’t let you go too far.”

Another attempted smile.

“Zico, can you kiss her like you did so we can start a little before we cut last time.” Jae Won’s voice called out to us from somewhere beyond the lights.

Jiho looked down at me ignoring Jae Won’s instructions for a moment. “I never want to see you cry again.”

I wasn’t sure if he was acting again or not, but it took me off guard. Before I could make sense of it, he lowered his head and placed his lips on mine.

“Rolling.” Jae Won called again.

Jiho’s lips once again opened and closed on mine before he pulled away just like he had before. I smiled at him and slid my hands up his back. He kept looking at me trying to figure out where I was on the comfort level. He was being cautious. Selfishly that was the last thing I wanted, it definitely wasn’t what Jae Won wanted.  

“Don’t hold back.” I reminded him.

He nodded.   I smirked, “go get ‘em tiger.”

He finally laughed quietly. He gently kissed me again, his lips opening and closing so deliciously around mine. His hands slid down my arms, to my hips. He paused kissing me to quickly bend down and pick me up easily. I wrapped my legs around him and put my forehead on his and smiled at him.

He sat me on the bed and crawled on top of me. Like a predator hunting their prey, he had a hungry look in his eyes. He carefully laid down on top of me making sure to keep most of his weight off of me. His eyes never left mine. I slid my hands up his back and through his hair.

Jiho lowered his head and gave me multiple small sweet kisses on my cheek, forehead, and finally my lips.

“Is this okay so far?” It was a question only for me to hear. His thumb brushed across my cheek.  

“Yes.” I answered confidently.  

He returned his lips to mine, the hunger in his kisses coming in stronger than before. His hand slid down my neck, down my chest and to my leg. Every inch sent chills through my body. He grabbed my leg and pulled it up to his side. His lips never left mine once. His hand grabbed at my thigh.

I pulled at his shirt trying to pull him even closer to me, but he never budged. He was driving me crazy. Every touch, every movement, every time he closed his lips on mine. I let go of his shirt and instead slid my hand underneath it. His skin was hot to the touch, every movement made his muscles twist and flex.  

He sat up and quickly pulled his shirt off, tossing it next to us on the bed.

I couldn’t help but let my eyes wander across his chest and down to his waist. My hand slid down his ribs to his hips. I hooked one of my fingers in his belt loops and smirked as I tugged on it.   Jiho smiled and leaned back over me, his lips back on mine.  

Our breathing was ragged as we kissed each other. Every time our lips touched it felt like I needed more of him. He was the drug and I was hooked. My hands moved up and down his back, his skin was so soft.  

His hands grabbed at my shirt. He stealthily moved his lips to my cheek then my ear so he could ask, “Is everything okay so far?” He sounded out of breath.  

So as to not ruin the scene, I quietly moaned my response to him. His hand on my shirt tightened. He pressed his lips back to mine.

“Freeze. Don’t move.” Jae Won shouted.

We were both taken off guard, but we froze, our lips still pressed together. He began to laugh quietly and I couldn’t keep it in either. It was such an awkward time to tell us not to move.

“Her shirt is stitched. Lennon if you’re okay with this, we’ll cut the stitches and continue.” Jae Won spoke from off set.  

I nodded without looking at him. I was slightly annoyed that was why he stopped the scene. I was living out my dream and I needed my boss to not be in it.  

Jiho looked down at me, “How much do you like this shirt?”

I shrugged and slid a few fingers under his waistband.  

He smirked, “Action.” Jiho said loudly and went back to kissing me. I felt his hand grip the fabric of my shirt again. Without any hesitation or trouble he pulled the shirt up. A few stitch rips could be heard. He gripped another part of the shirt and pulled. My heart pounded as I felt him manhandle my stitched up shirt. It was a simple task, they were literally tiny single stitches, but it was incredibly hot feeling him rip my clothes off.  

He moved and wrapped his arms around me pulling me up to straddle his lap. We looked at each other, I was sure my eyes gave away my true feelings for him and how much I desperately wanted him. The corner of his lips tugged into a confident smirk.

He ripped the final stitches in the back. He gave me a quick questioning look as if to ask if I was still okay with it. I gave him a small nod.  

His hands slid under my shirt, his thumbs catching it and pulling it up over my head and throwing it from the bed. He immediately wrapped his arms around me pulling me to him, our shirtless bodies pressing against each other.  

My hands cupped his face and I leaned forward kissing him as deeply as I could. He held me, letting one hand glide through my hair gently cradling my head.   His lips moved down my jaw, my neck and finally to a sweet spot where my neck met my shoulder. I felt his teeth graze my skin before his mouth closed around the bite mark. My head fell back, I felt incredibly weak. Without thinking, his name left my lips in a breathless whisper. His hand on my back grabbed at my bare skin in response.  

I had a sudden slap of reality after I said his name. This wasn’t real. We were on a set. This was fake. My entire mood changed.

I felt his lips move across my collar bone to the hollow of my throat. He kissed the top of my chest before moving back up my neck.  

I desperately wanted to enjoy this, but I was in the real world again. He wasn’t mine to be enjoying.  

“Cut!” My boss's voice saved me from furthering the experience. “Can we get these two robes?”

I began to move off of Jiho, but his arms tightened around me, “Don’t move. I don't want you to be exposed.”  

I tried to smile, but I wasn’t sure if it was convincing. It really was sweet of him to want to protect my modesty. I had just realized he hadn’t let me be completely topless on screen for more than a few seconds when my shirt came off. The rest of the time my chest was pressed against his.   He kept me pressed against him as he leaned over grabbing his shirt. He held it up for me. I quickly grabbed it and wrapped it around my front, putting a barrier between our bodies before moving off of him.

I smiled again and thanked him. I felt like I couldn’t look at him now. The hurt was already setting in.   He’d done nothing wrong, but my own feelings for him were causing a lot of issues for me.

“Are you two good?” Jae Won asked, kneeling down in front of us. For some reason they both waited for me to answer first.   I eased my face and nodded. I wasn’t sure if I looked like something was wrong.

The team came over with the robes. One of the women held the robe up for me and I happily wrapped myself up in it as Jae Won spoke to Jiho about what they were doing next. I handed the woman Jiho’s shirt and thanked her for helping me.

I fumbled with my fingers as I walked off set. There were so many thoughts running through my head. So many emotions ripping through my heart. I didn’t know where to start with processing it all.   I still wasn’t even done with the music video, just the big scenes.  

“Hey.” Jae Won walked beside me. He handed me my shirt. It was slightly awkward having my boss hand me my shirt.

“Thanks.” I held it and turned to face him.

“You’re okay right?” He placed his hand on my shoulder. “Your boundaries were respected?”

I smiled, “Yeah, of course.” It wasn’t difficult to answer the second question. My boundaries were absolutely respected and everything was very much consensual. It was that first question I wasn’t able to answer so easily. I wasn’t sure if I was okay.  

He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “I know this is a lot. It’s your first video, and it’s intense. You’re doing an incredible job.” He actually sounded genuinely pleased and proud. “We have a few smaller scenes to shoot. Just B roll, there's no crazy acting involved. Get dressed and I’ll come get you when we’re ready.”

“Thanks Jae Won.”

He patted my shoulder and walked back to direct Jiho in his next solo scenes.

I took a breath and looked up. Gray was standing ahead of me, a knowing look on his face. I didn’t have to hide my real emotions with him, so I didn't even try to put on a happy face. I kept my eyes on his as I walked to him. I felt a single tear fall as I got to him and wrapped my arms around his neck letting myself sink into him.

“Oh, babe.” he squeezed me tightly.

“A lot of alcohol tonight please.” I spoke softly. I felt like any louder and I’d burst into tears again.  

He squeezed me again and walked me to the dressing room. “I will make sure you always have a drink.” He offered a sympathetic smile.  

I walked into the dressing room and let the team fix my make-up and hair. One of the older women on the team was annoyed that Jiho had ripped my shirt. She kept chastising us and was very upfront about her disapproval.   I didn’t say anything to her, I just let her talk. I was almost positive they thought I didn’t speak any Korean.   I had enough on my mind to worry about and didn’t have time to be concerned about what this ahjumma thought of me or my shirt. It felt so difficult to breathe, I’d try to take a deep breath and nothing would happen. I couldn’t get the way he felt or the way he smelled out of my head. His actions kept replaying over and over in my head. I didn’t want to wake up from what had felt like a dream, but now it was turning into a nightmare that I desperately wanted to wake up from.  

I walked out of the dressing room and joined Gray on the couch. He put his arm around my shoulders as I sat down. I let my head rest on his shoulder and put my legs on top of his.  

He took a breath, “I know this might not help, but you did a really good job today. Everything was believable and that’s what you were hired to do.” His fingers massaged my head. “I hope that eventually you’ll be able to look back and be proud of how well you performed today. It’s not easy.”

I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to look back and feel anything other than heartbreak.  

“How long will this suck for?” I asked him numbly.

“In my experience, I was messed up for a week or two, but I had to do more work with that person so I was around them more. You and Zico don’t work together, so hopefully after tonight you’ll be good.”

I wasn’t sure if I believed him. There was no way I’d be okay after one night out. I genuinely hoped I wouldn’t have to see him again any time soon. He and Jae Won were only collaborating on this music video. They didn’t really work together, so at least that was a bright side. It lessened the chance that I’d have to be around him again. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you don’t get stuck on him for long.” Gray squeezed me.  

I sat up lifting my head off his shoulder. “Thanks.” I felt so ridiculous for being so caught up and emotional about all of this. I kept going back and forth with myself being angry at myself for letting go that much, for “not holding back” that’s why I was hurting now. Then I’d get mad at myself for not being more understanding of my own feelings.   I wasn’t an actress. This wasn’t my thing. I was pushed into it and I was doing the best I could, considering.

“With that said, you might not want to look at your neck for a while.” He sounded hesitant.  

“Why?” It was such an odd statement to make.  

His fingers grazed an area where my shoulder met my neck. It was the same spot Jiho had been kissing.   “He left something to remember him by.” He grabbed his phone and snapped a quick picture to show me.  

Under make up was a dark spot. I hadn’t even noticed the make up team putting product on my neck. I was more zoned out than I thought.   I knew after a shower the make up would be gone and there would be a purple bruise from Jiho’s kissing. It was the last thing I wanted. I didn’t want to be reminded of today, but now I would be every time I looked in the mirror for the next few days.  

  “And you two expect me to not think you’re dating?” Jae Won pulled me from my thoughts. I looked up at him, he was smirking.

“Who knows, maybe we are at this point.” I moved my legs off Gray and faced my boss.  

“How do you think she did Gray?” Jae Won asked my friend.

Gray’s hand rubbed my shoulder, “She was incredible. Like always.”   I looked at him and thanked him. It was a genuine compliment and I was suddenly overwhelmed with how happy I was that he was my friend. I knew no matter how I felt or what I went through he’d be there for me and would take care of me.  

Jae Won smiled again, “You two are definitely dating.”

I shook my head and looked at Gray, “We’re not.” I wasn’t sure why I even tried. I should just let him believe whatever he wanted. Gray smirked, his hand moving to comb through my hair.  

“He already knows.” Gray responded, still looking at me, “How lucky am I?” He smiled.  

“Gray…” I knew he was just joking, we always joked around like this, but I just wasn’t in the mood to pretend to be dating my best friend.  

I looked up at my boss and saw Jiho standing next to him. My heart flipped when I saw him standing there. The expression on his face was hard to discern. He looked tired, annoyed, upset, and somehow, emotionless all at once.  

“Love birds, I'll need to break you two up. We’re about to do the B roll shots with you Lennon.” Jae Won spoke to us.  

I nodded as both he and Jiho walked away.  

“Why’d you do that? Now he really does think we’re dating.”

Gray laughed, “I said it because Zico walked up.”

I looked at him unimpressed with his answer, “Okay and? Gray, he has a girlfriend.”

“You’ve mentioned that.” He stood up and held out his hand for me to take. I did and he pulled me up. “Will you trust me for once when it comes to the male brain?” He put his arms loosely around me.

“When you make sense, then I’ll trust you.”

He laughed, “That will never happen then. Trust me, Lennon. I'm a guy, I know how we think.” We began walking over to the set slowly so that Gray could tell me his conspiracy theory. “I’m protective of you, I don’t want him to think you’re going to be an easy catch for him. Yes I know he has a girlfriend.” He held up his hand before I could say “yeah but he has a girlfriend.” “That last scene you did with him is going to be on his mind for the next few days, whether or not you believe me.” We reached the set so I couldn’t give a counter argument. I didn’t agree with Gray.   Jiho stood up for his girlfriend even when she was in the wrong, I assumed that meant he loved her. There was no way I’d be on his mind. Even if I was, he had his girlfriend, he could release any pent up energy with her.   She was his type, I wasn’t. I wouldn’t be on his mind.  

Gray turned me to face him, “Just trust me okay?” He smiled sweetly and kissed my forehead before he gently pushed me towards the set.   The kiss was another act from him. Jiho was standing on the set waiting for me. Gray only kissed my forehead because Jiho was watching.

Why was it every time a man showed me any type of affection it was fake. It was an act for one reason or another.  

The next couple of hours went as I had expected them to. They were just random scenes of Jiho rapping and I was just an extra in the scene.   That didn’t mean it was easy. There were parts where he got extremely close to me and I could feel my heart continue to break.  

This incredible man was everything I'd wanted and more, I had him in my arms, he was mine for a split second in a fake alternate universe. The truth was I’d never have him. He’d never actually be mine.  

… Gray grabbed my hands excitedly. His energy did not match mine. I was emotionally drained. I wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for a month. Maybe then I’d get over my stupid heart break without actually having to feel a thing.

“Let’s go!” I couldn't tell which part of us going out he was actually excited about. I cancelled on him last night after constantly refusing to go out with him. Maybe he was excited about that, or was he excited about me getting absolutely plastered, something that also doesn’t happen often if ever.  

“Are you two going out?” Jae Won asked then continued before one of us could answer. “That’s a great idea. Let’s all go out to celebrate these two!” My boss patted Jiho and me on the back.

… Gray and I showed up to the club we all agreed on. Jae Won had called ahead and got us a VIP booth upstairs since they were idols. We walked over to the “exclusives” bar and Gray ordered four shots.

“Pregame before he gets here.” He handed me two shot glasses. I quickly choked one down with Gray and moved on to my second one. It was awful and tasted the way nail polish smelled. I hated the taste of it, but it was what I asked for.

“You might want this one too.” He held out the shot glass to me.

“Why?” I asked after ordering a drink from the bartender. Gray nodded over to our booth. I saw Jiho sliding into the booth with Yuri, his girlfriend. I sighed and grabbed his shot and quickly downed it.  

Ignoring my feelings for Jiho, I didn’t want to be around Yuri. Just the one experience I had with her was awful. I didn’t want to have any more experiences with her. Especially after today.

Gray and   I walked over to the round booth, I was about to slide in when Jae Won asked to speak with me. We stepped to the side away from the others.  

“Is everything okay?” I asked him.

He nodded and leaned against the railing. “I just wanted to congratulate you on your first music video. I’m really proud of you. I know you didn’t want to do it, but you did an amazing job and were so professional about it. I hope you’re proud of yourself as well.”

I smiled and looked at the floor. I wasn’t sure if I was proud of myself or if I was just numb.

“You should think about doing more acting, whether it's music videos or tv. I’m happy to get you connected with a manager if you’re interested.”

I answered him honestly, “Thank you. That’s really kind of you to say and offer, but I dont think I'm cut out for the acting business. I’m much happier being your PA if that's okay?”

Jae Won smiled, “Of course. I’m happy to keep you as my assistant for as long as you’ll stay.” He patted my shoulder, “You guys enjoy the night. The bar has my card on file, order whatever you want.”

“You’re not staying?” He was the reason we all were here. It was just supposed to be Gray and me, but because of Jae Won saying we should all go celebrate, I got to be around Jiho and his girlfriend.

He shook his head, “Nah. I figured I’d leave the partying to the kids.”

“Jae Won, you’re only like 4 years older than me.” I laughed.

“You don’t need your boss hanging around you as you celebrate. Have fun tonight. I’ll see you on Monday.” He turned and walked away. I was happy he decided not to stay. I didn’t really want to get drunk around my boss. He just told me how professional I’d been today, me getting absolutely sloshed wouldn’t be “professional.”

“Everything okay?” Gray asked as he slid out of the booth.   I smiled and nodded. “He was just praising me for my performance today and said he was paying for tonight so order whatever we want.”

Gray’s eyes widened, as did his smile.

I shook my head, “Not you. One of us has to be sober.”

He pouted but agreed. “Hey wait,” he grabbed my arm before I got to the booth. “Call me “oppa.””

I looked at him, not even entertaining the idea, “No.”  

“Lennon, do it. I am your oppa after all.” His voice was firm. There had to be an underlying reason he wanted me to call him “oppa.” He’d never asked me to before.

I leaned in, “I’m not calling you “oppa” until you tell me why you suddenly want me to.”

He glanced past me to the booth then back to me, “Because she’s insane.” I tried to hide my smirk. “She’s, unfortunately, a fan of mine and   will not leave me alone.”

“Gray, that’s what fans do.”

He put his hands on my shoulders and bent down so we were eye to eye, “No, you don’t get it. She’s a lot.”

“And what does this have to do with me calling you “oppa?””

He stood up, “I’m hoping if she thinks we’re dating she’ll leave me alone.”

“I doubt it.” I sighed. I didn’t want to call him “oppa.” It was weird for me. Non Korean fans had kind of ruined “oppa” for me. It’s supposed to be used as a title for a guy older than you, like “big brother,” but international fans had taken it too far and now used it as a cutesy “pet name” for guys that aren’t even older than them. And that was how Gray was wanting me to use it.   I didn’t want to pretend to date him. I just wanted to be his friend. I wanted him to be my friend. If he asked me to call him “oppa,” out of respect I would have in a heartbeat, but the entire time I’ve known him he’s never asked me to call him anything other than “Gray.” He’s never even told me his real name. I knew his real name because his mom said it all of the time, but that was how much he didn’t care. He has always been “Gray” to me.

“Just do it.” He whispered firmly as we slid into the booth.

Jiho had his arm around Yuri who was on her phone taking selfies and then showing them to him. When they saw us slide in, both of their demeanors changed. They acted like we were the guests of honour. They both sat up and looked at us intently.  

“They brought your drink.” Gray slid the drink I’d ordered earlier to me and put his arm around my shoulders.

I immediately began sipping on it. I didn’t like feeling eyes on me. I also had a lot of drinks to go through if I wanted to forget about today.

“You look   familiar.” Yuri said to me.   I turned to look at her, I almost laughed, “Do I?”

She nodded, inspecting me as if that would tell her who I was. “I’m good at remembering people, but I don’t usually hang out with foreigners, so maybe that’s why I can't remember you. You guys all look the same.”

I almost spit my drink out. I didn’t like her, but that was actually pretty funny.  

“So why are you here?” She asked, tossing her long unnatural red hair behind her shoulder. “Did you help with the music video?”

I looked at Jiho, he once again looked like he didn’t want to be here. He hadn’t told her that I was in the music video with him.   Considering what happened in the video, I wouldn’t have wanted to tell my significant other either.

I looked back at Yuri, “Yeah something like that. I’m actually Jae Won’s personal assistant.” I took another long sip of my drink.

She twirled a strand of hair around her finger, “Oh so you like, got people coffees and stuff?”

So now I was lying about who I was dating, my feelings about people, and now my job. I wasn’t going to be able to keep track of all of these lies soon.

“Yuri.” Jiho spoke to her quietly and touched her shoulder to get her attention. She turned to look at him, “What? I’m just asking.” She shrugged off his hand and looked back at me, “Does it make it difficult to do if you don’t speak Korean?”

I looked at her, she had some nerve. “I speak Korean.”

“Oh.” She looked down at her nails, “I just thought since we were speaking English, you couldn’t speak Korean.” She looked back at me, “Is it difficult for you?”

I felt Gray’s grip on my shoulder tighten as if he could read my mind. I wanted to pounce on her.

“Yuri.” Jiho’s voice was firmer this time. “I’ve heard her speak Korean, she speaks it just fine. Drop it.”

She shrugged, “Zico, I’m just asking.” I felt my face look confused before I could stop it. Did she really just call him “Zico?” I figured she’d at least call him by his real name.

Gray leaned in and whispered, “I told you. Insane.”

I smirked and looked at him, he was closer than I’d expected, “I need more alcohol to deal with her.”

Gray laughed, “You’ll either be so drunk you won’t care what she says or you’ll be so drunk you’ll want to fight her. I’m not sure which will happen and that makes me nervous.”

“Only one way to find out.” I smiled and slid my empty drink to him.

I felt my phone vibrate in my lap as Yuri started talking to Gray as if I weren’t there. I looked down, it was a text from Jiho

What was that look for?

He saw the face I made when Yuri called him Zico. I didn’t respond. I didn’t see the point in responding. It didn’t matter and I didn’t want to offend him or his girlfriend, even though she had been less than delightful already.

“Who wants to do shots?” Gray spoke suddenly.

“I’m in.” Jiho leaned forward   resting his elbows on the table.

“Not me.” Yuri sat back and crossed her legs. I just realized what she was wearing and it further solidified my earlier thoughts that I was definitely not Jiho’s type. She had on a short pastel pink skirt with matching heels and some type of furry white sweater. She was beautiful, I’ll give her that. She looked like a model and she may very well have been a model, I didn’t keep up with fashion or models. It changed too much, I liked consistency. “Shots aren’t classy.” She continued as she held her phone up again to take another selfie.

I smirked and looked at Gray, “I’ve decided to not be classy tonight.” He smiled and went to the bar.   Thankfully he wasn’t gone for long, but at the same time it felt like forever. Yuri kept taking selfies and I wouldn’t or couldn’t even look at Jiho. I hadn’t planned my “getting over him” night to include being around him.  

Gray came back, a waitress following behind him with a tray of glasses. She sat down four shots and a refill of my drink. I grabbed it and kept the alcohol flowing through my veins. Gray slid two shots to Jiho and two to me.   Jiho and I drank the shots quickly.

My head began to feel light, just what I wanted. I smiled to myself and leaned my head on Gray’s shoulder. He looked at me, “Do you feel like you’re floating?”   I nodded, still smiling.   One of the first times he and I drank together, “floating” was the only way drunk me was able to describe how I felt. Since then that’s how we asked each other if we were drunk.

“I’m going to take one for the team.”

I sat up and looked at him. “What do you mean?”

He shifted to face me, “I’m going to ask her to dance, you talk to him.”

“No, don’t do that.” I quickly begged.

“You’re drunk, anything you say or do you can just blame on being drunk.” He shrugged making it sound oh so simple.

“Anything I do? What do you think is going to happen?” Even drunk I still knew Jiho was off limits.  

“I don’t know. I’m just saying, even if you just talk to him, flirting is harmless and you can blame the booze. Both of you have been drinking so he probably wouldn’t even remember if you did say something.” He picked up my drink and handed it to me, “Here, chug this. Liquid courage.” he held the straw to my lips. I took a moment, but decided to do what he said. Even if I didn’t say a word to Jiho, the whole point of going out tonight was to drink, a lot.

“Weren’t you saying how you didn’t want him to take advantage of me?” I asked him quietly. I was pulling at anything that would keep him here and not leave me alone with Jiho

“He won’t have a chance to during one song. Besides, I’m going to make sure he remembers who you’re here with.” He smirked. He was doing too much of this “fake dating” nonsense. Everything was fake today and I hated it. It was tiring. “Hey Zico, you mind if I dance with Yuri, if it’s okay with her too? Just for this song, it won’t be long.”

“Oh my god, yes!” Yuri said excitedly and finally looked away from her phone.  

“Sure.” Jiho answered nonchalantly and slid out of the booth to let Yuri out.   Gray slid out then leaned in to me, “I’ll be back in a minute.” His thumb brushed across my bottom lip then slid up my cheek to the back of my neck, he pulled me close to him and kissed my forehead. The kiss was something he did often, it was always in a brotherly way, but he was doing it during this charade, it made me cringe.   “Zico, watch my girl for me.” He smiled at me before walking away with Yuri.

I took a final drink of my drink and spun the glass around in a circle on the table. Jiho, without hesitation, slid into the booth next to me.   My body went rigid. I hadn’t expected him to sit next to me. I thought he’d just go back to where he was sitting.

He was quiet for a moment then spoke. “Thank you for today.” he looked down at me, “for doing the music video, I mean. I know you didn’t want to.” He smiled sweetly.  

I nodded, “No problem.” I wished I had another drink, somehow sipping a drink made me feel less nervous in awkward silences.

“You never answered my text.”   I almost forgot he even sent a text. “Why’d you make a face?” He smirked.

I didn’t want to start any drama or offend him or his girlfriend, but I couldn't get out of this one.   “I was just   surprised to hear her call you “Zico.” I figured she’d call you by your real name.”

Jiho laughed quietly, “Lennon you’re the only person that calls me “Jiho,” other than my family of course.”

“Oh…” Hearing that made me feel embarrassed for some reason. It felt like I shouldn’t call him “Jiho.” It felt like it was only something his family called him. I’d already tried to make an effort to call him “Zico,” but now I really would have to work on it. Otherwise I’d feel like I was inserting myself as someone special in his life  

“Sorry about Yuri’s questions by the way. Sometimes I don't think she has a filter.” He was apologizing for her again. I still hated it.

“Don’t apologize for her.” As it came out I wished it didn’t. My voice was a little harsh, I didn’t want to upset him.  

He laughed, “I’ll try to not do it again. I just didn’t want you to be upset.”

I shrugged, “I don’t think her opinion of me would upset me.”   A tiny tiny voice in the back of my head was screaming “shut up, Lennon!” The alcohol voice was louder though. It had me say things I’d wanted to say but felt I couldn’t.  

Jiho laughed slightly at my comment.  

He didn’t say anything after that. We sat in silence for what felt like 20 minutes, when it probably was only 60 seconds.

“We’re okay right?” He asked cautiously.  

I looked at him, brows furrowed. Why would he think we’re not okay? Other than his rude girlfriend of course. “What do you mean?” I asked.  

He shrugged, “Filming was pretty intense. Sometimes scenes like the argument one can bleed over into real life and people hold onto those feelings they had in the scene and just stay mad at the other person.”

“Oh.” He had no idea how my feelings from the shoot were bleeding over into my life. Being next to him now was almost torture. I wanted to slide my hand into his. It was a simple pleasure, but honestly it was all I wanted. I wanted to feel that safe, secure feeling I’d felt today. Every time he held me I felt like nothing bad could happen. Like he’d take care of everything. “Yeah. We’re good.” I feigned a smile

“Good.” He leaned his head back against the wall of the booth and closed his eyes.

I couldn’t help but look at him. He was so handsome. The sharpness of his jaw looked even more so in this lighting. The way his neck muscles flexed with every small movement was so enticing it was almost impossible to not touch him.   His eyes fluttered open. He looked at the ceiling for a moment then caught me staring at him.  

“You look exhausted.” I hoped it would distract him from asking why I was staring at him so intently.

He nodded slowly, “I am. Work is crazy right now. I don’t know when I last slept soundly.”

“Can you take a break?” I asked genuinely concerned.  

“As a producer and artist?” He shook his head, “I’m always at the studio or writing. Work never ends.” He genuinely sounded upset. Not because he hated his career, but just because it made him so tired and took up so much of his time. I think he did enjoy his job and how busy it kept him, but I also think that sometimes he took on too much work.

“You need to rest or get away even just for the weekend.” I offered a solution I knew he wouldn’t take. “Maybe you and Yuri can go to Jejudo or something.” I tried to sweeten the pot by suggesting he and his girlfriend go to the beach.  

He looked down at me, once again searching my eyes for something. I had no idea what he was looking for or why he looked at me that way. It made me feel vulnerable, but also wanted. Something in that look gave me a sense of longing. I wanted him to always look at me that way, even if it did put me on edge slightly.  

“I wish I could. Yuri doesn’t like the beach. There's too much sand.” He said finally and looked over to where Gray and Yuri were dancing. I followed his gaze. Gray looked like he was not having a good time.Yuri was living it up and kept trying to put her arms around him. Which he kept peeling off of himself. “I just realized I didn’t ask if you wanted to dance.”  

I laughed, “No. I think at this point you’d have to hold me up if I tried to dance.”

He looked at me so seriously, a slight smirk on his face, “I don’t mind. It wouldn’t be the first time today I’ve held you.”

Immediately him holding me against his bare chest popped in my head. I knew he didn’t mean it that way. He was just being playful, but my brain decided to torture me. My chest tightened, my warning sign I’d cry if I kept thinking about it.  I shook my head as if to shake away that memory.   I tried to smile, but it didn’t work. “I’m good.”

He nodded and leaned his head against the booth again.

I looked at Gray, thankfully he looked over a few seconds later. Our eyes met and he immediately began walking over to us. He didn’t say a word to Yuri, he just left her on the dance floor.

“Thanks man.” Gray said to Jiho   as he got to the table, “Hey babe.” He kept his eyes on mine, looking for the reason as to why I looked as sad as I did.   Yuri came running over, squealing about how her friends were going to be so jealous. She kept going but I tuned her out. Her whiny voice was like nails on a chalkboard.  

Gray looked at Yuri for a moment trying to figure out what she was saying.  

I gave in to his earlier request, partly to get Yuri to stop squealing and partly to stupidly “get back” at Jiho for unintentionally making me think about today’s bedroom scene. It wasn’t his fault and logically I knew that. Me and my feelings weren’t even on his radar, but not being on his radar didn’t mean I couldn't get hurt.  

“Oppa.” All three of them looked at me, but I only looked at my friend. Gray smiled as if he’d just won a bet. It softened my heart just enough that I smiled for just a moment, “Can we go home?”

#Spark #Zico #Woo Jiho #Zico Korea #Block b #block b zico #zico fanfic #zico fan fic #zico fic #Woo jiho fanfic #woo jiho fan fic #woo jiho fic #kpop #khh #kpop fanfic #kpop fan fic #kpop fic #khh fanfic #khh fan fic #khh fic #Spark gongsanghada

[stellar-starseed]

A Sharp Kiss 💋

Pairing: Yoongi x Fem!Reader, mentions of Yoongi x Jimin, Taehyung x Jungkook and Namjoon x Hoseok

Summary: A new job in a fancy hotel surrounded by drop dead gorgeous people. Sounds like perfection. Maybe this job was everything you needed, until death actually strikes.

Word Count: 2,514

Warning: Violence, Vampires (is that something to warn?), sexual content, language

Chapter: 2/?

A/N: cross posted on AO3

Chapter 2: A Chance Encounter

A Chance Encounter

“He has a crush on his boss.” Your best friend rolls his eyes as he plays with the fruit in front of him.

“Are you sure you’re not just overreacting, Tae? You get jealous sometimes you know.”

“Me?” Taehyung gasps. “No, he does. He runs extra errands for him and I swear he gets all giddy just mentioning him. It’s just sickening really.”

“Well, he likes being helpful. Maybe he just takes his job seriously?” You pick at the plate of fruit Taehyung is eating from. He begins feeding you strawberries.

“A little too seriously.” He shakes his head. “He likes older guys you know.”

“Tae, you’re two years older than he is. That doesn’t count for anything.”

“Well, maybe that’s why he’s trying to leave me for his boss?” Taehyung pouts and pushes the plate of fruit away.

A familiar scent wafts in and you’re instantly aware that your best friends boyfriend has arrived home. You turn to see his figure entering the room. A white T-shirt stretched across his broad chest, hugging his muscular arms. You would be attracted to him if he wasn’t with Taehyung, but there was no harm in looking on occasion.

“Jungkook-ah.” Taehyung says as if he didn’t expect him. His tone wasn’t the usual excited one that he normally greeted his boyfriend with. Jungkook picked up on this.

“Babe?” He questions and when Taehyung refuses to look his way, Jungkook turns his questioning look to you. You want to shrug. Getting in the middle of this was the last thing you wanted, but you also knew the older of the two boys could be very immature sometimes. Being best friends allowed you to be on the receiving end of his immature nature.

“Kook, is your boss hot?” You weren’t sure why that was the first thing out of your mouth, but there was no going back. Now, you were indeed in the middle of this ridiculous tiff that Jungkook didn’t even know about.

“Well, yeah.” He blushes behind a soft smile. “Why, are you interested? I can try to put in a good word, but I don’t see him too often these days. Night owls I guess.”

“See!” Taehyung jumps out of his seat.

“Your boyfriend is so jealous.” You drop your head and rub your hand across your forehead. “He thinks you have a crush on him.”

“Tae!” Jungkook looks to Taehyung now, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. Taehyung turns his head away. “I want you. Who cares if my boss is hot? You’re always going to be hotter.” At that Taehyung softened. You could almost see him melting under Jungkook fingertips.

“Are you guys hiring? Your flexible schedule sounds like heaven right now.”

“Well I know there’s a night shift position open.” Jungkook shrugs.

“I don’t mind working the night shift.” You smile. “Less people to deal with.”

“You’d see the boss if you’re interested.” Jungkook raises his eyebrows.

“Not interested.” You chuckle at him.

_______

It wasn’t even a week later and you were walking into the large doors that lead to the extravagant entrance of the hotel just outside of town. Jungkook has gotten you an interview with his boss. You were shocked to hear the news. It was so sudden and the fact that the owner was going to be conducting the interview was a bit nerve wrecking. Jungkook reassures you that he’s a pretty laid back guy, but that didn’t do much to calm your nerves.

You dressed in a conservative fashion, unsure of exactly what to wear. Jungkook tried to assist with the help of Taehyung, but their outfit choices were on the risqué side and you wanted to make a good first impression. You didn’t need an outfit that screamed “I’m here to fuck my way to the top”.

After speaking with an incredibly attractive manager with the sweetest dimpled smile, you waited in the lobby. You were unsure of what to do with your hands you were so nervous. To your relief the owner was only a couple of minutes.

Hearing someone call your name, you turned to see the familiar face of the man from the alley. Stunned, you stare at him for a moment. He tries to hide a smirk, but he’s not very good at it. Clearly he remembers you too. He waves you over and you’re on your feet before you’ve even shaken the thoughts spinning around your head.

“I’m Min Yoongi.” He holds out a hand. You take it and he chuckles. “We meet again.” He turns away to hide his smile.

“A chance encounter.” You smile with him this time. He is hot. Hotter in the lighting of the hotel lobby than the dimly lit alley. Now that he’s gained his energy and somehow a bit of color, you can’t keep your eyes off of him. The black suit with a pop of red has your eyes scanning his body. Soon that familiar tingling sensation you felt in your core that night has come back. You curse yourself. You could feel the heat on your cheeks and you notice Yoongi glance in your direction.

“Something wrong?” He questions, the smirk never quite fading away. He leads you to an office and gestures for you to head in first.

“Do you have some kind of power over me?” You questions once the door is shut.

“Would you like me to?” Your frustration rises when you feel the heat rush to your cheeks once again. You clench your jaw and take a seat trying your best to regain your composure. Yoongi takes a seat across from you and opens a file he had been carrying with him. He glances at you every once in a while as his eyes scan the page in front of him.

You start to wonder if this is such a good idea. Night shifts with a vampire? Maybe you should try your luck staying at the Sunshine Tavern. He’s never going to hire you. Maybe he’ll hold it against you, the fact that you know what he is. The fact that you saw him in a weakened state might be the very reason he doesn’t want you working for him. Authority figures need some semblance of power.

The file hits the desk and you are suddenly very aware of his eyes on you. Those deep pools of brown were so entrancing, so beautiful. You find yourself biting at your lower lip as chills run all over your body.

“You’re hired.” He states.

“Wha- I mean-” You clear your throat and try not to look directly into his eyes. “Aren’t you going to ask me anything?”

“To be honest, this job isn’t that hard. You’re basically going to fill in wherever needed; you’re my assistant, but you’ll also be working with Namjoon quite a bit. Jungkook is my day time assistant and I know I’ve asked a lot of him these past few months, so I needed someone to take over when he’s not around.”

“Uh, okay.” You nod. “I didn’t expect it to go this way.” You mutter to yourself.

“Why, because you saw me when I was a mess?” He chuckles, “You helped me. Maybe you even saved my live, we’ll never really know. But I do owe you one.”

You jumped at the chance to start your job that night, especially after learning what the pay was. You were relieved to be leaving behind your bartending job and moving up in the world. Although you had never set foot in the hotel, you had heard many good things about it.

After being introduced to Namjoon, the hotel manager, Yoongi left you to attend to other matters. Namjoon took you for a tour of the place. His energy was calming and it made your first day all the better. As he showed you around, he was sure to fill you in on the need-to-know of every staff member you passed.

Your first night went by rather quickly. You answered a few calls to rooms, ran paperwork from Yoongi to Namjoon or Namjoon to Yoongi, and you picked up coffee for both of them more times than you could count.

“Does he really need coffee?” You question Namjoon after exiting Yoongi’s office.

“He loves the stuff.” Namjoon shrugs. You nod and hum to yourself. You were going to have to get used to the whole vampire situation. He was the first one you had ever been around long enough to question.

“You got the job!” Taehyung bellows and you spin around to see his bright smile and Jungkook slapping his arm. Jungkook scowls. Taehyung gives him an innocent look and pouts; his bright smile returns once Jungkook has turned his back. Jungkook rolls his eyes and lets out an audible sigh.

“I got the job.” You affirm after reaching the two men. After greeting each other, Jungkook walks off to clock in.

“Your boss is hot.” Taehyung whispers looking Namjoon up and down.

“Yeah. That’s the manager, apparently this place is crawling with gorgeous people. I’m not sure why I was hired.”

“Because you’re one of them!” Exclaims Taehyung.

“I have another hour, can we watch a movie when I get home?”

“Of course. After I finish developing a few photos, I’ll have your spot on the couch warmed up.” He chuckles. Jungkook sneaks in between the two of you to give Taehyung a kiss.

“See you tonight.” Jungkook’s voice is still a bit husky from sleepiness. You wave at Taehyung and head back behind the front desk.

“So, you know Jungkook?” Namjoon asks. You nod with a small smile.

“His boyfriend is my best friend, so he’s my best friend by association?” You ponder. Namjoon nods and continues to fill you in on procedures.

“Hey sexy.” You hear an unfamiliar voice and turn to see a man smiling at Jungkook.

“Hey, Hoseok.” Jungkook chuckles with a shake of his head.

“You’re late, Mr. Jung.” Namjoon says without looking up from the computer screen.

“Sorry boss! I brought you coffee.” He flashes a cute smile and sits on the counter next to Namjoon, causing you to take a few steps back. Namjoon lifts up the coffee you had brought him over an hour ago.

“Aw, well I was thinking of you.” Hoseok pouts momentarily before jumping off the counter. “You can never have too much, right?” He sets the coffee down in front of Namjoon and heads over to clock in.

“Aren’t you finished with the coffee I gave you?” You question.

“Yeah, but he doesn’t need to know that.” Namjoon tosses the old coffee cup in the trash and begins to sip at the steaming cup Hoseok left behind. He sighs satisfactorily.

“You ready to take over and show ______ the ropes?” Namjoon directs at Jungkook who has taken to leaning against the counter himself.

Jungkook grabs a pile of mail from one of the cubbies. “Sure.” He shrugs and waves you along.

“Yoongi’s side hasn’t really been covered.” Namjoon calls as you two walk away. Jungkook takes you to Yoongi’s office, where he barges in without the slightest warning.

“Hey, Kook.” Yoongi mumbled after jumping up from where he was clearly napping on his desk.

“Morning, Mr. Min.” Jungkook tosses the pile of mail in front of Yoongi and begins grabbing all of the empty coffee cups around the office. You hadn’t really noticed how littered the office was when you dropped off the last cup.

“How many times-” Yoongi starts.

“Sorry, Yoongi!” Jungkook corrects.

“Thank you. How has your first day been?” Yoongi asks you as he sits back and crosses his arms over his chest.

“Pretty good, everyone is really nice and very helpful.”

“Wait ’til you get a few pissed off guests.” Jungkook says and Yoongi chuckles.

“When was the last time you ate?” Jungkook questions from the empty refrigerator. Yoongi hums and taps his finger to his lips. Jungkook shakes his head.

“We’ll go get you something.” Jungkook grabs your arm and leads you out of the office. “Food run.” He says to Namjoon as you pass by the front desk. Namjoon nods and waves a hand as he continues with his work on the computer.

You find yourself at a blood drive and it hits you all over again, you work for a vampire. It’s pretty crazy to wrap your head around how normal most it is for everyone else. You almost forget he’s a vampire until that night flashes in your head. The tingling sensation he gave you from feeding comes back to haunt you. His deep eyes send sparks down your spine and give you chills.

“Are we going to steal this?” You question.

“Not exactly.” Jungkook smiles. “I negotiated a contract, and sometimes I donate too.”

“A contract?”

“Yeah, we pay them so that Yoongi doesn’t come and eat them.” Jungkook says nonchalantly. Your eyes go wide and he laughs.

“Relax.” He grabs your shoulder, “It wouldn’t happen, Yoongi would starve before he attacked someone.”

“Oh, right.” You nod. Your mind replays that night for the nth time; His pale figure slumped over so vividly as if you were there once again. Was he starving because he doesn’t want to feed on people?

You watch Jungkook fill a small duffle bag with blood pouches. Soon enough you’re headed back to the hotel. Jungkook, once again, barges into Yoongi’s office with no warning, tosses a pouch on the desk and opens a hidden compartment in the wall that reveals the fridge. He begins to empty the duffle bag, tossing pouches into the fridge. He fills up the shelves, closes the door behind him and turns to face you. You realize by the look on his face that you were gawking.

Yoongi rips a hole in the pouch, pops a straw in and sucks it dry. Looking back and forth between the two men you realized this was a normal occurrence and you should probably stop staring.

“Okay, well this is something I have to get used to.” You nod to yourself.

“I assumed you wouldn’t be phased by this considering the other night.” Yoongi tosses the pouch in the bin under his desk.

“You two know each other?” Jungkook questions.

“Crossed paths briefly.” Yoongi says, never taking his eyes off of you. Chills rush down your arms. “Your shift ended a half hour ago.” He informs you.

—————

“So, how was your first day?” Taehyung says in a sing song voice. You plop down on the couch next to him with a cup of tea. Snuggling in close you lean your head on his shoulder.

“It was interesting.”

“You going to go out with the hot boss?”

“What?” You sit up straight as Yoongi’s beautiful face pops into your mind. “Oh, Namjoon? I don’t think so.”

“You guys were cozied up behind the front desk, and—you don’t think so?” Taehyung almost sounds offended. You chuckled, shaking your head and faced him. He played with stray strands of your hair.

“I think I might like the owner.”

#BTS #kpop fan fic #queued #Yoongi #Jungkook #jeongguk #kim taehyung #Taehyung #v #bts v fanfic #suga #suga fanfic #jeongguk fanfic #Jungkook fanfic #kpop scenarios #BTS scenarios #vampires #Yoongi x reader #Yoongi x you #vkook #Jimin #Jhope #rm #Namjoon

[kxmssblog]

A Tiger's Honour, A Magpie's Duty

By: XiuChen4Ever

One of my favourite ships, written from the stars. My Royal AU for the ages. Well who doesn't like this AU, as Minseok our lead and just King.

Ship: XiuChen, side ChanSoo

My take: Minseok as King, has lost his Queen & wife during the birth of their twins. Jongdae is the lte Queen's younger brother. He volunteers himself as the King's new 'Queen & wife' to keep the alliance between two kingdoms, strong as ever. Together they navigate their extraordinary marriage and parenthood to the babies. Never have I face palmed so much, at the pair's miscommunication and misunderstanding.

My reaction: Jongdae's insurmountable regard for duty. Minseok's noble and honourable nature, is so wholesome to read through all 100pages.

#XiuChen #exo #exo ot9 #fan fic appreciation #kpop fan fic #minseok #jongdae #exo xiumin #exo chen #kim minseok #kim jongdae

[jooieluvr]

I’ve got some stuff in the drafts… just need to get some time to write!!! I CANT WAIT TO SHARE SOME OF THIS STUFF!!🩷🩷

#ameture fanfic author #fanfic #kpop fan fic #scenario #stay #atiny #villain #so excited

[ldysmfrst]

American Mate - (4)

First Case of Alpha Space

Paring: Hybrid!BTS Ot7 x Plus-sized Human FemReader

Status: Ongoing series

Chapter number: 4 of unknown

Word count for Chapter: 4132

Work count for Story: 16,244

Genre: Hybrid Playmate Au inspired by works created by @yoongiofmine

A little about the author: I am a mother of two beautiful children. One of which is special needs, and on 3/28, they lost 75% of their vision. I have had to take time off work to accommodate many MANY doctor appointments. I started a Ko-fi if you feel the heart to donate towards helping with the medical costs of appointments, medication, and modifications to the house, which insurance doesn't cover.

Warnings: (I am not good at this, but I will try. Let me know if I missed anything!!) NOT BETA READ!! This story will have a bit of angst, fluff, smut, f/m, m/m, and m/f/m. This chapter does have Injury, Anxiety, Panic attacks, comfort, Alpha Space, and Cultural differences.

Story Summary: The Hybrid K-pop group BTS is on tour in America; of course, things don't start out the way they should, but after an encounter with Y/n, things change but will everyone follow Fate?

Is it really that big of a deal that you got hurt? My god, you were 35 already. You have never lived a sheltered life. You have had your fair share of broken bones, twisted ankles, scrapes, and bruises. 

You are always going on adventures, riding horses, and climbing things you probably should not be climbing. The external scars you bear are associated with stories that are good conversation starters when you feel like showing them. 

Things would be difficult for a while because you are right-handed. You have a few days of sick time saved up that you can use to start with. Hopefully, this will help you gain some kind of compliance from your award left hand. 

Work, however, is going to be the hard part. Luckily, your work is typically done on electronics, meaning nothing has to be handwritten. Even if you tried to write left-handed, no one could read it. You would bet money doctors had better writing than you did. Dictation software to save the day!

Hearing Derek’s voice broke you out of your thoughts regarding your near future. Watching him act cautiously while interacting with the other hybrid was interesting. There is clearly a difference in how he acts with Yoongi than Evie. Giggling to yourself at the mention of being a mate with Derek gains the attention of both. 

“Oh, sorry. The thought of being a mate, much less to Derek, was amusing, I guess.” 

You missed the slight frown that briefly graced both men’s faces. Derek thought you were implying he wasn’t mate material, and Yoongi thought you believed you were not worthy of being a mate.                  

“Thanks Y/n. I let you know that I am a catch despite being a Beta. Besides, this isn’t about me right now. We need to get the leadership involved with what to do moving forward. Are you okay if we bring in the others?”

“Yes, please. I need to speak with Director Johnson, fill out an incident report… um or dictate an incident report, and then get to a doctor.” Attempting to stand up, you are blocked by the golden-yellow eyes that have not stopped watching your every move.

”Mr. Min, I need to get some things done and take care of my wrist.”

Yoongi’s eyes narrow, and a soft growl pours through the room, causing your eyes to widen. You look over your shoulder at Derek with a ‘what-the-F-did-I-do’ expression, only to be met with a smirk.

“Y/n, I don’t think you understand what is going on. You haven’t dealt with a situation like this before. You may love hybrids but you still have limited interactions with our culture and this dynamic.”

Walking backward toward the door, Derek continues, “With the state of mind that Mr. Min is in, it might be best if a packmate explains.”

Derek opens the break room door to face Hosek, Teahyung, Namjoon, and Jungkook, who are all staring. “Oh, Hi there.”

Then, as if someone had turned the mute off, they all started talking simultaneously. 

“Is Yoongi-hyung dropped yet?”

“그 사람 괜찮아요?”

“Why does she still smell hurt?”

“Wait, wait, wait, please,” Derek puts his hands up, motioning to stop.

“I do not know Korean for one and for two Mr. Min has gone into full non-verbal Alpha Space and I�� am not sure he will be coming out of it anytime soon. However, one of you should go in to handle the situation  and she needs to talk with Director Johnson.”

At the mention of the director, a low growl came from Taehyung, causing Derek to take a step back and lower his eyes in an automatic response to a displeased Alpha.

The scent of calming leather gently flows over the group at the door as Namjoon steps forward. His mind is still reeling a million miles a second with you being their mate and you being injured. To top it off, Yoongi is on a deep level of Alpha Space.

“Sorry about that. I can come in, but the director is busy at the moment dealing with the playmates, corporate office, and Manager Sejin,” Namjoon apologizes as he enters the room.

He follows Derek to where his packmate and Y/n are situated at a table. Taehyung and Jungkook follow quickly.

They both kneel respectfully behind Yoongi. Their Alphas recognize that Yoongi is currently in charge of you, and it would be unwise to display anything that could be considered a threat by approaching you too quickly.

They both need to be close to you, and their instincts to be with their injured mate drive their actions. Looking you over for injuries, their eyes resting on your wrist with furrowed brows and set jaws. 

Taehyung’s eyes change to crystal blue as his tail flickers almost in time with Yoongi’s as he slips into Alpha Space. 

“Namjoon-hyung, Y/n is hurt. She needs a hospital, I think,” Jungkook says, his ears standing straight up on his head, one-pointedly focused on you and the other twitching between his Prime Alpha and the door. 

“It is not that big of an issue, Mr. Jeon, Mr. Min, and Mr. Kim.” Looking up from the trio in front of you and addressing the Prime Alpha, “Sir, I have specific protocols to follow due to company procedure. I have to talk with the Director.” 

A growl from one of the men in front of you freezes your words, unsure of what you did to cause their reactions. Internally, you groan because it seems all you get from them are growls, as if you vex them more than you humanly possible. 

“Miss Y/n, we have already talked to Director Johnson,” Namjoon says with a look of distaste. 

“He has been informed that you are now under the care of Bangtan Pack following hybrid customs.  It would be wise to refrain from talking about him at the moment, he did not leave a good impression with the pack.”

Your brows scrunch in confusion, making the hybrids want to coo at your cute face. Clearing his throat (aka his mind), Namjoon continues, “We have more pressing matters to attend to besides paperwork.” 

“You are injured, and we have to get you to a doctor. Manager Sejin is currently contacting one of our personal physicians that we normally use while on tour to have you treated.”

“What? Why would I use your doctor? I can just go to the local clinic.” Your scent spikes almost like a heavy perfume with anxiety with the flashbacks of your nightmare. 

“Please, I have taken up much of your time, and caused enough problems as it is. I can take care of myself. I don’t want to be a bother.”

At your words, you are surrounded by multiple growls and watched by now golden-yellow, crystal blue, and smokey gray eyes. Scooting back in the chair, you nervously ask, “Derek, what did I do?”

“Y/n, you really don’t get it do you? For as smart as you are, sometimes you can be oblivious.” He smiles and shakes his head, stepping back from the group and heading towards the door.

“Mr. Kim, as Prime Alpha, you might want to explain what is happening and what she should be expecting. Mind you, she has been fiercely independent for the last 15 years of her life.”

“I wish you the best with her. It won’t be easy, trust me, I know. Good Luck.” Derek bows slightly to Namjoon once he reaches the break room door.

Looking at you again, this time with a smile filled with adoration for his best friend and what he thinks your future may hold, Derek says, “Relax and have fun.” Then he turns and leaves the room. 

As Derek leaves the room, he smiles at the remaining pack guarding the door. “Mr. Kim, Mr. Jung, and Mr.Park, I think your human does not understand what is happening.”

“Our human? So you know?” Seokjin questions with wide, cautious eyes.

Derek looks over his shoulder at the closed break room door. “At first, I thought it was just a typical Alpha reaction with him being the cause of Y/n getting injured, but his care and gentleness seemed to come from somewhere deeper. Add on the fact that your other two are fighting Alpha space. It would be hard to miss.”

“The other two?” someone asks.

Shaking his head, Derek looks back at the remaining three. “Yes, the younger Mr. Kim and Mr. Jeon’s Alphas surfaced just before I left. Your Prime Alpha is going to try to sort things out, but he may need some back up.”

“Meanwhile I am going to find our boss and see what needs to be done before you all run  away with her.” Derek leaves the pack to mull over the new information.

“Tae has never been one to control his Alpha well when one of us is hurt. I am not surprised if he slipped once near her. Kook always runs on instinct too, so it makes sense he slipped as well,” Seokjin contemplates. 

“Should we stay out here? Miss y/n’s pack member said it would be better to go in and help Namjoon? Three of us in Alpha space with an injured mate is not going to be easy,” Hosek adds. 

Nibbling on his lower lip, Jimin thinks of ways to handle the situation. Even though he is one of the younger packmates, keeping the pack calm is his gift. 

He just doesn’t know how to handle you yet, especially since you don’t know what you mean to the pack.

“Good, at least three of you are here, and I assume the rest have made their way into the room with Miss Y/n,” Manager Sejin says while walking up to the group. 

“I have spoken with Big Hit, the Director at Playmate Service Incorporated, and Dr. Blackwell. Everyone is onboard and the doctor is ready to go.”

“Thank you,” Seokjin says, feeling relief that no one seems to be fighting this. “Namjoon is in with the rest of the pack and Miss Y/n, we should go in. From what Mr. Gulley says, Miss y/n does not seem to understand the situation to the fullest. I just hope that Namjoon can clear some things up.”

“Relax and have fun? What does he mean by that?” You mumble as you glare at the now-closed door that one of your best friends just shut. 

He willingly left you with four Alpha male idols. 

Three of them are kneeling on the floor with non-human eyes, and the Prime Alpha, looking around the room like the way to explain what's happening is painted on the walls.

Taking a breath, you say, “Mr. Kim, Prime Alpha… Sir. Derek is right. I have no actual experience with Alphas. I can tell that there must be some kind of instinctual drive going on, and there are trigger words or actions.”

“I don’t want to cause any more trouble than I already have. What do I do to make it easier for your pack?”

At your words, the kneeling Alphas gave a multitude of pleasant chirps. You looked at the three of them, a little confused. They seemingly smiled and made almost the same sound at what you said.

Okay, so they can growl and chirp. Your curiosity spikes when you think of what other animal-like sounds they can make as hybrids.

Drawing your attention back to him, Namjoon finds the words to explain what is happening, “Miss Y/n, you have done so much to help the Bangtan Pack feel welcome today.”

With a gentle smile, he continues, “So please relax, you have not caused any trouble, and we highly doubt that you will.” 

Thinking to himself, ‘At least, not in the way you seem to be thinking.’

“Alpha’s run with a higher level of instinct than your Beta packmember. As an Alpha, Yoongi instinctually feels responsible for your injury. In order to calm that instinct, a few things will most likely need to happen.” 

Watching as you seem to sit up with interest, he continues, “First things first, he and his Alpha need to get at least your injury treated.”

“He has to be the one to take me to get it treated? I can’t have him go with me to the clinic! There are fans and sasaengs and the media! What about your schedule? You always hear about the tight schedules Idols have and you have already spent all afternoon here over this.”

You start panicking about the hordes of people you hear about following the band around. God, the amount of bad publicity that would come from catching you and THE Suga of BTS at a clinic. You can’t imagine what nonsense they would come up with?

Your scent goes into an even heavier version; it takes on an almost alcoholic aspect. The kneeling Alphas instinctually send out calming pheromones while moving closer. 

Yoongi’s tail, still wrapped around your ankle, tightens while he gently rubs the back of your injured hand, which he is cradling protectively. 

Taehyung starts to purr softly, hoping that the sound will comfort you. 

Jungkook, on instinct alone, scoots up to your left side, nudges his head under your left hand, and rests on your leg.

The feeling of Jungkook’s head on your leg snaps you out of your thoughts and brings you back into the room. You hold still as you start to recognize similar comforting behaviors the Alphas are doing with those that Evie always does, allowing you to take a deep breath.

“Sorry. I was raised to take care of myself and not impose on others.”

“Miss Y/n, you are not imposing. Again, Yoogni ran into you while rushing out of the room, and it's his responsibility to make amends. Actually, as a bonded pack, it is our responsibility, too.”

“The pack? Like all of you? Is this why they are all like this, with their eyes and stuff?” 

Absent-mindedly, you run your fingers through Jungkook’s hair, softly scratching his scalp, soothing not only yourself but also the youngest Alpha. 

A soft chuckle escapes Namjoons as he watches your instinctual interactions with the youngest mate. “Yes, that is the best way to explain the eyes and stuff, as you put it.”

“Jungkook and Taehyung will find it easier to leave their Alpha Space since they are not the ones responsible for the injury but trying to be supportive to both of you.” 

Hearing a knock on the door, he calls, “Who is it?”

“Namjoon-ssi, it's Manager Sejin. I have some updates and a few questions. Can I enter?” The door opens slightly to reveal it’s him. 

At Namjoon's nod, he enters. The door remains open as the scents in the room are constricting in their density. He is followed by the rest of the pack, who take up guarding now from inside.

“Did you contact everyone?”

“Big Hit and the Corporate Director are on the same page and will follow the hybrid protocol, but details must be discussed once Miss Y/n has met with the doctor,” Manager Sejin reports to the Prime Alpha.

Moving to look at you, he continues, “I contacted Dr. Blackwell, thinking you may be more comfortable with a female doctor.” 

Glancing at the boys surrounding you closely, his scent changes with curiosity. He raises an eyebrow, looking at Namjoon. With a subtle nod, he confirms that something more is happening but does not move to explain.

Looking back at you, he gently smiles, “With the situation at hand, it may be best to limit other males around you until everyone is out of Alpha space. They tend to get territorial. Dr. Blackwell is on standby, ready to assess and treat you once we know where you will be.”

“Why wouldn’t she just come here, or I go to her?”

“Miss Y/n, Dr. Blackwell is a traveling physician. She doesn’t have a permanent office to use but she is well respected in both the human and hybrid communities.”

“Oh, I see. Well, umm…” you look at Namjoon and ask, “What option would be best for your pack?”

Namjoon’s chest puffs slightly at your show of respect to him as the Pack Prime Alpha despite the situation and your pain level. “Not to make you uncomfortable, Miss Y/n, but I think meeting Dr. Blackwell at our AirBnB would be best.”

You take a moment to think, your hand pulsing with pain. They cannot all fit in your flat; it's a mess after you tore through your closet to find the right clothes for today.

They don’t seem to like being here. Instinctually, even Derek and Evie prefer being in their dens when one of the three of you is hurt or sick. 

“Okay. If it is best for the pack, then I will go with you to the AirBnB and see Dr. Blackwell.” 

It’s almost as if a weight is lifted out of the room, allowing the pack to take a breath. 

“Yoon, Kook, and Tae. Can you give Miss Y/n some room? We have to take her to the pack house to see a doctor,” Namjoon says with a firm voice, gaining smiles from the men kneeling on the floor. 

Jungkook stands and curls into the Prime Alpha, his eyes returning to their natural color.

Taehyung rocks back on his heels but remains near. His body is more relaxed and his eyes are still crystal blue, shifting between Yoongi and you in wait.

After watching the two younger Alphas move around, your attention turns to the Jaguar kneeling with expectant but questioning eyes. 

 “Mr. Min, if I promise that you can stay with me, will you let me go get my things and then you can take me to the pack house?”

Yoongi’s face lights up with a gummy smile as he nods. Your breath hitches at the sight. How can the devastatingly handsome rapper look so adorable?

He stands up, his tail unwrapping from your leg. He softly takes both of your hands while he assists you in standing. You smile and mumble a small thanks as you step forward to leave.

“Prime Alpha, do you think I can talk with Derek briefly to let him know what is happening? This way he can talk to the direc… Boss. Talk to the boss and let him know that I am leaving for the day?”

“Yes, talking to him will be fine. He has been established as part of your familial pack and won’t be considered a threat to the pack if he comes around you now,” Namjoon answers, moving out of your way and motioning for the rest to let you pass.

Bowing slightly, “Thank you, Prime Alpha.”

Making it to your desk is more complicated than one would think. 

Yoongi won’t leave your right side, while Taehyung won’t leave your left. Both act like it's code red and someone is trying to assassinate you. Then you have the rest of BTS trailing behind like some kind of posse. 

You keep your head down to avoid any strange looks or glares from whomever you pass. To your relief, you find Derek waiting at your desk with his head resting on his palms and a mischievous smile. 

“I see you are taking things in stride,” glancing at your plethora of bodyguards. “Did the Prime Alpha explain everything to you?”

Speaking up from the back of the group, Namjoon answers for you, “She is aware that we are responsible for her at this time and she will be treated at our temporary pack house by our doctor.”

You don’t miss Derek's look of concern as he tilts his head with curiosity at Namjoon. “I see, of course. You are just responsible for getting her treated.”

“Derek, can you please let the big boss know that I will be leaving with Bangtan Pack to seek medical care and once I have more updates I will let you both know?” 

Glancing at Yoongi and still seeing his lovely golden-yellow eyes, you try to ignore the slight flutter in your stomach, “I don’t think it would be good for me to talk with him myself still.”

Derek nods in response, “Manager Sejin has already given the boss a rough time frame for the near future. I suppose his managing skills came in handy. Don’t worry about us here. We can handle it while you heal.”

Standing up, Derek passes you your purse, which Taehyung takes. You try to grab it again, but only to have a black and white tail wrap around your arm and bring it back down to your side.

“No carry. Keep safe.” Taehyung almost grunts out in a deeper-than-deep voice, which short-circuits your brain.

Glancing at Derek out of the side of your eye, you see him briefly nod and smile encouragingly while he whispers, “It’s an Alpha Space thing. Best acknowledge his help.”

“Umm… Th-tha-hank you, Alpha,” you stammer out, willing the heat creeping up your neck to stop as your words pull a boxy grin from the Tiger.

“I think that is it,” you announce to nobody in particular. You smile awkwardly at Derek as he slowly approaches you.

“Y/n, you have been through so much. Not just today but in your life. You have always been the one to take the blame for others, working harder or longer than anyone else and caring for those who never return the favor.”

His eyes glance at the men surrounding you as he sees nods of understanding and looks of concern from them.

As a soft smile blooms on his face, he holds onto your good hand, “Take time for yourself and let this pack of Alphas take care of you. You deserve it more than anyone else I know.”

He pulls you into a hug. You briefly stiffen, waiting for the growling and pulling to start, but to your surprise, it doesn't. Relaxing into his hug, you take his words to heart.

A soft whisper in your ear, “You know you will always have Evie and me as your family pack, but right now, be open to the pack around you,” with one last squeeze, Derek steps back and returns to your desk.

“Now, shoo! Off you go. The boss said I’ll get to man the front desk for now.”

With a nod, you wave goodbye and face the hybrids behind you. After not finding Manager Sejin and a few others missing,  your eyes settle automatically on Namjoon, waiting for a clue as to what to do next. 

“Manager Sejin went down to get the cars. Seokjin-hyung, Hosek-hyung, and Jimin also went down because we won’t all fit in the elevator.”

“Oh,” you feel a slight tightening in your chest after realizing you didn’t even notice they had gone.

“Miss Y/n, let's take you to get looked at,” Junkook says while inching towards the office doors.

“Yeah, sure. Sorry, I have everything. Lead the way.” 

You follow the bunny and wolf hybrid while still sandwiched between the tiger and jaguar. Walking through the halls, you gain some attention from the people you pass. 

You’re a mere human surrounded by some of the hottest Idols in the world right now. So why wouldn’t they?

Not willing to look up, you keep your eyes cast down to the feet in front of you as you try to avoid what you are a gazillion percent sure are looks of disgust and hate towards you.

Once the elevator doors open, the tiger lets out a low growl. Glancing up, you see two fellow PMS employees quickly scamper out of the elevator and down the hall. 

That added to the embarrassment for now and when you return to work.

Namjoon and Jungkook take the back corners. Looking at the men by your sides, they motion for you into the elevator next. 

However, when you go to stand in another corner, you are quickly ushered back into the middle with Yoongi and Taehyung in front of you. 

The energy calms down as the doors close. The four Alphas relax now that they surround you and will start taking care of you. 

Even if your trust in them starts with an injury, they know this is their chance to show you what it means to be taken care of, acknowledged as precious, and loved endlessly by the seven of them. 

As the doors part, you're greeted by the remaining packmates waiting for you, smiles warm and welcoming. They're surrounded by more men in black, whom you assume are bodyguards. 

Turning to look at you, Yoongi speaks for the first time since he entered Alpha Space,  “Take home. Keep safe.”

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[jeonsbabygirlsworld]

DESIRE PT.2

SUMMARY: Life was easy until you meet the eye candy of your life and the adventure with him is a hell of ride, but there is certain someone who seems to get hurt in this.

PAIRINGS: Bartender Yoongi X reader (ft Gynecologist Jungkook)

WORD COUNT: 1.8K

WARNINGS: Smut, reader is a flustered cause of course its Jungkook, eekkk Eunwoo is here as well! but he's here only for this chapter, that's it ig, Jungkook is Mia, but he soon will be here!!

SMUT WARNINGS: Doggy, blowjob, fingering, cum eating.

Note: this is inspired by a web series and I’m GONNA EDIT IT, I’m not gonna make it a whole ass 3 season containing 10-12 episodes per season and I felt like I could do something with this series. Thankyou

Work work work......

these past days it's been hell for you from the meetings and cracking up deals you were tired of it , but you still showed up every other day at the office. The interns and other employees did no good when they were asked to fill up your place when you were late for the office.

What kept you alive between this constant hectic schedule was a shot of vodka to wash down all the stress at your and the girl's favourite bar, you guys would spend the almost whole night until it was Yoongi telling you it was time to close the bar for the day.

Just like any other Friday night, you were here with your girls chatting about all the stuff which happened this week and they try to console you saying it's all right and you will pass through it, both of the girls then reach over to give you a warm hug.

Spending a few hours with them Chae gets a call from her husband telling her that he desperately needs help with the 3-year-old. “I'm sorry guys I have to leave, Yu-Jin seems to have a fever and she needs me” Chae says grabbing her purse and getting ready to leave.

Telling Chae a very goodbye and telling her to take care, Yuna is the next one to leave after she gets a call from her girlfriend, she hesitates to look at you, and you tell her it is fine and she can leave, she initiated a small hug and presses kiss on your forehead before she apologizes again.

Feeling alone in this busy bar, you see a busy Yoongi serving drinks on the countertop with Taehyung right beside him, maybe he saw you staring at him so you wave your hand and ask him if it's okay if you can come and sit there, he says he's more than happy to have you there.

"Hey, miss how are you? doing okay?" Yoongi asks before serving the last customer for the time being and telling Taehyung to look after them, "I'm okay I guess work is killing me, the meetings and the deals and whatnot is what I'm bored of you tell me?" Sighing you wait for him to answer, and he chuckles and says he's completely fine.

Yoongi places two glasses in front of you one for him and the other one for you of course, pouring in some of your favourite Japanese malts you chug it down with a “Cheers” Groaning at the taste he brings up some fries on the side and you thank him for being considerate.

"I'm bored yoongi, I wanna go on a trip or something." The tipsy you come out of you, and you slur occasionally while speaking “Calm down y/n, it's enough shall I call a cab for you?” Ever so sweet Yoongi asks you just because you are out of it after having the shots you had with the girls and the three glasses of malt with yoongi.

Yoongi soon books a cab and tells the man to drop you at the place, you reach your home soon after the fifteen minutes of the ride just to see your ex- fuck buddy right outside your house.

“Eunwoo? What the fuck? when did you come back?” Your mood instantly lights up after seeing him after so long and all the tipsiness goes away. “Hey y/n, I landed a few hours ago and thought of visiting you first and right when I was about to call you, here you were” He says with a bright smile.

You intended to initiate “Just a hug” but you don't know how he is under the sheets right now eating you out like a hungry man, “fuck right there woo” you moan and reach a good orgasm after a long time, your vibrator did no good until you felt a tongue or fingers or even someone's dick at this point.

Upon reaching your orgasm the man between you now hovers above you with his lips drenched in your release, and grabs on his hard length and positions right where your hole clenches, the release makes the slide just perfect for him to slide inside you and a moan tremble from his lips.

“Yeah perfect, keep going,”you say and grab on the small wisps of hair on the back of his head, and he grunts at the tight fit making him almost “relax angel, I promise I'll be good just please....”soft moans leave his mouth and both cum at the same time.

After a few minutes, Eunwoo lays on the side of your bed and talks to you until an awkward silence fills in and you call his name softly “Eunwoo...” sighing he gets up and leaves the bed and soon goes to grab his clothes and place a last kiss on your cheeks before telling you goodbye.

You sigh feeling bad for telling him to go but yeah you were always like this, and he knows it well just like that waking up from the bed you grab on the new sheets to change and place soft pillows all over your big bed and go back to sleep peacefully.

THE NEXT MORNING

“Hey hi! I'd like to order a butter croissant and black coffee” You get the cash ready and tell the counter women to take your order, not realizing you hear someone calling your full name and when you turn around to see it no one then "Mr. jeon your gynaecologist."

With a flustered smile, you tell him a quick "hi" before paying her the bill and getting off the line, you didn't expect him to get off the line with you, in a flustered state you ask him if he lives here and all the stuff and grab your order just to tell her she can pack this as a takeaway.

Rolling her eyes she packs up the drink and food and gives you the bag while Jungkook just gives you a crooked smile and walks out “Hey by the way I got my period last week” you tell him, and it gets more than awkward it was earlier.

“Oh, that's great, good to see you” Jungkook says, and you wave a quick bye when you get a call from your coworker and leave the place Jungkook stands there, and a smirk paints his lips.

This is the fourth time you are pissed at your coworker today; they fucked up the most important file “Can you at least get me a copy of the papers?” you ask again getting disappointed again “Sorry ma'am I didn't get the photocopies of it” Your intern says and you just sigh.

“Okay maybe try searching the file again, and if not I'll contact the clients and tell them to send the original copies,” you tell and dismiss the meeting, at this point, you need nothing more than a cold martini.

“Can you believe Chae, they misplaced the fucking file, I'm glad they weren't the original or else I would've been fucked” you say very much pissed at the events which happened today, while Chae and Yuna just sip on their drinks after trying to calm you down.

“Chill baby, everything's going to be fine you need to calm down y/n” your friends tell you and you just sigh, you long for nothing more but a break from this bullshit, paying up for the drinks today you say goodbye to your friends and go ahead to meet yoongi, who is the position of cleaning up for the day.

“Hey, how are you y/n?” Yoongi asks in a very yoongi manner his front teeth appearing when he talks to you, and you tell him all the events happening with you while he places two glasses of whiskey in front of you.

You don't even notice it is past one a.m. until Eunwoo texts you.

EUNWOO🫣🫣: hey, you up?

YOU: busy right now.

YOU: rain check?

"Another glass?" you ask him after chugging down the remaining glass while Yoongi hesitates and tells you he needs to stock up for a party which is happening tomorrow, you give him an embarrassed smile and tell him it is fine, and you will leave Yoongi feels equally embarrassed to cut you off for the night.

YOU: Free now, will be in 15 mins.

"Fuck right there" you moan at your ex- fuck buddy who is fucking you like a slut, your face down facing the sheets while he hammers from the back, his moans and grunts fill the room, and the room smells of sex and sweat.

"Fuck baby, you are so tight, missed me while I was away, right?" Eunwoo mutters while thrusting inside you and you choke on your moans and manage to mumble a small "yes" clenching on the sheets you cry for more, you needed this after a long day at work.

"Gonna cum.....ye-ah right there" you shutter at one point when he finds your g -spot, the slapping of his hips fastens just when you cum and cream his cock, and the man behind you slows and pulls out a bit just to see the creamy slick forming at the base, "fuck so messy y/n," Eunwoo says while he fills you up with his hot cum.

"On your back baby," he says, and you obey at lightning speed and your eyes shut at the moment when he nibbles on your pebbled nipples, you twitch at the feeling until you moan out loud when his thumb rubs on your clit and his index finger enters you.

Your pussy gushes out the mixture of both of your releases and messes up the sheets under you, Eunwoo continues to slurp and nibble your nipples while you whine at the overstimulation and fall apart on his fingers again for the second time in the night.

"lay down wanna suck you off real good" you whisper and kiss his lips in the heat of the moment, now that you are in between his thighs you start laying some soft kisses all over the tip and he whines at the sensitivity.

The taste of your releases still lingers on his tip, and you whimper at the taste, sucking on the tip Eunwoo above you is about to lose on for the second time, his soft grunts surrounded the room as you palmed and layed soft kisses on his balls.

The tightness of the grip he has on your hair ensures you that he is about to cum and increase your pace in palming him and you soon let him cum in your mouth and you swallow like a good girl you were.

You don't know why you let Eunwoo stay even after it was ruled to never let any fuck buddy stay at your house after fucking but here you are in his embrace and cuddling him.

A/N: Thank you for the reading ik it is confusing not Appeling ending or the whole chapter I'm sry but I'll do better. tag list is open.

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[dancinglikebutterflywings]

Meeting the Parents | Jung Wooyoung

-> Pairing: Jung Wooyoung x Reader -> Request: no. repost from my old account -> Synopsis: Wooyoung meets his girlfriends parents in an unexpected way. -> Warnings: slightly suggestive at the beginning but no smut. 16+ to be safe. -> Word Count: 559 -> Requests: Open.

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©️ 2024 dancinglikebutterflywings - do not copy/modify/repost anywhere. reblog instead.

Likes, comments & reblogs are welcomed and appreciated, thank you. 

In only Wooyoung’s shirt from last night and a pair of underwear, Y/N stands at the kitchen sink, cleaning the dishes Woo used to make breakfast. She has ATEEZ’s latest album playing in the CD player hooked on the wall.   

Engrossed in IT’s You, she doesn’t know her boyfriend has come up behind her until she feels his arms wrap around her waist and his face nuzzles into the crook of her neck.  

“Do you want some help?” he softly asks before his lips gently brush against her smooth skin.   

“Nope,” you reply, a quiet huff leaving her lips as he reaches the spot below her ear that has her weak.   

Her mind goes blank as her body reacts Wooyoung’s light touches as the sneak under his shirt she’s wearing, and his teeth lightly scrap against the spot below her ear. Her head resting back against his shoulder, her body pushes up against his hands, her wet hands drop the dish she’s washing and grasp his hands over the shirt and moving them to where she wants them the most. Only Wooyoung has ever been able to make her body react the way it does when he touches her.   

Unable to hold back anymore, Wooyoung moves his hands to her hips and turns her around, crashing his lips to hers in a heated and bruising kiss. As her arms go around his neck, his hands slide down to her thighs. He lifts her as if she weighs nothing and sits her on the counter before his hands make their way back under the shirt.  

He breaks the kiss, to lift the shirt off Y/N but stops when a gasp comes from the entry way of Y/N’s small apartment. Eyes wide with shock, he quickly steps back from Y/N as she quickly jumps off the counter looking just as mortified and embarrassed as he does.   

Standing in the entry way, is Y/N’s parents looking as equally mortified as the young couple.   

“Appa, Eomma! What are you doing here?” Y/N questions them partly hidden behind her shirtless boyfriend, her face flushed red, unsure of what else to say or do.  

“Surprise?” her mother tries to exclaim with an enthusiastic tone, but it came out more like a question, and looking as if she doesn’t know what else to say.  

“This is uh... This is Wooyoung,” she awkwardly introduces her boyfriend.   

It’s the first time he’s meeting her parents in their six-month relationship. They had made plans earlier, but they always fell through. 

Wooyoung awkwardly bows to them still wanting to be as respectful as he can be. He was already nervous about meeting the two people who created the person he loves the most and plans to spend the rest of his life with. He never imagined he would be meeting them this way.  

Her parents bow back as Y/N introduces them to Wooyoung. The air around them grows even thicker with awkwardness until her mother’s giggling cuts through the tension.   

“I never thought I would be meeting my future son-in-law this way,” she chuckles, causing the younger couple to blush even more. “Go put some clothes on the both of you so we can give you a hug.”  

“Yes, ma’am,” Wooyoung bows once more before quickly disappearing back into Y/N’s bedroom.   

Y/N ignores her mother’s order and hugs her anyway. 

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[sannirio]

trust me i’ll be good

WC: 1409

dom jeongin x amab sub reader (he/him/boy)

18+ MINORS DNI 「i’m serious」　

cw - non!idol au, dom jeongin, fingering, dumbification, temperature play, sub space, degradation, praise, severe overstimulation, boot kink?

A/N: hey! i’m back! sorry for such a long hiatus but i’m finally here. i don’t have anything interesting to say, i wasn’t kidnapped by san or got into a car accident. but i’m here! i hope you enjoy:)

{p.s} i've discovered im transfem and im now starting the process of transitioning, i might write a few afab fics here and there but ill still focus on amab fics. i love you all <3

“what’s wrong baby? you keep staring at my hands… does my needy little slut want me to use them?” jeongin looked amused, as he usually did when you got this needy. he was sat at his desk per usual, in a classic black waistcoat with matching slacks and a white button up underneath. a silver rolex adorned his left wrist. his sleeves were rolled up as if to say “c’mon you little whore let me show you who owns you.” it wasn’t fair how he teased you you were like this. how else were you supposed to react when this is how he looked. all you wanted to do in this moment was to feel his fingers inside of you.

he moved his foot slightly, giving you the subliminal permission to fall apart on his brand new oxfords. you crawled forward, pushing your aching cock against his shoe. the abrasive leather sent chills down the length of your cock. riding his shoe like a dumb little whore always made jeongin’s mind reel. it took him an army’s worth of strength not to push you up against his desk and use you right there, but the sight of his pretty little pet becoming a brain dead mess over the smallest things was all he needed to keep himself in check. jeongin lifted his foot up slightly, pressing the bridge of his shoe harder against you, forcing a yelp to escape your lips and a flinch to propagate your body. he chuckled at the result of his work “you’re so pathetic.” he was right too, your husband wasn’t doing anything but sitting there in his vintage leather chair watching a slut get all messy for him and here you were acting like a total slut at his foot. you wanted more though and he could tell. with how intently he was watching you cover his shoe in precum there was no way he wouldn’t notice your glazed eyes darting to his hand every few seconds. from the very start he wanted to push his index and ring fingers deep inside you but doing that right away wasn’t fun for him, no, he wanted actually needed to see his poor pathetic slut make a mess all over the floor before he gave you what you really wanted.

in one swift motion jeongin stole his foot out from underneath you mid thrust, purposely denying your sensitive cock the ache relief it craved. in half a second his hand held your chin up forcing you to make eye contact with the man who made you like this. he clicked his tongue and nodded his head towards his lap, signaling you to lay down ass up. you did so, shaking ever so slightly from how pent up you were already. jeongin’s hands ran down your frame making you shiver. “so gorgeous” he muttered under his breath, grasping your hips tightly. a wash of cold air hit your side as he took his hand off your hip. placing his middle and ring finger in his mouth he made his fingers all wet, so he could slide them inside his pretty boy.

laying across his lap you could feel jeongins cock throbbing through his pants, your stomach was right on top of it so every time it flexed, you felt it push into you. he wasn’t going to let you touch it however. he wanted to loosen you up first, after all how were you going to fit that monster in you to begin with. a build up of pressure at your ass brought you back to reality, being cock dumb really does make your mind go blank. “open up hun” jeongin whispered. you whimpered as he slowly pushed his middle finger into you, feeling his knuckles graze your ass before he pulled it out. sliding it in again, you could feel just how much he enjoyed doing this to you. even if his entire hand was cramping he wouldn’t stop until you were begging and crying for him to stop. you felt a second finger slide inside of you (his ring finger.) the feeling making you gasp slightly as he bent his two fingers into a curve. his pace quickened when he heard the pretty sounds he loved so much leave your lips.

three fingers were inside you now, stretching you out. the rhythm jeongin had set was perfect… for him, it kept you right at the edge of an orgasm. every half a second the jolt of pleasure from jeongin hitting your prostate made ripples throughout your poor body. at this point you were crying, tears streaming down your face. why was he being so rough, denying you the sweet release you needed right now. your cock ached so much it hurt, twitching constantly making you flinch every time it even brushed jeongins thigh. he could feel the mess you were making as it had seeped through his slacks. precum ran down his leg making him flex his fingers, a tingly sensation forming in his brain in the process. a simple “fuck”escaped his lips as the beed of precum made its way down his calf.

flexing too much made the ache in your cock ten times worse but you couldn’t help it. with how precise jeongin was, hitting your spot every single thrust, it basically made a pool of pleasure in your stomach, waiting… hoping to flood your body when the time came. “p-p-please c-cum n-n-n-now.” those three words were the only thing you could remember in the entire english language. somehow even a slut like you knew what you wanted, with how clouded your mind was, the average person would surely think you’d simply lost your mind. of course this amused jeongin. though he was aching as well, he wanted to see how his pretty little boy came

over him. “what do we say when we want something dear?” he spoke softly, in a way that was sure to provoke your dumb mind. like you were programmed to say it “please” limped out of your lips, almost like a soft breeze. “what was that baby? i didn’t hear you?” “p-p-please” you whined. the strength it took just to focus on that one word was immense. the pain and pleasure that was in control of your body was almost too much at this point. cock dumb wasn’t even adequate anymore; it was more like just plain slut brain. the “good boy” from jeongin licked your ears forcing you back into that purely blank state. all you could feel now was the relentless build up from his fingers hitting your g spot and jeongins knee pushing itself against your dick. moving back and forth slightly gave way to your build up. his long fingers kept their pace, moving in and out of you at just the right speed. the sound of his hand hitting your ass filled the room along with your moans and whines. his free hand took hold of your hair forcing your head up so he could look you in your beautiful clouded eyes. “be a good boy and cum for me.” he cooed, forcing one last thrust deep inside against your spot. that single push was enough to break down the dam that held back every ounce of build up that was being stored. for how long you’d been at his mercy, your sensitivity was overwhelming. it hurt to cum, but you needed to. it hurt so much but it felt so good. your body contracted as you came, tears streaming down your face like rivers of the word pleasure.

once you’d finished cumming, and your high settled down, jeongin slid your legs down and hoisted your body up, turning you in the process so he could face you. “are you ok my sweet boy?” he spoke so softly, it was angelic. you nodded, your brain was still a little hazy but your senses were coming back one by one. a big kiss was planted on your forehead as he caressed your face. “did i hurt you at all baby?” “no…” you shook your head once again “but i do feel sore.” “ok hun, we’ll have a bath together ok? i’ll be gentle while im cleaning you i know you’re still very sensitive.” giving him a peck on the cheek you wrapped your arms around his neck, giving him the go ahead to sweep you off your feet.

(not edited if there’s a mistake lmk)

sannirio©

inspired by the lyrics of~

#Spotify #jeongin #jeongin x reader #jeongin x male reader #jeongin x y/n #fan fic #fan fiction #kpop rpf #stray kids #skz #skz x reader #skz smut #stray kids x reader #jeongin x amab reader

[newhope8]

Jisung Stories🐿

Some of these are where the happy Quokka is a virgin, some where both the y/n & he are first-timers & some where it's neither of their first time. I will do my best to specify in a (...note...) after the title of the fic in this list. If it's a story about him I've read on AO3, I'll designate that in the note too. Happy reading!! 🥰

This post has been happily curated by me & is dedicated to @moonlightndaydreams, upon request.

Lose Yourself in Me - by moonlightndaydreams (AO3, first time for both the y/n & Jisungie)

Gen Eds - by old_enough_to_know_better (AO3, virgin Jisungie & more experienced y/n)

Best Morning - by minnieprincess (AO3, experienced Jisungie & y/n)

Everything from this point onwards can be found here on Tumblr. 🥰💕⬇️

Come My Way (inexperienced character[s]...)

Fuckery with a Custom Dildo (experienced character[s] ...)

Sweet & Tender Sleepy Sex (experienced...)

Sweet First Time (inexperienced ... college-type environment, Jisungie & his gf have their first pussy & dick moment ...)

Cozy Pink Socks (experienced ... Jisungie wears socks during babying session with the y/n ...)

Just the Tip (experienced...)

Best Friends (experienced...)

My Dear (experienced ... friends to lovers)

Pillow Princess (slightly inexperienced Jisungie, more experienced y/n)

Wet & So Pussy Drunk (experienced...)

Top Riding (experienced...)

Tender Loving Care (experienced...)

Aftercare (experienced...)

I Need To Finish My Work (experienced...)

@queenmea604 @itshannjisung @frenchkisstheabyss @channieandhisgoonsquad @minnieprincess85 @hyunsvngs

#stray kids smut #stray kids fanfic #minors do not interact #no minors please #fanfic smut #skz smut #minors dni #han jisung #masterlist #kpop masterlist #stray kids fan fic #skz x reader #18+ only #han jisung smut #han jisung x reader

[panjakes]

Can I request something where dad!Scoups is arguing with his daughter because she keeps calling him by his first name😭😭

It all started when you were in the kitchen cooking and coups came into the kitchen bumping into the counter causing a pot to fall off the counter and onto your foot

“Seungcheol!” You scream holding your throbbing foot jumping up and down

“Ouu baby I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” He says running over to you

“Seungcheol! You hurt my mommy!”

You both stop as you look over at your daughter who stood up in the dining room table chair with a frown on her face

“Who?” He asks

“Seungcheol!” She screams

“You do not call me that” he says pointing at her with a stern look

“Okay” she mumbles

You giggle, the pain in your foot and pinky toe long gone

The three of you were in the grocery store. You and coups loading things into the basket.

“Brooke what kind of fruit do you want?” You ask the four year old who taps her chin as she thinks about it

“Pick three babygirl” Seungcheol says

“Uh…oranges, grapes, and pineapples” she says making you nod as you fill up the chart with the fruits she wanted

“I’m gonna go get the bagels I’ll be back” Seungcheol says making you nod

“Where’s seungcheol going?” Brooke says making you side eye her

“Brooke didn’t he say stop calling him that? You call him dad” you say making her pout

“But you call him Seungcheol” she says now utterly confused

“Because I can”

“Why?” She asks

“Because we’re married and your still a baby so you have to call him dad” you say pushing the cart

“Okay” she mumbles with a pout

After paying for your groceries, you and could load the car up with the bags and your child who had a pout on her face

“What’s wrong princess? Why’re you upset?” He ask as he buckles her In

“Your names Seungcheol” she says still not letting this go

“No my names daddy” he says sternly

“No, it’s Seungcheol! Why can’t I call you Seungcheol?” She asks

“Because I’m your dad and I said not too” he says booping her nose which only got him a whine in response

“Nooo you lied to me!!” She says with tears streaming down her face. You peek at her from the passenger seat giving her a look.

“Lied to you? How’d I lie to you babygirl?” He asks genuinely concerned

“You said your names daddy but everyone calls you Seungcheol!” She says covering her face with her hands VERY dramatically

“My name is daddy”

“Nooooooo” she says

Seungcheol looks up at you with a “help me” look.

“Baby help me” he mumbles

You unbuckle your seatbelt to get a better look and position of your daughter

“Brooke. Cut it out.” You say sternly

“But momma! I don’t understand” she says pouting which caused your face to soften. Your baby was really confused right now.

You reach into the back seat grabbing her hand

“Listen baby. Daddy’s real name is Seungcheol but because your his daughter you have to call him daddy. It’s just the good thing to do! You don’t hear me calling gram and pop-pop by their names do you?” You asks making her shake her head

“No” she says

“Right. So don’t call him Seungcheol anymore. You call him dad” you say patting her knee

Seungcheol sighs(happy that’s over)closing the door and getting into the drivers seat

Brooke unbuckles her seat belt to wrap her arms around Seungcheol

“Sowry daddy. I won’t call you Seungcheol anymore” she says making Seungcheol chuckle

“It’s okay princess. Get in your seat and we’ll get cheesecake okay?” He asks making the tiny girl jump back into her seat buckling herself in

You shake your head looking over at Seungcheol

“You spoil her” you say

“She’s my little princess, of course I do” he says making you smile

I seen something like this on tiktok and it was so cute and so funny😭

#ambw fic #black reader #ambw #black girls are beautiful #black reader insert #kpop poc #kpop #x black reader #x black!reader #kpop imagines #seventeen ambw #seventeen scoups #black kpop fans #kpop x black reader

[kxmssblog]

6.

Il consulente

Featuring: EXO Ensemble

Your family has worked as the mafia group go-to financial advisors and consultants. When a hit is sent out, by a rogue mafia group, your entire family s wiped out. You are left with only your brother. The EXO take you under their protection, regardless of your protests to want to leave the mafia world behind, along with your troubled memories.

Warning: More blood, Injury.

_____________________________________________

Suho's scolding words stay with you for days, but you were still unable to swipe right, to receive your brother's phone calls. At first, when you had returned, and days after your heated return and exchange, he had been calling excessively for hours at a time. Each call 'missed' or the phone turned off when you were busy with work.

As weeks continued the repeated calls still came, but fewer and far spread, each day. Then recently, you could not make sense of the Wills sent to your office, of your parents, family members and his own updated copy, to let you know of all they have left behind. Of what he intended to leave behind for you.

You will not pretend to act as though Yunho's Will, had not let your stomach drop, but you had no one to share your worries with. Not even Suho or, perhaps Kyungsoo-hyung since they were always out of the house and recently, traveling out the country more frequently. Where to and the length of periods, were never shared with you, although you never asked. Only when you heard their car drive past your window, would you know of their safe return.

Now seated outside, in the central area of the business complex, the office public moved out and about around you. Your coat blazer was stifling in the warm weather compared to the chilling air con in the office.

Minseok was somewhere, but nowhere in your sight. You know, where ever he stood to watch over you, was seething in anger, that you left your building without letting him know. Without his approach, you know he understood that you needed fresh air, although you could have called or shot a text at him for courtesy's sake.

You visibly shrug, with your blank phone, as silent as the past four days. Your brother has not called since then. Apart from Suho's texts checking up on you, Minseok's timely calls at the end of your day to tell you to leave the office, your brother was the only one who called your personal phone.

"What are you up to now, hyung? What is happening Yunho? Have you chosen to ignore me once more, because I have been ignoring you?" A heavy sigh escapes your lips, just as Minseok appears infront of you, with mildly concealed glower, that you spot behind his calm exterior.

"Minseok, I..." you start but you're cut off, with a harsh grab under your arm, stumbling you to your feet.

"Get back to your building and Sehun can keep an eye, so I can clean up, after you." He bit out, close to your ear and shoves you to start moving.

Your confused look is dismissed with his growl, for you to comply without question. That tells you to shut your mouth and do as he says. Your own panic climbs, when you throw your eyes all around you, to spot the danger you know you're in.

You have only returned for a measly four weeks, but you're already in danger of losing your life.

Staggering and nearly stumbling, you throw your eyes ahead, to the building almost a hundred metres ahead of you. However that will be just too much smooth sailing, in your dangerous world. There are busy bodies, nudging and bumping shoulders as the rushing crowd in the complex moves from and to their desired destinations.

A memory flings itself into your consciousness, grinding you to breathless halt. Shock leaves you unseeing and winded in the moving crowd. Tears sting your eyes and your heart aches at the fear in the voices you remember.

"Hyung, why are they attacking? Why are they being killed?" Your horror grows the longer you stand by the window, knuckles turning white on the clutched curtains, while your frame shook and shivered as you watched your family's most valued, trusted and fond men and women drop like flies in the dark gardens. Those people have been in your life, since forever.

"Son, get your sister and do all you can to protect her!" Your father's voice wrenches your eyes from the outside massacre, to a glimpse of your parents rushing up and down the stairs with heaps of files in their arms.

"YN, get back!" It's your brother's commands that pull you back to your rooted spot.

You spot the armed figure standing outside your window, with a gun poised in his hands, directly aimed at you. The gun, uselessly, fitted with a suppressor, when the once quiet night was roaring with gunfire, barked orders and cries of dying men and women.

Who has your family wronged in recent months, for them to stage an attack of this nature?

"Keys... hyung, he betrayed the Kim cla-" your stunned murmurs are hung in the air when your brother's solid, towering frame barrels into you.

You were a road-crossing away from your building. Halted in your stumbling flee for safety, a car makes a dead stop in front of you. You are given no time to understand just what is happening.

A suppressor sticks out of the heavily dimmed out windows, rolled down just enough.

A glance down to your bodyguard's direction, he's too distracted by his own fight to notice where you stood and what exactly stood in front of you.

You feel by your body being, twice, jolted back a step and the immediate burn in your belly and the warm splatters on your chest and neck. You have been struck, as the tires screech away.

Blood... not so much blood, again.

Flung by impact, your body slides on the floor, to come to a halt with your head hitting the marble vase stand, the said vase shattering down on your brother's back. Your head and ears scream, when bullets shatter the glass you had stood in front of seconds ago.

"Not only Keys... He never works alone, sister." Your brother was covering your frame on the floor, his gun knocked out of his hand during the fall.

Next you remember is yourself kneeling on the floor, arms tightly bound to your back and a tickling trickle of blood down your neck.

Lee SooMan and Taemin stood there.

Again, here stands in frint of you, Lee Taemin. Nephew to the notorious Lee SooMan, and heir to the Lee mafia family's wealth and territories. One of your family's oldest clients and somewhat rival, in various aspects of business and shady dealings. The same man you refused to be promised to marry, and probably the reason why your own family was attacked and killed.

No. I fucked up. I was the one in the wrong. I have wronged the Lee family, and now my family was to pay the price. Your whole body trembled, too stunned into silence above your parents' pleas.

"YN... move it!" You hear from the distance.

Your blouse that once caught the gentlest of breeze that day, now clung for dear life over the growing wet spot around your abdomen.

"Ah, there you are... alive... Or barely so, and kicking?" You can't help the frozen stupor, when you look up to the slim frame of the man in front of you.

"Uhm... T- Tae?..."

"Ah..." The man nods with a lazy drawl, completely impervious to the tension and your growing urgency for help, "back to your stutters, little one. With an interesting choice in your new bodyguard... or is it that much of a surprise?" He shrugs.

"He- help... need help..." You try to hunch over into yourself to catch your breaths but the man's hand on your shoulder makes sure that does not happen.

"Uncle had asked politely that you take the family's accounts..." He moves closer, with his mouth close to your ear, his other hand on your wound. A thumb digs in, eliciting a shout of pain and beads of sweat racing down your face. On instinct, your hands clung to the man's arms to keep yourself upright, "but now that I have had to come, personally to make sure that I convince you otherwise... again. You better think wisely this time around YN, about your choice because your Yunho may not be as lucky this time around."

The thumb, digs further into the wound and your shaking hand makes a weak attempt to push the hand away. Biting your trembling lip, you also make a shaky effort to push away to see where Minseok was?

Taemin encircled his arm around your waist and the public are none the wiser of your interaction.

"Look... look over my shoulder, little one." You're  shorter than the man holding you captive on the spot. But you try to look nonetheless around his shoulder. You spot Taemin's childhood best friend and now right-hand man you see. A distant cousin of the Kim hyungs and traitor to the entire Kim clan. "I would hate to send Keys, who only this time, hopes not to make the same mistake to miss his shot again."

"Yu-Yunho..." you stutter.

"No, little one. Right now it about our small walk down memory lane. And I remind you to make the best choice for the sake of your sole remaining family, YN."

Like that, you're pushed away and nearly lose your feet from under you. Right now you're not sure whether your bodyguard knows of your injury, or the other men will know about this already.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" A passing body, nearly collides with you and you murmur your apologies, pulling your blazer tighter around you, your fingers staining the delicate pastel colour.

Your shaking hand pulls out your keycard, entering your building. Security too distracted with the visiting individuals than to look up at the executive personnel entrance you always use to enter the building.

The lifts are too far, when you look down to the dripping blood on the highly polished marble floors.

"Sehun..." You mumble, looking up to try and locate the closest surveillance camera, then turn left in the direction of the door leading to the fire escape  staircase.

"Please see me..." again, your card let's you through without raising the alarm, "F-Find me... Min."

The stairs to the underground parking lot, where your bodyguard always parks, is too far.

Your knees wobble and finally give way to your subconscious swallowing you back into the nothingness, you were familiar companions with.

Your breaths were not only shallow, but they stuttered with lathergy unlike that linked you to your nightmares. This tiredness was directly linked to the one of that night, tinged with a sense of giving into the pain to fully consume you.

"Sehun, where the fuck is she?" You hear your bodyguard's frantic shouts from the other side of the door. Your head screams that he's close, don't close your eyes just yet. Keep fighting, a defiant voice at war with your subconscious, bellows at you.

"So tired..." you mumble stealing a look at the dark blood seeping through your trembling fingers, hearing the door finally click.

It bursts open, with it bringing a small gush of wind, and the hurried footsteps. You hang your head back, and see the gruesome smear of your blood against the wall that you had slid down from. Your eyes droop, near to a shut.

"No! Keep your eyes open! I'm here, stay with me." For the very first time, you hear your bodyguard's composure obliterate in your presence.

You listen to the raw emotions you have come to associate with your own grief and pain.

From the depths of your inner chaos and turmoil, and the pain ringing loud and obnoxious through your body, you hear your bodyguard.

Perhaps the slaps, and harsh shove of your hand to be replaced by a heavy press over you wound, were imagined.

*

Blinking once.

You hear the engine roaring, and frantic shouts and arguing, for the car to be driven faster, or the traffic is in the way. Was that Chen sounding concerned? Oh gods, not Kai hyung. He is the last person you would want to see you like this. He's too precious to see you like that.

Gods, not Kyungsoo hyung too.

There is a heaviness on your belly along with a burning sensation that leaves you gasping in pain.

There is a familiar person straddling your prone position. You're lying on what looks to be the backseat. The jostling car movements, force out moans and shudders of anguish from your barely conscious state.

Blinking twice.

A very tall frame is cradling you, and running up the stairs.

Is it Chanyeol or Sehun?

Gods, I still hope it's not Kai.

The glare irritates your eyes, so you can't see the owner of the voices barking orders to the side of your head.

'I smell too much blood...' this time you're too tired to make a sound of protest at the pain of being moved around.

Okay now I'm tired.

I can't stay.

I really, really can't stay, Minseok.

_____________________________________________

@suhappysuho

#exo #exo xiumin #exo xiumin x oc #exo-l #exo suho #mafia au #kim brothers #exo hyungs #exo kai #exo chen #doctor yixing #exo chanyeol #exo sehun #exo kyungsoo #exo baekhyun #kpop fan fic #kim minseok #exol

[yessa-vie]

03 || HEART STRING OF GOLD || OT8! ATEEZ.

FOX || HEART STRING OF GOLD || OT8! ATEEZ.

→ PARING. OT8 (wooyoung & seonghwa focus) x fem!reader.

→ GENDER. heavy angst (!!!). enemies to lovers. soulmate au (sort of). ateez lore au.

→ WC. 31,810 (i apologize, but i promised i tried to keep it short).

→ RATING. R (mdni!).

→ IMPORTANT. heavy angst (i'm sorry). mentions of death. sugegstive. sex talk. implied sex as a coping mechanism. manipulation (by the reader). possessiveness (mostly one sided). insecurities. flashbacks (sort of). violence. fighting. blood. choking. death threats. torture (knife use, cold water, whip, salted water, weights and hanging from the wrists). forced proximity (kinda?). wooyoung is a little shit (and i love him). explosions. fire. gunwound.

→ NETWORKS.  @cromernet @pirateeznet @atzhouse @newworldnet

⇦ || hsog || taglist || masterlist || ⇨

             Your mind was still processing what had been said by your superiors.

  In all truth, it should come as no surprise, considering how you joined the Black Pirates' Search & Capture Team. Videos of the supervised interactions between you and Angel circulated freely within the Command Center and Guardian's Island. The videos combined with the way you managed to get Angel to spill some information in the presence of your superiors, already made you join the squad. The events of your last encounter with them a month and a half ago helped you get to the position you were in, the way you handled the ambush, how you, Chan and Jeongin handled both the fight and what was apprehended after the revolt was controlled, which they managed to discover thanks to the fact that you and the other two agreed on the idea of looking at the points that had been discovered as possible cells of the Black Pirates, made all eyes turn to you.

             Despite that, no one knew about the warehouse, you and Minho had made a promise to each other to keep it a secret, especially after the perimeter investigation when you found out what had happened. Mentally thanking the smoke caused by the explosion of the vehicle that managed to hide them both as they fled the scene. Fortunately, the fire was far enough away to not reach the warehouses, but elaborate enough to cause the smoke caused by the explosion to occupy virtually all of the warehouse space.

             “Finally,” one of the last slides appeared in front of everyone, two cars parked in a spot not too far from where the warehouses would be located, the date on the satellite photo capturing your attention, but you had, fortunately, managed to disguise it, “two stolen cars were found in a location near the warehouses the same night we left the location.”

             “Why wasn’t this revealed to us before?”

             Park Jinyoung was one of the most eager generals in capturing the Black Pirates, making him also one of the most annoying to be around when something was discovered, hence the reason for all the irritable sighs you were able to catch after that line, including of Eden by your side.

             “We were investigating the perimeter, trying to discover both the path taken by the cars and check those inside them.”

             "And?"

             Even though Jinyoung was considerably irritating, everyone remained silent, waiting for what Namjoom would say regarding that information. Your eyes met Jungkook's which were already on you, a movement that was not ignored by Eden who discreetly touched the pen to your leg, making you both look forward while Namjoom nodded, changing the slide.

             Ten people got out of their cars and entered another location, looking from above it looked like another warehouse, but far enough away from the previous ones that it was necessary to use cars. Photos of tire tracks that were connected with the warehouse. They had fled in a car, the explosion had been planned, they would never let you catch them. Serpent had already told you, this was a test, they wanted to know how capable you were, how sagacious you were, what you would be able to risk to meet them.

             Nausea washed over you as the latest events started to make sense. The power they had, the knowledge, not just over the government, but over you. The fact that Angel arranged for you to find the writing, for you to go meet Serpent at the warehouse, to meet them.

             “Someone from the Black Pirates used the location that night, we got satellite photos of a person entering the warehouse at around eight,” another photo was seen and you found yourself from above, you swallow hard watching the photo, so there was a way to see it, even in the dark, “just before the explosion, we were able to define the silhouette of another person approaching, but we were unable to get details of what happened after it thanks to the smoke, apart from the tire tracks of the two stolen cars.”

             “Do we have anything on these two people who entered the place?”

             Yang Hyunsuk's voice made you stare at Namjoom with your lips in a thin line, trying to control the trembling of your body. They had been seen, there was a way to see – even in the dark – any movement made outside the warehouses, but they hadn't captured anything, no movement of people, so how had they managed to go unnoticed? It was then that you cursed at yourself, sawing your fists on the table, they used the Cromer. Hatred rose in you for not realizing until that moment, how only tire tracks were seen, how no people or footprints could be found beyond the warehouses.

             “Unfortunately no, General,” everyone cursed quietly and you sighed, lowering your head, but Eden noticed the difference in your sigh, it wasn’t one of irritation, “we can only say that the explosion was not planned, considering that not long after the last person ran to warehouse six, but we have no notification of anyone leaving, leading us to believe that everyone left when the smoke was high enough to cover the path they were traveling.”

             For a moment you thanked Mars and the others, beating yourself up for being so stupid and irresponsible. You getting caught was one thing, Minho being dragged along with you because of your idiocy was another thing entirely. Only then did you notice Eden's eyes fixed on you, analyzing you, making you just nod before going back to focusing on the slides.  Two cars indicated that the others were there too, that they probably heard your argument with Mars, Logan, Serpent, and Angel. A small smile of satisfaction threatened to take shape on your face that you hid by faking a cough.

             “Any images of the place where they stopped and the ten people got out?”

             “Negative, sir,” Namjoom went to the next slide and a video from one of the BTS members’ bodycam played, showing the place completely empty, no signs of recent use.  “Not even fingerprints were found, nor were we able to find out how exactly they left without leaving a trace.”

             Because they used the Cromer.

             “Cromer,” the voice came from Eden drawing all attention to him, including yours, his eyebrows slightly arched when his eyes fell on you briefly, “we already know that they use it in events like these, we never knew how these events happened, but I think we can believe that they are using the Cromer whenever they can, to stay under the radar.”

             Everyone nodded and you just stared at your hands in your lap, fingers playing with each other. If they were using Cromer whenever they could, why risk discovery in that empty space? What was special about it? Your eyes focused on the images still shown on the slide. It was a warehouse, several things scattered in the corners, but they seemed untouched. Another long-forgotten spot in Strickland, so what was so important about it?

             The subject was quickly changed to the revolts that were taking place on the limits of Strickland, as they had considerably increased since the problem that you, your team and the XKRS encountered when you were going to investigate the possible Black Pirates cell that was located at the school that you, Chan and Jeongin insisted on being investigated, getting some important data and capturing some other members before more could be found.

             Fortunately, Eden was responsible for defining which teams would be part of the contingency plan for the revolts spread across the country. Your mind is still processing the last details, trying to connect the dots, the importance of the last, remote warehouse, the reason it was used. It was clear that it was abandoned, several pieces of furniture could be seen scattered around, it was a long-forgotten place of rubble.

             “Gather your team and the XKRS and meet me in my office in thirty minutes.”

             Was all Eden said after the end of the meeting, making a frown appear on your face, receiving only a smart look from Eden as he walked through the corridors with a folder under his arm. What the hell could he want with both teams? It was true that you were the only team completely made up of people without blockers, but the XKRS were a newly formed team and were not selected for the Black Pirates Search & Capture Team which, now, was the only thing your team was allowed to do, considering the success of recent operations.

             “Tough day?”

             The only reaction you had was a slight shiver on the back of your neck. You already expected Jungkook to find you after the session, you just didn't expect him to be so close considering the location you were in. Fingers firmly on your arm indicating for you to follow him, stopping in the middle of an empty room. His eyes met yours, confused and tired, making you sigh as he continued to watch you curiously and worriedly. 

             “I’m fine Kookie, just a lot going on,” you sat down at one of the tables in the place, sighing and running your hands over your face, the sound of Jungkook’s boots on the floor being the only indication that he was getting closer. “You, Chan, Mingyu and Moonbin’s team with that damn promise you made to my brother is annoying sometimes, you know?” 

  Both laughter filled the space when Jungkook intertwined their fingers. His eyes analyzing every detail of your tired face. A simple kiss being placed on your cheek made your entire body want to burn, but only a small heat could be found within you, but no movement was made, and he didn't move away much after the kiss, his eyes roaming your face, you could see some confusion in them. When Jungkook's hand went to his face, you pulled away. 

             "What happened?" 

             “Nothing happened,” in a way, it wasn't a lie, nothing had happened. The truth is that you always felt something for your brother's friends, you weren't blind, they were extremely beautiful, nice and polite, but they never looked at you as anything other than a younger sister, at least not until you were abandoned by your eight friends that occupied your mind. “I’m just tired, Kookie, no big deal.”

             “Chan said you were more airy than usual, more in your head,” you closed your eyes, already knowing what was coming next, “you do remember the last time this happened.” 

             Yes, you remembered it clearly, because it was when your brother died and your best friends and the first men you loved romantically abandoned you. It was also the same time you started getting involved with your team, expanding this for your brother's friends, starting with Chan and ending with Jungkook. When you did everything to feel something, even if it was momentary. 

             “If that were to happen, we wouldn't be talking right now, but probably on top of this table,” your voice was sharp, earning a doubtful look in your direction. “Why exactly did you bring me here, Kookie?” 

             “That’s you in the satellite photos taken that night, isn’t it?” His eyes never left yours, but your silence was enough for him to sigh, taking a step to get between your legs. “Do you have any idea how dangerous that could be?” 

             “I saw a clue and I wanted to follow that clue, what’s wrong with that?”

             Jungkook opened his mouth a few times before sighing, closing his eyes. 

             “Who is the second person? Was it anyone there?” You finally put your head down, you wouldn't tell about Minho, no matter how much you trusted the man in front of you, if this got out, you deserved all the blame, no one else. “(y/n)?” 

             “There was no one,” your eyes still didn't look up, your fingers gently caressing Junkook's hand, noticing his muscles soften, “the other person went there to meet me at my request, but I'm not going to tell you who it was.” 

             “You know I can find out, right?”

             “Leave it alone Kookie, for me,” your voice was a plea, your eyes then met his. The truth is, they've all always had a soft spot for you, which was only made worse when you started sleeping with them, when you convinced them to sleep with you. When Jungkook's eyes dropped to your lips you knew he would do whatever you asked, so you moistened them before pulling your hands back, placing his hands on your hips while yours went to his shoulders. “Please, Kookie, what do I need to do to get you to leave this alone?” 

             Your fingers played with his hair, foreheads touching lightly. His eyes finding your lips whenever they could and you knew what he wanted, even though you didn't want it and he felt it, that's why he still hadn't done what he wanted so badly. Your head moved forward, both breaths mixing, your lips passing delicately across his, feeling his fingers dig into your hip, thanking it for the clothes or else the crescent moon marks of his nails would be present on your skin. 

             Please, Kookie, was all you wanted to say in that simple act, a sincere request before a small touch of mouths and his arms finally wrapped around your waist, pulling you closer to the edge of the table, your legs wrapping around his as your fingers messed around his hair. His tongue invaded yours allowing a small moan to come out. Jungkook was one of your favorite kisses, but something was wrong. Only your body reacted normally, the electric current was no longer present, the heat was different, it wasn't all over the body, just on one point, your heart no longer palpitated.

             Jungkook was right, something had happened, that thing was currently ten, but two of the ten seemed to affect you more than the others. Angel and Serpent. Anyone who asks, you would lie, but the truth is that none of them left your mind for long. The way they acted in the warehouse was set in stone in your mind. Mars and the others still had considerable space, but your mind couldn't help but allow itself to wander and recall the moments shared with the two ATEEZ members.

             Remembering how Angel's touch was always discreet but firm, his skin warm against yours, the grip firm but delicate, his concern for your injury, but at no point did he change the way he treated you because of that injury, the way how his hand always seemed to find your knee and wrist always could, especially when you were alone, how his eyes always looked for you in the crowd, always tortuous, but when they found you it seemed like a calm could be seen.

             Angel was your biggest puzzle and you wanted to figure out every single piece.

             Then came Serpent, grip as strong as Angel's, features as if they had been sculpted with the greatest of care, but his eyes were predatory, he drank in you every time his eyes met yours, the smirk always present just like the damn tongue. Something in you said that he would be one of the best kisses you could receive in your life, the paths that his tongue could follow while his firm hands explored your body -

             “Are you fucking serious?” Jeongin's voice brought you back to reality, to the fact that you were with Jungkook, but with full awareness that the heat radiating through your body wasn't because of what you were both doing. Although the kiss was cut off, Jungkook's hands didn't leave your body, neither making any move until Jeongin entered the room, closing the door behind him. “Eden is paging us, he said to find you, couldn’t that wait?”

             Your eyes fell on the space between your body and Jungkook, aware of his hands on your thigh and lower back. With a simple exchange of glances, he nodded, moving away from you, hands on your waist as you got down from the table, Jeongin's eyes were almost cynical when they fell on you, but you could see a small glint of jealousy and a smirk appeared in your lips, noticing how your third in command's eyes fell on them, probably swollen and red.

             “We were just sorting something out, don't worry Innie,” your hand found Jeongin's cheek making him finally take his eyes off Jungkook who was fixing his pants, again you could see the sparkle in Jeongin's eyes and you smiled at that. “Hey, everything is fine, okay? Let's go, yeah?"

             Jeongin looked one last time at Jungkook who was already approaching you, feeling his hand on your lower back and his voice low in your ear, but not enough for Jeongin not to hear.

             “Be more careful next time.”

             A simple kiss was placed on your temple before he left the room, leaving you and Jeongin alone. His eyes darting to the table you were at before falling back on you.

             “Why were you here?”

             “Jeongin, c’mon, we were really just talking, but it just escalated, that’s all,” your hand dropped from his face making him march over to the table you were at with Jungkook a short time ago, sitting on the edge of the table, legs spread wide, curious eyes on you. “Innie, what happened?”

             “What did he mean by ‘be more careful next time’?” You sighed, walking towards him, positioning yourself between his legs, your fingers touching his knees lightly, but you saw his gaze fall on that spot. “If someone catches you with him -”

             “If someone catches me with one of you it’s going to be a lot worse and you know it,” your voice was quick but not rude, just presenting the fact that you all already knew. Jeongin's fingers found yours, intertwining them before bringing your hand to his mouth, lips touching your knuckles lightly, eyes fixed on you. “Innie, please.” 

             “Don't look anywhere else,” was the only thing he said before pulling you close, his right arm wrapping around your waist while his left hand still held yours before bringing it to his shoulder, making his left hand find your right side before wrapping his arms around your waist, holding you in place. “We don’t like to share.” 

             You could feel your whole body burn from the way Jeongin was looking at you, holding you. Your hands found the back of his head, playing with his hair just in time to cut it while a smirk grew on your lips. 

             “I thought we agreed, no strings attached.” 

             “It wouldn’t be the first rule we broke,” the smirk that appeared on Jeongin’s lips made you lightly pull his hair, eliciting a groan from him, before hungry, predatory eyes appeared, but not predatory enough, not like the ones of Serpent, but you decided to bury that observation far away in your mind. “Eden is waiting for us.”

             “Chan?” You connected Jeongin's comm point, since communication points were prohibited in team meetings, the third leader's small wave made you move even closer to Jeongin's face, feeling his fingers tighten around your waist even more. “I need you to find XKRS and the rest of our team, then meet me and Jeongin on Eden's office floor,” another pause, your lips brushing against Jeongin's, a subtle nod was enough, “if anyone asks, make up an excuse.”

              No one waited for Chan's response, so Jeongin finally found your lips before moving away from the table, continuing the kiss before holding you and placing you on the table just like you were previously. Unlike the kiss with Jungkook, Jeongin still had a certain effect on you, probably because he was the first one for whom you allowed yourself to feel something similar to what you felt for the eight after your fifteenth birthday, or perhaps, it was because he was your first.

                “Is that all you found?”

                Yeji's eyes scanned the documents Eden had made available to them one last time. Chan was still looking at the aerial photograph of the site. Jeongin explained some situations to Minjae, the rest of the XKRS boys watching everything from afar, some taking notes, others with their eyes attentive.

                “That we managed to recover, yes,” the older man sighed before refocusing on the aerial map that Chan was analyzing, your eyes following every movement of the man you considered your teacher, knowing something was wrong, “but I called you here because I believe that the inspection was not done properly, probably because none of you,” eyes fell on Chan who lowered his head, his mouth in a thin line, “were allowed to enter, supervising only from the area considered safe.”

                “Not even after?”

                Your question made all eyes direct to you. That day, both you and Ryujin were escorted back to the Command Center to report on the situation that had taken shape, leaving both Chan and Jeongin in charge of the situation, but you already knew that some superiors wouldn't like the idea of either of them being in charge of an operation like that, not when it was discovered in the middle of everything, that everyone was close to one of the Black Pirates' active cells.

                “They said we had already done enough and that the fact that some of us were injured could make us easy targets and they couldn’t take any chances.”

                You could feel the venom dripping from Chan's speech, accompanied by a scoff, repeated by some of his team members, making you understand the urgency of getting you out of the place, as you would ignore that order, but your team wouldn't, as they knew that this would result in direct consequences for you, something they agreed never to do, even if you had given them permission to do whatever they thought was right.

                “It wouldn’t make much of a difference, (y/n),” Eden’s voice was quick, as he understood both sides, he had participated in the punishment you had suffered years before due to your team acting against direct orders when you weren’t present, even if you had said it was for them to do it, being correct in your position. “There wasn’t much to do, but I believe there is now,” Eden’s eyes met yours, all 22 eyes in the room watching him walk back and forth pointing to the board with the satellite photos, “it looks like they are promoting movements to return to the site in small quantities so as not to attract attention.”

                “Did Jungkook take the photos?” From your peripheral vision, you noticed Jeongin change his posture when he heard the name come out of your mouth, you held back a laugh, receiving a small nod from Eden. “Were you able to define when they happened?”

                “Sporadic schedules, varied groups, there is no consistency in activities.”

              Seungmin read the report, looking quickly between you and Eden, noticing the silent conversation that was happening, everyone silently waiting for what would be said.

                “How sure are you that they will authorize it?”

                “I have my contacts,” Eden smiled smartly after answering your question, earning a sigh when your eyes found the school surrounded by a black circle. “I'm still organizing the proposal, but as soon as the council accepts it, and they will,” your doubtful eyes met Eden's who just continued with that gleam of someone who knew more than they would say, “my nomination will be made, probably accepted not more than two business days later.”

                “How are you going to get them to be part of it?”

                Your head indicated the XKRS who remained quiet, just listening carefully.

                “Technically this isn’t direct interaction with the Black Pirates and you need someone who knows the area to help you when you enter the school.”

                “We are ready,” Minjae's voice broke the silence that fell in the room after Eden's speech, who knew that you were afraid to add another team, especially a newly formed team that had no connection with what you all already knew. Everyone's eyes fell on the leader of the XKRS who looked at you with determination, “we are ready, let us prove it, we are capable of helping.”

                “It’s not that I think you’re incapable Minjae, it’s just…”

                Your voice stopped for a moment, mouth creating a thin line, holding it in so that your eyes wouldn't meet Minho's, the reminder that other people could get hurt because of your problem with the Black Pirates. The idea of anyone present suffering the consequences of what could happen makes you stop for a moment, controlling you, your actions and thoughts.

                “We don't know how many people are there,” Chan began to speak, your eyes met his and he gave a weak smile in your direction before focusing on Minjae, “we don't know about the situation of the surrounding buildings, much less the current situation of the school , things could get ugly, both for us and for you.”

                “We can propose an inspection of one of the buildings as a stakeout before we investigate the perimeter and you enter the school, this way we reduce the chances of ambushes like last time, right?”

                Hyunwoo commented, exchanging glances with everyone, finding a small smile on your lips before exchanging glances with Eden and Yeji who were already getting up to face the photos.

                “How long do we have between you finalizing the proposal, it being accepted, you nominating us and the mission happening?”

                You could see the gears turning in Yeji's head as she walked towards the board with the pictures, Eden smiled pointing at the calendar and turning the page before pointing to the number ten. One month. You would have a month to get everything working perfectly.

                “Yeji and Hyunwoo work together on this part, Chaeryeong, Changbin, Felix, Yechan, Yujun, Seeun and Junghoon work together so that we have everything we might need, I want you to cover all the possibilities,” everyone nodded with each direction you made, feeling Eden's eyes on you, despite the XKRS being slightly wary of completely following your orders, a simple look at Eden and they knew he was in agreement, “Hunter, Seungmin, Jinsik, Jisung Sumin and Minho, I need you to check who participated in the inspection operation, select who will participate in this one that we will do before we enter and watch all the videos relating to that day, both the interviews with those who participated and those who were captured.”

                “Minjae and Junmin, I need you to talk to Chan and Jeongin about combining both ways of acting, take the Shadows along, everyone needs to be aware of how each other does things,” everyone nodded, watching Eden point to you, “you stay, I need to talk to you.”

                With that simple phrase, everyone quickly left Eden's room, the atmosphere becoming considerably more tense. The few times Eden called you to talk alone, were times when he would ask you to do something that would be considered irresponsible and even illegal in the council's view, but both knew it was necessary and that you had the ability to do it. But now, the tension went beyond that, as your mind remembered the way Eden watched you during the meeting earlier.

                “Can they know?”

                “Only if you need any of them during the mission,” you nodded and approached the table furthest from Eden, it was one of the few interactive tables, only a select number of people had them, your team was one of them. “There is a more hidden part of the school, it is in the parking lot, I need you to go there and check the place for me.”

                “Why didn’t anyone investigate last time?”

                “They investigated,” he said simply, opening a password-protected file. As soon as the digits were placed, the folder was opened and several photos were presented to you, making you swallow hard as your eyes went over the amount of fallen bodies, “most of the rebels were in the parking lot burning files while the people inside the school diverted attention and the room they were using was sealed.”

                “Who took care of this?”

                “Kai went there alone while everyone was leaving and took these photos for me,” you nodded touching some of the photos to expand them, Eden’s eyes focused on you, “we managed to capture an informant, Kai, Moonbin and JK took care of him, making us understand some of the data we found.”

                “What exactly do you want me to do, Eden?”

                Eyes still fixed on you, he pressed a key and three photos appeared, three different locations, but only one thing in common, making your breath hitch, your head spinning. You would recognize that drawing anywhere. Your blood boiled at the idea that it was being used, after everything that happened, you didn't expect them to actually use that drawing to communicate in some way, or maybe it was just because they knew you would find them. An ironic way to get your attention.

                A drawing of a blue bird adorned those three photos like a beacon, your eyes unable to see anything other than the outline of the bird's drawing, a small branch being held in its beak. Your mouth formed a thin line that you tried to hide when you noticed Eden moving next to you. Despite knowing that your brother was also a protégé of Eden, knowing that the mission he was doing when he was killed was organized and supervised by Eden, the probability of him knowing the meaning of that drawing was almost impossible, only a certain number of people knew, one of them dead and the other eight wanted by the State.

                “It’s not the first time this drawing has been found in an active cell of the Black Pirates,” you couldn’t control your shock, your bulging eyes meeting Eden’s curious ones, making you curse in your mind, before noticing another page being opened and another password being entered, “I need you to find out what this bird means.”

                “Isn’t it easier to get one of them to talk?”

                “None of those we captured could say,” the lines were simple, but something in Eden’s gaze said that wasn’t everything he wanted to say, making you hold your gaze on his. “Your brother was a good drawer,” despite your features remaining neutral, your body completely stiffened, “I remember he had a nickname for you, but he never explained to me why, but I never pressed him either, but he said the drawing he was doing was for you. He carried it to remember you.”

                “What are you suggesting, Eden?”

                “I had seen this drawing before your brother disappeared, in the last video call we made, this drawing was on the bedroom wall, along with the nickname he had for you,” the photos of the bunker came back to your mind, but no drawing like that came to mind. “The drawing wasn't there when we went to find out why he wasn't responding anymore, the drawing wasn't found with his body either, which makes me wonder -”

                “What could the Black Pirates do with a drawing of a bird, Eden?”

                “I think it’s a signal to indicate that they should leave the place they are in.”

                Eden's eyes were focused on your reaction, making you close your eyes to control your breathing, staring at the photos he was showing, knowing that it would make sense to think that way. The drawing seemed to mock you in every photo.

                “Maybe so, but if you already have a theory -”

                “You don’t think the theory is right,” you threatened to say something, but Eden moved away from the table and faced you head on, “I like to think I know you well enough, so please...”

                You sighed thinking about how to tell the truth without saying that you knew the leaders of the Black Pirates.

                “I think it’s some kind of message, but it may not necessarily be to let them know to leave, but rather something else.”

                “So you need to find out what this is,” with that you nodded and started to walk away before receiving a paper from Eden, the code to access the files handed to you, “be careful where you open this file.”

                “Yes, sir,” your mind was still processing what was happening, the way Eden was looking at you said he knew something. “Will you allow me access to my brother’s last video?”

                Eden lowered his head, pursing his lips, which was enough of an answer, making you nod and head out of the room.

                “Most of your brother's files were destroyed,” you stopped instantly, but didn't dare turn around, your vision already blurred, “the little I got is in a file shared by him to save important things, but he never gave me the password. To access what I have, enter the sequence of the investigation file and when it comes up to enter a code, enter your brother's name, one of the files is the data I have, the other is the things your brother kept, but I don’t have the password.”

                That was an apology, you knew that, even though you didn't know why he was apologizing, maybe because of the way he looked at you, with suspicion perhaps? But he wasn't wrong in thinking that way, you were betraying everything you believed in by not saying that you knew the leaders, by having protected not only the eight of them, but also Angel.

                “Thank you, Eden.”

                “Not for this, (y/n).”

                To anyone looking from the outside, the scene looked like a fighting ring, except for the mat at the feet of the sixteen men who were fighting and screaming. Left Eye was the only spectator of what the sixteen were doing, a small smile on his wrinkled face, unable to deny that he was happy to see them act like the boys they were for the first time in a long time, even though he knew it was all a competition and Wooyoung only needed to win once.

                All the ATEEZ boys could now distinguish between each of the people present. Wooyoung gave a small smirk watching Howl's movements, losing track of the training number they had been doing for over a month so he was prepared for you. Not that Seonghwa wasn't, but everyone admitted that he should have expected the kick you delivered to his midriff after he blocked your first kick.

                Considering that none of the sixteen had many things to do, a small competition was created, even curiously encouraged and partially organized by Nightingale so that Wooyoung and the others could be able to fight against you. Hence Howl was who Wooyoung fought, because it was the one that most resembled your fighting style, light, fast and precise, interestingly, not very different from San's style, perhaps another joke of fate as they learned to play along.

                The challenge consisted of a single task. If Wooyoung managed to defeat Howl, ATEEZ would have their own office in the bunker. As the Mirrors had been cleaning the place over the past few weeks, everyone knew that they supported the idea that Wooyoung could beat Howl, that he could beat you, if necessary.

                In a quick movement, Wooyoung managed to dodge a punch thrown by Howl, receiving shouts of enthusiasm and provocations, making the two in the center of the circle laugh before Wooyoung ducked and tried to trip Howl, who managed to dodge and move away, avoiding a Wooyoung's punch. With an amused smile, the Mirror beckoned him with its fingers to come closer.

                That was the end of the training, so they were all sweaty and exhausted, but that didn't stop any of them from doing that 'extra training' that had become almost routine in the last two weeks, always changing who was fighting who, except for Wooyoung and Howl until the first managed to win.

                Wooyoung felt the cut on his eyebrow, present from training with Lucky earlier, burn thanks to the sweat that dripped from his forehead, his eyes observing Howl as a whole, already managing to identify some of the movements that could come from the Mirror. He approached with cautious steps, eyes scanning all of Howl's features, resting briefly on his wrists and feet, the smirk always present, at least until he felt like he was losing it, which wasn't happening yet.

                Howl threw a quick punch, making Wooyoung duck, moving away to avoid the knee that was already aimed at his face, turning quickly, extending one of his arms to hit the back of Howl's head, who also easily blocked the action, raising his eyebrows to Wooyoung shook his head with a convinced smile before turning on its own axis again, throwing punches and kicks, barely giving Howl enough time to react, until the Mirror turned to the side, bringing a smile to Wooyoung's face. He threw a kick that hit Howl's side, causing him to stagger, giving Wooyoung enough time to spin and throw a high kick to Howl's face, catching the Mirror's temple before turning again, wrapping him in an armbar, pulling Howl towards him until the two were falling back on the mat, Wooyoung's legs immobilizing Howl as best he could.

                Which, fortunately, was successful when Howl raised one of his hands while the other lightly slapped Wooyoung's arm, making everyone scream in celebration, going to join the two on the mat who were already hugging each other with a smile, proud of what had just happened. Yunho and Iyaah quickly caught Wooyoung lifting him, while Uno and Mingi did the same with Howl, who exchanged another happy hi5 with Wooyoung while Mars followed Hongjoong out of the improvised training space in the bunker.

                “Only we will have access to the office?” Hongjoong asked one last time, receiving a smile and wave from Mars as they headed to the place that would be ATEEZ's office. “Will we have access to everything you have?”

                “Yes, Hongjoong,” Mars commented, laughing, looking at the youngest who had an excited sparkle in his eyes, “you will also have a direct connection with Nightingale, so you will have messages only directed to you.”

                “Like the messages referring to her?” Mars nodded, a glimpse of sadness passing through his eyes, making Hongjoong look away out of respect, something he found himself doing constantly since the night Seonghwa and Yeosang accompanied the Mirrors to meet you at the warehouse. “How would you feel if you had to interact with her again?”

                Their eyes met and Mars just pursed his lips, closing his eyes.

                “It doesn't matter, if you guys need us to be in the same space as her, we'll do it,” from the corner of his eye Mars noticed Hongjoong try to orchestrate a few words before stopping and turning to the ATEEZ leader with a sad smile. “This is bigger than her, this is something only you can do, the most we can do is help you reach our ultimate goal, even if it comes at a cost to us, a cost we chose to pay a long time ago.”

                “Even so, we cannot ask that -”

                “Joong,” the youngest stopped when he heard the nickname, making a smile appear on Mars' lips, “we'll do whatever needs to be done, she's made her feelings for us clear, and we're all okay with that -”

                “Are you guys okay with the girl you love hating you?”

                The others quickly joined the conversation that the two leaders of each group were having, hovering around the two with curious and worried looks. Mars was calm, but Hongjoong had that look of curiosity and concern, making the others automatically worry, even though they didn't see anger on the ATEEZ captain's face.

                “If she hates us, you will be able to do what needs to be done better than if we are insignificant to her,” Mars' eyes fell on Yeosang and Seonghwa who were swallowing hard, “after all, isn't that what you wanted? That she could differentiate each one of us?”

                “Do you think it’s a bad strategy?”

                Mars shook his head no to Jongho's question.

                “When she sees us, she acts with emotion, making her hate us even more, but with you, she acts with reason, even if she has a little emotion behind her behavior.”

                “Does that mean you’re going to tell us about what really happened between you?”

              Yunho's question made all the Mirrors sigh, exchanging glances, nodding slightly with each glance they met with Mars.

                “When you become familiar with the files we will talk about all the details, but we want you to analyze everything with a clear head, drawing your own conclusions, see her for who she is now and know the best way to act, because despite her still be a memory of everything we’ve experienced, she’s not our (y/n) anymore, she hasn’t been for a while.”

                “And you still love her, even after everything?”

                All the Mirrors smiled at San's question, nodding weakly.

                “We love her soul, even though it is now protected by stone walls, mostly built by us, but there is still something of the girl we knew, who wanted to explore the world, who smiled listening to the noise of the forest, who ran to the lake, played with the animals and always had a smile on her face, she looked at everything with an enchanted look and we will fight so that this (y/n) can emerge again without guilt, even if she hates us in the process, we just want to see that (y/n) one last time.”

                Howl and San were definitely the romantics of the group, that was clear, hell, they all realized how similar they all were, their personalities weren't that different if they were honest, but ATEEZ had more scars, thicker skin, that was the difference, that was what would make the plan work. Hongjoong's eyes fell on each of the fifteen men and friends who were in that circle, a small idea appearing in his mind. 

                “How do you think she would react to having all of you in one space?” Everyone's eyes fell on him, curious to understand what he meant with that question. “Think about the answer while we check the office, I will test the direct connection with Nightingale in the meantime.”

                Hongjoong winked at the Mirrors before calling the other ATEEZ boys towards the open door not far from them. Shinwoo and Lucky approach Mars with an amused smile on their lips. Wooyeon was the first to break the silence, letting out a small laugh, pointing to the door that Mingi had just closed.

                “He’ll definitely make an impression on them,” all the other seven nodded, “fuck how I wish I could see her face when she meets Hongjoong!”

                “Do you think Nightingale tells us anything about their vision of Hongjoong?”

                Logan asked curiously, crossing his arms in front of him and joining Wooyeon's side, who was also looking at Mars curiously.

                “None of our Nightingales will do that, at least not openly.”

                “But it’s worth a try, right?”

                Iyaah asked with a mischievous smile being joined by the others, even Shinwoo joined the plan, the six of them focusing on Mars and Lucky who sighed. Lucky being the first to speak.

                “I’ll get the drink, you take care of Nightingale while we create scenarios of how she will react to each of them.”

                While the Mirrors turned their backs to the room that had the door completely closed, ATEEZ decided to explore the place, observing if there were any plugs, or anything that indicated that they would not be alone in that space, but after a thorough search, nothing was found, making them scatter around the place, Hongjoong sitting in the swivel armchair he had pulled in front of the mahogany table. The other seven watched him curiously.

                “We need her team's files, both teams,” Mingi and Yunho nodded, already starting to look for the physical file while Yeosang and Jongho worked on the interactive table, connecting it to the network, “we need the recent videos of the interactions, since you say she changes behavior depending on who she’s talking, we need to understand how it all works, how it’s triggered.”

                “At least the initial idea is working as expected,” Hongjoong's eyes fell on Seonghwa who was looking for something in his pockets until he took them out in a sequence of numbers and letters placing them on Hongjoong's desk, bringing a frown to the other’s face before continuing, “we need to find out about this file too, Mars locked it in a drawer in his office, but I think we have access to the digital, even if minimal.”

                “What do you think it is?”

                "Honestly?" Seonghwa's eyes fell on San with the question, even though he knew that everyone was waiting for the answer with ragged breaths. “I think it involves her and her brother who apparently no one wants to talk about.”

                “Except her,” Yeosang commented, seeing the light from the screen shine in front of him, Jongho quickly entering the data that the Mirrors had passed to them not long ago. “We need to focus on the brother, I think he is the key.”

                “I thought he died?”

                Seonghwa nodded, making Hongjoong continue to look at him with a look of doubt.

                “The brother is a sensitive topic for her and them, we need to figure out the connection.”

                “It seems like her anger is also directly linked to the way they treat the idea of her brother,” Yeosang completed Seonghwa’s train of thought, watching the gears turn in Hongjoong’s head. “Whenever she can, the topic of her brother is brought up, whether it’s when she was with me on Guardian’s Island or in the warehouse with Seonghwa, Mars and Logan.”

                “We also need to understand about the necklace.”

                Seonghwa comments quickly, everyone gathering around him, but he ignores it, watching Yeosang's eyes scan the older man's face looking for the answer, nodding when he seems to finally understand, heading towards the interactive table looking for the warehouse file.

                “What necklace?”

                Wooyoung's question hung in the air as Seonghwa joined Yeosang watching the warehouse's night camera, pausing the four cameras at the exact moment you pull the drawstring out of your blouse. Your features were pained, almost desperate, while Logan and Mars' were pained, longing and slightly shocked. If your words were considered at that moment it was clear that none of the Mirrors expected you to still carry the 'gift' that you put on display for anyone who wanted to see, venom and pain pouring from your lips.

                “They gave it to her before they disappeared after her fifteenth birthday.”

                Yeosang clarified by zooming in on the four camera images. Hongjoong's eyes scanning every detail of the frames, fixated more on your expressions, he could feel the hatred. His fingers were quick to capture each frame it followed, finally finding one in which your eyes fell on Yeosang and Seonghwa, the hatred softening, but determination hardening, almost like a wall being erected.

                Mars was right. As long as they managed to make your feelings speak louder than reason, they would have a chance, they needed to use the hatred you had for the Mirrors in their favor, to get closer to the final goal. The captain could not take his eyes off the image of yourself in each frame that was shown. He had to admit, you were attractive, your posture exuded a call for a challenge that Hongjoong wanted to defeat.

                The screen was quickly turned off and replaced with the image of a blue bird, making all eight of them hold their breath, eyes falling on Hongjoong who had his lips in a thin line as the gears of his mind could clearly be seen working as he squeezed so that Nightingale's message was opened.

                “Hello, captain, I hope you are already adapting. We had news that a mission is being created so that in almost a month, the school will be invaded again by the Government. I need you to plan two different plans, one in case (y/n)'s team is selected and the other, for the case another team is chosen. As a warning, I need to inform you that Yang's team is a strong competitor for the choice to be in his favor, but we are creating enough situations for the Council to understand that there is the possibility of your presence, authorizing (y/n)’s team in participating, promoting the meeting with Wooyoung. Left Eye will leave something he needs to deliver to her, I don't care how they do it. The piece is important to get into her mind, when I have more information I will get in touch.”

                With that, Hongjoong was sure of two things: they needed to be able to separate you and your team; then he needed to be in the same space as you, understand your feelings, which he couldn't do despite Seonghwa and Yeosang's attempts. And he knew exactly how to do all these things when his eyes met the frozen image on the interactive screen.

                One week.

                A week in, and your mind didn't think about anything other than the interaction with Eden.

                He knew about your nickname, about the drawing, about what it meant, even if he didn't understand the nickname. As if that wasn't enough, fate seemed to laugh at you when your team was selected to guard Guardian's Island for a week, the exact week that Eden would send the request to revisit the school. Fortunately, something good could end up coming from this, as you would not only have access to Guardian's Island data, but also access to your and your brother's old room, being able to open the folders that Eden had indicated to you days ago.

                The surprise on everyone's faces when you informed them that you were going to the part of the dorms that was designated for your parents, was enough to know that you would have to be careful, as you say. Not only had Eden built an entire apartment in her head with the lines about the drawing, but he had also done the same by wanting to talk to you alone, neither of you letting anyone know what the conversation had been about or why you had left considerably upset from Eden's office.

                You noticed Chan and Jeongin's eyes following you with considerable concern, being the two who knew the most what that place meant to you, including your brother's influence and how you refused to stay in that space when he himself stopped using it. The truth is that you just took advantage of the fact that your brother left the island because of what he was doing, as well as the chance for you to live at Prestige Academy thanks to the level you were in Class 5. Mostly, you wanted to forget about everything that could remind you about the eight guys who had started to break your heart back then, leaving everything of them behind in that room, knowing that your parents – at the very least – respected your and your brother's individual space.

                The place wasn't much different from years before, but the parents' reaction when you entered with the code allowing entry was enough to make you rethink what you were about to do. They had actually taken out the blockers. The smile and red eyes of both when they saw you was enough to confirm it, but you could still see the madness in their eyes, the madness that you had started to see in Jungkook before you convinced him to stop using the blockers.

                Their arms wrapped around you, but only despair took over, despair and anger. That should have happened when your brother died, you needed them at that time, but instead they used the blockers, not only blocking both of their emotions, but also any kind of interaction with you, still having the capacity to say that it was better to use blockers, but you had made a promise to your brother before he went undercover, a promise you refused to break. The only one you refused to break.

                The words that came out of your parents’ mouth never being processed by your mind, just wanting to finally create space between you. Your father's eyes were the first ones you saw, the glow of madness not as present as in your mother's, but you chose not to think too much about why. On the other hand, your mother refused to let go of you, hands always on your arm or back, guiding you around the house as if you didn't know the place that was still intact even five years later.

                “You must be hungry -”

                “My team and I ate earlier,” their eyes met yours and you felt the need to explain, “before the shift change, me, Chan and Jeongin always sit down to talk about how it's going to go, including who's going to being responsible for the watch of that shift, so we took the opportunity to eat something.”

                “You could have told us; we could have brought you and your friends something to eat.”

                “No need,” your words were quick as you tried to control your voice, your parents had never worried about your friends before, nor about you until that moment. “My team and I have our routine and we already know what we need, Yongbok and Changbin organized the food, there’s no need to worry.”

    ��           It was only after your response that your father noticed how you were behaving, a shadow of sadness took over his face, while you held back from showing satisfaction and slight irritation with everything. Your mother, on the other hand, just seemed to be happy to have you there, not leaving her side at any time.

                “When we found out you were staying here, we bought some things,” the quick movement of your mother moving some things in the kitchen made you look at your father who lowered his head before joining his wife in the kitchen, “I hope you still like -”

                “She’s tired, darling,” your father’s hand rested on your mother’s shoulders making her stop instantly, eyes falling on you, softening enough to make you want to vomit. Now they were worrying about you?. “Let’s let her rest, let’s go to the room, we have a meeting tomorrow.”

                “Yes, of course,” the weak voice hid a cry for help from her husband, almost as if asking him to help bring you back. “It’s your house, (y/n), please make yourself comfortable.”

                At no point did your face show any emotion as your parents headed towards the room. When the click of the door was finally heard, your eyes found the things your parents had bought on the kitchen counter, eyes closing as you sighed trying to keep everything under control. When your eyes opened again, finding the food you and your brother ate before everything happened, a lump formed in your throat, your eyes began to burn, leaving your vision blurred before you left everything behind, heading to where your room would be.

                As soon as the door opened, it was like you went back to five years ago. The room exactly as you had left it, it was as if every corner brought back to you the memories buried deep in your mind, in your heart. Every corner you looked, it was as if the nine of them materialized in front of you and you could see them all helping to organize your room the way you always wanted.

                You could see Howl, Wooyeon and Logan placing fairy lights around the bed while Iyaah and Uno placed them on the walls and ceiling. Mars and his brother organizing the photos you took, spreading them across the walls, just like organizing the desk exactly how you wanted, the photos and little reminders of their size always present.

                Shinwoo organizing the gift they had given you, the record player along with some vinyl records, positioned perfectly in the corner along with the guitar he had given you, after teaching you how to play, the keyboard leaning against the wall, the image of Shinwoo with the guitar, Lucky on the keyboard and everyone around singing and laughing came like a longing and painful slap. It was then that your eyes fell on the separated clothes in the corner.

                The denim jacket Lucky had painted seemed to scream for you to pick it up and wear it again. The jumpers and hoodies on all of them just below the jacket didn't help on the matter, if you rummaged through the small pile of clothes, you'd certainly find the boys' sweatshirts and sweatpants too. Before you could focus on it any longer, your eyes found the drawing that had been haunting you for a week. The bird drawing your brother had done all those years ago hung on the bulletin board, surrounded by polaroid photos of you with each of the nine who had your whole heart.

                Quick steps guided you to the bedroom's bathroom, making you close the door behind you before turning on the tap and splashing water on your face and the back of your neck. Your face was red and already wet from tears that you didn't even realize had fallen as you took in everything that was present in the room. It was then that your eyes looked up at your own reflection in the mirror. Eyes red and swollen, your lower lip between your teeth trying to stop the tremor that always came when everything got too much, before tears started to fall again, your legs gave out and your back met the cold tiles of the bathroom before her body slid down to the floor.

                You didn't care who heard it, even if you knew that only your parents would hear it – if they really wanted to – considering that the place you were in was soundproof, so no one would know what was going on. Then you screamed as you cried holding your own body. The memories of everything that had happened in that room invading your mind, the memories of the last time everyone was there making you dig your nails into your arm trying to get you back to reality.

                You cursed Eden for showing you the drawing.

                Cursed your brother for dying.

                Cursed the eight for abandoning you after promising to stay with you.

                Cursed Angel and Serpent for coming into your life.

                Cursed your parents for abandoning you after all.

                Cursed your team for always supporting you regardless.

                Cursed yourself for still feeling those feelings for the eight of them.

                And you cursed one last time as Angel and Serpent appeared in your mind.

                You didn't know how long you stood still on the bathroom floor, but it was long enough for your entire body to shiver from the cold, even though your face was still hot and wet, finally deciding to turn on the shower and let the warm water fall on you, clearing any and all memories that had arisen at that time. Even though you knew the guilt would never be completely washed away.

                Guilt not only about your relationship with your team and the others who didn't have blockers, but mainly guilt about Mars, Lucky, Uno, Logan, Howl, Iyaah, Wooyeon and Shinwoo. Guilt for not being able to hate them as much as you hated yourself for what you felt for them, for what they felt for you.

                The glass and gold pendant was caressed by your wet fingers, the drops from the shower decorating the eight pieces of glass. Howl and Serpent's words echoing in your mind. They loved you, but they still abandoned you. Howl's writing along with Mars' speech when he visited your apartment months ago made you close your eyes tightly.

                The noise of the shower taking you to the noise of the waterfall that you and the others always went to, when visiting the other dimension. If you really tried, you could smell the air with the smells of the forest around you, you could feel the grass under your feet, you could hear the laughter of each of your nine boys. You could feel Shinwoo carrying you to where the others were, you could see most of the shirtless boys entering the lake and throwing water at each other.

                You could see Wooyeon and your brother hiding in the corner while you pretended not to know that they got a cake to celebrate your fifteenth birthday. Shinwoo stopped on the side with you in his arms, holding the boy's neck as if your life depended on it. If he threw you, he would go with. Uno quickly removed your shoes, placing them with the other shoes before Shinwoo placed you on the floor, taking off his own shirt and shoes, following the path Uno had taken previously. Lucky quickly by your side with his hand behind you, the other boys already in the lake watch you curiously.

                There had been enough time for you to have become aware of your body and theirs, of how their skin felt, of the suggestions they played next to your ear bringing shivers down your spine. That would be the first time you were conscious of it all, and in just your bathing suit in front of them. The wet earth being what made you most focused on everything that was happening, trying to ignore the presence of all eight boys that occupied your mind recently, the fact that they were shirtless not helping your process of maintaining some sanity in their presence.

                Mars was the first to break you out of your trance, his fingers cold from the lake water finding your elbow, making you startle and elicit a small laugh from all the boys, Shinwoo and Uno quickly joining the others in the lake. Mars and Lucky's eyes asked if everything was okay and you just nodded before taking a few steps back, arms wrapping around your waist as you heard the laughter of the boys behind you. The thoughts about how they would feel about your body made you even more aware and stopped you from taking off the shorts and blouse you had stolen from your brother.

                Memories of talking about you getting involved with any of his friends coming back to mind. Even though you knew he talked more about people at Prestige Academy, all the other eight were also his friends, which meant you shouldn't feel the things you felt about them. But, in all honesty, your mind and heart don't care about this detail, not even when your brother appeared at your side, taking off his own shirt and putting it on with his shoes down in line.

                With a simple kiss on the top of your head and a '*we're waiting for you at the lake*', he turned away and you could hear the splash as his body came in contact with the water. Hands grabbing the hem of your blouse, aware of the girls you had seen in this dimension and in your own, how they looked at the boys, how they looked at those girls, the way you wanted them to look at you.

                "Is everything okay?" Wooyeon was quickly beside your, worried eyes found the arms wrapped around your waist, fingers tightening on your shirt. “Are you in pain?” When you just kept your head down, Wooyeon cursed under his breath looking at the group of friends. “He said you wouldn’t be –”

                He cut off his own speech and you found yourself laughing at the memory, even though your face burned at the time when you saw what he wanted to say, quickly shaking your hands and head high, making Wooyeon sigh, his fingers quickly finding your arms, his eyes soft and slightly worried.

                “It's been a while since we've been to the lake, that's all,” your fingers quickly removed the shorts, your brother's loose shirt doesn't make much of a difference considering it covered half of your thighs, but you see Wooyeon's eyes finding your legs before he looked away with a shy smile, making your face burn even more. “It’s been a while since… well, we haven’t…”

                “You can come in with your shirt on if you want,” your heart ached as you remembered that memory, how sweet Wooyeon was, the way his eyes fell on your body and went up to your eyes, making you curse for how naive you were, for not having noticed how his gaze was on you. “It’s okay if you don’t want to take your shirt off, today is your day, you can do whatever you want and the last thing we want is to make you uncomfortable.”

                A tear joined the water drops from the shower, a sad smile on your lips at the memory.

                “You could never make me uncomfortable Yeonie,” your voice was weak, shy, as it always was when you were with them, your heart feeling like it would come out of your mouth at any moment. The giggle that came out of Wooyeon's mouth took you by surprise before he stopped behind you, making you highly aware of the small distance when you felt the warm air of his breath against your ear. "What...?"

                “Do you trust us?”

                “Completely,” and back then you really trusted them blindly. Your heart clenched in your chest as your hand tightened on the pendant and your face lowered to meet your knees, the water from the shower hitting directly on your neck and back, squeezing the pendant tighter as you remembered Wooyeon placing it around your neck. "What -"

                “Our gift to you,” your hands rested on his shoulder after closing the necklace at the back of your neck, his fingers brushing lightly against your skin, making the area burn and the butterflies in your stomach wake up, “do you know what it means?”

                You didn't dare turn back, knowing he was closer than he had ever been, and you didn't trust your own body's reactions at that moment. The eyes and fingers quickly passing over the pendant. A gold thread wrapped around eight broken but mended pieces of glass, the thread forming the design of a heart while the eight pieces of glass met in the middle, meeting another dot of gold, a delicate heart design in gold.

                “It’s pretty, but...,” Wooyeon’s fingers found yours on the pendant and your breathing stopped for a minute, “Wooyeon, you guys don’t -”

                “The outer heart of gold is your brother, for he arranged everything for us to meet, the eight pieces of glass are each of us, for your brother also held us together before you arrived and brought us together completely, so that you are the heart in the middle, at the center of the pendant, connecting everything within you, because you were the missing piece, you are our heart, (y/n).”

                Your fingers rested on the middle heart, your eyes still closed, the water from the shower running along with the last tears you allowed to fall for Wooyeon and the others. Finally remembering how Wooyeon kissed your cheek after that speech, how he carried you towards the lake, how each of the boys took care of you, how your brother's shirt wrapped around your body until you finally decided to take it off, feeling the eight of their hands on your waist and back, trying to ignore the effect it had on you, trying not to think too much about all the times they pulled you close, holding you against their body, how their lips burned into your skin every time they found some place that day – cheek, shoulder, temple, top of the head, hand, wrist, it didn't matter the place, it always burned.

                It was the vibration of your cell phone that made you wake up to reality. How many times it had vibrated, you couldn't say, but considering the state of your skin, you had spent a considerable amount of time in the shower. Quickly washing your hair, you let your phone ring a few more times, three to be specific – one from Chan, one from Jeongin and one from Minho. When you finally got out of the shower, your cell phone rang a fourth time – which you managed to see who the call was from –, finding Jisung's name on the screen, sighing, you answered it and put it on speaker.

                “I was taking a shower, did something happen?”

                Silence quickly took over the other line before everyone started talking at once, making a smile appear on your lips.

                “Do you have any idea how long you’ve been in the bathroom?”

                Seungmin's voice made you stop for a minute checking the time on your phone, your silence being enough for them to know that you had no idea.

                "Did something happen?"

                “How do you know how long I’ve been in the bathroom?”

                You can hear Yeji, Ryujin and Chaeryeong laughing, making you sigh, slightly irritated, but not at all surprised, ignoring Chan's question again before opening the door, wrapping your body in a towel, your eyes passing through every corner of the room before finding the hidden camera near the shelf next to the guitar and keyboard, giving it the middle finger, your team's laughter making you laugh along before going back to get your phone.

                “We just wanted to know how you were doing.”

                Yongbok's voice was worried, and you just pursed your lips looking at your reflection in the mirror, knowing that from that angle, they couldn't see you, giving you one last moment of calm.

                “I'm fine, but if I find out that you boys hacked the cameras here without telling me, again, so you could spy on me, I'll make sure you never have heirs.”

                “Why do you think it was our idea?”

                Changbin exclaimed almost painfully at your realization, making you sigh before picking up your cell phone and returning to the room, eyes focused on the camera in front of you.

                “Because none of the girls would do that, they know that when I need time it also involves being fully alone!”

                “Is that why you always ask them to come with you to keep watch?”

                You allowed yourself to laugh, noticing the sadness in Jisung's voice.

                “You are very desperate when I don't respond, they know how to act more with their heads, don't take it personally,” some complaints were heard before light slaps made you laugh on the other end of the line. “Minho, stop watching me, I’m fine, but I need some time alone.”

                “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

                “Don’t worry, the list is almost zero, so there aren’t many things I can do.”

                Before you could hear anything else, the call ended and you made sure to remove the camera, hiding it among the pile of plushies that Howl, Wooyeon, Shinwoo, Iyaah and Uno had gotten for you years before. Did they already love you from that time? The memories played around appearing in your mind, today you could say that the answer was probably correct, they always loved you, even before everything happened, so why had they done everything they did? Why abandon you? Why kill your brother?

                Your brother's file.

                You quickly searched on some clothes, eyes going to the pile of clothes in the corner, their pile of clothes. Maybe you allowed yourself while you were there, that last moment to happen, as you were already digging the hole again. They were back, they were already fucking with your mind, why not surrender once and for all and wear their clothes? A pair of sweatpants – according to the size, they were from Iyaah or Uno – and a hoodie – they were gray and with the words: UNALLOYED, making you smile knowing that they were from Howl.

                You quickly grabbed your computer, opening it and connecting to Strickland's system. Your data quickly placed so you could access the files made available by Eden. The school’s blueprint could be seen, but also another one with drawings within the blueprint that you believed had been made by Kai and Niki, after reading some of the notes that Eden made about the day, writing down in your mind from talking to both of them before entering the school, noticing that there were areas that were not in the original plan making you curse under your breath.

                The photos of the event were considerable, both of the bodies as of the walls painted red with some bullet holes. So many people dead on both sides. Your heart sank, knowing that this was one of the reasons you didn't want to stay in Class 5, because these moments hit you, they made you question things you shouldn't, hell, they even made you agree with the things the Black Pirates stood for, even though you knew it was wrong.

            Your eyes went through the list of names that they had managed to identify from the Black Pirates, but what surprised you was the number of unidentified people, some with justification, but most didn't have any, making you pay even more attention to the photos and feel the bile in your mouth. How bad had that encounter been and what could be so important that the members would protect at all costs?

            When you arrived at the last file, your fingers went quickly to the paper that Eden had given you, the password being typed quickly as you memorized it before burning it and throwing it in the metal trash in the room that still had some ashes from five years ago. Your parents had never touched the room, was it because they didn't care enough, or completely the opposite? But you didn't see any signs of dust, they probably just cleaned it superficially, but never for long enough. It was then that a noise came and your eyes quickly fell to a corner in the room, one hand closing the computer while the other went under the pillow, realizing that they hadn't really touched your room, when your fingers found the dagger, but you laughed to yourself when you noticed the vacuum cleaner running inside your room, explaining the lack of dust.

            Your eyes finally returned to the computer screen, several extra files being found, but you chose to focus on the videos, quickly opening the first one, finding the image of Niki, Minhyuk and, consequently, Kai who had the bodycam. You could see each of the rooms, the aftermath of the events, the fallen bodies, red bathing the walls and floor, papers scattered, places torn apart, you could only imagine the work that had gone into collecting all the evidence, identifying the people lying in the ground, your heart squeezed for those who could not be recognized.

            Regardless, you organized a cursory plan for your team, also considering the best locations for Minjae's team to stay and oversee the space for you guys. Fortunately, most of the places Eden had required your attention were on the same floor, but you needed to go down three floors to get to the room he had said was sealed, making a note to talk to Jihyo, Changbin, Chaeryeong and Yujun, knowing that all help was welcome.

            It was almost midnight when you finally finished the outline of the plan, leaving it in a protected folder on your computer, remembering what Eden had said about what happened to your brother, about the secret file he had. Your eyes fell on the camera you had lowered, knowing it had been placed by your brother and being thankful that it didn't take up the entire room, especially not the part where Mars and the others were appearing.

            With a sigh, you opened the network search, checking if the VPN was still on and restarting it just in case before sighing, fingers nimbly placing the sequence of numbers and letters you knew so well: 8B92QMO. You saw the screen open blank, a few quick clicks and the part to enter a password was released, opening the folder that Eden had commented on. Your eyes were already burning looking at the dates, knowing that it would soon be three years since your brother's death.

            Your trembling fingers guided the cursor to the last date that was the last video he had shared, clicking softly, the image of your brother opening on the screen and a sob leaving your throat, one of your hands quickly going to your mouth trying to stifle the sound. His hair was disheveled, he had some dark circles under his eyes, but nothing too serious, his hair was longer than usual, his skin was also more tanned due to his undercover work. Despite everything, what really caught your attention was the damn drawing that Eden had commented on.

            Like a beacon, your eyes quickly found the drawing of the bird hanging on the note board behind your brother, along with a photo of you and him on his graduation day from Prestige Academy. The lump in your throat increased, making you close your eyes and take a deep breath, calming your nerves, adjusting your headphones before opening your eyes finding the image of your brother looking down, you could see the tiredness, deciding that later you would going through all the files that Eden had gotten, hoping to find something new, something that explained why.

            “Update on the case,” your breath caught when you heard your brother's voice after everything that had happened, his eyes meeting yours on the computer screen, “I still haven't been able to know exactly where everything will happen, but I believe I managed to make contact for the first time after…,” his voice trailed off followed by a sigh, “well…, it doesn’t matter, but I need to do this, I need to do this for her.” Your heart tightened in your chest, tears began to fall from your eyes. “She deserves answers, I just hope I get them and -” then the speech was cut off by a noise and your brother took out his cell phone, the glow hitting his face before a small smile appeared on his lips making you smile along with him, after a few moments and text exchanges later, his eyes found the camera again, “tomorrow, (y/n). If you watch this video, I'll get some answers for you tomorrow, okay? Wait for me, I’ll be home soon.”

            Then the video was cut.

            Along with that, a muffled scream from you broke the silence of your room.

            He was doing all this for you.

            They were doing all that for you.

            All you wanted was the nine with you and not this fucked up situation you found yourself in.

            Wiping away some of the tears, you quickly moved the cursor through the folders that Eden owned, but unfortunately, the only new thing was your brother's videos. As expected, sporadic and with little indication of what was happening, just routine videos to show that everything was still fine, no safe words were used, his eyes showed no fear, everything seemed fine, so what the hell happened that you disappeared and turned up dead a month later?, that was all that was going through your head with every video you saw.

            Then the last file appeared, also password protected.

            The file that Eden said belonged to your brother, that only he had access to.

            Both you and Eden knew the password could be anything and you wished he had passed on the passwords he had tried. With a sigh, your fingers were quick trying to somehow find the possible password for that folder, but the only information that was offered was the number of files and the date of the last modification, curiously, it was the date following his last video.

            Once again opening all the files that Eden had made available, ending with the last video posted, eyes and ears looking for any clue that your brother could give about the folder's password.

            I need to do this for her.

            She deserves answers.

            You knew your brother well enough to know that him saying those words and then saying your name meant something, but you didn't know how many attempts Eden had made, you also knew your brother well enough to know that when the limit was reached, all files would be automatically deleted from the archive.

            Your eyes scanned the video looking for any hint as to what the password could be. He had to have placed it somewhere so you could identify it. That video was for you. There was a reason he did it. The drawing caught your attention again, the conversation with Eden coming back to you and you cursed under your breath at how stupid you were being. His voice could be heard next to you mocking how clueless you had been about it all.

            With a sigh and a plea, your fingers typed in the only password you could think of. Fingers trembling searching for each key, it was almost as if you were typing, each keystroke a silent prayer that you were right. Erasing the password twice and entering a third, paying attention to each key, you closed your eyes one last time, a silent request followed by a sigh.

            Eleven letters.

            One word.

            One meaning.

            Lots of memories.

            The dots representing each of the typed letters.

            Your eyes rested again on the image of the drawing his brother had made that was in his room.  A silent plea that you were right.

            Tremblingly, your index finger found the enter key, closing your eyes at the same second, waiting for any noise that would indicate an error or a file destruction sequence, but nothing came, making you open your eyes, finding all the files exposed in front of you. A simple image of your brother was present, probably a video taken right after the one he had sent to Eden. The outfit was the same, the position was the same, everything was the same, even your brother's small smile.

            You had done it.

            Unfortunately, you couldn't do anything until you watched the video that was displayed for you, making you sigh and calm down. Knowing that this was probably the real last video of your brother before his death. Again you braced yourself for the video, even though you knew it would probably be in vain, considering what he had done to contain those files.

            “Of all the people who could find these files, I hope it's you on the other side of the screen, (y/n),” the mischievous smile was present, it was almost as if you could talk to him, as if nothing had happened so many years ago. “I know a lot has happened and I believe if this video reached you, something happened to me and I'm sorry for that.” The space button was quickly pressed and you found yourself sobbing as you held your face in your hands, tears falling onto your hot face. Everyone knew how complicated working undercover was, but no one ever expected death to happen, at least not in the way it happened. The space key was pressed again and your brother's voice flooded your ears. “I need you to know that I love you, to promise me again that you will never use the blockers and to know who to trust,” a sigh and you noticed him shifting in the chair, his back straight. “There are monsters under the bed, yes, but never forget that the real monsters can be on your side helping you kill the so-called ‘monsters hiding under the bed’, okay?”

            His gaze had become hard and you stopped the video again. Something had happened after the video he had shared with Eden, something involving the messages exchanged.

            "What do you want to tell me? What really happened?"

            Your eyes scanned the video frame again, everything was exactly the same as before, the only difference was your brother's posture, all this after the messages he had received. What the hell had happened the next day? Sighing, you pressed play again, hearing your brother's sigh on the other side.

            “If the worst happens, know that I won't be upset if you get hold of my video games, but be careful with my computer, be careful with the pages you open, the last thing we need is a virus getting in there,” you they both laughed, but the raising of eyebrows had been different, his laugh had been different, there was something on his computer, but how did he gain access to the computer while undercover? “Mom and Dad’s house has more things than mine, just be careful, many things there are valuable and I spent a lot of money!” His spine became more erect, your eyes falling on the clock. Almost two in the morning, your parents must have already been in their twentieth sleep. “One more thing, I love you (y/n), nothing in the world will change that. Be aware, not everything is as it seems, there are wolves in sheep's clothing in every flock. I love you, my nightingale.”

           As soon as the video was finished, you spent a while just observing the image of your brother, his weak but affectionate smile; his eyes tired, but with a sparkle in them. How you wished you could have him close one last time, hug your brother, hear his laugh, train with him... All you wanted was your brother back. The cursor went through all the files, you already knew you wouldn't sleep, but unfortunately, you couldn't find much beyond what Eden already knew, except some encoded files that you would need time, knowing you couldn't ask any of the people who were with you, that was something you needed to do alone.

           Your eyes fell back to the computer, cursing under your breath thinking about how long you had until the sun started to rise and your parents woke up. With light and quick steps, you left your room and entered your brother's. Releasing the breath you were holding, your eyes turned to the room, untouched just like yours. You froze in place for a moment, closing your eyes and taking a deep breath, still finding your brother's scent in the room, it was faint but it was there. Your whole body shook before you opened your eyes, finding the bed, your brother's words coming back to you, just like your eyes falling on your desktop computer.

           Before you could think much, your feet were already guiding you to the bed, knees and cheek finding the floor while one hand lifted the duvet, looking for anything under the bed, cursing under your breath when you couldn't find anything, eyes finding the desktop computer. Taking care not to make any noise, you moved the swivel chair away, pressing all the necessary buttons to turn on the computer, your leg shaking nervously as your mind went over every piece of information you had gathered.

           That had all reignited the fire that burned inside you.

           Maybe now you would finally have answers.

           Unlike what you expected, you were met by a black screen with blue bold letters, a rectangle waiting for a password to be entered and you sighed, re-entering the password that you hoped was correct. The letters shining with each key pressed.

           NIGHTINGALE.

           Then the entire computer went black before a string of words appeared, such as various file names and registrations, recognizing some as those of your team and your brother's friends. They all had the date of last access, making your mouth form an 'o' when looking at the names of the last accesses, but not necessarily for the reason you would expect. The scare didn't come from the fact that the names of your team and your brother's friends were some of the last to be viewed, but rather the fact of when they were viewed.

           Most importantly, the fact that your own file had been opened five minutes ago.

           Your breathing stopped for a moment watching the computer screen. The well-known names were displayed on the computer's black screen, the dates of interaction were recent, but then everything stopped when a new name appeared at the top, your brother's file had just been opened. Your hand quickly found the mouse, the cursor heading to the well-known name, but which had been deleted from Strickland's files.

           "What the hell is happening?"

           Your voice was weak, less than a whisper, almost a breath when the click on your brother's name made the entire screen fill with data. There was information from when he was at Prestige Academy, when you were just a child who didn't know anything about life. Various and various files were present on the screen, some you knew, others you never saw anything about in your entire training period or after your graduation.

           C2REKL3 – your brother's first mission after he graduated at sixteen. The boys had stayed with you throughout the period, as the fear of the possibility of losing your brother consumed you completely.

           GBQJ9DU – the first mission he participated in when he was still fifteen, you still remembered how he, Chan, Mingyu and Jungkook were stressed about what was going to happen, even though you knew that BTB would be there to protect them if necessary.

           7KC93ZZ – his first mission (still supervised) after being selected for the ASTRO team, not long after the success of the GBQJ9DU mission, which was the first time he had needed to kill someone. Until today you could see the emptiness on his face and how much he took himself whenever he could, trying to get rid of the invisible blood that stained his hand.

           FI2U9KY – your first mission with him when you were thirteen.

           ZVYQ8H7 – his last mission with ASTRO before Eden's recruitment so he could carry out the undercover work that would cause him to lose his life in the badlands of Strickland.

           On the other hand, your fingers quickly searched for your cellphone to write down some of the sequences: 0JIL63EJ, XWET73T, NAXZMG0, KN3JA0J... How many missions had your brother been part of that you had never imagined? Finally, your eyes focused on the last mission he participated in (but not the last folder that had been changed). Seven months. He had been undercover for seven months, which explains his tan and long hair. Your fingers quickly went to the first file shown, your blood running cold with every word you read from the document.

           He had been selected to check the movements of a possible opposition group that seemed to already be causing problems even after having been there for a short time. According to the reports, they were a group of eight people, there were no records of them at Strickland, they were complete ghosts, with considerable knowledge of how the system worked. It didn't take much for you to know that your brother had been chosen to study and capture Mars and the others, you knew he had picked it up on that easily too.

           A video appeared in front of you, the first video of the mission, making you hold back your tears, the image exactly as you remembered it. The video was merely introductory, explaining who he was, his role in the team and the ultimate objective, some information about what had happened. You could hear and see other trusted people in the video, Eden was considerably specific in who and which groups participated in the missions he commanded, especially those that required stealth.

           The next video was accompanied by a report. Maddox. That was the first word that appeared in the document followed by numbers and coordinates, the last word you could see in the document was a simple: CONTACT. Then the entire screen went black and you cursed under your breath before a blue glow appeared on the screen. A simple 'hello', the user written was Maddox, but you had never met a Maddox and, curiously, the conversation had only started after you opened the file that had that name as the first word.

  MADDOX: (y/n), I know you are there, please respond.

           Your fingers were still on the keyboard, the tips lightly touching the keys. It couldn't be, he wouldn't do that to you.

  MADDOX: Eunwoo is dead, this is Maddox, now answer.   NIGHTINGALE: how do you know my name?   MADDOX: you really thought it would be this easy to enter your brother’s things and no one would know?   NIGHTINGALE: who are you?   MADDOX: Maddox.   NIGHTINGALE: no shit, now answer the question.   MADDOX: let’s say I’m the Lee Minho to your brother, but better.

           A scoff left your lips as your back met the back of the swivel chair. You needed to find out who Maddox was and what he wanted.

  MADDOX: your brother gave me access and control over his data, who do you think created all of this and made sure his registration was not canceled?

           With that your back quickly became straight, your eyes determined and angry.

  MADDOX: I knew this would get your attention.   NIGHTINGALE: what do you want from me?   MADDOX: I can help you if you want.   NIGHTINGALE: why is that my name?   MADDOX: should we use your real name when involving high treason documents?   Your breathing stopped for a minute.   MADDOX: I can help you get justice for your brother.   MADDOX: I can tell you who wanted him dead, but I still don't know who was successful.   NIGHTINGALE: The Black Pirates killed my brother.   MADDOX: he said you were smarter and thought for yourself, shame.   NIGHTINGALE: he was after them, how come they weren't the ones who killed him?   MADDOX: If they really wanted to, even you would be dead, child.

            So he was older, but how much older?

  MADDOX: you two have the same face when you're thinking.   NIGHTINGALE: since when have you been watching me?   MADDOX: since you entered that password in Eden's data.

           Your entire body froze.

           Maddox had access to Strickland's system, but whose side was he on?

  MADDOX: I have to admit that I thought I would have to watch you look for the password, but you surprised me by not taking long to find it, both then and now.   MADDOX: Maybe the rumors about you are real.   NIGHTINGALE: and what could these rumors be?   MADDOX: too many for the little time we have.   NIGHTINGALE: So how do you expect to contact me after this?   MADDOX: If you had looked more meticulously under your brother's bed, you would have found the flash drive that gives you access to everything you were so focused on discovering.

           You quickly got up, bending down again, turning on the light on your cell phone, going through the entire underside without finding anything, grunting quietly and rolling your eyes before finding a small reflection in the wooden part of the bed. The light quickly directed there, a flash drive was taped to the wood of the bed, reaching out to pick it up trying to make as little noise as possible, knowing that it was close to the time for your parents to wake up.

           Your eyes fell to the computer screen, Maddox had sent a few more messages, so you quickly headed to the chair, flash drive carefully in hand.

  MADDOX: Eunwoo made several requests to me before everything happened, I know a lot more things than most superiors.   MADDOX: I know you don't have much to believe in me, but I believe that when you see all the data we have in the system, maybe you will use your big brain and help get justice for your brother.   MADDOX: by the end of the week a brand new computer will be in your room at Strickland, use this computer to communicate with me and open the files, if you don't do so, using your computer or importing the files with the programs created by Minho in the new one, I'm going to do something about it and you don't want to know what I can do.   MADDOX: Your brother risked everything and more, you don't have to trust me, but at least do this for him, so that what he fought for was not in vain.   NIGHTINGALE: you talk too much for someone who hides behind a computer.   MADDOX: you're not far away, little bird.   MADDOX: you're considerably more intimidating in person than on a computer screen.

           Your eyes widened, but before you could type anything Maddox had beaten you to it.

  MADDOX: yes, Eunwoo recruited me, saw potential in me, Eden too and yes, we have already met in person.   MADDOX: I was part of the team that was undercover with him, but my work was more at the base and at the Command Center, which was where I was when the place was invaded.   MADDOX: don't do anything stupid, we all have skeletons in our closet and yours isn't the emptiest one.   NIGHTINGALE: I wonder what my brother would do knowing you're threatening me.   MADDOX: unlike him, my reason for protecting you is nothing more than strategic, it is to him that I swore loyalty, not to you.   MADDOX: if anyone on your team knows, know that there are advantages to having access to the Strickland Security Network, little bird.

           You let out a small scoff, but the smirk on your lips gave you away. You had liked Maddox, you could understand why your brother had taken him close.

  MADDOX: your parents will wake up in an hour and a half, I suggest you get some sleep and wait for the computer to use the flash drive, unless you want your own to self-destruct.   NIGHTINGALE: I want the new computer tomorrow.   MADDOX: earn it then.

           The screen went completely black, you couldn't connect with Maddox in any way, until the screen turned on again, your brother's computer screen from the last time you shared that house was present. You wouldn't be able to contact Maddox, whoever he was.  His words replayed in your mind. Mars and the others had abandoned you to organize the Black Pirates. Your brother was assigned to handle the situation they were trying to create. But as Maddox noted, they had several chances to cause your death if they really wanted it. Serpent also made it clear that one of the reasons – if not the only reason – that they hadn't completed the revolution was because of you, because they were in love with you, because they had already destroyed so much of what you loved and believed they couldn't finish the only thing they knew you held on to with all your might.

            You were already waiting for that to happen.

            Your entire team was already waiting, you knew that some members of your team had also passed on the information to the XKRS, so it was no surprise to anyone when punches were heard at the door of the room designated for you and your team. The eyes of the XKRS boys fell on you with concern, those of your team on the other hand, were determined. They had been waiting to have a talk with Yang ever since you told Hyunjin what had happened for your stitches to open.

            Jeongin was the first to move towards the door, being stopped when you raised your hand before sighing and heading towards the repeated knocks and Yang's screams demanding to speak to you. When Eden said that the team that would be responsible for the second sweep of the school would be published that day, you wanted to make it clear that you would be in your office, as you knew that Yang would come after you, this time you were prepared for whatever he wanted. would do.

            Maddox had also made it clear that he would arrange for your team to be selected and that he would help you with the door sealed in the school parking lot. You would need to use a communication point with him, which made you put Chan and Minho in charge of communicating with the XKRS. The justification was simple, Chan hadn't yet worked directly with other teams below you and Minho could help Sunmin with any issue he might need with the network, as you needed all the eyes possible to complete the mission effectively.

            The punches on the door became more constant, Yang's muffled voice also became more present. With a simple look back, your team understood that they should stay quiet and let Yang be dealt with, even if all the eleven wanted at that moment was to annihilate the oldest. You made a point of making noise by pulling on the handle – which you knew wouldn't open, as you all always locked the door – and then, unlocking the door before sighing and opening it a small crack, just enough for Yang to see your face.

            In a quick movement, he pushed the door away, his other hand finding your neck and you allowed it, holding back your laughter as you felt him pinning you against the wall, just like before, just as you expected him to do. In your peripheral vision, you could see the XKRS mobilizing to head towards you, only for your team to deny the advance and place their index finger against their lips.  This was supposed to be resolved between you and Yang and just you two.

            You allowed yourself to smile when you realized that he was so upset that he didn't notice the presence of the others in the room, his eyes angry and fixed on you. The fingers pressing against your neck enough to make you struggle slightly, he pressed you against the wall again, his free hand finding your left, pinning it firmly against the wall. Your right hand going for Yang's forearm, applying enough pressure to make him imagine the situation was repeating itself.

            “I told you to stay the fuck away,” his face getting closer to yours, his fingers squeezing your neck, cutting off the air making you open your mouth, creating half moons on the skin of Yang's forearm, “you have so much desire to be the same as that grub of a brother, that you want to end up like him?”

            Air finally returned to your lungs as he released his neck, holding both hands on top of your head, his other hand at the top of your thigh already anticipating a possible knee to his side. Your eyes met his with arched eyebrows. 

            “It feels like someone has been studying,” the air was inviting and painful in your throat, but you did your best to maintain your posture, you had been through worse, “does this mean that the great Yang is afraid of me?”

            The cynical laugh that left your lips brought a slight grimace to Yang's face that squeezed your hips and wrists. Giving him a small smile, you leaned your head against the wall.

            “You really want to end up like your brother, don’t you? Who knows, maybe something won't happen in the next mission, hun? We’ve already lost a lot of agents in the field, one more won’t be a problem, right?” Your face hardened, the memories of the data you had access to thanks to Maddox still fresh in your mind, could Yang be one of those possibly responsible? Considering the hatred he possessed for your brother, being driven by you after bringing Jeongin to your team, it was to be expected. “A bullet to the skull, the skin devoured by animals, passing for nothing more than a piece of meat thrown in the middle of the desert -”

            Before any of the others could do anything, you threw your head forward, your forehead meeting Yang's nose and making him stumble back, giving you enough space to untangle yourself from him and the wall, grabbing his dominant arm, forcing it behind his back before pressing him with his chest against the wall, pulling his arm up listening to his complaint, the blood that came from the nose staining Yang's mouth and chin, consequently, also staining the wall that you had pressed it.

            “You just threatened another government official, you know the consequences that brings, don’t you?”

            “It’s your word against mine, princess,” God how you hated that nickname, especially when said like that. “You may be who you are, but I spent time creating my reputation.” 

            “I should have spent more time in strategy classes.”

            Quickly, you pulled Yang's body, so that his chest was now against one of the nearby tables, trying to hold him as best as possible, trying to remember what Changbin had been through to you so many times. Only when he turned his face meeting Jeongin and Chan's gaze did he stop fidgeting, you could see he had realized how screwed he was.

            “You dumb bitch, I'm gonna fucking kill you.”

            “Oh, you still won’t shut up?”

            In a quick movement, Yang managed to free himself from you, just as you expected and wrapped his arm around your neck, trapping you in a headlock, making everyone move towards you before you hissed a ‘no’, making everyone stop, but you could see both Changbin and Yongbok moving around the corners, Chan, Jeongin, Hyunjin, Ryujin and Minjae taking slow steps towards you. Yang's ragged breathing could be heard in your ear, but you made no mention of it.

            “Are you really going to keep betraying your family for pussy?” Everyone knew that the words were directed at Jeongin, who seemed unaffected. Yang continued taking a few steps back, your eyes meeting Yongbok and Changbin's who were just waiting for your signal. “As if all your brother’s friends weren’t enough, you also have to fuck your team and my brother?”

            “Are you mad because I’m fucking them all, or because I’m not fucking you?”

            Yang's arm tightened around your neck making you gasp, everyone else becoming highly alert, but only the XKRS reacted more openly to what was happening. Yongbok and Changbin were still far away, making you think of something to help distract Yang as they got closer.

            “A whore's word doesn't mean anything, you should know that,” his lips pressed against your ear and you had to hold yourself back from moving away, “or do you think no one ever knew what you and my brother were doing back home? Or at the Prestige Academy?”

            “It’s not like it was a crime what we were doing.”

            “But the feelings you have for each other is.”

            “So is the feeling you feel right now,” he paused for a moment and you found yourself smiling, “and that’s why you’re not as good as you believe yourself to be, Yang.”

            Your elbow quickly met his side while your heel met his toes, causing him to move away enough for another elbow to find his diaphragm followed by a headbutt to Yang's – already broken – nose. Yongbok quickly pushed Changbin and Yang out of your way, Changbin pinning Yang against the wall, Yongbok being your support as you recovered, one of your hands finding your neck which was quickly inspected by him.

            Jeongin quickly getting between you and his older brother, still being pressed by Changbin, Chan quickly joins in to hold Yang if necessary. The younger Yang's eyes fell on you for a minute, more specifically on the mark on your neck, making him purse his lips before focusing again on Yang who was watching everything, still slightly aghast at what you had done. You could see the gears in Jeongin’s mind working.

            “I think you spent enough time free for what you did,” there were very few times when you felt afraid of Jeongin or any of your team, but hearing the icy voice of your third-in-command made your entire body shiver, remembering one of the reasons you chose him as your other right hand in command, the reason why many were afraid of him. If Yang could be cruel, Jeongin could be the incarnation of Satan if he needed to. “Take him to the room.”

            Changbin and Chan didn't even look their way before punching Yang unconscious, dragging his body to the room in question. Initially created for moments when someone was frustrated, angry or simply wanted to speak out loud without the fear of someone overhearing. As your team grew, there were times when it was necessary for some mechanisms to be used, even by you and Jisung – no matter how much you were against such mechanisms. This means that the soundproofing room could also become a torture room on specific occasions, even if rarely used for that purpose.

            “Innie,” the nickname seemed to soften Jeongin’s gaze before falling back on you in concern, a small pain forming in your chest. He would torture his own brother for you, what situation had you all gotten yourself into? “Innie, there’s no need -”

            “He threatened you,” the words were simple, harsh and had consequences that you knew went beyond a mere settling a score for what Yang had done to you months ago, “we have the recordings of everything, what he did has consequences and you know that -”

            “You don’t have to be the one to do it.”

            The dimples appeared, making your heart weight heavier on your chest.

            Yang was right, in the end. You loved them and they loved you.

            Even though deep down, you knew it wasn't the same love you once felt for Mars and the others, that you believed you would never feel again, because in the end, the higher-ups were right, Henry Jo was right, the Sciensalvar were right, Z was right. Feelings were the worst evil that could exist and the universe seemed to prove this to you with each event.

            “You are my boss, my leader, my friend, my -” he stopped for a moment and you found yourself holding the air you breathed, Yongbok's fingers on your back serving as a way to keep you centered in the midst of what was happening. Jeongin's sigh was enough to make you release the breath you were holding before his eyes met yours, stopping momentarily on your neck. “He is my brother, if anyone, other than you, has the right to do something, it is me.”

            “How will this affect your family?”

            “You and the others have been my family for a while now,” the smile was weak but truthful, you knew he believed every one of those words and the tightness in your chest seemed to ease a little at that, but only a little. “Go over the plan with the XKRS boys, we’ll be waiting in the room.”

            It was only then that you realized you had been left alone in the office with the XKRS boys. Their worried eyes on you as they watched Yongbok make sure you were okay enough for him to follow behind the others, which he did once you gave a slight nod. Your mind was a mess, not only with what had just happened, but also considering the information you had seen in your brother and Maddox's files.

            With a sigh, a mental note came up to check Yang's name and registration in the records. You always knew there was more to the whole situation between the two of you, you knew it went beyond your relationship with Jeongin. Your fingers found the bridge of your nose before you sighed one last time and met the curious and worried eyes of the new Strickland unit.

            “You have three seconds to put on a poker face, otherwise you will be demoted to insider work for a month,” all ten straightened their posture, faces becoming closed, but you could still tell by the look what was going on. “ You also need to work on your eyes, but this is better than expected.”

            “Erm,” you didn’t look up, preferring to re expose the photos and blueprints of the school and nearby buildings, but you had noticed the exchange of looks between the ten, “if you need some time, we -”

            Everyone was cut off by the muffled scream that came out of the room, shocks ran through your body as you swallowed hard and closed your eyes trying to focus on the plan, instead of imagining what everyone was doing in the room. The XKRS's eyes quickly fell in the direction of the scream and you held back a laugh, as you saw yourself in those boys in front of you, remembering what it was like when the others removed the blockers, how you and Chan helped the others adapt, until Jeongin arrives and takes care of this issue.

            “Chan has already requested three helicopters to take us to school,” despite the shouting, your voice didn't change its tone, making the other ten begin to understand how things worked. Even though they had some missions, some things only really happened after graduation. “I’ll leave the organization of the buildings to you,” your eyes and pointed fingers found Minjae and Junmin who nodded, making you hand over the blueprint photos of the buildings to them. “After we enter, Minho will try to connect with the network, which will give you an inside look and you will be able to help us when we need it.”

            “Are we going to have a communication point with all of you?”

            You denied Hyunwoo's question, approaching the table that you had organized in relation to the school locations, both those that had the most deaths, those that had the most information, and those that had both. Everything is divided by area and floor. A smirk formed on your lips when you noticed how none of the boys in front of you squirmed because of the photos.

            “Only Chan and Minho will communicate with you, Chan needs more training helping teams below ours and, as we don't know what will happen, I'm going to start putting him and Jeongin in charge of this issue on certain missions,” the others nodded carefully, as they knew that that piece of information was important, that if they did well, they would possibly be called to work on missions related to the Black Pirates again. “Minho knows practically everything about all existing systems so he will be able to help Sunmin with whatever is needed, I also need Seeun to have a direct connection, photographic memory can help us more than the cameras itselves.”

            "What is the problem?"

            You smiled brightly at Jinsik's question, knowing that Jisung had spent enough time with the youngest and explained the little details that would help him see beyond the words. Honestly, you just hoped that what Eden had asked you to do wouldn't affect your performance as much as you believed it might, not as much as your brother's drawing already had in some ways.

            “There is only one part that does not have a camera and is not present in the blueprint,” your fingers indicated a point below everything, making all ten eyes become confused for a moment, “that is the parking lot, but it does not have cameras and the space is not the same as what is specified here.”

            You let out a small sigh when you noticed the eyes of the ten in the photos and files of the place. As soon as you headed directly to the parking lot after passing the three rooms that Eden had indicated had the drawing, you knew they would talk to Chan and Minho.

            “What can we do to help?”

            “Making my team complete this mission smoothly,” before anyone could say anything, you placed a paper on top of where the parking lot would be, “none of them are supposed to go to the parking lot, in case something happens, I want them out of that building, I don’t care if I’m still there, understood?”

            "But -"

            “The question is of ‘yes or no’ nature,” your voice was hard, you knew there was something in that room that could change the situation for better or worse and you were okay with whatever came, but that was your choice. There was a reason it was sealed, a reason so many died in the parking lot, and you would do anything to make sure your team didn't suffer from whatever came from that room specifically. “The priority is my team, if you have to lie, I want you all to lie, I don’t care, I deal with everything if necessary afterwards, but they are the priority, understand?”

            All ten were silent for a moment, your eyes met Minjae's and you knew he understood what you wanted to say, perhaps better than anyone present. He knew you wouldn't say why you alone had to go to the parking lot or why it was relevant, but he knew you had a plan and if they did anything to hurt that plan, you would finish them off without having to lay a finger on any of them.

            "Yes ma'am."

            Despite the small fright and confusion that appeared in the eyes of others, they quickly followed what Minjae had said. A simple wave was all you made available to them before pointing to the board behind you with all the information they could need. Your feet went to the room the others were in, Yang's screams and curses could be heard, even if muffled.

            “If you want,” your feet took root on the floor, not needing to look back to know that you had all the ten complete attention, “you can leave the office, I can ask Minho to share the necessary files with you, you don't need to be here in case it’s still too early.”

            Silence once again took over the room, murmurs began to appear little by little. Everyone knew that you wouldn't go towards the room where the muffled screams were coming out, not until you heard back from them. They didn't know, probably neither did your team, but your mind kept replaying the information gathered over the last few days, what had just happened only helping your mind create scenarios of what could have happened.

            "We’ll stay."

            A sigh left your mouth before your feet walked back towards the room where your team had taken Yang. As soon as the door opened, a scream came out of Yang's mouth and you knew the other ten behind you were startled, but you were on a mission, you would have your answer, even if you only analyzed it later.

            The door closed with a click making Yang's eyes find your figure. Jeongin was crouched not far from his older brother, Chan and Changbin on each side of the chair, Chaeryeong was holding one of the electrical cable connections, Yang already had the copper crown on his head. You could see each of your team with injured knuckles, Jeongin, Chan, Hyunjin, Ryujin, Yeji, Changbin and Yongbok's were the most injured ones.

            Blood dripped from some of the cuts that were already present on Yang's face, his nose even more crooked than when you had seen it previously. The restraints on the wrists and ankles already red. With a simple shake of your head you caused the copper crown to be removed from Yang's head, the two points that connected the electricity to his temples also being removed. A small sigh of relief was heard from him, but when dark laughter from all of your team members were heard, fear flashed across Yang's face.

            Despite being known for being a great interrogator, which you were, and knowing that you preferred methods that didn't involve torture, few knew how well you could torture someone. You didn't do it very often, but when you did, everyone broke down under your hand. Maybe you should thank your brother’s death for that, because you wanted answers and you were willing to go to the ends of the earth to get them.

            “The situation is simple, Yang,” your steps were calculated, everyone had opened a corridor for you to find him, the smell of blood was already strong, “you just need to tell the truth and you can walk out of here.”

            “You can’t do this to me,” despite the attempt, you managed to see the tremor in his words, making you smile cynically, “I’m an officer just like you, this can’t happen.”

            “But weren’t you the one who threatened to kill me a short while ago?”

            You walked away swinging your hands up, having Changbin and Chan release Yang's wrists while Yongbok and Hyunjin released his ankles. Yeji handed you one of the daggers that were hanging on one of the walls, making you turn the handle, the tip of your index finger finding the tip of the dagger. Yang's eyes widened slightly at that, he had heard about your torture sessions then.

            “Wrists or ankles?”

            "Wrists," your response was simple, your voice soft, unbothered, which made only terror run across Yang's face, "take off his shirt."

            “His record has already been changed,” Minho’s voice caught your attention, even though your eyes remained on Yang, Changbin ripping off his shirt, leaving his torso exposed to you, “two weeks away due to injury during an unsuccessful mission.”

            “You guys can't do this -”

            “You couldn't threaten me either, but you did it anyway,” the threat wasn't the problem for you, everyone there knew, except Yang who tried to justify it, but you silenced him by touching the tip of the knife to the exact spot where his jugular pulse was. “Do you really think this is happening because of a simple threat?” You laughed, lowering the knife to Yang's left collarbone, the tip entering his skin as you brought it down towards his sternum, you could hear the grunts as he tried to squirm away from it. “For someone who claims to be so excellent, your brain is very underdeveloped to analyze the situation.”

            “You want me to beg, is that it?!”

            “No,” the knife found the sternum and ended the contact of the metal with the hot skin of the older man who sighed, “I want you to say if you gave my brother a chance.”

            "What you -"

            A quick and deep enough cut was made on Yang's right side, in the same location and size as yours that he had opened the stitches months ago. The scream echoed through your head and you ignored it, watching Yang's expression.

            “Let's say I discovered something interesting in the report on the invasion of my brother's bunker,” you noticed everyone looking at you curiously, some eyes falling on Minho who seemed equally lost, but no one dared to say a word, “some passwords were used to enter the location, but interestingly, the person to whom that password belongs was on a mission, there is evidence of this person carrying out the mission at the time of the invasion.”

            The silence was heavy and everyone saw how Yang went into a slight panic as your words were processed in his head. Some still exchanged confused looks. What you were indicating was a plot to get another officer killed, tantamount to high treason.

            "I do not know what you're talking about."

            “So there won’t be any problem telling me where you were when my brother disappeared, right?” 

            “Eunwoo disappeared, no one knows what happened until he turns up dead in the desert.”

            “Are any of you comfortable enough to grab the belt?” Everyone knew what that meant, you noticed Yang's fingers wrapped around the iron chain, your eyes meeting Jisung who watched everything curiously. “Ji, can you go further up, please?”

            “How much on the feet?”

            No one dared question you, everyone knew how much you hated torture, that it was always your last choice. If your allegations are right, which everyone also knew you wouldn't make without having considered all the possibilities, Yang had committed the worst of crimes within their area. That's why when Jisung agreed without much reservation, Yang knew he was fucked. His eyes met Jeongin's in pleading, only receiving a cold look in response.

            “Fifty,” the answer came from Jeongin who positioned himself behind you, his fingers finding your lower back, a silent answer to the question you were asking all of them with that request, if they were on your side and that you wouldn’t be hurt or hold grudges if someone decided to turn their back on the situation, “let's increase 10kg every five minutes and move up the chain when the weights are lower to the ground.”

            “Jeongin,” Yang’s voice was a plea, “I’m your brother -”

            “My brother is Chan, Minho, Changbin, Hyunjin, Jisung, Yongbok and Seungmin, you are not my brother.”

            “Are you going to leave this -”

            The sound of the belt was heard, just like the sound of the buckle meeting Yang's exposed skin, Chan and Changbin were behind him, taking turns so that neither of them got tired. Chaeryeong and Ryujin threw salt water at Yang, making a scream reverberate throughout the room, but no one dared to move. Hyunjin and Seungmin tied the weights to Yang's ankles. Minho's computer keyboard was clicking every second, you already knew what he was looking for.

            “Where were you the day my brother disappeared?”

            “You fucking lunatic bitch, are you -”

            Five times the buckle found Yang's skin, but only on the fifth did he release some kind of reaction, making you raise your eyebrows in acceptance of the challenge.

           “We know you weren't alone,” the tip of the dagger went through every area of Yang's abdomen and you laughed, seeing the muscle contract, digging the tip even deeper into the skin, leaving a red line wherever it passed, “if you say the names, I’ll go easier on you.”

            “Go to hell, you fucking slu-”

            Your knife stuck in Yang's thigh at the same moment the buckle found the already red skin again. You and him knew the knife was close to the bone but hadn't caught the artery, but he wasn't completely free to do as he pleased. The growl that left his mouth was more from the knife than from the five times the buckle met his back.

            “You have two weeks off, there are too many things I can still do with you to justify those two weeks, are you sure you want me to do them all?”

            It was then that Yang saw, finally saw, Strickland's weapon.

            And you smiled as you saw terror meet their eyes, for in that moment, you were the monster they had created.

            Your eyes passed one last time over the notes of the stakeouts that took place on site. Your intuition told you there was something you weren't seeing, but no matter how much you analyzed it, something still didn't seem to add up. Your fingers quickly found the files from the day of the school invasion that were with Jeongin and Chan, your eyes trying to find what was making you uncomfortable about everything. Something was out of place, you just couldn't visualize what.

            “Sunmin just confirmed the scan from the latest scanner,” Minho’s voice made you look up from the pages, his fingers quick against the keyboard before turning the screen to you, Jeongin and Chan. His eyes quickly met yours, followed by the other two, making you sigh. “What do you want to do, boss?”

            One of your gloved hands found your face, resting your chin in your hand, eyes observing the images that Sunmin made available to you. There were many more people than expected. That place had seen a lot of death, but there was only so much that could be prevented.

            “Tranquilizers,” your hands quickly went to the second gun that was hanging on your body reaching the amount you had, “since most of them are at the top, we need to get through there without being noticed or everything will go down the drain.”

            “How do you want to organize the descent?”

            Chan's eyes searched yours waiting for orders, Jeongin's fingers checking the other three weapons before handing them to Minho, Chan and taking the last one. Your eyes quickly passed through the thermal vision of the school building, you needed to contain your tranquilizer darts for when you arrived in the parking lot. 

            Despite wanting to be first, you cursed under your breath knowing you should be last.

            “Chan goes first, I go last, I don't care who is in the middle,” a small sigh before the pilot's voice indicated that they were already above the school and the descent would begin. “Let's all stay on the emergency stairs, let's follow the sequence of whoever comes down.”

            “Ryujin and Jeongin will bring up the rear with you.”

            Chan commented quickly before the pilot allowed the exit and you were the first to get out of the helicopter, pulling the mask from your clothes to your face, the protective glasses being quickly pulled down. The place was as deserted as it had been when you and the others had been there weeks ago. Boots thumped against the concrete of the roof and you quickly ran to the door that connected the building to the roof, noticing Jeongin right behind you.

            You pulled the door open revealing the freed up space, much to the delight of your team. Quickly each of the twelve members of SKZY entered the building, Chan and Minho exchanging glances checking the communication point with XKRS before heading downstairs. Jeongin and Ryujin's eyes met yours before they followed behind everyone. If everything went well, you would find out what Eden wanted and you would get out of there without much trouble.

            Small noises could be heard with each step that your team took deeper and deeper into the school. Quickly the first floor had been cleared for your team to check, your steps leading to the first room Eden had shown you, one of the separate rooms used by the school's vice principal. Most of the notes that had previously been torn out had been replaced, the television playing the video of the warehouse that made you meet Serpent weeks ago.

            The drawing of the blue bird screamed just like the first time you saw it in the photo that Eden had given you, the difference was that now it was in front of you. Your fingers passed over the blue line of the drawing and your heart sank for a moment before you sighed and focused on the papers pinned to the bulletin board, searching for any kind of new information, but nothing but the same seemed present.

            With a low curse, your hands rested on the table, the image on the television capturing your attention momentarily. Despite everything Maddox had shown you, something still told you that Mars and the others were involved in some way with what had happened to your brother, maybe not with the bunker raid, but something had happened between the raid and your brother's body turning up in the desert, something you felt only the eight of them could answer.

            With a sigh you looked away, your hand balling into fists before your eyes focused on one of the papers that were laid out on the table. ‘Hourly update: stable. Requirement: list present in the dark room - hand it over to one of the ATEEZ’. Your fingers quickly grabbed the sheet, placing it between the pockets of your clothes, the static in your ear indicating it was time to move to the next floor.

            More and more bodies fell around you, some with tranquilizer darts, others clearly using force to knock them out. Your mind returned to the words on the paper in your pocket, the dark room could only be the place that had been sealed when the invasion happened weeks ago. A moment of calm passed through your body, knowing that the probability of self-destruction of the place would decrease considerably, because if something needed to be removed, it meant that it was only present in that place.

            Another important detail was the possible presence of ATEEZ on site. Angel and Serpent's faces appearing on your mind quickly, you felt anxious at the thought of meeting them again. The last thing you needed was to find them together with your team, even though you remembered Angel's behavior back at Guardian's Island, you couldn't contain the thoughts of someone discovering your relationship with them.

            “(y/n) we need you up front,” the tension in Changbin’s voice made you freeze for a moment, four floors still had to be overcome for you to reach your goal. Everyone made room for you to find Changbin in one of the curves that gave access to the floor below. He and Chan signaled to each other, a silent conversation about how to proceed, until they nodded beyond the curve of the wall, “how do you want to proceed with the plan?”

            The whisper was almost inaudible at your point of communication and you mentally cursed when you noticed the number of rebels that were between that floor and the one below, you couldn't use up all the darts, not yet. The largest quantity was three floors down, you needed the darts for the library floor. Your eyes went over the weapons in the hands of the rebels, only a few had them, but you could see hidden knives, as well as some pistols.

            You needed to attract some to be able to move forward. Your eyes met Yeji's, calling her and pointing to the same place Changbin had pointed out. You could see the gears of her mind turning as you headed to meet Chaeryeong, rummaging through the bag the girl was carrying. A light bomb and a gas bomb, that would have to be enough to deal with those who weren't attracted to whatever Yeji was planning.

            You, Chaeryeong, Yongbok, Yeji, Minho and Changbin headed to one of the nearby rooms, the blueprint of the space being opened up on one of the tables. Your eyes and ears just watched as your team organized the best method to move forward. Yongbok and Changbin would try to get close enough to contain those who haven’t caught the bait, Minho confirmed the number with the XKRS, such as their presence being mostly on the stairs. The only thing missing was the distraction to reduce the number of people they would have to pass.

            Despite everyone thinking in different ways, you knew it needed to be something considerable to make them leave their posts, something that only Mars and the others would use, something that you knew that if it was seen, it would not be questioned at any time by the rebels in the stairs, but would draw enough attention to make them leave their posts.

            Drones.

            With quick steps, you went searching through the rooms before signaling what the others should look for. Drones were one of Logan's passions, he was also present a few weeks ago, guiding you to where Howl was in one of the buildings to the east. It was a long shot, but you didn't have much to go beyond that, at least it would give you enough time to get through the stairs.

            Jisung quickly found a drone and its controller, handing them to Chaeryeong who handed the drone to Minho while she fiddled with the controller. The drone had a camera, which could help them further. While Minho, Chaeryeong and Yeji worked on how to proceed with the drone, you, Yongbok and Changbin went to a further part.

            “We need to consider that at least one of them has a communicator, be it a cellphone or a walkie-talkie,” your voice was low enough to make them both approach you, “Yongbok is more agile, I need you to arrive as quickly as possible to beyond the stairs and catch anyone who tries to escape, in the meantime,” your eyes turned to Changbin, “I need you to do your best to keep the others unconscious, but use the darts as little as possible, we need them for the library floor.”

            “How can we get close to them? As much as the drone helps, it can only do so much,” your backpack was pulled forward, the gas and light grenade being handed to the two, Changbin carefully taking it in his hands with a smile. “Regular gas?”

            “We don't have a mask, we can't risk it,” your smile was a mirror of his, Yongbok's eyes fell to the corridor they would just pass. “I know we agreed on no deaths until we get to the library, but don’t hesitate.”

            The simple wave was enough for you to hand over one of the daggers that was attached to your vest, small enough to go unnoticed, sharp enough to cause damage.

            “Is there a reason why you shouldn’t be at the front?”

            Even though you expected it, that wasn't the moment you imagined happening.

            “We need to get to the library, there is something we need to find and I believe it is there, but I also need Chan and Jeongin to be more present in the events, in the decision-making, not just them but the entire team.”

            “Do you think what happened to Yang will have repercussions?”

            Until that moment, that hypothesis had not even crossed your mind. Despite all the evidence you and your team gathered, you, Jeongin and Chan knew how influential Yang could be, despite being weak compared to others, the few allies he had were strong enough to pull the council to disapprove of your actions and attitudes, however justified they may be.

            Your silence was enough of an answer for the two who nodded, making you grateful for that without having to invent a half-truth to justify the choices that were being made that day. When Chaeryeong's voice appeared at everyone's communication point, you sighed in relief, the sooner you finished that mission, the sooner things could be resolved.

            As expected, you stayed behind, Chan taking Jeongin's place since his tranquilizer darts had run out. You could see the smoke, hear the grunts and quick footsteps against the wood, you also heard a body hit the ground hard and you just prayed that Yongbok was okay.

            As soon as your team passed the stairs, you found Yongbok, Jeongin and Hyunjin holding the rebel, your third in command holding the walkie-talkie while Yongbok pinned the rebel in front of him who, even with a gun to his head, seemed to just stop fidgeting as Jeongin handed the walkie-talkie to you. Your fingers quickly moved to find any frequency that was being used.

            “Helicopter spotted three minutes ago, everyone stay away from the windows.”

            Despite trying to appear calm, the tension in your body upon hearing the unknown voice seemed to increase as you knew that five helicopters would pass by the place as you had planned, which could also indicate that they knew that you had entered the school.

            “Movement spotted in building 3, request for inspection team.”

            “Await further information while we verify the order.”

            A sigh seemed to come out of everyone around you, knowing that they possibly hadn't been found yet, but an even bigger sigh seemed to come out of you considering you hadn't identified anyone's voice in any of the sentences said. Maybe the ATEEZ boys wouldn't be in school, maybe not even your boys are.

            With a simple wave, Yongbok made the rebel unconscious, letting his body fall delicately to the ground, the walkie-talkie going to your vest as you indicated them to follow, Changbin still leading everyone, you following only when you heard his voice in your point of communication. Your feet were quick to the second room you knew the drawing was in.

            For a moment, your feet took root, observing the place in front of you. Blocks of soundproofing material, instruments scattered around the place, an old but apparently comfortable sofa, vinyl records and radios with CDs were arranged on the walls, but only when your eyes came across a blue bird graffiti in one of the spots that the soundproofing material was non-existent, that your feet began to walk into the room.

            Fingers gently touching the keyboard, the guitar neck, the drums, the electric guitar, even vinyl records. That damn room just reminded you of Lucky's room in their dimension. Finally, your fingers found the blue paint on the wall, your fingertips passing over the entire line of the drawing before turning them towards you, why were you sad that the paint didn't stain your fingers? With a simple shake of your head, you turned your back to the drawing, only to find a sheet of music open on one of the farthest keyboards, the bird drawing was also present.

            The score was not complete, but the lyrics that accompanied it were, along with the respective letters of the respective guitar notes for the song to be sung and played. Star 1117. The small drawing of the bird being seen next to the title, the lyrics a mix of Lucky and Iyaah. Your eyes burning with each word read of what was written. If they weren't there at that moment, they had been at the school for the last few weeks, they had been in that specific room, creating another song that you would never hear.

            “We need to move forward, there is no one on the stairs.”

            Quickly, the letter had the same ending as the paper you had found in the first room. Quick steps against the wood made you find most of the team gathering at the beginning of the stairs, Yongbok and Chan being the last to join before everyone nodded, following the drone that Chaeryeong was using, Minho's eyes focusing on the screen of the tablet, eyes focused on the movements of his hands.

            Just one more floor and you would be at the library, the last mandatory stop until you could head to the parking lot. Your body was shaking, not only from the stress of the situation, but also from what you could find in the other two places considering what you had found in the other two rooms.

            Fortunately, the next floor was relatively empty, but still, you had to use three darts when you noticed movement occurring near one of the rooms, while the walkie-talkie screeched with interference, but nothing had been said, and was quickly ignored, making your team breathe for a moment before getting together to evaluate the best route to take to get to the library and having few deaths considering that half had already used all the tranquilizer darts.

            “Request for inspection of building 3, are you listening?”

            Everyone stopped breathing for a moment, completely forgetting that one of the unconscious people could have been the one who made the request. Chan quickly making everyone move as silence formed. Chaeryeong quickly connected with the drone, everyone's eyes on the tablet that showed the images of the staircase that connected to the library floor, the murmurs could be heard, confirming the number of people.

            “We believe that five people will be more than enough for the inspection.”

            The drone stopped at the same moment the voice was heard, causing Chaeryeong to bring the device back to them. Your ears were focused on the walkie-talkie as you pointed to Minho's tablet, which he quickly handed over to your side, Chan and Yeji moving away to go over the rest of the plan.

You needed to find out which building was categorized as three.

            “Checking candidates, please wait for the next information.”

            “Movement was also spotted in building eight.”

            “Leaders have already been contacted, please wait. Let’s check the cameras in the meantime.”

            With a simple exchange of glances, Minho walked away, contacting Sunmin through the communication point while you went towards Chan and Yeji, making all eyes fall on you.

            “We need to go now,” that wasn't a request, much less a suggestion, it was an order and everyone nodded. “I'll go ahead with Ryujin, based on the number of people we managed to find out, it'll be every man for himself, we'll meet at the designated building, be careful.”

            Despite saying this looking at Chan and Yeji, you had connected your communication point, not only with your team, but also with Maddox. The interference and keyboard noise on your left spot being the only indication that he had heard you. When you get to the parking lot you wouldn't have much time to open the sealed door, you knew that Maddox's distance wouldn't help either, but there wasn't much you could do, not without being discovered by both the rebels and your team.

            “Have the XKRS been warned yet?”

            A simple nod was enough for Jisung as a respond as he placed himself right behind you, as he was one of those who had darts still available. Seungmin quickly found himself next to him, determined eyes with an amused smile on his lips made you smile in response.

            "Everyone ready?" You knew your entire team and Maddox were listening, you needed to tell him what was going to happen so he would be ready when you reached the parking lot. “The library is large enough for us to have visibility of the targets, but it also has several corridors that lead to separate rooms. Be careful. We will meet at the designated building, keep each other informed of your positions and when you leave the school.”

            “Good luck.”

            Was all Maddox said before you disconnected the communication point with him, being able to hear the others on the team confirming. Even though Ryujin was your shadow, your feet were the first to find the stairs that would take you all to the library. Your boots firmly on the concrete, you can hear the sound of the rest of your team's feet following behind you. Your breathing was controlled, even though you could hear the blood pulsing in your ear.

            With each step you took towards the door that led to the stairs, the more you could hear the movement of people, noticing that they were reconstructing the place, the information. With a simple signal, you noticed everyone on your team stopping, a few more steps were taken by you, helping with the visibility of the location.

            You would never be able to enter that place without being seen. As soon as you entered you would be spot on, it was necessary to change the strategy, only starting everything after you were already among everyone and, unlike the upper floors, most had weapons, which in itself was a sign that things would not be well received. You needed another plan.

            Your fingers quickly removed your goggles, ignoring your team's protests, shutting them up with a simple look. With a simple nod, Jeongin, Yeji and Chan were by your side going through the same process as you and quickly understanding your point, imitating some of your movements, Chan and Jeongin going further and also pulling the sleeves of their clothes to their elbows, Yeji untied her hair, pulling the mask down, but stopping you before your movements could happen. Her voice was low enough that only the four of you could discern what was being said.

            “They don't know who we are, but you're the face of the team, if they know you're here...”

            With a nod you agreed with Yeji's concern, indicating with your head for everyone to also do what they were doing, the only change you had made was removing your glasses. As the three went towards the others helping with small adjustments, your eyes once again faced the visible space of the library, some rebels also had masks, making it not at all strange if you entered the place.

            “Let's go in separately, I'll go first, but we can't communicate,” everyone nodded, even though they didn't completely agree with the idea of leaving you alone in a space where they knew you were a person of interest to the leaders of the movement, “we need position ourselves in various locations so that we can pass through this space and escape unharmed, but if we are discovered, we need to know somehow.”

            “This is the last point of important information that can be collected, after that it is mostly resting places for the rebels, including surveillance through the documents that Eden gave us.”

            “With that,” Jeongin continued Yeji’s speech, “take what you can get, any possible piece of information could be important.”

            “And try not to get caught until the last possible minute,” everyone nodded at Chan's speech, who turned his gaze to you, softening considerably as his hands cupped your face, your foreheads touching for a minute making you both close your eyes. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

            “You know I can’t promise anything.”

            “At least promise you’ll come back in one piece.”

            A weak nod and Chan released your face, making your eyes meet everyone else's before your feet guided you past the staircase door, a long sigh leaving your mouth, ending only when you found yourself surrounded by people and light. The eyes finding the main source of natural light. Even though the sun was partially covered by the accumulation of clouds that enveloped the place, the rays still struggled to pass through them.

            Perhaps symbolism about the Black Pirates and Strickland's government.

            A small smile appeared beneath the mask, a few people walked past you, some waving their hands or heads, others walking past looking at documents, carrying boxes, or simply talking about something you couldn't discern. It was almost comical how easily you and your team had infiltrated the Black Pirates cell, maybe you could even brag about it to some of the boys if you found them.

            Your eyes quickly found a shelf full of books, not just one, but at least three, with two ladders that allowed you to reach the top if necessary. Your heart sank knowing that this would be one of your brother's favorite thing about that entire mission. You could even see him carefully picking up some of those books, not at all surprised when your feet guided you to the base of the bookshelf. Titles written on the spines of books that you knew were banned at Strickland, that you yourself had read or heard about thanks to the boys.

            Before your fingers could touch any of the books, you could see a chair next to the window, sheet music open in front of the chair and a violin resting on top of it all. The image of Logan playing the violin came back in full force, of how you had helped him when he had a performance all those years ago, how nervous he was, the fear of making mistakes, the way he had asked you to be present at the performance, because if you were there he would be able to do everything without missing a single chord.

            “If you had gotten here sooner, you would have seen him play,” an unknown voice brought you to reality, turning your face and finding a girl smiling openly at you, she was pretty, delicate, the kind of girl you introduce to the family, she shouldn't be in that place. “Logan doesn’t play much, but whenever we’re here, for some reason, he plays the violin for us.”

            Logan was here, not just ATEEZ.

            With that piece of information you smiled, knowing that the girl in front of you noticed despite the mask.

            “Is he still here?” You tried to sound casual, hoping the girl wouldn't notice how hard your heart was beating against your chest. “I need to talk to him about a document we received a request about and -”

            "ATTENTION!" Everyone's gaze fell on the base of a staircase that you beat yourself up for not noticing before. An officer stood still, fingers on the trigger of the gun he held against his body. “Movements were detected in buildings three and eight, through the cameras we were able to identify some people who should not have been there. The leaders decided to promote two inspections, members will be contacted by radio -”

            Everything seemed to get muffled when you found Logan coming down the stairs, in an avid conversation with another officer. He was playing the violin, he looked fine, so the one who was hurt wasn't him. The sigh you let out was quickly suppressed by yourself, especially when it didn't go unnoticed by the girl next to you.

            “He’s beautiful, isn’t he?” Her eyes met yours and a simple nod was enough for the girl to sigh and her eyes fell on Logan again. “How can a man as handsome as this be real?”

            You allowed yourself to laugh, being imitated by the girl next to you. You understood her point. Despite everything that happened and your history with Logan, there was no denying that he was handsome, his ethereal beauty always leaving you slightly airy, but what made you stop laughing was the memory of Angel during those two weeks. If she found Logan handsome, Angel managed to be even more intriguing in his beauty and way of carrying himself.

            “Lim Nayong?” The shock that ran down your spine made your eyes widen quickly, but no movement was made. His voice could be recognized anywhere, your eyes finding his feet not far from you. “You are Lim Nayong, correct?”

            “Y-yes, sir.”

            The girl next to you, Nayong, responded quickly, but you could notice her body's reaction to Logan being so close. He was one of the few who could recognize you, you needed to get out of there.

            “And who is your friend?” Mother fucker, you cursed him in your mind, before your eyes lifted and met Logan's – no, that wasn't Logan. Your mind thanked Yeji for stopping you from removing the mask, not only because you would be easily recognized, but for the hiss of curses you let out when you noticed Angel's eyes pass over your entire body before returning to your eyes, the well-known smile present along with the shrewd, stormy eyes. “Sorry, but can I pick up Nayong? We need her for a mission, if you don’t mind.”

            Your negative shake of the head made Angel smile widely before his eyes fell on Nayong and indicated for her to follow some of the officers who were nearby. Angel's eyes still observed every detail of your face, but you didn't look away, only to find the birthmark covered again with makeup, your fingers itching to tear off that foundation and leave the pink skin exposed for anyone who wanted to see.

            He took another step forward, you could feel several eyes on the two of you, including that of your team, wherever they were. Angel's scent intoxicated your lungs and all you wanted most was to be able to push him away, as far away from you as possible. A smirk appeared along with a small guttural 'hm' that made you feel heat throughout your body. Logan wouldn't say you were there, but Angel? Angel was an unknown puzzle in every possible way, you didn't know what to expect from him.

            As quickly as he approached, the warmth of his presence receded. You noticed his eyes darting quickly towards the stairs he had recently descended, but subtle enough to appear as if he was just looking for one of the officers, who quickly appeared at his side, interestingly enough, the same officer who had descended the stairs along with him before that scene.

            Your eyes followed Angel as people went back to their tasks, but you managed to find the eyes of some of your team members fixed on Angel's silhouette. Whether he noticed was never clear. With a quick glance in Chan's direction, you can see Changbin clenching his fists.

            “Chan, 60 degrees to your left,” casually Chan turned around finding Chagbin with his eyes fixed on Angel, being quickly blocked by Chan receiving a simple eye roll before you saw the two bickering before they both headed to the opposite side of where Angel was following. “I need to get into the room he was in, if anything, find a way to let me know.”

            A small thank you for no one being near you was said before you walked to the side of the windows. The street space was equally empty, your eyes falling on the buildings you knew the XKRS boys would be in, wishing they weren't the respective buildings three and eight.

            “I thought he was going to select you too,” another strange voice appeared next to you, this time it was a man, his eyes fell on you and a small smile was present on his lips. “Although we don’t know what was going on most of the time in their minds, I believe we all thought you would be called.”

            "And you are?"

            “Yuri,” he said quickly, “Park Yuri, I don’t think we’ve ever met before.”

            His outstretched hand was cautiously embraced by yours, but you didn't give him your name.

            “I was just transferred to this area, it would be unlikely that he would call me,” was the only thing you offered, your eyes falling back on the buildings. “What are buildings three and eight? The only information they gave me was about the school.”

            With quick fingers, Yuri pointed out two buildings, none of them the ones you had agreed with the XKRS, which made you hold back a sigh of relief. A small smile of gratitude formed on your face and you hoped it could be seen in your eyes as well. Not only was it important that your team to be safe after completing the mission, the safety and well-being of the XKRS could be considered even more important, not just for you but for the other members of your team.

            “So, what is your current job? If you want, you can -”

            “I need to check some documents in Logan's office, one of the leaders requested it, so…” Yuri quickly nodded, moving away from you and indicating the stairs that Logan had just come down, confirming your suspicions. With light and quick steps, you climbed the stairs, the fact that you didn't know exactly when Angel would be back made your heart feel in your throat. “Please let it be empty, please let it be empty.”

            As soon as your body turned at the top of the stairs, a drawing met you.

            The damn bluebird drawing.

            Your hand wrapped around the doorknob, ignoring the bird drawing on the door, breathing a sigh of relief when you noticed the empty room. The click of the door behind you made you pull your mask down, finally able to breathe fresh air as your eyes roamed the entire space of the room. Papers and more papers covered the table, a blank board with a drawing of the space they were in, the school and the buildings around it, arrows and notes.

            Your eyes turned to the table, the bold letters and censored parts seemed to scream for your attention. One of the folders that was on top of the others was related to the invasion that you and your team had carried out weeks ago. Again, your eyes found the whiteboard, some dots marked the locations where you, your team and the XKRS stayed during the uprising created by the Black Pirates.

            A date was written in the top corner, making you approach the board, each step making your mind work faster. The date was today. The words ‘moving day’ written on the front. They would reactivate that cell, even though they knew it had already been exposed. However, as Angel had seen, your superiors weren't the smartest, considering the work Eden had to go through to simply get them to think about authorizing this second inspection. Perhaps reusing an already known space would be more advantageous than abandoning it completely.

            “Hello, princess.”

            The click of the door along with the breathing on your neck made you highly alert. Your right arm quickly moved so that your elbow hit the torso of the person, who was faster than you, grabbing your arm and pulling it close to his firm and slim body before pressing you against the wall, allowing you to feel every part of his body against yours, his hand holding your hip after joining your two wrists above your head, his feet spacing yours, allowing him to stand exactly in front of you, just like he had done in the warehouse.

            “So you’re here too,” Serpent’s smirk made you laugh derisively. “Did he say I was here?”

            “Our mutual friend?”

            “Are you now impersonating them?” The question came out almost painfully, as it was an admission that you could differentiate between them, better than even the followers themselves. Serpent's smile confirmed to you that he also captured it that way. “He pretends to be Logan, you pretend to be Mars and how long will this continue?”

            “Now princess, I told you that back in the warehouse,” the pressure of Serpent’s fingers wrapping around your wrist as you tried to free yourself from him made you let out an angry growl before throwing your head back, eyes finding your wrists above your head, giving Serpent the chance to bring his face closer to your neck, “we will do whatever it takes to see your government fall,” your face lowered, the distance between you two mere centimeters making you swallow hard, “the fact that just you being able to differentiate us is just an advantage for us.”

            “How far do you think your followers are willing to go?”

            “How far do you believe your team can go to protect and defend you?”

            Silence fell in the room, the answers were clear in each of your eyes. As soon as you felt Serpent's hand leave your hip, you dared to move it, being met with his right hand firmly on your waist, making you move away reflexively, the cut, despite being healed, was still hypersensitive to pressure, the shadow of genuine concern flashed through Serpent's eyes, turning them almost into the boba you and some of the other team members loved to buy it.

            Before you could say anything, Serpent's hands went down on your hips, his fingers digging into the material of the clothing, even though the clothing prevented marks from being made, you knew the likelihood of seeing the red marks from his fingers when you took it off the clothes.

            “Let go of me,” you said seriously, ignoring how your body burned under Serpent’s presence. “As much as I believe you’re loving the current situation, I imagine some people wouldn’t be so happy with it.”

            “Is this about your team, Mars and the others, or yourself?”

            Your head went forward at the same moment, but Serpent was quicker to dodge, but gave you enough space to free yourself from the wall, throwing your body forward, making him lose balance. Allowing you to grab your gun and point it at Serpent who looked up, you could see the fright and slight fear in his eyes, something you hadn't seen in Mars or the others.

            “I think you’re projecting, right?”

            “There are other ways to hear someone praise you other than pointing a gun at them, don’t you think, princess,” just like when Yang had used the nickname days ago, hearing Serpent call you that way made your body burn, but for a reason completely different from Yang's. “Time is passing, moving day is upon us.”

            Your eyes fell back to the whiteboard.

            The photos and documents scattered around, like the documents you had looked for in all the rooms being the same, the boxes that were carried, like most of them didn't use weapons. They weren't moving into the school, that was just a distraction, that's why you had managed to get in so easily. Serpent pushed your weapon away pushing your body against the wall, his body on your back, one hand being held behind your back while the other was between you and the wall.

            “Where are Mars and Logan?”

            “A little surprise information for you, princess,” Serpent's free hand brushed your hair off your shoulder, making it easier for his eyes to meet yours, his predatory eyes finding every detail of your face before you felt his breath on your ear, “it's we who are in charge now, get used to seeing us more often.”

            When the heat of Serpent's body moved away from you, it was a mixture of relief and irritation, more specifically because of how aware your body and mind were of how perfectly his body fit into yours. He's not Mars, that's what you repeated whenever something like this happened. Those weren't your boys, you didn't know who those men were, regardless of how physically similar they might be, they weren't the same people and your head should start to get used to that idea.

            “What is moving day?”

            “Exactly what it appears to be,” his eyes turned predatory again, making you notice when his hands found the door handle, opening it with his eyes still fixed on you. “Use your head, princess, the answers are all here, you just need to see them.”

            The click of the door behind him made you release a breath you didn't know you were holding.

            He had left you alone in that room, meaning that maybe there was nothing important or relevant, or the complete opposite and you were being blind. Your eyes returned to the whiteboard, to the notes made, the arrows being pulled from each point, until you found an 'x' in the part close to the sports court that was behind the school, where the parking lot was.

            With a quick movement, you pulled the mask to cover your own face, quick steps followed you all the way to the end of the stairs, your eyes met Jisung and Seungmin's before you continued down the stairs, you needed to get to the parking lot as soon as possible. Whatever 'moving day' meant, it involved the damn sealed room in the parking lot.

            Deftly you reached the weapon, checking not only the number of darts you still had, but also the cartridges in your pockets and the hidden knives. The reason for Serpent to inform you about the 'moving day' was still unknown in your mind, but also, everything involving the ATEEZ boys was unknown, probably why you couldn't get them out of your mind. Not being able to see their movements was something that bothered you, especially when they were so physically similar to your boys.

            With quick steps you made your way up the stairs, five darts being thrown in the process. Unlike other times, you hid the bodies. Any chance to avoid being discovered and delay the start of whatever ‘moving day’ meant, you would use. Panting by the fast and constant movements, you finally arrived at the top floor that connected to the parking lot. Only two more darts were available and you were grateful when you noticed only two members guarding the door.

            Your eyes fell to the stairs above, wishing that both Angel and Serpent would remain silent, focusing again on the two rebels in front of the parking lot door, noticing the shift in weight between the feet of the one closest to the stairs. A dart was thrown at the exact moment his weight was thrown onto his left leg, causing him to fall on top of the other rebel, a smile took over your lips before the last tranquilizer came out of your weapon, making the last of the rebels fall hard on the floor.

            Almost immediately, gunshots and screams could be heard from the floors above, making you curse and quicken your step towards the parking lot. You didn't know what the moving day involved, but judging by the talking you could hear at your communication point, your team was already trying to control the situation. The gun cartridge being quickly engaged while you checked the situation, everyone's screams could be heard along with the gunshots, but so far, nothing problematic enough to make you turn your back and head to where everyone was.

            With a sigh, you jerked the door open, holding it with your leg as you scanned the room. A single bed was placed in the middle of the deserted parking lot. The friction between your boots and the concrete was the only noise you could hear, the sealed door could be seen from the other side of the parking lot, for the same reason that made you curse every other time: the damn blue bird.

            “Took you long enough,” your gun had been taken away from you before you could even react properly, noticing Wooyeon in front of you throwing the gun away, “I was imagining I would never meet you, princess.”

            “You’re not Wooyeon,” your speech was harsh, observing the sly man in front of you, his eyes were curious, his movements were fluid, they were both predatory and playful, “but it seems like you all agreed on a damn nickname for me, does it not?"

            “Oh, but the news that has been passed on to me is that you don’t mind us calling you princess, princess.”

            And honestly, you didn't really care, maybe that was what made you most uneasy with Angel, Serpent and now Wooyeon's copy. His movements were agile, but cautious, his smart eyes seemed to analyze every little detail you allowed yourself to release, but his smirk was always present, if not an open smile with a touch of mischief. He looked like a fox, patient but agile, cute but sly.

            “And what should I call you then?”

            “Amuse me, princess,” he laughed at your scoff, making you fight a smile that threatened to emerge, but he managed to catch the twitch at the corners of your mouth. “Oh, don’t be shy, we are all friends here, are we not?” 

            Your eyes fell again on the drawing of the blue bird on the other side of the parking lot, but the raise of eyebrows followed by Fox's smile made you focus on him again. A small lift of the corner of your mouth was allowed by you, receiving another as his tongue appeared between his teeth.

            “What’s the big point in you being here then?”

            “Aren’t you going to share with me the name you’re going to use for me?” Your tongue could bleed as you bit it strongly so as not to react in any way to the pout that Fox was throwing at you. “Okay, you have time to choose, but how about telling me about the others?”

            Angel. Serpent. Fox.

            Each one invading your mind with the simple existence and momentary exchange of words. Fox was definitely the most different from the others, from ATEEZ, the most similar to what you know Wooyeon – and consequently, your other boys – is like, but with the je ne sais quoi that all ATEEZ members – so far – possessed. His steps were determined, but slightly playful, despite your eyes trying to focus on him, the way his body moved was like a dance, a dangerous dance and you were the prey.

            And you hated that feeling whenever you were with one of the ATEEZ.

            Fox surrounded you, you could feel his presence and perfume completely intoxicate you, making you close your eyes and a smirk appearing on your mouth as you listened to Fox suggest names for him and the others, with each step and word, you felt him get even closer to you.

            “I have a question,” your eyes remained closed, but you could identify that he was somewhere behind you allowing you to open your eyes and find the drawing of your brother in blue in the distance, “what does that damn bluebird mean?”

            “And why would I tell you that?”

            Despite being prepared for whatever Fox would do, you felt your entire body burn and the hair stand on end, as well as an discomfort in the abdomen area that you refused to consider for a long time. He was much closer than you expected, his breath lightly brushing your ear, his hands close but never close enough to touch you.

            “Are you saying that because you don’t know?”

            Your face turned as your speech was completed, allowing you to notice how close Fox really was. Fuck!, how they were similar to the others, you cursed as your eyes lingered on his face. The mole just below his eye being the first thing you noticed before your eyes fell on Fox's lips, meeting the mole you had only heard others talk about over the years, the damn mole on his lower lip.

            “See something you like, princess?”

            Your eyes quickly noticed the light smile on Fox's lips before going up and finding his on yours before going down to your mask, his hand removing it causing his eyes to fall on your lips, making you wet them with your tongue, smiling when you notice his gaze completely on your lips.

            “My eyes are up here, do you know?”

            “Oh, I know, but I needed to admire the lips I heard so much about,” an electric current passed through your body, burning completely when you felt Fox's hand on your lower back, his face mere millimeters from yours. “I have to say, you really are something else, princess.”

            “The drawing,” despite the fear of your voice breaking, you managed to say without moving a muscle away from Fox, a fact noticed by him who returned with a smile on his lips, “tell me about the drawing.”

            “I'm afraid you'll have to ask one of the others,” your eyes closed once more to try to ignore the lack of Fox's warmth and presence than actually the idea that you would have to talk to Mars and the others to get the answer, “the only thing we know is that it represents something, or someone," your eyes quickly fell on Fox who, even from afar, you could see the smile growing on his mouth for having captured your attention, "ah!, it looks like you know what the drawing means."

            “If I knew, I wouldn’t be asking, right?” Fox nodded and giggled as he headed for the door that had your brother's drawing on it, the mischievous look returning to his eyes with every step you took getting closer to where he was. “Can you tell me the next one of you I’ll have the pleasure to meet?”

            His laugh was genuine when you emphasized the 'pleasure' word, making you hide a smile, thanking him for ignoring your failed attempt to contain the smile that formed on your face.

            “And what would be the fun in that, princess?” With that, the door was opened, genuine surprise showing on your face, making Fox smile and approach you, his left hand lightly pressing your lower back indicating that you entered the completely dark room, not a light or indicator of one in sight, his breath in your ear. “That’s why you came, isn’t it?”

            “Why are you doing this?”

            “Call it a peace offering of such.”

            “Why are you doing this?”

            “Time is running out, princess, moving day is upon us.”

            Your eyes met his one last time, predatory, analytical. 

            His hand on your waist, burning the area even though it was covered by your clothes.

            “What does ‘moving day’ mean?”

            “Exactly what it sounds like, except we are rebel revolutionaries just as your government categorizes us,” his lips lightly touched your ear, an electric current ran through your entire body, “we need to move in style, don’t we?”

            “You gonna burn down the building or something?”

         The smirk returned to Fox's face, the only response you would have. When your movements went to the parking lot door, Fox trapped you between his arm and the dark room door, his face serious, his eyes determined.

            “Your team will be safe if they don’t do anything stupid,” a step forward, but you didn’t dare move, your eyes tracking to the weapon that was relatively close at that moment, mind going to the hidden places in your clothing, “That includes you, not doing something stupid, princess.”

            With a quick movement, Fox managed to trip you before one of his hands found your waist, pushing you into the room and the door closed shortly afterwards. Curses leaving your mouth freely as you punched and kicked the door, only stopping when you heard a noise on the other side.

            “Why the fuck are you doing this? Get me the fuck out!”

            “Don't worry, princess, I'm sure you can get yourself out,” the playful tone in Fox's voice made your blood run cold, “you and your team have thirty minutes, check the desk, there's a present there for you.”

            As silence reigned both inside the room and outside, you tried to calm your breathing, the dark room quickly lighting up with blue emergency lights. Cautiously, you turned your body, believing you weren't alone in the space, but there was no one but you, there was nothing but photos of you, the team Eden had created with you and the others, photos from the warehouse day of you talking with Jungkook and Moonbin, photos of you entering the warehouse late at night.

            Your eyes continued to roam the space, photos of you in the refugee camp, even of the cut you had received there were photos, however, they were not from the middle of the revolt, no, you were in the hospital bed on Guardian's Island, Hyunjin, Minho , Changbin, Chan and Jeongin by your side. The photos were from Angel's first day on the island. Did they have someone inside the complex? Your mind went on and on as you looked at each of the photos meticulously placed on the walls and in lines throughout the room, before landing on some of the papers.

            Not only were the profiles of each person in the photos, but also of other people, even the XKRS were present in photos and documents. Your feet dug into the floor as you turned to the table, finding not only a huge drawing of the bird with a branch made by your brother, but a circular metal object exactly in the middle of the drawing. You would recognize those two things anywhere.

            Your fingers went to find the bracelet, fingers finding the cold metal before wrapping it around and bringing it close to your face, the words still present, screaming at you: 'be free ♡'. Your fingers follow the outline of the words and the heart. Your own heart clenching momentarily with the memory of the last time that bracelet had been seen by you, the last person who wore it. Your eyes resting one last time on the space around you, on each of the photos, on each of the people you know, the way and place they were taken.

            The Black Pirates were much better than you, they were way ahead of all of you.

            Your superiors had no chance, if the strategy didn't change, they would never be caught, that damn room confirmed your suspicions. That's why they came back, that's why they were organizing to leave. No one in the government could know how much they knew, but they insisted on showing you more and more, they didn't care if you knew about their plans or not.

            “(y/n)?” Ignoring the shock of hearing Maddox's voice in your ear, you composed yourself, automatically placing the bracelet on your wrist, hiding it with your sleeve. “You there? What the fuck is happening at the school?” 

            “I’m here, what do you mean?”

            “The helicopters that just came back said they saw spots of light and the sounds of gunfire, but no one is responding,” It was only then that you noticed how quiet your communication point with your team was. "How are you?"

            “I have no communication with them,” the words came out quickly along with the realization that the Black Pirates had managed to interfere with your communication points again, you were alone. “Can you hear me well?”

            “It’s not quite ideal, but I can, yes. Where are you? Did you manage to get to the parking lot?”

            The sigh that left your mouth made Maddox ask again how you were, your footsteps against the floor was all he could hear until you arrived at the door again. It was locked, sealed again, how did Fox expect you to come out?

            “I managed to get into the dark room, but I'm trapped inside. Do you think you can help me get out?”

            “What’s in the dark room?”

            “I guess I’d better tell you after I get out of here,” a sarcastic sigh left your lips, “unless you’re not as badass as you say you are.”

            “Give me a minute child and answer all the questions I have for you.”

            A simple smile formed on your face as you could hear Maddox's fingers on the keyboard, worry growing by the second, your team was somewhere in that school, Fox had said you only had thirty minutes, now they should have cut it down to twenty.

            “If you can do everything in less than twenty minutes that would be ideal,” his fingers stopped and you sighed. “They are going to destroy the school, I need to get out of here before that happens.”

            “Tell me what you see.”

            A smile appeared on your face, Maddox was cunning enough to try to circumvent your words and get what he was looking for, but you were the offspring of Strickland, of powerful people in the government, you knew the game of words well, what people wanted, except when the subject was Angel, Serpent and Fox. Shaking your head, your eyes focused on the door and what could be seen around it, your fingers passing along the wall, pushing documents nailed to them, photos falling to the floor, you knew that none of that mattered, you wouldn't be able to leave there with everything or anything at all, maybe you wouldn't even be able to leave that room.

            “Maddox, everything that could exist here, I gave you, can you or can’t you get me out of this fucking room?”

            “Do you still have that object I gave you?”

            Your feet took root in the ground, your hands finding the computer mouse-like object you were meticulously keeping in one of your pockets. Maddox's words came back to you as you questioned him about what that was.

            “I thought you said it would do more harm than good if I used it.”

            “This might also be the only way you can get through that door before the school blows up in three minutes.”

            “How can you be sure?”

            Despite it being a simple question, they both knew that it had three hidden questions.

            How can you be sure it will work?

            How can you be sure I won't die in the process?

            How can you be sure that the device will activate properly?

            Because this was another detail of the object, if it was activated incorrectly, it could explode not only the person but anyone within a kilometer radius.

            “I have trust in both our abilities, do you?”

            “What do I have to do?”

            You knew you didn't have enough time to question or play any kind of joke. Meticulously, your fingers followed Maddox's instructions, the reaction was almost mechanical as your mind wondered about his life story and how your brother found him. What you had in your hands was a small bomb, a bomb with an extremely high mortality rate for its size.

            “Now place it right in between the door and the frame, it has to be precisely in the middle,” you nodded, even though you knew he wouldn't see, barely daring to say or breathe, “now click on the bottom left so the bomb attaches itself to the surface,” at the same instant, a countdown began, Maddox’s voice was fast, you could feel the worry in his voice, “now hide!”

            Skillfully, you turned the aluminum table that was in the center of the place, the papers falling to the floor, the only thing present on it being your brother's drawing mere millimeters from your face, almost like a bad joke. A noise was heard and you felt the whole room shake, dust and debris falling on your head. It hadn't worked, Maddox's bomb hadn't worked.

            Before you could get up, the entire space in the room was filled with heat and noise forcing you to bend down covering your ears, the table ricocheted and hit you with full force causing you to fall to the floor before another noise began to be heard. Rain and gunshots. Your eyes opened slowly, the photos and papers burned around you, the table was hot against your boots. Maddox's bomb had exploded

            With wobbly legs you stood up, the door to the dark room was wide open, a hole where the handle was. Despite the table being hot, you pushed it away with the sole of your boot, looking one last time at the place, at the information that Fox had let you have, for whatever reason.

            Your eyes fell one last time on the drawing of the blue bird.

            ATEEZ didn't know the reason for using the drawing, Eden said that it had already been seen in other active cells of the Black Pirates, maybe that was the boys' way of saying that they never forgot you? As Howl and Mars had said the times you met them? But there was something different about the drawings you had seen that day with the others from Eden's archives, but one thing was certain, the drawing was a message to you, even if you couldn't read it yet.

            With one last breath you ran out of the room, eyes looking for the gun thrown in the same place as before, cursing when you didn't find it, Fox nowhere to be seen. It was then that you noticed the bed, not far in front, your gun rested there, with a paper on top, the handwriting was Fox's, considering it was identical to Wooyeon's.

            ‘Looking forward to seeing you again, princess, hopefully sooner rather than later.’

            The eye rolling was interrupted by the noise of the parking door being forced open, making you find a chain passed through the handles, Fox had done that?, but what was the point? In a quick movement, you put away Fox's note, grabbing your gun just as the door opened enough for an arm and a leg to get through, then a face met you just as a noise was heard from outside, lighting up the parking lot a little – an explosion – allowing you to see another door, responsible for the entry and exit of cars, which you believed would be blocked.

            “You really are the most intriguing of all, Fox.” Another noise that made the entire structure shake, followed by a scream from one of the rebels trying to open the door made you curse softly and try to communicate with your team by pressing the communication point. “If someone can hear me, I’m in the parking lot, going towards the court, I repeat going towards the court!”

            With quick steps, you finally left the parking lot, the sports court was still burning with the fire from the explosion, but that wasn't what made you stop with your feet planted on the ground. No, a small explosion wouldn't be enough to make your heart stop beating for a second, it wouldn't be able to make your knees weaken, much less it would bring about the tightness in your chest that you were feeling at that moment.

            Your fingers wrapped around the gun that was lying next to you, making no move to use it. Even though he was physically Shinwoo, something in the way he carried himself and the look he gave you said he was one of ATEEZ, Shinwoo's copy from another dimension. The eyes were hard, analyzing you as if you had three heads. The fire surrounded him, your eyes quickly falling on the burning basketball not far from the stranger.

            When your feet finally started to move, a car approached you. The back door opening, revealing Yongbok waiting for you with worried eyes, Hyunjin in the passenger seat and Minho driving the car. Your eyes followed one last time to the figure in the flames, but he was already turning his back on you and heading through the flames, one last noise being heard from the school and the metal door being opened revealing some of the rebels, weapons drawn in your direction.

            Shots rang out and you knew they were coming from the car, causing the rebels to quickly take cover as your feet hit the ground, the rainwater spraying both around you and onto your pants. The exchange of shots began and you felt the bullet in your right arm before it hit the car, another one grazing your thigh, burying itself in the leather of the car.

            With a jump you finally got in, but with the jolt of the acceleration, your hip hit the metal part, just like the car door slamming against your leg before Yongbok pulled you inside, Hyunjin pushing the door next to you from outside so that you wouldn't be hit by a bullet again.

            "Where are the others?" The words were finally able to come out of your mouth, even if between grunts considering the pain that reverberated through your body with each movement that Yongbok made to wrap the wound on your arm trying to stop the blood pouring from the bullet wound. Blood also stained the leather of the back seat and you cursed the shooter and Hyunjin when he pressed the graze wound – which apparently wasn't that graze after all – with a piece of fabric. When the silence continued, your voice gained an authoritative tone, knowing something was wrong. "What happened?"

            “They caught the XKRS members.”

03: fox.

heart string of gold || OT8! ateez || lore au

They had abandoned you, all nine people you cared about most had completely abandoned you. In the end, you were just like your parents and superiors said you would be if you continued to allow feelings to be felt. You then became Strickland's weapon and the Black Pirates, like their leaders, were your ultimate target.

⇦ || hsog || taglist || masterlist || ⇨

taglist: open || @cksanpurpleluv || @lavishloving || @roomsofangel || @ismelllikechlorine247 || @saintriots || @fanoflife || @unlikelysublimekryptonite || @woosmaid || @onedumbho3 || @sousydive || @classic-anna || @the-anarchist-public || @sannwa || @itstheghostofmypast || @bunnliix || @heihaneul || @byeolbeloved ||

↪ if your name is crossed, is bc i couldn't tag you for some reason.

let me know if you want to be added to the taglist ❣

#cromernet #pirateeznet #atzhouse #newworldnet #hsog.fic #ateez fanfic #ateez fic #atiny #ateez #ateez angst #ateez hongjoong #ateez san #ateez seonghwa #ateez mingi #ateez yunho #ateez wooyoung #ateez yeosang #ateez jongho #non idol au #hongjoong #yeosang #yunho #jongho #san #mingi #seonghwa #wooyoung #kpop fan fiction #ateez x reader #kpop

[ldysmfrst]

American Mate - (3)

Following Instincts

Paring: Hybrid!BTS Ot7 x Plus-sized Human FemReader

Status: Ongoing series

Chapter number: 3 of unknown

Word count for Chapter: 3970

Work count for Story: 12111

Genre: Hybrid Playmate Au inspired by works created by @yoongiofmine

Warnings: (I am not good at this, but I will try. Let me know if I missed anything!!) NOT BETA READ!! This story will have a bit of angst, fluff, smut, f/m, m/m, and m/f/m. This chapter does have Injury, Anxiety, Panic attacks, comfort, and Cultural differences.

Story Summary: The Hybrid K-pop group BTS is on tour in America; of course, things don't start out the way they should, but after an encounter with Y/n, things change but will everyone follow Fate?

Outside the break room, Yoongi is in Alpha space, catching your scent of sweet peas as it changes into a moldy pea soup smell after the comment from the redheaded playmate. Turning with a low and threatening growl, Yoongi’s eyes have gone to his hybrid's bright golden-yellow cat eyes as he blocks you from their sight. Zeroing in on the playmates, tail raised and puffed out, tip twitching back and forth with a snap of irritation, making them all step back and quiet down. Hearing you murmur something in his native tongue and then the frantic footsteps, Yoongi snaps his head to watch your fleeing form disappear into a room down the hall. Taking a quick look back at the playmates, office staff, and then his pack, Yoongi huffs and quickly follows you, unable to fight his Alpha instincts.

The rest of the BTS packmates follow their bonded one closely behind as they feel his need to protect you from the others in the office. Namjoon catches Yoongi by the shoulder, stopping him from attempting to enter the room where you sought refuge. The rest of the pack forms a barricade around their Prime Alpha and packmate, who has entered Alpha space. They all are standing on guard, facing the rest of the people in the office, watching closely for any danger, and keeping the rude humans away. 

“Yoongi, you need to give her space. Remember, she is human and might get scared of your Alpha. What is happening? I need you to get enough control to explain what is happening?” Namjoon calmly speaks to his older packmate. Pushing out calming scents, trying to bring him out of his Alpha space with soothing strokes along his shoulder and back. “Can you come back and explain why you are protecting Miss Y/n?”

Barreling into the front of the group of observers with his tail bushed out and scent-smelling concerned, Derek comes up to the defensive line of BTS, “You have to let me get to her. You have to let me help calm down Y/n. Can’t you scent her distress? She is not doing okay by herself. You can even smell her over the scent-blockers!  I am the closest thing she has to a family. Please let me in to make sure she is okay. Please.”

 One of Yoongi’s black jaguar ears twitch back, hearing the urgency in Derek’s voice. He looks at Namjoon, takes a deep breath, and closes his eyes. After a few seconds, he turns to Derek with normal dark eyes, taking in his shifty behaviors and now partly distressed scent. 

Shaking his head slowly to Namjoon, Yoongi steps between his packmates and face-to-face Derek. “You are the closest thing to her family?”

“Yes, She and I were hired together when they decided to start this branch. We work together and spend time together at my den or her apartment. I do my best to protect her from situations like this because of her past. I normally try to keep her away from the playmates in general so things like this do not happen."

"She is only here today because we could not convince her otherwise since in the meeting yesterday with your Manager and what was said on the phone. She was bullied a lot before, and while it is not something that is okay, unfortunately, it still happens to this day. I really tried but I couldn’t do anything to keep her away. She had to be here even with little to no sleep and nightmares."

Bowing slightly but keeping an eye on the pack, Derek demandingly pleads, "Now, please, Mr. Min, please let me pass. Everyone can smell that something has happened. I think she is hurt in more ways than one.”  

The last comment got the attention of the whole pack on him, and everyone looked concerned. Several eyes flashed as their hybrid halves showed their displeasure with the news. Yoongi continued to fight his Alpha instincts with a deep growl and even breaths.

“How can you tell?” Namjoon asks from next to the door. He can smell something, but it tells him nothing since he has never smelt Y/n.

“That moldy smell. Like veggies gone bad?” The hybrids start sniffing, searching for the smell, and scrunching their noses once it hits. “That is why I know something is not right. Y/n, her scent turns like that when she is hurt. I am not sure if it is just emotional but it could be physical too. I can’t tell how bad it is because the scent-blocking measures she took for your arrival are still dulling it down.  Now again. Let me in to help my friend. I may be a Beta but she is like a pack member to me and I protect her like it.”

“Fine, but I am going in with you. I was the one who knocked into her and failed to keep her from falling. My Alpha instincts have gone haywire and I have the need to protect her,” his eyes glaring back at the playmates, “ from certain people here while ensuring she is okay and make amends for my mistake.” Yoongi states without room for argument, moving to the side, nodding to his packmates to make room for them. Once the two are through, the pack retakes their defensive stance, keeping everyone else out. 

Knocking on the door, Derek calls out softly as he opens it, entering and looking around the room to spot your shaking frame in the farthest and darkest corner. Namjoon shuts the door for privacy and protection while he stands guard just outside, with one ear listening to what is happening inside the room and one ear on the rest of the office. His mind racing from the powerful wave of rotten scent that has built up in the room.

The scent is much more robust in this room. The scent-blocking measures no longer mask your distress and pain. This causes Derek and Yoongi to whine at the smell and quickly move to your side. Derek pulled you into a tight embrace, pushing his scent out and over you and scenting the top of your head while murmuring soft, reassuring words. Yoongi comforts you with his own calming scents, pushing down the desire to pry you out of Derek’s hold to take you into his own. Much to their relief, your tears slow, and your breathing calms after what feels like hours.

“Derek, my nightmares, they came true. I ruined everything. I should have stayed away. I should have been looking where I was going. Reina was right. The one with the black tail, did I hurt him? He... He tried catching me. Me! I weigh a ton.” 

At that last comment, a deep growl resounds from behind you. It takes half a second to realize it is not from the hybrid holding you. Catching your breath and snapping your mouth shut, you cautiously peek through your hair to look behind you to see none other than Mr. Min Yoongi, who turns out to be the owner of said black tail, now snapping to and fro with irritation. 

“Shit,” you mumble under your breath, your mind racing to figure out a way to get out of this situation without causing any further damage and how best to word your resignation letter.

“Miss Y/n, let us address a few things. Firstly, you do NOT weigh a ton, nor will you ever refer to yourself in that manner again. Secondly, I am not injured, nor could you injure me, as I AM an Alpha in my own right and am stronger than I look, even if I am not the Prime Alpha of the Bangtan Pack.” Yoongi’s eyes flashed a different color.

You shrink down to try to make yourself smaller. Seeing your reaction and realizing that his Alphal is trying to be in control again, he takes another deep breath to calm himself, looking between you and Derek.

 “Lastly, would you be so kind as to allow my Alpha to inspect you for injuries? I came out of the observation room door unannounced and ran into you. I tried to prevent you from falling, but we are close in height, and I could not do much other than take what I hoped was the brunt of the fall.”

Turning more towards him but still staying in the safety of Derek’s hold, you look at him with confusion. “Your Alpha? Like your hybrid-side is not yourself?” Looking over your shoulder at Derek, you see him with a smirk and a chuckle on his lips.

“Missy here,” Derek looks at Yoongi, “has never met an Alpha male before. I am a beta, and her best friend is an omega.” Turning his attention back to you, “Unlike Evie and I, an Alpha has an inner animal that they can change into fully at will and it allows them to go into Alpha space to assist in protecting, hunting, and mating.”

You look at Yoongi with wide eyes, “You turn into a black cat?” 

“I am not a black cat,” he huffs in annoyance, eyes flashing a different color briefly. “I am a Black Jaguar hybrid, and I am trying my best to keep him at bay because he can sense that your emotions have calmed down, but you are still in pain.” 

His eyes roam over your figure, stopping when he notices you are cradling your right wrist. Standing up and motioning to a nearby chair, he asks,  “Please, can I inspect you for injuries? I can see you are being careful with your right hand.”

With a gentle push from behind you, you move to the chair Yoongi gestured to. Derek also stands up but keeps his distance, watching how the two of you interact. Yoongi kneels before you, “I have to let my Alpha see for himself. I promise he will not harm you. Mr. Gulley can attest to that at this point, my Alpha would have much rather hurt himself than you.” 

Glancing at Derek, he nods with a knowing smile while taking a seat a few tables over. Taking a moment to collect yourself, running your good hand through your hair and fixing your shirt, you look down at the hybrid. With a slight smirk, he looks at you with kind eyes,  “Miss Y/n, please allow me to check for injuries. You have no reason to be nervous. You look perfect as you are.” 

Blushing slightly at his words, you nod and tuck your hair behind your ear. You watch him closely as his dark brown eyes slowly change into a stunning golden-yellow color, with the pupil elongating into a pointed oval. His ears and tail moved this way and that, never quite settling in one position for very long. Your scent turns slightly back to sweet peas as the sight makes you smile softly. 

Cautiously, Yoongi kneels closer to you to become within reaching distance. Taking your left ankle gently in his hand, he rotates it, bends your leg at the knee, and sniffs at each joint. He repeats the process with the other side as well. Finding that nothing in your legs seems to be hurting, he looks at your face again with a short, pleased chirping sound. 

Scooting a little closer, he reaches out to your left hand, bends your elbow, feels along your fingers one by one, then rotates your wrist and again seems to sniff along the joints. 

You fidget in your seat, knowing what comes next will hurt, but you don't know how the hybrid in front of you will react. Noticing your movements and the slight change in your scent, Yoongi wraps his tail around your ankle to offer support. A slight sense of pride fills him when your scent calms down at his gesture of comfort, even if you do not realize it. 

Taking your right hand, he follows the same steps, pausing slightly before he rotates your wrist. You let out a yelp of pain and bite your bottom lip as you try to pull your hand out of his grip, which only causes him to hold it just a little bit tighter with one hand while the other quickly reaches to the nape of your neck to bring you into an awkward hug. Your head is now resting on his shoulder with your nose breathing against his neck, your good hand going to his side and gripping his shirt. 

Once the pain has dulled, you realize you smell the rain, not like fresh rain but like petrichor or the earth after a good downpour. It is comforting and relaxes you even more until you hear a soft chuffing noise and remember who you are smelling. 

Pulling away, you shyly look back at Yoongi, still observing you with golden-yellow eyes and holding your wrist firm but gently. “Umm... I think I just landed on it wrong. Just some ice and pain meds should be okay. I will be good as new tomorrow,” you say with a false smile, trying to play it off as no big deal.

However, Yoongi’s ears flatten, and his feline eyes narrow at you while nodding down to your wrist. Following his line of sight, you now see that your wrist is slightly swollen and is covered with a lovely purple color. “Okay, maybe I won’t be as good as new tomorrow.”

Derek stands up and approaches the two of you to see the damage done. Taking a sharp breath, he looked at Yoongi and froze, noting that the Alpha was sternly watching his every move. 

“Mr. Min, please remember I am like family, a pack, as you could say, with Y/n. I am also not a mate, nor am I looking to make her one. Will you allow me to get your Prime Alpha and Manager so we can decide how to move forward?”

Outside the breakroom, Mr. Johnson, the director of PMS USA, was informed there was an incident and is now standing with Manager Sejin outside the BTS barrier. He had ordered Reina and the other playmates to be escorted back into the conference room by some other staff. 

Mr. Johnson had hand-picked you to be the friendly first face of PMS because you light up any room you walk into and are always willing to put in the extra time to help make things perfect on or off the clock. 

“Hello, I am the director, I really should go in there and make sure my employee is okay, Manager Sejin,” Mr. Johnson states, glancing at the members of BTS as they continue to block the door and growl at anyone who walks near them. 

“Why are they not letting anyone near the door? I am sorry. I know about hybrids from the symposiums and conferences but rarely interact with many. I typically leave that up to my staff.” Glancing over at the hamster hybrid.

“Namjoon-ssi, do you want me to answer that, or would you like to?” Manager Sejin asks while watching Mr. Johnson. Namjoon redirects his attention from the breakroom to the seemingly incompetent human before him.

Taking a few slow steps forward, Hosek takes over guarding the break room door. Namjoon comes to stand with his pack, but nearer to Mr. Johnson and Manager Sejin, he says, “Mr. Johnson, we are a pack. More so, we are a pack of Alpha hybrids. Ranging from prey to predator types. We are a bonded pack on top of that, which means it’s all or none. We all are protective of something or someone if one of us feels the need. When one of us is hurt, we are all hurting with them.”

Looking at each of his packmates, Namjoon is filled with a sense of pride. Though they don’t know the extent of what has happened, they still support their mate to the best of their ability in a foreign country without question.

“Yoongi is feeling protective of Miss Y/n because of a few things. Y/n is injured because of an accident caused by Yoongi. She is not in a good emotional state because of your Playmates’ behavior due to the same accident.” He looks back at the Director, trying to maintain a more neutral expression to hide his disdain for the women now in some office somewhere.

“As an Alpha, our animals require us to hold ourselves to a higher standard than others. We like to try and ensure those around us are happy. With a very select few, we want to make sure they are also healthy and protected, among other things. In Yoongi’s Alpha space, he has failed to meet these standards when it comes to Y/n. It is now beyond his control, so to speak, to do anything other than fix his mistakes and ensure Y/n’s safety, recovery, and happiness. This means the Bangtan Pack is now responsible for the same.”

“Oh well. Um. I see. I can reassure you that Playmate Services has a good doctor who can tend to her if she needs one, and of course, she can have the rest of today and even tomorrow off. No need to make a fuss.”

A deep growl rips from behind Namjoon, causing everyone to look and see that Taehyung's eyes have gone crystal blue. His scent of burning ebony wood crashed over the pack. “You seem to be in over your head, Mr. Johnson. You have more than one hybrid working for you, yet you know nothing. Your company's incompetence is allowing bullying. From what one of your staff says, it has been happening for quite some time and yet you do nothing about it. Did you not hear our Prime Alpha tell you that she is ours now. We will take her to get treated by our medical professionals. We will take care of her to ensure she heals properly and regains a better state of mind. Not you.”

“Hyung, it’s okay. Calm down, please. We don’t need two of you in Alpha space right now. It will not help Miss Y/n or Yoongi-hyung.” Jungkook steps up next to Taehyung, scenting his neck gently as his snickerdoodle scent pushes out, causing the blue to flicker back to his natural dark brown. 

With a last glare and a mumbled, “Pathetic, oblivious human.” He moves closer to Hosek and, in turn, you. Jungkook quickly follows in an attempt to keep the high-tempered White Southwest African Tiger calm and get closer to you as well. 

“You may have misunderstood me, gentlemen. I have tried to deal with the playmates and their disrespectful actions towards Y/n and some of the other staff. Sadly, Reina is a top pick and brings in a lot of money. Since we are the newest and smallest branch, the corporate office wants to refrain from taking any disciplinary actions for fear that she will quit. They think that any of the office staff are replaceable, whereas reliable Playmates are harder to find.”

“Mr. Johnson, while that may be the case prior to today, their bullying has gone too far. Manager Sejin,” Namjoon says, “I believe it would be wise if the director took care of the bullying by the playmates and joined them for the time being. We need a few moments without interruptions to assess what is happening and how the Pack will move forward with this office, if at all.” 

Dismissing the director to be dealt with by Manager Sejin, Namjoon walks back to the door, which is now being guarded by Hosek, Taehyung, and Jungkook. The scent of snickerdoodle, ebony wood, and lilac mix together with the pack scent of vanilla underneath.

“... can’t tell?”

“Can’t tell what?” Namjoon asks the small group.

“Hobi can’t tell,” replies Jungkook while Taehyung nods in agreement. 

“The boys say that their Alphas are reacting to Y/n but I can’t tell if mine does or not. You spoke to her, stood right in front of her. Namjoon, can you tell?”

“Oh? Hmm, I guess I haven’t really paid attention. After what happened with… you know who… I guess I have been pushing my Alpha to the back as much as I could. I have been focusing on taking care of you guys, my mates, first and I couldn’t do that with him pacing in my head so much. She really tore Yoongi, Join, and Hobi apart inside with what she said. ” 

Namjoon started thinking back to hearing your voice, full of determination and strength, over the phone yesterday. Your care, intention, and respect for the pack that you have shown today. It would be simple to say that his Alpha was comfortable around you, and from how the pack’s scents have been, he wasn’t the only one who was.

“My Alpha is comfortable with y/n, but I wouldn’t say that he is reacting in any particular way.”

A soft whine leaves Jungkook. “Why do the older mates always walk with blinders on? Huh! You need to really let your Alpha look at her. My Alpha hasn’t wanted to look away from her since we walked into the office.”

“Joon, I am with Kookie on this one. While I wasn’t drawn in right away, I trust Yoongi's Alpha not to react this way with just anyone. So when he ran after her, I was the closest one to the door and before the pack’s scent took over, I could smell vanilla with something rotten. At first, I thought it was a candle or something, but I looked around. There are no candles.”

Taehyung’s comment on smelling vanilla caught the attention of Jimin and Seokjin. Turning to join the conversation while still trying to maintain the barrier, Jimin speaks up.

“So it wasn’t just me. When Yoongi and that man went in, I smelled vanilla with almost a compost-like smell. After that, my Alpha wanted nothing but to keep everyone, human or hybrid, away from this door. He is really fighting to be at the front.”

“I figured that our muscle bunny was just leaning into his instincts of being a bunny when he was speaking about Y/n in the conference room. Yet it didn’t explain to me why my Alpha felt awkward at her bowing to me when I spoke to her before going into the room.” Seokjin commented with a stern but thoughtful look. 

“Wait, wait, wait!” Hosek moves away from the door slightly, his expression confused and frustrated. “Are you telling me that you have all had some kind of reaction from your Alphas for the human lady behind the door? Some of you smelled vanilla, too?”

They all look at Hosek and then at Namjoon, waiting for them to come to the same conclusion. After a few tense moments had passed, it was like a lightbulb went off over Hosek’s head as his lilac scent burst with a bit more hints of rose and vanilla. Everyone now focuses on Namjoon.

Namjoon’s head is racing over every moment that has happened since walking in the door. As Prime Alpha, his responsibilities for the pack are more significant than others, and with what the boys are hinting at, the next few moments will change so much. 

“Her reactions were top-notch with our pack, and her showing an exceeding amount of respect to the packmates could be just her professionalism.” More whines and a few soft growls are heard. Looking up, Namjoon makes eye contact with each of his mates standing before him. 

“However, only the vanilla scent can mean one thing which won’t be easy for the human woman.” Taking a deep breath, the pack turned their attention to the door.

“We have an American Mate.”

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