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sorryimananti-romantic · 9 months

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Aurora

strategist!yunho x spy!reader

falling in love with the enemy?au

genre and warnings: some fluff, loads of angst, slow burn, suggestive, manipulation, betrayal, lies lies lies, blood and violence warnings, swearing, human lab rats, mentions of self-harm (picking at old scars), lmk if i missed sth.

word count: 26.5k

synopsis: you're finally working at halaland's most prestigious research centre as a skilled cryptographer. reality is, you're a utopian spy trained by the crescents to uncover the suspicious activity in the medical research department. to get there, you must first become a part of jeong yunho's strategy team and win his favour. however, as you both get closer, the presence of secrets burden you both and you know you're up for eventual heartbreak when you fall in love. you dread when he'll learn who you truly are.

manager-nim: @eightmakesonebraincell (made sure i got my ass working on this and yeah couldn't have done this without her <3)

You didn’t know what you were expecting when you stepped within Halaland, legally, for the first time. One could argue about the legality of your admission into the country but as far as everyone was concerned, you were a Halaland native returning from Mist Island after training.

“The wind is not different. The land is the same. I wonder why we have so many differences?” You wondered out loud and Seonghwa shot you a warning look, making the others in the car squirm.

“No matter how much this place feels like home, remember what you are here for,” Seonghwa looked at all three of you as he said. Everyone nodded in synchrony. “As of this moment… we’re strangers and I’m just the poor Mr. Park who was unfortunate enough to be collecting young female researchers from around the continent. Now… I hope you all remember who you are?”

“Aurora,” you called your new name, the way it rolled off your lips feeling foreign even to you. “For the cryptography team.”

“And the strategy team if you’re lucky,” Seonghwa reminded you of the first step towards your ultimate goal and you gulped, nodding. While he talked to Byeol and Nami, you resorted to watching the apple farm pass by as you drew closer to the Capital.

If someone had asked you a few years ago- before the war with Utopia began- what profession you saw yourself in, you’d say teaching in a breath. Teaching maths. Your original dream, before Halaland announced war on your home and snatched everything from you- family, friends, and dreams.

It was ironic that you were now in the very land you hated to the core, as their researcher. As the notorious Halazia Research Center- home to the most dangerous weapons on the continent- came into view, you couldn’t help but wow at the endless array of towers and buildings that must make up half of the Capital. It looked plain enough for the horrors it had been producing for a decade now. You straightened and put on a practised smile before you stopped at the gate for identification.

Thankfully, none of you held your breath as they went through your tags and got a good look at you. Seonghwa said a few words to the guards and then they let you through, leading the car to the Security Office.

You got off and took a quick glance around at the grey structure and the signs in their native language before greeting the middle-aged man who you very well recognised.

“Ladies, it’s a pleasure to finally have you here,” he took off his hat and tipped his head in greeting and the three of you curtsied. “I am Dr. Eric Cho, co-director of Halazia. I hope your journey wasn’t too troublesome- I understand you had to travel through land due to the circumstances…”

“Not at all,” Byeol passed her trademark gummy smile, one that charmed not only men but women as well. “I always wanted to see what Utopia looked like. I have to admit it wasn’t much.”

Dr. Cho seemed to like that attitude and he laughed out loud. “I’m sure it’s got some hidden gems too.”

“We travelled around the border so they probably don’t have much to share about the sights,” Seonghwa dug out cigarettes from his pocket and offered one to the doctor and you watched them light each other’s cigarettes, sharing a moment which made rage simmer in your throat but you tightened your smile- Seonghwa was only acting. “Shall I take them inside?”

Dr. Cho motioned for one of the officers to escort you inside the Security Office and you weren’t surprised by how thoroughly you were all checked- they didn’t spare one inch on your body, which made you feel a bit uncomfortable. When you were done and came outside, Dr. Cho scanned you.

“Are you the one who decrypted our code in the shortest time so far?”

“3 minutes and 28 seconds, Doctor,” you saluted. “Aurora Han at your service.”

“That’s a whole 2 minutes shorter than the previous record-holder,” his eyes twinkled and you passed a proud smile. “Do you know what can happen in 2 minutes?”

“The world can change in 2 seconds.”

“I like her,” Dr. Cho laughed. “Cryptography Department, is it?”

“Keep an eye on her,” Seonghwa nodded. “Puzzles are not the only thing she is good at.”

Before the doctor could ask more, Byeol and Nami were out and the five of you had lunch where the doctor briefed you about the ambitions of this research centre and what they were striving for. It was pretty well rehearsed and felt like something he had narrated multiple times so you just listened to every word and nodded like a schoolgirl. After that, you followed an officer to the Cryptography Department where you filled the paperwork so you could get a pass and start working from tomorrow.

“Shall I ask one of those guys to give you a tour of the department?” The officer asked, looking pretty tired.

“It’s alright, I’ll just find my way to the dorms, I think the fatigue is finally catching up,” you said and he bowed before leaving. You picked up your belongings and exited the office, taking a deep breath.

This was it.

After 3 years of training as a member of Crescent- a group of spies in Utopia that infiltrated into Halaland to find something, anything to win the goddamned war, you were finally here. As you walked along the corridors, peeking into the labs and memorising the path, you couldn’t help but feel both terror and a sense of accomplishment. You weren’t afraid, no. You were terrified of the fact that whatever you did here could turn the tide of the war.

You were looking at the picture of the alumni of the department, recalling their names in your head. You remembered what the Captain- the mastermind behind the Crescents- had said time and time again:

“The easiest way to get wherever you want is to get into your senior’s good graces. The easiest way to get caught, however, comes after that.”

You were staring holes at the picture of the person you wanted to approach first when someone cleared their throat behind you, making you nearly jump out of your skin.

“You seem to know them.”

You turned around with a hand on your heart, greeted by a tall figure in a uniform you very well recognised, the black outfit producing a striking contrast with the gold medals and red details. The Strategy Department.

“Of course I know them,” you managed to say as you took a careful step away. “Who doesn’t?”

He smiled, standing beside you. “Are you the new recruit?”

“I thought that was obvious,” you couldn’t help yourself and he grinned. You stifled a smile- he had quite a friendly face. “Do you work here too?”

“I work… around,” he said and you didn’t probe further. “I’m mostly on the field though. I bring data back. So… Miss?”

“Han. Han Aurora,” you told him and he nodded.

“Aurora,” he tested, a subtle raise of his brow as he scanned you and you licked your suddenly dry lips. “Do you need help finding the dorms? I reckon you’d want to get rid of your bags before you memorise every face on the frames in this hall.”

“Sadly, yes,” you replied. You could return his humour if that was what he wanted. He seemed to be pleased and offered to hold your bags but you insisted you were fine.

“Let me have my gentleman moment, please,” he laughed and you finally handed him your bags.

“I thought you’d have quite a bit of those moments on ‘the field’,” you commented as you walked beside him.

“Not really,” he shook his head. “I’m only a gentleman when I’m not on the field.”

You ooh-ed dramatically at that, making him grin. After walking to the third floor and taking a few turns, you finally arrived outside the rooms.

“Men on the left, women on right,” he pointed. “You could probably choose your own room there. We don’t have many women in this field.”

“Well, I’ll take my bag from here,” you smiled. “Thank you, Mr…?”

“Jeong Yunho, from the Strategy Department.”

—-------------------

The lab in the Cryptography Department was going to be your workplace and it was everything you had expected- a bit tense, occasional jokes to lighten the mood, some of them scribbling while the others typing endlessly into the computers. You weren’t surprised by the vibe.

However, you were surprised when Jeong Yunho from yesterday introduced himself as a member of the Cryptography Department.

“He’s everywhere, you’ll get used to it,” Dr. Takashi, your team leader, said dismissively.

“When you’re from the Strategy Department… you need to be everywhere,” Yunho explained with a grin.

“Sounds fun,” you made a face and began setting your things on the desk, glancing around. “So what are your contributions to the Cryptography Department, Mr. Jeong?”

“Call me Yunho,” he smiled. “I’ll admit, not much. It’s you guys who will be cracking all the codes. Meanwhile, you, Miss Aurora, will be reporting to Dr. Takashi there with all your findings at the end of the day, and if you’re good enough, who knows? You might be assigned to my team.”

“He’s just pulling your leg,” Kate, who sat nearest to your desk, rolled around in her chair and looked pointedly at Yunho. “He’s the Strategy Department’s ace. Anyone who comes under his wing either ends up losing it or begging to quit, because once you’re assigned to him? Your life gets harder.”

“Ah, is that why you’re purposely slacking off these days, Kate?” Yunho raised a brow in challenge and Kate pursed her lips guiltily.

You remembered every detail about Jeong Yunho from the files you had read on him. Skilled cryptographer though he was playing humble here, very skilled strategist and you supposed the title of ‘ace’ fit him since his contributions stretched across multiple departments, including the Medical Department- your end goal. You knew in your bones that this man was dangerous and you could not afford a single mistake around him, but the fact that he was so… relaxed? Cheerful? Quite a contrast to the otherwise tense environment in the lab.

It put you off guard, and you did not like it.

“Shall I… try then?” You asked, drawing their attention. “I’ve been told I’m not that bad a strategist.”

“Hmm, my team has grown smaller in number in the past few months,” Yunho considered. “I like that ambition. Dr. Cho had a lot to say about you, so if you prove yourself, I might personally put in a request for you to be on my team.”

“I’m suddenly not sure if I want that,” you laughed nervously and Kate snickered.

“Yunho, you’re scaring the new kid! Get out of here, it’s only her first day, don’t overwhelm her,” Kate practically pushed Yunho out of the cubicle, his laugh ringing in the lab and the others present smiling faintly as he passed by. You frowned a bit- it was only a few hours into your first day but it was already full of surprises.

The rest of the day passed by with you studying the codes that came in for the day- thankfully, Halaland hadn’t cracked Utopia’s code of communication yet. You, of course, knew exactly what it said, being one of the masterminds behind the code creation, however, you knew you were going to be treading on dangerous waters here. You remembered what the Captain had told you-

“It’s harder to pretend that you don’t know anything than to pretend you know something. So when you see our code, how will you blend in? If you don’t provide a meaningful contribution, they’re going to transfer you out of the Capital. That means you’re done for. However, if you crack the code entirely, that means you’ve studied similar codes, which means you might be acting as a spy. So what will you do?”

“Lay low for a while and then plant an idea in someone’s head,” you had replied. “When the person gets closer to cracking the code, I’ll step in and steal the spotlight. They might call me shameless for it but in the end, what will matter is that it would be me who eventually cracked the code.”

It was only a matter of ‘when’ now, and you would thankfully be getting that message through this very code soon, by the Captain himself. Before that, you were going to start putting your plan into action and build your background so that you coming to the solution wouldn’t seem out of the blue.

And that meant you had to trick the entire Cryptography Department. That was easy- they lived in their own heads.

But could you trick Jeong Yunho?

Later in your room, you changed into your nightgown and sat at your desk, peeking out of the window to see Dr. Cho conversing with some strangers. You shut your eyes, recalling the lesson you had learnt every day for the past two years-

“You’re my asset, Aurora,” the Captain said and your eyes widened in surprise- the man rarely ever complimented anyone on their skill, let alone call them their ‘asset’. “You’re everything I needed.”

“And what’s that?”

“An innocent face with a deadly brain and a frozen heart,” he patted your arm, looking down at the scar that ran down from your elbow- an ugly gash that was a sign that you were a survivor. “You’d make my perfect little spy. You’re my ace, Aurora.”

You picked at the scar as you told yourself what you were here for.

Revenge. Plain and simple. Revenge for the people you lost, the home they took from you, the families they broke.

All hail Utopia, you whispered to yourself as you met eyes with Dr. Cho through the window.

—----------------------

You let a few uneventful days pass by before you took your first step- which was to steer your colleagues further away from cracking Utopia’s code of communication by pointing them in a similar but totally opposite direction.

It was simple enough- creating notes from the past few attempts of the Cryptography Department, reading books and books of code and puzzles in your spare time which you would spend either in the lab or in the cafeteria, anywhere where you had eyes. You immersed yourself in codebreaking like your teammates but with your progress, you proved everyday that you were better than the others by a good margin.

It was to the point that even your colleagues like Kate, who had initially cared if you were eating well, stopped caring altogether- you could clearly handle yourself. However, as soon as they stopped, you made sure to slack on eating, to doze off while working or scratch your hair out in frustration when you came upon a dead end. That certainly prompted some of them to ask you to take a break, reminding you that a burdened mind would be no good here.

Yunho visited twice- once with confidential information that only Dr. Takashi had the privilege to hear, and the second time to ‘glance’ around, as he put it.

He fired two people that day.

You were standing by a window and recalling the events of that day when Yunho spotted you and joined.

“What are you looking at?”

“The sky’s clear,” you replied casually.

The sky is clear. No aircrafts. No smoke. No cries of the mourners filling the seemingly permanent darkness of the sky.

“I hope you weren’t too surprised by the events of that day,” he glanced at you and you wondered if he had read your mind. “You should have guessed by now that whenever I visit, I’m actually evaluating.”

“I’m… not exactly surprised, I expected that,” you laughed nervously, not meeting his eyes. “I’ve heard enough about you and your fellows from the Strategy Department. I’m just… wondering why Strategy holds the authority to do that. I thought the Head of Cryptography did that?”

“You’re right,” Yunho nodded. “But your Head of Department is far too busy for such meagre tasks. He lets us handle it. Why do you think we hold that authority?”

You looked at him this time. “Because every second is valuable, and you cannot afford to entertain people who’re not contributing?”

“Something along those lines, but to be exact, we cannot afford the people who waste our resources. We’re few in numbers but we need maximum output. And for that, we need people who do not slack, or who at least try. So my next question is, how much are you trying, Aurora?”

Your heart sank despite all the training you had done before arriving here. “I cannot be the judge of that.”

“Exactly. You said you’re not a bad strategist. I see potential in you, but so far I haven’t seen output, Aurora. So if you at least want to stay in the Cryptography Department, I’ll need to see something significant soon.”

Asshole, you thought. You cleared your throat. “I do have this notion that I'm entertaining. I won’t spill until I’m at least 51 percent sure, but I think it could turn the tide.”

“Is that so?” Yunho raised a curious brow.

“I’m just trying my best… Sir.”

Yunho laughed heartily at your sudden use of title and you almost glared daggers at him though his hearty laugh forced your lips to curve a bit. “I’m not pulling rank on you- that was not my intention. But… you keep working on that, okay? I’d like to hear what you’re thinking, even if you’re 49 percent sure.”

With that, he walked off and you watched his tall figure until he paused and turned, catching you staring at him.

“And Aurora?”

“Yes?”

“It’s Yunho for you,” he smiled, disappearing into the shadows. You found yourself stifling a smile at the man who could be both ice cold and warm as the sun.

Who could either unintentionally push you to success in this mission or destroy you if he learned of your true identity.

—---------------------

It was your first day off since you arrived at the facility, but you weren’t going to waste it roaming around. You had a number of tasks for today and you couldn’t risk getting caught.

You woke up at the crack of dawn and went out for your usual jog but to meet Seonghwa this time and exchange information. A few days ago you hid a letter behind one of the tires of his truck and you were going to get your answer today. You spotted Seonghwa and said hi.

“I hope you’ve adjusted well,” he asked, not daring to glance around. The people here may not have their eyes everywhere but they sure had ears.

“I’m managing,” you said with a short laugh. “Did you just get back?”

“No, I’m leaving,” Seonghwa said and you nodded slowly. “I think I’ll be on the road for a while this time.”

“I see… have a safe journey, and may the fates be with you,” you said- the farewell greeting of Mist Island. “And may you not have a problem with the tires. That one looks flat.”

“Yeah, I called someone to help me out with that,” Seonghwa scratched the back of his neck tiredly.

“Well, I’ll be resuming my jog now.”

“Go along, and good luck with whatever the hell you’re doing here,” Seonghwa laughed lightly. “If I get praised to have found you, I’ll assume you’ve succeeded.”

“Of course, I’ll make you proud,” you saluted sarcastically before going back to your jog and analysing the conversation you just had in your head.

You had talked in code- subtle hints on what to do. Seonghwa was going somewhere far but would be travelling through Utopia- the reason he said he’d be on the road for a while. You had pointed out the flat tire where you had sneaked in a note for him a few days earlier. He had answered your question- you were doing good and now you needed to play the cards right- you needed to proceed with the plan.

So later that day, you went to Dr. Takashi and asked him why everyone in the department was analysing Utopia’s code according to maths and logic, rather than language itself.

Dr. Takashi looked at you in confusion. “What exactly are you implying?”

“I’m saying,” you swallowed, pretending to gather your courage- you knew Dr. Takashi rarely bought anyone's bullshit. “Yes, codes are usually connected to maths. It’s some simple formula, some calculation. But what if Utopia’s code is a play on language itself? Utopian language? What if, for instance, this word-” you pointed at what seemed like a random scribble, “-what if this word is a made-up word from different words, or even languages?”

“I understand what you’re implying, but I’m sure someone has already entertained this possibility before you. What makes this time different?”

“If we can crack even one word…” you began. “We could decipher the entire code. We just need to focus on patterns and repetitions and check the similarities with Utopian vocabulary or other languages.”

Dr. Takashi thought for a moment, running a hand through his salt and pepper hair. He looked at you for a few moments and then picked up the phone. You raised a brow in confusion, watching him click 2 for the Strategy Department.

“It’s- it’s just a possibility I was wondering we could entertain- are you gonna fire me?”

“Relax,” Dr. Takashi chuckled and then cleared his throat when the line connected. “This is Dr. Takashi from Cryptograph. Could I have someone from Strategy? I think we might have something worth checking out.”

This time your surprise was a bit genuine- you hadn’t expected him to immediately ring the Strategy Department. You prayed Yunho would come- you had met another person from that department and he really wasn’t pleasant to be around.

But when Yunho entered, he had a knowing smile. “I knew it had something to do with the newcomer.”

“You’re quick,” Dr. Takashi commented. “You should hear her out.”

“51 percent sure?” Yunho asked and you nodded, the doctor looking between you two, lost. “Go ahead then. Surprise me.”

You showed your own framework and explained how with an approach that targeted repetitions and patterns in the Utopian language and worked on unjumbling it might work better and resultantly, shorten the workload. You explained that the focus should be on lingual patterns instead of mathematical ones. If you manage to crack some part of the code, you could at least make some sense of the whole message.

“That’s actually not such a bad idea. Why hasn't anyone entertained this possibility yet? It’s not a new approach as far as I know,” Yunho asked.

“A similar approach was suggested by someone a few days earlier, but they weren't sure just how to implement it. Aurora here, however, seems to have built her own code as a set of guidelines. Certainly makes work easier.”

“I wouldn’t call it ‘guidelines’...” you faltered but the two weren’t impressed by your lack of confidence.

“You built this code in how many days exactly?” Yunho asked, grabbing the document and checking it out.

“One day. 14 hours, to be exact.”

“And this is new? I haven’t seen something like this before, have you, Dr. Takashi?”

“I don’t think so either,” he peeked at the table. “I think you’re not meant to be here, Aurora.”

“What do you mean?” Your heart skipped a beat.

“I mean you should be creating instead of cracking,” Dr. Takashi was clearly impressed, glancing at Yunho as if to dare him to contradict his statement. Yunho, however, remained quiet until he had finished reading the code.

“I think I’ll have the team split into half- one of them can go with this approach while the other continue with their progress. I’ll have you manage that, Dr. Takashi. As for you, Aurora…” he glanced at you, face void of expressions. “Continue entertaining more possibilities- don’t waste time merging with a team unless you’re sure you’re onto something. And this time, I’ll have your ideas that you’re only about 40 percent sure as well.”

You nodded eagerly and he finally smiled. “Good work there.”

“Thank you,” you smiled and Yunho asked Dr. Takashi if he could have a word. You went back to your seat and watched the two talk in hushed voices, glancing at you. You pretended to get back to work, glad that you were the only one who could hear the thumping of your heart.

You’d done it. You had diverted the attention when they came close to actually cracking Utopia’s code. And you might just have landed a seat in the Strategy Department- you were pretty sure the two were discussing it, though you knew the type of person Jeong Yunho was, he would wait a good while and test you a lot more before ever giving you access to the facility’s perhaps most important department.

—-------------------

You stood outside the Medical Department- the largest building in the entire facility, and you sure felt like an outsider in front of the enormous doors. You showed the guard your permit and identification card and he let you in, handing you a pamphlet with a map and requesting that you follow the directions instead of roaming around.

You ignored that. You came to roam around.

You stood in the hallway, a stretch of white and gold leading to glass doors on either side of you, the one on the left for emergency (ICU) and handling outdoor patients (OPD). Most of the traffic was around there, but-

The Medical Research Department was on your right, a semi-restricted area that you needed to get access to. The one the Captain told you about. Your origin as a spy and your end goal.

The war was going to turn 10 this year. Halaland’s war hadn’t always been with Utopia- in fact, Utopia had once been Halaland’s strongest ally, until some political strife that was unknown even to the most trusted agents of Utopia caused Halaland to ‘unwillingly’ turn their weapons towards Utopia- which happened about 4 years ago.

The Captain had told you that the strife was born due to some disagreement in Medical Research. Utopia and Halaland had worked very closely there, and now it was your job now to see if it was just a coincidence that none of the Utopians made it back alive after being expelled when the two went against each other.

You wondered if the Captain was right. What could be in Medical Research? Drugs? Did they finally discover how to extend their life? Or some unexplainable discovery no one could ever begin to comprehend the notion of?

You waited until someone started going towards the right, following a middle-aged woman through the hallway until she turned towards a lab, leaving you alone in the corridor. You hid the map in your pocket and walked until you reached the sign with the layout of the building- Level 1 being the ground floor which contained labs for testing the official samples, Level 2 being the experimentation labs, and Level 3 being the restricted section. You knew all this from the information the Captain had gathered from ex-employees of this facility.

You also knew you could get access to Level 3- the restricted section- if you become a part of the strategy team. That wasn’t the end, though. Your priority was the basement that they called Level 0. The one that not even the residents of the Medical Department knew of.

The one that, if still in operation, might have something that could lead Utopia to salvation.

You heard someone come and you pretended to be lost, looking at them for help. It was a man about your age. “Looking for someone?”

“I’m wondering if I should give my blood sample here or in the OPD,” you let your voice shake nervously.

“Cryptography Department? You must be here for your monthly exam,” he asked and you nodded. “Well, you’ll have to go to the OPD for that, but if you’re already here, I’ll save you the trip, follow me.”

You thanked him, walking a few steps behind him and he asked if you had received the map or instructions before entering. You told him it was your first month here and the guard was too busy eating snacks to provide help. The man shook his head, telling you this wasn’t the first time someone had strayed here.

After giving your blood sample, you walked back to your department slowly, calculating the outcome of each move you could make from here on. There were a number of paths the Captain had sketched for you, but he had trusted you as long as you reached your goal with minimum damage. But no matter what, you had to win Jeong Yunho’s favour and get yourself in his strategy team if you wanted to get to Level 0.

And maybe it was time you showed Yunho just what you were made of.

You went straight back to your lab and started working on another code-cracking framework you had been building for the last two days. Once you were done, you analysed it with a few samples of Utopia’s code.

If anyone could actually figure it out (which you were sure no one in this lab would) it could break at least half of Utopia’s code language. For days, you had built everything for this exact moment. With your heart skipping beats to the point you had to sit down and shut your eyes for a few seconds, you got up and walked to your colleague Sam.

“Can I have a moment?”

He looked up, pushing his glasses up and his tousled washed-out hair away. “Sure. What’s the matter?”

You took a seat next to him. “You specialise in the structures of codes, right? I was wondering if this framework makes any sense to you- I thought an external opinion would be good because my brain’s a mess right now and I don’t want to dump this away without being sure.”

“Ah, let me see,” Sam started going through the document and you watched him look unimpressed until you pushed at the Utopian code’s samples you had been working on, which was when he detected the pattern and looked at you in surprise.

“Where did you get this?”

“The framework? I built this-”

“No, the samples,” he began, opening his drawer and pausing to check the date on your copy of samples before rushing through his drawers, creating a mess and then asking Kate to get two copies of the samples from all the dates you had already analysed. You pretended to be nervous but you were actually sweating visibly.

“Is everything… okay?”

“Yeah- yeah, everything is okay,” he nodded, his pitch uneven. “I just need to make sure you have the right samples.”

Kate arrived, looking intrigued and you both watched Sam double-checking everything and even calling the linguist in the room. You kept scratching at the skin around your fingernails until Sam finally took off his glasses and looked at you in disbelief.

“I think you’ve done it, Aurora. We’ve never been closer to cracking the entire code.”

You almost cried out in disbelief, looking around to see the rest with genuine smiles on their faces. Sam told you to follow him to Dr. Takashi’s office where the two of you briefed him on your progress and he immediately pulled the codes that had been intercepted today and let you work on it. You decrypted about 25 percent of the code.

“It makes sense,” Dr. Takashi studied it. “Unless we’re all gaslighting ourselves to believe it does. I think we should still get Strategy to see it- if they can get this to the engineers, they might be able to feed this format into their machines, which would make decryption a matter of mere seconds. We could win this war, Aurora, because you sit holed up in a corner with those stupid gummy bears and your codes, do you understand?”

This time, your tears of happiness were real, though not for the reason they thought.

I can win this war.

“I guess it’s a battle of who falls first- Aurora’s teeth or Utopia.”

“That’s a bad joke, Sam,” you rolled your eyes, laughing. “My teeth are perfectly intact. Gummy bears are harmless.”

“Says who?”

You turned to the familiar voice- Yunho, entering and looking just as surprised to see you. “Don’t tell me you called me because someone has cavities.”

You turned to Dr. Takashi- when did he call him? Or did someone else?

“Those gummy bears might have contributed to the decryption. Take a look at this, Yunho, and tell me what you make of it.”

Yunho looked sceptical as he glanced at you before sitting down. You gulped involuntarily as he analysed the document faster than even Dr. Takashi who was supposedly the expert here. He checked the decrypted sample.

“You broke the code?” He glanced at you.

“A bit of it, it seems?”

Yunho stared at you as if he had figured you out, scanning every bit of your face and your body language. When he finally got up, you almost sighed in relief. “I’ll get this to the Department. Aurora, follow me please.”

You gathered up the rest of the documents, arranging them as you followed Yunho who looked even taller in his uniform- perhaps he had just returned from the ‘field’. He turned as if he had felt you staring at him and smiled encouragingly, allowing you to fall in step with him.

“So what’s it about the gummy bears?”

“I may have a severe addiction, Sir.”

Yunho grinned at the way you formally put it. “And that addiction may have contributed to this outcome? If so, I might send a request to the government to send funds for… ‘snacks’.”

“Definitely,” you grinned but it fell when you felt another nervous cramp in your stomach. “Can you please tell me what to expect? I might fall down at this rate, I’m very nervous.”

“I’ll catch you if you fall,” Yunho said and your heart lurched at the way he so casually said that. “Well, Strategy is nothing like the Cryptography Department. I’m not saying your bunch is relaxed but everyone is always tense in our department. You’ll see what I mean- just try not to speak unless you’re spoken to, and try to… stick with me.”

You made an impressed face. “Thank you.”

“Thank me later,” Yunho said and you exited the building, the evening sun casting a golden glance and making Yunho’s skin glow beautifully.

“Try not to stare at anyone if you can help it,” Yunho caught you looking and you felt like you could disappear- so much for training to be subtle. Yunho always caught you looking at him and that did nothing but worsen your unnecessary want to keep looking at him.

“I don’t stare at just anyone! What do you take me for,” you almost mumbled. “You stare more than me.”

“That’s because I’m figuring you out.”

“Who says I’m not looking at you for that reason too?” You countered.

Yunho paused, stifling his smile. “Figuring people out is a part of my job, Aurora.”

Sure is.

“Figuring people out is a part of my personality,” you simply said.

“And would you say you have me figured out? With the amount of times I’ve caught you looking at me, I bet you have…”

“Are you…” you laughed. “Trying to flirt or something? And no I haven’t figured you out, you’re a hard nut to crack.”

The sound of Yunho’s laugh warmed your heart. “That wasn’t my intention, I’m just pointing it out!”

“Sure. Your ears are very red, by the way. You might want to do something about it before we enter your department.”

Yunho shook his head in amusement. “You… you’re really something, Aurora. Before we get in there, I’m offering you something- would you like to be a part of my team?”

You raised a brow. “Just like that?”

“I think I have figured you out enough to be able to make that decision,” he got serious. “Honestly, I almost did this a few days ago when you presented that framework. I found that it made things much easier. I think with your current findings… we’ll definitely have something.”

You considered for a moment, trying to figure out what the glint in his eyes meant. Was he actually impressed? Even if he was, which you supposed everyone was at this point, he definitely had some plans for you. You weren’t sure if you wanted to join his team or someone else’s in Strategy, but goodness, was he a breath of fresh air in this land that suffocated you to the core.

“Can I tell you my answer after we’re done for the day?” You asked and he nodded earnestly, motioning for you to follow him.

The first thing you noticed when you entered the department was the noise. There were people freaking out, to put it simply. Messages exchanged across the room, people rushing around with documents in their hands, superiors barking orders- a stark contrast to the comfortable silence of Cryptography. To reel you in from that mess, Yunho put a hand on your back to guide you across the hallway, leading you to the office upstairs.

“We’re meeting the supervisor. She’ll know what to do with you, and she might offer you something better as well. I know I would too, if I was her.”

“Well, that’s certainly relaxing,” you shivered and he grinned. “Let’s get it over with.”

With a knock, Yunho entered and bowed with you following suit. “This is Aurora from the Strategy Department.”

“Ah, the one you can’t shut up about?” The supervisor said- a very elegant middle-aged woman. You turned to Yunho who was yet again blushing from his ears. “I’m Dr. Angela Choi. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“The pleasure’s mine,” you said and took a seat.

“What do we have now?” Dr. Choi asked.

Yunho handed you whatever files he had and urged you to go ahead and explain. You straightened and knowing now was the time you needed to impress the Strategy Department, you fell into explaining the background of your approach first, briefing her about whatever progress you had made up until now.

“That’s certainly one way to look at it- more plausible than what we had so far,” Dr. Choi studied your framework. “I like this. Even if it doesn’t work, the approach you’re taking is fresh. Perhaps because you’re young?” She laughed.

“Come on, you’re not too old yourself,” Yunho laughed along and you could sense they were comfortable with each other. “Aurora, she’s… quick. Intelligent.”

“Yes, I think someone like her shouldn’t be hiding in Cryptography,” Dr. Choi seated back, looking relaxed. “Perhaps she should join our department. Maybe with the computer scientists? They’ve been trying endlessly to make their decryption devices more efficient. They just don’t have the right data to feed in. I’ll hand them this data- it could change the course of this war. You understand that, Aurora?”

“I do, but,” you looked around. “I expected this conversation to be more… tense.”

“I understand. I must seem very laid back, huh?” Dr. Choi smiled. “I haven’t sat in my office in ten days. I was occupied at the field, at the heart of all operations. Strategists have to be able to work well under pressure.”

“Not just the strategists…” you sighed. “It’s just very different here than in Mist Island.”

“Ah, yes, Mist Island. They were losing the war, weren’t they, until they joined us?” She asked and you nodded. “Those who have more to lose, they break under the idea itself. We have a lot to lose too, yes, but we’ve been winning this war for years now. It’s only a matter of time until it ends.”

You were genuinely impressed by her confidence, even though it disgusted you to the core how little they cared about the losing side. Dr. Choi continued. “We’ve created a somewhat relaxed and peaceful environment so our cryptographers, engineers, doctors and nurses don’t feel burdened. We give them deadlines, yes, but we, the strategists, take all of their burden. We don’t want anyone else to break under pressure or we’ll lose. So, how well can you handle pressure, Aurora?”

You looked at Yunho whose smile didn’t quite meet his eyes. You wondered why. “I can handle it well, Doctor.”

“Very well. Consider my offer but if you want to stick to your current department, that’s alright too. Mr. Jeong, if you can escort her back?”

“Yes,” he got up and bowed and you followed him outside, navigating out of the hustle until you exited the department and Yunho exhaled like he could finally breathe.

“Care for a drink?”

“You must really want me to join your team,” you smiled and he shook his head in amusement.

“I’m just really thirsty, but I’m also wondering what’s on your mind.”

You accepted and he took you to the cafeteria, taking the window seats. You looked at him. “Halaland must have an ace up their sleeve. I’ve seen what the losing side looks like and this is far from it.”

“Perhaps,” Yunho’s tone was cryptic. “Isn’t it good to be on the winning side?”

“That’s debatable too, but that’s also the reason I’m here,” you told him. No lies there. “What does your team offer?”

“Field work. Assessing the situation and taking steps accordingly. Guiding the cryptographers and the other departments. We make the decisions that could save lives, but our decisions are not always in our favour. And most importantly, in war there’s sacrifice. You understand what I mean, don’t you?”

You nodded, eager. You were so close to your destination now. “I like that, but tell me… do you always scout people like this?”

That took Yunho by surprise and he laughed and you couldn’t help but join. “You’re the first. I’ve never had to practically beg someone to join my team. Usually the higher-ups make that decision for me and I only decide if I want to keep them.”

“You might change your mind later,” you shrugged.

“I won’t know until I work with you though,” he sipped his coffee, scanning you. “So? Do you like Dr. Choi’s offer more?”

“I’ll join your team,” you said and watched how he relaxed a bit. “I don’t want to be holed up with the machines. That’s not my forte.”

“Do you mind me asking… who trained you before you came here?”

Your heart skipped a beat as the face of the Captain flashed behind your eyes. But you had another name to give- another mentor who was just like you, a spy who made his place here. “Dr. Kang who, I believe, is in the Medical Research Department here?”

Yunho raised a brow at that, surprised. “Dr. Kang trained you? He must have trained you for the Strategy Department then. Why begin with Cryptography?”

“He wasn’t sure I could handle it,” you placed your cup on the table. “And he might be right. We’ve all lost something in this war, haven’t we?”

Yunho unconsciously glanced at what was visible of the scar on your arm and you caught that, tugging your sleeve down which took him out of his trance. So he had noticed. He cleared his throat, meeting eyes with you.

“We all have,” his voice was thick with emotion and you could tell he had lost something- or someone important too. “Well, let’s hope you can show Dr. Kang that you can handle more than he thinks.”

“Do you know Dr. Kang personally?” You asked, actually curious. There was no way-

“Kang Yeosang, right?” Yunho was smiling. “He’s an old friend. He got me here.”

Your heart sank. Yunho was Kang Yeosang’s old friend? Was he also a spy then? But… there was no way you could confirm that. And if he was not a spy for Utopia…

That meant he was more dangerous than you had thought.

“Wow… what a coincidence,” you exhaled. “Yeah, it’s been a while since I met Dr. Kang. I hope I can see him soon.”

“He’s quite busy these days. Very hard to run into him now,” Yunho finished his coffee. “But tell you what- next time I have business in Medical Research, you may tag along.”

“Sure.”

“Is there a reason you aren’t mentioning that you have medical experience as well?” Yunho asked and you sighed internally- he really was testing you at every point. You wondered why. “I mean… I looked at your resume before making the decision to offer you a spot in my team. But you haven’t told me anything about your previous experiences at all.”

“Does it matter?” You asked. “Everyone in Mist Island was trained to gain some medical experience. I don’t like to go into the details, but the one who found me insisted it be mentioned.”

“Is there a reason behind that? You don’t have to tell me exactly what, I just want to know if you’re okay with medical field work if we’re required to do so in the future.”

“Yes, there is a reason why I don’t like mentioning it,” you told him. “Dr. Kang knows my history. If you trust him… you can trust me, can’t you?”

The way Yunho did not immediately agree told you he must know something- either about you or his old friend. You cleared your throat. “I’m okay with medical field work. I’m not the best but I can certainly assess the situation and act quickly.”

“That’s good enough,” Yunho grabbed his things from the table and you started getting up as well. “I won’t pressure you to do anything you do not want to, so when I offer you an assignment, you don’t have to worry about me firing you if you do not accept it because you’re uncomfortable. I only fire people who are-”

“A burden, a waste of resources, yes, I know the drill,” you finished for him and he grinned, walking with you outside.

“Well then. Pack your stuff, and I’ll see you tomorrow in Room no. 8 of the Strategy Department. Sleep well, Aurora.”

He was about to go but you grabbed his arm lightly and he paused, turning in surprise. “I haven’t thanked you for your kind offer.”

“Thank me later,” he winked and ran off, making you wonder just how you were supposed to thank him ‘later’.

—----------------------

Yunho was nothing like the person you had come to know in the past month when he was working. If you thought you knew him, you were so wrong.

You weren’t sure what surprised you more- the switch of character or the fact that you misjudged him. Perhaps because it was your first time interacting with someone outside of work first. Perhaps you should have expected it-

No. He was different.

He was a natural leader, you were finding. He was respected and possibly even feared by the fresh recruits- your fellows from Cryptography weren’t wrong about him. He took charge of the room, barked orders, maintained punctuality down to the seconds and wanted results. Quick. And anyone who couldn’t deliver was given an earful in private.

He told you he would cut you some slack only on your first day, like he did with everyone. You were no longer ‘Yunho’ and ‘Aurora’. He was ‘Sir’ and you were ‘Miss Han’ which put a strict distance between you. He did not joke around while working at all. You learned that he was right when he said he had to be on his toes, had to make important decisions and choose what to keep and what to sacrifice.

It had been over a week now- you had shifted your dorms, the current room giving you the view of your former workplace but blocking the sun, which you didn’t mind. It was a bit more luxurious too and gave you better room for optimisation, but you had nothing much here anyway.

The emptier the better.

Yunho was the leader of your team- Team no. 8. He reported to Dr. Choi who reported to the Head of the Department. The decision-making usually fell to the higher-ups and the team leaders, and the working dynamics were good. You wondered if that was the reason Halaland was winning.

You wondered how Utopia was handling things- you missed home. You missed the smell of citrus in the air, back before the smell of smoke and blood became a norm. You missed the constantly cloudy but blue sky before it took on an eternal darkness- you were beginning to hate the sun here.

You missed your family who were no longer here, gone together in the dead of night, leaving you forlorn in this world. You missed the new family you had found among the Crescents- even though they insisted attachment would do you no good, the Captain himself had been like a big brother to you. Perhaps because all of you had bonded over mutual loss that you found yourselves unable to not depend on each other, not find comfort in each other. They were home, no matter where you went after that.

You didn’t realise how long you had been standing at the end of the corridor where the dorms were, at the only window in the building that faced west towards Utopia, scratching at the scar on your arm until you felt gentle fingers lace through your hand and place them softly on the window sill.

Again, you were surprised for many reasons as you looked up at the man who was always there when you least expected him, whose footsteps were so silent yet presence so filling, whose gaze was so warm even when he put distance between you. He stood next to you, his hands right next to yours as he looked outside.

“I’m curious what part of this view exactly is so captivating that you’ve been standing motionless for so long,” he commented, peeking out with an unimpressed face. “All I see is barren land and a boring sky.”

“That’s exactly what I needed,” you said, glad your voice didn’t crack, glancing at what you had done- you never let the scar heal. You were always picking at the long gash somewhere. A reminder, you told yourself, though you didn’t need to hurt yourself to be reminded. It already hurt enough. “I didn’t want to be distracted by a pretty view.”

“Makes sense,” he turned towards you, glancing at the bleeding scar again. “Does that hurt?”

You didn’t expect him to inquire directly about the topic you both had danced around since you met. “Not really.”

“Doesn’t look like it,” he tsk-ed. “Do you have a first-aid kit in your room?”

“No?”

“You should have,” he looked disappointed. “I’ll ask someone to give you one. If you’re going to the field, you should definitely have a kit with you at all times.”

“But I’m not… or am I?” You narrowed your eyes and he stifled a smile.

“I thought I’d ask you how your first week had been before offering you to join me,” he put his hands in the pockets of his black slacks. “Was it too much?”

“Not at all,” you glanced down again- it was starting to sting a little especially with the blood wanting to trail down-

“This won’t do,” Yunho sighed. “Come with me.”

“Where?”

“Just… stop questioning me for once and come with me,” he said and you thought you heard the tiniest bit of frustration in his voice so you followed him to the other end of the hall and realised he might be taking you to the men’s dorm. He unlocked the door to his room and you immediately felt like you were being hugged by him- the clean, almost aquatic scent of whatever product he used filled the room.

It was nice.

Yunho motioned to the couch and you glanced around before taking a seat- it looked as empty as your room, the only sign of living some clothes hanging around or food in the kitchen from where Yunho got his kit and came to sit beside you.

“I can do this-”

“Let me,” he insisted, looking at you for permission and when you nodded, he took your arm and examined it, drawing your sleeve up hesitantly until it was above the elbow. He dipped some cotton in alcohol and cleaned it, the sting drawing your focus and when you winced, Yunho shook his head.

“You should stop picking at your scar if you want to work in the field,” he began, his voice low and thick now that he was so close. “It would be a shame if it got infected. I want my members in top condition, you understand?”

“Yes, Sir,” you answered and he grinned.

“I told you, it’s just Yunho for you- when we’re not working,” he insisted and you nodded. “You can ask me now. I can see you have questions.”

“What exactly will we be doing?”

“I cannot tell you until we’re on the mission,” he finished cleaning. “But we might have to travel a bit and transfer confidential data.”

“I guess I’ll join? I have nothing better to do.”

“Ay, are you saying your time at the department is a waste?”

“I mean- yeah, I could keep working but this would be better-”

Yunho laughed, wrapping a bandage around your arm and you pouted when you realised he was back to being the goofy senior you had come to know in your duration here. “I know what you mean, you don’t have to explain yourself. You’ll learn a lot from the field but you should know that everything we see, everything we observe is strictly confidential. You understand that, don’t you?”

“I do, and that’s why I am working here,” you told him and he liked your answer.

“There,” he tied the bandage. “I don’t want to see you picking at your scar again. If you feel like doing that again… come find me and I’ll distract you, okay?”

“Come find me,” you quoted back with a scoff, surprising him. “When you’re the busiest person I know? I thought you were friendly with me just to get me on your team, and then suddenly there’s this distance between us and you’re ‘Sir’ and I’m ‘Miss Han’ and you keep ordering me around and pushing me-”

You stopped when you saw how he was smiling, head resting on his hand, elbow propped on his leg. “What?”

“Carry on,” he urged. “I’m enjoying this.”

“I’m not,” you sighed, your heart suddenly aching at the sight of him- you were getting really annoyed at the way he made you ramble and had you expecting more when in fact, you should be anywhere but here-

“Just say that you missed me, Aurora.”

“As if,” you scoffed. “Thank you for the help. I’m going,” you said and got up but he grabbed your wrist, making you sit right back and you gaped at him as he failed to hold his smile, the smile that changed his entire face and made his eyes curve-

“Well, I definitely missed this,” he said but his eyes changed as he locked them with yours. “You can find me anytime you want. If it’s too much, if anything’s bothering you, you can find me, okay? I won’t let you down.”

You raised a brow. “Do you offer this to everyone?”

“Maybe? Some of it?” He wondered out loud, indicating he might not have offered this to anyone at all, for that matter. “My point is… I know we all have scars, Aurora. Not all are physical. The physical scars? They hurt more here, don’t they?” He pointed at his heart. “You’re… a part of my team now. I want your wits gathered. I want you relaxed because you’ve seen how tense the rest of my team is. I think I can depend on you if you can depend on me- and when we go on this mission, I’d be glad if I’m right about this.”

“Just say that you missed me too,” you laughed and he joined, realising he was still holding your wrist, letting it go gently. “Okay. I’ll try to find you next time.”

“Good,” he nodded, satisfied. “...good.”

You realised he was spacing out as his eyes travelled all across your face. You stared right back- at his kind eyes, at his incredibly charming face, at the way his hair fell on his forehead and when his eyes met yours, he held your stare for a moment too long before clearing his throat.

“Well, I’ll brief you tomorrow about the mission so you still have time if you want to change your mind. Think it over tonight, okay?”

“Okay,” you finally got up, straightening your clothes. “Thank you… for everything.”

Yunho smiled at that and you left for your room, staring at the bandage until you fell asleep.

—---------------------

It was two days later that you found yourself on the road with Yunho, travelling in a military car escorted by soldiers. You two were the only ones facing each other in the backseats but Yunho was currently busy going through some documents and you recalled the conversation you just had with him in the office.

Your colleague Hani, who had field experience, had briefed you about the clauses in your contract- what to do in case you found yourself in a compromising situation or if your life was being threatened in exchange for information. You had a strict non-disclosure agreement already signed, but this was a fresh reminder that anything could go wrong.

And that your life had little to no value so you shouldn’t bother saving yourself by exchanging information. It was like this everywhere, but since it was the enemy you were now working for, you hated the idea of even getting a scratch for them, though the Captain had told you that you would be put in such a situation eventually. Today, you were going to play your part in a rehearsed skit. And today was all about your acting skills.

You touched the locket around your neck that Yunho had given you before leaving. He caught you tugging at it and you put it inside your uniform- all black with red details like Yunho’s. He cleared his throat. “Nervous?”

“A bit, but I’m fine,” you admitted. He was probably inquiring because the locket was your death sentence- a cyanide pill you could use only if all else failed. You recalled the moment when he had secured it around your neck himself and then put his hands on your shoulders, making you lock eyes with him.

“I’ll pray you never have to resort to a situation where you have to use this,” Yunho’s voice was firm. “If you’re in pain, you live through it. Think about your family, your friends, or whoever you’re fighting for. You make it back alive no matter how hard it is, you hear me?”

“Yes, sir.”

“But,” and this time, his voice was steel and gaze so harsh that you wondered if this was the same person who told you he could ask the government to provide funds for your gummy bear addiction. “If you think of betraying your team and someone loses their life because of you? I’d rather you have eaten the pill.”

Your heart sank dangerously and you recalled when the Captain had held you just like this and told you what fate you would meet if you ever betrayed them. You nodded firmly, once. “Of course.”

Immediately, his gaze softened and he patted your arm as he let go. “I know how hard it is to make a decision, especially when they have something on you. But the enemy, no matter how appealing their offer is, you do not give in, okay? If the pain really is too much to handle… I wish you’d live through it instead of opting for this solution.”

“I understand,” you nodded, pursing your lips. “I really do.”

Now, in the car with Yunho who scanned your face as if trying to figure out just what was going through your head, you decided to ask him. “What if we lose each other in the middle of the mission?”

“Glad you asked,” he sighed. “I’ll show you the points where we can gather as soon as we’re entering the town.

And when you did, he sat next to you, pointing at 5 random points that were chosen for today’s mission. He told you their strategy was to always have new points to gather at during every mission so nobody could snitch on them. When you finally reached Sector 1, Yunho made sure your bulletproof vest was secured under your uniform and you had no bugs on you- ‘protocol’, he called it, though you made sure he saw you scowl. You stopped at an old hospital that was now abandoned and got off, the harsh sun making you flinch and immediately wear your shades.

“This hospital used to be the heart of this town, before a bomb struck here,” Yunho told you and you nodded- you recalled that. It was a few years ago when Neverland managed to strike here and you always wondered how someone could be heartless enough to target a hospital.

It made sense later- Neverland, now Utopia’s ally but earlier the enemy, probably also got a whiff of whatever the hell was going on with Halaland’s Medical Research Departments. Innocent lives were lost but you hoped at least something had come out of it.

“I always wondered why anyone would target hospitals,” Yunho said out loud as if he had read your mind.

You cleared your throat. “Halaland targeted hospitals first. I hope you haven’t forgotten your history… Sir.”

Yunho glanced at you, eyes unreadable behind the shades. “Of course I remember. That’s why I said ‘anyone’. What do you think? Why would someone target the hospitals?”

A test, perhaps. You pretended to think. “Doctors… They’re the backbone of any war, and perhaps the most precious asset especially in war.”

Yunho nodded, satisfied. “It’s a low move. I don’t support that, but like I said, sometimes when you strategise, sacrifices must be made.”

“And what came out of sacrificing doctors?”

“That’s not for just anyone to know,” Yunho pointed to the backdoor and you followed him.

“So am I ‘just anyone’?”

“As am I,” he sighed. “I’ve only heard something did come out of it, and something valuable was lost when this hospital was targeted. Pretty sure they weren’t talking about the doctors or the patients.”

You wondered if he really did not know or was pretending. You spotted a shadow behind the door and Yunho confirmed it was the man you were supposed to meet. He led you inside and the man met both your eyes before handing Yunho an envelope- the contents inside you referred to as ‘the key’. He turned to you and you handed him your key. With a nod, you parted ways and exited the hospital.

“That’s about it,” Yunho exhaled in relief. “A simple exchange of information. No words spoken. The information is not for our eyes nor can we interpret it. We’re only couriers.”

“So was that man a spy then?” You asked. “Do you receive information from other lands?”

“I don’t know who that is,” Yunho admitted and you believed him. “But I reckon he must be. You wouldn’t make such a fuss for a local.”

You started driving back, pretending to be relieved that the mission was over when in fact, you were counting the minutes.

And then it happened- you heard the sound of a gunshot and you flinched even when you saw it coming. The soldier escorting you spoke in the radio to make sure everything was clear, but-

“We have a tail, Sir- 2 SUVs. We’re waiting for your orders.”

You looked at Yunho who dared to peek outside before calling in his radio, “Turn west. We’re taking Route no. 3. Provide cover-”

Another gunshot and this time you had to cover your ears and crouch down out of instinct as the windshield shattered. Yunho’s eyes were wide with horror as he took in the sight of the shot driver, the soldier frantically trying to steer the car while putting one hand on the wound on the driver’s chest. You straightened and looked at Yunho.

“I can either drive or provide medical attention- or fight back. What do you want me to do, Sir?”

“How good is your aim?”

You let the faintest hint of a smirk grow on your lips. “Good enough, Sir.”

With that, you dragged the driver’s body to the backseat with the soldier’s help who immediately put pressure on the wound and checked the pulse. Yunho crawled to the driving seat and you borrowed the soldier’s rifle and examined the situation- one of your escort cars was down and you only had one at your front and on your right now.

So you waited until you sighted the tail- a black SUV. You aimed for the tires and shot once, twice, hitting the mark on your second shot which gave the escort car behind you a chance to shoot at the passengers. You broke the rest of the windshield with the butt of your rifle to clear your view, surprising Yunho, and sat on the frame to take another shot, managing to break their windshield this time. They fell back and the escort cars provided cover. The soldier honked and the three of your cars picked speed, the one behind you shooting aggressively. It seemed to have worked and you lost your tail, managing to follow the designated route.

You slid back to your seat, turning to check if you could assist in any way but it was too late- the soldier looked grim as he met eyes with you.

“He was gone within a minute.”

You bit your lips, wondering if you could have saved him had you not been selfish and hesitant about practising medical attention on people anymore. You glanced at Yunho who was clenching his jaw. With a sigh, you rested on the seat as you calmed yourself down from the adrenaline and braced yourself for whatever was about to happen next.

The drive was pretty much silent until you reached the Research Centre, a medical team ready to take the people who lost their lives in the mission. You learned that two other soldiers had died. After paying your respects, you escorted Yunho to your department where the supervisor, Dr. Choi was waiting.

“I heard it went well,” she said and you raised a brow, glancing at Yunho who appeared tense.

“We lost three soldiers today.”

“But you have the key?” She asked, referring to what you had received from the supposed-spy.

Yunho didn’t say anything, just handed the key to the doctor and she didn’t open it. She looked at you. “Report.”

You swallowed. “We had no tail until after we left the hospital. About 800 metres on Route no.1, we received the tip from Escort Car no. 3 about the tail. As soon as Mr. Jeong ordered us to embark on Route no. 3, our driver was shot and we had to improvise. The soldier with us went on to provide medical attention to him while Mr. Jeong drove and I attacked. I managed to puncture their tire and shoot through their windshield which Escort Car no. 2 informed us, helped eliminate one of the 5 passengers in the black SUV without a plate. That’s when we lost them and continued our return.”

“I see. Anything you’d like to add to that, Mr. Jeong?”

“I’ll let you make the conclusion,” Yunho answered, looking like he could kill her. “I don’t know if it’s my position to say this but maybe you should take a look at who’s friend and who’s foe again. No one other than me knew our meeting point. Me and the person we were meeting.”

Dr. Choi shifted in her seat, looking amused. “You’re telling me that I should look into that person and you?”

Yunho shrugged. “I think you know exactly what I meant.”

You poked your tongue in your cheek as you looked back and forth between them. They were practically having a stare down and Dr. Choi finally nodded slowly. Yunho said he would take his leave now, leaving you alone with the supervisor who simply smiled.

“He gets like this when a mission doesn’t go smoothly.”

“I see,” you nodded slowly. So it had happened before. “Anything I should do, Dr. Choi?”

“Let’s see,” Dr. Choi opened the envelope and skimmed through the contents. “Not for now, no. You can take the rest of the day off. You did well.”

—-----------------------

Though your mission today had gone exactly the way you had wanted to- a successful exchange of information followed by an attack, staged by the Crescents just so you could prove you were indeed someone who could be trusted- a test, you realised now, from the Crescents as well- you still felt unsatisfied for a number of reasons.

Firstly, you had not expected the driver of your own car to get shot. You could very well have been hurt as well. You still felt guilty about not caring enough to provide medical assistance- the soldier, you were sure, only knew the basics. You could have saved him. You felt partially responsible for that loss.

You were also worried about just who in Crescents lost their lives in the mission today. You prayed it was no one you knew, but the thought that they were risking their lives like this upset you even when you had seen them go to more dangerous missions and not return. Now that you were a part of this, it stung more.

And then there was Yunho. His reaction to the dead soldier didn’t surprise you- you knew now that he was a compassionate soul no matter how stern and cold he might seem at times. But it was his behaviour with Dr. Choi that surprised you more- was it her nonchalance towards the lives lost that put him off or was it something else?

You had roamed around after getting the day off when it was already almost time for dinner. You met your teammates from Cryptography and checked their progress and they had a good laugh over how far you had come and if you’d last any longer. However, when you headed to your room, you spotted Yunho standing by the window you had met a few days earlier. Your heart tugged at the sight and you considered ignoring him and heading to your room but you wanted to know what was going through his mind right now.

You wanted to figure him out so bad that it was driving you a little crazy, and that was not good. Not in this field.

Cautiously, you walked to him and though he sensed you coming, he didn’t move until you stood next to him, hands on the sill right beside his, so near they could touch. You looked at the view.

“Not a very captivating view, is it?”

A trace of a smile danced on his lips though he maintained his composure. You stifled a sigh and dared to look at him- he looked so very tired and you wondered if he was exhausted due to the events of today or just tired of wearing his mask. Whatever it was, this was the first time you saw such emotions in his eyes.

“I know you offered to me that I could come find you whenever I felt like picking at my scar again,” you began, ignoring your subconscious that sounded a lot like the Captain cursing at you. “I thought I’d offer you the same. I should have offered it that day, but…”

“Thank you, Miss Han, but-”

“That’s Aurora for you-”

“-I’m not picking at my scars-”

“Scars of the heart,” you reminded him before he could tell you to bug off. He looked at you, hair a mess and over his eyes, still in his uniform with quite a few buttons undone and wondering just what your deal was. You gave him a tight-lipped smile. “Have you had dinner yet?”

When he didn’t respond, you tsk-ed. “Do you want to have some ramen? I’ve heard I make killer ramen.”

Yunho finally gave in and scoffed, urging you to lead the way, following you to your room and you almost shut the door behind you when you realised he was still waiting outside.

“Aren’t you coming in?”

“I thought you were going to take the ramen or whatever to the dining hall?”

“Just… come in. I have better snacks,” you told him.

He shook his head. “Of course you do.”

You asked him to make himself comfortable while you went into the kitchen and started cooking. Yunho took that as a sign to roam around in your space- empty walls just like his, the only sign of life the clothes on one chair-

And the unholy amount of the unhealthiest snacks he had ever seen lining the kitchen shelves. He sat on the two-seater table next to the kitchen, watching you cook. “Do you even eat normal food?”

You glared at him, not bothering to respond, focusing on the ramen while he rested his chin on his hand as he watched you until you settled down, scooping some ramen for him and cracking open two beers. You clicked your drinks and ate in silence. He was probably still sorting his thoughts, you reckoned.

It wasn’t until he was finished, drinking his second can of beer that he finally exhaled deeply. You didn’t push, just relaxed back as you swirled your can lazily.

“Thank you for the meal, Aurora. It’s very kind of you.”

“You sound way too formal, Yunho,” you sighed.

“And you sound like me, I’m realising,” he put his head in his hands as he laughed a little. “I must have sounded like this that day, huh?”

“Now you know,” you teased.

He sighed again. “I don’t know what went wrong today. It’s happened before and I’m not even surprised,” he admitted and you nodded. “I’m just… I should have known that no one would give two shits about the lives lost today. All they care about is getting their hands on whatever information can cause the most destruction.”

“‘In war there is sacrifice’,” you quoted him and he lifted his head to look at you.

“I know. But I’m human too.”

“I understand,” you said and he wasn’t surprised at your grim tone.

There were a few moments of silence as you both sorted your thoughts out. “It’s not your fault, about the driver. You couldn’t have saved him even if you wanted to- not with that wound.”

You looked at him- how could he know just what you were feeling when he himself was a mess?

“Neither was it your fault about the events of today,” you countered. “We’re simply couriers. It’s the higher-ups who gave us the orders, knowing the risks. They should feel responsible about the loss.”

“They never do,” Yunho clenched his eyes shut as if a memory pained him. You let him have a moment and he opened his eyes, locking them with yours.

“Listen, Aurora. What happened today should not have happened, but this was your first mission. I’m proud of how you handled it.”

Your heart sank in guilt but you nodded. “Thank you.”

“I do want to keep you as my teammate, but… it’s only getting uglier as the days pass. The higher-ups have stopped caring about the lives lost as long as they get what they want. If you do not want to do this at any point, you let me know, okay? I don’t want to take you to a mission and risk losing you because you didn’t have a clear head.”

“Why can’t you do the same?” You dared to ask and he looked confused. “You could stop going to these missions too. Clearly this has happened before, and you look distraught. You could hang back too, Yunho-”

“I can’t-”

“I’m sure there are other teams that could go-”

“I really can’t,” Yunho locked eyes with you and you paused.

He can’t?

“Why?” You asked and when he remained silent, you knew then.

You knew that he was bound. Just like you, or maybe worse. You were bound to the Crescents and even though they had good intentions, they had promised you hell if you backed off anytime during your stay here. But what was holding Yunho back?

“Then don’t bury it in,” you countered. “I don’t want to go on another mission with you if you don't have a clear head.”

“Look at you ordering me around, Aurora.”

You matched his glare and he ended up looking down, his smile widening. You shared a chuckle as well. “I’m just looking out for myself, Sir.”

“There you go,” he scoffed in amusement. You stared at him for a few moments before you got up and started clearing the table, coming back to pick the cans but Yunho caught your wrist, folding your sleeve up to examine your scar that was still healing from all the scratching you had done before Yunho had bandaged it for you two days ago.

“This better be healed by the end of the week,” he muttered, tracing the skin near the scar from the elbow all the way down.

“This will heal on its own,” you said. “But how do we heal the scars of our heart, Yunho?”

“I wouldn’t know that,” he barely whispered and it was the most broken you had heard him, or anyone, sound. Your heart ached deeply and with your free, now trembling hand, you touched the side of his face lightly as if to tell him that you didn’t either. That you understood it all too well. He kept staring up at you, his grip on your wrist loosening and you brought that hand up as well as you held his face, taking your time as you caressed the strands of his hair away from his face. You were positive your loud heart could be heard for miles but you didn’t care, not at that moment.

When you were done shifting some of his hair away from his forehead, you leaned down and kissed his forehead, the first time you had kissed someone in years, the first kiss of affection after the tragic event that took your family’s life. Yunho sighed deeply and when you drew back, you rested your forehead on the top of his head for a moment.

“I know something is eating you up and making you do things you do not want to, but,” you drew back, locking eyes with him. “I want you to know that I’m with you, beside you, wherever you go from here. You’re not alone, Yunho. Don’t lose yourself. You can get through this and I’m here for you whenever you need me, understand?”

There was wonder in his eyes. Wonder and an incredible sadness. He nodded slowly and you smiled slightly, patting his cheek before turning away and picking the cans up, going to throw them in the trash can. Yunho got up, straightening his clothes.

“I- I should get back now.”

You raised a brow at the stutter and noticed his flushed cheeks and ears. “Sure. See you tomorrow.”

Yunho nodded, unmoving for a good few moments before he awkwardly turned to go and almost reached the door when he turned again.

“I might be asking too much but can I have a pack of your gummy bears? I feel like I’ll need them tonight.”

The laugh that left you came from somewhere so deeply buried that even Yunho couldn’t help but join, smiling widely at the sound that filled the room. You nodded and brought him a packet, still recovering.

“You can stop now, you know,” he said, embarrassed.

“I just,” you sighed, chuckling again. “It was so out of the blue, it caught me off guard. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t look sorry, Aurora,” he countered and you laughed a bit harder, putting a hand over your mouth as you waved at him to leave already. He thanked you before leaving, saying he wouldn’t want a madman on his team and you went to your room, your laugh fading with each passing moment until it turned into an unknown feeling so overwhelming that you sat down on the floor, burying your head between your arms and crying silent tears.

—-----------------------

Something between you and Yunho had shifted ever since that night.

You were still Mr. Jeong and Miss Han during work hours, and he was still the same strict boss of your team, however, he had a hint of affection in his eyes whenever he looked at you. Maybe it was from the shared experience from that mission. Maybe it was the way you now knew you had secrets that you kept from each other, only allowing the other to know there was, in fact, something. Maybe it was something about that night when you shared a moment of vulnerability.

You didn’t know what exactly it was, but it was messing you up and that was not good. You remind yourself every night that you are a Crescent. You answer to the Captain. You’re on a mission, and your goal is to uncover what’s going on in the Medical Research Department through any means necessary.

Involving yourself with Yunho is only a risk, and yet… you couldn’t help but be selfish. You could justify it as a means to get to Medical Research as much as you wanted, but you knew deep down that there was another factor and you could not dismiss it. It didn’t matter, you supposed, as long as nothing was done about it, but Yunho’s words rang in your ears:

“But I’m human too.”

Those words tangled around you like a spider’s web that you couldn’t shake off. They haunted you at night when you tried to sleep. And they were following you like a shadow right now, on your way to meet Seonghwa in the darkest hour of the night, this time in the Cryptography Department’s cafeteria where you could always come up with the excuse of ‘missing the food’ if someone spotted you.

You sat at the far end of the room, waiting for Seonghwa to come as you opened a pack of gummy bears, already plagued by the memory of Yunho- you seemed to be associating a lot with him these days. Seonghwa entered, silent as a pin and settled across from you.

“I hope you’ve been doing well,” he asked.

“Thriving, really,” you muttered and he raised a brow at that attitude. You cleared your throat.

“All well at home?” You dared to ask.

“Seems so,” he was chewing gum rather loudly. “All well at yours?”

“Seems so.”

“How long till you can get to your goal?”

“If you don’t push some strings, maybe a while,” you thought out loud.

“We don’t have the luxury of time anymore, Aurora.”

You paused. Something had happened. “Then push some strings.”

He glared at you for a few moments before sighing. “Prepare yourself. You’ll be meeting your mentor soon.”

“Got it,” you got up, ready to leave.

“And Aurora?” He called.

“Yeah?”

“Keep your distance from the enemy, will you?”

For a moment, you wanted to scratch at his face and ask him who, exactly, was the enemy here. It was the same in Utopia, the same here- the higher-ups not caring for the lives lost as long as they could get something out of it. And what were they doing to contribute to the war other than add more fuel to the flame? You were starting to question who exactly you were working for. Of course, you were ultimately doing this for Utopia, but you wanted to gut the people who sent you here too. Not the Captain, no- he only trained you. The ones who controlled him, and the ones who controlled them.

The Captain- he only dared to question them once, and you remember seeing him at his lowest then when they took away something precious from him. You didn’t know what- you didn’t need to either. You could see it- everyone could. And it was the same here, with Yunho. He was just a puppet in this horrible, horrible game.

“I am,” you practically spat, knowing he must have spotted you hanging around with Yunho casually. “And you remember who the enemy is, will you?”

With that, you left the department, feeling like you were being choked and when you entered your department you paused-

Was someone following you?

You turned but there wasn’t a soul in sight. You didn’t dismiss it as just a feeling though. You could never be too careful around here.

Someone had seen you come from the Cryptography Department, which meant you were being watched. You scoffed to yourself as you went inside your room and resisted the urge to peek out of your window.

No more meetings with Seonghwa. You were on your own now.

—-------------------------

Things were getting tense at the department, to put it simply.

You were starting to wonder if it was simply because of the information you and Yunho had received that day which was somehow important enough to shift the power balance of the war, or if it was because Yunho had dared to question the higher-ups on their lack of regard for the sacrifices in this war.

You were positive it was the latter- especially with the way Yunho was starting to look so weary. Your seniors were also being harsher on your team, going as far as to cut down on your break hours. Yunho kept looking apologetic which made your suspicions stronger. Nothing seemed to cheer him up anymore.

You were staring at him from across the room, ignoring the pile of documents in front of you as you binged on your usual choice of snack, wondering if you should go ahead and ask just what was going on when a knock sounded and Dr. Choi entered, looking grim.

“Prepare for a group mission- we have to retrieve a person now, so make sure you gear up properly- 2 of you on the field while 3 of you stay back and monitor.”

Yunho looked as confused as the rest and when he got up to ask, Dr. Choi raised her hand. “I just got notified moments ago. Apparently they’re not pleased with what happened on your last mission, though I hardly believe that’s the reason. Just… get it over with and then we’ll speak.”

“Not pleased with what happened on our last mission,” Yunho repeated with a scoff. “All we did was follow orders and stick to protocol.”

You could see the slightest hint of pity in the doctor’s eyes before she sighed. “I know. I’m only obeying orders here too. You’ll be briefed on your way there. You have 20 minutes.”

With that, Dr. Choi exited and Yunho met your eyes. You pursed your lips, shrugging. It seemed like you had no choice. Stuffing the unfinished gummy bears in your pocket, you stood and went to him.

“You and me on the field. Who else are we taking?”

Yunho hesitated for a moment. “I’d rather you stick back as the monitor this time.”

You slumped, bored. “You know I can fight, Sir. Come on, make a decision.”

“I-” he hesitated again and your heart ached as he looked down. You wished you could ask him what the matter was. “I don’t want to see any of you get hurt if things go south.”

“Dr. Choi said two on the field, Yunho, in case you were thinking of going alone this time.”

Yunho raised a brow at the way you called his name and how you knew exactly what he was thinking. He gave in, nodding. “Fine, but you only cover me, okay? No offence.”

“Can’t promise, but okay,” you shrugged and he shook his head, getting up and calling Hani, Jongho and Chris- his most skilled. “You remember the drill, right?”

“Definitely,” Jongho grinned and Yunho seemed to relax a bit after seeing his teammates in better spirits than himself. He set the timer and all of you disappeared in the locker room, getting dressed in the uniform with bulletproof vests underneath. You checked your guns and were about to leave when a knock sounded on the door. You opened it expecting Hani but were surprised to see Yunho instead.

“Done?” He asked and you nodded. “Can I come inside?”

Your heart sank and you gave him some space to enter in the relatively tiny room. Yunho wasted no time, digging into his pocket and producing a bunch of bullets and placing them in your palm. “This could get me fired or worse, but I need you to take these in case things don’t look good. Hide them on yourself.”

You raised a brow, counting them- 5. “This isn’t official,” you said and he nodded. “And what makes you think I won’t snitch right now?”

The way Yunho simply smiled- almost smirked- told you that there was a reason he needed you on his team. “You can go ahead and do that if you want to.”

Something unspoken passed between you two as you stared at each other and you finally hid the bullets in your inside pocket, making him roll his eyes in amusement before he left. For extra measure, you stocked more on the daggers before following him outside.

You learned on your way that one of the doctors from Medical Research had gone missing a few days ago and was reported to have been sighted in the west in a cabin near the enemy lines. You suspected it was the Crescents again, and to confirm your suspicions you spotted Seonghwa on your way out who saluted mockingly when he met your eyes. You had not expected it to be this soon after your previous mission and you wondered if something had truly gone wrong this time.

During the half an hour drive after which you were to travel on foot, Hani set up the radios and Jongho and Chris prepared to defend the rest in case they were attacked. This time, there were no escorts, no military cars, no soldiers- nothing that would alert the enemy. After reaching the end of the road, you and Yunho stepped out and Hani checked your equipment once again.

“If I lose your signal, I’ll assume you’re in trouble and wait exactly 2 minutes before I send one of them to inspect,” Hani said and Yunho nodded in approval. “If you lose our signal, you should proceed with the mission and come back when you’re done- if we’re under attack, you’ll know- I’ll fire a signal. In that case…”

“In that case, we’ll abort the mission,” Yunho said and Hani shook her head.

“Dr. Choi specifically asked us to retrieve the doctor at all costs. You do know what they mean by that, don’t you?”

“I don’t care what she said,” Yunho countered. “I don’t think we can make it back if you all are under attack anyway.”

Hani pursed her lips, looking at you for help. “Knock some sense into him, will you, Aurora?”

You shrugged. “If you’re under attack, I can come and help. You, Sir, can carry on with your mission- or we could switch these roles.”

Yunho sighed in disbelief. “I can’t believe I’m the one being reminded of protocol.”

Hani grinned. “We all have our times, Yunho. Now get your ass on the field, both of you. I’m starting the clock.”

You whistled at the friendly banter. Yunho checked on his weapons one last time before motioning for you to follow him and you took a moment to run your eyes over the expanse- all dead trees and barren ground. If you squinted, you could see the faint silhouette of the marked border between Utopia and Halaland, with armed officials prowling in the area.

“Aurora?”

Home. So near yet so far away.

“You coming?” Yunho asked and you realised you were still staring in the direction of your homeland. You jogged to him, matching his pace when you fell in step with him, peeking at the map in his hands.

“Are you sure you have a clear head right now, Aurora?” Yunho asked.

“Yeah, sure, I was just… admiring the scenery.”

“Admiring the scenery?” Yunho scoffed, craning his neck to see just what about the scenery was so interesting.

“I was wondering,” you changed the topic. “Why send us to the field to retrieve a doctor? Why not the soldiers?”

“Aren’t we all soldiers, fighting for something?” Yunho mused and you narrowed your eyes at him. “Okay, they usually don’t send the soldiers so the other departments don’t get a whiff of what’s going on in Medical Research.”

“What exactly is going on there?” You asked, finding Yunho with a strange, knowing expression on his face. You gulped. “I’m assuming you know if they sent you?”

“I don’t know either,” he sighed deeply. “I just know there is something. I’ve heard it could help with winning the war. Only the higher-ups know. I’m nobody.”

“Well… that certainly sounds suspicious, but then again, there’s always some secret in every department, I suppose,” you let out a short laugh and he agreed. “So they’re afraid the doctor might snitch? Will they even let him live if we manage to get him back?”

“That is… a very good question. We might be taking him to death’s door if we retrieve him,” he clicked disappointingly. “But we don’t know anything, so we can’t assume and make these decisions. I think the Strategy Department, us, we’re trusted enough to retrieve him. We have the skills, and who would we snitch to anyway? Pretty sure they’d know if there was a spy among us.”

You shrugged and Yunho pointed in the distance, spotting a couple of cabins bordering the town. “That’s our destination. You ready?”

You nodded and walked in silence the rest of the way. When you reached the first cabin, you were about to go around the structure to inspect when Yunho grabbed your wrist.

“You’re only covering, remember?”

“That’s not how this works-”

“That’s an order,” he insisted, looking slightly amused that only confused you further and you rolled your eyes, snatching your wrist away with a pout that he chuckled at before taking the lead.

With guns out, you went around the first cabin and then inside, finding no signs of life. The second cabin was just as empty and you were inside it now, watching the third from the window when you spotted movement.

“Uh, Sir?” You called and he turned around. “I’m spotting movement in that cabin.”

Yunho urged you to follow him, asking you to go around and stand by the window so the target couldn’t escape- if it was indeed the target. You signalled your team about the cabin. Yunho motioned at you that he was going inside and you provided cover as he unlocked the door-

“No-”

You turned at the strangle of a voice that left Yunho who ran towards the man- the target- who had just swallowed something you were assuming must be a pill, and before you could help them or react, you spotted someone else in the next room and pointed your gun at them.

“Drop your weapons, right now-”

You paused when recognition flashed across the man’s face and your heart sank dangerously. Before you could signal one or the other, the man moved his aim from you to Yunho and prepared to shoot.

Maybe it was instinct or something else that possessed you to take the bullet for Yunho, you mused, as you wondered why the person you had once called friend and had trained with- spared you. Out of familiarity? Out of regard?

Burning pain overwhelmed every other sense in your body as the bullet lodged into your arm and Yunho was quick to shoot at the man, missing by an inch but probably grazing his leg given how he seethed before hiding. You clenched your eyes shut and opened them, forcing the cloud of pain away. “Save the target, I got him-”

“No, you’re hurt-”

“I said, save the target.”

Yunho frowned at your tone and you didn’t give him another option as you loaded your gun and started for the room the man had hid himself in- he was at a dead end- this room had no window or other means of exit. You spotted him standing in the corner, gun aimed at you.

“It’s been years-”

You shot at his leg before he could speak further, earning a howl from him. One glance at Yunho to confirm that you got this, you moved towards the man and pressed the muzzle against his forehead.

“What are you doing here? What did you do to the doctor?”

“I was saving him,” he spat on your boot and you clenched your jaw. “You know that.”

You glanced behind and got closer. “Did the Captain send you?”

The man scoffed. “And what if he did? Why are you here?”

“He got me here, in case you forgot,” you seethed. “And he got you in this mess. Remember that.”

“What are you gonna do, huh? Kill your old-”

You heard the familiar footsteps of Yunho and with your eyes closed shut as if that could undo everything you were about to do, you shot your old friend, his body going limp and falling with a thud against the wall. You finally opened your eyes, bending down to shut his eyes with trembling hands.

The footsteps grew closer and you felt a pair of hands on your shoulders. You didn’t care at that moment. You turned to him and said, “Call the team, please. I’ll stay here.”

Yunho nodded, giving you space and leaving the room. With glazed eyes, you placed a hand on your old friend’s cheek, noticing a silver glint around his neck and you dug out what was a necklace with his code name carved on it- KB. You smiled at that, recalling when he had showed you the necklace a few years ago, very proud of it. You searched his pockets but found nothing significant so you just slumped next to him, ignoring the pain in your arm until Yunho came again, having alerted the team.

With his dagger, he cut a piece of his shirt and tied it around your arm where you were still bleeding out. You only stared into the distance, your ears ringing with the sound of the gunshots. When he was done, he patted your arm again.

“Come on, they’re here.”

With a deep sigh, you got up and exited the room, noticing the doctor with foam around his mouth. “Cyanide pill?”

“Seems so,” he said. “I’ll tell you the details later, okay? You should get treated first.”

“Just tell me this was not a waste,” you turned to him, lips quivering. “Tell me all of this was not a waste.”

Pain flashed across his eyes but he nodded. “It was not, trust me. I cannot tell you right now,” he glanced behind him at his team approaching them and you understood. “But I have something. And it’s not for the higher-ups to hear. You understand?”

Somehow, the cloud of pain cleared then. You understood. You looked back at the doctor. “Mind if I check something?”

“Go ahead,” he said and you checked his neck for something similar to a chain. Yunho coughed and you looked at him- he patted his pocket in answer. You nodded and proceeded to check the room, taking anything you thought would prove significant while Jongho and Chris packed the bodies and loaded them in the car- protocol. Proof that you were not lying, though you were pretty sure one of them directly answered the higher-ups and it was not Yunho, which meant-

You almost ran outside and looked into the distance, running your eyes across the expanse and it was then you spotted the tiniest movement in the cabin in front of you.

Eyes. They had eyes and ears everywhere. Both the Crescents and Halaland’s own spies. The question though, was…

Just who had watched everything that had just happened?

—------------------------

You had a few scenarios of how you could get into the Medical Department- either infiltrate with your ‘spy skills’ and risk getting caught, or have Seonghwa pull some strings so you could go for something like an ‘inspection’, or the personal favourite- attack.

However, you never thought you’d get access simply because you got shot during a mission.

It was surprising because every department did have their own little emergency room with the basic first aid stuff. It was probably because you had to report, and what place better to report the death of the doctor than the very department he worked in?

“Let her get treated first,” Yunho insisted, “And then we’ll report.”

“We don’t have time to spare, Mr… Jeong, is it?” The middle-aged man with an arrogant look that had to be his staple shrugged. “Besides, it looks like a simple gunshot wound.”

You could feel that Yunho was mentally and physically reaching his limit as he tried to reason with who you recognised was the supervisor of the Medical Research Department- both the restricted and the secret one, the restricted being his cover for the public. You cleared your throat, wanting to get this over with. “I think we can report first- I can hold on for a while-”

“No,” Yunho said with a tone of finality and glared at you first before glaring at the supervisor. “My partner will be treated first and foremost. You, of all people, Dr. Kim, should understand that.”

Dr. Kim groaned before ordering the staff to escort you to the treatment room. You got stitched up after being administered painkillers and you had to stuff a few gummy bears in your mouth for the instant sugar rush or else you were positive you would have fainted. You were just being administered another IV when you heard a very familiar voice.

“I got this from here, thank you.”

You watched the nurses leave and a familiar blonde come closer, checking on your IV. You almost gasped and he stifled his smile as he checked your vitals.

“Not how I expected to see you but oh well,” he whispered and you grinned.

“Not how I planned to get here either,” you said. “It’s so good to see you, Yeosang.”

“Likewise, Aurora,” he smiled before glancing around. “Tell me what happened.”

You briefed him as quickly as you could, handing him the necklace that belonged to KB. He nodded grimly and when you told him about spotting someone who must have been watching you, he nodded in confirmation.

“It’s been a while since Yunho fell out of their good graces. I bet they’re making sure he doesn’t make more mistakes.”

“What did he do?” You asked.

“He tried digging into the secrets of the Research Department after the Utopians were expelled from this centre,” he revealed and you were genuinely impressed and confused. “He had many Utopian friends and some of them disappeared without a trace.”

“Are they messing him up on purpose?” You dared to ask. “First the attack on our previous mission, and now this…”

“That’s not how they mess you up,” Yeosang tsk-ed. “That’s just misfortune. Anyways, your report better match Yunho’s or you’ll be the one who might become their target. And Aurora?”

“Yeah?”

“Stay safe. Remember your motive. Don’t trust the enemy. And… we don’t have much time. You barely have a week before we sign Utopia for a loss it will never recover from.”

Your heart sank yet again and you nodded furiously, understanding the gravity of the situation now that you heard it from someone who worked in the secret lab himself. He was about to leave when you called him and mouthed ‘stay safe’.

Thankfully, Yunho gave his report in front of your team and all you had to do was follow up with your story, omitting the part where you knew the identity of the man you killed. After signing a few documents, you were allowed to leave and Yunho said he had someone to meet, asking Hani to make sure you go right to your room and rest.

Hani did just that, going as far as to help you take off your clothes so you could wash up while she cooked you some ramen, commenting on the lack of your healthy food choices. You smiled- she was such a mother not just to you but to everyone in your team. She did leave when dinner was ready and you had time to sort your thoughts out, enough time to recall what happened today.

You took a bullet for the enemy.

Could you call Yunho ‘the enemy’? Yunho, the person who cared with all his heart, the person who did serve the enemy, the one who would have taken a bullet for you too just because that is who he was. And Yeosang’s revelations had only confused you further about him- you should have just asked him if Yunho was the enemy.

But perhaps, he was just as confused as you were. Yunho had dared to dig into something so big. What stopped him? You understood that he was brilliant and after losing so many skilled Utopians, they couldn’t afford losing their own. But… what, exactly, made him stop? What did they have over him that was eating him alive because he could do nothing about it? The fact that these unsuccessful missions were simply misfortune (though one was staged) meant that they had something else over Yunho.

What could it be? A secret? Blackmail? Family?

You shut your eyes as you tried recalling his file that you had memorised, just like every other file on the employees of this department-

A knock sounded and you opened your eyes, wondering if your ears were still ringing. But when another knock sounded, this time louder, you got up and hesitantly opened the door-

To reveal Yunho.

“You look like a mess… Sir,” you scanned him- messy hair, buttons undone, uniform torn from where he had cut it earlier for you, smudges of dirt and possibly blood on his exposed skin. “What brings you here?”

“Just wanted to make sure Hani didn’t kill you on her way here,” he scoffed. “Can I… come in?”

You nodded and he stepped in, awkwardly glancing around and you urged him to take a seat. You offered him dinner but he refused and you wondered if you could insist but handed him a chocolate bar instead and he accepted it, asking you just what happened during the mission.

“I found these,” you put your hand under the sofa and extracted a few pages. “Not sure what they mean but they might make sense to you.”

Yunho finished eating and examined the papers. “Medical terms I’m not quite familiar with. What do you reckon they say?”

“I don’t know, all these terms seem foreign to me,” you admitted- it wasn’t the entire truth. “You have someone who could translate it for us?”

“I’ll think about it. Shall I take these then?”

“Go ahead,” you said and he folded them neatly before putting them in his pocket. “Did the doctor say something before he… died?”

Yunho sighed deeply, rubbing his face. “I asked him why he gave up on his life at the sight of me. It’s my uniform- he recognised it. He only said that he did not want to go back and that he would prefer death.”

“‘Prefer death’,” you repeated. “That’s… something must have happened?”

“Yeah, I don’t know anymore,” Yunho slumped back. “I’m not sure I can investigate either.”

“Why?” You dared ask.

Yunho looked at you. “Do you have something to lose, Aurora?” You shook your head and he smiled. “Then you are very lucky.”

“What will you lose?” Your voice was almost a whisper and he looked down.

“Four years ago when we declared war on Utopia,” he began, “I lost a lot of friends. Some moved. Some went missing. When I tried tracing them, I always found myself at the Medical Research Department. I asked myself- why would someone missing be there when they didn’t have any relationship with the Medical Department whatsoever?”

“Oh, goodness,” you sighed and he nodded.

“I still don’t know why exactly- what exactly is going down there. I don’t know who to trust. When they realised I was digging in, they drafted my brother into the army so they could hold that over me. And after the previous mission, they threatened to place him within the enemy lines, where the war and the bloodshed is the thickest. I suppose they’ll do that now.”

“That’s… inhumane,” you breathed. No matter if Yunho was the enemy, that was still inhumane- to hold family against you. “They’re controlling you.”

“They’re controlling everyone here,” Yunho scoffed. “You cannot trust anyone.”

You raised a brow and he looked at you as if having realised just what he said. He locked eyes with you until you asked the inevitable.

“Do you trust me?”

“I don’t know, Aurora,” his voice was low and he shifted towards you. “You clearly have secrets you keep to yourself. I don’t know why I’m here- maybe I’ve doomed myself tonight.”

His eyes were expectant and they tugged at your heart with their warmth and vulnerability and… trust. Trust without knowing who exactly you were.

And you realised how deeply done you were for him when you found yourself saying, “I trust you. With all of my heart.”

Yunho blinked as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Stomach in knots, you leaned forward a bit as you locked eyes with him. “I trust your judgement. I trust your motives, and I wish I could share your burden because I do not like to see you like this. I wish I could be your strength… if you’d allow me to. And I have nothing to lose anyway. I could do this for you-”

Perhaps you had signed yourself for your doom, you wondered, as Yunho grabbed you by the wrist and pulled you, bringing you in for a kiss so urgent as if you were on stolen time. Stomach in pleasurable knots, you leaned forward into the kiss, running your hands through his hair and pushing them away as you kissed him better, tasting the longing and pain in the way his hands cupped your face so delicately, in the way they later traced the outlines of your body-

And made you hiss in pain when they accidentally touched the bandaged spot on your arm. Yunho immediately drew back with concern on his face and you laughed a little when he examined it.

“I’m okay, just… it took me more by surprise, I guess.”

Yunho licked his lips, eyes falling to yours as he caught his breath. He forced himself to look at you. “You shouldn’t have taken the bullet for me, Aurora. Do you know how much it pains me?”

“I know you would have done the same,” you said and he looked away as if he did not want to believe that. “I’m fine. I know what I was doing.”

“I’m sorry-”

“No,” you cupped his face this time, caressing it lovingly- you couldn’t bear the look in his eyes. “I would do that for you again,” you pecked his lips. “And again,” you kissed his cheek, trailing your lips up the side to plant another kiss on his temple. “And again,” you joined your forehead with his, his large hands going to hold your waist, making you feel so very safe as he buried his face in the crook of your neck, out of breath. You let him have his moment, caressing his head.

“What are we going to do, Aurora?”

“We’ll figure it out,” you kissed his head and he looked up at you. “I’ll make sure those bastards pay for what they did to you, you hear me? That’s a promise, Yunho. And I keep my promises.”

You sealed that promise with a kiss, so slow and sensual this time that it had you both wanting more. You unbuttoned Yunho’s uniform and tossed it on the floor, leaving him in a half-sleeve fitted shirt- oh, how beautiful he was. You traced his shoulders down to his arms and he snaked his hands up your waist, the sensation of his cold hands over your bare skin making you squirm a little which made him laugh, and then he was pulling you in for another kiss, this time as heated as it could be, tongues colliding and bodies rocking against each other in a rhythm that made you one.

You kissed each other for the longest time, affirmations and promises exchanged and then you lay in his arms, tired. You traced the multiple scars on his bare upper body, limbs tangled and breaths mingling as he fell asleep and you stifled in your tears, because-

Because this was love, in its pure and raw form. It took you so long to get here but you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, with anyone else. You wondered if all that happened was so that you could be right here, in this moment, feeling so complete-

But still, with the guilt of the lies you had said, with the secrets you kept. He was going to find out, and he would hate you, perhaps with all of his heart. But…

You’d keep your promise.

You were going to make Halaland pay for not only what they did to your homeland but what they did to their own. How they broke their own.

You chanted it to yourself along with the beat of Yunho’s heart.

—-------------------

Yunho was right about his brother being drafted to the enemy lines this time. He hated that he was right, but he could do nothing about it-

Or so he thought, because something had indefinitely snapped inside of you. Your hatred for Halaland was not only because of the fact that they took away your home and family, but because they took away the families of the ones who laid their lives for the cause. What for, you wondered? Halaland couldn’t even protect its own. So now, you were hell-bent on doing something about it.

Each day, you pretended to be serving Halaland with utmost sincerity, urging Yunho to put on the same act. He tried his best and you prayed that it would mislead the superiors and whoever was watching. Every other night, you and Yunho gathered in either of your rooms to discuss whatever you found during the day- stealing from the database (Yunho was quite skilled) or picking information spontaneously (your forte). You’d match your findings but-

Whatever was going on in Medical Research was very, very serious if it was kept this confidential. You always found yourselves at a dead end- anyone you could contact was either still an employee or wiped off the map without a trace.

So each night, you held Yunho in your arms and assured him that you would make it right for him. You caressed his face and kissed his head in promise, and each night he would ask you why you were doing this for him, just like he asked you tonight.

“Call me ungrateful but I don’t understand why you’re doing this for me, Aurora,” he was tracing the outlines of your face with one finger while you rested in his lap with a thick bundle of files you had been going through since the evening- the information of all the Utopian employees in the Medical Department. “I’d really like to know what the other reason is. You can’t simply be doing this for me.”

“What do you think it is?” You asked absently, reading the data of the person Yunho had pointed out earlier- Song Mingi. One of his oldest friends here who used to oversee some business in Medical Research before he went missing without a trace. The one, Yunho had told you, who made him embark on this journey.

“I don’t know,” Yunho’s arm was a comfortable weight around you and his lips on the bare skin of your neck were welcome. “I’m not sure I want to find out.”

“You’re pretty insistent for someone who doesn’t want to find out,” you mumbled, frowning as you read Song’s supervisor’s name- Dr. Kim- the same doctor who took your reports in your previous missions. “Is it strange that every missing person is somehow connected to Dr. Kim of Research?”

Yunho stopped nuzzling into your neck to look at you and think. “He is the supervisor.”

“That file over there,” you pointed at a file on the floor. “It said that Dr. Kim became the supervisor after every Utopian was expelled. A promotion at such a sensitive time is rather strange, don’t you think, given how ‘saddened’ you all must have been having lost a valuable ally in the war.”

Yunho shifted under you, making you face him, limbs still tangled. “You’re saying the feud must have begun due to something that happened in Medical Research, right?”

“It’s a possibility we should consider,” you planted the seed, knowing very well that it was a fact. “The timing of it all is strange. Do you think we can have someone confirm this fact? Or at least give us a hint?”

“I could ask Dr. Kang, but I’m not sure where his loyalty stands now,” he faltered.

“I mean… if they still haven’t erased him off the map, probably with Halaland?” You said and Yunho chuckled.

“Not that part. We’re all answering to someone. I don’t know if he’s answering to the right person.”

“I think we can trust him,” you offered. “When he trained me, he always insisted I put my ‘moral values’ before any order, no matter who it came from. It always stuck with me.”

“I can see that,” Yunho smiled, caressing the nape of your neck. “It’s probably why I’m here too. You don’t give a shit about rules, do you?”

You shrugged and smiled when he looked a little proud. “I could say the same for you. Do you know how dangerous it is to dig into information again? Haven’t you learned anything from the last time you did it?”

“I can’t let you carry this burden alone, can I?” He asked and you pouted because you’ve had this conversation with him just about a dozen times and he always insisted he do the dirty work and risk getting caught even when he was the one who had something to lose now. Yunho pecked at your pouted lips. “I want you to come with me when I meet Dr. Kang. He could be of help, and if he’s not…”

“If he’s not, all you have to do is say the word and he won’t breathe any part of it to anyone else,” you promised, heart dipping with the lie and he chuckled at your confidence before he kissed you.

His kisses, you were finding, could be soft like feathers when he wanted them to be. And right now, that was it. And these moments always put some hesitancy when you tried returning the sentiments because with each night you spent together like this, you were certain you could never bear being apart from him, never bear if he ever looked at you with hatred in his eyes- when he would eventually find out the truth.

Yunho’s hand cupped your face and tilted it, his hold tighter near your neck. You kissed back, but-

“Why do I always feel like something is holding you back when you’re with me, Aurora?”

You bit your lips as you drew away, finding it incredibly hard to open your eyes and face him but you did.

“The only reason I hold back,” you told him, shifting in his lap so you could face him, “is because I am so, so afraid of losing you, Yunho. I’m so afraid that you’ll hate me one day.”

“I could never hate you,” his grip on your waist tightened and you looked down, not wanting him to see how vulnerable you were right now. If he pushed the right button, you would spill everything-

“Look at me, Aurora.”

You did and you couldn’t take the look in his eyes- you physically couldn’t, not when you wanted to tell him so much and risk wasting everything you’d built so far, so you kissed his lips with an urgency that told him to shut up for now and just kiss you back and make you feel good, and oh, did he return the sentiment.

“Don’t look at me like that again if you don’t want me to break,” you whispered in his ear.

“What about me, huh?” He stifled a pleasured groan when you rolled your hips on his lap. “Do you want to watch me break?”

You drew away and smiled and Yunho thought it was the most sadistic smile he had ever seen on anyone and it turned him on so bad. He picked you up effortlessly as he stood, making you scream a little and wrap your arms around his neck so you wouldn’t fall, laughing into his shoulder as he placed you on the table, hands on your thighs spreading them apart so he could fit between them as he looked down at you.

“You’re gonna be the death of me,” he said and then he was bringing you flush to his body and kissing you, rolling his hips along yours as you wrapped your legs around him. He wasted no time turning the kiss as heated and frantic as the movements of your body, his hands in your hair and one still on your thigh, thumb playing with the waistband of your shorts. You were lazily running your hands along his upper body and it was driving him crazy-

“Isn’t it about time we take it to bed?” You offered, looking at the clock. “It’s way past your bedtime, Yunho.”

He didn’t miss the suggestive glance and with another sensual kiss where he pulled at your lip, sending butterflies in your stomach, he let his fingers graze dangerously close to the skin between your thighs.

“Not before I have a taste of you right here.”

You shut your eyes in pleasure as warmth coursed through you at those words and you became lost in the bliss as he started trailing his lips down your body.

Taking it to bed could definitely wait.

—-----------------------

It took you both a few days to perfect the plan to meet Dr. Kang, and you were now wondering if Yunho was turning into you as he started setting the stage so the act could play out effortlessly, so that someone would come and tell him to go to Medical Research for some dealings or strategic planning. And you wondered why Yunho hadn’t done it earlier- he was so good at it that you were a little scared and had started to wonder if he wasn’t who he pretended to be.

Yunho laughed when you asked him that during your break when you two were alone in the cafeteria. “I obviously needed a partner, right?”

You shrugged, not buying it. “You’re doing just fine by yourself. I haven’t done anything.”

“You, Aurora, pointed me in the right direction,” he told you and you looked at him. “I’m simply preparing a ride so we can go there.”

And the ride was arranged in the matter of a few days when Dr. Choi herself assigned you and Yunho, the most skilled strategists in the department, to help sketch plans for the future course of the war and Halaland’s stance. Yunho asked Dr. Choi why they were doing the planning in the Medical Department- was it to plan the placement of medical camps? Dr. Choi answered that she believed so, but even she sounded unconvinced. So, together with Yunho, you were finally going to the Medical Research Department officially.

What you hadn’t expected was to be escorted to a storage room at the end of the Medical Research section and to be confronted by the same Dr. Kim who was pretty much in your blacklist now.

“Your seniors swear you’re the smartest of the bunch so I’m going to trust them and have you sign this non-disclosure agreement,” he began, keeping it simple. You and Yunho met eyes in confusion. “I’ll tell you the details after you have signed.”

When Yunho didn’t move, Dr. Kim scoffed. “Your old friend Kang swears you’re the best strategists, both of you, so I took his word for it. Want me to call him?”

“No, I think we’re good,” Yunho said. “I just need to look at the clauses before I sign. Can I have a moment?”

“Sure,” Dr. Kim relaxed back in his seat and Yunho tapped at your arm in question. You nodded- if Yeosang had really been the one who pulled the strings, you weren’t going to complain. In fact, even if he wasn’t, this was your chance to see just what was cooking here. Yunho seemed to understand that and you both read through the terms and signed.

“Very well,” Dr. Kim got up, taking the documents. “You’re being led to Level 0 of Medical Research- the lab only the selected few know about.”

Your heart sank in nervousness- this was it. Dr. Kim led you to the stairs and continued. “We’ve recently made a breakthrough and we think it’s about time that we get some input from the strategists. The war could end within days now, do you understand?”

Yunho looked as surprised as you had expected. Dr. Kim unlocked the door and immediately, you were hit with the stench of strong chemicals and cleaning alcohol. Dr. Kim asked you two to wait while he went inside a lab and you turned to Yunho.

“Listen to me- no matter what you see today, you do not react, understand?” You said, realising fully well that you were risking your identity. “Even if you see a familiar face or something inhumane, you play along and make the decisions they would like to hear. You cannot play the hero right now, okay?”

Yunho looked genuinely confused now but he understood that there was a high chance something immoral was going on here. “I’ll try.”

“You will, for your brother,” you whispered. “And I will too. For you.”

He squeezed your hand in assurance and before he could say anything else, Dr. Kim was back. “Follow me.”

—--------------------------

You two had just gotten back to your room from Level 0 of Medical Research, and you were staring at the walls as you tried to make sense of the horrors you had seen.

You were pretty sure it was as much of a blur to Yunho as it was for you- if you tried replaying it in your head, you recalled going inside and Dr. Kim explaining the background of how they got here, but then he led you inside and showed you-

A human experiment.

A man not much older than you, tied to the bed with steel chains as if he could break them apart. What was more surprising was that Dr. Kim confirmed he very well could. He was in a confined space and you watched through the glass.

“This seems to be our first successful prototype. Since a decade, we have been playing with the idea of a specialised human army- better strength, better skills. Quicker reflexes and better impulses. Utopia was our ally back then, and we usually discussed it as a fantasy until one of our doctors made a breakthrough in his research and created a drug he thought could do something similar.”

“So Utopia is doing the same as us?” You had asked casually, putting a hand on Yunho’s back and caressing once to assure him you were playing along.

“The whole reason Utopia and Halaland fell apart was disagreement on this- they have better morals, I’ll give them that,” Dr. Kim chuckled loudly and Yunho seemed visibly uncomfortable but passed a weak smile. “They changed sides. We continued to test our drugs, but we fell back- most of our skilled doctors had been Utopian. We lost many, hence the slow progress.”

“But now- you seem to have succeeded?” Yunho said.

“We’ve almost finished the testing period with this one,” he motioned at the man who seemed to be sleeping right now, looking very normal. “If the trial is successful, we’ll use the drug for others.”

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Yunho cleared his throat. “Where or who exactly are the others?”

Everything after that was a blur- Dr. Kim had revealed that there were only a few volunteers for this programme right now but they had a few Utopian employees and soldiers they had detained over the past few years. He had asked for strategic advice and you had set the trap for him- if, in case you lost the mission to expose them and they went ahead with their human army, you wanted them at the western front first- you knew Utopia would have something up their sleeve too- but Utopia would never stoop so low.

Yunho had done his best to play along. You two spent a few hours in that department, even met Dr. Kang who Dr. Kim claimed was one of the researchers for this programme and when you finally got to leave, Yunho followed you to your room.

You turned to him, still not believing what you had seen. “Is this real?”

“I don’t know anymore,” Yunho took a deep breath, hiding his face in his hands. “I’m surprised I didn’t throw up at Dr. Kim’s feet.”

“Glad you didn’t,” you muttered. “What are we going to do, Yunho?”

“I honestly don’t know anymore, Aurora. I now know why my brother is fighting at the enemy lines- so I have no choice but to participate in this… massacre. Massacre of lives is what this is, Aurora. It disgusts me how they’re handling humans there- aren’t they humans themselves?”

“They’re not,” you almost whispered.

“I don’t know how many unfortunate souls have been wasted because the trial failed. That drug is basically a human-control drug. It could cause so much destruction in the war. What’s the point of winning now, though?” He scoffed, shaking his head. “I understand now, why the doctor we went to retrieve didn’t want to go back- death is a better option than becoming a human lab rat.”

“Can’t we expose them?” You wondered out loud. “I don’t know- even to the enemy?” You looked at Yunho but the guarded look in his eyes- he had to think of his brother too. “I could do that, Yunho. I have nothing to lose- you can play along while I expose them and end this inhumanity-”

“You won’t do it alone,” Yunho shook his head furiously. “I won’t let you do it alone.”

“You have your brother, Yunho-”

“And you,” he turned to you and you almost cried, overwhelmed. “I can’t risk losing you too.”

“And I can’t risk losing you, either, please,” you joined your hands and rested your forehead against them. “Please let me do it alone.”

“What are you not telling me, Aurora?”

You looked at him, finding a knowing look in his eyes. You shook your head and he sighed. “You still can’t tell me?”

“Not yet,” you finally muttered and he nodded, planting a kiss on your forehead and you let the tears fall, realising this might be the last moment Yunho would look at you with such love.

“Why do you cry, love?”

You only hid your face in his lap and he held you as you cried silent tears, caressing your head through it all. When you stopped, he made you look at him as he wiped your face.

“I don’t know why you don’t believe me, I don’t know what you’ve done or at this point, who you are, but I know you’re not as bad as you make yourself to be,” he had the gentlest smile on his face as he ran a thumb over your lips, locking eyes with you. “And I could never hate you, because you’ve saved me so many times now. You don’t even know how.”

“I’m sorry,” you almost whispered and he shook his head, leaning in to kiss you deeply and you responded eagerly. When he broke back, he joined his forehead with yours.

“No matter where we go from here, I love you, Aurora. That’s the reason why I won’t let you do this alone, and I would hate it if you put yourself in a situation where you get hurt and I lose you forever, do you understand?”

You smiled at that, wrapping your arms around his neck and hugging him good and tight. “And I love you, Yunho. That is why I’ll still insist that I have to do it alone- because I can’t bear to lose more people.”

“This argument will never end at this rate,” Yunho laughed as he rocked you back and forth. You drew back, pushing his hair away.”

“I know one way it will,” you suggested and he immediately understood, attacking you with an urgent kiss, making you arch into it and soon, he was on top of you on the couch, taking off layer after layer of your clothes, of the mask you wore around him, until you were bare. Until you wished he would call your real name when he kissed every inch of your body and murmured sweet nothings. Until you broke in every way possible, wondering how you could ever recover from this.

You had to do this alone.

—---------------------------

“You’re always alone. And you always will be.”

When the Captain had said those words, you had wanted to tell him he was wrong. Yes, that was the loneliest period of your life, but even then you had a few people who were with you. You had simply nodded and let him believe his words were wrapping around your heart.

However, now that Yunho held Kang Yeosang at gunpoint and looked at you with absolute hatred in his eyes, you couldn’t help but think back to that moment. You could practically feel the Captain’s hands on your shoulders as he whispered it in your ears-

“You’re always alone. And you always will be.”

Before you knew it, you were pointing a gun at Yunho’s head too and Yeosang stopped struggling in his grasp as he looked at you in surprise.

“We don’t have to do this, Yunho,” you said and even though your tone was harsh, your voice still quivered a bit.

“We really don’t, Aurora,” he said, tightening his hold on Yeosang. “I don’t know who you are anymore or why you’re doing this, but I can’t let you take these people.”

Everything had gone horribly wrong tonight. Seonghwa had provided you with the big plan- a distraction that would give you and him enough time to vacate Level 0 with the people trapped in there. Yeosang and Dr. Seo Yuna- a Halaland native who strongly opposed the idea of human experiments- were on duty tonight so all they had to do was sneak you in and show you the emergency exit. It led to a restricted parking area where Seonghwa would be waiting with an ambulance-

An ambulance because the Medical Department would be set on fire tonight. Dr. Kang and Dr. Seo were trained just like the other doctors in Level 0 on the evacuation process in case of an emergency. What the higher-ups wouldn’t expect would be everyone in Level 0 disappearing without a trace. Level 0 and all its data would turn to ashes tonight.

The plan was seamless, however, Yunho’s presence was something you didn’t expect and it caught you off guard when he arrived at the basement. He spotted you transferring his old friend, Song Mingi, on a stretcher and ran towards him, making you freeze momentarily as he examined his state.

“What happened?” Yunho asked you.

“Do you… recognise him?” You were going to play dumb for as long as you could.

“That’s Mingi- my old friend,” he sounded broken as he brushed the hair off Mingi’s face, finding him all ragged and pale. “What are you doing here, Aurora?”

You glanced around- Dr. Kang and Dr. Seo were not present. You turned to Yunho. “You can’t be here- I was assigned to help evacuate the members of Level 0 because of the fire. Nobody assigned you, as far as I know.”

“And who assigned you?” His gaze was hard and you bit your lips, about to make up an answer when you heard footsteps behind you and saw Yeosang appear from the tunnel, look at you both and take out his gun to point at Yunho, who scoffed in disbelief.

“I’m going to have to ask you to leave- you cannot be here,” Yeosang drew closer and for the first time, you couldn’t make a quick decision, only glanced back and forth like a confused child.

“Why is my presence such a big problem here?” Yunho straightened, gazing at both of his friends long and hard. “I’m authorised with access here, just like Aurora, am I not?”

Yeosang glanced at you and your reflexes kicked in- you knew that look. He was going to shoot Yunho. When his hand shifted on the trigger, you immediately grabbed a tray and threw it at Yeosang, making Yunho duck as he shot. Yeosang gaped at you and you ran towards him but he pointed his gun at you, making you raise your hands.

“Please, Yeosang, not him,” you begged. “He can help- just listen to me-”

“The Captain only allowed you to save his brother,” he whispered. “He said nothing about Yunho.”

You were about to protest when Yunho pushed you to the side- you didn’t even hear him coming this time. He was on Yeosang in a second, startling him and wrestling him until he was in his grasp and Yunho had him at gunpoint.

And so here you stood, pointing your gun at him. You caught your breath and shut your eyes when the tears started to sting. When you opened them, you spoke. “You have two choices, Yunho. You can either let me go and meet your brother at the same cabin the doctor died that day, or you can kill me right now and lose everything you love.”

“I’ve already lost everything I love,” his voice was strangled and you shook your head in denial.

“You can save your brother,” you pleaded. “Please.”

“Where are you taking them?” He asked.

“I can’t tell you that,” you shook your head, knowing what it would cost you if you told Yunho everything right now- not only your life but Yunho’s as well.

“Is this who you are, Aurora?” Yunho scoffed. “A true Halaland loyal?”

You didn’t respond though his words felt like a stab. “You have 10 seconds to make a decision.”

The sound of those seconds being ticked off echoed within all of you and at the 9th second when you were about to pull the trigger, Yunho let go of Yeosang and you exhaled in relief, but it died down when his eyes met yours, full of betrayal. Hatred. Confusion. And so, so much anger.

“It’s funny, now that I think about it,” Yunho pushed his hair back. “All those times we interacted. Your sole purpose was to use me to get here, wasn’t it?”

This time, the tears did leave your eyes. Yeosang shook his head and asked Yunho to exit the premises and go through the emergency exit unnoticed if he wanted to save his brother. Yunho passed you a sad smile before he left and you sank down to your knees, fisting the ends of your shirt and screaming your heart out. Yeosang patted your back once before muttering that you had already lost precious time.

You helped transport the members in a daze. When you set fire to the lab, you didn’t feel one ounce of regret. You told yourself you would set a similar fire some day and burn your feelings for Yunho as well.

But tonight? Tonight you would let them consume you and drive you mad. Only tonight.

So when you spotted the Captain in an abandoned building that you were going to use until you could go back to Utopia, the cracks of dawn illuminating the ruins, you didn’t bow like you would have. You ran to him instead and hit his chest with your fists repeatedly, crying and screaming, not caring who witnessed the moment. The Captain made no move to stop you, raising a hand to stop Seonghwa instead who was pulling out his gun. He let you have your moment until you were tired and rested your head against his shoulder, crying your heart out.

“Who broke you, Aurora? Who melted that ice-cold heart of yours?”

“I hate you for doing this to me,” you cried and he tsk-ed. “I won’t forgive you.”

“I told you, Aurora,” he held you by your shoulders and you looked at him- hair styled an odd way- half bleached and half natural. It made him look fiercer than ever. “I told you that you will always be alone in this field. It is your weakness that led you here. You can blame me all you want, but it’s on you.”

“Just tell me it’s over,” you said, feeling drained. “Tell me my job is done.”

“It is,” he nodded. “When we go back to Utopia… you’re a free bird if you choose to be.”

You looked beside you at Seonghwa and Yeosang, shaking your head. “I’m going to head inside first then.”

—----------------------

Yunho didn’t know what he was expecting when he broke into the cabin, but his brother laughing with someone else looking unscathed and free just wasn’t it.

He frowned in confusion. “Gunho?”

Gunho gasped audibly before rushing to hug his brother and Yunho almost cried in relief. Gunho looked at him. “You’re finally here!”

“Were you waiting for me?” Yunho scanned him, making sure he was okay.

“Of course I was,” he patted his arm, drawing back. “Wooyoung here was kind enough to get me- he won’t tell me who he is but apparently he holds the authority to discharge me from the army. I’m free now.”

“No way,” Yunho breathed, looking gratefully at Wooyoung who shook his head.

“I was simply doing my job.”

“Who assigned you?” Yunho dared to ask.

“I think you know that already,” Wooyoung winked, getting up and straightening his army uniform. “I’ll be taking my leave now. My last message for you is ‘don’t go back’. Oh, and I have something else-”

Wooyoung dug in his pocket and produced four bullets, placing them in Yunho’s extended palm. Yunho recognised the bullets- the one he’d given Aurora, but-

“There should be one more?”

“She kept one,” Wooyoung smiled knowingly.

Yunho sighed deeply. “Tell me where to find her- or someone who can give me answers.

Wooyoung considered for a moment- he had seen the way Aurora had nearly broken when she begged him to save someone she knew nothing about except the name. And the fact that this person was here and still looked sceptical…

Wooyoung took out a piece of paper and pencil and scribbled an address. “Seven days from now, you can find us here. I don’t know if Aurora will still be there by that time.”

“What do you mean?” Yunho asked.

“We’re going back home, Yunho,” Wooyoung smiled. “The war is ending soon. There will be no victory, simply a treaty.”

“Home?” Yunho couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Wooyoung simply saluted mockingly before exiting the cabin.

—---------------------

The past week, Yunho had replayed every moment since Aurora came into his life. Every single time he had seen her, had interacted with her or heard about her from someone else.

He realised he had been blind. The answer was so painfully obvious- Aurora wasn’t from Halaland at all. He was pretty sure her name wasn’t Aurora as well.

She was a spy, he knew. And now that he thought about it, she hadn’t really done much to hide it- at least not in front of him. From always staring towards the west, not at the setting sun but towards her homeland, to almost cracking Utopia’s code so easily- he wondered if she was the mastermind behind the code. The way she questioned every move Halaland made, the way she put a distance between them-

Every night, he held the four bullets in his hands and wondered why she kept the fifth one. It made him so, so restless.

And every night, Yunho always ended his train of thoughts with the same question every night-

Did she actually love him, or was all of it to get to Medical Research?

Was he simply a rung on the ladder to get to her goal? Or was he not meant to be part of the equation at all, a mistake on her part?

Yunho didn’t realise how long he simply stood in front of the cottage until someone creeped up behind him, patting his back and scaring him a little. It was Seonghwa- yet another surprise.

Just how many people in the Halazia Research Facility were spies? Were they only Utopians or were they from other nations as well?

“I almost killed you because I didn’t recognise you,” Seonghwa lit a cigarette, offering him one but Yunho declined. “So you’re finally here.”

“What do you mean ‘finally here’?” Yunho asked. “Were you expecting me?”

“We placed bets- don’t tell Aurora,” Seonghwa snickered. “Yeosang owes me 10 now.”

She was still here.

“Where is she?” Yunho gulped.

“Not so quick, mate,” Seonghwa scanned him. “You’ve been travelling quite a bit, haven’t you?”

“Have you been spying on me?” Yunho scoffed.

“Weren’t you looking for a place to keep your brother safe?” Seonghwa simply said. “Have you found one?”

“Not yet,” Yunho admitted.

“You could come with us, you know.”

Yunho considered that. “I don’t know who ‘us’ is. I can’t blindly follow you to god knows where.”

“Well then, I guess you should meet the Captain. He specifically asked me to bring you to him if you came. He’s quite interested in seeing the face of the person who broke his dear Aurora’s heart.”

Yunho raised a brow though his heart sank at his admission. “Where is she, Seonghwa?”

“Out on a mission- she’ll be back by dawn,” Seonghwa urged him to follow him inside and took him to a room where Yunho spotted a man with unique hair standing by the fire. Seonghwa knocked on the door and he turned.

“This is Jeong Yunho.”

“This is him?” the man scoffed as he came forward, a cane in his hand that Yunho wasn’t entirely sure was for mobility purposes. Probably a weapon. “I expected something else- I don’t know. I can’t believe this is the face that melted her frozen heart.”

“And who are you?” Yunho countered, watching Seonghwa take his leave. The man motioned for him to take a seat and Yunho did after a moment of hesitation. The man followed, sitting in front of him.

“They call me the Captain around here. Captain of the Crescents- a group of spies who were born for the sole purpose of taking revenge on Halaland after they betrayed us. Betrayed Utopia.”

Yunho let that sink in. “What revenge?”

“I think you know that already,” the Captain sighed. “Honestly, when I learned that Aurora had told you more than you should have known, considering you don’t have an ounce of Utopian blood in you, I was ready to kill both her and you. But, that brat…” he scoffed in amusement. “She got on her knees for you, Jeong. Do you have any idea what that means?”

Yunho looked blank so he continued. “Aurora is one of the best spies I’ve known in my life. I had to break her to make her bend. But you… what did you do? What sweet things did you mutter to turn my strongest spy into such a hopeless mess? All these years of training her into becoming a cold-hearted thinker and assassin, and she melts because apparently you looked, really looked at her with those eyes of yours.”

Yunho looked down, each word hammering a nail in his head. “If she had told me… I would have joined her. I was never in favour of Halaland’s unethical methods, and after I discovered what was really going on…”

“If she told you, you would have exposed her. She understood that, because she would have done the same. You’re only human, after all,” the Captain twirled the cane in his hands. “Why are you here today?”

“To get answers,” Yunho replied.

“You’ve got your answers now, haven’t you? Scoot off, then,” he relaxed back, glaring at Yunho.

“Who are you, really?” Yunho asked. “How come you knew about the Medical Research Department?”

The Captain’s smirk fell and he looked wistfully into the fire. “Because I’m one of the masterminds behind Level 0, and to this day, I regret being a part of it.”

Yunho was positive his heart actually dropped to his feet. “You’re a Utopian?”

“The only Utopian who escaped at the right time before they turned against us and stole our ideas,” the Captain looked at Yunho. “Kim Hongjoong, in flesh and blood.”

“Kim Hongjoong is dead,” Yunho couldn’t believe his ears. “We held a funeral for you.”

“A good cover up by Halaland, I’ll give them that,” he shrugged. “They needed to do that to take over and turn on Utopia- they’ve been on my tail ever since. I wasn’t sure if they had the brains to continue with the experimentation- testing on humans was never my idea either. It’s why I sent Aurora to finish this once and for all. We’ve met with your higher-ups and we’ve agreed to not expose their dirty deeds if they end this nonsensical war. The official end of the war will be announced soon.”

Yunho definitely felt something like a heavy burden lifted from his shoulders at the revelation. “And where are the members of Level 0?”

“The ones who were actually doing the dirty deeds will be secretly tried in court. The ones who were spies, like Yeosang… they’re going home. I understand you had a few friends there? Mingi, for instance? He was my closest junior- he’s in the next room if you wish to see him.”

Yunho nodded, letting all of this digest before he got up. “Thank you for what you did- I’m not sure I quite understand the gravity of it yet- it’s too much to process right now, but… thank you.”

“No need to thank me, I did what I had to,” Hongjoong looked at him, an unspoken agreement shared.

He needed to thank Aurora.

He needed to see Aurora.

Yunho spent the most part of the night with Mingi, catching up and confirming the facts, learning that the ‘lab rats’ were now being treated by the doctors and realising how brutally his people had treated even their own. His heart felt tight in his chest by the time he was done chatting with him and he went outside for some fresh air.

And a few minutes later, spotted two figures walking towards the cottage.

He could recognise you even from your silhouette, and he thought it was crazy that he did. He recognised the exact moment you saw him and paused for a mere fraction of a second before continuing to move like nothing had happened. He knew your mannerisms, he knew you inside out, and yet-

He knew nothing about you.

He didn’t even know your name.

This time when you met eyes, he waved awkwardly at you and you felt your heart sink again. You wanted to scream at him, shout at him, but you were far too tired. Your companion took leave, disappearing inside and you walked slowly but surely to Yunho.

“You’re here.”

Yunho passed a tight-lipped smile, wondering where to begin. He scanned you as you took off your mask and hat, looking-

Fatigued.

“Are you- have you been well?” Yunho asked, hating how he sounded.

You shrugged. “Did you meet your brother?”

“Yes. He’s safe now…” Yunho took a step forward but you backed away and he paused, muttering a ‘sorry’.

“Well, I guess that’s it, then?” You began, looking up and scanning him- you had no idea where he had been the past week but he looked the most weary. “You heard everything, I’m assuming?”

Yunho nodded. “I should have seen it earlier. You didn’t really hide it from me, did you?”

A faintest hint of a smile crawled to your lips. “You don’t always see what’s in front of your eyes, Yunho.”

Yunho’s heart tugged at the way you called his name. “What are we going to do, Aurora?”

You passed a weak smile. “I don’t know. All I know is that I’m going back. I cannot spend one day longer in this wicked, wicked land.”

Yunho felt the jab good and well. “I’m sorry for what it took from you.”

“Are you?” You sighed when hurt flashed across his eyes. “I’m not even mad at you, Yunho. I’m just… disappointed in myself. I’m disappointed that my love didn’t seem real enough- that you doubted my intentions so quickly.”

“And wouldn’t you have done the same?” Yunho challenged. “If I turned my back on you? Wouldn’t you have questioned every moment that we shared?”

“Maybe not-”

“You could have told me, Aurora,” Yunho almost yelled in frustration but clenched his eyes shut to reel himself in. “All you had to do was trust me. You didn’t trust me enough to tell me who you were. I keep calling you Aurora but that’s not even your name.”

You felt the very familiar sting in your eyes. “I had people to protect.”

“And so did I,” Yunho’s gaze was hard. “And I had you to protect. I would have laid my life down for you, if only you had allowed me to.”

You turned away, wiping your eyes. “I couldn’t allow that.”

“So we’re even then, aren’t we?” Yunho’s voice was also quivering and you dared to glance at him. “Please… look at me.”

You did and this time when he stepped towards you, you didn’t back away. He put his hands on your shoulders, rubbing them just like he used to. “Tell me your name.”

You passed him a sad smile as you told him your name, buried somewhere so deep inside you, uncalled for years. He said it twice, testing it on his lips. It felt right.

“Y/n,” he smiled widely and you laughed through the tears. “I want to know who that is. I want to learn about you again, if you’ll let me. If you forgive me for doubting you and for being an asshole-”

“No,” you shook your head furiously. “You gave me so much, Yunho, and I returned nothing in comparison. I would have lost myself there if it weren’t for your presence always grounding me, even when we were as good as strangers. I- you gave me love when I thought I’d never find it again, when it had become a foreign concept to me.”

“Do you love me still, y/n?” He asked, his eyes expectant.

“I do, you fool,” you laughed, finally earning the grin you so loved to see. “I hope you don’t hate me.”

“How could I?” Yunho’s hand shook slightly as he cupped your face and you leaned into his touch. His gaze was so strong as he caressed the angles of your face- you were positive your knees were actually turning weak and perhaps they were, that’s why his other hand travelled to your waist to bring you closer. “How could I hate you when you look at me like this? Like you could break me? Like you’d break in my touch too?”

He planted a kiss on your forehead, lingering there and you breathed in the scent of him- the scent that was your home now. Yunho didn’t waste any more time, leaning in and capturing your lips in a kiss that absolutely shattered you the way it was so cautious yet so, so demanding. You brought your arms to wrap around his neck, standing on your tiptoes with your body flush against him as you kissed back, deeper, making him loosen up with every movement until you were simply making out, exchanging all the feelings too deeply buried, all the words unspoken, all the apologies and the promises.

“I missed you so, so much, y/n,” Yunho breathed against your lips when you broke apart for breath, tugging at your lower lip with his teeth that made you dig your nails into his skin. He pecked your lips again. “You have no idea.”

“I do,” you kissed him. “I know all too well.”

Yunho drew apart, tucking your hair behind your ears as he gazed at you lovingly. “Take me with you this time, will you?”

“You want to come with me to Utopia?” You raised a brow.

“I mean… all my friends will be there,” he glanced back at the cottage and you understood who he meant. “Besides… I’m quite sick of Halaland too. Pretty sure they have a wanted poster back in the facility for me.”

You laughed at that. “Basically you want to come with me because you’re dead meat here.”

“I’m dead meat anywhere if I’m not with you-”

“Stop!” You put your hands over your ears, laughing as you ran away because his goofy side was back and he went after you, making you squeal.

Hongjoong and Seonghwa stood watching from the window upstairs. Hongjoong tsk-ed. “An absolutely disgusting sight, don’t you think?”

“Absolutely,” Seonghwa clinked his drink with Hongjoong’s and they both cursed under their breaths as they drank-

To love. To victory.

To going back home.

1K notes · View notes

rose-tinted-kalopsia · 2 months

Text

≡;-꒰ 𝑿𝑨𝑽𝑰𝑬𝑹 ꒱₊˚ ପ⊹ I 𝑯𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆?

╰┈➤ ❝ xavier x afab!reader | smut nsfw 18+ mdni

tags : fluff, angst if you squint, crying (reader feels a rush of emotions), implications of reincarnation, references to the heartstring symphony card, this will hit different if you've read his anecdotes and myth stories, porn with feelings (if it wasn't obvious yet), first time, kissing and making out, slight dry humping, softdom!xavier, fingering, nipple play, vaginal sex, unprotected sex, creampie, slight cockwarming, soft sex, slight teasing, slight cursing, dirty talk, praise, use of pet name "angel", lmk if i missed any tags!!

sneaky link : pretty much a visual of what Goes On in this fic (for the most part) 🤭

wc : 4.2k+

There's no one else who knows you more than Xavier does, and he would prove it to you as many times as he needed to.

"Mmh..."

A soft sigh fell from your lips, shifting down to a pout as a he pulled away from you. "Why'd you stop?" You almost whined, and Xavier chuckled as he shook his head. In response, he only trailed his lips down your jawline; soft, fluttering, barely-there kisses all over your face if only to soothe you for the time being.

"It's late, you know..." He mumbled against your skin, feeling you shudder under his touch.

"But, Xavier...!"

You could feel the grin fighting its way onto his lips at your little complaints, and he moved back up, level with your eyes. But contrary to the tease in his actions, his eyes remained gentle. Soft, like every fibre of his being, and full of so, so much love and adoration. Feelings, you knew, that were only ever reserved for you.

"You're really not sleepy yet?" He ran his fingers through your hair, watching the way your locks would fall gently from his hands, almost as if soothed by the very sight. The contrast in his actions now compared to the way he'd kissed you moments prior only messed with your head, but as always, you found it hard to resist the almost puppy-like gaze he would give you in times like this.

This time it was you who shook your head, a failed attempt to hide the smile that was threatening to peek through. "Are you? I wanna stay up with you a bit longer."

"Well... You've already stayed awake with me the whole night," he chuckled, placing a kiss on the tip of your nose as he pressed his forehead against yours. There was a hint of playfulness in the twinkle of his eyes, and you huffed—

"But not with you," you protested. "Fighting Wanderers with you hardly counts. And then you'll go off again somewhere in the morning..."

Your voice trailed off, and something in your words made his expression change in the slightest.

"Okay," he said, after a moment. Another kiss on your nose, arm moving back over your waist to pull you close. "But, are you... Having those thoughts again?"

"...No, I just..." His gaze never left yours, but you turned your eyes downwards, instead snuggling into his embrace. The way you couldn't complete your sentence spoke volumes, and it was almost as if you weren't bothering to hide it in the slightest.

"Sometimes, you're not very good at lying."

With a sigh, Xavier shifted to guide your chin upwards as if to get you to look at him. "I'm sorry, angel."

You would never tire of how expressive his eyes were.

The way they would widen, ever so slightly, in an almost pleading manner when he knew you were upset— The way they would dance with yours in a fondness so pure, and so loving. You had always thought he never quite knew how to express himself with you, having never been the type to say so many words at once. But by now, you knew, his eyes communicated far more than you'd have ever needed.

"You always say it won't happen again, Xavier, but... You always leave."

"...I know."

His voice became barely a whisper, and you didn't miss the way his eyes dropped momentarily to your lips.

"...And when you get back, sometimes you're still injured..."

"...I know."

You let out a breath, reaching out this time to brush the hair out of his face. "So... Won't you kiss me more?"

You watched as a smile slowly made its way to his features, and he moved closer, closer, lips just barely ghosting yours as his voice seemed to drop an octave lower. "Will that make it up to you?"

"Maybe. If you do it enough times to make up for your absence."

His gaze flicked from your eyes to your lips, taking in every bit of you as your lips parted for him, expectant and wanting. Then, he took it rightfully as your invitation for a little more, and his lips were back on yours immediately, captured in the most tender of kisses that had you melting in his arms.

Elsewhere, his hand trailed over the curve of your back in a sweet, loving caress that had you leaning into him for more, and the shift of the corners of his mouth made it known to you that he knew. You caught the slightest taste of cherry as he moved his lips against yours, as soft as velvet, perfectly in sync as if he'd always known exactly how they would move in the first place.

There was no one else who knew you better than Xavier did, and this was no exception. Not with the way he was keen on getting you all worked up like this, deep, and slow, and barely giving you the chance to breathe before diving back in.

In seconds, his bright blue eyes had yours enraptured, swirling with barely contained mirth as he sucked at your bottom lip, tongue lapping over the swollen flesh before gently biting down.

And, oh, he drove you insane.

Unrelenting, your whimpers remained swallowed into his movements, and the tease in his eyes became more evident. Soft, quiet smacking noises resounded in the room as the kisses became more passionate, your arms wrapping around his neck, slipping out a moan as he gently pushed his tongue inside to meet yours.

Your legs moved to entangle with his, nearly wrapping around his waist—

And then he stopped.

Panting, he pulled away from you yet again, a delicate thread of saliva connecting your parted lips.

"Xavier..." You whined, leaning forward as if to chase the same feeling.

But he placed a finger to your temple and shook his head. "We... Should stop."

"But—! You can't just—"

"Angel."

His tone was one of warning; one he would barely ever use with you if not to keep you in place.

Were you crossing a line...?

You fell silent within moments, but the indignance in your gaze lingered longer than you should have let it. Your disappointment could not have been more evident, and he sighed, taking your hand and guiding it downwards—

Oh.

"I have my limits, too, you know? Any further than this, and I can't promise I'll still be acting with your best interests in mind." With a small smile, he shifted just a bit closer to place another chaste kiss on the tip of your nose, as if in reconciliation. "Won't you be gentle with me?"

You couldn't understand him.

How he was so kind yet teasing; so considerate yet so infuriating. It sent an instant jolt of warmth down to your very core, and even you were not oblivious to the wetness that had pooled between your thighs.

A test; a dare—you wrapped your legs around him and shifted, brushing against his erection and relishing in the quiet groan that fell from his lips.

Xavier's hand gripped yours tightly, and he shook his head once more. "Angel, please," he whispered. "We should only be doing this when you're ready..."

"...And if I am?"

Another roll of your hips, pressing closer against him, and he dipped his head down, grip on your hand tightening as he tried desperately to exercise what little restraint he had left. His gaze moved upwards, pleading. He wouldn't dare to speak, not when he couldn't trust the noises that would fall from his mouth if he did—

But as always, his eyes would speak volumes.

Your gaze softened, this time being your turn to cup his cheeks into a quick peck. "Can I have you?" You mumbled, quietly, searching his eyes. "Here. Now."

You watched as his breath caught in his throat, recognition passing in his eyes as he realized the weight of your words, and the tenderness in your touch. "Is this what you really want?" He was breathless when he spoke, inching closer to you once more, almost as if in disbelief of your words.

And perhaps you, too, were at a momentary loss for words.

Xavier—sweet, loving, patient Xavier... How he would never force you into doing things you wouldn't want, how he would never failingly wait to hear your consent before daring to breach another boundary. This had always been the furthest you both had gone. Still scared to take the next step, it was always you who would withdraw, never testing the line that was drawn yourself.

But, somehow, now was different.

Be it the desperation you had to keep him by your side, or the want that had bore itself in front of you from all that you had been doing just now—the fact, then, was that you'd never felt more safe, and loved, and cherished, than in his arms.

Tonight, you would let him know that.

So your heart thrummed loudly in your chest... And you nodded.

Shyly, your gaze moved away from him, hands drifting to play with the fabric of his hoodie. "I'm... Not being too greedy tonight, am I? By saying yes?" You mumbled softly. "I just... Why does it feel like this, Xavier? Like I've known you my whole life."

He remained silent as you spoke, only stroking the side of your arm in reassurance.

"All this time, I think... I've only been scared. Of diving in headfirst; of giving you my everything when I feel that there's still so much of you that I don't know, so much of you that you won't... tell me." You looked up, noting the reflection of your figure in his eyes. "And yet, you know me so well. Every little action, every little word... I could trust you with my life by now. And I have no choice but to melt into you like I have this entire time, like all I've ever known is to be... loved by you. Have we met before, Xavier? It feels like... Maybe, in another life, I've had you there with me, too."

His eyes softened, momentarily flashing with an inexplicable yearning that you couldn't quite place. And then he laced his hands with yours, gently shifting your positions to have you lying beneath him. "Yeah," he whispered, "that sounds like something I'd do." Tears sprung at your eyes with his words, and he traced them away, thumb rubbing against your cheek in the most tender of motions. "I would love you in every lifetime. And if you want me to prove it to you, then... Maybe you'll find out that it's me who's the greedy one."

With that, his lips were on your neck, hands roaming your body and relishing your soft gasps against the crown of his head. Lower, lower—in careful, deliberate motions, his fingers worked the buttons of your blouse to have you open and bare for him, teeth grazing the skin of your nape as you tilted your head with a quiet moan.

He let out a slow breath as he took in the sight of you, trailing his hands from your stomach up to your breasts. Your breath hitched as you watched, hands kneading your tits and his own eyes transfixed in the way they would mold into his hands, soft, supple, his.

"Xavier..." A quiet mumble of his name before he leaned in to take your nipple in his mouth, eyes wandering back up to meet yours. He didn't respond, but his lips almost seemed to twitch up into a smile.

The way he looked at you sent waves of pleasure to your core. Soft, innocent Xavier... Now, he held within him unbridled desire, his mouth wrapped around your sensitive nub, pulling and sucking, flicking and swirling his tongue against it before taking it back in. His pupils darkened in a way you've never seen them do before. There was a certain kind of lustful warmth shimmering within their depths, easily replacing that sleepy gaze you were much more used to seeing.

Then there was a soft "mmm" against your skin before he pulled back with a pop, reaching to roll your other nub between the pads of his fingers, allowing a smile to form on his features. A sharp intake of breath was all you could do to keep from melting underneath him.

"You're so pretty like this, angel," he leaned up to nuzzle against your neck, savoring your warmth. His actions eminated only a shred of lingering restraint, replaced instead by a brimming sense of urgency. He rut slowly up between your thighs, eliciting a whimper from your lips that he caught back into his own.

It was familiar; his lips against yours, already swollen from how much you had kissed just moments prior. But there was something in the way he kissed you now that had you shuddering under the weight of his want, an honest and open display of desperation for you, conveyed with each and every kiss.

Slowly, slowly, his hand edged downwards, slipping past the waistband of your shorts to gently palm at your clothed cunt—he sighed at the sound of your moans, leaning back once more as his eyes roamed over your body, nothing less than pleased.

"Beautiful, beautiful," he mumbled, seemingly mostly to himself as he dragged down the only restricting articles of clothing you had left. The cool air hitting the heat of your core made you shiver, and you immediately reached out for him in the face of your sudden exposure.

"Xavier..." You whined, feeling almost like prey under his gaze, gripping tightly onto his hoodie. But he kept you close, arms now on either side of your head as he leaned in, placing soft, fluttering kisses all over your jawline.

"It's alright," he murmured. "I've got you."

His shifted as his fingers ghosted lightly over your knee, slowly sliding up before snaking downwards in a repeated motion, prying you open little by little. Though meant to lull you into comfort, his touch left a trail of heat in its wake, and you whimpered, reaching out to place your hand on his cheek.

"Am I going too fast? Do you want to stop...?"

You were silent for a moment before shaking your head, hand falling back to rest on your side. "N-no, just... Nervous..."

Xavier softened at your honesty. "We'll go slowly. One step at a time. Do you trust me, angel?"

"Always, Xavier."

"Okay. I'll take care of you, warm you up. It'll feel so good, angel, I promise." His voice was low as he nibbled at your ear, shaky breaths hitting in warm exhales that rendered you speechless.

You trusted him; you meant it.

Even as you felt yourself jolt when he snaked his hand ever-so-close to your core; even as he swiped over your slit to gather your slick onto his finger, wet sounds reaching your ears and almost making you want to bury yourself alive. With your eyes locked desperately onto him, you couldn't see what he was doing, but the pleasure that raked through your body at even the slightest of his touches had you reeling—it felt embarrassing, almost, to have unfurled so easily beneath him.

But Xavier only chuckled.

"Good girl," he whispered, and a gasp fell from your lips that made him smile. "So wet for me. So easy for me to just... Slowly..."

You felt an almost alien intrusion into your cunt, long and slender, your mouth falling open in a frozen gasp.

"Feel good, angel?" He was attentive to you, watching your every reaction, making sure he kept his promise well. And when he glided his finger out only to press back in, he got the very answer he needed—a louder moan of his name, your hands immediately gripping the sheets beneath you. His eyes relaxed, the tips of his mouth curling up yet again with satisfaction, and he repeated the same motions: slow, gentle, delighting in the warmth of your walls around his finger.

"One more, angel. I'll need to stretch you out a little. Okay?"

Soft, soothing words against your ear guided you into his rhythm as he slipped in a second digit, fingers pumping in and out of you, curling ever so slightly to brush against a certain spot as if he knew exactly where it was from the start.

"Xavier— Xavier—" His actions drew out soft chants of his name, and he dipped his head down to suck on your neck, the sting from his bruising swirling in tandem with the feeling of his fingers stretching you out so deliciously.

"That's it, angel. What a good girl for me."

His thumb pressed on your clit, circling it a few times before moving back to rub against it, fingers still working inside of you pleasurably. Xavier hummed, mumbles of how wet you were and how tight you clenched around just his fingers—and then when you arched your back as if to ask for more, he pulled away with an incriminating schick that made you flush.

Slowly, he brought his fingers up to his mouth, closing his eyes with a moan as he sucked on them, savoring your taste. Your body burned at the sight, his words once again eliciting a soft whimper. He looked back at you with half-lidded eyes: "Mmh, next time," he murmured, "I'll definitely taste you properly."

Swallowing thickly under his gaze, you barely even processed his words, only allowing him to guide you in sliding down his clothing, a low groan resounding as his cock sprung free. Your eyes betrayed any attempts at staying calm; taking in the sight of him swollen and leaking, from all his attempts at self-control.

"Xavier..." you whispered, voice hushed, reaching out to touch him.

But he stopped you, hand on your wrist.

"No. If you touch me, I... I won't be able to please you..." His mouth turned down into a little pout, the familiar, puppy-like gaze making a momentary return before he gently moved your legs further apart, a hand on his base as he steadied himself above you. "Next time. There'll be plenty of opportunities like this in the future, and I promise you can have your way with me then."

Next time.

The thought of repeating another night of pleasure with him made you shiver with giddy excitement, even as he teased the tip of his cock at your entrance.

"It might hurt a little..." He reached over to stroke the side of your face, concern ridden in his eyes even though the flush of pleasure was evident at the tips of his ears. "So tell me if you need me to stop. Okay?"

Carefully, the head of his cock finally pushed its way in, slowly sheathing itself inside of you.

"Aa-ahh...!"

A broken cry left your lips before you could stop it, clenching immediately around his length, and Xavier gently thumbed at your cheeks.

"Shh, shh, it's okay, it's okay. I've got you."

Soft whispers over your lips as he gradually eased himself in, your walls sucking around him and taking him bit by bit. The sting of it was unimaginable; the burn against your walls foreign enough to bring tears to your eyes. But when he bottomed out inside of you, his entire body pressed against yours—immediately, Xavier was kissing all over your face, drawing soothing shapes into your skin if only to distract you, unable to hide the concern that lingered in his eyes. "Are you okay, angel? Is it bad? You're really tight around me right now..."

All you could do was nod as he kissed your tears away, whimpers falling from your lips as you tried to relax your breathing.

Yet, you could feel, it wasn't quite that it hurt—the pain would fade into numbness, a feeling of being full—but your tears rolled down your cheeks as you looked at him, knowing he was finally, finally, as close as he could be.

"Hey, hey... What's wrong, angel? You're doing so well... You take me so well, angel, why are you crying?" You could hear his concern melting into a twinge of sadness, pressing his forehead against yours and searching your eyes for an answer of his own. "Does it still hurt? I'm sorry... Just a few moments, angel. I promise, I'll make you feel so, so good... Really good, angel, I swear..."

But you shook your head. Sniffling, willing yourself to stop crying, you reached up to put your arms around his neck. "No, Xavier, I'm just... Happy."

His expression changed, eyes widening slightly.

"How else can I say it...? It's always felt like there's no other place I could be safer than with you. And now, I... I have you."

You buried your face into his neck, taking several deep breaths. "I love you. So much. More than you could think, more than you could know. A-and, I'm just—happy. To give myself to you. Like... like this..."

You felt him swallow thickly at your words, his cock twitching inside of you as you felt the brunt of the effects you truly had on him. Gently, he lifted up your head, warmth, and love, and longing in his eyes that immediately swallowed you whole. "I love you, too," he whispered. "I always have. I always will."

Wiping the rest of your tears away with a soft smile, he placed another quick kiss on your lips. "May I?"

And you nodded.

Slowly, you felt his cock slide out of your wetness, the feeling of his length rubbing against your walls having you draw out a shaky breath. And then he thrust all the way back in—again. And again. And again.

Soon, his cock was thrusting in and out of your sopping wet pussy at a soft pace, hips moving against yours as he pressed against you, his lips at your shoulder dropping out soft, hushed moans of your name.

"Fuck," he cursed, shifting to bury his head into your chest as he shuddered, hot breath fanning over the curve of your breasts. "I've wanted this... For so long—"

“X-Xavie— ah—hn—”

You moaned in tandem, feeling completely at his mercy. In all that he was, he was gentle with you—soft, sultry rolls of his hips against yours, your fingers gently laced together as he brought them up to either side of your head, holding you in place enough to steady himself.

And yet, all you could do was melt.

When he raised his head to look at you once more, his hair fell over his face, silvery strands wet and sticky with sweat. You caved under this gaze of his—so vulnerable and exposed, yet the safest you had ever been, here in the warmth radiating off of your bodies as he claimed you. "So good, angel," he breathed, angling perfectly for his tip to brush against the spongy spot on your walls, just as if he had your pussy completely memorized.

In response, breathless pants fell from your lips, and you wrapped your legs around his waist, locking him in place. You could relish the way his moans tangled with yours, his thrusts deep and filling, the slight, rhythmic creaking of your bed a testament to your passionate intimacy.

"Xavier," you whispered, "Xavier, Xavier, Xavier—"

He chuckled, lightly, and then when he kissed you next, releasing your hands in favor of cupping your face, entangling his fingers in your hair—the both of you were far too caught up in each other to bother. The plush fabric of his hoodie pressed warmly against your exposed chest. Tongue met tongue in a sloppy exchange of excess saliva, hushed moans melting between your lips... The squelch of your cunt and the soft pap, pap, pap of his skin against yours filled the room. Like this, you could barely bring yourself to conjure any thoughts that weren't just Xavier, Xavier, Xavier.

"...Tight," he gasped, parting from your lips as his eyes trailed down your body, lingering over where the two of you were connected. There was a white, milky ring around the base of his cock as he watched it disappear, time and time again, into the greedy walls of your pussy. "You're squeezing me... Tighter, and tighter— Fuck—"

You watched as his eyes closed, as if willing to control himself despite his length snugly wrapped into your heat. His breathing molded into sharp huffs, and you clawed at his back in raw pleasure, fisting into the soft clothing, desperate to pull him closer than close—as close as you possibly could be.

"I-I think..." You struggled to find words as you buried your head into his hair, taking in the scent of his sweat, his shampoo, and him.

"Mmh... Close?" Xavier thrust into you deeply, and the whimper you emitted served as enough proof. "It's alright. Cum for me, angel."

His words and the way he held you flush against his body sent you spiraling, vision blanking as you froze, legs in the air, a long, drawn-out moan of his name the last on your lips before all else was reduced to rapid breaths.

Immediately, your pussy clenched tight around him as he continued to pump inside of you, his own soft, rhythmic strokes becoming more erratic, more harsh. The sensitivity had you whining, but before you could dare to speak, he pulled you in and kissed you deeply, moaning loudly into your mouth.

You could feel it—your insides painted white, hot spurts of his cum hitting your walls, movements gradually stilling to a stop.

For a moment, the two of you stayed still, your legs relaxing enough to fall back over his waist, keeping him warm inside of you as you caught your breaths in silence.

You felt soft sighs into your hair as he tucked you under his chin—"...I love you," he murmured.

He nuzzled into your locks.

"And I'm... Sorry. That I disappear a lot. That I go places without telling you. I... don't want to disappoint you, so..."

You shifted, looking at him with a pout. "Please don't promise me something you won't be able to keep..."

"...I know. But I'm saying... I'll do my best. Not to make you worry. And I'll return home safe and sound, and you'll... You'll have me. You'll always have me. Okay, angel?"

A smile played at your lips. "Okay."

"For now, let's... get you cleaned up."

『 Have we met before? Maybe in another time I loved you; maybe you're the one that I would run to, don't know why it's all a blur. I think I know you... 』

⁺₊ / an: happy valentines !!!!!! the basis of this is that if xavier waited for us throughout multiple timelines... then him knowing us like the back of his hand should also apply to this context, no? i think it can't be more obvious than this just how much love i have for xavier... little pookie... he deserves the world...

++requests are open! ask away, lovelies 💕

© rose-tinted-kalopsia. all rights reserved. do not: steal, copy, repost, reupload, modify, or claim any of my works as your own, regardless of credit given. absolutely do not use my works for AI training and other related purposes.

#love and deepspace #love & deepspace #love and deepspace smut #love & deepspace smut #love and deepspace x reader #love & deepspace x reader #love and deepspace xavier #love & deepspace xavier #xavier smut #xavier x reader #xavier x you #ʚɞ*.ﾟ. lnds #✿˖°. roxiefic #divider by cafekitsune #divider by mikeykuns

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lustspren · 1 year

Text

Post Stress Therapy EP. 0 ft ITZY.

length: 8.4k words ✦

ITZY & Male Reader.

genres: not sixsome but almost, orgy (?, ass eating, pussy eating, legs/body/foot worship, oil massage, spa, handjob, blowjob✧

✦✧✦✧✦✧

A low percentage of the population could say that they really enjoyed their job, and you didn't just enjoy your job, you loved it. It was quite peculiar, in fact, and you had a rather vague recollection of how you had found it; the truth was that you weren't even looking for that job in the first place, your intention was to get a job as a community manager, but you ended up being a masseuse in a spa that was, to say the least... peculiar.

At first you considered it a mistake, and you appealed a couple of times to be given a job according to your resume, but both times you received the same answers: no, and no. The reason according to them was quite simple, they had already found a person who best met the profile they were looking for, and by mere chance, there was a vacancy as a masseuse within the spa. The best mistake and the best coincidence of your life.

You really had nothing more to ask for, the work environment was very good, it was a nice place with good hygiene, the pay was pretty good, and above all, you had the chance to give pleasure to a lot of hot girls, every-single-day.

That day was as ordinary as ever, you arrived at the facilities about 10 minutes early before your entry time, you greeted all your coworkers and went directly to prepare the room as you did every day before opening. For today you had received the specific order to prepare everything for five people, which of course seemed strange to you since only one or two people used to arrive per session, but the truth was that you didn't even care, work was job.

"Oh, we need the fifth bed over there, if we arrange them in a row it will be less practical," you said, indicating to your colleagues, Juyeon, Sunwoo, Sangyeon and Eric, the place, "and the other four, two on each side," You would have helped with it, but you were arranging the various stacks of rolled towels to one side of each individual sofa.

"A couple of candles are also missing on this side, I'll go get them," Juyeon warned before entering a small storage room inside the room where you kept all your supplies.

"I find it strange that the five of us are together, what do you think this is all about?" Sunwoo asked next to you as you placed a dish with warm water and rose petals on a towel on the floor; he, for his part, was preparing the beds one by one.

"A bachelorette party, maybe? Sometimes women do that kind of stupid thing before they get married," Sangyeon replied as he lit the candles inside the glass vases Juyeon brought over.

"Nah, I think it's just a bunch of single girlfriends coming to have fun, who knows," Eric said from across the room as he moved the fifth bed to the spot you'd indicated.

"Anyway, we need this place to look spotless, and so do we," you stood up, taking a second to examine each other's uniforms, which consisted of a two-button gray linen shirt and baggy black pants.

"Make sure you get the lint off your shirt if there is any, and if you have a stain, go change immediately," when you said that the four of them did a quick check of their own uniforms, giving a thumbs up when they were done.

“Let's get this over with quickly, we have about 20 minutes until they arrive,” Sunwoo said, going to change the lights in the room to a dim and intimate level.

During the next 20 minutes none of you spoke other than for specific matters, you were all focused on leaving the place tidy and that you did not miss anything; when you had finished, you were in charge of standing from the entrance to scrutinize every detail. Everything was just as you had planned from the beginning, two beds on each side, and one more at the back of the room, each one with an individual sofa, a dish with water and a small pile of three towels on the side where the feet should point; there was also a set of 3 glass vases with scented candles inside in each corner of the room, these were already lit, so the place smelled like a sweet apple tree scent.

"Very good, everything is perfect, now go to your places, they should be here any minute," you nodded, and went to stand next to the second bed on the left side.

Not even five minutes passed when you started to hear voices on the other side of the door, getting closer every second until the doorknob moved, and the spa receptionist walked in. You almost had a heart attack when you noticed who was behind her, but you had to hide it with a purse of your lips.

"And here we are, ladies, they will be your hosts today," she said, stepping aside so you could see your customers. Many female celebrities used to go there for special treatment, in fact, it was an open secret, but you never expected to see all ITZY together in that place.

“Hello, take good care of us today,” Yeji, Ryujin, Lia, Chaeryeong, and Yuna said in unison as they bowed to you. They were all dressed in sportswear, cargo pants, sneakers, and tight-fitting tops that left their shoulders exposed. The only one not wearing a top was Yuna, in fact, she was wearing some kind of incredibly sexy bodysuit that showed the flesh of her waist.

You gave a nervous look at Sunwoo, who was next to you, and then all of you bowed back at the same time.

"We'll work very hard, welcome," you all said, and then returned to your natural positions.

"Well, I'll leave you, okay? If you need anything, feel free to tell me," the receptionist said with a kind smile to the members, and then turned to you, "Good luck guys," she gave you a discreet wink, she turned, and left the room, closing the door behind her.

There was a little awkward silence in the room when the receptionist left, because you were so nervous you didn't even remember that you were supposed to lead the session, and it didn't help that they were all staring at all of you.

"Oh, come in," you waved toward a door to the left of the storage room, "please undress and come back in a towel so we can get started, alright?" you asked with a friendly smile.

"Are you fucking kidding?!" Sunwoo whispered to you, mimicking a shout, “This is the first time a whole group has come here, this is going to be crazy!”

"Just relax and keep a cool head. Both of them," you whispered back, earning a giggle from your colleagues.

About five minutes passed when the changing room door opened, and the girls left one by one to walk towards the center of the room. The towels that you provided to the clients were quite short, so your eyes were delighted with 5 beautiful pairs of legs, some more fleshy, others more toned, or some simply long and creamy; not counting the fact that they had the towel rolled up on their bodies at the height of their breasts, covering only from their nipples to their crotch.

You exchanged glances with only three of them: Ryujin, Chaery, and Yuna. Ryujin and Yuna looked at you like lionesses hungry for prey, Chaery, on the other hand, looked at you with a kind of passive desire, bright eyes, and slightly nervous hands. Meanwhile, Yeji and Lia just exchanged glances between each of you. .

"Okay, I don't think I need to explain what you came to do today, right?" you asked rhetorically, "This session will consist of 4 phases, each focused on a different special service. At the end of one phase, you will go to the next worker for the next one, so all of you will have received attention from each worker, except for one. In the final rotation, you will have to go with the worker you haven't worked with, and repeat a phase of your choice," you finished, with the girls' eyes on you, "understood?"

"Yeah!" all five said at the same time.

"We'll start with the order you're in right now, so Yuna, come here please," you asked kindly, and the others did the same to the rest of the girls. Ryujin went with Eric, Chaery with Juyeon, Yeji with Sangyeon, and Lia with Sunwoo.

She gave you a small smile and walked towards you, and you waved her hand for her to sit on the single sofa. She did so, crossing her legs with her back straight with her gaze fixed on you. You knelt in front of her, taking a look at her creamy thighs, one on top of the other. Her towel did absolutely nothing to cover her from the waist down in that position, so you could also perfectly see her buttocks pressed against the soft sofa leather.

"I know you've heard this a thousand times, but you have very nice legs," you said, looking down at the porcelain bowl with water in it to stir it a bit and check the temperature. Then you held her two ankles together with your hands and dipped her feet into the hot water.

"Not thousands, millions of times," Yuna replied with a giggle, "but thank you very much, you have very nice hands... and arms," she said with a slightly lower and seductive tone.

"So you think?" you smiled, "I knew moving those beds from one place to another was going to pay off," she laughed again, and you dipped both of your hands into the water and immediately pulled them out again, purposely splashing her thighs, where your hands landed to begin to moisten them from top to bottom; you made slow movements, which went down until you reached her calves; you repeated the process a couple of times, until her legs were covered in a light layer of water.

"And they also feel very soft, what soap do you use?" Yuna lightly bit her lip, discreetly spreading her legs just a little bit so that you could get a frontal view of her small, shaved pussy.

"Mmm, none specifically, it's just the experience," your voice came out without any kind of nervousness despite your attempts, you were already trained for that, but even so you couldn't control how much blood was pumping towards your little friend.

You lifted Yuna's feet out of the water and set them to the side of the bowl to let them drain a little on the towel, then moved the bowl to the side, removed the stacked towels from the small stool, and put it in the place of the bowl for Yuna to put her feet up.

You took her left foot in both hands and slowly began to massage it, applying pressure in circles with your thumbs to the bottom of her foot. You started near her heel, and worked your way up to her toes, where you ran each finger between them back and forth a couple of times. You repeated the process with her other foot, as you felt her penetrating gaze on you and how she slightly moved her hips against the couch.

"Getting horny already, huh?" you asked quietly, looking at her for a few seconds before focusing back on her feet.

"Just… a little," she admitted, with a more flirty, snickering giggle.

With your two hands you continued massaging her feet a little more, this time giving more attention to her fingers and the upper part of these, a little more than a minute passed, until you lifted one of her feet and brought it directly to your mouth; Yuna did everything possible so that the small moan that came out of her mouth wasn’t heard by more than you and she, you saw her for a moment, finding you with a pair of flushed cheeks and big eyes full of lust. You sucked on her toes one by one, using your tongue to lick between them and also run it over the bottom of her feet, from her heel to her toes again.

You continued sucking and salivating her feet for a few long seconds, and when you considered that it was enough, you took her by the calves and raised them towards your mouth to start distributing kisses up and down, Yuna shuddered, but instantly relaxed, letting her your mouth slowly moved freely over her skin until it reached her thighs, where you also distributed kisses this time deeper and wetter, concentrating on her inner thighs and then stopping just before reaching her pussy.

"Sorry sweetheart, that's none of my business," you wailed for her after she let out a slightly disappointed groan.

You still had about 2 minutes left, time that you took advantage of to review with your mouth along her legs; you lowered her thighs giving them long licks and kisses, then you kissed her calves, and finally you arrived to put her left foot in your mouth again; as your tongue moved between her fingers, Yuna ended up removing her towel, revealing her modest pair of tits, and extended her free foot to press against your cock over your pants. You let her do what she wanted, after all, the only rule you had in this regard was no penetration.

She continued to massage your bulge with her foot, and you continued to suck on her foot with dedication, but a constant beeping from a clock in the corner of the room signaled the end of the phase. You took her foot out of your mouth, placed it on the little stool, and stepped away from her. Yuna whimpered a bit, looking at the bulge in your pants. You looked back at her, from her perky tits, her perfect flat abdomen, and her pussy that you noticed, was already a little wet.

"Time's up, honey, please stand up," you asked with an innocent smile, and she did, then you turned around to face everyone. The girls were almost all the same as Yuna, flushed cheeks and horny eyes, the only ones who still had their towel on were Chaery and Lia, while the rest were standing completely naked next to each guy, "Oh right, each phase lasts 15 minutes, sorry for not clarifying sooner. Go to the next worker now please."

As the rotations are clockwise, the next one to be with you was going to be the one on your left, Lia, which was incredibly convenient considering what was next, meaty thighs, and a juicy round ass, perfect for eating.

The corresponding changes were made, so Yuna said goodbye to you with a slight wave and gave way to Lia, who bit her lip when she noticed the bulge between your pants, she wouldn't stop looking at it, so you had to clear your throat and get her attention.

"Come, please," you offered her your hand, she took it, and you led her to stand with her stomach against the bottom edge of the bed, she looked over her shoulder at you a little nervous, "Hey, it's okay, I don't bite," you tried to reassure her with a small smile, then crouched behind her.

"W-what are you going to do?" she asked, clearly still nervous.

"You know exactly what I'm going to do, didn't your leader tell you?" you asked, cocking your head.

"I know two possible things you're going to do, I just don't know which one."

"Then just relax, close your eyes and let yourself go, cutie," you put your hands on her thick thighs and gave her a mini massage just to get her to release tension, but it didn't help when four girls, one after the other, let out a little startled groan. That was your cue to start.

In one quick movement you took the lower edge of the towel and brought it up to her hip, revealing a pair of juicy and perfect buttocks that you didn’t hesitate to squeeze with your hands, you noticed how Lia let out a slight gasp, and how she flexed her knees and threw her ass back, that allowed you to have her pussy a few centimeters away, and especially your main goal. You spread her buttocks to either side of her, and without warning, you buried your tongue right in her ass.

"Holy f-!" Lia almost screamed, she herself brought her hand to her mouth to muffle out her moan.

Lia managed to contain her moans quite well for a few seconds, unlike some other girls like Yeji on your right, who kept letting out slight whimpers and moans while Sunwoo had his face buried between her buttocks, of course this didn't last long, as your tongue moved faster, up and down, in circles, and in whatever way you noticed she enjoyed.

"My God! Your tongue feels so… so fucking good, fuck!" Lia whimpered, moving her hips slightly and pushing her ass further into your face.

You really weren't forced to do it since you weren't supposed to, but while your tongue worked tirelessly to clean her ass, your hands were under her buttocks in the middle of a somewhat rough massage, you knew perfectly well what you were doing, and You knew that it gave a plus to the pleasure she felt at that moment.

Your hands moved up and down her thighs as you applied pressure with your fingers, and in a small, sneaky act of generosity, you let one of your hands reach her pussy to rub it back and forth, Lia let out a longer moan, and you, after spitting on it, continued giving her ass deep and quick licks.

Lia didn't even bother to be discreet anymore, the moans from the other girls, combined with the brushing of the side of your hand against her pussy and your tongue eating her tight hole, made her stop caring about hiding her moans. She reached back and grabbed your hair tightly, pressing your face between her buttocks; you felt that your generosity was already being too much, so you stopped rubbing her pussy and left your hand on her thigh, Lia complained with a rather adorable whimper, and went on to rub her clit herself.

"I think… I think I'm close to cumming, fuck!" Lia announced, looking at you over her shoulder, but something interrupted her, the 15-minute alarm. Such was the collective disappointment that from all directions you heard the same whining sound, and couldn't help but laugh as you pulled your mouth away from Lia's ass, "Oh come on! What a killjoy," Lia growled, dropping her towel to the floor, "I hope you take care of what you just provoked, fuck."

"Okay, switch" you said aloud, looking at all of them with a 'fuck me for god's sake' face.

The rotation became incredibly fast, Lia moved away from you, and the one who now stood in front of you at lightning speed was none other than one of the most desired leaders in the industry. Yeji was completely naked and at your mercy, her body was simply perfection, and her tits were by far the biggest and most beautiful among all the others. You'd be lying if you said you weren't tempted to forget the rules, get her on the bed and fuck her, but your job was more important.

"You can't just skip the rest of the phases and fuck me, right?" she asked with a burst of boldness, stepping forward to reach out with her hand and grab your cock over your pants. She was looking into your eyes, while she was biting her lip.

"Rules are rules, if I break them, my bosses will know, and I'll be fired," you shrugged, letting her know that it wasn't up to you anymore, "now come here, I'm sure you'll appreciate this just the same."

You wrapped your arms around Yeji's waist and lifted her up into the air, instinctively she grabbed your torso with her legs, but you brought her back down when you turned around and left her on the edge of the bed. She spread her legs wide, so that the bulge of your pants pressed against her pussy, once again, you doubled your self-control not to do something crazy, and only got on your knees to do your job.

Hwang Yeji's pretty pink pussy was now just inches from your mouth, and you didn't hesitate for a second to close that distance to stick out your tongue, plant it against her slit and give it a slow, long, torturous lick from the bottom to her clitoris as a first contact, and if you thought that before she was moaning something loud, now without a doubt everyone outside that room could perfectly be listening to her.

After that first lick you focused on playing with her a bit just to warm up her engines; you began to give her wet kisses all over her pussy, not forgetting to add your tongue every few times, Yeji moved her hips between small whimpers, seeking the maximum possible contact with your mouth at all times.

"God, please stop teasing me and eat my pussy for once," she moaned, running her fingers through your hair and caressing slowly.

"Come on sweetie, why in such a hurry?" you asked mischievously, gave a small giggle and returned to her pussy.

As much as you wanted to keep playing with her, you had limited time if you wanted to give her the best of her experiences, so you stopped teasing her and went straight to what she wanted. Your mouth plunged fully into her soft, wet flesh, moving your tongue up and down faster and more consistently. Yeji's fingers now wrapped tightly in your hair, and after a few seconds you felt a tug in it when your tongue reached a certain sensitive spot near her clit, you used this to your advantage, and began to attack that exact spot with your tongue over and over again, with quick and precise licks that made Yeji close her legs with your head in the middle, which was now squashed into a soft meat sandwich.

Her moans were the key to knowing that you were doing an excellent job on her pussy, you continued paying special attention to her sensitive spot, not neglecting her clitoris for a second; her thighs were pressing hard against your head, maybe a little too much, it was evident that she didn't care if she was being too hard, or if she was cutting your breath in some way, she just wanted her pussy very well eaten.

"Oh fuck, fuck fuck!" she whimpered, her legs shaky and her body gradually shuddering more and more, "I'm gonna- FUCK!"

That was the last thing Yeji said before exploding in a maelstrom of spasms that made her fall back against the mattress of the bed, your mouth was the first to taste the fruits of her orgasm, collecting all her juices like a thirsty dog without even protest; you knew you still had time, and you didn't stop for a single second in your work, which led to intense overstimulation that made her squeal and nearly hurt her throat. A series of chained screams filled the room too, you didn't need to use your sight to know that the other girls were already reaching their peaks, the first was Lia, you already recognized her way of moaning, and it made you happy to know that Sangyeon gave her what she deserved.

You really wanted to cause Yeji a second orgasm, proof of this were your multiplied efforts while she continued to shake with pleasure on the bed; you enjoyed the feel of the soft flesh of her thighs pressing against your face from either side, but you wanted to be bold with her and show a bit of dominance; you lifted your knees off the floor and kept in a squat, grabbed her thighs and used a significant amount of force to separate them from your head and spread her legs wide, Yeji tried to close them again due to the sensitivity of her slit, but you you held her firmly, while you continued to eat her pussy with the same intensity.

Your objective did not take long to be fulfilled, you looked up at Yeji, her mouth was no longer even making any sound, and her body was no longer shaking, she was in a kind of trance, with her mouth in the shape of an O and her eyes lost in the nothing, which in a few seconds led to a new explosion of pleasure in her body; her orgasm was violent this time, to the point that you had to hold her to the bed so she wouldn't fall to the ground and hurt herself. Yeji's eyes closed as she bit her lower lip, so hard you thought you saw blood for a moment, and she finally let out a shriek that nearly deafened you.

After you had left her as satisfied as you wanted and left her pussy shiny and clean, you stood up to look around, the other girls still hadn’t cum a second time when there were still less than 4 minutes left on the clock, you deduced that it was a lack of courage on the part of your colleagues, and of course you were going to make fun of them when you were done with all that.

"Are you alright, cutie?" you asked Yeji, standing to one side of her.

"Fuck… better than ever," she sighed, lying on the bed with her face to the other side, "you're… pretty amazing," her eyes widened to turn her head to see you, "it's okay if I suck your cock while no one sees?" she now fixed her gaze on your crotch.

"Well, the rules don't say anything about that..." you looked back at the others, focused on their business, and grabbed the hem of your pants to only pull your semi-hard cock out, "so go ahead."

Yeji looked at your cock and licked her lips before leaning her body further towards the edge of the bed, taking it with one of her hands and bringing it straight to her mouth, you gasped, watching as she slowly sucked on it and you were getting hard in your entire length; her eyes were still open, a sharp feline gaze on yours at all times, half of your shaft disappeared into her mouth with each soft movement of her neck, from her position she couldn't reach more, but what she could have of your cock she treated as if it were a delicious candy worthy of admiration.

Yeji took your hand, and guided it directly towards one of her tits, the entire palm of your hand was on it, and knowing that you had her approval, you did not hesitate to squeeze it firmly between your fingers, while she took you out of her mouth for a moment just to lick your dick and spread a few kisses on your balls before going in again.

You and she were enjoying it, she was feasting on your cock, and you were massaging her pretty tits, but the clock gave the signal that the 15 minutes were up. You reluctantly took your cock out of her mouth and put it back in your pants, and she settled into the bed with a mischievous smile on her face.

"Too bad, sweetheart, we'll save it for another time," she wiped the saliva on her mouth with the back of her hand and winked at you, before getting up with some difficulty to sit on the edge of the bed.

"V-very good!" You stuttered, and took a moment just to swallow your arousal, "Uh…switch up, please," was all you managed to say. Yeji laughed, patted your arm, and staggered off the bed to go to the next worker.

All the girls had flushed faces and somewhat shaky legs, not counting their clearly agitated breathing and slightly disheveled hair. You didn't know who you were going to work with until you turned around, and found Shin Ryujin's naked statuesque body inches from you. She had a mocking expression on her face, a devilish little smile and eyes that looked you up and down.

"Do you think I wouldn't notice?" she asked quietly so that Sunwoo behind her wouldn't hear, a raised eyebrow.

"Uh… what are you talking about?" You scratched your temple, trying to hide the fact that you clearly had a boner that was screaming to come out again.

"Oh come on, Yeji was sucking your cock so good she even made me jealous," she giggled, then bit her lip. You sighed, and put your hand to your forehead. How clueless.

"Just don't say anything, please," you murmured, then stepped aside to motion for her to lie down on the bed.

"Don't worry, not a single word will come out of my pretty little mouth," as she walked past you, she gave the hard bulge in your pants a discreet grab, and then she lay on her back on the bed. You just clenched your fists and took a deep breath to relax.

"Anyway, how are you feeling?" you asked out loud, faking a smile with your hands clasped between your legs so no one would see anything.

"Fuck... tired," Yuna sighed, and then she couldn't help but smile.

"And pretty fucking horny, too," Yeji chimed in, to which the other girls just nodded.

"Well, then just relax, close your eyes and let us work, okay? Massages are our specialty," you said confidently, seeing that the timer had already started, so you got down to business.

"Wow, I thought I was eating ass, this will be good" Lia said, her eyes closed, her body straight as Eric, who almost choked on the gum he just put in his mouth, reached for a bottle of massage oil from under the bed. All the other girls gave small conspiratorial laughs, and all of you just didn't say anything.

"Tell me, handsome, are there cameras here?" Ryujin asked you as you opened the jar and poured the thick liquid from her solar plexus to her lower abdomen.

"Nope, why?" you left the bottle next to her, and with your two hands you began to spread the oil all over her torso, with delicate movements that went from the sides of her abdomen to her modest but sexy tits.

"Mmm for nothing..." she murmured with a smirk, and then let out a breath as you moved your hands around her tits, teasing her nipples with your thumbs, then moving back down to her abdomen.

You knew that she, or all of them, were up to something; before laying down on the beds again they had all exchanged glances for a moment, and then Yeji released the comment with which they all laughed, you plotted on it for a moment, but you decided to concentrate.

You stood facing the upper end of the bed, Ryujin's head now very close to your crotch; you poured oil in the same place again, but this time you focused on spreading it to her shoulders and arms, for this you had to lean slightly forward, massaging her arms, her shoulders, her clavicle and then going back to her abdomen and tits until that all her upper body was shiny and oily.

You didn't notice, but apparently Ryujin had opened her eyes for a second and noticed how close your bulge was to her face, because she gave it a little kiss before you stood up again; you stared at her, but as a good girl who knew how to get away with it, she had closed her eyes again and completely dissimulated. You didn't say anything, but apparently the pattern of behavior had been repeated in all the other girls, judging from the body language of your colleagues.

You stood facing one side of the bed again, but this time on the opposite side, you grabbed the bottle again, to pour a line of oil on each thigh that went from the beginning of it to centimeters above her knee. You put the jar aside, placed your hands on each thigh, and began to spread the liquid all over her legs until they were just as shiny as her upper body.

The focus point was now her thighs, you poured in a little more oil, massaging Ryujin's left thigh and moving up until you brushed her pussy on purpose with the back of your hand, she twitched a little by the initial shock, but when you repeated the process on the other thigh, she showed no signs of discomfort, which gave you the green light to now pour oil directly onto her pubis so it ran free to her crotch, your hands went there, massaging the contours of her pussy, and as a final touch, you rubbed the palm of your hand up and down a few times on her slit.

You heard Ryujin let out a slight moan, a signal that you took to continue rubbing her pussy for a few seconds, running your fingers between her folds before returning to her hips, to massage them as if nothing had happened; she took a deep breath, and blew it out in a silent sigh that made you smile.

Two more minutes passed, in which you dedicated yourself to massaging each part of her body, with special emphasis on her thighs, her abdomen, and then her shoulders. When the clock showed that 7 minutes had already passed, you signaled to your colleagues to tell the girls to turn upside down.

"Hey cutie, face down please," you asked Ryujin in a low, soothing voice, as you heard the same commands from the other boys.

Ryujin opened her eyes to look at you for a moment before turning to see Yeji, and as she turned to face down, she met the gaze of the closest girl, who was Chaery, to nod to her and then to Yeji; they hadn't been discreet at all, in fact, you all had noticed that all five of them had silently signaled to each other, it seemed quite suspicious to you, and in fact, you knew something was about to happen.

As Ryujin turned face down, lying on top of her arms folded, you set off to do the other half of the job. You poured a long line of oil from a few inches below her neck to her lower back, and then began to spread it all over her back and shoulders, putting pressure on her lats and on her shoulder blades, you did that for a very few seconds, since you needed a more suitable position for it, but first, you dedicated yourself to pouring oil on her round ass and again on her legs, this time on the opposite side of her thighs.

You made circles on her buttocks with your two hands, going down from time to time to her thighs to keep spreading oil until soon her whole body was shiny, oily and sexy. As you continued to focus on her ass, and every few seconds on her thighs, you once again ran the side of your hand between the slippery folds of her pussy, but now moving up to lubricate her hole with your thumb as well. Ryujin's moan was a little louder this time, and she took her own steps as well, pulling one of her arms out from under her face to extend it and bring her hand right up to your cock, to squeeze it and massage it slowly.

A part of you knew it wasn't right to let her do that when absolutely everyone else could see if they wanted to, but when you saw out of the corner of your eye that Yuna had pulled Juyeon's cock out of his pants, giving him a handjob as he was massaging her lower back, the embarrassment completely gone, and you just went the easy way, standing in front of her face, pulling out your cock, and rubbing it against her lips until she caught your tip between them.

You wanted to continue doing your job despite what was happening between your legs, but the position that Ryujin adopted, with her neck raised from the bed and leaning on her elbows to comfortably take more inches of your cock, made continuing with the massage in any way impossible for you, so you just surrendered to Shin Ryujin's pretty mouth moving slowly along your shaft.

"Dude, I think we fell for these girls' trap," you heard Sunwoo gasp a few feet away from you, you turned for just a few seconds to look, finding Chaery in almost the same position as Ryujin, sucking on the boy's cock.

"Oh, you think?" you asked rhetorically, then looked down again at Ryujin, who was now holding your cock from the base, taking almost the entire length of it into her warm mouth. Soon the entire room was filled with sucking sounds coming from every direction, adorned only by your collective gasps.

Ryujin moved her neck at a pace that was already driving you crazy because of how good it felt, obviously you didn't know them, but you could safely say that they had experience, and that they knew exactly what they did and how they did it; she took you out of her mouth for a moment, to spit all the saliva accumulated in her mouth back into your shaft and jerk you off with a wicked smile.

"Have you already planned all this?" you gasped, as you watched her.

"Not really, but you made us very fucking horny when you ate our pussies," she stopped talking to lick your cock from below, and then give your balls a few short sucks, "besides we know how to communicate well without even saying anything, you guys are pretty clueless."

Yes, you already noticed.

She guided you back into her mouth, and knowing she didn't have to worry about being discreet, she began to give you a rather sloppy blowjob, taking almost the entire length of your cock with each pump of her head. You placed your hand on her head, letting out small moans to indicate to her that she was doing an amazing job.

As if her mouth wasn't enough, she also added her hand to the game, moving it along with her lips with each fierce pump of her head.

"I can't," she said getting off the bed, "sucking a dick like that is too uncomfortable," she knelt down next to you, and you turned to grab her head and put your cock back in her mouth.

Ryujin didn't put up any resistance, in fact, you noticed a certain complacency in the dominance that you showed by grabbing her head like that, that led you to grab a handful of her short hair and make her resume the messy blowjob she was giving you. The other girls had also adapted to different positions, Yuna was still on the bed, but with her back arched and her butt lifted while Juyeon fucked her mouth, but the others, like Ryujin, had gotten off the bed only to get on their knees.

Saliva began to spill down the sides of Ryujin's lips, it fell straight to her legs, but they slipped straight to the ground due to how slippery her skin was.

"Wanna fuck my mouth and cum inside?" Ryujin asked as she took you out of her mouth to take a breath, her hand jerking you off at the full force of her wrist as she opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out.

"You didn't even have to ask."

You took her hand away from your cock and switched to her hand with which you grabbed her hair, then guided your shaft back into her mouth. You put your other hand back on her head, and with your grip points already established, you began to move your hips in a somewhat aggressive manner. The gagging sounds were present quickly, since with each pump you were almost hitting the girl's throat, and if before she was a disastrous mess of saliva, now she was an insignificant sex toy. The 15 minutes had passed, but none of you cared, you didn't even turn to look at the clock, you were so focused on the pleasure you were receiving that you felt like you were in a mini bubble.

You weren’t far from your orgasm, in fact, as the seconds passed you felt how your body gave you stronger and stronger indications that it was going to happen at any moment; you kept moving your hips, fucking Ryujin's beautiful face while she had her hands clasped behind her back, reinforcing the feeling you had that she specifically quite enjoyed being treated like a toy.

The seconds passed, and with a few more thrusts of your hips against her throat, you released all the arousal you had been accumulating since Yuna had teased you with her feet a few minutes ago, thick jets of cum completely filling Ryujin's mouth, who was doing her best to swallow it all as it kept coming out, but it was so much that inevitably some of it spilled along with your saliva onto the floor.

You moved your hips slower as you finished letting your load into her mouth, finally pulling out and for her to show you the massive pool of cum you had left on her tongue, some of it spilled out, but she quickly closed the mouth to swallow it all.

Your agitated breathing didn’t regulate until the passing of the seconds, you looked around you, to witness several types of Renaissance painting at the same time; Yuna had received the cum on her face, Lia on her ass, Yeji on her tits, and Chaery had swallowed it too, leaving not a single trace of cum anywhere.

There was silence in the room as you all processed what had just happened, only heavy gasps of exhaustion could be heard.

"What just happened here, stays here, okay?" you raised your voice, as you watched Ryujin wipe her mouth and smile mischievously, "we can be fined."

"Calm down daddy, we won't say anything," Ryujin said, still kneeling in front of you, before giving you a little kiss on the tip of your cock that made you shudder.

"Go get cleaned up and come back, please, we still have something to do," you pointed towards the bathroom, which luckily was big enough for all of them to enter.

They all stood up and walked straight to the bathroom giggling, while you guys had to go the old-fashioned way and use clean towels to clean yourselves.

“These girls really are… wow,” you heard Juyeon say.

“I'm going to pretend I didn't see y'all's dick, I hope you do the same,” Sangyeon said, looking as good as new and cleaning up his work area.

"Count on it," Eric replied, doing the same.

Minutes passed, and again one by one they came out of the bathroom, completely clean and ready for the last activity. You had already organized your entire area, and had even cleaned the floor where you had been with Ryujin before.

"Okay, I think you know what to do now, so come here, Chaery," you called to her, and she obediently walked towards you with her hands behind her back.

"Uh… hi," she greeted you with a little curtsy and a sheepish smile, not at all looking like there should be cum on her stomach right now.

"Hello, Chaery, it's my pleasure," you smiled, noticing a clear difference in personality between her and the others, "have you decided what you want to repeat yet?"

"Oh, yes, and the truth is that I have a special request for you," she began to play with her fingers, a little nervous.

"Really? And what is it?"

"I want the same massage, face down, a moment ago I couldn't enjoy it because well... you know."

"Oh, that's not a problem-"

"But I want you to finger my ass at the same time."

You almost choked on your own saliva. Who was going to say that such a shy and reserved girl would ask for something like that.

"Well… yes, we can do that," you agreed, "lie down then, please."

"Your sister recommended this place to you, didn't she?" you asked Chaery as you began to pour some more oil over her body to renew the layer she already had. Chaeyeon had been a client of yours for a long time, in fact, she was one of the first idols to go to that place.

"Oh yeah," she replied, completely relaxed, "she recommended it to us when we got back from our tour."

"A lot of stress?" you started massaging her back, and then her hips.

"You have no idea," she sighed, "it's always great to see our fans, but it's very exhausting."

"I get it… well, I think you came to the right place," you couldn't help but giggle as you now focused on her legs.

"Yes, you guys are wonderful, thank you very much," you looked at her face, seeing that she had a small smile that made you die of tenderness.

"Hey, that's very sweet of you, thanks."

"Anyway, I don't have a preference yet," she shrugged.

"Oh yeah? But who could it be?" you asked flirtatiously, now massaging her firm ass which by the way, you had to say was the best of all of them.

"I don't know, we'll find out…"

You didn't respond anymore, instead, while you traced circles with your hands on her buttocks, you let one of your thumbs escape completely on purpose towards her ass, where you only had to apply a little pressure for it to enter completely and without resistance inside her; Chaery let out an adorable moan, but you stuck your thumb out again, and continued to massage her ass and her thighs for a few seconds.

When she least expected it, you slipped your middle finger inside her again, this time moving it in and out of her for a moment before adding your ring finger; she let out a more pronounced moan, and you began to move your wrist at a medium pace.

You noticed that her hole was perfectly used to having things inside, that combined with the fact that the oil lubrication was perfect, made your fingers go in and out without any problem. Chaery started moaning more often, and you realized right away that this was her main kink.

You squeezed one of her buttocks with your free hand, and then you started moving your wrist as fast as you could, making the room fill with the sounds of your palm crashing against her flesh. She couldn't help but get out of position, she had raised her left knee a little, and she was holding on to the sides of the bed with her fingers.

She was already moaning too loud, so you just took your free hand to her mouth and offered your two fingers to suck on, and that's how it was, she accepted them delighted, sucking and moaning on them while you fucked her ass with your other hand.

It didn't take long until between each intense pump of your fingers inside her, she had an very strong orgasm that made her shudder and spasm, your fingers came out of her mouth, but to drown out her moans she only bit her own forearm with such strength that left her teeth marked on her skin. When she passed her orgasm, you just smiled and took your fingers out of her ass, to resume the massage as if nothing had happened.

"T-thanks..." she muttered, looking over her shoulder at you with weak eyes, then dropping her face back into her arms.

"Do you already have a preference?" you asked, raising an eyebrow, massaging the sides of her thighs.

"Yes... you," she managed to say before beginning to take a small nap.

The remaining minutes passed peacefully, apparently the rest of the girls had opted for the same activity to repeat without any other particularity, the only exception was Yuna, who wanted her pussy eaten once more, but everything was quieter than expected. you expected

When the 15 minutes were up, you lightly shook Chaery's shoulder to wake her up, she slowly got up, then rubbed her eyes as she sat up in bed.

"Ladies, we've come to the end of this session, I'd like to thank you all for choosing us," you bowed to them with a small smile, "you're free to go wash up and get dressed again."

"Thank you guys so much," the leader Yeji thanked, returning the bow, "it won't be the last time you see us here, don't worry if you miss us," she winked at you, then led her girls to the bathroom.

You stayed to clean and organize everything one more time, and when you finished, you left the room to go to the receptionist and fill out the corresponding report to bring everything in order. While you were waiting outside, since it was break time, the girls came out dressed again, saying goodbye to y’all with little bows and friendly smiles.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?" Yeji told you before walking out the door, "outside," you exchanged glances with Sunwoo, who raised her eyebrows and gestured for you to go with her.

"Of course," you agreed, walking outside with them, "what's wrong?"

"Well... we were talking while we got dressed," she looked at the others for a moment, and then at you, "and we came to a conclusion."

"Conclusion?" you asked confused.

"Yes, you were our favorite, in all phases, and we want you to give us… additional services… in our dorm."

——————————————————————————

Spren Notes:

Remember when I said that Erinyes was my most ambitious work to date? Well, I think this shits on that piece completely. I must give special thanks, with all my heart, to the guy who trusted me to carry out his idea! If you're reading this, I hope you loved it buddy!

If you, dear reader, are also interested in buying me a commission, do not hesitate to go through my inbox, I’ll be delighted!

#itzy smut #smut #chaeryeong smut #yeji smut #ryujin smut #lia smut #yuna smut #kpop smut #itzy fanfic #male reader smut #male reader insert #x male reader #girl group smut

1K notes · View notes

unplanned-parenthood · 11 months

Text

extracted messages to kutner from his official virtual obituary. the site is no longer up (it used to be at fox.com/kutner) but an archived version can be found here!

thanks to hugeegosorry and dorkylittleweirdo for contributing in the notes w/ the missing letters and the web archive link :-)

(im working on adding alt text to these, but for now transcriptions for the letters can be found under the cut)

Dr. Chris Taub:

I really don't want to write anything. I Have nothing to say… I'm pissed off. Why didn't you talk to me? Idiot. I miss you.

Chris Taub

Remy:

My first memory of you is when you got fired as #6. My second memory of you is when you reappeared as #9. My third is when you set that patient on fire trying to restart his heart. Later on, I was the one you confided in about your parents. About what happened to them. And I always felt there was so much more to talk about…

I wish we had more time.

Remy #13

Eric Foreman:

I wish I'd gotten there sooner

I'm sorry

E.F.

Dr. Allison Cameron:

I don't know if you knew this, but… out of all those new people, I'm pretty sure you were House's favorite.

Love

Allison Cameron

Lisa Cuddy:

I think what I remember most was your kindness. When I first adopted Rachel, a lot of people offered to come help, to babysit. But you're the only one who actually did. Nobody could make Rachel laugh like you. We'll both miss you.

Cuddy

Dr. Robert Chase:

I didn't know you that well – I guess nobody did x

Robert Chase

Dr. James Wilson:

When you gave me some of your short stories to read, I remember you practically apologized as you handed them over; that's how shy you were about sharing them. But I don't know why. They were actually pretty good.

James Wilson

Gregory House:

[Left blank]

#NORMALEST show with the NORMALEST promo content #lawrence kutner #house md #mine #general #misc #post has been edited as of aug 30th 2023 bc the original still got notes and it made me sad that the additions were mostly not seen

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mynameismckenziemae · 2 months

Text

Take it right there

Jake ‘Hangman ‘ Seresin x You

This was written for #leahsgalentinesdayspecial (put on by @ohtobeleah thank you!)

Song: Like a Wrecking Ball by Eric Church

Warnings: 18+ MDNI! Smut, unprotected p in v, talks of spanking, masturbation, teasing…I think that’s it, let me know if missed anything!

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

They say the first year of marriage is the hardest. This is true for you and Jake, but not for the reasons one may think.

Living together wasn’t the problem; you’d shared an apartment for 18 months before he proposed. It wasn’t combining and sharing finances either; you each contribute fairly and spend wisely.

The hardest part is that Jake has been deployed for 3 and a half months out of your 4-month marriage.

The wedding had been perfect; it was everything you dreamed of. The honeymoon was even better. Just thinking about what the two of you got up to in your room, the private pool, the cabana at the beach, the cramped bathroom of the glass bottom boat…sends a shiver down your spine and an echoing heat between your thighs.

But just a short week after you got back, Jake was called out with no ETA given. You had just gotten the keys to the fixer-upper you bought and weren’t even all the way moved in when Jake got the call that Sunday morning.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

“Sweetheart?”

“Please don’t tell me that was Simpson and you’re getting called out. Please?” You whine, dropping the paintbrush you’re holding back in the tray.

“How’d you know?” He asks, wrapping his arms around you from behind.

“I could hear it wasn’t good by your voice,” you murmur, leaning into him.

“I’m sorry, I don’t want to go either. I’ve got some good news though. We don’t leave until Tuesday morning and Simpson gave me and the rest of the squad off until then. They’re already on their way over to help us get the rest of the house cleaned up and painted so we can get everything else moved in and set up before I’m gone,” he murmurs against your neck before trailing up to your ear.

“No, they don’t have to do that, I’m sure they’ve got other things to-oh,” you sigh as he nips your earlobe and presses his hard-on into your short-clad bottom.

“I didn’t even have to ask, sweetheart. Roo was texting the group chat before I even got off the phone,” he assures you.

“But-“ you protest but he interrupts.

“No ‘buts’ about it, Mrs. Seresin. They’re already on their way. Now shush or I’ll spank yours before they get here,” he jokingly threatens, patting your butt and stepping away.

“Mhmm, sure,” you tease, calling his bluff.

You smile at his sharp inhale.

“You think I’m kidding?”

You gasp when he grabs your ponytail and pulls you back against him.

“Bend over that step ladder and I’ll show you how serious I am,” he says lowly, sucking a bruise behind your ear before he pushes you toward it.

But you’re saved by the bell; the doorbell that is.

“Oh no, that’s too bad. They’re here,” you smile at him smugly as you turn to answer the front door, but he grabs your wrist with a dark chuckle as you walk past.

“You’re not off the hook that easy, sweetheart. You know what I do to naughty girls. After tonight, you’re gonna think of me every time you sit down for the first few days that I’m gone.”

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

He wasn’t kidding. But you love pushing his buttons until he does something about it

You cried when he left that Tuesday morning, like every other deployment but this one just hurt more; popping the bubble of your newly wedded bliss.

In the time he was gone, there were a handful of rushed calls, texts here and there, and two video chats; one that was private and so hot, the other in his shared bunk so you keep it appropriate, kind of.

“Hey, sweetheart. Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” Jake says, eyes widening when he sees you. You’ve got your phone propped up while you’re sitting on the bathroom vanity in just a bathrobe, hair wet around your shoulders. “Just a heads up, Bradshaw’s in here. Whatcha doing up there?”

“Hey baby, just painting my nails. Does that mean I have to behave?” You lift your head to look at him with a smirk.

Jake nods as Bradley shouts, “No! Tease him, honey, make him pay for leaving you!”

You laugh. “Miss you, Roo.”

“Miss you too!”

You tell Jake about your day and then about the work you’ve done around the house, shaking your head when he asks to see it. “I want it to be a surprise.”

“Alright, can’t wait to see it. And you,” Jake sighs.

“I can’t either,” you reply, keeping your voice even as you slide your robe off your shoulders, baring your naked chest. “Any word on how much longer?”

He doesn’t answer, too distracted by you as you spread your legs and dip your fingers between.

“Jake?” You ask again.

He snaps out of it when your fingers stop. “What? No, sorry. Haven’t heard anything yet.”

“Damn. Hopefully not too much longer,” your eyes fall close as you push two fingers in, rubbing your clit with the heel of your palm.

His face flushes red as he watches you quietly bring yourself to orgasm; talking about the new restaurant you want to try, without bringing any attention to what you’re doing.

His expression turns pained when you lick your fingers clean in between telling him about what kitchen cabinets you want.

“5 minute warning guys,” Rooster’s voice filters through the phone.

The warning is nice but the moment is gone.

“Love you, sweetheart, hopefully be home soon.”

“I hope so. Love you too.”

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

That was 2 weeks ago and you are sick of waiting. Fed up. Finished. Done.

Sighing, you look at your ugly kitchen cabinets and get the perfect idea for your frustration.

You smile as you bring the heavy sledgehammer in from the garage, but just as you’re about to bring it above your head, you hear Jake’s voice.

“Sweetheart?”

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

You drop the sledgehammer to the floor before you run into his open arms.

His back hits the wall when he stumbles back a few steps from the momentum.

“Sorry,” he murmurs against your lips as a picture frame shatters, knocked off the wall by his shoulder.

“You can buy me a new one tomorrow, I just need you to fuck me,” you pull back from his lips to latch onto his neck.

His head hits the wall as you mark up his neck. “Let’s…bedroom?” He pants.

You nod your head and hum in agreement but make no move to climb off him.

He drops you on the bed when he finally reaches the bedroom, unbuttoning his pants as you slip your leggings off and you’re pulling him on top of you before he can kick his off his ankles.

“Wait, I wanna taste you, get you ready,” he protests as you rub the head of his cock through your arousal.

“I’m ready. I’ve been ready for the past 105 days,” you whine, hands each gripping a handful of his ass and pulling him into you.

“Fuckkkkkk,” he groans as he breaches you, stealing the breath from your lungs.

“So big,” you whimper when he’s finally all the way in.

“Doing so good, sweetheart,” he pants against your neck, giving you a moment to adjust before pulling out just to push back in, again and again with deep, steady thrusts.

The bed begins to creak as he fucks you at a punishing pace, mingling with the sounds of your shared pleasure.

“More, Jake! Please, I’m so close,” you plead, fingers digging into the thick muscles of his back.

His hips stutter at the bite of pain but he recovers, tilting his hips so that his pubic bone brushes your clit with each stroke.

“C’mon, be my good girl, get there for me,” he begs.

A broken cry rips from your throat as your orgasm crashes into you, triggering Jake’s release. He cums with a low groan, painting your insides white.

A few minutes go by before he lifts his head to press a kiss to your lips. “I love y-oh shit!”

There’s a loud crack and all of a sudden the mattress is on the floor.

Jakes's wide eyes meet yours before you both burst into laughter.

The bedframe broke.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Jake helps you get cleaned up before helping you to your feet.

“So, what were you planning on doing with that sledgehammer?”

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

A/N: I hope y’all like it ☺️🥴

As always, any interaction is appreciated but I love hearing what you think in comments/reblogs.

Tagging those who may be interested:

@mamachasesmayhem

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#leahs galentines day special #top gun maverick #jake hangman seresin #jake seresin #jake hangman seresin x you #jake hangman seresin x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw

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spiderrmax · 1 year

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main 4 + s/o on their period

request: can u do like the main 4 x s/o on their period 🙏🙏 author's note: the request didn't specify pronouns so the reader is written as gender neutral but is afab! also a lot of this is based on my experience w my period

Stan Marsh

Knows the most out of the boys due to his sister + his mom

Is still a bit awkward about it though, but won’t shame you for it. knows you can't control it

A bit embarrassed about buying you menstrual products but also knows it’s worst for you so he just keeps his head down.

Doesn’t mind lying with you if it helps. Will do the thing where he holds you from behind and places his hands over your stomach in order to provide some comfort

Knows what kinda snacks his mom and sister have when they’re on their period so he makes sure to get those kinda things.

Is sympathetic if you’re emotional. Won’t understand why you’re crying about a spoon but won’t make any rude comments to you or anyone else.

lets you borrow clothes if you want something loose to wear. also likes seeing you in his clothing :)

Kyle Broflovski

Doesn’t know a lot before dating you because he never cared to learn. His mom probably told him the basics but that’s it

But! Does so much research once he gets into a relationship with you.

Will bring over snacks that he read were beneficial for periods.

“I read that bananas are good for your period because of the potassium.” You call him a nerd but it’s very sweet

his sweetness causes you to cry because he's a "good boyfriend" and he panics while also being happy you think so much of him

Will try to provide advice based on his research but also knows that sometimes the best thing he can do is just lay with you and watch some stupid romance movie.

Also doesn’t mind buying menstrual products! Probably would get shit for it but just argues that his friends are single and wouldn’t get it

Eric Cartmen

Knows nothing about periods; might call you gross at first

Won’t buy you menstrual products, but if you are dating for a while he’ll probably buy something to have at his house. He won’t mention it though, it’s just there one day.

However he has his good moments. One time you bled through your pants and he let you tie his jacket around your waist because you didn’t have one.

Of course he covered it up by saying he couldn’t be seen with a mess and you’d just embarrass him, but you know he means well. His tell is that he won't make eye contact

Would probably say something that’d accidentally upset you, but would awkwardly console you until you stop crying.

Shares his food with you if it’s something you are craving. Gets to the point where he just automatically gives you a piece while his friends stare in shock.

He's probably the best to cuddle with on your period! He's really warm naturally and that would help with any cramps or soreness

Kenny Mccormick

Also knows nothing about periods. Probably died and missed sex-ed

But! Will ask you a lot of questions to know specifically about your period.

If you send him to buy menstrual products, he will get lost. Send him with a description of the product you want. Would accidentally buy panty liners thinking they are pads

Would love to cuddle if you’re up to it! Has no problem laying in whatever way helps you. He is at your disposal

Will console you if you’re upset; lets you place your head in the crook of his neck if you’re crying about something. gets that it makes you emotional. you two will laugh later about some of the things you've cried about.

if he's at your house, will def try and make you food to eat. will pop popcorn or make boxed brownies. sometimes they don't turn out great but hey. he means well

Rents movies if you just wanna relax. he's so go w the flow. just listens to what you need and will do it!

#south park x reader #stan marsh x reader #kyle broflovski x reader #eric cartman x reader #kenny mccormick x reader

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bless-my-demons · 11 months

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Redamancy: Prologue

Jasper Hale x Reader

Series Summary: What happens when your soulmate is a vampire that struggles to maintain a diet of trying not to kill you? Common sense says run for the hills, nothing is worth your life - but my heart is whispering why not, what’s there to lose?

Warnings: None for this chapter [this also isn’t beta’d so bear with me]

Notes: it took me so long to work up the courage to actually post my first work, so enjoy! I’ll be over here anxiously awaiting your thoughts.

Word Count: 705

Series Masterlist

A clear horizon. An orange sunset fading into vivid pinks and purples as the atmosphere darkens in preparation for the night. Evening sun warming your face, the space around you drifting into silence as calm settles into your bones, time halting its ever constant forward march, no thoughts or worries.

That’s what it felt like, the moment my eyes met Jasper Hale’s. Like I was done searching for what my heart was in need of as soon as I glanced into those golden pools of his.

• January 24th, 2005 • Forks High School •

Reader

Based on the non-stop gossip floating around this microscopic high school, I’m the newest kid on the block. Dethroning the most recent to wear the title, Bella Swan, the Police Chief’s daughter.

Now, I’m not opposed to the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State, but Forks could strive to be a little more than a one-stoplight town and add a few more amenities. This big city Texas girl needs a little more than Forks Outfitters - the one stop shop for food, basic clothing, and hardware.

I left Dallas because my mom needed me here, my dad didn’t want to trade sunshine and big ranches for rain and freezing temperatures. They’re happily divorced, but I can tell that over time it’s worn her down. I’m just a junior in high school, but I guess she and I can navigate this together.

God, let there be cute boys at this high school, I’m begging you.

I was almost immediately accosted by what I deemed the welcoming committee the moment I locked the door to my car and began the dreaded ‘new kid’ trek to the front office of Forks High School. Stares came from anyone loitering in the parking lot before class while this overly-excited kid, who introduced himself as Eric Yorkie, began what had to be a well rehearsed ‘anything you need’ spiel.

All hopes of flying under the radar halfway through junior year vanished into thin air and I hadn’t even made it to the sidewalk yet.

“Eric? I really appreciate your help and concern, but I was hoping to kinda just glide in on my first day and blend in.” I said as we walked together through the wet parking lot, dodging the bigger puddles so I wouldn't soak my shoes before I got to my first class of the day.

“Oh that’s pretty much impossible here, newcomers are always the only thing everyone talks about. Don’t be scared to hit me up with questions later though, good luck!” Shouting that last part as he dashed off to class, turning the heads of a few close students.

A deep sigh passed my lips as I trudged on, pulling open the heavy door to the administration office. It’s nice to have someone offer help on my first day, I just wish this town was big enough so that I could get lost on everyone’s list of priorities to gossip about or stare at.

Today is going to be a long day.

“Good morning dear!” A sweet older woman announced from behind the central desk in the front office. The name plate in front of her reading ‘Administrative Secretary Shelly Cope’.

“Good morning Miss Cope. I’m Y/n Y/l/n, here to pick up my class schedule and hopefully a map of the place?” I said, cutting to the chase. The front office is a giant fish bowl to the students walking by outside, no one wants to spend more time than necessary here on their first day.

“Oh yes! I’ve got it all printed out and ready to go for ya dear, along with your locker assignment.” She says with a smile, passing the papers across her desk. “Let me know if you have any questions or if you need help with anything!”

“Yes ma’am, thank you!” I responded, half reading my new schedule - half aware of where I was going as I press a shoulder to the exit.

First period Biology

Second period English

Third period Spanish

Fourth period Trigonom-

The front office door smacks straight into an unsuspecting, gorgeous, golden-eyed fellow student, sending the papers clutched in my hands to the ground.

#jasper hale x reader #jasper hale #jasper whitlock #jasper whitlock hale #jasper hale fanfiction #twilight #twilight fanfiction #reader insert #slow burn #bless-my-demons #redamancy series

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thevestigeofvanillaan · 1 year

Text

holy shit im just thinking about hate fucking stan in kyle's house or something.

like if nobody was home so kyle held "a get together" with you, stan, himself, eric, and kenny.

imagine you guys were playing stupid drinking games and stuff and you and stan had been hooking up but you really didn't like eachother (because you guys were nothing alike and genuinely just used eachother for sex). you were both just really horny so you started arguing over nothing for an excuse.

"fuck you, that's not even how this shit works!" "you're making a scene." "okay then, let's take this conversation elsewhere." "fine!"

–is likely how that conversation would go before heading to kyle's bedroom where you'd viciously make out and strip from your pants and underwear only.

"what'd eric say about me earlier?" you ask in-between kisses. stan gets aligned with your entrance, slowly pushing into you, leaning down to hover his face over yours as he does so. he places a kiss on your lips before whispering "said you hated me,"

"i do." you add out loud.

"said you'd rather die than have drunk sex with me. too bad you do it sober too." he chuckles.

"you're– fucking ridiculous stanley." you grunt softly as he starts to move once you've adjusted to his size for a moment.

stan would place his hand on your lower stomach, putting pressure as he moves his thumb to play with your clit, pulling soft moans from your lips. "we gotta be fast. and shut up, you're so loud."

"you know you like it." you tease and stan aggressively thrusts into you, causing a gasp to leave your mouth before a giggle is let out. "don't be so mad about the truth, stanley."

"shut up." he rolls his eyes and pounds hard into your tight cunt, bringing you closer to your release. "'m not gonna last much longer stanle–y." your voice separates with his hard thrusts stopping your voice from getting out properly.

"that's alright baby," he groans. "cum for me."

even though he wasn't ready.

you grab his shoulders and pull him down into your chest, muffling your orgasm into his shoulder as he stays still inside you. "fuck stan.".

you hear a knock on the door, "hey are you guys good in there?" you hear kyle say.

"yeah, fine." stan responds, standing up and immediately you miss the warmth of his body over yours.

"cartman's about to go twerk half naked on the side of the road for money, so hurry up with your gay argument." kyle says from outside the door before you hear footsteps of him walking away.

when stan looks at you with the same confused expression you have on your face the two of you giggle together before he pulls out, pulling up his pants (hes still hard asf mind you) and throwing you your own.

"thanks." you say referring to the pants. you watch as he shrugs and watched you put on your clothing.

"wanna.. i don't know. do this at one of our houses some time. instead of always doing it at school or.. at kyle's house i guess." stan offers and you giggle softly.

"my house tomorrow night at six, don't be late or else you'll have to come through my window." you wink and walk out the door where he soon follows after.

#vanillaan #stan marsh x reader #stan marsh smut #stan x reader #stan marsh #stan marsh south park #south park smut #south park x reader #south park

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my-only-way-tocooperatewithlife · 1 year

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Promises- Charles Leclerc

Welcome back everyone. First of all, I would love to thank you All for all the love and support that my blog has received in the past two month. I have never expected in my wildest dreams that you will like the How your life can change with a call story. Thank you really. ❤ All those comments, likes, reblogs they mean sooo much to me. Hope you will like this one too, I have some up in my sleeves left. Love you Kiki ♥

Charles Leclerc x Fem!Reader

Summary: You have known each other for years, you are best friends. But none of you are lucky with love. So after a midnight you two made a promise, that got kind of forgotten over the years. Or at least that's what you have thought.

Warnings: overall fluff with a little hint of angst, best friend to lovers, alcohol usage, swears, , rom-com vibes, smut, mentione of cheating

Masterlist

Promise (noun): a verbal commitment by on person to another agreeing to do

“Guess who got cheated on?” You stopped at the edge of the dock, kicked off your shoes and picked it up from the tarmac while dropped your bag on the dark wooden flooring before continuing your way to the central area of the boat, where you stepped over the couch and sat between your girlfriends as the other five friends were sitting around in different furnitures holding cups with different beverages. They were waiting on you continuing your rant about that blonde haired bank worker bastard, who you have already thought is cheating on you but tonight this intuition turned into a real thing when you walked into his place finding him having a romantic dinner with someone else. “Oh don’t you dare to start that something was already suspicious about that man, and I did not deserve him or the girl is probably not even close to the level that I’m on and shit like this. Because, here comes the good part. It was not a woman he cheated me with, it was his colleague, a dude.” You were animatedly gesticulating, everyone was listening to you attentively and quietly till you finished and then all of them said the same thing at the same time.

“No fucking way.”

“Can you imagine how embarrassing is it for me? Like first it’s embarrassing and infuriating to get cheated on. I would add it in a bracket that it’s not my first time to be in a situation like this, but with a guy? And I can still top it off, it was not that they were having a romantic candle lit dinner, but they were all over each other, and clothes were missing. I thought today I will see a man’s private part, hah jokes on me. I got two..” You were mortified by the whole story and you even felt worse when you were telling about your friends, because it was the time when it finally hit you what happened. Your pulse was drumming in your ears, your breath quickened as you were finished with your monologue, waiting for the group to answer something.

“Maybe they just wanted a threesome.” Your friend Eric snorted as he made the joke. You looked at him unamused and pushed him on his shoulders.

“And I would not have had a problem with it, if I knew for sure that I’m the one they are into and not each other.” You shrugged and got up from the couch walking all the way to the small fridge. “Do I look that miserable, that I can’t find a normal guy who is not lying, or turns out to be gay…”You turned around leaning back to the counter looking at the group sitting in front of you, all of them were quietly staring back at you. “ Oh fuck off.” You rolled your eyes before they started to laugh.

“You are really pushing this whole dating thing. Be more relaxed. It will come when you have the time for it, okay?” One of your girl friends, Sammy walked closer to you and wrapped her arm around your shoulder as she leaned closer and kissed your cheeks. “You are beautiful, intelligent, funny and loyal. Guys are just dumb. But don’t give up, and you know what we say? No boys, no problem.”

“That’s true as no girls, no problem! “Eric shouted from the other side of the boat.

“Dude, have you heard of the phrase who is eavesdropping will get older quicker?” Sammy shouted back at him.

“Look at Leclerc, since he is single again, he seems so much happier.” Eric picked up the small red ball from his feet and threw it at his friend, which perfectly hit the back of his neck. Charles lifted his gaze up from his cup with a grin, as he lifted up his left hand with his middle finger and flipped off our friend. “And he spends more time with us than we can spend on his boat. It's an all win-win situation, my boy!” Charles was chuckling and shaking his head side to side.

“So, Eric, are you gonna open that tequila that you have been singing odes about?” Charles threw the small ball back at his friend.

You were sitting at the tip of the boat, looking straight ahead of you, watching how the moon’s light flickers on the surface of the sea. It was calm, it made you feel calm as well. Some lights were on in some boats in the port, you could hear people chatting away as they were walking in the sea shore. The bass of the music quietly emerges from downstairs.

“Are you not cold?” The voice made you jump in your seat and you whipped your head around, seeing Charles warmly smiling down at you as he was having a hoodie draped over his left arm, as he had two bottles of beer in his right hand. “I brought you one of my hoodies, and beers if you want to talk about the evening or just in general.”

“Thank you Perceval.” You smiled at him and took the hoodie away from him. He rolled his eyes with a smile and sat down next to you. You knew each other since high school, you just moved here from France with your parents. He was the first kid when you stepped in the classroom who instantly went to you and introduced himself to you, just before dragging you all the way to the other side of the room, so he can introduce all of his friends to you. Who turned to be your friends too afterwards. Your group of friends stuck together even after Charles left for the F1 Academy, you have spent the summers together. When you graduated and most of you started to work, and did your licenses you went to most of Charles races that were close to you, cheering him on all the eight of you.

“Are you okay?” He nudged you with his shoulder, you turned your head to look at him. He was quietly studying your face.

“I just realized that I do push this whole dating thing. I did not even like that dude. He was just there to make me feel less alone. How pathetic.. ” You said with a sigh and turned your gaze away from his eyes and looked back in front of you, fixing your gaze at the water again. “Sometimes I guess I can be a little jealous seeing everyone with their partners. Like when we go to your races and I’m the only one sitting alone, or when we go out for dinner, and I’m the only one who does not belong to someone. And don’t get me wrong, I’m so happy when my friends are happy. I love to look at them being in love. I was so happy when I saw you happy in a relationship. It just sucks sometimes you know..” you turned your head his way and saw that he was looking at you, studying your face quietly. He was watching you the whole time, and as you turned his way he looked in your eyes and pulled his lips to a small smile and nodded.

“I get what you say. And it’s understandable, we are at the age when we want something serious, that we can build our life on.” He caressed your shoulder softly.” Do you still remember what we have promised to each other?” He popped the lids off the beer bottles and handed one over to you.

“I’m not eating chocolate and drinking in front of you when you are having your race weekends?” You looked at him puzzled which he just answered with a small chuckle. “Or I’m not drinking whiskeys anymore, and I’m not putting on that Ferrari red stiletto high heels that makes me feel like the sexiest woman on earth but kills my feet in two minutes so you have to carry me home?”

“We have had this conversation before, you are the sexiest woman on Earth and it does not matter if you have those high heels on or not. “He clinked his beer bottle to yours and both of you took a swig of your drinks. “But I was thinking about something else. We have agreed on something five years ago on new years eve.” You looked at him with your brows furrowed, and tilted your head to the side.

“No way you still remember that…” your mouth opened once you realised what he was talking about.

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ New year’s Eve of 2018 ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

“Perceval…” you screamed as you saw your best friend coming out of the crowded house. You stepped closer to him, but the amount of alcohol and the choice of shoes did it’s magic so you ended up falling into his arms, he grabbed on your waist as you wrapped your arms around his neck. “It’s ten minutes before the countdown.”

“Bunny, no need to scream in my ears.” he giggled and helped you back on your feet, and kept his hand on the side of your hips to keep you steady. Probably the last three gin tonics and those other two tequila shots were probably not that necessary.

“Another year has ended and I’m single, I think it’s a curse.” You sighed dramatically, and leaned back on the railings.”

“Oh come on, don’t be this dramatic.” He rolled his eyes, and picked two champagne flutes from the server’s plate. Handing over one for you.

“You don’t get it, I have had everything planned. Like I’m twenty now, in two months I will turn twenty one. I have planned that I want to have a serious relationship till my mid twenties, so I can start to have a family before I turn thirty. I have it planned, Charles.” You were animatedly gesticulating as he was watching you with an amazed look on his face. “I need to find a guy like you. I need someone to have the same personality as you, and most of your handsomeness.”

“Bunny, I’m not surprised that you have planned it.” He chuckled. “Okay, I have an idea. We still have five years till we turn twenty five. In February 2022 our deal starts, we have six months from that to find someone that we can imagine to start a family. If we are single in September, we will get together.”

“You are crazy dude.” You laughed with your head tilted back. “I know for sure that you won’t be single.”

“Maybe, who knows. We have five years till that. So what do you say? Can we make this promise to ourselves? You know that I keep promises” People started to gather around you on the balcony, everyone was pretty drunk just as you two. Most of the crowd had some type of alcohol in their hands, mostly champagne. “Countdown will start soon Bunny, so you have to make a choice if you are into this promise or not.” He looked back at you and extended a pinky out to you. You knew he was serious about it. During your whole friendship since you were teenagers you only made a few promises. He promised you the day when he left for the Academy, that he will never forget about you, and that he will make it to F1 and not just that he will make it to F1 but he will make it to Ferrari.

“Just don’t regret it.” You hooked your pinky in his as the countdown started. “Spending a whole lifetime with me can be a lot.” You winked at him, and he let out a small laugh. “FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO..” as the counting were going down behind you all

“Never, I already spent a part of my life with you, it won’t change a lot. I promise.” He said it just as the crowd screamed One

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

“You can’t be serious about that, you remember.” You laid down on the boat looking up at the stars above you all as you chuckled.

“Never forgot a promise before, haven’t I?” He laid down next to you watching the twinkling stars above the two of you. “If I’m not wrong we are in July, so it means you have two months left.”

“I would say the same for you, but let’s be honest. “You turned your head to him, and he turned to you too. “You can hardly stay single.” He rolled his eyes and pushed your shoulder slightly.

“Hey, I wanted to ask something.” You broke the small silence between the two of you which made him turn his head to look at you again. “The others knew about it already, I just had no idea if you were gonna be in Monaco. But did not want you to feel guilty if you can’t participate..”

“Bunny, you are rambling again.” He grabbed your pinky with his pinky and squeezed it a little.“Take a breath and start again.”

“I got called in for an audition, and it will be open to the public. Would you like to come to my show at that music bar? It's two weeks from today.” You spoke rapidly trying to get the question out as soon as possible so you may feel less awkward about it.

“Bunny! That’s incredible! Of course I will come.” He wrapped his fingers around your hand and lifted up to his lips. “I’m so happy for you!” He mumbled over your knuckles and laid a feather-like kiss on the back of your hand as he was looking deeply in your eyes, making you blush like crazy, the tip of your ears were burning, but you just could not tear your eyes off him. You swallowed thick and inhaled through your nose.

“I actually have something for you.” He let go of your hand and started to dig into the pocket of his sweats, closing the small sachet in his palm before he sat up pulling you up with him. “I saw this the other day and instantly thought that you might like it.” You extended both of your arms, as your plans were facing to the sky, wiggling your fingers, initiating that he needs to hurry up. “Someone is impatient.” He giggled and dropped the small black velvet sachet in your plans. It felt light, your brows were knitted and hooked your fingers in the mouth of the sachet opening it up. You turned the little bag upside down, letting the gift fall into your left palm.

“Oh Charles, it's really pretty.” You picked up the bracelet. It was a black yarn bracelet with small beads knotted on it, and one heart shaped charmer on it.

“And that’s not all, wait let me help you put it on.” Quickly wrapping the bracelet around your right wrist. “Okay wait.” He pulled the sleeve of his hoodie showing all the different bracelets that he usually had on his wrists before tapping on one of the charmers making the one that you had on your wrist vibrated.

“Wait, what? Do it again.” He smiled and tapped twice on the charmer making your bracelet pulsate twice. “Wow, that's so cool.” You tapped on your charmer too.

“You can tap it as many times as you want, and it works no matter what. Even if we are on different sides of the world.”

“Oh so like when you are in Australia for example and I’m just waking up I can just tap it and I don’t have to write you Hi good morning text.” You were still tapping on your charmer.

“Exactly. Or when I’m thinking about you, slash or miss you I can tap it twice.” He tapped his charmer twice, making yours vibrate twice too.

“So we are gonna have our own little morse code between us.” He nodded, smiling back at you. You got on your knees and wrapped your arms around his neck pulling him in a hug, his arms wrapped around your waist, holding you tight to his body. “Thank you mon beau.” You whispered in his neck, nuzzling your nose further in. He turned his head and laid a small kiss on your jawline and pulled you back, laying down on the boat’s floor as your head was on his chest listening to his heart beat.

“Your welcome Bunny.” He raked his fingers through your hair making you sigh loudly. Physical touch were both of your love language, it was normal for you to cuddle up, or things like he was playing with your hair, or drawing shapes on each other's skin.

———————————

You were back in the salon, running the day alone as Pascal took a day off, you just finished with your last client and started to clean up in the salon. Washing away the bowls where you have been mixing the colours, swiping up the floor one last time, gathering all the used towels and throwing them in the machine to and scheduled it to start in the morning before you will open the shop. You walked in the small storage picking up the fresh delivery of hair colours, you picked up the box and walked to the other side of the salon and sat on the ground and started to fill up the cabinet. The doorbell rang as the door pushed open, and someone walked in. You rolled your eyes as you checked the watch on your arm for the time. “Sorry we are closed!” You said behind the counter and picked up the now empty box before getting up and walked out. “Excuse me, we are closed.” You said one more time as you saw the brown haired man standing with his back facing you in the doorway holding up his phone to his ears. He turned around for your second call, lowering the phone from his ears and sending it your way. He was one of the most handsome men that you have ever seen. First thing that made your eyes go was his piercing blue eyes that stared into yours, they were deep and expressive, where you could get lost if you stare long enough. He was the typical description of a Greek god.

“Excuse me, I have had an appointment for six o’clock.” He checked the time on his watch again. “I booked the appointment online yesterday with YN, I think.”

“Are you sure?” You asked back confused and started to walk to the reception table, to check your calendar. He unlocked his phone and slid over the counter top, showing you the confirmation email that you sent out yesterday afternoon. You facepalmed yourself, you remembered sending that mail out, and you also remembered telling yourself to write it up in your own calendar too, but when you were about to do your bracelet started to vibrate four times, making you drop everything and digging up your phone from the papers scattering around. Four vibrations meant, check your phone, I’m gonna call you. “I’m so sorry. Uhm, okay give me two minutes. Can you please take a seat? I’ve already packed everything, but I’ll be ready in a minute.” You rambled and ran around the counter, trying to get your scissors and the other essentials.

“Take your time, I’m not in a rush.” He chuckled.

“Oh I’m YN by the way.” You extended your hand out for him which he took and squeezed a little, his hand was much bigger than yours, his skin felt a little rough but it was really warm.

“Matthew.” His voice was deep and raspy. He took a seat at your station and you draped the cloak on him.

“So Matthew, guess from the name you are not born and raised in Monte Carlo.” You started the chat as you were working on his haircut.”Especially from that British accent.”

“Busted. Right, I'm from London. I’m just here for a conference.”

“Oh what do you do? Obviously you can’ ask back because you already know my profession.” You smiled at him through the mirror, and he chuckled.

“I’m in the british airforce, I’m an admiral, we are here to meet with some big army heads from France and Italy.” So an army guy, with uniforms, with muscles. Okay stop. You nodded quietly, continuing your work on his hair. You were chatting through the whole session, sharing some giggles and laughs, he had a pretty good humour.

“Okay, so we are ready.” You announced once you untied the cloak and pulled it off his lap.

“Wow thanks, I really like it.” He checked himself and nodded as an approval before he got up from his seat.

“Your welcome, and I’m sorry for the inconvenience in the beginning. I forgot to write your appointment up.” You folded the piece of clothing and dropped it on the chair, you walked to the counter.

“Don’t worry about it really, I’m just happy that I could catch you in time.” He took his wallet out of his pocket. “To be honest, I would love to see you in another time.” You looked up surprised at him as you were typing in the amount in the terminal. He was leaning on the edge of the table, looking into your eyes deeply waiting for your answer, with a cheeky smile on his lips. “If you are free tomorrow, we can have lunch.”

“Oh yea sure, a lunch that sounds good.” You stuttered.

“Check your calendar, just to be sure.” He winked at you tapping on the hard covered pink calendar sliding it over the counter. You let out a silent laugh and opened up the book checking the next day.

“Yep, my whole day is empty. For a hundred percent.” You looked up smiling at him. “I know a good restaurant like two blocks away from here. It’s the Salon Rose. If you take advice from someone who grew up here.” You closed up the book tapping on it nervously.

“Okay, let’s meet up in front of it just before noon?”

“Sure. Yea, sounds good.”

“Perfect. See you soon YN.” He tapped his card on the side of the terminal and stepped back before winking at you with a mischievous smile on his handsome face. You felt your cheeks getting warmer and you broke eye contact by looking down at the table and playing with the yarn bracelet when it started to vibrate, waking up from your daydreaming.

You were not sure about how much you should dress up, because the La Rose it's not the fanciest place in Monaco, perfect for a lunch date with someone just as fine looking as Matthew was. You picked up a white summer dress that made your olive brown skin stand out even more. The dress was not something too fancy, but still felt cute in the Monte Carlo summer. He was already waiting outside the place, tapping away on his phone and just lifted his gaze up when you were a few steps away from him.

“Bonjour!” He greeted you and stepped closer giving your two kisses each side of your face while giving you a hug. “ You look lovely.” He commented as he checked you out, making you blush a little, his right palm settling on the small of your back. You gave him a quiet thanks and let him lead you in the restaurant. You were surprised, the date wasn’t a flock afterall. He is an intelligent man, with many interest, and hobbies. Who was really serious about his job which is understandable considering the amount of time that he has devoted just for this. He was talkative and funny, and he was tentative. Listening to whatever you were talking about, asking questions, laughing with you about the jokes you have made and all the funny stories that you have told him about your life in Monaco.

“So you tell me that you are doing some part time job, which is not something you get paid for. How does it work?” He asked as he was paying the bill at the end of your lunch. Not even letting you think about getting your card out to split the bill.

“Oh, there is a pub where I usually went with my friends when we were younger, and we obviously still go there. And occasionally I sing there. Actually I’m gonna have an audition there for a record company at the end of the week. When are you going back to London?”

“You are lucky, I’ll leave next Monday.” He smiled and opened the door for you. You started to walk down the street, the time was already late afternoon. The lunch turned into an early dinner actually. But you were having so much fun not even caring about the time anymore. It has been a long time since you have had a date like this. “May I consider your question as an invitation?” He wiggled his eyebrows at you making you giggle and blush.

“Would you like to come to my audition night?” You stopped in front of him, looking up at him. There was a significant height difference between the two of you. You were not considered small, but you were just under the average height so it was not hard for someone to be taller than you. But he was really tall, there was like at least a head between the two of you.

“YN, I would love to.” He smiled at you warmly as he lifted his free hand up to your neck, tilting your chin upwards more with his index finger. He leaned closer just as your foreheads were touching, your breath got stuck in your throat, you could not break away from the eye contact. He tiled your chin a little bit more to steal a kiss from you. “I actually have to go, we will have a gala later. “ He mumbled against your lips, you nodded slowly trying to wake yourself up from your clouded state. “I’ll text you later okay?” You were still silent and nodding which made him chuckle as he pushed one more kiss to your lips. “Bye YN.” There you were standing totally dumbfounded, touching your lips as you were watching him walking away, leaving you alone on the busy street of Monaco.

————————

“YN!” Eric grabbed on your shoulder making you jump in surprise and turned around seeing your friends around you.

“Hey guys, I have the usual table booked for us.” You pointed at the big table just next to the small stage. “Uhm, and this is Matthew. “You turned halfway to the man who was towering over you and pointed at him and back at the group. “Matthew, that’s everyone. Oh wait, where is Charles?” You got on your tiptoes looking for the familiar hazel eyes, but you can’t find it.

“He is coming, he just landed an hour ago in Nice, he dropped his bags and now he is on his way. Don’t worry he will be on time.” Sammy squeezed your shoulder and smiled at you. “ Okay, come Matt, let's sit down, let the girl get ready.” You smiled softly at him, and he leaned down and kissed your forehead before following the others.

“Welcome everyone! Good to see that tonight we are nearly packed again. Always good to see new faces, and of course our regulars. Hello guys.” The owner of the bar was holding the mic squinting his eyes as the lights were blinding him. “Okay so tonight is special, because our gem, our favourite little birdie, has her audition. So please welcome her, and all of us wish her luck, YN!” He turned to you, extending his palm out so you can grab on it helping you up on the small stage. You were frantically checking the crowd, seeing all your friends, you were about to start to panic when you could not see him when the bracelet vibrated and a hand lifted up in the air. He made it, he is here, and he was looking at you with the biggest, proudest smile on his lips. A wide grin appeared on your lips and you let out a sigh before lifting the mic to your lips.

“Hello everyone. Thank you for all of you coming in here tonight. It really means a lot. I’m really nervous so excuse me if I’m talking really fast.” You giggled and took a seat at the small stool in the middle of the stage. “Okay so for tonight we have prepared a few acoustic songs that we would like to share with you. Hope you all will enjoy it.” You looked back at your boss over your shoulder who was giving you a thumbs up as he settled with the guitar in his lap. The familiar accords of the Taylor Swift song started and you swallowed before taking a deep breath and lifted your gaze up from your shoes and fixated at one point in front of you.

We could leave the Christmas lights up 'til January And this is our place, we make the rules And there's a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you dear Have I known you 20 seconds or 20 years? Can I go where you go? Can we always be this close forever and ever? And ah, take me out, and take me home You're my, my, my, my Lover

You were looking at him, the whole time. He had a warm smile on his beautiful lips, his eyes were sparkling, never leaving yours at all. He was bobbing his head and leaning side to side at the rhythm of the music with the group sitting around him. He was silently singing the lyric-s with you, not breaking eye contact for any second.

Can we always be this close forever and ever? And ah, take me out, and take me home (forever and ever) You're my, my, my, my Oh, you're my, my, my, my Darling, you're my, my, my, my Lover

Your smile was wide, reaching your ears nearly when the crowd erupted with cheers and whistles mixed with the clapping. They loved it, they loved you and your performance. You were over the moon when you got off the stage as you had ended the night, and walked back to the small staff room, where you were instantly greeted by the manager of the record company.

“Let me tell you little one, you are spectacular. You have potential. I’ll have recorded everything. And I’ll call you soon.” He shook your hand and squeezed your shoulder one more time before walking out of the room.

“You were amazing.” He appeared in the corner pulling you closer to him and wrapped you in a tight hug. “Everyone loved you.” He whispered in your hair and kissed the crown of your head before letting you go.” And you look beautiful.” He looked up and down on you, it was nothing special. A white short sleeved shirt, and you topped a spaghetti strap black dress on it. But for him you could wear your pjs and he would still say you are the most beautiful thing he has ever seen.“Oh that’s a pretty big bouquet.” He pointed at your right hand as you were awkwardly hanging the followers upside down.

“Uh.. yea I got it from Matthew” you tucked a piece of hair behind your ears as you turned around and placed it on the small table. The smile froze on his face when he heard the name. He met the guy just before your performance, he had a frown on his face the whole time. He was quiet and kept distance with everyone during the night.

“Oh Matthew, yea I met him. Seems like a cool guy.” He scratched the back of his neck and shifted his weight from one foot to another. You have mentioned Matthew to Charles but somehow you did not want to tell a lot, because you just do not want to admit to yourself that the sparkle that you have had at the beginning is not there anymore for you, especially now that one of the most important person is next to you, you can forget about everyone.

“Yea he is really nice.” You felt the awkwardness of the whole situation. “We should probably go back to the others.” You stepped closer to him, wrapping your arm around his waist and he pulled you close to his body and smiled down at you. You were chatting with your friends sitting between Matthew and Charles, who were laughing with the guys while the other guy was sulking on your left, quietly sipping on his drink.

You went to the bar asking for another round of cocktails for you and your other girlfriends when he appeared behind you.

“Okay Y/N, I can’t do this!” The volume of his voice made you jump, you snapped your head looking at Matthew who slammed the two glasses on the table making the cocktail spill everywhere.

“What do you mean?”

“You need to choose, me or him!” He pointed at Charles in the distance who was staring at us intensely, trying to figure out what the conversation could be about. He did not trust him, and he definitely did not like how he was treating you, especially now.

“You make me choose between you and my best friend? “ you furrowed your brows.” What are you? Eight?” You tilted your head to the side with an amused grin on your lips. There he is, the real Matthew, it was too good to be true. “Do you hear yourself? You make me choose between someone who I know for like ten years over a dude who I know less than a week.”

“I’m serious,I don’t like this dude, how he is wrapping you up in his arms. You even left your bouquet that I have got you. So what do you say? Me or that French dude?” He crossed his arms in front of him and blocked your vision. Charles got confused and got up from his seat actually was about to walk closer to you to check if everything is okay.

“He is Monégasque not French, you conceited prick.” You picked up the tray full with cocktails and started to walk back to your table and slid it over to your friends.

“You good?” He grabbed your wrist as you tried to walk past him. “Come on.” He pulled you after him outside to the balcony, closing the door behind him turning around watching you pacing up and down. “Okay, would you please tell me what was going on between the two of you?” He hesitated because had no idea if you are gonna lose it and erupt with anger or start crying or maybe both. You stopped and looked at him.

“Am I that incredibly unlucky? Or are all the guys just dipshits?” You threw your hands up in the air dramatically. “You would think when a guy is like twenty eight or twenty nine so at the end of his twenties they probably develop some intelligence. But no.” You shake your head as you start pacing again. “He knew it well, he was aware about the situation and he said he is fine with it. And all of the sudden he is not fine with it and even tries to make me choose.” You were rambling fast and walking in circles.

“Bunny I really tried to follow you but you lost me honey. What are you talking about?” He grabbed both your hands, linking your fingers together, keeping you steady and standing.

“I’m talking about the fact that Matthew made me choose between himself and my best friend. He stared at you for a second before he started to laugh. “Who does something like this? I know this guy, what? Five days max. And he is already starting to control my life, just because he took me on a date?”

“Do I have to ask who you have chosen?” He chuckled, shaking his head side to side.

“Of course I choose you. I have and I will always choose you Charles.” You tilted to the side of your head, watching a smile spread on his face. “You know usually best friends are not that happy or at least they are not showing that they are happy when their friend had a break up.” You rolled your eyes and shook your head giggling. He stepped closer caging you between the balcony railing and his body, he squeezed your hand making you look up at him as he was towering over you.

“If you were heartbroken and crying because of a break up I wouldn’t do this. But I know that you were waiting for the point when you can finally end it with him. And you are not mad because you broke up. You just mad about what he was trying to do with you. “ he tucked a piece of hair behind your ear and caressed your cheek. His eyes never left yours. “So would you like to have that drink we talked about before?” His index finger hooked under your chin and lifted it up. You inhaled a sharp breath before swallowing thickly and nodded, which made him smile wider and pulled you back in the bar.

You woke up in the next morning with a slight headache, squeezing your eyes tight as the light hit your face directly. You grabbed on the edge of the blanket and yanked it upwards while you turned on your other side nuzzling your head further in the pillow.

“Stop moving around that much.” His arms wrapped around your waist keeping you in place. His voice was low and raspy.

“My head.” You moaned and pushed your head more into the crook of his neck, which made him stiffen up, and suck in a short breath.

“The amount of tequila you have had with Sammy, I’m amazed that you could walk home and I only needed to carry you to bed.” He chuckled and kissed the top of your head. “I’m gonna make coffee.” He got out of the bed, while you used the extra space and you spread more on the huge bed as you watched how he picked up a black sweats from the wardrobe putting it on, leaving him shirtless. You planted your head in your palm as you were watching his toned, sun kissed back before he turned facing you, as a cheeky grin spread on his lips.

“It’s an ego booster when you just spread on top of my bed in my shirt and boxer while you look at me like that. “ he walked closer and closer each word just to stop in front of the bed, he bent over to have your faces at the same level. Your ears were burning from his words, it’s not the first time he caught you staring, as it was not the first time you crashed at his place in his bed wearing only his clothes. “Got busted Bunny.” He kissed the top of your nose and got up and walked out of the room. “Oh!” He stopped and picked up the lacy clothing hanging from the door handle, and dropped it to the pile of clothes next to the wardrobe.” You should get another colour set of those lacy bras, like black. Or red. Yes, definitely red, like those stilettos you have.” He turned back to wink at you and continued his road to his kitchen, disappearing at the corner. Your head fell between your arms with a long grunt. You were blushing like crazy, he had made you blush before for sure but he had never flirted with you that openly about something, especially not about your underwear. You gathered yourself together before heading to the kitchen following the scent of freshly brewed coffee. He had already poured the coffee in two mugs, you sat down silently at the dining table and picked up the mug and started to sip from it slowly, hoping to the gods that it will help ease the pounding headache. He was still in the kitchen gathering some food, it was freshly baked goods. This man went down to the bakery in the corner, got you fresh chocolate au pain and came back to the bed just to cuddle with you. Without a word you snatched the sweet baked goods from the tray, it was still warm. You sighed and moaned loud when you took a bite from your favourite breakfast item. He watched you with a smile on his lips, loved to see you happy, all he wanted to do to make you happy all the time. You picked up your mug again and took a sip of it when he broke the silence with a question that had been on his tongue the whole night yesterday and since the morning he woke up. “So when can I take you out?”

“What are you talking about?” You looked at him confused and lowered the mug from your vision studying his face with a puzzled look on your face.

“We have a deal still running.” He tore apart the pastry and took a bite of it. “God this is still so good.” He moaned as the buttery crispy pastry laid on his tongue just before the dark, slight bitter chocolate overtook his taste buds.

“Charles, I don’t understand you, what are you talking about?”

“What’s the date today?” He slides his phone over to you on the table. You have had your eyebrows connected and had a puzzled look on your face still not understanding what’s going on. You picked up his phone and the screen lit up, showing the time and the date, your attention was caught by the choice of the background, it was not that black and white photo of him doing donuts on the track anymore, it was a picture of you two, it was taken in Monaco, his back was facing the camera while you were turning slightly back and smiling widely. You really loved that picture, it was set as your background too.“It’s the 1st of September.” You slide the phone back to him. “And?” You took the last bite of the pastry, finished it and washed it down with the last bit of the coffee.

“Can you please repeat?” He tapped his right ear with his index finger, just as he could not hear it before.

“Charles, you are starting to get on my nerves. It’s the freakin 1st of September. “As soon as you said it again it hit you. His smile only got bigger as he saw it on your face as your mouth opened slightly indicating that you have got what he was talking about. “Oh.”

“So what do you say, how about I pick you up at six and take you to our favourite restaurant?” He got up from his chair and walked around the table picking up his and your empty plate also. “We can celebrate that our deal has come to an end. I’ll show you what a proper date should look like.”

You were adjusting the silky skirt on you, hoping the wrinkles would disappear, those wrinkles which weren’t even there, you were just nervous so you tried to keep your mind busy. You are going to go on a dinner with Charles, no you are going on a date with Charles, he has said it by himself. But it still felt unreal. All of different thoughts were running on your mind with 200 kph. Does he really want this? Do you really want this? What if it’s gonna end bad? It supposed to be a stupid promise that you made fuck face drunk five years ago. But it was a promise and Charles Leclrc is a man of his word. What if it’s gonna end well? What would it mean if it’s end well? Are you gonna go on other dates? Will you be a couple? Will he try to kiss you tonight? Oh how many times during your teenage years you wanted this man to kiss you, you were full with all those confusing hormones, but you can’t say that the feeling that now you have had is because of those teenage hormones. What if you will have much more than a kiss? YN! Jesus! Get yourself together! A knock on a door made you wake up from your thoughts, causing you to jump a little. You ran to the door and placed your hand on the door handle, closing your eye for a second and took a deep breath before you pushed down on the handle and opened it wide. He was leaning on the wall next to your entrance, with the most flirtatious, cheeky smile you have seen on his lips, his eyes were shining.

“Hello there princess.” He pushed himself away from the door and checked you out from toe to head, and looked deep in your eyes. You felt the heat rushing into your cheeks, he was so handsome looking in your favourite baby blue linen shirt that he had slight unbuttoned at top showing his sun kissed chest underneath it. “You look wonderful. Are you ready?” You blinked a few times to get yourself together and nodded small, picking up the keys from the small table next to the door.

“You look really handsome, I have to be honest with you.” You swirled the white wine in your glass around as you were sitting on the balcony at your favourite restaurant, it was a place where you usually went to for special occasions, like birthdays or your graduation, or for your first date.

“I can see, you are already flirting with me.” He laughed a little and picked up your hand by your pinky. “We should slow down your wine portion, otherwise you soon will sit on my lap try to steal a kiss.” You choked on your wine and started to cough.

“I would have thought that you would try your shot on that one.” You gathered yourself together and leaned back in your chair. A small chuckle escaped his lips, he leaned forward lifted your hand up to his lips and kissed you ring finger while he was looking deeply in your eyes. You felt heat rushing to your ears spreading slowly out on your cheeks. The way he was looking at you was so intense, like you were the only person in the whole room that he was seeing. Which was true but your were always the only person for him that he saw no matter where you were.

“Bunny, you have no idea how long I have want to shoot my shot with you.” He mumbled into your skin which made you heart stop for a second before jumping forward in a crazy speed. “I love how I can make you blush. You are so beautiful when you blush Princess.” You lifted up your other hand and started to fan your face, you felt like here and there you can just bust into flames.

You were used to the nicknames, Bunny was your favourite one, next to Princess but tonight both of them felt like something else. It has so much love, and lust behind them, which made you squeeze your thighs together. “I’m gonna pay, and we can walk down to the yacht if you are in it.” He let go of your hand before giving one more kiss on the back of your hand, you silently were nodding trying to compost yourself.

“Thank you for the dinner. I was so nervous about this whole night. And don’t get me wrong, I’m not nervous because of you. I mean that’s not true. I’m rambling again.” You giggled at yourself and ran your hand through your hair anxiously as you dropped your shoes on the deck and walked after him all the way to the steering wheel. He started the engine and slowly backed away from the shore heading to the open sea. “I was nervous because I could not imagine a date with you. I still can’t imagine that you really want this to happen and not just because it was a promise that we have made many years ago. I was a nervous wreck before you knocked on my door and when I opened it I thought I would faint. The way you look, the way you looked at me. God I have told you before you are handsome, but tonight you are something else.” You were still talking as he was driving the yacht quietly, with a smile on his face which got bigger and bigger each of the sentences that left your beautiful lips. He turned off the engine and pushed the button for the anchor before starting to walk your way as you were still rambling about all that nonsense.

He grabbed your waist with one hand and made you turn around and face him.

“Princess, can you please listen to me for a second?” With his free hand he grabbed the side of your face after he tucked that piece of hair which was dangling in front of your face. As soon as you felt his warm palm on your cheek, words dried in your throat. You closed your mouth slowly and nodded, letting him speak as he wished. “You overthink it. Way too much.” He was caressing your cheek with his thumb as his eyes were studying your face. “It’s not that complicated actually. And I think now I have nothing to lose, I can only win from this, because I feel how I make you feel. I feel that under all those thoughts, and confusion and emotions, you have the same feeling for me, that we have been pushing deep down for so many years, we even went to find the same feeling with other people, because we were confused and we were so afraid. After all those years, on that new year’s eve when we made that “stupid little promise”” He drew quotation marks in the air and chuckled his own words.” I was already fallen. I have already fallen for you, I just could see it in your eyes, it was not the right time for us. And afterall I think I made the right choice. But now, it’s our time. And if you let me, I will show you that you do deserve all the love, the attention, the commitment. Because I want that, and I want that with you. YN, you are one of the best thing in my life. I wake up everyday thinking about you and go to bed thinking about you. That bracelet was the most genius idea to buy in my life. Only problem was that if I could I would tap it the whole day, because when you are not with me I miss you like crazy. With tonight, I’m not asking a lot, we don’t need to jump right away into this whole thing. We can take everything step by step. I promise to you that I’m gonna love you with my whole heart forever. All I’m asking is to let me show you how much I love you. Because I do. God I love you so much.”

There you were standing in front of him, in the middle of the night under the sparkling stars in the middle of the open sea. Glamorous Monte Carlo was shining behind you, those lights were sparkling in his beautiful green eyes. You were standing there, looking up at him, entirely frozen, trying to understand and process what he said. He was studying your face quietly, his finger was still stroking your cheek. Tears welled up in your eyes as the time passed and you started to wrap your head around all that information that he has said to you.

“Bunny, please say something.” He whispered and let his forehead touch yours, never breaking eye contact with you. You cleared your throat and planted both of your hand on his cheek, his stubble was prickling on your soft palm. You pushed his face a little away from you which only made him more confused.

“Say it again.” You whispered, your voice was so quiet it was nearly not even noticeable. “Say again that three words.”

“I” he leaned closer a little grabbing on your jaw and tilting your head a little upwards. He could feel your pulse in his palm. Your heart was beating in your throat with such a speed. “Love” he leaned more closer your nose were touching you could feel his hot breath on your cupid's bow, his lips were hovering over yours “You” He said the last word and you launched forward and closed the distance between the two of you. You sighed in relief as you felt his warm lips on yours, his stubble above his lips were tickling your skin. His hand that was on your face just pulled you much closer to him, as it slid all the way to the back of your head and raking his fingers through your hair, while with his other arm that was still on the small of you back pulled you close to is body if it’s was even possible because you were already so close. You moaned on his lips as you got on your tiptoes, trying to get closer to him as much as possible, your right hand slid to the back of his neck and grabbed on his hair which made him moan on your lips too.

“I love you” You whispered on his lips as you broke the kiss off with heaving chests. You let out a small yelp when he grabbed the back of your thighs and picked you up, before putting you down on the small table next to the controlling panel. You were silently watching each other, his hand was still on your cheek as yours were on his shoulders. Both of you were smiling ear to ear, you were so happy. “Can I be honest with you?”

“Is it really a question?” He answered right away, kissing the tip of your nose, before pecking your lips. “Please be honest with me, just as we’ve always been.”

“Do you really want to take things step by step?” Your finger was drawing shapes on his chest that was showing from his unbuttoned shirt. “ Because all I can think about is how much I want to rip this shirt off you and finally kiss all those parts of you that I have been dreaming about.”

“Aw, cute. You have had some wet dreams about me huh?” He chuckled, his left hand went behind your head and grabbed your hair at the nape of your head and pulled it a little just so you will tilt your head upwards, a small sigh left your lips before you inhaled sharply.

“I may or may not bought that set that you have suggested.” You are not gonna give this game in that easily. If he can tease you can do it as well. Your fingers were busy opening the buttons one by one, all the way to the end and you opened the shirt when you finished and slid your palm over his abdomen. Now it was his time to inhale a sharp breath as he felt your slight cold fingers on his hot skin. You could feel under the pad of your fingers the soft skin that you have had some luck to touch a few times when he was shirtless but this time it was different. With each breath he took, lust and desire just spread through both of your bodies, clouding your minds.“And it’s perfectly matching your car.” You could see he swallowed thick, he did not break eye contact with you, it was so much more intense than the one you have had before..

“Calculated move.”

“I thought that maybe if none of my charms are working on you then maybe my panties can change your mind.” You giggled over his lips.

“Do you really want this?” His voice got softer and he tilted his head to the side, trying to read any discomfort or something that would indicate you are changing your mind.

“Charles, I think it's bullshit if we are all gonna act like we have never met before and started to date. We have known each other for years, we can’t have the same pace as with someone I have never known.I trust you with my whole heart, and I know if you promise something you are gonna keep that. “You hooked your finger in his belt loop on his trouser and pulled him closer to your body, between your legs. “So please, get over that chevalier shit and kiss me and let me take your clothes off because if you keep me waiting for another second I’m gonna go crazy.” He laughed at your last sentence before pulling your closer to his body and closed his lips over yours again, but this time to a much heated kiss, he was still so loving with you but you could feel that he wanted you too. Without waiting for him you already grabbed the side of your shirt and pulled it upward, throwing it over the dashboard and pushed on his body to take a step backwards from you letting you jump down from the table, pushing down your skirt letting the light fabric fall down to your ankles, leaving you just in your underwear. He has seen you in your underwear many times, there was a time when accidentally he saw you for a second without a bra too, but those times were different, because then he identified the whole picture as his beautiful friend. But now all he could see was the sexiest woman on earth who was waiting for him to take it to the next step but all he could do was just look at her completely mesmerised. The fabric and the style of the garments were so beneficial on you. “I’m not gonna bite, you can come closer.” He shook his head and leaped forward picking you up by your waist, lifting you up which made you instantly wrapping your legs around him. One of his hand grabbed on your butt and squeezed it a little making you let a yelp out on his lips that made his smile wide.

“You look so fucking sexy.” He said between kisses as he was walking down on the deck all the way to the big sunbeds with those big fluffy cushions, he lowered the two of you as he got on his knees and get on the centre of the bed before sat down with you still on his lap. “I was right about the red. Belle, you are hot as fuck.” He looked up and down on you once again, still can’t get enough of the scene in front of him. Pulling off the shirt off him that you threw somewhere next to you on the floor, before grabbing on his shoulders and pushed on him, making him to fall back on the pillows. Without waiting another second you jumped forward and started to kiss the soft skin on his neck from the base of his ear and continued your way down to his chest. A low grunt escaped from his throat as he tilted his head back on the bed in to the pillows when you climbed off his lap, lowering yourself down on him, continue the track of kisses from is chest down his lower abdomen. His breath quickened and even had a sharpe inhale when you kissed your way down on his happy trail and hooked your finger once again into his jeans. You looked up at him through your lashes seeing that he was looking back at you, his eyes were so dark, full with lust as he was holding on his breath waiting for your next step. You licked your lips before turned your gaze back to the trousers and started to work on unbuttoning it.

“May I?” He cleared his throat and nodded as you hooked your finger in his trousers and boxer at the same time feeling the soft flesh under your finger, which made warmth spread all over on you ending its way between your legs that you had to squeeze together. He lifted his hips up, to help you pull down on his clothes, leaving him in the end completely naked for the first time. You sat back and looked over at him, from his handsome face that was smiling at you the most cockiest was possible, to his sculptured torso that you have loved so much all the way to the lowest part of his that you have never seen before. You swallowed down the moan that nearly escaped from your throat when you saw his member. He caught your wrist and pulled you down on him catching your lips with his into a searing kiss. You were about to sit on his lap when he pulled your leg underneath for you and pushed you under him, he pushed your legs apart with his knee and planted both his palm next to your head.

“Babygirl, I cannot be the only one who is naked, it’s not fair don’t you think?” He mumbled in your ear and started to plan wet kisses from the behind of your ear all the way down to your neck and went down to your chest. You pushed you upper body forward, arching your back to get closer to him which he answered with a small laugh. “We are not running anywhere Bunny, we have all the night. And I’m not planning to rush it with you.” You raked your fingertips all the way down on his chest which he grabbed before you could reach his lower stomach and lifted it up above your head caging both of your wrist with his big hand. “Now it’s my turn to play.” He said and give you a peck on your lips. With his free hand he took your breast out of the lacy bra and softly massaged it. You moaned to the feeling of his calloused fingers getting closer and closer to your nipple. “You are so perfect. Such a good girl.” He kissed you neck one more time before latched his mouth on your breast, sucking on the soft skin leaving slight marks over it, he played with your pebbled nipple first with his tongue that made you moan out loud and arching your back more before he bit down on it that caused to yelp a little. “All those beautiful sexy noises and we haven’t done a lot yet.” He looked up at you as he was laying down between your legs on his stomach.

“If you want to hear all those other noises, and me screaming your name, you better hurry up my love.” You planted yourself on your elbows and watched him as he laughed and started to kiss his way down on your stomach all the way to your panties. Your breath quickened when he kissed the waistline of your lacy underwear, pushing your legs up a little, planting your feet on the bed, he kissed his way the inside of your thighs while he was having an intense eye contact with you. He hooked his fingers on the side of your underwear and started to pull it down so that you helped him with just lifting your hips a little. Once it disappeared he sat back on his knees and looked at you. The way he looked at you made you feel the most beautiful woman on the whole Earth, not feeling any insecurities that this is the first time when he sees you that way, spreaded all hot and wet, full with lust.

“Bunny, you are magnificent.” He whispered as he leaned forward and grabbed the side of your face and kissed you deeply, you exhaled through your nose when you felt his member pushing down on your fold making the both of you moaning out in each other's mouth. You pushed him back a little and grabbed on his shoulders to make him lay down, you slid yourself up and down on his hard cock that was laying on his stomach. Lustful moans were leaving your mouth at the sensation, you felt like you can’t take it anymore you just need him inside you. Now.

You lifted yourself up, leaning on your hand that was on his chest and grabbed the base of his cock and positioning at your entrance. You slowly lowered yourself down on him, gasping as the tip started to stretch out your inside. You both gasp at the new feeling as you slowly lower yourself down on him, all the way till he completely disappeared in you. You were sitting quietly, staring at each other, you were taking small breaths as you were still adjusting on the feeling of his huge size. Once you felt like you can move you leaned forward down on him and kissed him, instantly his arms wrapped around you and pulled you down on him as he planted his feet on the bed and started to roll his hips slowly but tender. Your head fall into his neck as you were panting and moaning. You planted both your palms on his chest and pushed yourself up so you could sit up normally, the whole feeling, him inside you in this position was different. One of his hand grabbed your waist as the other grabbed on your breasts and started to play with you nipple once again. The feeling was overwhelming, you dropped your head back as you were riding him slowly.

“Look at me beautiful’ Charles panted underneath you “You look like a goddess. Such a good girl. You feel so good wrapped around me.” His hand left your breast and slid up to your neck, grabbing on it which made you gasp in surprise. His other hand went from your waist all the way down between the two of you and laid his finger on your clit, making you moan loud. “Can you please be my princess and come for me?” You nodded frantically as he picked up the pace with his thrust and his finger started to draw circles on you clit.

“Holly shit.” You gasped at the new feeling and let your nail dig into the soft skin on his chest.

“You are doing amazing, baby. Let me feel you come on my cock.” He pulled you closer kissing your lips as he picked up his pace, making you moan in his mouth. You felt the familiar feeling of your orgasm slowly appearing in you but when Charles changed the pace of his fingers again on your sensitive clit you knew you don’t have a long time before you are gonna come.

“Charles. I…I’m gonna cum.”Whimper left your lips when he turned the both of you around making him be on top once again.

“Come on baby girl. Come for me.” He whispered on your lips as his thrusts got more quicker and deeper at the same time. You were on the road of orgasm and you were racing on that road. With a few more thrust you were at the gate of your orgasm, and one more movement of his finger and you came all over his dick while you were screaming his name. With a few more thrust he was following you and with a low grunt he released himself inside of you before fall on the top of you caging you in his arms. Both of you were panting, heads clouded by full bliss between each others arm. After a few minutes he pushed himself away from you, and grabbed on your chin turning your head to his way. You looked at him with those shining eyes, and a small smile on your lips.”Are you okay?”

“More than okay. That was one of the best orgasm of my life.” You giggled and wrapped your arms around his neck. “ I love you.”

“I love you” He whispered back and closed the distance between the two of you with a kiss.

“Where are they?” Eric checked the time on his phone once again as they were waiting on their two best friends to arrive at the small BBQ party. “I can’t believe that they are living like five minutes away and they still manage to miss the time we have agreed on.” He was shaking his head side to side with a grin on his lips.

“Look who has arrived!” Sammy pointed at the balcony window where the two of you walked out hand in hand saying hello to the others. “Wait a fucking minute!” She raised her voice making everyone stop at what they were doing. “As I can see the date went well.” She crossed her arms in front of herself as your other girlfriends stopped next to her looking at you with the biggest smile on their lips.

“They went on a date?” Eric asked

“Remember that they had that promise thing, many years ago?” She pushed on the shoulder of our friend who looked at her dumbfounded before nodding.” So by the first of September their deal came to an end, both of them were single, so our Lord Perceval took the chosen one of his heart on a date.” Sammy winked at you making you blush and look down on your feet, trying to hide that you got busted.

“What can I say, I keep myself to my world. If I promise something I better keep that.” Charles said with a wide grin on his lips and pulled you closer to his body and kissed the crown of your head.

“Pay up Big Ric.” Sammy extended her palm out to Eric with a victorious smile on her lips.

“What did you do?” You asked surprised seeing your male friend digging in to his shorts for his wallet with a frown on his lips and took a hundred euro out and handed it over to the girl. “You bet on us?” Your eyes went wide as you understood the scene in front of you.

“Oh honey, we did it many years ago. But hey Ric, I think you are still short by another fifty, because as I can see that the summer dress can’t hide, they even had some extra fun.” She nodded to your way again, as you took your ponytail on the left side of your neck trying to hide the small hickeys that were showing. Damn it Charles. With a huffle he threw another fifty euros on top of the other banknotes. “Thank you very much! It was a pleasure to do business with you Sir. I hope you learned to never do a bet with me.” She winked at him and walked away counting on the notes as she was whistling away as all of you were laughing at them. You looked up at Charles on your side watching him chuckling with his friends, his smile was reaching his eyes making small wrinkles appear, which made him more attractive. You were studying his handsome features quietly with a smile on your lips, and you were just amazed that how you got so lucky. You have had a spectacular life, a great job with a side job that was basically your hobby. You have the biggest most supportive and cohesive friend group since you were kids that made your life so much better. And finally you have someone next to you, who you love with your whole heart and can imagine your life with, someone who you were waiting for the whole time till now. Someone that you were head over hills in love with.

“Bunny what’s going on in the pretty head of yours?” Charles made you wake up from your staring.

“I was just thinking how lucky we are that we have each other. I have people in my life that I can count on no matter what and when. People that I will have in my life for ever. And now I have a partner, the most handsome man on Earth who can be the biggest goofball ever with who I can plan my future, our future. Someone who I love so much.”

“You are my everything. You are my future Bunny. I love you so much.” He grabbed both sides of your face as he was looking deeply in your eyes, and pulled you closer to a kiss.

Maybe your love life is not that miserable after all.

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