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twistedmusings · 3 years

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Petting Dorm

A/N: I petted my cat for a good thirty minutes yesterday while I was watching the translation for the camp event and...surely the Savannaclaw members must like at least some pets, right? Like they must really want some pets after a good long hard day. Warnings: None, just descriptions of petting and three very happy boys u wu

The Savannaclaw members watch on as Grim gets the petting of a lifetime, wondering when the hell it is going to be their turn.

“Grim you are acting so spoiled.”

“Nyaha~! I deserve to be spoiled today! I aced my test while Ace and Deuce failed and me and Epel got a good grade in the potions assignment today!”

Grim leans back into your touch as you rub all the way to the tip of his ears before going right back down again. He lets out a happy grunt as his little foot starts to twitch, your hands now massaging right under his ears and near his cheeks before scratching right near the nape of his neck.

“Fgnaa...go a little lower!”

“Here?”

“Ah~! I really needed this. This is the reason I made you my henchman, [Y/N]”

“Because of how much I’m petting you?”

You press a kiss to Grim’s face, the other complaining for a moment before smiling as your finger rubs right on the top of his head. The two Ramshackle residents keep talking as they sit in the middle of the Savannaclaw lounge, many eyes staring at them but three sets of eyes in particular glaring at the cat currently laying his entire body on one of their pillows.

“[Y/N]-san...” Jack speaks up first as he watches Grim’s leg give another twitch, his eyes not even looking at you but focusing entirely on your hands.

“Hm?”

“Did you…” the wolf man can practically feel a shiver down his spine as you rub right under Grim’s ears, “Did you...uh...did you bring the assignment?”

“I did.” you play with Grim’s tail before running your hand up and down his back, “I thought you said you wanted to start when Ace and Deuce got here though.”

Leona growls when Grim lets out another satisfied sigh, watching your hands go right back up to play with his ears as you press the tips of them together and then watch them go back to their normal place.

“What is even keeping them so long?”

You shrug and rub a little circle right on Grim’s forehead, Ruggie following the movement with his head as he closed his eyes.

He could almost feel it--

Another slow and agonizing five minutes later and you sigh, shaking the shivers out of your hands as Grim is finally asleep, leg up in the air as you pull away from him and pull out your phone.

“Knowing those two they probably forgot…” you shake your head and stand up, “I’ll go get them--”

“NO!”

All Savanna claw members stand up as they lean towards you, eyes wide with different emotions as you do your best to understand their sudden outburst.

“What’s...what’s wrong?”

“You’re not leaving.”

You blink and point to the exit.

“I’ll only be gone for a couple of minutes, I’m not going to take long--”

“Sit down.”

It was frustrating that you couldn’t disobey this man even if you wanted to. The way he did anything was just so annoyingly confident that you weren’t even surprised when you simply sat down on whatever chair was available before Leona plopped himself in front of you and put his head on your lap.

“You have a lot of nerve petting that raccoon in front of me.” he glares at you before closing his eyes and leaning further back, ears twitching expectantly as you look down at him in, well, rather justified confusion.

“I’m...sorry?” you put your hands up and look at Jack and Ruggie, “I honestly do not know what to do, what is he talking about?”

You can practically feel Leona’s growl against you as he grabs your hands and puts them on his hair, letting your fingers reach deep into the dark waves as he visibly relaxes and lets you go.

“Whatever the hell you did to that cat monstrosity you better do for me...and if it isn’t as good that it makes me fall asleep in five minutes then I’ll be using you as one of my pillows.”

What...the hell?

Your eyes look over at Ruggie and Jack but they don’t even seem to be paying attention to you, simply looking on as you start to do some of the things you remembered doing for Grim.

He smiles as the petting finally starts, his ears being played with gently before your hands rub the tips and press them flat on his head. They give a solid twitch as they pop back up, twitching once again as they pick up your slight chuckling.

Now he understood why the raccoon had been so vocal about this treatment. Feeling your hands reach right under his ears and scratch made him let out a happy groan, tilting his head back as he gave you more room to play with.

You scratch the back of his head with one hand while the other does little cross shapes on his forehead, Leona opening his eyes to watch you work so diligently on putting him to sleep.

“Is this something you do every day for that thing?”

“His name is Grim.” you say and go back to playing with his ears, “And no, not all days. Only when he does really good.”

Leona closes his eyes as he moves his head to the right as your fingers scratch one spot in particular.

“Is that all it takes?”

“Yeah...I mean it keeps him motivated.”

He stays quiet for a few seconds before speaking up again.

“I stayed awake during one of Crewel’s lectures.”

You stop scratching to look down at him, amazed at what he just told you.

There was no way that was true.

“Awake?”

“Uh-huh.”

“As in fully awake? Listening to the lecture awake?”

“Uh-huh.”

“...what was the lecture about?”

Leona yawns and opens one eye to look at you.

“Advanced Magical History.”

You frown knowing for a fact that you cannot quiz him on anything since you still weren’t in that class. The reason for him telling you this was lost on you for a moment before you looked down in surprise and realized what this really was about.

No way...

Had he told you about that...just to justify you petting him?

“That’s really good Leona-senpai” you test the waters carefully, running your hand through his hair as he tilted his head back so he could feel the pull of your hands a bit more. Your eyes widen when the dorm leader nods along to the rather shallow praises you were sending his way.

“I didn’t know you were such a hard worker.”

“Mmmhm.”

“Or able to stay awake for so long.”

“Mmhmm.”

“I always thought you were just a lazy lion who liked to sleep all day.”

“Mmmmmm.”

It takes your entire will of strength to not laugh at Leona’s face. This man usually had his guard up so much that no one could ever get a read on him but give him some scratches and he opened up like a kitten to a new owner?

You knew you had blackmail material in your hands but the prospect of using it was still rather terrifying.

Leona’s threats should never be taken lightly.

You finish by rubbing his ears and letting go, the dorm leader’s head lolling forward as you stand up and grab whatever cushion you can get your hands on and putting it under his head so that you can lay him on the ground softly.

That was...weird.

“...I’m going to get Ace and Deuce now. If we don’t finish this assignment we are going to be screwed."

“[Y/N]!”

What should he say? He had just called your name out randomly and put himself in danger of waking up Leona. Dammit think of something, Ruggie!

He seems to come up with an answer as his usual playful smile comes back, standing up and walking over to you as his tail wags slightly.

“I can go get them for you.”

You smile and take his hands, shaking them twice before plopping yourself down on another available seat.

“Ruggie-senpai you are so nice! I think they might be at Heartslabyul? Ace might have dragged Deuce in on a game of cards or they most likely got caught doing something they shouldn’t. If you have any problems just text--Ruggie-senpai?”

Blue gray eyes look up at you, Ruggie’s trademark smile shining up at you as he giggles.

“Shishishi...you really think I wouldn’t do this without a price, [Y/N]-san?”

He grins and grabs your hands again, putting them right under his ears as he closes his eyes.

“Ruggie-senpai our assignment--!”

“Five minutes! That’s plenty of payment for the walk I’m about to do all the way to Heartslabyul!”

“It isn’t that long of a walk!?”

Ruggie shrugs as moves his head so that it is at the most comfortable position on your lap.

“Hm, but I also will have to walk all the way back to Savannaclaw so maybe it should be ten…”

You should stop talking at this point or else the times were going to go up higher, your hands getting to work as you scratch right in between his ears, Ruggie’s grin melting into a satisfied smile as you dug your fingers into his hair and started to scratch right under his scalp which earned you a giggle.

This sort of petting was so different than the ones he would use to get in the Afterglow. Just some slum kids trying to give each other love and affection because in the end, they all needed it after a hard day. Petting someone like this was a sign of close friendship and even romance, if done with that intent, but Ruggie never thought humans would be any good at it.

Yet the way your hands rubbed small circles right on his forehead, the very action you had done to Grim, he was still surprised he was half awake and not falling asleep on your lap.

“Mmm...is there anything else that needs to get done, [Y/N]?”

You smile when you see him so relaxed, surprised at how comfortable he looked. This hyena ran around the school doing errand after errand and getting buck after buck. It was almost inspiring if it wasn’t for the fact that some of his dealing weren't necessarily...legal?

Not like you knew about law in Twisted Wonderland so you let it pass.

“Not really, not for me anyway.”

Ruggie pouts but still melts when you run your fingers through his hair, starting right at his forehead and working all the way to the back. His ears twitched as you rubbed the tips before pressing both of them together.

“Well I am not charging for the walk back but if you want me to wrangle up those two first years I should charge a bit more, so when I come back I want what Leona-san got--”

“Ruggie-senpai it’s been five minutes.”

Jack’s tail is curled around him while he looks away, his eyes only barely making contact with yours as he looked at Ruggie and then back at, well, nothing.

Ruggie clicks his tongue before standing up and shrugging.

“Fine. I guess I will take that as a down payment.” he grins at you, “I will take the full payment later!”

You want to ask just what kind of payment he was talking about but you decide to keep quiet because that man would find some way to convince you that, yes, you do owe him something and that your payment was going to not be your money but your time.

And you didn’t have a lot of that to be spending it all in one place.

He walks off and you lean back, smiling as your hands finally get a break. Grim’s fur was always so silky and if you were to compare it you would say it was the same as Leona’s hair but Ruggie’s was definitely a bit more rough. It wasn’t a bad sort of rough but you figured this was the difference between long haired and short haired animals.

Although since Leona was a lion wouldn’t he also have short hair? Or was his hair more like his mane?

And what about Jack?

You turn towards your friend, tilting your head as you catch him staring.

“I don’t know why but I always feel like I have to apologize for Ace and Deuce, Jack. Maybe it’s because I met them first?”

He shakes his head, “You shouldn’t apologize for their actions.”

“Well they are also my friends so...I figured I could do this much for them.”

You wiggle your fingers in front of your face as you send Jack a teasing smile, “Want me to pet you too?”

The wolf’s tail goes right up before Jack pushes it back down with a growl, his cheeks burning a beautiful bright red as he answers back.

“We should just wait for Ace and Deuce, I want to get this assignment done already.”

“Me too. But it’s going to be a few minutes before they come back.”

“Oi!”

You are already standing up when Jack complains, telling you that you really didn’t need to do any sort of things like that for him and that he was perfectly fine and didn’t want to get distracted--!

“You’re the only one who didn’t force me to pet him, Jack. Just relax and unwind!” you smile and sit right behind him and open your legs so that you could pull him back and let his head rest on your stomach. His neck now burns bright red as you scratch right under his ears which only served to make his leg bounce slightly while he slowly got accustomed to your touches.

He wondered if you would pet him when he was using his unique magic as well, although knowing him he would get on his back and present his stomach if it started feeling this good and he didn’t want Ace, Deuce or even you teasing him about it! It wasn’t that his was enjoying this to that point--!

It’s just that somehow you knew just what spots to scratch and for how long to scratch them that he was starting to feel weak.

“Hm. So you would be a long hair…” you mutter to yourself as Jack closes his eyes, pressing his cheek against your palm as you rub circles right on his temples, “I think I like your hair the most...but maybe I’m just playing favourites here.”

The wolf wants to ask you a bit more about him being your possible favourite from the Savannaclaw dorm but his jaw snaps shut when he sees his dorm leader start to get up, glaring at the two of you with a dry smile.

“So you’re the favourite, huh?”

Jack blinks as he looks back at you and then at Leona.

“Leona-senpai--!”

The lion moves closer as he presses his body right against Jack’s shoulder, grabbing one of your legs and putting it over his own shoulder so that you would fit both of them in between.

“Ow--! Owowowowow--I’m not that flexible, Leona-senpai!!”

“He got his turn and now I want another one. Get to work, herbivore.”

“Hey!”

The three of you look to see Ruggie pointing an accusatory finger in your direction.

“What are you hogging [Y/N] for! They still owe me! Move over!”

He shoves at Jack’s unoccupied shoulder, trying to make his way into the little nest as you feel your other leg being raised up--!

“Stop! What in the world do you think I am--and where is Ace and Deuce!?”

Ruggie blinks before looking around.

“Oh right...I was supposed to go get them.”

#twisted wonderland #twst #twst imagines #twst scenarios #savannaclaw #leona kingscholar #ruggie bucchi #jack howl #twst mc #twst x reader #//also I think Im in love with Ruggie now?#//Is that a thing that happened?

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realllllfangirllllll · 5 years

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More Than Friends ||

Chp. 40 {FINAL}

Masterlist

CEO!Jaehyun AU x Reader

College Student!Jaemin AU x Reader

Summary: After a complicated relationship with the infamous CEO, you want nothing more than to live your life as a normal college student; however, Mr. CEO just can’t let you go.

{ Previous / Epilogue }

Song Recommendation for this Chp:

You clutched onto your phone as you turned away from the Effiel Tower. Your body froze, not knowing what to do as you stared at the man who just screamed your name.

There he was. The beautiful man you thought about everyday was now running towards you, desperately trying to reach you and pushing through the crowd of tourists. He avoided the nosy glances from strangers and only had his eyes on you. He had enough empty nights without you by his side and could not prolong this meeting any longer. You, on the other hand, were taken aback by his sudden appearance.

Your limbs became ignorant of your heart, and you started running away from him. You didn’t understand why, but seeing him here in Paris made you scared. You suddenly realized that you weren’t prepared to have him in your life again. No, you weren’t ready to be in his life again. It was clear that your presence in his life made it difficult for not only him, but you as well, and you weren’t sure if you could handle that again.

You continued running down a couple of streets, trying to get rid of the man chasing you like you just committed a crime. No matter how fast you ran or how many times you swiveled through a crowded group, he would still be right behind you. Your phone rang and you looked at the caller ID.

It read My Love.

When you saw Jaehyun’s contact name pop up, it was as if your mind was finally getting a grip onto itself. Taeyong’s advice suddenly came into mind, “Don’t give up on love because if you do, no one is going to chase it for you.” Your limbs finally listened to your heart’s desire and you stopped running, standing in front of what you assumed was an old shop. Waiting for a few seconds, you see Jaehyun turn a corner and stopped when he saw you standing there. He lowered his phone from his face and caught up with you.

He was now standing right in front of you, breathlessly saying, “Jesus y/n, how do you run like that...”

You stared at his tired figure guiltily and apologized, “Sorry... I shouldn’t have done that, I was just surprised to see you.” You were suddenly nervous and timid as you spoke to him. You looked down at the ground and started mumbling quickly, “I mean I did do track and field for a long time so I guess that paid off even though I didn’t know I still had that in me it was more of a kick of instinct you know I really didn’t know why I did that sorr-”

Two strong hands made its way on your shoulders, and you immediately stopped mumbling out of nervousness. You looked up at him as he lifted your chin up with his hand. He let out a sigh and stared at you apologetically, “Why are you so scared? Do I make you feel like that?”

You shook your head quickly, not wanting him to feel like he did something wrong. Softly you told him, “It’s not like that... I just feel like I should apologize for putting you through all these terrible things... I was about to call you and then you suddenly appeared out of nowhere and scared the heck outta me. So that’s why I’m kind of shaking from nervousness,” you let out a soft chuckle.

Suddenly, he stepped closer to you, closing the space between the two of you. Your heart was beating quickly and you held your breath, nervous from being this close to him after weeks of being deprived of his presence. His fresh scent of copra and lime invaded your nostrils. He leaned forward and whispered in your ear, “Close your eyes.” You did as you were told and anxiously waited for what he was going to do.

To your anticipation, nothing happened, but suddenly, you felt him put something in your hands. You opened your eyes and found yourself holding a hand cream. Confusion was written all over your face as you looked at Jaehyun. “Lotion?”

He gave you his classic dimple smile and replied, “Lotion.”

You were about to become furious, but he put his hands in yours and explained, “I’m sorry y/n. I’m sorry for putting you through all this mess. It was never your fault. You didn’t deserve any of this. Hell, you don’t even deserve me. You deserve someone so much better. I am too flawed... I dragged you into this lifestyle knowing you didn’t want the spotlight. I made you hide our love for the sake of my reputation. I was too caught up with loving you that I never realized how much I trapped you. It was nobody’s fault but me and my selfish tendencies. I was too greedy to ask for both success and love so now I’m face to face with its consequences. However, I choose you. I choose love. I can’t live without you because nothing in the world means more to me than you, y/n. So I hope you accept my apology. I mean, my lotion.” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he waited for your response.

You smiled at him as he was the person who made you feel like everything else in the world didn’t matter too. You chuckled at the thought of him giving you a lotion. You had a quick flashback to the day you challenged him to a “tickle war” and told him how you would rather him say “lotion” than “sorry.” Intertwining your fingers together, you replied, “I’m lotion too.”

He wrapped his arms around you and pulled you into a tight hug, softly whispering next to your ears, “I’ll never let you go through things like that ever again. You’re mine and I’ll protect you forever.” He then pulled back, giving you a long-awaited kiss. It felt like everything around the two of you disappeared as your lips connected. You took in the presence of his warmth and smiled against the kiss. Gently pulling back, you told him, “I want you to meet someone.”

You pulled him to Taeyong’s cafe shop near the area and went to the counter to find him, excited to show him Jaehyun in person, as a way to thank him. However, the lady at the cashier told you he returned to his hometown for business and left a note for me.

Dear y/n,

I won’t be coming back to Paris anytime soon, but I know you must be happy now. You are a strong woman who knows what’s best for yourself. I believe you are now with the man you love so don’t think about anything or anyone else. The world shouldn’t judge you for the beautiful love you share. Cherish it and ignore everything else because nothing even matters as long as you’re with the person you love. I hope we meet again someday.

Your therapeutic barista, Taeyongie~

Smiling, you placed the note in your bag. He must be your guardian angel sent from heaven, you thought.

Regardless, the two of you stayed at the cafe and sat at the same window-side table. You felt happy as you peered over the passing tourists with the man you love. The waitress came to place your order on the table and you smiled, remembering when Taeyong treated you to this delicious cake.

“What’s wrong?,” Jaehyun asked you as you snap back to reality. You smiled brightly and told him the whole story as he listened attentively, gazing adoringly at the way you explained it to him.

Suddenly, your phone rang and you became nervous again. When Jaehyun saw your face, he questioned with concern, “Is there anything wrong? Who is it?”

You gave him a forced, reassuring smile and answered the call. “Hey...” you halfheartedly greeted your brother.

The other side of the call answered, “Are you ok? Did he find you?”

“Wait what? You know?”

You continued talking on the phone giving Jaehyun weird glances once in a while.

Before you ended the call, Xiaojun told you, “You know I always want what’s best for you right? You can go back to Korea if you want to. I’m always just a phone call away.”

“I know, thanks Dejun.” You ended the call and looked at Jaehyun with suspicion, “You met with my brother?”

He let out a deep chuckle and replied, “He’s a great person. I really respect him.”

Even more surprised, you asked him, “Are we still talking about Xiaojun here or did I miss something?”

Laughing at your reaction, he told you, “Nope, we’re talking about the one and only, Xiao Dejun.”

“Are you sure? I think you must have met his doppelgänger. We are talking about the same person who makes my boyfriends suffer and hunts down my exes.”

Jaehyun stopped laughing and leaned closer towards you with a skeptical look on his face, “Boyfriends? Exes? Is there a problem I need to take care of right now? Because I will team up with Xiaojun and hunt those people down.”

You rolled your eyes, “Now I see why the two of you got along. You possessive beasts.”

He laughed as you joined him a few seconds later. The rest of the afternoon was spent in the warm coffee-scented cafe, bickering relentlessly for fun and showing skinship every so often.

When evening came around, the two of you decided to head back to the Effiel Tower to watch the night sky. Walking hand in hand, you no longer felt empty. You were with the person who made you whole, gazing up at the beautiful night view. Jaehyun would steal a few glances at you every once in a while, gazing lovingly at you. Sitting down at a nearby bench, you laid down on his lap and examined the beautiful human being who’s heart only beats for you. You giggled and started playing with his hand, feeling like a kid at a candy shop.

“Are you ok little baby? Do I need to check you into a mental hospital?”

You glared at him as he gave you an amused look. “I told you I. Am. Not. Little. Also, can I not admire my lovely boyfriend under this beautiful night sky?”

Smiling at you, he stared at you for a few seconds before suddenly kissing your forehead, “I wish you were little, so I could keep you in my pocket. No one would be able to hurt you and I can be by your side forever.”

Scrunching up your nose, you replied, “You’re weird.”

“You just ruined the moment y/n...” he responded and began pouting.

Laughing, you sat up and kissed his pouting lips. Slightly pulling away, you whispered, “I’ll always be by your side, forever.”

Jaehyun’s cheeks flushed and you started laughing, “Awhh is my Jaehyunie shy?”

Rolling his eyes, you pinched his cheeks and continuously teased him. Just then, your phone rang with an incoming facetime call from Soyeon.

You press accept and the first thing you saw was her overly excited face as she screamed, “Hi! HI! CONGRATULATIONS ON ‘OPERATION LOVE’S’ SUCCESS!”

“Wait what?” you stared at your phone screen in confusion.

“Oh whoops sorry that was meant for Jaehyun,” She tried to cover her laughter by putting her mouth over her hand.

You felt Jaehyun’s head on your shoulders as he appeared in the frame of the video call. He smiled and told Soyeon, “Thank you.”

“OH MY GOD!! SO IT WAS A SUCCESS!! MARK LUCAS JOHNNY COME OVER! LOOK!!!” Both of you laughed as Soyeon dramatically called for your friends.

“I need to know the whole story so spill!” Soyeon bombarded the two you with questions while she waited for the guys to come over.

Jaehyun was about to say something when all three guys walked into the screen with a heavy expression on their faces. You greeted them warmly but no one seemed to be happy to see the two of you.

“Are the three of you blind or what?” Jaehyun questioned them with a skeptical tone.

A few seconds passed before Mark spoke with a sigh, “What the heck man... We’re all disappointed in you.”

Confused, Jaehyun asked, “What? For being with y/n again? I thought we were planning this together. Did you guys have memory loss or what?”

“Are you not happy for us?” You spoke out of insecurity and worry that your friends don’t approve of the relationship.

Lucas assured you quickly, “No, that’s not it y/n, we’re happy for you guys. We really are. But there are bigger problems at hand right now.”

You and Soyeon looked at them with concern as Jaehyun let out a sigh of frustration and cursed under his breath, “It’s because of me huh...”

I turned to him, surprised, “What do you mean? What happened? Someone tell me what the hell is going on right now!”

Johnny leaned forward to the cam and said, “He-”

“Don’t tell her,” Jaehyun stopped him and reached for your phone. “I’ll tell her myself. See you guys soon, bye.”

He abruptly ended the call and I glared at him, “Tell me what...”

Before speaking, he grabbed your shoulders and made you face him, “Look. Before I tell you anything, promise me that you won’t get mad ok?”

Looking at him with a straight face, you said, “Speak.”

“I quit.”

“Huh?”

“I quit.”

“You what now?”

“I resigned from my position as CEO of SM Management before coming to Paris.”

You shook his arms off you and scolded him, “Are you insane?! Even after all this mess, you decide to just give everything up? You worked so hard for it, and you throw it all away just like that?”

He held your hand and pulled you a little closer to him in an attempt to calm you down. He told you softly, “Listen baby, I’m not going to put work over you ever again. I know what I’m doing.”

You crossed your arms and scoffed, “Don’t ‘baby’ me. I’m not going to just sit still knowing I made you quit your career. Let’s go, we’re going back to Korea right now.”

To your surprise, he laughed and pulled you down onto his lap. Anger started boiling in your body and you whisper-shouted in an attempt to avoid causing a scene in public, “Jung Yoonoh! Let go of me right now.”

You tried to squirm out of his hold, but he held you in his arms tightly, refusing to let go. He spoke softly to you, his breath tickling your ear, “I’m not going to let go until you calm down and listen to me, ok?”

Letting out a huff of defeat, you relaxed your body in his lap and said, “Fine. Now speak.”

He continued softly, “It’s true that I resigned from something I worked really hard for, but I know what I’ve done and I don’t regret it at all.”

“But-”

He cupped your cheek to turn you towards him, “No buts. Listen. I know you were going to act like this when you find out because you’re afraid I might’ve lost my most precious possession, but that’s not true. I have you and that’s all that matters. You mean the most to me baby, ok?”

“But Jaeh-”

He raised an eyebrow at you, daring you to finish your statement. When you sealed your lips again, he continued, “I know you’re also worried that I might have lost my future because I’m too lovestruck right now, but that is also not true. I quit because I know there’s a better opportunity waiting for me. I’m going to start a new company, one I will build myself without relying on sponsors or other toxic elites. I will climb back on my throne solely by my own sweat and blood with the support of my love and friends. So you don’t have to worry at all, ok baby?”

You were hesitant in answering him. Suddenly, he cupped both sides of your face and leaned closer, asking, “Ms. y/l/n, will you accompany me in this journey by being CEO?”

Your eyes widen, “Yoonoh, I’m only a college student...”

Laughing, he responded, “And?”

Shaking your head out of disbelief, you thought to yourself how you met such a crazy man. All because of a drunken one night stand, you now find yourself in the bench of Paris, sitting on the most ambitious and psychotic man whom you call your boyfriend. You thought to yourself that sometimes, life hits you with the hardest challenges, but it also makes sure to reward those who work even harder. And so, you find yourself on this thrilling adventure with Jung Jaehyun— a currently jobless man who still seems to have the determination of a soldier and the heart of a lion.

At this point, what haven’t you been through? You experienced a complicated “friends with benefits” relationship, being poisoned by a jealous rich girl, and having the media of South Korea relentlessly hunt you down.

And so, you decided to accept Jaehyun’s invitation with a soft, “I’ll do anything, as long as it’s with you.” After all, you promised him you would stay by his side forever, and vice versa, because you both know that this wasn’t just a “friend with benefits” relationship. You and Jaehyun were more than friends.

You and Jaehyun were true lovers.

———

• You have reached the end of More Than Friends •

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uzumaki-rebellion · 4 years

Text

“Wet Sugar” [Part 18 of 30]

Summary: Erik and Yani deal with more than their immediate problem...

youtube

"It's taken me a little while to come back I've been working on some thing good Oh, so every now and then I tend to fall back Oh Lord, I've been misunderstood

Till you came along and you saved me You saved me with that good love Oh yeah yeah You came along and you saved me You saved me, ooo, with that good love…"

Gary Clark Jr.—"You Saved Me"

Erik woke up sweating and clutching his side.

His dream-state brain was back in South Africa, running outside during the raid on Klaue's compound.

A police raid supported by what Erik was positive was U.S. C.I.A. and U.S. military Black Ops. Shit was too streamlined and overly professional. He had enough time to put on his merc fatigues and shirt, his weapon locked and loaded.

Linda was just as fast, already moving down the stairs searching for Klaue and an exit strategy with her weapon in hand. They moved in tandem sweeping room to room until they reached a side door that led to vehicles they could use to try and make an escape. Linda jumped into the driver's seat of a jeep as Erik covered her with his Glock.

Attacked from the side, Erik shot a man in the head while another slashed his abdomen with a long blade from behind.

"Killmonger!"

Linda gave warning before she backed into the blade wielder, snapping his legs to splinters as she rolled over him. Erik jumped in the open back holding his side and shooting into the chaotic night.

"There's Klaue!" she yelled.

They saw their boss lighting up men, weapons, and police vehicles with his sonic cannon.

Smoke bombs choked Erik's throat. Linda whipped the jeep in front of Klaue. He dived into the front passenger seat and kept firing his arm doing the most damage out of all of their men. A police vehicle slammed into their jeep and Erik tumbled out landing on his back.

An officer tried to threaten him with an automatic weapon to his head, but Erik's legs helicoptered in a spin too fast for the man to react, and Erik had his gun and his life in a matter of seconds. It was fortunate that the police and their minions had no reinforcement. The power of Klaue's arm had their enemy shook and it didn't take long to overpower the raiders.

Back to back, Erik and Linda kept Klaue covered with their weapons as he was able to enjoy the full power of the arm Erik fashioned for him.

So many bodies.

There was no time to stack the dead or even worry about sweeping the compound. Klaue's crew re-grouped in the house and dispersed once Klaue gave them directions. The compound had to be stripped and abandoned.

"Killmonger, how bad is it?" Linda asked.

He was bleeding through his shirt and when he lifted it, he was glad to see the wound wasn't deep and had clotted on its own. If Yani saw that, she would fret.

If Yani—

Eyes focused.

Our Lady's Manor.

He was in St. Thomas.

His wound still had reddish inflamed skin, but it was from the cut through his keloids. Reaching for Yani next to him he saw that she was gone.

Barefoot, Erik strolled through the house looking for her. He was surprised at how late it was. Already noon. He worked late trying to test and stabilize the vibranium he brought back from South Africa. The gun shipment was arriving that day and Erik needed to prepare for new mercs—and Huntsman—coming onto the property.

"Yani," he called out. She wasn't in Klaue's main house.

He walked out of the main house and followed the path to the middle house. They had packed up all of Yani's and Sydette's things to place into the caretaker apartment. Yani was acting moody, and he thought it was because of the new people coming for a few days. They were arriving early with the boat because of a hurricane forecast, and Erik needed the weapons asap. He was upset because Sydette would have to stay at Leona's or Yani's parents, and he wouldn't be able to see her until the men left. He wanted them gone before the storm passed through.

He saw her walking to the middle house with Sydette fussing with the baby while holding her hand. Sydette started crying and Yani picked her up, still fussing.

"You need to listen to me!"

Her voice was sharp and Sydette arched her back, her wailing voice a shrill piercing to Erik's ears.

"Hey, what's going on?"

Yani's eyes were red like she had been crying.

"Mama!"

Sydette was really falling out.

"Stop it!"

"Yani, chill—"

"I've been dealing with her like this all morning!"

Erik took Sydette from her arms and the baby bent her body, her tears and cries for Yani troubling.

"Today not a good day, Sweet Pea?"

He tried to smooth over the tension, but Sydette was not having it and Yani was done with the whole situation.

"You go be by yourself, I'll take her."

Yani's eyes looked hollow, but she cut her eyes at Sydette's wailing and stomped into the middle house.

Erik cradled Sydette's head.

"Hey now…shhh…it's okay. We all have bad days baby girl. Today is stressful for all of us…shhh…"

Sydette's little chest shuddered and her tears dried up and her high-pitched whining calmed down enough to allow Erik to take her into the middle house.

He walked around and bounced the baby in his arms, checked her pull-ups, and made her a juice bottle. A half-hour later, she was calm in his arms and nodded off.

Something was wrong.

Yani didn't come to check on Sydette at all.

In fact, she stayed out of the living room the entire time.

Erik took Sydette into the smaller bedroom of the house and laid her on the bed and under the covers. He stroked the baby's hair and checked the room for safety before searching for Yani.

She wasn't in any of the other bedrooms or the kitchen.

"Yani."

A bathroom door was closed. He heard movement inside it.

"You alright in there?"

She didn't answer.

"Aye Ma, what's going on? The baby is sleep. We can talk."

He pressed his forehead against the door and then moved his left ear next to it.

"Yani, open the door."

He heard a whimper and he was ready to break the door down.

"Baby…c'mon. Open up—"

Yani's face was wet with tears and her eyes were closed.

Erik's arms shot out to comfort her, but she stepped back and sat on the closed toilet seat.

"What is it?"

"Mi Sweet Pea…we been fussin' all day. She make mi so vex this mornin'—"

"Slow down. Slow down. I'm right here."

Erik knelt down in front of her. His eyes checked her over, looking for any sign of what was wrong with her. His eyes flicked up to the bathroom sink. A white plastic store bag sat on the counter.

"Being here, I've been able to rest…think. Get back to mi own self, y'know. Lemme do what is good for we, yeah?"

He nodded his head, still not understanding her pain.

Yani reached for the bag and opened it, pulling out a slender box. He saw what it was and his eyes closed.

"I'm two days late, Killmonger."

He touched the side of her face.

"Two days doesn't mean—"

"I can't do this."

"Baby, you've been on the pill. We've been stressed a little bit from the men coming through. Don't jump the gun—"

Her eyes burned into him.

They had made an agreement.

If she were pregnant, they would terminate. That was the plan. Period.

But…

Second thoughts.

"It's early—"

"This test is the most accurate. It can tell you within a couple of days—"

"Just wait a few more days and see if your period comes—"

"I don't want to wait!"

Her shriek was loud in the small bathroom. It shook him to his core and he sat back away from her.

"Take the test. I'll wait outside."

He stood up and she reached up for his hand. A fresh tear streaked down her face and her hand trembled in his.

"I'll be right out here," he said.

Leaving her alone, he exhaled and cursed himself. He allowed the thoughts of a baby to hang around him, and now this. She took her birth control every day on time at the exact time every single morning. He should've pulled out more. Used condoms maybe…

If she were pregnant…

He paced a bit until she opened the bathroom door.

"Have to wait ten minutes," she said.

Her face was puffy, eyes swollen, and lips dry.

"C'mere."

He held his hand out for her and she took it. He hugged her and she held onto him tight. He didn't know what to say to her. Nerves on high alert, Erik rocked her and kissed her forehead. They stood together longer than ten minutes, both scared to look he assumed.

Walking into the bathroom together he squeezed her hand and she lifted up the tester and held it for both of them to see.

Not pregnant.

He didn't know if her exhale was louder than his own. When their eyes connected together, her lids pressed out more tears.

"Told you. Just nerves, baby. Stress."

Her hip leaned against the sink as he kissed her.

"Chez got mi pregnant on purpose."

"What?"

Her eyes were sad dark pools when she gazed up at him. Her words flew fast.

"Mi nuh want, Sydette. Him tear condom to get mi with pickney so I won't leave him."

She pushed back from him and wiped her face. Her chest heaved a bit from crying.

"Mi wahn abortion—"

"Yani…don't—"

"Mi need yuh tuh hear mi now. Please."

Erik's stomach twisted up.

"Him promise money for mi not to have a baby. He lied. Made excuses until it too late. Him say he take care of mi and mi pickney. I believed him, Killmonger. Then him get she pregnant…that bitch. Mi give up University…family put me out. I took some herbs and try to abort on mi own—"

"Stop."

Erik grabbed her and pulled her in tight.

"I had her. Do mi best to make up for not wanting her at first. At the hospital, when dem nurse put she in mi arms…I was so happy I didn't…"

She looked down at the tester in her hand.

"I have to finish school. Have to get a good-paying job so I can take care of we. Another baby would kill me right now. It took me so long to get here, and if I had another one…you could be like him. Leave me all alone. Not because you want to but because of what you do with Klaue. And mi can't…mi can't…"

"We should go see a doctor and make sure that test is accurate," he said.

She nodded.

"I want you to finish school. I want you to be independent. Okay? I won't trick you."

"I know you won't.

In his gut he felt bad for wanting to get her pregnant on the beach. He never wanted her to fear that from him ever again. She was a wreck. To go through all that with Chez and Sydette.

His eyes snapped toward the glass patio doors leading to the pool. Three of the six dragonfly drones he used around the compound buzzed past heading down toward the main house.

"Security Alert! Boat Dock. Security Alert! Boat Dock!"

The men had arrived. Early.

"Listen to me. I need you to take Sydette and leave here until tomorrow afternoon. I will call you with the exact number of people who are here. If I don't think these men are trustworthy, I will let you know not to come back until they are gone. Can you do that?"

"Yeah."

"We're okay, baby. I promise. I'm sorry Chez put you through that with Sydette. You are a great mother."

She threw her arms around him and he hugged her with compassion.

"Go. I need to get my Glock and get these fools settled."

Worry creased her face.

"Be scared for them," he said.

She smiled. He pressed his warm lips into her cheek.

She wrapped the tester in the plastic bag and slipped into the side bedroom to retrieve Sydette. He waited for them both to come back out. Sydette was still asleep. Yani kissed her little girl and Erik touched the baby's hair.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

There was no time to properly comfort her. They split directions outside by the pool. Yani went up with the baby and he went down, passing Jerome perched in a tree fast asleep.

Once he had his Glock, Erik headed down to the private dock. His mind tried to put Yani in a safe place as he stalked down to the intruders of their paradise.

###

"Killmonger."

Huntsman stepped onto the dock as their boat captain tied the boat down. Gray clouds rolled in from a distance, but they were still five days out from the oncoming storm.

"They clean?" Erik asked.

Erik was not friendly at all. Strictly business.

"Like a baby's bottom."

"Y'all stay in the middle house."

"Have any good food ready for us?"

"Nah. Self-serve for today. Housekeeper not in until tomorrow afternoon."

"Hmmm. The young one, right? Yani?"

Erik's eyes narrowed.

"We'll take the load up now," Huntsman said.

Erik's drones scanned the men. There were five in total.

Erik led them to the gun range and watched them secure the weapons Klaue wanted him to convert inside a large locker shed.

As the new men ate sandwiches and drank beer from the middle house, Erik turned on all security systems and cameras and linked them to his cell and his bedroom. He only allowed access to the middle house and called Klaue to let him know the goods had arrived.

Klaue's eyes were bloodshot, not from drink, but from lack of sleep. He was still in South Africa.

"There's word coming out from Wakanda that King T'Chaka is going on a speaking tour next year. U.N. The World Peace Foundation. The summit in Switzerland early spring. Might be able to take advantage," Klaue said.

Erik clenched his teeth. He could taste the throne. But he needed Klaue on the continent. Easier to move a body that way.

"I'll have a prototype ready for you next month," Erik said, keeping focus on his work, trying his best to keep his brain on that and not worrying about Yani being in any shape to drive to Leona's.

"The storm is tracking fast. Will they be gone in time?" Klaue asked.

"Three days is enough time based on the weather reports here. They could always go to Puerto Rico for a pit stop."

"Get them rested and out."

"Understood."

"Talk soon."

Klaue flicked out on the viewscreen and Erik headed back up to the middle house.

"We'll get fuel for the boat in the morning. Can we get Yani to whip up some steaks and shrimp for dinner tomorrow?" Huntsman asked guzzling down a bottle of Rum leftover from his last visit. He shared it with a new merc, a Black man with tats and a scowl to match Erik's. He didn't like the idea of new blood being at the compound without him knowing anything about them.

"I'll see what she has planned."

"Just you two here?"

"She comes and goes."

"Neal, wait until you see this girl. She doesn't talk much, but a looker…you okay Killmonger? Need a drink?"

Erik's eyes looked Neal over before he glanced at Huntsman. The brotha was muscular, but lean. Burn marks covered part of his neck and chin.

"I'm good. Glad the package is delivered. Klaue knows what's up."

"Don't understand why Boss stays there when he has all of this," Huntsman said holding his hands out. They stood around the pool area and Erik was ready for them to go away.

Leaving the men, he texted Yani, and when he slipped into the main house, he secured the domain and called her direct.

"You make it okay?"

"Yeah. We're here. The men alright?"

"Yeah. How are you? For real, Yani. Don't bullshit me—"

"I'm fine. Promise."

"I miss you already. What you said earlier, about you and Sydette-"

"Hmmm."

"I'm glad you had her. I know it wasn't easy, baby…but, I'll make sure you two are fine—"

"I will make sure we are fine—"

"I can help you."

"I know you can."

"So let me…"

He could hear Sydette in the background.

"She wahn talk to you."

"Sweet Pea." "Baba!"

"She is always yelling when she gets on the phone," Yani said laughing.

"You being a good girl?

"Yes! Come here."

"I can't Sweet Pea. Baba has to deal with some stuff. I'll see you in three days, okay?"

"kay!"

"Can you give Baba a kiss?"

He heard the sound of her mouth trying to send him a kiss.

"Don't spit, love," Yani said.

The sound of Yani laughing made him feel better.

"Huntsman is asking for steak and shrimp tomorrow night."

"How many there?"

"Five."

"There's meat in the freezer. Ten steaks. Still good. You'll have to thaw them out tonight. Don't know about the shrimp. Be expensive at the last minute."

"Do whatever you want. They don't have to have shrimp. Call me tonight?"

"I will."

"I can't sleep without you."

"I know."

"Be scarce when you do come here. Got some hounds over here. Huntsman already has you on the brain."

She sucked her teeth.'

"That wasteman. Pervert."

"I'll keep him in check."

"Killmonger…."

"Yes?"

"I love my baby. I love her. I don't want you thinkin' bad of me for what I wanted to do when I was desperate back then. She ah blessing. I know this."

"I know where your heart is, Yani. It's all good, Baby."

"See you tomorrow."

"Don't forget to call me tonight. More likely I'll call you. Love you."

"Love you back."

She sounded good. He was able to relax a bit.

Music played from the middle house. Killmonger didn't want to interact with them. But he had to.

Cigar smoke, raucous laughter, and bawdy humor greeted Erik.

He hung out with them until a couple of them passed out on the patio and the others tumbled into the house to sleep off heavy drinking. Erik secured the compound and slipped out with the S.U.V.

He ran up the steps of Leona's apartment complex and knocked on the door. It was late.

"Killmonger…"

Yani was wrapped in a yellow robe, her hair covered in a blue satin durag.

He moved into the living room and saw the couch bed pulled out. Sydette was curled up under the covers.

"Yani."

He hugged her and sat down on the couch bed with her.

"I'm going back, but I need to—"

"Shh…"

She laid back on the couch bed and he curled around her. The movement woke Sydette up.

"Hey Sweet Pea."

His baby girl crawled over Yani and tucked herself on Erik's chest.

He had to accept some hard truths.

His life was different. Having Yani and Sydette was not easy, but he needed them more than they knew. He had been turning into a robotic killing machine…one with a purpose…but losing his humanity. He felt it. The coldness.

He pulled Yani closer to him. Sydette's heartbeat thumped on his chest. They were anchoring him. He gently rubbed Sydette's back and felt comfort with Yani's arm thrown across them both. He stayed awake long enough to listen to them breath easy in their sleep.

Baba is this how you felt with Mama and me?

The longer he stayed on the island, the more he thought of his parents and his past.

He was acting out his father's life with Yani. The thought humbled him. The secrecy. The limited time to be together. He didn't want to end up like his father.

The plot to go into Wakanda had consequences. The biggest was not succeeding. He was prepared to die and leave an impact when he was alone. But he wasn't alone now. He made the foolish decision to align himself with this young woman and her baby. Willingly took responsibility for them and their future.

He had no fear of his mission before coming to St. Thomas. Now he was very afraid. He had to survive. Had to make it out alive. The baby sleeping peacefully on his broad chest was his now. He was shaping her life along with Yani's. His justice claim was bigger than just for his mother and father. He wanted to turn the world on its head for Yani and Sydette too.

He loved them but was afraid that their love for him would weaken him. Would he second guess his moves while plotting against Klaue? Would worrying about them cloud his judgment? It already affected his behavior in South Africa during the raid. Instead of acting, he reacted to everything going on around him, his focus on just getting back to Yani instead of looking out for Klaue. That focus allowed an officer to cut him with a blade, allowed someone to sneak up on him when that would never have happened before. He would have to go back to killer mode if Wakanda was going to be his reality.

And a pregnancy scare?

She couldn't have another baby now, but he wanted to have one with her in the future.

Future.

He was a dispossessed Prince. About to snatch his birthright. Yani could be his Queen. Sydette his Princess.

Erik dozed off, but his cell vibrated. The sun was three hours from rising.

Slipping away from his woman and child, Erik drove himself back to the compound.

###

Pulling the steaks out from the front house standing freezer, Erik took a moment to set his energy. He didn't want these men here. But he was following Klaue's orders.

He found Huntsman and Neal awake and drinking coffee in the middle house kitchen.

"Storm is moving faster," Huntsman said.

"It will touch down sooner. Might have to stay here," Neal said.

"We'll see," Erik said taking a mug from the cupboard and pouring coffee for himself.

The men spent time poolside and playing pool in the middle house den. They ate sandwiches again for lunch until Yani showed up. She immediately prepped for dinner and he kept his feelings in check when he caught Neal checking her out as she checked for propane in the outdoor grill outside the front house kitchen.

"Any chance for shrimp?" Neal asked.

Erik stood outside the front house with two of the mercs. Yani rolled up the sleeves of her sweatshirt and walked around Neal as she grabbed cleaning supplies to wipe down the grill itself. She didn't make eye contact with the man, but he kept pressing her.

"Yani…that's your name right?"

She stopped and put a hand on her hip.

"No shrimp. I have to get this together so I can cook. Whatchu need, man?"

Her voice was curt and it reminded Erik of how she sounded with him when he first saw her. He smirked and kept his eye on the stranger.

"Just asking a question."

"Excuse me," Yani said walking back into the house.

Neal watched her, took a sip of the beer he was drinking and followed her. Erik zoned in after him.

Yani had the kitchen in prep mode, steaks marinating, potatoes grated to make potato and cheese fritters, with asparagus tips stacked on a tray.

"You have a nasty attitude," Neal said.

Yani stared at the man, as she washed her hands in the sink.

"Yo…bruh…I need you to stop bothering her while she's trying to work."

Erik moved in close to Neal. Yani stepped back behind him and grabbed a hand towel.

"She can't be pleasant to guests? She does work for us."

Erik grit his teeth.

"She's not here to entertain you. Let her cook."

Neal gave Erik a bit of reckless eyeballing. He looked over at Yani again.

"Be nicer. I know jobs are hard to come by on these little islands. Hate to see you mess up a good gig."

"Mr. Klaue is my boss. Not you," Yani said.

"Neal—"

Huntsman walked in. His eyes flickered over Yani and he waved for Neal to follow him out. The moment they were gone, Yani held onto the sink and took a deep breath. Erik reached out and touched her hand, but they kept the contact brief.

"Has he been coming at you like this a lot?"

"Just staring. Asking for shit…"

"Like?"

"Water. Soda. I keep away from the middle house, but he comes up here."

"I'll keep my eye on him."

"He has a bad vibe. Like Huntsman."

He wanted to hold her, but she went back to work and he left her alone.

"Youngblood."

Neal stood by the pool area with his cell out. Huntsman and the boat captain walked down toward the bottom of the pool patio steps to admire the view of plants and flowers framing a view of the sea.

"That you up there?" Neal asked.

Erik played dumb. He didn't like being called Youngblood. This dude was probably only a few years older than him.

"You know what I'm saying to you. You bust up in there like captain-save-a-hoe."

"Respect the staff, man. That's all.''

"I'm respecting it. But you know how these lil island freaks be. I'm trying not to be a line stepper, so that's why I'm asking. That bitch hefting around something I want to sample. S'why I'm asking. That you?"

One thing Erik was never able to do was hide emotion on his face. This nigga had his pressure up.

"Mmmhmmm,…yeah. You all over that. Shit must be real good since your face is about to crack."

"You talk too damn much. And assume a lot."

"How that ass feel-?"

"Watch your mouth, bruh—"

"She gonna like some new dick. I break bitch's backs—"

Erik's hands wrapped around Neal's throat and he threw the man off balance.

###

Yani heard the commotion down at the second house. It took her a moment to realize something was wrong because the men had been loud all afternoon and she was doing what Erik advised and stayed out of their way.

When she heard Huntsman shouting with rage, she left the grill and ran down to the noise.

Erik and the new guy Neal were trading punches, and the other men tried to separate them. The imbalance of men pulling Erik back made him fall and Neal leaped on him and battered Erik's face with his fists.

Yani wanted to run down and help Erik, but he told her to act like she didn't know him or like him the way she did when she first met him. She stood away from them with her fists balled up to her face.

When he was able to shake the other men from pulling on him, Erik's hands became like hooks and he ran them hard against Neal's chest and stomach. Neal grimaced and Erik gave a solid hit to his face with his elbow and the man staggered back grabbing onto his head.

BLAM!

They all jumped when Huntsman shot off a weapon above their heads.

"For fuck's sake…what are you two fighting about?" Huntsman yelled.

Wild-eyed, Neal wiped his bloody mouth with his hand.

"Youngblood is mad that I asked about him fucking the housekeeper."

Huntsman's eyes landed on Yani and she felt her face get hot. The other men stared at her too. Erik fixed his shirt and rubbed his face. There was no blood on him.

"The man is out of line and disrespecting Klaue's housekeeper. I'm not wit it. She works too hard to be harassed—"

"He's just pissing a circle around her. No big deal," Neal said.

"You are disrespectful," Yani said.

The men stared at her again. Erik gave her a look to be quiet, but she couldn't.

"Him pester mi, the second I get here—"

"No one is listening to you—"

"Everyone gwine hear me. You annoy the fuck out mi—"

"Go back up to the house, Yani. He won't bother you again," Erik said.

"Alla you stay out mi way. Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes. If yuh late I'm not heating nothin' up!"

She stomped back up to the kitchen of the first house and pulled on grilling gloves. She was still agitated when she put the first rack of steaks onto the grill. All would be medium-well. The moment the steaks were on, she went inside to fry up the fritters. It would only take a few minutes to cook the asparagus.

Being in the kitchen alone she found her groove and the repetition of frying and draining potatoes calmed her down. Neal was going to push Erik's buttons. She didn't think that would be the last fight between him and Erik. She had no idea how he figured out her and Erik's situation because she knew for sure she played her part with no slip-ups. He must've said something to Erik to set him off.

Yani moved back and forth from the kitchen to the grill. She saw the mercs heading up to the dining room and she quickly put the asparagus on after cleaning the grill from traces of steak meat. She was fast and had the food on the serving tables ready to go by the time Erik showed up. He sat at the head of the table and Neal sat at the far end.

The men ate in silence most of the time and every now and then they all looked outside and commented on the small gusts of wind that rattled the trees. Hurricane season was always touch and go, but the upcoming storm was shifting constantly. She texted Twyla to check on Sydette making sure to stand where Erik could see her in case anyone came into the kitchen for ice.

It was challenging having the men back. They changed the atmosphere of the compound instantly. Where she had once frolicked around the estate with her baby and walked nude when she felt like it for herself and her man, she now felt like she was in a prison. She couldn't smile, move around freely, and worse still, she couldn't touch Erik or be touched by him. She saw the irritation on his face all day as he had to interact with the mercs, and she wanted to rub his back for him. When she first arrived, she saw his face get tight because it was normally their time to cuddle on the couch and have him suck on her breasts while she stroked him to a pleasurable release in her hand. She did her best to wear the most boring work clothes, but Erik's eyes were still watching her with desire. Maybe Neal saw that and put two and two together.

Finished with their meal, Yani cleaned up the dining room. Halfway through her work, she went to the restroom, and right when she was done peeing, she felt a familiar rush of blood release from her.

Thank God.

There was no need for a doctor's appointment.

She stuffed toilet paper into her underwear and made a quick dash to the apartment under the house. She had tampons stashed there and cleaned herself up better. She took time to give prayerful thanks. Before she ran back up to finish cleaning, she wiped her face with a clean warm rag in the bathroom.

The men were back down at the pool drinking hard and playing rock and roll oldies and goodies. Erik was not with them.

Yani moved in stealth mode and used a seldom-used path to sneak down to Klaue's main house.

The retina scanner gave her instant access, and she found Erik staring at the living room viewscreen. A storm tracker channel was on.

"Did he hurt you?"

Yani ran her hands over his face and chest. He smiled at her and pulled her hands away. When his arms wrapped around her, she gave out a sigh of relief. Together alone at last.

"Why did you fight?"

"It was stupid on my part. You have to keep away from that creep. He wants to fuck you."

"He said that?"

"Nigga bold as fuck. He asked about you and figured out shit…and I reacted like a dummy."

"I can survive two more days…"

Her eyes held his.

"What?"

She held him tighter.

"My period finally came. Right after I cleaned up."

"Told you," he said.

Yani stared up into his eyes and saw something she didn't expect.

Sadness.

Wait.

Did he want her pregnant?

"Incoming message. Chambers, Linda."

"Go to the bedroom," he said, pushing her that way.

Yani backed away from him, then turned to make it into the room before he answered the call. She kept near the open bedroom door. Her eyes were just able to see the viewscreen from where she stood.

"Linda. Talk to me."

Erik's voice sounded worried.

Yani felt worried the moment she saw Linda's face filling up the entire viewscreen that covered a whole wall.

She was dressed like the mercs Yani had seen at the compound before, but her eyes, they didn't look at Erik like he was a fellow co-worker. She looked at him like she knew him in a biblical way.

"Boss man wanted me to check up on you all. We're watching the storm. Category 2 now heading past Barbados."

"We're good. Why you and not him?"

"Staying off radar. You know. Are the boys aggravating you yet?"

"Always. Tell Boss man all is well."

"Will do….but uh…you and I still need to have a little discussion about some things. We didn't get to work some stuff out in Joburg."

Yani leaned in as far as she could. She didn't like how easy going this woman was talking to Erik. And Erik, he sounded stilted in his speech, like he was trying to get her to shut up…

"Klaue needs you to check out some contacts. Sending you intel now."

"Later," Erik said.

He shut off the viewscreen.

"Yani. Come out here."

Yani stepped out of their bedroom and sauntered over to him.

"I know you heard her."

"You fucking her?"

She didn't mean to say that so abrupt. She wanted him to confess.

"I fucked her. But before you. Before us—"

"Please don't lie—"

"I'm not lying."

"What she mean 'bout you not finishing some stuff? You were with her when you were gone?"

"She was with me, and Huntsman, and Klaue…all of us. Together."

Her side hurt. Late cramps squeezed her.

She believed him.

"You finished with the Kitchen?"

"Yeah."

"Go on to Leona's and be with the baby. If I can get away from here I will."

"Okay."

He reached out for her and she stepped into his arms.

"Please don't fight. I don't care what that bum says about me."

"I'll keep my hands to myself."

"For serious, Killmonger. You don't know how you look when you fight. It's scary. My heart can't take it."

He kissed her lips before he released her and slapped her butt.

"Get out of here. See you in the morning."

Yani blew him a kiss and slipped out the front door.

"So, it's true."

Yani froze.

Huntsman stood at the bottom of the porch deck smoking a cigar. He blew smoke her way.

"You and Killmonger."

Yani ran past him.

Chapter 19 Here

###

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