stories’ nook

It was so blunt and bold. The hairs on the back of your neck stood up. The beat of your heart pulses in your ears as they became hot by the second. This isn’t happening. You couldn’t even find the words to rectify the situation. All you could do was keep walking. There was no way you could look at him right now. It took enough momentum just to breathe. 

Your feet struggled to carry you to the island counter. Tea couldn’t fix this. A bottle of merlot sat patiently on the counter, calling your name. Was your hand shaking as you poured your glass of wine or was that in your head? Suddenly, you could feel his presence behind you. Your immediate response was to put your hand on the counter to brace yourself, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Just like your therapist, Yoongi, has told you to do in stressful situations.

“Y/N, answer me,” his voice commanded in a deep, authoritative voice with a hint of tenderness - desperation. Your ears perked. The submissive side of you wanted to immediately obey, but you fought it. Is he using his dominance to make me comply?

“Don’t.” A part of you was slightly irritated that he would play this card. You turned around and stood your ground as best as you could with your height difference. Big mistake. The sight of him made you weak in the knees. Your heart flutters as you look into his handsome eyes.

“Don’t talk to me like that. I know what you’re doing,” you continued. It took all your strength to say these words, admit these words out loud.

“I’m not yours, Taehyung. You can’t speak to me like I am. Using that tone, commanding me, that’s sacred. Something sacred that we don’t share.” Your voice was soft and timid; attempting to hide the pain within it. Maybe this was what you needed. The clarification and admission; finally embracing the truth in front of you. You couldn’t read him. His breathing was steady as he stared into your eyes. It was as if he was fighting himself internally. He was just a breath away. It took you by surprise when he grazed your cheek with his long finger. His voice was tender and smoother than you have ever heard it before.

“Then be mine...and I’ll be yours,” his voice slithered straight to your soul. Your breath hitched. Processing his words, you took a step away from him. It was pertinent to tread lightly. Could he really mean that? Is this what he really wants? Doubt consumed you.

“You don’t know what you’re saying. I-I know Yuri hurt you but-” Taehyung’s stance shifted. He ran his slender fingers through his fluffy hair. A movement so simple, and yet wildly attractive. A teasing smirk twitched his lips.

“This has nothing to do with her. If anything, she opened my eyes. Snapped me out of what I’ve been denying for so long. Y/N, I’ve wanted you for so long.” Suddenly, he let out a laugh as if a big weight had been lifted. Amusement was apparent on his face as he spoke. He spun on his heel to pace the floor - talking himself through the revelation.

“How have I ignored this for so long? Y/N, I’ve been drowning...for years because I couldn’t be with you. As crazy as this sounds, I thought maybe a contracted relationship would work. But every damn time I sat down to piece it together, I couldn’t ever see it through. It didn’t feel right. That’s not how I feel about you. It’s much more than that. But sometimes...I was desperate, which wasn’t fair to either of us.” You stood frozen in place with widened eyes as he made this confession to you. Your mind wasn’t able to form a coherent thought; thinking maybe this was a trick.

“Desperate how,” you stuttered softly. His boyish features became more serious as he stepped towards you once again. He cupped your face gently to look into your eyes with sincerity.

“Sometimes I can’t control myself around you. I meant it when I offered to be your Dom. But…you kept denying it, so I didn’t push it. I didn’t want to destroy what we have. I tried convincing myself that what I was feeling wasn’t real so it was easier to ignore.” Taehyung’s voice became more desperate and needy. This was a side of him you have never seen before. Frantically pleading his case to you in a panic, his heart bursting on his sleeve. It made your heart race.

“And then...that day, in your apartment. When I walked in and heard you in the shower. Moaning so...beautifully. I fought every demon in my body to not go in there and finish what you started. There weren’t enough deep breaths I could take to keep my blood from boiling. Do you have any idea...how hard it was? Just from the sound of you. And I thought for one second that I heard my name escape those beautiful lips,” his eyes shift to your lips, brushing his thumb lightly over them. A shaky breath escapes you.

“So I asked you one last time, hoping you would say ‘yes’. When you didn’t, I promised myself I wouldn’t ask again.” Taehyung’s gaze returned to yours, pulling himself out of his hypnosis in the softness of your lips. 

And there it was, the words that floored you. The arousal you felt in this moment was catastrophic. The thought of driving him insane like this did something to you that I’ve never felt before. Your body was on fire - throbbing in places that screamed to be touched. There was barely a step between your bodies; close enough to feel his body heat. Yet again, your inner demons overshadowed your desires. Your defenses went up quicker than you would have liked. Always so skeptical of anything good happening to you.

“S-so, you want to fuck me? Is that it? I’m the one woman that’s told you ‘no’ and it bothers the hell out of you?” Tears swelled in your eyes as your nostrils flared with rage. Rage, sadness, uncertainty, you weren't entirely sure. Taehyung looked hurt by your words but he didn’t budge.

“Is that what you got from what I said? That I would take advantage of you, use you like you mean nothing to me?” His voice mirrored his look of disbelief. Your eyes burned as you fought back the tears that desperately wanted to fall.

“Of course not. Don’t twist my words. I don’t know what to think. Things like this don’t happen to me. Taehyung, you’re perfect, in every way. Wanting anything more than that with me...it doesn’t seem real.” You couldn’t fight it anymore. A tear had fallen, and you didn’t care to wipe it away. With a delicate touch, Taehyung brushed the tear from your cheek. Each time he touched you, it sent a shockwave through your body. Affection glowed in his eyes. As much as you tried to convince yourself that he didn’t have feelings for you, his gaze said otherwise. There was a tenderness between you that made your heart melt - a tension that made your core quiver.

“I hate that you think so little of yourself. Y/N...I’m in love with you, and I always have been. Anything less and I would be lying to myself and to you.” Taehyung cupped your cheek, keeping it there to reassure you. His fingers were warm to the touch. Subconsciously, you bit your bottom lip as you looked up at him. His thumb brushed over your cheek as you reached up to place your hand over his.

“Y/N…” His voice was so soft. All you could do was hum. You closed your eyes as you melted into his touch. This has to be real. 

“Say something,” he whispered gently. It wasn’t a demand. It was fear. There was a fine line between you now - a line he vulnerably crossed. Your eyes slowly opened with softness inside of them.

“Show me… Show me that you love me.” A smirk twitched on his lips.

“Didn’t you just yell at me for thinking that’s all I wanted to do,” he mildly jokes. Your mind for once was quiet enough to listen to your body. You wanted him. You needed him. 

“I’ve waited so long to hear you say those words, Tae. I want you, and I feel like I’m going to explode if you don’t touch me.” There was a low growl in Taehyung’s chest. His lips twitched into a mischievous grin.

“Gladly,” he growls in a low, sultry voice. Before you could take your next breath, Taehyung crashed his lips into yours. His hands cupped your face in a way that he didn’t want to let you go yet with enough gentleness to not feel forceful. He needed this kiss. He yearned for this kiss. The world around you became so quiet in an instant. 

The kiss was filled with hunger and passion. The way your soft lips massaged one another sent your arousal into overdrive. His tongue slipped into your mouth with your open invitation. You’ve never tasted anything so sweet. Taehyung always had a scent that captivated you, but nothing compared to the taste of his tongue. Explicit thoughts raced through your mind as you imagined what it would feel like between your legs.

With fervor, Taehyung lifted you into his arms causing you to yelp. You wanted to protest as you were self-conscious about your weight on him. His lift was effortless without breaking the kiss, it didn’t seem that he struggled at all. Silence was your best friend in this heated moment. He proceeded to carry you to your bedroom eagerly. When he finally pulled away, your body had landed with a light bounce on your bed. 

He looked down at you like a predator looking at his prey, examining you with lust in his eyes. He started with his shirt, button after button to reveal his beautiful honey skin before letting it drape to the floor. Your breath hitched as you watched his display. This was him in his true form; exposed and vulnerable. Taehyung knew you were looking at every detail. He loved watching your desire unfold within your gaze. His cheeks turned a slight shade of pink as he was overwhelmed with heat. He didn’t hide himself; like he was letting you really see him.

Taehyung’s eyes never left yours as he continued to unbutton his pants. The black fabric falls to the floor, leaving him in his boxers. A small gasp escaped you as your eyes traveled down as his erection was fully evident within the thin fabric. You’ve seen him shirtless, but this was unbelievable. It was a sight meant for you, and only you at this moment. So intimate and tempting - everything you’ve ever dreamed of coming to life. You pressed your thighs together instinctively to relieve the tension; your core pulsing with arousal. Your reaction made him smirk.

His fingers run through his thick hair as he licks his lips ever so slowly. A deep breath made his chest rise and fall, bracing himself. He cautiously leans down, hovering over you. 

“May I remove your clothes,” he asks in a low whisper. His voice is husky yet smooth. Swallowing the lump in your throat, you nod your head in approval. He takes his time to delicately discard your clothes. First, your shirt falls to the floor to reveal that you were not wearing a bra underneath. Your nipples raise almost instantly as the cool air grazes them. His eyes lowered to your exposed chest, savoring the sight of you. Taehyung kneels before you - a sight that makes you weak. With his eyes returning to yours, he hooks his fingers beneath the waistband of your soft, lounge pants to ease them down your legs. You were thankful that you shaved before the ball.

The faint scent of your arousal reached your nose - your cheeks turning ferociously red. Taehyung’s nostrils flare as his eyes darken. His warm hands slither up your thighs and back down, caressing them gently. Lowering his head to your knees, he teases your skin with his pink lips.

“Y/N… You smell intoxicating. Sweeter than a flower,” his deep voice purrs. He lifts his gaze to take in every inch of your body, making you blush wildly. His words sent your heart into overdrive. As much as you want to look away, you’re captivated by the lust in his eyes. Never has anyone looked at you that way that he is now. With such tenderness, it’s almost as if he’s hypnotized - under a spell.

The bruises Joon Jae had given you were still visible on your skin. Faint dark circles peppering your hips. Taehyung's eyes found them, looking for them intentionally. His nostrils flared as he let out a shaky breath. His fingers brushed over them softly as his eyes returned to yours.

“I will never hurt you. Ever. I swear this to you.” Pain lingered in his voice. So much sincerity in his eyes; ensuring that you understood how serious he was before taking another step further. It was almost too much to bear. You’ve never experienced love before. Is this what it feels like? Or am I dreaming? You brought your hand up to his cheek; velvety skin warm to the touch.

“Neither will I,” you murmured with sparkles in your eyes as tears prickled them. The moment was so intimate; something new yet familiar. Surely, he could hear how loud your heart was beating. Mostly, for the fact that you finally have the man you’ve always wanted within arms reach. Here he was, kneeling before you in a vulnerable state; showing you affection that you have never existed before.

Taehyung smiled before reaching to kiss your lips yet again. Your body felt the same electricity as it did the first time he kissed you. His lips are addicting - intoxicating. Exiting your comfort zone, you take your hands to touch him, roaming over his shoulders and down his back. You could feel him shiver under your touch. As much as you want to devour him, caution is of the essence. You don’t want to mess this up or move too fast. You’re not even sure what is about to happen, so you let time take control. 

“Can I touch more of you,” Taehyung’s voice comes out needy yet patient. Again, you nod your head to give him permission to explore you further. 

His lips make way to your neck. Soft moans leaving your lips from the tingling sensation. Between the heat from his breath and his tender lips, you can’t focus on one little thing. Your back instantly arches as you feel his mouth travel to your chest. His hands caress your breasts; kneading them to bring your nipples closer to his mouth. When you feel his tongue swipe across them, you gasp. Your hands make way to the back of his head, nestling your fingers gently into his hair. Lick after lick, you feel yourself falling deeper into his spell. The tip of his tongue flickers over the point of your nipples, sending arousal straight to your core. 

Such a mess you’re making of your underwear. You’re thankful that this little secret is hidden. Your cheeks flush at the thought of Taehyung knowing just how much he turns you on. Never have you felt this wet before. Pulling you from your thoughts, Taehyung travels further down your body, leaving your needy breasts to tend to the rest of you. 

His soft hands touch your sides, admiring your curves - every delicate detail of your skin being touched. He stops at your hips, looking at the marks. You can’t help but to watch him. There’s regret in his eyes, but not because of you. You know what’s going on in his head. He’s blaming himself for the pain you’ve been through. Seeing right through him, you take your hand, and run your fingers through his soft curls.

“Taehyung… It’s okay. Just be here with me. You can’t erase the past but…you can paint a new future.” Your voice is kind and sincere; just as fragile as you are. He runs his fingers over the bruises followed by delicate kisses. You can’t help but notice a shimmer in his eyes. Over and over, he kisses the bruises as if trying to kiss them away. 

To your surprise, his kisses don’t stop there. Traveling further from your hips to what lies between them, you hear a low growl below. Taehyung inhales your natural scent, and curses under his breath. You can feel your cheeks becoming warm knowing that he’s so close to where you want him the most. 

As Taehyung kneels before your core, his dark gaze catches your needy eyes. The hunger in his eyes makes your heart race. He lingers there for what seems like forever. His tongue slowly grazes over his lips. A devilish smirk touches his lips. You wonder why he’s not going for it. Your mind is telling him to just dive in, and the other part of your mind questions who you are to think such crude things.

“Tell me, Y/N. What were you fantasizing about that day? What thoughts made you moan my name so beautifully?” The red could not be stopped from flooding your face, heat rushing to your ears. His long fingers graze over your thighs. His eyes turn to a mix of mischief and puppy-like innocence. You avert your gaze from his. The intensity in them makes your mouth run dry. He’s quick to notice how timid you’ve become.

“If you tell me, I’ll fulfill it. Let me bring your dream to a reality,” he says in a subdued voice. You swallow hard as you look back at him. He playfully rests his head against your thigh, patiently awaiting your instructions. At this point, not telling him would be a loss on your part. You’ve always fantasized Taehyung being in this exact position - needy for you. The thought of him begging to taste you, and feel you has always driven you insane. The irony of having such submissive thoughts about a dominant man. Of course, you’ve imagined him tying, gagging, and flogging you. Dreamed of it. Yet there’s this part of you that has always wanted to see him desperate and vulnerable - submissive. Swallowing your nerves, you part your lips to speak.

“I want…to feel…” The lump in your throat catches your voice. You clear your throat, trying to play it off as nothing. 

“I want to feel your fingers,” you say as a whispered demand. Taehyung’s smirk doesn’t go unnoticed. He lifts his head from your thigh to face you fully.

“My fingers are yours to feel.” Taehyung’s voice grows deeper. With two fingers, he softly grazes down your folds. Repeating the motion delicately as you adjust to his touch. His fingers become coated in your juice. With each stroke, your breath quickens. It feels as if your wetness is dripping further down, pooling at your entrance. Taehyung ensures not to let a single drop go to waste, gathering it on his fingers to make his strokes more intoxicating. Your core clenches as he grazes over your clit. So desperate to be filled, your walls silently beg for his attention. 

“If you keep doing that, I’m going to take it as an invitation,” Taehyung’s voice sounds like venomous honey. You clench your eyes shut for a moment as you’ve been caught. Nothing gets past him it seems. A blessing and a curse. As clouded as your mind is with lust, you finally put the pieces together. Taehyung will only do exactly as you tell him to do. He’s putting you in control while still dominating you - allowing you to put complete trust in him. Your eyes open at the realization, all nerves numbed to make way for your lust to take over.

“Two fingers. Let’s see if you’re as skilled as you say. Push all the right buttons and make me cum on your fingers.” You bite your lip as you try not to giggle at the words that just came out of your mouth. Who is this girl? The girl who has only ever given demands at work now gives Kim Taehyung demands to please her. Revolution!

“So cheeky. I guess we’ll see,” he grins, seemingly impressed. Less than a second passes before you feel his fingers slowly stretching you. Easing into your walls with delicate caution as he feels your walls tighten around his fingers, a sharp gasp escapes you. He doesn’t plunge forward, but takes his time as if memorizing each part of you.

As his fingers glide further inside, he reaches into the brim, just to slowly twist them back out of you. Like a corkscrew, he swirls his fingers inside of you while coating his fingers in your wetness. He repeats this motion at a slow pace. The sensation makes you arch your back. You bring your heels up onto the bed to give him a better position to work with. Taehyung never ceases his motion. His fingers are so long, they reach as far as you’ve always imagined. Perhaps, more so.

With better access, Taehyung starts to get up just enough to rest his knee on the edge of the bed. Each move doesn’t stop his fingers steady motion. While looking hungrily into your eyes, he rests his free hand next to your head. Hovering over you now, his hair dangles in front of his eyes. The sight makes you weak in the knees. Your legs naturally spread wider to welcome his body.

“Now. Let’s see if I can push your buttons, as you requested,” he teases. Your words are cut short as he curls his fingers upward, and presses directly into the spot that makes you see stars.

“Ahh!” Your eyes practically roll into the back of your head. Your voice ringing in your own ears. Taehyung quickens his motion once he’s found your spot, tapping it like a video game expert. Over and over, faster then slower, then faster. Your orgasm is on the tip of your tongue. Every bit of your core is drenched in your own juice. As your walls constrict more and more, Taehyung moves accordingly. His thumb lightly brushes over your clit, rolling it in tight circles. The muscles in his arm clench as heat rises between your breathless bodies. 

“You look so pretty when you’re about to cum, Y/N. I bet you’re radiant when pushed over the edge,” Taehyung’s voice almost sounds far away as the blood rushes from your head down between your legs. You’re right there. His voice ignites you to a new dimension. Your legs begin to shake as your walls clutch tightly around Taehyung’s fingers. He doesn’t stop his pace as you ride out the wave. Only when your body starts to twitch does he slow his fingers until they reach a complete stop - prolonging your orgasm as long as possible.

With eye contact, Taehyung removes his fingers and brings them up to his fingers. He groans as your taste touches his tongue. Sucking them to savor every last drop, his eyes never leave you. 

“Radiant and delicious,” he deeply purrs with fire in his eyes. Taehyung’s eyes have always been so enticing. This is an intensity that could make you forget your name. He hasn’t even fucked you yet, still you feel physically overwhelmed. Embarrassment washes over you but is quickly replaced with curiosity. This man has been in your wildest fantasies. Now seeing the real thing, it’s even better than you ever imagined. Silencing your thoughts, Taehyung leans down to kiss your lips. The taste of you lingers on his lips, making you shiver.

The kiss is gentle. Your arms wrap around his neck, pulling him closer to you. His boxers press against your wet core. Immediately you feel his erection poking against you. Your hips wiggle at the sensation, wanting to feel more of him. He smirks against your lips. 

“Patience, darling. Let me take you on a date first.” His proposal surprises you. It’s hard to ignore the hard object twitching against you.

“But…what about you,” you question with doe eyes. Taehyung leans up slightly to look at you with kind eyes.

“I’m going to take a cold shower, then come back to lay down with you. I don’t want to rush this. I just want to hold you in my arms. Is that okay?” He asks so sweetly. You want to protest. Most men only crave their release, angry if they can’t get it. Yet he’s offering to suffer at the expense of rushing into whatever is going on between you. Your heart aches with affection. All you can do is nod your head in acceptance. Taehyung delicately kisses your forehead.

“I’ll be quick.” As he gets up, he pulls the blanket back to give you room to get inside. Without hesitation, you climb under the blankets as you suddenly feel cold without his body against yours. Taehyung walks to the bathroom just to come back seconds later. He brings you a washcloth as he looks over your body.

“I can clean for you if you’d-”

“No, no. I’ll do it,” you say quickly with red cheeks. The thought of him cleaning you makes you flustered; something you’re not quite ready for. Taehyung gives a tender smile, handing you the cloth. Pressing another kiss to your lips, he walks off to the shower, leaving the door cracked open. Once you hear the shower running, you take a deep breath.

I can’t believe this is happening. Did that really just happen? Kim Taehyung loves me? Feeling giddy all over, you silently squeal as you kick your feet under the blanket. You pull the blanket to your face to muffle your little squeaks. This is surreal. It was only moments ago that you were at the ball, imagining only going home on your own. The thought of starting over anew tomorrow and leaving your feelings for Taehyung in the past. Now, he is yours and you are his. Although, curiosity taps in the back of your mind as you wonder what exactly happened between Tae and Yuri tonight. 

After some time, you feel yourself getting cozy. Sleep prickles your eyes with the will to stay away fighting against it. Fortunately, Taehyung returns just as you felt yourself losing the war.

“Did I take long,” he asks in a husky voice. When you look up, you see a towel hanging off of his hips deliciously as he uses another towel to dry his hair. The sight makes you swoon inside. Watching him make himself right at home, comfortable even, it makes you feel warm. You shake your head sleepily as you lay cozy in your bed.

“Not at all,” you softly say. He would have believed you if you didn’t yawn directly after saying so. He chuckles lightly as he tosses his towels to the side to join you in bed. Sliding beside you, he gives you an opening to lay your head on his chest. When you do so, he puts his arm around you and kisses you gently on the forehead.

“Close your eyes. I’ll be here when you wake up,” he whispers against your ear. As if he put you under a spell, you find yourself closing your eyes and nuzzling against him. The sound of his voice is hypnotizing. The promise of waking up in his arms gives you hope for a new day. Before you succumb to your slumber, you tilt your head up to look at him.

“Are you really okay,” you ask with soft concern. Taehyung looks down at you, slight confusion at first then loving eyes.

“I’m really okay. Having you in my arms is all I need,” he reassures in a low voice. He presses another soft kiss to your forehead, “We have all the time in the world, Y/N. Let’s take our time.”

He’s so kind, it’s almost worrisome. Not that Taehyung hasn’t been kind before, but something seems different about him now. Softer. Delicate. A side that you haven’t seen of him before. It makes your heart swell. Within seconds, you drift off to sleep knowing that the greatest person you know is by your side - and all yours.

There’s warmth in the air. November mornings feel different today. Usually, the mornings are crisp to the point you could swear that ice forms on your nose. Not today. Today, your graced with the warmth of Taehyung. He hugs you closely from behind as if he doesn’t want to let you go. A gentle embrace as his slow breaths tickle your back. A smile etches on your face knowing how safe you are in his arms. 

Looking at the clock, you realize that you woke up early. You don’t need to be at work for two more hours. Feeling refreshed and brand new, you feel the urge to get up and make breakfast. As slowly as you can without stirring him, you emerge from the bed. Taehyung shifts slightly, reaching out for you in his deep sleep. With an adoring smile, you reach for one of your pillows and place it under his arm. After a successful mission, you tip-toe to the kitchen. 

A quick breakfast and some coffee should do the trick. You prepared some rice along with some side dishes that you had made earlier in the week. A fried egg for each bowl of rice, with a light jjigae on the side. Just as you were going to return to the bedroom to wake Taehyung, you see him walking out of your room. He pulls a t-shirt over his head with his boxers already in place. His hair is messy from his sleep - very, very messy. You choke back a laugh as you’re smitten by the sight.

“Do I amuse you, Y/N,” he asks in a teasing voice, almost professional. You shake your head cutely as you hand him a cup of coffee. 

“Of course not, Mr. Kim. In fact, I think you look absolutely adorable.” He takes the cup and looks down at you, his hair dangling over his eyes. There’s barely a step between you.

“Funny. That’s not what you thought of me last night. Shall I remind you,” he challenges in a husky voice. His words make you swallow hard, cheeks turning pink. You nudge him lightly before turning away.

“That won’t be necessary. My memory is vivid enough,” your words say ‘no’, but deep down, you’re saying ‘yes sir’. You shake the images from last night out of your head. Many things start replacing these thoughts. You’re curious if Taehyung will want a Dom/Sub relationship with you. What are we anyways, you wonder. So many questions, always such a worry wart. Taehyung smirks as he watches you.

Both of you take a seat at your small, round dining table to enjoy your meals. Suddenly, you feel slightly uncomfortable. Your worries and insecurities take over your mind. It’s not the first breakfast that you two have shared in your apartment. Things are different now, but different how? Taehyung tilts his head slightly, looking at you. He sets his coffee down and reaches over the table gently to place his hand over yours. When you meet his gaze, his eyes are warm and loving.

“Whatever is on your mind, you can tell me. Let me silence your worries,” he says with sincerity. What is he, a mind reader?? You try not to seem too surprised and laugh lightly. Thinking about saying something cheeky, you second guess yourself. Taehyung knows you so well. He can read you, he understands you better than anyone. The least you can do is trust him with your thoughts. Swallowing your nerves, you part your lips to speak.

“What happened last night? With Yuri,” you ask softly, knowing it may be a sensitive subject. Taehyung lets out a breath and nods his head.

“Fair question. Well, to put it simply, she challenged me,” he says as he takes a bite of his rice. You follow suit so your breakfast doesn’t get cold, waiting for him to continue.

“She stormed out of the ball, so I followed her. She told me to take her back to her place, so I did,” he let out a heavy sigh, “When we got there, she wanted to fool around. She wanted me to show her my true dominance, no holding back. I asked her if she was sure and she said yes. I reminded her to use her safe word.” He closes his eyes for a moment before taking another bite of food.

“And she didn’t,” you continue. He shakes his head softly. Taehyung returns his eyes to yours, pain evident inside of them.

“She asked me to go harder, she asked for more. Then suddenly, she pushes me away and calls me a monster. That’s when the truth came out. Yuri asked if I was in love with you. After completely demolishing my trust, she questions my love for you. At first…I said no. But she kept pushing me and pushing me. That’s when I realized that she was asking because she already knew the answer. She was challenging me and using my dominance against me to reveal a different side of me.” Your heart aches for him. How could she do that? 

In a dominant and submissive relationship, trust goes both ways. A true Dom would only do things within his submissive’s limits. For Yuri, she had many boundaries. She was new to the lifestyle, and Taehyung was very patient with her. He held back so much. He thought maybe they could be different from his other relationships. What he didn’t realize was that he was hoping to find something in Yuri that he found in you. She wasn’t the same, not at all.

Yuri misused his trust. You have to use your safe word in these dynamics; otherwise, the Dom will think you’re okay. She wasn’t okay, and told him to keep going anyways. Of course Taehyung was hurt by this. You look at him with sympathy.

“I’m so sorry, Tae. That must have been difficult,” you assure him. Just because Taehyung is a Dom, it doesn’t mean he isn’t sensitive. With his dark past, he finds it very hard to trust people. That’s why he chose the dominant lifestyle. It allows him to be in control, so he can’t get hurt. Yuri found a way to use that against him. Anger builds inside of you, but you hold back from letting it show. To your surprise, Taehyung looks at you with a kind smile.

“Honestly, I’m glad it happened. She pushed me to the limit, and woke me up. I realized that I was wasting my time trying to fill a void that only you can fill. That’s why I ran to you. There was no other place I wanted to be except with you.” Taehyung gets up from his chair, kneeling down beside you. He takes your hands into his as he looks into your eyes.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to get here,” he softly says. His words have so much meaning. Your heart begins to race as you can feel his love radiating around you. With tenderness, you take your hand to cup his cheek - love and adoration in your eyes.

“It goes both ways…but at least we’re here now.” Taehyung smiles sweetly, reaching up to kiss you softly on the lips. The gesture is so sweet, you fight back tears. You’re not sure how much time has passed. The sound of an alarm on your phone pulls you from your trance. It’s your reminder to leave for work soon. Taehyung pulls away and rests his head on your forehead before giving you space.

“Duty calls,” you groan with annoyance. Taehyung reaches out his hand for you. You graciously take it to get up from your seat.

“I’ll take you to work. You can ask me more questions on the way.” It’s like music to your ears. He knows how bad your anxiety is. You’ll be spending the rest of the day asking questions in your head until you can get them out. It would drive you mad. He really does care. With light laughter, you proceed to get ready for work and head out for the day. 

Taehyung answered all of your questions happily. He confirmed that he was the one that called in the tip for Joon Jae. Turns out, he’ll do anything to protect you. Nothing was fabricated, it was all truthful information. With Taehyung’s connections, he was easily able to find out all that he needed to put him behind bars and keep him away from you. Knowing this made you feel so much safer. You were filled with worry since the ball that Joon Jae would come after you. 

When you arrived at work, Taehyung assured you that he would reach out to you later. There were still many questions flooding your mind, but he answered enough to get you by until you meet again.

As you walk through the elevator to your work floor, you’re greeted by your bubbly assistant, Jisoo. She always greets you with a warm smile and friendly greeting. Today, she stops before she speaks and looks over you with an impressed look. Self-consciously, you take a look at your outfit to make sure everything is in place. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

“Good morning, Jisoo. My eyes are up here, sweetie,” you joke as she can’t stop looking you up and down. Jisoo stands, and moves out from her desk with her arms crossed; a large smile on her face.

“Y/N, dear. You are glowing. Is there something you need to tell me?” Your cheeks flush red with embarrassment. Is it that obvious? You’ve never experienced this “glow” before. You never understood what people meant by that. Sure, you’re in a really good mood today, and you feel like you’re on top of the world. How can someone see that just by looking at you? You adjust your purse strap and walk towards her.

“It’s just a good day, okay?” Jisoo gives you a knowing look as you try to hide the truth. Things are very fresh with Taehyung. It doesn’t feel appropriate to start telling people about it. Not only that, he’s well-known and rumors would spread like wildfire. Jisoo shrugs.

“Fine. Don’t tell me. But something amazing happened. I can tell,” she says as she sits back behind her desk. As you approach her desk, she hands you a stack of papers; manuscripts and other documents that need tending to today. 

“Wanna join me in my office to go over today’s schedule,” you say as you look over the papers she handed you. She takes a look towards your office door and back at you.

“I sent your schedule by email for you to take a look at once you get settled. The new hire is in your office waiting to be onboarded.” You stop looking at the papers, and shift your eyes up to her with confusion.

“New hire? Isn’t onboarding HR’s job?” Jisoo shrugged at your questions. 

“I thought so too, but she really insisted on meeting with you first thing this morning. Makes sense. She’s taking over your old job, so she probably wants to learn from you directly.” Annoyance pangs you at the new hire being so demanding already. This isn’t the proper process of things. Not only that, but you’re not sure how packed your schedule is yet. There may not be much time. All the same, there’s no protesting now. May as well get on with it. You gather your papers while putting on a smile.

“Call me if you need me then. I’ll let you know if I have any questions about the schedule,” you say as you stride to your office. With everything else going on, you almost forgot about the Assistant Commissioning Editor position being open. You’re still new to the position, so you’ve been used to handling everything on your own since your promotion. Although, it would be nice for someone to take some of the load off.

When you enter your office, you see someone seated at the chair in front of your desk; back facing you. Taking a deep breath, you smile and continue your stride.

“Hi, good morning! Sorry for keeping you waiting. You must be the new hire,” you say with your corporal voice. As the woman stands to greet you, your blood runs cold when you see her. Your feet come to a halt.

“Hi Y/N,” she says. Yuri… Everything comes rushing in all at once. You had forgotten that you interviewed her weeks ago for the position. More so, she was the last person you thought you would run into, let alone work with.

Yuri stands before you with an expression you can’t read. Professionalism mixed with anger and seemingly uncomfortable. Above all, she stands with her head high and confidence beaming out of her. For a moment, you feel your insecurities coming out. Quickly, you brush them aside to maintain the upper hand. This is your office, and she’s working under you. Now is not the time to show weakness. Clearing your throat, you continue your stride towards her.

“Yuri, hello,” you say as you approach her to shake her hand, “I didn’t know they picked someone for my old position quite yet. I apologize for my delay.” As you stand to shake her hand, she looks at you coldly for what seems like seconds before she shakes your hand with a fake smile. Her touch is delicate yet firm. 

Setting your things down on the desk, you gesture for her to take a seat. Your mind is screaming a mile a minute. So many questions and worries flood your consciousness as you try to figure out where to go from here. After everything Taehyung told you this morning, you’re very aware that she knows of his feelings for you. That certainly pegs a problem.

Yuri sits there observing me intensely as you ready your things. A notebook sits on her lap closed with her hands tightly intertwined together. The tension in the air could be cut with a knife. You try to ignore it, but you’re not sure it can be. You refuse to be seen as weak. Everything Yuri did to Taehyung made you furious. Does she think she’s the only one that’s pissed? As her boss, You have to keep things professional, but you also feel that it’s best to address the elephant in the room. You sit back in your chair, crossing your leg over your knee; looking at Yuri with confidence.

“You asked to work with me directly this morning. I’m happy to help with your onboarding process, and answer any questions you have. However, I want to remind you that this is a professional work environment. Personal affairs are not to disrupt our business,” you say with kindness and a hint of authority. Your gaze at her softens, “With that being said, my office is a safe space.”

Yuri’s eyes widened at the words “safe space”. It was as if she wasn’t expecting you to say such a thing. It’s true. Although Joon Jae did a great job of defiling you in this office, that won’t be happening again. This is your domain. You have full control over it now, and it truly does feel like a safe space now that Joon Jae is behind bars and Taehyung by your side. 

Yuri shifts in her seat, “You’re not going to fire me,” she asks timidly with an undertone of an attitude. It makes you smirk with a scoff. Shaking your head, you put your folded hands on your lap.

“Would you like to quit,” you ask to challenge her. She sits there for a moment without saying a word, processing your question. After some time, you say and press the intercom on your desk phone.

“Jisoo,” you call out. Jisoo replies right away, “Can you prepare Im Yuri’s offboarding paperwork please?” Yuri’s eyes widen as she leans forward.

“Wait,” she panics. Looking her in the eyes, you press the intercom button again.

“Disregard,” is all you say. You let out a frustrated sigh.

“I don’t like games, Yuri. I love this company, and I love my job. I take it very seriously. If you’re here to work, great. If you have a personal issue with working together, now is the time to leave.” As much as you’re easily asserting your dominance, you’re trembling on the inside. Trying your best not to show weakness, you maintain your composure. 

As you await Yuri’s reply, you can see her anger brewing inside. It’s almost as if she’s battling with her internal thoughts. Each passing second feels like an eternity. You can’t tell for sure, but the way Yuri is subtly shaking, you detect that she’s shaking her leg under the desk - anxiety. As you’re about to speak to help soothe her, Jisoo comes through the intercom on your phone.

“Y/N, Kim Taehyung is on the phone for you.” Yuri’s eyes immediately shoot to yours as you do the same with slight panic. Awful timing, Taehyung, truly… Maintaining eye contact with Yuri, you can see her slowly unraveling as her nostrils flare. You slowly reach for the button on the phone to speak.

“Tell him I’ll call him back later please,” you say as calmly as you possibly can. Once Jisoo confirms that she will do just that, you realize that this is a really bad idea. There’s no way that Yuri is going to be able to work with you. This is a conflict of interest on another level. Considering her current emotional state, you decide to give her some time to calm herself after the events of the ball, then you’ll have HR contact her to let her go.

“Yuri, why don’t you take the rest of the day off,” you suggest as you stand from your seat. Yuri remains seated, staring at her hands on her lap. As much as you can’t stand her right now, your empathy can’t silence the guilt you feel.

Her silence is deafening. You proceed to walk around the desk towards the door. Perhaps she needs a little nudge, so you opt to open the door for her. In mid-stride, you hear Yuri stand from her seat. In a quick motion, you feel your hair being tugged harshly back, causing you to stumble backwards on your feet. You yelp in pain as you try to pry your hair from her hand. She coils your hair up to the root to get a more firm grip on you.

“What the hell?! Let go,” you hiss as you try to pull from her grasp.

“Why does it get to be you,” Yuri screams through sobs. You manage to turn around partially to try to make eyes with the enemy. You’re not sure of what to do as the pain becomes excruciating. Yuri pulls even harder, making you face forward.

“It was supposed to be me! I could fix him. I could teach him that he doesn’t have to live this lifestyle. He was falling in love with me and you ruined it, you bitch!” Yuri’s words come out as a shriek. Every word pisses you off more and more. Panic sets in as you worry that the other employees will hear the commotion. If she finds out that you’re dating Taehyung, you’re not sure what that could mean for your reputation or career. Rumors get people fired, and you’d rather everyone find out through you.

Thinking quickly, you try to reason with her, “Yuri… Just let me go and we can talk about this.” You try to reason with her but there’s no use. Her sobs continue as she starts to yank your head in every direction, making you feel dizzy. Shit. 

You’re not a fighter. The last thing you need is a lawsuit on your hands. Thinking of how you can get her off of you enough to get away, you look at the wall near you. Backing up quickly without tripping, you slam her backwards into the wall. The first time, she cries out but doesn’t let go. The second time, you pull forward a little more so you can fall back even harder. The action makes Yuri hit her head against the wall. Her grip loosens on your hair enough for you to get away.

You rush over to your desk, picking up the phone as Yuri already starts to pull away from the wall, “Jisoo, get security now.” Your command comes out with a heavy breath. Hopefully she doesn’t ask questions and just does as she’s told. 

“R-right away,” she says in a worried voice. Yuri has already started charging after you. You try to rush to the other side of the desk, but Yuri is faster. She hurls herself over your desk, lunging after you. She collides with you as your things scatter onto the floor. You fall to the ground with Yuri on top of you.

Yuri straddles you as she tries to slap, punch, and claw at your face. Trying to avoid her contact, you constantly move your head, but she manages to land a few. A scratch from her nails slashes your face. You put up your hands to try to block her, unskilled attempts to grab a hold of her wrists. For someone so small, she’s surprisingly strong.

“It was supposed to be me,” Yuri screams over and over again. Within seconds, security comes bursting through the door. As you two fight on the floor, you try your best to get her away without hurting her. Two tall men in suits rush over to pry her off of you. As they grab her by her arms, lifting her somewhat from the ground, she starts kicking.

“Get off of me! She deserves it! You fucking whore!!” Yuri’s words reach a high decibel volume. Jisoo and a couple of other coworkers stand at the door to try to see what’s happening with concern. You manage to stand up slowly. With your hair in disarray, blood stinging the fresh cut on your face, you brush out your clothes to adjust them.

“Get her out of the building. She’s not allowed to enter the building under any circumstances,” you shout to security as they drag her out of the room. Yuri continues to kick and scream, throwing out profanity after profanity.

Catching your breath, you look at everyone standing at the door. They try to see if you’re okay, but you know they mostly want to know what was going on. Forcing on a soft smile, you regain your composure.

“Show’s over. Everyone get back to work please. I’m okay,” you assure them. Your coworkers hesitate at first, but they awkwardly smile and bow subtly before walking away. Jisoo, however, comes into your office and moves towards your desk.

“Here, let me help you clean up at least,” she offers sweetly. You want to protest, but she’s already picking up your things from the floor. Feeling a lot of pain, you slowly move to do the same.

“Thank you,” you say with a soft voice, trying to suppress your pain filled groan. Jisoo works quickly, picking up items that have completely broken. Thankfully, nothing really important shattered; just some decor. 

“I’ll make sure HR handles the onboarding process from now on,” Jisoo jokes as she stands with the last item from your desk. Her light joke makes you crack a smile. Your mind is swimming with thoughts too much for you to have a witty reply. Letting out a sigh, you stand to look at the mess before you. With a kind smile, you look at Jisoo.

“Can you hold my calls for the next hour? I’m going to return Taehyung’s call and try to straighten up a little.” Jisoo doesn’t protest and leaves you to it. Once the door closes, you plop down into your chair; all exhaustion coursing through you at once. You close your eyes for a moment before giving a quick call to HR to offboard Yuri; reasoning for being too unstable for a professional work environment. You’ll have to write a report later for them to record the events that took place for legal purposes. What a pain in the ass… 

With hesitation, you pick up your cell to call Taehyung back. As you swipe through your phone to get to the contacts, you debate whether or not you’re going to tell him about what happened. Before you can press on his name to call, an incoming call comes through - Taehyung. You chuckle lightly as you swipe the green button.

You: Impeccable timing as usual, you joke. Taehyung: Why was security called to your office? Is everything alright? They said there was a disturbance. His worry for you makes you smile to yourself. Of course he was notified about it already. You look at your desk, letting out a breath. You: Nothing I couldn’t handle. Just a hiring process gone wrong. They’re gone now though. You called me earlier? Trying to change the topic, you hope that he won’t pry any further. Taehyung let out an annoyed sigh. Taehyung: It was Yuri, wasn’t it? Taehyung never misses a beat. He’s always five steps ahead, with eyes and ears everywhere. It’s both comforting and annoying. You clear your throat, sitting up straight in your seat. You: Don’t do anything about it, okay? She’s banned from ever entering the building again. I doubt it will go any further than that. Just…leave her alone. She’s been through enough. Taehyung lets out a frustrated sigh on the other end. Despite Yuri trying to rip your hair out and rearrange your face, you can’t help but to remain compassionate. Taehyung remains silent for some time. You check your phone to make sure the call didn’t drop. You: Tae? After another second of silence, he speaks. Taehyung: I’m sorry this happened. I…didn’t know that they hired her. She never said anything about it. Although now, I think I can understand why now. Hearing Taehyung’s guilt pangs your heart. He has a tough exterior, but a much softer interior. He always blames himself for anything that goes wrong; especially when it comes to you.  You: This isn’t your fault, okay? She knew what she was doing. She wanted to confront me, whether you broke up with her or not. Anger like this? It doesn’t just brew overnight. There was no way to predict this. With your reassurance, Taehyung remains silent. Although you can’t see his face, you know that he still blames himself for not being able to protect you. It makes your heart flutter knowing he cares so much, even though you wish that he wasn’t so hard on himself. To be fair, you would feel the same way if the roles were reversed. You: How about you meet me for lunch? I need to replace some things from my desk anyways. Besides, I wanted to see you again anyways. Deal? With that, you can hear Taehyung chuckle lightly under his breath. Taehyung: Alright, deal. I’ll pick you up. In the meantime, I’m ensuring there’s more security to make sure you’re safe. His overprotective behavior makes you smile. There’s no use in protesting. You’re sure his plan is already in motion as you speak. You: Yes sir, you say in a jokingly obedient tone. Your hand quickly comes up to your mouth as you realize what you just said. Such a submissive phrase. It almost sounds as if Taehyung lets out a low growl under his breath. A smile twitches at your lips. Before the conversation turns into something else, you quickly end the conversation. You: I’ll see you soon. Bye! Without giving him a chance to respond, you end the call and put your phone on the desk. Heat rises to your cheeks. You didn’t expect such a simple response to make you so flustered. Considering that this new relationship isn’t even twenty-hours old, you’re not sure what this means for your Dom/Sub lifestyles. As your mind races, your cell buzzes on top of the desk. Cautiously, you flip it over to read the text.

Taehyung: We’ll discuss your punishment later for hanging up on me. Curious how your obedience leaves you so quickly. Cheeky girl… See you at noon.

"I found you asleep in the middle of the field, utterly exhausted. My son helped bring you here. You were beyond dehydration. I don't know your situation, nor do you have to explain to me. But as a woman who has nothing but her own child, I cannot allow you to set off on your own." the woman stands. "I'll be making dinner soon. Down the hall to the right is a guest bathroom, you can use that to clean yourself up."

And you do, running yourself a hot shower. You were unsure how you made it along the country side. You didn't have a cellphone any longer - you destroyed that long ago. You also didn't have a map, and even if you did you weren't sure if you knew how to decipher it. It's been months since you managed to escape him, but doing so hasn't been easy. You walk for days on end sometimes, only stopping to sleep wherever you are deemed safe. You didn't have a destination - but knew wherever would be better than with him.

You haven't had a proper shower in months. You ran out of money long ago, having slept in cheap motel rooms that offered shitty breakfast - something that could satiate you and your growing belly. You never stayed in the same place for too long, understanding the fact that they were looking for you - to either bring you back to him or kill you out of revenge. Either or, you were a walking target - one of the reasons you had no desire to stay with the woman and her unknown son.

But you couldn't leave - she wouldn't allow it. Not when you woke up early in the morning to already find the woman cooking breakfast. Not when she gave you clean clothes and medicine for the cold you had. Not when she fed you delicious food and offered old baby clothes that once belonged to her so - that she washed freshly the day of. She offered different remidies to make the pregnancy go smooth, each remedy being the perfect batch.

You hadn't met her son until a week later, him strolling through the door with a confused look on his face upon seeing his mother and you cooking around the kitchen. You waddled around, your stomach in the way and your kicking baby far too energetic.

"This is my son, Soobin." the woman introduces her son with gleaming eyes - he was her pride and joy.

Said man offers you a kind smile that makes your heart melt. He didn't say much, but the act of kindness he displayed was one you hadn't witnessed in years. Men didn't act like Soobin unless they wanted something from you. But Soobin didn't desire anything - from you at least. He was kind and gentle, assisting you in whatever he could. Pulling out your chair, getting anything that was out of your reach - he even massged your feet because they were swollen.

Over the months of your stay, you understood now that it was long term. The woman - whose name was Byeol. She kept everything she had for Soobin when he was a baby. She dusted and cleaned off the old crib, washing the sheets and allowing you to set up a small nursery in your bedroom. She had many stuffed bears and toys, even a rocking chair that creaked when you rocked back and forth.

It brought you to tears knowing that she assisted you without understanding your situation. How someone could be so affectioate without desiring anything in return.

Byeol insisted on making memories - she had scrap books piling up of Soobin. She took many pictures of you - you cooking, washing dishes, rocking back and forth in the rocking chair, everything she could of your growing bump. She insisted it was the memories you needed to look back upon.

"Have you decided on a name?" Soobin asks you one day. Byeol had gone down for a nap and you and Soobin opted to sitting on the porch, the sun shining but the weather was just right. "I know you don't want to go to the city for whatever reason but..." Soobin leans back and glances your way. You never told him why you were afraid to go to the city and thankfully, he never forced it out of you. "...we can find out the gender."

The gender of your child was something you always thought about. You wanted a girl - someone whose hair you can do. Dress up in cute clothing - Byeol had many netural clothing that once belong to Soobin, and after a few years you ould eventually find yourself a job once you deemed it safe enough to do so.

The act of having a boy terrified you, to say the least. You couldn't imagine raising a man - you didn't know how to. One thing you did know was that you'd be damned if you allowed your son to act the way his creator did. You wouldn't call him a father - you had no desire allowing him the knowledge of your pregnancy prior to your escape. What he didn't know wouldn't put your child at risk.

"I think it's best if it's a surprise." you tell Soobin, your hand resting on your belly. Your child must've been asleep, they weren't moving or kicking at the moment.

"I know someone. A friend." Soobin's eyes widen. "They could offer you an ultrasound right from home!"

You laugh. "That's a lot of equipment to bring into the household." you say, but the act now gets to you. You have never seen your child via ultrasound. You have been present before for your sisters ultrasounds and seeing them. Even hearing the heartbeat was emotional for you and you were nothing but the aunt.

You cave into Soobin's request and a few days later you are watching the moniter closly as the woman shows you your child. Byeol has a soft smile on her lips and Soobin is utterly confused. "How do you know that's the foot?" he asks, his eyes seeing nothing but black and white blobs on the screen.

"With years of schooling and medical practice." she says. "Do you want to know the gender?"

You bite your lip, eyes wandering around to see Byeol and Soobin. Soobin gives you a thumbs up while Byeol grins. The decision was yours and you find yourself nodding.

The woman hums and her eyes scan the screen. "It's a boy!" she cheers, as does Soobin and Byeol, but your smile flutters and the corner of your eyes swell with tears.

You had 4 older siblings, you being the youngest of 5. Growing up you were closest to your eldest two siblings, Yechan (your first born sister) and Hyun-woo (your first born brother). You recalled the many times they'd taken you to and from school, brought you with them on errands and even took you to the park when they weren't busy. You would often get confused with being Yechan's daughter due to the age difference.

Se-hun (your second eldest brother) and Ye-Rim (your second eldest sister) was a different story. You often argued with Ye-Rim over petty drama which resulted in you two fighting. Se-hun ignored your presence most times, you being nothing but a younger sister who annoyed him every now and then.

Yet and still, they were your siblings and you loved them. Now being 22, your and Ye-Rim's relationship was better. She no longer considered you a burden of a sister and you enjoyed your nieces presence. You visited Se-hun often now that he was married with 4 kids - something you were shocked to think back to. But, he wasn't alone in children when Yechan had the same amount.

You strove to be the perfect aunt, buying whatever gifts you could for 9 children, trying to take them out of your siblings hands for a bit but you were just one person, afterall.

Your siblings were all doing great for themselves - all except Hyun-woo. When you were a child, Hyun-woo was hard working. He worked every night until late and every morning made sure you all had breakfast on the table to eat. The man you witnessed now was not the man of your childhood - there seemed to be no life behind his eyes. He appeared a mess, oftentimes. His hair was greasy and his teeth had a dull grey color. He wasn't old in the slightest but appeared to be as though he aged like milk.

"I told you to leave him alone." Se-hun sighed once, shaking his head. "He was far beyond himself."

"I couldn't have him around my kids." Ye-Rim snickers as she washes her dishes. "When I did he left cocaine in the bathroom."

"He's going to drag you down with him, Y/N." Yechan warned, and how right she was.

Hyun-woo didn't take long until he was arrested for petty theft. His drug addicted mind had him breaking into homes, stealing small items. Sometimes he would remain in said homes and hide to do nothing in particular. You managed to bail him out the first time, raising enough money (no thanks to your siblings) and bailing your brother out. The next month, he was back - this time off to prison.

"You should've left him there the first time." Ye-Rim told you. "So he could've thought about what he was doing with his life. Your bail money went down the drain."

Down the drain was right. You had a hefty savings - you weren't a university student. You decided that working was best after High School, but all the savings you had was poured into your brother's bail just for him to off to prison shortly after. You were stuck - working check to check. You didn't wish to live off of your older siblings - they had children and lives of their own to manage. So you decided - pay your rent to have a roof over your head or eat with no where to lay your head. You chose your rent with a little money left over for necessities. It was difficult - but you managed.

What you weren't able to manage was the two men in dark suits coming into your work place looking for Hyun-woo. You widen your eyes at them - because, for one, they knew you and your workplace but also because they were bold enough to do this in broad daylight. At you telling them that your brother was in prison, they left. You thought this would be a sigh of relief, they whoever those men were wouldnt be returning.

You were wrong.

They did return and even were kind enough to trash your house. You were home when the door was kicked in, a scream erupting through your throat. The men had destroyed everything in sight, a robotic look in their eyes and actions. Almost as if they were being compelled to do this - maybe by a higher up. Before they left, one of the three men had come forward to your weeping figure and dropped to his knees. He eyes you for a moment too long before then tells you that they would be returning a week from that moment to claim your brother's debt - a total of 64 million won.

Your heart stops at the high price. You questioned how in the world there was so much money to be loaned to someone that appeared as your brother did - grey teeth, some missing. Greasy hair was often left in a low bun and stubble on his chin and cheeks. He was an utter mess and a known addict - what else could he be? How much drugs were dealers willing to give someone with no job or money? You had kept your valuables hidden from him - he was a known thief and even you being his youngest sister didn't leave you untouched.

You worked extra hours the next day at your job - the grocery store appreciating it, they were already short staffed. Whatever you had left that wasn't broken by the men you sold - your couch, the tv in your room and livingroom (that was only half broken but pawn shops don't discriminate). You even sold jewelry, not as though you had anywhere to wear it. You were still down millions of won, the money not being realistic for you to attain in a short amount of time.

So, here you were scouring the internet for ways to attain large amounts of money, legal or illegally. You were desperate to do anything, at this point. You got your answer when you were invited - via vpn tracking, sadly - to a private event. You were skeptical, but the invite said that if you had anything valuable to sell, you could through the black market - an event that happened every few months in an underground location.

You went - your fanny pack holding a bottle of bear mace and a pocket knife and a mini taser. Your backpack holding a change of clothes for this occassion. If this was a trap, you refused to be down bad and die there. You've lived this long, far too long to die like that. At your arrival at said place, you were disappointed to see that there was no one there. You looked around the abandoned alleyway, the dark light alley lights flickering as you let out a sigh of defeat.

"Looking for something?" a voice startles you. The tall man crosses his arms behind you. He steps back, allowing you space.

"I,uh...I guess not. I'll be leaving." you take a few steps back yourself, not wanting to be too close to the man.

"Are you trying to buy or sell anything?" the man says, his eyes narrowing. He was being conspicuous without saying too much in the case that you weren't looking to do that.

"S-Sell." your lips purched.

The man nods, he turns towards a metal door. "Follow me." he tells you.

You follow behind him, your hands on your fanny pack in case you need to grab a quick weapon. As the two of you walk behind the door and down a dim lit hallway, he opens a wooden door at the end of the hall and motions for you to enter. The room was huge with loud chattering. Sea of people, all dressed far more expensive than you, holding glasses of wine and champagne. Your eyes glance to the man behind you. "What do people sell here?" you ask him, unsure if this was the correct place to do this at.

"Everything." he says. "Expensive jewlery - stolen or not. Property, businesses, foreign exchanges...sex." he shrugs. "Whatever you have to offer. State your price - start high. Someone will be bound to buy what you're selling."

You nod your head. "I-Is there a restroom?" you look around. If you were going to be selling yourself to the sea of men, you were bound to change into whatever cheap lingerie you brought in your backpack, long jacket hanging over your shoulders.

Everything was separated into categories just like the man stated. Sex was the last exchange sold and this late into the night you were nearing exhaustion. Your feet ached in the heels you wore that you took it off the second hour and slide against the floor in a sleepy haze. You were standing up right when the catergory you were waiting for was now. There was many woman, all shapes and sizes, offering sex - some in more ways the others. Their asking prices weren't the same as what you were going to be asking far, far less. Nonetheless, like the man states - start high and state your price.

You were next. The lights of the stage seemed brighter than every when you were the center of attention. The host speaks with you silently, his eyes widening at your asking price.

"64 million won." the host states into the microphone, you hear a few gasps and snickers. You gulp, taking a deep breath. You removed the long jacket, letting it fall to the floor. Your lingerie was simple, a white lace that shown more than you desired, but if you were going to sell sex you needed to ooze sex. "Tell me, why do you think you deserved 64 million won?" the host asks, trying to get you to sell what you could.

"I'm not just selling sex." you speak into the microphone, the sea of people watching you making your stomach feel uneasy. "I'm selling my virginity."

The crowd erupts in more gasps, and with that the biddin started. One man offered 64 million straight out, his old shaky voice cracking. You were disgusted, but kept your smile on your lips. Another man shouted 65, the next 70. The last was what has you yelping. "400 million won." the voice says, this time it didn't sound old or cracked out. It was young and deep - determined. "Cash."

"Sold." the host says, head shaking in disbelief at the amount of money you were about to obtain for your virginity. You gulp, your eyes watching the figure make their way to the stage. You're captivated, watching as the man - couldn't be much older than you - make his way onto the stage. Something in your gut is telling you - he was familiar to you.

He grasps your jacket and places it upon your shoulders. He pushes you gentle towards the left side of the stage and down the small stairs.

You two had a lot to talk about. For one, you couldn't believe that amount of cash the man took out of the black bag, He shows you, allowing you to see that he was serious about this. You fidget in you stance, the man intimidating you. He wasn't the one who appeared to need to buy pussy - or virginity. He was young, piercing dark eyes with the same dark hair. He had a lip ring in the corner of his lips and the smirk he gives you was enough to have you want to fuck him without the money.

"Before we...make out a contract. Why are you doing this?" the man asks you. He has taken you to his car, a black mercedes with dark tinted windows. You two sit in the back while a man drives him.

"I need the money." you admit.

"64 million won is a lot of money to need." the man chuckles a response. "College? Mortage?"

"My brother's in debt." you say. You were exhausted. You tell the stranger everything - how your brother was a drug addict who finally met his match in prison while you were left to pay for the damages. How the men destroyed your home and only allowed you a week to conjure up the debt your brother owed. You admitting to selling nearly everything you owned and now deciding the last thing you did own was your diginity and virginity.

The man remained quiet at your rambling. You remained quiet the rest of the car ride to your home. Much to your surprise, the man had given you the entire 64 million won, stating that he would be back to collect his debt you owed to him and give you the rest of the money he promised. Your eyes sparkled and you nodded with determination. You got out of his car with a short bow, vowing to be the best you could to him when he returned.

What you weren't expecting was the man to indeed return the day of the debt collecting - right on time. As you allowed the man inside your home, envelope in your hand with the amount of cash they needed, your door, once again, was kicked in. The man, along with one other, raises their guns at the men in your sitting area.

"What the hell?" one of the men hiss to the intruders, arms raised. His eyes widen in realization. "Jeon-ssi? What are you doing-"

A shot ranged out and all you could do was drop to the floor, eyes wide. The man, Jeon, shoots the man speaking, a crazed look in his eyes. The man screams at the bullet through his shoulder. A few more shots ring and you're now crying on the floor, a pool of the mens blood surrounding you. You may have fucked up and got yourself into deeper shit than you imagined.

You hear footsteps approaching, but you don't open your eyes. You never do - not until you feel fingers wrapped into your hair and yanking you upward. You hiss, eyes shooting open, the tears pooling out faster now. "P-Please..." you try to shake away from the familiarly strange hand.

The man removes his hands from your hair and steps back, head tilting at you. "Stop crying." he murmurs. "I'm not going to kill you."

You sniffle. It was hard to believe this man wasn't nefarious when he and his friend murdered the men in your home seconds ago.

"That's it." Jeon nods, a smile on his pierced lips. He reaches out to wipe a tear from your left eye. His hand then caresses your cheek. "I can't believe these cowards left you in such a compromising position."

You gulp, shaking stiffly. You couldn't move, far too afraid that he wold put a bullet through you next if you had.

"Come." Jeon says.

"W-Where are you taking me?" you cry out when you feel him grab your shoulders and bring you closer to him. "I-I don't need the money anymore, take it-"

"Hyung, please wait in the car for us." Jeon says to the man behind him, a tall man with narrowed eyes and broad shoulders. He does so, not bothering to close the door behind him. "You...fear me." Jeon says to you. "After I got you out of debt and handled the men who disrespected you."

You want to scream and cry, everything at once. You were beyond frightened and you swore if you could piss right now, you would.

You remain still when he brings himself closer to you. "Let's go home, Y/N." he tells you sternly, the look in his eyes telling you that he wasn't going to say it again.

You take a deep breath, humming softly to yourself. You were rocking back and forth with a hand rubbing your growing belly. You felt indifferent now knowing the gender of your child. You thought of the future of you and your child - how you would be cuddling her to sleep every night, breast feeding her until she was full, bathing her. Now, you were doing this to a baby boy.

In the past you wouldn't dare be disappointed in the gender of your child. However, the past you once thought you would be married first, have a dog or a cat before allowing a child into the picture. Obviously, that was not the case in your situation. You now pondered on how your child would look, if he'd look like you or the man from your past or take your features. 

Nonetheless, you couldn't dwell on the gender any longer. You will soon have a child to raise, far from the drama that came with the Jeon empire. You would be the sole influenced - along Byeol and Soobin - to this child, needing to have him be the man you wished you encoutered from his father. 

"I like the name Dal." Soobin stands in your door frame. He leans against it as he eyes you. 

"I chose Jin-Seon." you murmur to the man.

He raises a brow. "You did? When? Why didn't you say anything?" he was excited, possibly more than you now, at the fact there was going to be a baby in the home. 

"A few hours ago. That's the only boy name that stuck...with me." you stop rocking to glance towards the old crib. Soon you'll be putting your son in that crib."What if I'm a terrible mother?"

Soobin gasps at your sudden words, far taken aback by your change in demeanor. He steps inside your room to get closer to you. "Why would you say that? You'll be an amazing mother!" he assures. He kneels down so he can be face to face with you. "What's going on?"

You shake your head. You couldn't tell Soobin of your past and the worries you had to raise your son to not be like his father. Of course, he wouldn't be around you two for Jin-Seon to be a bad influence, but still, they were blood after all. You were afriad you would fail your son like you failed to help your brother.

"I know we haven't been together as friends for long, Y/N...but I know you'll be a great mother. You're already so motherly to Jin-Seon. He is in great hands." Soonbin gives you a smile that makes you want to cry - his kindness was overwhelming. "And if you need any help, Eomma and I are more than willing to. It take's a village to raise a child, Y/N, I'll never allow you to do it alone."

You were unsure how long you were kept into the room - possibly a day or two. It appeared as a guest room, everything neat and organized and not lived in. You hadn't showered yet, either, the blood of the men soaked and dried onto your skin. You were disgusted and horrified with what was bound to happen to you. This man, who you have yet to know the name of, has not returned.

Often, you lay upon the bed that you were given, hoping to sleep away the memories but they never left. You were always left with waking up every few hours in a cold sweat and a yelp, the memories of the shooting, the blood and the cold eyes of your captor.

While you lay awake, your mind drifts to the outside world. It's been days - maybe a week? has anyone tried looking for you? You haven't been to work in so long, has anyone called the police? Has your siblings been notified? The act of being labled as a missing person was what terrified you - you were missing in plain sight, unsure of when you'd see the outside world.

The door jingling makes you freeze in your spot. You lay your head against the pillow and hold your breath, not wanting to make a sound. "How long has she been here?" a voice comes, a voice of an older woman. "She's covered in blood and you left here like this? Is this how I raised you?"

The lights in the room turn on from a switch just outside the door and you hiss lowly, your eyes not seeing brightness for so long. You begin to shiver when the voices and footsteps come closer. "I didn't know what to do, Ajumma." the familiar voice of the man you called Jeon says. "You know how the Hyung's are."

His voice now was different from when you last heard of him - there's no venom laced in it, nor is it deep and threatening. It's normal, light when speaking to the older woman. You feel a hand on your shoulder and your shivering stops. Your eyes glance upwards to see them - Jeon and the older woman, hair dark but a few strands of grey caught their way out. She had wrinkles covering her forehead and low bags covering her eyes. "Let's get you up and bathed." she says.

Your eyes are low when you stand up, stomach rumbling and knees shaking. The woman turns her head to glare at Jeon. "Did you starve the poor girl?" she hisses. "Jeon Jungkook! You're just the same as your father." she looks back to you with softer eyes, "Come with me. We'll get you bathed and fed."

You follow the woman, your mind puzzling together. His name was Jungkook. Jeon Jungkook.

Once the older woman took you to a large bathroom, the floor - cold against your bare feet - was marble and clean. So clean you could see your reflection against it. The shower was separate from the large tub and as you turned the water on, you marvelled at how many faucets and power jets of water sprayed out. Soon you were scrubbing your skin roughly with the vanilla scented bodywash to remove the blood stain from it, but nothing felt good enough. You still felt dirty with blood, sweat and even the tears that dried up upon your skin.

You wash your hair with the shampoo that was inside the shower, not caring if the ingredients were good for your hair or not. You didn't have time to care when you were in a foreign home with people you didn't know. You were unsure if the man was allowing you to shower simply because he wanted his payment or because he geniually cared (suddenly) for your appearance and well being.

A knock sounded on the door as soon as you turned off the shower. You watch as the door opens and the woman comes in. She smiles at you warmly and lays down a towel, a robe and under garments. "So you can get out of those old clothes. I'll make sure that boy get's you a closet full of clothes."

You nod. "Thank you." your voice was meek and quiet. She leaves the bathroom and you make your way to dry and dress yourself. You knew you couldn't hide inside of here forever, but you wanted to. You were unaware what was going to happen next with the man that was Jungkook. All you did know was that you were left terrified of him and who he was. Him killing the men in cold blood without batting an eyelash - that only told you he was one of the same of these men, just possibly more powerful.

You twist the doorknob once you are done, poking your head out. The hallway was quiet and there was no sign of the older woman. You contemplated if you should remain in the restroom or wander around. This estate was foreign to you, all you did know was that the man, Jungkook, wasn't going to allow you to leave anytime soon.

You decide to get out of the bathroom, closing the door behind you. You tiptoe down the hall, your bare feet cold against the marble floor. You wrap the robe tightly around you, trying to remember the way you came and go back to the dark room. But luck wasn't upon your side and you find yourself utterly confused as to where to go. Every door appeared the same as the next, all dark, modern and closed. You didn't have the guts to open any and see for yourself, afraid of what's behind it.

"Looking for something?"

You yelp, startled at the sudden voice. You stiffen and turn around with wide eyes.

"You must be Y/N." the man steps closer to you. He reminded you of Jungkook, the way he was attractive with a hint of intimidation. His features were symmetrical, jaw line sharp and angular. It was his eyes that attracted you to him - you were unable to look away. They were as if he was calling you towards him without saying a word. "You are as cute as the little one said you were." he coos.

The man reaches you, his hand coming out to stroke your face. "I can tell you are truly innocent as he says. Never been touched by a man. Or woman - I'm a judgment free man." His laugh captivates you. As close as he was to you now, you could see around his eyes the lightest shade of eyeshadow around them. "Tell me, are you looking for Kookie?"

You're stuck, unsure of how to respond. So you nod your head, assuming "Kookie" was "Jungkook" who you previously met. The man grasps your hand and tugs you closer to him. He interlocks your fingers and soon the two of you are walking down the hall together, hand in hand. It was as though your nervousness - even fear - had gone away. THe closeness between the two of you made your nose catch his scent - a bittersweet aroma that gave off a spicy yet fruity smell; inviting.

"People call me Himeros." the man murmurs to you, his voice in a hushed tone as if it was a secret. You gulp and nod, your little knowledge of greek mythology, you were certain he was the living embodiment of Himeros. "But my family calls me Jimin, and since you're with Kookie, you can call me Jimin, too."

You listen to him talk about random things, remaining in a comfortable silence as he guides you down another hall and soon you're in a large sitting room, surrounded by men in dark suits. 6 men stood out to you - one being Jungkook - their suits were white in contrast to the dark ones surrounding them. They all sat huddled together in a deep conversation when you arrived. They sat on a deep burgundy leather couch, a medium size glass coffee table in the middle - the colors of the room being a mixture of gold, silver and black. Your eyes trained on the men surrounding them, some staring out the large windows. It was at that moment you noticed they held guns - large rifles and a few others you know not a single idea of.

Your nerves kick in again being surrounded by so many unfamiliar faces - all men at that. Your hands unknowingly squeezes Jimin's and he shakes his head. "It's alright. No one here will hurt you." he assures, noticing your uneasiness. "Kookie." his voice sings songs. It makes the group of men sitting stop and look towards your way, eyes scanning you up and down.

Jungkook's eyes lock with your hand in Jimin's. He leans forward, tongue in cheek.

"Don't be that way." Jimin giggles, unlocking your fingers. "She was lost so I brought her here to you. Hospitality." Jimin gentle places his hands on your shoulders, a smile on his lips as he looks towards Jungkook.

"Is this the girl?" a man asks, his voice deep - the deepest you've heard a man have.

You witness Jungkook nod, standing forward. "Y/N." he says to you, his lip curling upwards slowly.

You remain silent, unsure of what to respond with.

"Does she know your name?" a man chuckles, his laugh high-pitched as if laughing at his own (lame but truthful) joke. You wouldn't know his name if it wasn't said by the older woman. "She looks so...scared. Like a little mouse."

"I would be, as well, if I were in a room full of men in nothing but a robe." another man says, he slouches against the couch with a bored expression. "Why did you bring her here and not his room?"

Jimin scoffs. "I do the right thing and it's still wrong, right, little mouse?" Jimin shakes his head and then looks towards you. You nod slowly, unsure of what else to do. Jimin smiles in return. "Well, Kookie," he turns towards the man. "She's all yours. I have a job to do." Jimin's hand slowly pats your shoulders and then he turns around, strolling down the same hall you came from.

"Come." Jungkook says to you, strolling to you and taking your hand in his. "We'll discuss things later, Hyungs." he calls over his back as he saunters down the hall with you.

"But we weren't done-" the deep voiced man starts, but then groans when he realizes Jungkook has no intentions of turning back.

"Damn kid." another man hisses.

Jungkook and you walk for a few minutes before reaching a room. When he opens the door, you realize it isn't the same room you were held in. He gently tugs you inside and closes the door behind you. The room was fairly large in size - double than the one you had been in. You figured the lights inside the room were motion sensored because it lit upon your arrival. In the middle of the room lay a large bed - possibly king size - with an upholstered headboard. The sheets upon the bed were satin and you noticed the amount of pillows spraw upon them.

The bedroom itself was modern and minimalistic, on each side of the bed sat a nightstand. There were 2 doors opposite to one another that you assumed were closed, you assumed they were closet space. "Do you like the room?" Jungkook's voice sounds. "It's much bigger than the last. Come." Jungkook strolls ahead of you to one of the doors. He opens it wide, your eyes trail inside the large room - quite bigger than you expected.

"This is your closet. He'll have to fill it up eventually." he trails off. Your eyes dart around the room - it was bigger than your sitting room back at your apartment. The mirror facing you was large that had lights surrounding it - also sensored. The room had wall shelves that reached the ceiling and a few in-wall drawers. It was luxurious, you'd amit, but you were afraid to ask why he was doing this for someone he paid to sleep with? "Do you like purses? We could display them on the top shelf."

You nod your head, agreeing with whatever he desired so you wouldn't upset or offend him. He smiles and then motions for you to follow him again. He reaches the next door, it opens and displays a bathroom. The floors were the same marble tile as the last one. What caught your eye was the circular bathtub and the large floor length window that displayed outside the estate - a mixture of flowers and vines. The shower was to the right of the bathtub with several faucets while the double sink and vanity mirror displayed on the left.

"My closet is in here." Jungkook says. "It's smaller than yours but does the job."

A knock was what caught you two by surprise. You turn towards the bedroom door then to Jungkook. You watch as he opens it to peek out, then opens it wider once he realizes who it is. "Ah," he smiles. "Food is here. I forgot I ordered food for us."

You were marvelled at the many trays of food coming into the room, all on rolling tables. The men - this time in chef attire - roll in the tables and display it for you and Jungkook. You questioned why Jungkook ordered much food for the two of you - you noticed many amounts of meats, different side dishes and even - as displaced as it was - a few slices of pizza. The last table to be brought it were the drinks and a large bowl of ice.

"I wasn't sure what you enjoyed eating." Jungkook says with a low chuckle. "So I ordered everything I like."

Soon the two of you are eating. You sat yourself far from him, nibbling on the food slowly. Jungkook wasn't shy in his own home or in front of you. He ate as if not swallowing at all, his eyes wide with pleasure. You ate a few more wings and called it enough. You wiped your mouth with the napkin and remain silent, waiting for the man to be done.

"Are you done eating?" Jungkook asks; he realized you hadn't picked anything up in a few minutes. At your nod and releases his grip on the slice of pizza he was holding - the cheese and pepperoni oozing off of it slowly. "Are you-"

"When are you going to fuck me?" you ponder loudly, possibly coming off rude.

Jungkook is taken aback. He turns his head fully to you and raises both brows.

"I...I would rather you get it over with." you murmur. You feel uncomfrotable against his gaze.

"Get it over with?" Jungkook snickers. "I told you already you aren't going back."

You're trembling now, fear overcoming you. You didn't think he would actually keep you here for his own personal reasons. He was a powerful man - you see that now by the way he had men lining up to cater to him. Not only was he powerful and obviously wealthy, but he was attractive and surprisingly young. He has to have women lining up to even get the chance to sleep with him (with nothing in return) yet he has chosen you - someone who only truly needed him for money. 

"Why would you want to leave? I gave you shelter - better than that run down apartment you were in."

Jungkook's tone and words offended you. You didn't come from money. You weren't raised poor either, however, you were raised to work for what you needed. You afforded a well enough apartment in a decent area. You saved up your money to fully furnish your apartment with what money you did have to make it feel like a home; not only that, but you cared for your brothers addictions (unknowingly) and gave a little cash whenever your siblings were low and in need. You didn't need Jeon Jungkook to insult the way you lived.

You turned away from him, your fists clenching. It wasn't smart to talk back to him, he was a man after all and could easily overpower you if needed be. 

"Would you prefer we slept together before the ceremony?" Jungkook sighs. He scotts closer to you, placing the trays of food back upon the rolling tables. "So it'd be easier for you?"

"What ceremony?" you murmur, your head turning towards him. This wasn't making much sense to you. But, you willing to sell your virginity to any man willing to pay wouldn't make sense to anyone - and you refused to tell your siblings such when the time came.

"Our wedding, silly." Jungkook chuckles. He taps your nose as if you were a silly child. Your eyes widen at the statement and when you realize his laughter died down and his eyes narrowed - he was serious. "I told you this was our home, baby. I gave you a large closet for you to fill."

You gulp. Your head was spinning and your stomach churned. The sensation of your body in this state was nothing but uneasiness, you felt lighthead and ready to faint. You snap your body away from him. "I'm not marrying you." your words were stern - as stern as they could be while you were frightened of the man. "That was not the agreement, Jungkook. I would never agree to sell myself to marriage."

"But you are willing to sell your virginity?" Jungkook snaps. "That makes the situation better?"

"No!" you hiss back at him, voice raising. You felt horrible enough that you were willing to give up something sacred to whatever greasy man was willing. But you didn't wish to put your life or those of your family in more danger due to Hyun-woo. "I just-"

"Watch your fucking mouth, Y/N." Jungkook interrupts you with a grasp of your chin. "I got you out of that situation with those men and I managed to kill their boss that was threatening you. How could you be so selfish?" he spits.

You tear your chin from his grasp and yelp. 

"My men are at your disposal. My wealth and power is yours." Jungkook again grabs you, this time his large hands gripping your cheeks to force you to look at him. "You'll be my wife and a part of Bangtan along with my own brothers, their partners and children. I'm the only one left in the family to be wed and bear an heir."

You feel sick. You couldn't help but cry out at the thought of marrying a man and bearing his child without your consent - he didn't give you much choice. This couldn't be your life now, not with a man like this. A man you didn't know anything about and vice versa. 

"Shh, baby, don't cry." Jungkook pulls you into his chest. You didn't fight him and instead allowed yourself to cry into his chest while he caresses your back. "I know it's overwhelming, but you'll be happy with me. I promise. We can see the world, you and I!" he continues to caress you while promising you every and everything - besides your consent and freedom. "Do you like babies?" Jungkook asks suddenly, his hands stopping the patting on your back. "Maybe we can visit Hyung's home tomorrow. He has the cutest daughter! That should be able to cheer you up!"

You cry harder at the thought. 

"Is this necessary?" you ask Byeol, arms crossed. You stood outside your bedroom, facial mask below your lips. 

"Put your mask on, Y/N!" Soobin yells, his eyes wide with shock. "You can't inhale the paint! It's not good for the baby!"

You do as you're told with a roll of your eyes. You hear Byeol giggle beside you. "To him it is."

You were woken up from your afternoon nap by Soobin. He had shook you awake and insisted you leave the room so he could paint it. You were initially irritated by the sudden act, but Soobin wouldn't bulge. He was now painting the room - the wall in which all of Jin-Seon's belongings sat - determined to paint the white clouds as neat as he could. 

"I just wouldn't want to trouble him." you sigh. "And you. This is your home after all. I wouldn't want to intrude." 

Byeol gently slaps your shoulder. "You could never be an intruder, Y'N. You know this now." she shakes her head, upset at the audacity of you thinking you would ever be considered a burden here. "Soobin is just overjoyed that there's more life in the home. It's always just been the two of us."

And overjoyed Soobin was. After he spent two days painting one wall - a simple set of clouds and mountains in different shades of blue and greys, he was done and added a few finishing touches. He adds Jin-Seon's name onto the wall above the crib given to her by Byeol. He then adds a few shelves, already displaying the ultrasound picture he had framed and gifted you. Next to the ultrasound was a picture he took of you off guard - hand resting on your stomach while you munched along on a piece of cake Byeol had made. It wasn't your favorite picture of yourself, but you enjoyed the act of kindness Soobin showed. 

"I still think it's all too much for something temporary." you told Soobin, but your heart was full at the kind gesture. 

"It's never too much when it comes to Jin-Seon. I want him to feel loved." Soobin smiles at you, his eyes squinting. You feel your heart flutter at him, he was entirely too kind for his own good. "And I want you to feel welcomed here. You don't have to leave as soon as Jin-Seon is born."

You let out a sigh. Your eyes glance away from him and to the wall, trying to avoid his gaze. They were making it hard - Vyeol and Soobin - for you to ever want to leave them. Byeol was utterly kind, always making sure to cook you delicious food. She insisted you needed a strong and healthy baby. She oftened wash the sheets and your clothes, even when you insisted you could do it yourself. 

Soobin was much like his mother, always welcoming. He came home everyday with different types of snacks and treats for you to try. He would give you the company you craved after Byeol rested. He encouraged you - ensuring that you would always be in good hands with them. 

"I won't force the two of you to stay." Soobin tells you, his voice low into a whisper. "But there isn't a time limit. You can stay for as long as you need to. This is your home just as it is ours."

Your throat clenches and your heart is now beating faster. You turn to Soobin and offer a trembling smile. He frowns at you. "Y/N. What's wrong?"

You're crying. You are sure it's the hormones. You looked like a crazy fool crying at Soobin. He must feel horrible with himself and questioning what were the words to set you off. 

"You all are so kind to me." you cry, whipping the pathetic tears from your cheeks. "I don't know where I'd be without your hospitality."

Soobin releases a laugh. He brings you closer to him, in a hug. He rubs the top of your back and shakes his head. "You don't have to cry, Y/N." he ensures. "We'll always be here for you and Jin-Seon. I promise." he says. 

Alright so here's Part 1 to Cruel Intentions. This would be a multipart series, I hope going between present to past isn't too much to understand.

ive come to the realisation it is ALL smut.. my bad

i will also be making a part 2 as i can only tag 50 ppl per post

set me free chap 7 YG to read

on with the show RM to read

haunted house JHOPE to read

mine JK to read

our beloved summer JK to read

borathae kinktober to read

neon sign YG to read

until i found you JK to read

9 months to fall in love SJ to read

believe it JM to read

sticks and stones YG to read

diving chapter 15 JK to read

epitaph KT to read

you who never arrived YG to read

turn back time SJ to read

undone business JK to read

not even a mouse YG to read

sonic rain JHOPE to read

business proposal RM to read

fake love JK to read

AAOLAASOF chap 14 JK to read

on tilt RM to read

nonsense JM to read

room for rent to read

work hard play harder YG to read

under the blankets JK to read

sweet dreams JK to read

not my fault JK to read

all i want JK to read

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best friends boyfriend! au, smut, angst, series (ongoing)

making him jealous JM @parkmuse

roommate! au, F2L, smut, angst, one shot 9.2k

campus affairs JK @kooktrash

college!au, F2L, angst, smut, fluff, one shot, 11.9k

trip no further YG @matchstick6812

soulmate!au, smut, fluff, angst, series, 178k

castaways RM @rmnamjoons

smut, angst, fluff(?), one shot, 25.5k

one year my love JK @hayjeon

royal!au, S2L, fluff, lil smut, lil angst, 31k

dickless KT @monimonimoon

E2L, angst (infidelity), SMUT! one shot, 11.1k

happy birthday loser JK @jungk0oksthighs

Idiots2L, smut, one shot, 8k

party on you JHOPE @here2bbtstrash

idol!au, f2l, SMUT, lil fluff, one shot, 9.8k

man-eater hunting JK @httpjungkookcom

F2L(?), smut, angst, fluff (?), one shot, 46k

helping hands YG @euphoricfilter

coworkers2L, fluff!!!, smut, 13.3k

dating advice YG @taleasnewastime

S2L, angst, fluff, smut, series, 54k

what if i love you too much JK @taleasnewastime

single mum!au, S2L, fluff, angst, smut, one shot, 20.6k

practice JK @chryblossomjjk

FWB, smut, fluff, angst, one shot, 29k

cybersex YG @gimmethatagustd

brothers best friend!au, smut, fluff, one shot, 14.6k

mixtape YG @haliiimede

F2L/BBF!au, smut, angst, fluff?, mini series

look down on me like that YG @here2bbtstrash

E2L, smut! angst, series (ongoing), 79.3k

white lies JK @noteguk

smut, fluff, very little angst, one shot, 13.3k

stuttering RM @moonlightchildz

fluff!! smut! lil bit of angst, one shot

cherry muffins and lavender tea RM @roses-ruby

college!au, fluff! smut! very very little angst, one shot

trip KT @daechwitatamic

F2L, fluff, angst, the tiniest smut, one shot, 22k

a human touch KT @snackhobi

robot!tae, fluff, smut, mini series, 37.7k

sweet addiction JM @jiminmellow

husband!au, fluff, angst, smut, one shot, 6k

rule #5 JK @taestefully-in-luv

FWB/F2L, fluff, smut, 2 part series

intersect RM @shina913

E2L/coworkers2L, fluff, angst, smut, series, 70.3k

hammer it home RM @gukslut

smut, fluff, lil angst, one shot, 22.7k

stretch you out RM/JK @chateautae

S2F2L, smut, fluff, one shot, 24k

the lucky one JK @babystrcandy

sports!au E2L, fluff(?), angst! smut, series (ongoing) 48.1k

unexpected lovers YG @jjkeverlast

fake dating/S2L, smut, fluff, angst, 2 part series, 19.8k

new tricks KT @geniuslab

F2L, fluff! smut, one shot, 10.1k

only here to sin KT @gimmethatagustd

E2L, smut, angst, 39.8k

(right) hook line and sinker JK @blog-name-idk

non-idol au!, s2l, angst(? reader gets scared lol), fluff, smut, one shot, 12.3k

keep me warm JHOPE @ppersonna

brothers best friend!au, fluff (the tiniest bit) smut! one shot, 3.9k

the shape of your body JM @here2bbtstrash

college au!, s2l, lil smut, fluff <3, one shot, 24k

tangsuyuk love JK @full-of-jams

college!au, lil smut, lil angst, fluff, one shot, 11.5k

the damsel & her knight JK @jimilter

CEO!au, e2l, smut, miniseries (ongoing)

deep blue JM @purplewhalewrites

college!au, f2l, smut, fluff!! mostly smut but be wary as MC is self conscious and puts herself down a lot, one shot, 20.5k

hot boy bummer JK @jungkxook

FWB!au, smut, fluffy angst, one shot, 14.6k 

all in JHOPE @dreamescapeswriting

masseuse!au, s2f2l, angsty smut, lil fluff, one shot 15.6k

stood up YG @parkdatjimin

CEO!Yoongi, s2l, mostly angst, lil smut, fluff, one shot, 26.7k

fall back in love JK @bukguhope

college!au, bff2l, SO MUCH FLUFF, the tiniest of angst, one shot, 17.6k

darkroom JK @yoon-kooks

college!au, vampire!au, s2l, smut 😏, one shot, 10.2k

if you have any recs for me 🤭🤭🤭 pls send them through 🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭

just in case people weren’t sure

RM = Namjoon

YG = Yoongi/Suga

JK = Jungkook

SJ = Seokjin

KT = Taehyung/V

JM = Jimin

JHOPE = Hoseok

FWB = Friends with Benefits

e2l = Enemies to Lovers

f2l = Friends to Lovers

s2l = Strangers to Lovers

s2f2l = Strangers to Friends to Lovers

BBF = Brothers Best Friend

smau = Social Media au

Your eyes dart to the right of you, where this someone moves against the sheets. Not just someone. A man. His dark, ruffled hair sticks out between the sheets and pillow below his head. Why is there a man in bed with you? Is it…his bed? Oh god. Immediately, your mind tries to recall the night before. Did you go out and drink too much? Go home with a rando? Super unlike you though. You pull your hair as your mind races.

Sitting up in bed, worry crosses all of your features. You try to face all the possibilities that could maybe end up being your reality. But going out and partying is nowhere in your memories. You begin gnawing on your bottom lip, knowing you stayed home last night. And that you fell asleep in your own bed…alone, you might add. So where the hell are you? And why is there another person? Fear enters the picture now, this is the last place you wanted to go. You know, that horrible, terrible, dark place? The one that says your reality is that some creepy man kidnapped you and plans on doing murder-y type things to you. Yup, that place.

You tug on the end of your hair again, you know, you know, a bad habit. But you can’t help it as anxiety grows deeper within you. Were you really kidnapped? Fuck. You have to think. You’re trying to, at least. But breathing is becoming a chore. Your breaths are quick and sharp like you are on the brink of a panic attack. Shit, maybe you are. You try to eye the room again, taking in its appearance more carefully. You can’t help the shiver that speeds down your spine when you notice how perfect this single bedroom is…it actually almost resembles your guest bedroom at home. Which is creepy in itself. You continue to eye the room curiously, while staying absolutely frozen.

The dresser has more photos of pretty scenery sitting on top, as well as a few small vases that complement the rest of the décor. Anxiety continues to grow within you, shaking you to the core. You hate the way your hands tremble in your lap. You want to do something. You truly do but fuck, you can’t even move a muscle. Your breathing begins to pick up even more. Where are you? Why are you here? Who is this man sleeping so fucking peacefully next to you? Your thoughts are going 100 miles per minute, screaming at you, taunting you, giving you the middle finger.

Before you can think through your many obvious questions and answer them, the man next to you begins to stir in his sleep. You watch with wide eyes as he slowly moves to his back from his side. You stare down at him, too scared to move. Too scared to scream bloody murder. Too scared to do anything. And nothing disappoints you more. That you are nothing but a coward. You look down at your future murderer and wait for him to wake.

Future murderer slowly opens his eyes but he shies away instantly from the beaming sunlight.

“Ahhhh.” He lets go in one long breath, rubbing at his eyes in a sleepy manner. You sit still, your own breath caught in your throat. You want to move but fear has you frozen like an evening in the arctic. The man, or Future Murderer as you seemed to have named him, begins sitting up, stretching his arms out above him and yawns a song of sleep. He finally opens his eyes fully and soaks in the room before him. His head moves around quickly, his expression becoming rather…confused.

“What the fuck?”

Yup, those are his first words. Should have been yours too, if you’re being honest. This guy gets it.

Future Murderer’s facial expression grows bewildered as he looks around the room and when he finally feels your presence, he turns his head your way.

“Uh…” the Murderer narrows his eyes at you, “Hi?”

You don’t even realize the sigh of relief that pushes past your lips, but his confusion seems…genuine. And this allows you to relax your shoulders a little bit. Maybe he is a victim to whatever is going on too? You take in his disheveled appearance; he has brown wavy hair that rests above his brow line, eyes darker than the deepest part of the sea and full pouting lips. You would totally admit he’s attractive as hell but considering the fact you’re trying to convince yourself he isn’t going to murder you and the state you’re in, you’re going to push that thought away.

“Uh, who are you?” His brows knit together as he expectantly waits for an answer.

“No, who are you?” You squint at him. How dare he ask like you aren’t the one totally frazzled here? But somehow it’s comforting that he seems as confused as you are. Mystery man (his new name, since he doesn’t appear to want to murder you) (maybe) raises a single brow at you before answering,

“Taehyung.”

You listen to his name roll off his tongue and absorb it. Taehyung, huh? You hesitate for a second before finally giving your own name.

“y/n.”

Taehyung then, has the audacity to pinch his nose in annoyance. To be fair, it looks like the one he’s annoyed with is himself and not you.

“Look, sorry…” he begins, “If we hooked up last night, I don’t really remember and I—"

Your eyes widen at his words and you begin to frantically shake your head,

“No! We didn’t—we didn’t…”

“Oh?” Taehyung gives you a curious look then has the audacity to scoot several inches away from you. Then you feel his eyes on you, they search you from head to toe. You’re wearing your cat printed PJ shorts and a simple purple t shirt. You admit your hair is probably pretty wild, so you card your fingers through your locks. You start to feel insecure under his gaze as he so shamelessly eyes you.

“I don’t know who you are or where I am…do you know where we are?” you question, looking off to the side.

Taehyung pulls his eyes away from you, his head moving around to look around the room, his arms flailing.

“Does it look like I know where I am?”

You only blink at him and he rolls his eyes, “No, I don’t.” he admits.

Moments of silence pass between the two of you. You don’t know what to say at this point even though you have a million things you would like to say. But you can’t form one, coherent sentence apparently. You don’t know anything. You’re fucking clueless and you hate it. You’re trying to gather your thoughts when you feel Taehyung rise from the bed, startling you like he just committed a crime. God, you are such a coward. What? Do you really think the bed is apparently some super safe place that will protect you from the evils of the world? Taehyung walks toward the dresser and other corners of the room, inspecting it carefully.

“Fucking weird, but nice room, right?” he asks under his breath. Taehyung throws a glance over at you. “You don’t know where you are…I don’t know where I am…we both wake up in a strange room and neither of us have any recollection of how we got here.” Taehyung takes a pause to gather his thoughts. “Have you heard anything? You know, from outside the room? There could be other people.” He waits for you to answer but you stay quiet. Yes, you are on that level of coward.

You stay in the bed, anxiety building up, growing fiercer by the second. While it seems Taehyung’s attention is being stolen by the large window where the sun invites him to come take a peak. He tip toes over to the window, lifting the blinds and exposes something you imagine takes his breath way due to his audible gasp.

“Where…the fuck are we?” he asks breathlessly.

Instead of looking for yourself, you stay seated. But are we surprised? You study Taehyung’s expressions, watching for his reactions. His face falls into one of awe but after only a few moments in settles back into confusion. He reaches for the bottom of the window sill and lifts upwards, opening the window and releasing the sound of…is that waves? You continue to observe him, too afraid to see for yourself. He stands there for several long moments before turning your way and he clears his throat.

“I—I don’t…I don’t know where we are, like, really.” He takes a hesitant step towards the bed. “But something tells me neither of us are from here.”

You need a minute. Yeah, you need a minute to process his words. Because what the fuck does he mean by that? You aren’t ‘from here’? Are you on another planet or some shit? This man needs to work on his wording, for Christ’s sake. You feel your hand move just the slightest. Then your other hand. Your toes curl in and out. Seems you aren’t so frozen anymore. Things are, yes things as in waking up with a total stranger and him saying you are in an unknown place, are starting to wake you up. You’re so ashamed your solution to all of this was to stay seated in bed…but for some reason a rushing sensation of bravery washes over you.

You rise from the sheets and step one foot on to the floor. It’s not lava. So you step down with both feet and make your way over to Taehyung. You stop in front of him, tilting your head up since he has several inches over you—but nothing too intimidating, you decide. His eyes find yours and you lock eyes for a few moments. Both of you trying to search the other for answers. You break contact to face the window and wow. Your eyes animatedly widen at the sight. Palm trees and water for miles and miles it seems. No other buildings or sign of life. An island? But not the kind of island where this room is a part of some fancy resort, no, not that kind. Instead the kind where a plane crashes and a group of people have to survive.

You blink down at your new reality. First of all, you live nowhere near an island, so there’s that. You feel the anxiety and frustrations begin to surface again and you can’t help that your eyes begin to gloss over. You snap your head back to get a look at your fellow victim and he looks just as lost as you feel.

“We need to find out what’s going on.” Taehyung takes a deep breath, lifting his head up. He locks his eyes with yours again but you break contact to look at your feet.

“We don’t know anything…would if it’s not safe?” you quietly try to reason.

“Exactly, we don’t know anything and that’s a problem. You don’t expect us to stay in this room forever, do you?”

He has a point and you know it. You want to follow him out of this room but your feet seem to be glued to the floor.

“Well, no. But—”

“Didn’t think so.” He turns away from you, his body shuffling towards the bedrooms door but before he can become out of reach your hand flies to his shirt sleeve, tugging it softly.

“Wait! Just hold on—” Your voice wavers and Taehyung rolls his eyes. Rolls his fucking eyes at you!

“Listen, come. Or don’t. I don’t really care.” Taehyung releases your hold on his shirt, unsticking your fingers and throwing your hand towards your body. “Decide.” He states before swiftly turning around to head towards the door.

Oh. So this guy is a fucking asshole. Noted.

You end up following him because although he was rude about it, feeling someone’s touch when you feel so scared was slightly comforting and yes, you are aware of how fucking pathetic that is.

Taehyung stands in front of the door, his hand reaching for the knob when he turns his head to say, “Just trust me.”

And now you are the one rolling your eyes. Trust him? You just met the dude! 10 minutes ago his name was Future Murderer. How could you possibly trust this asshole?

“How can I trust you? I literally just met you.” The scowl on your face deepens when he smirks.

“Are you always such a fucking baby?”

“Are you always such a fucking baby?” you mock, eyes rolling so far into the back of your head. Okay, you admit you aren’t being the most mature here. But Taehyung doesn’t seem to take offense to it by the way he gasps and throws a hand over his heart as if wounded.

“Oh? She’s got some sass?” His question and raised brows only piss you off.

“Whatever. Let’s go.” You aren’t entirely sure where the confidence comes from but you don’t question it. You’re breezing past him, your shoulder knocking into his as you approach the door.

You feel Taehyung’s eyes on you and hear him mumble a lame, ‘that’s the spirit’ from behind you. And with that, in one swift action you are opening the door.

You stand in the open doorway, once again frozen in place. Not feeling as confident as you were 15 second ago—maybe you just need this dude to piss you off again. Speak of the devil, Taehyung steps besides you, poking his head out into the hallway searching for any sign of life.

“It’s quiet.” He takes a few steps forward, now in the middle of the hall. You glance around, the hallway has walls full of beautiful artwork, and to the right is 3 doors and to the left is a wide staircase. An exit. Bingo.

“Let’s check each room.” And of course he wants to do the opposite.

“No, let’s just get out of here.”

You turn on your feet towards the stairs and stop at the first step and raise a brow over your shoulder, “Aren’t you coming?”

Taehyung looks conflicted to say the least. He exhales deeply, looking between you and the 3 doors.

“Shouldn’t we just—”

“No! come on…” You must sound pleading and convincing because you can see him falter, just a bit. “I just want to go home…” You say, averting his gaze. Taehyung only stares at you for what feels like an eternity before he’s finally agreeing with the nod of his head.

The two of you very cautiously step down the stairs, each foot that follows the other slightly trembles in the fear of the unknown. You two finally reach the bottom and your eyes go wide at the sight. This is basically your fucking dream house. The floor plan is very open. At the center is a gorgeous grand piano, you don’t play but it’s aesthetically pleasing you guess? To the right is a long table with picture frames and décor and down the hall there seems to be more rooms.

You scan the downstairs as you slide your fingers along the edge of this table and stop when you come across a framed photo. What the actual fuck. Your eyebrows rise and your eyes grow twice their size. You very hesitantly pick up the picture as your eyes blink down at the frame in hand when your breathing begins to pick up again. It’s a framed photo of you and your sister . Now why the hell would this be here? Why is there a picture of you and your sister?? Why would someone have this? The framed photo sits in your trembling hands as you stare down at it. Taehyung notices your shaky grip on this picture and takes it from you to take a look himself. His eyes also go wide…you look between him and the picture.

“Why…why the hell is this here?” your voice betrays you as it shakes with every word.

Taehyung glances down at the table and notices his own photos with friends and family that are disgustingly and proudly displayed.

“What the actual fuck?” Taehyung whispers to no one but himself. What the hell is going on? Why does this house have pictures of the two of you? Who is doing this? Is this some sort of sick joke?

“What’s happening Taehyung?” you step closer to him feeling entirely…creeped out.

“Does it look like I fucking know?” he snaps. He sees you flinch and his eyes soften, “Sorry…Its just… this is going too far.” He finally looks as disturbed as you feel. The two of you stay quiet for a few moments, neither of you knowing how to react to this eerie discovery.

You shudder at how ominous this all is. This is becoming way too much. How much more of this can you handle? You almost want to jump into this assholes arms and sob into his navy blue t shirt.

“We should…” Taehyung wipes his sweaty hands on his sweats, “keep going.”

The two of you nod your heads in unison and turn to your left where there is an entry way to the kitchen and living room. Taehyung stops before stepping through while you join him at his side. You two glance around to soak in your surroundings—it’s also an open space, the two open areas sharing a space. The kitchen is covered in black granite and wooden cabinets with a door that probably leads outside. The living room has two matching sofas, a wide screen TV that hangs on the wall over a fireplace and built in shelves on either side, full of books, movies and games.

Taehyung and you share a look before walking through to the kitchen and living room. You approach the rooms slowly and carefully, afraid of what you might find. What surprises could be lurking. Suddenly the white glow of the TV can be seen, making you jump with its sudden brightness. Why the hell did the TV just turn on? Is this like, a haunted house? Are you being fucking haunted? Okay, maybe that’s dramatic.

The screen is bright white with nothing else on it. You turn to face Taehyung who is already staring at you with brows pinched together in confusion. Same Taehyung, same. The two of you decide to walk closer to the TV when dark, bold numbers appear.

“10….9…8…..”

The sound of soft music can be heard playing from the TV, similar to the music that’s played in an elevator, as numbers counting down from 10 begins. You feel your insides twist and turn.

“….7….6…..”

Panicked, the two of you inch closer and closer. You two stand here waiting for something, anything to occur because these might be the longest 10 seconds of your life. The millions of questions you have only multiplying. With the seconds counting down and getting closer to zero, your breathing about fucking stops. What is going to happen? You can feel your palms grow sweaty as your heart beats out of your chest. It feels like the countdown to the end of the world.

“….5….4….3…”

You don’t think Taehyung realizes just how close he is to you, his shoulders bumping into yours. You guess fear does funny things even between strangers.

“….2…..1…….”

And then it finally happens. The timer finally reaches fucking zero. And it is safe to safe your attention has been caught…anyone’s would be if a screen greets them with their god damn names.

“Welcome Kim Taehyung and Y/N Y/LN”

Your names on the screen has you automatically feeling nauseas. What sort of sick game is this? Is someone setting you up? Pranking you? If so, shits not funny. But also, why is Taehyung here? Your eyes focus on the screen as it moves to the next slide.

“It is a great honor that you two have made it this far. You have been carefully selected in this company’s project. After a lot of consideration and impressive results—we have decided to move you to the next phase.”

Naturally, very naturally you become even more confused than you fucking started. What projects? What company? You can hear Taehyung swallow hard, his nerves spiking with each word he reads. Then the slides continue.

“To put it simply, we are in the business of love.”

Huh? Huh?

Taehyung and you break your focus on the screen to steal a glance as one another very briefly before turning your heads back to the TV. What the hell they mean love? What is this absolute nonsense?

“Our use of science, technology and logic has got us here today. We test and heavily observe our chosen subjects and decide if they are the perfect match. We then move them to the final phase: The Island. This is where the two subjects meet and get along for the first time. The place they will undoubtedly fall in love.”

You can’t help that your mouth falls open, you are sure your eyes are bulging out of your head. You dare to turn to look at Taehyung and he isn’t looking much better.

Before you can really gather any thoughts the slides continue.

“Our success rate is 99%. You WILL fall in love here, it is most probable. Other subjects will come to fall in love quickly, other will take their time. BUT don’t take too long~ If two subjects are taking too long to make progress we will send a ‘Request’ to move things along and if you fail to meet said request there will be a penalty. And you have 24 hours to complete the request. This is to help you.”

You shiver while reading the words before you. You are now too anxious to even look at Taehyung right now…you don’t want to even see his reaction to all of this. Is he anxious like you? Is he laughing because there’s no way this is real? Is he nodding along taking notes because he believes it? You don’t want to fucking know!

“We give soulmates the opportunity to meet and thrive. This particular project has been in the works for well over a year.”

You blink lazily at that. Well over a year? WELL OVER A YEAR? They’ve been watching you for over a year?!

“We have carefully observed each one of you in great detail. There is nothing we don’t know. We have matched you two to be most compatible.”

Nothing they don’t know? What the hell does that mean? How exactly did they fucking observe you two? You stand here with eyes wide open and mouth agape. Taehyung mirrors your expression. He doesn’t want to believe this either.

“And you two are finally ready to proceed with The Island.”

The two of you stand in the living room, dumbstruck. Absolutely dumbstruck. You aren’t even able to look at one another for more than a hot second. A harsh blush creeping on your face and you cringe because there’s no way you could blush for this asshole.

You just…you cannot believe any of this. You refuse to. This is ridiculous. Insane.

“This island is only for the two of you. Designed specifically for you. You are being constantly monitored. Hidden cameras are placed all around the house. Minus the bedrooms and bathrooms. The décor and food is to each of your likings, we want you to feel at home as possible. Everything including books, movies, games and rooms are to your likings and match your hobbies.”

Wait a minute. You frantically shake your head, blinking furiously. Constantly being monitored? AKA you’re being fucked spied on? How are you supposed to do anything knowing you’re being watched?

“Your families have already been notified of your absence.”

You feel your heart drop. You didn’t even consider how they might feel.

“You will return safely once we feel we are satisfied with the results. This can be 3 months, 6 months, a year or even more.”

You feel Taehyung spin to face you in complete shock.

“We understand this may seem awkward at first but things will evolve naturally. So you should not worry.”

These words do not bring the least bit of comfort.

“Besides the ‘Requests’ we will not interfere. This is YOUR time to fall in love.”

“Thank you so much for your ongoing participation and please enjoy your new home and of course, each other. <3”

The added heart at the end of the last slide has both of you scrunching your faces in disgust. With that, the TV shuts off, showing nothing but the dark black screen and the reflection of two ghosts. What. The. Fuck.

You’re sure your expression is as clear as day; a mix between anger and hopelessness. You don’t want to look at Taehyung, not after everything you just read but you know you should. So you tip your head to the side to get a good look at him. Worry. All you see is worry. Look, he might be hot as hell but there ain’t no way you can fall in love with this dude. But also, you don’t know anything. You gulp, there is one thing you know. You’re going to be sick.

Your nausea is so built up, it’s at the entrance of your throat begging for release. You stand here, running a clammy hand through your hair. You are going to puke, you know it.

Without any further thinking, you run towards the back door in the kitchen that thankfully leads to outside. You run down a path that you pray to the God’s that this path does lead to the ocean so you can drown yourself in some good ol’ waves. Your anxiety has you out of breath before the run does. You finally reach sand that is warm and grainy under your bare feet and follow it to the shore.

It’s beautiful actually. The view. You wish you could really take it all in and let the calmness of the waves relax you but you are seconds away from upchucking last night’s pizza rolls. But it never comes. Your guts never make it out of your body but the anxiety remains. Falling to the ground, you pull your knees into your chest, trying to breathe and most importantly trying not to cry. This is no use though and to be honest you don’t try very hard because tears are cascading down your face within seconds. You can feel the burning in your chest as hot tears fall onto the warmth of your cheeks and it breaks you further. You sit here and wonder if you are really stuck here in this place and with a complete and total stranger. The same thought stays with you as you ball into yourself.

You sit here, indulging in quiet sobs until they finally ease into soft sniffles. You reach up to wipe your eyes, ridding yourself of tears and the thoughts that came along with them. You need to think more clearly. Okay, positive thoughts. Come on y/n, you can do this. Positive thoughts. First off, you’re not alone. You are not the only victim here. You have an acquaintance here who you are sure isn’t very pleased about this either. But wait—would if this guy is a total weirdo? A psycho? Okay, maybe being positive is harder than you thought. Plus he was a total asshole to you earlier. But maybe that will change?

You stand to your feet, feeling more determined than before. You are going to try to make the best out of this shitty situation. You brush away the annoying leftover grains of sand from your legs and your behind and turn around to make your journey back to the house, your ‘home’. Ew, you did not just call it that, you shudder at the thought. Before you start walking, you spot Taehyung aka your ‘soulmate’ ew, you did not just him call him that— sitting, leaning against a tree. Yup, right next to where you just had snot running down your nose. Before spiraling into embarrassment, you take a good look at him and oh. You step towards him and his eyes follow your movements until you are seated next to him. He’s tense, that’s for sure. But you can’t really blame him, now can you? You are a little bit selfish, aren’t you? He is clearly freaking out too yet you ran out on him. You can see his expressions now: confused, anger, upset. And something you can’t quite figure out.

Taehyung looks your way and offers you a small, tense smile and then turns his head away from you to face the ocean again, a sigh escaping his lips.

“I’m not going to fall in love with you.”

You really don’t want to feel offended because hey, that’s fair. But still, this asshole doesn’t even know you so you roll your eyes.

“I’m not going to fall in love with you dude.”

Taehyung glances at you and gives you a look, like he knows that’s impossible.

“Sure.” He says.

“You don’t fall in love with me.” You snap back, feeling like you won something.

“Yeah, that won’t be a problem.” He deadpans.

“Listen…you’re not a psycho, are you?” You narrow your eyes at him. Taehyung stares at you for a second before he dramatically rolls his eyes at you, then he narrows his own eyes.

“I’m not a psycho,” he defends, a serious expression drawn on his face. “But how do I know you’re not?”

You bite down on your lip as if really contemplating,

“Fair point.” You smile cheekily but then your face falls into a frown. “This isn’t…real, right?” you try to brush back your hair behind your ear but the wind makes it difficult. “The TV…this is a joke, right?”

Taehyung looks on towards the ocean, the big blue waves crashing in the distance. He is silent for several long, annoyingly long moments. You can’t help but wonder what goes inside his head, what is he thinking? What is he feeling? It’s got to be similar to you, right?

“Let’s say it is real. There’s a company who…who…spied on us for a year. What does that mean? They hacked our phones? Hacked our homes? How far did they go? They said they know everything…” Taehyung pauses, flinching at his own words. “So, say they do. They believe after all their research we make a good match…the perfect match, apparently.”

“Yeah, I highly doubt that.” You cut in. “We couldn’t even get along in the first 10 minutes—”

“That’s because you were being a baby.”

“That’s because you were being a—Shut up.” You huff.

“Who’s being rude now?” Taehyung smirks. “Listen, I think it’s best if we just play it safe. But I am serious…I won’t be falling in love with you. And I am not a psycho.”

“And I am serious too, I won’t.” you remind him, annoyed. “It’s you who should be careful.” You poke your tongue out and Taehyung rolls his eyes.

“So do you like pancakes? Mister Not Psycho.” You look at him with a playful smirk and he wastes no time to curve his lips downwards.

“Pancakes?” he lifts his brows but then a scowl takes over, “I’m not falling in love with you even if you make me pancakes. I still can’t get over this…they spied on us for a year y/n. Invaded our privacy…this is too much. Too much to be thinking about god damn pancakes”

“Yeah but it seems like we’re stuck together,” you reason, “Whether we like it or not. So you can maybe try not to be such an asshole to me? When I’m just as much of a victim as you are. And we still have to eat.”

Taehyung’s mouth drops a little, then he closes it, screwing his eyes shut. “You’re right…I’m sorry,” he stands to his feet. “This is all just so crazy and a lot to take in…”

“I know…” you pause, “It’s sort of like being on a vacation—”

“Just stop.”

Taehyung walks past you, heading back inside the house. Leaving you alone with nothing but the ocean.

You stare off into the wide unknown, the oceans blue emptiness swallowing you whole. This looks like a dream vacation spot, if you’re being honest. But this? This was about to be the vacation from Hell.

~~~~~~~~

You and Taehyung walk through the door back into the kitchen, a look of grimace on his face while you frown. You two decide to check out what this place has to offer. You’re both clearly skeptical of this whole entire situation, well at least he is. He feels like the only one who is acting appropriately. But he can safely assume you probably are feeling a bit skeptical yourself. You two check to see is there is anything safe to eat—if there even is food. He doesn’t know what to believe. Was this situation, he doesn’t know…real? True? Every word he read, is a loud echo in his mind screaming at him. How could he even take this seriously? How could you take this seriously? This is fucking insane! He looks over at you, who is rummaging through cabinets, you look the same as a few minutes ago—calm with an unsure expression painting your features. He hates how calm you look, he can’t help but feel so annoyed by you.

He takes a look in the large, silver fridge and is pleasantly surprised to see many foods that he likes; lots of fresh fruits, juices, milk, sandwich meats, so on. It is fully stocked. He reaches inside the fridge for a bowl a fresh fruit, his other hand grabbing for a can of whipped cream. He gives you a look and nods towards the bowl.

“Should we test them? See if we die from poison or some shit?” he half jokes, his bitter tone shining through. You try to ignore his bad attitude and smile.

“We’re testing them with a can of whipped cream?” you go for a lighter approach but he just rolls his eyes.

“Go big or go home, am I right ladies?”

You snort. Real life snort. And you consider being embarrassed but you see Taehyung’s eyes light up in amusement before they’re darkening again.

You reach for a strawberry and pop that thang in your mouth, so he does the same. You two chew cautiously, the flavor and juices bursting. These might be the best god damn strawberries either of you have ever had. Such a shame they are being enjoyed in such a situation. He turns to face you, the you who is now stuffing your face with strawberry after strawberry, he can’t help but let a chuckle slip between his lips.

“What? Go big or go home…” you pause, a smirk playing at your lips. “Right ladies?” Taehyung only rolls his eyes at your smart mouth, he won’t allow himself to laugh.

Taehyung is still trying to gather his impression of you. When you first met you were a total cry baby, then you were just annoying and now you’re trying your best to be calm. He recalls how you ugly cried just outside—god, you have been a roller coaster of a person but considering your situation he understands why.

He believes he was more unbothered and brave after having first woken up…but after seeing those framed photos he got freaked the fuck out, to put it simply. Then the TV…everything just went downhill from there. And he sees what you’re doing…you’re trying to be strong. And he hates you for it. Why is he being the weak one here? How are you doing it with such ease? He’s spiraling. His whole life just got put on pause. His dreams and aspirations? Pause. Friends and family? Pause. His love life? P-Pause? He can’t help but worry over every detail, not to mention…is any of this the truth? Are you two just supposed to believe the god forsaken words that you read on the TV screen? And you went on about this being like a damn vacation. Unbelievable! But all he can do right now is breathe in and breathe out and try to be himself. Which at the moment is a really unhappy person.

You and Taehyung continue reaching into the bowl for more refreshing fruit, your fingers brushing against one another like this is a god damn Hallmark movie, but you don’t seem to be fazed by it so he won’t either. Even though it’s driving him crazy, he doesn’t want to touch you. He wonders what your thoughts are on the whole ‘love’ thing? It’s ridiculous. Don’t get him wrong, in a different situation he could see himself getting along with someone like you, maybe even hook up…but fall in love? Not likely. Plus he already has someone. Sort of.

“Ah, wait…” He pauses mid bite.

“Hm?” you hum, mouth full.

“Aren’t we like, supposed to be finding pancake mix or whatever shit you wanted to find?”

With a roll of your eyes, you lick your fingers clean while the other hand lays rest on you hip. (And no, his eyes did not linger when you sucked on your fingers and no, they did not travel down to your hand that rest comfortably on your nice hips.)(And no, he did not just think your hips are nice.)

“Couldn’t find any!” you dramatically yell out, “You guys FAILED us!” you then look over at him with a smirk, “So much for being experts right?” you scoff, he almost wants to laugh at your dramatics but he just stares at you blankly.

But soon that blank stare is changing into a sour one when he realizes just who you are talking to…the very company that trapped you here. The one that’s watching over you right now. Or so they say.

“We should inspect the whole house.” He says seriously, “You know, get to know this ‘vacation home’ or whatever bullshit you said.”

You look down at your feet, feeling fucking embarrassed.

“Sorry for calling it that I—”

“I know,” Taehyung kind of smiles, “You were just trying to make us feel better. I get it.” His tone is softer than even he intended.

“It didn’t really help, did it?” you scratch the top of your head, feeling sheepish.

“Not really.” He answers honestly, with hard eyes. “Now come on, let’s check things out.”

You nod your head with an eye roll, he still chooses to be dickish.

The two of you walk into the living room to the entertainment center. The TV is surrounded by shelves of books, movies, and games. Apparently all to your liking, so you guess you will see how true that is.

“Woah, there’s Mortal Kombat. Sweet.” You comment, the game case in your hand.

“Woah, I can kick your ass at Mortal Kombat. Sweet.” Taehyung plainly responds while shuffling other games between his hands.

“Don’t even. I will play you right now.” You try lightening the mood but he just rolls his eyes.

“We have other important things to do, need I remind you?” he begins lecturing you and you scoff.

“You don’t need to remind me our shitty situation. Your stupid face is reminder enough.” You bite.

“Oh?” Taehyung continues to look through cases, barely paying attention to you.

“Anyway,” you clear your throat. “There’s tons of movies here and TV shows as well,” you gesture toward the bottom of the shelf. “Some I have never seen before,” you squat down, your fingers brushing against DVD cases until you stop at one in particular, pulling it out. “Like, what the hell is ‘Castaway on the Moon’?”

Taehyung’s eyes widen, “UH, only my most favorite movie ever?” he says, taking the case from you.

“Looks weird.” You comment plainly.

“Weird—it’s not weird! It’s actually really good I swear, actually you know what?” Taehyung huffs out, it’s the first time you’re seeing him get so worked up. It’s amusing. “I don’t have to explain myself to you.” He pouts, clearly wounded you would think to call his favorite movie ‘weird’.

“Plus, who’s weird?” he asks, “What’s with all this anime? I know it ain’t mine.”

You jut out your bottom lip in guilt, your cheeks turning a rosy pink.

“Well, well…”

“Well, well…” he mocks, feeling satisfied.

You raise your eyes to meet his and walk an inch towards him, never breaking contact.

“I’ll give yours a shot, if you give mine a shot?” you challenge, sticking out your hand. He guesses you want him to shake it.

He takes a moment to let his eyes linger on yours. They’re dark. Plain. Boring. Nothing special. He looks away and scoffs but the idea of sharing his favorite movie with someone does pique his interest.

“Deal.” He says, going in for the handshake. He feels your hand in his and doesn’t expect your skin to be so soft.

“Deal.” You say with an evil glint in your eye. “I’m going to make you watch so much good shit.” You continue to hold on to his hand, you look down at them and become slightly shy. You just remembered your situation. You keep staring for an odd amount of time before you drop his hand and shake your head.

“Should we check out the other rooms?” you start walking towards the entry way back into the main area of the house, but stop to turn and look at him.

“Yeah, I suppose we can do that.” He answers back, trying to sound as neutral as possible.

The two of you walk back into the main area where the rooms are located. He hesitantly creaks open the first door. He’s met with a room so fitting. A room full of art supplies. Drawing boards, brushes, paint, etc. He feels his palms pool with sweat.

“Do you make art?” you question, looking up at him.

“Yeah.” He gulps, feeling creeped out all over again. “They really did their research, huh?” he whispers to himself.

You two stand in the doorway, taking it all in. Taking in what this could really mean for you two. It begs the question: Were they really spying on you for over a year? Do they really know everything there is to know about you two?

You softly nudge Taehyung, “Why don’t we move on to the next room?” you suggest. He turns his head to face you as he swallows hard, nodding his head in agreement.

The next room is nothing spectacular, just a home gym.

“You work out?” he asks.

“Barely,” you admit, a small smile tugging at your lips. “I always have the excuse of not having time or not wanting to go all the way to a gym. Guess I have no excuse now.” You look up at him with a sheepish grin. It’s hard to believe you don’t work out, Taehyung thinks. You have great legs.

“I see.” He turns his back to you, exiting the room.

The next room really wows Taehyung. He doesn’t mean for it to. He wants to hate this place.

It’s a room full of musical instruments and recording equipment.

“Holy shit.” He accidentally lets out. He walks around the room, touching things with just his fingertips. “This is like grade A equipment, I could only dream of owning shit like this.” He truly does not mean to be in awe of the music room, you know, because the enemies gave it to him but holy shit!

There’s only one room left and you swear to god it better be for you. You two slowly open the door together to reveal an interests of yours.

“Is this…? Like, a dance studio or something?” He questions, glancing around the room, “Are you a dancer?” he finally looks at you and he seems quite impressed.

You look…surprised, to say the least. Your brows shooting up all the way toward your hairline, your eyes darting all around the room.

“N-Not exactly…I mean, kind of?” you admit, your eyes falling to your hands. He tilts his head in confusion.

“I…I just have a serious interest I guess you could say,” you look all around the room again, “But I,” you play with your fingers. “I have never said it out loud to anyone.”

“Oh.” Taehyung breathes out in understanding. So, these fuckers really did spy on you guys. In depth. You both feel goosebumps rise on your arms, making you both feel a chill.

“Let’s head upstairs. Shall we?”

The upstairs has 4 doors in total. You both know the door closest to the staircase is the bedroom you woke up in.

“There’s no bathroom in this room,” he motions towards the door. “And the closet was empty. So, it’s not the master and that—”

“That means there’s multiple bedrooms.” you finish for him, and you both sigh in relief.

He means, this place has a goal of getting you together, so he wouldn’t be surprised if they only offered you one bedroom, but thank the God that he doesn’t believe in that there’s more than one bedroom.

“Yeah exactly,” he breathes out. “I’m willing to bet the door at the end of the hall is the master. Wanna just skip ahead?”

“Sure,” you agree, walking past him to beat him to the door at the end of hall. But you wait for him to reach the door as well before you’re reaching for the knob and slowly turning it, swinging the door open.

The room is big, a huge king size bed in the center of the back wall. Thankfully, the drapes are dark so not a lot of natural sunlight enters the room, Taehyung thinks.

“Hell yeah, dark curtains.” You say excitedly. Obviously reading his mind.

He follows behind you, keeping his comments to himself as you ooh and aah at your surroundings. He is impressed by the rooms simple yet he guesses you could say intriguing décor. Definitely fits his style, but he won’t say that out loud. As an artist himself, the paintings on the walls are very pleasing to the eye. He wonders if they suit you as well. If you’re his ‘soulmate’ they would, he thinks bitterly. He could see himself adding his own artwork to this room. He wonders if you would be okay with that as well—wait. What is he saying? It’s not like you two will be sharing this room!

You drag your fingers across the comforter on the bed.

“Soft.” You mumble to yourself.

He chews on his lips for a moment before speaking, “You can have it…” he shifts from one foot to the other. “The room, I mean. I’ll just take the other bedroom.”

“Really? You sure?” The excitement is evident in your voice. “Wait no—that’s not very fair. We could thumb wrestle for it or—”

He raises a brow, “Thumb wrestle? Really?”

“Mortal Kombat?” you offer.

“That just wouldn’t be fair, I would win too easily.” He says, not impressed. “Just take the room. I’m sure.”

“Fine…thank you.” you bow your head down in defeat.

The two of you walk towards the master bath and your eyes come close to popping out of your heads. It is huge! And super fancy! He’s not good at fancy words but he’ll put it simply, the countertop is long with two sinks. Two sinks. The shower has one of those rain shower head things and woah. That’s for like, rich people. The way you are gawking at this bathroom tells him you’re having the same thoughts as him. Yours are probably fancy like, “This extravagant marble bathtub looks exquisite against these cream colored walls. Very…dashing.” Or some wild shit like that.

The closet is next, He’ll be completely honest. He forgot you would need clothes and shit. But holy moly, there are rows and rows of clothes, both yours and his. There is jewelry (Not really sure why that’s necessary but like, okay) and shoes on shelves against the walls. It was more than he owned himself back at home.

“Honestly I forgot about needing clothes…since we like…live here now.” The words are sour leaving your mouth, he can tell. But also, you are obviously reading his mind again.

“What? You thought you would be wearing your cute little PJ’s 24/7 or what? Wear nothing at all maybe?” he asks, shuffling from one foot to the other. He’s uncomfortable.

“ha-ha.” you deadpan. “I just haven’t really thought about what this all entails is all.”

He frowns at your words,

“We should probably talk about it, right? What this all means, I mean.” His questions causes a shift in the atmosphere. The air becoming a little thicker.

You only nod and turn on your feet to head back into the bedroom. He quickly follows behind you, both of you stopping at the foot of the bed.

“Let’s talk then.” You bite your lip, swaying side to side.

He needs to be honest. He is clearly so confused about all this. Fucking puzzled. He means, what if just what if this company was real? And this company was…right? Are you really a match made in heaven? No, that can’t be. That would be fucking ridiculous. He’s being ridiculous for even considering it. But you two obviously need to talk. Have a fucking chit chat.

You plop down on the edge of the bed and he follows your lead, finding a spot right next to you. Your knee shakes up and down quickly while you play with the hem of your shirt. You’re obviously nervous as fuck, which he can’t really blame you. He watches you for a few moments before hesitantly placing a hand over your shaking knee, trying to stop the anxious movement and hoping to God he is not crossing any serious lines, he’s just really getting annoyed by your shaking knee and needs that shit to stop. You turn your head to face him and he is met with a look of frustration. He turns his head to face straight ahead and with a heavy sigh he says, “I feel that way too.” Because it’s true, you both must feel the same. It’s not like you want to be stuck here with him either. Right?

You finally let out a long breath, “How long?” you whisper. “How long will we be stuck here?” you begin to sniffle as your eyes become wet. Shit. He brings his hands to his lap and interlocks his fingers together.

“I…I don’t know.” He answers honestly. “But what are your thoughts? On what we read…” he clears his throat, clarifying as if it wasn’t already obvious.

You suck in a sharp breath, “I don’t know what to believe.” You admit. “But we are…” you gesture between you two, “This is—This is not happening.”

Taehyung rolls his eyes as if that wasn't the most obvious statement in the world. He. Could. Not. Agree. More.

You continue, “Someone deciding for me? On this part of my life? That doesn’t sit right with me. No fucking thank you.”

“Yeah, me either.”

“I mean,” you turn to face him, “You seem decent and all, when you’re not being an ass, but this is all insane. Just insane.” You wear an annoyed expression, shaking your head in disbelief. He breathes out of his nose in attempt to laugh.

“Yeah, you’re telling me.”

“But…” you pause, choosing your next words carefully…you have to be careful with this next part. “But if it’s real? What are we—” and yup, just as expected, you are cut off with just a look. He furrows his brows together and pushes his head back in surprise.

“This can’t be forced y/n.” he states firmly. You raise your hands up in surrender.

“Oh my god, Taehyung. I know that! I fucking know, jeez. But we have to talk about all the possibilities.” You say firmly, “We’re stuck here for who knows how long and you read the same thing as me, right?” you push on, “3 months? 6 months? A fucking year?” you drag a heavy hand down your tired face. “And don’t even get me started on these damn ‘Requests’ and whatever they are!” You are clearly very frustrated…Taehyung looks at you with the same pity you’re sure he feels for himself.

“Okay, okay.” For the first time Taehyung speaks to you much more softly. “Listen, they can’t keep us here forever? We are going to prove we are that 1%. We just got to stay out of one another’s way and just wait it out until they return us home.” Then his frown deepens, “But wait, what about the ‘Requests’?” he asks, concern lacing his voice.

You strum your fingers on your thigh, staring down at your lap, in deep thought.

“I know this is weird but…” Taehyung starts.

“I know, we have to talk about it.” You finally look up at him and your entire face has gone pink.

“If the ‘Requests’ are, I don’t know, “pure” enough, we could just like do them?” you look at him with doe eyes, “Or like, if the penalty isn’t that bad…. I don’t know.” You ramble on.

The thing is, neither of you know what to expect from these ‘Requests’ and their penalties. It’s one huge mystery. And neither you nor Taehyung are a fan of mysteries. Taehyung watches as you begin shaking your knee in total panic again when he clears his throat.

“Hey…I think we can worry about that when or if the time comes, okay?”

“When or if…” you repeat slowly. “Okay.”

He stands from his place at the bed and begins walking towards the bedroom door.

“As long as we stay out of each other’s way, we should be good.”

“Stay out of each other’s way…” you nibble on your lips, “Like, we don’t talk or anything?”

“Precisely. You do your thing, I’ll do mine.”

“But—”

“That’s just the way it’s got to be.”

“Fine.” You speak bitterly, “Fine by me.”

Satoru had a major problem. 

And it was his self-control. His lack of self-control was the reason he had engaged himself in an adulterous relationship back when he was married. His lack of self-control was the reason why you had become the recipient of his unreasonable anger in the early stages of your marriage. His lack of self-control was the reason why, out of all the women in the world, he was now sleeping with a friend of yours. For God’s sake, his lack of self-control was probably the reason why you were also pushed to your limits, choosing to cut your marital ties with him and leaving only the scraps of his role as a parent to Sachiro.

Back when he was attending his weekly therapy sessions, his therapist told him that part of what he needed to learn was to control his impulses, resist temptations, and actively exercise his willpower. They were easier to achieve then than now, since he was the loneliest man at the time with no friends, no wife, no son, and no bustling company to run. His decisions remained untainted, his temptations unchallenged, his emotions uninfluenced – a solitary journey at its finest. He was all by himself. How come? It was because he was sent by his mom to Osaka to temporarily seclude him from his harrowing memories in Tokyo, compelling him to sever ties and immerse solely in personal convalescence. Reflecting now, it felt no different than being sent to a psychiatric hospital.

He could say it worked at the time. He learned how to keep his emotions at bay. He learned how to control his thoughts, throwing away the bad and keeping only the good. He was a new man by the time he returned to Tokyo, prepared as ever to take on his role as the Chairman of the Gojou Group, ready to once again try and live a normal life. But the moment news had spread about his ex-wife's marriage to his business rival, all the self-control he had painstakingly cultivated seemed to have evaporated in an instant.

Everything also went downhill after that. 

He wasn’t going to list down all of the things that happened nor the impact it had on him since you yourself were a witness to them. But if he was going to look at the way your return has changed the trajectory of his life 3 years after you first left, he would still at a hundred percent put the blame on his shoulders. None of this domino effect would end up like this if he had been a faithful and loving husband in the first place. The pressure from his father was not the only root of all this, the branches also extended to his corporate greed which ultimately ruined his chance at a blissful marriage with you. 

But at least, the chaos should have settled by now. You chose to move forward and he decided to respect your decision by finding his way to another. This should free you both from the emotional torture that had you prisoned for the longest time. He would still be there for you as the father of your child, but otherwise, he was happy that you have Toji Zen’in by your side to fill in the gaps that he had failed to complete. 

A heavy sigh escaped his lips. The warm water fell on his body in rivulets, soaking him completely so early in the morning as he decided to take a long shower. For how long? He couldn’t tell. He could stay there for hours if need be. He had to let his mind wander on its own, with a hand pressed against the wall, and another stroking his white hair back. Despite accepting the fact that Toji now owned your love and affection… well, wasn’t that son of a gun too lucky? Did he even realize that the woman he would marry was once Satoru’s entire universe? 

Ah, but who cares? Satoru scoffed inwardly, leaning his head back to let the water hit his face. He had Akemi, so why did it matter if you had Toji? He wasn’t bitter. He was just trying to reason with himself that you deserved to be with someone you really, truthfully loved. And he deserved that, too. Maybe not now, but at the perfect time, he could relive the life of a married man after learning from his mistakes the hard way. A much better one. A married man who would never in his life betray, hurt, or ruin his partner. A doting husband who would offer his whole life just to make her happy. He promised to himself that Akemi will have that kind of man from him. 

Though, he could ask himself, how far was he from achieving that? He did practice his self-control last night when joined you in the pool—his face, inches away from you. Hand gripping your hip. Eye-to-eye. Skin-to-skin. Your warm breath fanning his cheek. Just another step forward and your lips would touch. But he didn’t let that happen. He mustered all of his power to pull back from the gravity that was drawing him closer to you. Still, he couldn’t deny that you looked absolutely gorgeous last night. As the moonlight illuminated your face, he could swear that the stars also sparkled on your eyes. They must be from the tears you were desperately holding back, but either way, you were still so goddamn beautiful. He almost couldn’t keep his eyes off you last night and had to distract himself from looking at your lips, your collarbone, your chest, your curves…

“Fuck.” 

Talk about self-control. 

Satoru had none of that right now. His body reacted involuntarily to the thought of you last night. The sensual thought of you. The what-ifs.

What if he had wrapped your legs around his waist and enveloped your lips into a passionate kiss? 

He took a deep breath, still holding onto the wall as his other hand traveled to his growing member. 

What if he had carried you all the way back into the living room and laid you naked on the couch? 

Closing his eyes, his hand started moving on its own, stroking his hardened cock and feeling every ridge as he pleasured himself. 

What if you had let him devour you? Let him roll his tongue on your entrance and taste your sweet, sweet flesh? 

Gojou let out a moan. A quiet yet desperate moan when he continued to jerk himself off faster and rougher. Damn it. He had to keep it low and he better not be heard doing such a sin in the bathroom. Yet, perhaps you were still in a deep slumber next to Sachiro in your bedroom, so he doubted you would hear what kind of mess he was making. 

After all, it was shameless to know what was driving his feral thoughts right now. Thoughts of you letting him slide his tip along your entrance. Thoughts of him ramming his cock inside your tight cunt, being squeezed by your soft, velvet walls. Thoughts of your breasts bouncing wildly as he continued to hit your most sensitive spot. Fuck. Faster. He’d have taken you on all fours, too. He’d have let you ride his cock. He’d have pressed you against the sofa and put your legs above his shoulders. Satoru would release his warm seed into you in every position. He’d shoot every drop of his cum straight to your womb, no doubt impregnating you for the second time around. He would absolutely love that. He would love seeing the residues of his love seeping out of your shaven pussy. He would love watching your belly grow a few months after that, knowing that he had created another beautiful life inside of you. 

“Y/N…” 

Awakened by his senses, Satoru opened his eyes and saw the sticky white mess on his hand and on the wall. What the hell did he just do? More importantly, what the hell was he thinking of? 

No one should know about that. Not you, not even Akemi. He didn’t cheat on her, no. He didn’t do anything with you. That shouldn’t be counted as cheating. He didn’t even touch you. 

No, no… 

Absolutely not.

Drowning into a pool of guilt, the first thing he did after that sinful shower session was to contact his supposed girlfriend. And to make things even more awkward, you entered the kitchen in silence, carrying a sleepy Sachiro in your arms, unaware of the dilemma that was sending your ex-lover into a spiral. “Morning,” he greeted almost inaudibly, clearing his throat and taking a sip of coffee afterwards. He had to think straight. 

“Morning,” was your simple and oblivious reply as you went about your morning routine. 

Gojou, on the other hand, was typing on his phone because Akemi wasn’t answering his FaceTime calls. He had completely forgotten to update her all day because he had been a little bit too occupied the moment he landed in America. She must be overthinking why he hadn’t reached out to her until now, and he felt extremely awful and responsible for that, but she couldn’t be fast asleep that early, right? It was 7:00 a.m. in New York, so that means it was only 9:00 p.m. back home. 

He nervously rang her number once more, mumbling a ‘please answer’ as he watched her caller ID appear on the screen. 

“Dada,” called Sachiro, looking at him as his mother sat him on the high chair, seemingly about to prepare his breakfast. 

Still holding his phone, he walked to his son and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. “Morning, Sachi. Did you sleep well?” 

The toddler nodded at him, drinking milk from the baby bottle that he was holding with both hands. His eyes were wide and blue—quite the same hues of blue that would remind you of a clear sky. Satoru couldn’t help but pinch his adorable son’s cheeks. 

And while you were busy picking out food from the pantry, Akemi finally answered his call after the fourth attempt and showed her beautiful soft features on the screen. His eyes immediately lit up at the sight of her. “Hey, how are you?” 

He could tell she was still a bit distant and upset because of what happened two weeks ago, when she claimed to have heard him say your name during his sleep. He already made an excuse for it as he also didn’t know why he even did it in the first place, but Akemi was still understandably hurt. He couldn’t blame her. 

“I’m fine, how are you?” she asked, heading towards her bed as he assumed. “I just got home from work, that's why I wasn’t answering.” 

He could see, in the corner of his eyes, that you were glancing at him but he didn’t return it. All of his focus was on Akemi, feeling bad that he hadn’t exactly been a good partner for her lately. Especially after the shit he just did in the shower this morning, but that was a secret that was meant to be buried. “Alright, did you have dinner already? It’s morning here so I’m having breakfast.”

She offered a small smile. “I did. How’s Sachiro doing?” 

“You wanna see him?” He walked closer to his son, showing him on the screen as his big blue eyes stared at the woman on the other end of the line. “Sachi, say hi to Auntie ‘Kemi.” 

“Hiii~” Sachiro happily greeted Akemi, while the latter cooed at his son. She spoke to him with a gentle and motherly tone, weaving warmth and love into her words. It made his heart full knowing that Akemi would wholeheartedly treat his child as her own, because if there was a slight possibility that she wouldn’t, she knew that Satoru would rather let her go. His child was still more important than any other woman. And so if his future partner couldn’t accept the fact that he had a child with his ex-wife, then they shouldn’t be in his life after all. The case was different with Akemi because she was your friend and she had the chance to see Sachior grow up before Gojou even knew his son existed at all. It was a bit complicated, but things turned out to be easier on the part of acceptance. 

The only problem was you. 

Because by the time the call ended, Satoru could tell that you weren’t in the mood as you ate breakfast next to Sachiro in complete silence. Your eyebrows were curled into annoyance, and yet your eyes held sadness in them, an expression that had become difficult for him to fathom. Were you jealous of Akemi? He assumed you would say no, but your expressions showed otherwise. 

“Y/N,” he called for your attention, hoping that you would look into his eyes for a little bit. Yet, not a chance did you do. “What’s our agenda for today?” 

You seemed irritated, if anything. You refused to look at him as you gave a curt reply. “I communicated everything you needed to know via email. You should have checked it instead of letting Miwa do everything for you.”

Damn. You were definitely angry. “Okay.” He cleared his throat once more. “I just asked in case there was a last minute change.” 

“There isn’t. I would have said so if there was.” 

“Right.”

Satoru didn’t know how to act in front of his ex-wife. Now that he had seemed to ignite your pique, he chose not to say anything else further as you two finished your meals and cleaned up after yourselves. The only time he spoke again was when he offered to bathe Sachiro so that you could focus on yourself. 

You agreed. 

And he did his part. 

It was simple give-and-take. A transactional relationship, if you must. Nothing else would blossom from that except your responsibilities as parents for Sachiro. 

The New York trip was already as awkward as it was. And it only just started. 

——

To be fair, it wouldn’t have been as uncomfortable if only Gojou had not decided to make it so. He was the one that made the atmosphere unpleasant by trying to savor every inch of closeness he could get to your skin, only to pull away as if nothing happened. As if he didn’t care about how it made you feel. He even had the audacity to lecture you on how to go about being good parents and setting a good example to Sachiro. Then, the next morning, he would act like such a loyal and caring partner to Akemi. 

The thought made you scoff on the inside. He should be the absolute last one to be saying that. He should be the last one to profess how much of a loyal man he was trying to be to his new girl. 

Besides, you had already kept it in mind even before this trip was planned out that you two would only be here for Sachiro. Any interaction outside the need to be there for your son would be unnecessary. He wasn’t someone you still needed in your own personal life nor did he need you in his. Your past relationship no longer mattered in this situation and all that’s left was for it to be forgotten. But even with your resistance to be anything more than a parent to your son, Satoru still respected you. He still showed, even in little ways, that he cared about your comfort throughout the trip. 

Five days had gone by and everything you did in New York had been smooth sailing, all thanks to his grand number of connections from across the USA. In a short matter of time, Sachiro’s surname had been legally changed, and everything else concerning his birth certificate had been fixed. All that was left to resolve was your son’s nationality since Japan doesn’t allow for dual citizenship and Sachiro would have to carry a Japanese citizenship and the Gojou name to be able to inherit his father’s multinational conglomerate. You would leave that one up for Satoru to deal with, but everything else had been settled on your end. 

Although this trip wasn’t exactly a vacation, Gojou insisted that you two still take Sachiro out to explore the city he grew up in. And you did so by going to Central Park, telling your ex-husband stories of how you used to bring Sachiro there in a stroller when he was still a little baby and plenty of strangers, whether locals or tourists, would coo at him the minute they took a peek at his adorable face. You also took him to the Empire State Building to get the best view of the entire New York City, and Satoru being Satoru couldn’t leave without taking a family photo with you and your son, capturing the beautiful cityscape behind you. You could see it in his eyes that even though he was happy to be there, he was also melancholic at the same time. Almost three years of his son’s life were spent in this city, without him, and it was as though the bitter memories of those three years for him were haunting him back. Sadness was reflecting off of his crystal blue eyes as he took a minute staring at the view of the city, reminding you that you were the reason why he had missed out on his baby’s first memories. 

If guilt could literally eat you alive, you would have been devoured. 

“Ready to go, Sachi?” Gojou asked your son, tucking his phone away after having (seemingly) sent Akemi a text message, probably updating her of where he was and what he was doing. In fact, he had been texting and calling her every now and then, as if he was doing his best to reassure her that he wasn’t doing any funny business with you. Has Akemi always been a possessive partner? Even with your years of friendship with her, she had never acted that way in her past relationship. You wondered if she would go nuts had she heard Satoru tell you how badly he wanted to make more babies with you on your first night here. 

Sachiro nodded, clinging to your hand while reaching for his father’s. “Dada!” 

Satoru did offer his hand, but mirrored the surprise on your face when your son tried to link your fingers together, urging you to hold hands. You didn’t want to get too offended by it, but your ex-husband was the first one to pull away. “I, uh, made a reservation for us in Carbone,” he said, unable to exchange eye-contact, “Yuuta will meet us there.” 

“He’s in New York?” you asked, pretending you didn’t notice how he acted allergic to your touch and redirected your attention to your son. “Did you hear that, Sachi? Uncle Yuuta will come and see you.” 

Your little one was oblivious to the world, too distracted by the throng of people surrounding the place that he didn’t even notice how his parents were uneasy with each other. To say that you didn’t feel bad for your son was a lie, because it actually broke your heart. Although you and Satoru were working on co-parenting and making sure Sachiro wouldn’t feel the gravity of a broken household, you knew that when he reached the right age, all of this would still have an effect on him. One day, he would still be asking questions about his parents. Questions about why you separated, why your marriage failed, and why you had to move to New York while his father stayed behind. It hurt. Deep inside, it hurt so much to know that your only son wasn’t given the chance to have a complete family. 

You were sure that was what Yuuta thought, too. As you met with him at a fancy restaurant in the city, you could see how his face lightened up seeing his nephew bonding with his parents as if it were a family vacation. He must have known what it was like to have a broken household. In fact, he had lived in a toxic one before, but he still grew up to be a mature and dignified young man who never let the horrors of his family’s actions affect his rational thinking. 

“Sachi,” he spoke to your son fondly, wiping the sauce on the toddler’s chin. Yuuta chuckled as he watched him grimace from the small piece of broccoli he had given him. “You don’t like vegetables?” 

You fixed the bib on your son’s neck. “He does, but he’s very picky with it,” you tell Yuuta, glancing at Satoru who was busy speaking on the phone with Nanami about what appeared to be matters concerning the company. “Wonder where he got it from.” 

“Right.” Yuuta’s eyes turned into moon crescents as he smiled. “I remember nii-san being a little picky.” 

“You hear that Sachi?” you teased your son who looked at you with his puppy eyes. You knew that if you had the ability to peak through his mind, it would be full of fried chicken. The thought made you laugh. “Don’t be like daddy, okay? Sachi needs to have his veggies so he’ll be strong when he grows up.” 

“But…” Sachiro pointed to his father. “Dada is stwong.” 

Satoru chimed in at the conversation after having finished the call, “That’s right, Dada’s strong. Mommy could barely handle me.” 

“Do you even know what we’re talking about?” You rolled your eyes, while Yuuta wanted to giggle, but chose to hold it back. 

Satoru shrugged and sat on his chair, eyeing the scrumptious dishes that were served. “Have you tried the spicy rigatoni before? I heard it’s famous here.” 

You casually answered. “Yes. Toji used to bring me here every time he visited.” 

Look, you didn’t mean to overshare nor did you mean to make things awkward. You also didn’t mean to slap it in his face about how you were spending your years in New York with Toji. But Satoru, with his pride, took it resentfully. 

“Oh, really?” His words were the opposite of his voice. He was mirthless and full of unenthusiasm before changing the topic, redirecting his attention to his step-brother instead. “How’s Harvard?”

Yuuta eased the tension by making small talk, sharing details about his university life, and making sure he didn’t contribute to the awkwardness. “I’m really just trying to survive this semester so I can head back to Japan as soon as I graduate.” After taking a sip of his Cabernet Blend, he continued, “Like I promised, I’ll help you with the company.” 

You were happy, at least, to know that Satoru and Yuuta had fixed their relationship as step-brothers after the whole incident. What used to be a relationship full of envy and competition finally became one that was full of mutual trust and support. Yuuta deserved that since he never once wished for his brother’s downfall, while Satoru also deserved to have a family member that had his back and helped him with the business without constantly fighting about inheritance. Because technically, Satoru was the sole heir, and his dad only made it seem as though he would give it to Yuuta to make him follow his orders. Satoru’s dad was controlling in that sense, and that was what led to all of this. 

But the present was more important. Things have changed and mistakes have been learned. It was all up to you on how you were going to manage your new life moving forward. 

Only, if only things were a little bit different on his side.

——

You had raised your son all by yourself for the last 3 years, so the presence of his father wasn’t really something you were used to for the longest time. How Sachiro acted around other people was solely a reflection of your teachings, discipline, and guidance as his mother. He didn’t really have a paternal figure up until now, and even if Toji was there to support your journey to motherhood, he never fully meddled with your mother-son relationship nor did he act like a replacement to Sachiro’s biological father. He loved him like his own, but respected the fact that the spot was reserved for Satoru. He knew that. He understood that, because he himself experienced raising a child alone without the presence of a mother. And if you asked him, he, too, would not want Megumi to replace the very love that he was supposed to have for his biological mom. Sure, Megumi could love and respect you, but Toji would still want him to save an unnegotiable spot for his mother in his heart. After all, she had birthed him. And in that same way, you had birthed Sachiro and created him with Satoru during your marriage. If there was anyone Sachiro should look up to, it had to be his dad. 

And quite frankly, the father himself was doing an excellent job. 

But then again, remembering how hands-on Satoru was to you during your pregnancy, you never doubted that he would be a good father. He may not be a perfect husband, but he loved his child with all of his heart and soul, and he would risk it all just to keep him happy. 

It was new to you how, throughout the trip, you didn’t have to take care of Sachiro alone. You and Satoru helped each other harmoniously, attending to your toddler’s needs and making sure he was being prioritized. You were glad. Truly. You were grateful to see that he wasn’t an absent father and that his words weren’t empty when he promised you that he would be a responsible dad to him. 

Though, at the back of your mind, you wondered what would happen if he welcomed another child in this world? A child that didn’t come from you? Deep inside, it hurt you to imagine him neglecting Sachiro on the side the minute he has a new baby with Akemi. The reality was, the father would always prioritize the child of the current wife, not the child of the ex-wife. He would still support him, sure. But would he still pay the same level of attention that he was giving him now? You would probably break in half if Sachiro was thrown to the agonizing realm of feeling like an outsider. No child deserved that. 

You would be selfish to say this, but you wanted to seize the opportunity while Sachiro was still his only son. Hiding him from his father was your fault—you had gone through that a million times and you weren’t shy at holding yourself accountable through that. However, you were already doing your best to make amends and make up for the years Sachiro had missed around his father. He was Satoru’s first and only child, and therefore he should never fight for his father’s affection. You weren’t sure what Satoru’s long term plans were with Akemi, but if they were considering having their own children someday, you would never allow your son to be pushed back at the bottom of the family tree.

And so on the night of your flight back to Japan, Satoru asked if he could take Sachiro with him for the rest of the week. You had no problems in saying yes. 

“Where are you taking him?” you did ask, waiting inside the car as the pilot and crew prepared the private jet. “Please send me the full address. I need to know where he’s staying and—”

“You’ll get the details from Miwa,” he casually said, rubbing Sachiro’s back as the little boy slept on his chest. He didn’t bother meeting your eyes as he talked. “I’m just taking him to my vacation home in Osaka.”

Osaka…

That was where his mother isolated him from the rest of the world when he was having terrible episodes. Episodes that worsened after he had found out that you ‘terminated’ his child and abandoned him. Shoko once said that they felt like Gojou disappeared from their lives while he was there, because nobody else could reach out to him. They couldn’t visit nor could they contact him for a year or so until he came back to Tokyo. 

You didn’t want to pry on matters that were sensitive to him, so you chose not to say anything concerning the place. He must have wanted to reflect on his past experiences, allowing him to heal from them as it brought him to the incommutable life he had now—life knowing that Sachiro existed. 

“Please take good care of him, okay?” It was only a reminder, nothing else.

Satoru kept a straight face, nodding before he planted a kiss on his son’s forehead. “I got it from here.” 

After a minute of silence, you both got out of the car and you watched him carry Sachiro in his arms. You left the sleeping toddler a tender kiss on the cheek before parting ways. “I love you, my baby.” Stroking his hair, you kissed his tiny nose. “Mommy will see you soon.” 

Satoru knew that you were staying behind. You had informed him of your plans before you even came here to the airport with him, explaining that Toji would be in Miami and you had decided to meet your fiancé there. He didn’t say anything much about it either, simply nodding his head at your decision and telling you to ‘do whatever’ because he was no longer a husband you should report your plans to. There was no hint of jealousy in his stance, but a flicker of bitterness did appear on his eyes for a millisecond. 

You didn’t even say goodbye to each other as you watched them board the plane. And he didn’t even bother looking back at you to tell you to take care of yourself. Not that you expected anything from him, but a quick goodbye would have been nice since you did spend the last couple days together. Or perhaps he actually was upset about the Toji thing? 

Either way, you were on your own. 

It took some time for you to reach Toji in Miami. He had insisted on meeting you at the airport, but because he had to meet with a foreign investor, you headed straight to the hotel he was staying at. Funny enough, you couldn’t help but compare how different it was to stay in the same accommodation as your fiancé vs with your ex-husband and son. With Toji, nothing felt uncomfortable and sharing a room as a couple was as normal as it should be. With Satoru, it felt awkward to share the same space with him, but since your son was there, it felt like… home. It felt strangely close to home, like it was only right. That staying together as a family was what your heart wanted. 

Ever since Satoru went back to Japan with Sachiro, you had been feeling a wave of separation anxiety. Your mind was left wandering towards them; how they were doing, where they were, what they had for dinner. You wondered if Sachiro was giving his father a headache. Smiling at the thought, perhaps he was giving Satoru a hard time changing his diapers. 

“Everything okay?” Toji, noticing your trance, put an arm around you as you two sat at the VIP lounge of the Miami Grand Prix. This was Toji’s scene. If Satoru was a fan of horseback riding and polo, Toji preferred big time F1 races. He even personally knew the racers, the type of cars they were driving, and everything a huge fan had to know. You weren’t all that familiar with these things, so it was a little hard to keep up with his lifestyle. 

“Y-Yeah, sorry,” you stammered, realizing how distracted you had been all this time. “What were you saying?” 

He drank from his glass of 30 y/o Macallan, downing the liquor like it was water. A cloud of disappointment settled over his features. “Not interesting to you, huh?” 

“No, I…” You made an effort to cup his cheek, giving him an apologetic peck on the lips. “I’m really sorry for zoning out. I was just… I guess I was just a little tired from New York.”

Toji placed a hand on your knee, sighing. “It’s fine. I was just trying to introduce the guys to you,” he said, scooting closer as he pointed to the racers. “You know that guy? Lewis Hamilton. He’s quite popular with the ladies,” then he moved his finger towards the other drivers, “And we got here for Ferrari, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, also fan favorites.” 

Your eyes suddenly caught sight of Gojou’s favorite car brand. “Um, how about McLaren? Who drives for them?” 

Unsure if Toji caught on or not, he did take a minute before feeding into your curiosity. “Norris and Piastri.” 

You wished you had any idea about F1 so that you could be as enthusiastic as Toji was at this event. He was at his happiest right now and you didn’t want to ruin it by being a boring, uncultured fiancé, because frankly, all these women around would have done a better job at entertaining him. Toji was very eye-candy and you couldn’t blame these models from glancing up at him, especially with how manly and suave he was, dressed like a picture perfect example of an old money businessman. The likes of him were the prey of these desperate influencers, willing to sell their hourglass bodies for a night with him. But truth be told, that was their way of living and you could never find it in yourself to insult them. You didn’t want to shame them for attempting to climb the social ladder because that was how they view money and success, or at least a faster ticket to it. 

As long as they didn’t try to make moves on your fiancé while you were around, you wouldn’t be so bothered by a few stares here and there. 

Neither was Toji. He must have experienced being stared at at these events plenty of times, and probably even sent women home crying because of rejection or worse, humiliation. Now that you think of it, how did Megumi feel when his father was being hit on while watching the Grand Prix? Most importantly, why was the teenage son absent at this current event? 

“Love, why didn’t you bring Megumi with you?” you inquired. 

Toji took a sip of the hard liquor once more. “Didn’t wanna go. He was giving me the silent treatment before I left for the US.” 

Curiosity blanketed your eyes. “Did something happen back home?” 

He let out a deep breath, his face signaling that he was deep in dilemma. “The Zen’in elders want to set him up for an arranged marriage,” he revealed, much to your surprise, “They wanna make sure he’s not gonna end up like me, married to someone who wasn’t ‘qualified’ to be my wife.” 

At first you were confused if he was referring to you, but you realized that he was describing his late wife. Megumi’s own mother, the only woman Toji had ever loved by a mile. He fought everyone for her, even turned his back on his own family for her, but claimed that he also ultimately led her to her demise because the elders of his family harassed her until the day she died. It was a tragic love, perhaps even more tragic than yours, so you somehow understood why Toji was conflicted about Megumi’s personal life.

But you? You were strongly against it. “I don’t support arranged marriages, you know that,” you told him with conviction, sympathizing for the poor boy, “It’s not gonna end well. You know what happened to me…”

“I know.” Toji’s eyes were filled with regret. “I know, but there’s nothing I can do about it unless Megumi himself tells me he has someone he loves.” 

“Did you ask?” 

“He’s tight-lipped about it.” 

You sigh. “Well, he’s a teenager. They get pretty shy about these things.”

Forcing a marriage was never a good thing. You couldn’t understand why the concept even existed because it didn’t benefit anyone aside from the people around the married couple. That was why they called it a marriage of convenience. They were married for everyone’s sake but themselves; family name, status, business… You have had enough of it. If only you realized it from the very beginning, you never would have subjected yourself to a loveless marriage with Satoru. Even if your love did grow eventually, things still didn’t work out for the best. 

Megumi would just be wasting years of his life tied to a person he didn’t love and you were hoping that Toji would fight for his son’s right. Because if he truly understood you, he would not subject his son to the same suffering you went through. 

“I wish my wife was here,” said Toji, forlornly, “She’d know how to handle these things better than I do.” 

Were you not there for him? You swallowed your pride, hiding the pain in your voice. “Right…” A smile was all that you could offer. “I’m sure she would.” 

——

Something was different about Toji and you couldn’t quite put your finger on it. 

It wasn’t his appearance, and neither was it the way he spoke to you. He was all the same except for one thing; the look in his eyes. 

He had told you this before. He said that the eyes carry the most truthful and raw emotion that you can see on someone. The presence of love would be visible in someone’s eyes just as you would see stars in a clear, night sky. The lack, however, would mean that the eyes are blank and empty like the dark void in the expanse of the universe. You didn’t have to be poetic to be able to discern the way his eyes communicated his most solemn feelings in spite of trying to show otherwise. 

He must have been tired. Being caught up in your back-and-forths with your ex-husband, having to put up with your pretentious co-parenting situation, and the never ending need to keep an open mind about your situation with the same man who had ruined you. When your heart was in pieces, wasn’t he the one who tried to fix it? Wasn’t he the one who remained by your side during your darkest times? 

Whether that may be true, whether he truly ever loved you, you could recognize the stark difference of the Toji that genuinely cared for you to the Toji that was only actively trying to be there for you. What had changed him all of a sudden? 

“Toji, you drank a little too much.” A weary sigh escaped your lips, pulling all your might to drag your fiancé to lie comfortably in your shared bed later that night. At least, on the way to the hotel room, you had his bodyguards to thank for. They were there to haul him while he was in his drunken stupor, letting you lead the way, and dumping him carefully to his bed because there was no way you would be able to carry a muscular man all by yourself. Now that you were alone with him, you decided to care for him the same way you used to do when Gojou was coming home drunk at night. Starting with his shoes that you took off, his shirt that you unbuttoned, his pants that you unzipped. “Come on, love. I’ll get you changed.”

The verdant hues of his eyes weren’t present. They were hiding behind his lids, refusing to meet your gaze. But if anything, he did open his mouth to speak, “...You. You wanna know a secret?” 

Drunken words are sober thoughts, you reminded yourself. Of the numerous times Satoru had gotten drunk during the early stages of your marriage, it was how you found out that deep inside him, he did care for you. That in spite of his ill-tempered exterior, he was a man deprived of parental love and support. What would be the case for Toji, then? 

“Yeah?” You waited for his answer, slipping his shirt off and revealing his toned body. 

The scar on his mouth moved when he displayed a mirthless smile. He was as drunk as an alcoholic would be. “I don’t… think… I can love you the same way I loved my first wife.” 

Your heart paused. In fact, every heartbeat became heavy. You knew how he felt, but didn’t expect him to say that out loud. “I-Is that so…?”

“Absolutely,” he mumbles, chuckling inaudibly. “Even if you try your best, she was everything I wanted in life and the only woman I could ever offer my heart to. She’s irreplaceable, and I don’t feel guilty about it, because I know you’re still into Satoru, too.”

“That’s…” You held your breath, holding back tears. “That’s not true.” 

Toji wasn’t done yet, however. He still went on with his drunken speech. “Who knows? You would’ve had him touch you if you didn’t have me. You would’ve had him impregnate you, have his second child with you, and guess what? He still won’t be loyal to you.”

The pain in your heart increased tenfold. Should you say something? Should you get angry at him? No, no you couldn’t. Your chest was tightening. His words were a little difficult to grasp because Toji never in his life had been callous with his words to you. The tears that fell from your eyes were from the betrayal that you felt after hearing the cruel words he had uttered. And yet, you tried to hold on to that thin string of hope that Toji’s words didn’t come from a place of truth. 

“That’s enough, Toji. Go to sleep.” You pulled away, swallowing the weakness in your voice. 

He hummed, unaware of the pain he had put you through. “The more I look at you, the more I realize how much I actually don’t want to spend my whole life with you,” he admitted, with little to no regard for your feelings, “I can’t fill this emptiness by being with another empty soul. And if there’s one thing I’m most grateful for, it’s that I let you run away that day before I fulfilled my vows with you—”

“Enough!” You shot up from bed and wiped the flood of tears on your eyes. “Enough! I’ve heard everything you wanted me to hear, okay?! Enough!” you raised your voice in despair, almost begging for him to stop tearing your heart asunder. “I get it! I fucking get it… so enough. Please, Toji.” 

Drunken words are sober thoughts. A drunk mind speaks a sober heart. Alcohol is a truth serum. 

The revelation of Toji’s true feelings that night was a reminder to you that he was just like any other man. That you should have never put him in such a high regard, thinking that he would be the prince charming that would save the poor damsel in distress. Why? What would he benefit from someone like you? You only deluded yourself into thinking that a man like him would take a single mother so seriously. You were only meant to be a placeholder for his dead wife after all. 

——

There was a huge contrast between being with you and Sachiro in New York vs being with Akemi and Sachiro in Osaka. The difference? There was no awkward air between his girlfriend and him. They were free to do things as they will—no restrictions, no certain do’s and don’ts. They were happy to have each other’s company, minus the guilt nor the unease of being by each other’s side. If anything, Satoru bitterly assumed that you were having the time of your life in Miami with Toji. You were so keen to see the man back there before parting ways with your ex-husband and son like you were simply discarding them to the side. 

If so be it, then fine. Satoru had all the right to have his son all to himself while you were gone. Besides, Akemi was just one call away and she was everything he could ever ask for. She cared for Sachiro as if she was his own mother and Satoru couldn’t be more grateful that he didn’t need to work on building a bond between his girlfriend and his son. 

In fact, Akemi very much knew how to win Sachiro’s heart. As they took his adorable son to Universal Studios today, she was nothing short of a caring mother. She had acted as a guardian to his son throughout the rides, letting the toddler enjoy his time at all the wonderful attractions that the theme park had to offer. Not once did his son cry too, so that only meant that they were doing a great job at taking care of him. 

Of course, it was a different story in the afternoon. After having spent all his energy during the day, Sachiro had become tired and hungry by dinner time. He wasn’t such a difficult kid to tend to, so Satoru was proud that his son still wasn’t throwing a tantrum. 

“We’re gonna get Sachi fried chicken,” he enticed the pouting toddler, kissing his forehead while Akemi carried him in her arms. “Is that what you want?” 

Sachiro nodded and wrapped his little arms around his auntie’s neck. “Chicken, dada.”

Akemi smiled at the child’s gesture, prompting her to also place a kiss on his cheek. “You’re so cute and well-behaved, Sachi.” 

“—Satoru?” 

At the familiar voice, all three of them turned to the woman standing behind. She had long, auburn hair, rosy cheeks, and ivory skin, next to a tattooed man with salmon pink hair and a very defensive stance. Ah… How timely. 

Sera and Sukuna. 

Satoru wasn’t sure if he should openly greet them, after all, they weren’t acquaintances. Sukuna wasn’t a business partner of his, so the two of them had no actual concerns towards each other. As for Sera, she might be his ex-girlfriend, but they didn’t exactly have the healthiest relationship to begin with, so…

“Of all the places,” she mumbled, almost gaping at the sight of him. Her eyes then trailed off to Akemi and Sachiro, with which her expressions shifted to guilt. Did she recognize his son? Did she remember the horrible attempt she did to harm his child during his ex-wife’s pregnancy? The memory was flooding Satoru’s brain like a tsunami. Yeah, in that case, Sera should definitely be filled with guilt. She tried to kill this harmless child. 

He cleared his throat. “We gotta—”

“I guess it’s true,” Sera spoke again, this time redirecting her attention to Akemi. “The rumors, I mean. It’s all just surprising to me considering how obsessive Satoru was to Y/N.” She paused, seemingly wanting to comment at her ex-boyfriend’s current relationship in a mocking way. She kept her eyes on Akemi only, while Satoru was left wondering why Sera was acting hostile towards her. “Did you know? He sacrificed everything for her. No one else made him beg on his knees the same way Y/N did.”

He couldn’t even tell how Akemi felt while Sera was clearly taunting her with her words, but she still managed to smile and excuse herself, keeping Sachiro away from an environment that should only be between adults. Balling his fists, Satoru turned to Sukuna and spoke to him man-to-man. “You’d better keep your woman entertained so she’ll stop meddling into other people’s business.” 

Sukuna, however, found the situation humorous, “Don’t worry. We both are entertained.” 

Making a spectacle of Satoru’s personal life? No wonder they ended up together. They were both pieces of shit. 

Before Satoru turned on his heels to follow Akemi, Sera still had one last thing to say to him. This time, she was more calm and less malicious—her eyes following Akemi’s trail before looking back at him, “Satoru, if you have truly grown as a man, you won’t do this to Y/N.”

——

Sachiro was fast asleep when they returned to his vacation home. 

Meanwhile, since the night was young for the two adults in that house, Akemi and Satoru shared a passionate session in the living room downstairs, letting her ride him as he placed soft kisses on her collarbone. They tried to keep it low, obviously, and all the lights were turned off, leaving only the moonlight illuminating their view. After a few more minutes into their lovemaking, they reached their high and tried to catch each other’s breath, embracing her in his arms as she fell limp against him. 

“Satoru, I missed you a lot while you were gone.” 

“...Same.” 

She then let out an exasperated sigh. “That girl earlier, Sera, she—”

“Don’t mind her.” Gojou closed his eyes and leaned his head against the backrest. “She loves riling people up. It’s ironic she’s coming at Y/N’s defense now like she didn’t torment her back then. She’s not worth paying attention to.” 

“Okay.” Akemi pulled away, cupping his face and offering him her angelic smile. “But you don’t feel that way anymore, right? For Y/N?”

Satoru took a deep breath, but steadied the movements of his chest. He felt defensive all of a sudden. “No.” 

Her smile grew more relaxed as she pressed a light peck on his lips. “Right.” And for a while, they both stayed silent. His thoughts ran straight to you, while hers was quite on a different route. “Earlier when I put Sachiro to bed, he called me his mama.” 

His eyes widened. “Oh… he did?”

She answered with a nod. “I don’t know if he’s just half asleep calling for his real mommy, but… At that moment, it made me realize how much I want to have my own,” she hinted at him, wistfully staring at his blue eyes with her shining ones, “with you.”

——

You didn’t take the flight back to Tokyo. 

What you took was an immediate flight back straight to Osaka where your son and your ex-husband stayed. You weren’t sure if it was due to the height of your emotions, but you surely let your impulse win the best of you. 

You just wanted to escape. It was for the first time in your life where you were dying to escape Toji’s presence, the very same person who you once likened to a buoy in an open sea. Now he was no longer that. He was far from that. And the pain was still fresh from your heart when you took the earliest flight back home after his drunken confession to you. 

Despite the many missed calls and texts and emails he had sent you, none of them were returned. None of them were seen, or read, or had been replied to. 

All you wanted to do was get to your son. Your son. Your only comfort from all the painful things the world has thrown at you. If not for Sachiro, you would have long killed yourself. But because he was born in this world, because he relied on his mother for love and guidance, you had to be strong and you had to seek the comfort in your heart from him. 

They could all turn their backs on you, but never will your son do. 

And so, after a few back-and-forth emails with Miwa to confirm the address of Satoru’s residence in Osaka, you ignored the jetlag that was hitting your face and traveled straight to his place. Sachiro. Sachiro was all you ever thought of when you asked your driver to drop you off the park nearby as soon as you spotted his mop of white hair, running across the small bridge and pointing towards the fish in the pond. Your son was happily calling all the fishes, gushing about them to Satory who stood next to him. 

You didn’t even care how you looked at that point. You just wanted to get to your son and embrace him in your arms. He had been away from you for way too long and you had already grown pale and sick from the separation anxiety that engulfed your heart and mind. 

“Sachi!” you called out, a smile present on your face as you made your way towards the bridge. Your son looked at you the moment he had heard your voice, and was already skipping towards you with a bright smile on his face. “My baby!” 

Satoru’s face, on the other hand, turned pallid. His eyes were full of surprise, unable to believe that you were actually right in front of him. Why? Did he not expect you to come when he had let Miwa send the address to you? Were you not welcome to visit your own son? 

“Mamaaa!” Sachiro hugged you tightly, allowing you to attack his cute face with kisses all over. 

“Mommy missed you so much, my baby.” You could almost cry. As young as he was, he had no idea how much comfort he was bringing into your heart. Just to be able to see him, hold him, kiss him was enough for you to feel complete. 

“Y/N, I thought you…” Satoru paused, confusion settling on his features. “You’re supposed to be back by Monday.” 

For a moment, you were reminded of the reason you came home earlier than intended. “Change of plans.” 

A small scoff left his lips. “Don’t tell me you left Toji back there.”

I did, you thought. Satoru had no single idea how true his words were, but that was none of his business and you had no plans of confiding in him about what had happened. You may be angry with Toji now, but you still respected him enough not to do terrible things behind his back. 

“I had to see my son,” you lied, although it wasn’t exactly one, and got up while holding your toddler’s hand. “Are you ready to go home with mommy, Sachi?” 

Reluctance clouded your son’s face, and he became more resolute at shaking his head the moment a woman’s voice called for him from afar. A woman, a very, painfully familiar woman came into view a few meters away from you. Standing there was your best friend, Akemi Hirai, looking at you with wide eyes like she had seen a ghost as soon as she saw your presence. 

And in a snap, Sachiro ran to her. Your son ran straight to her, joyfully and excitedly as if she was his real mother. 

How many more heartbreaks do you have to go through? 

How many more tears do you have to hold back? 

“I…” Your hands were shaking. Your entire body was on the verge of breaking down. All this time, your son had been in this vacation home living like a happy little family with your ex-husband and best friend. 

Now, he even refused to go home with you. 

Gojou scanned through the look on your eyes as though he was reading your emotions, but you showed none of it. Not a single emotion could be seen on your face. Not an ounce of pain shown, despite seeing how your son immediately forgot about you and headed straight to another woman. How excited he was to spend more time with his dad and his new girlfriend. How, much to your discomfort, he refused to go back to Tokyo with you. You saw the future family Sachiro was about to have without you in the picture, and damn did it hit you like a truck. 

Why, why did everyone in your life choose others before you? 

“I’m sorry. I’ll bring him to your house Monday morning,” said your ex-husband in a soft, delicate voice, almost as if he was being careful with you. “We’ll take care of him.” 

You could simply nod, avoiding eye-contact with anyone in the vicinity except for Satoru. “Okay...” you struggled with words. Your entire body was shaking. The last thing you wanted was to sound like a selfish mother, but frankly, you were about to self-destruct. “Just keep him happy… that's all I ask.” 

Behind your mask of indifference, Satoru knew what right words had to be said. You needed reassurance, and that was exactly what he gave you. “I won’t ever take him away from you, Y/N. I promise.” 

You watched them walk away, leaving you alone with a look of sympathy that you didn’t need. Sympathy that you despised having received. This should serve as a wake up call to you that no one in this world would ever love you. That even your own child would, one day, abandon you. 

As tears fell from your eyes, you felt a certain pang on your chest that hurt worse than every other pain combined. “You know you’re not so good with promises, Satoru.” 

You’re numb.

Only mentally, numb, to the word which you willingly leapt into. A world with bloodied rivers and bodies piled to the height of the highest mountains. None of it bothers you, not anymore.

Talks of murder and dismemberment barely reach your ears as you flip through the pages of your magazine. You aren’t sure why Sukuna insisted that you be here. He likes to show you off, you suppose. He likes to flaunt what he possesses, and his men never will.

“How much longer?” you whisper, eyes scanning the pages on the gossip mag in your hands. You’d rather be reading a copy of Vogue, but one of Sukuna’s idiotic subordinates picked up the wrong magazine in a hurry.

Actually… You haven’t seen him since.

“What have I told you?” your lover whispers back, he leans over to you. His head turns away from looking at the men in the room as the meeting goes on. But their boss sharing his attention with you rather than the subject at hand earns a few nosy onlookers watching you converse. “Be a brat in private, not here.”

You sigh, crossing one leg over the other as you carry on reading. Sukuna’s hand rests on your thigh before he scowls at the men who’d dare to look at him with an emotion other than fear in their eyes.

He stands up, staring down silently at everyone in the room. It even manages to get your attention. The dread he’s able to instill into his subordinates is more than just impressive to you. It’s exhilirating. Sukuna is a king, and not just to you. To his little brother sitting nearby as the meeting continues. To the subordinates he trusts and who hang on his every solitary breath. And to the public.

People know who you are, now.

You’re Sukuna’s girl.

You were nothing, until him.

He was quite fond of your big mouth and downright horrible attitude when you met. He liked that you didn’t know who he was, and you didn’t hold back when he accidentally bumped into you while shopping. You were wearing a white sundress that hugged every inch of your body, and the coffee in your hand turned the material murky and hideous.

The men surrounding him and ready to silence you for good weren’t even registered in your mind. You didn’t even notice they were there until the friend you were shopping with told you to shut up.

You insulted him, sure. But Sukuna was barely listening. He was too drawn to the way the liquid made your already tight dress cling and stick in all of the right places. Your decision to go braless became painfully obvious to anyone who’d dare let their eyeline drop to your chest.

He dismissed his men, earning a sigh of relief from you and your friend. You watched him carefully as he pulled out his wallet.

“I ruined your dress, huh? Let me buy you a new one, and a new coffee.” he told you. Your eyes bulged as you saw the fat wad of cash in his hand. He smirked, watching your hand hesitate back and forth as you were unsure whether to accept it.

Before him, you weren’t wealthy.

The opposite, really.

You were barely making ends meet and every penny you had was spent on living essentials and rent. The money he offered you was enough for more than that. He was handing you the option to live a little. But before you could take it, before you could fully grasp the bank notes in his hand, he flicked his wrist away.

“I want your number for the pleasure of this expensive meeting.” he grinned.

In hindsight, it was incredibly stupid to accept money from a yakuza man. It seemed like too good of an offer to turn down, though.

For the pleasure of knowing Sukuna and that chance meeting, there have been ups and downs. Everything you knew before Sukuna is your old life. You can’t remember the last time you saw those friends you had. You haven’t been back to your old apartment in over a year, though you know Sukuna still pays the rent on it.

It’s used for some kind of illegal activities, you’re sure. You don’t know why else he’d still pay for it otherwise.

Your old clothes weren’t good enough for you anymore. That’s how Sukuna felt. And with each extortionate purchase he made, you began to agree. You can no longer bear the thought of wearing some cheap, discounted item like you used to. Your entire wardrobe is designer, and you’re like a new woman.

If anyone from your past could see you now, they wouldn’t recognise you.

You don’t care, though. You’ve been poor and you’ve been miserable. What Sukuna gave you that day wasn’t just money, it was an opportunity to cast the old you aside. You’re glamorous, you’re taken care of.

But most importantly, you’re loved.

You’re an object, a doll for him to play with.

But he loves you.

It’s apparent in the way you are in private together. He can be so many things in so many ways. But you know that you are more loved by him than you’ve ever been in any other relationship. He loves you more than friends and family combined.

To Sukuna, you’re everything.

“Listen. Up.” he starts. You know he doesn’t mean you. He wouldn’t mind if you kept your nose buried in your tacky magazine for the entire day. And yet, you find yourself closing it and putting it down on the desk in front of you. Your sole focus is on him. “My wife and I have better things to be doing than sitting here listening to this shit. Figure out this territorial dispute, today, or I’m going to lose my patience.”

His wife.

Everyone’s eyes fall on you when he refers to you as such, and it takes every ounce of concentration and sheer will power to stop yourself from smiling. Your face remains straight and composed, but there are two men who know you enough to see through the façade.

Sukuna, and his brother.

The elder of the two looks down at you, only because he loves to see you squirm because of him. And he’s proud of you, oh so proud that you are well behaved and know that you should appear as strict as he is.

Yuuji, however, has to turn away so no one can see how much he wants to laugh. He’s always liked you; he likes that his brother likes you and he likes how nice you are when you warm up to people. People like him. He’s gotten to know you through being his brother’s second in command. If Sukuna can’t be by your side, Yuuji will be.

And he thinks it’s cute, really, how much you love his big brother. The big brother that most would see as nought more than a terrifying monster. A murderer and a fiend who can so easily ruin lives just because he feels like it.

Yuuji thinks it’s downright adorable.

He’s snapped out of his thoughts when his big brother whistles. He watches as you hurriedly stuff your magazine back into your handbag and follow him to the exit. Yuuji follows, too, after his brother gives him a commanding look.

“You shouldn’t lie.” you mutter, leaving the room and walking by Sukuna’s side as Yuuji trails behind you both. Sukuna turns his head sideways so he can look down at you. His tattooed hands remain in his pants pockets as you approach the exit of the building. You keep looking forwards, though. And he smirks.

It’s a cute little pout he recognises.

“You are my wife.” he tells you. “Don’t be a brat because I haven’t proposed, how droll.”

You scoff, finally looking at him, your full glossy lips seem to pout even harder when you actually face him.

“You know what happens when you get married for real, princess?” he asks. And you scoff, again, because you know what he’s going to say. He says the same thing every time you have this truly trite conversation. “Boring sex. And then, none at all. And I know you can’t live without this cock in you for too long.”

“You’re disgus—”

“Speaking of which,” he stops walking and turns to face you. It makes you laugh every time he talks about how boring your sex life would be if you got married. You aren’t sure how true it is, but it amuses you, nonetheless. He gets his wallet from his inner breast pocket and withdraws his credit card, handing it to you with a wide smile on his face. “That’s what you get when you’re a good girl. Thank you.” he grabs the crown of your head with a large palm and plants a sweet kiss on your forehead.

“I thought we were talking about sex, not money.” you speak, and he smiles. “Which do you think I prefer?”

“With me, sex. In general, money.” he tells you, and you suppose he’s right. “But with money, you can buy things for sex. Unless you want to be a brat, I can take back the card. Otherwise, buy a pretty set for daddy to fuck you in.”

He loves how your demeanour changes at the use of your favourite name for him when you’re alone. Yuuji is here, yes, but he knows the intricacies of your relationship so there’s no need to be concerned.

“Theeeere she is, daddy’s good girl.” he approaches you; his hand settles on your waist. A simple cue for Yuuji to know he doesn’t want to be here. He walks on ahead; and you both watch him walk by before focusing on each other again. He backs you up until your shoulder blades rest against the wall. You tilt your head to kiss him, but he pulls his head back to tease you. “Why aren’t you always a good girl for me?” he wonders.

You allow your head to loll back against the wall with a gentle thud. He watches you, intently, wondering what’s going on in that pretty head of yours. His eyes drop as your right hand gently traces over his crisp black dress shirt until you find his tie.

And you tug.

His body cages you in and you will never get over what a behemoth of a man he is. He’s so intimidatingly large. You’re like a little mouse about to be devoured by a viper. And yet, somehow, you’re in control. He gasps, albeit quietly, but there is pleasure behind it as you pull him closer.

“You’d be so bored if I was always good, daddy. And you fuck me better when I’m a brat for you.” you tell him, voice filled with lust as your sultry tones reach his ears. His cock twitches at your words, although he’s tired of you having the upper hand. One hand grabs your jaw, and you know if he wanted to, he could break it with ease. But you smile, willingly.

If you are to die, it would be an honour by his hand.

He kills you with a kiss, instead. Your thoughts dissipate as you allow your lips to lock and teeth to clash as you needily make out. His body presses into yours, uncaring for the place or potential audience that could find you at any moment. A soft, needy moan slips by your lips as you feel his hardening bulge grind between your legs. It makes him smile, smugly and proud as he steals continuous little noises from you.

“You only keep your fucking mouth shut when you’re getting this dick.” he comments, his tongue licks against yours before he suffocates your desperately mewling with heated kisses once again. He pulls away, whispering in your ear. “You’re nice ‘n wet for daddy, yeah? Want my cock, baby?”

“Mhmm…” you nod, raising your leg to rest on his hip. His fingers squeeze into the flesh of your thigh as he helps it settle in place. His kisses are barely there anymore. Soft pecks as he gradually pulls away until you’re whimpering and begging for more. “Please, daddy… please.”

“Awe,” he gives you one final kiss before looking over his shoulder to see some of the higher ranked members of his organisation approach. He pulls away, leaving you completely breathless. “Brats don’t decide when their holes get used. Their daddy’s do.” he reminds you.

You’re left panting with your hand on your chest as he walks away. He looks over his shoulder at you before giving you a self-satisfied smirk as he waves at you.

“Keep your cunt wet for daddy.” he tells you.

You scoff, fleeing the scene quickly as the humiliation of his words surges through you. The lack of respect and discretion should make you furious. And honestly, it does. But that feeling of anger and fury is overridden with pure, unadulterated lust.

“Hey, are you ready to go?” Yuuji asks as you walk through the double doors and out into the blaring summer sun. The heat is unbearable, you’re sure the sidewalk would steam if you poured water onto it. “Are you okay? Thirsty? Can I carry your jacket?” Yuuji wonders. And you nod.

“Thanks, Yuu.” you smile, taking off your coat for him to hold for you. “You’re taking care of me again, I guess.” you sigh, but try to remain optimistic. You both know you’d rather Sukuna be the one taking you shopping, but you don’t hate spending time with his brother.

“What are we shopping for today?” he asks, opening the door to his car for you to climb into. He puts your coat in the back and rushes around to driver’s seat. “You can go crazy since he won’t be there to stop you.” he winks. You giggle a little as he buckles himself in and starts the car. “Oh, he wanted you to get some lingerie, right?”

You go quiet, looking down at your hands as you nod quickly. It’s almost unnoticeable, but Yuuji knows. He starts driving to a boutique he knows you like, smiling to himself. You’re so brazen and loud most of the time. You can be so confident and fearless.

But he thinks it’s sweet that you get so shy about things like this.

“I’m not judging you, y’know.” he tells you, looking to the side to see if you’re listening. You raise your head to look at him, the slight anxiety you feel slowly leaves your body the longer you look at him. “You’re a good friend to me. I’m happy Sukuna met you, otherwise I wouldn’t know you.”

“Yuuji…” you respond, you can’t stop yourself from smiling as you hear his sweet words. It makes him laugh, though. He’s happy he managed to break you out of your nervous sulk. “I wonder sometimes… if I’m crazy.”

“You are.” he tells you. You lightly slap his arm, “Hey, I’m driving!” he laughs. “You have some kind of arrangement with my brother, right? That doesn’t matter. You love him, don’t you? I know he loves you too. He’s told me enough, and I can see it in his eyes. You’re crazy, but he is too.”

An arrangement.

You’re happy it’s a secret, even to Yuuji. If anyone from your past life knew what you agreed to with Sukuna, they’d be ashamed. You figure anyone would be, really. But you don’t care. Yuuji is right.

Sukuna is crazy.

But so are you.

“Thanks, Yuuji.” you smile, weakly. “You’re a good friend to me, too.”

Sukuna is possessive, he’s greedy.

But what Sukuna doesn’t know won’t hurt him. You model a few lingerie sets to his little brother. And Yuuji, of course, is a perfect gentleman about it. His eyes rake over your body, though you can detect a lack of lust in him. There’s another woman on his mind that you know to be the reason. He’s a lovesick puppy, and you are off limits. He isn’t stupid, but he’s happy to help you shop.

Sukuna should be the one here with you now, anyway. He should be the one watching you try on panties and bras and pretty baby dolls. And yet, he’s sent you away to give himself some peace while he works on whatever the hell it is he does all day. Threatening and being a general bastard to the city at large.

If he were here, you know you’d be getting fucked within an inch of your life in every pretty ensemble you try on.

“Yuuji, what is your brother doing today?” you ask him, pouting a little. It feels humiliating to have to ask. You should know where your boyfriend is and who he’s with. Even Yuuji looks taken aback. Does Sukuna often keep you in the dark? It’s not like what he does for a living is some big secret.

“… There’s a huge territorial dispute right now…” he starts, looking at the store clerks and urging them to walk away if they know what’s good for them. They do, giving you two the space to talk. “He and the other higher ups are having a follow up meeting to decide what to do.”

You huff and start to undress as you head back into the changing room.

“Uraume?” you wonder, already knowing the answer. “Is she there?”

“Well, she’s Sukuna’s right hand. After me, obviously.” he tells you, and it only earns another huff of annoyance from you.

You know what Sukuna will want is for you to pick a pretty lingerie set to wear under your clothes all day until he gets home. You’re not doing that, though, not now. Not when you know he’s with her. He’s lucky you’re even still buying any in the first place. Yuuji watches you as you tell the staff to ring you up, a look almost akin to sorrow lingering in his soft brown eyes.

“Nothing is going on between them, y’know.” he tries to assure you. All you can do is scoff. The notion of remaining silent dies as you begin to think about how many positions he’s probably fucking her in while you run around and play the role of the oblivious wife.

A wife without a ring, at that.

“No offence Yuuji, I’m not exactly going to take your word for it. He’s your brother.” you sigh. He grabs the shopping bags for you once you pay the extortionate price. Sukuna had told you to get a set, not several. But you think it’s the least you deserve after finding out he’s with Uraume instead of you. “I want some new jewellery, let’s go.”

You hold the door open for Yuuji before you walk side by side towards the nearest jewellery store. Sukuna’s feelings are the least of your concern, whether he’s frustrated with your purchases or not doesn’t matter to you. Not right now. You’re hellbent on giving his credit card a workout before you go home.

The air conditioning hits you as you enter. Yuuji finds a seat as you begin to browse, dumping your shopping bags by his feet. He keeps a watchful eye on you as you’re shown around at some pieces you might like. A necklace is calling your name, but new earrings would be nice, too. But with the way you’re feeling, you might just leave with everything that you take even the vaguest of interest in.

You hear Yuuji’s phone ring behind you, and it forces you to look at him expectantly. It’s embarrassing, really, how badly you’re hoping it’s Sukuna to ask for your location so he can be here with you. But his younger sibling shakes his head despondently, feeling sad that he’s letting you down.

“Shit, I have to go.” Yuuji tells you, and your brows furrow. You can’t remember the last time you’ve been left alone. What could be so important? He looks at you, eyes serious and almost desperate as he wills you to listen to him. “I won’t be long, please don’t leave. Sukuna will kill me if anything happens to you.”

“It’s fine, Yuu.” you nod, barely looking at him anymore as you admire the glimmering jewels in their glass display cases once more. “I’ll be here.”

He smiles, gratefully, and squeezes your shoulder. His speed is impressive, you’re surprised you haven’t been left with a dust cloud as he leaves your side and departs the store. You have no idea what’s happening, but it must be serious if Yuuji had to rush off like that.

The clerk assisting you can’t help but fawn over how gorgeous you look as he allows you to try on a diamond necklace that caught your eye. It’s simple, something you’d wear every day. It’s glamorous but not overstated.

“There are matching earrings, if you’re interested.” the clerk tells you, and you nod. “And there’s—”

“If it matches, I’ll take it all.” you smile. The clerk nods and takes the necklace from you. You watch for a few minutes as he wanders around and collects everything you’ve asked for, but you soon get bored and begin browsing again.

You raise your head as you see two men with black hair enter. You unintentionally stare, but soon avert your gaze when another necklace catches your eyes. You hear the men discuss something about a sister, and you deduce they are likely here to purchase gifts. You feel your blood run cold as they become silent, and you feel them glaring at you.

You’ve gotten a sense of when people are sizing you up, now. Even if it’s something as tedious as being leered at. Being with Sukuna has taught you to sense danger, however small.

“I’d like this necklace as well, please.” you speak, hoping your confidence and signalling of the staff will get them to stop staring at you. The clerk nods and sends another member of staff to your side to aid you.

You look in the direction of the men. Truthfully, you aren’t sure if you had tried to warn them that you were onto them with a look their way. It seems like you’re more interested in scoping out a potential threat.

“It’ll suit you.” the younger one says. “Maybe we should get something like that for Tsumiki?”

The older man is silent.

Your skin tightens together, breaking out in goosebumps as his looming presence gets closer and closer to you. You clear your throat, hoping that it will be enough to tell him that you know he’s there and you don’t want him to be. It does little to dissuade him, though.

He stares at you, urging you to return it. There’s an uncomfortable yet palpable silence between the two of you as you look into each other’s eyes. His face is sculpted, yet damaged. And still, you find him beautiful. A scar stabs betwixt his lips, though it’s aged and healed.

It’s a warning, in itself, that you shouldn’t trust him.

But his gaze is serious and endearing all in one. His eyes are beautiful, just like the man he’s with. There’s no doubt, now, that they’re related. They’re like a copy of one another. Father and son, you suspect. Though they remind you of Sukuna and Yuuji. The man in front of your appears to be the same age as your lover, maybe a little older. Yuuji is around the same age at the young man accompanying him.

You find yourself lost in his eyes, an odd compulsion to figure out this man and his life story. Who is he and what could he want with you? Your guard has been lowered, despite it being unwise. You should be more alert, if anything.

But those eyes are—

“You’re staring, sweetheart.” he tells you, breaking his eyes away from you to look at the clerk behind you. He curls his finger, a simple instruction that you seem to miss until you see him holding the necklace in his hand. “May I?” he asks, acting before you even answer.

You turn around and make sure your hair isn’t in the way so he can put it on you. This isn’t right, you know it isn’t. You aren’t sure why you’re allowing him to do this. He’s so close that you can feel his breath on the back of your neck, the hairs stand on end when you realise.

He fastens the clasp behind your neck, and casually allows his hand to fall into the small of your back as he guides you to a nearby mirror.

“Suits you.” he tells you, tucking hair behind your ear so he can examine it further. You don’t miss the way his eyes drop to your cleavage, though, and you clear your throat again. It prompts him to slip back into his cool demeanour. “My daughter is around your age. Think she’d like it?”

“I don’t know your daughter. And I don’t know you.” you remind him, earning a soft chuckle from him. You watch him summon the man he brought with him, and now you’re sure he’s his son. After hearing him mention his sister, you manage to put the pieces together.

“I want two of these.” he announces, making sure everyone can hear. You aren’t sure if he’s instructing his son or the clerk beside you. Either way, he hands his credit card to the man he’s with in a similar way Sukuna does to you.

It’s almost… dismissive.

“Two?” you say, curiously.

“I’m buying yours.” he tells you. He shushes you when you go to protest. “You’re brave, hah? Big mouth, attitude, ‘n your pretty too. I like it.”

“I’m spoken for. And expensive things won’t—”

“I know.” he interrupts you, putting his hands in his pockets. He looks over to his son as he pays for the jewellery. You’re nervous, though it’s not entirely because of him. The thought of explaining this to Sukuna sends chills down your spine. “Girls like you are always spoken for. And he looks after you, yeah? Buys you nice things ‘n all that. Figures.”

“… Y-You didn’t tell me your name…” you say, meekly. It’s pathetic and wimpy, though that’s how you feel beneath his divine gaze. He smirks at the sound of your voice, maybe it’s the submission.

“Toji.” he replies, simply. His son approaches him with a single shopping bag, it’s black and sleek with the store logo on the side. It makes you excited and impatient to receive your own purchases. And after this, you have no desire to shop anymore. You want to get home where you know you’re safe. “We ought’a get goin’, Megs.” Toji tells his son, who nods in agreement.

Just as they’re about to leave, Yuuji returns.

He can’t say anything, not right away. If you were looking at him, though, you’d be able to see how much he wants to burst. There’s a vein bulging in his forehead as he looks between the men.

But your eyes are solely on Toji.

His hands remain firmly in his pockets as he walks away and towards the exit. And then he turns around again, fully, facing you head in to gift you with his parting words.

“Give Sukuna my regards, won’t you, sweetheart?” he smirks, leaving the store with his son in tow.

“Fushiguro!” Yuuji yells, though they pay him no mind. He faces you, now, intent on finding out what the hell is going on. “What was that all about? Are you stupid? Seriously stupid? I told you not to talk to anyone!”

“You didn’t, you told me not to leave.” you remind him, and he grunts. “Who were they, Yuuji? I’ve never seen either of them before.” you tell him. He just shakes his head and decides to ignore you. He’s furious, though you can’t figure out why.

Have you really done something so bad?

The fact that Toji seems to know who Sukuna is certainly doesn’t bode well. They’re from rival gangs, clearly. His and his son’s tattoos aren’t like Sukuna’s. His are brazen, confident. He was cocky enough to get them on his face, too. But the Fushiguro’s, as Yuuji had named them, must hide their markings beneath their shirts like most yakuza men tend to.

“Let’s go.” Yuuji speaks, anger lingering in his quiet words as he leads you out of the store and back to his car. “I’ll have to tell Sukuna about this…” he explains, making sure all of your shopping is secure safely in the trunk of his car. You get into the passenger seat and shrug, it makes no difference to you if he tells his brother about this.

You don’t even know what he’s telling him.

It gets later and later into the evening, with no signs of Sukuna returning any time soon.

And you’re ready for him.

You’re fully dressed, wearing the very same clothes you’d worn to go shopping hours earlier. But you had stripped briefly when you got to your room. The lingerie options were almost infinite as you peaked in each and every shopping bag you brought home from the boutique.

He’ll like the pink one most, you suspected.

So, you put it on.

“Where’s Sukuna?” your one and only true friend in this cutthroat world asks through the speaker of your phone. It snaps you from your daze as you recall how the pink lingerie fit your body like a God damn glove while you checked yourself out in the mirror. “You’re doing housewife shit while he’s out having fun?” Nobara continues, and it makes you scoff. There’s laughter in it, but your annoyance towards your lover is evident.

“He’s with Uraume.” you say, calmly, as you continue washing the mountains of dishes in the sink. You aren’t normally one to do chores, but you thought it would distract you from your worries. Even if only for a moment.

“Oh I hate her.”

“Me too.” you agree. Something tells you Nobara doesn’t feel as strongly as she’s making out, she’s just showing support. You appreciate it all the same, though. “There’s something going on… I know there is.”

“No way. You don’t know, you just think you do. But even I can see how much he worships you. He’d never cheat!” she says confidently, and you wish you could believe her. It’s not like you’d leave him, even if he was.

He’s conditioned you to need him, after all. How can you go back to your old apartment when it’s his, now? Your old, pathetically paying job won’t cut it, either. Sukuna has gotten you used to the finer things in life, things you don’t want to lose. Your friends, your family, it’s all gone and forgotten. All you have is him.

There’s no leaving him, now.

“… I don’t trust him, sometimes.” you confess, quietly. You aren’t even sure if she heard you over the sound of the gushing tap. “I don’t trust—”

The sound of a lock turning in the door stops you from speaking anymore. You look over your shoulder, and you finally see him. He doesn’t say a word as he comes in. He gives you a curt nod as he hangs up his jacket.

“Uh, Nobara, how’s your day been?” you ask, loudly, hoping she’ll get the hint and change the subject.

You tense up a little as you feel Sukuna’s presence looming closer and closer. You put down a plate as you feel him behind you. His body traps yours between his and the sink. You hold your eyes closed lightly as you feel him. Really feel him. You aren’t sure you’ll ever get over his domineering size.

Nobara begins to prattle on about nothing in particular, and relief flows through you. You manage to stifle a heavy breath as Sukuna begins to kiss your neck; though you almost falter as he takes your earlobe softly between his teeth.

“Sukuna, ‘m on the phone.” you angle your head to whisper, but he just silences you with a kiss instead. And instinctively, you’re smiling again. You’re so simple, maybe even stupid. It’s always so easy for him to placate you, even without knowing you’re upset with him.

“Don’t care,” he growls into your mouth, kissing you again. “You agreed, did you not?” he asks, feeling you up over your clothes. Your head droops back onto his shoulder as you feel him caress your tits through the fabric of your dress. His free hand roams between your legs, pushing the black material covering your thighs between them and dampening it with your slick.

“Mmpf,” you hum, lightly, biting your lip. You can’t help but wriggle and squirm beneath his touch. As much as you’d prefer to stop so you can wrap up what you’re doing first, you did agree to this when you started dating him.

“Anyway, I still don’t think Sukuna would fuck Uraume.” Nobara speaks, and you both freeze for a moment.

As she lists her reasons, in gratuitous detail, Sukuna’s hands move across your body. They’re slow, but with purpose. Your dress settles back into place once he moves his left hand away from your core. He wraps his arm around your midsection, tightly, giving you no chance to flee. His right hand moves a little quicker, fingers brush along your collarbone until he finds your neck. He somehow manages to choke you, slightly, while holding your jaw with his thumb and index finger.

And he makes you look at him.

He doesn’t speak, the sound of Nobara discussing everything you’ve told her about him and Uraume is the only sound either of you hear. His red eyes terrify you the longer it goes on. The longer he goes without speaking a word.

“’Kuna—”

“You’re jealous of Uraume?” he says, loud enough for Nobara to hear. She’s quiet. Uncharacteristically so. And then your heart plummets when you hear the beep that signifies the call has ended. “Still?”

“What do you— Sukuna!” you yell, feeling him pull your dress down your body. You try to scold him. You try to focus on finishing the dishes so you don’t give him the satisfaction of knowing how desperately you crave him. But it’s all in vain as he spanks you upon seeing the pretty pink set hugging your body.

“Good girl.” he tells you, spanking you again.

The chore of washing cups and plates is soon abandoned as he yanks your hair by the roots. Your back arches gloriously, and he can’t help but slap your ass repeatedly until it stings. He wants to hurt you, just because he loves you.

He’s insulted that you think so little of him.

“What happened to you, princess?” he asks, spanking you again. “You never used to be so insecure. That’s what I liked about you.”

Liked?

“Don’t— c-care—”

“Oh?” he interrupts, “You really want to be a brat for me right now? I’m not in the mood, but you can test me if you’re feeling brave.” he warns you, and you manage to shake your head in defiance.

“Sukuna, I just— I don’t like her.” you tell him, you see an eyebrow raise out of the corner of your eye. It’s a curious look you can’t quite place. Maybe he hadn’t expected you to say something so honest, or maybe he just can’t put his finger on why you feel this way about her. “She has feelings for you… it’s so obvious.”

“And?” he speaks, his hand that had been around your throat moves to the bend of your knee. He effortlessly raises your leg so that it rests on the marble countertop. His breathing is heavy and stained with alcohol as it fans across your shoulder.

Your breath hitches as he hooks his finger into the seat of your panties, moving the pink material into the crease of your thigh. You shiver just slightly as the cool air of the air-conditioned room hits your folds, and he growls as he holds you tighter.

With one hand, he unbuckles his belt and manages to free his length from his trousers. You gasp as you feel him press his heavy tip between your folds, the tacky wet sound reverberates through the room. He isn’t targeting anywhere specific, but he snarls each time you mewl when he catches against your entrance.

“Unff— fu-uck!” you keen as he finally pushes into you.

“This,” he starts, slowly sinking inside of your welcoming slot. Your eyes roll over white with each agonising delve into your walls and towards your sweet spot. He spanks you once more, demanding your concentration as he tries to drill his words into your before he starts drilling his cock into you. “It’s all yours, y’hear me, princess?” he explains as he carefully rocks his hips, his chest swells with pride as he repeatedly nudges against your g-spot.

“S-Sukuna,” you pant. “Daddy, I love you.” you tell him, tears spill down your cheeks as you pathetically confess. He knows, of course he knows. But his ego will never tire of hearing those four precious words from the lips of his favourite girl.

“Yeah? Y’love daddy?” he asks, faux sympathy in his voice as he picks up the pace of his thrusts. “Hurts my feelings when you don’t trust me.” he lies.

“’m sorry,” you sob, “I trust you, daddy, ‘m sorry!” you continue, and you melt into his touch when you feel him softly kiss your cheek again and again as his thrusts get faster and faster and faster.

He’s so deep you can feel him in your throat. Your mind is churning, thoughts become liquid the harder and deeper he pounds into you. His teeth sink into your shoulder as he continues, and he shoves his fingers into your mouth to silence your cries.

You suck and lick and lave over them as if your life depended on it.

He forces your mouth open wide, strings of drool dribble from your lips and tongue as he repeatedly fingers dangerously close to your throat. He laughs maniacally when he flies to close to the sun, triggering your gag reflex.

“Oh, baby, got real tight for daddy like that.” he tells you. Your hands search for something, anything to grasp as he ruins you from the inside. “So fuckin’ tight for me, princess. Wanna cum?”

“Yes, yes please.” is what you’re hoping to say despite his fingers still invading your orifice. “Please daddy, n-need it.”

“Mmm, good fucking girl.” he praises you. “So needy, hah? I’ll be good to you this once. So cum.”

You brace yourself, twisting your torso so that you’re facing him. His fingers remain in your mouth, but your fixation on them has dies a slow, painful death the longer this encounter carries on. His fingering slows, but the spit leaking from your mouth still pools out and covers whatever it squelches on top of.

“Go on, cum for daddy.” he orders.

And you do.

You cream his length as you lose control of your entire body and give it to him. You’re crying so hard but you don’t know why. He licks your cheeks, though, getting off on the taste of the salt and sorrow you’re gifting him with. You convulse as you reach the peak of your orgasm, and he makes sure to keep a careful hold of you.

“Hate you being fucking jealous.” he explains as he chases his own high, the deafening sounds of your genitals meeting again is so sloppy and lewd. If you weren’t so tired, you’re sure your face would flush with heat from the embarrassment of it all. “You’re mine. I only fuck you. I only cum in this perfect cunt. Are you listening? Or did daddy fuck you too fucking stupid?”

“D-Daddy,” you mumble, “love you…” you trail off, exhaustion consuming you as you bargain with yourself to rest your eyes for just a minute.

“Daddy’s slutty girl, yeah?” he grunts, and he’s surprised that you manage to nod in response. “Only shut that big fucking mouth of yours when you’re getting this cock.” he speaks, he hopes you’re listening but he’s not so sure.

With only a few thrusts later, he’s cumming buckets into you. You hum at the sensation, the warmth of being gifted with your daddy’s load is a soothing feeling that makes you feel completely claimed. You’re safe, secure, like this. He plugs his cum inside of you for a while as he refuses to move.

You don’t want to think about the fact that you aren’t ever really going to know the truth. You won’t know if he’s just telling you what you want to hear while he’s out doing exactly what you’re worried about. You won’t truly feel safe unless Uraume goes.

But you know that will never happen.

He pulls out of you, watching as your pussy pulses while he splits open your lips on his fingers. His softening cock jumps at the sight of his sperm gushing out of you and splattering against the cold kitchen tiles below. He angles your body, again, so that he can plant a searing, messy kiss on your lips from behind.

He wipes his dick against your ass, doing a poor job of it before he tucks himself back into his grey trousers. He moves the gusset of your panties back where it belongs to stop anymore cum from dripping out of you.

“I should… clean up…” you say, wistfully as you look at the remaining dishes in the sink and the dollop of sperm on the ground beneath you.

“Don’t worry about it.” he tells you, walking towards your bedroom to find your shopping bags. “Show daddy what else you got today.”

You take a deep breath and stumble a little on unstable legs. He looks behind himself, reaching out to take your hand to support you. He leads you to your room, a little surprised by the amount of new shopping bags spread out.

He lifts you up and places you down carefully on the bed. You bite your lip as he helps you out of your high heels while he’s down on one knee. He watches, attentively, as you throw your head back as he kisses each of your legs.

“I don’t recall telling you to buy jewellery.” he speaks, knowing he didn’t say it at all. You only giggle, which makes his smile grow wider. He rests his body on his knuckles on either side of your thighs, his nose almost touching yours as he examines you. “That one is new, isn’t it?” he asks, reaching up to hold the pendant against his palm. You nod, and he hums.

He takes his time admiring everything as he looks through each and every bag. You’re silent as he searches, not sure what he’s actually looking to find. Sukuna seems pleased with the multitudes of lingerie you’ve returned home with, often looking between the material and yourself as he envisions it on your body.

Though soon enough, he’s looking through the jewellery. He’s full of flattery, for some reason. You can’t help wondering if it’s because of your very obvious insecurity.

Your heart sinks, however, when he picks up the receipt.

“W— uh, what are you doing?” you ask, cursing yourself for not playing it cool in the least.

He’s silent as he looks over each item and price. His eyes drift briefly to look at you before he’s fixated on the receipt again. “I’m checking how much having a bratty princess for a wife has cost me today.” he tells you, his voice almost monotone as he speaks. He picks up each piece of jewellery as he mentally checks it off of the list in his hand. And then his eyes zero in on you once more. Or specifically, the necklace you’re wearing. “Did you steal that?” he asks.

You shake your head.

If there’s one thing you’ve learnt from being with Sukuna, it will never serve you to lie. He knows more than you can possibly imagine. And what he doesn’t know, he figures out quickly.

“… I’m going to fucking kill him.” he speaks through gritted teeth, crumpling up the receipt in his hand. You have no idea who he’s talking about. He stands up, holding the necklace around your neck in a clenched fist. “Tell me, princess. Do you love this necklace? Or did you pick it impulsively?”

“Both,” you nod. “I was only looking at it because— b-but I love it, now.”

He lets go of the pendant, now warm against your skin after being in the palm of your lover despite it being brief. He smooths his hand over your hair and then strokes your cheek with his thumb.

“A lovely gift from a man trying to muscle in on my territory.”

You knew Toji must be yakuza, too. But you had no idea he was such a direct rival of Sukuna’s. It’s unsurprising, though. Maybe they’d been tailing you and Yuuji today. You’d assumed it was a coincidence that they wound up in the same store as you, but you’re no stranger to being naïve.

Sukuna’s territory…

Could he also be referring to you?

“Territorial disputes are standard practice in our line of work, Sukuna.” Uraume starts, trying her best to calm your boyfriend down as he seethes in yet another meeting. “Although she has certainly complicated things.” she speaks, looking at you as her tone becomes more calculated and vicious.

Of course to anyone else, it sounds like she’s just making a point.

But you know better.

“I didn’t complicate anything, thank you, Uraume. I went shopping as I was instructed to do and he just showed up.” you try to defend yourself maturely despite wanting to rip her hair from her scalp.

“No, this isn’t your fault.” Sukuna reassures you. “You shouldn’t have fucking left her you idiot!” he bellows, his voice booming through the room until it reaches his brothers ears. His words seem to echo the longer Yuuji remains silent. He doesn’t even get the chance to talk as Sukuna demands he be quiet. “More and more of them are doing shady shit in areas that I own. Making profit that should be mine. How do we—”

“Yuuji, you’re friendly with his son, right?” you ask. And he shrugs, passively. You’re sure there’s a story there. Perhaps they went to school together given that they’re the same age, but you don’t want to press it and risk him getting in deeper trouble with his sibling. “Do you have a phone number or anything for him?”

“Uh…” Yuuji pats down his body as he looks through his phone. Sukuna watches, everyone watches as he scrolls through his contacts. And finally, he nods.

“Call it.” Uraume orders, Sukuna looks at her and then nods at his brother in agreement.

The tension in the air can be cut with a knife as each ring passes. You feel sick to your stomach the longer it goes on.

Until finally—

“I was wondering when you’d call.” the younger Fushiguro answers, Yuuji places the phone down on the table and puts it on speaker. “My old man has an offer for your brother.”

“Megumi, Sukuna isn’t exactly the negotiating type.” Yuuji explains. “He wants you and your dad dead, to be honest. That shit you pulled at the jewellery store—”

“Is he listening?” Megumi asks. Yuuji looks up to his brother for permission to confirm or deny his presence. The silence lasts a beat too long, and Megumi figures it out for himself. “I’m with Toji, now.” there is a shuffling sound on the other end as he hands his phone over to his father. A large sigh rattles through the speaker, and then he finally speaks.

“Sukuna.” he starts.

“My brother is right, Zen’in, I don’t negotiate.” Sukuna speaks, announcing his presence to them finally. “There is no benefit to me letting you stake your claim on my territory. We’ve killed a few of your men already for your insolence and disrespect. You’ve no idea the lengths I will go to so that you will understand this threat isn’t empty. We won’t just be killing the small fry next time.”

He looks at Uraume, listening carefully as she warns him not to resort to threats of violence so soon. You look between them both, trying to gauge how he’ll respond. He only sighs, agreeing with her, before asking what the negotiation would entail.

“I want to fuck that little girlfriend of yours.” Toji says.

The room falls silent. Sukuna stares daggers at you for a few minutes as if it’s your fault he said something so outrageous. You look around uncomfortably, seeing everyone’s eyes have fallen on you.

You feel dirty.

You feel like a mere bargaining chip, an object for them to make a decision over.

“Everybody out.” Sukuna says, noticing your distress as you feel compelled to hang your head in shame. “NOW.”

Everyone scurries from the room, the only people that remain are yourself, Sukuna, his brother and Uraume. Your lover slams his palm, hard against the table before yelling down the phone at Toji.

“Are you FUCKING joking?” Sukuna shouts, Uraume tries to calm him down but it does little good. “In what world do you think I’d agree to something so stupid?”

You hear Toji chuckle, like he’s considering how to use his words and what he should say. He knows exactly what he wants to tell him in response, but he’s deciding if he wants to rile Sukuna up further or get straight to the point.

“I’ve heard rumours that you use her like a toy.” he starts, a smirk curls on his lip and his scar pulls along with it. You and Sukuna look at each other, wondering who could have found out about your lewd secret. “I’m not… unreasonable. If you comply, I’m willing to come to a binding agreement that we will keep clear of your turf.”

“… Hang up the phone.” Sukuna orders, and Yuuji immediately presses the big red button. Sukuna looks at you, eager to speak. And by his expression, whatever he wants to say seems fuelled by rage. But by a stroke of luck, Uraume intervenes.

“I think you should do it.” she starts. Sukuna directs his angry glare towards her, while you look at her in surprise. “We’ve all heard the rumours, it’s not a secret, Sir. I believe it’s called ‘free use’ yes?”

“Why is that relevant?” you ask.

“Well, you’re used to being used, no? Why is this any different. It would be for Sukuna, for all of us. I’m sure you’d be able to open your legs for a few minutes for the sake of peace.” she speaks, calmly, crossing one leg over the other as she leans back in her seat. You scoff, standing up to argue, but Sukuna splays out his hand and warns you to keep in line. “Sukuna, it’s just sex. You won’t have to pay them off, you won’t have to share your territory that we— that you have worked so hard for. A simple trade.”

He sighs as he looks between you both.

“It’s not that straightforward, at all.” Sukuna tells her. You hope he’ll elaborate but feel a little deflated when he opts to keep quiet instead. You feel comfortable with your so-called arrangement because you’re in love.

At least, that’s what you thought.

“A shame. You continue to be a useless disappointment in this organization.” she tells you. “If it were me, I’d do it.”

“Well, Uraume. It isn’t you. You know why?” you spit back, shoving by Sukuna with the intention of leaving when you’ve said your piece. “Because you are his subordinate. I am his wife.” and with that, you leave.

Uraume is unfazed, however, which would infuriate you more if you were around to see it. Instead you’re leaving with your handbag in tow. You’re stopped, however, when you reach the exit. Sukuna’s men are holding you hostage on his orders. He hasn’t followed you to see if you’re okay. He’s still talking to Yuuji and Uraume as you pace around an empty meeting room.

You’ve always hated this building. Every time you come for a meeting here you’re nauseated by an overwhelming mechanical smell. It’s the office supplies, you assume. The copy machines and printers whir all day and night, the perfect operation taking place to disguise Sukuna’s general misdeeds.

Around twenty minutes later, you’re no longer alone.

Sukuna enters the room and shuts the door behind himself. Your eyes water as you instantly read his expression. You know there’s another way, but he’s obviously made his decision. Uraume’s influence played a part, you don’t doubt.

“I don’t want to. I love you…” you cry. “She’s trying to—”

“Enough.” he silences you, curling his finger. A simple instruction for you to follow him. “I haven’t decided yet, come along.”

He brings you back to the meeting room where you were sitting earlier. He commands Uraume and Yuuji to leave, and they do, Yuuji leaves his phone behind so Sukuna can call Megumi’s phone again.

“I don’t want to share you.” he confesses, pulling you into his lap as he spins the phone in his hand. Each thud against the desk makes your anxiety spike. “Uraume is right, though. It’s a tempting offer for the sake of a few measly minutes.”

“I don’t want to fuck him, Sukuna.” you pout. “I can’t believe you’re even considering it! What if he’s lying and will keep asking to fuck me? I don’t want everyone to find out about it and think I’m some whore. Do you—” you stop, a large knot gets stuck in your throat as you try to remain composed. You feel sick to your stomach, and you hate that you even have to ask. “Do you even love me anymore… Sukuna…” you ask, lower lip trembling as you speak.

“I do, of course I still love you.” he tries to assure you, but it feels half-hearted at best. “I’d prefer you to make a decision; but I want it to be the right one. And remember, you agreed to let me use you. And I will use you for whatever purpose I desire, if that means letting other men use your cunt for the sake of peace… then…”

“’Kuna…”

“I’m talking now.” he stops you, grabbing your cheeks in his hand and squeezing until your lips pucker. “You better spread those pretty legs nice ‘n wide for daddy, I want you to make me proud.”

He lets go, slowly, and uses a single finger to call Megumi back.

It rings.

And it rings.

And it rings—

“You mull it over?” Toji answers, his cockiness radiating through the phone. “Who am I speaking to? Sukuna?”

“I’m here.” he answers, he bounces his thigh, a silent instruction for you to announce yourself. And, for him, you do. “We’ve thought about it.”

“And?” Toji speaks.

Sukuna looks up at you, expecting you to do the honours of answering. His face is stoic and it makes your heart sink. He really wants you to agree to this. This is the first time since you’ve been with him that’s he’s made you feel like the object you agreed to be, for him. You thought it was out of love. Maybe even respect.

You were a fool to think that, you see that now.

You take a deep breath, and your whole body shakes. Even the little breaths you take to steel yourself warble and you try and gain the confidence to tell Toji that you agree.

Sukuna agrees, you don’t.

“We’re not interested.” you tell him. Sukuna glares at you, and you swear you see flames licking through his pupils. You try to stand up, but you’re trapped. He holds you, tight, and you worry about what you’ve let yourself in for. “Sukuna, get off.” you try to warn him off quietly, but it only increases his grip.

He mutes the call, and fingers sink harshly into the fat of your hips as he lifts you up. You land on the large meeting table with a thud as he towers above you with a dangerous glint in his eye.

“You dare disobey me?” he starts. You flinch as he raises his hand, the rings on his fingers twinkle under the fluorescent lights in the room. He doesn’t hit you, and you can’t tell if that’s what he was considering. He’s never struck you before. But, thinking about it, you’ve never defied him before. He balls his hand into a fist, a singular finger breaking free as he points in your face. “I don’t think you understood me before. Did you get confused?” he asks, voice dripping with condescension as his eyes alternate between your shimmering eyes and tremoring lip.

You ignore him, you just stare at him as you wait for him to finish.

“Understand me now. You are mine. Your life, your clothes, the bed you sleep in? Mine. Your body is mine. Your cunt is barely yours, I own her.”

“You said the decision was mine to—”

“I said I want you to make the decision I’m telling you to make. I’m not giving you a choice, I was giving you the power to make the decision yourself. But I see now, you’re too dumb to make the right call without daddy’s help.”

You sniff, picking up the phone to your side and unmuting the call. You’re surprised Toji is still on the other end, perhaps he knew that you’d gone against orders and was waiting to hear your reconsideration. He doesn’t say a word, nor does Sukuna, as you continue to sniffle and gather your bearings.

“T-Toji?” you whimper, and you hear an amused breath on the other end.

“Yes, darlin’, I’m here.” he speaks. His voice is somewhat soothing given the circumstances. Your lovers fiery stare remains on you. He and your very own body are imploring you to make the decision he’s expecting of you. But your heart, your mind, tell you otherwise. If Sukuna kills you, so be it.

“I’m sorry. I don’t want to sleep with you, I love Sukuna too m-much.” you whimper, tears cascade down your face as you look at him. Even after this, after how he’s spoken to you and what he’s trying to make you do, you can’t help but love him. Even his face softens as he hears your plea. Your utter devotion to him makes his heart skip a beat.

There may even be a slither of remorse behind his eyes.

“You’re a real good girl, aren’tcha? So loyal… It’s hard to find girls like you.” Toji responds, and it snaps Sukuna out of his daze. The looming anger returns as he realises you’ve ignored direct orders twice now. “Tell ya what… Sukuna, you still there?”

“… I’m here.” he responds, slouching down in the seat he’d been sitting in previously. It’s odd, looking down at him like this. He looks deflated, like he doesn’t know how to handle you. Maybe he does still love you, after all. He doesn’t want to hurt you or kill you, he’s wrestling with it. If you were like his subordinates you’d be dead already.

He doesn’t know what to do with you.

“Princess, would you feel better if Sukuna was there?” he asks. You both look at each other, unsure of what he’s getting at. The idea infuriates Sukuna. Why on earth would he want to sit like some cuck while one of his enemies rails his girlfriend? “I don’t need you to myself, I just want to fuck you.”

“Um… oh.” you speak, the penny finally dropping. “I like that better.” you confess.

“Mm, I’ll bet.” Toji smirks. “Alright, I’ll make arrangements.”

“Go find Yuuji and go home.” Sukuna whispers as Toji continues to speak. He barely looks at you as you slide off the desk. So you don’t even bother saying goodbye. You’re still so fucking angry at him for all of this. But, really, you can’t help but feel like he isn’t pulling the strings here.

Not really.

You find Yuuji outside vaping, and he chokes when he sees you. He desperately attempts to swat the plume of smoke away, but it’s too late. You take the device from his hand and drop it on the ground.

“Enough.” you tell him, crushing it beneath the chunky platform and heel of your boot while looking him dead in the eye. “Stop buying them.”

“Sorry.” he chuckles. “Want me to take you home?”

“Yes,” you sigh. “The long way… if you don’t mind.”

He nods, understandingly.

Maybe you chose the wrong Itadori to fall in love with.

You hadn’t realised how close Toji’s apartment is to yours and Sukuna’s. You never even knew he existed until a few days ago. And yet, now, you’re in the elevator on your way up to the penthouse suite.

The preparation into this night, which you’re sure will amount to a few grunts and thrusts from each of them before they’re panting and bored, has been substantial.

Sukuna agreed to let Toji cover the cost of everything, which surprised you. Sukuna is a proud man, he’s proud of himself and the money he makes. And he’s especially proud of his possessions.

Most of all, you.

You’ve been accompanied by Yuuji and Megumi for the last week everywhere you go. And they’ve bickered about everything.

As you were sitting in the hair salon earlier, Yuuji insisted upon how Sukuna would like your hair to look, whilst Megumi argued about what Toji would prefer.

They argued when they took you clothes shopping about what kind of outfit you should wear. They argued about what colour lingerie you should wear. Hell, they even argued about what perfume would be best.

You didn’t have the energy to intervene, however, not when it feels like your world is crumbling around you. You’ve lost Sukuna, you think. You aren’t sure how or when it happened, but you don’t see love in his eyes anymore. And it’s a fool’s gambit to try and force that love back.

Now, you’re just a toy he’s grown tired of.

The elevator stops with a ding as you reach the top. Your stomach is doing somersaults, and you’re a little taken aback as Sukuna takes your hand in his. The reassuring squeeze he offers calms you immensely as he leads you out directly into the apartment.

“Welcome.” Megumi greets you both. He gestures to a bottle champagne and three pre-poured flutes filled with the gorgeous, bubbly liquid. You don’t notice until you get closer that there’s even strawberries drowning in the glasses. “Make yourselves at home, he won’t be long.” Megumi speaks, gesturing to the modern staircase that leads upstairs.

And with that, he leaves. He enters the elevator and waves as the doors shut, taking him all of the way to the ground floor. You can’t help but wonder where he’s going. Maybe, despite all of the bickering, he and Yuuji are planning to go out and have fun together while their bosses are occupied.

You feel sick.

Everyone’s going to find out about this. Everyone is going to have you down as a slut who trades her body for the sake of gang disputes. The naïve nature within you is telling you that this is a one time thing. That you made the choice and you only made it because there is something so alluring about Toji.

But, really, after this… you fear that you may be better off dead.

“Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” Toji speaks as he announces himself, slowly descending the stairs as he drinks you in. His shirt is open, revealing his glorious body beneath. Each move he makes is teasing, only subtly showing off his musculature that glistens beneath. “You look beautiful, sweetheart.” he tells you.

His hand settles on your hip as he kisses your cheek. It’s gentle, yet forceful, and it lasts a beat longer than you had expected. The feeling of his lips is cemented against your face, and it takes every ounce of willpower that you have to not hold your cheek longingly.

“Glad you could make it, both of you.” Toji expresses, looking at Sukuna briefly before focusing on you again. He can’t get enough of you. He can’t stop ogling your perfect body in the skintight, chocolate coloured dress you’re wearing. The way your breasts slightly spill over the bust, the way the plunge shows the perfect amount of cleavage, the way a huge slit down the side perfectly showcases one of your legs and teases the treasure at the apex of your thighs.

He picks up two glasses, handing them to you and Sukuna, before grabbing his own.

“To peace.” he smirks. Sukuna chuckles and repeats his sentiment, though you’re silent. You aren’t exactly proud of yourself for doing this for the sake of peace.

But at the very least, you might have a little fun. You take a small sip, while Sukuna and Toji’s glasses are bare. Toji tops them up, and they chat as if they’re old friends.

“I’m sure you didn’t invite us over just to make nice, Zen’in.” Sukuna comments, and Toji laughs but nods. Sukuna sets down his champagne flute, tilting your head up by your chin with two dominant fingers. “She won’t object to anything. Isn’t that right, princess?” he asks, and you nod.

Toji finishes his drink again, circling around you both to stand behind you. Sukuna sits down, already pouring his third drink of the evening as he watches how you choose to behave. You’re not going to defy again, though. Not when you agreed of your own accord.

Your gaze narrows as your eyelids become heavy from Toji’s presence behind you. He softly gropes and manhandles every inch of your body. And even the areas you wouldn’t normally consider sensitive have you shuddering under his touch.

He attacks your exposed thigh, dragging the back of his nails upwards towards your pussy as his teeth lightly graze your pulse point. You emit a vociferous moan as his fingers splay outward, his digits barely breaching the material of your dress and yet somehow stimulating your immediately drenched cunt.

“I think she likes me.” he sighs against your skin, maintaining complete eye contact with Sukuna as he feels you up. “This dress was made for you, baby.” he tells you, kissing softly behind your ear.

“Look,” Sukuna starts, standing up as he looms above you. He pulls down the bust, revealing the black mesh bra underneath. Your nipples are barely covered, perfectly visible to all eyes in the room. He cups your breasts, and his thumbs repeatedly swipe over the raised buds. “They’re so hard, princess. Is this exciting you?” he asks.

You nod, dumbly. He captures your lips in a deep kiss and you moan into it. Toji reaches forwards over your shoulder, grabbing a handful of your tit as he squeezes the flesh and lightly flicks the nipple. His other hand settles in the curve of your hip, and you yelp slightly into Sukuna’s mouth as he pulls you backwards against his body.

“Feel how hard you’re makin’ me already, darlin’?” he asks, sharp canines nipping lightly against your bare neck as he pants shallowly against your skin. “Haven’t even touched your pussy yet and I’m aching. Haven’t even seen your fuckin’ panties.”

“Strip her, go on.” Sukuna orders. He backs away as he allows Toji to move you wherever he desires.

You gasp as you feel him move you with ease until your bent over the countertop, your face turns to the side to face Sukuna and the bucket of champagne. You’re distracted by the water droplets slowly traversing down until you hear Toji gnarl against the nape of your neck.

You can’t help but whimper when you feel him repeatedly kiss your bare skin until he reaches the zip of your dress. Sukuna stares into your eyes. Watery, eager eyes that are still focused on him without him even touching you. The red irises that own you and your every move, Toji was right, you are a good loyal girl.

Toji takes the zip between his teeth and pulls downward until the dress shucks from your body, it starts to pool at your feet, but still clings to your waist. Sukuna helps yank it downwards, while Toji lands a harsh strike against your supple rear. He whistles at the sight of your flesh jiggling, repeating the action on the opposite cheek just to see it again.

“Do you know how to use that mouth, princess?” Toji asks, and you nod.

“She knows how to talk shit with it.” Sukuna informs him, and Toji smirks. “But she gives good head, too. Get on your knees.” Sukuna tells you.

And you drop like a stone in front of Toji, you’re sure your knees will be red raw from the uncomfortable landing. You watch Toji with complete focus as he unbuckles his belt. Your eyes stay on his, getting the perfect view of his defined abs and large pecs as you stare up at him. The metal of his belt echoes through the room as he throws it in Sukuna’s direction.

You’re awestruck when Toji’s length is revealed. He’s beautiful. You don’t even realise you’re drooling until the bubbly liquid drips down and splats against your hand. He’s huge. Sukuna is too, but Toji might have him slightly bested. His cock curves upwards, and you can’t help squirm as you think about it hitting all of the right spots inside of you.

His pubic hair is trimmed perfectly. You wonder if he usually keeps himself groomed or if he only did it for this occasion. His tip is gorgeous. A slightly more blush pink in comparison to the rest of his cock. And it’s oozing. It’s shimmering with pre, the tip is completely covered and some of his length below is coated too.

“I’m gonna kill you if you keep staring at his cock like that, princess.” Sukuna warns you. You look at him, worry stabbing through your eyes before Toji grabs your jaw and forces you to focus on him again. He bends down, his face dangerously close to yours.

“He might kill you later, but I’m gonna kill you now if you don’t hurry and put that pretty mouth to work.” he snarls. You nod, widening your mouth to accommodate his girth. He groans, passionately, as his tip hits against your restrictive throat. “Fuuuuuck, good girl.”

You hold his hips as you attempt to take him deeper and deeper into your mouth. Your jaw already hurts, you feel like you might need the ability to unhinge it like a snake just to take him. It’s a similar experience with Sukuna, though he doesn’t make you suck him off often. He prefers your cunt, he doesn’t like to waste time on foreplay normally.

Only if he’s particularly stressed.

“You’re right, she’s a good little cocksucker.” he tells Sukuna as he praises you. He lightly combs his fingers through your hair with one hand before he forcefully shoves you to take his full length. And you cry out, you sob, and he slightly pulls out before shoving back in. “Are you gonna sit and watch me face fuck your toy?” Toji asks, earning a scoff from Sukuna.

He bends down, picking up the belt Toji discarded as he approaches. “Watch.” he orders. You gasp as Toji sets you free so that you’re true lover can take over. He wraps Toji’s belt around your neck but doesn’t completely fasten it, giving them both the freedom to tug and choke you into submission if needs be.

Sukuna removes his own belt, handing it to Toji to do with whatever he pleases. You whimper as he pulls your wrists behind your back, tying them together with the uncomfortable leather binding.

He pulls out his cock, slapping you lightly across the face with it as you wait patiently with your tongue hanging out. You mewl at he taps his tip against your tastebuds, the taste of his pre instantly permeates your senses.

Two hands settle on either side of your skull as he sinks his cock into your drooling mouth. He throws his head back, groaning as he slots in comfortably. He wastes no time, thrusting into your mouth again and again until you’re sputtering and sobbing.

“She cries easily, huh?” Toji drawls as he strokes himself.

Sukuna nods, forcing you down all of the way to the base until you’re choking. You can’t even steady yourself anymore with your wrists being bound. You can’t breathe and you can’t push away. He pinches your nose when you remember you can breathe through it, suffocating you completely.

“Aw, what’s wrong darlin’? Not gonna break so soon, are ya?” Toji asks, grabbing the makeshift collar and leash around your neck as he softly pulls. But he lets go as Sukuna frees you from his malicious clutches.

They both laugh as you cough and sputter, collapsing into a heap on the ground as you try and get your breath back.

“What’s wrong? You don’t like it?” Sukuna asks. He picks you up with ease, and you’re soon bent over the counter again. But, this time, your feet don’t touch the ground. You’re left there, powerless to their touch with your ass perfectly raised while your feet and legs dangle helplessly over the edge.

Toji spreads your ass apart, and the stickiness sounding through the room is deafening. He sneers when it hits his ears. “She’s lying.” he spanks you, hard. And then his fingers toy between your pussy lips, making a complete and utter mess of your panties. “Do you like old men picking on you, hm? You must do. Can you feel how sloppy this cunt is, princess?” he asks.

You whimper out apologies, though they don’t seem to be interested. Toji picks you back up, throwing you over his shoulder as he carries you towards the stairs. Sukuna follows, a wicked grin on his face as he observes your tear-stricken face.

“Does she like anal?” Toji wonders.

“She likes whatever I tell her to like.” Sukuna laughs. “Would you like that, baby? Should we use both of your pretty holes?”

“Can’t wait to tear these fuckin’ panties off ya.” Toji explains. “Dunno why you bothered coming here with clothes on. Should have come bare, with a bow on your head.”

You enter Toji’s bedroom. And it’s gorgeous. It’s so sleek and stunning and there’s even a fireplace crackling away. The atmosphere is romantic, but this situation is hardly that.

Sukuna strokes your cheek, a subtle check to make sure you’re okay as he looks into your eyes. You nod, discreetly, before he slips his thumb between your teeth. You bite down, softly, and he can’t help but smile.

“Think this is the quietest she’s ever been,” Sukuna starts. He massages his thumb into your tongue, and you can’t help but instinctively suck. “Bein’ so good for daddy tonight.” he praises you.

“Daddy, huh?” Toji smirks, taking two fistfuls of your panties between his hands and tears them apart carelessly. “Hope you’ll call me that, sweetheart.”

You look to Sukuna for permission, and he nods. “Just this once.”

“Real pretty girl when you’re suckin’ on somethin’.” Toji comments. He sits on the bed beside you, lifting you up abruptly to sit on his lap. He unhooks your bra and Sukuna seamlessly breaks the straps between heavy fists, ripping it quickly from your body without undoing your bindings. “Suck ‘em while I play with this sweet little cunt.” Toji groans against you as he pulls your back flush against his chest.

Sukuna lightly slaps your tits before walking away. You watch him as he takes a seat in the corner of the room, and he’s become exactly what he hadn’t wanted to. He looks unfazed, though. He seems to be enjoying it if anything. He pulls a cigar from his inner breast pocket along with a lighter, he rests his ankle on his knee as he watches Toji toy with you.

“Watch him, want him to see how good I make you feel.” Toji whispers. He presses two fingers into your mouth slowly. The metal of his rings clang against your teeth, but you don’t care. You wish you could hold his hands as you suckle and lap at his digits. Though you’re broken from your efforts as he starts to circle your clit. “Mmm, such a messy pussy.” he comments.

You wriggle and squirm even with such little pressure applied to your clit. He runs his fingers through your folds, teasing your hole only slightly before he massages your swollen clit again and again.

“—addy!” you whine, unable to sit still as he torments you.

“Hear that? She called me daddy.” Toji chortles, looking at Sukuna. He smirks, but again seems more unfazed than anything. You almost screech around his fingers as he finally inserts his other digits inside of you. As if they weren’t already thick, more metallic rings seem determined to push your pussy to the limit. “You’re gonna make a mess f’me. Alright? Don’t fight me.”

He inserts a third finger between your lips, your mouth contorts and stretches uncomfortably, and still, you suck.

He digs around inside of you like he’s searching for something in particular. And when your legs begin to jolt and quiver, he deduces he’s found it quick enough. His ministrations are almost evil as he alternates between hard and slow fingering. It’s so intense, so excruciating that you can barely concentrate on his fingers in your mouth.

“Can’t see your face, baby. You still with us?” he asks, and you can only offer a barely intelligible response. Sukuna leans forward in his chair as he smokes, uncaring for where he flicks the ash. It’s the last thing on Toji’s mind, too. Especially when you’re already losing consciousness like this. “They’re just fingers, darlin’. Gonna go stupid for my cock if you can’t even handle this.” he laughs.

“Slap her cunt.” Sukuna tells him. And soon enough Toji is landing a hard enough spank to your puffy clit. You mewl, so he repeats it. Again and again. Harder and harder. “Finger her, I’ll do it.”

Toji puts his fingers back inside of your tight walls and finds that spot again. Sukuna lords above you, cigar resting between the gentle bite of his teeth as he spanks your cunt hard. It makes you dizzy, almost delirious. The conflicting feelings of pain and pleasure make your eyes water.

“Crying again.” he says as he spanks your pussy again. “Who knew two cocks would make you so obedient and submissive?”

“And we haven’t even fucked her yet.” Toji reminds him, and he smirks. “I should have invaded your turf a long time ago if I knew it would get us here.”

“Hm,” Sukuna hums. Your breath hitches, and he raises an eyebrow in suspicion. “She’s going to cum. Is she getting tight?”

“Like she’s gonna break my fingers.” Toji smirks. And with a few more spanks against your clit as Toji continuously batters his fingers into your g-spot, you’re cumming harder than you ever have in your life. Sukuna doesn’t move away as he feels you douse him with the thick stream shooting from your cunt. “Oh fuck. You’re a little squirter, huh. Or a big squirter, look at the fuckin’ mess you made of us, dirty girl. Told ya you would.” he teases you, not letting up on your insides as he tries to draw every last drop of your arousal from you.

It's not like it’s the first time you’ve squirted.

But you’ve never squirted that much before.

Your mouth is free as Toji pulls out his fingers, and you feel a chill as he wipes your saliva against the column of your spine. You’re surprised when you feel him undo the belt keeping your wrists together. And you’re even more surprised as he helps you straddle him properly.

He squeezes your ass as you begin to rut your hips against his cock, the tip catches against your hole as he holds cups your cheek and offers you a showstopping, tongue tangling kiss. You yelp as Sukuna yanks your hair until your vision is his face at an almost upside down angle. He spits in your mouth, crudely, before releasing your hair.

You don’t bother swallowing it as Toji brings you back to him and locks his lips with yours. He couldn’t care less that Sukuna had spat in your mouth. You’d already sucked his cock, what did it matter to him?

“You’re so well trained, princess.” he smirks. He stands up, and you instantly wrap your legs around his waist. He places you flat against the bed, nibbling on your collarbone before he nips and kisses downward. Further and further and further. “Let daddy taste you.” he demands, and you nod.

Sukuna holds your underarms and pulls you until your head droops backward, lolling over the edge of the mattress.

You wince as he slots his cock between your lips again, and he loosens the tightness of the belt still around your neck. The slight choking feeling is replaced with his hand, intent on feeling your throat bulge from the broadness of his cock.

Your legs cramp around Toji’s head as he gets to work feasting on your folds. If not for Sukuna’s length stuffing your throat, you’d be screaming at the way he suctions his lips around your clit. He licks and sucks again and again until your mind goes blank.

“That’s a good toy,” Sukuna chuckles darkly. “Stop thinking, now, we’ll do that for you.”

Toji can’t get enough of your taste. He can’t help but stroke himself as he pleasures you, and he grunts again and again against your heat. The fingers on his free hand sink into your doughy thighs. He’s doing all he can do to make sure you stay put. And he wants his face to be suffocated by your cunt.

Sukuna pulls out, determined not to cum this way. He’ll only cum if he’s doing so directly into your womb. He drops to his knees, helping you up a little so you can look down at the man about to give you your second orgasm of the evening. Your head sags against Sukuna’s broad shoulder, but you manage to look through barely open eyelids to see raven locks shaking and swaying as he lashes his tongue against your clit.

“’m gonna c-cum, daddy… fuck.” you mutter, unsure if you’re referring to Sukuna or Toji. Neither of them seem to care, though, they’re more focused on your wobbly thighs and spasming cunt. “Ngghh—!” you wail.

Toji slurps up your mess as you squirt all over his face. He laughs, scar pulling deliciously as he tries to catch your essence in his wide, smiling mouth. He sticks his tongue out before attaching his lips directly against the source again.

And even he’s panting when you’re finished. Completely satisfied from this alone.

Though his eyes and mind are full of desire as he fantasises about how close he is to feeling you wrapped around him.

“I want her pussy.” Toji insists, and Sukuna shrugs his shoulders.

Sukuna scoops you into his arms, and the two of them help position your near lifeless body between them. Though your pseudo-husband is the first to shove his cock into your drooling slot. Toji scowls, prepared to pull you away from him if needs be.

“I said—”

“And?” Sukuna responds. “Fuck her pussy, then.”

Toji is frozen, unsure of what he means. But they keep eye contact as Sukuna fully sheathes himself to the hilt. Toji’s gaze only falters when he hears you moan from the stretch. You look up at him, your sweet doe eyes absolutely sodden with tears. And still, you bite your lip as you lose yourself to the bliss of being an object.

“Oh, princess,” Toji smirks, kissing the tip of your nose before he lines his cock up with your hole. “Gonna have to break this little pussy, ‘cause your daddy’s so selfish.” he tells you.

He hisses as he breaches inside of you, and your head falls forward to rest on his chest. They both hush you and coo sweetly as their cocks tear you apart. You aren’t sure which of them he was calling selfish, but really, it’s both.

They could have taken turns if they both wanted you this way.

But they were hellbent on double stuffing you.

Their hips move in tandem, neither of them giving you a single moment to catch your breath as they bully their cocks into you again and again. You’re screaming out moans as they pummel your insides. You’re bound to be aching and bruised tomorrow. You don’t care, though, not right now. And they certainly don’t. Not when your tight little hole feels so Goddamn perfect.

“Fuck— fuck,” Toji grunts. “Don’t wanna pull out.”

“D—on’t.” you squeak out, and they both let out a little laugh each at your weak request.

“She’s a little cum slut, can’t get enough. Fill her up, fuck if I care. Want this little pussy bred, baby? Hm? Want your daddy’s to fuck you full’a kids?” Sukuna teases. And you nod, it’s weak, pathetic, but determined. “Goooood girl, ‘m close.”

“I’m close as well, I’m gonna fuckin’ lose it.” Toji announces, his thrusts becoming sloppier and more staggered.

The change in pace has you clenching, the third and final nail in your coffin as your pussy begins to gush for them both. They’re both a little embarrassed, flushing red in the face as your tightening hole leads to both of their mutual demise.

“That’s it, take it, little slut.” Sukuna commands as he empties his balls inside of you. Toji is no better, the obscene names seem like second nature to them both.

“Fuck, look at her stomach.” Toji snickers. Sukuna looks down to see your tummy swollen with their cocks and cum.

They both pull out, wholly beguiled as your body collapses onto the bed in a heap. You’re practically asleep as they position you onto your stomach and split your legs apart to see how their sperm leaks out of your twitching cunt.

“I want another go.” Toji smirks, unable to pull his eyes away from your glittering slit.

“Let her rest a little.” Sukuna tells him. “I’m not done with her, either.”

You’re tired.

You’re so tired of coming to these fucking meetings.

Sukuna walks through the building with you close by. His arm around you, protectively. Somehow, you think the encounter with his rival has made him love you more. He’s been clingier, lately, which isn’t like him. He never wants to let you out of his sight, or his grasp.

He’s been using you more too.

It’s like how things were in the beginning again.

You’re sure everyone knows what happened. Eyes are on you, and their full of judgement. It hurts, of course, but there’s nothing to be done. Sukuna was right: you agreed. You did it for him and yet out of the two men who were supposed to deal with this amongst themselves, you’re the only one paying the price.

Nobody cares if their boss had a threesome.

Everyone cares if his girlfriend got used like a slut though.

Mostly, you can’t bring yourself to care. As you sit down beside Sukuna, his hand rests on your thigh while you scan everyone’s shame-filled faces. You’d challenge any of them to care what others think of them after the night you had.

It was mind blowing.

To be dominated thoroughly by the two biggest men you’ve ever met like that is a feeling you can’t begin to describe. To feel so small and worthless in comparison to them. For your body to be used in whatever manner they see fit and for them to still allow you to cum despite your purpose being for their enjoyment…

You haven’t stopped thinking about it.

About them.

About him.

Sukuna’s hand leaves your thigh as he addresses the room. Explaining how Toji miraculously decided to back off after a firm warning. No one believes it, but everyone is happy enough. But there’s always going to be issues and problems when you’re involved in illegal activity. So despite your nose being buried in your phone, you can’t say you’re surprised when you hear Sukuna move onto the next issue.

Uraume sees you smirking as your fingers tap away at your keyboard. And it makes her smirk, too.

Toji insisted that you put your number in his phone when you spent the night. Sukuna was using the bathroom, and he forced his phone into your shaky fingers. You were panicking, but you typed fast.

You’ve been texting non-stop ever since.

Uraume thinks you’re a naïve fool.

She knows exactly what you’re doing because this is what she had envisioned from the very start. She orchestrated everything. She invited Toji’s foot soldiers to start operating their business on Sukuna’s turf; just like she is the one who informed Sukuna of the invasion with such haste and loyalty.

She is the one who hinted at where they might find you that day you were shopping with Yuuji. And she is the one who let slip to Toji what your arrangement with Sukuna is.

Sukuna respects Uraume, but he doesn’t give her nearly enough credit.

She has managed perfectly to drive a wedge between you that neither of you even know is there yet. His lack of respect for your body has driven you into the willing arms of another man. Only through texting, for now, but before long that won’t be enough for you. Sukuna’s jealousy and possessiveness have made him love you more, the scales have tipped the other way and it is all to benefit Uraume.

Sukuna will find out, she’ll make sure of that.

And whether he kills you or casts you aside, it matters not to her. Because his heart will be broken either way; and she will be there to pick up the pieces. Sukuna hates how jealous you are of Uraume. But neither of you have a single solitary clue that she’s thinking all of this through right now.

Uraume feels a little bad for you, your intuition is keen. But Sukuna will never suspect a thing. You’re just insecure, he thinks. But Uraume applauds you for having your guard up about her.

You were right to worry.

© 2023 rinhaler

However, it’s not every day you meet people that genuinely want to put the people who wronged you behind bars. She doesn’t really know why the two lawyers were so persistent with pushing the case to a victorious close, but she knows it would be a lie to say she didn’t share the sentiments with them.

If the walls of her room could talk, it would probably speak on her behalf from the pain Jinyoung had put her through.

“I know how uneasy it is for you to be filmed, but we need a recording of your account for this case,” Taehyung calmly says, understanding the discomfort of what being interrogated feels like. “Whenever you’re ready, Ms. Lee,” she took a deep breath before finally starting.

“I am Lee Aera. I was one of the high school students invited to the party where I met Atty. Park Jinyoung at a house party. It was the 5th of August when he assaulted me,” her hands trembled as she slowly recounted the incident. “My friends and I were invited to come and although I’d have to admit that I went to meet other people, being filmed against my will was not one of them,” she makes herself clear.

“Can you tell us your relationship with Jinyoung? Were you friends?” Aera shook her head when Jimin asked.

“No, I met him for the first time there. He introduced himself and had a small talk with him”

“How did you end up with Jinyoung that night given that the two of you weren’t friends?” Taehyung asked. Her voice started to tremble as she spoke, trying to rely on her memory, hoping that it wouldn’t mess up the integration.

“I remember him getting me drinks. That’s how I assumed he slipped a drug in because I’m only on my first cup of alcohol, and I don’t get drunk fast,” she takes a deep breath as she readied herself, “I also know I was drugged because my body felt numb, but I can still clearly remember how he insisted on bringing me upstairs to sober up until my legs gave out.”

She sobbed as she continued telling her story, “He forcefully removed my clothes and t-touched me. I…I was there on the bed, naked and cold, while he filmed me with his phone”

“Ms. Lee – I’m sorry for my vocabulary – but we just need a clear answer, did he finger you?”

Slowly, she nodded with a blush of embarrassment creeping across her cheeks, “Y-yes, yes he did. He filmed it while he said how I was as tight as a virgin and uploaded it on a porn site for everyone to feast on.” 

Her tears started to fall even more as her breathing pattern erratically changed, “I was just 15 at that time! I was basically a child, who didn’t know much of the world around her, yet he robbed me of living my life normally! He said that if I told anyone about it…I’d bring shame to my whole family, and for the longest time, I believed him.”

Both men looked at her with sympathy as she cried uncontrollably. They wished it was only just filming. Sadly, they know to only expect the worst in cases like these. The worst part of it is having the unconsented videos uploaded online. But from a lawyer’s perspective, this is a good lead to gather important evidence they can use against Jinyoung.

“Sorry to ask you about this, Ms. Lee, but do you know which sites he uploaded the videos too?” Taehyung asked, still mindful of her current state, but Aera tried to collect herself and nodded.

“I only found one website where he went by the username GirlsOnCam. He blurred out our faces and kept himself anonymous behind the camera.” Clearly, he had planned his dirty secret very well. He knows how to be careful as it might be used against him if he gets caught. 

They finally let Aera go and thanked her for her compliance with the case, assuring her that all her efforts will never be put to waste as they were still actively reaching out to the other victims. 

Apparently, there is a private online forum where sexual assault victims support each other, and it just so happened that Aera was part of it. She makes a post stating that there is a case against her abuser in the works and if anyone who had been a victim of him should come forward when they’re finally ready.

Her post garnered traction as she received a lot of messages from other victims asking how they could help to which she gladly gave out the Kim and Min Law’s office hotline. To put it practically, Taehyung and Jimin thought it would take long for them to find the other women, but thanks to Aera’s help, a lot of victims came forward to share their accounts and encounters with the abuser in question.

All of their accounts shared the same pattern – Jinyoung introducing himself as a friend, having their drinks spiked, and then filming them once they agreed to go with him upstairs. They noticed how he touched more feeble women, while he only took videos of those whose personalities were too extroverted for his liking. 

There was a bit of relief inside of Taehyung with the thought that you turned him down multiple times while the other half of seething anger rested deep within as he watched your footage on his computer screen. 

Unfortunately for Jinyoung, he wasn’t as smart as he thought he was when Prosecutor Son paused the video, “Take a screenshot of this frame, he’s wearing a ring. Go through all the other videos and screenshot frames where it gets on camera. I’ll email it first thing in the morning to have the images enhanced.”

Jimin found working long hours on the case too stressful, and Taehyung sulking in the corner wasn’t helping. So in an attempt to somewhat clear their minds, he literally had to beg his best friend to grab coffee at a nearby coffee shop.

Maybe Jimin did have good ideas sometimes? The coffee shop they went to had a nice vibe to it. It wasn’t too busy, and the ambiance was great.

“You wanna know what’s funny? We pretended to be lawyers when we were kids because Seokjin hyung looked so cool with his glasses on. Now that we’re actually practicing law, it isn't as fun as we thought it would be but hey, at least we look cooler now,” Taehyung chuckled at the memory. 

The Parks have always been close family friends to the Kims, so it was no surprise that they’d grown closer growing up. He clearly remembers when Namjoon was still in middle school while Seokjin was preparing for college to take up his pre-law. As kids, they snooped around Seokjin who was busy studying his readings with his glasses on with awe.

“And we always thought ‘objection your honor’ was the answer to everything,” they laughed as they re-enacted it on their seats until a familiar face walked in. 

“Park? Kim? Well, I’ll be damned,” Jackson grinned as he made his way to greet them, “How have you guys been? It’s been a while!”

“Well, if it isn’t the nation’s IT boy, Atty. Wang himself. Looks like this son of a gun is still alive,” He playfully kicked Jimin’s foot as he teased him, making the coffee on the table shake, which Taehyung and Jimin hurriedly saved. The three of them laughed heartily as they joked about being caffeine dependent.

In the middle of their sudden catch-up, Taehyung looked at Jackson’s ring. He tried to remember why it seemed so familiar until it finally hit him – Jackson and Jinyoung were in the same fraternity. Jimin seemed to have noticed Taehyung’s fixated eyes, so he cocks a brow while sending a telepathic ‘What’s up?’ his way.

Clearing his throat, Taehyung tells Jackson, “Nice ring you’ve got there.” Jackson wasn’t expecting anyone to compliment his jewelry, so he was more than happy to show it off.

“This one? It’s my fraternity ring from law school. Each of my brothers has one with their own initials on it at the top instead of a diamond,” he took off the ring and showed the emblem at the top for the two lawyers to see, “If you’d see mine, I have a JW for Jackson Wang. Right there. See?”

“Oh boy, I wonder how they spelled out Jinyoung’s initials,” Jimin tensely sipped on his coffee. “Tae, why don’t you take a picture of the ring for–uh– you know, ring design reference..?” It was a good thing that impromptu speaking was one of Jimin's forte, with the way he suggested the idea while pointing to the item.

“Why are you looking for design inspiration, Kim?” 

Taehyung’s brows shut up, faking a laugh in the process, “Oh I uh I’m getting married, but my fiance wants a unique looking band for the rings”

 Jackson happily hugged Taehyung as he congratulated him, “You and marriage? Who would have thought!”

“Got lucky with her, I guess,” He timidly shrugged.

With so much excitement, Jackson urged Taehyung to pull his phone out to take photos of his fraternity ring, turning it in various angles to have a better look at the design. Mentally, Taehyung and Jimin were giving each other high fives. They thought that maybe luck was on their side and everything would turn out okay in the end. 

A sigh of relief escaped their lips when Jackson finally bid his farewell to catch another meeting nearby, “Jesus fucking christ that was a close call! Thank god he’s cooperative and enthusiastic about your wedding, man,” Jimin says while soothing his chest with his left hand.

While scrolling through the photos of the ring he took earlier, Taehyung thought of the same thing, “I’m sending these to Prosecutor Son”

A week after collecting all the accounts from the victims who bravely stepped forward and waiting for the photoconversion to high-resolution, not to mention how much time their team spent trying to match Jackson and Jinyoung’s rings, they’ve finally reached the final nail to the coffin. 

“Expect him behind bars 3 days from now,” Prosecutor Son edified with delight. Proud of how fast and smoothly gathering everything went.

Surprises were never really your thing, but not for your fiance. He loved spoiling you when you least expect it, and just his every other random gift and notes, Taehyung was both happy and nervous to share the news with you.

The question at hand is how to break it to you without making everything hard for you while wedding preparations are ongoing?

You handed in your resignation a few days ago, and truthfully, no matter how people would look down on those who worked in a field where sex sells, you’ll miss working at Axis. It was your stepping stone in providing a good life for your brother and where you met women who taught how to be strong. 

On your last day at work, your manager and co-workers threw a bridal shower for you and told Taehyung about it. Of course, he shared the same gratitude as you did, but he had an uneasy look behind his smiles.

“Is anything wrong?” You asked with so much worry. His sighing in response only made you worry even more.

“It’s just…I may or may not have done something,” looking down at his shoes, he’s already thinking of all the possible ways the conversation might end. “And it may have something to do with you,” when he looks up to meet your eyes, he finds a clueless look across your face.

“Is this about your witch stepmother? I knew it. She still hates me, doesn’t she?”

He chuckled as he reached out to hold your hand, “No, but don’t worry about that. She also hates me,” you giggled at the shared sentiment his stepmom had with the both of you.

“Then what is it then?” 

Heaving a deep, heavy sigh, he squeezes your hand tightly to muster the courage, “It’s about Jinyoung.” 

Your lips part in surprise, thinking about what Taehyung could have possibly done or why he is bringing him up, but you don’t speak.

“Jimin and I have been meeting with the other victims to get their accounts of what Jinyoung did to them. As heartbreaking as it sounds, there were a handful of minors he abused that came forward,” he watched you sit quietly, even debating with himself if he should continue, but he knows the topic will come up sooner or later, so he continues, “We also identified it was him because of the frat ring he wore on the other videos, but Namjoon hyung and Seokjin hyung weren’t too happy with what we're planning.”

“They got mad that I didn’t tell them anything about this and,” he padded his thumb over yours in soothing motions, “–said that I should’ve told them this because it concerned you and that you were family now,” he gives you a reassuring smile, and that made you finally feel relieved.

“Thank you, I really appreciate all that effort, but who would believe me? I mean, look at me. I worked at a strip club,” you frowned. 

“Baby, listen, the only one who doesn't believe you can make it is you. As your lawyer, I'm telling you, you have the upper hand in this case. You just have to trust all of us but most importantly yourself,” you were at a loss for words, but there was a spark of hope behind his encouraging words, so you nodded.

Taehyung kisses your forehead as he smoothes out your hair, then cupping your face with both hands, “I’m sorry you had to go through all this stress while preparing for the wedding. We can push it back to a later date if you want?”

You shook your head, “No it’s fine. I'm sure the other victims have other important things to do as well, but this case isn’t just my fight. It’s for the other girls who couldn’t speak up against him and people like him.”

Initially, your things to do included a lot of venue bookings, gown fittings, taste testings, and wedding supplier meetings. But it seems like you’d need to squeeze in your arraignment as the top priority for the meantime. Worst comes to worst, if the trial drags on, you’d be left with no choice but to move your wedding to next year.

You heard that having a lot of lawyers representing you meant you were loaded with a lot of money, just like how it was with Han Dong-Il during Jungkook’s trial a year ago. 

One of the reasons why you didn’t want to file a case against Jinyoung, aside from having not enough money to hire a lawyer and trying to run away from that dark part of your life, you didn’t want to start qualms with someone with connections inside the world of law like Jinyoung.

But here you are in the courtroom, which is represented not by one but four lawyers. A loud screeching cuts you in the middle of your thought.

“Oh my gosh, Y/N! I thought I was already late!” Jungkook’s girlfriend ran in her high heels while waving her hand frantically. You exchanged hugs with her, appreciating that she took time off from work to extend her support, “I know how nerve-wracking it is to testify in court, but you have the best lawyers behind you. If they can acquit Jungkook, I'm sure they'll give you your justice, too.”

“How did you manage your jitters?” Smiling wearily at her when you asked.

“When you know the truth, there’s nothing to be afraid of,” she gives you a smile that says everything will be okay in your favor.

Your eyes leave her for a second to see Jungkook jogging his way to where everyone was. He waves at you and gives a high-spirited salute at your lawyers, “Sorry had to look for a parking spot.”

“Never thought I’d see you in court again, Jeon,” Jimin teased.

“Ha ha very funny, Atty. Park. Say, Didn’t you tell me you wanted to be my roommate inside? Now’s your chance to win a ticket to Jail Land,” Jungkook retorts, making everyone snicker while Jimin throws a glare at him.

“Anyway, as I was about to say, want me to lend you my lipstick before you go up? It’s just here somewhere…here…” Jungkook’s girlfriend rummaged through her bag until she found her favorite Chanel lipstick, “Found it!”

Jungkook covered her mouth, but she was too energetic, “Babe, are you serious? This is a court trial, not a nightclub.” 

She stuck her tongue out as she straightened her dress, “Excuse me? I’ll have you know that this is the good luck lipstick that I used when I testified for you.”

“Guess it wasn’t Atty. Min who did it,” Jimin says with a shrug, which made Hoseok snort out loud. 

Meanwhile, Taehyung wraps his arms around your waist, resting his chin on your shoulders, “Sorry to cut our reunion with Jungkook, but the arraignment’s about to start, and we have to start preparing.”

You thought the hallways were endless after it seemingly felt like you’ve been dragging your feet for hours already only to have your breathing cut when you’ve finally entered the courtroom. Scanning around, you spot the other victims sitting beside their family members, whispering encouragement and support. 

It was agonizing to sit still while you listened to these women cry as they retraced all their memories of the unfateful night Jinyoung abused them. One of them was Lee Aera, who you only discovered was fifteen when Jinyoung filmed her AND touched her without her consent. 

Ever since the night at the frat house, no matter how open you were with trying a lot of things in bed, you always shut down the idea of making a sex tape. The traumatic experience made your body shake, yet here you are, reliving the same memories to testify against your abuser.

“Ms. Song, can you tell us how you met Atty. Park Jinyoung?” Jackson asked as he walked back and forth with his hands behind his back. When you looked at your team of lawyers, you found a forehead creased Jimin and your fiance sitting with piercing eyes all towards Jackson.

“I only met him once at a college party. I was supposed to meet my boyfriend there, and if I remember clearly, you were also there Atty. Wang,” Jackson stopped his tracks to smile briefly at you then motioning his hands for you to go on, “Jinyoung introduced himself to me that night and told me my boyfriend was already waiting for me upstairs so I agreed to go up with him”

“Have you ever been involved in using illegal drugs while you were at the said party?” You shook your head. 

Your voice cracks in the middle of your sentence, “I-I was only on my second refill when he approached me. The next thing, my legs suddenly gave out then h-he,” trying to control your sobs, you quickly wiped the tears away and went on with your testimony, “He brought me inside a room, saying that my boyfriend was waiting for me upstairs"

You hiccuped in between sobs, "Everything felt like a nightmare. I tried to move his hands away b-but he…h-he just went on to remove my clothes and film me.”

“Why did you go up with him?” Jackson probed, making Taehyung seeth in anger.

“Objection your honor,” Taehyung’s voice had now turned husky, frustrated over the fact that Jackson was using your trauma against you.

“We need to go through this as thoroughly as possible, your honor,” Jackson coldly said as he looked at Taehyung over his shoulder. As soon as Taehyung sat down again, Jimin patted his back and reassured him that you could pull this through.

The judge nodded her head, “Objection sustained.”

You felt like shit remembering every single detail and felt worse for Taehyung because you knew he was taking it hard on himself with so much guilt he didn’t really deserve. When they said you needed to mentally prepare for when you’re up in court, they never warned you about how traumatizing it is to recount all the things that broke you.

None of you had wanted it to happen in the first place, and none of you knew things would turn out to be that bad. The idea of having Jinyoung behind bars and disbarred from practicing law pleased you, but you also knew it would be nearly impossible to have him pay for his sins.

With all the testimonies and accurate presentation of the evidence your team of lawyers has gathered to support the victims’ accounts and complaints, the judge finally called for Jinyoung to stand. He stood proudly, still confident that he could get past this, because of the connections he had.

“Atty. Park Jinyoung, you are a man of law, but it seems like you’ve used it to your own advantage despite knowing the consequences. It’s not every day we have lawyers like you tried in court for crimes," the judge tried to remain as calm as she could. 

"You, on the other hand, have shown no remorse for what you have caused these women to go through,” her lips pulled into a fake, sarcastic smile as she eyed the demeanor he held, “Let me ask you hypothetically if you were the judge, how would you rule this case?”

“Not guilty, your honor,” Jinyoung confidently answers. However, all his cockiness seemed to have melted away when the judge stared at his fraternity ring and compared it to the photo used as evidence that was presented earlier, stifling her chuckles as she watched the horror slowly trickle across his face.

The judge only shook her head, “It doesn’t matter because I hereby declare that you, Atty. Park Jinyoung, guilty for rape resulting in lifelong physical and mental disabilities.” Jinyoung’s knees buckled as the judge went on to say her ruling, “Expect your letter of disbarment from the Integrated Bar of Korea after this.”

A loud slam of gavel echoed the whole court, while Jinyoung was screaming frustatedly that he had not done anything wrong and that he didn’t deserve the court’s ruling, “Wang, what the fuck? You were supposed to win this! We’re frat brothers, remember?”

All Jackson could do was shake his head and mutter under his breath, “But you were in the wrong, and that’s not what I stand up for.”

On the other hand, you couldn’t believe it. Most women have heard of rape cases in the country getting thrown out of the window; all their efforts to have justice being put to waste just because their abuser had someone to back them up, but that wasn’t the case for you. You had the truth and a very good support system behind you. Thinking about it, you thought that maybe it was meant for you to find Taehyung again. Ever since he came back, you’ve been nothing but happier.

“We did it?” Your eyes streamed happy tears as you looked at Taehyung still in disbelief and shock. He nodded his head and gave you the widest grin his lips had pulled.

“Yes, baby. You did it. We won the case!”

There were exchanges of hugs and a lot of thanks. The other victims and you shared the most heartfelt embrace from the victory, and well-deserved justice you all have attained. Amidst the joyous ruling, you find Jimin at a corner with a sad smile. Just as you were about to approach him, Taehyung had already done so.

Taehyung kicked Jimin’s shoe lightly to snap him out of his trance, “What’s up with your face?” 

“Fuck off, Tae. It’s just…I think if Choi were here, she would’ve nailed it better than we all did. We needed a woman to represent another woman, you know?” he sighed defeatedly. 

“Even Namjoon hyung and Hoseok hyung think so, too, Tae,” Taehyung tapped on Jimin’s shoulder for comfort, knowing that there aren’t enough words to console him or his thoughts about his girlfriend.

As you were watching the two friends talk, Jackson approached you meekly, “Hey, Y/N, right? I’m sorry for what you had to go through. I can’t help but feel guilty for even trying to help Jinyoung”

“Oh–uhm–uh–thank you,” you timidly replied.

Taehyung watched the interaction before deciding to stand beside you and greet Jackson with a handshake, “Anything you need with my fiance, Wang?”

“Hey Kim, I’m really sorry about Jinyoung. I knew he was such an ass but not to this extent,” he says with a frown. 

Taehyung just nodded his head, “We also didn’t, but I’m glad this is all over now”

“I wish you well on your healing, Y/N, and congrats on the engagement,” he humbly bids before taking his leave.

Going through a trial yourself was very stressful, to say the least, but at least you have one thing ticked off your list of things to do now. Hopefully, things work out better in your life now, and this is just the start of turning in a new leaf in your life.

Going back to the very same place where he spent the worst time in his life was nothing close to nostalgic for him. He remembers how much he hated prison food, but aside from that and the unsanitary living situation inside, he was grateful for the people inside who looked after him.

“Are sure this is a good idea? I don’t think it is, Y/N,” Jungkook asks with a scowl as both of you walk along the prison hallways. “Does Atty. Kim knows this? I don’t want to consent to things like this,” he shivered at the thought of Taehyung getting mad at him. 

“I just need to do this so I can move on with my life better. Besides, don’t tell me you’re getting the ick from your old dorm?” you nudged at his side, but he only glowered at you even more.

“That’s very funny, Y/N,” he rolled his eyes, groaning at the memory of his time in prison.

Jungkook greeted the guards after he had told them that you were here to see Jinyoung. You were expecting them to treat him rudely, but to your surprise, Jungkook and the guards exchanged banters and jokes instead. You didn’t know why you were still surprised about it. He always made friends wherever he went, given that he is such a good-natured person – something you couldn’t say the same for Jinyoung.

After waiting for an ample amount of time, Jinyoung comes with an irritating smirk, “Well if it isn’t Y/N and her guard dog. Hey Jeon, missed being in prison?”

Jungkook bitterly chuckles, “Nah, my bed’s comfier now. Just so you know, they were pretty nice to me here. Not sure if I could say the same for you though.”

Jinyoung’s smirk faltered to a scowl with the way Jungkook retorted back at him. Even inside, he still held on to his pride. He turned to look at you next, “What? Enjoying my misery so much you decided to pay me a visit?”

“No, I just wanted to do this for myself. My parents didn't raise me to have ill wishes towards others, but I’d be a hypocrite If I didn’t say I hope you rot in jail,” he scoffed.

“Isn't that what I’m doing right now? I’ve been disbarred and sentenced with the death penalty,” he barely looked at you.

You fumed at how arrogant he still is, “A minor ended her life because of the shame you put her through, Jinyoung. That could’ve been me. That could’ve been Jungkook’s younger sister or anyone that you know! And rightfully, you deserve all of this. Fuck – no, you deserve much worse. You dying is only an easy way out.”

You angrily stormed your way out of the prison, seeing that Jinyoung will never show remorse for all the trauma he had caused his victims. 

However, even if seeing him in prison gave you so much satisfaction, you couldn’t help but feel bad for him. Not everyone gets to start over their lives the way you and Jungkook did – especially Jungkook. He could’ve been sentenced to death if he didn’t have good people who tirelessly worked hard to get him out.

Since you promised your husband to tell him everything from now on, you waited patiently for him to drop by your unit. It didn’t matter if he came home late if you were, to be honest. You just needed to get things off your chest and let him know how your day went. It's also good that he sleeps over at your place 3x a week since most of his important documents are over at his place.

After a few hours of waiting, the doorknob jiggled and opened, revealing a worn-out Taehyung in his gray suit. As soon as he sees you sitting at the dining table with a coffee, he tiredly smiles at you, “Honey, I’m home.” 

“Practicing now, are we?” Greeting him with a tight embrace as you inhaled his perfume that you’ve always loved. He moves the stray hairs that curtained your features before cupping your face with both hands and peppering it with a lot of soft kisses.

“How did my wife’s day go?” You watched him place his suitcase on the table while he removed his tie with one finger. 

You shifted your weight side to side as you tried to blurt the words out as best you could without worrying him with what you had to say, “I went to see Jinyoung today.”

Stopping in his tracks to look at you with a cocked brow, “Alone?”

You shook your head, “No, I was with Jungkook.” 

There was a sigh of relief that escaped his lips. He sat down on the couch and patted on his thigh, motioning for you to sit and tell him more of what happened, so you followed. “How did it go? Bad, I assume,” you nodded.

“Pretty much. Jinyoung doesn’t give a shit, but I already expected that from him,” you sighed while you rested your head at the crook of his neck. All Taehyung could do was listen to you mumly while his hand soothed your arm, “I just…I don’t know. No matter how hard I try to understand it, I just can’t grasp the idea of the Death Penalty itself.”

Taehyung clicked his tongue as he thought of a better way to put it, “It’s okay, I also still don’t understand half of the constitution too.” 

You looked up at him with a confused look on your face. Who would’ve thought that the bar exam’s top notcher and the country’s sought-after lawyer had a hard time understanding the law? 

“You don’t?” He hums in response.

“Lawyers spend years in school with the idea to reform the system. Although I don't completely side with the concept of the death penalty, given that there are a lot of missentences than you would imagine, that doesn’t mean we stop trying to make a change.”

“And how exactly can you do that?” You asked, listening intently at your husband.

He smiled as he looked up at the ceiling, “Maybe when I become a judge, I can give better sentences. But before I do that, I think raising my own kids with a solid understanding of right and wrong is a good step.”

You chuckled, “Have you practiced enough to know what it's like to raise one?”

He teasingly lifted a brow at you, smirking that you seemed to have forgotten about something, “I practically raised Sejin with you, what do you mean?”

Your laughter roared through the whole unit, waking your brother up from his sleep. Covering your mouth with wide eyes, Taehyung brings a finger up to his lips as he gently puts you down to go to Sejin’s room. 

Days before the wedding, Taehyung finally visited his mother's grave. It was long overdue, but it had to happen. It's been more than a decade since he stepped foot in the cemetery. Sure, he could reason out how busy he was the past few years, but in reality, he was never ready.

"Hey, mom. Sorry, it took a while," Taehyung dusted off the dead leaves and placed the fresh flowers. "I hope you still remember me," he chuckled, humoring himself.

Ahn Miyeon (1986 - 1995)

He traced each letter engraved on the tombstone, inhaling deeply as he tried to hold his tears in, "I have so much to tell you...I just...I don't know where to start." 

Propping down in the grass comfortably, he rested his hands on both sides and stared at the clouds that moved along with the wind, "I'm a lawyer now. That's fun. I closed the biggest case of my life last year, too. Then I met this girl, then broke it off with her, but now we're together again."

He chuckled at the tremulous journey both of you had gone through, "I don't know how you were like when you were still alive, but I hope she's as kind as you." 

Taehyung loosened his tie in a way that served as a distraction for me, "I wish you and auntie were here for the wedding, you know? But time took the both of you away from me too soon."

"I'll bring her here next time." When the soft breeze hit Taehyung's skin, he closed his eyes and smiled genuinely, "Please watch over us. Always. I hope I made you proud."

The wedding preparations weren’t as smooth sailing as you hoped it would be.

Thankfully, Jungkook’s girlfriend and Atty. Choi were there to help you out. They booked most of the suppliers and cake tasting on your behalf while your trial was ongoing. You didn’t have many friends to turn to for help, but you were grateful to have found a friend in them.

The day was serene, but Taehyung nervously bit on the skin of his fingernails as he adjusted the collar around his neck. It still seems wild to him that his wedding had finally come – him seeing you walk beautifully down the aisle was just a dream to him, but what do you know, maybe dreams do come true after all. 

“Taetae will you sit still and stop worrying? It’s not like you haven’t married Y/N already,” Namjoon pointed at a chair for him to sit on, but he only shook his head and continued pacing back and forth.

Jimin, on the other hand, choked on air out of shock, “What the fuck, Tae? I thought we were best friends!”

“Wait what you didn’t know?” Seokjin quips, making Jimin’s eyes grow even wider. 

“I can’t believe this betrayal. I’m really hurt,” Jimin pouted in a corner, seeming to have a cloud above his head.

“If you could just shut up, that would be really great, Jimin. You should be worried about her, not me,” Taehyung says as he brushes his hair neatly for the nth time. 

“Who’s her?” Seokjin looked back and forth between the two of them until he finally understood what they were talking about, “Oh, Atty. Choi!” 

This is it, Ma and Pa. I’m getting married today.

Are you watching? Sejin’s walking down the aisle with me.

I wish both of you were still here.

You took a deep breath as you adjusted your heels while hoping that the day would turn out well. The whole wedding preparation was so stressful and the trial only made it worse. Not only that, but you had a very short amount of time to prepare, but thankfully, the day has finally come, and everything turned out exactly as you and Taehyung had wanted. 

“Y/N, are you ready?” Jungkook hands his arms out, to which you gladly hook your hand on with an excited nod.

“Yeah, just a bit nervous that’s all,” you mumbled.

“C’mon, there's nothing to be worried about. I can see how much he loves you. Makes me feel at ease knowing there’s someone who’ll take care of you,” you smiled softly at his words.

“Thanks, Kookie.” You gently rested your head on his shoulder as you clung unto him.

The wedding band started to play beautiful melodies as soon as you and Jungkook walked down the aisle. Taehyung couldn’t help but shed a few tears out of joy. Finally, he’s starting a new life with his dream person. He had expected Jimin to snicker at his crying face, but to his surprise, he gave him a pat on the back.

Jungkook carefully handed your arms to him with a smile, “Take care of her unless you’d like us to spend a year inside a cell together.”

Taehyung chuckled, “I’ve no plans of being your roommate, don’t worry.”

It was good that the weather had sided with you. Everyone cheered with glee when you finally shared your first kiss as a married couple – well, for them at least. You’ve shared countless kisses as a married couple for many months already, but they didn’t need to know that. 

Flower petals rained on both of you as you made your way out of the wedding venue en route to the reception, holding your husband’s hand with pure bliss thinking that it was all probably just a dream to have a wedding as beautiful as this.

The tears you shed from the whole wedding was quickly turned into laughter when Jimin had said his speech, “To Taehyung, congratulations for making sure she’d be stuck with you for the rest of your lives. And as for your lovely wife, if you need a divorce attorney, I’d be more than glad to help you.”

Family members were up to give their warm regards to the couple, and Seokjin had to go after Jimin’s speech. Of course, before speaking, he urged everybody to clink their glasses for the couple. “Taetae, Y/N, Congratulations on your wedding day. I hope you build a wonderful home that’s filled with love from all the broken pieces you both had to pick up. I’m really glad to see my brother live happily with you, Y/N, so thank you for coming to his life.”

It was finally Jungkook’s turn, so prepare yourself knowing that you’re about to bawl your eyes out on this one, “First, I’d like to extend my warmest regards to Y/N and Atty. Kim. Aside from my family and girlfriend, you were the ones who never gave up on me, but that’s not what this wedding is all about, so I’ll cut it short.”

“Y/N, you are my sister and best friend rolled into one. I’ll never regret the day I came to check on your unit’s wirings because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have met such an amazing person in my life…And also you would’ve burnt the whole complex down but that’s another story.” The crowd laughed as you and Jungkook exchanged glares. “But most importantly, I watched how you single-handedly raised Sejin, so I know you’ll make a good mom when the time comes.” You mouthed a quick ‘thank you’ at him, making him smile warmly at you.

He turns to Taehyung next to give him his message, “As for Atty. Kim, hyung, please take care of Y/N. She means the world to all of us. Also, I hope you learned a thing or two about checking your house. She’s a worrier, so you need to triple check just to shut her up.”

Taehyung kisses your shoulder as you sob uncontrollably after exchanging nods with Jungkook. 

The night was perfect. Everyone danced and sang while the music played through the reception hall. You laughed heartily while you danced with Taehyung, enjoying the moment even if he couldn’t dance as well as you did.

He spun you around and handed you to Sejin, who was too small to grab your hand, so you jumped around with him instead. On your peripheral, you spot Jungkook and his girlfriend dancing while they looked at each other lovingly, which made you genuinely happy for them as you smiled endearingly.

Seeming that you’ve been enjoying yourself, Taehyung whispered to excuse himself before making his way to the other table where his co-workers were at. As soon as he reached them, he confusedly looked at a few hundred bills on the table.

“Pay up bitches! I just saw them head out with messy hair,” Hoseok motioned his hands for them to give the bills to him.

“That doesn't guarantee your win,” Yoongi retorts while holding his bill in between his fingers.

“No evidence, no win,” Seokjin shrugged, making Taehyung sigh and look at him. 

“Hyung, did you start a bet again?” Of course, he did. The king of bets proudly nodded his head as if he was confident he’d won.

“Well, that’s not the only bet I made. Jimin and I agreed to name–,” Seokjin was abruptly cut off by Hoseok, who eagerly took out his phone to show stalker photos of Jimin and Atty. Choi leave the venue with messy hair and what seems to be a hickey on his girlfriend’s neck.

Namjoon comes back to see that everyone huddled together as they scroll through the pictures, “What’s up?” The way Yoongi agitatedly threw his bill at Hoseok’s face was enough to answer his question, “Yoongi, what the fuck? You betted!?”

“Loosen up, Joon. It’s just a hundred dollars,” Yoongi says before taking a swig of his dry gin.

The lawyers’ bantering had died down as soon as the lights slowly dimmed, and a spotlight hit you and Taehyung as you shared your first dance as a married couple – or so everybody thought it was.

“How does it feel to be a Kim?” He grinned.

“I’ve been a Kim for how many months now,” you roll your eyes at him, “But it’s going well, Mr. Kim.”

He slowly dips his head to your shoulder, and left a soft kiss on the blade, “I’m glad you’re back in my life.”

Your eyes watered with how he lovingly said it, “I am, too.”

It took a while before you and Taehyung got to where you are now, but it was all worth it. You wished things hadn’t been so rough for your story with him, but you were grateful to have such a happy ending to it. 

As you close on a chapter in your life, you’re positively starting a new one, but this time, you aren’t alone. Gone are the days when you slept with worry. You have a lifetime to spend with relief, knowing that Taehyung is always there for you every step of the way, and you would do the same for him.

A week after the wedding had passed, both of you had agreed to move to his penthouse since it was safer given that he ate death threats for breakfast. He wished being a lawyer didn’t mean making a lot of enemies and taking a long time to get them off his tail, but it is what it is. 

The move out from your old unit was bittersweet, to say the least. Jungkook and his family were happy for you but couldn’t help to miss you, but you assured them you’ll be visiting every once in a while.

You and your brother had settled in your new home perfectly, mostly Sejin, who was excited to have a bigger room.

“This was all I ever wanted,” Taehyung lovingly coos at you while watching Sejin run around. “A family I can come home to,” you kissed the tip of his nose and looked at him softly. Internally thanking everything there is to thank. He was grateful that you found your way back in each other's arms again.

“Good to know because there’s no escaping me,” she chuckled.

“I’ll always find you in every lifetime, love,” he kissed her goodbye and headed off to work.

Taehyung yawned as he entered the firm, carrying the packed lunch you had lovingly prepared for him. He was particularly excited for his meal because he had requested – well, more like begged – you to make Japchae. He rarely asks for anything in particular, so you happily obliged.

He politely greeted the lawyers he met in the hallways and exchanged small talk with them. The kind of person he is now is very different from the Atty. Kim everyone passed by the office – he was no longer stoic or aloof, and he looked a lot happier now. 

As he approached near his office, his brows knitted together at the people who huddled outside his office. Whispering amongst themselves and still oblivious of his presence.

“Wow, that’s so…extra. He really loves his wife that much, huh?” Hoseok’s eyes wandered with awe at the enormous decoration.

Yoongi chuckled, leaning his body against the wall, “This is why I don’t do relationships.”

“Tannie’s pretty cute there,” Atty. Choi hummed with approval.

Meanwhile, Jimin was choking in his laughter as he tried to pull himself away from the sight of it, “His office screams regal with a twist! Like the curls they gave him!”

Beside him was Namjoon, who tilted his head to the side with squinted eyes, then shook when he realized something was off about the painting, “Why does Taehyung's nose look so…crooked?”

As soon as Taehyung cleared his throat, his co-workers dispersed and returned to whatever they were doing before they took a peek in his office.

“Is there a problem that all of you had to wait for me by my door?” He asked with a raised brow, carefully studying everyone's reaction.

Hoseok’s eyes shifted erratically, eventually pulling Atty. Choi’s arm, “I-uh- Atty. Choi, please help me go through the Cho Jihyo case.”

“O-okay…?” She broke out in cold sweats, but still went along with Hoseok’s excuse. 

Namjoon pretended to take a call. However, his phone was upside down, so his bad attempt at covering himself up didn’t make much sense, “Hello? Ah, yes, yes sir. We can discuss this further later in the meeting.”

He suspiciously looked at them one by one, but all of them were awkwardly avoiding his gaze except Jimin, who simply walked away with a smile that reached up to his eyes, and Yoongi.

“Love the new office decor, it adds a nice...touch,” he says before sipping his coffee.

Taehyung lifted a brow, still confused with what he was talking about, “What are you saying, hyung?”

“Why don't you go and see it for yourself?” Yoongi chuckled as he patted Taehyung’s shoulder. Taehyung’s eyes followed him as he headed to his own office, shoulders shaking from stifling his laughter.

All he could do was shake his head with annoyance, ‘Why is everyone acting weird?’ 

When he finally got inside his own office, his confusion had turned into shock when he finally saw the decor they were referring to – lo and behold, a very large renaissance-esque painting of you and him standing side by side while Sejin sat on an old Victorian chair with your new puppy, Yeontan, sitting on his lap.

The painting hung proudly in the middle of his office wall and looked like it was well-made. However, he couldn’t help but feel embarrassed about it. Although it was such a nice gesture from whoever gave it to him, he thinks it was very unnecessary to dress all of you in 19th Century clothing. Heck, he even looked like Mozart in Napoleon Bonaparte’s clothes!

Jimin peeked inside his office to watch his reaction, and Taehyung didn’t fail him on that. As soon as Taehyung heard his muffled laughter, Taehyung deadpanned over his shoulder with a scowl, “Get the fuck out.”

‘You’ve got to be shitting me,’ Taehyung threw his head back, more than eager for the day to end when it had only just started.

He grunted under his breath as he made his way to the first person he found. Luckily, Hoseok’s assistant was always honest – which was a problem for the prosecutor because she was way too honest for her own good, “Ms. Kang, Do you know who hung the painting up?”

She eagerly nodded her head, “Yes, Atty. Seokjin did. He said it was from Engr. Jeon.”

‘I should’ve known they’d get along,’ Taehyung sighed defeatedly. He quickly pulled out his phone and scrolled through the contacts to look for Jungkook’s name. As soon as his eyes finally landed on his number, he frustratedly tapped on it heavily and waited for the ring.

“What’s up, Attor–” Jungkook’s enthusiastic greeting was cut short by Taehyung’s icy tone.

“I don’t know what kind of shit you’re up to, but what the fuck was the painting for, Jeon?”

On the other line, Jungkook was panicking as he tried to recall everything that he did last week – he just started his first week at a new firm, that’s one. The second was helping his girlfriend choose what shade of pink was better; eventually settling with salmon pink after 2 hours of deliberating between sample swatches.

“Why is it always me!? I don’t even know what painting you’re–oh, no shit? You did that? Wow–Hold on, attorney,” Taehyung impatiently waited for Jungkook as he listened to his conversation with his girlfriend, “That’s a good one, babe – hey, Attorney, you still there?”

“I’m waiting,” he says while tapping his foot and scratching his brow anxiously.

“About the painting, my girlfriend says it’s from her,” just as Taehyung was about to retort, Jungkook’s girlfriend took his phone.

“Hello, Atty. Kim? Hey, it’s Architect Han. I hope you liked my wedding gift. Sorry, it took a while to finish,” Taehyung sighed, trying his best not to offend her with his violent reactions. She sounded so happy and looked like she was keen on giving the gift.

“Hello, Ms. Han. Uh, Thank you? I really appreciate it,” he lied through his nostrils. Jungkook’s laughter could be heard from the back, which agitated him even more. 

After she had gushed about her “heartfelt” appreciation for his hard work and for helping her boyfriend’s case, he hung up with a deep grunt when he took another glance at the very embarrassing painting.

‘I’ll send Y/N a picture in a while,’ he thought as he chuckled to himself, knowing you enjoyed these kinds of practical jokes.

Taglist: @katjimout @jimilter @loljrau @borahae-reads @lilmeowmeow02 @tea4sykes

notes: Thank you for reading Attorney Kim's story! I spent mid 2021 til now writing this and I can't believe it's over omg. I really named the docs file "Case 002: Go To Hell" because of how stressful it is to write this. If you've read up to this part, let me know what you think of the whole Case 002 series :)

“You can try turning on the TV now,” Jungkook says, but you were too scared to even try.

“What if it explodes and the circuit breaks again? My broke ass could never pay for the damages!”

Jungkook rolled his eyes at you, “Quit being a baby and just open the damn TV, Y/N”

You sighed but still obliged, “There, please double check if it goes ape shit before you leave. I’ll go get you something to eat”

He nodded at your pleas and waved you off to the kitchen, “I want an extra chicken on that sandwich!”

“Boy, I told you I’m broke as hell! This is already half of our grocery for the week!” You yelled back, to which both of you laughed.

As you were busy preparing his sandwich, you heard what was being talked about on the news. There it was. A mention of someone’s name makes your heart feel heavy whenever you hear it. Memories of him suddenly flashed like a bittersweet movie.

“The board exams results have rolled out, and KSU’s Kim Taehyung bagged the top spot with a score of 94.5% percent. Kim is the younger brother of Atty. Kim Namjoon, who topped number one in 2007, currently co-owns Kim & Min Law alongside Atty. Min Yoongi.”

Your eyes were glued to the screen as they flashed a picture of Taehyung while they covered more about this year’s bar examination and how rare it is to get a high percent the way he did.

They even mentioned how his brother used to have the country’s highest score until Taehyung outdid him. You wished they would stop bringing up his brother’s achievements and just focus on him, but what can he do when he comes from a family of sought-after lawyers?

“Wow, that’s some big brain. I didn’t even rank the top 10 engineering board exams,” Jungkook says as he took a bite of his sandwich. “Just passing the boards is enough.”

“That’s very likely of you to say,” you snickered, making him roll his eyes.

“Thanks for the snack, Y/N. Next time I check your unit again, why don’t you make bulgogi?”  

“Go home, you pig!” He laughed and said his goodbyes.

You were now alone in the living room, still staring at the news report until it moved to the weather forecast segment.

Happy and proud would be an understatement to describe how you felt about Taehyung’s success. Being the top one meant he wouldn’t have a hard time looking for a firm to work at. You knew how hard he worked for this and how much he wanted to prove to everyone that he could do it and that he did it with flying colors.

You debated whether or not to congratulate him, but of course, you being you, you mustered all the courage to send him a single text just so he knows. But at the same time, you felt like an asshole hitting him up again after leaving him.

In your defense, it was out of goodwill and genuine happiness from your side so, you did. Other than that, you still remembered his number at the top of your head, so why not?

Y/N: Hey, congrats on getting number 1! Glad to know you’re another step to reaching your goals! [10:00 AM]

Taehyung: Appreciate it. Thank you so much. But who’s this? [10:00 AM]

Taehyung: Sorry, I don’t have your name in my contacts yet [10:01 AM]

“Oh fuck, right. I changed my number,” you mumbled to yourself while your fingers hovered over the screen.

Taehyung: Hello? [10:01 AM]

You heart skips a beat, 'What do I tell him?'

When nothing comes to mind, you just leave it as it is. 

After all this time, you were left wondering how he was doing. Was he eating his meals on time? How was quitting caffeine going for him? Do you ever cross his mind, even for a while, the way he crosses yours? All you hand on hand were questions; questions you will never find the answers to, and questions you aren’t in the place to find out, but that’s the price you had to pay for leaving everything and everyone behind.

Maybe meeting Taehyung was a mistake, but it also feels like it isn’t. He was everything right in your life full of wrongs, and the only constant you had leaned on for the longest time. Getting back on your feet without him was difficult to say the least, but still, you managed.

You always do. 

More often than not, you miss him more than you ever imagined. And you know you’ll be missing him for the rest of your god-forsaken days on earth. Your future is bleak, almost non-existent, while his is the brightest. If ever you were to meet again, he surely deserves to be with someone who’s right up his alley, and in all honesty, you feel like that will never be you. 

You just wanted to be good enough for him, but things are easier said than done, especially when you’re trying to pick up all the broken pieces of your being.

Contrary to what toxic positivity says, your scars and bruises aren’t battle trophies, they are nothing but reminders of how you slowly lost yourself. 

Maybe someday, just wishful thinking, you’ll grow accustomed to carrying them on your skin that has thickened overtime. And maybe by then, you can hold your head high once again when you’ve regained your confidence and self-love back.

Taehyung and his close friends intimately celebrated the exam results over chicken and beer at his place.

For the first time, he had something to be proud of himself. The countless all-nighters he pulled, the questionable amount of coffee that ran through his veins, and the bags under his eyes that grew heavy have all paid off. 

“God damn, Tae. Who knew you’d be able to get the highest score?” Jimin chugged on his beer. "After failing to stop your caffeine addiction, too? Amen."

“To be fair, I did try to stop it once and I’ll work on it again so fuck you,” he chuckled before taking a swig at his beer.

“Have you decided which firm you’ll be going to?” Jimin’s girlfriend asks.

Taehyung paused for a while as he tried to remember the list of offers that made its way to his emails from various reputable law firms in the country, but one offer stood out the most, “I might go to my brothers’ firm. I already sent them my conditions, but I’ll just have to wait and see first.”

Jimin cocks a brow, “Cocky ass motherfucker, giving established firms an ultimatum just because he topped the bar.” His girlfriend snickers while wiping the sauce on his mouth, “Thanks for wiping that, Jagi. Now give me a kiss.” 

“What did you tell them?” She quips after planting a quick kiss on her boyfriend’s cheek. 

“I may or may not have asked them if – I don’t know – bring two idiots with me," Jimin stopped drinking his beer midway and Choi froze with a dumpling in her mouth. "I mean, you ranked 11 while Jimin did 10, so I don’t see anything wrong with it,” he simply shrugged while the couple spat out their food and drink in surprise.

Jimin threw a piece of chicken at him, which he dodged right on time, “You! How– What– Don’t fuck around like that! Are you serious?”

“On second thought, I changed my mind. It’s just Atty. Choi and Atty. Kim, I guess?” Taehyung smirked teasingly.

“That’s actually a pretty good idea. Might save Kim & Min some face if you ask me,” Jimin’s girlfriend teasingly retorts, riding on Taehyung’s pun just to annoy her boyfriend further.

“The dynamic duo of stupidity doing their trash-talking in front of my chicken? Outstanding. Very remarkable.” Jimin rolled his eyes but suddenly peaked at Taehyung meekly within seconds, “Please take me back, oh god, make it the dynamic trio, I beg.”

The three of them shared a belly laugh all through the night. Feeling proud of themselves that they’re powered through law school together. Just like the changing of the season, you and Taehyung had ended, but still, your lives went on.

Some days when he missed your presence, he would drive by your old house and park outside for a good hour or so.

A part of him wished you were still inside, just hiding from him. He was slowly getting all the things he once dreamt of, but sadly, he had no one to celebrate his wins with now that you’re gone. All he has left are happy memories of you in a slowly dilapidating house. 

He hopes that someday when you cross paths, you’re both proud of one another – him becoming a lawyer, and you the pre-school teacher you had always dreamt of. And hopefully, just wishful thinking, both of you have resolved your own issues and are good enough for another chance. But then again, second chances are once in a lifetime and only happen in movies. 

During your time apart, you and Taehyung had grown your own differences when it comes to coping with sadness, that’s for sure, but the thing you both did in common during the blurry years was exhausting yourselves with work.

‘I wish I held her longer if I knew our time would be cut short.’ All the sighs he had breathed out went into the void.

The day he went back to the mansion without you, his step-mother threw him to the edge of his overthinking with the thought that you must have found someone who was better than a sore loser like him. Out of all the insults she threw, this was the only one he had agreed to be true. 

Six years went by like the pile of paperwork that passed by Taehyung’s desk. One settlement case after the other, mostly easy cases that can be sorted out within days, sometimes weeks if the client pushes further. 

On more horrible news, his stepmom never missed a single roast whenever he visited the mansion. She still compared him to his brothers and father, who topped no less like he did and questioned his bar results and the cases he had been handling at work, saying he doesn’t take serious ones because he couldn’t do it.

He knew he could, but being the greatest lawyer of all time wasn't in his long list of things to accomplish.

The reason why he wanted to be a lawyer, aside from proving himself that he can do something on his own, was to help people in the best and most honest way – something his father, an incumbent judge himself, isn’t doing. 

Sure he could take any high-profile case that would guarantee him a thick pocket, but he stands true to what he pledged at the oath-taking and plans to keep his conscience clean as possible. The world of law is such a small and dirty space. There are only a handful of good lawyers who stay true to their virtues and Taehyung is one.

Today might be his lucky day…or not.

Today’s meeting will decide his fate. He stares at the screen blankly as he tries to assess the case that’s being presented. His gut tells him something else, but he couldn’t point his finger.

As Namjoon went on with the case brief, all Taehyung could think about was ‘What was this guy thinking, and decided to have a beef with Han Dong-Il?’ He remained silent as he listened to his co-workers' questions and concerns. He understood why nobody wanted to represent Jungkook – Han Architecture, Inc. is the largest architectural firm in the country, and knowing that Han Dong-Il isn’t helping. The old man is filthy rich! So rich he could buy the truth.

“No one wanted to do the job. As you all know by now, we have the liberty to turn down cases. In Engineer Jeon’s case, his complainant is a very influential man. No one wants to rub him the wrong way,” Yoongi says as a matter of fact. 

“Han Dong-Il? Didn’t you briefly work for him?” he asks.

“Keyword, briefly. We’re not friends nor acquaintances,” Yoongi clicks his tongue.

“I have a concerning but also a genuine question to ask,” Hoseok starts.

Yoongi side-eyes him, gulping heavily, “What is it, Prosecutor Jung?”

“I know we stand for the truth, and I’m all for it. What you’re saying is that Han has dirty tricks up his sleeve that’s why no lawyer in this country wants to go against him, right?”

“Right,” Yoongi nods.

“Then why are we,” he points at himself, then at Taehyung, Atty. Park, and then at Atty. Choi, “–defending Jeon? Guilty or not.”

“Because the four of you are our aces. You and Atty. Choi is very keen on detail and always makes sure you check back to back multiple times. As for Atty. Kim and Atty. Park, they’ve spent their law school days as sex-driven maniacs that they’ve mastered the art of speaking eloquently.”

Yoongi’s description of the last two lawyers made Hoseok choke on his water. On the other side of the table, Jimin and Taehyung sulked in their seats as the rest of the team laughed. Seokjin playfully scolds Jimin’s violent reactions, saying he wasn’t fit as a dad to which his best friend retorted with something smart in return.

“What the hell does being good with kids even mean? Attorney Curly’s good with kids too, why don’t you ask him for a niece?” Jimin crosses his arms.

“Sorry to disappoint, but I’m not seeing anyone let alone knock up one,” Taehyung shooed his comeback away with his hand.

“That brings me to my next point,” Seokjin turns his head to his brother, looking at him accusingly, “Is that a hickey on your neck?”

They all went out of the conference room, scratching their heads at the case that was just handed to them.

Taehyung was in his trail of thought, thinking how could he win his first big case let alone defend someone who’s going after a practical giant but was soon cut off when Jimin nudged his arm.

“I see you’re back on the streets again,” Jimin snickered.

“Fuck off,” he pushed his friend’s face away, “I just picked on my skin.”

“Mmm, right. Whatever you say,” Jimin teased, but he didn’t pay any mind to him as he headed back to his office to finish the remaining paperwork he had, knowing this case is longer than he would expect it to be, he tries to mentally prepare himself as early as now.

“Taehyung, a word please,” Namjoon knocks on his door.

“Yes, hyung?”

“I feel like you’re getting the jitters, but you’re also not. As your boss, I just want you to know that I believe in you winning your biggest case to date, but as your brother, you already know how worried I am,” his face contorts to a frown.

“It’s just something we all have to live as lawyers. The job entails dangers, and I know what I signed up for,” he puts down the paper he was scanning through earlier. “I really thought my career peaked when I took in the last one, but apparently, there’s bigger fish to fry. Being a big shot is the least of my concerns if I’m being honest,” he shrugs.

“But if Taetae needs Namu hyung–”

“For the love of god. Please. Stop.” Taehyung covered his ears at a snickering Namjoon.

You felt so bad for Jungkook and his family. You knew how good-natured he was and how he could never do all the things they’ve been accusing him of. 

Sure he likes to joke around and all, but you just couldn’t see how, of all the people they’re pinning, Jungkook would make the perfect candidate for whatever crime they’re holding. You were grateful to his family for looking after you and your brother so, in return, you stayed and served as emotional support for them to lean on.

The memory of him getting dragged out of his unit was still clear as day – his mother wailing, begging the authorities to let go of her son while Jungkook’s panic-stricken eyes looked around, waiting to be filled in as to why they were arresting him. 

“Noona? Why are they hurting Kookie hyung?” Your brother hides behind your back.

“Stay here,” you pushed him inside and joined Jungkook’s family in an attempt to calm the situation but to no avail. 

Fraud and Willful Misconduct is what they’re filing against him, the authorities say, but that didn’t make any sense to you because if he really did, he wouldn’t be living in a middle-class neighborhood and would’ve probably driven a luxury car. 

Luxury cars.

You remember how Taehyung once told you that not everyone who is loaded with money – people just like him – like to drive fancy cars and how any car would do as long as it worked fine. Still, you didn’t understand why it was Jungkook they were putting behind bars.

From the other side of the wall, you could hear Jungkook’s mother spend countless sleepless nights crying. Your heart ached for her so bad, especially how she is such a good mother figure for you and Sejin that you would do whatever you can just to help her out, but you didn’t know how.

No lawyer wanted to take Jungkook’s case, and you didn’t know or understand why when he’s just a regular citizen that deserves the right to defend himself in court. 

////

You helped his mom walk his case in every law firm out there only to be denied until one day, his mom happily tells you that a firm had finally taken Jungkook’s case that one time you weren’t able to accompany her due to work.

“Y/N, do you think they’d let us in?”

“I don’t see why they won’t, auntie. What time did you set the appointment?” Jungkook’s mom was caught off guard with the question.

“I have to book appointments?” Your eyes widened, knowing there’s no way they’d let you both in.

“You didn’t set one?” she shook her head.

“No, I thought it’s okay to just give the lawyers a token of appreciation for helping my boy.”

You sighed and soothed her back, “Don’t worry, we’ll find a way.”

Fate is a funny thing. The firm that agreed to represent Jungkook is none other than Kim & Law – the firm where your ex works at.

If only you could back out and leave Jungkook’s mom on her own, but of course, you didn’t have the heart to do that, so you sucked it up like a champ and pretended you didn’t know anything about the firm. Playing dumb could come in handy sometimes. 

“Hello, ma’am. We’re here to see Atty. Kim Taehyung,” Jungkook’s mom greets the lady at the concierge. 

“Your surname and time you booked, please,” she boredly asks.

“I’m Jeon Jungkook’s mother–uhm–I didn’t book any appointments. I’m so sorry.” You looked at Jungkook’s mother as she lowered her gaze in embarrassment.  

The lady looked displeased at her and shook her head, “Sorry, ma'am. No appointments, can’t go up.”

Jungkook’s mom looked like she was on the verge of crying. She worked so hard preparing the meal as a thank you for helping her son, and the firm just pushed her away like that.

You came forward and took matters into your own hands through gritted teeth, “Please tell Atty. Kim that Song Y/N wants to see him.”

The lady just raises her eyebrows at you, “Didn’t you hear? No appointment, can’t go–”

“Just. fucking. say. Y/N came. to see him.” You look at the woman with an angry piercing gaze, sternly emphasizing each word as you seethe with much annoyance.

She quivers in fear and picks up the phone in a rush. You waited for a few minutes until an assistant came down to get the two of you when Taehyung gave the go signal to go up to his office. 

‘Holy fucking shit, all this trouble just to get Jungkook’s ass out of jail,’ you internally complained.

“I hope they like the food,” Jungkook’s mom nervously says.

“Mmm, I’m sure they will. You always make good food, auntie,” you reassured her with a smile.

At the back of your head, you were hoping you could comfort yourself too of what’s about to happen next.

The assistant knocked on Taehyung’s door until they heard him say to let them in, “Atty. Kim, this is Jeon Jungkook’s family. They came to see you.”

Taehyung’s wide eyes were glued on you, trying to find the right words to say, “I– yes, please have a seat.”

You avoided his gaze as hard as you could, trying to look around his office.

You noticed how he had a graduation picture of him and his friends and a picture of him and his brothers behind him. Beside the two frames was a deteriorating, almost faded, photo of a woman you assumed could be his mom or his aunt. You weren’t too sure, and there was no way you were in a position to ask about it anymore. 

“Atty. Kim, thank you so much for accepting my son’s case. You don’t know how hard I prayed for this day to come,” he timidly bowed at her. 

“Please, take this. I hope you like this. I made a big batch so you can share it with the others as well,” she happily hands the dish to him, to which he gratefully accepts, “It isn’t much because that is all I could afford to give, I’m so sorry, attorney.”

“Thank you so much for the meal, you didn’t have to. Really.” He looks down at the tray, feeling a bit contrite, knowing he’ll never finish everything on his own.

Her smile radiated the warmth of a mother’s love, “I’m forever grateful for your help with my Jungkook. He’s not really what they paint him to be.” She sighed as the memory of her son, “Oh, that boy. He always tried to find other ways to make things easier for the people around him.”

“It’s my job to defend until they’re proven guilty, ma’am. But I’ll do my best,” Taehyung smiles warmly.

You knew how thanking each other would go on for hours – Jungkook’s mom is very motherly and would insist on taking good care of people even when they declined, and Taehyung could never say a simple yes or a no when he gets flustered.

And in all honesty, you can barely stand another minute in the same room with your ex.

“Please, Atty. Kim, we insist. My auntie worked hard preparing that for you and your team. Take it as our gratitude for helping Jungkook out,” your hands were cold when your eyes met with one another, “Don’t know if you like bokkeumbap, but hope you enjoy it.”

He clears his throat and forces a smile at Jungkook’s mom, “Of course, thank you.”

A knock on the door cuts the awkward reunion short when Taehyung’s assistant peeks her head in, “Sir, you have another meeting with the bosses in 3 minutes.”

He nods, “Alright, Be out in a bit.”

“Oh! Sorry to bother you today, attorney. We better get going right, Y/N?” Jungkook’s mother apologized.

“Uhm yeah, my work also starts in an hour.” the both of you stood up and bowed at Taehyung, “Thank you for making time, Atty. Kim,” you say in a hurry.

He stands up and bows as well, “No worries. Pleasure is all mine.”

As you were about to walk out of his office, he called you out one last time, not knowing if this was one of many encounters or probably the last time he’ll be seeing you, “It was nice seeing you again, Y/N.”

You gave him a small smile, wanting to get out as soon as possible, “You too, Atty. Kim.”

What are the chances of seeing each other again?

Years of hiding and agonizing pain only lead you to face each other. You wish you had every ounce of courage to steal a glance at him, and remember every physical change about him. Sadly, you couldn’t.

On the other hand, Taehyung took in the sight of you – red hair, a more prominent facial structure, and lashes that looked longer than the last time he remembered it. You were as beautiful as he remembers you but he couldn’t tell you that anymore.

Taehyung looked like everything you imagined him to be, but you couldn’t say the same thing for yourself. As you stood before him earlier today, the stark contrast between the both of you was undeniably sad. Like the first time you met him, he was something, maybe even bigger than who he was and what he was known for, while you remained as a nobody. 

At the end of the day, none of you gained anything. Only the hole of the loss is all that you both have. He lost someone he truly loved, while you lost the only person that held you together. Regardless, you were more than happy and proud of the man that he is today.

Jungkook’s mom came out of the firm with a grateful smile on her face and a breath of relief.

She’s growing hopeful that her son might have the chance to get out and prove his innocence. She was so happy she couldn’t help but talk about today’s visit.

“Oh my, Y/N! We were so lucky today, don’t you think? Say, do you know that Atty. Kim?”

You tried to mask your expression and faked a smile, “Ah no, no! I don’t remember seeing him ever.”

She pouts and seems to be thinking about the staff’s sudden good treatment, “That’s odd. I wonder why they let us in when you said your name.”

“It’s called confidence, auntie. Even if they didn't who I am, I just have to act like I have backing even when I don’t.” You both laughed and agreed since whatever it is that you did today worked.

Taehyung sat quietly on the roof deck, watching as the sunset hit the overlooking city beautifully, embracing the whole surroundings warmly. Jungkook’s case was a tough one to swallow. 

There are many layers to unravel, one dead end after the other. It felt like they were going in circles, and when it wasn't, it felt like the whole case was going on a plateau, and Jungkook isn’t much help either. The guy wouldn’t speak up on his company’s anomalies, but instead, he had a lot of witty remarks that, even if Taehyung hated to admit it, were funny.

He watched as the smoke from his stick danced, flicking it before taking another hit. This case, though admittedly it was something else, was sad, to say the least. 

He remembers how Jungkook’s eyes no longer had a spark of hope in it, almost as if he had taken his bad fate already and he hated it. God, Taehyung hates it when his clients stop believing in themselves. He could see why, but for sure there was something else behind as to why he would just give up on his freedom like that. 

Visits to Jungkook were like an advent calendar of what the guy’s about to do next just because he simply didn’t want to cooperate with them. On their second visit, he surprised all three lawyers with a new tattoo inked across his skin, which seemed very unbecoming of a professional like him. 

The visit after that was a grand reveal to the piercings on his face that shocked the three of them, but props to him, better give credit to where is due, he pulled off his new style pretty well if Taehyung were to be honest.

“It’s giving us 2020 Spring/Summer jail vibes,” Jimin comments as soon as Jungkook stepped in. “Yes king, give us everything but proper answers.”

“Thanks, my team of inmate stylists worked hard to come up with this look,” Jungkook gave him a sarcastic smile.

“See my new earring? Yeah, this one, it means freedom,” Atty. Choi and Jimin moved closer to have a better look when he showed his left ear, “Freedom I’ll never get ha!”

Taehyung sighed at what seemed like another wasted day of getting nothing out of him.

He massaged his temples while shutting his eyes to relieve headache, and Jimin bantering with him isn’t of any help. The more Jimin makes sarcastic jokes, the more Jungkook comes up with better ones. The whole ordeal is beating the purpose of acquitting him, and quite frankly, Jungkook doesn’t give a fuck anymore. 

Secretly, he hoped he’d find you sitting amongst the benches in the courtroom while Jungkook’s trial was on but never caught a glimpse of you, so he stopped thinking about it. 

Instead, he focuses all that energy that’s left of him solving the case with the other lawyers on the team. He could chuckle when he remembers how Yoongi once said they were the best on the roster because being the best meant having it all figured out, and the four of them have figured out none.

Working on the Jeon vs. Han case felt like a losing battle. By some miracle – also known as Min Yoongi – all their efforts, literal blood, and sweat bore success.

The day the judge had ruled Jungkook not guilty against all the charges Han Dong-Il pushed against him, Taehyung’s body had never felt any lighter. 

To: [email protected], etc. cc: [email protected] Good day, team. I hope this email finds you well. I would like to extend my warmest congratulations on winning Mr. Jeon Jungkook’s case. Let us move forward with positivity and stand by the truth as always. Drinks on me, Atty. Min Yoongi Kim & Min Law

Then the thought of you popped up in his head again: Why, out of all the people that had to be you acquainted with, it had to be Jeon Jungkook? 

Was Jungkook your lover that’s why you were going through all these troubles to help out his family? Or simply just a friend you looked out for? Whichever it is, Taehyung knows he’s not in the position to find out any more. Much less meddle with your personal affairs or whatever it is that you choose to do daily. 

Undeniably, his stomach drops at the thought of you in someone else’s arms. 

It has been a while since he last saw you. It’s also been quite some time since you haven’t left his mind. Again. Thankfully, a message saves him from drowning in his thoughts once again.

Seo Joon: Kim, bring your ass to Axis tonight. Ya boy’s getting hitched [7:00PM]

Taehyung: What have you been snorting that you decided to get married? [7:00PM]

Seo Joon: Cocaine if I could afford to lose my career and girl [7:01PM]

Taehyung: Kudos for cracking jokes like that with a lawyer [7:01PM]

Seo Joon: I try my best. See you, man [7:02PM]

“Yeah, I’m taking this as a sign to take a break.” Taehyung huffs as he pushes his phone back to his pocket. 

Present Time.

“And that’s how I found you at Axis.” He takes a quick sip of his coffee. “Told you I wasn’t the type to stalk,” he sports a smug smile as he casually leaned his back to his seat.

'Ah, the stalker jokes are back,' you thought with a light heart.

“Mm, right, but you still kept coming back,” you chuckled, raising a brow at him teasingly.

“Wouldn’t argue with that,” he sipped on his cup of coffee. His peripheral vision caught you picking at the onion rings that you were barely touching, which made him frown. “Go finish your food, Y/N,” he says sternly.

You looked up to him, raising a brow, “I am eating.”

“Taking a few bites of your burger while playing with the sides isn’t eating,” Taehyung retorted, making you roll your eyes at him.

The both of you sat in silence, putting all your attention on your plate. It wasn’t as awful as you thought it would go – unloading all that baggage in one night and all. You had to admit that it felt good to have it all out. However, you couldn’t help but feel shifty with how he would react after everything.

The silence was agonizing to say the least. You couldn’t read the expression that was etched on Taehyung’s face nor find out what was going on inside that pretty head of his. You did, however, take note of how his features have matured, and if you could sing all your praises to anyone, it would be time for chiseling that jawline to perfection as if he couldn’t be any more handsome than he did years ago.

It’s not like your misfortune is a secret you liked to keep hidden at the back of your mind. You know you’re so much more than what you’ve been through. Everything else can go to hell and fuck the devil, and you wouldn’t bat your lashes at the white noise outsiders would make.

“Y/N,” you lifted your gaze. “Thank you for opening yourself up. I wish I had known what I know now.” Taehyung's lips formed a small smile with a hint of sadness very evident behind it.

“It’s fine. Things never go as planned in life…well, at least with mine,” he frowns at your response. “Hey, I just said it’s fine. That’s a sad fact we all have to live by,” you gave him a sad smile and nodded your head before proceeding to finish your meal.

“If you don’t mind me asking – and by that, I mean you don’t have to answer this if you’re not comfortable about it – do you know who...filmed you?” You stared at him blankly while his nerves wracked as he waited for an answer. 

Working on Jungkook made him develop a bad case of trauma where he’s expecting nonsense shit or sarcasm instead of something straight to the point. Of course, you weren’t anything like Jungkook, but he still hoped he’d get something out of you.

“I– yeah, I do actually," slowly nodding, your face did not etch a single emotion as you spoke, "…and so do you.”

Taehyung’s brows furrowed together in confusion? Shock? He didn’t know.

“Who is it?”

You drew a deep breath before uttering the name you couldn't even bring yourself to mention all these years. As if life hadn’t been treating you poorly, he happens to be the lawyer representing the complainant.

“It’s Park Jinyoung.”

Taehyung’s blood seemed to have run out of his body.

‘Jinyoung? The guy who always made silly jokes and threw grand parties?’ He turned pale at the name you just dropped, still in disbelief as to how a friend could do such a thing.

Why would he lie about him at the party and take advantage of you like that? He knew Jinyoung had questionable morals the day he agreed to be on Han Don-Il’s side, but never once did he expect him to be this vile.

You watched as Taehyung had turned silent and how his frown deepened. All he did was watch you awkwardly swirl your coffee with a spoon.

“I’m sorry about that, Tae. Wish things were different for us, you know?” You mumbled without daring to look at him. 

When he clears his throat to catch your gaze, but just as he was about to say something, your alarm goes off, notifying you that it’s almost time to bring your brother to school.

Talk about timing.

Taehyung was kind enough and offered to drive you home then drive your brother to school.

He reasoned that he didn’t really have much going on for the day, so he insisted on the offer. Not to mention that he felt bad for making you stay up all night just for what seemed like a sad catch-up of each other’s lives. 

“Give me a minute, I’ll just go up and get Sejin. I’ll be quick,” he nods.

His fingers tapped on the steering wheel as he waited for the time to pass, whistling along to the songs that played on the radio station. Checking out your building to see if you were coming, he notes that the place was okay looking, not too fancy, but it looked better than most flats within the area. The location itself was also good and quiet; he assumed it was best for couples and families alike. 

Soon after, you came down holding Sejin’s hand, beaming a bright smile at the boy as you talked about something as you walked towards his car.

“Sorry, that took a while,” you apologized as soon as you got in.

“It’s fine, it wasn’t much of a wait,” he shifted his gear to drive and studied the google map to your brother’s school.

“Good morning, sir. Thank you for driving me to school,” Sejin politely greeted him as he settled at the backseat.

“No worries, Sejin. It’s cool,” Taehyung looked back and smiled at the boy whose eyes emulated that of a doe in surprise.

“Hyung!” Sejin hugged Taehyung’s neck and pulled him close to him, which made you laugh because Taehyung looked like air was getting cut out of his throat.

The interaction made your heart swell just like the old times, “Sejin, you’re choking your driver.”

“Oops, sorry,” he apologized cutely.

The drive to Sejin’s school was nothing but loud.

The boy was so excited to see Taehyung again after how many years. Surprisingly enough, he still remembers the days when he and Taehyung played all over the house, exchanging laughter and secretly tickling each other when you weren’t looking. It was nostalgic looking back at all the good memories the three of you shared. 

“Hyung! Hyung! Will you stay with us again?” Sejin’s eyes emulated like that of a doe’s eyes, as he pouted cutely, hoping that his favorite hyung would say yes.

Taehyung really played an essential part in you and your brother’s lives – he made everything easier and fun, and you wouldn’t have it any other way. You were just grateful that at some point in your life, you shared memories you treasured with Taehyung and hoped that he felt the same way about it when he remembers those days.

“I’ll see if I can visit again. Hyung is kinda busy these days,” Sejin puckers into a dissatisfied pout. He knows exactly what the emphasis on the word meant because you had done the same thing with him, too.

“But I missed you, and you’re sooo fun to be with,” Taehyung ruffled his hair.

“Maybe tomorrow I can, but I’m not sure about that yet,” thankfully, the boy understood that.

The both of you watched as Sejin waved goodbye to the car and ran towards his friends. It made Taehyung chuckle at the playfulness he still had after all these years.

“He hasn’t changed one bit,” he says while watching Sejin from a distance.

“He only grew clingier honestly," you smiled. "I wish kids never grew up.”

Taehyung titles his head to the side, “That’s so odd to hear from you. Why’s that?”

“Imagine if we remained as kids, you wouldn’t have to get so worked up on Jungkook’s case. No pressure with work or whatever that’s tied to it. While I would probably be playing out with my friends just like Sejin is right now," Taehyung remained silent, pondering at everything you said.

When he finally put all his thoughts together, he spoke, “Well, I never really had a good childhood, to begin with, but it would be nice to have my aunt back. If I hadn’t grown up to be a lawyer, I wouldn’t be able to acquit Jeon and grow the patience I never knew I had at times Jungkook wouldn’t budge.”

You laughed when you learned how much of a hard time Jungkook gave his team of lawyers back then, “Sounds like him. That guy’s so hard-headed but the biggest softie when it came to his loved ones.”

“Yeah, I figured he was.” Taehyung exchanged smiles with you until your stomach grumbled loudly, making the both of you laugh hysterically, “Why are you always hungry?”

“Why do you always like to eat?” You lifted a brow teasingly. 

It was nice to have Taehyung back in your life, even as a friend.

You figured that no matter how many lives you live in the next lifetime and the one after that, you’ll always find each other whatever kind of relationship the universe decided to box the two of you in. 

“Hey, Tae?” He hums at your call. “Just wondering since–uh, you know–we’re friends. Were you happy after we broke up?” 

He thought about his answer carefully, briefly staying silent before finally speaking, “Somewhere along the way, I found joy in helping others. How about you?”

“I guess I kinda did, too,” you smiled, though half of it was a lie. Peaking at him quickly as he drove back to drop you at your place, you noticed how worn-out he looked. “You look really, really tired to be driving like a bus driver,” he scoffed at your comment.

“I know I look like shit when I lack sleep. Thanks for pointing it out, Y/N,” he rolled his eyes playfully. “If you’d be kind enough to let me get a quick nap at your place, that’d be great.”

You weren’t a hundred percent sure of the idea, but you still threw it out there out of gratitude for driving you back and forth. “You can if you want.”

Taehyung’s response? Screech the brakes.

“What?” The way he looks so dumfounded right now could be the joke itself.

“What ‘what’?” You lifted a brow after choking on your seatbelt.

he could feel sweat forming on his forehead, “For legal reasons, that was a joke, Y/N.”

“Well, the offer wasn’t a joke and still stands.” You say confidently. "I don't see anything illegal as far as I'm concerned."

'Why do I feel like it is?' Taehyung sighed and continued driving.

Taglist: @jimilter @loljrau @katjimout @borahae-reads @lilmeowmeow02 @uzumakioden @our-unknownarmy @theeccentric @jeontier

notes: Sorry if this is the shortest chapter but I hope you still enjoyed it!