black dragon

The length of her nails grazed over his scalp as they laid there, the necromancer’s naked form settled between her legs as his head pillowed on her chest and the dragon pinning over whether or not this was a mistake. How she found herself back here in her moments of grief she wasn’t sure, but their past together had bubbled to the surface. Unannounced and uninvited. She had expected to feel like this, empty, hollow, mind mulling over the times when they were together that they were able to lay like this. In those fleeting moments of happiness that was nestled between the bite and brash of the chaos that came with their relationship.

She was sure she’d be gone before the morning came. She’d blame it on Hyerim the next time they saw each other at HQ. Say that she had to get home because of school, or the nanny having to go and Junji would take it as an understanding, if he cared to mention it at all.

In the wake maturing, Sena had learned that all those years before that it wasn’t that Junji hadn’t cared, realized she was the problem, or at least half of blame for trying to force him to become fire, as if smoke could condense itself back into the flames it had once been.

It was strange, she’d missed him. Not in a way that would take her away from Shinwoo but in a way that held the emptiness of a love that could have been something so special, had it been the right time and place, and the was exactly what her fiancé,...ex-fiance, had been when they’d met. Even still Sena had managed to ruin that too, so desperately tied to the group that had brought her and Junji together in the first place.

*

“I do care.” If it hadn’t been for his monotone, Sena might’ve detected the desperation from which these words were conceived. “I care.”

He knew he had a predilection (even that was too generous a word) for indifference. He knew that his expression and voice could be devoid of feeling. He knew this and did little to rectify it, too scared of emotional vulnerability - and all it encompassed - to give his girlfriend what he knew she wanted: himself. All of himself. Not this half-man trapped in a region of shadows.

It didn’t help that he hadn’t realized the waitress or bartender had been flirting with him. Even if he had, he wouldn’t have known what to do to appease Sena. Junji was not a jealous man, and as such, he had a hard time comprehending it in others. He gazed down at her with deep brown-and-scarlet eyes, and even in this moment of conflict, he found her irresistible. Sena was crazy, but he liked that. He was pretty sure he loved her - as much as Junji could love a person - but he did not understand her. 

“However—” he knew he was getting himself in trouble the moment the word crossed his lips. Despite his outer placidity, frustration was kindling within him like the bushfires he recalled from his adolescence in Australia. “You always seem to expect me to react in this very precise way, but you won’t tell me what it is you want me to do… I never know what you want.”

♥

Stunted  by her ability to see past her own insecurities, Sena felt a wave of irritation come over her at his words. ‘I care’ seemed to fall, without pun, so carelessly from his lips, as if it was simply to appease her and put a stop to the insufferable nag of her voice. She missed the way his body sagged in desperation, much too blinded by the fire in her eyes. She felt as though the only way she could get a response from Junji was when he’d had enough of her constant poking and prodding at his patience.

Their eyes locked and for a moment cerulean iris’ locked with his multi-flecked orbs as if she was searching for something, something to tell her that behind this wall of grey he felt, even just a little bit. And even in then she was lost, choosing to miss it. Junji had been the only person she could cling to when she arrived in the city, and she’d fallen for him so deeply and quickly even now as she was scratching and clawing at the concrete that was this outer layer surrounding him, she still loved him.

“I expect it because I feel like any guy in that situation should react the same.” The dragon stood before him, waiting for him to unlock the door to his place and only following him in after the fact, the click of her heels greeting the hollowness of the wood flooring in the space. “How! How is it that you never know what I want when I’m always telling you. At this point I’m just talking for fun.” She walked back up to him in the door way, as if to challenge him in the heat of her jealousy. “I know that you’re not looking anywhere else, but at some point get your head out of your ass Jun. I was waiting for you to say something that whole time, because I know if I did I would have looked like the crazy jealous bitch right?”

Shinwoo jumped as his fiancée squeezed into the bathroom with him. “Shit, Sena, you scared me.” He chuckled as he pulled his shirt off and tossed it into the laundry hamper that sat in the corner of the bathroom. “Yeah, I’ve noticed that you’ve been a off.” He commented as she seemed to speak in riddles. “Sena…” his eyes widened as she pulled out the familiar blue stick. “We’re having another baby?” He stared at her, in shock, before a wide grime spread over his face. His eyes nearly disappeared as he pulled Sena into a hug. “We’re having another baby.” He repeated, lifting her up and setting her on the sink.

He smiled up at her but the smile slowly faded. “But wait, you know for two months? Why didn’t you tell me? Is it because of all the Night Bloods shit? Are you afraid to bring another child into all of this? I’ll protect our family no matter what and I know that you will too. So, tell me, is that what you want? Cause you know that I will stand beside you no matter what. If you don’t think we are ready to bring another child into the world, I will still love you just as I do now.”

♥

she wanted to smile with him truly she did, but instead she could only meet him with a half grimace at the news. his happiness did rub off on her just a bit, just because he was happy and that beautiful smile of his sauntered to her heart every time. “yeah, we’re having another baby.” sena said softly biting into her bottom lip as her bare thighs settled onto the cool granite of their counter. 

“no, no, baby that’s not it. i’ve already told sypha, she was the first person i told actually. and don’t be mad at me for that either telling her first was for our safety.” she reassured him with a sigh, looking down at the advanced technology that served as the test settled in the palm of her hand.

“we’re having another baby. why am i not excited?” sena said looking up at him. “i’ve already been a shit mother to hyerim...i barely hug her, i barely kiss her, i can hardly had have a conversation with her without feeling overwhelmed. what if i suck all over again?” her eye began to burn lightly with tears at the thought, “its not that its not what i want...but i’m scared.”

💭

A knowing smile rested on her face, lips slightly curved, acknowledging the statements without adding anything else. Trust in capable beings came easy when they held the same ideals. It was bloomed the calm that sat between and around the two women. “30 is,” she began then actually pictured the woman with a herd of children. A brief amused laugh left her before she pushed the image from her head, “yes, that is a far greater number than I would have answered”, she responded then looked to the tea cup set before her. “Whether 1 or 30, they are forever yours and will forever need you”, she said then picked the cup up, letting the heat radiate through her hands.

Sypha let the aroma pass her nostrils as her eyes widened. The half joke was a complete truth. Another child, she thought as her ears followed the happy movement of the toddler present with them. Questions arose she didn’t care for, considerations and further decisions .  . . A brief sip of the tea quieted the concern, before setting the tea cup down. 

“He doesn’t know”, she spoke then shook her head. “I don’t like keeping things from him that I don’t have to”, she said knowing how they could complicate the facts of their relationship. “Tell him soon”, she said then settled her hands over her lap, not wanting to linger on that anymore.” But this”, she said with a sincere smile, “this is wonderful news. Another little blessing”, she said happily. “Hyerim gets to be an older sister. She will love it.”

The question posed to her, faded her smile. Without the need for thought she answered.  “I’m bored”, she whined then leaned forward, looking at the woman. She leaned back with a huff. “Ever so often I need”, she said with a hum, “Excitement”, she said taking the cup again and uncrossing her legs. 

After a sip, she let the cup settle in her hands on her lap. “It might be time for a little vacation or an equally distracting distraction”, she said winking at Sena. “It’s just so hard with everyone being so fu-”, she stopped herself, humming and looking over at Hyerim. With a grin she continued, looking back at Sena, “predictable”, she said with a huff. “I want, I need, something I can’t guess. Someone I can’t win without thought”, she said with a pout.

♥

“i know, i know and i will. i just, you know how i am with dragan. not to under mind him or anything but who knows how he’ll react. the last thing i need is to get fired or he flies off the handle and does something fucking stupid.” sena rolled her eyes, taking a moment to purse her nude lips to blow across the top of her tea. she enjoyed her times with sypha, she rarely had any true girl time in such a male dominated career, in the nightblood’s and in the art and tattoo industry. they hardly spent more than a few hours at a time together but in those moments she felt relaxed, and listened to, on equal playing fields. 

she gave her an endearing smile before looking over at the little girl who was now comfortably playing on her tablet. the retro sounds of a game the only indication of her stir from her space in the corner. “yeah i hope so, she doesn’t know yet either. me and sin want to take her out and tell her together but schedules don’t line up so well when you’re flying across the globe in one night trips to houston or something while he’s trying to juggle this mess of last christmas and take are of hyerim. i’m sure she’ll be excited. i’m hoping for a boy this time.”

sena knew sypha’s frustrations all too well. when she’d come to korea and settled down she craved her life in east la all over again. it was one of the main reasons she danced at cache and joined the night bloods, ways to make money while keeping the thrill of the life she missed alive. 

“unnie if you’re looking for a lover why don’t you just say that huh?” she teased the timeless goddess nudging her gently. “you should go out more, pick you up someone, even just for the night. or take a trip somewhere else and have a romantic rendezvous in a foreign country. plenty of high caliber guys and gals come through my shop i’m sure i can toss a line out for you.” sena only half joked with a slight pout in the vampire’s direction at her frustration.

ᕙ(^▿^-ᕙ)

While Minjun had amassed a family the size of which was nothing to sneeze at, there were, of course, stand-outs even among the crowd of people he loved so dearly. And Sena was one of them, given their history, their time together. She was the first person he’d taken care of and had been able to watch grow fully, from the scared little girl he’d seen that first day on the training field floor to the woman that dragged him out of his apartment every other week. She had been there for him in the same way he had been there for her, in a time where they had nothing to give but their care, their support; a shoulder to rest a head upon after a long day, a pat on the back after a difficult mission.

It meant a lot to him, having been gifted such a thing and watching Sena’s smile grow wider and more real with each passing day. She had had such a hard life, and he considered himself something of a father to her as well in the same way he did with the Jeups. Though she always had a different, less favorable title in mind for him, of which he was greeted with upon immediately answering his phone. Walking the steps up to her apartment, he hummed. “Your timing is impeccable, as always. I was just about to call you to open the door.” Huffing, he pouted despite the fact that she couldn’t see him through the phone’s screen. “And stop calling me an old man.” He said with no real heat to his tone.

Truth be told, he had practically rushed out of the house at Sena’s call, glad to be able to spend time with her and Hyerim. It had felt far too long of a time had passed since they last saw each other, which he found odd but also concerning given the fact that she was the one of the only reasons aside from work-related things to get out of the house. So the mix of those emotions had him breaking more driving laws, a feat that he seemed to find himself doing more and more often. He’d even taken his bike rather than his car, and his knees were all but buckling. But he wasn’t old and he didn’t have old man bones, and if anyone said otherwise… they were either liars or Sena. “Let me in.” He added belatedly, already at the door and ready to be obnoxious enough to ring the bell.

♥

her smile was bright and warm at the sound of his voice, garnering a chuckle from her as she moved around the kitchen with her now dripping hands. “i’ll stop calling you an old man when you stop acting like one. rimie!” sena said calling to her daughter who was settled on the living room floor with a sixty-four count box of crayons and a thousand pieces of construction paper. “yes mommy?” her daughter spoke in return. “can you please let minjun-oppa in please?” with out another word the sound of little feet softly thundered over to the door. little fingers pressed in the code to their security system and on her tippy toes hyerim twisted the knob to open the door. “hello oppa! mommy is cooking and i’m coloring!” the five year old explained without prompting before scurrying back to her place on the floor. 

sena went on to check the sesame rice that sat steaming in the expensive cooker the shinwoo had brought to make up for her cooking inadequacies stirring it with the glistening white paddle before going back to moving her beef along the pan on the stove top. 

turning over her shoulder to speak to him sena said softly with a laugh, “when are you going to give up the sentiment of not being old hm?” as she found a place to stop on the sauteeing she wiped her wet hands on her jeans before going to wrap her arms around him in a stern hug, adding a kiss on his cheek. “its good to see you. sorry for making it such a big deal for just beef and rice but good news is always served best over a good meal right? or is that bad news?” sena tapped his chest playfully before waving him into the kitchen, pulling down a bottle of wine for them to share, the two empty glasses already waiting on the table where she motioned him to sit.

she was no where near a chef in the kitchen. honestly, sena wondered how she even got this far, especially with a toddler. spending time at the stove was a constant reminder of why she let her fiance do the cooking. even still she’d spent the whole day gathering ingredients and prepping food simply to have an old fox over. while she was still recovering from the slightly traumatic shock of another pregnancy, there was only one other person that she felt she could excitedly tell the news to.

settling down with sypha and dragan felt like work. even as casual as they were it was almost as if she was asking permission to have another child. and telling shinwoo only resulted in tears and anxiousness. the mere thought of sharing the news with him made her feel a lot warmer inside. minjun allowed her to feel...homey. she could see her father in the crinkles of his eyes when he smiled and the richness in his laugh. centuries of life wandering aimlessly only to land into the home of such a disheveled lot.

sena could remember times where she was still young, leaving Cache at 2 a.m. the buses had long stopped running and she was just a lowly recruit for the royal family. she’d give a timid knock to his door only to find herself laying in his lap like and exhausted teen. the hole her father left, minjun was the only one to fill it even slightly. 

she pushed the peppers she was cutting to the side and went to wash her hands again. drying them quickly sena tapped at the screen of her phone, cursing under her breath that the water droplets were making it hard to type. tapping on minjun’s contact she pressed call and put the phone on speaker, going to rinse her knife. when she heard the shuffling at the other end she smiled, “aya~ what’s taking you so long old man? you promised your great grandkid a k drama episode before dinner.” truthfully her anxiousness just wanted him there quicker so she could get breaking the news over with. // @vc-hmj​

.

💭 Everything. Sypha let the word bounce between her ears but smiled a warm smile at the young one, genuinely warm. So very young, a fragile age, she thought as her mother handed the residue free cup, Sypha’s eyes watching her trod away. “She’s positively beautiful in every way”, she breathed without thought, eyes watching the young one settle in with her device. 

Her eyes passed back to Sena, warmth of the brief interaction still holding on her face. She turned the Mattia Cielo bracelet on her left hand over the sheer panel of the McQueen lace dress, barring the sentiment trying to force its way up. The question of duty, added just the hint of mischief to her grin needed to settle her emotions. “You know if they were that special, I couldn’t bear letting someone else enjoy such a thing.” She then laughed at the jest of firing her. “Never. You’re suppose to live Sena, remember that. Not just exist, and have as many babies as you want,” she said with a grin, eyes going back to Hyerim for a moment. “We’re suppose to make the world as they will need it”, she said then turned.

“I wasn’t in the area”, she continued with a giggle, head tilting to the side playfully. 

“But I did think of you, and the little one”, she answered honestly. “And I did not come empty handed. My presence is the gift”, she beamed playfully. “But wait, how many more should I expect this year?”

🐉

sena chuckled, “well as much as i know you three like to enjoy the glories of a blood bath on your own. that is why you hired me, and also why reign took me out of the hitman pool. what did he say, ‘i only use my secret weapon when i feel like ending the game early.’ oh wait, that’s was you in that meeting wasn’t it?” she teased. the dragon could relish in how easy it was to be around the jeups now. she could remember when she was first recruited, how afraid she had been, and how mad at herself she’d been for it. now it was simply visiting family when she spoke with them. hell, dragan called almost every other night to speak to hyerim. the game didn’t feel so much like walking on egg shells as it had so long ago. 

“mmm yeah sure, i dunno how useful i’m going to be hauling around thirty dragon hounds.” she teased with an equally bright smile, standing to her feet to tend to the howling electric kettle. as she listened to sypha she poured a bit in the waiting ceramic cups, matte black, handle-less mugs that had been waiting on her when the first given her the beautiful new office. bringing them back over to the table she sat one in front of the vampire, settling back into her seat.

“ah yes, such an amazing gift, i’ll cherish it to the very end. with an eye roll she blew over the surface of her tea, going to take a sip. “ya...don’t tell your brother but...just the one. we found out a few weeks ago. i haven’t told him yet, when i was pregnant with hyerim he didn’t really take it well until she was actually born. then he went into full god daddy mode even at seventeen.” sena smiled a the memory before pretty blue eyes flicked to the elder’s direction.

xxx - the dragon couldn’t help but laugh. sypha even in her age seemed so disconnected to the regularness of life. with a comical roll of her eyes she took the cup from her sharking her head. “i have a five year old unnie , everything is sticky.” and just like a routine she made her way back to her purse, pulling out a baby wipe and wiping the cup down before handing it to the waiting toddler she’d referred to. “now go play.” waving her off, on cue hyerim took off back to the corner she was in with her ipad, sena’s boots thudding against the flooring muddled in-between the child’s happy footsteps.  

she settled back in her chair, crossing her leg over the other as she sat in front of her boss. “its not often that you call me just to chat. there a special someone you need me to take care of or is this a curtesy call to tell me i’m fired because i keep popping out babies?” she joked with the elder, putting her hand over her stomach with a laugh.