This Is Cutee

*insert sunoo dolphin scream*

all for the sake of throne — psh (m)

pairing: king!sunghoon x queen!reader

genre: explicit, royalty au, marriage au, not minor friendly

synopsis: as a king, sunghoon was perfect. He was intelligent, kind, confident — basically everything a woman would want, not to mention how great he was in bed as the cherry on top. But why did his wife seemed to disagree? Did she really hate him or was it all an act? Sunghoon didn’t know, but he was for sure sick of hiding his feelings.

warnings: dom!king hoon, he’s a little annoying but in a hot way, lovers in denial, hint of e2l, small plot, bathtub s*x, unprotected s*x, mentions of kitchen s*x, cute love confession at the end, this is mostly cute imo

word count: 2.7k

note: this is practically my version of the even days on Queen Charlotte, enjoy 🫰🏼

Let’s get over with it, you thought to yourself, standing before the glorious gates of the king’s room as you pushed them open, walking inside with a confidence that was half fake. 

You did not like doing this, not one bit, yet you weren’t given the luxury of making your own decisions. 

After all you had one task — birthing a new heir for the throne, it couldn’t be that hard now could it? 

However it was, it really was hard with a person like him — with a person who’s not only a know it all but also as stubborn as a goat. 

Gosh, he was so annoying with his stupidly handsome face and no, you did not care if it was a treason to call him that. 

But the hardest part wasn’t the fact that you had to perform the “marital act” with him every other day on even days of the week, it was the fact that you had to hide that you actually liked it and that you were not being pretentious. 

Why the hiding, you wonder? Because he was a jerk, a great king for his nation, true, but a trashy husband to you. And if you were supposed to age together, he had to improve, whether he liked it or not. 

Which was why you were determined to get on his nerves just as much as he did to yours, thinking that it could make him question his perfect self, maybe for the sake of his marriage. 

And well, given that he also was tired of hiding his feelings for you, that sly plan of yours seemed to have hope. 

“We’re supposed to spend the night together.” You said as you stood before the bathtub that Sunghoon, who happened to be the mentioned king and husband, was bathing in, “It’s an even day today.” 

Oh yeah, right, even day, he thought as he eyed you up and down, lips curling up to a smug smirk which dictated the fact that he liked your nightgown. 

You looked astonishing, just like how you always did. 

It was really a shame that he won’t be telling you that though, since you were treating him as if he was your enemy ever since your first morning together, making him wonder what he did so wrong. 

I mean, you were newly wedded, both of you had given consent for this marriage so what was the issue? Why were you so mean to him? 

He honestly didn’t have a clue, but it was true that his patience was running out thanks to you, and your cute little grumpy face. 

“Leave us.” He ordered at the young man, his servant, who was standing by the door. 

As the young man followed his command, you slipped out of your slippers, trying to untie the knot above the tiny buttons of your gown to take it off of you, but failing miserably despite your continuous attempts. 

“Just get in.” Sunghoon bluntly spoke, eyes looking somewhat amused as he laid in the tub clothless, his muscular body full on display before you. 

Yes he was unbearable as a person, but let’s be honest, he was hot as hell — maybe even hotter thanks to his cockiness. 

Without rejecting, you did as you were told, stepping inside the warm water, letting it wet the long skirt of your gown as you kneeled in between his legs. 

He didn’t resist your touch once you wrapped your arms around his neck to pull him closer, lips resting merely an inch away from each other as you both sighed with expectation. 

He was the one that closed the unnecessary gap, pushing his plump lips that you secretly really liked kissing on yours. 

You leaned over as you kissed him back, placing your legs on both sides of his thighs, letting him pull you on his manhood with the grasp he had on your waist. 

He was eager, so eager, and why did you enjoy that? 

It felt like you were both in a rush to feel each other, almost as if you were doing this out of love and not because you were forced by the elders, aka his mom and her useless council of lords. 

Well, calling this love would be bold but one thing was for sure, and it was that no power in the world could force either of you into doing something you didn’t like. 

So yeah, despite the fact that none of you admit it, the even days of the week were for sure your favorite. 

The way you both hissed once his tip brushed over your entrance was a living proof of that as you broke the kiss for a brief second, wanting to take a look at his handsome face. 

He was frowning, biting his lips as you sank down on him, taking him more and more gradually until there was nothing left outside. 

Ugh that feeling — the feeling of him filling you up to the max, it was freaking perfect. 

His hands were now roaming on your body, caressing your back and playıng with your breasts over the thin fabric that weighed on you. 

He groaned once you started to rock your hips on his, digging his nails into your skin almost as if he was trying to leave a mark behind. 

The way you squeezed him tightly with your warmth was one thing, he was in love with it, true, but what drove him insane was the look on your face — the look of pure pleasure as you began to ride him, mouth gaping open to leave the most beautiful whimpers he has ever heard. 

Ugh seriously, how dare you could be so attractive when you were so rebellious? He couldn’t stand that, you know? 

You truly deserved a punishment for that, queen or not. 

Placing both hands on your hips, he led you into a faster pace, all the while sneakily making his way back to your lips, enclosing them with his needy ones. 

God he hated you, he hated to feel so needy for you, he hated the fact that he was burning for you while you treated him like shit, causing him to go mad all alone with the thoughts of you spiraling inside his mind. 

But he loved you, he loved you so much that he was enduring it for you, pretending to be okay with it all — pretending to be only doing this for the sake of the throne. 

Whereas he didn’t even care for an heir, not a single bit, no, he was just lying to not give you the upper hand. 

Because how could he just confess his wild love for you when you were complaining about how bothering it was to have him breathing in the rooms of your palace just the other day? 

Yeah, it was true that you made up for yourself after that with how you let him fuck you on the dinner table but let’s be honest, it was still really rude, even for you. 

He couldn’t just forget about that, could he? 

But honestly, he sort of really wanted to, especially when all he cared about was the way you made him feel every time he touched you, every time he made you his and every time he filled you up with his seeds — just like how he was about to do right now. 

“Close,” you mumbled, arching your back as you let your head fall behind, your lips separating from his to expose more of your gorgeous neck for him, “I'm close, do not slow down.” 

He scoffed, speechless at the audacity you had then again. You were giving orders to the king himself without a single care in the world, surely you were a mad woman, maybe as mad as him even. 

Or maybe you were his perfect match, just like his servant pointed out the other day. 

Giving a light squeeze to your buttocks, he trailed his hands on your body, reaching to your neck to wrap his hands around it. He didn’t forget to fondle your tıts on his way there, loving the way they were perfectly fitting in his palms. 

After his long fingers were placed tightly around your throat, he pulled you down, speaking against your lips before he kissed them, “You can be a lady for once and ask for it kindly, you know,” he whispered, sarcastic with his tone, “it won’t kill you, I promise.” 

“Please,” you replied, which was enough to surprise him as he froze in his spot, suddenly gulping down was an unmanageable task at the sound of your whiny request, “just don’t slow down, please.” 

Shaking his head, he tried to break the spell you just unknowingly casted on him, “See,” he cleared his throat, pretending his best to seem unbothered, “it was not that hard now, was it my queen?”  

“It was, actually,” you disagreed, pecking his lips with a shit eating grin on your face, “my heart almost stopped as I was saying the p word, my king.” 

He giggled, biting his lips as he moved closer to give you a proper kiss, his tongue melting on yours once he poked it inside your mouth.

Although the conversation between you could be called cute, his thrusts and his kisses couldn't be included in the same category. 

Guess he isn’t such a gentleman when it comes to making love, you thought, secretly enjoying this side of him. 

And by the passing second, he only became more and more aggressive, the pressure in between your legs increasing a crazy amount with every push of his hips. 

“Sunghoon ..” you called out for him in between sloppy kisses, struggling to keep yourself on your knees with the way they trembled. 

“I know, do not worry,” he whispered, feeling the same way as you, desperately craving his high, almost like a teen boy, “I won’t stop until you’re there, I promise.” 

And oh dear God, the list of things that he could sacrifice over the way you kissed him right now, it had no limit. 

This was the first time he’s seen you being so needy, so passionate and so defenseless with him that he couldn’t help but to wonder if the whole “I hate your existence” thing that you got going on with him was fake. 

Perhaps you were pretending just like him, but what for?

Now that he thought about it, maybe he hasn’t been a good husband to you and maybe — that was the reason behind your small riots. 

If that was the case, then there was hope for your marriage, which without a doubt was all he asked for.

For sure you had your reasons to be beefing with him, I mean he had many faults towards you — like leaving you all alone at the first night of your marriage just so he could ‘observe the stars’ in his private observatory, but in the bigger picture it really was not his fault either. 

He was raised to be a king, to be perfect, to be a scientist, to be a role model — not to be a husband unfortunately, and that hasn’t been a problem until after you’ve arrived.

Don’t get him wrong, he wasn’t complaining, it was just that your existence near him changed more than he thought. 

First of all it changed him and it really was harder than you could guess to adjust.

Just a few days back he was a young boy who did not care for anything else besides the planet Venus, yet today the only thing that he was thinking about was you, and what he could do to impress you, in hopes of making you hate him less.  

So to put it shortly, he just needed some time to make everything perfect, that was all. 

It was your pretty voice what pulled him out of his trans as you were calling for the name of god after his. Your body was collapsed on his, your arms wrapped around his neck while you were panting against his ear, putting your last drop of energy to your legs in order to be able to keep on bouncing upon him. 

“Shhh, you’re alright,” he whispered as he hugged your waist, taking some weight off your tired knees as he helped you with your movements using his strong arms, leading you up and down repeatedly, “I’ve got you y/n, it’s alright.” 

“I’m … I-I think I’m …” 

“Do it.” he cut your words, lips landing endless kisses on your neck as his grip tightened. His face was buried on your skin while he was trying to focus on his nearing high, hoping to arrange it at the same time with yours. 

And he was successful with it, the seeds of your future generation spilling from his thick shaft into you, filling you up all good like your previous times.

Neither of you were quiet with your climaxes as you both groaned and sighed, hands all over each other, desperately searching for a space to hold on. 

“Are you well?” he managed to utter after a while later, all breathless as he rested his face on your shoulders. You seemed just as exhausted as him, he could tell it from the way your heart was beating. 

Yes, it was so loud that he could hear it, wasn’t that so cute?

“Mhm, I’m .. uhh .. fine.” you replied, forcing out your words with your half closed eyes, trying to remove yourself from where you were sitting on top of Sunghoon with your weak arms. “I should leave you .. um, good night.”

Now that you were done with each other, it was time that you left, right? I mean, It wasn’t like you had any good reasons to stay anyway. 

Well, it looked like Sunghoon did not agree with you, not in the slightest bit. 

“Wait — ” he stopped you, raising his head from where it was resting on your chest to look you in the eyes. And your eyes, lord, they were so beautiful. “Don’t leave tonight, just stay,” he said, using his kindest tone, “please, y/n, I’m asking you.”

“But — ”

“No buts,” he shushed you, caressing your lips with his thumb as he pressed it on them, “enough with this cold war between us, let us put an end to it already, yeah?” 

You were left tongue-tied at his sudden offer, fluttering your lashes a few times as you observed his face. He was serious — sincere even, you could sense it with your heart, which was a first.

Were you surprised? hell yes, but this was a good thing. 

He was trying to show that he was willing to take the first step for you and needless to say, it was as impressive as it was cute. He was probably freaking out on the inside, hoping miserably for you to take a step towards him as well, so that the unbearable gap between you two would vanish. 

Clearing your throat, “Yeah,” you hummed, nodding your head,  “I’d love that.” 

“And no more even days or odd days,” he added, wrapping his arms around you even stronger, wanting to give you no space in case you tried to run away, “we shall have all of our days like this, together.”

Failing to stop your curiosity from getting the best of you, “But why now?” you asked. 

I mean this was sweet and all, like who wouldn’t want peace with their husband but, what happened out of nowhere? You wanted to know, you had to know so you repeated yourself,  “Why the change now?” 

“Because I want my wife every day of the week, regardless of the date,” he answered, his eyes never leaving yours as they burned a hole through your soul, “I love her too much to let another day go to waste without her near me, that’s why.”

Wait, did you hear that right? Did he just tell you that he — ohmygod, did he just confess?

“Y-you … you love me?” 

“I’m crazy about you, my queen,” he approved, a beautiful smile spreading all over on his handsome face as he leaned in to steal your breath with his lips once again before he whispered, 

“I’m as crazy as a mad dog for you, if only you could see.”

© hee-pster on tumblr, do not plagiarize.

saw u needed a jay hard ask/thought so im here 🧎🏻‍♀️ i have an obsession w thinking ab how jay has a size kink bc like HIS BICEPS MAN. he would love how u squeeze them while having sex bc hes pounding into u so roughly 🤕 or how he towers over u and when he hits it from behind he has u in a chokehold his body englufing urs and his biceps are flexing. loves when he sees u wear his tshirts bc theyre so big on u ur practically drowning in it and in the next second its ripped off of u he cant help it!!! also his monster coc- anyways 😁

a/n: gonna frame this ask bcs i adore you and your writing

missionary with buff jay! ughhh he would enjoy seeing your small frame being pinned under him your legs are on his shoulders your small hands squeezed his biceps so tight because he's being so rough pounding into you with no mercy. your little cunt is forced to take him, stretching around his fat shaft making squelching sounds from how soaked you are from your own wetness and his precum. you turned your head to the side to see his big strained biceps with bulging veins from hovering over you. such a small little girl bet i could make it hurt more for you and you would love it.

when buff jay! bent you over the kitchen counter fucking you in his big baggy shirt you couldn't do anything but lay helpless on the cold counter and let him breach your fuckhole with his wide mushroom tip. such a little tease aren't you wearing my shirt knowing what it does to me you look so fucking small almost makes me think you cant take my cock without crying out my name. jay couldn't handle without seeing your bare body under him so he ripped his shirt off you with one hand while the other gripped your hips tightly guiding your cunt to fuck herself on his cock.

Hii can anyone help me find an author? Their old username used to be @bloomdeobi

one of the few fics i recommend to read if u’re tired from those sad ending tiktok aus

«Protect Me, My Aurora.»

― pairing : Hongjoong x Seonghwa ― content warnings : angst, smut, fluff, pirate au, royals au, slowburn, unprotected sex, fantasy au // mentions of Jongdae and Baekhyun because they're my beta's faves // yes, yes "The Bitter Dahlia" is exactly the one mentioned in «it’s high tide, baby.» ― word count : 28k

― notes : this fic looks familiar? it is! I’m reposting ALL my works on this brand new blog and therefore please, bear with me! as always, askbox is open and feedbacks are always welcome 💌

― summary :

«You’re a pirate aren’t you? Then steal me! Is that so much to ask?» Seonghwa concluded, lightly squeezing Hongjoong’s arm, his voice full of hope. He was talking a bit too loudly for his standard, but now, convincing Hongjoong to take him with them was more important than respecting the label of the peaceful sovereign. «What do you have that I would want?» Hongjoong curiously challenged him, raising an eyebrow and leaning closer to the King.

Seonghwa sighed while tightly fixing on his head the hood hiding his identity, as bittersweet memories of the past flashing through his mind.

He was crowned King when he was in his twenties, reigned over a wide Kingdom and his country loved him for he was a caring and humble man. Seonghwa also dearly loved his wife, which was a rare thing to happen during an arranged marriage whose only purpose was to unify reigns who were in prior conflict. However, the Queen had been seriously ill.

Seonghwa absently played with the familiar rings on his finger, as he reminded how quickly his wife’s life slipped away, murder caused by a group of conspirators leaded by the Governor himself. They made it appear as if it was in fact the King’s will to poison his own wife, so that he could get married once again and furtherly extend his Kingdom without recurring to wars.

“Things change fast.” Seonghwa thought with a dejected sigh. The originally small group of conspirators quickly gained members, and Seonghwa was forced to leave everything and hide. The Governor was now occupying the King’s throne, exactly as he planned.

As the former King, well, he was now part of the Resistance.

«Come on,» Jongdae, the Resistance’s leader interrupted the whirlwind of his thoughts, «they’re probably waiting.» Seonghwa absently nodded at him as they walked towards a familiar inn, their footsteps echoing in the dark of the night.

“The Bitter Dahlia” was the inn that had been hosting their secret meetings for months; Seonghwa knew that Jongdae and Baekhyun - the innkeeper, were brothers and therefore, he quickly understood how their group was constantly informed about any kind of news going around town. The strong smell of alcohol mixed with loud chatters and laughters filled their noses and ears as they quickly got in and closed the door behind themselves, before quickly taking place in front of the counter and ordering something to drink. 

«There are big, unexpected news tonight,» Baekhyun nodded at his brother and at the young King, as he finished filling their chalices, «Pirates.» he whispered, slightly nodding towards their directions with his head; Seonghwa’s eyes drifted to the group of young men talking and laughing loudly, not minding whether they were disturbing other people around them.

There were six of them, he noticed. Only one of them was particularly tall - probably the same height as him, currently busy discussing with his crew mates while partially comfortably sitting on the wooden table.

The King studied them for another minute, trying to remember as much as he could about their appearance and their faces, in case he ever happened to run into them in the future.

However, only one of them caught his eyes; he didn’t look particularly tall, and for what Seonghwa could notice in the mostly dark environment of the inn, his hair seemed to be dark blonde, styled in a mullet. He was the one who was talking less, always looking at the others with a smug grin, sometimes admonishing them with a “stop fucking screaming”, and Seonghwa assumed that he was probably the Captain.

«Come back to us unworthy peasants, your Majesty King Seonghwa.» Jongdae joked as he drew Seonghwa’s attention back on the original topic while gently nudging against his elbow. 

«I told you not to call me that in front of other people.» The former King hissed, harshly placing his chalice on the counter; Jongdae murmured a quiet apology and Seonghwa nodded with a sigh, before he eventually got up and bumped shoulders with a tall boy, his hair bright red and a black eyepatch on his left eye.

«Sorry, buddy!» the boy cheerfully apologized «I drank too much and I lost my balance for a moment.» he chuckled, absently checking how much of the drinks he was carrying he actually spilled; Seonghwa smiled as he politely answered not to worry, before immediately following the Resistance’s leader through the back door, disappearing behind it.

Seonghwa obviously could not see how the young boy’s expression instantly turned serious as he headed straight to the Pirates’ table, referring the small dialogue he just overheard to his Captain.

The meeting proceeded steadily; Jongdae announced that unexpectedly many people from other villages joined the Resistance, dejected, frustrated and unhappy with the Governor’s laws and too strict politics.

Months had passed since Seonghwa had to leave everything he had in order to run away, and during these months, he learned that there were many groups of rebels all around the Kingdom who firmly believed that the former King was still alive. Moreover, the rebels’ main goal was to wait for the perfect occasion in order to get rid of the unfair and selfish Governor in favour of another magnanimous King, just like Seonghwa was.

Hearing those words, a dejected sigh escaped from the young King’s lips. The Governor reduced the Kingdom on the verge of war and hunger, erasing years of efforts made by both him and his father in order to keep the people in his country as peaceful and satisfied as possible.

Both Jongdae and Baekhyun knew about Seonghwa’s real identity, but they swore to keep it a secret, and if needed, to refer to him by a fake name.

Once the meeting came to an end it was already late at night, and there were barely any costumers in the front of the inn, and Seonghwa decided to get straight back home. His right hand reached to play nervously with both his and his wife’s wedding rings on his left hand; he locked himself inside the small room he was renting and sat on the small table opposite the bed, studying the familiar map speeded on the wooden surface.

There was only one thing that could prove he was King Seonghwa, and unfortunately, part of it was still safely hidden in the depths of the Castle. However, he highly doubted the Governor managed to find out the location of the small labyrinth hidden in the middle of the dungeons that for years hid the documents who contained the proofs of the royal lineage, especially because this information had been secretly passed from a King to another, since anyone who was in possess of these documents could claim the position of King.

Seonghwa was honestly scared of this option, and his feelings only urged him to proceed faster on his lone mission that he meticulously kept hidden from the only friends he had; even though he tried to tell them about it few times, they always dismissed the idea.

«It’s too dangerous!» Jongdae would immediately cut his sentence with a stern grin.

«He’s right, what would we do if you got caught?» Baekhyun would add, his eyebrows furrowed in evident worry.

Anyways, Seonghwa knew what he had to do, and as he folded the small map and hid it under the mattress, he definitely made up his mind: the following night he would have paid a visit to the Castle.

However, as Seonghwa comfortably fell asleep few minutes later on the comfortable mattress of his small room, he was absolutely unaware of the two men who had followed him from a safe distance, well hidden in the dark night.

The next day passed in a blur, since Seonghwa was too busy preparing for his secret mission to leave his room in the first place; he was lucky that the old lady which was renting him the room was gentle enough to deliver him some food for breakfast and lunch, otherwise Seonghwa wouldn’t have eaten at all.

As he carefully got dressed, he made sure to keep a knife well hidden in his boot, just in case he had to fight and his sword was snatched away; although he spent years training and learning sword fight, he wasn’t as skilled nor as strong as the men which were recruited as Royal soldiers, but thanks to the many lessons he took when he was a Prince, he learnt how to fight to defend himself. Being part of the Resistance meant constant sword training but still, Seonghwa wasn’t sure he’d be an actual challenge for a group of skilled soldiers, even thought he was very agile.

At sunset, he secured his hood on his head as he quietly left towards the Castle, the long dark cloak hiding his identity from curious eyes. Seonghwa didn’t have any trouble in finding a way to enter the Castle without being caught, he has never been a troublemaker, but when he was younger he loved sneaking out to spend some days with commoners, in order to feel closer to them. Ordinary life had always fascinated him, and his father always told him that in order to be a good King you would need to see directly your people’s lifestyle without them knowing you were around.

As silent as the snow falling on the ground on a winter night, Seonghwa quickly walked through the numerous corridors illuminated by the dim light of the moon and some torches, trying not to mind all the things that the Governor changed in what once was his home, fists clenching every time he saw a painting of the wicked man hanging on the walls.

Occasionally hiding from the guards on their night patrol, Seonghwa made his way through the labyrinth; the more he got close to it, the more he was sure that the Governor had never took actual interest in it, merely paying attention to its cold stone walls.

The thing was, it was more than a bunch of assembled walls, there was a secret chamber containing few of the most important treasures of the Kingdom, and the documents he was looking for.

Whoever owned it and exhibited it would have been recognized as the rightful King; in case someone were to unfairly occupy the position of sovereign, the King in need to prove his identity could find official documents in this labyrinth, and also a map that would lead him to a place where to find an object only the King could recognize, due to the secrecy of this information.

“Left, right, left, left-” he thought as he swiftly moved between the corridors, remembering his father’s words. “You’ll find your destination next to the black stone,” his step slowly led him into another corridor; from what he has been told, he had to look for a black stone in a wall covered with pebbles of various shades of grey.

“It could be anywhere,” he thought, dejected by this unexpected turn of events; he grabbed a fire torch from the wall, and started meticulously looking for said stone while trying not to make any noise.

Minutes passed, and Seonghwa was increasingly growing both frustrated and impatient; as he was about to give up, he found a small different stone – perfectly round shaped, as he was crouched on the floor.

His father never told him what he had to do once he found it, so he tentatively tried pressing on it, sharpening his ears in case anything happened; he pressed on it again, but nothing changed.

Seonghwa sighed, impatiently placing the palm on his hand flat on the stone while trying to rotate it, hoping that this would actually work because he didn’t have any other idea on what to try with a stone, and hoping for the last time that no one else found out about this labyrinth.

When all the hope he had was about to vanish, something clicked behind him, and Seonghwa immediately turned around to check the opposite wall. Some of the cold stones moved towards the inside, indicating there was the secret room his father once told him about, and Seonghwa only needed to push on it to get inside.

With a tight grip on the torch, Seonghwa pressed against the wall, the newfound door opening with a brief creak; the room was small, humid and full of dust; the ceiling was not too high either, he could have touched it if he raised an arm, and there were big and heavy coffers full of treasures arranged along the sides of the walls.

What actually caught Seonghwa’s attention was the simple wooden table exactly in the middle of the room, looking too ordinary compared to the jewels and gold that partially filled the small room. Seonghwa’s steps warily reached the table, where he found exactly what his father told him: the royal documents and the map.

“Isn’t it too easy?” Seonghwa thought while furrowing his eyebrows in doubt, as he placed the torch in a metal ring hanging on the wall next to him. He cautiously reached for the papers, his movements slow and calculated, fearing to remain trapped inside that small space as soon as he touched anything.

As soon as he realized that nothing was going to happen if he touched and lifted the documents from the table, he quickly folded both the map and the documents, safely tucking them in the inner pocket of his jacket.

Pleased with the outcome and seeing that he wasn’t going to get trapped inside the small room if he decided to touch anything, Seonghwa took few minutes in order to curiously look around the room, since he has never been there and moreover, he had always been curious about what could the many treasures safely hidden from indiscreet eyes be.

A coffer on the right side of the room caught Seonghwa’s attention, and he curiously approached it: it was the only one containing only gold coins, and on top of them, there was a bright brooch studded with diamonds and colourful precious stones.

As he was about to reach out in order to take a closer look to the brooch, a low whistle made him stop in his tracks.

«Well, who would have guessed?» an unfamiliar voice chanted, and Seonghwa immediately turned to face the intruder, fearing for the worst.

Leaning against the door frame there was a man dressed totally in black, from his hat, to his gloves, to the mask covering his face, to his clothes.

Seonghwa instantly understood who was standing in front of him, and a shiver froze him in place; he recognized those clothes, since the only Pirates who actually dressed like that were the crew called “ATEEZ”, a group of infamous, cruel Pirates that took no side in political matters but only lived following their morals, not minding if they had to shed blood on the way to get what they wanted. They hid their identity only during assaults and robberies, so that the majority of people would not mind about them during every day’s life.

“This is why no one paid attention to them at the inn,” Seonghwa thought, even if he could have never imagines that the loud Pirates he saw were in fact one of the most dangerous Pirates crew in the world: Seonghwa’s hand instinctively placed on the hilt of his sword, but however, he did not intend to unsheathe it, not yet.

«I came to rob this place, but…» the slim man started walking towards him, due to the space being limited, he almost immediately stopped in front of him, «I never thought I’d find out that the former King became a thief.» although the Pirate was wearing a mask, it was as if Seonghwa could feel the smug grin on the other’s lips as he pronounced those words, and before he even managed to think about unsheathing his sword, he found a short blade pressed against his throat.

The cold metal made Seonghwa fear for his life, and since Pirates were generically unpredictable, he decided to not fight back, his arms going limp on his sides in a clear sign of surrender.

«How do you know that?» Seonghwa asked, as he tried to identify the eyes - the only thing he could see, of the man standing in front of him; although he was shorter than him, his threatening aura made the young King settle for the decision of not to move.

«You never know who might overhear your secrets, your Highness.» the Pirate’s voice exuded superiority, and Seonghwa clenched his jaw. He could not be the man he bumped into at the inn; he was taller than the one standing in front of him.

Unless, that man might have reported what he heard to his crew mates, and if luck was on his worst side, the one threatening him was the Captain of the loud group he saw the night before.

«What do you want from me? I’m not in the position to-» Seonghwa’s words were harshly cut off as the Pirate chuckled and removed the blade from his neck.

«Relax, I’m only interested in stealing some of these.» he said, curiously walking around from a coffer to another, examining coins and various jewellery, while Seonghwa still did not dare to move from his spot.

Since the door was still open, Seonghwa realized that he could run away if he wanted, he could even lock the Pirate inside the room if he wanted to, but truth was he was petrified in fear; he studied as the other put the most interesting jewels or those that seemed to be more expensive in a leather bag attached to the belt he had tied at his waist over his refined jacket.

“Didn’t Pirates dress in a scruffy way?” Seonghwa absently thought as he stared at the other’s clothes that seemed to be made of an unexpectedly good fabric.

«What were you doing here, anyway?» the Pirate asked without paying too much attention to the young King, as he was focused on checking another diamond.

«It’s no one of your business.» Seonghwa answered firmly, clenching his fists; truth was, he wasn’t sure how to feel about this whole situation. He was in the middle of what once has been his Castle, his home, looking at a pirate stealing a treasure that he couldn’t call his own anymore, so he didn’t have any right to scold him; especially, because in this very moment he was technically stealing the Governor’s assets, and not his.

«Well, true, but-» the Pirate’s sentence was abruptly interrupted by a series of distant screams followed by the sound of numerous bells ringing frequently and following the same familiar rhythm, and both men exchanged confused looks before staring at the door.

«Intruders.» Seonghwa briefly stated, frowning.

«We have to go, and quickly.» the Captain mumbled as he closed his leather bag and grabbed the other’s elbow, urging him towards the door.

They both rushed out, Seonghwa hastily closing the secret room’s door and running towards the Pirate, who was slightly leaning out from the wall, peaking at their surroundings while making sure the way was clear; from what they heard, the guards were still far from them, but it was better not to risk making avoidable mistakes.

«Did your men get caught?» Seonghwa whispered, lowering the hood if his cape further on his forehead as he started feeling distressed, since if anyone were to see him in the Castle, he sincerely doubted he could actually survive.

«No,» the Pirate mumbled quietly, shaking his head as he started walking, gesturing to the young King with his fingers to follow him, «each one of us was robbing a different place tonight, and they’d never betray me. It’s can’t be us, either.» he finished explaining as they both got out from the labyrinth and almost reached the entrance of the dungeons, an unexpected comfortable silence between them.

Seonghwa knew the Pirate couldn’t have possibly memorized the way out so, sometimes he’d find himself stopping the Captain’s quick steps by tugging on his sleeve, leading him to the opposite way.

«I knew that, I wanted to see if you were still paying attention.» the Pirate would answer every time, obviously lying.

They cautiously retraced every corridor, the noise created by the soldiers and the bells’ ringing getting louder as they stepped closer to the gate that separated the dungeons from the stairs leading back into the castle.

Seonghwa’s steps halted in the middle of the wide circular room surrounded by metal cells, anxiety getting the best of him, and the Pirate stopped few steps further, noticing he was now walking alone. He quickly spun on his heels, turning towards the taller man, a silent question hanging from his lips as he walked back to place a hand on Seonghwa’s elbow.

«Why did you stop?!» he hissed, «The worst part starts now!»

«What if we get caught? They’ll hang me – they’ll hang us, if we get caught!» Seonghwa muttered as he forced his breath to come out as even; despite part of the young King’s face was hidden, the Pirate managed to catch a glimpse of the panic in the other’s eyes staring at the floor.

The Pirate sighed, his hand leaving Seonghwa’s left arm; the young Captain reached behind his ears in order to untie the mask that covered the lower part of his face, and then he tugged Seonghwa’s hood to remove it.

The King’s gaze locked with the Pirate’s, confirming his assumptions about the previous evening: the boy who admonished his loud companions, the same handsome boy who had caught his eyes, was precisely the Captain.

Seonghwa’s eyes were filled with confusion and hidden curiosity as the Pirate’s fingers secured his own mask behind the young King’s nape, before quickly lifting the hood back on his head.

«It’s okay now, we can go.» the Pirate’s unexpected gentle voice seemed to unexplainably soothe Seonghwa’s distressed soul, and the Captain’s hand returned on the King’s elbow but this time, he noticed, the touch was a little bit gentler. Although he was still urging him around, at least he wasn’t squeezing his arm as tightly as before; they began to run, taking advantage of the unexpectedly empty hallway they found, as they sprinted towards the door that would lead them in the garden.

If Seonghwa hadn’t been so scared of something possibly go wrong, he would have thought this situation was paradoxical; he was running almost hand in hand with a Pirate who first pointed a blade to his neck and a few minutes later tranquillized him by lending him his mask.

He genuinely started to doubt the veridicity of the rumours about them, since not only they were helping each other, but the Pirate was also being nice.

They opened the heavy Castle’s door enough to sneak out, not bothering to close it behind them; outside the door that connected the Castle to the Royal garden, there were two rows made up of three wide white columns on each side, meant to support the large balcony above their heads. Quickly, they took shelter behind one of the pillars, their back pressed against each other, carefully examining the situation; there were at least ten groups of soldiers, which meticulously sought in every part of the garden, meaning that it wouldn’t take long before they were found and therefore, they had to act quickly.

The Pirate scoffed, shaking his head and slightly turning around in order to glance at Seonghwa.

«I came from over there…» he whispered, not finishing his own sentence as he pointed towards the canopy on top of the bushes the soldiers were meticulously examinating; Seonghwa immediately nodded, understanding what the Pirate was trying to say.

That part of the garden was way too crowded with enemies and way too distant to reach without alarming everyone in the garden.

«Come with me.» Seonghwa mindlessly took the other man’s hand as he led him towards a familiar oak tree; he briefly explained there was a hole in the wall safely hidden between its leaves and branches, and he always used that as an exit when he sneaked outside the Castle to go to town. Easily climbing on the oak tree and through the hole in the wall, they left the Castle, climbing down the identical oak tree that they found on the other side of the wall.

The young King let out a loud relieved sigh as he let himself slide down the wall in order to sit on the ground, and the Pirate chuckled in response to the young King’s action.

However, the loud screams of the soldiers and the noisy bell kept signalling them that they didn’t catch the intruder, yet.

«I suppose I should thank you?» Seonghwa tried as he untied the mask, handing it back to the Pirate.

«Captain Hongjoong, at your service,» he playfully winked and did a small hint of a bow, as he gently took his mask from the King’s gloved hands, without bothering to wear it again, «and no problem, I feared I had to drag you out of there myself and well, our body proportions aren’t exactly on my side.» Seonghwa gladly took the hand that Hongjoong stretched towards him in order to help him get back on his feet; they had just escaped a rather dangerous situation, it’s true, but they were standing right in front the Castle’s walls in the middle of the night while soldiers were looking everywhere for intruders, so they had better start walking away.

The pale moonlight illuminated their path as they stared walking through the sleeping town, leaving the Castle behind their shoulders; much to his surprise, Seonghwa noticed the other man was indeed a friendly person, and not as ruthless as the rumours said.

“That’s probably because I’m not on his bad side,” Seonghwa deduced as they were busy making small conversation; they began to part ways in front of the inn, Hongjoong heading towards the port, and Seonghwa heading towards his room.

«Oh, by the way!» Hongjoong abruptly stopped and Seonghwa instinctively turned around, noticing that they weren’t particularly distant one from the other.

«Here, catch this!» the Pirate cheerfully said as he threw something at Seonghwa, and the young King frowned as soon as he felt the angular consistency of what he had just caught in mid-air. Slowly and curiously opening his hand, his eyes widened at the sight of the brooch he was staring at in the dungeon was now shining brightly in his palm, illuminated by the pale moonlight.

Seonghwa’s head snapped towards Hongjoong, who was staring at him with a wide knowing grin.

«I owed you one, I could never imagine there were so many hidden treasures in there.» he answered the King’s silent question, eyes not faltering from his confused expression.

«How did you know-»

«I’m a Pirate!» Hongjoong immediately interrupted him, as he was stating the obvious.

With a final wave, the Captain turned around, disappearing in the dark of the night.

Seonghwa woke up in the middle of the morning, and for the first time in a while he slept soundly, satisfied to have stolen the biggest treasure of the Castle right under the Governor’s nose.

Memories of Hongjoong’s gaze flashed through his mind and he sighed, wondering which one was the truth about him: was he really a ruthless and heartless man or was those only exaggerated rumours? Not that he was that interested, of course.

«He can’t be that cold hearted,» he quietly mumbled to himself as he sleepily rubbed his eyes, «and I should stop thinking so much about it.» Seonghwa got up with a sigh, easily getting rid of his own thoughts as he walked to the small bathroom attached to his room.

After taking a warm bath and wearing a clean change of clothes, he sat at his room’s desk and took his time to study the map he found the night before.

The map was made up of well-defined contours of explored territories and of curious drawings of mermaids and sea monsters. Seonghwa traced with his fingers the outline of what was once his Kingdom, a feeling of rage slowly made space within his heart; he was determined to take back his throne, he was determined to end the continuing injustices that common people had to suffer.

Towards a corner of the map, surrounded by boundless sea and curious drawings of apparent dangers, there was a solitary island circled with a bold mark made with black ink. As Seonghwa spreaded the sheet in order to try to get rid of the wrinkles that covered the name below the drawing of the island surrounded with fog, and that name instantly triggered his memories: The Mist.

Seonghwa remembered that when he was younger, his father used to tell him about a mysterious island full of treasures that no one dared to approach, but for all they know, the entire existence of the island was shrouded in mystery.

According to the legends, on that remote island there was an ancient cave, containing the greatest treasures of all the Kings who had ever reigned on his kingdom. However, the thick fog has always prevented adventurers - Pirates and onlookers, from approaching; although many souls blinded by greed had challenged their fate in order to find that incredible amount of accumulated wealth, no one had ever returned.

The more time passed, the more that island became a simple legend passed from generation to generation. Apparently, like every legend it hid a fund of truth.

«The Aurora shard…» Seonghwa whispered, knitting his brows in confusion. Could it be his father was unconsciously pointing him the way to redeem himself?

His father’s stories spoke of a cave; a huge hidden cave full of all kinds of treasures, coins, weapons, precious jewels, diamonds. In the midst of all this, only the true King would have been able to recognize the true and most important treasure of all: the Aurora shard.

«I can’t tell you what shape or what colour it is, since I don’t know myself,» his father’s authoritative but gentle voice had said, «all I know, is that it takes a King to recognize it.»

Seonghwa sank back into his chair, feeling dejected, what if it was really only a legend? Moreover, even if it was real, would he really be able to recognize the Aurora shard? In addition, the most important thing: how was he supposed to get there?

A familiar face followed by a dangerous plan popped into his mind, and he shook his head as if the gesture could have made the idea disappear.

Seonghwa left his room in the late afternoon, quickly heading towards the inn; beside the Resistance’s meeting, he knew he had to face both his only friends about his decision.

The familiar chatter accompanied his short journey to the inn which, being earlier than usual, still did not have much clientele; although some tables were occupied, it was still very quiet.

«Look who decided to show up!» Baekhyun lively greeted him from behind the counter with a bright smile, «I was starting to believe you ran away!» he added, faking to be offended.

Seonghwa nervously swallowed, looking away; he politely greeted him, as always, as he made his way to the counter. «Where’s Jongdae?» he asked, looking around and finding himself looking for someone else’s presence as well.

«He’ll be here soon…» he started, and gradually leaned closer to the King over the counter. «Have you heard about the Pirates?» Baekhyun smiled, satisfied to have finally obtained the interest of his interlocutor; Seonghwa pretended not to know by quickly shaking his head.

«Apparently yesterday night, seven rich residences were robbed,» Baekhyun stated in a low voice, «and one of them was your beloved Castle.» he finished, studying Seonghwa’s facial expression.

«That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I was-» Seonghwa sighed, but before he could finish his sentence, a strong arm wrapped around his shoulders.

«Here’s our favourite King!» Jongdae joked, not loud enough to be heard by anyone else beside them, since they were the only three people standing at the counter.

«Oh, Jongdae! You have the worst timing!» Baekhyun playfully hit the other with one of the rags he used to dry the caliches he had just washed up.

«As I was saying,» Seonghwa urged «I know it was Hon-ATEEZ, because I met one of them in the Castle.» he said, closing his eyes, his heartbeat quickening as he was waiting for the worst. However, he was met with utter silence and Jongdae’s arm tensing and tightening around Seonghwa’s shoulders.

«YOU?! WHAT?!» Both brothers shouted at the same time, drawing attention of the few costumers towards them; however, they quickly lost interest as soon as they saw it was them, since they were used to see both brothers loudly playing around.

Seonghwa sighed and told them everything as he nervously played with the wedding rings which adorned his finger; he told them about the night before, about his meeting with Hongjoong - even tho he didn’t confess them his name, he told them that the Pirate actually helped him get out of the Castle, and most importantly, he told them about the map.

They both listened carefully to every word with attentive eyes and furrowed eyebrows; however, neither of them did anything to hide their disapproval on their friend’s dangerous and irresponsible decision.

«So, you’re going with them?» Jongdae inquired.

«He didn’t ask them yet, why don’t you listen?» Baekhyun immediately answered his brother with an exasperated sigh, the rag was using before long forgotten on the counter and Jongdae shook his head; Seonghwa simply settled for watching them, since he already knew that they would react this way, not that he could blame them.

Seonghwa averted his gaze as Jongdae sighed in what the King would call disappointment, and he headed towards the back door; he silently followed the young Leader, waiting for the others to show up at the Resistance’s meeting.

As soon as the meeting finished, they all walked back into the main hall of the inn, instantly surrounded by the loud familiar laughter and chatters that filled the place; by that time, the inn was finally crowded, so that no one actually would notice a group of people casually walking out from a back door.

Not that they would mind, actually the Resistance’s group who lived in the city knew very well that the citizens would defend and hide them, in case of danger.

Seonghwa’s glance moved towards a familiar table in the corner of the room, who was once again occupied by seven familiar faces. They were laughing about something while one of them looking particularly flustered; Seonghwa deduced that they were probably celebrating the success of the previous night since, after all, no one apart from him knew their real identity.

Hongjoong was sitting facing the back door and exactly like the first time he saw him, he was looking at the others and laughing along with them, sometimes admonishing their too loud voices; instinctively, Seonghwa softly smiled looking at them, the conviction that after all they couldn’t be so evil was inexplicably growing inside of his mind.

Still, he could swear that as he passed by their table to reach the counter, he saw the Captain winking at him; he instantly averted his gaze, ignoring the faint blush that covered his cheeks, and hoping that no one would notice but as his eyes locked with Baekhyun, he knew it was already too late, since the boy was looking at him with a smug smirk and malice in his eyes.

«Don’t.» Seonghwa mumbled, interrupting and preventing any kind of commentary from his friend as he sat on his favourite stool.

Even if the room was crowded, the rectangular-shaped counter remained empty; people always opted to sit comfortably at one of the many tables, rather than alternate between standing and sitting on high and not too comfortable stools, Seonghwa noticed.

However, he has always preferred to occupy one of the side spaces of the counter, distant from prying eyes and without being in the way of those who approached to order drinks.

Seonghwa sat in his usual place, his back facing Hongjoong’s table; with an amused smile, Baekhyun placed a small glass of rum in front of Seonghwa, who politely declined with a flustered expression.

«I didn’t say anything, yet.» Baekhyun chanted, playfully winking while faking innocence, «Jongdae will come around,» Baekhyun softly added, reaching forward to gently pat the other’s shoulder, «we both knew this day would come but,» as he interrupted himself again with a sigh, Seonghwa curiously looked at him, «King or not, you’re a brother to us!»

Seonghwa nodded at Baekhyun, who squeezed his arm one last time before going back to a customer who called him on the other side of the counter; he couldn’t do anything else but look at the other man as he efficiently worked, feeling his emotions turn into a mix of joy, and a hint of sadness.

Seonghwa was undoubtedly glad that his only two friends loved him as if he was a part of their own family, and he was sad about the idea of leaving them behind, although there was always that small hint of loneliness in Seonghwa’s heart since his wife passed away that he still didn’t understand how to fill.

Although he loved them both, in that very moment, Seonghwa believed that he had to make the mission of finding the Aurora shard his own only priority.

«We meet again, thief.» a familiar voice snapped him out of his thoughts; Seonghwa’s head turned to his left, meeting Hongjoong’s sharp gaze. The Pirate had leaned on the counter with his back, resting his elbows on the surface; everything in his body language told him how confident and carefree that man felt, even despite the bounty hanging on his head.

For a second, the shadow of a thought flashed through Seonghwa’s mind: “How would it feel to live like that?”

«I’m not a thief, Pirate.» Seonghwa sighed and Hongjoong instinctively chuckled, tilting his head towards the King.

«Well… Technically speaking, you-»

«Take me with you.» Seonghwa interrupted the other’s sentence; Hongjoong’s smile disappeared, replaced by a confused frown. The young Captain completely turned towards Seonghwa, his head still tilted to the side, one of his long earring tinkling, wondering how such a question could have come out of nowhere. The Pirate raised an eyebrow, as if to ask Seonghwa to explain himself and the young King tried again.

«Take me with you, next time you sail.» Seonghwa’s determined expression didn’t falter for a second from Hongjoong’s eyes. The boy had the feeling that in that very moment, the Pirate’s attitude towards him had changed completely; the threatening and superior aura was back, and Seonghwa nervously bit his tongue as he waited for an answer.

«I’m sure you’re confused, your Majesty,» Hongjoong answered, a fake grin adorning his face. «We do not sail on a cruise ship.»

Seonghwa scoffed in disbelief, «I know, but I need to go to a place… I’m sure you could reach there.» he answered, mumbling the last part.

Of course, Hongjoong was taken back from that answer, how dangerous was his destination to ask to a group of Pirates to help him?

«Let’s suppose I’m curious,» Hongjoong said, slowly inching closer to Seonghwa; now, he was fully seated and his knee right was touching the other’s left leg, «where would you need to go?» He curiously asked, placing his chin on the palm of his hand.

Seonghwa turned towards him as well, so that now they were facing each other; the young King looked around, in order to make sure they were completely alone in that corner. He briefly noticed that some of Hongjoong’s crew members were looking at them, but he didn’t notice that they were occasionally elbowing each other and pointing at their Captain with curious and amused smiles.

«The Mist.» Seonghwa revealed, and Hongjoong’s eyes narrowed in disbelief.

«Nice one, your Majesty. I’m leaving you here.» Hongjoong sternly answered as he was about to get up from the stool and lead back to his companions.

«You can’t!» Seonghwa loudly stopped him, his hand reaching out to hold his forearm, refraining him from standing up. Seonghwa was sure he heard one of the Captain’s friends whistle right after his sudden move, but he might as well be wrong, since his gaze didn’t falter from Hongjoong’s eyes.

«Trust me, you’d better off staying here.» Hongjoong retorted; his posture returned to being relaxed, but the stern gaze didn’t disappear. Back in the previous position, Seonghwa’s legs were now in the middle of Hongjoong’s spreaded legs, everything in their posture indicated how different they were.

«Suppose you kidnaped me instead?» Seonghwa pleaded. «You’re a pirate aren’t you? Then steal me! Is that so much to ask?» he concluded, lightly squeezing Hongjoong’s arm, his voice full of hope. He was talking a bit too loudly for his standard, but now, convincing Hongjoong to take him with them was more important than respecting the label of the peaceful King; on top of that, he was sure no one was interested in their conversation, judging by the constant loud chatter that could be heard all around the room.

«What do you have that I would want?» Hongjoong curiously challenged him, raising an eyebrow and leaning closer to the King.

«The Mist’s treasure. The Aurora shard is only one of the treasures that lie waiting in that cave.» Seonghwa answered immediately; he had studied the map long enough, and he knew about Pirates being after The Mist’s treasure well enough to understand that this was an interesting yet dangerous offer.

Hongjoong whistled, surprised.

«The Mist’s treasure you said?» Hongjoong’s interest was suddenly tickled, and he leaned forward towards Seonghwa’s face.

«Kidnapping royalty is a serious offense. It won’t do much to lower the bounty on your head.» a boy from his crew suddenly interrupted them, appearing right beside them; he wasn’t particularly tall, but, Seonghwa noticed, his face looked handsome, like he just came out of a fairy tale. How long has he been overhearing their conversation? Was that a habit of this crew?

«Yeosang.» Hongjoong greeted the other, but neither his posture changed nor his gaze faltered from Seonghwa’s face, who was now looking at the boy interrupting him, «How much is the price on your head these days, I wonder?» he added with an amused sigh, as his attention was caught by the precious rings on the hand that still gripped his forearm.

«Will you be joining us?» another boy shyly asked. He was shorter than Yeosang, Seonghwa noticed, but as handsome as well; his hair was jet black apart of a white strand on his fringe.

«Slow down, San,» Hongjoong called out, «we’re pirates, but we’re not fools.» immediately, Seonghwa looked back at the Captain, confused; the Pirate was looking at him with a challenging smirk on his face.

«Compensation. How about the ring?» he asked with a raised eyebrow, leaning back from the King’s personal space.

«Isn’t there something else?» Seonghwa’s reply was immediate, as he instinctively brought his hand to his chest.

“He can’t possibly ask for something like that!”, he thought, frowning. Both Yeosang and San - who was still clinging on the other Pirate’s arm, watched them with curiosity, but neither dared to say anything.

Hongjoong’s smirk turned into a sly grin, as he reassumed his previous position of resting his chin on his hand; his right arm, who was now free from Seonghwa’s tight hold, was now outstretched towards the young King, the palm of his hand turned upward, waiting.

«No one’s forcing you.» he added, pleased by the other’s reaction. Seonghwa sat there, under the strong gaze of three Pirates as he considered on what to do; although he didn’t want to separate himself from something that important, he realized that judging by his reaction, the Pirate found out how to provoke him. Seonghwa sighed, briefly closing his eyes.

“He probably thinks I will run away” he thought; his fingers weakly gripped his wife’s wedding ring as he gazed back to the Pirate’s outstretched hand, gently placing the ring in the middle of it, and Hongjoong’s hand instantly closed around the small treasure.

«I’ll give it back once I’ll find something more valuable.» Hongjoong said, pleased by the outcome of the events; Seonghwa nodded, looking everywhere but at the Hongjoong’s face.

«We sail in two days, your Majesty. Make sure you have everything you need.» Hongjoong’s absently added, now playing with the ring in his hands; again, Seonghwa nodded, and left.

«What do you mean “something more valuable”?» San curiously asked his Captain.

«Hard to say. I’ll know when I find it.» Hongjoong briefly stated.

Seonghwa handed back the keys to his room to Baekhyun, who accepted them with a sad smile on his face; even if the moon was still shining in the sky, it was almost time for him to leave.

«You can come back anytime you want.» Baekhyun mumbled as he hugged him tightly, and Seonghwa didn’t hesitate to return the hug just as tightly.

«This is your home, after all.» Jongdae added, joining the hug; they stayed like that for few seconds, hoping to be able to recall that moment in their hearts if they missed each other. Eventually, with a sigh, Seonghwa released himself from his friends, his hands still wrapped in theirs.

«Take care, both of you.» he forced himself to smile as he nodded at them.

«Good luck, Seonghwa.» Jongdae said; rarely the latter called him by his first name and therefore, Seonghwa learned to cherish all of those little moments.

Seonghwa sighed again, adjusting his backpack on his shoulders; with a final wave, he turned around and started walking in direction of the harbour. He didn’t have much to take with him, other than a few change of clothes the only things he had were respectively two swords and a map.

«You’re here!» a familiar boy suddenly exclaimed, jumping out of nowhere, «The Captain told us to come look for you but we were kinda getting lost.» the boy Seonghwa recognized as San chuckled, and he smiled in return.

«I’m San, by the way, and he is Wooyoung!» Seonghwa’s eyes moved to the boy with dark blonde hair standing next to San who, exactly like his friend, was looking at him with a bright smile, waving his hand as the other pirate introduced him; the trio hurried back to the harbour, which wasn’t too far from where they met.

«Do we have to refer to you as “Your Majesty”?» Wooyoung timidly asked as they reached their destination; Seonghwa chuckled before quickly shaking his head.

«There’s no need to respect any etiquette, Seonghwa is enough.» he politely answered with a smile and with hurried steps, they headed towards the only largest ship among all those moored in the port. Aside from the size of the ship, Seonghwa noticed curiously that there was not only a flag on the mast, but two; under the common Jolly Roger, another flag with their name written on it was proudly waving in the wind.

“I guess they’re not that interested on keeping a low profile…”  Seonghwa thought, briefly glancing around.

«Your Majesty has finally decided to join us!» Hongjoong friendly said, walking out from what he guessed were the Captain’s quarters, «Welcome on the Illusion.» he said; Seonghwa noticed that although there were some men busy completing preparations for departure only four boys approached them, and after the introductions, Hongjoong explained they were his most trusted men.

«San and Wooyoung will show you around.» the Captain absently said and without giving him the opportunity to reply, he returned exactly where he had come from.

«Don’t mind him,» San commented his Captain’s behaviour.

«He’s always nervous when we’re about to sail.» Wooyoung finished the other’s sentence, and they started to show Seonghwa around the ship.

Few weeks passed quickly, and Seonghwa quickly got used to living surrounded by pirates, especially because – at least among them, there were actually nice people.

San and Wooyoung – respectively the boatswain and the doctor, were the most outgoing, not to mention that the two were practically inseparable. They would hug a minute, and the next they could be chasing each other all around the ship; Seonghwa thought they were too chaotic not to love them.

Yeosang was probably one of the quietest among them all; the only thing Seonghwa knew for sure was that if you needed him, you’d find him on the crow’s nest, with his peaceful gaze lost towards the horizon and his hair gently dishevelled by the breeze. «It’s relaxing,» he told Seonghwa, a shy smile adorning his lips, «the sea is so boundless, it gives me peace.».

Mingi was a loud one, and probably the clumsiest; Seonghwa was puzzled when he told him he was the master gunner, wondering how could a boy both be able to trip on his feet and almost fall off the ship also and be the one in charge of something as dangerous as cannons and gunpowder.

Jongho was probably the most serious one, despite being the youngest. Since he was the head of the powder monkeys due to his great strength, he spent a lot of time with Mingi; Seonghwa often noticed how the younger would roll his eyes and then laugh at the other’s clumsiness. Something he really enjoyed about Jongho was his voice. Sometimes, the young man would sing or simply hum as he was doing chores and Seonghwa was always more than happy to listen to him, even for few minutes.

Yunho was the least friendly. The young quartermaster made it clear since the beginning that he was not happy about his presence on the ship; however, to Seonghwa’s stupor, he never treated him badly. Although he behaved in a polite way towards him, he always opted to talk to him as little as possible, always preferring to joke around with the others.

Hongjoong was, first of all, his roommate. Apparently, the Captain decided that Seonghwa would sleep in his quarters since there was not a cabin for him and moreover, it would have been easier to keep an eye on him, although Seonghwa ended up falling asleep every night wondering where the other would actually sleep, since he never slept in the same bed with him.

However, Seonghwa casually found out the answer to this mystery when he woke up in the middle of the night due to a nightmare; the first thing he noticed was the figure of the Pirate asleep on the heavy chair of his desk, dimly illuminated by the light of the moon coming through the window and by a candle that was about to go out. Quickly, Seonghwa got out of the bed and instinctively covered him with a blanket; it became a silent routine between them, although neither ever said anything about it.

Among all of them, he was the one he spent most time with, discussing about their journey, or simply sharing stories about Hongjoong’s travels and Seonghwa’s life in the Castle; the young King always preferred to listen to the other’s tales, there was something endearing in the way his eyes lit up every time he talked about the adventures he had with his friends, and the many place they had seen together.

«I could take you there, next time! You should definitely see that!» the Pirate would say sometimes, and Seonghwa found himself nodding, utterly blinded by curiosity and forgetting about the fact that once he regained his position as King, it would be impossible to go anywhere without a small group of soldiers following him everywhere.

The first thing that caught Seonghwa’s eyes about his new room was without a doubt, the ceiling; the King’s eyes travelled in awe over a planisphere that occupied the whole wall above them. However, it was still incomplete; Hongjoong told him about it being a project he made with Yeosang’s help, it proceeded slowly and concerned the whole known world.

Bright colours illustrated a map very similar to the one Seonghwa possessed and the similarity intrigued him, since that map was a legacy of his father.

From what he learned, the young Captain loved drawing, Seonghwa remembered seeing him few times with a notebook and a pen in his hand; at first he thought it was a simple diary board, but in the end, he eventually understood that it wasn’t.

Hongjoong was a severe Captain, but cherished his members deeply.

They set foot on land on a rather small island, so that they could restock the ship before leaving again. Seonghwa couldn’t help but looking around in awe since after all, he had never crossed the borders of his Kingdom before.

«Be careful not to get too far from me or the others,» Hongjoong recommended, «and take this.» he said, as he handed him a short dagger; Seonghwa frowned in response, his confused eyes darting to Hongjoong’s.

«Just in case.» the Captain added; the young King nodded in response, and safely hid the blade in his right boot.

As Hongjoong excused himself saying he had business to take care of, Seonghwa realized that the others were already gone and he had to spend his day with Yunho; although the Pirate wasn’t happy about it either, he did nothing to show it.

«The town’s market district is really nice,» Yunho spoke suddenly, slightly startling Seonghwa, since they had been walking around in silence for most of the afternoon, «Would you like to go there?»

«I’d love to, if it’s not a problem.» Seonghwa nodded with a smile, the other scoffed in response.

«I figured you’d be curious after living locked up.» Yunho briefly stated, now heading towards a different part of town.

The market district was rather small, but it was definitely lively; the streets were full of people, potential buyers surrounded the stalls that were selling different varieties of fabrics, jewellery and food.

Seonghwa’s attention was drawn to a particular fabric, decorated with intricate patterns and while observing it he noticed that Yunho had silently stopped beside him.

They shared a brief glance as they unintentionally overheard a small discussion happening between a seller and a customer next to them, which was making up excuses in order to buy something with a lower price; what caught their attention, however, was the man who had hidden a large piece of fabric in his bag, taking advantage of the seller’s distraction. Seonghwa was about to intervene, but Yunho acted faster: he tightly grabbed a hold of the thief’s wrist which looked up caught by surprise.

«Now, how about you return what you haven’t paid, for?» he said loudly enough to catch the attention of both men who were still arguing, «I’m in a bad mood, don’t make me stain all of these pretty fabrics.» as the thief denied, Yunho tightened his hold on his grip. Seonghwa watched the smaller man tried to punch the Pirate, which was a really poor attempt considering Yunho was twice as tall; Seonghwa quickly understood that the thief and the other man were accomplices, and as a small fight started between Yunho and the thief, Seonghwa managed to cut the shoulder belt of the bag hiding the stolen fabric.

He quickly returned it to the old man who incredulously watched the scene happening, and managed to turn around in time to see that the other thief was sneaking behind Yunho’s back holding a small knife. Seonghwa’s hand acted before his brain could process what was happening; he reached for his dagger and quickly stopped the thief pressing the blade against his throat, not enough to cut his skin, but enough to sting.

«That’s not very loyal, thief.» Seonghwa stated, catching Yunho’s attention.

«Woah! Thanks, buddy!» Yunho flashed him a surprised smile, which Seonghwa immediately returned; however, that small fight gathered a small group of people who started screaming and looking for guards.

«Calling the guards?!» Yunho’s gaze returned on Seonghwa’s, «Time to leave.» they quickly let go of the thieves and headed back from the direction where they came from, breaking into a run; judging from the screams, nobody was following them but people were indeed preventing the two thieves from running away.

Yunho and Seonghwa stopped far enough to not be recognized, both boys panting and crouched down with both their hands on their knees.

«I was wrong, you’re not that bad!» Yunho kindly offered him, and Seonghwa started laughing in response.

«I owe you a big one, your Majesty.» Yunho chuckled, reaching out to ruffle the other’s hair with a bright smile on his face. Seonghwa’s smile widened as soon as he felt Yunho’s gentle touch; he always noticed that he used to do that to younger members, so he felt like the other was slowly accepting him into the crew.

«I would have helped him but,» Seonghwa inhaled, trying to catch his breath after the long and sudden run «why did you? The crew doesn’t exactly have a magnanimous reputation.»

«Let’s say we do some “selective stealing” for a living,» Yunho nodded, smiling, «and with “selective” I mean it’s almost always rich people.» Seonghwa nodded, patiently listening to him, «we all come from different Reigns.

Before joining Hongjoong, some of us were in some really bad situation.» Yunho straightened up, stretching his arms over his head, «We’re Pirates, and we constantly live on the verge of being arrested or to kill someone but… We still have morals.»

Seonghwa deeply inhaled again, feeling his breath steadying and his heart gradually returning to a normal pace; glancing up and seeing the colours of the sky, pink and orange, thanks to the sunset that transform it into a painting, he realized that he hadn’t feel so alive in a while.

That night at the tavern, Hongjoong thought he was hallucinating. He was sitting with Jongho, Yeosang and Mingi while he waited for the others to join them, and the next thing he saw were Seonghwa and Yunho entering the bar-room chattering and laughing together

«Captain, I think… I’m drunk?» Hongjoong knew Mingi was referring to the same thing he’s just seen.

«Finally, Yunho snapped out of it.» Yeosang briefly answered, and Jongho agreed with him.

San and Wooyoung arrived few moments later; both with messy hair and a visible blush on their cheeks.

Later that night, taking advantage of the confusion of the crowded tavern and the others busy playing a random game Seonghwa didn’t understand the rules of, Hongjoong reached out to take a hold of one of the two thin white cords hanging off the collar of Seonghwa’s shirt in order to bring him closer.

«So,» Hongjoong smirked, slowly rolling the thin fabric around his index finger; Seonghwa’s cheeks slightly reddened due of their sudden proximity, «you’re officially one of us, now.» the King noticed how the pirate’s intense glance quickly drifted from his eyes, to his lips and then back to his eyes, before releasing his hold on the fabric.

Hongjoong got back to his original position, his attention caught once again by the game the others were playing; Seonghwa, on the other hand, was confused on why that warm sensation he felt on his cheeks wouldn’t disappear.

He involuntarily locked eyes with Yeosang, who was silently questioning him from the other side of the table with a hint of an amused smile and a raised eyebrow.

Seonghwa realized how much his permanence on the ship changed since Yunho started treating him better.

First of all, the air on the ship seemed much more cheerful; the rest of the crew stopped definitively referring to him as “Your Majesty” and started addressing him as “Seonghwa”, which he was very grateful for.

In addition, it was even more fun to chat when they eight of them stayed in the dining room after dinner; much like at the tavern, there were nights where they’d play games, other nights they’d share fun stories and sometimes, Seonghwa could hear about how the others joined Hongjoong’s crew, since they all came from different Kingdoms.

«Wait, you were married?!» San cut him off, slightly rising his head from his forearms resting on the table, as it was his turn to tell something about himself; Seonghwa nodded in response, a gentle smile on his lips as he shortly remembered about her.

«Was she cute?» Wooyoung curiously wondered and Seonghwa kindly smiled, watching him lean comfortably against San’s head, thinking how sometimes they both were like two curious kids.

«She was! We also loved each other but,» he sighed before continuing «sadly, people firmly believed we got along only because of mutual political benefits.» Seonghwa stared at the table, a sad smile adorning his lips, and the others fell silent.

«Is… Is this why we’re going to The Mist?» Jongho asked, implying the matter revolved around her death.

Seonghwa quickly shook his head and explained everything, remembering how he only told Hongjoong the full story, and how the pirate sincerely answered that they don’t take sides in political matters so they’re not interested in them, either. He spent some time talking about Jongdae and Baekhyun, too; about how they welcomed him in their house and treated him like a family member.

«We should visit them again, sometimes!» Seonghwa unconsciously added, resulting in Hongjoong – as always sitting next to him, looking at the King with a confused raised eyebrow. As he finished explaining, they all agreed it was a risky mission, but it was worth a try.

«We trust the Captain.» Yunho explained.

«Yeah!» Mingi quickly added, «He’s gonna guide us right in and out of there!»

Seonghwa turned his head as he felt Hongjoong’s hand ruffle his hair.

«We’re gonna make it.» He simply told him with a gentle smile and truthful eyes.

That night, Seonghwa couldn’t sleep. No matter how much he tossed and turned in his bed, he just couldn’t sleep. He pushed off the covers with a heavy sigh and got up from the bed; he picked up the blanket which Hongjoong usually used and decided to join him on the quarter deck.

«Hey, Hongjoong!» he whispered as he greeted him, stopping to sit on the wooden stairs that connected the deck to the quarter deck.

«Seonghwa?» Hongjoong narrowed his eyes to see the other’s shape tightly wrapped up in a blanket. «Why are you here? Did you miss me?» he teased.

Seonghwa rolled his eyes at him, knowing that he couldn’t see him well due to the only source of illumination being the full moon in the sky.

«I can’t sleep.» he simply answered.

«It happens, you’ll get used to it.» he smiled, «Are you sure you don’t want to go back inside? It should be around… One, two in the morning.» he added, frowning. Seonghwa knew he probably said that because of the cold night breeze, but a sincere «I want to stay here with you.» escaped his lips before he could process it.

Hongjoong nodded, and they spent some time in a comfortable silence, the cold night breeze softly caressed his face and the sound of the waves made him relax a little bit.

«When will we arrive?» Seonghwa mumbled, breaking the silence.

«Oh! You already want to get rid of us?!» Hongjoong dramatically answered, placing on his heart the hand that wasn’t holding the helm and Seonghwa laughed, shaking his head.

«I think… Two months, maximum.» the pirate answered him, turning serious. «Do you know what does the Aurora shard look like?» he questioned few moments later.

Seonghwa shook his head, and sighed, «I have no idea. I’m supposed to find it and then I’m supposed to reclaim the position as King.»

«Supposed to?» Hongjoong inquired. Seonghwa simply nodded, as they fell in another silence.

«Hongjoong?» Seonghwa called out few minutes later, and the Pirate hummed in response, «Tell me about some other adventure of yours.» he demanded, his gaze lost in the dark sea.

Seonghwa always lost track of time during these moments, and tonight wasn’t any different. He thought to be a rather annoying listener since he always asked a lot of things and clarifications as Hongjoong went on but, the Pirate always smiled and answered him with as many details the King asked for.

Seonghwa was so lost immersing himself in the Captain’s story that he didn’t realise the sky was starting to slowly paint itself with warm colours. It was almost sunrise, he realized, so that meant they talked all night.

«Hongjoong?» Seonghwa asked again and the pirate hummed again in response, this time the King could clearly see the gentle smile on his lips as he did. «Why do you sail?»

Hongjoong gently answered to come stand next to him and Seonghwa complied, the blanket long forgotten on the stairs; once they were close enough, Hongjoong kept holding the helm with his left hand and guided Seonghwa’s right hand above his.

«Freedom.» he simply stated, «We’re never “supposed to” do something. We do things because we want to.» Hongjoong explained further, quoting the King’s previous words, as he noticed Seonghwa’s confused frown. Seonghwa absently nodded and turned his head to stare towards the horizon, at the sun rising right in front of them.

«Seonghwa, let me ask you one thing,» Hongjoong’s eyes stared at Seonghwa’s face as he hummed in answer, too distracted by the sunset to notice, «Do you want to resume your position as King because you want to, or because you’re supposed to?»

Seonghwa didn’t answer; he slightly turned his head to look at Hongjoong, who briefly exchanged his gaze before going back looking at the horizon with a relaxed expression.

As he watched how the other’s hair was gently dishevelled by the breeze and the sun momentarily painted his face with various shades of red, he thought that maybe he didn’t have an answer to the pirate’s question.

As his eyes drifted to look at their intertwined fingers around the helm, he thought that maybe he did. He did not realize who initiated the action first, but he found the warmth of Hongjoong’s hand quite reassuring.

«Well, I can come back later, if you want to.» both boys quickly turned towards a smiling Mingi, who was looking at them leaning on the railway.

Seonghwa felt his cheeks burn; he mumbled a weak and embarrassed «It’s okay.» and quickly left, recovering the sheet still forgotten on the stairs.

«So… Pirate King?» Mingi joked further, wrapping an arm around his Captain’s shoulders.

«Mingi, do you perhaps have a death wish?» Hongjoong asked back, annoyed.

As other long days went by, Seonghwa found himself lost in thoughts more than he actually wanted to; not only last night’s events kept coming back into his mind, but Hongjoong’s words kept on repeating. In addition to that, he noticed how often he found himself staring at the Captain or, sometimes, glancing towards him to see what was he was up to.

Sometimes Hongjoong would notice Seonghwa looking at him and would offer him a cheeky smile, some other time a playful wink; either way, Seonghwa always diverted his gaze as quickly as possible, a faint blush on his cheeks. And so, another silent routine was slowly crafting itself: at night, especially when he couldn’t sleep, he would join Hongjoong on the quarterback. The infinite number of topics they could find to talk for whole nights was surprising, however, the Captain never mentioned that particular question again.

They’d spend most of the morning sleeping, Seonghwa always feeling a little guilty to see Hongjoong sleeping on his desk chair, even if he never complained about his body being aching and sore, not even once.

One sunny afternoon, Seonghwa decided to climb up the crow’s nest, to see if Yeosang’s method to clear his mind worked on him too.

«Well, hello there.» Yeosang kindly greeted him, a warm smile on his face. «I didn’t expect visitors, today.» he joked; the place was wide enough for both boys to sit.

«I needed a quiet place to think.» Seonghwa mumbled, and Yeosang quietly nodded in response.

The young King sat next to the pirate, his back pressed against the wooden railway; neither of them spoke, and Seonghwa understood why the other loved this place so much. The others’ voices were distant, almost a background noise coming up from below them. Wherever he looked, his eyes were lost in the vastness of the ocean, especially that thin line where the sky and the sea seemed to merge together. Seonghwa found it relaxing, to say the least.

«Why am I doing this?» Seonghwa asked out loud few minutes later, rubbing his eyes with an exasperated sigh.

«Like, why are you up here?» Yeosang questioned, a bit confused; the King shook his head and told the Pirate about the conversation he had with Hongjoong; he didn’t need to mention the part where Mingi interrupted them, the fact that they were holding hands at sunset had been the hot topic on the ship for at least three days.

«Well, I believe that everyone by now noticed that you’re pretty comfortable with us,» Yeosang said, «and I also believe that the Captain is trying to make you realize that you can always choose your own destiny.» Seonghwa felt his eyes on him, so he turned his head towards the younger Pirate, «He’s.. Quite fond of you.» Yeosang smiled sweetly, «I see a lot things from here, you know?» the Pirate’s  smile widened as he saw Seonghwa blushing.

«L-like what?» Seonghwa adverted his gaze, suddenly pretending to be focused on the fabric of the sleeve of his cotton shirt.

«That you may not realize it, your Majesty, but you’re kinda fond of him too.» Seonghwa’s eyes widened, and he blushed violently.

«I-I’m not-» he stuttered, and the pirate softly chuckled.

«I told you, I see a lot of things from up here!» he laughed, and Seonghwa didn’t answer; his gaze went back to the sea, a whirlwind of confused thoughts in his head, as they fell in another comfortable silence.

A few hours later, the young King felt Yeosang gently calling his attention by lightly shaking his shoulder, and he excused himself as he didn’t realize dozing off.

«I told you it was relaxing,» the pirate smiled. «However, we’d better get back on deck, a storm is coming.» Seonghwa nodded, as he complied.

Yeosang’s accuracy was admirable, not even an hour later it started raining and what started as a light drizzle, turned into a real storm.

«Stay in the quarters, I can’t risk you falling off.» Hongjoong ordered him, hastily grabbing his forearm.

«I want to help!» Seonghwa shook his head, both boys were already soaked wet as they both clinged to the ship’s ropes. Hongjoong sighed and nodded, not having enough time to fight with the stubborn young King and went back giving the crew various orders; with difficulty, Seonghwa helped the others and together they managed to secure all the sails without falling overboard.

The feeling of facing a storm in the dark, in the middle of the ocean, was terrifying, and he low-key regretted not having followed the captain’s advice. In addition to feeling his stomach upside down due to the violent and redundant movements of the ship, he was also wet and cold.

However, as quickly as the storm arrived, it passed; it lasted few hours and naturally calmed down. Seonghwa looked around trying to catch his breath, the others were in various parts of the ship, reduced to his own state, happy not to have capsized at sea.

The sun was brightly shining on their head as Seonghwa met Hongjoong’s gaze, and both of them erupted into a wide smile; Hongjoong quickly winked at him, and Seonghwa adverted his gaze with a content smile and blushing cheeks.

Back in the Captain’s quarters, even if they had managed to change clothes, neither of them could get rid of the feeling of cold; Seonghwa was as already in bed peeking at the Pirate, wrapped up in few blankets and obviously sitting uncomfortably at his desk chair.

«Hongjoong,» the young King whispered, and the other boy wordlessly glanced at him, «sleep with me tonight.» he said, realizing too late how ambiguous his sentence sounded; Hongjoong’s face was so confused by that sudden request that Seonghwa couldn’t help but blush and hurriedly explain himself.

«I meant,» Seonghwa hurriedly added, hiding himself further into the mattress, «I’m cold, and you must be cold as well, so I thought that we could share the bed.»

Few moments later, as he felt some weight partially drop onto the bed, Seonghwa peeked out from his hideout, just to see that the Pirate was still rolled up in at least two thick blankets, but now was unsurely looking at him.

«Are you sure you’re comfortable enough?» the Pirate asked further, and Seonghwa couldn’t help but blush further as he reminded Yeosang’s words from that afternoon; he simply nodded in a silent answer, rolling towards the wall to create enough space for the pirate to get in.

Before sliding under the covers, Hongjoong spreaded on the bed the blankets with which he was wrapped so that they could feel a little more warmth.

«Oh, wow,» Hongjoong sighed as he stretched under the covers, «I missed so much sleeping on a real bed.» Seonghwa silently admired his satisfied face from the other side of the mattress; eventually, the young King propped on his right elbow, an embarrassed blush on his face.

«Do you see the line between the cushions?» he asked, and Hongjoong nodded, holding back a smile.

«This is my space,» he patted the mattress next to himself, «and that’s yours.» he said, pointing towards a chuckling Hongjoong. Seonghwa’s blush deepened due to the sudden intimacy of the situation; he had been close to the Captain but it was never like this - even if a small part of himself had to admit that he didn’t dislike the thought so much.

The Pirate simply rolled his eyes as he laughed, shifting on his side so that his back was facing Seonghwa.

«Sleep well, Seonghwa.» the Captain whispered.

«You too, Hongjoong.» he immediately murmured back, wondering if he could fall asleep when his heart was beating so loud and so rapidly that he started to believe it wanted to run away from him.

Seonghwa slept soundly and coincidentally, without having nightmares; as he regained consciousness, he slowly blinked himself awake just to find Hongjoong’s face few millimetres from his.

Seonghwa’s heart probably skipped a beat seeing the other so close to him first thing in the morning; the pirate was still deeply asleep, his lips slightly parted and breathing softly. Apparently, during the night they both shifted and they slept with their forehead leaning against each other; Seonghwa wandered through his thoughts for a bit, trying to label that familiar feeling of warmth and sense of security he felt anytime the other was close to him.

By now, they’d already spent a lot of days together. As he admired his face, his fingers absent-mindedly brushed Hongjoong’s cheekbones, his nose, and the curve of his lips, trying to be as careful as he could not to wake him up.

However, these actions must have tickled the other boy since he slightly scrunched his nose, shaking his head and mumbling incomprehensible things, earning a soft smile from Seonghwa.

«Seonghwa,» Hongjoong groaned, his voice hoarse from sleep «go back to sleep, it’s still early.» he said, not bothering to open his eyes.

«It’s your fault,» Seonghwa mumbled back as a faint blush covered his cheeks, as he hurriedly made up an excuse, «you were on my side of the bed.» Hongjoong hummed back, and the young King shifted his position until his back was facing the Captain, his heart racing for being caught caressing the other’s face.

However, his blush deepened as he noticed that between the two of them, someone indeed had crossed the invisible border outlined by the cushions, but it was not Hongjoong.

His thoughts immediately came to a halt as he felt the other’s forehead gently pressing against his back, and one of his arms tentatively circling his waist.

«Go back to sleep.» the Pirate mumbled again, and the King gradually felt himself drifting back to sleep, his hand unconsciously reaching on top of Hongjoong’s and intertwining their fingers.

The next time they set foot on land, everyone immediately got excited as soon as they heard that the village was holding a big festival.

Seonghwa decided to follow around Mingi and Jongho for the day. Both boys took time to patiently explain to him everything they purchased, and the young King mentally admitted to himself he didn’t care much about gunpowder but he was glad to be helpful carrying around few things.

The day passed quickly, and before he knew it, they were dining together. Yunho placed eight fox masks with different colours on the table, accompanied by as many identical pins. The masks covered half of their faces, Seonghwa noticed, and they all had different colour patterns and were painted with different and precise details.

«These were the best one I could find,» he said pointing to the masks, «and these are for recognizing each other.» he added, pointing at the small golden pins.

«They’re heart shaped… Aren’t they cute?» San commented in a small voice, smiling as he reached out to take one pin and stick in in front of his jacket; the others agreed and imitated his actions, and then the masks were distributed.

“Are they really pirates?” the King thought as he watched them getting excited over heart shaped pins and fox-masks. Seonghwa took the black mask which was adorned with precise gold and white details which resembled small flowers. Instinctively, he glanced up and noticed Hongjoong had chosen the mask which was white and it was coloured with black and red details.

They finished dining together, and headed towards the main streets of the village.

Hongjoong and Seonghwa eventually drifted away from the others; after all, with so many people crowding the streets, it was normal to eventually get separated. Lanterns and colourful garlands decorated the streets of the village, and music, laughs and chatters could be heard everywhere.

Seonghwa didn’t exactly know when and how it happened but, somehow during the evening, both him and Hongjoong got dragged by few people who were dancing in order to join them. The young King held balls since he could remember, so it was not difficult to mimic his various companion’s steps. With the corner of an eye, Seonghwa noticed that the pirate wasn’t having too many problems, either. Finally reunited with his friend, they held hands as they followed the other people’s movements and spun around one more time, and the music momentarily stopped to restart again with another rhythm. They stood there, facing one another and happily smiling, slightly panting as people resumed the dance.

Hongjoong suddenly grabbed Seonghwa’s hand and started walking away from the crowded square, suddenly too noisy for his taste; the King trusted the Pirate and let him lead them away through crowded alleys, until both boys turned into one which was less busy. The lanterns located all around town provided to make everything a bit more romantic and suggestive; Seonghwa started feeling nervous, wondering why the other decided to drag him away all of a sudden.

«I’m glad you were having fun!» Hongjoong exclaimed, letting go of his hand and Seonghwa nodded in response, a bit confused.

«I actually wanted to ask you something,» the Pirate said, stepping in front of him as he took off his own mask. Seonghwa didn’t understand why something in that small gesture seemed so casual and yet so intimate; Hongjoong’s cheeks were flushed, probably due to all the dance they did earlier. The Captain took a big breath, «don’t go back, Seonghwa. Stay with us. Stay with me.» he said, murmuring the last part.

Seonghwa immediately realized why that gesture seemed so intimate to him: he was asking that not as his Captain, but simply as Hongjoong.

A Captain’s request was absolute, and Hongjoong was not only exposing his feelings hopelessly, but he was also giving him the opportunity to say no.

Seonghwa was completely taken aback from that; his eyes widened, glad he was still wearing the mask so that the other couldn’t see his reaction. He feared that as the Pirate closed the space between them with another step, he could have heard his quick heartbeat.

Seonghwa knew better than anyone that someone had to overthrow the Governor and complete his task but, during the last weeks, he slowly came to the realization that spending his days with Hongjoong and the others could be what his heart truly longed for.

He spent so many days locked up in the Castle’s library reading adventures books, he spent so many days feeling in a cage – even if he felt cherished and respected, that now that he tasted what freedom could mean he wasn’t sure he wanted to give it up.

Hongjoong interrupted the other’s train of thoughts as he tentatively reached up to take off the King’s mask, throwing it on the ground; they were looking in each other’s eyes, now and therefore, Seonghwa couldn’t hide nor himself nor his feelings behind a fox mask any more.

Hongjoong’s stare was fierce and intense, and neither this time hid sign of lie; Seonghwa couldn’t help but wonder, what did the pirate see in his eyes? He also wondered if his gaze was eloquent enough for the other to understand his answer.

The Pirate raised his left hand and started playing with the cotton string hanging from Seonghwa’s shirt, just like he did in the tavern; they stared in each other’s eyes in silence, Hongjoong was looking at him with nothing but pure and sincere tenderness, his smile matching his feelings.

Hongjoong’s right hand brushed against Seonghwa’s cheek, and he leaned into his touch. It felt so familiar to him, yet completely foreign and new; the Pirate’s eyes dropped to the other’s lips, however he didn’t do anything. He gazed back into the King’s eyes, looking for any trace of discomfort.

Seonghwa understood how once again the Pirate was bravely baring his soul but yet again, he was giving the King another opportunity to step away anytime he wanted.

They were staring in each other’s eyes, no words needed to be exchanged; Seonghwa wanted to kiss him – like two distant lovers reuniting after lives of waiting, for that was the other made him feel. The young King’s arms had been loose on his sides for all this time; he briefly glanced at Hongjoong’s smiling lips while his right hand rested gently on the Pirate’s cheek.

“I want to stay,” he thought.

As if he heard Seonghwa’s thoughts, Hongjoong tugged the strings of his shirt, and their lips met halfway.

The Pirate kissed him slowly, nothing more than pecks exchanged between soft smiles; everything in that first kiss made Seonghwa understand the sincerity of Hongjoong’s feelings, and he made sure to reciprocate the tenderness in them.

The King will never know, but the Pirate had been thinking about this moment for weeks. He had spent so many lonely nights on the quarterdeck wondering about his growing feelings, that now he was making sure any and every kiss held the confessions of his emotions.

Their lips moulded together at some point; Hongjoong tried to nip at the other’s lower lip and Seonghwa exhaled deeply through his nose. His left arm snaked around the other’s hips to close the distance between them, the unexpected need to feel Hongjoong as close as possible as their kiss got more passionate.

The Pirate’s breath hitched at that sudden move, the hand which was previously resting on his cheek was now entangled in the other’s soft hair; as he felt the other’s firm body against his, his tongue wandered towards the other’s lips, silently asking for permission to deepen the kiss even more.

Seonghwa tilted his head, one of his hands reaching to the other’s nape and his right arm still supporting the Pirate who was standing on his tiptoes; a soft moan escaped both boys as they enjoyed the warmth of each other’s mouth, when a loud, distant and sudden series of noises startled them.

Both boys quickly separated from each other, fearing the worst as their heads turned towards the source of it; however, Hongjoong sighed, and started laughing.

«Fireworks? Really?!» he asked, dumbfounded.

«Look at yourself,» Seonghwa laughed, his arms finding their way back around Hongjoong’s shoulders, «a dangerous and ruthless pirate getting startled by fireworks!» he joked, emphasising the last part.

«Don’t get smart with me, I saw you got startled too.» Hongjoong placed the top of his head against Seonghwa’s chest as he was still chuckling, and the King placed a tender kiss on his hair.

This time, Seonghwa was well aware that the other could hear loud and clear the pace of his quick heartbeat; he blushed and smiled softly at the thought, the other’s arms encircling his slim waist.

«Let’s go back.» smiled Hongjoong, lifting his head to look at Seonghwa, which nodded at him.

As the night passed, they managed to reunite with Yunho, Yeosang and Jongho at some point, and even though the three of them had noticed their suddenly swollen lips and their dishevelled hair, no one had mentioned it.

Days seemed to fly and the crew seemed to get a little more tense and restless each day the ship entered an increasingly foggy area.

“Finally ”, Seonghwa thought, mentally praising both Yeosang’s and Hongjoong’s skills to identify and proceed towards the right route after meticulously studying the map and the stars every day since they left Seonghwa’s kingdom.

The situation worsened day by day: for the purpose of being able to see each other once they stepped on deck, they hanged small lanterns almost everywhere, in order to prevent anyone from falling off the ship; often and willingly the crew kept their spirits up by joking about how more than pirates, they looked like a haunted ship. Things between Seonghwa and Hongjoong did not change much, except the kissing part, of course.

Since the journey started and during the time they spent together, it slowly became a natural habit to exchange innocent and gentle touches; Hongjoong would ruffle his hair or eventually, Seonghwa would caress the other’s face as they woke up facing each other and consequently, it became equally natural for them to become further intimate.

Despite everything, they tried to remain as discreet as possible every time they were around the others, but the crew did not fail to notice some affectionate gestures between the two – whether they were kisses or caresses.

Some would ignore them, some would playfully tease them. The young King often took time to reflect on how things had changed drastically for him; he never thought he could develop romantic feelings for someone since his wife died, let alone a Pirate, yet there he was. It was as if the mere presence of Hongjoong made him feel at ease; even if they weren’t standing close or even if the Pirate wasn’t paying attention to him, Seonghwa somehow felt protected. He was happy; he felt safe again, after a long time.

Still, there was a part of him that felt incredibly guilty.

“Do you want to resume your position as King because you want to, or because you’re supposed to?” Hongjoong’s words managed to breach his soul and now, he didn’t know how to deal with his duties. Which one did he had to follow? His heart or his mind? Which one was the right path for him?

The pirate’s presence made him feel incredibly happy, it was undeniable; however, sometimes he felt like that if he decided to follow his heart, he would betray his Kingdom. Otherwise, if he decided to follow his duties, he knew there was a high probability that he wouldn’t see Hongjoong ever again.

Was it what he really wanted?

The moment his title was restored, he would immediately be covered with responsibilities and duties; he would go back to do what he had always done but this time, he would have been alone. Seonghwa had never made a secret of how essential the presence of his wife was for him; since she passed away he had feel so terribly alone and since his journey started, he slowly came to the realization that every time he was around either Hongjoong or the others, he wouldn’t feel so alone anymore. He wanted to have a family again, he wanted to feel loved again, and it was the exact feeling the Pirate’s company was giving him.

Seonghwa’s eyes wandered over the painted ceiling, travelling back to the small portrait of his Kingdom. He had no idea how things were going back there, but he knew it would be wrong to turn his back on his people. They needed a King after all.

“Whoever could claim the position.” he thought, a familiar face flashing in his brain for a second; he sighed loudly in frustration and he shook his head, realizing that even if him and Hongjoong kissed, he never actually replied to him.

Deep down, Seonghwa knew exactly what he really longed for; he wanted to stay with the Pirate, to sail with him until the end of the world.

However, was it the right thing to do? Could he give up his duties for love?

«San, help me. I think I’m hallucinating!» Wooyoung commented one evening at dinner, gripping San’s elbow as he saw Hongjoong sitting on Seonghwa’s lap and placing his plate in front of him.

«But you are the doctor, Wooyoung!» answered San, holding in return the other’s arm and trying not to drop his fork. Seonghwa laughed, sure as hell his red cheeks gave away his embarrassment; he timidly circled Hongjoong’s waist with his left arm while his right one rested on the other’s thigh.

Hongjoong looked at both San and Wooyoung with an amused expression and a raised eyebrow as to say “why are you even surprised?”, and Seonghwa tried to hide his blushing face behind Hongjoong’s shoulder.

«So… Lovers?» Mingi asked, with a hopeful and happy smile on his face, indicating between them with his fork.

«It’s up to his Majesty to decide that, I’m still an outlaw.» Hongjoong shrugged and nodded towards Seonghwa, while continuing to eat.

Hongjoong didn’t turn his head in time to see that, but everyone else at the table noticed how Seonghwa’s smile softened as he looked at him, and the King delicately traced random patterns against the Pirate’s back with this fingers.

Later that night, Hongjoong led Seonghwa to his quarters while holding his hand, between loud cheers and whistles from the crew.

«So, lover…» Hongjoong began, joining the other boy under the covers; Seonghwa chuckled in response, covering both of them with a blanket.

«Don’t get smart with me!» Seonghwa laughed, «It’s not like I can’t hear Mingi calling you “Pirate King” all the time!»

They laid in bed facing each other, the soft moonlight providing the light that illuminated the Captain’s quarters; as they intertwined their fingers, Hongjoong brought their hands in front of his lips.

«You know,» he said, slowly kissing the other’s knuckles, his gaze lost and enchanted in an undefined point between the two of them, «I never thought I’d catch feelings for royalty.»

Seonghwa smiled, softly «You tell me?» he sighed, «I went from being in love with a docile and peaceful Queen to develop feelings for a man with a bounty on his head!» the King affectionately joked; Hongjoong scoffed a laugh, letting go of the other’s hand, pretending to be deeply offended by Seonghwa’s words.

«What if the bounty on  your head ends up getting higher than mine?» the Pirate leaned closer to the King, pressing on his chest so that now Hongjoong was slightly laying on top of him; the Captain shifted, so that he was lifted on his right elbow, his chin resting on the palm of his hand.

«I highly doubt so, short people can be evil.» Seonghwa remarked, a sly smile adorning his lips. The pirate silently raised an eyebrow at him, as his fingers slowly traced random patterns on the King’s chest, from his neck towards his waist; Seonghwa slightly shivered, feeling the other’s cold digits through the thin fabric of his shirt.

«Yet, here you are.» Hongjoong mumbled, his position didn’t falter except for his right leg which was now positioned between Seonghwa’s.

The King shifted his position too, faintly widening his legs so that the pirate could be more comfortable and slightly bent his right knee, which wasn’t the one between Hongjoong’s legs. Seonghwa reached out, circling the other’s waist with his left arm and softly tracing the outline of Hongjoong’s soft lips with the other.

The King’s eyes focused on his thumb pressing on the Pirate’s lips, the room suddenly feeling too hot; Hongjoong was still casually laying in his original position, attentive to the other boy’s movements. He slowly parted his lips and let his tongue dart out to gently lick at the boy’s finger, and Seonghwa’s breath hitched and instinctively, he ran his tongue over his lips.

Hongjoong dared a bold move as he swirled his tongue around the King’s fingertip, smirking as he felt the grip on his waist slightly tighten; Seonghwa pulled his finger back as his hand quickly reached over Hongjoong’s nape and connected their lips and Hongjoong sighed, content finally feeling the contact he had been yearning for.

Hongjoong immediately returned the kiss with equal fervour, his left hand gripping tightly at the other’s waist as the other one was entangled in the King’s black hair; Seonghwa let his tongue slip out to swipe at the Pirate’s lips, who wasted no time to comply that silent request. Seonghwa’s hand rested on the Pirate’s hip as he held him close, letting him set the pace and the Pirate lifted his leg over Seonghwa’s hip, which let out a shaky breath as he felt the other’s thigh grazing against his crotch. The boy pressed against the Pirate’s hip, so that he could completely straddle him.

Hongjoong put his weight on his knees, hovering over Seonghwa’s body; he stopped kissing the King’s lips to gently nibble at the other’s neck with his teeth, Seonghwa’s breath hitching as the other bit him a little harder while sucking on the skin. His hand tightened in the Pirate’s hair, giving it a soft tug. Hongjoong looked up at him, eyes hooded and lips slightly parted; the King’s hands were still in his hair, and when he gave it a harder tug again, the pirate closed his eyes and leaned back into his touch, a soft moan escaping his lips. Seonghwa’s hand – which had been holding Hongjoong’s waist, grabbed on the other’s thigh and squeezed it before giving it a harsh tug, causing the pirate to close the small space remaining between their bodies.

Both boys moaned loudly at the sudden contact of their crotches, and Seonghwa let go of the other’s hair as he gripped Hongjoong’s thighs, refraining him to move away. Hongjoong’s hands were resting on the cushion behind Seonghwa’s head, their lips hovering few millimetres one from the other.

The Pirate kissed him again, gently biting sucking on the King’s lower lips as he grinded his hips against the other’s, resulting on Seonghwa’s hands to reach to the pirate’s butt to make him repeat the action. Hongjoong breathy chuckled, complying and feeling the other boy gradually getting hard underneath him.

The kisses were messy, playful bites were exchanged along with soft moans and Seonghwa was loving every minute of it; he was about to roll them over but then he felt the Pirate’s hands holding his wrists and placing them against the pillow. He tried to see as much as he could of Hongjoong’s face but he knew him enough to know that, if the room were less dark, the Pirate would have winked at him; Seonghwa’s mind momentarily went blank as he felt Hongjoong lifting himself off his lap to get rid of his shirt and place one of his hands back on Seonghwa’s bulge.

They kissed again as the Pirate started to tease him with light touches, sliding his palm over his still clothed length, or applying a frustrating amount of pressure on the head with slow, circular motions. Either way, Seonghwa would moan and Hongjoong’s lips would be there to unintentionally muffle the sounds.

«Off.» Hongjoong’s hoarse voice ordered between kisses, tugging at Seonghwa’s shirt. The King chuckled at the other’s impatience as he complied, lifting himself enough to let the other boy take off his shirt.

Hongjoong’s lips immediately reattached to Seonghwa’s before starting to travel down his chest, showering it with kisses and soft bites. Hongjoong’s lips marked the other’s hipbones sucking on his skin before biting it again, before stopping altogether.

«Are you sure?» the pirate asked, breathing heavily and kissing once again that small fraction of his skin.

«Is that even a question?» Seonghwa groaned back, slightly lifting his hips trying to urge the other to proceed. It wasn’t his first time with a boy, he had some experience from before his wedding; experiences which clearly, he had to kept hidden from anyone in the Castle. Still, he had to admit that a young Prince Seonghwa sneaking out to enjoy the company of the son of an in fluent merchant would have been quite the talk around town.

«Seonghwa.» Hongjoong warned, his hands roughly pushed on the other’s waist, so that he was pressed against the mattress.

«Hongjoong.» Seonghwa mimicked his tone, running a hand between his damp hair, «If you stop again, there’s really gonna be a bounty on my head.» Hongjoong chuckled at the harsh reply, humming in approval, as he helped himself and his lover to get rid of the last layers of clothes they wore. Seonghwa sighed at the feeling of cold air against his sensitive member, which was probably already leaking with precome.

Hongjoong sat between his legs and attached his lips to Seonghwa’s length. The King already figured out that the other boy loved to tease probably a bit too much. He would alternate kitten licks to going from the base to the tip with his tongue flat, and occasionally harshly sucking and swirling his tongue over the tip, releasing it with loud pops. Seonghwa’s moans deepened at the feeling of the other’s tongue teasing him so perfectly.

As he felt Hongjoong’s tongue once again around the tip of his length, one of his hands immediately reached to the pirate’s hair to keep him in place. Hongjoong got the hint and decided to leave the teasing for some other time, swallowing Seonghwa’s member as much as he could with a soft moan. The pirate did his best to relax his throat as he started bobbing his head up and down, helping himself with his hand where his mouth couldn’t reach.

It was messy, sometimes Seonghwa would unintentionally push his hips upwards lost in arousal, and the pirate’s hand would immediately stop him by pressing on his hips. Hongjoong moaned around the other’s member as the King tugged harshly on his hair, feeling the pirate’s mouth perfect around him. Interpreting Seonghwa’s increasingly moans as him being close, Hongjoong swallowed his member as deep as his throat allowed him, feeling Seonghwa’s length twitch and warm fluid coating his tongue, as a broken moan of his name left the other’s lips.

Hongjoong swallowed, detaching completely from the other boy, and climbing back on top of him while wiping his mouth and his chin with the back of his hand. Seonghwa let out a content sigh, and reached out to gently kiss the pirate again, faintly tasting himself on the other’s tongue. Hongjoong lifted up, reaching over to the small nightstand next to their bed and taking out a small round jar.

«San and Wooyoung recommended this… aloe, I think it was called.» Hongjoong briefly explained, coating his fingers with its content.

«I don’t know how to-» Seonghwa timidly tensed up a bit, running a hand through his dampened hair and trying to calm down his panting breaths.

«Don’t worry, you can do this next time.» Hongjoong cut his sentence short, as his hand reached behind himself to begin to stretch himself. Seonghwa shifted so that he could sit, caressing Hongjoong’s thighs and showering his face and neck with soft kisses, somehow trying to ease the momentary pain the other felt.

Hongjoong’s uncomfortable hisses turned into soft, breathy moans, which were swallowed by Seonghwa’s mouth, as the pirate gradually got accommodated to the stretch. Seonghwa’s hand caressed the other’s hip as he reached behind the pirate to join the other’s hand.

As Hongjoong was focused adjusting to the stretch, Seonghwa carefully coated one of his fingers with the aloe in excess, and he slowly pushed over the other’s rim, adding his digit to Hongjoong’s two fingers.

The pirate dropped his face in the crook of Seonghwa’s neck with a loud moan, biting on his shoulder due to the sudden stretch.

«Please,» Hongjoong whined, and Seonghwa felt himself getting hard again, as Hongjoong’s fingers – and consequently his, started to move in order to stretch him. His other hand reached out to slowly pump and twist around Hongjoong’s neglected member, carefully smearing precum all over it, carefully avoiding the sensitive tip.

The pirate’s head remained tugged in the other’s shoulders as Seonghwa did his best to remain focused on matching Hongjoong’s pace with his fingers. The King kissed as much of the other’s skin as he could without changing their position, completely enamoured with Hongjoong’s moans and whimpers so close to his ear.

Seonghwa’s hand travelled upwards, from Hongjoong’s member to linger on the other’s neck and the pirate moaned as he felt the King faintly tightening his grip before harshly grasping his chin to kiss him again.

«I want you so much,» Seonghwa whispered between their kisses, feeling almost shy about how hoarse his voice had turned from arousal. He felt Hongjoong’s smile against his lips, as he stopped both their hands from stretching him further.

Seonghwa slightly leaned back, supporting his weight on his hands as Hongjoong guided the other boy’s pulsing member past his rim. Gradually, he slowly inched down on the other’s length as Seonghwa did his best to not move his hips every time he felt the other clench around him, letting him totally adjust before moving at all.

Hongjoong bottomed out stilling his hips, completely sitting on top of Seonghwa, which by now had his head thrown back and lips parted with soft moans. As the pirate opened his eyes and made out Seonghwa’s shape, he was thankful to be partially enveloped by darkness otherwise he was pretty sure he would have come on the spot by that sight alone.

Hongjoong pulled up himself on Seonghwa’s shoulders as he grinded his hips, both boys moaning overwhelmed one by the stretch inside him and the other from the tightness around him. The pirate’s hips moved in circles few times before tentatively lifting his hips to sink back down, clenching around Seonghwa.

Repeating the action, Hongjoong’s hips slowly and passionately started to move on Seonghwa’s as they kissed again, tongues lapping at each others and teeth nibbling each other’s swollen and smiling lips.

The King’s left hand gripped Hongjoong’s waist, his thumb pressing on his hipbone as the thrusted upwards to meet the other’s movements as he was bouncing on him, alternating the motion to grinding on the other’s lap by moving his hips in circles. Hongjoong locked his arms around Seonghwa’s neck, the other threw his head back and the pirate took this opportunity to leave love bites on his neck where he felt the fast beating of his heart.

The only sound in the room were their moans and their bodies colliding, their movements getting sloppier as they approached their release.

Seonghwa felt Hongjoong starting to clench around him more and he swiftly flipped them over, feeling the pirate’s thigh surrounding him and holding him close. The King immediately resumed their previous actions, feeling Hongjoong’s short nails dug lines in his back as he kissed the pirate’s neck while his deep thrusts were bringing both of them over the edge, Hongjoong’s member being stimulated while being trapped between them.

Hongjoong’s legs closed around Seonghwa’s hips and refrained him to pull out, reaching his climax with a loud moan as he felt the other harshly bottoming out inside of him. Seonghwa came too, feeling the other clench impossibly tight around him, suffocating a moan against the other’s skin.

«I’m sorry.» Seonghwa panted few moments later, his head still buried in the pirate’s neck.

«What for?» Hongjoong quickly mumbled in answer, feeling his stomach drop and fearing the worst.

«I didn’t pull out in time.» Seonghwa sighed, lifting on his elbows to place a soft kiss on the pirate’s eyebrow, who immediately relaxed under his touch.

«It’s okay if you want to do that, silly.» Hongjoong chuckled, flinching as Seonghwa slowly pulled out and rolled on his back.

«Are you sure?» Seonghwa asked, timidly.

«Positive. Captain’s orders.» Hongjoong reached out to take one of their shirts and clean them as best as he could, before tossing it on the floor and lie back, embraced by Seonghwa’s welcoming and opened arms.

They fell asleep together not much later, exchanging sweet words accompanied by sweet and content kisses, cuddling under the blankets and in each other’s warmth.

Next morning, Seonghwa realized the whole crew was perfectly updated about their relationship; their friends happily and teasingly called out to both Hongjoong and Seonghwa after seeing various bite marks and hickeys on both their necks and as they got random glimpse of the marks on their chests from their low-cut shirts anytime they moved.

«Damn, Captain! Was there a storm last night?» San asked with his voice purposely loud, faking innocence as he walked towards Hongjoong, Yunho and Seonghwa which were talking on the quarter deck.

«Wasn’t the ship rocking a bit too much?» Wooyoung added with a cheeky smile, appearing right behind his lover.

Yunho almost choked on the water he was drinking, having to walk away from them due to his muffled laughters.

«I could ask you the same thing, you two.» Hongjoong replied with a smirk, narrowing his eyes and hinting at the few hickeys that adorned Wooyoung’s neck; Seonghwa felt lightly embarrassed, but still found funny to watch them playfully bickering.

«So,» San walked towards Seonghwa, linking their arms together. «Who is the top?» he asked, winking at him.

«Oh, my!» Seonghwa laughed, immediately escaping the other’s grip «Hongjoong! Tell your friends to mind their own business!» he added, blushing faintly.

The Pirate laughed in response. «Well, technically-»

«-We’re your friends as well!» Wooyoung added, faking offence.

As they had fun together, Seonghwa knew he would love for this to be his daily life.

«Land! Ahead!» Yeosang’s loud voice rang out from the crow’s nest, catching everyone’s attention. «Actually, you know what? I’m not sure, I can’t see anything.» He added, carefully climbing down and walking towards Hongjoong. «Captain, someone should take the shallop and check ahead.»

Hongjoong nodded at him, «By now we should be close to the Mist. Take some men with you and go check.»

Seonghwa watched as their friends meticulously prepared a rope to attach to both the mast and to the small ship, in case they happened lost sense of direction. It didn’t take much time to see his friends disappear in the thick wall of fog.

Seonghwa spent the morning asking around the ship if he could help, resulting in the crew politely declining his offer.

«We already took care of everything, there’s nothing much to do beside waiting.» they told him.

Dejected, he settled for sitting on the familiar spot he occupied almost every night on the stairs leading on the quarterdeck, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin on his hands.

He felt a loud sigh, followed by approaching footsteps; within seconds, someone sat behind him and he felt a familiar hand gently ruffling his hair in a familiar and affectionate manner.

«Calm down, Seonghwa.» Hongjoong mumbled, pulling the other boy to his chest; the Pirate’s arms gently snaked around the King’s waist, and he rested his chin on Seonghwa’s shoulder.

«But, what if-»

«No but!» Hongjoong immediately interrupted him; he placed a soft kiss on his shoulder, before gently rocking their bodies, «Yeosang was a cartographer in the Navy. There is no one more suited than him for this task»

«The Navy? Seriously?» Seonghwa asked, thinking about how Yeosang’s behaviour – calm, reserved and composed, actually perfectly matched a Navy’s soldier.

«Both him and Mingi, actually. Yeosang’s father was a Commander, so he grew up on a ship, just like me.» Seonghwa nodded, remembering the time Hongjoong had told him that he had lived on a pirate ship since childhood, having been his father a pirate Captain as well. Illusion, he added, was actually a legacy of his father.

The King furrowed his brow, «Mingi was in the Navy?!» he slightly turned his hand in disbelief, to see Hongjoong chuckling with his intense eyes fixed on the crew restlessly working on the deck.

«He was a powder monkey back in the Navy. I stole them both, just like I did with you.» Hongjoong said with a smug smile, tightening his grip.

Seonghwa scoffed at that. «Oh come on, Hongjoong. I literally had to beg you to take me with you!»

«I would have done that myself, eventually.» He pecked Seonghwa’s parted lips, smiling softly at how the other blushed in return, shyly adverting his gaze.

«Hey, lovebirds!» they turned towards Yunho, who was smiling at them from the deck. «Yeosang has returned. We found it.»

From that moment, everything happened in a blur: a group would have gone first, while the rest of the crew would remain on board to monitor the ship. Seonghwa took a seat on the small boat, watching the rope that connected him and his friends to the ship slowly build up tension, not that he could see much more. There was a torch in front of the boat; a dim light that somehow tried to break the wall of fog around them. Exactly as Yeosang predicted, they touched land few hours later.

Their boots sank in the wet, soft sand and, after each of them had lightened up their wooden torch, they went on together, advancing slowly, staying as close as possible. The absence of any kind of noise besides the wind, the waves and the sound of their footsteps made them inexplicably even more nervous; Seonghwa and his friends were sure that they would not find anyone waiting for them, but they were still in an unknown place and never visited by other people – if not desperate ones like himself.

As far as they knew, they could have found traps along their way. The island did not seem to be large: as they continued, the fog in front of them slowly began to dissolve, until it completely disappeared.

«Oh, now we can see clearly?» Wooyoung mumbled, nervously tightening his grip around the torch «It’s…»

«… It’s creeping me out.» San finished his lover’s sentence; they looked behind their shoulders to see that the thick wall of fog behind them was still present.

«For the first time in the history of our friendship, I won’t order to separate.» Hongjoong said, and Seonghwa’s hand nervously reached out to intertwine their fingers.

«Like hell I would have gone around by myself.» Mingi muttered behind them, making Yeosang giggle. In front of them, rocks began to sprout, gaining in size as they progressed.

«Do you know anything else beside the cave part?» Jongho asked Seonghwa, as they cautiously made their way through sand and pebbles.

Seonghwa shook his head, «I absolutely don’t. I’m sorry.»

They came to a stop in front of a high and unstable rock wall: unable to see its end, they deduced it was a mountain. They agreed on walking around it until they eventually found the entrance; in any case, they gave up on splitting up.

The aura surrounding the Island was terrifying, Seonghwa thought. Despite being in a group and everyone proceeding close enough their arms were constantly touching, he could not help but feel pervaded by constant anxiety, and a vague feeling of being almost observed.

However, from what?Seonghwa was certain that in his father’s stories there was no mention of entities protecting nor the island nor its treasures. Nonetheless, Hongjoong and the others told him about meeting sea monsters somewhere and somehow during their previous trips, so he did not dare to exclude anything.

It seemed to them that they were walking for hours. The fact that everywhere they looked they would see only rocks, sand and fog did nothing to strengthen their spirits. Hongjoong kept holding Seonghwa’s hand firmly, as to silently reassure him.

«Watch out, ahead.» Yeosang mumbled, loud enough for them to hear. They hummed in response, coming to a stop in front a small and narrow downhill consisting of a sharp and rocky staircase.

«Should some of us keep guard outside?» Yunho asked Hongjoong, which shook his head in answer.

«It’s probably foolish but I think we shouldn’t separate.» he said, reaching out the arm that held the torch towards the entrance of the cave.

«Well,» Mingi sighed «After you, your Majesty.» Seonghwa nodded at him, exchanging a small, encouraging smile with the pirate.

The King had not spoken about how he felt, despite that strange feeling of being observed steadily increased with each step.

Carefully they went down the stairs, trying to talk as less as possible, their footsteps echoing against the damp and unexplored walls. The narrow corridor began to widen until they saw a stone arch – engraved with what Seonghwa recognized as runes, waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs.

At the exact moment they crossed the threshold, the environment suddenly lit up: fire torches lit up consequently, one by one, startling them.

«Okay now, what – and I can’t stress this enough, the hell just happened?» Mingi asked, dumbfounded. His question, however, met no answer.

Everyone’s eyes were focused on analysing in awe their surroundings. Before them, there was a huge hall confined by stones, but most importantly there was an abnormal amount of treasures deposited there: jewellery, coins, weapons and all kinds of wealth laid all around them.

Seonghwa looked around, hoping in vain to find immediately what he was looking for, until his eyes met a small path leading to an isolated casket. He squeezed Hongjoong’s hand, earning his attention. He detached his hand from the other boy, as he carefully walked towards it.

«Isn’t it too easy?» the pirate mumbled suspicious, but followed Seonghwa nonetheless. Seonghwa’s uneasiness worsened.

In addition to all this, he believed to have heard an amused chuckle coming from somewhere near him. With shaky hands, he took the small casket and opened it; inside, a perfectly shaped sphere was laying on soft dark blue velvet.

“It’s completely transparent,” Seonghwa thought. “it could be glass, or crystal.”

Seonghwa had no idea about how the Aurora shard looked like but, between all the ideas he had, it was definitely not a transparent sphere.

However, his curiosity had the better of him and he touched it anyway; as soon as the sphere was in his hands, a faint glow erupted from the centre, becoming gradually brighter and brighter. Seonghwa was enchanted to see various shapes of green, red and blue dance harmoniously in his hands: the aurora’s colours. He was about to turn around to tell Hongjoong he found what he had been looking for when he heard said boy shout his name, his voice full of worry.

«And so, the King has come.» an unfamiliar female voice said from behind him.

Seonghwa turned immediately, almost dropping the shard on the floor in amazement. In front of him there was a female figure who materialized out from nowhere, her consistency almost ethereal. Seonghwa wasn’t sure how he could see her, when it looked like she was made of air itself, but he was certain his friend were able to see her, too.

«I don’t want to repeat myself,» Mingi’s hushed tone came from behind a small mountain of coins «but, what the hell?»

The creature, or spirit, was floating in mid-air looking at Seonghwa with peaceful eyes, eyes which held the same colours that had erupted from the shard few moments earlier. Nobody dared to move, they simply stared at her floating around Seonghwa before coming to a stop, assuming a sitting position in mid-air.

«Why is she not attacking us?» Jongho mumbled, frowning.

«I have no reason to do that,» She addressed him with a smile, although her eyes were still locked on Seonghwa. «the King has come to claim the Aurora shard and the treasures hidden on this island, and I have nor reason nor authority to object.»

«Are you…?» Seonghwa stopped in mid-sentence, wondering how to continue his question, and the ethereal creature smiled softly at him, nodding. The King raised an eyebrow at her, wondering if somehow, she managed to read his mind.

«I am the Aurora shard.» her soft voice echoed in the hall. «I’m also the guardian of this place. But most of all, I am connected to the Kings’ souls.»

Seonghwa nodded, his eyes carefully looking at the sphere in his hand and letting the information sink in.

“If she’s really connected to me,” Seonghwa thought, “This means she could already know what I really desire, doesn’t she?”

«I have a really big favour to ask you. Can you grant my wish?» Seonghwa’s determined eyes found hers, which grinned at him in return; she simply answered with a nod, somehow confirming to the King that she already knew.

«I will, your Majesty.» with a bow, she softly disappeared in thin air, reabsorbed by the shard in Seonghwa’s hand.

He closed his eyes, holding to his chest the sphere for a moment.

“And please protect me, my Aurora.” Seonghwa thought, before placing it back into the casket.

He immediately looked at Hongjoong, which visibly relaxed, the young King walked towards him with hurried steps and quickly placed a soft peck on his lips, pleased at how he caught the Pirate blushing before lightly coughing and averting his gaze.

«Now… What?» asked Yeosang.

«I found what I was looking for,» Seonghwa said, turning towards them. «You can take anything you want.»

He laughed as his friends erupted with a loud cheer, parting ways to collect as many valuable and different things as they could manage.

Seonghwa comfortably sat on the chair next to Hongjoong; their fingers were intertwined in the pirate’s lap, and they were participating in the animated and cheerful conversation of his friends.

«I’m sad Seonghwa didn’t have the chance to see you in action.» Mingi said to Jongho. Seonghwa smiled, remembering how a few days before, when they were coming out of the Mist’s cave, his friend managed to carry a much heavier load than the others.

«I was a baker before joining the crew.» Jongho answered Seonghwa’s silent question. «I basically did a lot of workout carrying bags of flour around. It came pretty handy.» he shrugged, smiling.

«You should have seen him during his first assault,» Hongjoong added, «We knew he was strong, but he carried gunpowder around so effortlessly, we were shocked for a solid minute.»

«I even asked Yeosang if he trained with us!» Mingi said.

«I was surprised you asked me, since you were the powder monkey back then. You should have, at least, noticed him.» Yeosang answered, and they all laughed together.

Jongho winked, «You should have worked for my boss, back in my town.» he answered Mingi, tapping his bicep.

«Were both of you training in the Navy?» Seonghwa asked Yeosang and Mingi, pretending not to know what Hongjoong told him. They nodded, unintentionally coordinated.

«My father was a Commander, I always had a passion for cartography and so I grew up with-»

«A natural talent to get us out of trouble.» Yunho interrupted Yeosang’s sentence.

The pirate blushed, adverting his gaze «You have to admit that the Captain’s sense of direction is really good.» he mumbled.

«Like he said before, I was a powder monkey back then!» Mingi took a sip of his drink, before continuing «Probably the worst experience of our life, right Yeosang?» he mumbled, elbowing the boy next to him, which simply raised his eyebrows and nodded.

«Let’s just say we craved freedom at some point, and caught the opportunity.» Yunho said, «I was a servant for a very rich family. Long story short: the night I met the crew, I guided them to their safety vault after they promised to take me with them.» Seonghwa nodded, feeling happy about the fact that they shared their past stories with him, and about how everyone was more relaxed on their way back.

He also couldn’t help feeling a different kind of warmth within himself. By now, months had passed since he left his kingdom. The more days passed, the more he felt he belonged exactly there, with them.

«How about you?» he asked San, which smiled brightly at him.

«Well, I was a thief… One day I was running away from a small group of guards and… Let’s just say I hid on the wrong ship.» he laughed. Hongjoong scoffed, amused. «It doesn’t look like you’re regretting staying!»

San hid himself behind Wooyoung’s shoulders before sticking out his tongue at the Captain, earning soft laughters from the others. Hongjoong rolled his eyes, and returned playing with Seonghwa’s fingers.

«We deliberately left Wooyoung’s story last.» Jongho commented, chuckling.

«Was he the last one to join before me?» Seonghwa asked.

Hongjoong nodded at him, delicately caressing his knuckles with his thumb, slightly taken aback by the King’s question; he was sure they never properly talked about him definitely staying with them. However, it was needless to say that if Seonghwa had decided to stay with him, the pirate would have been more than happy to sail towards countless new adventures with him.

«Yeah well you need to hear this, Seonghwa.» Wooyoung said, looking at him in a serious way. «I got kidnapped. A poor, abandoned hostage after a battle.» Seonghwa’s eyes widened, and he heard the others muffled laughters. Wooyoung continued immediately, intentionally increasing the drama in his tone of voice.

«Let’s just say that after few hours tied on the mast, I noticed how there were few injured people due to that fight, and no one was treating them. So I-»

San’s loud laughter interrupted him, «He convinced one of the crew members’ to set him free by saying he felt “terribly sick”, and then started pacing around the deck screaming at anyone of us: “Are you freaking serious?! A pirate ship without a doctor?! What kind of poor imitation of pirates are you?"» San said, imitating his lover.

«And you just let him?» Seonghwa asked his friends, giggling. «We just let him be, he randomly choose a room and claimed it as the infirmary.» Yunho added.

«He literally threw everything and everyone out from there.» Jongho said.

«Well, you forgot to mention that San was his first patient…» Yeosang said, watching the both of them with malice. Wooyoung answered by kissing San on the cheek. The latter’s cheeks turned pink and they all laughed together.

«Seriously? No doctor?» Seonghwa asked quietly to Hongjoong. The pirate shrugged, «We actually had a doctor, but he got… shot.» Seonghwa nodded, understanding what the pirate was hinting.

«But hey, Wooyoung is no longer the only one which decided to stay for love!» Mingi stated intentionally emphasizing the last words, placing his hand on his chin and blinking his eyes innocently; Seonghwa’s cheeks flamed up, and Hongjoong choked on his drink.

«Look at them being all shy!» Yunho chimed in with a loud voice, pointing at them.

«It’s not like we can’t see them exchanging soft kisses basically everywhere on the ship!» Mingi continued, snaking an arm around his friend’s shoulders, «Hongjoong!» he said shyly, playfully mimicking Seonghwa’s voice.

«Seonghwa!» Yunho dramatically mimicked the Captain’s voice, immediately returning his friend’s embrace, and they proceeded making kissing noises in rapid succession.

The King laughed, trying to hide his face behind the hand that the Pirate wasn’t holding.

«Are we really like that?» Seonghwa asked a blushing Hongjoong, which replied with a bright smile and a confident shrug.

The newfound serenity of those days soon came to an end.

«A ship is approaching! Pirates!» Yeosang’s shout interrupted the quiet morning. In no time, the ship was populated with masked men running around and getting ready to fight, the same uniforms for which they had become famous in popular stories all around the Kingdoms.

All the crew was on deck, ready to follow Hongjoong’s orders.

«We don’t take prisoners, and for the love of Mazu, Mingi,» the Captain looked at the tall pirate «This time, don’t sink them until I say so.» the red head answered with a nod and a devilish smile.

«Mazu?» Seonghwa whispered to Yunho, standing on his right.

«The Chinese Goddess of the sea.» he explained with the same hushed voice «she protects sailors, fishermen and sea travellers.» Seonghwa nodded.

«I know you can look out for yourself,» Hongjoong told the King loud enough for him to hear, «Just… Be careful, please.»

He nodded, briefly holding the other’s gloved hand, «You too.»

The enemy ship was approaching them fast, and by the time it reached them, everyone was ready to fight. Their opponents did not hesitate to fire their cannons which fortunately missed the Illusion, even if only slightly.

«They fired from so far away,» Yeosang commented as he climbed down from the crew’s nest «They must be idiots.» With quick steps, the boy informed his Captain that there were no other ships in sight.

Hongjoong clenched his jaw, answering with a simple «Good.» If Seonghwa said he wasn’t nervous, it would have been a lie. He happened to participate in some assaults when he was still part of the Resistance and he had already killed people in the past but, despite everything, he could not prevent his throat feeling dry and his heart nervously pumping in his chest. He breathed deeply, waiting.

He glanced around the deck to see that unlike him, the ones who stayed upstairs to fight in the first lines were a mixture of relaxed and thrilled. Loud cheers and chants raised upon them, and the change of behaviour reminded Seonghwa that, after all, there was a reason if they gained a reputation of ruthless and blood thirsty pirates.

«Fire!» as soon as the other ship was close enough, Hongjoong’s command had been repeated by few other crew members. Even if there were holes on the other ship’s side, they didn’t stop inching towards them.

The King watched as the pirates docked on the Illusion, and prepared to fight the men who were charging. He did not find it too difficult to defend himself: the pirates were physically strong but they lacked technique, so it was not difficult for Seonghwa to get the better of them and be helpful. He had always trained to fight with two swords, so he easily managed to juggle his opponents.

The shouts of the people fighting and falling overboard and the noise of the cannons was deafening, but he got used to that quickly. Chance wanted that he turned his head towards the direction of the Captain’s quarters at the exact moment a man not belonging to their crew headed in that direction.

Seonghwa followed his instinct, springing to the corridor that leaded to their chamber.

“I saw someone, I’m sure of it.” , he walked cautiously with his back facing the wall. It was impossible to hear too faint sounds because of the battle going on behind him, but he did his best.

However, he stopped in his track as soon as he felt a blade pressing against his neck.

«I believe you value your life.» an unfamiliar rough voice spat from behind him. Seonghwa didn’t move. «Take me to the treasury.» the pirate urged, and the King didn’t waver. He shut his eyes close as he felt a faint sting where the blade pressed against his neck. He suddenly struck his opponent with his elbow, detaching himself and taking the opportunity to draw one of his swords as he turned around. Instead of unleashing the second sword, he opted for using the dagger Hongjoong gave him months ago.

The pirate obviously didn’t appreciate the action and pounced at him, but Seonghwa was ready to block his attack with the sword in his right hand and stabbing his leg with his left hand. Seonghwa hoped that the pirate’s scream of pain would be enough to draw someone’s attention on the deck, even though being in the middle of a battle, he doubted someone heard.

The pirate was not taller than him, but he certainly had twice his strength. He managed to kick him in the stomach, taking advantage of his groan of pain to disarm him from his sword. Seonghwa noticed how they had been moving closer to the deck instead of the Captain’s chambers and he only needed few more steps to get noticed by his friends.

With a quick movement, the King managed to get his pistol and shoot the other in the leg, instantly getting up from the floor and leaping towards the deck as quickly as he could. Unfortunately, something in his plan had gone wrong, he realized. He managed to get back on deck but as soon as he heard a loud shot, he felt an atrocious pain on the side of his thigh.

Seonghwa knelt down in reflex, gritting his teeth and turning around, pointing his gun to the pirate’s head which was limping towards him. His opponent did the same. He was aiming his gun to Seonghwa’s head, and before the King’s reflexes to pull the trigger kicked in, he heard a shot. He watched as the lifeless body fell in front of him, in a pool of his own blood.

“I didn’t shoot him, who was it?” he thought as he glanced on his side, trying to ignore the sudden urge to throw up, and he was met with Yunho’s wide eyes, staring at him with worry.

«Thanks, Yunho!» Seonghwa shouted, in order to be heard over the loud noises.

«No problem, buddy! I told you I owed you a big one!» He gave him a wide grin, walking towards him and picking up a sword from one of the fallen men on the deck, handing it to him.

«Can you still fight?» He asked; now that they were up close Seonghwa noticed he had multiple cuts on his sleeve. Seonghwa nodded, his leg was hurting badly, but everyone was fighting to defend the Illusion and therefore, even if the battle was almost over, he couldn’t abandon them. Seonghwa took his friend’s outstretched hand and got up.

«Go on the quarterdeck,» Yunho ordered, noticing that Seonghwa had instinctively shut his eyes in discomfort as soon as he moved his weight on his right leg, «Hongjoong and San need a hand.»

The King complied, trying to hurry up the stairs without causing his injury to bleed even further. San and other men were fighting around Hongjoong, which occasionally left the helm to help the others; the Captain glanced towards the stairs, feeling a mixture of anger and worry fill his veins as soon as Seonghwa appeared.

«San!» he called out to his friend, which after following his gaze acknowledged his silent order and took the helm. Hongjoong reached Seonghwa with quick steps, holding the King’s elbow a little harsher than he originally planned.

«What the hell happened to you?» Hongjoong inquired, his eyes shifting from his neck, to his leg and to his eyes.

«Nothing, really, I’m fine! » Seonghwa shrugged, trying not to make the pain in his voice too obvious.

«Mingi!» the pirate shouted, evident rage in his voice, «Sink them!» the command was repeated few times by the crew members, and the cannons fired few moments later.

He obeyed Hongjoong and sat right next to him until everyone had cleared the area. During the fight, they all had followed Hongjoong’s orders and scattered on the ship, busy fighting for both their life and to defend Illusion; if Mingi and Jongho were busy downstairs handling the cannons with a small part of the crew, Yeosang, San and Hongjoong were steering the ship and fighting on the quarterdeck. Yunho, Seonghwa and Wooyoung were fighting on deck with the rest of the crew.

The King lost track of time, Hongjoong was standing next to him, steering them away from the other sinking ship and nervously glancing at him, his eyes evidently full of worry.

They both had took their masks and hats off, so anytime Hongjoong looked at him, Seonghwa answered with a silent, sincere and pained smile. Eventually, Wooyoung rushed up the stairs of the quarter deck.

«Can you stand?» He asked Seonghwa with his voice full of concern as he knelt next to him and taking off his own hat; he reached down to tore the fabric around his wound, trying to have a better look without touching it. Wooyoung sighed, and helped him up and into the infirmary.

Seonghwa didn’t see Hongjoong until afternoon. Wooyoung treated him and the others who got injured, luckily no one was in serious conditions.

«I’ve seen Hongjoong that angry reaaaaaaally only few times.» San commented, empathizing his words as he was sitting on Wooyoung’s chair.

«And it was scary. Please, don’t get hurt ever again.» the Doctor agreed with his lover.

«I’ll try.» Seonghwa smiled, nodding. Wooyoung returned the smile and finished disinfecting the cut on Seonghwa’s neck. Fortunately, neither the cut on the neck nor the injury to the leg was serious.

The bullet had gone out on its own, decreasing the risk of infection, but walking on it hadn’t been the wisest choice. Wooyoung wrapped a bandage around his thigh, and as soon as he finished, he pointed his finger at him.

«You need to rest a lot, Seonghwa» Wooyoung said with a stern voice «And I’m serious. If I see you walking around or even worse, trying to climb up the crow’s nest with Yeosang before I allow you to do that, I’ll shoot you down myself.» Seonghwa giggled, adverting his gaze.

«Now please, go calm down your boyfriend.» San sighed, and the three of them laughed together.

Back in the Captain’s quarters, Seonghwa watched Hongjoong closing the door behind himself, before silently starting to undress; he was about to get up from the bed in order to help him, when Hongjoong stopped him, with an unexpectedly cold voice.

«I don’t want you to get all dirty again. Plus, you’re not supposed to get up.» he explained shortly after as he was discarding is gloves.

«Are you okay?» Seonghwa tentatively asked, as the pirate took off his shirt. The King looked at the scars scattered on the other’s back, and manoeuvred until he was sitting on the bed’s edge. Hongjoong slouched on his chair, nodding briefly.

They spent few minutes in a slightly uncomfortable and tense silence. Seonghwa was looking at the pirate, and the latter was staring at an undefined spot in the wooden wall.

«I’m just glad,» he sighed, interrupting the quietness. Hongjoong wordlessly got up from the chair, and walked towards Seonghwa, kneeling between his spreaded legs, «I’m glad Yunho noticed him in time.» Seonghwa felt the Captain’s gaze burning its way into his soul.

They stared at each other for a while with shiny eyes who hid a universe of unspoken words, yet they still managed to understand every emotion hid in those soft gazes.

It could have gone worse, they both knew it.

Seonghwa was the first one to lean down, resting his forehead against the Pirate’s and closing his eyes.

Hongjoong was the first one to break the contact, reaching out to lock his arms around the King’s shoulders, hugging him tightly and burying his face into the other’s neck, and Seonghwa returned the hug just as desperately.

«Seonghwa, wake up.» Hongjoong softly shook Seonghwa’s shoulders, and the boy woke up with a soft groan.

«What is it? Is it a storm? Do you need my help?» Seonghwa mumbled, lifting himself on his elbow, without actually opening his eyes.

Hongjoong chuckled at the other’s appearance: eyes closed tightly in a frown and his lips in a cute pout. The Pirate reached out to ruffle the King’s already dishevelled hair, a gesture he did quite often.

«You can’t get off the bed, silly. Wooyoung’s orders were clear.» he said, caressing Seonghwa’s bare shoulder, «I’m here to change your bandages. And to stay with you, I have the day off.»

Seonghwa chuckled at that, «Wooyoung hired an assistant?» he chuckled, leaning back into the mattress, making space for his lover.

«You’d be surprised.» Hongjoong smiled softly at him, helping the other lowering his pants until they were resting around his thighs.

Trying to be as delicate as possible, he removed the bandage almost soaked in blood. Hongjoong disinfected the wound slowly and carefully, as he so often had to do on himself. Based on Seonghwa’s flinches and noises of discomforts he knew when to stop, or to continue.

«I’m sorry.» Hongjoong admitted.

«It’s okay, it will heal.» Seonghwa sighed softly, keeping his eyes closed.

«Not about this, but… We should have fled.» The pirate mumbled. Seonghwa’s eyes snapped open, looking at Hongjoong which gave him a sad smile in return.

«Don’t even think about it.» he started, «we’re pirates, we don’t flee from one single ship chasing us. I just got hurt, like an idiot.» Seonghwa fatiguely sat up, «Give me some time, I’ll be as terrifying as San out there during a battle.» he confidently winked at his lover which smiled in return.

«Why San?» Hongjoong chuckled.

«Have you seen him?!» Seonghwa’s eyes widened «I was trained since childhood using two swords, but him? He’s like some battle God or something.» The Pirate laughed in response, nodding.

«Just don’t get hurt, we’ll handle the rest.» Hongjoong reached out to peck at Seonghwa’s smiling lips, who immediately laid back as he felt Hongjoong tying up a new bandage around his thigh.

As soon as Hongjoong got back from the infirmary, he undressed himself and joined Seonghwa under the covers, his pants hanging loose on his hips.

They shifted position until they were both laying comfortably facing each other; the King slowly blinked himself awake again, to find the other relaxing with his eyes closed. Instinctively, he inched closer until their noses were touching, softly rubbing them together a couple of times before snaking his arms around the Pirate’s waist and pulling him to his chest.

«Oh, now you want to cuddle?» Hongjoong giggled. Seonghwa could easily feel the tiredness in the other’s voice, due to sleepless nights spent guiding the ship through the dark sea.

«I always do.» Seonghwa mumbled, kissing Hongjoong’s forehead as he glanced at him with an enamoured gaze.

The Pirate propped himself up, balancing his weight on his elbows, his chin resting on the palm of his hand; Seonghwa’s eyes slowly opened again, to find the other smiling at him. Instinctively, the young King shifted, laying on his back, giggling and mumbling a confused «What is it?» as his left hand reached around the Pirate’s hip and travelled on his back. His touch was gentle and feather like, but he could still feel the other shiver when his fingers gently caressed some of the scars on his back.

Hongjoong shook his head, holding the King’s gaze without answering. Seonghwa gently manoeuvred them until he managed to gently roll them around, so that he was partially hovering over the Pirate, his right leg leaning over the Captain’s so the wound wouldn’t re-open.

He admired the other’s features until he met the other’s gaze looking at him with tenderness, finding it hard to believe that he was the same man capable of killing people and commit several other crimes. Nevertheless, Seonghwa’s feeling for him didn’t waver.

They spent months together by now, living side by side every single day. The King’s thoughts wandered back to how since the beginning, Hongjoong’s behaviour had always been friendly to him and always made him feel as he was one of them, and Seonghwa couldn’t help but feeling strangely and inexplicably safe around him since the beginning.

«As long as you sail with us, you’re one of us.» He explained as they all dined together the second week after they sailed.

«Hopefully, you’re gonna stick with us.» Wooyoung had commented right after his Captain.

Seonghwa wasn’t sure he could pinpoint the exact moment when he started warming out to him, they probably acted a little bit differently from the beginning. Sometimes he felt like every single choice he made in life had the purpose to lead him exactly where he was now.

The King smiled at the thought about him being formally a Royal and the other being an outlaw – trying to count how many rules he broke since he had to run away, and yet he felt their souls were somehow so similar, compatible and inexplicably connected with each other.

They spent nights together making love, sharing secrets, stories, feelings and comfortable silences. All those moments helped to shape their feelings based on mutual trust and mutual respect.

Hongjoong never looked down on him – he actually never did with anyone in his crew, and the King never looked down on the pirate. Seonghwa had loved before. He had loved and he had lost. If his wife taught him about the innocence of a timid and pure first love, Hongjoong taught him that love could be as unpredictable and as overwhelming as the sea.

The Pirate’s love and adoration for the King was so evident that he didn’t need to say anything about it, Seonghwa – and everyone else, just knew; and he was sure that Hongjoong knew that this feeling was completely reciprocated, too.

Seonghwa reached down, kissing the other’s forehead, then his nose, his left cheek. Hongjoong’s smile widened and he settled for closing his eyes and enjoying his lover’s sudden affectionate gestures, Trying to move his leg as little as possible, Seonghwa’s kisses trailed a path until he reached the first one of the scars the pirate had on his chest: it was on his left shoulder and, Seonghwa thought, looked very painful.

He took his time to kiss every and each mark the other had on his chest, silently praising him with his lips.

«I… Think I really love you.» Hongjoong quietly mumbled. Seonghwa looked up from the other’s waist, finding the other looking at the ceiling, making him doubt that the pirate actually wanted to say that out loud.

The King slowly kissed his way back to the pirate’s side to his lips, catching his attention. Hongjoong’s piercing gaze was locked on him, and Seonghwa knew that he could have searched for hours in those eyes, and all he would be able to find would be love. The King felt his heart swell.

«I love you, too.» Seonghwa mumbled back, reaching down to connect their lips. They kissed like they had all the time in the world, taking their time to savour the other’s lips. Hongjoong would playfully lick the other’s bottom lip, and Seonghwa would gently bite on the other’s smiling lips in return.

The kiss was full of tenderness and love, even if they occasionally teased each other; they detached with their hearts racing, plump lips and cheeks flushed red.

Hongjoong sighed, his eyes still close. «Yes, I’m sure of it.» he hummed.

Seonghwa smiled, kissing the other’s chest one more time before resting his head on it. Hongjoong’s arms caged him into a warm hug, and Seonghwa fell asleep listening to the other’s rapid heartbeat.

Sadly, Seonghwa had to realize that time didn’t pass so fast when you were confined to bed.

«But Wooyoung, it’s been weeks!» Seonghwa whined and Wooyoung sighed, brushing his hair off his eyes using his wrist.

«It’s not gonna heal if you walk around by yourself, idiot.» the Doctor replied, intentionally pressing a bit more roughly on the wound on the other’s thigh while disinfecting it, earning a hiss from the boy.

«Hongjoong will help me!» Seonghwa’s pleading eyes shifted to the Captain which was busy writing on his journal.

«Uh, no? I absolutely won’t.» He looked up from the papers with a frown. Seonghwa’s shoulders lowered in defeat and he laid back on the bed.

«See? He’s clever, this is why he’s the Captain.» Wooyoung commented and kept tying up the bandage around Seonghwa’s thigh.

His eyes wandered on the ceiling. If there was one thing Seonghwa loved to do, it was to spend time admiring the giant map that the pirate had drawn there. Hongjoong had promised him that since he had to stay in bed, they would have continued the project. In the past weeks, his friends organized so that they would take turns to both work on the drawing and spend time with Seonghwa.

Hongjoong always handed him few papers that he kept on his desk with the map’s sketches, to guide the one who was painting on the ceiling so they won’t make mistakes. Essentially, Seonghwa’s role was to oversee his friend’s work. He still had a lot of fun; he loved spending time with his friends and most of all, he loved seeing Hongjoong focused on painting while sitting on top of a wooden ladder. He loved it so much that sometimes, he would zone out while looking at him and the pirate had to snap the King out of his thoughts.

«Could you please pay attention to what we are doing?» Hongjoong commented once, amused by the Seonghwa’s startled face after he threw a clean brush at his chest.

«A brush, seriously? You just threw you lover a brush?» he muttered raising an eyebrow, placing the brush next to himself. «Will you ever show me your drawings?» he added suddenly and the pirate nodded dismissively.

«Now be helpful, love. Otherwise,» he slightly readjusted his position on top of the wooden ladder and pointed to the other side of the ceiling, «I’m gonna doodle you right on top of your Castle, wearing princess clothes.»

«You wouldn’t dare.» Seonghwa narrowed his eyes.

«Try me.» the pirate answered with a cheeky grin, and Seonghwa clicked his tongue in response with a smile.

Almost a month has passed and their journey was about to end. Seonghwa still had some difficulties on standing by himself but at least, his wound was healing. The thought reassured him, since he didn’t have the courage to face Jongdae after all the months spent fighting side by side. He would have surely mocked him about how he managed to get hurt like a rookie.

«Hey there Your Highness!» Yunho chimed in the quarters, closing the door behind himself and Yeosang. «You’re stuck with us today.»

«Are you feeling better?» Yeosang asked. Seonghwa smiled at them, nodding in response at the pirate’s question. Yunho manoeuvred the wooden ladder until it was placed exactly under the still blank spot on the ceiling and Yeosang took his time to carefully look through the papers neatly placed on the desk, before handing them to Seonghwa with a sly smirk.

As his friends finished setting up – Yeosang would have been the first one to draw and Yunho would hand him the necessary tools he needed, Seonghwa managed to adjust his position on the bed, comfortably resting his back against the soft pillows.

«Keep an eye on us,» Yunho told Seonghwa «If we mess up Hongjoong’s pretty ceiling…»

«… Let’s not think about it.» Yeosang cut him off, waving a pencil in front of the other’s face, while sitting on the top of the ladder. Even if his friends paid enough attention to not mess up the ceiling, both Yeosang and Yunho managed to get dirty with paint.

«Here,» Yeosang said as he painted a long stripe of blue paint on Yunho’s hair «You look like a mermaid, now.» he giggled.

«Do that again and I’ll throw you overboard.» Yunho sighed, slightly waving the wooden ladder and almost making Yeosang fall with a loud yelp. Work progressed slowly but smoothly, the three of them occasionally joking around.

The fact that his friends willingly re-arranged their days so that Seonghwa was less lonely made him truly happy; he was glad to finally feel like he was one of them. Not only was he able to see how his friends prioritised him, with each passing day he felt like his soul was growing a little bit less restless. That feeling of finally having found a home steadily growing inside his heart.

Seonghwa’s eyes shifted towards Hongjoong’s desk, to the box containing the Aurora shard. Deep inside, he knew exactly what he had to to do as soon as he saw both Baekhyun and Jongdae and hopefully, they would agree. The young King had made up his mind long time ago, and Aurora granting his wish was a further motivation to hold on to his decision to definitely step down from his position as King. After all, he knew the young Resistance Leader was perfectly suited for the role.

Lost in thoughts, his fingers mindlessly started to play with the papers laying on his lap. Seonghwa couldn’t help but absently notice the fact that the papers that Yeosang handed him were, maybe, a bit too many. Hongjoong handed him drawings of the map every day but he was absolutely sure they weren’t as many as today.

Curiously, his fingers browsed through the pages, wondering what the pirate could have added this time. The map was almost finished so, maybe, Yeosang picked few pages from his journal as well.

His fingers incredulously leafed through the pages again and again, and everything Seonghwa could recognize was one thing: himself.

All the sketches had one thing in common: every time the Captain drew him, it was because he was far away from him. One of the first things he noticed was that only the King would be an actual detailed figure, leaving the person next to him to a mere sketch.

However, Seonghwa remembered every moment the other portrayed: in one sketch he was finishing tying up the ropes with San, the sun was high in the sky and it was really windy. In another he was chattering with Jongho leaning against the railways, the younger telling him about bow he really valued his friends as his family. In another drawing he was standing on the crow’s nest with Yeosang. Then again, again and again; Seonghwa smiled softly, seeing himself being captured by the other’s eyes. At the bottom of that envelope of sheets, there was the only drawing that captured the King’s face from up close: the pirate portrayed his face while sleeping.

Seonghwa smiled as a tear of happiness unconsciously escaped his eye, his fingers softly grazing over the pencil lines and admiring all the small details that the Captain captured.

«Illusion to Seonghwa!» Yunho’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Both pirates were looking at his face, puzzled.

«Seonghwa?» Yeosang asked, narrowing his eyes and focusing on the papers on the King’s lap, a smug smile appeared on his face as soon as he recognized the drawing he saw earlier.

«Why are you crying over a map-Oh. Wow.» Yunho said with a hand on his mouth, trying to cover the wide smile on his face. «I have to tell Mingi.» He mumbled excitedly, storming off. By that time, Yeosang was ready sitting at the bed’s feet, smiling at his friend.

«I caught him few times. He made me swear to not say anything.» he chuckled.

Seonghwa blushed, «I don’t know what to say,» he mumbled «It’s such a small thing but I feel so happy.» His eyes wandered on the drawings and Yeosang nodded.

«Ah! Young love!» the pirate sighed dramatically while getting up from the bed. «I’ll go get Yunho, otherwise we’re never gonna finish this map.»

Later that night, Seonghwa made sure to hold Hongjoong a little bit tighter as they were falling asleep; the Pirate returned the other’s embrace, resting his head on the King’s chest.

Once again – like all the other times where there was no need for words between them to understand each other, Seonghwa knew that there was no need to tell him about the drawings. After all, with Yunho running around the ship in order to find Mingi, he was sure he – and everyone on the his way towards Mingi, already knew.

«Hongjoong?» he whispered, and the other hummed against his neck in response. «Where are we going when we’ll sail next time?»

«Anywhere you want, love.» the Pirate mumbled, half asleep.

It was a sunny day, around noon; Illusion was docked in a very familiar port. Seonghwa inhaled deeply, incredulously looking at his surroundings in awe.

After months, he was back in his former Kingdom; the first thing he noticed was the few people walking around, the opposite situation during the days when he still lived there. Although it was not a predominantly port town, it had always been lively and full of people roaming the streets, and now it seemed half deserted. Seonghwa suspected what the reason might be, but he settled for thinking it was still too early for people to crowd the streets.

«We’re gonna sail again in four days!» Hongjoong’s voice commanded the crew, before telling his friends they’d meet for dinner at Baekhyun’s inn.

«Do you want me to come with you?» Hongjoong nervously asked Seonghwa, which was hugging close to his chest the leather strap of the bag containing everything he had to give Jongdae.

«I know you have things to do, as well. I will see you tonight.» Seonghwa shook his head and reached out to intertwine his fingers with his lover, before briefly kissing him on the lips. Hongjoong nodded before mumbling a quiet “I love you”, and they parted ways.

The young King didn’t know what to expect; almost five months had passed since he left, anything could have happened to both his friends. A sudden sense of nervousness pervaded him as he walked through the sunny alleys illuminated by the early afternoon sun.

”Please, don’t be burnt down, please be okay-“ his thoughts repeated like a mantra until he turned around the corner to see that apparently, nothing changed. The inn was there, the old wooden signboard was slightly waving in the wind. Instinctively, his steps increasingly quickened until he found himself running towards the entrance, taking a deep breath before opening the heavy, wooden door.

«Honestly? What people don’t understand about the fact that we’re open from-» Baekhyun scoffed, annoyed; he was standing with his back facing the door, cleaning the counter in front of him.

«It’s been five months and you still didn’t learn how to lock yourself inside?» Seonghwa’s soft voice made Baekhyun turn around so quickly he almost felt his head spinning; the boy immediately ran towards Seonghwa to hug him close, and the King returned the hug just as tightly, as his heart was hammering in his chest in a mixture of happiness and relief.

«You’re okay… I was so worried!» Baekhyun’s loud voice echoed between the empty hall; he let go from Seonghwa, just to keep holding his hand.

«You have so many things to tell me, young boy. Let’s go get Jongdae, he has gone full Resistance’s Leader mood.» Baekhyun quickly walked towards the inn’s door, locking them inside.

«Hasn’t he always been?» Seonghwa joked as he followed Baekhyun, which was leading to the backdoor.

«He got worse!» Baekhyun laughed.

Jongdae hugged Seonghwa with the same strength Baekhyun did earlier, a hint of incredulity remaining in his eyes as he looked at the younger boy.

«You really made it!» the Leader would affectionately squeeze his cheeks. «Safe and sound!»

Seonghwa nodded, and they sat down to tell each other everything happened during those months. His friends told him about how the situation got worse since he sailed, his Kingdom was on the verge of a civil war.

The Governor kept adding taxes and the people were getting poorer day by day. The Resistance tried to help civilians as much as they could but, it was almost impossible to see a positive end to this situation. Seonghwa listened carefully, feeling guilty that it took them so long to come back. However, while listening to Jongdae, he was furtherly sure about his decision.

«This is why you have to reclaim the throne as soon as possible.» Jongdae finished his explanation. Seonghwa shook his head in response and his friends frowned, confused.

«I will not, Jongdae. I’m officially stepping down from my title,» he said, taking a hold of Jongdae’s hands. «In your favour.»

«What?!» both brothers asked, unintentionally synchronised.

«I’ve had a lot of time to think about this and Jongdae, trust me. You’d make a great King.» Seonghwa explained. He told them everything: the Mist, the friends he travelled with, Hongjoong. He told them about his feelings, opening their hearts to them. He told them about how he realized that there was no one more suited than Jongdae for this.

Despite his confidence while talking, it had not been an easy decision to make. Seonghwa was definitively giving up his old life: his habits, the luxuries, spending days studying, he was giving up a life that somehow he had always loved.

However, in his heart there was the strong certainty that staying with Hongjoong was the right path for him.

«Seonghwa, I can’t do it.» Jongdae answered dumbfounded, «You are the King, people had always loved you.»

«Why are you talking like there aren’t hundreds people out there ready to blindly follow you because they trust you?» Seonghwa asked back with a kind smile, squeezing the other’s hands.

«He’s right,» Baekhyun chimed in «You’ve been the Leader of the Resistance for years. There are a lot of people loyal to you.»

Jongdae’s eyes found his brother’s, «and also, we can’t force this on him when his heart is now clearly somewhere else.» They remained silent for few minutes, Jongdae seriously pondering the idea before nodding and mumbling a quiet, «I will do it» Seonghwa erupted into a wide smile, and emptied the bag’s contents on the table.

«First of all, promise me you won’t freak out.» his fingers played with the casket’s lock and his friends looked at him, puzzled.

«Aurora, please, show yourself.» he mumbled, opening revealing a large transparent sphere laying on velvet. Just like happened at the Mist’s cave, as soon as Seonghwa touched the sphere, a faint glow began to erupt from the centre of it.

Both Jongdae and Baekhyun looked at it, almost hypnotized by the beauty of the colours alternating inside the sphere. Once again, Aurora materialized as gracefully as the first time.

«W-what the hell just happened?» Baekhyun’s incredulously whispered, and Jongdae remained silent, watching in awe as the woman which seemed made of air itself took a standing position next to Seonghwa. Her robes were gracefully moving as if dancing in the wind, except all windows were closed.

«So, she is the Aurora shard I’ve been looking for.» Seonghwa explained his friends.

«Is this about your wish, Your Majesty?» she looked at Seonghwa with her soft and colourful eyes, pretending to not know already; Seonghwa nodded, exchanging a look with Jongdae.

«Why are you looking at me? What do I have to do?» Jongdae asked; noticing Seonghwa’s eyes glancing at the crystal sphere, he tentatively reached out to touch it with his index finger, right next to Seonghwa’s.

«As I promised, I will grant your wish. I recognise you, Jongdae, as the rightful King.» Aurora smiled softly at him, explaining that as soon as Jongdae would have claimed the throne, the shard would disappear to go back to the Mist Island. «It’s not the first time I helped this Kingdom.» she said, «The rules of time don’t apply to me. I will always be there, until the end of time.» then, she disappeared into the shard after the hint of a polite bow.

«I can’t believe this,» Baekhyun commented, an excited smile on his face. «but wait, you’re officially a pirate now?» Seonghwa nodded in response. Baekhyun scoffed, lightly hitting Jongdae on his chest «Well, brother. You might as well be a King now, but I can see the future.» he said, referring to the first night he saw Seonghwa and Hongjoong together at the inn.

Time passed quickly, they talked and laughed together about everything came to their mind about the long months spent apart and before they realized, it was time for dinner.

Hongjoong was the first one to arrive at the inn; both boys sat together facing the counter where Baekhyun was working, as they were waiting for their friends. Looking around the hall, Seonghwa sadly had to acknowledge what his friend told him earlier; the change was undeniable, instead of the crowded hall, now there were at least half of the people.

«So… What did you do today?» Hongjoong asked, inching closer to Seonghwa.

«Nothing interesting, really. I abdicated.» he answered inching closer as well; their noses were almost touching and he tried not to laugh at Hongjoong’s suddenly confused face.

«What do you mean?» the pirate frowned, confusion clearly written on his face.

«I already told you, I’m coming with you!» Seonghwa giggled, softly bumping his forehead against his lover.

«And who’s going to-»

«Jongdae.» Seonghwa answered, telling him about everything that had happened between them.

«Seonghwa,» Hongjoong’s said with a soft voice, his hands reaching to hold his lover’s under the table, «are you really sure about this? Spending five months on a pirate ship is quite different from-»

«Hongjoong, I don’t think I could spend my days without you,» Seonghwa interrupted him, tightening his grip, adverting his gaze towards the inn’s entrance, «or without them.» he added, nodding at their friends which were now walking towards their table, as always talking loudly.

Sometimes Seonghwa’s gaze met Baekhyun’s and the older would playfully wink at him, nodding towards Hongjoong with his head.

They were sitting in an inn in a distant city near Jongho’s home town, two months had passed since he last saw Jongdae and Baekhyun.

Needless to say, his friends and the crew were all happy with Seonghwa’s decision to stay with them. Eventually, his role became helping Yeosang with the navigation on the crow’s nest. Yeosang was more than happy with this decision: the two had became close friends, so he didn’t mind spending more time with Seonghwa, and the pirate needed someone who would change place with him every now and then.

The relationship between Hongjoong and Seonghwa was pretty much official, so both boys kept on sharing the Captain’s quarters.

Yunho suddenly made them a hurried sign to keep quiet, stealthily pointing to the table behind them, and they all curiously complied.

«I told you it’s the truth!» a rough man’s voice exclaimed, excited. Seonghwa slightly leaned closer to Hongjoong, in order to hear better. «The Kingdom of the West has a new King!» the man proceeded, telling his friends about what happened the day after Seonghwa returned to his former Kingdom. A young man – which some had recognized as the Leader of the Resistance, asked for a meeting with the Governor and then he proceeded to summon a furious female spirit from a sphere which started glowing in various colours, angered by the fact that someone was unfairly occupying the King’s throne.

The man continued, adding that the Governor and his followers had all been executed because of the outrages and wrongdoing done to the people; needless to say, the citizens were more than happy with this decision. As the man continued talking with his friends, Seonghwa felt both happy and relieved to hear those words, even though he never doubted Jongdae. He was happy to know people loved him, and relieved to hear about how slowly he was fixing everything.

The Kingdom was no longer on the verge of a civil war, nor on the verge of a war with neighbouring Reigns.

«You heard that? I created a hero.» Seonghwa boldly whispered to Hongjoong.

After discussing a bit further, the man and his friend changed the topic of their conversations, and the pirates went back to eating. Seonghwa chewed on his food and chuckled at Mingi and San friendly bickering over a plate of food, and at Yeosang and Jongho were pretending nothing was happening even thought they were in between the two boys playfully screaming at each other.

The boy’s heart suddenly felt overwhelmed, and his mind started wandering through everything that had happened to that day; he glanced at his friends, feeling his soul at ease, a content sigh left his lips. A familiar hand softly ruffled his hair.

«You okay?» Hongjoong gently whispered in his ear, probably noticing that he had stopped eating all of a sudden.

«Yeah, I was just thinking,» Seonghwa said, before answering to Hongjoong’s silent question with a smile, «I’m home.» he simply said with a shrug.

Hongjoong’s eyes widened in surprise, before erupting into a wide smile as well.

«You are.» Hongjoong’s voice was gentle, like every other time the other would speak to him.

«Hey, lovebirds! We’re having dinner over here!» Yunho loudly called out to his friends.

«I swear to the Goddess Mazu, Wooyoung and San are more subtle than you two!» Mingi added, an exaggerated exasperated sigh left his lips.

«San, you heard them?» Wooyoung asked his lover, noisily placing his chalice back on the table.

«Is it a challenge?» San finished for him, smirking and raising an eyebrow in mischief.

«No, it’s not.» Yeosang immediately said, politely placing his fork on the plate to rub his temples.

«Yeah please, don’t.» Jongho echoed his friend, still quietly chewing on his food.

Wooyoung erupted into a contagious laughter, and Seonghwa’s hand reached out to Hongjoong’s one and he intertwined their fingers under the table. He knew that he made the right choice. He was exactly where he was supposed to be.

Later that night, after Hongjoong gave the wedding ring back to Seonghwa – who wore it immediately, they made love. Hongjoong’s nails drew red lines on Seonghwa’s back and their fingers lingered on the other’s skin a bit more desperately, in stark contrast to their kisses, which were soft, gentle and caring. They whispered each other’s name almost like a prayer, mumbling quiet “I love you’s” as they came down from their bliss.

With a content smile, Seonghwa played with both the rings on his left hand using his thumb, his right arm was resting comfortably around Hongjoong’s waist, which was laying on his side with his head on his lover’s chest, hugging the other’s hip which were partially covered by the blanket.

«Does it mean you found a better treasure?» Seonghwa’s smug question eventually broke the comfortable silence of the room, as he was referring to the other’s words back at the tavern when the Pirate choose his wedding ring as a compensation: “I’ll give it back once I’ll find something more valuable”, he had said.

The King heard the Pirate’s breathless laugh, before he propped himself on his left elbow in order not to not place his whole weight on Seonghwa.

«As if you didn’t know already.» Hongjoong answered with a wide smile, affectionately kissing Seonghwa’s lips.

all works © lettersfromaphrodite

Do not modify, repost, translate or plagiarize my stories. I only publish my works on tumblr & AO3.

↳ BACK TO NAVIGATION 💫 ↳ BACK TO MASTERLIST 🔮

MY FIC RECS & LIBRARY enhypen

library = for me to easily find these smau's whenever I want to read.

♡ — my favorite (i love them all tho)

— SMAU (social media aus/fanfics)

DIMPLE BOY yang jungwon

BOOMERANG sim jaeyun smau — ♡ (complete)

CATCH US DISPATCH lee heeseung (complete)

WHAT'S YOUR NUMBER lee heeseung

SIMP FOR REDACTED sim jaeyun — ♡ (complete)

GUESS WHO kim sunoo — ♡ (complete)

EARFQUAKE yang jungwon — ♡

LOVING YOU yang jungwon — ♡ (complete)

MC ENEMIEZ yang jungwon — ♡ (complete)

JUNGWON'S NOONA enhypen hyung line — ♡

FATE ot7 enhypen + ot5 txt

FAVORITE CRIME park jongseong

LUCID DREAMS sim jaeyun

THE FEELS yang jungwon

RUNAWAY BRIDE park sunghoon — ♡ (complete)

LOVE IS (NOT) EASY nishimura riki

BRO CODE sim jaeyun + park sunghoon

CHOOSE ME! OR NOT? yang jungwon

ASAP maknae line

MY LOVE park sunghoon

WRONG NUMBER lee heeseung

IDOL CRUSH yang jungwon

WISHLIST nishimura riki

POLAROID LOVE yang jungwon

FIESTA yang jungwon — ♡

HEART SHAKER lee heeseung

I-STAN YOU kim sunoo — ♡

FIXED sim jaeyun — ♡

CRUSH sim jaeyun

THANKS TWITTER nishimura riki (complete)

TO MY: LOVER! park sunghoon — ♡ (complete)

BABY FEVER park sunghoon — ♡

HEY PREZ! sim jaeyun — ♡

MISERY BUSINESS park sunghoon — ♡

CRUSH CULTURE park sunghoon — ♡ (complete)

VLIVE CONFESSION park sunghoon — ♡

WE GOT MARRIED park sunghoon — ♡ (complete)

NOT YOUR FAULT park jongseong

PAPER RINGS sim jaeyun — ♡

THE GLIMPSE OF US lee heeseung — ♡

PRETTY U park sunghoon

SOUR GRAPES yang jungwon + kim sunoo — ♡

BACK 2 U sim jaeyun — ♡

PINK DIAMOND kim sunoo

READY TO LOVE park jongseong — ♡

more to be added soon!

The whole series is so fucked up... i love it

indulgence

pairing ↠ serial killer!sunghoon x (f) professor!reader

genre .. warnings ↠ smut, graphic depictions of murder, graphic depictions of violence, noncon, mentions of pregnancy, sunghoon is 43 (set in 2023)

summary ↠ you're an accomplished detective in the detroit area and park sunghoon is a prolific serial killer. when your department sends you on its behalf to pull back his layers, you attempt to convince sunghoon to recount his experiences and unravel the mystery once and for all.

wc ↠ 10.3k

a/n ↠ originally posted on my blog revehae, i am not plagiarizing myself. sunghoon’s american for the plot. part 3/3 of the in my blood series. as always, feedback is appreciated!

don’t like it, don’t read.

the deepest prick of unease settled through you and you shuddered from its nipping cold. 

killers were your forte, but none like this. never in your life had you ever met a killer who’d been at their craft for over a decade. they typically got sloppy after the first half, which insinuated that this sunghoon park guy, whoever he was, was far from an ameteur. 

“gate twelve,” came the guard’s voice, speaking into a transmitter. he was to escort you to sunghoon’s holding room.

the gate lifted. behind it, you clocked the riveting face of detroit’s worst nightmare, hands cuffed at his back as he sat facing you. there was a sort of twisted grin on his face, not as if he was excited to have a visitor, but excited his visitor had been you.

“good luck with this guy. officers tried to get him to budge. he didn’t take the fifth, but the bastard’s damn good at talking in circles,” the guard whispered in your ear.

“duly noted,” you replied quietly, stepping further and taking the seat across from sunghoon. 

the guard left you to your devices, shutting the door behind you and leaving through the passage that led to the gate. complete and total privacy was the only way sunghoon agreed to talk. your department initially refused, insisting there should at least be one or two other officers monitoring the interview, but you let him have his way.

if you wanted to get this man to talk, that was your only option.

“hello, sunghoon. i’m detective ___ from the detroit police department,” you introduced yourself coolly, cloaking your nerves with confidence. never would you show a guy like this any fear.

sunghoon hadn’t stopped grinning since he made eye contact with you. you’d seen pictures at most and he was devilishly handsome, even more so in person, but it didn’t compensate for his unsettling aura. “that’s a beautiful name, detective.”

“flattery will get you nowhere, park.”

“it’s gotten me here,” sunghoon quipped. 

“yes, it has. and i suppose you already know why i’m here.”

“yes, i do,” sunghoon said, pleasant thus far. “you want me to tell you about the murders.”

you bobbed your head. “i do. you see, you’re an enigma to me, sunghoon. you turn yourself in, get fingerprinted, and all of the sudden our datsbase’s going off because your prints are connected to three other crimes over the past twenty-five years.”

sunghoon feigned surprise. “wow, it’s been that long?”

“it has,” you replied, in spite of knowing he couldn’t have not been aware. “martina mortes in 1998, sabrina lee in 2005, christine dalton in 2013, and dr. lee this year.”

sunghoon leaned back in his chair. “i’m familiar with those names.”

“you should be. you sexually assaulted and murdered these women,” you spat, none too tender. “except for martina mortes. you only strangled her. do you want to tell me why that it is?”

“what’s the weather like today? i haven’t been outside, but summer has been kind to detroit.”

ignoring him, you persisted, “let me guess. she was your first victim and that kill, unlike the others, was spontaneous. her being dead defeated the purpose of the sex act, didn’t it?”

“well, do you like your partners warm or cold, detective?” sunghoon asked, deflecting. 

you were heeding the guard’s warning. it seemed this guy liked to answer questions with questions, your least favorite type of offender. “that’s why when you subsequently added the sex act to part of your crimes, you kept your victims much longer, because you like to see them suffer. until you got bored. then, you killed them and dumped their bodies like trash.”

as if he was disinterested, sunghoon glanced to the side and yawned. 

the audacity on this guy was astounding. “am i boring you, park?”

sunghoon replied with total indifference, “if you think you know everything, then why are we here?”

you answered without hesitation, “because i think you’ve wanted to tell someone about what you’ve done for a long time, sunghoon. but you realize that you’re not like other people. i’m giving you the opportunity to get it all off of your chest.”

sunghoon cocked his head to the side, as if he was contemplating your offer. his face was borderline inscrutable. it was difficult, if not impossible, to decipher what he was thinking.

you restrained from heaving a breath. there was a crushing weight on your shoulders, the expectation to get this guy to crack. if you couldn’t do it, nobody would - ever. “how many victims do you have?”

“four.” sunghoon’s answer was quick, automatic. like he didn’t even have to think about it for a second.

folding your arms on the table, you shook your head. “no, i just don’t think that’s true. see, we’re pretty sure martina mortes, your high school girlfriend, was your first victim, and the college professor was your last.”

sunghoon cocked a brow. “but?”

“but there’s no way someone like you could’ve resisted your urges between four kills over the past two decades and then some.”

there was no point in denying the four victims, because you already had substantial proof. nor did sunghoon deny that martina was his first victim, because given the decomposition of the bodies, she died long before the other three. admitting that she wasn’t would be admitting that there were unfound others.

and sunghoon had no intention of implicating himself more than he already had. the only reason he turned himself in was because he didn’t want to prolong the inevitable, for whatever reason. he pulled his lips into a mock frown. “your assumptions about my self-restraint are hurtful,” he replied.

whatever, moron, you thought irritability. “i think they’re more than just assumptions.”

sunghoon teased, “then, let me know when you know something.”

you narrowed your eyes, groaning, “oh, come on. i know and you know that you can’t ignore your desires for a month, let alone over ten years. you have a compulsion. killing makes you feel powerful, it makes you feel in control, and you can’t live without the high it gives you.”

“you make me sound like an addict,” sunghoon remarked, pretending to be offended.

“it wouldn’t be so far from the truth,” you said, glancing over the file at your end of the table. “the first two kills were seven years apart. the second two kills were ten. full offense, i don’t see how you could control yourself for so long.”

“you can believe what you want, detective. i didn’t kill anyone else,” sunghoon lied, not that you ever needed to know. 

of course, he couldn’t control himself. the second he took someone’s life, it became a part of him, and his purpose in this world became clear to him. for the first time in his life, he felt as if he had something that made living worthwhile.

you surrendered. it was obvious sunghoon was intelligent and he wouldn’t be easily tricked into confessing. “okay, fine. let’s talk about the victims we know of. tell me about martina mortes.”

“what is there to tell?” sunghoon asked, brow cocked. “we met in junior high. then, in eleventh grade, we got together.”

“tell me about why you killed her,” you insisted, painfully curious. “it happened in chicago, before you moved to detroit over the summer. you killed her in the heat of the moment.”

sunghoon gave the impression that he would take a minute to crack, so you were surprised when he said in response to your prodding, “we got into a wrangle, if you will.”

that much was obvious. “what kind of wrangle?”

the garage was hot and the air was stuffy, making it difficult to breathe. to say nothing of the frustration scorching sunghoon’s skin, his face tensed into an irritated glower.

there was something about women he never liked, the seemingly inherent ability to blow almost anything out of proportion, as exhibited now as his girlfriend screamed in his face. his stepmother was the same, never not coming up with a reason to fuss at him. he was always walking on eggshells around that woman. 

martina was bristling. “you always fucking do this, sunghoon.”

sunghoon heaved a breath, sighing, “what - what do i always do, martina?”

“you trivialize everything i go through. you make me feel like i’m overreacting when i’m not, you just refuse to hold yourself accountable,” she spat. 

“martina, we’re about to go to college, for fuck’s sake! you can’t focus on your academics and a goddamn child. i don’t get why you won’t just have an abortion and call it a day,” sunghoon roared, heating up a thousand degrees.

“god, do you listen to a word that comes out of my mouth? my parents will kill me, sunghoon. if not for being pregnant at eighteen, then for killing it.”

sunghoon sighed. “i don’t see the part where that’s my problem.”

tears blurred martina’s eyes. she came up to him, shattered by his carelessness and embraced by isolation, and bellowed, “you want to know what your problem is? your problem is that you’re an incompetent bastard with no regard for other people!”

sunghoon’s body was engulfed in flames but his shoulders were cold, and he lost control of his emotions, grabbing martina by the throat. he effortlessly lifted her with a single hand and smashed her against the closest wall none too gently, watching her eyes wince closed.

“you wanna say that again?” sunghoon asked, nothing short of belligerent.

ache spread out through the back of martina’s head, a ceaseless throbbing worse than any hungover. her feet dangled off of the ground, waving and kicking, fingers weakly prying at the ones pressing down on her windpipe. until she was completely still, legs dropping, hands going limp at her sides.

“i didn’t even realize how long i spent standing there, until she felt… empty, and i knew she was gone,” sunghoon confessed, but his tone was far from sympathetic. “she scratched me. you know, when she was trying to pry my hands off. i didn’t know until hours later.”

you shook your head, disdainful. “you killed your pregnant girlfriend?”

sunghoon groaned, “oh, please. i was eighteen. i would’ve been a terrible father.”

“i would be slightly more inclined to accept that as an excuse if it weren’t for the fact that you had a son by sabrina lee only two years later,” you said viciously.

“a lot can change in two years.”

“i’m sure it did.” your eyes flickered over the file again, but nothing would allow you to familiarize yourself with this killer more than talking to him yourself. “for example, you realized just how much you liked killing.”

if sunghoon could’ve raised his hands, he would’ve. “your words, not mine.”

you leaned over the table, unrelenting. “tell me about it, sunghoon. how did it feel when you strangled her with your bare hands? what was it like?”

sunghoon chuckled. “is that what you wanna hear?”

you nodded. 

sunghoon leaned in too, getting closer to you, and whispered in your ear, “i squeezed every last breath out of her, one by one, until there was nothing left for her brain and she went slack in my arms. and when i was done, i felt elated. i felt free. it woke up this dormant sensation inside of me that i swore to never repress again, because it made me feel alive.”

your lungs started to feel shallower, like no breath could reach the bottom, and you sensed your heart come to a halt for a minute. sunghoon pulled back, grinning from ear to ear, as if he was proud of himself. 

“detective, did i startle you?” sunghoon asked, tilting his head ever so slightly. 

your face hardened. “why would you ever think that?”

“you’re not as good at feigning indifference as you think you are, detective. full offense,” he mimicked, mocking.

he’s just a fragile man that kills women to make him feel better about himself, because he needs to be in control. don’t give him power over you. that’s what he wants, you said to yourself, shutting any and all other thoughts. “so, you killed martina, nobody could connect her disappearance to you, and by the time they discovered her body you were already studying for college two states over.”

sunghoon ignored you, at least for a little. he was taking a liking to making you feel uneasy around him. “has anyone ever told you how gorgeous you are?” he asked out of nowhere.

“you aren’t my type. i don’t fool around with serial killers,” you replied sharply.

sunghoon didn’t seem to be offended, but you didn’t expect him to. “really now? it feels like we’re on a date right now. after all, we are getting to know each other.”

you asked, “have you always had such a distorted perception of normal human interaction?”

sunghoon shot with no hesitation, “have you always had such a sharp mouth?”

you pulled yourself together. the only way you would get anywhere with this guy was by establishing that you were the one in control. “okay, enough. this is my interview, park. you answer my questions, not vice versa.”

“that’s not any fair,” sunghoon told you, that unnerving smile still on his lips. “i don’t have to tell you anything, you know. and without me, you lose the only key to those answers you want so badly.”

“you shutting up doesn’t make much of a difference, considering you’re already dodging my questions,” you replied.

“let’s play a game,” sunghoon suggested.

you weren’t in the mood for any games, but that was sunghoon’s method of operation. “i don’t like games.”

“you’ll like this one,” sunghoon insisted, laughing. “twenty questions.”

your shoulders dropped. “am i supposed to be guessing something?”

sunghoon shook his head, something sinister about him. “no, it’s much easier than that. we take turns asking each other questions until i’ve answered ten and you’ve unanswered ten.”

you stared into his eyes, willing yourself not to break contact. he was just as relentless, silently cocking a brow at you, as if to challenge. and you weren’t an idiot. that’s exactly what it was. you asserted, “i go first, you can only ask me yes or no questions, and if i don’t like your final answer i get to press you for another.”

sunghoon slightly lifted his shoulders in a nonchalant shrug. “yes, ma’am.”

“okay,” you started. “what made you move from illinois to michigan?”

“i was kicked out of the house. didn’t have anywhere else to go. but i had a buddy here whose family took me in,” sunghoon answered frankly.

you pondered those words, wondering if his aforementioned buddy knew about his secret indulgences. or if he asked why sunghoon’s parents kicked him out of their home. it would’ve been the question scratching at your mind, itching to be answered.

sunghoon’s lips parted. “what kind of perfume are you wearing - honey lavender?”

“yes,” you said, focusing your attention on anything but the possibilities of how he could’ve known that. he’d been with so many people to the point where he just knew. “why did you get kicked out of the house?”

“my dad always thought there was something different about me, ever since i was a child. he was a nasty piece of work. he found my journal, read a couple of things i wrote, and decided there was no hope for me in the house,” sunghoon ranted.

that piqued your curiosity. “what did you write about?”

“wait your turn,” sunghoon sang. “your hair smells just as lovely as the rest of you. do you match scents all the time?”

you were mildly uncomfortable, but given the type of dude he was, you stifled it. “yes. you don’t have to be such a pervert all the time, you know?”

again, sunghoon rolled his shoulders, chirping, “you call it perverse. i call it amusing.”

you almost cursed under your breath when you realize you’d asked him a question. “wait, i didn’t mean to ask…”

sunghoon cut you off, “that’s too bad. it’s my turn again. do you like necklaces?”

“not ones made out of fingers,” you retorted. it was meant to be a joke to hide how unsettled you were, hyper aware of the necklace dangling around your neck. you could feel invisible pressure on your throat.

sunghoon snickered. “i’ll admit that was funny.”

you pressed, “what did you write about in the journal?”

“my dreams,” he admitted vaguely, though in reality, he wrote endlessly about his corrupt fantasies of abusing women. some pages were about his stepsister, and there was a few about what he’d done to martina, though not explicitly. “you have the most beautiful eyes. they’re the perfect shade.”

you were certain he had told many other girls those same words and were not flattered in the slightest. the glare you were giving him was ferocious. “i’m not sure if there’s a question in there somewhere.”

“do you think your eyes are pretty?”

“i haven’t really thought about it,” you told him, quick to change the topic. you’d encountered your fair share of stranglers and it was no secret why he was so interested in your eyes. “was your relationship with your father estranged?”

“nothing was enough for that man. i had the top grades in my class and the highest gpa, and he took my door off its hinges and seized my privacy,” sunghoon told you, words harsh, but his tone plain. “he was obsessed with being the perfect family, something that was ruined the second my mother destroyed everything, and rather than embrace me, he turned me away.”

your eyes flickered. there was something about his language that stood out to you. courtesy of the research you’d done on him beforehand, you were aware that his father was divorced then remarried his stepmother, who already had a daughter sunghoon’s age. but rather than describe his parent’s separation as a divorce, he said his mother destroyed everything.

what a hostile view towards women, you mused, repulsed. but given the nature of his crimes, it adds up. and it might’ve been the origin of his hatred.

his family was twisted. you couldn’t fathom how his father, aware of just how unwell his son was, clocked his abusive fantasies towards women, and instead of getting him the help he needed, he left him to his own devices to slaughter them as he pleased.

you blinked when sunghoon leaned, craning his face towards yours, and snapped out of your reverie when you jolted back. 

“there you are,” sunghoon said, chuckling at your surprise. it was all over your face. “i’ve been talking to myself all this time. you must’ve been thinking about me.”

“no, not really. i was wondering if i forgot to feed my dog last night.” it was an obvious lie, but you would never encourage this guy to feel more important than he was.

amusement gleamed in sunghoon’s eyes. he was having a wonderful time, truth be told. had you not been so pretty, he would’ve clamped up like a crab, but you were so pleasing to the eye that he didn’t mind confessing a couple of truths. “a dog. that’s interesting. i myself have always wanted a pet - a snake. the constricting kind are my favorite.”

“you don’t say,” you droned, voice dripping with crisp irony.

your sarcasm was chucklesome to sunghoon, but his words were the truth. he remembered, all those years ago, asking his father for a pet snake. and when he refused, sunghoon, in turn, killed the family dog. he added, “they don’t just suffocate their prey. they coil around them, almost like a straitjacket, and cut off its blood supply.”

you replied, “yeah, but animals hunt to survive. you hunted because you had nothing better to do with your life.”

“in my humble opinion, we’re all animals of nature, and creatures of sin,” sunghoon told you in a whisper, as if he were telling you a secret of some kind. “anyways, it’s my turn now.”

you resisted a disgruntled exhale. 

like his questions couldn’t get any more absurd and strangely perverse, sunghoon asked, “when you shower, what do you use - a washcloth or a loofah?”

“that’s not a yes or no question,” you replied with total disinterest. 

“it’s hardly any less simple.”

“a washcloth,” you replied, though only because you needed to ask him your questions and resisting an answer would only waste valuable time. “why did you wait so long before killing sabrina lee?”

sunghoon smiled at the mention of his son’s mother, but the grin on his lips was distinguishable from the others. like he didn’t even realize he was smiling. “she was special. i loved her.”

“no, you didn’t. you don’t hurt people that you love.”

“maybe that’s true for you, but you’ve called me everything but a child of god and it’s clear you don’t think you and i are alike,” sunghoon said. “i don’t miss her, though, because she left a better print on this world. a world that was never made for her in the first place.”

a better print on this world. your brows furrowed, until you remembered the child they shared together. “you know what i think? i think whatever you felt for your son’s mother was the closest thing to love you’ll ever be able to pull from your ugly black heart.”

“you’re very strongly opinionated,” sunghoon responded, ever so unbothered. maybe some decades ago, it would’ve irked him to the point of breaking, but he was much more in charge of his impulses now.

you lifted your shoulders, gazing at him with the most discerning of eyes. all he could think about was how nice it would’ve been to seize you by the throat and watch the light dull from them.

to your surprise, sunghoon’s next question was not as a deviant as you assumed it would be, asking, “what made you decide you wanted to become a detective?”

“because of the people i used to know that aren’t around to tell you why,” you answered distantly, before pressing, “how was sabrina different, sunghoon?”

sunghoon perched over the table again, an uncomfortable distance close to you, made worse by his whispers. “because unlike the others, she didn’t beg me to stop - she begged me to finish. for it to be over. and when i wouldn’t, she begged me to kill her.”

the mental picture you got was cruel. your heart hurt for these women that had no idea what hit them until it was too late. 

“i put these women out of their misery,” sunghoon continued. 

you spat in a heartbeat, “the misery that you forced them to endure.”

sunghoon winced. “no, these women were miserable long before they met me. they were just ignorant of it. impressionability is a weakness.”

“either you have one hell of a god complex or you are working overtime to justify your sick actions.”

sunghoon merely shrugged, vicious and ominous and everything in between. there was something so dark about his spirit. you could feel it just from sitting within a couple of feet of him. 

sunghoon’s memories were triggered. he was reminiscing about the times he shared with his son’s mother, how perfect she was. there were no other women like her. she was his favorite victim, someone he took his sweet time with, while the others were disposed of in a few months time. 

midnight loomed, riding on the tail of dusk. sunghoon was counting down the minutes until the clock struck twelve, a self-imposed rule to gauge his willpower. the second the hour came, he bolted from the crackling sound of the cabin’s fireplace to a bedroom, anticipation like a stimulant.

the wooden floorboards creaked the closer sunghoon crept to the door. save for himself and the woman chained to the bedpost, the cabin was void of life. it belonged to the parents of a close friend who ensured it was vacant whenever sunghoon needed a place to indulge his twisted fantasies.

which was basically all of the time.

he meandered inside with a crisp bottle of water in hand, droplets condensing at its sides. sabrina laid right where he left her, just as broken, dreading her next breath. tape adhered to the flesh over her mouth, muffling her whimpers. there was nobody around for miles, the cabin was totally isolated, but it was a safety measure.

the chains were used likewise. when sunghoon was not there, the restraints kept her prisoner. sunghoon, reckless as he could be back then, was many things and stupid was not one of them. the chains stretched long enough to reach the bathroom but no further and he had his loyal friend help him test it after each victim.

“can you go further?” sunghoon called out.

heeseung’s lower limbs were shackled, ceasing his footsteps just shy of the hallway as he came to a total standstill. “not if i want my legs to follow me,” he’d retorted.

sunghoon had snickered. “good.”

had sunghoon been there, though, he would take the chains off. none of this was fair, even sunghoon didn’t believe that, but not giving them the chance to fight was too unfair. he needed not to chain them when he had the gift of his big, burly arms.

sunghoon waltzed over with a lighthearted and carefree gait, as if this was just another wednesday afternoon to him. and in some sick, despicable way, that wasn’t too far from the truth. he ripped the tape from sabrina’s lips, watching her face tense with pain.

“sunghoon,” sabrina rasped, voice croaking. he could tell from her flushed face and misty eyes that she’d been crying. “i’m thirsty.”

sunghoon cocked a brow, glancing to his hand. he had an irritating knack for playing dumb. it used to be endearing. now, with everything she knew to be true torn from her bare hands, sabrina didn’t know what to think. “what - you want this?”

sabrina nodded.

“yeah?” he popped off the top, throwing back a few gulps just before releasing a satisfied, “ah.”

sabrina’s lips trembled. “please.”

had she been anybody else, sunghoon probably would’ve dangled the water in her face just to snatch it away, but there was something about sabrina that made him gravitate towards her. in a rare moment of benevolence, sunghoon handed her the water, letting her drink.

she didn’t drink in short sips, but in giant gulps as if she’d known for some time that they’d be her last. when her thirst was satiated, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, handing the bottle back, and whispered, “thank you.”

sunghoon set the drink aside before returning to her, unshackling her limbs. sabrina’s breath quickened the moment the chains clacked harshly against the floor and nearly stilled when he brought his hand to her flushed face, tracing her chapped lips with a calloused thumb.

his thoughts rushed with unbridled exhilaration, ablaze with suspense, but he slowed for a moment to marvel at her loveliness. sunghoon’s hand touched her hair, touch tender in ways it would never be again, because he would never again know a woman as great as her.

he brought his lips to her ear, nibbling at the shell before asking, “do you know what i want you to do?”

sabrina bobbed her head, starting to halfheartedly peel off her clothes without needing to be told. with so many days held prisoner in this hell hole, it became routine. like she’d already resigned herself to her fate and knew sunghoon getting his way was inevitable. he always got what he wanted.

to be frank, it came out of nowhere. she never saw this twisted side of him coming. all she knew was that she became suspicious of his lack of family presence and it was too late when she saw him for the monster that he was, and then she woke here.

it had to have been months ago, although sabrina couldn’t have been sure how many. everyday started to bleed into the static hopelessness of another. sometimes sunghoon wouldn’t show for days, leaving her to live antsily, dreading his unavoidable return. other times, he would spend a day or two in the cabin, fucking her into kingdom come. 

as if she couldn’t be any more faultless. sunghoon smirked. “smart girl,” he purred. he would never deny her wit, given that she’d caught onto him, but her lack of strength was her only vice.

sunghoon restlessly tossed his own shirt over his naked shoulder and came to step out of his boxers. there was mischief on his plush lips. he knew something sabrina only knew from the unkind churn of her gut.

the end was more than near. it loomed over her, relentless and remorseless, and all she could like it to was dark and leaden clouds in a somber sky. even then, there was almost nothing she wouldn’t give to see the world again, but she’d long kissed that hope goodbye.

“down,” sunghoon told her, tone dark and stern.

she pliantly did as told, bare back meeting the mattress. sunghoon crept over her, hard cock twitching at the sight of her so meek. typically, he liked when they put up a fight, but sabrina knew better.

sunghoon could tell she was fighting back tears, willing herself not to cry with a stabilized breath, but her endeavors were in vain the second he started to force his way inside her. they escaped her eyes and dampened her cheeks, unable to overlook the agony of the stretch. 

“shh, baby,” sunghoon crooned in her ear, the weight of his body bearing down onto hers. “what’s the matter? you used to beg me to fuck you.”

sabrina shook her head, silently pleading for a mercy she knew deep down that sunghoon wasn’t capable of. “please make it quick.”

sunghoon’s tone was almost sweet. “but baby, you told me you wanted to spend the rest of your life with me, remember?” 

sunghoon knew that his words weren’t reassuring and he didn’t intend for them to be. there was a reason why he loved how she tried to hold herself together. he got to push her limits, find her breaking point. in the end, she would get her wish, and in a way, sunghoon thought that that was love.

her walls were just as tight and vice-like as they’d been all those times he’d taken her before. if sunghoon got close enough to her, let his hands wander and tease as they never not had done, sabrina would still involuntarily gush around his cock. like her body knew she was forever a slave to his touch. 

just looking at her face as she wept sent shock waves of pleasure rippling through his dick and chest. sabrina didn’t cry in noisy, gasping sobs. her tears dripped from her thick lashes quietly, mouth parting in the most silent of whimpers.

and she orgasmed the same way, sunghoon remembered. back when things were normal between them, when she begged for him to fuck her, as he called it, her release was marked by a volatile shudder, but a silent cry of ecstasy.

sunghoon pushed sabrina’s lips into an upward curling with his thumb and index finger. “smile for the camera, sabrina,” he whispered.

sabrina’s brows furrowed, painfully oblivious to the camera tracking her every emote. sunghoon couldn’t not document his deeds. there was something about being able to play them over, immersing himself back in that moment over and over, even when the life itself could not be so easily brought back.

but for sunghoon, they could be. when he rewatched these videos again and again, it was like he could feel their pulses thump in their neck, resuscitating.

sunghoon’s hands were everywhere, fingertips traipsing towards sabrina’s neck where marks lingered from all the times he’d strangled her, only to slacken his grip when she was just shy of passing out. the bruises were different colors, indicative of different healing stages. sabrina tensed, startled, and wondered when it would all be over.

“sunghoon.” sabrina was overcome with defeat. her voice cracked as she asked, “sunghoon, please just cum.”

sunghoon’s face tensed with pleasure. “fuck, babe, when you say it like that…”

he stood at the brink of climax, threatening to teeter over, and there was only one thing that could knock him over quicker than anything else. it wouldn’t be anything she said, anything she did, but only a weakness sunghoon had the power to wield against himself.

“you want me to finish?”

sabrina nodded. 

sunghoon chuckled darkly. “then, in that case, it’s time for you to get your wish, baby.”

he watched her shoulders slump, releasing all hope of ever knowing anything different again and accepting that this was where things ended. thinking about the feeling he remembered none too distantly, one that almost seemed to keep his blood pumping through him, in a way, sunghoon’s fingers itched.

sunghoon lifted his hands, bringing them to sabrina’s face, but before he could touch her, she exclaimed, “wait, sunghoon!”

his brow cocked. 

sabrina’s lips trembled. “can you tell me what today is? please?”

“wednesday,” sunghoon replied, holding his hands around her neck, but keeping his grip slack. for now.

“wednesday,” sabrina said, pulling her lips into the faintest of smiles as tears blurred her vision. “will you tell jake that i hope he has an amazing thursday?”

“that can be arranged,” sunghoon said, grinning.

sabrina nodded, setting her mind at ease. she’d already made peace with this day some months ago. she never knew when it come, but she saw it as something bound to happen. “thank you,” she whispered. 

those were her last words. because when sunghoon tightened his grip at her throat, almost like tightening a noose, he couldn’t bring himself to stop in spite of the agonized gleam in her stare. and then her stare was empty, and sunghoon had already emptied his load inside of her.

to describe the sensation he got from killing in a way that captured its essence would be impossible. it was more than feeling the life leave her. it was more than watching her eyes become soulless. it was a release, a way of relinquishing all of the vacantness he harbored, and knowing that his heart was still there.

it would always return, sometimes as soon as the next day, but for a minute, sunghoon was whole and no drug could replicate that kind of contentedness.

sunghoon did tell jake what sabrina said. he wasn’t all too sure why, maybe it was because she was his mother and jake was her son that they’d created together, and sunghoon would never have it any other way. for her to be the one to give him a child, he couldn’t imagine any other woman in her place.

it was almost unfortunate that she had to go so soon. even sunghoon thought that her demise was premature. had she not grown so suspicious of him, sunghoon could imagine making her his wife, maybe even spending the rest of his life with her.

their marriage wouldn’t have been without his secret dark life, but sabrina wouldn’t’ve been a victim. alas, loose ends needed to be tied. sunghoon couldn’t trust that she would’ve kept quiet, and even then, she was in a much more fitting place for an angel like herself.

there was much of this memory that would be abridged. never would sunghoon reveal anything about the cabin or the dear friend that helped him commit his indulgences, or even the existence of the tapes. if they found those videos, that was proof of murder with a grand total of 106 women.

the air around you was heavy and the words you’d just been fed weren’t easily take in. “what you’re just told me is really sad.”

but sunghoon didn’t look sad. whether or not he ever truly cared for sabrina would perpetually be a mystery. “maybe,” he started. “but tell me that you wouldn’t hurt the person you loved most if it was what was best for them.”

“i did. but what i had to do is different from what you were.”

sunghoon’s interest was piqued. “how come?”

“it was my responsibility to decide whether or not to take my sister off of the ventilator. there was no hope for her,” you confessed, though brushed over it quickly. “what happened to your ex-wife?”

“not that interesting of a story,” sunghoon said. “she wasn’t sabrina, i got tired of her, here we are.”

“and yet she wasn’t a one-off like martina mortes.”

“had she been a one-off, my body count would be one number higher. that was a favor,” sunghoon told you, grinning as if you actually had something to be grateful for.

you didn’t waste a second to accuse, “because you need to keep your victims to extract all the relief that you can from them, right?”

“i’m afraid it’s not your turn to ask questions,” sunghoon replied tauntingly. “what was your sister like - did she have long hair? what color were her eyes? how long were her lashes?”

sick son of a bitch, bellowed the voice in your head, though you willed yourself to remain composed. it was plain on his face that sunghoon didn’t want an answer - he wanted a reaction. and as furious as that made you, you couldn’t let him provoke you. “that’s none of your business,” you said, but there was a loophole. “but she was beloved.”

that qualified as an answer. sunghoon glanced at you in a way that made you feel see-through, as if he knew that you were threatening to come apart at the seams and didn’t buy your nonchalance for a minute. 

sated, he went on to feed you bullshit about his ex-wife’s death, though there were only four people who knew what truly happened to her and one of them was dead.

sunghoon remembered that day like it happened yesterday. it was a thursday evening when he’d come home from work. christine had picked jake up from school hours ago and sunghoon wholly expected to come home to her in the kitchen.

it was dark outside. the moon was a mere sliver and the stars were duller than they typically were, almost like they had witnessed something that drained their spirits. sunghoon remembered struggling to identify his house key, trying each of them until the door clicked open.

“i’m home,” sunghoon’s voice thundered as he turned to lock the door. 

there were quick footsteps from upstairs. jake, sunghoon thought, more than familiarized with the sound. but there was none of christine’s usual voice.

“dad, i’m hungry,” came jake’s voice from the stairs, coming down them one by one.

that in itself should’ve been suspicious, but instead, all sunghoon could think about was how sabrina would’ve already fed her son. “hasn’t christine made dinner by now?” sunghoon asked, irritated.

jake shook his head, though sunghoon couldn’t see. he was hanging his coat on the rack, like he always did after he locked the door. “she can’t right now.”

“why not?”

“because i think she’s dead,” jake replied, nonchalant as ever.

that was the very second that sunghoon turned around and noticed that jake was stained with blood. it was all over his face and the spots would probably never come out of his clothes, not that they would be kept.

for half a minute, sunghoon was genuinely stunned.

jake didn’t say what happened, and there was no need to. “the blood won’t come off,” was all he said, showing his father the pair of hands that he’d washed with vigor.

sunghoon heaved a breath. he should’ve seen this coming. jake took after his father and he never liked christine. to say the least, sunghoon couldn’t blame him. “where is she?”

“where they all go,” jake replied, as if it was the most normal and natural thing in the world to him. 

sunghoon headed for the basement with quick footsteps, jake following behind. if somebody were to come down there, they wouldn’t suspect a thing. not only was it decorated to look like one, but it was used as a man cave. behind a soundproof wall, though, was a dungeon for his prisoners. 

in this case, there was a trail of blood leading to the wall, proof that jake had somehow brought christine there after he hurt her. sunghoon entered the cell and saw her there behind the bars, coming to her side to check her pulse. 

pressing his thumb to her wrist and neck, sunghoon sensed a pulse, though it was weakening. “she’s not dead,” he said, wresting his phone out of his pocket.

jake didn’t look so relieved, but he didn’t voice his dissatisfaction. “are you mad?”

sunghoon glanced down at christine. jake had used a kitchen knife, attacking her in the heat of the moment. she was butchered and blood-splattered, on the verge of slaughter, and yet sunghoon couldn’t find it in him to offer any compassion. “that you hurt her? no. that you made a mess? a little.”

now that was a relief. to jake, at least back then, his dad was the coolest guy that he knew.

there was quite the scene in front of him and sunghoon didn’t have a thing for blood. he shook his head in reproach, chastising, “i’m going to teach you the right way to get rid of a woman when you’re sick of her.”

that piqued jake’s curiosity. 

sunghoon was quick to dial heeseung’s number. he had medical experience and that was what he needed right now. when the call connected, he said, “i’m in calling in a favor.”

heeseung patched her up again. at least for a few months, sunghoon still needed her breathing. they scrubbed the floors free of blood, burned jake’s bloodied clothes, and it was as if nothing ever happened.

what sunghoon had told you was only a fraction of the truth, but still enough to make you want to grimace. it bemused you how he got away with murdering his ex-wife and nobody thought to suspect her husband with a track record of disappearing partners.

“you want to know what’s really amazing?” you started, though it was more like disgusting. “how three of the women you’ve killed were your significant others, and somehow, you’ve only now been incriminated.”

sunghoon looked proud of himself. had it not been for jake, he probably would’ve never been caught. “sabrina never told anyone that we dated, or that she had a baby by me. her parents wanted her to focus on her education. if they knew she’d gotten pregnant, she would’ve been the black sheep.”

“and you took advantage of that,” you hissed. 

“so what if i did?” sunghoon asked, careless. “not to mention that dozens of teenage girls in chicago were going missing at the time. they added martina to that number and called it a day. is that sad? maybe. but that’s how it works.”

“and as for your co-worker?” you asked sharply. the boldness of his crimes astounded you. “her husband grieves her. were you having an affair?”

the thought of her made sunghoon chuckle. oh, were we, he reminisced. it was a misfortune that he didn’t get the chance to have his way with her the way that he wanted. and for that reason, he couldn’t regale you in a truthful account of her death.

what happened that day, the day his co-worker died, challenged his fate and was the reason that he only now knew the imprisonment he thrusted upon others.

sunghoon knew when he spotted her that he would revel in her vulnerability. married, but she hardly wore her ring. her kind was the most naive - the kind that believed ecstasy was without costly sin. one way or another, she had to reap what she sowed.

he worked his way inside her pants, but it was hardly any work; she was on a desperate pursuit for pleasure and when sunghoon promised it to her, offering content on a silver platter, she thought less with her brain and more with the throbbing between her legs.

for months, sunghoon slept with her, which was far from typical. if she were anybody else, sunghoon would have pursued her for a couple of weeks time, then banished her to the underground prison. though considering he already had a victim down there at the time, he had some time to spare.

it was no secret that she had grown fond of sunghoon in ways she hadn’t been of her husband in a very long time, and though sunghoon found her to be special, in a way, he could not reciprocate her feelings. when sunghoon saw her, all he felt was the overwhelming urge to use her with a lick of remorse, and squeeze those panting breaths out of her.

it was a shame that he never got the opportunity. sunghoon already tested the bounds of his self-restraint when it came to her, each of their encounters consensual with her oblivious to his deepest, darkest desires. sometimes, his fingers would wander to her neck, but even that was wanted.

what was not wanted was the tyranny over her body that preceded her death. it bemused sunghoon to learn that his son, along with two of his friends that he thought of like brothers and sunghoon thought of like sons, ravaged her to the brink of being unrecognizable.

had sunghoon held control over the situation, he wouldn’t have cared what happened to her and would have even permitted them to go to town. but what happened was somehow darker. when he got a call from the professor late that day, hearing her broken sobs over the phone, he told her to meet him at his house.

that was his first mistake. 

it wasn’t that she didn’t come. she made it there, hopeful to confide in sunghoon about the nightmare that tore her apart, but it was jake that opened the front door. and when she entered, there was no hope out of her coming out breathing.

jake had been a downward spiral ever since a month ago when he stumbled upon the tape of his mother. ever since he was a boy, jake watched every tape he could find of his father’s dark life, even sharing them with his friends as if they were movies and not snuff.

but this was not like those. this was his mother. and watching her suffer, listening to her final request before her untimely death, broke jake in ways which he would never recover.

jake had known since he was little that his mother was dead and his father was to blame, but his understanding of what happened to her was skewed. if he’d known eighteen years ago what he knew today, when sunghoon had his own son aid him in his mother’s demise, none of it would have ever happened.

to say nothing of the fact that what sunghoon had jake do was only a mere fraction of his mother’s suffering. jake would fetch things from the other side of the cabin he vaguely remembered visiting every now and then for three months. when he was not there, which was often, he would lie to his neighbors about her whereabouts.

even though when she died he was only a kid being taken advantage of, jake hated himself for letting it happen right under his nose. he wished he would’ve told his neighbors the truth. maybe if he had, his mother would still be alive and kicking, and he would know the only woman he ever cared for.

that was why he went after his professor that he knew his father had also been eyeing closely and having an affair with. her fate was obvious. sunghoon would entertain her for a while, somehow charm and woo his way into her pants like he did every other woman, kidnap her and keep her downstairs for three months, then kill her and identify the next victim.

but sunghoon’s liking of her was also hopelessly discernable. she was living too long. and that was a telltale sign that sunghoon took a special interest in his son’s professor, something that jake feared would rival the affection (if it existed) for his mother.

jake was not keen on having his mother replaced. the last time it happened, he snapped and maimed his stepmother. and he was not afraid of doing so again.

when jake exacted revenge, it felt like nothing he had ever done before. vengeance tasted like heaven. his professor tasted elysian. and he had never felt so good about himself, but then the high wore off, comparable to the fading release sunghoon got after strangling his victims, and familiar pain seared through him once further. 

vindictiveness was a lethal venom, festering quickly upon injection. after jake got what he wanted, there was a greed to replicate that feeling, in spite of the fact that nothing would compare to that first blow. in his own way, unlike his father’s but similar nonetheless, he was pivoting towards release.

jake was on the brink of something like psychosis when he heard those knocks on his front door. and when he peered outside, spotting the professor, his recklessness got the better of him.

she was dead before she even stepped inside the house. jake yanked her inside, brought her downstairs, and forced himself onto her for a second time that day. when she wept for sunghoon, wishing he would come home, jake almost pitied her naïveté.

if jake hadn’t killed her, wrapping his hands around her throat the way that he knew his father had been yearning to, sunghoon would have.

the look on his professor’s face was pitiful. “sorry,” jake said, though he clasped his hands around her throat harder. “but i have to make a statement.”

it was not particularly a difficult thing to do, at least not to stomach, but killing her was merely just a means to an end. he didn’t get off to it like his father would’ve, jake’s interest lay inflicting psychological damage, but he did it because he knew how much it pleasured sunghoon to squeeze the life out of his victims.

and if jake couldn’t have what he wanted, then as long as he lived, neither would his dad for tearing it away.

sunghoon came home moments too late. jake left his professor in the cellar for his father to find, eyes wide and face pale.

sunghoon glanced around. he saw her car parked outside, but no sign of her. when jake came from his bedroom on the upper floor, a creeping feeling of deja vu flooded sunghoon’s chest, but he asked, “where is she?”

jake’s face was expressionless. “she’s dead,” he replied, confident. “i mean it this time.”

sunghoon shook his head. “you killed her?”

“wasn’t it you that said you were going to teach me the proper way to dispose of a woman when i’m sick of her?” jake asked, approaching his father as he crept down the stairs.

though sunghoon wasn’t pleased, he willed himself to calm down. “did you strangle her?”

“yes.”

sunghoon figured, from the lack of blood staining his house this time around. “will you tell me about it?”

that caught jake off-guard. he expected his father to be angry, to let loose. he had to have been dreaming of choking her since the day he laid eyes on her. “you sick fuck,” jake sneered.

sunghoon snickered, unbothered. that’s rich. “who do you think you got it from?”

obviously, from the face jake was making, he didn’t like that. his nonchalant attitude dissipated. “i’m not like you!”

“keep telling yourself that. maybe one day you’ll delude yourself into believing it,” sunghoon replied, hanging his coat on the rack in spite of knowing he would be leaving again soon.

“i’m not like you - i mean that.”

sunghoon, miffed, rolled his eyes and said, “come on, son. you think i don’t know you and your friends have been watching my tapes for the past decade and then some like they’re cartoons?”

“but not mom’s,” jake spat, loathing fizzing in his stare. 

sunghoon froze, then spun around. “is that what this is all about?”

jake nodded, pleased his father was finally getting the picture. “i found it in your study. you hid it more carefully than the others, because she was special or you didn’t want me to find it, i don’t know.”

sunghoon heaved a breath. “you were never supposed to see that.”

“but i did,” jake replied. “and i’ve suffered every day for the past month because of that.”

sunghoon shot without hesitation, “a suffering you brought upon yourself. nobody asked you to go snooping around in my things.”

jake’s lips were twisted into the meanest snarl sunghoon had ever seen. emotion wrecked through him in its totality. “is that what’s important to you? i shouldn’t be surprised. you couldn’t even spare your own son’s mother from your heartlessness.”

sunghoon massaged his temple, summoning all of his willpower. “please,” he groaned, sensing an incoming headache. “women are weak, cheating whores. just look at your professor. maybe your mother wasn’t, but she was a liability.”

if that was supposed to console jake, it had the complete opposite effect. “are you saying she deserved it?”

“i’m saying that you’ve always been too soft,” sunghoon said, not bothering to sugarcoat his chastising. “just like your mother. even when you were a child. that’s why i had you help me, i hoped you would harden up a little.”

jake scoffed. “unbelievable.”

“your mother went quietly. she didn’t even fight it, jake. so, why are you?”

“because of that,” jake told him, vitriol in his voice. “she didn’t ask you to stop one time. she just asked you to get it over with.”

sunghoon tipped his head back. “ah, yes. she really was perfect, wasn’t she?”

that was all it took to kindle an unforgiving rage within jake and in a moment of fury, flickering through him in a flash, jake lifted his hand to smack his father.

sunghoon caught his wrist, as if this weren’t the first time this had happened and it was wholeheartedly expected. his voice lowered to a mere hiss, “i’ve never laid a hand on you. ever in your life. don’t make today be the day i start.”

jake glared, but wrested his way out of his father’s grip and backed away.

sunghoon smoothed down his shirt and headed for the kitchen, knowing jake would follow. this conversation was far from over. “now, if you excuse me, i have to clean up your mess,” he said, pulling a burner phone out of a drawer. “if you don’t mind.”

“i can clean up my own mess,” jake replied, scowling. 

setting the phone on the counter, sunghoon reached for a glass. “no, you can’t. not without digging your own grave. unless you want to go to prison, pack your shit, ask one of your buddies if you can stay with them for a few days, and take the tapes with you. hide them.”

jake made a face. “what are you talking about?”

sunghoon sighed. “we can’t get away with this one, son. her car’s parked outside. there’s too many loose ends.”

“we can get rid of the car. you don’t have to go to jail!” jake shouted.

“it’s either you or me. frankly, i’m doing you a favor. you wouldn’t last two seconds behind bars,” sunghoon hissed. he grabbed another glass, sliding it across the counter, then said, “now, wine? you know, to celebrate your old man going away? i believe that’s what you want.”

jake shook his head. never in his life had he been so conflicted. his father that he’d been so bent on despising until he the day he died was voluntarily confessing to a crime he didn’t commit, just so that his son wouldn’t have to suffer in prison.

“why are you doing this?” jake asked, bristling with emotion. 

sunghoon sighed. “because i love you, son. even if you don’t think so. and because your mother would be turning in her grave if she knew you were in prison.”

jake blew out a breath. then, after a moment of reluctance, he grabbed the glass on the counter and reached for the wine bottle. 

sunghoon snickered. “atta boy.”

“i wonder how your son reacted when he learned you were going to prison for murder,” you said, pondering. “you live in the same house. i wonder how he didn’t know.”

sunghoon lied, “he was at a friend’s house when i killed her. doesn’t like that it was his favorite professor.”

you nodded along, buying his lies. “that is a lot to take in. i mean, imagine your dad was having an affair with your favorite science professor. then, he kills her, like how he killed your mom.”

sunghoon shrugged his shoulders. “have you never heard the phrase ‘the heart wants what it wants?’”

“i have,” you replied. “and i guess your heart wanted to stop the function of others.”

sunghoon laughed at his own expense. “oh, please. you give me too much credit. you shouldn’t make me out to be more romantic than i am.”

you shook your head in disappointment. “you make these women want you, and then you undo everything. that has to be part of the amusement to you.”

“it gets a chuckle or two out of me.”

your lips were tempted to curl into a frown for the umpteenth time that day alone. “why?”

sunghoon leaned up in his chair, exclaiming, “because it’s fun!”

you were going to say something, but he didn’t give you the chance. 

sunghoon continued, “everyday, as adults, we do the same job for hours and come home. people want excitement in their lives. women get exhausted of coming home to their husbands or nobody at all.”

your stare was blank. “and your point is?”

“i didn’t just make those women want me, baby. i made them need me,” sunghoon told you smugly. “i brought a spark to their lives, and i took it away just as fast. and i do it… because i can.”

“because you could,” you corrected, confident he would never be free of this place for as long as he lived. “you’re going to be in here a very, very long time.”

sunghoon grinned. “i wouldn’t be so sure.”

you cocked your brow. “what’s that supposed to mean?”

“wouldn’t you like to know?” sunghoon teased. you hated the smugness in his tone. like he knew something that you didn’t.

the door opened, and the guard from earlier returned. “i hate to interrupt, but it’s time for the count,” he said, coming behind sunghoon to undo his cuffs.

it all happened in a blink. sunghoon’s weight was pressed flush against yours, roughly thrusting you into the table. your body screamed, agony spreading through your side, but your gun was in a lockbox outside the room.

sunghoon knew from your conversations alone that you weren’t the type to go quietly. your first instinct was to fight back. naturally, you struggled against his hold, refusing to bend to his will even as panic shot through your chest. your whole body was on guard, aiming for survival.

but to your misfortune, your might was no match for sunghoon’s. you glanced to the guard for assistance, but when he only stood there as if he was waiting for it to end, the most unsettling feeling of realization washed over you.

“don’t fight him,” the guard said, arms crossed. “you won’t win.”

sunghoon snickered when he noticed your eyes widen in shock. you hadn’t seen that coming. though you tried to resist, it was over once his slender fingers came to your throat, and you genuinely feared for your life. 

you didn’t realize how good you had it just being able to breathe until you couldn’t anymore. your breaths wouldn’t come. it felt as if your bones were being crushed. your whole body was on fight mode, but it was like sunghoon had the reins, shutting down your senses one by one.

“you put up a good fight, detective,” sunghoon whispered darkly in your ear, admiring your struggle.

your lips parted, but you couldn’t speak no matter how hard you tried. your self-preservation instincts were no match against him. all you could do was meet sunghoon’s stare. the pressure on your neck was too much to handle, and in seconds, you were out.

“lights out,” sunghoon said. he released your throat, having no intention of killing you and leading you for dead, but knowing that you would likely regain consciousness in a matter of seconds, he grabbed you by the hair, smashing your head flat against the table to subdue you.

heeseung winced, but he did nothing to step in. “poor girl,” he mumbled under his breath, pitying you. “had enough?”

“for now,” sunghoon replied. “let’s go.”

heeseung gave sunghoon a uniform to wear so that he would blend in amongst the uniforms like heeseung had and when he was ready, the two of them fled before they could be deterred.

when they had successfully gotten away, heeseung asked with his hand on a steering wheel, “you know that i don’t agree with this, right?”

sunghoon snickered. it had absolutely been said. “you haven’t agreed with my lifestyle for the past twenty-five years, yet you still help me. why?”

heeseung frowned. sometimes, he asked himself the same question, but deep down inside, he knew the answer. “because we may not share blood, but we’re brothers,” heeseung replied. “and for my brother, i’ll do anything you need.”

sunghoon quipped, “like smuggle me across the border?”

“like smuggle you across the border,” heeseung said, chuckling. “when we get there, there’s gonna be this dude named sunoo. he’s gonna help you out. i’ll be in touch.”

sunghoon nodded. “i can’t thank you enough, man.”

“just lay low and stay out of trouble,” heeseung said, shaking his head. 

sunghoon grinned with mischief. he was already thinking about all of the beautiful women he couldn’t wait to get his hands on. “no promises,” he answered, sighing contentedly.

taglist: @ribbioniki, @yunakj, @vvenusoncasual, @lovingvoidgoatee, @iloveu-143, @bigwforjay, @hooniehon, @adoredbyjay, @cloud-lyy, @firstclassjaylee, @captainsaposts, @tinycatharsis, @511rkive , @sangiewife

Ateez as Villains

disclaimer: read at your own risk. do not interact if not comfortable with any tropes. reminder that this is a work of fiction and must be treated so. 

warnings: absolutely no morals here, 18+ mdni, illegal acts (abduction, murder, physical abuse, stalking, trafficking, financial crimes, dirty politics, corruption), suggestive/nsfw scenes, explicit language (swearing, insults), death, violence, blood & injuries, weapons, smoking, drugs, alcohol

a/n: couldn't have done this without @eightmakesonebraincell's and @chronicvagabonds' validation lmao also tribute to tite kubo for coming up with the juiciest dialogues, some of which i quoted here

Hongjoong

The Manipulator

hongjoong always knew he had leadership skills

from being the team leader whenever he played games as a young child, to growing up and eventually influencing people

he was often told that he has a certain way of pulling people’s attention and leave something stirring inside them with his words

so it is no surprise that hongjoong is where he is today. a renowned businessman, philanthropist and… politician

hongjoong adjusts the sleeves of his shirt and glances at you from the mirror

you are standing behind him, holding his coat for him. he wears it with a proud smile and holds his chin high

“tonight is very important. for me. for this country.” 

he goes on about how there will be people from all over the country

people who are the foundation of this nation. people who care about the future of this world 

and if you weren’t so blinded by the adoration you have for this man you would have called him delusional

but the fact is that you are deluded by him. hongjoong has the ability to cast a spell with his words

he feeds his supporters the lie of a better world in the near future, and they bow to him

hongjoong smiles devilishly at the thought of what entails the events of tonight

he can picture it clearly- the cheers and desperate screams of his followers as he steps on the podium

the cries of these people, as helpless as sheeps in a herd, waiting for an upright politician to save this nation 

he can feel the thrill just imagining what it will be like tonight when he addresses the nation as the new face of his political party

to a common person, he would just be another man with a good heart striving for a better change

but the common person is weak, and for them… he is their salvation

they will hear his words tonight- words he has carefully crafted himself. the cues will register in their minds, and they will end up seeking him to announce their undying support and loyalty, to shower in his glory

you straighten hongjoong’s coat and smooth over his shirt, your hands unsteady with anticipation

“aren’t you happy to be right next to me when i conquer the stage tonight?” he whispers, lifting your chin up

you meet his eyes and he can see his answer there

you hope he doesn’t see the conflict in your eyes. the conflict is to be concealed in your heart, in the deepest, untouchable corner of it

you are blessed, they tell you, to be the politician’s favoured

and you are- you truly are. hongjoong loves you. he adores you

in fact… he’s almost obsessed with you

and why wouldn’t he be? you were the one who led him here

you were the one who held his hand and showed him the right path- his partner, and now his secretary

oh, how you sometimes wish you could turn back the hands of the clock and go back to when hongjoong was hopeless and thought that the world was a wretched place beyond saving

that is when you told him that the only way to run this world was to join hands with the elites of this nation- or to become one

it must be the fates that led him to where he is today

after all, isn’t he a king without a crown? a ruler without a throne?

he is a born leader and a strategist. he has always been good with his words

it’s how he earned the favour and graces of the elites and the politicians and made a place for himself- not under them, but beside them

but to stand beside those people, you have to be a little… corrupt. and morally ambiguous

the world is not run by saints, after all

“sweetheart?” he calls when he sees you are distracted

you don’t miss the warning tone in his voice. tonight, you have to be on your toes

you have to seek out willing supporters and show them that they mean the world to hongjoong and his political party

but more importantly… you need to target other politicians, find their weaknesses and if lucky, have some join hands with you

“i’m here,” you tell him and he nods firmly, pressing a kiss to your temple

“i will see you tonight,” he promises, and you know what he means

he always gets such a thrill out of playing the leader

he gets so much energy, and he has to take it out one way or another

and what better way to take it out in the form of lovemaking?

you feel warmth course through your body as he trails his finger down the middle of your chest purposely

he almost smiles maniacally as he leaves first, giving you a moment to gather your wits

you pour yourself a glass of drink- you can’t possibly do this sober

you join hongjoong as he gives his first speech- a very normal talk about how this nation is on the verge of collapse

corruption, crime, inhumanity, dirty politics? you name it

you admire his resilience, really. whatever he is talking about comes straight from his heart, and he has been talking about these issues for a long time now

you also admire his pompousness and the audacity to talk about dirty politics, when he is the face of dirty politics

you join the audience when they clap for him, your heart full of pride

there is a break where he meets with the high-profile people and asks them to consider joining hands with him

‘to make a better world for the future generations’. such inspiring words from such a young political leader

except hongjoong’s trick is that he always, always has something over them

he has a team dedicated specifically for this task- to dig dirt on his political targets so he can wield them like the blade of a guillotine over their heads

despite his evil means to climb the top, somehow, his image and reputation remains far too clean

and that is because he knows to take these actions behind the scenes, away from any eyes

a true politician, he’s been dubbed

it is about midnight when the hall almost empties, leaving only the members of your party and some new faces- people who are willing to hear him out and decide if they want to join his party

you wish you could tell them that it is a trap- hongjoong will promise that their efforts and support will lead them to something great

‘the greater good’, he always says, except these people do not know what they are getting into

they are merely sacrificial lambs, the stepping stones that will lead hongjoong closer to his utopia

they will, for the sake of loyalty, put a blindfold over their eyes. they will hold him in high reverence as he becomes their lord, their saviour

he will feed them copper pellets and claim that this is the best that they can get while he himself sits on a throne made of gold

and when they empty every last drop of whatever they have to offer- their blood, sweat and tears

hongjoong will discard them without remorse. that is who he is- a master manipulator

when you are done wrapping up the event in the deep, dark hours of the night, hongjoong finds you in your bedroom

his chest is heaving with energy that is threatening to combust from within him

he outstretches his hand and you saunter over to him

his hands are dominating when he holds you, though his kiss is soft and unrushed

until that too becomes scalding hot

he is quick to lead you to the couch where you sit on his lap, finding him painfully hard

he groans loudly and starts to unbuckle his pants, and you instantly know what he wants- you always know what he wants

he easily slides his hard length inside your warmth and groans heavily in relief, resting his head back and just letting you both stay still

you only move to rest your head against his shoulder. he can have you like this for as long as he wants

“we have a lot of new supporters tonight,” he begins, chuckling deeply, “the polls seem to be in our favour too.”

his dark curls caress your face as you snuggle against him

“we also managed to score deals with many influential politicians and businessmen tonight,” he tells you and you look at him with pride as he names them

“soon,” he begins, trailing his hands under your dress and squeezing your thighs, “soon… we will have our people in every sector- in business, healthcare, industrial, courts… we will be controlling the nation- we… we are the leaders of this nation.”

his cock twitches inside you as he finishes that sentence and you bite your lips in thought

“what are you thinking, love?” he asks, caressing your face

“i just sometimes wonder,” you begin- can you admit your bare thoughts to him?

he squeezes your thigh as a sign to go ahead

“i wonder how we got here, joong,” you admit, “you know that we are exploiting people-”

“for the greater good-”

“for the greater good, yes,” you finish, nodding and he furrows his brows in concentration

“these people are just like us. we were once slaves of this society, but now we are the leaders. and they are our slaves. but…”

“they will offer us what they have,” hongjoong replies softly, “and we will make the best out of it. isn’t that right?”

you nod. there is no more space for any more questioning

you have never like the darkness in his eyes when you question his- your- methods

all he knows is that he is right

he knows what he is doing is wrong in essence, but it is about the bigger picture- he is doing this for his nation

and you cannot expect to run a nation claiming to be a saint

the nation is run by wolves, and to make space there, you must be some sort of a predator. that is who he has become

his grip on your thighs tighten and he starts to grind your body on him

between the sounds of pleasure is the groan of pain as he spanks your thighs and remind you of your place

“all you have to do is follow me,” he breathes into your ear, trailing his lips across your cheek. “all you have to do is stay with me. together…” he thrusts hard inside you. “together, we will rule the world one day, you and i.”

you nod and he swallows your moans as he kisses you, thrusting with all his might until you both come crashing down

he takes you to the shower and you both quickly clean up and get in bed

as you watch his figure relax and succumb to sleep, you confess to him

“you are a great politician, hongjoong,” you tell him and the corners of his lips curl in a smile. “i’m just afraid of going too far with you. every day, we learn that we can get worse than we are, yet…”

“yet, it has become my addiction and my duty,” he whispers, hand finding your bare arm and caressing it. “don’t you want to rule the world?”

“you will rule the world. i will be treading on your shadow, following you closely and sharpening my teeth… but afraid.”

“afraid of what?”

“of you,” you breathe and he opens one eye

“you won’t leave me, will you?” he asks innocently, yet it is there- the warning in his tone

you are responsible for who he is today. you are an accomplice

every person he ruins to get closer to the top, you are equally responsible for it

“of course not,” you tell him, “i can’t leave you.”

hongjoong notices your choice of words

you can not leave him- you do not have a choice

he holds you close and kisses you like he means it that night

it would be such a shame if he would have to throw you away after all of this, right? 

it would truly be such a shame if you are just like the others in the end- weak and helpless

since you know exactly what is going on inside hongjoong’s head, you tell him you love him like you really mean it and you let him hold you close

it may be a trap, but you don’t mind being trapped if this is where you end up every night- in his arms

your lord, your saviour

The Manipulator and the Manipulated

Seonghwa

Jekyll

park seonghwa is a man who is adored wherever he goes

be it at work- at a prestigious university as a neuroscience professor, dr. park, or at social gatherings, formal or informal

he is a man born with the best manners, the most caring and generous heart

you’ve seen him around the department as a masters student and attended a few of his classes 

but you never got to interact with him personally until it’s time to choose a thesis supervisor and you learn that you have a chance with him

it’s purely because he’s amazing at what he does 

your subfield matches with his specialty so it will be better if he’s your supervisor (and it’s only a bonus that the man is painfully hot so you’ll never be bored)

your professor recommends you to seonghwa and he goes over your synopsis which leaves him intrigued because coincidentally, he’s researching in molecular neuroscience as well

he gladly takes you on because he believes you both will be helping each other along the way

plus, he recognises your name- you’ve always had a different air about you (and he remembers you from somewhere else too)

he’s looking forward to working with you, that’s all

so when you arrive on your first day as his supervisee and research assistant

you catch him in his natural habitat- unaware of his surroundings, humming a tune to himself and swiping his hair hurriedly to the side with the hand that’s holding a clear solution of some sort while struggling not to drop his notes on the table that has a few microscope slides 

basically, moments away from a disaster

he spots you and grunts as if asking for help and you immediately drop your bag to rush towards him, only now noticing that somehow, he’s holding his glasses by his teeth

you first take those out of his mouth and he groans in relief. “can you please help me wear my glasses? those cultures are moments away from expiring.”

“oh goodness,” you mutter and you lock eyes with him as you put on his glasses for him

and your intrusive thoughts take over because you simply cannot take how his hair is poking his eyes so you gently brush his hair out of his eyes

for a moment, time is frozen for all sorts of reasons

before seonghwa takes a deep breath and you blink, immediately getting out of his way and holding his notes for him

the notes apparently hold the readings on how much solution he needs to pour so you read it for him and consequently save him from a disaster

as soon as he is done freezing the cultures, he holds the edge of the table to save himself from slumping in relief

and you share a laugh, the ice breaking just like that

he tells you that the student assigned for taking care of the cultures had an emergency and he had to rush from another department

and he thanks you for helping him

you both move to his office to go over your thesis and he helps you create a timeline

you wrap up the meeting with a clear direction of what’s next and with a schedule of shifts where you will be assisting him

it doesn’t take long to get used to being a part of his team of five calm students with a little streak of crazy

and you suppose dr. park has an eye for people like that because you fit right in

you are all very dedicated so he seems to be at ease when you are working, though he does monitor you more closely since you’re new

you start to spend more time in the lab simply because you like how it feels there

it is like a little cocoon where you can tune out the rest of the world and work on your thesis without distractions (plus, it helps how people from your team pop in once in a while to throw some suggestions at you)

you like how it is there- neat and clean

the sound of metal against metal, glass against glass. the smell of the cleaning agent which calms you since it is something familiar now

and then there’s dr. park himself, gentle and composed, yet at times clumsy and rough which results in the room cackling with laughter

however, there’s a side to him that you only see when you’re alone with him

you’re not sure if he’s like that with everyone- he must be, right?

does he pay as much attention to everyone else as you?

perhaps, you’re delusional. that must be it

seonghwa knows you must think that, because he has not been very obvious but he has not been subtle either

it’s just that he remembers you from that time. he remembers seeing your face in his friend wooyoung’s data

wooyoung, who is an expert at singling out people like them

people like seonghwa who have a little streak of crazy in them, yet manage to be a part of the society almost seamlessly

wooyoung’s company does a good job at managing these people because they ultimately help the black market grow

seonghwa is half convinced wooyoung’s company is just a faction of the government but of course he can’t confirm that

all he knows is that he cannot act out too much and get caught

in return, he knows when someone like him is in his radar

here you are, glasses perched on the tip of your nose as you examine different slides under the microscope, muttering to yourself about the readings as your scribble them

he can’t help but notice how you always wear that one specific shade of deep red on your lips or how your hair falls in the most irresistible way in front of your face

he’s never looked at a student this way- ever- but you’re not just a student now, are you?

so when he makes his move, approaching you from behind as silently as he can

he’s not disappointed when you turn- he didn’t make a sound, yet you knew

you’re not even surprised, and that excites seonghwa to no end

“ah, dr. park,” you go casually, as if him sneaking behind you was normal behaviour. “can you approve of these hypotheses?”

seonghwa hums and stands awfully close to you, your sides brushing against each other

he purposely crowds in your personal space as he leans in to confirm the readings of the specimens on the table

“everything’s perfect,” he announces, meeting your eyes

you’re still sitting so you have to look up at him and lord. what a sight he is even from this angle. you could totally get used to it-

“what are you looking at, sweetheart?” seonghwa smirks knowingly 

you have to physically struggle to maintain your composure because you are pretty sure you were gawking

“nothing, just zoned out,” you say, which isn’t a lie but not the whole truth either

he knows though. he knows the effect he has on you because he hasn’t been subtle

from the casual touches to the unnecessary (but not undeserved) praise

from the prolonged eye contact to the suggestive smirks

there is something electric between the two of you, an undeniable tension

and while you’re not one who sticks to the rules, you can’t help but wonder just why is dr. park playing with you?

“you sure you’re okay?” seonghwa leans in and searches your eyes for any signs of lies

upon finding none but gaining satisfaction from the way your lips part in surprise, he draws back 

you try your best not to make things awkward for the rest of the time you’re with him

and in the following days, his advances only start becoming stronger in nature

you like the attention he gives you. you like how he always puts his hands on your shoulders and gives them a little squeeze whenever he finds you sitting

you like the way his warm breath caresses your cheek when you’re both sitting side by side inspecting a specimen

you enjoy the sound of his gentle voice as he instructs you

it’s almost as if he knows. it’s almost as if he’s asking for it

does he not know that once you become obsessed with something, you’ll try- no, you will possess it at all costs?

so one night when you’re both working at late hours, busy with wrapping up one section of your thesis

you can’t take it when seonghwa scolds you teasingly for being clumsy 

“you’ve got pen on your chin,” he says and before you can take care of it, he himself scoots closer-

too close for it to be professional anymore because at this point, he can probably count the freckles on your face too-

and begins to rub at your the skin near your lips gently

he frowns when it doesn’t come off, and then he has the audacity to lick his thumb and rub your skin again

“dr. park,” you mutter, about to remind him how you are supposed to be a teacher and student

you’re not friends (despite the very friendly relationship you have developed with him)

seonghwa only hums and you can’t help but notice how he stifles a smirk as he moves his thumb to your lower lip and swipes it, all the while maintaining eye contact

you raise a brow in challenge, silently questioning why he’s still holding your chin

he leans in as if to kiss you and you stop breathing

except he tilts his head to whisper in your ear

“would you like to attend the next soul society meeting with me, love?”

to say that you freeze is an understatement

you don’t move when his lips caress your cheeks as he stays in that position

you don’t move when he purposely trails his lips along your cheek as he draws back

“what’s your classification?” you manage to ask, your voice barely a whisper

the way seonghwa smirks is something you’ll never forget

“jekyll,” he says. “nice to meet you, hyde.”

there’s a moment of silence where all you can do is stare at the man in front of you

a moment of pure static

as soon as you take off your mask and your lips curl in a smirk, it happens

you don’t know who took the first step but you’re both kissing each other

it’s rushed, passionate and desperate, the air filling with your grins and giggles and you’re only glad you’re not in the lab right now because the way seonghwa clears the table with a swipe of his hand, making the notes fall on the ground

only to lift you up and seat you there so he can kiss you better? being in the lab would have done some damage alright

between kisses, you learn how seonghwa recognised you

you ask him if he lured you here somehow, but he tells you it’s just luck that you’re here as his student right now. you don’t quite believe him though

but you let it be- if he’s jekyll, that means he’s got the brains to scheme

he tells you that he’s glad to have found his hyde because he would prefer someone else to do his dirty work for him

you agree- it’s been far too long since you’ve had an adventure, and you’ve heard about the notorious jekyll in the soul society too. you just never connected the dots

he takes you to his private lab (not before feasting on you and fucking you on that very table)

for the next few weeks, you familiarise yourself with his actual research

mind altering chemicals and drugs, anything to do with control

very illegal stuff, but the soul society funds him with whatever he needs

he can’t believe he found you- you’re perfect for him

seonghwa believes he has morals and he can be a good person

so you make the perfect partner because you can be the bad person in his stead

you’re his alter ego, the voice in his head that he never lets come out

you’re the person who not only matches his freak but helps bring it into manifestation. you are now his face

while he advances in molecular neuroscience in the world, you advance, on his behalf, in the underworld

there’s no blood on your hands- you both only produce drugs. you’re not responsible for what is done with them

you do sometimes assist in the practical work, which seonghwa avoids, because after all, he has a reputation to maintain as dr. park

no one suspects a thing. you’re just supervisor and supervisee who share a similar obsession with research

nothing to worry about

Jekyll and Hyde

Yunho

The Hunter

when you finally got to a blind date that your friend begged you to go to, you didn’t expect to meet a man who would actually catch your eye

there is something about this man, jeong yunho, that instantly pulls you in as if you really are tied by a thread 

for starters, he is incredibly handsome and has a soft vibe to him that exudes warmth

his voice has a soothing quality and his mannerisms are as gentle as his gaze. his laugh is pure and he makes quite a good company

he just makes you feel comfortable and safe right away, which is kind of surprising

so when yunho tells you about himself, confirming that he is indeed a corporate lawyer at a well-known firm, you are simply in awe

you thought your friend was bluffing when she told you that she is trying to set you up with a ‘beauty with brains’

she was not lying, is all you can think now

you’re a simple school teacher, you tell yunho with a laugh

however, the man’s eyes are practically twinkling as he hears your stories about school 

you’re only telling him because he insisted, and now he can’t stop appreciating your profession, saying that it’s admirable how you are able to connect with children and educate them

the conversation steers to your likes and dislikes, your preferences, and what you’re looking for in a partner

surprisingly, the two of you have a lot in common

you both have a special place in your heart for food. you both love travelling. and there are some things he does not need to say out loud 

like how he’s a caring person- always making sure you’re comfortable and your bowl is full, draping his coat over your shoulders when you leave the restaurant and scour the streets for something sweet

the hand that he offers you is not suggestive and you like that (you also like how tall he is and how his hand engulfs yours almost entirely)

just two people who talk about anything and everything- that’s who you become by the end of the night

as you settle in bed later, you’re still smiling about how his eyes twinkled when he learned that you too have a thing for gaming too

you have good feelings about this person so far but there’s a feeling scratching at your heart that has you restless

it is the way his eyes darkened almost dangerously, only momentarily, when you insisted that you could get home on your own

he was a gentleman, no doubt about it, insisting that you could never be too sure these days especially with the news being so horrible lately, the crime rate spiking up dramatically in the past few months

you just did not like the idea of having a stranger accompany you all the way to your home, even if it was this gentleman- this was only your first meeting

so he made you promise to call him and let him know when you get home 

and here you are. you dated him for a few months before you both decided to move in together into an apartment that suited your needs

he’s perfect in every way- attentive, responsive, caring, funny, and he gives you space when you need it

which matters the most because you value your personal space a lot

he understands the importance of personal space very well and even though you share a room, you both let each other be 

you let him be when he’s gaming, and he lets you be when you’re staring at the ceiling or reading

more often though, he’ll have you sit on his lap as he games

since he’s so much bigger than you, you’ll curl on top of him to read or scroll and he’ll be focused on his game, liking your presence

it doesn’t always lead to something but when it does, it’s always fun

he has you smitten- his kisses still make you feel like it’s your first time sharing a kiss (and he’s damn good at it)

his touch lingers on your skin throughout the day and you cannot wait to be back in his arms again

it is just another night when you decide to walk and take the longer route back home because apparently yunho was going to be late and you did not want to be home alone

it gets quieter as you navigate through the streets and alleys

and when you take a turn and notice a familiar figure, you stop in your tracks

is that… not yunho? the back and the height looks pretty much the same

the man is watching a woman at the end of the street who is using her phone as if waiting for someone

the woman catches the man watching her and grows wary- you can tell even from the distance

you can tell that she is very much pretending to be on call when she starts moving

despite every cell in your body urging you to ignore this and go back home, you start to follow the man when he starts to follow the woman

you are careful to maintain a distance, cursing yourself internally for being a curious little shit who seeks thrill like there’s no tomorrow

but the woman takes a left, and the man takes a right, leaving you standing in the middle of the street, taking a few deep breaths

nothing happened, you think. you turn and start to trace your path back

and just a minute later, there’s an unmistakable sound of a woman’s scream filling the air

every hair on your body rises as your heart drops and eyes widen

you’re frozen in one spot with no idea what to do next- should you go check on the woman? see if it was the same person? 

not once do you think of calling the police though

you walk back home, lost in your thoughts with the image of the man’s familiar figure branded in your mind especially since you are pretty damn sure that those were little sunflowers embroidered on the hem of the hoodie

sunflowers that you embroidered on yunho’s hoodie

when you open the door to your apartment, though, you hear the sound of the TV and yunho is sitting very casually on the couch

“ah, you’re home,” he grins and waves, just like he usually does

he’s not wearing the hoodie anymore

“i thought you were gonna be late?” you ask

“you’re late,” he counters. “why did it take you so long to get home?”

“just decided to take a walk,” you smile, ruffling his hair and planting a kiss on the top of his head before going to your room 

you grab your clothes and move towards the bathroom to take a shower, and it is then that yunho’s eyes widen

“ah, babe?” he calls, his voice uncharacteristically high

when you don’t answer, he rushes towards the bathroom and finds you standing in the doorway

your eyes are fixed on the sink which is a pale shade of pink with handprints on it

yunho curses himself internally- he rushed to hide his hoodie as soon as he got home, jumped in the shower, spotted the bloody sink from when he first washed his hands and decided to make it look like he had been home for a while before cleaning the sink

only he fucking forgot

it doesn’t look as bad- it’s not a bloody red, for starters

“ah, i forgot to clean that up,” yunho awkwardly laughs, proceeding to move inside and open the tap, taking a sponge and cleaning the edges of the sink

yeah. it does not look that bad

“i accidentally spilled that red ink you have in the room- i don’t know why i got curious and messed with it.”

that’s not the colour of your ink, though, and you know it never leaves stains like these

“don’t worry about it,” you tell him, but your eyes are wider than usual. yunho notices that

he lets you shower in peace, all the while thinking if you suspect something

truth be told, he saw you when you were following him back there which is why he took another turn to mislead you

he also knows you are far too observant for your own good

he can’t lie- one of the reasons he fell for you is because of that. you are just like him

though you are free of sin unlike him, your mind is a mess

you notice too much that is not meant to be noticed. you sometimes say things that even he has not thought about. you question if human morals are an actual thing or a made up construct

is it from reading too much fiction? he thinks not

when you come out of the shower, something possesses you to move to the balcony

and that’s another thing yunho likes about you (which also scares him a little at times)

it is your intuition- which leads you to inspect the little corner where you pile up useless stuff. you can see the sleeve of his hoodie there

you pick it up and find it wet in certain spots

on its black base, you can’t tell what it is, but the sunflowers are stained a suspicious red colour, and it’s definitely not your ink 

you look towards your right where yunho is standing, vigilant

there is a moment of silence before you lower the hoodie 

“it really was you,” you say, unwavering

your heart is not speeding because you’re scared- it is speeding because you are right

yunho is still, contemplating how to deal with this

did he think he could hide his secret from you forever? no. was he prepared in case he gets caught? no

he just never imagined it would unfold like this

and now… will he have to hurt you if you threaten to expose him? he can’t bear to hurt a hair on your head

you bring out all the good in him. he does not know how you do that, but you make him believe that he can love with all of his heart too, just like any other person

you make him feel whole, and it would be such a shame if things fall apart now

to his surprise, you drop the hoodie back and walk towards him until there’s little distance between the two of you

you hold both of his hands in yours and look at him earnestly

“are you going to tell me what you have been up to?”

yunho is surprised at how calm your voice is and how accepting your eyes are

he sighs deeply before steering you to the couch in the living room

and then he bares his heart to you

he is a monster. that is it. he hurts people and it satisfies this ugly part of him

he does not always want to, he justifies, but sometimes, he just can’t help it

and the only reason he gets away with it is because he is not stupid and carefully chooses his victims- people who are miserable. people who have no one around them

“well then… i’m lucky to have one person in my life, right?”

yunho’s eyes widens at your response

you fulfil the criteria of being his victim- you have no one 

you have no one but him- how did that happen?

he thinks back to your first date and he can’t help but feel overwhelmed

he buries his face in the crook of your neck, his head about to explode 

why are you not running away from him? why are you caressing his head and holding him close?

you don’t tell him everything right away. you only ask him to trust you

so he trusts you and waits for you

he learns little bits about you- you, who do not care who yunho is, as long as he is transparent with you

you, who has a twisted sense of morality. you, who might be as bad as yunho, even worse

though, your hands are clean, you tell him sarcastically, it’s just your head that is a mess

and it’s a blessing that you two are together and can be honest about this too, right? how lucky you are to have each other

“you, without sin, are like the sun,” he tells you one night as he kisses the top of your head and holds you close

“you, even with sin, are like the sun,” you respond.

The Hunter and His Guide

Yeosang

The Mad Scientist

there is something about the innocent features of his face, the gentleness in his mannerism, the absolute ethereal aura about him

that contrasts strikingly with the pitch black (or maybe, just two shades lighter) of his soul

the man only knows how to scheme and how to take the best possible route towards his goals

the goals are all related to science

sure, he is contributing to the scientific area, doing researches no one else would do

doctor kang yeosang- a scientist and philosopher, held in high reverence in the medical field, contributing with numerous researches centering the human body

nobody needs to know exactly how he gets such extensive, solid results to support his theories

he comes off as a soft-spoken man, someone who possesses a kind heart

he is willing to overwork himself in order to make life easier for others

he is much appreciated by his peers

they don’t need to know that behind his neat and professional setup is a dark, cold space that holds his real workspace

the endless corridors lined with shelves upon shelves of jars 

jars containing the human body parts within them

from the brain to the spleen, from the heart to the liver

each jar meticulously lined in an organisation such that only yeosang could close his eyes and know where to pick what he needs

each organ in the jar has a story of the human that it once was- the story that yeosang himself scribes and tucks in the safe (and in a corner of his heart)

taking it out only to read and reminiscence, or to make another addition

such as the one that he is about to make now, sauntering with an almost skipping manner, highlighting his delight in the events about to unfold

his pristine white lab coat flows behind him, a symbol of everything that he would not be doing tonight, which only adds to the irony of it all

he finds you mirroring his expressions, eyes wide with anticipation and lips curled in a stifled smile

and he can’t help but smile wider, the sound of his footsteps echoing loudly as he speeds towards you so that he can finally hold you after the long day he had, tired of playing it cool in front of everyone

you are snaking your arms around his neck immediately as he bends down to capture your lips in a fierce kiss, earning a surprised but pleased yelp from you

you let him have his moment, kissing him back with equal passion until he draws away and rests his forehead against your shoulder

“long day, huh?” you press your lips against his temple. “how did the presentation go?”

the presentation being at a conference of the national medical association where yeosang was the chief guest, awarded for his valuable insights to the medical world

“i sometimes wonder if i’m the only one wearing a mask,” yeosang confesses.

you know what he means

there surely must be others just like him

you can’t expect to make medical advancements while sticking to the stupid laws and regulations they have carved for you

the medical associations do not allow anyone freedom 

“it’s tiring to pretend my research was simply a result of my team’s hard work,” yeosang continue, “they didn’t do batshit. i wish i could credit you instead.”

“but you can’t,” you caress his dark locks. “that would certainly raise suspicion since i’m… underqualified.”

well, that’s arguable 

you may not be as good as yeosang at what you do but considering that you come from a non-medical background, yeosang would say that you are pretty close

in fact, overqualified

“i don’t think there’s anyone more qualified than you,” yeosang lifts his head to look up at you, eyes scanning your face. “you’re an expert of the human body.”

you are an expert, that is true

you did what you had to do to survive as a young girl who lost her way

you were meant to be a test subject yourself but you created your own path and proved that you were good with your hands- almost artistic

and that you could open up humans as long as you had a good knife

your skills were a bit rusty when yeosang found you in the black market

but he was thoroughly impressed and made an offer. it was an offer that you couldn’t resist 

you would no longer be bound to be a slave for the rest of your life

you would be his equal. an accomplice 

“but you are the mad scientist. i’m just your unofficial assistant,” you pat his cheek in answer

it’s a wonder that you’re here now, in his arms

a muffled sound interrupts your little moment

you both steer towards the big room and yeosang looks around for a moment to take in the glory of his workplace

the crisp white walls and clean tiles smelling of antiseptic, marred with red stains of blood that is dripping from the man’s limbs

the man who is currently tied to a stretcher in the middle of the room

the instruments and tools that he would be using tonight to open his test subject up are glinting with silver, ready to be used

he has chosen the perfect target- a relatively healthy, middle-aged homeless man

really, no one would care if he went missing

in fact, you were doing him a favour by putting an end to his miserable life, right?

surely, he did not wish to live without a home and the means to survive

though here he was, sedated but struggling nonetheless, as if finally having found the will to live

“ah, he created a mess,” yeosang begins, clicking his tongue in disappointment as he inspects the bruises around the man’s wrists. “i’m sorry you had to wait so long, hmm?”

it’s almost eerie, how yeosang’s voice drips with pity

but that’s what you like about him

he thinks of the greater good. he is doing all of this for the greater good

there is no personal desire to kill random human beings, no

he simply needs test subjects to study the human body, so there can be advancements in the medical world

he just can’t believe that the world does not have a cure or even a prevention for most of the diseases in this age

he has taken it upon himself to contribute to the medical world so people do not have to suffer anymore

he complains about this a lot 

if people had guts, they would have done this ages ago

sometimes, he refers to the awful medical experiments done by humankind- especially on women

he is different from them, he claims

he cares about their pain- that is why he makes sure to make his subjects’ death quick and painless before he starts to conduct his experiments

it’s just too bad that he doesn’t have much time after the person passes to study certain functions of a living human

(so sometimes, he makes exceptions and asks god for forgiveness. easy peasy)

you watch yeosang with a sort of wonder and a little something that resembles fear as he caresses the man’s head in farewell

he asks the man to say his last words, to choose them carefully, to take his time and to make peace with the fact that there is no way out

the sedatives seem to have made the man somewhat placid

the test subject stops resisting to lock eyes with the doctor 

he says something about the regrets he’s had in his life and how he just wants his misery and pain to end now

yeosang’s brows are furrowed in concentration as he listens to each and every word, nodding along as if he aims to fulfil every desire this man possesses 

his hand is gently caressing the man’s head

when the man is done, yeosang tells him that his contribution to medical research won’t be forgotten

he looks at you to find you already staring at him with an unreadable expression

he signals you to get the job done and you inject the medicine meant to stop the man’s heart

you watch the man take his last breath, his face contorting in pain as his heart ceases to function

yeosang has already moved on from the little moment he had, putting on medical gloves and snapping them against his skin rather dramatically

“let’s get to work, shall we?”

you smile in response, following his instructions

soon, you are testing the functioning of the man’s abdominal organs with various equipment and drugs that yeosang has bought from the black market 

you have to work quickly before necrosis begins and hinders you

yeosang is very careful with his methods. his hands are steady as if he has done this a thousand times already 

and though he comes off as clumsy in the public eye, he is anything but here

his eyes are focused, darting between the electrodes placed on the man’s liver to the readings on the screen

it goes on like this for a while, yet another failed experiment as the liver fails to respond as desired to the electric shock and necrosis takes over

it doesn’t disappoint any of you though

yeosang has a strong vision and no amount of failed experiments is going to stop him 

plus, there’s always something you learn even from failure

you begin to clean up when you notice a broken nail lying on the stretcher

you pick it up with tweezers and inspect it- it must have broken when the man was struggling to break free

yeosang catches you looking at the discoloured nail with curiosity and he hums in question

“hair and fingernails are beautiful ornaments.” you ask, “so why do they seem so baleful when they are removed? 

yeosang stands beside you, pondering

“the answer is simple. they are previews of what is to come. of death.”

you look at him to find his eyes twinkling with the knowing glint of someone who’s seen it all

after you both finish recording the data of tonight’s session, yeosang is back to being the cute and clumsy person that you absolutely adore

the man is craving chicken after today’s hard work so you fulfil his wish and take him to his favourite place

you both sit across each other, drinking beer and savouring the juicy meat while talking about casual stuff- just an assistant and her boss

just two friends who met by chance and felt an instant pull towards each other

just two lovers, fated to be together and find solace in each other’s company

as if the stars have aligned for you yet again, a familiar face walks in and sits on the table next to you

you meet yeosang’s eyes and you both stifle a smile

it’s one of the potential test subjects you’ve had in your file, due for observation

and what better observation than to sit next to them in a casual setting and eavesdrop naturally?

yeosang raises his beer glass in toast and you share a knowing smile, raising your own glass in toast 

just two partners in crime. that’s who you are

The Mad Scientist and his Accomplice

San

Executioner

choi san works hard during the day

he goes to the school and makes sure his students are in top shape

as their p.e. teacher and coach, he has every student’s physical status on his fingertips

he knows their strengths and their weaknesses. he also knows their desires

so if a student is not a good runner but wants to run better, he would never tell them to give up, he would personally coach them and make sure they know that their body is not the limit

they can be a good runner, a good player, a good swimmer- anything

as long as they are steadfast, they can conquer the world

so choi san is loved and respected by the students, known to be a very caring teacher

but choi san works harder at night. no one needs to know that

certainly not his colleagues who always go about how hardworking a teacher he is

when he is free from the school, he goes to his home and changes before driving to his friend’s place- a warehouse where a few of you hang out

someone programmes, another composes, another works out

just an innocent hideout that you’re all using even in your early thirties

except that you also huddle around to read the new request you receive on your app

“i am a twenty-one year old female. two years ago, the man who dated my older sister killed her, but due to lack of evidence, he did not receive the jail time he deserves. he claims that he is innocent, but ever since he got out, he’s been bothering me because he had to serve his short sentence anyway. he is threatening to kill my family and then me if i go to the cops. i am scared to leave the house because he is stalking me and i can always see him wherever i go. please help me. i won’t go to the cops anyway- they didn’t do anything then, and they will not do anything now.”

san is contemplating if he should accept this request

you look at wooyoung who is immediately weighing the pros and the cons

you look back at san who is still deep in thought and you gently rest your hand on his thigh, bringing him out of his head

“i’ll take it,” he mutters. “accept the request, y/n.”

you nod and go back to the computer to accept the request

you have a phone call conversation with the client where you set up a meeting

it’s you and wooyoung who go to meet with the respective parties. san works in the shadows

the next night, san finds you deep in thought outside, leaning against the worn out wall of the warehouse

he joins you, hands in the pockets of his baggy jeans

“i know what you’re thinking,” san begins, glancing at you. “you’ve been awfully quiet since the meeting.”

you shrug in defeat. “i know i can’t change your mind.”

“it’s not going to be the same,” san refers back to the one time you all took a request from a 19 year old girl who was being bullied by her seniors

it got to a dangerous point and had you been a little late, you might have lost the girl

san lost his temper that time, though

and while he couldn’t physically harm the kids who were bullying the girl, he had them locked in a room for one night while he educated them

and funnily enough, san was scarier that night

scarier than every other time he actually wields a weapon

you asked him that night if there were any just people left in this world full of evil

“all people are evil. to believe that you are just, you must believe that someone else is more evil than you”

was his response. safe to say, the girl was living her best life now, but you saw a new side of san that night

a side you had never seen all your life, and that was saying something since you were childhood friends

“we won’t let it get to that point,” san assured, outstretching your hand and you pouted before taking it

he caressed your knuckles, his voice assertive. “i will take care of it. properly. i always do.”

“do you think i only worry about things going wrong?” you finally say out loud, the words that you want to say to him every time he goes out in the field 

san, despite himself, breaks into a smile that would seem so out of character to anyone who has not known him for long

“you can’t smile your way out of this,” you sulk further, snatching your hand away and folding your arms

“baby,” san begins, trying to take your hand again but you’re not having any of it

“i’m worried you’ll get hurt. i’m worried about the pain you’re willing to go through so you can lessen the pain of others.”

san stops teasing then, mimicking your position as he leans against the wall next to you

there is a thick silence surrounding you and you wonder what wooyoung is doing inside- is he napping?

“it’s something i have to do. something only i can do. you know that, right?”

“i know,” you say, almost a whisper. “and that’s what makes this more frustrating.”

because it was originally your idea

on a summer night when you were all about to graduate, a tragedy happened in your town

a man went on a spree, killing and wounding multiple women and children for weeks

you, who knew one of the victims personally, were shocked by the act and disgusted at how lazy the police were being

it turned out that the assailant was a high-profile businessman and the police were trying to cover the case up as per the orders of their superiors

the three of you were hanging out in the warehouse, each burdened by their own train of thoughts, until you finally said it out loud

“what if we were some sort of a private service where we help the victims? especially when the police can’t?”

it was wooyoung who agreed first, and san who disagreed

it took him some convincing to finally agree, and you set rules

you were not going to kill anyone- only maim

if it’s a serial killer, you maim their hands so they can never hold a weapon again

if it’s a bully, you maim their mouth so they think before they speak

the three of you are a team, but san is the executioner

wooyoung is his eyes and feet, and you are the brains

so it is ironic how worried you are about san now, when you gave him this role

“i know that i can get hurt,” san begins, taking a deep breath. “but there is no pain as long as i keep my eyes on the balance scale.”

this time, when he outstretches his hand, you take it. he plants a sweet kiss on your knuckles

“don’t worry about me, hmm?” he tugs you closer so you can rest your head against his firm chest as he embraces you. “i can’t focus when you’re so worried.”

“i can’t help it,” you tell him. “you’ll just have to get used to it.”

san lifts your face with his thumb below your chin, his brows furrowed with concentration and worry as he looks at you

his eyes are sharp as he scans you so you smile

immediately, his body relaxes and the corners of his lips curl in a smile as he pecks your lips- once, twice

and it is about to turn into a deeper kiss when wooyoung claps loudly to get your attention

“alright, lovebirds. get inside. we have a heads-up.”

you scowl at wooyoung who smirks in response but you both immediately join the youngest inside

your client has texted to let you know that she’s about to go out so you can stalk her stalker

you and wooyoung take your equipment to the van and san prepares himself 

he’ll be observing tonight, but he is prepared in case the stalker catches on

just like that, you observe the stalker for a few days, assuring your client that she is safe

you plan a trap to lure the stalker to an abandoned area where san will have a little chat with the stalker 

and when the day comes, all your client has to do is threaten to call the cops on him

he comes after her and that is when san knocks him out with a punch

the stalker finds himself tied to a chair in an empty room when he opens his eyes

there is the stale smell of something resembling death in the room, and that makes the man resist 

from the darkness, san emerges, clad in all black, his face covered with a mask

and his favourite weapon, the dagger, in his hand

you and wooyoung are watching from the camera embedded on his coat

you can see the glint of the dagger as he twists it dramatically in his hand

san circles around the man once as if to gauge the room 

even through the camera, you can tell how thick the air must be feeling

san meets eyes with the man and removes the tape over his mouth, wincing when the man screams his lungs out in hopes that help would come

there is no help, not for miles

“who are you?” the stalker spits on the ground near san’s feet 

san only shuts his eyes in mild annoyance. he is not easily riled up

“you have been found guilty of the crime of stalking. tell me… what should be your sentence?”

the man pales, fresh beads of sweat trickling down his forehead 

“it will be better if you admit to your wrongdoings and give me a fair number. you don’t want to leave it in my hands.”

“what do you mean sentence?” the stalker starts struggling fiercely, almost falling off the chair. “i have already served!”

san grins under the mask, closing in like a cat and stomping on his foot, making the man let out a guttural groan of pain

he leans in to whisper in his ear

“but… that was for murder. and unfortunately, i am not charging you for murder tonight. otherwise… you would not have walked out alive.”

the man gulps loudly, meeting eyes with who has to be the person he has heard so much about in prison

most of the people in prison feared this man- the judge, they called him

the man was the judge, jury and executioner for criminals, feared more than the cops or actual prosecutors

“surely… you’re not him, are you?”

you wince at the fear in the stalker’s voice and meet wooyoung’s eyes

san never confirms if he is that. he simply finishes the job right there

the stalker’s screams are heard for quite a distance, even outside your earpieces

you shut your eyes momentarily and when you open, you can see the blood oozing out of the man’s left leg

san is wiping the dagger with the man’s own jacket as he tells him that he will never be able to stalk people again

the man screams and screams, waiting for something more, but nothing else comes

san’s job is done

he tosses a broken piece of glass near the chair for the man to free himself if he wishes to

when san comes back to the van, the air is sombre, just like after every finished request

wooyoung pats his shoulder in acknowledgement and mutters a joke in an attempt to lighten the mood, which works

“they still call you the judge, huh?” wooyoung teases as he drives

“judge, jury, executioner. how scary, choi san.”

san raises a brow at your comment- he can tell what you’re referring to

you’re referring to the first time when he came back covered in blood

and the first time he realised that no matter what he did, you would never be scared of him

and that you and wooyoung would always have his back and guide him

“i think i’m only the executioner. you both are the judge and jury.”

“makes sense,” wooyoung agrees. “but the world does not need to know that.”

Judge, Jury and Executioner

Mingi

The Overseer

“the future, pitch black, upside down”

mingi dips his brush into the onyx ink, finishing writing the words on the big canvas

the canvas that is a splash of colours- red for the blood on his hands. white for the innocence he lost too soon. blue for all those nights he spent trapped with only the moon as his friend

and finally, black for the future. the future is the only uncertainty in his life

despite being a leader of a notorious gang, he can never be certain about his future. there are always people after his life

he cannot trust anyone- not one soul-

“sir,” a voice interrupts and he knows who it is instantly

even if he did not hear your voice, he knows you are the only person who would dare interrupt him in the middle of his private time-

“tea, sir. you’ve been cooped up in here for too long,” you say, placing the mug on the table

-for something as meagre as tea

mingi spares a glance in your direction, noticing how you are still dressed in your usual all-black fit

which means you have not gone to sleep yet, even though it’s well past midnight

“and what are you doing up so late?” he asks as he picks up the cup and sips it, finding it exactly to his liking. a flavour only you can nail

“watching you paint,” you confess without hesitation

because in this place, in this room, between the two of you, there may be truths hidden, but there are no secrets

mingi is amused to hear that though he does his best to hide it

“and what do you think of the painting?” he asks, allowing you to take a closer look

you smile at his permission to inspect his art and you inch closer to the painting, now standing beside your boss

you read the words on it in a whisper and cock your head in thought

“isn’t this too dark, even for you?” you question 

mingi shakes his head in amusement and looks down. only you could have made this observation, having been at his side for a solid seven years now

where others would say that his paintings were too ‘colourful’ considering the kind of person he is, you still find them too dark and void of life

you’d know better, because you know mingi inside out

he first found you when he was a street thug in the process of becoming something big

all he had was his raw strength, a strategic brain, a few rusty weapons and some loyal friends

he went on to fight gang after gang, always emerging victorious and merging the losing team with a good deal- it’s how he earned respect around and gained a reputation

every other gang knew not to stand against him unless they wanted to risk losing everything they had

when he first opened his office in the darkest part of the town, he found you purely by chance

you were nearing the end of your teens- a rebellious little girl who cut ties from her family and ran away from home

at that time, you had multiple part-time jobs trying to make ends meet, hoping to find a place to live

and one fateful night, you found yourself in front of a building to deliver chicken, peering up at the light coming from the 4th floor- this must be it 

although… you weren’t sure if the loud sounds coming from the floor were just men having a good time or if something had gone really, really wrong

men will be men, you thought, wanting to get the delivery done with so you could move on

only when you reached the 4th floor, you spotted men lying on the ground and clutching their limbs, blood all around

while every sane part of your brain screamed at you to pretend you saw nothing and go back, you recalled how when you received the order, they promised a big tip to the rider

you could not miss that, could you? you had to find a place to live, and you needed every penny

so you started with the men who seemed to be unconscious. you took any cash they had, being careful to hide your face in the hoodie

you moved to the office, hearing a crashing sound and flinching

you made quick work of grabbing more cash from the thugs- they had to be thugs

they all had guns, for fuck’s sake

you went into one of the neater rooms and placed the bags of fried chicken there

and you froze when a burly man made his way inside, wiping blood from the edge of his mouth

“ah… you must be song’s girl, eh?” he snickered, scanning you up and down

“i- i’m delivering chicken,” you pointed at the table. “i’ll be on my way then-”

“not so quick,” his gaze darkened 

instinctively, you grabbed the nearest object, which so happened to be a mug and chucked it at the man, successfully hitting his head

he clutched his head in pain and you made a dash outside, bumping into another man

the tall man seemed mostly unscathed save for a bruise on his cheek

he held your wrists to steady you and his eyes darted in the man’s direction who was clutching his head no more

“oi, song!” the burly man called. “teach your girl some manners, will you?”

the man called song pushed you to the side and a gunfight ensued

you took shelter behind a shelf, observing how the taller man successfully shot his every target

when he thought he was done- and was out of bullets, he looked in your direction and tsked loudly

you were about to come out of the shadows when you noticed one of the supposedly unconscious men take aim of song’s head

your eyes widened and almost instinctively, you grabbed a heavy metal object from the shelf and rushed to the man who was targeting your saviour

to say that mingi was surprised to see a young girl save him from his enemy by nearly crushing the man’s skull?

he knew you were something special right away

you both stared at each other for a long time before he told you to go back to his office, lock the door and not come out until he comes back

he was done sooner than you thought, and while his men cleaned his mess, he found you in his room, sitting rather calmly

“so you’re the delivery girl,” he narrowed his eyes

“i hope the chicken is still warm,” you responded. “if you can just pay me so i can leave-”

“why did you do that earlier?” he asked, voice low and rough that sent shivers up your spine

“i don’t know,” you answered truthfully

mingi paid you more than extra that night and told you to come next time they place an order 

the next time would turn out to be the last time you would ever work a part-time job

mingi offered you a place in his gang, and you took it

you are still not sure what your position in this gang is though- they smuggle drugs but keep you away from the work, so what are you doing here?

personal assistant? chef? manager? all of these? 

sometimes, you are accompanying wooyoung in the field- the gang now has an official base and a few legal businesses

sometimes, you stay in the kitchen with seonghwa and wooyoung to cook

other times, you sit with yunho and hongjoong to plan and offer your opinion on their strategic takes

you aren’t sure if you are qualified for that- you probably aren’t

somehow, though, the gang members respect you for whoever you are

you are the light in their dark life, they joke. you are someone’s friend now, sibling to some, secretkeeper for others

but you still aren’t sure what you are to mingi

whenever you ask him why he took you in, mingi always responds with something different

“you were clever grabbing all that money from our enemies”

“you saved me- though i must say i could have handled it”

“you looked like a lost cat”

“you didn’t report us”- excuses, all of them

truth be told, mingi has no idea what you are to him either

he has a certain fondness for you that he has for no one else. of course, it didn’t happen instantly

he took you in because he realised you had a strategic mind and he could really use that

he insisted the office needed a ‘feminine touch’ even though it came in the form of a cranky teen who wouldn’t stop asking questions

but somehow, the two of you formed an unbreakable bond

he finds solace just being with you in one room, even in complete silence

he loves to hear you talk, even though you mostly question his morals

because he is not a good person, you found out

song mingi is not conventionally good. he is a man of principles, but he does not have the best morals

despite all that, you learned a lot from him. the world is a harsh place, and only he can protect you 

he learned a lot from you too. the world is a harsh place, and only you are his safe space

when at times things get stressful, he comes to seek you. he finds you in the shared residence and sits with you

if he is feeling down, you will have him lay his head in your lap. you will caress his head and let him be

if he wants to talk, he will. otherwise, he will watch you for a long time until he falls asleep, unguarded

when he gets tired, he will seek your arms. all he has to do is show up and you will know what to do

you will drop whatever you are doing and spread your arms

it is his home at this point. that’s how things are like

are you in a relationship? you don’t know

all you know is that song mingi is the most important person in your life

it doesn’t matter if he lives life the way he does

it doesn’t affect you anymore- the blood on his hands or the chaos in his mind

it doesn’t bother you because you know his heart, and that is all that matters

so standing in his private space right next to him, inspecting his painting with a critical eye, you tell him that the painting is not him

he tells you to pick a colour and you reach out for a box, making him chuckle

“really?” he asks

“the future may seem black, but…” you begin. “it doesn’t feel so dark when i’m with you.”

mingi takes a deep breath at your words. you always get him like this, and he is not sure if he can restrain himself anymore

your heart aches when you see him curl his fists, a sign that he is holding back some words or an action

“tell me what you’re thinking,” you request, though it registers like a command in the gang leader’s brain

“i’m thinking that i never should have given you this life.”

you shake your head at that- how many times has he voiced out that he wished you had lived a better, normal life, away from the clutches of the underworld?

“no, you’re thinking something else too,” you comment

“i’m thinking that i want you to stay here, with me, forever,” he responds

you nod in approval. “i’m right here. i’m not going anywhere.”

“you could get hurt,” mingi says, taking a step closer and closing the gap between your bodies

“i am a big girl now, mingi,” you laugh, wrapping your arms around his waist and hearing his erratic heartbeat

his arms are still by his sides for a moment before he embraces you

“i’m old now, in fact. how much longer will you keep me waiting?”

mingi grows stiff at your question. so you know

of course you do

mingi cups your face and locks eyes with you

“i won’t break,” you promise

“i know,” he smiles, pecking your forehead. “i’m afraid you will break me.”

your lips curl in a smile and he rests his forehead against yours

“are you sure about your choice?”

“yes,” you breathe. “i want you. i’m yours.”

mingi draws back

“i meant your choice of colour,” he tilts his head in the direction of the painting and the box of paint you picked for him

“of course you did,” you laugh at his attempt to distract you

mingi leans in to close the distance between your lips

it is soft and unrushed. you both have waited for the right moment, the right time for years and everything feels absolutely right at this moment 

you go first, asking him to join you in your bedroom and he agrees

he assesses the canvas once again

as a finishing touch, he sprays a final splash of yellow- the colour you picked for him

yellow for hope, for all the light in his dark world

The Overseer and his Shelter

Wooyoung

The Maniac

it has always been a cat and mouse game with you and wooyoung

you chase after each other, running in circles with no start or end

it’s almost as if you both have sworn to keep your eyes glued on each other, watching every move, anticipating what is next

someone’s lips curls up in a failed attempt to restrain a smile- a smile that drips with mischief and mockery

someone else’s eyes glint with threat and promise that this is not over, their fists curled in anger

you chase after each other like cat and mouse

only…you’re not sure who is the cat and who is the mouse

sometimes, it is you chasing after wooyoung

jung wooyoung, the son of one of the richest businessmen in town

a privileged piece of shit who is not right in the mind

a crazy bastard who has made it his life’s mission to not only drive you to the edge of the cliff but to push you and laugh in victory as you fall

he takes advantage of you being a criminal investigator 

some people jest that they can’t tell if wooyoung means to ruin your career or lead you to your promotion

with the amount of times wooyoung has gotten himself in trouble (and gotten away with it) he keeps your desk full of cases that you spend most nights investigating

while he keeps your hands full, what frustrates you to no end is that he almost always gets away with his crimes only because of his social standing and his connections

he gets away with petty crimes. he gets away with bloody fights that could very well have him spend one night in the station, cuffed 

he gets away with major crimes such as money laundering and tax evasion

no matter how much you try to investigate, you cannot

there are the warnings of your superiors who threaten to fire you because this is not your worry

and even if you do start to investigate, wooyoung’s team is quick to wipe any evidence of said crimes

you’re pretty sure that at this point, he might be hiding a body somewhere in his house

you wouldn’t be surprised. man once set his enemy’s mansion on fire

to make things worse, he got away with it- even when he was the only one grinning and playing with a lighter on his way out 

while the others scrambled like mice, he sauntered in style

he gets away with anything

you reputation at the station is already in shambles because of it

they call you his shadow at this point, considering how you are always following him

the truth is, you just want to wipe the shitty grin off his face for once

you want him to suffer defeat when you finally put him behind bars

you want him to chase after you like you chase after him

you might come off as delusional, but you’re half convinced that whatever wooyoung does is on purpose at this point- to get your attention

it wasn’t always like this, you and wooyoung

it started with a simple fight that broke out at a party where all the high-profile people were

someone was stupid enough to call the police- but you were more stupid because you went ahead and handcuffed wooyoung

you told him that you couldn’t waste this opportunity because you were investigating another case related to his father’s company anyway

and he? he laughed out loud like a maniac

you soon learned why, going home with the sound of your superiors scolding you still ringing in your ears

here you are, a few years and a lot of chasing each other later

except… you get something out of the chasing now

all he has to do is corner you. all he has to do is rile you up as he tells you why you lost this game yet again

with his burning gaze and honey voice, he pins you to the spot

with his fingers tracing the curves of your face, he tells you how much he loves you chasing after him 

as if he’s all that you ever think about. he might be right

“don’t you think we’re meant for each other?” wooyoung questions almost innocently, licking his lips subconsciously as he trails his finger down the curve of your neck until he reaches the first button of your shirt

“don’t think too highly of yourself, wooyoung,” you respond, your chest rising and falling in controlled breaths

you can not let him know the effect he has on you

however, wooyoung doesn’t need any sort of confirmation

you can try to keep your gaze steel all you want. you can attempt to sound sure and fake indifference, but the fact is that wooyoung knows

all he has to do is take another step forward and fill the gap between you two

his warm breath caresses your face and you gulp despite yourself

he watches you intently and squeezes your neck just a bit, causing you to part your lips for air and then he brushes the tip of his nose against yours

his other hand is slowly but surely unbuckling the belt of your pants and taking it off

you can only thank god in an ashamed relief that you’re in a private space- the space being one of the empty rooms in a random building on a random street because you had been tailing wooyoung

(at least the door is locked)

wooyoung brushes his lips against yours as your pants fall on the ground and pool on your feet

the sound that makes has heat rushing to your face- this should not be happening

you are a fucking detective and wooyoung is your target

but you can’t complain when his fingertips dance along your hip bones

all he has to do is swipe his fingers up your panties

upon finding them soaked (as usual), he smirks and you smack his chest

he catches your fist in his hand, though

“all for me?” he asks

in a matter of seconds, your lips are upon each other, tongues in each other’s mouth as you wrap your legs around him

he picks you up effortlessly and places you on a very dusty table

he gets rid of his clothes all the while kissing you expertly, aiming to please you, dominate you

he sucks on your lips, your neck, anywhere he can get his mouth on

and when he finally takes off all your garments, he has more places he can get his mouth on

“admit it, detective,” he breathes against your clit. “you’re obsessed with me.”

“get to work before i cuff you and fuck your brains out, wooyoung.”

wooyoung’s laugh echoes in the room as he recalls that night- a night he is sure he can never forget

“does that mean i get to experience that again if i stop now?”

you are moments away from your high- how dare he ask if he can stop?

he gets the hint and gets to work, and he makes sure he does a good job, licking and sucking at your clit until you’re screaming

for bonus points, he dives his cock inside right after and stays still as he starts to kiss you eagerly

this time, you’re the one who loses to him and lets him take control

you let him thrust into you. you let him praise you and humiliate you to no end

truth be told, you’re addicted to him. there is no going back from here

wooyoung knows how to use his tongue and he whispers sweet nothings

he is also surprisingly good at aftercare, even though you don’t accept it from him

well, you try not to, but he is insistent

he takes you home and he invites himself in

you go to the shower and he goes to your room to admire the effort you put into bringing him down

loads of files and a board full of his ‘accomplishments’ staring back at him- nothing he doesn’t know

“you think your daddy will help you if i start to investigate the slush fund you have?”

“which one?” is his response, and he grins widely as you gape at him

he can practically see the gears in your head turning and he adores that

it is a cat and mouse game after all. he must give you something so you keep coming after him

(and you must give him something so he keeps finding you too)

while you’re still processing what he just implied, your phone rings

you flinch when you pick it up, getting an earful from your team leader once again, because where were you?

you were supposed to tail wooyoung to confirm that he is meeting up with a notorious gang member who does his dirty work

the case you’re team is on these days is targeting the gang, and yet again… wooyoung is involved

so what the hell were you doing, your superior asks

“jung wooyoung did not meet up with the gang leader,” you say into the phone, your eyes fixed on wooyoung 

wooyoung has a shit-eating grin plastered on his face

“and how do you know that? i thought you lost the tail-”

“yes, i did lose the tail,” you bite your lips in thought- you can’t tell your team leader that wooyoung has a strong alibi this time-

but wooyoung goes ahead and snatches your phone from you

“detective lee,” wooyoung greets and you mutter a string of curses under your breath

you watch wooyoung charm his way through the matter

telling the detective that he was in a tight spot because of the gang they are investigating

and how it is a shame that a ‘civilised’ person such as himself is being linked to thugs

he tells him that he almost got attacked but you saved him, and you hid him in an abandoned building, being wise enough not to blow your cover 

you can’t tell how he does it, but by the end of the call, your team leader is fully convinced that you did a good job today and he even praises you when you take the phone back

when you end the call, you glare at wooyoung

“what?” he shrugs. “i needed an alibi.”

“is that why you took me to the building to fuck me? because you needed an alibi?”

wooyoung watches you with mild curiosity

“did you think it meant something else?” he asks

it would have hurt if he really meant it, but that’s the thing

you both know he doesn’t mean what he says, especially about whatever is going on between you two

he has risked his position and even his life far too many times just to get you alone and fuck you

so you only smile and shake your head in response before telling him to fuck off and get out of your sight

(and he does. not before a second round)

when he leaves, you watch his car disappear from the window before going to the board and updating everything you got out of him tonight

everything about his business and his crimes. everything to make your case on him stronger

it’s truly a wonder how much you can get out of fucking someone right and you’re positive you can see the end of this case now

though… you’re not sure if you will ever take this to court. but that’s something you’ll worry about later

for now, you will follow him like a cat follows a mouse

and he will chase after you like a cat chases after a mouse

The Maniac and his Shadow

Jongho

The Tyrant

it is always a little too cold in the building for your liking

the building that is choi enterprises, located at the heart of the city, standing tall with numerous floors, laden in luxury

it is a workplace and home to some of the people in this city and a symbol of something untouchable to the others

as you enter the building, accompanied by your secretaries and a guard, you instantly feel the temperature drop despite the warm tones of the interior

the employees that greet you may have smiles on their faces but it’s all an act. you can tell, because you know what a genuine smile looks like

choi enterprises somehow always manages to keep the most calculating people to themselves. it might be why the company has flourished so much in such a short period of time

“to the private elevators, miss,” a man says and you recognise him as one of the ceo’s personal staff

you follow him and tug your jacket closer, wishing you had worn it instead of draping it over your shoulders

you catch your reflection on the golden glossy door of the elevator and straighten, lifting your chin up

you will not be pushed into submission, you repeat for the umpteenth time

however, things are not in your favour this time

in this never ending game of business rivalry, you and choi jongho have never seen eye to eye. you always stand in opposition, defensive or offensive

sometimes, you manage to outsmart him while making a new business deal or scoring a new project. other times, he is a few steps ahead and wins the game

except when you lose, somehow, the loss is much greater and a bit personal

your company always suffers more when you lose, which is why this little meeting you are going to have with jongho is no less than a negotiation- a war, if you must

sometimes, you wonder if jongho has a personal grudge against you. these meaningless battles start to seem like an excuse to see you

if not, then why is jongho looking like he just won the lottery at the sight of you?

“as beautiful as ever,” he says, scanning your figure slowly

you don’t move an inch, pretending those words don’t affect you

the secretaries move to another room, leaving you and jongho alone

jongho gets up from his chair and moves to the middle of the room, motioning you to take a seat

you watch as he pours a drink for you, his muscles flexing through the coat he’s wearing 

you take the drink- you need something to calm your nerves

“i suppose the odds are not in your favour, considering you found your way back here”

an allusion to the time he said that you were meant to find your way back here again and again, that you were just a lost kitten and he was your master, controlling you

at that time, you thought he meant to spite you, but time after time, he proved himself right

you always find your way here, always as the opposition. this time, though… you won’t bend

“if the odds are in your favour,” you begin experimentally, downing the drink in one gulp and then pouring one for jongho. “would you like me to join hands with you?”

now this is new- jongho’s eyes slightly widen at your remark

“ah… how the tables have turned,” jongho started to chuckle lowly

you let him be for a moment, scoffing internally

jongho had earned the right title over the years since he stepped up as ceo of his father’s company

a monster of capitalism

known to be the owner of many questionable businesses, borderline illegal, evading taxes and having slush funds unashamedly, heavily involved in money laundering- the list goes on and on

a true financial villain- a true monster, yet… being able to get away with everything, unscathed. that’s who jongho is

he has bribed every soul who would dare go against him. and those who do not take the bribe? he makes sure they kneel

and you… you’re pretty close to being his next target- he did say you would look pretty on your knees for him

“is business not going well?” he asks, faking innocence. he knows

you are a rival company- seo enterprises. everything that jongho’s company is, but… more legal

your forefathers were once partners, and they created their independent companies without a hint of rivalry

they were the definition of true brothers (and partners in crime)

the difference between the values of your company came when you and jongho stepped up as ceo

you had made it your life’s mission for your company to earn a good reputation and moral image, while jongho seemed to have made it his life’s mission to simply conquer the world, no matter what or who the stepping stone is

“business is well,” you narrow your eyes at him. “it’s about the land in ilsan.”

jongho doesn’t seem surprised to hear that. it is always like this- he knows what moves you will make

“ah, the one where we are about to construct a gallery?” jongho asks

“we?” you repeat. “that land is a shared property. why have you not consulted us before going ahead and signing the documents? how could you begin this project without us-”

“the other option is selling it to the government because of the redevelopment project,” jongho leans forward, “and you know how much i despise the government getting their grubby hands on what’s mine”

you know he is right, and he knows that you are not here to argue about why he started this project without telling you

jongho relaxes back, considering all his options before deciding to strike. “you’re worried about your involvement in that project, is that right?”

“well,” you mirror his position, “i would like to keep my reputation clean unlike yours.”

he chuckles at that, proud of his deeds. “yeah, well, that’s going to be hard, sweetheart. that gallery is going to be an optimum location for storing money.”

you know what he means. the gallery is going to display priceless pieces of arts. those pieces are but a means of illegal transactions for the elites

you swallow your anger, taking a deep breath. “i’d like to have my shares back, then. before construction starts.”

“uh…” jongho gets up, fixing his clothes. “you’re going to have to convince me for that.”

“please,” you scoff, but he only shakes his head, ignoring that because he knows this ‘please’ was wholly sarcastic

“try harder,” he smiles mockingly before turning his back to you and moving to the window, putting his hands in the pockets of his pants and staring down at the city

a tyrant- that’s who he is

he expects to get the maximum output out of anything he set his eyes on, no matter the cost- money or lives

you join him by the window, pointing at a few spots. “that’s where people held protests against your company last week,” you tell him. “apparently, you have been exploiting labourers too.”

“that’s what they think,” he spits. “i gave them more than they deserve. they just never learn to accept. they never get pleased.”

you look at jongho- he sounds like he is saying the truth. he has the art of sounding like a victim at times, thus justifying his actions

“doesn’t all that venom in your heart make you dizzy?”

jongho glances at you, his lips threatening to curl into a smile at your words

“doesn’t it get tiring, pretending to be moral?” jongho asks, trying to read your guarded eyes 

“there’s no pretending. i never claimed that i was full of morals, mr. choi,” you sigh. “i just wish for my business to have a legal foundation.”

“and it will, you don’t have to worry,” he responds, curling a section of your hair that had been resting on your shoulder in his fingers

you don’t flinch at his touch. you’ve known him since the beginning, and nothing he does fazes you anymore- except when he leans closer experimentally, locking eyes with you and trying to read you

“you will get your shares, but you will have to convince me,” he says, voice barely above a whisper

it is a challenge. it is always a challenge with choi jongho

“why are you so obsessed with me?” you laugh this time, swatting his hand away

he joins, and everything almost seems normal for a moment- just two friends with too many inside jokes, except… it only lasts for a moment

“how can i convince you?” you ask, sombre

“you know what i want from you, y/n,” he replies in a similar tone

he wants a true partnership, except his idea of a partnership is where you bend to his will (and so is yours)

“don’t turn this into a legal battle, jongho,” you warn, “i would hate to summon you to court.”

“don’t turn this into a petty rivalry,” he counters, “you will benefit from this project. you reputation won’t be harmed.”

“i don’t want my name next to yours,” you tell him in all honesty and you think you see hurt flash in his eyes

“that is not possible,” jongho declares. “our companies are not mentioned without each other. we are fated like that, you and i.”

that is true. no one dares to touch the two of you, so you two have always been alone

there is no one you both can trust. there is no one next to you 

except the two of you are always together, wherever you go, be it business parties, political dinners, or high-profile events

you can only trust each other, because despite knowing everything about each other’s business, despite being at war with each other

you are always honest with each other- honest about your intentions and purpose

there is no one next to you because you two are always together, leaving no space for someone else

do you hate that? not really. does he hate that? he’s not sure

“you can buy my shares from me,” you start, “or you can shift them elsewhere. i can handle whatever loss comes with that.”

“or… you can let it be and use the revenue for something ‘moral’,” he taunts and silence envelopes the room

“no matter how much you try to maintain a clean image,” he starts, gentler this time, “you cannot undo the damage your forefathers have done to your company, y/n. seo enterprises will always be known as the company that exploited the weak to get to the top.”

you don’t wince at that, though your heart aches to hear that

“just like your company. except you are continuing in their footsteps,” you say

jongho nods, watching how your shoulders are curling inwards

“you are not weak, y/n, stand straight,” he almost scolds, taking you by surprise 

you find yourself straightening at his words, confused to see how conflicted he looks

“you are the strongest person i know,” he tells you, and he means it. “i just don’t get why you are atoning for their sins.”

“i don’t know either,” you smile in defeat. “i just am.”

“well, if you ever get tired,” he gently places his hands over your shoulders, “i am here for you. you can lean on me.”

you lock eyes with him, scanning his face. his smile seems genuine

the way he kisses your forehead makes your heart melt

when he embraces you, you lean on him physically

and you almost give in, except…

“i can lean on you, huh?” you say, soaking in the warmth of his body, taking as much as you can before you continue 

“so you can end my career, merge our companies and crown yourself king?”

you look up at him, finding him smirking

just like you thought

“not a chance, choi jongho.”

“how can you see right through me every time, y/n?” he laughs loudly as you smack his chest and move towards the sofa to grab your purse

“i’m the only person who knows who you are,” you tell him. “you can own the world, but you will never own me.”

his eyes glint almost dangerously

“challenge accepted,” he says

you mockingly wave goodbye before exiting the room

choi jongho never changes, and neither do you

but somehow… it gets more addicting and electrifying to be with him, to compete with him and to stand with him

even though he is a tyrant, and you are everything that he is not

The Tyrant and His Defiant Ally

Psychotically evil and hot, just how I like my fictional men.

- 𝘫𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘶𝘯𝘩𝘰 - 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 ! ⋆·˚ ༘ *

synopsis: in which the way you look after showering gets your husband worked up.

genre: romance, smut, 18+. mdni.

warnings: dilf yunho!!!!!! yunho is in his late 30s-early 40s here, nudity implied, kitchen sex, swearing, breast play, making out, female reader, big!dick yunho, hand kink, finger sucking (yunho AND reader!!) tit sucking, cervix fucking, choking kink, breeding kink, if i missed anything let me know ! :3

song for the chapter : into it - chase atlantic

happy reading !

the coconut and lime scent of your conditioner floods the first floor of your home, sending your husband into a faint distraction. the scent runs up his nostrils, up to his brain, and straight down his cock. the music you’re playing blares through your phone in the shower, your husband hearing it through to the second floor.

“I BEEN CATCHIN’ PLANES FOR THE FUN OF IT,”

you sing out extra loud, your husband pausing his speech to apologize for the background noise.

you took an everything shower today, so you already made dinner before showering— considering you’d be exhausted.

somehow, yunho put the pieces together, finishing dinner and making it the right way. you didn’t expect yunho to be so generous tonight— but here you are, standing over the stove and nibbling little pieces of the food while you waited for yunho to finish from a call he was wrapped up in.

you looked around the kitchen out of boredom, looking for things to do before you dived into the food. the way yunho’s shirt sat so pretty onto your body, riding up your thighs as your pink panties peak through the ends of the tee made your man so painfully distracted— holding himself back from fucking you over the piping hot stove.

yunho watched how the ends of your hair weren’t fully dried and how it dripped onto the back of your calves, dripping down your shiny legs. he also watched how your— his— tshirt rode up your legs anytime you reached up somewhere or bent to get something. his eyes did not leave your body.

you were still stood over the stovetop, taking little bites of the greens. you moan in how good the food is, a blend of paprika and garlic seasoning, along with the sweetness of the teriyaki sauce that yunho drizzled everywhere.

but even through the layers of seasonings he put into the food, your scent still broke through it all.

“yeah, sounds good. i’ll put in the CRA request like we mentioned previously, and i’ll email you the forums. just let me know when you need it. was there anything else i could assist you with today, mr. song?” the man on the computer responds and the call comes to an end.

you stare at how attractive he is when he’s working— all the business talk that made no fucking sense to you, but he understands it like his own language, and that in itself makes you weak.

“doll, what do you have on? it smells good.” he finally decides to speak after what felt like hours of him admiring from behind his computer screen.

a much older man admiring your hygiene is something you never thought you’d see, but yunho was drooling on the laptop beneath his fingertips.

“it’s your favorite lotion,” you look up at him through damp eyelashes and flushed cheeks, watching how his nostrils flare with every breath he takes.

it takes yunho everything in his body to not pick you up and throw you over the counter and pound a baby into your small belly. he’s much older than you are, but when he met you, he knew you’d be his companion.

“yu, this smells really yummy. you did a great job, baby.” you walk over to yunho on the other end of the table, wrapping your arms around his shoulders from behind him. he holds onto your hands and throws his head back onto your stomach, looking up at you.

“sweets, the last thing on my mind is dinner. let me taste you, little girl,” his soft and mature voice makes your legs quiver with excitement as yunho takes your hands in his, bringing your middle and ring finger to his mouth, sucking on the digits. you gasp in response, watching how desperate the middle aged man underneath your touch grows weak at your feet.

“i can never get enough of you. wanna fuck you all day.” he stands up to face you, bringing his lips to yours. he sucks and nibs at your bottom lip to gain quicker access to explore the rest of your mouth. you deepen the kiss, the faint taste of cigarettes cloud your small mouth, making you whimper in desperation. he slides a hand between your thighs, thumb rubbing against your clit. you’re not sure if your juices make a patch on your panties or if its from your shower. nonetheless, you are so fucking turned on right now that the last thing on your mind is dinner.

“what have you done to me, pretty girl?” he feels as though you’ve casted a spell on him. everything you do makes him feral; weak in the knees. but somehow, you make him a man.

“i’m just here, yunho. don’t give me all the credit,” you gasp at the feeling of his long fingers pushing into your tight wet cunt. he gasps in sarcasm, exploring your face as he uses your cunt to soak his fingers— bringing them up to your mouth.

you feel his fingers curl into a ‘come here’ motion, your breath hitching as he pushes against your walls. your eyes roll, grasping his forearm as he speeds up his motions. you cry out and beg for him to slow down, but he doesn’t listen.

“so pretty. look at these lips, let me kiss them.” he brings his lips to yours in an open mouthed makeout, gasping for air as he pulls away with a deep-dimpled smirk. your pussy convulses around his long fingers, as your husband groans in response.

your thighs clamp shut in an attempt to calm yourself down from how aggressively his fingers ruthlessly ravish your cunt. yunho, reaching your cervix from how long his fingers are, takes in a deep breath at how fast he’s been moving. “yu- ohh— fuck! please— i’m cumming, please i’m gonna cum!” you chant begs along with his name as if it were a mantra, feeling the way his hard cock presses into your backside.

“yeah, feels good, doesn’t it, baby? now let me feel you cum on my cock.” he brings his fingers up to his mouth, sucking himself dry of your juices. you whimper in need of him inside of you. he lines himself up with your entrance as you’re bent over the counter across from the stove.

he pushes into your soaked pussy deeper, feeling his dick throb ruthlessly inside of you already. lucky for him, he was able to hold himself for almost half an hour on end while he fucks you.

“s-sir, it’s so big! i don’t think i can take y-“ you pull away from his length, feeling like you’re being ripped in half by what feels like 12 inches. he runs his hand along your back from underneath the t-shirt, in an attempt to calm you down and keep you around him.

“tiny girl, you can take me. you’ve let me fuck my cum into you hundreds of times. what’s changed, dollface?” he almost makes you cum from his voice in itself, but you decide to push back while he stays still, waiting for you to adjust to his size for what feels like the millionth time throughout your relationship.

he begins pounding into you at a quicker pace, pulling and tugging at your bare nipples from underneath you. your mouth hangs open as yunho brings his large hand to your throat to wrap itself around it. you grit through your teeth, wishing you could just cum.

you don’t feel like you want to cum, you feel like you’re going to squirt all over his body. “talk to me, baby. what’s it feel like?”

he’s being so fucking annoying and making you focus on anything else other than your orgasm, but you only moan and cry in response.

“i— ‘s too much.” whimpering and shaking in a headlock, you grasp onto yunho’s arm to get a breath of air. from the way his muscular arm wraps itself around your throat makes you cum over, and over already.

yunho gets another quick scent of your lotion and conditioner, making his cock twitch in your cervix.

“i’m almost done baby, give me another one— fuck, you smell so good. the fuck are you doing to me, baby?”

he pounds into you again, harder this time— tugging at your panties to pull you back onto his hips, planting himself deeper in you.

“nngh, oh my god!”

“oh, but i’m the one making you cry like this. give it to me, fucking milk me dry. gonna spill all my cum into your tiny stomach. let me give you my babies, hm? how’s that sound?”

he bends over so his chest is against your back as he nips at your ear. his tongue licks up your tears, planting a kiss on the end of your right eyebrow. his thrusts slow down as he holds you in place to shoot his load right into your baby maker.

“oh my— fuck! yes, so good!”

you cry out in relief that you finally got to spill out your cum onto yunho’s still cock. he lands a sharp slap on your ass before pulling you back up and planting a kiss on your forehead.

“so pretty when you cry for me. should keep a picture in my wallet.”

yunho gets down on his knees before you, licking up your thighs where your juices dried. your fingers run through his pretty softly gelled black hair.

he licks up all of your juices near your heat, using his fingers to push back the cum that threatens to drip from your pussy. your eyes roll to the back of your head as yunho places a kiss on your lower stomach, traveling up beneath your shirt to suck a generous amount of skin on your tit.

“yun— you’re sucking too hard, fuck!” he sucks and bites your nipples as if you were his lifeline,

he slaps the area he sucked on, making you gasp out in surprise. “keep my cum in you until after dinner, i’ll fuck more into you.”

so you sat at the other end of the table with your thighs clenching and unable to think about anything other than your husband pounding a shit ton of babies into you.

————————

🌷🤍🎀

well? dilfyunho anyone?????