Puppy Hybrid Police officer sworn to uphold the law, but his thirst for justice wavers whenever he is called out to one of the bars Werewolf Bodyguard Reader has on their roster.
"Evening, Officer. What seems to be the problem this time?"
Stay calm, be cool.
He's met hybrids and monster triple their size across his career, but there's just something about that wolf that leaves him weak in the knees and eager to serve their order alone. Confident, loyal- Muscles, don't even get him started on their muscles. How they manage to wear a shirt without them shredding at the seams is beyond him.
They're the full package. His ideal partner. Partner in crime that is. His thoughts towards them are strictly professional. He definitely doesn't lay awake at night dreaming of coming home to them waiting in bed as his personal body pillow.
Commanding in his own right, the officer can offer little more than a shy wave to his fellow canine.
"E-evening- Ahem Evening! I wish we could meet by more pleasant means, but duty calls! Hahaha- I'm sure you're already aware, but a man has been reported missing and his last known whereabouts is this establishment. Hate to do this to you, I really do, but do you have... any..."
The dog gulps like a fish out of water as the wolf shrugs off their coat - pectorals bulging from their ill fitting tee.
"You look a little chilly, Officer. Why don't you take my coat and head on out of here? I'll leave my card so you can ring me with whatever you need."
Okay- Yeah- That works too. Who's to say this missing business man is really missing anyway? He probably just went on vacation. His superiors won't mind if he runs a little late getting back to the station. He has to sniff, I mean- investigate this evidence they just gave him to find out where they've been. If he's lucky it'll lead him straight to their doorstep.
No thoughts, just Werewolf Bodyguard and the whipped puppy they have wrapped around their finger.
Tags/Warnings: amab-reader, tall-reader, intimidating-reader, buff-reader, implied reader x Polytr/x, dark themes and topics, you’ll be unnaturally tall, some mild spice implied but no NSFW, Angst/Comfort, Fluff.
Headcanons:
So how do you get here? Well you see Bobby, our favourite Supportive king, decided that it might be the next best thing to get his girls a personal bodyguard as extra security due to the girls becoming more popular by the day and though many fans are great there’s always gonna be those few creeps and unstable fans who don’t have the best intentions with Huntr/x.
So that’s where you came into the frame.
Ex-S.W.A.T, Built like a brick house, no criminal record of any kind, unnaturally tall (no seriously you’re like 7’8 in this) and able to do and handle other tasks.
You were in Bobby’s eyes, the PERFECT candidate to keep the girls safe, though in your medical history it was stated that you survived a rather nasty incident that costed the lives of a lot of brave men and woman in blue uniform along with most of your team.
The event left you scarred both Physically and very much mentally and emotionally on many levels, you quit your job because you couldn’t handle it anymore, plus your face was ripped to hell, left side all burned badly, your left cheek torn open to the point your jaw and teeth are exposed, left side of your nose is practically gone, and your blind in your left eye.
The whole situation was f—cked up and Bobby could tell just from reading off your medical history.
Now when he told the girls about this….well they were skeptical at first, Rumi didn’t think they needed more security, Mira was on the same boat with Rumi while Zoey, she was a bit more open minded about it and even helped Bobby convince her fellow hunters that this could be a good thing.
It worked.
And when you got the email saying you were hired, you were honestly happy, it has been about a year since you left the force and put away the old bulletproof vests and blue cloth for more simple jobs…..unfortunately due to your intimidating appearance, aura, and stature….you struggled to find a long lasting career.
Didn’t help that you struggled (and still do) with your mental health.
So when you decided to send your application to a few bodyguard and even bouncer job seekers, you were hoping that your scary appearance would be suitable for the role.
And now you’re in a plane on your way to Seoul, South Korea and then inside a black van towards Huntr/x tower.
When the girls saw you, you were wearing a hat, a mask, (like the ones we all wore during Covid) a baggy sweater that was worn and slightly torn here and there, cargo pants, and some boots, and….boy they Almost thought you were a demon for a second due to your sheer size and intimidating aura.
You gave them a polite bow and told them your name, Y/N, and they were taken aback by how soft yet deep yet..gentle your voice was.
Bobby then explained to them that you are their new personal bodyguard and will be living with them from now on.
The three k-pop demon hunting idols gave a look to one another and welcomed you with open arms. It was actually kinda nice with how friendly they are.
Now I’m not gonna sugar coat it, things were rough at first on both sides, you weren’t used to living with anyone let alone three positively stunning idols like Rumi, Mira, and Zoey.
For them it’s the fact that someone as big and tall as you is there inside their home now as their personal bodyguard. New rules had to be set, more boundaries had to be established and again it took getting used to have somebody new around on both sides.
Luckily they got used to you quickly though at their own paces.
Zoey was the first and the most welcoming, asking you questions, learning about what you like and don’t like though she hasn’t seen your entire face though. Neither of them.
Rumi was the next one to get used to you and she quickly found a common ground between you two, you both are hiding something your ashamed of, something that makes you both feel like monsters, she’s hiding the fact that she’s a half demon, a mistake, while you are hiding your Heavily scarred and rather scary face, but also she likes the fact that you’re very genuine, you take your job seriously, you try and be respectful the best you can, and you Do try to get to know them.
Rumi honestly finds a bit of comfort in your presence in a way.
Now Mira was the last one to get used to your presence, she was a little weary of you, your an outsider in her subconscious, but she doesn’t treat you in a rude way she’s just…cautious.
She doesn’t wanna risk her girls getting hurt (or losing her found family) and who can blame especially once she opens up a little to you about how sucky her old family is and you could relate in a way…..
When you lost your squad….it felt like you lost your family and that leaves deep scars.
Once Mira warmed up to you though, well now you’re apart of this chaotic trio just like Bobby is apart of this found family of (secret) demon hunters.
Mira likes to be competitive with you, Rumi likes to talk to you about whatever and Zoey Loves to either hang off your arms no matter what or ramble to you on and on about something full well you Are listening to every detail.
One day though…..you finally decided to show them what’s under the mask, now a bit of context, whenever you ate, you ate in your room or by yourself, and you used straws to drink your water, coffee and whatever but after hearing Mira’s struggles with her bio-family, Noticing Rumi struggling on trying to be “perfect” and Zoey telling you about her childhood a bit, you knew it was time and only fair to give them the full truth….plus you trust them enough now not to freak out a lot at your appearance.
And when you revealed your face they all Gasped.
Eyes wide, shocked expressions, Rumi covered her mouth….you could tell what they were thinking.
Who did this to you?…..What did this to you?!
When you were hired Bobby told all three of them a little of your backstory and Mira did a little extra digging making sure you didn’t have a criminal record which thank god you didn’t or else you’d probably have ended up in one of those cheesy 80’s - 90’s interrogation scenes….
However…..
There was one thing in all of their eyes that you noticed lacked.
Fear
They weren’t scared of you….they were concerned and worried on what the fuck happened to you.
And you told them.
Your squad was sent to stop very, very, very bad men and woman from doing Horrible things…..and it all went to shit because that group of bastards were far more prepared then Swat or the police expected. 50 Officers died that day….
50…..and sometimes it felt like you were one of them.
You held back tears the best you could as you confessed the demons that still haunt you.
And the girls held nothing but sympathy for you.
Mira put a gentle hand on your shoulder while even Zoey teared up a bit.
Once you were done they comforted you the best they could and…..you cried….because you realized you didn’t Have anyone to get proper support from.
You were alone for much of your life…
But not anymore.
You’re apart of the team now.
They along with Bobby always look out for each other.
After that much needed and heartfelt moment plus a big group hug (you actually cracked their backs due to how tight your hug was-)
Things got a bit better.
You didn’t wear your mask at home.
You smiled a little more.
And interacted and hanged out with them more.
They learned quickly that you were a damn good cook and had a habit of consistently cleaning the place up to the point their home inside Huntr/x Tower seemed to sparkle a little….
Also you loved to either binge read books or binge watch entire shows….and also that you struggled with sleeping.
And that’s when the girls dragged you out to buy You things that will help you sleep better.
Scented candles that calm your mind, soft blankets, lofi music, and even some melatonin gummies.
Your sleeps have gotten a bit better.
But the nightmares still remain…..Always
Usually you’d wake up with a gasp and a cold sweat and then go grab a snack and a small cup of water but one night you full on screamed and started swinging your arms around as your mind couldn’t tell nightmare from reality.
The girls literally rushed your room with panic and even more panic seeing you having a full blown panic attack.
Took them nearly 10 minutes to get you back to reality….
And the girls decided it be best for them to sleep in your room for tonight just incase.
The next day they told Bobby and he took you to a professional.
Turns out you have some pretty harsh PTSD.
Bobby asked if you were sure you still wanted to be a Bodyguard for the girls.
And you didn’t hesitate on saying yes.
You may have some serious mental Issues but this job has given you a lot that you don’t wanna give up.
Plus you can handle it.
You were given some meds and had three times a month check ups with a really good therapist (thanks to Bobby pulling a few strings)
The girls helped you a lot as well.
And because of all the kindness they’ve showed you, you were determined to do your job.
Speaking of your job.
It’s honestly pretty simple yet fits very well with your skills and expertise/experiences.
Mostly just gotta stand there and keep an eye out.
And you had an eye like a Hawk.
The fan base quickly set it’s sights on you cause
WHO THE FUCK IS THIS TALL, SCARY, MASKED, YET ATTRACTIVE PERSON THAT IS WORKING FOR HUNTR/X?!?!
You quickly gained a reputation as a scary masked gentle giant with a voice that made people shiver in a….”good way”
You checked up on your fellow staff members, made sure the fans were doing well and behaved during events, meet and greets, fan signings, and such.
Bobby had to get a few custom uniforms made Just for your bulk.
Again you’re like 7’8 in height.
Unfortunately people quickly took notice of your muscles and the internet was slowly going feral for them.
You did your job Extremely well.
One time someone tried to steal Rumi’s jacket and before they could even get their mittens on it, your death gripped their writs with a police car already waiting outside.
The low amounts of troublemakers during Huntr/x events quickly dropped to near-none.
You did Not fuck around and you expected the same from the rest of the staff.
Bobby grew more and more relived about hiring you.
Cause things got Done when you were around.
And trouble was none-existent too.
Actually one time Mira decided to take you to a shooting range when Huntr/X was doing an American tour and she discovered that your swat training was still deep in your psyche as you hit your shots with experienced and trained precision.
She took a video and showed it the girls.
Zoey then asked if you could teach her.
You IMMEDIATELY refused because Zoey and guns don’t mix in your head.
You view her as too much of a sweetie for such weapons (even though she knows how to fight demons but you don’t know that….yet ;))
Now as time went on….your friendship with the girls slowly turned into something more as you got to know them more and more.
Mira hanged out with you more whenever you worked out, trained, or did anything that was exercise (Gym girl Mira? Anyone?)
You and Zoey binged shows a ridiculous amount and you honestly impressed her with how well and much you actually listen to her rambling.
Mira and Rumi do as well but…sometimes Mira isn’t always available and Rumi just sometimes doesn’t listen to Zoey cause she’s focused on something else, not saying Mira and Rumi don’t Try but Zoey just has so much to ramble about it’s hard to keep up sometimes.
But you somehow manage and it warms her heart.
Rumi enjoys quietly reading books with you near her reading your own book.
Just calm minds and the sound of paper flipping and whatever background noise is going on.
Though the girls found themselves thinking about you more and more.
To the point they even found themselves starring at your muscles….
And by that point they all realized they have become “Ze Down Bad” for their bodyguard.
Secret Huntr/x meeting!
They all confessed to each other their feelings about you…..and it didn’t take too long for each other of them to collectively agree on sharing you.
They all liked you and did like each other (polytrix go brrrr-)
So why not share?
Now the fans started to take notice a week after the secret meeting about Y/N
And the shipped and fans were like “does Polytrix like Y/N?!!”
The answer slowly became yes due to the girls (mainly Zoey and Mira) not being the most subtle about it.
Zoey cling to you more now in a way.
More hugs, more piggyback rides, more hanging off your arm like a kid and more just hanging onto you like a koala.
Mira worked out with you more.
While maybe or maybe not taking photos of you, nothing bad of course.
But photos of when the light Just hit your sweaty body just in the right way or when your muscles are flexing Just at the right moment.
Which she may or may not have sent and shown to the girls.
You had to go get a new box of tissues recently plus had to clean up…pop corn off of Mira’s room for some reason.
Odd.
The girls have been more inclined to join you on your workouts more often which you just took it up as they wanted to work out more.
You didn’t mind.
You got to see Zoey workout and be more competitive which was fun and even saw Rumi lift way more than you originally thought.
Good times all around tbh.
Now you…..you would be lying to yourself if you didn’t say you weren’t falling for the girls as well.
Mira’s competitive yet protective spirit, Zoey’s goofiness and talent, and Rumi’s kindness and determination.
Their personalities were attractive.
Plus all three of them were drop dead gorgeous.
Like seriously even without make up Drop Dead, On your Knees, Ass up, face down, dead gorgeous.
Which sometimes your insecurities got the better of you’re in the back of your mind.
You were still kinda a freak in your mind.
A scarred face, scarred body, wounded soul, Too damn tall, and cracked mind.
You were imperfect.
Not to them though.
Sure you did have your flaws.
But the things that You think are imperfections to Zoey, Mira, and Rumi were just You.
Your scars, your scarred face, your gentle yet clearly wounded soul, your cracked mind.
They love those things just as much as the rest of you and simply want to help you get better like how you help them and how they help each other.
Now eventually things just keep on going further away from simply being Platonic.
It starts with Mira and Rumi catching you and Zoey snuggled up on the couch after binging shows all nights, Rumi sometimes laying her head on your lap whenever you two read books, and even Mira getting a little more teasing with you.
Eventually the girls agreed they had to tell you their feelings soon.
However that moment would come sooner then they had planned.
And it’s all because after a fun “hangout” with all four of y’all.
A drunken man started flirting with you, like Really flirting with you.
You tried to be polite as to not draw attention to you and the girls but the man was pushing his boundaries however before you could put your foot down and tell him to back the fuck off and go home.
Mira stepped in first with a Harsh “Hey!” Followed by her telling the dude to piss off Followed by Rumi telling him he’s being a creep Also Followed by Zoey actually glaring at him.
The guy backed off with a Tsk and you were relieved.
You were about to thank the girls till Mira grabbed you and dragged you back to Huntr/x tower.
And once in your room their possessiveness got the better of each of them as Mira was the first one to (somehow) push you down on your bed and started kissing your face all over.
You were flustered as you asked her what was she doing only for Rumi and Zoey to join in as you went beat red from ear to ear and breathing heavily due to being kissed all over your face and lips.
Mira whispered in your ear on how they didn’t like that man trying to take what was is supposed to be theirs.
Rumi added to that saying how you belong to Them.
You were confused yet couldn’t fight back against them.
You didn’t want to.
And well the next day you were covered across your shoulders, neck, and face in hickeys, bite marks, and a Lot of lip stick.
Shirt gone and still processing what happened.
You guys didn’t do the deed but it was clear they definitely marked you.
Once Girls woke up and realized what happened….they all went red and started apologizing for their behaviour which you politely waved them off saying it was fine only for them to counter saying it’s not fine for them to force themselves on you like that.
A few showers, change of clothes into some lazy, casual wear and cups of coffee/tea later the girls decided to explain Why they got all possessive last night.
Cue one love confession at the same time.
You were shocked, stunned, flabbergasted!
You thought they only liked you as a close friend is all.
Nope!
They liked ya and they wanted ya.
And….well with a red face you confessed how much you liked them too.
They all three smiled and blushed.
It was cute.
Zoey Immediately hug jumped you before deciding to be bold and giving you a long romantic kiss which caught you off guard but you quickly replicated.
Mira and Rumi got slightly jealous but then Rumi walked up and kissed you once Zoey was done then Followed Mira and you melted with a bit of a goofy blushing grin on your face.
Three Goddesses like you……holy shit.
Since then things have been a little different.
You basically were the girls living and walking scary teddy bear.
Zoey’s clinginess was turned up to an eleven, more cuddles, more hugs, more clinging onto you and even Mira and Rumi. Though she liked to cling onto especially since your like a Damn tree to her.
Mira was more flirty and teasing now especially during y’all work out, always trying to get a blush from you And even the other girls now.
Rumi was a lot more affectionate now, she tend to kiss your scars during intimate moments.
She also liked to give the girls surprise kisses with a bit of a cheeky grin.
Oh and your lap is now her seat and her lap is now the girls and yours pillows.
CUDDLES, just lots of cuddling on the couch or on the beds.
Girls love to lay on top of you during these moments.
Oh and the internet is now loosing its mind trying to figure out if the girls and you are dating or not.
Bobby tries to keep it a secret as much as he can since it’s clear you and the girls don’t want to reveal the relationship to the public.
They help quite a lot with your insecurities and nightmares and mental health Issues and you do the same for them.
One time Mira’s parents called her and it quickly escalated into an argument over the phone which you gently took her phone and began to verbally destroy her parents in seconds……she was genuinely blown away by that and now she’s never had to deal with her parents bs.
Zoey had a bad day after seeing a few hate tweets about her during a particularly sensitive day for her and you had comforted her while Rumi and Mira were unfortunately busy that day.
And Rumi…..well.
You had accidentally walked in on her when her patterns were exposed.
She freaked out and locked you in her room while she was panicking like crazy, meanwhile you were wondering wtf are these patterns on her body.
She told you half the truth.
She only told you that she was a half demon…she left the part about being a demon hunter in fear that you’d freak out over the girls safety since you had become more protective of them.
You…..were shocked to say the least.
I mean demons being real has now left you with so many questions but your focus was on the currently crying and scared Rumi.
You gently took her hands in yours while softly rubbing away her tears.
You told her that you still love and accept her.
And she was stunned by your gentle words and loving smile that made her feel warm.
She thought you’d see her as an Abomination….a mistake.
But you didn’t.
Because it was still Rumi in front of you and that’s all you needed.
Her being a demon is just something you’re gonna have to fully accept after wondering what Else is actually real…..
But that wasn’t the focus.
Rumi was the focus.
You asked her if the others knew and she shook her head no.
You asked her why she doesn’t tell them?
She said she doesn’t wanna risk loosing the people she loves most.
You said you’re sure Mira and Zoey would accept her.
She quickly shook her head no and saying she didn’t want to risk it.
And you simply nodded in acceptance, you didn’t want to force her since she didn’t force you to reveal your face to her and the others.
You told her that if she ever wants to reveal her secret to the rest of the group then you’d be by her side in that moment.
And her heart only grew to love you more because of those words.
She lunged forward and hugged you in a death grip.
And you hugged her back telling her it’s okay, she’s not alone and that you’ll keep her secret till she’s ready.
After that heartwarming moment the few private and intimate moments between you and Rumi got a little more intimate, she’d kiss your scars more and you’d kiss her patterns, telling her how beautiful they looked on her skin.
She definitely got a boost of confidence and self-esteem from these moments.
Now during the events of the film, it became harder for them to keep their secret that they are demon hunters from you……especially since your an Ex-Swat member which means you’ve got some investigation skills on you and you can always tell when something’s off which they both loved and hated.
You were simply too good at your job as Huntr/x’s personal bodyguard and secret lover.
When you first met the Saja boys, you got some bad vibes from them….like bad vibes.
However Jinu was the least bad of the group.
The girls quickly made sure to keep you away from the Saja boys….Jinu wanted to try and get closer to you however since you seemed to have an especially strong connection to the hunters.
And that’s when Gwi-Ma sent his sights on you.
You were out and about running a few errands trying to get a few ingredients to make pancakes for the girls and have a pancake night to help relieve the recent stress they’ve been going through.
The girls were out hunting demons.
A group of men were following you and you noticed quickly.
However things got way out of hand once you realized they weren’t human….they were demons.
You thought you were about to die after fighting them off for 10 minutes as well as you could.
Then came Zoey, Mira, and Rumi to save you from having your soul stolen.
You were stunned….
This whole time they were demon hunters?!?!
That explains the late night returns and all the other times they’d randomly disappeared.
THEY HUNTED DEMONS!
(I’m running out of ideas so this is where I gets a little more lazy)
An hour of explaining EVERYTHING about their real job and the honmoon, Gwi-Ma, Demons, the origins and history of Hunters later…..you were shocked.
But kinda took it better than they expect…..however that didn’t mean you weren’t still worried about your girls.
Cause again- THEY ARE BASICALLY AT WAR WITH DEMONS!!!!
And boy now you wished you had a 12. Gauge with you cause you’d go hunting for demons especially the Saja boys now.
But you could cause the girls wouldn’t let you.
You’re too important to them and you don’t have the right training or weapons to fight demons.
Now during the rest of the events of the film you tried your best to help the girls and help Rumi with her patterns.
But things only got worse over time….
Especially when they were making take down.
Even you felt like it wasn’t like them to make a song that sounded so hateful……but you tried to remain supportive.
But during the Idol awards the unceremonious reveal of Rumi’s patterns to the girls…..things went down hill.
You tried to reason with them.
But Rumi felt hopeless after the girls nearly drew their blades at her and Mira was pissed that you kept this secret from her and Zoey….
Just like everyone else…..you fell into Gwi-Ma’s trap.
“You failed, You’ve lost your family again, You’ve lost everything Again….But I can give you what you want”
You tried to fight it through your tears but it didn’t last long….
But as we all know, When Rumi showed up and came to save the day, you saw her and you cried tears of Joy.
You didn’t loose your family.
You sang with the crowd and cheered for them.
And after everything….things got better, it was nice to see Rumi so much more confident and able to show her patterns which only made her look more ethereal, oh and you and the girls definitely spent like an hour crying in each other’s arms telling you how much they love you and each other.
Bobby was glad his girls and you were happy and better than ever.
Now you’re the relationship is well known to the public and the fans are all for it, some of them even going feral for it, though some of them and have stated how much they want you to bend them over-
But anyways-
You’re still Huntr/x Big, Intimidating, Bodyguard but you were also their lover and the girls wouldn’t have it any other way.
please please please Rumix x reader??? The brainrot is real.
Title: Plastic Stars Are Still Stars
Ship: Female Demon!Reader x Rumi
Warnings: mentions of self-harm (reader and Rumi are sad), Swords, cannon-typical violence, terrible parents, Mostly hurt, some comfort, horrible grammar, I don't proofread.
Summary: After Rumi figures out that her bodyguard is from the underworld, emotions and ethics bleed into a complicated mess.
My everything taglist 💕: @thinking1bee (Let me know if you want to be added!)
[A/n: I'm still figuring out how to write Rumi and the Girls, but uh... Polytrix coming soon]
Main Masterlist | Read my stuff on AO3 | Leave Requests
You’d noticed Rumi long before she noticed you. She had a metallic, almost sweet scent. Something distinctly inhuman. It was masked in floral lotions and a five-step skincare routine that put other influencers and idols to shame. But it was there, nonetheless. An unspoken tether that stretched thin between you both.
It was impossible to distance yourself from her. It was your job to not stay as close as possible to her without actually touching. You kept your hands folded behind your back, your eyes shielded under thick-rimmed glasses with a dark tint. You were Huntrix’s shadow, stalking behind them with a stoney look on your face.
The fans, they were mostly harmless. Zoey insisted that they were. But Bobby insisted right back that he hire private security. You were mostly quiet, mostly observant. But sometimes, you couldn’t hold back your opinions, lest you might drown from the strain of staying impartial.
They talked like you weren’t there, but used a thinly-veiled coding system that revolved around different ways to prepare Ramen. You’d mostly puzzled it out by now, but sometimes they’d throw you off with a mention of a new spice that had you wracking your brain for some type of demonic pun that rested just below the surface.
“I cook my Ramyun with water. So does the place on Euljiro in the center of the street market.”
For a skilled Hunter, Zoey was horrible at parsing a situation. Her line delivery was awful, so bad, in fact, that you let out the small scoff. Rumi heard it, even if it was a pindrop from six miles away, she would have heard it. Her perfectly-sculpted brows knitted together as she whipped her head towards you, fingers tightening around her tablet.
Mira crossed her toned arms over her chest. “What was that?”
It wasn’t said with any malice. Her head was tilted, eyes wide. She reminded you of a Bulgae, a wolfish beast that was shrouded in fire, but undeniably adorable. You were sure her ears would be flattened right now, if she had some of the pointed variety. She’d grown pale at the intrusion that hadn’t happened in the year and a half that you’d worked with them.
“Nothing, just… Most Ramyun are made with water.” You bit into the side of your tongue to keep from saying more. They were trained in this. If they were going after a wraith, they knew exactly what they were doing. Despite your distance, you didn’t want any of them to drown. You’d grown quite fond of all three of them, in their own quirked-out ways.
“Then we should go give it a try and see if it lives up to the rumors.” Zoey clapped her hands twice. “We’ll be so safe. You should head to bed, Y/n. You’ve worked so hard today. We can bring you back some Chapaguri.”
You nodded your head, letting your shoulders drop by just enough to ease the aching in your neck. You knew full and well what they were going to do out there, but a warm bath and soft sheets were much more interesting than another hunt that could drag on to the middle of the night, when the supposed noodles would chill to the point of ice.
“You’ll be careful, won’t you? Getting Ramyun.”
Mira seemed to sober at this, lifting her chin just enough for you to see the glint in her eyes. “We always are.”
Rumi had yet to speak. She was inhaling deeply as if she was clawing through each and every scent in the room. You wondered if you carried the same notes she did, or something that was steeped in more metal. You watched as her chest rose and fell, even as she barely made a sound. Her tablet had gone dark, her jaw clenched and eyes narrowed.
“Get some rest, y/n. It’ll be a long day tomorrow.”
“Oh yes! I love signings, I bought a new pen that-”
The rest of Zoey’s words filtered through the penthouse as Mira steered her towards the front door by the shoulders. Rumi had stood, the same height as you with an intensity that any leader would possess. She wore a sweater despite the heat in the same way you wore a jacket that collected moisture at the small of your back. She inhaled once, more deliberate this time before her stare hardened. She turned on her heel and stalked out with a slam of the door. You couldn’t stop your shoulders from flinching.
They were much softer returning to the penthouse. You were sprawled on top of your bed, hands folded behind your head as you stared up at the ceiling. A cacophony of stars that glowed a brilliant green. Seoul produced too much light to see the stars. You’d settled for this ages ago, taken them from each place of living. They were the last thing you took down and the first thing you put up.
A fan whirred in the windowsill leading to a balcony that you rarely used for leisure, rather than a quick escape. Despite the deafening sounds of your own spiraling thoughts, you heard the shift of the wood floor right outside your door. You’d always been light on your feet, pulling on a cardigan despite the cloying heat, before you opened the door.
Rumi nearly fell through, her ear having been pushed against the wood. She stumbled awkwardly into your living space. Where she lacked grace, she made up for in brutality. You’d seen her work only once before you decided that staying home was for your own good.
When she recovered, she leveled you with a withering glare. The coffee brown of her eyes seemed to shift under the light of the full moon, placing you in a terrarium of pale color. The door was kicked shut behind her, and she was suddenly nose to nose with you. You could feel her soft exhale, the heat of her, but you didn’t dare step back.
Not when her stare sharpened at your silence and the only sound that filled the room was the materialization of her Sain-Geom. The heat radiated off of the metal and this time you did stumble back. You didn’t believe she’d actually pull it, not after so many long days together.
The back of your legs hit your bed, the springs creaking loudly as you flopped onto the mattress. Rumi’s warm weight was pinning you down, arms angled, tip of the blade burning into your skin. The whimper that left your throat was nothing short of pathetic. It made her falter.
“It took me a long time to figure you out.” She snarled. “But tonight… tonight.”
“You scented me.”
Rumi pressed down harder. You swallowed a yelp to avoid waking the girls. Dying under Rumi’s hand was something you’d dream of on multiple occasions. The quickness in her movements, the way you’d crumple under her hand.
“How have you hidden it for so long?”
“The same way you have, I assume.”
She let out a frustrated grunt as if she were fighting her own instinct. The blade dispersed into the air as quickly as it had materialized. She dropped forward, hands on either side of your head. Strands of purple hair escaping her meticulous braid and framing her face.
Slipping from the pulled sleeves of her shirt, branching out like lightening hitting sand and turning it to molten metal. Iridescent colors marked in brilliant patterns. She glowed as much as the stars on your ceiling, and she panted as if they were draining the energy from her instead of filling her with it.
“Stop staring like that,” Rumi snapped, her too-pointed teeth clicking together. “I’m a mutt. A mixed breed. I’m not natural. I’m… I’m”
You whispered out “Broken. Most demons are. They can pretend all they want but at the end of the day, they’re all just working to prove that we’re not as shattered as we are.”
Rumi made a small noise in the back of her throat, moving off of you and flopping onto one side of you. Your shoulders pressed against each other. Though you had seen them dozens of times, you watched the stars. You watched them as if you would be able to reach them one day.
“If it makes you feel any better, you’re holding those pieces together pretty damn well.”
She huffed, turning her head towards yours. “Things used to be so easy to separate. Demons are bad. They’ve always been bad. But you, I can’t get a read on you. Why protect us for so long if we were killing your kind?”
Your breath was heavy, shaking. It had been centuries since you told your story. It was written in scrolls and in the legends that bookended the mythology section of the library. Like any other demon, there was a source. There was always a source.
“The love of my life bled to death in my arms.”
Rumi gasped. She tried to swallow it down, but couldn’t. You turned your head, looked at her, took in the shock on her features. There was a smattering of freckles across her nose, dusting her cheeks.
“So, so long ago. You expect pain like that to dull over time, but it never does. mos-sseuge mandeulda, it never does. That feeling just lingers. I would trade the hundreds of years that I’ve lived for just one week with her. One day, one hour, one second.”
You cleared your throat, tried to disperse the heavy feeling that was washing over you. Rumi’s fingers twitched, like she was fighting the urge to touch you.
“I made a deal in desperation. She was cold at that point. Gone. But I couldn’t accept it. Gwi-Ma, he’s cruel. I was human, I was dying, I wasn’t ready to go. He used my disposition as a warrior against me. Said if I collected 1,000 souls then he’d bring her back. All I wanted was for her to come back.”
You turned your head back to the ceiling, draped an arm over your eyes until little stars bursts against your eyelids. There was a catch in your throat, one that moved down to your chest. The taste in your mouth never became less bitter.
“Decades went by, and I did awful, horrible things. I became less human. I stopped seeing the good in people. They were numbers. They were only numbers. And eventually, when I finally got to 1,000 souls, I was unrecognizable. A fox. A trickster. I would say anything to get someone to follow me just far enough that I could take what I wanted.”
This time, Rumi did reach out. Her fingers closed around yours and squeezed. There was devotion and love in the gesture, but not trust. You hadn’t earned that.
“Gwi-Ma, as I kneeling in front of him, the idea of him, begging to release me from his hold, just laughed. He laughed and laughed and watched what little hope I had left drain away. The deal was over, but he was never going to bring her back to me. By then, by then I’d torn through so much that she wouldn’t recognize me anyway. She’d be disgusted in who I’d become. What I become.”
She squeezed your hand again, “How are you here?”
You sniffed, opening your eyes to more stars. “Those 1,000 souls I took, they weren’t to feed his hunger. They’re meant to prolong mine. I’m on life sixty-two. I get flashes of how that man lived, the people who he loved and who I took him from. I have endless more to live. All of them stretching and unkind.” You let out a dry laugh. “And I deserve all of it.”
You were met with silence, labored and heavy. Rumi didn’t move to withdraw her hand from yours. If anything, she tightened the grip. She touched you like you deserved to be touched. There was a stone in your throat that you couldn’t quite swallow around.
Eventually, you turned your head just enough to catch her eyes. They were terracotta, a strange shift in light. You expected to see horror there, disgust even. She easily could conjure her weapon and end this life. Her breath shook when she exhaled, warmth splaying against your features.
“I can’t puzzle you out.”
“Are you trying to?” Rumi whispered.
You nodded, the answer was quick at the forefront of your mind. It always would be. “Most hunters would have killed me the second they found out what I am. But you? You’re asking questions. They never ask questions.”
Rumi frowned, an adorable little crease. “You’ve met other hunters?”
Again, you swallowed, this time audibly. You had unwittingly stiffened. Guilt reflected in Rumi’s eyes. She worried her bottom lip, wanting to apologize, but it wasn’t in her nature. Not for a demon like you. She’d been taught to slaughter, to revel in the heat of your blood. Now she lay shoulder to shoulder with you.
“I ask them to kill me.”
She exhaled, had lost all of her breath before squeaking out a “What?”
“Mm, they’re the only ones that possess weapons strong enough to kill me. The first time I… I wanted it to work, even if that meant an eternity with Gwi-ma. But, I woke up with horrible pain and still alive, and that was almost worse than having a stab wound.”
The laugh you let out was dry, but it fell flat. Rumi was shifting faster than you could take it back. Frankly, you wanted to take the whole conversation back, swallow your shame like you did 1,000 souls.
Her hand was warm against your cheek. You know you looked shocked, like a cornered animal. But she brushed her thumb against the flush of your face and her stare was hardened with the same determination she had during long practices at the studio.
“How fucking foolish of you.”
A broken whimper got lodged in your throat. “huh?”
There was something jarring about hearing Rumi mutter an expletive. Something even more jarring about it being aimed at you. Her lips were close to your own, whether she noticed or not. She had a deep look in her eyes that lead towards the latter.
“How many times have you died?”
“Seven or eight, give or take.”
Rumi’s fingers wrapped around your collar and pulled you up so you were slightly peeled from the mattress. Her angry face overtook the constellations above. “And what, you thought we were going to kill you?”
“No offense, all three of you tend to stab first, ask questions later. And maybe it’ll stick this time. You know, if you’re the one to do it.”
The weight was unspoken, had her scrambling off of you and pulling her knees to her chest. She panted twice, watching as you sat up yourself, crossed your legs and sat parallel to her. Something under her turtleneck flickered. Patterns.
“My mother, she was a legendary hunter.” Rumi hummed out, most of her words muffled against the fabric of her pants, but still understandable. “My father was a demon. I didn’t know something like me could exist. I wasn’t meant to exist. Celine takes every chance to remind me of my shame. So I try hard to prove that there’s something good in me, but I don’t know if there is.”
She lifted her head a bit, blinked twice at you with the look of concern.
“Zoey and Mira… I feel like they’d understand, but there’s this nagging feeling in the back of my mind that the second they knew, they’d turn their weapons on me. Celine taught all three of us the same about what you” She swallowed hard, shook her head “what we are. We’re poison.”
“Mm, even poison brings it’s moments of solitary bliss. Everyone has demons, Rumi. Some of us let themselves get consumed. They feel, perhaps too much. It’s why they’re damned in the first place.”
You were suddenly exhausted, too tired to fight with your warring thoughts. Without abandon, you shifted until you were back laying on your side, sleepy eyes on Rumi as she puzzled through her current situation.
Eventually, Rumi shimmied down until she was laying on the opposite side of the bed, hand under her cheek, eyes roaming your features. She whispered: “I wouldn’t kill you.”
“Say’s the girl that had a Sain-Geom at my jugular not even an hour ago.”
She giggled, a foreign sound lately. “I wanted to intimidate you.”
“Mission accomplished, Rumi.”
When she yawned, you saw the sharpness of her teeth, the dull pulsing glow under her collar. Something inside you warmed when you realized she had put down a few barriers that she fought to keep up around the girls. She looked too comfortable to make her move, and you had no desire to do so.
Wordlessly, in an heir of comfort, you both drifted off. She didn’t make an extra effort to pull you close, and neither did you. But Rumi’s pinky finger wrapped around your own with a vice grip as you both drifted off into dreamless sleep.
He found you digging through the trash. Months of tracking you down led to nothing, and he was on the verge of giving you up when his luck rang through once again. Deciding to not waste the moment, he approached you and smiled when he saw how quickly your muscles reflexed into a ready stance despite your shabby appearance and weakened state. Always out for yourself. As expected of a mercenary.
He offered you the position right there. Be his bodyguard, and in exchange, well all the money you could possibly imagine.
“And I’m sure your pursuers will back off once they know you’re under the IPC”.
It was to be a formal relationship. An exchange of services. He made the contract, and you signed it.
“At least read it once before you sign it. You don’t know what I will be asking from you,” Aventurine cautioned.
“I don’t need to read to know what I’m getting myself into,” you replied calmly.
Indeed you never questioned your role, and very quickly established yourself as Aventurine’s silent shadow. Rumours spread that his murky character was only your shadow. That his eyes bewitched while yours homed in on the attack. Everyone soon watched their tongue around the IPC manager, least they find it cut by your sword. Sometimes Aventurine wondered if he really knew what he was getting himself into. Other times, he intentionally pushed you to see what it would take to make you snap from your calm demeanour. Impossible missions ranging from late night escapades, rescue missions, even getting up at 2 am to get him a snack. You bore it all with no malice. Truly, you were dangerous.
You had no friends and made no attempt to create new friends. They were possible attempts on his life was the rational you provided. Even if you wanted friends, Aventurine mused, no one would dare approach someone they knew might harm them, not in this stratum of society where foes and friends of the IPC were treated alike. Stuck with him, he supposed he could offer you a modicum of friendship. If only to stave off the loneliness of two people. He found himself exchanging slights of hand tricks, and asking questions to which your answers had him honestly laughing. It was fun, Aventurine realized, to have this banter between you within the familiarity of your roles. You were taciturn, but woe betide the fool who assumed nothing more lay behind your professional face.
It started with a mission plan. Late a night, echoes of the casino music and laughter reached to his hidden chambers where the IPC manager stayed up planning a stealth attack. Struggling over how to extract himself from the danger, he almost forgot you were there until he saw your arm reach over and readjust the plan. A sudden change of view and Aventurine’s problems fell away. He looked up at you only to see a gleam in your eyes as you stared at the mission plan. You were in your element.
“Foolish of me to not see things that way,” he murmured.
“Late night thoughts are dangerous, sir”.
There were several more moments like these. Nights when he awoke to sounds and only found you cleaning up. You would turn towards him and ask him in a gentle voice to go back to bed. The blood was always gone by morning. Another when he arrived to see his dinner had been eaten by you. Perspiration appeared on your forehead, and you began to wheeze. Still you quietly begged forgiveness, claiming that your hunger was uncontrollable. It was your duty, yet Aventurine didn’t understand why your actions carried such a depth of emotions within them. Worse yet, Aventurine didn’t understand why he grew concerned over you. It was your responsibility. So why did he wait till he heard you stop cleaning before slipping back to bed? Why did he panic over your poisoned state, ushering you to induce vomiting without a care for his clothes.
The turning point occurred during a casino night. Caught up in the moment, Aventurine failed to notice a pair of cold eyes, staring hard not at him but at his hand, the one that always stayed near his person when he played. All of a sudden, he could feel your presence near him, gently leaning into him, hiding his hand away from the world. He stared at you, but you stared ahead, challenging the eyes that dared to cast a glance at that which you protected so fiercely. He didn’t know when you noticed his habit, but for some reason, didn’t find it all that alarming that the one person to find out his secret was you. He knew you would keep it safe.
You became his confidant soon after. A hundred secrets, but a thousand smiles. For the first time laughter tailed Aventurine’s shadow, and people stopped differentiating between you both. Rumours began to spread, rumours Aventurine neither confirmed nor denied. He knew the emotion that linked the two of you. Gratitude. He hated it. Relations formed on such a flimsy emotion are quickly manipulated and broken. Like misery, the emotion wafted through life. It’s why he never questioned the second mug you left for him, or the extra plate of food. It’s what he told himself when you took his exhausted body to bed, gently stroked his head, and didn’t flinch when he screamed out at night and clenched your hand, nails digging deep enough to leave crescent-shaped tears.
Too scared to ask for more, Aventurine sustained his life on temporality. He once gave you a gift. Nothing but a miniature coin attached to a pin, but you had yet to remove it from your appearance. He told himself, he just wanted to thank you. It was also why he insisted on helping you clean your wounds, slowly tracing over your marred skin, gently asking if you were still alright. If you were still alive. Still with him. Enjoy the moment. Don’t ask for more.
So why was it that this particular moment had him far more upset than the situation warranted? In the white noise of the casino where glamour trumps sensibility, a gentleman had the gall to approach Aventurine. Accustomed to the routine, Aventurine watched the man wager a high stake. Like bees to honey, eyes swarmed the two men as they ascended the ladder of fate. As usual, no one saw Aventurine’s hand shake or the exhale when the odds came into his favour once more. As expected, the distraught man slipped out insults at his opponents. Sighing, Aventurine slipped into his role of providing superficial comfort. What he did not expect was the silver glint. A sudden clash of metal, and the click of a gun.
You were in front of him, blocking Aventurine from having to see the poor excuse of a human being. The gentleman’s dagger was pathetic in comparison to your sword and the gun you jammed into his head.
“The game is over, sir. Take your losses and go home”.
“You work for a cheat! A Scoundrel!”
Aventurine pressed his glasses closer to his eyes and smiled. Really, the man had guts to continue to insult when death stood right in front of him.
You easily flicked away the dagger.
“Hold your tongue. Leave now”.
The gentleman’s eyes narrowed as he registered you and your role. His lips curled and he sneered, “And here comes the guard dog, protecting its master”.
Aventurine gripped his hand and felt the engraving on the coin within, press into his skin. His lips thinned but he remained silent.
“A master worth protecting”.
Now both men looked at you, clearly shocked by your statement. Then the gentleman scoffed and snatched his hat.
“You’ve got them trained well, Gambler. But you better yoke them before they land you in trouble”.
You watched the man until he left the room. Behind, you could hear Aventurine lazily count his winnings. Clatter. Clatter. Clatter. The sound of each coin bounced off the room. Aventurine was upset. You sighed.
“I don’t like you accepting such talk!” the man sputtered out. It always amused you when he did this, concern choking his suave side.
“The man was angry. Let him bark,” you grinned at him. “I’m the one who bites”.
Aventurine turned his head away from you, failing to hide his smile. The he reached his hand out to you. Taking the cue, you sat near him. He shook off his glasses and placed his head on your shoulder. When you made no move to remove his head, he let it sink down as you buried your hands into his hair.
“Am I really worth protecting?” A quiet whisper came out.
“Yes”.
“I’m not your master,” this time the voice was firmer.
You hesitated. “The contract,”
“Damn the contract! You’re—We’re—. You can leave anytime you want!”
Silence hung in the air as you both pressed closer.
“I didn’t mean that,” Aventurine murmured, hand reaching for yours.
You placed you head on top of his. “Late night thoughts are dangerous, dear”.
Aventurine closed his eyes, feeling the edges of sleep flow in. There would be no going back now, but Aventurine found himself ready to slip off into the unknown, because now you were there, guarding his back. Was it gratitude? Maybe. But maybe, just perhaps. It was the start of something stronger. Something better that would etch itself upon his soul, overriding all the other scars.
Pairing: (future) Mafia! Stucky x Bodyguard! Reader
Summary: A longtime client snubs you, causing you to leave the life you know
Word Count: 3,629
Content/Warnings: swears, patriarchy, weaponized incompetence, borderline mansplaining, yelling, fighting, mentions of nose picking, misogyny, secrets, explosions, mentions of weapons, strong female characters, no Steve or Bucky yet
A/N: Okay, here’s the start of something long-anticipated by me. I hope you enjoy! Your feedback is greatly appreciated, can’t wait to hear what you guys think!
Dividers by @firefly-graphics
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You stood in the back of the banquet hall, eyes surveying the room like they did any other, as you tried to appear as nonchalant waitstaff for the function. That was your specialty: blending in to the background, and you were damn good at it. Tonight’s job was to do so as your were protecting the most important individuals entrusted to you: the First Lady and her son.
You moved with ease throughout the evening, keeping mobile with your head on a swivel, eyes never leaving your two clients for more than a couple seconds. After a cocktail hour, everyone had sat down for dinner and a round of awards and speeches, leaving you here for a relatively easy period.
You didn’t work alone, no. You were here as part of a group. Part of a company, actually, and it belonged to your father. He ran a security conglomerate which focused heavily on government contracting, ranging from secret service duties, to vehicle brigades, to protection and procurement of goods, virtual and physical, and you knew every single part of it. You loved your job, and you loved working with your dad. For as long as you could remember, you would spend all of your free time in his office with him as he went through schedules, and escape plans, and all sorts of strategies to keep his patrons and their assets safe. You were always flitting around, learning new things, earning you the nickname ‘tweety bird’ from him, which correlated to your codename Redwing.
You’d picked it all up so easily, you were a natural, which earned you your first presidential-adjacent gig much younger than anyone else around. Sure, it started as you going to school and posing as another student to protect the president’s son, even thought you were a few years out already, which wasn’t necessarily glamorous, since you were meant to fly under the radar, but it was an independent job. One that was coming to a close, though, as this was your eighth year of doing the same. Soon, the president would be out of office, and the security detail on his family would be greatly reduced, likely no longer requiring your services.
Even as you let your mind wander, blocking out the droning speeches and rich people backstories, you remained on high alert. If anything bad was going to happen, you had a feeling it would be at an event like this one. An event where everyone had their guard down because it was for a universally agreeable good cause. But for some reason, heading into it tonight, something was churning in your gut.
After not being able to ignore the way your stomach twisted and turned, you had gone to speak to your father about tonight, requesting backup in addition to your other two friends, Natasha and Daisy, who often accompanied you to guard shifts associated with larger crowds.
Usually he was on the same page as you, but lately, your requests had been met with more protest, likely due to your little brother’s input buzzing in your father’s ear.
Your brother, Dylan, had just freshly turned eighteen, and with it came more responsibility in the agency. For being so much younger than you, your father was giving him mountains of control, including this event of your two most important clients. With your request of a team came the the caveat that your brother would be leading it.
Dylan was, to put it nicely, an oaf? Incapable of performing a task without crashing and burning, which made your blood boil. Probably from the fires he created and you subsequently had to put out. You had no room to complain, though, as your father dismissed you from his office.
So Dylan ‘led’ your team this evening, packed with his twerp friends who were more capable, but just as reckless as him. They’d listen to some of your orders, but not without the confirmation of your brother, who knew better enough sometimes to listen to your input.
You let him think he was in the lead tonight, executing a plan you had essentially spoon fed to him in your meetings leading up to the event. There were several backup plans and exit strategies that had their own code names, made by you, of course. All Dylan, or ‘The Chief,’ as he liked to go as over coms, had to do was keep an eye out on the cameras for any suspicious activity around the venue, and be prepared to drive away if he called for extraction due to suspicious activity. That was it. You and your two trusty companions would take control of everything inside the banquet, while two of Dylan’s friends surveilled the outside. Should be easy, right?
Dylan had been instructed to give an update through your earpiece every three minutes, on any action seen in the camera footage. Every time he did, though, it was accompanied by music blasting in the car, and the increments kept getting further and further apart. Almost like he was forgetting about his responsibilities and the importance of this event on your shoulders, should something go wrong. You rolled your eyes and kept a watch of the room. If you had such little backup, it was on you now to do this job, without the team you had specifically requested.
Dylan’s friends seemed to go quiet, too, which you were hoping wasn’t due to capture or something worse, but when you heard conversation about a fantasy football draft in your ear, you knew they were at least alive, although not helpful at all.
You were sick of running blind, though, so you casually made it look like your were scratching your ear and turned away from the crowd.
“Chief, status report.” Nothing. You waited thirty seconds. Silence.
You turned back to the room, the gnawing feeling in your stomach growing as you looked out at the crowd. Natasha, code name Widow, was making her way around with a tray of champagne flutes. Daisy, codename Blossom, sat in a vent somewhere, watching from above and monitoring everyone’s trackers. The three of you sighed and continued on, hoping this night wouldn’t be every eventful, but that’s never how life goes, is it?
“Blossom, report on coms. Is everything working?”
You waited a second for the response.
“All is good, Redwing. It’s a human, not technology error.”
You rolled your eyes for the thousandth time that night, but were pulled out of your annoyance by a searing sound. In the next moment, just as you were about to ask for any other possible news from Daisy, a crackling took over your ear.
You fought the urge to wince and draw attention to yourself. It was probably Dylan finally getting back to you, but the voice that came through was one you’d never heard before. It was low and urgent.
“Get them out of there.”
You couldn’t help the way your eyes went wide and you whisper yelled, turning into the fake plant you found yourself nearby.
“Who is this? This is a secure line! What’s going on?”
You were surprised by the warning firmness of the speaker, it was menacing, who did this person think they were? Was that a threat?
“This is Bootleg. Your clients are in danger. What’s about to happen isn’t meant for them. Find a way to get them to leave.”
You sighed and nodded, although the disembodied voice named ‘Bootleg’ wasn’t reassuring. You knew to never turn down a tip, though. You weren’t going to risk it with clients like this. So you let out a sigh and made eye contact with Nat across the room.
“Execute plan beta sixteen alpha.”
She gave you a curt nod and increased her pace in a way only someone with your type of training could pick up. She was circling to make her movements seem undetectable, but she was ultimately going towards the First Lady and her son. Nat tripped, spilling the tray of champagne on their laps, causing them to gasp and look down. You could tell they were ready to yell, but they looked to your face and you nodded, signaling them to get up, brushing away anyone with apologies or offers for help, saying they were just going to clean up. The rest of the rich party goers didn’t pay it a second thought besides whispers of clumsy waitstaff. It’s not like they would bother to remember the face of one of them, though, and were too busy watching a fumbling Nat to see your approach to take your clients out of the venue. You did your best to move slowly to the same exit as them, and as soon as your bodies were behind the closed ballroom door, you were rushing them towards the back service door to get in Dylan’s getaway vehicle.
You ducked their heads under your arms as you rushed them out, and shoved them into the back of the town car, only giving a quick, breathless word to your clients and your brother.
“Take them home, Dyl. Fast. Don’t let yourself get tracked. I’ll take the decoy car. Go, now!”
He nodded like a bobble head, shifting the car in gear and peeling out of the lot as you jogged over to the other vehicle where Daisy and Nat were already waiting in the front seat for you. They moved fast.
You hopped in, Daisy expertly backing out until she hit the street. Just as she put it in drive, you flinched at a sudden noise and looked out the back window to where an explosion happened in front of the venue and soldiers dressed in all black rushed in through the cloud of smoke. This would definitely hit the news tomorrow, but you were sure your father would commend you for the safe delivery of two of his most important packages.
Daisy and Nat had been by your side for as long a you could remember. When you were in elementary school, you remembered a brooding girl sitting at the end of the lunch table, arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed, with the angriest pout you’d ever seen. You walked over and plopped down with your tray.
“Hi.”
She looked up from her meal and to your smile and simply gave a blink of acknowledgment, face unchanging.
“Are you okay? Something wrong with your lunch?”
She shook her head and took a deep breath, sitting up to eat a tater tot.
“No. Something’s wrong with my shirt.”
You tilted your head to the side. “What about it? I think it’s beautiful. I love Daisies.”
She shrugged and continued to pick through her food. “Yeah, I guess they’re alright. But my mom forced me to wear this. I had a plain black shirt picked out and she gave me this. I don’t wanna wear daisies.”
You giggled and looked down at the plain black shirt on your body. “Trade?”
For the first time, you watched the corner of her lip reach a smile, your new friend who would soon earn the shirt flower as a nickname. That little grin was huge compared to the tight line her lip previously held. That was the start of a bunch of mini smirks and teamwork.
Nat had been around since you were in diapers. Her parents had worked for your father’s organization their entire lives, so when they passed as she was in her teens, your family took her in.
She was always incredibly smart, her wit challenging you and Daisy, but the two of you would hit her right back. The timeline of her moving in with you, too, was a few years before the presidential gig started, but she rose through the ranks with you, through every single job, the two of you bringing Daisy on board who caught on quickly. Your grouping was nearly unrivaled. Nearly.
Daisy and Nat physically stood by your sides as the three of you looked on to your father talking on a podium. Your best suits were pressed and tailored perfectly for the special occasion. It was his retirement party in your family’s backyard garden where he was noting the successes of the company under him, including the recent incident from which the two important clients had been saved.
The three of you lightly nudged each other’s arms in commendation for the quick act despite your lack of backup, a small smile on your face, a smirk on Nat’s, with Daisy looking as composed and stoic as ever. You father continued in his speech, noting the valiant effort that needs to be maintained in a generational business like this, one that should be rewarded and carried on for the generations to come. You stood straight, chin up with pride at your hard work and dedication finally paying off.
“I was a young pup, only in my early twenties when I took this business over from my father. He deemed me most fit for the job, so it is my pleasure to do the same, keeping this line of work led by my family. I’d like to name my replacement, someone who valiantly saved the president’s son and wife. Someone who the son has raved about for returning them home to the White House safely. My wonderful child…”
You were ready for the culmination of years being under his wing. He gestured his arm out to the side and you braced yourself for the good news, except the arm wasn’t outstretched towards you. It was directed towards the other side of the stage and everyone’s eyes followed. “Dylan.”
Dylan was jerkily shoved forward by one of his friends, having been zoned out for the entirety of your father’s speech, but at the sound of cheering and clapping, a smile grew on his face. He waved at the crowd, walking over to the podium to shake your father’s hand and give a word of his own.
Meanwhile, your face fell. It was dragged downward in defeat. You quickly pulled yourself together, though, at a squeeze to your arm. You couldn’t even tell which side it came from. Your body was going numb. Shifting to plant your feet and fighting the burn in your eyes, you looked straight forward, no longer at the podium, although you had no way to shut off your ears.
“Wow, wow. Thank you. This is such an honor. At eighteen years old, I will be the youngest to ever run this organization.”
It seemed like he’s was at least doing well and presenting a strong face. That was rare.
“Haha, I beat ya, gramps! Okay, let’s party!”
You outwardly cringed, but your legs were paralyzed as his friends let out a whooping cheer and the party erupted in confetti. It was getting caught in your hair as Nat and Daisy dragged you away and inside, up the stairs to your childhood bedroom, jostling you like a rag doll. You felt almost catatonic.
As soon as you flopped down on your bed, though, you turned over and screamed into your pillow before sitting up, realizing this act of melodrama was going to wrinkle your suit.
You sat up and sniffled, rubbing your eyes and taking a deep breath to give yourself just a moment to think. You looked between your best friends and started pointing.
“Daise, can you pack up anything you think I might need from here? Whatever I can’t live without.”
You then looked to the redhead who was peeking out the window, watching your father enter the outdoor entrance of his home office.
“Nat, can you gather some home essentials? Food, first aid, some of the hidden and spare weapons. Only the ones they won’t sense are missing, okay?”
She nodded. “Yeah. We better do it quick. Your pops just came in.”
You bit your lip and your nostrils flared in anger and thought, rubbing your hands over your face. “Okay. That’s fine, I need to talk to him anyway. That should give you enough time to grab everything. Then we’re heading back to the apartment to get some essentials.”
The three of you were roommates in the city, renting out a place Daisy’s distant uncle owned, which allowed you some freedoms, as well as independence from the possible tracing of your location on government records. Even under a security conglomerate, you could sense things were going downhill, so it was a good choice to move out and detach yourself. At this point, you were barely traceable. Only one thing tethered you here on a paper trail: the company.
You stormed out of your room and down the stairs to the hall that held your father’s office. You were furious. You had no patience left for formality or kindness, this was all rage. You kicked in the strong oak door, splintering the wooden frame, and were met with the view of your father and brother clinking whiskey glasses, an old celebratory reserve poured in them.
You stomped over to the filing cabinets where your file, thick as a novel, was stored. Next to it, you pulled out two more, no less impressive. Your dad, even though he possessed several methods for tech security, still kept employee information on paper in case he accidentally hired a mole. Everything was under lock and key and 24 hour surveillance.
You dug around in the left side drawer of his desk until you found the cigar lighter, hitting the edge of the folders until they caught and throwing them into his metal trash can. It was only then that he and your brother let words come out of their dropped jaws and awestruck faces.
“Tweety Bird, what’s the issue, kiddo? Didn’t wanna celebrate with your old man and little brother?”
You scoffed as you put your hands on your hips.
“Celebrate!? Celebrate what!? Being snubbed? Overlooked for something I’ve dedicated my life towards!?”
Your father’s bushy brows furrowed in confusion, your brother’s face mirroring it in a mini version. “What do you mean? You haven’t been snubbed. Dylan and I agree you’re meant to run teams and operations. You wouldn’t want to be in charge. Plus, it’s tradition that the first son takes over.”
You threw your hands up in exasperation. Smoke was filling the room, but partially getting swept out the cracked windows that pointed toward the back yard. “You didn’t think to ask me, the one keeping your business afloat, to run it!? No one knows it better than me, but it’s so ridiculous. Just because I’m an older sister like Aunt Kay, doesn’t mean I don’t wanna be in charge! She wanted to leave this life, but I don’t!”
You heard a chuckle rise behind you. “What, Dylan?”
He shrugged with a smug smile on his face. “Aunt Kay didn’t want to leave this life. She wanted the company, too. But Gramps gave it to dad. That’s why she fucked off to who knows where and started that bank vault company.”
You gasped in shock and looked to your father but he seemed unaffected. You turned to him now, disgusted with the sight of your little brother. “What!? Do you hear yourself right now!? Just because we aren’t men!? That’s insane!! I’m the one who saved the president’s family. Not Dylan, me! He was too busy sitting on his ass and picking his nose to be of any help. Maybe we would’ve seen the team coming to attack the venue sooner if he would’ve done his job!”
Your chest was heaving and your face was warm from the yelling. Your father still calmly continued. “Dylan returned the family safe and sound. You were nowhere to be seen. He deserves this step of responsibility, but I have no doubt you can guide him like an invisible hand.”
You shook your head, moving back towards the door between the leather couches of the sitting area, pacing on the Persian rug. “No, no. Absolutely not. I refuse to keep performing thankless service. You’ve made a mistake. I no longer want to work for you and I no longer want to be a part of this family. This whole thing is fucked. I’m out.”
Your father sighed, about to speak up. “Bird, we-“
He was cut off by the arm of your brother, though. “No, dad. If she wants to leave, I think she should. I don’t want anyone here questioning my leadership. The president’s son will back me on that. He’s upset the extraction ruined a designer suit and thinks that I’m the best fit, too. I can run this without her.”
Your dad gave a hmph of affirmation, which sent you over the edge. After all those years of service, both your father and the president’s son still didn’t credit your work. You couldn’t stand this anymore, especially not when Dylan was fabricating lies in his own head about the greatness you performed.
“You know what, Dyl? Yeah, let’s have it your way. You guys will never need to see me again. Good luck not running this thing into the ground.”
You turned on your heel and marched out the door. When you turned the corner, you saw both Nat and Daisy waiting for you, double fisting duffel bags. You motioned for both of them to head to Nat’s car, walking quickly, but they were more than capable of keeping up. You heard Daisy speak from over your left shoulder.
“Bird, where are we going?”
As you barged through the glass front door and put on your sunglasses, you took a breath in of the air that marked your new life, outside the stuffy patriarchy of what you thought would be your legacy.
“Somewhere far. And don’t ever call me that again.”
Next >
Bonus A/N: Bruh, could you imagine being betrayed by your own father like that? Also, we’ll be seeing more of Daisy as the reader for Jake’s storyline in the future.
Pairing: ceo!Lee Jihoon/Woozi x bodyguard!female reader
World-building from my Villain DK one shot and my CEO Joshua fic.
Word Count: ~6.3k
Genres/Warnings: use of Y/N 2nd person, sci-fi au, tech empire au, non-idol au, reference to death, romance will come later, action scene, awkward convo, slow burn, some swearing, Jihoon is kinda going through it, he's nonchalant, daddy issues if you squint, other svt members are here, skz reference, reader is a tad older than Woozi, “refuge cafes” = “Plaza system”
Ceo world taglist: @fabulaee @laaylaazyy
Lee Jihoon had you hired as his personal bodyguard because you were well trained in what you did, but he’d kept you for your diligence. Your muscle memory had saved Jihoon's life a number of times, only a few of which he’d combined his in tandem.
You were also quiet, unquestioning. Never expressed a single ounce of discomfort towards uniforms, meeting attendance, food, etc.
In your mind it was just part of the job. Personally guarding any of Sector 17’s keystones is an honor and upholding honor was rooted in your bones.
Jihoon keeps thousands of citizens safe. A stiff costume and clammy gloves were the least of your worries.
If anyone were to ask, you couldn’t say you knew your boss as a person much at all. You knew plenty of trivia about him. Everyone in a mile radius did. But you seldom spoke to each other about anything. Your job tended to be more like “Lee brother’s fly on the wall” on the daily.
It was in the dead of winter so work and, well, life, had been slow lately. Jihoon almost never left his room every other day of the year but in the colder months he was truly incognito. You were probably the only person in the world who had any idea what he did other than sleep (a bit).
The last time you saw Jihoon leave his room was to meet with Hong Co.’s CEO a few weeks ago. Their meetings were few and terse, and you usually stood outside of the door so you couldn’t hear anything important.
Today, however, things would change.
Jihoon’s companion Shubot, usually muted on his desk, spoke in full sentences for the first time in days.
“Lee Chan is at the door, sir. Should personnel be sent for?”
On the outside, you looked the same. Still, stoic, and always ready to pounce. On the inside, alarms were going off. The Shubot asking about personnel meant that not only was this visit unplanned, Chan had traveled here alone.
Jihoon was mostly unfazed. He stretched back in his desk chair and yawned. “Just let him in.”
A few minutes later, a frosty-cheeked Lee Chan tumbled through the door. As he closed it behind him, you glanced down the hall and saw the trail of melting snow he’d left.
Jihoon took Chan’s coat and hung it around his desk chair. “Do I want to know what you’re up to?”
Chan unceremoniously slumped onto the (messy) couch on the other side of the room. “Probably. Though should we call Shua in, too?”
“He doesn’t pick sides, remember?” Jihoon pulled a sweater out of his even messier closet to toss on.
“Well at least he still talks to me.”
“You know that in this city, that doesn’t make you special.” Jihoon ignored Chan’s pout as he sat back down at his desk, returning to whatever he’d been typing before.
“Jihoon, I’m not judging your shut-in lifestyle but you really ought to get one of your workers to clean this room.”
Jihoon kept his back turned. “I’m the only one who lives here, the only reason you’re seeing it is because I didn’t have the know-ahead to prep a meeting room.”
If it wasn’t for your track record for staying quiet unless spoken to, you would have piped up by then to ask if the Lee brothers wanted privacy. But suddenly Jihoon turned in his chair to face you.
“Y/N, are you okay with staying here? I can call for another guard to stand outside.”
You gestured that it was fine but if you wanted to speak the truth, you would have rushed outside immediately.
Chan gave you a polite bow of his head then turned back to Jihoon. “I've been informed that Seok has kept my most recent assassin alive...for months.”
Jihoon’s eyebrows raised. “Poor thing.”
“The superior who sent them gave them my most recent smart watch model instead of the usual. I fired them when I found out.”
Because of your background working for the Lee’s, you knew that wasn’t good news.
Chan’s military tech was good but hackable. The newer the model, the less upgraded security.
Not life-threatening for anyone but it explained the surge of refugees from the east side in the past year. It also explained why Chan wanted to deliver the information in person.
“Thanks for the heads-up,” Jihoon said, tapping on his Shu-watch in a way that looked like he was drafting a message. “Armageddon isn’t coming anytime soon but we could have a strategy meeting with the governor.”
The governor. Unlike the Lee brothers, you had trained with Choi Seungcheol before “the incident” pushed him into politics.
“Any progress on observing District 9?” Chan asked, helping himself to a glass of water from a Shu-bot nearby - one of Joshua’s latest.
Jihoon paused, then nodded. “I took advantage of Seokmin’s distracted state and sent a cloaked drone past his tower. It sent me a few satellite images and I’ve sent bitty bots after it to be safe. Other bitty bots have been helping me gather gossip from the refugees that are still coming in due to Seok’s carelessness. In fact, Josh recently hired one that originally came from District 9.”
Chan’s eyebrows shot up. “He’s living with another human for once?”
“I wouldn’t think about it much, he’s always lived in his own little world. Safe in his tower. Now if there isn’t anything else, you should probably get back to your own tower before someone realizes you’ve gone.”
“But-”
“If you want to stick around longer next time, bring guards.” Jihoon grabbed Chan’s jacket and wrapped it around him. Chan looked upset.
“Jihoon, at least let me get you some food, or-”
“You’re my baby brother, Dino. Listen, I’m glad you’ve got your life now, and I’m proud of how you’ve grown. But you gotta be more careful, I thought I taught you better.”
---
A couple of days after that interaction, Jihoon had the sudden urge to take a stroll through the area that surrounded his home, The Woozi Plaza. As always when there’s a blue moon and Jihoon leaves the building, you follow him closely but not too close. You wore a scarf around your neck and half your face - instead of your usual mask - to protect from the cold.
Jihoon’s arms swung freely at his sides as he walked and a small, coordinated swarm of bitty bots flew around him. You, on the other hand, kept your dominant hand close to your hip and your other arm relaxed.
You took pride in your quick reflexes and refined spatial awareness but reading your boss’ body language has never been easy. You certainly weren’t expecting Jihoon to take a detour in his usual route. But you followed him without a question or hitch.
When you realized where he was heading, you felt your shoulders tense.
There was a memorial to Jihoon’s parents at the heart of the oldest neighborhood in the Plaza, on the farthest end of the south side. The Sector 17 walls could be seen in the distance.
It had been years since Jihoon visited the memorial, you knew. Back then he had a different bodyguard.
As you approached, you noticed Jihoon taking in his surroundings. Beforehand he’d walked the whole way with his eyes straight ahead.
You felt terrible for him.
No one could ever forget the incident - “the day The Sun fell and left Perpetual Dusk.” No one could ever forget the death, the terrible destruction, the remaining buildings crowded with survivors who had lost everything.
Including you.
Jihoon bowed to the stone pillar, murmuring a prayer under his breath. He turned to look at you and you knelt down.
“Uh, Y/N?”
Still kneeling, you tilted your head up in response.
“You don’t have to do that.”
You blinked. “Oh.” You got up and brushed yourself off.
Jihoon smiled at you. “I appreciate it, though.” He gestured for you to walk closer to him, surprising you. The coast was clear, so you obliged.
“‘In loving memory…’” It was the first line written on the monument but Jihoon wasn’t even looking at it to read it, he knew the writing by heart. You continued to stand quietly.
“I don’t miss my father.”
Your body didn’t move but your eyes widened. Jihoon continued to speak.
“I didn’t hate him, and I’m not happy he’s gone. But I’m not sad, either.”
You really didn’t know why Jihoon was saying all of this out of the blue.
“My brothers…even now, they’re still in mourning.”
And then he turned around and started walking away. In the split second it took for you to register his movement and automatically follow him again, you saw two bitty bots leave the formation around Jihoon and fly the other way, past the monument and towards the walls.
---
Back at headquarters, in Jihoon’s room, he wordlessly used his Shu-bot to order his dinner from one of the refuge cafes that were built into his building. You calculated the time he was taking to do so was longer than he usually takes.
Before you could squint too hard, though, Jihoon turned in his chair to look at you.
“I ordered extra in case you’d like to share with me today?”
Out of all of the shocking events of the day, that one finally took the cake. You felt your jaw drop.
“Sir-” You swallowed to recompose yourself. “If… that’s what you’d like, then of course.”
“Cool. I hope chicken is fine.” With that, he spun right back around.
You stood there feeling the least like yourself you’d felt in a while. Huh?
“Oh and Y/N,” Jihoon added, simultaneously pulling up a holographic screen to review what looked to be blueprints. “There’s nothing I have planned left for the day. You should wash up before dinner.”
You were a tiny bit relieved amidst your bewilderment. You walked into the bathroom of Jihoon’s room, then through the door on the other side of the bathroom, into your living quarters. Every morning you made your bed and set out your evening wear folded on top to save time at night. It took a while to lock up all firearms, due to the tight security protocols Jihoon had on everything.
At that moment it was rather early for you to be changing into what were pretty much your pajamas but you didn’t mind. You would still have your weapons and communication tech on you but no warrior costume or tight gloves.
When the food arrived, Jihoon had you sit next to him on his couch. You sat as close to the edge as you could, visibly uncomfortable. If Jihoon noticed, he didn’t show it. He leisurely took bites of his fried chicken as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Then his watch beeped.
“Oh…Joshua is calling. Give me a minute.” Jihoon wiped his face and fingers with a napkin, tossed it at a trash bin (a Shu-bin, so it sprouted a robot arm to catch the napkin), and walked out into the hallway, leaving the door ajar. You instinctively got up to stand guard by the doorway.
Whatever they were talking about, you weren’t listening. You looked down at your socks and recalled back when you were first chosen to be Jihoon’s new bodyguard, hand-picked by Chan. You'd been told you were the first female bodyguard he’s ever had.
When you first met Jihoon, he barely gave a formal introduction. He just said, “Chan said you’re the best of the bunch, that way is your room, familiarize yourself with my surroundings and always listen to your gut.”
You hadn’t even met him in a meeting room or anything. You’d been brought right to his master bedroom, where he’d just been wearing casual clothes and mis-matched socks, tinkering away at whatever was on his desk.
You were so used to looking through files on DK or observing Chan’s eloquence when enthusiastically organizing business that you never would have guessed the famed genius Lee Jihoon lived like…this.
Not that you were judging.
You could never complain about a cushier job. But part of you missed the rush and noise of training with your comrades by day and busting underground organizations funded by DK by night.
When Jihoon walked back into the room, you opened and closed the door for him before joining him back on the couch.
“Joshua Hong wants to meet with me tomorrow at his tower, the hovercraft floor.”
You nodded, hiding your slight nervousness. You weren’t afraid, of course, it wasn’t the first time you’d ever guarded Jihoon in a vehicle. But it was the first time it had happened in the winter. Whatever the meeting was about must be important.
“May I ask you something, Y/N? Not as your boss but as a person?”
You tilted your head at him in confusion. Jihoon let out a huff.
“Am I really becoming a slob?”
You bit back a laugh. “Uh…no sir, I don’t think so.”
“You’re not just saying that?”
“No, seriously, I think you’re going to be okay.” At the continued doubt in his face, you added, “...for now.”
Jihoon didn’t move his body but the corner of his mouth quirked up. “Okay.”
The two of you finished the food in silence before Jihoon addressed you again. “I don’t usually get to see you in anything other than your uniform.”
“Hm?” You glanced at him, then adjusted the hem of your shirt. “Oh, uh, yeah.”
“The clothes you’re wearing really suit you.”
You froze for a moment, hoping he didn’t notice your involuntary blush. “Th-thanks, sir.”
“I’m going to wrap up for the night. I suggest you do too for the day ahead.”
You didn’t need to be told twice. You practically sped to your room with a quick “goodnight”.
A compliment. He’d given you a compliment. You’d been trained since early teens how to sleep lightly but tonight, even after your entire pre-rest routine, including a whole shower, you laid there wide-eyed.
---
You started the morning the same as you always did.
Get up fast, strap on your weapons, make the bed, do a few stretches, then a quick workout. Set out clean clothes and make sure your teeth are clean.
You knew the fastest ways to get in and out of any of your clothing but for some reason today your arms felt heavy putting on your formal uniform.
No time to think about it, you told yourself, brushing the feeling off. You needed to guard Jihoon in his last hour of sleep. Normally that’s when you’d do your morning workout but today was a travel day.
Fast forward past breakfast, securing Jihoon in his vehicle, getting yourself checked over for any missed equipment, and zipping over the rooftops of Sector 17.
As per protocol, you were positioned in the back of the pod-shaped vehicle on a platform separated from Jihoon inside by a glass door. The driver and another guard were in the front.
The route to Hong Tower was one you knew pretty well and it was secure - it didn’t cross through any territory but Joshua’s and Jihoon’s. So you allowed yourself a moment to take in the view.
You’d always preferred the cold air over signs of summer and today there was only a little bit of snowfall. The vehicle wasn’t moving slow enough for snowflakes to stick to your mask but you did feel a few clumps kiss your cheeks.
The sheets of gray that hung in the sky over The City of Perpetual Dusk had almost no light peeking through today, emphasizing the glow of the city. As you left the south side moving west, you could see the twinkle of hundreds of Hong Co.’s delivery bots flying through the air.
You had just enough time to take a breath, before everything shook. The sound of an explosion not only snapped you out of it, you’d already launched yourself through the glass doors to protect Jihoon.
But you were flying towards an empty seat.
Kicking your legs up immediately to land on the seat with your feet, you looked down.
Shit.
Someone must have planned this attack - if a chunk of the floor had been blown up, that means the security measures programmed into that part of the pod had been previously messed with.
In the same nanosecond it took for you to realize that, you jumped down through the hole, activating your grappling hook. You saw the other guard and the driver on a rooftop below, the snow around them red.
You looked to your right and swung, breaking your fall onto a different snowy building with a somersault. You clicked your earpiece to call for backup as you began pursuit of the only large hovercraft you could see heading east.
For once running across slippery surfaces came in handy. You were able to catch up a lot quicker than you thought, given how uneven the rooftops in the north of the Plaza were compared to where you’d previously trained.
Once you could calculate the highest chance of success, you took as big of a leap as you could and aimed your grappling hook at the only edge you could see. You felt tension at the precise hit, used the leverage to launch yourself up, then re-aimed the grappling hook to swing you the rest of the distance.
You landed on the top of the vehicle, not giving whoever these people were a chance to shake you off. You had already grabbed your holographic weapon handle (Chan always jokingly called it his “lightsaber” weapon series) and you summoned the blade right between your feet.
A whole chunk of metal flew off - had your reflexes been any less snappy it could have sliced you - but you flipped up and out of the way then aimed your landing through the opening.
You registered the sight of Jihoon fighting for his life with someone dressed in a way you recognized - a DK mercenary. With a loud cry, you summoned your weapon, this time as a dagger, and took a swing.
You knew Jihoon would dodge out of the way but you weren’t expecting someone to grab you from behind.
Fuck, I should have sensed the driver-
Jihoon’s leg swung over your head and hook-kicked your assailant’s face.
“Nice,” You let out, and you and Jihoon’s backs met.
For the first time in a while, you found yourself, once again, amazed at Jihoon’s hidden athleticism and you aligned your fighting instincts with his, clearing him a path to the vehicle controls.
Fighting off Jihoon’s captors wasn’t the hard part. The hard part was overriding the captors’ vehicle just enough to get it to turn the other direction. Jihoon did his best with the hacking in the minute he had but Seokmin’s systems were iron-clad.
“Move over,” you shouted, swapping places. Jihoon fought to knock out the last of the mercenaries as you used your weapon handle and brute strength to damage the steering component. You got it to turn the hovercraft maybe 30 degrees southeast.
Which is all you needed.
You tapped your wrist and heard a series of beeps through your earpiece, indicating the exact position the air support you’d called for was in relation to you. You ran towards Jihoon and shot the lock of the vehicle’s side door with your electric gun.
“Brace yourself!” You yelled as you wrapped your arms around Jihoon from behind and jumped backwards. Your uniform protected your back from the force of impact that made the door crater open and you fell through the air, feeling the sting of cold all around you.
If Jihoon needed to scream from vertigo, you didn’t give him a chance. With one last well aimed grappling hook, you swung the two of you from a rooftop to redirect your landing direction and made a perfect landing into a crash cushion.
The cushion lowered, flipped around so you and Jihoon were secure inside the military hovercraft surrounded by backup, and you heard the vmmmm sound from up top of the ceiling sliding over the cushion.
As you felt the craft accelerate and watched the other guards tend to Jihoon, you let out a huge sigh. Safe and sound.
---
“So…" You managed between gulps of water. "I’m guessing the meeting’s cancelled.”
Jihoon nodded wordlessly.
You’d just gotten back to headquarters. The driver and guard who’d been tossed and injured had been brought back separately and were being treated.
Comms coming through your devices told you where to lead Jihoon for food, rest, and security. But you stayed as alert as you could.
Before the doors to the most central refuge cafe opened, Jihoon turned to face you and bowed.
“Thank you for saving my life. Again. I’m ever grateful to have you by my side.”
You didn’t get to respond to the…wording of that sentence. And maybe you were too alert.
The instant the doors behind Jihoon opened and you saw an unexpected figure, you pointed your gun. Then you saw who it was.
From your hesitation, Jihoon also figured out who it was.
He didn’t even turn around to see that cat-like smile he knew all too well and tried not to sound weary as he spoke.
“Hey, Josh.”
“Good to see you in one piece, Woozi.”
As you followed Jihoon in, Joshua Hong gave you a warm, handsome smile. His pristine appearance was in stark contrast to Jihoon's disheveled clothes and scrapes.
You nodded politely and, as the two men sat down in a secure and private booth, you took your position by the exit.
“Your bodyguard here possesses mighty talent, to have rescued you from a situation with such stacked odds.”
You remained as you were but on the inside you felt warm from the praise. Especially so as Jihoon nodded with gusto, regarding you highly.
“Chan chose me the best. But that means Seokmin must have known the only way he could get even close to catching me was through tech.”
Josh crossed his legs and held his wrist hand out. One of Jihoon’s bitty bots projected a holographic replica of Jihoon’s damaged hovercraft.
“I take back what I said to you all that time ago - it was a good precaution to bring some of my bitty bots with you when you’re about. Seok must really not have wanted us to meet for him to have gone as far as attempting to murder your crew. I made preparations to get here the minute I received an alert.”
Jihoon looked away from the image, wincing. Joshua dismissed the bot.
“But, Jihoon, I’m still worried for you. It’s not even spring yet and you’re worse for wear.”
“I thought you like staying neutral, Josh.”
“My AI’s analysis of home tech Seokmin recently traded in to me indicates reason to suspect that his aggressive behaviors have grown worse, and quickly. It’s only a matter of time before he invents a reason to turn on me, too.”
Jihoon swiped a few times at his watch then held it up to a bitty bot. Then he deactivated the bot and handed it to Josh, who tucked it into a pocket inside his suit.
“That’s all the data I can give you for now. It's a shame we can’t meet again for a while.”
“I don’t consider this a victory for Seok or anything,” Joshua said as he began to stand from his seat. “Even if he succeeded in getting us to cut contact for a while from today on, we still got to meet first.”
“Good luck, Shua.”
---
That night you had a pilates session in your room for yourself and it was somber. It did feel good to be out of your gear but the shock from the day’s impromptu mission lingered in your limbs.
At least you hadn’t sustained any injuries, unless the chafing on your arm from somersaulting counted.
You knew Jihoon was taking it easy tonight and outside of his door, there was a rotation of extra guards going, just to be as thorough as possible. So you took the time to focus on what you could, which was keeping yourself in shape.
At some point you walked into the bathroom to wash your face. Then you heard a knock from Jihoon’s door to the bathroom. You opened it, knowing you would see Jihoon in his pajamas, but your eyes still widened.
The drawn look on his face was not what you were expecting.
“Y/N.” Jihoon looked you right in the eyes when he spoke your name, using his clearest and most sincere voice.
“Hello, sir?” You knew Jihoon wasn’t used to a life of action, at least not anymore, but no amount of being trained to expect the unexpected could have prepared you for what he said next.
“Please don’t take this the wrong way…but…I’d feel a lot safer if you slept in my room tonight.”
What. In the actual. Tarnation.
Never in your life, nevermind your time working for this man, had so many things out of the ordinary happened in the span of a few days.
Seeing your poorly masked expression of being so taken aback, Jihoon backtracked.
“Sorry I…you don’t have to do anything-”
“N-no, it’s okay. I just…do you mean…on your floor? Or…?”
“Oh! Oh, no, um…you know what, it’s fine I-”
“Sir, I’ll just take the couch.”
Jihoon blinked, clearly embarrassed. “Yeah that’s…that’s what I meant. Thanks.”
You nodded, then turned on your heel to get to your room to prepare.
Two nights in a row you’d found reason to speedwalk to your room out of shock.
Please for the love of all things good was this man had not been implying he wanted to…sleep in the same bed. As you. That wasn’t just toeing the line of a professional relationship, he’d practically just launched a tactical nuke.
But you got yourself to do it. You set up your blanket and pillow to sleep on the couch and only let yourself start to rest once you were sure Jihoon had fallen asleep.
In the middle of the night, the sound of Jihoon struggling perked your ears.
You practically leaped off the couch, reaching for your knife. But there was no one else there.
In the dark you saw Jihoon tossing and turning under his covers. He was whimpering and a single tear glinted in the glow of the nearby tech.
You grabbed onto Jihoon, trying to shake him awake. When he finally opened his eyes, you felt a jab of sorrow slice through you. He looked as if he was…crumbling.
He suddenly wrapped his arms around you, catching you off guard entirely. You tried not to feel awkward as you patted his back.
“You’re safe now,” you whispered, getting him to look at you. “Nightmares are awful, I know.”
“Please don’t go…”
You felt caught off guard again. “O-of course. I’m here.”
You slowly lowered Jihoon back first onto his bed and adjusted his blanket. You laid on your side watching as he drifted off back to sleep.
When you woke up the next morning, you remembered where you were with a jolt.
For the first time in years, you had overslept. Not only that, in Lee Jihoon’s bed. But he wasn’t there anymore. In fact, he wasn’t anywhere in the room at all.
You jumped and rushed out the door, only to be met with the face of one of the rotation guards. You looked down at yourself and turned bright red.
The guard also blushed in embarrassment and stammered “Good morning, uh, um, th-the boss said to tell you to check with the companion bot on his desk.”
“Thanks,” you croaked as you shut the door and went to do…that.
Jihoon’s Shubot gave you brief notes - including an explanation that he woke up sooner than not after you fell asleep and you could take all the time you wanted to get ready and eat today before reporting back for duty.
You would have figured as much on your own, frankly. Jihoon must really think you were going to quit or something over an accidental sleepover.
But then the memory of him embracing you, crying into your shoulder, and begging you to stay with him resurfaced in your mind and you flushed red again.
If you carried yourself with any less dignity, you’d be back in your room screaming into your pillow right now.
Instead, you took some deep breaths to clear your mind.
That's right.
You'd done your duty; protecting Lee Jihoon at all costs, and you would continue to do so as instructed. And the current instructions were to take your time.
When you were finally all refreshed and ready, you found Jihoon in the same refuge cafe as yesterday right as he was finishing lunch.
You saluted, not meeting his eyes. “Reporting for duty, sir.”
Had you looked him in the eyes, you would have noticed his cheeks tinting the slightest bit pink. But you didn’t.
“I wanted to thank you in person for…comforting me. Last night. I apologize that…you had to see me…like that.”
A lot of firsts were going to happen this week, huh? For the first time, you made a point to look straight at Jihoon to give your response, and you left nothing unsaid.
“No need to be sorry at all. I’m glad I could be there for you.”
Jihoon’s expression was hard to read, which wasn’t out of the ordinary - what you weren’t expecting was the furrow of his brows. It was slight, but to your trained eye, it showed you exactly how vulnerable he was feeling.
And just as quick as you noticed, it went away.
The rest of the day went as if nothing had changed. You could live with it and understand. But things were too different this time.
You had no idea Jihoon struggled from night terrors, in all this time you’d worked for him. You were surprised you’d never picked up on anything of the sort.
Was your shared bathroom really that sound-proof? No, that would defeat the purpose of you sleeping so close to your boss.
'Sleeping so close…'
You were currently back in Jihoon’s room and the very sight of the pillow you’d rested on made your face grow warm.
Get it together, Y/N. You couldn’t let anything cloud your mind. If your senses dulled even the slightest bit from what you were capable of, you’d be unfit for your job.
Jihoon’s voice cut through to you suddenly.
“You seem stiff today, Y/N. Are you okay?”
Since when did he know you so well? He’d barely turned in his chair.
You blinked. “Yes, sir.”
“Just call me Jihoon.”
...Now what could you say to that?
“O-of course.”
Shoot. You used to be so good at hiding your surprise.
“I mean, look. Yesterday I did actually think I was done for. I’d regret it if I didn’t make my respect for you clearer.”
You pursed your lips, then let them smile. Just a little.
---
Things grew quiet again at headquarters for some time after. Which was good - the winter winds outside weren’t letting up as easily this year and while you didn’t mind the cold as much as Jihoon, you still had your limits.
Unbeknownst to Jihoon, you’d rearranged the furniture in your room. It was clear from the scratch patterns on the floor that you were the first to do so in many years. You wanted your ears as close to the door as possible when you slept so that you’d never miss a thing again.
It only occurred to you how much seeing Jihoon in a weak state had affected you when it happened again.
Sort of.
It was a random afternoon where you accompanied Jihoon out on a walk in the Plaza. He usually sends messages to his forces digitally when anything isn’t running smoothly but today he had to receive a message in person.
Yesterday, one of the refuge cafe owners picked up on chatter about the sighting of a person of interest.
That was how Jihoon described it, at least. You knew that there was no way this wasn’t connected to his research into District 9.
Upon arrival, you took your position outside of the private room Jihoon walked in to speak with the informants. You had to in case anyone tried to intercept. The room had already been checked thoroughly for listening devices so the only other way in would be through you.
Except the meeting didn’t get to go on for that long.
Not even ten minutes in, you heard muffled sounds of a commotion through the door. You instinctively kicked it open, only to see the cafe owner unconscious on the ground and Jihoon next to her, doing compressions.
“Y/N call for backup, she’s not breathing.”
As you spoke a series of codes into your earpiece, Jihoon was able to get the woman breathing again but her pulse was still weak.
Even though you knew it would all end up okay, you would never forget the look Jihoon had on his face. Not just now, but how he’d looked straight at you when he’d asked you to call for help.
You’d never seen Jihoon so distraught.
Maybe past bodyguards had, during the times everyone knew were hard on the Lee’s, but you’d never imagined this. You knew he cared for the citizens that lived or had ever lived in his Plaza, you knew how hard he worked even from his desk, but to see him genuinely scared for the lives of one of his people changed the way you felt about him entirely.
It all hit you then and there how much you’d grown to care about this man. It wasn’t like how you felt back when you first swore to protect him.
You wanted to shield his entire being from all harm.
You hadn’t felt fear like this since…
Since you, too, lost your family to the incident.
As headquarters medical staff rushed on the scene, you led Jihoon away by the arm to give them space. He was shaking, but his expression had steadied. He tapped his watch and typed on the projection quickly - you figured he was alerting someone to get things back in order for that woman’s cafe.
Later that night, Jihoon shared his dinner with you again.
This time you were far more comfortable with the notion and you were glad for another excuse to be in pajamas early.
Maybe, since he’d complimented you that one time, you’d been hoping for this. But you paid no mind to that thought and focused on Jihoon.
“The doctor I had checked before helping the lady earlier sent someone to tell me she’ll be making a full recovery. The new amounts of Plaza inhabitants have kept all the workers busier than usual. I wish I could sign a deal with Hong Co. to get all of the cafe owners health-tracking watches with central AI, maybe have a digitized way to streamline shift rotations, but in this dreary city that would look like the first draft of an alliance. I’ll have to take care of the extent of that idea myself.”
You chewed on your food thoughtfully. “For what it’s worth, Jihoon, I think it’s a great idea. And you have the personnel to make the process more efficient.”
“I'm too afraid Seokmin will intercept material somehow, if I don’t manage it alone. But thanks.”
Security in the Plaza was stronger than ever and Jihoon was still worried that Lee Seokmin could hack into civilian wristwatches? No wonder Jihoon always had you nearby.
Or maybe you were still around because Jihoon was more afraid of being alone with his own thoughts.
Two days later, Lee Chan came by for another visit. This time he brought guards and the two brothers spoke in a meeting room. Chan’s guards stood outside of the room and you were inside standing by the door.
“I met with Seungcheol the other day,” Chan said to begin the meeting. “I told him you’d been attacked recently on your way to Josh’s and you haven’t left your area since.”
Jihoon sighed heavily. “What else did you guys talk about?”
“The usual report. It doesn’t seem like Seokmin is planning anything major soon. But spring will be here eventually.”
Chan turned to look at you. You raised your eyebrows.
“You gotta leave some glory for the rest of us, Y/N. Breaking your own record like that - you rescued my brother in what, ten minutes? Five?”
You simply bowed in response, making sure it was a deep bow.
Chan turned back to Jihoon. “If you have any more refugees looking to train in my neck of the woods, Shua gave me an updated driver to send me their files through. His most secure one-way, two-person limit comms device yet.”
“As a matter of fact, I do have a new list to review,” Jihoon said, holding out his hand. Chan took the tiny device out of his inner pocket and placed it in Jihoon’s palm. “I can plug this thing in tomorrow, be on the receiving end at noon.”
The meeting went on for another twenty minutes before Chan made his departure. Then it was back to Jihoon’s room.
The next morning, Jihoon made a strange proposition to you.
“Would you like to join me on a jog up and down HQ before breakfast?”
“...Sure.”
The jog wasn’t totally silent. Every few minutes you checked in with Jihoon to make sure he stayed hydrated.
“How have you not broken a sweat?” Jihoon had asked you halfway.
You shrugged in response.
Towards the end, Jihoon called to you again "I'm thinking we get banchan after this, what do you think?"
"Sure, that sounds great," you called back with a smile.
Jihoon gave you a smirk back, genuinely making you think that the day was off to a great start.
As you both cooled down and stretched outside of a smaller cafe entrance, waiting for your food to be ready, you heard your watch make an unusual sound. You heard the same sound echoing from the guards around.
Maybe Jihoon was trying a new alert system for scheduling.
“What was that?” Jihoon asked you, sounding concerned.
You looked at him, confused. Then your eyes widened. You grabbed Jihoon by the arm, pummeling through the cafe doors to try and find a safe room to hide in.
Then everything went dark.
---
a/n: HOLY COW it’s been 2 whole years? Since I wrote “The Only Hong”??
Seriously guys I think I have problems, I literally wrote this on a whim and finished it in 2 days
I get notifications almost every day that people still heart the fics I’ve written and it’s kinda insane, thank you so much
The first action scene was inspired by Huntr/x "How It's Done" btw ^^ and of course a touch of Spider-Man
I would say stay tuned for pt. 2 coming soon or smth but to be totally fair i have no clue what i'll be doing in the coming weeks
Uhhhh I’m kind of a different person now than I used to be so this fic turned out WAY different than I originally imagined years ago and it's probably only gonna keep veering off-style from here
But whoever is reading this! I hope you enjoyed mwah <3
What if you wrote about a crocodile tear yandere idol x body guard reader that falls for it? Like he would cry about anything just to get the readers attention and fully uses it as their advantage.
YAN!IDOL x BODYGUARD!READER
a/n: wahhhh this is cute 😭 i'd love to write more for him tbh pls req 🙏🏼
tw: yandere, manipulation.
alec was one of the most well-known idols of this generation, and because of that, he had a ton of obsessive fans! so naturally, he hired you, his lovely bodyguard.
alec was a very lazy person despite being constantly out of his home, doing whatever his idol duties called for. he'd always beg you to get something for him, but you always said no. you weren't even his manager!
"(Y/N)! (Y/N!)" he kept on calling out your name, desperate to get your attention as you ignored him, focusing on your job. you could see his bottom lip start to quiver from the corner of your eye, making you sigh.
"what is it, alec?" you turned your head to face him, seeing the tears already had begun to fall on his face.
"you keep ignoring me.." his voice was quiet now, looking away from your eyes.
"i'm sorry," you said. "i'll- i'll listen to you now, okay?" you tried to speak in a gentle tone with him, so he wouldn't cry more.
"really?" he sniffled, looking back at you with hope.
"yup," you sighed.
"thank you!" he hugged you, wiping his tears on your shoulder.
oh, if only you could see the grin that spread wide across his face.
