: Royalty, Mafia & Strangers To Lovers AU; Angst & Fluff

⋅ 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄𝐒: Royalty, Mafia & Strangers to Lovers AU; Angst & Fluff

⋅ 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: Mafia Leader & Archduke!Heeseung x Fem!Reader

⋅ 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓: 7K

⋅ 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: Mentions of guns, blood, alcohol, murder, physical punishments, bruises & human trafficking

‪⤏‬ I would like to remember that I do not support any of the heavy topics mentioned in this scenario and that it’s merely a work of fiction! ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა

Heeseung couldn’t tell the difference between heroes and villains. And the solemn thought scared him.

If the line between good and evil felt so blurry, how could he confide that he somehow hadn’t turned in the wrong corner of his life and started sympathizing with villains instead?

He was almost certain he had started to sympathize with villains instead. Being raised between the corrupted yet glittering cities of the Island and having to learn how to bury his heart’s desire to shudder every time even the slight breeze brushed through his skin just because he knew too much but had to reveal too less, certainly had taken something vital from the ideals he was supposed to carry as a human.

However, he couldn’t. Heeseung couldn’t concur with the idea of turning into a villain, at least, not after meeting her — not to her.

The rain came in torrents that night, drenching the streets of the farther south part of the kingdom at irregular periods and accenting the coldness of the early autumn with no compassion or tenderness. However, Heeseung knew it was just the principle of the place.

Nights always fell on a harsh note there, humming in greedy melodies through every bar and brothel, tripping on malice at every dead-end yet people unknowingly continued celebrating because it felt very much alive to be there.

A man stumbled on Heeseung at the entrance of the brothel, the alcohol effects flung through as he lubberly smiled at him. Heeseung didn’t say anything, much less smile back. He continued his path as if the moment was just a bothering inconvenience, and allowed the smell of waxed wood and cigarettes to engulf him as soon as he entered the place.

How would it feel like to be there by his own will? He wondered, observing people getting lost in their desires. How would it be to live at his own will?

Heeseung looked down at his hands. His family ring sparkled under the subtle candles’ light — just like any other piece of metal would. However, Heeseung knew its significance, as well as its weight. And both were things he wished he didn’t carry. To be born as the archduke of the South of Kingdom, was to be born as the leader of the underground of the royalty — the one raised to dirty his hands in the grime of the city and its corruption while the kings and his successors remained immaculate and untouched.

A woman sang on the stage, her melodically voice cleverly arranging everything to turn into a glossy temptation under the low light of the brothel. However, Heeseung could find the magnificence of it, not even the hints of it as he walked straight to the back doors.

Between a step and another, the loud room was left behind, allowing just the echoes of it to resonate through the long and even darker hallway. Heeseung had the place memorized by now, each door and corner — it had been weeks since he started investigating the owner of the brothel, sneaking through his mail and leaving. However, before he could once again do it, someone stopped him.

Heeseung had no idea how she had managed to prevent the sparkling of her dress from reflecting even the barest light, much less how she prevented her high heels from echoing through the muffed silence of the hallways. Still, it somehow amused him. She had surprised him and no one was capable of such a thing.

“You shouldn’t go there tonight.” She whispered.

“Go where?” He tried, a smirk forcedly playing on his lips.

“Daekho’s office. He is there tonight.”

Heeseung’s smirk faltered for a quick yet notable second as he moved his hands slightly over his waist, checking for the presence of the gun beneath the rich fabric of his leather coat, more as a habit than an actual prevention. He couldn’t find any immediate threat in her — she just seemed to know what she shouldn’t.

“Who are you?”

“Y/N.” She answered and Heeseung noticed how she took longer than necessary to pronounce each letter. As if she was trying to appreciate the sound of it — as if she didn’t have the opportunity to regularly say it. “I can help.”

“I am sure you can. But I am also sure you will want something in exchange?”

“Freedom.” She said and the word came out so strongly from her lips that the archduke could feel the desire beneath it skimming through his skin like a living thing. His gaze encountered hers and Heeseung noticed how she could be pretty, the prettiest woman he had ever encountered. However, she seemed to be broken somewhere, and he felt horrified that it could be something beyond repair.

Kidnapping was a lucrative business. Human trafficking was more common than it should be. Heeseung knew it, he had seen the gold of it and stopped ships from raising the anchor in the name of the crown, but he never once looked at the eyes who passed through it.

“I will gather all the information you need against him, but you will take me out of here,” She continued over his silence. “and will burn this place down.”

“Seems easy to me.” Heeseung said. However, differently from his intentions his declaration whistled caring rather than imposing throughout the harsh night air. “Should we take this conversation somewhere else?”

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Her room had a subtle yet familiar perfume of flowers. It superimposed almost laboriously the steady smell of waxed wood and cigarettes of the place. Regardless, Heeseung immediately recognized its effort, just like he did on all the nights he had sneaked through the dark hallways of the brothel. And the sudden realization left him astonished — Heeseung had never seen or heard Y/N, but he had always scented her.

“What did you used to do before being brought here?” Heeseung suddenly asked, sitting at one of the available seats at her center table and lifting the candle from it. He raffled the melted wax for a quick moment, the flame flickered at the sudden movement, quietly casting light on the royal ring adorning his index finger before he put it back to its place. Everything about him seemed to carry a calculated precision, yet Y/N wasn’t sure if he was testing her or if it was his nature to protect himself.

“Me?”

“Yes. You are just too silent.” He explained. “I couldn’t see you until you decided I should see you. I couldn’t hear your footsteps even when I tried to on our way here.”

“My parents were the owners of a small bakery in our city.”

“Bakery?” The archduke questioned, a hint of amusement escaping through his lips. “And what? Did you used to steal sweet bread from the kitchens?”

“Just plain chocolate.” Y/N admitted. She didn’t smile, Heeseung doubted she would or could. But her eyes sparkled a little lighter under the candle lights and so he allowed himself to at least believe.

“Just plain chocolate.” He echoed, allowing the hint of amusement to turn into a full thing as he laughed. “You are not from here, are you? From the south.”

“I was taken from the North Kingdom — if it can still be called a kingdom.”

“Was it when the rebels were taking control?”

“Yes.” She said, and the small sparkles she had in her eyes were completely dismissed. “It was easier to trust someone when you had no one. Any helping hand could be a helping hand.”

“We can’t blame those who just trusted. They are the filthy ones for using such a situation.” Heeseung declared. “I just think it’s a shame you are going to deal with the rebels again.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“The crown believes — actually, I have already confirmed it from the past letters, that the rebels are making a move towards the South Kingdom. Gathering those who are against our royalty for help.”

“I need you to take any possible information. I have been just checking the letters, but you can also hear and see what’s happening here.” He continued. “Is it ok for you?”

“Yes.”

“Great. I will come every other day to see what you got.” He said. “Don’t get caught.”

Heeseung stood up from his seat as if his last words were more than enough for a farewell. But, before he could step away, Y/N held his sleeve — twisting her fingers in the cold material of his coat for a quiet moment before she encountered his curious gaze. There was something dreamlike about him. Something almost lulled to believe in the possibility of the improbable and although she could sense on her skin how dangerous it could be, Y/N wanted to be lulled on to it too. She wanted to, once again, believe in the improbable.

“You haven’t told me your name.”

“It’s Lee Heeseung.”

“Heeseung,” She whispered. “Thank you.”

“For what?” It was a simple question. However, Y/N couldn’t reply — she couldn’t confide the real reason why she felt like thanking him. Maybe it was for trusting and allowing her to do something else with her life, maybe it was for the subtle kindness he had while speaking with her. She couldn’t come to know. However, when Heeseung nodded, she knew she didn’t need to, he somehow had understood her and she held this feeling so deeply inside of her chest that it felt like it had already become a part of her soul.

There was something about the first hours of the day that Heeseung used to take as an assurance. Mornings always seemed to come possessed with a subtle sense of healing. It didn’t matter how dirty the night had allowed the place to be, the ocean’s breeze somehow always survived, and as soon as the sun started to rise, it seemed to caressed through every street, every corner — stopped by every window until it was left only the briny yet tender scent behind to, at least for a few hours, guard the city.

The place used to feel safe under the sunlight and in between the harmonizing breezes — until someday it simply didn’t.

Someday Heeseung stopped exactly at this same point at the port, watching as the merchants slowly brought the street market to life. The sun was still warm, and the ocean’s breeze was still brushing the tip of his long coat. Yet, his mind was baffled on how his hands were so dirtied in blood that he couldn’t feel any of it. The quiet hours carried a subtle echo of the screaming night and Heeseung was almost sure he had become a villain — he accepted it. If he couldn’t find the difference between heroes and villains, he accepted to be the villain.

However, he was there again, watching as the merchants still carried their lives as if the city had never gotten that dirty, simply because they hoped. There’s a subtle sense of hope in them — there’s a subtle sense of hope in her and the fact that she had given it to him rose something inside of him. Heeseung didn’t want to be the villain.

By the end of the market, a tent caught the archduke’s attention. Its sweet smell of the just-baked bread only brought Y/N stronger to him and caused Heeseung to walk towards the tent, digging through the gold coins in his pocket as he spoke.

“Would you perhaps have plain chocolate? Just plain chocolate?”

The back part of the brothel had been booked for the whole night. But differently from what would be expected for the place, none of the rooms were occupied throughout the passing hours and none of them were allowed to. The doubled doors that gave access to the dark hallways remained closed and guarded. However, no one seemed to care for the oddness of the situation when the alcohol had been flowing so freely and the throw of coins were more fervently than ever — no one seemed to notice the cold wind sweeping in when, at the exact stroke of midnight, Heeseung arrived.

No one except for her.

For the past two nights, Y/N had been wondering if Heeseung’s beauty had been something just desperately created in her mind and intensified by the desire of her memories. But as she stepped closer to him, watching as the dime candle lights casted light over his features, she had noticed how it was exactly as she believed and maintained. Heeseung was made of impossibilities.

Y/N stretched for his sleeve. However, before she could ever reach the cold material of his coat, Heeseung turned around. His eyes filled in the same amusement as they had two nights previously.

“Have you heard me?”

“No. I have my way to find you now.” He smiled.

She stopped, waiting for an explanation. But instead of giving such, Heeseung paced closer. It was just a movement of reach, a measure for no one to hear the question that would come after, but suddenly he was too close, and her perfume attained so strongly on his lungs that it felt more intimate than it and for a few seconds Heeseung stayed still, unconsciously allowing his thoughts to slip away as he remained, once again, completely lost in the sense of her.

“Daeko is in a meeting.” Y/N said in the lowest tone she could.

“Meeting? With the rebels?” Heeseung whispered back, receiving just a nod from her. His posture changed almost immediately as he remembered where he was and why. “Did you get the letters?”

“Yes. But he closed the back part, we need to stay in the main room.”

“And act along to don’t be suspicious.”

Heeseung smirked as he sat down next to her, his hands casually running through his hair before resting on his tights as he waited for her next move in the just established scenario. His whole new posture fitted the place perfectly — it fitted him perfectly enough to not seem like acting. However, when Y/N came closer, sliding her fingertips through the front of his coat, she could feel the throbbing of his heart beneath her touch.

Heeseung was just a mirror of her — creating and performing scenarios across the wicked world in order to survive. She just didn’t know what his circumstances were and a minor part of her was afraid of knowing.

In her periphery, Y/N caught a glimpse of his hands moving towards her. However, before she could stop him — ask him to not touch her dirty body. His right hand met the small of her back, resting there briefly as his other one skimmed through her bare arm. The contact was barely an incident in the furor of the city, in the middle of the brothel and its carnality, yet it was enough to send and scatter shivers throughout her whole being.

Heeseung looked up at her, lining his gaze into hers and behaving like the room was empty — like there was nobody present in his line of sight aside from her.

“You don’t like being touched.” He noticed, immediately taking his hand off her and allowing the cold night air to fulfill his place. None of them said anything — Y/N didn’t say anything. She couldn’t think, couldn’t function, could hardly comprehend the feeling of tenderness growing inside of her.

It was true that she didn’t like being touched. But mostly because she couldn’t remember being touched so gently. Heeseung hadn’t dirtied her as any other man did throughout all the years she had been kept there but he quietly started to erase every other touch with his own.

“I am fine with you.” She whispered, so low that if Heeseung hadn’t felt her breath tickling through his skin, he would have thought her phrase was just part of his imagination.

“Are you sure?”

“I am.” Y/N confirmed, allowing the soft pressure of his fingertips to draw patterns on her skin once again. It took her a while to remember what she was supposed to do. Men have looked at her a thousand times, in different ways and emotions, yet none of them looked at her the way Heeseung had been doing. None of them made her feel real and Y/N wished she could hold every second of it like a material thing.

“You really only worked at your parent’s bakery?” He asked at the sudden feeling of his coat’s pocket getting heavier by the stolen mail. Her dress seemed too tight to hide all the letters and he couldn’t get — not even a glance of how she had been sliding it into his pocket.

“And only stealing plain chocolate.” Y/N reminded him, showing the just taken chocolate bar from his pocket and quickly earning an amused laugh from him.

“It was for you anyway.” He said, his laugh quietly whirling into an endearing smile. “You did well. Everything. You did well.”

Heeseung watched as she released her breath in relief. Her warmth trickled through his neck’s skin as a hint of a smile played on the corner of her lips. And for a livid moment, he felt the urge to roll his hands higher, allow it to brush through her exposed shoulder, and twist her locks between his fingers, wondering how it would feel.

“I should do my part now.” He said, rather.

“Heeseung,” Y/N called, her hands making a small pressure on his chest to keep him still. “Don’t get caught.”

“You are the only one who ever caught me, my saiai.”

With delay, Heeseung seemed to realize what had slipped through between his smile, letting it falter for a quiet second of what seemed to be regret, but he didn’t fume to take the word back — even if Heeseung could swallow it back into him and erase from her memory, he wouldn’t. The word seemed to attain so rightly to her that he acknowledged he would never do such a thing.

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When Y/N was nine, her father had taken her to the marchland between the south and north. It was the first time she ever got so near to a foreign kingdom and, even though they hadn’t stepped into the south that morning, her father made her feel as if she already knew everything there was to know there.

He had told her about the cities that resonated the ocean breezes, the buildings that gleamed like jewels under the sunlight and reflected the stars throughout the night in a daze. He pulled her younger self into mere fantasies as they watched people coming and going. It was something common before the north was taken by the rebels, people used to live freely between the kingdoms. And, even though Y/N was so young by that time, she still could remember how those from the south used to whisper into their lovers’ skin as they parted ways.

My saiai, they said — my dearest.

When Y/N heard someone quietly approaching her throughout the half-illuminated hallway. She didn’t need to turn around to know who it was, much less to dodge her gaze from the snow, quietly and delicately falling at the other side of the large windows of the brothel. Heeseung had come and gone so many times throughout the past weeks that Y/N could recognize him merely by his footfall — the soft pitter-patter always stopping at a polite distance as he waited for her to do the next move.

“It is snowing.” Y/N whispered, causing a quiet chuckle to escape through his lips. Heeseung could still feel the bitterness of the weather at the tip of his fingers, at the wetness of his hair, yet he stepped closer to her, quietly watching as the snow decorated the city in a dreamy layer as well.

“It is indeed.” The archduke laughed, and it took every ounce of her to not follow the sound of it and search for his solacing gaze. Y/N almost wished for Heeseung to not come that night — to not give her the opportunity to dispearly lean on him as she had been doing. Yet, he was there and her forced steadiness brought as much attention as her causality would, and before she could prevent it, Heeseung’s eyes were hovering over her — searching for anything that could have brought her strange manners.

“Y/N.” Heeseung softly called. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Please, tell me what’s wrong so I may fix it.”

There’s a quiet moment of hesitation before Y/N stretched out her arms to him, allowing her chained-bruised wrists to be illuminated by the subtle candle lights. She could sense the quick inhale Heeseung had drawn into his lungs as he ended the polite distance between them and brushed the tip of his fingers through the damaged skin — acting as if with his bare hands he could somehow heal it.

Y/N wondered how he could prevent his mind from being revealed so well — how his hands could feel so firmly against her pulses when his breaths brushed through her skin so stuckly. How his eyes seemed so focused when he for the very first time had acted without thinking — after that night in the main room, Heeseung had never approached her without first receiving her permission.

“Daekho accepts any money, it doesn’t matter how dirty it is.”

“Who did it?”

“It’s ok.”

“It is not.” He whispered back. “Tell me his name.”

Y/N confessed it so low that for a blissful second she believed the sound of it had gotten lost in the middle of their heartbeats — their stuck breaths. Yet, Heeseung nodded, brushing his fingertips through every inch of her damaged skin one last time before he walked away.

Heeseung always envied those who knew how to control and sculpt their anger, mostly because he couldn’t. He knew the name Y/N had murmured. He had read it so many times through the stolen mail that when she spoke the words to life, his mind worked in a daze. Heeseung couldn’t feel anything — think about anything, not even when he was back at the brothel, hours past midnight and with his hands dirty in blood.

The place still had the smell of waxed wood and cigarettes. But just like that morning on the port, nothing seemed to come through completely. Everything seemed so subtle that even when Y/N’s perfume came to his senses, he couldn’t help but wonder if it was just his desperate mind searching for something to hold on in the middle of his numbness. However, he felt her arms around his neck and her warmth against him was enough to pull the world back to its axes.

“Heeseung.” She called. There was no reprehension in her tone, it brushed through his skin just like the spring breeze brushes the blooming flowers each morning to carry away the coldness of the night and allow them to survive.

He looked down at his hands, the sight of his still stained skin detaining the phantom twinge to reach for her — twitch over her direction and embrace her impossible closer.

“I am sorry.” Heeseung whispered. I am sorry for killing him, I am sorry for being a villain in the end.

However, instead of replying, Y/N had drawn back — her warmth giving space to the bitter weather against his skin as she studied him for a quiet second before allowing her fingertips to caress his cheek.

“Let’s go somewhere else first and clean you.”

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The balcony at Y/N’s room was barely large enough to fit them both. Yet, none of them seemed to want to leave the place. Not even when the snowflakes came to, once again, decorate the skies and the city below in the closest it could be from tenderness.

When Y/N was younger, her father had told her about the magical city of the South Kingdom. Where the buildings shone like diamonds under the sunlight and the streets always carried the briny scent of the oceans. However, when she was brought here, she marveled, where was the sculpted daydream he always talked about. Nights always fell on a harsh note there, humming in greedy melodies and forgetting about the shine of the stars to look for the gold reflections instead. If it ever once was magical, it felt like it was abandoned long ago.

“How much for your thoughts?” Heeseung asked, suddenly breaking the silence between them and caughting Y/N’s attention in time to watch him removing his coat before placing it on her shoulders. He seemed unbothered by the cold, allowing the snowflakes to deposit small kisses on the opened shirt at his neck as he looked back to the city below. “I would say it like the Americans, but I do not carry pennies. Perhaps larger coins, but no pennies.”

“My current thoughts aren’t worth that.” She admitted. “I was just thinking how this city is described prettier than it actually is.”

“I always thought the same thing.” He whispered, leaving the silence to take place once again.

“I do not have pennies, nor large coins. But would you tell me what’s bothering you?”

“Have you ever stopped to think if we are bad or good?”

“What do you mean?” Y/N asked.

“Looking at everything I have ever done. What I did today… When I was younger I believed I did the right thing, I worked for the crown, ending anything that’s bad for the Kingdom, but are the methods correct? I have just been thinking, am I the hero or the villain?”

“As humans, we tend to always try to understand things. We put too much effort into things that we don’t need to.” She said. “Where are we from, where are we going to? Are we the good or the bad? Why do things happen to us?”

Y/N paused. And Heeseung got the deeper meaning beneath her words.

“Are stars just balls of gasses or do they hold a meaning?”

“Definitely just balls of gasses.”

“I think they do hold a meaning,” She said. “I think there’s no actual right answer in this world. You can be a villain to someone, but a hero to others.”

“What do I look like to you?”

“To me?” Y/N echoed, her gaze lingered at his face a little too long to be incidental before wandering through the restless city beneath them. By now every street was already covered by a thin layer of snow, and the air — already too freezing to inhale, felt severe with her silence.

Heeseung shouldn’t have asked, he came to think as he watched her. He surely had been ripened into the evil side as soon as he had arrived completely dirtied in blood early on — if he, secretly, already wasn’t inside of her heart. Although she had done her best to take it off him, the metallic scent of blood was still surrounding the breeze, quietly yet effortlessly being a constant reminder.

“Definitely a hero.” She whispered so low that he was almost convinced he had imagined it. However, when her gaze met him once again, Heeseung could bestow all the hidden stars tenderly reflecting through her eyes.

“But I will only confirm once you save me from this place.” Y/N teased. The corner of her lips tugging up in a silent hint.

“Have you ever thought of what you would do if you ever got out of here?”

“Find my parents.” She replied in a blink. “I want to know if they are at least alive.”

“I will put forth my best effort then.” Heeseung promised.

“I am honestly afraid of what it means.”

He could get a glimpse of her fingers dirtied in blood as she raised her hand to fix her hair. And the idea of her touching herself with something so impure terrified him, bringing Heeseung to raise his own hand and fix it for her — twisting a lock between his fingertips before placing it behind her ear. He almost lazily brushed her skin, creating and feeling each of her small shivers at the tip of his fingers as it traveled through her cheeks and neck before finally departing to her hands, covering the blemished view with his palm.

“It will be a good thing.”

“Is that so?”

“That is so.” He confirmed.

Her weak laugh came from nowhere and everywhere, quickly causing Heeseung to freeze at the sound. It sparkled so preciously inside of him that it made sense why it was the first time he was ever hearing it — the world that had tainted her could never deserve to be bestowed with such an enchanting sound.

Heeseung had promised to give her freedom, to help her break the contract that imprisoned her inside the four walls of the brothel in exchange for her help to gather information. On the first night it felt like a pact of convenience, but looking at her at this right moment, he noticed that she was never just a bargain to him. Her solemn existence felt like a light on his life, capable of driving any shadow away. And he was willing to take on any risk for her.

Y/N felt Heeseung’s hands letting go of hers just to tug to the side of his coat resting on her shoulders, tangling his fingers on the fabric before he brought her closer to him and allowed his warm breaths to melt the tiny snowflakes laying on her skin. The movement drifted her, the slowness of it, the wick burning to some explosion.

“May I?” He whispered against her lips.

And when Heeseung kissed her, he felt like the precise moment when the night was about to give in to the first sunlight. He was the end and the start, the darkness and light — he was everything, at least to her.

Y/N could only get a glimpse of the sun sneaking through the brothel’s main doors, its tenderness reflecting through the buildings and — just for a heartbeat, causing her to believe in the fairy tales her father used to create when she was a child, before it was closed once again and left only the memory to resonate with the subtle candle lights and the scent of cigarettes. However, what surprised her wasn’t her sudden belief, nor the unexpected warmth feeling in the middle of the harsh winter, but who had arrived.

Ever since the night Heeseung had kissed her, his schedule became unpredictable. He could come a few hours before midnight, or hours after midnight on nights he wasn’t supposed to — he never spoke of the rebels, Daekho, the royalty, nor the underground of it. Heeseung would always take her hand on his and whisper how he had come only to see her.

“These letters became a bother.” He once confessed. “You always think I am here for it when I only came to see you.”

However, never before had he come so early in the evening. Never dressed in the way he was dressed. Heeseung always held a powerful aurea, yet he seemed to have given up his known long leather coat and substituted it for a suit as dark. Though, it had been adorned with so much gold that as she gazed at him, she thought he could have defeated the king of the south and taken the title to himself.

“What’s the occasion?” Heeseung didn’t reply to her question. Instead, he took her hand on his, slowly kissing her knuckles as he found her gaze.

“Your promised freedom.” He whispered against her skin. Her smile stumbled in confusion as he let go of her warmth. “Wait for me, ok?”

“Is it dangerous?”

“Although I have never done it, I suppose there’s no danger.” Heeseung smiled. “Don’t worry.”

“I am always worried about you.”

I am always worried about you too, Heeseung could have admitted. However, he left the words to die at the tip of his tongue as he tangled his fingers through her hair, holding her still as he got so closer that Y/N could feel his lips brushing through her cheeks as he whispered.

“My saiai.”

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Dusk took its time to arrive. The last sun lights dimmed in between the clouds and through the large windows of the brothel’s hallway almost as if time had, as well, been holding its breath in aprehension. Even the just fired candle lights seemed to hesitate along with Y/N as she waited.

Differently from what Heeseung had asked, Y/N had followed him — her ankles high to prevent her heels from hitting the ground. She didn’t know that Heeseung had been scenting her perfume all the time, and when he turned around right after knocking on Daekho’s office doors he completely surprised her. His gaze instantly met hers because he knew exactly where she was standing.

“Don’t worry.” He mouthed, a chuckle escaping through his lips in amusement, just a second before the door was opened.

“Archduke Lee Heeseung.” The brothel’s owner spoke. “Pleased to meet you.”

“I should say the same.” Heeseung replied, and Y/N wondered if he had practiced the saying and the way to deliver it. He had spoken so lightly that no one could hear the irony beneath it but her. Anyone passing by would have been enchanted by the kindness with which he spoke those simple words between his forced smile — but Y/N had heard the mockery, felt it so deeply into her skin that she couldn’t help but still worry.

Even hours later, when the door was opened once again and the view of Daekho coming right after Heeseung took all her attention. They are extremely opposites, not only because Daekho only wore light colors, meanwhile she had only seen Heeseung in deep black, but the way they made her feel.

“Great, you are here.” Daekho said to her. “I have barely signed letters like this, so I remember every single one.”

“An archduke.” The owner of the brothel laughed, enjoying his particular joke all alone as the sound resonated through the large corridor disgustingly. “You always have been such a gold attracter, Y/N, perhaps it’s a loss to me.”

“Congratulations.” Daekho continued throughout their silence, and when he extended his hand to touch Y/N’s shoulder, Heeseung stepped in. His arm embracing her waist and bringing her out of the brothel’s owner’s reach. “I could accompany you two to the door, but I am in a hurry.”

“We can do it. Thank you.” Heeseung said, a discreet hissing coming in between his smile, but once again, Daekho didn’t seem to notice it as without any more words, he left.

“What’s this all about?”

“Your promised freedom.” Heeseung repeated, letting go of her just to reach an envelope in the inside pocket of his suit. Y/N immediately recognized the midnight blue wax the owner of the brothel’s always used to seal his letters, she had been sneaking through it so much to not immediately recognize, but the context inside was completely new to her. It had been years since she was brought to the brothel, but she had only seen one woman receiving this letter — Y/N couldn’t remember her name, and she doubted the name she used to speak through the crowded main room and between the dark hallways would be her real name to make any difference, but she remembers exactly what the woman had said.

“There are two ways to leave this place: have your freedom brought by some disgusting client- or buy it yourself.”

“How could I buy it if we don’t receive money?” Y/N asked. The woman laughed as she leaned in, ready to whisper her deepest secret:

“Sneak through their stupid pockets.”

“I thought you should experience the whole method.” Heeseung explained, catching her attention. “I am sorry if I have committed a mistake. It is with my name, but I won’t claim it. Not even this paper. It’s completely yours.”

“Heeseung.” She called in a whisper. “There’s no mistake. There could be a mistake on it. But the letters, how are you-”

“It’s not necessary anymore.” Heeseung admitted. “I have got everything the crown needs. In a week or two this city will turn into chaos.”

“I don’t want you to be in the middle of it.” He whispered. “Not again. Not ever again.”

“And are you staying?”

“It’s my duty.”

“I don’t like it. And I don’t want it either.” Y/N said, causing a laugh to escape through the archduke’s lips. She didn't notice how close he was until she could feel his small breaths rushing through her skin as he slowly lifted his hand to twist a lock of her hair between his fingertips.

“I am sorry, but I am already condescending one of your wishes.”

“My freedom?”

“No, it was our deal.” Heeseung gently smiled. “To find your parents, wasn’t it your wish once you were out of here?”

“I have a carriage waiting for you.”

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

Night was a brisk when they stepped out of the brothel and walked in the direction of the said carriage. Y/N unconsciously shivered. The wind whipped around her, pressing cold kisses on her neck even though Heeseung had surrounded her by his suit just a few moments before. However, all she could pay attention to was the stars, shyly and quietly reflecting through the buildings and in the middle of the colorful lights of the city. The world leaned hungrily on its desires, but for the first time she could understand why people got lost on it.

“It really depends.” Y/N whispered as they arrived.

“What depends?”

“I could really say this city is pretty right now.”

“There’s no right answer in this world.” He remembered. “It could have always been pretty and we just couldn’t see it.”

“Heeseung.” She called, more like a warning than to take his attention and when Heeseung understood the situation, she was just a breath away, her warm hands sliding up his cheeks before he felt the space shifting between them, the sweetness of her perfume hitting on his together with her warmth over his lips.

He embraced her close, so close that he could feel her heartbeat against his. But yet it was not close enough to supply the ache of his soul.

“Thank you for everything.” She whispered.

“When things settle down, come and take what’s yours.” Y/N continued. Her hand quietly slid the document inside of his shirt’s pocket.

Around them the city fell so silent, as if time couldn’t touch them — Heeseung wished time couldn’t touch them, that his heartbeat could take ages to beat and allowed him to contemplate what he beheld at this right moment for something near eternity. However, time wouldn’t cease like this, so he just brushed his fingers through her hair, removing it from her face as he tried memorizing the enchantment of her features.

“You should go. Don’t waste more time in this city.” He said, just too suddenly letting go of her warmth and allowing the cold weather to brush through his skin as he watched Y/N getting into the carriage.

“Y/N.” He called. “Am I a hero?”

“You always have been.” She said, causing Heeseung to desire that words could be solid to be held close, so he could reach for them whenever he needed it the most.

There is any movement around this part of the South Kingdom. The village was so quiet that time seemed to pass in a completely different tempo over there. Meanwhile, the downtown was buried in the celebrations of the persistence of the royalty, this place seemed to be in his own time, almost like someone had brought a city out of a fairy tale, carefully molding it to fit the reality but still allowing it to carry the gentleness of a childish dream.

Heeseung noticed he had never been to any of the small villages of the kingdom as he carefully edged along the side of the river canals and watched the small markers along the buildings. Every so often he could hear voices selling handicrafts and candies, but even though he was mesmerized by the calmary of the place, he was searching for only one thing.

The smell of warm steam drifting from a bakery caused him to pause, it carried not only the aroma of spice bread glossed over with sugar, but the subtle sense of something deeper in him.

He didn’t notice when he had rushed to the bakery until he almost knocked into her.

“Heeseung.” Y/N whispered, pronouncing his name as if it was an enchantment, allowing it to brush through his skin as if it carried a deeper meaning than it did. “You came.”

“You told me to come and take what’s mine.” Heeseung remembered, his hand traveling to the front pocket of his coat, touching it just like she did after leaving the document with him. Even though she bit her lower lip to prevent her happiness from materializing through her smile, it did through her eyes, shining in stars Heeseung didn’t let go for a single second as she stepped closer enough to skim her fingertips through the front of his coat, leisurely playing with it as she got her face just a breath apart.

“Then do it.” She whispered against his lips.

So he did.

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 — @megdoienalds @enhypenova @baeksofty @lix-freckle3 @bbyenha-hyung @aeri-luna @goldenhypen @heelariously @ilandsghost @jaysbestie @mykalon @msxflower @hime98 @theskzvibe @swimmingkpopblog @enhafika @iwanttohitmyself @bigtittietoji @nomy0520 @blonghoonie @hoonbrry @kako-chan @heeseung-min @hoonstrology @wairaminute @nc-teen @basement-onacoochietooose @rae-blogging

Hey just wanted to say I loved the Seungyoun boyfriend imagine!! You're really talented and I hope you're having a good day!!

This makes me really happy and I am thankful for your words! 😁

I hope you have a great day too cause mine just got better hehehehe~

ATEEZ Masterlist

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ONF Masterlist

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SF9 Masterlist

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STRAY KIDS Reaction! To their gf being the devil's daughter

Warnings: Mentionings of Lucifer/Satan, a little bit of demonic description, cliche images of the devil and the “dark power”

Didn’t proofread so pls ignore any mistakes 🥺 Niwi~

!I wanted to keep it short even tho it’s already very long so it might seem a bit rushed!

Bang Chan:

You told him about it after he noticed things were strange whenever you had your hands involved in something that was important to him like getting to produce things with a producer that wasn’t free so he asked you wether it's luck or-

Well... You bluntly told him it's not luck but it's simply a gift you got from you Dad. Chan of course didn't know what you meant so you just showed him.

Y/N: “You could say I have some kond of super powers but I ain’t a hero.”

Chan: “Okay I get it. Will you show me?”

He was super curious and kind of positive because you didn’t make it seem like something overly negative

You made him see an illusion of a dog build from the shadows walking in his direction. Chan was for sure very shook and jumped away but as soon as he did the illusion disappeared. When he saw you laughing he calmed down. He took it in really well when you told him about hell, demons and your dad being Lucifer. He was fascinated by your powers but was very much afraid of your Dad. You assured him that he wasn't that bad and that you are neither.

He’d want to learn from you but you sadly had to tell him he couldn’t and even if he could you wouldn’t want him to have your knowledge and power cause it’s dangerous and he isn’t really made for that type of power.

Lee Know:

Whenever you where over at his place his cats were all over you and he was kinda annoyed by it.

Minho: "Why do they like you so much? You don't even cuddle with them!"

Y/N: "Cats aren't called the devil's pet for nothing baby. Of course they like me. We have the same charismatic"

Minho: "Did you just call my cats devil's creatures? How dare you!"

You knew he thought about his cats like they were angels and that he took it as an “insult” that you called them the exact opposite somehow. You got a little offended by it.

Y/N: "Don't you dare to think that angels are ‘oh-so-good’ infront of me ever again. I know exactly what's going on in your head right now. Not all of us are bloody bad to the gut!"

Minho: “What do you mean.... all of us?”

Instead of explaining yourself you let your mood get onto you too much and instead showed him what you had alwas wanted to show him. Your face turned into ghost-like features with goat horns. Minho was more than surprised and he couldn’t get out a word.

Minho: “Y-You did-... H-how was tha- OMG“

Y/N: “I’m sorry...my temperament came out... I promise you I’ll explain it to you.”

Minho nodded so fast. He was shook! His cats didn’t mind and instead tried to get you to pet them.

Changbin:

You two were playing poker and in 13 rounds Changbin didn’t win once. He was very frustrated and accused you of cheating.

Changbin: “I swear Babe stop playing unfair! This can’t be real... is this some magic? Why am I loosing all the time?”

Y/N: *smirks* “Yeah you could say it’s magic. Devils magic if I gotta be exact.”

Changbin: “Stop playing Y/N... I want you to show me your hands!”

You were in a VERY good mood for joking around a bit so you did what he asked for and put out your arms... all four of them. Changbin almost fell out of his chair when he saw this. He was sure his girlfriend hasn’t had four arms when he first met you... He was squinting his eyes once and they were gone.

Y/N: “I told you baby! Devil’s magic.

Changbin: “Y/N What the hell was that?! What kinda crap is this??? Are you a witch or something? Are there more people who can do this?”

Y/N: “No... I’m not a witch. I’m one of the devil’s children and yes there are ‘a few’ people, my siblings, that can do this. You’ll learn to understand. Now don’t you wanna play again? This time I will play fair of course.”

Changbin: “Oh you bet imma beat your ass this time baby... in game and out of game. This got to a whole new level of darkness!”

Hyunjin:

Most of the time you were a pretty honest person. If you couldn't get something you did whatever you had to do to get it without causing trouble. However if you wanted to have a little bit of fun without moving a finger you pulled out your tricks.

Y/N: "If I get Seungmin to do your laundries for one week you will give me a massage every day for two weeks. Deal?"

Hyunjin: "What's with you and always making deals?"

Y/N: "It's a devil's trait. Plus life is more fun this way don’t you think so?."

You knew you were winning anyway since you would easily trick Seungmin. But then he got curious and asked about this "devil's trait". When you explained to him he wanted proof. You then showed him by calling Seungmin on the phone and telling him to do Hyunjins laundry plus to compliment him, which he immediately agreed on and then did as you asked for after giving the phone to your boyfriend."

Hyunjin: "I could get used to this" He smiled mischievously.

Han:

Han: “Babe, the guys recently told me I look like a squirrel and I kinda agree with that. If you were an animal which one would it be?”

Y/N: “Oh that one is easy. A goat for sure!”

Han: “What? No no no... you look nothing like a goat”

Y/N: “Uhm... it’s weird to explain but I kinda AM a goat”

Han: “Yeah yeah we all know you can be a bit grumpy sometimes bit that doesn’t make you a goat”

Y/N: “I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that...”

You tried to convince him that you really resembled a goat but eventually you gave up when Han started to get all fuzzy and it was annoying you. So to make him stop talking you sinply twirled a finger and your human boyfriend turned into a small squirrel with peanuts in his hands. Of course you didn’t let it last for long and as quickly as he turned into a squirrel he turned into his human self again.

Han: “I BEG YOU to NEVER ever do this EVER again!”

He was terrified. You did apologize many times but there was no use. He didn’t talk to you for the rest of the day but it didn’t take long for him to get used to the idea of you being the devils child after you told him every little secret of yours.

Felix:

With him it was a rather simple occasion that you wanted to tell him you were able to do what the devil has done but let me tell you he would not believe you. Not even after you turned his hair fire red in a split second. He shrug it of as the light playing with his eyes. You had to admit it was rather weak to convince him you were satans daughter by turning his hair into another color but you didn’t wanna scare him to death... literally.

Y/N: “Come on Felix what do I gotta do for you to believe me?”

Felix: “Well let me meet your father. I’m sure he’s not as bad as you make him sound”

Y/N: “He isn’t that bad but... he’s the devil. You’d probably need an audience to meet him and you as a human... thats just not possible. Hmmm I could ask my mother tho...”

Felix: “I really gotta say you’re really into this role hm? Sure I wanna see your mother coming out of the floor with black fog around her and dark clothes!”

Y/N: “Don’t be silly. She’s not some kinda reincarnation coming from space... I’ll call her..”

Felix was beginning to talk again when a few second later there stood mother lilith with crossed arms, looking at the two of you while tapping her foot. She knew what was going on. She of course could sense it.

Mother Lilith: “What do we got here huh? My darling may I take him on a walk around hell?”

You nodded your head and told her to not show him around the too horrible places and it actually just took her 10 seconds to disappear with Felix and then appear again. Poor boy was shaking.

Y/N: “Thanks Mother... I’ll take care of him. Sorry baby but I didn’t know what else to do to make you believeme :(“

You eventually used some dark magic to make him recover from that but you were in for a long night of having to listen to his complaints.

Seungmin:

Y/N: “Seungmin please stop taking photos of me!”

Seungmin: “But why? You’re eyes are so beautiful and I don’t have a single photo of you with eyes open. Just one or two!”

You hesitated but gave in when he started giving you the puppy eye look. He took a few pictures and started looking at them. His smily face turned pale when he saw them. You quickly took them from him.

Y/N: “This was a stupid idea Seungmin. I told you I don’t like pictures of me...”

Seungmin: “You also didn’t tell me you got some demonic aura embracing yourself... thats what it looks like at least. Y/N what is this?”

He was surprisingly calm but you could feel his concern.

Y/N: “You know... demonic is not that wrong. I never wanted you to take pictures of me because they show this ‘aura’ when I open my eyes... it’s weird to explain but it’s just how it is. Kinda like how vampires don’t have a reflection but it’s the... opposite for me? Does that make sense?”

Seungmin took the photos and ripped them in pieces.

Seungmin: “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. Let’s forget about it.”

Y/N: “No Seungmin it’s not fair. I got some explaining to do.”

You sat down with him and told him everything. Out of all the members I feel like he’d sense some insecurities in you behind all this strenght and he somehow got to trigger exactly that point. He feels guilty so he tries to be as understanding as he can.

I.N:

Jeongin was struggling a lot with his upcoming test. He had been learning nonstop but he just couldn’t get anything in his head. You really wanted to help him so you got an idea. You sat besides Jeongin who was trying his best at getting the answers in his head.

Y/N: “Jeongin-ie? I would like to take some pressure off of you. What I’m about to tell you might be a bit shocking so I need your full attention for a few minutes.”

He gladly took his eyes off his paper and watched you speak. You tried to explain to him what you were capable of and how you would like to help him.

Y/N: “-and I am basically going to be in your head to tell you all the answers. If you don’t feel comfortable with this I could try to find another method.”

Jeongin: “.......... Sounds good to me”

Y/N: “...What? No confusion? Thats your reaction?”

Jeongin: “Okay yeah I’m little confused about why you would wanna help me when you’re the devils daughter in person but I really need to empty my head!”

Y/N: “I mean it would count as cheating so it’s not really a good thing to do all along but it would help you wouldn’t it?”

Jeongin: “That’s true... I don’t mind. Do we have to practice this ‘takimg control over my brain thing’ or...?”

Smart boy would adapt to your powers very fast and tbh he wpuld take advantage of them. He’s the perfect fit for you!