THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 1K VIEWS OMG OMG OMG. Here is the next chapter to celebrate!!!!!! And to those who leave comments, you have no idea how happy reading them makes me! I love hearing your reactions throughout the story, its the best thing ever for a writer xoxoxo.
Warnings: death, war, fighting, blood, arranged marriage, cheating, sex with Namjoon, first times, spitting idk kind of kinky I try not to do the same old thang so it's not boring for you, rough sex, Namjoon.Is.Big. size kink all over the place
—
"Joon..." The eldest member calls out to him.
"I-I need some air." Namjoon breaks away from the group.
"Wait!"
You follow after him, the other members are right behind you. He's almost out the door, about to leave, and you feel frantic at the thought of him being alone and upset, upset at you.
Namjoon did not want to admit his feelings. He did not want to think of the envy he had felt simmering inside for days. He did not have this otherworldly connection with you like the others, but he still found his chest tightening at the possibilities. Deep down he held onto one last sliver of hope, the small guarantee the world would right itself again with you coming back into their lives. He held on to that hope right until the moment you held his hand and the revelations he expected to flow through him never happened. He felt like he had been given a test and failed, and he was too ashamed to face his failure.
You would do anything to go back in time and find the courage to reach out to Namjoon. You call his name but he ignores you.
Why does it have to be like this? Your life has never been this complicated, this difficult, you don't want to hurt them anymore. You promised yourself you would try, but it's always one step forward, two steps back. It's not fair! Before you can stop yourself you grab the leader's wrist and pull him back to you.
Namjoon jolts in your grasp. You feel like you've been stunned by electricity, and that's what it looks like to all the other members as you and Namjoon stand frozen in place. Your lungs won't even open for air as all the muscles in your body stiffen. Your ears ring. His memories bombard you, rip through your consciousness and flood your senses until they become the only sights you see, the only thoughts you have, and then everything turns to black around you, the ringing growing louder.
—
There's a ringing echoing through the halls. Guards are yelling. You rush through the corridors being pulled by your own guard, a man who's been by your side for years, who's dedicated his life to protecting you. Amongst the screams and roaring cries of battle you try to find comfort in the warmth of his hand as it envelops your own.
The palace is in chaos. Soldiers run through the halls brandishing weapons, ready for battle. Your guard's large body blocks your own as you run behind him. There's so much yelling you can barely make sense of it, but then you hear it, "There's an attack!"
It feels wrong running away. He leads you into the heart of the palace, until you're safely hidden in a room designed for protection. Your guard begins to bolt the intricate door locks, locking you inside with him. You place your hand on top of the latches.
"What are you doing?" Namjoon questions as he pulls you away from the door.
You squirm in his grasp, "How can I stay here, listening to the cries of my people?" You glare at him defiantly, "You're one of the strongest soldiers in the palace, you should not be here! I want to fight with you!"
"No, you will not. You will stay here and keep our kingdom from falling." His fingers brush against the gold cuffs in your hair and along your jaw. You sigh into his touch. This is unfair.
Namjoon stands guard at the door, his tall frame stays still and impassive. Without windows you can't tell how much time has passed, but the noise has died down in the halls. You can't take it anymore and move closer to him, seeking his warmth. Your hands find his sides and you bury your face into the muscles of his back.
"Princess..." he warns softly.
"We're alone now, please...I'm scared."
"Don't worry, I will protect you with my life."
That is what makes you worry the most. You let your lips drag against his exposed skin as you breathe in his scent. Your hands travel to his front and you begin to caress the hard muscles of his torso. He tenses in your hold, he can't have any distractions, even if it's you.
"Please princess, I must stand guard, the palace could be under siege," Namjoon whispers, head held high.
"This might be the last time I get to be with you then," you say as your fingers drift lower.
Namjoon growls, he turns around to face you and his hands find the back of your head. He pulls you swiftly, your body crashes against his large frame as his lips find yours. If he had one weakness in his life, it would be you. Namjoon finds it impossible to deny you, even now, while the palace crumbles at his feet.
Namjoon's long fingers curl around the crook of your neck, tilting your head upward. He kisses you roughly despite his careful embrace. You let him lead you backwards until your back meets a pillar. His tongue glides over your mouth and you eagerly part your lips for him, desperate for his touch. You want him, all of him. If you could run away with him and be by his side forever, you would, if only he'd ask.
You're both interrupted by a hard knock at the door. Namjoon wheels around, covering your body with his own, poised in a fighting stance.
"Commander!" The familiar voice of Namjoon's soldier shouts out from behind the door.
"Your position, say it now!" Namjoon's voice thunders, deep and menacing.
"The palace is secure! The enemy's retreated, we were able to beat them...b-but something has happened..." The silence behind the door makes your heart drop. You clutch onto Namjoon for support as he walks slowly to the door.
"Speak," Namjoon's deep voice orders the voice behind the door.
"The Pharaoh is dead!"
—
You sit amongst men, your guard by your side. You listen to them argue military strategy. They argue about you like you do not sit there.
"...she is a mere child.'
"I am not a child!" You finally speak up.
"She's a woman."
You clench your teeth, you chance a look sideways to Namjoon. His eyes are dark with anger and his hands clench the handle of his spear. He looks murderous. You stand up. "Right now I am your King!" The hall stays silent.
The royal vizier speaks hesitantly, "Our kingdom is weakened, we do not have a proper Pharoah and if we do not act quickly our lands will fall to another Kingdom. We are trying everything we can to protect you and the bloodline."
You exhale and sit back down sullen. You have to find some way to save your people. But what can you do?
—
You hear familiar steps pace in your bedroom. You stand on your balcony, looking down to the homes of your people.
"Are you still having nightmares?" His voice resounds behind you. You turn and offer your guard a weak smile. "Would you like to talk about it?" Namjoon asks.
"They are so strange, I cannot even describe them to you if I tried," you sigh. You look at your guard, at his muscular frame and sharp jaw and sweet smile. There is a resemblance you notice that pulls at your memory.
"What do you think will happen to them?" You gesture to the homes below. You silently wish you were one of them and your own worries were someone else's. "Do you think if we pray to the gods perhaps this Kingdom can be saved?"
Namjoon scoffs, "No gods will save us."
"And no man will either," you add, "...but a marriage will." Your guard's face stays impassive, but you notice the small things; the clench in his jaw, the tick of his eyebrow, the breath he holds.
He knew this day would come eventually, he knew he had no claim to you.
"If we merge our Kingdom with another, we could save them and become stronger in the process," you continue.
"If that is what you think is best..."
"I will do anything to save them," you run your fingertips over his furrowed brow to smooth his pained expression away, "and you."
He exhales, stepping closer to you. Namjoon leans his head against your shoulder and breaths in your scent in his desperation to forget his troubles. You run your hands up his arms and down his sides, watching the muscles flex under your touch.
Namjoon buries his head closer into the curve of your neck, you can feel his silent anguish and it makes you hurt. Life is unfair.
Namjoon loves you. He'd suffer a thousand lifetimes to give you happiness. He silently prays for your safety, willing to sacrifice his own happiness in return.
"Make love to me," you whisper. In that moment you want to give Namjoon everything. If you are going to give your life away, you want him to mark his claim on you in a way that only you will know.
"Princess, I..." His eyes search yours.
"Please?"
Namjoon gives into his weakness once again.
He picks you up easily, carrying you back into your quarters and lying your body down against your bed. His strong hands run over the sheer fabric that covers your breasts, making you moan under his careful caresses. His hands travel under your dress, pushing the fabric over your hips as he kisses you slowly. You shudder as you're exposed to him, his gaze so strong it burns your uncovered skin, makes you feel hot and needy for him.
Namjoon wants nothing more than to make you his, worship every curve of your body and touch every part of you until you're lost in pleasure. But he keeps himself from fulfilling his dishonorable desires, worried how his treachery will further corrupt you.
You can see the hesitation in his eyes, and the growing bulge behind the cloth that covers his torso. Your fingers find the knot around his waist and unravel the fabric away. You take in his body in all his glory. Namjoon is big. His tan torso hovers over your body. You should feel intimidated, but all you feel is safe beneath his strong frame.
Your fingertips find his lips, dip inside his waiting mouth just slightly, and travel down his chest to circle the sensitive skin of his pecks. Namjoon moans from your touch. His own fingers find your mouth, his thumb caressing your bottom lip until he pushes it into your open mouth. You keep up your ministrations and travel lower until you grip his long hard length. His thumb opens your mouth wider, moving down your wet tongue. You roll your tongue around his digit, hoping to break his resolve.
Namjoon can barely keep himself together, shaking above you. "Princess, I fear I am in love with you. I'm afraid. I'm afraid because I want to do the most immoral things to you," Namjoon groans. His confession makes you arch your back into him. His other hand caresses your face, wiping away the tear that escaped in your frustration, smudging your eyeliner in the process.
Your face, usually perfect and noble as your title, now messy and crying for him, full of lust and love, your mouth open and waiting under his thumb, proved to be his last undoing. He gathers fluid in his mouth, and lets it travel past his lips, dripping into your open mouth. You swallow his spit, moaning his name. He snaps, kissing you hungrily, his tongue exploring your mouth as you run your hand up and down his length, bringing him to your core.
He can feel the wetness between your legs, gripping your hips to meet his own. You moan as he slowly enters you, filling you in a way you've never experienced. Pain and pleasure intermingle as you stretch around his thickness. He slowly ruts into you.
"Stop holding back," you gasp in between breaths.
"I don't want to hurt you."
"This is one instance where I don't want your protection," you say between kisses. You want him to stop treating you like glass.
"I can handle it, give it to me," You pull his bottom lip between your teeth and bite down hard. The action makes him snap his hips into you and you cry out. He growls, rolling his hips into your heat, indulging himself. Namjoon pulls away from you and grabs your leg, pushing it to your shoulder. There is a dark intensity in his eyes as he watches your chest heave in want.
"You can't make noise," he says, bringing his other hand to your mouth, holding you down. You place your hands over his, holding his arm while he rolls into you hard and deep. He fucks you like that, as you whimper and moan against his palm. When you tighten around him, nearing your high he slams into you faster, replacing his hand with his lips, holding you to him, until you shake with your release, lost in blinding pleasure. His hold on you never falters, even in his own release.
Namjoon kisses the soft skin of your neck, still unwilling to let you go, wanting to hold onto this moment for as long as he can.
—
Namjoon paces his quarters. It's your wedding night. He barely held himself together during the ceremony, he hated the unease in your eyes as performed the marriage ritual. Even if no one else could see, he saw immediately the fear you felt now bound to a stranger. You were one of his many wives, you accepted your role, knowing it would be the only way to ensure peace for your people. And the thing he hated the most is how you ignored him completely. He understood why, if your sad pained eyes had met his he would have probably killed every man in the palace to get to you. It drove Namjoon near mad knowing he could not console you. So he stayed awake, pacing his room, torturing himself to thoughts of you under another man.
Strong hands pull you back. Hidden, you find yourself against your guard, his long limbs hug your body close to him. Namjoon knew the palace well, he knew all the places he could take you where no one could find, places unknown to even the Pharaoh. His hands grab at your body, groping your most sensitive parts.
"My Queen..." his voice growls low in your ear, fueling your hidden desires.
Your breath is hot and heavy. "If they catch us they will kill you," you gasp.
"It would be worth it." He turns you around and pushes you against the wall. There is a fire in his eyes that incinerates any resistance inside you and leaves you weak for him. You know it's a dangerous game you play with him. You know if you were to be caught your life would end, because his life is your life, and Namjoon would surely be punished in the most atrocious of ways for disrespecting a god amongst men.
But you cannot stop. You try, but your need for each other only grows the more you try to stay away. "I love you," Namjoon whispers the words to you.
"I love you," you whisper your secret back and forth to each other, confessing your sins over and over again.
He lifts you up in his arms. You instinctively wrap your legs around him and he groans as your naked core meets his hardening length. Namjoon crushes you between his large body and the wall. His arms find the underside of your knees and lift you legs higher to spread you wider for him. Your hands unwrap the cloth around his waist quickly, needing him closer to you.
He lands a crushing kiss on your lips, swallowing your cries as he inches his length into you. He does it quickly, afraid of taking up too much time where your absence becomes noticeable. The stretch has you shuddering around him. He rolls his hips into yours hard and fast, over and over again, with such force you lose every thought in your mind; you only desire what Namjoon gives you, you can only think of the way his hips crash into yours.
The numbness in your joints and the hypersensitivity between your legs has you crying out in pleasure. Your arms try to find stability, but your grip is nonexistent in your lust filled delirium. You let Namjoon manhandle your body, let him strum the aching chords of your desire until you reach nirvana. He holds your shaking body in his arms as he deepens his thrusts and spills into you, making you his the only way he can.
—
In your love, you both grew reckless. Servants began to notice the longing looks, the forbidden touches. They would whisper when his fingers would sweep down the curve of your spine and along the apples of your cheek. Unknown to you, it became the palace's greatest gossip now that your people have settled into the boredom of peace. You were naive to think the Pharaoh wouldn't find out.
So now you stood here in your husband's throne room, in front of your king, without your guard as he requested.
"Hello, my great wife." He smiles at you kindly. He is not a bad man, but good men also have their limits. "I haven't had the pleasure of your company in quite a while. I missed my wife."
He beckons you closer and you oblige. He kisses you tenderly. The Pharaoh is handsome and loving, he lets you run your kingdom as you please when he's away, and if you weren't already madly in love with your guard you could see a good life with him. You know you were being unfair.
"I love you, my beautiful wife." His eyes look down at you earnestly, "Do you love me?"
"Of course, my King."
He pulls you into an embrace. "And are you devoted only to me?"
You stiffen against him, "Of course."
The Pharaoh lifts your hands to his lips and kisses. He moves your intertwined hands in front of your face in silent request, so you repeat the action bringing your lips against his knuckles.
The king is kind, but betrayal is not something he can accept. He takes a deep breath and moves around the room. You watch him cautiously as he speaks quietly to a guard who leaves.
"I do love you," he repeats, "I want you to be happy with me. Let me make you happy."
His words feel like a test, and you don't know what to say to him to please him. "I am very happy, my king."
You see anger flash across his face before the Pharaoh grabs a vase resting near him and throws it against the palace wall, smashing the beautiful pottery to pieces. You hold your breath, frozen in place.
The guard comes back with another. In walks Namjoon between them, he towers over them and the Pharaoh. When you look at him he doesn't meet your eyes, staring only at the Pharaoh. But your husband doesn't offer him a second glance, as if his presence was beneath him, keeping his sole attention on you. Your eyes dart between the men.
Your husband addresses you again, "I love you," he says, his voice still hopeful as he waits expectantly, you know what he wants you to say. With his outburst, you know he knows, so now in front of Namjoon, the lie cannot leave your lips. In your silence the Pharaoh only grows more angry.
Your heart feels heavy, "I'm sorry..."
"Did you lie to me before, my wife? Do you love me? Say it."
"I'm sorry," you repeat quietly, hoping your husband who has been nothing but kind to you offers you one last token of mercy. "I'm sorry. How can I give you my heart when another holds it..."
The words hang heavy in the air between you and the men. Your husband sighs. "You will regret this," he mutters. "Take him to the dungeons," he addresses the guards, "He will remain there until judgement."
You run to Namjoon, guards move to separate you. You hold onto Namjoon's frame, crying, but he remains impassive, not putting up a fight, pretending you don't exist. It makes you cry even more, to think this might be the last time you see him and for him to act so coldly toward you.
You do not let him go until cold blades meet your skin, and still you fight, not caring when blood escapes. The Pharaoh's booming voice tells the guards to leave him and you. He holds your shoulders as the guards and Namjoon leave. You watch silently, distraught, wishing you could call out to him, to meet his eyes only once.
The Pharaoh grabs your chin to face him, and when your eyes do not move from the retreating figure of your guard he shakes you. "For you I don't kill him," he whispers, eyes boring into yours, your tears falling on his fingers. "But if you act like this any further, I will have no choice. Do you understand?" You hold in your sobs.
"I understand, my king."
—
Namjoon sits in his cell, he meets the eyes of the guard tasked to look after him, his friend. Namjoon nods at him when he sees the worry in his eyes, Namjoon knows he holds his trust and devotion. His thoughts drift to you again and guilt overwhelms him. He had failed in protecting you.
He had succumbed to his worst urges, let himself gorge on forbidden fruit and was removed from the paradise of your company because of it. He had dared allowed himself to think he had a place high above by your side, but he had stayed too close to the sun, and now burned and humbled, he sits alone thinking upon how he can fix his mistakes.
Namjoon sat in his cell for days, welcoming his punishment. He deserved this, he thought. He wallowed in his misery until he realized being cast away and alone meant you were alone too. He asked himself the same question for days, were you better off without him? Until one day he decided no.
—
You awake from your slumber as a hand covers your mouth. "Stay quiet."
You nod your head, unable to see the dark figure above you but immediately recognizing his voice.
"I'm going to escape, leave this place, do you want to come with me?' You nod your head against his palm.
You follow closely behind Namjoon, your heart jumping inside your chest, ecstatic to have him by you again, and terrified of getting caught. The halls are desolate and dark, the new moon providing no light for your escape.
You and Namjoon hear approaching footsteps and Namjoon grabs you and pulls you into a dark hiding spot. His large frame covers you entirely, so you can only hear the footsteps as they reach closer, suddenly stopping right in front of you.
You hold your breath waiting for the worst, but it never comes, Namjoon pulls you along as he follows the guard. He brings you to another guard and you follow him as well. You and Namjoon keep being passed along until you make it out of the palace. He embraces his last friend goodbye.
—
"We'll stay here until nightfall. It is the last place the Pharaoh will look for us."
"Is it not dangerous to-"
"It's been all taken care of, my Queen." You do not ask questions, you follow Namjoon deep into the pyramid away from the rising sun. He leads you, torch in hand. You wonder what pathway would take you to your father, his last resting place on earth until he is reborn again.
"I missed you."
Namjoon turns around, "I missed you too, my love."
"I-I thought you hated me for what I did," you whisper.
His arms wrap around you and you let yourself sink into his comforting embrace. "I could never hate you. It was my own fault, my punishment as a weak man. I hoped if the Pharaoh thought I no longer cared for you, he would not punish you as well. He didn't hurt you, did he?"
You know anything other than a no would have Namjoon bursting into the palace once again, so you shake your head at his question.
You pull him closer to you, "I'm sorry, you've always protected me, and I couldn't save you...I should have done more, I should have..."
"Well," he looks to the altar you've found yourselves in the midst of, "Now that we are here, I don't object to a prayer to the gods." Namjoon offers you one of his rare dimpled smiles.
You've witnessed enough rituals to know the basics, but had no idea how to enact one on your own, so you hoped the gods would hear your heart instead. You offer your life to the man in front of you, as so does he, sealing your love with a kiss and two drops of blood. What could be more sacred than vowing your hearts to each other in the house of divine judgement, where the very bridge between worlds should reside?
Namjoon holds you in his arms as you sleep, guarding your sleeping form. He feels content knowing you're his as much as he's yours. Soon, he will leave this place with you and start a new life together.
You whimper in your slumber. Namjoon runs his hand over your forehead, wiping away the accumulating perspiration. When you thrash in his arms he tries to sooth your cries, but you wake up with a start, heart beating fast and breathing heavy. You cling to him dazed from your dreams.
"Another nightmare?"
"No. I...don't know what it was." You push the thoughts back, images of him, odd environments you can't place. Feeling safe in his arms again, sleep finds you quickly.
—
The desert is unforgiving, but you feel safe following Namjoon's lead. He followed a route he knew no one else would take to look for you. A quicker route to the next city, and more dangerous, but nothing a skilled warrior like him couldn't overcome. He knew how to survive off the land. Your muscles ached, your body hot and fatigued from too much sun, your lips dry from sparse water, but you stayed strong for him. Only a couple more days and nights to civilization.
Nights you enjoy. When he holds you close to him, you let the heat that radiates off his body keep you warm under the cool night's moon. Together, alone in the vast sahara, you can scream to the heavens your love for each other. The stars dance in the night sky, you want to believe they dance for you and Namjoon, rejoicing in your happiness.
—
Something is wrong, Namjoon can feel it before he sees it. A wall of destruction headed towards you both. Namjoon could fight against countless enemies, but this, a vast sandstorm, deadlier than any military, his only choice was to...
"Run!" He grabs your wrist, pulling you along. The sand beneath your feet makes your strides heavy, but you do as Namjoon says. You run, and run, and run.
You run away from the roaring dark cloud of sand hurling towards you. It rolls along the desert floor, rumbling, pulling in more sand and becoming bigger and bigger. You run. You know this is a race you cannot win, but you run.
When your back meets the edge of the storm, your body is hurtled forward as the sandstorm whips around you and Namjoon, pulling you away from his grasp.
Namjoon screams your name. You search for each other as sand pelts you, clogging your lungs and blocking your vision. The storm's greyness turns to a frightening shade of red, and then to black as darkness envelops you, completely devoid of light, an endless screaming void. Your own screams merge within it, coughing out for help.
Something hard hits your body, pulling you down into the sand. Was it Namjoon you heard? You can't make anything out, your body dragging along the sand, you lose all sense of direction as your orientation flips again and again.
Another hard collision into your body and you hear him, you reach out and nothing, just the painful scrape of sand and wind on your outstretched fingers.
You're knocked down, this time Namjoon grabs you, you feel his hands frantically try to hold on, and you try to connect, but the rolling sand makes it impossible.
You manage to connect with his forearm and you anchor your nails into his skin, it allows him to pull you to him.
You scream for him, "My dreams! I don't believe they were just dreams!"
"What?!" Namjoon can't hear you.
"I saw a vision! I saw you in my dreams!"
Namjoon can only yell for you, holding onto your fingers as sand twists around him. Your bodies pulled back and forth in darkness.
"You called me-"
"I love you!"
"My name, you called me-"
Sand wraps around your bodies, filling your lungs and suffocating you. "You called me ____!"
The whirling pulls your bodies down, deeper into the sand.
—
You shudder at the memories. 'Namjoon!' you scream his name, but nothing comes out of your mouth. The man in front of you keeps walking. Namjoon stops abruptly, causing you to run into his back. He brings his fingers to his lips to keep you silent. You look down at your hands. The slippers on your feet. Your heartbeat quickens.
"You don't have much time. head towards the Forest. You'll find him there. Stay safe." He brings you into a crushing hug.
"Thank you," you bury your head in his chest and let his presence calm your jittery body.
"Don't thank me, he's my friend and so are you, you deserve happiness." Namjoon kisses the top of your head, he tries not to think how this is the last time he'll ever get to hug you.
"I'll think of you always. Please find a way to leave this awful place too."
"Don't worry about me, go! And hurry!"
You take one last look at your dear friend, knowing this might be the last time you'll ever see him. You give him one last hug, and run to the forest and towards Jungkook.
—
You hear your name on Namjoon's lips. It sounds so far away. You try to open your eyes, but can only groan in pain. Your head feels like it's splitting in half.
"She's waking up!" You can hear Hoseok's voice call out to his other members.
"Joon, Joonie, hey, open your eyes, please!" Taehyung's deep baritone voice is full of worry as he pleads to his leader.
You hear the rapper groan beside you.
"...Joon..." you whisper weakly. Why does your body feel so heavy? You move your hand in the direction you think he is, still unable to open your eyes.
You feel fingertips brush your hand.
Namjoon's beautiful dimpled smile lights up the radio studio. The pianist is handsome. His looks are only to be rivaled by your best friend's. They laugh and banter as they talk on air.
After his interview Namjoon makes his way over to you. You offer your praises, making him blush. "You did amazing, I'd love to hear you play again!"
Namjoon leans against your desk, you notice his biceps flex under his shirt. "...I'd love that too." He looks even cuter up close. Your face feels hot under his gaze.
Namjoon noticed you as soon as he walked into the radio studio. Initially he thought you and the DJ might be a thing, but when he asked, the DJ adamantly denied the possibility. "I was invited to a grand opening this weekend. I was thinking, if you wanted to go with me, I'd very much like to take you out."
You look over to Hoseok, who's engrossed in his music and too busy to notice you. "Yeah, sure, that sounds lovely."
"Really?"
You laugh and nod your head. "Only if you promise to play me a song!"
"Of course!" He flashes another dimpled smile at you. You look over to your best friend again and bite your lip. Why do you feel so uneasy?
"Y/n! Y/N?!" Who is calling your name?
"What!" You whip your head around to see Namjoon jump at your sudden outburst.
"Whoa! Settle down there Tiger." Namjoon laughs. "I just wanted to brief you on our upcoming mission."
You sigh. "Alright. Come here," you grumble. You study over his notes.
"Who is this?" On the mission map there is a position marked sniper. Your heart drops.
"Hmm, I'm not sure," Namjoon flips through his material, "No information on him. I think it's a mercenary the agency's hired?"
"Oh. Do they not trust us?" you huff.
"I doubt they trust each other," Namjoon laughs.
"Well, just don't let this mercenary take me out too..." you feel uneasy looking over the map once more.
"Never! I will protect you with my life," Namjoon says. His words pull you from your thoughts and make stomach tighten.
"Shut up...just do your job and I'll do mine."
"Don't give me that, you know I'm your favorite." Namjoon winks at you.
You scoff. He is not your favorite. But you can't deny the agent is one of the smartest you've encountered, his quick thinking has saved you too many times to count. And he's built like a tank.
"You're the most competent. I'll give you that." You offer him some of your lunch which he gladly inhales, choking slightly in the process. You stifle a laugh at his clumsiness.
"I was thinking," Namjoon speaks up as you eat, "We could team up. I could use someone like you, and I really do promise to have your back." He stands close enough that you can smell the woodsy pine scent of his cologne.
"I'll think about it." You glance over at Namjoon. How that man hasn't let the atrocities of your lives jade him yet, you will never understand. Before you let your heart open you find yourself erecting another wall. No, you think, you won't suffer through that again.
The leader's grip on your hand tightens, pulling you away again. The desperate pleas around you turn into jovial cheers.
You cut fruit for Taehyung and his friends, smiling as their melodious voices reach your ears. You here footsteps behind you and turn around to Namjoon's hesitant smile.
"Do you need some help?"
"No no! What kind of host would I be?"
"But I want to help." Namjoon stands by your side, waiting expectantly for instructions. You laugh, handing him a pomegranate and a bowl of water.
You watch as he pulls the pomegranate seeds from their casings, your hands dip into the bowl with his own. "Here," you give him a smile which he returns shyly. "Instead of picking out the seeds, try taking away the pulp instead."
Namjoon nods, watching the bright red berries fall to the bottom of the bowl. You work in comfortable silence with the poet by your side. It's peaceful, and yet, something feels out of place.
You hear the idols' voices around you, desperately calling your name. Your body feels light. So light you can't feel the ground beneath you anymore. Are you lying down or are you standing? You feel like you're suffocating, you feel cold. You shudder and open your eyes. You see Namjoon. He's floating away from you. Deeper into the cold depths of the sea. You struggle for air. It's water that surrounds you.
You wake up with a start, Jin falls away from you in shock. Moments before he was performing CPR on you. You throw up...water. You cough out, gasping for breath. Your arm is pulled as Namjoon turns to his side, coughing and shaking. You gasp for air, as you lie back down, turning to the leader. You hold onto his hand tighter as he does the same, the stinging in your fingers helps ground you. You grip the carpet with your other hand, afraid to let go of the ground. The men surround you in stark silence. They thought you had both died.
—
Well look at that, you kind of did save a country in your past life :'). It's getting complicated now. Namjoon's character is out here surprising even me. This was not something that was planned when I wrote earlier chapters, he just kind of went, "Yeah, I've been here the whole time bih how did you not see this coming sooner?" Funny how the mind works..anyways what do you think is gonna happen next now that all the handshakes have been completed? idk I'm kind of team Namjoon after this one. Which handshake was your favorite? Please tell me, I'd love to know! <3