When the door audibly creaks open, Taehyung realizes he had fallen asleep over the blankets and swiftly sits up, eager to welcome his girlfriend in his arms. The girl doesn't head directly to him though. She went to their cabinet, grabs a handful of clothes from within, and pads back to the door. Taehyung glances quickly at the alarm clock on their bed table to find the short hand pointing at three.
"Hun?"
Jeongyeon turns, a little surprised that he is awake. "I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"
"No." Taehyung stands up and envelopes her in a hug. Jeongyeon smelled of cigarettes and sweat, a hint of iron too. When she exhales through her mouth, he smells more cigarette and strong coffee, probably bitter just how she likes it. It's not wholly pleasant, but Taehyung doesn't mind. He's used to it.
She returns the embrace, a feeble one in contrast to his sinewy hug. "Go back to sleep. I'll be with you in a few—"
"No," he interrupts. "Let's get you cleaned up."
"But Tae—"
"The sooner we finish, the better."
The girl sighs on to his collar, but it wasn't out of annoyance or defeat. More like a cue that they've reached a settlement. The couple ushers into the bathroom, the air a little cold, and Jeongyeon winces as she takes off her clothes. Her right shoulder aches as she stretches her shirt off of her body. Taehyung takes a glance and sees her grimace. There's a faint bruise on the aching limb, and as his eyes drift down, he could see month-old scars beneath her right breast, a gruesome slash on her tummy that had faded into a nasty scar, and the cigarette burns located below her navel; burns that her former boss gave her when he was still kicking and alive.
"Did you get injured?" Taehyung asks as he opens the tap. He had already prepared hot water earlier, anticipating her arrival.
"Nah. Just got distracted. Almost broke my arm."
"Distracted?
Jeongyeon hums, but doesn't elaborate. He thinks she's too tired to talk about it so he lets the subject go. Once the tub is filled, she steps into it and soaks herself in silence, knees up to her chest and chin on the surface. After Taehyung hands her a face towel already downed in apple-scented body wash, she gently scrubs her skin, face dead of any emotion. She looks on the verge of passing out, so Taehyung grabs the bottle of conditioner and squirts a liberate amount of it on his palm. He distributes the substance across her scalp and massages it with diligence and care, thinking of the scalp massage she gave him weeks ago when he finished his mission, when the shower washed off dirt and blood and whatever filth he had after blowing someone's head off. She finds herself letting out an airy moan as she leans back to his hands, his fingertips pressing on the right places. It was equivalent to a lullaby for her, a soothing one that lulled her into a hazy state.
"Tae?"
"Yeah?"
"You don't have to wait for me all the time," she says.
"I know. I just like to see you come home and settle beside me."
She blinks wearily. "Can you finish quickly, please?"
Taehyung doesn't smile, but he feels grateful. She rarely pleads to him, or anyone as far as he knows. It's just how she is, and he doesn't have a problem with it. So he hums and starts to rinse her head. She's pliant, acts like a baby under the hazy fog in the bathroom while they drain the bathtub of water, but she stands up with ease and dries herself on her own. Taehyung leaves her clothes on the dry sink.
When he's in their bedroom, unplugging his phone from the charger and checking his notifications, he hears her brush her teeth loudly then close the bathroom door. He doesn't hear the hairdryer, so he's mildly surprised to hear her pad back to their room. He sets his phone beside the alarm clock and finds her pushing the blankets down, settling on her side of the bed—the right side.
"Aren't you gonna wait 'till your hair dries first?" he asks. He moves to lie down alongside her, turning to face her.
"It doesn't kill me in my sleep so," she drawls.
She turns to face him. Usually she'd face away so Taehyung could spoon her from the back. She tangles their legs together swiftly, her fingertips tiptoeing on the side of his neck. When she gazes at him, all he sees under the moonbeams which stretches from the window are heavy lids and eyes, eyes that gleamed with lazy endearment to where her fingers are dancing on. She moves to his cheek now, thumb softly caressing his skin. He's warm beneath her fingertips, and she's cold.
He doesn't try to sleep immediately.
She shifts nearer, wanting more contact, and he slightly smiles at this as he finds his hand grasping for her waist, then her hips. She rarely shows affection like this. He's gotten used to one-sided embraces and short pecks on skin, that he finds this slightly overwhelming. Rewarding. Fulfilling. Her eyes closes this time, but she noses his neck, drinking on his scent and faintly humming meaningless tones. She ends up purposefully bumping noses with him, their lips touching but not kissing. The littlest contacts always made Taehyung fond and craving simultaneously.
"Taehyung." Their lips brush. This is the first night they have a late night talk in a long time, with the hush whispers and wandering touches, and he gladly welcomes it.
"Yeah?"
"Do you—would you," she pauses for a few seconds, "would you like to have children with me?"
Taehyung pulls back a little to see Jeongyeon's face. She opens her eyes at the reaction, thinking she is mistaken.
"Children? As in, kids? Our kids?"
She hesitates. "Yes."
". . . Why?"
"Why not. I love you, you love me, why don't we make a family then." It is clearly not a question. He sees her point. She doesn't avert her eyes from him. She faces him head on, not afraid.
Taehyung swallows, then chuckles lowly, not a nervous one or the type that signals her to drop the subject, but the smile on his face contrasts the melancholic thrum in his heart.
"Yeah, I would love to."
Jeongyeon starts to smile. "Really?"
"Yeah. How many do you want? I'm up for four or five. Two girls specifically. I'd like more sons."
She laughs a little. "Four's good enough. And maybe we can adopt a cat or a dog."
"A dog would be better. Three dogs." He leans forward, back to her space. "And we'll let the kids, our kids, name them. Sounds good?"
She's silent for a moment, just staring at him. And he stares back, waiting. Then she breaks. Jeongyeon releases a choked sound from within her throat, and her eyes glisten with tears that shakes Taehyung from his easygoing reverie of children and dogs. She leans forward, seals their lips together eagerly and holds him, cradles him like he's a delicate ornament that's easy to break or lose. He kisses back with equal vigor, pulls her body closer, and drowns in the euphoric sea of gratification and contentment. When he pulls away for a breath, she sucks in for her own that makes her sound like she's sobbing, and that's when Taehyung sees the tears slowly falling from her eyes.
When she opens them to look at him, she glares as if to say why did you pull away and quickly pulls him back in, grabbing the back of his head and kissing him ferociously like there's no tomorrow. She doesn't stop, he doesn't too, and when they finally part, their breaths mingling together and their fingers intertwining, Jeongyeon takes deep breaths and wipes her eyes with her other hand like her tears were annoying pests.
He smiles fondly. "Who do I have to kill, hun?"
She hiccups, but she smiles, looking a little forced. "No one, dear. No one."
"Then what's wrong?"
She continuously wipes her tears away, and he helps her out gingerly. "I'm just . . . getting tired. . . . Of this job. Of this life. Of almost everything. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. But," she finally breathes calmly, "I don't wanna leave you."
Taehyung's smile falls, her words echoing in their bedroom, in the depths of his mind, and hers falls too. She's a silent cryer, he learned. She doesn't sob or choke in her own tears, and he finds himself tearing up too. They can't have a normal life, not with the endless stream of blood pooling beneath their feet, not with shady politicians and edgy mob bosses piling up targets for them to terminate because he and Jeongyeon are the best at what they do. They were born in unfortunate circumstances that meeting each other made everything else bearable, made them push through their missions so they can be welcomed with an understanding mentality and comforting embrace once they succeed.
And so he embraces her, pecks her forehead and her hairline where her roots were still damp. He places soft and moist kisses on her cheek, her jaw, her neck, then back to her lips, a silent me too, but it's okay, we're in this together. She takes his breath away again, shifting and untangling their legs so she can place herself on top of him. He places his hands on her waist, thumbing the garter of her pyjama pants.
It doesn't hurt to dream. Five kids and three dogs.
"Thanks for keeping up with me," she whispers. Taehyung translates that as I love you.
So he says, "I love you too."
~•♤•~
I was listening to Adventure Time's Slow Dance with You when I thought of Jeongtae and scalp massages, and they're married or in a relationship, because I'm getting tired of coming up with stories where they're yet to be a couple, and they're the sweet couple who does those couple tags or match outfits or tag each other on social media. The cute couple. I proceeded with La La Land's City of Stars and ended up with this AU where they're both assassins who dream of a normal life with five kids and three dogs. I'll be publishing Special {6} one day... or maybe next year, I dunno. It's a nice one though, been writing it for a long time. And then I'll have Not So Special [7] either re-edited into Special {7.5} or deleted because it's a half-assed piece. Haha. Have a nice day.
8/1/19