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You roll your eyes as you look at the man in front of you. To anyone else, he looked dangerous, but to you he was just Gigi – the boy you’ve known since birth. He never tried to hide his ties to the Dragons, going as far as to wear a leather jacket with a fiery lizard spanning the back and even shaving the likeness of said lizard into the side of his head. To anyone else he looked like trouble, but to you he was too much trouble to bother with.
“Don’t go too far,” he said sternly. He always felt the need to protect you despite your positions within the Dragons. He may be the highest man in the group, but you were the Dragon Queen. Your father had passed the power to you years ago, and between you and G-Dragon, your names were feared. Today, however, you were sitting out of whatever business he and his four men were attending. You were only ever really involved when intimidation was a factor. “This shouldn’t take more than an hour – just reminding this new group whose in charge around here.”
“Whatever,” You ran a hand through your hair and fixed your scarf. Despite the chill in the air, you were wearing a mid-thigh dress – your specialty. You basically invented the fighting technique that revolved around a skirt. You believed a skirt was a powerful tool – it allowed for leg movement, use the rip fabric as a rope or a bandage, and it made it easier to hide weapons. “I’m getting coffee. You know how to call me if you need me.”
“Of course.” Jiyong said, his hand instinctively going to the ring on his finger. His ring matched the one on your finger, just three simple silver bands stacked on top of each other. They were created special for you, and if one of you were to twist the center ring the other one would vibrate – letting the other know they were needed.
You watched Gigi and his men walk away with a small smirk. As tough as they acted, you knew the five of them could be quite soft behind the comfort of closed doors. You shook your head as your smirk faded more into a soft smile and turned to the coffee shop that you planned to warm up in. Just as you were about to reach for the door, a gust of wind ripped the scarf off your neck and flung it ten feet away. You raced after it, watching the wind tug it farther away like a dollar on a string. You finally caught up to it and bend down to pick it up but instead of fabric your fingers met skin.
Glancing up quickly, you saw another person had tried to pick up the scarf at the same time as you. Warm brown eyes met with yours and you saw them widen a fraction. Your hand pulled back and his closed on the scarf as you both straightened. He was tall, with soft brown hair and a soft dusting of pink on his cheeks.
“Um, this is yours I believe,” he said, holding the scarf out with one hand, the other going up to scratch the back of his head. You took it with a small smile and looped it around your neck. “I’m Jungkook.” He said quickly. You gave him your name – your real name, not what the Dragons called you. Silence followed before you sniffled a little.
“I was going to get some coffee to warm up,” You said, smiling softly at him. You felt a fluttering in your stomach as he smiled back. He had a unique smile. “Would you like to join me?”
“I was actually going to get coffee for my hyungs,” His grin brightened. “I’m sure they won’t mind if I’m a few minutes late.”
The two of you walked to the coffee shop, Jungkook holding the door open for you. You made your way to the back table and placed your jacket and scarf on the back of the chair. The two of you ordered and waited for your drinks to be ready.
“So, tell me about yourself.” Jungkook started. You were surprised he asked first. He didn’t really come off as the kind of guy to be bold.
“Well, there really isn’t much to tell,” You said, accepting your mug from the barista. Jungkook did the same and you both sighed softly as the warm ceramic touched your chilled fingers. “I like to write, but I always publish my work under a penname. I never felt like seeing my real name on a book seemed right, you know? I guess I created a character for myself.” You laughed a little, blowing on your coffee.
“A writer huh?” That’s really cool,” He copied you and cooled his drink a little. “What kind of things do you write?”
“Isn’t it my turn to ask a question?” You teased, feeling your chest flutter again at the sight of his cheeks turning pink again. He shrugged and took a sip of his drink which was apparently still too hot because he quickly pulled the mug away and stuck his tongue out. You giggled at him as you thought of a question to ask him. “Alright Jungkook, here’s my question. What do you dream of doing one day?” He seemed taken aback by your question but barely hesitated to answer.
“I want to be a performer,” He said with a faraway smile on his face. “I was to sing and dance and give people hope. I know it’s dumb, but one of my hyungs got really into pop bands and such a little while back and it was… I don’t know. It was magical, the way these idols lit up the room. My brothers seemed so alive whenever they would sing and dance along. I want to be able to do that for people too, but I doubt that’ll come true.”
“Sing for me.” You said bluntly. He glanced up at you quickly, eyes wide. You thought to yourself how much he looked like a rabbit when he made that face. His dusting of pink turned into a full red as he spluttered a little.
“I don’t- um I…” He traced the rim of the mug with his finger. You couldn’t help but giggle again.
“Please? I want to hear you sing.” You said sincerely. You may have been one of the most powerful women in the country but sitting there right then with Jungkook, you felt like a girl your age should. Free.
Jungkook gave you a hesitant smile and cleared his throat. He began to sing something soft, and you felt yourself leaning in to hear better. He only sang maybe half the song by your guess, but you were amazed. He seemed to relax into the music, his voice dancing through the air exactly the way he described before – magic. He finished much too soon for your liking and waited for your reaction silently.
“Jungkook, that was amazing,” You grinned at him, which caused him to grin back. “Not amazing, that was heart melting!”
“Thank you,” He said, rubbing the back of his head. Just then his phone buzzed. His smile dropped as he read a text. “Crap I didn’t realize it had gotten so late. I should go.” He stood and went to the counter to order the drinks for his friends. As he walked past, you had an idea. You snagged his wallet from his back pocket – a skill you were determined to learn despite Gigi’s protests. He always said a girl shouldn’t pickpocket but you wanted to prove him wrong. Just because you were engaged since birth didn’t mean he could control you.
Jungkook ordered his drinks and reached into his back pocket, and promptly began panicking when his fingers found nothing. You sidled up to the counter and handed your card to the barista. Jungkook looked at you with those wide bunny eyes.
“You can’t-” he started before you cut him off.
“Too late,” You smiled warmly. “You can buy lunch tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” He blinked at you like a confused owl.
“Well, you said you wanted to sing and dance. You showed me your singing, but I haven’t seen you dance yet, so we need to go on another date.” You said casually as you signed the tablet for the drinks you had sitting down as well as the seven drinks he ordered for his friends. You jotted down your personal number onto the receipt and tucked it into his hand.
“Tomorrow it is then.” He grinned and you felt warm.
“Say, around noon?” You asked coyly. He nodded and grabbed the two drink carriers.
“I’ll text you as soon as my hands are free.” He winked at you as he practically waltzed out of the coffee shop. You slipped his wallet back in his pocket as he went past you, sly enough for him not to notice. You couldn’t help the grin that seemed glued to your cheeks as you sat back down, waiting for Gigi to text you.
No more than twenty minutes later you got a text saying he was waiting for you. You put some extra cash in the tip jar as you walked out, seeing the five figures waiting for you by an alley. Your clicking heels alerted them to your presence.
“Ready?” You asked, noting that none of them looked too ruffled. Daesung’s hair was messed up and Gigi had a slight red mark on his cheek but other than that they looked fine.
“Of course,” Gigi said flippantly. He casually draped his jacket over your shoulders and you smiled at him. As cool and distant as he might act in public, he really was your closest friend. “Had to put those kids in their place.”
“Hope you didn’t rough them up too much,” You hummed as the car pulled around. “We need to keep good relations with as many as we can.”
Jiyong didn’t respond, he just looked away and muttered something which you took to mean he did rough them up a bit too much and didn’t want to admit it because he knew he would get an earful from you again.
You kept your phone in your hand the entire ride home, waiting for a text.
You jumped from foot to foot, waiting for Jungkook. He hadn’t texted you for hours and you were beginning to think he had only pretended to be interested, but at almost two am you had received an apology. You double checked the plans for tomorrow and talked for a little bit before falling asleep in the middle of your conversation.
Now it was ten minutes before noon and you had already been waiting for ten minutes. You didn’t know why you were nervous – you had trained to fight, to negotiate, to intimidate. Your whole life had been a series of tests to prove your worth that you passed without so much as a blink of an eye, but meeting up with this regular, normal boy was causing butterflies in your stomach.
“Hey, and here I thought I was going to be early.” Jungkook half-jogged up to you. He had a scarf wrapped around the bottom of his face and his hood pulled over his eyes.
“I was nervous,” You giggled a little. “I ended up getting here way too early.” He laughed, and you saw what he was hiding behind the scarf.
“Oh my god Jungkook what happened?” You asked, reaching forward and gently brushed your fingers over the bruise that had formed across his cheek. His lip was split, and the bruise looked extremely painful.
“It’s nothing,” he smiled at you, trying to convince you it was alright. “It was a little scuffle but everything is alright now,”
“I never took you as a fighter,” You joked despite still being worried. “More as someone to charm your way out of a tough situation.”
“That’s usually what I try to do but this time…” He frowned, before he looked at you again which brought his smile back. “Anyway, where did you want to go? I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can dance today. I’m still a little bruised up.”
“We can just walk around a little?” You offered. You were a little disappointed, but you didn’t want him to hurt.
“Let’s get some lunch?” He looked around, pointing at a café a little ways off. You smiled and nodded, letting him lead the way.
“So where have you been?” Jiyong asked, arms crossed. You had just come back from your date with Jungkook, and he didn’t like the smile that was plastered on your face. You blinked at him, your smile fading.
“I was on a date.” You said bluntly, walking past him. He wasn’t taking it that and pinned you to the wall.
“A date?” He basically growled. He was trying to intimidate you, but you just rolled your eyes.
“Yeah, a date,” You ducked away from him and kept walking. “And we have another one planned for tomorrow.”
“How long are you going to play this game with him?”
“I’ll be bored in a week, trust me,” You said, not sure you really meant it. “He’s… normal. I’m going to enjoy being normal for a little while before ditching him. Don’t worry.”
“Normal?” He spat the word like a curse.
“You’re the farthest thing,” You spat back. “Sometimes I think you’re nothing more than a Dragon…”
“We’re engaged.” He said, as if he was trying to convince you of something. You stiffened but didn’t turn around.
“You’re my fiancé, not my father,” You spat. “A fiancé that I didn’t get to choose.” You didn’t mean to say the second part, but you heard him take a shocked breath. You felt him try to place a hand on your shoulder but you walked away.
You didn’t get bored of Jungkook after a week. In fact, almost three months later things were still magic. You didn’t talk to Jiyong much, but he didn’t make much of an effort to talk to you either. You felt like you were living a double life. At home you were cold and dangerous but with Jungkook you were alive and free.
“Where are you taking me?” You asked with a laugh. Jungkook just shushed you and kept your eyes covered with his hands. After a few more minutes of walking he stopped you.
“Are you ready?” He asked, his excitement obvious in his voice.
“More than ready!” You giggled, your chest light and warm. He removed his hands and you saw a picnic basket on one of the park tables. “A picnic? Oh Jungkook I love it!”
“Look inside.” He said with a wide grin. You shot him a confused smile and opened the basket. Suddenly, a small furry head poked its way out. You couldn’t hold back your gasp. A small kitten with a big bow around its neck looked up at you and mewed loudly.
“Jungkook what-” You were too choked up, not bothering to stop the tears. His arms snaked around your waist and he rested his chin on your shoulder.
“Happy three month anniversary,” He said, kissing your neck. You carefully picked the kitten up and brought it to your face with a smile. “Remember when we went to the shelter last week?” He asked. You nodded, speechless. “Well I went back yesterday and adopted the kitten you were crying over.”
“I love you so much.” You found your voice and turned to hug your boyfriend, careful not to hurt the kitten.
“What are you going to name her?” He asked, smiling at the two of you. You looked at the kitten for a second before thinking of the perfect name.
“Cookie?” You suggested, still grinning like an idiot. Jungkook grinned back with that bunny smile you loved so much.
“My girls.” He said, his grin fading into something softer. You never felt more content in your life, sitting there with Jungkook. Maybe you really could be happy.
“We capture a member of that group that was giving us trouble,” Jiyong said casually. “I figured we could get some information out of him. I doubt they’ll need us but just in case, stand by.”
“Whatever.” You pouted. Jungkook hadn’t contacted you at all in almost two days. No texts, no calls – nothing. You didn’t know what you did wrong. Cookie came over to you and nudged your hand so you would pet her, which made you smile. Jiyong sneered a little at the cat.
“Stop pouting you brat,” He said, only partially rude. “Just because your boyfriend realized you were too good for him doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world.” While part of you was touched that he actually knew what was wrong rather than making some blanket statement about it being your time of the month, you still threw a pillow at his head which he easily avoided.
“Fine, I’ll go interrogate this idiot. I have nothing better to do and if it’ll get you off my back maybe it’ll be a good use of my time.” You said, still pouting.
“It shouldn’t be too hard,” he said with a smirk. “He’s soft. I’m surprised a guy like him is running with that kind of crowed honestly, though he put up a good fight when we brought him in.”
You rolled your eyes and picked up Cookie as you stood, handing the kitten to Jiyong who was a little shocked but didn’t put her down. You made your way to the holding room – a storage room that your father turned into a cell for interrogations. You thought it was a little much, but it’s proven useful in more ways than one. You pulled your hair back and slipped on your Dragons jacket – intimidation is key, as your father would say – before pushing open the door and entering.
“Seems you strayed a little far from home-” you managed to say before you saw who was sitting in front of you. All the strength seemed to leave your body, but you managed to stay upright somehow. Jungkook sat tied to the chair, his face bruised and crusted over with dry blood. You could see dark stains on his ripped shirt, but the most painful thing was the look of betrayal in his eyes. You glanced at the man by the door. “Leave.”
“But Miss-”
“I said leave,” You said, your voice cold enough to make the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He quickly exited the room, leaving just you and Jungkook alone. As soon as the door closed, you rushed to his side. “Oh god Jungkook I’m so sorry,” You sobbed as quietly as possible, your fingers shaking as you tried to undo the knots. “I had no idea. I never would have let them-”
“It’s okay.” He said, cutting you off. His voice was rough and it felt like a knife cutting through your heart.
“It’s not okay,” Your voice was shaking as bad as your fingers. “I should have protected you better… I should have prevented this from happening.”
“How didn’t I realize?” He asked faintly. You looked at him, eyes filled with tears. He looked down at you, his own face filled with confused acceptance. “You’re a Dragon? And not just any Dragon, you’re the Queen everyone keeps talking about, aren’t you?” You couldn’t even talk, so you just nodded as the rope holding him in place fell to the ground.
“Wait, if you’re part of that group-”
“Bangtan,” he said quietly. “We’re Bangtan.”
“If you’re part of Bangtan, then the bruise on your face on our first real date?”
“Was from G-Dragon, yeah. Guess I should be flattered that the King himself was the one to beat me up.” He looked away and you felt sick to your stomach. You stood and took a deep breathe to calm your nerves before opening the door. The man who was in there before was waiting outside the door and almost fell over when it opened.
“Get G-Dragon,” You said, your voice dripping with authority. When he hesitated, you whipped your head around to stare at him. “Now.” You commanded, and the man basically tripped over himself as he ran towards the room you both knew Jiyong was. While you waited for Jiyong, you slipped off your jacket and helped Jungkook put it on. You felt a stab in your chest each time he flinched, but you both knew it was more than just an act of compassion. It was an act of power.
Before long, Jiyong came strolling in, looking confused and slightly angry. Cookie was still in his arms, but when he saw Jungkook untied he dropped her. She fell to the ground gracefully and chirped at him in annoyance before running out of the room.
“What is he-” Jiyong tried to say before you cut him off with a sharp slap to the face. The sound of skin on skin rang through the silent room, but it wasn’t enough to stop the rage coursing through your body.
“What did you do to him?” You hissed, feeling your blood boil.
“I don’t know-”
“Jiyong I swear to god I’ll make you regret ever laying a finger on Jungkook.”
“Wait, that’s Jungkook?” He asked, dumbfounded. “The Jungkook?” He looked at the man in question and narrowed his eyes. “I should have known he was scum. I thought she would have gotten tired of you months ago but apparently I was wrong. But she’s mine, you hear me?”
You cut him off with another slap, this one taking even yourself by surprise. You rubbed your sore palm and went over to Jungkook, who had been watching the two of you with an unreadable expression.
“Come on Jungkook, let me look at your injuries.” You said softly, leading him from the room. As you walked through the halls to your private rooms, you kept your head high as you attracted stares from every person you passed. You made it back to your private room and you sat him down in the bathroom before pulling out your first aid kit.
“What’s going to happen to me?” He asked quietly as you dabbed at some of the dried blood on his cheek. You hated how scared he sounded.
“I’m going to make sure this never happens again,” You said firmly. Once he was bandaged, you handed him your personal phone. “Call your boss. This is my personal number, so hopefully they won’t think it’s a trick. I would like to meet with them as soon as possible.” Jungkook took the phone and dialed a number from memory. The person on the other line picked up after the second ring, and you could hear a deep voice saying something very fast.
“It’s Jungkook-” he was cut off by more fast talking, this time sounding even more frantic. “I’m okay now, I swear… you’re not going to believe this, but the leader of the Dragons wants to meet with you,” He listened for a second, his eyes hardening. “Not him, her. She wants to talk with you as soon as possible,” He paused to listen again. “I really don’t think it’s anything like that. She gave me her personal phone to call you,” another pause. “Yeah, exactly. So when-? Oh? Okay I’ll tell her,” He hung up and handed you the phone back. “They want to meet as soon as possible.”
“Where?” You said, already putting a different jacket. You knew letting Jungkook wear your jacket was a dangerous proclamation, but you also knew what kind of message it was going to send to not only your men, but to his as well.
“The warehouse by the bay,” he said, sounding mildly dazed. “That’s where we spend most of our time.”
“I know where that is…” You muttered, remembering the direction Jiyong and the others went off to that day. You didn’t say anything else, and Jungkook seemed to know enough to follow you when you walked out of the room. You were emitting an aura so strong that everyone shied away as you walked past, not even glancing at the man following behind you.
“Where are you going-?” Jiyong tried to ask you before you cut him off.
“You and the others. Now. We’re all going. If I hear a single goddamn word from any of you, you’re going to know what gunpowder tastes like, understood?” You let no warmth into your words. Part of you died seeing how Jiyong actually flinched away from you, but the rage burning in your chest was so intense you wanted to put your fist through something. “You are to be at the car by the time I get there.”
Jiyong didn’t hesitate. He sprinted off to find the other four. Jungkook’s hand caught the sleeve of your jacket, and you could feel his fingers trembling.
“What’s going to happen to them?” He asked, sounding surer than his fingers had you believe. You took a deep breath to calm yourself.
“They’re going to apologize.” You gave no further explanation before you started to walk towards the garage, Jungkook following close behind.
The warehouse didn’t seem out of the ordinary. In fact, it was very busy – fisherman bustling back and forth and lifts carrying large crates through the warehouse and surround docks. Jungkook lead the way, followed by you and the five men that looked more like kicked dogs than feared gang members.
“I didn’t expect it to be so busy.” You commented lightly. Jungkook shot you a timid smile.
“It was their warehouse first. We just keep rats away and they let us use part of the second floor as a base of sorts.”
“Rats?”
“Other gangs, drug dealers, teenagers who want to start trouble. We sort of act as guard dogs for the workers on this dock. In return they don’t snitch on us to the cops.”
“That’s… amazing Kookie.” You smiled at him, and you could see a little tension in his shoulders leave. The smile dropped when you approached a very normal looking door. He pushed it open and let you file in before he closed the door behind you. The first thing you noticed was a wall covered in what looked like children’s drawings. The second thing you noticed was six men gathered around on various pieces of furniture. There were two couches, a recliner and a few beanbag chairs. It resembled a living room more than a hide out.
The men were instantly on edge, hands going to undoubtedly hidden weapons. You raised your hands to show you were unarmed, and glared at Jiyong to do the same. Jungkook moved to stand inbetween your group and his, eyes flitting between the two like a caged animal.
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet the infamous Dragon Queen,” a tall man spoke first as he stood. He had blonde hair that was severely grown out, his dark roots showing through. His smile showed dimples on his round cheeks, and despite the situation at hand you felt at ease around him. He put his hand out for you to shake, which you did without hesitation. “Most people call me RM around here, but since this is a more personal matter I suppose you can call me Namjoon.” You gave him your name in a similar matter, feeling the discomfort coming from behind you at you giving your birth name to a group of strangers.
“I believe we have some things to work out, your family and mine,” You said, finally dropping his hand. The seven boys in front of you tensed slightly, unsure what you meant. You turned to Jiyong, who was looking at the group. You grabbed the front of his shirt and threw him to the ground. Turning to the others, they got the idea quickly. Sengri, Daesung, Taeyang and Top fell to their knees as soon as they saw they leader on the ground. As soon as you were satisfied that they were properly bowing, you joined them. “I am sorry for the injuries my men caused to yours. I had no idea what they were going to do that day, nor did I have any knowledge of what they did to Jungkook. I swear on my life if I had known I would have done everything in my power to stop it-”
Before you could apologize any farther, you felt a hand on your shoulder. Namjoon had come over to get your attention and helped you stand. He motioned for the others to stand as well, but they had the good taste to keep their eyes to the ground as they rose.
“I understand why they did what they did,” He said, his smile never faltering. “My guys here were getting a little pushy with the other gangs in the area. It was only a matter of time before the alpha dog put us in our place. And while I’m extremely distressed to see the state of our young Jungkook, I can also see the care put into those bandages and the sincerity in your apology. It’s not every day the Dragon Queen herself is bowing fully to us.”
“I came here today to more than just apologize,” You said, your chest feeling oddly tight. You didn’t expect to be forgiven so easily. You had prepared yourself for some bruises, and the distinct lack of bruises was almost worrying you. “I also came to extend an offer to you and your men.”
“An offer?” Namjoon raised an eyebrow.
“I would like to offer you and your men all the benefits that a member of my own Family would receive. Protection, supplies, anything you could possibly need.” You knew what this offer meant. No one, save through marriage, had been given the same privileges as those within your personal family circle. Your own underlings didn’t have the same privileges that you were offering to Jungkook, Namjoon and the others.
Namjoon seemed to realize that as well, his eyes widening and his mouth opening into a soft ‘o’. He glanced back at the others, who seemed just as surprised.
“What’s the catch?” One of the other men spoke up. He was smaller than Namjoon, with smaller eyes and a delicate mouth, which was currently turned up into a distrustful sneer.
“Yoongi-hyung-” Jungkook tried to say before you cut him off.
“I can see why you would think there is a catch, but I assure you there isn’t,” You looked over to Jungkook, and as soon as your eyes met you felt yourself relax. Your small exchange was caught by the others, who instantly connected the dots. “I don’t want any more bad blood between us. If we can extend our family, we can grow stronger and keep the peace. I don’t want any more of this pointless rivalry.”
“Well, if that’s the case…” Namjoon smiled at you, his dimpled smile seeming out of place in the situation. “We accept, Miss Dragon Queen. I hope we get along.” You held out your hand and he took it firmly, sealing the deal.
“I think we will, if you’re anything like Jungkookie.” You couldn’t help the soft giggle that slipped past your lips. Namjoon’s men started roaring instantly, poking the younger’s cheek and throwing arms around his shoulders. You couldn’t help but grin at his red face.
“Welcome to the family everyone.”