Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

“Jin-Jinwoo, wait.”

There was no way you were thinking of backing out. There couldn’t be, Jinwoo handled you as delicately as possible when laying you down on the freshly made bed, you couldn't be backing out now.

“What’s wrong?” He said, practically on top of you already.

“Uh…” He couldn’t see your expression from the darkness of the purposely drawn curtains. “Well, I want to ask you something, before we…”

His cock throbbed in his pants, aching and twitching to escape, eagerly sitting to put forward its usefulness. Even so, he sucked in his breath and played with the hem of your shirt.

“Of course.”

“Well… why were you spying on me and Hae-In earlier today?”

Crap.

“You noticed me, huh?” Jinwoo played it off as something less creepy than how it left your lips. He just chuckled it away. “Your perception is higher than I thought… I wasn’t spying, I came around that way and Hae-In looked sad. I kinda panicked and disappeared in hopes you wouldn’t see when you looked over. But I guess you saw me anyway… but the reason I left the boardroom so close after you was because-” 

He stopped himself and waited for you to take the bait. “Because what, Jinwoo?”

The weight on the bed shifted, his body still over yours and he could tell you were propped up onto your elbows to get a better look in the dark. 

Should he tell you now? Tell you how his love for you grew from one pinnacle moment when before he never had much to do with you? Jinwoo could tell by the tone of your voice that if he came clean wholeheartedly, you would be sure to bolt. And it would take ages to claim you back and reel you in again without the association’s help.

If he came clean, you could make things difficult or try your hardest to pull from the programme all together. That would prove difficult, but the stress alone wouldn’t be adequate for getting you pregnant.

He had to get you pregnant.

“Well,” he didn’t remove his position from over you, but pulled away a fraction to make it look like he did. “I uh…. I’ve had feelings for you ever since we met and- well, I just- I mean, I wanted to reassure you that this was just sex… if you didn’t feel anything like that.”

You were speechless for what felt like an hour, but in reality, it was merely a few seconds. “You… you do? But- but what about Hae-In? She really likes you, like really likes you- if she found out that you…”

And then the news hit you, like Jinwoo’s lips did. Slowly, but with supportive tendencies to keep your confidence in check. “You- you feel that way about me?”

“I do, but I never said anything because I thought you and Jong-In were-”

“We're not together, we’re just good friends. I know he doesn’t feel that way about me. To be honest, I was happy for him because I think he has a thing for Hae-In. But she has the biggest crush on you. Oh my god this is so confusing-”

Jinwoo kissed you again, and this time he lingered his lips on yours as a sign of his own affection. “Don’t overthink it, we’re adults here. We can talk about that stuff later. But I promised that I’d look after you, right?”

“Fuck- this is so wrong.” Now you were breathlessly whispering to him. Did you want him to fuck you mercilessly for as long as you were conscious? That could be a tantalising end result.

“Maybe, but it’s just sex. No boundaries crossed.” Yet.

While it stung to hear that spill from his own lips any time he said it, the term ‘it’s just sex’ only settled you into a more textured depth of security he assumed you needed. Because eventually, it wouldn’t just be sex. Jinwoo worked so hard to level up, he could wait a little while longer before edging himself in hearing you say I love you back,

Though for now, he wanted to lap up the warmth of your breath tickling his lips, bite them and suck until your bottom lip turned purple, swollen and sore. To fondle and pinch your breasts and leave the most stunning love bites so broken on the surface, the blood vessels never calmed down.

Like marking you permanently.

But Jinwoo was a patient man, a calm being to wait out the storm for the fresh rain smell and wet grass under his feet before the main event of sitting out for the rainbow. The longer he waited, though despite his darker side never wanting to, Jinwoo could get a fantastic view of that pretty rainbow and ensure that one never faded.

Your chest rose and fell, you never said anything in the lingering pause. But, you pulled him in first before Jinwoo could get close to you himself. It set his senses alight when your fingers slid up the back of his neck and through his hair, tugging at it with little pinches.

You’d definitely done this before.

Jinwoo wrapped his arm around you, lifting you up a fraction just so your back arched and your legs spread wider for him. Fuck, he wanted to see you like this with the lights on, take note of the fucked out gaze you were going to have when he was through with you and keep it in his mind for eternity.

When Jinwoo’s hips pressed tight against yours, that little sensual gasp sent him over the edge, driving him to run his free hand up your shirt with his fingertips. Each touch, every inch, all spaces he’d never touched until now.

A space that Jong-In had never touched, and wouldn’t ever touch for as long as Jinwoo was alive. So soft, velvety and as supple as he fantasied over, tickling dainty drags over your rib cage and up to your bra.

His thoughtful caresses did not go unnoticed, not at all. Before Jinwoo could fiddle with your shirt or think of unclasping your bra, you slipped your shirt off yourself and tossed it on the floor before kissing him again, even slipping your tongue inside. 

Maybe getting you on side would be easier than Jinwoo initially thought. Either that or you were getting far more into character than needed.

Either way, you were getting it tonight. And you were getting it good.

An example? When he ground his cock against you, you moaned, right into his mouth.

When Jinwoo removed his lips from yours to which you tried chasing back, he left them for your nipple, he exposed it with his long fingers so that your breast spilled out and made you writhe. He kneaded the plush of it, squeezing it in his fingers so that it bulged between them and ramped up the sensitivity. He flicked his tongue delicately over your nipple so that pussy he was grinding on had no choice but to gush before he even got a chance to slide a finger or two into.

After he ground against you again for another second, you bucked your hip as indecently as you could with your back arched the way it was. Your grip on his shoulders spurred him on to do more, to take your nipple right into his mouth and make a seal around his lips.

He could imagine your tits already swollen and full before this future hypothetical baby was even a possibility. Those hormones making you horny just for a quick fuck and tumble in the covers and that meant the many times you’d be on top, grinding yourself on Jinwoo’s cock and milk it for everything you possibly had.

The filthy thought of filling you up with his come made his cock weep, he took the forward thinking notion under the cover of darkness and undone the zipper of his pants. Gently so as to not startle you, but if his cock went any longer without attention and breathing room, he’d burst before he could shoot it inside you.

Unless it was in your mouth or face, Jinwoo wasn’t wasting a drop.

“J-Jinwoo…” You were so breathless.

“Mhm?” He never unlatched his mouth.

“I- I… give me more. Please. Please.”

Already begging for me? A good example of how he was going to train you.

With time, he’d programme you to only enjoy his cock.

His fingers, his huge loads.

His encouraging words.

And his tendency to push boundaries until you couldn’t stand anymore.

In the end, he would mold you to his expectations and nothing less.

And if anyone got in the way of that? Simple. They’d cease to exist anymore. Because this aura you gave to him was too intoxicating to kick the habit.

“You want more?” He said, leaving a wet from his lips over your skin that would have glistened beautifully had you allowed the moonlight in from the window.

“Yes.”

“If you need to stop, tell me.” Later down the line, that wasn’t an option, but he’d give you that stop valve for now.

All in the name of gaining trust, though when push came to shove and if Jinwoo had his way, you wouldn’t dare question his actions in the slightest when he was done with you.

His cock was already out, twitching in his free hand with a quick jerk while sitting up and back on his knees so he could paw and tug off your clothes and remove the barrier between you and him. When you were eventually pregnant, there was no need for underwear and pants like this. Jinwoo wanted you in those cute summer dresses that drove him insane, easy flowing and perfect for fucking you in, right over that kitchen counter for comfort and convenience.

No silly bras either.

If Jinwoo had it his way, what he obsessed over whilst testing the waters with his finger slipping inside your pussy, he’d ensure whenever you were in this apartment, you were full of his bodily fluids until they dripped out and trickled down your thighs.

One finger turned into two, then three. You took three of his thick fingers and whined, clenching your legs despite him keeping them open with his knees.

“Is that more you were thinking of? Or is this just a necessary step to that part?”

“I… I want more, I want you to fuck me, Jinwoo.” It must have been a long time since your last assisted orgasm that wasn’t ran on batteries if you were trembling like this and you hadn’t even come yet.

Though Jinwoo refused to think of who else you had slept with. He’d ask, but later down the line. But what did interest him was your quick turn around of doing the right thing for Hae-In, quite the change to his liking.

Guess he already had a hold on you.

“There’s that attitude I was looking for.” He chuckled and played with your clit by the pad of his calloused thumb. “I can definitely do that, are you ready for me?”

A little forward, but it slipped so easily from his lips and you responded so beautifully. “Yes. I’m ready- just fuck me already. Please.”

“Then stop holding back and come on my hand before I do that. It has to be really hard to hold it in.”

Your legs trembled beside him like your breaths had dramatically decreased in depth, like a shallow winded gasp. Jinwoo had eternity to figure out your body, yet you were an open book to him just like that. He knew you were close and by the way you grasped his wrist, the same wrist his fingers were attached to currently deep inside you, he could tell you were about to come.

“Come for me.”

“Fuck.”

You became rigid, legs shaking and convulsing by his knees with a held breath. Jinwoo waited for that breath to escape and continued to fuck you with his fingers, the only sound of the wet squelching from the gushing of your pussy all over him. And then you let that breath go, fuck he was so hard and he never waited for you to gather your thoughts before lining his cock up.

For all the time he touched himself and masturbated any chance he had after seeing you train or command a room with the likes of the other S-Ranks, he never thought he’d have you like this under him, at least not this soon.

He was never letting you go, not when your pulsing pussy sucked him in this good.

“Damn.” This next year, and all the others after this were truly going to be fantastic.

But at this rate, Jinwoo would come too quickly. Though in this state, would you really care? Probably not, but the man had a reputation to uphold. One that never involved premature ejaculation.

So he bit his lip and moved his hips, jerking closer than he realised when your legs wrapped around hip and yanked him towards you.

You absolutely filthy girl.

Maybe it wouldn’t matter if he came inside you right now, bucking his hips with no protection under the promise of knocking you up turned him on more than anything ever had. Then, he’d not only have your body, but that permanent ownership over you, a hidden agenda disguised as hard work for the association.

A baby. He’d fuck a baby into you and watch you become his for good.

His.

His.

Jinwoo laid down as close as he could to you, nipping at your bottom lip and sucking it, masking his own groans under your helpless ones.

“J-Jinwoo- I’m close-”

“Me too-”

Just to give you something else on your plate to think about so that it didn’t add insult to injury of his quick and incoming orgasm, he held you again so that your back arched more than before, he ran his tongue up your neck and grazed his teeth over the skin. Jinwoo held onto the headboard and fucked you with everything he had.

Who cared if he came quickly, he was coming inside you.

And when you were most vocal, coming around his cock, he quite graciously emptied his cock inside you, shooting his come where it belonged. Deep inside your pussy. He rode that orgasm out with every cell in his body until he was certain that there was nothing left in his balls to give you.

Though he never pulled out. The first load of many.

Now you had to follow the association's tips and lay there for a moment so that none of it leaked out. Jinwoo’s cock being the most useful tool in securing two pink lines on that pregnancy test.

He doubted it would take long to get you pregnant, but maybe a few more times to be sure.

Having the weight of the association’s future on his shoulders, Jinwoo gladly accepted the stress relief.

Chapter Text

Two months later. And still no baby.

The morning followed news of Hae-In’s pregnancy announcement. You were still training and if you weren’t pregnant by now, that was the root cause.

You were pushing yourself too hard, Jinwoo knew it just by the sweat dripping from your forehead. The pressure from the association was the contributing factor that morning, paired with Jinwoo’s system quest, you and he weren’t doing so hot.

Each time you received Jinwoo’s load inside you, it was delivered on the hope that one would get you pregnant. One after the other, it grew way more than just a quest for him to complete. Jinwoo was driven to the point that he solely wanted those two little lines on that stick to prove that he was more than enough to look after you.

The whole day put Jinwoo in a foul mood, standing off by the viewing platform to witness your abilities alongside Jong-In. He wasn't participating, just mulling over how to smooth things with you and that strained apartment.

In a versus sparring match, Jinwoo put his money on you, despite knowing Jong-In’s abilities, yours were more of a utility. You were of the variety where you quickly learned that you were capable of fighting close and long ranged combat. Your abilities as a mage made you one of a kind for close quarters fighting despite your lack of experience. A perfect counter to other mage types like Jong-In.

The one ability Jinwoo took interest in was your direct spell casting. Royal’s Gatekeeper.

After the hunters finished swarming Jong-In with congratulations, he entered the area and faced you. Jinwoo’s eye twitched at the way you patted Jong-In on the back before standing in the indicated half box to await the match's starting point. He hated the way you were so friendly with him, loathed it, wanted to rip his hair out and slice the man up into pieces.

Like he was the ‘ultimate weapon’ and lately, Jinwoo found himself wanting to put that assumption to the test. It was clear who would win if Jinwoo took Jong-In on.

“Things are going to get hot in here.” Hunter Baek stood nearby with Hunter Ma, watching along as the match between two S-Rank hunters began.

“Yeah, but she’s pretty good at capture the flag.”

Baek shrugged and disagreed. “But Jong-In is pretty fast, she’ll have to break the distance first before she can even land a hit on him, her long range spell isn't refined enough yet, she's still got a long away to go. I'm not sure he’ll give her that chance at least, he was pretty riled up this morning.”

Ma scratched his head and rested on his chin over the railing. “But with her ability… makes it kinda difficult, right?”

Royal’s Gatekeeper was a peculiar ability which could beat Jinwoo’s shadow exchange in comparison. A direct summoning spell that essentially ripped holes in reality, making miniature gates for teleportation of objects and people. Shadow exchange had a three hour cool down, Jinwoo was working on reducing that tirelessly, however you just naturally received it, right in the palm of your hand without any delay, operating it in real time.

The things Jinwoo could do with that ability were infinite. For one, which you had displayed once before, was creating a way out of a red gate, allowing safe passage back. An escape spell.

Though Jinwoo did not need it to escape as such, he wanted it for something more elusive. The fascinating thing was that the gates themselves produced minute amounts of energy, explained by you to use practically none of your mana either. But if he controlled you, he had access to it. 

Jinwoo watched you run towards Jong-In, eager to bridge that distance as quickly as possible to avoid his wider spread attacks. Jong-In however, fired repetitively, sending you on a run around in the arena.

On another note, not only could you present these gates for teleportation and switching, you could hide them too.

Hence why your perception was so high.

Now, as a mage type, your strength was nothing to brag about, while you could fight in close combat as an S-Rank, your overall strength still lied in distance or evasion. Your natural skills lied in more with your agility and perception, the other areas could use work.

Jinwoo preferred it that way. Because then, you were weaker and you would have to rely on him more for your survival. Your fierce independence was nothing to shake a stick at, but it proved more of a hindrance when it came to your relationship with Jinwoo. Yes, it was developing, albeit slowly, into a relationship. Just a strained one.

You most probably took that frustration out in your training, Jinwoo saw the determination across your face and it must have spurred you on after your close call with Jong-In’s fire spear. It seemingly burned you upon contact that was barely there as it whizzed past, and what damage resulted, faded away in a blink.

That was your secondary ability. Eye’s handmaiden. Solely for your own gain and that fact did not pass you as a healing mage. A being that drained significant mana when summoned upon instinct, you barely registered it, its presence merely as a passive outsider until the battle ended and you no longer took damage.

The summoned being healed you constantly, it could not be destroyed and would withstand even Jinwoo’s attacks, its sole purpose to serve you blindly.

Jong-In threw more fire and Jinwoo noticed the smoke screen, because as the fire and destruction came away from the essence stone walls in the corner of the training room, you were gone.

Disappeared.

Vanished from thin air that even Jinwoo’s perception couldn’t locate you.

Until a hole in the wall appeared, its darkened mass sparkling like a million stars in the night sky from inside like a vortex. Like a sheet of paper, it was flat and non-existent. But it was there. Jong-In noticed and acted on instinct, launching his spear right through until it shot back out from across the room and lodged in the ceiling at speed. It vibrated, shaking from side to side at the raw power behind his throw.

Yet you did not emerge with a hole through you, Eye’s Handmaiden remained stagnant on the side lines, keeping its humanoid arms taught by its side and casted no spells to your health.

Then, you cropped in view, right behind Jong-In and tapped him on the shoulder.

Ma gasped with an exclamation that Jinwoo would describe as a child on his birthday. “Woah! She got him- she got him… That was slick!”

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Beak crossed his arms with a pleased grin. “She’s improved…”

You tapped Jong-In on the shoulder which made him turn, revealing your path to victory right on his back.

So that pat on his back was a diversion for placing Royal’s Gatekeeper in a place she could secure the flag. Impressive.

Baek wandered over to Jinwoo with his finger quizzically on his chin. “I never knew she could place that on living things, she really has improved… Hey, Jinwoo? How’s things going with you two? I hear the association is riding your asses right now.”

Ma came over to join and stick his nose in things as Jinwoo tensed up under his ginormous hand on his shoulder. “Probably why she’s been trainin’ so hard. That’s a lotta pressure for you two.”

“I think we’ll be alright, these things just take time, right?”

Baek shrugged with indifference, Ma chuckled and watched you conversing with Jong-in. “I heard that- what’s that sayin’ the one about Rome? I was never built or somethin’."

“It's Rome wasn’t built in a day, Dongwook.”

“Yeah, that’s it!”

Well, Jinwoo wanted it built in a day, with his abilities, his shadows could build an entire city in a day for sure. While on that thought, he never took his eyes off of you, smiling away at something Jong-In said and waving him off like you were trying for a baby with him and not Jinwoo. 

Just the thought made his blood boil and hiss under his skin. He hoped that your frustration still existed, because he was getting rough tonight. Jinwoo ensured it. And if you weren’t flustered enough by the time you reached the apartment, he’d find a way to get a rise out of you and expose that bratty attitude come the drive home after their invitation to a dinner hosted by Chairman Go.

“I guess so… Well, I’ll be going now, we have plenty to do before the association dinner tonight.” Jinwoo left with his hands in his pockets and stepped away.

“Sure thing! See you then!”

“Hold on, Jinwoo. I’ll walk you down.” Baek followed him off of the viewing platform with his hands tucked into his pockets and the world on his shoulders. “Look… I know this isn’t my place, but I wanted to ask you how things are really going?”

“Hm?”

“Things might look dandy on the outside, but things have gotten pretty dark the last two months. There’s been a lot of facade going on around here to show the Chairman we’re all on board with this even though we’re not.” He let your name slip from his lips. “And she’s a good person and she’s never been his riled up. Things are pressured and I wanted to let you know, I’m here if you need anything. I know what the association can be like at the best times, so when shit like this crops up, I can only imagine what you two are going through.”

Jinwoo was having the time of his life, and you’d come around to it eventually. Even if it was ‘just sex’ to you right now. But Jinwoo knew different and Baek sticking his oar in it shot up his hackles and they were pointing right at his idiotic face.

Though, Jinwoo wasn’t idiotic, he knew when to pick his fights coming from where he did. This was not one to get hung up on, not when you were waiting by the entrance to go home.

“Thanks, uh… it’s been difficult, but we’re both doing our part. I appreciate the sentiment- anyway, gotta go, I have things to do. See you tonight.”

“...Sure thing.” He wasn’t convinced, yet Jinwoo didn’t care.

His frustration riled him up enough through the day that he could have jumped in, dominated a dungeon and the rewards of levelling up still wouldn’t have satisfied him. His mind barely kept on the road and spoke no further in the car with you. You did not utter one word either. Even on the way up to the apartment, you walked two steps ahead like Jinwoo was a stranger to you

Well… That won’t do. As soon as you could step foot over that threshold, Jinwo would do all sorts of filthy things to you and he’d hear nothing about it. It’s just how things went for the last week, and secretly, he loved it. Craved it. Fantasised more about it which got him hard more times than he would admit out loud.

Almost there, and he’d fuck you angrily in to submission.

Almost, yet nothing close. Woo Jinchul stood by the front door, glaring at Jinwoo down the hallway. “Good evening Hunter Sung.” He addressed you second.

“Why are you here?” You said. “We had the call with the association this morning, if you’ve come to lecture us, we already had both barrels this morning.”

You shot inside and left the door open for him anyway, Jinwoo followed in last and left the door to depressingly click with awkward silence.

Woo Jinchul leant against the kitchen counter and cleaned his sunglasses absentmindedly. “I’m here on informal circumstances, I’m giving you a head’s up, nothing more. So I suggest you take the advice if you want this to work out.”

What could that be? If he’s made an unofficial visit, then the Chairman doesn’t know.

“What advice?” Jinwoo could tell you were tired from the way you were rubbing your eye. “We have this dinner to go to tonight, for Hae-In’s announcement. There’s alot to prepare before we go.”

“I’m well aware of your dinner, I’ll be attending along with the Chairman and it hasn’t gone unnoticed how distant you two are, so I suggest you use tonight as a way to get back into the association’s good graces.” Woo Jinchul held out each finger as he listed the rules off. “No drinking, no murderous glares and certainly no eating irresponsibly… you have the nutrition pack we gave you. Stick to it. As for the do’s, at least look somewhat happy, it makes for a dull room otherwise. Keep public displays of affection to a minimum, this is Hunter Choi and Cha’s night. Though ensure the chairman is watching when you do decide to get appropriately intimate. He will be watching.”

You huffed and slouched, taking a glass from the cupboard to drink from. “When did this programme get political? We’re doing everything we can, I came off my pill not long before we started this, it can take up to a year, what’s the rush? We have to wait years before we see any results anyway- I don’t get it? All you’re doing is putting pressure on us- on me.”

A year? Jinwoo stared at his system screen in his periphery, one month left and he’d run out of time on the other end. It wasn’t that he couldn’t withstand the penalty, he just couldn’t be asked to. No way could he wait an entire year before getting you pregnant. He was already going out of his mind with this distance with nothing to show for it except great sex. He wanted to breed you so desperately, it ached, hurt his very being that out of all the things he could do, putting a baby in you was just something he was failing at.

No amount of leveling up or training could speed the process up or increase the likelihood. It just had to happen on its own and that was the frustrating part.

“How often are you part taking in intercourse?”

You almost spat water all over Woo Jinchul. “W-what?! Why would you ask that?”

“I must enquire so I can give you more customized advice.”

“Jinwoo…” Your eyes were so wide and adoring when you were borderline pissed off. “Say something- no way we’re telling him that.”

He didn’t care who he told, preferably Jong-In to rub it in his face. But with Woo Jinchul, there was a possibility for something in return. 

No… no way could I be that lucky…

“Maybe we should hear him out- hold on.” His hands went up in defense. “It could get the association off our backs for a little while, right?”

When you didn’t respond, burying your face in your hands, Jinwoo took it as a cue to say out loud to the world how frequently the two of you had been fucking. “Three times a week. Like we were told at the start.”

“Is that true?”

You looked between the two men with flushed cheeks. “Yeah…”

“Then double it, preferably once a day, everyday. Starting from tonight. I trust it’ll help speed up the process, but if that fails, we’ll have to look at secondary options.”

“And what’s that?” You chased Woo Jinchul towards the door as he opened it. “You can’t just say that and walk away.”

He sighed, slipping his sunglasses on over the threshold to the hallway. “We’ll have to look at pairing you both with someone else. Now that Hunter Cha is pregnant, the association has approved more Ranked hunters for the programme. So, if you want to skip more formalities and stick together, I suggest you do anything you can to get her pregnant, Hunter Sung…”

Jinwoo nodded and stood there in a state of shock as Woo Jinchul left and the door closed behind him. Another pairing was disastrous, downright wrong and bad and not an option.

Shit, how the hell could Jinwoo get himself out of this? He only just got you close to him. No fucking way would he let you go and if he had to take on the Chairman himself, he’d make him disappear into blood mist before he let himself slip from the lulling confines of the space between your legs.

How on earth was he going to sit across the table from that man who was set on ripping you away from him?

Self restraint. That’s how, though Jinwoo barely had much when it came to you.

He was fucking you tonight, and his load better take.

Chapter Text

Jinwoo never got a chance to fuck you before the association dinner, you trudged off towards the bedroom and slammed the door shut for a whole hour before emerging in a dress that took his breath away.

It was evident that you’d been crying and for the first time, Jinwoo was unsure how to approach you.

Besides making his feelings partly known that first night, there’d been too much emphasis from the association that you and he never fully had that chance to explore each other emotionally.

You were well aware of Jinwoo’s thoughts towards you, yet you never acted on them, not unless it was in the bedroom. You cooed all sorts of little sweet nothings into his ear, and only then did you make him think you felt that way. As soon as he came and you were finished, it all stopped.

He craved more than just a facade. More than just a show for the association. He wanted you to want him too. He had already killed for you to ensure you slept next to him at night, that you uttered his name with pleasure and ensured he was the first and last person you saw in the morning and before bed.

So why was everything falling apart and becoming so difficult?

Jinwoo wasn’t sure, he wanted to get to the bottom of it, so he thought of the most logical way and just asked on the drive to the restaurant. “So… I know things have been difficult. I wanted to let you know that I appreciate everything you’re doing.”

“You do?”

“I do. It’s not easy and I can’t imagine how awkward things are for you…” He started soft and respectful for now. “We’re in this together and I want you to know that just because the association wants to turn their backs on us in a month, it doesn’t mean I will.”

You were silent for a while, looking over at Jinwoo in the car every so often from his periphery, he could tell that you were conflicted. Each time you opened your mouth to speak, you stopped yourself until he looked over at you behind a red traffic light.

“I guess we haven’t really had time to find more about each other, huh?” You looked down at your laced fingers nestled neatly on your lap. “I guess this whole thing has thrown me a little.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“It’s just… If I’m less involved with you, Jinwoo, then I won’t get attached. And the pressure of all these negative tests is stressing me out- I want to get to know you better, but Jin-chul said it himself, in a month they’ll split us up, so what’s the point?”

What’s the point? The point is everything, it’s the very essence of this programme, the point is to get to know each other and make a baby. When Jinwoo eventually got you pregnant, because he wouldn’t ever give up, he wanted to be a family. That was his main goal.

He didn’t want some other woman’s child, he wanted yours.

“There’s a point, but that’s probably a contributing factor to why nothing’s happened yet… Y’know, the whole ‘why bother if it isn’t going to work’, I think we need to reevaluate our stance on this.”

“So… this is all my fault?”

“No, no, no, I never said that.” Well, in honesty, it was. But how could he tell you that when you looked so hurt as he pulled up in the darkened parking lot, right by the streetlamp with the busted light. “All I’m saying is that it’s a cycle, and we’re stuck in it, so let’s pull ourselves out of it, okay?”

“So what are you suggesting exactly, Jinwoo?”

He had one idea, and that was to fuck you senseless in the car right now, but he went with the secondary option instead. “Why don’t we go on a real date and see how you feel then?”

When you turned to him, pulling off your seatbelt in the most adorable way, Jinwoo saw the cogs turning. “You want that?”

“I told you how I felt about you, remember? This is more than just an agreement to me, and it can be for you if you let it. But it’s your decision to make.” 

Making it sound like your choice made it easier for your brain to comprehend someone else making decisions for you without even realising. Eventually, Jinwoo would coerce you into picking every option he chose, darting around the wrong ones like a river around a rock.

The right choices were the ones involving Jinwoo.

“I don’t-” You didn’t flinch, not at Jinwoo’s touch to brush a hair from your face. “I don’t know what I want.”

“I can show you a few options. If that’s what you want?” Jinwoo’s touch never let up, his thumb traced your bottom lip, his eyes watching you softly under the interior light. “I want you to be comfortable and look forward to being with me, not dreading it.”

You swallowed deeply, biting your bottom lip and contemplating your life choices. “Why do you- how am I good enough to-”

Jinwoo kissed you, it was the only way to show you instead of spilling pointless words for you to deny. Actions spoke louder than words and it was about time you saw that. The kiss was quick and sweet, firm enough to mean business but shallow enough to stop you bolting.

And when you kissed him back, it was a sealed moment in the relationship. Not once outside of the bedroom had you kissed or even spoken about Jinwoo’s feelings about you since the beginning. He hoped once Hae-in fell pregnant, you’d stop with the barrage of guilt for sitting on Jinwoo’s cock in Hae-in's place. She was pregnant now and it was about time you were.

It was probably the reason Jinwoo was caught off guard when you pawed at his suit jacket, becoming more feverish and passionate so quickly, going as far as to turn the interior light off.

“What do you need?” He managed to get in between touches, heated exchanges in the passenger side after you slipped your stilettos off.

“Want you to- I need you to fuck me.” You were already hiking your dress up.

To fuck here, in the parking lot when the resturant was maybe fifty metres away, the association table most probably already collecting with hunters and you wanted to fuck?

Jinwoo was already at half mast just from your kiss and here you were, about to slip your underwear off.

“Leave them on-” Jinwoo launched his driver's seat back as far as it could possibly go and took a hold of your waist, pulling you on top of him as close as he could.

He gripped your hips and weighed you down over his growing erection until you ground on him instinctively. You were beautiful, breasts stuffed into your dress jittering perfectly with each stolen breath to make the car windows steam.

“What’s caused this?” Jinwoo wasn’t sure why he asked, but he did.

“I-I don’t know, I just need you right now.”  It was good enough for him, you caused friction over his suit pants that drove him wild.

Jinwoo chuckled, shoving his face against your chest and trying his damndest to keep his composure. He couldn’t ruin you, not right here before the dinner, but he could leave you with a present. He pulled your dress up further, past your waist and admired your body begging for his touch, each kiss was electric, every touch a lit fire under his skin. You were coming round to this idea eventually, the only thing getting in his way of keeping you permanently was a baby.

Before Jinwoo could really settle himself in the moment, you were tugging at his belt, lips locked in a hurried fashion with feverish tongues exploring each other's tastes. You tasted of spearmint toothpaste, gentle, refreshing mint right on his tongue. Jinwoo wondered what he tasted like to you, but that thought quickly flew away when you hurriedly pulled out his hardened cock to sit on.

It happened so quickly, yet earned no complaints from either participant.

Jinwoo pulled your lace underwear to the side, the softness gathering at his fingertips as he moved and and slowly pushed the tip of his cock inside you. You sat down quick enough to make him gasp, bottoming out with an overcharged huff, sexually activated.

Perhaps now you and he were joined as one as a couple could be.

You moved, slowly picking up the pace while Jinwoo held on for dear life, cursing under his breath at the very sight of you initiating something like this. It was more than just sex now, that much he understood. How could you say this was just sex?

So beautiful. He wanted so desperately to make you a mommy, filling you up time after time was his only way to truly get that ownership over your fierce independence you displayed out of the public eye. He couldn’t wait to break it down in exchange for codependency. You might be one of the country’s sweetheart S-Ranks, but Jinwoo knew you to be filthy, riled up and stubborn enough to give him a run for his money. Taming that was his ultimate adrenaline rush.

Jinwoo pushed you down further, watching your breasts bounce, the whole car trembling with the anticipation of an orgasm. His kink took over. 

“We’ll finish this tonight, but I’m coming inside you and I want you to keep it in for the entire dinner, can you do that for me?”

You nodded immediately. “Y-yes. Yes.”

“Good girl.” 

He pulled you down to kiss, both tongues and saliva joining in desperation which seemed to spur you on further, ass bouncing and cupped in his hands for safe keeping. 

“Give it to me- now, I want it now, shit - we’re going to be late-“ 

“Don’t look at the clock, we have plenty of time, hold on.”

Jinwoo fucked you good. The little driven breaths from your lips drove him insane, fingers clenched around his suit lapels for support, ravenous at everything you did. The way your pussy sucked him in like it was meant for him, made for him. Fate enough that you fit so perfectly in his arms, the accentuation of your waist enough for his hands to sit like a carved art piece. So much perfection.

He loved it.

He loved you.

And he’d love the body you got while it made his baby and especially after that.

A family. He wanted a family with you so desperately. Give that to me, please.

“J-Jinwoo, I’m com- I’m coming- oh fuck!”

He wanted to kiss you so your moan escaped into his mouth, but that would have been a waste. “Let me hear you, don’t keep it in- please don’t keep it in.”

You did as you were told and let it out, the most sensual and romantic gesture you had done for Jinwoo to date. When your hips jerked, you pushed Jinwoo’s back into the seat which made his heart swell three times the size.

Perfect. Just perfect.

“Are you ready for me? Take everything I give you and keep it there-” He pulled you in for one last kiss. “You can’t waste a drop-”

There was something that mulled over in your eyes, like a darkness, but nothing like Jinwoo could produce when he was pissed off. Because you weren’t angry, you weren’t enraged or engulfed with fury. No, you were hungry, ravenous.

“You better fill me up good, or we’ll never make it to that dinner.”

Fuuuck.

Well that just spurred him on and when Jinwoo did come inside you, it was positively the strongest orgasm he ever had in his life, not just with you, but in his entire existence. He held onto you tight like you would disappear in thin air, like you would leave if he didn’t have you in his clutches already.

Jinwoo wanted to forget about the dinner and in fact, he did forget as his toes tried to curl in his shoes, his knuckles seizing up at his iron grip on your hips and digging into the plush skin that would most definitely bruise tomorrow.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. The scene was sublime, the actions and words and everything happened as it should. Never for a second did he ever think you would do something so risky so early. In the grand scheme of things, two months was nothing, and you were bending to him like you needed him as much as he needed you in no time at all.

When it calmed down, you leant over to kiss him, your lips less passionate and more sweet like honey, though your face did not match it. It was like you were troubled over something you didn’t want to share, or thought it wasn’t worth acknowledging because you smiled sleepily right after.

If Jinwoo blinked at that moment, he would have missed it. So, he took a stab in the dark to gain your trust a little better. “Don’t worry, we still have time to do this.”

“I know… I just- I don’t want to have to start over again because they’re impatient. But…”

“What is it?” Jinwoo ran his fingers over your forearm, tickling them into goosebumps.

“What if I can’t- I mean, they never tested to make sure before we started this and I don’t want to be a disappointment.”

You weren’t really thinking that, were you? This was the association's doing, not yours, and Jinwoo would be damned if he let you think that way, just when you and he were making headway.

“Please don’t think that way. It just takes time, don’t compare yourself to Hae-in, she just got lucky, but we still have time. So let’s make the most of it, hm?”

It seemed to settle you. You didn’t get off of him initially and Jinwoo assumed it was to keep his fluids inside a little while longer, but that wasn’t exactly that. You laid down and rested your head on his shoulder for comfort, you even allowed him to stroke your hair in the process.

“Okay… Alright then, let’s do this. We can do it.”

Well this night became a whole lot more interesting than I initially thought.

Originally, Jinwoo fully accepted that you were either going to ignore the issue and therefore ignore him, or it would blow up into an argument. Though you never really had it in for Jinwoo, he was the closest one to air your frustrations about the association. He tried to stay on side for the most part, but then he’d say something that didn’t align with your frustration and he’d get both barrels. While he never took it personally, it was getting kind of boring.

So when you and he straightened yourselves up, left the car with you full of his semen and holding hands like a real couple towards the restaurant, Jinwoo had high hopes of succeeding his untouched year long quest.

All he was waiting for now, were those two little lines on a pregnancy test and the first step of keeping you was complete.

One hell of a bumpy ride, but his suspension still seemed intact.

Chapter Text

“What took you guys so long?” Baek leant on the bar with a whiskey swirling in his hand.

Jinwoo thought it best to say nothing. If he had it his way, he’d tell the whole restaurant and bar exactly where he was and how deep, just for his own entertainment. Though he doubted you would have appreciated it.

“Traffic.” You said casually, your hand still in Jinwoo’s like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Hm,” He did not sound convinced. “Sounds about right. There’s always jackasses on the road. Glad you’re here, we’re all sitting in the back room waiting for you.”

Jinwoo fought hard to hold in his smugness, keeping everyone waiting whilst his load was dribbling from your thighs was potentially one of his top five moments in his life so far. He led the way behind Hunter Baek right through to the back room where the others were talking and smiling, Jong-in noticed you immediately and smiled, putting Jinwoo's back up immediately.

So irritating.

“You’re here,” he grinned with his glass. “We almost thought you’d gotten lost.”

“Lots of traffic.” An adorable laugh left your lips. “Lots and lots of traffic.”

When you grinned back, Jinwoo watched Jong-in closely. Were those kind eyes, or ‘fuck me’ eyes he was giving you? Yeah, they were definitely ‘fuck me’ eyes. Just what the hell was that?

“It’s good that you’re finally here Hunter Sung, we were beginning to worry.” The Chairman did not address Jinwoo directly, rather he was looking at your hand entwined with his, a knowing stare that flitted every so often.

“We apologise, Chairman. It wasn’t our intention to arrive late.”

Jinwoo took his glances as a contest, doing the exact same towards him and Jin-chul, an all knowing glance for the conversation preciously, noting how he was studying you and Jinwoo just as closely.

The Chairman grinned and allowed you and Jinwoo to sit. “It’s quite alright, now we can make a toast to the happy couple.”

Happy couple… that’s rich coming from a man that gave them no choice. 

Hunter Lim sat next to Jin-chul, totally impassive. His arms folded the way they were signalled that he wasn’t entirely present, not until he took notice of Jinwoo. “Hey, glad you two finally made it, Yoonho’s been boring the hell out of me with random crap.”

“Were you waiting long?” Jinwoo asked with caution, according to his calculations, you and he were only late by ten minutes.

“Eh, we all decided to meet a little earlier, you didn’t get the message? So its more like forty minutes, no one could reach either of you.”

Oh shit. Well, in this case, you and Jinwoo would have arrived late regardless if he’d fucked you in his car or not, somehow it didn’t make the situation as dire as it could have been.

“Oh,” Jinwoo pulled out his phone and pretended to check through it like it actually mattered. “No, I didn’t get anything sent to me.”

Lim dismissed it and shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Maybe you’ll see Yoonho get drunk this time, that can be entertaining.”

“Right… uh, where’s Hunter Ma?”

“Oh, yeah, he’s off somewhere. He couldn’t wait much longer for you so I think he went to get a light bite. He’ll be back shortly… but I guess we can get to celebrating the happy couple as happy as they can be, being forced into this like they have.”

Out of the two, Jinwoo had faith that you and he would be happy, but he saw right through the facade that Jong-in and Hae-in put up, and it fascinated him. So much so that he let one of his shadows go and attach itself to Jong-in. Just out of curiosity behind closed doors.

Jinwoo pulled out your seat for you and only then did you let go of his hand, he waited until you were seated properly. He watched the interactions between them as a toast was announced, you said something to Hae-in but his concentration picked up on the little things.

Despite popular belief, You and Hae-in rarely spoke the last two months, and even before then, it seemed to be more of a show for the public eye rather than a genuine friendship. The act of survival when one’s life is threatened to change often brings people together, and Jinwoo saw that it was that case with you and Hae-in.

She wasn’t entirely invested, it was obvious by the extra few inches distance her chair sat from jong-in, never touching hands, always at her side unless picking up her glass of water. Jong-in was more invested in you than the mother of his child, barely making eye contact with her or exchanging more than a word or two.

Trouble in paradise. And the chairman thinks it’s appropriate to berate us, instead? 

“Hey, guys!”

“Oh,” Lim snorted. “There you are, big guy. Thought you got lost too.”

Ma chuckled and flopped down in the seat next to Baek with a satisfied grin and a fleck of sauce on his cheek. He noticed you and Jinwoo and waved. “Hey you two, thought you were never gettin’ here!”

Before anyone could address that elephant in the room further, the Chairman stood up to command the room with his scotch glass. “Let’s toast to the first step in the reclaiming of our country's security and the future of the Hunter’s association… To Hunter Choi and Hunter Cha!”

Everyone toasted, raising their glasses whilst the Chairman ordered food and ordered everything to fill out the table. The mood seemed fruitful, enthusiastic, despite the ominous response to it two months ago. Even you seemed more on board with it now, chatting more and smiling a little warmer than previous weeks.

The others might not have seen it, not even you, yet Jinwoo could think of nothing else. Chairman Go and Jin-chul’s watchful eyes on everything across the table. Watching closely, Jinwoo found that as the night progressed, Jong-in and Hae-in became touchy.

A hand brush every so often, a little whisper in her ear with a smile sweeter than treacle to rot the entire table’s teeth for endless cavities. Though when those moments vanished, Jong-in was clinging on to you, with the hope of what, exactly? That he’d eventually come clean to how in love he was with you, or try to convince you that he was a better person despite having a child with another woman?

Just the thought made Jinwoo brood, grit his teeth through the boring dinner during parts he wasn’t listening just to think of ways he’d kill the man in a fit of fuelled jealousy that Jong-in even had the gall to talk to you with such familiarity-

“Jinwoo.”

He blinked, looking down at you with softer eyes. “Hm?”

You leant closer and whispered. “You’re spacing out… are you feeling okay?”

God… Those eyes staring up at him so innocently when Jinwoo knew you weren’t the innocent persona you allowed the public to perceive you as. If only publix sex was legal, and he definitely would have had you over the dinner table and no one could have stopped him. That would have set Jong-in straight.

“Y-yeah… I’m okay. Just tired, I think.”

You seemed to buy it. “Okay… we’ll leave soon?”

“Sounds good.”

The Chairman cleared his throat and addressed Jinwoo properly for the first time with full eye contact. “So, Hunter Sung, when will you greet the association with the good news?”

This went against Jin-chul’s advice on keeping the night about the Hae-in's pregnancy. It was a direct threat too. Every hunter alive treated the Chairman with the respect and decency someone of his position and temperament dictated, but Jinwoo saw straight through it like glass.

By this threat, Jinwoo suspected that the Chairman had another agenda.

Why is he so hellbent on getting results this eagerly?

He glanced up at the system's quest screen, still unchanged. It wouldn’t give him an unobtainable quest so pregnancy was still possible, but with the Chairman’s urgency, something told his gut to shut it down immediately.

At the end of the day, whenever you finally fell pregnant, you and he were keeping the baby close.

“Well, we’re trying our best, Chairman. Each week we’re hopeful.”

In other words, it translated to, back off old man.

“Well I look forward to the happy news, I have high hopes for you both.”

Long story short, what he meant to say was, hurry the hell up you two, I’m growing impatient.

“You’ll be the first to know, Chairman-” The eruption of Jong-in’s laugh pulled Jinwoo out of the conversation.

“It’s true! Ask Yoonho.”

“Don’t ask me anything.” Baek turned away and chugged his drink with heavy eyes.

Jong-in chuckled and took a sip of his own drink, clearly giddy. “While we’re guild rivals, we get on better than others think, even Tae-gyu knows what I’m talking about- oh… maybe not.”

Hunter Lim snored away on the table, dribbling and nursing a bottle of Soju. The table acknowledged the humor and Hunter Ma commanded the table with anecdotes. Jinwoo wanted to join in, he did, because it made him understand the people he spent the most time with, but his gut told him to observe Jong-in closely.

You were unaware of this, watching Ma chuckle and tell embarrassing stories of a drunken and foolish Baek. Jong-in stole brief glances at you now and then, each time softer than the last. What was he thinking about?

About you? Friendly or intimate- no doubt there were intimate thoughts going through that head of his like a neanderthal. 

He bet Jong-in had all kinds of lewd thoughts up there in that head of his, all fabricated of course. Seeing as Jinwoo had seen you naked, touched the curves of your body and came inside you most nights, whatever Jong-in could conjure up in his mind sure as hell wouldn’t be anywhere near the real thing. Jinwoo had that edge over him, though it never got rid of the intrusive thoughts. The darker side he’d been battling with since he killed that staff member, well, even before then. Maybe after the first person he'd killed.

Each thought darker and more violent than the last though he never usually acted on them.

Since having you in his grasp, Jinwoo found them cropping up more and more often and the thought of being in a position that he’d be expected to let you go in a month didn’t help alleviate the symptoms.

It made his eye twitch, seeing another man look at you the way Jong-in did, he wanted to hurt him in a way he'd never recover with all of the mage healing in the world. He wanted him gone from your life completely, eradicated and wiped from existence.

How could he look at you the way he was doing right now when the time came and you had a newborn baby in your arms? Jong-in had a reputation to uphold as a guildmaster and having a child of his own would make quite the scandal if he was pursuing another woman.

Though Jinwoo simply wouldn’t have it, he couldn’t just get rid of him in the way he was fantasising about.

A quick dagger slice to his throat to watch the red slip out all over the floor, to see Jong-in gargle and panic because his mana would slip away with his consciousness and no amount of stupid fire would save him.

Maybe drowning him in a water dungeon, so that the only way his fire attacks would serve him any purpose would boil the water until his flesh melted from his face.

It had to be something slow… something painful. Something memorable-

“Jinwoo? Are you ready to go?”

Had he zoned out again? “Yeah, let’s get going.”

“I’ll see you in a few weeks, Hunter Sung.”

Another threat from the Chairman. Jinwoo saw it on the shining rim of his scotch glass, Jin-chul watched him too over the edge of his sunglasses. He stood and waited for the Chairman, allowing him space to pass and land a firm hand on Jinwoo’s shoulder.

“I’m counting on you.”

I bet you are, Chairman Go.

Jinwoo was counting on it as well, to keep you close to him and take care of you. There was a lot to think about, much to discuss with you. Many concerns he wasn’t so sure he should come out with until he could investigate further.

Though his quest remained the same.

To get you pregnant within the next month.

Chapter Text

A month came and went by in a flash before Jinwoo’s eyes.

Nothing.

The weekly pregnancy tests took a toll, every time they came up negative under the watchful eye of Woo Jin-chu sitting right there with his stop watch, waiting for the results. And each time your heart sank and slouched into the sofa when he announced the negative line.

Desperation. One word to sum it up as you sat there, bouncing on his cock one final time before Jin-chul arrived later for the final test result. Jinwoo willed it to happen and frantically searched for anything to stop the association from taking you away from him that didn’t result in hiding you away where no one could get you and committing mass murder to keep it that way.

If Jinwoo had it his way, he’d get rid of the lot of them. Running out of ideas made his brain hurt and his intrusive thoughts had gotten much darker than before. Killing all of them to keep the status quo, fucking you like this, loving you, living with you and seeing you every morning when his eyes opened.

He never had the chance to take you to meet his mom and sister. Jinwoo wanted that chance and he could have it as soon as you were pregnant, because then the pressure would stop.

But you were right, it could take up to a year or even longer.

While it was never spoken aloud, what made Jinwoo more on the edge was the possibility of Jin-chul suggesting you be paired with Jong-in now that he’d managed to get Hae-In pregnant. It was only a matter of time too before Jong-in started to gravitate towards you in the long run.

Now that Jinwoo hid one of his shadows behind Jong-in, it gave him a better perspective of the relationship. And it wasn’t good. It was bickering at first, behind closed doors whilst Hae-in’s hidden mood swings were like clockwork yet still caused whiplash. Jinwoo’s shadow was a doorway to private conversations and hidden personalities that the public never got to see.

Jong-in was as considerate as he was to everyone, passively arguing with Hae-in about the little things she took issue with. Jinwoo knew she was just scared, or tired, or hungry, and Jong-in took it in his stride. But the two weren’t a couple by any stretch and only doing this for the association. Yet with you, Jong-in mentioned you way more than he should have, yet not saying much at all.

And that kept Jinwoo up at night, thinking of all the moments that man could get his hands on you, the things he’d seen and experienced, shared with Jong-in like you were cattle. If he could help it, Jinwoo would stop it without causing too much of a fuss and backlash.

It was those moments he wanted to keep all to himself.

Jinwoo could never grow tired of that little noise you made, jutting with a rasp in your breath when you were close, the way your fingers tensed on his bare chest in silence when another orgasm ripped through you as you cooed his name.

Just like right now. “Jinwoo-”

“I know.” He rested his hands on your hips, pushing his fingertips in the plush round flesh easing his stress away.

The sun had only started rising, Jin-chul was due at any time. Jinwoo never wanted it to end, but if the front door knocked before he came inside you again and never made it to the door in time, Jin-chul would let himself in. So despite his need to keep going, if he didn’t come inside you now, he might not get another chance for a while until he handled things himself.

You pulled at his hands, pressing them over your breast to massage them, play with your nipples in a way you knew he liked. Not only did Jinwoo find new stuff out about you, it seemed like you were taking things on board too. Even so, you never explicitly said outright that you felt the same way Jinwoo did, but there were some tell-tale signs that you were coming to terms with it.

Like putting his favourite genre of movie on, cuddling up to him over the course of the last two weeks like a fully functional couple. You were suddenly excited to see him come home and more aroused than before, taking more opportunities to get intimate than Jin-chul stated. In the last few weeks, you and Jinwoo weren’t just fucking every night, sometimes it was reaching peaks of three or four times a day depending on your mood. You had somehow changed the entire dynamic and taken the lead ever since the night of the association dinner.

Sex was out of this world, your eagerness elevated the experience and heightened Jinwoo’s senses which thrusted his exploration into the stratosphere. He was finding out new things about himself, about you. His own kinks and lustrous imaginations over you and what you enjoyed.

For instance, one night after Jinwoo gave you two orgasms to make your head spin, you asked him to choke you. He didn’t exactly deliver the first time, surrounded by his worries of hurting you for real instead of pleasuring you. Then, you directed him, patiently telling him what you wanted and it got your legs trembling, body jerking and lips babbling absolute nonsense.

And Jinwoo? Well, he realised early that he had developed a need to breed you and it turned into an obsession rather quickly, so much so that it was all Jinwoo thought about.

“Jinwoo, I can’t hold it-”

“Then come for me, pretty girl.”

Another thing that Jinwoo learned was the power of the right pet name, you took to them well and enjoyed a little praise along with it from time to time.

You stopped and held your breath, Jinwoo kept his hips moving and held you in place. Every ounce of pent up frustration and waiting for one last time. No, it couldn’t be the last time, though why did it feel like it would be?

Jinwoo would have let his darker side emerge had the sensation of your pussy clenching around his cock not made him float. The slapping of your bare ass down on the tops of his thighs, so sweat ridden and warm and he wanted it always.

Always.

Always.

“Jinwoo- fuck- make me a mommy, just do it- please do it-”

That was a first and no way could it be in the moment when it sounded so raw, so real. Those string of words made the massive load he was about to give you all the more special once Jinwoo got over the shock of your demand. The first time that you had acknowledged your part in this and begged him, surrounded in your own feverish lust for an end result Jinwoo wanted this entire time.

A baby.

A baby with you.

A family.

He came, willing it to take, praying and wishing that this sensation would never end and you and he would be linked together for as long as he lived. A mark over you that he held close to his chest, while a newborn baby laid on yours.

It had to take. It has to.

Everything was pointing to a real relationship just by the way you laid in his arms all tangled up, his body took you in so naturally because you just fit right. Fitting perfectly because you were always supposed to be with him. It couldn’t be over just yet, right?

The ominous front doorbell rang like a warning siren in Jinwoo’s mind, a way to say times up folks, we’re splitting you up now if you can’t get the result we want on a stick that someone pees on. 

It wasn’t fair.

“Why does he come over so early?” You yawned, rubbing the sleep from your eyes before you sat up to leave the bed.

Don’t leave just yet.

But you did, pulling your little silk robe on and trudging out of the room. Jinwoo laid there for a moment and listened to Jin-chul’s low drawl of a voice, thanking you and making himself at home in the kitchen. 

You wandered back through the bedroom with three pregnancy tests in your hand and a disheartened expression. “I won’t be long. You better get dressed.”

Jinwoo hid his pout from you and waited to get out once the bathroom door closed behind you. He wished he could be there with you, taking the pressure off for just a moment, a single second so that you could sit on that sofa with ease while the results came back after an agonising three miniature wait.

You would probably slap him straight in the face if he barged in the bathroom while you were peeing. So he opted to wait right outside, like he was there with you. You were shocked to still see him when you emerged from the bathroom, pausing right there in the doorway.

“Sorry.” He rubbed his neck and looked away in case you decided that it was inappropriate and waited for that slap he probably deserved, but nothing happened. “I just thought I’d wait here for you, y’know, it being the last time, and all.”

Jinwoo hadn’t prepared to see a smile on your lips when he looked back. “Thanks, Jinwoo. I think I really needed that today.”

Sitting down on the sofa just waiting was never a great feeling even without Jin-chul staring at the two of you awaiting the results of the three sticks on the table. The room sat in a horrid silence and sucked all of the air out of the room, even the sunlit daylight of the early morning. 

The three people in the room sat in silence, pure agonising silence.

“Well, it seems that your time is up…” Jin-chul glanced over at the tests and sighed. “They’re negative… shame.”

You said nothing, sat there looking down at your trembling hands. Jinwoo wanted to comfort you and tell you all of the positive things, but how could that fix the main issue that you weren’t pregnant?

He had failed. He’d fucked everything up.

“I've done all I can to delay the Chairman's decision, but he's adamant. There’s some things we’ll need to go over for the transition, we aim to have it done by the end of the day.” Jin-chul addressed you. “You’ll be moving into the apartment next door where you’ll undergo a three month trial with Hunter Choi. Now Hunter Cha is pregnant, we’re offering her accommodation at the new facility.”

Hunter… Choi?

Jinwoo’s fist clenched, practically shaking until his knuckles came over white, his worst nightmare was soon realised. Jong-in was taking you in because he’d already knocked up another woman? Was the scandal of this alone nothing that the association considered?

No. Jinwoo didn’t give a fuck, you weren’t going anywhere. Before you could protest, by the horrified look on your face, Jinwoo stood up, ready to fight anyone who approved of this. And when he did, something stopped you, Jin-chul and himself on the spot. An unmistakable wave of aura, nothing that Jinwoo recognised from any of the other S-Rank hunters, or any other hunter for that matter. It was just different. Unexpected.

“What was that?”

Jin-chul got to his feet and looked around, his expression confused and lingering on the fact that he mustn’t have recognised it either. “I’m… I’m not sure.”

Jinwoo closed his eyes and tried to focus his mind on locating it, placing a shadow on you out of instinct in case it was a magic beast. You were in a robe, naked, and being taken by surprise was a possibility. And when nothing happened, Jinwoo couldn’t place the uneasiness, the drive to find it like a parent looking for their child.

It was a need. A compulsion.

He glanced over at his system’s quest, expecting it to be unchanged, but something had changed. The progress bar had increased from zero, to ten. And then he found what he was looking for, when you moved closer to him and his shadow indicated exactly where that aura had come from.

From you.

Jinwoo blinked and placed his hand on your stomach without giving you warning, you stepped back but he never allowed that distance to gap itself. The aura was coming from you, or more importantly your lower half, your abdomen. Your mana was still there, just below the surface of this secondary aura, a different signature completely but so familiar to your own and Jinwoo’s

“What are you doing?

“Hunter Woo, do you have more pregnancy tests with you?”

Jin-chul was unfazed but complied. “I do.”

You watched Jinwoo and your eyes wandered down to your stomach. “Jinwoo… What-”

“We have to do more tests.”

“The tests were negative, Hunter Sung, there’s no point in doing so again. We’re done here. I have to find the source of that aura, so if you’ll excuse me-”

Jinwoo stopped him in his steps, glaring at him with what was probably the most murderous look he’d ever had access to. That compulsion to find the aura didn’t leave even though he found it, it was still driving him to deal with the issue and advocate before Jin-chul tried to cast him aside.

“Do the test again. Now.”

After a half hour of Jinwoo second guessing himself and focusing on that mana spike within you, and another three pregnancy tests later after getting you to drink as much water as you could, the results were concluded.

Jin-chul took another look over them, and Jinwoo watched as his eyes widened. “Well, I’ll be damned… the tests are positive.”

And so the beginning of Jinwoo’s quest had begun.

Chapter Text

“Twins?!” Your mouth remained agape at the association's doctor. “A-are you sure there’s two and it's not a glitch?”

“I’m sure.” She pointed at the screen and adjusted the internal ultrasound stick under the draped cloth. “See? One… two. It's early, but we can determine if its twins at around this time. You’re roughly six weeks along, so it was worth the wait before coming in to see me, or you might have gotten a little surprise at your next scan wondering why your baby bump is getting bigger than expected.”

Jinwoo had not said one word, nowhere near comprehending the information his brain was receiving. Twins? Was this even logical? Was that why he was sensing the amount of mana coming from you, because there were two babies in there?

Holy shit. Twins. That was insane, even for Jinwoo’s standards. And while his compulsions weren’t disappearing anytime soon, for the first time in two weeks, Jinwoo was speechless.

He listened out for your hurried breath you tried to calm, but it was just outside noise at this point. “Oh my god… Oh my god... Six weeks? That puts my…”

“Your date of conception was most likely the first week of last month.” The doctor continued looking at the ultrasound, the two little dots that could have been mistaken for a smudge on the screen. “It’s not fully accurate, but as close as we can get.”

It could have been any day that week, but it wasn’t until then, that you and Jinwoo were going at it daily. “The night of the association dinner…”

You tore your eyes from the screen towards Jinwoo, they were glassy and terrified. “Could it really have been that night- I mean, I’m pretty sure I was ovulating but… six weeks… Doctor, are you definitely sure it’s twins?”

She chuckled a little, a reassuring one, though you wouldn’t have seen it that way no doubt. “Yes, I’m certain that you are carrying twins. I mean, you’re already bloating more than normal, but it’s very common with twins. Everything looks as it should though.”

“I just…” And now you were speechless.

The doctor pulled out the ultrasound stick and printed off a copy of the scan, giving it to Jinwoo. “I’ll let you get cleaned up and we’ll talk. There’s a lot to process… congratulations you two.”

“I guess we’ll have to let the Chairman know-”

“I’ve already done that. He’s aware and will be coming to visit you sometime today.” The doctor left the room with a cheerful smile.

Jinwoo watched her carefully and couldn’t decide whether or not his gut was telling him something. When did she have time to inform the Chairman of this when she had been in the room the whole time. Jinwoo had watched her closely up until she had told them the news, and even then, part of his consciousness was aware of his surroundings even while the other half was freaking out.

The small slither that remained calm was the half with these sudden compulsions, to keep everything away from you and it wasn’t even logical. It had ingrained itself so deep like a buried tick, right in his brain that started affecting his sleep, his eating, his overall mental state. He managed to hide it from you for now, but at times, it threatened to slip.

And you were only six weeks along.

This is going to be a long pregnancy.

“Oh my god…” Were you crying? No, but your glassy eyes were as close to it as they could be.

“It'll be fine.” Jinwoo said, reluctantly taking your hand in his in hopes to calm you.

But it didn’t. “My body is going to be- I never signed up for twins, Jinwoo- oh my god…. Oh my god.”

“Shh, shh.” He stroked your hair, you hadn’t moved from the bed. “Listen, we can get through it together, just think of when they’re here and not in there.” He pointed to your stomach. “Let’s work towards that first, and we’ll go from there.”

“I-I still can’t believe you got me pregnant... I honestly thought it was never going to happen in the time they gave us, but twins? You honestly had to knock me up with twins- Jesus christ…”

What could he say to that? If he wasn’t so blindsided, he would have relished the fact that it wasn’t just one baby, but two that he’d managed to keep you with by his side. Two babies with no way of doing it on your own, so you’d have to rely on him.

Jinwoo tried his best to quell those thoughts for now and be as supportive as he could be. “I know it’s a shock, I’m shocked. But, I know that this is a good thing. The doctor said they’re okay and growing good, and now we won’t have all that pressure. So at least for now, we can relax-”

“How can we do that?” You sat up and let your legs swing over the table, caught up in the draped cloth. “There’s two of them, Jinwoo. That’s double the morning sickness, double the pain and… I dunno, double the contractions? I have no clue what I’m doing.”

“That makes two of us, then.” Jinwoo hadn’t the foggiest, but he knew doing it with you would make the process less painful. “Because I have no idea, either. We can figure it out together.”

The way he ran his fingertips over the back of your hand seemed to calm you enough to nod and get moving. “Yeah… I think it’s just a lot to process right now. But… Oh god…”

“Why don’t you get dressed, I’ll slip outside for a moment and get the doctor to talk about our next steps and then I'll take you home.”

Jinwoo left you in the room for just a second, his need to stay near you prevented him from taking one step away from that door. He couldn’t leave you on your own, never again, not if you were carrying his children. How could you protect yourself? Protect them without him?

“Igris.”

His shadow never appeared, but Igris’s presence stood tall behind him awaiting orders. If Igris remained in your shadow, Jinwoo could sit easily knowing you had protection.

“Stay with her at all times. Keep yourself hidden. Don’t let anything, or anyone harm her or there will be consequences.” He glared up at where Igris would have been, his eyes glowing with the determination of a fretting parent, knowing he could see him. “Do I make myself clear?”

Igris moved beyond the door and vanished, concealing his presence neatly in your shadow. Jinwoo knew at some point he would have to introduce you properly, maybe another day.

“Hello Mr Sung, is there anything you need?” The doctor came back with some kind of medical paperwork on a clipboard and the same sweet smile. “I was just coming back to give you some more information and you can be on your way until your next check up in six weeks time.”

“Uh, no, not really. I was coming to get you, actually.” Jinwoo spoke your name with a softness. “I think she just wants to go home now.”

“Of course, come in and I’ll get everything you need to go home with.”

Jinwoo followed her in, you were sat up right on the table fully dressed looking down at your tapping foot, over and over again. He sat down beside you, linking his hand with your and did his best to take everything in. The terminology the doctor used was unnecessary, complicating the simplest of phrases to make your lip tremble or a lone tear slip down your cheek.

But now and then, you would slip out of that rhythm and look over your shoulder or across the room for a split second and then right back to the doctor. This occurred for the remainder of the appointment, Jinwoo decided not to comment on it just yet, at least until you were home and resting.

It was you who decided to bring it up after the appointment, and in the worst way possible. “Why is there something following me?”

Ah crap. “Uh… what do you mean?”

“Don’t pull this today, Jinwoo. I’m really not in the mood. I’ve come to learn when you either don’t want to talk about something, or you give the whole truth. So be honest with me.”

Jinwoo slowed his pace back to the car and carried on, hoping you wouldn’t notice his hesitance, but of course you would. How did he forget about your perception? It wasn’t so high that you would have seen Igris walk right into the room, but you knew there was something there.

“It’s not that… I just- I want you to be safe.” He rubbed the back of his neck because he didn’t know what else to do. “So I asked one of my shadows to watch over you whenever I’m not with you-”

“Jinwoo. Jesus- that’s what I’ve been seeing the last half hour?” Your pace towards the car increased, and just when Jinwoo thought things were good right now. “You didn’t think to at least inform me first? I’ve been going out of my mind thinking I was seeing things.”

“I’m sorry, I am... I'd never want to upset you, you're not seeing things. It’s just-” He sped ahead and opened the door for you, letting you slump into the seat before he made his way round to the driver's seat.

What the hell should he even say to a frustrated pregnant person?

When he got in, the car was heavy, looming. Your brow dipped low and you were extremely pissed off, he could tell by the way your arms folded the way they were and how you fiddled around with your bottom lip to stop yourself from saying something you shouldn’t.

Now, Jinwoo wasn’t about to get into his intense thoughts ever since that mana spike, or how his sleep was constantly ridden with dreams of you and the pregnancy, and all the ways it could possibly go wrong or that you could die in some horrid accident involving a magic beast. He wouldn’t dare bring any of that up, not how he wanted no one around you unless they were a medical professional or himself, not even the Chairman.

So when Jinwoo sat there and waited to see if you would say anything, he sighed heavily and rested his arms on the steering wheel when you didn't speak one word.

“We haven’t had the best start in all of this, but I want to try.” He turned his head to face you, even though you were looking out of the window when he did. “You’re pregnant, you’re carrying this life inside of you and now we know there’s two lives in there. I won’t be around all the time to make sure you’re okay, and with all the stress you’ve been under, I didn’t want to add anymore to it, but obviously I have…"

When you remained silent, he foolishly continued despite the ramifications that might come from it. “I didn’t think about your feelings and I should have done, because you’re the most important in all of this- not the association, not the programme or anything the Chairman wants from us. I’m not important, but you are. And I care about you, I’m trying to prioritise you so that you and the babies are safe…”

Then, you huffed the sweetest little noise Jinwoo had ever heard, like you were silently forgiving him despite not actually coming out and saying it.

“So who’s this shadow, then? You’ve never really shown them at all.”

It wasn’t forgiveness, but close enough.

Jinwoo breathed a silent sigh and pulled off from the parking lot. “Igris. His name is Igris, and he’s one of the strongest shadows I have. Nothing will get past him unless it’s a highly experienced S-Rank hunter and even they’d have trouble with him.”

You looked over to Jinwoo, confused with something he could describe as concerned. “But, my perception is high. How can I sense Igris and not…” Your hand fell to your stomach, where the babies were. “I should be acutely aware of them, right? But I’m not.”

“I only noticed because one of my shadows pointed it out, or I wouldn’t have found out right away… I wouldn’t think too deeply into it.” 

There could have been a whole slew of reasons why you couldn’t sense the aura coming from you, none that Jinwoo could figure out just yet. With time to understand it or with a mage healing doctor, they could find the root of the issue.

“I guess so.” You said, silently running your fingers over your belly as though the instincts were already kicking in like they had for Jinwoo..

“Well, I thought he was the best fit to protect you should anything happen, if a dungeon broke in town, I’d fight clear minded knowing you were looked after.”

Before Jinwoo could stop himself from making you sound like you were incapable, you popped back like he expected and never let him recover.

“You think I’m not capable of looking after myself? I know I don’t have the experience you or the others do, but I can get away if I really have to. I-I can do something without being babied, I don’t need coddling.”

It came from nowhere, but that horrid idea burrowed in Jinwoo’s head and wasn’t leaving anytime soon. “Okay, so if you can fight now, when do you stop? When it takes a toll on your body, or when your belly gets in the way? You’re growing two humans inside you right now, and that won’t change until they’re born, you need all the rest you can get.”

“But I want to keep hunting, Jinwoo. That’s why I was opposed to this in the first place. Nothing changes for you, it’s all on mine and Hae-in’s shoulders. Our bodies will change and we’ll have to recover and you can just keep going to gates and collecting things and I have to stay at home just waiting?”

It won’t be like that forever, because you and I will have two beautiful babies at home to take care of. That’s what he wanted to say, he wanted to be as honest as he could with his intentions with you. But as delicate as you were, if you hadn’t bolted by now, that surely would have sent you packing.

“We’ll get some normality soon, I promise-”

“How can you promise that?”

It went like that the entire way home. You escalated things and Jinwoo attempted to calm them down, it was no doubt exacerbated by those hormones the doctor was talking about. It also didn’t help that Jinwoo could say one thing and you’d take it another way because he didn’t think before opening his mouth. 

Realistically, it was all his fault.

And to make things worse, Chairman Go had let himself into the apartment.

Could this day get any more eventful?

“Hunter Sung.” Your name oozed from his lips. “It’s fantastic to see you both. I hope you don’t mind me dropping by, I simply couldn’t wait to congratulate you.”

Chapter Text

“It’s fantastic to see you both. I hope you don’t mind me dropping by, I simply couldn’t wait to congratulate you.”

Jinwoo watched the Chairman closely, his whole stance was wrong, the gentle look he gave you was wrong. The way he confidently sat on the living room sofa with his fingers laced together was smug and utterly wrong. Jinwoo just couldn’t place it.

“Thank you, Chairman.” Did you know that something was off too? You held your stomach as though on instinct, looking down at the floor like you had something to feel shameful for.

“Twins…” The chairman smiled without Jin-chul accompanying him this time, he was close by no doubt. “It’s such wonderful news, I was hopeful we’d have an anomaly such as this when the programme got on its way years down the line. But seeing it on the second try truly is a marvel.”

“It’s quite a shock, Chairman. Our apologies that we couldn’t tell you ourselves.” You edged closer to Jinwoo, subtly enough though the Chairman caught it instantly.

“That’s quite alright. But this does beg the question now that you’ll let the association hold a celebration for you. Twin babies ought to be celebrated.”

You made it adamantly clear when your pregnancy came to fruition that you did not want the fuss that came with it. However, the choice might not be in your hands.

“Chairman-“

“With all due respect, Chairman.” Jinwoo stepped in before you could, saying your name with authority. “She made it clear that she didn’t want a celebration, I trust you can understand the pressure she’s under to remain calm and well rested as per the association’s Doctor’s recommendations.”

Despite the squabbling and bickering from the hospital to the front door, Jinwoo’s priorities had shifted somewhat. It wasn’t just you now that this compulsion had over grown like ivy, it was towards the babies too. By the hour-no, the minute, his mind was overtaking itself at levels he wasn’t sure how to comprehend.

“I understand that. But as this is your duty, it’s made you National heroes.” 

So the Chairman would go down a pushy route? It went against everything Jinwoo knew him by. It put his back up, sharp and pointing right at the Chairman’s face. This was what his new state of mind did to people that weren’t you.

In other words, he’d kill the Chairman right now if he threatened your life and he’d feel no remorse for it either.

A dangerous sentiment. But Jinwoo did not care.

“Chairman, I’m very tired. I would like to respectfully decline.”

“Of course you are, you’re growing two very special children inside you. That takes plenty of energy. I simply won’t have you worrying over anything, so I’ll handle this myself and inform you of all the details at a later date.”

Huh? What did he just say?

The Chairman rose to his feet and traipsed on over to the front door, where conveniently, Jin-chul was waiting right outside.

“I’ll see you two very soon, though be sure to pay Hunter Cha a visit soon, she could use the company.” And then he left, leaving Jin-chul in the hallway.

He slipped off his sunglasses and tucked them inside his breast pocket. “A word of advice? Play the long game and entertain him. Korea is the first of the many countries to participate in this programme, and the first produce twins as a part of it. By the way those two are producing mana the way they are, it’s more than just an anomaly, it’s a mystery… and the Chairman is hopeful that this union will give the association an edge.”

“These babies aren't weapons.” Jinwoo had to hold you back, hoping to keep the crazed look in your sudden maternal eyes.

Jin-chul didn’t seem the least bit phased. “Not weapons. Just a statement. If those children are born at B-Rank or above without having an awakening, high officials all over the world will want to see. Just bear that in mind. Heed my advice, or don’t, it’s your choice, but one choice will make life easier and the other won’t.”

Jinwoo glared at him as he turned and walked away with his hands smoothly in his pockets. Just what was the Chairman up to? Did Jong-in and Hae-in have this tak with the Chairman too? He had to find out, he needed to understand the larger picture, but his gut told him to do it the old fashioned way and not entertain the idea of posting a shadow onto the Chairman under any circumstances. He just wasn’t sure why.

“Why do they want to put babies on display- just to say ‘hey, we have more than you’, like, really? Jinwoo, I don’t like this. And the Chairman wants to parade us in front of everyone just because I’m pregnant now."

“I feel the same way.” He sat you down on the sofa, kneeling in front of you with his hand reassuringly on your knee. “I want you to rest though, can you do that? I need to see Jong-in, ask him a few questions…”

Would you snap at him again if he asked? Only one way to find out. 

“Can I leave Igris here with you? I’d feel better if I did.”

“Jinwoo, I don’t…” you hesitated, the agonising drawn out pause by the way you looked at him took forever. “Okay… just- can I meet him first?”

“Y-yeah, uh, you can meet him.” Jinwoo swallowed hard and paused, thinking of all the ways this could go wrong, yet did it anyway. “Igris, come out and introduce yourself.”

He did, delicately showing himself like undisturbed smoke, billowing into his form to kneel. His head lowered deeper than anything he’d ever done before.

That’s odd. He never thought to address it, though Igris had never kneeled to anyone other than Jinwoo.

“Hello, Igris.” There was only normality in your voice, not fear or awkwardness. Just normality, watching the humanoid shadow kneel. 

Like a knight kneeling before his queen.

Jinwoo watched you closely, knowing he’d fallen for the right person, the perfect woman to start a family with, and his shadows welcomed it.

“He can’t speak, but I can tell he enjoys your presence.”

“Oh, right. Well, it’s nice to meet you, Igris.”

Igris dropped his head lower in acknowledgement, holding firm with a form of respect Jinwoo had never received. 

You hesitated, placing a hand on Jinwoo's. “Actually… can I come with you? It would be nice to see how Hae-in is doing. She’s pretty much on her own over there.”

“Are you sure?” 

There was a high possibility that Jong-in was over there right now and Jinwoo didn’t think he could sit through an hour of that man hovering about.

“Mhm, if I’m terrified about all this, I can only imagine how she must be feeling.”

While your sentiment was admirable, Jinwoo’s inability to make you more at ease snapped away at him. He was trying to be as accommodating as he could within reason, and you were still terrified, as you put it. Would seeing Jong-in make matters worse? Jinwoo never stopped and thought long and hard whether Jong-in was a stepping stone closer to you.

Long story short, would Jong-in’s presence make you feel things towards him that you never admitted to Jinwoo’s face?

Jinwoo wanted to limit your interactions with him going forward, to preserve his relationship with you. It wasn’t that Jinwoo felt threatened, but Jong-in’s presence didn’t help settle things. He couldn’t exactly forbid you though, could he? Your reaction to Igris was a plain and unmistakable reminder of how strong willed you were.

Against his better judgement, Jinwoo agreed. “Alright. We’ll head over now.”

“Thanks, Jinwoo.” 

Hae-In opened the door cautiously when you knocked, she peered through the gap and opened it once she realised who it was.

“Oh… hello, Jinwoo.” She addressed you first, but bashfully watched Jinwoo exclusively. “What are you both doing here?”

“We wanted to see how you were doing, and need to ask you a few things, if you’re up for it?” You said, stepping through the doorway into the apartment.

“Me? You might be better asking Jong-in. I’m not sure how useful I’ll be, my brains all over the place lately.”

“It’s alright, it’s just a few quick things that we aren’t sure of.”

“Oh, is it baby stuff? Because I’m still finding out myself, the morning sickness is really bad. You went for your scan today, didn’t you? Jong-in told me about it.”

How the hell did Jong-in find out?

“Well,” you looked away and sat yourself down in the sofa. “It went alright, just a little shock but-“

“We’re having twins.”

You gasped though tried to keep it in, you never stifled your emotions well and this time was no different. Jinwoo knew how Hae-in felt about him and he didn’t care what the outcome was.

“Right… well I think a congratulations are in order, Jong-in will be pleased with the news.”

“Hae-in- I’m so sorry- Jinwoo-“ You glared at him. But the damage had already been done.

Jinwoo just had to rip off the bandaid to ensure she moved past the feelings she held for Jinwoo, and crushed them under his foot. Jinwoo would never return those feelings and was better she got it out of her system.

“So…” Hae-in smiled as best she could. “Twins, huh? Maybe that’s why I sensed that odd aura when you came through the door.” She chuckled to hide her pain.

Jinwoo could tell that it upset you, the fact an acquaintance and fellow hunter could sense the babies and you couldn’t.

You swallowed back it well enough.“The Chairman’s taking a liking to us after finding out and we wanted to know what he’s been like with you and the baby. Has Hunter Woo come by at all?”

“He’s been around, but not too involved. The Chairman was happy at first, but since he found out you were pregnant, we haven’t really seen him.”

So he’s flitting between pregnancies? Or looking for one in particular? The babies mana might be something to keep an eye on, no doubt he would have picked up on it if Hae-in has.

Jinwoo contemplated confronting the Chairman directly, but as more and more hunters would inevitably fall pregnant, he assumed for now that the Chairman would follow suit and move on. For now at least.

“Was he pushy in having the announcement dinner? He wants to make a big deal out of this and to be honest, I just want to get the next nine months out of the way and going public is the last thing I want.”

It was wrong that Jinwoo wanted to go public, more so that he could rub it in the faces of everyone who either talked down at his previous E-Rank, those who wanted you, or wanted Jinwoo away from you. It wasn’t clear yet who did, if there was anyone, but still, Jinwoo wanted it that way.

“I wouldn’t say he was pushy, but before I fell pregnant, he did sit down and talk to us about being a little more…” she searched for the word. “Intimate? But I think it was a publicity thing or something like that.”

“Right…” you said, standing up and straightening yourself out. “Thank you, Hae-in. Sorry you found out about the babies like that.”

Jinwoo knew your eyes were burning into him. “If you need us, you know where we are… I need to have a lie down, it’s been a long day.”

You left before Hae-in could even utter a word, stomping off towards the front door, you zipped around Igris who was waiting by the door without another word. Jinwoo called out to you once the door closed behind him. He knew you went straight to the bedroom but called out anyway.

“Don’t start! I’m not happy with you, at all!”

Igris turned and looked away from Jinwoo, heading off towards the living area in some form of protest.

He knew what he’d done wrong, he just never thought he’d get this type of response. He could put it down to pregnancy hormones, though you’d only deal more damage to him.

And it would kill him if you gave him the silent treatment.

I guess I'll go grovel.

Chapter Text

“I can’t believe you, Jinwoo. I wanted to break it to her easily- why did you tell her like that?”

There was an easy explanation for this, and it wasn’t the truth. “She was going to find out through someone else, wouldn’t you rather we tell her and not beat around the bush?”

“You know how she feels about you, what you did wasn’t compassion, it was like you were rubbing it in her face.”

Because it was exactly that.

“It’s not the case at all, I just thought it was best to rip the band aid off. You and me are having these babies, and she’ll have to get used to it. But skirting around the subject won’t help any one.”

“Why do I not believe that?” You were more than just angry, you were furious. Even your foot tapped impatiently at him. “It just felt so nasty how you did-“ 

You stopped abruptly, hand straight to your mouth with all the paleness in your face. “How you did that, it’s-“ You tried again and failed, placing your hand over your stomach.

And then your ability triggered Eye’s handmaiden. It appeared in the corner, standing as it always did, arms out ready for spell casting. It fed you a spell with its aura, calming you down so that now you were standing straight.

“What is it?” He asked, rushing over to your side. “Is it the babies?”

“N-no…” You watched Eye’s handmaiden closely. “I just felt sick, I… I don’t anymore.”

Could it be the morning sickness the doctor and Hae-in talked about? “You’re getting morning sickness? That’s what it is.”

You wanted to say something but stopped yourself, shaking your head quicker than Jinwoo liked and pressed your hand flat to his chest to make space. “That doesn’t matter, I’m still pissed off at you. Don’t go pulling that again, because I don’t want drama. I’m stressed enough as it is, me and Hae-in both are.”

Jinwoo pushed back against you to get closer, he took you by the shoulders. “I’m not trying to stress anyone out, especially not you.”

“Then why did you do that?” You didn’t resist his touch.

He wanted to come clean, he really did. But telling you he loved you wasn’t the right time. He had an idea now of when he’d tell you and today wasn’t it.

“You’re having twins. Half of them are me, and half of them are you. Maybe I got a little excited now that it’s settling in, we finally did it, I got you pregnant when for a time, I wasn’t sure that I could. I kind of want to shout it from the rooftops and show the Chairman that he did wrong trying to rush us, it only hindered things.”

You seemed to buy it for now, your expression though, not so much. “So, you’re telling me that you’re not freaking out about this, that you’re excited?”

“Uh…” Jinwoo rubbed the back of his neck with the sudden realisation that you must have been ready to slap him. “Well… I dunno, I just-“

You didn’t slap him, you didn’t scowl or grit your teeth, or just throw harsh language and scold him for it. No, you kissed him. Everything stopped, Jinwoo threw out everything from the air, anything unquestioned and hidden from your view so that he left nothing between you.

He pulled you into him, feeling his way over your waist and let your arms wrap around his neck, your fingers scrunching into his hair with a tug that sent him off. Jinwoo wanted you right here, right now, and pull everything from your bottom half and fuck you senseless over the bed and any other hard surface in the room.

But, he had two babies to think of now, and it wasn’t an option to be rough with you, not for a long while.

Would you even want to have sex, or was it the hormones just getting you hot and bothered? Because the way you kept yourself pressed against him gave him mixed signals. You were pissed off at him, yet grabbing onto any part of his body you could.

“The doctor said we can still have sex, right? I forgot.” You pulled away and slipped off your pretty red shirt, leaving your perfect breasts tucked away in your bra.

You still wanted to have sex even though you weren’t obligated to do so now that you were pregnant. That had to mean something. But it also begged the question of how much information you actually took from the doctor. It was one of the first things she spoke about. You could still have sex though with caution, because there were two babies and possible complications later down the line. 

So Jinwoo had to be careful.

For now, he’d have to restrain himself until the babies were born. Simple enough despite his urges and yours, clearly. You were all over him, pawing at his shirt right over his head and stealing little nips down his chest where you could reach. All the signs told him you wanted it, and wanted it bad.

He stopped you right there, making a gap you fought with until you realised, your eyes wider than they should have been. “What- oh shit, I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

“It’s alright, I want it too- we just need to be careful, because of the babies. But… if you still want to then-“

You did, you kissed him quick and held him near. Jinwoo took the initiative and lifted you up in his arms so that your legs wrapped around his waist. Any hard surface would do. Anything. No bed, no softness, just upright. He took you straight to the end-suite bathroom, holding you firm under your ass and swiping the products from the counter so that they clattered and cracked on the tile floor.

“Fuck me Jinwoo- I need it right now or I’ll burst.”

Pleading always got his cock hard and twitching. He grabbed at your remaining clothes and pulled your underwear off, pulling his pants down just below his ass and gripping his thighs for dear life. Jinwoo spat in his hand and ran the wet right to the base of his cock to make it glisten, ready and aching to get inside you. It had already done its job in knocking you up, but his leaking tip wanted more. It wanted to fill you up every day for the rest of Jinwoo’s life.

“Jinwoo.” Your sternness caught him off guard. “If you don’t put your cock inside me right now, you can finish yourself off.”

The doctor warned him about this, mood swings and sudden changes in scenarios he never took much notice of, until now. He couldn’t ram his cock inside you like you clearly wanted, he held himself back and slipped himself inside your dripping pussy as cautiously as he could. You still let out an aroused gasp and adjusted yourself on the counter, wrapping your legs around and gripped his ass towards you.

“The doctor said we have to be cautious, pulling me like that isn’t cautious-“

But the way you bit his bottom lip drove him insane, the way you watched him with hungry eyes sent him wild.

“You’re driving me crazy, you want to be cautious all the time for nine months?”

No, of course not.

And hearing such forward words drove him to go against his better judgement, though he never bit, regrettably.

“It’s what we need to do to make sure the babies are safe-“

“Please don’t talk about the babies right now while your balls deep, Jinwoo.” You had a point.

He wanted to say something, or agree with you that bringing up anything other than how good your pussy felt clenching around him. Nothing came out, it wasn’t justified when he did the opposite and slipped his tongue in your mouth. You responded in kind and kissed him back, more feverishly as though you were his lover that reciprocated and told him so everyday. You were yet to say it, Jinwoo knew eventually that you would admit it and give yourself to him.

For now, you accepted his cock with open arms and let him thrust you with some precision, yet tender loving care. Jinwoo wanted to please you in every way that you wanted, his compulsions also wanted you safe.

Still, for now, his urges got one up on the priority list. Only a fraction. A minute molecule.

But it still won.

He fucked into you, lacking his fingers with yours and nipping up your neck in what was possibly the most sensual experience of his life to date. You were constantly topping each new moment just by being you.

And only you.

He loved you.

He really loved you.

I love her. I love her. I love her.

Each time his hips went flush against the plush of your thighs, he repeated that mantra in his mind, over and over. One day he’d say it out loud and one day you’d say it back. And when he came inside you much earlier than he wanted to, those three words almost slipped out. But what did, came as more of a surprise to Jinwoo than you it seemed.

“I think it’s time you meet my mom and sister.”

Chapter Text

You never agreed to meet Jinwoo’s mom and sister until your twelve week scan. Anxiety no doubt.

Jinwoo’s system quest clocked over at thirty out of one hundred. 

Still early into your pregnancy, the twins were growing at the same rate as Hae-in’s pregnancy. Despite a month and a half apart, according to the doctor, Jinwoo was sure she shouldn’t have mentioned that. Odd. You didn’t speak on it though, despite her baiting it like it was some sort of competition. You never bit.

That day, after the scan, you were scheduled to test the mama of the babies in a ditch effort to get some sort of a reading instead of guessing.

Chairman Go’s idea of course.

“This is stupid… how is this even going to work?” Your hand absentmindedly rubbed your visible baby bump, your other lazily pressed to your back.

A short, little man dressed in a smart suit adjusted his glasses and wrote notes on his clipboard. “Well, based on the aura your pregnancy is producing, the Chairman is curious to see if you can produce a score other than your own unreadable measurement. It will give us an idea of what kind of rank your children will be once they are born.”

You huffed and flicked your hair out of your face. “That’s if it actually works, what if it just reads my own score?”

“Block off your aura and only make contact with the sensor using your stomach.”

“How the hell do I do that- oh my god!” Jinwoo lifted you onto his shoulder, high enough so that you didn’t need to reach the meter.

He smiled and ignored the cursing under your breath. You were as light as a feather, and each time Jinwoo levelled up again, he would need to lift you with caution as to not overdo how easy it was.

The man stood back and watched the screen closely, he fiddled with some dial knobs. “Okay, we’re ready. Go ahead and touch it- only with your stomach, nothing else.”

Jinwoo edged towards the meter, holding his breath with each inch. He’d taken note of the babies mana as they were growing even if you couldn’t, and it was only getting more intense with each passing week.

Right now, Jinwoo could sense that if the twins were born with their current mana intact, they were easily upper B-Ranks right now, Maybe even A-Ranks, but that was only a guess.

“We’re going to start the test now, so please hold still.”

You sat upon his shoulder with ease, remaining as still as you could with comfort. Jinwoo stopped as soon as he felt the resistance of your little bump on the meter.

And then it turned on.

The machine hummed and made whatever noises were expected for Jinwoo’s third time standing in that room, and something shifted.

“What? T-That can’t be right…” That man fiddled and spammed the controls. “It’s- it’s unreadable!”

You didn’t react the way Jinwoo expected, more of a slouch if anything. “It’s probably just my mana level you’re reading.”

“N-no… the meter's detecting four separate energy sources…”

“If there’s four, just ignore the two S-Ranks.” It was that simple, Jinwoo didn’t understand his hysterics.

“That’s the thing, Mr Sung… all readings are S-Ranks. I-I can’t tell them apart- it’s making the system overheat, they’re all unreadable!”

“Oh shit.” It was meant to be under your breath, but it wasn’t.

The systems alarm whistled and beeped, airing a warning in the room. Jinwoo set you down and pulled you over to the side getting in between you and the mana meter.

“Turn it off.” He said, commanding the room to the effect of making the man panic further, flicking all kinds of switches. “I said, turn it off.”

“I’m trying!”

The alarms groaned, making the meter tremble and shudder in an invisible icy breeze, emitting smoke from the top of it.

“We have to get out of here.” You left his side and stormed off towards the door that didn’t open. “Why won’t this open?”

“It’s in a system shut down- the whole system’s fried! The room shuts itself off if there’s a fault, it’s to stop further damage to headquarters if the fault causes a fire hazard, it won’t open until the system either cools down or erupts completely!”

“Iron.” Jinwoo called upon his shadow.

He chose Iron due to his raw, tanked strength but also to your own familiarity having met only Igris thus far. He, appeared in his brute fisted glory and hunched over watching you instead of Jinwoo. 

"Who is- What is he doing?" You asked, neither backing away or getting closer.

Jesus… he’s always so distracted.

Jinwoo pinched the bridge of his nose. “ He's insufferable... Iron. Go and disconnect it before it blows up.”

The shadow nodded and trudged over to the thickened power cable, pulling at it and ripping it out of the wall. 

But the meter didn’t let up.

“It’s still going, it’s going to rupture!” The man ducked and cowered behind the console.

Jinwoo got a hold of you. “I can shadow exchange, keep ahold of me-“

He wasn’t in the room anymore, a split second and the room had disappeared, so did you. The experience was weightless, without any effort and kept him in suspended animation. You had pulled Jinwoo into Royal’s Gatekeeper, floating inside a mana made portal flat against the wall with a viewing hole back through to the room. Iron trudged about the place and covered his face when the meter blew up, casting bits of hard metal and singed plastic everywhere. By some miracle the man by the console survived and Iron morphed back to Jinwoo.

“We should be safe now.” You said, sitting in a position that you almost floated, weightlessly watching.

So beautiful.

He would have told you that too if your nose hadn’t started bleeding right in front of Jinwoo’s eyes. He called out to you, but you’d already stepped back out in to the destroyed and charred plastic covered room. The entire window had blown out, emitting a high pitched winded whistle zipping past on the high floor. The scattered papers from the clipboard were ripped and torn and singed on the edges. 

He said your name again, yet you spoke first. “We didn’t have time to think, so I just acted off of instinct… what is it?”

“Your nose, what’s wrong? Are you feeling alright- are the babies doing something? You used your ability, has it drained your mana?”

You batted him off and wiped your nose, your eyes widening in shock at the red across your hand. “What is… what’s happening?”

“It appears that your babies are using your mana to grow, hence their S-Rank status at three months gestation.”

Jinwoo looked up just as startled as you were. “Chairman Go.”

“I see you’ve destroyed my meter, that was quite a show.”

“It was an accident, Chairman. I think the equipment read it wrong.” You tried to even the playing field, taking accountability.

The Chairman entered the room with his hands hidden behind him, Jinwoo naturally flocked to you, pulling out a tissue to wipe the red from your nose and got in front of you. 

He and the Chairman both mirrored each other, unknowingly sizing the other up in a way that animals did, being in favour of the one who was strongest.

And that was exclusively Jinwoo.

He could obliterate the Chairman quite easily if he wanted to, and he wanted to for not-so-clear reasons. Even so, he also wanted to see how this played out, finding hidden secrets and things in plain sight. There was something bigger at play here, Jinwoo could tell from the jittering in his bones.

“Please, stand down, Hunter Sung. Although the meter will be down for a week or two, I’m thoroughly pleased with the result.” He smiled sweetly, clasping his hands together as though to say, this is just perfect for me.  

“What does that mean exactly?” You asked, emerging from Jinwoo’s guard. “The twins are using my mana- they’re draining me. Is that why I can't sense them? How do you know all this, anyway?”

So you picked up on that too? Jinwoo knew this was all too well thought out, he just never asked the questions until he had something more concrete to go on. You jumped ahead of him once again, a reason for why he was in love with you. Your somewhat dominant side.

“We’ve only seen this once before in Japan. It was the same case there for the mother, and apparently they can use the mother's mana. It disguises their own mana as they'll use the more accessible mana to their disposal. That being said we only have observations to go on, we’re all still pretty much in the dark. it's purely anecdotal... But I think they’ll be some people who’d like to meet you both, but for now, I think further tests are essential.”

You scoffed. “What sort of tests? You’re not prodding me or these babies with needles.”

“No needles, I assure you. Some mana tests and other observations once they’re here. That’s all.”

Tests and examinations needed for Jinwoo’s children? Poking and prodding them while they’re so tiny and vulnerable just to see the rare genetics passed down from their mother? Not to mention anything they could inherit from Jinwoo.

Like hell would anyone treat them like guinea pigs.

“Not a chance.”

“Jinwoo?”

He maintained eye contact with the Chairman, not you. “I said no. No testing those babies, they’re babies . Leave them alone and observe them from afar.”

“Jinwoo-“

“We can discuss this at a later date, for now, go and get some rest.” The Chairman addressed you directly. “You look exhausted. A mother-to-be needs plenty of rest.”

You didn’t respond, not at first, anyway. Not until the Chairman left. “What the hell did he say? I look tired- what does that even mean?”

“W-well-“

“He means nothing by it.” Jinwoo eyed the man from behind the console, emerging back into the room.

“What? What does he mean, Jinwoo?”

Jinwoo knew better than to offend someone who was exhausted and pregnant. This man however, was too honest. A fucking idiot.

“The Chairman meant that you look…” His voice trailed off, stepping back from Jinwoo’s narrowed eyes.

“He meant… nothing by it.”

“O-Of course! I meant nothing by it- she- you look healthy and glowing!”

“Good man.”

You sighed heavily, rubbing your stomach before cursing something under your breath. Then, you walked right out of the room in a stomp, leaving the weak little man in Jinwoo’s company.

And that compulsion came back.

Jinwoo grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and clenched his fist tight around the material. “Think before you speak. If you speak out of turn and upset her again, you’re going to wish you died in that explosion.”

“Y-Yes, Mr Sung- I won’t say anything at all, I promise!”

Jinwoo dropped him on the floor and left the room to follow you, skipping a step of the stairs up towards the apartment. Igris was nearby, hovering around up there as near to you as your aura would allow. By the time Jinwoo arrived, he noted how your energy still hadn’t changed, he could sense it from the front door all the way to the en-suite bathroom.

You were really emotional.

Jinwoo called your name softly, hoping it might change your mindset or do literally anything else besides upset you further.

It didn’t. Well, you didn’t respond.

He called out to you again and waited, edging closer to the bathroom until the sound of your stifled sobbing permeated the bathroom door through the crack.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” The pet name slipped out.

You didn’t react to it. “I’m exhausted!”

Little black streaks dribbled down your cheeks from the waterlogged mascara, eyes swollen and puffy, nose all pink and adorably blushed. Jinwoo rubbed the marks away from your cheeks the best he could, moving the slick strands of hair from your damp face.

“You could have fooled me.” He said. “I happen to think you look beautiful.”

“No. You’re just saying that. I look horrible and bloated and I’m a big mess!” The flood gates opened and you couldn’t stop crying.

Jinwoo wanted to say something had the babies aura not spiked, it stopped him in his steps. Like they were reacting to you, but it could have been an array of reasons, maybe they were moving about or kicking and you couldn't feel it? Despite that, he monitored it with each passing moment, but never said anything to you.

I guess I’ll be dealing with this a lot for the next seven months.

“You don’t look bloated, or horrible. But I think it has been a long day, and I think we should leave seeing my mom and go lay down. I can get you whatever you want, or everything for you,” Jinwoo took it a step further and ran his hand over your baby bump. “And whatever these two need, you’re going to have cravings soon, right?”

“I am…” It didn’t stop you crying, but took your mind off things. “I’m getting cravings already- I just wasn’t sure what-“

“Shh, shh…” You let him embrace you, stroke your hair lovingly to soothe you. “We can trial it. See what you like and don’t like, then I’ll buy one hundred of it, okay?”

“Okay…” Sniffling into his shirt, you clung to it. “Okay… that sounds good.”

Just like that, you were starting to rely on him. Jinwoo wanted to give you the entire world, to you and the babies.

All he wanted from you was that love in return, eventually. The rest of the world could leave for the day, including the chairman and whatever intentions he had.

Jinwoo could sort it later. You and his babies were the top priority.

Chapter Text

At fourteen weeks, you agreed to try again and visit Jinwoo’s mom and sister.

Anxiously standing there, you fiddled with your sweater and tried your best to keep your baby bump hidden before the public announcement. Jinwoo had managed to convince the Chairman to hold off on it until he could inform those close to him.

He wanted to tell his mom and Jinah immediately when he found out you were pregnant, but you were able to change his mind and wait just a little while longer.

Your oversized sweater was more of a tool than a fashion statement when leaving the apartment, just until the public announcement. Many people who recognised you and Jinwoo were none the wiser. Some made eyes at your radical clothing change, their gaze shifting down to your stomach with nothing more than a suspicious gaze.

There was only so much time before others would notice you carrying twins and not attending gate raids anymore. Time was running out. Jinwoo was growing impatient. Your moods were all over the place.

Organised chaos.

“Don’t worry.”

“Hm?” You met his gaze, chewing on your bottom lip.

“I said, don’t worry. They’ll love you, especially my mom. And Jinah will be great, I practically raised her while my mom was unwell.”

“It’s not that, I just… you’re taking me to meet her with the add on of ‘oh, by the way, the girl I’m seeing is also pregnant with twins’. It doesn’t make for a good impression, Jinwoo...”

You saw yourself as the girl he was seeing? Talk about making progress. Jinwoo wanted to smile, to kiss you right there on the doorstep.

But you sunk down with a slouch, clearly with more things on your mind. "You're closer with your sister then if you cared for her like that... We never really talked much about our families- What if she doesn't like me? That can happen- they could both take one look at me and decide not to like me."

God, you were adorable.

“To be honest, I think my mom will be really pleased. I’m twenty five and my sister’s always harping on at me about bringing a girl home so, it’ll go better than you think.”

It should have settled you, yet Jinwoo saw the way the distance between your eyebrows closed ever so slightly. You did this cute little thing with your face when you were conflicted, a worried stare that Jinwoo saw as adorable.

“Just stay close, okay?” Jinwoo took your hand and laced his fingers in between yours, a happy smile playing in his face as he knocked the door. “I’ll always be here.”

The door opened quicker than Jinwoo expected, like his mom was waiting for his visit.

“Jinwoo, I’m so glad you’re here- and this must be your girlfriend.” She smiled softly and placed a hand to her cheek. “Aren’t you pretty. Oh, Jinwoo, come on in and settle down, Jinah will be home soon.”

He took you through to the living area whilst his mom hurried through to the kitchen.

“Girlfriend?” You whispered, it shouldn’t have stung as much as it did.

Jinwoo shrugged reluctantly and played it off as best as he could. “Sorry, I wasn’t sure what to tell her.”

He wanted you as his girlfriend, more than a girlfriend. You were to be the mother of his children and the only way to make everything right in the world was calling you his wife. Eventually, he’d ask you and you’d say yes when you were most vulnerable and understood that you could only rely on him.

Probably after the twins were born.

“So, tell me all about how you two met.” Jinwoo’s mom tiptoed in with a tray of tea, carefully placing it down on the table with one extra cup for Jinah.

It was surprising just how easily a lie dipped from Jinwoo’s lips, explaining some random story to him mom about how you and he met. It had nothing to do with the Hunter’s association. 

And then came the kicker.

“So… about us, mom.” He took your hand again. “There’s something else that I wanted to talk to you about-“

“Hey, I’m home!” It was Jinwoo’s sister.

“In here, Jinah! Jinwoo’s here with his girlfriend!” It sounded pretty nice to hear his mom say your name.

I guess now’s a better time than any.

Jinah came into the living area beaming, grinning right at you. “Hey! So my brother finally brought a girl home, huh? Hey, I recognise you from the television, you’re a hunter too- you’re so pretty-“

“Woah, Jinah.” He practically pushed her away, taking note of how well you were enduring the overwhelming presence of his baby sister. “Give her some space, there’ll be plenty of time to get to know each other. There’s something important we wanted to talk to you both about before it’s made public, so would you listen?”

“Sorry! I can get carried away sometimes.”

Jinwoo’s mom smiled and put her hand on his knee. “Go ahead. Tell us all about what you want to say. We’re listening.”

“Uh…” The colour drained from your face, looking to Jinwoo for an answer.

“Mom, Jinah…” He looked at you with such adoration when he said your name. “She’s pregnant.”

“Oh my god…”

“Really? Oh, that’s wonderful news!” The reactions Jinwoo expected, but they were expecting one baby. Not two.

“That’s not all.” He said, pulling up your sweater to show your little baby bump. “We’re having twins.”

That’s when the shock really sank in. “Twins?”

“You’re going to have two of you running around, Jinwoo?” Jinah was ever the one to put it eloquently.

“Yeah.”

“Jinwoo, is that apartment big enough for two babies? Do you need me to come and help when they’re born?”

“Well…” You cut in, looking everywhere except the three people in the room. “The Chairman has offered support from the hunter’s association to help us, there’s a facility that has resources to help us… so…”

Your voice trailed off when you saw Jinwoo’s involuntary expression. He didn’t mean to look at you the way he did, but it sounded a lot like you were thinking of giving his babies away to the association’s facility.

Swallowing hard, you smiled at his mom and sister. “But we haven’t decided on the later stuff just yet…”

Jinwoo halted himself in the silent room, trying to stop is hands from shaking. “Mom, I think we better go now, I promise we’ll come over soon.” He stood abruptly and made his way straight to the door without you, knowing you'd follow.

“Now? You’ve only just got here.”

“Sorry, it’s been a long day. I just remembered that I forgot to do something… y’know, errands.”

Like hell you were going to give the babies to the care of the association. He wanted to get to the bottom of this and quickly, his compulsion to protect his children stung heavier than ever right in his gut to ensure their safety. He just never thought that he’d be protecting them from you.

The next ten minutes were a blur, he said goodbye and sat in the car with you for longer before he had the courage to speak with you and not say something he’d deeply regret.

You just needed to see that having a family with Jinwoo was the best thing for you, and for his babies. You still had time before they arrived to see that the only place they belonged was in your and Jinwoo’s arms.

“Jinwoo, will you say something?” You were close to crying by the time he pulled over in a random street away from Headquarters.

“Why do you want to give our babies away?”

“N-no, not give them away. Don’t make me sound so cruel. You're taking words out of my mouth. But we’ll need some sort of support when they get here… I’m terrified, Jinwoo.” He listened for the clicking of your seatbelt as you turned. “What can we give them that can ensure they’re raised right- we can’t do that our own.”

What were you even saying? Jinwoo was the strongest hunter to come out of modern times, he fought Beru for goodness sake, there wasn’t anything he couldn’t do.

“Yes we can. We can give them everything- please don’t do this.”

“How? How can we give them everything- Jinwoo, we aren’t ready to take care of one regular baby, and we have two with S-Rank mana, one tantrum and whatever abilities they might have, they could destroy half the city. How are we equipped to deal with that? What if both of them inherit something from us and it gets out of control? People could want to exploit that and we can’t be there all the time.”

“We’ll find a way to suppress it until they’re old enough, we can do something. We can stop it somehow, but we can’t give up on them and let them fall into the Chairman’s hands. You of all people should understand that-“

“I do understand it! That's the issue!” You were crying now, wiping your eyes as you talked faster, louder. More desperate. “I know we can't trust the association with them, but what other choice do we have? I can’t think of any viable options- I didn’t ask for this, I didn’t want to do any of this and now I’m pregnant with twins and it all changes for me, you get that, right?!”

He did, he really did. Even so, he would not have you raising any children on your own, it was his duty as the father to help raise his children. He’d be there like his dad should have been through his teen years, helping you and loving you to raise two beautiful children.

Still, he let you finish. “You get that the world keeps on turning for you, for Jong-in. But it stops for me, and for Hae-in. She’s being sent to this facility on her own so Jong-in can get someone else pregnant- they wanted me to go in her place. You can come and go as you please and I… I won’t be able to go on raids again- I still want to be a hunter, I can’t do it if I’m all on my own.”

Jinwoo shook his head vigorously, hoping the action alone would seek it to you. “You won’t be on your own. I’m here, I’m not leaving… Please don’t let the Chairman get his hands on our babies.”

“Jinwoo, you’re not getting my point-“

“I do get it.”

Should I tell her? Was it too soon to tell you how much he adored you, loved you and wanted to spend the rest of his life with you?

“I care about you, deeply. More than you know, and I want us all to be a family.”

You sat and watched him with wide eyes. He took the opportunity to continue. “I know you didn’t ask for this, and in another life, I would have asked you out and taken things slowly if you said yes. But we’re here, and we should make the most of this… we have the chance to have two healthy and beautiful babies that will no doubt look like you.” He chucked, taking your hand you gave him with no issue. “They’ll have your temperament, the cute thing you do with your nose when you smile and I’m sure they’ll have your taste in music too.”

You rubbed your belly, watching him with a look he hadn’t seen before. Total and utter fear. “Jinwoo… how are we going to take care of two babies, work and keep ourselves afloat all the time? The Chairman will want us to have more children if these two come out as strong as he thinks they will. He’s clearly taken an interest and I don’t think he’ll just move on to the next baby that has a mana reading like this.”

If you felt that way, why did you want to hand them over to the association? Jinwoo put it down to your changing hormones, lack of sleep and just wanting the best for your children. Your maternal side was late in showing, and even then it was inconsistent. In fact, your baby bump showed faster than your capability to adapt to motherhood.

Despite that, it was showing, little by little each day. When the babies were born, Jinwoo knew that from the moment you saw them wrapped up in their little blankets and woolly hats, you’d fall in love with them. Just as he would at the sight of the two little bundles in your arms after giving your all and making two wonderful little people.

On that thought, his frustrations melted away. “The Chairman won’t be a problem… I promise you.”

Jinwoo took both of your hands and held them tight, close. “He won’t demand us, not anymore. And money isn’t an issue, just let me worry about that. I’ll never leave you, you won’t ever be on your own. Ever.”

“Promise?”

“Yes. I promise. I swear on my life.”

Chapter Text

The Chairman reluctantly waited until you were twenty weeks along to make the announcement. Leaving it a little late, the public were already starting to ask questions and rumors started spreading online as to what caused your absence.

The rumours were spot on, a hidden pregnancy from the public eye for now, and views on it were mostly positive. What sparked controversy, was who the father was.

Some lost hopefuls begged that Jong-in was the father, having already fathered two children by now with Hae-in and another hunter Jinwoo didn't bother to learn the name of, they surmised you being the third. Others spoke of Baek being in the lead over your body, fathering a child with you, though they were just hopeful romantics with a huge heart for the guild master to start a family.

And there were those that called themselves ‘team Jinwoo’, speaking out how he would make the best match for you. Admittedly, the comments and whispers made his head swell. He didn't need to be told tha, he knew full well what was best for you. 

It was him.

It was Jinwoo who battled your hormonal mood swings and crazy cravings in the middle of the night.

It was Jinwoo who let you use him when you were sexually frustrated as your belly grew bigger.

And it was Jinwoo who was slowly starting to take care of everything you needed and wanted without resistance from you like before.

He was best for you. Not Jong-in. Not Baek.

Him.

Some disagreed and hated that theory, that Jinwoo would never dream of being with you, let alone getting you pregnant. They were just haters though, swinging their dicks in the wind and despite making his eye twitch, Jinwoo ignored them for a time and drowned out the negativity because he had to.

Reading a comment on the wrong day made him want to go out and kill something. For a time, solo raids satiated him, but as of late, the bigger the babies got and more vulnerable you were, anything talking ill of you made Jinwoo want to choose violence.

You didn’t speak much on it though, not to Jinwoo at least, sitting quietly at anything suggesting you in the news or online. Even during one of your days where you'd cry non stop at virtually nothing, the opinions of the public did not seem to sway you.

It wasn’t until the day of the announcement of your pregnancy that Jinwoo found out who you were consoling with.

Hae-in, and by extension, Jong-in. By now, the Chairman had moved Hae-in to the association's facility and practically left her there. She had been forgotten. Jinwoo assumed that’s where your newfound connection with Hae-in formed. With Igris watching closely in your shadow, Jinwoo understood a lot when he took the chance to see.

Now, Igris couldn’t talk, but his presence allowed a more detailed overview that his regular shadows couldn’t produce. A window into another place. At times it was simple stuff, pregnancy things you and her could relate to. Hae-in spoke of how she missed Jong-in and for a while it seemed like she had grown fond of him and less of Jinwoo.

Perfect.

And then, you started bringing up Jong-in unprompted. It triggered a long conversation about him and what he was like behind closed doors, his likes and dislikes and all the things that made him tick. Hae-in confirmed what everybody already knew. Jong-in was a great guy, and it made Jinwoo want to vomit. He didn’t care what everyone thought, only you, and if you still enjoyed Jong-in’s company, Jinwoo was doing something wrong.

Just like now, you flocked to Hae-in immediately during the public event and left Jinwoo standing against the wall just waiting for the Chairman to make the announcement.

“So… Twins, huh?” Baek appeared beside him, talking discreetly with a whiskey in his hand. “That’ll be quite the handful.”

Jinwoo wasn’t in the mood to talk, yet he pandered to him. “Yeah, it was quite the shock, but she’s doing really great.”

He watched you closely with adoration in his eyes and burning curiosity on his brain. Jinwoo always did love your smile, though he wondered why you were smiling so much when he wasn't there to make you laugh or see your face brighten up when he came into view.

“I can imagine. I don’t know what I’d do if I heard that news.”

Baek’s tone sounded sincere enough. Yes, the news of twins was a shock, but as more time went on, Jinwoo couldn’t see his little family any other way. And now that you were safely into your second trimester, the Chairman had cleared more pairings in the programme.

“Oh, that’s right, you’ve been paired up now with someone, too. How is that going?”

Baek nodded and sipped his whiskey. “Mhm, an A-Rank, actually. She’s nice, it’s kinda weird though. Not to mention all the pressure of being a guild master, I can relate to Jong-in now. Weren't you thinking of starting your own guild? Are you still wanting to do it, or waiting until after the birth?”

Jinwoo knew the feeling all too well. Though the first few times he slept with you were a dream come true, you and he still needed time to understand each other’s likes and dislikes and get into a rhythm. And as far as the guild went, Jinwoo did have plans on starting the guild properly with Jin-ho, things got waylaid. But in honesty, he had been neglecting his responsibilities to be with you.

I should really contact him. I'll do it later.

“Yeah, I'll get around to it after the twins are here. And to be honest, you’ll move past the awkwardness eventually. It takes time but, as soon as you see the scan for the first time after seeing those two lines on that stick, you’ll just get it.” He told him what he wanted to hear.

No one would have an experience like Jinwoo did with you, no one.

Baek pondered on those words, swirling his whiskey before downing it in one last gulp. “I guess you’re right. It’s the Chairman that’s making it awkward, I can see why you two were so stressed out.”

“Yeah, it’s… intense. Things will ease off once you get her pregnant. It did with us.”

It didn't, though Jinwoo was working on a vice to keep the Chairman away for a while. Hs stifling presence seemed like good faith most of the time, but the very sight of him made you cringe, and therefore stress out. If you were stressed, the twins were too.

“Well, I guess it’s about time I became a father. I’m sort of glad I’m not with another S-Rank truth be told, not that some others are upset by it.”

“How so?”

Baek shrugged. “Being a guild master, some people think I should have been with another S-Rank, it’s just elitist bullshit. I tend to ignore it where I can.”

Jinwoo agreed, like civilians knew what things hunters actually went through… they’d never survive any of it. “Yeah, just buckle down for now, you’ll get past it.”

“Yeah… it’s time to father up, I guess.”

A father. A dad. Jinwoo thought about your idea of letting the association get their hands on his children, would Baek let that happen? 

Jinwoo knew you meant well, he did, after he managed to really calm down he saw some reason. Yet his mind would not let that sit as an end result and stand by while his babies were separated. He’d get by with what he had and his children wouldn’t go hungry, or cold and would have a roof over their heads with you as their mother. Being S-Rank hunters, money wasn't a s much of an issue and you made it out to be. Jinwoo could sell things left right and centre as he continued levelling up, and people would buy it, guaranteed.

Different meant scary, it was how you saw it. But it didn't have to be.

You hadn’t spoken about it since that day in the car. It was still on your mind, that much was clear.

“You won’t put the baby in the facility?” Jinwoo asked, curious to his response.

“Hell no. If I’m going to be a father, then I’ll be a father.” He hesitated to speak after, but he asked the question Jinwoo really didn’t want to hear. “Are you two going to do that?”

Now, Jinwoo wasn’t about to reveal the invisible heart in his sleeve to someone that wasn’t himself or you. 

“We aren’t, I was just curious. A lot has changed over the last few months and it got me thinking, that’s all.” Jinwoo lied, but it was to protect you, to protect your delicate mindset.

“Right, I think that’s what Jong-in and Hunter Cha were thinking about. Y’know, getting support now that Jong-in’s been given more responsibilities. Hunter Cha is settling in well at the facility, apparently they’re waiting on her hand and foot.”

If they were waiting on Hae-in’s every wish, then how would they look after you? Jinwoo did wonder, he often thought about that place and whether it was truly what was best. But only if he came with you.

“Hunter Sung, I was wondering where you had gone to.” The Chairman popped into view with that signature smug smile on his face with your own name at his lips. “You’re usually by her side most of the time. Though while you’re here, I’d like to talk with you in private before this announcement is made public.”

This isn’t good.

“Of course.” 

Jinwoo nodded Baek off and followed the Chairman into a room off of the main atrium of the association headquarters. A quiet room to the side for serious conversations, leather armchairs to sit and swirl whiskey before exchanging thoughtless words of politics and stocks.

“What is it, Chairman?”

“Well, now that you have made the progress you have, I have a new preposition for you- please, sit.”

Jinwoo sat and slouched, the way his stomach did when his gut screamed in the deathly silent room to keep his wits about him.

The Chairman said your name again more seriously. “After the announcement, I will put through the paperwork to move her to the facility with Hunter Cha…”

No, no, no…

“Twins with S-Rank mana are truly a marvel and she needs all the support she can get, we have the best doctors and equipment on site to ensure those babies are healthy when they arrive and you can visit whenever you want. I’m excited to see what other pregnancies follow suit with you at the centre of it.”

No, no, no!

“You want… you want to split us up?” Jinwoo couldn’t believe his ears. “You want to send her away?”

“I wouldn’t put it that way so bluntly, but putting her there will allow another hunter to move in with you. I think this is perfect to really get the programme going. You can’t relax freely if she’s there.”

“No.”

“What do you mean no, Hunter Sung?”

“I said no. There’s nothing more to it. She’s not going anywhere with my children inside of her and even after that. She’s my responsibility and this conversation is over.” Jinwoo shot to his feet and aimed for the door.

“Hunter Sung-”

He stormed out of the room to find you, using Igri’s energy to locate you quickly while the adrenaline pumping through his body heightened his senses. Little did he know, you were talking with Jong-in, laughing at something he said in the right way to just piss him off.

If he wasn't already pissed off and thinking off all the ways he could explode the Chairman's head, he fucking was now. He blinked rapidly to try hide the rage he had to the side to talk with you, heading over there when Jong-in spotted him first.

Jong-in was on that explosion list too. He could only explode someone's head once, so it had to be perfect. Crushing it was one way, listening to the sickening crack and squelch of the brain squirting through the cracks as it opened. Maybe he could get Iron to do it do him, slowly enough so he heard the screams of terror.

No, it hard rot be Jinwoo himself to even get a scrap of enjoyment out of it.

Why the fuck was Jong-in talking to you with such familiarity.

“Jinwoo, it’s been a while… Are you alright?” Jong-in shot up from his seat with more than an ounce of concern behind his glasses.

You caught sight of him and climbed out of your seat as best you could. “Jinwoo-” Your face screwed up and you grabbed onto his shirt with white knuckles and gritted teeth. “Shit- shit, leg cramp- leg cramp!”

Jinwoo held onto you and let you ride it out, spasms and back pain were becoming a nuisance, even with eye's handmaiden takin the brunt of it. 

Still, looking around, Jinwoo didn’t have the time to give you, seeing the Chairman head over to address the crowded room full of hunters and journalists. “Baby, we need to talk, now.”

“What is it-”

“Greetings all, I am truly grateful to have all of you attend on this wonderful occasion.” The Chairman commanded the room and the mic. “As you know, the hunters association has taken the initiative in doing our part for the future of hunters after the loss of several S-Rank hunters during the events of Jeju island.”

The whole room stood silent, hanging on every word the he said. Jinwoo watched on with very little control as it slipped through his fingers and into the man on stage’s large hands.

“And in our endeavour to try and restore confidence and passion in the association after our loss, I am very proud to announce that we have been blessed with twins who are exhibiting high levels of mana in the womb.”

The room erupted into hushed whispers and glances around until the Chairman announced that it was you who was pregnant, then all eyes were on you. Jinwoo held your hand as people came over congratulating you and him with smiles and flashes from cameras.

Whilst you were swarmed, the Chairman took this distraction to announce the second part of his speech. The bastard.

“Hunter Sung has valiantly supported the association with his hard work and will continue to do so. Whilst he will support the growth of the children he has fathered like Hunter Choi, he will take another giant step and begin trying with a new assigned hunter to continue the effort to gain back our world from the effects of Jeju island. For that, you have my respect, Hunter Sung.”

Jinwoo didn’t know what was worse. 

The fact that the Chairman spoke for him and pulled some underhanded shit to make Jinwoo want to throttle him in front of everyone, wring his neck and let Beru punch a hole through his chest so he could shower in the spray of blood and clean himself from the fury he struggled to hide.

Or that the look of betrayal in your glassy eyes, your trembling lip looking back at him.

"Jinwoo... is that true?"

Chapter Text

"Jinwoo... is that true?" 

You ignored the rumble of excitement, the journalists shoving mics in your face and endless questions that Jinwoo couldn’t quite hear. Your betrayed look broke his heart.

“No. it’s not-”

“Hunter Sung! Can you comment on the good news?”

“How far along, has it been a smooth pregnancy so far?”

“Hunters, what happens now that Hunter Sung is leaving? What of this facility?”

Jinwoo pushed past the journalist’s invasive questions and guarded you enough to pry you away from their grasp. He ignored Jong-in’s calls and stormed past Have-in to slip back into the room he'd been in before and shut the door to the world behind him. It took everything in his self restraint that was barely there not to flatten the entire room. Killing all of them seemed about as close to reaching neutrality as Jinwoo was going to get. 

You just stood there, in silence, staring at the wall in that oversized sweater hiding the twins away from prying eyes. So broken and empty, your eyes plain and emotionless despite the tear slipping from your cheek.

It was the only thing to cool Jinwoo down from erupting. The only thing, besides you and the babies that leashed his impulsivity was giving away any inclination to what his darker side was like until he got what he wanted. It was why the Chairman still had a head. Why Jong-in still had his face intact.

“This is…” How could Jinwoo tell you without making himself look guilty? Without proving the Chairman’s lies on desperation you would not take them at face value.

“Are you leaving me- putting me in that place like Hae-in? You said you didn’t want that… tell me it’s not true, because I can’t believe that…” You breath picked up, erratically filling the rooms unsettled quiet amongst the rumble behind the doors.

“I’m not.” He said, taking two steps towards you.

“No.” You backed away, biting your trembling lip. “Don’t come near me… After all that about never trusting the association with the babies and putting your foot down about help from the Chairman- and, fuck, I don’t know what to think. you say you care and have these feelings, but I saw you go off and talk to the Chairman. If you want to be rid of me, just say it. But I have to hear it from you, not publicly in a room full of people!”

You were pregnant, hormonal and therefore unreasonable. Jinwoo didn’t take it to heart despite it hurting, had this been any other time, you would have used logic.

Jinwoo couldn’t bear seeing you cry. “He dropped it on me. I told him no before he could even finish. I would never do that because I-”

He had to stop himself, you had only just gotten used to being addressed as his girlfriend, no way could you take hearing his love for you too. It was all happening too fast in one singular moment. 

It can’t end like this.

“Because what?” You said, wrapping your arms around you and blinking the residual tears away after your curiosity got the better of you.

“I just think we should take a minute to simmer down-”

“What were you going to say?” You stepped closer, but never touched him.

Jinwoo wanted to tell you, he really did. He craved it, using three words to express himself where he hadn’t been allowed to yet. No room to spread his wings and really let himself go to embrace you and his new found purpose with no limitations.

“Because…” Even upset, eyes red and wet, you were so beautiful. What could he say to you that wasn’t what he was feeling?

“Because you what, Jinwoo?! I don’t know if you can tell, but I’m really freaking out here!”

“Because I love you, that’s why!” There it was. No turning back now.

He should never have shouted or raised his voice. That was unfair to you.

It seemed to calm you though, oddly enough. Though it could have been shock. “You what?”

“I love you. You’re the mother of my children, and you think I’d leave you in that place just to fuck someone I don’t care about? To keep the Chairman happy? Never. I don’t want to be anywhere that isn’t with you, I’d lay down on the floor so you could walk all over me if it made you happy. I’m disappointed that I haven’t communicated that well enough with my actions, but I’ll show you every day until you understand… I shut Chairman Go down right away and walked out, I never agreed to this. It’s not what I want, it’s not what I’ll ever want. The Chairman's programme can go to hell.”

You stood there, taking deep breaths into the sleeve of your sweater, which soon switched to more shallow and panicked. “You… is that… Oh my god- oh god… it’s too hot in here- I need this off- I need it off.”

Jinwoo rushed to your side and tried to pry your hands from your sweater neck, stretching the material with little whimpered cries and more tears that Jinwoo had ever seen from your eyes.

“I can’t breathe- get it off- get it off of me!”

Another mana spike came right in front of Jinwoo’s eyes, more powerful than last time. And his shadows even noticed, it triggered Igris to appear for a moment before his eyes though Jinwoo never called him forward. You however, were too riled up to notice, if you could now sense the twins aura all of a sudden, you didn’t let on.

“Jinwoo!”

He pulled your sweater off and kept you close, your limp body sobbing into his shirt, clutching at it for dear life in a wet mess. Jinwoo stroked your hair as a way to try to comfort you after dropping his heart on the room, a lot to process when the timing was all wrong

Jinwoo crouched down to the floor, you moved down with him and sat in his lap all curled up and clinging to his arm. The babies aura was still heightened, pulsing almost. They must have been responding to you, though Jinwoo was surmising, you still didn’t notice.

“I’m so tired of this. I just want to be left alone. I want everyone to leave us alone, Jinwoo.”

“I know… I know…”

After the initial shock of declaring his love for you, Jinwoo rocked you.  He needed to do something about the Chairman sooner rather than later, this could not continue and it prompted him to take the initiative, to attempt to send one of his shadows into the Chairman’s presence the next opportunity. He could have been as perceptive as you for all Jinwoo knew, but he had to try. The Chairman wouldn’t get away with upsetting you like this again, he simply wouldn’t allow it. Though if anything the Chairman did succeed in, was allowing Jinwoo the choice to use violence.

Violence on the old man and if he was lucky, if he pushed Jinwoo far enough, he’d cease to exist regardless of the backlash or consequences. In truth, who was actually strong and fast enough to even out match him to throw punishment his way?

I could kill him and anyone else who tried to stop me. The way I feel now, I doubt I’d feel any remorse for it. It wasn't a good intrusive thought no matter how much Jinwoo agreed with it.

“Oh god… I’m such a mess. I was never this emotional.” You sniffled, rubbing your cheek against his shirt and fiddling with the collar. “You… really love me?”

“I do. So much. I just didn’t say anything because I was worried you’d leave.”

And just like that, the mana spike vanished and stopped pulsing like high blood pressure. A calm room, a calm mind. You relaxed in his arms, and the babies followed suit.

“I don’t know how to feel, I’m so confused-”

Jinwoo shook his head and watched you carefully, pressing his lips to your forehead. “Don’t overthink it. I get it if you don’t feel the same.”

Though the only thing he’d ask of you was your love in return, his desperation to be close to you switched things up, and now that need started to shift to even if you hated him. He’d still love you. He’d still commit unthinkable things for you if you asked.

“Just let me love you, let me take care of you and the babies. That's all I ask.”

“I never said I didn’t feel the same.” You said, pulling away just a fraction to look at him, nose all blushed and cheeks wet. “I’m not sure how to process this, but I don’t want you to go anywhere.”

Well, it wasn’t a ‘I hate you Jinwoo, get the fuck out of here.’ at least. It gave him more hope than anything.

The sentimentality drew Jinwoo closer to you, gently rubbing your baby bump. “That’s enough for me. We can figure it all out as we go along.”

He knew with every inch you gave him, his impulses wanted a mile.

“What do we do now?”

He wanted to keep you in the confines of this room whilst he had it out with the Chairman. Jinwoo wanted to know why a man like as himself, with other responsibilities, was going to such lengths. The more time passed made him see just how much the Chairman had changed. Jinwoo wanted to get down to it, maybe fight the man to air his frustrations as to why he wanted such an influence over his children. He was the association. So why the underhanded tactics to piss Jinwoo off?

The Chairman knew what Jinwoo was capable of, so it made no sense why he was acting the way he was.

I have to know why.

“We’ll exchange with one of my shadows, Igris will stay with you and I’ll pay the Chairman a visit. I think it’s about time we have a heart to heart.”

You made a disgusted sound, sitting up properly though remaining between his legs. “No, not that again. I threw up last time you took me with you.”

Information like that would have been useful at the time. Jinwoo was only showing you how it worked during the early days of your pregnancy in case he ever had to use it, though he never needed to, until now.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

You shrugged, wiping the drying tears from your face. “I don’t know, you left for a raid before I felt sick, like it was delayed, but I put two and two together. It's not that serious. I think the babies don’t like it, like any mana I use or any that gets used on me, it’s like they hate it. They tolerate eye’s handmaiden, but that’s about it. It's passive, I have no control over that.”

“They move about more than usual?” Jinwoo set his hand back on your belly, rubbing away with his thumb.

“That’s the thing, it’s the opposite. They don’t move at all, it’s like they can’t be bothered with it. It’s only a little movement when they do, I can’t feel it outside yet. But they get active sometimes, like little flutters.”

Jinwoo was waiting for the moment you pulled him to the side and pressed his hand to your belly and wait for the babies movements, the little kicks from their tiny feet. Any day now, according to the doctor.

“Maybe their mana is so strong they don’t need to bother with it? We won’t know until they’re here, but if the data is suggesting that they’re using your mana is correct, they might not be able to tolerate anyone else's."

“”I thought about that.” You turned and leant back into him, pressing your back to his chest to which he kept his hands on you. “But I hoped they’d do well with yours at least, you know, being their… Dad.”

What a big turn of events? You’d never really mentioned Jinwoo’s role in this, like his real role. He was the twins father, he would always be. It was like you were coming to terms with it, finally accepting the best to come.

“Could be.”

“Or… maybe they’re just lazy, ever thought of that-“ 

You felt it, Jinwoo did too.

“I think they heard that.” Jinwoo stared in awe, he understood the distinct movement on your belly, a subtle kick, but it was there. “That was what I think it was, right?”

Holy shit.

It was there, his babies. His babies moving right by his hand like they were trying to grab his fingers. Less than four months to go and he’d hold them in his arms. Four months and his life would change forever. 

“Yeah… I… did they- no they’re babies, they can’t respond, can they?”

Jinwoo chuckled, your stuttering was even cuter this time. Much better than tears streaming down your face. “I think we should start talking to them now, when we get home. Maybe they’ll get used to hearing us?”

For now, Jinwoo’s anger had melted away.

For now.  

But he still wanted a word with the Chairman. Also with Jin-chul, the elusive man who seemed to have vanished from the Chairman’s side.

“Maybe we should. That’s if we can get past that shit show out there. Honestly, it's stressing me out more than if we were just left alone... I'm pregnant with twins, not outer world beings, or gods. I get the excitement, but come on."

“Yeah. We need to think about this carefully, going forward. Something that’ll get the Chairman to back off-”

Actually, this could go in his favour.

An announcement. A big one. Huge. Astronomical. Something to make it difficult for the Chairman to sweep away. A statement that could outshine your pregnancy.

Something extremely public.

“I might have an idea that would stop all of this.” It wasn’t fair to spring this on you while you were vulnerable, or after he’d just told you he loved you, but Jinwoo saw the opportunity and ran with it. “It’s pretty crazy, but it would stop people from interfering.”

“What’s that?”

Should he? Could he? You might slap him if he didn’t ride your mood swing right. 

“Marry me.”

Chapter Text

“Marriage… are you crazy?” You asked, unable to process what Jinwoo had just said.

“I said it was crazy, but think about it, if we went out there right now and announced it, there’s no way the Chairman could stop it.” 

Jinwoo held your hands in a way you couldn’t register. Soft like a lover, comforting like a friend and everything in between a man and his pregnant girlfriend.

Girlfriend. The word was foreign to you. Wife? Even more so.

It was all too sudden. Too short lived to find where your true feelings lied for the man doing everything for you.

Behind closed doors, Jinwoo was doting, supportive and dealt with the heavy stuff. Any other man would have left you, and dumped you on the association's facility after shouted at him because a sock fell behind the laundry basket so there was one clean and one dirty.

Any other man would bow out ungraciously when the earth shattering leg cramps took a hold of your body and you clung to him with your vice like grip, pinching his skin out of pure involuntary pain. 

Unlike Jinwoo, any other man would have left you the minute they knocked you up just because of your cravings. Odd ones. Mashups of two different things like each baby was taunting you. Yet Jinwoo never complained and always got you what you needed without delay, even if it was three in the morning.

Jinwoo hadn’t left so far and you’d been less than nice to him.

Until now, the only times you thought you had connected was through sex and cuddling on the sofa, or in bed before you inevitably conked out on your pregnancy pillow.

That thing is so comfy.

“What if he did though?” You asked. “You think he’d stop something so sudden- I mean it is sudden.”

Jinwoo shook his head, a subtle smile playing at his lips. “No, I think if the Chairman has any class, which I think he does, he won’t try to stop this. That way, we’re protected and there would be an outcry if the association tried splitting us up.”

This wasn’t just some arrangement. It was permanent until otherwise.

“This is insane, Jinwoo.”

He shrugged, but his face wasn’t nonchalant. He still kept a sweet smile for you. “It doesn’t have to mean anything.”

It did though. It fucking did. Not ten minutes ago, the man had confessed his love for you which put you into a panic attack because it was just that, a hidden confession dropped on you without warning.

He loves me. How did I not fully see that?

Perhaps you did? You just unintentionally ignored the signs.

The subtle touches, like he needed contact with you at all times. You assumed his actions were wholeheartedly because of your pregnancy. That being said, you weren’t stupid, you knew of his feelings, but you assumed it was the fleeting crush you understood, like Hae-in developed for him. Not love. 

Love was reserved for fully integrated couples, the elderly who’d been in each other's arms for over sixty years and lovesick teenagers. Not two fully grown adults given no choice to live with each other and get pregnant.

You and Jinwoo moved in, slept together and got pregnant in the span of eight months with the association breathing down your necks. No time at all in the grand scheme of things and you couldn’t work out where Jinwoo harboured this sentimentality for you.

And how the hell did you not see it?

“But it would mean something to you, Jinwoo. I can’t- look… it’s not fair to you. I don’t know how I feel, it’s all… too much. I need time to think about it. If it works, then it might be a good idea further down the line, but I don’t want to do anything I’m not one hundred percent on.”

You tried to find the words in his eyes, they were unreadable despite his delicate half smile. “I didn’t see myself doing all of this the way I have. I thought that when I got married, I’d know it was the right time, but this doesn’t feel like the right time- I wanted to get married before having a baby and now I have two in my belly and you’re proposing on the spot… My brain’s all foggy and I don’t know which way is up.”

“It’s just acting.” He said, his thumbs tickling the back of your hands. “Don’t worry about me. All I want is for you to not be so stressed. It’s not good for you, or the babies. I told you already, didn’t I?  I’m here for the long run, even if you don’t ever feel the same, so why hesitate?”

“I’m a bad actress, Jinwoo…”

The only time anything could be considered acting was at two o’clock in the morning, a wake up sex session with his cock buried deep inside you, because dirty talk was dirty talk. But when it really counted, you just wanted to be sure. Did you have feelings for Jinwoo? Sure, of course there was something there. You couldn’t comprehend what it was and where nothing was labelled until he labelled it, it worked. But now, the title of wife was as daunting as ever.

You wanted to know him better than you did, to know about the little things and his interests that made him want to talk about them all day. Jinwoo secured you, daily. safely nestled in his arms at night between his chest and your pillow supporting your knees, the way he spoke to you in the morning with his husk sleepy voice and bed hair. It made you smile when you weren’t on a moodswing rampage because the twins had put pressure on your bladder, you barely made it to the toilet and snatched away the warmth on your side of the bed.

Only for Jinwoo to lay on your side until you came back.

Okay… maybe it’s a little bit more obvious than I thought.

But, you still knew little about him.

“I don’t think so.” Jinwoo’s eyes softened further, observing you. “I think everything we’ve been through is genuine, just in the wrong order. But this proposal, it’s all pretend. If you’d rather it that way. It doesn’t have to be real, it just has to be legal. We can run by the registration centre tomorrow and get it finalised. If we have a certificate, then it doesn’t matter about anything else. The Chairman won’t have a leg to stand on.”

“Y’know, I always thought I’d have a small ceremony and something low key… I never thought about the registration centre.”

“We could have a small ceremony instead? As long as you’re comfortable.”

“No… No, no.” You pulled away, shaking your head to the fact this was all mad. “Can’t we just say we are? My head, I can’t take it.”

“The Chairman and all of those journalists out there will want proof eventually. Baby, it’s public record. Someone will find out. It’s just a sheet of paper, but it gives us all kinds of benefits. You’ll be taken care of.”

You weren’t signing your life away, but why did it seem that way?

“I just… Jinwoo, I don’t know.”

He approached you, kinder than ever, rubbing your bump like it was a way to connect you. “Think of it this way, it’s traditional, but also stable. For the babies.”

There he went, using the babies to tug at your heart. You still hadn't decided what you wanted to do after they got here. Well, you didn’t want to think of it… giving birth. The fact terrified you. But that didn’t go to say that you weren’t slowly getting attached to their little flutters and heartbeats with each scan as they grew.

You knew that Jinwoo was being sincere, it never helped you create that boundary though.

“I… Jinwoo-”

There was a knock at the door, multiple actually. Fucking reporters, dumb journalists. Idiots.

You couldn’t hear their questions, just their mumblings and rapid knocking. A distraction that pulled you away from your shying logic.

“Alright. Y-yes. Okay. I’ll marry you.”

“You will?”

“Mhm.” You nodded as he caressed your cheeks with his hands, cupping your face with another unreadable expression.

He kissed you, gentle and unassuming. “I’ll get us out of this, and we’ll be away from the association. Okay?”

“Alright."

Jinwoo stood back, looking around like he’d forgotten something. “We have to make it believable enough to get past the rats.” He held out his hand, a little velvet box appeared from thin air. “Here, use this.”

He pulled the lid up to reveal a ring.

“Where did-”

Before you could even ask, Jinwoo drew it near your finger. “I got it from a dungeon raid a few months back… It’s moonstone.”

“A dungeon?” You pulled away before he could slip it on your finger. “It’ll have mana, what if it makes me sick?”

Jinwoo shook his head, reassuring you a little. “It’s for decoration, I promise. There’s nothing attached to it.”

The fact was, you had no clue if anything had aura or not, it was becoming harder to see and sense it, it was like you were losing your touch the more the babies grew. You were solely relying on Jinwoo to tell if there was aura anywhere.

But the ring was beautiful, it also fit perfectly, oddly enough.

“A perfect fit.” You said, holding your hand out with an involuntary frown.

“Lucky me, I can’t let you go out wearing a ring that doesn’t fit right.”

What the fuck just happened? “Are we really doing this-”

The door knocked again, the noise getting more aggressive and urgent.

“Come on, let's get this over with. I’ll do the talking, you don’t have to say anything.”

You followed like a lost little puppy, hand intertwined with his and he led you through the barrage of press and nosey parasites who shoved cameras in your face. You closed your eyes and trusted him to lead you up front towards the mic, it wasn’t until you opened your eyes that you saw just how many people stood watching.

“Hello.” Jinwoo cleared his throat, his hand still in yours. Was his hand trembling? “I appreciate you waiting for us. We unfortunately have been put into a corner, so we can’t keep this quiet any longer.”

You could have heard a pin drop. A subtle cough from an uncomfortable patron or fellow hunter. A nervous rustle of paper or click of the shutter for notes and evidence.

How did Jinwoo talk you into this again?

Where had all the air gone in the room?

Jinwoo continued, a slight break in his voice before he cleared it again. “While I did agree to follow the Chairman’s recommendations in the beginning, I never thought I’d be in the position I am now.”

It was a lie, Jinwoo never agreed, it must have been to deter the Chairman and place him in a position, a checkmate. You couldn’t tell from the Chairman’s expression in the corner of the room, his arms folded together with Jin-chul at his side.

“You see.” Jinwoo squeezed your hand as though giving you a sign. A secret message. “We didn’t just take part in the programme and have a baby for the good of the country, or the association. We did it because we’re in love.”

The room erupted, overflowed with more flashes and shouting, all the while Jinwoo stood there with confidence capturing your eyes and no one else's. He didn’t answer any questions and didn’t for one minute cast you aside for any dictaphone or mic thrusted in his face.

“We’ve been together far longer than what the association knew of, and to support that, we can finally come out and say that we’re engaged to be married.”

He didn’t lift up your hand like a champion after a marathon, a wrestler after winning the belt, he held it close to him, as though hiding the ring instead of showing it to the world. You glanced back over at the Chairman and your breath stuck itself in your throat it almost choked you.

The Chairman’s eyes were wider than ever.

If Jinwoo noticed, he didn’t let on. “I can announce now, as the Chairman has already informed you of our delightful news. We’re not having just one baby, but twins.” 

“Hunters just how long have you kept this secret?! People have been speculating, will you address the rumours?!”

One journalist practically screamed your name. “We can see your baby bump, how long were you hiding it with your fashion choices?!”

Stepping back, you couldn’t breathe properly. Even with Jinwoo’s presence, and Igris lurking in your shadow. You had grown accustomed to the knight following you around, no longer sensing him like you did before.

Your eyes searched helplessly for anything familiar. Your colleagues, friends or even a fucking light fixture to bring some normality to your rapid beating heart. Jong-in. He stood over by the large support pillar, his eyes as wide as ever next to Hae-in who was just as equally shocked. Baek stepped over too with Lim and Ma, their jaws agape in unison.

Shit- shit. Shit.

“I’d appreciate it if you stepped back.” When Jinwoo said your name, he appeared relaxed. “She’s twenty weeks pregnant, stress isn’t healthy. I trust you can understand… The last thing I’ll say on the matter is that we’re engaged, we’ll be getting married soon and when we do, we’ll be keeping our children close and retiring from the programme.”

Jinwoo led you away towards the exit, ignoring the reporters and pulling his cardigan over your shoulders out into the night.

“Just a second, Hunter Sung.”

“Chairman Go.” 

It wasn’t entirely a shock he appeared amongst the roar of questions, perhaps it was your ever growing fatigue that hoped you’d avoid him, or that he’d conceded and backed the hell away from breathing down your neck.

“It seems that I misjudged you.” He bowed primarily to Jinwoo. “You have my greatest apologies. Might there be a way I can reconcile the trust you have for me and the association?”

Woah…

“Dinner.” Jinwoo said flatly and almost arrogantly, right to the Chairman’s face. “Come and have dinner with us tomorrow. You and Hunter Woo. We can talk then.”

“Tomorrow it is.”

Jinwoo strolled right past them with you in tow, confused at the interaction. “Why did you invite him to dinner?”

“Unless he’s genuine from here on out, we have to play the long game now.”

Whatever the long game was.

Chapter Text

“Okay… So when do I add the green onions?”

You could cook just fine, but a meal for the Chairman was something else entirely.

“Right at the end or they’ll wilt otherwise. Add the sauce halfway in and the sesame seeds last.”

Jinwoo’s mom had been a bigger help than ever. After meeting her for the first time, though it didn’t go too well, but she was smitten with you according to Jinwoo. Every so often, you called her, like little catch up sessions until you were comfortable going to see her on your own.

Despite His mother and Jinah finding out about the engagement on television, they were both quite accepting. More so than yourself, and you were the one engaged. Jinah called Jinwoo in the morning, saying all sorts over the phone that Jinwoo just chuckled at and reassured her.

Then came the scream down the phone line for congratulations.

“Okay.” You made notes, writing them down quickly and messily before Jinwoo got home with your grocery list. “So, I cook the meat on medium, for…”

“Three hours, dear. It’ll make it tender but lets it keep its shape.”

“Right.”

She called your name sweetly. "You’ll do just fine. Jinwoo will be with you, anything you need, you know he’ll get it for you. He’ll take good care of you.”

“I know. He’s been really good to me… Mom.”

You’d never get used to addressing her as ‘mom’. The thought never crossed your mind, ever. She was to be your mother-in-law, Jinah, your sister-in-law.

It’s all happening so quickly.

You’d catch a shimmer of the moonstone on your finger from a light source, like your own personal reflective surface and stand there thinking what the hell kind of direction has my life gone in?

Pregnant with twins, engaged and living with a man you were still coming to terms with and whether a relationship was something you really could afford to bet on.

“He’s a good boy, he always was. Though if anything changes, you’ll let me know, won’t you?”

Jinwoo was an incredibly successful hunter, strong, kind, it was almost like he had no bad bone in his body. He could support you and the babies on his own, he made it clear despite your protests.

It was just that his overprotectiveness was suffocating.

You put this down to your pregnancy hormones, they way the twins made you so uncomfortable after sitting on your bladder or fluttered about so much it made you vomit.

“Yeah, of course.” You blinked away tears you didn’t know existed, sniffling away the sudden wave of sadness from your throat. “Of course I will. Look, I need to go, Jinwoo will be back soon and I need to prep the kitchen. Thank you for the advice, I’ll call soon.”

The longer his mom sat on the line for, the quicker the tears turned into a twisted stomach. Working yourself up for nothing made the sensation pulse like it was alive and ready to strangle you.

“Okay then, dear. I hope the night goes well! I’ll call tomorrow."

“Bye.”

You raced to put the phone down, bricking it to the bathroom as fast as your legs could carry you, cautiously holding your belly to stop it from jiggling.

“Sorry babies-” That’s when you threw up, mid sentence, head in the toilet bowl like you were searching for gold.

Eye’s handmaiden appeared so much that it was practically visible twenty four seven, it never left its usual posture tucked away in the corner. You were always in pain with something or other, and even then, it wasn’t as effective anymore.

The twins really were draining your mana, your energy, your life force. It was hard to see them as babies sometimes and not two little extraterrestrial beings using your body to incubate themselves so that they could return back to their home planet.

Maybe baby aliens aren't so unbelievable? Look at Jinwoo, he’s on another level than any of us in South Korea.

He’d definitely make a great father, even while vomiting and listening to the most attractive echoes of retching while gasping for breath, you could see the wood for the trees. It was just the thought of doing something so impressive, raising two little people to be functional adults sat shivering in the back recess of your brain just out of reach.

Were you being maternal? The advertisements and shows never did it justice or presented any other alternative to being extraordinarily happy and glowing. Because you weren’t. Your skin paled more than anything, and you didn’t know what to think or when to think it, sailing by and holding out on that poorly crafted life raft.

When they’re here, things will be different.

That didn't go to say that you weren’t getting little bursts of the maternal side Jinwoo’s mother told you about over the phone. Now, it was definitely there, and you knew that these babies were yours. You were making them yourself in your own body, but this feeling wasn’t constant, it flickered on and off like a candlelit room.

One moment, you would cling to that glow for warmth knowing soon you’d hear their little voices, getting fiercely protective over two little blanket wrapped babies that couldn’t protect themselves. Then, in another, you just wanted your body back, so much it would bring you to tears and the idea of asking for the association's help looked more tantalising by the minute.

The whole idea made your stomach churn, because what side would win when the babies arrived? You’d never know until the time came.

“I’m home! Are you alright?!”

You perked up at Jinwoo’s voice, forgetting that Igris was eerily floating somewhere nearby watching your every moment. He probably reported back to Jinwoo, though he couldn’t speak- well he never spoke to you, but sometimes you tried catching him out.

Jinwoo rushed into the bathroom and never missed a beat, getting down on the floor with you to push your hair out of the way from the toilet bowl. “I’m sorry, I never meant to be this long, I just wanted to stop by the bakery to get your favourite and there was the longest queue- Baby, I’m so sorry.”

There was a twinge, a twitch behind your eye, like you were helpless. “I’m not frail, I can look after myself, Jinwoo.”

He stopped immediately, letting go of you and he moved his mouth but knew better than to say a word. The two of you sat there in silence until you could move yourself and clean your face.

“Look… I didn’t mean to snap, I just-” sounded like a massive prick? Yeah. With the remnants of vomit on your lips. “I’m feeling pretty low, right now. I don’t know what to do, and I feel really claustrophobic… Everything is happening so quickly and I can’t keep up with it.”

There wasn’t a hint of upset in Jinwoo’s body language, but he hesitated touching you though you let him tuck your hair out of your face. “It’s been a lot. I apologise for steaming ahead, for putting more on your plate when all I want is your happiness, and health.”

“My hormones are all over the place. One minute I’m happy, then I’m crawling the walls because the apartment just isn’t right. Igris carries everything I want to move, then the next day I want the sofa back on the other side of the room. We’re going to have to decorate the spare room soon and I know exactly what I want, but then I don’t at the same time. Most days, I want to eat the entire house, and then I’m not hungry at all… I eat the most disgusting combinations of food and I love it…”

Your shoulders dropped when he said nothing. “And then I do things like that, and I’m horrible to you… I like you Jinwoo, I think I really really like you, but I’m not the nicest person to be around in any capacity. Then I get– I get moment’s like this-”

That was it, you started sobbing like you’d just been read from a will after someones passing. “I’m such a mess!”

“Shh, shh, baby. It’s alright.” Jinwoo held you, rubbing your belly as though it was a magic lamp, probably hoping it would get you to stop wailing into the palms of your hands. “The doctor said it was going to be bumpy. I’m sorry I sprang all of this on you, the dinner, having the Chairman over. I wasn’t thinking.”

“No- no. It’s fine.” You hiccuped in his arms, wiping the wet away with your sleeves. “It’ll be alright, I just- I just need to clean myself up.”

Jinwoo held you tight, resting his head on yours and gently rocking you. “You want to take a shower together?”

It wasn’t the worst idea. Since the babies were growing, having a bath wasn’t exactly practical, especially since you enjoyed steaming hot water. Something the doctor advised against. That white hot sting scratching an itch your skin just couldn't satiate itself hit the spot after a long day training or raiding a dungeon, covered in mud and god knows what. You settled for a mildly hot shower instead.

Jinwoo’s body heat set any tepid water steaming. More of a comfort, really. But then again, you’d received some of the most intense orgasms whilst the shower water sprayed everywhere.

An orgasm wouldn’t go amiss right now. Might calm me down.

It would make any pain go away, being a natural painkiller. So if anything, it would be beneficial to the shooting leg cramps or back aches you were getting.

“Would you-” you stopped before you made yourself sound desperate.

“Hm?” it was as though Jinwoo already knew what you wanted to say, he just wanted you to say it. “What do you want, baby?”

There it was, his little crooned words that drawled in your ears that set your cheeks on fire. His eyes watching you in a way that made you want to back away before he pounced and ate your pussy like his last meal.

A talent of his, actually.

“I want…” You could have just kissed him, that would have given him the message. You hadn’t brushed your teeth yet. “I want you to…”

He knew what you wanted, you could tell by how he closed the space between you, his eyes flickering down to your lips as he subtly licked his own. “Tell me what you want.” 

Oh lord. “I want you to eat my pussy until I can’t stand up.”

“You’re getting so much better at using your words, aren't you?”

Before he could kiss you, you looked away. “Jinwoo, I haven’t even brushed my teeth-”

“Don’t care.” 

Before you could protest, he chased your lips, lazily biting down on your bottom lip and cupping your chin before you disappeared from his grasp. How he managed you up from the floor and never breaking contact with you was something you wouldn’t ever understand, he did with ease and stripped each item of clothing from your body before his own.

The man was a master multitasker in and out of the bedroom, from making your favourite meals and setting up your favourite new show on the television, to turning the shower on, slowly rubbing your sensitive clit and stripping himself off. 

In that order.

He had you moaning his name before a single drop of water touched you from the spray of the open shower door, the perfect temperature, wide spread and splashing over you which intensified the need for his body close to yours. Pressed up against you and his two long fingers working their way inside to that spot which drove you crazy enough to grip onto his hair.

“Jinwoo- Jinwoo, oh my god.”

His coo’s and undeniably filthy words of praise were far more steamy than any shower could have been. Jinwoo’s wrist moved in such away, that you were sure you would discover a new colour at any moment. Being pregnant changed your body in odd ways, yet how he sucked your nipple the way he did almost pushed an orgasm out straight away. So sensitive, unruly and needy.

“You want me to make you feel good here, or on the bed?” He said in your ear once he let your nipple leave his lips with a pop.

“Here- here. Fuck, do it here, I can’t hold it any longer. Fuck, Jin- please make me come.”

It was that little husk in his voice when he laughed, the one he reserved for when he woke up, half asleep. The same husk that drove you insane until you were sitting on his cock, bouncing on his hips until all the room heard was the vicious slapping and stifled moans from your throat.

“That’s my girl.” 

You had screwed your eyes shut, focusing way too much on your orgasm and not the logistics of your tummy bump, not that it stopped Jinwoo. His tongue found its way to your clit with no trouble at all, game over for you. Jinwoo hooked your right leg over his shoulder and held you there in suspended animation, sucking your tingling clit like it was going out of fashion.

Jinwoo gripped your ass with his fingertips, pinching the plush fat between his fingers as he ate. His tongue swirling with purpose in the right angle, matching the pace of the slashing water on your back, soaking your hair as wet as your pussy was. You were embarrassingly close, a perk and curse of pregnancy, getting to the delicious centre of a gooey sweet and feeling the emptiness of finishing it too quickly.

“J-Jinwoo, don’t go too fast, I’ll come too quick- Shit, shit!”

He licked faster, sucked with the desperation of a stranded man looking for water, inserting his fingers inside you. His hair dripped and soaked onto the floor, on to your feet and in between your toes that curled over the edge and no grip.

You came, with no real guess of what your body was doing. So early, so blind in orgasmic bliss that you weren’t sure of the noise your throat howled out, like a desperate animal. Jinwoo never stopped shoving his head between your thighs, fingering you past your orgasm until it made your legs shake and ready to give out had he not held you tight in his grasp.

“I think that’s a personal best.” He said, when he came up for air and pulled you as close as he physically could. “Hey, c’mon, look at me.”

Blushing at him seemed to humour him, embarrassed at how quick you came despite it’s calming effects on your mood. Jinwoo kissed your lips softly, caressing your cheek until you made eye contact.

“Ask any time, I’ll give it to you. It doesn't matter how quick. If you’re enjoying it, then I’ve done my job.”

When he put it like that, it made sense.

Still, to redeem yourself, you let him make you come one more time. You held out longer by two minutes.

Oh dear.

“Did you find the recipe you want to use tonight?”

“Yeah, I have it on my phone, hold on.” 

You left Jinwoo in the bathroom to dry himself off, you padded off towards the kitchen in your towel that barely fit around your baby bump. Your phone sat where it was on the kitchen counter, just as you left it, with the call log open.

So why was there a giant fucking insect in the living room watching television like it was the most natural thing in the world?

“Oh my god!” You screamed and backed away right into the wall.

The bug thing jumped up from the sofa and mirrored your movements like a weird puff of smoke and cracked mirror.

“What’s wrong?! Where are- oh…” Jinwoo just stood there.

Was it one of his shadows? It could have been, not that you could have been reasonably logical the way your heart beated in your throat.

“I never introduced you to Beru… did I?”

Chapter Text

Okay, Jinwoo fucked up. He fucked up bad.

He genuinely thought he’d introduced you to everyone, all of his shadows that were involved on a daily basis in Jinwoo’s raids. How the hell did he forget about Beru?

Beru accompanied him to the store, lurking about in the shadows talking about a period drama Jinwoo wasn’t bothered hearing about, he had too much on his mind. Too much clouding his brain as he received little vague updates from Igris, interpreting as best he could whilst also finding the right ingredients.

This period drama started its newest season tonight.

In the rush to get back to you, once Jinwoo figured out you were sick, he let Beru do what he wanted just to keep him quiet. What he didn’t account for, was your reaction. You clung to Jinwoo in your towel like there was a real life bug in the apartment.

“I… uh.” Maybe Jinwoo was getting burnt out, too? Was baby brain a thing for dads swell? “I thought I showed you all of my shadows…”

Hold on a minute… Igris, Tank, Iron, Tusk… uh… Shit.

“You didn’t show me this one!”

Beru said nothing, and by the size of his engorged, sad, doe eyes, he was about to burst a leak from your reaction.

And he was missing his show.

“He won’t hurt you. Beru, come and say hi.”

You clung to Jinwoo, hair starting to drip on the floor into a miniature puddle by your toes. He never winced by how tight you were digging your nails in his arm as a response, he tried to comfort you as the seven foot tall ant trudged over.

Beru shot down and kneeled in front of you. “I’ve upset her my liege! I deserve your wrath!”

“What the… He talks?”

Jinwoo couldn’t believe he forgot to mention Beru. By the way your eyes were getting wider with each waking second, he’d made a pretty big boo boo. Would you forgive him? Were the babies okay? He didn’t sense a spike of mana that time.

Maybe because Beru was here, your emotions didn’t influence them. The twins' mana was there, just as prevalent as ever, just not pulsing or vibrating at a frequency Jinwoo could practically hear. They were as calm as ever.

Poor Beru. Having a shrill scream in your ear whilst enjoying his favourite show. Oof.

“Beru, I think missing your show is punishment enough, don’t y’think? You can watch it tomorrow. Good enough?”

“My lord, I am not worthy of such kindness! I shall be in agony tonight wondering if Lady Aera will indeed marry the Lord of the house or follow her dream to paint instead of-”

“Beru. Leave it for now.” Jinwoo didn’t want to hear it all again, not standing there in his towel with his pregnant girlfriend dripping wet and getting cold.

“You…” You blinked the frightened tears away, inhaling deeply. “You like watching Bora’s Lone Legacy too?”

“Huh?”

Is that what the show's called? Jinwoo stood and watched in a dumbfound awe as you let go. What is going on?

Beru raised his head, his eyes wider than ever and looking at you like an excitable toddler. “My… My lady… You- you watch it too?!”

Oh great. Didn’t see that one coming.

You nodded with caution, unknowingly getting closer to Beru. “Uh huh. I’ve… I’ve never met anyone else who likes that show.”

Beru stood up abruptly with so much enthusiasm, it startled you. You grabbed a hold of Jinwoo’s arm again, though looser than before. 

“Okay,” Jinwoo kept you close, hugging you to the side. “That’s enough for today. Beru, you can watch your show tomorrow while we’re out of the apartment. We have plans tonight, so you need to go.”

“Uh…” He just stood there like Jinwoo was speaking a whole other language. Beru watched you closely, then back to Jinwoo. “Uh- yes, My lord… My lady.”

Beru bowed lowest to you and vanished back to the shadows.

That’s getting more odd each time that happens.

Jinwoo noticed the running theme with his shadows the further you got into your pregnancy. Each bowed lowest to you, like their affinity and loyalty was suddenly deeper ingrained then their own master.

Now, it wasn’t though they would leave Jinwoo to serve you specifically, but it twinged something in his brain. Why? Why were they doing that? It easily could have been the babies’ mana inside you, similar to Jinwoo’s but one of a kind entirely.

As time went on, Jinwoo was starting to tell the mana apart from its aura patterns. Though barely visible, he saw two distinct aura besides yours, which by now, was barely there. One, was a vibrant blue, taking after Jinwoo, darker and more refined than his own when the system first arrived. The other, nothing like either yours or Jinwoo’s, a low and almost depressive grey with flared edges like flickering candle light.

And you couldn’t see either of them. But the shadows must have. Jinwoo would question them later.

“Are you alright?” He waited for you to turn towards him, your hands nestled in his. “I’m so sorry about Beru, I was in such a rush to get to you, I forgot he was here.”

“I’m alright.” You said, nodding like you were trying to convince yourself. “Just a shock is all. But I’m okay. To be honest, I’m more nervous about tonight, I want everything to go right.”

Jinwoo offered you athe sweetest smile, readying himself to find answers surrounding the Chairman’s recent behaviour and do damage control to try and repair connections before his own intrusive thoughts severed them for good.

He was so close to making the Chairman disappear last night. You were his only saving grace.

I don’t know how much longer I can keep this all bottled up before I do something rash. Something horrible. I won’t feel anything bad about it either.

Jinwoo glanced down at your ring sitting perfectly on your finger. I can’t do anything that’ll make her look at me differently. We’ll be married soon enough, she’ll be my wife. It’ll fuck everything up if she changes her mind. 

Every gate Jinwoo stepped through, he scoured and scrimped every piece of loot to either find the perfect ring, or buy one on the market place. Rings from a traditional jewellers never looked right and Jinwoo grew tiresome looking.

And then came this ring, the one on your finger that captured the light just right. It mirrored you, a section of moonstone that lit up the room in Jinwoo’s eyes just like you did. Moonstone symbolised new beginnings, protection and aimed to keep an emotional balance, something you needed desperately.

It had been agony waiting to ask you, especially in the way he did. Jinwoo wanted it to be perfect, romantic and impulsive. Well, he got the impulsive part right. But, in truth, the Chairman helped indirectly. Jinwoo would have had to wait until you gave birth before he could ask you, his own original plan.

It’s all worked out then.

“Come on, let’s get dressed so we can start cooking, you’re shivering.”

Jinwoo whisked you away to get dried and changed, then followed your recipes to the letter. His job was merely support, to keep you calm and ensure everything went smoothly before the doorbell rang hours later.

“Shit, is it that time already?” You stood there with eyes wider than cute little tea saucers, the little floral apron hanging just right over your belly.

“I’ll get it.”

Jinwoo took one last glance in your direction, seeing you so domestic stirred something in him, right through to his abdomen. Like if he came home from a raid and you were cooking with one of the twins on your hip, well, if you weren’t pregnant again by then, you would be by the end of the night.

“Chairman Go.” He put on his sweetest voice, even smiling in a way that the Chairman mirrored. “Hunter Woo. We’re glad you could make it.”

“Thank you, we are happy to be here.” The Chairman bowed with respect and entered through towards the kitchen, presumably to greet you.

Jin-chul, on the other hand, paused just inside the threshold with an impassive look. “Hunter Sung, it’s good to finally see you two that doesn’t include the association.”

“I can say the same, having a night without politics is refreshing.”

Jin-chul stepped through and stopped again, looking back on Jinwoo with a suspicious glare. “Politics? Hunter Sung, while we can sit down at that dinner table tonight, I cannot agree that politics aren’t at play here.”

Jinwoo watched the kitchen doorway, the Chairman’s back to him. “I’m not quite sure what you mean?”

He knew exactly what he meant.

“While I can’t stop you from doing what you’re doing, you’re going all about it the wrong way. I’ve known of your feelings towards her for some time, you aren’t fooling anyone who is looking close enough, regrettably it seems that I am the only one observing the paired hunters closer than anyone cares to right now. But what you two pulled last night, it could alter the way the association does things from now on.”

“How will it change exactly?”

Jin-chul watched the Chairman too, listening out for the click of the front door to see whether it would have distracted him. It did not.

“The association’s goal is to produce as many children as possible and move on. If you two marry, declare publicly that the love you hold for each is true and honest and decide you will keep your children close, you put yourself out of the race for more children.”

That was bullshit. “We’ll have more children. We’ve already jumped ahead of the curve with twins, if anything, we’re doing better than most. Why does that matter?”

“The Chairman holds you in high regard, the highest, actually. You are one of Korea’s biggest weapons, and settling down right now isn’t a good look when there’s so many people counting on  meeting you and those children when they’re born. All I’m saying is to think about the consequences before you get impulsive.”

Jinwoo hid his clenched jaw as best he could without letting on to Jin-chul at what he really wanted to say. ‘Stay in your lane and mind your own fucking business.

“I’ll take that into consideration, Hunter Woo.”

“Please do. The Chairman respects you, and your behaviour so far hasn’t reflected that. I trust you’ll speak with him about it later?”

Jinwoo nodded with hidden clenched fists. “Of course, I’ll discuss it later. Please, come through, dinner won’t be long.”

Dinner was right on time, perfectly executed. You were adamant on serving it, padding around the table handing out dishes and serving utensils as the three men sat down at the table despite the protests.

“Please, my dear. Allow us to serve.” The Chairman smiled as he usually did, his fingers laced together like always.

“It’s alright, I enjoy it. Please tuck in.”

Honestly. Seriously. Fucking beautifully. The sight of the darting back and forth from the kitchen, twenty weeks pregnant, made Jinwoo’s bottom half tingle. After taking care of Jin-ah whilst his mom was unwell, being doted on and cared for like this was something he didn’t want to give up so easily.

You had cooked many times before, but there was something different about it, about you in that apron. He wanted to see you wearing it with nothing else, nothing but your engagement ring on your finger.

The more Jinwoo fantasised, the more it evolved from seeing you wearing nothing, to fucking you over the table as you screamed his name, letting dinner go cold just so he could make you orgasm around his cock a few times. He wanted to massage your swelling, sensitive breasts and wrap his arms around your shuddering body.

He just wanted to fuck you, and his twitching cock reminded him of that each time he watched you move around the room.

Dinner was a formality, Jinwoo had every intention of speaking with the Chairman and calling him out on his own behaviour. He had forced Jinwoo into a corner, his behaviour shouldn’t have been the one under a microscope, not under the guise that the chairman wanted to rip you and his children from his arms.

It would never happen, not in a million years.

Jinwoo wanted answers.

“They’ve started calling it Mana Blindness.” The Chairman whisked his glass around in the palm of his large hand after dinner. He eyed you closely to ensure you couldn’t hear from the kitchen while you were preparing dessert, where Jin-chul kept you company. “By the end of her pregnancy, she won’t be able to use her mana or see any aura at all.”

Not by the end of your pregnancy, Jinwoo anticipated that it was either close to it, or happening already.

It begged the question that played on Jinwoo’s mind. “Will she recover after the birth?”

“We hope so. But the evidence we have is extremely limited.”

"What caused this?"

For the first time ever, Jinwoo watched on as the Chairman gave a casual, unknowing shrug. "We aren't sure. It could be one of the parents mana passed down, of environmental factors. There's no information to suggest anything solely responsible."

It could be my fault then? Jinwoo recognised his own aura from you, the very same from one of the babies that could have been the source which was draining you.

And you’d really be dependent on him, then. If you could no longer use mana or see aura, you would no longer be classed as an S-Rank hunter. You would no longer be able to participate in raids and therefore have more time to stay home with the twins.

Jinwoo could even get you pregnant again.

The Chairman noticed Jinwoo’s silence, he watched his reflection from the window out onto the city. “Jinwoo, I think we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot surrounding this programme.” 

“I think so too.” Jinwoo shook those thoughts away and agreed and sipped his own drink, holding himself back from asking everything that was going through his head. “This whole ordeal has been stressful for us. For her. I don’t understand it.”

“While it might not be evident as of late, I do respect you deeply. You are the future of the association and I hope one day, you’ll take up my offer to be more involved, even if you are fighting on the front lines... But I can explain my behaviour, and I hope you’ll let me explain entirely before making up your mind?”

“Go on, sir.”

“You were always going to be one of the first in the programme, because of your abilities. I was quite thrilled that both of you were matched at random, seeing how different your abilities are…” He paused and took a drawn out sip of his whiskey. “I was anxious at first, seeing how long it took, but I was most excited when I received the news of the pregnancy, and I can see that it has made an impression.”

The Chairman continued and mentioned your name. “Because she was opposed to it at first, I thought that I could take the lead for both of you to make the process smoother, and it seems that I missed the mark entirely.”

“We’re in love, Chairman. I won’t be with anyone else if it isn’t her for the programme, even if it turns out that she can’t use mana anymore. If she loses her hunter status, it doesn’t matter. We can still be involved, but on our own terms. I want to start a real family with her, and have more children.”

“I can see that.” He chuckled, patting Jinwoo on the shoulder with a reassuring squeeze like a father would. “I understand how you both feel, and I’ll make sure the rest of the pregnancy is as stress free as I can make it, but there will still be people who want to meet these babies. I can’t stop that. Not now that the world knows about them. But we can improve relations with each other and I can assure you that there will be no tests, nothing to do with the facility. But all I ask is that you meet with these people after the birth, that’s all I ask.”

Jinwoo shrugged, holding out for a glance at the Chairman with the biggest wide eyes of curiosity he could muster. “Mind if we think about it, Chairman? We should talk about it together, she’ll be exhausted after the birth and I want her to enjoy the rest of her pregnancy without fear of what’s to come.”

“Of course, Jinwoo.”

“Thank you.”

Jinwoo was almost sold. Almost. His gut was telling him to be cautious, to be wary enough around the Chairman so that he never let his guard down. But, it made sense to what he was telling him too.

Only time would tell, and after the twins birth, Jinwoo would know who he truly trusted.

Chapter Text

“That was wonderful, my dear.”

The Chairman cleared his plate and bowed his head respectfully to you with a smile. Jin-chul had been quiet most of the night, only small talk with you and answering questions asked and not the other way around.

Jinwoo looked dessert drunk, eyes glossed over with a sweet smile in your direction now and then. His hand found yours under the table, discreetly padding his fingertips over the back of your hand during conversation.

“Thank you, Chairman. You’re too kind.”

You weren’t exactly at ease, but the night went better than expected. It continued through the evening with light conversation and discussions about the twins and polite questions that still put you on edge.

“We aren’t finding out their genders until they’re born.” Jinwoo stated the fact precisely and to the point, regardless of the two other men in the room looking at him like he was mad.

“You aren’t? Hunter Cha is finding out tomorrow, actually. Maybe you could go with her?”

Going with her was inappropriate, you weren’t nearly as close to Hae-in as some people thought. You were not best friends, nor sisters, just two people with an understanding and no ill will.

“Yeah, we decided to leave it as a surprise. But I think Jong-in is the best person to go with her, seeing as he’s the father, don’t you think?”

The Chairman nodded in agreement as you cleared his plate. “I understand, it’s just that with the second pregnancy, Hunter Choi has taken on more responsibilities.”

You hardly ever saw Jong-in any more. It was a harder pill to swallow than most, knowing each other before you awakened later than most. Jong-in was reliable, usually consistent and kind, but lately, his behaviour changed drastically.

He just wasn’t around anymore.

“Maybe I’ll call in on Hae-in tomorrow, see how she’s doing at least.”

After speaking with her last night, her jittery behaviour put you on edge. There was something about her shifty eyes, watching Jong-in every so often as he sat with the other woman the Chairman dumped on him. In truth, Jong-in appeared quite smitten, though that could have been a show he put on to make the association happy.

Shame. I really thought he and Hae-in would make it.

“That sounds perfect, thank you… Well, we better go, it’s getting late.”

Chairman Go stood first, Jin-chul hung on every movement and followed him towards the front door with a chorus of thank you’s and reassuring words that the association would back away.

After he left, Jin-chul remained for only a moment, adjusting his tie to waste time to be out of earshot.

“Tonight was eye opening. But, if you wish to go down this road, be sure to make it wholeheartedly true, not as one-sided as it is.”

You didn’t anticipate the audible gasp that slipped your lips out into the hallway. But everyone heard. As Jin-chul left for the exit, you stood there watching him.

Was it that obvious for how conflicted you were about Jinwoo’s confession and where your own heart lied? In truth, you were confused, you wanted to let go and let things proceed in their own way but how could you?

After the front door closed, the tension shifted. Jinwoo turned and wandered into the kitchen before you could say a word. Shit. He said it didn’t matter if you felt the same, but obviously he was just as conflicted too. He was the father of the babies you were carrying, and he made you feel safe. Was that really enough to settle with and give it a real try? Wasn’t that what you were already doing?

“Jinwoo.” You said, hugging your arms and swaying a fraction as he started washing the dishes with his back to you.

“Jinwoo...”

“Dessert was so good, we should make it again sometime soon.”

“Jinwoo.” More authority this time.

“Dinner too, that was spectacular, we should really keep that recipe handy-“

“Jinwoo… look at me please.”

He stopped sorting the dishes, running the steaming hot water into the basin to create enough bubbles to clean the dried up sauces on the ceramic.

“What is it, baby?”

Despite the tugging in your stomach because Jinwoo didn’t look your way, you kept your distance. “About what Jin-chul said… I-I think we should talk-”

“Ignore him. He’s being dramatic, we’re just fine how we are. If people take issue, then let them.”

That wasn’t the point.

“I’m not talking about whether people have an issue… What Jin-chul said about-”

Jinwoo finally turned to you with the sweetest smile that never reached his eyes, his hands dripping soapy bubbles at his feet. “Don’t worry about that. We talked about it already, didn’t we? I don’t expect anything from you, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Could you see yourself being married to him, for real? Like real, real. Not just pretend and make believe to keep the Chairman at bay, which clearly worked, but for a real shot at married life with a man you never saw yourself with until the programme brought you together.

Did you need him? Could you want him as much as he wanted you? You weren’t even sure how much that really was, in honesty. In other words, you had no clue about him, more than just his favourite hobbies or the colours that didn't interest him, the dessert that he could never refuse and the pair of shoes he could never throw out because they were too comfortable to lose.

You weren’t sure what you needed, and considering it confused you, shook your foggy brain up with an imaginary centrifugal force to make you dizzy. What did you need? What could you possibly want?

He loved you, he did so much for you and you still were in the dark.

“Jinwoo… Just how much do you actually love me?”

His eyes widened a fraction, he blinked rapidly in an attempt to fool you and stifle it though you noticed immediately. He dried his hands and took yours so that you followed him. 

“Come with me…” He led you towards the bedroom and halted between the threshold. “You can stay up tonight, Beru. But keep the TV down.”

Beru emerged and knelt, never saying a word which still startled you. He kept his head down as you backed away, though Jinwoo kept moving. You never had time to stand and watch the ant’s movements over towards the living room.

Standing in silence set your stomach on a fine edge, a pit of something you couldn’t register on his face like a mask. You couldn’t tell if he was going to lecture you, or the opposite, but you weren’t even sure what that was.

“Jinwoo-”

“Come sit down, we’ll talk in here.” He warmly patted the space beside him on the bed.

“O-okay.”

When you did, Jinwoo took your hand lovingly and placed it between his own with a reassuring squeeze. “You really want to know just how much I love you? Because I was going to wait until the twins were born, or maybe when we got married… but, if you want me to be transparent about it, you need to let me say everything. Can you do that?”

You just nodded, the anticipation was slowly killing you.

“I never thought that I would have ended up here when I first saw you. It took some time, but when I realised, I fell hard for you… You’re beautiful, intelligent, and you make me smile on dark days. When I’m exhausted and dirty from a dungeon, you are the first person I want to be around. You challenge me, push me to be the man I know I always was deep down. The man I want to be… I was truthful when I said I’d let you walk all over me.” He chuckled, but it didn’t match his expression.

“I love you to the point that I’d do literally anything you ask, in a heartbeat. I just don’t want to be away from you, I couldn’t bear it. I know it’s been difficult adjusting, and it’s not the way I would have done things either, but it’s the cards we've been dealt with and we should make the most of it, together. But that’s if you want it too, so don’t listen to Jin-chul, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

You lingered in the pause, a moment in silence that was not wasted on you. Jinwoo continued. “I love you for you, and I’d do anything for you. Anything. I never wanted to spring it on you like this in case it drove you away. I’d hate not to see you all the time.”

He spoke to you like a husband of twenty years. But he wasn’t. Not yet. But he could be.

“You love me.”

“I do.”

“I…” You couldn’t say it until you were sure. 

So you did the next best thing until you could sort your head out. You kissed him.

Sweetly, without an ounce of passion or lustrous touches. Just a kiss, then another, and another. Jinwoo caressed your cheek, cupping it so that your head rested into his palm. Each pull from your lips, a long drawl of poetic sounds in a room with a heavy silence that weighed less with each second.

“I love you, baby.” He said, pulling away for only a second before gravitating back to you.

Jinwoo felt his way to your belly, grazing it before touching your waist before you disappeared in his arms. It was desperate, but he held back like he was afraid to go too hard because it would break you.

“How much?”

He never missed a beat when he pulled you onto his lap, shuffling back for more space. “More than the world.”

You sucked at his bottom lip and pulled off his cardigan in an agonisingly slow motion. “And you’d do anything for me?”

Just how far would this man go for you? You weren’t sure.

“Anything.”

The way Jinwoo slipped the straps from your dress off of your shoulders tickled your skin into goosebumps. Your heart swelled by how his fingertips ran down the exposed skin on your arms as though he was admiring art, taking in each inch with a careful eye and every subtle, invisible word under his breath.

“Would you still love me if I was turned into a magic beast?”

Jinwoo stopped and watched you with a quizzical look, he softly tittered and played with a strand of your hair as you sat over his thighs. “Of course I would. Out of all the things you could ask, why that?”

It seemed perfectly logical in your mind, things like that could probably happen, it probably happened once already and no one found out yet. How could they if the person turned into a magic beast couldn’t talk?

“I don’t know.” You drew back, a little embarrassed by your impulsivity. Jinwoo pulled you closer and pressed his lips on your collarbone to the crook of your neck. “With the way things are going and what’s happened so far, anything is possible, I guess.”

“I’d love you even if you were a magic beast, if you were a worm or if you were somehow transformed into a toaster, I’d still be here.”

You let him kiss you again, but your mind grew more curious in challenging ways. It was as though you wanted to test him, to see just how far he’d go. While it wasn’t wise, your sudden inquisitivity merited more depth.

“Would you change yourself for me?” You weren’t sure if you wanted the answer, but still asked.

“If that’s what you wanted me to do-”

“Don’t do that. Please, don’t change, Jinwoo.”

He never said anything after that, he just continued locking lips, casually adding tongue whenever it was appropriate. If he would willingly change himself without hesitation, what else would he do?

What if there was a dungeon break and something like Jeju island happened again? Jinwoo would keep you and the babies safe, that was a given. Despite your S-Rank status, your abilities weren’t exactly combative to fight something of that calibre.

You had missed Jeju island, you hadn’t awakened until two months later. Though it was discussed, you only knew of the aftermath, not the full details. Everyone seemed to want to forget it, but just the thought of another break like that made your skin crawl.

It was likely you’d never know the full details, not from Jong-in, Hae-in or Baek, anyway.

But what came after a break like that? If Jinwoo couldn’t maintain order with the association whilst you just kept strategic exits plastered around the place, transported tools and only healed yourself, what happened then? 

Raiders. Thieves. Bad people who would take the shirt from your back just because they could and hurt you and the babies in the process.

You wondered how Jinwoo would handle something so atrocious.

“Would you kill for me?”

Jinwoo halted and froze, his eyes wide open enough to tell you had gone too far. “Shit. I’m sorry, I’m just thinking out loud, we’re having children together and I’m getting worried about stuff that’ll never happen-”

“I would.” He said, so sure of himself. “We’re going to be parents… I think when push comes to shove, we’ll both do it if it came down to it.”

He had a point.

“I don’t really know what I’d do until I’m in that position-”

The bedroom door knocked, heavily though singular. Three clunks, followed by a controlled response.

“Sire, my sincerest apologies for the intrusion. Someone is at the door for you!”

Jinwoo dropped his head to your shoulder and cursed under his breath. “Just ignore it, Beru. Finish watching your show.”

The brief moment of quiet was enough for Jinwoo to taste your skin again- “ My Liege, they are quite insistent!”

You left Jinwoo’s grasp before he could protest, he yanked the door open faster than you were certain he meant to. “Beru, we’re busy-”

The front door knocked, well it was more of a frantic banging. Beru hunched over, his head missing the ceiling with his posture.

“Wait here.” Jinwoo marched on over to the door.

You ignored his instruction and followed behind him at a distance, clutching your baby bump on instinct. When the door opened, you stood next to the rather large ant and watched on in awe at someone you didn’t expect to see this time of night.

“It’s late. What are you doing here?” Jinwoo asked, his hands defensively on the door and the frame like a barrier.

Jong-in cleared his throat and tried to rub away the dark circles under his eyes. “It’s Hae-in. She’s missing, and I can’t find her.”

Chapter Text

So, Jong-in disrupted Jinwoo’s moment with you, because he couldn’t find his bit on the side?

Because that’s all Hae-in was to him, right? Now the man had another hunter pregnant, he’d probably toss her aside too. Hae-in most probably saw her worth and disappeared with her baby to get away from all the dramatic shit.

Just like now, with Jong-in on Jinwoo’s doorstep, worse for wear and looking dishevelled after some kind of all-nighter, but in truth, he looked hungover.

“You can’t find her?” You asked, your hand holding your belly for comfort.

Jinwoo wanted to kick himself, he hoped at least this time, you would actually listen to him and stay in the bedroom. Of course not. He adjusted the door to keep Beru hidden, casually leaning against the door with an invisible huff he forced himself to choke down.

“I went to see her this morning, to check on her. But she wasn’t there, she told the doctors that she was going out for an early walk this morning like she's been doing the entire pregnancy, but she hasn’t come back. I’ve been losing my mind trying to look for her, I didn’t know who else to turn to. I apologize for how late it is.”

You lost your baby mama and now decide to make it our problem?

Jinwoo didn’t want you getting involved, not with Jong-in. Any time together was far too much in his eyes and a recipe for disaster.

“We’ll help you, right Jinwoo?” You watched him with cautious eyes, telling him a message with your expression.

Not asking. Telling.

“We’ll help, but you can stay at your place. I can use my shadows, so there’s no point in everyone going out at night.”

“You want me to just wait here?” Jong-in was ever the polite one, even if he was reacting to being turned away.

Jinwoo nodded nonchalantly. “Yeah. That’s exactly what I want you to do, there’s no point in getting worked up. I’ll find her.”

He would essentially still have to traipse out and look for her manually if Igris couldn't find her, he just didn’t want Jong-in sniffing about. The shadow he used initially was sitting nestled in Jong-in’s shadow, Not Hae-in’s.

You, however, must have caught on to that.

“Jong-in, can you wait outside for a moment?” You walked up and closed the door before he could answer, your brows together with a hidden scowl. “I know that you need to be close or something to put one of your shadows on people, just like you put Igris on me. What’s your deal? You’re coming off as really combative.”

He threw up his hands in surrender. “I’m not, I just don’t see the point in us all going out in the dark. Hae-in’s capable. We can’t treat her like she’s made of glass and fragile, neither of you are. So, I’ll go and look for her, I'll have my shadows patrolling the city, something will pop up eventually. It’s late and you’re exhausted.”

You yawned as he said that, but shook it off. “No, there’s something else. You always get tense around Jong-in and I just… I can’t tell what you’re thinking. Care to tell me why?”

What could he honestly tell you? That he was growing a type of hatred towards the man like a tumour, every second you were in his presence. Or that he'd thought of many ways to make him disappear or suffer just to put a smile on Jinwoo's face. Sometimes fantasising wasn't enough, and the only reason he hadn't done anything yet was because of you.

If you knew the sort of dark things he kept a lid on, you would leave him in a heart beat.

Yeah, none of those explanations were acceptable.

“Will you let me go do this if I don’t say anything?”

“No.”

Jinwoo whispered, forgetting that Beru still stood there, awaiting the drama so that he could finish his show. “Because he’s in love with you. You just never noticed.”

“Me?!” You matched Jinwoo’s volume, but shouted in a hushed tone to scold him. “He’s not in love with me, are you for real right now?! There’s no evidence to substantiate that, there never was.”

Were you for real?

"It’s there written on his face every time he looks at you, you just don’t see it. He was disappointed that he was never paired with you, he told us that he wanted that but settled for Hae-in.”

Okay, Jong-in never said that, but the only people currently in the room that recalled the conversation that day was Jinwoo, so who was counting?

You wanted to speak and you even stuttered a little, your mouth moving and closing into utter speechlessness. The cogs were turning in your brain, realisation perhaps? If an opportunity presented itself, Jinwoo had to take it. To drive the wedge that had already grown distant between you and Jong-in further than ever. To sever it completely.

“I’m sorry I’m naturally defensive around someone who's in love with my girlfriend.”

“But… Why is he so upset about Hae-in then? It doesn’t make sense- I saw yesterday that she was head over heels for Jong-in now, it was so obvious. Even with the other woman he's paired with. Why would you feel like that? They have literally nothing to do with us."

Jinwoo couldn’t exactly say that he was territorial and growing more and more possessive over you as time went on either. It took everything in his power not to lose himself like did in the beginning with the headquarters staff member.

Okay, Okay... The first guy really was a fluke. But I'd do it again.

He lied when you asked him if he’d kill for you. While it took him by surprise, it was more headway than he thought was possible this side of the pregnancy. You were still independent a lot of the time and owning your own thoughts.

Yet you still asked him.

It was a given that he would kill for you, but what he wanted to say to you, was that he would abstain from killing, which he had done since. It never made his impulsive thoughts easy to deal with, and despite it all, he managed it.

Because it was for you.

“I feel like that, because I’m in love with you. You’re pregnant and we don’t need the extra drama he’s bringing on our doorstep. I’ll go and find her, because it’s Hae-in. And it’s for you. Not for him.”

Was it a dick move to say that? Yes. Did it make him better in his head that you knew part of the truth now? Definitely.

Jinwoo opened the door before you even made a sound. Jong-in still stood there like a petrified deer in headlights. “I’ll go find Hae-in, you go get some sleep. I’ll let you know when I find her.”

The night should have long since been over. Jinwoo should have had you in sprawled in bed all fucked out after one thing leading to another, which it would have done had Jong-in not knocked. Then, Jinwoo would have laid in bed with your head on his chest, entangling his fingers in your hair waiting for the twins to move so he could feel it.

But Jong-in robbed that of him.

“Then I’m coming with you, you aren’t going on your own.”

Before Jinwoo could protest, you left the hall towards the bedroom, Beru still stood behind Jinwoo getting antsy but still remaining silent.

“Beru, go and watch your show.” He ignored the little happy dance Beru did and tried not to pay attention to the almighty thud on the couch.

He’ll trash the apartment at this rate.

Coming back to Jong-in, he didn’t seem to notice anything. But he was getting on Jinwoo’s nerves just standing there, not being his usual self, like he cared. “I’ll come with you-”

“It’s fine. Get some rest.” And he closed the door on him without another word.

When you emerged, you took note of Beru’s position on the sofa and Jong-in's lacking presence. “Where did he go?”

“He went back to his apartment. It’ll be better if I just go- Igris, come out here.”

Igris appeared on cue, wisping out of your shadow and kneeling at Jinwoo’s feet. “Go and find Hae-in, let me know when you do.”

The shadow vanished, Jinwoo took the opportunity to take a glance at the spyhole through the door to await Jong-in’s departure. He was no longer there, whether he did as he was told, or went back out to find Hae-in was another matter Jinwoo did not care to think about.

He just couldn’t stand the man. In the eyes of everyone else, including you, he’d done Jinwoo no harm. Even so, it was the potential to ruin everything that Jinwoo had worked for that turned his stomach at the man who otherwise did absolutely nothing.

“Alright, we’ll go together. But if it gets too much, you’re coming straight home.”

“Jinwoo, I’m pregnant, not unwell. I’m sure I’ll manage.”

There’s that attitude I admire. Shame it's coming at the wrong time. “Alright then.”

By the time Jinwoo grabbed his jacket, you were half way out of the door. He turned to Beru who was still in the same place, eyes peeled to the screen of two characters dancing, or were they fighting? He wasn’t sure, but he called to him like a father ensuring the teenager left in charge wouldn’t burn the apartment down.

“We’re leaving, keep the noise down and come back to me when your show is finished.”

“Yes, Sire!”

Hae-in was probably off somewhere to get some peace and quiet, you made weird comments about the facility from what you had heard. How noisy it was, the lack of privacy due to constant tests that Hae-in mentioned, poking and prodding her with large needles. whether it was entirely true and not an overexageration because of exhaustion and other contributing factors were to be revealed.

However, that could have been you last night had Jinwoo not thought on his feet. Never would he allow you to go anywhere. Never. Never.

By the time the elevator made its way up to the floor, you were already stepping in, anxiously biting at the dead skin on your fingers and tapping your feet like it was making the elevator move faster. “I knew it was a bad idea Jong-in letting her go to that place. She’s all on her own, it must be so lonely. Why didn't he fight for her?”

"Fighting requires effort. It depends how much pressure he's under from the association."

"You fought for me."

Jinwoo snapped his gaze at you, surprised at your forwardness, slipping your hand into his like a real real couple. It nearly made his heart explode. "I did. I always will."

You never let go, but you dropped the deep inhale too were keeping in your chest. "Why did all of this get so fucked up? I mean, from what I've seen of Hae-in, she seemed so calm and steady. running off like this is unlike her, I guess."

Anyone could pull there jerk reactions from a hat under the right circumstances, even docile hearted Jong-in. "What would you do if you were in her position? Where would you go?”

The question caught you off guard, Jinwoo saw it but how you watched him closely, your body closer yet you said nothing at first.

“I would… I’d go to the place I felt most safe if I was feeling lonely.”

“Which is?” He knew already, well, he hoped. Jinwoo wanted to hear it from your lips.

“Home... In the apartment. With you.”

"It's home to me, too.," Jinwoo smiled, he wanted to kiss you, and he almost did, but the pit of his stomach twisted.

It was Igris.

“He found her. That was too quick to have found her- hold on to me, I’ll exchange- I’m sorry, but it’s going to make you sick.”

“It’s fine.” You didn’t need telling twice, vigourously shaking your head like it would dispel the link from your brain to your stomach.

Jinwoo held you close whilst you clung to him, and he switched places with Igris.

What the- This is the association facility.

You let go immediately and heaved, hunching over the nearest trash can. A miniature one in the corner invited you, Jinwoo shook away his astonishment on Jong-in’s part and held your hair back. Moaning into the metal container made it echo, your groans of how unfair things were, something about your mana and that you really weren't ever doing that again.

Jinwoo's attention fell on the walls of the facility, cold and modernised with a blinding white artificial overhead light that barely peeked through the overwhelming stench of rubbing alcohol and bitter antiseptic. The linoleum stuck to Jinwoo's shoes, almost crispy from the overuse of cleaning substances and misused adhesives under the mislaid grey carpet that was just as dull as at the illness posters on the wall.

How the fuck did Jong-in not look in the place Hae-in was living in?

Idiot.

“Let me go! Stop it!” The room at the end of the hall.

It’s where you instinctively ran to, holding yourself and wiping your face with your sleeve as you did so. Jinwoo followed close behind and prevented you from entering into the commotion.

Hae-in laid in bed, restrained to the side bars in wide eyed tears mixed with the perspiration of an athlete across her forehead. She noticed you first before Jinwoo.

Well, this was anticlimactic, she was here all along. 

“You came- you came! You have to get me out, they’re crazy!”

She tugged through gritted teeth, and hissed at the red swelling over her jittery wrists. Hae-in naturally relaxed a fraction in your presence, you rushed over and tried the restraints, noting the padlock on each cuff.

“Holy shit- Jinwoo, help me!”

“You have to get me out of here- I can’t be here anymore. I want to go back to the apartment, help me get back to Jong-in, I don’t want to be here anymore!”

Hae-in thrashed around at Jinwoo’s hesitancy. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to help her, it was because something didn’t sit right. If she was here the entire time, then why did Jong-in come to the apartment looking for her?

To get time with you? No. Jong-in’s had plenty of other opportunities to speak to you about other things and he hasn’t, he’s just picking odd times. There has to be something more to this.

“Jinwoo! Snap out of it and help me!”

Shit. The room stood still for Jinwoo, not for anyone else in the room. He came over and took a look at the locks, an easy break with his bare hands, he managed one with no effort.

“I’d stop that if I were you-”

“Oh, fuck!” You gasped and pawed at your chest, turning and slipping between Jinwoo’s arms. “Doctor, I didn’t see you there.”

She smiled, though it never reached her troubled eyes. “It’s alright, I get that a lot. I didn't mean to scare you.”

The dark pits under her eyes looked right back at Jinwoo, diabolical in nature to make her dishevelled appearance. A running theme tonight. She did her best to adjust her lab coat and smooth down her hair, but undid everything by rolling up her sleeves.

“Stay away the hell away from me!” Hae-in kicked off the bed covers into a slumped pile on the floor and yanked the digging chain on her other wrist.

“Hunter Cha.” The Doctor slipped a clip into her hair, rushing to open the medicine box on the wall. “Please. You need to calm down, this isn’t good for you or your baby.”

You blinked rapidly, they gaze between Hae-in and the medical professional. “What is going on, doctor? She’s hurting, you need to let her go. This isn't good for her.”

“I will, as soon as she calms down- we found her by the river, wet and barely dressed, shivering to death. She’s extremely stressed and her pregnancy has become high risk, she needs strict bed rest or she could end up labouring early- Hunter Cha, you're putting your life at risk, your baby's life, please take a deep breath, your blood pressure is through the roof!"

She was distressed and sweaty, wiping away what perspiration she could from her forehead before preparing a syringe to which Hae-in recoiled at. She was hysterical, pulling at the restraint which could dislocate his arm at any time.

“Hae-in, calm down.” You said. “The doctor’s trying to help you, let her help you. You’ll pop a blood vessel like this!”

“No, no, no, no! Get that away from me- I don’t want it, I want to go back- let me go back!”

“Hae-in!”

The doctor came round to her free arm and tried to catch it swinging for her face. “I’m so sorry, I really am- your health is at risk, you need to listen me and calm down. I really want to help you.”

She snatched her arm at the first chance she got and held it to inject her, Hae-in amped the reaction like the doctor was radioactive.

Jinwoo was curious. Maybe he shouldn’t have asked. “Hae-in, what’s gotten you so upset?”

She was struggling for breath behind her distraught tears and wails. “They want- they want to take my baby away!”

What?

Chapter Text

“I’m taking you home.”

It was the first thing to leave Jinwoo’s lips, he wasn’t sure why at first when his mouth moved before his brain could catch up. But in that split second of realisation, an entire montage of playback footage of his time with you and visuals of the baby scans threw him threw him through one final loop.

“What?” You gawked at him like he had spoken another language you couldn’t understand.

Jinwoo was going to be a father. If Jong-in didn’t care about Hae-in, then that was on him. Not Jinwoo. He was conflicted, fighting to stop himself getting sealed up by the dark storm in his ears, over his eyes, clouding his judgement.

He could not let you stay here.

“Are you serious? We can’t leave her like this-“ You didn’t react to his firm grasp on your arm.

You followed him, but only out of shock, it was there plain as day in your eyes. Jinwoo hadn’t put a hand on you like this and even though it wasn’t aggressive, nor was it hurtful, he was still moving you about when you had no intention of moving.

He’d spend his life making up for it. But with this information and Hae-in’s cries dying down from whatever that doctor gave her, Jinwoo would take you hating him for the rest of your life if it meant you got far away from this place. On a whim, possibly. Without the facts, Jinwoo had to take the information at face value until he could lay out a respectable plan he should have done months ago.

“I’m coming back here, but you are going home.”

“Jinwoo, please don’t leave me here!” H ae-in’s cries fell on deaf ears.

You shook your head with determination and tried to pry his fingers away. “No, I’m not. Let go of me-”

“You’re exhausted, I knew you should have stayed home. Just let me handle this and get some rest.”

“Please, please! Don’t leave me alone here!”

It would have been easier if he could exchange, he had no choice but to walk you home. It wasn’t far, but realistically, how far could he get you before having to carry you out, five months pregnant. Passers-by would think he was some lewd pervert if they didn’t recognise him.

“Jinwoo, I said let go!” You tugged against his grip that never tightened or loosened.

The doctor watched with eyes as wide as a petrified rabbit, she wiped her face and moved towards you as Hae-in was beginning to quieten down. “I really think-“

“I’ll be back, doctor.” He said, eyes dark like pits of tar. “But please, wait up for me. We have some things to talk about.”

He stormed out of the room, you trailed behind him and the little, wailing squeaks from your shoes on the linoleum trying to get some purchase. “Jinwoo, what the hell are you doing?!”

“You can’t be here. Not anymore. I don't want you coming back here, not even after the twins are born. Hae-in might be frantic right now, but her comment has to have some merit.”

Hae-in was a more than capable hunter, her cool persona matched her abilities like suits in a deck of cards, all meticulously laid out in ascending order, similar yet different. Cohesive. Consistent. Nothing like that, not freaked out and unstable.

“Jinwoo-”

He never let you go until you were on public ground unowned by the association. “Please, you can’t be here. You can’t stay.”

“I can’t just leave her. She thinks we just left her and now she has no one on her side!”

“And I can’t lose you because you marched right back in there. I don’t know if what she said is true, but I won’t risk you or our babies, do you understand?!”

A second time he’d raised his voice at you in twenty four hours. Strike two.

Would you forgive him if he explained just how panicked he was on the inside? He couldn’t afford to lose control, and with each passing second, his E-rank status poked at him. Like a beast beneath the glossy surface of a body of water, just waiting for Jinwoo to dip a toe in and break the surface tension. Just a glimpse. A fraction. He didn’t know where it came from, but he did his best to cast it aside. He let his mouth do the talking without really thinking.

“If you don’t leave with me willingly, then I’ll carry you home. That is a promise.” 

Possessiveness, it was what manifested whenever there was a chance you were in danger of being taken away from him, it happened at the announcement, it occurred whenever you were seen talking with Jong-in and whenever the Chairman was around. An emotion he just could not control and was unsure how far it could go.

“You will do no such thing. You’re kidding me, right? She’s clearly unwell and being in there is doing her no favours, we have to get her out of there.”

“No. I am not joking. And I will. You can never go in there again. I will sort this out and get Hae-in home, but you have to promise me that you will not go in there again.”

“But-”

“Promise me. Promise me you won’t go back in there.”

“A-alright…”

“You need to promise it. And if you break it, I’ll know.”

Igris maybe, or Beru. No… Igris. He knows her like the back of his hand by now, understands her movements when I’m not around and when she thinks no one is looking. She’s grown comfortable around him.

You backed away from him, you fucking backed away. Jinwoo wasn’t contagious, why would you back away? “Jinwoo, you’re scaring me.”

Jinwoo blinked away the red film plastered over his eyes, realising what he’d just said. He couldn’t bear the thought of you hating him, he took that rash belief back immediately.

“I’m sorry.” How could he even look at you now? “I’m sorry…”

“Why are- what’s going on?”

“What if… they wanted to make you go in there, if they took our babies? What if what Hae-in said is true? I need to know what's going on. I can’t do that with you in the room, not if there’s a risk to your health.”

Multiple reasons could be a factor, Hae-in’s health for one. Other things less likely were still a possibility.

“I’ll wait out here then. With Igris. Will that make you feel better?” Your tone was gentle, however your folded arms ready to scold him were not.

I’ll take it as a win, anyway.

“Yes, though I’d prefer it if you went home.”

“No. I’ll wait here until you come out, with Hae-in. Then we’ll walk home… It’ll give us time to cool off so we can discuss how you’ll never put your hands on me like that again, do you understand?”

Shit, you had him there. Shit-fucking-shit-holy crap I’m in for it- fucking asshole-dickhead!

“Alright… I-I’m sorry-”

“Save it for later. Go and get Hae-in.”

Jinwoo nodded, calling on Igris and entering back into the facility without as much as a goodbye kiss. He didn’t deserve it.

What a fucking night.

He stomped off the way he came in response to your reaction, his entire body flared up red and embarrassed that he treated you that way. What else could he do? You were stubborn and hardheaded despite your hormones and the emotions attached.

Though that probably made you all the more aggressive when you wanted to be.

When Jinwoo walked back to Hae-in’s room, she was asleep. Well, drugged. The doctor sat across from her in the sickly blue, uncomfy looking seat that was meant for making visitors unsettled and anxious.

She shot up from it as soon as she clocked him. “Mr Sung-”

He stopped her by dismissing her. “Mr Sung, nothing. Tell me what Hae-in meant, that you want to take her baby away… Because from what I remember, Chairman Go backed off from bringing all the babies here as a mandatory thing. What sort of place are you running?”

“I-It’s not like that, I promise. The chairman would never agree to such a thing, especially not after your engagement. He knows you’re raising your own children- but, Miss Cha requested the support. I don’t know much else, only to do with the pregnancies. I'm not sure what she means, but we're only trying to do right by her and the pregnancy. I don’t get told anything other than what I need to know. I’m really sorry, but the association dropped all this on my team at the last minute, we didn’t get a chance to renovate the old hospital before they announced the programme. We’re trying.”

A likely excuse to pass the blame.

“Even if Hae-in wanted the help, she clearly doesn’t now.”

The doctor got in between Jinwoo and the hospital bed. “She’s displaying signs of prenatal depression. She doesn’t know what she wants…” She then looked away, though not in shame. A disheartened look. “She… she was at the river, I think she was going to jump. She’s unstable and if she returns back to headquarters, I’m afraid she’ll end up hurting herself. I don’t think leaving is in her best interest.”

Jinwoo wasn’t bothered by her theatrics, Jong-in could deal with it when he brought Hae-in back and got back into your good books. “Well, what’s not in her best interest was restraining her like an animal, you ever thought about that?”

“There was no other way to calm her. Believe me. She swung for me and took five of our staff out until she was getting Braxton hicks which slowed her enough so we could try and get her somewhere safe. Her mind is making up its own mind and putting all sorts of thoughts into her head. If there was any other way to calm her, I would have done so. We’re trying to contact Mr Choi to let him know we found her, but we’ve been unsuccessful.”

“That’s alright, I’ll just take her to him. You won’t stop me, will you?”

Jinwoo allowed a shadow to emerge from him under the overhead light, allowing his aura to come out and unleash all of the darkness he was harbouring, just to keep you away from his twisted ideals that began to protrude from his mind like tortured spikes.

If she saw the shadow, she never let on. She remained unaffected by Jinwoo’s presence. Does she not have any mana? I can’t sense any aura from her, I can see nothing. I need thought to look before.

The doctor looked around the room to Hae-in. “I can’t, I have a duty of care. You can see her whenever for as long as you’d like, but I cannot allow her to go when she’s in such a state.”

“Nah, I think I’ll take her now. It’s late and she needs proper rest. If we need anything, I’ll call you.”

Jinwoo pushed past her respectfully, crushing each padlock like toothpicks. Hae-in did not stir, her heavy chest sluggishly moving with each breath. Jinwoo scooped her up easier than he imagined. Though closer to seven months pregnant, she was so light, almost weightless despite her dead weight under the influence of a medication Jinwoo didn’t know.

“What did you give her?”

“Just a sedative." She showed the miniature glass vial she drew the needle from. "It was only to calm her, but because she's so exhausted, she's out cold. She’ll wake up soon- please, you should really let her rest here.”

“Get out of my way. I have someone important waiting for me.” Jinwoo was about to push her out of the way, she put up her hands in defense and backed away.

“Okay- Okay… just-” The doctor rummaged through the little lock box on the wall and shoved a pot of pills into his hand. “Just make sure she takes one of these a day, every day, for her blood pressure. It’s high, she needs to bring it down. It’s important that she brings her blood pressure down.”

“Thanks.” Yeah, Jinwoo wasn’t giving Hae-in anything, especially when he couldn’t tell the name of the medication. Jong-in could do that.

She stepped aside and watched on helplessly. “I’ll come by and check on her tomorrow…”

Jinwoo thought of you. "Tell me, what are the symptoms of that depression thing?"

"Oh... um, well, it can show in many ways, but the most common is persistent sadness, irritability, changes in sleep and appetite- sorry..."

Jinwoo's eye twitched when she mentioned you. "Is she okay? Do you want me to see her tomorrow for a check up?"

"No." He wasn't going down that route. Jinwoo was merely curious. "She's just fine. Don't bother."

“Oh, by the way…” Jinwoo stopped by the doorway, keeping his back to her as a sign to assert his dominance she should already be bowing to. “You aren’t to go near my fiancè. Ever. Unless it's an appointment, are we clear? Only with me present, too.”

“What… what do you mean?”

“I don’t trust you or the association by a long shot. And if anything happens to her… Hae-in’s health will be the least of your worries when you wake up in the morning. Do you understand?”

“You can’t be serious-“

“I’m very serious. I've never been more serious, but don’t worry, you aren’t the only one I’m telling so you don’t have to feel so left out… she’s the most important person in the world and no one is getting their hooks in her because I’ll end their world. So I’ll ask again… do you understand? 

“Uh… I understand..”

“Good.” Then he turned, his predatory eyes narrowed in on her. “Because if you or anyone else ever hurt’s her. You’ll live to regret it.”

He moved with a purpose, carrying the tired, pregnant woman right out the doorway. No medical member of staff turned an eye, no one tried stopping him because they all knew Jinwoo couldn’t be stopped.

He thought back to a time when he could have been stopped, very easily. A weak little man with nothing going for him besides pain and injuries that pushed lifetime scars he tried running from right in his face.

None of that mattered now. He could do what he wanted, when he wanted. 

No one could stop him.

It’s why it was so difficult holding back most of the time. Like right now seeing Jong-in outside the facility speaking with you. Jinwoo’s grip tightened around Hae-in at the sight of the bastard's hand on your shoulder, a sickly sweet smile to match. Hae-in squeaked when his grasp grew intense.

"Shit. Sorry about that, Hae-in… What the hell is Jong-in doing here? That backhanded shit isn't cool." He eased off and approached them, hoping to catch the tail end of the conversation before either saw him.

“Hey.” You said, rubbing your arms in the sudden breeze that whipped through the street. “I called Jong-in to come and get Hae-in so we can go to sleep. You’re right, I’m exhausted.”

Were you doing this to punish Jinwoo for what he did? If it was, it worked exceptionally well. 

Jinwoo didn’t ignore you, but moved past you to hand off the sleeping Hae-in to Jong-in. “Her blood pressure is high, research these pills and make sure they’re legitimate before giving them to her. The doctor will come and see her in the morning.”

“What happened to her? I’ve been worried sick.”

The compulsion to believe Jong-in wasn’t enough to settle him. “They found her by the river, she’ll wake up in an hour. Get her somewhere warm, she really wanted to see you.”

Jong-in held Hae-in close, nuzzling his nose into her hair. “I messed up bad . I didn’t want to do this a second time round… I was happy just doing this with Hae-in.”

Yet he still did it. Jinwoo had no sympathy.

He focused all his attention on your wide doe eyes, full of something he didn’t want to see again. Hurt. “Let’s get you some rest, want me to carry you home?”

“What about them?”

“We’ll be fine, I think we’ll be okay.” Jong-in turned away, heading back towards headquarters, slowly but surely.

Talk about a dramatic exit.

“Do you want me to carry you home?”

“No.” You started walking back without waiting. "I think we should talk about some things, don’t you?”

It was coming up for eleven o’clock, the nighttime sky darker than Jinwoo’s temper, his patience. It looked over his head as though judging him, waiting on him to fuck up again so it could lock its teeth around his neck.

“Yeah. We should.”

“What happened in there Jinwoo?”

What did happen? It became more of a blur with each step away from that facility. His intrusive thoughts were winning though holding them back for as long as he had, the doctor’s presence eluded him.

“I placed a shadow on the doctor... She’s in my crosshairs now, so let’s see what she’s up to when things cool down.”

Chapter Text

“How could he not have known she was in there?”

Jong-in was a fucking idiot.

“He was embarrassed when he got here.” You defended him. “He said he looked here already, three times and called, then he saw all the missed calls from his phone. Just the wrong place, wrong time.”

Were you still punishing Jinwoo for the way he behaved? Sure he did something he never should have done to you, but you were incredibly forgiving of Jong-in's behaviour. And that was fucked up.

“I guess… but if it were me, I would have found you immediately.”

You nodded, rubbing your arms for warmth over your little jacket. “I know that, but Jong-in isn’t you, he doesn’t have your resources. I wouldn’t give him too much of a hard time. Hae-in’s back with him, and safe. That’s all that matters right now. But what I’m concerned about is what’s going on in that place. That’s what we should be thinking about.”

Jinwoo slipped his jacket off to settle over your shoulders, he listened out for your quiet ‘thank you’. He was suspicious of why you had changed your tune so suddenly. You were worried about getting Hae-in out, yes. But the overall subject came across as moot from you, Jinwoo couldn’t understand it.

As much as he was happy you didn’t cause issues, he was expecting more of a fight or disruption. Had your will and independence melted into the pavement in the ten minutes he was gone? Or perhaps Jong-in said something to you while Jinwoo was away?

Jinwoo could just imagine a big, grand gesture at your feet, Jong-in only coming because you called him and had nothing to do with Hae-in. No… you weren’t dense to it, even if you were oblivious to the way Jong-in felt towards you. After everything you said to him in the apartment, you wouldn’t bend to outside influences so easily.

“What do you think is going on?” Jinwoo took your hand like a lifeline.

“I-I don’t know…” You said. “The whole thing is odd, hearing her so frantic, so sure that this is what’s going on. I don’t know what to believe. What did the doctor say?”

“She was pretty sure that Hae-in wanted to hurt herself. That’s the gist of it anyway.”

“Fucking hell… You don’t think she would have, right?” Was that all you would say on the matter?

“To be honest, I’m not sure.” Jinwoo decided to take a different approach “She was really distressed. It was a bit strange though, right? I’ve never seen Hae-in like that.”

“I know, it’s taken a moment to process it, I just wanted her out of there. After having time to think about it, I definitely won’t be going back inside that place… sorry I freaked out.”

“It’s alright, just take a step back and remember that you’re pregnant. You can’t go stressing yourself like that.”

Something wasn’t right.

“I know. I wasn’t thinking… it’s just seeing her like that- I want to blame baby brain, but I can’t, can I?”

What the hell was going on with you? “You’re incredibly blase about this.”

You slowed for a second, wide eyed in his jacket where the cuffs dangled past your fingers. “I’m not-“

“You are. If anything that Hae-in said was true, we have a bigger problem on our hands. Our babies could be at risk and you’re acting like we just went out for coffee or something, what’s wrong?”

“No, Jinwoo, it’s not like that. Please don't-“

“Then what is it?”

“If I think about what she said, and it turns out to be true, I can’t bear it!” You halted in the middle of the pathway, ripping your hand from his in a fit of defiance. “I’ve been trying to wrap my head around this while also trying to be strong for Hae-in, then you yank me out of there and make what is already a terrifying thought closer to reality! I’m terrified already, Jinwoo, I don’t need another thing on my plate right now…” You sniffled into his jacket in an attempt to hide yourself. “As soon as I heard those words, my heart broke, but if I’m supposed to become a mom, then how can I panic in front of the babies? They feel everything I do, I can’t hide any of it!”

The mana spike coming from you pulsed the strongest it had ever done thus far in the pregnancy. Still, Jinwoo challenged you. He wanted answers.

“So you’d rather ignore it?” In hindsight, it was a dick move stressing you out just to get answers.

“No! I just need to deal with it in my own way. I- just forget about it, you wouldn’t understand.”

“Wait.” Jinwoo grabbed your wrist to stop you leaving, you didn’t resist much. “Then help me to understand, because we can’t be falling apart right now. Baby please, not after all this tonight. We’re on our own and we shouldn’t be at each other's throats. The association’s left us to our own devices so we have to decide how to move forward.”

“I feel guilty. Okay? I feel guilty that I even entertained the idea of going in there. I put my trust in the institution that’s accepted us for who we are and our abilities, and they’re up to something shady. Something we can't see.”

Your eyes were wet, tearfully dripping down your shirt, you rubbed your belly like any mother-to-be would. “What if that were me in that bed and I went there willingly just like Hae-in did? What if they really want to take her baby? What if I’m next? Or there’s the next harsh possibility that Hae-in is sick and she’s seeing things. Thinking dangerous things. Is that why she’s saying they want to take her baby away? I don’t know. And it’s killing me.”

“You shouldn’t feel guilty, it’s not your fault.”

“So why can’t I stop feeling guilt? Why am I trying to ignore everything I saw in there so that I might feel a little better? I’m a terrible person… A terrible person who just wants to be with you, and I wouldn’t be surprised if one day I pulled something like this and you left me-“

“I wouldn’t do that.” Jinwoo did not let go in fear you’d run away from him and he’d never catch back up. You were making leaps and bounds properly in his direction and admitting what he wanted to hear for the first time. “We’ve been through this already. Don’t say things like that. I’ll never leave you… And you’ll never be in Hae-in’s position because I’d burn the whole association down before that happened.”

Should he say it?

“I’d kill before that happened.”

Shaking your head never swayed him, you wiped away the wet from your face with the jacket sleeve. “One day you might think differently, and that thought terrifies me if I think about it.”

“I won’t- why are you thinking like that?”

Where were you going with this? Why did it sound like a break up? Jinwoo wouldn’t allow that, he couldn’t. But as he stood there watching you, his heart pushed his brain to assume the worst with something he couldn't control, even as the S-Rank he was.

“The last twenty four hours have been ridiculous. And with each second that passes, I can’t get it out of my head that we’re getting married at some point… and when I think of that, it comes over me like ocean waves, but the tide’s coming in now.”

“What does that mean?” 

This is it, she’s done with me. It’s how this goes, right?

“It means that I’m evolving, Jinwoo.” That could mean you were finished with him. “And it’s getting to the point that I can’t think of my future where you’re not in it. God, this is crazy! My head is all over the place, but if I did things all over again, I’m convincing myself that I’d do all of this again and I can’t put a reason to it.”

“So… you’re not breaking up with me.”

“What?! No!” You pulled him into an embrace as close as you could and the babies mana fluctuations ceased. “Why would you think that?”

“I just- look, I think we tackled this wrong.”

“I wouldn’t break up with you over this.” Your eyes were glossy as though they’d tear up again at the next word. “Things are happening so fast and my emotions and feelings are constantly changing… if anything, tonight has shown me just how far you’re willing to go and how much you care for me.”

Jinwoo exhaled one long breath, nuzzling his face into the crook of your neck. “I care more than you know. Fuck- I’m so sorry for what I did, I just needed you out of there as soon as possible in case things got bad. I know I left Hae-in on her own, but here’s the ugly truth.”

He prepared to get hit in the face by the way the night had gone, but who was keeping score now?

“You are more important to me. If I had to choose between you and Hae-in, I’d choose you everytime. Everything comes as a second thought when you’re involved. That’s how much you mean to me. I didn’t forget about Hae-in, but your safety is paramount. Our babies safety is crucial.”

When it came to silence, Jinwoo just kept talking.

“I’m so sorry I shouted, and I wish I could take back how I handled the situation. I didn’t mean to hurt you, or put my hands on you. I just didn’t know what to do, and I went into autopilot.”

You did not slap him, nor shout, just gave him those beautiful doe eyes he loved so much. “Look, if it were any other situation, I would have been pretty turned on with you pulling me about like that, but please don’t do it again… That being said, I’m sorry I just buried my head in the sand and tried to deal with it on my own…”

“Baby, don’t apologise-”

“The truth is, Jinwoo… I’m really not okay. I haven’t been for a while and I think tonight just tipped me over the edge so that I shut down instead of opening up to you.” You looked down the street away from his gaze and anywhere else that wasn’t on him. “The thought of something like tonight happening to me is too real and I’m terrified all over again, it’s one vicious cycle and I don’t know how to tackle it.”

“Then we do it together. I won’t know unless you tell me everything… You can trust me, I hope you know that- like really know that.”

If you came to Jinwoo tonight after having killed someone, he’d take care of the body himself without so much as an acknowledgement that you’d even done anything illegal.

“I do... My emotions and thoughts are all over the place at the best of times. I know I shouldn’t wish it away, but I really can’t wait until I’m not pregnant anymore and the twins are here. I want to feel like me again. And with all this on top, I want- seriously, I don’t know what to think.”

Jinwoo rubbed your baby bump, secretly hoping that those S-Rank babies were good at telepathy or something, sending messages to them to try and not go so hard on their mom and calm down on the whole mana absorption thing. 

Nothing changed.

Okay, so the babies aren’t telepathic, noted.

“Anyway… enough about all that. What are we going to do about Hae-in and Jong-in?” You linked your hand with his and continued walking back home.

As far as Jinwoo was concerned, Jong-in could kick rocks for all he cared. And Hae-in? Well, she wasn’t Jinwoo’s priority either. But now, Jong-in had a reason not to be around you with Hae-in being the way she was. While too dark to admit out loud, Jinwoo understood that this couldn’t have gone any better for him.

Jong-in was distracted, the association had knelt to Jinwoo due to the engagement, the association doctor backed off pretty quickly and seemed to understand that his threats left nothing to ambiguity.

And lastly, he was going to marry you and keep you close. At last.

Even so, he couldn’t expressly state that to you, could he?

“I think we play it as it goes, the long game. We keep our ears to the ground and wait to see if we pick anything up. We’re halfway there and you need plenty of rest to grow our babies. So let me deal with it, yeah? I don’t want you worrying anymore, I’ll handle everything.”

“That’s a lot on your shoulders, Jinwoo.”

“Let me worry about that, just focus on yourself and stay stress free. I have a feeling that it’ll all work itself out if we let it.”

“How do we do that?”

The only thing he really could do. Sit and wait.

Jinwoo would investigate wit ha hard head if he didn’t have you and the twins to think about. If he went to far too soon, you’d see his darker side for what it was, and you’d run away from him. If he sat back too much, the association would go unchecked like a festering sore.

Things would be so much easier if I just wiped them all away out of existence.

Jinwoo had no choice but to stick with the not-so-happy median. “If there really is something shady going on, then we let the association hang themselves with their own betrayal.”

And then Jinwoo would burn them all.

“And what if it’s all a misunderstanding?”

“Then it’ll all calm down once Hae-in is settled and Jong-in takes control of his end of things.” 

Or just gets his head out of his ass and quits talking to my fiancé, full stop.

“And that doctor in the meantime? I still have to go to my appointments. And then there’s labour and everything else- oh my god… this is a shit show.”

“Don’t worry about that, I’ll deal with her. Something tells me that she won’t be an issue now. I attached a shadow to her just in case. But… it’s odd, I’m not getting anything from it, like the shadow keeps getting lost. Yet she has no mana, and I couldn't see any aura… It’s something to take into account, I’ll keep an eye on it.”

If she became an issue, Jinwoo would burn her eyes right out of the sockets.

“Really? That is odd.”

“Don’t overthink it, baby.”

“Ugh… I still can’t get over how weird this night has been. The twins are kicking like crazy, it’s making my stomach flutter.”

Jinwoo smiled, shoving away the dark stuff for just a moment. “See? They’re trying to tell you to take a deep breath and-”

Your stomach rumbled.

“No wait, I think I’m just hungry.” 

“Yeah, I think you are.”

“These cravings will be the death of me.”

And then you laughed, more like cackled in the street after the long night now behind you. Jinwoo couldn’t stifle his amusement either, his shoulders bouncing at the little slice of life amidst the darkness.

The darkness he’d make even darker if the association tried to test him further.

Chapter Text

Yandere! Dad to be!Jinwoo doesn’t settle in completely, he watches the doctor during your other scans and takes note of anything out of the ordinary. Since their talk, nothing appears to be out of place. Good. Still, he can’t afford to be complacent, though Hae-in is better now she’s home with Jong-in and the other hunter he knocked up has moved back with her mother. Jong-in is far too busy with Hae-in to notice you, which is exactly how it should be.

Yandere! Dad to be!Jinwoo secretly keeps track of the size of the twins on his phone, counting day by day as your baby bump gets bigger and more pronounced. At twenty four weeks currently, they are the size of an eggplant. They respond to your and Jinwoo’s voices when you talk to each other and even more so when you sing in the kitchen when making dinner.

Yandere! Dad to be!Jinwoo can’t help but place his hand on your stomach whenever the babies kick, it’s become second nature to him now, placing his hand there as some sort of comfort. Much to your dismay at first when your belly grows bigger, feeling self conscious, you’ve grown to let him rub your belly as though getting as close to the babies as possible.

Yandere! Dad to be!Jinwoo grows more and more attracted to you each day, he encourages you to wear more fitting clothes plus those gorgeous summer dresses. Seeing your baby bump makes his heart swell with joy, you shouldn’t hide it. He wants you to be proud of the two little people you’re growing inside you. 

Yandere! Dad to be!Jinwoo knows body is adjusting perfectly and just like he predicted, your breasts have started to swell and engorge to the point you cannot wear the bras you once did. These new bras are only there to aid your comfort when Yandere! Dad to be!Jinwoo isn’t taking them off to push his face in between them. He is a breast man for sure, but something stirs inside him to experience how they react to his touch when full of milk. Curious. 

Yandere! Dad to be!Jinwoo loves how the pregnancy hormones have made you constantly horny, like pouncing on him whenever you can just to get his fingers inside you. It excites him, hearing you mewl his name in his ear at the wet sounds of Yandere! Dad to be!Jinwoo fingering you until you squirt all over his hand. All over his lap, you’re straddled over him on the sofa while quite smooth music plays in the background to relax you as per the doctor’s orders.

Plenty of sex, just cautiously. You need Yandere! Dad to be!Jinwoo more than ever now, as the babies continue to grow and send your body into a slew of challenges. One challenge being the how big the babies are getting. Just to aid in your comfort, Yandere! Dad to be!Jinwoo sits behind you and holds your belly to keep the pressure off of your back after a day on your feet. He kisses your neck and sucks the skin on top of your spine at your relief. The twins kick about and press their feet against your tummy to get comfy.

Either that, or they're telling Yandere! Dad to be!Jinwoo to get the hell off so that they can rule the roost before coming into the world and crying the place down with double trouble.

Another challenge is Yandere! Dad to be!Jinwoo has taken notice of is your constant need to be near him, holding hands and resting your head gently on his shoulder when watching a movie. You have your moments when you reach for his hand to feel the babies move and kick, though still reserved in your decision after the birth. You’re terrified, but Yandere! Dad to be!Jinwoo aims to change that and has plans put in place to secure the family he’s been dreaming of.

Yandere! Dad to be!Jinwoo keeps an updated ultrasound of his babies in his wallet and kisses their picture before every dungeon raid. He also keeps a candid photo of you heavily pregnant as you reach thirty weeks, you have no idea about it which he looks at from time to time when he leaves the apartment. The babies are the size of a large cabbage and makes sucking faces on the 3d scan and reach for each other constantly.

Yandere! Dad to be!Jinwoo keeps searching for the right gift to give his children despite knowing it best to wait and see them, but even though they continue to grow strong, nothing seems right when he holds loot up to inspect it after a dungeon. 

It has to be perfect, just like you. Only the best for his little family.

Yandere! Dad to be!Jinwoo thinks of you all the time. When is the next time he can see you? He beats S-Rank dungeons all by himself to level up, but also to finish as soon as possible just to get back to you. The babies have drained your mana completely, you can’t even see the shadows anymore, being unable to use your abilities and do much of anything causes you to be frustrated. Beru is almost inconsolable that he can’t watch his show with you, but sits on the sofa next to you anyway just to feel involved.

Yandere! Dad to be!Jinwoo loves you when you’re sexually frustrated, more so than the hormones just making you horny. You’re on him in a flash as soon as he enters through the front door, pulling his shirt close to kiss him and whispering sweet everythings into his ear. His relationship with you is developing exactly how he likes, you say yes to his little demands and positions he wants to put you in. You’re his. If you weren’t pregnant, you’d let him fuck you in the hallway right beside the front door until he had you begging him to stop out of oversensitivity.

Yandere! Dad to be!Jinwoo hides his excitement when you’re riding his cock one day, your breasts more swollen than ever. He massages your breasts and your nipples start to leak and sprayed on his face and lips. You tried to hide your chest with embarrassment, trying to pull yourself off of him mid thrist though when Yandere! Dad to be!Jinwoo licks his lips and gets a taste of your milk, it awakens something inside him, something that gets his cock harder than ever. He wants to taste you properly.

You pull away again with distrust, still hiding away and fighting against his reassuring grip to let your breasts hang as they do. He tells you that it’s okay, that he loves your swollen breasts just as much as your swollen belly. Your breasts are beautiful, stunning and deserve to sit in Jinwoo’s mouth where they belong.

It’s not long before you allow Yandere! Dad to be!Jinwoo to push your leaking nipple past his lips, and suck from them to ease the pain of full milk. You’re producing enough for two babies, it’s only logical that he helps you, guides you and supports you in your journey of motherhood. After all, it’s his duty to do anything and everything he can to make you comfortable.

Yandere! Dad to be!Jinwoo loves you, he thinks about marrying you all the time. He wants to push the prospect of the wedding forward and do it now instead of after the twins are born if it wasn’t so stressful for you. Soon enough, you’ll have his children in your arms and then, he will take care of all the little details to push the wedding forward.

Yandere! Dad to be!Jinwoo hasn’t forgotten about Jong-in, though while he has remained silent and out of the picture for most of your pregnancy now, he has been cleared and encouraged to get yet another Hunter pregnant. As per Chairman Go’s wishes. Jong-in’s expression has fallen lower in recent days despite how much of a mask he puts on for the public.

Yandere! Dad to be!Jinwoo keeps anything to do with Jong-in to a minimum and controls the way the conversation goes, it can evolve into a disagreement sometimes when he takes you home, but it nearly always ends in fantastic pregnancy sex.

You heart aches for what Jong-in is going through and the duties that have been forced on him and that drives Yandere! Dad to be!Jinwoo insane. You shouldn’t be thinking about another man when he’s the man you let fuck you, he’s the man who you let suck your tits dry to make you more comfortable, he’s the man you got you pregnant in the first place. You’re carrying his two children, his babies, you shouldn’t be thinking of Jong-in at all.

So, Yandere! Dad to be!Jinwoo changes the subject and gets your mind on Hae-in, who too has remained very much out of the way in recent months, silent in her own little bubble and has soon stopped ranting about the association and the facility. You worry for her, there are opportunities to visit her and you take them when you can though Jinwoo is keeping you busy for your own peace of mind. Your due date is closely tied with Hae-in’s despite the month difference. Twins never carry to full term.

Yandere! Dad to be!Jinwoo wants to knock you up all over again just so that this journey never ends. But he respects you too much to put you through more stress than you already are going through.

Yandere! Dad to be!Jinwoo loves you. 

He loves you.

He loves you.

Chapter Text

“Look at you, you’re pathetic.”

“You’ll never succeed in this.”

“Being S-Rank doesn’t mean you aren’t a poor excuse for a father.”

Jinwoo’s nightmares often went this way, doubling down on all the hard work he’d put in to keep you and the twins safe. But it was his inner saboteur that doubted him. His weak little E-Rank body before the system graced his life, his trembling form at his feet before he utilised the system to make his body what it was.

“You’re still not good enough to keep her safe. I see it in her eyes, she doubts you.”

“She’ll fall for Hunter Choi eventually, if she hasn’t already.”

“You aren’t good enough to protect her, or your children.”

The degrading comments were soon beginning to stick, soon praying on Jinwoo’s conscience that he was starting to believe it the nearer you got to your due date. Thirty five weeks, at least one more to go.

Jinwoo hoped it would get better once they arrived, so that he could get a solid night's sleep. If not, he was sure to go out of his mind and make his own self fulfilling prophecy. After the first few nightmares, he actually quizzed his own mother about it rather than you to avoid further stress. Not directly to her, but as a series of hypothetical scenarios until she gave him an answer he could use.

They’re not real was one of the common responses, as though she knew who he was referring to yet never outright confirmed it. They were introduced because of the looming world of change being fatherhood, baby brain, the fact that there would be two little people that needed constant attention, food and love to keep alive.

She always supported it, never judged it. ‘People often forget about the fathers when mom is having the baby, but dads go through a lot of things too, silently.’ Then, his mom would encourage him to speak to you if he was ever feeling that way.

But, she had to know he was experiencing already, right?

Jinwoo still hadn’t spoken to you about his nightmares, he just didn’t see the point, it wasn’t like you could take the darkness away from him, or change them in any capacity. You were growing his children inside of you, that took enough energy as it is.

What if it’s the babies doing this?

Jinwoo laid awake in bed, awoken from another nightmare staring at the clock coming up for five o’clock in the morning. He blindly placed his hand out before looking, resting his hand on your belly as you laid the other way. The doctor had expressly stated you sleep on your left side for the rest of the pregnancy, and Jinwoo being the way he was, never allowed you to sleep on the right side of the bed to face him because that side was closest to the door.

The closest side if anyone broke in and came into the bedroom.

So, for weeks, you were facing away from him. Maybe he was just lonely? But he was consumed too. Time swept by him, leading up to a moment he had been looking forward to sharing with you, and all of a sudden it was potentially a week away.

Jinwoo listened out and paid attention to the babies mana that had completely consumed yours, you were practically invisible now, Igris was having a hard time keeping track of your shadow. Perhaps that was why Jinwoo was getting anxious? Time was creeping up on the two of you and and without Jinwoo at your side twenty-four-seven, there was always the risk of danger if Igris couldn’t see you with his own eyes.

Even Beru had stepped up for promotion to second guardian, relying solely on the mana from the twins to keep track of you. A heartwarming sentiment that he was growing attached to them, painfully formal, and joined with Igris in treating you the way they did. Kneeling, copious amounts of respect and servitude. Jinwoo should have been ecstatic, but something wasn’t sitting right with him.

He just couldn’t place it.

The twins seemed to sleep when you slept now, having their own sleep cycles and were currently the size of a honeydew melon. 

Two honeydew melons inside her belly… How is there any room?

Well, there was, barely. And right now, the twins were sleeping, their mana was nothing to shake a stick at, but it was as level and monotonous as it could be, that’s how he knew they were sleeping. Both of them.

As time went on, their aura separated completely, taking on their own characteristics from each other. Jinwoo rolled over and got as close as he could to you, reaching over the pregnancy pillow and nuzzling his face into your hair, the silent room almost deafening over your little, relaxed snores.

What would his children turn out to be? The types to help people, go out of their way for others, or maybe the kind to do everything in life with a smile? Jinwoo didn’t want to think it could be the other side of the scales. The kind of people that became arrogant or looked down at the weak because of their S-Rank status from gestation.

What if they turn out like me?

A murder. No. A hunter who became absorbed in obsession and struggled to hide it like he did. A burden, an anxiety-inducing lifeline that held on to nothing. The babies would have to struggle to swim on their own if they turned out like Jinwoo. They couldn’t turn out like Jinwoo, he prayed everyday to whatever higher being would listen to him, that they would have to take after you, in personality and temperament. 

Everything Jinwoo did was for his family, that's all. He didn't want to be like this, but he just couldn't fight the compulsion.

If they didn't take after you, how on earth would you even be able to control them on your own, even with your abilities? If your mana never returned, you’d have no chance in caring for S-Rank children by yourself. Jinwoo could stop them, sure. Even so, what would happen to providing for his family if he couldn’t leave the house in fear of it burning down, or them accidentally harming you?

I can't leave everything down to Beru and Igris. I didn’t think this one through, did I? God, I’m an ass.

He’d need to stop fighting. Disappearing for hours and potentially days at the presence of a red gate. What could Jinwoo do to ensure he’d be around most of the time, at least?

Growing pains. Of course it would take time to fall into a suitable routine, nothing came to mind in his big and stupid head, but what did was his business with Jin-ho.

He’d been putting it off since the first time you caught his eye, he should have put together his guild over a year ago and he hadn’t gained any motivation or momentum to do it. Jin-ho had called him several times, well more than several times, wanting to discuss it and go over the finer details. Chairman Go gave Jinwoo the go ahead right after Jeju island and he’d done nothing with it.

Originally he wanted to fight, but as times changed, maybe a desk job wouldn’t be so bad? It worked out for Jong-in most of the time, only venturing out for higher rank gates, Jinwoo could do that too if he really wanted to.

He didn’t. He wanted to keep leveling up and gaining more experience. The whole process could take ten times as long sitting behind a desk most days.

She’d be safe though. It’s a no brainer, really. This is all based off of her not gaining her mana back. If she does, then things might change.

No finding that out until you gave birth.

Jinwoo rolled on to his back and huffed out of perplexion, nowhere to go backward or forwards until the future became present. He laid there watching the ceiling until the alarm went off in the bedroom, Seven O’clock.

You stirred, automatically yawning and stretching in the confines of the pregnancy pillow. “Ten more minutes…”

“Sleep in, baby.” Jinwoo said, leaning over to kiss your cheek, pulling some of the hair away from your face. “I have a raid today, I’ll be back later tonight.”

An B-Rank dungeon, easy as anything. The pay off was huge, apparently.

“Mhm… I remember.” Still half asleep. “I’ll cook your favourite….”

“Thank you, I’d love that. Take it easy though.” Another quick kiss and he was out of bed, getting dressed and out into the hallway to put his shoes on.

“Igris, Beru, watch closely today. I could be a while, but I’ll be going as fast as I can. Keep her in the apartment, watch the perimeter. Nothing gets past either of you.”

“Yes, sire.” Beru saluted instead of bowed.

“Where did you learn that from?” Jinwoo looked puzzled, eyes confused of the tall ant perform a military pose.

“Uh… my show.”

“Huh… well, I’m leaving now. Don’t trash the apartment, Igris is in charge.” 

“Yes, my Lord!”

The B-Rank gate appeared two days ago, three reconnoissance teams had gone in and half of the hunters came back, the same number every time.

“This better not be a double dungeon. I could really do without that today… on the plus side, it’s not a red gate. But still- now I have to bring people back. It makes this so much more complicated.” Jinwoo rubbed his neck and hugged, seeing the distraught teams come back and say nothing about it.

It was like they were suffering from traumatic stress but didn’t know why. They told anyone who would listen, not step foot inside that gate in fear of what existed on the other side yet could not explain what it was.

“Don’t go in there!” A hunter who had lost an arm waved at Jinwoo, tearful and bloody.

He ignored him, casually answering his phone instead. “Hey, Jin-ah. Everything okay?”

“Hey! Yeah everything is cool, are you still coming over for dinner tomorrow? Mom's going grocery shopping and wanted me to check.”

One last family dinner before the family expanded by two.

“Yeah, we’ll be there. Look, I’ll call you later, I’m about to head to a dungeon. Ask mom if she wants us to bring anything to the house.”

“Okay, be safe as always!…” Jin-ah paused briefly. “Uh, mom did say she wanted some of those buns from that bakery, ooh could you pick me one up too? Thanks!”

Jinwoo could barely contain his amused snort over the line. “So what you’re saying is bring you two buns, is that it? Jin-ah you have your own money, get your own.”

“What?! It’s not everyday someone’s brother is an S-Rank hunter, you can afford it big brother, I expect two buns tomorrow, bye!”

“Get them your- okay, she hung up.” Jinwoo put his phone away and kept his hands in his pockets, wandering over to the gates entrance where Jin-chul was inspecting it.

“Hunter Sung, you’re here.”

“I am, I have the Chairman’s permission to go in alone so assume?”

It was pretty much expected by now that the Chairman allowed Jinwoo to operate alone. Bigger loot, and it allowed the mining team to clear up without incident. Limited casualties and drove Jinwoo’s pay day up to crazy level money.

Taking a look at Jinwoo’s bank account, it was more than enough to live comfortably while ensuring his mom and Jin-ah were comfortable too. 

I think I’ll move us out of the association's back pocket after the twins get here.

“You are correct.” Jin-chul nodded, “You are free to enter when you are ready. Though do so with caution, we haven’t been able to get any credible information on what lies in wait, everyone here is exhibiting signs of short-term memory loss.”

“Ahh! Get it away from me!” A hunter panicked on the floor, crawling away from an insect, a spider.

“So they’re afraid of a little spider too?” 

This is going to be a piece of cake.

“See ya later then.”

Jinwoo stepped through completely unbothered, his hand deep into his pocket for his wallet. A picture of you and the twins sonogram.

“I’ll be back later.” His voice echoed down the long tunnel, silence screaming back at him. “Be safe.”

He kissed the pictures, now already creased in the corners and slightly crumpled with each pull from his wallet.

“Okay then… time to kick the dungeon bosses ass and go home to my future wife.” He liked the sound of that. “My wife… yeah, that sounds perfect.”

By the time Jinwoo reached deeper into the tunnel, it stretched for at least two miles and not one magical beast in sight. Odd. Even the door to the dungeon boss was open right at the end of the tunnel, the miniature glowing torches just visible and flickering into the poisonous abyss beyond it. When Jinwoo reached it, he stepped inside without caution, without bothering to even acknowledge its boundaries.

“Huh?” The only reason he looked up, was because of the little muffled whimper he noticed.

Pods, or cocoons of white material, string or rope? Cocoons wriggling on the wall with an arm hanging out, or a leg, a trapped section of hair or clothing either side of a larger pit in the wall.

Are those cobwebs?

Jesus christ, not again.

Now, Jinwoo knew why that hunter panicked from that little eight legged thing on the ground. It look eerily familiar to the eight legged monster coming out of that wall. It was a spitting image to the last one Jinwoo fought all that time ago, however it was three times the size.

At least Jin-ho isn’t here, he would have hated this.

Chapter Text

“Ugh… Why’d it have to be something so gross?”

Jinwoo noted the spider's aura fluctuating like smog, smoke, a misty boundary beyond the lower rank hunters' perception. It was probably why half of the hunters were trapped inside.

Curious though. The same amount of hunters taken from each group, each stuck on the wall in a pattern mirroring the other like a shrine, a place of worship, like the spider was some sort of god. There were other treasures and mana crystals in piles like they were offerings from other magical beasts, perhaps to keep it from killing them.

That would be a first.

The first thing Jinwoo thought of coming face to face with something so deadly to civilians was you. If that thing managed a dungeon break and got out, you’d be at risk.

The system shot up in Jinwoo’s periphery. 

Weaver of fate

Geodaehan Geoumi

“You’re bigger than a ‘giant spider’ you’re huge!” Jinwoo scratched his head and studied the amber writing above its head. “At least I won’t have to work too hard. I wanted to get some insane experience from this at least… But I’m taking all that home.”

The treasure in piles, collected in the corners by what Jinwoo presumed was its nest.

Despite being an easier dungeon boss for Jinwoo than some he’d faced already, this wasn’t some C or B-Rank magical beast either. It must have been an upper A-rank. Why was an upper A-Rank doing in a dungeon like this? As far as Jinwoo knew, it wasn’t even an insect dungeon.

“So you’re bigger than the last guy- woah, you’re more colourful than the last one too.” The spider emerged from the pit it dug, cobwebs tugging on its abdomen and catching on the hairs of its legs. “Think you’re pretty cool, huh? Well, I’ll tell you one thing, I don’t know why you’ve kept people alive to make this messed up shrine of yours, but you’re no god…”

Jinwoo summoned his shadows, Iron and Tusk thumped behind him, awaiting their orders just like the others. However, at the sight of his shadows, a dungeon boss would usually charge or react in some way that initiated the battle, defending itself from a threat. Yet the spider did no such thing, it continued stalking its way out of the tunnel and waited there, glaring back at Jinwoo and his shadows with its eight, putrid looking red eyes.

“Are you gonna move, or?” Still nothing. “Look, I get it, my shadow army can be quite overwhelming, but this is ridiculous. Hello?!” He haved his arm in the air arrogantly, huffing and preparing himself just to take it out by himself if it was stuck there. 

Idiot.

“Mmphh! Mmpph!” Jinwoo waited and listened out for the struggle. One of the cocooned hunters.

Jinwoo called back. “I’ll get you out after I kill the giant thinks-he’s-god spider! Just hold in there.”

“Atc out fo, mphmm!”

“Yeah… I can totally understand that.” Jinwoo disregarded them and pushed off to close the distance.

“Wait- hel- you hav-”

“What now?”

Everything stopped, the spider did not move, stuck in suspended animation. One of the cocoons moved, wriggling like a distressed maggot. One on the far right, dangling against broken, moss covered stock bricks, clinging to a desperation Jinwoo just didn’t have.

A person emerged from it, their face poking out enough to speak. “Watch out for its poison!”

Jinwoo glared at the spider, noticing the purple smoke emanating from its abdomen. “Oh, so you’re a poison boy too? Want to test that theory, buddy?”

“You’ll forget!”

Jinwoo smiled, put his dagger into his hand and commanded  “Let’s make this quick… Iron, you know what to do.”

Iron bounded forward and shouted at it, hoping to pull the spider into a frenzied attack, that way, Jinwoo could see how it moved, how it defended itself. Yet it didn’t. Again, it never moved, just released the poison that was beginning to fill the room like a smoke screen.

Maybe this is how it hunts? It doesn’t have to move, it just poisons people. It could be why half the teams made it out.

“Try using your poison on me then-”

Jinwoo stopped, mouth open and watched Iron sprint towards the spider, a feral wolf growling and snarling at it. Iron was pissed off because the spider ignored his battle cries. Fucking hell.

“Iron- Iron!” Jinwoo was ignored.

The shadow swung his battle axe at the spider's leg, slicing through its exoskeleton but not cutting it off. That’s when it moved. That’s when it was done stalking its prey. The spider swung its rear leg at Iron, catching his axe at the last minute, hitting each other back and forth. The main body remained like stone, subconsciously using independent limbs to fight while it continued to poison the room.

“Tusk, light him up.”

The shadow took position, preparing himself for an attack that was probably unnecessary, but it would end the bullshit dungeon in no time. Jinwoo made his own move, running to the hunters in time and severing the cocoons from each section for the protection of the shadow army.

It was then that Jinwoo finally encountered the true dungeon, the spider was disappearing and the smokey poison flooded his senses. It smelled like your shampoo from the bathroom, your own perfume with a woody, vanilla aroma. All familiar scents filling his nose like you could have been right in front of him inside that place.

Wait… Who am I thinking about?

He placed the cocoons down, some moved, some remained lifeless. Jinwoo rubbed his temples, pinched his nose and thought really hard. Tusk unleashed his attack on the spider and waited for further instruction, sitting there in his posture awaiting for the smoke to clear. The purple poison remained, the spider remained, fighting with Iron as though nothing happened.

Who was I thinking about again? I know that face, but what’s her name? She’s pretty.

“Tusk, hit him again.”

Jinwoo took his dagger and prepared himself, if that spider wanted to fight with poison, he’d give it back to him in kind. He sprinted towards it, keeping to the side as Tusk let off another attack, he waited until the powerful blow had ceased and the fire was starting to fade away.

The dagger came down in the spider's eye and only then did it move, quicker than anticipated, screeching and squealing in Jinwoo’s direction.

“Y’know the best way to kill a spider? Now, I don’t have a cat, but I have a bear, close enough, right?” Jinwoo went to blows with the spider, slicing at its legs and cutting and ripping the blue blood from its circulation. “Tank!”

I want to summon Beru, but where is he? I don't remember assigning him anywhere.

Jinwoo tried concentrating, but the features of a woman he couldn't remember were blinding him. He kept inhaling the smoke, resilient to poison yet he wasn’t resilient to the woman he couldn’t remember.

Wait, she’s pregnant, isn’t she? Who’s the father? Have we spoken before?

He just couldn’t fucking remember.

Tank lunged and rammed the spider as Tusk prepared again, waiting on the word. Jinwoo nodded him over and withdrew. He wasn’t at full fighting strength, and he didn’t know why. Jinwoo couldn’t think of anything other than that woman.

The spider was finally showing cracks in its exoskeleton, one large crack across its face. Jinwoo took the opportunity and jumped up to it, ramming the knife straight through its skull until it whined and struggled and collapsed, the smoke ceased and started to dissipate.

Why was his mind so blank?

His soldiers released the other hunters, Jinwoo wanted to delve deeper into the spider’s poison, a gland or two would suffice-

“Iron?”

The dunce brute smashed the deceased spider’s head in, growling and snarling, pummeling it into the ground. What an absolute idiot.

“Iron! You can’t get pissed off every time someone ignores you.”

He looked hurt almost, slouching his shoulders and stomping off to the side, this was usually when Igris would look on with disappointment and a shake of his head as though to scold him.

Where the hell was he?

“Mr Sung!” Jinwoo didn’t ignore the Hunter running over to him, but he kind of did.

When a specific little trinket caught his eye, he knelt down to study it. A gold bangle, smaller than expected, like it could fit a goblin or a small child. For some reason, he was drawn to it. Perhaps it was the way it sparkled under the crystalline glow of the cave, emitting its own light almost, maybe it was the name the system gave it.

Good luck charm.

Simple, not linked to anything except increased luck. Jinwoo could not benefit from it, but he slipped it into his pocket anyway.

“Mr Sung!”

“I’ll need a hand with all this…” Jinwoo summoned Igris and Beru back from wherever they we gallivanting off to. “There you are, you missed one hell of a fight. Carry some of this stuff out, we’ll look through it all properly-”

“Mr Sung, did you breathe any of that poison?!”

Easy man. What’s with all the drama?

“The smoke, did you breathe any of it in?”

“I guess, but I have a high tolerance to poisons, I’m sure I’ll be fine.” He rummaged through the items again, not bothering to fight the compulsion to find one more trinket before he left the dungeon.

“No, no, no, it’s a targeted amnestic-” He pulled out an old looking sketchbook from the bag covered in some sort of goo that Jinwoo didn’t bother to question. “There’s only ever been one of these types of spiders ever recorded.”

“Okay…”

Jinwoo shot a brief glance at the pages but didn’t ask him about them, he was too engrossed in the pile of trinkets. Another gold bangle, similar in size and weight, however, this one was duller, less prone to absorbing the light. It had more mana attached to it, a complex string of code bound around it.

Its name was Hero’s pride.

Jinwoo tucked it in his pocket like the other one instead of putting it into the system inventory. Safe keeping for something he wasn’t sure about.

“The spider’s poison removes targeted memories, usually fear, but there was one case that it dissolved a hunter's memories of their loved ones. T-This spider is a trickster, a manipulator and won’t engage in a fight unless absolutely necessary.”

“Your point is?”

The hunter shuffled around nervously, fiddling with the pages of the sketch book. “Sir, I study magical beast biology, I’m on the recording team for the association's archives. You saved us just in time to stop our bodies being ingested and most of us have regained our memories through lack of fear when you arrived... But you don’t fear anything, not from what I saw.”

“So?” Jinwoo was getting impatient.

“Mr Sung, You’re getting married, aren’t you? You have twin babies on the way.”

What? No he didn’t. It wasn’t like he could forget something as crucial as a fiancé and not one, but two babies, could he? The thought was entirely preposterous.

“What kind of comment is that? I’m single last time I checked.”

“Oh no…”

Jinwoo turned to Beru who hadn’t moved from the spot he appeared, Igris too. They never even kneeled. “Why are you two moping about?”

“Sire, you have left your mistress without protection!”

Who the hell was this ‘mistress’ ?

The hunter grabbed at his shirt and shook him without care of his S-Rank status. “Listen to me! You have to get out of here and see her before your memories don’t come back! It’s happened once before and that guy had an entire family he never remembered, go now!”

Okay, Jinwoo had no clue what he was talking about, but he had a certain tier of logic applied to his brain. Still, his mouth overtook his brain. “Where do I go?”

“Follow me, I’ll take you to her my lord! We must be swift!”

Beru led a rather confused Jinwoo back through the tunnel with the two bangles in his pocket, Igris followed behind. Once out of the gate, Jinwoo ignored Jin-chul completely and allowed Beru to carry him to the apartment.

“I live here? I thought I was still living back home.” The front door of the apartment had no familiar ring to it, not the colour nor the number. 

Though who was behind it made this entire interaction that much more confusing.

“You're back.” A woman opened the door, smiling and positive.

“It’s you.”

The same woman from his, what should he call them? Visions from inside the cave, fighting that spider.

And you were heavily pregnant.

What the hell?

Chapter Text

“Can you remember who you are?”

Jinwoo blinked away the ingrained spots of light behind his eyelids from Jin-chul’s flashlight in his face. “Yeah, I’m Jinwoo Sung, S-Rank hunter. I was at a dungeon raid today.”

All facts, nothing difficult about that.

“And who is that?” Jin-chul pointed over to you, a clutched tissue in your hand, red puffy eyes looking back at him.

Jinwoo wanted to feel sympathy, he really did, but nothing came to him. Your face seemed familiar, but that’s all he got from it. “I… I Don’t know. I remembered her face in the dungeon, but every time I tried hard to think, I drew blanks- sorry.”

“It’s okay…” You said, wiping away fresh tears that fell on your shirt over your large baby bump.

“Hunter Sung, believe it or not, but that dungeon boss was an S-Rank, though looks can be deceiving. It doesn’t register the way other magical beasts do, and it’s a master manipulator into making you think it’s more harmless than it actually is. That’s how it lures its prey closer. It takes your memories, hence why the other hunters who managed to escape had no recollection of the beast. A vicious cycle to get more prey and build up a stock of liquified food.”

“So what happens now? I’m good with poison, I have a high tolerance, this shouldn’t have affected me like this. Why can’t I remember?”

“Because it doesn't act like a poison. The biologist explained that it worked more like a virus, attacking the brain instead of the entire body. Anyone with any tools or armour with poison resistance still would have succumbed. Despite its lack of S-Rank mana, this spider is far more dangerous than what we’ve seen before, because it cannot be blocked or resisted against.”

Shit, for the first time in a while, Jinwoo was helpless.

Pathetic.

Can’t protect them.

You’d be a terrible father anyway.

From what pit did that last thought crawl from?

“Manager Woo, will… will he ever get his memories back?”

You sat next to Beru like he wasn’t even there, Jin-chul gave him sly glances now and then, but no one spoke because of the elephant in the room.

“I’m not sure, I’ll have the association doctor come and check him over. In the meantime, I’d suggest doing some things together while you two wait to pass the time, who knows, it could trigger your memory.”

“You’re going?” You said, struggling to stand up as quickly as you’d like, grasping onto the sofa for stability.

“I have the incident at the gate to clear up, you’ll be in good hands with the doctor, he’s our best in the association. Take care, I’ll check in on you tomorrow.”

Jin-chul bowed and left the apartment, closing the front door behind him and dropping you and Jinwoo in an uncomfortable silence.

Who was this pretty girl, seemingly pregnant with his babies?

You never said anything, you just stood there, still completely unaware of Beru and Igris. Jinwoo couldn’t shake the guilt of not remembering, confused by the spider’s poison and the fact there were two babies involved.

How could he not remember?

“So, I want to ask you some things, would you be comfortable with that?”

Awkwardly you nodded, looking away towards the door and straight through Beru. “Okay.”

“Can you not see him?”

Jinwoo pointed to Beru who froze where he stood, looking over you though his eyes were wide and deer-like. He couldn’t sense any aura from you per se, but from the two individual aura signatures coming from your belly.

They’re strong auras. Not even newborn and they’re Upper A-rank? No, their mana seems more complicated than that, they must be S-Rank already. Sheesh, they’ll be a handful down the line.

“No.” You said, blinking away with a trembling lip. “I can’t see your shadows anymore.”

“So you had mana, but lost it. Jin-chul said something about it.”

“The babies-“ you hesitated, wandering over towards the sofa. “Chairman Go said the babies are using it. I’ll probably get it back after they’re born.”

Jinwoo blinked at the twitch behind his eye but followed you anyway. Beru sat next to you on the sofa, his long legs bent in half until his knees were higher than your head. He said not one word.

It came on like a headache. A dull skull with razor blades chucked in and shaken about. “Mana blindness.. I think?”

“You never went into detail about your conversation, so I never asked.”

“Why? Why didn’t you challenge me on it? What if it was important and I was keeping it from you?”

Jinwoo didn’t understand why he asked that, though if he were really in a relationship, he’d keep nothing from you. Well, he was. He clocked the only picture frame on the side table, you and him maybe taken only a few weeks ago. Taped to the side was a sonogram picture.

“Uh… I’m not sure. You usually take care of all that stuff, I’m just trying to keep stress free like the doctor told us. I only have a week left before my due date, so…” You must have noticed his distraction. “Oh, we took that about a few weeks back. The doctor wanted to see me for another scan, it’s more up-to-date than the one you have in your wallet.”

That’s odd. “My wallet?”

“Yes!” Beru vigorously nodded his head. “The pouch of currency you transport around with you, Sire.”

Jinwoo rummaged through his pockets for his wallet, to find two pictures in the side pocket. A candid photo of you, and a sonogram with a message handwritten in his own writing.

Sung twins.

“That’s the twenty week scan.”

“And how far along are you again?”

Beru excitedly answered for you. “My mistress is thirty-five weeks, my Lord!”

You responded like he wasn’t even there. “I’m just over thirty-five weeks. Hae-in is overdue now, she was due nearly two weeks ago, they’re inducing her tomorrow.”

Hae-in’s pregnant too? That’s right, I remember. But why do I not care? Oof that’s harsh.

“So…” Jinwoo wanted more answers, more information. “We love each other then, I proposed to you.”

He noticed your engagement ring, but he didn’t recognise it.

“You did. A couple months back, and you tell me you love me all the time, actually.”

Jinwoo was intrigued, the way you were looking at him like he was the only person in the entire building.

“And do you love me-“

The front door knocked quietly yet authoritatively. Then silence.

“I’ll get it.”

Jinwoo stood first, holding his hand out to keep you sitting. “No, I’ll get it. You rest, it’s been a weird day.”

To say that opening the door was daunting would have been an understatement. Jinwoo’s memory had clearly wiped you away like chalk on a board and replaced it with an anxiety he wasn’t used to. 

He was expecting one doctor, not two.

A man whom he’d never seen before with a medical bag and warming look behind his eyes. Jinwoo noticed the long scar across his face over his cheekbone and right eye, like a hardened man devoting his life to medicine.

Then there was the other doctor, a woman, who seemed familiar yet Jinwoo couldn’t quite make her out. It was as though his gut was telling him not to trust her behind her tortoise shell rimmed glasses. Or maybe it was how she lacked mana unlike the other doctor.

His aura had calming effects like lavender bath oil and chamomile tea to help Jinwoo sleep after a stressful day. But hers, it was wrong. Like waking from a nightmare and expecting a demon to pounce in the silent, pitch black abyss yet never did. Just an eerie quiet, waking up in his own sweat.

There was nothing there.

“Mr Sung, how are you feeling? Manager Woo gave us most of the details.”

“I’m fine.” Why was he suddenly on the defensive? He didn’t want this woman stepping foot in the apartment.

When he looked for you, you were already close by, instinctively rubbing your belly with the weakest smile he’d seen so far.

“Hi Doctor, we weren’t expecting you today.”

“I know. I’m sorry for dropping in like this.” She smiled sweetly. “I just heard what the two of you were going through and I wanted to check in with you. It must be stressful.”

“Oh, that’s really thoughtful of you, it’s… different. I didn’t think we’d be in a situation like this.”

The doctor stepped past the older man, and reached for you. “It’s a difficult situation. But I’m sure he’ll remember how in love he is with you. Why don’t we go in the kitchen while the doctor looks your fiancé over?”

“Oh, uh-“

Jinwoo didn’t know why, but a compulsion drove him to do something out of character from what he knew. He got between you and the doctor with a stone glare that irritated him for a reason he couldn’t pinpoint.

“We’ll stay in the same room. It’s important she hears what the doctor says.”

“That’s a great idea!” The man said, breaching the threshold and trudging over towards the living room.

Beru didn’t know where to look, looking for somewhere to go before someone sat on him. Jinwoo called him back before the doctor could see him and he sat right where Beru would have been.

“O-Okay, yes of course. That’s a great idea.” 

Jinwoo made sure to sit between you and the woman, almost protective over a girl he couldn’t remember. His eye twitched again, a pain behind his eye he tried his hardest to ignore.

“Now, Mr Sung. I am aware of your ailments, and there’s a few exercises I’d like for you to do in the meantime, but right now, I’d like to examine you physically, would that be alright?”

Jinwoo nodded, having zero issue with the man, he really calmed the room down. He pulled open his medical bag and fished out a miniature flashlight. 

“I’m going to heal you, my ability is very specific and I’m hoping it will cure you completely, but it’s entirely by random lottery.”

“Lottery?” You said. “Like a lottery ticket?”

“Yes, sometimes patients get incredibly lucky and heal completely without any further treatment, yet some require modern medicine too to fully recover. It all depends on luck. Mr Sung might remember everything, or he may get bits and pieces and will need to follow the exercises I give him.”

So it’s totally random. That’s not worrying at all.

“Do it.” 

No time like the present. Jinwoo had forgotten about a huge section of an important part of his life that everyone else seemed to remember besides him, he was to be a father who until now he’d been pretty chill about.

I’m going to be a father.

He had to be on point and follow through. No way could he be a father like his own, just disappearing. He couldn’t do that to you, no matter how little he remembered.

And if push came to shove and he never regained his memories with you, well, he’d just have to make new ones.

“Alright, sit still and breathe normally, you’ll feel a little warm and tingly, but that’s to be expected.”

“Right-“

You slipped your hand into his, holding on to it with another weary smile. Something in his brain told him he didn’t have the heart to pull away, to keep to himself. And you were so pretty, no, beautiful. You were glowing almost. Wasn’t that what people said to those who were pregnant?

Glowing.

“Whatever happens, it’ll be alright.” 

You didn’t believe it, not your eyes and lips, even the tear from your cheek. He was hurting you and didn’t even know how much.

What a dick. I’m a dick.

A warmth rolled through Jinwoo, like sitting in a hot bath full of calming bubbles and aromatic candles. What was that smell he recognised in the dungeon? A vanilla scent, similar to the one under his nose from you, your clothes, your hair.

“There, how are you feeling, Mr Sung?”

“Uh… I’m not sure. I don't think anything has changed.”

It hurt to say out loud, you slouched though tried to hide your disappointment. All eyes on him and yours were the loudest.

The man shrugged, yet hid his own disappointment well. “Sometimes it can be delayed, I’ll come back in a day or two and see your progress. While I’m away, you’ll need to rely on your each other and talk through things, explore feelings and do things together that you did before, it might help regain some memories. Unfortunately, we're going in here pretty much blind with only what information the association has.”

“And that’s where I come in.” Again, the woman’s smile was sickly sweet. Maybe Jinwoo just didn’t like her. “I’ll come over and see how you’re doing right up until your due date, stress can cause early labour, so try to keep calm. If you have any concerns, just call me. We’re all here to help the two of you.”

“Thank you, doctor.”

“Well, that’s us finished here for now. Get some rest and take each day as it comes, I’m confident we’ll get some of those memories back for you.” 

Jinwoo saw them out, eyes the woman closely until the front door closed. He stared into space for a solid minute, then came back to you where you were in the same spot. He needed his memories back quickly, having them stolen from him made it personal.

“What did you want to do for the rest of the day? I’m sorry I haven’t prepared anything for dinner yet.” You were cooking him dinner too?

“Let’s get take out, I think we have a lot to talk about. Why don’t you tell me more about our relationship? I’d like to hear it.”

“You would?”

“If I’m going to be a dad, I need to know who their mom is, maybe it’ll help get my memories back?”

Your eyes were wide, unsettled and glassy. “But, what if you don’t ever get them back?”

That was a good point. There were milestones he’d never remember, like proposing and seeing the babies first scan, or his first time with you sexually.

It would take a lot of getting used to, much commitment to get up to speed when he didn’t remember and now within a week, he was due to become a father. Still, he was committed as committed could be, however, it was still to sink into his brain and solidify his future laid out in front of him.

“If that happens, we’ll just have to make new ones. I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

Chapter Text

Jinwoo sat on the sofa, shoulder to shoulder with a woman he didn’t recognise.

By social standards, he should have been awkward and fumbling the bag hard with a pretty girl so close to him. But he wasn’t. 

There was some secondary force at work that moved him nearer, a guttural instinct he couldn’t play with and in honesty, it was exhausting.

Two magnets within close proximity to each other, right on the cusp until they edged closer and closer and then snapped together. Jinwoo sat on the teetering point of the unknown, gaining a sense of familiarity from nowhere. Would he snap too? Would all his memories of just you come back in a flash of hot and cold?

Jinwoo wasn’t focusing on the movie or anything the characters said, not when he stole glances your way every so often. It was the way the television glare bounced off your eyes in the dark like little mirrors into your life. You’d spoken of the relationship, little moments between you and him that were so special, Jinwoo almost wracked himself with guilt because he couldn’t remember it.

Still, you were holding up better than he thought someone in your shoes would react. Maybe you were throwing yourself into the movie to hide it, or allowing you time to think on things. You liked watching movies you’d told him, sitting together after a long day all snuggled up until you fell asleep and Jinwoo would wake you for bed. According to you, he would carry you to bed until recently, stroke your hair and cuddle next to you. That’s something a lover would do, and you and he were lovers.

But something played on Jinwoo’s mind. You never answered his question.

“Hey.” He said, pulling your attention away from the movie.

“Hm?” You looked at him innocently.

“Do you love me?”

At first, you were speechless. You relaxed a little. “I… I like to be with you, I want to be with you because-“

“But do you love me? Who I was as a person this morning before I left for that dungeon. Did you love him?”

You went to speak, then hesitated. Opening and closing your mouth on what to say, resting your hand on your baby bump like you were consulting the babies before you answered. The action alone churned his stomach into something he could choke on, anxiously awaiting your answer.

What is going on?

“I mean… you’re a little intense at times. Maybe a little too protective over me, but I like to think I do love you in my own way. We haven’t really had time to really get to know each other properly, not in the way that I’d like.”

I’m intense? That’s what she thinks of me? What the hell was I doing before that makes her think like that?

Despite that, hearing you say you loved him sent the churned pit of his stomach flipping and rolling all twiddly in knots. The sensation overtook his entire body like burning, right up to his cheeks.

“How- how am I intense?” The first thing to leave his lips when he wanted to reiterate and clarify that you loved him.

“Well, you glare at people a lot when you think no one is watching, you’re adamant I’m never left alone with my doctor and you never like talking about Jong-in anymore if I ever bring him up. He’s going through a lot at the moment, but I know you’re cautious about him. It’s just really intense.”

Jinwoo’s eye twitched again, he pressed the plan of his hand to it when a jolt of biological electric pulsed through it.

He hated Jong-in, it was his immediate reaction like an allergy. Why did he hate a man who had done nothing to him?

“Are you okay?”

“Huh? Yeah, I’m alright. I just… I don’t like Jong-in at all, do I?” 

As far as he knew, he was indifferent to him, yet the more he thought about it, god he disliked the guy. It was something to do with you, he could tell, his gut was telling him.

“No, you really don’t, right now.” You giggled a bit, turning in your seat ever so slightly. “Sometimes I think you never have, but it’s because-“

“He’s in love with you, right?”

Someone at least, he loves someone.

“Uh… yeah. Yeah- well that’s what you think anyway. But I’m not totally sold on that.”

It pulled a twisted knot in his chest like it wanted to wind him. Because a man whom he was indifferent to before loved you, was this a normal reaction to that information? If it was, Jinwoo before this shitty memory loss poison had a lot going for him, yet struggled with a lot of intense emotions that taxed his body.

“And how do you feel about him?” 

Your mouth dropped, eyes wide. “You never asked me that, not so directly before.”

“Oh… I’m just curious.”

“We were quite close, but being hunters has put a rift between us. We’ve tried to rekindle our friendship, but it never sticks. I think we suit better as acquaintances now. Especially with Hae-in having the baby soon. We just won’t have time to be friendly.”

That’s good- why am I thinking like that?

Because he hated Jong-in, that’s why.

“I mean, even though it’s not directly to do with me, I’m glad you remembered something to do with me.”

“Yeah...”

Jinwoo lost his train of thought for a second. You were really beautiful, like really beautiful . He could only imagine how the babies would look. These mysterious babies you told him about, right close to his hand that he could touch with your permission. These little babies that caused such a ruckus within the association and here you were nurturing them.

Would they look like Jinwoo, or you? How would their lives turn out as they grew older with your temperament and smile? Maybe Jinwoo’s hair, but your eyes.

What if they turned out like me? I’d like that. Seeing myself like I was as a child. Like how Jin-ah was as a baby. At least they aren’t E-Rank like I was, then they wouldn’t face the ridicule I did.

“Jinwoo…”

He blinked, not realising how close he’d gotten to you, lips parted, two more inches and he would have kissed you.

“Can I… can I kiss you?” His brain was clouded, confused, but his body wasn’t.

Naturally, you were untrusting. With each passing second, your breathing evened out. Fuck, you were pretty, he could understand how he’d fallen in love with you before. Just something about your eyes, like little pools of delicate, still aura, with something he must have taken advantage of before.

Home.

“Okay.” Your breathing hitched, swallowing hard as he closed in.

Jinwoo didn’t think about it, he just went for it.

Your lips were soft, softer than soft, like silk. There was definitely a familiarity to it, and knowing what his relationship with you was like, it was natural to say ‘it was like he’d done it before’ of course he did, you showed him a picture of him kissing you. Yet in the flesh was something else entirely, like an out-of-body experience that he had some sort of control over.

Yet it was as though you and he were having a first kiss all over again.

The way his spine tingled and his hands moved and got grabby, running fingertips over the back of the sofa once he’d made himself comfortable, then wandering over your belly like it was magnetised. Comfort, they seeked comfort. He remembered the way he felt before, kissing and touching someone, feeling little zips of electricity to his heart to jumpstart it when the sensation made him more eager. 

Just one kiss led to two, then three. With enough self restraint, he pulled away and watched how breathless you were.

“Did… did that help you remember anything?” You said with so much hope.

A click and glimmer, but nothing concrete.

Fuck, it wasn’t just guilt now. If you could see your own hopeful face in the dark, you’d understand that you could bring the association to a halt just by looking at the Chairman that way.

“I’m sorry… not really. Just some feelings, but nothing about you exactly.”

“Oh… Sorry, I just need to use the bathroom, I won’t be long.”

Honestly, Jinwoo didn’t know how you made it off the sofa so quickly with how far along you were. He said nothing, unable to undo the tangle of his heart as you padded away towards the bathroom, the door closed harder than it should have.

He fucked up, but he couldn’t just pretend though, could he? That was an even bigger betrayal. What made it worse was your cries coming from behind the door.

“Shit- shit.” Jinwoo shot up and hurried over, pressing his ear to the door and listening for a moment before he wanted to knock.

Were you talking to yourself?

“Trust my luck for this to happen- I’m a bad omen- right before the babies get here.” You sobbed between hiccups. “I knew- I just knew I’d have to do this on my own and he doesn’t even remember me! What if he doesn’t want to get married or just leaves me- how the hell am I going to raise these babies alone? I can’t- I can’t do it!”

Pain shot through his head like a crack, pelting his brain with a memory of something, or someone, a woman with no face. No voice.

The babies. She wanted to give the babies away, right?

No, she wouldn’t have. But that had to be you, sitting in Jinwoo’s car. Still, they had no fucking face, like someone had rubbed out her face with an eraser. No scent, no sounds, no face. This was the spider’s doing, Jinwoo wanted to learn more if his head didn’t hurt so much.

Jinwoo knocked on the bathroom door in hopes to hear over the throbbing pain. “Ba- hey, are you okay in there?”

He almost called you baby, that would have been awkward. Pet names weren’t really the right priority. He knocked again after your cries silenced and awaited a response.

“I-I’m fine… I just need a minute.”

“Take all the time you need…” Even Jinwoo didn’t have confidence in his own words.

He slid down the door frame and waited there, hands pressed to his knees in a rut. Hearing you cry hurt his chest, like a red hot poker to his skin pushing right through to his heart and surrounding organs. It shouldn’t hurt this much when a girl he didn’t remember cried like that. It must have been muscle memory, his body going through the motions without being attached to his brain. And in the short few hours he’d been around you, there was one thing he didn’t need to surmise.

Being around you was exhausting to his body, yet he wanted to be close to you.

Maybe I’m just clingy and don’t realise, or like she said, over protective, I must hover around her like a lost bee or something. 

It was as if a section of his identity had disappeared. You really must have been the woman of his dreams to have this kind of effect on him, on his body, even if his brain wasn’t cooperating.

Empty, he’d describe the sensation as empty. A lack of control over it, sort of like his previous E-Rank status. Powerless. And he had all the power in the country at his fingertips, and yet he couldn’t use it.

What do I do? 

What can I do?

Jinwoo thought hard and waited for the idea to pop into his head like lightning. One possible thing he was capable of while stepping up to be a father of his children.

Shit, I’m gonna be a dad.

It still hadn’t sunk in.

When you emerged from the bathroom, puffy eyed and red nosed, the idea came to Jinwoo like a divine calling.

If I can’t remember, I guess I’m just going to have to fall in love with her all over again.

Not a full proof plan, but a start.

Chapter Text

Once Jinwoo moved your pregnancy pillow to the other side of the bed, he took in your smile as comfort.

“Is that more comfortable? I’m not sure why we didn’t move you sooner, so you’re not staring at a wall all night.”

He rested his head on the pillow, you did the same, your pregnancy pillow in between like a bridged gap in a synapse behind his eye, twitching intermittently whenever a flicker of something interrupted his memories.

“Yeah it is, I can actually see you now.” You smiled and shrugged. “I’m not sure, I never asked.”

The sunlight filtered in through the window, highlighting sections of your hair in a lighter shade he’d hadn't noticed until now. The scent of your shampoo had rubbed off on the bed linen from last night, if Jinwoo breathed it in enough times it would put him to sleep. He would have let it happen too had his mind not been focused on how submissive you came across to him. Did you always just take him at face value? Did he expect you to just accept it, to nod your head and go along with it?

Jinwoo didn’t remember you, just an echo, something of the woman with no face in his memories. But surely you would have had some fight in you, not to just roll over and take it?

You were pregnant, he understood the hormones and how much you were going through, but he did wonder if there were times that you’d put him in his place, or told him off because of something he did when he wasn’t supposed to or apologetically fumbled the ba over something important.

“You should, y’know? Ask me if there’s something bothering you, or something you want to change. I’d be more at ease knowing you were too.”

He didn’t think for a second it was just your comfort that put him on edge all the time, the uneasiness of knowing nothing and wanting everything back as it were but to be the better person he knew he was.

A little jiggling feeling tickled the base of his spine and threatened to unravel, he clutched at the yarn desperately before it could loosen entirely. But he couldn’t tell why he was doing it.

“Okay, I will. I mean, we’ve had our fair share of spats, mostly me having a moan because you went and did something you shouldn’t have.”

“Like what?”

“Well,” You fiddled with the edge of the duvet cover, looking at a random spot on the wall. “You told Hae-in that I was pregnant with twins, knowing how she felt about you.”

Shit, did I? Hang on, I remember Hae-in feeling that way.

“Oh…”

You snorted. “Yeah, oh. It really knocked the wind out of me, it was like you did it on purpose. To be honest, thinking about it now, I’m glad you got it out of the way… she really liked you back then and I…” You never made eye contact. “I’m glad you stayed with me.”

“Me too.”

Jinwoo would have allowed himself to get lost in your eyes when you finally did look at him, something he found himself doing each time he looked at you. He wanted to understand how your mind worked. The almost-love confession, the little anecdotes that he replayed in his mind over and over to visualise what his life with you would have looked like before.

He remembered every raid, every association meeting that dragged on longer than it should have, dining with the Chairman and sipping on whiskey he didn’t like the taste of that left a bitterness on his tongue. He remembered each visit to his mom and Jin-ah on his own and the types of dinners he ate there.

Yet he just couldn’t remember you.

Trying wasn’t acceptable. He needed to succeed, and before he could even try, the front door knocked.

“Oh, that could be the take out.”

“I’ll get it.” Jinwoo hesitated to climb from the bed and turned back to you, offering his hand out. “Need a hand?”

“Yeah, please.”

He got off and came to your side to aid you, holding your hands tightly for support. The twins could essentially come any day now, every twinge and sharp shooting pain down the side of your belly could have been the start.

Any time now.

“Thank you.” You stood and watched him, eyes locked and innocent.

Oh yeah, twenty four hours with you was beginning to really take its toll, but Jinwoo was enthralled with it. With you. Every second passed pulled him closer into your orbit and he was beginning to lose interest in grabbing a space helmet to breathe with.

You took that breath away more and more each time you were close.

She’ll be the death of me at this rate. My heart is beating so fast and I want to say something, but all I want is her lips-

The door locked again, harder this time, forcing Jinwoo to retreat and open it before he ignored whoever it was and closed the bedroom door to drown it out.

Upon opening it, Jinwoo blinked away visions zipping behind his dry eyes. Thoughts on a faceless, pregnant woman running off with Jong-in into the stereotypical sunset, hysterically giggling in amusement while they moved out of sight.

Jinwoo knew he hated Jong-in, he just didn’t know the full extent of it. But if his thoughts were anything to go by, he had a clue, at least. He gripped the door handle until his hand shook, a possible involuntary reaction perhaps?

Who knew, all it did was cramp his hand up and he couldn’t let go.

“Jong-in, are you alright?” You asked at the door clinging to Jinwoo’s arm.

“I am.”

He did his damndest to appear less tired, straightening himself out in a t-shirt and jeans. The man always wore a suit, this was just unsettling. He looked like a... proper dad, not a guild master.

“Hae-in’s finally gone into labour, but it’s a long way from being over for her. She’s doing good, but it’s taking its toll. I’m just coming back for a shower and get a few of her things she wants.”

“What if she has the baby before you get back there?”

A reasonable concern from you. When that time came, Jinwoo wouldn’t leave the room for anything. He guessed that’s what set him and Jong-in apart.

Jong-in shook his head and wearily ran his hand through his hair. “They said she’s only one centimetre dilated, so they expect it to be a while before there’s any progress.”

“But…” You were more agitated. “What if it happens all really quickly and the baby just falls out and you aren’t there to catch-“

“Alright, I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves…” Jinwoo squeezed your hand to reassure you, though he wasn’t sure how much it actually worked. “I doubt a baby would just fall out, and I doubt even if it were the case that both of our babies would just slip out. I don’t think that’s how it works. Hae-in should be fine.” He wanted to suppress his chuckle, but the way you looked up at him and helplessly clutched his arm in your grasp made it so.

You were so adorable.

“But it’s a possibility.” You had him there. He couldn’t argue with that.

“Okay, it’s a possibility, but you’d have to be pretty unlucky to have two babies fall out of you. And I’ll be there to catch them if they ever did, alright?”

“Alright.”

Jinwoo would have melted into your gaze had he not been self aware, he didn’t care that Jong-in was just standing there while he batted away any lewd thought that graced his brain.

Everything had come in so quickly, that Jinwoo found his body reacting to you in ways that he never expected spending no more than a day with you. He watched you sleeping for a while last night, listening to the natural rhythm of your breaths, chest rising in an easing pattern.

His body wanted you, it was obvious by how you got out of the shower and he had to excuse himself because he’d gotten hard just seeing your skin wet and the towel draped over you that didn’t cover your baby bump anymore.

Jinwoo wanted you. How could he just ask when he didn’t remember you? He’d slept with you obviously, otherwise the twins wouldn’t exist. Though he was starting back at square one, the awkwardness and the fact he’d only spend twenty-four hours with you.

It felt wrong, but it was all he could think about.

“Ehem.” Jong-in cleared his throat.

“S-sorry, Jong-in.” We’re you thinking the same as Jinwoo? Your cheeks flushed. “What do you need us for?”

“I was just stopping by to say, if you wanted to come by later, I’m sure Hae-in would appreciate it. She’s a lot better these days, but she’s still so paranoid. I think it would help her if she knew that there were other people she trusted there. I can call you when things calm down a little. I have a feeling we’re in for a long night, so…”

“Okay, we could do that- Jinwoo, we can do that, right? We were meant to go to your mom’s for dinner, but I’m sure she won’t mind us going tomorrow?”

He desperately wanted to say 'no' immediately, to shoo Jong-in away and live in this comfortable bubble he’d found himself in. He couldn’t do all that though without consequences, could he?

“Yeah, of course. We’ll come by later.”

“Alright then, I’ll call if anything changes.”

“Thanks Jong-in, good luck with everything, send Hae-in our best wishes.”

“Bye.” Jinwoo closed the door immediately.

His brain should have been vacant, he should have waited for the takeout and sat down on the sofa to eat it when it arrived, maybe watching a movie in the process and wolfing down the delicious aromas.

It’s what he should have done.

Yeah, that was the right move.

Not kissing you behind the closed door, sweetly caressing your hair and handling you gently like you were made of fine china. He moved as close as he could, your pregnant belly pressing against him practically excited him, he did that, you allowed him to put not one, but two babies into you. He should have stopped and thought about the ramifications of his actions, to just ruminate over what he had already lost.

He didn’t, too overcome with his own wants and needs, a little release like a pressure pot the longer he touched you, made you feel good like he’d been wanting to. His body melted into you like putty and perfectly holding each spot on your body like he was meant for it. Your little exhausted sighs and moans of relief sang to his ears, cradled them and smoothed them over to satisfy his urges.

He wanted you. And he could tell you wanted him too.

His first time all over again with you, this time, he wouldn’t forget. Jinwoo refused to forget.

It was as though a silent, unspoken rule presented itself between you and him, kissing and exchanging fluids at each other's lips. 

’Go to the bedroom and make love to the mother of your children.’

And so he took you there, no words uttered, no movement misjudged, nothing out of place and all slotted in together as it should have. Again, there was a familiarity, Jinwoo’s body reacted the way it was meant to and more.

More.

More.

Jinwoo slipped your clothes off, being sure to take care around your belly. You were beautiful, natural and just plain angelic. Naked skin contact set his whole body alight, itching with a sensation he couldn’t recall ever knowing or realising.

Possession.

You were his. You were his. You were his. And making sweet love to you solidified that in any life, any scenario or trouble, it was obvious that his body was yours. Yours alone, in any alternate second in this world that he’d find himself back to you.

He couldn’t remember, but that did not mean he never recognised that in some way, you were meant for him and he for you. It was how every time you touched him, he reacted to it, sensitive to the natural vibrations of your body against his, your sweet little noises only he heard and it forced him to evolve.

To be possessive.

No one else could see you like this. Ever.

“I love you.” He said, the three words slipping past his lips unknowingly and with ease.

Sitting on his hips, hovering over his hardened cock, you couldn’t be more beautiful if you tried. A goddess. A higher self that even an angel could not replicate.

“I love you.” He repeated it again, his own discovered mantra.

At first, you said nothing, you didn’t move or make an attempt to arouse him. You just sat there, holding your belly and rubbing absentmindedly with your thumbs.

“I love you too, Jinwoo.”

That look, a calming yet petrified gaze down on him, as though to say, ‘even if you don’t remember, we’ll make do with what we have and enjoy it.’

Hearing it before he made love to you couldn’t have caused the connection to become more spectacularly infinite. Jinwoo’s body started connecting to his brain, the faceless woman still unidentified, but the overflowing emotions brimming with obvious sensations from his time with you before electrified his fingertips, trembled his legs and hitched his breath so he couldn’t breathe properly.

He fucked into you slowly, agonisingly sensual in a way you’d never forget what he could do for you. In and out of your drenched, swollen pussy, so close to the end and ready to do the most remarkable thing any human could ever do.

Your breasts were so swollen, leaking, begging for a release Jinwoo hadn’t had an opportunity to try before to his knowledge. Your response when he made a seal with his lips around your nipple told him everything. Because there was no response, like it was second nature by now.

Jinwoo had done this before. And he loved it.

Sweet soy, caramel, buttery on his tongue, each drip made his cock twitch. Each suck brought him as close to you as humanly possible, a connection he doubted he even had before his memories of you up and vanished.

It almost made him want to weep.

“J-Jinwoo…” You whimpered, grasping on to his hands for support, laced fingers with a voice that barely choked out, so weak and delicate.

Jinwoo kept his rhythm, switching sides and continued to suck on your milky nipple, taking each drop you gave him. You were close, he could guess that, or like his body knew, he didn’t change pace or technique besides licking your sensitive nipple every so often until your breathing changed.

You were about to come, Jinwoo wanted to come too.

He’d been holding it back because he wanted you to enjoy it and be comfortable, no words, just silence and understanding. He wanted to take the pressure from your breasts and fill himself before he filled you.

Your grip squeezed just like your pussy did and you came, trying to stifle a moan but failed. It was so sexy, yet guttural, clenching him so tight it caught Jinwoo up in the moment and he let go too, releasing himself inside you for the first-not-first time.

“You’re so beautiful.” He said, barely.

“I love you.” Your only coherent response.

And once you and he came down from that all inclusive high you both rode on, Jinwoo pulled you in for one long, lingering kiss. He felt for the babies, his other hand caressing your cheek, one happy moment.

Possibly the all time favourite so far if he could remember the rest. But that was a matter for another time.

“I love you too.”

Jinwoo helped you up, ready to take you to the bathroom to freshen up, maybe a joint shower for a more sensually romantic time together before leaving for the hospital.

“I think we needed that.” You stretched, rubbing your back and pulling your robe off of the back of the door.

“Yeah, and it was perfect- what’s wrong?”

You just stood there, looking into space behind the door, your robe pooling at your feet for no reason. “Jinwoo… I think my water just broke.”

Chapter Text

Don’t freak out.

Don’t freak out.

Don’t fucking freak out.

Your fiancé had lost his memories of you and the twins and now you were pretty sure your water had broken, and he still didn’t remember anything. Fuck- holy fuck, holy fucking- fuck, you were wholeheartdley freaking out, naked and freaking out.

“Okay…” Deep breaths, you ignored the trickling down your leg which pooled on the floor. “Okay. I need to- I need-“

Jinwoo rushed to your side, touching your arm made you flinch. “Tell me what you need. You have a hospital bag or something we need to take, right?”

“Yeah, it’s in the closet- I need a shower.” There was a sudden, dull pain radiating from your back.

Did having sex cause this?

“Okay.” Jinwoo gathered his clothes. “I’ll call the hospital, leave the door open, shout if you need me.”

“Alright.”

The doctor said that when your waters broke, it could be a matter of hours until the twins arrived though not guaranteed. Not long in the grand scheme of things, less than a day and over in a blink.

What if something went wrong? Maybe something would happen to you and Jinwoo ended up being left with two screaming babies all on his own.

You ran the water in the shower, breathing slowly, screwing your eyes shut to try and balance your mind and relax your muscles from tensing too much.

Hot water? No, warm. If it’s too hot, my blood pressure could drop, I might faint and end up having the babies here- what if we were too late to the hospital and I give birth in the car- oh my god.

“Oh my god.”

A quick shower, one to wash your hair and prep yourself before sitting in a stuffy hospital for the week.

Ten minutes tops, hyper aware of the pressure in your back, like mild period cramps that slightly intensified each time they came over like waves. A couple of minutes maybe more apart.

Ten minutes turned into twenty, then over half an hour when Jinwoo came in, knocking behind the mist of foggy heat on the glass.

“Are you okay? Do you need anything? The hospital said to come in when you’re ready, I’ve put everything at the door and there was an oversized t-shirt on top of the bag so I laid it out for you on the bed.”

You just about heard his voice over the shower, his silhouette waiting behind for a response.

“I’m… freaking out.”

Jinwoo didn’t say anything at first, you could see him pacing, wanting to say something. But he never did.

“Can you come in? I want to make sure I got all the soap out of my hair.”

In honesty, you’d rinsed your hair twice and stood under the running water for who knew how long. Despite Jinwoo’s troubles, having him next to you brought you a comfort you craved.

“Sure.” He took his clothes off quickly, opening the door and slipping inside right next to you.

He hesitated before holding your shoulders, rubbing his thumbs over the wet skin where it counted. You accepted a chaste kiss to your temple, grounding you a little when a cramped pulse through your back and stomach.

“Are the bubbles out?” 

You looked up at him, already exhausted, knowing the next time you slept properly, you wouldn’t be pregnant anymore. Jinwoo searched your hair, massaging it with his fingertips under the water like there were actual bubbles left over.

“Yeah, they’re all out.”

“Okay-“ You hissed, inhaling a sharp breath and catching you off guard.

“What’s wrong? Is it a contraction?”

Nodding, you breathed it out and turned the shower off. “Yeah, it was sharp, nothing like the ones before that.”

“Let’s get dried, I’ll take you to the hospital-“

You pulled him back before he could open the door. “You’ll stay with me, right? You won’t leave.”

Jinwoo smiled sweetly, like how he did before, like his face was searching for little fragments to piece together.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“What if you need to come back here like Jong-in did, and I have the babies before you get back?”

“I guess I better bring everything I need so I won’t have to leave your side then.”

That sentiment stopped your heart beating any faster, yet the anxiety still remained. “It’s too early, I thought we still had a week, what if something’s wrong?”

Jinwoo handed you your towel, wrapping his own around his waist. He picked up another and scrunched your hair in it softly so that you didn’t break as delicate as you were feeling. 

“Lets see what the doctor says before we get riled up, I’m sure there’s a reason.”

A reason, you couldn’t think of any except that you must have done something to agitate it, to aggravate the twins into dipping out because you were just no longer inhabitable. The babies were early, meaning they would need some sort of help when they got here, the doctor said that.

It must have been the sex, it had to be. What if it hurt them or something now that they’ve dropped into position?

Your babies had dropped a few weeks ago, your body’s way of telling you that the they were ready to come at any time.

On the entire way over there, you didn’t speak, calmly breathing away more contractions. And when you weren’t doing that, you pulled apart every reason why you wouldn’t be a good mom.

If you never got your mana back, how would you raise them properly? Jinwoo couldn’t remember your face and every time he looked at you, you knew he was wracking his brain to try and find something to recognise you by. Every glance, every touch, like he was touching someone new for the first time.

He had forgot key moments in the relationship that only you knew and could never get back because you couldn’t experience them for the first time again.

A first kiss, first time, when he cooked for you and you for him when moving into that apartment into the unknown, you both made it a home. You hated that place now, wanting to live anywhere but there. Jinwoo would have loved your old place, one with a little balcony and a beautiful view of the city. Now it was gone.

All gone. Your little piece of privacy, all gone.

Jinwoo informed the receptionist of your arrival, stating your name and pulling up a wheelchair to sit in because your back began aching constantly. Tightness, that’s what you’d describe it as, a tightness around your belly each time a contraction washed over your body. Just plain uncomfortable most of the time, and then a certain pain came with a vengeance and made your teeth grit and you’d hiss like a snake or venomous animal that ought to be left alone.

“Hello!” When the doctor’s high pitched voice and grin entered the room, you couldn’t bear her. “How are you feeling?”

Jinwoo helped you on to the bed after you’d managed your hospital gown on, he never left, and you recognized that stare he’d given the doctor many times before. Now, you knew she meant well enough, but her face was pidsing you off.

“Oh, y’know, just as good as carrying around two babies inside me can feel.”

“I know, it’s a lot to process, but we’ll hopefully have a smooth birth like we did the pregnancy.” The doctor shuffled through some notes on her clipboard. “Now, I see your finalised birth plan says no pain medication, we’ll keep to that?”

“For now, I’m managing alright so far.”

Chances were you’d want medication later. It all depended on what you heard from the other rooms on the delivery ward. One screaming mother in your ears and you assumed it would send you into a state of panic. For now, the halls were mostly silent apart from squeaking hospital shoes and distant, beeping monitors behind other private doors.

Simple enough.

“Are you delivering the baby?” Jinwoo asked, his hand resting on your own as your legs swung off the side of the bed.

“Me? No. I’ll just be going between you two and Hunter Cha, the midwives will be taking care of the delivery. I’ll be assuming more of a matron role today. While I do specialise in pregnancies, I’m more involved in caesarean assisted deliveries and postpartum surgeries.” She smiled and adjusted her lab coat over her new pink scrubs. “I leave the amazing work to the midwives, but I’m on call for any procedures as a last resort, it’s commonplace.”

“Oh, right- yeah of course.” You’d never even entertained the idea of a C-section. Too busy worrying over everything else.

The doctor took your other hand and tried her best to reassure you, Jinwoo’s hand squeezed yours in response. “Please don’t worry about that right now, the midwife will check the babies position, but we already know they been engaged for a little while now, so I don’t think their positions will be an issue. So try not to think about my role today, just focus on yourself… you have a very supportive partner with you.”

She spoke the truth with that. You smiled involuntarily and nodded, watching Jinwoo with adoration even in the shitty times, he pulled through for you.

“Now, the twins are a little earlier than we hoped, but a specialist midwife will be on standby with incubators incase they’re in need of support. It is very common for twins to require longer hospital stays, but it’s okay.”

“We had sex-” It slipped from your mouth faster than you could ever control it. Fucking verbal vomit, coming out with it like you were shamelessly telling your parent. “Could that be-”

“No. There are some outdated methods to hurry labour along, but we could never confirm it. Sometimes babies are just ready to come out early, and yes, there could be complications, but you must remember, it’s pretty cramped in the uterus with one baby let alone two. They’re probably just ready to meet everyone. But we’ll monitor them to be sure, okay?”

“Okay.” It settled your nerves as another contraction rolled through your body.

Jinwoo massaged your shoulders and bridged the gap between you and the doctor. “What about Hae-in? She’s been here longer, shouldn’t you be with her?”

“We still have a little ways to go, I’m heading over to see her now, last time we checked she was over halfway there, so she’ll most probably give birth way before you do, but if you need anything, just call a nurse and they’ll come and get me.”

She sighed wistfully, shaking her head with the most delicate chuckle you’d ever heard from her. “I never would have guessed you two girls would go into labour at the same time! Talk about timing- now, get some rest while you can and my advice is to walk around if applucable, it can help get things moving. Best of luck you two, see you in an hour or so.”

As soon as she left the room, you grabbed onto Jinwoo’s t-shirt and tugged him closer, a sudden doom looming over your head. “Jinwoo, what if she has to cut me open- it was never part of the birth plan I-”

When he embraced you, you eased into him, taking on the smell of his cologne and natural smell that soothed you.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” Brushing your hair from your face he smiled. “Let’s tackle it together, see where it takes us.”

If he was freaking out like you were, he was doing a pretty decent fucking job of hiding it.

“Okay…”

The comfort sat on the shelf longer than you were able to keep it, several hours later, you were in what the midwife called active labour. And it fucking killed. Every movement, each sharp breath as your contractions sort of merged together in one thick contraction. You were struggling.

“I need to use the bathroom-”

“Do you feel you need to push?” The midwife asked, taking your hand to aid you out of bed.

“No- no, I need to pee, I really have to pee.”

Your poor bladder, probably swollen to the size of… well not bladder sized. One of the twins were kicking at it like a fucking football. If you didn't go now, you were sure to wet yourself and piss all over the floor. Not your finest moment, yet with all the gross stuff, Jinwoo never batted an eye.

Yet, the more in pain you got, the quieter he became. After each outburst of fear or panic, that was when you could see his eyes widen.

However, he said nothing to voice his fears, internally processing them and still being available to support you. Each time you overheard Have-in scream and shout during labour, it frightened you, making you jolt and flinch and temporarily forget the pain you were in yourself.

Childbirth was fucking terrifying.

But, peeing was great, sitting down in a different position was even better, it helped you ignore the commotion outside.

“What the fuck is that?!” Struggling to stand with assistance, you backed away like you’d found a spider in there.

The midwife looked into the toilet once you were up and wide eyed at the lump-of-whatever that fell in the toilet, all veiny and globular.

“It’s alright, please don’t panic. It’s your mucus plug, it means things are moving along.”

The thing looked alive, it looked fucking alive. It could have been the overwhelming pain shooting through you or an array of other things, but that thing fucking looked alive.

“Jinwoo… I don’t think I can take this any more.” You were so close to sobbing, inches close to giving up with each second passing and making that C-section look appealing as it could be being cut open.

“We’ll get you something for the pain-” He waved over the nurse. “Can you get her something for the pain now?”

“I’m back!” The doctor came in with a positive grin you wanted to sneer at.

The nurse nodded over to her and said, “She’ll be able to prescribe it for you.”

Relief, perhaps? Any painkillers were deliciously just in reach, anything to take the edge off. “Good, because I need something for the pain- I can’t take this any longer, doctor..”

She pulled out her clipboard and scanned through the pages. “We can, but your birth plan states no pain medication, do you want to wait and-”

“No,” You managed yourself back into bed with Jinwoo’s aid. “I want it now, anything you have. Please.”

“I think maybe we should-

Something snapped in you alarmingly fast, a feral and rabid inducing. “Get me some fucking pain medication, bitch! I’ve just birthed a giant glob in the toilet and was told it’s normal. These kids are gonna split me in two and I’d rather not feel it! Now, if you aren’t gonna be useful, get the fuck out!”

Silence. Indescribable silence.

Then you realised what you just said through the constant wall of pain. “Fuck… I’m sorry-”

“Doctor.” Jinwoo coaxed her over towards the corner of the room where you couldn’t hear anything, far too many machine beeps and heavy breaths to even see clearly.

But you noticed the doctor's expression change from neutral to something out of a horror movie. Eyes wide and mouth wider. She nodded and adjusted herself, clearing her throat and announcing to the room that she’d be back with the medication you wanted.

“She’s getting you anything you need, don’t leave anything out, alright?” Jinwoo turned, watched you like he hadn’t done within the last day and gave you a knowing smile. “Hi, Baby.”

Your pet name. Even in the pain you realised.

“Jinwoo- wait- do you-”

He approached and kissed your forehead, holding you firmly like he hadn’t seen you in weeks. “I’m sorry I went away, I won’t ever leave again, I promise.”

What the hell. Jinwoo remembered all of a sudden with no warning, and he thought it was appropriate in your pain blind mind to apologise right now?

“Wait- wait.” Grasping his shirt made him groan unexpectedly. “You took your time!”

He let you pull him about. “Thanks for waiting for me, I missed you too.”

Sarcasm. But you couldn’t deny it. “I did miss you.”

“And… you love me too, huh?”

Not one minute back to his usual self and already you wanted to throttle him and kiss him all at the same time.

Better late than never.

"I do."

Wiping the damp hair away from your face, he stared at you with the most adoring look he'd ever given you. "Let's have our babies. I'm with you the whole way, properly this time."

No, he came back at the right time.

Chapter Text

Fear. It was fear in the end that put things back as they should be.

Seeing you in agony and standing helplessly on the side triggered something on a chemical level in Jinwoo’s brain that essentially turned the light back on in his head. It may have had help from the doctor man’s abilities, but Jinwoo didn’t accept that theory.

It was viciously sudden, like taking a sharp breath of fresh air for the first time after being confined to a stuffy room all day, then coughing up his lungs due to the icy cold. Or, the sensation was similar to jolting against the seatbelt when executing an emergency brake during a drivers exam. Heart racing to an unknown beat, chest pounding yet knowing that safety sat right on the road behind the wheel.

Like standing in a room and forgetting why he was in there until it suddenly came back to him.

Watching you in pain set a defibrillator to his heart and ignored the warning signs before yelling ‘clear’.

Hearing you shout at the woman not only opened the door once the window had closed on Jinwoo, it put everything into perspective. He almost lost the moments that meant everything to him, right down the gutter, washed away with a horrid storm and the front door to the apartment remained sealed shut despite how hard he banged on it.

Jinwoo realised how attached Beru had gotten and understood now why he was hovering around outside, Igris kept watch on the perimeter. They were both your protectors and now it all made sense.

The twins aura had vanished.

He had no time to investigate or tell you that he regained his memories when his eye twitching like that, how the doctor was still standing in the room being utterly useless. Jinwoo wouldn’t just let you lie in pain when this woman could stop it.

Jinwoo never experienced fear anymore until now, but he recognised it as muscle memory. A jittery feeling standing there helpless and hopeless, taking up oxygen instead of breathing evenly and waiting to see how things planned out.

Events couldn’t play out as normal if he hyperventilated.

“Doctor.” He approached her already, taking her arm discreetly and forcing her into the corner where you couldn’t see her or hear him.

He had enough of her bullshit. Jinwoo recognised that she was paramount in a safe delivery should things change or go wrong, but as far as her usefulness in this room, she had outlived it.

Jinwoo had to whisper in order to control himself. “If you don’t give her what she’s asking for and something goes wrong… I’ll murder you in your sleep, and you’ll never know when I might come. But I guarantee that I will… Do you want the fact you’re willingly causing her pain on your conscience, knowing you could have stopped it? You’ll be looking over your shoulder for a lifetime.”

She whispered too out of natural mirroring. “You- you- I know that look… You got your memories back- when did you… That’s great- but you’re hurting me.”

Jinwoo gave no fucks when it came to you, he’d break her arm if he wanted to just to prove a point. “Answer my question.”

“N-No, I don’t want that. I’ll give her the medication- anything she wants.”

He let her go, but kept his closeness. “Good. Off you go, and stay out of this room until you’re actually needed. Understand?”

“Yes, Mr. Sung.” She retreated with her tail between her legs, had Jinwoo not been staying strong for you, he would have laughed.

“I’ll go get your pain meds, then just call if you need me- I’ll be with hunter Cha.”

Jinwoo waited for the sound of the doctor's footsteps to disappear before speaking to you. “She’s getting you anything you need, don’t leave anything out, alright?” He watched you with an eagerness that resembled what it might have been like if he’d been kept from you for days. “Hi, Baby.”

Your pet name. Your expression fell, like the pain melted away for just a moment. “Jinwoo- wait- do you-”

He wanted to run to you, to embrace you and praise you in front of everyone for being the strong person he knew you were. For the longest time, he wanted to have a form of control over you where you became entirely reliant on him, but seeing you like this, still going strong in the pain you were in, he knew he’d never have that.

And now, it didn't seem so important.

Jinwoo had changed drastically and his time away from you laid it all out in plain sight. He kissed your forehead, pressing his lips to your skin like you’d vanish in thin air if he didn’t, a physical mantra he repeated out of necessity. “I’m sorry I went away, I won’t ever leave again, I promise.”

“Wait- wait.” You almost gave him whiplash. “You took your time!”

So, you were back to your old self. That’s good.

Jinwoo was overwhelmed with that same sense of familiarity he’d been ruminating on since he left that dungeon.

That fucking dungeon.

“Thanks for waiting for me, I missed you too.”

“I did miss you.”

Jinwoo held back any and all excitement he had to contain over hearing your confession of love. It filled him with warmth and bitterness simultaneously. 

He missed it- well, he didn’t miss it- but he did. The first time and Jinwoo missed it. It tore his heart apart and taped it back together continuously.

“And you love me too, huh?”

He played it cool, though it made his heart thump. Your wide eyes, deep breaths on the hospital bed, he’d missed it. You needing him. Him needing you.

Before you could speak, Jinwoo’s phone went off, an unknown number. He pocketed it, held your hands and made you comfortable.

“I’m here. Let’s welcome our babies together, yeah?”

You nodded enthusiastically, hissing and squeezing his hands as soon as a huge contraction came on. 

“Fuck-fuck-fuck!” 

Jinwoo wanted to take the pain away, absorb it all and take it for you- no, put it all on her instead.

The doctor came in with a tray, and a gas canister. “You can have an epidural, but I'd suggest gas and air first, see how you go. It should take the edge off. Breathe it in every contraction and it’ll help.”

She didn’t dignify Jinwoo with a look his way. Good.

The nurse called your name sweetly. “I’m going to check how dilated you are now, okay? Can you put your legs- yep, like that… and I’ll just check…”

She moved her arm under the draped cloth, a similar scene when you and Jinwoo found that you were carrying twins. Made from the same material, the same dull and depressing shade of blue with weird little circles evenly spaced out. You sat in the same position in the stirrups. 

It was only like yesterday that it happened. Now within a few hours, the babies would be in your arms, you and Jinwoo would become a proper family.

“Okay, you’re almost eight centimetres dilated, things are going to get intense soon, maybe stick to the gas and air.” She waved over Jinwoo who hadn’t let go of your hand. “Dad, your job is coming up now, keep her calm and relaxed as much as possible.”

“Of course.” He said, stepping back to your side and stroking your hair in the process. 

At first, whispered sweet praises worked a treat. 

“I’m so proud of you.”

“You’re doing so well, baby.”

“You’ve got this, I know you can do it.”

“That’s my girl.”

Then, praise started to piss you off. You became nasty, erratic and emotional.

“I can’t believe you did this to me, you utter dickhead!”

“You’re never touching me again, I swear to god I’ll bite your fucking hand off!”

“The twins are punishing me- I just know it- it’s all your fault, Jinwoo!”

“I don’t like you very much right now- stop touching me!”

Jinwoo took nothing to heart, absolutely nothing and in time, you and he would be laughing it off and cuddling your little bundles of joy in no time. But it was starting to get a little hurtful. Especially when you let slip that you hated him after hearing Hae-in absolutely belt it from across the hall just before the news came that she’d given birth to a little boy.

The screeches and screams terrified you, Jinwoo understood that, yet when you yanked his shirt down to your level and growled something demonic between pulls on the canister, Jinwoo wasn’t exactly sure how to take you.

When you were ten centimetres dilated, things amped up, they sky rocketed. Jinwoo didn’t realise that until now you weren’t using your full strength to squeeze his hand. It wasn’t that it hurt, but each time you clenched his hand in such a way, it rolled his knuckles, and cringed his body like you were punishing him personally.

“You did this, you did this you fucking- ouch!”

The midwife had taken her place by your feet, rolled the sheet up over your knees and looked ready to catch one of the twins with a net.

What if she’s right? What if the twins fall out?

At least he was here to catch them, fully present and correct.

“Do you feel the need to push-“

“Yes, yes! I need to push, I really need to push!”

“Then push, love.” She said, voice soothing and calm. “Every time you get a contraction, you push with everything you have and stop when I tell you, alright?”

You didn’t respond, almost silent with each push, hand visibly shaking. Jinwoo stood helpless, the same flutter of fear being utterly powerless on something you had to ride out on your own.

It shone a light on you that Jinwoo never thought would turn on by yourself, not a flicker but a full beam full of warm UV rays and sunshine. In the beginning, Jinwoo really wanted to keep you, use your abilities for things he still hadn’t fully figured out yet, he wanted to have you all to himself and tuck you away forever.

Being the mother of his children, you were so strong and resilient through everything, Jinwoo only wanted you.

He’d give up everything for you.

Kill for you, again.

Take the world for you.

Burn it down for you.

Reduce everything to dust just to see you smile. Because you loved him back. You wanted him too.

Jinwoo patted your forehead with a damp cloth, soothing you with soft delicate words whenever you wanted to give up, he would have let you breake both his hands if it took an ounce of pain away.

Each push, each stifled grunt and growl through the pain brought you closer to delivery. Jinwoo was anxious to move anywhere away from your head, he knew eventually he’d be cutting the cords of his children, but getting close between your legs during active labour just felt like something only a professional should do.

That, and he was sure you’d hit him if he moved an inch away as he learned earlier when he wanted to go to the bathroom after you told him to fuck off. You threw something at him and begged him to come back in tears and hold your hand.

“Baby’s head is out… One big push- that’s it. Push-push-push, one last push.”

A deep breath and mountainous determination, you pushed again, far quieter than Hae-in ever was.

Jinwoo’s moment he’d hold forever in his head and heart, was the proudest sensation filling up his chest with your sigh of relief and the sound of his baby crying for the first time.

He’d never get it out of his head and he never wanted to. So beautiful, so overwhelming, so perfect.

“Okay, we have a boy!” The midwife smiled briefly, holding him in her arms so Jinwoo could see.

He was beautiful.

“Baby, he’s perfect.” He peppered kisses on your forehead, squeezing your hand tight with encouragement.

“Is he- is he okay?"

Jinwoo grinned from ear to ear. "He's great, he's so tiny. But he's so perfect."

"Come and cut the cord dad." The specialist gave him sterile gloves to wear, and threw on a quick hospital gown.

Holy shit, holy fucking shit. Don't mess this up, man. 

Even if his hands trembled, Jinwoo cut his sons cord like he imagined his dad did for him.

The midwife and passed the Jinwoo’s son over to the specialist. “She’ll clean him up, and let’s get his sibling ready to follow.” 

Jinwoo wiped the wet away from his eyes. A son, a baby boy that you made all by yourself, wrapped up in his own aura. An aura almost identical to Jinwoo’s as soon as the cord was cut.

A little baby he only saw for a second, but knew he was the sweetest and most adorable baby in the world. Someone who was destined to do great things.

"Ouch, ouch ouch!” You hissed, waving your hand around until you connected with Jinwoo and crushed his hand in the process.

“Do you need to push again?” The midwife fiddled around under the cloth and looked back at you with a raised brow.

“Yep! I need to- I have to push again!”

Jinwoo sniffled and doubled down, resting his forehead on your hair for a moment. “Come on baby, you’re almost there. You’re doing so well, you can do this. I love you so much.”

You went into silence again, focusing and drenched in your own sweat, gasping on air between pushes. Only praise kept you going now, or you just ignored Jinwoo, either way, you were too distracted to shout at him and pull him closer than he already was.

But wow, if Jinwoo wasn’t emotional at everything unfolding in front of him by now, he certainly was when he heard the first cry of his second child.

Far too much. How the fuck were you keeping it all together like you were?

“And… we have a girl!”

A son. A daughter. A woman who Jinwoo would call his wife soon.

So much to live for.

So much to lose.

It was then you finally relaxed, after Jinwoo cut his daughter's cord, after the twins were wrapped up in their corresponding swaddles and straight into their incubators. The after birth left your body like you were allergic to it. 

You laid there still enough, your breathing beginning to even out. Jinwoo kissed you and never let you go, he whispered how proud he was, how much love he had developed for you and the twins. He never left your side, holding on to use the bathroom for the last hour because he didn’t want to stop looking at those precious little babies.

He couldn't hold them either, being a week early, the specialist stated that a week in their incubators should be enough. Then you and Jinwoo could take the twins home and start a life together. His heart overflowed with love, calculating and making plans to relocate out of the city, take small time raids to stay close to his family and prevent the risk of an altercation with something similar to that spider ever again.

He couldn’t afford to ever lose his memories again, not with the new, irreplaceable ones he made today.

Levelling up came second for the time being, and looking at the system screen, his quest had officially been completed. He received a significant boost in stats and hie was that much closer to levelling up. Still, it could wait.

“You did so well, baby. I couldn’t be prouder.”

For the first time being in the hospital, you smiled. “I’m proud too. Y’know, at first I wasn’t sure if I could do it, to look after them and be there. But after doing that… I think we can do anything.”

“We can, baby.” Jinwoo grinned, his heart overbrimming with joy. “We have one more hard task to overcome now, though.”

“What is it?”

“What are we calling our babies?”

Two of the most beautiful babies in the world, and they were yours and his only.