“What are you doing up?” Xiumin asked as he noticed Chloe lingering at the bathroom door early in the morning through the mirror.

“I had trouble sleeping without you in bed. It was too cold.” She said, stepping forward when she noticed something in Xiumin’s hand. “Ooh, give it here.” Chloe said, plucking the razor from Xiumin’s grip. She jumped up onto the granite countertop, situating herself directly in front of Xiumin. “I’ve always wanted to try this.” She said with an eager smile, motioning Xiumin closer.

He narrowed his eyes at her as she grabbed for his bottle of shaving cream. She sprayed some in the palm of her hand before lightly slathering it over Xiumin’s chin.

“Come a little closer, underneath the light, so I can see.”

He took another step forward until his stomach touched the cold granite, nestling himself in between Chloe’s legs. She cleaned the razor underneath the faucet before starting.

“Do you know what you’re doing?” Xiumin asked, flinching slightly as she came at him with the razor.

She gave him a light slap on his arm. “Stop moving. You’re going to make me cut you.”

He remained still, watching her concentrated expression as she ran the razor down the left side of his face. He held back the urge to kiss her as her lips hovered near his.

“You know, I never understood this fantasy women have of shaving their men personally. I mean, you never see a man ask to shave a woman’s legs.”

Chloe broke into a smile. “It’s more of a power thing.” There was a pause as Chloe rearranged the angle of Xiumin’s head. “It’s the feeling of holding a blade to your spouse’s throat and having the ability to finish him off…but choosing not to.”

“Well when you put it that way…” Xiumin began, choosing not to finish off the sentence.

He noticed a stray strand of hair which fell over Chloe’s eyes, tickling her ever so slightly as she moved her head with each swipe.

“So apparently my friend has the hots for Tao now.” Chloe mentioned as she washed the excess shaving cream off the razor before continuing. “She says she likes a guy who can throw a good punch.”

Xiumin let out a chuckle as he rested a hand on her knee. “So I take it they’re still talking to you?”

“Yeah. I guess they were better friends than I thought.” Chloe said, meeting eyes with Xiumin momentarily before moving on to the right side of his face. “In fact, I made plans to go out with them again later this week.”

Xiumin raised a single eyebrow at her.

“So no Tao this time, alright?” 

“What if I still send Tao, but make him wear a disguise?” 

“Keep in mind I’m still holding a razor to your neck.” Chloe responded, making another swipe against his skin.

He let out a slight scoff at the threat. “Fine. But that means I get to send two men this time.”

Chloe paused to meet eyes with him.

“You won’t recognize them or even know they’re there, I promise.” Xiumin continued, to satisfy Chloe’s conditions.

“Fine. Tilt your head back.”

Xiumin complied before speaking again. “By the way, I’ve been thinking...instead of Tao driving you home after class, what if he drives you to headquarters instead?”

This put Chloe on pause again. “Why?”

“The cops and a rival syndicate have been closing in on us, so I would prefer if you weren’t home alone.”    

Chloe nodded slightly as she finished off the last bit of stubble at the crook of his neck.

“You’ve sure been pissing off a lot of people lately, haven’t you?” Chloe responded as she used a wet cloth to wipe off the lingering bits of shaving cream off his face. She set down the cloth before running her fingers back over his freshly shaven jaw line. “Don’t get too careless, alright?” she said, meeting his gaze again.

He found himself closing the gap between them, giving her the lightest peck on the lips.

“Careless isn’t in my dictionary.” Xiumin responded smugly.

She took a moment to recover from his sudden display of affection.

“See, it’s that kind of cockiness that worries me.” Chloe said eventually as she hopped down from the countertop. 

“So now you’re worrying for me?” Xiumin asked, flustering her again.

She took a slight misstep as she was leaving.

“You know, I was going to make you some eggs, but I’m not sure I’m in the mood anymore.” She quipped with her back turned.

He laughed at the comment.

“I like my eggs sunny side up!” Xiumin called out to her, not even attempting to hide the stupid smile on his face.

 

“Hey Tao, pull over real quick.” I muttered as something in one of the store windows we were passing caught my eye.

I walked through the store front and was immediately approached by a sales associate.

“Good afternoon. Do you need help finding anything in particular?” the associate asked.

I pointed to the loud vase in the window. “How much for the vase?”

A few hours later, I was home, orienting my new vase in a small nook, fit with accented lighting. I smiled as I took a step back to take it all in. The vase looked out of place against the stark white of Xiumin’s home interior. It was exactly because of the artist’s choice of color that I chose the decorative piece. It was my little way of livening up the place. Plus, the fact that the silhouette reminded me of a human heart, made me all the more attached to the item.

From the corner of my vision, I could see Xiumin come to a stop behind me as he lay eyes on the new addition.

“Are you serious?” He asked, looking to me for affirmation.

“This is my house too you know.” I responded as I bent down to pick up the scattered packaging that the vase had come in.

He let out a sigh as he helped me pick up a foam peanut that I had missed. “Sometimes I feel like you do just to get under my skin.”

I scoffed, coming to a stop in front of him. “Break this one and I’ll slice your off in your sleep.” I threatened before giving Xiumin a quick pat on his as I passed him.

 

 

A few days later, they ended up at headquarters, nestled away within Xiumin’s office while he trudged through his usual work.

“I’m bored.” Chloe muttered as she looked over to Xiumin who sat contemplating something in front of his computer.

It was still rather early into her school semester, so Chloe had no school work to catch up on. This left her with more free time than she knew what to do with.

“Hold on, I’m trying to figure out something.” Xiumin muttered as he closed his eyes, his fingers lightly tapping his desk.

Their deadline was fast approaching, leaving them only a day to figure out a solution. He was still trying to figure out the most inconspicuous way to give his peddlers the new account information, without revealing their identities to the cops.

“If I was at home, I could at least cook or catch up on house work. I’m useless here.”

Though it was selfish of him, he liked having her here. Her presence beside him gave him a sense of peace that he would never admit to aloud. And she had a way of relieving the otherwise grim mood of his office.

She rested her chin on her crossed arms, studying Xiumin’s mannerisms. “Do you really think the cops would come after me? I mean, even they have to know that I’m completely useless. The most I’d be able to tell them about you is your sleeping schedule and your weird aversion to birds.”

Xiumin cracked a smile at her words. She was completely full of . He knew that if she ever chose to align with the police, her testimony would be crucial in putting him behind bars. She knew his temperaments, his weaknesses, his past, and his future. Even though it was never his intention, he found he had let her in far deeper than he had ever let anyone come before. 

She was sneaky like that. Inconspicuous and seemly harmless.

Xiumin’s eyes suddenly shot open as something occurred to him. The cops would never expect he was up to anything if he was with Chloe.

“Come on, let’s go have lunch.” Xiumin hastily suggested, immediately moving to pick up his jacket.

“What? Is that…allowed?” she asked, hesitating as he checked his pocket for his wallet.

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“I thought I’m not supposed to be seen with you in public.” 

“That’s ridiculous. In what world is it wrong for a husband to be seen eating with his wife?”

“But I’m not supposed to be your wife, remember?”

He put an arm around her shoulder, ushering her out the door. “It’s fine. I could stroll out onto the streets with a gun in my hand and a kilo of coke hidden in my jacket, and the feds would still only have eyes for Kris.”

 

“Who’s that with Kris’s wife?” Sehun asked as he took a peek at some of the surveillance footage Chanyeol and Baekhyun were going through.

“That would be one of the five fingers. I think he likes to go by the name, Xiumin. He’s quite a boring fella, based off previous intel. He’s only ever seen going back and forth between their base and home. But we’re told he’s considered the brains of the group.”