For my dear friend Montse, 

Also, as a gift from me to all of you for Valentine 

💕

"Seungri?, I'm sorry to disturb you, but I think this is something that you would want to see right away." Youngbae was already moving pass the door of the library as he spoke. Daesung was walking closely behind him. 

Seungri looked up from the book he's reading and nodded. They had agreed to meet that day but he expected his friends to arrive a little bit late but honestly, he wasn't going to hold them back if they thought that it's important, although Jiyong shifted restlessly behind his back, wings spreading upon the sudden intrusion. His hand wavered on Seungri's shoulder for a moment, as though he was considering whether he should pull it back to spare Daesung's sensibilities. 

But Seungri grabbed it and held it there. Jiyong's finger flexed, and the slight hint of prickling nails Seungri had felt vanished. Jiyong bent his head down next to Seungri's face and kissed his cheek softly. They waited until he was done, which Seungri flashed a smile at them for as he held out his hand. Youngbae was holding a letter in his hand. 

It had a silvery seal at the bottom of it that Seungri does not recognize, a swan in crown and chains. On the other hand, he hadn't recognize the mark of Noah's seal, either. He opened it and read the letter out loud. 

...so settled by The Veela Council that Lee Seungri is a threat to the pure - blood Veela way of life...

Seungri rolled his eyes. "Excepts for the one who actually involves in the bond, and the one who support me, and the ones I'm living with," he muttered, and held out the letter so that Jiyong, who's bending over his shoulder could read it properly. Hell, Seungri would have trouble reading it at this point no matter what, because Jiyong's wings were casting it into shadow. 

"What bollocks," said Jiyong. "Although perhaps my sister would agree that you're a threat. Just not to the Veela's way of life." He brushed his wings back and forth over Seungri's head, feathers rasping into his hair. "Unless the life of one house counts."

Seungri scoffed, and as Jiyong's wings had moved, he turned back to reading the full letter.

...and so, the threat must be met. Lee Seungri is directed to appear at  a meeting at the Council at noon on the first month.

"This is all nonsense," Seungri said, with a shake of his head and a sigh, and he passed the letter up to Jiyong, who was looking so impatient to read the rest. "I don't understand why they put the blame on me when I was the one who was forced to just go along with it. Just because I didn't bent like in heat like the rest of them did."

He caught Jiyong's glaring at him as the words left his mouth but compared to this...whatever it is,  Seungri figured he could take as much as that. 

"This is a serious matter, Seungri," Youngbae said. He was wringing his hands, and looking back and forth between Seungri and Jiyong as though he expected Jiyong to go all ape at any moment. He probably would have, Seungri had to admit, before they started to understand each other and Jiyong had realized that not every threat to Seungri was a threat to his life. "I mean," he continued, drawing Seungri's attention back to him, "they speaks for almost all of the Veela bloodline families. " 

"Not me, and not mine," Jiyong said decisively, putting the letter down. "I've never seen that seal before, and it's the kind of thing that my father would have made sure I knew. And these people, whoever they are, they don't have anything to say about my bond with Seungri." He paused abruptly. 

"How do they know?" Seungri thought he could, at least follow that train of thought Jiyong was likely to be considering, even if he couldn't sense all the emotions that he should be able to as part of the bond. 

"Someone must've reported it.  Besides, the rumors about you were still spreading." Youngbae threw up his arms. "Seungri, you need to consider this seriously and decide what you're going to do."

"I think you're right hyung, but why do I have to concern myself with this?". Seungri said and Jiyong place his hand on his shoulder. "It's true I've rejected this bond but that's because I didn't feel the connection. Now, I think we all knew better," and he closes his eyes momentarily when Jiyong bent down and place a kiss on top of his head. 

From deep inside his chest, through every cell of his body, the warmth welcomed him like an old friend. Although he could use some time to get used to it, because he never felt that way before. All his life, everything he once loved and cared about always ed up and broke him, tearing apart his soul bit by bit. But that time...being with Jiyong, everything in his little tiny universe was right for the first time.

He really don't want to deal with this right now...

"Who did this?". A little beat to late he asked, bursting the growing silence. 

Jiyong move closer to his side and said, "I think it's Noah."

"They can't do that, though, right?" Seungru exclaimed in distress. "I mean, they can't just roll over and expect me to take this? You made a deal! She's couldn't harm us now."

Youngbae sighed. "She doesn't need to do this on her own. She could've told someone else who was reactionary enough to move forwards on rumor alone just what she wanted them to know, and they would have reacted without thinking. Probably." He picked up the letter again. "I could be wrong but I know they want to hear from you and the truth behind those rumors."

"What happen if I didn't show up?". He asked. 

"Then they'll take the rumors as the truth," Youngbae said. "and they might consider some action against you...or Jiyong."

"But they didn't do anything when I was first dragged into this out of my consent," Seungri cut Youngbae's words short. Jiyong shifted nervously at his side but he doesn't think he need to explain himself to the Veela because this isn't about their bonds anymore. The unfairness of it all irked him to the core. "Why do they want to intervene now?". 

"I guess it have something to do with the preseverance of the Veela's tradition," said Daesung. "They're the ones responsible in making it remain as how it is, afterall."

"So much that they didn't think about human." Seungri snorted and then he turn to Youngbae. "Are these people human at least?". 

"Some of them, but the rest are Veelas." Jiyong answered.

"I can't face her again," said Jiyong, his hold on Seungri tighten. "because the duel was supposed to be the end of any engagement with her. But you  can do something else." He hesitated and looked towards Seungri. "If you'll trust me, because it puts you in kind of submissive position."

Daesung wanted to protest but back down when Youngbae put a hand on his shoulder. Seungri only raised his head, and waited for a moment. Jiyong nodded to him and said quietly, "You can go as my claimed mate. That'll make them back off."

"Do I have to wear chains, or follow orders, or bow down at your feet, anything like that?" Seungri asked equally quiet. 

Jiyong shook his head at once. "You never had to do any of that," he said. "But they'll assume that we had , and I am the dominant. And they'll ask me questions and talk to me. You would have to remain silent unless one of them ask you a direct question".

"Seungri,  you can't," Daesung said, glaring at Jiyong. "This is exactly the kind of bull that you wanted to avoid when you agreed to become his mate."

Seungri breathed heavily, starting to feel his head throbbing at Daesung's word. Its true that he don't want to appear like any of those typical submissive, let alone act like one but Jiyong won't treat him like that if it wasn't necessary. The room was quiet and he can feel Jiyong's hold on him tightened. It wasn't very clear before to him, of who Jiyong is...but now, he thinks he knows better. 

"That is my choice to make," he said to Daesung and turn to face Jiyong. "How easily can we fool them? I mean, if they ask me question and i answer them they way I did, that wouldn't be so convincing, would it?"

Jiyong paused, " it depends on what you said and whether they thought you were answering it the way I allow you to".

"Then it would work with me," said Seungri. "Tell me what would come across to them, and what wouldn't. This is your world afterall," he added when Jiyong looked doubtful. 

"Alright," said Jiyong softly, and for a moment, light had shimmered around his wings the way it had when they're kissing the other day. Seungri bit his lips hard, to keep himself from blushing in front of his friends. "You trusted me that much." Jiyong sounded full of wonder, and his hand slipped out and began to caress Seungri's cheek. "I just - Seungri,  you trusted me."

"That's why you wanted him to be submissive, isn't it?" Daesung muttered. "Because that'll give you everything you want without you fighting for it."

Jiyong rolled his eyes. "Yes, because Seungri hasn't fought me every step of the way," he said and turned back to Seungri, taking both of his hand into his own. "Love, I don't want you to be uncomfortable. We'll work together and we'll figure out what you need to say and what would only make them suspicious."

"In the meantime, he'll be submissive in public." Daesung shook his head at Seungri. "Exactly what you don't want."

"How is using their perception of the bond against them showing anything other than that 'natural submissiveness' is load of bollocks? " Youngbae asked incredulously. 

Daesung hesitated, "but they aren't going to know that," he said finally.

"Them not knowing it is the whole point of this little exercise," said Youngbae, as he smiled at both Jiyong and Seungri. "I believe that Jiyong will know what best for my brother and I trust him doing a very good job at it."

Jiyong smiled appreciatively at Youngbae and held his hand out to Seungri.  Seungri smiled and stepped up to him, giving Daesung a little smile. He understood Daesung's concern because if Jiyong had suggested this tactic right after they bonded, he would've rebuked but this time he will trust Jiyong. 

"Fine," Daesung looked back and forth between them, and stared at the intertwined hands. Still rolling his eyes but smiling, this time. Seungri turned to Jiyong and smiled the best smile he had (if that's make sense).

"Teach me what I can say, and what I can't say."

*

Seungri settled back and sighed as he go through the set of questions and answers that Jiyong had wrote down for him. He wasn't sure if it's going to be asked at all during the meeting, but Jiyong had earnestly helped him to make it and there's nothing else he can do other than studying it all over. After all,  Jiyong would know better about them than he'll ever be. 

He could sense Jiyong shifting behind him. He had got up to wander over to a sideboard that the maids had left loaded with food, and never wondered back again. Seungri thought it was probably just an impulse to be close to him. 

Seungri immediately stretched the paper so that Jiyong could see it too. Jiyong sat down beside him and nuzzled his neck, then he stared at the paper. Even that doesn't bother Seungri anymore as much as it did before, he thought, picking up a blueberry tart from his plate. 

I'm getting used to this bond. It's not something that I might've choosen on my own, but there are things that you can get used too...

"I don't understand why this meeting is necessary," Seungri said a moment later, with a deep grumble that make Jiyong grin. 

"Because they're siding with Noah and those rumors. We have to change that," Jiyong explained, reaching forward to swipe off the crumbs from the corner of Seungri's mouth. "I think, they're partially blaming me for the state of our bond, sure, I would rather they didn't do that. But they kinda implied in the letter that it happened because I allow it, and you're taking that as an advantage to oppose me."

Now, Jiyong wondered how reliable the source could've been, from someone who was there or someone who know who was there (that witness by themselves how he supposedly 'allowing' Seungri to go against him, or how Seungri supposedly taking advantage of the situation). It was hard to tell whether the other Veela in the council know or fully aware of what happened between them.

But no one explained anything, so Jiyong could understand where their misunderstanding comes from and to think Noah took advantage of that. It was a smart move, but not for long. 

"So, you're saying they blame both of us at the same time?" Jiyong rub his thumb on Seungri's knuckles and reveled when Seungri relaxed into his soft touches. "How does that work?"

Jiyong shrugged, now pressing light kisses across Seungri's hand and Seungri let him be. "Probably because they wanted to satisfy the public attitude for news about Veela as well, and make it clear that you're not the only one to blame. You did say it wasn't fair for Veela to be treated so highly and for human right to not be considered at all, no?"

"I guess," Seungri murmurs with a tiny sigh. "But you shouldn't be satisfied with something so poor." The papers in his hand were placed back on the table for a while now,  and he finds comfort in snuggling close against Jiyong's side. Jiyong shifted closer so that he can peppers Seungri's cheek and neck with feathery kisses. "To think that it's good to believe in rumors alone." 

Jiyong sneaked one light kiss on Seungri's lips, then reluctantly pull Seungri away from him, just enough for him to see his mate's face. "It doesn't matter what they're going to say because whatever it is, I won't allow it to come between us."

Seungri stared at him and nodded. "I will do the same things for us too," he said. Jiyong looked like he's in trance for a while before breaking into that adorable smile of his. Stupidly adorable, Seungri had to remind himself because these days, whenever be sees that kind of smile on Jiyong, all he want to do is to kiss it away.  

Seungri snickered at the thought and stood up. "Now, let me go prepare for tomorrow. I still haven't pick out what to wear."

"Oh, I can advise you on what to wear," Jiyong said, and stood up with his head cocked to the side, his eyes trailing up and down Seungri's body.

Although Seungri suspected more than one motive for Jiyong's sudden desire to help him out, he didn't make a big deal out of it. It's not necessary anymore because Jiyong had seen all of him, and accepted him for all he is. Therefore, he simply shrugged. 

"This isn't one of those big meeting where people will be observing me and judging me if I don't conform exactly to your fashion."

Jiyong make a little humming sounds under his breath as he spread his wings, somehow making them droop like palm fronds.  Seungri honestly wasn't sure how he did that. "Well, Lee, would you be mean enough to deprive me of the pleasure of dressing you?"

That makes Seungri laugh. "Not if you're already so keen Kwon," he reached for Jiyong's hand after that. "I was just saying that we don't have to put that much of an effort into it."

"I won't,  because my sense of fashion is always better than anyone else."

Seungri rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine," he nodded. "You can help if you want."

"I've always want,"  Jiyong said, in a low tone that made it sound like a threat, and he stepped up beside Seungri.  For a second, his hand was on Seungri's shouler then the sharp-feeling nails brushed through and caught in Seungri's hair. "You have no idea how deep my desire runs."

Seungri shuddered at the touch and hunched a shoulder towards him. "I might know. Where are these clothes that might fit me? Or are you going to make do with whatever clothes that I already owned?"

"I don't intend to make do with anything," said Jiyong, his voice sharp again as he bent down and swept Seungri to their room upstairs as fast as they could go without Jiyong actually flying them. 

*

Jiyong could hardly believe that he finally can help Seungri get dressed. 

Well, Seungri had said that Youngbae or Daesung would sometimes advice him on what to wear if he had to attend special occasion but neither of them have any interest on his mate, so that gave him the honor.

Seungri raised his eyebrows when he saw the immense line of clothing in Jiyong's wardrobe. He simply watched as Jiyong took out dress shirt of Emerald green and deep blue and other deep colours that would suit his mate. He laid them gently on the bed. Then Jiyong looked at him expectantly.

"I can spell the clothes on you and off again, if you prefer?" he asked.

Seungri give the Veela a look that Jiyong thought was at least as deep as his wardrobe. "It's okay. I think I'll be alright," he said and stripped off his shirt on his own. 

Jiyong found it hard to breathe when Seungri's skin comes in view. The scars on his arms, his back, a length of muscle that caused Jiyong's mouth to water, a fresh bruise however --

"Where did that bruise comes from?" Jiyong asked, and although his voice was quiet, Seungri was wise enough to look back at him with wariness. 

"I don't know I have one," Seungri said, turning around to see it on the mirror. There's indeed a large purplish bruise the left side of his waist. 

Jiyong stepped forward and laid a hand on it, and Seungri jumped and swore a bit when the Veela apply a slight pressure on it. "Well, now I know I do," he scowled a bit as it stings. "It's from the Crucio drug,"

"It's been months since that, Seungri," Jiyong blinked, perplexed as flattened his hand so that he was just touching just slightly with his fingertips on top of the bruise, not enough to hurt. "I thought the drug only cause pain, not bruises," If that wasn't true, he's going to cuff Seungri for lying to him, and hurt the Noah in ways that they couldn't even imagine.

"No, injuries caused by that drug takes longer time to heal," said Seungri, as he grimaced. "I think that I banged onto the back of chair when I was shaking that day."

"Convulsing," Jiyong corrected him, and draped himself a little more over Seungri, shaking his head. "I don't understand how I couldn't sense this, how I didn't know anything about this..."

His voice trailed off. Now he did, Seungri almost feels pathetic realizing how still so weak their bond is.  Of course he won't sense anything when they couldn't even feel most of each other emotions. But Seungri couldnt barely register the pain of the bruise if it's wasn't Jiyong who point it out. 

"Love,  I need you to talk to me," Jiyong whispered into Seungri's ear and took his hand away when he saw Seungri shuddered a little. He was probably pressing harder into the bruise without meaning to. "If the bond won't give us the strength that should be ours -- if the bond is weak because of the things that you won't tell me about and you can't help -- then the words are even more important."

"Are they?" Seungri glanced back at him, and his face had an expression of guilt and sadness that hurts Jiyong's heart just to stare at it. He quickly gathered Seungri into his arms, hugging him close. Seungri's voice was soft when he said, "It wasn't your fault that you didn't notice this bruise and I think, neither did I."

"But you know where it must've came from," Jiyong placed his hand on the back of Seungri's head, while the other just below the bruise. His wings circling around Seungri, wrapping him like a cocoon but not so much to make his mate feels suffocated.

"When I thought about it, I did," Seungri rested his head on Jiyong's shoulder with his own hand wrapped around the Veela's waist. "I think I  haven't hit my back on anything else lately," he sighed when Jiyong pulled away slightly from him and the Veela did some more doubtful, hard staring at his direction. 

Seungri smiled as he cupped Jiyong's face in between his palm. He pressed a chaste kiss on Jiyong's lips and the Veela's eyes softened at this.  Although the guilt never really leave his handsome face. "I really appreciate the way you're trying to take care of me, Jiyong. I really do. But I don't want you to blame yourself. What would you done if you know about this bruise, anyway?"

"Put you on bed," Jiyong said instantly. "Make sure that you had all the medicine you needed, soft pillows behind your head and blankets and hot chocolate--"

Seungri kissed him again and didn't give Jiyong much time to respond as he quickly break away from the Veela's hold. Seungri took a few steps back from Jiyong and gave him a full glance of his bare chest. Not that he could properly appreciate it right now, when Seungri's eyes were on his, intense and not letting him go. 

"And that would be a waste, because I wouldn't have stayed too long in bed over a bruise. I still have plans to do." Seungri chuckled, the kind that Jiyong could feel in his own lung. So hard that it takes his breath away and left him staring in awe but he snapped out of it as there's something else bothering him. 

"Do your health means nothing to you?" Jiyong stepped closer and touched Seungri's chest. There was an old scar there, a thin striped one. Jiyong stared at it. He could finally looked away from Seungri's face. "I'd think you would at least want to stay in a good health, for your friends sake and for your plans. If... If you don't care about yourself for me."

"I phrased that badly then," Seungri sounded a bit upset when he reached down to catch Jiyong's hand, and for second, Jiyong felt flickers of that through the bond, too. He crooned wistfully. Things would be easier if they were bonded like a normal pair. The way that he could easily sense Seungri's pain if their bond worked properly.  "I mean, I could take care of myself, but a bruise is tiny in a scheme of things."

"I'm not waiting until someone else comes and threatened you to start taking care of you, I hope you understand that." Jiyong said tightly. 

Seungri smiled softly and kissed Jiyong's palm. "You can take care of me." Jiyong opened his mouth, and Seungri gives him a flat look. "When I'm injured and so on. Or threatened, the way you did when Noah send that dragon after me but I think it's ridiculous to put me in bed for a bruise and I think you know that. If that's the kind of thing a dominant Veela would do for their normal submissive mate, which, I think didn't apply to me."

Jiyong hunched his wings, a little miserable. He had decided that he dont want anyone except Seungri as his mate, but it is permissible if he couldn't do anything that his instincts urge him to do? 

"But you can dress me though." and with voice merely above a whisper he adds, "and you can kiss me anytime you liked."

Jiyong came out slowly from his daze, and blinked. Seungri stood in front of him with his back turned again, looking at the dress shirt laying on the bed. "What?" he asked. 

"You said that you're going to help me pick up the shirt that would be appropriate to wear for tomorrow," Seungri glanced at him with bright eyes and dusty pink across his cheeks. "Is that not the plan anymore?"

"It's the plan!" Jiyong said and he quickly walked over to Seungri's side. He however, sneaked his arms around Seungri's waist and pulled him closer to him. His eyes were on Seungri's lips for a second before he leaned down for a kiss. 

Jiyong kissed Seungri and the world seems to fell away for a moment. It was soft and slow, comforting in ways that words would never be. He moved his hand and placed it below Seungri's ears, his thumb caressing Seungri's cheeks as their breath mingle. While Seungri ran his fingers along Jiyong's spine, pulling the Veela closer to him until there's no space left between them and he could feel the beating of Jiyong's heart against him. 

They pulled away a moment later, forehead rested against each other when Jiyong spoke, "Are you manipulating me with pleasure to get out of talking about the bruise and the things that are appropriate for a Veela to do with their mate?".

"I'm having you do something that we both would enjoy more," Seungri said, lightly tapping on Jiyong's chest for Jiyong to loosen up his hold on him. Once the Veela did albeit reluctantly, Seungri reached down for the dress shirt. "Or I can go wearing this?"

"No, I want to," Jiyong said, half whining and Seungri can't help but to chuckle at this. He doesn't know if Jiyong was always like this, but now, the Veela is stupidly endearing. "I want to," he repeated again, a little harder when Seungri's hand lingered on the dress for a second.

Seungri nodded and stepped back, arms relaxed and down at his side. "I'm all yours," he said casually.

Jiyong hissed softly, the possessive side of him awakened. He could satisfy it by sliding the shirt over Seungri's arm, though, and guiding his other arm through the armhole, and sighing as he watched the rich colour contrast with Seungri's pale skin and compliment his dark brown hair and eyes. Jiyong smoothed the silk dress shirt down Seungri's chest and nodded. 

"Here," he said as he turned Seungri around so he was facing the mirror.

Seungri caught his breath and Jiyong didn't missed that. He stalked a little closer and lifted his wings so that it can fan them gently, blowing a small breeze so that Seungri's hair waved and his shirt ripple om his body. 

"You like that." Jiyong didn't mean for his voice to sound guttural. It just happened.

"I do," said Seungri. "I just never thought that one colour could make a difference." He turned back and forth, cocking his head as if he wanted to see the various angels his chin could adopt over the collar. "Only I don't like the lace on the cuffs."

Jiyong flexed his hands, and then reached to slice out the lace with his nails. It dropped on the floor into ruined pieces and Seungri looked down at them. Then,  he tilted his head back so he could consider Jiyong eye to eye. 

The Veela blinked a little and flexed his nails again. "Did you not wish that to happen?" He asked. He couldn't apologize because the gesture had been his own idea as well.  

"No, it's okay," Seungri said, and stared at the mirror again. "I just didn't expect it." Then he nodded. "What do you think I look like now?"

Jiyong stared at his mate and only find one answer hovering on the back of his tongue.

"You looked amazing," he breathed, mixing it with a croon and moved forward to wrap his hands around Seungri's waist again. Jiyong placed his chin on Seungri's shoulder so his mate could see them in the mirror, framed by his wings.

Seungri caught his breath again for a minute. Jiyong knew he did because he couldn't be this close and missed the significant of the shuddering of skin, or the slight gasp on Seungri's tongue. 

Seungri placed his own hands on Jiyong and they stayed like that a little longer. In that moment, Jiyong's hold around him squeezed a fraction tighter and Seungri breathed more slowly. His body melting into his Veela's as every muscle lost it's tension to the air. 

'This is what happiness feels like, real happiness,' he thought to himself.

"I think we should continue to get ready for tomorrow," said Seungri. 

"Do we really need to?" Jiyong grumbled as he dont want to let go yet. Truthfully, he was dizzy with pleasure and wanted to do nothing else but to stare at Seungri for hours. 

"Come on," Seungri smiled, as he leaned closer to Jiyong. "We need to get this right." He turn his head to the side and pressed a kiss on Jiyong's cheek, then gently pushed him away. 

Jiyong stood there in daze as he watched Seungri walked back toward the desk. Since that night, their relationship had taken a better turn and Jiyong realize how poor if he keep on dwelling on the state of their bond...because after those long moment, Seungri finally love him, and accepted him the way he wanted more than anything else in this world.

He reckoned he could put up with it, for the sake of all pleasure Seungri had given him. And because finally, Seungri is Seungri. 

a.n : happy belated Valentine's Day.  🌹