#I was actually worried I would be barred from a corporate job if I didn't play by the rules for nerdy women | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

daceydeath · 2 years ago

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Hierarchy

Heirachy: a system, especially in a society or organization, in which people are organized into different levels of importance from highest to lowest.

Parings: Mafia Changbin x Female Reader, Mafia Felix x Female Reader Word Count: 6.5k (give or take) Genre: Mafia au, friends to lovers, angst Warnings: So much swearing, violence, blood, mentions of kidnapping, drinking

You have always been utterly uninteresting, safely boring as close . You had a normal job, normal friends and the sweetest bestie on the planet but now everything is upside down and that best friend of yours is far more dangerous than you could have ever imagined.

Everyone knew that your city was held by the SKZ Syndicate, a street gang turned successful crime family, they were widely feared but the criminal underworld all over the country but in everyday life you barely every gave them a second thought. Working as a secretary at a corporate design firm was hardly a hub for criminal activity, you lived a normal life by just about anyone's standards.

You had your family who still lived in the home you grew up in a few hours outside of the city, you had your friends that you went to school with and the ones you had met through work and you had Changbin your best friend. He had been in your life as a friend for so long you almost couldn't remember your life without him in it, he was sweet and gentle with you and was always a shoulder for you to cry on if thing had gotten hard at work or if your boyfriend of the time had caused you hurt due to a painful breakup. You had never taken that step across the line of friendship you treasured him too much for that, and besides he seemed to have a pretty constant flow of girlfriends, even though you had more than a few romantic thoughts about him over the years you had been friends.

Living in the neighborhood you did had always been a slight concern for Changbin though he was constantly worried about gang activity or crime in your area but you had never had any problems, most people were quite happy to just mind their own business, you knew that the area was part of the half of the city that was connected to the SKZ Syndicate, but you never really ever gave that a second thought. Criminals dealt with criminals you were a secretary you were stratospheres apart as far as you were concerned.

You had agreed to meet Changbin and a few other mutual friends at a club a fifteen minutes from your place, you had told him you were going to take an Uber but you were actually going to walk it wasn't even that late when you were leaving home so it would be fine. No one ever took any notice of you, this time was different though as you walked between people you could feel someone watching you following you but every time you checked in a store window you couldn't tell who it was. Feeling a little more nervous you changed you route making sure to not go down any empty streets, you tried to stand close to groups of people any time you had to stop to cross roads or wait for cars. The feeling continued until you reached the street the club was located on, walking quickly to the door you entered the club to find Changbin.

"Hey doll, you made it" Changbin grinned drink already in hand.

"Yeah, here I am" you smiled in return but you could tell Changbin was already suspicious as he raised his eyebrows at you in an unasked question. Shaking you head to signal him you would tell him later, you took a seat at the booth and began chatting to your other friends. The club was packed, bodies squeezed together on the dance floor and at least five deep at the bar below you on the first floor but somehow, once again, Changbin had managed to secure you a private booth on the upper floor which meant table service and much less having your toes stepped on. It hadn't taken long for you to get ditched by the three girls you were chatting with in favor of dancing and finding a hook up but you didn't mind really, casual hook ups weren't really your thing and Changbin's friends were still there.

Tonight you could feel that it was different to usual more staff were on the upper floor and more of Changbin's friends who you knew as acquaintances joined you, not that it mattered some of them were incredibly handsome and all of them were friendly smiling easily as they spoke to you and always maintaining a respectful eye level and distance from all the girls in the group, which you had to admit was an attractive trait you had always hated being leered at like you were some kind of prize. Felix then came to sit with you, you had known him for quite sometime meeting him through Changbin a year or so earlier and you had quickly formed a fairly strong friendship, after all he was sweet and adorable it was hard to not get attached to him.

"You need another drink bubs?" Felix grinned gesturing to your now empty glass

"Just water thanks Lixie I need to not have a hangover tomorrow" You smiled sweetly noticing Changbin seemed to be in a deep conversation with Chan.

"Water it is then. Do you want something to eat I think Binnie will be busy for a while" Felix chuckled following you line of sight.

"Oh..um no I'm good, I'm just wondering why he still invited us all out if he's so stressed we would've understood" you met Felix's eyes and shrugged. "I never really thought that the music industry would be as stressful as it is"

"Well you know how it is, every job is stressful at points" Felix nodded as though he agreed with you before waving down a staff member to bring you water and him a beer. You sat with Felix chatting and laughing for another hour until all your other friends had quickly come back to tell you they were either going home or to someone else's and it was just you and Changbin's friends who all seemed to be more relaxed than he was.

Sliding out of the booth to go to the bathroom you found yourself almost the center of attention as each of the guys turned to follow you movements, Changbin opened his mouth and you knew he was about to ask where you were going.

"Bathroom" you called back waving to him before walking towards the restrooms that were on the other side of the upper floor noticing them all go back to their conversations and drinks as you weaved your way between the tables. The thump of the bass was much softer once you made your way through the two doors that separated you from the club making you take a deep breath as you washed your hands and placed your now cool fingers on your face. Changbin had been acting strange all night and it was starting to trouble you, maybe if he was free on Sunday night you would ask him over for a movie and feed him so comfort food to see if he would open up about his problems, you hated seeing him stressed it always made his sweet face seem harder more menacing even though he was the exact opposite. You sighed walking back out into the entrance hall of the bathrooms but before you opened the door you could hear someone talking loudly on the phone, knowing you shouldn't eavesdrop you went to push open the door until you heard Changbin's name being used.

"Boss, I'm sure Changbin suspects something" "Yeah I know that but he wont leave the girl alone she has been with one of them the whole time" "Yeah him or the kid Felix" "Should have grabbed her before she got here but she was around too many people" "Gotta go and get back on the floor"

You stood totally still not wanting even your breathing to give away that you were there and could here everything that was said. You heard the bass get louder again as the door opened to the club again and you waited another two minutes before you scurried back down the hallway quickly and straight back into the club. Changbin must have been watching the door leading to the restrooms because he stood as soon as he noticed your wide eyes and pale face. You rushed through the tables almost tripping and you tried to reach him as fast as possible.

"Doll, did you see a ghost or something?" he grinned squeezing you hand as you almost threw yourself into his arms. Him, Felix and Chan were all sitting in the booth you had been occupying with Minho and Han sitting on chairs they had pulled up all of them looking at you in amusement.

"There was a guy in the hallway, he was on the phone he said you suspected something, that that you weren't leaving me alone, that they were supposed to grab me, he knew your names" You babbled quickly looking at him as he almost snarled and pulled you into his lap and over him to slide you between him and Felix keeping you sandwiched between them.

"So am I still being paranoid Chan" He almost spat as he put his large arm around your shoulders to stop you from shaking as Chan looked genuinely angry as he waved Seungmin over to the booth.

"Minnie, quietly look at the CCTV to find out who came out of that door before she came back into the room" Chan's voice sounded so much colder than you had ever heard making you shrink back into the chair to make yourself smaller "Now sweetheart, tell me everything that happened and everything you heard, you don't have to rush and no one is going to be mad about anything are they Changbin?" You looked to Changbin who nodded once before taking his arm from around your shoulders and instead held your hand, while Felix took your other hand in his and squeezed it reassuringly.

"I was leaving the bathroom and I heard a guy on the phone in the hallway, he was talking really loud and normally I would just walk past but when I went to pull the door open he said Binnie's name in a really nasty tone so I just stayed where I was. I couldn't see him but I heard him say that Binnie suspected something, that he won't leave the girl alone, that she is with him or Felix and that they should have grabbed her earlier but there were too many people around. Then he hung up and I waited until I heard him leave the hallway, waited two minutes then came back out here" You took a deep breathe to steady your voice as you finished causing Binnie to smirk at you.

"How did you know he left the hallway?" Minho asked watching you closely.

"When the hallway door opens to the club the music is much louder when it shuts is get quieter again" you explained watching him now smirk at Changbin.

"How do you know it was about you?" Chan asked softly his eyes remained gentle as he spoke to you.

"I felt someone watching me most of the way here tonight, Changbin made me promise to take an Uber but I wanted to walk, I took a longer route with more people I thought maybe I was imagining it but it felt like I lost them once I got near here" your voice shook a little as you told Chan what you hadn't yet had the chance to Changbin.

"So you stayed still and kept out of sight and also went somewhere where there were more people when you thought you were being followed?" Minho asked again this time looking vaguely surprised as Seungmin returned to Chan and Hyunjin joined the table "that's clever I'll give you that"

"Binnie has told me to do that if I don't feel safe" you nodded "He is a bit overprotective at times" the guys all burst out into laughter as you added the last sentence except Changbin who just squeezed your hand and rubbed his thumb across your knuckles to calm you. Minho smiled at you genuinely after your explanation seeming pleased that you had followed Changbin's instructions.

"You still feeling scared?" Felix whispered as Seungmin leaned into Chan's ear to tell him what he found and to keep your attention away from it.

"Yes but I'm safe with Binnie, I'm safe with you" you whispered back causing Felix to grin his dazzling smile at you and Binnie to grumble pulling you away from his pretty friend.

"Lix isn't going to steal her away man" Han chuckled punching Changbin in the shoulder and confusing you slightly since both men were dear friends to you. But you didn't say anything instead you picked up your bag and looked through your notifications to make sure your friends had all got home safely.

"I told you to stop walking everywhere" Changbin almost growled at you causing Chan to raise his eyebrows and Felix to pull you slightly away from him even though you remained un-phased by his tone.

"I know Binnie, but I just never thought I actually needed to worry about all the stuff you worry about" You explained softly placing you hand on his bicep and giving it a gentle squeeze making him soften instantly.

"Normally I would say lets not talk work in front of friends but maybe we should head back to the company and go from there?" Chan announced flicking his eyes to you momentarily.

"Can you guys not go until I had got a cab home though? I don't want to wait by myself" you muttered shyly not wanting to be alone until you were home again.

"Doll, Chan means you are coming too. You can't be on your own until we find out who that guy was, I need you to be safe is that ok?" Changbin's voice was apologetic but urgent as he explained what Chan meant.

"Oh… sure" you nodded obviously unsure as they all began getting up to leave. Changbin pulled you close to his side with one large arm around your waist, Felix stayed close behind you with Minho in front of you and the others forming a loose ring around you. You found yourself being helped into one of three black cars with blacked out windows that were waiting curbside by Felix while Changbin stood at you back.

"Doll, you are going to have to keep your head lower than the seat line just to be safe. Chan is going to ride with you and so will Minho, I'll be in one of the other cars" He explained quickly and softly so as not to frighten you "So you will need to lean into one of them so no one can tell your are in the car, it's just to keep you safe so don't worry ok?" You nodded mutely and fearfully as Minho took Changbin's place in the door opening and gracefully slid in next to you as Chan did the same on the other side.

Watching through the windshield you watched Felix getting in the first car and you assumed Changbin must have been getting in the third since you lost sight of him. Chan was texting someone so you decided it was best to just bow you head and look at your hands clasped tightly in your lap trying to zone out as best you could so as to not panic as to what on Earth was happening. Not paying attention to much else, except the thoughts and fear swimming in your head, you gasped as the car started moving causing Minho's arm to shoot out behind you and pull you under his arm into his chest, keeping you lower than the seat level.

"Is this alright or would you prefer Chan?" Minho murmured gently prizing your white knuckled grip on your fingers apart as you again nodded in response "Bin won't let anything happen to you, we won't either, your safe with us I promise" His voice was soft and gentle which soothed you and confused you since you had only had a handful of conversations with him since you had met him.

"Why is this even happening?" you whispered not looking up at Minho but desperately wanting to.

"Bin will explain everything when we get to the company" Chan smiled taking one of you hands and rubbing circles into the back of it with his thumb. "Just breathe we will be there soon and it will be over" you sighed softly the stress in your body making in hard for you to do much else, everyone in the car stayed silent for the longest time until it pulled into a tree lined street that looked out of place for a business.

"Was anyone tailing?" Chan asked eyes looking towards the driver

"No Sir" he answered quickly "If someone was tailing it was on one of the other cars"

"Good" Chan sighed as the car pulled up to a large gated wall pausing only as the gate opened before quickly driving on until it reached an underground parking garage.

"See everything is fine now" Minho smiled "We're home now no one can hurt you here" you blinked several times before Chan softly pulled you step out of the car.

You stepped into the chilly air of the garage letting go of Chan's hand to pull your bag out behind you as you looked around for anything recognizable. Only finding the other two black cars parked with the 6 other guys standing by the cars talking. Hearing the doors of the final car they all made their way towards you Changbin looking furious and the others in various states of annoyance which triggered something visceral inside you to flip from scared witless to fuming, dropping your bag to the ground suddenly caused all of them to turn their eyes onto you as you stalked forward to Changbin and hit him as hard as you could across the face.

"What the actual fuck Seo Changbin!" you practically screamed at him as his eyes widened almost comically making you hit him again but this time across his chest "come out for the night you said, it would be fucking fun you said. What the fucking hell going on?" Your breathing was ragged from yelling at him and now your hand hurt but he at least had the respect to look sheepish. It was silent for all of two seconds before Felix snorted and all of them devolved into barks of laughter and Changbin looked from you to your now reddening hand that you had tried to bitch slap him with suspicion while rubbing his cheek. Felix was almost on the floor gasping while Han and Chan looked like they might have tears in their eyes. Hyunjin and Jeongin did have tears leaking from their eyes and Seungmin was quickly taking photos of the reddening hand print on the side of Changbin's face before he bent do to grab your bag to hand it back to you.

"Thank you Seungmin" you smiled at him looking every bit the innocent sweetheart they had always thought you to be, causing another round of chuckles to erupt.

"C'mon inside" Changbin groaned wrapping his fingers around your wrist and tugging you behind him toward the doors into the building "I can't believe you just hit me" he grumbled as the others followed along behind the pair of you still trying to get over their amusement.

"I can't believe I overheard someone trying to kidnap me but here we fucking are" you grumbled right back causing Changbin to loosen his grip on your wrist and let his hand lower to grab your hand in his.

"Well if I knew you were going to turn into a psycho I might have let them" he continued but in a teasing tone which you instantly felt a tiny spark of relief over.

"If I knew my best friend was a shady dipshit I might have gone with them voluntarily" you teased right back feeling him squeeze you hand "But you are going to explain what is going on, right? I mean why does anyone want to take me? I'm no one" you almost sobbed still only seeing his back as he led you through the corridor and up a flight of stairs until you finally come out into a very luxurious looking large entryway.

"This is the company, I'll take you upstairs we just need to talk first then I'll come get you ok?" Changbin finally turned to you the red mark on his cheek was already fading slowly and he looked apologetic as each of the others passed by the pair of you towards a large set of dark wood doors. You nodded feeling to overwhelmed to do much else it had been a very intense few hours and you were now starting to feel the strain of it all.

Changbin led you to what you had assumed would be some kind of guest room where he said you could either just rest or get cleaned up but turned out to be his. As soon as he opened the door to the dark navy painted room you could smell his cologne still hanging in the air.

"I'm sorry that this happened Doll, I really am, but make yourself comfy and I'll come back soon" He murmured before closing the door behind him leaving you alone. The emotions of the past few hours finally came out as the door clicked shut as you covered your mouth to muffle the first of what would be many sobs. Tears tracked down your cheeks quickly dripping salty makeup tinged drips onto your top you didn't hear the door open or someone enter the room until a soft cough and a small hand full of tissues came into your blurry line of sight making you almost shriek.

"Mr Seo asked that I check on you, maybe we should get you into the bathroom a nice hot shower will make you feel better I'm sure" she soothed helping you so stand "they will be in a meeting for quite some time so you have time to relax and sleep if you wish I can get you some food if you like" she guided you gently towards the bathroom turning on the light for you and pulling some plush looking towels from the cabinet and placed them on the counter for you.

"thank you" you croaked your throat sore from crying taking in her appearance she mast have been at least in her late 40s but she was being very kind so you instinctively remained polite.

"I will get you some food while you shower dear" She smile once more before disappearing as silently as she arrived.

You took her advice and had a very long hot shower washing your hair, with what you knew instantly was Changbin's shampoo having grown so used to the scent over the years, and washing away any steric of grime that may have remained on your skin from your time at the club. You must have been in the shower for a long time because by the time you had towel dried your hair and wrapped yourself in a fluffy robe, there was already a tray of food waiting for you. You went into the large closet that was next to the bathroom and pulled out one of Binnie's shirts, hoodie and some sweats you found and dressed yourself to make sure you were decent incase Binne or Felix came back for you.

Sitting on the bed you picked up a strawberry and started to nibble on it not feeling hungry enough to actually eat, when you really couldn't force yourself to eat any more fruit you moved the tray from the bed and laid down hoping against the odds that you would wake up to find it all a crazy dream that you could tell Changbin about and you could laugh about.

"Wakey, wakey doll" Changbin whispered lowly as he shook you awake gently, your eyes opened slowly taking in his tired face and sad eyes.

"What's happening?" you groaned slightly groggy from sleep.

"We need to talk about things" he sighed sitting next to you on the bed as you sat up bringing your knees to you chest to lean on as he watched you carefully. You nodded waiting for him to start as you blinked yourself more awake. "I guess we start on the first lie, I don't work in music production I work for Chan, or more so with Chan, and we are more like..."

"Mafia? murderers? drug lords?" you interrupted sarcastically, your fear at all of the nights events still sitting in your gut like lead, watching his face fall slightly.

"The group of us, we're the SKZ Syndicate so you have every right to call us any of those things" he trailed off looking down from your face to the bed "I'm sorry I've lied to you, I never wanted to, but I had to" his voice sounded sadder with each word he uttered making you feel bad for being annoyed about things that weren't your secrets to keep in the first place "Lix feels terrible too but we understand that you are probably going to never want us around you again"

"Why?" you whispered lowering you knees so you could reach out to him and get him to look at you again. "Do you not trust me?" you nearly felt sick thinking that maybe he never cared about you the way you did him.

"With my life doll, I just never wanted you dragged into this. It isn't a safe life, I'm selfish because I still wanted you in my life and I always hoped that you wouldn't find out which is stupid but still" Changbin sounded almost broken as he explained his fears to you and as he did you realized you didn't actually care as long as he was still Binnie you didn't care what he did, not really.

"How long?" you whispered again still not trusting you voice to work properly

"Years a lot of years, the things you read about in the papers, the bloodshed and stuff. I was part of that and before you ask so was Felix we have been in this life for longer than you have known him" Each word was piercing your heart not because you were scared of him or Felix, or even because you were repulsed by it in truth you didn't actually care, but because they both thought you would hate them for it.

"Binnie, I don't care if your a criminal, I only care that you are still my Binnie. Is it selfish I don't want to lose you?" you smiled cupping his cheek as he smiled at you again. "same goes for Lixie I only care about my friends who I have known for so long"

"You won't lose me doll or Felix, promise, now lets go downstairs the boys want to talk to you a little bit more" You nodded sliding out of his bed and following him down the stairs to the large double doors you had seen earlier opening them for you to step into.

You weren't sure what to expect really, some dark wood board room with guns all over the walls? some kind of high tech room filled with spy gear like a James Bond film? To your surprise it turned out to be a very large room filled with couches, televisions playing video games and a pool table. Skateboards, posters and large works of art littered the walls and a fridge behind one of the couches was filled with soda and beer.

"Hi bubs, can I still call you bubs or do you not want me to anymore?" Felix asked sadness in his eyes as he watched you walk further into the room.

"It's still fine Lixie, as long as you promise you are still Lixie" you whispered as he grinned back at you brightly moving around the others to hug you.

"I see you didn't bother finding her actual spare clothes" Jeongin giggled looking over the very baggy shirt that adorned your top half.

"He's not marking his territory at all" Hyunjin hummed teasingly winking dramatically at Changbin making him roll him eyes and curse under his breath.

"You are feeling better? Did Mrs Choi get you anything to eat?" Minho asked softly looking closely at your face "Why are your eyes so red? Did Bin upset you? We can beat him up for you if you want"

"I feel kind of the same, I ate some fruit, I was sleeping that is why my eyes are red, please don't be mean to Binnie" You smiled at Minho watching him smirk in return.

"How about we all take a seat and talk about a few things" Chan sighed trying to diffuse the teasing before it really started up "Seungmin is going to show you a few photos and I would like you to look at them and tell us if any of them are familiar to you" you nodded as Seungmin began taking a small pile of photos out of a black folder and laid them on the coffee table for you to see.

Your eyes widened as you saw that they were all young looking and standing in front of places you knew like your office building, a café near your apartment, the mall you went to. Staring at them you began to think about anyone you had seen in the last week while you were out on errands or going to work, picking up one of a guy in a black backwards cap you looked at it carefully placing it back down again and picking up another of a guy with a cigarette hanging from his fingers sitting at a table you weren't sure if it was the location that was familiar or the man frowning you put it down too.

"It is completely fine if you don't recognize any of them" Chan prompted kindly trying to make you less nervous.

Your frown only intensified as you picked up another photo this guy was standing outside a convenience store that was a few blocks from your apartment he looked like he was checking his phone but it wasn't him that caught your attention it was you inside the convenience store, standing by the counter, probably chatting the cashier that you saw every few days. You remembered that day you had rushed down there when Changbin called to tell you he and Felix were going to come round to watch movies with you after cancelling so many times and you wanted to make sure you had their favorite snacks. It had been a pain too because there had been moving trucks outside the building since lunchtime that day a new tenant was moving in down the hall from you and his stuff had been everywhere almost making you trip on your way out. The new tenant that you met on your way back out of the store as he bumped into you and you nearly dropped your bag of snacks.

"Him" you blurted out handing the photo to Chan "he moved down the hall from me and he knocked into me not too long after this was taken. I nearly dropped all the snacks I bought for Binnie and Lix, we had a movie night"

"This was last week then?" Felix asked coldly looking to Seungmin for confirmation who just nodded in return.

"He touched you?" Changbin snapped he eyes getting darker quickly.

"He bumped into me and apologized Binnie" you explained simply patting his leg to calm him down more so for you than him, because you felt like you were going to need him for what Chan looked like he was about to tell you.

"Well done sweetheart" Chan smiled at you proudly giving the photo to Han "I am going to assume you have some questions" his voice trailed off as you met his eyes and half smiled nervously taking a deep breath.

"Why is this happening?" you asked in a small voice not wanting to seem demanding.

"Well how much did Bin tell you already?" he prompted as the others all watched Changbin

"That you are the SKZ Syndicate and that he has been part of it for a long time, that he didn't want to lie to me but had to" you answered nervously Chan nodded as Felix grabbed on of your hands instinctively squeezing it like he always did when you were feeling nervous or sad.

"That's true, we are the SKZ Syndicate, and Bin and Minho are my seconds in charge, Bin has been with me for a decade now since we were still kids and none of us ever wanted to lie to our families but we need to to keep them safe otherwise we need to keep them as close as possible to ensure they are safe at all times" Chan's voice was soft trying to keep to keep you as comfortable as possible you guessed as you felt yourself relax slightly now that your hand was in Felix's and Binnie's arm was over your shoulders.

"We think this is happening because either some little fucking upstarts want to make a name for themselves or a deal is about to go sideways and they need a bargaining chip" Han answered easily still seeming too sweet natured for the words to be leaving his mouth "Not that you are a bargaining chip, your important to Bin and Lix so your important to all of us, we look after our own"

"What is it you do?" you asked tilting your head "How does this work?" Chan chuckled watching your expression slowly turn from scared to confused as you comprehended that you were safe from any of them.

"Minho and Changbin look after our entertainment businesses, Felix handles our digital businesses, Seungmin and Jeonjin are our eyes and ears and Han and Hyunjin are our arms in the outside world" Chan began again carefully watching his words.

"Basically, Felix is a hacker, Seungmin does our spy and undercover stuff, Jeongin covers surveillance, Minho runs our gambling ring, Changbin runs our clubs and Han and I eliminate threats while Chan keeps everything all lined up and running" Hyunjin grinned at you as Chan cursed under his breath and Minho cackled with laughter.

"Yeah tell her everything Hyunjin, that's going to go well" Seungmin rolled his eyes "If you freak her out Bin will probably punch you"

"Not to mention the liability factor" Jeongin sighed looking at the ceiling.

"Hey she is not a liability Jeongin" Felix growled in a voice so much deeper that you had ever heard causing the air to turn thick in the room.

"Innie didn't mean it like that Lix" Chan groaned rubbing his eyes tiredly. Jeongin sat wide eyed staring at Felix while the others had all either arched their eyebrows or openly gaped at the boy next to you.

"What happens now?" you interrupted hoping to cut the tension that was not forming again in the room

"Well that is complicated we need to figure out what exactly their motivations are then we will deal with it however we need to" Han answered watching you again.

"So what do I do until then?" you whispered sadly and almost inaudibly but they all still managed to hear you.

"You stay here with us, you will have to call in sick to work until this is done, but I can guarantee you are safe here" Chan shrugged like it was nothing.

"Will this happen again with someone else?" you knew you sounded emotional and tired but you didn't care if they were happy to indulge your questions you were going to ask them

"Honestly" Jeongin looked at you sympathetically "It might never be an issue again but it also could happen very easily as soon as someone tweaks to the idea that you know Bin and Lix in a more than casual sort of way"

"Jeongin" Binnie almost snarled at the younger man "Don't start"

"Stop it Binnie" you snapped finally "It is confusing enough trying to follow the cryptic shit without you adding to it, I know you can't tell me things and that's fine, I know you are trying really hard to make me feel like I'm safe but really your just giving me a massive headache and making me miserable so just fucking stop it" you seethed at him again in all your years of friendship you had never snapped at him as many times as you had in the last 24 hours but you couldn't help it you were just emotionally drained and exhausted.

"Shh bubs, its alright" Felix pulled you out from under Changbin's arms and wrapped you up in a cuddle like he always did when you were upset "Binnie and I are just protective of you, we don't mean to make this harder for you, it's just that we would never want to lose you and it's hard for us to talk about it in case you want out afterwards" he continued rocking you as you hid your face in his neck to hide how difficult this was for you.

"Fine, you want to know the how's, why's and who's" Changbin seethed at you "Some little piece of shit thinks that the best way to get back at me is through you and now we have to figure out exactly what deal has gone wrong or if they are trying to rival us and then I have to go kill him! Happy now? I have to go kill yet another man because he's threatening you and I'll fucking die before I let some motherfucker come anywhere near you" His breathing was ragged by the time he finished and you could feel the anger rolling off of him, swallowing loudly you stood slowly trying to steady yourself from how truly frightening he looked in this state. You looked at Felix who was looking murderously at Changbin .

"I'll take you back upstairs bubs, you definitely need some rest" His voice was still far too deep for what you were useful but he intertwined his fingers with yours so gently making you feel slightly better "We can talk more in the morning when no one is emotional" his last sentence was obviously and pointedly directed at Changbin as the rest of the room was silent.

You followed Felix all the way upstairs without really registering anything until you reached the door to Changbin's room but Felix kept leading you further down the hallway and into the next one. Opening the door for you he ushered you into a different bedroom which you realized must have been his room, following you in he quickly turned on his wall lamps and turned off the main light leaving the room bathed in a soft golden glow which went perfectly with the soft blue walls and white furnishings.

"You can stay in here tonight bubs and I'll go stay with one of the others if you like, so you aren't with Changbin until he calms down" he soothed his voice now back to normal and his eyes shining sweetly, he sat you on the end of the bed as he began rummaging through his things to find his sleep stuff.

"Can you stay with me? you don't have to Lix..." you murmured shakily looking at him with doe eyes.

"Of course bubs. I'll just get washed up and I'll be back did you want me to find you something to sleep in?" he interrupted reaching out to pet your hair. You nodded as he started pulling out clothes for you and handing them to you before disappearing into the bathroom, you changed quickly and slipped yourself into Felix's bed sinking into the soft mattress. You must have started drifting off because when the bed dipped under Felix's weight you jumped making him chuckle as he turned off the lights and got in next to you, rolling over you burrowed yourself into his side and drifted off quickly nestled in blankets and Felix's arms.

a/n: This is the first mafia au I have attempted so I'm sorry if it isn't as good as it could be I wanted to challenge myself. Thanks for reading it reblogs are always appreciated and if you have any comments or criticisms let me know.

Taglist (open): @christopher-bangnaldoskzz

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evesbeve · 5 years ago

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Hey, hey, hey eve 👀 hey, eve 👀 what if 👀 you wrote 👀 some Ben and Klaus angst 👀 haha 👀 Jk if you don't want to you don't have to ily

hey hey hey,,, what if i did 👀

I’d started this before I received this ask, but now is the perfect chance to post it, I think! Hope you enjoy!!

(special thanks to @totallyevan for giving me the constructive critisism i asked for uwu)

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Title: people are strange (when you’re a stranger)

Summary: In which Klaus gets into a fight with literally everyone, but it all works out in the end.

(Read on AO3)

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Klaus never liked family meetings.

Even after their topic had switched from 'How the hell do we stop the apocalypse?' to 'What the hell do we do now that there is no apocalypse?', they somehow still managed to be the most intense part of the week. Indecisiveness that led to arguments, arguments that led to fights… It really shouldn't have surprised Klaus that Luther and Diego weren't the only ones capable of snapping.

When Ben had walked out without a word during their discussion about a family vacation—they were thinking of either staying at the seaside or renting a cabin in the woods, but it didn't really matter; Klaus just wanted to get away from the Academy for a few days—the room fell into silence, everyone exchanging worried looks. Well. Everyone except Klaus.

"What just happened?" Allison asked and Klaus glanced around the room. Clearly the rest of his siblings shared the same question.

"Yeah, he does that sometimes," Klaus said, still lying on the couch and playing with the ends of his hair. It was getting long again. He'd need a haircut soon.

"… Are you sure?" Diego said. "Because Ben doesn't… It's not like him to…?"

Ah. Of course. Klaus should have known that's what it was about.

While Klaus had been oh-so fortunate to spend the past decade haunted by Number Six, his siblings had learned to live in his absence. It wasn't as if they had spent enough quality time together after reverting the apocalypse either; Klaus was still working on keeping him manifested for long periods of time, especially from a long distance. His family didn't know Ben. Not really. Not anymore. All they had left of him was a memory, a facade he'd long left behind.

Maybe it wasn't like teenage-Ben to walk out on a conversation like this, but dead-Ben? The Ben that Klaus knew? Not only did he walk away on a relatively regular basis when he was upset, but also lashed out, letting Klaus know exactly what it was he was mad about.

Klaus sighed, not quite meeting anyone's gaze. "People change, Diego dear," he said. "Dead people, especially."

For a second, he really thought that was it. That they'd drop it and continue making vacation plans just like they were supposed to do, but Klaus could practically feel another round of glances being exchanged.

"But there has to be a reason, right?" Vanya asked.

Klaus shrugged. Did his siblings honestly think that just because he could see the dead, he knew what it was like to be one of them? That night at the rave had been long ago, but he was sure he'd remember if God waved a document with the words 'Congratulations! You Died! Read the Terms and Conditions on your Behavioral Changes below,' in front of his face.

"Couldn't it be, I don't know, trauma?" Klaus offered, knowing fully well that Ben would have glared at him if he was there.

"A reason as to why he walked out, Klaus," Luther said. A hint of disappointment—that he was desperately trying to suppress—was very much visible in Number One's tone. "Of course he... Of course he has changed. But, uh… there has to be something more to it, right?"

Klaus, now sitting up, clapped his hands on his knees. "I seem to have lost you, brother mine."

"What Luther is trying to say," Five said, not doing a great job at hiding his annoyance either, "is that it's highly doubtful that walking out was Ben's way of showing he's pleased."

Klaus snorted. "Well, that's certainly how you'd show it." He knew he was pushing it—Five's glare told him more than enough—but he didn't really care. He stood up, walking around the couch as he spoke, in the most theatrical voice he could muster. "Maybe he's simply overjoyed, you know? Overjoyed about… sunbathing." He came to a halt, clapping his hands again. "Yeah, sunbathing! In some golden beach in Australia or Greece or wherever we're going—"

"Klaus," Diego said, a warning tone in his voice.

Klaus found himself huffing dismissively without even meaning to. "God, you're just like Ben," he muttered under his breath, and since when was he comparing the way he was treated by the rest of his family to the way Ben was treating him? He managed another glance around the living room, only to see that everyone was staring at him. Great. "What? What did I do now?"

Allison and Diego both scoffed and looked away, Luther shook his head in defeat, and Five and Vanya stayed exactly as they were; staring at him.

"Just… Will you check on him?"

Klaus tried not to be mad at Vanya for asking, but he couldn't help it. Of course they wanted him to go after Ben. Of course that's what this was about.

On days where he just couldn't get his powers to work, Klaus had been more than welcome to pass on messages from Ben to the others, to stand to the side and help them communicate. It'd been sweet, really, and kinda fun, to see his family act like an actual family.

But now Ben was corporeal. Or, well, had been, a few minutes ago, until he walked outside, far from Klaus' range. There was no reason for Klaus to intervene, and yet he was being asked to do just that, once again.

That's all he was to them. Ben's messenger.

"Klaus."

Five's voice snapped him back into reality, but Klaus wasn't so sure he was grateful for it. Instead, he nodded, a not-so-friendly grin decorating his face. "You know what?" He nodded more intensely this time. "Sure. I'll go check on Ben for you."

He almost didn't recognize the poison in his voice. He'd really made an effort in playing the good sibling role, and according to Ben—ha!—that meant no offensive comments, no passive aggressiveness, no ignoring everyone…

"Klaus, come on," Luther said. "You know that's not what we meant."

"'We' meant?" Klaus said, letting himself chuckle. "Oh, so you've had time to think about it. What you'd tell me to do if Ben got tired of you all."

"Klaus—"

"I'm not your fucking courier!" he yelled.

"Of course you're not," Allison said, taking a step closer to him. "We never said that you were."

"You thought of it," Klaus said, shaking his head. "Because that's all I'm useful for, isn't it? Talking to Ben?"

For a moment, the only sound in the mansion was Vanya's leg rubbing against the fabric of the couch opposite to Klaus as she bounced it.

"Klaus," Luther said, seemingly taken aback by his outburst. He exchanged a quick look with Diego, then Allison. "Are you…?"

Klaus should have known where this was going.

"Because you can talk to us, if you are."

He really should have known.

Klaus couldn't help the deep row of giggles that escaped him. A bitter laugh. He hated it, but he couldn't stop it. He didn't want to. "If I'm what?" he said. "High? Using? On drugs? What's it gonna be, Luther?"

"I didn't—"

"We both know what you meant," Klaus interrupted. "I honestly don't know why I'm even surprised."

"Klaus, come on—"

"I'll talk to Ben for you," he said bitterly, reaching for the door that led to the courtyard. He was about to exit, but then he turned around again, to take one final look of his family. "Then maybe he can talk to you about my drug habits."

Without another word, he stormed out.

He wanted to hate them for what had just happened, but he couldn't. He was certainly angry though. Furious. He was so angry that his face was burning and his chest hurt and he wanted to scream, but didn't want to be heard. Not like this, anyway.

But hey. There was one more person in this family left to disappoint.

Ben was standing in the middle of the courtyard. His back was turned on Klaus, but it didn't take much thinking to know what he was looking at. Ben's statue lay proudly on its side, a few meters away from its empty pedestal, and just a bit further was its head. It'd been weeks, but no one had bothered to clean up after the incident at the funeral. Klaus hated to admit it, but he understood why. It wasn't a very pleasant sight.

For a second, Klaus hesitated. If he were honest with himself, Ben was exactly who he needed. Ben knew him. He'd never wrongly accuse Klaus of taking drugs, of not trying enough. Sure, he could be a pushover, but so could Klaus.

And then he remembered the way Diego had scolded him, in the exact same tone as Ben did, and the doubts started to roll in.

Ben had been in a mood for days, and Klaus hated it when Ben was in a mood. He got cranky and quiet and shot him judgy looks, and it was the worst. The last thing Klaus wanted was another argument. Especially not one that would remind him of what had just happened inside.

For a second, Klaus felt the anger from before rising in him again. It was so unfair. The others were probably back to acting as if nothing had happened, and Klaus was boiling with anger. Was this how Ben had felt when Klaus made promise after promise to stop taking drugs, and then invited himself into the first bar on the street?

Maybe that was how Ben was feeling right now. Klaus just didn't know why. He supposed he would find out soon enough.

Ben had seemingly not noticed he was there and—no. Ben always knew when Klaus was there. He was simply ignoring him.

Klaus knew he shouldn't have been angry at him for it, but he'd already dealt with enough bullshit today.

"So, do you also wanna murder me in my sleep?" he asked, only to be met with the silent treatment again. Fuck you, Klaus wanted to say, but didn't. Couldn't. It wasn't Ben's fault the others had yelled at him, although Klaus would have really appreciated the backup.

Perhaps cheering him up would do the trick.

"At least your statue is decapitated now," Klaus said. He immediately regretted it once he saw Ben's body freeze.

"What?" Ben said, without turning around to look at him.

"Oh, you know," Klaus said, trying to play it off cool. "Our dear brothers' big fight has happened in this timeline, so your honor has finally lost his head." Klaus pointed at the forgotten piece of metal on the ground. "You did always say you hate it."

Ben didn't reply.

"Still, wonder why they haven't cleaned up after their mess." He should have shut up there and then. "When I screw up, it's always like 'Klaus, why did you make such a mess in my closet!' and 'Klaus, jump in the trashcan to find daddy dearest's diary!'" Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up. "You'd think they'd have told Luther and Diego to clean up by now—"

"You think this is funny?"

Klaus swallowed. He shut up a little bit too late.

"Um… No. But you have to admit, you did always hate the damn thing—"

"Because I died," Ben said.

"Because it doesn't look like you," Klaus corrected. He and Ben had spent so many nights making fun of the so-called sculpture in the yard. It'd been about the only positive thing that came out of Ben's funeral.

"Because I died," Ben repeated.

Klaus scoffed, and suddenly, he didn't care as to why Ben was acting weird. He knew perfectly well how much Klaus hated it when he threw the dead card around.

Klaus wasn't going to stand there and take it anymore. Not when, after everything they'd been through, he had the same card to pull.

"I died too," Klaus said, anger finding its way back inside his body. "Remember that? Luther, the rave? I even met God and everything, so really, I don't see why you gotta keep—"

"It's not the same!"

Ben yelled. He yelled, and Ben never yelled, even if he was furious, which meant there was more to it, and Klaus—

Klaus was an idiot. He was a fucking idiot.

Ben wasn't angry. He wasn't moody. He was sad. Desperate. Scared.

And Klaus knew more than well what that felt like.

"You're right." Klaus took a step forward, rubbing his hands together and trying to speak as calmly as possible. "You're right, it's not, I'm sorry, I just—You gotta help me here, Ben. Because I can't help you if I don't know what's going on, and I don't."

Klaus prepared himself for Ben's next outburst, but it never came. Instead came a sigh, and to his surprise, Ben finally turned around to face him.

His hands were buried in his pockets, as if he couldn't reach deep enough. His hood shadowed over his expression, and really, Klaus should have realised there was something very wrong just by that alone. Ben never wore his hood that high up unless there was something really bothering him. Still, Klaus could see the glimmer in Ben's eyes clearly, telling him he was close to crying, if he hadn't already.

"I'm sorry," Ben said, leaning against the empty base of his statue.

"You don't have to—"

"No," Ben interrupted. "I do. I'm sorry for yelling and for…" He pinched the crook of his nose. "For acting such an asshole before. And leaving you alone. I'm sorry."

Klaus tried to think of a way to fill the silence. He swallowed, then took the final few steps that separated him and Ben, and leaned next to him against the base of the statue. "It's okay," he said, then bit his lip. "Do you… want to talk about it?"

Ben huffed. Almost a laugh. That was good.

"God, no," he said, crossing one leg on top of the other. Klaus hadn't even realised he'd been looking down at their legs. "It's just… I don't know. It doesn't really feel like it's over, I guess."

"Tell me about it," Klaus mumbled, and only realised he'd unconsciously reached for the dog tags around his neck after he made contact with the cool metal.

There was silence again. Not quite comfortable, but not awkward either. It was the same silence that thinly hovered between them during the nights that the ghosts got too much to handle. When Klaus couldn't take it anymore, swallowed two pills, and mouthed a quiet apology to Ben who couldn't do anything about it. When something was wrong, but there was no way out of it.

"And—" Ben suddenly stood up, but interrupted himself before he could get a cohesive sentence out of his mouth. The sudden movement made Klaus jump slightly, and his eyes flickered up to meet Ben's. He didn't know what to say, but he hoped his silence would encourage him to continue.

Hoped. Because he didn't actually know what Ben would do. Since when was Klaus uncertain of what his brother, who spent every single day of the last decade by his side, would do? They acted a lot like strangers these days. He didn't like it.

"And," Ben tried again, "I'm still getting used to—Well, not used to, that's not the right expression, but… you know, how you were gone, how you—"

"Ben," Klaus said. It was becoming painful to see him struggle. "I came back. I'm… I'm alive. I'm okay. As you said, it's really not the same—"

"No, not that," Ben said, and Klaus tilted his head as to show him he had no idea what he was talking about. Ben sighed, relaxing his shoulders, and leaning back again. "You're… grieving," he said, and pointed to Klaus' chest with his eyes.

The dog tags.

Oh.

Klaus tightened his grip around them. He looked down too, for just a second, because he couldn't quite bring himself to face the only thing he had left of the man he loved yet. He tried to focus on something else; the newly planted tulips in front of them would do for a bit.

"Klaus, ever since I died, you've… I've been with you. And suddenly, it's not the same for you, and I'm not saying it's your fault, but—I just." Klaus noticed Ben burying his hands back in his pockets with the corner of his eye. "In and out of a bus. That's all it took for you to… change."

Klaus nodded. He tried to speak, but his throat was suddenly too dry to even attempt it.

"Because you've changed, Klaus, and I—" Ben sighed again, tilting his head back. Klaus wasn't trying to look away anymore. "And then you got sober, and suddenly your biggest issue is where we'll go for fucking vacation—You got sober for him. And I'm happy you did, because God knows how much you deserve this, but I don't understand."

Once more, it was like all the puzzle pieces clicked together.

Ben had spent every last second of the past thirteen years looking after Klaus, trying to get him to sober up. And Klaus had never listened to him. Not in the long run, at least, but he wasn't going to pretend as if his visits to rehab were him making an effort.

He'd made an effort for Dave.

And Ben who knew him better than anyone, Ben who was his best friend and his family, he didn't know who Dave was, not really. There was an entire year of Klaus' life that he couldn't wrap his head around, because he hadn't been there, like every other second.

And Klaus didn't know what to say to that.

He felt so stupid for not noticing before, how bothered Ben was by it; not knowing.

Klaus barely talked about Dave. About Vietnam. About the world behind the briefcase. He couldn't even think about it all without breaking into tears, so putting everything into words was…

Klaus didn't know how to do this.

In the end, he settled for, "You look like shit."

And Ben laughed.

It wasn't a long laugh nor a happy one. But it was laughter, and Klaus hadn't heard it in a long time, so he couldn't help but laugh too.

"Thank you," Ben said, eventually, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "That was exactly what I wanted to hear."

And they laughed again. It lasted much longer this time, to the point Klaus' ribs actually started hurting. He hadn't realised how much he'd missed this; laughing things away they definitely shouldn't. Taking a few minutes to ignore everything else in the world, until it was just the two of them. Ben and Klaus. Broken beyond repair.

They'd need to work on that last one.

They'd ended up sitting on the ground, backs pressed against the cold base of Ben's statue. The silence was around them now—not between them, like before. They were both grinning from ear to ear, as if there was a mutual understanding that Klaus didn't quite… understand, but he felt it, and that was more than enough.

He felt much more confident now.

"I would have done it, you know," he said, and Ben shot him a confused look. "Stayed sober for you, I mean."

Ben shook his head, but not the smile off his face. "Yeah, I've heard that one before."

Klaus wasn't having it.

"No, listen to me," he said, turning slightly to his right so he could be face to face with Ben. "I would have done it, but I didn't need to." Ben huffed, and Klaus felt his heart pound faster in his chest. Why were words so hard, and why were they needed for him to get his point across?

Except they weren't. Words weren't needed.

Klaus took a deep breath, bringing his fists together. Within seconds, a glow surrounded his hands and Ben, before disappearing again as Klaus exhaled. He gave Ben a knowing look, and once his brother nodded in return, he reached out and held his hand between his.

"I didn't need to get sober," Klaus repeated, stroking Ben's hand gently, and scooting close to him so their knees were touching. "Because I could always see you."

Klaus could practically hear Ben thinking, and when it finally clicked, he let go of a silent gasp.

"But you couldn't see Dave."

Klaus nodded. Ben bit his lip, releasing his hand from Klaus' grip and taking both of Klaus' hands into his. Klaus couldn't help but squeeze them, a reminder that Ben really was there. Ben squeezed back.

"You two would have gotten along great," Klaus said.

Ben raised an eyebrow. "You think so?"

Klaus smiled and nodded. "Well, both of you are keen on mothering me, so—ow!" Klaus yelped as Ben pulled on his hands a little bit too hard to tease him. "Are you trying to pull my arms off?"

Ben shrugged. "Thought my decapitated head could use some company."

A snort escaped Klaus. "Always so thoughtful."

"Aren't I?" Ben said, and then it was Klaus turn to pull. "Hey—ouch—Klaus!" he yelped through a laugh and released his hands to stretch. "This really hurts on the shoulders."

"Now you know what pain feels like, Mr Ghost," Klaus said. "And as a matter of fact, Dave's the one that said you two would get along for taking care of me."

"So you admit it at last—" Ben paused, and his expression changed. "Dave knows about me?"

Although Klaus couldn't see himself, he imagined his expression was similar to Ben's. Staring in disbelief, or something along these lines. He wasn't used to seeing Ben so confused, so vulnerable.

"Of course he knows about you," Klaus said, clearing his throat. "I mean, he asked about my family, so… Who else was I supposed to talk about, Diego?"

Ben shrugged. "Well, did you?"

"Yeah, a bit," Klaus said, and when Ben slapped his knee in return, Klaus let him. "I wish you could have met him."

He didn't know what he was expecting. He'd already said too much about Dave than he possibly could in a day, and Ben had probably heard too much than he wanted to anyway. When he felt the hand on his knee squeeze against it, he couldn't help but look up to look into Ben's reassuring eyes.

"I will."

It was a promise. Ben didn't need to clarify it. And it was a promise that Klaus wanted to come true more than any other one.

Klaus held his breath and nodded, suddenly much too aware of the tension he'd been suppressing in his body ever since the start of the conversation, ever since his fight with the others, ever since too-long-ago. He bit his lip, finally letting his tears roll down his cheeks, and if Ben did the same, he didn't know, because he was being pulled into a much-needed embrace.

Klaus didn't know how long they spent there, on the dirty ground, nor did he care. All he knew was that for the first time in years, he truly felt as if things were turning out for the better.

___

I'm planning on writing at least two more fics for this series (you can subscribe to it on AO3 if you wanna be notified), one from Ben's POV, and one from the other siblings' POVs. (But knowing me, I could end up writing a fic per sibling... time will tell.) Anyway, keep an eye out!

If you enjoyed this, please consider commissioning me or supporting me on Ko-fi. Thank you so much for reading!

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