Edited 3/20/20 - Just fixing a few typos and sentence mechanics that were bothering me.  And adding a picture at the top because I forgot to do that when it was originally posted.

Edited 4/15/20 - Adjusted ages slightly when I realized I was off compared to the character reference sheet I have for this story.  Yoongi should have turned twenty-one and Hoseok twenty at the time of year this scene is set in.  I was off a year because my brain apparently decided to derp.

-----

Candlelight flickered from sconces that had been drilled into the black, stone walls ages before any of them had been born. The space was little more than a windowless, subterranean storeroom, dug out when the estate was first erected in the days of their ancestors. The only furnishing was a sturdy table made from a single cross section of a massive, red-hued tree. It sat in the middle of the chamber, its lacquered surface almost completely obscured with maps. Candelabra had been placed at strategic, overlapping points to keep the papers from rolling up on themselves. The light from the tapers reflected in the dark eyes of the three men - and a singular woman - as they collectively waited for their leader to speak.

General Min Yoongi tapped his fingers absently against the parchment as he leaned forward on his palms. He ignored the fringe of silver hair that fell into his eyes, partially obscuring his view. He wasn't looking at the pawns on the table. He wasn't even looking at the maps that showed the entirely of the Kim Empire. As a matter of fact, he wasn't actually looking at anything. What he was doing was calculating their odds based on what he already knew, and he was not pleased with the answer.

"General Jung," he murmured, pushing himself away from the table and turning to seek out a youth standing nearby. Though he had barely reached the legal age of adulthood, having just turned twenty near the beginning of the year, Hoseok held himself with an ease usually found in one much older.

At only twenty-one himself, the general knew he passed for a man closer to thirty. It had little to do with their physical looks; it was more an air of maturity that tended to hover around them. They were old souls, he and Hoseok, circumstances aging the both of them beyond their years.

"Sir?" The taller stood at ease with his hands clasped loosely behind his back, his own silvery hair shimmering in the candlelight. Yoongi thought he saw traces of Hoseok's black roots showing and made a mental note to remind the man to re-dye it immediately, especially before the upcoming campaign. If their opposition realized that his lieutenant general, or any of his lower officers, weren't members of the Nobility, their mission would certainly fail. A huge part of the infiltration plan relied on many of their numbers passing off as members of the wealthy aristocracy.

Yoongi regarded his long-time friend through half-lidded eyes, knowing that what he was going to ask was not going to be taken well. He was just glad that the others in the room were used to the two of them bickering like an old married couple because the general was about to start an argument.

"Go get Song and bring her here."

The moment the name left his lips, he could see the usual lackadaisical expression of the lower general darken, lips twisting up as if he had taken a bite of rotting meat. "Yoongi," Hoseok started, the distaste dripping from his lips.

The shorter man folded his arms, leaning his back end against the edge of the tabletop. "I want her opinion."

"You're not bringing her." Hoseok didn't move, crossing his own arms in a mirror of his superior. "We both know that this has enough potential to turn into a disaster without her around."

"I didn't say I was bringing her," Yoongi retorted dryly. "I said I wanted her opinion."

Hoseok remained stubbornly motionless. "She isn't an officer."

"Nor will you be if you don't do as ordered."

They stared each other down for a few more heartbeats before Hoseok rolled his eyes and spun on his heel, stomping to the door to the stairs that led up out of their underground council chamber. As soon as the heavy door banged behind the younger officer, a voice cleared on the far side of the table. Yoongi turned and raised his eyebrows at the boy of sixteen that stood across from him. He was richly dressed in blue silks and soft, dyed leathers, his hair the true gray-white of the Noble caste.

"Yes, m'lord?"

"You won't really demote Hoseok-hyung, will you?" There was worry in the dark eyes of the young Noble. His voice, though soft, carried easily across the table.

"Of course not," Yoongi reassured him with a small smile. "I just like to tug his strings."

The woman, dressed in a gown of purple silk and gold brocade, drummed her fingers on the tabletop next to the boy. Her hair, like the young lord's, shone like starlight in the flickering candle flames. "Is that really wise, General? This close to the coup?"

"Noona," the young lord hissed, his face appalled. "I'm sure General Min knows what he's doing." Those innocent eyes returned to Yoongi's face. "Right, hyung?"

"If I had half the confidence in myself that you do, m'lord, I could take down the Emperor singlehanded."

"If only," the young lord replied with a wistful sigh. "I wish we could just kill him and then everything would be better. I'm so tired of all the violence."

The woman scoffed. "One step at a time, Jeongguk." She picked up a pawn, twisting it between her manicured fingers. It was painted gold, a tiny crown carved into the top. "We can't just go straight for him. We have to topple his supports first. A man cannot stand if he has no legs." She snapped the pawn in half with a quick twist of her hands.

"And one on the ground is easier to trample than one in the sky." Yoongi held his hand out for the broken chess piece. "You've been reading Yeotan, M'lady."

She dropped the broken pawn into the general's hand with a smile, fingers brushing his palm in a move that was obviously calculated to appear accidental. Yoongi knew better than to assume anything about Lady Dahee, though, and gave no indication that he had felt the touch. "I just finished it last night," she said, folding her hands into the dagged sleeves of her gown. "Perhaps you could recommend another? Perhaps something less concerned with man's triumph in battle? Something more like Soobin, perhaps?"

"I'm not really into lighthearted, romantic fluff," Yoongi returned evenly. He watched as Lady Dahee's little brother squirmed next to her, uncomfortable with his sister's attempts to flirt with the young general.

"That must be why you take to fucking Six when you get the chance." Hoseok's voice cut through the room, the young man's timing impeccable. "She's anything but romantic fluff." Lord Jeongguk's face colored an unflattering shade of red at the coarseness of the lower general's vocabulary. Lady Dahee barely batted an eyelid at the comment; it was the other girl who entered the room that caused the Noblewoman's expression to twitch ever so slightly out of her normal mask of collected control.

"What I do in the privacy of my bedroom is no one's business but my own, and that of my bedfellow," Yoongi murmured, glaring at his friend before focusing on the young woman. She was dressed in a simple brown and cream linen dress, the same style common for peasant women of their region. Around her neck was a thick metal band about the thickness of his thumb and, though he couldn't see them due to her sleeves, he knew she had identical ones around her wrists.

Her hair was as dark as the stones that formed the walls around them, braided into a single, thick strand down to the small of her back. Her features were sharper, her eyes a lighter shade difficult to pinpoint in the dim light, though Yoongi knew they were gray. In the light of day, her skin was more honey-hued than theirs, as well.

He didn't know what country she came from; she didn't know either. The only clue to her origins was her birth name and she refused to tell anyone what it was. Lacking a better option, most everyone at the estate called her Six for the burn on her arm: NH 637, her slave pen brand.

"You're looking well, Song." Lady Dahee's expression didn't match the pleasant tone she spoke in.

"Six," the younger woman replied evenly, barely sparing the lady a look. Though his face didn't show it, Yoongi was secretly pleased at the younger woman's reaction; only he was allowed to call her Song. The pet name had come from a misunderstanding and had stuck instantly.

Six said nothing more to the noblewoman, moving up next to Yoongi by the table. She glanced over the maps, eyes flicking between the chess pieces being repurposed as markers of war. She turned her gaze up to Yoongi, tilting her head only slightly to see him better as the top of her head sat even with the bridge of his nose. "You asked for me?"

Yoongi nodded once and motioned to the table. "You know this better than any of us. Can we do it with this few?"

Six sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, worrying at it as she walked around the table. Yoongi stood in his place, patiently awaiting her word on their chances. It may have seemed ridiculous to want to hear the opinion of a foreign-born seventeen-year-old, but Six had something none of them had: an intimate knowledge of the capitol's slave district, catacombs, and a nearly supernatural knack for knowing when something was going to be disastrous.

Finally, after having circled the entire table, Six came to a stop next to Yoongi. "The numbers aren't the issue. Your placement is." Reaching out, she picked up a couple pawns and moved them to a different entry point to the city. "The bulk should enter at Slaver's Gate with handlers only. You and Hoseok, along with the other Silvers here." She picked up five white pawns and moved them to the front gates of the city. "You forget, Silvers never enter with the product," she continued, eyes half-closed as she surveyed the pieces again. "You are representing House Jeon, yes?" She spared a glance to Jeongguk.

Yoongi nodded confirmation. "Lord Junghyun will meet us at their city estate once we arrive."

She licked her lips, maneuvering a few more pawns around the table. "All carts at Slaver's Gate will be subject to search. Bring the weapons with you; they won't search a nobleman's cart at the Prosperity Gate."

Hoseok joined them at the table, his lips turned down into a skeptical frown. "How will we distribute them through the pens if they're on this side of the town?" He waved a hand at a section of the map.

"The catacombs are vast, stretching the length of the city," she countered. "Every noble estate will have an access point down to their ancestor's tombs." She caught Jeongguk in her steely gaze again and Yoongi could see the young lord squirm slightly. Despite the seriousness of the situation, it was amusing how out-of-sorts the younger Lord Jeon was when forced to be around pretty girls. "Do you know if that access point is still open at your city estate?"

"I- No. I don't. Know, that is. I don't know." He swallowed and started studying the hem of his tunic as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

"Pity. If it has been blocked off, it will need to be opened. You can take the weaponry through there directly into the subterranean pens." She tilted her head again as she examined the map.

"Can you map out a course for us so we don't get lost under there?" Hoseok asked next, still frowning deeply at the tabletop.

Six hesitated, fingers tapping lightly against the parchment. "I can try," she allowed after a moment. "It would be better if I were there, though."

"Out of the question." Hoseok shook his head and shot a look over Six's head at Yoongi as if daring him to disagree. The young woman sought confirmation from the older general, as well, and twisted her lips in distaste when Yoongi nodded in agreement with the other man.

"You will stay here," Yoongi added when it looked as though Six was going to argue. "I appreciate your input. We will adjourn this meeting for now. Let me know when your map is done."

He nodded curtly to the others and watched as they filed out of the room and up the stairs. Six he retained with a touch to the small of her back. Once alone, he ran the hand around her waist and pulled her back against him. "Will you come tonight?" he whispered against her hair.

Gently, she peeled his hand off her stomach and slipped from his grasp. "That depends entirely on you and that tongue," she murmured, a ghost of a smirk flashed across her lips before she moved for the stairs. "I will bring the map to your room a mark after darkness falls. We can take the night as it comes from there."

He nodded his understanding and she disappeared up the stairs, leaving him alone in the subterranean room. With a sigh, he looked at the table once more before heading up the steps. He had much and more to do before he could relax and, if Song was going to visit him that night, he needed to make sure he had it all done before darkness fell so he wouldn't be late.

-----

Candlelight flickered from his bedside table, barely illuminating the honey-gold skin of the woman that lay in his arms. The musty scent of sex was thick around them as he ran his fingers tenderly along the skin of her forearm, tracing the raised letters and numbers permanently branded there. It made him angry to see it but he knew there was no removing such marks. Not even the young lord with his healing magics was capable of removing the damage caused by the branding rituals.  His hand stopped with it brushed the metal around her wrist, his lips twitching downward at the corners.  He slipped a finger under the band, wondering if he could pop it off before she noticed.

She shook his hand from her arm with a sigh. "That tickles," she murmured into the crook of his neck, leaving featherlight kisses on his still-sweaty skin.

"That does more than tickle," he replied, nibbling on her earlobe and abandoning his efforts to remove the crude bracelet. "But I'm not going to be ready for another round for a bit."

"I wasn't expecting you to be." Sitting up, Six stretched her arms above her head, soft pops running the length of her spine. Yoongi watched with the barest of smiles, reaching out to fondle a breast while she was preoccupied. With a huff, she slapped his hand away. "Don't start what you can't finish," she warned.

"I said 'a bit,' not 'at all,'" he countered, pulling her back down onto the tangle of silken sheets. He moved to roll over her but she jerked her hip up, blocking the motion. The general laughed lightly, snagging her by the hips and pulling her on top of him instead. With her straddled over his hips, haloed in her now-loose hair, he pulled her down into a slow, purposeful kiss. His hands traced up the bumps of her spine until he felt the raised skin on her back that was her ownership brand. She only had one.  It was situated on her left shoulder blade and stated clearly to any who saw that she was currently the property of House Nam. Unlike other slaves who sported multiple marks from multiple owners, she had never been sold from the Nam Hanbin pens; Six was a run-away.

His hands moved further up to the band around her neck, fiddling with the clasp while their tongues waged battle with lips and teeth. He about had it undone when she pulled up sharply and grasped both his wrists.

"Stop," she breathed, shaking her head. "Leave it."

"I don't like you wearing them." He pressed his lips thin, trying to reach back up for the ugly, steel torque.

"And if I lose control while we're doing this? It's bad enough when I'm out on a practice field or by myself." He allowed her to push his hands above his head. "I lose control of it here and I could hurt you." The unspoken 'or kill you' hovered between them and Yoongi sighed.

"I trust you won't. You've been improving by leaps lately."

Six shook her head, long hair swaying over his face with the motion, tickling him. "You trust I won't fry you in the middle of sex but you won't trust me to come to the capitol?"

Yoongi groaned as she released his arms and rolled off him to sit on the edge of the bed, her back facing him. He sat as well, reaching out to touch her back. "It isn't about your control," he reasoned. "I don't want to see you hurt."

"Why not?" She stood and started searching the floor around the bed. He frowned when she picked up her slip and pulled it over her head, then snagged her dress and started shaking it out. She glanced over at him with arched brows. "It isn't like this is anything besides sex. We don't love each other. You shouldn't worry about my wellbeing. Let me come with you. I can be a lot more help there than here."

The general closed his eyes for a long moment, biting down on a harsh retort. "I'm not allowed to be concerned for a friend?" He slipped to the edge of the bed and pulled her between his legs, snagging the dress from her hands and tossing it across the room. He made quick work of removing her slip and chucking it next to her dress. Once she stood naked before him once more, he grabbed both of her hands and kissed her palms. "Yes, this is just sex." He raised one brow at her, smirking. "Good sex, I might add." She chuckled and rolled her eyes at him. "But even if you weren't my lover, I would still not want you to come."

She pursed her lips at him and looked away, shaking his hands away. When she tried to step back, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. "You need to bring me," she tried again, voice soft. She ran her fingers through his silvery locks, massaging his scalp. "I don't know that I trust the map I drew you. The only way I can be sure of the directions is if I'm there."

"It isn't safe for you to be there." His hand traveled to her shoulder blade. "They catch you and they'll kill you. Slowly. In some highly contrived and painful way." He pressed his face into her stomach, nuzzling the peach-soft skin. "I may not love you as you deserve, but I do love you in my own way," he murmured, his voice muffled by her skin.

Her fingers continued their gentle ministrations through his hair as she took another deep breath. "I know," she whispered. "It's odd, isn't it? We've been doing this for, what, a year?" He shrugged, having lost track of the time since they'd first tumbled into bed together. "In the pens, those of us destined to work the pleasure houses were all told that we had to be careful about developing feelings for anyone that bedded us. With you, I've never had to try." She grabbed fistful of his hair and forced his head back to look down at his eyes. "I feel nothing but general liking."

He feigned a hurt expression that obviously didn't fool her. "Are you saying I'm merely likeable?"

"Are you kidding? You, Min Yoongi, are the epitome of 'mostly tolerable' on a good day."

He tried very hard to maintain a straight face but failed miserably. Grinning, he fell back onto the bed, pulling her down on top of him. "Come along, you know you love me." He tickled her sides, bringing peals of laughter from her lips.

"Okay! I love you in a very platonic way," she conceded, wriggling out of his grasp, rolling onto her back as she struggled to regain her breath.

He rolled onto his side, propping his head up with his arm. His other hand ran along her thigh, squeezing lightly. "And I platonically return those feelings," he said with a smile wide enough to show his gums. "Now, are we going for a second round or shall we blow out these candles and turn in for the night?"

She put a hand to her chin, making a big show of musing at the darkened ceiling. "I don't know... are you up to it?"

Reaching over he took her hand and placed it against his quickly plumping member. "You tell me," he murmured, kissing along her jawline.

"It needs work," she admitted, palming him lightly. "But I think we can do something about that." With a smirk, she pushed him back onto his back with a predatory glint in her eye. As she slipped down the length of his body, he closed his eyes and bit his lip, letting her work a magic that had very little to do with her other esoteric powers.

-----

AN: Hope you enjoyed it. Vote, comment, follow, play ping pong. The usual. <3