Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Entering the building, Lee Minho closed the door behind them as he glanced over to Hwang Hyunjin, his company, who didn’t even bother taking off his shoes at the entrance. Neither did Minho.

“Did you know the highest number of murders are committed around 9 pm?”

Hyunjin chuckled amused as he looked around, remembering how every object had been placed. It was important not to change anything, leave it as they had found it – if possible. “So, we are still quite early, I guess?”

It was shortly after 7 pm and they were just in time to enter the building. The mansion belonged to someone whose name they both had already forgotten the second they had heard it. It wasn’t important, it didn’t matter to them or anyone else, aside from the people who were inheriting all the original Van Gogh’s and Picasso’s hanging on the walls, staring at the uninvited guests walking through the marble floored hallway.

“Kind of,” Minho nodded, shrugging slightly as he stretched. Instead of wasting his money on such unnecessary goods the guy should have used it for a proper security system because it was as good as non-existent. The front door hadn’t even been locked and there had been no silent alarm going off, neither when they had entered the premises nor when they had entered the building.

It was hilarious. Considering the amount of people who wanted this man dead both Minho and Hyunjin had thought it would be more difficult to get to him, but this was one of their easiest jobs this month. Maybe even this entire year. There wasn’t even proper security, barely anyone living with the man in the way too big house and even if, Minho was pretty sure they could walk in and out of the building without anyone seeing them or any troubles arising.

Or so he had hoped. Because the moment they walked around the corner a gurgling sound filled the four walls and something that sounded like sobbing could be heard.

“What the-?” Hyunjin mumbled, lifting an eyebrow while Minho was already rushing towards the half-opened door of the kitchen.

Sprawled out like a starfish was their target and on top of him a skinny young man, his knees pressed against the man’s upper arms while he was gripping the underpart of his tie. There were tears running down his cheeks and he looked angry. Really damn angry.

“I guess someone is doing our job,” Minho said, lifting an eyebrow while looking at the young man on top of their target. “Not the cleanest way though, you’ll leave some traces, baby. I wouldn’t want to leave proof if I were you.”

Flinching horribly, the young man turned around, hand still holding the tie tightly while the man was trying to free himself, only struggling halfheartedly. It was easy to guess that he was as good as dead already anyways. The target’s face was a mixture of red and blue and even those beautiful colours didn’t change the fact that he was a horribly ugly creature.

“What- “The skinny male locked eyes with the two newly arrived and saw Hyunjin seemingly having a glint of confused panic in his eyes, while Minho seemed oddly amused. Yeah, it was quite troublesome to find someone who wasn’t supposed to see them kill their target, but they were clearly on common ground, as the guy was trying to do the same. It was a rather hilarious situation really.

At least for Minho who already had quite some experience with jobs going askew like this. Hyunjin had only joined a year ago and was still a little nervous whenever things were not going as planned – one of the reasons Minho often ended up rather annoyed by him, having to reprimand him over and over – though he was learning and slowly getting there.

The young man on the ground clearly didn’t share his amusement. The anger displayed on his tear-stained face disclosed that he was connected to their target, not only physically but also in an emotional way. Never good circumstances when trying to commit murder.

“Like I said, you are leaving traces,” Minho repeated, grabbing the gun from his holster, and adding a silencer on top. He had come prepared for a more difficult situation though for what they had found instead was some messy personal matters behind open doors.

“Fuck off!” the crying male said, voice cracking in between as he pulled harder on the tie. His eyes were wide as he stared at the men in front of him. “Just- fuck off!”

Hyunjin scoffed as he shook his head in amusement while Minho knelt down in front of the target on the floor. The man was whimpering with the last little bit of energy he had left, trying to gather some air into his already emptied out lungs.

“Chill, kid, we have the same goal as you,” Minho said and then looked away from the skinny male and down at their target. He chuckled. “I’d prefer for you to suffer more, but you know, orders from the top,” he told their victim before he placed the silencer against his forehead. He gave a nod towards Hyunjin who rushed over and covered the nameless man’s eyes, right before Minho pulled the trigger.

It was messy. Shooting someone within such a close range was always messy and bloody. It also meant that they probably would have to get rid of quite a few of their clothes as the only one who knew how to clean blood out of fabric properly would definitely not be in for cleaning up after their chaos again.

“Let go of me!” the crying mess of a stranger called out, pushing Hyunjin away as well as he could. He was stronger than expected and Hyunjin stumbled forward, only missing the puddle of blood by mere centimetres. Clearly, he had been caught by surprise and it was rather visible on his beautiful face. His thick lips were formed into an O and he blinked, utterly confused. He was about to comment on it but was stopped by a surprised cry coming from the stranger, the young male finally letting go of the now bloodied tie.

He was trying to stand up, stumbling backwards instead.

“Y-You killed him!”

“Well, yeah,” Minho said as he cleaned his silencer on his blood-sprinkled shirt, putting the gun away. He was leaving traces, making sure that they would not lead back to him in any way and so was Hyunjin. The stranger was the only one who could cause any problems now but in the end that wasn’t their responsibility. “Just like you wanted to.”

The shock seemed to sit deep in the man’s bones, clearly evident for Minho to see. It caused him to frown and he sighed. Great, had they gotten themselves a stray again?

It would not be the first time they picked up someone from one of their crime scenes and took them in, but most of the time it was something that Minho preferred not to do. The less people in their group, the less dangerous for them. And aside from that it meant that there were less people they had to take care of and to stop from fucking up. Because, unfortunately, that happened way too often.

“I’ll make sure the unwanted traces are covered,” Hyunjin said, realising the situation as soon as he looked at Minho. That was why they were working together. Hyunjin could often read what was going on inside Minho’s head and could act on it accordingly and appropriately. Before, they both had been paired with different people but it had often ended badly, with Hyunjin picking fights and Minho going on one-man-missions just so he knew everything would go well.

Half a year ago they had been forced to see if they would work as a team and while they had a love-hate relationship they had clicked right away when it came to doing their job which currently was the most important thing for both of them. They could trust and rely on each other and that was all they needed in the moment. A partner in crime.

“Thanks,” Minho said before he grabbed the stranger by his arm, pulling him away so he didn’t have to look at the dead body of the man he had just tried to kill. Trying to kill someone was one thing but actually seeing someone get killed right in front of their eyes was something utterly different, no matter if the person was wanted dead or not.

“Let me go. Don’t hurt me!” the guy cried out and Minho was sure he was a few years younger than him. Maybe only two or three but he looked so lost right now – something that Minho was already so used to. Death was something people preferred not to encounter, especially not if it came in the form of another person actually taking the life.

Shaking his head, he took off his gloves, gently cupping the young male’s cheeks. “Deep breaths. I’m not here to hurt you,” he said and looked at him, taking a deep breath himself, hoping the younger would imitate his behaviour. “Neither is he,” he nodded towards Hyunjin who was making sure the stranger hadn’t left any fingerprints or anything else that could incriminate him. “You can call me Lino and I’m a friend.” It was only halfway true because, well, Minho wasn’t exactly the other male’s friend, but right now that didn’t matter. “Mind telling me your name?”

For a long moment, the stranger was silent, gasping for air every few seconds while there were still tears running over his pale, puffy cheeks. He was shaking and something inside Minho felt pity for him. He would have probably reacted the same if he wasn’t so used to death – death was something he served others for breakfast, so it was easy for him to deal with it. In the beginning though it had been horribly shocking, suffocating even but all of that was long gone and it was difficult for Minho to remember these feelings.

“Han,” the male then said and licked his lips, looking at the man in front of him. “Han Jisung.” He carefully took Minhos’ hands from his cheeks and gulped. “You really are not here to kill me?”

A small chuckle left Minho’s lips as he shook his head. “No. If I wanted to take your life, it would already be mine,” he said, causing Hyunjin to snort, amused.

“He isn’t wrong but man that sounded sappy,” Minho’s partner called over from the other corner of the room, almost hitting his head on a cupboard as he cringed at the words.

Minho rolled his eyes – served him well for commenting on it. And for being so tall. Hyunjin was the tallest of their group and sometimes Minho was a tiny bit envious of those few centimetres that kept them apart.

Jisung still looked so very lost. The anger his face had held earlier was gone and instead was replaced with gnawing fear.

“Jin likes to make everything rather… ew,” Minho sighed and rolled his eyes, wishing he could just throw his gun at Hyunjin, but he couldn’t risk any other accidental traces. He was a professional after all. He could just do it once they were at home. After taking out the bullets of course, safety first – especially when throwing guns at people. But now he had a skinny male in front of him who looked like he clearly didn’t find any humour in this situation and, honestly, Minho did understand. Hyunjin and him both had a weird kind of humour and to an outsider a crime scene was probably not the best situation for their usual bickering.

A small sigh left Minho’s lips as he looked at the other. “Jisung,” he then said and hoped he gave off a calming vibe. He knew it worked with animals, but it was rather rare that he actually had to calm down a person. And while Hyunjin might be gentle, Minho was often better with lost creatures. “You are safe. We are not here to harm you.”

“You were here to kill,” Jisung mumbled and bothered his bottom lip, frowning a little. “Like I was,” he then added, almost a whisper. Minho barely heard it.

“Yeah,” he nodded and tilted his head to look at the probably younger man. “I would ask you why, but we should probably get going as soon as possible.” He looked around and Hyunjin nodded towards him, showing that he was ready to leave as well.

But instead of giving an answer Jisung just stared at the other for a very long moment, glancing back at the dead man on the ground.

Despite staring at him this intently, he would not be haunted by these happenings. There was only relief. The man would not be able to affect him anymore like he had these past few months.

“I have nowhere to go,” Jisung said and looked at Minho, his gaze defeated. “I didn’t think I’d succeed or even survive here.”

Technically, he indeed hadn’t succeeded though his goal had been reached. The man of his nightmares was dead and gone and if he was honest, he hadn’t thought further than that.

Hyunjin sighed and even before Minho could say anything, he jumped into the conversation. “Then we’ll take you with us,” he shrugged slightly. “Maybe the others will know what to do with you.”

Rolling his eyes, Minho looked at Hyunjin before he nodded, turning his attention back onto Jisung.

So, he really was a stray.

-

“Jeongin, you owe me money,” Seungmin said, sitting on a couch with a laptop on his lap as Minho and Hyunjin entered the living room. They had a rather overwhelmed looking young man with them and it was easy for Seungmin to guess what must have happened.

“Bitch what- “a voice was heard from one of the other rooms; clearly Jeongin who had been in the kitchen. Only a few seconds after, they could see a face popping out of a room and a young male with high cheekbones and small eyes stared at them. “A stray?”

Hyunjin nodded as he took off his bloody jacket, throwing it towards the trash. “Yep, a stray,” he confirmed as he stretched his long limbs. He went to the sink to wash his hands before sitting down next to Seungmin, observing what the other was doing. He somehow had expected Seungmin to work, after all they were still in the headquarters – a big apartment in the middle of a busy building where no one cared who you were or what you did. Aside from that they had a backdoor they could take without anyone else noticing. Not that anyone would really say a word if someone walked through the lobby, covered in blood – the headquarters had been chosen wisely.

“Damnit,” Jeongin groaned and rolled his eyes. He grabbed his wallet and handed Seungmin a handful of banknotes.

“What was that about?” Hyunjin asked and looked from one to the other, eyebrows furrowed since this entire situation didn’t make sense to him.

A small chuckle left Seungmin’s lips, all gentle and calm. “Jeongin and I bet on when one of you would bring home another stray. Jeongin said it would take at least a year while I said you will give in and end up bringing a person home sooner than that. So, I won.”

“You make bets about us?” Hyunjin huffed and shook his head, as he grabbed the wool blanket to cover himself with it. He wasn’t even considering introducing Jisung to anyone else, that was now Minho’s job. Minho was the one adopting cats, so he was the one who was in charge of taking care of any other type of stray as well. One way or another.

“Not the first time,” Jeongin shrugged as he walked over and looked at the latest addition. He could see the confusion in his eyes. “So… Nice to meet you, I’m Jeongin. This is Seungmin.” He pointed over to the man at the laptop which gained him a small nod from the newcomer. It was easy to notice that he was slowly starting to relax around the young man in front of him.

Jeongin usually had that kind of impact on people.

“I’m Jisung,” he then said, introducing himself. “Han Jisung and uhm,” he trailed off. Damn, he wasn’t sure what else to say. He wasn’t even sure why the other two had brought him here. Minho had told him it was where they worked and other people would probably know what to do with and how to help him but Jisung was still uncertain about everything that had happened. The entire day had been draining and meeting two men who were in for the kill of the man that had haunted him for so long had been incredibly confusing to say the least. Aside from that, Jisung just felt so very lost. He had been full of anger and despair these last few weeks, these last few months even but now that the feeling was gone, he was left with an awkward emptiness that he just didn’t know how to deal with.

He was taken out of his thoughts when Minho bumped against him, carefully. He was holding out a glass of water which Jisung gratefully took, before turning back and nodding at the young man in front of him.

“Can… can I take a shower or something like that?” he asked, holding the glass, and taking a sip. While Hyunjin had covered his eyes earlier, the rest of his body was covered in random splatters of blood. Most of it was on his clothes but there were a few splotches dried against his tan skin that bothered him. He had never been a fan of blood.

“Of course, I’ll show you,” Jeongin said happily as he nodded before gently taking Jisung’s wrist and dragging him along. Their youngest was always glad to entertain people, especially those who were new. He had been just as excited when Hyunjin had joined as well so Minho wasn’t surprised, watching them disappear down the hallway. Maybe they could bond a little. Even if Minho had repeatedly told Jisung that they were no danger, he was certain that they both held a bitter aftertaste in Jisung’s mind. After all they had killed in front of him and while the other had tried to do the same thing, it was different to see a death like the one he witnessed, one without any sign of regret or pity on the murderer’s face.

Minho sighed and took off his pullover. It was an old one as he had chosen it wisely, knowing it would get dirty during their jobs. He of course could have put on particular work clothes but doing that would make it so much more obvious that he was at the intended location to hurt someone or even to kill. To put it simply, he rather preferred having the moment of surprise.

Sitting down on an armchair close to the couch he rolled back his shoulders before sipping on his own glass of water that he had gotten earlier. He would need to throw away the shirt he had worn under the pullover as it probably also was covered in blood stains but right now, he just needed a moment to sit down and take a breath. Murder was something he could deal with but taking in a shocked young man, especially one who had tried to kill their victim in such an emotional way was something he wasn’t the best with. Human interaction easily tired him out if it was like that. He wasn’t a good caretaker unless it came to animals.

“So?” Seungmin asked, looking at both Hyunjin and Minho, his face halfway covered by his laptop.

“So what?” Minho gave back a sigh on his lips as he knew what Seungmin wanted to know.

“So why did you bring him?”

A chuckle left Hyunjin’s lips. “Firstly, we found him trying to strangle our target, secondly he has nowhere to go and I found it cute how Minho was all friendly and gentle towards him so I thought why not take him in for a bit. We could need the help; I mean we did just recently lose a few co-workers.”

Unfortunately, a mission gone wrong had taken a few people out of their organisation, leaving them understaffed and until now they had had a hard time filling up those positions. It had caused all of them quite some trouble.

“Are you sure this guy is a good idea?” Seungmin asked, looking at the other with doubt written all over his face. He was straightforward which had caused a few fights before, but it had also solved so many problems as well.

“He might have it in him,” Minho admitted and looked at Seungmin. “Maybe not as a hitman or anything like that, but definitely as something along the line. Maybe he could work here. Not with you or Jeongin, but from the headquarters.” He shrugged a bit and leaned back, not really minding that Seungmin was judging them both. He was used to it as Seungmin had already been in position when he had joined – Seungmin had probably been here when all of them had, seeing as he was the one who had been part of the organisation the longest.

“You might be right,” Seungmin said, glancing over to the hallway where Jeongin and Jisung had disappeared earlier. “He looked pretty messed up though.”

“Oh, I am sure he is messed up,” Minho chuckled slightly. “You should have seen him. Knees on the guy’s arms while pulling on his tie. It was impressive.” He nodded slightly. “The boy cried so much  which, well that’s the rather not so impressive part, but he would have killed him if I let him.”

But he hadn’t. Not because Minho didn’t think Jisung couldn’t take it but because Minho knew just how much weight going through with that would have put onto the younger’s shoulder, dragging him down.

Seeing death inflicted on anyone was already hard to take –  no matter if it was a friend or a mere stranger whose death was witnessed. But actively taking someone’s life was a lot more drastic, especially to someone who probably never even had considered harming the people around him. To Minho, that was the vibe that Jisung gave off, a person who had never wanted to harm anyone. Not if it wasn’t necessary. It made him wonder what had tipped him over the edge?

“Aren’t we all a little messed up?” Jeongin said, leaning against the door frame. His lips held a small smile as his words were accompanied by a shrug “I couldn’t name any person in Clé who isn’t at least a little messed up. Yes, even you Seungmin.”

Jeongin walked over and let himself slump down onto the free armchair. Seungmin made a small, disagreeing sound though he knew that their youngest was right. They all were a little messed up in one way or another. Be it difficult or turbulent pasts or other major key events that had eventually led them to the doors of Clé, an organisation to help the people. What kind of help they received was a different question though since not all people were morally good people, asking for the right things. If they did, they might have gone to the police or someone else who would be able to help them in a possibly more legal way.

Clé clearly wasn’t the right place for that, their alignment more morally grey with enough resources to act on it.

“Jeongin is right,” Minho confirmed as well and the others gave a small nod of agreement, silence slowly sneaking up between them. In the background the shower could be heard running and eventually Seungmin started typing again, noting something down on his laptop.

They were comfortable together, even in their silence.

Chapter Text

Jisung was staying with Jeongin.

Through the first couple conversations Jisung had figured out that most of them were living together in at least pairs and that Jeongin was the only one missing a roommate so they had decided that Jisung would stay with him. And if he was honest, he was glad. Jeongin gave off a warm vibe and even though Minho and Hyunjin had taken him in so easily, they somehow intimidated him a little. Probably because he had seen them kill or maybe because they were both a little reserved and way too handsome for being hitmen.

If they even were hitmen. Jisung was still not entirely sure what was going on exactly. They hadn’t explained their organisation to him yet as they had decided to postpone that talk till next morning to give him the opportunity to rest. The day had been way too eventful for Jisung’s taste and his head was pounding with an exhausting headache due to stress and also from crying for multiple hours. Well, probably also because he watched a person die right in front of him, be it deserved or not. At least that asshole was gone now, without any possibility of ever coming back.

Sitting down on a soft bed in the rather empty and impersonal room he was given, he sighed, taking a deep breath. Jeongin had given him some sheets and made sure to take bed. Thankfully he had also been given a charger for his phone, something that he had been worried about. He had thought that he might be unable to keep his phone as Seungmin had requested it earlier.

Jisung had complied since he fathomed, while the other had a smile as bright and as warm as the sun, disobeying Seungmin would end up causing him trouble. He seemed like the type to be scarily efficient, especially if he didn’t get what he wanted or needed. He was quite relieved when he had gotten the phone back right before Jeongin and Jisung left the apartment to go to the floor that was holding their apartment.

There was a knock on the door and when he glanced over Jeongin appeared within the frame, a bunch of clothes in his arms as well as some other things like a toothbrush and even an alarm clock.

“I know you could use your phone, but I always find it more comforting to actually have a proper alarm clock. Not that you need to set it yet, see it as a welcoming gift,” he explained, putting it on the nightstand next to Jisung’s bed. Listening to everyone he had met so far, he had figured out that Minho was the oldest, at least the oldest of those four, followed by Hyunjin and then Seungmin leaving Jeongin to be the youngest. It was easy to notice, as even though the others seemed to respect him, their behaviour was different with him, softer, almost as if they were babying him a little. Despite just having been there a few hours, he had figured that quite easily. He had always been an observant person when it came to relationships and connections between human beings. Unfortunately, not everyone had put trust in his skills, resulting in Jisung being exactly where he was right now.

“That’s sweet of you,” Jisung said as he took the alarm clock. It wasn’t a new one though he guessed it probably either belonged to Jeongin or had been the property of one of the people who had lived here before which therefore would mean that it was of emotional value. “Thank you.”

The clothes were a little too big for him, but they looked comfortable and warm. Either way, Jisung didn’t mind the sizing issue, glad to have any type of new clothing since all he had on his body when he had encountered Minho and Hyunjin had been his phone and his wallet. Not that there was much left in his small apartment downtown. He had lived in an area that he wouldn’t want anyone else to ever live in. Sadly, he didn’t really have a choice when he had rented the place a few weeks ago.

“You are welcome. There is more than enough food in the fridge, always feel free to just go and take what you need. Oh, also, the WiFi password,” Jeongin said, clapping into his hands. He grabbed his phone where he opened the note app it was saved in so that Jisung could copy from it.

“I-, oh-?,” Jisung said and blinked; it was something he would have asked of a friend, surely, but he hadn’t even thought of it due to the nature of their situation.

“Home is where your WiFi connects and as I am sure you’ll be staying for a while, I guess you should be able to call this place home. Not right now, I know it will take a while, but you know, eventually. This is just the first step towards that,” the youngest grinned and took back his phone once Jisung had managed to connect his phone.

It was sweet Jisung had to admit. Jeongin was sweet. He was warm and hospitable and while the others hadn’t given Jisung any weird vibes or bad looks, Jeongin was just incredibly welcoming. He was acting as if they were friends and rather than strangers. It wasn’t something he had expected from someone who worked with hitmen but then again who was he to judge, right? All he knew about people like them was from movies and TV shows and that wasn’t very much if he was honest. After all they were just people like everyone else; they had their own reasons and stories.

“You make it a lot easier for me to settle in,” Jisung admitted and looked up at the other who gave him a warm smile.

“It’s difficult, I know,” Jeongin reached out and gave his shoulder a small squeeze. “Your day was a mess, and I don’t know anything about you yet but from what the other two explained I am sure you were not exactly in the easiest situation. So, all I can do is offer you some warmth and a shoulder to cry on in case you need one. I want to be able to help you so you can come to me no matter what, even if you wake up from a nightmare at like 3 am. My bed is big enough for the both of us so yeah, just tell me whenever I can do anything for you.” His eyes were sincere as a small chuckle fell from his lips at the last proposition.

Jisung blinked, even more surprised than he had already been. He hadn’t expected any of this. They had only met today and the younger was nice to him in a way that Jisung wasn’t exactly used to at the moment.

He didn’t understand their hospitality. What if Jisung had meant to hurt them? Jeongin offering for them to share his bed would have been an almost too perfect opportunity for Jisung to attack him. Not that he had any plans like that, he was just a civilian without any place to go, someone who had lost some of the most important things in his life who was uncertain on how to regain his footing.

Yet even he knew that not everyone was like that. They easily could have picked up someone else, someone with plans to hurt the organisation or even to hurt Jeongin specifically and the younger wouldn’t notice, bringing himself in irreparable danger, just to be kind to a stranger.

“Thank you,” Jisung mumbled instead of voicing his concerns. He nodded at his words, his tongue darting out to lick his lips, nervously. He hoped that he would not cause them any trouble by being here. Over the last few months, he had caused enough chaos already, something that worried him quite a bit. He was scared that these people who were offering to help him, were putting their trust in him this easily, were going to get hurt.

“I’d like to try to sleep now,” he told Jeongin as he pushed the charger into the designated socket, the screen of his phone lighting up shortly. It had been running on little battery earlier but Seungmin must have charged it on his computer while he had been working with it. He still wasn’t entirely sure what the other had done to the gadget, yet at this point, he admittedly was way too exhausted to even properly care.

“Sure,” Jeongin replied with a nod before getting up. He ruffled Jisung’s hair. “Sleep well, Jisungie,” he hummed. “Remember, my bed is open if you need it.” With that, he raised his hand in a short wave and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Only silence remained and for a short moment Jisung felt as if that silence would suffocate him.

He shook his head as a small sigh left his lips. He could deal with this, would have to. Quietly, he set the sheets and the other things Jeongin had brought onto the mattress. He walked backwards, until he was met with the cold hard brick and if he listened closely, he could almost hear his own breathing echo from the walls that surrounded him. The room was so empty, barely anything in it aside from the bed, the nightstand, and a small closet. But even those seemed empty, well, empty aside from the monsters that they probably kept. His own monsters that followed him wherever he went, haunted him day and night, without prevail.

Jisung settled back down on the bed, closing his eyes as he curled up, pulling the blanket over his head. He sighed and as he did, he noticed something. The fabric held a distinctive smell, a laundry detergent that Jisung knew his parents had used when he was younger. He wrapped the blanket around him more tightly, trying to keep the smell close to himself to feel a little comfort, to feel a little like home. It worked, like a small safe place that managed to lull him in, little by little until sleep slowly managed to take him and he fell into a deep slumber.

-

The smell of coffee filled the room as quiet chatter was heard from the kitchen. It wasn’t as loud as it usually was, just gentle talks between friends instead of the loud conversations they were used to, the small fights and arguments that were the norm for them.

“I bet,” Hyunjin said, sipping on his coffee. He was still wearing his sleep attire just like the other, consisting of a wide shirt and loose sweatpants.

Usually Jeongin wandered down to their apartment but this time the three of them – Hyunjin, Seungmin and Minho had come up to his apartment instead. After all it was a different situation with them having to accommodate someone new.

“I saw them talk shit, so I bet someone else caught them as well,” Hyunjin kept talking. Seungmin only raised his eyebrow in amusement.

“You really think talking shit will get them kicked out?” the younger asked as he leaned back, shaking his head. “Really, Jinnie, they are far more valuable to just kick them out or kill them because of them doing something that small. Aside from that, we all talk shit, you can’t tell me that you don’t because I have talked shit with you before.”

“Yeah okay, true. Remember that one time Jeongin photoshopped Mrs. Kim on top of a moose with a funky robe and got caught?” Minho added to the conversation, gaining a small sound of complaint from Jeongin for resurfacing that horrible, horrible memory but aside from that he wasn’t commenting on it. His ears clearly spoke for themselves though, the bright red showing just how embarrassed he still was, even though by now, the incident had happened almost two years ago.

A loud laugh startled him and he glared at the prospect, Hyunjin, whose whole body shook with laughter, the young man almost falling from his chair and therefore crashing into Minho who merely rolled his eyes at his antics and pushed him back.

“He did that?”

Seungmin nodded and then took out his phone, showing Hyunjin the offending picture. This time, the laughter did make him fall from his chair, Minho having pulled his own away far enough that Hyunjin didn’t have anything to hold onto. Not that he cared with the way he continued laughing without any regards for the new position he was in.

Jeongin raised his head in an instant. “You have a picture of that?” he asked, eyes wide and clearly horrified. “Oh my gosh, Seungmin no!”

“Chill, Innie. Getting disciplined by Kim is shitty but she is actually really fond of her people and I bet she laughed about the whole situation. Well, after she finished screaming at you, you know?” Seungmin said, gently patting Jeongin’s shoulder with a mischievous smile while Hyunjin was still chuckling, tears of laughter in his eyes as he finally sat back up.

Not exactly convinced Jeongin nodded, a small pout on his lips before he just shook his head. “If you get me in trouble, I’ll photoshop you on a really horrible picture and put it everywhere.” He threatened.

They all knew Jeongin was dead serious when he said that though Seungmin knew that he would not get him in any kind of trouble with it. He had been in the NIS for long enough to know how shit working around here. The NIS though wasn’t the organisation they were all working for.

Only Jeongin and Seungmin actually worked with the NIS, undercover to retrieve information for their organisation. They had people in all sorts of places – the police, the mafia, lobbying companies, government facilities. Just any areas that could potentially become interesting to them, whenever they were needed. Not everyone was undercover though, Seungmin had joined Clé – their organisation – when he had passed his exams for the NIS and Jeongin had been in the NIS first before joining Clé. It was a dangerous endeavour but both of them were smart and Clé did give them enough of a safety net to work undercover successfully.

“I agree,” Minho said and shrugged slightly. “I only met her a few times when I was still in the military and we worked with the NIS. She seemed strict but she did seem as if she really loved her team and the people she worked with. So, don’t worry, I agree with Seungmin, she probably laughed about it.”

A small huff left Jeongin’s lips though he did nod before he continued sipping on his hot coffee.  Hyunjin finally managed to get back onto his chair, taking a few deep breaths to make sure he would not start laughing again. “Can I have the picture for my phone background?” he asked with a wide grin to which Seungmin rolled his eyes.

“Nah. But I can print it for you and you can buy a beautiful frame for it so you can put it on your nightstand and it can watch you sleep,” the younger said and this time Jeongin had to smile slightly as well, amused by how much fun Hyunjin seemed to be having.

They were a little chaotic whenever all four of them were together and he had to admit that he was glad he wasn’t living in the same apartment as them. Seungmin and Minho were probably the right people to live with Hyunjin as they got along very well. Minho loved to put Hyunjin in his place, no matter if by using pranks, harsh words or any other form of punishment and so did Seungmin, but they both did like their tall friend a lot and it was fairly obvious to him even though they weren’t always the best at showing it.

“I’d love that,” Hyunjin then said, relaxing back into the headrest before he noticed that Minho looked up, his body tense and confused. It only lasted a few seconds though.

“What’s wrong?” the younger asked curiously to which Minho shook his head.

“Footsteps,” he said and nodded towards the closed kitchen door. “Forgot the newbie,” he then admitted, right before a quiet knock on the door informed all of them of his presence. It was almost hesitant and followed by the door opening to show a messy, bed haired Jisung sticking his head into the room, still looking a little sleepy.

There was a small smile on his lips, and he looked adorable just like this, drowning in a hoodie that was too big for his skinny body. It went down to the middle of his thighs, covering half of the sweatpants he had to cuff multiple times since they would otherwise clean the ground of any dirt and dust with how long the pant legs were. He waved slightly; hands half hidden by the sleeves of the sweater. All four men sitting in the kitchen had to smile at the view.

“Good morning,” Minho said, being the first to find his voice again. He nodded at Jisung who smiled at the older, before opening the door properly.

“Did we wake you?”

“Kinda, but it’s fine. I was sliding in and out of sleep anyways,” Jisung shrugged it off and yawned, making Hyunjin chuckle quietly. It was cute. He wasn’t sure if it was because none of them saw each other as cute anymore, with all of them knowing each other better than anyone else and having seen each other in probably most situations imaginable. Well, or maybe it just was because Jisung was really adorable with how tiny he looked in the oversized clothes that he had been given.

“Coffee?” Jeongin asked, already taking a cup out of the cupboard, and putting it onto the counter before he got a nod from Jisung. He filled it with coffee. “Sugar, milk?”

“A little bit of both,” Jisung smiled and tried to fix his black, slightly curled hair. The dark circles and horrified glance in his eyes had almost entirely faded and his cheeks were a little rosy, still warm from sleep and maybe from being a little overwhelmed with so many people around him he didn’t know well yet. They were incredibly sweet and welcoming, well for murderers that is. Or at least one of them was one and Jisung couldn’t tell why but he wasn’t even slightly scared of him even though he probably should be.

Jeongin prepared Jisung’s coffee and then handed it to him, letting the other sit down on his chair while he himself settled onto the counter. Down in the other’s apartment they would have had enough chairs. While his apartment was only made for two people, theirs was a lot bigger, having room for everyone in the big kitchen that was connected to the wide living room. Not that Jeongin did mind. The apartment was of average size for the amount of people living in it and it wasn’t as if he used his own space a lot. Most days, he tended to go down to his friends anyways and it wasn’t unusual for him to sleep over either, be it on their couch or in one of their beds. They all were close enough and it was never a problem for them if Jeongin slid into one of their beds at night. It was an unspoken truth, that all three of them would readily be willing to give up their bed to him and sleep on the couch instead. Jeongin was always welcome everywhere.

“How was your first night here?” Seungmin asked curiously, leaning forward on the table to get a little closer to the newcomer. He wanted to hear whatever he was going to say. He knew it wasn’t exactly easy to live here after all. Being part of the organisation was quite weird unless one really belonged here. Now they only had to figure out if Jisung did fit with them or not. And if he did not, they would have to figure out what else they could do to help him instead. After all he now knew their faces and knew that at least two of them had been at a crime scene. However, despite that incident, neither Hyunjin nor Minho felt even slightly threatened.

“Uhm… okay I guess?” Jisung said, holding his coffee in his hands and thinking for a moment. “There were no nightmares, so that was nice.” It had been the first time in a few months that he had been able to rest and relax properly. He had even gotten more than just a few hours of sleep in one night and he had felt surprisingly safe. It was almost laughable, how he felt a lot safer and sounder in a stranger’s place than his own and how he felt more at home here than any place he had recently been to.

Seungmin nodded, a small smile on his lips. “Well, that is good,” he said, brushing his brown hair out of his face. “You had a stressful day yesterday so we thought it would be better if we waited until today to show you around. You’ll also learn more about what we are and what we do,” he added, and the others nodded in agreement, only Minho interrupting with a sheepish “You sound like a professor, Seungminnie.” To which the addressed only rolled his eyes, dismissing his words with a wave of the hand. After all it wasn’t something easy to take in and while they all knew they needed to tell Jisung they also knew that it might be a lot, maybe even too much for him to handle.

“I’m ready for that,” Jisung said and took a sip of his coffee. He hadn’t even changed his clothes or brushed his hair, but he was already in for the ride. At least he had been able to brush his teeth and wash his face, otherwise he would definitely be really unprepared. “It’s gonna be a lot to take in I bet so you better start soon.”

Seungmin nodded, agreeing that that would probably be for the best. He looked over at the three other men. All of them had already been part of the company for a while and he wondered if they wanted to take part in the explaining process but none of them said anything. After all, he was the one who had been part of Clé for the longest.

“Sit down and prepare yourself,” Seungmin joked, taking a few seconds to gather his thoughts before starting.

“So, we are all part of an organisation called Clé,” he explained, keeping his eyes trained on Jisung. “Our job is it to deal with situations that the police or other law enforcement will not take care of. Sometimes those situations mean saving a kidnapped person or finding a serial killer. Other times it might mean having to kill a person who caused a lot of harm or damage. It’s not always black and white. Clé is on a greyscale. And if you cannot deal with such situations you probably are not made for it.” Seungmin stopped for a moment, waiting to see if Jisung wanted to say something but all he did was nod and stay silent, listening to the other’s words, sucking them up like a sponge.

“Murder,” Seungmin said, glancing towards Minho and Hyunjin for a brief second, “can sometimes be part of the job. The same applies to blackmail, fraud and even kidnapping. All of those things can sometimes be necessary. It depends on the situation. Often times, Clé works their cases for the Greater Good though that isn’t always the case.”

“Did you just say Greater Good TM?” Jisung interrupted Seungmin unable to process if that term actually had come from his lips since the younger’s horribly straight-faced expression hadn’t changed for even a second. Maybe he was actually still sleep-deprived and only imagining things?

Seungmin’s lips formed an amused smile and instead of replying he simply kept talking. It was an inside joke between him and the others as they have all had far too many encounters with people telling them that what they were doing was for the Greater Good even though they were actually doing more harm than anything else. It had gotten to the point where it was borderline hilarious and well, with their occupation it didn’t take long for a rather dry and dark type of humour to become their standard. “Sometimes we take orders. Yesterday, for example, those two had an order to kill that man.” He waited for Jisung to react but once again the other merely nodded, albeit a little more slowly this time.

“The entire system is a little more complicated but don’t worry, we have an entire folder filled with good explanations,” Hyunjin said, shrugging. He had read it before he had actually joined them, and it had managed to help him a lot. He, of course, was also willing to help Jisung if needed, he was certain that all of them were. There was a lot more to understanding all of their rules and what they were actually doing. The way Seungmin put it was extremely simple after all and not the entire truth behind Clé and the inner workings of the organisation.

“Now let’s get to who we are,” Seungmin said, this time smiling at Jisung. “You already know our names but there of course is a lot more to us. I work for the NIS to collect information, mostly through hacking, which I do for both of my jobs. Remember when I asked for your phone, yesterday? I needed it so that I could delete any traces that could connect you to what happened at the crime scene. That way, there is no way for the police or anyone else to trace it back to you, at least not with your phone. Clé’s most important value is secrecy. Since I am informant for the organisation, you could call me an undercover agent and the same goes for Jeongin.” He nodded towards their youngest who grinned, simply replying by holding up his fingers in a peace sign.

Jeongin then clapped his hands, realising that it was his turn to speak. “Well, like Seungmin just said, I work for the NIS as well. I do a lot of field work, so most of the time I am not using the computers. I do have a partner in Clé, his name is Felix! You will meet him soon, I am sure! He is like the brightest ray of sunshine and so sweet!” As he talked about him, Jeongin got a little excited but none of the others stopped him, instead just smiling at him rather fondly.

Jisung wasn’t entirely sure why but he would most likely figure it out soon.

“Anyways, yeah, I’m in field. I am also a hitman like the two who brought you here but to me it’s more like a part-time job.” After all he was undercover too, just like Seungmin.

“Time for me to talk,” Hyunjin said with a grin. “I’ve been added to the team a little over a year ago. Just like you I was taken in. They like to call people like us strays,” he explained, his eyes meeting Jisung. “I’m a hitman, just like Minho. Though while Minho is better with guns and fist-to-fist when it comes to close-range combat, I’m in charge of knives and wires and other fancy weapons like that.”

Hyunjin was about to keep speaking when Jisung lifted his hand as if he had a question. The tall man nodded towards him, blinking when Jisung asked, a little confused: “Who is Minho?”

An amused chuckle left the lips of the man in question, who now also looked at Jisung with a smile on his lips. “That’s me,” He said, giving him a two-finger salute.

“But you said your name was Lino?”

The furrow in his brow deepened, confusion settled deeply on the newbie’s face which drew another chuckle from Minho.

“Yeah I did do that,” he hummed, amused. “When I told you my name, I didn’t think I’d take you home with me. So, I gave you a name Hyunjin and I call each other.”

“Hyunjin? Oh, so that’s Jin?”

There was a nod from Hyunjin. “Exactly. Jin and Lino. It would be stupid if we gave out our real names to anyone just like that. We are hitmen, after all so we can’t exactly go around, disclosing that type of information.”

“But you did show me your faces,” Jisung said, not really understanding how one was okay, while the other wasn’t.

“Yeah we did. Though usually we do cover them. If I am completely honest, then for this mission we figured it would be a lot easier than expected. No one would see our face anyways and if they did, well, we’d take care of that,” Hyunjin explained and Minho nodded. “It was a little reckless but with the investigation for the case will be closed fairly quickly, even though I admit, it was quite the nasty murder. We have our connections, people who will take care of it for us.” He winked at Jisung who wasn’t sure how to take that so well, he just accepted it. Hyunjin was a little hard to understand at times but he seemed friendly enough, so it was okay. Right?

Minho took a sip from his drink, putting his legs on top of his chair. He looked a lot younger like this than he had the day before, when he had killed someone right in front of Jisung’s eyes, a smug expression on his face and no sign of guilt or regret or even just a tiny bit pity. Nothing. As if taking a life meant exactly that to him: nothing. Right now, though, he looked soft and gentle. It was so casual and if he hadn’t known what he was capable of, Jisung would have never thought the other could kill. Ever.

“Well, as you know now, my name is Minho, though like I just said, whenever I work people call me Lino so I expect you to do the same,” Minho introduced himself with a nod. “Many of us have a pseudonym that we use but you’ll learn more about that sooner or later. Jeongin, for example, is called either Innie or I.N. Depending on his job, that is. So, yeah, I am a hitman. I have a military background and my specialty lies in guns and close-range combat like Hyunjin just explained,” he was talking rather slowly so the other had enough time to take in all the information. “I work with Hyunjin, he’s my partner in crime, literally. And we live with Seungmin and our two cats.”

Blinking, Jisung looked at them, once more with confusion in his eyes though this time, it was rather easy to guess what had taken him off guard. The cats. “That sounds oddly domestic,” he mumbled. None of this fit into the way pop-culture painted organisations like this one. If anyone told him to imagine a group of hitmen or the place they worked for he would have described people who were explicitly morally bad, people who sat at home, drinking beer or taking shots of whiskey while they played with knives or at least poker or something like that.

He never would have imagined them living in apartments together and sharing the adoption rights to cats. Though he had to admit that the thought of the three of them playing with their two cats made him smile with just how soft and gentle it was.

“That’s because it domestic,” Seungmin’s voice ripped him out of his thought process. “Working for Clé is a job. Not the most normal job, that’s true but that doesn’t mean that we don’t have a life outside of it, where we just spend time with friends or in this example cats and enjoy a movie together. We come home after work like everyone else, cook dinner, do chores and piss each other off because someone- “a pointed look was made across the table “-forgot to go grocery shopping again.”

“Hey, I did go this time!” Hyunjin complained loudly and crossed his arms, a big pout on his lips.

“Or someone forgot to clean the cat toilet,” Minho interjected and this time Seungmin was the one who sighed, shaking his head.

“That was one time,” he mumbled, before he shrugged it off. “Either way, yeah, we are pretty domestic. You will be able to see that for yourself if you do, in the end, decide to stay. Also, we should probably tell you that, since you are here now, you will have to be a part of Clé. You know too much and well, there are other options on how to deal with someone who knows too much though most, if not all of them would not exactly be the most fun so, yeah. If the way we work or the fields we work in isn’t something for you, you can eventually choose to just work in a location that’s close to an important workplace of someone who we need more information on and keep your eyes and ears open. Clé offers a rather huge string of possibilities so I am sure that we will be able to find something adequate for you to do. You kinda managed landed in the rather, well, harsh part of Clé with us, since you got introduced to it through Minho and Hyunjin. We have a lot of people working in departments that do something entirely different than we do, a lot of those jobs being quite gentle ones, if you compare them to ours.” He chuckled quietly, smiling a little as he saw Jisung nod in understanding. He was fairly sure that him saying all that did have a rather relaxing effect on their newbie though it could also be the fact that he was starting to see them more nuanced, as real people, instead of just hitmen.

Once more, there were a few moments of nobody talking, silence filling the room only interrupted by Jeongin quietly sipping on his drink that, in the time they had talked, had almost gone cold. He pouted a little as it now tasted like a disappointment though he was no quitter so he would keep drinking it until the mug was empty.

Jisung opened his mouth.

“Honestly, I kind of had hoped something like that would be possible,” he admitted, a statement that managed to surprise all four of them. “When I said I don’t have anywhere to go, that was no lie. I might have an apartment downtown, but it was just a place for me to sleep at so I would not have to sleep under a bridge. When I met you two…” he glanced over at Hyunjin and Minho, “I kind of hoped that you’d take me in, well, after I was mostly certain that you wouldn’t kill me that is. I will probably not be able to do what you do though. I do not… I don’t think I can kill.” He was honest in that part. Surely, he could try though he really didn’t want to. Taking a life was something he might not be able to deal with. “But I do want to be a part of your team so yeah, maybe I can do something else.” 

“Lucky for you not all of us kill,” Seungmin said, an amused smile on his lips. Even though Minho said that he probably had it in him, the hacker hadn’t been under the impression that Jisung was someone who could kill like they did. He was certain though that everyone could kill if put in a situation where they felt as if doing so was the only way out but he also knew that most people preferred not to actively seek out moments like those. He for example too preferred if he didn’t have to take anyone’s life. “We have a lot of spots open for people like you. You just got rather unlucky with ending up with the pro team of Clé.”

“Unlucky?” Jisung asked, not entirely sure why he considered him unlucky.

A small chuckle left Hyunjin’s lips. “What he means is that the requirements to join our team are a lot higher than those of any other team,” he explained and Seungmin nodded. “We can see if we find you a position with us, but we cannot promise anything.”

Nodding slowly Jisung looked from one to another and then pouted a bit. “I can at least try, can’t I?” He knew it might not be easy but he did want to try.

Yes, of course, it wasn’t like him ending up in a different department would mean the end of the world but if he was honest, to him it already felt as if he belonged here, with them. Maybe it was because they had been the ones to actually take him in or maybe it was just that he felt good with them because they all had been more than friendly to him.

Either way, Jisung wasn’t sure why, but he wanted to stay and was more than willing to work hard to accomplish it.

“Of course, you can,” Jeongin nodded, his eyes flitting over to Hyunjin for a second. “He also managed to get in.”

“Hey! What does that mean?” Now Hyunjin was the one who was pouting with his arms crossed in front of his chest, clearly not happy with what Jeongin was implying, though it seemed to be meant more on a playful level.

Chuckling Minho shook his head. “No one thought we’d have a model in our team.” Downing the last bit of his coffee he put the cup down, before making a grand gesture with his hands. “Yet here we are.” Hyunjin huffed, even more so when Minho continued talking. “No offence, Jin, but when you joined you were a mess.”

“He is right,” Seungmin added, a small chuckle leaving his lips. “You were a panic-y mess who cried and didn’t let go of Lix until Minho pulled you away from him.”

“that was just because he hugged me,” Hyunjin exclaimed, pouting even more. “Also, I was inexperienced! I knew nothing.” Which was true. In the beginning Hyunjin had never even hurt a fly – aside from maybe that one time when got into a fistfight with that annoying guy in high school. Despite of that, teaching him everything he needed to know had taken surprisingly less time than all of them had thought it would.

“Lix?” Jisung asked confused as he looked at them, one by one, noticing the added name that he hadn’t heard before and wanting to know more about it.

“Felix,” Jeongin explained. He chuckled; legs crossed on the counter now as he had gotten more comfortable. “He is part of our team. We are three more people though I am sure you will meet all of them soon,” he added confidently. “Though while Felix is here rather often, the other two aren’t as much.”

So many people. Slowly Jisung nodded, not sure how well he would take to meeting even more people, but he would try his best. Remembering the names of the other four was already an adventure though he would try his best not to slip up. Not that they would see it as a problem; he highly doubted that with the attitude they have been showing to him so far. Jisung though was quite sure that, if he did manage to forget any of their names, he would feel embarrassed enough to wish for a hole to open up in the ground so that he could be swallowed by it completely.

Right now there was a lot happening and he wanted to prove to them and also to himself that he was cut out for the job, that he was able to be a valuable part of their team. He wanted to show them that he was smarter than he might look.

It was him having a goal in his life he wanted to reach. Jisung felt better than he had the last few months and clinging to this opportunity might be dangerous, but it also helped him feel alive again. Feel himself again.

Chapter Text

Since they lived together, they tended to split household chores between everyone.

One of the less frequent ones was their weekly trip to the grocery store that Jeongin usually bought food for his own apartment only while the other apartment used a rotation system to decide who would have to go. This week though, the youngest had to work overtime so when Seungmin had gathered his work supplies, he had pestered him long enough until he agreed to take the task of his hands. Not that he had to try for too long, since well, they all had a soft spot for Jeongin, an effect that not even Seungmin could escape from. When he disclosed what had happened, Minho only laughed at him and agreed to accompany him since he was the one whose turn it was for their apartment so they simply decided to go together.

It was a rather rare occasion as both of them tended to use grocery shopping as a way to get some time alone. Living with other people wasn’t always the easiest and even though they tried to give each other enough space, recharging was a lot easier whenever they actually managed a little solitude. The ample number of strangers, running through the grocery store didn’t count, as both of them thankfully were quite skilled at blocking them out.

This time, however, neither Seungmin nor Minho minded having some company.

“So, what do you really think about him?” Minho broke the silence between them, glancing over at Seungmin who had been texting someone on his phone. Looking up the taller shrugged a bit.

“I assume you mean Jisung?” he asked, knowing fully well that Minho had to have meant him though the other still confirmed it with a nod. “Honestly, no idea. He is cute and seems up for the challenge,” he continued his assessment, pausing for a moment to think of more that he could add.

“Cute, huh?” Minho chuckled amused and shook his head. He honestly hadn’t expected any comment like that, especially since Seungmin rarely commented on anything that had to do with another person’s exterior. He usually was the one who took people’s personality and intelligence in count when he was analysing them. Unless he was drunk but that was a story for a different time.

“Yeah. He has those chubby cheeks,” Seungmin shrugged as he looked at Minho who lifted an eyebrow. “What? Don’t tell me you didn’t notice!” He chuckled, amused, knowing that Minho hadn’t expected it. But he had been not much different when Hyunjin had first joined. He still remembered how he had called him handsome and adorable and how everyone had judged him for that. He didn’t mind though; he never really did. “Though aside from that he does make me curious.”

Nodding slightly, Minho followed Seungmin into the store. “Yeah, same. You didn’t see it, but he was really up for taking that dude’s life.” Understandable though. His target had been deep into some nasty shit and had also worked with the mafia. Funny how it had been exactly that mafia who had given the order to kill the man. Either way, it was definitely deserved. “Have you figured out how he is connected to the guy?”

“Kind of,” Seungmin said and sighed. “Jisung’s father was a close friend of him.” He shrugged, grabbing an assortment of fruit and vegetables, knowing exactly that Minho would be the one who would end up cooking them. Jeongin usually ate with them anyways. That was unless Jisung would cook but he doubted that. “I haven’t really dug deep yet but as far as I know his father worked with that guy and the dude managed to run Jisung's dad's company into the ground. That was this summer and he didn’t seem to recover from it. He killed himself.”

Minho blinked; surprise evident on his face. He hadn’t seen that one coming. “Jisung’s dad?”

Seungmin nodded in confirmation and sighed. “Yeah, Jisung’s dad. I don’t know how involved he was in your target’s mess, especially the whole mafia business but events like that leave scars.”

“Yeah,” Minho mumbled, a frown on his lips. No wonder.

If Seungmin was right and that guy really did have something to do with Jisung’s father and his death, then the state they had met him in certainly wasn’t as confusing as it had seemed so far. It was something they saw relatively often in their job, so often, that it was almost cliche by now. Hyunjin too had been dragged into some mess before he joined Clé.

Sadly enough, a lot of people loved taking innocent people down with them, letting them drown in whatever mess they had used them for, while the people in power were able to get out of any situation merely by lifting their index finger. Some even went as far as to accuse random civilians of crimes, using them as scapegoat so that they were able to get away without any kind of trouble. Minho was sure Jisung, just like any of these other people who became victims of such a scheme still had their personal scars and problems to carry around due to what happened to them. Just that Jisung's wounds were still fresh right now, without him having had any time to let them heal properly yet.

Despite being in such a bad shape Jisung was still trying to get himself together, already looking a lot better this morning compared to when they had met him. It had been just around twenty-four hours and Jisung already seemed to have a grip on himself. Minho would say that it was impressive though well, they would have to see just how much of that façade was real and how much was just an act either by Jisung himself or by his mind to protect him from what he had experienced.

“Do you think he fits into our team?” Minho then asked the younger after putting some soy meat into their shopping cart, already planning out what he would cook later.

For a moment Seungmin halted and simply stared at the package of sausages that he had taken out of the cooler, reading the ingredient list on the back before he shrugged. “Honestly? Our entire team is made of so many different people, it would not surprise me if he fit in perfectly. I’m sure he will get along great with Felix and Jeongin already seems to like him as well.”

“Whoever Jeongin likes usually does fit well,” Minho agreed. “Even though Hyunjin was the only one who he actually wanted to have on our team.”

It was true. If Jeongin got along well with a possible teammate they usually did fit their dynamic. It had happened before that they had added teammates only for them to turn out to be unfitting, causing them to get kicked out despite trying their best to fit in.

When Hyunjin joined though, their youngest had been adamant about wanting him on the team, even though the model hadn’t gotten along with some of the already established partners. The moment he had been added to their team though, it all had fallen in place so very easily. They clicked. And if Jeongin wanted it, then that meant that Jisung would probably fit in as well.

“I wouldn’t mind having another person in our group.” Seungmin shrugged, throwing the sausages into their shopping cart before he started looking around, trying to see what to grab next. He had already added everything that they needed and using his time to decide on anything else that they could add to their arrangement of food at home.

“Mhm,” Minho agreed while he grabbed a few juice boxes – he might be a grown up but sometimes he needed to take care of his inner child. They also tasted amazing so there was that. He just needed to be careful since Hyunjin loved to “find” them and drink them, which more than once had ended with them on the ground, wrestling until Minho managed to smack wet paper towels into his face or well, his mouth as a revenge. It was moments like these when the people around them questioned their sanity though they didn’t exactly care. They knew that they had a weird friendship, but they also knew that they could always count on one another.

“Maybe he will be like our missing puzzle piece, who knows.”

A soft chuckle left Seungmin’s lips. “Jinnie is right, you are such a sap sometimes, you know?” he hummed amused as he kept moving through the aisles, adding a few more things as well as a good amount of snacks. They all had their favourites though somehow, they always ended up sharing. Well, that or doing it after Hyunjin’s example and stealing ruthlessly. Not that it really mattered in the end. They were more than just roommates, maybe even more than just friends.

A family. And well, they would just have to see if there was still enough space in their family for Jisung.

A small huff left Minho and he shook his head, though he wasn’t going to disagree. He knew that he sometimes could be a little too cheesy but that didn’t change the fact that he meant what he was saying. “Whatever,” he mumbled and grabbed a handful of cat treats, adding them to their cart. “You think he’ll get along with the other three?”

“Hundred percent. Honestly? The most difficult one to get along with are me, you and sometimes Hyunjin. Everyone else is pretty easy to get along with.” Seungmin walked towards the cash register, a small smile on his lips. “Especially if he already has Innie on his side, he’s usually one of the most sceptic ones, after all.”

Putting the items in front of the conveyor's belt Minho thought about what the other said. Seungmin was probably right. He knew the others could be judgemental but Seungmin and him usually were the ones who voiced their doubts out loud, being openly distrustful towards people. But even if they decided to be welcoming to the new guy it still meant he had quite a few hurdles to take until he could be added to the team. Namely, he needed to have the right qualifications. Minho knew that they would have to go and check his skill sets over the next few days whenever anyone of them was free. Finding out how qualified Jisung was and where exactly the skills he possessed could be useful to the job was essential before they could decide if he was allowed to stay or not.

Being a hitman for example was already scratched from the list of possibilities. Not only because Jisung didn’t want to kill but also because they already had two full-time and two half-time hitmen in their team which meant that logistically, they definitely didn’t need another one. 

“I guess we better wish him good luck then,” Minho said as he waited for the cashier to scan their goods and then eventually paid for them while Seungmin put all the groceries into the bags.

After all, the only thing they could do now was watch and wait.

-

It was a late afternoon, only a few days after Jisung had ended up staying with Clé.

He was relaxing in the apartment on the fourth floor, which, as he had learned was where the whole group usually ended up spending their time whenever they were not in the headquarters. Since Jisung still hadn’t been allowed to enter those, he spent his time alternating between Jeongin’s small apartment where he had his own room to relax in and this one. He did much prefer this apartment though since even the living room was a lot homier than the one, he had been given.

Hyunjin had let him inside before he went out, probably on a mission or something.

He told Jisung to feel at home, with there being only one exception: He wasn’t supposed to sneak into their rooms. Not that Jisung had even considered doing that though if he was honest, as soon as Hyunjin forbid those areas, they did make him kind of curious.

He pushed all of those thoughts aside though, deciding that he would in fact stay away from personal rooms, since well, lounging on the couch was just as fulfilling to him, especially after one of the cute cats he had been told about joined. 

It was an orange one, currently curled up on top of Jisung’s feet, purring happily while Jisung was scrolling through YouTube, watching one video after another. He had already done a few chores in both apartments, simply because he had been bored, but afterwards he had simply crashed on the couch, too tired to actually move. It wasn’t as if there was a lot for him to do anyways.

The others had told him that soon, he would be tested on his skills and while Jisung definitely was more than just a little worried about that, he was well aware that there nothing he could do about it now. After all, it isn’t like he could magically learn how to handle a gun and be the best sharpshooter in town or to be great in close-range combat and he also surely was no IT-genius. But then again, the team already did have people in all of those positions anyway so hopefully he would not need any of those skills or at least didn’t need to be perfect at them.

Jisung knew he was a fast learner, so he just hoped that they would give him the chance to learn and figure out what he was good with though honestly Jisung was worried. What he tended to be good at were words and numbers. He was observant, at least he thought of himself as it, but he didn’t know if that was something that would be needed. What if it turned out that he would not be useful for this team? He was already getting rather used to being around them, living with them, that he really didn’t want to leave. Sure, he had only been here for a few days, but he couldn’t help but feel comfortable. Both in the building and in dealing with the new people he had met.

And aside from that he especially loved the cats.

“Cutie,” Jisung mumbled and reached out to gently scratch the cat behind its ears and under its chin, making it purr. It was a boy, if he had remembered correctly and even though Minho had told him about it a few times already he had managed to forget its name again.

The purring was loud and comforting. It caused Jisung to relax, a soft sighing leaving his lips as he slid further down on the couch, his body in a weird limbo between sitting and laying down though it was a position he found himself in quite often, not minding it.

It was so easy to forget why he was here and what had actually happened to him. And it was just as easy to forget who exactly the people he was living with were and what they did.

Jisung was deep into a documentary when he heard the sound of keys jingling and the front door opening. He glanced up, towards where he knew the entrance was. “I’m in the living room,” he called out, a little surprised that someone was already home. He knew for certain that Seungmin and Jeongin would not be home for another hour but while he hadn’t expected anyone to arrive earlier than them, he didn’t know anyone’s working times for certain.

Since there was no answer, Jisung just shrugged it off. Maybe someone had forgotten something and only wanted to grab it quickly. Not that Jisung minded, he had to admit that being alone wasn’t too bad, at least not at the moment. It was giving him time to think and to deal with what he had experienced and that was definitely something that he needed. Another soft sigh left his lips, and he was about to turn around and curl up to take a nap – just to flinch horribly when he heard one of the cupboard doors fall shut in the kitchen. Apparently, someone actually had come home yet they hadn’t greeted him. Weird but whatever.

Footsteps on the ground made him sit up again and for a moment the cat on his feet made a small sound, almost as if it was offended though it stayed the way it was, calm and unbothered.

When Jisung looked towards the door, he saw a person standing he had yet not met.

Broad shoulders and strong arms covered in intricate patterns, not sleeves but tattoos. Most of them were black but there were a few where some colour had been added – that in itself wasn’t what made Jisung tense though. He knew one of the tattoos. He knew it so very well. He had tried to warn his father of those baring that tattoo, of the mafia. And seeing the man right in front of him proudly wear it without even trying to cover it up- It made Jisung tighten his grip on the blanket, his knuckles white.

Shit.

Had they come to get rid of him? Had Hyunjin and Minho not been careful enough with the evidence they planted and someone had still managed to tell the mafia that he had been there when the son of a bitch had been killed?

Yes, he hadn’t been the one taking that asshole’s life, that had been Minho, but they probably didn’t care about that. Or maybe they had taken Minho’s life as well already and now found him here to get rid of Jisung as well.

The closer the unknown man came, the smaller Jisung got, his mind already whirring with possible escape routes he could try to use but to what avail? Even if he did manage to get away, he was already surrounded by members of Clé who were much more skilled than Jisung could ever be. If they couldn’t help him, couldn’t protect him from being found, then he was certain that nobody could.

The police definitely were useless and the NIS? No, that would not work either.

While Jisung’s eyes were still on the man who slowly walked towards the couch, he was contemplating if he should run or just give up. Before he could make up his mind, his frantic thoughts suddenly were interrupted by a small sound, a rattling from a package that the man was holding.

It pulled his gaze to the stranger’s face where he could see his features change from a neutral, rather scary expression to a much brighter one, topped with a warm smile.

“Look Doongie, I brought you treats!” the man said, his voice of average intonation, yet surprisingly soft. It was a little raspy but still somehow managed to have a soothing component to it and well, needless to say, Jisung was this close to falling from the couch, his heart hammering in his chest. What was going on?

The cat on the couch made a small sound and looked up, purring once more right away, despite being woken up again. The treats had worked miraculously to rid it of the grumpiness it had shown when Jisung was the one to wake it up which well, he couldn’t even fault the cat for. He probably would also be a lot more content if he was woken up by someone willing to give him his favourite food. Doongie made another small purring sound, this time a little like multiple separated purrs, before he got up, stretching and then walking to the end of the couch were the stranger was kneeling, not even sparing one glance to the figure who was curled up in the blanket.

“Yeah, look who is a great Mister,” the man said and gently patted Doongie’s head while the cat in turn happily ate the offered treats.

“Have you given the other one some treats already?”

Staring at the situation before him all Jisung could do was blink in utter confusion, wondering if he had been mistaken? No. Now that he could have a closer look, he could clearly say that the tattoo he was seeing identified the stranger as someone working for the mafia. The same mafia his father’s friend had been part of. The same friend who had ruined his father’s and therefore also his life.

“Hey,” the man in front of him said, now frowning a little as he looked at Jisung and when the other still didn’t reply, he threw one of the treats at him. The cat, Doongie immediately rushed towards it, bumping into Jisung without mercy until it found the snack, munching on it happily, its paws pressing into the soft skin of his arm.

“Huh?” Jisung flinched before looking at the other man with a pout.

“I asked if you fed the cats treats yet,” the stranger retorted, looking at him rather pointedly. “You are the new guy, right? Han Jisung?”

Slowly, Jisung nodded. “That is me, yes. But no, I didn’t give them any treats. I think Minho did?” He frowned a bit, forehead scrunching up in thought.

Oh. It dawned on him. He wasn’t in danger at all.

The man in front of him was clearly part of this team – why else would he have keys to the apartment. Jisung wanted to facepalm himself for not thinking of that minor detail but he held back, fearing that the impression he had made hadn’t exactly been the best one in general.

A small chuckle left the stranger’s lips. “That just means that I can give them some more treats,” he hummed and settled down on the couch, next to him. Well, almost next to him, seeing as Doongie by now had decided to start kneading his paws into the blanket between them. “I’m Changbin by the way!” He grinned and finally Jisung slowly started to relax. Yes, Changbin might be buff and he also might have a rather scary looking facial expression when he wasn’t smiling but now that Jisung realised that he was a friend and not a foe it was a lot easier to lose the tension that had pulled through all of his body.

“Nice to meet you, I guess?” Jisung said, still a little nervous as he began petting the cat that every now and then lifted its head to smell for more food. Eventually Changbin did take another treat from the box, smiling slightly as the cat almost immediately turned around upon hearing the familiar rattling sound it made to do so. He hummed, feeding it to the small animal.

“You didn’t reply when I called,” Jisung then realised, wondering why, since Changbin apparently hadn’t been surprised to see him which meant he obviously knew about him. He didn’t understand why he then would not at least greet him after he had told him that he was in the living room.

Surprised Changbin looked at Jisung, before he rubbed his neck. “Oh, that. I probably didn’t hear you,” he said and chuckled, a little embarrassed. Jisung’s expression clearly showed that he wasn’t believing him entirely.

Changbin huffed “I’m deaf on one ear,” he then said, turning his head to show him the side of his head that the other hadn’t seen yet. Scars of various sizes and thickness covered the area and the Jisung could clearly see that his ear was missing a few parts, as if it were not reconstructed fully. “It was a low blow, literally and figuratively,” Changbin said with a shrug. He was used to the slightly horrified faces people usually made whenever they saw it for the first time.

“Shit, I’m sorry,” Jisung said, a frown on his face. It must have hurt like shit but then again, the other seemed to be part of the mafia and he was sure he had gone through quite a few of these types of situations already. Losing hearing in one ear did suck big time though and well, Jisung felt bad for doubting him. All Changbin did, was laugh, a small but warm sound.

“It’s fine, you know.” He said and brushed it off. “I should have known the others didn’t warn you that I don’t hear as well. They are all pretty used to it, they probably forgot too.” He really didn’t seem to mind, making Jisung able to relax some more.

“Okay,” he nodded and smiled back at him, feeling a lot calmer around Changbin than when he had first come in. “You need to show me where they hide the snacks,” he then said. “The treats, for the cats I mean.”

Changbin hummed and raised his hand, shaking the box once more, only for another cat to appear in the door frame, peaking its head into the room. It looked quite messy, almost as if it had just fought its way backwards from under someone’s sheets, probably Minho’s. The assassin usually left the door slightly open, trusting his roommates entirely to not go into his room and snoop around. That way, the cats had another room to roam around in, something that was important to the older. He wanted them to have the freedom of being able to walk into as many rooms as they possibly could without being caught up anywhere. After all, they were tenants as well, just like the humans living in the building.

“Of course,” Changbin nodded and held out a few treats for the other cat. “You just have to be careful not to feed them too often, Soonie might be a little old but the Mister is a little overweight,” he said and poked at the belly of the other orange cat which meowed in something akin to protest. “Unless you decide to play a lot with them, then it’s fine. They love feathers and the laser pointer.” He grinned at Jisung who nodded, watching how gentle Changbin was with the cats.

Jisung then closed his eyes and tried to memorise the cats’ names ones more. He really wanted to manage to get them right, but he was sure he would easily continue to switch them up as they were both orange and their names sounded quite similar as well. He was trying though and that was already a good start, he supposed.

“They are really sweet,” he mumbled as he reached out to pet the cat that was closer while Changbin was holding out some treats for the other one to get. He made sure to keep it a little out of its reach, meaning that it would have to work to get the snack which it did. Soon, it was stretching, eventually only standing on its two back paws as it reached for the treat. A chuckle left Changbin’s lips and he let the cat have it, causing it to reach for it before it jumped onto his lap.

“Oh no,” Changbin huffed, but he couldn’t help but laugh. “I hope Minho still has a lint roller here.” His black pants were already covered in cat fur and Jisung chuckled quietly, amused by the situation. He thought for a second before nodding.

“I think I saw one next to the mirror at the front door,” he replied, smiling when Changbin gave him a thankful gaze.

“Bless. Getting that stuff out of my clothes is a pain in the ass,” he mumbled and shook his head. “But, hey, the things we do for love, right?” It seemed more like a metaphorical expression as he looked down at the cat on his lap, petting it gently. Even his eyes seemed to smile and Jisung wondered how someone who was also a member of the mafia could be so gentle and sweet.

Yes, they had told him they were undercover in the mafia so that still meant that they had to play their part. Be dangerous and hurt people, probably. Honestly, Jisung had no idea how mafias worked but seeing Changbin’s ear he knew it must be a rather rough life, being undercover in such a gang. That definitely wasn’thing for him. Hey, at least he knew what he didn’t want to do but he still hadn’t been able to figure out what role would fit best for him within the team.

“Oh, by the way, we all have a key to this apartment,” Changbin said and smiled at Jisung. “I don’t know if you met Chan and Felix before, but try not to almost piss your pants when you see them.” He winked at Jisung, letting him know that he had definitely seen how scared the younger had been. A small, affronted sound left Jisung’s lips and he was clearly embarrassed, trying to hide his face under one of the couch pillows only for Changbin to laugh.

“You looked like you were here to kill me!” Jisung whined, mumbling into the pillow. Changbin laughed even more.

“That’s just how my face is!”

-

Holding a gun for the first time felt surreal.

Jisung had never held one before and he had never wanted to, but it was part of the evaluation of what skills he had, and which ones needed to be trained more thoroughly. Everyone in Clé knew how to hold a gun without accidentally shooting someone. It was basically an essential, both for those who fought actively, as well as for those who only had to use it sparely and in self-defence. Another part of the training was to take a gun apart or well, to at least know how to safely take out the magazine and change munition.

All of it was quite out of his comfort zone but even though Jisung was very unhappy with the situation he knew it was for his own safety.

“See, you being so nervous around a gun is because you clearly don’t know how to handle one,” his instructor said, a blond man with constellations of freckles all over his face. He was holding a gun in his right hand, no tension whatsoever in his body. As Jisung had earlier learned his name was Felix and he was the sharpshooter of the team which certainly explained how he was this comfortable with handling firearm. In contrast to that, there was a soft smile on his lips as he explained everything to Jisung from the way he had to stand to how to actually shooting the gun.

“Always use both hands. That is the only way you actually have a steady grip on it. Plus, it is easier to hold it properly like that. Here, I will show you, do it like this.”

Looking at the target he held the gun in exactly the way he had just described it. For a moment there was complete silence before he shot at the target. The silencer on top of the gun ensured that nobody in their surroundings would be alerted as the bullet hit right in the middle of the bull’s eye. Felix had told him before that he was used to always attaching one to his gun since well, as a sharpshooter it would be rather stupid not to.

With wide eyes Jisung stared at the hole the bullet had left in the target before he looked back at Felix. “Woah,” he mumbled. The awe in his demeanour vanished quickly though as the gun now was held out to him, making him grimace.

“Your turn. Just try to hit the target, okay? It doesn’t matter where exactly as long as you hit the target,” Felix explained.

Even just holding the gun in his hands made Jisung nervous. He knew he would not hurt anyone, at least not on purpose. They were in the back part of an ample hall, the front being part of a parkour area and gym for training while the back was separated by safety glass as there could always be a stray bullet. He was thankful for these precautions but if it was possible Jisung would prefer if everyone, himself included, could have an extra layer of safety glass around them.

Sadly that was impossible.

Remembering what Felix had explained to him, he stared at the gun, holding it in his hands before he looked back at the target and took a deep breath. He was still shaking a little, his body not listening to him even though he kept telling himself to calm the fuck down. Sadly, it didn’t really seem to be working. Shooting towards the target worked. But actually, hitting the target did not. He shot right past it, into the wall next to it.

“Not everyone is a natural, don’t worry,” Felix said and smiled at Jisung, patting his shoulder. “Keep trying.”

But even after the entire magazine was shot at the target, only one of the bullets managed to scratch the outer surface of it. No, guns definitely were not made for Jisung and Jisung wasn’t made for them or any other kind of firearm that is. Felix seemed to notice that as well as he shook his head gently. The soft smile remained on his heart shaped lips, though he took the gun from him and ensured that it was safe and locked.

“Let’s take a break, right? I can teach you another day,” Felix hummed, sending a smile to Jisung whose shoulders immediately relaxed in relief. “Just try to remember what I told you about gun safety and cock it. Okay?” And Jisung could definitely deal with that as long as he didn’t need to shoot at anything or anyone, no matter if object or not. There always was and would remain a slight fear that he could accidentally shoot someone. He knew it was an unreasonable fear as long as he was careful, but it was sitting at the back of his mind, telling him he shouldn’t use any kind of firearm. So, simple as that, he preferred not to.

Taking off all his gear he went back to the front of the hall while Felix put away all their equipment. The parkour was huge. It had an immense number of obstacles that could be used to climb, jump, crawl, anything really. It reminded him a little bit of what he had seen in military training videos but all inside of a huge building which made it a little different. It still had quite the big mud pit and Jisung grimaced, hoping he got different clothes to wear during this as he was still wearing ones he had borrowed from Jeongin and he really didn’t feel like having to clean those from mud.

“Hey, how was it?” Minho asked, rushing towards them. Hadn’t he just mentioned mud? How could any person look this good being covered in mud, half dried mud as well? Minho’s face was mostly clean, aside from just a few streaks of brown and he had pushed his hair back, which seemed to be sticky with dirt just like his clothes were, yet he looked excited and happy.

“Oh, don’t ask. Don’t ever make me shoot, I might accidentally shoot you instead.” Jisung shuddered and shook his head which in turn managed to make Minho laugh.

“Don’t worry, not all of us know how to shoot. Hyunjin sucks at it and don’t tell him but Seungmin is an absolute horrible gunman as well, maybe even the worst out of all of us.” Another soft laugh left Minho’s lips as he gently nudged Jisung. “So, don’t beat yourself up about it, yeah?”

It had been almost three weeks that Jisung had now stayed with the others and while he was getting used to the routines everyone lived through, he hadn’t been able to do anything but paperwork and research. Having more information on Clé was great but it also showed him times and times again just how very shady the organisation was.

Any kind of person could join, ex-convict, ex-military, civilian, anyone. It depended on their skills and background what job and team they would be assigned to and it reminded Jisung a little bit of a mixture of NIS and mafia and while the NIS was working for a good cause and the mafia definitely for a bad one, Jisung hadn’t still not been able to figure out what part Clé fell under. They seemed good and bad at the same time or maybe they just took themselves entirely off the scale. Three weeks were definitely not enough for him to figure this organisation out, but he had to admit that he liked the people he was currently living with, despite their possibly hidden motives.

“At least I am not alone in my shame then,” he chuckled and looked at Minho and before glancing over at the parkour, watching Hyunjin who was doing everything he could to try to avoid any kind of mud. It looked hilarious how he was basically clinging to the net that was spun over the top of the room, doing his best not to get even a drop of dirt on his body.

“What are you? A model or a fighter?” Minho called out to Hyunjin. The only thing they heard for a second was a small whine coming from the younger.

“I’m both, you bitch!” Hyunjin then called back and eventually did manage to make it over the mud all clean, making Minho laugh. The things one could do with the sheer power of determination and vanity.

“I caught him off guard this morning when I dragged him here,” Minho said amused. “The clothes that he usually uses are still getting cleaned from his last mud adventure, so he hadn’thing to change into. He hates it when I do that,” he explained and grinned at Jisung. “That of course means that I love doing it even more.”

The smaller male chuckled slightly and shook his head. “Understandable. I would not want my clothes to get dirty as well. They are Jeongin’s.” Even though they had all given him clothes and assured him that he could do whatever he wanted with them, Jisung didn’t want to be careless with them. He wanted to keep them clean and take care of them. They had been a gift after all. Yes, they were mostly too long or too wide, but it was clothes, something Jisung currently didn’t own himself. Even at the apartment Jisung had been renting the last few months he barely had any clothes and while the others had offered him to get those last scraps for him, he was still too embarrassed to let the others into his former life, the life he had been living before they had picked him up that fateful evening.

“It’s fine,” Minho hummed and looked at Jisung. “You won’t be using the parkour today. I’m just here to check out how much strength you have in your arms.” He grinned slightly poking his finger against the other’s bicep, as if to emphasize his words.

Jisung huffed a bit. He knew he wasn’t the weakest. He had worked out, especially his arms and his chest, though he had never really used the muscles he had built up. Hyunjin for example looked pretty skinny and wiry but he knew how to keep his body up in the air without using a lot of strength just like Minho had thunder thighs that he definitely put to good use during work. They both knew how to use every single muscle their body could offer them while Jisung did have muscles but no idea how to use them. And he knew it would get quite exhausting to actually put them to the test and ultimately train them.

“The rest of your body as well, of course. But today is arm day. Can’t have your entire body suffer when I take you out to jog with me and such,” Minho teased, knowing exactly how little of a fan Jisung was of that.

Last week Minho, Hyunjin and Jeongin had decided that throwing Jisung out of his bed after he had only slept three hours– national geographic had been too tempting – was a good idea and had proceeded to run through what felt like half of Seoul with him. And while Jeongin kept his pace by slowly jogging next to Jisung, Minho and Hyunjin clearly loved challenging each other. They also still had enough energy to banter and bicker while running. Meanwhile Jisung had to try his best to drag oxygen into his burning lungs. His muscles still ached from that and he was sure they would continue to do so until the day he died, especially seeing as they had decided to take Jisung out with them every fucking morning ever since then.

Well, aside from Sundays. On Sunday, they had only taken a small walk to get some bread and buns for breakfast as the two Australians – Felix and Chan – had asked for some.

Jisung had only met the two of them last week and with that he finally had met the last two members of the team. Chan had the same tattoo as Changbin and the both of them were working together as well, apparently. Jisung had yet to ask what story was behind their decision to be part of the mafia, or to at least work undercover in the mafia, but he hadn’t dared to ask. He hadn’t even asked any of the others yet what their story was. The only thing he knew was that Hyunjin’s was a stray like Jisung and that Minho had been in the military though even with those two, he hadn’t dared asking for any details.

Still, he wondered if their shared background was why Jisung felt a stronger blond with the tall blond guy who was a little dramatic at times. Or maybe because just joking around with him felt nice. Three weeks ago, he had thought his life would end the moment he had knelt on top of his father’s best friend while trying to strangle him and now here he was, his life turned upside down. The people were nice and Jisung enjoyed their company even though he was yet to be sure what to think of the organisation they worked under.

For now though, he was pushing all of that away. Right to the back of his mind where he could ignore it very well so he could instead just focus on the people in front of him.

“Ugh, I’m still suffering from yesterday,” Jisung whined, glad that Minho had decided that he would not take him out on a run today. Instead they all had gone to the training hall. Though well, the jury was still out on if he would end up complaining about being here less or more than he did about having to go running.

“Look who is here!” he heard a voice and upon looking up he saw Chan, a bright grin on his lips. His dimples were showing, and his eyes got so very small, it was adorable. He and Changbin were rarely around so it was nice to see him here. It was one of the few times Jisung actually got to see him. Even Felix was around more often though Jisung had been told that while Changbin lived almost on the other side of the City, Chan and Felix lived just around the corner, literally, namely the apartment complex right next to theirs.

However, work sadly kept them all rather busy.

“Hey, it is you,” Minho laughed and was about to give Chan a hug, a mischievous grin on his lips though Chan expertly dodged just in time and hid behind Jisung instead.

“Keep your dirt, I’m not here to get a full body mud mask today!” Chan huffed, the little joke making them chuckle.

Despite the fact that Jisung had only been here for three weeks, he felt like he already belonged. He was part of their group, their small family maybe even and he enjoyed it very much. It had been a while since he last had a group of friends, it had probably been in high school and that was obviously quite a few years ago. It also was something that Jisung preferred not to linger on for too long.

“I’m free today, maybe Changbin will come around later too,” Chan said and stretched a bit. “He said he misses our squirrel here,” he pointed at Jisung, “and that he hasn’t texted him back yet.”

Confused Jisung stared at Chan before he realised that squirrel meant him and he grabbed his phone, checking the other’s words and if he really hadn’t texted Changbin back. “Oh shit!”

“Watch your profanities,” Chan singsonged, clearly not meaning it. It was almost normal that they cussed around each other and Jisung was glad because it was hard to hold back any kind of curse words. Surely his parents had raised him well, wanting him to stay free of such expressions but just like so many other teenagers Jisung as well had taken a little bit of a detour in life that his parents didn’t know about it. If his parents knew of his usage of the most beautiful, colourful words known to mankind, they would probably turn in their graves as soon as he started to open his mouth.

“Why squirrel though?” Jisung asked while he typed a text back at Changbin and sent a meme as an apology right after it, hoping the other would be okay with that. Not that he believed that Changbin could actually really be angry at him. Jisung had realised rather quickly that the other was like a big, buff teddy bear. He loved joking around, making cute faces and sounds. Cuddles were another thing that Changbin loved, not that Changbin had ever cuddled him yet but the other loved to drape his legs over Jisung’s whenever they both were on the couch, while watching some show or documentary.

“Because when you eat you first stuff your mouth and then slowly chew once your cheeks are full,” Minho told the younger and Chan nodded.

“Oh,” Jisung blinked surprised. He had never even realised that. “I heard actually heard Quokka before but never Squirrel.”

“Quokka?” Chan asked and grinned brightly. “Quokka and kangaroo, I like that!”

Minho could only shake his head amused. “His nickname is kangaroo,” he then explained and Jisung nodded, a little confused why but there were many things that couldn’t be explained. Maybe it was simply because Chan was from Australia, who knows.

From the corner of his eyes he could see Felix come over, a bright grin on his lips as he saw the three of them standing together. He was a sunshine that was for sure. Bright smile and gentle laugh despite his unusually deep voice. When Jisung had first heard Felix speak he had thought that he must have misheard him. But despite his frail exterior the other was pretty strong and so was his voice. Each and every one of the team was so full of surprises and Jisung was trying to keep up with all of them.

“Hey Felix!” Chan called and grinned at his roommate who slightly nudged Chan in a friendly way of greeting him. Sometimes they would all of a sudden start to speak their native language without even realising and Jisung was very grateful that he knew a little more than just the basics. Most of them did, aside from Minho and Jeongin and maybe Changbin but it wasn’t a requirement for being in the team, so it was fine. They were learning it, or at least the Australians were trying to teach them from time to time and sometimes even Seungmin, who was surprisingly fluent as well, joined too. In exchange Minho tried to teach them some Japanese. They spoke a mixture of languages; that Jisung had realised quite early on though it was interesting to listen to everyone even though he only understood bits and pieces at times.

Sometimes, in the middle of the night when Minho had gone to bed earlier than the rest of them, Jisung heard him mumble in languages that he couldn’t distinguish. The other never commented on it when they were sitting in the living room or the kitchen of the three-people-apartment but Jisung hadn’ticed how sometimes their faces got a little more serious. And sometimes Hyunjin sneaked out without an excuse, taking the cats, and walking into Minho’s room, closing the door behind him. None of them said anything about it and Jisung wondered what was going on. But in the morning, the heavy atmosphere usually had already faded as if nothing had ever happened. Therefore, Jisung never dared to actually ask. He just assumed that there were some things that were not to be spoken of or at the very least not to a newbie who they barely knew, no matter how much he felt at home with them.

“I taught Jisung some basics,” Felix said and nodded at the other. “He isn’t the worst, but guns are not for him.” He was honest yet still managed to put it gently, as if wrapped into bubble wrap, so that Jisung would not feel too bad about it.

“That’s fine,” Chan said and shrugged. “We already have enough people who can shoot. You for example.” He ruffled Felix’s hair who in turn made a small sound of disproval, trying to fix his now messy hair. “Our very own Mister Sharpshooter.”

Minho smiled amused. “Felix usually is our back up. He is teamed with Jeongin and whenever Hyunjin and I work on a bigger mission they come and keep an eye on the situation. They saved us quite a few times already.” There was a small blush on Felix’ cheeks and Minho’s smile seemed appreciating, maybe even fond?

“It’s my job,” Felix said, a small whine in his voice. “Innie’s too! We are back up and if we need to kick your ass out of a bad situation, we do that.”

It was true, it was their job except they had the most pressure on their shoulders. If Minho and Hyunjin fucked up, it was their job to save them. There no mistakes allowed, they needed to do it excellently, not even a quarter of inaccuracy granted. Yet both Felix and Jeongin worked best under pressure. The team trusted each other unconditionally. Even Hyunjin who had only shortly been part of the team and it gave Jisung hope that he would have a chance to be part of them too. They gave him hope.

“True, but still,” Minho hummed slightly. “Though as much as I enjoy talking to you guys, I need to train our newbie here,” he then added, and Chan nodded.

“Have fun, quokka! Minho might look nice, but he loves figuring out your limits. I’ve been here for quite a few years and he still manages to exhaust me.” Chan grimaced and Minho while laughing, lightly slapping the other’s butt.

“Hush away or I’ll get you a new training plan!”

“Oh, hell no!” Chan called out, shaking his head before he grabbed Felix’s arm, dragging him away, leaving only Minho and Jisung behind.

For a moment they were silent, Minho still chuckling quietly while Jisung just stared at them for a long moment. “How long have you all been here?” he eventually asked, a little unsure if that was information that was allowed to be shared.

Minho looked a little bit taken off guard but not in a bad way. He had expected Jisung to ask earlier, ask more about all of them but Jisung had held back most of the time, just watching quietly. He observed them, only asking things sporadically. But even then, it usually wasn’t these types of questions, most of them were more of the likes of how old they were and where they were from. “I’ve been here for four years,” he said and looked at Jisung, slowly walking him towards his destination. “Hyunjin for a year, Jeongin three, I think. The other’s I can only guess because, well, I’m forgetful.” He chuckled slightly. “Seungmin and Chan have been here for the longest time. Ten years maybe? For Seungmin it might even be a little longer than that. Felix joined afterwards and then Changbin.” He thought for a moment and nodded. “And then I came and, well, made them work out more than they really wanted. Aside from Changbin, he’s been buff since before I knew him.” There was another small laugh coming from Minho.

“So,” Jisung started and then hesitated for a long moment, just staring at the space right in front of them, not focusing on anything in particular before he kept speaking, “there is hope for me?”

“Ji,” Minho started, a sigh on his lips. “You wouldn’t be here if we didn’t see any potential and hope for you.” He shook his head, pinching Jisung’s cheek. “I know there has been a lot of shit happening to you, even though you have yet to share the details. Take your time with that, you don’t have to share anything but feel free to do it in your own time, in case you do want to, okay? But yeah, I know you have been through a lot of shit and I know it is hard to deal with it. I have been there. I have been in the exact same spot you are in now. And I know there is a lot of change right now but all of us think you would fit in with us. Now we just need to figure out where you fit in the best.”

There was a deep sigh of relief leaving Jisung’s lips. He didn’t realise that he had been holding his breath only seconds before. While not speaking about it there had been a lot of weight on Jisung’s shoulders, uncertainty for his future and maybe even his whole life. Finally getting some reassurance that he wasn’t the only one who felt as though this was a good fit, and from Minho who had picked him up in the first place nonetheless, made him feel a lot better. He had been worried that they were only nice to him because they felt pity. Of course, he had to admit that they didn’t seem like such people, but Jisung barely knew them and while he usually did have a good knowledge of human nature, he knew he could be wrong. He knew that his intuition could fail him. But it did not.

“We all started out like you,” Minho said as he opened a door for Jisung, walking him towards the gym part of the training area. “Unsure where we would fit. There were other people in this team and some left, some were taken away but not all of them were a good fit. We just needed people. We don’t though, at the moment. We are good team. However, all of us still think that you’d fit well. Every single one of us. Even Seungmin and I who usually doubt a lot, especially when it comes to people.” He looked at Jisung who only managed to nod rather slowly, a sign that he had understood. “It’s cheesy but all seven of us are like parts of a puzzle, fitting together in one way or another. And I think you fit too. If you want to, that is.”

“I want to,” Jisung said right away, his almost too quick answer making Minho laugh. “No, I really want to.” He then emphasised once more. Oh god, how he wanted to.

“I thought so but take your time, Jisung. You need to see all of this, all of us. Keep in mind that we are not always the good ones.” Minho looked at the younger, stopping as they finally reached their destination. “And it’s a lot to take in sometimes. You might not be taking lives, but you might, sooner or later, have to somehow assist in doing exactly that. Not with your own hands but with your actions and I am pretty sure you are not ready for that yet. But we are here. We are working together and once you see every part of the picture maybe you’ll decide that you can deal with it.”

This time Jisung nodded. He had to admit that despite the fact that he had almost killed a person just a few weeks prior, Minho was right when he said that he wasn’t sure if he could do that. Assist in taking a life. But he would see if he was made for it or if despite the fact that he felt like he belonged, he would eventually want to walk away and leave it all behind.

-

Minho’s arms were on fire. Not literally though, just from the work out and he knew that Jisung’s would feel even worse and so would Hyunjin’s even though the other had decided to join the training after they already started just to regretting it ten minutes later.

Fortunately, right now, he only needed his arms to put them around the person that was lying against him, back snug against Minho’s chest while he had one arm around the person, the other on his phone, swiping through social media.

“Oh, that looks nice,” Changbin hummed, cuddling a little more against him while holding Minho’s hand in his own. “You okay with that one?”

“As long as it has no dead animals in it, I’ll be fine,” Minho mumbled, looking for one of the cat pics he had taken a few days prior when Soonie had hidden under his blanket and only his cute little snout was poking out. He enhanced it with a filter before uploading it.

“You kill people but when it gets to cute little kitties you lose it,” Changbin said as he looked at Minho, a small chuckle leaving his pretty lips.

The man in question huffed. “Look, I can deal with human lives, literally, but I draw the line at animals.”

Changbin gently squeezed Minho’s hand that he was holding and nodded. “I know I know. I think it’s cute,” he then hummed. “I appreciate that. I know you love animals a lot more than any other being so… that’s cute.” He poked the other’s cheek and Minho shook his head slightly but clearly pleased with the answer.

It had always been like this. While Minho rarely found any kind of sympathy for humans, he always found a lot of it for animals. So maybe that was the reason he had accepted Jisung this fast as he reminded him of a squirrel or a quokka as he himself said.

Well, in all honesty, there wasn’t much of a pattern to it and most of the time Minho simply didn’t care. Some people, he appreciated, others he just couldn’t deal with and most of the time ‘others’ were those he stole their last breath from.

It was weird to many however once more, Minho didn’t really care about that at all.

“Can I join?”

A sleepy looking Felix was walking into the living room, rubbing his eyes while his messy blond hair looked like a bird nest. He had stayed over as he had played some games with Seungmin earlier but while Seungmin slept through the night, Felix woke up in between and moved around. He had heard the TV running so he had decided to check who was still awake at one in the morning. Not that it was a rarity to see someone awake at this time.

“Sure,” Minho said, as they both pulled their legs up so that Felix could shift between them, the three of them almost interwoven with Changbin’s legs now on Felix’s lap while the younger leant against Minho.

“Why are you here, Binnie?” Felix then asked, pulling a blanket over himself and Changbin’s legs. The room wasn’t cold, but Felix really liked having it cosy and warm, despite being like a furnace himself already.

While Minho patted Felix’ hair, Changbin looked at him with a soft smile.

“Oh, I was up at Jeongin’s and Jisung’s for a bit, but they fell asleep on the couch, so I texted Minho and came down to cuddle. I mean you know how much Jeongin dislikes being touched and I don’t know how comfortable Jisung is with me yet, aside from the legs on someone’s lap move but I really wanted some cuddles.”

Cooing softly Felix looked at Changbin with such a sweet expression that Minho had to chuckle slightly. He had forgotten that Felix often wasn’t here whenever Changbin came to cuddle with either him or Hyunjin.

Surely, he sometimes texted Felix as well when he wanted cuddles, but the sharpshooter was often out of town so Changbin got used to asking less.

“I always forget that Minho likes cuddles too,” the Australian said and gently hugged Minho’s legs who just smiled fondly. They were one big cuddle pile right now, just barely fitting on the couch. Minho was holding Changbin close to himself so he would not fall down and Changbin was leaning back onto him too while he hooked one of his legs with Felix’. If they fell, they would at least fall together.

“He’s literally the epitome of cat lady, of course he does,” Changbin hummed and Minho’s lips parted for a second as if to complain but in the end, he didn’t say anything out loud. They all knew Changbin wasn’t exactly wrong, just that there was ‘murder’ added to the word cat lady and that Minho, last time he checked, identified as male.

A soft hum left Felix’ lips and he grinned at them. He always missed them when they were not around and while he loved living with Chan, he sometimes wished all of them could have one big apartment where they could live together. Though sadly that would end up in a whole lot of chaos and who knows, maybe even murder, especially since Seungmin and Chan usually liked to have their own space which was, for Seungmin, often already hard since he was living with four roommates – yes, they always counted the cats. Whoever was able to keep him away from sleeping and relaxing was considered a disruption – no matter if it was meant in a loving way or not.

Despite the fact that Seungmin and Hyunjin both preferred dogs, they loved Minho’s cats and would never really complain about them living with them. Sometimes though, they both just wanted the cats to stop chasing each other in the middle of the night. Well or at least for them to stop bumping into the doors or other inanimate objects that hadn’t changed their position in a long while but that obviously seemed to be impossible for the cats to keep in mind.

So, whenever it got too much, they just grabbed the cats, brought them to Minho and closed the door behind them. Usually it would not take long for them to sneak into Minho’s bed. That was, unless it was a really unlucky day, and they would both just scream at the door until one of them let them back out. Living with cats sure could be exhausting though every time they walked into a room and heard the tell-tale tipping of cat paws rushing towards them to greet them by cuddling their legs, it all seemed worth it in the end.

For a while they just stayed like that. Changbin watching a show, Felix drawing patterns on Minho’s legs while Minho was scrolling through social media. None of them really felt like starting a proper conversation and maybe they didn’t need to. Silence between them was never burdening.

Chapter Text

“There you go, your gin,” Seungmin said and handed it to Hyunjin before he gave the other drinks he was holding to the rest of the group.

Today they were five. Just four of them had planned to go though somehow Felix had sneaked into their group and was now happily downing his alcohol a little too fast and giggling happily. That always caused them whiplash as Felix natural voice was deep, the deepest of them all though whenever he was drunk he got giggly and his voice reached heights none of them would have ever expected.

“Thanks, Minnie,” Hyunjin grinned and put an arm around Seungmin, squeezing slightly while Jisung and Minho both looked at Hyunjin, again, judging for how he had dared to buy pure gin and then drink it without actually making a face.

“You are disgusting,” Minho mumbled and shook his head, drinking his own tequila and Hyunjin only lifted an eyebrow and instead of replying just stared at Minho’s glass and then at the other. Yeah, he wasn’t a fan of tequila either but at least he wasn’t shaming the other for it. Most times at least. “What? At least mine doesn’t assure I need a new oesophagus,” Minho huffed and rolled his eyes.

A small chuckle left Jisung’s lips before he sipped on his own cocktail, enjoying the sweet taste of juice and just a tiny taste of alcohol. Jisung had never been a big fan of leaving the house and definitely not going out to clubs. If he remembered right he had only been out at a club once with his high school friends. And as he had ended up blacked out curled up in the dog bed, dog napping halfway on top of him, he didn’t remember anything else anyways. And maybe it was better than that.

“I want to dance,” Hyunjin said and looked at them before Felix grabbed the taller one’s hand, dragging him to the dancing area.

“I didn’t know he was a dancer,” Jisung said surprised and Seungmin laughed, looking at the other and smiling amused.

“They both are. Like, real dancers. Hyunjin went to university for contemporary dance and Felix took dance classes when he was in high school.” He then looked to Minho. “And this one-“ he started and Minho interrupted him.

“I can pole dance,” he said and grinned at Jisung who wasn’t entirely sure if Minho was meaning it or if he just joked, trying to get a smile from the other.

Seungmin answered the unspoken question without waiting a beat. “He can. He is an amazing pole dancer and yes, he performed right in front of us because Chan couldn’t let it go the moment he had heard about it.” He chuckled amused.

“No wonder he has strong thighs.” Oh woops, that was something Jisung hadn’t wanted to say out loud, his cheeks turning a little red and he took a big sip from his cocktail.

“Yeah, definitely,” Seungmin grinned and slapped Minho’s thigh, the other laughing slightly.

“Hey, my butt is a little higher.” He shook his head amused. “I know my thighs are nice, thank you very much. But If you slap me to compliment me, at least slap the butt.”

There was a huff coming from Seungmin and he shook his head. “But I like your thighs more. We already had that conversation before, did we not?” He smiled amused and there was a displeased grunt coming back from Minho.

“I am working out to get more butt, last time you said it’s working.”

It was fascinating to see Seungmin and Minho speak like that with each other. Jisung had already realised that their friendship was something different however every time he was watching them interact, he was still always catching his attention. In the beginning he had thought he was in a fever dream as he had never seen anyone interact like the both of them.

“But I am also a dancer,” Minho said and then looked at the other. “Before I went to the military I was a background dancer.”

Jisung had the urge to ask why Minho had eventually decided to go to the military instead of dancing and why he wasn’t dancing now. There was no prohibition that denied them to perform their hobbies or even other jobs if they wanted and Jisung had made sure to properly read all kinds of written words they had on this organisation so he would not accidentally cause some trouble for anyone. So he was curious why but maybe not now. Maybe not between the talk about dancing and strong thighs and butts just in case it was turning into some deep talk.

“That’s actually pretty cool,” Jisung said enthusiastically and he meant it. He was always amazed at how amazing people could dance so well. “I used to write lyrics and uh… rap.” There was another faint blush on Jisung’s cheek. He rarely told anyone but it felt like he could tell the other without any regrets. He knew quite a few people who had joked about his lyrics he had written almost half a lifetime ago but he was fine with it now. Also he was sure that the team would not. They did tease and joke a lot with each other though they did have an easy time realising when it was best to just shut up or stay serious.

“I sing, sometimes,” Seungmin said and Minho patted his shoulder.

“Don’t be shy,” the older said and grinned at Seungmin. “He even has a YouTube account where he uploads covers and sometimes tries cooking with Felix. Never works out well, the latter, but the singing is really really good!”

Looking over to Seungmin Jisung could see how the other’s cheeks turned really red and he downed his half full glass of cola-rum. “Thanks,” he mumbled into the glass before he realised it was empty but still held it in his hands to not die of embarrassment.

“Can I have it? Your account name?” the newest addition to the team asked curiously, a spark of excitement in his eyes. Sometimes he heard Seungmin sing in the kitchen while he was cooking and the rest of them were chilling in the living room and he did have to admit that his voice was really mesmerising though he had never heard him sing properly. And he was curious and really hoped Seungmin was okay with it.

“Uhm, sure?” Seungmin said a bit nervous. It was different if people on the internet were judging him, people who didn’t know him, just strangers. But having friends actually see his singing made him a little nervous even though Minho was right, he didn’t have any reasons to be shy.

“You don’t have to if you don’t feel comfortable with it,” Jisung hurriedly said but there was a soft chuckle on the other’s lips, looking at him while shaking his head.

“It is fine. I’m just a little shy when people I actually know see my covers but it is fine. I think you might enjoy it, the covers should be your taste?” He rubbed his neck and then typed into his phone, sending Jisung his account name. “I am surprised you didn’t stumble about it on your own, considering the amount of time you are actually on Youtube yourself.”

Checking his phone Jisung smiled, seeing the cute nickname of “Minmong” on YouTube and he was almost sure that he had stumbled about that account before but maybe a year or two ago. “I think we are just on different areas of YouTube? I usually have documentaries on, rarely any music unless it is Spotify or so.”

“I guess,” Seungmin chuckled and got a notification on his phone, seeing the name “QuokkaWonderland” pop up, making him chuckle. “Did you just subscribe to my channel?”

“Maybe I did,” Jisung hummed amused, shaking his head a little bit before he realised something. “Oh my gosh, I have really old videos on that too where I rap, please don’t judge.” He rubbed his neck. He had always contemplated of deleting those videos but they held emotional value to him so he had kept them. Instead he had changed his old username so his old high school friends would not find him this easily after all. There were reasons he didn’t want to stay in contact with people from his past but some memories he really wanted to keep.

“It’s fine,” Seungmin nodded and looked at Jisung. “I can’t judge rap anyways, that’s not my expertise. I am sure you are good. Also we all grew up a little bit, didn’t we? If you check out my covers from a few years ago it’s a huge difference to now.”

A soft chuckle left Minho’s lips and he nodded. “True,” he then said. “But it’s still impressive, considering how good you already were back then. Give me your account too, Jisung! I can leave a subscription and a like!” And maybe even a comment, Minho enjoyed leaving comments and reviews. Whenever he saw something online he really enjoyed, he left nice words. Support your local creatives – or not so local, but whoever was creating art and free goods out there deserved some support.

“Sure,” Jisung hummed before he looked at his now empty cocktail glass, a small pout on his pretty lips.

“I’ll get us something new,” Minho exclaimed and grabbed their glasses before he made his way over towards the bar, disappearing between the people. Curiously Jisung watched him before he looked to Seungmin.

“You wanted to ask why he does not dance anymore, right?” he asked and the newbie looked surprised at the other, nodding slowly. “It was written all over your face.” There was a small chuckle coming from Seungmin’s lips. “He has shrapnel in his leg. From a military mission.”

There was a frown on Jisung’s lips and he nodded then. Shrapnel. That must be horribly painful.

“His pain tolerance is very high and his current job requires him to only strain it from time to time. Dancing though would mean crossing every limits he has and I know he hates that he cannot dance but there is nothing that can be done. He saw all doctors possible so, yeah, to no avail.” Seungmin shook his head, knowing those was sensitive information but Minho had given him the okay to talk to Jisung about it if the topic came up. It was still some trauma he couldn’t deal too well with when talking about it.

“That’s why he talks in his sleep sometimes?”

“Not exactly, but it is part of it,” Seungmin nodded. “I don’t know much about his nightmares either, he does not talk about that a lot. Or the military in general.”

Jisung nodded, understanding entirely that it was something one didn’t want to talk about. He had never been in the military or out to a foreign country to fight in a war, the only way he had gathered his knowledge had been the news and the worldwide web. And all he had seen there was anything but good. He was sure there was some unresolved trauma but then again most of them probably had that.

“Hey, Jinnie wants to dance with you,” Felix said, popping up behind Seungmin and touching his shoulders, a bright smile on his slightly red cheeks.

Surprised Seungmin looked at the other and then laughing, nodding. “Surely,” he agreed, ruffling Felix’ hair before he disappeared to the dancing area, leaving Jisung with a very excited and hyper Felix who was almost hopping up and down, bright eyes looking at Jisung’s form right in front of him.

“Where is Minho?” he asked curiously, tilting his head a little bit.

“Ah, he is getting drinks,” Jisung hummed and watched Felix curiously. The other was still a mystery to Jisung. Not because he didn’t like Felix, oh heck, the other was endearing and really fascinating, just like the entire team, but as the younger was rarely around he had yet to figure out more about Felix. Maybe it was nice that they could now interact a little more. All he knew was that Felix was a lot more dangerous that he looked, that he was very very stubborn and a very sore loser.

They had played Uno a few times, especially when Chan and Changbin had come over and one time Felix had had to draw 12 cards and Jisung had never heard anyone curse so much. Despite his English vocabulary being extensive even he hadn’t been able to understand some words and Chan had ended up laughing on the ground, almost knocking over all the Uno cards. He hadn’t been able to stop laughing for ten more minutes, almost breaking out in tears while Changbin had questioned Chan’s sanity. They had to convince Felix to keep playing as he had been ending up pouting on the couch, arms crossed and blanket around him as if he was a five-year-old ghost. Jeongin had assured Jisung that this was really normal and happened regularly.

“Oh, drinks!” Felix grinned and looked at Jisung. “I liked drinks.” He enjoyed being a little tipsy as long as he wasn’t entirely wasted and he knew the rest of the team thought the same.

“Yeah,” Minho said, head putting on Felix’ shoulder. “Where is Minnie?”

The freckled one pointed towards the dancing area and Minho grinned, his eyes lighting up in joy. “You can have the drinks,” he said to Felix, before pushing the drinks into Felix’ hands who just so managed to hold all of them before Minho ran off to the dancing area. A soft chuckle left Jisung’s lips, shaking his head amused.

“He loves dancing with them,” Felix said and Jisung nodded, already having realised that. He carefully grabbed the cocktail Minho had gotten him and took a sip from it, a happy smile on his lips. That was one he hadn’t had before and it was filled with blue and green liquid and tasted a little bit like coconut.

Felix on the other hand was taking both glasses Minho had left and downed the first glass just to grimace for a short moment before he shrugged and did the same to the other glass.

“Impressive,” Jisung chuckled and Felix laughed amused.

“Thanks, I guess it is my talent,” he shrugged and eyes Jisung’s cocktail. “Can I have a sip?”

“Sure.” Offering the drink to Felix, Jisung watched him take a sip and smile satisfied.

“A lot better. The other one just left a really nasty taste.” Felix shook himself a bit. “I have a good tolerance in a lot of things but the three sometimes get really nasty stuff.” He looked over to the other three dancing and it was a sight. Despite Seungmin not being a dancer, they all moved like they belonged together, like they perfectly fit together. There was a soft expression on Felix face and he leaned his head on Jisung’s shoulder.

“Aren’t they cute?” he asked, his voice gentle. He seemed to be happy with it and watching the other three, it made it hard for Jisung to forget that they were different than any other person inside here. But they were because no average person was working as a hitman and as an undercover NIS person. As far as Jisung could tell at least.

A soft hum left Jisung’s lips as he nipped on his drink. “They are,” he mumbled as he gently patted Felix’ back. It was easy to forget that they had only known each other for around a little over a month because with each and everyone of them it felt like he had known each other for forever.

“When Hyunjin first came I thought it would be a disaster but now look at them being so cute.” Felix laughed and then held his hand out to Jisung. “You want to go dance too?” he then asked, looking at the other.

“Uhm… I don’t think I know how to dance,” the newbie said and Felix chuckled amused, stealing Jisung’s glass and taking a huge sip so it was almost empty.

“I will teach you,” he replied happily, letting Jisung empty his glass himself and then taking him towards the dancing floor.

It was new to Jisung. He had never danced properly before, not even that one time he had been at a party with his friends and not even that one time he had been at a club too, but it wasn’t bad. Felix even placed his hands on the other’s side and started to guide him, showing him how to dance and with the loud music and all the colours around them it was just so easy to forget that they were not alone, that they were surrounded by people who probably didn’t even care.

-

“Okay so,” Hyunjin said, walking next to Seungmin, armed linked with his while he stumbled a little bit over his own long legs. “We should do that more often.”

“We always say that and never do it,” Minho chuckled amused, Felix on his back as he was napping, head on Minho’s shoulder while Jisung walked next to them. It was around four in the morning and they had finally decided to go back home as for them the party was now over.

“True,” Hyunjin said and pouted. “Somehow we always only go out whenever we have a mission.” He was clearly not satisfied with that fact and it showed. He was holding Seungmin’s arm tightly, making small disapproving sounds from time to time.

Curiously Jisung looked at the group. “You have such missions more often?” he wanted to know and the others nodded.

“Yeah. Check out the perimeter, get information, steal one object at a party, make sure someone is safe while blending into the group. It always depends but it’s not rare. Just like today. But the team just changes from time to time. We all have our cover up stories and we have to look the job otherwise people will notice.” Seungmin shrugged a bit as he gently patted Hyunjin’s hands so he would stop making so many sounds.

“Oh?” Jisung asked, wondering about what fake life everyone had. “Can I know more?”

Looking around, Seungmin nodded before he kept talking. “Felix is the rich foreigner. Went to Korea to study and stayed. Not entirely wrong though, but that’s his story.” He hummed amused. “But it fits. He knows how to play the part and people believe it when he acts like he does not understand Korean.”

There was a small chuckle coming from Felix as he opened one eye. “Yeah, jokes on them, I can understand quite a lot.” His words were a little slurred but his Korean was perfectly fine. It wasn’t wrong that he had struggled with the language in the beginning, true, but now it had been years since he had come to South Korea and he knew how to get along. Not learning a language while living in the country sounded ignorant to him and that was clearly something he wasn’t.

“What about you?” Jisung asked Hyunjin and the blonde chuckled.

“I’m keeping my real story,” he said and smiled. “I still model sometimes and that gets us access to quite many events. Felix’ story does help a lot too, even though sometimes it means quite some annoying chitterchatter with people we wished we never had to meet.” He huffed slightly and shook his head. They all had met people along the way they wished they could delete from their lives but sadly it wasn’t so easy. “But it gets us places and sometimes even has a few bonus information.” He chuckled a bit.

“That one time you raided the expensive alcohol collection of that rich guy and he noticed you guys and told you to make yourself at home?” Minho said and laughed, shaking his head a bit so that Felix huffed, burying his face more on Minho’s shoulder.

“Oh holy, that was quite an adventure. I thought he’d kick us out but instead he even gifted us another bottle of really expensive Scotch.”

“Yeah and none of us even likes Scotch,” Seungmin chuckled, shaking his head.

“You are missing the point,” Hyunjin said, finger high as if he was trying to tell Seungmin something very important. “I drank alcohol for a few thousand won. I don’t care if it tasted horrible, I did that to piss that guy off.”

Jisung chuckled quietly, watching them with intend eyes. Hyunjin looked excited while talking about it, hands moving in gestures and despite the fact that both Seungmin and Minho were rolling their eyes, they looking amused as well.

“And I did that with throwing up on his collection of these luxury collector cars while he held my hair.”

“What a fond memory,” Seungmin chuckled, shaking his head amused. “Watching you guys through the security cameras was quite a ride. I really thought you were going to make out with him at one point.”

“Oh yeah but he accidentally bumped his head against the guy’s nose so badly, it started bleeding,” Felix grinned brightly, eyes closed but definitely amused. “I thought that dude would start crying right there but he just kept it together and kept holding Hyunjin’s hair. That was a disaster night.”

It did sound like a hilarious disaster but in the back of Jisung’s mind he knew that it also must have been dangerous. Surely, they had done some chaotic things but Jeongin told him that missions were never without risk or danger. They were always wandering on a fine line between succeeding and failing and if they were not careful they would fall, crash and burn.

“So, did you get the information we needed to?” Hyunjin asked, looking at the other’s with curious eyes. They hadn’t just been out to party; they had been on a mission as well. Jisung very first mission, kind of, even though he was just there to keep his eyes open and watch.

“Do you really have to ask?” Minho said and nodded – of course. Such missions were for rookies but they had to take Jisung along. Also, their person of interest was a rather dangerous person so sending a rooky team could mean risking mistakes.

There wasn’t much they knew about the threat at hand. A newly appeared rich person, probably a man, who had gained too much power in a way too short time for their liking. Chan and Changbin had heard a lot about them and that their boss was working with the new person who worked under the alias Gu Bong however they all were aware that this was surely not the real name or identification. Chan had let them know that Bu Gong had taken over some clubs, and while Jeongin was doing the work behind the screen, the rest of the group had decided to go and check out one of the actual places. None of them really believed that they would find a lead this soon and fast but it was worth a try after all and they could show Jisung what to keep an eye on.

It had been a great opportunity to see how well Jisung noticed things and they had realised that his observation skills were pretty good. He had realised who might be part of Bu Gong’s staff pretty soon and Minho had agreed to all of them. Usually it was his job to observe who was a threat but it had been a lot easier with someone who was equally skilled.

And while they had kept they eyes open for people, Hyunjin and Seungmin had danced in between so many people, managing it to get close to a few of the suspicious people. This way his phone could connect to theirs and Jeongin, sitting at the headquarters and in front of the computer, could easily access the devices. This was easy for them. They had been trained for such missions separately just like they were now trying to train Jisung and learn what was important. It was a pretty passive mission. It often was exactly like that, sometimes they even ended up sitting somewhere, undercover, for hours while they observed a target. Their main position in the team might be something else but especially Felix and Jeongin often went out on observation missions. They were good. And sometimes even Minho and Hyunjin accompanied them however they usually ended up scouting areas or places. They both had an amazing memory and it was huge asset when it came to blueprints.

“You got the people, right?” Seungmin asked and Minho nodded in confirmation. “I’ll recreate the face on the computer later,” the younger said while he was walking, wondering if he should do it once they were home or go to sleep first. He was good with giving detailed description after all and it was surprisingly easy for Seungmin to follow them. With Hyunjin he sometimes struggled.

“No need,” Jisung said and looked at them. “I took pictures,” he then said and rubbed his neck a bit. “Selfies, to be exact. Felix and I fooled around a bit.”

They had been there for hours after all and while they all had had some fun, Felix and Jisung had ended up with a small low between one and two am, ending up with taking silly selfies and making sure they had the people in the picture that were most suspicious to them.

“It’s not much but we thought maybe it will be useful,” Jisung said and Felix hummed on Minho’s shoulder. “I checked earlier and they are on the pics, the lighting isn’t the best but Jeongin showed me some of the recreation techniques on the computer for pictures so, yeah.” He hoped it would be enough as the lighting had been quite bad inside the club but luckily even his phone front camera was pretty good.

“That is actually pretty nice,” Hyunjin said and Seungmin nodded, a little surprised about it but happy. Surely, to other people it seemed like nothing but to them it take a lot of work off their shoulders’. “That’s convenient, thank you.” None of them had given Jisung a task, they had wanted to see how he would manage and he was really doing his best.

“He thought of it on his own,” Felix said, sounding proud and happy. He liked having Jisung around. He was fun to be with and they got along well. Even though Felix wasn’t around most of the time, whenever he came over it was like they hadn’t even been apart for a long time. It was awkward the first few minutes but then they were just inseparable. They both were full of silly ideas but they also just enjoyed watching shows and ruining their kitchen while making food. At one point Felix had even sent Jisung some friend requests and ever since they were playing games, trying to win against each other but just like in the Uno game, whenever Felix lost he sulked like a little child and refused to keep playing just to suddenly sent another game request in the middle of the night. In the beginning Jisung had been worried he might have fucked up their relationship but eventually he had realised it was just how Felix was, a sore loser but a cute one who eventually didn’t really care.

“He’s a clever one,” Seungmin hummed and looked at Jisung. “Just send them to me in our chat. If the quality changes I’ll hit you up later.” For a moment he hesitated before he thought of something. “Or no, send it to the chat Jeongin is in too!”

“Yah, you three have a chat without me?” Hyunjin pouted, making Minho laugh amused.

“Oh baby boy, you have no idea how many chats we have without you,” he teased, clearly joking but enjoying Hyunjin’s reaction. It was always a little bit fun to see Hyunjin complain and Minho was living for it. It wasn’t rare that they teased each other and whenever Minho was picking a victim it was usually one of his roommates though more often than not it ended up being Hyunjin.

“We could add you but we mostly just chat about some stuff like solar systems or extinct creatures or such. Last night Jeongin and I talked about the Bermuda Triangle for five hours so I don’t know if you really want to be in that chat.” Jisung looked at Hyunjin who made a small huff before he eagerly shook his head, crossing his arms. It was clear that he still wanted to complain but was definitely not a fan of being included in the chat either.

Amused they laughed, Seungmin slightly nudging Hyunjin who was still leaning on him. “See, I knew you wouldn’t want to be in that group chat. I have a group chat with Chan and Changbin where we solely talk in riddles. You’d hate in there.”

“I already hate it in here,” Hyunjin whined, huffing slightly. He didn’t really mean it. After all he had a few group chats without some of the others as well, he was none to complain. He just liked to be a little dramatic here and there, especially about unimportant things.

A soft laugh escaped Minho and he ruffled Hyunjin’s hair, shaking his head amused. “You don’t and we all know that.” He winked at him as they kept walking, already being close to their apartment complex. They all were still not really sober, Felix was tired and they would take him home to Chan first who was probably already waiting for them to arrive and bring back his Australian little brother, and then they would go home to their own apartment. They would either curl up in their bed or take a shower or entertain themselves with a game or some show.

For now aside from Felix they all felt somehow quite awake despite half a night of alcohol, dancing and partying.

-

Lying in bed all night while watching the ceiling was something Jisung was already used to. What he wasn’t used to was that he now had possibilities. He wasn’t living in an old, run down apartment in a highly dangerous area, no, he was living in an apartment complex where he was safe and sound. He had a laptop, a TV, and even proper WiFi he could use – something he hadn’t had in his rundown old place.

Walking through the quiet apartment with the blanket around his shoulders and his naked feet leaving soft sounds on the tiles of the floor and the kitchen. Opening the fridge the fridge he just stared inside it, finding a few lunchboxes Minho had prepared as they had too much food and he refused to throw it away. And as he knew both Jeongin and Jisung liked to snack in the middle of the night he had given it to them.

However now all Jisung did was stare into the fridge before shrugging and closing it again. He didn’t feel like eating. He felt like not being alone. But Jeongin was at work right now. Earlier Jisung had watched some boring documentary about the building of airplanes and some conspiracy theories about aliens which had made no sense to him so he had closed the video halfway through, just lying in the silence curled up in his bed.

But now he felt lonely. The apartment felt big with just him inside and he had gotten so used to being at least one of the others that the silence was a little suffocating.

Texting their group chat he asked if anyone was awake but all who replied were Jeongin and Felix who were both out at work.

A sigh left Jisung’s lips as he put the blanket down on his bed and sat down for a moment. It would be hours until Jeongin would return so he could at least go and nap at the other apartment. He knew that Minho was already deep asleep. He had gone to bed rather early, around nine, as he had wanted to watch a show and then sleep early and Seungmin usually went to bed at eleven the latest and had an easy time falling asleep and sleeping through. Hyunjin was probably asleep too, curled up in his bed and having his beauty sleep. Honestly Jisung didn’t really want to bother them but staying here all alone was something that didn’t feel right so he got back up and grabbed the key.

The hallway was empty and the moment Jisung stepped out of the apartment a shiver went down his spine. He had never been a fan of dark, empty hallways, especially not since he had watched that one movie with zombie-like creatures that would suddenly come running down the hallway. However he had to remind himself that this had only been fiction and he was just standing in an empty hallway as it was the middle of the night and not because suddenly a weird plague had broken out.

The brain was a weird thing.

Taking a deep breath he closed the apartment door behind him, shaking his arms and legs a bit to get the weird idea of zombies out of his mind before he walked towards the elevator. Surely, he could take the stairs but that would probably end up more spooky and why not use the elevator if he could, right? Also the area around the elevator was always lit, just like in a hotel, and suddenly his zombie infested thoughts turned to a really nice vacation somewhere warm at the beach.

But before he even managed to press the button of the elevator, the doors opened and with surprised eyes Jisung watched a person stand in there he hadn’t expected to see.

With a plastic bag of nachos in his arms Hyunjin was standing in the middle of the elevator, hair messy and even wearing his sleeping clothes, looking as surprised as the other.

“Where were you going?” Hyunjin asked, stepping out of the elevator and looking a little surprised at the other.

“I planned on sleeping on your couch and maybe entertain the cats a bit,” Jisung admitted honestly, kind of glad to see the other. “What about you?” He hadn’ticed the nachos in the other’s arms and he could even see a small bottle of sauce the other had brought. Had he planned something with Jeongin and had mistaken the date or had Jeongin forgotten to tell Hyunjin he was out at work today?

“Oh, you asked in the groupchat is someone was still awake so, well, I thought why not just go up instead of replying. I can’t sleep and you don’t seem to be able to either.” Hyunjin chuckled a bit, nudging Jisung slightly who nodded then. “I even brought us nachos. Heard you like cheese sauce more than salsa. Which gets you hundred extra points with me.”

A soft laugh escaped Jisung’s lips and he shook his head amused. So they kind of both had had the same idea. He hadn’t expected that one of the others would seek him out on his own but it did make Jisung smile.

“Cheese is amazing. Salsa is okay, but cheese is just really good,” Jisung said and turned around, walking towards his apartment with Hyunjin. “But have you ever tried sour cream with it?”

“Sour cream?” Lifting an eyebrow Hyunjin looked at Jisung and the other wasn’t sure if he was displeased or just confused.

“Yeah, I once saw it when I went to the cinema and it was really nice! Cheese is still my favourite but sour cream was really good too,” he explained to the other and grabbed the key, unlocking the apartment.

A small shrug left Hyunjin’s shoulders as he turned on the lights. “I mean, I could try it once we go to the cinema together. Until the time being though I’ll keep eating nachos with cheese sauce,” he hummed, open to the experience but honestly not really caring much about it. The others often brought some new snacks home, especially Jeongin who just loved trying new snacks and whenever Chan came over, he often brought them sweets or snacks from Australia. It was always a nice experience after all.

“You want a drink? Coffee, tea, juice, beer, some other beverage?” Jisung offered and Hyunjin thought for a moment before he walked to the kitchen and grabbed them some lemonade. “Always a good choice. Wanna watch some movie or something on YouTube?”

“Definitely,” Hyunjin said as they walked over to the living room, a place that was rarely used as they were usually down in the other apartment. “I always forget how much smaller this place is than to ours.”

Nodding a bit, Jisung sat down on the couch, putting a wool blanket over their legs while putting the nachos on the living room table as well as the drinks. They had some sweets on the table as well and that was definitely good as he was sure that one bag of nachos would not be enough for the both of them. They both snacked a lot. Not as much as Jeongin or Minho who seemed to always be having something in their mouth whenever they were sitting on the couch or were in the kitchen but still, very close.

“Yeah, it is a two people apartment only,” Jisung explained as he turned on the TV, handing the other the remote. He wanted Hyunjin to choose as Jisung wasn’t entirely sure what Hyunjin liked. They got along pretty well, however Jisung wasn’t a hundred percent sure what the other thought of him. “And we are usually down at your apartment anyways. The living room and kitchen are double the size of ours so that’s fine.”

That was true. While the bathroom and their own rooms had around the same size, the living room and the kitchen were a lot bigger compared to Jisung’s and Jeongin’s place. Not that they were complaining, they didn’t even have to pay for rent. And that was pretty convenient.

“True and Minho does a lot of the cooking,” Hyunjin nodded in agreement. They ordered a lot of take out as well however whenever Minho was free he often decided to cook for them. They all loved his cooking despite the fact that it was often pretty spicey and made Chan breath fire. Minho even tried his best to make it less spicy as Seungmin and Hyunjin sometimes didn’t have the easiest time eating spicy food as well but somehow it was still too hot for Chan. “It’s pretty convenient.”

“Minho said he’d teach me cooking. And he mumbled something to keep Seungmin and Felix out of the kitchen if they are together. Did something happen with them?” Jisung asked curiously and an amused laugh left Hyunjin’s lips. Shaking his head amused he zapped through the channels on the TV and then looked at Jisung.

“Oh boy,” he started, a bright grin on his lips. “We had to buy a new stove because they tried cooking. You can let Felix cook or bake, alone, but the moment Seungmin is in? The chaos starts.” He shook his head eagerly. “They accidentally started a fire in the kitchen. Luckily Minho was home and put it out but you heard him screaming at them three stories above. Jeongin even texted the group chat if something happened because he heard Minho reprimanding them.”

“I am almost too afraid to ask what happened,” Jisung admitted and a snort left Hyunjin’s lips.

“They somehow managed to drown an egg in oil and it started to burn. Tried to put it out, with water. Now putting out burning oil with water is never a good idea. He was so pissed. It’s been over two years and Minho still sometimes brings it up whenever they want to cook together,” Hyunjin explained and all Jisung could do was groan in pain at the story.

“Even I know to not put out burning oil with water.”

“We even have a damn fire extinguisher,” Hyunjin whined and shook his head in disapproval. “They didn’t think it was necessary. Well, the water in the oil did make it necessary. Minho managed to save the kitchen, it was only the stove that burned, everything else was okay. But if you look closely you can still see small cracks in the tiles where the oven is.” A small chuckle left Hyunjin’s lips.

“I guess they need a crash course in cooking and what to not do in the kitchen,” the younger one said and Hyunjin nodded.

Leaning backwards, Hyunjin ran a hand through his messy hair and he put his legs over Jisung’s as he was still looking for a show. “Agreed. All I do in the kitchen is sandwich, toast or put something in the microwave. I swear, the only one using the stuff properly is Minho. Bless him.”

Jisung nodded in agreement. He had never been the best in cooking either though at least he knew a few essentials. “Did they get hurt?” he eventually asked and for a moment Hyunjin looked confused before he shook his head.

“No people were harmed, luckily,” he said gently. “Both Lixie and Minnie have fast reflexes so when there was the flame, they managed to dug down and before that even tried to put it out from a safe distance so, yeah. If they had gotten hurt, Minho would have taken them to the hospital first before screaming.” He winked at Jisung who chuckled slightly.

“That’s good to know,” he hummed and Hyunjin stopped at a show, grinning.

“Do you like Goblin?”

“The K-drama?” Jisung asked surprised and grinned brightly at the other who nodded. “I only started the first episode but I liked it!”

“Then I guess I found what to watch,” Hyunjin said, putting the bag of nachos and the sauce between them on the blanket, knowing very well that it would probably fall over and they had to wash it later. But it was worth a nice late-night meetup.

Jisung grinned and leaned a bit closer so he had easier access to the nachos, not minding Hyunjin’s feet on his own legs. It was comfortable like this and it was a lot better than lying awake all night and watching bad documentaries or conspiracy theories.

Chapter Text

“Is Seungmin here?” Chan asked the moment he was let into the apartment and all Jisung could do was stare at him while he rushed towards the kitchen. Felix slowly entered the apartment too, a concerned expression on his face.

“He is at work,” Jisung said, licking his lips. “Changbin is here, Minho too.” Jisung pointed at the living room where he could see Changbin looking at them, on each knee an orange cat.

“Shit,” Felix mumbled and Chan brushed through his hair, sighing.

“That’s not so cool. What about Jeongin?” Chan asked, knowing that Seungmin was the more experienced hacker but maybe Jeongin could do.

A sigh left Jisung’s lips as he looked at the other. “Working too,” he admitted and closed the door. Felix was taking off his shoes and putting his jacket away, it was getting cold outside and he wasn’t a big fan of it though he did enjoy snow. It still was quite some time until snow though so enough time for Felix to complain about the cold air.

“Damn,” Chan said, stopping in the middle of the hallway, cursing quietly. “That’s not good.” He then hesitated. “Wait, mission or-?”

“NIS,” Minho said, standing in the door frame of the living room. “Wanna come sit down, tell us whats going on?” he said, pointing to the couch that was covered with soft blankets. They had just sat on the couch, enjoying hot chocolate or coffee while talking. It wasn’t often that Changbin came over and even had time to stay for a while but today was the time.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Felix said, looking at Chan who eventually nodded and walked into the living room but not after taking off his shoes. He wasn’t even wearing a jacket, just a beanie and a big hoodie that was hiding his muscular frame.

“Tea, coffee, anything?” Minho asked while he looked at them but Chan just shook his head, causing the other to worry a little more and it was visible on his expression, however he wasn’t urging them into talking. Felix sat down and took a sip from Jisung’s coffee. It was almost normal for them now, they all were used to Jisung being around despite him still not officially being part of the team.

Felix and Jeongin had taken him on observation missions and he had been doing great however he still needed quite some training. Not a surprise though, he had never done this before however he was already much better than any rookie.

“What’s wrong?” Jisung asked, sitting down on an armchair, watching the newly arrived and there was clear worry on his face. He had never seen Chan this agitated and Felix didn’t look happy either.

“Someone put cameras in our apartment,” Chan said, shortly looking at Felix.

“Not beating around the bush, I see,” Minho said and sat down took, taking a sip from his own hot chocolate and looking at them. “Checked with headquarters?”

“Of course,” Chan said, rolling his eyes as to him the question was unnecessary but he wasn’t pissed at them. No, he was worried. “It wasn’t them. I checked with everyone and it wasn’t them.”

For a moment Felix seemed to hesitated but then eventually speak up. “A few days ago I noticed that some things in our apartment looked different but, you know, sometimes Chan just cleans or I forget I placed things somewhere.” He brushed through his messy blond hair. “Somehow it didn’t let go and earlier today I noticed those tiny cameras.”

Nodding Chan looked at Felix and then at the others. “We didn’t touch them. We didn’t even do anything that could get people suspicious. Neither of me being mafia or undercover nor Felix being part of Clé. But someone has been watching us for some reason.”

“And if that someone isn’t Clé. It’s us,” Changbin spoke up, looking at Chan who nodded.

“Us? Didn’t you just say it’s not Clé?” Jisung asked and Changbin nodded.

“Mafia. Chan and me, us,” Changbin explained gently and petting the cats with both hands that were still sitting on his knees, purring. “And that means they are either suspecting Chan or Felix. And if they suspect Felix, they suspect Chan so whatever it is, they having an eye on Chan.” He frowned, looking at them.

Now that was a problem.

“Sometimes they just keep an eye on people, don’t they?” Minho asked and looked at Changbin, leaning back in his seat before he looked over at Chan. He was grasping at straws, small hope, but they all knew it was a big problem.

“They do,” Changbin agreed. “But that means something got them suspicious. Could simply be that Felix got their attention. Or they noticed something on or around Chan they found suspicious. It might be nothing.”

“Or it might be everything,” Felix mumbled and Changbin nodded.

Changbin had grown up in the mafia business. His parents had been deep into it even before he had been born so he had grown up surrounded by mafia people, being taken in and trained from young years. He knew how everything worked and he had helped Chan get where he needed to be, close to the boss.

“You recently became his right hand. That just might be it,” Changbin said and shrugged. “They want to check out if there is anything suspicious. If you did nothing wrong and kept the rules to not talk about business information when you and Felix are alone, then there is nothing you have to worry about.”

Nodding slowly Chan closed his eyes, leaning back into the couch, almost sinking into it.

“We didn’t,” Felix said and shook his head. “We don’t do anything from home. We had that happen to someone a while ago and ever since we don’t. We talk in here because we know it’s safe but never in our apartment.” He looked over to Chan who nodded.

“No information on our laptops, nothing in our group chats. Nothing you can find on my phone or my WiFi history. I keep it clean. Just…-“

“You are worried, I know,” Minho said and nodded. “We’ll have Seungmin check it out once he comes home. He can tell you whoever did that. Just… deep breaths, we’ll be okay. Both of you will.”

Again Chan nodded, still looking agitated but a little more calm. “I just…” He looked over at Felix. “I’m just worried I’m dragging Felix into it. Or you guys. I know I got myself into a dangerous position and we knew about it when it happened.”

Everyone but Jisung however the other hadn’t been there when Chan had been promoted to the right hand of a mafia boss. More by an accident than not as they had been out on a meeting when the boss’ right hand had been shot right in the head. Changbin had made sure to keep the boss safe and sound as he was mostly working as a bodyguard, though he wasn’t responsible for the other guy. He had been one reckless asshole anyways, Changbin had never liked him.

“I get it,” Changbin said and nodded. “But we all know how to play our part. It’s fine, okay? As long as you don’t do anything suspicious it wont be a problem. You are doing a great job and I am not worried.”

“Me neither,” Minho said and looked at Chan before Felix nodded as well.

The freckled young man gently patted Chan’s arm and the older nodded, sighing. “You are family. I didn’t expect it to get me this hard. You know I’m usually calm. But you are family and the moment I realised someone is spying on us, probably me, it just…” He shook his head slightly, looking at his own hands and taking another deep breath but it just didn’t work. It didn’t calm him down even slightly.

“Scared you,” Jisung mumbled and the other nodded. “I get it. It hit close to home and it scared you.” He wanted to reach out to Chan and squeeze his hand in a supporting manner but he wasn’t sure if they were close enough for that already. Luckily Felix seemed to have the same thought and reached for his friend’s hand.

“Yeah, just the thought of losing the people I call family is troublesome,” Chan admitted and he frowned, looking over at Changbin for a moment and the man on the ground shrugged slightly.

“I’m not judging,” Changbin answered, his hands still on top of the cats that seemed unbothered by the current situation. “I get it. I grew up with losing a lot of people so I might be a little bit more, well, let’s say used to it. Or numb to the emotional pain. But I get it, I’d be anything but happy with the situation as well.”

It was true, Changbin had grown up with people getting shot right next to him so he knew how to deal with it, even if he was emotionally connected to them. However that didn’t mean he would not mourn the loss of a close friend or even a partner. The finding of a camera just wouldn’t hit him as hard as it did Chan. It had happened before, Changbin realising he was getting observed, that they had their eyes on him for some trivial matter and now he couldn’t even remember why anymore but back then he hadn’t really cared. Probably because back then he hadn’t been working undercover for anyone and his only job had been the mafia. Sometimes Changbin forgot in how much trouble this could get him if the mafia realised what he was doing. Death would then be the nicest option available.

“I’ll keep an eye open for you, and an ear.” Changbin pointed to his one working ear and for a moment Chan just stared at him and then a small chuckle left his lips.

“Really, Binnie? The ear joke?” he mumbled and shook his head a bit but he was grateful. He had good team and he just hoped he they would be okay. Whoever had installed the camera had nothing to figure out. Chan was careful even in his four walls and so was Felix. They were just two good friends, roommates, nothing to figure out there.

“Always the ear joke,” Binnie grinned and he could see how Chan and Felix both relaxed, slowly but surely. He smiled warmly at them and nodded slightly, kissing the fur of Soonie’s head who made a soft sound, moving his head against his face.

When he had visited the apartment that held the two indoor cats it had been an easy realisation that cats did him really good. All of them and not only because it was scientifically proven that the purring of a cat was good for humans. Soonie and Doongie had their own stubbornness and did whatever they wanted to do but they also loved the people that frequented the apartment. While Minho was clearly seen as their owner they had never shown any fear towards whoever lived in it or came to visit. And somehow they had definitely found a liking to Changbin. That might be him always bringing some snacks for them and their owner but that was just a guess. Maybe he just really gave great pets too.

Cat cafés was something Changbin regularly visited whenever he had to meet up for work had to be less suspicious. Or whenever he wanted to just pet some cats and drink a good coffee, that worked too. He wanted to come visit the others more often but just like Chan they had to be careful not to blow their cover. Having friends was very normal, of course, and their friends had a cover too but if they were here too often these people would be the very first target in case their cover was blown. Chan living with Felix was already pretty risky but Felix had been so bone-headed and had carried on as if Chan hadn’t asked him a few times to move out that eventually the older had given in. Felix knew the risk and hew knew how dangerous it was but he had also assured Chan that he was here for it.

“So, what do we do if they think I am suspicious? Or even a threat?” Chan asked eventually and stole Minho’s drink, taking a sip from it. He pulled his legs onto the couch and sat cross-legged in a way that was almost painful to the eyes but Minho decided not to comment on it. Chan’s joins were pretty flexible and he was almost sure that this way of sitting was comfortable to the other.

“Get you out of there,” Minho said without a second thought. “The moment they think you are dangerous to them we blow the undercover shit and take you out of there. I know-“ he said, clearly seeing that Chan wanted to complain, “I know you don’t want that. But you are more valuable to us, to Clé, alive then when you are dead. Any kind of information is nice but you are an important part of our team and you are needed.”

However, they all knew that in one way or another they were redundant to Clé. They might be one of the professional teams and the fact that many of them had been here for a few years already and had proven themselves trustworthy was a bonus but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be replaced. Just recently Clé had lost a professional team and Minho had lost one of his partners too but that didn’t mean there would be no one who could do their job.

Hyunjin had showed clearly that spots in teams could easily be filled again and Jisung was a good example too.

Nevertheless, Minho wasn’t wrong. If they found out about Chan Felix and possibly even Changbin were in danger and while Minho wasn’t the head of Clé he would do anything to get them out and keep them safe.

“We’d probably fake your death,” Changbin then said and looked at the others, then back at Chan. “Cut your finger of or leave a lot of blood somewhere. Let you get shot on a mission.” He shrugged slightly but upon seeing Jisung’s shocked face he chuckled. “Not life-threatening, little one. We are planning to keeping him alive.” He shook his head amused and Doongie looked up, confused and sleepy. There was a soft meow before he curled up, only to fall in Changbin’s lap and just stay there, huffing slightly but just falling back asleep. “Remember Judy?”

“Oh man, yeah,” Chan said and sighed, grimacing upon remembering what had happened to her.

“She’s fine,” Changbin said and Chan’s eyes widened. He wanted to ask for more information but he knew he the other couldn’t give him any more information. Even knowing she was alive was probably classified.

“But we found her body,” Chan said, a frown on his face and not understanding how they had done this. There was a smirk on Changbin’s face but then the other only shrugged a bit.

Of course Changbin couldn’t give out any information to anyone but damn, now Chan was curious. He knew he would rest that case as it would only raise questions but he really wondered how they had been able to pull that stunt. After all he had seen her die, had seen her get shot and yet she was alive? He was impressed but he would not question further. But if that was possible, he just hoped that this would, in case, keep him and his friends safe too.

“Just make sure I don’t drag anyone into it. Especially not unnecessarily,” Chan said and Felix patted the other’s leg in a calming way. “If it’s necessary, I get it, but unless it’s not, make sure no one gets harmed.”

“That’s the job,” Minho nodded slightly. “You’ve been here longer than I am, Channie, you should know we do that.”

And of course Chan did. Chan knew about all the things the organisation tried to ensure and not but there was still the worry inside his chest, dragging onto his biggest fears he had, knowing exactly this situation was one he had always wanted to avoid. He had tried to mentally prepare himself for it but the moment he had realised someone was monitoring them? Every kind of preparation had gone down the train and for a long moment he had been scared shitless. These people were his family and he would die for them without any hesitation. Not the best idea to be part of the mafia then or even more: spying on the mafia for an organisation.

“I know,” Chan mumbled then. “I just need the reassurance.”

“You got it,” Minho promised, taking his cup out of Chan’s hand and taking a sip, just to grimace a bit. It had gone cold, so he put it back into Chan’s hands, huffing a bit. “We’ll make sure your ass is safe and sound. And everyone else’s too.”

A small chuckle left the oldest lips and he emptied Minho’s drink before he relaxed a bit more.

“So, now that you guys are already here. Wanna cook? Take-out?” Minho asked and Felix clapped his hands.

“Take-out, take-out, take-out!” he grinned and looked excitedly at Minho. The rest of the group laughed amused, shaking their heads slightly. “What?”

“You are always way too excited for take-out, Felix,” Changbin chuckled amused and shook his head a bit. He enjoyed seeing the freckled one so excited and the cute on his lips was adorable to watch as well.

A small sound escaped Felix’ lips and he pouted, crossing his arms. “Chan tries to cook and I am sorry Chan but your cooking skills might have gotten better but I still sometimes think you are trying to poison me,” he mumbled and Chan let out an indignant “Ey!”.

“I get that, Jeongin someone tries to make me breakfast,” Jisung said and grimaced, a shiver going through his body. “I have no idea if he tried pancakes or omelette this morning because it was everything but edible.”

“He never tried cooking for us,” Minho said surprised. “Not even when we let him sleep in our bed.”

“That calls for revenge,” Felix nodded eagerly, still pouting a little bit and Jisung was sure they were all joking but then again he couldn’t tell one hundred percent.

“But it wasn’t even edible…?” Jisung tried to let them know but Minho eagerly shook his head.

“The thought counts and he definitely didn’t think we were good enough for trying to make breakfast,” Minho said and nodded eagerly just for Chan to roll his eyes. Minho was definitely joking.

“Okay but see it that way: Jeongin decided you are worth too much to ruin whatever many eggs and milk he’d ruin for you guys,” Changbin then said and for a moment Minho thought about it before he nodded slowly and agreeing to his words.

Jisung nodded eagerly as well to show them he was definitely on Changbin’s side – simply because he didn’t want to be the one who accidentally told on Jeongin.

“Okay, he is safe for now,” Minho said and smiled when Soonie got up, running over to him and cuddling his leg before jumping up on his lap. He gently petted him, scratching behind his ear and he started purring quietly.

Unlocking his phone he opened a delivery app before he handed it over to Felix. “You choose, after all Chan tries to poison you regularly,” he joked and it made them chuckle quietly while Felix took the phone excitedly, looking for his favourite place.

“Can we play Uno while we wait?” Felix asked while scrolling through the app and a groan left Chan’s and Changbin’s lips before they said yes.

“As long as it’s not Monopoly I don’t care,” Minho said and the other two immediately got quiet and nodded.

Jisung watched them confused and lifted an eyebrow. “What… happened with monopoly?” he asked a little unsure if he really wanted to know the answer but all of them but Felix shook their heads right away while the freckled one was staring on the phone like a madman, adding food to the basket.

“Don’t ask. Believe me, you don’t want to know the answer,” Changbin said, leaning over to Jisung to tell him that. “It’s trauma material, believe me. We only play monopoly whenever Felix isn’t around.”

-

The car in the middle of the road, bits of broken glass all over the ground, doors wide open.

“I swear to god whoever that bitch was, I’ll fucking get them,” Hyunjin cursed, teeth pressed together while Jeongin grimaced as the other squeezed his hand tightly.

“We’ll find him,” Jeongin mumbled and patted the other’s hand in comfort, trying to take lighten the pain a little bit. He knew he couldn’t do a lot but at least he was here, trying his best.

“Or her. Or them.” Hyunjin grumbled. “No idea what or who it was,” he then said and hissed, pain shooting through his body and he accidentally squeezed Jeongin’s hand a little too harsh, making the younger yelp.

“We all have the camera installed, even though they shot it, I’ll still get the information,” Seungmin said, bandaging the wound on Hyunjin’s right upper arm. “It didn’t get any of the important veins so you won’t bleed out.”

A low chuckle left Hyunjin’s throat and he looked anything but happy. “Wow, aren’t that great news?” he said and Seungmin lifted an eyebrow, looking at him.

“Well, I can help with you bleeding out if you keep being a sassy bitch,” he told the other who only seemed to get more pissed off.

“Thanks but no thanks,” Hyunjin grumbled, knowing that Seungmin had helped him a big time. He would still need to get it checked by a real doctor but at least he wasn’t getting all his clothes, the car, Jeongin and everything else bloody. “It just hurts.”

“I know,” Seungmin said, sighing. “Here, not much but better than nothing,” he said, handing the other a painkiller that made Jeongin raise his eyebrow.

“That doesn't look like you just get it in the pharmacy,” the youngest said, looking from the painkiller Hyunjin took without even hesitating and Seungmin nodded.

Handing the wounded a bottle of water he sat down next to him. “You don’t,” he then said and shrugged. “But I have access to a lot. Also Jeongin, please move Hyunjin’s car, I don’t want anyone to crash into it.”

Seungmin carefully helped Hyunjin to get up and out of the passenger seat they had put him on they could have easily taken care of the wound.

They had been working and Jeongin had decided to pack up as his department head had offered him to go home earlier as he was still having quite a few hours of overtime when his phone had started to ring. He hadn’t been fast enough to pick up though only moments later he had gotten a text from Seungmin to meet him down at the entrance.

The two of them had been the closest to Hyunjin’s destination and Seungmin had just thrown in a first aid kid and rushed to meet Hyunjin who had been sitting on the side of the road, hidden from people’s eyes just in case whoever had shot at him had come back.

Hyunjin had noticed a car tailing him for a while. Most of the times they had been a few cars behind him, driving slowly and he had been almost sure they just had the same place they wanted to go to – he had been entirely wrong. Just a short moment after they had gone to a deserted road the tailing car had started to speed and only seconds before it passed they had shot at Hyunjin’s car.

The first few bullets had missed pretty badly but then a few had hit the window and the front shield. Somehow Hyunjin had managed to turn the car around, trying to make sure the bullets would not hit the weak spots of the car but then the driver’s window had shattered into pieces and a bullet had dug its way into the flesh of Hyunjin’s upper arm. It was still in there, buried deep in his muscle and Hyunjin had had problems to keep driving the car with one hand – he couldn’t even check if he had a gun on himself, probably not and even if he would not be able to reach it with one hand anyways.

However the car kept speeding into the other direction, leaving an injured and confused Hyunjin right behind.

That was when he had called Jeongin and Seungmin, trying to stop the bleeding though it hadn’t really worked, the blood dripping from his injured arm and getting his car bloody. Great, he’d definitely made whoever shot him pay for the cleaning.

“I got the license plate so, at least something,” Hyunjin said and looked at Seungmin who nodded. “Though you can probably get it from the camera too.” So maybe they were even lucky to have caught the faces as well.

“Probably, yeah, but I am not sure. Depends on the quality. And if they were smart they just used a used or stolen license plate.” Seungmin sighed while he watched Jeongin park Hyunjin’s car on the side road. Seungmin had been smart enough and had called someone from their organisation who would tow Hyunjin’s car because it would be smarter to leave everything unchanged. This way it would be easier to find the evidence. Seungmin had taken pictures of the car and of Hyunjin after he had realised the wound wasn’t as bad as Hyunjin’s cursing might have made it sound while Jeongin had pressed some paper towels on the bleeding.

It looked nastier than it was and it was bleeding quite a bit but Hyunjin had still been quite lucky and he knew. “I wont be able to use my arm for a while.” Which was a problem as it was his right arm, the arm he needed for wielding weaponry as he wasn’t ambidextrous like Minho. He grimaced not only in pain but also in disapproval. He would not be able to work properly with Minho or the others on good missions, instead he would either end up at home, bored to death, or on observation mission, bored to death as well.

“Probably,” Jeongin said and walked back over to them after grabbing Hyunjin’s stuff from the car. Or at least what he needed. “Though I’m glad they didn’t decide to run you over with the car. Turn around, crash yours. Shoot you in the head. You definitely got lucky.”

A soft sound of agreement left Seungmin’s lips and he put the trash into a bag he kept in his own car at all times and the rest equipment back into the first aid kit. “Or it was a warning.”

That would in fact make more sense as Hyunjin had been quite defenceless and yet they had just taken off like that as if they would not be able to take out Hyunjin like some fries and burgers in a drive-through. However he was just minorly injured and the wound might cause some trouble but it would heal within a few weeks to months. It wasn’t disabling Hyunjin from being in the team.

“It might be a warning,” Jeongin then nodded and there was a frown on his pretty face. “But I don’t know from who.” He sighed and brushed through his hair. It could be anyone. Maybe the mafia, after all Minho and Hyunjin had recently eliminated quite a few people that had relations to them or maybe some other mission Hyunjin had worked on in the past. Maybe it even was personal? Honestly anything was possible.

“I’ll inform the headquarter and the others so they know something happened,” Seungmin said and helped Hyunjin into the car. The other wasn’t badly injured but getting shot would probably make anyone shaky on their long legs and Seungmin had Hyunjin rather safe than on the ground and possibly also hitting his head. One wound was already enough.

Of course they were all used to being wounded. Minho was a disaster when it came to it, he came home with holes in his body or cuts and bruises covering his skin every second to third week – holes rather seldom but cuts and bruises? His best friend. Jeongin often ended up falling as well as Hyunjin so they came next on the injury counter and Changbin often ended up with some wounds from a fight too but that was normal as he was a bodyguard. Sometimes he just had to throw a punch and then had to catch some hands himself. The rest were relatively safe and kept away from being wounded on a regular basis.

Though once Chan had come to them with a bad bite as he had really wanted to pet that cute dog sleeping on a sunny spot in the park. Hadn’t gone as he had expected and he had had to go the hospital and even stay a few days so he would not end up with a bad infection. It had gone well as his arm was still clearly attached to his body.

“I’ll drive you guys home,” Seungmin explained as he saw their co-worker that would tow Hyunjin’s car to the headquarter. “And I’ll go to the HQ afterwards, check if I can find anything.”

“Don’t you have back to work?” Jeongin asked a little confused and Seungmin shook his head.

“Nah, told them I was feeling sick, they sent me home. You know, pros of being a good actor,” Seungmin said and a small chuckle left his lips.

A small huff escaped Jeongin’s lips as he heard Seungmin. Every time he tried something along the lines it never worked even though they still let him go with a pinch to the cheek and a soft ruffle to the hair. He wasn’t actually the youngest in the agency but somehow they never let go of the fact that to everyone else he was. Not that he minded if it got him some bonus treats.

“Buckle up, we are going home,” Seungmin said to Jeongin as he made sure Hyunjin was buckled up as the other was still pouting about the fact that he had actually been shot in his arm.

Chapter Text

“You look like you are about to cry into your food,” Jeongin said as he walked into a small recreation room on the third floor of the NIS headquarters in Seoul. It was filled with cute little plants, ones of which Jeongin had taken some cuttings from to try and grow them at home. Sadly, he definitely wasn’t a plant person. They had died within four days and neither Minho nor Seungmin had been able to save them.
It was a nice place though most people preferred to take a step outside and smoke.

Seungmin instead had warmed up some food that he had brought to work much like every day. He had been so zoned out he hadn’t heard Jeongin coming in.

“I am not,” Seungmin mumbled and put his chopsticks down with a sigh. “Just worried.”

“About?” Jeongin asked while he went to the coffee machine, preparing himself a double espresso as he had definitely not gotten enough sleep. 

“Hyunjin,” Seungmin sighed and shook his head a bit. Of course it was Hyunjin. They were taking turns on watching him since he had gotten a nasty fever after an allergic reaction to some pain medication and antibiotics which was why they all were a little restless right now. Jeongin even had stayed in Hyunjin’s room the entire night, reading or singing to him as somehow his voice worked wonders on the other, helping him relax and sleep properly. 

Despite the fact that he hadn’t been in the team for long Seungmin had grown particularly fond of their sick team member. Growing fond of someone like this was something that rarely happened to Seungmin, but with time he had formed a strong bond with his flatmates and seeing Hyunjin in so much pain was anything but comforting. 

“He’ll be okay,” Jeongin said and looked at the other, sitting down with his espresso after watering it down with half a cup of sugar and milk. He was a sweet person when it came to coffee after all. “They would have kept him in the hospital otherwise. If it was too dangerous they would haven’t let him go home. Also it’s Minho’s turn today.”

“Not exactly reassuring,” Seungmin huffed but he knew Minho would do great. The other knew how to take care of two adult cats and that alone should make Seungmin relax some more as Jeongin for example even forgot to feed himself sometimes and still managed to take good care of Hyunjin. “Just… I haven’t figured out why they had him as a target. If it was a warning they would have left us some hints but there is literally nothing.”

“Maybe they think we know,” Jeongin said and took a big sip from his coffee. He downed it as fast as possible craving for the caffeine to kick in and throw him somewhere into the realm of the awake or otherwise he would not get anything done today. Not that this would be a problem, there wasn’t much to do at the moment as his department head was letting the new person in training do all the difficult stuff. It was boring to Jeongin, he wanted some tasks that needed his brain but he could also just go and play Tetris instead or bring his Switch to play Animal Crossing. He even might or might not have played a round or two of Among Us in between some tasks already. “Maybe they think we know who they are or we just kept away from them, not touching their territory for a while? Don’t know, anything is possible at this point.”

A small hum left Seungmin’s lips as he stuffed some food into his mouth, not sure what to think about it. Jeongin was right and aside from them they were all on alert, ready to fight. They had even made sure that Jisung would be able to take out a person if necessary despite the fact that Jisung was anything than happy about the firearm training with Felix. But things had to be done the proper way. 

“Maybe if Hyunjin is better we can just have a movie day,” Jeongin said softly to calm down Seungmin. “Or movie night. We can cook and have snacks and watch movies and just cuddle. I know you don’t like cuddling a lot but I am sure it would do all of us good.” He knew that they needed a break from the constant worrying. Surely, getting themselves into danger was part of their job but having Hyunjin almost die from an anaphylactic shock had been something that had taken all of them by surprise. It had been no bullet, no knife to his throat, no surprise explosion or even someone choking him. It had been something so normal, something completely unrelated to the job, something that could always happen again. To all of them. They had learned that Hyunjin was also slightly allergic to animal fur and that Minho was lactose intolerant for the most part and therefore never kept cow milk around. Something none of them had known before and Seungmin had felt slightly bad for complaining whenever Minho had brought home his preferred milk instead of cow milk. 

“You did not note down what kind of milk,” Minho had only always commented and Seungmin had been annoyed with it to the point he had decided to buy the milk on his own. Now knowing Minho hadn’t done it because he wanted to piss of Seungmin but simply because he preferred to not spend the rest of his day in the bathroom was something that made him feel a little bit regretful about his reaction. 

“I would really like some cuddling,” Seungmin nodded quietly and Jeongin looked at him surprised, eyes big and confused as he hadn’t expected this. He had planned on pushing Seungmin into accepting the cuddles as he knew it would do him good – not without consent of course – but it was good the other realised it as well.

“Then it is set. Once Hyunjin’s fever is down we have a big cuddle party in your living room.”

“Yeah but you will help clean,” Seungmin then chuckled, looking at Jeongin who rolled his eyes and just mumbled a quiet “fine, okay”. After all they were always a little messy, each one of them, and cleaning after eight grown up men and two very hairy cats was never the easiest. 

“I think I’m gonna text Minho before I go back to work,” Seungmin then mumbled and grabbed his phone while still chewing on some food. “Just to calm my poor unfortunate soul of a worrying mother hen,” he added, shaking his head a bit while he typed something into his phone that Jeongin wasn’t able to see from the other side of the table.

Taking another sip his coffee Jeongin regretted having not just chucked down the espresso right away, without adding sugar and milk but he had caused his own demise and he would deal with it now. “Oh, also ask him if my computer arrived!”

“Your what?” Seungmin asked, looking up at the younger, blinking in surprise. “You ordered a computer online?” Jeongin was almost sure he could see the other roll his eyes.

“Yep. Stop judging me for it. It’s a really good one. I let it be assembled in my hometown when I visited. It’s one of my favourite shops but they needed to order a few parts so I told them to send it over and gave them your address because we’re usually at your place anyways.” The younger forced down his coffee and then made a disgusted face glad he had finally managed to chuck down that abomination of a beverage. 

Now Seungmin was nodding, a sigh on his lips. “Okay, makes sense, no judging from my side. But for real, don’t order computers online. Unless you just want a simple one, that’s fine I guess.” Well, that was something entirely different after all, they were trained IT and just getting a computer online for anything but just surfing on the internet and watching shows would probably be stupid. At least in Seungmin’s opinion. Fun fact: Chan had still done that anyways a few years ago. Just shrugged ordered one on Amazon of all places.

“Thanks, I actually do know that much. We might work in different departments but we both know IT shit.” Jeongin chuckled slightly amused. He got up, walking over to the sink. He always felt like they sometimes refused to realise that he was indeed a grown adult who was pretty much aware of everything. Surely, he was clumsy and even a little bit lost sometimes however that did not mean he needed to be babied. 

While Jeongin washed his cup Seungmin nodded, looking at the other. “I know,” he explained then, leaning back in his chair. Somehow he had gotten the vibe that there was something bothering the younger but he couldn’t read minds and all he could do was wait for the other to tell him. He did not seem to feel like it now and a work break might also not be the smartest idea. 

Minho texting him back made him pick up his phone, looking away from Jeongin. There was a small smile on his lips while he got up as well, stuffing his lunchbox back in his bag and grabbing his bottle of water. “Hyunjin’s fever went down a bit and a big package arrived for you. I guess that’s your computer.”

The smile on Jeongin’s lips was definitely bright and happy and Seungmin was relieved that for now things were alright. 

-

They were all intertwined with each other, Felix’ legs partly over Jisung’s while Changbin’s head rested on Felix’ stomach. Meanwhile he had Chan’s head on his shoulder. Somewhere in between them were Seungmin who was hugging Hyunjin and Jeongin who was making sure no one accidentally was hurting the other’s arm that was healing quite well. 

Most of them had fallen already asleep or were barely watching the movie still running on the TV while Minho had tried his best to get himself out of the pile of limbs without waking anyone up. He never really stayed on the couch when he fell asleep and Soonie looked up shortly, all curled up on Jeongin’s lap. The moment he realised it was just Minho getting up the fur ball curled back up, a small huff leaving his cute little snout. 

“You already leaving us?” Chan asked, voice quiet enough to not wake the others though he looked quite sleepy himself. He had never had a deep sleep and him falling asleep was always a small miracle, especially if he fell asleep whenever anyone else was around but he wasn’t really minding it. If he had wanted proper sleep he would not have come over to them. After all finding sleep with seven other grown up men during a cuddle-movie-night wasn’t exactly something that worked for him. Aside from that he preferred to sleep without any source of light in the room.

It had taken Minho by surprise and he took a moment, just looking at Chan before he shrugged. “Don’t want to wake you up by screaming,” he said and there was a frown on Chan’s face as he carefully got out of the pile as well, putting the blankets back over the others so his warmth would not be missed. 

“Balcony?” Chan asked, feeling a little hot after being squished in between so many people for so long. He  really needed to take a breath. Also it would assure them they would most likely not wake up the others. They looked peaceful all curled up together, Seungmin occasionally snoring into Hyunjin’s hair. 

Just nodding Minho walked towards the glass door, opening it just to turn around and grab one of the wool blankets that were stashed about everywhere in the apartment. There was a small chuckle coming from Chan as he shook his head, walking out of the door. Minho followed him, the blanket wrapped around him securely. 

Standing outside on the balcony, at the end of November at three twenty-five in the morning was quite an experience. Their breath turned to white the moment it left their lips and the remnants of the slight rain from hours before had already turned to ice on top of the handrail. If Hyunjin or Seungmin had been awake they would have probably used the moment to take pictures of it, of the colourful cityscape of Seoul in the background. They were living quite central but inside barely anything could be heard unlike right now. Now, the quiet was disturbed by cars, some honking from time to time and busy people rushing through the streets, keeping the city away even in the middle of the night.

“You are screaming again?” Chan asked, worry clear in his voice. He was moving his legs a little bit while standing on the balcony, feeling a little restless after sitting for so long. He was used to moving a lot after all, used to doing a lot of sport as well. So just sitting down and hugging his friends for hours was nice but also something he kept to a minimum. It did not feel weird at all, not in the slightest. He liked to hug and cuddle , enjoyed it a lot, but he did not have the stamina to just stay like this for a long time. 

Again Minho was shrugging, looking a little bit unsure of what to say. “It’s not like it ever really stopped,” he then said. Chan and him often talked. About their lives, about past traumas, about animals, anything and everything. Minho wasn’t afraid of letting Chan in, they had known each other for a while now and he knew that Chan was taking good care of all the stories he told him and he also gave really good advice. Yet he had a hard time finding words to describe what had changed. Denying himself to think about his problems was always something he was good with, ignoring what was going on until he was so deep in, it was hard to get out alone again. In the military he knew that working in a team was important but also everyone had their own way to go and their own weight to carry. And Minho took that very seriously. 

“But it was better,” Chan said intently, very well aware how Minho was coping with things and trying to make everyone think he was a lot better than he was. “It was better and we both know that.” 

A sigh left the younger one’s lips, looking out into the city as if he might just drown whatever sorrow he had in his heart. “My leg got worse,” he then mumbled quietly, fumbling with the limb. “I had to raise the dosage of painkillers whenever the pain hits me and recently it has been hitting me a lot especially during work.”

“Shit,” Chan mumbled, knowing how much of a problem that was. The exterior wounds had healed a long while ago, leaving Minho with a functioning leg but a lot of the pain remained. There had been shrapnel left in his body. He had had surgery for it a few times, removing what they could but there had always been some that had to be left behind, causing quite some pain in his body. And it had gotten worse. He was living with it for over five years and the doctors had reassured him it would be okay, he’d only experience pain once he got older but that had been a blatant lie. “Is another surgery an option?”

“Not really,” Minho mumbled and sighed. “I got the file and they had a really long talk with me about how close everything is to the nerves and that another surgery could cause more harm than anything else.” He looked at Chan and the other could see that there was more. More that Minho wasn’t saying, yet, and Chan wasn’t sure if he wanted to ask yet. “There already is a lot of scar tissue as well.”

While his wounds were usually healing pretty well and fast, Minho’s body seemed to create more scar tissue than average. A lot more, in fact, and it was part of the reason why another surgery might cause complications.

“How sure are they?” Chan then asked and there was a long sigh from Minho who had already expected that question. There was a small but clearly sad smile on his lips.

“Pretty sure. They sent my file to another few experts but they all said the same.” Minho leaned onto the handrail, the blanket tight around his shoulders. “So the shrapnel is going to stay in my leg.” 

Nodding slowly Chan tried to come to terms with that thought. It meant Minho would be in a lot of pain, maybe even gradually increasing pain, and he knew what that could do to people. He had seen what it had done to Minho before the other had had one of the surgeries that actually finally helped him get a little bit better. Going back to square one or even worse was everything but optimal. Nevertheless he felt like there was more to it, more to the entire situation so he asked. “But?”

And he had been right.

There was an almost amused expression on Minho’s face. He had known Chan would notice. “Honestly? I’m thinking of getting surgery.”

“Huh? But didn’t you just-“ Chan started and looked confused at Minho who hummed slightly.

“Not for the shrapnel. To amputate my leg.”

A long moment of silence surrounded them and Chan stared at Minho, not sure how to react. He knew that Minho wasn’t just making it up for fun, that he wasn’t joking and that he thought this through for a while, otherwise he would haven’t told Chan at all. The older was surprise that he hadn’t been consulted before, asked for his own opinion but then again this was a medical decision and Chan wasn’t trained in that area.

“I am sure you thought about this,” he vocalised his thoughts, not here to disagree with something he knew Minho had made a careful consideration of, “though why? I mean, amputation can cause a lot of problems too, especially phantom pain if I am not wrongly informed?” 

Humming in confirmation Minho looked at Chan. “It’s not exactly the pain I cannot deal with,” he then admitted, a frown on his face. “My pain tolerance is pretty high. It’s the trigger. The way my leg hurts, the way it starts to pulsate through my body, originating from particular spots and setting my nerves on fire.” He shook his head slightly. It was clear how hard it was for Minho to openly admit what was actually plaguing him. “It’s the reminder. Every single time the pain starts there is this short moment I think I’m back there. Fire, smoke, explosion, all that.” 

Minho never talked about the exact details, how exactly he had ended up with tiny metal fragments all over his calf and thigh. Even Chan only knew bits and pieces, knew that the things the other had just mentioned were triggers for Minho and while the other knew how he could deal with them most of the time it did not mean he always had it under control.

“During the day or during work I can deal with it,” he kept talking, explaining to Chan. “But it keeps me from sleeping. It wakes me up at night, no matter if I take a painkiller beforehand.” He bothered his bottom lip for a long moment before he kept talking. “And I think I’m back there.” And when it was dark and he hadn’t been conscious before finding a way out of it was hard. “It weakens my mental health a lot. You remember how I was when we first met. And honestly compared to my lowest this was me being almost good.” A shiver ran down his spine, knowing exactly how bad he had been, how unhealthy, well, sick he had been. 

“I cannot go back there. But every day I am one step closer to that place.” And of course it scared Minho. 

“Yeah I do,” Chan sighed, remembering vividly how bad Minho had been. They knew each other from before, from school, and when Minho had come back from being sent to whatever spot on earth they had felt fitting he hadn’t been the same. Getting to a point where he had been even fit enough to join Clé had taken him years of rehabilitation. “What will you do if the pain doesn’t stop?”

“Phantom pain might always happen. But the pain will definitely not stop like this. I’ll try one last treatment and if that doesn’t make anything better? It’s time for plan B. Or A for amputation,” Minho said, making a small joke to try and lighten the mood.

“Or Plan C for cutting the whole damn thing off,” Chan joined, understanding Minho’s reasons entirely. It was the only chance on getting better that he had. His quality of life was getting worse every day and he knew Minho’s PTSD would not disappear from amputating his leg, surely, but it was better than his mind going down the gutter and eventually Minho too. It was about the lesser harm and Chan knew that Minho wanted to live, that Minho enjoyed being alive despite all the trauma he had, despite the fact that he was actively in pain, every day. 

A small laugh was now leaving the younger’s lips and he nodded in agreement. “I mean, you are not wrong.” He had consulted quite a few experts about the amputation already and of course he had heard about all the possible side effects, the phantom pain, the scar tissue, the healing problems and so on. Yet Minho preferred all of that over the fact of losing himself again. He knew the new treatment he was going to try might not show any signs of change or would even get him worse faster than he wanted but he also knew that he would stop if it did that.

However, the side effects were not the only thing Minho had to keep in mind. Undergoing an amputation meant he’d be unavailable for missions for quite a while and with his current partner already out of active combat wasn’t ideal. They would lose two people and while Chan was a great trainer, Minho knew more about how to push Hyunjin into training his left arm for close-range combat.

“Will you tell the others any time soon?” the older asked, a little less worried now that he knew what was going on and that Minho was actually taking care of himself. Pushing away his problems, surely, but still taking good measurements. 

Nodding slightly Minho sighed, pulling the blanket a little bit closer. “Mhm.” He looked through the glass door to look at the rest of their team but instead he only saw the reflection of Seoul at night. 

-

Sitting cross-legged in the middle of the gym hall Felix watched Minho groan for the nth time to Hyunjin throwing a snarky comment at him.

Ever since Hyunjin’s wound had started to properly heal he had gotten more and more snarky. He wasn’t supposed to move his right arm until it his doctor and his physical therapist told him to though that also meant a frustrated Hyunjin who was trying very hard to not lose his patience with his untrained left arm. There was no day without him not spilling anything and they had changed from glasses to plastic cups. 

They all were understanding however when Minho had found Hyunjin all curled up and sulking for the second week in a row after the fever had gone, he had lost it. Kicking Hyunjin from his bed hadn’t been the smartest move as it had ended up in a scuffle but everyone else had tried to get the other out and about. Felix had asked him to come and go on a picnic, Jisung had invited Hyunjin to a movie, even Changbin had offered a trip to the dog park but Hyunjin had turned everything down, preferring the solace of his bed and the worldwide web. And while Minho had decided that one week was okay to give Hyunjin a break – he had tried talking him into getting his pretty little butt out of his room first – he wasn’t letting him drown in self-pity a second week. 

It had worked though. After the scuffle Hyunjin had eaten with them for the first time in a row and had even decided to leave the house with Jeongin, Jisung and Seungmin afterwards. Minho had been extremely grateful to have the apartment for a few hours just for himself. 

So now here they were, in the gym, Minho training Hyunjin in the basics while the younger had tried to work out some more so he had enough strength in his left arm.

The rest of the team mostly joined, Felix refreshing Jisung’s knowledge and training of firearms for an hour before they just worked out a bit. And while Jisung had quite some stamina Felix was already done for the next two weeks. He was a sharpshooter, not a bodybuilder. 

Unlike Changbin who was lying on the ground next to Felix, grinning at him. He wasn’t exactly a body builder but considering his really well-trained body he could be one. Whenever Changbin and Felix met in the gym the latter was always surprised how well-built his body was as the older usually covered his body in big, black hoodies, looking small and fluffy in them. 

“Is that not exhausting?” Felix asked, looking over at Changbin who was all sweaty from working out. Confusion was seen at the question that had just come out of the blue.

“What exactly?” the other asked curiously, turning to his stomach propping up his arms.

“Working out, keeping this body and such?” With curious eyes Felix turned more to Changbin and away from Hyunjin’s and Minho’s training session that might as well have been a little crime scene. They both showed clear signs of possible murder – but Felix knew this wasn’t the first time and they would be okay.

A small laugh escaped Changbin’s lips and he shook his head a bit, humming happily. “Honestly, I like it. It gives me a sense of achievement and also it is part of my job, I guess?” He shrugged slightly and rolled to the side, keeping his eyes on the younger. “I mean, I’ve always worked as some kind of bodyguard or eh, well, was there to threaten people and break their bones. I always needed a good amount of strength for that and working out helped. As you can imagine.”

“Thanks but I prefer to not imagine how you are breaking bones,” Felix huffed a bit but he did not mean it. He had known Changbin long enough to be aware what his job included and even what he had done even before he had joined Clé. “I mean, it does make sense. Still feels exhausting.”

Shaking his head Changbin thought for a moment before he replied. “Not really,” he mused slowly. “It’s part of my routine. I work out every day so I kinda got used to it I guess? It’s not exhausting to me. It’s more like a hobby I do and it is fun to me. It means down time for me, time to relax.”

Quietly Felix listened to the other and hummed slightly. “So like… gaming for me,” he wondered and saw the other nodding. “It’s making you feel good about yourself and helps you come down from the stress, I understand that. Everyone has something else that helps them feel good and relax.”

“Who is making who feel good?” Jisung grinned, settling down between the other two, hair wet from the shower and a bright smile on his lips.

“You yourself, clearly, while showering,” Changbin grinned and Jisung’s cheeks turned all red and he huffed. 

“Not true! I just massaged my scalp! Sometimes that feels a lot better than anything else!” Jisung tried to explain and he shook his head eagerly. “I know I make weird sounds while doing that!” He tried to hide his face behind his hands, regretting that he had thought sitting down with the other two had been a good idea.

Felix and Changbin both laughed out loud, grinning at the other. “You just exposed yourself,” Felix then said and looked at the other. “None of us was anywhere near the shower. Also feel free to touch yourself whenever you want to, it’s not like I’m going to judge. Or anyone else.” 

Those words were not exactly helping Jisung with the colour in his face, a small whine leaving his lips. He had yet to get used to them suddenly turning a joke into a halfway serious conversation. Not that he minded it, it was nice that he could speak about such things this openly but it was still a little new and overwhelming to him.

“True, work is quite exhausting already, if it helps you release stress, then go ahead and have some sexy time,” Changbin nodded and Felix laughed amused.

“Sexy time, huh?”

“Jup. Like a nice handjob, a blowjob, sex, some making out, toys, watching a porn, read a nice book with a sex scene, whatever, man. Just… whatever helps. Sexy time. Time including sexy things.” The oldest had absolutely no shame talking about it though by now even Felix’ cheeks showed a small amount of blush. He was used to Chan suddenly calling out that he needed some sex or some other kind of stress relief but Changbin just looked like some strong, warm teddy bear and if anyone had asked Felix if Changbin had sex he would clearly have denied it. 

Now the silence seemed to make Changbin more uncomfortable and he looked at them, confusion on his face. “Oh come on, don’t act like innocent little butterflies,” he whined and looked from one to another.

“I am not but I kind of thought you were,” Felix said and rubbed his neck, making Changbin look utterly confused.

“Felix,” he started slowly and a little bit unsure if it was appropriate to speak his thoughts but then again Jisung was one of them so why not. “We had sex before. You and me.”

With wide eyes the newest addition of their team stared at each other, confusion on his face now too. “Wait. You two had sex. But Felix thought you never- What?” 

“I guess?” Changbin said and shrugged a bit, not entirely sure what to think of that situation. When looking at Jisung he couldn’t see the slightest expression of disgust on his face and it made him relax a bit. He had been worried what the new information could cause, especially as he had no idea if Jisung had some kind of homophobic tendencies but Jisung did not even seem slightly bothered by that. More by the information that Felix had actually forgotten that he had had sex with one of his team members. 

Felix however looked like his brain was breaking, falling apart before, finally, his face lit up and he clapped his hands. 

“During the gala! We fucked during the gala,” he called out and hadn’t only Minho and Hyunjin look over with a clear question mark on their faces but also Chan who put his head through the door of the training area and called a “What?”.

With red ears Felix groaned, having embarrassed himself pretty clearly but just shaking his head. Changbin and Jisung ended up laughing that made the others shrug and look away, luckily.

“That wasn’t what I tried to do,” Felix admitted and Changbin patted the other’s shoulder slightly. 

“You are right, we had sex after the gala. You acted like this really rich, snobby but cute foreigner that understood nothing,” Changbin chuckled amused. “It’s been a few years but virginity doesn’t just grow back. I think.” He looked at the freckled one who just huffed. “Also it did not have time to,” he added, making clear that he did have sex more than just once.

“Oh my gosh, Changbin,” Felix whined and shook his head. Now he was the one trying to cover his face and pulled Jisung in front of him, making the other laugh. 

“What?” Changbin laughed, a bright grin on his face. “I am a grown up man. Sometimes having some sex is nice.”

It only made Felix whine and Jisung shook his head amused. “I agree, by the way. Sometimes sex is really nice,” Jisung said and smiled, petting Felix’ hair, now getting a lot more comfortable with the topic. “So you two, huh?”

“Kind of had a fling, yes,” Changbin nodded and shrugged a bit. “We stopped cause I had a mission in a different town and somehow never started to get at it again.”

“Yeah, we kind of never talked about it either. I was busy in Australia shortly after you came back.” Felix shrugged a bit, surprised they were now talking about this topic but not minding it. “And then you had this cute girlfriend.” He pouted a bit. “Ah, she was so funny,” he sighed and huffed, leaning back. “And so pretty!”

Changbin lifted an eyebrow and rolled his eyes. “True, I mean, she is still both of that but also single. Date her if you want to?” He laughed a bit, surprised at how cute Felix looked when he mused about beautiful girls. Or more exact: his own ex-girlfriend.

“Nah. I have a lean towards males and also you said she betrayed you so, nope.” Felix shook his head eagerly. Aside from that he was definitely not up for dating his team mates ex-girlfriends, that was something for disaster people and not him. He stretched a bit and looked how curious Jisung seemed to get. “Changbin is pan, I’m pretty bisexual,” he then explained and now he could see Jisung’s ears go red. He had clearly not expected the other to catch on.

“I uhm… thought so.” Jisung rubbed his neck shyly. He seemed a bit embarrassed but not because it was uncomfortable, more because the whole situation was new to him. Openly talking about sex and sexuality, Jisung had never experienced that before. His family had been caring, just like his friends, but all of them had been pretty up-tight.

“What about you? What do you like, Jisungie?” Felix asked curiously and Changbin chuckled.

“Wow, calm down, Felix. Don’t overwhelm him like this,” the oldest said and shook his head, putting a hand on Felix’ leg as a sign to go slow. 

“Uhm- uh-“ was all Jisung said, fidgeting with his fingers while holding onto his shirt. “Honestly? I don’t know.” His voice was quiet and his cheeks got a little red again.

“Oh, that is super fine,” Changbin hummed and Felix nodded. “I thought I was straight for a long time.” After all he was in the mafia and dating woman was usually the go. However Changbin had eventually said fuck it and had made out with a guy – had been pretty interesting. “Chan was my first kiss with a man, you know?”

“What?” Felix said, almost yelling those words and his eyes were closely to fall out. “Chan isn’t straight?” 

A loud laugh left Jisung’s and Changbin’s lips, making Jisung fall over and hold his stomach. “Oh my gosh, Felix,” he said and shook his head. “Do you not live with him?” He grinned at the younger one who lifted an eyebrow.

“I do?? What?” Felix looked confused from one to another and over to Bang Chan who was working out in the gym room. He could see their oldest glance over, worried expression but Felix just showed him a thumb up and the other looked away with a relieved smile.

“Have you never noticed how he checks people out? Female and male,” Jisung said amused and shook his head. Now even he had realised that and it had been pretty clear that Chan wasn’t interested in only one gender. 

“I thought he did that to just… check them out? Evaluate the potential danger? Something like that?” Felix said and was clearly not sure what to think about the entire situation. He had been so damn sure that Bang Chan was straight, one hundred percent, though it had never been an important topic before. It had just been something he had assumed but clearly, Felix’ intuition when it came to sexualities was non-existent. 

Jisung only laughed some more. “Sure, he checks my butt out to see if it’s dangerous,” he chuckled, taking a breath just to end up laughing more. Oh, this was a much better workout than doing sit ups or some other shit he had to do. 

“He did w h a t?” 

Now Changbin absolutely lost it too, Felix staring at them with big eyes and shaking his head. He glanced over to Chan and back. Well, that was some revealing here and he hadn’t expected any of this.

“The straightness just sank by like… fifty percent or so,” Felix huffed and pouted but he found it rather amusing if he was honest. He hadn’t seen it coming but it wasn’t like it was changing anything. 

“Or more,” Changbin then added and the youngest looked confused at them.

“What do you mean?” Felix asked and now Changbin just winked at him, shaking his head amused. 

“Secret. You’ll find out one day,” he said and grinned at Felix, leaving Jisung as clueless as his freckled friend as well. “Okay, time to change the topic!”

“Not fair,” Felix said but then followed the other’s words. If Changbin did not want to tell, he would not after all. But he had enjoyed the bickering a lot and figuring out some more about the other two. “So, do you wanna go grab something to eat?” he asked and Jisung grinned brightly, nodding eagerly right away. 

They had figured out how easy it was to get Jisung out of any building with just the possibility of food and chill. He was usually not the most up for any events, preferring his own room or the living room of the three roommates a lot more than any entertainment that considered getting properly dressed and walking. It was pretty hard to get him to work out too though Minho had started to just put him over the shoulder and take him towards the car which usually worked too.

It wasn’t that Jisung minded once he was in the training room but actually having to leave the house was just such a big obstacle, he was almost glad Minho was carrying him out. Also he could always slap the other’s butt and the first one always made Minho make a funny sound that got them all laughing.

“Sounds good to me,” Changbin hummed, looking at them. “Should we invite the others too?” he asked and turned towards Hyunjin and Minho, clearly seeing that Hyunjin was throwing something at Minho who just dodged it like it was the easiest thing ever. Ah, the daily scuffle had started again.

“Mh, I am not sure,” Jisung mumbled, looking over at the two and then back at Felix and Changbin.

“No worries, they’ll be fine once they have some tasty food in their mouth,” he hummed. At the same moment a loud scream from Hyunjin pierced the air.

“Suck on my fucking toe!” Hyunjin yelled, throwing a towel at Minho who easily caught it, looking very unimpressed. “No, you know what? Choke on it! Choke. On. My Toe. Or all of them!” Hyunjin was angrily rushing towards the exit, probably to grab his stuff or take an angry shower. Whatever helped him get the steam off. 

“Not what I meant with tasty food,” Felix huffed and crossed his arms. “But whatever fits.”

Changbin chuckled amused while Jisung looked worried. By now the latter had realised that this was normal for Minho and Hyunjin, especially at the moment, but it still wasn’t really nice to see.

“You guys okay?” Chan asked, now walking out of the gym room and towards the others, worry on his face too. He wasn’t entirely sure what had happened between them so he couldn’t know if it was their typical lover’s quarrel or rather some real argument. 

“Just the typical,” Minho sighed and walked over to them, flopping onto the ground. He looked tired and exhausted and it was easy to see that sleep had been not his best friend. He huffed and put his head onto Changbin’s thighs, a small sound leaving his lips. “He’s frustrated.” 

Minho curled up a bit like one of his cats, hugging Changbin’s thigh while Changbin gently brushed through the other’s hair. Chan flopped down as well, glancing over to the exit where Hyunjin had disappeared in.

“I mean, I get it,” Felix admitted and Minho nodded. They both had been in a similar situation, especially Felix. Minho was ambidextrous so even when his stronger arm had been injured. he had still been able to do his job. However Hyunjin was currently on break and until he was able to use his left arm in attack and defence he wasn’t allowed back on any active cases unless it meant observation. And Hyunjin definitely hated observation. None of them was really surprised about that. 

“Same,” Minho mumbled and rubbed his temple to release the headache he was getting. He had yet to tell the others about his leg but he had been holding back as telling the team meant putting more pressure on Hyunjin. And honestly he already had enough stress. “He already got a lot better,” he then said and looked up at his friends. “Like a lot better.” 

But they all knew how hard it was to realise their own achievements after all. Especially if they were in a bad headspace.

“It’s good that he let it out,” Minho huffed and brushed his own fingers through his hair this time. 

“Yeah but he shouldn’t let it all out on you, Min,” Chan said and looked at his friend, rubbing his back a bit. He knew Minho wasn’t really in a good mood. 

Just recently he had started the new treatment for his leg and the pain hadn’t really gone down ever since he did. His doctor had told him it was normal, it would take some time till the pain would start to reduce and they had assured him that the ultimatum Minho had given them was reasonable. It should get better until then however for now it had done nothing but get worse. 

And that meant Minho would be in a rather painful state for the time being. It wasn’t exactly easy to not snap at anyone, especially not when it came to Hyunjin, but he knew the other was already trying so hard and this was just his way of coping. 

“It’s okay, I’m the older,” Minho mumbled, his hand back to resting on the side of his body which Changbin took as cue to carefully resume petting the other’s hair once more, trying to give him some time to relax, a way and place to feel safe and sound.

They all were on edge ever since the accident which was no surprise. None of them had found out anything about who had targeted Hyunjin and it was bothering all of them. The lurking danger could come at them at any time. Not that they were ever safe. Usually it was something they could live with. But knowing there was someone out who had attacked them, who had injured one of their people yet was still running around freely, possibly planning their next attack, it was worse than most of the threats they faced.

“No,” Chan said and sighed. “You might be older but it’s not your job to collect all of the negative emotions we face. You aren’t in a good mood either. None of us are.” He looked at the others, Felix nodding right away. 

“He’s right,” Jisung nodded, looking at him. “Who’s going to take your stress from you, mh?”

There was a clear point on Minho’s lips and he huffed a bit. He knew the others were right but there was nothing he could really do about it at the moment which he voiced with another sigh. His sulking got even stronger. 

“Would taking you out on a food date lift up your mood?” Felix asked and Minho looked up at him. 

“Food date?” the other asked, a soft smile on his lips. “Yes, definitely,” he then hummed and leaned more into Changbin’s gentle touch. “But we have to ask Hyunjin too, okay?” 

Even though he knew it wasn’t his fault at all, Minho would feel bad if they did not invite Hyunjin. They were friends too and Hyunjin surely needed a cheer up.

“I know a nice restaurant,” Chan said then, a grin on his lips. “He can use a fork there,” he added to it, knowing it would make it a lot more accessible for Hyunjin to eat at the place. After all he currently was only supposed to use one arm. 

“Sounds great,” Jisung nodded eagerly and grinned brightly at them, humming softly. “I’ll go and see if I can get Hyunjin to join us.” He got up and stretched a bit before rushing towards the exit. 

“Shouldn’t we have like… warned him that Hyunjin is most likely taking a shower right now?” Chan said and Changbin chuckled amused, shaking his head.

“Oh believe me, he’ll figure that out on his own. Just like we did.”

And just in that moment a very high-pitched scream filled the hall. 

Chapter Text

Champagne in one hand and some salmon nibbles in the other Hyunjin strutted through the halls of the Great Gala.

The Great Gala was for anyone who had contacts to the art business. No matter if it was a photographer, a painter, an author, a model or whatever, they were allowed inside – as long as they had gotten an invite.

It was pretty fancy, luxurious decorations everywhere and security on all doors so everyone inside could feel safe and sound. It was a yearly event and Clé always mingled with the people. It was a great opportunity to get new contacts and use them for their upcoming cases and missions.

A small smile was seen on Hyunjin’s lips as he handed Jisung the plate with food before picking up his glass and taking a sip. He moved carefully and slow whenever he used both his hands as his shoulder was still not entirely healed, however he was able to use it again for holding light objects. Moving was sadly still limited however it was better than being prohibited from using his arm at all. So, his mood had increased immensely and being able to socialise with people was another big plus. Needless to say, Hyunjin was having a great day.

“Oh, thanks!” Jisung grinned brightly and took the plate with the snacks. Today he was Hyunjin’s plus one and honestly the way they had dressed him up was making him feel unbelievably handsome and fancy.

They had picked him a really nice suit with some cute accessories and Hyunjin had even done his make-up. He looked fabulous. Way too many people had already initiated conversations him and while Jisung was very open about the fact that he only had seen quite a few documentaries about any kind of artistic styles or eras, he did look very interested into whenever people explained some of the paintings or different kind of writing styles to him. He loved knowledge and therefore he loved being here, mixing with so many people filled with information and Jisung had already gotten a handful of business cards, some people even adding their phone number in case he had more questions. And honestly Jisung wasn’t entirely sure if that was an offer for something considered naughty or not but he left it at that.

“Have you spotted Felix already?” Hyunjin asked, wondering where the rest of his group had ended up while he sipped on his champagne. It was a lot better to be here than being in his apartment, still unhappy about his fate of being on a forced break. Right now luckily he wasn’t on break, he was in active duty and part of this mission. Hyunjin had never been this excited even though most of his job was just to observe and monitor the situation and the people. But even that was so much better than being alone in an apartment, listening to some audiobooks or watching TV. Something he had done way too often these past few weeks.

“Oh, he ended up flirting with one of the auction guys,” Jisung answered and nodded towards the next room that was connected by a really big, beautiful archway. It had no door, no hinges, just one open gateway with beautiful ornaments, something Jisung just had to touch once they had passed it for the first time and all Hyunjin had done was lift his eyebrow. Even before Hyunjin had joined Clé he had seen this place a few times before, after all he had been a rather famous model.

A little surprised Hyunjin looked to the other room but it was crowded with so many people, he couldn’t spot Felix in there. Hopefully Minho was somewhere near him. Despite the fact that he was aware how well Felix could take care of himself, he felt quite protective of Felix.

“Earlier that one guy looked at him weirdly,” Hyunjin mumbled and Jisung chuckled amused, shaking his head. He wasn’t sure if the other was talking about the same guy from the auction Jisung had seen Felix with before or just someone else but honestly he couldn’t care less.

“You should see how the people look at you, Jin,” Jisung grinned, quiet enough so just Hyunjin could hear it. He didn’t want to come off as having no manners to anyone who was seeing them so he needed to make sure to keep his voice quiet. He knew how easily rich people could take offense in anything.

“But that’s kind of my job,” Hyunjin said and then frowned for a moment. “Was, I mean. It kind of was my job.” And he loved it. He loved the attention, the compliments and even now he enjoyed the pity he got upon people noticing the sling he had for his arm. He literally bathed in it, this was something that made him feel good, this was his expertise. However Felix hadn’t grown up in this kind of place. None of them had, only Hyunjin who even felt at home in this kind of places. And, to their all surprise, Jisung seemed to fit in so very well too.

The other had grown up rich too until just shortly when the company of his father had gone bankrupt and everything had gone down the train. Still Jisung knew a lot about rich people, how they thought, how they reacted and what they wanted to see. It was helpful and useful.

“I know,” Jisung hummed happily as he nibbled on his food. “But trust them.” He gently patted Hyunjin’s shoulder, a soft hum coming from his lips. “If something happens they’ll text us.”

There was clear disagreement and unhappiness on Hyunjin’s face – he wanted to be in control, to know at all times that everyone was safe and sound. Yet he knew that Jisung was right. If something was going on the others needed their assistance for, they would either text or inform them personally. In addition they were all rather competent, knowing how to take care of themselves in a difficult environment, none of them had problems with adjusting to situations they were not used to. Even Jisung had proven himself when it came to such things.

Over the span of the last months he had fit in pretty well. He had no problems with adapting or learning, his brain was literally a sponge. They had also figured out that his observing skills were almost better than Felix’ and the other was one of the best already. He enjoyed keeping an eye on his surroundings and the people and he had fun interacting with them, especially in events.

It was a surprise to all of them as they had been sure that Jisung was more of introvert whenever they went out with him but clearly when it came to a mission he was really up for anything.

“Okay okay,” Hyunjin eventually mumbled and took another sip from his champagne. He wasn’t exactly worried, this was just the first time he was here with people instead of all alone. Especially after the incident that had caused the injury to his arm. He just wanted to keep an eye on his friends just like they had done with him. Making sure everyone was alright.

Jisung was in the middle of nibbling on some food when he noticed something, freezing in the middle of munching. He then gently nudged Hyunjin who frowned, lifting an eyebrow in confusion.

“What?” he asked, holding his drink and looking over towards the spot Jisung had gazed at.

Now that was unusual.

In the middle of the crowd they found Jeongin, all dressed up and handsome, looking like a sophisticated, rich man and clearly entertaining a handful of people of all ages and gender. Shortly he seemed to notice Hyunjin and Jisung before he looked away and smirked, turning his full attention back to the people.

Jeongin wasn’t supposed to be here. None of them remembered him having an invite or being planned to come along, but that had clearly been him.

“Was that-“

“That definitely was Jeongin,” Hyunjin nodded and Jisung stared at the youngest of their team before he looked back at Hyunjin.

“I thought he wasn’t part of this mission?”

Jeongin probably had his own mission, his own reason to be here, and it wasn’t rare that something happened and yet it still surprised them both. Usually Jeongin wasn’t planned into social gatherings. Surely, he was the backup team with Felix but he was mostly working in the shadow with Seungmin.

“That’s quite a surprise,” Hyunjin mumbled and then looked at Jisung. “Me neither. But I guess that’s what he meant when he said he had plans anyway.” They had offered to take Jeongin along but the other had only chuckled and shook his head, telling them he was busy so this would explain it.

“Honestly, at this point nothing surprises me anymore,” Jisung then mumbled. “If all of us end up in here? So be it, let us end up as a big party. Adventure time deluxe.” He laughed softly before he ate the rest of his snack and then looked at Hyunjin. “It is time for us to mingle again, I guess.”

“Mhm,” the older said and took another sip from his glass, eventually emptying it. He was only moderately drinking, just for the social gathering and also because the host had clearly spent quite some money on the drinks and food and it would be a waste to not enjoy them.

“See you later,” Hyunjin hummed and nodded towards Jisung before he turned around and disappeared between the people. It was easier to be approached when being alone.

A small smile was seen on Jisung’s lips as he moved into the other direction, making his way towards the art gallery again to find someone who would eventually spill some interesting facts about a painting or some other project. That was his favourite part, getting to hear new things. Not the people, he didn’t really care about the people if he was honest, but he enjoyed getting the information. And they definitely needed the contacts too so he was up for that as well.

While moving towards the area he spotted Felix, looking like he was listening on a rather young man. Jisung wasn’t sure if it was the same man from the auction he had seen earlier or if it was someone else, but Felix looked all satisfied and happy so he wasn’t here to bother him.

The area was less crowded than the halls and slowly Jisung made his way past the photographs and popular paintings and other creations of art. Earlier he had seen a very abstract statue and he hadn’t been sure what exactly it was supposed to be but the stone had looked surprisingly smooth and soft, a clear illusion to the eye and his mind so he had eventually ended up touching it. An old man had reprimanded him before he had ended up all engulfed in Jisung, telling him about the roman statues and all other kinds Jisung had only read about. He had no idea how but somehow the man had eventually been very fond with how curious Jisung was and how he clearly wanted to hear all the knowledge the man was ready to give.

Now he was in a different corner, no statue to be found however beautiful paintings that almost looked real. Jisung had to doublecheck that it really were paintings and not photography – he was sure Seungmin would have rolled his eyes about that.

Seungmin loved photography Jisung had learned and it was also part of his cover. It was easy to create a cover for Seungmin. He knew a lot about photography and his pictures had even made it into the art gallery. At first they all had thought it was just someone from Clé who had taken the pictures and Seungmin was acting like they were his but they were, in fact, taken by him. Hyunjin had to tell Jisung about it, leaving him stunned and a little bit confused at how talented Seungmin was. Sadly today Seungmin wasn’t here with them.

“The artist really took his time while creating this masterpiece,” he heard a familiar voice and when Jisung looked up he saw Minho standing next to him.

He was wearing no suit however he looked handsome, black expensive looking pants and a grey jacket above a black fancy pullover. He was also wearing glasses, Jisung had seen him with glasses before but never for long. It made him look fashionable and even more handsome than he already was – he fit right in here despite not following the typical dress code.

“I barely know anything about it but it looks really beautiful,” Jisung hummed and got a short, amused glance from the older.

“Really?” Minho said and tilted his head towards a sign. “It’s not hard to figure out anything about it, there is a small information card right next to it.” He winked at Jisung who chuckled a bit and leaned forward to read the sign, actually learning that the artist had taken a year to create the painting. However, Jisung couldn’t even judge if it was a long time or not, he had never tried creating such a detailed and beautiful painting.

“Would you put it in your living room?” Jisung asked curiously, turning a bit towards his co-worker who shook his head slightly.

“No, I have two cats who might ruin this artwork,” Minho hummed and kept his eyes on the painting. It was showing a big river surrounded by beautiful flowers and trees, a landscape that gave off a calming vibe with pastel colours. “Though, I might consider my company. It would fit perfectly into my office.”

A chuckle left Jisung’s lips and he looked back at the painting, entertained by the way Minho was acting and speaking. It fit the overall setting.

“What about you?” he was then asked and Jisung shrugged slightly.

“No, I think art would be lost in my hands. It belongs somewhere nice, somewhere people can marvel it and see how aesthetically pleasing it is. That is definitely not my home.” Jisung shook his head a bit and the other nodded slightly.

“I understand, it seems like we both don’t like to offer guests into our house a lot, am I wrong?” Minho asked and he could see a few people glance at them, curious of their conversation and Jisung noticed one of them be a man who had earlier talked to him about some photography who was just staring at him and then at Minho, checking him out and shortly glancing at the other’s thighs and butt. Jisung almost lost it at that but managed to hold in a laugh and only grinned brightly.

This however made Minho look confused at him, getting just a headshake as an answer.

They spent some time together, strolling through the gallery and Minho was able to tell him a few more things about some pieces. It was fascinating and Jisung mentally noted down to go to more museums and other art galleries. He usually preferred staying in the places he lived in, his own room his safe space or the living room of the others’ apartment. It always made him feel good, safe and sound, especially as he was still pushing away working on what had happened to his family. It was a sensitive subject after all. But every time he was out he realised how much he loved doing this. How much he loved actively learning instead of sitting in front of a screen and just hearing and seeing the things. Here he could even almost touch it – well, sometimes he also just touched things even though that wasn’t always appreciated.

“I know,” Minho mumbled and Jisung looked up, confused at his company.

“You know what?” he asked but Minho made a gesture telling Jisung he wasn’t talking to him. Looking around he couldn’t see anyone he was talking to until he realised Minho’s very well-hidden earpiece. Oh. So he was probably talking to Seungmin or Jeongin but as Jeongin was somewhere in here it was most likely Seungmin.

So Minho probably had an extra mission added to his pile. Jisung had to admit that Minho looked less approachable than Hyunjin, Felix or him so it did make sense. When they had been briefed Minho had only been there for a short time as well, disappearing rather quickly. Three of them entertaining people and getting contacts was already enough and Jeongin and Minho in here as well meant clearly there was more to it than they knew.

“Say hello,” Jisung hummed and moved over to another painting, curious at what was written on it. He was trying to remember all the information he was reading and whenever he spoke to a stranger in here he tried to use it, trying to look smarter than he was.

For a bit Jisung walked, getting hit up by a woman who looked rather young despite all her wrinkles. The smile reached her eyes and he talked to her for a bit, learning that she was indeed a painter as well and looking for someone to invest into her. He made no promises though he did tell her he’d make sure to pass her business card on to some people who he knew might be interested. Earlier he had accidentally made someone interested in buying Seungmin’s photographs as well and that hadn’t been on purpose so maybe he could keep doing that. It was entertaining to him.

As he kept walking he ended up in the area Hyunjin had been earlier, snacks and drinks everywhere and Jisung smiled brightly, taking a glass of champagne and some bites too, happy to enjoy some nice food.

“Leave some for me too,” he heard from his left side and when he turned he saw Jeongin, grinning brightly and sneaking himself a glass before stealing some food from Jisung’s plate.

“I would not if I could but I fear I am unable to devour all of it even if I tried,” Jisung gave back and looked at their youngest who seemed pretty satisfied with the answer.

“You better not, I had no breakfast,” Jeongin pouted as he took a huge sip from the alcohol, downing most of his drink while he walked over to Jisung. “However, I already had like three glasses of champagne and two orange juices because someone thought I was too young to have alcohol.” There clearly was some disappointment in his eyes and it made Jisung laugh quietly.

“I would have said you look older, not younger with that look but whatever floats their boat.”

“I think they were like, ninety, one foot already in the grave, but at least I got them to sign so I am one happy man,” Jeongin chuckled and emptied the glass then, putting it aside and eating the food he had gotten himself.

“Sign?” Confused Jisung looked at the other, leaning onto one of the high tables that were put up for the guests to rest. Further down the room were smaller tables with chairs however Jisung knew he wasn’t here to sit and rest, he needed to keep going otherwise he would notice that he was tired and that his social battery needed a recharge and that was only possible with him taking a week of naps. It was too early to leave yet.

Instead of an answer Jeongin nodded, a smirk on his lips as he pushed the entire piece of food into his mouth, making him unable to say anything. Clever move, however Jisung made a mental note to ask Jeongin when he had had more alcohol. The others had told him Jeongin got a lot more talkative when he was more drunk and it wasn’t impossible if the other had had no breakfast and it was almost dinner time already, the sun already set outside.

“For now you got away,” Jisung hummed and shook his head, sipping on his own drink. He had made sure to eat enough and even have a good night of sleep. He was rested, as well as he could be for meeting so many people in one sitting, but it was okay. For now Jisung found he was doing pretty well, especially as it was one of his first official missions.

Clé had added him to the team, temporarily at least. He was still on probation so it could turn out pretty bad too, but he had been assured each and every single one of them went through the same trial and it was rather rare that an addition got kicked out of the team. So for now Jisung was just enjoying that he had made it. Yet he had to be assigned a proper role though he was for now not worried about that.

Seungmin had told him that this sometimes took a while, testing out what he was good with. There were quite a few possibilities. Jisung was glad he was allowed to test out whatever he was good in without getting any kind of pressure and if he was honest the last few months had been one of the best he had had for a while. Childhood excluded, of course. Life sometimes just sucked.

“Thanks,” Jeongin said and hummed happily, getting a new glass of alcohol. In the other rooms some people were running around with trays, offering people food and drinks, in here though they could just take what they wanted and didn’t get bothered by anyone. “Were you successful too?” he then asked and Jisung nodded, patting his pockets that were filled with business cards and numbers.

“Definitely. Also I talked to the others. I didn’t know you would be here, did you get an invite?” he asked curiously and Jeongin winked.

“I have my ways,” he teased, not giving a proper answer again and this time Jisung laughed amused, not minding it. “But yeah, it was a last minute decision. I actually planned to go to the movies today and just have a self-care day, do nothing and just have fun, but they asked me if I had time and could join so, blergh, here I am.”

Jeongin looked adorable when sulking, he immediately seemed a few years younger than he definitely was, back in his early twenties for sure. Jisung had the urge to squish his cheeks or poke them however he held back. It would look anything but appropriate in their setting, especially with so many wealthy people around who would probably be taken off-guard by such behaviour.

“Hyunjin and I saw you earlier and were confused,” Jisung instead explained and looked around, wondering if he could find Hyunjin or Felix however he was too far away from the crowded rooms so it was a useless attempt.

A soft hum left the youngest lips and he nodded. “I saw. You looked utterly taken aback. It was beautiful,” Jeongin grinned and followed Jisung’s glance. “I only shortly talked to Minho when I got here and saw you guys earlier but not Lixie. Is he good?”

“Oh he is amazing,” Jisung laughed slightly.” He found himself a hottie and last time I checked they were talking so who knows.” He remembered the talk about Changbin and Felix having an affair that started during a gala and he groaned, brushing over his face. Oh well, if they found Felix all disheveled later they knew what he had been doing. But if he got his job done, who cared if he had some fun in between, right?

“What- no, wait, do I even want to know what you are thinking of?” Jeongin asked, catching onto the vibe.

“You might already know but I am sure it will not be missed if you don’t,” Jisung admitted and the other chuckled amused.

“Well, then you better suffer alone,” he hummed and stretched, looking around. “Do you still have to go out and do some more work?” he then asked curiously, his eyes wandering to the open arch and into the next hall. There were quite some people and soon another event would start on the stage and usually that was break time for most of them.

“I don’t know, I think I am done?” Jisung said a little unsure. He had gotten quite a few contacts and business cards. He wasn’t sure if Clé could use any of them but he just hoped for the best. “I have like both my pockets full. I do have most of their faces saved too, either in my brain or on my phone,” he chuckled a bit, emptying his glass and putting it on the table for used dishes. An employee was about to take the things away and nodded shortly at Jisung as the other smiled at him with warm eyes and mumbled a “Thank you”. It was a lot of work after all and Jisung wanted to be remembered as a nice one, not as a snobby bitch that looked down on hardworking people.

“Good,” Jeongin grinned and nodded. “I guess you are done then.” He linked Jisung’s arm and looked around. “Let’s just go have some fun. Drink champagne, look at everything and maybe we can even find the others?”

“Sure, why not,” Jisung nodded, leaning a bit onto the other. He was surprised how excited Jisung got but the other looked like a social person so maybe he enjoyed being in a place filled with people. And trying to find the needle in the hay – aka their friends. At least both Hyunjin and Felix were blond so they would be easier found than Minho who was just having simple dark brown hair and therefore disappeared between all kinds of people. The crowd literally swallowed him, Felix too as he was of average height, however Hyunjin was sticking out quite nicely.

“Nice, let’s have some fun then!” Jeongin grinned and pulled Jisung towards the crowd after they had grabbed a glass of champagne. They had worked all day, they were now allowed to enjoy themselves a bit.

Chapter Text

Sipping his nth glass of some kind of liquid Hyunjin was standing in a group of very wealthy people, most of them either models or married to a model. He knew them from before and he was keeping contact with a few of them. It was nice to be surrounded by something that he had considered his dream before the fateful event almost a year ago. And now it all seemed so stupid to him yet he still enjoyed it a lot.

Social gatherings with people were exactly his thing, especially if they were somewhere connected to the model industry. It had never been easy to get through the day when he had been young but it had been interesting and he had travelled the world, had seen Paris, New York, Tokyo and all kinds of places and met so many different personalities. He had even had a long-distance relationship with another model from Thailand, mostly communicating in English of course and they had been together for almost five years though sometimes people’s path took turns and Hyunjin had found himself single eventually. They were still friends, good friends, and he was very grateful about that.

He was leaning against a woman, one of his best friends who shared the same last name with him. He hadn’t seen her in a long while though he had made sure to keep in touch with her, updating her regularly what was going on in his life – not about the hitman part though, however she did know he wasn’t deeply into modelling anymore as he had been before and that he was living with friends. She had been excited for him, after all she had always told him to go live with someone as living alone sometimes made him feel lonely and he lost himself from time to time. It was easy to do so when he had no one around to properly check up on him.

She had told him he looked a lot better than before despite his injured arm and that she was excited to meet the people he lived with one day. He had ended up promising her he’d invite her over as she was staying in Seoul for the next few weeks.

“Hey Felix,” Hyunjin called as he saw the younger pass by, making Felix look up at him and smile, trotting over.

“I see, you have found yourself some company?” he asked, voice amused and the girl next to Hyunjin looked surprised at how deep his voice was.

“Who is that?” the woman asked, eyes bright at the young man that wasn’t much taller than she was.

“Oh? That is Felix. One of my friends but not my flatmate,” Hyunjin chuckled excitedly that he was able to introduce at least one of his friends.

“Felix? That’s not a Korean name. Where are you from?” she asked, a gleeful smile on her red lips. “Oh!” She hurriedly held out her hand. “I’m Yeji, Hwang Yeji.”

“Oh!” Felix said, his eyes bright and excited too. “Hyunjin told me. His best friend, right? You modelled together.” He nodded eagerly. “I’m from Australia but I’ve been here for a while already.” Luckily on this mission Felix didn’t have to hide the fact that he could speak Korean pretty well. Speaking English was really nice but he did prefer to communicate in the native language of the country he was in. At least if he was able to speak it.

Surprised Yeji looked at the two of them and tilted her head curiously. “He told you about me! Did he show you the pics we took together?”

“Yeah, quite a few,” Felix nodded eagerly, glad the woman wasn’t in any way shy to talk. He liked getting to know new people and Hyunjin seemed to be excited as well. “I loved them.” He then looked at his teammate for a moment. “Check your phone,” he mouthed quickly and licked his lips before turning back to Yeji. “He also said he’d want to take more photos soon! Did he tell you his roommate is an amazing photographer?”

While Yeji and Felix conversed, Hyunjin grabbed for his phone, checking the messages. There had been just a few from the others, letting him know where they were from time to time. The last messages were from Seungmin however, in the group chat, texting them a ‘I can’t reach Minho anymore, something is wrong with the communication. Is anyone around him?’ and when Hyunjin checked his signal of his phone, it was gone. It wasn’t rare to find areas at the Gala that had no connection but no signal at all surprised Hyunjin as it had an X on it, not only low connection. He knew this place and no connection had never happened before. He frowned and looked around. Maybe they should find the others, checking up on them.

“Have you seen Minho around?” Hyunjin then asked, even though he had wanted to ask for one of the other two first but it was easier to talk about his flatmate than about Jeongin and Jisung. It might give away too much otherwise.

“No,” Felix said and sighed slightly, a small sign of worry while he was clearly trying to hide it.

“Minho?” Yeji asked, clearly having a very curious nature. “Is that your roommate?” she then asked, eyes full of sparkles and Hyunjin nodded. “You didn’t tell me one of them was here.” She grinned and looked around, as if she could recognize him suddenly in the sea of people.

“Oh, yes, we came here together. Though he is often in other areas than I am. He is more of an art type and not a model type so he is probably somewhere around the gallery.” Hyunjin gestured towards it and Felix hummed.

“I’ve seen him there earlier,” Felix agreed and checked his phone again. The messages he had sent had still not gone through, it had been a few minutes now, and of course it could be a coincidence however he knew Seungmin wouldn’t  text the group chat if it was a problem he could fix. “He also talked to a cute guy, looked a little bit like a squirrel,” he added so he could let Hyunjin know Jisung had been there as well.

Surely, Felix could just tell they had arrived here together, all of their team, but he didn’t want to make it sound in any way suspicious and he wasn’t sure how smart Yeji was and how fast she would realise they were not only here for some fun. He couldn’t risk it. It was on Hyunjin to mention it to his friend.

“Mh, maybe we should go look for him?” Hyunjin offered and Felix nodded. “I’ll see if I can find him and if I do, I can contact you, Yej!” he grinned and the woman nodded, looking rather hopeful at her friend.

“Okay, text me or whatever. I’ll probably be somewhere around here,” Yeji said and hugged Hyunjin warmly but careful enough to not hurt him before letting him go. “I’ll see you around.” She waved slightly towards Felix who nodded.

“It was nice to meet you,” he grinned back at her, trying to not let her see the slight worry in his eyes before he waved too, walking towards a different hall with Hyunjin. “Is it normal that the signal is gone?”

Almost immediately Hyunjin shook his head and frowned. “No. Usually it is not. Sometimes it’s really low connection but not like this.” He was confused by what was happening. Maybe the Wifi had gone out in their area or whatever it could be, it had been rather stormy those past few days anyways, but it was still confusing. If something had cut of their connection, possible, but they all knew Seungmin had other ways to reach them and if those were blocked too, it was worrisome.

“Then let’s find the others and see what we can do,” Felix nodded, wondering where they could find the other three. He had been almost sure he had seen Jisung earlier but that had been a while ago and the other could now be anywhere.

“Jeongin is here too,” Hyunjin said, remembering that Felix might not know that yet. He moved around a corner, and into another big room with an event on stage, people talking and a presentation visible. It was more crowded than earlier and Hyunjin groaned. “Speaking about finding anyone, this is gonna suck.”

-

Seungmin couldn’t care less how the security man was staring at him when he showed them his invitation.

He had put on a pair of black jeans, halfway clean at least, and some monochrome pullover with a cardigan on top, he wasn’t wearing make-up nor had he brushed his hair when he had rushed towards the building the Great Gala was held in. Well, at least he had brushed his teeth this morning before he had downed cups of coffee while he had been working and editing some photos.

Not the ideal look to enter a very luxurious place but sometimes he just had to do what he had to do.

At first he had tried any other communication system, knowing that Minho was in the building doing his mission blind and that could very much get him killed. He had then tried to figure out if anything was wrong coming from Clé’s side and as both had been a clear no he had then decided to go in. He couldn’t let his teammate be in a situation he could get hurt if he was actually able to just help. So here he was, very much tousled and with only halfway clean clothes but did people not often mention crazy artists? Guess today he was mimicking one. Luckily most people didn’t know his face.

“Did I fucking lock the car-,” Seungmin started before he cursed, realising he hadn’t only not locked the car but also had forgotten his keys in it. “Shit,” he groaned and turned around, opening the door in a hurry. Just to end up cursing as the door didn’t open, his nose bumping against the glass.

“What the fuck?” he cursed again, trying to open the door, rushing to the next one but realising that door was locked too. One of the security men looked confused at him and he gestured to the door. “What? Don’t look at me like this, your door is fucking locked.” He could see the security guy push and pull and then frown too, realising that Seungmin had been right.

Okay, so the keys would stay in his car, he would take care of that another time. “Fuck it,” he mumbled and then rushed towards the halls, hoping he would find Minho rather soon. Checking his phone he had the last GPS update from the other’s location and mentally prayed to find him in time or at least fast. Right now he was in no danger but he could be and he rather not had that happen.

Looking up Seungmin was able to avoid a few people he had almost crashed into while looking at his phone and he rolled his eyes, muttering a “sorry” while he tried to make his way through the people. This fucking sucked. He had never been a people-person, had never been very interested into big crowds and even if he had joined events he usually was the man behind the camera, taking pictures and staying away from most of the people.

Now would be not much different still he had to push his own way through the crowd that was filling the hall as the stage was having a program and way too many people were watching with interest.

Seungmin not so much. He was pushing through the people, standing way too close for comfort, and he sighed when he finally made it to the next hall, the big archway looking beautiful and showed him a hall that was a little less crowded.

“-min!” he heard, spying Hyunjin and Felix that were rushing towards him, some relief on their faces. “Seungmin, why are you here?”

“Communication down,” Seungmin said and looked at them, trying to spy the next hall from here. “I couldn’t get a hold of Minho so, yeah, I came here. Can’t let him run into his demise.”

“Damsel in distress?” Felix asked, almost naturally switching to English for a short moment and Seungmin sighed.

“Kind of. He is having an extra mission and he needs my guidance.” Seungmin huffed and looked around. “Help me find the office area?”

“The office area?” Hyunjin said and looked around, nodding. “I think I know where it is.”

Now it was Seungmin who was flooded with relief. “Bless you,” he mumbled before he ushered Hyunjin to move, they had no time to lose after all. He was worried Minho was already in trouble and he couldn’t lose any time while just standing here and chatting.

Hyunjin was walking through the people and towards the destination. He knew where the offices were at least he believed so. This was only the fourth year they were holding the Gala in this place and Hyunjin was getting used to the blueprint however sometimes he was still getting a little lost.

“Are the others alright?” Seungmin then asked while he rushed after Hyunjin, trying to keep up with his long legs, just like Felix was as well. Nevertheless, he was glad they were not too slow, even though he would probably end up with some aching muscles tomorrow. Working out and speed running wasn’t for him. But honestly, he would do whatever they needed to have them all safe and sound at the end of the day.

“Yeah, I guess? Jisung was having some fun at the all you can eat and drink area and no idea where Jeongin is but he looked good too last time I saw him,” Hyunjin hummed and from the corner of his eyes he saw Seungmin smile slightly, clearly glad to hear those words.

Looking around they could see that most security guys were gathered at the doors and Seungmin grimaced – okay, so there was a problem with the doors or someone was actually here to lock them in. And if the latter was the case that meant they needed to add a third party to the schemes. It had been stupid of them to think only they wanted something from a warehouse filled with goods worth billions. Not Seungmin’s fault however, he hadn’t planned any shit and he had told Clé to think big and not small. Great. Just great.

For a moment he wondered if this was part of Clé’s plot too, whatever they had planned, but right now he hadn’t enough brain capacity to even think about it nor did he care enough.

“Hey, Lix!” they suddenly heard and it was Jisung, rushing towards the rest of the group and he was having Jeongin by his side. He looked a little confused before he followed them. “Where are we going? Why are we rushing?”

“Saving Minho’s pretty butt,” Seungmin huffed as he kept walking and Jeongin laughed shortly, a little surprised at seeing the other but also amused at his wording.

“Oh, I didn’t know you noticed he has a nice butt,” Hyunjin teased a little bit as he kept walking, just barely missing a kick from Seungmin that had been aimed at his chin.

“Uhm, question,” Felix asked and looked a little confused at Seungmin and then down to his feet.

For a moment it was all quiet before a soft groan left Seungmin’s lips and he glanced at Felix. “What?” He clearly was stressed by the situation. They had promised him this would be easy, like a walk in the park, however right now this felt more like a rollercoaster and Seungmin wished he had disagreed, turning down the stupid idea of stealing and guiding his teammate through a maze. A fucking maze.

“Do puppy slippers belong to your normal formal attire?”

Confused Seungmin glanced down, looking at his own feet, surprise on face as he noticed that he was in fact wearing his favourite slippers. He had put them on while he had just been in pants, looking for his shirt and cardigan and clearly had forgotten to change them to different shoes. Well, that explained the look of the security guys and he huffed. Clearly, his brain was all over the place.

“Belongs to the ‘crazy artist’ look I am wearing today,” Seungmin said but there was a small smile on his lips, laughing about himself. He knew one of the others would later probably take a picture of his clothing and he didn’t really mind it at all. As long as they were all safe at that point.

He heard Hyunjin chuckle amused and kept walking with them before he stopped by a door that would lead to the offices and warehouse. “Here,” he said and looked at Seungmin.

Nodding Seungmin seemed to think for a moment before he looked at Hyunjin and Felix. “I need you two to stay here. If someone tries to get in, talk to them, make sure they don’t come in here within the next ten minutes or until we are back,” Seungmin said and took a deep breath. “I… I have no idea how you can inform us about anything that’s going on here but honestly that’s not important right now. Just make sure no one comes in, entertain them. I know you can do that.” He patted Hyunjin’s and Felix’ shoulders before he grabbed some gloves, putting them on. He gave Jisung and Jeongin each a pair before he walked towards the door, not waiting for a reply from anyone.

Punching in a code the door made a tiny sound as if the electricity was running out and there was a small click before Seungmin opened it, having the other two follow him while they were putting on the gloves. He was glad he had shoved some extra pairs into his pants before leaving the house, only having the things he really needed with him – which wasn’t much.

“Okay but… what exactly is the plan?” Jisung eventually asked while struggling with one glove, running after the other.

“Yeah and should we not make sure we don’t get caught by the cameras?” Jeongin added, keeping up with Seungmin and looking around, trying to make sure no one was suddenly trying to ambush them or running after them.

Seungmin however just shook his head. “Long story short: the technology is blocked. No idea how. I cannot contact Minho, the video cameras are turned off, the back-up safety system is on which requires a certain code and stuff. Which means Minho cannot open any doors without my help however I cannot help him if I cannot contact him.”

“Oh yikes,” Jisung said out loud while he looked up, noticing that in fact the cameras had no lights on and were stuck to one place. “So where exactly is Minho?”

“Honestly?” Seungmin asked and looked at the other two, shrugging slightly. “No idea. Last time I was in contact with him he was about to enter the warehouse. And then, nothing. It just died.” He frowned, clearly worried about what the fuck was going on.

“You think it’s someone from the outside? Or like a weird coincidence?” Jisung asked as he followed Seungmin around a few corners.

“I don’t believe in such coincidences,” he mumbled as he saw a door at the end of the corridor, rushing towards it. He punched in a code and cursed when it didn’t react. “Especially not when the entrance doors are locked.”

“The what?” Jeongin said, eyes wide. “You mean we are locked inside here?” He whined slightly. Well, at least they had alcohol to drown their sorrow of being locked in a fancy building with lots of snobby people while Jeongin could have had a free day but had been too nice to cancel on his boss.

A small hum left Seungmin’s lips as he grabbed a small device, attaching it to the one on the door that wasn’t even making a small sound. “Okay, cross your fingers that this works,” he mumbled and attached another cable to his phone, pressing a few buttons. For a few moments nothing happened and Seungmin looked anything but happy but then suddenly the door made a sound and then the door sprung open. Jeongin was sure he had never seen his friend this pleased.

Hurriedly he grabbed his things, storing them inside his clothes and then opening the door. “Make sure it doesn’t fall closed,” he said and Jisung nodded, putting his jacket in between the door and the frame before they rushed inside.

It was dark and every single footstep made an echoing sound, letting them to estimate how big the warehouse they just entered was. It was filled with boxes and somewhere in the back they could see even some big containers.

“And Minho is supposed to be in here?” Jeongin asked, voice quiet however it was still echoing. He got a nod from the older, following every movement he did.

“Yeah or he got out on his own which would be impressive,” Seungmin said, looking around. “Okay, you go to the left, you to the right.” He pointed to them and then kept moving, looking around. He wished he could just call for him but if there were any security guards around here that would attract them way too fast and would get all their asses into jail for a while. The footsteps echoing was already more than enough. The warehouse was full of expensive goods and Seungmin preferred not to spend years of his life in an annoying cell or however jail worked – he luckily never had to figure that out yet.

Quietly he moved, not touching anything as his eyes slowly got used to the darkness. He could see Jisung move on his left, carefully looking for Minho.

“Ji, Seung!” Jeongin eventually called and Seungmin almost flinched badly, not expecting the sudden sound. It was still quiet however the halls made the sound much bigger than it was. Jeongin waved for a moment until he was sure the other two had seen him and then knelt down.

He had found Minho, leaning onto a big crate, knocked out and it looked like he had a bruise from his eyebrow over to his temple and even an area of his ear looked like it was turning into a nasty bruise. Someone must have knocked him down.

“Minho?” Jeongin said, carefully shaking him but not too much as he wasn’t aware of how much damage this had caused to his friend. “Can you hear me?”

Seungmin’s eyes widened when he saw the bruise, a big frown on his lips. “Shit,” he cursed and checked Minho’s pulse for a moment and then relaxing. “Oh Jesus he is alive.”

“You thought he was not?” Jeongin said, voice hushed but laced with panic. Not even once he had thought the other was dead however Seungmin’s worry had surprised him. He had thought Minho was just locked up in the warehouse and unable to get out because of the blocked technology or whatever was going on but Seungmin actually believing Minho could have been dead now scared the shit out of him.

However the other was shaking his head a bit. “I didn’t know, just seeing him here like this scared me,” he mumbled and gently checked the bruised area out, having Minho making a small pained sound.

“Hurts,” he mumbled and his eyes fluttering, looking a little dazed. He seemed to not be able to properly focus them right now and Jisung realised the glasses Minho had worn earlier were gone. Hurriedly he checked, finding them on the ground. They were definitely not good to use anymore as they were now in two pieces, the glass broken as well.

“Can you hear me?” Seungmin said and cupped Minho’s cheeks gently, a clear frown on his face.

Minho looked unfocused, frowning as he tried to focus who was in front of him and then there was confusion as well. “Seungmin?” he mumbled and moved a little bit, a grimace on his face. Oh he was clearly in pain. “On the left ear, yeah,” he then replied to the question asked and carefully touched his ear, groaning. “Ouch.”

“Don’t touch it,” Seungmin said and took Minho’s gloved hand in his, pulling it therefore away from his ear. He could see Minho having a hard time keeping his eyes open and properly focusing his eyes so he was sure whoever had hit him had hit him hard. The bruises already told them more than words ever could. “Come on, we need to leave,” he mumbled and there was a frown on Minho’s face, shaking his head just to curse quietly.

“I haven’t finished the mission,” Minho mumbled but let Seungmin carefully support him, arm under his and holding his body up. He seemed to be quite unbalanced, almost falling back down but Seungmin kept him supported.

“Abort mission it is then, you got injured and I’m not letting you stay here like this,” the other said, slowly pulling Minho away from where they had found him. “Ji, Innie, stay close. We need to get out. We don’t know if someone is still in here and if that is the case we are in danger,” he mumbled, quiet enough for only them to hear unless someone used a particular device. And honestly that wasn’t a possibility Seungmin would exclude. Whoever had sneaked into the warehouse just like Minho must have been smart enough to get through the security.

For a moment Seungmin glanced around to find anything out of the ordinary but even to his trained eyes it looked like a simple warehouse full of crates and boxes, a place to store some things he didn’t even care about what was inside. “Let’s just get out,” he then repeated, slowly making his way towards the door. He was sure that they had left traces but they had enough connections to make sure no one would figure out they had been here. And just in case Seungmin could always get them onto a list of storage workers that had helped carrying crates here so the existence of their DNA in this place would easily be explained.

“Help me move him,” Seungmin said to Jisung and the other immediately complied, supporting Minho who was still not entirely wake and aware but finally moving on his own.

“Maybe we can get him some ice to cool the bruise once we join the other’s,” Jeongin said, walking right behind them to make sure they were safe and sound. He was probably not the strongest of the team, however he was quick and ready to fight whoever they would encounter – if it was a threat, of course. But right now, if Jeongin was honest, everything was a possible threat to them. He had never seen Minho this vulnerable. Then again Jeongin had barely ever been on missions with Minho and if it usually  were easy ones – Hyunjin and Seungmin were the ones paired up with Minho most of the times so he was sure the other two had seen him injured quite a few times. Being in field made you quite prone to injuries.

Quietly they moved back to the hallways, making their way back as quietly but also as fast as they could. Jeongin made sure they were not leaving any traces – like blood for example, however Seungmin had been quick enough to cover the injury on Minho’s temple with some fabric. Despite the wits they had they didn’t need to risk any kind of exposure and traces. And right now their goal was on getting out without any major or even minor complications.

Chapter Text

They made it out without any other inconveniences. The guards had been nowhere to be seen, no alarm going off and Minho finally got his senses fully back and, well, a rather bad mood.

“I really can’t remember,” he grumbled, downing one of the drinks he had ordered – shots to be exact. He needed the alcohol to lessen the pain and he also had declared that he definitely needed a drink and as soon as he had seen him Hyunjin had immediately agreed. Lee Minho definitely needed a few drinks. And some ice for the bruises on his pretty face but they had easily acquired some ice cube.

Somehow Felix had found them a comfortable area to sit, vacant from the people who had moved towards the other halls, mumbling about what was going on. Most people hadn’t noticed the locked doors themselves nor the missing connection of their phones, however rumours were spreading from person to person like a forest fire. Soon the people would panic they feared and their group and especially Minho were not here to watch this. So they needed to find a way out – but that was said way easier than done.

“It honestly doesn’t matter right now,” Seungmin said and looked at Minho who gave him a rather annoyed look, maybe even angry, but the other didn’t even seem to care. “We need to get out without making people aware of us.”

“So, no broken windows,” Jeongin sighed as that would have been the easiest way. The windows were all locked and the glass was anything but easily broken, however they all had their tricks and ways to break the windows or break the frame open.

“No broken windows,” Seungmin agreed and glanced from one to another. “No broken windows, no broken doors. We don’t want to leave traces of us being here in any way but we need to get out.” The technology and communication were still down and so was the possibility to contact Chan or Changbin on the outside. Whatever party had joined the game, they were way too clever and Seungmin strongly disliked it. If he was honest he just wanted his team to get out and most importantly get Minho to some proper painkillers and maybe a doctor to check if he had a concussion. Which he most likely had, Seungmin didn’t need a doctor to know that but he just needed proof to force Minho to some proper bed rest.

He felt like it was his fault. No injuries should have happened and if Seungmin had taken this goddamn side mission serious this wouldn’t have happened. Yet he had thought this was a walk in the park, easy to handle, nothing they hadn’t done before already and now here they were caught in this bullshit situation and even though Seungmin tried his best not to show it, he was livid. Livid, upset, angry and so damn disappointed in himself. And even his puppy slippers were not exactly helping that image to be softened.

“We’ll be in trouble if anyone connects this to us. Even if we didn’t cause it this, you know people like to frame innocent participants,” Felix said, holding a glass of water in his hand while sitting on the edge of his chair, moving a bit. He was restless. Whatever was happening right now while they were sitting here and talking, downing shots and trying to think of something, it could most likely get them into jail and they didn’t even know what was going on. Being caged was something he hadn’t experienced for a long time but right now they were and he wasn’t sure for how much longer. Unforeseen circumstances were something Felix had never been comfortable with, usually they went through every possible situation that could happen but this had just been for fun, just to go out and collect some acquaintances. No one was supposed to get harmed or put in just the slightest danger. “This fucking sucks,” he mumbled, slouching in his seat. Of course, Felix didn’t need to say it out loud but each and every single one of them had an uneasy feeling.

From one of the other halls they heard an announcement that they were currently experiencing some technical difficulties but that everything would soon be solved. To not panic. That it would most likely just be a few minutes and that they were already working on it. The announcement seemed to calm the people down as a sigh of relief went through them, the tension partially dissolving.

A sigh left Hyunjin’s pretty lips and he nodded, looking at the others. “It does. I’m tempted to break a window with a chair or something,” he huffed.

“Those are safety windows, Hyunjin. You’d break your cute pretty nose before you’d even get a tiny scratch onto that glass,” Minho said deadpanned and Jisung chuckled slightly. “What?”

“Nothing,” Jisung hurriedly said and sipped from his drink, still amused how Minho had called Hyunjin’s nose cute and pretty. It was, yes, however he rarely ever heard Minho compliment others unless he was angry or it was his job. And right now, it wasn’t his job, clearly, however he was angry for sure. Not that it was a surprise to Jisung, if he were Minho he would be fucking furious, nonetheless Jisung was trying to see the positive in this situation and having Minho complimenting Hyunjin was definitely positive. At least to him.

Rolling his eyes Minho downed another shot, obviously having the goal to be drunk as soon as possible as Minho definitely already had six empty glasses right in front of him. He was reaching for another one while turning the bag of ice around, putting it on his ear now. The skin was now blooming in beautiful colours of blue, violet and red, showing clearly that this would hurt for quite a few days and even the strongest make up couldn’t cover that shit up properly.

“If you say so,” Minho grumbled and held the next shot in his hand for a second before downing it and grimacing. “I think I don’t want any more,” he explained then, looking around. He wasn’t drunk yet but he knew that the alcohol would soon hit him and he wanted to wait. “Do you think we could hack the doors?”

Seungmin shook his head and sighed, looking at them. “I fear not,” he mumbled and closed his eyes for a moment, licking his lips. “The security is quite good here, after all it holds quite many valuables.” And with that he was right. After all they had been here to not only gather information as well and not only the warehouse was holding expensive goods.

“That sucks big time,” Felix mumbled and glanced at the others. Minho was just nodding and everyone else was looking rather concerned – not only for Minho but for their entire situation.

“Do you have an idea why they are locking us in here?” Jeongin eventually asked, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt while he glanced at the last few shot glasses – he definitely needed one. So he reached for one, noticing how Seungmin seemed to contemplate stopping him for a second but eventually did not. And Jeongin was grateful – he was no child, none of them were and he had long reached the legal drinking age. The liquid burned in his throat and sent shivers through his body, slowly relaxing him a bit. Well, at least it was doing exactly what he had hoped for.

Shrugging his shoulders Hyunjin looked through the crowd and then back to his group. “Who knows? Maybe they stole something already and this way the security inside can’t leave or stop them? Or they just want to fuck around with holder of the event, show them who is boss. Power play, you know.”

“Kinky,” Seungmin huffed amused and then shook his head. “I don’t know either, it could be anything. I sent Chan and Changbin a quick text before I came here though, just so they know. I didn’t know the communication network would be down but when I couldn’t reach you guys I got worried and I kinda felt we needed backup,” he added and sighed, reaching for one of the two remaining glasses and pouring it down his throat. Obviously he wasn’t having that shit either while being sober.

It was easy to notice that despite the announcement the people were slowly getting more and more uneasy, more and more restless again and by now Seungmin could see the security from the entrance moving around between the people, telling them sweet lies to calm their nerves and act as professional as an oblivious person could. It was clearly not easy to keep the people calm as the crowd was slowly slipping out of their control. That was why Seungmin preferred to always work alone. The people usually caused him more pain than any coding program could. Computer and machines were easy to understand while people were not. He had seen too many people lose it already and he wasn’t really ready to deal with that in person. Or ever. Honestly just dealing with his friends was sometimes too exhausting already.

“Whatever it is, I am sure we will figure it out pretty soon,” Minho mumbled and Seungmin nodded in agreement.

“Either that or the doors will open,” Jeongin mumbled and he honestly hoped for the latter and not the other situation as whatever it was it would include a big crowd of very rich people – and his friends – being affected and he wasn’t a fan of it.

“We could get us something to eat in the meantime,” Jisung eventually said, not firm on what was going on and how to deal with such a situation. He was honestly not nervous, shit had gone down in his life one too many times so here he was, just waiting for the situation to either solve itself or tumble out of control while they were caught in the middle and would try their best not to lose it. “They have amazing dessert.”

For a moment everyone was silently just staring at Jisung before Minho was surprisingly the first one to react. He shrugged slightly. “Honestly, why not. Let’s grab some, better than just wasting our time. We can at least waste our time with some nice food.”

A small chuckle left Felix’ lips and he nodded. “Okay, sounds good. We’ll grab you guys some stuff too while you make sure no one takes our seats, deal?” he asked towards Hyunjin, Seungmin and Jeongin while he got up with Jisung and Minho.

“Ah, let me come with you,” Seungmin said and got up as well, leaving Hyunjin and Jeongin to fend for their spot. “I have yet to see what is left of the menu.” He hadn’t seen much of the area after all and if they were stuck in here he could at least check it out on his own.

A hum left Hyunjin’s lips and he nodded. “Sure,” he answered, putting his legs onto the couch and making himself comfortable while Jeongin just put his jacket over the seat. “Bring us something with chocolate, please.” And Jeongin nodded to that.

“Sure,” Jisung nodded and stretched a bit before he started to walk towards the area they kept the snacks. He had already spied on the dessert earlier though he had wanted to leave it for later. After all the event was supposed to be for a few more hours and yet here they were, feeling like it had just ended, everyone just waiting to be able to leave. Jisung was a little bit disappointed. He had been having fun until the point he had seen Minho injured. Seeing a friend injured was something he would rather not see again any time soon. Unfortunately, he feared it was yet to happen again way earlier than he preferred. He had a bad feeling, like his intuition was telling him there was something more to this situation yet he couldn’t tell what it was. Maybe it was just from being locked down.

“I saw some really cute looking peach sweets and some tiramisu I think? Oh and some other dessert we should definitely check out a bit hidden in the back. What do you like Seungmin? Chocolate, jelly or fruit?”

Seungmin looked over to Jisung and smiled. “Honestly? Fruit is what I prefer but I am fine with all. I am not really picky as long as I am in the mood for it. Maybe all of you will get dessert and I’ll end up with something savoury, you never know.”

Having Jisung in their team was kind of refreshing. Often when everyone was deep in their thoughts it was Jisung who was causing a distraction and actually giving them the input or even calmness they needed. They all had been doing this job for so long that sometimes it got rather hard to think outside the box even though their entire job was thinking outside the box. However it was difficult with how they were all caught up in their own mind sometimes. Having Jisung in their team was nice – just like right now.

Making their way through the crowd and to the food area took a bit longer and was slightly more difficult than they had anticipated but once they reached it, it was pretty empty while the food seemingly had just recently been restocked.

“Looks nice,” Seungmin said surprised, letting his eyes wander over the food. Some of it he hadn’t seen ever, other stuff was just traditional Korean snacks. Grabbing a plate he put a few different pieces onto it, tasting one of the small, filled buns, savoury as he had predicted earlier. It tasted great and he definitely had to keep it in mind next time they went to buy groceries. He liked trying new food and he was sure a change in his diet would maybe lighten his currently not so good mood. He put some of the tiny peach snacks Jisung had mentioned earlier on his plate too while he glanced over to Minho who put some with chocolate on a plate, just like Felix and Jisung who were also discussing what other snacks they should get. It was way too easy to forget they were locked inside a huge building that was filled with art and snacks and way too many rich people. Seungmin had to admit that free snacks were always a great thing.

“I think we have everything,” Felix eventually said and glanced over to Seungmin and Minho who were already eating some of the food they had gathered on their plate. Minho was just putting some tiramisu into his mouth and looked at Felix who smiled amused.

“What? I drank alcohol, I need a good snack,” Minho said, mouth stuffed with the creamy snack and it made Jisung laugh.

“No one was even saying something,” Felix hummed clearly amused and Seungmin shook his head but there was a smile on his face.

A huff left Minho’s lips. “Your eyes were looking at me in a judgy way. Be careful or I’ll smear tiramisu on you,” he exclaimed but clearly joking. His mood had clearly lightened the moment he had heard dessert and while Minho seemed to be still in pain he was also trying not to bring the entire group down or worry them.

Jisung had noticed that before. Minho never wanted them to worry about him. Despite him being in pain – be it his leg or be it any other injury just like right now, Minho hated getting any kind of attention or concerning some of his friends. He disliked that and he hated being babied. He rarely let anyone else know how bad his pain currently was and it worried Jisung, hoping Minho would talk to some of the others in private to vent and rant of whatever was going on.

Most of them held in their worries and anger and pain. He had noticed it pretty early that Hyunjin was one of the few that showed his discomfort and disagreement pretty clearly, letting the people now he was unhappy with whatever situation and even if it was just some food he disliked. Even if it meant lashing out at innocent people. Sometimes Jeongin was vocal too but the others? Jisung had a hard time to see through them and maybe that was a good thing as, clearly, they didn’t want to be read. Sometimes Felix talked about what was worrying him but as he was usually not at their place Jisung figured he talked to Chan – after all they lived together.

It made it difficult for Jisung to actually open up about his own worries. He sometimes talked to the cats, sitting down and just ranting. One time Seungmin had walked in on him ranting to Soonie, sighing and whining and being stressed and even though the younger had looked rather uncomfortable he had sat down with Jisung to talk about his troubles. While everyone was open to talk they usually never made use of it. And honestly Jisung wondered if it was good for their stress level as this kind of job, at least to Jisung, was rather straining. Even if everything went fine. But maybe that was just him being the new guy.

Stuffing his mouth with some food he smiled slightly, walking back with them. The people were still crowded, talking and hushing about whatever was happening right now but Jisung was for once not listening to them. He loved to eavesdrop to people but whatever words they would spill it was too exhausting right now. They had their own situation and he was definitely looking forward to drowning it in dessert and maybe alcohol.

“Is drinking on the job even allowed?” Jisung then suddenly asked and Felix laughed, his eyes crinkling slightly at the edges. It was cute.

“You are asking this after Minho already downed some pretty strong shots earlier?” Felix wanted to know while they pushed themselves through a group of people that were definitely in the way and it annoyed Felix. Why stand on the side so everyone can walk past you when you can stand in the middle of a hallway so the people have to squeeze their way through, right?

“It just came to my mind,” Jisung explained and then shrugged. “I guess the answer is yes, it is allowed?”

A hum left Minho’s lips. “We don’t mention it in our reports, however we are allowed to drink as long as we can do our job properly,” he told Jisung so he knew. “There is no quote in our contracts that does not allow it and we’d only get into trouble if we fuck up the job because of alcohol. If we fuck up our job because of any other reason then that’s fine. Shit happens.” He put another mouthful of tiramisu into his mouth, finishing it. Luckily he had gotten enough dessert with him to feed the rest of their group – not that he was planning to.

“That is good then, I guess?”

“Planning to drink?” Felix asked Jisung, nudging them slightly. “I thought of getting myself a nice cocktail too. Pretty sure the bartenders are as stressed as everyone else. So at least they have some work instead of boredom that gives them time to think of their coming fate.”

“Pretty sure most have been trained for situations like this,” Seungmin told Felix who pouted. “I mean, not trained for this situation, just like… being a bartender is a stressful job.”

“Let me be dramatic,” the freckled man said as they reached the rest of the group again. Jeongin was scrolling through his phone, clearly looking at some photos as he wasn’t able to open any social medias as the communication and therefore the internet was still down inside of the building. Hyunjin however had fallen asleep on the couch, legs pulled close while he was holding a pillow, hiding half of his face in it. He looked beautiful like this, calm and relaxed and it was a surprised that Hyunjin had managed to fall asleep despite all the loud people.

Looking up as the other four were approaching Jeongin smiled and waved to them, pulling his jacket aside. “Hey there,” he hummed and let them sit back down while Minho just let himself fall onto the couch and carefully pushed Hyunjin a bit to the side so Seungmin could sit too. A small sound was heard from Hyunjin and through half closed eyes he looked confused at them, clearly not knowing what was going on.

“You fell asleep,” Minho explained as Jisung and Felix sat onto the chair next to Jeongin, letting him have some of the dessert as well.

“We brought you some chocolate stuff,” Seungmin explained and put an extra plate he had brought for Hyunjin right in front of him. Immediately he seemed to be awake and ready to eat.

Sitting up properly Hyunjin mumbled a “Thank you” before he started to eat the dessert. “We deserved this,” he hummed as he stuffed his cheeks with his chocolate cake the others had gotten him.

A hum left Jisung’s lips as he heard Hyunjin’s words. “Oh we definitely did,” he agreed and chuckled.

Half an hour later the doors were still locked and so were the windows. There had been a few more announcements and by now even the event organiser was walking through the complaining people, trying to keep them calm and explain what had happened.

Seungmin didn’t really care, all he wanted was to be back in front of his computer and away from the annoyingly loud people. As if anything they could do would get them out any faster.

“Are they really as stupid or are they just trying to cause a ruckus?” Jeongin groaned and rolled his eyes, leaning back into his chair. They had started to play any kind of games or talk about some events while Minho had returned to cooling his bruise and Hyunjin had curled up again, clearly dozing off. He wasn’t exactly asleep but he was also not really awake.

By now Seungmin was honestly just waiting for someone to throw fists, starting some stupid fight over something unnecessary. Clearly even rich people sometimes lost their sanity. At least they had enough money for whatever fine would come at them. Not that Seungmin cared, he just wanted his team away from them and himself too. He was annoyed by the situation too but he knew that complaining wouldn’t help anything.

Felix had gotten them all some drinks – some with alcohol, some without – and he was currently sitting on the ground while sipping on his drink, still. He was watching what was going on, quietly, analysing when he needed to interfere or get the group away just like Seungmin did. He wasn’t seeing any of the people as a real thread and neither was any of the others, however it was better to be safe than sorry. The least they needed was a chair flying their way or maybe a statue getting knocked over that was too close to them.

They were quietly watching the event organiser talking to some CEO Felix had flirted with earlier when the windows started to vibrate slightly. And then there was the sound.

A loud blast was to be heard – too close for Seungmin’s taste but not close enough to be dangerous. For now. If he calculated it right it was the storage area that had just gotten blown up and he could even see a few cracks in the ceiling further away. That was never good.

Some of the walls of this building were layered with big glass windows, some walls having more glass than actual stone, and while during every average day that wouldn’t be a problem he knew that it was less sturdy and a lot easier to fall apart when being, well, probably bombed like right now. As long as there wouldn’t be another explosion it should be fine though Seungmin could see that the tremor was clearly causing some debris, as well as some art pieces to fall, crashing to the ground.

“That’s not good,” Jeongin mumbled as he watched the things happening. “So they blew up the warehouse?”

“Seems like it,” Seungmin mumbled and saw Hyunjin frown in confusion, sitting up properly as he was definitely trying to assess the situation.

“Maybe we should go somewhere… safer.”

“Mhm,” Minho agreed, already having gotten up and pulling Jisung and Felix with him who had still been sitting and had been the closest to him. “Let’s go to the food area. It seemed rather empty earlier and furthest away from the storage area,” he explained. Aside from that there had been tables – not that they would protect them from a collapsing ceiling, however it would keep them safer as being in the middle of the building, filled with people that were definitely panicking now.

While Minho made sure Jisung and Felix stayed close to him, Seungmin kept Hyunjin and Jeongin by his side, pushing their way through the panicking people that were now rushing towards the doors that were, unsurprisingly, still locked.

It was easy to see that Minho was tense, clearly, the sound of an explosion always way too close to triggering him into a flashback or a panic attack. Fortunately he had been training to keep himself under control, wanting to make sure he could help his friends to safety in case of emergency like now and not lose his mind in a collapsing building. It had happened once, it didn’t need to happen again.

Pushing his elbows out Minho pulled Jisung and Felix towards the hall, making sure they reached the dining area without any bigger problems.

“I don’t have a good feeling about this,” Jisung mumbled and glanced over to Minho and Felix who were looking for the other three that only stumbled into the room moments later, having been delayed by the people losing their mind and trying to now break the windows. They were even trying to use furniture to break the glass but as predicted before it wasn’t even cracking at all, only bouncing back and crashing on the ground, even knocking some people out. Panic did horrible things to people.

“Stay away from the people and maybe even get under the tables,” Hyunjin said, looking at his friends who nodded. “It’s safer just in case.”

Jisung had no problem hiding under the tables as he was small, just like Felix, however Jeongin and Hyunjin needed a moment to fold their long legs under the tables, the table cloth not making it much easier as Jeongin almost pulled one down and with it the food. But by now no one would care anyway.

Seungmin had just made his way under the table and pulled Minho in when there was another explosion

This time it was louder, closer. Way too close. He could even hear cracks in the stone walls and bursting glass and Seungmin reacted the only way he could think of: covering Minho’s ears.

This time they weren’t as lucky as before.

The ground was shaking. Horrified screaming filled the room as another explosion went off again. Windows were breaking and bursting all around them, the walls breaking apart, crashing onto the ground and the people. The glass roof split into pieces and was now raining down on everyone as the stone ceiling collapsed only seconds later, crushing furniture and humans under it.

There was fire, coming from the heart of the explosion, the kitchen.  It immediately smelled like burned fabric and flesh.

For a moment the halls were filled with so much noise it was earsplitting – and then it turned deafening quiet. Dust and debris were filling the halls, making it impossible to see.

The Great Gala had turned from a beautiful event into an early grave for way too many people.

Chapter Text

The silence was almost deafening – and then the screaming started.

People screaming for help and in fear, calling for another, moaning in pain. The dust was still thick and hindering everyone’s sight while there wasn’t only dust but also smoke. Areas were on fire and it filled the air with a disgusting smell.

“Guys?” Jeongin called for his friends, the tables destroyed and he tried his best to push away the debris of wood, stone and glass. He had covered his mouth with his jacket, using it as a makeshift cover to keep him from dragging dirt into his lungs. The blast had pushed them all apart as well as the collapsing building. He was sure this area wasn’t as bad as the rest of the building however he couldn’t see the damage and therefore not be sure in what condition his friends were. Dead? Alive?

“Hyunjin? Felix?” he called out first as he tried to pull some parts away around the area he remembered where he had seen his friends last. “Seung? Minho? Ji?” he called and he heard someone groan in pain, immediately reaching for the rubble and pulling it away.

It was Felix who had managed to find cover under the table that was mostly still intact and therefore had protected him well. He was barely having a scratch, just dirt on his pretty face and some minor cuts. “What the fuck,” he mumbled as he looked up at Jeongin. Following the younger one’s actions he pulled off his own jacket as well, covering his face before he reached for someone close to him, pulling him up. It was Hyunjin who had hidden close to a wall with Felix, the sturdy table wood covering them from most of the falling parts.

“Are you hurt?” Hyunjin asked, a frown on his face as he followed them, covering his mouth and nose. He was sure this wasn’t safe to be, the still remaining parts of the building threatening to fall apart any second and they needed to get out as soon as possible.

Jeongin shook his head. “No, just some cuts and bruises, nothing bad,” he immediately explained and he could see how the tension in the other’s body left. Clearly, he had been worried, however they had yet to find the rest of their team.

“Same,” Felix added though Hyunjin had already assumed that. They had been hiding together after all. “Let’s look for the others,” he said and frowned, having a hard time to see through the dust that was only settling slowly. His eyes started to tear from it and he cursed quietly but there was nothing he could do about it now. Carefully he pulled the scraps and remains of the wreckage away, hoping their friends would be unharmed – or at least alive.

Jeongin repeated calling for them, pulling away the obstacles that kept them from moving onward. This had gone everything but planned. Usually he was inside his four walls, together with Seungmin, working from there. Field work was something he loved to do but compared to the others did rather rarely – and now this happening? He really wasn’t made for something like this. It had been supposed to be calm and nice, just an art gallery, a convention full of rich and annoying people and now, they had barely made it out alive. Unlike other people. Jeongin was sure that some of the people he had met earlier were now dead, buried under stone and glass. Jeongin wasn’t delusional to ignore that fact or act like everyone would get out alive. He knew that they were in an area where they were rather lucky but his fast hammering heart was a clear indicator he was very much aware that the other three might be badly injured or even dead. He knew some missions went wrong, leaving some of his colleagues dead, yet he could just internally beg that today was none of those missions.

Pulling another part of the ceiling aside he had to hold his breath, finding a jacket and a shoe – Seungmin’s, obviously, as it was a puppy slipper.

“Fuck,” he heard Hyunjin curse as he hurried to push the debris away, clearly ignoring hisn’t yet fully healed arm. It didn’t matter right now, he needed to find them, alive. The more time was passing the harder it would be for them. Especially if the broken parts had caused an airtight room and Hyunjin could feel the panic holding his heart tightly.

They were all very much aware that they were running on borrowed time.

Further away they could hear sirens, clearly coming closer as it must have alarmed the fire department and the police and most likely the ambulances too. Hopefully there would be a lot of them as this was an event of disastrous extent and every possible helping hand was needed to keep more people from dying from their injuries.

“I’m here,” Felix heard someone call and his breath got stuck in his throat. Immediately he turned towards the voice – Jisung if he wasn’t mistaken. He pulled Jeongin over to help him pull the wreckage away and, finally, spotted Jisung. He was curled up and holding up some parts of the walls that were threatening to bury him under it. Jeongin immediately reached out to hold up the parts and push them away so it would be easier for Jisung to get out, Felix immediately helping him.

Jisung looked like a mess. His hair and face were covered in dirt as well as his body being covered with quite a few bad bruises, clothes torn and stained with some blood. However Jisung almost immediately relaxed when he saw the other three. “Damn I thought you’d get buried under all this shit.”

“Kind of but we were lucky,” Felix said and smiled slightly at Jisung, feeling grateful he had found the other. He then nodded at him as Jeongin went to check on Jisung before he then hurried over to Hyunjin to help him.

Jeongin stayed with Jisung, checking if there were any injuries that needed proper care like a broken bone or something however Jisung seemed to be okay aside from the cuts and bruises. It might also be the adrenaline or the shock but for now Jisung was alive and there were no major injuries Jeongin could see. “Cover your face, the dust and smoke aren’t good for your lungs,” he explained and Jisung nodded, grabbing the nearest table cloth and ripping it into a smaller piece, covering his mouth and nose. He then followed Hyunjin and Felix just like Jeongin was.

“Are Seungmin and Minho missing?” he asked as they weren’t with them. They could have already been out, or at least one of them, but he feared not. He was sure neither Minho nor Seungmin would leave until all of them were back together unless one of them was majorly injured, but he just didn’t want to think of that. He could feel his heart sink.

A slow and hesitant nod from Felix confirmed his worries. “They were closer to you, I think the furthest away from us,” he frowned as he pushed another rather big part of the ceiling apart, finding another slipper. “But we seem to be close.” And hopefully they would be alive.

“You are, get me the fuck out of here,” they suddenly heard Seungmin’s voice, very close and yet distance, buried under quite a few rubble and wreckage.

Carefully but faster they kept going. None of them cared about the glass cutting into their skin, the rocks heavy in their hands as they pulled them away, carelessly letting it fall to the ground. And once they pulled another broken part of the table away, they could see Seungmin who was holding an unconscious Minho in his arms.

“His leg is stuck,” Seungmin explained and nodded towards some part of wall they had been too close to. It had buried them under it, mostly however Minho’s leg. There was blood on his pants as the older was lying in Seungmin’s arms, body limp. Yet his chest was moving, slowly but surely.

“Is he injured?” Felix asked, kneeling next to Seungmin and Minho, assessing the situation, while the other three tried their best to get Minho free. Felix started to check up on Seungmin who clearly was covered in bruises and some blood covering his forehead and cheek but he was alive, breathing and clearly not in a happy mood.

“Probably,” Seungmin let out in a sigh and glanced at Minho, holding his head against his chest in a protective way. “I had to knock him out, he was panicking. The bad kind.” Of course, the bad kind. The kind he had brought home from the military that pulled him into flashbacks and made him lose the last sanity he still had left in such a situation. It was no surprise, it was honestly already a surprise that he hadn’t lost it earlier at the first explosion. But Minho had come far.

Nodding slightly Felix sighed, glad they were all alive and as it seemed only minorly injured.

Cursing quietly, Jisung tried his best to get the broken parts away from Seungmin and Minho. It was heavy and only with the help of Jeongin and Hyunjin it was possible to free Minho’s leg. His pants were clearly ripped and the skin was badly bruised, however no bone was protruding or looking broken. Seungmin nodded at them as he carefully lifted Minho up a bit and he would make sure his favourite doctor would check on Minho as soon as they got out of here. He was about to say something when a phone started to ring – the communication seemed to be back up.

Confused Felix reached for his vibrating phone to see Bang Chan’s name on his display. He was lucky that his phone was undamaged, he had kept it in his chest pocket. Hurriedly he answered, turning it on speaker.

“Yeah?”

“Felix? Oh my god, Felix! Are you okay? Are the others okay?” Chan was panicking. His voice was hitched and he was speaking too fast and he also sounded out of breath. “I tried contacting you before but-“

“The communication was down, no idea why they did all that shit,” Felix frowned and stepped aside and out of the way so the others could help Seungmin and Minho out. “We are all alive. Mostly just cuts and bruises. Minho got injured earlier, long story. But we are okay and alive.” He repeated the last part again, wanting to calm his friend as good as he could. After all his friends had just been in a major explosion and he had no idea what kind of information were already getting spread on all kinds of media.

“We are pretty close,” Chan said, voice a bit calmer than before. Felix could hear Changbin in the background, arguing with someone but he couldn’t hear him properly. “Send me your location and we will get to you.”

“Sure. Though we will move too. I’ll send you my live location so you can follow it,” Felix said as he saw Seungmin grab his slippers and put them back on. Jeongin was carrying Minho on his back, letting Jisung walk in front of him so he could make sure the way was free while Hyunjin gestured to Felix to follow. “I’ll send it to you now. But make sure to stay safe, it is still dangerous,” he added, knowing that Chan would run into a burning building if it meant keeping his friends safe. They were his family after all and his own life meant nothing to him if he could safe someone else instead.

“Yes, of course. See you in a moment,” Chan said and he sounded gentle, caring. Felix then hung up, sending Chan their live location so he could track them. For a moment the notification didn’t go through, but then it finally showed that it had been sent and even already received. They often did that during missions and it had saved them multiple times.

Finally, the dust and ashes were giving away a view and the extent of this incident was severe, horrifying. Injured people were everywhere. Blood covering the debris, people missing limbs, the artworks torn apart just like the furniture. Deep inside Felix had been holding onto the fading hope no one would have lost their live, he now had to face the fact that there were corpses all around him. They had been lucky enough to act quick and hide in the hall under the tables, it had given them good cover and protection. Seeing the other halls clearly showed them that any other area hadn’t been so fortunate.

Parts of the frames were stuck in people’s bodies as well as glass. Broken bones were piercing through skin and the ceiling as well as parts of the walls had clearly crushed people under it. Well, as far as the blood prints could tell. There were broken skulls and people screaming, he could even see a single foot sitting on the bloody concrete that had once been the wall of the hallway. It was almost ironic how unbothered it seemed, clearly not missing its owner. Morbid, for sure, but Felix had seen worse quite a few times. “Chan is looking for us and I think Changbin is with him,” he told the others as he walked with them, staying close.

“That’s good,” Hyunjin mumbled as he made sure the others would follow him through the debris, climbing over some broken pieces and he was pretty sure also dead bodies. It was hard to ignore the screams of the people and not run to their aid, instead just making their way through the place. They were not trained for such situations. And if they had thought about it some more, moving any debris and wreckage could have caused more damage too. It could have risked the place to collapse even more, burying their friends under them and just the thought of it sent cold shivers through Hyunjin’s body. They had just reacted on instinct and to their blessing it hadn’t caused them further harm. If it had caused injury to other people he couldn’t tell and if he was honest he didn’t want to know.

Glancing over to Minho, whose face was buried on Jeongin’s shoulder.  He was clearly still unconscious and while Hyunjin knew that it was a lot better that Seungmin had knocked him out, Hyunjin was aware it would help his personal comfort a lot if Minho was awake. Minho always knew how to keep a situation under control and aside from that, just seeing the older unconscious made Hyunjin worry even more. Frowning he looked around for some support but eventually had to hold out his hand for help as they climb up over some fallen parts. Jeongin managed to get up even with the extra weight on his body and once again Hyunjin wondered why he was more on missions that were in front of a computer than actually out with them. He was strong, knew how to fight, clever, even if he was still young, not yet thirty like most of them, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t do well. However, that wasn’t his decision to make.

As they had been close to the exterior walls it didn’t take too long for them to get out. A man in a neon red jacket told them to walk over to where some ambulances were just about to park to get their injuries checked. And at least Seungmin should get his bleeding wound on his forehead checked, however all he did was roll his eyes. He would definitely not get it checked out here and then probably have to stay in a hospital overnight just in case. He’d get himself checked out at the headquarters.

Seungmin had never liked when people took care of him or sent him worried glances, he wasn’t made for that and he had never been a nice person when rejecting worries. So especially now while being surrounded by people that were a lot worse, he hated the looks the people passing by were giving him. He didn’t need any medical attention, the person missing a foot however definitely did.

“Lix!” A voice was echoing through the place and they all looked up, seeing Chan and Changbin pushing their way through the people that were obviously trying to block civilians from entering the area of disaster. The police had come to the scene pretty quickly and so had the ambulances and the fire department, yet the sound of an explosion of this size had clearly not been missed by anyone in the closer proximity so quite many civilians had gathered already. Some to help, some to gawk.

“Shit, Seung,” Changbin said as he finally reached them and Seungmin huffed, rolling his eyes yet again.

“It’s just a scratch, something that happens when a building buries you under it,” Seungmin explained and shook his head slightly, looking at the other two. “Had to knock out Minho. He was having a panic attack,” he explained again to the newly arrived and they just nodded, understanding what had happened right away. “Can you take him?” he then asked towards Changbin who immediately nodded and let Jeongin hand over the unconscious person.

Hyunjin glanced over to Changbin who checked on Minho’s pulse right away and also his breathing though he tried to make it not too obvious. After all he did trust Seungmin, he was just scared. Six of his friends had just almost gotten blown up in a goddamn art gallery and now one of them was unconscious, one was bleeding from the head and everyone else was covered in bruises, scratches and ash. So, of course, he had to double check, even if it was just to calm himself.

“Let’s get you to HQ,” Chan mumbled after he had eyed all of them, double checking them up and down and making sure he wasn’t missing a huge piece of metal stuck in one of them – there wasn’t – and then took a deep breath, slowly calming down. The people he had worried about most seemed to be okay and that was what it came down to. To him that was what was important. Yes, there were more people injured and dead but that didn’t matter right now.

“Yes please,” Hyunjin mumbled and brushed through his messy hair, looking at the others, almost a begging expression on his face. He wanted to get away from the sight of disaster, going somewhere safe and away from this place. It would haunt them already, he didn’t need more screams and weeping people to it.

Chan carefully led them through the fire fighters that just got ready to assess the situation and help the people closest around and sort the people into blue, red and red grey cards – non-urgent care, urgent care and immediate care. Hyunjin turned his head away and stayed closed to Chan and the rest of the people. He just wanted to get away from the injured and mostly away from the dead. Especially the dead. A shiver went through his body as he saw some part of a limp, covered in blood and when they passed it he could tell it once must have been a part of an arm or some other extremity. Despite them having left the building the pieces of both building and bodies had been spread further. It was horrifying.

Killing people was one thing but people being torn apart, buried and severely dismembered in such a high number? Terrifying and traumatic.

Eventually they reached the minivan, just enough space for all of them and after they had gotten Changbin and Minho inside the rest managed to squeeze in. No one really cared who was leaving, no one cared that they had just been in the middle of a collapsed convention building. Just starting the car and turning it around, Chan drove them away from the epitome of disaster. Away from the screaming people, the dust and ashes, the lost lives.

Of course, they could have helped the people in need, yes, nevertheless Chan could care less about it right now and he was pretty sure they all were in some kind of shock. There would be people trained for this situation and none of them were, especially not after having been in the middle of it. This morning none of them had expected it to take such a turn. Usually most situations didn’t suddenly turn from “not dangerous” to “could kill you” but this mission had turned from a nice visit in a gallery to a state of emergency. The death toll was probably pretty high and would get even higher during the next few days, but all Chan could think of was how lucky he was that none of his teammates, his friends, were one of the dead.

-

The sound of the TV was filling the apartment, echoing from the walls of the living room. Minho was curled up on the couch, covered with a blanket and a cool pack on his foot that was bandaged and resting on a pillow. Hyunjin was sitting on the end of the couch, next to Minho who was dozing off, his face also hidden in a soft pillow. 

The others were also in the living room, spread onto the other couch and armchairs so they could rest and watch the TV. Aside from Felix who was making some tea in the kitchen, getting himself a break from the constant repetition of the News. It honestly wasn’t about them getting information about what had happened, it was more about them wanting to be close to each other. Making sure everyone was safe and sound.

They were following the News about the explosion and what they were finding even though Seungmin kept telling them that Clé would figure out more much faster than any News agent could. He could probably log into the system, yet the nurse who had treated Seungmin’s injuries had clearly forbidden him from working for the next few days and not to use any digital displays as he had a concussion and the injury on his forehead wasn’t to be taken lightly. Despite not being happy he had agreed to her treatment. He might be stubborn but he would also not lightly risk his health and therefore was currently just cooling his head, eyes closed, having taken a few painkillers already while he was resting now. He hated being unable to properly work but right now none of them could actively do anything. They all were not allowed to work for at least the next few days.

Minho also had gotten an urgent advice to rest, especially as he had only woken up when they had finally entered the infirmary of the HQ. He was still overwhelmed with what had happened and that was one of the reasons they were all sitting in the living room. Not because they knew Minho might just have a panic attack again but because they knew it helped Minho when he was surrounded by familiar people. Not everyone worked like this, sadly, but for Minho it was definitely helpful. While he was zoning out a lot especially Seungmin and Chan could easily tell when he needed some distraction or grounding. However not only Minho needed some support, as the others were all in some kind of shock and staying together wasn’t a bad idea. There was nothing they needed to do anyways and while Felix was making some tea, Changbin had ordered them some food to calm their nerves.

They all knew later they would have to go in and report to Clé what had happened, all eight of them, however that was luckily not right now. Today they could fall apart and put themselves back together.

“Any particular wishes?” Felix called over and Jisung looked up.

“Not chamomile please. Maybe some black tea,” Jisung called back and Minho snorted.

“You planning on not sleeping?” he asked and glanced over, rubbing his sleepy eyes. “Unless Felix knows when to take out the tea bag – or well, just leaves it in.”

“Sleep is for the weak,” Jisung huffed and Minho chuckled, shaking his head amused. “I just really like the taste,” the younger then added and glanced at the older. He was glad to hear him speak and even make jokes, it calmed his nerves a little bit as he had been worried. Jisung barely knew anything about the other’s past, however what he knew did worry him. He cared for all of them, they were the closest people he had, the people he trusted most and he preferred for them to be safe and sound.

Burying his face in the pillow again, Minho huffed. “I like having some nice amount of sleep,” he mumbled and then blinked when Soonie jumped onto the couch, curling up next to him. The cat wanted attention and yet he was still careful around Minho. He had always loved having the animals close and both his cats loved giving attention, making him smile. Gently he petted the cat and there was a small smile on his lips as the animal started to purr.

“They found pieces of the bomb,” Jeongin mumbled and tilted his head a bit. “But I’m pretty sure there is a lot more to it.”

“Oh, there is for sure,” Seungmin said and sighed, shaking his head. “But honestly I am not sure how fast and how quick they will let the media know.” He knew the most about media relations and whatever else was related to such kind of situations as he had been introduced in some advanced training from time to time. Chan and Changbin too knew a lot about this kind of things however if it came to accurate knowledge that was up to date it was always Seungmin. “We will have to trust on Clé for proper information if we want some answers any time soon.”

“And getting those isn’t always that easy,” Jeongin mumbled and rolled his eyes, slumping into the armchair and huffing. Felix was just walking in with a tray of cups, handing the tea to each of them.

“Why?” Jisung asked, looking from one to another. While he had figured out quite a bit already he had yet to learn a lot more about the organization itself. It had taken a while until he had understood the antics of Clé and while he had been here for a bit already it would take him even more time to know how exactly it was working. Just like each of them had taken their time to understand how everything was working and even some of them still had to figure out bits and pieces. However, they were a team, they had each other’s backs. They were a team after all and if there was any danger coming from the organization, they would warn and protect each other from any harm. For now, they all were luckily safe and sound.

A sigh left Jeongin’s lips and he thanked Felix when the other gave him some tea before turning to Jisung. “They like to remain silent whenever there is rather important information, especially if you are involved. Utter dickheads.”

Within the three years Jeongin had been part of the organization they hadn’t even once given him vital information about a mission he had just finished afterwards. Once he was done he rarely ever got updates and he was sure it would be the same with their current mission. As their mission was done – finished or failed didn’t matter – he was pretty sure they wouldn’t get any further information of what had blown up the goddamn building. And almost them with it. Jeongin was still pissed about it.

Whoever had knocked out Minho surely had also ruined a beautiful old building and while doing so had killed many people. They already knew of at least seventy-two deaths and there would be more. He had noticed how Minho had turned his head away from the TV and how also Hyunjin was trying to not listen whenever they mentioned the death toll.

“This fucking sucks,” Jisung mumbled and Jeongin nodded.

“It does. And just hacking the organization isn’t exactly easy,” Jeongin mumbled and glanced over to Seungmin who shrugged. It wasn’t exactly a secret that they both had once managed to do exactly that to figure out some vulnerable spots in the organisations firewall, however it hadn’t exactly been a walk in the park. Jeongin had loved teaching himself some computer language and eventually, well, hacking, however Seungmin was on an entirely different level. There was a reason why he was the one that worked in front of a computer most times, never really going out on missions but staying inside and leading the people from his spot.

Jeongin was pretty sure that Seungmin could even now hack into the security system and get the information or – and that was his conspiracy theory – that Kim Seungmin already knew a way inside and got his information whenever he wanted, even if he hadn’t been granted access. Unfortunately, not every information was written down and stored on the computer, some sadly were just noted in some files and while Seungmin – and Jeongin too – loved to break the rules, they were not exactly fans of breaking into the archives and getting the requested files that might hold information.

Though at one point maybe Jeongin might have considered it once or twice and he was pretty sure the others had thought about it too.

“I don’t even know how to hack,” Felix mumbled and shook his head. “Let’s just wait and see how they will handle this situation, right?”

“Not well,” Changbin groaned and rubbed his temple as he leaned back against the couch. He was sitting in front of it, close to Minho and upon glancing at the other he could see his eyes were closed. He didn’t look relaxed though, clearly listening but not wanting to be a part of the conversation. Understandable, anything was probably exhausting and after such an event Changbin was sure the other was low on energy. “They will have us report to them and probably turn it into an interrogation,” he mumbled and brushed through his hair then. “And it isn’t always exactly nice.”

There was a sigh escaping his lips and Felix nodded. “I remember that one time they really thought it was our fault a mission went wrong. Man, they were fucking assholes,” he huffed and crossed his arms, pouting.

“Where you ended up crying in?” Changbin asked and Felix whined again before nodding. He hated that memory.

“They were such assholes for it,” Chan groaned and he sounded clearly upset about that. “That was such a low blow and it was so obvious that it wasn’t us who fucked it up. It was them for sending two separate teams without telling each other about it and barely giving proper information.”

“Why the fuck would they even do that?” Jisung asked clearly confused and there was a sigh coming from Felix who, instead of answering, took a sip from his drink.

Changbin however decided to reply. “They wanted to kind of test us, I guess? Chan and me. Because of us being in the mafia, infiltration and such. They only trust you so much. You know, trust is nice but making sure is always better. So they sent different teams to see if we are trustworthy and who would have thought that the other team fucked up bad but they tried to frame us for it. Didn’t work, as you can see, but man it was nasty.” He shook his head slightly. “Chan exploded right into their face. It was beautiful, he threatened to cut the director’s ear.” He smirked. “I still have the security tapes and whenever I get sad I watch it.”

“He did what?” Jeongin said, clearly having heard about it for the first time as well.

“He threatened to cut off the director’s ear,” Changbin repeated and leaned back, watching the others. “It’s one of the rare moments Chan lost it, you guys would have loved it for sure.”

Chan however whined slightly. “I… he made Felix cry who really had nothing to do with the situation and-“

“No need to defend yourself, really. You had absolutely every right to do that. Funny how things turned out to be. That threatening them to shut they stupid idiot behavior and stop making Felix cry would finally make them believe we were not turning sides.” Changbin shook his head and Chan’s cheeks were slightly red, embarrassed from his behavior as he usually was a person that was very put together, rarely ever losing it and just the memory of how he had reacted was embarrassing to remember but if he had to choose, he would do it again within a heartbeat. He cared for his friends and his family and if Changbin was honest he had been this very close as to lose it himself as well. If it came to his team – official or not – they would all do whatever they could to protect each other.

Shaking his head, Chan sighed. “I knew it could have had bad consequences but they were so disrespectful and ignoring the very obvious proof,” he grumbled and crossed his arms. Clearly, he was still not entirely over what had happened and very salty about it. “If they ever do it again, I will rip them another asshole,” he mumbled under his breath and Felix almost choked on his tea.

“Sorry,” Chan quickly apologized and rubbed his neck while Felix was trying his best to catch his breath and not die from the tea.

“Thanks, I guess?” Felix coughed and shook his head, a soft smile on his lips. Up until today he was still very grateful for his friends protecting him from all the harm.

A hum left Chan’s lips and it seemed to have been a small, wordless ‘you are welcome’ from him.

“It does sound shady,” Jisung admitted and looked from one to the other while he held his tea close to him, just warming himself on it for now. He wasn’t really thirsty but it felt nice to hold it and just to smell the tea. It was giving him some kind of comfort and right now they all definitely needed that.

“They are. If they are one thing, it is shady,” Minho said and Changbin nodded. “Most parts are fine but they are quite shady, their methods especially.” He rubbed his eyes and turned a bit to the others. “You’ll get used to it, I guess. Just make sure to not give them your vulnerable spots. If there are any they don’t know yet, though.”

For Minho the organization knew most of his vulnerable parts, sadly. But up until now they had yet not used it against him nevertheless Minho wouldn’t trust in them not choosing to do exactly that. While Minho knew the organisation had most likely saved many of them, he also knew that it had also taken at least as many lives as well. His live had luckily not been one of the unfortunate souls that were no longer upon them. Yet.

“Not much to hide, I guess,” Jisung said and sniffed on his tea, taking in the calming scent. “I mean, the only proper enemy I had was the man Minho shot when we met each other so I guess lucky me.” He shrugged slightly. “But thank you for warning me. I’ll make sure not to spill all my newly experienced stuff to the organization.”

“That is a smart move,” Minho hummed and curled up some more but let Felix hand him a cup of tea that smelled like something very traditional. He couldn’t pinpoint it but it did have a nice scent. A yawn left his lips and he moved a bit, a small hiss leaving his lips as he moved his foot in an uncomfortable way. He had been lucky as it had been his already bothersome leg that had gotten injured. It was nothing major, just some bad bruising and some bleeding but it would heal within a few weeks. They all had been lucky. None of them had any broken bones or bad wounds, nothing deep or overly painful aside some uncomfortable bruises here and there, some cuts. Hyunjin had strained his injured arm but even that was nothing major. However, the trauma the event had been causing them was something different. Something that would only unfold their full scope in the future.

Minho for one knew how badly it had affected him. First getting attacked in the warehouse – his ear still not entirely good but he could hear by now. It had just been some blunt trauma that would be fine in a few days – and then the explosion? He had never been good with explosions, not after his military service, and being here in a rather safe city ending up in the epitome of an explosion? He would take quite some time to recover from it.

“But if you do need help, don’t hesitate to reach out to one of us or the organization. We might complain a lot, though they only want what is best for them and also us. And if you need their support, you will get it,” Minho then added and got a soft mixture of agreeing sounds and nods. “They did save quite a few of us.”

Once again there were a few nods and Jisung hummed softly.

“You did save me too,” he then said, quietly, glancing over to Minho and Hyunjin. “Surely, the organization too but… yeah.” He brushed through his messy hair and finally took a sip from his tea while he glanced over to the TV that was showing the ruins of what had once been the halls of the Great Gala, holding magnifying artworks and filling its hallways with so many different people. Jisung was pretty sure that quite a few people of who he had talked to earlier were dead by now. And sadly he would be right with that.

There was a small smile on Minho’s lips Jisung didn’t see as he had turned away. “I’d do it again,” he said quietly and Hyunjin nodded.

Chapter Text

Reporting what had happened to the headquarters was disgusting. The person interrogating Jisung was cold and harsh and Jisung just wanted to get out. He had repeated the same story with different words four times by now and not even once had the person in front of him shown some sign of emotion. Clearly they were trying to see if anything wasn’t fitting the narrative or making sense but it was late afternoon by now and Jisung was tired and wanted to go home. He knew that the others were going through the same struggle and he hated it so much.

At least the others had warned him beforehand.

“I have written down every name I still remember,” Jisung then said and looked at the person. It was a woman, probably early thirties and therefore slightly older than Jisung and she was beautiful yet her neutral expression was sending shivers down Jisung’s spine, a clear sign of warning. He needed to be careful though he knew there was nothing he was hiding from her. They had talked about what had happened to Minho, how Seungmin had arrived and that Chan had eventually taken them out of the chaos and back to the infirmary and then home. “If I remember another one I will of course come back and let you know.” He nodded eagerly, not wanting to accidentally hinder an investigation or any possibility to find who had caused so many deaths. 

“We see the mission as successfully finished,” the woman said and looked up at Jisung. It felt as if she was staring right into his soul and he was definitely not a fan of it. 

“But-“ Jisung started and then frowned. “The building was blown up so-“ He was stumbling more over his own words than actually speaking, he couldn’t understand how this was considered a successful mission. Not considering how it had ended.

“You got all the information required. The end of the event was unfortunate however you finished the mission and therefore it is successful. Good job, Han Jisung,” she said, still neutral and cold but it was her job, and while he was a very expressive person he did know some people were not. So maybe that was why she was perfect for interrogating people. She was doing a good job and Jisung was more than sure that she had interrogated quite a few people that hadn’t wanted to speak but had eventually given in under her stare. She knew how to get people to speak. Jisung surely wasn’t a pinnacle of stubborn mutism but even if he was he would definitely have every important information spill pretty soon just from her giving him the goddamn cold looks.

His nightmares would be filled with it. 

“If you remember any more details, no matter how small or insignificant it might seem to you, you will immediately report it to us,” the woman said and Jisung nodded right away. She didn’t seem suspicious of him but honestly she could think of rainbows and butterflies and Jisung wouldn’t notice so whatever.

“Of course,” he nodded right away and handed her the list of people. He had mentioned it before yet she hadn’t looked at it even once. Maybe it wasn’t important or maybe she was just expecting him to leave it here. Which he would, it just felt utterly wrong to leave a piece of paper in a room with a woman who hadn’t even given him her name. By all he knew she could be an imposter. Jisung couldn’t care less. He wanted out, home, going to the others apartment and cook or to the gym or training area to get the unsettling feeling out of his body. He just hoped the others would be okay. 

“As it is considered a traumatic event, you are obligated to talk to our psychologist. The appointment will be sent to you within the next few days.” The woman noted something down and then looked up again, nodding at Jisung and he felt like running. He couldn’t even say why but some people of Clé always gave him the feeling of not belonging. Possibly because he was new or maybe because to them he didn’t fit, yet. He couldn’t tell and frankly speaking right now it didn’t matter to him. “You can leave now,” she added and those were the words Jisung had wanted to hear the entire time. He nodded and tried not to get up way too fast, nevertheless the chair was making an awful sound when being moved over the ground.

Immediately Jisung apologized and bowed, saying a quick goodbye before making his way out of the room, leaving her and the unsettling feeling behind. However even the building itself was giving him an uneasy feeling. It was an additional building to the headquarters, rather new however still very sterile seeming and cold. No pictures, just white walls and a few windows towards the small area next to the building, probably a recreation spot. It had some flowers and trees to cover from the sun, though even that looked clean and untouched. As if everything was made with such a precision and one-hundred percent planning. It was something Jisung disliked.

Jisung loved forests and parks where nature was just growing, filling the surroundings with so much beauty and giving it its own pattern. Here everything seemed the entire opposite. Clean, cold, planned. He didn’t like it. A shiver went through his body as he rushed through the hallway, way quicker than he probably needed to. Grabbing his phone he checked their group chat, noticing that Chan and Changbin were long done and waiting in the nearby café for them. Seungmin was with them too, sounding rather pissed. He rarely used so little emoticons when texting and it was easy to notice that he wasn’t in the mood and requested some sweets and coffee. It was obvious that he didn’t have a good time at all and wasn’t planning on hiding it. 

The others however seemed to not be done yet and it worried Jisung as his watch was telling him he had been in there for at least over three hours. Shaking his head he immediately texted the group chat that he was joining the other three in the café – where they had decided to meet up after the interrogation – before checking the address and then looking around to find the place.

Reaching the small café the sweet atmosphere made his body relax right away. It felt like the tension was finally leaving his body, like a weight lifted from his shoulders. It was a petit café, decorated with some comfortable-looking armchairs and even some blankets added and some candles on the table to make it cozier. It smelled like cake and coffee and also some tea if Jisung was picking it up right and he smiled slightly. 

Spotting the other three was easy. Changbin and Chan were chatting actively about something, both gesturing widely while Seungmin was just leaning back in his chair, holding his cup and staring grumpily into the nothingness. He clearly wasn’t having a good day.

Instead of walking over right away Jisung stopped at the front desk and ordered an americano, not feeling fancy enough to take his time and choose something particular luxurious. His comfort drink would do much better right now. He didn’t pick a cake yet even though he could see that at least Changbin was having a pastry in front of him and he was pretty sure Seungmin was nibbling on something too. 

Walking over to them, Jisung was holding his americano in his hands. “You look quite frustrated,” he said as he noticed the others expressions. He frowned and tilted his head a bit, licking his lips before he sat down next to them, glancing over to each of them. Seungmin looked especially pissed – or maybe that was just his face.

Stuffing his face with some éclair Seungmin denied himself the possibility to answer – a clear sign that he surely didn’t want to answer and Chan sighed, shaking his head.

“He heard Minho in the next room, sounding not exactly happy,” Chan explained and leaned back, sipping on his cup of tea while he watched Jisung. He looked slightly defeated and he clearly was showing worry as well. “So, he is extra pissed because they didn’t let him go and check on him.”

“He is on his fifth éclair and third coffee,” Changbin added and sighed, looking from Seungmin to Chan and then to Jisung. Clearly the information was something unusual and Jisung had to admit that he rarely ever saw Seungmin eat pastries in a larger amount. “How did your report go?”

Jisung frowned slightly, looking at the size of the éclair and then at Seungmin’s chocolate fingers before he turned to Changbin, shrugging slightly. “Pretty okay I guess? I had to repeat the story a few times but it went okay. At first I thought she was there to rip my poor organs out and step on them just to make me cry but eventually she seemed… nicer?”

“Yeah, that is their job,” Chan said and shrugged, clearly not the biggest fan of being interrogated but knowing they were just doing their job. But that didn’t make it less uncomfortable. “Sucks sometimes. Even I sometimes piss my pants when being interrogated by them, they know their techniques too well and its scary.” He shook his head. After all, usually he was the one interrogating – or Changbin, it always depended on the situation but he was never really a fan of it, no matter on what side he sat. It wasn’t a secret that he was a big softie after all and torturing people to get information was sadly part of it as well. He probably wasn’t made for being in the mafia but that was exactly what his job was.

“Doesn’t give them the right to make any of us feel like shit. Yeah, sure, when they think there is some shit going on but clearly, we were not involved with that fucking bullshit of explosion,” Seungmin said, clearly angry. He then got up, grabbing his empty cup and plate.

“What are you doing?” Chan asked surprised and glanced at Seungmin, ready to grab him if he planned on going back to the interrogation as they all knew it wasn’t the smartest idea to do that. They didn’t let Seungmin in to check on Minho earlier and they surely hadn’t changed their mind now. Even if he begged them or punched them in the throat. 

Seungmin however only rolled his eyes. “Getting another éclair. I can’t stuff their mouths but I can surely stuff mine.” He then turned around and moved to the counter, having Chan watch him while Changbin giggled.

“He’s always like this. Sulking. He is worried about Minho and I get it, we all know Minho isn’t in a good state but that does not exactly mean he cannot take care of himself,” Changbin explained to Jisung who nodded, slowly but understanding. He too had the feeling that Minho could take good care of himself but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be worried about him after all. “He will text us once he is out. Minho, I mean.”

Again, Jisung nodded. Honestly he preferred getting texted by all of them once they were done. The situation they had experienced had left them with some trauma and who knew how each of them would react to it. Even Jisung wasn’t entirely sure how he would deal with what he had experienced. The explosion, of course, but especially the aftermath. The injured people, the screaming, the blood – he shook his head to get it out of his mind. He could still feel how the fear holding onto his heart, keeping it cold and his body tense, for now at least. 

“I just hope it will go okay,” Jisung said and glanced at the employee who hesitantly handed Seungmin another coffee and another éclair. A really big chocolate éclair. He then turned to Chan and Changbin. “Did yours go okay?”

“Yeah, definitely. We didn’t have a lot to say after all,” Chan said and shrugged slightly. “They easily accepted it and just moved on, I guess? We too had to repeat ourselves a few times but that is totally normal. And then we were allowed to leave. Changbin was here first, I joined and then Seungmin came. I was pretty sure he was about to murder someone.” Shaking his head Chan emptied his tea and licked his lips. Shortly he glanced over at Seungmin before turning back.

“He is quite protective,” Jisung said, more to himself than to anyone else. Not that he minded, he had just noticed how both Hyunjin and especially Seungmin were very protective when it came to Minho and it had probably to do with his past, as far as Jisung could tell. He understood pretty well why, it wasn’t rare that he had slept on the couch and woken up to Minho screaming, waking up from what still haunted him, or one of the others walking over with a hot beverage to accompany Minho and his nightmares. 

A soft sound of agreement left the lips of the other two people. “He is. It is sweet and concerning at the same time.” Chan said and watched Seungmin pay for his pastry and another cup of what seemed to be just black coffee.

“Family does that to you,” Changbin said and tilted his head a bit. “Especially if you have a hard time expression your feelings and showing that you care, like Seungmin.” It was a rarity, that was true, Seungmin rarely showed what he felt properly, usually having a passive-aggressive way of letting them know what he was feeling. He was angry more often than not or neutral – as it seemed to most people around him. Unless he felt not watched and safe. Or whenever Felix took him to the dog café. Jisung had joined them a few times for those visits and he was almost sure Seungmin wanted to go down with dogs burying him. And honestly that was actually a nice way to go, buried under puppies.

“True, he has his problems,” Chan said and shrugged a bit. They all had their flaws and issues, it was pretty obvious. 

“Emotionally constipated is what you call it,” Seungmin said and put his now filled plate and cup down. “And yes, I know it’s about me.” He was still looking pissed and tense but he was clearly not taking their words in a negative way. He was very well aware that he was a rather difficult person when it came to feelings, especially when he was angry, but he wasn’t minding them talking about him from time to time. They all talked about each other and not admitting it would be a lie.

“We were not trying to hide it at all,” Changbin hummed, a small smile on his lips. “But yeah, you sometimes are. But don’t we all have our emotional baggage?”

“Oh, heck yes we do,” Jisung groaned and leaned back, his americano in his hands as he slumped a bit in his chair. Of course, they all had their baggage, otherwise they would most likely not be here and especially after what had happened to them in the art gallery he was very sure they would be filled with much more trauma than before. Jisung had had a hard time sleeping last night, dreaming of the people he had seen before the building had gone to pieces and he had yet to recover from that. They all had to. And he was so grateful none of them were trying to ignore what had happened. None of them were pretending it never happened and Jisung knew it would help them heal though just talking about it was already a hard. 

The other three chuckled amused, even Seungmin, enjoying Jisung’s reaction quite a bit. It was something they hadn’t expected though Jisung’s reactions were always a bit stronger than those of the rest of them. Not that any of them minded, it was quite cute and often lightened the mood, just like now.

Chan got up to get a new cup of tea, leaving the three of them alone while Jisung looked out of the window.

“Hopefully the others are done soon too,” Changbin mumbled and looked at his phone, a small smile on his lips when he saw a text pop up. “Jeongin is done, he’s coming over.”

-

Therapy sessions with the organization’s therapist was always something that made Minho uncomfortable. No one ever knew what they would actually keep private and what they would add to his file and how much the authorities would know. Yes, they were not supposed to tell anyone, however Clé liked to break the rules and aside from that Minho had always had trust issues.

“So, you were scared.”

“Of course, I was scared, I was in the middle of a building that got blown up after someone already knocked me out. I was already in pain, I didn’t need the extra bullshit on top. I didn’t need the extra pain,” Minho groaned and leaned back. He hated those stupid questions and statements that were so useless. He wasn’t here to spend his time with being pissed off though he knew letting off some steam might help him with his currently very anxious state.  However changing anxiety to anger wasn’t always what he preferred, both got him into trouble from time to time and he could deal with his anxiety but not with pissing off someone or possibly hurting other people because of his anger.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why did you not need the extra pain,” the therapist asks, looking at Minho. He was surely in his early fifties or maybe sixties, at least twenty-five years older than Minho and he was sure he was an entirely different generation. Sometimes that helped Minho with understanding his worries, sometimes it made things so much worse.

“For fucking-“ Minho started and slumped more in his seat. Was this man fucking joking? “Because I am already in enough pain. We went through this. I hate being in pain and I am always in pain,” he explained and looked at the man. “And being thrown back to that bullshit of a mission that ruined my leg and caged me in this fucking cave for days? Thanks, but no thanks.” He hated talking about that incident. He hated how the therapist always managed to make him furious. “I thought I was back there. So Seungmin knocked me out, bless his soul.”

“Could anything have helped you in that situation?” The man asked and he was so calm, it bothered Minho. Unfortunately, he knew this man had been screamed at so many times, probably even today, he was used to anger issues and outbursts. It was what he had been trained for and Minho was most likely not his most difficult patient. A scrap of comfort.

Minho lifted an eyebrow and then huffed. “Yeah, getting knocked out. Like Seungmin did. I tried breathing, tried reminding myself that I am safe and sound and all that shit but it isn’t exactly a walk in the park when a building is collapsing around you and your fucking leg is stuck. So yes, getting knocked out was the only sane choice, otherwise I might not only be dreaming about the mission more often but have actual flashbacks during the day again.”

“So, there haven’t been more flashbacks during the day?” The therapist asked, noting something down and then looking back at Minho who was shaking his head.

For a moment he blinked before he spoke it out loud: “No. I’ve been spacing out and I’ve been more sensitive to sounds and movements, more suspicious of what people do around me, but I didn’t in fact start having daily flashbacks out of the blue. Or caused by whatever.” He knew his flashbacks had a trigger, even when he didn’t know what trigger it might be. It might be caused by a sound, a smell, a picture, a thought – it could be whatever, even the way his heartbeat echoed in his ears, but sometimes it kicked in hard and drowned him in memories he would rather push away. During his first year in Clé he had suffered immensely by flashbacks and he had had to actually be held back as sometimes his anger issues and flashbacks were hard to control. It was fight or flight and mostly it was fight, without even realizing where he was or in what situation. It had been rather dangerous if he had been in a supermarket, picking out groceries, just to be thrown back into a traumatic situation where he actually had to fight for his life. 

One time he had pushed an old lady to the ground just because she had gently touched him to ask him for some help. Luckily, they had later been able to sit down and talk, clarify what had happened but back then Minho had just wanted to scream and cry. He hated hurting innocent people and this could have gone so wrong. Yes, the lady shouldn’t have touched him in the first place but then again Minho should have had himself under control enough to keep him from harming others. He hadn’t been. Now he was, as far as he could tell.

“That is quite the success,” the therapist said and looked at Minho who rolled his eyes.

“I guess,” Minho said and crossed his arms. “Does not solve my problems. Or the re-traumatization. It could have ended even worse. I know I signed up for this when I joined this organisation but holy shit that was uncalled for.”

A small hum left the man’s lips, clearly agreeing with Minho. And that was rare. Of course he rarely disagreed however he hardly gave Minho the satisfaction of actually agreeing.

“I know it might not be their fault but whoever is at fault, I’m gonna fucking kick their asses,” Minho mumbled, more to himself than the man in front of him who was clearly amused by what he had said.

“I know, you always do,” the therapist agreed and watched Minho. “What are you going to do now? What do you think will help you?”

There was a long pause, silence, and then Minho shrugged slightly. “Honestly? No idea. Probably talk with the others. I’ve been through such situations more often than them so I am probably less sensitive to it, more used to it.”

The therapist looked at him with a rather sad expression. Surely, many of his clients were used to such situations, desensitized by what was happening to them, yet that wasn’t something anyone should want to achieve. It wasn’t their fault, yes, but it was a sad truth.

“Don’t forget to take care of yourself just because you want to take care or save your friends, Minho,” the man said and shook his head. “You can support each other but make sure you take care of yourself. I know you like to forget your own sorrow and pain to help whoever is suffering. You still need to work on it.”

“I know,” Minho mumbled and he was very well aware that it was the reason why he was here in the first place. Wanting to help and save people, wanting to support where his help was mostly needed. He had gladly taken some trauma in exchange for saving people who were now alive and blooming. He had seen them, had seen how the children had grown up smiling, laughing, now safe and sound. And while Minho regretted so many things that was something he didn’t regret. That was something he would do again and again. But he was also very well aware of the fact that it would eventually kill him if he kept giving away so many parts of his sanity. His therapist was right, his helper complex needed to step down a bit, no matter how hard it was and the only person who could actually work on it was himself. “I know,” he repeated, a sigh leaving his lips. “It’s just easier.”

“What is easier?” the man asked even though he knew the answer. Yet making Minho say it out loud made him realize what he was saying and that was needed. 

“Pushing away my own trauma and not working on it but instead helping my friends,” Minho said and rolled his eyes. “I know, yes, it isn’t a substitute to actually work on my own shit but fucking heck, I just survived a big ass explosion while others did not. I was lucky-“

“No, you were not lucky,” the therapist interrupted Minho who blinked confused. “You just said it yourself, you survived that explosion while others did not. You went through a major traumatic event and just survived because you knew where to hide. You built this specific type of skillset that gave you the possibility to survive because you have been so unlucky to go through this kind of event several times already. You are not lucky, Lee Minho, you are just smart enough to keep yourself and your friends safe. The people who died were unlucky, yes, but that does not mean you were lucky. An actual lucky person does not go through an explosion after they got knocked out before in a way that damaged their hearing for a few hours and then end up with an injured leg and a traumatic event. An actual lucky person wouldn’t sit here, with me, having this talk about how they survived, how they are coping. It is good you are alive but it has nothing to do with luck.”

All Minho could do was look at the man, a big lump in his throat. He hated how right the man was. He hadn’t been lucky. If everything had gone to plan, yes, then he would have been lucky but fuck, he hated this so much. This could have killed his friends, his family, it nearly threw him back months, no, years in coping with sorrow and mourning and fuck he was angry. Angry and pissed and just relieved they all were alive despite all the repercussions they now had to bear. 

And he hated it but he could feel the tears on his cheeks, hot and angry. A loud sob left Minho’s lips. He wasn’t ashamed of crying in front of the man who looked surprisingly proud of the situation. It had taken Minho months to open up and cry in front of this man and right now he knew this was the right situation but he also knew he would just be exhausted and done for the rest of the day. Whenever he cried he had a hard time stopping and right now the tears were filled with so many emotions, it was hard to deal with them. 

“I hate this so much,” Minho sobbed and held onto his sweater, his nails digging into the fabric. “This isn’t fair.”

“No, it is not. It has never been.”

Minho groaned and buried his face in his hands, tears staining his sweater.

Chapter Text

Quietly humming Felix put the cookies in the oven of the three-people-apartment. They had decided to eat and generally meet up in here for the foreseeable future – not that they weren’t already doing it but right now it just happened even more often. 

It was quiet today, sadly, as Felix enjoyed the warm sounds of his friends’ voices a lot, feeling hugged by them even. He knew he was home with only Hyunjin, Jisung and Minho while the rest was working. Chan and Changbin were busy with mafia stuff and Jeongin and Seungmin were, as always, working at the NIS. The other three were free from missions for now and as Felix was free for today as well he had decided to bake some nice cookies for the group. He had also prepared some brownies earlier and they were just sitting on the oven to cool down a bit. Once they were ready he would bring them to the others’ rooms if he founds them there or maybe put them in the living room and ask for them to join him while having some tea or hot chocolate.

Just a relaxing afternoon – something they all definitely deserved. Maybe cuddling some, if it came to Felix. He really enjoyed cuddling though oftentimes he wasn’t around to actually grab one of the others to cuddle. Of course Chan did cuddle with him too but most times he wasn’t at home either. Sighing quietly Felix made sure to set a timer and sat down on the kitchen floor, gently petting Soonie and Doongie – and accidentally getting some pieces of cookie dough that was still on his fingers into their fur. Not that he minded. Neither did the cats as it meant having something to snack on. Or at least Soonie didn’t mind as Doongie immediately started to groom himself, making sure to keep his fur all clean.

“Picky little baby,” Felix chuckled and gently petted Soonie, just glad the cats were here to cuddle them. He knew that Minho was in his room, sleeping, while Jisung and Hyunjin were currently playing Mario Kart in the living room. He could hear them quite well as they both were loud and horribly sore losers. Shaking his head amused he picked up Soonie and walked over towards the other two.

Jisung was just throwing a blue spiny shell at Hyunjin as he was first right now. And then not anymore as his character he was falling down the rainbow road, losing his first place to Jisung and ending up fourth place. Which was still lucky, after all it felt like ages till Hyunjin’s Kart was back on the road. He let out a screeching sound that actually made Soonie flinch and Felix had a hard time making sure the cat wouldn’t tear him apart with his paws. 

“I will smother you in your fucking sleep,” Hyunjin growled at Jisung as he kicked him and threatened to actually throw the controller at his friend who only stuck out his tongue and managed to reach the finish line. First place, of course. 

“Feel free to do so but you did lose three times in a row.” Jisung was almost singing with gratification and made a small dance in front of Hyunjin before he waved at Felix. “Hey Lixie!”

“I’m not gonna play with you anymore!” Hyunjin ended up being third before he put the controller down and crossed his arms in a pouty way. Clearly he was sulking – he was definitely not the best loser, had never been, but he was definitely not denying it. Aside from that he was also still having fun so there was that.

“That is what you always say but then you ask me to play with you again even though I won. Repeatedly,” Felix said, clearly having experienced it before, and chuckled, gently putting Soonie down on the cat tree where he immediately curled up, purring. That little guy really enjoyed his home way too much and he was quite comfortable around all of them. So was Doongie too who was walking around Felix’ legs, rubbing against them.

“Yeah but sometimes you let me win,” Hyunjin said and then glanced at Jisung. “He never lets me win.” 

Now they all had to laugh, realizing how damn ridiculous the situation was. Eventually it was just a game and it was fun to forget what was happening around them. They had slept in today, not caring about everyone else waking up early and grabbing some coffee or quick breakfast before leaving the house – or at least Jeongin and Seungmin and, well, regarding Felix Chan hadn’t even come home this morning. That was in fact not a rarity, Chan often stayed overnight and only came back during the afternoon just to fall back into his bed and take a nap. Or a small coma, as Chan liked to call it. Not a surprise as sometimes he just slept for days and Felix had gotten worried a few times already but whatever made his flatmate happy, if he was honest. However today he didn’t  care, just enjoying his time here with his friends. He had also texted everyone else to come over if they could and Changbin had texted him back within a few minutes, letting him know he would if or once he could. 

“Felix has a sweet spot for you, of course he is letting you win sometimes. But I am showing you reality. Sometimes you win, mostly you lose,” Jisung joked and nudged Hyunjin who then reached for the pillow and pushed it into the other’s face. 

“Suffer, you menace,” Hyunjin exclaimed and Jisung laughed, falling backwards onto the couch. Clearly; he was having the time of his life and Felix chuckled amused, shaking his head as well. He loved seeing how carefree they were and how they were joking around, despite having just met a few months ago under rather difficult circumstances. Felix felt warm and happy and he smiled at them with a fond expression.

“Nah,” Jisung laughed and pushed his feet against Hyunjin’s side, making him flinch and laugh as he was rather ticklish.

“Don’t use your nasty feet on me,” the tallest said and held Jisung’s feet, almost taking off the other’s socks by accident. 

“They are not nasty!” Jisung whined and then threw the pillow back at Hyunjin. “I just washed them this morning and put deo on them!”

“They still smell! Go sell your socks online, I bet weird people would sell quite some money for it!”

“They would?” Jisung and Felix said in unison and Hyunjin blinked surprised at their reaction.

“Yes?” Hyunjin said and lifted an eyebrow. “Oh my god, have you never been on the internet?” he then asked and facepalmed. “Of course they would love to pay like… a lot, if you know where to sell them.”

Jisung sat up properly and Felix also blinked in surprise about this kind of information. “How do you even know that?”

“I was a model. Models have a hard time getting money first, do you really think I never chose different ways to get my money?”

“You sold socks? Dirty socks?” Felix said in disbelief and laughed then. “I can’t believe you.”

“No, I did not. I did consider it though.” Hyunjin huffed and pouted. “But yeah. Yeji did sell worn socks though.”

After the Great Gala, it had taken him a few days to actually contact her. His phone had had a broken screen and needed to be repared so he had pushed it to the back of his mind as he was honestly terrified in case she hadn’t made it. As well as other friends of him he had met at the Great Gala. He had even ignored checking his social media where he knew Yeji posted on regularly until he had confined in Felix. Who had luckily just checked.

She was alive. A broken arm and some nasty scratches but definitely alive and Hyunjin had called her right away when he had heard about it, holding Felix’ hand who had been confused at first but had then gently hugged Hyunjin. Yes, they were assassins, working for a morally grey organisation, however that didn’t mean they were heartless and losing close people was always difficult. Even if Hyunjin hadn’t been in close contact with most, that didn’t mean he didn’t care. Because, fuck, he cared.

Yeji and him had talked for over an hour and she had informed him that everyone else had only ended up with scratches and bruises. They had scheduled a get together for the coming weekend, not only Yeji and him but some more and Hyunjin was excited to go.

“Yeji?” Jisung asked confused and Hyunjin hummed.

“Yeah, a friend of mine,” he explained. “Sold socks and worn bras, made quite some money. That is why I considered it. Never did it though.”

Upon hearing that Jisung snorted amused and watched Hyunjin. “Do you have an onlyfans?”

“A what?” the taller asked and now it was his time to looking confused. 

“Oh my god, we need to make him an onlyfans,” Felix said, his eyes shining brightly in excitement. Jisung laughed and then nodded, grabbing his laptop from under the couch table. 

“What the fuck is an onlyfans?” Hyunjin repeated himself more or less.

“It’s a social media website where you can have fans that pay for your content. It’s often used for, well, lewd pictures if you’d like to call it that,” Minho’s voice was heard as he joined the them in the living room, a rather neutral expression on his face. “How do you not know? You would literally make millions with just hand pictures.”

Hyunjin still looked utterly overwhelmed and confused, not sure what to think about it. “Lewd… pictures.”

“Yeah, not all. Some do use other content as many social media sites do forbid some particular content. Like sensitive stuff. Nipples, often.” Jisung shrugged slightly. Especially female nipples – utterly stupid in his opinion.

He opened the website to show it to Hyunjin who blinked confused.

“Even some animal shelters I follow are there now as the other websites do not allow some videos or pictures of injured animals and such. So this is how they educate and share their stuff,” Minho explained and shrugged, flopping himself on the couch. “You would be on the lewd side though. Or at least aesthetic part. Putting you in a long sweater, knee high socks and nothing else? Oh the people would love it. No need to show your face though they would enjoy your face even more too.” He winked at Hyunjin who was now blushing, utterly confused about the sudden compliment coming from Minho.

“Yes, right?!” Felix exclaimed and clapped his hands in joy, looking at the other three. “Please, Hyunjin. Seungmin will surely take pictures of you and I can buy you pretty clothes or you can borrow big hoodies from Minho!” He glanced at Minho who snorted amused.

“He can have a big dress shirt of mine, I’m sure the people would love it. Cute sleepy Hyunjin with messy hair and a shirt too big? Definitely.” Minho hummed and Jisung nodded in agreement. Clearly they all agreed while Hyunjin was just sitting there, looking from one to another and then to the laptop, trying to figure out what exactly had happened to Mario Kart and how they had ended here because of Jisung’s nasty feet.

Slowly Hyunjin nodded. “I mean, it would literally be exactly what models do, I guess? Selling their pictures, kinda? Only… a lot easier?” He lifted an eyebrow, not sure if he was getting it right.

“Mhm, kind of. I will show you around and if you want one, we can set one up for you. Of course you can always just delete it too. Whatever you feel good with, you know?” Felix then said and Jisung nodded eagerly. 

“Of course only what makes you feel good.”

“Guys, I was a model, I am more than chill with having pictures taken and sold. I even had a few nude photoshoots.” Hyunjin shook his head amused, a smile on his lips. “So I guess you can show me and we can try?” He was honestly not really minding it but it sounded fun and he did miss taking pretty pictures and showing them to a fanbase. He hadn’t done that in a while so why not try it again, right?

“Fuck yes!” Felix said and Jisung made a happy sound as well, almost jumping in his seat.

“Guess you just made them the happiest little guys ever,” Minho said amused and looked at Hyunjin, nudging him slightly. 

The other nodded, looking at Minho who was now gently petting Doongie who had jumped onto his lap. “I guess so,” Hyunjin hummed, shaking his head amused. Now that was a turn he hadn’t expected but who was he to judge, right? It wasn’t the weirdest thing they had ever done. 

Then a loud beeping sound filled the room and Felix flinched. “The cookies!” And with that he rushed over towards the kitchen, almost falling over Jisung’s feet.

-

Sitting in Seungmin’s office in the headquarters of Clé always gave them a weird feeling. Chan and Changbin rarely entered the premises of the headquarters as it felt a little dangerous if anyone ever got to know about it. They had chosen a rather hidden entrance – it was a gym front of Clé where they entered and took the basement, then walking over to the headquarters so that they should be safe and sound. No one would hopefully ask why they took some time, they were at the gym of course – still they just needed to be extra cautious. Especially with the security cameras at Chan’s and Felix’ place.

It hadn’t felt like someone had followed them but then again they could just be horribly wrong, who knew? Chan hadn’t expected cameras in his apartment as well. Those, however, where gone by now.

“Here,” Seungmin said and clicked on a video, showing it to the other two. It showed who had planted the cameras and taken them away again. It was pretty obvious by now that it had been more than one person and it was almost hilarious how two organisations had decided to put in surveillance cameras in the apartment of the Australians at the same time.

“So, they lied to us,” Changbin said, leaning back. His arms were crossed in front of his chest and he looked anything but happy.

“Oh and how they lied to you,” Seungmin said and looked at the other two. It was almost paradox how they were sitting in the building of one of the organisations who had planted at least one camera. “Maybe they have a reason, checking if you have switched sides or something but when you asked and they said it wasn’t them? That was weird.”

A frown was seen on Chan’s face and he closed his eyes for a second. “I mean, maybe the person we asked didn’t know? Or had no authority to give me the proper information. Who knows?”

“Whatever it is, it looks pretty fishy,” Seungmin said, his voice calm and relaxed. He had known this for a few days now however he preferred to give them the information in person as no one ever knew who was listening. Surely; they were aware of the fact that someone might be listening in on them right now too but that could be at any given moment, sadly.

They had gotten another chance in life with being taken in by Clé, but at the same time they had also sold their souls.

“At least we know how they got in the apartment,” Chan mumbled and brushed through his messy hair. “I just hate how it makes it unsafe for Felix.” 

Changbin and Seungmin snorted amused and shook their head, both of them clearly having a different opinion than Chan.

“Felix sleeps with a gun under his pillow, Chan, he’d shoot anyone who ever so slightly got too close. Also he took you out in training quite a few times, he knows how to protect himself,” Seungmin said and Changbin nodded in agreement.

“You are in a lot more danger than anyone else,” Changbin explained and looked at the other. “I know I said it could just be the Mafia checking on you because you got, well, kind of promoted. Just in case, you know? But it could also be them being suspicious of something, anything. And you know how they are when it is them being suspicious.” 

A sigh left Chan’s lips and he looked at Changbin before he glanced at Seungmin and then at the video. He recognized both people who had placed the cameras. It had been one of the lower people from the mafia and one from Clé he had briefly met a few times. Both had tried their best with not showing their faces but Seungmin had found reflecting items that showed their faces and enhanced it enough to properly show who the people had been. Who had broken into his house without leaving a damn trace. And Chan hated it as it made him feel on edge and on guard and that was something he couldn’t risk in his current position. He had to act oblivious and especially right now as they were still testing him he had to be careful to not make a mistake.

“Do you think they expected me to notice?” Chan asked and looked from Seungmin to Changbin. “The mafia, especially.”

Seungmin tilted his head, contemplating. He wasn’t the one to answer the question as he wasn’t part of the mafia and while he was well-informed, he was still missing vital information. Changbin however was deeply rooted in the mafia and he knew, probably. “I think Clé did, at least,” he then said and Changbin licked his lips.

“Honestly? I am not sure. Sometimes they are so very ominous and choosing such stupid ways, I wonder at times how they managed to get this big,” Changbin said and rolled his eyes. “I mean, they chose you to be the right hand for a reason, maybe they should have checked on you first and then make the decision and not the other way around.” He rubbed his temples, clearly not really happy with the current situation. It was messy and Changbin had never been a fan of messy, especially not when one of his friends was involved. 

“Didn’t they check on Chan for like… months? Was that not why he disappeared from the surface whenever it came to Clé missions?” Seungmin asked and looked at them. Surely, Chan had still met up with his friends from time to time, however they had had to completely take him out of any possible mission as it could have gotten him in way too much trouble if the mafia had figured it out. “So maybe this was just a decoy? To remind Chan that they will keep checking on him?”

“Does sound like the mafia, yeah,” Changbin mumbled and looked at Chan who slowly nodded. “Maybe we are making it way bigger than it actually is.” Which was quite possible. They were currently worrying a lot but it could have just been the mafia reminding him to be on his toes and not make any mistakes. That they had their eyes everywhere, as well as their ears. Changbin was actually used to being watched so he usually only did things that wouldn’t give anything away, especially not his involvement with Clé. 

The other two slowly nodded. Yes, it could be them making a big thing out of nothing, being worried shitless because of this, however it could also be bigger than they thought. It was better to double check and make sure everything was safe and sound. 

“At least all cameras are gone. I checked and they are not there anymore. The only cameras left are your laptops and phones and that, well, is something normal. If they want to hack in there, then that’s it. I would prefer you guys had a better firewall but I know it would look suspicious too so… yeah.” Seungmin huffed slightly, a small pout on his lips. Jeongin and his phone were extremely secure as well as the other’s living in their apartments. They rarely ever had information about Clé on their phones or laptops and if they did it was highly coded and barely anyone would figure out what it meant, yet it didn’t mean it was impossible. If any of them were a target they would try and listen to them and the easiest way was, sadly, their phones.

Even now Chan and Changbin had kept their phones at the entrance, putting them into a locker so no one could listen. They would be going back to the gym and work out after their talk with Seungmin so that was a good alibi anyways.

“We’ll just keep being cautious,” Chan said, meaning Felix and him with it. They never talked about anything work related if phones or other technical devices were around them – unless they knew they were in a safe area like the apartments of the others, for example. Sometimes they even took walks, always without their phones, just to talk about it.

A hum left Changbin’s lips and he looked at the other two. For a while they just watched the video on the screen where they saw Felix zooming through the picture as Seungmin had put it on double speed and Felix was cleaning, humming quietly. It was cute to watch, somehow calming even. From time to time he stopped to make a small dance, often one of the tiktok dances he enjoyed so very much. Chan chuckled and shook his head a bit, relaxing some and so did Changbin. Seungmin though stayed a little tense.

“I have to admit I’m worried still,” he then said and looked at the two older males. Confused they looked at the other, wondering what else was going on in Seungmin’s head. “It could be nothing but why would both Clé and the mafia put cameras there? It’s a little farfetched and it just happened at the same time and it’s just ridiculously stupid. Anyways, what I’m saying is: Clé and the mafia? What if they are working together? Not only infiltrating like you two are, but actually working together.”

Now that was a question none of them had seen coming. 

“You mean just like Clé did consider with the NIS but eventually disagreed because of laws?” Chan asked and looked at Seungmin who nodded.

“Exactly. While they disagreed to reach out to the NIS to work with them because it would stop way too many illegal activities Clé uses in their daily work, they wouldn’t have to worry about that if they worked with the mafia. Secretly, of course.”

“It would give them quite a few benefits, that is pretty clear,” Changbin mumbled, a frown on his face. A few less missions, yes, but that wasn’t too be worried about. They would get enough other possibilities for other missions.

Chan too slowly nodded, a lump in his throat. There were so many questions in his head and he wanted to voice them but decided to first make himself calm down and find a way to sort his mind. If Clé really worked with the mafia then they were far more part of the bad guys than he liked. And it would nullify all the work both Changbin and him and other people who had worked years of their lives to infiltrate the mafia. Many had died, many had been tortured and lost limbs, Changbin for example had a ruined ear and it made Chan so angry just to think about it. 

If Clé had really decided to work with the mafia, not only temporary but properly, it would definitely not be a safe place for Chan anymore and neither for Changbin. He knew that Seungmin for his part liked profit and if temporarily working with the mafia might give them benefits that would be intriguing, however he also knew Seungmin wasn’t a fan of the mafia itself. At all. And the others were neither. Especially Jisung, who hated the mafia. And they were all aware of how many lives it might cost if Clé and the mafia worked together.

“If that is the case-“

“It might not be,” Seungmin immediately said as he saw how both of them got tense and, clearly, angry. “If it is the case, I will figure it out. As I said, it might be nothing. But if it is not nothing, I will of course tell you guys. It will make it dangerous to you. The price is too high for both of you.” If the mafia figured out that Clé had spies they would make sure to kill whoever it was, no matter what, no matter who it was. Honestly; he was even sure Clé themselves might kill their own spies or lock them up, in case someone went to spill. And just the thought of losing the other two pained Seungmin. Yes, they had chosen that risk when they had decided to work for Clé in this area but he wanted to keep it exactly that: a risk. Nothing else.

It was always difficult for Seungmin to grasp that two of his closest friends were always in danger of suddenly dropping dead of not so natural causes. He dreaded the day when one of them wouldn’t return home. No matter how used Seungmin was to see files of former co-workers marked as deceased it was an entirely different situation if it was people from his own team, especially people he cared for so deeply. He pushed away the fear and the anger and nodded to them.

“If we know anything, we will let you know too, of course,” Changbin nodded, looking to Chan and then slumping into his seat. He hadn’t thought about this possibility. Of Clé and the mafia working together. Surely, he hadn’t exactly been happy about the pure thought of the NIS and Clé possibly working together though it would at least not be highly illegal in the way the mafia was. And while he was sure the NIS had his own shit they at least were trying to catch kidnappers, human traffickers, murderers and what not and not support them like the mafia did. Just the thought alone made Changbin tense and angry.

“Thanks,” Seungmin nodded and stopped the video with Felix about to leave the frame, a happy smile on his cute face. At least he seemed to be all happy in that moment, not bothered by knowing there had been cameras in his apartment. “I’m sorry I am worrying you like this but… yeah. It came to my mind and I just had to share it with you guys.” He licked his dry lips, taking in a deep breath. “If you get an ever so slight idea of this being true, please contact me or one of the others. We cannot risk you guys dying. Do not risk your lives, okay?”

It was rare of Seungmin to actually show his worry this openly, but he needed them to know how much they meant to him. And as none of the others were here right now, he had to do it. “I know you like to risk yourself but do not do it, okay? Do not fucking die.”

It surprised both Changbin and Chan and they slowly nodded. “I will try my best,” Chan said and Changbin hummed in agreement. Both of them would prefer to stay alive for a longer time, not only because they wanted to protect their friends and family but also because they enjoyed being alive.

“I promised to take you guys to Australia one day so… no dying for me,” Chan said and shook his head a bit, making Changbin and Seungmin chuckle slightly.

“Funny how this is your reason not to die,” Changbin said and nudged his friend, almost kicking the other from his seat with that. 

“Hey, you do what you have to do, right?” Chan joked – of course it wasn’t his only reason to stay alive, he had quite many why he didn’t want to die and stay alive. Surely, one of them being the fall of the mafia, however there were so many more. “But yeah, I promised and I will. Maybe even soon, who knows.” He shrugged slightly. Yeah, he had just recently become the right hand of the boss but that didn’t mean he hadn’t right to go on vacation. Though maybe Australia might be not the best idea to go – he had family there and he did not want to lead the mafia to them.

“Oh my god, imagine us going through the security check and Minho’s leg setting the alarms off?” Changbin snorted and shook his head. They all knew this had happened before, metal in a body did that. 

“Yeah and he is so gonna say it is his dick piercing.” Chan rolled his eyes and Seungmin blinked surprised.

“He has a dick piercing?” Seungmin asked and both Chan and Changbin chuckled before nodding. Now that was news and Seungmin shook his head amused, not exactly surprised by that. He was not even questioning why both of them knew. “I knew he had a few piercings but I didn’t know about his dick.”

Changbin laughed gently. “If you ask him nicely, he might show you,” he said, a grin on his lips. “Who knows, maybe you like it?” He wiggled his eyebrows and Seungmin made a disgusted face that only made the other two laugh even more. 

“Maybe you do,” Seungmin gave back and Changbin hummed, a nod.

“I do,” he said and that, now, did surprised Seungmin. He hadn’t seen that answer coming and he had also never seen them making out or being differently touchy than they were with others but then again it was something he could imagine.

“Now that are some news,” Chan said, clearly as unaware of it as Seungmin. “Well, was it nice?”

“Definitely, looks pretty nice and it suits him,” Changbin hummed and shrugged, not giving too many details. Had he just showed him his dick? Had they made out, had they fucked? But then again both Chan and Seungmin were not sure if they wanted to know, if they were actually ready to know was more it. 

Seungmin shook his head, turning back to his desktop and closing the applications he still had open before sighing. “I guess we are done here?” he then said, making Chan and Changbin laugh at how defeated but relaxed he now sound. 

“I guess so,” Changbin said and stretched, getting up. “Are you taking us back to the gym front?” 

“Yeah, a good host should do that, should I not?” Seungmin hummed and turned his computer off before getting up, moving his legs a bit. He usually sat in his chair most of the day so why not accompany them and move his legs a bit, right? 

Chan grabbed his bag and got up, nodding. “Sweet of you,” he grinned and ruffled Seungmin’s hair, gaining a rather pointed glare from the younger. Chan liked physical touch while Seungmin, well, wasn’t the fondest of it. Especially not when he had last seen it coming. And even less when they had just talked about murder and dicks. However the youngest wasn’t commenting on it which only prompted Chan to do it again.

“Hey, I accept you doing it once but if you do not stop there right now the mafia and Clé are the least of your problems,” Seungmin warned and it made Chan hold his hand mid-action before it was on him to pout.

“Okay okay, I don’t want to risk my life. Though it would be a nice death.”

“That, my dearest, is what you say.”

Chapter Text

Going out shopping for his OnlyFans, Hyunjin had only been able to recruit Minho and, surprisingly, Changbin. Who had probably been the most excited about the situation of being able to buy things for Hyunjin’s OnlyFans. 

Minho had wanted to go out anyways so he had just joined, using the free day to force himself to enter public buildings and get over his potentially rising fear of being out in the public. And heck he wasn’t having it. He had lost too many years to his trauma, he wasn’t letting it win parts of him again. So here he was, out with Hyunjin and Changbin – who were holding hands in a rather cute way.

“You really have to send me pics later when you put on the knee highs! I bet they look so good,” Changbin said, looking excitedly at the taller male who had slightly blushed cheeks. 

“I mean, you were quite adamant about me getting the socks so yeah, I will show them to you,” Hyunjin said and huffed. “You can come home with us, I’ll put them on right away.” He wasn’t ashamed to show the others his body as he trusted them entirely. He had been a model and was confident in his looks and aside from that getting compliments from his friends was rather cute and made him feel happy and giddy inside.

“I still think you should have gotten the panda socks too. People love cute shit like that,” Minho said and shrugged slightly. Hyunjin however had chosen the cat socks and while that was definitely a good choice too, Minho was still sure the panda socks would have been even cuter. But as long as Hyunjin was enjoying himself that was more than fine.

“You know you should have gotten the panda socks,” Hyunjin said and glanced at Minho who was walking next to him. 

“I… what?” he asked surprised and looked at Hyunjin. “Why should I have gotten the panda socks?”

“Start your own Onlyfans. Cat content and dick,” Changbin said and hummed. Yes, he agreed entirely that Minho too should have gotten an account. He was really handsome, even when he was covered in blood. Not that Changbin would say that out loud.

The oldest raised an eyebrow, not entirely sure what to think about the situation. He shook his head. “I’m too unmotivated for that kind of stuff. You even have to kick my ass to post my animal pictures regularly on my social media account so there is that.”

“Sadly; that is true,” Hyunjin sighed and Changbin nodded. “Maybe we should run that account, you just need to send us some content.”

“I’m not sending you dick picks,” Minho said and shook his head again. “And I will surely not send you videos of me jerking off or using toys.”

“Wow, okay, no one said you’d have to but now you got me curious,” Hyunjin said amused and looked at him. He had thought of pictures in knee high socks or cute clothes, not full on nudes. Though Minho would probably get a ton of people watching if he showed his whole, naked body online. He worked out, he had a beautiful face and the resting bitchface. People loved that. “It would have been fun, we could have taken pictures together, you know?”

“Yeah, or even videos,” Changbin exclaimed and Minho choked on his own breath while Hyunjin laughed.

Clearly that was something Minho hadn’t expected. He wouldn’t deny the fact that Hyunjin was really handsome but videos with him? Especially those that would make it far on Onlyfans? He wasn’t too sure if he was ready for that. Maybe after five shots of vodka straight. But who knew, Changbin seemed to be rather supportive. Then again Changbin was always supportive when it came to any kind of homoerotic behavior of his friends. He was just often having the time of his life and while Minho partly understood it, he wasn’t too sure if that was the right stuff to be obsessed with. Whatever made Changbin happy though.

“Ask Felix, I’m pretty sure he would be up for it. Or Jisung. Both seemed really excited. Also; Felix would be loved by so many, his freckles give you the extra bonus. Same with Ji though, his cheeks are cute.” Minho shrugged slightly and looked at the other two and they clearly seemed to think about it.

“I will text them,” Hyunjin hummed and licked his lips, grabbing his phone – only to frown. Small droplets of rain were covering the screen. “Ew, it’s starting to rain.”

Changbin was just shrugging, putting on the hood of his jacket just like Minho while Hyunjin frantically looked for his umbrella as he clearly didn’t want to get wet. Aside from that he had just gotten new clothes and was holding paper bags in his hands, if they got wet this would be quite a problem. 

“Wanna stop at a café?” Minho offered as he knew Hyunjin wasn’t a fan of rain. He didn’t mind it though he did prefer not getting wet as well. His hoodie was warm but if it was sticking to his body all wet that was something he surely wasn’t looking forward to. He looked around and then pointed down the street. “I think I saw one when we passed there,” he added and Changbin nodded.

“Yeah, a new one. It looked cute,” the smallest said and pulled Hyunjin towards the building. He was tightly holding the umbrella as the rain was almost immediately starting to pour, getting Minho’s and Changbin’s clothes soaked right away. Hurriedly they rushed to the café and while it had just been a short run the two older ones were already completely drenched when they reached the place.

“Disgusting,” Changbin groaned and looked down on himself. He whined in discomfort. “Great, we gonna order a taxi. I’m not walking home in this.” 

“Yeah but you gonna sit in a taxi like this?” Minho huffed and texted Jeongin to pick them up as soon as possible and bring some towels or maybe even some dry clothes. “I texted Jeongin, maybe he has time to pick us up.” They would surely still have time to get a coffee or two but damn, he hadn’t expected the rain to pour down on them like this. Sighing he took off his hoodie, a shirt underneath it that was not entirely drenched, and sighed. “Time to order some nice coffee.” At least it was warm and cozy inside the café. 

The café was adorable. Filled with plants and a rather rustic look it gave a warm and comforting feeling, making them relax some even though their clothes were wet and their bodies cold from the rain. Hyunjin was lucky, his clothes had gotten only slightly wet and his paper bags were still intact. 

“I want some tea,” Changbin exclaimed and then grinned. “Oh and some cake! Look at how tasty it looks!” He grinned brightly and walked over to the cashier. It wasn’t crowded, a few tables filled with people, other were free. Changbin quickly noticed that Hyunjin stared at that one particular table. “Go grab that table, we’ll order for you.” And with that the other grinned brightly and rushed over to sit on the table, relaxing into the seat. 

Hyunjin had always been like that, when he had found a particular table or spot he wanted and it was still free, he would stare at it until one of the other noticed and let him go. He had to watch if someone would take it away, he had once explained, after all he just wanted to go and sit there. Sometimes he asked the others if they could go and sit there right away though he often just forgot that it was a possibility so the rest of his group had gotten used to it and usually noticed it rather fast.

Minho chuckled and shook his head before he looked at the menu, choosing his drink and one for Hyunjin. It was easy to guess what he wanted, he usually went back to his comfort drink or would just go with a plain latte macchiato, depending on his mood. Changbin ordered and let Minho know that he was paying so they could order together. He also chose a piece of cake, seeing how damn delicious it was and after having gotten entirely wet he knew he deserved a good piece of cake.

It only took a short moment for the employee to finish the order and hand them over and they walked to join Hyunjin who looked excitedly at the other two. “What did you get?” he asked curiously, always loving surprises.

“Your comfort drink and some cake. Yes, we got you one too,” Minho said and put the drinks on the table and Hyunjin immediately took the cup with his drink, holding it close to him.

“I love this scent,” Hyunjin said happily and smile delighted at the other two, not taking a sip yet as he often just burnt his tongue and he was definitely not looking forward to doing that today. So, all he did was holding the cup, watching the other two excitedly as Changbin was putting the cake in front of each of them. 

“I got you something with vanilla, I know you like that,” Changbin addressed Hyunjin, looking up at him.

Silently agreeing Minho nodded, knowing too that Hyunjin liked vanilla. He sat down and immediately grimaced at how wet his clothes were. He then checked his phone, seeing Jeongin telling them he would pick them up in a few. He had of course sent Jeongin his location in the first message so the youngest knew where they were.

“I do! Thank you so much, Binnie,” Hyunjin grinned, gently nudging Changbin in a gentle and happy way before he then inspected the cake. It looked and smelled delicious. “What did Jeongin say?” he then asked as he noticed Minho looking at his phone.

“Picking us up in a bit, he just has to get the car and drive over from work, always takes a bit.” It was still faster than them walking home or ordering a taxi so at least something but sitting here in their wet clothes was still nasty. 

Changbin sighed and nodded. “Bless his soul,” he hummed and stretched a bit, clearly less bothered by wet clothes than Minho was. He could not be bothered by wet clothes though he understood that other people might find it anything but comfortable.

“Yeah, he said he doesn’t mind but we have to bring him a coffee too,” Minho hummed and took a small sip from his drink, a smile on his lips. It warmed him up from the inside right away. It also tasted amazing and so did the cake. It made it easy to forget his misery. The air was filled with gentle music and it smelled nice, sweet but with a mixture of coffee and some plant Minho couldn’t distinguish. He liked it, it was just really calming and the atmosphere just gave a really comforting feeling. The distant chatter of people and some clattering of cutlery and plates and the sound of the coffee machine brewing was beautiful. Somehow it felt so nice and just right. 

Smiling gently Minho looked from one to another while he ate his cake, protecting it from Hyunjin and Changbin who both wanted a small piece to taste. Of course, he would let them but only after a small fight. He huffed and shook his head before stuffing a big piece into his mouth. “That is my cake,” he said, barely able to be understood as he, clearly, was almost choking on his piece of cake. He did consider getting another piece or just taking some home to Seungmin and Jisung, he knew they would appreciate some delicious cake.

Changbin wiped the piece of cake from Minho’s lips and the older quietly complained, Changbin however just licked his fingers free from the cake, grinning. “Definitely a good choice!” 

“I want to try too,” Hyunjin exclaimed and then managed to get a small piece of cake, immediately stuffing it in his mouth before Minho could stop him.

“This is MY cake!” Minho whined and stole a piece of cake from both the others and then lifted his plate, turning away from the other two so he could just eat in silence. He did have to laugh though and so were the other two, clearly amused by the entire situation and just shaking their head a bit.

“You need to learn to share,” Changbin singsonged which only got Minho to make an unhappy sound, eating his cake as if it was the only thing he had seen in days. 

“You can get your own piece of cake.”

“I have my own,” Changbin laughed and Minho huffed at them, shaking his head.

“Then eat your own and not mine. I deserved this, even my underwear is wet.”

“From that short pour?” Hyunjin asked surprised and Minho looked at him with squinted eyes.

“Not everyone had an umbrella, princess,” he said, sounding almost threateningly sharp but he was still just joking. They noticed, luckily. In the beginning it had often caused some misunderstanding as Minho had a weird sense of humor not everyone easily got and Hyunjin had a hard time adjusting, especially around Minho. By now however he knew Minho was just playful and they chuckled amused.

“It’s called ‘well-prepared’,” Hyunjin said and grinned, leaning back and finally taking a sip from his drink, burning his tongue slightly anyways. How were both Changbin and Minho able to drink from their cups without burned tongue but he was not? That was Hyunjinphobic for sure.

Even before Minho could answer he noticed two people entering the café, one holding a bundle in their arms. And at first Minho wondered if it was a small baby but then he heard the small sound and he immediately put his plate back on the table. Cats were clearly more important than any kind of cake and he just hoped the small creature was okay. It looked only a few months old, maybe two, three if at all. And he had the urge to go over and ask them if everything was okay, yet he was still sitting on his chair, listening. 

The other two of course had noticed, such a reaction was typical for Minho when cats were around and they blinked, looking in the direction Minho was staring at.

Quietly Minho listened to what they were saying but he only heard bits and pieces. “I’m gonna ask,” he said and then got up before the other two could even stop him. Not that they would, if it had to do with cats Minho wasn’t stoppable. The man loved animals and especially cats. It was a blessing and a curse at the same time and it had happened more than once that Hyunjin had walked into Minho’s room just to find the other crying because of some sad cat videos. Right now however he just was pretty sure the cat needed some support or even help.

“Yeah, in a box in front of the café. It was already soaked,” a young woman said, her company disappearing behind the counter and walking into the back of the café. She held the cat in a shirt that was clearly hers, trying to warm it. The cat was drenched and crying, clearly not happy with being held and being this wet.

“Did someone abandon it there?” Minho asked, clear worry in his voice as he stepped next to the woman. The cat was small, definitely still a young one, maybe just old enough to be separated from its mother. It whined and Minho waved to Changbin and then to his backpack to bring it over and the other immediately did that.

“Yes, I think so. It was in a cardboard box in front of our café. I work here and I was taking a break outside, smoking. And I heard it meow. It was the only one inside the box. I don’t know if there were more but I checked around and found none, plus the box was really small.” The young woman looked at the cat and held it close, gently trying to rub it dry really carefully. 

“That doesn’t sound very nice,” Minho mumbled, more to himself than the woman. “Do you have some supplies to take care of it?”

“Not really,” she said and frowned. “In fact, I am allergic to cats. But I could give her some milk, we have that.”

“Definitely not,” Minho immediately said, voice soft, and shook his head. “Small cats shouldn’t have any milk. Cats in general are lactose intolerant,” he then added and frowned, gently holding his hand out for the cat to sniff it. Changbin walked up to Minho, putting his backpack next to the other while trying not to disturb him. “They end up with liquid poo and that is very dangerous for small cats.”

“Oh?” The woman said and looked surprised at Minho. “Do you know a lot about cats?”

Humming, Changbin nodded and looked at Minho. “Kind of, he has two own cats and supports a few shelters. He sometimes works out there too.”

Surprised the young woman looked at Minho and then smiled before offering him the cat, obviously feeling as if it would be safer with him. “I… do you want to take it? I can already feel my eyes burn,” she said and frowned. Her allergy was clearly kicking in and she felt bad for the cat but also grateful someone else could hold it. “I just couldn’t leave it out there. My co-worker went to get a small box and a towel and look for anything we can use to help it.”

“Ah, I have supplies with me,” Minho said, not even slightly embarrassed. “I had a similar situation with my own cat and ever since I keep carrying supplies. Kitten food, at least,” he added and carefully took the cat that was still complaining. It was getting quieter now though. 

Really gently Minho held the cat close and brushed through its wet fur. “Look at both of us being wet,” he said, gently talking to the cat. He was holding it close to his chest and neck so it could bury its small head under his head – which it actually immediately did. The cat put its paws onto Minho’s shirt, finally getting some proper ground under its body. “Such a cute baby,” he hummed and made sure the cat wasn’t resting on the area where his shirt was not entirely soaked. “And you are sure there were no others around?” he then asked her again, just to make sure.

The woman nodded and looked to her co-worker that was coming back with three towels and a small box. “We both checked but there was nothing, just the rain, people and this little thing.”

“That is good then, I guess,” Minho said and gently kissed the small head of the cat. “Definitely not older than three months, maybe.” He held it close and the co-worker put the box on the counter, putting a towel inside before handing one towel to the young woman.

“Thanks, Yunho,” the woman said and the young man smiled, shaking his head. 

“You are welcome, Sana. Did you find someone to take the cat off your hands, literally?” Yunho joked and looked at Minho and Changbin before he looked back to his co-worker.

“I… uhm…” Sana started, a little bit unsure if Minho was here to take the cat home or just to help take care of it.

Minho however wasn’t exactly listening, taking the towel and after putting the kitten in the box he started to dry its fur carefully. It had stopped screaming now and was looking at Minho, shivering slightly but not hissing at him or trying to get away. It was purring quietly, probably to calm itself down. This situation surely was scary for the cat but Minho would make sure it was safe and sound.

“I think he is gonna keep it,” Hyunjin said, now standing next to Changbin as he watched Minho interact with the little cat. It looked adorable how he was taking care of the cat and talking to it, already in his own world. “Or at least take care of it and give it to one of his shelters. Don’t worry,” he added and looked at the two café workers.

“Thank you so much. You’ll get a piece of cake or a coffee for free. I was already worried what we should do. I have a dog at home and Sana is allergic to cats so…” Yunho said and rubbed his neck slightly.  He really liked animals but just adopting them was impossible for him.

“Yeah, Sana told us,” Changbin nodded. He had caught the woman’s name earlier and he hoped it was okay to use it. Some people were sensitive or thought of him as a creep if he easily showed that he was not entirely oblivious. However Sana and Yunho were both smiling in a friendly way, not showing any signs of mistrust. “Thank you, you really don’t have to do that,” he then added and looked at the other but Sana was immediately shaking her head.

“Take the cake, I know you ordered some earlier and I am sure you would enjoy it. I’ll pack you guys something. What do you like?” she asked and looked almost excitingly at them while Minho had the small cat back on his chest, curled up like a burrito in the pillow and rocking it gently to calm it a bit, petting it softly.

Hyunjin looked at her and then at the cake, feeling a little overwhelmed by the situation. Who would have thought they would get cake for free just because of Minho’s love for cats? 

“Uhm… I… don’t know?” Hyunjin said and Changbin looked a little lost too. It felt wrong to request something, after all they had literally done nothing.

“Okay, I will just pack a surprise box for you guys,” Sana chuckled and rushed behind the counter, washing her hands and grabbing her gloves before getting to work. 

Yunho chuckled slightly. “She was really stressed when she found the cat,” he then admitted and Minho joined back into the group, holding the cat close as it was burying its face under his neck. It looked adorable and calming, almost too soft.

“Understandable, it’s not every day that you find a small cat in a box in front of your workplace,” Changbin said and gently held his hand out to the cat but it immediately hissed at him.

Minho lifted an eyebrow and almost had to hold back a chuckle. “I guess it doesn’t like you,” he said and looked at the cat, gently pecking its forehead.

“Oh, it did that earlier when we picked it up too. And then it started meowing so sadly I think I almost got my heart broken,” Yunho said and looked at the small animal. “I guess it now knows it is safe with you.”

Minho hummed quietly and nodded. “Possible. Hey, Binnie, can you grab the small can of kitten food out of my bag? Maybe it likes you then,” he teased and Changbin pouted but grabbed the backpack, looking for what Minho had requested. It took him a moment to find what the other had asked for and then held it out to Minho. 

“Just open it and put it in the box so it can eat. I am sure it is pretty hungry. And maybe some water? Not cold though, maybe slightly warm?” Minho asked and Yunho hummed, nodding.

“I’ll get it to you right away,” he said and rushed to get it while the other three were still standing close to the counter. Clearly the other customers had noticed the situation but where not bothered by it. None of them had moved or had asked to help and Minho wondered if they looked competent enough or if the guests were just unbothered. Whatever it was, he just already loved the little animal that was calmly resting on his body, a tiny purr being heard while it gently suckled on Minho’s skin. 

“Are you its mother now?” Hyunjin asked and he had the urge to coo or make a small sound but he didn’t want to piss of Minho or ruin the moment. Not that he could, really, when it came to cats Minho didn’t care what other people were thinking, yet Hyunjin just really didn’t want to risk it.

A soft hum left Minho’s lips and he waited until Changbin had put the open can of food on the box before carefully setting the cat in the box, freeing it from the towel. “Eat, little one. It’s fresh food for babies like you,” he said and the cat immediately walked towards the bits of food, starting to eat right away as if he was starving.

“It really looks like you did earlier when we tried to steal your cake,” Changbin chuckled and watched the animal. The kitten made small sounds, eating the food quickly.

“Yeah, I guess so. To both of that,” Minho replied to both Hyunjin and Changbin as he watched the cat eat with a fond expression. He then looked up when Yunho came back and handed him the bowl with water and he put it into the box, careful to not spill it. The cat was unbothered as it was chomping down on the food like a champion. It probably had been unbelievably hungry and Minho already knew he would keep the kitten. One cat more or not would definitely not make a difference – he knew Seungmin would definitely be against it but Minho was aware Hyunjin would be on his side as he was looking at the cat with such gentle eyes too. “I’m naming it Dori.”

“Dori?” Hyunjin asked surprised and a little confused. “Why?”

“Fits with the other two and it is pretty neutral,” Minho explained and smiled warmly at the cat as if he had never seen something this adorable in his life before. “Soon, Doong, Do. Fits,” he hummed, only mentioning the first parts of their names and smiling fondly. “Yeah, Dori it is. You do look like a Dori.”

“I would have considered Dori a female na-“ Hyunjin started but Changbin put his finger on top of Hyunjin’s plush lips to shut him up. It worked as Hyunjin immediately stopped speaking, looking confused at the other.

Changbin then hummed. “It does look like a Dori,” he said and Minho nodded before checking under the cat’s tail, chuckling. The cat was busy eating so it wasn’t bothered at all.

“We got a boy,” he then explained and gently scratched the cat behind his ears.

“Another boy? I hope it will be okay with Soonie and Doongie,” Hyunjin said and Changbin nodded. But usually kittens got along better or at least easier with older cats than bringing home an already grown cat. “For now it is safe, that is the most important.”

Minho nodded and knelt in front of the counter so he was the same size as the cat in the box, a loving expression on his face while he watched it eat. Dori made small, meowing sounds while eating the food and it was adorable. It fit his owner after all. “I know it’s tasty, right. You eat and then we will take you home and then you get some more food and cuddles,” Minho mumbled and gently turned the can of the food so the cat could eat the rest of it as it was pushed into the far corner of it. 

“He’d be an amazing dad,” Hyunjin mumbled and watched the situation unfold with Changbin who just nodded just like Yunho and Sana were still watching.

“You should see him with kids. I have never seen him this gentle. Kids and animals immediately get him gentle and soft,” Changbin explained and smiled, tilting his head a bit. Minho wasn’t paying attention, just looking at the cat with the sweetest expression ever. That was until his phone started to ring and he groaned annoyed, picking it up. His voice immediately changed to a neutral one. “Yes?”

Sana carefully handed Changbin the box with pastries while smiling. “There you go,” she said happily. “I also added my number. Please contact me so I know how the cat is doing. Yunho’s number is in there too!” She was allergic to cats but that didn’t mean she didn’t want this cat to be safe and sound and happy and clearly it had already found a nice owner.

“Thank you so much,” Changbin said and bowed slightly, so very grateful for the nice food. “We might have to ask for a coffee too, I will pay for it for sure. Our friend is picking us up and asked us to get coffee. Before all this happened,” he explained, knowing very well that Jeongin was on the phone with Minho. 

“Oh no no, you don’t have to pay. It’s on the house,” Yunho said and shook his head. “Just let us know what you want and in exchange send us cat pics and we will be all good. See the cat updates as a payment.” He winked at them and then let Sana go behind the counter to prepare them the coffee. Changbin knew what coffees they all preferred – or other drinks, Chan for example disliked coffee – so he let Sana know what coffee she needed to make. It was easy to see that her eyes were red due to the allergic reaction and she was sniffing a bit, her nose getting stuffy from it as well, however she was clearly happy and grateful, smiling brightly and stealing glances towards the cat from time to time as she prepared the requested coffee.

Jeongin had actually already waited a few minutes and had texted all three of them a few times but none of them had answered so he had decided to call. Minho sighed and brushed through his hair. At least he had almost managed to finish his cake. He gently picked up the cat, putting it back in a towel burrito so it couldn’t escape before nodding towards the two co-workers. 

“Thank you so much,” he then said, not really having talked much with them or appreciated their help earlier. He had been too busy and engrossed in the cat but he did not want to seem like an ungrateful asshole. “I don’t need the box though I might have to borrow the towel.” He held the cat close that was by now purring satisfied on Minho’s body, eyes closed. 

“Oh don’t worry about it. You can keep it, it is an old one too.” Yunho took the box, throwing away the now empty can of cat food and then emptying the small rest of water from the bowl into the sink. “Thank you for helping us out.”

“Any time,” Minho said and nodded. “I’ll get him home now. I will make sure to send updates and all. If I forget it, I’m sure the other two here will remind me.” He nodded towards Changbin who hummed in agreement and then looked over to see Hyunjin emptying his cup of coffee and then putting the cups and plates away like a good customer before he then grabbing the bags of clothes they had gotten earlier. He had also put Changbin’s and Minho’s wet jackets over his arm.

“Okay, we can leave,” Hyunjin said and looked outside. Luckily the rain had long stopped and they could now just go to Jeongin’s car without getting soaked again. One time was more than enough and the cat didn’t need another shower for sure.

“I will take a picture so you can put up a note that this cat has been found,” Minho said and looked at Dori. “Though I doubt someone lost her.” Not if she was put outside in a box, left to die in the cold rain. Small cats lost body warmth so quickly and Minho was so glad Sana and Yunho had found the little creature in time.

Sana nodded in agreement, handing Changbin the coffee and glanced at the cat. “I doubt it too but better safe than sorry I guess?” She waved at them in a small and cute way. “Please take care and get home safely. And don’t catch a cold. Your clothes are wet too.” She looked from Minho to Changbin and shook her head slightly. She would have offered them a towel too but they were getting picked up now so it was no use. 

“Definitely. And if someone does reach out for this little guy, I’m gonna rip them another asshole,” Minho hummed as if he hadn’t just said some profanities in front of the little cat that seemed to slowly fall asleep on him. It had been an eventful day after all, so of course the little man needed some sleep.

“Please do, no one should put any animals outside, no matter what reason. They can be taken to a shelter after all.” Yunho had a dog and just the thought of putting it outside during the pouring rain was heartbreaking. If one did not want an animal, they should rehome it or take it to a shelter. “Just send us a message once you are home.”

“Will do,” Minho said, heard that they had gotten their numbers before he bowed slightly. Not too much because of the cat, but he wanted to show his gratitude. “Thank you so much,” he repeated again before grabbing his backpack and then making his way out of the café, already marking it mentally as his favourite café. He would visit it with the others once the cat had settled in. At least on Minho’s chest it was already feeling at home as it had fallen asleep.

-

They did end up getting sick.

Even Hyunjin, despite only having had wet shoes though those were the worst.

So now all three of them were curled up on the couch, Minho having a nasty fever and a horrible headache while the cats were all scattered on top of him. Dori was resting on his head, Soonie on his shoulder and Doongie on his legs. The cats easily got along, of course, Minho hadn’t been surprised at all. Soonie had taken Dori in as if it was his own little baby, licking it clean and playing with it while Doongie hadn’t been exactly impressed but accepted the small guy too. Seungmin, however, had as expected not been the happiest about the fact that Minho was more and more turning into a cat lady and with that turning their apartment into a cat home.

“You are not getting a fourth one,” he had decided and Minho had just shrugged and said if it was necessary, he would. He had contacted the shelters but as those were all full they had been more than grateful that he was keeping the kitten. He also had provided Yunho and Sana with some really cute pictures and videos of his new flatmate. They had put up a few posters of Dori, so if anyone was missing him, they could contact Minho, however neither Yunho nor Sana hadt heard anything else from anyone. As they had expected, no one had lost the cat. And while Seungmin hadn’t been the happiest with their newest addition, Minho had seen the other sit in kitchen eating breakfast with Dori on his lap, all curled up and sleeping. 

“I fucking hate being sick,” Hyunjin whined, curling up on the armchair. He was just having a really nasty stuffy nose and a sore throat while Changbin had ended up with a mean cold and fever as well. He had come over to be sick with them as he had exclaimed “being sick alone is boring”. 

So now they were watching some documentary Jisung had put on and then disappeared in the kitchen with Seungmin to cook the sick ones some soup and get them some tea. 

“You literally act like you are dying,” Minho said, voice scratchy and hoarse while he gently petted the cats, changing from one to another. They looked very content despite having met just three days ago. “You literally only have a cold.”

“Yeah so what? A runny nose is nasty and my throat hurts.” Hyunjin clearly pouted, Minho knew that without even looking at him.

“All our throats hurt,” Minho gave back and he definitely sounded like he shouldn’t use his voice for the next few hours at least. 

"Psssht, they are showing baby cheetahs,” Changbin said and waved to them to shut them up, then looking at the tv. His own voice sounded a lot deeper than usual but also as sore as Minho’s. He was actually used to being all wet for days but being out in the cold autumn rain was clearly something he hadn’t experienced for a while now. Not that he really cared, the last time he had been sick had been quite a while ago and if it helped his immune system to be up to date, he willingly accepted the sickness. Hyunjin had rolled his eyes when he had heard that and Minho as well as Seungmin had laughed about this description. It was typical Changbin, always seeing the positive. It was cute after all. 

“Oh, baby cheetahs?” Jisung said, walking in with a big pot of tea for their cups that were already on the table. “I love baby cheetahs!” He filled their cups with tea before putting the still half-full pot on the table and then sat down in front of the couch, a bright smile on his lips. He added some honey to the tea as Seungmin had advised him to, hoping it would help them to not sound like someone had sanded their throats with gravel.

“I thought so,” Changbin chuckled and poked Jisung’s cheek, clearly amused at how happy the other looked. 

When Minho had brought home the cat, Jisung had been the first one to immediately get excited and love it. He had also been the first one to get scratched – luckily on his hands only – as his excitement had slightly scared the cat. They were now on good terms, Dori had decided to sleep on Jisung’s face when the other had napped on the couch just yesterday and had then almost choked on cat hair. They had figured out that Dori liked to nap on and in very weird spots and while it was adorable it was also very dangerous for their breathing. Luckily right now Dori was only sleeping on Minho’s head, though its tail was in Minho’s face. 

And to everyone’s surprise Minho wasn’t bothered by it, just accepting the situation like a real cat dad. He did look like a parent with his three children on him, it was endearing. 

“Hey, Ji, I told you to help me with the soup,” Seungmin called from the kitchen and Jisung whined before getting up again, walking back over.

“They had cute cheetah babies,” Jisung said as he let Seungmin fill the bowls with soup, making sure they all had enough. He had also cooked enough for the rest of them, even for Jeongin who was working overtime today and definitely not liking it. But he had been on a mission with Felix earlier and the rest of the work he had had to get done was still not finished – so he was still in his office, working on some papers. He had to admit that he hadn’t worked as properly as he could have the past week so of course he was now a little behind. He was aware that it was his own fault but that did not mean he was happy with the situation. 

Seungmin hummed, smiling slightly. “I heard. You can go watch your documentary soon, just bring them the soup and don’t forget to open the windows. Get out the sickness and all. We don’t want you to get sick as well,” he said and then grabbed a tray, handing it to Jisung so the other could carry it over. He nodded and did so, while Seungmin stayed behind and made sure the pot with soup was covered so the cats couldn’t steal it, also putting the bread away he had freshly baked. He had also grabbed the medication for the other three, taking it over to them.

“It is time for the meds. First you take it, then you eat. And I don’t care if swallowing hurts, you know you have to take it and eat to get healthy again.” Seungmin knew that especially Hyunjin loved to complain but it was a good sign he was still halfway okay. If he didn’t complain anymore, he knew there was a problem so it was safe to say he was on the way to recovery or at least it wasn’t as bad as he was complaining about. “And as much as Dori loves to sit on your forehead, he shouldn’t. I know it is warm, but you need to cool down and not be a heating pad for the baby,” he added towards Minho who rolled his eyes but he knew the other was right. He had to sit up to eat anyway so he needed to move all the cats but maybe Doongie, sadly. 

Jisung carefully took Dori onto his lap who complained quietly but then let himself be taken towards Jisung who gently petted it. He smiled warmly at the cat, rubbing its tiny head before he looked at the others, like a proud cat parent as well. “I think he really likes me now!”

“He does,” Minho mumbled as he sat up, slowly as he was feeling quite dizzy. Fever was his least favourite as it knocked the living daylights out of him. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, giving his body some time to adjust. He had been shot, stabbed, almost starved to death, dehydrated to the point of hallucination but fever? Fever was his final boss, definitely. “He liked you before. You were just too excited in the beginning when he was still scared.” He shrugged a bit and looked at Soonie and Doongie who immediately curled up next to Minho, not caring that the other moved. They were used to it already, Minho often moved whenever he slept, even talking in his sleep. They had gone through all kinds of situations with him after all. 

“I’m just glad,” Jisung said and watched Dori curl up into a small ball of fur, falling asleep right away in his lap.

“He hissed at Changbin and now doesn’t mind him,” Minho added and glanced over at Changbin who pouted slightly when he heard Minho’s words but the other was right after all. 

“True. He did lick my face earlier,” Changbin exclaimed proudly and Seungmin snorted.

“Probably because your skin is salty. You sweat like a pig,” he said as he put the bowls in front of each of them as well as a spoon and some bread so they could eat. “If the toast is too painful for your throat, put it in the soup. I know it hurts but you need to eat.”

“Pig bunny,” Changbin corrected him, his voice breaking at the end of the word and then shaking his head. He was the first to start eating while Hyunjin was complaining the whole time before he started eating. It clearly wasn’t as hard to swallow for him as it was for the other two but he was just a whiny sick and they all knew that. “It is really tasty, Minnie,” Changbin then said and nodded to Seungmin who now had a small smile on his lips, clearly appreciating the compliment.

“It has some vegetables and meat, I know, Jinnie, you don’t like veggies a lot but right now I double checked what is good for your health so suck it up and eat it,” Seungmin said and glanced at Hyunjin who made a small, complaining sound but kept eating. Clearly, he was okay with eating it despite it being filled with vegetables. He just wanted to get better quick and he had to admit that the soup was actually tasty.

Minho nodded slightly, carefully eating the food and the bread. “It’s good,” he mumbled, quietly but loud enough for Seungmin to hear who then nodded slightly and petted the cats. “Are you not eating?”

“Ah, I’m waiting for Jeongin. He doesn’t enjoy eating alone, so I thought I’d wait. Jisung is waiting with me. Don’t worry about that,” Seungmin then said and nodded at Jisung who had a cup of tea in his hands too, sipping on it and nodding while he was mostly focusing on the tv.

“That is so sweet of you,” Changbin said in a soft tone and smiled, making Seungmin shrug slightly.

“I’d say it is pretty normal to make sure your friends are comfortable and if that means waiting a few more minutes until he is home, that is fine with me,” he said and Jisung gently nudged his leg.

“It is nice and sweet. Accept it,” Jisung said and Seungmin sighed, nodding weakly. He wasn’t good with accepting compliments, he had never been, and getting it from all sides while he was just taking care of his friends was a bit overwhelming. But he was trying to accept it. 

“Okay, thank you, I guess,” he then mumbled and Jisung looked satisfied and so did the others, not commenting on it anymore. 

For a while it was silent, just the sound of the documentary filling the room and them eating before the sound of the door opening was heard and Jisung got up, greeting Jeongin who looked pretty exhausted. 

“I think I’m getting a cold too,” he whined, halfway joking, as he came into the apartment. “I’m home, by the way.”

“We can see that,” Seungmin mumbled and then frowned. “Don’t you get sick too.” He rolled his eyes but there was some kind of worry clear on his face. He took a shaky breath and then pulled Jeongin over after he had taken off his shoes, making him sit down next to Minho. “I’m getting you soup too. And tea.”

“Welcome home,” Hyunjin nodded towards Jeongin who showed a small smile, waving at the others. He was glad to finally be home even though the entire place was filled with sickness. But it was just a cold, probably nothing more, and they would be okay soon.

“Thank you,” Jeongin hummed and petted the cats, taking the tea Seungmin was already handing him and the soup and bread Jisung got him. He smiled softly at them, a fond expression on his tired face. “Maybe I just need a long nap. Or less work.” He pouted. Yes, it was his own fault his workload was currently so much but sometimes it was a bit too much for his own liking. Sometimes he just wanted to bury himself in a bed with snacks and watch a movie or a show or something. Sometimes he just wanted to be lazy. Sadly, today he had worked especially long and it was already getting dark outside. 

“Sounds like a plan. I think you do still have vacation days,” Minho mumbled and took a sip from his tea just for Jeongin to look at him with so much pity.

“You sound like shit, oh boy,” Jeongin said and Minho almost choked on his tea, having a hard time to swallow. 

Jisung chuckled then. “Yeah, he knows. Changbin doesn’t sound good either,” he added and then took a sip from his soup – who needed spoons, right? – looking rather happily at Seungmin. It did taste really good. He was a fan of soups, especially during the colder seasons. It was warming him up from the inside and it made Jisung hum softly, clearly happy about the taste and how it was making him feel. While Seungmin definitely couldn’t bake, he could cook at least healthy foods and that was really nice. 

“Yeah,” Minho said once he was able to breathe again. He shook his head a bit. “I think that we all in fact still have vacation days.” 

There was a small hum coming from Hyunjin, clearly agreeing to what the other had said.

“Mh, I guess so,” Seungmin nodded as he sat down with his own bowl of soup and dipped his toast into it, taking a bite. “We could ask Chan and Felix and have a group vacation. Go somewhere. Once you all are healthy again, of course. Or maybe for Christmas.”

Changbin nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I’d love that,” he said and curled back up in his blanket, rather disappointed that the documentary about the cheetahs was ending but there was another one about disappearing ships and it looked interesting. Some conspiracy theories were always rather nice to listen to, it was fascinating what the human brain could come up with that. “Chan did want to take us to Australia.”

Jisung whined and looked at the others. “Australia? Isn’t that the place with the deadly bugs?”

“That is exactly the place with the deadly bugs and other deadly animals,” Seungmin nodded and kept eating, clearly amused at how Jisung seemed to not be the happiest about the situation. “What, you scared of a little bug?”

“Excuse me, have you seen their faces? How they move their small arms and legs, how funky their little eyes are. Or big eyes, depending. And they kill each other and ew ew ew!” Jisung shook himself as if he was experiencing some phantom bug crawling up his body. “No no no. I don’t like bugs.”

The others chuckled slightly, Seungmin even shook his head. “Just keep away from them.”

“It’s not my fault when they crawl into my bed and walk right next to my face when I wake up,” Jisung whined again, rubbing his arms in a protective way.

“It’s not their fault we took over their living space and turned it into a concrete city and now they have to find new places to be,” Minho said and Jisung looked at the other, a huff escaping his lips. He clearly sounded defeated.

“Well, that got deep real quick,” Jeongin mumbled and stuffed his mouth with some bread, looking from Minho to Jisung who both shrugged his shoulders. They both were right but he would not join this topic.

“Just keep them away from me,” Jisung then exclaimed with a sigh, giving up on the ‘bugs are nasty’ discussion. He also thought they were fascinating and beautiful but in their own, scary way. He was really not the biggest fan of them and he would definitely never be. He liked cats and dogs and birds, he loved wild animals but bugs scared him. He had a hard time getting rid of spiders and Jeongin had had to evict at least four spiders within the time they had been living together. It wasn’t his favourite past time but it made Jisung stop screaming in the middle of the night.

“Sure, I’ll make them sit on your face just like Dori did,” Minho teased. Of course; he was joking and would not do this. Quietly he finished his tea. He already had emptied his soup too, just like Changbin and Hyunjin. The latter had already curled up in his blanket on the armchair, watching the talk.

“Don’t worry, Ji, I am not a fan of them either,” Hyunjin then said to calm Jisung down a bit and maybe make him feel a little bit better.

Seungmin snorted amused and shook his head. “Yeah, we know,” he mumbled and Changbin laughed, an amused grin on his lips.

“Is there a story behind that?” Jisung then asked referring to why Changbin and Seungmin were so adamant about it.

“One? There is more than just one,” Changbin grinned amused and Hyunjin threw a pillow at him. 

It was obvious he didn’t want everyone to know how much he disliked bugs – or in particular spiders or moths. They just gave him the creeps and it hadn’t happened once or twice, he often just tried to get away from them with quite some volume that let everyone know that, well, he was running from something he disliked.

“Oh?” Jisung said and looked at all the others.

“You’ll get your own story, don’t worry. But I guess for today we keep the story and Hyunjin’s dignity,” Seungmin mumbled and looked at the tallest who seemed rather relieved.

“Not that he has any left, considering the amount he whines,” Changbin threw in, causing Hyunjin to throw his second pillow at the other, who just thanked him and put it behind his head. That too got him a whine from Hyunjin.

Chapter Text

Jisung had never been a fan of funerals. And especially after he had to attend his father’s funeral earlier that year he was more than repulsed to go to any funeral. However, work was calling and while Jisung had contemplated on telling them he wouldn’t go, he had decided to overcome his own fear and push himself through the mission.

It was the service for one of the people he had met during the Gala, a middle-aged, friendly man that had told Jisung so much about art and even offered him a drink. And while, yes, they hadn’t had to pay for the drinks, it had been nice to be offered some decency and friendliness from strangers. Aside from the people in his team he rarely had had time to meet anyone else, nor had he been in contact with his old friends. Not that they had reached out to him after his father had died, just a few had checked in on him once but then never again. And Jisung had let them go. He had had no energy to talk to them or reach out and now he wasn’t sure if they were still interested. Or how he should explain in what kind of situation he was now. It was a given that he wouldn’t mention Clé, but he had also not thought about how he might or might not explain himself to anyone who had questions. 

So here he was at the funeral of Lee Jungjae. Lee Jungjae who had been related and very close to the director of the Gala who would not be able to be part of today’s event. He was still in the hospital, broken bones and badly burned skin, and clearly unable to attend the funeral. Quite many people were still camping in front and around the hospital despite being forcefully sent away by the security several times. The people were from the media who wanted to gather any possible new information. Earlier Jisung had seen a few people trying to push through the door, a media outlet, but the security had stopped them. Honestly, it was disgusting. 

Then again it was exactly why the three of them, Jisung, Chan and Jeongin, were currently here so maybe he shouldn’t judge that much. At least they were not openly pestering the people and making them uncomfortable. 

Right now Jisung was standing in one of the back rows as the funeral rituals were taking place. Jisung had been tense during that, even to the point that Jeongin and Chan had both checked in on him, quietly enough so no one else had been able to hear it or got disturbed. Chan had also gently rubbed his back and Jeongin had squeezed his fingers for a short moment to give him comfort. And while both of them probably didn’t know about what had happened to Jisung in detail – the suicide of his father, the disaster of a funeral, everything linked to it – they were very caring and Jisung appreciated it a lot. 

But the longer the entire situation was ongoing, the more Jisung was slowly letting go of his own trauma and focusing on the people, observing how everyone was relaxing around them. How some were honestly sobbing, how others were just staring stone faced in front of them, not moving even slightly. He sighed and tried to relax a bit, licking his lips. Jeongin too looked like he was honestly sad – he was a rather good actor, obviously. Chan was trying to console a crying woman that was about to break down and had somehow ended up throwing herself at Chan, the woman next to her was crying horribly as well. Jisung, luckily, was standing close to a handful of gloomy men that might only had had slight contact to Lee Jungjae – just like Jisung, probably. Or at least they seemed like that, less phased by the entire situation than everyone else.

Finally though they changed the places, towards Lee Jungjae’s house. His wife was holding a get together to thank all the people that had come to the funeral and to maybe hear a few funny or nice stories, wanting to keep her late husband in loving memory. The house was full with people and Jisung was more than sure that there were many people who had only shortly encountered the man, just like Jisung had. 

Jisung however did somehow feel sad that the man had passed. He had been so friendly and his smile had seemed honest. Being crushed by a collapsing building and then being stuck in a hospital bed for the next two weeks, in a coma, was definitely not a way Jisung would like to die. A quick death would be preferable, but then again death was rarely chosen by oneself and often by the chances of life. And unfortunately often in way too nasty ways. 

“How did you meet him?” a man asked as Jisung was staring at a few family pictures. They had no children, just Lee Jungjae, his wife and their three dogs. And they looked happy. Unbelievably rich and happy. The house was proof of the first part, definitely. Jisung was pretty sure he was walking on way too expensive tiles and he even scared to move as he had always been rather clumsy and accidentally breaking something in a stranger’s house that would probably cost him a fortune was something he wasn’t looking forward too.

Looking up at the man, Jisung blinked surprised. Somehow, he seemed familiar but he couldn’t quite pinpoint it. The man was probably in his early forties, perfect skin but unbelievably tired eyes. 

“I met him on an event, he showed me the paintings and explained some to me,” Jisung said and looked at the other man, tilting his head a bit. The stranger was taller than him after all.

“Ah, we worked together on a show,” the man said, a small chuckle leaving his lips. “We ended up being friends, texting from time to time and all. He was a really good guy.” Now he looked sad again but the smile stayed on his eyes.

“Oh? A show?” Jisung asked surprised and turned a bit more to the man. 

“Yeah, I’m an actor and he was too. Though recently he has been more into art, he was quite talented.” The man hummed and looked at Jisung. “I’m Lee Dongwook,” he said and then bowed slightly to Jisung.

For a moment Jisung was taken aback but still immediately bowed as well, showing respect. “Han Jisung,” he said and looked at the other. “Wait. You starred in Goblin! I watched that.”

“Yeah, that is one of the shows I starred in,” Dongwook said and winked at him. “It was fun. But yeah, I enjoy acting a lot.” He shrugged a bit, not really minding being recognized. It happened a lot so he was used to it and the guy was being respectful.

“That is so cool, I didn’t even know he was an actor too,” Jisung then said, a little blush on his cheeks as he hadn’t expected to meet an actor from one of the shows he had been watching a while ago. He usually easily forgot the shows or the actors quite fast as he often filled his brain with so much information, it was hard to remember. However now he did recognize the other, he had liked his character a lot in the show. Then he noticed the other’s hand being bandaged and he frowned. “Are you injured?” he then asked and Dongwook looked down on his arm, a sigh leaving his lips.

“I… you saw it on the news, I guess. I was at the Gala.” Dongwook sighed and looked at Jisung. “I want to go to the toilet when it happened, I was pretty safe there, just locked in for a few hours before they got me out. But yeah, I was quite lucky.” He looked seriously sad about the fact that he was, well, alive. Or maybe it was just his expression.

“Oh my, you were there? It was horrible,” Jisung said, not giving away that he had been there too. He hadn’t named the event he had been to where he had met the deceased man, however that didn’t matter. He could probably give away the fact of having been there, though who knew. Maybe he would get more information if he did not.

Dongwook nodded, a sigh on his lips. “It was,” he mumbled, looking at the picture. “He got crushed by the debris.” The man carefully took a picture frame from a shelf into his hands, looking at it. “They managed to get him out alive but most his bones were broken and his organs were pretty badly injured. While I only have a broken arm, almost not even a scratch compared.” He shook his head in disbelief. “Life goes weird ways.”

Nodding Jisung looked at the man and then at the picture. “Many people died,” he mumbled and frowned. “They still don’t know what caused it, right?” he asked and Dongwook shook his head.

“Not really. They cannot say if it was an accident or a planted explosion. It could be gas pipes but if you ask me I’d bet on explosives. It just… almost the entire building collapsing?” A frown was seen on his face.

“Weren’t the doors shut too, like locked? My phone didn’t work minutes before it went off,” Jeongin said and stopped by, handing Jisung a glass with a drink and one to Dongwook. “I’m friends with Jisung, Yang Jeongin. Nice to meet you.” He bowed. “I saw you talking so I thought I’d stop by.”

“Thank you,” Dongwook said and bowed back. “Nice to meet you, Jeongin. I’m Dongwook.” He then thought for a moment. “I did notice my phone not working when I was in the bathroom, that is right.” He frowned a bit. “I didn’t even consider that before but it fits in the picture of it all being planned, yes.” He clearly seemed to think about it but then nodded again without adding any words. 

Jisung glanced at Jeongin and then took a sip from his drink, nodding afterwards. 

“I guess we are definitely lucky we are alive,” Jeongin then said and looked at Dongwook and Jisung. “I just want whoever did that to be held responsible for all the lives taken.”

Dongwook nodded slowly, glancing at the frame he was holding before he put the picture back onto its’ spot, sighing a bit. Either he had not noticed Jeongin mentioning indirectly having been in the explosion or he did not really care or mind. “Definitely. Sadly, I cannot say if I noticed something off. Everyone seemed nice and friendly and no one acted overly weird or misplaced.” He shrugged slightly. “I did talk to the police already but now all they can do is work on it. Nothing we can do now but wait, unfortunately.” 

Agreeing Jeongin took a sip from his drink before he looked at the picture, just for a long moment. “I wonder if it was targeted. Or to cover up something?” he mumbled and Dongwook blinked surprised. Jisung did too, yet his wasn’t real surprise. They had talked about this before, Jeongin was just more daring right now to ask the questions he wanted answered while Jisung was trying to be the empathic and sensible stranger. He did feel bad for the man in front of him though. He felt bad for everyone who had been there or who had lost someone in the to the event.

“I didn’t think about that,” Dongwook mumbled then and frowned. “But what would one want to cover up? A murder? But that would surely be noticed. Or stealing some artwork?” He shook his head slightly. “What would be worth risking the death of so many people?”

“I am not sure. It was just a thought,” Jeongin admitted and now looked a little sheepishly. 

“He likes conspiracy theories,” Jisung said and, funnily enough, he was actually the one liking conspiracy theories. Yet Jeongin wasn’t too wrong. Especially after they had found Minho knocked out in the warehouse it wasn’t impossible that it had been a cover up.  Maybe Minho had interrupted someone – either while stealing some valuables from the warehouse or while planting the explosive. Yet right now the question was who and why. But he feared this place was a dead end for finding answers. 

Dongwook chuckled quietly and then shook his head. “No, it is actually not that stupid. It might be a possibility. Movies often stem from real life events. Sometimes way more abstract than one might think, sometimes a lot closer than we expect. So, it might not be entirely off track.” He thought for a moment. “I mean, they had quite many expensive artworks there, some pieces that surely are worth millions or more. And I know they were storing some more for the auction a few days later too. Something old and ancient stuff, as far as I know. Jungjae told me about it.” He shook his head a bit. “Some were not even listed.” 

Now that was information they hadn’t had yet. 

“Not listed?” Jisung asked surprised and Dongwook nodded. 

“Yeah, like some stuff from abroad that was supposed to be illegal. But you know how traders are, the highest bidder wins. Jungjae felt extremely uncomfortable with that and he did tell it to the director. Who’s his uncle, by the way,” Dongwook added quickly and the other two nodded. “But he just said it is normal and that Jungjae needs to get used to it. He really complained a lot to me about it. I sadly have no experience about art and traders and illegal stuff but I do find it suspicious to not list certain items,” he explained and tilted his head a bit. 

“It does sound suspicious,” Jeongin said, a frown on his face. In his suit and tie he looked a lot older than he actually was, almost like the young son of a highly respected CEO – sometimes clothes did wonders, definitely. “I don’t know about art either but hiding some goods that should be listed to be auctioned? Don’t they usually put it on a list so people know how much money to bring or so?”

“No idea, but I thought it worked like that,” Jisung mumbled and Dongwook shrugged, clearly not knowing a lot about art as he had claimed earlier. 

Jisung wondered if the items had been stored in the warehouse too or somewhere else. But if they hadn’t been listed they couldn’t be noted down as missing afterwards or it would be suspicious. So that might definitely be a point. 

“I’ll keep my eyes and ears open if I hear something,” Jeongin said. “Please do too, okay?” he said and then handed Dongwook his card, bowing slightly.

For a long moment Dongwook looked at the card and then stared at Jeongin. “Oh! You are from the NIS! Are you looking into that case?” he asked then and there was a hopeful glint in his exhausted eyes.

“Not exactly but I know someone who does and as I knew Jungjae, he asked me to keep my eyes open. Always working and such,” Jeongin said and Jisung knew it was only partly a lie. The NIS was looking into the case just like Clé and they all were looking into the case too, just not exactly officially. Their mission today however was fully approved by Clé.

“I will contact you if I know something. Let me know if you hear more too? If it isn’t confidential,” Dongwook said and then grabbed a notebook to note down his number, then handing them the piece of paper. “I’d just like to know more. Jungjae was my friend after all. A few close friends died in there and I just… I just want to know, honestly.”

Jeongin took the piece and typed down the number, saving it in his phone, before he handed it to Jisung.

“I totally understand that and we will, if I’m allowed too,” Jeongin nodded and smiled at Dongwook, a polite but friendly smile. 

Jisung however was partly fanboying on his inside as the actor Lee Dongwook had just handed them his phone number and expected them to text him. On a serious matter, of course and Jisung would not disrespect this situation. Nevertheless, if it had been a few months earlier before he had joined Clé, he probably would have believed it. But now here he was, an entirely different person living an entirely different life and he was having a conversation with Lee Dongwook. That was quite unbelievable. Yet the current circumstances weren’t exactly a reason to be excited about so he was forcing himself to act serious and keep a straight face.

“Thank you so much,” Dongwook said and smiled, wanting to say something more but then halting. “Oh, I see another friend of mine. I’m sorry I have to leave, but they are hard to get so maybe I’ll catch you later again…”

“It is fine,” Jisung immediately said and bowed before Dongwook bid them goodbye and hurried over to the woman who had cried on Chan’s shoulder. She still looked like she was about to cry again. 

“Not listed, mh?” Jeongin mumbled and looked at Jisung who nodded, a sigh leaving his lips. “I didn’t expect any information to come out of this mission but hey, at least something.”

“Yeah, at least something. The funeral was horrible,” Jisung said quietly to Jeongin who nodded, rubbing his temples. “I think it was the worst for Chan. He had to console at least three different people.”

With wide eyes Jisung looked at Jeongin. “Three?” 

“Broad shoulders are great to cry on,” the youngest said amused, shrugging slightly. Well, he wasn’t wrong and aside from that Chan was rather handsome and comforting, despite actually being the right hand of the mafia. It was a misconception that all people in the mafia looked dangerous or fear-inducing. Chan definitely did not. Also, here almost no one probably knew that he worked for the mafia or Clé, so there was that.

Jisung glanced over to find Chan talking to a young woman who was gesturing a lot, her face surprisingly unmoving in comparison. “I guess so.”

“You should try it,” Jeongin said and nudged Jisung slightly before he took a sip from his drink. “I’ll go and find someone else to talk to.”

“Okay. See you in a bit,” Jisung agreed and looked around, moving through the rooms that were open for the people. Then again there were so many people, no one would most likely notice if anyone sneaked into the rooms that were closed and not for the guests. 

Jeongin was wandering off into the kitchen, where the wife was preparing some new snacks. She had so much food prepared and was still working on even more to offer to the people. She was around her late husband’s age, late forties, early fifty, a beautiful woman with gentle features. 

“Hello, can I somehow offer my help?” Jeongin asked and the woman looked up, a small smile on her tired face. There were some more people in here that were just eating some snacks or putting used platters back into the kitchen so they could later be put into the dishwasher.

“Hello. That is very nice of you but I should be fine,” the woman said but then noticed a jar and then shyly looked at Jeongin. “Can you… maybe open that?” she then asked and held the jar out for Jeongin who immediately took it and easily opened it. She showed him a grateful expression and then took the jar back, putting it on the table so she could use the food inside. 

“Usually my husband helped me with this,” she said and Jeongin nodded. 

“My condolences,” he said and bowed a bit but she immediately waved it off in a gentle way.

“Thank you. Though I’ve heard it like hundred times by now, if not even more. I just… I think I have yet to process it. Dongwook is helping me with the house and all and Seonghwa is helping me too, as well as some of the family members but it is just… a lot.” She smiled sadly and Jeongin nodded. He faintly remembered her name, Lim Seryeong, and he had just met Dongwook but he couldn’t tell who the other was. Not that it mattered, the woman just wanted to vent, probably.

“I understand, it is a lot to process,” Jeongin nodded and helped her open another jar as she handed it to him. He had just started to help her put things together after washing his hands, not really minding if she needed help or not. He just wanted to support her a little bit. Losing a husband was already a lot and now having to face the people that kept reminding her that her husband was dead? He was sure she was suffering a lot. She did look like she had cried just recently too. “I’m glad you have help though. Being all alone would be terrible. I cannot imagine.”

Seryeong nodded slowly, filling small bowls with cheesecake pudding and adding some honey and then sesame seeds on top of it, making it look so beautiful with so little effort. Jeongin was already glad if he was just able to prepare some proper rice that didn’t taste like some sort of burnt food or metal. And didn’t look that part too. “Have you ever lost someone?”

Jeongin shook his head and looked at his fingers, trying his best not to ruin the food he was preparing. “No, I’ve been fortunate enough to still have my family, siblings and none of my friends died.” Yet, luckily. Yes, he had seen people of other teams disappear or heard of their passing, he had seen people die, yes, but none of them had ever been close to him. He had never really lost someone, personally.

“That is very good. I am glad to hear that,” Seryeong said and showed him a sad expression while she was putting the small bowls aside, grabbing a bigger one and adding vegetables to a sauce. “Make sure to keep your loved ones close and safe and sound. And be adamant when telling them not to go. Don’t let them go then.” She shook his head and Jeongin wondered if he heard right but it sounded like she had just mumbled something like “I’m so stupid”.

For a moment he just watched her, wondering if it was appropriate to ask about it but then again that was exactly why they were here. To figure out information and see if people knew more than they pretended to. Small details – Jeongin hadn’t been the happiest about this mission as it was like looking for the needle in the hay but then again, he was just glad they were giving him missions that wouldn’t potentially kill him or put him in front of a computer for hours on end. 

“What happened?” he then asked and she looked at him, a little distant. But he was just a stranger, right? It wouldn’t matter if she told him, at least that was what she thought.

“I had a bad feeling. I told him not to go, repeatedly. But he insisted that he had to go, he had his own art displayed and he just… yeah. He said he wouldn’t go to the auction instead.” Seryeong shook her head. “And then I heard the news.” She sat down on a chair, clearly in despair. “And I knew I had been right.” Her voice cracked at the end of the sentence.

“That must have felt even worse,” Jeongin mumbled and he wondered how horribly scared Chan and Changbin must have been when they had heard about the explosion. Ye,s they hadn’t known that almost all of them had been there, however they had known that some of them had had a mission there. And just the thought of one of them dying in there was horribly suffocating. 

“I’m so stupid. I told him not to go and he offered me to go with him and I said no and that he doesn’t need to come home if he goes. I just thought maybe he would stay home then. And I couldn’t even explain why I did not want him to go. I just had such a bad feeling.” She looked at Jeongin and shook his head in disbelief, still overwhelmed by her own feelings. “And he said I was unreasonable but that he loves me. And that he would make it up to me once he was home.” 

Jeongin nodded slowly, filling another small bowl to distract himself from the wave of her emotions. “And then the News were on tv.”

“And then the News were everywhere. I tried to call Jungjae several times before my father called me. He told me what had happened. And that they had yet to find Jungjae.” Now there were tears in her eyes and Jeongin had the urge to hug her but instead he just put a hand on her shoulder to give her support. He knew a hug wouldn’t only make him feel uncomfortable but possibly her too so he wouldn’t do that.  “And when they did he wasn’t even conscious. My last conversation with him was so bad and now I don’t even get to talk to him again.”

Wasn’t it weird how much importance people put into their last talk with a loved one once they were gone? How their last conversation was almost more important than everything else? How all the ‘I love you’s before and the heart-warming conversations were so much less important than that one last talk they had had? 

Jeongin looked at her and shook his head. “I am sure he knew you did it out of worry. And he said he loves you, didn’t he?” At least that was what she had said. “You tried, you insisted. But he wanted to go. And that was his own, conscious decision. Please don’t blame yourself for anything you did or didn’t do. He loved you and you loved him. That is all that is important, all that matters.” He gently squeezed her shoulder and she nodded, slowly but then properly. She was crying a lot more by now and the people that had been in the room before had left by now, probably feeling uncomfortable to see the widow cry and not wanting to interrupt. Jeongin handed her a tissue and then nodded to her. “I am sorry you have to experience this. Are you… This might be insensitive, but are you getting any proper support? Like a counsellor? Death of a loving partner isn’t something you should have to go through alone, really.”

Seryeong shook her head slowly, drying her tears with the tissue but it wasn’t exactly working. The tears just kept coming. “Seonghwa and Dongwook said that too. That some support would be a good idea. Especially as Seonghwa is a psychology major. I should listen to them.” She sniffed and tried to dry her eyes again. “I’m so glad at least they are alive. They were at the Gala too.” She buried her face in her hands, now sobbing. “I’m sorry, I’m just…”

“No, don’t apologize. You are grieving,” Jeongin said and looked gently at her. “It is more than understandable.” Yes, he was feeling highly uncomfortable consoling a heartbroken stranger that had just lost her husband. He had never been made for that but he also was very aware that sometimes that was part of the job. It wasn’t the first time and Chan had already had to console more people so hey, he was probably still lucky. Didn’t really make it a lot better, yet he knew that this woman deserved someone to listen to. And if that meant he had to put up with this, that was exactly what he would be doing.

She showed him a weak, teary smile and nodded. “That is one of the nicest things I have heard in a while,” she mumbled. “Most just tell me to cry at home and hold it in.”

Now that was something that made Jeongin feel unbelievably sad. Losing a husband and then being told to suck it up and leave it at home was just rude. He couldn’t understand that at all. “I’m sorry. Please feel free to just let it out. You lost someone, that is something you cannot just leave at home, it is a broken heart you take wherever you go. So please, do not hold back.” Yes, he might not know her, but she had just lost her husband under horrible circumstances that would scar her for the rest of her life, especially because she had tried to stop him from going and now people telling her to bottle it up and not cry was just utterly rude. He sometimes really couldn’t understand people. Maybe because his family and friends and team had never been this unbelievably rude and inconsiderate or maybe because he had been taught to let out emotion whenever he felt them. Or maybe because this was just not a normal response to someone being sad. 

Surely, to him it was a little uncomfortable to console a stranger, but to that woman it was maybe the last straw. Especially after losing her entire world. 

“I’ve cried so much already, Dongwook and Seonghwa tell me to let it out too but I just… I feel bad if I keep crying all the time when I’m around them even if they tell me it is normal.”

“It is normal,” Jeongin assured her. “And I am glad they are open about it and welcoming.” At least Seryeong wasn’t surrounded by entirely stupid people that had no sensitivity for appropriate behavior and words. It wasn’t much but at least it was something.

Seryeong nodded and finally managed to wipe her tears, most of her make up now gone but at least she had been able to cry it out for the moment. “You really are a sweetheart.”

“I’m just a decent human being,” Jeongin said and looked at her. “No one should tell you to leave it at home. You lost the love of your life. So if you want to cry, you should be allowed to.” He patted her shoulder and then took his hand back to himself, nodding at her. 

She looked a little less heartbroken and a little more stable, the smile on her lips now a lot more honest and warmer than before.

“Your parents really taught you well.” Seryeong hummed softly and washer her hands before she started preparing some more food for the guests.

“I will tell them. They still try to educate me despite me almost being thirty,” Jeongin hummed amused and Seryeong chuckled. 

“Once your child, always your child. They can never be too old to actually be taught some manners or something.” She was joking and Jeongin smiled, feeling a little relieved. As much as he hated consoling people, he was just always really glad and maybe a little proud if his words helped. “Can you help me take the trays outside? I would like to offer my guests some more snacks,” she then said and Jeongin nodded, taking one of the really heavy trays right away. 

“Of course,” he hummed and then carried it out, seeing Jisung talking to someone, holding a new drink in his hands by now. Jeongin carefully put the food on the tray on the long tables for the buffet so people could grab it before he got the tray back and saw Chan from the corner of his eyes talking with a skinny, handsome young man. Jeongin could swear he was a model as he had to blink twice before he shook his head and concentrated on putting the tray back and getting another one, carrying it over.

Chan however hadn’t noticed Jeongin. He was engulfed in a talk with Seonghwa, a relative of the family, who was currently residing in the house together with Dongwook – an actor Chan remembered – and the wife of the deceased, Seryeong. 

“So you think she knew?” Chan asked and frowned while Seonghwa nodded slowly.

“No, not particularly,” the man said and looked at Chan who was slowly sipping on his drink. “I rather think her father might have known. She did say he told her to stay home.” He frowned a bit and sat down on one of the armchairs. They were in the winter garden that had a beautiful view into the garden. 

Chan too was sitting down, a little restless but enjoying the chair too. It was soft and it made him relax a bit. “So… her father told her to stay home? Did she ask why?”

“She tried to. I was here when she had the talk. I help out with the dogs a lot,” Seonghwa said and had a really soft expression on his face, at least for a short moment, before he kept speaking and his expression changed again. “And he said a woman like her shouldn’t go to an event like that. That she isn’t smart enough for it and won’t appreciate art anyways.” He huffed and looked at Chan. “I’m sure it hurt her and she didn’t want any more insults so she didn’t say anything further. But the way he first told her not to leave was rather insisting.” 

Chan frowned at the words the other said. The wife’s father sounded anything but nice and it angered Chan a lot. How could anyone be this rude and degrading to their own daughter? If his father had said this to his sister at any point he would have flipped his shit – and he had a lot of respect for his father after all. He loved his family, a lot, but that didn’t excuse any kind of degrading or treating their children like that in general. 

“Understandable,” Chan mumbled and wished he had an extra shot gin or whiskey in his tea so he would stop being this pissed. “So you too think it was planned?”

“Most likely,” Seonghwa said and nodded. Chan and him had met before, were even good acquaintances, however they hadn’t talked in a while. That however had made it a lot easier from them to start talking and, surprisingly, Seonghwa hadn’t asked why he was here or how he had known Lee Jungjae. Chan was a good liar when he had to but he also wasn’t a fan of it, which meant the less he had to lie, the better. “The way he talked… it just sounded off. And he only unwillingly supported Jungjae’s decision to ask the director for putting up his art. Funfact, the director even declined at first and I think it’s Seryeong’s father’s doing. And his art was only displayed because Jungjae went to talk to the director on his own. They are related, you know? And man, when I say Mister Lim was pissed after that, I’m mean it.” Whenever Seryeong was on the phone she put it on speaker so Seonghwa had been able to hear most of it. He had come by quite often and even spent most of his afternoon in here as his own apartment was full of his noisy roommates and their friends and here he had been able to find the quiet to actually relax and study. Only those phone calls had thrown him off.

“I didn’t realise there was some shit going down. I was there too but I left early, I still had to study.” Seonghwa sighed. “I was just out when it happened, just out of range I guess.” He shook his head a bit, looking at Chan.

“Did you tell that to the police?” Chan asked a little unsure how to take the information. It was something he had hoped to learn about, a possible culprit, but it was also a lot as he had definitely not expected to get any kind of information during this mission. However Clé clearly had done some good work to figure out that, obviously, they were on the right track, the right mission, right now. Even after years he sometimes was surprised that the very organisation he had joined as an ally to take down the mafia was actually doing a good job.

Seonghwa nodded, taking a sip from his drink. “Of course,” he said and sighed, slumping into his seat. “But they didn’t care at all. They honestly mostly shrugged it off. And I told them to contact me if they need more information or anything but they didn’t contact me or any of the people connected to it. Or not that I know of I guess.” He looked at Chan, seeing by his expression that he was clearly not happy about it.

“Do you think they bribed the police or something?” Chan asked openly and Seonghwa snorted before he then nodded. 

“You can bet your pretty ass on it,” he said in a surprisingly neutral voice before he took another sip from his drink. It helped him calm his nerves a bit. 

Blinking a little confused Chan looked at Seonghwa, having the urge to touch his own butt after the other had mentioned it but then he didn’t – simply as he was sitting on it. “Uh, thanks for the compliment?” he mumbled a little unsure how to react but he also knew he didn’t really mind. “But damn, that sounds fishy.”

“Fishy is a very nice description.” Seonghwa shook his head and looked at Chan, shaking his head a bit. “It is pretty clear to me but if he really bribed the goddamn police? I am not sure who to talk to then.”

“NIS,” Chan said and glanced around, trying to see Jeongin but he wasn’t to be seen. “My friend I’m here with is from the NIS. I can tell him in a bit and give him your contact.”

“Please,” Seonghwa almost immediately said, eyes lighting up. Clearly, he was very up to catch whoever was behind this. “So many people died. So many people ended up with trauma. This isn’t fair and someone should be held accountable. And if this man really has something to do with it then it is him.”

Chan noticed how close Seonghwa was to curse, to get a little bit louder and get angry at the man he had mentioned before and he wondered if he was here. He looked around to see but he didn’t know how this man looked so of course he couldn’t know.

“He is here. But he isn’t in this room,” Seonghwa explained as he noticed Chan looking around. He wasn’t very subtle after all and he frowned. “I’ll show him to you later. And if I hear or see anything, I’ll record it or… yeah. They do have security cameras in here, maybe they still have the conversation saved? I’ll check on it.” He nodded at Chan again, wanting to support. “Just please give me some updates if you know any. It does not need to be anything detailed, just if someone is finally looking into it or something.” He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath. “Just a small ‘they are on it’ or so. Honestly, anything is fine.” He was so obviously desperate. Even if one had not been in the epitome of the disaster it undoubtedly still had left traces.

“I’ll try if I get any updates, yes,” Chan said and nodded at Seonghwa. He totally understood that Seonghwa wanted some information, some updates – it was in the nature of a human that people wanted to know as much as possible. But Chan only got little information himself, yet he knew that Seungmin and Jeongin would probably let him know as much as they were allowed to say. Or let him know how much he was allowed to let Seonghwa know if he asked them to get him updates. “I don’t know how much Jeongin is allowed to say as it is a confidential case, I bet, but yes, I will do that.”

Nodding Seonghwa put his legs onto the armchair, pulling them close as he looked at Chan – who noticed he was wearing some cute puppy socks and it almost made him smile, though as the current situation wasn’t exactly making it appropriate so he held it back. It reminded him a bit of Seungmin.

“Thanks,” Seonghwa said and hugged his legs, emptying his drink now and pouting when he noticed it was empty. Unmistakably he wasn’t too happy about it as now he had to get up and look for a new drink and leave his comfortable position on the armchair. Or he decided to keep sitting here and enjoy the moment without a drink.

A hum left Chan’s lips and he looked into his cup, his own was almost empty as well otherwise he would have given it to Seonghwa. “Nothing to thank me for. Want me to get you a new drink?” he asked and took the last sip from his drink, slurping slightly.

For a moment Seonghwa just looked into his empty glass before he looked at Chan. “Would that not be rude?” he asked then and Chan chuckled, shaking his head slightly.

“Nah, I am offering it to you,” he said and got up, grabbing the empty glass from Seonghwa. “Keep my armchair free, I’ll be back with drinks and food.” He got up, stretching himself slightly. He was a little bit tired, social events were fine, funerals however were a whole different level, even if he didn’t know the deceased. 

Seonghwa nodded and put his feet onto the other armchair before Chan walked over to the buffet. There were quite many people around, Jisung and Jeongin were still talking to people too and Chan knew especially Jisung would be extremely tired after this, the curse of an introvert. Jeongin wasn’t the most extrovert either but even if one was extrovert, this event was wearing on all of them. Honestly Chan hadn’t expected this at all, he had expected this event to go by without any information, with only a few conversations he had to hold but instead they had had to attend a proper funeral – something he had been informed last minute and had hated ever since – and were now actually finding quite some information. For a moment he considered talking to the two others, asking if they needed anything, but they both looked deeply focused in their conversations so he decided against it. They were old enough after all too and Chan was pretty sure they would let him know if they needed anything. He trusted them. So he just grabbed the drinks and a plate he filled with food before he returned to Seonghwa, nodding to him.

“There we go,” he said and sat down next to him, Seonghwa taking his feet away and now sitting more comfortably again. 

“Thanks, you are an angel,” he grinned and took his drink and the plate Chan was handing him. “If there is one good outcome from this entire situation it is the good food,” he mumbled and then huffed. “Okay, now this was inappropriate but you know what I mean, right?”

A small chuckle left Chan’s lips and he nodded. “Yeah, I get it,” he said and took a bite from his food. “At least something good in this entire chaos. I had friends at the event and I really thought they were goners,” he then said. “So yeah, I get it.”

“Did they make it out okay?” Seonghwa asked, stuffing his cheeks with food. 

Chan nodded and looked at the other, relaxing a bit. “One had an injured leg and another an injury to his head. Otherwise they are okay, I guess. Aside from the trauma I guess.” He licked his lips slightly. “But who would live through this without any trauma…”

“Yes, I get that. It was really… bad.” Seonghwa mumbled. “And I was only outside, in front of the building. I wasn’t even in any immediate danger and yet… I still dream of it.” He chewed on his bottom lip before he took a big chuck from his drink that was, luckily, filled with some alcohol. He definitely needed that right now. 

They all would need quite some time to recover from this event. Whatever helped them was currently considered good.

Chapter Text

Being pushed against a wall by Hwang Hyunjin was something Minho hadn’t expected any time soon – or ever. Usually it was the other way around, however, right now it was Hyunjin who was holding him against the wall and kissing him. Passionately. 

It was hot. It had been a while since Minho had actually made out with someone. It wasn’t their first time, of course not, they were a team so it happened from time to time – missions sometimes worked like this.

This time it had been their own idea, not a request from Clé. It made their current job so much easier and aside from that, they were both pretty into it. Why not use your worktime to actually have some fun with your coworker, right? Both of them were slightly drunk and filled with so much adrenaline that it was so easy to just forget everything else around them, lips crushing together heatedly. And well, Hyunjin actually daring to push Minho against a wall and holding him there? Hot. 

They were in the middle of a formal party, halls and rooms of a big company filled with people, coworkers, strangers, criminals, undercover NIS, whatever people could think of. This place was shady and no one was even trying to hide it as it had been going so very well. A note in the file had been about the police probably being in on whatever this place had going on. Money could do a lot to a person, especially turn their world from white to black

Burying a hand in the other’s long, blonde hair felt good and a small moan left Minho’s lips as he pulled Hyunjin closer, pushing one leg between the other’s just for the taller to actually groan in surprise. 

“Fuck, Mi-“ Hyunjin started but to stop the other from actually spilling his name out into the open Minho just pulled him back into a kiss, nipping on his bottom lip, almost like a warning. Even being here, in an empty office, actually getting a little more excited than they had planned, didn’t mean they could let their cover down. It was still a mission.

And Hyunjin seemed to realise that, kissing Minho back right away and pulling him close again. However this time it was Minho who grabbed Hyunjin by the waist and turned them around, pushing Hyunjin against a wall of cabinets filled with files and books and Minho was pretty sure he heard at least one cabinet door break. Not that he cared, if this place had been taboo, they should have locked it. But then again he was pretty sure none of the hosts had thought that one of their guests would end up making out in the office rooms. Aside from that he was pretty sure he had seen other people enter restricted areas earlier anyways, Minho and Hyunjin would probably be their smallest problem. For now. The place was filled with so many people, it was probably hard to keep them all under control. So very simple-minded and dull-witted, but way better for them.

Lifting Hyunjin up and putting his legs around Minho’s waist was easy – even though the other was quite muscular, he was still light and Minho knew how to lift up people without straining his leg. “What-“ Hyunjin started but immediately held onto the other. Frankly he couldn’t care less why Minho was doing that as even the mission right now didn’t matter. He wanted to kiss the other, feel his lips on his or at least on his skin and the other’s fucking stunning body pressing up against his own. If anyone had told him earlier he would end up here with Lee Minho marking his neck with beautiful, blooming hickeys, he would have told them that this was utter bullshit. Yet here he was. 

Hyunjin let out a loud moan when the other sucked hard on his skin, sending shivers through his body. “I’m… I’m fucking sensitive there-“ he tried to warn Minho so other might not ruin fully his pretty neck with red bruises all over or try to make him lose his mind with the way his lips touched his skin exactly there. Minho however seemed to see it as a challenge, only sucking harder. Using his teeth there however was something Hyunjin hadn’t seen coming and he held onto Minho’s hair, tugging on it.

“Fuck, are you crazy?” he asked breathlessly, meaning it in all the good ways. He could feel how hard he already was and that wasn’t going to be fun if they only made out a bit and he had to go home with a fucking boner in his pants. 

A soft hum left Minho’s lips and he looked at Hyunjin before he kissed him again. He was holding his waist with one hand, the other hand on his cheek and all Hyunjin could do was melt into the touch. There was nothing against a little manhandling, right? No one else was here anyway and even if there were cameras in this room, Hyunjin couldn’t care less. If they saw him making out with someone else, what was the worst thing that could happen? Them getting hard as well? It would not surprise him, he was sure they were quite the sight. Messy and passionate and hot and for a second Hyunjin wished he could just watch them himself, how they looked, how they moved. They surely made a beautiful team.

And then Minho lifted him up again, stealing the thoughts from his mind, and for a moment Hyunjin’s entire world was spinning. Now that was something he hadn’t seen coming and he dug his nails into Minho’s shoulder. It was so easy for the older to carry him around like this, picking him up like he was nothing. Hyunjin had his legs around him, holding onto him tightly before he was finally sat down onto a chair moments later. 

It took him a few seconds to realise that he was in front of the desk, the laptop still on and shining brightly. Minho was standing above him, grinning. He was leaning close and to everyone else it probably looked like they were kissing, however Minho’s lips only slightly touched Hyunjin’s.

“Don’t forget the mission,” Minho mumbled before he really did kiss Hyunjin again. His tongue licked over his  lips and the younger was ready to open them willingly to let Minho taste him again, more, however instead Minho brushed over the other’s chest, down to his hips and then stopping at the button of his pants. “I’ll get you a reward if you are doing well,” he promised. Now that was even more unexpected. Surely they were here to do the mission and they would get paid for it too, but actually getting a reward from Minho? He wanted to ask what it was, however he felt the other already opening his pants and fuck he felt his dick twitch in anticipation. It was something they hadn’t done before. They had made out before, yes, they had touched each other until they had both been hard, yes, but doing anything else? Going further? Never before. And it was a shame.

Somehow Hyunjin managed to grab the small USB-Stick he had hidden on his watch and held it in his hand, pushing it up between two of his fingers – it was dark, luckily, and his sleeves were long enough to cover almost everything. Even him holding onto the table, his fingers close enough to get the stick into the laptop, wouldn’t look too obvious as his shirt was covering most. It simply looked like a desperate attempt of a horny young man to hold onto anything and everything possible. He had done missions like these before, just not with the added luxury of Lee Minho actually going down on him. Focusing, with the last braincell capacity he currently had, he pushed the USB-stick into the goddamn laptop so he could finally, fucking finally, just forget what was happening.

Seungmin had made sure to put a software onto the USB-stick so they actually only needed to put it into the laptop and everything else would be done on its own. Which was convenient as Hyunjin was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to do anything else right now. He knew they needed some kind of information, some kind of files that were on the laptop as far as they all knew, yet neither Hyunjin nor Minho knew enough about computers to hack a system. And frankly speaking Hyunjin wasn’t in any way able to think right now, or even consider hacking a system.

“You even put on cute underwear,” Minho hummed as he ran his thumb over the luxurious black fabric on the other. He pulled down his pants and Hyunjin cursed, burying one hand in Minho’s hair before giving it a harsh tug.

“Don’t be a bitch, we even bought it together,” Hyunjin groaned and let Minho suck a dark red hickey onto his thigh. They had bought it for his Onlyfans account after all, yet that did not mean it was only for that. He often was wearing them whenever he wanted to feel comfortable and handsome. A social event like today had been such an occasion. And fuck, he definitely hadn’t expected Minho to see him in his underwear. Or suck on his dick through it as he was actually doing right now.

A loud moan left Hyunjin’s lips and he tried to cover his lips with his hand but Minho stopped him without even taking any actions. “Don’t even dare to be quiet,” the older said, looking up to the other with a rather strong expression. And Hyunjin didn’t even think twice about it, taking his hand away from his mouth and back into Minho’s hair. He would never disagree with anything Minho said when the other was so close to his hard cock and able to give him so much pleasure. “You can hold onto my head. I’m pretty good with deepthroating,” he then said and with that pulled Hyunjin’s dick out of his underwear. Both the statement and the cool air hitting his sensitive skin immediately caused Hyunjin to moan, a hot shudder going through his body. He replied with another tug to Minho’s hair. The view was beautiful, both Minho on his knees and his pretty face right next to his hard cock.

Just feeling Minho’s hands wrapped around his cock was already sending shivers through his body, almost making him moan again. Quiet curses left his lips as Minho slowly started to stroke him. His hips seemed to move almost on their own, wanting to feel more. Minho on his knees was such a stunning view and for a short moment he wondered if it was uncomfortable for his leg, then however he felt his soft lips at the tip of his hard dick. Call him slow if you will but it was only then that Hyunjin realised that deepthroating had meant Minho would suck him off. He was getting a blowjob from Lee Minho. The Lee Minho.

A volley of oaths left Hyunjin’s lips once again as Minho used his tongue before taking him in even deeper, his hips slightly bucking up yet Minho didn’t seem to mind, just taking him in so very easily. Hyunjin knew he didn’t exactly have the smallest dick of the group and yet Minho made it look so effortless. He tugged hard on the other’s hair, not exactly prepared for this kind of sensation, his body unable to respond differently. He had needed it, for sure, however finding some relief during a work week was always rather difficult, especially as it mostly only happened with strangers and Hyunjin had never exactly been a friend of taking strangers home. He could feel his hard dick hit the back of Minho’s throat and the other didn’t even gag. Hyunjin foolishly took a double take, almost to confirm that yes it was really Minho and not some hallucination. This was really happening.

“Fuck,” he cursed again and holding Minho’s head in place, moving his hips slightly as the other started to suck. His eyes glanced over to the desktop of the laptop, seeing the progress on it, it wasn’t even one quarter done and Hyunjin was sure he wouldn’t tell Minho if it was finished before they were done here. Because he would definitely not let Minho suck his dick and not finish. However he was pretty sure Minho wasn’t planning on leaving without making Hyunjin have a goddamn firework of an orgasm as far as Hyunjin could tell. The way Minho was sucking him and using his tongue was fucking amazing. Cheeks hollow, tongue against his shaft and his hands on his fucking balls. He had his body writhing.

Hyunjin could feel the other’s free hand on his thigh, how his nails dug into the skin and all he could think of was how fucking deliciously good it would feel if Minho would actually do more than just sucking his dick. That already felt breathtakingly amazing and it made Hyunjin so damn hard. Once more he could feel his dick twitch in excitement. It was way too easy for the older to get him to the brink of an orgasm so damn quickly but then again he had seen Minho half naked often enough – after the shower, during training, just chilling at home – and ended up with a hard cock just from that so having a difficult time to hold back when a hot man was sucking his dick in such an unholy way? Definitely nothing wrong with that.

Minho was scratching his skin and letting go of his dick for a moment, just sucking on his balls instead and Hyunjin whined loudly, looking down at the other. Not his best idea as just looking at Minho almost made him come right there. And he wished he did because he would have definitely come on Minho’s face. And that would have been a sight to even die for. He managed to hold back but he wanted to cherish that image for forever. Minho definitely should have been the one with the goddamn Onlyfans.

“Stop whining, honey,” Minho hummed and smirked before he sucked onto Hyunjin’s balls, making him moan. He was sensitive all over and he clearly wouldn’t forget this any time soon. And maybe, just maybe, he would even ask Minho to make out with him again. Possibly even for his Onlyfans account – it would be a good alibi after all, right? Honestly, he just wanted Minho to make him come and rail him into any kind of surface and Hyunjin was very aware that this wasn’t the slightly drunk part of his brain craving attention.

It was Minho’s perfect mouth way too close to his body. The way his lips felt against his skin, the way they sucked and left beautiful reminders on Hyunjin’s fair skin. Minho was an amazing kisser and Hyunjin had known that for a while already. They had ended up making out a few times without a mission being involved even, however neither of them had gone further than maybe grinding on each other, still fully clothed. This however was something Hyunjin wanted to experience again and he had yet not even had an orgasm. The way Minho used his body was good, how he pressed all the right buttons and Hyunjin was sure if this wasn’t a mission they would both be a lot more talkative and pushing each other around. And he was looking forward to making exactly that happen soon.

“How far,” Minho asked and Hyunjin looked at the desktop, a huff leaving his lips. 

“Halfway,” he mumbled and slightly tugged on Minho’s hair as a complaint. He liked the other’s lips on his balls, yes, he also liked them anywhere else on his body, however he had been filled with the electric feeling of his oncoming orgasm already and he hated how Minho loved to tease him, even now. Hyunjin was sure Minho had known, the other was too smart and the way he had stopped just at the right moment to leave him high and dry was anything but fair.

“Someone is impatient, mh?” Minho hummed and Hyunjin was about to reply, yet all he could do was moan the other’s name as perfectly shaped lips sucked on the tip of his dick again. Almost apologetically Minho licked over the slit, looking up at Hyunjin with big, playfully innocent eyes. This time Minho took him in a lot slower and Hyunjin felt the need to move his hips but held back. It felt so much more intense than before and he bit his bottom lip so he would not be too loud. That, however, earned him a hard slap on his exposed thigh, reminding him that Minho had told him not to hold back. The glance Minho was giving him, despite having a cock deep in his throat, was enough of a reminder and quietly Hyunjin complained but immediately complied.

Putting one hand on Minho’s shoulder to hold onto it, he took a shaky breath, moving his hips slightly to get more friction, holding onto it. Just like Minho did on his thigh, he dug his nails into the other’s shirt and skin, trying to give himself some support as the older started to suck again, using his tongue way too well. He definitely knew what he was doing and Hyunjin had a hard time to remind himself not to mumble the other’s name and to keep checking the desktop from time to time to see how far the progress was. Not that he cared anyways, all he could focus on was the man kneeling between his legs.

Feeling how Minho took him back into his mouth sent hot shivers through Hyunjin’s body, like small electric shocks, making his body tremble in joy and he could feel that it wouldn’t take a lot more to make him come. He was holding back right now, wanting to feel more of the good feeling, of the way Minho was sucking his goddamn hard cock and he dug his nails deep into the other’s shoulder, his other hand holding onto the armrest of the chair. He was pretty sure he was ruining it as it was some soft material, his nails digging in rather deep. Slowly he moved his hips, thrusting deep into Minho’s mouth. The other took him in so easily, sucking and not even slightly being bothered by the way Hyunjin moved. There was saliva on his cheek and it glistened in the dim light, making Minho look even more ethereal. People usually told Hyunjin he was one of the most handsome people they had ever seen, however he was sure if they could see Minho like that, they would immediately change their minds.

“C-Close,” Hyunjin mumbled, his hand back in the other’s hair and tugging on it. It was already messy and tangled, yet it only made Minho look even better.

Letting go of Hyunjin’s cock Minho looked up for a second, lifting an eyebrow in amusement and clearly just wanting to tease Hyunjin. “You or the progress,” he asked, licking on his tip before sucking on it. For a moment he just lazily let his tongue lick over the sensitive skin before he then took him back in, now sucking a lot harder and faster and all Hyunjin could do was moan. He had wanted to tell him that it was both, the goddamn mission almost done but fuck, he was very close himself. He arched his back as he moved his hips and he was pretty sure he wouldn’t dare to stop even if anyone would come in and see them. He was getting this orgasm, either spilling in Minho’s mouth or on his pretty face and he could feel tears in the corner of his eyes from how good it felt. It had been way to long since he had last been touched for him to come this fucking quickly. He was moving his hips in irregular motions, moans spilling from his plush lips as he fucked Minho’s wet mouth.

It only took a few more thrusts and Hyunjin could feel how he hit the back of Minho’s throat, yet the other kept sucking and using his tongue. A rather hard scratch on his thigh however was actually what threw him over the edge. The sharp pain made his head ring and Hyunjin gave Minho’s hair a last tug, thrusting in deep, before he came hard, spilling into his mouth. His orgasm almost knocked him out, body trembling and he could feel how he was coming while those soft lips still around his cock. The pleasure was so strong, he could feel his legs trembling as he tried to gasp for air, his hand still in Minho’s hair. 

Looking down at the other he noticed that he clearly had swallowed, something he hadn’t thought Minho would do. He somehow had thought the other would just spit it down onto the ground and if Hyunjin wasn’t mistaken, there was nothing he had spilled. They had already ruined so much in this office, some cum on the carpet would not have made a difference. With wide eyes and a blissfully overwhelmed expression he kept his eyes on the older. 

“Did you like that?” Minho teased and sat up a bit, brushing over Hyunjin’s cheek. “You did sound like it.” There was a bright smirk on Minho’s lips and even before Hyunjin could say something he felt the other’s lips on his. He could taste himself on Minho’s tongue but he would definitely be the last one complaining right now. He was feeling way too good at the moment to actually do anything to piss off Minho. “You already look pretty fucked out. Can’t imagine how amazing you’d sound and look if I actually took you. Next time maybe over the desk, all spread out and legs wide for me.”

Now that was the moment Hyunjin whined, playfully slapping Minho’s chest with his long sleeve. The other nly laughed in return. How had the other known he had imagined that? Minho definitely sometimes knew how to read minds though this fantasy was probably pretty easy to guess. “Bitch,” he huffed and tried to get himself dressed, luckily the other realised quickly Hyunjin with his fucked out brain was currently having a hard time and immediately started helping him.

“Would you be up for it?” Hyunjin then asked and Minho blinked a little confused as he was closing his pants, clearly already somewhere else with his thoughts.

“What?” he asked and made sure Hyunjin looked okay before he did his best to fix his own hair. Hyunjin had made a mess out of it.

“You, me, sex. Sometime, not now of course,” Hyunjin explained and whined, obviously a little embarrassed to be asking about it. Minho shrugged slightly, slowly getting up. Clearly he wasn’t having the easiest time, his legs probably having fallen asleep and with his injury it wasn’t the best anyways. 

“Sure. Who wouldn’t want to have sex with you, honestly,” Minho said amused and carefully helped Hyunjin up. The other leaned onto the table for a second, his body still feeling a little bit dizzy from the amount of pleasure he had just felt and the aftermath of it was still filling his body with way too many emotions. He also had to get the USB-stick out of the laptop and so he did, grabbing it quickly with one hand and then pushing himself away from the desk. As if he was fixing his sleeve he put the stick back to his watch, letting Minho take him to the door. 

“Really?” he then asked confused, looking to the older and lifting an eyebrow. Minho’s hair looked so damn messy and he was pretty sure everyone would know right away what they had done in here. Hyunjin was proud of it. He did not mind anyone knowing that he had just gotten Lee Minho on his knees sucking his cock – it was the biggest compliment he could ever get.

“Yeah, really,” Minho said and pulled Hyunjin back, kissing him once again. This was something that was not part of their plan anymore but neither had been the blowjob. Minho did not need to kiss him after he had already made him come so amazingly but he did. For a moment Hyunjin wished they could just look for a room with a proper surface to fuck on as he was sure Minho could not keep his body up while fucking him – not with his leg, even though Hyunjin wished he could.

He held the other close while kissing him back, one hand on his waist, the other on the back of Minho’s head, a mix of passion and softness in the kiss. It felt comforting and heated at the same time and Hyunjin sighed into the touch, enjoying it way too much. To his surprised Minho seemed to feel the same, kissing Hyunjin back with less heat now and a lot slower but with the same amount of passion. Clearly this wasn’t them trying to get each other hard, this was them just enjoying a kiss. They hadn’t done this in quite a while.

“Didn’t expect that,” Hyunjin mumbled against Minho’s lips and the other chuckled, clearly amused.

“I know, I’m full of surprises,” he said before opening the door and letting Hyunjin walk out first before he followed. They only managed to leave the office behind by a few meters before a security man stopped them, eyes clearly wide in anger and disbelief.

“What the fuck were you doing in there?” he asked, shoulders broad and face irritated, Minho however could only chuckle in amusement. This man probably was not to be played around but Minho was amazing in teasing.

“We fucked,” the older gave back so nonchalantly that Hyunjin almost broke out into laughter. “I’m pretty sure you can see that,” Minho then added and tried to fix his hair. They hadn’t exactly fucked but they had gotten pretty close to it and anyone with eyes would notice it. Especially as Hyunjin’s cheeks were still beautifully red and Minho’s messy hair was clearly giving it away, plus their red-kissed lips.

“You- what?” the man started, arm mid-air. He had clearly reached out for one of them, wanting to detain them but now he was just staring at them in disbelief and, clearly, pure horror.

“I sucked him off,” Minho said and then showed the other his tongue. “Gay sex, you know?” he explained as the man only stared at them and now was getting a red face. He put a tongue in his cheek to emphasize his sentence, watching the security guard fall apart even more.

“Disgusting,” the broad man growled and shook his head, making a waving hand movement to show them to get away. Now he surely did not want to touch them anymore, hands close to his body. Yeah, Minho recognized a homophobe when he saw one and so did Hyunjin. But instead of it getting them into trouble right now, it was giving them the opportunity to just leave unscathed. “I don’t want to see you anywhere close to the offices ever again!” He was trying to get back his composure, Minho however was just chuckling and grabbing Hyunjin’s hand.

“Next time we’ll do it in front of the buffet. Something for the eyes.” And quite literally right in front of everyone’s salad. Minho hummed, now actually getting Hyunjin to laugh and the security man muttered something they didn’t catch anymore as Minho was dragging them away and back towards the mentioned buffet to get them something to eat and maybe even something to drink after they had worked quite hard after all. It was one of the more fun missions and until they would realise someone had copied information they would long be gone. If anyone would realise it. Seungmin did his work well.

“Let’s get some champagne,” Hyunjin hummed and Minho snorted amused.

“What? Wanna celebrate the most amazing blowjob you ever got?” he teased and Hyunjin nudged him, almost playfully kicking him in the shin as well but holding back as it wouldn’t be fair. He could kick Jisung but kicking Minho would just add salt to the injury he already had – literally. 

Hyunjin shook his head as he grabbed two glasses of alcohol and handed Minho one, a small huff leaving his lips. “Who said it was the best one I ever had?” Quickly he then took a sip from the glass, glancing around. Of course he had had blowjobs before, given and received, but he did have to admit that Minho’s mouth was quite magical.

“Your body did,” Minho hummed, he knew he was good. Maybe it was reprehensible to some people but Minho had actively worked on being that good at giving blowjobs and just sex in general. He liked it and he wanted his partner to enjoy it as much as he did – so why not make sure he could do whatever it took to pleasure the person he was with, right? Sex was about two people and Minho loved giving as much as receiving pleasure. The way Hyunjin had moaned and tugged on his hair had clearly shown him that it was more than just worth it. It was a nice memory he would definitely keep and sometimes tease Hyunjin with it from time to time. It was how their relationship with each other worked.

“I-“ Hyunjin started before they heard a sigh, the earplug they had in one of their ears each turning on.

“Are you guys done?” Seungmin’s voice could be heard and Minho smirked amused.

It was a given that Seungmin was staying in contact with them, in case there would be any technical problems, however Minho had warned him that they would now be making out and contact Seungmin if needed. So if he had listened in on the beautiful sounds on Hyunjin enjoying a surprise blowjob, that was entirely on him.

“You tuned in on us, didn’t you?” Minho asked, clearly happy with the turn of events. He had not only gotten quite some pleasure out of it, he had also gotten to annoy Seungmin.

Another sigh was heard and Minho grinned even brighter. Clearly there was more to it.

“No.”  

“No? That does not sound like no,” Hyunjin chimed in, taking a sip from his glass and leaning against the wall, making sure no one noticed they were talking to the voice in their ears and not to each other. They had to be observing their surroundings at all times. Who knew, maybe the security guard would return just to teach them a lesson or someone else would be here who they did not expect to mingle. Getting caught talking to the voice in their ears was the least of their worries.

“I checked the cameras.” As defeated as Seungmin sounded, just as much did it cause Minho and Hyunjin to start laughing. That only made the other sigh more in utter embarrassment or at least it sounded like this.

“Did you at least enjoy the show?” Minho asked as he managed to get his breath back from laughing, checking if anyone was watching them but no one was. The place was packed and crowded so people were busy with other things and Minho could see quite a few people making out as well, not caring where they were.

Seungmin clearly whined, a little too loud into their ears so that they both almost flinched. “It was like an accident! I couldn’t look away!” 

“An accident, huh? Don’t worry, next time we can include you,” Minho hummed and Hyunjin looked surprised at him but didn’t complain. Instead he emptied the glass of alcohol in one go, turning off the earplug when Seungmin started to throw a huge number of loud curses at them for joking around like this – little did he know Minho actually meant it as an offer.

-

Seungmin was usually the last one to get home after a late-night mission and today wasn’t any different. The apartment was quiet, the cats sleeping on the couch all curled up together with the smallest cat, Dori, in the middle. Seungmin had yet to get used to the new cat, still stumbling over it from time to time but actually really liking the new flatmate. He especially liked how it made the others laugh and how it seemed to take their negative thoughts away, always bothering them just at the right time. Sometimes it even sneaked into Seungmin’s room, curling up on him when he was sleeping.

Quietly Seungmin looked at the cats before he put his coat away. It had gotten rather cold outside and he even though he wasn’t out for a long time, he preferred to stay all curled up so he wouldn’t feel like entering a microwave whenever he came back into a building. He hated the feeling of his hands and ears heating up from being cold to getting all warm and lively again. He sighed and shook his head, stretching a bit. He was, surprisingly, not tired yet. 

Making his way to the kitchen he turned on the coffee machine – not to make himself a coffee but it had a hot water option and it was a lot quieter than actually turning on any other device in the room. Grabbing a bag of tea, he put it into the cup and then turned on the hot water, leaning back against the counter and watching the transparent cup get filled with the liquid. He then checked his phone just to see that Minho’s name appeared as online. Shrugging he turned around – his tea had to brew a bit so maybe he could let the other know that he had made sure no traces were left on the video footage even if that had meant he had to watch Minho blow Hyunjin a second time. It was a pretty view, he had to admit. Both of them handsome and seeing Minho between Hyunjin’s knees and causing the other to lose himself in pleasure was something he had not expected to ever witness.

Walking over to the other’s room he knocked, opening the door right away without waiting. They usually walked in like that, just letting them know someone was coming in so none of them would accidentally attack their flatmate. However right now he wished he had waited.

Phone up in one hand and hard, beautiful dick in the other, Minho was sitting on his bed, clearly having the flash onto him and taking a goddamn dickpic. All Seungmin could do was stare for a very long moment before he cursed, Minho staring right at him. And then Seungmin turned back around, rushing out of the door and closing it right behind him, cheeks bright red. Holy fucking shit. Had he just seen Minho’s dick piercing that everyone always mentioned? Even his ears were burning up as he buried his face in his hands. Why the fuck would Minho take a fucking dickpic? And why from that angle? And why the heck was this day so damn sexual? First the blowjob he somehow walked in and now a dickpic? Amazing.

A quiet groan left Seungmin’s lips as he closed his eyes, the picture of Minho sitting naked on his damn bed coming back to his mind and he shook his head. He couldn’t hear anyone inside moving, his head however was running a mile a minute. For a moment he just stood there – as if seeing Minho give Hyunjin a blowjob wasn’t enough, he had actually seen Minho’s dick. And him taking a fucking dickpic. 

For a good whole minute he just stood there, rooted, until he finally forced himself to open the door a little bit, just a crack so Minho could hear him better. He was for sure not looking this time, eyes even closed so he would not accidentally catch Minho jerking himself off or anything.

“Don’t use flash, makes it look a little nasty. Use your nightstand lamp. Also lower your arm or your dick is going to look like a worm. You want it to look good. Better lighting, better angle,” he said, knowing quite a bit about photography and how to position a camera and lighting. He had taken courses of photography and video taking and he had used that knowledge on his – in fact existing – YouTube account for his singing after all. 

“Thanks, Seungmin,” Minho called back, voice a little bit rougher than Seungmin was used to, but then again he was holding a hard dick in his hand and his flatmate had just walked in on him so there was that. 

Shaking his head Seungmin closed the door again and took a deep breath before walking over to grab his tea. He wasn’t sure how to deal with what he had just seen and experienced so he walked over to Hyunjin’s room with a door that was still partly open.

“Hey, can I come in?” Seungmin asked and Hyunjin looked up from his phone. He was already curled up in his bed, hairband on and hair up in a bun while he was wearing his reading glasses.

“Uh, sure? Since when are you asking?” Hyunjin asked, totally used to Seungmin just walking in on them. Seungmin however just huffed, the tea in his hand before he sat down on Hyunjin’s bed. 

“Since I just walked in on Minho taking a dickpic,” he grumbled and Hyunjin blinked before he started to laugh. Clearly that was hilarious to the other and Seungmin took a sip from his tea. It was still quite hot but he was used to hot liquids. And hot roommates, clearly.

Hyunjin now put his phone away and sat up some more. “So you walked in on Minho taking a dickpic?” he asked, repeating what Seungmin had just said. There was curiosity in his voice.

The younger nodded, looking at his friend who seemed quite amused and Seungmin would be too, if he hadn’t been the one to see his two roommates make out and have a blowjob two times today – he had to edit it after all to look like the camera had frozen – and then getting an offer for being part of a threesome from the same people. Curse Lee Minho for always saying things Seungmin was unable to identify if he meant it or not. He really wasn’t getting rid of the red cheeks and ears today, right? Lee Minho had his fucking cockiness.

“Why the fuck was he even taking a goddamn picture of his dick?” Seungmin grumbled and then took another sip from his drink. He clearly was anything but happy, closing his eyes for a moment. Why did he not wait for Minho to answer to his knock? He was so stupid.

“Dating apps,” Hyunjin chuckled amused. “I mean, not exactly dating. Just fucking. But yeah.” He shrugged and watched Seungmin almost choke on his tea. The younger then put the tea aside, staring at Hyunjin who grinned amused at him.

“He is on dating apps?” Seungmin asked surprised. Lee Minho on dating apps was quite an information he had not known. Surely, just for fucking, but it was still a dating app.

“Kind of? Not exactly dating as I said, more for fucking. I don’t think he is looking for a relationship.” Hyunjin snorted amused. “He too has needs, Seungmin,” he then added amused as Seungmin clearly was still taken aback and surprised.

That however made Seungmin groan. “I know.” He rolled his eyes. “But why not ask you? I mean, he did give you a blowjob, so why not ask for more?” It would be so much easier, why make it more complicated? Minho could just ask any of them and he was pretty sure most of them would gladly take part in such activities.

Hyunjin shrugged, not really minding it. “No idea. Sometimes you prefer a stranger, sometimes you like to get railed by a hot bear, no idea, Minnie. You’d have to ask Minho for that.”

To that Seungmin shook his head vividly. “I am not gonna ask him that. If he wants to get railed by a goddamn grizzly bear, he can do that. But he better uses condoms,” he grumbled and Hyunjin started laughing again, watching Seungmin with pure glee in his eyes. This day was getter by the minute.

“I’m pretty sure we are all old enough to take care of our own protection. At least the sexual kind,” the older hummed and Seungmin huffed, his cheeks still red but at least his ears were slowly calming down. “Did it look good?”

That question took Seungmin by surprise and he blinked confused. “What?”

“His dick. Did it look good? Pretty sure he was hard, was he not? He would not take a pick of a squishy, floppy dick, right?” Hyunjin asked, hugging his legs close and putting his chin onto his knees, watching Seungmin. Clearly he was way too interested into that topic. “Does he really have a piercing.”

“Oh my god, Hwang Hyunjin!” Seungmin almost screeched and he was pretty sure his ears turned red again, the color creeping to his neck by now. “Why don’t you go and check?” He shook his head, covering his ears now.

“Should I?” Hyunjin grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. “It would keep you from a possible stranger in this house.”

“The answer is yes. To both!” Seungmin said instead, almost stumbling over his own words. “Hard and piercing. Looked good. Are you happy now?” His hands felt cold to his hot ears and he just wanted to bury his face in the freezer to calm down.

Hyunjin smirked, loving to tease Seungmin. The other looked just too cute all red and flustered. “Happy, yeah, satisfied… maybe later.” He winked at his friend who then slapped his shoulder surprisingly hard. 

“Stop making me all nervous and flustered. If you want to get fucked by Minho, then go over and-“ Seungmin started but was interrupted by his phone vibrating and a small, cute sound of Soonie meowing. He groaned and took his phone out, checking the message just two see two pictures, differently angled, piercing shining bright in the dim light and, fuck, Seungmin could have sworn dicks looked ugly no matter what but he was sure that those pictures were rather aesthetically pleasing. 

Wait. Minho had just sent him two dickpics? Lee Minho had just sent him two dickpics. His brain took a moment to realise he had sent a question right under it with “Which one? ;)”. And Seungmin was pretty sure he was malfunctioning. This was a goddamn joke, was it not? 

“Are you okay?” Hyunjin asked as he saw Seungmin’s facial expression and he was pretty sure the other had never been this bright red but his face looked rather shocked and overwhelmed. 

“He sent me the dickpics,” Seungmin said out loud and regretted it the same minute because he knew Hyunjin would probably ask to see them and he would definitely not show them to the other.

“Oh?” Hyunjin said and wiggled his eyebrows, grinning at Seungmin. He was moving a bit to get a glance of the pictures but Seungmin was holding his phone at an angle so the other could not see. “I guess he prefers to fuck a twink then,” he teased and Seungmin grabbed the next best pillow, hitting Hyunjin hard. 

“I will let Soonie suffocate you in your goddamn sleep,” Seungmin threatened the other and pushed the pillow into Hyunjin’s face. “I am not a twink! And if I am, you are too, asparagus!”

Hyunjin was just laughing, trying to get the pillow away from his face. “I was just joking,” he chuckled and looked at Seungmin, his hairband all over his face now as he tried to hold back the tears from laughing. “Show me the pics?”

“Definitely not,” Seungmin said and shook his head eagerly. “He asked me which one and I’m gonna answer that and then I am going to drink my tea and go to sleep!” There was a snicker coming from Hyunjin and Seungmin huffed, grabbing his tea and getting up. At least Hyunjin did not comment on him probably being unable to actually find any sleep. “Ask him for a picture yourself!”

“Where is the fun in that?” Hyunjin teased and shook his head. “Have nice dreams,” he added and winked at Seungmin who shook his head and walked out, towards his own room. On the way he texted Minho back, choosing one picture to reply to, the one he found looked prettier, before he added a “both actually make it look big and nice.” He huffed and shook his head, putting his tea on his own nightstand and burying his face in his pillow.

He had two dick pictures of Lee Minho on his phone. He groaned and shook his head, closing his eyes just to then hear the vibration and the familiar sound of Soonie meowing. He liked his ringtone but right now he almost dreaded it. And checking the message he definitely wished he hadn’t.

“It is big and nice. You just saw it yourself. ;)” 

Fucking Lee Minho.

Chapter Text

Seeing it live on TV was actually quite satisfying. 

The information Minho and Hyunjin had stolen had been evidence enough for some people to get arrested. Of course, the information had been released and been planted differently so people had been able to actually use it as firm evidence against some people in the case and while Chan and Jisung had informed both Lee Dongwook as well as Park Seonghwa about the happenings to Lim Seryeong’s father, there had been more people arrested that were clearly part of the whole scheme. There was sadly more behind it and there had more to be figured out but the first people actually being able to get arrested and, hopefully soon, sentenced was a good step in the right direction. Having people held accountable was always a good feeling.

Jisung’s legs were resting on Felix’ lap who was sitting on the couch with him, sipping on a hot chocolate. He had come over more often recently, they all had. Even Chan and Changbin were currently wandering through the three-people-apartment, spending their free time with the group. It was nice having them all here, together, like the family they were.

“Do you think they will find who knocked Minho down?” Jisung asked and gently tickled Doongie who had played with a piece of plastic and had currently found a resting spot next to the couch, huffing. Why play with all the cat toys one had when there was trash to be played with, right? The cat looked up to Jisung, slightly nibbling the other’s finger just to almost apologetically lick over it in approval. It was surprising how welcoming all the cats were to each of them but then again, they were all Minho’s cats so it wasn’t exactly a surprise. He had made sure they were comfortable and happy with where they were and with every member of the group. That was one of the things Jisung had quickly learned: Minho was an animal whisperer. It was not only limited to cats even though cats were overly fond of Minho and the other way around, but animals in general just really enjoyed Minho’s company. Despite his hard exterior he was so soft to animals. Jisung had also seen how soft Changbin was with the cats despite being slightly allergic to them – he had told them he was currently undergoing hyposensibilitation and Jisung’s dumbfounded face had won him an explanation that it was a treatment to be less allergic to a certain substance. Or even not allergic to it at all in the end. For Changbin he had chosen cats.

“I am not sure but they do have a handful of possible culprits,” Jeongin said, resting on one of the armchairs while playing a game on his phone. He was clearly relaxing and he definitely deserved it after he had been rather busy the past few days. He had been out on missions with Felix – honestly all of them had been out on missions or been back into rougher training now that it had been a few weeks since the explosion. They were now returning to their regular schedule however it didn’t stop them from popping in and out of the apartment whenever they could. All of them were making time to see each other, now more than ever. Sometimes it got a little crowded but none of them would actually complain about it. The more the better.

Aside from maybe Seungmin, though it had not been exactly complaining as he had only asked for an apartment with a bigger living room and kitchen as it was sometimes a bit uncomfortable for him as he wasn’t the biggest fans of cuddles and touches and eight people in an apartment for three plus the three cats was a little much. Especially as Minho had a running wheel for the cats and a big cat tree that was occupying some space. Not that Seungmin was complaining about that, the cats definitely needed it. 

“They are looking into it for sure,” Changbin said and walked into the room. He had been with Minho before and was now joining the others, a glass of juice in his hand. He sat down on the couch next to Jisung, letting the other rest his head on his thick thighs. 

That was still something Jisung found impressive: while Changbin had come off so scary at first, he was such a cuddly and friendly person, very open and never ashamed of anything. He was warm and friendly and Jisung surprisingly had an easy time opening up to him. He looked up at the other and then nodded. “I am glad. It could have ended pretty badly. Minho had problems with the injury for a bit, especially his ear and balance,” he frowned. They all had been worried if losing part of his hearing in one ear would be permanent or at least for longer, luckily it had been treated quick and well and was by now back to normal. Not everyone was as lucky as Minho. 

Jisung looked at the others and then at Changbin who nodded. “It sucked big time so I am glad he didn’t have to struggle for longer with it,” the older said, leaning back as Soonie climbed next to him and sat down on one of his thighs where Jisung’s hand wasn’t occupying the space. 

“Is it rude to ask how you lost your ear?” Jisung then asked and Changbin chuckled, shaking his head as he gently stroked Soonie’s fur. He loved taking care of the cats even though he always had to take his allergy medication whenever he decided to come over. Being allergic to cats sucked, especially if one of his favourite people loved cats so much. He just hoped the treatment for the allergy would be successful as burying his face in Soonie’s fur was a lifelong dream of him – without ending up almost suffocating. 

“Nah, not at all,” Changbin said and poked Soonie’s nose. “It is pretty cliché if I am honest.” He shrugged and looked around for a second, knowing the others but Chan probably didn’t know the story either. “I got in an explosion. Didn’t get out fast enough and this is kind of what’s left of the injuries I had. Everything else healed perfectly fine but, well, my ear said goodbye and ended up as some kind of confetti.” He grinned while the others looked rather worried at him, not exactly sure how they should react. 

Changbin however laughed and so did Minho upon walking in. “Confetti, huh?” he hummed amused and sat on one of the armchairs. His hair was still wet from showering and he looked a lot more relaxed than he had earlier. Life had been stressful and the mental impact of all the triggers were still weighing down on him. He was dealing surprisingly well with it, reaching out to his friends whenever he needed it, excusing himself when he needed a break, regularly going to therapy sessions without skipping them from time to time. Most of them had known Minho for a while and had seen how he sometimes just dipped, isolating himself or not coming home at all so he did not have to work on his trauma, pushing it away as good as he could. But right now he was in a healthy environment, letting his friends help him. They were proud of him and even though Minho got shy when they told him, they kept reminding him of it whenever they could. It was important to let him know – and it was also a very cute picture to see Minho blush and get all flustered.

“I mean, yeah. It got blown up and probably spread in the air. Nothing bad with some flesh confetti,” Changbin hummed, an amused smile on his lips and Jisung couldn’t stop himself from choking on a stifled laugh. Felix looked at him with big eyes, not sure if he was allowed to laugh or not but when Jeongin too ended up with a small chuckle, he relaxed. He didn’t want to laugh about Changbin’s suffering but the other was clearly fine with his condition by now. He had had some time to come to terms with his disability and he clearly had used it quite well. 

“Flesh confetti,” Jeongin repeated and shook his head, rolling his eyes but the grin on his lips betrayed him. That clearly was something only Changbin could make up. Morbid but also very accurate.

“It was honestly my own fault. I was young and thought I could calculate it well. As you can now see: I couldn’t.” Changbin shrugged slightly. “I mean, I was, how old? Fifteen? A literal child. Half a lifetime ago.” He hummed and Minho nodded in agreement.

It wasn’t a secret that Changbin had grown up in the mafia, his family having been part of it for a long time and he had been born into it. His sister had turned his back to the mafia as a young woman and eventually his parents had been able to leave the mafia too with minor repercussions. Or, as a mafia member would call it: retired, as just leaving the mafia was not exactly possible, especially not after generation of generation had been part of it, yet Changbin would make sure he was the last one of his family who was working for it. 

He was doing it for the greater good, for uncovering the dark secrets even Chan had yet to be told. Growing up as part of the mafia was still different than just joining it as an outsider like Chan had and while Chan was now the right hand of the boss Changbin was the one people came to, spilling secrets left and right. He wasn’t of an important role as Chan, he was just a simple person who knew quite many tips and tricks and who the people trusted. It was almost ridiculous how much they trusted him. Not that he would complain. It had given him the upper hand in many situations after all.

“Shit happens, I ended up in the hospital for a while but hey, at least now I know to get my ass out of buildings when I’ve been warned.” Changbin shook his head a bit and looked at the rest of the group while Jisung nodded. Sometimes people had to learn it the hard way and Changbin had been one of those people.

“Are you completely deaf in the ear?” Jisung asked, something he had been curious for a long while but never dared to actually ask. He had wanted to be delicate and considerate and while he had been part of the group for months now, he never knew what was appropriate to ask and what he should rather not inquire about.

“No, eighty percent and I cannot hear particular sounds if they are out of a certain tone range but I can hear some.” It had bothered him in the very beginning and he had tried hearing aids, however it hadn’t exactly helped and had annoyed him so he had decided to just live with only hearing twenty percent with one ear. It wasn’t ideal but definitely manageable. “I had quite some time to get used to it and I’d say I’m fine with it by now.” He had been easier spooked in the very beginning if someone had appeared without him noticing it, nowadays he was just okay with it, taking it as it came. Also, the cats had so often appeared out of nowhere, jumping onto his shoulder, tripping him, climbing up his legs that he was just so used to any kind of surprises by now, human or not. The cats had trained him well.

Jisung nodded and looked up at Changbin. “It’s really cool how chill you are with it,” he then said. “I was worried I might sound insensitive if I ask but I was really curious. I still…” He stopped for a moment before he looked into the round and then back to Changbin. “I still don’t exactly know much about all of you.”

For a moment it was quiet before Jeongin nodded. “Yeah, I guess we all have our stories we rarely talk about.” Felix hummed in agreement. It was something one got to know with time, when all the details fell into place and the puzzle pieces turned into a bigger picture.

“Like… why we joined, why we stayed. Some talk about it, some less,” Felix said and gently playing with Jisung’s pants, drawing patters onto his leg. He liked touch a lot and he was never exactly hiding it, just trying to find some comfort in being close to people. It had been a while back that he had actually started kissing Jisung’s cheek too, something he usually just did with Hyunjin or Changbin, however it gave him comfort too and Jisung had never even slightly turned away or asked him to stop. Not even when Felix had accidentally pecked his lips. They both knew it had no deeper meaning and even if it did, he felt comfortable enough to be able to talk about it and clarify whatever was going on. Emotions had never exactly scared Jisung, no matter if it were his nor someone else’s. Unless they were so painful to the point they were choking him up but it had already been a few months since that had happened. He was still so very grateful about it.

“Mhm,” Jisung nodded and Jeongin shrugged slightly.

“I don’t think most of us would mind speaking about it. If you ask them at the right time, that is,” Jeongin said and looked at the others, hugging a pillow close. “I always wanted to help people so I got into the NIS but somehow that just didn’t feel right. So many people could have been… I wouldn’t say saved but things could have been prevented if people worked a little bit more on the greyscale. But you cannot if you don’t want to get yourself into jail when you work for the NIS.” The youngest looked at the group, clearly trying to explain himself the best. “Just… last year Changbin, Lix and I manage to catch quite a few people working as human traffickers and we managed to get so many people out. The youngest was thirteen. Thirteen, can you imagine? And that wouldn’t have been possible if we didn’t actually work on a greyscale level like Clé. The NIS knew. They knew about it but couldn’t do anything because of laws and regulations. But Clé could. So to me it felt like it was the right thing to do. The right thing to be here. So, I joined.”

Jeongin had often talked about how he just wanted people to be safe and sound, how he wanted to actually change something and if he had to be a little shady to do that he would do it without second thoughts. He didn’t mind the balancing act of being good or bad. He just wanted the world to be a little better. “Seungmin actually was the one getting me in,” he then added. “Have I ever told you guys?”

“Seungmin?” Felix asked a little surprised and shook his head. “Not exactly. I didn’t expect him to be a recruiter.”

“Me neither.” Jeongin chuckled amused. “But we met at my exam and we talked and at one point he just mentioned there were ways to actually get closer to my goals and somehow I ended up here.” He shrugged a bit. “It was no hard decision for me.”

“Even despite killing people?” Jisung asked and looked at Jeongin who slowly nodded. He seemed to think about it for a long moment before reacting to it. 

“Even despite killing people,” Jeongin agreed. “I’m not saying it didn’t take a toll on me. Oh heck it did. I wouldn’t be fit for this job if it didn’t bother me. But that is why they have therapists and they train you to get to the point where you can kill and they make sure you don’t go rampage and just… shoot whoever you want to.” 

Slowly Jisung nodded. He was still not a fan of actively having to take a life. He was very grateful he wasn’t forced to, almost having killed one person was already enough and he knew most victims the others actually put six feet under were never personally connected to them in any way so it was just a person, just another name on a paper, yet to Jisung it still were humans. People who probably had a family, maybe a partner, a lifetime of memories. The balancing act would be too much for him and he knew he would spiral, falling deep if he had to kill someone he just ever so slightly considered a person that could love. He had talked to the others about it before and they totally agreed to the way he was thinking, however some it hit harder, others less. It was easier to some people to be detached from the lives they had to take, not link it to what was tied to it.

For example, Seungmin preferred to not kill unless he had to and while Felix was a sharpshooter, him and Jeongin didn’t often have to eliminate someone, they were mostly considered backup – a security net if something went wrong. It was a touchy subject for some of them while others had an easier approach to the entire situation, Minho for example was mostly detached from his emotions towards whoever he had to kill, just like Chan or Changbin. Maybe that was why they were this good in their job and Hyunjin too was actually surprisingly good at working in his position despite not having been part of the organisation for as long as the others and therefore having considerably less training nor did he have a background like Minho.

“I was in the military,” Minho said and looked at them, face quite blank. Clearly; he wanted to be part of the conversation, let them see that he trusted them, but it was a sensitive topic to him. “But as you know, my leg is quite a mess. They kicked me out and all and I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to work somewhere where I could actually use my skills and I have no idea how they knew but Clé reached out for me and offered me a job.” He shrugged slightly. “I wanted to see if I’d fit in and after some initial difficulties it somehow worked out.”

“That you said rather nicely,” Changbin snorted amused. “Initial difficulties.” 

Minho gently kicked the other, a pout on his lips but he was clearly playful and just joking. 

“What do you mean?” Jisung asked, curiosity getting the better of him, and Felix as well as Jeongin laughed quietly.

“He got into fights with almost everybody,” Jeongin said amused and rolled his eyes. “Like, verbal, physical, anything. He literally went off on missions alone instead of taking his teammates with him. He got into a lot of trouble.” The grin never really left his lips as he explained the situation.

“It’s not my fault they were incompetent,” Minho exclaimed, crossing his arms but clearly it was still funny to him. He knew he had been troublesome in the beginning and hadn’t played fair. He was still surprised how well he worked in a team with Hyunjin despite them actually fighting from time to time and not getting along well in the beginning. They were so different but they worked amazingly as a team. By now Hyunjin knew were his limits were and somehow Minho never exactly crossed Hyunjin’s. It worked out well with them and Minho was so fucking grateful he had found a person he could work with well.

“You changed teams three times. That rarely happened before,” Felix said and shook his head. “And then they made him move in with Seungmin and I swear that Seungmin tried poisoning him a few times.” He laughed amused. “Especially as he brought the cats.”

Changbin laughed and nodded in agreement. “Oh yes, especially as he brought the cats.”

“What?” Jisung asked confused and Minho snorted, clearly amused. He was now sinking into the armchair and smiling in a relaxed way. They had gotten over their differences even though it had taken their sweet time. But communication and patience had eventually turned out really good, them trusting each other even with their lives.

“I just brought them. Seungmin came home and we had two cats, lots of cat supplies and Soonie had pissed on his mattress.”

“Oh yikes,” Jisung grimaced though clearly amused by it. The imagination was infuriating but luckily as it had not been his place, he could not care less.

“I have no idea how you two didn’t end up killing each other,” Felix admitted and Jeongin nodded eagerly, clearly agreeing. 

“Honestly?” Minho said and looked at the others. “Me neither. But it worked out.” He looked around and then shrugged before he kept speaking: “I don’t say it often but I am grateful for all of you.” For a moment all of them turned quiet and they stared at Minho, the expression of each of them a little taken aback but definitely fond of their teammate.

“We know,” Changbin then said and nodded. “We all don’t say it often but I think our actions speak louder than words.” He patted Minho’s leg, making sure it was the healthy one. “It is pretty clear we all appreciate each other in our own, special ways.” He looked at Jisung and ruffled the other’s hair. “You too. I hope you are aware you are part of this.”

While Jisung had already hoped it was like this, actively hearing it from one of the people he didn’t regularly talk to or saw every day made him feel warm, happy and fuzzy on the inside. He smiled at Changbin, unsure how to express his gratitude. He appreciated it so much and it was a little overwhelming. “Thank you. I do feel the same. About all of you.” It was hard to put into words, especially as Jisung had lost his blood-related family not too long ago and they were part of an organisation that could cost their lives every day so it was hard to get attached. But each and every one of them had welcomed him into their home, not only Seungmin who was anything but excited about strays – or cats – but also grumpy Minho, who had been the one to take him to his new home together with Hyunjin. Sometimes it still did not feel real.

Felix hummed and gently squeezed his hand and while Jeongin wasn’t the biggest fan of affection he nodded, a warm smile on his pretty face, as he reached out and patted the other’s shoulder. It didn’t always need words to express what they felt and how important they were to each other. Jisung belonged to them and he probably had ever since the moment Minho had brought him home.

“Okay, are we done with the emotional talk now?” Minho asked, waving his hand a bit in a manner of getting the topic away. Out of all of them he had the hardest time talking about such things for a longer period of time but none of them took it in a bad way. Actually, it was just who Minho was and they all ended up chuckling, nodding. It was good he was communicating to them when it was too hard for him to take so they could make it more comfortable for all of them.

“You can talk about cats instead,” Felix offered in an attempt of changing the topic and on most occasions it worked. “You know I love to hear the newest gossip of cat commotions.”

“Oh!” Minho exclaimed and his face lit up right away, nodding. “I went to the vet with the cats. Had to get them checked anyways and Dori needed a general check and all,” Minho told them and he sounded soft and excited. Something he had a hard time expression unless it was with his cats. “Aside from the fact that Soonie is having a little too much fluff mass on his body they are all healthy and happy.” 

Jeongin laughed quietly repeating the words “fluff mass” to himself and Jisung too had to giggle. It was fitting, yes, Soonie definitely was a little overweight even though Minho made sure to appropriately feed them, but the cat was already an older gentleman with his ten years so he often got the benefit of the doubt and they all got few treats in between mealtimes, always depending on who was home. At one point they had even had to start a list to note down if the cats already had treats. Minho loves spoiling his cats and so did everyone else, but none of it wanted it to turn into a health problem. They were all fit to their fullest and it was visible as Soonie was currently sitting on Changbin’s leg like a loaf of bread, purring while the other gently petted the cat. He buried his fingers in the cat’s fur, playing with it from time to time and scratching behind his ears and Soonie clearly enjoyed it. 

“That is good,” Changbin then said and nodded, his eyes on Minho. “Were you worried about them?”

“A bit,” Minho admitted slowly, almost as if he had been worried to talk about it. “Doongie has been throwing up more often than not but it seems to be him stealing Dori’s food. Changing a cat’s diet isn’t the best and clearly, he did that to himself. Also… Soonie had small swellings on a few spots but the vet says it is just fat.” He seemed to relax after the words and gently rubbed Soonie’s chin. “Little chubby baby boy, worrying me to death.” He leaned forward and made a kissy face just for Soonie to lean forward and gently nudge his human’s lips with his nose. Despite Minho rarely showing obvious affection he was always warm and loving to his cats. They all had realised that pretty soon and it had a fond spot in all of their hearts. 

“It’s good he is just fat,” Changbin hummed and the rest of the guys chuckled quietly but agreeing. “Not so cool of him to worry you, though. I hope you scolded him.” 

Minho nodded eagerly, a little playful again. “Of course, I did. He didn’t get any treats from me for a day. Though Hyunjin did spoil him.” He glanced towards the kitchen in which the rest of them were currently preparing some food and first Minho had considered helping them but had eventually decided against it, usually cooking for all of them and just now taking a break from it. 

“Sometimes you just have to feed the cats some treats. And if they look at you with their big, round eyes, asking for treats, you have to give them treats,” Felix explained amused, shaking his head a bit. “And when they start screaming at you for treats, how can you say no?”

“Oh yes, the screaming,” Jeongin groaned and shook his head. “That one time you were not allowed to feed them in the morning because they had to be sober for a check up? Oh sweet summer child I thought they were dying when I walked down the hallway and heard them in the hallway outside of the apartment!”

They laughed amused and Minho then shrugged. “They are very demanding and loud when they want something. At least they know how to articulate themselves.” 

“Yes, but I thought some shit had happened. For a moment I thought you or Seungmin managed to kill each other and they were screaming for help!” Jeongin exclaimed but then laughed, brushing over his face. “The horror I felt in that moment.” He rolled his eyes and looked at them, having Minho laugh.

“You never told me about that,” the older said amused and Jeongin just shrugged it off.

“I was trying to recover from the initial shock,” Jeongin joked now, partly meaning it but partly just joking around. He knew Minho hadn’t actively taught the cats this behaviour and that cats sometimes were their own, weird species. He loved them nonetheless, it was just that Jeongin had not grown up with animals and still had to learn their behaviour and antics.

“Good thing you recovered then,” Minho gave back in amusement, shaking his head a bit. He looked at the other, surprisingly tender. In moments like this he just felt the happiness bubbling up in his chest. “Anyway, anyone wanna play a game on the console or a boardgame?”

“Oh, sure,” Felix grinned brightly, almost too excitedly, sitting up a bit and almost throwing Jisung from his lap.

“Hey, don’t make me fall,” Jisung whined and made sure he wasn’t falling from the couch, trying to sit up properly. “Sure, what do you have in mind?”

“Anything,” Minho shrugged, honestly not caring much about what they played.

“Anything but Monopoly,” Jeongin suggested, eyes squinted and huffing at the memory how it always ended in a disaster. Somehow they always accused each other of stealing from the bank and cheating and they had never really finished a game.

Changbin only laughed and shrugged. “Maybe this is exactly why we should play Monopoly.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “With Chan, for sure.” Because they all knew Chan was a sore loser. The best team player when it really counted but the worst loser when it was about competitive games.

“Yeah, monopoly with Chan it is,” Minho grinned and Jeongin groaned, shaking his head as he knew it would end up in a clear chaos. 

-

It was in the middle of the night when Minho sleepily waddled through the apartment. His bare feet made small sounds on the wooden floor before he walked into the kitchen and rubbed his eyes, looking utterly confused at the other three people already there – Hyunjin, Seungmin and Changbin. 

“The fuck are you doing here at-“ Minho checked the time for a moment and rubbed his eyes again, “one fiftytwo in the morning?” he asked even more confused now and walked to the sink, grabbing himself a glass of cool water. 

“The question is more what you are doing awake,” Seungmin gave back and lifted an eyebrow before he sipped from his tea, watching how Minho was sitting down on the kitchen table with the other three. The other had been out working a mission on his own earlier so he had gone to bed once he had returned home.

“I had a dry throat and wanted something to drink.” Minho shrugged and took a few gulps from his water, looking at them. “And?”

“And what?” Hyunjin blinked, clearly confused about the question and Minho rolled his eyes.

“Why you guys are sitting here like it’s an intervention,” Minho huffed and looked at them, making Changbin chuckle who was sitting with his legs on the chair, leaning on the kitchen table.

“I couldn’t sleep and they couldn’t either so we somehow all ended up making us some hot drinks in the kitchen and just stayed here, talking.” Changbin explained and looked at Minho, showing him a gentle smile. He had been napping in Minho’s room with the other, keeping away the nightmares, but when he had been sure Minho was deep asleep, he had decided to get up, getting himself a drink but eventually it had turned into three drinks and a nice talk with the others. It was comforting though, just sitting here and being with the other two, talking about nothing and everything at the same time.

“Doesn’t at least one of us have to get up at six in the morning?” Minho asked a little confused, looking at Seungmin who just shrugged. Yes, he had to get up early but honestly who cared, right? He had run on less or no sleep at all so it honestly didn’t really matter how much sleep he was getting. And he gladly gave away his precious sleep if it meant bonding with the others. Cheesy, he was aware of it, but that was why he would never say it out loud.

“I’ll be fine,” the youngest of them said and sipped on his drink, Hyunjin humming.

“One time Seungmin was awake for almost seventy hours,” he explained and Seungmin slightly nudged him.

A small laugh left Minho’s lips and he looked at them. “Was it that time where he tried pole dancing on my pole and broke his little finger?”

Grumbling Seungmin looked away. “I wasn’t that bad,” he then said and huffed, crossing his arms while he was clearly sulking.

“No but you broke your finger.” Minho shook his head slightly. Seungmin had actually done it pretty decent for how little strength he had but he had actually managed to climb the pole and do a few spins Minho had done earlier when bored. It had looked pretty decent. “That could have been prevented if you had just listened to me for once.”

“As if Seungmin would ever listen to you when sleep deprived,” Changbin snorted and patted Minho’s leg, making the other slightly lean into the touch. It was rare but especially when sleepy Minho easily accepted touches and affection and he was really fucking sleepy right now.

“You mean: as if Seungmin would ever listen to Minho,” Hyunjin said amused and Seungmin kicked him again, making Hyunjin whine when the other hit his shin. 

“I do listen to him. If he has a good point,” Seungmin then said and then emptied his tea in one big gulp before getting up. Clearly, he had enough of the joking slander. “I’m going back to bed,” he mumbled, not exactly because of their conversation but it was a good time to go to bed and get the best out of the handful of hours he still had.

“Did you know Hyunjin is considering getting a dick piercing?” Minho said instead, trying to catch Seungmin off-guard and obviously he just did, the other stopping mid-walk and blinking confused at Minho and then at Hyunjin.

“Now why would you do such a stupid thing?” he asked and lifted an eyebrow. “Do you even know how long that takes to heal?” 

“Stupid-“ Hyunjin started and Minho chuckled amused. 

“It’s not stupid. You called it aesthetically pleasing.” There was a smug grin on Minho’s lips and he looked at Seungmin and then at the other two before he turned to Changbin to explain. “The dick pics I sent you? I asked Seungmin which one. He chose both.” He winked at the other and Changbin chuckled clearly entertained by the entire situation.

Seungmin however was now turning red. “I walked in on him taking pics and gave him advice. I didn’t expect him to actually send me pictures!” A small whine left his lips. “But what has that to do with Hyunjin considering a piercing?”

Now Minho was laughing and he could see that Hyunjin’s cheeks turned quite red by now, even his ears. “I think you swooned a bit too much about my pictures and got him envious. Or maybe even jealous? I am not sure.” Minho wiggled his eyebrows at Seungmin who’s eyes widened in confusion and surprise.

“What?” the youngest of them asked as he turned to Hyunjin who was trying to hide his face in his hands. It seemed like he hadn’t expected anyone to spill it, especially not Minho who he had just jokingly mentioned his thoughts of getting a dick piercing. However of course he had connected the information properly and came to the right conclusion. Hyunjin had wanted Seungmin’s attention a few nights before and then again the night when Seungmin had kept talking about how surprised he was about Minho’s dick looking rather nicely. And he had somehow always returned to talking about it, again and again, and Hyunjin had to at one point just tell Seungmin he was tired and go to bed to jerk off as the other didn’t even consider to show him attention. Sweet jesus, Seungmin loved to torture him.

“I was hard and you talked about how nice a damn piercing on a dick looked. On his dick,” Hyunjin whined and pointed at Minho who just laughed, shaking his head.

“It does look amazing,” Changbin smirked amused. “And it does feel amazing. On your tongue as well as… in other ways.” He winked at them, getting both Hyunjin and Seungmin to blush even more. Minho however was just shaking in laughter, leaning onto Changbin to not fall from the chair.  Oh, this was a feast for Minho, enjoying this situation so very much.

“I- you- what?” Now it was Hyunjin who was stumbling over his words, Seungmin had just lost his voice entirely and was just blinking in confusion.

Changbin smiled clearly amused and looked at them. “Come on, as if you didn’t notice we fucked. Or more like still do.”

“We are literally so obvious,” Minho exclaimed, not surprised they hadn’t noticed. While Changbin and him often found time to make out, no one ever really seemed to notice. Then again, he knew that Chan and Changbin regularly made out too, even fucked when Felix was at home and the freckled sunshine had not once noticed it. He had even though Chan was straight and Changbin an innocent butterfly so there was that. No one could be as oblivious as Felix though Seungmin and Hyunjin clearly hadn’t realised anything at all. It was ridiculously funny to Minho, and Changbin too grinned.

Seungmin shook his head, a little overwhelmed with the information and, clearly, with how he hadn’t noticed. He could have sworn he noticed the smallest details but Minho and Changbin? No, he hadn’t once considered them as fuck buddies. Cuddle buddies, yes. They were rather affectionate with each other and Seungmin rarely ever saw Minho being affectionate unless he was extremely tired, sick, injured or drunk. But those were usually all kinds of extremes so he rarely ever had seen him being affectionate with many but his cats and something one of the others. It was true that he was mostly showing affection with Changbin, however Changbin was over so seldomly that he hadn’t even recognized it. “Fucking shit, I didn’t expect you guys to have fucked.”

“Just like Felix – and we literally had sex,” Changbin snorted amused and Hyunjin huffed, mumbling a quiet “that is true” before he shook his head. 

“I didn’t see that too. Who else are you fucking without us noticing?” he asked and meant both of them, however he was looking at none of them but Seungmin. Before the revelation of the other two being intimate Minho had told Seungmin some information that wasn’t supposed to be heard by him.

“As if you aren’t fucking either,” Changbin gave back with a smirk and looked from Seungmin to Hyunjin and back and both of their ears turned quite red.

Hurriedly Hyunjin was now sipping on his own drink, trying to just drown in it if possible.

“What?” Seungmin said dryly and then shrugged, standing in the doorframe and leaning against it by now. “There is nothing bad in a good fuck.”

“Oh, definitely not,” Minho said and winked at Changbin. “I meant it when I offered you a threesome with Hyunjin.” Now that made Hyunjin almost choke on his drink. And Seungmin almost suffocated on his own breath. 

Yes, Seungmin had thought so but he hadn’t been entirely sure if he was honest. Sometimes Minho said things without meaning them and sometimes he did but it had been quite to tell in this situation. “You meant it?”

“Yeah. Or a foursome, if Binnie is up for it,” Minho offered, glancing towards the other who nodded.

“Sure, sounds like fun though we do need to plan some time for that. Also, I am not exactly the softest, fair warning. However I do like after-sex-cuddles,” he added, after all he often used sex to get rid of his stress. He liked making his partner beg, and scratches as well as bites and other bruises were not rare. Chan and him often ended up looking like they had been in a fight and, well, they had been in their own kind of fight, trying to get the upper hand.

“Oh don’t worry, I don’t think they mind you being rough or manhandling them,” Minho said and Hyunjin whined while Seungmin coughed slightly. “See. They aren’t even denying it.”

“I… can we stop talking about sex?” Hyunjin huffed and now he was the one pouting. “You gonna make me hard.”

Seungmin rolled his eyes, looking at Hyunjin as if the other had just said something stupid. “Oh my god, as if they are not trying to do exactly that, Hyunjin.” He knew Minho was a tease and he had feared that Changbin was too, especially considering how sweet he usually was to all of them. Still waters ran deep and Changbin had always been full of surprises. 

“Wait,” Hyunjin then said and stared at Minho and then at Changbin. “Your broken bed. Was that-“

“Of course it was,” Minho grinned and leaned back, still looking tired but he was clearly more than satisfied with the situation. “Who else do you think would be able to break my bed?”

“For fuck’s sake,” Seungmin groaned and let his forehead fall against the door frame, not believing he was actually having this conversation right now. He had never dared to ask why Minho suddenly needed a new bed, but he had been sure that something like this had happened. ”Good thing I use earplugs to sleep at night. I am definitely not gonna change that now.”

Now Changbin had to laugh, shaking his head. “What? Are you afraid of getting a boner from hearing Minho and me moaning?”

“I am not afraid,” Seungmin hissed, looking at Changbin and standing up straight.

“But you are not denying you’d get hard from it,” Hyunjin now said and Seungmin rolled his eyes.

“Says the one who got a blow job on a mission from Minho.”

“Hey!” Hyunjin called out, Changbin and Minho just laughed while Seungmin shook his head. They all were surprisingly amused by the entire talk, slowly relaxing and easing into it. 

“I’m now really going to bed,” Seungmin repeated and shook his head. “Hyunjin, don’t get a dick piercing, it is very fine without any accessories – unless you really want one, of course,” he explained and made a step into the hallway before he turned to the others again for a moment. “And I will think about that offer.” And with that he left to disappear in his bedroom, closing the door behind him.

“Would you look at that,” Minho said amused, still leaning onto Changbin who hummed before looking at Hyunjin who was just getting up rather quickly, not wanting to end up alone with the other two who were just wreaking havoc. He didn’t want to accidentally end up as any kind of collateral damage again. Yet it was already too late as Changbin was turning towards him. “What about you?”

Hyunjin put his cup into the dishwasher before he let out a long sigh before leaning against the counter and looking at them. “As if I’d deny sex with you two,” he then exclaimed. “Not gonna lie, I never had such a good blow job before and I’m pretty sure the both of you are quite amazing but!” he said as he could see the pure glee in both of their eyes. “I don’t bottom all the time. I don’t mind occasionally being under someone but I actually do prefer being the one fucking.”

“As if that is a problem,” Minho said and shrugged slightly, Changbin only nodded to that. 

“I enjoy both positions,” the other then said, playing with Minho’s hair as he looked at the younger one. “It is about having fun and enjoying oneself. If that is a given, everything else does not really matter to me.” 

Now that was something Hyunjin hadn’t expected. While Changbin did come off soft and gentle, he somehow had been so sure that the other wouldn’t let anyone top him, fuck him. But clearly, he had been wrong about it and it surprised him. In a good way, of course. And also, honestly, it was fucking hot. 

In general, Changbin was quite a catch. He was smart, fun, gentle but also just really good looking. Yes, his body was muscular and Hyunjin had to admit that he did like that, he already enjoyed that about Minho but Changbin was even stronger. His shoulders were broad and his chest looked fucking amazing. He wouldn’t deny the fact that he had had quite some fun watching Changbin topless during their training. And he knew he wasn’t the only one and none of them ever tried hiding it. 

“You look surprised,” Minho hummed and tilted his head a bit. Whenever Hyunjin was caught by an unexpected turn of events he looked a little flabbergasted, a bit startled and unsure how to react. It was fun most times to him, seeing it on an almost daily basis as most of them were full of surprises and Hyunjin sometimes forgot that the world didn’t work in categories but held secrets and turns. “Oh how the tables have tabled.” He grinned and Hyunjin looked even more dumfounded.

“The tables have what?”

“Tabled. It’s a meme,” Changbin explained and Hyunjin shook his head.

“You two are too old for memes,” Hyunjin claimed just for the other two to end up laughing.

“We are literally just two years older. If at all,” Minho said and sighed in utter disbelief and amusement at the same time. This entire nightly conversation was a mess but hey, they did get something out of it as the topic of a possible foursome had been brought up and, unexpectedly, had been agreed on. Now Changbin just needed to come over more often so they had some time. 

“Too old, I said that and I stand by it,” Hyunjin said and then stretched. “Okay, but I am going to bed too now.” He waved at them and was about to make his way towards his own bedroom when the doorbell rang. They all turned towards the door, utter bewilderment on all of their faces and they even heard a “What the fuck” from Seungmin’s room. It was almost two thirty in the morning, who would fucking end up ringing their bell. The doorbell from in front of their apartment and from downstairs in front of the building were different and this one was clearly in front of their door.

Yet it had clearly not been a group hallucination as the bell rang again and Hyunjin frowned, frozen to his spot so it was Minho who got up and walked over to the door, opening it.

It was Chan.

It was Chan. Hair in disarray and wet from the rain and just wearing a thin layer of clothes that were obviously his pajamas. Face as pale as a ghost.

Chapter Text

“Is Felix around?” Chan asked, voice shaky, even before Minho could say something. They all stared for a moment, concerned.

Changbin got up. “No, he isn’t. Is he not at home?” he asked, despite the answer being so blatantly evident. If he was then Chan wouldn’t be standing in front of their apartment, clearly wound up with anxiety. “What happened?” he took a deep breath as he decided to change the way he questioned the other. In response Chan’s lost expression turned into a clearly desperate one.

“He was on a mission with Jeongin. He didn’t come home. I can’t get a hold of him nor Jeongin.”

“Fuck,” Seungmin, who was standing on the treshold of his bedroom, answered. He was staring into the empty hallway, mind still processing the words. “Have you tried tracking their phones?” he suggested, always quick to jump to possible solutions. Chan shook his head. “Or went up to Jeongin’s apartment?”

“Not yet,” the oldest said and brushed through his wet hair. “I wanted to ask you guys first.”

“Let’s check then,” Changbin said, trying his best to sound calm and hopefully reassuring in some way. His eyes slid over to Minho grimacing for a moment as he saw him grabbing his keys before slipping into his slippers and leaving the apartment right away, not even bothering with taking the elevator as he was too on edge to just stand in it while waiting for an answer without the option to do anything.

As he rushed upstairs, skipping multiple steps at a time, he tried calling Jeongin frustrated as all he could here was the mechanic voice on the other end informing him that all he had reached was the younger’s mailbox. Calling Felix was no different. He cursed internally, not bothering to turn around as he started hearing footsteps behind him, knowing fully well that they belonged to his equally worried friends. Minho was the first to reach the apartment. Yes, ringing the doorbell of Jeongin’s apartment in the middle of the night surely wasn’t the nicest thing to do, especially as he was very aware of the sleeping issues that plagued the whole team, however when Jisung opened the door he looked quite awake. And with the same concerned expression that they had seen when Chan informed them of what was happening. 

“Jeongin didn’t come home,” Jisung said even before Minho could ask something and without seeing the rest of the group that had just turned towards their corner of the hallway. “Is that normal? I didn’t want to worry but- What the-“ He finally saw the others rushing towards the apartment automatically taking a step to the right to let Chan rush inside as Jisung could easily tell he was in dismay. “Did something happen?”

“Felix didn’t come home either,” Minho explained, his voice strained. He stayed in the doorframe. “Chan just came over to ask if he was here. Innie and Lix were on a mission.”

It was clear that Jisung knew it meant trouble. No, not trouble. Danger. It meant danger and it was no secret that they all had been fearing that day when one of them would not return back home.  “Fuck, do we know what kind of mission?” Hyunjin asked. Chan shook his head.

“No, we do not,” he said, his eyes never losing their desperateness as he looked at his friends while he tried to call Felix again but to no avail. The call went straight to the mailbox.

“We might not know it right now but that doesn’t mean I cannot figure it out,” Seungmin reminded them, a determination evident in his words that was rare for him.

“I doubt Clé will tell us,” Changbin frowned, not sure why the organisation would even consider giving them that information. They had had seen such situations before, with other people, and not once had they dared to help with just giving out even small hints. They preferred to let people die than actually do something – simply because interfering meant risking more of their people and possibly giving themselves away but fuck, Changbin hated it. It made him fucking angry. 

Seungmin however just laughed, a dry, painful laugh. “Oh, I know. But I know a different way.”

-

None of them had thought that Seungmin would actually be able to hack the fucking organisation they worked for. Yes, him and Jeongin had done it before but ever since the organisation had changed their firewall and safety protocol. But here they were, Seungmin typing away on his keyboard and without batting an eye he had managed to not only to get information about the mission the two had been on but to also figure out that their phones could still be located despite being turned off. And what they had found out was anything but reassuring.

Both Felix’ and Jeongin’s phones were currently situated right in the very center of the place Chan and Changbin knew by heart: the mafia. Or at least the headquarters of the mafia they both often worked in and returned to whenever they were needed.

Chan felt like throwing up. “Why would they fucking do that?” he asked, voice shaky and desperate. “Do they know?” He looked from Minho to Changbin, not even sure what he was searching for. Reassurance? Answers? His hands curled into fists. Had they figured out that Chan worked for Clé and connected the dots towards Felix and Jeongin? One of them was his roommate after all. The other though…

“I don’t think so,” Changbin shook his head, frowning. “Why would they get them both? Maybe they need to work with the mafia because of something? I… no, this doesn’t make any sense.”

“Well, it is the only proper explanation we have,” Chan said desperate to find an answer, preferably a different one, one they could use to maybe craft a solution. To get out of this mess. 

“If it is, why have they not contacted you by now?” Minho supplied and looked at Chan, shaking his head. “They’ve been there since this afternoon. Or at least their phones have been. If they got kidnapped because of you, then the mafia would have reached out for you, either to threaten you or to lure you back to them.”

They all felt guilty. Guilty for not having worried earlier, for not having reached out to Felix and Jeongin when they hadn’t been home for dinner, for not even noticing. Right now, it didn’t matter to them that it wasn’t rare that some of them just disappeared for a while. It rarely ever happened to Felix, not without informing Chan so the other didn’t have to worry when coming home and finding Felix’ bed empty and cold. Yes, deep inside some part of them knew they couldn’t have known but guilt wasn’t reasonable, and neither was fear.

“I’m going to the headquarters,” Changbin exclaimed and got up, straightening his back. “I’m gonna find out whatever I can and I will let you guys know as soon as there is anything to share. Seungmin, can you tap into my phone and record whatever is going on?”

Seungmin immediately nodded and opened a few tabs before he found what he was looking for and started to work on it. Of course, he knew how to do that, having all their devices saved on his computer for exactly these types of situations. He wished he would have recorded Jeongin’s and Felix’ phones during their mission but if he had his computer would have probably died after a few hours, leaving them without any information either way. Storage was one hell of a limitation sometimes. Aside from that, he knew that sometimes they just liked to have their privacy. It would be convenient right now, yes, but it would also be a breach of trust especially if he did it on a regular basis. And while he knew he wasn’t morally white he wasn’t that shady. Most times at least.

“I’ll join,” Chan immediately started to turn back towards the door. It was Jisung who reached for his wrist and shook his head.

“Not in your current state,” the younger said as he looked at Chan who looked back at him, both overwhelmed and surprised. His grip was gentle but tight, knowing it was anything but a good idea to let Chan go to the headquarters right now. “You aren’t emotionally stable. Imagine you give away who you are, getting yourself into danger. If you aren’t the reason why they kidnapped them – if they kidnapped them – then you are putting yourself in danger.”

And even if Chan didn’t want to hear it, it was true.

“First you need to calm down. And then you can go. It makes more sense if Changbin goes to check it out,” Minho nodded and looked at Chan. “You just returned from the headquarters a few hours ago to go sleep, didn’t you?” Chan hadn’ told them about that though it was easy to figure out by the way he was dressed. “But it wouldn’t be a surprise if Changbin checked on how things are going. We all know how much he likes to do surprise visits.”

There was a small amused sound coming from Changbin. “Ah, you know me too well,” the smallest of them exclaimed but then agreed. “They’re right. You stay here, calm down. Take a few deep breaths, make sure you change your clothes and take a hot shower first before you get yourself sick. And then you can come and join me in a few hours, say you forgot something or that you couldn’t sleep. Maybe say I texted you because something odd seemed to go on, depending on what I find out. I’ll figure out where they are and what the reason behind this is, okay?”

“Maybe I can hack their data base?” Seungmin offered but Changbin shook his head, a sigh leaving his lips.

“Nah, it is most likely done by paper, nothing noted down on a laptop or computer. You could try and hack the security cameras, yeah, but if the mafia has them locked up somewhere in the cells, there won’t be any. We don’t keep security cameras in any rooms we are holding people.” Because it meant no evidence, no proof of what they were doing. The mafia was aware there were people who had amazing skills like Seungmin and could hack into their system and take whatever they legally could as evidence. So instead they did things old-school. They could keep their eyes on the people they had locked up anyways, they had enough security guards and the building was a fucking maze, even if someone managed to get out of their imprisonment, they wouldn’t manage to find their way out without any help. Or at least not before someone found them. He just hoped neither Felix nor Jeongin were trying to escape as both Chan and Changbin knew what punishment it held for a prisoner of them to try and get out. And they wished that upon no one.

“I’ll try that then. Maybe they are on there somewhere,” Seungmin mumbled, just wanting a small sign that their friends were safe and sound or at least alive and breathing. The latter was probably more likely. He took a deep breath before he turned back to his computer, his gaze not meeting the others properly. “I turned on the recording on your phone, Bin. I will try and hack the security cameras now.”

“Okay,” Changbin said and looked at Chan. “Now go take a shower. Let Minho get you new clothes. I’ll let you know as soon as I find something.” He assured his friend with a pat to his shoulder. “They will be fine.” He was very aware of how unlikely that was, but he had to believe in it himself or otherwise he would lose his mind just like Chan. Felix and Jeongin were important to him, he loved his entire group of friends dearly and he couldn’t comprehend what reasons the mafia had to kidnap them and keep them locked up, especially without any sort of ransom note. The only thing he could do was just hope it was a false alarm. That there was a different reason for what was going on despite everything.

He was taken our of the raging mess in his mind as he felt a gentle pressure against the skin of his wrist. He looked up and saw Minho frowning at him. “Be safe,” the other said, knowing how much more dangerous the situation could turn if he got himself into something he wasn’t supposed to be in. Chan and Changbin had been the subject of punishments and torture before and while they both rarely showed it to the others, Minho knew very well how badly it was still affecting them. Of course he knew, he had been there himself. He knew the signs, the way it showed.

With a small nod Changbin looked at Minho before the other let go of him. “Don’t do anything stupid either,” he told the others before he grabbed his things and put on his shoes. Only moments later he was leaving the apartment.

With a heavy heart Chan watched Changbin leave, doing exactly what he wanted to do, what he should probably do. Surely, he knew that the others were all right, that he should take a shower and calm down before returning to the headquarters of the mafia later but fuck, if he could he would just ignore it and go.

“Let’s get you into the shower,” Minho announced and ripped Chan out of his thoughts, gently pushing him towards the bathroom. 

-

The air smelled rotten and cold. Every breath Felix dragged into his lungs felt like there was a layer of water on them, hugging his organs from the inside and making it hard to breathe. Honestly, he had no idea where he was. The first thing he noticed was fabric against his eyelashes. There was an old rag tied around his eyes that clearly was supposed to prevent him from seeing either the contents of the room he was in or the possible guards that might be standing in front of the door. To his luck it had somewhat slipped though which technically could have allowed him to see at least a small fraction of what was going on – that would be if he had been able to properly see anything in the first place. Felix was unable to identify any windows and the only source of light came from what he vaguely guessed to be the crack under the door. The room was barely lit by it, the light outside already seemingly rather dim which made it quite the struggle to figure out how big the cell he assumed he was in was. It was even less likely to correctly identify the layout of it or even just if there was any furniture around. 

Well aside from the chair he seemed to be sitting on and judging from the restriction he felt as he was trying to move his fingers also was tied to. In the worst way of course, his arms behind his bag. He could already feel the way the position was straining on his shoulder, knowing that it would hurt like a bitch once he was able to get out of it. He quickly realized though that his legs were tied to the chair as well.

“Oh come on,” he growled quietly and tried to wiggle his arms a little but that merely tightened the rope even further. Clever of them to use something like this. Felix hated it. He could easily get his way out of handcuffs or zip ties but this was a sturdy rope and a fancy knot and if Felix wasn’t able to see it, he wouldn’t be able to get free easily. 

A small sound coming from somewhere beside him distracted him. He was thankful that they seemed to have locked Jeongin up with him and hadn’t hid him away in some other room. Sadly though logically he was tied to a chair as well. He figured it was close to Felix, not too close for them to be of help to each other though. 

“You awake?” Felix asked, nodding at the groan he received as his answer. “I guess that’s a yes.”

“Kinda,” Jeongin mumbled. He tried to move, quickly realising as well that he was in a situation that made it hard for him to get free. “My head hurts like shit.”

“Yeah, mine too,” Felix sighed. They had been knocked out pretty harshly, Felix’ head having taken two hits before he fell unconcious. “Son of a bitch,” he grumbled and closed his eyes for a second. “Can you see?”

For a moment there was silence before Jeongin replied. “Not really, the blindfold isn’t perfectly in place but it’s too dark. Or the room is empty. Could be either. Or both,” he mumbled and slumped into his chair. He had seen who the kidnappers were though that wouldn’t exactly help them or make anything better. 

They had just finished their mission when they had been cornered by a group of guys. He had wanted to help Felix escape as the other was pretty flexible and quick but clearly it hadn’t worked and they had been knocked out without even being able to inform anyone. It was the mafia, of course. Changbin and Chan had shown them some of the more notable members and while they surely didn’t know all of them, Jeongin had been able to recognize at least two of them as exactly that. 

“For fucks sake,” Felix cursed as he tried to trace the knot they had used on them, quickly discarding the task though as it felt too complex for him to remember completely aside from the added factor that his hands were just too small to span over all of the rope that was used. “Check the way your hands are tied.” He told Jeongin with a frustrated huff and instead settled on trying to move his chair. It was heavier than he had expected and being unable to use the complete length of your leg didn’t exactly make it easier but depending on how he moved his body and feet it should be possible.

For a moment Jeongin was quiet before he sighed. “Difficult. They tied it pretty difficult. I don't think I can free my hands on my own,” he admitted, “Are you moving your chair?” he then asked hearing the obvious sounds of wood dragging over stone. It was pretty loud but then again, everything was in a room that was otherwise plunged into complete silence. There was no way to know if anyone heard them. Maybe they even had nightvision cameras in the room and they were fucked either way. The only thing they could do was hope for the best, really.

“Yeah. Gonna use every possibility we have,” Felix replied, forehead already glistening with sweat as he moved closer to Jeongin bit by bit. “Who knows what they’re planning to do,” he added. They both knew the most horrific stories about what happened when the mafia got involved and while Jeongin and him were pretty good when it came to taking a beating, if they could just skip that he’d be more than grateful. He would prefer not to lose a finger or an eye after all. Surely, it was the risk their job came with, Felix was more than aware of that, even death wasn’t unlikely in their line of work and Felix had seen many people come and go, way quicker than he had liked. Yet it wasn’t something he looked forward to.

“Nothing good, that’s for sure,” Jeongin mumbled and moved his chair as well, slowly and carefully. One wrong move and the rope around his hands would end up even tighter and he didn’t want to risk it. Cutting the circulation off his hands or accidentally tilting the chair and ending up with his face first in the ground wasn’t exactly desireable. “I’m surprised they left us here alone.”

A small hum left Felix’ lips as he eventually got close enough to touch Jeongin’s chair with his hands. “I don’t think they are after us,” he mumbled quietly. “I think they are trying to use us as bait.” He huffed and shook his head. The incident with the camera in their apartment had been an obvious warning and somehow Felix had expected something like this to happen. He was one of Chan’s closest people, he was literally his roommate and if they wanted to get information out of Chan he was surely the first they would go after. Well him or his family but they were, as far as Felix knew, somewhere on a different continent. They might also know that Felix was part of Clé and wanted to pry some information out of him as well, nevertheless he was sure this was about Chan and how well he could be trusted. 

“As bait for Chan or Changbin?” Jeongin asked and turned his head towards Felix, however even this close he couldn’t see anything. His fingers managed to touch Felix’ and he slowly started to assess the rope around the other’s hands as good as he could. “Let me check this.”

“Chan,” Felix sighed. “He’s my roommate, so of course it’s Chan. Not to be rude but compared to him Changbin isn’t important enough. Rank-wise, I mean,” he added, after all to them Changbin was quite important. He was family to each of them and Felix would do everything to protect him. But Changbin didn’t have a position in the mafia that might get his background checked and even if, it would be harder to find anything. Chan however lived with a man who worked for an organisation that had connections to the NIS and they had just captured this said roommate together with his coworker who actually worked for them.

Shit.

Felix had now just realised in how much more trouble Jeongin was than Felix himself. Jeongin had intel from inside the NIS and they all knew the mafia had been on their radar for a while now. Same the other way around and he could just hope that the people who had kidnapped them had only been after Felix and not Jeongin. That they didn’t know who Jeongin was yet and had just kidnapped him as he had tried to protect Felix and help him get away. But honestly, it was just a matter of time for them to realise who he was.

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Jeongin mumbled. “Changbin isn’t as much of a target as Chan.” His fingers finally found the ends of the rope and noticed where he could actually loosen it. “It was to be expected but damn.” Chan had wasted so many precious years of his life without anyone noticing that there might be something off and now that he was so close to his goal and to finishing his mission, of course they had to go and see if there was something wrong with him. And if he made one wrong decision, said one wrong word, he would be a goner. Jeongin could only hope Chan wouldn’t lose his head over this situation. Yes, the mafia was anything but a walk in the park, however they all had been in bad situations before and this, so far, was their smallest issue.

“Innie…” Felix said, wondering if he should tell him to not let the people know who he was and who he worked for, but then he realised someone might be eavesdropping. And shit, if they had, both of them had given away some information they shouldn’t have said out loud. Not only about Chan but also about Changbin. Fuck. This really wasn’t their lucky day. “Let’s just hope no one is listening to us.” 

Jeongin only hummed quietly as he was focused on Felix’ tied hands. “Possible but at this point Clé should probably get Chan and Changbin out of the mafia. They are in danger, I don’t think it’s a good decision to keep them here.”

A small sigh left Felix and he nodded even though he knew Jeongin couldn’t see it. “I know. I talked to both of them about it but they already spent so many years here. It’s all they know, kinda,” he mumbled and felt his shoulders drop a bit. He wanted all of them safe and sound but as long as they worked for Clé none of them would ever be. That was something he had to come to terms with a long time ago yet it was still difficult every time he was reminded of it. Yes, all of them were professionals and experts in their line of work but that didn’t mean it couldn’t take their life way quicker than anyone thought.

Aside from that they both were very aware of the fact that neither Chan nor Changbin would drop out of their missions just because of them being in danger. They would want to finish, to reach their goal, and until then they would stay undercover. Even if it cost them their lives.

“Ha. I got it,” Jeongin suddenly said and the rope around Felix’ hands loosened. With a small sound it fell to the ground while Jeongin grinned brightly. “Freed your hands!”

-

Keeping an eye on Chan was a lot more difficult than Minho had anticipated. They had gotten him in and out of the shower without problems however as soon as they had put Chan into some comfortable and dry clothes, he had tried to sneak out. Minho had eventually put him into the living room from where it would be too obvious if he tried running into his demise again. Right now, Chan was holding Soonie, brushing through his fluffy fur as the oldest cat kept purring against Chan’s chest. 

They all were tense and worried, Seungmin was clicking and typing on his keyboard into every available program he could use to find answers. He had hacked into the database of not only Clé and the NIS but also the mafia as if he wasn’t just getting himself into highly illegal matters.

Hyunjin was pacing up and down the hallway as he called a few people he knew who might have information. He was currently talking to one of the authorities of Clé, Minho couldn’t exactly tell who but he knew they still owed Hyunjin a favor. He didn't even know why and honestly, he couldn't care less.

Jisung was sitting on the armchair next to them, his leg moving up and down restlessly while he had just made them some snacks and tea as well as other drinks. He wanted to give them something to busy their hands with and, well, nobody should go into a war with an empty stomach. At least not while it could be prevented like right now.  

None of them felt like eating though, of course not, however Minho kept putting some pieces of cookies into Chan’s mouth, eating the other half himself, just to calm his nerves somehow. 

By now Minho was regretting that they had agreed on Changbin go alone. Sure, he was rather low in position but that didn’t mean he wasn’t risking his life. If anyone noticed what Changbin’s agenda was, he wouldn’t come back. Minho bit his bottom lip and pushed those thoughts away. He wouldn’t lose Changbin. No matter what, if he could prevent it, he would, no matter the cost. He would not lose any of them. They were his family and no one would take them away - he had it happen way too often already. Minho closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to be quiet. 

“It will be alright,” Seungmin said without even looking up from his computer. He knew they all were tense and on edge, he was too. But there was no use in letting it consume him. Fortunately, he could at least do something right now. He was grateful for it. “I found no information in the NIS database. Aside from them keeping an eye on the mafia, of course, just like Clé. Felix and Jeongin had a mission that had nothing to do with the mafia though,” he then explained and looked up for a moment. “There is no security footage from the mafia’s grounds, but I found some street surveillance cameras,” he let them know and from the corner of his eyes he could see Chan’s head snapping up, a fragile sign of hope in his eyes clearly tinged with fear.

“And?” Jisung asked, just as worried what Seungmin might tell them. He hated this situation. When he had joined of course he had known he was getting into a high-risk field but there was one life-threatening situation after another and at this point he wondered if this was just his luck or if it had always been like this for the others.

“It’s the mafia. I don’t see major injuries, seems like they just knocked them out.”

There was a sharp intake of breath from Chan. Minho took the other’s hand to calm him a bit. “So, they have been injured,” he figured and Seungmin nodded.

“Looks like Felix has a small head injury, I’m not sure with Jeongin but he tried to get away. It seems like they only wanted to get Felix but Jeongin interfered so maybe-“ Shortly Seungmin glanced at Minho who shrugged. He was checking in if he should keep talking or if the situation was too sensitive to speak it out loud but Minho did not seem to know either. Nevertheless, Seungmin was pretty sure Chan figured it already anyways so he addressed him right away. “Maybe they only wanted to kidnap Felix as he is your roommate. To see if you are keeping secrets. They might not even know anything about Clé.” It was small but Seungmin was hanging onto that possibility as if it was his lifeline.

Yes, if they were lucky maybe the mafia knew nothing about Felix’ nor Jeongin’s background and were just trying to threaten Chan, to let him know that they could hurt him if he made one wrong step. To let him know he was in dangerous territory. But that could easily crumble. If they weren’t quick enough, they would figure out who they were, and they would torture them until their throats were sore from screaming and their faces contorted from pain – and if they caught Changbin, he would probably end up just like that as well. He would be the first to lose limbs, just like the mafia did to anyone who betrayed them. After that it would be on his reaction if he would even make it out alive.

It was the worst-case scenario but they all were very aware of how quick everything could go down the drain.

“We need a plan,” Chan said and bit his bottom lip. “And I need to go back. I need to see what they’re after.”

“Yes, you do,” Minho reluctantly agreed while Seungmin frowned, clearly not happy with it. Chan was highly emotional right now and this, the safety of their friends wasn’t something they could risk. “But first you need to calm down. Okay? We will think of something.”

“First we wait for Changbin,” Jisung interjected and looked at them. “He might have more information and can help.” Changbin was smart and he knew the mafia well, he surely would have a way to help their friends out or at least to buy them some time. By now Seungmin had alerted Clé who had, of course, not given anything away and instead just had noted down what he told them.

There was clear pain in Chan’s eyes before he slowly nodded. He never made mistakes. He never made any mistakes and he surely never got anyone involved, especially not the people he loved. But somehow the purest evil he knew currently held two of his dearest people captive. Because of him. He was the reason they were now all risking their cover and their lives and, yes, he knew that this had been a possibility all along, Clé had warned him about it – one of the reasons why Chan was grateful his relatives were in Australia. He had kept them a secret, had begged Clé and Seungmin to delete any records of him having a family but he had not thought that anyone would take away Felix nor Jeongin. It was something he had pushed so far back into his mind, buried under all the precision and flawlessness of his work so no one would ever even suspect anything.

And now that was his downfall.

He could feel the tears in his eyes, threatening once again to overwhelm him and bury him under all the weight of his own doubt and pain. Now was not the time though.

“Yes,” Minho said and looked at Chan, cupping his cheeks in a grounding way. Minho knew Chan was blaming himself, that he was hating himself right now more than anything even though he had done everything right. He could only fathom what hell Chan was going through but he had been there and he would not let the other experience this alone. “We have a plan. You’ve informed us so quickly, Chan. We are all trained for such situations. Changbin will contact us as soon as possible and we will get them out. Mostly uninjured and alive, okay?” He brushed through Chan’s hair and looking at him with a caring expression.

For a long moment Chan was just quiet, eyes fixed on Minho with tears welling up in his eyes. He swallowed his sadness down again and again before he finally nodded. “Okay,” he whispered.

“Don’t go and do anything on your own. We do this together, we are stronger as a team,” Minho said and then pecked Chan’s forehead. “We are stronger together.”

“But we are more vulnerable as a team too,” Chan mumbled and bit his bottom lip. He was not good with communicating his fears but he knew that he needed to in order to get these thoughts out of his head. “We all want each other safe and sound so if just one of us gets hurt…”

Quietly the others listened. It was true. If one of them got hurt, all of them suffered in one way or another. However what Chan forgot was that they all immediately supported each other as well as possible, making sure the injured one of them got time to rest and got protected while the threat got eliminated. And it would be the same just this time. Kidnapping Jeongin and Felix had been a mistake and they would make sure the mafia would regret it.

“Yes, because we care. We care for each other and that is why we are stronger. We would do anything to keep each other safe and sound and that is why we will go to incredible lengths for that to happen. Right now we are hurting but we are also all sitting together to figure out a solution,” Seungmin said and looked at Chan and Minho. “Sure, if we didn’t care we would not hurt but that is the price we pay for emotions. And honestly, I rather have it that way than any other way.” Yes, they could be emotionless but that would also mean the happy moments would be lost on them. And he would rather feel both, the breathtaking beauty and the drowning sadness, than neither of it.

“But it’s my fault-“ Chan started and Hyunjin immediately shook his head as he stepped into the room, phone still in his hand.

“No, Channie, it is not. You did not choose to kidnap them. You did not tell them to do that. That was the mafia, not you. Correlation, not causation.” He sat next to Chan and gently took his hand in his while Minho was still close as well. “I know, you want to be at fault, want to be able to blame someone, yet carry the burden alone. But you are not. You are as innocent as all of us others are.”

Chan didn’t look at them. They knew it would take a while for Chan to realise it but this was a start.

“We will find a way to get them home safe and sound,” Jisung said as he looked at Chan. “We all will. Minho is right, we are stronger as a team. I’m sure Changbin will contact us soon and remember that both Felix and Jeongin are strong themselves. And smart. I’m almost certain they are already breaking out on their own.” He was trying to lighten the mood but to him there was no doubt in what he was saying. Jeongin and Felix usually were backup, yes, but that was because they were a lot stronger than most of them expected them to be. And Jisung trusted in their abilities.

Chapter Text

The fresh air felt nice against his hot skin. When Changbin jumped out of his car, it was rather close to the building that he was aiming for. He took a deep breath. Changbin didn’t have any weapons on him as he usually got equipped at the mafia’s premises or simply grabbed a gun from his apartment.

When Changbin had first joined Clé he had to get the weapons he kept at home approved seperately because of all the extra regulations that were set in place. Any weaponry, especially firearms that they wanted to keep at their own places, needed to be listed in a report to ensure that Clé knew about them, which meant that there had been quite a lot of paperwork for him. Most of Changbin’s weapons were from his parents, handed over to him after he had made sure his family was finally free from any ties that they had to the mafia. He kept everything locked away and despite being the only one who owned the key to their whereabouts that didn’t matter to Clé. A gun was a gun after all. And Changbin agreed, though it had been exhausting at first, the way they worked being so entirely different than what he was used to within the mafia.

Even now he sometimes had a hard time understanding Clé’s antics but at one point he had merely stopped asking. What he knew about the organisation’s morals aligned more with his own values than the way the mafia worked. It certainly wasn’t a complete fit though, not entirely but as far as Changbin could tell, it was for none of them.

Any kind of organized crime cell dabbled in morally gray biddings; it was in the name after all. The mafia though was a lawless group of people, who knew no boundaries in the pain and terror they spread, letting it infect the world like a wildfire. It didn’t matter who you were, unless you had money you didn’t matter and neither did your life nor your integrity. They didn’t shy away from brutal crimes, ones that would make other groups who tried to rise to a similar standing cower in fear. And Changbin had to watch it all happen, had to look away as they assaulted even children, tortured them in front of their families only to then sell them for money or worse, revenge. He had been lucky that he never had to actually take part in such a thing, something that he so entirely despised, yet he knew nobody was ever safe in this place, least of all him. People had killed each other for much less than treason as he committed it every day, he stepped outside of the headquarters so when he slept, he did it with both eyes open, figuratively of course.

The NIS on the contrary was too clean. Lawfully at least. Surely, they had their own secrets, their own little loopholes they could sneak through but oftentimes the intense restrictions they had in place merely tied everyone’s hands. Changbin had heard Jeongin and even Seungmin complain about them way too often, usually paired with an exasperated expression and an explanation on how little they could do to help despite wanting to. One time they had even been desperate enough to ask Changbin for help with a particularly tricky case fully accepting that it meant that the mafia would step in. Most times though it was enough if they informed Clé about any ongoing case in which they or the NIS in general were unable to act. When it came down to it the NIS was helpful in the resources, they provided though they had to abide to the law in every step of the way.

And Clé- well Clé was full of secrets. Changbin knew that they regularly checked on him to see if he was slipping into some mafia induced insanity or worse if he was turning their back on them. They did the same with Chan. After all they were undercover and who knew if they suddenly turned, right? He had to admit that he did hear about cases like that, though he himself made sure to cooperate well. He was here because he disagreed with the mafia’s schemes after all. Yet still, he was no fool who thought of Clé as a much better choice. They were walking on a tightrope, always performing a balancing act between right and wrong. They people they killed supposedly were bad but if Changbin was honest he knew that rarely any of them ever checked their victims’ backgrounds anymore. They trusted Clé to not assign them a mission that, for example, would have them take the life of an innocent bystander who just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Nevertheless, what they did was murder and murder was never lawfully right. Personally, he still preferred working with Clé who offered him an out of any mission if he needed it. They also were aware that what they were doing was anything but right – none of it was legal. Yet sometimes to do the right thing they needed to break the law.

With a quiet sigh Changbin shook his head pulling himself out of his stressed mind full of piled up thoughts. He stepped into a huge yet so familiar building that mostly looked like a casino but Changbin knew better than that. Moving past the gambling people he managed to get to the main entrance and quickly got his fingerprints scanned, entering the main quarters.

Nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be going on.

The halls were mostly vacant, just a few people here and there, wandering through the hallways. There were a few open offices that Changbin knew had someone inside due to the thin strip of light that casted its yellow hue onto the floor of the corridor. He could hear a few mumbled voices and when he looked forward he could see someone sat at the counter not too far away. To anyone else whoever sat there would look like any regular receptionist though Changbin knew better than to believe that it was just that. He was very aware that they noted down whoever came and left, possible suspicions, anything noticeable really. And if a stranger entered, anyone who wasn’t authorized to step into this part of the buolding, they would sound the alarm right away.

“Hey there,” he said with a wave, casually walking up to the counter. It earned him a smile.

“Hey Changbin,” today’s receptionist, a woman named Lee Sunmi answered, “Couldn’t sleep?”

Sunmi had been there ever since Changbin could remember. She was slightly older than him, maybe five years give or take, and her family had always been part of the mafia as well. But while Changbin was the muscle, she was definitely the brain. Not only though, of course. Changbin had had a fair share of training sessions with her and she could definitely hold her ground. Her beautiful face was just a distraction.

“Not really,” Changbin admitted. “You know me, always awake and restless. Thought why not use the time and catch up on some work or training.” It was easy to just fall into his typical role he portrayed at his workplace.

A soft hum left Sunmi’s lips and she nodded. “Yeah, I get that. A good workout helps you fall asleep for sure,” she agreed and took a sip from a cup she had with her, the steam that came out of it indicating something hot, like coffee or tea.

“Yeah. Anything I need to catch up with?” Changbin asked as he looked at her curiously. It was a question he always asked whenever he returned so he knew it wouldn’t alert her in any way.

“Not really. The rooms are all occupied at the moment. You know, a lot of traffic these past few days. Had to get rid of some to fit them all in,” Sunmi explained and then shrugged. “So, just don’t bring anyone in, but that’s it.”

The way she talked made it seem like she wasn’t just chitchatting about how they were holding people captive and had to kill people to fit them all. And if those people had been unlucky, someone with badly handled anger-issues had gleefully accepted the job to take them out. Most times those bodies were unrecognizable afterwards.

Deep inside Changbin could feel his heart beat quick, panic locked deep into it. Though he forced himself to remain calm. It was unlikely for Felix and Jeongin to be among those dead people – why kidnap them just to kill them right away? Despite that knowledge Changbin could still feel the worry sneak up on him, catching him off-guard.

“I didn’t plan on bringing anyone, no worries. I prefer things to be less messy,” he winked at her. Less messy mostly meant either the people got out alive or there would be no trace of them. And Changbin preferred the first though it wasn’t rare that a task entailed no traces of a formerly very alive human being.

“Good boy,” Sunmi hummed and nodded at him, knowing their talk was over. She leaned back and grabbed her phone, opening a game as far as Changbin could see out of the corner of his eyes as he walked past her into the dimly lit hallway. He knew Seungmin could hear everything through the phone he was tracking and he hoped Chan could too so the oldest could explain to everyone what their talk meant. That it meant somewhere in these halls Felix and Jeongin were probably still locked up, alive.

Walking down the floor Changbin wondered how weird it would be if he checked the rooms that held their prisoners after Sunmi told him they had to get rid of some of them. Would it be obvious that he was looking for someone if he just offered to take care of the dead bodies? He was pretty sure no one had gotten rid of them yet, Changbin knew this place too well. And it wouldn’t be the first time he went down to check on the captives. Right now however his brain was overthinking, terrified of whatever could endanger Felix and Jeongin and he definitely did not want to risk that.

However, it would be the easiest way to figure out how his friends were doing and the sooner they knew, the more likely it was for them to create a plan.

Turning a corner Changbin almost bumped into someone. With a quiet curse, he barely managed to dodge the man who was holding his head. He looked livid.

“Damn, what happened?” Changbin asked as he saw deep red bitemarks on his hand. It wasn’t bleeding anymore so at least something but the skin looked nasty and red, clearly having been broken.

“Bitch fucking bit me,” Lee Soohyuk grumbled. Changbin only raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation. The man made an unhappy sound, a small “ugh” leaving his lips before he huffed. “I’ll tell you if you clean it up,” he then suggested and Changbin shrugged. Not the first time he cleaned a biting wound.

“You should probably seek medical attention for it, but I can do the bare minimum, yes,” Changbin nodded as he led Soohyuk down the hall and into the infirmary that was currently vacant. They had been majorly understaffed recently and Changbin knew it could cost people their lives but they were working on it, giving a handful of promising people some training.

“Thanks,” Soohyuk mumbled and relaxed a bit. He knew he could trust Changbin and his medical skills more than his own so he quickly sat on the stretcher, watching Changbin get disinfectant and other equipment.

“No problem, man. Did you wash it?” Changbin asked and Soohyuk nodded right away.

“Soap and water. Hurt like a bitch,” he explained quietly and rolled his eyes. “Asked the guys from my crew but they just didn’t care. Said I brought this upon myself. And quite frankly, yeah. Just didn’t expect anyone to fight me.”

Changbin could see the man roll his eyes while he started to disinfect the wound. Clearly this would be painful but most of them had been trained to endure torture so this was just a scratch to them.

“A job?” he wanted to know while cleaning the wound, before grabbing some ointment to help with the oncoming infection. Human bite wounds were clearly some of the worst as the mouth kept so much bacteria. Changbin had once gotten bitten by a child though fortunately he had gotten antibiotics right away to fight the incoming infection but fuck, he still had the scar.

“Yeah. We were supposed to kidnap some guys.” Soohyuk looked at Changbin and sighed. “I can trust you, right?” he mumbled and the smaller nodded right away. “Cause I really need to get this out of my system.” He seemed upset and angry and Changbin could tell this was information that might be helpful for him.

“I’ll keep my mouth shut.” Well, technically he was. He was keeping his mouth very shut but his phone was transmitting the information to Seungmin for sure.

“Boss said to kidnap Chan’s roommate. Cute boy with freckles,” Soohyuk said and groaned. “Dude has some fight in him. He looks so small and skinny but fuck. Caught them not far from Chan’s apartment. And I told boss it is a stupid idea.” Of course Soohyuk had and that was exactly why he was not in his bed but out here at around 3 am in the morning, holding his hand. Usually Soohyuk stayed in the office, managing any jobs or transaction, sending people to places and ordering around. He wasn’t one to go out on missions. “Why check Chan now? He’s been his right hand for a while, they should have made a background check before assigning him such an important fucking roll.”

Changbin could tell the other was angry and he nodded. “They did,” he then said as he carefully bandaged the other’s hand. “They made a background check and kept an eye on him before if I’m not mistaken.”

“You’re not,” Soohyuk groaned and closed his eyes for a moment, clearly not satisfied with the entire situation. “And this is why I told them it’s fucking stupid.”

At least one person here had one working braincells. Clearly not enough as Changbin could see how hard Soohyuk had gotten bitten but at least the man was clever. Or not, as the kidnapping was rattling Chan through and through, making him doubt every single life decision he had ever made.

“So, he bit you?”

“No,” the injured man groaned and rolled his eyes again. “His friend did. Lanky dude. Boss said to get the roommate right now, no idea why, it was a sudden decision, and he said he does not care if he is not alone, bring him.” He huffed and shook his head. He clearly was not happy with how the job had gone down and how his hand was throbbing in pain. “We planned to just knock them out. Leave the friend there, take the roommate with us. But they noticed us even before we properly approached and made a run for their lives. We caught them and fuck man, either they work out or we lost all our abilities.” He looked at his bandaged hand Changbin had just finished taking care off and was now sitting on a chair, watching Soohyuk vent. “I somehow caught him and he fucking bit me,” he then explained. “Managed to knock him out but boy that was painful. Never saw anyone go that feral on a job that was supposed to be easy.”

So Jeongin had bitten his kidnappers. That did fit, he could imagine how Jeongin probably tried to get away, hitting and biting whatever was getting too close and honestly, he did amazing. Soohyuk looked anything but happy and it amused Changbin – he was trying his best to hide it though, of course.

“Damn that sucks. He got you really good, did you at least have some payback?” Changbin asked, hoping the answer was no but he knew that most times the answer would be yes. The mafia was not easy when it came to captives, especially not when they had to kidnap someone and had no other orders. He just hoped that his friends were majorly okay and had survived the ordeal with all their body still intact.

Soohyuk groaned and clearly looked angry. “No. No because they decided as we do not have orders from the boss, no one is supposed to get hurt more than necessary. I literally had an argument with one of the dudes from my job earlier, as if I am not higher ranked than all of them.”

He indeed was. Changbin knew Soohyuk was highly ranked as he was always there to take care of messy chaos and he did his job really well. But that didn’t mean he could do whatever he wanted, especially not when they hadn’t gotten any orders from the boss about how to handle the situation.

“So I ended up explaining to the boss what had happened and you know what he did? He laughed.”

And that actually made Changbin laugh as well. “Yeah, that sounds like him,” he then nodded and Soohyuk seemed defeated but less angry than before.

“He said served me well. If we can’t handle two young men with five of our guys, maybe I deserved it,” Soohyuk huffed and shook his head. “I can’t get over the fact they didn’t lose consciousness right away. If you ask me, there is something fishy but clearly nobody cares about what I have to say.”

That was clearly hurt pride, Changbin could easily tell. And Soohyuk was right, it was fishy as Felix and Jeongin both were in Clé. But luckily nobody had figured that out yet – or at least they had not told Soohyuk about it so maybe they were lucky.

“Sucks man. Maybe you can talk it out with the boss after a good-night’s sleep, get something out of it. Make sure to take antibiotics,” Changbin said and handed the other a small bottle full of pills. “It’s a painkiller too, in case you decide to catch some Z’s tonight, your hand is gonna hurt like shit.”

“Thanks man,” Soohyuk mumbled, taking the bottle with his uninjured hand and leaning back. “Yeah, maybe he’ll let me punish at least that bitch that bit me. Maybe I don’t have to though, dude is still locked up in the room we held that son of the rich dude, remember?”

Oh yeah, Changbin did remember. The kid of the man who had embezzled millions of their money. The son had already been thirty himself, however it had been the easiest way to get his father to speak. He had been a spoiled dude, trying to tell them they weren’t allowed to touch them and that his father would make them pay. Little did he know he was locked up in here because of him.

“Yeah, he spit in front of my feet when I told him to shut up,” Changbin hummed and snorted. “Didn’t like the punch that followed.” He had felt a lot less sympathy with that dude once he had realised how dire his situation was and his solution had been to try and sell their child to them. What a disgusting piece of shit.

“We killed his dad earlier today and, well, we had no reason to keep him any longer,” Soohyuk explained, shrugging as if it was the most normal thing in the world to just take someone’s life. And to him it most likely was. “Body is still down there. Guess the dude who bit me is gonna get a heart attack once we turn on the light in the morning.” There was an amused smile on Soohyuk’s lips, it seemed to really bring him joy.

“Huh, funny, I was about to offer some cleanup,” Changbin said and shrugged – damn, that had been his excuse to go down there.

“You can still go. We still have three more bodies there, it’s been a busy day. I’m sure they’ll appreciate you helping. We’re understaffed tonight.” Soohyuk opened the bottle of pills and took two right away, swallowing them dry without any water and Changbin was pretty sure he had never had such a full body shiver before. Fucking disgusting. However Soohyuk had just handed him an excuse to go towards the prisoners and if he was really fucking lucky he might even find a way to talk to Felix and Jeongin.

“I guess I’ll do that then. Wanted to hit the gym but moving dead bodies does kinda count too,” Changbin joked and Soohyuk chuckled, shaking his head amused before he got up. He put the bottle of pills in his pants while making sure he was holding his bandaged hand right. “Remember to check in on a doctor later,” he then reminded the other.

“Will do once I got a good few hours of sleep. Thank you, Changbin. You saved me,” Soohyuk hummed quietly, looking at Changbin who only nodded slightly.

“Anytime man,” the smaller said as he put the supplies away and got up. It was time to leave, to see where his friends were as Soohyuk was also leaving the room to go in the exact opposite direction though. Without even knowing Soohyuk had given him most of the information he needed: Felix and Jeongin were alive and the boss had kidnapped at least Felix because of Chan. However why exactly he needed Felix he was not sure and Changbin was almost terrified to find out.

-

Felix had been right with his assumption: the dim light in the room was the crack of the door. And despite actually pushing his cheek on the dirty ground he couldn’t see much. He could also not hear anything or anyone so that was at least a crumb of comfort but definitely not enough to save their asses.

There had been times when they had had to work with even less to get out of a dangerous situation so he was surely not giving up.

“Did you find anything?” Felix asked as his fingers brushed over the handle and lock, trying to figure out what exactly was keeping them inside. He had yet to check if the door was locked, however right now was not the time. If he tried to push down the handle while they were unprepared, someone who was possibly watching the door might notice. And that would definitely be to their disadvantage. So once Felix tried to open the door, they needed to be prepared.

“A dead person,” Jeongin gave back and even though he could barely see anything, he did not need to know that Felix had just wipped his head around.

“A what?”

“Dead body. Person. Corpse,” Jeongin gave back and shrugged. It was not the first dead person he had found and it was surely not the last. “Not entirely cold yet so they were in here before us, probably bled out.” That explained the smell of iron in the air. “Pretty sure there is another one,” he then added. The smell of rotten flesh had gotten stronger while Jeongin was brushing over the walls before he had found the first corpse. He had of course checked the pulse but there was none and no breathing nor movement as well so he was sure this one was a goner.

“Fuck,” Felix mumbled and frowned, taking a deep breath. Why would they put them in a room with dead bodies? Was it to scare the shit out of them or just because they had not gotten around to clean up their own wrongdoings yet? Or maybe to them a room with a dead body was just a free room they could put in new captives. Felix would never be able to understand these horrible people. He was very aware of the fact that he was a killer too, a murderer, someone who took lives on a way too regular basis, yet at least he was aware of how fucked up it was and he did not lock anyone up in a room with a corpse. “That’s so fucked up.”

“Kinda, yeah, but then again not really. I’d rather it be a dead body than a living one.” That was probably a fucked up thought too, Jeongin was aware of that. But the thought of having to save someone from impeding death while the room was filled with darkness was rather worrying. This way at least it wasn’t their responsibility and hey, if they needed a weapon and did not find anything in here, they could at least use an arm or a leg or so to protect themselves. “At least they aren’t trying to take our lives, the body I mean” he then quickly said, not wanting Felix to know how absurd and very questionable his mind was right now.

Felix made a small, affirming sound as he moved over to the door, touching the joints to see how it worked. “I guess you are right. I just prefer an empty room over this,” he explained to Jeongin who did not reply. “Ghosts are very real, you know?”

Now that earned him a chuckle from Jeongin who was touching the dead body, trying to figure out if it had any possible weapons or other useful equipment on them. “Ghosts, mh? Didn’t take you for a believer.”

“You’re not?” Felix asked appalled, looking towards where Jeongin was even though all he could see was darkness. “Damn, are you not terrified of ghosts?”

“Not at all,” Jeongin said amused as he carefully grabbed whatever was in the dead person’s pockets. “I have never really believed in ghosts. Surely, some things are harder to explain than others, but most have an easy explanation. I do however think humanity has yet to discover so much in this world. And if that turns out to be ghosts, so be it.”

Felix made a small sound, a mixture of disagreement and surprise. The only time they ever really had conversations were during their missions and sometimes they preferred to just sit quietly next to each other and not talk. It was a comfortable silence and he really appreciated it. “That is so weird. There is so much evidence for ghosts,” he then claimed, shaking his head as his fingers brushed over the lower joints of the doors. They felt old and rusty but they could probably push the door out of its sockets if they did it right.

“You should talk with Jisung about it. Boy definitely is a believer of the paranormal. I however am not. Maybe there might be something like bad or like dark energy but ghosts in the form that most people know about? Nah, dunno man. I don’t really believe in that.” Jeongin shrugged, finding a small pocket knife in the back pockets of the dead body – a man as far as he could tell. He made sure to wipe his fingers on the fabric afterwards as he was pretty sure there was blood on his skin by now. It was still sticky, not entirely dried yet. They really were in a rush to fill the room.

“I’ll try to hit him up and have a conversation with him,” Felix hummed and shook his head. “But like… really. You should watch evidence-based stuff with me. Sometimes it gives me a hard time sleeping.”

A small chuckle left Jeongin’s lips. It was fascinating. Their job was danger and death but what really gave them night terrors were unexplained paranormal activites – or at least when it came to Felix. Jeongin had never been a fan of ghosts and other creatures. He found fantasy books and movies interesting but they had never been able to hold his interest for long enough to dive into the topic. He liked action and, to everyone’s surprise, cooking shows. He was a horrible cook but it was interesting for him to watch and often helped him relax. His job was stressful enough, having a possibility to calm down was always good. When he came home to Jisung watching a documentary on the tv in the living room he sometimes joined him though with a cup of hot chocolate or some tea.

Both Felix and Jeongin were very aware that their brain was wired differently than normal people.

Neither the dead man nor the fact they were locked up was filling their bodies with panic. They were both very clearly alarmed as it was a dangerous situation, but they weren’t filled with dread and fear of their own lives. They had been through enough life-threatening events to know that somehow, they would find a way out of here, alive. It was more dangerous than other circumstances they had experienced, but they also had an amazing team that might have already noticed that they had not returned home.

“Funny, isn’t it?” Jeongin mumbled as he had put his hands back on the wall to feel what else was around them. The stone was cold against his fingers and bare of any tapestry or other wallpaper, slightly wet and Jeongin wasn’t sure if it was just water or other fluids as well. This, too, did not cause any fear in his body. “How we are barely scared of this situation. Unsettled, yeah, but…” He shrugged, not finishing his sentence.

“I’ve talked to Chan about it before,” Felix mumbled, back on his knees as well though his mind was focusing on Jeongin’s words and not what he was doing. His hands were feeling what was around them as well. “He asked if I’d prefer a mundane life over being here, well not here-here but over being with you guys, in the organisation.”

“And?” Jeongin asked curiously and glanced over to him. Felix’ voice always had a calming effect, making him relax despite the severity of the mission. “Do you?”

“No,” Felix said and sat on the ground, thinking for a moment. “I am good at what I do. I am a great sharpshooter and I have quite some freedom. I earn a nice amount of money, I live in a nice place. And I have fantastic people in my life that I would have never met if I hadn’t joined this place.”

“But what if the event that brought you here never happened?” Jeongin asked, tilting his head.

Shrugging slightly, Felix leaned against the wall. Jeongin knew why he had joined Clé, however they all preferred not to talk about it. “I might have had a harder time to join then, to accept things. That time shaped me, made me who I am. I don’t think I can imagine a different life as it would mean I’d be a different person.” Gently he shook his head. “And I don’t want to be a different person than I am now.”

For a moment Jeongin was quiet, no sounds filling the room nor coming from the outside before a soft sigh left his lips. “Same,” he then nodded, more to himself than anyone else. “I mean, I didn’t have any lifechanging event like most of you had but just the thought of being unable to be here, to help the people we can, to stop the bad things from happening like we did numerous times before, never meeting you guys… I cannot imagine that at all.” And he did not want to.

“You guys are my home,” Felix said softly and he found Jeongin’s hand in the darkness, gently squeezing it. “But I also like what I am doing. I wouldn’t say we are the good guys but, in my eyes, I know we are at least not the bad guys.”

A small sound left Jeongin’s lips as he hummed. “Oh, we definitely aren’t the good ones. But you’re right, we’re also not the bad ones.” At least in their eyes they weren’t. Yet maybe even people from the mafia did not see themselves as the bad guys so who were they to decide what was good and what was not. Morality was quite complex when you aren’t following the law.

“Oh, hey, another dead- ew, I think this one has been here for a bit,” Jeongin suddenly said and grimaced even though no one could see it. He had felt the skin give in under his fingers and the resulting smell was disgusting. He had a high tolerance when it came to these things but being up close to a dead body was horrific. He hurriedly whiped the liquid on his jeans and sighed. “How well did you do with the door?”

Felix sighed quietly and kept sitting on the ground. How disgusting could one be, not even getting rid of a dead body. Just leaving it here to rot. “We should be able to push it out. It’s not as heavy as it seems and the joints are pretty rusty. Maybe with some work we can get out.”

Nodding quietly to himself Jeongin thought about it. “I found a pocket knife with the dead dude. Seems to be a fancy one but I’m not sure if it can help us. Though maybe we can use it to weaken the joints.” He shrugged, turning his head towards Felix. Now in the dark he could make out the other’s silhouette, barely but definitely there. The darkness still gave him a hard time to recognize any features but at least he was not completely blind any longer.

“Let’s try that then,” Felix nodded and got up, grabbing Jeongin’s hand and helping him up. Time to get to work.

-

“I’m going now,” Chan said, shoes already on and jacket in his hand as he looked at the others. They had agreed on it being the right time for the other to return to the premises even though all of them were anything but willing to let the oldest go.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Hyunjin asked, clearly on edge. During the last hour it had become his job to walk up to the living room window and back to the cat tree to play with Dori for a long moment just to return back to the window – right now though he was standing rooted to his spot in the living room, close to the hallway.

There was a small smile on Chan’s lips, weak but clearly there. “I know you are worried, I am too,” he added quietly but still looked at them. “But it is the best idea. If even Soohyuk disagreed on this, then only I can actually figure out what’s going on. Maybe it’s just a stupid test or maybe they just want to scare the shit out of me so I know not betray them. They’ve done shit like that before, wouldn’t be the first time.” The prior right hand and other members close to the boss had to undergo similarly hidous tests and Chan wouldn’t be surprised if this was his. Late but sadly not out of character for their boss who was prone to sudden changes of heart.

“I don’t like this,” Jisung mumbled and looked at them. He had offered to drive Chan but it was a stupid idea, even he was aware of that. A stranger close to the mafia, possibly getting caught by the cameras? Surely, Chan could have friends but it was definitely not a smart idea to get too close to a place that was holding the secrets of his illegal workplace when they weren’t sure what cards their enemy was going to play next. All of this could be a minor event for them or it could be like opening a can of worms.

“I’ll be back sooner than you think,” Chan said and looked at Minho who was leaning onto the doorframe, taking a shaky breath.

“You better be,” Hyunjin exclaimed, walking up to Chan and squishing his cheeks like they were a stressball. “You better come home.” It was a warning but also a heartfelt plea that he needed to be fulfilled. He needed Chan and he was entering the most dangerous premises right now. The kidnapping had been for Chan, to most likely hurt him in some way, and going there meant he was making himself a victim of whatever scheme the mafia was currently playing.

Slowly Chan nodded and ruffled Hyunjin’s hair, accidentally pulling a few strands out of his ponytail but that was the least of their problems. As he pulled away Hyunjin huffed and picked up Soonie who was slowly walking past him. The cat made a surprised sound but slowly leaned into the touch. The cats were aware that something was going on and maybe they were their saving grace as they managed to distract them quite fairly. Minho had allowed them all to spoil the cats with treats and the resulting purring definitely calmed their nerves.

“Be safe,” Minho mumbled as he looked at Chan who merely hummed quietly in response. None of them felt the need to remind Chan to ‘not do anything stupid’ – they knew he would not. He wasn’t the right hand of the mafia boss for nothing. Yet just saying those words were like handing him all the support and luck they could. None of them could come with him. If they were unlucky they would cause more chaos than help, maybe even disclosing information to the mafia they were not supposed to reveal and their pure mingling could cause a possible smaller situation to escalate into a fullgrown disaster. Especially now when Felix’ and Jeongin’s life were at stake.

Jisung wasn’t sure what to say. There were so many words screaming in his head and so many feelings bubbling in his chest, ready to escape. He pushed them down as none of them were the right ones. So instead he just stepped forward and pulled the oldest into a hug. He knew how dangerous the mafia was, he had experienced it first hand, and he was terrified that Chan would not return. It wouldn’t be the first person he had cared for who he lost to those disgusting people. He was hugging Chan way too tight and for way too long but instead of trying to get out of it, the other just hugged back. It felt safe.

When they let go both of them felt like something was missing.

Chan shortly glanced at Seungmin who looked up from his laptop and returned the eye contact. It was a mutual understanding, quiet and without words, just them knowing they would be okay. Seungmin nodded at Chan who hummed quietly. “Keep me updated,” he then said, reminding them of the hidden earpiece he was wearing, before he finally stepped out of the door.

It felt anything but good to let him go.

Hyunjin looked after Chan until he couldn’t see him anymore and then closed the door, leaning onto it, taking a deep breath and then burying his face in Soonie’s fur. The cat just let him.

“Do you think he’ll be safe?” Jisung asked the others, looking at Minho who was now sitting back on the couch, gently playing with Dori who had immediately jumped up and rolled onto his back, ready to get bellyrubs. Dori loved belly rubs and getting his paws played with and he often requested it in the most inappropriate situations.

“He’s smart,” Seungmin replied instead, still looking towards the door where Chan had disappeared and where Hyunjin was still leaning. Slowly the other looked back up from his self-suffocation fur-spa.

“And he has absolutely no self-preseveration,” his face turned sour. He always had been the one who openly showed the most that he hated Chan going to the mafia.

None of them had dared say it but Hyunjin was right and they all knew it.

-

They were gone.

The door was wide open and the room was empty aside from two corpses – one clearly long overdue when it came to being moved and the other still freshly dead, maybe just a few hours cold. The blood was still sticky on the ground and Changbin could tell someone had knelt pretty close to it. Of course, Felix and Jeongin had freed themselves from the ropes, however even Changbin had underestimated them: he had not expected the two of them to get out of the room without anyone noticing. The two guys who had guarded the room had been knocked out and were now tied to their own chairs, Changbin noticing the signature knot Felix preferred to use when tying someone up.

And fuck, Changbin would be proud of those two if this hadn’t been the most stupid thing they could have done. They didn’t know, of course they did not know, but escaping might cost them their lives and was also clearly giving away that there was more to them than it seemed.

Quickly Changbin untied the guards and just hoped they had not seen it coming or otherwise Felix and Jeongin would be in big fucking trouble – more than they already were. If anyone found them in the hallways, they would be in real danger. He hurriedly threw the ropes back into the empty room. He wondered how the fuck the two had opened the door as it did not look like physical force had been used but that was unimportant right now. It was a question for a later time, right now he needed to find them in the maze of the mafia building.

The building had been revamped and optimized for their use when the mafia had chosen this place as their current headquarters and it was extremely challenging to find a way out if one was not accustomed to it.

Changbin had lived through quite a few relocations and every time it got more difficult than before. Even if Jeongin and Felix were high profile agents that did not mean they would be able to outplay any enemy they encountered. Even Changbin had ended up lost despite knowing where to go and how to get out. Even Sunmi, one of the smartest people he had ever met, had gotten confused with a few hallways before.

“They aren’t where they are supposed to be,” Changbin mumbled, letting Seungmin and the others know that their friends were gone. “I better look for them.” Now that was more to reassure all of them – himself included. Quickly he glanced around, making sure everything looked ordinary and no obvious traces were left before he turned around and hopefully took the same hallway the others had taken. Now all he could do was trust his instincts and hope he knew the two men well enough to find them.

At least Changbin felt lucky in the sense that it was the time of the day – or rather night – in which most people were either on jobs or at home, asleep and in their bed. Exactly where Chan and him would have been too. If it had been just a few hours later the place would have been much more alive, their chances of surviving all of this slimming with every additional person roaming the area.

Changbin took a few stairs up, glancing into the offices that were closed whenever he had an inkling but it always turned out to be wrong.

“Fuck fuck fuck,” he cursed quietly, for once grateful there were no surveillance cameras in this area. That would definitely be their downfall. However the further they strayed, the closer to danger they would get, so he had no time to waste.

If Changbin was honest, he had no idea how he was supposed to find them. They could be anywhere – in an office, in the vents, someone might have already caught them or maybe, if they were really lucky, they had found the exit. Not that he put a lot of trust in it.

Trying his best to remember what ways he had taken when he had first ended up stranded in the hallways, he turned a few times, stopping at the bathroom and looking inside the stalls but they were unoccupied and empty, his footsteps echoing from the walls. So, he kept going, looking left and right and each turn got harder – if he took the wrong way, if he turned the wrong corner he would get further and further away from them. He could feel the panic settle in his chest, rattling on his composure. He just wanted to break down and cry, this entire situation was a fucking nightmare. Unfortunately, he had no time so he pushed down any possible emotion that would steal his self-control and kept going.

From time to time he stopped and listened but with one ear it was difficult to actually hear two really good assassins who could probably sneak up on him without him even noticing. He huffed in despair as he turned another corner, and then he noticed it.

It was tiny, almost invisible, but just at the height of Changbin’s hips he could see three small dots on the wall. It was something people might think was just dirt but Changbin would recognize it everywhere. When they had a mission together and lost each other, it was their way to find each other again, give them a sign to know they had been here and push them into the right direction. Those three dots had the same pattern as the three always prominent and visible freckles on Felix’ eyelid. While the shape of it was rather horizontal on Felix’ eyelid, they had turned it vertical on the wall, one dot slightly forward. It was almost like an uneven arrow, pointing him the right decision. Changbin brushed over it, the ink still so wet that it smudged and looked even more like dirt.

For a moment he wondered how the hell they even had the time to get a goddamn pen but then again, he could not care less. This entire building was full of office supplies and there had been missions with Felix actually using blood to leave hints so a pen was probably the better choice.

Changbin knew he would not find every wall adorned with those three dots but he finally had something to look out for and he knew he was on the right path. He praised all the gods he did not believe in for making his teammates so smart as he kept rushing through the halls, trying his best to keep his pokerface whenever he met someone in the hallways or passed an open door with someone inside. He even waved once or twice while he kept going. It was not rare for him to wander through the halls like this, he was mostly busy and it was quite well-known. If he did not stop for a talk, he had no time to spare.

“So smart,” he mumbled as he found another array of dots, making sure to brush over it again and turning it useless. “So so so clever.” It was more to himself but he wanted Seungmin to know he was not clueless anymore. He took a set of stairs and then turned another corner, rushing through the hallway and almost missing the dots.

They were right next to a doorframe and he knew it was an unused office of one of the people recently taken out. Changbin could not remember if he had told Felix or Jeongin about the person but it did not matter. Instead of bothering his mind with insignificant questions he opened the door and closed them behind him, turning on the light. As the room was not connected to the outside walls of the building there were no windows, only the vents and aircon to bring fresh air – it meant no way out aside from the door and if someone was extra risky maybe the vents, but it also provided them with the security of no one seeing them through the glass.

On the first glance the room looked unoccupied, empty even, and for a long moment Changbin started to doubt that he had mistaken some dirt as their sign.

“Innie? Lix?” His voice was small and shaky as he spoke their names and it only took seconds for them to fall out of their hiding spots. Felix had hidden in one of the closets, jammed between some files and dust and some paper scattered to the floor when he stumbled out of it. Jeongin had only hidden behind a pile of boxes, like a child during hide and seek. He almost threw them down as he got up way to quick, eyes wide and full of joy.

Jeongin was actually the first one to move, rushing over to Changbin and pulling him into a tight hug. It surprised him as Jeongin had always been slightly touch-repulsed but he gladly took it. Felix was with them within seconds, squeezing them even tighter. Being able to hold them filled his entire body with relief and ease, knowing that his two treasured people were safe and sound in his arms. He could feel the tension slowly disappearing from his body.

“Are you okay?” Changbin asked, hugging them back. He was pretty sure he could spot dry blood on both of them but he could not tell if it was theirs or not. There were so many things he wanted to say – we were terrified, we thought you were dead, I’m so sorry this happened – but he knew they were aware of all of them. Instead he stuck to the important questions.

“Only minor injuries,” Felix mumbled, still hugging onto them tightly until Jeongin made a sound of clear discomfort and he let go. “Nothing big, don’t worry.” He showed Changbin a warm smile and the youngest nodded in approval.

“I’m so glad you are here,” Jeongin mumbled as he stayed close to Changbin, nodding at him. He was clearly relieved he had found them rather quickly. They felt much safer with him. “This fucking place is shit. How does anyone escape from here?”

“They don’t,” Changbin gave back and shortly ruffled Jeongin’s hair, careful to not accidentally hurt him. After all someone had tried to kidnap him and he was sure while trying to knock them out both of them had gotten hurt. “The dots were damn clever. I swear I would not have found you otherwise.”

A small chuckle left Felix’ lips and he nodded. “Yeah, I’m glad I remembered.” It had felt like a ritual, something Changbin and him just did, so his body had remembered and it had probably saved them. “Jeongin did the lockpicking and I stole a pen and left traces.”

Surprised Changbin looked at Jeongin. “Another skill I did not know about,” he mumbled and Jeongin chuckled quietly, humming.

“Can’t give away my secrets that easily,” he joked and nodded. “I wasn’t sure if I could with that old rusty door but guess we were lucky.” In one way or another at least. When they had been unable to move the door from the joints even just slightly, it had been his next best idea and luckily the door was old enough for him to use as little supplies as he had found. The guards behind the door had not even noticed them opening the door before Felix and him had already knocked them out – in a way more effective way than their kidnappers had tried with them.

Nodding along, Changbin looked at them with a fond expression. He had heard of no one who had been able to break out of one of the rooms that were used as prisoner cells, however he had also never known of any professional agents being locked up in there. There was always a first for everything and he hoped this was the last time either way.

“We need to go,” he then said and straightened his back. “And we need to be quick.” The faster they got out the sooner they would all be home and okay. He would work with the consequences later, right now all that mattered was them being safe and sound. He saw the other two nodding before he took a deep breath. “I know a way out where no security cameras should currently be working.” It was a hassle to use it and also pretty nasty but hey, better safe than sorry, right? “Just stay close and don’t make a sound, just act confident. We get new people fairly regular so maybe I can just bullshit myself through anyone seeing us.” In general though he just hoped no one would see them at all.

It was true, it wasn’t rare that Changbin had rookies with him, some of them coming back from a job and still covered in blood, others overwhelmed by whatever they had to do. If this had been a rather sudden idea of the boss no one should actually know Felix’ nor Jeongin’s identity so it was possible to just lie and pretend.

“Let’s go,” Felix said, letting Changbin know that, yes, he had understood and would do as said and so would Jeongin.

Opening the door back into the depth of the building brought back all the tension that had previously been hugged out of Changbin’s body and he wished there was another way to do this, but he needed to work fast. As soon as people were alerted and were actually conscious about the fact that two captives had managed to escape it would be way harder to get them out of here. So instead of sitting down and creating a plan he put all his hopes into just getting out in time.

The hallways were as empty as before, quiet aside from the occasional voices wavering in from the rooms. They passed a lounge and Changbin had honestly been terrified of walking through as often times people liked to spend their nights here and chat but today only two people were napping on the couches. As quiet as they could they passed the room and no one spared them a glance. Regardless Changbin could feel the sweat building up on his palms.

Turning another corner, they finally reached a hallway with windows. They were tinted, of course, but it meant they were very close to freedom. For a very short moment Changbin had the urge to just open the window and let the other two climb out and just run, but he also knew they had people guarding the building. And he would definitely not risk them getting shot.

“We’re close,” he mumbled as he turned another corner and his eyes were fixed on a door. The smell in this part of the building was horrendous already. The way they were taking was a dumpside for all kinds of stuff, not only trash but for everything that was no longer needed. He was pretty sure he had seen someone throw in some human skin, old drugs, some dead plants someone had brought into an office and had forgotten, lunch, other unnamed body parts - they weren’t supposed to throw human remnants away here, however that didn’t mean people listened to that rule– and the smell showed exactly that.

“That’s fucking disgusting,” Felix mumbled as he kept walking, pulling his shirt over his face. He could see that this area was a lot more vacant than before and it did not surprise him at all. The smell was sharp and pungent and he had a hard time not just holding his breath. He could clearly see Jeongin was doing the same.

“It is,” Changbin explained as he moved quicker, the end of the hallway almost in reach. “It’s getting burned in two days but the smell never leaves,” he let them know. “People don’t really like going there.”

“What a surprise,” Jeongin huffed quietly and he he almost doubted that once they walked through this trash dump they would be able to ever get rid of that odor. Whatever got them home though, right?

A small snort left Changbin’s lips as his heart skipped a beat. He heard footsteps behind them, way too close for comfort. Rushing towards the door he gripped the handle and pushed it down and almost screamed in frustration – locked. It was too late anyways, the footsteps coming to a halt behind them and he didn’t need to look to know they were trapped.

“Seo Changbin, what the fuck are you doing?” Sunmi’s voice echoed from the walls around them, sharp and threatening. He knew she was not to be played with and he immediately lifted his hands as a sign that he was in fact not armed. Even if he was not a traitor, he would have done the same to show her that he was no danger. He also knew when to keep his mouth shut and that was right now.

It was no use to try and explain anyway, she was too smart.

Turning around he looked right into a gun pointing at him and he was very aware that if Sunmi pulled the trigger, she would definitely hit her target. Right beside her stood Soohyuk, finger on the trigger, the bandage still perfectly wrapped around his hand. Changbin had been so sure he had not given him any reason to suspect him but here they were, two of the most dangerous and smartest people of this fucking shitshow. They had two more people with them and despite having been here for so long, Changbin could not recognize them. But they were taller and broader than all of them and the guns in their hands were definitely making any chances to get away disappear.

Felix and Jeongin were standing close to him and he could see the despair in their eyes, the uncertainty, the hesitation between giving up or just fighting until death – the shake of Changbin’s head was enough for them to know that it was useless. He did not need to properly look at them to know how shaken and upset they were. Changbin also did not dare to look at them, not prepared to find any kind of terror or disappointment on their faces. He would not be able to bear it, the fear of losing them so strong right now he was barely able to breathe or even consider moving and once again all he could do was hold onto the dwindling small amount of hope he still had left.

Maybe they still had a chance. Maybe they would get locked up and they had a possibility to think of a plan. Maybe there was a way out of this.

But after Sunmi grabbed his hair, gun against his back, walking them into the main part of the building, Changbin knew they would not get locked up, they would not get the chance to get away this easily. Not again. All the emotions he had pushed down were coming back, clawing their way through his body, now accompanied by the terrifying certainty that they would surely not make it out alive today.

Biting down on his lip Changbin tried his best to mute his voice when he was kicked to his knees, hitting the marble floor with a loud thump. It would leave dark bruises for days but that was the smallest of his worries right now. Jeongin and Felix were both out of his reach, also kneeling on the ground, gun way too close to their beautiful faces.

Slowly Changbin lifted his head, looking at the man standing not too far away from them – scarred and wrinkly, a face he did not enjoy to see. Not now, not never, unless it was contorted in pain. Changbin was good in hiding it when he needed to but right now he had never hated the head of the mafia more and it was showing.

And right next to him: Bang Chan. Lovely, charming Bang Chan who was looking at them as if they were the scum of the earth.

Chapter Text

Hyunjin was leaning on the balcony, body tense from all the waiting. Jisung had started to remodel his Animal Crossing island to get his hands onto something to do while Minho was brushing his cats, trying to use the time as wisely as possible. They were all on edge, Seungmin the only one who was actually able to at least do something, surfing the different platforms to see if he could find anything of use. But Changbin had told them that there were no cameras where their friends would be held and by now they were also pretty aware of the fact that cameras in general were quite rare inside the mafia headquarters.

With a deep sigh Hyunjin stared onto the city of Seoul, the nightlights illuminating their neighborhood. For a moment he was wondering who else was awake at 3 am and why. He doubted anything could be as meaningful and painful as what they were going through. Hyunjin craved for them to have an equally mundane reason as well. Not their friends being caught by one of the most dangerous people in the city, mayaps even the whole country.

Rubbing his face Hyunjin turned around and walked back inside, looking at the other three habituating the living room. None of them were speaking. Jisung was staring on the screen of his Switch, Minho was looking at Doongie who let himself be groomed without any complaints and Seungmin was watching his computer screen with rapt attention, typing something on the keyboard from time to time before clicking around with his mouse. Hyunjin hated this waiting game.

“Fuck this, there has to be something we can do,” he groaned and let himself fall onto the couch, just for Doongie to jump up in surprise and almost flee the scene. Despite the cats being all friendly it didn’t mean they weren’t easily startled. Minho was giving him a very disappointing glance for it before gently cooing at his cat, slowly getting it to relax once more.

“Like what?” Jisung asked in honest curiosity. He felt the same, they all probably felt the same but they were unable to help their friends in any way. If they marched into the mafia or even just close and someone noticed, they would only put their friends into more danger.

“Dunno man. I just hate being unable to do anything,” Hyunjin groaned and sank further into the couch. “We are trained for such situations, we should find something we can do.”

“We’re currently doing all we can,” Seungmin said and glanced at them. “Anything more and we would endanger them. And I am not risking their lives. At least Changbin finally found them. All we can do is wait for them to get out,” he explained and shrugged, clearly not happy with the situation himself but he was more used to it. Sitting behind a screen and using a computer was his specialty, both in the NIS and in Clé and sometimes waiting and observing while the rest of his team was mostly dispatched to a mission where actions had to be taken rather unexpectedly was part of his daily routine. Not to the others though, some of which weren’t exactly the most patient people even in the most mundane situations. And right now, it was especially showing in Hyunjin, who was restless and pacing and complaining again and again and again.

As if to highlight that, a whine left Hyunjin’s lips and he hugged his legs, watching Seungmin. “I know. I am very aware of that and I hate everything about it,” he grumbled and put his chin on top of his knees. “I feel so fucking useless. I can’t even turn the favor in, and because what? Because they are fucking elitists who don’t fucking care. I saved their asses and what do I get in return? A ‘sorry, my hands are tied in that matter’ and ‘I don’t mess with such people’. Yeah you know what? Fuck off.” He growled and shook his head. He was pissed. He had been unable to do anything and now he couldn’t even ask someone for help who he knew definitely had the possibility to do so – that is if they wanted. But they really didn’t care. They simply didn’t want to help, at all.

“It sucks,” Minho said, not looking up and only keeping his eyes on Doongie and still brushing his fur.

Jisung nodded quietly, glancing towards them. He had no ideas how favors worked, especially not in Hyunjin’s world, but he was sure if someone could help, they were definitely supposed to. Yet here they were, unable to do anything. He felt so lost. Jisung had rarely ever felt this useless and he had experienced his own fair share of difficult situations. It was making his hands sweaty and shaky, the situation just hard to endure. Emotionally it was pure torture and he was pretty sure the other three weren’t doing too well either.

“It more than just sucks,” Hyunjin whined but he was very aware that Minho wasn’t trying to undermine the severity of how fucked the entire situation was. None of them would be able to properly describe how much they just despised the hours of waiting as they were very aware that despite Changbin having found the other two, each of them could end up dead any second.

“They’ll make it out alive, right?” he then mumbled, just wanting some reassurance from the others. If they couldn’t do anything, they could at least lull themselves into a false sense of security. Or at least that was what Hyunjin wanted to do right now as the waiting was suffocating.

“Changbin is with them. And Chan is on the way,” Jisung said and looked at Hyunjin, his fingers hovering over the joy sticks. He hadn’t done much remodeling on his island yet, despite clearly needing to get rid of the horrible mindset. “They are smart, I am sure they will find a way.” He gently patted Hyunjin’s leg as he clearly didn’t want to get up from the ground, just sitting on the floor and holding his Switch.

A small sigh left Hyunjin’s lips, as he slowly settled down next to Jisung, leaning back against the couch. He could feel Minho’s legs touching his shoulder, mostly by accident, however it still gave him some sort of comfort. Ever since the failed phone call Hyunjin was even more restless. He had just wanted to be able to help but instead he had felt even more crushed than before. It had been nothing but a waste of time – not that there was anything more useful for him to do during that time.

“Is there anything new, Seung?” Hyunjin then asked and Jisung returned to looking at his device. Hyunjin’s eyes followed his for a moment, curious to see what Jisung was creating. For a moment there was just silence and Hyunjin barely noticed that he wasn’t getting an answer – for Seungmin that was pretty normal, sometimes the other just liked to take his time.

“Seungmin?” It was Minho who had stopped brushing Doongie and was now looking at their friend in front of the computer. “What’s wrong?”

Seungmin was clearly tense. His face had paled and he was just staring at the desktop in front of him, holding his mouse tightly as he was holding his breath. All of them immediately knew something was going on and it was clearly nothing good. For a moment he closed his eyes and bit his bottom lip, a small quiver clearly obvious. For the first time of the entire night, he turned towards the other three.

“They caught them,” he whispered, voice clearly shaking. “And they-“ His voice broke, a lump in his throat. He was shaking and it was impossible to hide it. How was he supposed to tell them?

“Fuck,” Hyunjin cursed, immediately getting up but he didn’t even know what to do. Springing into action was something he had in his blood by now, but there was no action to actually take. Not for them, they were the audience to a macrabe play, one that left you breathless and with mindnumbing heartache.

Jisung was also looking at Seungmin now, his Switch down in his lap as his eyes were wide from shock. He had no words left to say, he could only feel the cold shiver going down his spine as he was so very aware that there was more going on than just their friends getting caught.

“They what?” Minho asked insistently, wanting Seungmin to keep speaking. He knew he needed to brace himself but no matter what it was, he wouldn’t be prepared. They were his friends, anything happening to them would leave them all in pain.

Clear pain was on Seungmin’s face as he covered his mouth for a second, tears shimmering in his eyes. His composure was long forgotten.

“They’re torturing Bin.”

-

The knife to his throat felt like a fucking joke. The metal was cool and so sharp, any amount of slight pressure would result in blood running down his neck.

Changbin found it ridiculous how he had just cleaned Soohyuk’s wound earlier and now that same hand was grabbing his hair, holding his head up while he pressed the metal against his skin. Yet despite the acute threat of injury Changbin completely disregarded the man, only staring at towards the looming figure only a few meters away. The boss of the mafia, Song Kangho, was still leaning onto his desk, the lamp that stood on it turned on but useless now that the entire office was illuminated. He looked even older in that light, skin thin and wrinkly despite his bodyweight and his thick black-gray eyebrows casting dark shadwos onto his face. He wasn’t exactly too old but his time was long due and yet here he was, right in front of them and holding them all at gunpoint. Or, right now at least, Changbin at knifepoint.

From the corner of his eye he could see Felix and Jeongin, both kneeling just like Changbin was. No one was making a move to tie them up, however it also wasn’t necessary. They were clearly overpowered and each of their actions needed to be properly thought through. To the mafia Felix and Jeongin also were just some random dudes from the streets, friends from Chan that barely knew how to fight – aside from biting. And they had two people with firearms next to Changbin so they weren’t worried.

“What am I witnessing here, Seo? Why does it look like you’re taking my newly acquired goods from me?”

Changbin felt like throwing up. Goods. That asshole was calling them goods when the two young man next to him were clearly people with an own mind. But what was he expecting from a human trafficking asshole who had even sold his own daughter to some pimp just to gain more power and money? This man had never cared about his own people, not even the ones closest to him. All he wanted was power and people to worship him – and if it caused others to die or for the entire place to collapse, metaphorically or literally, he would be the last one to care. Changbin knew he would leave the sinking ship. It would never even occur for him to go down with it like a good captain.

“Speak.” There was anger in the man’s voice, impatient and unforgiving as always but not enough to actually move away from his desk.

Changbin just stared blankly at him. This same man had taught him not to speak in such situations, to go mute when being caught by someone, and he would do exactly that. Any word would be used against him – and not only him, but Felix and Jeongin. He could feel Soohyuk grip his hair hard and by now the knife was truly cutting into his skin, sharp on the edge. He could feel the warm trickle of blood running down his throat. Just a little bit more force and it would easily carve a beautiful pattern into his soft flesh.

“All I wanted to do was test Chris’ loyalty.  And instead I find out your loyalty is clearly not as strong as I thought,” Song Kangho said, straightening his back and Changbin knew that this was pure anger moving him. He had worked under this man for so long, he knew his quirks, his reactions, his methods. He had witnessed them all and he knew very well what was to come. “The question is, why? Who are these two men to you?”

The man looked at Felix and Jeongin and finally moved, taking a step towards them. Changbin immediately felt his body tense, yet he wasn’t trying to let it show.

Felix was staring back at the man with pure aversion. He hated this son of a bitch. So many stories had reached him. Most not even by Chan or Changbin, however he had his sources and this person right in front of him was such a disgusting piece of shit. Now that he had a face to the ominous person, his hatred was even stronger, clearly manifesting on his face. And Felix knew he would get them all out, no matter the cost. He would play his part before he got them all out, safe and sound.

Jeongin however was averting his eyes, just looking down. Even with the pounding of his heart and the shaking of his body he was forcing himself to focus and look for a way out. Yet he feared the only way out was fighting and that would end bloody, most likely for both parties. It was something they had done before, however usually both parties had been armed, a fair fight. This right now was anything but fair and he could feel the oncoming headache the situation caused him.

The office was filled with open bookcases full of publications, chronicles and files. A few golden trophies and small black boxes adorned the shelves. Weapons or guns however were nowhere to be seen. Surely, they could definitely smash a skull with those trophies, but the guns pointed at them would put a hole in their bodies before they even got their hands on one of them. And the knife to Changbin’s throat would have him bleed out quicker than any of them wanted to believe. Jeongin wouldn’t risk it. They needed firearms and protection but they had nothing. And on top of that he honestly couldn’t even tell if Chan was on their side or not. His gaze was cold and unwavering and Jeongin knew Chan could hide his expressions well if he had to, he had seen it way too often, but right now there wasn’t even a slight hint on if he was here to do his best and save them or if he was actually making sure they would die like flies in the dirt.

And right now, the latter looked a little too possible.

The sound of a hard slap filled the office and Jeongin’s head snapped up to see Changbin’s cheek turn bright red. Sunmi had smacked his face so hard that it had whipped the other’s head around. She looked skinny and small but clearly, she was hiding a lot of strength under her clothing.

“Didn’t expect you to be a traitor,” she spit and lifted his chin, looking at Changbin. When they had been younger Changbin had always felt like a little brother to her. She had wanted to protect him and teach him about the world, wanted to make sure that he wouldn’t misstep and fall, pampering him so he would grow to be a strong person. But now here he was, trying to break out their captives and while she was loyal to the boss, she was even more loyal to the mafia, as an entity. And breaking code - freeing prisoners - meant breaking the unspoken laws of this place. It didn’t matter how much she might like Changbin, he was working against everything she believed in and she wouldn’t let him go unpunished. Or maybe she wouldn’t let him go at all.

“Time to start with your punishment,” the boss interjected, his voice cold and stern. “Maybe that will get you to speak.” They were all very aware that Changbin would most likely to speak sooner if they actually hurt the two people he had tried to free, however despite what was just said this wasn’t exactly about making him do so. Not yet. This was about punishing a traitor. They wouldn’t kill him, no, first they would discipline him, then they would try to figure out why he had really done it. Then and only then they would kill him.

And Changbin knew that. Of course, he did, he had grown up in this place, had seen how it worked and had even helped Chan get used to this kind of people, had made him understand how they thought. Which meant he was prepared for what was to come - as much as anyone could be prepared at least.

“Start with the usual,” Song Kangho said, looking at Chan, a clear demand.

And Chan stepped forward right away.

Felix wanted to scream at the other, to tell him to stop but in the worst-case scenario it might give too much information away. One wrong word spoken by accident and their chances of getting out would go from slim to nonexistant. Instead, he just stared at his friend who was now kneeling in front of Changbin and requesting the knife with just an open hand and no emotion in his eyes. They were empty, face expressionless as he took the weapon and only spared a small glance towards Changbin who was focusing on a spot on the ground, biting his bottom lip for a short second. And unlike Changbin Felix had no idea what he was supposed to expect. And no words could have ever prepared him of what was to come.

“Take him to the desk,” Chan then said to Soohyuk and Sunmi, nodding towards the one that the boss had earlier leaned on. “Free it from files so the blood wont ruin anything.”

Getting pulled to his feet by the harsh tug to his hair was painful but Changbin knew it would be nothing compared to what was to come. He almost stumbled over his feet. They had fallen asleep from the kneeling and immediately started the familiar tingling that was associated with that. What an absurd situation, he was being dragged to be tortured and all he could think about if even for a moment was that his legs had fallen asleep. He almost laughed out loud but instead bit down on his lip once more, walking towards the table as unconspiculously as he could. He had almost expected them to throw the documents off the desk but instead they neatly stacked them and put them away until the table was freed of everything. Soohyuk put Changbin’s left hand onto the cold wood of the desk, looking at him with eyes filled with pure disgust. It was almost amusing how he had been so very grateful before yet was now staring holes into him, obviously wanting to tear him apart. He had the same stance as Sunmi so it was no surprise to Changbin. And a few years back he would have felt the same but times had changed and so had his view on this disgusting group of people.

“If I were you, I’d speak quickly,” Soohyuk prompted and Changbin almost rolled his eyes. Especially he should know that it didn’t matter. Even if Changbin spoke – which he definitely would not – the punishment wouldn’t stop. Maybe they would kill him quicker if he was lucky. However, that wouldn’t buy Felix and Jeongin time to find a route to escape or give Chan the possibility to think of a solution. And Changbin could clearly see that he was thinking, trying to put his braincells together like a puzzle to save them. Hopefully his pretty head worked fast enough as Changbin feared they were running out of time and he was clearly at a disandvantage. For a short moment he dared to look at Chan right in front of him.

Chan’s eyes weren’t really looking at anything, he was working on autopilot – punishment and pain was always better than death even when there was just the slightest possibility of getting out. And Changbin knew that Chan wasn’t giving up on them, Chan still believed they would find a way out. He just didn’t know how to right now. It was barely noticeable, his body moving a little slower, his nose slightly scrunching, his lower lip twitching from time to time. Changbin knew his friend very well and he wanted to tell him that it was okay. That he shouldn’t hesitate as it meant giving away that Chan, too, wasn’t as loyal as the boss might think. Unfortunately, any sort of words would let everyone here know that they both were in on the same scheme. So, once again all Changbin chose was silence.

The sharp tip of the knife settling snuck underneath one of his nails sent a short piercing pain through his body. Quickly Changbin pressed his teeth together, locking his jaw – he wouldn’t scream. The intial pain was the worst, but he had braced himself for it – which clearly stopped him from making any sounds at least for now. It was important to him, he couldn’t and wouldn’t cause anything that might haunt Chan even more. It was so obvious that this entire situation alone would already cause him so much trauma. Holding his breath was the better choice he had as the knife slowly pushed deeper before it was lifted upwards, the nail slowly lifting from its bed. It was a hot and seering kind of pain, not as piercing and sharp as before, as he felt the skin slowly ripping from his nail and Changbin pressed his eyes close for just a few seconds. A strong slap ripped them back open almost immediately.

“Open your eyes and watch this, bastard,” Sunmi demanded angrily, grabbing his hair to make him look at his hands. “You think you’re so very strong but soon you’ll be weeping on the floor, traitor,” she hissed. Clearly, she was pissed.

And honeslty, Changbin understood. This place was her home, this was all she knew. To her she supported the mafia with her whole heart and body and he got that. She was furious as he was working against the place she loved. He would feel the same if anyone wanted to harm what and who he loved most.

There was blood dripping over the beautiful wood of the desk and Changbin almost found it to be a pity. Back then his father had marveled over this desk, over how expensive and valuable it was and now to Changbin it was amusing that it was him who defiled it by spilling blood over this rare antiquity.

Once it had been lifted completely, his nail was discarded next to his hand, leaving his ring finger naked and in pain. He could feel it pulsating with pain but it wasn’t like Changbin hadn’t experienced this before. Training people for torture with the same methods they liked to make people suffer from was probably not the smartest move, though it had prepared him for this first part. Still, Changbin knew that this was just the beginning of what was yet to come. He looked at Chan almost daringly before he huffed, a clear sign of ‘was that all?’. He wasn’t speaking, speaking would only get them into more trouble and he also knew that it would make him more inclined to scream once they inflicted real pain on him. He prefered not to do that. For the sake of everyone’s mental health.

“Please, stop,” Felix suddenly begged, looking up at the boss. “He just wanted to help us,” he wailed, biting his bottom lip, tears in his eyes. They were shimmering in the light and he was honestly ready to beg some more, to think of some stupid story he could tell to the boss. He was good with coming up with lies though he knew it wasn’t what would make them stop. He was aware that him begging the boss to stop hurting Changbin would not do anything but maybe give them another half a minute and perhaps even distract them all a bit. “Please.”

“Oh, look, someone else is talking,” Song Kangho said and took a step forward again, watching Felix grovel on the ground. “But no one allowed that.” He made a swift gesture and the broad man behind Felix kicked him to the ground, making Jeongin jolt. He was ready to intervene but to everyone else it probably only looked like a frightened man, flinching at the unfamiliar terror of such an organization. He did not dare to move more, not wanting to cause any harm to Felix or anyone else because of some stupid action he took. The boss laughed right into his face. “Clever boy,” he then hummed towards Jeongin. “You know when to not do anything that might make you lose your life, dontcha? Now be quiet and enjoy the show. This is just the start. You don’t really think losing a few nails is the bad part, mh?”

Of course not. None of them thought this was the part that they would stop after.  The look on Song Kangho’s face was pure joy, showing them just how much he enjoyed this. Inflicting pain on someone was something that seemed to fill him with some awry kind of happiness. It was nauseating.

The man turned around and nodded to Chan who slowly pushed the knife under just another fingernail, not looking at Changbin’s face, much less meeting his gaze. His eyes were on the hand, trying his best to take the nail off without damaging any other part of the body. It was bleeding enough for anyone to notice anyway. No one but Changbin maybe, who was looking at his hands, watching the second nail slowly being ripped of his finger. His flesh was trying its best to work against the force Chan was using but eventually it was gave way, once more exposing the sensitive bed the nail had been protecting. It was already covered with blood, dripping from Changbin’s exposed skin even further tarnishing the table. What a waste. Though he had to admit that there was something morbidly satisfying in knowing that it was his blood that would seep into the cracks in the wood and certainly leave stains.

He knew it would take around six months to regrow the nails. It honestly was a pain in the ass to get them to heal properly too. Yet he still found some kind of solance having that knowledge. Changbin could feel the knife back under the nail of his forefinger when he heard the boss make a dissatisfied sound.

“Mix it up a bit, Chris. A reminder of what is yet to come,” the man ordered and even Sunmi and Soohyuk tensed. For a moment both of them glanced over but they did not dare to object, turning their eyes back towards Changbin and Chan.

“Should we cover up your desk, Sir?” Sunmi asked and the boss shook his head, an amused smirk on his lips.

“No, honestly, let him bleed onto it. It’ll be a nice reminder of what happens those who betray me. Especially if they were such trusted followers.” His voice was filled with glee and it was causing them all to hold their breaths for a moment. This was pure sadism, nothing but him setting an example and Chan closed his eyes for a second. He had hoped he would have more time. He needed more time to think of something that would make Changbin look less like a traitor or at least for a way to lock him up and help him escape without any further harm. But now this disgusting man was asking him to keep working around their regular routine, to work faster, and he could feel his own heart shatter into so many pieces. For a second, he looked at Changbin and his eyes screamed ‘I am so sorry, I am so very sorry’ but there was just a tiny smile on the other’s lips. Of course, Changbin had seen it coming, had expected it. He was trying to encourange Chan and take away the guilt – but Chan knew it would not fade. What he now had to do was beyond repair.

The material of the knife sank into the other’s finger so easily, piercing the flesh and tearing apart what it could until it pressed deep into the bone.

It left an eerie feeling, seeing how the knife was lodged between the first and second knuckle of his ring finger. He appreciated Chan trying to go for the fingers he used the least and especially not his little finger as he needed it for strength, however if this kept going in the same speed as before, he would surely soon loose all of them anyways. It felt so absurd.

His body wasn’t catching up with the events happening right in front of him just yet, and the reaction was set in motions a few moments later, when pressure was used. It was an intense pain, something he had almost forgotten – the last time he had experienced it was when he had lost his ear and yet he was almost sure that now was even worse. He couldn’t completely surpress the way his body trembled in shock and horror. Changbin had cut off people’s fingers before, he had tortured them, removed limbs, killed, but losing his own finger felt surreal.

The knowledge of how sharp the knife was had been there, he had the same model, but when it actually cut through his bone, all he could do was watch in horror and almost even awe. Chan was using a lot of strength, he knew it as he wasn’t stopping in between, cutting his finger off with one clean cut until the appendage laid right in front of him in a pool of his own blood.

“Shit,” was all Changbin could press out between his teeth as the little amount of adrenaline that had been cursing through his body disintegrated. Nauseau came next as the fingers of his uninjured hand curled into a fist. For a moment his mind wanted him to just lose it and beg for them to stop. He had been through a lot of training, had been tortured and starved, but the pain of losing a bodpart was stronger than he had anticipated. He was trying his best to keep himself together, but he knew his face was contorted in pain and that his eyes were filled with teart that threatened to spill.

Again, he heard Felix beg, but this time his mind was too focused on not making any further sounds to register what he was saying. He wouldn’t scream. No matter what, he wouldn’t scream. Yet, when the knife touched his middle finger next, cutting through the skin, soft whimpers left his lips. They were almost inaudible, small sobs that were leaving his lips, yet he could feel Chan hesitating, this time stopping for what felt way too long and looking at Changbin – and Changbin could see the pain in the other’s eyes. Chan wanted to stop, wanted to beg for mercy and Changbin wished he would stop, yet they knew their positions, knew whatever they did it would only cause them more pain, more trouble and even less of a possibility of turning the situation around.

The look in Chan’s eyes was something Changbin had seen before. Stay with me. It took all in Changbin to follow that request, to not lose himself to the pain when Chan pressed the knife down, into the bone.

“I told you to stop, you should have fucking listened.” Felix’ voice was cutting through the air, strong and deep. He wasn’t begging, wasn’t wheeping like before. This was an order. It took them all by surprise, Sunmi’s and Soohyuk’s heads snapping around, even Chan flinching, the motion enough for the knife to completely push through.

The following gun shot was earpiercing covered up Changbin’s pained gasp, the sound of it filling the room and taking everyone’s breath away. Each of them was frozen to their spot, motionless as they were staring at the man holding the gun. They had all been so focused on the scene before them, nobody had expected a trigger to be pulled.

The bullet made its way through skin, flesh and bone before it pushed through the brain matter. The skull of Song Kangho was split open, splattering a mixture of brain liquid and blood onto the wall, ground and even the people surrounding him. His body fell to the ground with a pitiful sound, almost like a bag of laundry falling over. His blood quickly pooled around his lifeless corpse, face contorted in a mixture of surprise and horror. It satisfied Felix, knowing that this horrible man had seen the bullet coming towards him.

The only one springing into action was the broad man behind Felix and Jeongin, reaching for his gun – but it was gone.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Jeongin warned, holding his gun right into his face from merely a meter afar. He had gotten up the moment Felix had pulled the trigger. It had been a silent conversation, just some eye contact that no one had spared any eye or noticed. None of them had kept their gaze on them, the men behind them just making sure they were still on the ground. They had been too engrossed in Changbin being tortured. No one had thought of them as even remotely competent enough to cause any havoc.

Felix’s grip on the gun in his hand was tight, as he got up and glanced over to the dead body on the ground. There was one bullethole right on his forehead, just slightly to the left as the man had tried to move the moment Felix had fired the gun. He then looked up at Sunmi and Soohyuk, who lifted their hands as a sign that they would not attack.

“We are loyal to the mafia. Not to the boss,” Sunmi quickly said as she realised how unpredictable the situation was. She had felt someone grab her gun and she knew it had been Chan or Changbin as the two men next to her had moved, yet her eyes were on the freckled man who had just shot their boss.

“Yes,” Soohyuk said quickly, feeling the barrel of a gun against the small of his back. He took a shaky breath. “We won’t fight.” Of course not, they had only known the mafia with Song Kangho but that did not mean he was the man they would follow into death. Honestly, it wasn’t a secret that many had wished him death for years already and while he would have never acted on it, he was surely supportive that wish.

Felix nodded and made a gesture for them to move away from Chan and Changbin.

“It’s okay, Felix,” Chan said and nodded to him, waving him over as Sunmi and Soohyuk took a step away. Jeongin was still holding his gun at the broad men who had quickly gone to their knees, letting them know they wouldn’t start a fight as well. They all could probably easily take them in a fight but with their own guns being used against them, they weren’t able to do much, especially with the added complication of the head of their organization currently dead on the floor. “They won’t do anything,” Chan added then, looking at the four members of the mafia in front of them. “Am I right?”

All four of them nodded quickly, now in the same position as Felix and Jeongin had been before, tense and barely moving.

“It was a plan,” Felix then said, looking at Sunmi and Soohyuk. “Chan expected him to kidnap us.” He nodded towards Jeongin so the others knew he meant the both of them. “It was to ambush him. This way he was distracted enough to take him out without his guards being able to shield him.” It was a lie, of course. But none of them would be able to know as there was no one to prove him wrong.

Chan was grabbing the first-aid-kit, nodding to whatever Felix’ said. He could probably call him a cow right now and he’d just agree. He was too much in shock to actually do anything else. His mind was all caught up around how he had actually just cut off two of Changbin’s fingers. It was screaming at him to work quicker, to do something while Changbin was holding Sunmi’s gun towards her and Soohyuk, willing his hand not to shake as he did. Changbin had actually moved quicker than Chan, seeing how the dead body had fallen ungracefully to the ground and immediately grabbing the gun and pushing it against its former owner’s head. His injured hand was yet to move from the table, adrenaline from the turnabout of the situation enough to dull the pain for now though he knew he wasn’t ready to face what had happened and any movement would be able to remind his body of the injury and change that.

“I needed a reason for him to actually face Seo and the other two,” Chris then said while he grabbed what he needed from the first-aid-kit. His brain had finally caught up on the coverstory that Felix had delivered to him on a silver platter “During the night is when it’s the easiest, when he’s the most vulnerable. It’s almost funny how quickly the both of you jumped into action.” He had no idea how he was spewing such nonsense but it seemed to work.

“But why?” Sunmi asked, her voice still a little shaky. She was frowning. “You were his right hand, did you not support what he was doing?”

“Did any of you support what he was doing?” Jeongin gave back, lifting an eyebrow. He knew only bits and pieces about this place so he was currently bullshitting, luckily he knew from both Changbin and Chan and from the NIS that Song Kangho had crossed many lines even for a mafia boss.

Slowly Soohyuk shook his head and the other followed. “He was the boss but he didn’t care about this place, nor about the people working here.” It was said quietly, as if he was saying something forbidden and, quite frankly, if the corpse that was currently bleeding out into the cold marble floor was still alive, these words would probably get Soohyuk tortured and then beheaded.

“Exactly. This wasn’t about the mafia, this was about him. He killed too many loyal people recently, too many good ones. The right hand before me? He never did anything wrong, he never deserved to die. Song Kangho sold his own daughter. He does not care about this place. He wouldn’t have given a shit if each of us were dead,” Chan said and opened a package of sterile dressing gauze, carefully applying it to Changbin’s ring finger. He could feel the unprotected bone under it. It made him want to throw up. Instead, he pulled himself together, taking a deep breath. “I want this place to go back to its old glory. We’ve already been targeted by other places and organisations that were ready to overtake us. This needs to stop. And for that, he needed to go.”

It was a clever lie and it made sense, yet it felt so very wrong.

“But you cut Changbin’s fingers-“ Soohyuk started and now it was Changbin who chuckled.

“A few fingers are nothing if it meant this place gets back to what it used to be,” Changbin explained and he had no idea how he managed to say that. “He loved torture, it was the easiest to get him distracted. Actually it managed to distract everyone in here for long enough that Felix could work. He’s a trained sharpshooter, by the way. They are both trained but none of you noticed.” There was a grin on Changbin’s face. He looked proud and well that was because he was fucking proud, but the grin on his lips didn’t fully reach his eyes. His body was barely staying conscious, the pain pulsating through his body while Chan was bandaging his injured hand. He needed to get to a hospital, maybe they would be able to save his fingers and if not they at least would be able to take proper care of them.

“I guess,” Sunmi mumbled, staring at the dead man laying on the ground. “Who is going to be the next boss? I mean…” She glanced at Felix who shook his head.

“I killed him but Chan did all the work. It’s his spot but we’ll be by his side,” Felix explained to them and Sunmi nodded slowly.

“Makes sense,” she agreed, before looking at Chan and then at Changbin. “I am sorry I doubted your loyalty. It lies with the mafia, not with Song Kangho. We’ve always been the same in that way and I appreciate that, I am so sorry.” She had never lost a limb, she had never been tortured aside from the mandatory training and she couldn’t imagine how much pain her friend was enduring right now. It hadn’t been a joint Chan had cut, no, it had been the pure bone. Now she knew that Chan had probably done it so it would be easier to save, however she had not doubted his actions earlier. Yes, it was still some sort of betrayal but it was on a man who was dead and Sunmi could not care less. Changbin had been right. They all had seen him slowly break this place apart and as someone who had lived her whole life in that place she had hated him for that.

“Nah, it’s fine,” Changbin shrugged and tried to stifle the small, pained sound that threatened to leave his lips when Chan started to bandage the other finger. When he finished he put the severed fingers into a plastic bag and for a long moment all he could do was stare at them. He could see the flesh, the tendons, the bone. It was surreal.

“Are you on my side with this or are you not?” Chan asked and looked up, stern face and it seemed like he was staring into each of their souls. “Wonho?”

“Yes, of course, sir!” One of the broad men said and the man next to him immediately nodded, bowing to Chan. “Of course we are on your side and by your side.”

Sunmi hummed in agreement, quiet and still a bit shaky but all of them seemed to be. Surely, there had been assassination attempts before, however none had been like this. She had to be honest, never had she expected this to be planned, nevertheless it made so much sense. And she was supporting it as it meant her home might finally stop falling apart and start to be put together again. “I am with you on this.”

Soohyuk too nodded in approval. He had always supported Chan more as the man had managed to get their former boss to make smarter choices, to overthink his actions. He had seen it first hand and he was definitely supporting the start of a new era. Song Kangho had been the head of the mafia for way too long and he had ruined a lot, they needed someone new. And Chan seemed to be the right person for that. “Yes, boss,” he then said, acknowledging Chan’s position right away.

“I need you guys to spread the word,” Chan then said, putting the bag with the fingers into another one. “Now.” He could see their bodies relaxing and reacting immediately to Chan’s word, as they started bowing and then scurried out of the room. Chan rushed towards a hidden fridge in the room – how fucking convenient – and looked for something cold. He couldn’t find any ice, however he found cold whiskey. How fucking textbook of a mafia boss. He groaned and then put some cold liquid into the second back, making sure it was all closed and just cool enough for the finger to last as long as possible. “Jeongin, I need you to drive Chanbgin to the hospital as quick as you can.” He looked up at the other who immediately rushed over.

Jeongin put his arm around Changbin and frowned. “You think you can make it to a car?” he asked and it took Changbin a long moment to nod. His skin was pale and sweaty and he was obviously not taking all of this as well as he had been making it out to be.

“I’ll try my best.” Changbin forced a smile and took a shaky breath as they moved towards the door. “I can at least show you the way out. We can take a different exit now,” he mumbled, knowing that Sunmi especially would inform whoever was on the outside, who had been ready to shoot anyone escaping. She was probably aware of the fact that they urgently needed a hospital and had forwarded the information towards whoever could possibly harm them. She always had been smart after all. Changbin was just glad that they had been convincing enough to fool her.

“Okay,” Jeongin nodded. “If you faint, I’ll carry you,” he added quickly, knowing that he would be able to carry Changbin. He knew he might not look like it, but he had trained to do exactly that. For situations like right now for example, he needed to be able to carry the people he loved.

“I’d love to see that,” Changbin mumbled and shortly glanced at Chan. “You did a good job, boss,” he then added and there was a pained smile on Chan’s lips as Jeongin and Changbin left the room.

Moving through the hallways felt way longer than it probably was but Changbin had a hard time seeing as his vision was getting blurry. It was just fingers, yet it felt like his entire hand was missing. Perhaps it was also the tension slowly leaving his body, the adrenaline disappearing bit by bit. They were safe, they were alive and Song Kangho was dead. Dead because of a bullet that their sweet sweet Felix had placed into his head. He had known how clever and strong both physically and mentally Felix was, but he hadn’t expected anything like this. Despite them all having been part of Clé for so long and having worked together for a few years it still surprised him whenever one of his friends actually showed no remorse when breaking the law. And in this case breaking the law.

Even if the life being taken had been a disgusting piece of shit, it did not make it any less of murder after all. Felix had killed a man without batting an eye and Changbin was impressed and maybe a little bit overwhelmed too. He was everytime he saw something like this happen. Even when Chan had killed the first person in front of Changbin, he had been taken aback by surprise and confusion. His moral compass did not agree with such situations – it was okay if he was morally gray but seeing his friends do something utterly wrong in the eyes of society, it got him unprepared.

It did not make him love them any less though – of course.

They found Changbin’s car without any more problems. Nobody had dared to stop them on their way. A few people had looked and even nodded towards them, a quiet approval of what had happened, but none had actually spoken to them which Jeongin was more than grateful for.

Carefully he sat Changbin into the car, buckling him up. Changbin leaned against the seat, closing his eyes for a second. “Fuck, you better drive fast. But safe. Of course you need to drive safely.”

Jeongin knew the other was rambling nonsense but even now he was thinking of their safety rather than him getting to the hospital as quickly as possible. It made Jeongin smile, a small, sad smile, yet a smile nonetheless. Changbin had always been precious in a way much different than all of them or well maybe it just was that to him they all were more precious than any of them would ever be able to fathom. He had just lost multiple fingers for them after all and would have lost even more for just the small possibility of them maybe being able to break free or at least think of a plan to do so.  

“You’ll be painfree soon, I promise,” Jeongin said and gently patted the other’s hair as he buckled himself up too. “You were so brave, Binnie. So so brave. I’m so proud of you.” It hurt him to see Changbin like this. Of course, it could have ended so much worse, but losing limbs was never easy. It didn’t matter if it was a finger or an arm, all of this had been horrifying. He bit his bottom lip as he started the car with the keys he had taken from the other while they had still been moving. Changbin hadn’t even noticed it. Or if he had, he hadn’t said anything.

There was a weak smile on Changbin’s face, the other’s words soothing him a bit. For a long moment he looked at Jeongin, expression frozen on his face and he opened his lips to say something, but before he could utter any words his body went limp in the seat. Jeongin cursed, carefully making sure that Changbin wasn’t hitting anything while he kept driving. “You did so well,” he repeated, though it was more to keep himself calm as he could feel the panic that was starting to bubble up inside of his chest. His foot pressed down on the gas pedal, his eyes settling on the street as he drove them, one of his hands never leaving Changbin’s body.

Chapter Text

The moment Jeongin had locked the door of the small hospital bathroom stall, despair filled his body. Hot tears bubbled up and spilled within seconds, warm and wet running over his cheeks. Most of it was anger – he was angry at himself for being unable to do anything, angry at the former head of the mafia who had chosen to give the orders to put everything into motion – he was even angry at Chan for not disobeying orders he couldn’t have evaded. Honestly, he was just angry at anything and everything, even though he knew it wasn’t appropriate and he also knew that especially his friends had good reasons to do what they did. Right now, though in the heat of the moment he didn’t care.

Right now, all Jeongin did was feel.

His emotions were suffocating him. He wasn’t able to take the deep breath he had wanted to take, his lips parting in a heart wrenching scream. Almost on autopilot he slammed his hands against the wall – just the palms of his hands. It stung, the pain flitting right up into his wrist but it wasn’t nearly as cathartic as being able to just pound a closed fist against a flat immovable surface. It was the only thing he could do right now though, his options limited.

If he were in the headquarters of Clé, he could have just gone to one of the soundproof rooms to get rid of all his feelings but there was no way he would do that right now, not with the knowledge that Changbin was getting patched up nearby, still drained and hurting. So, he had no choice but to just be thankful that one of the nurses had been so kind as to lead him to a small bathroom in the basement part of the building, a little bit secluded from the rest. He had warned her that he would scream but had also informed her that she didn’t need to worry about any damage happening.

Jeongin was angry, yes, but he would never be destructive in a place in which he wasn’t supposed to. Even though the urge to kick the trashcan, to throw the soap, to punch the was strong wall – he held it back.

Instead, he grabbed the extra roll of toilet paper that had been sitting on the cabinet beneath the sink and threw it against the wall as strong as he could. It was embarrassing and utterly useless, he was aware of that, but he figured that just the action of throwing something might already help in one way or another. The roll bounced back and rolled against his shoe, almost as if to taunt him. Jeongin reluctantly spared it a glance.

“You’re just as useless as I was,” he mumbled. His bottom lip was trembling and as he contemplated reaching out to throw it once more, he could see the shake in his hands as well. His whole body seemed unable to stay still, something that he was unable to deny even through his tear-blurred gaze. He was just as overwhelmed as he felt terrified. How had they ended up in such a situation? Despite all the warning signs, despite all the precautions all of them had taken? Just because they always lived with the risk of losing one of them didn’t mean that coming this close to it didn’t rattle them. They knew they would have to expect it, the possibility was always there, yet the chance was so small. It had to be, right? And after all the horrible situations they had to go through recently, Jeongin had hoped they would get a break. A goddamn break where everything went smooth and well but instead life had other plans with them and here they were, equipped with a new addition of trauma, a new set of nightmares and in his case a mental breakdown to top that off. Plus, Changbin’s ruined hand, but he had yet to hear about what the surgeons would manage to do.

“Fuck all of this,” Jeongin cursed and kicked the toilet paper roll against the wall, just for it to jump back and hit his calf. How pitiful. How fucking pathetic.

Jeongin groaned and leaned onto the cold tile wall. Loud, desperate sobs were leaving his lips as he couldn’t bear to keep himself upright anymore, his body sliding down to the ground. Hugging his legs, he pulled them towards his chest, his frame trembling almost embarrassingly strong as he was unable to stop the tears from escaping.

It was too much.

The anger, the pain, the despair, the love for his friends – all of it. It was hard to just feel it all at once but that seemed to be payback for trying to live a life such as theirs without regularly dealing with his own emotions. Especially considering that the events in his life were everything but normal and should probably be talked through with a professional. And now that another majorly traumatic event had happened, his brain seemed to finally be tired of his shit, enough so that it deemed having a mental breakdown in the hospital basement an appropriate response. Not that mental breakdowns were a rarity when it came to hospitals, Jeongin was fairly sure that there were in fact quite a few of those, but that was besides his point. Not that there really was any point to make at all.

Tugging on his hair, he buried his face in his knees. Why the fuck was this whole shitshow even happening to them? It wasn’t fair and he had no idea what to do. Changbin was getting operated on, four of his friends were most likely worried sick, Felix was currently in one of the most dangerous places in the city and Chan who was right with him would now be the new boss of the mafia. He couldn’t believe it. Chan would be the next fucking mafia boss. He wasn’t sure if that had ever been planned but holy fucking shit, who thought this was a goddamn good idea? He felt like someone was taking control of his life and the lives of his friends and he hated every fucking second of it. It was like a train derailing, and he was nothing but a passenger, watching everything happen in slow motion. And even, despite being a well-trained NSI agent and being trained by Clé, there was nothing he could do to end up as anything but a casualty in such a situation. Unable to help, unable to change the direction of their fate.

A frustrated cry passed his lips as he kicked the small trashcan in a fit of rage, watching it topple to the side and roll away for a good few centimeters. He just wanted to let it out. Let out all the despair, all these feelings of not being in control, of knowing that he was useless. He was a twenty-eight-year-old highly-trained assassin but that didn’t stop him from also feeling like a toddler throwing a tantrum.

“Fucking shit,” he yelled, grabbing the toilet paper roll once more – just to be interrupted by his phone going off, a gentle, bird-chirping sound echoing through the bathroom stall. He took a deep breath. In a swift motion he grabbed the trash can and put it up right, pushing the few pieces of tissue paper back inside that his kick had managed to scatter out of the container. He then made sure to check it for any damage but he couldn’t see anything so he just settled it back into its place. He put the roll of toilet paper back beneath the sink before straightening back up and washing his hands. His eyes met his own reflection in the mirror. It was like seeing a ghost. His face was pale, his eyes reddened and his hair looked like a mess. At least the painful tension in his shoulder had seemed to dissolve somewhat if only a little. The chirping of birds in the background remained as he decided to also wash his face before fixing his hair.

Then he finally turned off the alarm.

Ten minutes had to be enough for now as he needed to go and meet the others. He had called them when Changbin had been taken to surgery, hearing from them that of course they knew and had only waited for someone to let them know where he was. Seungmin had listened in on them the entire time and he couldn’t even slightly fathom how horrible the other must feel right now. Only hearing what had happened must have been just as bad as watching it. Another reason for all of them to go to therapy though sadly, it was only Minho who regularly had sessions with a professional. He even had emergency medication for extremely bad days when he was suffering of flashbacks or similar situations. He was a smart cookie after all.

Taking a deep breath Jeongin put his cold hands onto his eyes for a second before putting his phone into his pocket. He brushed a strand of hair from his face and opened the door, leaving the confined space. The nurse who had been waiting in front of the room looked at him with pure bewilderment and worry but all Jeongin did in response was show her a gentle smile before making his way back to the waiting area after a quiet “Thank you”.

-

Chan kept moving. No matter what it was, he needed to keep his body moving.

Right now, he was cleaning the blood from the wooden desk, just staring at it with empty eyes and a heavy heart. His mind was jumping from one place to another, all the thoughts and emotions he had repressed earlier surfacing now and it was drowning him. The tears in his eyes prickled dangerously, ready to spill, but instead Chan just bit his bottom lip and scrubbed a little harder.

Only when Felix’ hand touched his shoulder he looked up, stopping in the middle of his actions.

The warm touch broke the spell, a few tears rolling down his cheeks without him being able to stop them. Quickly Chan rubbed his eyes, wiping them away and looking at his friend, not ready to fall apart in front of anyone. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Felix, he just couldn’t. Not right now.

“It’s okay,” Felix told him, voice gentle and calming as he talked to Chan. He was very aware that barely any words were reaching Chan. He had tried to talk to him repeatedly ever since Jeongin and Changbin had left, but not once had Chan reacted. Instead he had started to move, clean, put things away and replace other things. Felix knew it was Chan’s way of dealing with a struggled mind but he needed Chan to give himself a break.

“No,” Chan whispered and shook his head eagerly, biting his bottom lip. “No. Nothing is okay. I- nothing is okay.” He let his stressed body fall into the chair behind the desk, burying his face in his hands. It was the first time he actually sat in this spot.

“I know. But everything you did, it’s okay, Channie.” Felix knelt in front of the other’s seat, cupping his cheeks. “Yes, Changbin is in pain, but he will be alive and he won’t blame you. None of us are blaming you. I know you’re thinking about that.” He gently brushed over Chan’s cheeks as he pushed the other’s hands away, cupping them so he would look at him. “You did everything you could to protect us. Right?”

“It wasn’t enough,” Chan whispered, voice shaky as he felt the emotions slowly suffocating him. His heart was hammering against his chest, like it wanted to break out. To spill itself onto the floor and bleed out just like the man Chan hated so much had done. And right now he hated himself just the same. He had hurt his friends, he had literally inflicted so much pain to Changbin, cut off his fingers – he had seen the tears in Changbin’s eyes. How much he had struggled not to scream, how much he had tried to hold back despite the utter pain he had been in.

When Chan had reached the office earlier, he had been greeted with a Song Kangho who had been furious. He had started to ramble about things not going according to plan and that someone would lose his life today because he was fucking angry. At this time no one had known that Changbin had been out there with Felix and Jeongin, no, at this point the boss hadn’t known that Changbin was a traitor. He had merely wanted to take a life, to murder an innocent soul. And Chan was sure that if Felix and Jeongin would have been found without Changbin, Song Kangho would have done just that. He had wanted to kill just for pure stress relief and out of anger. That alone had sent cold shivers down his spine, even now that the man was dead and his brain remained splattered all across the room, decorating the walls and some of the paintings.

Having his three friends dragged into the office, a gun aimed at Changbin’s body – Chan had never felt so much horror in his entire life. And he had been in enough situations that had caused him trauma.

The way both Felix and Jeongin had looked at him had broken his heart and he had wanted to pull them into a hug and tell them he was here to do his best to keep them safe and sound, yet he had to remain silent and expressionless to not make any mistakes. Nevertheless, his pure existence had been useless. No, it had even caused harm, made it worse. He had cut off two of his best friend’s fingers.

“They would have hurt him more, Channie. They would have tortured Binnie worse than what you did,” Felix softly explained, his heart aching from seeing Chan like this. “I saw how you chose the fingers, how you moved slow.” No, he hadn’t. Not in that moment at least. In that moment he had been overcome with anger and helplessness, unable to do anything and blinded with rage. Grabbing the gun and shooting the man hadn’t been well thought through. Communicating with Jeongin had been quick and easy, just seconds before he had moved into action – it had been most likely their only possible solution, but it surely hadn’t been smart. It had been risky, dangerous and Felix had known that one single mistake would cost them all their lives. He was an amazing sharpshooter, yes, but if he had missed this man out of pure bad luck, it would have been game over. Fortunately, it wasn’t what had happened, but he had gambled back there. The shock was still sitting in his bones, but now that he was slowly coming down from all the adrenaline and fear, he could see how Chan had just masked his emotions. Opposite to Felix Chan had weighed all his decisions, had chosen quickly but carefully, something that had become a daily task to him. Being in the mafia while actually being undercover, Felix couldn’t imagine the strain it put on anyone.

“You torturing him was what kept him alive,” Felix whispered, voice gentle and slightly weak as he looked at Chan. The other was crying and he could feel the hot tears running over his fingers. It was an odd sensation but Felix couldn’t care less. There had been so many times when he had ugly-cried in Chan’s arms, had fallen asleep on his chest while Chan had held him, this was the least he could do for the other.

“I tortured him, Lix. I was not… I can’t… I should have found a way around it, disagreed to the orders, I was useless.” Chan’s voice was breaking, his body shaking more and more as heart wrenching sobs left his lips. He was a broken man.

Silence filled the room and only the quiet buzzing of electricity was to be heard while Felix kept his arms around his friend, in a tight hug. No matter what he told the other, Chan would still feel guilty. It would take time until the other properly processed this situation and Felix would do everything he could to help him feel better. Right now, that wasn’t much, being by his side and holding him as he fell and spiraled was all he could do.

“You saved him from death. If you had refused the orders, we might have lost you,” Felix mumbled and shook his head. They were alive. They were all alive and this was probably the best outcome of the situation they could have managed. “The could have’s and would have’s don’t help us here, Channie. You are not at fault. This man is, he made you hurt him. He made all of us suffer. And now he is dead and we will all be okay. I promise we will be okay.” With small brushes to the other’s back he tried to calm him, to give him some comfort while he took deep breaths, hoping Chan would copy them. They were so close and yet Felix felt like he was miles away from him.

The most difficult part was yet to come though.

With Song Kangho dead Chan would be the next head of the mafia. A target for so many. Just because many had disagreed with the old boss didn’t mean they would support Chan. Many had disapproved with him being the right hand after such a short time of being in the mafia – yes, even though it had been years that still wasn’t enough for a lot of people. Despite Chan having done so much for this place, in one way or another, it didn’t mean he was supported by them. And while they had to rebuild this place from square one and make them trust Chan, it wouldn’t only be dangerous but utterly straining. Felix knew that Chan would manage to power through it, he was Chan after all, yet he was also very aware that the older would suffer so much. He had given up his entire life to bring down this place and now he had to lead it in a way so he would eventually be able to destroy it from the very inside.

Maybe Felix could convince him to let him be his bodyguard. Now that people from the mafia knew he wasn’t a civilian, it might be a good cover to use, to keep Chan safe. Maybe Jeongin could be part of it too, though Felix wasn’t sure if working for Clé, the NIS and undercover in the mafia might not be too much. Jeongin was smart and strong, but there was only too much they could do.

With Changbin’s current condition Felix wasn’t sure if Chan would make him his right hand. It would be smart, yes, as they both had each other’s back and other people had seen how Changbin had obeyed Chan, however he knew how much work it would be and Changbin needed time to recover. The knowledge Felix had about this place was all the two of them had told him and he could only guess how arduously and distressing the next few months maybe even years would be.

“It all worked out in the end and we are all alive,” Felix repeated to make Chan understand it. They all knew their jobs was dangerous and that it could cost them their lives and to many it did, but they had dodged it, once again. They had run out death and would live to see another day. “Once everything settles down, let’s go on a vacation. All of us. Somewhere safe and sound and beautiful where we can forget the world.”

Chan didn’t answer.

He only kept crying into Felix’ shoulder while he held tightly onto the other’s shirt.

-

The sun was already up in the sky while the room was mostly quiet, only filled with soft breaths and the gentle rustling of a page of paper being turned over.

Jeongin was sitting in the corner of a room, reading a magazine he had found on one of the tables in the waiting area. Some entertainment magazine that was filled with conspiracy theories and skincare routines – he was only reading it to get his mind to quiet down. He was tired but his brain had decided that sleep was impossible until his body touched his own bed. Sadly, it wouldn’t anytime soon as they were sitting in a hospital room, walls hygienically white and the smell of disinfectant wafting through the air.

When he opened the door and stepped inside, Hyunjin had been tempted to open the window, however he had decided against it as he didn’t want to cause the patient any discomfort. This wasn’t about him after all and he just wanted them all to be comfortable. And the smell of disinfectant was less of a problem than being cold. Such thoughts were what Hyunjin was bothering his head with, looking up from his phone from time to time while he scrolled through all of his social media, mindlessly liking random posts. It was completely insignificant to what they had experienced earlier but it gave him a false feeling of safety, of normality, and he appreciated that.

Jisung was still holding his switch in his hands, still remodeling his island and now actually placing new trees and flowers everywhere. He was clearly hyper-focusing on his game, as even when the nurse had entered Jisung hadn’t looked up. He needed time to go by faster and focusing on something that gave him comfort worked the best. He had actually started to watch a documentary earlier on but he had been unable to listen to it, his anxiety rising to the point where he had been pretty sure he would end up with a panic attack if he couldn’t distract himself. So, he had started to play Animal Crossing again.

 The room only had one patient, luckily, and the hospital bed was averagely-sized, however right now it was holding three people in it. They were squeezed together, with Changbin in the middle, still asleep.

Seungmin and Minho were on his side each, hugging him tightly and whispering to each other from time to time. Right now, they too had their eyes closed, just listening to Changbin’s steady heartbeat. Minho was on the side of his injured hand, making sure he didn’t accidentally touch it and that it was safe and sound. It was thickly bandaged but that didn’t mean he couldn’t accidentally hurt him. And that was the last thing he wanted. Changbin had experienced enough pain during last few hours.

They all knew Changbin liked cuddles and if Felix was here the freckled man would probably be curled up on his lap or by his feet as well. They all weren’t exactly at ease with the two remaining members of their team still being at the mafia headquarters as they would prefer them being here, but at least for now the imminent danger was over.

Seungmin could feel sun falling through the window and covering the bed they were laying in. He was trying his best to find different thoughts to occupy his screaming mind, but there was nothing. Changbin had been awake for a few short moments after surgery, all smiling and joking and seeing him like that had been all it took for Seungmin crash into his arms, unable to stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks.

It was rare for Seungmin to actually lose his composure and just fall apart like that, for him to cry like there was no tomorrow but after listening into the situation of Changbin being tortured and then hearing the gunshot falling - he had been so sure that the situation has escalated and that one of his friends would not return to him that night. Having nothing but the audio to rely on, his mind immediately had jumped to conclusions, one worse than the other. His first though had been that Felix must have been shot, his second that Felix had shot Chan. After all it had been their friend who had tortured Changbin, causing him to make all those pained sounds. It had broken Seungmin’s heart to hear Changbin like this and he knew he would never be able to forget it. The gunshot however had frozen his blood, causing him to hold his breath. What if someone had decided to have mercy and had taken Changbin’s life? All possible worst-case scenarios had filled his mind, a strained and broken sob he had let out without even noticing having alerted Jisung who then had rushed to his side, hugging him tightly.

After way too, many moments he had finally heard them speak, had heard all of his friends’ voices and he was sure he had never held anyone as tight as he had gripped onto Jisung the second he realized that. All he had mumbled was “they’re alive, oh my god they’re all alive”.

It had taken him another minute to collect himself and explain to the others what had happened.

Fortunately, Jeongin had called them immediately once they had reached the hospital. At that point the older had even been conscious again, as he seemed to be slipping in and out of that state from what their youngest explained to them. Changbin of course had told them not to worry. None of them had stopped, how could they, but hearing Changbin’s voice had calmed their racing hearts for sure.

Jeongin had told them the address and they had walked over to the hospital as it was just ten minutes away and some fresh air had done them well – aside from that he told them repeatedly that under no circumstances were any of them allowed to take a car and well, they all knew that he was right. In their current state none of them should have driven.

Seungmin sighed, burying his face into Changbin’s chest. He blinked confused when he felt someone playing with his hair. It was Minho who had reached over and was now looking towards Seungmin, maybe even through him. Clearly, he wasn’t actively looking at him, more like caught up in his own thoughts like they all were, yet the gesture was comforting and Seungmin rubbed his red eyes, taking a deep breath. He could smell Changbin’s cologne, barely now but still comforting enough for him to relax a bit more as the rest of it was engulfing him. It was mixed with the smell of the hospital but Seungmin couldn’t care less. He would welcome this smell if it meant the people he loved were alive.

“I really thought one of them was dead,” Seungmin mumbled almost inaudible and Minho nodded slowly, finally focusing his gaze on the other.

“I know,” Minho replied in the same volume, trying not to bother any of the others. “I saw it in your eyes.” Seeing Seungmin like that earlier had made him unable to move, the fear of losing one of them had been paralyzing. Minho had experienced loss way too many times, again and again, but the pain never left. The loss was still tearing him apart, no matter if it had been his best friend or a comrade. So, the simple thought of one of their teammates dying had immobilized him, the imagine of a funeral right in front of his imaginary eye. He was just glad it hadn’t been a dismembered body his mind had presented him – it wouldn’t have been the first time. “I’m sorry I couldn’t move and support you.”

Seungmin shook his head, tilting it in a way so he could look at Minho better. “Don’t be,” he told him and finally there was a calming, tiny smile on his pretty lips. “You were just as terrified as I was.”

There was a small nod coming from Minho and he sighed. Seungmin was right, but that didn’t take the guilt away. Seungmin had to listen to everything that had happened and that would leave some scars for sure. If it didn’t, the younger wouldn’t be in the hospital bed with Changbin and him.

“I was. But I still feel bad for not being able to be there for you in a better way,” Minho mumbled quietly and Seungmin gently touched his cheek, once more shaking his head a little more adamant.

“No, Minmin, you did what you possibly could,” he said as he kept his eyes on the older. He could understand that Minho was feeling guilty, the other always tried to act one hundred percent right and accurate in any situation, however Seungmin knew no human being could ever live up to that standard. A person was designed to have flaws and to make mistakes, no human was perfect and Seungmin was glad about that. People were much more interesting if they differed from one another. “You did great.” He knew some about Minho’s past, not all, but he was very aware that it had been quite traumatizing and that losing people was something that could trigger him into spiraling. It was fascinating that the older had still chosen a job where death was a daily threat. Maybe it was the only way Minho still knew how to function, or maybe it was the one thing he knew he could do best – Seungmin couldn’t tell. He knew some about Minho but not most and he respected the other’s boundaries as much as possible. If the older wanted to talk to him, he would – or at least he hoped that.

“Are you flirting in front and on top of me?” Changbin’s sore voice interrupted the short moment of quiet. He spoke in a soft and joking tone however he also clearly was both exhausted and still weak from the surgery.

Both of them immediately looked up and there was pure relief on both Seungmin’s and Minho’s faces. “Changbin!” It was the younger who called the other’s name and the other three that weren’t situated on the bed flocked towards it.

Earlier, when Minho had a short moment to talk to Changbin after the other’s surgery, his mind was full with all the things he wanted to say to him though Seungmin had needed the comfort more than he did and they all had wanted to give the other some time to relax and recover after such a straining and painful experience. A surgery wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. None of them had any problem with just sitting there, quietly letting him sleep, however, hearing Changbin talk was such a beautiful feeling. They hadn’t been able to be sure that he would make it through the night, Seungmin and Jeongin especially with what they had heard and seen.

They would take Changbin to their apartment and pamper him, making sure he had everything he needed aside from the physical therapy he needed to do as soon as possible. That would be provided by a professional of course. He would have to start slow and take small steps so he wouldn’t accidentally rip the incision and cause another visit to the hospital, but they all would make sure Changbin didn’t overdo it. He wouldn’t be able to get rid of them even if he wanted to.

“That’s my name,” Changbin chuckled and patted Seungmin’s head with his uninjured hand. “Have you all been waiting here?” he asked even though he knew the answer. He had told them they didn’t need to but he had been quite aware that of course they would. None of them would leave an injured friend’s side if it wasn’t necessary.

“Of course,” Jisung grinned and climbed onto Changbin’s bed, taking off his shoes beforehand.

“Oh my god, Jisung!” Hyunjin whined, Jisung’s slightly smelly feet being something he always teased him with. It honestly wasn’t that bad and he just wanted to joke around which luckily Jisung understood.

“Shut it, Hwang, or I’ll feed my socks to you!” Jisung gave back and then just hugged Changbin, letting his body rest on the other’s. He of course doublechecked that the way he settled down on him wouldn’t accidentally hurt the other – he was clumsy yes, but he’d never risk that.

The others laughed, obviously rather amused while Jisung just grinned proudly, looking up at Changbin. “How are you feeling?” he then asked, his entire body finally relaxing. He would only be fully at ease once Felix and Chan would be with them as well, however just seeing Changbin awake and talking all playfully gave him some comfort. He knew they all felt the same.

Each of them felt the relief slowly filling their limbs, spreading through their veins. Despite Changbin being awake earlier, they had all been on edge. It had been such a short moment, the other still dizzy from the anesthetics. Still, no matter what would have happened, none of them had been ready to leave unless Felix and Chan needed them. They all kept checking in on the other two every half an hour until both Felix and Chan had started to text them on their own every now and then. They still had to sort some things out before leaving but they would meet up as soon as possible.

“I feel exhausted and kinda like I’m missing something, wonder what it is,” Changbin snorted, clearly not having lost his sense of humor.

“Bin!” Hyunjin whined and the other just laughed. It was small and weak but he meant it.

“What? Do you really think losing two fingers will stop me? Also, I technically still have all my fingers. They just… look a little different.” Changbin shrugged slightly, looking at him. “Not the first time I lost something on the way.” He pointed to his missing ear and Hyunjin groaned.

It was so much like Changbin to talk about losing his fingers as if it wasn’t a majorly traumatic event in his life. He probably also preferred not to break down in front of all of them so Hyunjin understood it very well but it worried him. All he could do was hope Changbin would talk to at least one of them or see a therapist – no matter if it was one from Clé or just someone specialized on amputees. He just needed to talk to someone to work through this trauma as properly as possible. Every one of them would be there for him, of course, but as they weren’t professionals, there was only so much they could do. Hyunjin also worried about Chan and Felix. It had surely taken a toll on Chan to actively torture one of his closest friends – but when it came to Felix, Hyunjin couldn’t exactly tell what the other was feeling.

Taking lives was part of Felix’ daily life ever since he had joined Clé, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t leave any marks on him. Aside from the fact that he too had to watch his friend get tortured without being able to interfere – or at least not interfere any quicker than he did. He would talk to him as soon as they returned, maybe take Felix out on a date or two, buying him coffee or clothes or maybe they could buy Changbin stuffed animals together. He knew a few that Changbin had put on his amazon birthday list – fuck amazon, they all always looked for alternative places to buy the things on it, but it was the easiest way to just compile everything. Maybe they could find him something new that he would appreciate. And a weighted blanket for the anxiety. They had all considered buying Minho a weighted blanket too in the beginning though they had pretty quickly learned that, unless it was a person weighing Minho down, any weight on his body might push him right over the edge into a panic attack.

Having been buried alive under debris and other materials was something none of them wanted to remind Minho off. Especially not when the original plan had been to help him instead. However, they knew Changbin liked weighted blankets, he had stolen Felix’ whenever he had been over so there was that. Honestly, whatever would help Changbin through any pain he was feeling was more than acceptable.

“It is still considered losing two fingers,” Jeongin said and leaned onto the bed, watching Changbin. He was calm and there was a gentle expression on his face. He had already metaphorically scattered himself all over the floor and walls of that basement bathroom stall and he now needed to keep himself together. He had yet to pick the pieces up where he had left them – himself, on the floor while sobbing his heart out – but he didn’t have time for that right now. At some point during the next few days he would probably ask the others if they wanted to book one of those fancy Rage Rooms with him so they could smash and break away their emotions. But right now, he was just feeling relieved that Changbin was alive and with them.

“Or one oddly long one, if you put the parts together,” Jeongin joked, knowing Changbin would appreciate it. Chan had been so very clever when cutting off Changbin’s fingers. He had cut them off between the first and the second knuckle, giving the surgeons enough bone to shorten and just stitch the skin up. Which left Changbin with two pretty stumps – as pretty as losing his fingers could be. But once it was healed Changbin would be able to use prosthetics that he would be able to bend with what was left of the original finger. That was a thought for later though. For now, he had to recover.

It had been Changbin’s own decision not to reattach the detached fingers. The recovery process would have taken longer than just cleaning it up and sewing it shut and aside from that it wasn’t even guaranteed that his fingers would grow back together and be functional. The possibility of so many side effects had been too high for Changbin and he had told them to spare him the additional struggle and pain. It wasn’t the first time he had lost a part of his body though it was an entirely different pain to lose parts of his fingers than it had been to lose his ear and his hearing. Not comparable at all, different in both the physical and mental problems either had caused.

“You mean normal sized,” Changbin joked, very aware that his fingers were one of the smallest in their group. He had never minded that and he still did not. “Hey, if we measure fingers now, do I have to take off the missing finger parts?”

“Changbin!” Hyunjin complained and playfully hit the other’s leg. “This is a serious issue.”

Surely, Changbin was aware of it but he just chuckled amused. “I know. And it is my serious issue,” he then hummed and looked at the others. “So, I can make as many jokes about it as I want.” He stuck out his tongue. Hyunjin sighed, though he had to resist the urge to smile. Typical Changbin. He loved it. After fearing for the other’s life, every bad joke of his and even the way he laughed the loudest at them was a blessing to all of them.

“Okay okay,” he huffed and leaned onto the bed, watching the other with a soft expression. “I’m just… I never had a friend lose a limb.” He licked his lips and looked at Changbin who hummed while playing with Seungmin’s hair.

“Make jokes about it. It’s how I handle this shit. I mean, I was very aware something like this might happen and I always had it in mind. So please do not… don’t pity me. I know this sucks, it’s painful and shitty and I will whine about it a lot. I’ll process it in my own time and I’ll most likely come and annoy you guys with it from time to time. You’re my home after all.” Changbin’s features were completely relaxed, a loving expression in his eyes. “And I’d give my entire hand if it meant to keep you guys alive. Heck, I’d even give my-“

“Please don’t say it.” It was Jeongin interrupting Changbin, a painful expression on his eyes. “Please- Don’t say it.” The underlying meaning was so clear to all of them, wavering through the room and around them and none of them could ignore it. He felt guilty. Jeongin felt guilty even though they all knew it wasn’t his fault – it was neither Jeongin’s, nor Felix, nor Chan’s fault but Jeongin as well had so many what if’s and should have’s – just like all of them.

“I know you all think you could have saved me from this,” Changbin said softly and he knew Jeongin didn’t want to hear it, none of them probably wanted to but he needed to say it, “but we aren’t the heroes in this. We can’t save everyone and the only possible change in outcome would’ve been me dead. If you guys hadn’t worked the way you did, I would be dead now. But I’m not. None of us is, we even got Chan closer to his goal. Sucks right now, I know. It fucking sucks. Losing limbs sucks, getting kidnapped sucks, watching and hearing your friend get tortured by another friend sucks. The entire situation fucking sucks.” He looked at them and let his chin rest on Minho’s head who had gotten a bit closer to him, resting his head on the other’s shoulder. They were a human bundle of cuddles and comforting touches by now. “And I know you would’ve died for me. Each and every one of you. And I would’ve done the same for you too. So just… stop the moping and let’s be glad we’re alive. We can feel shitty later, deal?”

Slowly Jeongin nodded, a quiet sigh leaving his lips. They were all amazing with ignoring the piercing emotions in their chest and mind, wonderful with just pushing all of it into the back of their minds, so why wallow in it right now? And Changbin was right, the outcome could have been so much worse.

“Fine.”

-

“You fucking badass bitch,” Changbin grinned brightly and cupped Felix’ cheek with his hands. His left hand was in a thick bandage to keep his incisions protected. He had been able to go home the same day of the surgery – or more like he had refused to stay in the hospital as soon as his doctors had told him his vitals looked good and that the surgery had gone really well.

Despite being allowed to go home however the others had taken him to their apartment, not allowing him to just be alone. It was either that or five grown men in his small, one-man apartment and Changbin had definitely not looked forward to that even though he really liked cuddle piles. However, if Chan and Felix would eventually join, they had to even pile up on the kitchen counterspace and that was nothing he wanted to experience. Also, he was very aware of the healing powers of cats so he had willingly agreed of coming along.

“I-“ Felix started, looking quite tired and a little confused. He had just entered the apartment, Chan behind him. The oldest looked just as tired but there was an amused smile on his lips and clear relief sparkling in them as well. He was incredibly glad to see Changbin, especially in seemingly good spirits.

“That was fucking hot of you,” Changbin grinned and squeezed Felix’ cheeks for a moment before he leaned forward and kissed his forehead. “You did amazing.” He had shot that dude right in the head and he had looked fucking amazing doing that. Changbin had only seen it from the corner of his eyes, with everything happening so quickly and especially with the pain coursing through in his body, but fuck, Felix actually shooting a mafia boss and on top of that coming up with a functional cover story on the plot that made everything look as if it was planned? Genius. Felix had been their savior.

“Agreed,” Chan nodded and sneaked passed Felix, nodding at Changbin. It was a quiet I’m so sorry and also a clear I’m so proud of you, man. There were many unspoken words between them but while Chan was full of guilt and regret like so many of them, Changbin wasn’t holding an ounce of resentment towards Chan inside of his body. There was a silent agreement that they would talk later and maybe just cuddle too – they both did like to just hug and hold each other while doing nothing, it always had been the best way to give them comfort and comfort was something that they all needed right now.

“I just did my job,” Felix explained and pouted a bit, clearly not sure how to deal with the situation. His pretty freckled cheeks had taken on a faint red just like the tip of his ears. He wasn’t used to compliments.

Shaking his head, Changbin looked at the younger one. “Was it your mission? Nope. So, you did amazing. Accept the praise, baby,” he grinned and Felix whined quietly before he eventually went into a hug, squeezing Changbin close. He made sure not to accidentally hurt the other but just holding the other’s body, pressing their frames together immediately took the exhaustion out of his tired mind. It made him realise that his friend was really still here.

They all had lost something in the last day but they hadn’t lost each other.

Slowly Felix realised that and he looked at Changbin, tears glistening in his eyes.

Killing a man hadn’t evoked any emotions inside Felix, it hadn’t awakened any guilt or regret, but this, now – it filled him with so many of them.

Especially hope.

Hope that nothing had changed despite the horror they had just went through, hope that they had each other’s back no matter what. Hope that everything would be okay eventually. That they would go to sleep together and in the morning they would all wake up and everyone was where they should be, everything was in place. So much had changed but Felix was holding onto the hope that they were all somehow still the same.

“Hey, what’s this supposed to be, the party is in the living room,” Jisung said as he walked into the hallway, ushering them towards the said room where the rest of them were already seated. They had ordered some food earlier after they had talked to Felix and Chan to make sure the other two would soon come home. Collectively they had decided that they all needed a feel-good movie marathon, something that would give them comfort and warmth while cuddling up on the sofa. It was a way to feel reassured that they finally were all together again. Together and alive.

“Sorry sorry,” Chan chuckled, ruffling Jisung’s hair who shortly but tightly squeezed the oldest, showing him a warm smile. Jisung had the least contact to both Chan and Changbin and also Felix, however that didn’t mean he had been less terrified or worried. He cared and loved them all so much.

“You better be,” Hyunjin joked as he looked up from his spot, letting Chan slide somewhere between the others. Changbin too had to squeeze himself back into his original spot between Seungmin, Jeongin and Doongie who was now perfectly loafed on the spot he had been sitting on mere moments ago. Less space for him but more proximity to cats at least. He gently petted Doongie who immediately purred and rubbed his head against the injured man. Hyunjin had been leaning against Changbin’s legs but was now making some space to let Felix and Chan squeeze into the cuddle pile as well. It was already warm and comfortable and very cozy, Soonie having found his designated spot on Minho’s lap while Dori was curled up on Seungmin. The cat was still small and could easily claw himself into the other’s shirt, loudly purring while doing so and sometimes even meowing to comment on whatever was happening in the room and in the movie as well.

“Welcome home,” Jeongin softly said to the newly arrived and showed them an honest smile. They were all mentally still pretty exhausted and he was sure most of them would just fall asleep soon, but it was always a healing experience to wake up surrounded by the others.

They started with Legally Blonde, a movie Seungmin had picked and most of them had seen anyways. At one point Jisung and Hyunjin had started to discuss something about it but were clearly too tired to properly talk it through, both falling asleep halfway during their conversation.

Minho had to pull himself out of the pile of human limbs at one point as it was getting too warm. He instead just curled up by himself at the end of the couch, quickly falling asleep. Jeongin had been asleep halfway into the first movie anyways, his eyes heavy and tired as Changbin was resting his head on his lap, a relaxed expression on his face while Felix was leaning onto Changbin, snoring quietly and softly.

It was Seungmin who put on the next movie, 27 Dresses, a movie he really liked. He then stretched, making his way out of the pile and getting a confused look from a very sleepy Chan.

“Watcha doing?”

“Fresh air, it’s really warm in here,” Seungmin said softly and smiled, a warm and gentle one. Chan looked so sweet like that, all curled up next to Felix and Jisung, like an average thirty-year-old man and not like the newly assigned mafia boss of one of the biggest and most powerful mafias in Seoul and probably South Korea. It was insane.

“Mh,” Chan gave back, eyes falling back closed and Seungmin smiled, making his way out to the balcony. He kept the door slightly ajar so the night air could enter the stuffy living room space.

Seoul at night was loud, even despite the apartment being relatively high off the ground. He could hear voices echoing in the streets, accompanied by sirens from time to time and cars honking. Despite it being dark outside, the city was never asleep and neither was Seungmin’s mind. What had happened was jumping from one corner of his mind to the other, like a goddamn Windows98 Screensaver. It was annoying and exhausting but he didn’t know what to do as the sounds of pain in their voices never left his thoughts.

Looking down at the streetlights Seungmin spotted some supermarket that had neon lights brightly flickering on top. It didn’t really cast a shadow or Seungmin was just too unfocused to actually see it. Not that he cared but he was trying to fill his mind with any and all unnecessary thoughts he could hold onto. Just like Jisung playing Animal Crossing or Minho brushing his cats, sometimes filling his mind with useless sounds and images helped. Right now, it didn’t really do anything for him.

Taking in another deep breath he immediately choked on the cold air when the balcony door opened and another person stepped out. Coughing hard Seungmin did his best to drag fresh air into his lungs, getting a worried look from Chan.

“You good?” he asked, a clear frown on his face as he reached for him.

Nodding quickly Seungmin lifted his arms, knowing it helped him calm down a bit and after a few more seconds he finally was able to breathe properly once more. How embarrassing. “Choked on air,” he mumbled, cheeks a bit red.

Chan blinked, confused for a moment before he chuckled quietly. “Damn, you okay now?” he wanted to know and Seungmin nodded, leaning against the railing of the balcony.

“Yeah,” Seungmin shrugged slightly, looking at the other. “No worries, happens more often than you’d expect, especially when I don’t see it coming.”

Another chuckle left Chan’s lips and it was incredibly nice to hear such a soft sound from him instead of the shaky, broken voice Seungmin had witnessed from right before Jeongin had left with Changbin to go the hospital. “Sorry,” Chan then said and Seungmin just made a gesture that meant no worries or something alike.

“You seemed almost asleep earlier, why are you here?” Seungmin asked, tilting his head a bit as he turned to face Chan who was leaning against the wall of the building next to the balcony door. He was taking in the view of Seoul, the soft wind playing with his curly hair.

For a long moment silence filled the space between them, Seungmin watching Chan while the other was just looking into the distance. He was taking his time, not replying to Seungmin right away until a sigh fell from his lips instead.

“Felix and I took this long because we went through some files,” the older then started, still not looking at his friend but instead seemingly being deep in thought. “We made sure to be extra thorough, check whatever we could find without immediately arousing suspicion. It doesn’t seem like Clé is working with the mafia. Or well if they did, it wasn’t documented in the big office which wouldn’t make sense though. Either way we found nothing that would indicate it.” He glanced at Seungmin and the other could feel that there was more that hadn’t been said yet. This clearly wasn’t the only thing on Chan’s mind.

“At least something,” the younger mumbled, not sure if whatever was to come would calm his mind or cause another hurricane in his consciousness. He feared it would be the second. “Spit it out, what else is there?”

A weak smile was seen on Chan, barely illuminated by the moon and the stars that were partly covered by the clouds. A beautiful autumn night if it wasn’t that eerie.

“We found another group. That one is clearly working with the mafia. I didn’t know much about it before, only heard rumors but there never had been any actual physical proof of even their existence,” Chan explained, his body clearly tense now and definitely not from the cool air around them. “Seeing their names and faces… I know them.” He licked his pretty lips, chewing on his bottom lip right afterwards.

Now it was Seungmin’s turn to frown. He had the urge to press the pause button, to stop the world from moving but that wasn’t how their lives worked. More and more kept on coming no matter what. Seungmin never was ready for bad news – and this right now sounded like it would be bad news, especially with the way Chan was talking to him about it. The older was taking his time, weighing his words. He hadn’t told everyone else but had explicitly waited to catch Seungmin alone to talk to him about these concerns. Yes, Seungmin had mentioned his worries about Clé working with the mafia to Chan, however that didn’t mean such information couldn’t wait until tomorrow. Unless it was actually weighing down on the other which seemed to be the case. Sadly, that just made the information that he was about to get to know even more dangerous. Most likely at least.

“Where do you know them from, Chan?” he asked when he was certain that Chan wouldn’t continue to talk unless he was prompted to. He tilted his head, waiting. He knew tonight had already been a lot but he was starting to become a little impatient. Chan was beating around the bush and while Seungmin wasn’t sure if he wanted to know why it as it would have been so easy to just fall asleep with his Windows98 Screensaver modus, his head was running a hundred miles per second. He needed to know.

“Do you remember when Hyunjin was shot? And we found some dead ends but couldn’t pinpoint the person that was responsible for it?” Chan started instead, looking back into the sky and clearly wondering what he could tell his friend and what was too much information. However, he was very aware that by now he had already spilled too much anyways – earlier he had considered thrice before he had asked Felix to look for information with him, had considered in how much trouble he might drag his friends into if he had them help him, but especially Jeongin and Felix were already deep in this with him. With being seen by Sunmi and Soohyuk one never really found a way out of the mafia – the two of them had an amazing memory and Chan knew that if he didn’t somehow involve them, at least from time to time, he would be in trouble and so would his friends. Of course, Chan had informed Felix of possible dangers but his friend was obviously more than up for helping Chan, even telling him he would talk to Clé about a maybe adding a side job as Chan’s personal bodyguard. They would see where that would leave them some time soon. So, of course when they had found the information he had considered if he should tell Seungmin. Again, and again but they had used their precious time and stayed longer at the mafia already anyways, Seungmin would appreciate the information even though it would unsettle him as much as it unsettled Chan.

“Yes, I remember,” Seungmin nodded, slowly but a little confused. So, whoever had hurt Hyunjin was one of them? That was unnerving, especially as it meant Chan knew them and if Chan knew them, they were either extremely dangerous or way too close for comfort – and Seungmin feared it might be both. And both was never good.

“I think it was them. I found some loose ends that would fit,” Chan dodged the answer to the question that was looming over them. In the distance the sirens of a police car went off as car tires were screeching on the dry asphalt. It were sounds that calmed Seungmin, they felt like something his mind could work with.

“I found a few files that indicated Song Kangho knew there was a mole in on his schemes and he knew it was someone from Clé. I don’t know if Hyunjin got injured because of that or if he was just… collateral damage.”

Collateral damage sounded so redundant, as if Hyunjin hadn’t suffered for weeks, hadn’t been in pain both mentally and physically. But if he hadn’t been the original target, it was very possible he had just been nothing but a casualty.

“You aren’t answering my question, Chan,” Seungmin then said and looked at his friend. He had the urge to reach forward and take the other’s hand, to tell him they would figure it out but honestly he wasn’t convinced if they could. Depending on how big this was maybe even they would be lost and at their wit’s ends. It didn’t happen too often but no matter how smart they all were together, sometimes it wasn’t enough. They couldn’t save the world and sometimes they couldn’t even save themselves.

“I know,” Chan mumbled, sucking in his bottom lip. He looked in pain and there were clearly a thousand thoughts going through his beautiful head all at once. “I know I am.” He hated the scope of the information he was trying to keep away from Seungmin though he knew he needed to at least tell the other. He trusted Seungmin and he knew the other would find a way to use this to help them. Somehow, he always found a way but Chan was terrified. What if even Seungmin would be lost? What if even the brain of the group knew no solution? No way out? The thought was suffocating.

“So?” Seungmin pressured the other, gentle but decisive. His eyes were set on Chan’s fidgeting and restless body, he could see that the older was rubbing his fingers together, a clear sign of nervousness. “You’re only making this unnecessarily long, Chan. Either we know what to do with it or we don’t.” He was impatient, especially in situations like these. If it wasn’t personal, he didn’t really mind but this right now was different. It had to do with his friends, with their lives and their safety and whatever it was, he needed to know.

For a long moment Chan just looked at Seungmin, his eyes filled with despair as he nodded weakly. His shoulders were slouching.

“They work with the mafia,” he repeated once again, his voice almost drowning in the sounds of the streets and the wind. “But they also work with Clé.”

Chapter Text

Having a high-end banquet in Pyeongchang in the middle of the ongoing ski resort season was quite a choice and currently being part of it was something Jisung had never expected to happen to him.

He was surrounded by some celebrities, even a handful international ones, such as actors, models, and other artists, as well as every important politician he had and hadn’t heard of before. Whoever had a lot of money or had some say regarding the government or any influence was here – some really wealthy bankers and some government officials were here too and Jisung had really tried to remember whatever name and face he could, but it was really getting hard by now. He couldn’t tell how many people were assembled here but he was sure it was something around five hundred.

Hyunjin however seemed to have no trouble remembering the names, talking to every person as if he had known them for ages and introducing Jisung as his boyfriend without any shame or hesitation. Most people didn’t really mind, welcoming Jisung quite quickly and introducing themselves, though there were a few people that showed Jisung the cold shoulder, only talking to Hyunjin. It was pretty understandable, Hyunjin looked stunning today. He was wearing a tailored suit, a simple black one, however, his shirt had a colorful and daring pattern on it and his tie had the same colors reoccurring. It looked amazing on him, of course. His hair was still blonde and almost touching his shoulder by now, today he was wearing it slightly wavy. He looked like a top-notch model, Jisung was sure the other would have made it far in the industry if he hadn’t chosen a different path in life. Jisung wondered if he sometimes missed the life he had lost.

They were currently talking to a really nice couple and while Hyunjin was charming the woman who was head over heels for him, Jisung talked to the man. They were for sure double their age, but it was easy to get along. Jisung remembered who they were from the briefing they had gotten before: CEOs of a very well-known hotel chain in Seoul, Busan and Daegu, who had invested in quite many charities and projects regarding those. Over the years they had gotten also very popular for taking in homeless people and letting them live in their hotels, despite the backlash of the rich. Jisung still couldn’t understand how anyone would ever complain about people offering human rights to other people but some wealthy assholes thought they had claimed the right to luxury hotels. Jisung was so grateful this very pleasant couple wasn’t their target at all. He wished them no harm and he really hoped no one would ever find any dirt on them – he just also hoped there was no dirty secret someone would one day unravel. Enough evil people already existed and every day Jisung realized he had only gotten to see the tip of the iceberg.

“Oh, you were at the Great Gala?” Mister Park said and frowned, clearly looking worried at both Jisung and Hyunjin. “Terrible, terrible thing that happened there. We luckily left early enough and only heard it from the news. I am so glad you two made it out alive and without any major injuries.” The man was just assuming, clearly, but Jisung let him, not correcting that the emotional pain was an injury for some of them. They barely knew each other and he didn’t feel the urge to repeat the majorly traumatic events to the man in front of him, they were strangers after all and this man had no business snooping in on his mental health even though he seemed really respectful about the entire situation. They had only mentioned the Great Gala as they had been talking about art – something Jisung had gotten really good about – and where they had seen some beautiful and expensive artworks.

“Yes, me too. But so many masterpieces got ruined during that day,” Jisung said, trying not to mention how many people had died there that day too. He preferred to talk about less depressing topics so he tried to talk about their initial one again. “A friend of mine had some pieces there too,” he added, not mentioning that those had been photographs. Art was art and people used time and effort to create it.

“So sad, yes. I was considering buying some of the artworks there too, but after what happened… we did donate a little bit of money towards the remodeling of the building and some restoration of the lost art,” the man said and sighed, looking honestly sad. Jisung knew that the man and his wife had both spent a lot of money on it, more than most people had. A fair share had also gone to the funeral of the employees, some families hadn’t been able to afford a funeral and Jisung really appreciated it. Some people were just better than others, for sure.

“I am so grateful you did,” Jisung smiled at them and looked up when he heard someone start speaking. Of course, there was entertainment – some politicians would be speaking, and also some investors. Food would be served and Hyunjin looked at Jisung, nodding towards him and then excused the both of them to walk towards their seats. Seungmin had to do quite some faking and hacking to get them into that place, however it had worked a lot easier than any of them had expected.

They also had a room here in the Intercontinental Alpensia Pyeongchang Resort, just like everyone else who was part of the banquet, however in a few days – hopefully sooner than later – they would return to the place they were staying with the rest of their group. They had booked a small house, not too far from the hotel and still part of the ski resort, big enough for six people. They had wanted to take Chan and Felix with them as well, unfortunately, Chan had denied their request as disappearing for a few days would look very suspicious to the mafia, especially right now. It was a time of change and that meant they were quite vulnerable after all. Felix had stayed with him as Clé had agreed to him being a part-time bodyguard with Chan and one could see how much easier it was for Chan for having Felix with him. They had yet to decide what they would do with Jeongin, after all he still needed to pop in from time to time but they would find a way to do so. They couldn’t risk anyone getting suspicious.

Changbin however had joined them on the vacation. Despite his doctor repeatedly telling him he needed to be extra careful when it came to his fingers and the cold, Changbin had just shrugged and reassured them all he wouldn’t ski anyways as his body wasn’t made for such a balancing sport. He liked the gym, but skiing, snowboarding and surfing were for everybody but him. Instead, he would drink hot chocolate and eat all the amazing food Minho would cook.

Seungmin had to join them anyways, he was whispering names and backgrounds to Hyunjin who had an earpiece hidden behind his long hair while Jeongin had joined in on the fun but had a free day today. Jisung was very sure he was currently just watching a k-drama with Changbin or looking at all the things he could do in the next few days. They had only arrived yesterday evening and had spent today unpacking and grocery shopping while Hyunjin and Jisung had prepared themselves for their mission.

Despite having a very luxurious room in the Resort fitting both their story and hopefully their alibi too, Jisung was looking forward to going back to the house. Minho had turned on the fireplace shortly before they had left and Jisung already missed that feeling. He very much enjoyed staying in a luxury resort and having the possibility to eat very fancy dinner and breakfast, but as soon as this was over, he just wanted to cuddle with Changbin whom he had figured out really liked cuddling and was offering them whenever anyone was up for it. To everyone’s surprise, Seungmin was currently taking him up on that the most and was actually reaching out, mostly to Changbin to get some snuggles in. It was an interesting development but no one dared teasing him with it. That was probably his way to deal with the previous events and it was a pretty normal reaction. At least in Jisung’s eyes.

Sitting down on his seat he looked around, barely recognizing the many faces around them. He had memorized quite a lot earlier but there were so many insignificant roles surrounding him, so of course, Jisung had no names saved in his brain for them. He glanced at Hyunjin who shortly looked back in Jisung’s general direction but clearly past him and towards another person. He was just getting some information from Seungmin and Jisung was envying him a little bit. He wished he had Seungmin’s voice guiding him with an earpiece, whispering sweet words of information but he was just Hyunjin’s plus one and it was more than enough to just look sweet and save Hyunjin from an uncomfortable talk whenever needed. They had a second earpiece but it hadn’t worked when they had tried it earlier and the others were trying to fix it but such vulnerable and small technology was hard to fix without proper knowledge. Aside from that, all Jisung needed to do was observe. It was Hyunjin who would eventually work on getting the mission finished, Jisung was currently just his partner in this job. Not that he would complain, he had still not changed his opinion regarding taking lives and he was very sure he probably would never.

Slightly, as if Hyunjin was just doting on Jisung, he was leaning over and glanced at Jisung. “Man, in the black suit, striped tie and very thin hair,” he started and Jisung was about to say that around twenty percent of the people in front of them could be exactly that man the other was describing. Luckily Hyunjin kept talking: “Crooked nose, bushy eyebrows, around nine o’clock from here who already is holding the glass in his shaky hand.”

Now that was a lot easier to recognize as most people had the manners not to sip from their drink right away and wait for a short speech that welcomed them to start devouring whatever would be served in front of them. However, that man was exuding confidence, yet not in a good way and Jisung grimaced, almost shaking his head. What an uncomfortable person. The man looked older, probably in his sixties or seventies and the smile he was showing was smug and arrogant. Like he was owning the world – or at least this place. Which he, in fact, did, as Jisung had learned earlier.

Chun Hojin was a man with so much power underlying, Jisung had the feeling that this man was oozing evil. He had so many strings attached to countless people, even Clé couldn’t tell what scheming the man was involved with. Jisung had read his paper and just seeing how many people he was connected to and who exactly was involved, a cold shiver had run down his back and crept into his bones. And that was exactly where it was staying. It was a surprise he hadn’t recognized that man from the way he was holding himself alone already.

“Mhm,” Jisung hummed and slightly leaned onto Hyunjin as one would on a partner, just for a short moment, before he straightened his back as the man got up. He was ready to hold a speech and that meant Jisung was ready to just dissociate.

-

The ground floor of the small house was filled with the smell of sundubu-jjigae and Seungmin was sure that Minho had added way too much gochujang as he could feel the spice just from the way the scent was wavering over. He was currently staring at his laptop that was sitting on the living room table in front of him, himself curled up in a thick blanket on an armchair. Being grateful for his noise-canceling headphones he glanced over to Changbin and Jeongin who were curled up on the couch, Jeongin sitting while Changbin was having his head rested on the other’s lap, getting his hair played with.

They were watching a k-drama and Seungmin was so sure he would enjoy it too but he had to work, at least some more until Hyunjin and Jisung were safe in their hotel room. And that would still take some time so he too had to work as well. His eyes were on the people he was seeing through the security cameras he had hacked into and he groaned as he listened in on Chun Hojin’s disgusting speech. Yeah, he could definitely understand why people wanted him dead. Yet previous assassination attempts had ended fruitlessly with no scratch to the victim. Disappointing, for sure but that also meant work for them in a really luxurious ski resort. Seungmin was very aware that the Olympics had been placed here a few years ago though that was all he knew about this place. And that there was a lot of snow and many ski slopes.

Honestly, he just really looked forward to going skiing with the others in the next few days once he was free and right now he could see snow shimmering in the air outside the window, illuminated by the few street lamps. It had long turned dark and it made the entire situation a lot cozier than he wished for. He needed to concentrate and work, when all he wanted was to cuddle up with the others and do nothing but watch the k-drama with them.

Just a little bit longer.

“To your left, there is a banker, Kim Wonhae and his wife, to your right is Ahn Naesang, a well-known politician. They should be no threat but you can talk to them, they are all rather pleasant if I am not mistaken,” Seungmin explained, knowing they wouldn’t be important to the mission but he had met all three of the mentioned people and he knew they were nice to talk to. Though nice in his eyes didn’t automatically mean they were meeting Hyunjin’s standards. He kept his eyes scanning the area and leaned back as he felt someone tap him on the shoulder, making him flinch. Confused he looked up to just see Minho who was standing there – of course, who else? – holding a cooking spoon in his hand and leaning towards the other.

“Mh?” Seungmin asked curiously and pulled his headphones slightly off one ear, signaling Minho that he could hear him.

“Dinner will be ready in ten minutes,” Minho said and watched Seungmin’s screen curiously. “Will you eat with us and bring the laptop or do you prefer eating here, or later?”

For a moment Seungmin weighed the options before he shrugged. “I’ll bring the laptop. Can you free some space so I can put it on the table next to me?” he asked and looked at Minho who nodded.

“Sure, will do,” Minho hummed and shortly ruffled Seungmin’s hair who complained with a quiet grump. It was so easy to annoy the younger one. He then glanced to Changbin and Jeongin who had heard that food would be ready soon and nodded at them. “I’ll call you once it is ready, bring Seungmin then.” He knew the other couldn’t hear him through his headphones after all.

Stretching his shoulders Minho walked back to the kitchen and the food. He had started setting the table but was now checking on the stew, making sure it wasn’t burning or bubbling over. It smelled nice and warm and he had enjoyed cooking it. Overall Minho liked preparing meals, especially for his friends. Usually, his cats bothered him while doing so, but they weren’t with them right now.

One of the other people working for Clé who was also one of their friends, Lee Minhyuk, was taking care of them, feeding them and playing with them. Minho had set up a camera feed in the living room to watch his cats from time to time and it reassured him and of course, Minhyuk was sending him photos every now and then so he didn’t need to worry. Dori had already climbed on his friend’s head and while Doongie had only loudly screamed at the other, Soonie had managed to accidentally scratch him while Minhyuk had played with the cat. Rule number one: do not use your hands as a cat toy, it will not end well. He had to learn that the hard way for sure.

Though while Minho hadn’t brought his cats to the somewhat vacation, he had enough cat hair on his clothes to possibly make another tiny cat from it. The life of a pet owner.

Taste-testing the food Minho decided it was ready, turning the stove off and placing the pot on the table. He had cooked a lot more than necessary so they would most likely be able to have another dinnertime with it. They had no definite time frame for their stay here – it could be a few days or up to two weeks, who knew, so they had just packed a few clothes and bought some food. They could always bring it home with them or buy new food after all and if they needed to they could buy or wash clothes. It wasn’t the first time they were at a place without knowing the exact timeframe or details but Minho had communicated this to Minhyuk and his cats would be okay. Everything else was easy to handle.

Usually, Seungmin would have stayed in Seoul, working from home or his office, but after the last disaster where the communication had broken down, he preferred to work somewhere close so he could intervene if he needed to.

Putting chopsticks and glasses for water on the table, he situated everything in a way that Seungmin could keep working and they wouldn’t bother him while doing so. He knew Hyunjin and Jisung would manage without him, at least today, but he also knew that it would be a lot more relaxing if they had a person who could easily get all the information they needed within a blink of an eye and could also tell them where to go and what to do. Seungmin was just their safety net and Minho had experienced it himself so many times already. There had been enough missions without Seungmin’s calming voice coming from an earpiece, sadly, so he definitely knew the difference and appreciated his support.

He put the rice and some other side dishes on the table and then put everything else away they didn’t need. He cleaned quickly before he called for the other three that dinner was ready. He could hear them pausing the k-drama and moving around, the blanket they had been curled up in rustling. One of them talked to Seungmin before all three of them came walking to the kitchen.

“Hyunjin wants me to tell you, to save him a portion,” Seungmin told him amused and put the laptop on the table, sitting down. He looked up at Minho who nodded.

“Sure, will do. Or I’ll cook something fresh with meat for him, I know he loves that.”

Minho knew they all really enjoyed eating meat, especially when he was cooking it. He had once cooked Beef Wellington for Felix and Steak for Chan and they both had more than just enjoyed it. His friends were a little spoiled when it came to good food but, again, Minho really liked cooking for them. It was somewhat his love language and he was sure the rest of the group was aware of it.

“He says thank you,” Seungmin let Minho know and then glanced at the food, placing his laptop on the table. “It looks delicious.”

“Agreed,” Jeongin nodded as he looked at the food, tilting his head a bit. “Gosh, I am already excited to eat it.” The youngest clapped his hands in joy as Minho filled their bowls with food, adding both sundubu-jjigae and rice. The side dishes could be easily eaten from the bowls and he let them do exactly that.

“The entire house smells like it and I will probably wake up wanting to eat some more tonight,” Changbin grinned and looked at the food with excitement. “Thank you for the food,” he then added, taking his chopsticks. Luckily his severed fingers were on his left and not his right hand as he could easily hold the chopsticks now. Chan had done a clean and good job with his fingers: it was the left hand, he didn’t need most of the fingers for daily activities – aside from maybe typing an email, but he had just switched to using his phone instead. That still worked very well with his fingers. Also, if one day someone wanted to marry him, an engagement ring could still be placed on his stump – it might look a bit weird, but it would definitely work. A funny thought, but something that had popped up in his mind when he had thought of things he couldn’t do anymore. For example, he only had one middle finger left to show now, which was a pity but not a problem. He could work around that.

“I made enough for at least two days so feel free to sleepwalk and snack some food tonight. No cats will trip you,” Minho said as it had obviously happened way too many times that one of them had wanted to get a midnight snack and they had just ended up either stumbling over the cats or accidentally stepping on one of the cat’s tails or paws – which had only caused them to chase the cats in guilt to apologize to them and then fill their fluffy bellies with treats. Fortunately, none of the cats ever were really angry at them or resentful. Minho had done his best to raise the cats well.

A small laugh left both Jeongin and Changbin, Seungmin only listening to them with half an uncovered ear. “Yeah, but maybe a very sleepy cat owner, who knows,” Jeongin joked and they all knew each of their nightly habits: insomnia haunted most of them.

“Maybe, if you are lucky,” Minho chuckled and then shrugged, starting to eat his food. “I hope you enjoy your food,” he quickly added as the others started to eat as well.

It was nice taking their time and eating together, just sitting with each other and having one of them make a sound or say something from time to time. They were clearly all enjoying the food, Seungmin absentmindedly eating while Changbin and Jeongin added some praise to their conversation and Minho smiling proudly at them. If they enjoyed his food it was all he wanted and there was really nothing else he was asking for.

Seungmin sipped and talked to Hyunjin from time to time, some information about a person or some schedule of another or something that fit Hyunjin’s cover. It was interesting listening in on his work but Minho quickly turned to Changbin and Seungmin so he wouldn’t bother Seungmin too much. He knew the other didn’t enjoy being watched while working. Performance pressure and all.

“Do you guys plan on going skiing tomorrow?” Changbin asked the other two and Jeongin shrugged.

“Not sure yet. I will ask Seungmin when he doesn’t need to work and when Hyunjin and Jisung are coming back. Hyunjinnie is really good at skiing and Jisung said he can snowboard!” Jeongin grinned brightly and looked at them. “What about you?”

“Oh, really?” Minho asked surprised, not having known this about Jisung. He knew Hyunjin could ski well, but he hadn’t known anything regarding Jisung’s snow sports techniques – not that he had ever asked, but it also had just not come up before. “I think I might just go walk around some, look around and all.”

“I might accompany you,” Changbin hummed. “I don’t know when they’ll come back, depending on when the mission is finished I guess. So maybe you can come with us?” he offered to Jeongin and tilted his head a bit. “We can also go to a restaurant. Or ice skating, I saw an ice rink not too far away!”

Jeongin was clearly up for it and Minho just shrugged and said: “Sure. If you guys catch me when I fall.”

“When? Not if?” Seungmin asked into their conversation and Minho nodded slightly.

“Thought you were only bad when it comes to balls,” Jeongin added amused.

Changbin snorted and leaned forward, holding some food with his chopsticks. “Well, he is very good with my balls,” he announced, winking at them and Seungmin whined loudly, clearly not happy about that comment while Jeongin immediately blushed. Minho only laughed, not embarrassed at all.

“True, you were very pleased,” he then let them all know and Seungmin groaned, burying his face in his hands while Jeongin stuffed his mouth with food so he couldn’t say anything about that topic. Of course, they all had had sex before, but just easily talking about their friends having sex right in front of them was just something else.

“Please-“ Seungmin huffed and looked at them, that one uncovered ear bright red. “I need to concentrate. Imagining you between Changbin’s legs is hot but it makes me lose focus.”

That was something none of them had seen coming and even Minho choked on his food, staring at Seungmin. That got them all quiet in just one swift motion while Minho did his best to not die by choking on his food.

Jeongin blinked confused, not knowing about the conversation a few weeks ago between the others and was therefore just left dumbfounded. He shrugged then, not minding it honestly, just a little prude when it came to the conversation of intercourse. He had no other friends that talked so openly about such intimate topics so sometimes this still surprised him. He didn’t mind them talking about it, he just didn’t want to be included right now.

Instead, he happily kept eating, stuffing way too big portions into his mouth and just relaxing. It had been quite a while since they had actually had some time to relax and just leave their apartment and work town. Having free days was nice but actually being able to work somewhere else that wasn’t in their hometown or being on a mission somewhere else that looked as relaxing and beautiful just gave them nice vibes. It made them all relax, and lose the tenseness in their body from all the shit that had happened before and Jeongin wished they could have taken Chan and Felix with them but they also were very aware that currently it wasn’t an option.

“One day I’ll have you between my legs,” Changbin then pulled Jeongin back from his thoughts, his words being targeted at Seungmin who was now putting his headphones on properly again, face bright red and all Jeongin could do was blink a little taken by surprise. Damn, there was some tension he hadn’t noticed before and it was so obvious right now.

Minho only laughed as he watched them but clearly being in on the situation and knowing about their talk gave him an interesting insight. He wondered how much Hyunjin was currently hearing, after all Seungmin didn’t always mute his microphone.

-

Luckily this time Seungmin had in fact muted his microphone. Hyunjin had actually heard some of the banter but not most of it. He almost wished he could’ve heard more of it as right now one of the politicians was clearly talking his ear off.

They had gotten some fancy food served, some people holding speeches and giving information but most of the people hadn’t listened and had only enjoyed the food. Just a few minutes ago it had been announced they could now all get themselves some dessert from the buffet area, the majority had long finished their dinner. While dinner had been served in front of each of them, dessert was for them all to get and mingle. So right now, Jisung and him were standing together with a group of people of all ages and genders, listening in on the politician who had sat next to them earlier.

Jisung however was quietly whispering to a young man right next to them, black hair and a sheepish face. He had a birthmark right next to his eye that was slightly covered by hair though it didn’t take away any of his beauty. He was seemingly not enjoying the talking of the man as much as they were, even though their political interest might align. Hyunjin wished he could just ignore the man as well but it would be rude to just suddenly leave a conversation he had accidentally started. About what he had long forgotten.

“It’s really good,” Jisung told the young man in front of him, he was probably around their age. “I can show you where I got it from.”

“Really?” the dark-haired man asked and looked at Jisung with a soft smile. “I’m Yeosang by the way.”

Nodding eagerly, Jisung looked at the other, completely abandoning the conversation now that he had found a new person he could talk to. “I’m Jisung. Nice to meet you!”

“I can only return that,” Yeosang nodded and his hair bounced a bit when he did so. “They always start such conversations and I am just a little lost.”

“Yeah, I like politics but I am not exactly good with it,” Jisung admitted and offered Yeosang his dessert plate. Now that they were on first-name basis he didn’t mind sharing some of his food with the not-anymore-stranger. “Feel free to try it.”

Yeosang however was a little caught off-guard and his slightly red cheeks were telling on him. “Thank you,” he whispered and then used his fork to take a bit from Jisung’s tiramisu. And his expression immediately showed that he enjoyed it, nodding eagerly. “You are absolutely right!”

A bright grin was now displayed on Jisung’s face, clearly proud of his recommendation. “It is a little hidden behind all the sweets but it is so good, isn’t it?”

“Yes. I had something jelly-like earlier but this is so much better. Oh, they also have a cocktail bar in the room next door. You should definitely go and try it. Are you here alone?” Yeosang asked curiously and watched Jisung. “Because if not, take your partner with you. It is so worth it. They made me a Bloody Mary earlier and it is so exquisite.”

“A cocktail bar sounds fantastic,” Jisung said and then glanced at Hyunjin who was still talking to the politician and Jisung could see the other was trying his best to keep his expression together. “No, I am here with my partner.” The words left his lips so easily even though it was a blatant lie. Hyunjin and him had never even kissed each other, they were friends but clearly not partners. Partners in crime however was something that could be considered. Not that he wouldn’t kiss Hyunjin, his lips were definitely seductive, but that was a thought for another day and time.

“Oh! Me too,” Yeosang gave back, his eyes going to Hyunjin who Jisung was still looking at. “The model is your partner? You are dating the Hwang Hyunjin? I love his work!”

Now it was Jisung who was taken aback, looking at Yeosang with a flabbergasted look. He hadn’t expected anyone to recognize Hyunjin however he had clearly underestimated the other’s work for sure. Hyunjin was handsome, of course people would remember him, even though he hadn’t been promoted or done any model jobs within the past few months.

“Is it you why he did less work recently?” Yeosang teased jokingly and Jisung could feel his cheeks heat up.

No, it was definitely not because of him but it was definitely a good way out instead of telling Yeosang ‘no, his new work field is shooting people’s brains out, sorry, he is now an assassin and not a model any longer’. That wasn’t what anyone was supposed to know and it was also not on Jisung to ever tell anyone that secret so all Jisung did was take the lie and run with it. Almost shyly he nodded.

“I guess so,” Jisung mumbled and there was a soft chuckle coming from Yeosang. His eyes crinkled a bit at the edge when he was laughing and it was beautiful to watch. He was a handsome young man and Jisung hoped he knew that. His voice too was very beautiful. “Are you a fan?” he asked curiously then and tilted his head a bit.

“Kinda, yeah,” the other replied and something felt off about that. Jisung couldn’t tell what exactly it was, but his shoulders tensed and he almost let the feeling slip onto his face. Focusing he pushed the thoughts away, nodding slightly.

“Not a surprise, his work is super amazing,” he instead said and glanced at Hyunjin who was still talking to the group of people. He then turned back to Yeosang who sipped on a drink he had sneaked from a waitress who had passed them. He nodded towards them and then looked at Jisung.

“Mhm, it is. He is such a talented person,” Yeosang agreed as he glanced over to Hyunjin who was looking over at them and showed Jisung a small smile on his pretty lips. Then, however his eyes changed, from gentle acknowledgment to slight surprise. Jisung was wondering if it was Yeosang or something else that was having him react like that when he heard an excited voice calling for Yeosang.

Jisung had never seen that person before, Hyunjin however clearly had as he noticed the look of recognition in his eyes. He turned around to see a young woman around their age, with long dark hair and beautiful makeup, a sharp look on her beautiful face. She could definitely be a model too and Jisung wasn’t entirely sure if that was why Hyunjin seemed to know her.

“Hey, Yeji,” Yeosang said as the woman linked her arm with Yeosang’s who gave her a very gentle look. For a short moment Yeji leaned onto the other, asking Yeosang who he was talking to when her eyes fell on Hyunjin and her entire face lit up.

“Hyunjin!” she exclaimed excitedly and let go of Yeosang’s arm, going for Hyunjin right away and hugging him tightly. She obviously didn’t care that he was in the middle of a conversation. “I didn’t expect to see you here.” She cupped his cheeks for a moment and then tiptoed to peck his forehead, clearly happy to see him. Her lipstick didn’t stain.

Hyunjin was clearly overwhelmed by the sudden situation but wasn’t complaining, blinking at her and a soft chuckle leaving his lips. “Me neither,” he said and squeezed her slightly, looking at her with a warm expression. “Guess we are good with running into each other. How are you doing?”

Yeji hummed, a happy tune leaving her red lips. The bright red lipstick made her look a little less approachable despite her being more than friendly toward Hyunjin and Yeosang. She eventually let go of Hyunjin and went back to Yeosang, showing them a soft smile. “It seems like it but I know that! I’m good, I was actually looking forward to some nice events. I already got a few possible promoters.” She hummed and then glanced at Yeosang before looking back at Hyunjin. “What about you? Are you here alone?”

“Oh, no,” Hyunjin replied, glancing at Jisung and then stepping towards the other man, putting an arm around him. His hand rested on Jisung’s waist. “Yeji, this is Han Jisung, my plus one.” He winked at her, an amused smile on his lips as he held Jisung close to him. “Jisung, this is Hwang Yeji. She is one of my friends I mentioned before.”

Now that Hyunjin mentioned it Jisung did recognize her face from a few pictures Hyunjin had shown him not too long ago. He had talked about her and a few other people after the Great Gala and while Jisung had buried it deep in the back of his mind, he did remember it.

“Nice to meet you,” he hummed and nodded at her. “Hyunjin told me about you.”

“Oh! Finally, I finally meet one of your partners,” Yeji grinned brightly and she looked clearly pleased. She then turned to Jisung, nodding. “It is so nice to meet you! Hyunjin and I did a lot of modeling together, he is a really good friend of mine!”

It was fascinating to see their private and work worlds collide and combine, melting into each other and Jisung was wondering how it felt. Having to work around the possibility of slipping and spilling or accidentally giving wrong details. He was very aware that Hyunjin would have to think of either a good breakup story in a few weeks or keep acting like he was still dating Jisung as it was quite obvious that Yeji would ask about him and his love life. Jisung was very grateful that his past life was mostly unable to mingle so no ghosts of the past would haunt him in his work life. He was sure it could get quite difficult if it happened.

“Thank you, I’m happy to meet you too.” Jisung showed her a warm and honest smile. He was actually quite curious about Hyunjin’s friends so it wasn’t a lie. Surely Jisung had seen most of his team on video calls with friends or on the phone, even with their families sometimes, but it was still so hard to grasp. He seemed to be the only one who currently had no life outside his job, no one he needed to hide his life from and it was still so surreal.

Hyunjin nodded at Yeji, a chuckle leaving his lips. “And who do you have with you?” he asked curiously then and Yeji grinned brightly. She seemed to get even more excited than before, happiness clearly filling her body.

“That is Kang Yeosang, my plus one.” She winked at Hyunjin and the other nodded at the man next to Yeji’s side.

“My turn to say nice to meet you,” Hyunjin said, voice friendly and welcoming. He had met a few of Yeji’s partners, both female and male, though she usually preferred to keep her romances private. Just like Hyunjin did, it was more convenient in their business after all, fewer articles to read about them – at least about things that were irrelevant to their work.

A welcoming smile was seen on Yeosang’s lips and he nodded at Hyunjin as well. “I can only return that. I’ve seen your work, we even almost met once,” he then added and the other looked surprised again but very positive.

“Oh, do you work in the same business?” he asked, intrigued to know about the other’s job. He liked meeting new people and to get to know about them though he surely didn’t want to pressure him.

“Kinda,” Yeosang answered, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeji also invited me to a friends meeting but sadly I had no time. I’ll try to join next time though! Unless you mind, of course.”

Shaking his head Hyunjin looked at the other. Just like Jisung, he had noticed that Yeosang had dropped the question, however maybe the other was just not the biggest fan of talking about himself. He might be a rookie, new to the world of modeling, possibly an actor or even having a spot behind the camera. Everything was possible and he wasn’t here to push. Yeosang would tell them once he wanted to.

“You are very welcome, no worries,” he hummed and nodded at Yeosang.

Yet, just like Jisung, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. And he couldn't tell what exactly it was.

Chapter Text

Yeosang was indeed a photographer.

Seungmin had double-checked his name on the world wide web and seen his website pop up quite early and also his Instagram account was showing the pictures of the shootings he had been employed for. Seungmin had to admit that he was very talented and the way he was catching the atmosphere and vibes in pictures was amazing. Seungmin could surely learn quite a few things from the other.

Not that he was ever going to meet him, most likely not, however, a man was still allowed to dream.

Hyunjin had texted him a short Yeosang gives me a weird feeling and Seungmin had just said “Maybe it’s because he is dating a good friend of yours.” and with that, the conversation had been over. Even if Yeosang might be hiding something, it literally had nothing to do with them or their mission. Maybe the other was hiding some secrets but that wasn’t for them to unfold. Once Hyunjin wasn’t at work any longer he could worry about his friend and her partner but right now it wasn’t the right time for it.

“I’ve just been informed Chun Hojin will stay a week, he confirmed it just now,” Seungmin said which made a small sigh leave Hyunjin’s lips. It meant they also would have to stay longer in the hotel, however it might give them an easier way to eliminate the target. One that looked less incriminating. A bullet to the head looked a lot worse than a broken skull due to a skiing accident after all. They had planned for all those situations, the actual plan they would follow however was depending on how long Chun Hojin would stay and what activities he would take part in. An assassin had to be flexible at all times. Or at least they had to do exactly that. “As soon as I get his schedule, I’ll let you know.”

Their victim planned everything with their online calendar which was unbelievably helpful for them. It gave them so much information, it was almost terrifying. One of the reasons why Seungmin preferred to keep stuff in his journal, there was no need to let the world and any possible hacker see what he was up to. Being able to see what people didn’t expect or wanted him to see surely made him feel a lot more sensitive to what other people could potentially find out about him just from his online footprint and he was definitely not a fan of it.

Hyunjin didn’t answer, he was currently talking to some people and Jisung was part of the conversation as well. Seungmin knew Yeosang and Yeji were still there, he could hear their voices in the background. Not really caring about the conversation he looked over at the other three who were back on the couch, now a ball of bodies and clearly cuddling. It looked weirdly comfortable and Seungmin wondered if he should just join the pile. It wouldn’t make a difference if he was curled up to them or just sitting an armchair away. He’d still have to type on his laptop from time to time but right now Hyunjin and Jisung just had to fit in. The information of Chun Hojin actually planning a longer stay was quite convenient and it was offering them more time to plan. This mission had been pretty last minute and while they were paid an extra bonus, he preferred missions he could actually plan properly for.

It would also give Hyunjin and Jisung a better alibi, blending in perfectly. Hyunjin fortunately mostly fit in almost everywhere, he was a handsome man made for the spotlight and while they hadn’t given Jisung a famous background, he also had it quite easy to blend in and just talk to people, entertaining them.

If Seungmin was honest, he was quite impressed with Jisung’s development. The first night he had ended up with them, he wouldn’t have expected him to fit so perfectly into their group. He was an oddball but then again, they all were and that was one of the reasons why he fit. Jisung was really good at observing things, having a good intuition as well and he was a great actor. He fit in so well, both in their team as well as on missions, like he was exactly what they had been missing. Jisung, too, was clinging to them as they were the only people he had left – but he was also finding himself in the chaos and being his own person again. Slowly but surely he was healing. Jisung had never once said something just to please them and Seungmin appreciated it. He knew that sometimes the other had a hard time distinguishing if the group was just teasing or actually meaning something, but he was getting the hang of it.

Talking to Jisung was pleasant and honestly, Seungmin felt like Jisung had been with them for a very long time even though it had just been quite a few months, almost a year soon. He appreciated the other and it reminded him of when Hyunjin had first joined them – just without the ruckus Hyunjin had caused back then. He liked all his team members and Jisung was one of them.

Sometimes it was hard for Seungmin to express what he was feeling, rarely showing what was going on inside his head and his heart yet he could only hope each and every one knew what he was feeling.

Hearing Hyunjin say goodbye to someone pulled Seungmin out of his thoughts. He checked the time and was pretty sure it was somewhat close to midnight. Rolling his shoulders, he sat up straight before he heard the voices fade some more.

“Holy, I didn’t realize how loud it was inside,” Jisung mumbled as he walked close to Hyunjin so that Seungmin could hear him as well.

“Yeah, same. You have no idea how tired I am,” Hyunjin mumbled quietly, voice clearly showing exhaustion and Seungmin chuckled. After all, he had been working and Seungmin was very aware that playing the so nice and pliable model and not just stating what was on his mind – like all of them surely wanted – was exhausting. Back then Hyunjin hadn’t been into any kind of politics or at least hadn’t mingled with them, ignoring the news and was ignorant to what kind of laws had been passed, but now being part of Clé one had to be up to date – and if not, it was hard to ignore as it wasn’t rare that politicians were their targets. Of course, not every mission had to do with murder though sometimes Seungmin wished it did. Sadly, not everything could be solved with death as it didn’t matter how many people were taken out – a new cockroach of politician would follow. Killing them all wasn’t an option, unfortunately. He had always had strong opinions and whenever they talked politics he was the one getting pretty heated. So many things in this world angered him and he just wanted it to be changed – he was trying to be part of the change but it was so difficult and complex sometimes.

“Oh, I do,” Jisung chuckled in the background of the audio, a sound of an elevator being heard. “I will take a hot shower and then fall into bed.”

Seungmin was sure the other was quite tense too, going on regular missions was still new to Jisung. He had already been on a few missions before, yes, the Great Gala had been one for example, and he had also been to smaller missions, usually accompanied by one or two of their team members so he got the general hang of it, but nowadays he was just regularly going on missions. Still, this was new to Jisung and being on a mission alone with Hyunjin – an important one that could easily be fucked up and get them into jail – was quite impressive. Seungmin knew that Clé had double-checked if Jisung really was ready and wanted to do it but after the other had reassured them a few times and his assessments of the physical and the mental evaluation too had come back positive, they had given their go. And so had each and every one of their team members.

But that didn’t mean it was any less exhausting.

Eventually, Jisung would get used to it, but right now it was still something new, something that got him nervous and worried he might fuck up and Seungmin could very much understand that.

“Enjoy your shower,” Seungmin said even though Jisung couldn’t hear him. Hyunjin however told the other, having Jisung hum a quiet mumble of thanks to Seungmin. “I’ll join you guys tomorrow morning when you go for breakfast. Vocally, I mean.”

While Seungmin was very sure that Hyunjin didn’t need him during breakfast, it had still been an order from Clé to be ready to look up any kind of information for Hyunjin and Jisung during this case. Despite the high amount of security in the hotel, Seungmin was aware that people who weren’t supposed to be there could enter the perimeter – like them, for example. And while Hyunjin’s background did help them immensely to get into the event, they surely weren’t the only ones that had managed to sneak in.

The question was if those people would be interfering with their mission.

“Sure, Seungmin. Update the others for us,” Hyunjin said gently as another elevator sound could be heard and they stepped out, back into a quiet hallway.

“And give them a goodnight kiss!” Jisung immediately called, having Hyunjin laugh quietly. He always somehow managed to make Hyunjin laugh and it was kind of nice to hear. At least to Seungmin.

“Eh, we will see about that. Sleep well,” Seungmin told them as he heard the keycard in front of the hotel room. “Text me once you are awake.” Hearing the door open he turned off his microphone, not waiting for an answer from Hyunjin or Jisung. If they needed something, they would contact him. Carefully he took off his headphones, shutting his laptop down so it could cool down for the rest of the night. He always made sure to turn off his laptop as it was an expensive one and he would very much like it to last a lot longer than it would if he didn’t turn it off. Like Jisung or Chan sometimes didn’t and it almost personally offended him.

-

The hot shower had done Jisung more than just well. His shoulders were finally relaxed and it was the first time ever since he had agreed on being Hyunjin’s partner in a mission. He knew they would be a good team but that didn’t mean things couldn’t go wrong so very quickly.

He had been nervous, of course, but he hadn’t realized how nervous. Slowly he moved his shoulders, halfway laying on their bed. They only had one big bed as they were supposedly partners, Jisung didn’t mind. His legs were dangling from it while his back was on the mattress, staring at the ceiling. He was surprised at how well it had gone – it had been easy to mingle with the people and make new acquaintances, get a few numbers and even meet Yeji, Hyunjin’s friend. She had been rather excited to meet someone who was presumably Hyunjin’s partner and Jisung wondered how long the two had known each other and how many other partners Yeji had met.

Brushing through his still slightly wet hair, he listened to Hyunjin using the shower. He probably stayed under the hot water as long as Jisung had as warmth had just helped his body relax and unwind a bit. It felt good, just letting go of whatever was going on inside his mind and he was very aware that he was still not touching on so many subjects he should probably think about. Not now, not here, but in general. Instead he was filling his mind with documentaries and other shows on all possible websites that had series on – both legally and illegally. There was no use in paying his streaming website when they didn’t even have the shows he wanted to watch. And sometimes he just wanted to mindlessly repeat the shows that comforted him or binge-watch the newest season of Grey’s Anatomy despite all of the tropes being overused and repetitive. At least they were breaching on important topics from time to time. It was background noise that helped ease his hectic mind and ignore the important issues that were more than dire to think and talk about.

Another day, another time.

Wondering what the others were doing right now, he listened to the water being turned off. If the politician hadn’t extended his stay, they would have had to go and take a life today – or at least Hyunjin while all Jisung had to do was to keep watch. It felt a little weird to be an actual part of such a group, to be part of stories that would make it to the news but his person would never be mentioned. Or so he hoped.

Jisung wasn’t planning on ending up in jail, not anytime soon nor ever.

He knew that Seungmin had been scheduled to listen in on them until late that night but now they were free until they had to go to breakfast in the morning at around nine. So, they had a little more than eight and a half hours to sleep, which was definitely more than just a good night’s sleep.

Considering opening his social media and scrolling through his accounts he heard Hyunjin walk out of the bathroom, just like Jisung only wearing a towel around his hips and a smaller towel on his shoulders for his hair. For a moment all Jisung could do was hold his breath. Hyunjin looked stunning.

His slightly sun-kissed body was still a little wet from the shower and a few scars adorned his beautiful body. While Hyunjin was tall, he wasn’t gangly. He had muscles, not as much as Changbin or Chan, but that was definitely not necessary. Hyunjin was mesmerizing. The wet skin shimmered slightly in the dim light of the lamp on the bedside table, his eyes seeming a lot darker than usual. They almost looked black, making them a stark contrast to his hair.

“Hey there, pretty,” Jisung said amused, pushing himself up with his elbows so he could watch Hyunjin some more. The way Hyunjin looked surprised at his roommate was amusing and he blinked a little confused, tilting his head a bit.

“Hey there, boyfriend,” Hyunjin gave back and caught Jisung off-guard as well. The other had fully forgotten that this was indeed his role at this event and it made him chuckle. It was fun just leaning into Hyunjin’s arm from time to time or holding his hand – Hyunjin’s hands were big, a little bigger than Jisung’s and he liked that. He liked just getting held and holding hands, so when his hand disappeared in between Hyunjin’s hand it had just felt nice. Protected.

“Boyfriend, mh? Where is my kiss then?” Jisung teased, wiggling his eyebrows as he kept his eyes on Hyunjin who had been rummaging through his bag, looking for something. Probably a hairbrush or his beauty bag or something, honestly Jisung had no idea.

When he heard the other’s words however he stopped mid-moving and tilted his head a bit. Clearly, he was contemplating on what to say back and Jisung chuckled, just letting himself fall back on the bed. It was comfortable and relaxing, both the bed but also just being here with the other and bickering. Sometimes he was worried he wasn’t close enough to some of his team but then they just talked without end and he felt like he had never had such a connection.

“So?” Hyunjin said smugly, his hands on either side of Jisung’s surprised face as the older leaned on top of him. “What kind of kiss would my boyfriend like to have?”

Jisung loved teasing, yes, he had however not expected Hyunjin to tease back and actually add some actions to it. With big eyes he looked up at the other and licked his dry lips. “Will you give me one if I tell you?” he asked curiously but quietly, his eyes still on the other and not leaving. He wanted to touch the other’s body so badly, the skin looked soft and it sent hot shivers through his body.

“Maybe,” Hyunjin mumbled softly and got a bit closer, having Jisung hold his breath for a long moment. “Try it, maybe you’ll get a reward.” He winked and Jisung wanted to hide under his pillow.

How could one man be so damn stunning? He bit his bottom lip as his eyes wandered from Hyunjin’s eyes to his lips which looked so damn full and kissable. He then let his eyes go down to his chest and then hurried back up as he was very aware of how inappropriate this might be.

“You like what you see?” Hyunjin grinned and watch how Jisung blushed, not only his cheeks but also his ears. Of course, it was obvious the other was staring. He knew Jisung hadn’t seen this coming and he somehow hoped the other wouldn’t blurt something out like a goodnight kiss or so as Hyunjin had something else in his mind.

Jisung had been adorable, the entire evening he had been holding himself with such confidence and offering knowledge about the weirdest things and catching attention left and right – it was almost a shame that Jisung had definitely not noticed the glances and stares the people had given him. Like they wanted to devour him and Hyunjin could definitely understand it.

“Yeah,” Jisung mumbled hesitantly, his mind running a mile an hour. “Would you give me a French kiss?” he whispered then and looked at the other, his own heart in his throat.

The smile on Hyunjin’s lips only got brighter as he lifted the other’s chin, leaning in. He didn’t reply, instead he just followed the other’s request. Oh, how much he loved to kiss those beautiful lips.

At first, it was just a butterfly kiss – soft touches of their lips, slowly moving against each other. Hyunjin now leaning on his forearms so it was easier to kiss Jisung, however it also meant his hair was slightly tickling the other’s face. Jisung however didn’t seem to mind as he gently kissed Hyunjin back, one hand on the other’s cheek as he slightly tilted his head to kiss the other better. Hyunjin’s lips felt as amazing on his as he had imagined. Soft and warm and so damn perfect.

It didn’t take long for Hyunjin to deepen the kiss, requesting Jisung to part his lip with his tongue before he could finally kiss him properly. It was hot and exciting, kissing someone he had never kissed before and it made his heart beat faster. Jisung was a good kisser, attentive and talented for sure and this would hopefully not be the last time he kissed Jisung. For a moment he watched Jisung, how the other closed his eyes, how he leaned into the kiss and returned it before he closed his own eyes. He had wanted to take the other in entirely, remember how Jisung’s expression was, see if he enjoyed this as much as Hyunjin did. And he clearly did, so now he wanted to feel him, with his eyes closed.

His fingers brushed over Jisung’s sides, gently touching his small waist and his soft stomach. Of course, he had seen how Jisung had worked out, had seen him run around in a towel before but it was different having the handsome man right in front of him than just watching him from the corner of his eyes. Hyunjin was aware that their entire team was full of handsome men and he was definitely craving their attention, but right now he had Jisung under him who was more than willingly giving him exactly that – and now it was Hyunjin who actually wanted to give him attention. He wanted to spoil the other, make him melt into every touch and lose himself in the feeling. Jisung looked stunning when he was appreciated, his cheeks all red but his eyes shining and Hyunjin wanted to see that.

Slowly his hands wander upwards, touching the rips of the younger as he licked into Jisung’s mouth, passionately kissing him. He knew that Jisung would stop him if he didn’t want the touches, Hyunjin was giving him every opportunity to do so, but instead Jisung only buried his hand in the blonde hair, holding onto it. Usually, Hyunjin wasn’t a fan of someone touching his hair unless it was intimate and sexual so right now Jisung could do all he wanted with it. He liked when people played with it or tugged on it, depending on his mood and currently both were welcomed.

His thumb brushed over Jisung’s nipple and the sound the other made sent hot shivers through his body. It was almost sad it got swallowed by the kiss. It was surprising and arousing at the same time and Hyunjin could feel the small bud harden under his fingers. He loved the way the other moved under his hands, leaning into the touch so quickly – he wondered how long it had been since someone had last touched Jisung and it probably had been before he had joined Clé. That was quite some time since Jisung had been touched by someone – definitely not impossible but good to know as it also meant Jisung would be so beautifully sensitive and Hyunjin wanted to see it so badly.

Sucking on Jisung’s bottom lip he then let go, looking down at the other who still had his eyes closed and was breathing heavily. His cheeks were slightly red and it was an amazing view. It had been such little touches and yet Jisung was already so obviously into it. It was a compliment to Hyunjin.

“Do you want me to stop?” Hyunjin asked nevertheless, keeping his eyes on the other to see his reaction and even before Jisung replied verbally, he could see him shake his head. Consent was key.

“No. No, don’t stop,” Jisung mumbled and looked up at Hyunjin, his breathing quick and his heart hammering in his chest. “Kiss me again.”

“What a demanding one,” Hyunjin chuckled amused before he leaned back down, kissing the other again. Jisung was lucky his lips were so amazing to kiss. His fingers brushed over the other’s nipple, pinching it slightly as Jisung leaned into the touch, clearly enjoying it. He tried to muffle the sounds while still kissing Hyunjin and it was way too adorable to watch. Jisung made such pretty sounds and it was so easy for Hyunjin to create them – and he loved it. Loved to make people react to whatever he did, loved to hear the person he was touching and pleasing. And Jisung was so quick to be vocal.

“I was a good boyfriend, I can be demanding,” Jisung joked quietly, voice shaking a little bit. He clearly hadn’t expected to even get kissed by Hyunjin, he had thought they would banter and bicker a bit but instead an almost naked Hyunjin was kneeling on top of him, lips so close to his.

“Mhm, you were,” Hyunjin hummed and brushed over Jisung’s cheek, watching the way he looked at him. Jisung had beautiful eyes, not as dark as Hyunjin had expected and he could see the dim light reflect in them, making the other’s pretty orbs glisten even more. Jisung was a fascinating person, beautiful and interesting and Hyunjin wondered what secrets the other was hiding. “But I am sure you can be even better for me.”

Lifting Jisung’s chin slightly, Hyunjin leaned down and kissed the other’s heart-shaped adam’s apple. He had noticed it a while ago, especially when Jisung was grinning or holding back laughter, his laryngeal prominence was formed like a heart and right now he was able to touch it, kiss it with his lips. Without having to ask, Jisung already turned his head so Hyunjin had more space to kiss the soft skin on the side of his neck. He kissed his way to the side of Jisung’s beautiful throat where he sucked hard, leaving a dark hickey just where his hair would still be able to cover it. It caused Jisung to make quiet sounds and it was so stunning. Such little touch and he was already melting underneath him.

Han Jisung had no idea how fucking hot he was.

Kissing and sucking on the skin of the other, he left a few, easily hidden marks. He knew they had enough clothes that would be able to cover it and even if not, Hyunjin wouldn’t pretend like he hadn’t left such pretty markings on the other. Jisung was a catch and everyone who had ogled the man by Hyunjin’s side had been aware of it and Hyunjin was sure he could count at least two handfuls of people who wished to be in his spot right now.

“I think the people should know, who you belong to. So, they don’t try anything stupid,” he mumbled and Jisung hummed without thinking much. Both of them weren’t entirely sure if this was some kind of roleplay they had started this morning and never let go or if right now Hyunjin just wanted to be possessive – and Jisung easily fell into his position. “Especially if we have to stay for longer.”

Another small hum left Jisung’s lips as he tilted his head and Hyunjin immediately took the invitation, leaving a small mark on a more obvious spot. He wouldn’t overdo it but it was pretty obvious that Hyunjin enjoyed leaving traces on people. His lips went down to the other’s collarbone but he didn’t stop there, only leaving an almost invisible hickey before he licked over the younger’s chest. His tongue slightly following the outline of the other’s nipple before licking over the sensitive bud. Then he sucked on it Just like Hyunjin had expected Jisung was unbelievably sensitive and reactive. The moan that left the younger’s lips was beautiful and Hyunjin waited for a moment before he sucked again, hearing a beautiful whimper. He could feel the other’s half-hard cock against his thigh and he smirked, slightly moving his legs against it and causing Jisung to be even more vocal.

Tugging on Hyunjin’s hair, Jisung had his eyes closed as he felt the warm lips against his nipple, licking and sucking. He hadn’t been aware of how sensitive his nipples were but then again rarely anyone had ever spent proper time pleasuring his chest before. “Touch me more, please,” he mumbled, reaching for Hyunjin’s hand who made a surprised sound.

The other hadn’t expected him to ask for more this quickly but he would definitely not deny it. He moved his hand towards the smaller one’s body, brushing over his chest before he used his thumb, rubbing over his untouched nipple before he pinched it between his fingers. “Did you know, some people can come from just stimulation to the nipples? Men too,” he mumbled, his lips touching the other’s chest while talking.

“I didn’t know,” Jisung answered, a mixture of a moan and just breathing leaving his lips. He could see the smirk on Hyunjin’s lips as the other leaned back down, using his teeth on Jisung’s nipple and he bit his bottom lip, cursing quietly. He was way too sensitive and it was easy to see that Hyunjin loved every second of it, taking in every reaction and sound.

“Maybe not a thing for today but I’d like to try out if it works for you,” the older mumbled as he watched Jisung react to every bite and touch, his soft moans filling the room. “So vocal,” he whispered and let his fingers go down to the other’s waist, holding it tightly. He let his nails dig into the other’s skin, watching how Jisung’s breathing got quicker. “Do you want it vanilla or-“

“You can scratch and bite me,” Jisung interrupted him quickly, making sure he could tell Hyunjin as long as his brain was still working. “You can slap me but not my face. Anything else-“ he stopped for a moment and bit his bottom lip hard when Hyunjin twirled his nipple, clearly wanting to tease Jisung. “Anything else,” the younger repeated and closed his eyes for a second. “We can talk about it. Or do it another time.” He’d like to properly talk about do’s and don’t’s with his reoccurring sexual partners and if Hyunjin really was up for another time, he definitely was one of those.

“Okay,” Hyunjin nodded and smirked. “Same when it comes to me, scratching, biting and slapping my ass or thighs is fine. None of it in my face either.” But that was clearly a given for both of them. “Just tell me to stop if it is too much. Or to wait. For this time we just use those words. I will listen.”

For this time. And Jisung couldn’t stop himself from thinking about what exactly Hyunjin meant by that – and it only made him more excited. Hwang Hyunjin wanted him, not only for a one-night stand but for more than that. A hot shiver went through Jisung’s body and he could feel Hyunjin’s nails drag down his side and to his hips, holding him down and making Jisung moan.

In exchange Jisung tugged on Hyunjin’s hair, hard, so the other let a surprised moan escape his lips as Jisung pulled him up, kissing him. He moved a leg around Hyunjin’s waist, pulling him down so their bodies were finally, properly touching and Jisung could feel that Hyunjin was just as hard as he was. “Fuck,” Jisung cursed quietly into the kiss and moved his hips slowly against the other’s. He wanted to feel more, make the other come from just his hands or his mouth but then again he had already touched himself in the shower and he just really wanted so much more than that. When they had more time, he would appreciate all of Hyunjin’s beautiful body, kissing every little bit of his soft skin, just like Hyunjin would do his best to make him lose himself with just his nipples. It was exciting.

“Trying to get the upper hand, I see,” Hyunjin breathed heavily against Jisung’s lips and tilted his head a bit.

“Mhm, no worries, you can do the topping,” Jisung hummed and brushed over Hyunjin’s chest, his nails scratching him then. “But you already did so much work,” he then added before he swiftly turned them both around, sitting on Hyunjin’s hips who was now under him. His hair was splayed around his head, making him look even more angelic. The other surely didn’t need any clothes to look absolutely breathtaking. Jisung cupped the other’s cheeks, kissing him again passionately. He could feel the other’s hard cock rub against his thigh through the towels and he moaned before reaching for the fabric and pulling it away, just throwing it off the bed.

The skin-to-skin contact felt electrifying. Jisung could hear his own whimper echo in his ears and it sounded embarrassingly whiny but fuck, having Hyunjin’s cock rub against his felt so good. He reached down, taking both their dicks into his hand and slowly stroked them. Of course, his hand was too small to properly grab it, but this wasn’t what was supposed to get them over the edge, this was just some friction.

“Do you have condoms and lube?” he asked as he looked down at Hyunjin who moaned, his eyes on Jisung. He wasn’t looking away, taking in the view though it did cause him to react a little late.

Slowly the taller blinked confused, a bit overwhelmed. “What? First we need some preparation, hun,” he then said and leaned onto his arms and elbows to sit up slightly, watching Jisung. “If you like it without, we can do that next time. I need you to-“ But Jisung’s fingers on his lips stopped Hyunjin from speaking.

“Firstly: we can use lube to do the stretching. Secondly: I had my reasons for taking my time in the shower and it wasn’t only the hot water on my back,” Jisung said amused as he kept stroking their cocks together while his eyes looked at Hyunjin.

“You prepared yourself-?” Hyunjin started, utterly confused as to how Jisung could have even predicted that they would end up fucking or if the other had just done it just in case. The man was full of wonders and surprises.

A soft laugh escaped Jisung’s lips and he shook his head. “No, babe, I fucked myself in the shower.” He could see Hyunjin’s surprise spill onto his pretty face and it was a cute look on him. “Nothing better than some sweet release after a stressful day.” Jisung definitely preferred a dildo or vibrator most times or a real person but that was something he hadn’t thought about in the past recent months. However, he couldn’t just take a dildo on a mission, could he? He wasn’t that daring yet. So sometimes his fingers had to be enough and just touching his cock sometimes didn’t do the job. He couldn’t have guessed that Hyunjin would actually offer his own body as support.

“Shit,” Hyunjin moaned and closed his eyes for a moment. “You fucked yourself while I was in the room next door? You’re fucking daring.” He shook his head a bit and brushed over Jisung’s sides. “I didn’t even hear you.”

“Because I can be quiet,” Jisung chuckled amused and bit his bottom lip as Hyunjin scratched his skin, letting his hands rest on his ass. He could feel the other squeeze his cheeks and he closed his eyes, leaning into the touch.

“Mhm, I guess. But I like you loud,” Hyunjin said and dug his nails into the other’s ass cheeks, watching him react. A clear full-grown shiver went through the other’s body and Hyunjin smiled satisfied. He then reached for the drawer, grabbing a small bag before he took out a travel-sized bottle of lube and a condom, putting the latter next to them. “So, don’t you dare be quiet,” he then added demanding, keeping his eyes on the other before he let some lube drop onto his fingers. He grabbed Jisung’s hand as well, putting some lube onto it so he could use it to stroke their cocks better. “For better experience.” He winked amused before he pulled Jisung a bit closer, making him bend over a bit before he slowly let two fingers sink into him.

Jisung was still tight. Stretched but hot and tight and Hyunjin had an easy time pushing his fingers into him. “Fuck, you did some good work,” he mumbled and curled his fingers inside him, wanting to make him feel good already.

“Add another one,” Jisung requested right away, moving his hips slightly, only halfway focusing on their hard dicks in his hands anymore. He had one hand to support himself on Hyunjin, his lips almost touching the other’s chest so he just went for it. Licking over the skin he stopped at his nipples, just next to it, before he sucked hard and then bit, leaving a dark red mark. If Hyunjin could mark him, he wanted to do so as well, leaving some traces as well. “Or fuck me right away,” he whispered and then sucked on the other’s nipple.

“Shit, you’re such a brat,” Hyunjin groaned and moved his cock in Jisung’s hand, wanting more friction as he added another finger into the other, thrusting into him. This was fun, for the both of them, and Hyunjin couldn’t wait to actually be in the other so he thrusted his fingers into the other a few times and curled them too, hearing Jisung moan quietly into his chest – he wanted to hear more of that. Taking his fingers out he wiped them on the sheets before grabbing the condom. This had been more to tease than actually to stretch Jisung as he was indeed well-prepared.

“Can’t wait to do more with you when we are back home,” he whispered into the other’s ear before biting his neck hard.

Jisung moaned, loud enough that it was surely being heard in the hallway but he couldn’t care less. He liked being bitten, he liked scratches, he liked being manhandled and ordered around. And the prospect of more of it was fucking exciting. He pressed his thumb against the other’s tip, hearing Hyunjin moan into his neck before he grabbed the condom and easily pulled it onto the other’s hard cock. Stroking the other a few times he then lifted himself up a little bit, looking at Hyunjin while he positioned the other’s cock on his entrance. “Next time I expect you to make me cry before you even get to touch my ass,” Jisung demanded and just stayed there for a long moment, letting Hyunjin drown in the anticipation.

Then he lowered himself onto Hyunjin’s hard cock, the slight stretch feeling so good and he could feel how the other filled him up so perfectly. He didn’t stop until he felt the other bottom out and for a moment he just stayed like that.

“Shit, you’d be amazing to cockwarm,” Jisung mumbled and opened his eyes, looking at the other. Hyunjin had his eyes closed and his hands tightly on Jisung’s sides, clearly having a hard time not just to fuck into him. This time it was Jisung who smirked and tilted his head a bit. “Look at you, ready to just lose it,” he whispered and pinched Hyunjin’s nipple between his fingers before he hummed. “Lose it then, fuck me already.”

And Hyunjin did. He thrusted hard into Jisung, having the younger moan right away as he moved his hips. “Fuck yourself too, this is surely better than fingers,” he mumbled as he squeezed the other’s thigh, looking at Jisung as he sat up slightly. The other let out a mix between a chuckle and a moan as he nodded.

“I sure hope so,” Jisung mumbled as he started to move as well, bouncing on top of the other. The way they were positioned made it so very easy for him to move on top of Hyunjin, pleasuring the both of them while he was moving, letting Hyunjin find the right rhythm to thrust into him while Jisung was bouncing. His hands reached for the other, scratching his skin whenever he touched it, leaving some more dark red streaks on the other’s pretty body. They would still be there in the morning.

Jisung could feel how he was still sensitive from his single session under the shower and now with a proper way of getting pleased it was so easy to get him way too close to getting undone. But he didn’t want to yet. He wanted Hyunjin to work for it, to do more. He didn’t want to be easy on the other.

While resting his one hand on Jisung’s perky ass, Hyunjin let the other cup Jisung’s chest, pinching his nipple hard. He could hear the other whine, tightening some more around him and Hyunjin thrusted harder into him, playing some more with his chest. He could feel how Jisung reacted whenever he pinched the other’s nipples and twisted them, feeling how he tightened slightly. And fuck, he loved everything about it.

Jisung was quite muscular when it came to his upper body and arms, his waist however was so damn small, it was fascinating and hot. He squeezed the other’s ass before he let his hand go to his waist, holding him in place. He could feel how deep his nails were digging as he changed the angle slightly, watching the reaction of the other to see what he liked. He could hear Jisung curse quietly as leaned forward, holding onto Hyunjin’s shoulder while one of his hands went to his cock. He was sure this was a fantastic angle.

Hyunjin however was faster, holding Jisung’s wrists as he sat up properly, pushing deep into the other. “No one said you could touch yourself,” he whispered and kissed the other’s neck, licking over the soft skin. The other immediately whined, complaining about it and trying to free his hands but he was clearly not doing his best. The way Hyunjin held his wrists was nice and it was obvious for both of them. “I’m sure you could come without touching yourself.”

“What-?” Jisung wailed, looking at Hyunjin with big eyes. “No, you’re not gonna do that!”

“Oh, I will. Now even more,” Hyunjin grinned and then turned them around again without slipping out of Jisung. The other was now on his back, whimpering as he felt Hyunjin push deep into him, making his cock twitch but unable to touch himself as his wrists were still being held. Quickly Hyunjin grabbed the tie he had worn earlier and had planned to wear tomorrow again, but right now he had better use for it. He tied it around Jisung’s wrists, checking if it wasn’t too tight and looking at the other. He didn’t need to ask as Jisung easily melted into the touch, even holding his wrists in place so the other could easily tie him up. Hyunjin wondered how they had never done this before but there was no time to properly think about that now, his brain capacity was busy focusing on the bratty beautiful bitch under him. “Touch yourself and I will not let you come. You got me?” He lifted Jisung’s chin who huffed but then slowly nodded.

“Good,” Hyunjin smiled and started moving again, thrusting into the other. The angle was different but it clearly was a good one as Jisung moaned right away. Lifting the other’s legs up, he put them over his shoulders, watching how easily he could bend Jisung’s body, thrusting into him. Hyunjin let his hands wander over Jisung’s body as he fucked into him, playing with his chest and then scratching the soft skin, almost breaking it upon doing so. However, it only made Jisung moan louder, whimpering a small Yes. Yes, please under his breath while he put his feet together behind Hyunjin’s head. That man was flexible and Hyunjin would definitely make amazing use of it next time.

Watching Jisung hold onto the sheets above his head, his eyes closed, cheeks red and body already covered in sweat and bruises. Hyunjin smiled and pinched the other’s nipple again, making Jisung moan and it was a stunning sight. For a moment he wondered if he could come just from Jisung’s sight, how he moaned in need and how he arched his back for more, his legs all spread for him despite the position. Maybe sooner or later he would try that. He could feel how quick he was getting closer himself and he thrusted harder, Jisung’s cock rubbing against his stomach and he could hear the other’s mumbles, now not making sense anymore aside from maybe him asking for more and not to stop. Jisung’s knuckles turned white from how he was holding onto the sheets and Hyunjin leaned down to bite the other’s shoulder, hard.

It was enough for Jisung. The mixture of pleasure and pain filled his body with so much that he moaned Hyunjin’s name loudly, coming hard on their stomachs. Without hesitating too much Hyunjin reached down, stroking Jisung through his orgasm as he kept his eyes on the other. He could see tears of pleasure in Jisung’s half-lidded eyes, the other breathing heavy and that alone was enough for Hyunjin to make him lose it as well. Moaning quietly Hyunjin came so hard for a moment it made him see stars. He hadn’t expected this, intuitively holding himself up as he moved a few more times in Jisung. Blinking a few times, he saw Jisung gently cup his cheeks despite the tie still around his hands.

“You okay?” he heard Jisung ask, clearly a little concerned and definitely exhausted and Hyunjin chuckled slightly.

“Did not expect my orgasm to have me go dizzy,” he explained and brushed over the other’s cheek. He then freed Jisung from the tie, despite them both knowing that Jisung could have easily freed himself. Slowly he pulled out of the other, grabbing the condom and tying it before throwing it away. “Wait here, I’ll get stuff to clean us,” he hummed and Jisung nodded, reassured by the other’s reaction and answer.

With a gentle expression Jisung watched Hyunjin walk towards the bathroom and he smiled sleepily. Next time he would for sure leave more scratches on the other’s back, deep red ones that would adorn the older one for a few days, maybe even more than a week. Closing his eyes, he even dozed off a bit, ignoring that the sheets were now covered in his own cum and some lube he had wiped on the sheets after he hadn’t needed it anymore. It took Jisung a moment to realize that Hyunjin had returned with a warm, wet towel, wiping him clean and even cleaning his hands.

And then he suddenly felt being picked up slightly, Jisung holding onto Hyunjin as the other carefully positioned him at the other side of the bed – it was a king-sized bed after all – making Jisung rest on his chest.

“Keep sleeping,” the taller mumbled and brushed through Jisung’s hair as he pulled the blanket above them, making sure they were all comfortable and cozy.

And Jisung did. With a last sleepy glance at the other he closed his eyes, slowly falling asleep to the regular throbbing of Hyunjin’s heart.

Chapter Text

The warm water of the swimming pool easily relaxed Hyunjin’s body, slowly dissolving his tense muscles and helping the sore pain of his shoulder. It had long healed, leaving scar tissue and muscle pain for Hyunjin to live through.

It had been 04:07 am when Hyunjin had awoken, unable to fall asleep for the next hour so he had decided to go and take a quick swim in the indoor swimming pool now that barely anyone was awake. His shoulder was throbbing, a clear sign of the change of weather and that he had definitely overdone himself. He wasn’t regretting any of the events that had unfolded yesterday; he also enjoyed all the marks covering his body.

Usually, Hyunjin preferred to not let anyone know about his sexual activities, but he was alone in the swimming pool area and aside from that it fit their image. It made them look like a proper couple and Hyunjin would be the last one to complain about an alibi working. He stretched his arms, trying to carefully move his shoulder in a way that would help release the pain and soreness.

The water always helped, being able to actually just access it this early instead of just staring at the wall and watching Jisung sleep or scrolling through his phone was definitely a good alternative. He had of course texted Jisung so the other knew where he was in case he woke up without Hyunjin being there, however maybe he returned and his fake boyfriend was still asleep. Both was very possible.

Closing his eyes, Hyunjin let himself float on his back, arms and legs stretched out like a star. He was listening to the dabble of the water against the walls of the pool, the way everything stilled once Hyunjin stopped moving. The pool was entirely empty aside from him, something Hyunjin enjoyed a lot but rarely managed to obtain. Even Clé’s pool was mostly having at least one or two visitors, someone who was training or using the area to relax. Now however it was just pure silence.

It filled him up from the inside, taking away his restless mind and causing Hyunjin to finally come to a halt, to still a bit.

Their lives were always so fast-paced, one event after another, always something happening. Hyunjin had yet to come to terms with the fact that he had been shot despite his wound having long healed and physical therapy doing a great job. However, there had been more events in between he didn’t even have time to think about properly. To process properly. He was aware of it, yes, but he had no time to actually sit down and face the events, express what he was feeling. And if he was honest he couldn’t even tell what exactly he was feeling. Was it despair, terror, anger? Any of it? It all felt dull and numb and it was hard to access his emotions. He always had been one of the more expressive people but feeling his emotions was something entirely different.

If he wanted he could surely talk to his friends, see how they were feeling and maybe find a way to access his emotions, however, the question was: did he really want to? If he actually understood his emotions it meant he would have to work with them and there was no time for such things. Hyunjin was aware that he would most likely start questioning his ethics, wondering if what he was doing was right.

In the very beginning when he had joined Clé he already had had a few mental breakdowns about if what he was doing was right – morally, killing people was anything but right, he was aware of that, but socially constructed morals and his own personal morals were two different things. And he still struggled to accept that his own were deviating from those the society had set.

It was easy to realize that most people were clearly different from the social standard, not that they would easily claim it, however, it was mostly like smaller actions and the way people thought. Hyunjin however was very aware that killing people was never a good moral, even though he was mostly only taking bad people’s lives. Or at least that was what he was telling himself. Hyunjin knew things weren’t that simple, that the lives he took were not entirely filled with evil. Some had lovers, partners, children, some had good strings attached too. Celebrating birthdays, bringing home flowers for their loved ones, making sure the people in their lives were happy. Just like Hyunjin did. He was so horrendously aware of all those things, it hurt in his chest.

But he was making this world a better place, right? Right-?

The lives he was taking usually were part of overwhelmingly bad events or schemes, Hyunjin always did a background check on the people or had Seungmin check on them, but who was he to decide that bad people’s lives were less valuable than good people? Who was he to decide whether a person was bad or good? Most times he could deal with it, most times Hyunjin was aware that the people he viewed as good were more valuable and therefore deserved to live while those who caused chaos and pain did not. And oh, he was aware that this wasn’t a good way of thinking, his parents had repeatedly told him that no life was more worth than someone else but Hyunjin just felt differently. Maybe it was the line of work he was in, or maybe his experiences, but damn.

Hyunjin hated himself sometimes, hated how he had turned into a person his parents wouldn’t love if they knew what he was doing. Someone his parents would even be terrified of. They saw him as the good son who loved their family and the dog, visiting every second Sunday and bringing flowers or gifts, hardworking and always busy but making time for his loved ones – when in fact he was out, taking people’s lives, stalking people, kidnapping people. That wasn’t exactly the perfect son they thought he was.

All those thoughts were swarming his brain, making him take a deep, loud breath when he suddenly heard a voice.

“Isn’t it too early for such sorrowful sighs?” Hyunjin heard, flinching badly and for a moment he was just engulfed in water before he resurfaced, looking around alerted and tense.

It was Yeosang.

The man was standing on the edge, a towel around his shoulders and hair wet – he had probably taken a shower before wanting to step into the pool as one was supposed to. He was sporting some swimming trunks and his body was pretty well in shape. Hyunjin hated how he was staring for a long moment – both as he was overwhelmed by the sudden situation and because the man in front of him was having a very fit and beautiful body – and then took a deep breath, forcing himself to loosen the tension in his shoulders at least a bit.

“Sorry,” Yeosang said quickly, a frown on his face as he put his towel on a chair and sat on the edge of the pool, looking at Hyunjin. “I thought you heard me coming and just chose not to get bothered. I guess I sneaked up on you.”

“Yeah,” Hyunjin mumbled and then shrugged a bit. “It’s fine, happens to the best of us.” His glance went to the clock on the wall and realized that it was already after six. “Didn’t expect you to be an early morning swimmer.”

“I’m good for surprises,” Yeosang said softly and watched Hyunjin, not yet getting into the water. They were having a conversation and it would be rude if he just suddenly dipped, literally. “You good though? That sounded pretty deep.” He was referring to the sigh and Hyunjin hummed slightly.

Of course, he couldn’t just tell Yeosang his sorrows and he wasn’t planning to tell him anything remotely personal. The other was a stranger and he wasn’t ready of spilling his emotions to anyone, especially not to a person that gave him a weird feeling.

“Just missing my dog,” Hyunjin shrugged then and the stranger blinked before he nodded.

“You have a dog?” Yeosang looked surprised while he moved his legs in the water while still sitting on the edge. “With your busy schedule?”

A small snort left Hyunjin and he lifted an eyebrow. “What, you think I cannot have a dog?” he asked amused and almost taking offense in it but Yeosang quickly lifted his hands in defense.

“No, sorry, wait,” he interrupted quickly, almost stumbling over his own words. “That came off rude. Ugh, I often come off rude and weird, sorry.” It only earned him a glance from Hyunjin, having Yeosang sigh this time. “Look, I am not good with social interactions.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” Hyunjin said, lifting an eyebrow as he kept his eyes on the stranger. That didn’t exactly help the other’s current situation, if at all it only gave Hyunjin an even more uncertain feeling, wondering if something was off with the other.

Yeosang took in a deep breath and sighed again, brushing through his wet hair. “I… damn, I don’t want to fuck this up,” he huffed and closed his eyes for a moment. Hyunjin was important to Yeji and Yeosang really didn’t want to ruin a possible friendship or any kind of relationship with Hyunjin because he chose his words anything but wisely. “I usually only interact with people that really don’t care. Business people, politicians, bankers, such things and I kind of have the habit to come off as rude and arrogant. It is the way people talk in that business and it works best, for me at least. And it is easier if you don’t let anyone know personal information and just keep going, so I tend to dodge small talk and other conversations so no one gets too close, ” he tried to explain and looked at Hyunjin, clearly a little lost. “My parents are highly ranked business people, taught me to be like that. Mom owns a hotel chain, dad is in politics.” He grimaced slightly, his legs now still in the water while his hands held tightly onto the edge.

“So, your parents are business people and you are a photographer?” Hyunjin now asked curiously, knowing it was none of his business but maybe right now the other would be most talkative and give him information that would calm his mind a bit. He was still having an uneasy feeling when it came to the other but maybe it was just caused by the way the other was acting towards him.

“People can have dreams, you know? Despite the way they get raised,” Yeosang gave back and there was an edge of sadness to it, clearly audible but not on purpose. “I still have a position in my mother’s company but, yeah, it is the reason I am allowed to do photography.”

“Businessman at day, photographer at night kind of?” Hyunjin mumbled, more to himself and he felt pity rise inside his chest. Being forced to fulfill parents’ expectations was always hard, especially if it had nothing to do with what the person wanted. Living an entirely different life than what one imagined for themselves was pure torture and Hyunjin was grateful he never had to experience it himself. Yeosang however looked anything but happy.

“Mhm,” Yeosang mumbled and looked at the other, shrugging slightly. “Yeji gets me though. She understands my ways and doesn’t get hurt when I say things in a stupid way.”

“Yeah, her parents are also deep into the business hell,” Hyunjin nodded as he moved carefully through the water, deciding it was time to get out. “She seems to like you a lot.”

“I like her a lot too,” Yeosang gave back and there was a soft smile on his lips, surprising Hyunjin. He actually looked quite fond of her and that alone made the atmosphere between them relax a bit. “She is sweet and smart and funny and she gets me.”

A soft hum left Hyunjin’s lips as he listened to Yeosang talk about Yeji in such a gentle way. “That is good,” he said and his shoulders had finally lost most of the tension he hadn’t realized had been there. “She is a really great person, feisty too.”

“Oh, she definitely is,” Yeosang chuckled slightly and showed Hyunjin an honest smile. “I’m still getting to know so much about her and it’s fascinating.”

A small nod left Hyunjin as he leaned onto the edge not too far away from Yeosang. “You never entirely stop learning about a person if you spent time with them,” he said and he tilted his head. “Their antics, their personality, there is always something new.”

“That is true. And I appreciate it a lot,” Yeosang gave back in a calm way. “I am not good with letting people close but she means a lot to me and I am grateful she trusts me. I am glad she has a friend like you, you know? She talks a lot about you. She is really fond of you.”

There was a small shimmer of red on Hyunjin’s cheeks, he hadn’t expected those words from a person he barely knew. Yes, of course, he knew he meant a lot to Yeji and the other way around, but hearing it from a stranger was still something else. “I hope she does, she is one of my closest friends.” One of his closest friends outside of his secret life. “About the dog,” he then said as it had been the reason they had actually started to have this weird conversation that had somehow given Hyunjin some kind of closure. “He is at my parent’s. I got him when I was younger and he has quite a temper so he stays with my parents when I travel. He isn’t a fan of planes either so, yeah, you were kind of right to question it.” He shook his head amused and from the corner of his eyes, he could see Yeosang nod slowly. “Sorry I got offended by it,” he then said and climbed out of the water, pushing his hair back. “I guess it is too early and I didn’t expect to be interrupted.”

“Kind of like not having your morning coffee, I guess,” Yeosang answered and let Hyunjin know he understood. “It is fine, don’t worry. I guess we needed that talk and better now than later.” Even though it had clearly been uncomfortable to talk about it for Yeosang, opening up to a stranger was never his favorite activity.

“True, I guess that is good,” Hyunjin agreed and stretched his back a bit as he then took his towel, putting it around his wet shoulders. “I’ll go get ready for breakfast and wake my sleeping beauty. I guess I’ll see you later?”

Yeosang nodded right away, a small smile on his lips as Hyunjin mentioned Jisung. “Tell him I said hi. Are you two staying for a bit longer?” he then asked and the other made an affirmative sound.

“A few more days,” Hyunjin gave back as vague as possible as he himself had no idea how long they would be staying. “You?”

“Same,” the other answered and was now sliding properly into the water. “Maybe we can go and have dinner together or so. We should be free in the evenings,” he then offered and it took Hyunjin by surprise but he was pleased by the idea, even though Hyunjin was aware of the fact that Jisung and him had to play fake boyfriends. Then again, why not, right?

He turned to Yeosang and hummed, smiling at the other. “Let’s do that. Tell Yeji to text me the details!” he nodded and stretched, drying his hair. Little was he aware he was actually showing all the scratches and bites Jisung had left but then again, it only showed the role of a boyfriend better, right?

-

Jisung could swear his nose was slowly falling off from how cold it was and he was honestly loving every second of it. The snow was fluffy and cold and it made beautiful crunchy noises whenever he walked on top of it. It was a different experience than those he had made in Seoul, where snow was almost immediately turning into dirty mud and where he missed out entirely on the magical scenery of a world covered in powdered sugar.

Snow angels felt funny to Jisung, it had been one of the first things he had done this morning when they had walked outside, ready to go to the slopes to ski. And instead of just walking, Jisung had let himself fall into an untouched area of snow, disappearing completely in how deep it was. While making a snow angel Jisung had managed to cover his entire body with the cool substance, even getting some in his thick jacket so now the back of his pullover was slightly wet despite it being hours later. It had been worth it for sure.

And while Hyunjin was obviously rolling his eyes at everything Jisung was doing, he was actually highly amused and his expression was soft. If one of the others saw him they would know he was definitely fond of the way Jisung was acting.

It had been a while since he had last seen someone enjoy snow in such an innocent way and while Jisung had told him about the many times he had been to the resorts with his dad, he had never lost his innocent joy for snow. There were many situations Jisung easily felt pure happiness in and Hyunjin appreciated that the other was sharing it with them.

“We should go and grab a coffee or a hot chocolate,” Hyunjin told the other, very aware that Jisung’s go-to coffee was an Iced Americano and that it wouldn’t exactly warm up the other in any way. Hot chocolate would though. Rubbing his cold ears with his gloved hands he sighed, the beanie was covering his hair and ears but it was definitely not entirely helping his body to be protected from the cold. “And maybe some cheesecake.”

“Cheesecake!” Jisung grinned brightly, almost immediately agreeing to Hyunjin’s offer. He had seen the cheesecake in the café adjacent to the slope earlier when they had shortly stopped by to have a short phone call with Changbin and the others in the background. Hyunjin had refused to do it outside as it had been cold and he had sworn his ear would fall off if he had to, so they had gone inside and Jisung had used the time to go on the lookout for snacks. Now Hyunjin had his earpiece back in and Seungmin’s pretty voice whispering into his ear. Why Changbin hadn’t been able to use this and had instead called him earlier was still a mystery but then again it wasn’t important.

“Are you guys taking a break?” Seungmin asked, clearly slightly amused. He was very aware that Hyunjin was one of the people that liked snow and skiing but hated the cold and would easily get cold limbs. “Is your dick already falling off?”

“My dick is totally fine, but my ears are not,” Hyunjin groaned and rolled his eyes, getting a confused look from Jisung before the other realized it was Seungmin Hyunjin was talking to. They had tried to get the second earpiece working for Jisung, but something had obviously ruined it and Seungmin was pretty sure it had been a very incompetent coworker he had to guide through an area last time. He would let Jeongin check on it, but his hopes weren’t high. “And it is also good to get your body warmed up from time to time. It’s not like he is doing anything right now.” He was referring to Chun Hojin who was only talking to a beautiful woman who was definitely out of his league. They were standing not too far away from the café. It was quick to guess that the two of them wouldn’t soon take off to ski down the slope.

Hyunjin and Jisung would easily be able to see him from the café anyways as it was entirely glassed towards the slopes and to their own personal delight that man was sporting a bright neon yellow beanie. Hyunjin had never seen a politician of that age wearing such a disgusting fashion disaster.

“No worries, if your dick is in danger, I can warm it up,” Jisung winked at Hyunjin and the other had definitely not seen it coming. His cheeks immediately turned red before he hit Jisung’s shoulder, making him whine. “Ouch! You already bruised that spot yesterday!”

“Yeah, and you enjoyed that quite a lot,” Hyunjin huffed back and made his way towards the café, his ears now definitely warm from turning red as well. He didn’t mind talking about sex, he had just once again not expected it to suddenly pop up. And now the image of Han Jisung losing himself in pleasure under him was popping back into his mind.

“It was hot, agreed,” Jisung said and rubbed his shoulder, following Hyunjin through the snow. “You were so confident yesterday night, are you getting shy now?” He was teasing him and he knew Hyunjin would make sure to return the favor later.

“Oh, so you had some fun last night?” Seungmin asked, mouth full of cookies as he was speaking. A small whine was heard by Hyunjin as an answer and it made him chuckle. “What? No reason to be all shy now. We do it too, I am sure yesterday was stressful.”

“Yes, it was,” Hyunjin mumbled and closed his eyes for a second to calm himself down and therefore almost walking face first into the doors of the café. He was quick enough to lift his hands and open the door instead – fast reflexes were a blessing. He didn’t need the embarrassment of running into a glass door added to his pile of shame. “And it was also very fun, yes.”

“Good for you. And Jisung, if he feels the same,” Seungmin added quickly as he rolled the blanket some more around him, glancing towards the fireplace. It was still strong enough so he didn’t have to add wood anytime soon. He might be at work but he also didn’t plan on moving his body in the next few hours unless an emergency occurred. In front of him he had snacks, a teapot full of tea, and a bottle of water and in the background, the tv was running. It felt a little bit like a vacation despite actually having to work.

“I sure hope he does!” Hyunjin mumbled and glanced back to Jisung who was grinning brightly, entirely focused on the display of different cakes and pastries. He had already moved on from their conversation, not caring too much about it. “Guess boy is busy.”

“Boy, he is literally only five months younger than you,” Seungmin mumbled amused as he sipped on his hot tea, almost burning his tongue.

“It’s a figure of speech,” Hyunjin rolled his eyes, very aware of the fact that they were all older than Jeongin and Jeongin was turning thirty next year. None of them ever really celebrated their birthdays, if Hyunjin was honest he didn’t even know most of their birthdays and the others didn’t know his either. Not that it mattered, birthdays were grim reminders for some of them so instead, they just celebrated other days, like Christmas or New Year’s Eve. Not all of them had families to go home to so they just enjoyed the time with each other.

Seungmin snorted amused and rolled his eyes even though Hyunjin couldn’t see it. “I know. Now go and buy your boyfriend some hot chocolate and cheesecake or he’ll starve.”

“He is not-“ Hyunjin started before he realized that Seungmin was clearly only referring to their roles and he huffed. “True, he is.” He corrected him as he walked towards Jisung, putting an arm around the other’s shoulder.

Jisung only shortly looked up before turning back to the display of food. “I’d like this one,” he then grinned, pointing at a deliciously-looking strawberry cheesecake. Jisung’s fingers were red from the cold, already freed from the gloves he had been wearing before. It was good Hyunjin had decided to give them a break and go inside as they both definitely needed to warm up a bit.

“Sure, would you like tea, coffee or hot chocolate to it?” Hyunjin asked as he nodded to the person

behind the counter. A middle-aged woman with curly hair and a gentle smile on her lips.

“I’d like a latte macchiato,” Jisung hummed and slightly leaned back onto Hyunjin, relaxing a bit. “What about you?”

Honestly, Hyunjin hadn’t decided what to get yet. He wanted something warm to drink and everything else didn’t really matter. There was a lot of beautifully made pastries as well as different kind of cakes but they also offered warm food. “Uh, maybe waffles,” he then said and looked at the lady behind the counter. “And a hot chocolate.” He then looked back to Jisung who seemed pretty happy with the answer. He was so easy to please, Hyunjin had noticed that pretty early and it was a nice feature. “Why don’t you go and look for a spot to sit?” he asked, his hand left Jisung’s shoulder and lightly brushed over the other’s back, nodding to him.

“Okay!” Jisung hummed satisfied as he looked around, walking towards an area that was rather vacated.

The café itself was pretty empty. It was big, filled with heaters and extra blankets placed around the seats. The tables and seats were made of dark wood and the cushions were of a dark red with gold details while the blankets were an ocher, complementing the rural feeling the café gave off. It was a pretty place to take a break in the mountains and it made Hyunjin relax. Despite having to actually focus on a mission it was nice to feel the dreadful thoughts to just quieten down for a bit. To silence themselves for at least a few minutes until they were done with the food and their drinks. The area smelled like pinewood and some mixture of candles, maybe something that fit the Christmas vibe despite it not being December yet. It had a comforting effect and Hyunjin almost forgot to turn back to the cashier who was fixing their orders.

“I’d also like a few of those cookies,” he said and pointed to an assortment of different cookies, knowing the others would probably appreciate it very much. “Just one of each,” he added and the lady nodded, packing the cookies in a small bag and handing it to Hyunjin. Quietly he put the back of cookies in his big pockets of his snow parka and kept watching. Spotting a tip jar he grabbed his wallet, putting a few bucks into the jar. Even if this place paid well, a little tip was always a nice gesture. He then smiled when the lady handed him the tray after he paid for the order, walking over to Jisung who had found a table with very soft seats covered in fake fur by the big window front. Next to it was a heater as well and Jisung had put his gloves and jacket close to it so it could dry.

Jisung himself had pulled an ocher blanket around his shoulders and had his feet on the seat, shoes off. He looked small just staring out of the window and watching the beautiful scenery of the mountains.

At the top of the mountains were clouds, not letting one see the snow-covered top while the rest of the view was clear. One could look down to the valley, though a few meters before it would give away the buildings some fog had built up and was hiding the resorts and hotels from the eye. It was a beautiful picture, the sun was pushing its rays through some of the clouds and making the snow glisten and shimmer, throwing some shadows of the evergreens on the slopes.

It was a perfect place for vacation and Hyunjin liked the picture of Jisung’s disheveled hair, hugging the blanket close while looking out. It was a comforting view and he carefully put down the tray to not distract the other. He didn’t want to stare at him as Jisung looked like he was zoned out.

“You good?” Hyunjin asked gently while sitting down and Jisung looked up, still a little taken by surprise.

“Yeah, sorry, I was in thoughts.”

There was a small smile on Jisung's lips as he rolled his shoulders as if to get rid of any tension or ghosts that were haunting him. They all had their demons and Hyunjin was very aware that his friend was no exception.

"You want to talk about it?" he asked, putting the other's cup of coffee right in front of him. It had a little cookie on the saucer, a small extra Hyunjin always enjoyed and had mostly seen happening in Europe. He had traveled a lot during his time as a model and sometimes he really missed it. The traveling, the hours in a plane or a train, driving through half the country so he could get his makeup and hair done so for a badly paid photoshoot just to rush to the next job. It had been so stressful but honestly, Hyunjin had enjoyed every moment of it. Sometimes he wished those times back but he also like the way it was now, even though he had only been here for not even two years. It was terrifying how easily a person could get used to a new life and leave behind whatever had been ingrown into their soul for years. It was just a faded reminder in the back of their minds, leaving a foul aftertaste, questioning if their old life was, what had been the only true way for them.

It was not. Happiness could be found in many ways and Hyunjin knew that right now, being here, felt right too. It was so different despite having so many similar situations - they still had to travel, they still had to meet new people, and they still had to smile despite them not feeling like it. It was pretty similar to his old life, but he wasn’t sure how it was for the rest of his team.

"This place just reminds me of the places I went to when..." Jisung stopped mid-sentence and sighed. "When everything was still okay." He shrugged and leaned back in his chair, looking out at the vast landscape in front of him. The beautiful mountains and the snow-covered slopes shimmered brightly under the sun rays and it was so easy to lose focus, falling into the beauty of what was before them.

"When everything was okay," Hyunjin repeated and he wondered when everything had been okay. For the world, nothing ever had been okay, humanity was destroying itself and the earth with it quite well. But for just them? Hyunjin remembered how much he had fought with his parents regarding his future choices, having to finish his studies while already auditioning for different model agencies. Eventually, it was all so meaningless, considering how many curveballs life had thrown them, considering that now they were here, part of an organization with ambiguous ethics they all had contrasting emotions about. "You went to such places a lot?" he then asked and Jisung hummed quietly.

"Yeah, we went on vacation a lot," Jisung explained gently and hugged his legs before he reached for the cup of coffee in front of him. It was still quite hot but it felt good in his cold hands. "Different places, my dad loved to go on adventure vacations. One time we went to the jungle and I swear I almost got lost. Luckily the guide noticed or I would have been food for the next best animal."

A small laugh left Hyunjin's lips at the imagination and he shook his head slightly. "Not the worst way to go I'd say. Not that there is much to snack on, but at least another day survived for the poor cheetah and its babies!"

"I don't think cheetahs live in the jungle," Jisung shook his head amused as he looked at Hyunjin, holding his cup close so it could warm his nose a bit. "I think they prefer grassland and the desert."

"It was just an example," Hyunjin rolled his eyes and it made the other chuckle slightly. "I don't know man, maybe you'd be an alligator snack." He shrugged his shoulders, not really caring about what kind of snack Jisung would be if things had played out differently.

"I know, I know," Jisung laughed and looked at the other, tilting his head a bit before looking outside again. "I miss those times," he let the other know before he sighed again, his entire body relaxing while a kind of sadness was seeping through his body. "I miss my dad," he then whispered, his hands holding the coffee tightly. He then took a sip from the hot coffee, hoping that the heat could maybe wash away the lump in his throat. He hated the space his dad had left when he had decided to leave this earth and Jisung was almost sure he still lacked quite some information regarding his father's death. Once he was ready he would ask his friends to maybe look into the matter, but Jisung felt anything but ready. However, he wasn’t sure if he would ever be ready to face such a deeply arduous task, particularly emotional for him as well.

Nodding slightly, Hyunjin kept his gaze on Jisung as the other was trying his best not to unravel in the middle of their mission.

"Missing a family member will always be something that stays with you. At one point in your life, it might hurt less but it will never entirely stop hurting." He hadn’t lost a human family member but to Hyunjin losing an animal companion who had been with him for a long time was still like losing a part of his family. He had once lost a dog who he had dearly loved and would have given his life for if it meant the animal would have lived longer and healthier but sadly it was impossible. Not everyone felt the same and Hyunjin couldn’t tell if Jisung thought as he did, yet he was aware that for example Minho and Chan too thought similarly. "But right now, it is still too fresh and I am sorry for your loss."

"Thank you," Jisung mumbled quietly, sipping on his coffee while he wasn’t meeting Hyunjin's gaze. His eyes were focused on the mountains outside, the sun disappearing behind thick walls of clouds - the weather forecast had informed them about the possibility of snow later that day so maybe that was the first foreboding.

"Sure. If you ever feel like talking, know you can hit me up. I might not be the smartest cookie but I'll try my best to be there for you," Hyunjin tried to reassure the other and Jisung nodded before he put the coffee back on the table.

"That means a lot, thank you. I'll try to think about it in case of a late-night falling apart," the younger let him know before he pointed to his cheesecake. "You want to try it?" he asked and the other nodded, a bright grin on his lips.

"How could I refuse such a nice offer?" Hyunjin grinned and took a bite, closing his eyes for a moment to concentrate on the cake. It was tasty, the base made of cookies and it was overall fluffy and soft. "You picked a good one."

A gentle laugh left Jisung's lips and he nodded eagerly. "Of course, I did, it is cheesecake. You never make a mistake when choosing cheesecake."

For a moment Hyunjin seemed like he wanted to disagree, however, he then shrugged and stole another small piece of the cheesecake, having Jisung scold him gently before he picked up the plate with his cake. Hyunjin did the same, starting to eat his still-warm waffle. It had ice cream and cherries on top, something he had enjoyed eating in Europe often. "Maybe we can go on vacation together. I miss visiting Europe."

"Oh? Maybe you can show me around there. You've been to Paris before, right?" Jisung wanted to know. He had seen a few pictures on the corkboard on the wall in the other's room, it had quite many photos and drawings on it. He remembered seeing the Tour de Eiffel as well as Big Ben and something he remembered from Germany. Jisung had been to Berlin and Munich before so he had recognized some of it.

"Yeah," Hyunjin confirmed as he pushed a big piece of waffle into his mouth.

"I always wanted to visit more but never managed to." He had been to Los Angeles, New York, and even a few cities in Canada. "I always wanted to visit Hawaii or Sydney. Australia was our next destination." But his father had decided there would be no more destinations for the both of them and their shared life had ended abruptly.

"Chan always talks about taking us to Australia," Hyunjin then said and Jisung looked a little surprised. He hadn't talked too much with the other about such topics so, of course, he didn't know. "He is from Sydney," Hyunjin then explained. "He said when it's all over he will take us there." Sadly, none of them could predict the ending of his undercover mission and currently, no one could say when it would finally be over. They were all aware of how much time Chan had already spent wasting in his current position, spending more than half his twenties in the Mafia, trying not to die and finding a way to destroy them from the inside. Now, with Felix by his side, they had a better chance of walking the Mafia right into their demise without anyone noticing. At the moment everyone was quite attentive and extra careful when it came to anything even mildly suspicious so Chan had to stay on the lookout. "Though I am not sure when that will be," he added and took a sip from his drink.

"He's got so much closer to his goal and yet it is so far away," Jisung mumbled with his mouth full of cheesecake and Hyunjin agreed quietly. "Some people spend their entire lives in such circumstances. Let's just hope it won't be the same for Chan."

"It will not," Hyunjin said, sounding very confident with his words. "It won't be the same for him. I am sure of that."

Despite the assurance in the other's words, Jisung could still hear the wavering doubt shaking his words. They all had the same fear.

-

Pyeongchang's Resort was filled with different gift shops as well as restaurants and cafés. Minho had rarely ever seen so many souvenirs in one spot and he had grown up pretty close to Seoul, frequenting it as a teenager way too often. He even owned a shirt that screamed "Seoul" in neon-colored letters, a heart surrounding the lettering. It had been his sleeping shirt for way too long but the fabric was surprisingly comfortable.

Changbin seemed to love the area, showing Minho postcards with the same alpine landscape, over and over, grinning brightly whenever he found something that looked even remotely interesting. H even managed to find a bottle of gin that was way too expensive but since the label said "thank you for feeding the cats" somehow Changbin had managed to make Minho buy the bottle just to gift it to Minhyuk. He knew Minhyuk would probably appreciate the gesture though usually Minho didn’t bring anything home for his friend, only offering to cook for his friend or to do other chores like cleaning or running some errands. The bottle of alcohol however was quite amusing, even he had to admit that.

"You haven't been out a lot, have you?" Minho asked Changbin who shook his head.

"Nah, not really," the older said as he once more looked through a stash of postcards. He had already picked a few to send to his family and to Felix and Chan as well. Minho could see how excited he was that he got to write others from a destination that wasn’t Seoul and Minho made a mental note to use some of his saved vacation days to go to another yet unknown location with Changbin. Probably just something close, like Jeju or Japan, or China, something only a handful of days away from their home. Changbin needed to go on vacation and obviously, he hadn’t traveled a lot.

Minho on the other hand had, not because he had been on vacation a lot though but since during his military service he had been to different bases all over the world. He hadn't seen the big citiesthough so in one way he had seen the world, yes, but with a different view than most, quite different than any tourist for sure. Those years had made him realize just how fleeting life was for so many, how painful and sorrowful it could be and Minho would surely never forget seeing all those haunted, empty eyes, the way they had begged for him to help but all he could do was turn his back and follow his orders. He had often ignored commands, saving children whenever he could and once even a dog who would have otherwise been shredded into pieces. Until this day there were a lot of things Minho regretted but those weren’t any of them.

"Guess I have to invite you to some vacation time," Minho answered, eyes flitting over to Changbin with a gentle gaze, banishing any kind of grievous thoughts to the back of his head. Right now wasn’t the time to let these thoughts corner him in his mind. It was already exhausting enough that he was always borderline aware of his past, easily triggered and thrown back into his pain - but right now he didn't want to let it take over. Not when they were out in the city trying to enjoy their free time. This was a vacation for them, just a few free days to support their friends with their current missions. Minho was pretty sure Clé had probably just felt a little bad with what had unfolded so they had given them a few extra days of freedom so they could get their shit together and have time for breakdowns, just in case that was necessary. Just last week Minho had screamed during his therapy session, throwing some pillows and kicking some chairs over - not without his therapist's explicit permission though of course.

It was the same day Minho had collected the rest of their group to go to one of those crash rooms where they could just destroy whatever was around. They had been lucky to have been assigned a room with an old car and even TVs they could destroy and honestly, it had definitely helped them to get rid of some of the pent-up anger. Not all of it, Minho had been very aware that that wouldn’t happen, but at least after that, he hadn’t felt like curling up like a little child in a blanket fort so he could cry for hours, wailing in misery. Changbin had only been able to use one of his hands and Hyunjin too had made sure not to overexert his bad shoulder, but that didn't matter. Having a place to let go of the fury had made them all feel a little better. A temporary remedy.

"Oh, you would leave your cats alone to go on a trip with me?" Changbin asked with a grin, knowing how important they were to each other. Everyone knew how much Minho loved his pets and that he would die for them.

"I am literally leaving them alone with Minhyuk right now," Minho gave back deadpanned, lifting an eyebrow while looking at Changbin. "So yeah, I would do that again. It's not like they won't have anyone to take care of them right now. And I am pretty sure both Felix and Chan will stop by to cuddle them. In fact, I even got a video last night from Chan. Felix fell asleep on top of Soonie."

"And you didn’t show me?" Changbin exclaimed, playfully indignant. "That is important information I need to be told!" There was a cute pout on his pretty lips and while Minho shook his head in amusement in response to it, instead of answering he just pecked Changbin's lips.

"Ew, do that at home," Jeongin said, popping in just behind them. "Public display of affection are a no-go, especially when I am around." He didn't mean it, honestly, he couldn't care less but he loved annoying and interrupting his friends who had been quite affectionate during this trip. Well, both of their ways to show of affection weren’t that obvious. They didn’t do more than a gentle touch to the cheek, leaning their head on the other's shoulder, or, like now, a short and small peck to the lips. It was cute, Jeongin had to admit that, and not once did he felt excluded or not wanted around. After all the trouble the others had gone through they deserved some love and support.

Minho was ready to pull away as soon as he heard Jeongin, Changbin however grabbed Minho, cupping his cheeks and kissing him again, this time a little longer than before.

"Be careful what you wish for, little one," he then said to Jeongin, wiggling his finger in front of the youngest, poking his nose.

"Hey, I am taller than you are!" Jeongin declared and then laughed, shrugging his shoulders. "For what it's worth, you could be fucking in the room next to me, I really don't care."

That made Changbin lift his eyebrows in a mixture of surprise and amusement. "Well, good to know."

"Oh my god, don't give him ideas," Minho told Jeongin, rolling his eyes. He was very aware that Changbin would definitely propose some sex later once they were back, just to rub it into the other's face and maybe to make Seungmin suffer some more. The other always ended up with flushed cheeks and a little stammer whenever he had heard one of his friends during a rather obvious situation. He wasn’t a prude, he just had a really vivid imagination and whenever he imagined his friends in such a moment he felt like invading their privacy. And especially Seungmin was a big fan of privacy. It really was adorable.

"Too late," both Jeongin and Changbin said at the same time and they had Minho shake his head before he turned around and disappeared into an aisle he hadn't yet been in. Not that it mattered, Minho was pretty sure he had seen at least 90% of these items in another gift shop they had been just half an hour ago.

Just when he was about to touch a snow globe that held the mountain scenery of this area, he suddenly froze in place.

The voice wavering over from the next aisle echoed in Minho's head, his fingers barely touching the cool glass of the snow globe. He knew the person it belonged to, he would recognize it in his wildest dreams, even in a hundred years. Minho didn’t even have to close his eyes to see the silhouette of a young man with bright red hair right in front of him.

"You aren't made for this place," Minho heard himself say to the brightly grinning man who was as stubborn as he had been when he had started his military service. "You should reassess your choices."

He had not. He hadn't reevaluated his choices and though he had never voiced his resentment, Minho had known that there had been quite some, just like Minho was still holding onto his own torment. He hated the responsible people who had made so many inhumane choices. They all had to witness so many avoidable deaths and so much unnecessary suffering. There wasn’t one person who had seen it with their own eyes that wasn't haunted by it, during the night and during the day.

The loud laughter was ringing in Minho's ears and he turned to the side, seeing a man around his age, with black hair and one eye clouded with a grayish haze. He was around the same height, a bright grin on his pretty lips even when his eyes took in Minho's features. He paused for a moment before his eyes widened in happy surprise.

"Minho?" the man called out and rushed towards him, not waiting for an answer. It was obvious that he knew who was in front of him and Minho felt the arms of the other around him before he could even reply. Slightly he patted the other's back, a small smile that didn't reach his eyes on his lips as he felt the other's still very muscular body under his fingers. Wooyoung had his thick winter jacket around his hips, only a thin shirt covering his body. "Gosh, it's been years!"

"Yeah, five years," Minho mumbled a little taken aback and overwhelmed, still slightly patting the others back. It felt so surreal as if this was a fever dream, some kind of delirium. "What are you doing here, Wooyoung?"

Wooyoung grinned and waved to a person that was somewhere to the side of Minho so he had to turn and his eyes fell on a man around their age, hair split in the middle in one side dark, the other a white grayish color. He looked handsome, glasses framing his pretty face just like the wavy hair did and he nodded towards Wooyoung, slowly walking over to them.

"We're on vacation!" Wooyoung exclaimed, taking a step back to stand next to the newly arrived stranger while still grinning brightly at Minho - Minho couldn’t understand how anyone could be so excited to see him, so happy. They both shared a backstory he preferred to forget, there had been a reason why he had never tried to stay in contact with the other or reach out to him and he definitely preferred it to stay this way. Yet there the man was, right in front of him, and so was the memory of the military, the choking hot hair that burned his lungs; the cold darkness of the nights in the desert, detained by an unknown enemy; the burning sun and the sharp pain in his leg as the people around him screamed. Wooyoung was a living memory to him and he felt so sorry it wasn’t a happy memory he was connecting to him. Like the feeling of returning home, the loud laughter they all had shared and the relief of being found after days of starvation and torture, the happiness they had felt when a long-lost teammate had finally joined them again. None of it outweighed the worst reminders. "What about you?"

"Me too," Minho said before he could feel a hand on his back and it took him all his willpower to not flinch or turn around and punch the person. The weight of the hand on his back was warm and grounding and it slowly took him back into reality, into the giftshop that smelled like cold snow and freshly sanitized shelves and some perfumes. It was Changbin who was standing behind him, pulling him back to reality. In the same way he would always recognize Wooyoung's voice and laugh he would always recognize Changbin's warm, calming touch. Even despite his warm jacket and the gloves, Changbin was wearing. He glanced over his shoulder and showed him a weak smile, not daring to actually look at the other as he knew Changbin would have concern splayed on his beautiful face. "Oh, hey, Bin. That's Wooyoung." He nodded towards the dark-haired man before he looked back to his old comrade. "This is Changbin. I'm here with him and a few others." He slightly leaned into the other's touch, feeling Changbin's hand on his side now.

"Nice to meet you," Wooyoung grinned and nodded at them. "I'm Wooyoung and this is Hongjoong. We're here with friends as well but they wanted to go skiing and Hongjoong wanted to go gift shopping, so here we are!"

"Kind of the same for us," Changbin said, a smile on his lips as he brushed over Minho's side in a way the others wouldn’t easily notice. He knew it would help Minho calm down. "Just a good old vacation with friends. Haven't had that in a while." He had the urge to ask how they had known each other but it was evident that it had to do with the military, with the past Minho never liked to talk about.

“Same! I actually wanted somewhere warm but I got overruled by the others, so snow resort it is,” Wooyoung chuckled and shrugged as if it didn’t mean anything to him. “It is very beautiful here anyways so, why not, right?”

“True," Changbin hummed and glanced at Minho who was looking at Wooyoung but his expression seemed like he was anywhere but not here. Checking his watch, he then frowned. "Ah, sorry, we have to go. We are actually meeting with friends for some coffee."

Wooyoung immediately took the bait and bowed. "Yes, of course. Maybe we can meet up later or so. Do you still have the same number, Minho?"

It took Minho a long moment to react before he nodded then, pulling himself out of whatever thought his brain had latched onto. "Yes of course. I still have my old number." He had given Wooyoung his number back then but at one point he had just stopped replying. It had been better for Minho and once he had known Wooyoung had support and was safe he just had to let go, had to ditch the other. Never had he thought he would meet him again.

"Okay, I'll text you then," Wooyoung grinned and then grabbed one of the snow globes right in front of Minho. He waved to them and then pulled Hongjoong along in the other direction while Changbin carefully pulled Minho away from them. When they were in the corner of the store Changbin gently cupped the other's cheeks, looking at him.

"What do you need?" he asked and brushed his thumb over Minho's skin.

"Somewhere... with calming sounds?" Minho mumbled barely audible, not sure what to do with himself. It had been a while since he had experienced anything similar. They had been through many horrible situations within the last months and every single one of them had made Minho want to jump into action, but right now he was rooted to the ground, unable to even properly breathe. "Tea. Something with nice smells."

"Is a café okay?" Changbin asked worried, knowing that Minho was slipping and he squeezed the other's hand. He had the urge to take off his glove and put his cold hand in the back of the other's nape in the hope that it would pull him out of his trance but he was also very aware that the other knew best what could and would help him. Or so he hoped. "Let's get Jeongin."

Finding Jeongin was easy and Changbin gave him the task to find them the nearest café. The youngest looked confused but didn't hesitate to lead them there. It was big but filled with only a few people and the waiter welcomed them with a warm smile. In the back of the café, Jeongin found them a table that was pretty vacant compared to the rest. He could tell that something was wrong but he had been a few aisles away from the others in the gift store so now he had no idea what was going on. He was sure he would figure it out soon.

"Can you get us tea?" Changbin asked as he looked at Jeongin who immediately nodded. "And something to eat. Anything."

And with that Jeongin nodded, disappearing to the counter to order them some food.

The café was filled with quiet music, sounds of cutlery touching porcelain and voices speaking but he could already see that Minho's gaze seemed a lot more focused than before. The smell of freshly baked bread was lingering in the air and it felt comforting and warm, engulfing them in a welcoming feeling.

Gently Changbin took off the other's gloves, putting them onto the table and he did the same with his own before taking the Minho’s hands in his. They were both cold to the touch but it still felt good.

"We were in the same team," Minho muttered in a low voice and Changbin almost didn't catch it. Thankfully though e had managed to sit in a way that angled his functioning ear towards Minho so he could catch any words the other was speaking. "We left the military at the same time, after the incident."

Changbin knew that the other was talking about the situation that had caused the shrapnel in his leg and while Minho had never talked in detail about it, he knew it was a horrid memory.

"He lost his sight in one eye during that time, stayed in the hospital longer than I did. I haven't-" Minho stopped for a moment and frowned. "No, I saw him in the hospital a few times but I don't really remember much." He took a deep breath and then focused on Changbin. "And I don't want to remember it anyways." He shook his head a bit and let his head sink onto Changbin's shoulder, holding the other's hands at a weird angle. It was slightly uncomfortable but it helped him to focus better, it made it harder to just fall into the memory.

"You don't need to remember," Changbin said calmly and looked at his friend, brushing over Minho's hand with his thumb.

A weak nod was seen on Minho's face and he frowned. "Why is he here?" he mumbled, more to himself than to the other who looked confused at the younger.

"Vacation. He said he is here because of vacation," he explained but Minho just shook his head. His expression was obviously doubtful and Changbin wondered what was going on in the other's pretty head.

"No, I mean..." he started but stopped mid-sentence, frowning some more. He was deep in thought and Changbin was worried the other would slip into some kind of flashback but then Minho kept speaking. "He hates snow." It was rarely that Minho said something with this certainty that no doubt could touch it. "We once got buried under an avalanche and he barely made it out alive."

Changbin frowned and looked at the other, tilting his head a bit. If Minho was right, it made no sense for Wooyoung to be here, surrounded by snow and mountains, caging him in a place he wouldn't be able to get out quickly in case of an avalanche. "Maybe he just got overruled as he said?"

Slowly Minho shook his head, looking up when Jeongin returned with a tray full of cake and three cups of tea. He put it in front of them and sat down opposite them putting the cups in front of each of them. "I hope the tea I chose is okay."

"Honestly, you could have brought hot water and it would be fine," Minho mumbled and gently took the cup in one hand, still holding Changbin's hand with the other. He didn’t want to let him go yet, he wasn’t ready to.

"I have milk and sugar too," Jeongin said and looked at them, trying to assess the situation. It was difficult but Minho already looked a lot more aware than before.

"Thank you," Changbin told him and the youngest nodded, slowly relaxing into his set while taking his own cup of tea, taking a sip. It was still hot but sometimes he really enjoyed his tea scorching. He moved his legs a bit while he just sat in his seat and Changbin looked to Minho again who was obviously thinking about what the other had said. Again, he shook his head.

"No. No, he would only come if he really needed to. Wooyoung hates every area that has the possibility of burying him alive." Minho frowned and looked at the other two. He was doubting the fact that Wooyoung was here on vacation, there was more behind it.

Jeongin clearly had no idea who Wooyoung was but he would wait a bit before he would ask them for a short summary of what had happened. Right now, something else seemed to be more important, something else seemed to be going on and it wasn’t his place to actually just interrupt the conversation. So instead he pushed some pastry into his mouth to quieten any possible words he might spill.

"Maybe he worked through it?" Changbin asked carefully, not sure about it as he was very aware Minho knew the other better.

For a moment once again, Minho was weighing his options, considering the possibility. "No, I don't think so," he then said and brushed through his damp hair. "He is as terrified of snow as I am of water," he then said and frowned. They all knew Minho was terrified of water, he would never step foot onto a cruise for example, never stay on a ship longer than necessary and especially not without safety precautions. He did dare to put his feet into a pool or the beach but he wouldn’t stay too long. Even that had taken them all a long time to reach this point with Minho. Regular therapy as well as very supportive friends were the reason why Minho was now able to sit on the beach with them, feet covered with water. However, anything above knee high was too much for Minho and he refused to go deeper.

"So, anything more than a day trip isn't possible?" Changbin asked confused and Minho nodded, glancing into the distance as if he was considering any possibility.

"Unless he really needs to," Minho mumbled and sipped on his tea, taking in the hot liquid, almost burning his tongue but not minding. It was keeping him aware of his surroundings. "The only reason you'd get me onto a cruise or into the water would be an important mission or my friends being in danger." He looked at Changbin and Jeongin who were clearly as confused and bewildered as Minho.

"So, what you are saying is?" Jeongin then said and Minho glanced at the other for a moment, taking a deep breath.

"I don't think it's a vacation. I think there is more behind it," Minho explained and looked at his friends, holding Changbin's hand so tightly his knuckles turned white. "Let's just hope whatever reason he has, it has nothing to do with Hyunjin or Jisung."

Chapter Text

Feeling the fresh air on his face was a familiar feeling Jisung hadn’t realized he had missed. Snowboarding was something he had always loved but hadn’t been able to indulge too much aside from their regular visits to snow resorts. His father had taught him and he would definitely teach Jeongin and Seungmin in the coming days as soon as their mission was over or they met up at the slope during a break. He knew today it was smarter if it was just the two of them, Hyunjin and him, while keeping their eyes on Chun Hojin.

Who was currently skiing not too far away from him. They were using the same slope, Hyunjin too but he had started to go down the slope after waiting a few moments, not wanting to accidentally make the man notice them. The less people that man could spot around him, the less suspicious he would get. He would already see them together in the hotel, he did not realize they belonged together right now too. So now Jisung was closer to the man than Hyunjin was, the other keeping an eye on them from a distance. They needed to figure out his habits and if there was a chance to take the man’s life without leaving any traces, they would use it to get rid of him. Right now, however, they were just keeping their eyes on him.

The old man was surprisingly good at skiing, earlier he had shown the female company some tricks. She clearly hadn’t skied a lot in her life as she kept falling. When she had tried to go down the easiest slope with Chun Hojin, she had ended up falling flat on her face within the first few meters. The print of her face in the snow had made Jisung laugh so hard, he had toppled and fallen over his own snowboard, making him land in the snow himself - good for them as otherwise the two might have noticed them. Hyunjin had only rolled his eyes and kept his back to the couple, helping Jisung up, quietly laughing to himself. They probably looked like really good friends or a couple to anyone else so hopefully, no one had gotten suspicious.

Right now, however, the man had decided to impress the woman and show her how skiing down a slope should look while she stood aside, watching him with what seemed like aw. He was just going down the slope, practicing a few easy tricks and Jisung actually had difficulty keeping up with the man right in front of him. Jisung was a really good snowboarder but the man with the neon-bright beanie was good too. Sometimes Jisung forgot that people grew up rich and probably had started skiing when they were a child. So of course, the politician was good, he had ages in advance compared to Jisung.

It had started snow, the small flakes getting stuck in the few strands peeking out from under Jisung’s beanie. He tried to blink some away that got stuck in his lashes and quietly cursed himself for not bringing his skiing glasses. He could have used his sunglasses he had deliberately left in his hotel room as they would too easily fall and break, maybe he could get some skiing glasses in one of the shops around. He’d surely go snowboarding or skiing again with the others, so it would at least be put to good use.

Jisung was leaning his body into a nice curve, wanting to jump over a small hill, when he suddenly saw unusual movement just meters in front of him.

Chun Hojin was falling headfirst into the snow, part of his ski lodged into the snow and breaking as he fell over it. Jisung had expected him to just fall, however the man had been too fast for the fall to break and instead he was somersaulting down the slope. With wide eyes and horror Jisung watched the man trying to stop his fall, losing his other ski in the go. For a millisecond Jisung looked up to Hyunjin who had his eyes on the man as well before his eyes went back to the man falling, making sure he wasn’t accidentally losing his own balance. He went past the ski that was stuck in the snow towards the man who finally had come to a halt, body splayed out in the snow right next to one of the trees. He had been lucky he had stopped centimeters away from the tree trunk and not ended crashing against it. However, that did not change the fact that the man was not moving. The woman who had been watching him from above however was screaming, yelling his name. She kept calling for him a few times before rushing down the slope, ignoring the possibility of endangering other people that came down the slope. It wasn’t made for walking on after all.

"Stay where you are," Jisung called towards the woman though she didn't seem to care. He stopped a meter away from the man before unstrapping the snowboard from his shoes and rushing towards the man, the snow under his feet making it difficult to be quick.

The man was – to their unfortunate luck – still breathing. His eyes were closed but he was breathing, the cold air turning white above his face, yet Jisung quickly knelt next to him, checking his pulse. Scratches were covering his old, wrinkly face but aside from that he couldn't see any big injuries, no blood tainting his clothes or his beanie. However, Jisung wasn’t sure if the man hadn't ended up with some whiplash or injuries to his spine, so he made sure not to move the man's head, yet making sure no skin was exposed to the cold snow. Dying because of pneumonia was definitely a possibility, especially at this age, but that would take too long.

Grabbing his phone, he quickly called the emergency line for help, knowing this should be checked out by a medical. Falling on one's face was one thing but almost cartwheeling down the slope was something entirely different. And the way this had looked was anything but safe. He informed the person on the other end about where they were and what had happened, even giving his name - maybe that would allow them to go see that man in the hospital in case he had to stay, and this too might give them an opening on taking him out. Just when he had hung up the woman managed to get to them, kneeling next to the unconscious.

"Oh my- is he dead?" she sobbed and Jisung looked at her, shaking his head.

"No, he is still breathing," he said calmly and pointed at the man’s moving chest. She wanted to reach for him but Jisung stopped her. "Don’t move his head, he could’ve injured his spine."

"But it’s cold!" she complained, worry clear on her pretty face. Jisung had never seen her before, not even in the files of the many people he had had to read about and remember. Seungmin might remember her but he wasn’t here and Hyunjin was having the earpiece. Glancing up he could see Hyunjin at the broken part of the ski. It seemed to be separated almost in the middle of the ski though that was all he could see from here. It was odd. Jisung looked at the ski for a short moment but then decided that Hyunjin would take care of it and instead turned back to the woman.

"I know. But he will survive with a cold, he will not survive if you suddenly move him and break his neck," Jisung explained, straightforward and not caring that he was obviously not exactly empathic right now. It didn’t matter anyways. She would probably forget him quickly or just be grateful that he had helped this nasty old man survive. Jisung had no idea in what constellation the two people stood to each other but right now it didn’t matter. He put his scarf on the man in a way the area around his neck and head would be covered without bothering while breathing. He was still unconscious but after such a stunt Jisung was sure he would be too.

"But-" the woman started making Jisung lift an eyebrow at her, sighing.

"He is alive, I already called help. They will be here in a few minutes. Please try to remain calm. He fell really badly." Jisung was trying his best to use a neutral tone or a calm one - it wasn’t the woman's fault and if this man was a stranger to Jisung he would be as worried as she was. But to him it didn’t matter if he survived. In fact, it might be even more convenient if he died right now, if she moved his neck and he would just lose his life in the middle of the slope, surrounded by snow. Actually, why was he not letting the woman do a stupid move?

Because he would feel guilty. If Jisung let the woman accidentally kill that man she might never get over the guilt of being the reason someone died, he would be considered of complicity or manslaughter or something along the lines. And also, Jisung preferred not to drag anyone else into their missions.

Glancing up at Hyunjin again he could see him talking to two people, pointing down and then at the part of the ski next to him and then back to Jisung. The people had brightly colored clothes and it was easy to spot them as the medical help Jisung had called for. Quickly he waved at them and the people nodded, making their way down to Jisung.

When they arrived Jisung could hear Chun Hojin make a pained sound, probably waking up. The woman immediately turned to him, talking to him. Jisung however, instead of looking at the man, turned to the medicals, telling them what he had seen and what he had done. They quickly thanked him for not having moved the man much and noted down his name and number in case they needed more information before asking him and the woman to step aside. Without waiting a heartbeat Jisung immediately stood up, following the request. Quickly he grabbed his snowboard and bowed to them before waiting for Hyunjin to join him, standing on the side of the slope so he wasn’t bothering anyone who was still skiing. They didn’t need a second accident.

It took a moment for Hyunjin to reach him but when he did, he nodded at him, a quiet understanding between them. There was a quite obvious frown on his beautiful face, his cheeks red from the cold. "That was no accident," he mumbled once he had made sure it was just Jisung and him and no one was in their close proximity.

"Mhm, the ski almost broke in the middle, didn't it?" Jisung asked as he looked up at the people tending to the injured man. They obviously checked his vitals and possible fractures and it seemed like they were requesting for backup to get the man out of there – before they got out of sight.

"Yeah. It looked like someone actually precut it. That was way too clean," Hyunjin said. Earlier he had taken pictures of it, having sent it to Seungmin right away. He sighed, rolling his shoulders slightly. "Seems like someone else wants to get rid of him."

"True. Maybe someone who just wants him gone and prepared it to look like an accident? Like, before he went to the resort?” Jisung wondered, not sure who else would have had access to the man's ski aside from his security. The woman definitely didn't have time to do something like this within the time she had been close to him unless she could use some magic which both of them clearly doubted.

"Or someone else has the same reasons to be here as we have," Hyunjin mumbled and frowned, clearly thinking about the current situation. "How badly was he injured?" he asked and Jisung shrugged slightly, looking at the other.

"No blood, just scratches but he surely got some whiplash from the way he got thrown around." That had looked quite painful. "Maybe a concussion too. No idea, but I left my scarf so we can go and ask for it back. Might give us a chance to meet him and find a different way." If the man was now stuck in the hospital and not in the hotel, it was probably even easier to get him out of the way. Or so Jisung hoped, he had never been part of such a mission after all.

Surprised Hyunjin looked at the other and there was a small smile on his lips, patting Jisung’s shoulder. “Good job. That is actually quite smart. Any reason to get to him is a good reason. Though I am starting to think maybe I should have just poisoned his food yesterday. Would have caused chaos but we could already enjoy this vacation properly." He sighed and rolled his eyes, making Jisung laugh at how done Hyunjin seemed. His nose looked quite red just like his cheek so he was surely whiny again from having to be out in the cold.

"We're going back to the hotel," Hyunjin exclaimed then, talking to Seungmin. "You can take a break, we will too. As soon as we know more, we will inform you. Please do the same."

Jisung couldn’t hear their conversation, silence filling the air around him but he was sure Seungmin agreed, happy he was getting a break as well. They all wanted and deserved some free time and the accident of that old asshole gave them a chance to do so. Jisung reached for Hyunjin's beanie, pulling it properly over his ears and smiling. "You'll catch a cold," he then hummed and Hyunjin shortly touched where his earlobe had just peaked out of the beanie.

"Nah, I'll be fine, don't worry," Hyunjin said and shrugged. "Thanks though." He looked at Jisung as they made their way to the Resort, it was now snowing more than before. "Let's go grab some nice food, maybe stop by the restaurant in the hotel, something expensive." Of course, it was covered by Clé and they wouldn't have to pay for it themselves. "We could get some fancy steak or so."

Jisung chuckled amused, for sure not against the idea. "Maybe we can ask the others to come around?"

"Sure. Or we ask Yeji and Yeosang. The dude asked if we want to go eat together, met him this morning when I was at the pool," Hyunjin let the other know who looked a little surprised.

"You were at the pool?" he then asked. He had slept until the last minute, fixing himself up for breakfast within ten minutes. He hadn’t needed much more and when he had woken up, Hyunjin had already been ready. He had even already prepared Jisung's clothes, putting them onto a chair so all Jisung had to do was fix his hair, wash his face and put on the fancy clothes. Jisung felt quite handsome in the suits and shirts Clé had given him for this mission, making him look like a wealthy young man.

"I couldn't fall asleep again so I just went swimming," Hyunjin shrugged nonchalantly. "Met him there, we talked a bit. He apologized for being weird."

"Good thing he noticed himself," Jisung mumbled and tilted his head. He was used to being the odd one out, but Yeosang had just behaved in a way he hadn’t been able to easily explain. "He came off quite strange. Like, he was dodging all the questions."

"Yeah, he said it wasn't his intention and I think he really means it with Yeji. He does not seem like a bad guy, so at least something." He chuckled and looked up at the other.

Jisung hummed, still not entirely convinced but honestly spending some time with them would only give him the chance to figure out more. "Sure, we can go eat with them."

“I guess then that’s what we will do,” Hyunjin said and nodded to Jisung. “Today we go to a restaurant with them and hopefully tomorrow with the rest of our group.” It was nice to just spend time with Jisung, for it to be just the two of them – and Seungmin – but he also missed being around the others. “I’ll text Yeji,” he then added and Jisung nodded, curious at how it would go.

-

The amount of paperwork that was piled up in front of Chan was immense. He totally understood the concept of not using any servers and computers that were connected to the internet but holy shit, even with a typewriter he would be quicker.

Not only were some of the papers crinkled and ripped, the handwriting was an insult to everyone’s mother and Chan just wished he had learned typography because he had to ask Sunmi and Soohyuk to help him read some of the documents. Most he could figure out by just guessing but with important documents he couldn’t just do that.

Right now, Felix was sitting in a pile of documents while Chan was in front of his desk, looking through a folder and shredding some of the outdated papers. Felix was sorting the documents by date and topic and Chan swore that man was a blessing. Even though Felix barely knew any of the topics and files that were around, he worked so quickly and efficiently. Even Soohyuk hadn’t been this helpful despite working through the night and helping them figure out some important information. Despite Felix not being a native Korean and sometimes struggling with cursive writing, he had no hard time helping Chan out and figuring out most of the topics.

“Here, those are from fifty years ago,” Felix said and handed Chan a pile of documents, already focusing on the next folder. He almost immediately started a new pile of documents in front of him, sighing. “I get that this is supposed to keep things more secret but fuck, how are you supposed to just… stay on top of things? This is all so messy and stupid. You guys could use a computer without access to the internet to store information, use anything smarter than… this bullshit.” He groaned and rubbed his cheeks a bit, clearly not happy with how everyone was taking care of the documents. “Or at least archive or throw away what isn’t used anymore.”

“I know,” Chan groaned and closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair. Despite it being a comfortable one his back was already aching from the hours and weeks of sitting. He had a few appointments outside but most of his current tasks were taking over old events and jobs the previous boss had assigned and keeping the work going. It was a bit stagnating as he needed to get information on everything that was going on, however Sunmi and Soohyuk were a great help with that. “I hate all of it.”

But as he had just acquired the position as the new boss he didn’t want to try and immediately implement new things and ideas and earn himself new enemies with that. He was already not well-liked with the older generation, those who were around Song Kangho’s age had a hard time adjusting to Bang Chan. They had already complained when he had been only the right hand of the previous mafia boss but now they were anything but happy. Fortunately to Bang Chan none of them had tried to challenge him and despite their displeasure they were not causing any turmoil or rebellion. Or at least none he had been informed about yet.

So, Chan had decided to take his time, win everyone’s trust first before he started to change things. Before he would eventually drive them to their ruin.

It was bittersweet: Chan liked most of the people. He had gotten so used to Sunmi and Soohyuk, he had even become something like friends with Wonho who worked out with Changbin and him. Chan had taken the time to listen to the members of the mafia, listen to what they thought and what their solicitudes were, had made sure to note some of them down if he could help with it – but at the end of the day, they were part of the Mafia. And the Mafia was pure evil. However, people weren’t and it was so easy to get attached to them, with all their faults and flaws. It was a struggle.

Chan had started to work here with the goal of wanted it all gone. He wanted the illegal trades gone, wanted the murders of innocents gone, wanted the human trafficking to be over. And here he was now, able to do all of it but incapable of actually doing it right away. He needed to slowly make it happen and this meant he had to accept more deaths, more people getting kidnapped, more drugs being sold and people being killed because of it. It was painful to just sit here and try to win everyone’s trust while he knew out there a mother had just lost a daughter to child traffickers, a father had lost a son due to an overdose of impure drugs, some loan sharks had just taken a life and ruined a family as someone hadn’t met their deadline. It was suffocating and Chan wanted to work quicker but he also was aware that the quicker he did things, the more people would distrust him and the harder it would be to break this place apart.

Of course, he was in contact with Clé, updating them on any possible changes. Now that he had the role of a leader things were a lot more difficult despite having easier access to everything. If Song Kangho had stayed the boss, they could have covered it up with that asshole ruining the Mafia bit by bit. But now that this was in the past, they had to find a different way.

“Let’s order food,” Chan mumbled, exhausted from all his thoughts and the work and Felix blinked confused, looking at the other.

“You can order food to this place?”

Now it was Chan who only looked confused and then tilted his head. “Of course,” he said and shrugged. “Sunmi will take it. We usually inform her and give her fake name when we order, we do have a cover that won’t give us away.” He chuckled amused, looking at his friend. “We don’t just write our names or ‘to the mafia headquarters’.”

Again, Felix blinked, blushing a little bit. Of course, this place had a front, and it was also not exactly screaming ‘mafia’ up front. “Yeah. That would be stupid. Sorry, I didn’t think this through,” he admitted and looked at the pile of documents.

“It’s fine,” Chan said softly and leaned forward, elbows on the table and chin on his hands. “You’ve worked a lot already. It’s a lot of paperwork and I am sure I lost my last brain cell hours ago.” He shrugged and Felix hummed.

“Yeah,” Felix agreed and stretched his arms, his back making a few cracking sounds. “Would be fun though, you know? If you let them know to bring it to the mafia headquarters. People would be so confused.”

“Oh, they would be,” Chan chuckled and unlocked his phone, opening the food delivery app. It was quicker and faster to do it like that. “Anything particular you want to eat?”

“Chicken,” Felix said straightaway, grinning brightly. It was his favorite go-to-food after all and every one of them knew.

“Chicken it is then. Oh, I know a good Vietnamese, they have amazing lemongrass chicken, but they also offer simple fried chicken and the Pho is amazing!” Chan was beaming while telling the other, clearly excited about the food. He always loved sharing his favorite foods with his friends, especially Felix and Changbin as they were mostly the closest around, though he also sometimes just sent Minho some recipes he found on the internet and was pretty sure the other would enjoy them. And sometimes he even came home to Minho visiting their apartment and cooking exactly those dishes.

While Chan often also sent Minho spicy recipes, the other always made sure not to cook them when Chan was around. He knew Chan had a very low spice tolerance and had a hard time eating it even if it was delicious. It was sweet of his friend and he knew that Minho did the same when it came to the others and their less preferred foods. He appreciated it a lot.

“Sounds great,” Felix grinned and let Chan look through the app and clicking a few times on his smartphone before the older handed it over. “We just need to make sure to keep the documents clean.”

A small hum left the other’s lips as he watched Felix look through the app. “Ah, no worries. I thought of eating in my old office anyway. It is a lot more comfortable.” He still had his armchair in his office which was a lot more comfortable than this entire office. He also had a couch, as sometimes he had slept over, it had been much more convenient in dire or uncertain situations.

“Smart,” the younger hummed and had chosen some food, handing the phone back to Chan.

“I’ll text Sunmi and let her know to inform me as soon as the food arrives. Should we keep working until then?” he asked, very ready to just take a break too if Felix preferred that but he preferred to finish the stack of paper in front of him.

For a moment Felix contemplated, looking at Chan who was typing a text to Sunmi. “Mh, yeah, let’s work until the food arrives,” he agreed, pretty sure that they would take a longer break than planned anyways as soon as the food arrived. The both of them sometimes talked for hours without knowing what exactly had been the topic while they ate their food, so Felix was sure working some more now was a good idea.

The folder he had right now was thin and he quickly finished looking through the documents, shredding some paper after Chan had approved to do so. His eyes wandered over some of the folders in the cupboards and he blinked confused.

“The fellowship,” he read out loud and Chan didn’t look up but chuckled.

“Isn’t that Lord of the Rings?” he asked curiously as he looked through some papers, sorting them or putting them away in folders. “Like, the hobbits and Gandalf and so?”

“Huh?” Felix said and looked at Chan. “Well, yes, but why would there be a folder here named after Lord of the Rings?”

Now Chan was looking up, blinking confusedly. “We have what?”

“Here,” Felix told the other and pointed at the folder next to a few more. He then reached for it, pulling it out. “If it has Orc fanfics in it, I’m going to throw up.”

“Hey, do not shame the Orcs,” Chan joked and tilted his head as Felix opened the folder.

The slightly amused smile on Felix’ face disappeared and turned into something neutral, something Chan had a hard time reading. The other turned a few pages and Chan had the urge to get up and look over the younger’s shoulder so he could see what was going on. Instead he just kept sitting, wondering what kind of information the other had found.

“It’s them,” Felix finally said and put it in front of Chan, showing him what he had found. It was sheets with personal information o, each chapter had a photo pinned to it. Most sheets barely held any information, a name, a street, some had height and birthdate, some had notes written down and Chan knew that the information they had just found had been exactly what Felix and him had tried to find that one night before he had talked to Seungmin.

“So that’s what the T.F. stood for,” Chan mumbled and looked at the files, turning a few pages. He recognized some of the faces but not all. He had seen Song Kangho talk to some of them a while ago, he had seen a few others in the hallways of Clé as well.

Chan was about to turn another page when Felix stopped him, eyes wide.

“Wait,” he said and looked at Chan and then back at the paper, his expression darkening, a frown on his face. “I know that person.”

-

Classical music was wavering through the magnificent restaurant that was filled with candles, flowers and rich people.

All Seungmin had wanted was to hand Jisung the fixed earpiece – Jeongin had some magical hands – but when he had met Hyunjin and Jisung, they were talking to who he quickly figured out were Yeji and Yeosang and after exchanging a few words, Yeji had been informed that Hyunjin and him were roommates. Ever since that moment it had been set then that Seungmin would join them for their dinner date.

As luck would have it, Seungmin had put on some nice clothes to meet them in the Resort of the rich, as Changbin had called it, and therefore didn’t look entirely misplaced. He still vividly remembered how he had entered the Great Gala with his puppy slippers and he rather kept this in the past. Just like his slippers were part of the past as, sadly, they had been too damaged to keep. He got new ones from Minho, however.

Of course, he had informed Hyunjin and Jisung that he would stop by later that afternoon or early evening to bring the earpiece over and while they had let him know that they would soon go to have dinner with Yeji and Yeosang, Seungmin had not expected to be dragged with them. He had thought he’d just meet them on the way, hand them the small box he kept the earpiece in and then disappear again. And while he did not have any plans for his evening, sitting in such a noble restaurant with unplanned company overwhelmed him a little bit. He was always a well-planned person so being surprised like that made him a bit nervous.

Seungmin could plan a murder without a problem and hack the safest firewalls without so much as sweating but sitting at a table with two strangers and two of his friends all spontaneously was something he struggled with.

Right now, Yeji was telling Hyunjin about one of their friends who had planned to join this event but had ended up falling down the chairs and breaking their leg. Not exactly a gracious way to go down, especially as the reason they had fallen had been too much alcohol. Honestly, Seungmin was sure each and every one of them would manage to do that by accident too.

Looking at the appetizers they had ordered, he had to admit he knew barely any of it. One was lobster, he knew that, but he had let Hyunjin order them all and Seungmin could bet he had chosen some really expensive food. Their organization paid for it anyways so why hold back, right? Just that Seungmin felt a little uncomfortable with it, yet he would definitely not complain.

“So, are you staying with them too?” Yeosang asked Seungmin and nodded towards Jisung and Hyunjin. There was a friendly smile on his lips and he was eating while talking, it slightly helped Seungmin feel a little less awkward.

“Oh, no, he told us about this place so our other roommate and two friends of ours decided to take a break here too. Just get out for a few days,” Seungmin explained and poked his food before he decided to take a bite. He had a hard time doing new things, trying out new tastes. He preferred his well-planned daily routine a lot but as he was already caught in this situation, why not just embrace it, right? Yikes, he sounded like Minho or Chan.

“So, you are on a vacation with friends! That sounds so nice,” Yeosang hummed happily as he watched the other, the candlelight shimmering in his eyes.

A quiet hum left Seungmin’s lips. “Yeah, it is. Our other roommate keeps preparing food for us, he is a really good cook,” he said, not wanting to give away too much but he also wanted to keep the conversation going. Also, he had to come off like a normal young man in his early thirties, right? Not like the awkward dude that preferred hiding behind a screen unless he was with his friends or on an outside mission. Though the latter was a rarity. “We rented a small house like ten minutes away from here. It has a fireplace and a big kitchen and wide windows. You can see the mountains when looking outside, the scenery is stunning.”

“Oh, do you have pictures?” Yeosang asked curiously and Seungmin nodded right away without hesitation. Usually, he preferred to not have his phone out while eating, but right now it was an exception. For the sake of social interaction.

“Here,” Seungmin said, showing Yeosang one of the pictures he had taken earlier. The sun had set beautifully, turning the mountain tops golden. The trees looked almost black in front of the picture, creating a beautiful contrast with the snow on top of the mountains.

For a moment Yeosang just stared at the picture, then at Seungmin. “You took this?” he asked curiously and looked back at the picture. “This is really good. You have a good eye for aesthetics.”

A slight blush crept onto Seungmin’s cheeks, surprised by the compliment. He knew he was not bad when it came to photography, but he had never gotten a compliment from an actual photographer. “Thank you. I do enjoy photography quite a lot,” he then told the other.

“It’s obvious,” Yeosang said gently and looked at Seungmin with a happy smile. “Do you have more pictures?”

“Yes,” Seungmin said, almost shyly. He usually didn’t talk about his passion to anyone else and while he knew his friends really enjoyed his work, especially Hyunjin who liked to paint in his free time, he rarely ever had anyone asking for his pictures like that. “Here,” he then said, showing his phone to the other. “You can swipe through it, it’s a folder with my favorite photos I took.” He didn’t let Yeosang know that some had been showcased at events, he did not want to come off as an arrogant dude in front of a professional photographer.

Nodding Yeosang took the other’s phone and started to swipe through it, his eyes lighting up from time to time. “Oh, I love this one,” he said as he had spotted a picture of Soonie in front of their glass balcony door. In the background the city of Seoul could be seen in blurry lights as the picture was focused on Soonie looking outside.

“That’s in our apartment, his name is Soonie,” Seungmin hummed happily and watched Yeosang’s reaction, eating some more of the appetizers in front of him. “He likes to stare outside.”

“He is really beautiful,” Yeosang agreed, smiling at the other. “But your photos are too.” He kept swiping through the pictures, commenting on a few of them. Some were of nature and animals, others of still life, some of the coding he did in his free time. Seungmin had photos of his friends on his phone as well, a few candid shots he treasured, but he kept them in a locked folder so no one could access them if he didn’t want them to. Naturally, he did not keep any work-related stuff on his phone aside from the communication with his friends. He could not have anyone find something incriminating on his personal devices after all – but pictures of his friends were not incriminating. “This is Han River, right?”

Seungmin leaned over slightly to look at the picture and nodded. “Mhm, it was very foggy that morning and I had a free day.” He had loved the feeling of being swallowed by the cold air, the river disappearing in the fog and giving the entire atmosphere a spooky vibe. “I went to take a few photos of flowers and people in the distance as well, but those you see came out the best.”

“They really came out great,” Yeosang nodded and kept looking through the pictures. “I don’t know if Hyunjin told you, but I am a photographer. If you’d like we can exchange numbers and maybe we can talk some more about it?”

That was definitely something Seungmin had not expected and a dream come true. “I’d love to!” he immediately said and looked at Yeosang with a bright smile, suddenly really happy he had been invited to this dinner. “Just type in your number.”

“Sure,” Yeosang chuckled and did so, handing the other his own phone so he could enter his number as well. Seungmin did so, checking twice if he had the correct numbers before handing it back.

“Do you also live in Seoul?” Seungmin asked curiously, sipping on his drink. It was some sweet white wine, something he actually enjoyed sipping from. One time Hyunjin had brought home the driest red wine he had ever tasted and he remembered how they had to force themselves to not pour it into the sink but actually drink it. Each of them had ended up with a glass and a really bitter aftertaste.

“I do, I actually live not too far away from the N Seoul Tower,” Yeosang let the other know who nodded, recognizing the area. Seungmin knew Seoul pretty well, having to use the blueprint quite often to help the others with a route to escape or find the best ways to actually follow someone around. It especially came in handy when they were out at night and getting lost, usually Seungmin could help them find their way home.

“I can see it from my window, it is actually quite nice,” Yeosang added and Seungmin hummed.

“I think I drove by. I like to go on trips with my bike, I find the prettiest pictures. Wait.” Seungmin reached over to his phone and looked for a picture until he found the photo of the sunflower field he had taken while driving past the N Seoul Tower. He showed it to Yeosang who looked surprised.

“That’s in Seoul?” he asked curiously and Seungmin nodded happily, almost proud.

“I found it by surprise. I was just trying to get my head free, you know, take a few pictures and just relax but then I found this area and turns out they have this every year. The area is full of flower fields and it is really beautiful. I came back on a rainy day too, sadly the photos are still on my camera. I can send you a few once I get access to it.”

Of course, Seungmin had his camera with him but it was with the rest of his luggage. He had not taken it along as it was already dark outside and the cold was not good for his camera. The scenery looked beautiful, yes, and while Seungmin planned on a short nightly trip to take photos, he did not risk breaking his camera beforehand and taking it along.

“That would be amazing. Maybe I can learn something from you,” Yeosang said and Seungmin chuckled, a gentle laugh.

“I think it’ll rather be the opposite,” the other said and took his phone back, looking up as the next menu was served for them. It looked delicious and it smelled fantastic. “It is just my hobby but you are the professional.”

Shrugging slightly Yeosang looked at the other. “Just because I had training in it doesn’t mean I can’t make mistakes or learn anything new. Especially those who did not make their living with it often have a good idea when it comes to photography. Because they do it out of passion and fun and not because they have to. Sometimes my work gets pretty exhausting and I feel like I stagnate.” He sighed and leaned back. “It is nice to have a different perspective sometimes, it gives me a new view.”

The way Yeosang thought was something Seungmin enjoyed. He agreed with the other as he often felt the same, trying to get advice and a new perspective on things from one of his friends or coworkers. It helped him find new ways and ideas, to keep him going. “I understand that, yeah,” Seungmin agreed and took a bite from the food, but not without checking if it was the right temperature.

The flavor was amazing and he enjoyed the food a lot. He would let Minho know the names of the dishes so maybe he could check it out in case he wanted to cook it. He knew the other liked trying new things a lot more than Seungmin did.

“It’s just… refreshing,” Yeosang added and took a bite from the food as well, closing his eyes for a second. “This is really delicious!”

Seungmin was about to say something when a text message popped on his phone that was still next to his plate on the table. It was from Chan and Seungmin had a hard time not letting his facial expression give away what kind of message he had just received. Pulling himself together he looked at Yeosang, smiling as if nothing had happened. “It really is.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 25:

“And you’re really sure?” Seungmin asked for the third time, holding his phone to his ear while he paced up and down his room.

The others were already curled up in the king-sized bed while he had just returned from the dinner date. It had taken him all his willpower to not just leave the restaurant earlier and he was pretty sure Jisung had noticed something was wrong, however he had managed to tell him he just wasn’t used to going out. During a short break in the bathroom, he had managed to text Chan, letting him know he would call him later and that right now he was unavailable.

Now it was already after midnight and Seungmin was so very grateful he had managed to dodge the others for a round of going out and getting wasted. He was sure Hyunjin and Jisung would go out with the other two and drink some, but Seungmin’s preferred drinking style was with his friends and especially when he wasn’t on edge and the moment, he had gotten the message from Chan, he had been more than just on edge. Luckily, he had managed to hide it mostly and when Yeosang asked if he was okay, he had said he was just not used to being invited to a dinner with people he had just met. 

“Yes,” Chan repeated for the third time and Seungmin didn’t need to see his friend to know he was rubbing his temples. Knowing that the organization Chan had told him about was currently this close was anything but comforting. “It is definitely Hyunjin’s friend. Felix saw her and the name fits too.”

“Shit,” Seungmin cursed quietly, something he did rarely and only in really fucked up situations. Or at least he’d like to tell that himself. “Do you think they know about us? Do you think Yeosang knows about her?”

Earlier Seungmin had informed Chan about Yeji and Yeosang, about her being here after Chan had told him that she was part of The Fellowship. Seungmin was pretty sure he had heard about the organization before, had read about it either in Clé’s pile of information he had access to or somewhere in the NIS files. He would investigate it as soon as he was back in Seoul, checking out every possible source he could. Seungmin was very aware that Clé was morally ambiguous, that was one of the reasons why he had joined. He wanted to change the world and if he played by the rules, he couldn’t. But just like Chan he was definitely not a fan of the Mafia – and while his suspicion of Clé working with the Mafia had turned out to be false, a different organization working with both of them at the same time wasn’t exactly any better.

“I am not sure,” Chan admitted and frowned. “Maybe they do, maybe they don’t. It depends if Clé gave them information about us or if they saw you guys somewhere? I remember spotting a few of them at the training grounds. Which I personally find anything but reassuring. It means they know about us while we don’t know a single thing.” Well, now Chan and Felix knew, and Felix was currently busy copying the sheets so he could bring them to his friends. What did Clé gain with this deal? If the Fellowship wanted, they could have sold Chan out to the Mafia, spill that he had been an undercover spy all along and knowing that caused a sour taste in Chan’s mouth. This could have ruined years of his work and effort. What reason did Clé have to let them into their buildings without warning their own people?

“This is fucked up,” Seungmin grumbled and sat onto the bed for a second before immediately getting up again, feeling too restless. “This could ruin everything. Risk all of us.” He was aware that to the organization they were just a means to their cause, collateral damage if they lost one of them and usually Seungmin was fine with it as he was the one with all the information. But know that changed.

“I know, Seung, I know,” Chan mumbled, he knew better than anyone. “I am not a fan either.”

“Do you think Clé knows about the information the Mafia keeps?”

“No. But I am sure Clé knows that the Fellowship works with both them and the Mafia. Which they should have informed me about. It endangers not only my life but my mission.” Now that Song Kangho was gone, he was still in danger though the way the game was set up was different, so if the people heard about him being in Clé and believed it, they would riot. And if Chan was unlucky, he would lose his life in a very gruesome way and all his hard work would have been for nothing, causing the Mafia to return to its former glory if done right. And Chan was here to take it down, not to make it bloom and prosper.

“Once we are back, I will check every source I can get,” Seungmin tried to give Chan some support, making it easier for him to find some comfort. “Maybe Clé has their reasons. Maybe the Fellowship even has someone undercover people there too?”

It wasn’t rare that there was more than one undercover spy in such organizations and only rarely they knew from each other. To keep it authentic. Changbin and Chan were an exception and in the very beginning they hadn’t known about each other as well.

“Possible,” Chan said and he sound so very exhausted. “Honestly everything is possible by now and I am just… this was a lot.”

Seungmin sighed, knowing Chan was probably unbelievably tired from working overtime and barely catching any sleep. His insomnia had surely started to act up again, leaving him sleepless and without any rest. The plot had thickened, and he was closer to his goal, hopefully, however it was taking a toll on him.

“We will keep our eyes open, Chan. I will inform the others in the morning,” Seungmin let the other know and even though he couldn’t see it, he knew Chan was nodding. “Go to sleep, try to get some rest. We will find a way, we always do.” It was true, they always somehow had found a way and Seungmin had been part of Clé for long enough that he knew nothing was impossible. In good and in bad ways.

“I will try,” Chan sighed and Seungmin could hear Felix in the background.

“Good. Say hello to Felix from me and maybe cuddle him. His hugs always help me sleep better,” Seungmin said softly, knowing that Chan really liked cuddling and might ask Felix to do so. Hopefully he would be able to fall asleep like that. “Take care, give yourself a break. I’ll update you once I talked to the others. Sleep well.”

“You too,” Chan hummed gently, always a soft word for his friends. “Thank you, Seung.”

“You’re very welcome,” Seungmin gave back before he ended the call. He brushed through his hair and closed his eyes for a long moment, the exhaustion seeping into his bones. They couldn’t seem to catch a break, jumping from one major event into another and while he really enjoyed his work, he also had a hard time keeping up. There was no outlet for them, no way to run away from the imminent events unfolding, one by one by one. And now with Chan as the head of the mafia, they all were even more on edge. It was a dangerous position, the thought haunting him in the night. And while he was able to sleep, it wasn’t without his dreams showing him the gory possibilities that could unfold with just a single misstep. Maybe having heard every little detail of what had unfolded that day when Changbin had lost two of his fingers hadn’t done him too well, but he was trying his best to work it through.

Quickly Seungmin disappeared in the bathroom, washing his face and brushing his teeth to feel somewhat like a normal person. He used the face cleanser he had once sneaked from Hyunjin and was now regularly using. Honestly, Seungmin wasn’t really good with a bedtime routine but washing his face did help him feel refreshed in the morning, so he was trying to implement it. Especially currently with him having a hard time going to sleep it often helped his body to calm down a bit.

Quietly he went to Jeongin and his bedroom to change into comfortable clothes – he liked wearing pajamas – and quickly grabbed his charger before walking over into the other room.

They were all sleeping in the one bed the room had. While Jeongin and Seungmin were sharing a room with two beds, Minho and Changbin hadn’t bothered with getting two separate beds. It was more comfortable for them to sleep next to each other and it clearly helped the both of them.

Right now, Minho was curled up by Changbin’s side, face hidden at the younger’s chest while his arms were around Minho. One hand was still halfway tangled in his hair, and it was adorable to witness. Jeongin however had his back turned to them, sprawled out at the edge of the bed. He preferred to have his own space though he liked sleeping next to his friends and making sure everyone was safe and sound, now even more than ever after the recent developments. And as Jeongin wasn’t the heaviest sleeper, he’d probably wake up if something was going on.

This was one of the reasons why Seungmin was doing his best to just be quiet as he plugged in his charger and his phone, putting it on the nightstand and then quietly slipping into the bed behind Minho. The others had shortly updated him that there had been a situation earlier and that Minho wasn’t in his best state, they’d give him details later in the morning. Changbin had also let him know that it had to do with Minho’s past in the military and Seungmin knew him well enough to assess how serious it was.

Gently he sneaked one arm around Minho, his fingers just above the other’s chest. He didn’t want to scare him with his cold hands, Minho needed his well-deserved rest and so did the others. His lips gently kissed Changbin’s hand that was close to his face, and he showed him a soft smile when the other opened one of his eyes to look at Seungmin. Changbin’s expression was gentle and comforting, with a warm gaze and a small smile on his lips. His lips formed a “You good?” and Seungmin nodded.

When he had been in the bathroom minutes ago, he had texted their groupchat that they needed to meet in the morning as there were new, important information that needed to be shared so Jisung and Hyunjin needed to come over at least for half an hour or something. It was easier and also more secure that way. But as of right now he was good. His mind was still wandering from one place to another but now that he was here his body and mind were slowly calming down. He was with people he cared for and new they were safe and sound despite the weight of the world on their shoulders.

“You?” he asked back inaudibly but Changbin caught it and nodded, a sleepy smile on his face as he gently poked Seungmin’s cheek. He was at ease right now and Seungmin was slowly catching onto that feeling as well.

“Let’s sleep, I have an alarm for later,” he let Changbin know, his voice so quiet he wouldn’t wake up Jeongin nor Minho. “Sleep well,” he added softly as he could see Changbin was slowly dozing off again.

“You too,” the older mumbled quietly. “Dream of me.”

“Will do,” Seungmin whispered back without missing a beat, watching Changbin fall asleep again. The room was filled with gentle breaths and quiet snoring and while Seungmin usually did have big problems with that, in this very moment he found it was one of the most comforting sounds he had ever heard.

*

Drinking until three in the morning just to get back to the hotel room and seeing a message from Seungmin letting them know they had to meet up in the morning wasn’t the best way to fall asleep with an alcohol-induced brain. So now Jisung and Hyunjin were currently holding on to their cups of hot, strong coffee for dear life.

“You could have come later, I literally didn’t specify a time,” Seungmin sighed as he put some food on the table so they could get something into their poor, probably still alcohol-filled stomachs. “You didn’t have to come here at eight am, just because it is the time, I am already awake.”

“I thought it was important,” Hyunjin whined as he looked at Seungmin, clearly wanting some more sleep or to turn back time but it was sadly impossible.

“Oh, it is important. But it is not urgent, those are two different things,” Seungmin explained and Jisung whined quietly, almost inaudibly as he buried his hands in his arms. He was clearly not taking it too well, he had barely slept and the shots of tequila and whiskey were something he wished he had never downed with Yeji. She clearly was a better drinker than he was.

A small sigh of pity left Seungmin’s lips and he wondered how Jisung had even managed to make it here without just falling over his feet head first into the snow and crying, but he was actually doing pretty good considering the amount of alcohol they had drank last night, if he could believe Hyunjin’s videos and photos he had sent. Most of them were blurry but he had seen some where he could distinguish quite some shots and drinks.

Seungmin was glad though, it was good that the two of them had some fun they clearly deserved and surely needed.                 They all needed a break from time to time and right now they all urgently needed a bigger one.

Quietly he put a painkiller in front of Jisung and a glass of water. “Here, take it and then eat some. Just plain rice is fine too, but your body needs it, baby boy.”

A chuckle was heard from the door as Changbin came in, an amused smile on his lips. “Baby boy, huh?” He looked at Jisung and hummed softly. “Yeah, that fits.” He was sure it had been quite a while since they had last been out drinking, especially so excessively and Changbin wished he had seen it. He was always a sucker for watching people change whenever they were drinking, especially if it was them having fun and enjoying themselves. It was a beautiful view to see people unfold into who they couldn’t be with their head caught in the daily disasters. Changbin could drink quite a lot, he usually got just sleepy whenever he drank too much. He loved dancing and drinking, it was one of his favorites but recently he hadn’t found any time to do so. Maybe once this mission was over, they could just go to a club or bar, somewhere they could just let loose.

“I’m the cutest baby boy,” Jisung said, clearly pouty as he was trying to shield his eyes from the light and down the painkiller with the water. He just hoped it would help quickly – it was the mix of the missing sleep with the amount of alcohol. If he had had his eight hours of sleep he would have been fine, but now he had barely slept a bit more than three and a half and he was craving more sleep for sure. He definitely needed a nap later.

“Sure you are,” Minho hummed amused as he walked towards the coffee machine. He had a towel over his shoulders and his hair was still wet, eyes clearly tired. He was filling his cup to the brim with freshly brewed coffee and he thanked Jeongin for having been awake before all of them and preparing some food for them. Right now he was just making sure the rooms were aired, four grown men sleeping in one room made the air rather thick and he wanted to make sure it was well-ventilated. Seungmin liked to call it ‘their adult duties’ and Minho found that word very fitting. In their apartment it was usually Seungmin who took care of such things as the other two were mostly forgetting it. However Seungmin always reminded Minho of it whenever he had to put all three cats into Minho’s room so he could rip the windows open without having to worry about a cat going on an adventure. He’d prefer none of the cats to fall out of the windows for sure.

“Jeongin will be down in a moment, we can talk then,” Minho explained as he sat down on the kitchen table, putting his cup of coffee down and stretching. He loved the smell of freshly brewed coffee and the well-prepared food filling the room. It felt comfortable and it helped him relax. Yesterday things had been tough and he had still not entirely recovered from it, his head was running a hundred miles an hour, trying to understand the situation, but right now he couldn’t do anything so all he could do was wait until he could ask Seungmin later.

A soft hum left Hyunjin’s lips and he sipped on his coffee to check if it was still hot and when he realized it wasn’t burning his entire body, he immediately downed it. Clearly his still exhausted brain needed some bean juice to work. “Good,” he said and pushed his cup towards Seungmin, a clear request for more coffee and the younger chuckled but followed the wish right away, walking towards the coffee machine and filling up the cup.

“You too need to eat,” Seungmin told the other as he put down in front of Hyunjin, nodding towards him. “We can talk and then you can nap.”

“What if the information is too lifechanging that we cannot nap?” Hyunjin mumbled, a small pout on his lips and Changbin chuckled.

“Then nap now?”

“Impossible,” Jisung was saying and looked at them now, eyes a bit red and his hair clearly a mess. “I’m too worried, I barely managed to sleep through. No one died, right?” he then asked and Seungmin shook his head.

“I wouldn’t have told you like this, don’t worry,” Seungmin said calmly. “A death is an entirely different topic and we don’t just text each other about new information in the groupchat. Chan and Felix are good, though I did get the information from them.”

Slowly Jisung nodded and his body relaxed a bit. He had been worried though he had been pretty sure Seungmin would have told them in a different way, even his drunk brain had known that. Seungmin was a responsible person, he wouldn’t risk any of them getting to know about a death like that. “That is good,” he mumbled, more to himself than anyone else as he sipped from his coffee and ate some rice. He wasn’t yet sure if he could eat a lot, but that was the price he had to pay for drinking so much. He wondered how Yeosang and Yeji were doing, especially the latter as she had drank so much, Jisung had been surprised. Hyunjin had told him she was a good drinker, however that was definitely a new skill and impressive. Yeosang hadn’t drank as much, but he had enjoyed a few shots with them and some rum if Jisung wasn’t entirely wrong. It was fascinating.

Noticing how his brain was slowly drifting off, Jisung sighed and tried to focus once again as he saw Jeongin walk into the room, a whiff of fresh, cold air around him.

“Hey, you two look like death,” Jeongin chuckled amused as Seungmin had already informed all of them about Jisung’s and Hyunjin’s state. He felt a little bit pity for them, but he also was quite amused – after all it had been their own fault.

A small laugh was heard by Changbin and he leaned back on his chair. “At least death is hot then.”

That was the moment Hyunjin almost choked on his coffee, forcing a weak “Thanks?” out while he tried to catch his breath. Jisung blinked a little confused, looking from one to another before he kept sipping on his coffee. He definitely needed some more just like Hyunjin, but he could ask for more once his cup was empty. Depending on what the others had to tell them, he might need more alcohol too though.

“Now that we are all here, why don’t we sit down, and I give you the information I want to share?” Seungmin offered and looked from one to another. Most of them were already seated while Jeongin filled his cup with coffee and then went over to the chair, sitting down. It was already snowing outside, and it gave the false feeling of safety. If there had been one thing, he had learned over the time it was, that they were never safe. No matter what, no matter where. Safety was just a construct.

A small hum left Hyunjin’s lips and both him and Jisung sat up properly to gave them at least the impression of being ready to take in any kind of information. If they were able to was a different question, however at least they were trying their best.

“Okay, so some background knowledge: Chan, Changbin and I were wondering if Clé was working with the Mafia. That seems to be wrong, however they do work with another organization,” Seungmin explained to them, holding his own cup in his hand. It wasn’t rare that organizations worked with one another, however this meant more people mingling and seeing their faces. “Chan said that he saw some of their members at our headquarters. The organization is called the fellowship.”

“Like in Lord of the Rings?” Jeongin asked and lifted an eyebrow, looking at Seungmin who nodded with a small sigh. He had just recently watched the trilogy as well as all three movies of the Hobbit as well, so honestly he had expected Jeongin to ask exactly that.

A small hum left his lips. “Exactly, like Lord of the Rings.”

“Damn,” Jisung mumbled. “That’s kinda cool.”

“Should have joined them, my height would have fit,” Changbin mumbled as a joke and Minho snorted.

“Question is, dwarf or hobbit? Or would you like to be Gollum?” Minho teased the other and Changbin huffed, rolling his eyes.

“Technically Gollum was a Hobbit once too. Also, Sam is my favorite, so I’d be him.” Changbin nodded and poked Minho’s chest who chuckled amused, shaking his head a bit.

“Whatever makes you happy,” Seungmin mumbled as he had quietly watched the conversation unfold. He then rolled his shoulders. “Sounds like we need a Lord of the Ring movie marathon. However, lets talk about that later, we have more important matters at hand.”

“More important than The Shire? I doubt it,” Jisung joked and got a small chuckle from Jeongin and an eyeroll from Seungmin, nevertheless the latter seemed a bit amused.

Seungmin took a moment and sipped from his cup, giving them all the time to throw more puns and opinions in, he knew they were nervous of what information was to come and were just pushing the matters. All of them had had enough exhausting news recently and they didn’t need any more. When he realized, they weren’t going to interrupt him more, he continued.

“Chan figured out that the Fellowship is not only working with Clé, but also with the Mafia,” he explained and it was Minho who immediately reacted to that information, tensing and a clear frown on his face.

“Didn’t you just say they mingled with Clé?” Jisung was the one speaking even before Minho could ask the same question. The nod from Seungmin was anything but reassuring and he could clearly see how they all got even more uncomfortable. “So you are saying they were at Clé’s headquarters and saw the faces of the people working there but they also work with the Mafia? Where we have undercover spies like Chan, Changbin and even Felix now?”

“Exactly.” Seungmin licked his lips, as unhappy as the rest of them. Hyunjin had gotten a lot paler and while Jeongin had decided to say nothing, he didn’t look happy with any of the news. Changbin was quiet as well. He had figured something like that. Chan had informed him about his suspicions when he had been visiting him in the hospital, though they hadn’t talked much about it. Just a short update about the current situation. This outcome wasn’t what he had hoped for but what he had expected. There were always people endangering others and when they had signed up to work with Clé this seemed to have been what they had agreed to in some way or another.

“That is fucking bullshit,” Hyunjin groaned and brushed through his face. “If they decide to spread rumors, they will cause an uproar in the Mafia! It might cost Chan’s life!”

“It might cost all our lives,” Minho said calmly and leaned his face onto his arms, clearly thinking. “If they want to, they can just sell information about us. Get us all in trouble. For what? Is Clé thinking of merging with them? Or is it a sign of trust?”

Trust was good but control was better and Clé had always clearly shown exactly that way of thinking. They had never been one to just give away secrets and their goals or morals. Yes, it was pretty clear they were neither exactly good nor bad though the public would probably put them on the overall bad spectrum. Yet it had still aligned with most of their morals and values. But the thought of Clé collaborating with another organization that had morals that allowed them to work with something as low as the mafia? That was something none of them agreed with. Was it for their Greater Good or was it for personal gain?

“I honestly don’t know,” Seungmin admitted, and he knew he wasn’t exactly taking the tension away. He knew it wasn’t his job, but he wished he could give them better news. Sadly, there were none.

“That’s fucking bullshit,” Jeongin mumbled and rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hands. “Why would Clé work with something like that and endanger our lives?”

“Because they don’t care,” Seungmin sighed and closed his eyes for a short second. “They’ve never cared for the people, for their lives. They willingly risked them after all. Remember when they didn’t tell us about you guys?” He looked at Jeongin, remembering clearly how he had to hack into the systems themselves to get information about Jeongin’s and Felix’ whereabouts. He still remembered how angry Hyunjin had been that no one had helped him despite him still having a favor. People were useless if they didn’t keep their word. They all had felt so damn useless. “If they lose a few people working for them, they don’t care unless there is an obvious trace to them, they cannot erase quick enough. We’ve seen it way too many times already.”

The tension seemed to grow and there was disappointment and anger so obvious on their faces. Yes, it was the truth, but that didn’t change the fact how painful it was. Just like in every other place they could have been employed in, colleagues came and went but here leaving meant death and realizing how willingly they risked their own people, only made them comprehend how little Clé currently cared about their well-being. No, their survival.

“We’re just pawns on a game of chess, just that unlike in chess, they can get new pawns again and again,” Changbin mumbled, and it broke his heart. To him none of them were just pawns, they were kings and queens in his heart, the most valuable game piece.

“They will see how much more worth we are.” It was Seungmin who mumbled it under his breath, clearly ready to throw hands and Minho looked at the other for a long moment before he nodded.

If Seungmin wanted he could so easily sell information to the NIS, let them know what Clé was doing and get both Jeongin and him to safety. Yet his friends weren’t safe, and Minho was very aware that this was the only reason why Seungmin wasn’t throwing it all away and doing something stupid. While they all sometimes did reckless things they hadn’t thought through first, they always thought about what would happen with their friends. None of them had the same position, none of them had the same background and it was no given that they would all make it out alive. Now even less than before.

“We have more,” Seungmin then said, closing his eyes for a short moment and he didn’t need to look at his friends to know they were frowning.

“Throw it at us, I don’t think it can be any worse.” Ironically it was Hyunjin saying it, brushing through his hair as if he really believed what he had said.

For a few seconds Seungmin just looked at him and sighed, sipping on his coffee. “It can,” he mumbled and sat up properly. “So, Chan and Felix found a folder with personal information about the Fellowship. We are yet not entirely sure if it is a ploy that was placed there, but they are currently confirming it. The information that I already have confirmed however is one person who is working for them, and they are here right now.”

“Yeosang?” Jisung asked without hesitation, looking at Seungmin who shook his head. He didn’t even have time to reply before Hyunjin groaned and his shoulders slumped.

“It’s Yeji,” Hyunjin said, voice clearly defeated and heartbroken. “That’s why she is here.” Models had the weirdest reasons to be at places, that was why Hyunjin had easily found a place to be here as well, yet it had seemed odd to him to find his friend here. Maybe as his own reason wasn’t personal work but his job as an assassin, he hadn’t really thought about it and only pushed it away as there were enough things he already had to consider. It all made sense though. Yeji, who was so stunningly beautiful and clever. “She was at the Great Gala too.”

“You think it was them?” It was Jeongin who asked but Hyunjin had no answer, just shrugging right now.

If Hyunjin was honest, he couldn’t tell. He had always seen her as his best friend, not as someone who worked for another organization. Whatever that organization did, it wasn’t exactly morally good as they worked with not only Clé but with the Mafia. Hyunjin didn’t need to ask if the people working for the Fellowship were assassins too, it was a given.

“So she is most likely the reason why Chun Hojin had an accident.”

“I’m not sure. I don’t think all of this is a coincidence,” Seungmin admitted as he looked into the round of people he just wanted to kidnap right now and bring to place where they were all safe and sound and not in danger ever again. Where the place they worked for wouldn’t fuck them over and endanger their lives for personal gain. He wanted these people safe, they were his family and while he was often ready to risk it all, they were the once he would eventually risk it all for. Seungmin was more than sure of that.

“What if Wooyoung is part of it too,” Minho then mumbled and glanced at Changbin, gaining a confused glance from anyone else but Jeongin and Changbin. They had informed Jeongin about who Wooyoung was yesterday in the café, giving him a short summary of what was going on and what had happened – yet the others didn’t know yet. Minho sighed and looked into the group.

“I met a military comrade yesterday,” he then started to explain and he felt Changbin’s hand on his thigh, clearly there to calm him down and give him support. The other had no idea how much he appreciated it and how much it helped right now. “We both have some trauma. Mine is water, his is snow. And I am more than sure he would never even consider coming here for vacation. However I did end up in an organization where I had to work with bodies of water before.” Namely the beach and Minho still had no idea how he had managed that. “So, if I took this route, it is not impossible he took the same route just ended up somewhere else.”

“Yeah, it makes sense,” Jeongin agreed, worry on his face. “Do you think they know?”

“Know what?” Changbin asked and tilted his head, still keeping his hand on Minho’s leg to calm him a bit. He was drawing undistinguishable patterns on the leg to distract him a bit.

“That we are from Clé.”

For a moment there was silence filling the room, just the sound of the wood cracking coming from the fireplace in the living room and the gentle buzzing of electronic devices in the room filling the air. It even seemed like they were all holding their breaths. Emotions were filling the room, anger, disappointment, fear. One by one it rolled in and took over, taking away the feeling of safety they all had experienced before. It was gone by now.

“You said Chan saw them at HQ. When?” Jisung broke the silence and looked at Seungmin. “I haven’t been there for a while and neither has Hyunjin. You were, but you’re mostly in front of your computer. Did you notice new faces?”

Seungmin immediately shook his head. “No, I didn’t see anyone new.” He glanced at Jeongin who also shook his head. “I think during the last view months, maybe? I must ask Chan when he saw them. Maybe we are lucky, and we weren’t in the building during the time.” It wouldn’t be impossible, but it also wasn’t entirely unlikely. “Yet if they saw us, we need to be prepared.”

And being prepared meant expecting the worst-case scenario – that they knew and if they knew, they needed to walk on eggshells. Just because Clé was working with the Fellowship it didn’t mean they were on friendly terms with them. None of them knew what it meant, what would happen now and if Clé or the Fellowship suddenly decided to pull a twist and use the information they had collected, it could mean their demise.

*

It was all over the news.

Jeongin had just wanted to watch some stupid winter-wonderland movie when the break had screamed the “breaking news” right into his face. He had been all curled up in his blanket, Minho and Changbin in the kitchen and Seungmin taking a quick shower before he needed to work while Hyunjin and Jisung were currently on the way to visit the injured politician in the hospital. They had only left ten minutes ago so he knew they had just reached the hospital.

“Guys!” he called for the others, quickly freezing the picture on the tv so they could see it themselves and Changbin walked over from the kitchen, slow but steady steps. “Bring Minho too,” Jeongin added, hearing Minho sigh before he knew the other would come. He had probably just prepared some food for later, yet if Jeongin said he should come, he knew it was important.

“What’s wrong, princess?” Changbin hummed before he saw the picture on the TV, lifting an eyebrow. He had to read the text a few times before he looked from Jeongin to Minho who just shrugged.

“Seems like now we know why they are here.”

Jeongin had frozen the tv right when a relatively recent picture of Chun Hojin had been shown, the bold letters on top of it told them all right away that Hyunjin and Jisung didn’t need to go to the hospital any longer.

“Politician dies after skiing accident? More like they are doing our job. Nice of them but no need to steal our mission,” Changbin said and looked from Jeongin to Minho and back. The youngest was already dialing Hyunjin’s number, ready to let him know.

“Who knows, maybe it was their mission first,” Minho shrugged, not really caring. The news earlier had left a mess of emotions behind, and he was still not sure how to deal with each and every single one of them so he decided to push them away, just dealing with it with some kind of apathy while his mind was trying to sort things out. “Good for us, we will get paid anyways and the others can finally have a break.”

It had been a messy mission from the very beginning and he was more than grateful that it finally was over, yet it left a sour aftertaste. Like it wasn’t over yet, that there was definitely more to come and he frowned, sitting down on the couch as he watched Jeongin talk to Hyunjin.

“Possible,” Changbin mumbled and looked at Minho, tilting his head. “You good?” he then asked and Minho slowly nodded, looking up as he heard a “What the fuck” from behind them. Seungmin had still wet hair, standing in the doorframe and just staring at the tv.

“Is that true?” he asked as he walked towards the couch, glancing at Jeongin who pointed at his phone and mouthed a Hyunjin at him.

Minho shrugged and Changbin sat down on the couch as well, looking at Seungmin. “Not sure, but I guess. I’m sure Hyunjin is going to confirm it with Jisung and will tell us more about what happened once they are back.” All Hyunjin and Jisung now had to do were double-checking if the man’s body was really a corpse and if it was confirmed, their mission was over. They all were used to missions not going their way, however this one was giving off a weird vibe, leaving them all confused and unsatisfied.

“Damn,” Seungmin mumbled and leaned onto the back of the couch, watching Jeongin talk on the phone and then looked down at the other two that were on the couch. “Feels weird, man.”

“Yeah,” Minho said and his entire body felt on edge, like something was wrong and he knew why. Getting to know about a different organization that was currently here, one of their members even Hyunjin’s friend and then meeting his comrade who he would have sworn would never set a foot on snow ever again – it all felt wrong. Like there was more behind it than just taking the life of a measly politician. “Do you think they just had to take the man’s life? Or do you guys think there is more?” It was a question he didn’t like to ask, but as they had said before, they needed to be prepared.

“More? Like what?” Jeongin asked then the moment he hung up the phone.

“I don’t know. Feels like just killing a politician isn’t like… big enough?”

“It was big enough for all of us to go here. So maybe it has the same effect on them,” Changbin tried to calm Minho’s thoughts. “I know you’re restless, babe. But I don’t think they are here because of us. We might not be safe, yet I doubt they are currently a danger to us.” It had been in the back of his head ever since they had mentioned a different organization: that Minho might put more into it. He knew the other worried quickly and especially with the reminder of the trauma from the military his body and his mind were surely on alert. He would feel the same if it had to do with the Mafia.

Slowly Minho nodded and slumped against the couch, a sigh leaving his lips. “Just don’t know, feels like there is more.”

Seungmin gently patted Minho’s hair, looking at him. “I get that feeling. I’ve been uneasy ever since Chan contacted me. But all we can do now is wait.”

“Hyunjin and Jisung are on it. They’ll try to figure out what happened,” Jeongin let them know and rolled his shoulders to get the tension out. It wasn’t their job. Their job had been to make sure Chun Hojin was dead and it seemed like this was the case, however they needed to know what happened for their own sake, their own peace of mind. “Jisung already called and used the ID you prepared,” he then then said to Seungmin. “He’s gonna act like he is his son.”

To their own luck Seungmin had gathered all possible information not only about their target but also about his family. While the man wasn’t married, he did have a son that was barely known to the public and who preferred to stay anonymous. So maybe they would be lucky to find out more like this.

“Smart, Jisung knows a lot of sweettalk, he’s got a honey tongue,” Minho mumbled exhausted, having the urge to just curl up and sleep. This mission should have been a walk in the park but it felt like unravelling one information after another, not only for him but for them all, especially Hyunjin. He had gotten to know that one of his best friends was part of an organization just like him, he was wondering how the other was doing. Maybe he should ask him later.

“Let’s go cook, right?” Changbin then said and looked at Minho, glancing over to Seungmin for a second. They didn’t need to use words to know to communicate. Them all cooking together might help Minho get the thoughts out of his currently trauma-induced mind or at least calm his nerves. Minho liked cooking and it helped him calm down and Seungmin knew that, knew what music and topics were safe for the other so they would just try his best to help him. And they would be helping themselves with that too, calming their nerves that were currently like electric lines.

Jeongin easily caught on and hummed. “Sounds good. Let’s go!” he agreed and waited until Minho got up, waddling towards the kitchen.

“I’ll be fine,” the oldest mumbled, of course he knew why they were doing it. “You guys are unbelievable.”

“And yet you love us,” Seungmin sing-songed as he turned on some music on his phone, following him into the kitchen and he could swear there was a small smile on Minho’s lips.

Chapter Text

The hospital had an eerie atmosphere when Hyunjin and Jisung walked into it.

The clouds were covering the sky, taking away most of the possible sunlight and covering the entry hall with dirty, wet shoeprints. The last time both had been in a hospital was because of Changbin, and while this time no one had died, they still didn’t liked hospitals. Was there even one person who really enjoyed hospitals? Hyunjin always had the feeling that death wandered these halls, covered in bacteria and viruses, just ready to sneak up on the next best person, no matter if patient or visitor.

A cold shiver went down his spine as he looked around, the snow-covered windows not exactly helping with the feeling of being locked in a place one just wanted to escape.

“Hello, we’re here to see Chun Hojin,” Jisung said quietly to the young woman at the reception, her expression immediately turning pitiful. “We’ve just been informed.”

Seungmin had intercepted the call the hospital had made to inform his son, who was Chun Hojin’s emergency contact. Fortunately, it had been way too easy for Seungmin to hack himself into the hospital system and the phone’s inside, making it impossible for the hospital to inform anyone else but the alleged son – who had been Han Jisung, as Seungmin had connected the call with Jisung’s phone. Of course, he had informed him quickly, planning on how to move forward.

Picking up a call and playing the shocked son had been a lot easier to Jisung than he had expected, but then again, he had experienced it himself so he knew how a person who cared would react. If Chun Hojin’s son really cared he could not tell, but here he was, acting like he had lost his beloved father.

On the way here Jisung had rubbed his eyes, looking like he had cried, nose red because of the cold anyway, hair messy – the hangover only helped with looking all grief-stricken. They had waited until the call had come and even then they had not entered the hospital until two hours later – they had calculated the time the son would have taken to come to the hospital with any possible way of transportation and they had eventually taken the quickest option.

“Yes, of course. Can I see your ID please? It’s protocol,” the lady said and looked at the other with an apologetic expression. She clearly wasn’t happy to bother the young man who had just experienced some major loss, but the rules were the rules.

“Yes, of course,” Jisung said hurriedly and reached for his wallet. They came prepared, with fake IDs that couldn’t be distinguished from real ones at all. For all it was worth, Jisung was currently Chun Junhyeok, the son of the politician they had just declared as dead. “Here it is,” he then said, sliding his ID over so the woman could check it. She only gave it a quick glance before she nodded.

“Who is your company?” she then asked, looking over at Hyunjin and Jisung chewed on his bottom lip.

“I would really appreciate if you could, like, keep it a secret but,” Jisung quietly said before he took Hyunjin’s hand and lifted both their hands. “He is my partner. We’ve gotten married recently. I also have proof with me if you need to see it?”

Surprised the woman looked at them before she blushed and then shook her head quickly. “No, of course not. I just needed to check your ID, you are of course allowed to bring someone as emotional support and all,” she hurriedly said, fixing a strand of hair that had fallen into her face. “I’m sorry, this surely was a bit invasive.” People still got flustered when it came to same sex relationships.

Jisung shook his head. “It is okay, thank you for your understanding,” he then said before the woman handed them a room number.

“There are nurses at the unit and the doctor you can ask for information, of course. Your father is still in this room so you can take your time while saying goodbye,” she explained and Jisung nodded, playing with Hyunjin’s fingers that were still in his hand. “Just go up the stairs or you can take the elevator to your left and go to the fourth floor.”

“Thank you so much,” Jisung hummed and bowed before he pulled Hyunjin with him, walking towards the elevator. He would surely not walk up the stairs to the fourth floor – going to the gym was okay, but taking the stairs in a hospital up to the fourth floor? No, he was for sure skipping leg day. Pressing the button for the elevator, he slightly leaned onto Hyunjin to make a rather convincing impression of two husbands. People usually focused onto the rather unimportant parts – like just now the woman had doublechecked their hands for rings instead of looking into their faces. Of course, they were wearing two simple golden rings that just fit the description of freshly married, they had come prepared.

Once inside the elevator, Jisung looked at Hyunjin and rolled his shoulders. “Let’s just hope everything goes well,” he mumbled and the other nodded. “We confirm his death, check how and why he died and then we leave again, right?” Due to the sudden change of the mission and their hangover Jisung was clearly more nervous than he would have been otherwise, so he wanted to make sure he was having it right.

Nodding slightly Hyunjin looked at Jisung. “Yep,” he gave back, they were both speaking very low and making sure no camera would be able to record their lips in case someone tried to read what they had been saying. “Just that, then we leave.”

“Okay,” Jisung nodded and glanced at Hyunjin before the doors opened and they stepped out of the elevator.

The hallway had a few people wandering around already and Jisung quickly glanced at Hyunjin before they kept moving, looking for a nurse or a doctor they could talk to on their way to the room number they had been given. It looked busier than they had hoped but maybe that would give them the ability to just blend in easily and not be well remembered.

After what they had figured out about Clé, none of them trusted the organization enough to get into too much trouble, so their entire team had decided to just make sure the guy was dead, check why, and then leave again. None of them wanted to risk more, they all wanted to just get this done with and figure out what Clé’s plans with The Fellowship were. Any other day they might want to get the paperwork right away, investigate the handwritten reports and such, but now their own safety came first.

Quietly and with his expression being clearly heartbroken, Jisung walked towards the door, rubbing his eyes slightly as if he was crying. He chewed on his bottom lip, as clearly the sudden change of plans had made him nervous and Jisung had way too many nervous habits. Right now, all he wanted was to get this done with. Looking up he glanced into the room, the door was barely ajar, and he quietly knocked and stepped inside.

No one was inside. The dead body of the politician was just resting on the bed, his body was covered in a blanket up to his chest like he was just sleeping and Jisung glanced over to Hyunjin who nodded to him.

For a long moment all Jisung did was stare at the dead body. Yes, he had seen dead bodies, the last time he had encountered some had been the countless dead bodies he had seen during the explosion, but this scene reminded him much more of the quiet death of his father. A cold, dead body, just resting on the bed, eyes closed and skin anything but rosy now. This man was surely dead, there was nothing one could do anymore.

Jisung didn’t need to touch his body to know their mission was over, yet he stepped over and touched the man’s skin slightly. It was cold, of course it was cold. This man had been dead long enough that the press had started to report about it. He wondered if someone had leaked information about it or if journalists had been here before as right now there was no one here, watching the dead man and trying to get a story out of his death, but then again maybe he was just not that important anymore.

“He’s dead,” Jisung mouthed after checking the pulse and then flinching madly when he saw someone walk through the door, clearly a nurse. He had been so focused on their target, that he had not heard anyone approach.

“Uhm, who are you?” the woman asked, lifting an eyebrow.  She had stopped in the middle of the door.

“I’m his son,” Jisung answered slowly, head low and not meeting the woman’s eyes while Hyunjin looked at her.

“Oh. Oh my, I’m sorry.” The woman quickly said and frowned. Immediately her expression changed. “I wasn’t informed.” She seemed honestly apologetic. “Do you want me to get the doctor?” she asked and Jisung wasn’t sure what to say to that. He just wanted to know the man’s cause of death, nothing else. Seungmin would later be able to hack into the data and check if it fit with the medical report, but for now this was all they wanted to know.

“I… yeah,” he then said and nodded, looking at her. “How long has he been dead?”

“A few hours,” she said softly. “We made sure he would look peaceful. Just know that he didn’t go without a fight.”

What was that supposed to mean? Jisung frowned slightly, it could be seen as a grieving reaction to her words, but he actually was wondering what she was referring to. He didn’t go without a fight? He hadn’t even hit his head; his body hadn’t been badly injured as far as Jisung remembered and this guy had woken up when Hyunjin and him had left the scene. So why was he dead now? What had caused this man to die? Someone had tempered with his death for sure, which was good for them. Someone else had done their mission for them, yet he was very suspicious as it didn’t mean the other people involved were friendly. Had it been The Fellowship and Yeji? Or was there someone else involved? It was getting messy and even Jisung could feel the tension in his body rise. He didn’t like that at all.

“That does sound like him, yes,” Jisung eventually said and Hyunjin nodded. This dude did seem like someone who would put up a fight, make it hard for everyone involved.

“He was always very stubborn and a fighter,” Hyunjin added and stood behind Jisung, rubbing his back in a comforting manner.

The nurse showed them a small smile full of pity. “You are right,” she assured them, just wanting to make them feel good in such a hard time. Of course, she didn’t know that none of them were actually related to this man. “I’ll get the doctor quickly,” she then said and left the room, letting Hyunjin and Jisung to exchange glances. They felt the same about this situation.

“Someone must have-“ Hyunjin started and Jisung immediately nodded.

“Yes, for sure. Someone did that for sure,” he whispered and looked up at the taller, leaning onto him. He could take a seat, but his entire body felt too on edge to sit down and not move at least his feet or hands a bit. “We will see what the cause of death is.” It was almost inaudibly said but Hyunjin had heard him.

The footsteps on the hallway indicated someone approaching and only seconds later the doctor entered. At first glance he didn’t look suspicious, just an older man with tired eyes. Also, it would probably be quite suspicious if a doctor suddenly applied for the position just to take someone’s life and then disappear again, so Jisung was pretty sure this man had nothing to do with this.

“You must be his son,” the doctor said and bowed. “My condolences for your loss.”

“Thank you, I appreciate it,” Jisung said, and he knew he would feel awful about taking someone else’s condolences, but that was something he would deal with later. “How did he die?” he then asked quietly and looked at the dead man. “I was told he had an accident while skiing?”

The doctor nodded and then sighed, looking at the man before turning to Jisung. “Yes,” he said, and he glanced at the chart he was holding in his hands. “Yes, he initially came in because of that. He had a few bruises and a head trauma, nothing majorly – or that was what we thought. We took him in for a head CT and then saw he had a smaller bleeding. But when wanted to prepare him for surgery he started to seize, and his breathing stopped. We managed to get him back once but the second time… We are so sorry.” It was easy to see that the man was honestly disappointed and sad, that his feelings were real or otherwise he was an unbelievably good actor, but to Jisung it seemed anything but fake. He had lost a patient that hadn’t seemed like a majorly injured person, of course he wasn’t happy.

The story, however, of how the man had ended up with a brain bleeding? That he had seized and died? Yes, it was very possible, especially after an accident, but this was all so sudden. And if one kept in mind that they actually had the mission to kill this man, this was either unbelievably lucky coincidences or someone else had managed to get too close to this man. Someone who wasn’t Clé.

“This… sounds horrible. So, it was the accident?” Jisung said slowly, as if he had to process the information.

“Yes, he must have hit his head while falling, we were really sure the bleeding in his brain wouldn’t be that severe, so we weren’t rushing him and had monitored the bleeding, but when we were getting everything ready…” The doctor shook his head and sighed. “Eventually there was nothing we could do anymore.”

Taking his time to look at the politician and then back to the doctor, Jisung nodded slowly. “Thank you for your hard work,” he then said with a small voice, leaning against Hyunjin. “Thank you so much.” He then bowed in gratitude as he knew the doctor had done his very best to safe this man’s life. The people in this hospital already had enough work, enough trouble, so having to try and save a man who was declared dead the moment Clé had given them the mission anyway had been a waste of resources. At least this man had not been taken into surgery and was now not breathing the air any longer.

For Clé it had been a good outcome.

“It’s my job,” the doctor said and handed them a card. “If you have any more questions or need more information. The head nurse will take care of any further actions, you can talk to them once you’re ready. They will also inform you about anything you need to know. Please take your time to say goodbye to your father, I am sure it is a heavy situation.”

With an inaudible sigh Jisung looked at the man in front of him and then looked away, it felt so surreal. He was faking so much grief and yet it felt so real.

He remembered how he had found his own father. How he had tried to do chest compressions despite his father having clearly died during the early night and was obviously a goner, how he had called the ambulance with shaking heads and breaking voice, how he had opened the door, just to slowly realize that he had now lost both parents. He was an orphan, there was no family he could turn to and despite having registered that long ago, he had never truly accepted it. It was still sinking in, despite all the time that had already passed since his father’s death.

And now he was playing the dead son to a man he had only negative feelings for, yet he felt choked up when looking at him. The tears were prickling in his eyes, and he quickly rubbed them, the throbbing headache he still had was not exactly helping.

“It is,” he exhaled and Hyunjin rubbed his back, nodding at the doctor in front of him.

“Thank you so much. We will probably go take a breather and all,” the taller said and the doctor nodded. Informing someone that they would take a break and then go outside was the easiest way to leave this place, it would make them look even less suspicious and they would only realize it when they were already gone.

“I will give you some room now,” the man said and bowed before leaving. He even closed the door behind himself.

*

Staring at the bright screen in front of him, Jeongin was having a hard time to focus. His mind was full of all the information they had gotten within in the last days, mixed with the worry for Changbin, Chan, Felix and right now also Minho.

Ever since the Great Gala incident the other had seemed way more vulnerable and now meeting someone from his past had been another kick right into the face. Usually Minho was trying to cover up his own thoughts, push them away and not let anyone in, however he had even asked them for help the day before and that alone told Jeongin he wasn’t good. Even now he wasn’t trying to keep it a secret from them, he wasn’t distracting himself with going skiing or hiking or something, instead he was here, at home with them and talking about what was going on inside his head. It was both a curse and a blessing.

Jeongin sighed and brushed over his face. The situation with the mafia wasn’t exactly easy as well, though right now he hoped his worry for his friends was unnecessary. Despite those hopes though, he couldn’t change the reappearing fears in his mind.

None of them was sleeping well, but ever since Jeongin had been told the news about Clé, his mind was racing. It was jumping from one place to another, not taking a break while he tried to put the pieces together.

It felt like two different puzzles had been put together and some of the parts fit together but they didn’t belong in that place. The picture it created was useless and didn’t make any sense. Just some abstract form of art Jeongin couldn’t make any use of. It didn’t add up at all, none of it.

He groaned and buried his face in his hands. He was supposed to find more information about the Fellowship and its members, yet he had been searching the dark web for hours already and there was not exactly much. Well, no, there was actually a lot but almost everything was about Lord of the Rings and Jeongin hated how smart these guys had been with choosing such a name as an organization. If anyone ever wanted to find information, they had to dig deep and had to know at least slightly what they were looking for or it was sheer impossible. It was like searching the needle in the hay, Jeongin was searching for any information in between “second breakfast”-supporters and “Aragorn thirst traps” and “Why didn’t they use the eagles in the first place” discourse and now Jeongin knew way too many things about Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit and its entire lore.

What he had also looked into had been Wooyoung, just to ease his mind, but it had not exactly worked.

If someone looked for each of them, they would find their cover up jobs – for Minho it was a shelter worker, for Jisung it was an office worker, for Jeongin it was just the NIS – and their address, Wooyoung’s curriculum was empty after he had quit the military. Jeongin had not found any entries about Wooyoung, no place where he was currently residing, no workplace, nothing. He basically had stopped existing the moment he had left the military. There was nothing to find about Wooyoung on the internet and Jeongin wondered why it was like this. He would’ve to hand the authorities some kind of living location, but the last known one was his parents and the military itself, aside from that, there was nothing. Jeongin had no recent picture of Wooyoung, so he could not let it run through the databank – though he was pretty sure the laptop wouldn’t survive such an attempt anyways. It wasn’t made for such things as Jeongin had just taken along his personal laptop and nothing for work. This was supposed to be a vacation after all.

Jeongin had however found his old Facebook page, a place where he had found a few pictures of the man, both as a teenager and as a child. But that was it. If he had tried to hide his traces, he had done so very good. And if anyone would assume Wooyoung was dead, no one would find any proof that it was the opposite.

Sighing, he shook his head and got up. No, there was no use searching the internet some more, so he just locked the screen and walked towards the living room. It was empty, aside from Minho who was just curled up on the big couch. He could hear Seungmin and Changbin quietly talking in the living room, but he decided to not join them. Instead, he sighed and sat on the couch, trying his best not to wake Minho.

The other looked peaceful, finally like he was finding some kind of relaxation and well-deserved rest and he absolutely deserved it.

For a long while he just watched the other features. How his nose was perfectly straight, his long lashes were slightly curved, his lips being barely parted but just enough so sometimes he made small huffs and puffs. It was adorable and Jeongin knew if he ever accidentally told Minho, he would probably smother him with a pillow.

Quietly and slowly, he rested next to Minho, his hand on the other’s side, as if he wanted to back hug him and be the big spoon, but not enough to count as cuddles. Jeongin wasn’t the best with physical touch, and they were all very aware of it, but he did find comfort in his friends and he wanted to offer some comfort to all of them. He was trying his very best, but this was all he could do for now.

Closing his eyes, he let all the information slowly sink in, trying to understand all of it but it only made his head hurt more. This was supposed to be a vacation, somehow at least, but right now it was anything but that. Sighing almost inaudibly, he played with the other’s shirt where his hand was resting. He was unable to fall asleep as well, but at least he could just rest a bit and listen. The constant buzzing of Seungmin’s and Changbin’s voices helped with it, and he curled up a bit more, his body close to Minho’s.

Even if he wasn’t touching him, he knew this would give Minho some comfort.

*

Leaving the room with the dead Chun Hojin and walking through the hallway was way too easy. No one stopped them, no one even looked their way and while they had informed the doctor that they would need to step out for a bit, this was something neither Hyunjin nor Jisung had expected. The unit was busy, filled with people taking care of their patients or relatives meeting their hospitalized family, no one was even noticing them.

All of this felt way too easy for such a messy mission.

Shaking his head Hyunjin looked at Jisung who was opening a door, waiting for Hyunjin to slip through and so he did. They were taking the stairs to get down, wanting to move this time. Downstairs was always a lot easier than upstairs. Jisung did look a bit pale and Hyunjin wondered if he was just that good in acting, or if there was something else occupying the other’s mind that had gotten to him. Yeah, Jisung was nervous when it came to missions, but this much? No, he was sure there was more to it. For a moment he wondered if he should ask him, but he decided to postpone it to later. Right now, his priority was leaving the hospital.

Sighing he tried to relax his body, still unable to grasp that their mission was over without them having done anything.

“I took my scarf,” Jisung then said and pulled his scarf out of his inner coat pocket, making Hyunjin blink surprised.

“When did you do that?” he asked, not having seen the scarf in the first place and definitely not when Jisung had grabbed it to take it along.

“A good magician never tells his tricks,” Jisung hummed softly as he glanced up at Hyunjin. “Keep your eyes open next time.”

A huff left Hyunjin’s lips, shaking his head a bit as the other chuckled quietly. “Keep your secrets then,” he mumbled and shook his head. Jisung was quite talented in many ways and Hyunjin wondered if the younger was aware of it. He was full of skills they could use to their advantage. It was interesting to learn more about their new team member. Before Jisung, he had been the new one, the odd one out who had had to find a way into the team, to find a reason they wanted him to stay. It had taken him much longer to fit in than Jisung and Hyunjin sometimes envied him a bit for that. Wherever Jisung went he had no hard time fitting in. He always found a topic he could talk about, always having an easy time reaching out and connecting and while Hyunjin was a model and had always been great at socializing, he knew he couldn’t reach Jisung’s level of skill when it came to entertaining and conversing. Jisung had such an easy time fitting in – or at least he made it seem like that.

“Sorry, hun,” Jisung smiled slightly at Hyunjin, shortly looking at him while he kept walking down the stairs before opening the door to the ground floor. He could already smell the wet snow in the entrance hall, knowing it was just a few meters away now. They would have to turn a corner and down a hallway.

It was a bit more hectic now and it was easy to guess that they were close to the emergency room, the number of voices talking loudly and mumbling from time to time was easily giving it away.

Hyunjin was looking around, just thinking for a moment what their next moves were or if they could go home now. They would report to their authorities later, otherwise he was pretty sure they had gathered every information. He checked where to go to leave, when his eyes caught a glimpse of something. Or rather someone. Hurriedly he tapped Jisung’s shoulder repeatedly before turning towards to where he had seen the person down the hallway and immediately started running. It took Jisung by surprise, so he needed a moment to start running as well, pure confusion written on his face. Clearly, he had not seen whoever Hyunjin had noticed.

Running down the hallway and into the emergency room was surely not his favorite activity, however right now Jisung had no other chance than to follow Hyunjin. He was not leaving Hyunjin’s side – he was currently his team partner and if Jisung knew one thing, it was that one was never supposed to go alone and should refrain from doing so at any time. So here Jisung was, rushing after Hyunjin, who was making a beeline through the patients standing in the emergency room.

Jisung had yet to see who they were following.

Some patients quickly moved out of the way seeing Hyunjin rush towards them and Jisung followed, apologizing every time he passed a person. He could see the confusion on people’s faces, and he was pretty sure he didn’t look less confused.

Expecting to run out of the door Jisung made his way towards it, however Hyunjin was suddenly taking a turn, into the hallway to the left and down the stairs. Quietly Jisung cursed and followed, almost falling over his own feet as he rushed down the stairs. He was trying his best to keep up with Hyunjin, nearly running into Hyunjin who had finally caught up with the person he had chased.

It was Yeji.

She was as out of breath as Hyunjin looking at him with determination in her eyes while Hyunjin was holding her arm. It wasn’t a tight grip, just making sure she could not run away again though Jisung was pretty sure that if she wanted to, she would be able to get out of his grip.

The silence between them was almost deafening. While they were just staring at each other, the air felt thick and tense and Jisung looked from one to another, not sure what to say. Of course, they already knew about Yeji being part of another organization but the moment she had seen them here it was probably clear to her that they were not exactly just citizens of the law.

They were aware that just making up a lie was a possibility, tell her they had just been here to grab the scarf and check up on the politician, but Jisung knew that Yeji was close with Hyunjin and would know he probably wouldn’t do anything like that. Also, why was she here? Why would she be in such a place and then run from Hyunjin? It all didn’t make sense.

“So, I guess Jisung isn’t your partner?” Yeji then sighed, slowly relaxing her shoulders. She seemed to have assessed the situation as nonthreatening and looked from Hyunjin at Jisung and then back at her best friend. “Seems like we both have a secret to share.”

“So, you knew?” Hyunjin asked, eyebrow lifted, his eyes never leaving her face. He was still as tense as before, not sure how to take the situation yet. He wasn’t happy with the current situation, he still hadn’t really gotten over the news that his best friend was in a rivalling organization that was working with Clé, an organization that was way shadier than he liked.

“I figured,” Yeji answered and took a step back as Hyunjin finally let go of her. “I saw you at Clé’s headquarters. At first, I thought it was just someone who looked like you, but now it all makes sense.” She licked her lips and shrugged then. “I guess we have a lot to talk about.”

“Oh, we definitely do,” Hyunjin agreed, his body language slowly being less tense and more friendly now. “What about Yeosang?”

There was a surprised look on Yeji’s face before she laughed and shook her head a bit. “Not my boyfriend,” she explained and tilted her head a bit. “Not my boyfriend at all. I’m pretty sure you figured that. The moment I saw you at the meeting I was pretty sure our cover was blown.”

“I had my suspicions,” Hyunjin admitted quietly. “But he seemed like a good guy, so I was putting my worries aside.” He had just wished Yeji happiness with someone she was comfortable with, and this seemed to have been it. Just that pushing his worries aside had made him misread the situation.

There was a small smile on Yeji’s pretty lips, and he hummed. “He is a good guy. But we’re not dating, and we don’t plan on doing so.” A small laugh left her lips, leaning against the wall behind her. “He usually isn’t out with us on field work,” she then said, giving them some insight. Not a surprise Yeosang had been acting so awkward around them. He was probably just not used to interact with people, especially not during such events.

“Your thoughts on The Fellowship working with Clé?” Jisung then asked and looked at Yeji who seemed a little surprised to hear that question from the other. However, it distinguished how they would interact now and if they were on the same page.

For a moment Yeji just tilted her head a bit, clearly thinking about what to answer. She could feel their eyes on her, anticipating her answer and eventually she spoke up. “I’m not sure yet,” she admitted and there was a slight frown on her face. “I am honestly not sure about the entire situation right now.”

“But you were at Clé’s headquarters,” Hyunjin added and Yeji nodded slowly. “Why? Did you have a reason?”

“No,” Yeji gave back and looked at Hyunjin. “They just chose a handful of people to go there, no idea why. I just got the time and date and location and went. They didn’t question us on anything or so, I think we were just supposed to go and watch. I don’t know what the higher ups decided, but obviously, they are playing some scheme.”

Slowly Jisung nodded and Hyunjin only frowned, just like Yeji had done. He could see the similarities with them, a little like siblings and as they were close friends, he was not surprised at all. Friends quickly took onto each other’s habits.

“Your mission was the same as ours, right?” Hyunjin then asked and Yeji looked a bit confused but seemed to figure it out pretty quickly. She was about to answer when Jisung lifted his hand, almost as if he was in a classroom but they both stopped talking immediately and looked at him with a wondering expression.

“Shouldn’t we go somewhere… safer?” Jisung then asked and looked around, pointing to the top of the stairs, and then looked back at them. Anyone could listen in on them and while most of them probably couldn’t easily guess what they were talking about, they shouldn’t risk it. “Somewhere we can talk without being eavesdropped on so easily.”

“Makes sense,” Yeji hummed and rolled her shoulders, looking at Hyunjin and Jisung. “I heard you’re here with friends?”

“Yes, but you seem to have people with you as well,” Hyunjin gave back, having Yeji sigh and nod. “Let’s check in with our teams if a meeting is a good idea or if they want to stay anonymous. You already have an advantage.”

“True, I met Seungmin too,” Yeji gave back honestly and there was a knowing smile on her lips. “He is a smart cookie, isn’t he?”

Jisung looked at her, hating that she already knew three of their team while they only knew two of them. If Yeji was just playing and deciding to turn on them, she already had an advantage on them and that was something he was not welcoming at all.

“He is,” Hyunjin hummed slightly. “It wasn’t a lie when I told you we live together,” he then added, clearly not sure if he could trust his best friend but not wanting to take away the benefit of the doubt even though right now it might not be appropriate. She was part of his family and while the thought of possible betrayal was in the back of his mind, bright as a neon sign and a clear warning, he also hadn’t come to a conclusion yet. He would decide what to think once he had collected some proof. People could always suddenly turn on each other and Hyunjin was very aware of that, yet he wanted to trust. He was ready to put in the effort to see if Yeji was trustworthy and he would show her that he, too, was trustworthy. Even if they were from two different organizations.

“I thought so.” Yeji said gently and then took out her phone, quickly texting someone while Jisung did the same, giving a short update and asking the groupchat how they should continue. If a meeting of both sides would be clever or if it was better to stay away.

Meeting each other meant they knew each other’s faces and identities and if they hadn’t seen Changbin or Chan at the headquarters before, they would see Changbin now and it could possibly cause problems. Everyone’s opinions needed to be considered.

There was so much more at stake than it was obvious at the first glance. And if they were unlucky, it could cost their lives.

Chapter Text

“Honestly, I’m not sure if it is a good idea,” Changbin said as he leaned back on the couch.

They were currently video calling Chan and Felix to discuss how to proceed. While most of them fit on the couch, Jisung and Jeongin were sitting on the soft, fluffy carpet right in front of it. Jeongin had his head resting on his hands, elbows on the couch table while Jisung was resting against Changbin’s legs, making himself comfortable.

“It could make us more vulnerable but it could also give us more support, maybe even someone we can trust,” Changbin continued, his fingers playing with Jisung’s hair. He had been trying to think about it from all perspectives: Clé and the Fellowship, the Mafia but also just them as people. It was easy to guess what it was doing to them as people, he could see how it was tearing at them, slowly taking them apart and while the saying was ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ he could clearly see that that wasn’t the case right now.

Some of them already came with a past filled with trauma, different levels of pain edged into their body and brain, insomnia haunting them and other nightmares causing them to wake up in sweat at night and even during the day. Predispositions and experience played a big role in their current state, also deciding how suspicious they were towards the collaboration of the two organizations, as well as their background.

Changbin himself had the added topic of being part of the Mafia, he had to consider if it was a good idea for him to expose his face. However it could also offer them some kind of support, some intel they might be able to use if they met with Yeji and her people.

“I think you should sit this one out,” Seungmin said, hand on Changbin’s thigh as he looked up at him. “At least for the first meeting. Just to keep your identity hidden for now. We don’t know what they will do with the information they gather and I do not want you to be in danger.” He gently squeezed the other’s thigh and there was a hum coming from Seungmin’s laptop, where Chan and Felix were seen.

“I agree,” Chan nodded and leaned forward, hands folded while he was thinking. “You and I rarely are at the headquarters so maybe we are lucky and they didn’t see us. Which means our undercover mission isn’t revealed yet. Or at least yours isn’t, you rarely ever go to the HQ. If at all you’re using the training rooms. And even then you prefer to hit the gym or the Mafia grounds more than that place.”

“True,” Changbin mumbled and shrugged. He didn’t mind not being part of the meet up, his only worry was Hyunjin, who was clearly tense. And Minho. At this point he was just worried about his friend all the time as he wasn’t doing too well mentally, but maybe being able to work would get his mind off things. He knew being busy helped Minho run from his pain and while Changbin was pro facing trauma and working with it, he also knew that currently it was not the right time to take care of it. They didn’t have the professional help right now nor did they have the cats with them so facing the problems would be postponed to another day. “I won’t take part then. But we are all thinking meeting them is a good idea?”

There was silence for a bit before Minho nodded. “Yeji probably already knows about Hyunjin’s roommates. The only one she might not know yet is Jeongin, so maybe we will keep him out too. But the rest of us are already revealed to her,” Minho shrugged and looked at the screen of the laptop. “It would only give us more information and confirm her suspicions with us being in Clé.” He pointed at Seungmin and himself. “I think we should meet them.” They only knew Yeosang from the Fellowship, the rest of her team were a secret to them right now. Though Minho had a feeling he could guess one more person. It would explain why Wooyoung was here, it would explain why he was in a place surrounded by his biggest fear. They would see about it. Who knew, maybe Yeji would not reveal her entire team just like they weren’t.

A small hum left Felix’ lips as he kept thinking. “Make sure not to fall into any traps. And maybe try to figure out what they know about the organizations working together,” he said, slightly leaning onto Chan. He looked tired and their surroundings looked like they had been working in the office for a while, there were things lying around, paper, some books, different guns and some statues Changbin vaguely remembered had been never used and were extremely ugly when faced. He could also see some old paintings that had neither been enjoyable nor useful, they had only collected some dust.

“Yeah, I’ll record it, I’m sure they will too,” Seungmin let them know, being aware that details would easily slip through their fingers and he preferred to have it saved and double-checked. He just had to make sure, no one from Clé would ever get the files, as he could not risk getting killed because he wanted to know basic knowledge. He doubted that Clé would do something like that however currently he didn’t trust them at all and he preferred being safe than sorry.

“Okay. Feel free to send it to us, maybe we’ll notice something,” Chan said gently and brushed through Felix’ hair. He didn't exactly look fit himself.

“Will do, after both of you had a good-night’s sleep,” Seungmin said dryly and Jisung chuckled quietly, not having expected that comment. A sigh was what they got as an answer from Chan along with Felix rolling his eyes.

“We just have a lot to do. We did sleep okay, but it is just… so much stuff.” Felix rubbed his neck, before stretching his arms, setting off a

Quiet cracking of his shoulders, the sound only showcasing once more how long it must have been since the both of them had taken time to take care of themselves.

“Not a surprise, the office is filled with so much stuff,” Changbin groaned and shook his head. “I would have helped but-”

“No, I told you, you will heal properly first. Enjoy the vacation and all,” Chan interrupted him and now it was Changbin rolling his eyes. “I mean… as much as you can now call it vacation but… yeah.” He sighed and brushed through his already messy hair. Obviously, his head was filled with way too many things, and he definitely needed the help, but Chan had his principles, and he would not let Changbin help until his fingers had at least mostly healed. Of course, he was aware that the other would overwork himself too, just like Felix and him were right now, and the other definitely needed the rest most of them all. His body was weakened after all, and the stress and pain surely hadn’t helped. Yes, the healing was just the aftermath but there was a bigger underlying issue.

“You are too stubborn,” Changbin groaned and rolled his shoulders, but he accepted Chan’s words. He was aware that the other was right and that he needed to take care of his own health, but he just couldn’t lean back and do nothing. It just wasn’t how he worked.

An amused chuckle left Felix’ lips. “You only notice it now?” he teased and glanced at Chan, shaking his head amused. “But Chan is right, please make sure to rest, despite the chaos unfolding.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time I got to relax during a storm of trouble,” Changbin shrugged, and Chan smiled slightly, a little more relax that Changbin wasn’t pushing it right now.

“Okay, so now that this is decided, I’ll inform Yeji,” Hyunjin said and looked at his friends, making sure he had understood everything right. This was a sensitive situation, and he didn’t want to accidentally make a mistake.

Chan and Seungmin both nodded at Hyunjin’s question, giving him the clear go to get his phone out and text his best friend. Though right now Hyunjin wasn’t sure if he could call her best friend – they would need to sit down and talk about it, see how they both felt about the current situation and what it was doing to their friendship. It depended on the outcome of this meeting anyway.

-

It was already dark when Yeji arrived with entourage. She was bundled up in a thick coat, big scarf and a warm looking beanie covering her ears – her cheeks were red anyways. Her company didn’t look much different.

Even though it had stopped snowing in the afternoon, it was still unbelievably cold outside, below the freezing point.

They were five people, two of them Yeji and Yeosang and the latter seemed a lot less tense than before. He easily looked around, taking in the face he had not seen before – Minho.

Jeongin and Changbin were currently upstairs in their room, listening in on their conversation with a listening device Seungmin had strategically placed. They would note down whatever they noticed or found suspicious, and they were sure the other group was doing the same, recording their conversation. They couldn’t trust each other, not yet and maybe not anytime soon. For now, they were on different sides, different teams and considering the fact that the Fellowship was working with the Mafia it might not ever change. They would see about it.

One of them was pretty tall, way taller than all of them, but his face was gentle and soft – Minho immediately recognized him while Hyunjin just looked at him, knowing that he had seen him before but not knowing where.

“You are the one who found the kitten,” Minho said towards the man who nodded slightly and showed them a small smile.

“You’re the one taking the kitten home,” Yunho gave back, a soft hum escaping Minho’s lips.

Hyunjin remembered the time they had been out to get clothes for his OnlyFans – which was doing quite well after all – and he remembered hiding in the café from the rain. He had long forgotten the man’s face as well as the young woman who had found the cat back then, but now that he was in front of him, he remembered. “Was it a coincidence?” The accusation lingered in the room. Had they planned for Minho to take the kitten home? Had they maybe even planted a listening device on the cat?

“I wish I could say yes as it would have been a masterplan, but no,” Yunho admitted and shook his head, taking his jacket off and putting it aside, as well as his beanie. “I work there as a friend, parttime job and such things. I didn’t expect Sana to find a cat and I also didn’t know you were from Clé back then, honestly.” He shrugged and walked into the room, enjoying how warm it was. The fireplace was on and exuding so much warmth, it easily kept the cold outside.

“Oh, the story you told us about yesterday?” A young woman asked, her hair in a braid and her cheeks red from the cold. She had shortly scanned the area and then taken off her shoes as well as her coat and scarf, putting it on the hanger and away.

“Yeah, with the kitten.” Yunho looked at their questioning faces and he shrugged. “Yeji showed us your face,” he said, pointing at Hyunjin. “And I remembered.”

A small chuckle left Yeji’s lips. “I mean, yeah, Hyunjin’s face is hard to forget,” she hummed and then glanced at Minho. “So, how is the kitten doing?” She was trying to have some smalltalk, find common ground so they could relax a bit and get rid of the tension.

“Pretty good, he gets along well with the other two cats and my housemates,” Minho shrugged, looking at Seungmin and Hyunjin for a short second before turning back to the others. “I’m Minho, by the way.” He wasn’t even trying to hide his real name. If anyone wanted, they would easily figure out who he was and what he had to hide – not much, as there was no information sealed up. If anyone knew how to snoop around they would easily figure out who he was and who he had been. He was aware of that, and he was ready to possibly face it. If they were clever and had already looked into his file before, they already knew.

Unlike the Fellowship, it was easy to find information about some people working for Clé, if someone just knew what to look for. While Clé had a well-guarded system, people like Seungmin could find a way around it, to break in and get information they wanted and none of them was delusional enough to believe, they were the only ones who could do that.

“I’m Yunho,” the tallest of them introduced himself and nodded towards them. “You’ve already met Yeji and Yeosang.” He gestured towards the two known faces, even though Minho had not exactly met them, he didn’t mind.

“I’m San,” a man said, average height, who had been keeping himself in the background, just observing. He had quietly watched them talk, just taking in what was happening and checking if there was a trap, if someone was here to attack them but nothing had happened so he slowly relaxed. Of course, they were as careful as Minho and the rest of them, it was not a surprise.

“I’m Chaeryeong,” the last person, the young woman, explained. They were all so damn young, each and everyone of them was only around thirty and Minho wondered what had happened to them that had caused them to join such an organization. The world was too painful sometimes, it was a surprise they were all still alive, yet they already had lost way too many people on the way and they would probably lose even more.

“Nice to meet you,” Jisung said and nodded at them. “I’m Jisung. That’s Hyunjin and this is Seungmin,” he introduced them, leaving out Minho as he had already introduced himself earlier. “Let’s go to the couch.”

It was the only area that had enough space for nine people, it had the couch, two armchairs and Jisung and Minho had also gotten some pillows they could use to sit on.

They had prepared some food, some still sealed snacks as well in case the other group did not trust them enough to eat from their self-made food, after all they might think it could be poisoned or whatever. Better safe than sorry, none of them could actually be miffed about it, they would do the same.

Yeji waited until Hyunjin sat down and then sat next to him, clearly trying to be close to her best friend, probably as worried as Hyunjin about their friendship and sadly it was an appropriate concern.

Jisung was sitting on the ground on a pillow, San as well, Minho on an armchair and the rest was taking a seat wherever they could. The atmosphere was tense and for a moment Jisung wondered if some calming music would do them some good. Maybe some ocean waves or rain music, sometimes that helped people find their focus and relax, but he also didn’t want to overstep, so he just kept seated, glancing around the room.

Seungmin quickly filled his cup with some tea and offered it to the others – the women took some, Yunho as well, while Yeosang and San declined in a friendly way. They weren’t thirsty and they also didn’t want to risk anything.

The silence was thick, the tension in the room strong and none of them was interrupting it. Jisung had never been in such a situation and he couldn’t tell if it mattered whoever spoke first, if it was a sign of weakness or anything alike. He rolled his shoulders slightly and filled his cup with some tea as well even though he didn’t exactly feel like drinking any, but he was on edge and he needed to busy his hands at least slightly. Holding a warm cup of tea was the nearest solution.

“You killed Chun Hojin, didn’t you?” Hyunjin broke the silence and rolled his shoulders, looking from one to another. He knew it was them, but he wanted confirmation.

A small chuckle left Chaeryeong’s pretty lips and she smiled at them. “It’s obvious, isn’t it?” she hummed as she took in their reaction. There was no surprise, just quiet acceptance. Of course they had known, finding Yeji in the hospital had been way too obvious.

“Why were you there?” Seungmin asked the question Hyunjin had already prepared in his head but hadn’t been able to ask yet. Maybe he didn’t want to hear it, maybe he just didn’t dare to ask for other reasons.

A sigh left her lips and she looked at them before licking her lips. For a moment Yeji looked at her team members before looking at Hyunjin. “I wanted you to catch me,” she admitted and didn’t avert Hyunjin’s eyes. “I wanted you to know.” There had been other possible ways, yes, but it had been the easiest way for Hyunjin to see that she was not exactly who he probably thought he was. She fidgeted with her long her and looked at the rest of her team, mouthing a quiet ‘Sorry’. “We talked about it, my group, but we didn’t exactly come to a conclusion, so… yeah… I saw you there and I just acted. I know it might have ended up a lot worse but I somehow believed in it being okay and, I mean, now we are all here.” Which meant she hadn’t been entirely wrong.

There was something in Hyunjin who wanted to roll his eyes, but Yeji was right. She had known him for a long time and believing in him and his reactions despite him being a trained assassin was probably not the smartest idea, yet she hadn’t been wrong. If it had been just Yeji and him, maybe he would have punched her, given her a nasty bruise, but otherwise? She was one of his closest friends and he would never hurt her beyond scratches and bruises.

“Guess you got lucky,” Minho said to Yeji who nodded a bit.

“I know him. He is my best friend so I just trusted on him not killing me.” Yeji leaned back on the couch, watching them. It had been one part luck and one part knowledge – and maybe a small part Jisung, as the other had probably prevented worse. Yeji had noticed that Hyunjin seemed a lot more relaxed around him and less violent and she was very welcoming it. Maybe she had bargained on this too but fortunately it had worked out for her. For them, hopefully. “At least not in public.”

“At least you would have been in a hospital right away,” Yunho said amused, a small smile on his lips. “Maybe they could have saved you.”

“Nah,” Hyunjin interrupted and shook his head. “I do my jobs properly. Good thing she is neither my job nor, currently, a threat. Or so I hope.” He slightly nudged Yeji in a friendly way, clearly hoping that they could save their friendship.

There was a short nod coming from Yeji as she glanced at her best friend. “Not right now at least,” she said softly and tilted her head a bit, looking at him. “None of us are planning on taking you guys out or whatever. Unless you guys will attack us, then we don’t have any choice.”

“We don’t,” Seungmin said immediately and shook his head. “We were on a mission but, well, you guys took care of it.”

“It was our mission as well,” Yeosang interrupted and looked at the rest of the group. “We were supposed to take that guy out as well. We actually planned it ahead that he’d end up in the hospital, it’s easier to take a person’s life. Especially as we wanted it to look like an accident.”

It had worked. There was no talk about someone shooting the man or cutting his throat, the only news was about him dying after a skiing accident. There were no suspicions, even the doctor hadn’t voiced any suspicions, such situations happened sometimes. People thought they were all safe and sound in a hospital, taken care of when they suddenly died. And who would ever consider that two organizations had tried to take that man’s life?

Seungmin had quickly informed the son, making sure the body would be taken to Chun Hojin’s main town without any further ado. The son wouldn’t come up here, instead he was preparing everything for the funeral while a service would take the man home. No one would notice, no one would be suspicious.

“We should have worked together,” Seungmin then said and looked at Yeosang and Yeji. They seemed to have been mostly involved, at least when it came to the field mission. “It would have made it so much easier for both of us.” He wasn’t wrong, it probably would have saved them so much time and sweat and probably even money, luckily none of them had to pay any of this trip themselves.

“Next time we can.”

That was a nice idea.

“Do you think they gave us the same mission to see if we would make it out alive?” Yunho then asked, looking at the others. It didn’t feel like they were two different teams, just people trying to find out what the motive of their employer was.

“Possible,” Minho admitted and rolled his shoulders, trying to get the tension out of his shoulders. He still had a hard time trusting anyone that wasn’t his team, something that was always not that easy for him. Trust was to be earned and strangers who had interfered with a mission that might not be his but had still put dear people at risk was something he couldn’t easily ignore. “I am not sure what their general ideas are with collaborating.”

A quiet sound left Yunho’s lips, clearly a sound of approval. “If I am honest, none of us know,” he admitted, offering them nothing but the same information they already had. “We already talked about it too. Not to be rude, but Clé doesn’t have anything we don’t have ourselves,” he added and he said it in such a soft and calm way, it didn’t sound like the insult it was. The Fellowship had assets Clé didn’t and the other way around, yet Minho wouldn’t have said one of them was superior.

“You think so?” Seungmin asked, eyebrow lifted in clear doubt. He disagreed, then again he yet had to figure out more about the Fellowship.

“You didn’t find any information about us or the Fellowship, did you?” Yeosang said and crossed his arms, looking at Seungmin who shrugged. “Exactly. However, we did find information about you guys.”

“It’s smart to hide your organization behind a big franchise,” Jisung added, tone neutral and making sure he was not accidentally saying anything that would offend anyone. “It’s more difficult then. But Clé is old and had had its name before the Lord of the Rings even existed.”

“That is true,” Yeosang admitted and shrugged. “But age doesn’t mean they couldn’t have chosen a better name or, well, made sure their personal files were better hidden.” He shook his head slightly.

“Have you considered that maybe they wanted you guys to find what you found?” Hyunjin now offered. If Clé wanted, they could keep the data they had hidden, no need to connect it to any servers outsides could hack in, no internet added. Just the people who needed to have the information could be able to access it, yet Clé had quite some information on servers Seungmin could hack into and other people could therefore as well. Seungmin was clever and smart, yes, he knew a lot more than people often expected but there were always people who were smarter than oneself. So there surely had been other people, getting information from said computers, saving them and using them. It would be stupid to think that Clé wasn’t aware of it, organizations as big as them weren’t as stupid as some might expect. And while Hyunjin was pretty aware that he had a vivid imagination, he knew it was still pretty limited.

“Possible, yeah,” Yeosang mumbled and shrugged. “Nothing is ever as it seems.”

That was actually exactly where they all agreed, nothing was ever as it seemed. They all had already fallen into so many traps, had assumed the wrong things so many times that at the end of the day they had to start from the very beginning once again, put information apart and back together in a different way.

“But that doesn’t change our mind,” San exclaimed and looked at them. “I don’t think Clé has anything the Fellowship doesn’t have.”

“Morals.”

It came out of Minho’s mouth like it had been resting on his tongue for a bit already.

“Excuse me?” San asked, looking at Minho as if he had just called him a son of a horse.

“Clé might be reckless, but at least they have morals,” Minho repeated, his voice calm and almost gentle. He wasn’t afraid of them. If they could claim something, Minho could as well. “We might not be the most lawful people, but at least we still have some morals and backbone.”

“Well, I’m so sorry not everyone had the chance to choose their moral alignment as freely as you, Lee Minho,” San growled, and his entire body language screamed anger. Something had set him off and it seemed to have been Minho’s words about morals. San had been overall quiet, but obviously he wasn’t a fan of someone insulting his workplace – or at least he didn’t like being called out for having no morals.

Everyone of them had met people like that before, people who got defensive when they insulted their place they believed in so deeply and would give their life for. And each of his friends was aware that dying during a mission was a possibility, yes, but Minho was also very aware that none of them would do it on purpose or would die just for Clé. They didn’t care what people said about Clé, they weren’t offended with Yunho assuming the Fellowship was better, everyone was object of their own opinions. But San seemed personally attacked and Minho wondered why.

“None of us got to choose it,” Minho simply said and shrugged, looking at San with a calm expression. He was wondering what was going on in the other’s head but sadly none of them were mind readers so all he could do was watch the other react.

“You’re a fucking liar,” San accused the other, now getting up. “I’m leaving. I don’t want to talk to people like you.” He was very clearly angry, his brows furrowed as he walked towards the door, grabbing his jacket. His steps were heavy and loud.

“Huh? People like what?” Jisung said confused, not entirely following what was currently going on. Was it about where they were working, what morals those places had? Because that was what it had been about before, right? That the Fellowship was better than Clé, according to some of them, that the Fellowship had everything Clé had while Minho was claiming they had no morals, right? Somehow though it seemed like this wasn’t about the organizations, it seemed as it was about something deeper, something Jisung didn’t know. Maybe only San knew.

“Yeah, Minho, why don’t you tell them?” San hissed, turning around and now facing them again. Their faces showed pure confusion, each and every one of them and all Minho could do was look at San with a blank face, not knowing what the other was insinuating. Did he know something Minho didn’t?

“I have no idea what you mean,” Minho admitted undisturbed by the other’s anger.

The pain came quick and unexpected.

One moment Minho had been sitting leisurely on the armchair, the next moment his back was pressed onto the cold wooden floor of the living room. He was so surprised and confused, that the moment he was lifting his arms for protection was too late as the fist already collided with his cheekbone.

“I’ll make you fucking remember, bitch,” San pledged before he once again punched Minho in his face.

The people around him were getting up, jumping to their feed and rushing over, but the burning sensation to Minho’s cheekbone was so strong, the memories were easily flooding back.

*

“You need to fucking shoot.” Wooyoung’s weight on Minho’s hips was lighter than he remembered, but after spending months in the wasteland, far away from their personal safe spaces and no possibility to communicate with their loved ones did something to not only their minds but also their bodies. Not forgetting the sparse amount of food they were receiving more and more irregularly so that they even had to ratio not only their water but also their food.

Being in the middle of an operation warzone was never easy, however somehow their group had ended up in a place were surviving was getting harder and harder every day.

If the authorities didn’t decide to actually do something, the village they were currently stationed in would soon be eradicated, they bodies left to rot.

“It’s a fucking child!” Wooyoung said, clearly hysterical while holding Minho down. He had punched him in the face, hard, after Minho had repeatedly told him to choose the target that had gotten too close to their base. Everyone knew not to do this; the villagers had respected the rule these past few months with no exceptions. They had a deal – they would respect the villagers and the villagers would respect them.

“It doesn’t matter.” Minho’s voice was cold as he was holding onto Wooyoung’s wrists while the other growled in anger, trying to punch him again. Where Wooyoung had hit him, his cheek pulsated with pain, the ring on his finger having left a pretty painful scratch. Despite not being allowed to carry the jewelry on his body, Wooyoung had stopped caring those recent few weeks and if Minho was honest, he had just ignored it, giving his team a little bit more freedom as it was giving them something to hold on to. “They aren’t stopping, you need to follow the rules!” His words were in hushed Korean so the person approaching couldn’t understand them.

“I told you to stop. Stay where you are!” Minho once again called out, speaking the native language of the villagers as good as possible, yet broken. He had learned it pretty well, always listening to the old ladies that loved teaching him and the working men who dragged him along and had even started to confide into him. They were scared, scared to lose their life and Minho wished he could protect them. Sadly he knew that this fear was probably the only reason they were still alive.

The sound of the footsteps was vibrating loud in Minho’s ears and he growled, turning them around and pushing at Wooyoung’s shoulder, a useless attempt to get rid of his anger. It had happened before that Wooyoung disagreed with his orders, but he had never outright ignored and instead attacked Minho. “Go back inside,” he ordered as he got up. Quickly he pulled Wooyoung back up onto his feet, pushing him towards the entrance of their base were another one of their men was stationed who had watched them with pure disbelief. He had never left his position as he was only allowed to leave if it was really necessary. Wooyoung and him had been called to the current situation as soon as they had been informed someone was getting too close to the camp.  

Wooyoung was right, it was a child. It was a little girl, maybe six or seven, hair messily braided, a wilting flower behind her ear and her face dirty from playing outside. Her clothes were dirty and he knew too well what the wide shirt on top of her dress was trying to hide.

He didn’t need to see a sloppily created bomb to know what the silhouette looked like. The girl was looking at them but she didn’t even seem to see them and Minho had heard of all the things the people that reigned this area did to the people, it didn’t matter how old they were. Her face wasn’t dirty from playing with the other kids, her face was dirty from being held captive for who knew how many days. There was pity and pain bubbling inside Minho’s chest, he wished he could just react like Wooyoung, could just scream and punch and take the child in, but he knew that the little girl’s life had been over the moment those assholes had strapped the bomb to her little body and forced them to go all the way to the base. Her little life was already irretrievable.

“Don’t-“ he could hear Wooyoung beg, his could fingers on Minho’s arm as he held the gun aimed at the child’s head. They could only hope that the bomb wouldn’t be set off with her dying, however the closer she got, the more dangerous it was. “Don’t, Minho-“

Minho didn’t even get to shoot her.

His hesitation took away the only possibility of the bomb not going off, the loud sound echoing through the area, filling not only the base but even reaching the village and waking up the villagers from their gentle slumber.

The force of the explosion threw them backwards, against their wooden walls that kept the base at least somewhat secure to intruders.

Pain was no stranger to Minho, yet he couldn’t stop himself from screaming when it reached his body. For a moment he wondered if he had lost his leg, the pain so strong that he couldn’t even think, couldn’t even feel anything else but the screaming agony. The ringing in his ears was so loud, he couldn’t even hear himself screaming, couldn’t even hear anyone else screaming, nor the men running outside in full uniform to see what had happened and to help. The uniform wouldn’t protect them from anything.

While the chest plates had surely protected them to damage to their upper body, Minho’s leg was covered in small holes, his pants ripped and drenched in blood. There were burns to his face and hands, the hand that had held the gun was now covered in blisters and bruises, skin hanging off its side. If Minho wasn’t mistaken he could even see some bone, yet he could barely feel it. The only pain he could feel was his leg.

Forcing himself to stop screaming, covered his mouth with some fabric from his clothes. The explosion had raised all the dry dirt and even a few trees and some dry grass had caught fire. It was the least of his worries.

Turning to the man right next to him, he repeatedly called out his name. It was useless, as even if he would say something, Minho wouldn’t be able to hear it and he was pretty sure, that Wooyoung too was unable to hear him.

As gentle as he could with his shaking body, he grabbed the other’s shoulders, shaking him slightly. He could feel his body moving but through all the dirt and dust it was hard to properly see, yet when Wooyoung lifted his hand to put on Minho’s chest, there was relief filling him.

Wooyoung’s lips were moving, but Minho couldn’t really distinguish what he was saying, his vision blurry and the pain strong, slowly coming back. Shortly his eyes glanced to where Wooyoung was now touching him, his hand now not on his chest anymore but on his shoulder. Minho could see bone protruding, not only piercing the flesh but also his clothes. It looked fascinating, the bone looking like a branch that had been forcefully broken off a tree.

“Will be fine,” Minho mumbled, not sure why he was saying it. He couldn’t hear anything but the dull sounds of people running and neither could Wooyoung, his ears having taken as much damage from the explosion as Minho’s.

Slowly the world started to get blurry, someone was grabbing his chest, trying to lift him up, to get him to safety. His hands reached for Wooyoung, now finally seeing the other’s face and horror filled his chest. A piece of sharp, thick metal was sticking out from Wooyoung’s eye, his entire face covered in blood and burns and blisters.

*

Minho had woken up in the hospital, away from the far off wasteland, away from the villagers, away from the warzone but with him was the fear, the horror, the pain.

It had been enough for making him decide that he would not return, even if it meant resigning as team captain. Even if it meant, he was turning his back on his team.

*

The pain of the bruise on his cheekbone was strong, stronger than Minho remembered it, but the ring was the same. He should have noticed it earlier, should have realized that San wasn’t angry at Minho for insulting the organization.

“You’re Wooyoung’s partner,” he said quietly, watching Yeji holding San’s arms and pulling him off of Minho.

“I’m his husband,” San growled angrily.

San was angry at Minho for turning his back on his team, despite San only being a bystander. He wondered what Wooyoung had told him – or if he had told him anything. It didn’t matter, Minho knew some people just needed someone to be angry at.

“Congrats,” Minho gave back, not letting the trauma overcome him this time as he pushed away the clear memories of burned flesh, the scent of blood and broken bones. “But I think you’re mistaken. Whatever you are assuming.” He got up from the ground, brushing off the imaginary dust from his clothes and taking a step back so the other could not punch him again.

“You pushed him to lose everything he believed in,” San blamed Minho, trying to get away from Yeji’s grip but she was a lot stronger than she seemed. She had no problem holding onto him and keeping him in place even though Yunho was close by, ready to stop San.

“No, I actually did not,” Minho sighed and looked at the other. “He never lost you, did he?”