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I slowly exhaled, launching my boot in a puddle and sending droplets flying on the pavement and my pants. I didn't mind
; for a while now, I had been as soaked as the street I was vigorously walking down. My sticky uniform hadn't been spared anywhere from the pouring rain. I knew I should've taken an umbrella. I knew, but it was hot outside, my uniform didn't have any room to carry it, and I didn't think that managing a stupid parking ticket case would take so much time. People could sometimes be so reluctant
! And it would have been fine if it was only that, but it was as if all of my missions were always the same. Boring, mundane, despairingly ordinary. I would have never thought of that when I joined the police department, but I ended up wishing for a tragedy to happen just to get some action. Well, with my luck, even if said tragedy were to happen, it wouldn't be me but another unit getting the case. I was working in a little town, and even if the number of policemen was low, there was hardly any event exciting enough to require all of them. So instead, the young blood like me were sent to deal with tickets.
I scratched the back of my head, my wet black hair whipping the air. The station was right there. And someone was already in front of it. Hard to say what he was doing here, rooted a few centimeters from the door, protected from the rain by un umbrella. Probably a civilian who was unsure about coming in. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. It was my duty to help him, even if my day had been incredibly tedious and all I wanted was a cup of coffee at my office. When I reached him, I simply nodded.
"Good evening, sir. Do you need any help
?"
He turned his face towards me, a very pretty face by the way, to show his smile that displayed all his teeth, a smile with a weirdly rectangular shape.
"No, not especially. What about you
? You look like you need a shelter."
As he said that, he stretched out his arm to get me under his umbrella, taking a step closer so that he could stay safe too. I took this opportunity to study him. Probably around my age, brown and curly hair, round glasses, a somewhat old-fashioned grey suit, and... matching shorts. With socks almost up to his knees. My eyes narrowed. What did I just stumble upon
? Cordial, I had to remain cordial.
"In that case, why are you loitering in front of the police station
?"
"Well because I... Oh
!" he exclaimed, pointing at me triumphantly with his finger. "You are Jungkook, right
?"
"… Yes
?"
"Then it's okay, I can come in
!"
My brows furrowed a bit more when he got through the door with more determination than I was running from the rain. And here he was, knowing my name. Yet I was sure I never met him. This is the kind of face you simply don't forget. Just a bit too perfect to be real. Lost in my thoughts, I came in the building and headed to the reception desk, greeting the men behind the counter. Jimin looked up from his computer and smiled softly at me, as usual. His bright red hair clashed a little with his white button-up shirt. The first time seeing him after he dyed it was shocking. He adjusted his round glasses to see me better.
"Hi Kookie. Was your work tiring ?"
"No, it was okay", I dodged.
"That's nice to hear. The boss wants to see you. He said he had a new job for you..."
"What, I have to watch a supermarket now
?"
"I don't know, you should go see him. He looked nervous."
"Nervous as if he lost an important folder, or nervous as if he discovered that we all know about his gay porn collection in the bottom locker
?"
"Hard to say. We don't call him Trap Monster for nothing."
"Well, I'll go and see what it's about then."
I scanned the empty room, unable to guess where the intruder sneaked in.
"While I'm at it, didn't you see someone comme in right now
? Grey suit, brown hair... Kinda beautiful..."
"Ah, Taehyung
? Yeah, he went to the restroom."
"You know him
?" I replied, curious.
"Yes, we're childhood friends. He needed a job, and there was an opportunity here, so I introduced him to Namjoon."
"And he got in
?"
"He even said we were lucky to have him
!"
Lucky
? This weird dude dressed like a child that knew my name
? What kind of job did he apply for, and why did our leader accept him with such enthusiasm
?
While we talked, said Taehyung came out from the corner of the hallway leading to the restroom and ran to Jimin to hug him tight. I looked at the scene, stunned. They looked like two kids stupidly laughing and pretending to fight. In the hall of the police station. I rubbed my eyes, and decided that I most definitely did not have enough patience to understand the situation. Leaving it behind me as I turned around, I decided to leave for the office I had been summoned to.
"Wait
! Jungkookie
!"
The voice made me straighten up like a whip and look behind me. Taehyung was giving me a huge smile, shaking his hand loosely as if to suggest that I should come.
"I don't think we're close enough for you to call me that", I replied, cold.
"But I'm your elder, so it's okay
!"
He walked towards me, jumping over the counter and standing solidly a meter from me, hands on hips.
"Do you happen to know who I am
?"
"… Taehyung
?"
His mouth turned into a big silent O before coming back to his good mood, turning to talk behind him.
"Jiminie, he really is as smart as you told me
!"
Jimin was already apologizing with signs when my ice cold stare hit him. Since when did he go around talking about me to strangers
?
"Well then, do you also know about my job, Kookie
?"
"Please don't call me that."
"Do you
?"
I wasn't sure to have the energy needed to anwser. Fortunately, he didn't need any reaction to keep going. In a glorious pose, he made a sign of Victory and angled his head in what I could only describe as a dramatic outburst.
"I am V. The one, the only, V
!"
A beat of silence followed. I turned away from him.
"Yes, undoubtedly."
Ignoring the exclamations bursting behind my back begging me to grant him my attention, I got deeper into the hallways leading to Namjoon's office. At least, he was coherent. Jimin was a good person, but sometimes his acquaintances were questionnable at best.
I pushed the door decorated with blinds hiding the biggest office from the remainder of the facility, revealing my supervisor seated behind his desk. His high-ranking black uniform stood out nicely against the pale grey walls. He waved at me to sit down, I obeyed by taking a chair.
"You asked for me, sir
?"
Getting closer to him was a good opportunity to read his face. He was nervous, indeed. The hands crossed before his face didn't hide the dimples created by his anxiety. There were more stray papers around him than usual, and his eyes were darkened by stress. Welp. At least he didn't seem to know that Jimin and I found his secret locker. That was a good point.
"Jungkook, this time, it's serious."
My eyes unwillingly got bigger.
"You have a big case for me
?"
"Yes, I do."
I had to mobilize a tremendous amount of energy not to show my joy.
"You're not sending another team instead
?"
"All our more experienced units are already involved in other cases, and you are the most competent here. Do not disappoint me."
"Of course I won't."
"I'm serious, we're dealing with someone gone missing and the fallout would be disastrous if you lost his trail. That's why I assigned you a partner."
My face froze a little. A partner ? Well, as long as he didn't get in my way too much, it could be useful. Which one of my colleagues ?
"It's strange, by the way, he should already be here. He is a renowned detective. He has never failed a single investigation. It's a chance to have him with us."
The inner smile I had been trying to hide from the beginning disappeared. I already heard that sentence. No. That was not possible. NO.
The door smashed open.
"That's me, the grand, the only, V
!"
I knocked over my chair by getting up.
"NO
!"
My supervisor and my... partner... were staring at me, their eyes wide open. Like if I was the weirdest one here, and not that guy in cosplay taking a pose and introducing himself to the audience. I felt my chances of escaping from this swamp of bad news getting smaller with every second. Desperate, I put my hands on the desk.
"No. Listen to me. Have you talked to him yet ? You can't do that. You can't be serious."
"V is a renowned detective, even if his temperament is a bit... special. But what matters now is efficiency, not appearances. I'm surprised you haven't heard of him. You should feel honored."
"But..."
"Are you questioning my orders ?"
I sat up, suddenly cold. He hadn't raised his voice, yet the effect was immediate. I had to accept it, and deal with it.
"No, of course not. I'll team up with him."
"Glad to hear you say it. Here's the file. You can consult it in your office. And I repeat, it's very important that you resolve this case. You may leave, now."
I took the large yellow envelope he was holding out to me, and something heavy fell on my shoulders. It's never been so hard to stifle my battle reflexes.
"Kookie, we're partners now !"
In the end, the tickets weren't so bad.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

I opened the kraft paper envelope and took out the case reports. Behind me, Taehyung – I refused to call him V, let’s stay serious – took my desk chair and sat on it. Backwards. Naturally. With his chin hidden by his arms crossed at the top of the backrest, he looked over my shoulder. Why did he look so young in his attitude? It didn't matter. The case, he had to focus on the case.

The files tracked what the preliminary investigation had collected as information : Jung Hoseok, a young man famous for winning many motorcycle races under the alias of J-Hope, had disappeared four days earlier and had not shown any sign of life since then. It was not only his family, but also his fans, who were worried that he would not be able to participate in next season's warm-ups, that warned us. Taehyung screamed behind me.

“Oh, but I know J-Hope ! He’s the one that won first place last time.”

“You follow that kind of stuff ?”

“Not really, but his jokes make me laugh.”

Perplexed, I let his candid smile sink in. The rest of the report provided information on his most recent trips, purchases, and other details that could help. He seemingly came back here, his hometown, to visit his parents and take a holiday. The last time he was last seen was near the marine military base. The logical first step was to go and question those in charge at the base, but there was a risk of tension between the military and the police.

“The base manager, Min Yoongi, is known to be quite a piece of work”, Taehyung noted, pushing his lollipop against his cheek to talk. “We'll have a hard time getting information out of him.”

“Mmh”, I agreed with my
mind elsewhere, before suddenly returning to his face. “Wait, when did you take this lollipop ?!”

“Well, hum… Now ?”

I stared at him for a few seconds with my mouth half open. Every moment he looked a little more like a five-year-old, and his big, innocent eyes weren’t helping. So much so that I was starting to get lost. Was I supposed to blame him for having a lollipop on duty ? He obviously wasn't doing this to challenge my authority, and it wasn't as if he was a police officer either, but still. All in all, even if he was a colleague of mine, I wouldn't know how to react. Were there rules for lollipops ? Was someone in the administration twisted enough to assume that employees like this Taehyung existed and that the regulations had to be adjusted accordingly ? Impervious to my turmoil, he tilted his head.

“You know, given his reputation and what he's going to take as accusations, maybe we should move on to the undercover part right away”, he continued. “If he has things to hide, he'll do it right after we alert him.”

“We’re not going to go undercover anywhere”, I protested. “We are on an official mission, so we will ask questions, without antagonizing anyone, and we might find out that Hoseok was just passing through before he went on his way and was abducted afterwards. If we don’t learn anything new, we just take the next logical step, we search his house.”

“What if there are indications that the military is involved ?”

“Then we go back and we lock up the culprits before we recover the victim.”

“Oh, so you'd even go up against high ranking military personnel ?”

“Of course. I’ve got work to do.”

Taehyung looked at me, seemingly… impressed ? Then clapped with his distinctive smile.

“Yeah, go Kookie ! That's the soul of a crime-fighter !”

“I already told you, don’t call me that.”

It was my nickname as a kid and it was pretty embarrassing to hear it as an adult. Especially in my workplace, especially by this lunatic. With Jimin, at least it was okay; we'd been to school together, shared a lot of classes, and we'd seen each other every morning since he worked here. We didn't know each other like the back of our hand, it was just enough. But him? Him, who was so distracted that he was already opening a drawer and looking in it ?

“Or”, he suggested, “we make a deal : I call you Kookie, and you can call me Tae Tae ! Yes, excellent. Let’s do this.”

He nodded by himself, looking absurdly satisfied. I didn’t remember agreeing to this.. Putting the papers in a drawer, I got up.

“We have no reason to wait any longer. Let’s go, Taehyung, we’re going to the base. It will take us about an hour. Watch your behavior there, I don’t want us to get evicted before we’ve even met this Yoongi guy.”

“One hour ? he noted, imitating me. Is it this far ?”

“No, but all duty vehicles are occupied. We’re going by feet.”

His face fell apart.

“No.”

“No ?” I repeated, almost amused by his drastic mood swings.

“No, absolutely no way. Not at this time of the day, not under this rain. We’re taking my car.”

“You have a car ?”

He gave me a disappointed look - probably the most serious he's ever been with me, and seeing his eyelids drooping over his dark eyes gave me a strange shock, as if it was the first time I really realized that he was actually a person older than me. Then he rolled his eyes, took the lollipop out of his mouth, and the moment passed as I became conscious of his infantile shorts again.

“Of course I’ve got a car, Kookie. How do you think I would go to work if I didn’t ? I’m a private detective. Come on, let’s go, I’m driving.”

I followed him in silence, just a little too shaken up to come up with a scathing retort. That man was really weird. To reassure myself, I kept telling myself that all I had to do to solve the case was to deal with his attitude. Nothing more, nothing less. In the corridor, Jimin called out to us with his singing voice. I had always been convinced that he should have pursued a career in singing.

“You’re leaving already ?”

“Yes, I'm driving Kookie so we can conduct our investigation”, he smiled.

“Ah, I’m glad that you two are going along !”

Jimin smiled dumbly, and I quickly realized what they had in common. Their friendship must be going well.

“If you have any issue out there, give me a call. Be careful on the road !”

“We will, thanks”, I said.

“I’ll call you when we get there, Jiminie !”

And on that, he sent him a flying kiss, then walked out the door. I lingered a bit behind, looking at Jimin, waiting for the slightest sign. The tiniest hidden message that could indicate to me that he wasn’t completely blind to Taehyung’s weirdness, that he was still aware that his behavior was at least unusual. There was nothing. His eyes crinkled with his smile and his hand saying goodbye were perfectly sincere and innocent. So I turned around and followed Taehyung outside. He was already handing me an umbrella.

Maybe he was weird, but if Jimin, sweet, incredibly harmless Jimin, was his friend, then he couldn't have been a bad person. I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Taehyung opened the passenger door for me. Of course. I would have preferred to drive, but it would have been insensitive, since it was his car. He walked around the car, got behind the wheel, threw the wet umbrella in the back seats and switched on the ignition before he turned on his radio.

“I’m the one choosing the music, he warned, so you better not be complaining. I love this channel. And it's just compilations of girl groups.”

Normally, I would have added that to the long list of things I thought were strange about him. However, this was the chain I usually put on. Every song that came on was etched in my mind. So it was by keeping myself from moving in rhythm with the choreographies I knew by heart that I spent the ride.

His taste wasn’t that bad.

I couldn't exactly say the same for the vehicle itself. It was rather ordinary, but the interior was full of strange details, like the glove box closed with tape, the half torn stickers on the steering wheel, or, as I found out a little later, random green and red felt marks on the ceiling above the rear seats. In fact, everything was just a little damaged. The wipers had to be activated twice to get going, the brakes were squeaking, and I could have sworn that my window wasn't fully closed despite my efforts to roll it up. I turned to Taehyung, who was driving while humming. Strangely, I only noticed now that his ears were pierced. Several times. Usually I didn't care, but on him, the little shiny stones looked good.

“So how much does it pay to be a private investigator ?”

“Uh... it depends on how tough the cases are and how rich the people who hire me are, but I have enough to pay the bills.”

“Even the mechanic's ?”

He frowned and pouted. It was… weirdly cute.

“Well at least

I

have a car, I’m not walking under the rain to go to my own job.”

Okay, not cute at all.

“Hey, I have a car too, but I’m supposed to use the service vehicles.”

“Still, you were soaking wet.”

I looked up to notice that his gaze was perhaps dragging a little too much on the top of my uniform, which was still wet and stuck to my skin.

“The road”, I said curtly.

“Yes, yes, Mr. Policeman... Oh ! By the way ! When does your day end ?”

“When I don't have any more work to do.”

“But you sleep sometimes, don't you ?”

“I'm persistent.”

He started to wince slightly again.

"And I wanted to know when we could go out for a drink together.”

“I don't drink on duty. Besides, why go drinking together ?”

“Get to know each other. We're partners now, so we might as well bond. Besides, we don't need alcohol, we can have coffee. You like coffee ? My treat !”

And his smile came back, just as easily.

“No, we have an important case. We don't have time for this kind of things”, I insisted.

“I'll drive you there too, since you don't want to take your car…”

“Don't start making plans in your corner.”

“I have to, otherwise I won't be ready when you say yes.”

A heavy sighed escaped me. This case was going to be long.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

We quickly arrived in front of the large gate blocking the entrance to the military base. Taehyung had turned off the music as we approached the compound, and the fact that I didn't have to ask him beforehand reassured me a little. I went down quickly to report to the reception desk and show my badge. Explaining the reasons for my visit only took a few seconds, with the help of the guard who was, let's admit it, a little out of touch. I left them, him and his dreamy demeanor, with in exchange a visitor's badge. Taehyung smiled at him, as was now customary.

"Wah, you did it so easily !”

“It's just protocol. Why, you ever have trouble getting through the doors ?”

“They don't take my job seriously," he laments, shaking his head dramatically.

I wasn't exactly surprised. He drove the car into the driveway that now opened up in front of them, the puddles on the tar sometimes being expelled with a loud "froush". The building in front of them wasn't pretty, but that wasn't its function either. Low, dark grey, plain. Small barred windows here and there, scattered. The double doors in front of the parking lot were the only entrance he could see. Taehyung parked the car with less grandeur than I expected, and turned off the engine. The rain had stopped.

"What is our priority ?" he asked suddenly.

“Find out if they have any information about the victim, and if so, exploit it.”

“For example, access the surveillance room for recordings ?”

“Exactly.”

He nodded without arguing, opening the door. When I first met him, I wouldn't have suspected that he was capable of following any kind of order, but he seemed to take it well. Maybe he wasn't so bad.

Once inside, the reception was more than hesitant to let us through. A few minutes of persuasion later, we were walking through the corridors of the complex and my partner - it was still hard to admit it - looked at me like some kind of god.

"You're so cool, Kookie," he said in a gasp, stars in his eyes.

“No, I'm just doing my job.”

“But the ladies at the door, they wouldn't let us through and…”

“Everybody's reluctant with the police at first, but over time you learn to convince people of your relevance.”

“Yeah, but did you see what you just did ? Don't you think I've tried to convince people that private detectives are serious ? I can't do that, it was magic !”

I sighed, giving up on the argument. Taehyung was obviously having trouble acting properly anyway. It was normal for his persuasiveness to diminish. After a few twists and turns and badge checks, we arrived at the door we were interested in. I knocked.

"What, again ? Come in”, said a grumpy voice from the other side.

I obeyed, pushing the door. Alone in the dark room, a man with irritation engraved on his face was bent over a computer, grumbling. He took a few seconds to look up, two dark slits under his white hair. The colour of his skin was not much darker, betraying the amount of time he spent cooped up inside.

"What are you waiting for ? The apocalypse ?”

I stepped forward and took a chair without fussing. Taehyung sat next to me, just as quietly. Finally, Yoongi turned halfway towards us, slamming his hand against the desk. He looked exhausted, physically and mentally, and I was well aware that he saw us as a nuisance that he had to get rid of as soon as possible to finish his work.

“So, What's it for ?”

“We're here on a missing persons case.”

“None of my business. Goodbye, sir.”

And he went back to his computer. Taehyung was going to protest, but I cut him off.

"I'm sorry, but the victim, Jung Hoseok, was last seen in the area.”

“So ask the last witness and stop wasting innocent people's precious time," he barked, giving me the darkest look I've ever seen. “I don't know this guy.”

“The tip came from your premises, a security guard claims to have seen him. Perhaps we could access the security footage ?”

Yoongi took a fraction of a second too long to retaliate. All my senses went into a state of alarm.

" Wouldn't you like me to give you the keys to the classified files, as well ?! My base has nothing to do with this and I won't let you put your dirty cop paws on my records. Now get out of my office before I have you thrown out ! Some of us have real work to do.”

“Certainly, sir. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, and thank you for your time. Good evening to you.”

I bowed in spite of his lack of response, replaced by a grunt, and Taehyung followed me into the corridor where we made our way to the car in silence. Our doors slammed.

"We have to access these recordings one way or another," he said.

“Definitely. He's suspicious," I nodded, satisfied that he noticed it as I did.

“But we need more.”

“We should question the witness first, even without his superior's consent. What was his name again…”

“Moon Jongup. He was the guard at the entrance. You talked to him. Don't you remember ?”

I opened my eyes wide, shocked, and the sight seemed to entertain Taehyung.

"How did you... ?”

“I had a look at the description card before I left, his name was written down with his characteristics. A mole on the nose. Really, you didn't see it ?"

I was about to ask him how he had managed to retain this useless information, when suddenly I realized that it wasn't useless at all. It had even just helped him to find a witness. I stared at him again for a moment, to make sure he wasn't pulling my leg, and he shook his hand in front of my eyes.

"Yoo-hoo, Jungshook, still with us ?”

Another ridiculous nickname. I swept his hand and turned to the windshield. Okay, he had a good memory, but did he really need to look so superior flaunting his abilities ?

"Go back to the entrance, we need to talk to this Jongup.”

“Yes, Mr. Kookie," he smiled.

They passed the large gates again, drove to the adjacent street, and left the car on the curb before turning back. The guard didn't even watch them arrive, his eyes lost in the void.

"Excuse me," I said as I arrived.

“Ah !"

His eyes finally fell on me, but it was as if he was miles away.

"Hello again," I began softly.

His pupils trembled a little.

"Uh... Yes."

... Couldn't he remember me ? Already ?

"As I've already told you, I'm with the police. Is it true that you're the witness who reported the missing man, J-Hope ?”

“Ah, uh... yes.”

“Could you tell me more about that?”

“Uh... uh... Yes?”

And he just stood there. Without saying a word. It's a good thing he didn't have the smell of alcohol or drugs floating around, because I would have arrested him on the spot.

"Where did you see him?" I pushed, hoping to see him say something else.

“Ah, in there," he said, pointing to beyond the gates.

“He was inside, did you let him in ?”

“Yes…”

“Why did you ? Was he accredited ?”

“... Yes…”

Oh, it was going to be long.

"Okay, then why did he have it ? Somebody gave it to him ? Did he say what he was doing here ? Anything at all ?”

“Um... The, uh... the badge... It was a maximum security level, so... I didn't ask any questions. He just... went through…”

“These badges," intervened Taehyung, "Is only Min Yoongi able to issue them, or are there others who can ?”

Jongup's eyes became even less steady, and he didn't respond. Somewhere in the haze of his mind he must have known that he was in danger of compromising superiors, and that sooner or later it would fall on him. That's when Taehyung stepped forward and striked a pose.

"By the way, I didn't introduce myself ! I'm V, the legendary detective ! And I'm on a super-secret investigation, so I won't tell anyone I was here !”

Contrary to what I thought, his eyes lit up.

"Ah... You look like Detective Conan... but in gray... and taller…”

“Will you help me solve this case, Jongup ?”

He nodded with more enthusiasm than he put into his breathing, and seemed to sink into his thoughts even deeper than usual - that is to say, he didn't even look at us anymore. Unbelievable. His trick had worked.

“The badge... only he can make it," he admitted, missing the victorious wink that Taehyung was giving me. “It was a visitor's pass, but a special one for senior officers from other bases. I didn't know he wasn't a military man. I just saw the posters in town the other day, and I thought, ah, he's the one who comes from time to time…”

“You mean this wasn't his first visit ?” I cut him off.

“No, he's been coming by... I'd say... once a month ? But lately he's been visiting every day, and then suddenly he stopped coming. He was very nice, he always said hello to me with a smile. I hope he's all right.”

“Thank you for your cooperation. We'll come back later if we have more questions.”

“Your help has been invaluable, Jongup ! You've made justice prevail, you should be proud of yourself !”

In front of his ridiculous pose, the guard had an innocent smile, possibly satisfied.

Once back in the car, the rain decided to start again. Taehyung put the keys in the ignition but didn't turn on the engine. He turned towards me.

"You're still willing to investigate even though you're going after a big piece ?”

“Of course. I told you the first time.”

“I just wanted to make sure you were still determined and that it wasn't an act.”

“There's a poser here and it's not me.”

“You're cool, Kookie," he smiled again. “So, how are we going to hook the fish ?”

“I don't know yet. What we need now is proof. And the best place for that is the victim's house.”

“Should we reschedule for tomorrow ? I don't think his family would like us showing up at dinnertime. I know ! We'll have a drink together, and then I'll drop you off at home.”

“For the last time," I sighed, "No.”

“Well, I'm just dropping you off then," and he turned on the engine.

I didn't have the strength to refuse.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

I finished my cup of coffee, readjusted my uniform, and took the keys to my house. A final check of the state of the living room assured me that everything was in order. All I had to do was go to the police station, and we could continue the investigation of the disappearance of J-Hope. Also, deal with my new partner. As I got my fingers on the doorknob, I tried to rationalize things. He and I had gotten off on the wrong foot, and I would have to make an effort to make things right. Sure, he dressed weird, acted like he had never been an adult, and kept calling me Kookie. But if I put all that aside, he still hadn't gotten in my way during the investigation. He had come to the same deductions I had, and had even managed to extract information from that guard. I could even see that he was doing his best to be pleasant. Maybe it was just me making an unwanted mental block.

I opened the door, found myself in front of Taehyung in his car with a cute high-pitched song carrying all the way to my doorstep, and mentally withdrew everything I had just thought. I should never have allowed him to give me a ride either.

He waved his arm out of the window with joy and a smile on his face, as bright as ever.

"Kookie ! Hello !”

I stepped forward, trying to keep my cool. An effort, I said I was going to make an effort. A deep breath later, I stood in front of his door.

"Why are you here ?”

“I came to pick you up !”

“Yeah, I could see that, but why.”

“It might rain. I didn't want you to get as wet as yesterday. You'll end up getting sick…”

“Thanks, but I still have my car.”

“Your car, like, the one you left in the police station parking lot because I dropped you off yesterday ?”

I closed my eyes. He was right. It made sense. I couldn't even figure out how I hadn't thought of it, and I was infuriatingly annoyed to have to admit it in front of him.

"So ? Are you getting in ?”

I reluctantly opened the door.

The trip was quiet, although sometimes I could see Taehyung's eyes looking at me more than he looked at the road. I should've ticketed him, but... I didn't have the heart. He drove responsibly the rest of the time.

The road to the Jung's house was relatively short, at least much shorter than if I had walked to the police station to take an official vehicle. This time, Taehyung wore old-fashioned pants and a tuxedo vest. It was more appropriate for a visit to the victim's family, and I was grateful.

Somehow it suited him, too.

We came out in silence. I hadn't discussed our goals with him, but I was beginning to trust him sufficiently not to do anything too grossly stupid. I prepared my badge, Taehyung on my heels, and knocked on the door with moderate force.

The door opened shortly afterwards.

"Hello, Madam Jung," I began.” I'm Officer Jeon Jungkook, and I'm here to ask you about your son's disappearance.”

“Oh, yes, of course, come in ! Hmm…”

Her eyes lingered behind me. Of course. I had to introduce him.

"This is Tae…”

“I'm V, a famous detective. You can trust us, ma'am, with our skills your son is in good hands.”

He hadn't posed for once, and the mother nodded with a faint smile before letting us in. Her eyes were reddened, she seemed to have been crying recently.

"Please, have a seat.”

The living room was traditional, large and well-lit, with a very high ceiling and frames filled with family photos on the walls. I followed Taehyung to the sofa while she sat on a small armchair.

"I hope we're not disturbing you," I said.

“No, I was just cooking... But I don't have anything on the stove yet. What do you want to know ?”

“Was it usual for your son to disappear for a few days ?”

“No. I mean, sometimes he'd sleep over, but he'd always let me know beforehand, and he'd come back the next day. He's a good kid, you know…”

“Do you have any idea why he disappeared ? Even a hunch ?”

“He must have been kidnapped, he'd never leave on his own, especially without leaving me a message! And my little Hoseokie's so talented, I'm sure there are plenty of fans or opposing teams who could've taken him from me !”

“So you think he got pulled into a car on the street ?”

“I don't know what else it could be," she sniffed.

“What were his ties to the marine base ?” Taehyung intervened.

“The... Base? What base ?”

She seemed lost. I cleared it up.

"The marine military base near the harbor. There are reports that your son visited there often. Do you have any idea why ?”

“No, none," she denied, her eyes wide open in surprise. “What would he be doing there ?”

Taehyung looked at me and nodded. We had nothing more to get out of her, obviously she didn't know any more than that. I stood up politely.

"Ma'am, could we search your son's room? It's possible we might find some clues. We'll try to keep the disturbance to a minimum.”

“Yes... Yes, of course. It's the second door on the left at the top of the stairs. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me.”

She still seemed a little groggy, and staggered to the next room. Taehyung got up first, and I followed him down the stairs. The room was easy to find, and the door unlocked. As I went inside, I noticed how clean it was. Everything was perfectly tidy, right down to the computer screen on the desk across the street. The beige walls were decorated with posters of motorcycles and cars. This was the room in which a racing professional had grown up. There was little furniture, a dresser, a cupboard, a small bookcase on which were scattered miniature models of vehicles. While the detective was looking at them, I approached the computer and turned it on.

"Maybe we'll get more info from his e-mails.”

“Good idea," Taehyung said as he joined me.

After a few seconds of humming and black screen, a white rectangle on a blue background appeared. Its icon was a picture of him holding a trophy.

"The session is locked... Wouldn't his mother know the password ?”

“I'll go check," Taehyung said.

He quickly went downstairs while I searched the office for a post-it, anything he might have written down the code on if he forgot it. Footsteps from the stairs made me turn around.

"She doesn't know," he confirmed as I suspected.

“Well, then it's between us and that machine. If we don't find anything, we'll have to take the tower back to the station and ask the IT department to…”

“Hold on.”

Taehyung walked to the center of the room, closing his eyes to focus. I looked at him silently. What was he doing again? His eyes reopened, and he pointed to the computer, then shifted to the rest of the room, stopping at certain points. Then he dropped his arm.

"Got it.”

Without further explanation, he walked to bed and sat cross-legged, taking out a dusty shoe box covered with fingerprints. Without even waiting for me, he opened it, and I saw behind his shoulder pieces of paper scrawled with letters and numbers among miscellaneous objects, probably of sentimental value. My eyes widened as he began to search. He had found this immediately, without any hesitation, before we had even started to search the office. How did he do that? It was clearly not a fluke.

"Kookie, look, it confirms our suspicions.”

When I didn't react, he waved his hand in front of my eyes.

"Yoo-hoo, Jungshook.”

“You, uh... You knew it was there ?”

“Huh ?”

“That box.”

Taehyung looked at me like I was delirious.

"Well, yes. Well it made sense, considering the level of cleanliness, the furniture available and the general organization of the room, it was the most convenient place to hide one's personal belongings. He looks quite close to his family, so he's not afraid of it being found, but it's something intimate and not to be exposed, and since it's a code it falls into the "do not forget" category, so it's tucked away with the memories, so out of sight but nearby, so under the bed. If I was looking for his porn it would be a different story.”

I blinked, stunned.

Shit. He was good.

Until then I thought he was competent at best, but he was good. My brain wouldn't admit it. Taehyung flicked a picture in front of my eyes.

"Now that I have your attention, can we focus on the case ? Take a look at this.”

I obeyed, coming to my senses. It was an old, faded Polaroid, probably taken 15 years ago. The lighting was strange, a little orange, but you could still make out the contents of the photo. There were two smiling little children, glued to each other, sitting in the grass of a garden strewn with plastic toys. The first, on the left, had a big smile revealing his dimples and was perhaps hugging his neighbour a little too tightly. I recognized his face as Hoseok's, an easy task since pictures of him as a child lined the walls of the house. The other, I would never have recognized him with only his face. A smaller smile but showing his upper gums, his eyes wrinkled with happiness, his pale, round face leaning against the chest he was holding in his arms. Only his white hair betrayed his identity.

Shocked, I took the picture from his hands.

"Is that... Min Yoongi ?”

“Looks like it," Taehung nodded.

Trying to understand the implications of this revelation, I frowned.

“So, Min Yoongi and Jung Hoseok are childhood friends," I summarized. “They still saw each other frequently at his workplace, but his mother doesn't know about it. On top of that, when Yoongi was questioned, he said he didn't know him, even though he was the one who provided the pass.”

“Both were hiding something”, he concluded.

“We'll have to question his mother to see if she knows anything. Anything interesting left in the box ?”

“I think that's the code," he said, handing me a piece of paper. “There are also academic records. He was really good at P.E., but he was a clown in class.”

Taehyung smiled with his mouth open while looking at me.

"He seems like a good guy, we have the same ratings. What kind of student were you, Kookie ? I bet you got good grades and the teachers liked you but you were actually responsible for half the chaos in the class.”

“I'll test the password," I replied, ignoring the rest.

So I typed 2SuG4Fr0Mh081 and the loading started. Of course, it was the right code. How did he do it? It didn't matter now. I quickly launched the internet, rummaging through his files waiting for the page to open. For someone who lives by speed, Hoseok obviously wasn't a fan of competitive computer technology. In his files, there was nothing of any real interest. Pdf's of sporting events, his pay reports, only professional data, and I wasn't going to intrude on his life any more than necessary. Taehyung arrived when I finally opened the mailbox. The login was automatic, no need to search for a new password or even his address. Again, it was all work-related, with some spam in the middle.

"All this for nothing?" sulked Taehyung, disappointed.

“No, this must be his business address. He probably has a personal one that he uses to communicate with his family and friends. And if he logs in automatically, it means he saved his login information on the browser.”

I opened his history, hoping to find the email address in question quickly, but as nothing stood out, I opened the tab of his preferences, clicked on the security category and consulted his registered login to see the sites concerned. Taehyung looked at me, puzzled.

"Can we do this ?!”

“Of course we can.”

“And it's legal ?”

“I'm on a mission, so yes. But even looking at someone else's computer without asking their opinion isn't. Is that understood ?" I emphasized with a menacing look.

“Yes, yes. Well, I'm going to have to erase a few things when I get home," he mumbled.

“Look, you can even get the passwords. Not that it's of any use here, though.”

The code he had used for his session came up very often, it must have been his default password. Finally, I found a gmail address that seemed more personal. [email
protected] with the same password. In a few clicks, I was on his inbox, this time full of personal messages. Jackpot.

“I want to know how to do this," Taehyung said dreamily behind my back.

“No, you don't, because it's illegal. We just talked about it.”

“Not that, thinking like you do. It's like you always have a logical solution.”

I shrugged without understanding exactly what he meant. There were more important things. The last few e-mails were addressed to three different people.

One of them was clearly his mother, her e-mail address being simply his full name and department number. The way it went, her password was probably her date of birth or her first pet.

The second person turned out to be her older sister, as the multiple references to the respect due to her at the beginning of each email gave away. I quickly checked the status of his relationship with her, but crossed her off my list of suspects when I discovered that she was abroad and got along well with him.

There was only one conversation left, a little strange, with a certain GeniusSuga. Apart from the very last e-mail, there were only messages from Hoseok, no reply. His emails were warm but brief, and he was sending him pictures complaining that the mms messages were being blocked on his phone lately. This was all from two years ago, but the latest message was from last week, sent by the other person. All that was written on it was a mysterious "And don't forget to do what I told you, seriously, I want to help you but you're going to ruin me if you don't. Check your e-mail more often too, idiot. "Out of curiosity, I went through the trash tab, but I couldn't find anything, of course. I closed the window and turned towards Taehyung.

"Deduction, Sherlock ?”

“Firstly, GeniusSuga is Min Yoongi, and secondly, he asked him to delete his e-mails”, he decided with a pat on the chin. “I could be wrong, but this is the only person he was talking to besides his family on his personal mailbox, and even though he's extroverted, we didn't find any evidence of other friendships in his room.”

“I agree. It's the best lead we have so far. If we had his cell phone, it'd be easier... Let's go see his mother. We've got some loose ends to tie up.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Back in the living room again, we let ourselves be guided by the smell of food to reach the kitchen. Madam Jung was there cooking, just like she said.

"Excuse me, ma'am ?" I said as I approached.

“Yes ?" she jolted as she looked up from her stew.

“Do you recognize this photograph ?"

I handed her the Polaroid, and she squinted before she had an epiphany.

"Why, yes, it's Hoseokie and little Yoongi ! Those two got along so well. The picture was taken in the neighbor's garden during a community dinner.”

“Were they good friends ?” Taehyung asked.

“Yes, they were inseparable back then! But then, you know how it is, moving to a new place, different schools, and suddenly you don't see each other as much…”

“You mean they lost contact ?”

“Well, Yoongi didn't come home anymore, and then he went away to study, I haven't seen him for at least ten years ! I don't know how he's turned out at all. And Hoseokie's very tactile, I know he needs to see people face to face to feel good.”

“And there's no chance that, say, he's the one who went to see him ?”

“I... I don't know... look, this is the first time I've talked about him since he moved out, Hoseokie's never said anything about him to me. Does this really have anything to do with the investigation ?”

She seemed honestly puzzled. Taehyung smiled at her.

"That's what we're trying to find out, ma'am. Has J-Ho... I mean, has Hoseok been going out a lot lately ?”

“Of course he did. He's full of energy. He'd take walks in the park, or go jogging to blow off steam. That's probably where he was abducted.”

She seemed on the verge of tears. It made me really uncomfortable.

“Thank you very much for your cooperation, we're going to go now," I said as I backed out. “We're going to do our best to find your son.”

“I believe you," she sniffed.

Taehyung followed me to the door, and once the door closed behind us, he folded his arms, looking perplexed.

"He was definitely hiding something. Why would he lie to his mother about his visits to the marine base, and why is their relationship secret when they were clearly in contact all this time ? If he and his mother didn't get along, I would understand it, but they seem to be close, given the emails, photos and his behavior.”

“We'll think about that when we get back to my office. We need more information on both of them.”

He nodded, and pretty soon we were back in the car. This time, he left the volume relatively low. The high-pitched voices were just a background crackle, making the silence between us heavier than it had been before. I felt like I had to break it somehow.

"So, um…”

With a subject it would be better.

"Hey, that looked good what she was cooking, didn't it ? I'm hungry now. Aren't you ?" he said innocently as the first drops began to fall on the windshield.

“Yes, a little," I confessed, thoughtlessly.

“Could we go and eat a little before we continue ? There's a fast food restaurant not far from here that I know. I'll pay for your share if you want.”

“No, we're on dut…”

“On duty, I know, I know, but frankly, how about a triple cheese bacon this minute, right now? Not even with fries and a Coke ? Don't try to lie to me.”

I sighed deeply.

"All right, I'm dying for it. Put your windshield wipers on and don't go over the speed limit. I want two triple cheeses. And extra large for coke and fries.”

Taehyung burst out laughing.

"You have a good appetite ! I like it ! I'll take three for myself.”

“Your wallet's going to take a hit," I laughed, won over by his good mood.

“It's never wasted if it's for food. I'd like some pizza, too. Or fried chicken. Or, uh…”

“Please don't make my stomach hurt even more, I'm really hungry”, I complained.

“And tonight, I'll buy you a drink !”

“Don't push your luck, Taehyung. Tonight I'll do the paperwork to get another interview with Min Yoongi.”

“Kookie, we said you were going to call me TaeTae !”

“I never agreed to that.”

In the end, maybe it was more pleasant when the music was low.

I was expecting him to go through the driveway, but he pulled over and got out of the car. Imitating him, I discovered him already behind me, protecting me with his umbrella. Once inside he let me find a seat while he took the order we had discussed. I chose one at a small table near a window, looking at him to pass the time.

He seemed to know the young man at the counter, echoes of laughter reverberating up to here. I felt as if I was constantly fluctuating between moments when I found him kind and pleasant, and when I realized just how strange and annoying he was. The first state seemed to have taken over for now.

Taehyung came back quite quickly with our order, a mountain of oversized hamburgers on the tray. I felt my stomach rumbling.

"Thank you very much," I said with sincere gratitude.

“Well, that's what teammates do, right ?”

No, but I didn't mind him believing it.

As we ate, our tongues loosened - well, especially mine. I didn't expect this, given the way he had behaved at times, but talking with him was strangely relaxing. He told me how he missed his family, his dog, and asked me what it was like at home. Cheeseburger by cheeseburger, we were getting to know each other, and I couldn't remember doing it with a colleague before. It was a nice feeling. So pleasant, in fact, that I hardly noticed the strange lump under the shirt of the man passing by me.

Almost.

Obeying my instincts, I rose abruptly and twisted his arm behind his back in a fluid motion before tackling him to the table, his face crashing into the fries' sauces. I tugged on his shirt, revealing the gun stuck in his pants and immediately handed it to Taehyung, who stared motionlessly, mesmerized, eyes and mouth wide open.

Robbery of the cash register prevented.

"Taehyung, looks like you're going to have to take me to the station. My day isn't over yet.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

To my great disappointment, I was not given the lead on the investigation of the aborted robbery. Instead, I spent my evening at the station making my statement, and the rest of the paperwork that resulted from this kind of bravado, before being released with a polite thank you. I was surprised to find Taehyung waiting for me in the lobby, with Jimin nodding off. He only had one testimony to give, and could've left hours earlier. His smile caught me off guard.

"Do you want a ride home ?”

After this morning, it no longer felt right. I knew it was just a ploy so I'd have to come with him the next day.

But he had waited, and he had paid for the meal I had almost eaten in full, and he was usually nice, and what the hell.

"I wouldn't say no, thank you.”

His smile widened and widened, and I didn't know that you could smile with your mouth open and look charming but it was right there in front of my eyes and I had to get used to it. It was with the feeling that I was making a huge mistake that I gave him my phone number in the car, so that we could have better communication for the investigation.

Maybe I'll regret it tomorrow.

Maybe.

Early in the morning, Taehyung walked me back to the station. I needed to make the necessary arrangements to have another interview with Yoongi, an official one this time, and time is always short when dealing with disappearance cases. In my office, I filled in page after page of formalities, sent out hundreds of e-mails in the hope that at least one of the recipients would reply within twelve hours, and thought about the best way to proceed so that I could confront him after the latest findings.

That's when it happened.

I knew Taehyung had been watching me for a while. I had a good sense of observation. It was a bit distracting, but we'd been here for a few hours, I was the only thing that was animated in that room, and even though he insisted on staying, it must have been deeply boring, so I tolerated it.

But something had changed.

His gaze, which had been passive before, was now burning me. Impossible to know why, my gaze screwed to the screen and him in a corner of my peripheral vision. Shit - was I actually... blushing ?

At last I looked up to understand what this heresy was, and my mouth became dry. Taehyung's head was slightly thrown back, his eyes half closed, and I almost felt assaulted by the way he stared at me. I opened my mouth to... no, I had no idea what to say. My movement made my teammate slowly tilt his head, his eyes flowing to my lips, licking his.

Shit.

Shit.

Fuck.

I swallowed with difficulty, and I saw him follow the movement of my Adam's apple. I was terribly hot and yet the hair on the back of my neck stood up. His eyes met mine again, and he had the audacity to smile -

The office door opened.

"Jungkook, I got an answer from the office, you got the authorization you wanted. Are you alright ?" Jimin said concerned, noting my condition, which I knew was not very glamorous.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just have... A lot of pressure with this whole thing, you know ?”

I put my hand on my forehead to mimic my exhaustion. It was moist. I was sweating. Oh, that's nice.

Luckily, Jimin was, as usual, a breath of fresh air.

"Yes, I can imagine," he laughed in his soft voice. “Anyway, the files are online. Come see me if you need anything else, okay ? Ah, and congratulations again on last night ! You're the star of the station now, you know ? Everybody's talking about your exploits !”

I laughed faintly, giving Taehyung a look. He was back to normal, smiling stupidly, not like he was going to take me on the desk and -

Fuck.

Fuck me.

What the fuck was that.

No, Jungkook. NO.

Jimin closed the door, and I pointed an accusing finger at Taehyung.

"YOU.”

He raised his eyebrows, looking... genuinely surprised. With me, it wouldn't work.

"Me ?”

“There's no one else in this room.”

“Ah, that's right," he laughed like a moron.

I wanted to slap him.

"Are you having fun doing that ?”

“Doing what ?”

“You know exactly what I'm talking about.”

Taehyung frowned.

"No, not really.”

“The... the way you were looking at me earlier.”

“You don't want me to look at you ?”

“That's not the question, are you doing it on purpose or what ?”

The worst part was that he looked really confused. I raised my hands to the sky, exasperated.

"Okay, let's pretend it never happened then !”

“That what never happened ?”

“I don't have energy to waste on this. We're going to interview Yoongi, so you come with me and don't say another word. Or talk, but don't say anything weird. Either way, don't do it again.”

“You look really tired, Kookie…”

“Oh, you have no idea how much.”

I rose sharply, coming out of the office.

"And we take my car. Don't argue.”

“All right, if you want.”

“Yeah, well, I want to.”

In retrospect, once I got in the car, I felt like I got a little carried away. Maybe I was the only one who had imagined things, because I was tired. After all, he had only looked at me. Nothing more than that. I was the one that reacted strangely. He might have been genuinely unaware that that look was...

As I tried to define it, I felt myself starting to sweat again. No, actually, no definition, and it never happened, and I was just going to close that chapter and never go back to it again.

Taehyung remained silent, taking out a lollipop from God knows where before putting it in his mouth. Even if I tried to ignore it, I could see it from the corner of my eye, the candy pushing against his cheek, his lips around the stick, his tongue sometimes pointing out of his mouth, his cheeks digging slightly when he -

My hands tightened on the steering wheel. He knew. He knew exactly what he was doing, the little fucker. There was no way he didn't mean it. Taking advantage of a red light, I turned my head to look him in the eye, and he looked up at me with those big innocent eyes that made him fifteen years younger, and suddenly I was the one guilty.

Worst teammate on the planet.

When we got to the gates, a guard approached the car.

"Jongup !” Taehyung exclaimed, sticking his head out the window.

The soldier jogged up to us with a dreamy smile on his lips.

"Detective ! You're back !”

I exist, too, but okay.

"Yes, and this time we're on an official mission ! We've made progress in our investigation ! Especially thanks to you!”

“Ah…”

He just stood there smiling.

"It would be nice if you could open up, please," I finally said.

He nodded, and went back to his post, opening the doors.

I had gotten to the point where I was wondering whether it would be worse or better to have Jongup as a teammate. Tragic.

The ride to Yoongi's office went smoothly.

And it could've proceeded just as smoothly, with a little luck, but the military man's dark look made me think it was a lost cause.

“What do you want this time ?" he grunted, stuck in his desk chair. “You better have a…”

“Yes, all our papers are in order," I cut him off by laying out on the desk what was needed to continue the interview. “See for yourself.”

He snatched them without care, snapping the sheets dryly to stiffen them. After a handful of seconds of reading, he threw it irreverently on the desk.

"Come back tomorrow.”

I couldn't believe my ears.

"Pardon ? Excuse me, but it seems to me that it's stipulated there in clear print that-”

“I said tomorrow”, he barked.” I have an important appointment in less than five minutes and I don't intend to come back here at two in the morning for your pleasure. My sleep is important, and a stubborn policeman is certainly not going to spoil it for me. Why don't you come back first thing in the morning and we can talk.”

I subconsciously bit my lip, unsure of what to do next. Maybe he was trying to buy time, but he probably already had time to get rid of all the incriminating evidence if he had wanted to, and at least this time he hadn't just kicked us out on the street. It was probably better to accept it while he was still being cooperative.

"I understand, sorry for wasting your time," I bowed as I left his office, Tae at my heels. I mean Taehyung. Detective Kim Taehyung.

It wasn't until he was back in his car that he spoke again.

"He's hiding something.”

“Yeah, he's definitely…”

“In his closet.”

Well, that was strangely accurate.

"Are you making a weird innuendo ?”

“No, he was nervously staring at his closet all through our interview, as soon as he realized we had the right to search it. He's hiding something in it. I don't think he had any idea we'd actually get a waiver to snoop around.”

“How did you notice that ?”

He looked at me weird, and shrugged.

"It was pretty obvious. Anyway, I think you're reaching the end of your powers, so it's my turn to take the reins.”

“What do you suggest ?”

He pulled out a lollipop, and looked at it thoughtfully before he laid his eyes on me.

"How would you like a midnight break-in date ?”

Appalled, the words didn't come to me. He laughed.

"Okay, so let's just say a coworker break-in at midnight.”

And he started the car, the female voices rising again in the car, while my brain got lost in the thick fog of such a shock. Had he just been openly flirting with me? No, more importantly, was he asking me to break the law?! Who the hell stuck me with a delinquent on a military case?!

"I…”

“Before you say anything," he cut me off immediately, "I'd like to point out that you have only one lead to find Hoseok, and the only evidence you need is in that closet, which will be emptied as soon as he has a chance. Think hard.”

My mouth closed on its own, and I brooded over what he had just said. Because it was all true. Unfortunately... But there had to be another way.

There had to be.

...

"Will you use this as blackmail material later ?”

“There's a life at stake, Jungkook," he replied coldly. “I'm not kidding about that.”

My lips tightened again. He was convincing.

Very convincing.

...

Oh, screw it.

"Shall we stop by the fast food while we wait for them to desert the base ?”

Taehyung's dull expression turned into a huge rectangular smile.

"Now you're talking ! Hopefully this time there won't be any criminals.”

“You'll be there, though.”

“And you're telling me this when you're planning to become one in a few hours ! Outrageous. I've done nothing to deserve this abuse.”

A laugh escaped us, and suddenly it wasn't so cold in the old car.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

As we crawled through the air ducts of the military compound, I thought, maybe, just maybe, Taehyung's audacity had gone to my head a little bit and that I might have been a little out of line by doing this when I had official permission to do so three hours later. Without going through the ducts that Taehyung had miraculously had the layout of. Seriously, the more time went by, the more I was convinced that a search of his home would be more than enough to put him away for a few years. In the meantime he was a valuable asset.

"It's here," he whispered to me, my sight blocked by his buttocks.

After a few mechanical clicks, I saw him move a grate to the side, and soon his behind vanished. I followed him, coming out of the narrow duct in a slightly less graceful manner than I had intended. Luckily Taehyung was too busy watching the surroundings, flashlight in hand, to make fun of me. It only took me a few embarrassing seconds to drag myself down the hallway floor, get up, and join him in front of the dreaded Suga's door.

Slowly he lowered the handle, as gently as possible to avoid making any noise.

Locked.

As I was feeling desperate, my teammate pulled two picks out of his pocket. HE HAD A LOCKPICKING KIT ON HIM. I gave him an outraged look, and he just pouted before starting his work on the lock.

“I can't believe you're that kind of person and they let you work with the police," I whispered furiously.

“I can't make a living as a detective by respecting people's privacy," he mumbled with the same volume. “Besides, it's quite useful right now.”

“I can't believe I let you talk me into this.”

“Shh, I'm almost there…”

With a final click, the door opened almost by itself, and we rushed in eagerly. The office was strangely quiet, plunged into darkness and without its occupant. Taehyung immediately made his way to the closet, me on his heels, phone out, ready to take a picture of anything suspicious inside. The lock couldn't resist the young detective's expert fingers much longer, and in just a few seconds, the contents of the closet were revealed to us, flooded by the pale light.

Various papers, a tupperware that deserved to be cleaned, a neck cushion and a shirt of excellent quality. Taehyung gasped suddenly, grabbing my arm as if to steady himself.

"What, what's wrong ?”

“It's the shirt J-Hope was wearing before he disappeared," he whispered in an urgent tone. “It has the exact same number sewn on the chest, and he had it made to celebrate his first victory !”

Indeed, this description matched what was on the file. In the midst of the shock that the appearance of this undeniable proof had caused me, my brain managed to wonder if Taehyung was actually a gigantic Hoseok fanboy.

Coming to my senses, I took a picture of the evidence. After a brief inspection, nothing else was inside. With a silent agreement, I closed the closet, and I was ready to leave when Taehyung leaned in front of the lock again.

"What the hell are you doing ?”

“I'm locking up, I have to - "

A distant click echoed through the corridors, making us all petrified for a second. My teammate looked at me with big, panicked eyes. I gave him back a determined look.

"Retreat.”

Immediately giving up on covering our tracks, we propelled ourselves out of the office. Footsteps, fast ones at that, were getting dangerously close and there wasn't much time left before the alarm would be given. Taehyung slipped into the opening first, and I hit my flank violently against one of the edges, pushing the plate hazardously in front of the hole. There was no time to put it back properly. A few seconds of waddling progress followed before a scream of rage made us literally vibrate all the way out. The light from the lampposts outside was barely visible when the alarm rang out in the metal corridor, piercing our eardrums, and it was with a pounding heart that we let ourselves fall out of the infirmary building.

Taehyung started to move towards our entry point, but there were already some running noises everywhere and I grabbed his wrist firmly before pulling him in the opposite direction. He didn't argue, simply running with me where I was leading him.

Pretty soon a grid stopped us. Even though the place was unlit and rather far away, it would soon be secured by the night watchmen, and neither he nor I hesitated as we began the climb. Fortunately, at the top there was no barbed wire, only a slope. And made to prevent going in, not out. Taehyung landed on the pavement, and that's when a worn-out cable gave way, tipping me over into the void. A respectable fall, respectable enough that when I got up to resume the race, my left ankle refused to obey.

Ouch.

Shit.

Taehyung, who had already begun to flee, noticed my absence and immediately returned to my side, realizing right away the problem when he saw me stumbling around. His eyes went over my ankle, the guards coming closer, my face. His face was of steel.

"On my back. Now.”

“Excuse me ?!”

“Jungkook.”

His gaze burned me, and it was this intensity that prevented me from struggling when he took my arms and put them around his shoulders. If I didn't react more when he hooked my thighs to lift me up and resume our escape, on the other hand, it was because of the backlash from his authoritative voice. How could someone like him produce such a deep, vibrant growl ? How did he come to make my own name sound so... ?

A sharp pain linked to a jolt brought me back to my senses. It was definitely not the time. I shook my head, checking where we were, only to find that he wasn't going in the right direction at all.

"Tae, the car's on the other side.”

“Hey, you called me Tae !" he laughed, totally out of breath. “That's good. Progress.”

“No, but you're really going the wrong way.”

“I know, I'm... the one who parked, who do you... take me for ?”

“Where are you going, then ?”

“Hospital”, he said in a breath.

“What, seriously ? I've got, like, a sprain, tops.”

“Don't want to know.”

“It's two blocks further, though, so I think you can stop running now.”

“You’ve got a point.”

He sighed with relief as he slowed down, now taking care to avoid puddles instead of throwing himself into them.

“You can put me down, too," I said, "I can hop on one leg."

“Maybe," he admitted before tightening his grip on my thighs and adjusting my position.

I rolled my eyes, giving up this battle. He seemed really invested, and Taehyung wasn't the kind of person who was easily convinced. As long as he'd let me off before entering the hospital lobby.

“... You really called me Tae.”

“Shut up, Taehyung.”

As I predicted, it was just a sprain. The nurse, who by the way was incredibly handsome for someone who had such a gruelling job, had given me first aid and a prescription, after he stopped laughing like a faulty windshield wiper when he saw me go in on my colleague's back. Because of course he wouldn't let me down, and I wasn't stupid enough to fight with an injury. At least he let me use crutches while we got back to the car. I limped silently beside him, only the sound of our soles on the wet cobblestones and the distant noise of the traffic breaking the unreal calm.

Memories of the evening were already beginning to overwhelm me, and with a lot of disjointed thoughts. Yoongi was more than suspicious at this point. What the hell was he doing with a pillow in his closet, anyway? Did he occasionally just take naps in between meetings? Why didn't those meetings discuss the scandalous diameter of the air ducts? Why did Taehyung have the plans for the damn ducts. Why did he know how to pick locks. Why did I find it as sexy as his bossy voice.

I stumbled brutally, mentally and physically. Taehyung only caught one of the two falls.

"Be careful where you put your crutches," he laughed stupidly.

“Well, I'd like to see you try," I muttered, blushing in shame. Definitely shame.

“Can I try them out ?" he exclaimed immediately.

“I can bust your kneecap, you'll get yours that way.”

“Why are you like that," he began whimpering, "I've been exemplary with you !”

“Go tell that to the nurse, he must still be having fits of laughter when he thinks back on our entrance.”

“It's Jin. That's normal. That's just the way he is.”

“... Jin ?”

“Jin. Seokjin. The nurse. Are you following ?”

“But why would I know his name ?”

“Because he's dating your platoon leader.”

I opened and closed my mouth several times in a row without being able to produce any sound.

"Kookie, are you sure you're alright ? You look pale. Maybe we should go back to the hospital.”

“... How did you. . . How did you know ?”

“That you're sick ?”

“FOR THE RELATIONSHIP," I exploded, irritated.

He looked at me as if a second head grew on me.

"I'm a detective, Kookie. It's my job to know things.”

I blinked. Once. Twice.

Laughed out loud.

"Okay, alright, you win. Come on, how about we go for a drink and you tell me all about it ? I'm curious.”

Taehyung began to radiate happiness, a beautiful smile on his lips and stars in his eyes.

"I thought you'd never ask me.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

I dropped my papers on the desk, sighing heavily.

"We've got nothing, really nothing. I'm so tired of this.”

“Don't be so negative," protested Taehyung, joining me to look over my shoulder. “We still have plenty of leads left.”

“Is that so ? Like what ?”

“We can still break into his house," he innocently suggested.

I looked at him in amazement, wondering if he could still have alcohol in his blood after last night's party. Yet he had looked sober all day long as we had been searching for what to do. It was one thing to infiltrate a military base when you had a paper proving you had the right to do so anyway, it was another to trespass on private property without any proof.

“Come on, last time it worked well," he pleaded, putting his arms around my shoulders and shaking me to get me to react.

“I thought we agreed that the last time hadn't happened," I replied, turning around to face him.

I didn't expect him to have that look. The same look he had the other day. And at the bar. And a couple of times today, when I wasn't looking at him directly. Except this time he was inches away from my face.

"What last time ?" he whispered in a voice so low I could swear I could feel my chest vibrating.

He leaned over me a little. My butt hit my desk. I had backed away without realizing it. My tongue passed over my dry lips, and I noticed his eyes following this movement. His eyes with long eyelashes.

"Exactly, nothing happened," I nodded weakly.

“I have a question," he said, putting one hand on the desk, leaning forward a little, tilting me further and further back. “If you can erase things that happened…”

I don't know exactly how I ended up sitting on the official papers, my hands fumbling behind me for support, but there I was. And he was still close.

"Does this mean I can do something stupid ?”

Shit. Shit shit shit shit.

What was I supposed to say to that ?

My first instinct, to firmly explain to him that no, and to wave a list of rules in front of him, was quickly stifled.

The instinct to say yes, too, around the time he started laughing.

"You're so adorable when your eyes are wide open like that, you look like a rabbit panicking.”

The sudden rush of blood made me straighten up.

"You'll see who's the-"

His lips shut me up. My heart was pounding and I only spent a few seconds in shock before kissing him back. My whole being was screaming at me that I was in the police station, that not everyone had finished their shift, and that the detective above me was an insufferable delinquent who had just incited him to commit a crime.

But somewhere deep down, Taehyung's assurance that it could be forgotten afterwards gave me just enough confidence to accept it. Just this once. Just this once would be fine.

His hands found mine, pushing me to lie down, and I found myself covered by his warmth, unable to escape his kiss.

It wasn't so bad, come to think of it.

The click above my head made me flinch.

"Wh-"

As I tried to turn around to see what it was, my wrists pulled painfully, blocking the movement of my arms. The cold metal immobilizing me froze me even more when I realized that I was handcuffed to a desk leg. My attempts to escape were in vain, and a thousand scenarios, each more disastrous than the last, crossed my mind as my eyes, widened by the shock, stared at my teammate's distinctive smile, a few inches between us.

"You're so cute when you're like that, Kookie.”

The thought was enough to set me on fire, and I began to struggle.

"What the hell are you doing ?! Let me go !”

He laughed, and ran a hand through my hair, which was probably the only reason I hadn't sent him flying with a well-placed hip swing.

"Why are you reacting like that ? You think I'm a double agent or something? Kookie, you're smart. You know that can't be it.”

His hand caressed my cheek, and his thumb landed on my lips. My breath stopped, like my heart. All my instincts were screaming for me to come out of this position of weakness, and yet I stood there, hypnotized by his gaze. I should have pushed him away, rolled back to find my hands in front of me, and lifted the desk to free myself.

His hand pulled at my shirt, dragging it out of my pants, my muscles contracting at his touch like a shock wave.

"I know you're smarter than that. Just think about it. I've already had plenty of chances to betray you. I know it isn't everything, but you should consider it.”

His smile had become more subtle, and his disrespectful look was back. His fingers were running over my skin, slowly moving up, unbuttoning my uniform and removing the fabric at every step. My chances of me starting to react were reduced to nothing when his head went down and his lips met my neck. My breath became trapped in my throat, as if sucked up by the hickey that was beginning to mark my skin, the electricity flowing through my body making me shudder against him, strong enough to make Taehyung whistle between his teeth and increase the pressure of his pelvis against mine. I needed more friction, but certainly not to the point of rubbing against him. I still had basic decency.

His long fingers finished revealing me, and he moved back far enough to make sure he had uncovered me. I saw him follow with his eyes my muscular torso, my slim waist, my navel, lingering on the elastic that protruded from my pants and I was suddenly even hotter than before, if that was possible.

"What tells me that this is not just a trick ?" I said, no longer caring about the subject at all but desperately looking for a distraction.

He didn't even bother to smile or look away, too focused on the curves of my body, his fingertips caressing the leather harness that still surrounded my shoulders. I felt incredibly helpless before his hungry gaze. His deep voice reasoned in my chest, and perhaps my arms weren't trembling just because of the uncomfortable position.

"Nothing will be good enough for you, but you believe me, otherwise I would be locked up already.”

His gaze pierced me, his hand caressing the line of my hips burned me, the tongue moistening his lips guaranteed my place in hell. He shortened the distance between us, his two hands now busy exploring my body.

"You know perfectly well that I only tied you up because it turns me on.”

A slightly too loud exhalation escaped me when his tongue moved up my throat, tracing the relief of my Adam's apple. I needed to say something back to him, to make him understand that he wasn't as much in control as he thought, but my mind was saturated with the sensations his hands were giving me, and the air was much too hot to think. His superior smile as he stood up should have made me furious, yet I wanted to just nod and accept everything he said.

“You're salty," he remarked as he slid his fingers down my damp neck. “Am I the one making you sweat so much ?”

The answer that refused to come out turned into a growl behind my clenched teeth. Taehyung laughed before pressing himself against me, playing with one of my nipples.

"I've known you to be more talkative, Kookie. Cat got your tongue ?"

He inevitably felt the contractions of my stomach beneath him, responding to his slightest movements, but I wasn't ready to lose face right away. I had to force myself to respond, no matter how confused I was. I was not yet at his mercy.

"And wha... What would you want me to say ? Huh ?”

In my head, it felt more like a challenge than a plea. The reality was not very conciliatory. Back in the crook of my neck, I could feel his lips stretching in a smile, stopping for a moment their all-too-pleasant activity.

"Um... Let me think about that for a moment.”

He bit me a little, the slight pain swept away by the wave of pleasure that ran through me when he rolled his hips against mine, pulling a frank moan out of me. The deep sigh caressing the bruised skin of my neck had an almost equally violent effect, making me painfully realize how tight my pants were. A thin finger slipped under the elastic band of my boxer shorts, making me tremble a little too hard to pretend that it left me indifferent. With a smile in his voice, Taehyung said.

"Ah, I know now.”

He stood up, leaving my chest cruelly cold, and instead slowly began to undo my belt buckle.

"Tell me : Taetae, suck me, please.”

I strangled myself with my own saliva.

"Fuck you !”

“I was actually thinking the opposite," he laughed softly.

His hand, infinitely more violent than his words, grabbed my thigh while the other one sent my belt flying, which landed a little further away with a rattle. I was almost angry at myself for contracting my legs around him. The worst part was probably not knowing what to do with my eyes. I could either look away and close my eyes, which was for the weak and I certainly wasn't going to do that, or looking at him and looking at him didn't help things. No, it wasn't easy to see him slip his hand down my pants while licking his lips and closing my eyes only increased the feeling.

"So, you're really not going to ask me ?" he asked in a low voice, wrapping his long fingers around me.

All I could do was hiccup, strangled by the excitement, irritation, and expectation that were slowly eating away at me. My hips rose in a spasm, desperately looking for friction, but a powerful hand pressed me against the desk, leaving me at its mercy. He began to move, slowly, moving along my length, too gently, tortuously, and his thumb went over the end with deliberate speed, and I was on the verge of crying.

“P... Plea... “

My teeth clenched by themselves. I wasn't going to beg for it. I had pride. Taehyung's big smile told me it was exactly what he expected. He leaned over a little and opened a drawer. From there he pulled out a bottle of lubricant. The surprise took me completely out of the action.

"Did you put that there ?!”

“The first day, while we were talking about the case. I wanted to play a joke on you," he explained as he coated his fingers. “Fortunately, it can now be used to fulfill his destiny.”

“You can't be serious”, I hissed with irritation.

“I'm very serious," he replied, resuming his torture session, the movement facilitated but still too little.

I muffled a groan, eyebrows furrowed. He leaned over me again, biting my neck, and all my indignation melted like snow in the sun. His fingers tortured me more than I could have imagined. I tried again to raise my hips to break his rhythm, but he held me so firmly against the wood of the desk that I was sure there would be marks left.

"The magic words," Taehyung whispered against me, making me shiver.

My breath went into a frenzy. I didn't want to give him this victory, but I really, really wanted him to continue. A squeak escaped me, and with it the rest of my determination.

"Please, Tae," I said in a breath.

- Hmm?

- P-please... please. »

He smiled and straightened up.

"You've put in a lot of effort, so you deserve your reward.”

I threw my head back with a groan when the warmth of his lips surrounded me. A moan was followed by several others, kept as low as possible so as not to alert a possible passer-by, and my torturer made it difficult for me to do so. It was obvious that he was good at it, and that he was taking a malicious pleasure in pushing me to the limit just to let the tension go down afterwards. In spite of all my will, my thighs tightened by spasms around him. I only dared to bend my head to look at him when his head went down even lower than usual, while looking at me with big innocent eyes, and an electric current ran through me at the same time as stars invaded my vision, my hips rising up by themselves. Taehyung withdrew and held me tight enough to bring me down, leaving me gasping and frustrated. He licked his lips, enjoying the view, and I looked away.

"That's good," he said as he stepped aside, noting my miserable squeak of protest. “You did well. Now it's my turn.”

And the next moment, my trousers hung, uselessly, on one of my calves, and his long fingers disappeared between my thighs where I could feel them caressing my entrance. I closed my eyes with gulps, suddenly nervous. A pressure on my thigh made me look at him again. He looked so gentle.

"Hey," he said to get my attention, with a carefulness in the voice that did something to my heart. “Are you okay with that ? Do you want me to stop ?”

After everything he'd done to me ? Then what ? I shook my head, pulling him by the leg to make him get the message. He smiled. A finger entered.

"Holy shit," I sighed as I closed my eyes again.

Without the sight, the sensations were even clearer. The way he moved, strangely in tune with my accelerated breathing, the angle he was taking, and suddenly his low voice broke the silence only interrupted by my panting.

"I can't believe how pretty you look with your legs spread. And you're so obedient, too.”

A second finger joined the first, and the heat threatened to choke me, a drop of sweat rolling down my temple. My arms were tugging, yet all I could think about was passing my knee over his shoulder to get a better angle. Taehyung stabilized me, digging his short nails into the skin of my thigh.

"I like to see you so eager, I'd like to see that every day. Ah, I'd need a mirror to show you how beautiful you are like this... Or maybe I'd need to film it sometime…”

I had time to notice that his voice was less stable than usual before a third finger made me lose my bearings. Every word went straight to the burning knot in my lower abdomen, and I didn't even want to find a reply. Just accept, and enjoy what he offered me. And that's when he decided to retire, making me stand up somehow, outraged.

"Don't you dare stop…”

The words died on my tongue as I saw Taehyung, pants down and shirt caught between his teeth, aligning with me as he lifted my leg. As he looked into my eyes, he slowly sank into me, the pleasure that the warmth of my body gave him visible on his face. I could only hold his gaze for a few seconds before letting my eyes blur. It was dragging, it was tight, it was burning, but I wanted more. A lot more. I realized that I had held my breath after he had stopped, and it was only when he saw that I had started breathing again that he began to move slowly back and forth. I fluttered my eyelids to chase away the pearls of tears, and admired him move his hips fluidly against mine, eyes fixed where he disappeared inside me. He noticed that I was watching him, and he leaned forward, sinking a little deeper and pressing firmly on my hip to make me stay in place. His pulled up shirt fell lazily over my chest, sticking to my chest because of the moisture.

"You do all that responsible cop crap, but you actually like getting taken in your office, don't you ? Who knew you were so depraved.”

His movement became more intense, faster, repeatedly touching a ball of nerves that made my head lighter with each blow. Each of my exhalations was mixed with moans and cries, my hands desperately looking for something to hold on to, encountering only emptiness. Taehyung kissed me to shut me up, then his lips slid down to my neck, where he tried to bite me and lick me while he pressed on my thigh, forcing me to take another, better angle. The waves of pleasure blinded me, pulsating to the ever-increasing rhythm of Taehyung's hips, and the world was now only made up of us and that deliverance which I was desperately chasing, time becoming useless and incomprehensible. In my ears I could hear whispers of how well I was taking it, how good a boy I was to obey him, and everything mixed in a whirlwind of heat and tension, until a hand wrapped around my desperately neglected limb and an unprecedented explosion blinded me. The electric shock running through my body caused me to contract suddenly, the burning lungs releasing a scream, the tension finally dissipating accompanied by the jolts of Taehyung who had lost his rhythm.

It took me a while for the blurred spot that was my vision to become clear again, and a little longer to realize that he had stopped. For a few seconds we stood still, only the sound of our breathing gradually calming down breaking the silence. Then he withdrew, and I hissed between my teeth because of the unpleasant sensation. Behind my legs, which were finally relaxing, I saw Taehyung tie his condom before pulling up his trousers. Luckily one of us had been lucid enough to think about protecting ourselves. I hadn't even noticed him doing it, it was probably when my eyes were closed. It didn't matter. I was way too tired to think. I vaguely noticed him walking around the office, and a clicking sound indicated that my arms were finally free. I brought them painfully back to me, letting the blood flow again. A hand ran over my wrist, slightly marked.

"Sorry about that," said Taehyung in a weak voice.

“Don't apologize," I answered, shaking my head limply, looking for a tissue to wipe my chest. “There's a lot of things you can apologize for. For example the Detective Conan cosplay that you wear as if it's normal. That... that was good. Don't apologize.”

Eventually I found a piece of cloth to save the files around me, and began to clean what I could. Fortunately, my sweat didn't seem to have damaged my work too much. Taehyung came back in front of me, immediately helping me pull my pants up and laughing a little.

“Does it mean you liked it ?”

I clumsily wiped with my sleeve the little tears that had escaped me, letting it go on even though I had regained a little more strength.

"Don't push your luck too much," I smiled as I carefully lifted myself up.

Taehyung smiled tenderly at me, buttoning up my shirt, and I thought I had calmed down, but my heart was just a little too strong. I ran a hand through my hair stuck by sweat, trying to create a semblance of acceptable hairstyle.

"Anyway, to break into the house…”

“I swear, Tae, I don't have the energy to argue with you”, I sighed.

“...I was thinking we could use Jimin to distract Yoongi. From what I found out on the phone while you were reading your stuff they've been internet friends for years and see each other from time to time. We could give it a try, right ?”

Maybe it was the post-orgasmic confusion, or his smile, but I knew from looking at him that I'd been fooled again.

Fifteen minutes later, Jimin smiled innocently at us as he saw us coming.

"Hi ! Did you go by the gym before finishing your day ?”

Taehyung slammed his hands against the desk with determination.

"Jimin ! You're needed.”

“Huh ? Me ?”

“Yes, you're the only one capable of completing this mission !”

The employee curled up slowly, fiddling with his little hands to mask his nervousness. It wasn't very effective.

"I, uh... I don't know, Tae, the last time with the headmaster thing it wasn't-”

“Jimin. Think about justice. It's to save a poor missing boy that I'm asking you. Aren't you willing to sacrifice yourself for justice ?”

“... Sacrifice ?”

Jimin was getting paler and paler and I decided to take over. After pulling my colleague by the collar, I took his place and wore my most reassuring smile.

"It's not as dangerous as it looks. We just want you to go and say hello to your friend, soldier Min Yoongi, nothing more.”

“How would that help you ?” he asked, suddenly suspicious.

“If you distract him, we can break into his house”, Taehyung intervened.

“WHAT HE MEANT TO SAY”, I cut him off immediately, “is so we can make sure he's not connected to this whole thing. You'd like him to be cleared, wouldn't you ?”

My efforts paid off, as his shoulders gradually relaxed.

"Do you think Yoongi had something to do with it ? He would never hurt anyone”, he spontaneously defended him. “He's really nice. I'm sure you'll find evidence to clear him.”

Taehyung discreetly leaned towards me.

"Should we tell him the military isn't here to give flowers ?" he whispered.

“That's reassuring," I replied, ignoring him, "but we need evidence to definitively exonerate him. He has already refused to cooperate with us, so using you as a distraction is our last resort. You're his last hope. Can we count on you ?”

Jimin finally stopped pulling on his fingers, and looked up hesitantly behind his glasses.

“He'll be angry with me," he said weakly, as if to find an excuse.

“If he's as nice as you say he is, he'll understand that it was for his own good.”

I felt him break as easily as sugar dissolving in water.

“... Yes, you're right. All right, I will. You can count on me !”

“Glad to hear it.”

“That's my Jiminie !" Taehyung exclaimed as he propelled himself onto the counter, strangling his old friend in his arms.

“Haha... ugh…”

“See you in the morning to do all this ! Bye Jiminie ! I love you so much !”

Taehyung dropped him as abruptly as he grabbed him and skipped to the exit. I stayed behind a little longer to make sure he didn't kill our receptionist. When he smiled at me after coughing a little, he gave me a reassuring smile.

"Goodbye, Kookie, have a safe trip home.”

“Thank you so much for your cooperation. You too, be careful on your way home.”

He had a singing laugh, and it was on that note that I left the building.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The morning sun was beating down on the car. In my earpiece, Jimin was whispering words of encouragement to himself. We had parked in the street behind the big house where Min Yoongi lived, waiting for his signal to storm the building. Next to me, Taehyung leaned over to get a better look.

"Are you sure you don't want to go through the French window ? Your ankle hasn't healed yet. The window might…”

“We've already discussed it, there's no way we're going over the gravel outside, the bathroom window or nothing. It's a good thing the house is big enough to hide in.”

“It's basically a mansion. Do you think he's making good money at his job ? No, actually, do you think he needs the services of a detective ? I could adjust my rates. What difference does a thousand or t-”

“Shhh, he's knocking on the door !”

A few moments of silence passed, followed by a distant door opening, with an amplified echo in my ear.

"What, what do you... Ah, Jimin ?”

I opened my door.

"Tae. Let's go.”

The low wall was easily climbed even in my condition, and within ten seconds Taehyung was crocheting the window he was targeting. Barely guessed murmurs became words in my ear.

"Yes, uh, hi, Yoongi... it's been a long time…”

“What are you doing here ?”

“Uh, actually, I…”

The lock broke and Taehyung came in, pulling me in. Silently, I took the lead and sneaked into the hallway.

"I heard you're under suspicion by the police, and... Anyway, you had nothing to do with it, right ? I know you're innocent.”

I swore on the inside. Jimin, why did you have to be so honest ? Taehyung asked me with a nod of his head which way we should go. I went down the hallway allowing us to stay in the back of the house so we don't accidentally stumble upon the entrance.

“... Jimin, did someone send you here ?”

Damn, he was smart. We were running out of time. I walked faster, with Jimin's squeak in the background. It was a living room, and the TV was on.

"I... It wasn't really that I was sent, it was more... You know, I was worried and…”

Actually, it was a video game on TV. With, in the couch, the top of a black-haired head eating chips.

"Are you here to get some information out of me ? I didn't think you'd do something like this to me…”

Taehyung came up behind me, noticing the same thing. He stopped, taking a sudden inspiration.

"No, wait, that's not at all- !”

Alerted by Taehyung, the head turned around. And let out a screeching shriek.

I only had time to figure out it was Jung Hoseok before Yoongi burst into the room.

"WHAT ARE YOU D- ?”

He froze as he understood who we were, and the four of us found ourselves motionless, staring at each other. Hoseok with his mouth and eyes wide open, Taehyung with his hands on his face in a reproduction of the painting of the Scream, Yoongi even paler than usual with a clenched jaw, and me trying to apprehend all this mess. Jimin stumbled in, unaware of the gravity of the situation.

"Excuse me, Yoongi, I swear that... ah, you... You' re here ? Um…”

General attention briefly shifted to him before returning to the real problem. Yoongi ran his tongue over his lips, and spoke slowly.

"You... You broke into my house," he said in a blank voice.

“What- Seriously ?” I choked. “You're sequestering our missing person, you think you're in a position to say anything ?”

“Uh, he's not sequestering me," Hoseok intervened, raising a hand full of chips.

“Excuse me ?!”

“Damn it, I knew it was going to end up like this with your stupid plans”, Yoongi mumbled as he rubbed his face.

“So you were really guilty ?!” Jimin cried out like a wounded puppy.

“Wha... No, Jimin, look, I was just helping him," he explained with a voice that was incredibly softer than anything I'd heard coming from him.

“Okay then I'm sorry but I'm going to need an explanation," Taehyung said, still in shock. “And an autograph, too.”

“I'm the one who wanted to come here," clarified Hoseok as he started eating his chips again.

...

I felt a little tired all of a sudden.

"Sorry," I said to Yoongi. “Can I get a chair ?”

“Yeah, sure. Let's go to the dining room.”

Oddly enough, he looked as exhausted as I did.

We all settled around the big wooden table, in this surreal atmosphere. Jimin glued Yoongi as if to reassure himself, and Hoseok continued to eat his chips.

"So..." I began. “You wanted to be there ?”

“Yes”, Hoseok said.

“And you couldn't just tell your mother you were spending the week at a friend's house," I said, feeling the anger building up inside me.

“No but wait, you don't know what my mom is like, she keeps a blog where she talks about all my travels !” he suddenly exploded, his frown changing his face completely. “All of them !”

“What's the big deal ?”

“What’s the big deal ?!" answered, much to my surprise, Taehyung. “Do you have any idea how hard it is for this kind of star to get some rest away from the fans and paparazzi ? They are always being watched and followed, their intimacy is constantly violated !”

“Thank you, you understand," he said with a grateful look.

“Can I have an autograph then ?”

“No.”

“All I did," Yoongi intervened, "was offer him to come here for his vacation. He was going to be home in a few days anyway, he has to resume training for his next grand prize. It was a bit risky but if anyone close to him could keep him away from the police, it would be me.”

“So you're really not a criminal ?” said Jimin suddenly, his eyes watering. “I knew you weren't like that, but I was so scared !”

“Of course not, you know me..." he answered in a low voice, looking away. “I won't disappoint you like that…”

“A photo then ? Of you and me ? Just of you ? Can I just shake your hand ?” Taehyung insisted.

“No.”

Feeling my soul leaving my body, I watched the two duets interact, disconnected from reality. My first case. My first case, and it was a false alarm. And I had broken the law. Twice. That was not the plan.

"So Kookie, what are we going to tell your boss ?" Taehyung asked, abandoning his fanboy attempts.

“I can try to talk to Namjoon to see if he'll just drop all this," Jimin smiled so hard that Yoongi squinted, as if dazzled. “Let's say this whole kidnapping thing never happened, and we say you didn't sneak onto private property without a warrant !”

“Two tim-"

I punched Taehyung in the ribs, choking him out, and let him gasp for air while I made sure that we didn't sink our own ship.

"Yeah, I admit it sounds good. Let's forget everything and move on, I doubt Jung Hoseok here wants to press charges for his own kidnapping anyway.”

“However... I'll... take an autograph... as payment for... our services”, groaned Taehyung.

“Will you stop harassing me if I do ?”

“At least... temporarily.”

Hoseok sighed deeply, and stood up to pick up a pen that was lying there and scribbled on a piece of paper. He turned to me, looking outraged.

"You see ? This is why I need a vacation. It never stops. They're all yelling, "J-Hope, sign my boobs," and like I'm here trying to-”

“We get the picture," sighed Yoongi.

“Can you sign on my chest actually ?”

“Shut up, Taehyung”, I grunted.

“You're right, actually, on Kookie's chest is better !”

I hit him again. A little harder. He rolled under the table with a cry of pain.

"Stop pretending !” I barked.

“You...You weren’t... pretending... last night…”

I rose abruptly, ready to physically make him swallow his words. Jimin stepped in a panicky leap, arms outstretched.

"Wait, wait, Kookie, I can't cover up your partner's murder too !”

“You won't have to. I'll get rid of the body first.”

“What about eyewitnesses ?” Intervened Yoongi, uninterested.

“You obstructed the investigation and you hid Hoseok !” I choked with rage.

“And you, you broke into my house and I'm sure it was you on the base !” he spat as he stood up too.

“Okay, okay, so everybody just calm down and take a deep breath," Jimin attempted in a soothing voice. “I'm going to count to three, and-”

“And I'm going to pack up my things, I got it," grumbled Hoseok as he threw the piece of cloth on the floor, to which Taehyung crawled laboriously. “Seriously, would it have hurt you to wait just a few more days ? I was really fine !”

“If you didn't want to be reported missing, then let someone know !” I exclaimed, on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

“I've already told you that my mother- !”

A huge "BONK" cut us all off, followed by a long whine in the ensuing silence. Taehyung was holding his head under the table.

"Dumbass," I whispered.

The whining intensified.

"Before there's really a crime…” Jimin started.

“There was one, they broke into my house”, Yoongi mumbled as he sat down.

“A really serious crime," he rectified, "we'll just go back now and forget the whole thing. Hoseok, you're coming back, too, right ?”

He didn't seem convinced. Jimin gave him the hard stare. He nodded.

"Well, everything's settled !" he shone as he clapped his little hands. “Come on, let's go back to the station.”

As I was pulling Taehyung towards the entrance, because it was better than going back through the window, I could hear Hoseok telling Yoongi how powerful Jimin could be. I wasn't sure I understood. At least the situation was defused. Strange, but it's been dealt with.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Namjoon nodded behind his folded hands, thus concluding the discussion they held with his employees for the last fifteen minutes. Jimin was radiant, with an angelic smile, and that was all I needed to make sure I never again believed in the innocence of that face. He was fearsome and not to be underestimated. It was incredible that after all these years, I was only now discovering this side of his personality.

“Well," my superior said, starting to put away the folder scattered on his desk. I think you understand that I can't officially reward you for your work, given the circumstances, but I want you to know that I personally consider this case a great success.

“Does this mean I'm not going to get paid ?” interjected Taehyung, shocked.

“Detective V, you'll receive a slightly lower fee than expected directly from my pocket. I can't dip into the police station's funds for a case that never existed.”

Taehyung mumbled an approval before sulking in his corner. Namjoon turned to me.

"For you, Jungkook, know that your efforts haven't gone unnoticed. This case may have been a blank shot but I'll make sure to give you a good one next time. Keep this up and you'll soon become my best man. You two make a good team.”

In spite of the unfinished business I was left with, a wave of pride made my chest swell and warmed me up inside. It felt good to finally prove myself. After a few formalities, he let us out, with the exception of Jimin, who probably stayed behind to destroy what was left of our poor captain's integrity. I didn't know how he got everyone in his pocket so easily, but I was glad I didn't have to face him.

Taehyung accompanied me to the parking lot, where we stopped at the same time for no apparent reason. He looked at me for a moment, just as I was looking at him, then he put his hands in his pockets.

“Do you think we'll work together again ?" he asked, swinging on his heels. Jiminie calmed him down, but he can't be too happy with the way we handled the case.

“You're kidding, right ? He said we were a good team. He doesn't give cheap compliments, we kicked ass, of course he's gonna take us back”, I smiled proudly.

“And... you'd be okay with that ?”

He looked away. I remembered the day I met him, the unbearable rain, his unbearable clothes and his unbearable nicknames. Despite everything, my smile didn't disappear.

"Yes. Yes, that sounds like a good idea. We definitely make a good team. Besides, I'll always need a detective to do the slightly less legit work.”

“Oh no, I perverted the vigilante Jungkook," he laughed with his rectangular smile.

“What are you talking about ? You're the delinquent, don't make me put you behind bars”, I exclaimed as I walked back to my car.

“I'm not against it, if it's one of your kinks," he said, catching up with me.

“It's not a- "

A hand slammed against the door I was about to open, forcing me to look up. Taehyung was against me. Close. And with that look.

"If you have others, I can manage to satisfy them, too.”

I had trouble swallowing, my mouth was dry and my heart was in my throat. Images scrolled through my memory, not really unpleasant images. He had a gift for disarming me, and maybe deep down I didn't hate it.

"You... how'd you like to come over to my place and celebrate the end of the case ?”

“I'd say that depends," he smiles softly as he leans over me. “Am I allowed to stay the night ?”

“If you've been drinking I won't let you get back behind the wheel anyway," I said with a nervous shrug.

I probably would've missed his smile, if I hadn't felt his lips stretch against mine. He backed away too quickly, and I grabbed his neck to force him to resume the kiss. He widened his eyes, surprised, before he let himself go and ran a hand through my hair. It was tender but intense, like the way his fingers intertwined with my locks, and maybe my heart was beating just a little bit harder than before.

During a pause for breath, Taehyung smiled stupidly.

"I, however, am the one driving.”

I rolled my eyes violently and immediately pushed him away.

"Go sit in the passenger seat and let the real adults do it.

“You're younger than me," he started whimpering.

“Then act like one and go sit down.”

He obeyed lazily, dragging himself to the other side of the car with fake sobs as if he had just been sentenced to death. I ignored him beautifully as I sat behind the wheel. I waited for him to get settled before starting the engine, and he immediately started tinkering with the radio.

"You know, Kookie," he said as if nothing had happened, "we're good partners, I think.”

“I think so too," I smiled as I maneuvered my way out.

“And also, I think I like you," he said in a low voice, tweaking the radio much louder than necessary.

In a second of absolute confusion, my eyes jumped from the rear-view mirror to his face before going to the radio and returning to the road. He had already regained a normal position, putting a lollipop to his mouth, as if he hadn't dropped a bomb just then. It was weird and stupid and stupidly weird and how could he think he could get away with it and it was so much him that all those considerations didn't matter.

I had lost.

"I think I do too," I whispered as I turned on the blinker.

My voice was drowned out by a shrill note from the singer, but I could see Taehyung's smile in the corner of my eye.

A smile that was making my heart race.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

I turned over in my sheets, looking for a little more warmth. The drumming in my head, the doughy mouth, the heaviness in my limbs... Everything indicated that I was hungover. I didn't have a job today, at least, did I? No, it was Sunday. It was Sunday because... Yesterday I went out to the bar. Yeah, I don't drink on duty days, it was Saturday, it's Sunday, got it.

I had such a headache.

My eyelids were heavy, like the arm on my back. It was going to be a rough morning.

... Hold on.

I jerked backwards with my eyes wide open, discovering a sleeping Taehyung drooling on my pillow with his mouth open. MY pillow. MY house.

Propelled out of the bed, I felt a draft of fresh air on my bare skin. The worst possible scenario was confirmed when I stepped on the end of the used condom that had missed the trash can. Time stopped as I slowly lifted my foot, disgusted.

First, don't scream. My skull was being smashed by a jackhammer with all that movement, and it wouldn't do any good. Close your eyes, breathe in slowly, think about what to do next. You're a professional Jungkook. Act like one.

What happened yesterday ? I remembered going to the bar. Taehyung was there, because of course he was there, how could I avoid him. The evening came back to me in flashes. We drank and then drank again, then left for a few hours at the karaoke bar, then drank some more and then he wanted to go home. I had refused to let him take the wheel, because he couldn't even walk straight anymore, but I wasn't much better, so I concluded that the best solution was of course to walk him back home. We had vaguely sobered up on the road, and then inside, Taehyung found my stash of strong liquor. The rest... nothing. It was a black veil over my memory.

Obviously we didn't end up in bed to sleep.

Having finally assessed the situation, I looked again at my teammate, who was still sleeping peacefully under the sheets, having just rolled a little to the side to protect his eyes from the sun coming in through the slanted shutters. I had time to prepare myself a minimum before he regained consciousness. The priority was to take a shower to get rid of all the suspicious smells I was carrying, and to put some clothes on. Okay. Let's move.

I finally left my observation position, threw the condom away and made my way to the bathroom, where I stopped, resting my aching head on the door frame. Change of plan, I needed a glass of water and aspirin. I hadn't been this miserable since my eighteenth birthday, when I had slightly abused my new privileges. The situation was serious.

In the kitchen, I served myself a glass of water as quietly as possible, grumbling when the glass came into contact with the bar a little too hard, and immediately swallowed the painkillers. Looking in the living room, I discovered scattered clothes, thrown on the back of the sofa or in the corner of the room. We had to relocate at some point.

When it was time to put the pills away, I changed my mind and took out a little more with a new glass of water which I brought into the bedroom, putting it on the bedside table. Taehyung had huddled up where I'd been before, probably because the sheets were still warm. I wondered if I had clothes that fit him. He was going to be cold upon waking up.

Leaving the room, I finally went to take a shower, letting the hot water loosen up my muscles and make me feel a little less like a wreck. I usually held my liquor better than this. Luckily, after a few minutes, I was closer to a functional human and was able to put on my plain shirt and worn-out jeans without too much force. The mirror had the delicacy to tell me that these clothes didn't hide at all the hickeys at the base of my neck, but at least the other marks on my body were hidden. Shaking my wet hair, I returned to the room, where I found Taehyung, looking haggard, in front of the now empty glass.

" Hi," I said, my throat hoarse.

“Uh," he replied, his voice just as husky.

“How are you feeling”

“Not so loud, shhht," he hissed as he squinted, pain obvious on his face.

“Yeah, I figured as much," I laughed weakly.

“We're... Where am I ?”

“At my house.”

His eyes squinted a little harder, accompanied by a confused frown, and he mumbled a curse as he held his head.

"Why is it that when I succeed I remember nothing ?”

“That makes two of us," I said, turning away.” I'm going to make some things to eat. You, just get... I don't know. Some stuff from my closet. Shower if you want, it's next door. Come after.”

“... Do you cook ?” he replied simply, lost.

“I know how to put cereal in a bowl. "

I left, vaguely wondering why it was so easy to talk to him in that situation. Well, easy for the mood. Talking was still incredibly painful physically. I had to fight my body for the slightest action, and damn it, I'll never drink that much again. That's what I told myself when I was eighteen, too, but it never hurt to repeat a good resolution. After filling two bowls with sugary cereal and milk, I put it all on the coffee table in the living room.

The sizzling sound of the shower echoed, indicating that Taehyung had managed to get up. As for me, I let myself fall into the sofa, pulling a blanket over me and admiring the chaos that had been created the day before, trying to reconstruct the scene. The skeleton of a bottle of vodka was left at the foot of the table, the same bottle that two days earlier had throned proudly in my closet in all the poise that new bottles have. I took the time to pray that some of the liquid had been spilled rather than all of it having been ingested before resuming the examination of the room.

Shots glasses, plain glasses, sticky puddles of spilled alcohol decorated the table. It was going to be a nightmare to clean up. Clothes had been thrown all over the place, the heaviest ones like my blazer being the closest, a boxer that didn't belong to me perched on top of the television. I nodded, accepting the evidence. Now if this migraine could stop.

I began to eat the cereal, slowly so it wouldn't get too crispy. The milk was there to soften it, but it didn't do all the work. A few spoons later, Taehyung appeared in my police uniform. I only had the energy to raise an eyebrow.

“I could arrest you for that, you know," I muttered amidst my fruity loops.

“We both know you're the one who likes to be handcuffed," he replied, sitting next to me and pushing his feet under the blanket, against my calves.

“AaaaAAAH !”

“AAAaaah, keep it down, keep it down, my heeeeaaaad…”

“How can your feet be freezing when you just got out of the shower ?!”

“Your tiles are cold…”

“Get out of there," I warned, shaking my legs.

“Mmmh, but you're warm”, he complained, gluing himself even more.

“You're really... ah... I'm too tired to yell at you…”

I wasn't sure how, but I found myself on top of him. He had a knack for sneaking up everywhere. On some level, I was worried about my automatic defeatist attitude, but really, hanging around with my teammate for that long would do that to anyone. I was just really tired.

Arms closed around my waist, and I didn't even raise an eyebrow.

“How do you feel ?" he asked softly, and it was so sincere that I couldn't find the strength to answer sarcastically.

“I'm sore all over and my head's about to explode, but I'm fine. How about you ?”

“Pretty much the same, except I'm sure I hurt a little more than you. You really went all out last night.”

“Let's not bring it up again," I sighed with my eyes closed.

“All right, I won't. Can you hand me my bowl ?”

“No magic word ?" I mumbled as I went along anyway.

“Please, honey bunny.”

I froze in mid-motion, bowl hanging in the air.

"Don't call me that.”

“You were much more enthusiastic yesterday.”

I shifted my position, crushing his pelvis a little more, and an expression of pure horror fell on his face.

"I regret everything ! I'm sorry ! Have mercy !!”

“That's right, yeah," I grunted as I finally gave him his bowl. “I've interrogated criminals more convincing than you.”

“Okay, but were they as cute ?”

His smile blinded me so much that I was forced to squint.

"Less irritating, anyway.”

“You're breaking my heart.”

“And you're breaking my…”

“Oh, by the way ! You know that case we're working on ? I talked a little bit to the karaoke hostess and I think she's connected to the victim," he said before putting a spoon in his mouth. “I would have liked to talk to you there at first, but I think I've lost track a bit.”

“Of course you managed to do something so unlikely," I laughed weakly. “It doesn't even surprise me anymore. I mean, had you told me, I don't think I would have been able to do anything about it. Thank you for being more alert than me.”

“Bullshit, you're the one who was still in cop mode. You almost arrested a guy on the street because he looked suspicious.”

“Did I really do that ?”

“No, but you could have.”

“You're insufferable.”

My sigh was a little less annoyed than I would have liked. Despite all the time I had spent trying to hate him, I had come to this point, lying on him on my own couch, eating a basic breakfast after a night of total depravity. And his warmth wasn't so unpleasant.

The silence that was beginning to set in, however, was.

I wasn't sure what had caused it, or why it had landed on us when everything was going well, but I could feel a tension building up in my back, which culminated when Taehyung put his bowl on the free part of the sofa.

"So... When do I have to leave ?”

“Huh ?" I said, surprised, turning around as best I could to have him in front of me.

“It's really nice of you to give me cereal and all," he continued with a slightly sad smile that strangely twisted my stomach, "but I can imagine that you don't want to have me hanging around here all day. It's enough to put up with me during working hours, isn't it ? I understand, don't worry. I won't be here for long.”

I frowned, confused. It was probably what I would have asked him some time ago, but things had changed. Now, hearing him say such things sounded terribly wrong and I felt so unsettled by the absurdity of his statements that I lost my words.

"No !" I simply protested, offended.

“When you say no, is it no, I shouldn't stay, or no, I should stay ?”

“No, you…”

I hadn't thought that far about it, but it seemed like the right answer.

"You're gonna stay here and help me clean up the mess you made.”

“Yeah, that sounds fair," he laughed lightly. “Can we just... stay like this for a little while longer ?”

He put his arms around me once again, and I whispered an affirmation before letting myself fall back on him. I gave myself a few seconds to assimilate what had just happened. Looking back, I had never been very explicit. Our relationship had always been a blur. At least we knew what the other wanted. Or so I thought, but knowing that he believed I wanted to get rid of him changed things. Letting a problem like that grow just because I didn't dare say it out loud was ridiculous. I took a breath and straightened up again, putting my head at his level to face him.

“Hey.”

“Mmh ?”

“I don't sleep with just anyone. So from now on, you're my boyfriend and you should expect me to treat you like one.”

Taehyung grabbed my arms, eyes wide open and mouth gaping, absolutely frozen by the shock for a few seconds before he managed to get his breathing machine working again.

"Seriously ?!”

“Don't make me repeat myself," I looked away, embarrassed. “And why do you look surprised ?”

“Is this permission for me to call you Kookie," he asked almost as a statement, his eyes shining.

“Don't push it.”

He burst out laughing, which was probably as painful for him as it was for me, and hugged me, my face pressed against his neck, the smell of my soap mingling with that of his skin, an intoxicating mixture. Yielding to his affection, I also wrapped my arms around him, letting him waddle around to make room for me. I closed my eyes, carried away by his perfume and the rhythm of his breathing, far from my migraine.

A silence, this time relaxed and pleasant, enveloped us for a moment, and I never thought it would be possible when I met that weird guy in shorts in front of the police station, but I had no regrets. Nor did I regret having his body, which I knew a little too well, against me, nor having my heart beating a little too hard as I felt his breath against my hair. Nothing at all. I had never been so sure of anything as I was of my place here with him.

He was irritating and exhausting, but that's not what I wanted to tell him.

"Tae ?" I said weakly, my voice still a little raspy.

“Kookie ?" I heard him smile.

“I love you.”

He didn't answer for a moment, then his arms around me tightened a little more, gently caressing my back.

"I love you too.”

I gently kissed his neck, calmed down.

It was perfect.

"By the way, can we get a round two with these clothes on ? I've got at least five different kinks to fulfill.”

“Shut up, Tae.”