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If there was one thing Taehyung knew for sure, it was that he was lucky to have Jungkook.
Kind, compassionate, silly, hard-working, talented, loving Jungkook, who stopped to pet every single dog he saw and cooked food less spicy so Taehyung could eat it and made videos that made Taehyung want to cry.
Jungkook, who Taehyung met when he was a wide-eyed 20-year-old, who bumped into Taehyung in a cafe and spilled coffee all over Tae’s new shirt and missed his own class just so he could help clean it up and buy Taehyung an apology cookie.
Jungkook made every room he walked into brighter, brought people into his orbit and lit them up, too. He remembered the little things, gave hugs like it was nothing, made Taehyung feel like the luckiest man on Earth– for nearly three years now.
Yes, Taehyung was lucky– lucky that Jungkook had given him a chance; lucky that Jungkook was understanding and kind and all that was good in the world.
Taehyung was luckier still that Jungkook was so innocent. So trusting.
Lucky that Jungkook believed Taehyung to be an avid kick-boxer. (He wasn’t.) Lucky that Jungkook believed Taehyung was desperately clumsy, and hurt himself often by falling or dropping things. (He didn’t.)
Lucky that Jungkook accepted his late nights with nothing but an extra kiss and a murmured “I love you.” Lucky that Jungkook was so busy in his last year of university that he often wasn’t around when Taehyung came limping home.
He was luckier still that he’d managed to keep his life as a spy and his life with Jungkook very, very separate.
To Jungkook– and the world– Taehyung was a marketing specialist at a large company, a job he was grateful for but didn’t love, a job that kept food on the table and gas in his car. A job he was good at. A job that was nothing special.
Jungkook knew this Taehyung-- the Taehyung who complained when he was called into work for an evening, who forgot his lunch as often as he remembered it, who did vague office work and had convinced himself to tolerate it.
And, to be fair-- that Taehyung was genuine. Taehyung the salaryman had a boyfriend he loved and a dog he wanted to adopt; he watched Marvel movies and hated the taste of coffee and forgot to shave half the time.
But to some people– a select few– Taehyung was V, also known as Agent 30, a ghost-class special operatives agent for South Korea. To some, he was...different– ruthless, arrogant, and confident.
Taehyung didn’t like deceit, despite his profession. He hated lying to Jungkook, hated that he valued Jungkook’s naivete. But it was safer for his boyfriend if he was innocent, if he believed the lie.
So Taehyung spun them beautifully. He had a whole imaginary world he used to explain things to Jungkook– imaginary coworkers, imaginary workouts, an imaginary family and imaginary troubles.
It wasn’t perfect, but it was his. And Taehyung liked to believe– perhaps foolishly– that if Jungkook could know, just for a moment, he would understand the lies– because the lies kept them together. The lies kept them safe.
At least they did– until now.
Because exactly 42 days ago, Taehyung had met a man. He called himself Park Jimin. He was sweet and lovely, with soft blonde hair and an adorable giggle. He had struck up a conversation with Tae at the convenience store. He seemed nice.
Jimin was also currently trying to kill Taehyung.
He wasn’t exactly sure of the details yet– his higher ups were still working them out– but he knew, now, that Jimin was most likely a foreign agent, sent to cause some kind of disruption… and he was targeting Taehyung, for reasons as yet unknown.
(Taehyung wishes he could have had that information before Jimin jumped him and tried to strangle him in a back alley, but. You take what you can get.)
The thing is… Taehyung had never exactly been targeted like this before. Having a rival agent trying to murder him was an ego-boost and all, but it was also proving to be quite a strain on his civilian life.
Too many times now, he’d been caught at odd hours, had spent so long evading Jimin that he hadn’t made it back into the apartment before Jungkook woke up and had been forced to make up odd stories to explain his late return.
He couldn’t leave the house without having to be on high alert, but he also had to leave, to maintain his cover. The problem was that Jimin was everywhere, and he was good.
Several times now, Taehyung had somehow managed to escape from situations that had almost killed him. There had been too many close calls, and Taehyung was getting desperate.
He had to maintain his cover, but if Jimin found out about Jungkook and decided to make it personal… he’s not sure what he would do.
His bunny-boy isn’t suited to a life like this. He’s ripped, sure, but he’s a dancer, a university student majoring in mass communications. He doesn’t need any of this to come down on him.
The trouble is– Taehyung wasn’t sure how he was going to keep that from happening. The lines between his professional and personal life were blurring, and Taehyung was starting to feel like he was in well over his head.
But for now, everything was fine. Jimin has been absent the past few days, Jungkook has been swamped with work, and Taehyung has been able to regroup and make a game plan.
He needed to get Park Jimin out of his hair once and for all, and he thought he knew how he was going to do it.
He was going to set a trap.
With a bounce in his step, Taehyung headed home from his errands, feeling refreshed and ready to end this whole mess, once and for all. He’d been worried he was getting in over his head, but the tide was turning in his favor. He was sure of it.
At least, he was until he unlocked the door to the apartment he shares with Jungkook and heard Park Jimin’s voice.
* * * *
If there was one thing Jungkook knew, it was that he was lucky to have Taehyung.
Creative, sweet, intelligent, playful, intense, loving Taehyung, who giggled like a little kid when it snowed and wore socks with famous art on them and made paintings so beautiful it made Jungkook want to cry.
Taehyung, who Jungkook met as an insecure 22-year-old, who caught Jungkook’s stumble and didn’t get mad and calmed Jungkook down and bought him a new coffee and sat and talked to Jungkook for hours.
Taehyung brought energy and passion to everything he did, made everyone around him feel welcome. He was always willing to do something silly for a laugh, complimented people unashamedly, made Jungkook feel like the luckiest man in the world– for nearly three years now.
Yes, Jungkook was lucky– lucky that Taehyung had given him a chance; lucky that Taehyung was thoughtful and compassionate and all that was good in the world.
Jungkook was luckier still that Taehyung was so trusting, so willing to believe.
Lucky that Taehyung believed Jungkook to be an active part of his university’s dance team, despite having never attended a performance. (He wasn’t.) Lucky that Taehyung believed Jungkook had many late night study sessions and practices and meetings. (He didn’t.)
Lucky that Taehyung accepted his late nights with nothing but an extra kiss and a murmured “I love you.” Lucky that Taehyung was so busy with work he often didn’t have the energy to wait for Jungkook to come home.
He was luckier still that his life as a spy and his life with Taehyung hadn’t overlapped.
…Again, that is.
To Taehyung– and to the world– Jungkook was in his final year at university studying mass communications, with dreams to make and produce videos for a living, a member of the dance team and an extracurricular tutor and a frazzled student.
Taehyung knew this Jungkook– who came home sore from dance practice, who had late night study sessions on campus, who loved and sometimes hated his major, but ultimately couldn’t imagine himself doing anything else.
And, to be fair– that Jungkook was genuine. Jungkook the university student had a boyfriend he loved and a dream he cared about; he made pancakes on Saturday mornings and filmed almost everything he did and stayed up too late playing video games.
But to some people– a select few– Jungkook was JK, also known as Agent 9, a phantom-class special operatives agent for South Korea. To some, he was… different– cunning, confident, and capable.
Jungkook didn’t like deceit, despite his profession. He didn’t like lying to his boyfriend about what he really did.
Unfortunately, it was the only option he’d been given.
Nearly three years ago, Agent 9 had been given one of his first solo assignments. Fresh off his training after several years essentially being raised by the special operatives office, with a gold-star record and the trust of his government, JK had been asked to investigate a new potential operative.
He hadn’t been trained the way Jungkook had, but he had promise, his higher ups assured him– the only issue was that, since he hadn’t come through the official channels, he needed to be vetted.
They gave Jungkook two directives: ascertain the nature of his character, and determine whether or not he was trustworthy. They did not give him any directives as to how he needed to complete his assignment.
So Jungkook had decided to become his friend.
Looking back, Jungkook can admit this was, perhaps, a… foolish choice. It would have been far easier– on more than one level– for Jungkook to have just tailed him for a few weeks. But Jungkook was excitable. He hadn’t made many friends in his life-- his training hadn’t allowed for it.
So he took an opportunity, figuring he didn’t have much to lose and wondering what was the worst that could happen.
(The worst that could happen was this: Kim Taehyung was beautiful, all honey skin and boxy smiles; Jungkook hadn’t had to work very hard to play the part of distracted, overwhelmed student.)
He’d known from that first meeting he was doomed, and he’d been right. He’d kept Kim Taehyung as far from his heart as he reasonably could for the time it took for him to complete his mission, at which point he’d made it clear to his superiors that he had no intention of disappearing from Taehyung’s life.
The only problem? They had very, very different clearance levels, and his bosses were not happy with him.
He was given two options: give up Taehyung, or maintain his cover as he waited on Taehyung to reach the same level of clearance as Jungkook. Their prediction for how long this would take was anywhere from three to five years. His only exception to this directive would be imminent danger.
He’d only known Taehyung for three months at that point, and they hadn’t even been dating yet, but he’d known even then that there was no choice for him but to maintain his cover and wait.
And when Tae asked him out only weeks later, Jungkook weighed the risks of maintaining his cover while in a relationship instead of a friendship, and still– the choice was simple because there was no other option.
It wasn’t perfect, but it was his. And Jungkook liked to hope– perhaps foolishly– that once Taehyung got clearance and learned the truth, he would be able to forgive Jungkook his deceit, because it had been the only way for them to be together.
Jungkook had been as content as he could be to wait, harboring his (possibly futile) hope that all would work itself out sometime soon. He was patient, and he was so in love. And all was fine.
At least, it was– until now.
Because 42 days ago, Jungkook had been using some free time to watch his boyfriend at work (Taehyung was just so good, and Jungkook was in love; sue him) when he noticed someone paying too much attention to Taehyung.
That was when Jungkook had recognized Park Jimin. That was also when he realized things were about to get very, very messy.
The thing is– Taehyung was good. Really good. Jungkook had seen a fair number of agents at work in his life, and he knew his boyfriend was good.
Park Jimin, however, was a phenom.
And Jungkook’s and Taehyung’s superiors were not moving quickly enough for Jungkook’s liking. So Jungkook took matters into his own hands.
Taehyung was doing an admirable job of evading Jimin, but Jungkook knew it was only a matter of time until things went sideways– and he was not about to let that happen. So, under the guise of extra university work, Jungkook took it upon himself to… keep an eye on things.
This mainly meant spending long hours tailing either Taehyung or Jimin (or both) around the city and doing his damndest to get in Jimin’s way without letting him know it was Jungkook who was foiling his plans.
It was long, tiring work, and it was honestly starting to wear on him. He was having to keep enough of a distance to keep either agent from noticing him, but stay close enough to stop anything that happened. He was walking a tightrope, and the further he went, the more likely it was he would fall.
It was only a matter of time until something broke, and Jungkook wasn’t sure what it would be. He debated telling Taehyung; he debated petitioning his bosses to get Taehyung off the grid until Jimin was taken care of.
(He debated taking Jimin out.)
((He wasn’t sure he could.))
Ultimately, the choice wasn’t left to him. Maybe the choice was never going to be his– maybe the ending of this game was set long before Jungkook ever had the chance to move his pieces.
He came home from a day working on his actual active mission and heard music playing in his kitchen. He figured Taehyung had come home early, and there was a smile on his face as he toed his shoes off and came walking in.
“Hi, Jungkook-ah,” Jimin said, smiling, flipping one of their kitchen knives in his hand and catching it repeatedly. “I must admit, I didn’t expect to find you here. But I’m glad I did. I’ve missed you.”
Was there ever a move he could have made? Was there any other way this could have gone? Jungkook wondered, in that moment, if there was ever any chance it could have ended up differently.
“Hi, hyung,” Jungkook sighed, smile falling. “I’ve missed you, too.”
* * * *
When Taehyung opened his door, the first thing he heard wasn’t the sound of anime on the TV, or Jungkoook singing to himself as he cooked, or the shower running, or any of the normal things he might have heard when he got home. Instead, he heard Park Jimin.
“I have to admit,” Jimin drawled, words slow and syrupy in a dangerous kind of way, “I hadn’t expected you. And you make this… difficult.”
Taehyung was all too familiar with what “difficult” meant. “Difficult” meant an obstacle to completing the mission. “Difficult” meant a barrier that must be overcome. “Difficult” meant a target to be eliminated.
Taehyung only had time to register Jungkook, standing in the doorway and starting to say the word “please,” before he crashed past Jungkook and into the kitchen.
“GET AWAY FROM HIM,” he roared, launching himself in front of his boyfriend. “Don’t touch him!”
“Hyung–” Jungkook started, his voice high and thready with fear, but Taehyung cut him off.
“No baby,” he said urgently, still holding himself in front of Jungkook. “Run, okay? I’ll explain everything later, but right now I need you to run. Run as far away as you can, and stay low, and I’ll… I’ll protect you. I promise.”
“Tae-hyung, please,” Jungkook tried again, but Taehyung shushed him once more.
“Baby, please, I love you so much, but please go,” he begged, daring to glance away from a shell-shocked Jimin to look his boyfriend in the eye.
“I can’t decide if this is romantic or cringey,” Jimin piped up. When Taehyung looked back at the man, he was leaning casually against the counter, butcher knife still balanced in his (surprisingly small) hand.
Jimin leaned to the side to seemingly make eye contact with Jungkook. “I had my suspicions, but– does he not… know?” Jimin asked, curious. “Because, like, if he doesn’t, then– what the fuck?”
Jungkook sighed, sounding put-out. “Hyung, what the hell, don’t be rude,” Jungkook chastised. “And no, he doesn’t know. Obviously.”
“Jungkook, please,” Tae started, “I need you to– Wait. Did. Did you just say hyung?”
Across from him, Jimin grinned a little wickedly. “He sure did.” Jimin gave Taehyung an over-exaggerated up and down look before winking. “And hi again, handsome.”
Taehyung just blinked. “I. What.” Jimin’s grin grew wider.
From behind him, Jungkook sighed. He stepped out from around his boyfriend’s outstretched arm and went to cup his face, looking sheepish.
“Hi, hyung-ah,” Jungkook said, smiling nervously. “Um. I think we have a few things to talk about.”
“Yes,” Taehyung agreed, feeling a little like he’s in shock. (He knows the feeling.) “You… know him?” Taehyung turns to look at Jimin. “Have you always known about him? Are you… trying to get to me through him?”
Jimin’s smile went unexpectedly brittle around the edges, but Jungkook spoke up before Jimin could. “No, hyung,” Jungkook said gently. “I’ve known Jimin-hyung for years. Longer than I’ve known you.” Jungkook paused, his expression curiously blank. “We’ve been… out of touch.”
Behind him, Jimin winced almost imperceptibly, his smile even more hollow than before.
“But he’s a–” Taehyung blurted out, before stopping himself. His brain was… a little overloaded right now, to be sure, but he couldn’t just… expose Jimin. Because exposing Jimin would expose him, and if there was any way to protect Jungkook, it would be by keeping his cover.
But then, Jungkook rubbed a thumb gently over the curve of Taehyung’s cheekbone, drawing his attention back to his boyfriend. “A spy?” Jungkook prompted, his voice heartbreakingly gentle. “A special operatives agent, to be more specific? Yes. He is.”
Taehyung was… not expecting that. “What?” he croaked. “You… you know? How?” From behind Jungkook, Taehyung saw Jimin swallow visibly and look away from them, his expression somehow… guilty.
Jungkook took a deep breath, seemingly steeling himself. “Because, hyung,” he said softly. “We trained together.”
Taehyung’s mind was… not working right. It couldn’t be. Because Jungkook just said he “trained” with Jimin. Trained… to be a spy? That… made no sense. It couldn’t be.
“I don’t… I don’t understand,” Taehyung whispered. “Trained…?”
Jungkook sighed, a soft sound that almost seems to have slipped out against his will. “Right. You… didn’t go through the main channels like us, huh, hyung?” He ran a hand through his hair, a little agitated, but not at him. Taehyung could tell. “Right. Let me… explain.”
“South Korea has a… specific kind of pipeline program, for most of their special operatives agents,” Jungkook started. “Kids who display prodigious talent in specific areas. Kids with the right potential.” Jungkook swallowed. “Kids who might not be missed.”
There was a ringing in Taehyung’s ears, his brain working to piece together the pieces of the puzzle that he’s being offered, albeit slowly. He didn’t like the picture it seemed to make.
“I was one of those kids, hyung,” Jungkook said softly. “So was Jimin-hyung. We basically grew up together.”
“And then…” Taehyung said. Stopped. Swallowed. “And then you… left? And he didn’t?”
Taehyung wasn’t sure why he asked. He knew the answer, had known it somewhere in the back of his head since Jungkook first started explaining. And if he hadn’t, the sympathetic expressions that were on both Jungkook and Jimin’s faces would have made it clear.
“No, hyung,” Jungkook responded, heartbreakingly gently. “No. Actually, he’s the one who eventually left. I never did.”
“But if you never left…” Taehyung said, trailing off. Jungkook grimaced, something heart-wrenching in his eyes. “Then you… you’re…”
Jungkook took another deep breath, this one hitching a little bit. “Yes, hyung. I am. I’m a phantom-class special operatives agent for South Korea. My codename is Agent JK. And I’m… so, so sorry.”
* * * *
Jungkook’s boyfriend (ex? Soon to be ex? He wasn’t sure if he’d have a boyfriend at the end of the night, at the rate things were going) had been pacing for nearly ten minutes now.
He took the news surprisingly well, better than Jungkook had feared– but then again, he was an agent himself, wasn’t he? Just two clearance levels below Jungkook himself. He’s trained for a lot of things, including handling sensitive and important information.
But the weight was different when it was about your own boyfriend. This wasn’t exactly mission-standard protocol, and Jungkook didn’t expect Taehyung to handle it perfectly.
Which– well. He kind of wasn’t.
It had taken Taehyung a number of moments to do anything following Jungkook’s confession. At first he’d just stood there, blinking slowly, Jungkook’s hands still cradling his face. And then, his expression had closed off, and he’d stomped into the living room to pace.
“Shouldn’t you, like… go talk to him?”
Right. Jimin. Still here.
Fuck.
“I’m trying not to push,” Jungkook hissed in response, finally turning away from where he was watching Taehyung to look at his oldest friend.
(Former friend? Ex friend? Former flame? Seriously, the possibilities for all of this were giving Jungkook even more of a headache than he already had.)
To his credit, Jimin looked at least vaguely apologetic, like he knew he was somehow the catalyst for this implosion, but wasn’t so arrogant as to assume he was the cause. He had finally put down the knife– thankfully– but he was no less deadly and dangerous now.
“Hyung–” Jungkook started, because… well, there’s a lot that needed to be addressed here, too. But before he could say anything, Jimin held up a hand.
“No, Kook, not yet,” he cautioned. “I know. We… probably have to talk. But it can wait.” Jungkook sighed, running a hand through his hair.
“Hyung, no offense, but that’s kind of the least of my issues concerning you right now,” Jungkook admitted. “You’ve been trying to kill my boyfriend for weeks now. I can’t just… leave you alone in my apartment while I have a lover’s spat and hope you don’t try and follow through while we do.”
Jimin winced at that, looking surprisingly chagrined, maybe even a little hurt. “I didn’t know you were involved, Jungkook,” Jimin sighed. “Now that I do, things get a little more complicated. I wasn’t even coming here for him, initially.”
“You came here for me?” Jungkook asked, bewildered. Jimin nodded.
“I finally caught your trail,” he admitted. “Figured out you were the one stopping me. I wanted to know why.” He snorted out a laugh, but it lacked energy or humor. “Guess I figured that one out.”
Jungkook frowned. “Still, hyu-- Jimin. I’m not going to leave you alone while I figure this out. I…” Jungkook paused, worried over the blow he knew he had to deliver. “I don’t exactly… trust you. Right now.”
He knew it was coming, but it still didn’t prepare him for the sight of Jimin’s face going a specific kind of blank, the hurt clear in his eyes. “Right,” he snorted. “Suppose I deserve that,” but Jungkook wasn’t sure he did.
He wasn’t really sure of a lot about Jimin.
“Alright,” Taehyung finally called out, stomping his way back into the kitchen. “I need to talk to you, Jungkook, but I can’t exactly do that until I know we’re safe, so–” he turned to Jimin, his expression hard. “Let’s figure this shit out.”
Jimin sighed bodily. “Just leave me in your kitchen and go have your super romantic moment. I’ll just… make a coffee or something. Don’t worry about me.” He waved a hand dismissively, but quick as a snake, Taehyung grabbed it.
He used it to swing Jimin around until he had Jimin’s arm behind his back, taking the momentum of the swing and using his foot to knock into Jimin’s ankle, sending him down to the ground with a grunt.
“Not how this is going to work,” Taehyung hissed in Jimin’s ear. “I don’t trust you as far as I can throw you, which, given your size, is actually pretty far, and no amount of history with Jungkook is going to get me to leave you unsupervised right now. So here’s what we’re going to do. If you were actually Jungkook’s friend, and if you care about him at all, you’re going to shut up and let us restrain you, and you can sit quietly in our eyesight while we talk and figure out what to do with you.”
“If you don’t care…” Taehyung continued, his voice dropping dangerously, “then I’ll kill you right here, right now, and send your body back to whatever pit you crawled out of as proof that I am not someone to be fucked with. Got it?”
Jimin, hopefully sensing that this is not the time to push, just nodded mutely. Jungkook just stood by in shock– he’d seen Taehyung as V before, but only from a distance, and he was appalled at how hot he just found that close-up display.
His attention was grabbed when Taehyung huffed irritatedly at him. “Can you get something to restrain him with, or do I have to do all the work?” he snapped, and. Oh. He was… properly mad now.
“I got it,” Jungkook said hurriedly, not wanting to provoke him any more. He ran off and managed to find some nylon rope in their closet– honestly, it’s a tossup as to whether or not it was used for sex or work– and headed back to the kitchen.
Taehyung and Jimin were still in the same position, though Jungkook could see the veiled irritation in Jimin’s expression. He worked quickly to restrain Jimin, knowing that the odds of him being able to stay bound were about 50/50, but he had to try anyway.
“You should probably knock me out,” Jimin breathed when Jungkook leaned close, “for your precious boyfriend’s peace of mind.” Jungkook rolled his eyes and tightened his next knot particularly viciously, making Jimin hiss in pain.
“Shut up, hyung” he sighed. “Just.. fucking behave, for once.” Jimin grumbled something under his breath, but didn't say anything else.
Once Jungkook was done, he stood up and, with Taehyung’s help, got Jimin tied to the radiator in the hallway– within eyesight of the kitchen entryway, but not close enough to listen in on them. He looked bored, and annoyed, but he wasn’t moving.
“So,” Taehyung said brusquely, “what do we do with him? Dump him at the agency and be done? Murder him?” Jungkook blinked, taken aback. He turned to face Taehyung more fully.
“What?” he asked, confused. “Don’t you… want to talk about us? About… this?” Taehyung scowled, and Jungkook noticed with alarm that he was disastrously angry, downright furious.
“We are talking about it,” he retorted, crossing his arms. “We’re talking about your secret childhood friend, who is also the man who’s been trying to kill me for weeks, and what we do with him.”
“I meant… us, though,” Jungkook tried, but he was losing steam in the face of Taehyung’s anger. “Like. As a couple.” Taehyung scoffed in response, and Jungkook’s heart sank.
“Fine, you want to talk about it?” Taehyung hissed. “Let’s talk about it. We can start by talking about how I realized that you never asked me if I was a spy. I was thinking about how you’ve been the least surprised person in the room.”
“I was thinking about whether or not you’ve known everything the whole time. I was thinking about just what kind of game you’ve been playing with me. I was thinking about how, whatever it was, I’ve clearly been fucking losing.”
Taehyung was absolutely enraged, his face livid. “So tell me, darling,” he spat, a former petname now reduced to a weapon. “How long have you known?”
Jungkook looked away, shamed. “Since the beginning. I was… I was assigned to investigate you, before you were hired. My assessment was what got you your job offer.” Jungkook looked up, frightened of Taehyung’s reaction.
Taehyung blinked, clearly thrown by the news. “You… you vetted me?” he asked, incredulous. “You… oh, fuck.” Taehyung’s eyes went wide, a realization clearly catching up to him.
“I never thought about it before, but… I met you only a few months before I was hired,” Taehyung breathed, looking shell-shocked. “I was still a mostly freelance hacker. I had just moved to Seoul. I was looking for work.”
“You caught the eyes of some higher ups for some job you did,” Jungkook added softly. “I never learned what. But they were interested in you, because of your intellect and your skills. You matched a specific profile they’d been looking for.”
Taehyung looked at Jungkook blankly. Jungkook sighed. “Outstanding talent in hacking, multiple language proficiencies, acting experience,” he listed. “Physical strength, a criminal science degree, an existing connection to the underground world.”
“You were handpicked. They needed someone who hadn’t been raised in the system, who knew the underground world but had the skills to work for ours. I was the agent assigned to assess you in real life– observe you, meet you as a person, see what you did when no one was looking.”
Jungkook shrugged, feeling small. “I know it’s pretty shady, to be tested like that when you aren’t even aware you’re taking one, but. It’s this line of work, I guess. You… weren’t molded by them like I was, so you had to be checked out.”
Taehyung frowned, but he looked slightly less incensed now, which Jungkook took as a positive. “I hadn’t even been contacted by them yet,” he breathed, almost to himself. “And… you… you befriended me for them?” He looked conflicted.
“My job was to figure out who you were as a person– see what made you tick, get a sense of your real character,” Jungkook explained. “I didn’t have to befriend you– I could have just watched you. It’s probably what I should have done. But…”
Jungkook ran a hand through his hair, chuckling humorlessly. “You were interesting, and beautiful. And I didn’t have many chances to make friends. So I did something stupid.” Jungkook frowned. “I… just wanted to know you.”
At that, Taehyung looked up sharply. “Then how much of it was real?” he asked, almost demanded. “Was it all a game? Are you still watching me? The newest agent, who still can’t be trusted?”
Jungkook was horrified, and reached out to hold Taehyung before stopping himself, an aborted half movement towards his boyfriend. “Jesus, Taehyung, no, of course not,” he breathed, but Taehyung was still frowning.
“My mission only lasted a few months,” Jungkook continued. “But even the time we spent together during it was real. And after that… it was all my choice. I stayed in your life because I wanted to be there, hyung. Not for any mission.
“Then, why…?” Taehyung started to ask, looking confused, maybe a little less angry. “How…?”
“Because I liked you so much, hyung,” Jungkook said softly. “I cared about you, genuinely. I just… also had the mission. But when it ended, I realized I didn’t want to stop hanging out with you.”
“So I turned in my report,” Jungkook continued, taking a deep breath, “And they asked about our friendship. And I made it clear I didn’t want it to end.” Taehyung’s gaze snapped up to meet Jungkook’s. He looked surprised.
“I wasn’t about to try and do this under the table,” Jungkook explained. “You were never a dirty little secret. I cared about you, even then. So I… told them about you. I didn’t want either of us to get in trouble if there was an issue”
“I was given two options as to how I could proceed,” Jungkook said seriously. “The first was to stay in contact with you, but only under cover. You didn’t have the clearance to know more about our network. You couldn’t know I was an agent.”
“And the other?” Taehyung asked quietly.
“Let you go,” Jungkook told him simply. “Wait however many years it took for you to get the right clearance. Hope you’d want to be friends once you did. Hope… hope you hadn’t moved on in that time.”
Taehyung didn’t say anything in response to that– just looked at Jungkook, eyebrows furrowed, thinking deeply.
“I’m sorry, Tae-hyung,” Jungkook breathed. “I’m sorry I lied to you. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you. I’m sorry that we met because I was spying on you, and I’m sorry that I’ve been hiding this from you.”
“Why did you do it?” Taehyung asked softly, not looking at Jungkook. “We’d only known each other a few weeks at that point. We hadn’t even started really flirting yet. You could have walked away. It wouldn’t have been hard.”
“‘Wouldn’t have been hard?’” Jungkook repeated, incredulous. “Hyung, walking away from you would have been the hardest thing in the world.”
Taehyung looked up at him, his expression intense, like he was looking for something in Jungkook’s eyes. Jungkook wasn’t sure what it was, but he was going to lay it all on the table, and leave it to Taehyung.
“Taehyung, I liked you practically from the moment I met you,” Jungkook said heavily. “It may have only been a few weeks, but I knew even then that I wanted you in my life, in any way you’d have me.”
“You were smart, and funny, and so kind. You asked me about my life and watched anime with me and laughed at my stupid jokes.” Jungkook sighed. “You made me feel seen when I’d spent my whole life learning to blend in.”
“I didn’t want to let you go,” Jungkook continued. “And… selfishly… I wanted to know if there was any chance you… might have felt the way I did. I… was already falling for you then, and I.... just wanted you.”
“I know it's not fair, that I kind of got to make the decision for us,” Jungkook admitted. “I… hoped that if you could have known, you would have understood. I couldn’t let you go. I… did what I could to keep you in my life.”
Taehyung sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair and looking to the side. Jungkook was scared that he’d never be forgiven, and he wasn’t sure he deserved to be. Looking at it through Taehyung’s eyes… Jungkook was incredibly selfish, in so many ways.
“You know, all this time, I thought I was lying to you,” Taehyung eventually said. “I spent a lot of time feeling guilty for it. Feeling like shit for keeping such a big and important thing from you.”
“I felt awful, because your connection to me put you in danger,” he continued, finally looking up to meet Jungkook’s eyes. “But I was selfish, because I loved… love you so much that I couldn’t bear to let you go, even if it would be better for you.”
Taehyung seemed to bite the inside of his cheek, looking lost in thought. “I can’t say I’m happy with you. I’m not sure if we can go back to normal, exactly, at least not yet.” Taehyung sighed. “But… I understand you, I think. At least a little.”
“I’m sorry,” Jungkook whispered again. “I never meant… I never wanted to hurt you.”
Taehyung looked away. “I think… I think losing you, even then, would have hurt more,” Taehyung admitted. “I think… if I’d been in your shoes… I might have done the same thing.”
“I’m still sorry,” Jungkook insisted. Taehyung smiled, finally– it was small, and tenuous, but it was there.
“I know,” Taehyung said honestly. “I don’t think we’d still be talking if you weren’t.” They were quiet for several moments, both seemingly lost in thought.
“I just–” Jungkook burst out. Paused. Breathed. “I just… love you so much. I didn’t want to lose you. I still don’t. You are… everything to me.”
“You are the first person I want to share my triumphs with, the first person I want to be with when I fail. You make me laugh, and smile, and hold me when I cry, and make me feel beautiful and lovable when I don’t think I am, and–” Jungkook cut himself off with a choked sob.
“You just mean the world to me, Kim Taehyung,” Jungkook said fiercely. “I am so in love with you. You are the best person I have ever known, and I… I am so lucky to have been loved by you. Even if that ends now.”
Jungkook waited after his little speech, heart in his throat, as Taehyung studied him, expression inscrutable. Until, finally, something in him thawed, and he opened his arms, looking a little choked up himself.
“Baby,” he breathed, and Jungkook launched himself at Taehyung, crying in earnest now. Taehyung pressed kisses to his hairline and held him close.
“No, it doesn’t end today, you adorable mess,” Taehyung said, fondness strong in his voice. “We have work to do, don’t get me wrong. We will… need to work to rebuild our trust. But… I love you. Of course I love you. I never stopped.”
Jungkook pulled away from Taehyung’s neck and, upon Tae’s nod, leaned forward to press his lips to Taehyung. He was still crying, a little, and he probably tasted salty from the tears, but it was… perfect. It was coming home.
“Not that this hasn’t been beautiful to watch–” a voice drawled from behind them, “–truly, kdramas only wish they had what you have– but can we, maybe, move this along a little? Please?”
They turned to find Jimin standing only a few feet behind them, no longer bound anywhere except at the wrists, tapping his foot and looking at them with his eyebrows raised.
“What the fuck–” Taehyung yelped, but Jungkook just rolled his eyes, not fazed by Jimin’s theatrics.
“Way to listen, hyung,” he muttered, reaching up to wipe the last of the tears from his face. “And way to prove your supposed trustworthiness.”
“Hey!” Jimin protested, raising his bound hands. “I kept my wrists tied, didn’t I?”
“What does that prove?”
“That I’m clearly not trying to kill you?” Jimin pauseed, considering. “At least. Currently, I’m not?”
“Ass,” Jungkook sighed, but it sounded fond.
“I have questions,” Taehyung chimed in, tone mild but expression intense. “For one– why the fuck are you trying to kill me?”
Jimin sighed, looking put out. “Can we at least drink while we have this conversation?” he asked, pouting. “I can make drinks. I know what you like, Kook.” He looked Taehyung up and down. “Let me guess… you like something where you can’t taste the alcohol, don’t you?” he guessed. Taehyung blinked.
“Yeah, actually,” Jungkook answered for him. “And no, hyung, we can’t drink.”
“Shame,” Jimin sighed.
Taehyung visibly shook off his surprise. “Can you answer the question now?” he asked dryly. Jimin grinned, but it lacked any humor.
“I was hired to kill you,” he said matter-of-factly. “I don’t know by who, or why. I work freelance– I just take the contracts as they come.”
Jungkook frowned. “You’re working freelance?” he asked, disapproving. “Hyung, you know that’s shady work. Mostly hits. What are you doing?”
Jimin’s hollow smile dropped. “I don’t have the luxury you do, Kook,” he said softly. “I take what I can get.”
Jungkook scowled. “You would have it– if you hadn’t left.” Jimin froze, shooting Jungkook an indecipherable look.
“Don’t act like you care about me,” he said flatly. “I’m sure you were glad to see me go.”
“Glad?” Jungkook repeated, taken aback. “Of course I wasn’t glad, hyung. You were my best friend. You disappeared without a trace. I was devastated when you left.”
Jimin blinked, clearly surprised by that. “Wait… what?” he asked, confused. “But… me leaving meant you got my promotion.”
“No?” Jungkook responded, seeming just as bewildered. “They were always going to graduate both of us to field work. Hyung, I– what are you talking about?”
Jimin looked a little stricken. “It… it was a few weeks before we were due to be promoted to active work. I… overheard some of the superiors talking about us. They said… they said they were only going to be able to promote one of us. They said that they needed one of us to go back into training, to get a different specialization. I guess they were looking for a hacker, someone to do more underground work, and… neither of us qualified. But because I was older, I was less likely to be sent back.”
“But then that night, you and I were talking,” Jimin continued, quieter now, “and you were ranting about promotions, and getting to do active field work. And I remember…” Jimin paused, and took a deep breath.
“I remember you looked me dead in the eye, and said ‘hyung, I will do anything I have to do to get promoted to field work. Anything.’ And I remembered what I’d heard earlier, and thought… thought it was your way of telling me you’d fight me for the spot.”
“No, hyung,” Jungkook said, looking devastated. “I had… no idea they’d ever even considered that. I was never told. But… you’re right, they were looking for someone to fill that role.” Jungkook swallowed and his eyes flicked to Taehyung.
“One of my first jobs was to vet Taehyung. He was recruited because of his hacking ability– and his connection to the underground world,” Jungkook explained. “I… I think they must have realized that it was just more efficient to find someone new.”
“But they never mentioned retraining me, or you,” Jungkook insisted. “It never came up, truly. I don’t really remember why I was so worked up that night, but I do know it was something that had happened during an eval that day. Nothing else.”
“In fact,” Jungkook continued, “after you disappeared, they considered assigning me a mission to find you, that’s how bad they wanted you back. They just weren’t sure if I could handle it, so it went to an older agent. The mission was deemed unsuccessful a year later. But… they wanted you to come back.” Jungkook paused, swallowed. “I wanted you to come back, hyung.”
Jimin looked a little blown away at this. “Fuck.”
“Yeah,” Jungkook laughed, a little wetly. “I wish you’d told me.”
“So… so do I,” Jimin admitted.
Taehyung winced slightly. “While I can… really sympathize with that feeling,” he said tentatively, “that… doesn’t change the fact that Jimin has been hired to kill me.”
“I could just… not?” Jimin suggested. “I don’t really want to, anyway. I don’t usually do hit jobs– I just. Haven’t been able to get anything else for a while. This was my only option.”
“But hyung,” Jungkook challenged, “you’d be breaking a contract. That’s dangerous for you. You could only do that… if…” Jungkook trailed off, his expression growing brighter in excitement.
“What?” Jimin asked blankly. “What is it?”
“You could only do that,” Jungkook repeated slowly, a grin growing on his face, “if you had protection.” He paused, but Jimin still seemed lost. “Like maybe the government.”
Jimin’s eyes went wide. “You want me to… come back?”
Jungkook bounced up and down excitedly. “Why not? I told you they wanted you back. I think they still do. And if you come back, you can break your current contract, and not have to murder my boyfriend.”
Jimin looked skeptical. “I’m not sure it’ll work that easily, Kook,” he cautioned, but Jungkook couldn’t be stopped now.
“No, I think it can,” Jungkook disagreed. “I think this is a great plan. And,” he added, softening, “we could… work together. Like we always planned.”
At that, Jimin softened too. “I…”
“For what it’s worth,” Taehyung added wryly, “I’m for any plan where I don’t get murdered, so…”
Jungkook and Jimin both laughed, and it’s weak, but it helped break the tension. Jimin sighed.
“I’ll...give it a shot,” he finally said. “But you’re going with me.”
“Okay,” Jungkook agreed softly. He smiled at Jimin– tentative, shy, but so, so happy. “I will. We’ll fix this, hyung.”
“And I won’t die,” Taehyung chimed in. They both laughed again, a little louder this time.
“No,” Jimin assured him, winking. “You’re much too handsome to be murdered.”
“Hey,” Jungkook protested, but it was mild. “Leave my boyfriend alone.”
“Sure, sure,” Jimin soothed, but he was grinning like a fiend. Jungkook just rolled his eyes.
“So, can you guys untie me?” Jimin asked after a moment. “Because I’d really like to go now. I...have some things to deal with. Apparently.”
Jungkook jumped into action, apologetically rushing to grab something to cut the rope. Once Jimin was free, he saluted them both cheekily.
“I’ll come back tomorrow so we can go to the agency together,” he told them. He smiled at them again, and then winked. “And for that drink.”
“Goodbye, Jimin hyung,” Jungkook sighed, but it’s still so fond. “I’ll see you tomorrow, I guess.” Jimin shot them one more wink before he left them alone.
“I guess I’ll need to go in tomorrow, too,” Taehyung murmured after a moment. “I know about you now. I might be in trouble.” He frowned. “You might, too.”
“Probably not,” Jungkook reassured him. “My one exception was that I could tell you about me if we were ever in imminent danger.” He paused, considering. “And while Jimin wasn’t necessarily imminent danger, he certainly seemed to be.”
Jungkook smiled at him cheekily, and Taehyung laughed softly. “Hopefully that will be enough for them.”
At that, Jungkook’s smile fell. “If it isn’t, we’ll fight them on this. I’m not letting you go. They’re not going to keep us apart.”
Taehyung hummed, but didn't say anything else, looking off into the distance, and abruptly– abruptly, Jungkook was worried.
“Tae?” Jungkook asked worriedly. “Are you okay? Are you okay with Jimin coming to work with us? Are you… are you still upset? What am I saying, of course you’re upset–”
“Hey, Jungkook-ah,” Taehyung interjected, reaching out to grab Jungkook’s face. “Breathe, baby. I’m okay.”
“Okay,” Jungkook said meekly. “I’m just. Worried.” At Taehyung’s questioning glance, Jungkook clarified. “I… hurt you. A lot. And… I love you. A lot. And I’m scared.”
To his credit, Taehyung didn’t immediately dismiss or reassure Jungkook. He waited, thinking about it for a moment, before he dropped his arms to encircle Jungkook’s waist.
“Jungkook-ah,” he started, “my baby. I won’t lie to you– I’m still upset. I’m still a little hurt. This will take time to process, and time to get over, and time to recover from.” Taehyung took a deep breath.
“But I love you,” he continued softly, but strongly. “I love you so, so much. And… I know that you did what you had to do so we could be together– so we could fall in love like this. And I’m grateful you did. Because loving you is the greatest gift of my life.”
“Tae,” Jungkook whispered, but Taehyung wasn’t finished.
“Be patient with me, because it will take time,” Taehyung continued. “But… never doubt that I love you, okay? And that I believe this is all worth it. Because it is. You are worth it.”
“I love you,” Jungkook breathed, a few stray tears rolling down his face. “I’m sorry, and I love you. Thank you, for loving me. Thank you for giving us another chance.”
“I love you too, baby,” Taehyung whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to Jungkook’s mouth. “Always have, always will.”
The thing is– Jungkook and Taehyung were lucky to have each other. Not everyone got a love like theirs, and they knew this. Their love took hard work, and effort, and sometimes, things went wrong even when they both tried their best.
But at the end of the day, they made each other better. They brought light into each other’s lives, listened to each other and stood together during the hard times and celebrated together during the good ones. They listened, and they talked, and they tried.
It wasn’t perfect, but it was theirs. And that was what made it all worth it.