Let your plans be as dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.
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The Art of War
Sun Tzu

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A shattering of glass momentarily distracted Taehyung from questioning this Jungkook kid.

Swiftly, he crouched down to the floor, pulling the boy roughly by the arm. Taehyung's gun was still trained on Jungkook's head, not trusting the boy for a moment. Just because he answered the identification questions, that didn't mean he should instantly be believed. For all Taehyung knew, the kid was working with whoever just made a not so subtle entrance to this house.

Quickly scanning over the room, Taehyung noted a single window covered by heavy curtains. Based on the thickness of the fabric, the intruder most likely couldn't tell there was a light on in this room from the outside. That was one positive, so Taehyung flipped off the switch and bathed the room in darkness.

Jungkook shifted next to him, his arm accidentally grazing Taehyung's thigh. "Who the fuck could that - ?"

Taehyung clamped a hand over the kid's mouth, forcing him into silence. There was no telling where the intruder - or intruders, potentially - were, so he strained his ears to listen for additional noises. At the moment, there were none.

That fact alone was a bit unnerving. He knew he set the security system before coming upstairs. But there was nothing he could do about that now; he just filed away that piece of information to analyze later.

Taehyung took a deep breath, willing clarity and alertness into his veins. This was seriously the last thing he wanted to deal with right now. As if finding Jungkook here wasn't enough, the universe decided to test him further by adding yet another obstacle to his night. 

If he had it his way, he'd be attempting to sleep right now. But even still, Taehyung knew it would be just that: an attempt. He always had great difficulties letting his guard down to do something as mundane as rest.

After arriving at the townhouse from his new company's headquarters, Taehyung took a couple of hours to familiarize himself with the house. He investigated each room, explored the escape routes, and learned how to use the security system. Once he felt confident in how to run the house, he allowed himself to take a leisurely and indulgent bath.

Following that, he reviewed the contents of the USB flash drive Yoongi had given him. There was nothing too shocking included in the file, just some silly questions and answers, so he decided to research Korean National Oil instead. He avoided reading the endless news reports about the murders, and instead tried finding information on the company's competitors. When he didn't have much luck in that regard, he quickly ran a search on the man who came before him. 

Kim Namjoon kept a low-profile, though there were some old pictures of the man at a few college events. In each photo, a smile spread over his lips and pure joy radiated from his eyes. 

Taehyung didn't want to spend too much time thinking about how Namjoon ended up.

So he busied himself by walking around the perimeter of the house, making sure nothing looked out of place. At one point, he saw a tall man run out of the house and to his car, speeding away as fast as possible. That didn't concern Taehyung; he knew someone was in the house packing up Namjoon's belongings, though he didn't care to introduce himself.

Once it reached almost two in the morning, Taehyung resolved to try and get some sleep. He went back inside, reset the security system, and made his way to his bedroom. He'd been lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, when he heard something that shouldn't occur with no one else supposedly in the house.

A flushing toilet.

Taehyung had been up and out of the room in a minute, one gun tucked into his pants and the other secured in his grip. He'd seen light filtering out of both a bathroom and a second bedroom, so he decided to clear the bedroom first. He had just finished checking the space for additional people when a guy sauntered back into the room, completely unaware of his presence.

Taehyung had taken a moment to scan over the person, noting the muscles covering the guy's arms and packing around his thighs. Even without weapons, the guy's strength alone could pose a challenge. But Taehyung wasn't going to give him an advantage; he sidled up right behind the guy.

And that's how Taehyung ended up here, squatting on the ground with Jungkook. He still hadn't decided whether the kid was a threat or not, and he didn't have much time to reach a conclusion. 

Fucking perfect.

It was still quiet in the house from what he could hear, so he leaned closer to Jungkook. The barrel of his gun pressed right into the boy's abdomen, a warning not to move. Then, from what he could discern in the dark, he brought his mouth to Jungkook's ear.

"You have two seconds to prove you are who you say you are," he breathed, the sound barely audible as his lips skimmed the boy's ear. 

A sharp gasp sounded from Jungkook, who whipped his head towards Taehyung. "But I answered the security questions."

Taehyung shook his head, even though the kid wasn't able to see the gesture. Those weak security questions didn't prove shit. It wasn't impossible for someone to get their hands on the answers if they tried hard enough. For all Taehyung knew, Jungkook could be working with whoever just broke in, acting as a distraction while people with advanced weaponry flooded the house.

That wouldn't be an unfamiliar tactic. He'd seen his fair share of pretty boys be used as a means of diversion while the tougher assailants did the dirty work.

And Taehyung couldn't deny it - Jungkook certainly was pretty.

"My back pocket," Jungkook gritted out through his teeth. "All the proof you need is there. Can I grab it, or are you gonna shoot me?"

"Hands on your head," Taehyung ordered as fiercely as he could through a whisper, hoping his tone was intimidating enough.

The air moved next to him as Jungkook complied, though the kid didn't obey him silently. "If I wanted to attack you, I would've by now."

Taehyung didn't rise to the subtle taunt. Instead, he kept his gun against Jungkook's abdomen as he reached behind the boy, hand sliding into the back pocket of his jeans. The one he checked was empty, so he leaned closer and checked the second. Besides the curve of the kid's ass, he did find something there.

His fingers retrieved a glossy piece of paper; a photograph most likely. However, it was too dark to see what was on it.

"It's a picture of Namjoon and me," Jungkook informed him quietly, his hot breath warming Taehyung's ear. "Although that might not help me unless you know what he looks like."

With a sigh, Taehyung carefully slid the photo into his own pocket. When he could see properly again, he'd have to vet Jungkook's identity. But until then, he'd operate under the assumption that Jungkook was not an intruder.

He'd protect the kid and hope that this wasn't yet another stupid mistake of his. 

"Are you going to shoot me?" Jungkook asked him, his breath fanning over Taehyung's cheek as he readjusted his position.

"I haven't pulled the trigger yet, have I?" He retorted, crawling closer to the door and pressing his ear against it. Still nothing.

According to his years of training, Taehyung had two options here. The first was to take down everyone in sight and then call Yoongi. The second option was to avoid all conflict - to run as far away from this house as possible - and then call Yoongi. The police would be avoided for now; based on his experience, many corrupt officers were working with criminals to get a payout.

Taehyung didn't need to debate which course of action he was going to choose - he'd go with the second option. Despite knowing full well how to defend himself and others, he had never pointed his gun at someone and pulled the trigger. There was enough violence and useless murders in his life, so he always searched for a different way.

And even though he had every reason to use his weapon in the last week alone, he still couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't take the life of another.

Maybe if he possessed that sense of ruthlessness, he wouldn't be in this position in the first place.

Pushing that thought aside, Taehyung tried to piece together a plan. The first thing he needed to do was make a quick pit stop to his bedroom. His backpack with the ammo and corporate credit cards was still in there, which were essential items. After that was secured, there was the question of how to get far away from here. Running on foot wasn't an option. But with no company car and limited time to hotwire a neighbor's vehicle, he was out of luck.

Unless there was a way to use Jungkook. 

That option wasn't something Taehyung liked at all, especially since he still didn't trust the kid. But with limited resources, he had to utilize what was around him to the best of his abilities. And - how lucky for him - the only potential resource he had right now was Jungkook.

"Did you drive here?" Taehyung turned towards Jungkook, but was unable to see any reaction. 

"Yeah," the kid whispered in reply.

Then it was settled. It looked like he'd have to tolerate Jungkook for a bit longer.

"Okay, here's what we're going to -" Taehyung instantly shut himself up once he heard footfalls approaching. The sounds were heavy, like the person didn't care to conceal their entrance.

Reflexively, he covered Jungkook's mouth with his hand, ensuring the boy didn't give away their position. Whether the kid was an accomplice to this intruder or not, Taehyung wasn't taking any chances.

Fuck, this wasn't good. If he didn't stall in order to create a plan, he might have made it to his room and back already. Hesitation was always one of his downfalls. But he couldn't fix his inaction now. He needed to figure out a way to get his supplies without running into an armed attacker.

He needed to create a false trail.

Aimlessly feeling around the room, Taehyung gripped something fuzzy, hard, and round. A tennis ball. That would work as long as he judged his aim correctly.

"Make sure you have your keys on you. And whatever you do, stay in this room until I get you. Understood?" Taehyung murmured, double-checking that his Sig Sauer was still on his hip. 

Jungkook hummed in acknowledgment. Leaving the boy on his own was the only way to test his true motives.

Taehyung soundlessly unlocked and opened the door, creating a wide enough space to stick his head into the hallway. He scanned for the intruder, but it was so dark he couldn't see a thing. 

He'd have to do this blindly, then. 

With as much force as he could muster, Taehyung threw the tennis ball in the direction of the staircase. The ensuing noise was loud, amplified by the surrounding stillness of the house. A couple of tense moments went by, and then suddenly someone was running down the hall in pursuit of Taehyung's diversion.

Without sparing Jungkook a glance, Taehyung wordlessly slipped out of the room. He kept his back flat against the wall as he made his way to his bedroom, breathing as softly as possible in order to hear any sounds around him. Both of his hands gripped his gun and he was ready to shoot if need be.

Ready to shoot, but would his soul allow him to do it?

Thankfully, Taehyung made it to his bedroom without issue and didn't have to put that question to the test. A faint glow from his laptop lit up the room, allowing him to collect his belongings quickly. He resolved to leave the company's technology behind, nervous a hacker could easily track his location. All he took was the USB and the backpack, hoping his ammo and credit cards were still inside. But with no time to confirm, he set the straps over his shoulders and turned to escape the room.

Except his way out was now blocked.

Taehyung didn't even have a moment to assess the intruder before he - it was a man, judging by his height and bulky size - rushed towards him. The intruder's hand extended forward, a knife encased in his meaty grip.

Oh, so this would be easy, then.

When the guy was just three feet in front of him, Taehyung engaged his gun's safety before gripping the weapon by its barrel. When the guy was two feet away, Taehyung spun deftly, putting all his force into the movement. And when the guy came into Taehyung's personal bubble, less than one foot away, Taehyung brought his gun down upon the guy's head.

Hard.

There was a loud smack followed by a dull grunt; the guy went falling to the floor. 

Yeah, his years of training and experience screamed at him to shoot the guy. But even if he could bring himself to do it, Taehyung knew that wasn't wise at the moment. He had no idea how many intruders were in the house. A gunshot would give away his position, signaling any other accomplices to rush upstairs and confront him. Those people might come bearing guns, and probably wouldn't be as reluctant to use them as Taehyung. 

So he grabbed the guy's knife and strode from the room, not wasting valuable time on checking if he was unconscious. Now he just had to hope he wasn't wrong about Jungkook. If the kid wasn't in the room - if he was now waiting somewhere in the house to kill him - Taehyung would be beyond pissed off.

Taehyung reentered the smaller bedroom, still unable to see a thing, when an unrecognizable voice broke the silence.

"One more step and the boy dies."

Taehyung felt along the wall for the light switch, knowing he had little to lose at this point. He had to know what he was dealing with, and clearly the intruders already knew they were inside. The ability to see would only help him now. As soon as light flooded the room, Taehyung quickly assessed the situation.

A large, rugged-looking man had an arm secured around Jungkook's shoulders, holding him against his chest in a stronghold. A knife pressed into the kid's cheek, with a trickle of blood dripping down his skin. Jungkook's eyes were wide and nervous, his lips parted as he sucked in a steady stream of air. The petrified expression he wore seemed genuine enough, and his grip on the man's arm made it look like he was resisting the hold.

Taehyung ripped his attention away from the boy to focus on the man, who - despite his massive size - didn't appear the most confident. Especially not when staring down Taehyung's gun.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you not to bring a knife into a gunfight?" Taehyung asked him in a slow drawl, taking half a step closer to the guy. He turned off the gun's safety and aimed at the attacker's head.

He noted how the intruder focused on the gun rather than Taehyung, which led him to believe the guy wasn't here to kill anyone. No, he seemed terrified for his own life. Most likely, this guy and the other intruder were hired out to do someone else's dirty work, but were told not to expect any difficulties. 

But what was their goal in being here? If they weren't going to kill anyone, was their plan to capture the heir to Korean National Oil? Did someone hire them out to perform a kidnapping?

"Release the kid," Taehyung ordered, taking a menacing step towards the assailant. "You won't be taking him anywhere. And, if you cooperate with me, I'll let you and your friend leave here alive."

Taehyung kept his poker face intact, his eyes clearly expressing the hell he'd cause if Jungkook was hurt. It didn't matter, of course, that he wouldn't actually kill anyone. As long as the intruder thought he would deliver upon his threat, that was all that mattered.

There was a moment of silence, a brief period of hesitation while the guy thought through his options. His knife dropped away from Jungkook's cheek, his arms loosening slightly. Both were signs of cooperation, which meant Taehyung might be able to question the guy without issue.

But before he could get that far, all hell broke loose.

Jungkook slammed his elbow back into the guy's solar plexus, the force of the movement causing him to gasp and hunch forward. Then Jungkook continued with the assault, stomping on the man's instep before jabbing his elbow back into the guy's nose. And just when Taehyung thought this display of self-defense was complete, Jungkook punched his fist into the man's groin.

After that onslaught, Jungkook was released from the guy's arms. The younger ran behind Taehyung, standing close against his back.

"You fucker," the guy cried out, cradling his crotch with one hand and wiping away a bloody nose with another.

The barrel of a gun poked out of the guy's pants, which made Taehyung run cold with fear. With the attacker now pissed and angry, he might just be tempted to use that lethal weapon.

All hopes of Taehyung questioning the guy were now gone. Acting on instinct, he knocked the guy out with the butt of his gun, watching as the attacker crumbled to the ground. Then without stalling, he wrapped his fingers around Jungkook's wrist and began pulling him out of the room.

"Wait!" Jungkook exclaimed, shaking free of Taehyung's grasp and picking up a backpack. 

As soon as he had it over his shoulders, Taehyung grabbed him by the strap and led them into the hallway. They ran at full speed, sprinting down the stairs and through the kitchen.

"I had that under control!" He yelled at Jungkook, his muscles quivering as he forced them to move faster. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Jungkook attempted to shake off Taehyung's grip but gave up after a few moments. "Well, how was I supposed to know that? In case you didn't notice, I had a knife pressed against my fucking cheek!"

"And I had a fucking gun in my hand!" Taehyung retorted, not bothering to be quiet now. He maneuvered them to an open door off the kitchen, which had broken glass surrounding the area. 

It was bizarre that the security system never went off - Taehyung knew he set it correctly. But again, there was no time to contemplate the meaning of that at the moment. He went up to the system, which still appeared to be on, and triggered the manual alarm. The system was connected to the security team at Korean National Oil, so hopefully backup could arrive before the intruders woke up.

A loud blaring noise erupted around them, piercing enough to wake the surrounding neighbors.

Once that was complete, they ran out into the open and towards the street. Jungkook pointed to a parked car as he fiddled for his keys, taking them out of his pocket as he neared the vehicle.

"Give me the keys," Taehyung panted, lungs burning, legs burning, everything fucking burning.

But Jungkook just clasped them to his chest. "It's my car. I'll drive."

Taehyung snorted as he slung the backpack off his shoulders. "Can you put aside your pride for one second and just - "

A gunshot broke the air around them, uncomfortably close.

"Fuck," Taehyung said, ducking down and looking behind them. A guy was sticking out of a car window, gun raised high and aimed directly at them. "Unlock the door now!"

Jungkook did as asked, unlocking the door as he remained crouched to the ground. "What are you waiting for? Shoot the guy!"

He ignored the kid, mind working rapidly as he tried to think of another way out of this. A bullet ricocheted barely one foot away from him, sparking as it came into contact with the concrete.

Suddenly an idea came to mind and Taehyung pulled open the passenger side door. "New plan. You're driving."

Jungkook tugged off his own backpack and slid into the car, tossing the bag into the back seat. His hand shook as he tried to insert the key into the ignition. "That's what I said from the beginning."

"Just drive," Taehyung ordered, rolling down his window and looking out. The other car began to trail them, increasing in speed significantly.

The surroundings blurred by once Jungkook stepped on the gas more heavily, zipping through the neighborhood at a dangerous speed. 

"This isn't The Fast and the Furious," Taehyung snapped, checking his Glock to make sure there were enough bullets. "Slow down."

"There's a guy with a gun chasing us and you want me to slow down?" Jungkook rebuked with a sneer, though his voice was light and shakey. 

Taehyung kept his gaze on the side mirror, watching as the other car started pulling up alongside them. "Just keep a steady pace. I got this."

Jungkook muttered something under his breath, but Taehyung didn't hear what charming thing he had to say now. He leaned out the window again, pushing himself up and out of his seat to get as close to the other car as possible.

The assailant had his own weapon raised but had difficulties multitasking. Between keeping his eyes on the road and trying to aim his gun at Taehyung, the man was uncoordinated and distracted. So Taehyung took advantage of that fact.

He shot several rounds at the guy's tires, close enough that his aim was dead on. Mere bullets weren't enough to instantly deflate the tires; however, the shock of the assault caused the guy to stall and take his foot off of the gas.

"Floor it!" Taehyung commanded as he ducked back inside, securing his seatbelt into place.

"Oh, so now you want me to go fast?" The kid ridiculed, but luckily obeyed otherwise. He turned onto the main road and sped along, putting the residential street far behind them.

Taehyung pinched the bridge of his nose, willing himself not to lose control. He had to think of a plan fast, though he knew he had limited time. He was already in a shitload of trouble; he already made too many mistakes tonight.

One more mistake could cost him his life . . . could cost Jungkook's life. That brought Taehyung's attention back to the boy, who was smiling despite their precarious position.

"Why are you smiling like that?"

An out of place laugh filled the confines of the car. "That was fucking awesome."

With a loud groan, Taehyung buried his head in his hands. That most certainly was not fucking awesome. And the more he thought about it, the more he realized that this kid was going to be the death of him.

That was, of course, if Taehyung didn't end up killing him first. And based on how things were going tonight, he may very well reconsider his aversion to taking the life of another.

Jungkook might just cause him to snap.

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》 V A L E N W R I T I N G 《

I'm loving the tension and chemistry between this Taekook already! This one is going to be fun to write.

Post any theories here!