☽ Bunny Boy || Chapter 3 ☾

☾☼☽

Training a rookie was not on Taehyung's agenda, yet there he stood in front of the man who looked like a bunny: Jeon Jungkook.

"Where are we going?" Jungkook asked in a hurry as he stumbled over his own feet in an attempt to keep up with Taehyung's fast pace. As much as Taehyung disliked training recruits, the speed-walking wasn't purposeful to trip Jungkook up. It was a skill he had learned from being in the force for so long: moving fast yet quiet.

"Colonel Kim said to train you, so I'm training you. Keep up. The faster you increase your walking speed, the better."

Jungkook had to jog to match Taehyung's pace, and Tae wasn't sure if he should be proud of that or not. Humor wasn't Taehyung's forte, though he could appreciate the comedy in Jungkook's scrambled footsteps and eyes that darted around the barren walls.

"Did I do something to offend you, sir?"

No was the answer on the tip of Taehyung's tongue, but he didn't say it. Not because he didn't want to, but because he wanted Jungkook to sweat. Training meant covering all areas of being a Night Stalker. Part of that was waiting for witnesses and suspects to tell you the information you wanted, and during that wait, you had to keep a poker face and not get desperate. In other words: the sooner Jungkook learned patience, the better.

"Sir?" Jungkook jogged ahead and stood in front to stop Taehyung from going further. "Did I offend you?"

Taehyung smiled. It wasn't forced, but it didn't feel genuine, either. "Tip #1: Patience. You're going to have to wait to learn information or break into homes, so learn a poker face and being okay with waiting for information. That was your first test."

Jungkook lowered his head, and tufts of his dark hair cloaked his doe eyes. "I failed?"

"Miserably, but that's okay. You're learning. Expect everything to be a test from now on, got it?"

Jungkook agreed, and the two continued their stroll down the narrow corridor leading to the gym. Muscles made up 90% of Jungkook's body, so it wasn't for strength training or fighting. He had to be put through basic hand-to-hand combat simulators in order to make it into the force at all, not to mention he was likely recruited from a military branch. The gym was more for a quieter space to talk. Since every Stalker had more muscles than firearms in their closets, not many retreated to the gym after a long day of work. The lounge in the center of HQ was their go-to spot.

"I assume they explained the basics of what we do?" Taehyung asked as he approached the double doors with Gym written in black sharpie on it. The HQ had beautiful name plates identifying every room, though the area he stood in front of had nothing except distant grunts coming from inside and heavy doors that always hit the back of his head on the way out.

"Yes, sir. Night Stalkers are a top-secret branch who locate potential criminals, abuse and kidnap victims, and threats to the safety of the United States."

Taehyung pushed the entrance open with all his might and motioned for Jungkook to continue. "What's the protocol on missions?"

"Too much to recite in a single sitting, sir. Stay quiet, wear disguises, leave teammates behind if they get caught, never shoot to kill, stay on the defense and not offense... must I go on?"

Basic knowledge didn't impress Taehyung. All of those rules had to be memorized before you got into the force, so he wasn't surprised Jungkook managed to list them so fast, though repetition was a strong exercise to enhance memory.

"No need. You passed that test."

Jungkook grinned. It crinkled up his hickory eyes and made his bunny-like nose scrunch up and twitch a couple times. His thin lips parted to reveal his straight white teeth. Taehyung didn't smile much on the job. Not because he didn't want to, but because he was anti-social to the point where he didn't know the personalities his fellow Stalkers. All he knew was he had a solid squad with the best results in the entire HQ.

After observing Jungkook's smile for a few beats, Taehyung entered the gym with Jungkook behind him. Soft grunts filled the room with a faint rock song playing on the speakers always set to the lowest volume. The walls were thin enough that noises could disrupt the general chatter outside. Part of Taehyung wondered why bother with having a gym if it was isolated all the time, but he shrugged the thought off and waved to the men in the room who all wore headphones and sweated through their standard-issue black tank tops and matching shorts. Even their leg hair had sweat in it.

The various machines surrounding him hummed from inactivity, beeping to show they wanted customers. Black mats covered the ground, and there was padding on the walls scattered around to soften any blows if a Stalker got thrown into them. They didn't soundproof the place, but they helped with injuries.

Taehyung guided Jungkook to the corner, where a tiny lounge area waited. There were three cushioned chairs, two metal chairs, and three couches. All black, of course. It was the Stalker theme.

Taehyung slumped down in one of the cushioned seats and motioned for Jungkook to sit across from him. The bunny boy did. Taehyung had his head tilted to the side and his legs sprawled out while Jungkook crossed his legs and sat with his shoulders straight and his gaze locked ahead.

"What's the first order of business? What's my first case?" Jungkook asked, and Taehyung sighed.

"Not a happy one."

"Are any of them happy, sir?"

Taehyung sat up more than usual and hung his head. "Sometimes we get happy endings, but never happy beginnings. This one's particularly grueling, though. I'm calling it the Twenty-Years case."

"Twenty? Why twenty?"

"We found a woman named Adeline in a man's basement last night, and she was down there for twenty full years. I don't think I've ever seen a case this severe before."

If any amusement was left on Jungkook's face, it disappeared after hearing that. He went quiet, allowing Taehyung to hear the grunts and exertions from the men working out in the vicinity. It smelled of sweet mixed with the Febreze air freshener Stalkers sprayed in every square inch of the HQ.

"What do we do?"

Taehyung brushed it off with a hand wave. "Nothing. We're not the FBI. I helped the victim was best I could, now it's up to the FBI to take over the investigation and find a way to bs some reason to investigate the house legally."

"How long will that take?"

Jungkook bounced up in his seat and lost his proper posture to instead stare into Taehyung's eyes. Private Jeon rubbed his hands over his knees and nibbled on his lower lip as he anticipated the answer. That time, he didn't pressure Taehyung to speak, but he had to work on that poker face.

"Days, weeks, months, years... or maybe not at all. Sometimes it doesn't work out, but we Stalkers know to keep an eye on the offenders, even if they can't get jail time."

Jungkook groaned and flung himself back in the chair. Throughout all the commotion, he kept his legs crossed and his nails near his mouth to chew on. "So we let the offenders walk free?"

"We don't have a choice. What we're doing isn't legal, and if the civilians found out, we'd have Florida men knocking down our doors."

It sounded like a joke, but it wasn't. If the people discovered their secret organization, riots would break out, and Florida would be at the center of them, considering their political views. As harsh as it sounded, Taehyung couldn't blame them. He had no set political views—he had no time for politics—but he couldn't help but sympathize. A secret branch of special forces right under everyone's noses that breaks into people's houses who are potentially innocent? Yeah, no. Innocent until proven guilty would be thrown out the window, and the people would have the right to be enraged about that.

Jungkook raised both his brows. "Is that... a problem for you?"

"I'm sorry?" For a beat, Taehyung's poker face became contorted with curled up lips and a nostril flare. He got it back under control a moment later.

"Doing this. It's illegal, and the people would hate it. Have you ever thought about leaving?"

"Never. What we do helps more than it hurts. We just saved a woman trapped in a basement for twenty years. Isn't that worth any cost?" Taehyung asked. He didn't mean for his pitch to go up an octave, but it happened anyway.

"I don't know, I haven't started the job yet."

"Why'd you take it if you weren't sure?"

Jungkook took his time to reply. Taehyung gripped the armrests and did his best to maintain steady eye contact. It took five full seconds for Jungkook to part his lips again.

"They offered a better salary for more dangerous work. That money is too good to pass off." He stopped himself and lowered his tone to a whisper. "Especially for me."

Taehyung didn't bother questioning what that last bit meant. It wasn't that he disliked Jungkook, it was that Taehyung didn't care for engaging in social interaction, and he also didn't care for training recruits when they had plenty of Stalkers who could. Taehyung had proven himself time and time again and was one of the best in the department, so they should keep him on the actual job, not training. Still, Jungkook could blossom into a powerful ally. It'd be silly to cast him aside or underestimate him, so Taehyung decided to be cold but not mean. Rudeness never got him anywhere anyway.

"Money is a good motivator, so you'll do fine. But enough with the boring stuff, let's talk business. When you're on a mission, you listen to the squad, but you listen to me above all else. Understood?"

Jungkook didn't hesitate. "Yes, sir."

"Good. You follow my lead and stay in the middle so my squad can direct you. For the first few missions, you'll do nothing. You'll walk in, watch us do our jobs, then walk out. Don't shoot, don't talk, don't call back to command to check in—nothing. It's one thing to know the textbook, but it's another to know the actual job. Don't try to do the job until you've shadowed us. I'll tell you when I want you to start participating."

Jungkook accepted all of Taehyung's terms, leaving nothing left to discuss. To be frank, Taehyung didn't want to sit there and explain Night Stalking 101. He had had a long day, and the next one would be longer with not one but two new suspects to investigate, and one of them was in an apartment. Apartments were ten times harder than homes, and stronger precautions had to be put in place. Bonus points if there were cameras. Disguises were in place so no cameras could recognize them, but they preferred to attach a cover to the camera, like slime or a sock.

Jungkook didn't say anything further, and Taehyung watched the man watch him. No words flew between them. The soft groans replaced their conversation, and Taehyung didn't mind.

His lids felt like they would snap shut at any given moment, though one thought in his brain kept him awake: Adeline. Jungkook's frustrations with the FBI being unable to solve cases due to the legalities struck something in Taehyung. It wasn't the FBI's fault, but it didn't change how irritating it was seeing criminals run free. Not only because of the nobility of it, but also because it meant Taehyung and his team had to keep a closer eye on those criminals.

The FBI had their ways of getting what they wanted, like using the IRS to find wrongdoers. Countless cases stemmed from the IRS finding something wrong with someone's taxes and acting on it. No one, not even the IRS, liked the IRS; however, Taehyung had to admit they were useful at times. But not useful enough to lock all criminals behind bars. Including the one who had hurt Adeline.

The image of her in her fluffy socks didn't leave his brain, and he rubbed his fingers over his nose before standing and doing his best to shake it off. It had been a long night, and sleep called his name.

Jungkook jumped to his feet. "What now?"

"We go home and sleep. Congratulations, that was your first day. Short and boring, but tomorrow? Be ready, and be here at twelve o'clock sharp. In the morning, obviously." Wouldn't be much of a Night Stalker if they worked in the afternoon.

Jungkook beamed and bounced on the tips of his toes, his hands retreating to his sides to give his poor nails a break. Then, he stiffened, and the nails got chewed on not even ten seconds after he relaxed them. "Wait... for what?"

The bunny boy didn't attempt to guess or pry any deeper. Although he bit on his nails until they were jagged and nearing the point of bleeding, he kept his eyes steady and his posture straight. Improvement. That confirmed to Taehyung that Jungkook was ready, and he cracked a grin at that.

"Your first mission."

☾☼☽

A/n: I'm sorry, there's just something so attractive to me about Taehyung being in this field of special forces and being a leader dnvkdskvs-

I need help

Anywho, I know I don't update this story often, but today's my birthday, so as part of the birthday bash, I'm updating most of my stories! I hope you liked it, and this isn't meant to be a long story, so I hope I can get back to it and finish it soon.

Thank you for over 2,000 followers and almost 2.1k only a week after getting 2k. That's wild, I can't believe how fast we're growing. As promised, since I got 2k by my birthday, I will release another story over the summer. To vote on what story you'd like to see, check the inline comment here to go to an anonymous form and vote!