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warning: blood, violence, and death

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"Beautiful performance, Jeongguk!"

Jeongguk smiled, hugging Hoseok as he walked off of a small stage. The crowd applauded lightly and Jeongguk followed Hoseok to a spot at the bar.

Hoseok was his best friend, his manager, and sometimes a performer just like Jeongguk. The man gave him a pat on the back, a big smile on his face as the two sat down at the bar.

"How did you feel about your performance?" Hoseok asked, pushing his styled, light brown hair out of the way and sending Jeongguk a smile that made his heart skip a beat.

"I-It was good," Jeongguk muttered, thanking the bartender when he put two bottles of soda in front of them. The two had an unspoken rule of not drinking when they had to work the next day.

Hoseok grinned, taking a sip from the glass bottle, "Well, I thought it was amazing." Jeongguk giggled. "Hm? Queen of Hearts?"

"Hyung," Jeongguk whined, his face heating up at the thought of his stage name. Hoseok only sent him another dazzling smile.

"Jeongguk!"

Jeongguk turned around, finding himself an armful of Park Jimin. The aforementioned giggled, hugging Jeongguk tightly. Jeongguk smiled, resting his chin atop Jimin's bleached hair, ignoring the slightly annoyed stare from Hoseok.

"Your performance was so wonderful!" Jimin said, putting some space between the two--much to Hoseok's relief--and letting his hands rest on Jeongguk's shoulders.

Jeongguk beamed at the compliment. "Really?" Jimin nodded eagerly, his blonde hair bouncing with the ferocity of it. Jeongguk giggled again and Jimin moved to another chair beside the two, not batting an eye as Hoseok pulled Jeongguk's chair closer to his own.

"Are you going to put on a wig and everything tomorrow night?" Jimin asked, his eyes glowing with curiosity. Jeongguk hesitated for a moment.

"All the customers have been waiting for the Queen of Hearts to return in her full form," Jimin added and Jeongguk shuddered at his poor choice of words.

"Maybe," he mumbled. The urge to wipe off the little red heart under his eye had never grown so strong.

Jeongguk wasn't entirely sure when he began to feel this way about drag. It was always something he had loved to do, an expression of himself. Maybe it was the weird stares he got from Kim Taehyung. Because there was no person in the club who disliked his performances except for him.

"Either way," Hoseok began, reaching out to thumb at the little heart on Jeongguk's cheek, "Jeonggukie would look amazing."

Right. Hoseok was also his lover.

Jeongguk would admit that it was difficult sometimes for them to have a relationship. The 1950s were not forgiving, especially to homosexuals. They couldn't ever act the way they wanted in public. Their only safe places were their apartment and the bar they worked at, conveniently named the King of Hearts.

"Shall we head back home, love?" Hoseok asked gently, thanking the bartender when he took his empty soda bottle. Jeongguk hesitated, glancing over at Jimin. His heart melted when he found the boy pouting at him.

"I guess we can stay a little longer," Jeongguk said, giggling when Jimin's face immediately lit up. Hoseok smiled at the two of them and watched as Jimin dragged Jeongguk off in a random direction.

"Those two have way too much energy," the bartender--Yoongi--mumbled, cleaning a glass beside Hoseok. Hoseok sighed and nodded, leaning against the counter and watching Jimin and Jeongguk giggle beside the radio.

Hoseok turned to Yoongi, grabbing Jeongguk's half-emptied soda bottle and taking a sip. "Has business been good?" he asked, and scolded himself mentally for asking such a lame question.

Yoongi laughed, placing a wine glass down. "It's been good, but I can tell that Joon and Tae have been getting a little antsy." Hoseok hummed.

"Did you think about joining us?" Yoongi asked, his voice hushed and hidden under the mindless chatter of the bar. Hoseok sighed, putting the soda bottle down and glaring up at Yoongi.

Yoongi glared back just as menacingly. "I'm not sure how Jeongguk would react to it," Hoseok said quietly, glancing over his shoulder at the boy dancing with Jimin.

"He doesn't have to know."

Hoseok paused. "Yeah, you're right."

"Besides," Yoongi began, rolling his eyes when a customer waved at him, "He practically approves of everything you do."

Hoseok nodded. "I just don't think it's something to get involved with. Jeongguk already gets worried when he reads about gangs in the paper," he added and Yoongi hummed.

"Well, we should probably get going," Hoseok said, getting up and tossing a few bills on the counter. Yoongi picked them up, sending Hoseok one last glare, before wandering off to some other customer.

Hoseok wandered through the speakeasy in search of Jeongguk. He found him by the radio with Jimin, the two gossiping about anything and everything.

"Ready to head home, doll?" Hoseok asked, walking up to the two and placing an arm around Jeongguk's waist. Jeongguk nodded, hugging Jimin before Hoseok dragged him off to the car.

The moment they stepped out of the bar, Hoseok's hand disappeared from Jeongguk's side and the two put a noticeable amount of space between them. Jeongguk pulled a napkin from his pocket and quickly wiped off the heart under his eye, glancing around to make sure no one saw.

The drive home was quiet; the only noise was from the radio and other cars outside. City lights shined softly around them as the two made their way back to their apartment.

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"Jeongguk, it's almost two in the morning," Hoseok grumbled, running his hands through his hair out of frustration. He was dressed in striped pajamas and slippers, and looked like he did not want to be awake at that moment.

"So why are you hungry?" Hoseok asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Jeongguk pouted at him from his spot in the kitchen.

He sighed. "I don't know," he began, looking at the fridge and the pantry, "Maybe I didn't eat enough for dinner."

"So why did you have to wake me up?" Hoseok asked again, fighting back a yawn and trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes. Jeongguk pursed his lips together.

"Because I'm hungry?"

Hoseok groaned.

"Doll," Hoseok began, stumbling into the kitchen and towards the pantry, "You can always eat a snack." He gestured towards the pantry stocked with food. Jeongguk shook his head.

"Can we just head down to the bar?" Jeongguk began, playing with his fingers anxiously. "Jin-hyung wouldn't mind making me something."

Hoseok frowned. "But I don't think we should be bothering them," Jeongguk nodded sadly, "Especially considering that it's almost two in the morning. On a Wednesday," Hoseok chided. Then he paused for a moment, and a mischievous grin took over his face.

"Well I guess it's Thursday now."

"Aish, Hyung," Jeongguk whined, "Are we going or not?"

Hoseok hesitated, his eyes raking over Jeongguk's face. "Fine, but as long as you change into something else."

Jeongguk smiled.

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"See?" Jeongguk said once they walked into the bar, the lights turned down low and the place mysteriously quiet. "It's not that bad."

Hoseok sighed, pulling Jeongguk close to him. "And there's only one other person here!" Jeongguk beamed, holding tightly onto Hoseok's arm. Hoseok couldn't be mad at that.

"Is Jin-hyung even here?" Hoseok asked, staring at the back of a customer's head; the only other customer in the bar. He looked vaguely familiar, yet definitely suspicious. His hair was tousled around his head, and Hoseok could only imagine that he had dark circles under his eyes.

"Hyung?" Jeongguk spoke up from beside him. Hoseok looked at him, confusion washing over his face. "Did you hear what I said?" Jeongguk asked, albeit a little quieter and a little more disheartened.

"Oh, I'm sorry, love," Hoseok mumbled, hoping that his half-assed apology was enough. Jeongguk repeated what he was saying, but Hoseok was more focused on customer in front of him.

He had on a black suit. Hoseok could tell that it fell more on the expensive side, yet it fit his form very poorly. Hoseok frowned. Why would this man be out at the same time they were? And in a full suit?

Hoseok couldn't help but feel suspicious.

Jeongguk had stopped talking, mumbling something about being ignored, and turned to smile at Jimin. Jimin stood behind the bar, Yoongi long gone, and smiled back, rolling his eyes at whatever the customer in front of him said.

"You think you can roll your eyes at me, bitch?" the customer spat, startling poor Jimin. Jeongguk opened his mouth to fight back, but was stopped by Hoseok when the customer reached for something at his side.

That's why it didn't fit him, Hoseok thought.

"It's a fucking gun," Hoseok mumbled, getting the attention of the three other men in the room. He pulled Jeongguk closer to his body, his heart clenching when he saw how Jeongguk's face had paled, and sent a concerned stare to Jimin.

The man huffed, an indignant smirk on his face. "Look's like he's right," he mumbled, pulling out a pistol from under his suit jacket. Jimin stared at him blankly, looking bored, and rolled his eyes again, much to the man's dismay.

"What do you want?" Jimin snapped, leaning against the bar and putting his head in his hands. The man glared down at him, and Jimin flinched when he heard him disable the safety on his gun.

"Put your fucking hands up!" the man yelled, aiming his pistol directly at Jimin. Jimin did so, slowly, and moved out of the way as the man jumped over the counter, headed towards the cash register.

He paused, and turned around and looked directly at Hoseok and Jeongguk. "And you two better not fucking leave," he spat again, waving his gun haphazardly at the two. Jeongguk froze beside Hoseok.

The man started going through the cash register, messily shoving large bills inside his pockets. Jimin stared at him, disgust dripping from his features, and casually knocked over a wine glass.

The glass came crashing to the floor, shattering into hundreds of tiny pieces against the wood floors, startling both Jeongguk and Hoseok, and getting the attention of the man. The man turned to Jimin, a scowl on his face, but he froze when Jimin smirked at him.

"What the hell?" the man glared at Jimin, his gun long forgotten. Jimin shrugged, the smirk on his face growing wider.

"I just think it's funny," Jimin teased, pushing another glass off the counter. The glass shattered atop its twin, joining a pile of sharp shards.

The man clenched his jaw. "What's funny?" Jimin smiled.

"How you think you can steal from one of the most powerful mafia bosses in the country."

Namjoon and Jin burst into the room through a door behind the bar, each with a pistol in hand. The man turned to the two of them, panic quickly spreading on his face. He opened his mouth to speak--

Bang!

But before he had the chance to, Namjoon had put a bullet through his head.

The sound of the bullet echoed in Jeongguk's mind. He stared at the spot where the man once was, too afraid to look over the counter and see what happened to his body.

"Jimin-ah, this is why we don't want you working alone," Jin scolded, clicking the safety on his gun and tucking it in somewhere under his own suit jacket. He looked down at the body and frowned, wandering off and mumbling something about bleach.

"This always happens when you work alone, Jimin," Namjoon added and Jimin pouted. Jeongguk only froze, however. Always happens?

Jeongguk turned to Hoseok slowly, his face pale. Hoseok looked down at him, opening his mouth to try and comfort him, but Jeongguk's eyes went wide when he saw Yoongi behind Hoseok.

Hoseok followed Jeongguk's gaze, a little surprised when he saw Yoongi standing behind him. Yoongi smirked at him and placed a threatening hand on Hoseok's shoulder.

"How does joining us sound now?" Yoongi rasped, the smirk on his face growing even wider. Hoseok bit his lip, sending a nervous glance to Jeongguk.

Jeongguk only stared at the two, his eyes widened in fear and his face pale. He turned to the three behind the counter, shaking his head at the new revelation.

"Y-You guys are in the mafia?" Jeongguk said, not even believing the words that came out of his mouth. He watched as everyone nodded slowly. Including Hoseok.

"H-Hobi-hyung?!" Jeongguk squeaked, looking at Hoseok surprisedly. Hoseok looked at him sadly, reaching a hand out to Jeongguk.

"Dollie, love," he began, reaching out to Jeongguk but Yoongi pulled him back. Hoseok sent Yoongi a glare from over his shoulder, but his face softened when he turned back to Jeongguk.

"Jeongguk, it's not what it looks like," he muttered sadly. Jeongguk stared at him in disbelief, shaking his head and glancing around the room.

"I... I need some air," he muttered quickly, his head tilted towards the ground as he turned around. He took a step forward, ignoring the warnings coming from behind him, and ran straight into someone.

Jeongguk looked up, coming face to face with the last person he wanted to see in that moment. Taehyung, with his long black hair and eyes that glared down at him. With his expensive suits and watches and shoes.

"I don't think so," Taehyung mumbled to Jeongguk, a dark smirk on his face. Jeongguk stepped back, but Taehyung grabbed his wrists, holding on tightly much to Jeongguk's dismay.

"L-Let go!" Jeongguk said, trying to pull away from Taehyung. Taehyung only held onto his wrists tighter, a bruising grip that made Jeongguk want to yell out.

Hoseok glared at him, and if Yoongi didn't have his fingers digging into Hoseok's shoulders, he probably would have walked over to the two of them.

"Don't treat him like that!" Hoseok yelled, his jaw clenched and his eyebrows furrowed together. Hoseok glowered at Taehyung, The room went quiet, everyone focused on Taehyung and Hoseok.

Taehyung stared at Hoseok for a while, and then his lips quirked into a smirk. He pulled Jeongguk--by the wrists--closer to his body, the boy falling onto his chest. Jeongguk squeaked and Taehyung's smirk grew, putting a hand on Jeongguk's waist to anger Hoseok further.

"Cut it out, Kim!" Hoseok growled. Jeongguk tried to pull his wrists away, hissing when Taehyung once again squeezed harder. Jeongguk bit his lip and lifted his foot up, bringing it down harshly on Taehyung's foot.

Taehyung yelped and let go of the boy's wrists, falling to the ground to his foot. He cursed, and Jeongguk used the distraction to run out of the bar and onto the street.

It was still very early in the morning, the wind bit at his cheeks and the cold nipped at his fingers. He ran, not getting very far when he looked over his shoulder and saw Taehyung running after him.

Taehyung was limping a bit, wincing every time he stepped with his left foot, but still quickly caught up to Jeongguk. He brought the boy to the ground, slapping a hand over Jeongguk's mouth before he could yell.

Jeongguk fell into Taehyung's lap, his back against the man's chest. He tried to squirm, but a strong arm wrapped around his waist and kept him from moving. Taehyung pulled the two of them against a wall, out of the street and hidden in the shadows.

Jeongguk's heart threatened to eat out of his chest. He glanced around nervously, hoping that someone, Hoseok, would run around the corner and help him. But no one came.

Maybe it was a good thing that nobody came, since they would see the situation they were in and think it was something... different. Or maybe they would get Taehyung in trouble, and Taehyung would come back to Jeongguk with vengeance.

Both thoughts were equally as terrifying.

"Don't fucking try it," Taehyung mumbled into his ear. Jeongguk's teeth grazed against his hand, a moment away from biting down, hard. But he stopped, he closed his mouth, and willed the panic to dissipate.

"Now," Taehyung began, jostling Jeongguk around in his hold, "Are you going to fucking listen?" Jeongguk paused for a moment, his heart racing faster. He nodded, his hair bobbing up and down. His eyes were blown wide and his hands gripped onto Taehyung's arm.

"Great!" Taehyung said, the joyful tone completely contrasting the way he looked with Jeongguk. He hoisted the two of them up, still holding on tightly to Jeongguk's waist. Jeongguk shivered, following Taehyung back to the bar.

The two walked in through the heavy doors. Jeongguk eye's immediately darted to Hoseok. Hoseok looked at him, letting out a sigh of relief, and ran towards him, shaking off Yoongi's tight grip.

"Jeongguk, love, are you okay?" Hoseok asked, pushing Taehyung off of Jeongguk and holding the boy's face delicately in his hands. Hoseok stared at him, his eyes raking over his face in search of anything besides Jeongguk's original panic.

Jeongguk glanced at Hoseok, then at Taehyung, who had begun to make his way across the room to the others. Jeongguk held onto Hoseok's hands, taking them off of his face and letting them fall by Hoseok's side.

"I... I'm fine," he mumbled, not daring to meet Hoseok's gaze.

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i've restarted this book so many times now (lmao) but i think it's good now!