☂ Chapter 25 ☂

"I gotta go."

Y/n's voice was soft as it pressed against Jimin's lips, and he gazed down at her, breathless and with fluttering eyes. The windows of his cruiser were all fogged up, but he didn't care. It wasn't like he wanted to stargaze anyway.

"Five more minutes," he said, and she nodded without protest. He took it as permission to continue making out with her.

Her legs wrapped around his waist as he moaned into the kiss, his eyes squeezed shut and his hands roaming her body. The uniform hiding her precious skin unbuttoned and revealed her bra. He kissed down her neck and collarbone, kissing every inch he could get. They'd never get a moment like that again, and he cherished it.

He wasn't stupid; he knew his choice would have consequences. After all, the body cam footage from his conversation with Revan was under review by Jungkook himself. Revan had admitted to the child trafficking and then some. Jimin chose not to arrest him. Although it had been days since that conversation and the warehouse siege, Jimin couldn't comprehend why. He knew letting such a huge criminal go wouldn't be without punishment, yet he did it anyway.

"Jimin," her sweet voice said in a gasp, and he savored it, warping it around his brain and replaying it until he felt numb. All while his lips pranced over her neck and down to her bra, kissing the lace and massaging her hips in the process.

"I love you so much." His voice was a mere whisper as it pressed on her hips. "There's no one I want more than you, princess."

He came back up and kissed her lips, unable to help himself. They were too sweet... too tempting. Every time he tried to kiss anywhere other than her lips, he found himself needy for her again. It ended with him on top of her and making out with her. The desperation soaked through his actions, and he swore it was so overwhelming that his fingertips left puddles of need on each inch of her he touched.

"I really gotta go." But her voice was muffled by his mouth. It didn't stop her from trying, though. "I got a lead on my old man, I need to go find him."

That caused him to perk up with his hair falling in his face. The blonde locks obstructed his perfect view of her, and she reached up to brush them back. He locked eyes with her, and he had to force himself not to kiss her again.

"You're going to find him? You're serious?"

She hummed, and it sounded like heaven. "Turns out 1PP is resourceful, so yeah, I'm gonna try to find him."

"Oh, gee, the police station has resources? You're a modern Sherlock, baby."

"Shut up, goofball."

He laughed until squeaky sounds came out, and she sat up, brushing his hair down and snuggling up with him in his humid car. All the windows fogged up, and Y/n reached back to draw a smiley face on the closest one. He chuckled and pecked her forehead, buttoning her uniform back up.

"Guess I'll have to fuck you in my apartment instead," he whispered, pressing wet kisses to her cheek and jaw while his hands ran over her curves. "On the wall, the floor, the couch, the bed..."

She snickered and pulled on his shirt as her body squirmed in his grasp. "You're too horny for your own good, Mimi."

"Mm, I just want to spend time with my girl, is that so hard to ask?"

He stopped his barrage of affections to instead pull back and admire her. As always, she had a determined gaze, but that time, it crinkled her nose and cheeks, almost like a smile without her lips moving.

"Never, but I need to go find my old man," she said with a sigh. He couldn't tell if it was a relieved or exasperated one. "It might take a while, so I gotta start now."

"New York is pretty big, so..." He paused to tuck her hair behind her ear. "I'm proud of you, honey. Finding him is a huge step-"

"And one you're taking with me." Out of her pocket, she pulled the locket Jimin had grown accustomed to. Before he could question her, she snorted. "You left it on your nightstand yesterday. Y'know, when you were fucking my brains out for the like tenth time in one week?"

Oh, whoops. Yeah, he had been fucking her a bunch that week.

In his defense, it had been a stressful week. It started with the warehouse siege, and it continued with Jimin wondering when Captain Jeon would reprimand him for letting Revan go. Any day he'd receive the radio call telling him he fucked up and needed to go.

Jimin snatched the locket and put it on. "Thanks, baby."

The cool metal meshed with his warm flesh and created goosebumps on his arms. He rubbed them before backing away from his lover to give her space to breathe. She patted down her bumpy uniform and messy hair, but it didn't matter; they weren't on the clock anymore. Hell, they weren't partners anymore either. Although Jungkook hadn't spoken to Jimin about the whole Revan situation yet, he had spoken to them about no longer being partners. It wasn't a good idea for lovers to be partners. Too much of a risk to conflict of interests. But, Jimin didn't have to deal with Kasper the friendly ghost anymore. The racist bastard got fired thanks to Jungkook, who had far more confidence following the trafficking case's closure.

Taking out that warehouse boosted morale across the entire state, not just the City. It made national headlines and was celebrated on all the news sites. It was safe to say Jungkook's position as captain was solidified. Shit, his handling of the warehouse siege got praised by the commissioner. Jimin was half-surprised Jungkook didn't get promoted. Not that he thought Jungkook would accept the promotion anyway, but still.

"You're crushing me," Y/n said after he secured the locket, and he huffed at that.

"You're into it."

Either way, he slid off her and made both of them presentable before they departed the backseat and returned to their respective seats up front. Y/n took the passenger princess role (a role Jimin wanted), and Jimin drove, strolling the streets of New York City. The night sky lacked clouds, though the foggy windows made up for it. Well, they calmed down. Only the backseat had evidence of Y/n and Jimin's dirty dancing. Dirty dancing they'd finish later.

"Where do you want me to drop you? 1PP? Even though we're off-duty?" he asked, and she shrugged while doodling on the window.

"Home's fine. Captain Jeon let me take some stuff-"

Squeak!

Speak of the devil, Captain Jeon's voice called over the radio, asking for Jimin to pick up. Jimin didn't want to, considering he knew what it'd be about, but he did anyway, not wanting to dig himself into a deeper hole.

"Officer Park here."

Jungkook didn't hesitate to reply, even with all the interference. "I need to talk to you. Get back to 1PP now."

Jimin acknowledged the request and put the radio down, swerving off to travel to Y/n's place. She froze and glanced between him and the outside before settling on him.

"1PP is the other way."

"Nooo, I forgot the directions to the place I've worked for longer than you've been alive? Wow, thank you, Y/n. You're continuing to prove how much of a Sherlock you are."

Y/n crossed her arms over her chest. "What do you mean for longer than I've been alive? We're both in our twenties-"

"Lalala, can't hear you," Jimin interrupted, speeding up a bit. Who cared? What were they gonna do, pull him over? "I'm taking you home first. Jungkook can wait. Not like I wanna hear what he has to say anyway."

Besides, Jimin was off-duty. Calling him back in meant it would be the "talk" about the Revan situation, and Jimin knew that wouldn't go over well. Y/n did, too. She didn't say it out loud, but he knew without needing to ask.

"Sure, sure." Y/n waved him off with a chuckle, leaning her head against the window. "But I think you're trying to blow him off and do me instead."

"Baby, I'm always trying to do you."

He winked as he said it, and Y/n rolled her eyes. He could see the smile on her face, though. That was all that mattered: her beautiful grin. Even after all their time together, her joy made heat spread through his body.

The rest of the ride to Y/n's place wasn't eventful. Sure, Jimin ogled her whenever he stopped at a red light, but that was normal and expected. He rested his hand on her thigh whenever he could, though it was harder to do that thanks to New York City drivers being... well, New York City drivers.

It took ten minutes to reach her place, and he hesitated before putting the car in park. His hand lingered over the gear shift before he sighed and glanced up at her curious gaze. Those wide eyes never got old.

"I love you, baby," he said, and she hummed and placed her hand on his cheek.

"I love you, too. And whatever happens with Jungkook, it'll be okay. You know that, right?"

No, he didn't, but when she said it, it felt true.

"I know," he whispered, closing the gap to kiss her one last time. Like parking, he hesitated as he did so, only pulling back after he was satisfied by how much he got.

"Good boy."

"I-"

But she slammed the door behind her before he could get a word in. He sat there, stunned and with a boner, his eyes as wide as her curious ones were. After clearing his throat, rethinking his life choices, and watching her wave as she entered her complex, he managed to pull out of the curbside and back onto the street, letting out a low whistle from her words. Alright, was it that obvious Jimin had a praise kink? He didn't need his girlfriend riling him up before an important meeting, yet there he was, sitting there with a problem. It'd have to go away, though; he had a far larger problem ahead.

A problem that would likely result in him getting fired.

Jimin didn't focus on that as he sped to 1PP. Taking ten years to get there thanks to stopping by Y/n's place first would anger Jungkook enough, so Jimin let his tiny foot press down on the gas to get him there faster. As fast as New York City traffic would allow, anyway. It was filled with beeps and New York accents shouting at one another. Sometimes, stereotypes were true.

Five minutes later, Jimin walked through 1PP without sparing a glance toward any particular officer. If they spoke to him or looked in his direction, he didn't notice. His eyes remained on their target: Captain Jeon's office. He didn't bother knocking as he entered.

Captain Jeon sat behind his desk. For once, there weren't bags under his eyes, and he wasn't slumped in front of his computer. In fact, his computer was off. The man peered at Jimin for a long, quiet beat. Then, he motioned for Jimin to sit in front of him.

Jimin shut the door and did as he was told without speaking, figuring protests or questions would ruin the moment. His legs crossed over one another as he plopped on the squishy chair. Other than the creaks from the radiator and distant chatter outside muffled by the thick walls, it was silent.

"You let Revan go for no reason," Jungkook started. Yep. Jimin saw that one coming. "I've watched the footage over a dozen times now, y'know that? I thought maybe there'd be a reason, but there wasn't. He admitted to the crimes. We had him dead to rights, but you let him go. Why?"

"He was a dying man, Jungkook. I saw him cough out blood with my own eyes. Not to mention he gave us useful intel, so what if he's a good informant later on?"

"That's not your decision to make. Are you forgetting you were on a tightrope to begin with? You roughed up Kasper in a hospital and kept reacting out of emotions instead of need. I know part of the job is having emotions and making decisions based on people's situations, but Revan kidnapped kids. Maybe it was for a noble reason, but again, that's not for him to decide. He's not above the law. Neither are you."

"And where's Kasper now?"

Jungkook set his jaw. "Me firing him doesn't change your actions while he was on the force. I know you hated him, we all did, but that doesn't change anything else I said, so stop ignoring the problem and answer me. Why did you let Revan go?"

"I told you why: there was no reason to waste time and money on a dying man who wouldn't live until court."

"You took the word of a criminal on that?"

Jimin curled his lip up. "Jungkook, you saw the footage, okay? The dude was coughing out blood and looked dead on the inside. It's only a matter of time before that's on the outside too."

"So you don't even try to bring him in? You let him go?"

Jimin stood, unable to handle sitting anymore. He pressed his hands against the desk, leaning closer. "I told you: he could be a useful informant. Arresting him wouldn't have solved anything."

"You don't know that. And if what you're saying is true that he won't live long enough to make it to court, then what makes you think he'll live long enough to be a useful informant?" Jungkook mimicked Jimin's position, rising from his chair and slamming his hands on the table. "Jimin, what the hell were you thinking?"

Jimin dug his nails into the desk, figuring it was time to stop bullshitting. "I was thinking about June."

A soft huff left Jimin's parched throat as he slumped back down and rested a hand on his head. Jungkook didn't reply, not that he needed to. Jimin's admission gave him all the information he needed.

Jungkook cleared his throat. "I want your badge and your gun."

Jimin obliged.

"I don't want to fire you, but-"

"Stop talking," Jimin interrupted in a mumble, rubbing the bridge of his nose before lowering his arm to stare at Captain Jeon. "I'll make it easy for you: I resign. I messed up, Jungkook, I know, but we saved those kids. I don't regret that. I'll never regret that. So... fire me, yell at me, do whatever, but you aren't getting an apology."

"I don't want one. I want you to act like a damn cop."

"Why? I'm not one anymore." Jimin got back up and dusted himself off, rounding the chair before sighing. "You were right, okay? I'm not cut out for the job, I'm carrying too much with me."

"And that's okay," Jungkook said, causing Jimin to freeze. "Life is unbelievably hard, Jimin. I know that better than anyone. When my dad used to..." Jungkook clutched the desk harder than before, trailing off for a moment. "He told me I wasn't good enough. I thought he was right, but do you think he was?"

"Of course not."

"Glad we're in agreement. I didn't let my dad tell me what to feel, so why are you letting everyone else tell you what you're feeling? You're struggling, and that's okay." Jungkook stopped to run a hand through his hair. "But I think you should go figure it out. I need you to act like a cop, Jimin, so take time to yourself, and then maybe come back after I tell the commissioner that Revan was a mistake."

"Don't. I'm serious, Kook: I quit. You just got your name restored, so don't risk anything more for me, you already did that enough. Besides, it's time I move on. From the force, from my past, from... from Irene. I need a calm job. Something better for me." Jimin went to the door and gripped the handle. "It's time I try to be a good dad to my son."

Jungkook chuckled, grabbing Jimin's badge and gun from off the desk before holding them against his chest and nodding. "Good luck, Mr. Park."

Jimin shot Jungkook a soft smile. It played with his cheeks, and he was sure a dimple showed. It didn't crinkle his eyes. Not yet, at least. Not until he made more steps to find his son. And that was what he'd do. Over the next few weeks, he'd put together a plan to be the best dad he could be. The dad June deserved. So, he laughed.

"Thank you, Captain Jeon."

☂☂☂