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Namjoon’s legs hurt.
They’ve been in this room for more than an hour already, and he’s hasn’t sat down once, his steps had to be brief considering the amount of space he had available to move, if it were for him, he would’ve stayed sat, but Jungkook got up on his feet after about ten minutes of interrogation and he hadn’t wanted to look like he wasn’t taking this as seriously as his partner was. Working as a team and all that jazz.
He’s been trying really hard to look like this is as serious to him as it is for Jungkook, although he’s not entirely sure he’s been doing a good job, considering the only other person in the room who isn’t Jungkook keeps giving him looks which seem to be begging him to put an end to this nonsense. He plays dumb, still, cause the only other person in the room besides his coworker is an alleged (read: most definitely) a criminal.
Although Jungkook could’ve stayed sat for at least a bit longer. Dear God, they are not even an inch closer to getting a confession out of their suspect.
“Where were you last night at seven p.m?” Jungkook asks one more time, and Namjoon holds back the urge to groan. He’s not sure why he’s so keen on keeping this guy in the interrogating room, and he hadn't had a chance to ask him before they got in here, so it’s not like he can find out now. To him, it’s quite ridiculous to give this much time to someone who clearly won’t budge under pressure.
“I already told you three times. I was home, showering, and then I heard the explosion.”
“Can you prove that you were showering?”
“Yes. I have cameras everywhere at home. I already told you that too. I can call someone so they can bring footage.” He insists, but Jungkook just pushes his tongue against his cheek.
“You won’t call anyone. You refused to use your call before.” It’s Namjoon who interjects, because Jungkook looks so frustrated that Namjoon wouldn’t put it past him to just yell at their suspect right now.
“That doesn’t sound very legal. I don’t think it works like that, Joonie.” He receives a sardonic smile in response, along with the inappropriate use of a nickname. He feels like he should be angrier at this guy’s audacity, but really, he only wants to go home. It is two am in the fucking morning.
“You have no right to speak to us like that, Taehyung.”
Taehyung exaggeratedly rolls his eyes and sighs softly. “How sensitive you cops are.” He says as he picks his nails disinterestedly, playing with his tongue in his mouth, weirdly similar and contrasting Jungkook’s own mannerism. He has a perfect manicure, and he looks unbothered while sitting at their table with his fur coat, his legs crossed and his eyelashes arched. He looks pristine, mostly unbothered, like this is just like being stuck in traffic for him, like the death, the tragic death of his husband involving a terrible explosion hasn’t made the least impact on him.
“Detectives, Mr. Kim.”
“Call me Taehyung.” He says, winking at Namjoon, which seems to anger Jungkook even more, as he slams his hand on the metal table.
“Keep formalities, Mr. Kim. You’re still under interrogation.”
“I’m aware. I’ve been sitting here for almost two hours now. My ass is flat. Can I leave now?”
“Sure.” Jungkook nods, crossing his arms, taking a deep breath and puffing out his chest. “As soon as you admit that you killed Choi Hyungsoo, you can leave.”
“I did not kill my husband, Jungkook.”
“Mr. Jeon to you.”
“I did not kill my husband, Mr. Jeon. Are you going to let me leave now, Mr. Jeon?”
“Don’t be a smartass, Kim.” Again, Jungkook looks frustrated, and Namjoon isn’t much better off. Reality is, Taehyung most likely did kill his husband, but not only won’t he admit it, they also do not have enough evidence to keep him in their facilities for longer than they already have.
“Just admit you did it.”
“No.” Taehyung says as he purses his lips in a kissing motion. “I didn’t kill Hyungsoo, and I don’t think you have enough of a basis to keep me here still. The car exploded, and I’m not a fucking mechanic, nor a terrorist.”
“The car exploded because you made it explode, be it because you hired someone to make it happen or because you used some of your free, trophy-wife time, to learn how to do so.”
That’s unprofessional Namjoon thinks, but doesn’t bother correcting him. He highly doubts that this case will reach the court, and if it does, he doubts Taehyung would bring this up in testimony.
“Can you prove that, Jungkookie?”
“If you keep testing me Taehyung-”
“Jungkook, a moment.” His partner looks like he’s about to slap Taehyung, and Namjoon is still professional enough to know that they shouldn’t be threatening suspects, much less hitting them. Trophy wife is excusable, anything beyond that, not so much.
They leave the room, leaving Taehyung, who groans quietly and looks to the ceiling, behind. Once outside, Jungkook sighs and presses his forehead to the wall.
“He’s right.”
“Okay, Namjoon, what the fuck-”
“He’s right, we do not have enough evidence to keep him here, and I don’t think he’s going to admit to killing his husband, Jungkook. The best we can do is let him go and keep exploring the crime scene.”
“It exploded right in front of their home, Namjoon. He made it explode. If you were a kingpin’s husband, wouldn’t you be more worried?”
“I already told you that you’re right. Of course he fucking killed Hyungsoo, but no matter how many times you ask him he won’t budge. It doesn’t look like he cared very much about his husband.”
“You’d be worried you’d be next, whether you cared about your husband or not, Joon.” Jungkook’s right too.
“What’s the point of bringing this up to me? I already told you I think he killed him too, I’m just trying to get it through your thick head that even if we think he did it, we don’t have any fucking evidence, Jungkook.”
“But we can make him-”
“This is the husband of a deceased mob boss, Jungkook. You might as well be the best detective in Korea, he still won’t budge.”
Jungkook takes a deep breath while he holds the bridge of his nose between his fingers, then rubs his eyes. It’s late at night, and the only reason why they are both still here is because Choi Hyungsoo has been a giant pain in their asses and the news of his death have revolutionized the police force.
“Just give me one more hour-”
“One more hour?”
“I promise I’ll break him somehow, just give me this.”
“One hour. Timed. Then he’s off.”
Jungkook nods, and then he walks in again, followed by his tired partner, who decides to sit in a corner of the room now. An hour is a long fucking time.
A long, useless time. Taehyung won’t confess to anything, they could be torturing him and he would remain stoic.
“You know, this would be more entertaining if I at least had some handcuffs on. At least that’d bring memories.” Taehyung says once they walk in, and he’s lewd. He’s always been lewd. The talk around the station is that he’s devious, keeps flirting with everyone he encounters, and Namjoon believes he and his late husband either had an open relationship or kept cheating on each other. He has no idea if the rumors of Taehyung sleeping with different officers are true though, and he has no intention of finding out. He couldn’t care less.
“I could put some handcuffs on you if you just admitted to what you did.” Jungkook offers, giving Taehyung a cynical smile, and putting his hands on the table, leaning towards Taehyung, towering over him.
“Being sexy and smart? I can admit to that.”
“How did you wire the car, Mr. Kim?”
“I usually take my driver with me so I wouldn’t be able to answer that, sorry.” He’s curt, rolls his eyes right after the words leave his mouth. Jungkook bites his lower lip as Taehyung bends forward, resting his chin on his hand and looking at Jungkook cheekily. “Although I do know how to start a car without its keys, is that what you’re asking, Jungkookie? I can teach you. Though I’d have to ask why exactly you need to use wires to start a car. Wouldn’t want you to try and steal an innocent citizen’s car.”
“Have you used that technique to steal someone’s car?” Taehyung smirks.
“No, I just forget my keys very often.”
“You said you use a driver.”
“I also told my husband I loved him. Some things are grey areas.”
“Taehyung, it’s late, can you please just admit to what you did so we can all go home?” Jungkook sighs loudly, defeated, but Taehyung doesn’t look moved at all. If Namjoon had to guess, he’d guess that this isn’t the first time Taehyung has been forced to sit for prolonged periods of time in an interrogation room, and he’d bet that none of those prior times did he budge either, but Jungkook is set on this case, persistent. Borderline obsessed. However, God knows that Jungkook has stood by his side many times before when Namjoon had a strong hunch, so it is now his duty as a partner, and more importantly as a friend, to stay by his side.
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but if I were to admit a crime I wouldn’t be going home and neither would you, right? The easier route would be to let me go.” He smirks, his tongue pushing against his cheek, and at this point, Namjoon’s not sure if he’s doing it purposefully to mock Jungkook or if it’s just destiny pulling a fucked up coincidence.
“I won’t let you go until you admit to what you did.” Taehyung sighs, then slightly rolls his eyes.
“You’re a detective, right?” Taehyung asks, raising his brows. “Why don’t you just investigate then? Do a little something that’s productive for once, make your salary actually mean something.”
“Our job would be a heck of a lot easier if people like you and your late husband just abided by the law.”
“If people like me and Hyungsoo abided by the law you wouldn’t even have a job, moron.” It’s the first time since he was made to sit here that Taehyung has turned snarky, and Namjoon thinks that as much as he’s playing it nonchalant, he’s actually upset that he’s being retained here for so long for something that the three of them know the end of: Taehyung being let go because of lack of evidence against him.
“If only you stopped being a b-”
“Jungkook.” Namjoon interjects, because as much as his suspects can insult them, they cannot, under any circumstances, bend to their level. The interrogations are recorded too. It’s risky.
“I don’t think you really mind it when I act like a bitch, now do you Jungkookie?”
Jungkook’s face falls, and Namjoon wants to slap himself on the forehead.
“Shut up.” He grits out, eyes fiery.
“You’re being really mean to me right now. I don’t like it.” There’s a slight pout on Taehyung’s lips, and his eyes are glistening. “I like it better when you’re tender with me, with your touch and your voice.” Taehyung looks smug, and Jungkook looks like he’s been stabbed, biting his lip angrily, his left eye twitching.
“Jungkook. A minute.” Namjoon pretends like he doesn’t notice Taehyung’s cheeky smile and twinkling eyes. Pretends he hasn’t noticed how the atmosphere turned unbearably tense. They leave the room with Taehyung still smirking.
“You fucked him?”
“I- What? I-”
“Did you have sex with Taehyung?” He asks, slower this time, because right now he feels like he might punch Jungkook himself. What the hell was that interaction just now?
“It’s not a crime to sleep with criminals.” Is the only thing that leaves Jungkook’s pursed lips.
“Are you fucking joking?” Asks Namjoon, with gritted teeth. His hands immediately move towards his forehead.
“It was only once or twice.”
“You slept with-? Once or twice?!”
“What does it matter?”
“It matters to me. Jungkook what the actual fuck.”
“Are you telling me you wouldn’t do it if you had the chance?”
Namjoon thinks back to Seokjin, remembers their hazy, hot nights, and decides that while Taehyung looks like he rides it good, no, he wouldn’t. He’s very much satisfied with what they have, with who he has. Although he’s not blind, if things were any different, of course he’d sleep with Taehyung. The guy is a menace, and he’s sure that the rumors of him sleeping with police force are not only rumors, although, until now, he hadn’t met anyone who admitted to sleeping with him.
Still, they are cops, detectives, but cops still. They can have these conversations outside of working hours, they should be talking about this in a bar, and not in the middle of a case.
“That’s not the point.”
“Then what is the point? What does me sleeping with him have to do with anything?” Namjoon looks at him in disbelief.
“You really don’t see how this looks from the outside? You’ve kept him here for longer than necessary with no strong basis and now your co-interrogator learns you’ve been fucking him?!”
“Hyung.” And it’s a testament to how frustrated Jungkook is that he is calling Namjoon hyung and not by his name, the way they usually do at work given that Namjoon is still a couple years younger in the force than him. “He killed him. Whether or not I was intimate with him makes no difference right now. He killed his husband! We both know he killed his husband.”
“So?” Is the only response Namjoon can give. Jungkook looks baffled.
“He killed him! What do you mean so?”
“I’m just saying he got rid of one of our biggest problems and we really don’t have any reason to keep him here any longer.”
“Hyung-”
“Jeon. Kim.” Jungkook’s eyes widen and Namjoon winces.
“Sargent Kim, hello.” Jungkook says, and Seokjin raises his eyebrow at him.
“Who’s in the interrogation room?” Jungkook gulps lightly, and he looks embarrassed, so Namjoon quickly steps in. Seokjin will be less upset with him than with Jungkook.
Probably, at least.
“It’s Kim Taehyung.” Seokjin takes a deep breath.
“Let him go. Now.” Seokjin looks like he’s made the decision before he even walked in here, his voice firm, his words final.
“What?” Jungkook sounds panicked. “But we’ve just-”
“You’ve just nothing. Let him go. You don’t have any reason to keep him here other than the initial questioning which should’ve been done a long time ago. Taehyung wasn’t in any suspicious position, his handprints are not in the car, and he has a strong alibi. If you want to keep investigating him you can do so without him being here. It’ll probably give better results anyway, you know? To do your jobs? Investigating? Instead of praying that a criminal admits to his offence?”
They are so fucked. Seokjin is being sarcastic and they are so fucked, Namjoon can only pray that he hasn’t heard their conversation about Jungkook fucking a married, suspected man.
“Hyung-” Again, Jungkook is appealing to Seokjin’s tender side, but he seems tired, so he raises a hand and Jungkook stops. Jungkook looks tired too, maybe Namjoon overlooked it in favor of focusing on his own annoyance, but his eyes bloodshot have bags underneath them.
“Kook.” He says, voice light but stern. “You don’t have any legal grounds to keep him here. For everyone’s wellbeing, let him go. I promise you we’ll investigate further. I’ll put you as the head of the case, but everyone here is tired, and it’s past 3AM in the morning. People need to rest. Let him go and we’ll call him in some other day.”
“Seokjin, I know-”
“I know you know. I think all of us know. But he’s smarter than he lets on, Kook. You won’t get a confession out of him. Much less with so little information about the crime. It happened too little ago. We’ll have a stronger case later on.”
Jungkook looks wrecked, but Namjoon doesn’t add anything else because he knows Seokjin is right. It’s pointless to keep Taehyung here, and it might actually be counterproductive later on. They don’t have any real reason to keep Taehyung here other than him being the husband. There are way too many cases where police have been found to pressure a suspect to confess praying on their lack of sleep or food deprivation.
“Fine.” Jungkook relents, still looking defeated, but also showing signs that his rush of energy is wearing off. He clocked in at 6am today. It’s been almost twenty four hours since he last slept, and Namjoon knows that that is also one of the reasons why Jin is insisting on letting it go.
They walk into the room once again and Taehyung groans.
“Finally! What took you so long? I was starting to-”
“You’re free.” Jungkook says curtly, doesn’t even look their suspect in the eye. Taehyung looks slightly shocked.
“I am? I thought you were going to keep me here for longer.”
“We’re not. You’re free. Still under investigation, but you can go home.” Jungkook repeats, still not looking at Taehyung, who, to his credit, doesn’t look smug nor cocky. He actually looks as tired as they are now that he’s been left alone for more than five minutes, it seems like the adrenaline has worn off of him too.
Taehyung doesn’t say anything more, he simply gets up and Namjoon gets a better look at what he’s wearing, at his leather pants, the net socks he’s wearing under and his crop top, all covered by the fur jacket he has on top.
He looks like an anime character, and really, Namjoon can understand why Jungkook would sleep with him. He’s also tall. Quite tall, almost as tall as him, and it’s slightly intimidating to be faced with a man like this. As much as he doesn’t look like your average mobster, he has a certain intimidating aura surrounding him.
Or maybe the fact that all of them know he has just killed the most important criminal in the country is clouding his judgement.
Taehyung leaves with no further comments, and Jungkook plummets down onto a chair, massaging his neck and rubbing his eyes.
“We’ll get him later.” Namjoon reassures. “Why were you so adamant on him admitting it today?”
Jungkook shakes his head slowly. “I don’t know, honestly. I’m frustrated. On the one hand, Kyungsoo is gone, and he’s not our problem anymore, but on the other hand he has someone to cover him.”
“Taehyung.”
“Yeah. And I don’t trust that he’ll be any easier to catch than his husband.”
In all honesty, it’ll probably be harder to catch Taehyung, but it'd be stupid to point that out right now.
“We’ll figure something out Kook. You need to rest.” Jungkook nods, then stands up and grabs Namjoon’s arm.
“Thanks for backing me up. I know you wanted to leave but you stood by me.”
“You would’ve done the same. I’m glad I’m your partner. At least you care about your cases.” He says, and he means it. Jungkook can be intense, but it’s only because he likes his job and has a deep feeling of righteousness. He hates not catching the bad guy.
Namjoon believes it’s probably linked to how he was raised, being brought up by a single mom whose husband has been convicted to a life sentence has probably led him to try and be at his best behavior at all times.
“Good night hyung. Get some rest. I’m sorry I got so caught up in the moment.”
“Happens to the best of us. Night Kook. Take a half day off tomorrow.”
“Since when is it you who tells me to take days off?”
“I don’t think Sargent Kim will disagree with me.” He winks at his partner, then grabs his coat and goes to his station to pick up his things. Seokjin has most likely already texted Jungkook to take the day off.
The last he sees of his partner is his back as he walks towards his car, far away in the parking lot.
“Dear God, what took you so long?”
“I was just wrapping things up.” He squints his eyes at the lighter that goes on inside his car, his eyes following the flame that eventually connects to the cigarette it lights up. “That’s disgusting. A disgusting habit and a disgusting place to smoke at, my car. Put it off.”
“Oh give me a break, I’m just trying to unwind from a long day.”
“Oh, poor, unfortunate soul, such a long day you had.” He replies sarcastically. “Put it off, I said.”
“Goodie two-shoes hates the smell of smoke in his car.” Is the annoyed response he gets. “I think I deserve this after the night you put me through.”
“So unlucky to be held back in an interrogation room for three hours, aren’t you Taehyung? I should’ve just let another detective get to you, right?”
“Three hours! You needed three fucking hours?”
“Yes, Taehyung. I needed three fucking hours otherwise the crime scene would’ve never been swiped. And neither you nor I would have the alibi we do now. Since when did you start thinking you can question the decisions I make regarding this? I’m the crime expert, not you.”
Taehyung’s no longer wearing his fur coat, is now only wearing his leather pants and a light blue tank top. Jungkook is made fully aware of the lack of fur when Taehyung slips onto his lap.
“Don’t be angry bunny. I’m sorry. I know you did what you had to.” He kisses his jaw lightly, plays with the hairs of his nape. “I’m just tired.”
“You think I'm not? Last time I slept was probably two days ago.” He rubs his eyes. “Next time you act like an ungrateful bitch I’ll throw your ass in jail.”
“But how do you plan to do that?” He counters back with a pout. “I didn’t kill my husband, I told you. In fact, if you were to track the time when the bomb was placed in the car, you’d see I was with him, inside the car.”
Jungkook’s eyes darken, the memory of hearing Taehyung and Kyungsoo moaning inside the later’s car while he was placing an explosive device underneath it making him bitter.
“I was able to get rid of your husband and not get caught, not only that, but I managed to not be linked to the murder at all. You think I don’t know how to frame someone?” He replies, and it’s snarky, bordering a threat.
“Ew, don’t call him that. He’s dead already.” Taehyung says, but then notices the creases in Jungkook’s forehead, the bags under his eyes, the stress on his features, and he comes to the conclusion that no matter how much sexual tension they had in the interrogation room, it isn’t wise to poke Jungkook right now. He looks tired, and Taehyung is positive it doesn’t only have to do with the fact that he’s been up for way longer than he should have. Winces at the memory of telling Jungkook to be better at his job. Remembers how angry his eyes turned when those words left his mouth.
He screwed up, too used to being an asshole to his now deceased ex. He’s still trying to learn to tell when and with what it is wise to mock Jungkook to prevent him from being upset. It wouldn’t bode well for Taehyung if he decided not to put up with him anymore, his late husband had a lot to lose to him, and with Jungkook it’s the opposite, Taehyung has a lot to lose if he pisses him off.
So, he tries a different approach. He ropes his arms around Jungkook’s chest and shoulders, rests his chin on his shoulder and pouts.
“I’m sorry. You know I’m just teasing.” He leans down to whisper in his ear after giving it a little bite. “I actually think it’s hot as fuck that you killed him.” He gets back up, kisses his lips softly. “Let’s just go home and rest, yeah?”
“I don’t think it’d be smart for you and I to go to the same place right now, Tae.”
Taehyung pouts even more, adding a frown for good measure. “Why not? It’s done. You’re not a suspect, they don’t have any proof against me. We’re good.”
“Your little joke there cost us an alibi, Taehyung.”
He winces. He was hoping it would pass on as a joke, as a comment to get on Jungkook’s nerves, but it ended up rubbing the detective the wrong way, apparently, since he reacted quite angrily to Taehyung’s lewd comment.
He was hoping Jungkook wouldn’t look like he had just offered to suck him off right then and there when he made brief, fleeting mentions of having sex with him. Alas, detectives, so Taehyung should have guessed they would see under his crap.
“So, they know?”
“They know we fucked, yeah.”
“Oh.” He nods. “That’s good then. Better than knowing the whole truth.”
“But a pathway to the whole truth. Why couldn’t you just play along quietly, Tae? Why would you say something that could potentially expose us?” He asks, and he looks genuinely confused, upset that Taehyung would imply something so compromising for him in the middle of his interrogation. “Are you trying to make me get caught?” He asks, frowning, and Taehyung feels panic rise up in his chest.
As much as he can be a conniving manipulator (because he is), he truly wasn’t trying to achieve anything by that comment. He doesn’t have the least interest in getting Jungkook caught, he’d like to spend some more time with him and his tender soul that is oh so easy to play with,with his temper that is so stupidly easy to raise, with his soft character that comforts Taehyung in a way he hasn’t felt before, having been surrounded by violent, abusive people his whole life. Contrary to what the people around him, people like Yoongi or Jimin think, Taehyung is not trying to use Jungkook. At least not in the same way he’d usually use people, as a disposable means to reach a goal. He wants to stay with Jungkook even after this whole ordeal is over. He’s a nice, smart man who apparently has a thing for bad boys, luckily for him.
He’s still shocked that he hadn’t had to manipulate the detective into killing his ex for him. The idea was solely Jungkook’s.
“No, I’m not.” He says in the most sincere way he can muster, because he’s never really been good with opening up about his feelings. “I didn’t think it would make you react like that baby, that’s why I said it. But I didn’t mean to cause that reaction. I just wanted to rile you up, playfully.” He gulps slightly, makes eye contact with the man who just risked his whole career in order to help him. “I’m really sorry that it came off as me trying to get you in trouble. I don’t want you to be in any trouble, ever.”
And he genuinely doesn’t. He’d noticed Jungkook was starting to lose his grip around the second hour of interrogation, which is why he had pulled some strings from backstage to get the thing over with. Thankfully, Jungkook’s not the only one who has contacts inside the police force, and luckily, Taehyung’s contacts are much more morally gray than Jungkook’s.
“Come on, let’s just go to yours, lay down, and sleep until it is absolutely necessary to go back to being human. A little birdie told me you have a day off.”
Jungkook frowns, confused. “How do you know?”
“A little birdie, silly, Come on, let’s go.”
Truly, if Seokjin hadn’t told him, he’d have read it on the text that Jungkook received. He intercepted the detective’s phone the second they fell in bed, because as foolish as he can be when he falls in love (it was, initially, what led him to allowing Kyungsoo to drag him down with him), he’s not stupid, and he’s always been cautious and suspicious of Jungkook’s intentions. In the end, he found nothing, but he still keeps tabs on Jungkook’s texts and calls. He’s always been a bit of a control freak.
“I still think it’s not a good idea,” He massages his temples. “But I’m really tired and if I have to make the effort to win one more argument today I’m gonna lose my mind. Let’s go.”
They leave the parking lot and go to Jungkook’s cozy apartment which already has a toothbrush and some of Taehyung’s pajamas.
It also has all of Kyungsoo’s money.