Bang Bang (He Shot Me Down) - Chapter Three
Title:Bang Bang (He Shot Me Down)
Rating:PG-13
Pairing/Focus:jinki/kibum
Summary: Jinki is a justice-driven detective. Kibum is a thief with too many secrets. Can he bury them for the sake of their relationship? Or will it tear them apart?
"You're stupid, this plan is stupid, and I am stupid for going along with it," Kibum muttered under his breath to the tall security guard who was checking his bag.
"Ouch, umma, your lack of trust cuts me deeply."
Taemin looked absolutely nothing like himself, which would have been impressive if Kibum wasn't used to it. With his hair hidden, trim sideburns and fake stubble in his chin, he actually looked, well, manly. He nodded and handed the bag back and Kibum moved along with the line, leaving him behind and pulling out his phone. He looked just like everybody else in the exhibit. Normal street clothes, his bag hanging off his shoulder, and his gallery ID badge just in case. But the line was long, and he really hoped those fuck-ups wouldn't start too early.
To: Jinki
I live for running errands, it gets Heechul out of my face for a few hours.
Kibum leaned out a little to see how close he was getting to the display case and sighed a bit. He put his phone back in his pocket and retrieved the pamphlet from his bag, skimming through it with feigned interest.
If he was being honest with himself, he really did want to do this lift. Of all the things he'd taken for that dick, this one caught his interest the most. If he was still living freelance, he'd probably want to take it for himself, enjoy it for a couple days before selling it to the highest bidder on the black market. After all, diamonds had made Key who he was today.
The pamphlet was basically a small history lesson on where, when and why each British royal crown and tiara was made. And Kibum skimmed through it as the line shuffled forward at a leisurely rate. The phone in his pocket vibrated and he was already smiling when he pulled it out. But that smile dimmed.
From: Taeminnie
30 minutes. make sure to get a pic, umma~ C:
To: Taeminnie
Pictures are prohibited, Minnie. Do you want me to get in trouble?
From: Taeminnie
:P crepes afterwards?
To: Taeminnie
Sure
Kibum put his phone back in his pocket, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 30 minutes. The bag on his shoulder started to feel weighty, and when he opened his eyes again, his fingertips were tingling. The smile crept back onto his face, pleasant and lying.
Every minute that slipped by, his heart started to pound faster in his chest, and Key took another cleansing breath. He was close enough to the case now that he could see the diamonds sparkling under the sunlight spilling down from high windows. His smile was threatening to turn into an all-out grin, and he knew he was in trouble.
Key had always gotten an indescribable thrill out of lifting, but he'd never taken something like this in broad daylight before. Every single person around him was so stupidly ignorant of what was about to happen, and he could hardly stop glancing around at their unsuspecting faces. He was the only one who knew. And that settled into the pit of his stomach like warm honey, thick and sweet.
That kind of power would make weaker men slip up, become too confident. But Key just walked up to the case like every other person there, stopped a foot away by velvet ropes, and his eyes widened in wonder. Queen Victoria's small diamond crown. An unreachable prize, and it was already his.
All his.
Time slowed down around him, and Key's senses cleared and heightened. So much that he distinctly heard the sound of boots running into the hall before a gunshot rang out. Everyone else in the hall's heads whipped around to the sound, people instinctively ducking and screaming and scattering. Key did the same, half a second behind everyone else. Men dressed in black, with masks covering their faces were storming into the hall, half a dozen at least. But that was clouded when several smoke bombs were tossed about the room. And several more gunshots were followed by the distinct sound of glass shattering, bits of it spilling onto the ground near Key. And that was his signal. The pedestal was in his reach in seconds. Quick and sure fingers moved like lightening, and then came the alarm. The sound of security guards. Key was already ducked down with other frightened citizens, clutching his bag to his chest and trying to escape the scuffle. Less than a minute of smoke and chaos later, he was bathed in sunlight.
His feet carried him quickly down the museum steps, just as the first responding officers were racing up them. Bag still firmly on his shoulder, he slowed his panicked walk on the street to something casual, making his way towards the crepe shoppe, pulling his phone out again.
From: Jinki
I thought you lived for me.
The hot adrenaline still shot like fire through his veins and suddenly he didn't want crepes.
His fingers shook slightly as he tapped out a reply.
To: Jinki
I live for the feeling you give me.
----->
"Sound waves."
"...What?"
Jonghyun looked up from his paperwork when Sungmin entered the office without knocking. Jinki barely even caught what he said, he'd been a little focused on his mobile, small smile playing around his lips.
"That's how they turned off the security alarms," the blond man shut the door behind himself, opening the file he was carrying and placing it over their paperwork. "I went back through every case. In each one, the wire that fed the sensors for each individual case that was disarmed, was severed very neatly inside it's jacket without the insulation itself being harmed in anyway."
"Yeah," Jonghyun nodded, leaning over the photos and data.
"They were severed by sound waves."
Jinki gallantly fought a yawn, "is that even possible?"
"Yes, it's known more commonly as an invisible scapel. But even then it's still not common. It's a lens coated in carbon nanotubes that converts light into sound, developed for noninvasive surgery. Routinely, it's being used by doctors to blast apart kidney stones and prostate tumors. But it's still in development, the precision isn't a hundred percent."
"Okay...," Jonghyun nodded, brows furrowed at the information, lips tight in a frown. Sungmin looked at him and sighed, flopping down into the only seat left in the room.
"You don't understand, do you?"
"Not a bit."
"Okay, think of it," Sungmin tried to dumb it down, "like this, the tool they use can focus sound waves so tightly at the tip, that it generates heat. Almost like a blowtorch. A blowtorch produces fire that melts metal on contact. But the invisible scalpel uses sound waves instead of fire. Sound waves can penetrate matter without harming it. So the invisible scalpel produces those sound waves, localizes it to a point inside the body, and produces the heat there. That's how they can work it under the skin, without harming the skin. If that's used on a wire, you could theoretically cut the wire itself, without harming it's casing, understand?"
Jonghyun sat more upright in his chair, actually looking at the file Sungmin had brought in, now. "Yes, I think so. Jinki?"
"Hm? Yeah, I followed it the first time," he lost the battle against the yawn.
"So, this is how they've been deactivating the alarms?" Jonghyun looked the CSI square in the eyes, excitement bubbling up.
"It's a solid theory."
"Good enough for me, you angel," the shorter man was up in an instant, reaching for his suit jacket that hung by the door.
"Sweet talk isn't going to make me forget that glass door, Detective."
"I'm simply conveying my gratitude. But since that's not enough, Doctor," Jonghyun leaned down and stole a small kiss from cupid's bow lips before either man in the room really had a chance to react. "I'll try harder after dinner. Coming, Jinki?" With a smirk, he swept out of the room, his partner close behind and a pink-faced scientist still sitting in his chair.
"You will not!"
Jonghyun sighed, "why is he always playing hard to get?"
"Because you're too easy."
Jinki was still reading through the file when Jonghyun's beeper went off.
"What is it?" he asked when the color practically drained from the man's face.
"Forget the sound waves for now, there's been an attempted robbery at the British Crown Jewels exhibit."
----->
A bell tinkled pleasantly when Kibum opened the shoppe door, girl at the counter smiling and welcoming him in. He returned the smile with an extra nod. Taemin was sitting in a window booth, still picking some fake stubble off his chin. Kibum dropped his bag onto the seat next to the young man and plopped himself into the seat opposite.
"Trouble shaving this morning?"
Taemin looked up with a grin, "I'm a grown man, umma. I know how to shave."
"Wait, you actually shave?"
The teen shrugged with a smile, ceasing his picking. And that was about as specific an answer as Kibum would ever get out of him on anything relating to reality.
"Do you know what you want to order? I'm getting banana."
"I know what I want, but it's not crepes," Kibum sighed, checking his phone again, with nothing to show for it.
"Ohhhhh," Taemin said quietly, not even bothering to hide his grin, "umma, you can't order the D here. But I know a place about ten minutes from here where you can."
"Minnie," Kibum gasped, looking around to make sure nobody heard that.
"I'm kidding, Key," he laughed, tucking some his hair back over his shoulder. "I know you only have a taste for Detective D. I'll just go by myself later."
Heat flooded Kibum's face, but he pointedly ignored the 'Detective D' comment. "Lee Taemin, you shut the hell up, you are too young to be going to places like that."
"I'm 19, I can go where ever I want," Taemin's grin turned into a pout.
"No."
"You can't stop me."
"If you even try, I swear to god, I will tell Minho."
And that ended the argument on the spot, Taemin slumping back in his seat looking like an angsty teenager. When the waitress came around to get their orders, he refused to perk up. So Kibum ordered for him.
"He doesn't own me, y'know," he said after a good ten minutes of silence between them, making Kibum look up from his phone.
"What?"
"He's just my guardian, he doesn't own me," Taemin was looking solidly out of the window, expression unreadable. And to be honest, Kibum was very taken aback. He hadn't known that, considering Taemin basically never talked about himself. He'd known he was an orphan, sure, but he'd never known how such a sweet-looking kid ended up working for a rich bastard like Minho.
But he didn't comment on it, instead softly saying, "nobody owns you, Tae. You're an adult."
"So, I should just leave, right?" their eyes met then, and Taemin's were distant and almost hollow. "Just walk away and do whatever I want. Right?"
The question hung heavily between them, noises of the shoppe seeming to quiet down around them. Kibum took a deep, stuffy breath, and looked blankly back down at his phone.
"Once you start doing what you have to, they'll never let you do what you want."
The waitress came back with Taemin's crepe and Kibum's tea, but she left quickly, probably sensing the thick air. Taemin continued to stare at Kibum pointedly not looking back at him. Nobody saying anything.
"But you'll get to," finally broke the silence and it made Kibum flinch.
"It's just a hope, Tae. Just because I'll be out from under Minho, doesn't mean I'll be free."
"So you're not going to leave me, then?"
That made Kibum look back up, fighting a saddened micro-expression. "Of course I'm not going to leave you." And he meant every word.
The blankness in Taemin's eyes slid behind a familiar mask of twinkling mischief, teen finally smiling and sitting back up in his seat.
"You're the best, umma."
"You bet your cute face, I am. Now eat your crepe before it gets cold."
"Hai~" he said cutely, imitating one of his silly Japanese cartoons and digging into his treat.
----->
This was one of the most tense situations Jonghyun had ever been in, and he'd been a cop for nearly ten years, so that was saying something. They'd managed to catch all six of the perpetrators, yes, and their target was safe from thieving hands and back in the secure vault along with the rest of the British Crown Jewels Collection, yes. But now, basically his entire country had to apologize to Britain, and it came down to him and his department to find out exactly why these six men wanted to steal Queen Victoria's diamond crown and punish them for it to the full extent that he could.
That was a lot of pressure.
And he thanked his lucky stars that he had Jinki in his corner. Jonghyun was not shy about admitting that he was good at his job, every aspect of it. But while Jonghyun was good at interrogations, Jinki was a fucking mastermind. In those little white rooms, he'd seen his partner become deceiving, manipulative and controlling in a way he'd never seen in the man otherwise.
The more perverted side of him wondered if Kibum had ever seen that side of him in a completely different room. But the part of him that had been friends with Jinki for six years squished that thought because he really shouldn't be thinking about his partner's sex life.
"What have we got?" he asked when said partner joined him on the other side of the glass. Jinki handed him six files.
"They're all known members of EXO."
"EXO? What would a delinquent street gang want with one of the British Crown Jewels?"
Jonghyun opened the first file to a familiar face. EXO had been a thorn in his side for a very long time. "And where did they get the kind of equipment they were handling. Smoke bombs? Kevlar? Guns? If street gangs start following their example carrying around guns, we're going to have an all out revolt on our hands. This isn't America, Jinki. I want to know how they got a hold of this shit, and I want to know who gave it to them."
"Leave it to me," he took the files back and left the room. A moment later, he was entering the room on the mirror side of the glass, another detective joining him with coffee. Jonghyun wouldn't be joining him in there. Jinki could handle the manipulation himself, whilst Siwon offered that extra sense of intimidation Jonghyun couldn't. But he was watching every twitch the kid made like a hawk.
Jinki was smiling pleasantly when he sat down in front of a kid who looked barely into his twenties, handcuffed to the seat he sat in. His expression was very serious, while at the same time, it was very blank. And his eyes followed Jinki's every movement.
"Kris," Jinki started, opening one of the files on the table, "it's been a long time since I've seen you in here."
His smile and friendly demeanor did nothing to soften the kid's hard surface. And the reply, when it came, was carefully blank, "it's been a long time since you've dressed me in bracelets, Detective." He lifted his hands the scarce inches he could, handcuffs clinking against the metal of the chair. "What's the occasion?"
"I thought silver suited you better than Kevlar."
"Silver?"
"I'm sorry, would you prefer diamonds?" Jinki pulled a photo from the file loose, holding it up. It was the the crown Kris and his team had very nearly stolen. "And in proud daylight, too. I always thought diamonds were an evening affair." Jinki looked at the photo himself before putting it back down.
His eyes locked with a pair of hard, near-black ones. Kris's expression was completely unchanged.
"Last I checked up on you and your little friends, you were rigging illegal motorbike races. The B.A.P forced Sehun off a bridge, he got hurt pretty bad, didn't he?"
"No thanks to you."
"Look, Kris," Jinki sighed, rubbing a hand through his hair and sitting forward. "I'm just trying to understand who put you up to this, and why. So that we can help you."
"Help me?" Finally, a small smile cracked to the surface. "Chivalry is dead, Detective. Haven't you heard?" Kris leaned forward, doing his best to mimick the way Jinki was sitting, voice lowering. "And who said I needed help?"
Jinki met the challenge unflinchingly, never losing eye contact. "You're handcuffed to a chair."
"Not the first time," that small smile flicked up into a smirk, "miss seeing me like this?"
"I'd rather see you back in school," Jinki's voice lowered a bit sadly, then, the barest of frowns touching his lips, brow quirking down slightly. But Kris was not decieved.
"Feigning to care for someone is not your strong suit, Detective. You should really save it for when you're fucking that hot boyfriend of yours."
The surprise didn't even register on Jinki's face, "who hired you to try and steal the crown?"
"Who said we were hired?"
"If you needed money, you would have just robbed another convenience store; if you wanted diamonds specifically, you would have hit a jewelry store, at night. I know you're not stupid, Kris. You've kept yourself and the rest of your group alive, on the streets, for years. You've broken a few laws in doing so, but you've never been much more than a minor headache. But this," Jinki threw the file to Kris's side of the table, it's contents sliding out. "This is not just another smack on the wrist, community service penance misdemeanor. What you dragged yourself and five of your members into is an extremely serious crime that crosses into international jurisdiction. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Kris only blinked.
"Has the gravity of what you've done hit you yet? Regardless of whether or not you talk, you and Xiumin and Lu Han and Lay, Chen, Tao, you're all going to prison. Not county lock-up. Prison, Kris. For years. The British Royal Family is pressing charges." Jinki got up from his chair, frustration written on his face, and began to pace. "I don't know what you've been promised. What pot of gold you think is waiting for you at the end of this fucked up rainbow, but I can guarantee you that you've been had. Nothing is saving you from this, Kris. And how well do you expect the rest of EXO to survive with half of it's members in prison. You know it's only going to be a matter of time before another gang comes along and swallows up the rest of them. Sehun's still messed up pretty bad, God knows Suho's going to be lost without you."
Kris's expression hadn't changed, but his eyes darkened, head tilting ever-so slightly down and Jinki found his bait. He pulled the young man's chair away from the table, feet groaning on the floor, and he leaned down over him, their faces inches apart.
"You know, we just got a new, very enthusiastic and very clever detective transferred over to the Gang Unit and he's fairly eager to prove himself. The second you six are behind bars, I'll have him tailing the rest of your boys like a hawk. And if they put a single goddamn toe out of line, they'll end up no luckier than you. If they can survive the B.A.P long enough. The pack not important to you anymore?"
Kris was all out glaring at Jinki at this point, breath coming out of his nose harder, but his lips remained pursed together.
"But if you give me something, anything, Kris, even just a name, and I give you my word that I will personally keep an eye on them for you. ...I know you're not bad kids, you do what you have to, to survive in a less than kind world. But you got mixed up in the wrong kind of mess this time, Kris." Sincerity crept into Jinki's eyes, which had yet to break contact. "Let me help you."
The skin around Kris's nose was starting to crinkle, brow drawing together.
"Just give me a name."
From the other side of the glass, Jonghyun stood with his arms crossed. There had been softer voices used and he was having a hard time making the words out. But he saw Kris mumble something, and he saw Jinki's face go completely blank. His partner stood up, and looked at Kris for a long, silent moment. Then, ignoring Siwon's questioning stares, left the room.
"What the hell, Jinki? What did he say?" Jonghyun asked immediately when the man joined him in the darkened room.
"Key," his expression was still blank, voice soft.
"What?" Jonghyun moved closer, putting his hands on his partner's shoulders and gently shaking him so their eyes would meet.
"I asked him for a name. And he said, 'Key'."
"Key?" Realization dawned on Jonghyun before the word was halfway out of his mouth. His hands dropped, looking back through the glass into the interrogation room. Kris was facing him, expression grave.
"Sonnuva bitch."
----->
The department was a flurry of activity, but officers and other detectives moved out of Jonghyun's way as he walked quickly through it, mind a storm of turmoil. It was really a miracle he noticed Kibum at all, barely glancing at the waiting area for half a second. He stopped dead in his tracks, torn. He was very busy, there was a lot that needed to be done in a very short amount of time. But the black-haired man sat still in one of the waiting area's uncomfortable chairs, face etched in worry. So he sighed, and changed direction.
"Kibum."
The man's head snapped up, and he was out of his seat just as quickly.
"Jonghyun."
"If you're here to see Jinki, he's extremely busy at the moment. We all are, there's been-"
"A robbery, I know. A coworker called and told me, he said there were guns and shooting and I just-" Kibum's voice got small and choked.
Jonghyun sighed again, "come with me."
He led him very quickly to his office, opening the door and motioning him in, "wait in here and don't touch anything."
"Sir, that video surveillence footage is waiting for you."
"Thank you, Donghae, I will be right there."
Jjong found his partner on the phone at his desk.
"Yes, sir, I understand that the vault is top of the line in security, but that hasn't stopped this man before, he-hold on, sir," Jinki handed the phone over when Jonghyun waved for it.
"Mr. Han? Head Detective Kim Jonghyun. I'm going to need you to have someone examine the crown in question. Thoroughly. I'll be sending my partner over as soon as possible." And with that he hung up. Jinki's brow was furrowed in question.
"I need you to get over there, but go stop by my office first."
"Why?"
"Kibum's in there. Calm him down, then go straight to the gallery, alright?"
"Right."
Kibum was biting his bottom lip, foot tapping impatiently. He was glad Jonghyun had moved him into his office though, because sitting in the waiting area while literally every person in the building worked one of his cases was enough to make him feel like a priest in a whore house. Scared someone would recognize him. Irrational, since no one knew, but this was the first time he'd done something like that without the aid of a mask. Anything could happen.
When the door opened and his boyfriend finally showed his beautiful face, Kibum's heart leapt into his throat.
"Bummie, what are you doing here?" Jinki barely had the chance to shut the door before he was being hugged very tightly, Kibum's face pressing into his neck.
"Ryeowook called me and told me there'd been a robbery and that there was shooting and you hadn't texted me back-"
"Oh, no no no, Bummie," Jinki's shoulder relaxed a bit, pulling the man closer into the hug. "I'm fine, I promise. If anything had happened, you would have been the first person Jjong would have called."
"I know, I just," Kibum lifted his head, nose pressing into his boyfriend's cheek. "I just needed to see you, just for a second."
"And I'm in one piece," Jinki turned his head so he could kiss the man in his arms, despair running through his limbs when he realized Kibum was trembling the slightest bit. As much as Jinki loved his job, he hated worrying Kibum.
Jinki tucked stray black hair away from the man's face when he pulled back from the kiss. Kibum gave a slight nod, more to himself than anything, it seemed. "Okay, back to work, I know you're busy." Despite his words, he stole one last, warm kiss, murmuring against plush lips. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
----->
Anticipation is a funny feeling, and it's sometimes hard to recognize at first. Mixing in with the acids of the stomach and creeping up into his throat like bile. All the while causing every muscle in Jonghyun's back to stiffen, poise in waiting. He started an hour back in the security footage, an hour before the EXO kids entered the gallery with a bang. Kris uttering a single word told them more than they'd ever known. That their Ghost Thief, for instance, had a name.
Key.
Semi-obvious in the scheme of things, but now they knew that the keys left on the crime scenes weren't always a taunt. The taunt was this. Key was trying to prove that he didn't need a key to steal something. Perhaps he called himself as such because he believes that he is a key. That nothing is ever locked from him. But why would he do it like this?
Why would he hire perfectly good kids to try and steal something like this? Obviously, they weren't going to succeed. Which was why Jonghyun was more than convinced that the kids were just a distraction. But a distraction from what? From Key himself stealing the crown? But the crown was still there. Did he want the security to be upped? Making it more of a challenge when he did intend on stealing it later? This was all conjecture, of course. It could be anything. Which meant Jonghyun had to be prepared for everything. So he got cozy with a shit ton of coffee and the security footage while he waited for Jinki to call him with news.
Because if there was one thing he'd learned in his career, it was how a criminal's mind worked. It's what made him so good at his job, what granted him the position he had at what most would consider a young age. If this was all part of some bigger plan, Jonghyun would bet his career that Key showed up to see it done. Which meant that one of these people, someone in the crowd at the exhibit, was the thief they'd been chasing for the better part of a year. He could feel it in his bones.
He paid the most attention to the people who approached the crown in question, watched their faces and posture for a sign of intent. One of these people was Key. He just had to find him.
Forty minutes and three cups of coffee into the footage, he had a very small list of possibilities, jotted down in a barely legible list. His eyes hurt a bit, but he blinked it away and kept them trained on the monitor. It was fifty minutes in that Jonghyun really saw something. Saw someone.
"Wh-" he breathed to himself, sitting forward, working the controls to rewind. His fingers tapped over the play button and he watched closer. Was that?
"Kibum?"
His mind immediately pulled up the memory of Kibum sitting in their waiting room. Nice grey jeans, black shoes, visibly designer teal-blue sweater and some kind of long, silver chain necklace; paired with a very distraught expression, pursed lips, furrowed brow, the whole package.
He rewound the footage again.
Grey pants, black shoes, a sweater and a handbag. Expression: decidedly not distraught. Very calm, actually, almost bored.
What in hell's name was Kibum doing at the gallery? And mere minutes before the EXO kids. More importantly, why hadn't he been there when himself and Jinki had arrived? Surely he would have made an effort to let Jinki know he was safe.
Jonghyun let the footage play. Watched Kibum approach the crown with the rest of the people in his line, watched him stand on the other side of the rope in admiration. All at once, people started to scatter and panic, smoke started to obscure the camera's vision, and then the video cut out completely. Jonghyun scrambled for the second security disc, from a different camera at a different angle. He replaced to first one and fast forwarded to the same time frame. There was Kibum again, actions repeated, only this time from the front angle. And from this angle, he could see Kris and his pack enter the hall, throw the smoking canisters, and then that camera was shot out as well.
Jonghyun found the third disc quickly, a camera that had been focused on a tiara, but the crown display was clearly visible. Kibum was there every time, he wasn't just imagining it. He was right in front of the crown's display case when EXO came in bullets first. When the crowd panicked like a wave, Kibum was half a second behind, ducking to the ground like everyone else. As soon as the smoke enveloped the display, he disappeared from view entirely, engulfed in it.
His fingers tapped over the pause button when he leaned back heavily in his chair. Kibum wasn't just at the gallery, he was literally right in front of the display. Directly in the line of danger. Standing right there, admiring the very target Kris went after. There were a thousand questions left right there, too. How did he get out unhurt? Why didn't he stick around and wait for the police, for Jinki to show up? Why didn't he even mention being there? When Jonghyun approached him in the waiting area, he said he'd heard what happened from a coworker. Why would Kibum lie about? To keep Jinki from worrying? So Jinki could give his whole focus to the case and not whether or not Kibum was scarred for life or something? Kibum was a smart, rational guy, wouldn't he at least be smart enough to give a statement? He'd been in the perfect spot to see everything that happened.
But even as these questions raced through Jonghyun's mind, his stomach was twisting with something other than anticipation now. Because Kibum wasn't just standing there, admiring the crown moments before the chaos broke out. More than anyone scribbled on the short list of his,
Kibum was showing signs of intent.
A shrill guitar riff made Jonghyun literally jump in his seat, and he snatched up his phone.
"Yeah?"
"It's fake."
"What?" Jonghyun switched ears, popping the disc out of the computer. On the other end, Jinki's voice was more than urgent.
"The crown, Jjong, it's fake. It's an incredibly detailed and extremely convincing fake, but it's still fake. So either the British Royal Family sent out a dummy crown on tour instead of the real one, or the real one has already been stolen and we are royally fucking boned."
Jonghyun didn't reply, realization sunk into his limbs like heavy ice.
"Do you hear me, Jjong? Kris and the boys were a distraction so that this guy could steal the crown literally right out from under our noses. Did you find anything on the security footage?"
Wide brown eyes darted down to the short list under his palm. He swallowed the lump in his throat. "Yeah, yeah I have a few possibilities. I'll get Donghae on them right away. I need you to go straight to Kangin about this."
"Me? He'll be expecting you."
"He likes you more than me. Give him my excuses, tell him I'm pursuing a lead."
"Lead? What lead?"
"Call me when you have news."
"Jjong, wh-"
----->
Jinki and Kibum met on the crime scene of the first Ghost Thief case. Not exactly a romantic setting, which was why Jonghyun had been so surprised when his partner managed to walk away with the hot clerk's phone number. That case remained unsolved, but it appeared Jinki managed to find something other than a culprit. Because Kibum was all he talked about for weeks following. And his cheesy dates and dinners hadn't been for naught, before Jonghyun even realized it, the pair became a very committed couple. And they'd stayed that way ever since. They didn't live together officially, but it was rare for one of them to not be at the other's apartment. And every time the department had a dinner, or Jonghyun threw a party, Jinki brought Kibum to proudly show him off. And everyone could tell that Kibum liked being shown off.
Naturally, when they'd first started dating, Jonghyun did what any good partner would do. A background check. Kim Kibum, 23 years old, born in Daegu and raised in an orphanage there when his parents abandoned him as an infant. Never adopted but finished school. Aged out of the orphanage and took on various jobs to pay for some college classes. Very smart, but never graduated. Currently working at the Choi Art Gallery. Which, according to Kibum himself, was the luckiest break he'd ever gotten. Spotless record. He didn't drive, so there wasn't even a traffic violation on there. He was clean. A good, calm match for his enthusiastically justice-driven boyfriend.
From an outsider's perspective, Jonghyun could easily say that they were in love. Very obviously so. Jinki, who had basically never gone on a date in his adult life, had found what he'd never even stopped to hope for. And Jonghyun knew, for a fact, that Kibum felt the same way; as, intoxicated conversations were very revealing.
All of these facts culminating together made what Jonghyun was about to do feel wrong. Like he was betraying a deep seated trust on the whims of a coincidence. But he was a detective, he wasn't allowed to believe in coincidence, regardless of how much the truth might hurt. And his instincts had never failed him before.
The soft ringing on the other end of his phone finally clicked, a friendly voice chiming into his ear, "Shinsaengwon Orphanage, my name is Choi Sulli, can I help you with something?"
"Yes, ma'am. My name is Kim Jonghyun, I'm the Head Detective of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. I'm calling to inquire about a former ward of your orphanage."
"Sure!" She chirped, and he could faintly hear what sounded like the clicking of computer keys. "Do you have a name?"
"Kim Kibum."
"Kim Ki Bum," she repeated a bit more slowly, accented by more faint clicks. After a few moments, she made a soft 'aha' sound. "Yes, I found him in our system. He aged out almost 6 years ago, that's unfortunate. What sort of questions did you have?"
"If you have any behavioral notes on him? Like, anything at all."
"Mmm, no, there's nothing of note here. Says he was a bit reclusive, but he was only with us for 13 months, so not much is said."
"13 months?" Jonghyun echoed, looking back at his monitor. "But I have a file here that says he was with your orphanage since he was abandoned there as an infant."
"Mm, nope. Says here in our system that he was barely 16 when he joined us. Was formerly part of a traveling circus? Left behind in Daegu, so he came here."
Jonghyun was pulling out the notebook he rarely used, jotting all of this down in short-hand. "Do you have any information on where he went after he aged out?"
"I'm afraid not. It says the director at the time set him up with a job interview that he never went to. He kind of disappeared from there."
"And this was six years ago?"
"Yes, sir."
"Thank you very much, Ms. Choi. You've been very helpful."
"My pleasure."
"Good day."
He hung up with his brow furrowed more than it had been before. But he tried to keep his thoughts calm, he had to process it properly. First things first, how did Kibum get his background information changed in a police database? Why would he get his information changed? Was he lying about who he was because he was trying to escape a less than perfect past? Or was he lying about who he was to protect his future? Most importantly, did Jinki know?
Any direction this went in, it wasn't making Kibum look any better. He'd been a part of a traveling circus that was in Daegu six years ago. He could start looking there. But the biggest weight on Jonghyun's mind was that he knew he needed to speak to Kibum himself.
----->
Only Choi Minho was enough of a dick to make Kibum do a lift and still do work at the gallery all in one day. Because, "we need to get ready for Suh Yongsun's final comeback exhibit. You have two jobs, Key. And you cannot ignore one for the other."
Yeah, ignore, that's what he was doing. Kibum still wasn't so sure why Minho was suddenly interested in art made in this era.
He was yawning when he stepped off of the bus, busy wrapping his headphones around his ipod to put it away. And, tired as he was, he didn't notice Jonghyun. Not until he was passing the man, who sat on the steps of the building next to his.
"Late night?"
Kibum visibly jumped, whipping around. "Jjong, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"You walked right by me."
"Well it's not my fault that you look like a hobo sitting there," he sighed and tried to calm his racing heart, shoving the ipod into his bag and reaching for his keys instead. Jonghyun stood and stepped back onto the sidewalk, joining the black-haired man who was eyeing him semi-suspiciously. But then again, Kibum was always eyeing him semi-suspiciously. Honestly, you try to drunkenly kiss a guy once, and you're never trusted again. Jonghyun didn't even remember doing it.
"What are you doing here, anyway? I'm busy."
"I saw you on the security footage, Kibum, I know you were at the exhibit today." The words were said so matter-of-factly that Kibum was taken aback. But Jonghyun didn't give him the chance to respond. "Why didn't you wait for police to get there?"
He knew something like this would happen. God, he was never going along with one of Taemin's plans again, they were so messy. He gripped his keys tighter in his hand, glancing down to them. "I was scared," he lied.
"Why didn't you tell me or Jinki that you had been there, Kibum? You were literally right in front of the display case when it happened. Did you not think we'd find out?"
He looked back up with a deep breath, ready to lie again, but something in those big, brown eyes stopped the words in his throat.
"Or did you panic for another reason, Key?"
Ice settled into Kibum's lungs, freezing him up even more. He felt like he couldn't even breathe. Jonghyun was stepping closer, never looking away, expression set into something both serious and unreadable.
"Where is the crown?" The question was whispered heavily into the small space between them.
"I don't understand," Kibum managed to force out.
"I will get a warrant, if you force me to. Just tell me where it is." There was an unnaturally hard edge to the man's voice that Kibum had never heard before, and it was sinking like bile in the pit of his stomach.
"I don't know," he whispered back, voice breaking.
"Kibum-"
"I don't have it," he said a bit more solidly. He couldn't rip his eyes away, and the mask he was so used to wearing felt like it was slipping through his fingers.
Jonghyun stared at him then, searching his eyes for anything. Kibum couldn't feel his fingers, or his feet. His head felt like it was starting to float and, actually, lying down sounded like a great idea. He needed to breathe.
Finally, Jonghyun spoke again, "does Jinki know?"
Kibum managed to shake his head lightly, barely breathing out a 'no'. Jonghyun went quiet again and Kibum wasn't sure how he was still standing.
The question slipped passed his lips before he could catch it, "are you going to arrest me?"
It was met with the same hard, searching look. "Are you only with Jinki to keep tabs on your case?"
"No-!" that single word was ripped out of him when Jonghyun was barely done with the question, and it shocked him back into his own mind. He met the challenging look with a dead-set one of his own. "No."
Finally, Jonghyun seemed assured of something. He gave the smallest of nods. "For his sake, this better fucking stop. Right now, Kibum. Do you understand me?" There was finality in his words. No room for argument. So Kibum nodded mutely. Seemingly satisfied, Jonghyun took a step back to leave. But Kibum couldn't leave it like that.
"How did you-" Jonghyun stopped immediately, looking back with something almost akin to pity.
"The Dong Hwa Circus's youngest acrobat, Fairy Princess Gwiboon." One of those stupid, shit-eating grins flashed across his face. "That's embarrassing."
But the smile was gone as fast as it appeared, serious expression back full force. "Tell him you were there. Or I'll have to."
"Have to tell me what?"
Both men were startled at the voice, wearing matching looks of surprise when they turned to find Jinki himself standing only a good seven feet away. Jonghyun immediately put more space in between himself and Kibum. Jinki was watching them both curiously, and somewhat guardedly.
"Jinki, h-how long have you-?"
"I just walked up, you guys were pretty engrossed in your conversation." Jinki moved closer slowly, stepping up to Kibum's side. "Now what is it you guys aren't telling me?"
Kibum looked back to Jonghyun, who raised his hands and shook his head, then looked back to his boyfriend. A lump was forming in his throat, he tried to swallow it.
"Well, ...I, um," again, he tried to swallow, and his once numb hands were starting to shake.
"Kibum was at the Crowned Jewels exhibit, when EXO showed up. He was standing right in front of the crown's display case." Jonghyun put him out of his misery in two sentences.
"What?" Immediately, Jinki's entire attention was on the man in question, looking for affirmation.
Kibum could only nod, adding to his boyfriend's horror.
"What? Kibum, why didn't you say something?!" Jinki gently shook him by his arms.
"He didn't see anything useful, I already took his statement." Jonghyun was pulling out a cigarette. "See you tomorrow, Jinki." And with smoke trailing behind him, he walked away. Which was ignored by his partner, entirely.
"Why didn't you wait for me at the exhibit??" His face was all genuine concern mixed with a hint of fear and panic. And it was all a blunt arrow digging into Kibum's heart.
"I'm sorry," he said thickly, vision blurring with sudden tears. "I didn't-I didn't want you to worry-" Pain throbbed through his nose when Jinki crushed him into a hug, encircling him in his arms. Kibum's heart started to break. "I'm sorry," he sobbed again.
"It's okay, Bummie," Jinki's voice was soothing, despite how Kibum could read the emotions swimming in it. He'd never felt so awful in his life.
Jonghyun was right. For Jinki's sake, this had to stop.
Rating:PG-13
Pairing/Focus:jinki/kibum
Summary: Jinki is a justice-driven detective. Kibum is a thief with too many secrets. Can he bury them for the sake of their relationship? Or will it tear them apart?
"You're stupid, this plan is stupid, and I am stupid for going along with it," Kibum muttered under his breath to the tall security guard who was checking his bag.
"Ouch, umma, your lack of trust cuts me deeply."
Taemin looked absolutely nothing like himself, which would have been impressive if Kibum wasn't used to it. With his hair hidden, trim sideburns and fake stubble in his chin, he actually looked, well, manly. He nodded and handed the bag back and Kibum moved along with the line, leaving him behind and pulling out his phone. He looked just like everybody else in the exhibit. Normal street clothes, his bag hanging off his shoulder, and his gallery ID badge just in case. But the line was long, and he really hoped those fuck-ups wouldn't start too early.
To: Jinki
I live for running errands, it gets Heechul out of my face for a few hours.
Kibum leaned out a little to see how close he was getting to the display case and sighed a bit. He put his phone back in his pocket and retrieved the pamphlet from his bag, skimming through it with feigned interest.
If he was being honest with himself, he really did want to do this lift. Of all the things he'd taken for that dick, this one caught his interest the most. If he was still living freelance, he'd probably want to take it for himself, enjoy it for a couple days before selling it to the highest bidder on the black market. After all, diamonds had made Key who he was today.
The pamphlet was basically a small history lesson on where, when and why each British royal crown and tiara was made. And Kibum skimmed through it as the line shuffled forward at a leisurely rate. The phone in his pocket vibrated and he was already smiling when he pulled it out. But that smile dimmed.
From: Taeminnie
30 minutes. make sure to get a pic, umma~ C:
To: Taeminnie
Pictures are prohibited, Minnie. Do you want me to get in trouble?
From: Taeminnie
:P crepes afterwards?
To: Taeminnie
Sure
Kibum put his phone back in his pocket, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 30 minutes. The bag on his shoulder started to feel weighty, and when he opened his eyes again, his fingertips were tingling. The smile crept back onto his face, pleasant and lying.
Every minute that slipped by, his heart started to pound faster in his chest, and Key took another cleansing breath. He was close enough to the case now that he could see the diamonds sparkling under the sunlight spilling down from high windows. His smile was threatening to turn into an all-out grin, and he knew he was in trouble.
Key had always gotten an indescribable thrill out of lifting, but he'd never taken something like this in broad daylight before. Every single person around him was so stupidly ignorant of what was about to happen, and he could hardly stop glancing around at their unsuspecting faces. He was the only one who knew. And that settled into the pit of his stomach like warm honey, thick and sweet.
That kind of power would make weaker men slip up, become too confident. But Key just walked up to the case like every other person there, stopped a foot away by velvet ropes, and his eyes widened in wonder. Queen Victoria's small diamond crown. An unreachable prize, and it was already his.
All his.
Time slowed down around him, and Key's senses cleared and heightened. So much that he distinctly heard the sound of boots running into the hall before a gunshot rang out. Everyone else in the hall's heads whipped around to the sound, people instinctively ducking and screaming and scattering. Key did the same, half a second behind everyone else. Men dressed in black, with masks covering their faces were storming into the hall, half a dozen at least. But that was clouded when several smoke bombs were tossed about the room. And several more gunshots were followed by the distinct sound of glass shattering, bits of it spilling onto the ground near Key. And that was his signal. The pedestal was in his reach in seconds. Quick and sure fingers moved like lightening, and then came the alarm. The sound of security guards. Key was already ducked down with other frightened citizens, clutching his bag to his chest and trying to escape the scuffle. Less than a minute of smoke and chaos later, he was bathed in sunlight.
His feet carried him quickly down the museum steps, just as the first responding officers were racing up them. Bag still firmly on his shoulder, he slowed his panicked walk on the street to something casual, making his way towards the crepe shoppe, pulling his phone out again.
From: Jinki
I thought you lived for me.
The hot adrenaline still shot like fire through his veins and suddenly he didn't want crepes.
His fingers shook slightly as he tapped out a reply.
To: Jinki
I live for the feeling you give me.
----->
"Sound waves."
"...What?"
Jonghyun looked up from his paperwork when Sungmin entered the office without knocking. Jinki barely even caught what he said, he'd been a little focused on his mobile, small smile playing around his lips.
"That's how they turned off the security alarms," the blond man shut the door behind himself, opening the file he was carrying and placing it over their paperwork. "I went back through every case. In each one, the wire that fed the sensors for each individual case that was disarmed, was severed very neatly inside it's jacket without the insulation itself being harmed in anyway."
"Yeah," Jonghyun nodded, leaning over the photos and data.
"They were severed by sound waves."
Jinki gallantly fought a yawn, "is that even possible?"
"Yes, it's known more commonly as an invisible scapel. But even then it's still not common. It's a lens coated in carbon nanotubes that converts light into sound, developed for noninvasive surgery. Routinely, it's being used by doctors to blast apart kidney stones and prostate tumors. But it's still in development, the precision isn't a hundred percent."
"Okay...," Jonghyun nodded, brows furrowed at the information, lips tight in a frown. Sungmin looked at him and sighed, flopping down into the only seat left in the room.
"You don't understand, do you?"
"Not a bit."
"Okay, think of it," Sungmin tried to dumb it down, "like this, the tool they use can focus sound waves so tightly at the tip, that it generates heat. Almost like a blowtorch. A blowtorch produces fire that melts metal on contact. But the invisible scalpel uses sound waves instead of fire. Sound waves can penetrate matter without harming it. So the invisible scalpel produces those sound waves, localizes it to a point inside the body, and produces the heat there. That's how they can work it under the skin, without harming the skin. If that's used on a wire, you could theoretically cut the wire itself, without harming it's casing, understand?"
Jonghyun sat more upright in his chair, actually looking at the file Sungmin had brought in, now. "Yes, I think so. Jinki?"
"Hm? Yeah, I followed it the first time," he lost the battle against the yawn.
"So, this is how they've been deactivating the alarms?" Jonghyun looked the CSI square in the eyes, excitement bubbling up.
"It's a solid theory."
"Good enough for me, you angel," the shorter man was up in an instant, reaching for his suit jacket that hung by the door.
"Sweet talk isn't going to make me forget that glass door, Detective."
"I'm simply conveying my gratitude. But since that's not enough, Doctor," Jonghyun leaned down and stole a small kiss from cupid's bow lips before either man in the room really had a chance to react. "I'll try harder after dinner. Coming, Jinki?" With a smirk, he swept out of the room, his partner close behind and a pink-faced scientist still sitting in his chair.
"You will not!"
Jonghyun sighed, "why is he always playing hard to get?"
"Because you're too easy."
Jinki was still reading through the file when Jonghyun's beeper went off.
"What is it?" he asked when the color practically drained from the man's face.
"Forget the sound waves for now, there's been an attempted robbery at the British Crown Jewels exhibit."
----->
A bell tinkled pleasantly when Kibum opened the shoppe door, girl at the counter smiling and welcoming him in. He returned the smile with an extra nod. Taemin was sitting in a window booth, still picking some fake stubble off his chin. Kibum dropped his bag onto the seat next to the young man and plopped himself into the seat opposite.
"Trouble shaving this morning?"
Taemin looked up with a grin, "I'm a grown man, umma. I know how to shave."
"Wait, you actually shave?"
The teen shrugged with a smile, ceasing his picking. And that was about as specific an answer as Kibum would ever get out of him on anything relating to reality.
"Do you know what you want to order? I'm getting banana."
"I know what I want, but it's not crepes," Kibum sighed, checking his phone again, with nothing to show for it.
"Ohhhhh," Taemin said quietly, not even bothering to hide his grin, "umma, you can't order the D here. But I know a place about ten minutes from here where you can."
"Minnie," Kibum gasped, looking around to make sure nobody heard that.
"I'm kidding, Key," he laughed, tucking some his hair back over his shoulder. "I know you only have a taste for Detective D. I'll just go by myself later."
Heat flooded Kibum's face, but he pointedly ignored the 'Detective D' comment. "Lee Taemin, you shut the hell up, you are too young to be going to places like that."
"I'm 19, I can go where ever I want," Taemin's grin turned into a pout.
"No."
"You can't stop me."
"If you even try, I swear to god, I will tell Minho."
And that ended the argument on the spot, Taemin slumping back in his seat looking like an angsty teenager. When the waitress came around to get their orders, he refused to perk up. So Kibum ordered for him.
"He doesn't own me, y'know," he said after a good ten minutes of silence between them, making Kibum look up from his phone.
"What?"
"He's just my guardian, he doesn't own me," Taemin was looking solidly out of the window, expression unreadable. And to be honest, Kibum was very taken aback. He hadn't known that, considering Taemin basically never talked about himself. He'd known he was an orphan, sure, but he'd never known how such a sweet-looking kid ended up working for a rich bastard like Minho.
But he didn't comment on it, instead softly saying, "nobody owns you, Tae. You're an adult."
"So, I should just leave, right?" their eyes met then, and Taemin's were distant and almost hollow. "Just walk away and do whatever I want. Right?"
The question hung heavily between them, noises of the shoppe seeming to quiet down around them. Kibum took a deep, stuffy breath, and looked blankly back down at his phone.
"Once you start doing what you have to, they'll never let you do what you want."
The waitress came back with Taemin's crepe and Kibum's tea, but she left quickly, probably sensing the thick air. Taemin continued to stare at Kibum pointedly not looking back at him. Nobody saying anything.
"But you'll get to," finally broke the silence and it made Kibum flinch.
"It's just a hope, Tae. Just because I'll be out from under Minho, doesn't mean I'll be free."
"So you're not going to leave me, then?"
That made Kibum look back up, fighting a saddened micro-expression. "Of course I'm not going to leave you." And he meant every word.
The blankness in Taemin's eyes slid behind a familiar mask of twinkling mischief, teen finally smiling and sitting back up in his seat.
"You're the best, umma."
"You bet your cute face, I am. Now eat your crepe before it gets cold."
"Hai~" he said cutely, imitating one of his silly Japanese cartoons and digging into his treat.
----->
This was one of the most tense situations Jonghyun had ever been in, and he'd been a cop for nearly ten years, so that was saying something. They'd managed to catch all six of the perpetrators, yes, and their target was safe from thieving hands and back in the secure vault along with the rest of the British Crown Jewels Collection, yes. But now, basically his entire country had to apologize to Britain, and it came down to him and his department to find out exactly why these six men wanted to steal Queen Victoria's diamond crown and punish them for it to the full extent that he could.
That was a lot of pressure.
And he thanked his lucky stars that he had Jinki in his corner. Jonghyun was not shy about admitting that he was good at his job, every aspect of it. But while Jonghyun was good at interrogations, Jinki was a fucking mastermind. In those little white rooms, he'd seen his partner become deceiving, manipulative and controlling in a way he'd never seen in the man otherwise.
The more perverted side of him wondered if Kibum had ever seen that side of him in a completely different room. But the part of him that had been friends with Jinki for six years squished that thought because he really shouldn't be thinking about his partner's sex life.
"What have we got?" he asked when said partner joined him on the other side of the glass. Jinki handed him six files.
"They're all known members of EXO."
"EXO? What would a delinquent street gang want with one of the British Crown Jewels?"
Jonghyun opened the first file to a familiar face. EXO had been a thorn in his side for a very long time. "And where did they get the kind of equipment they were handling. Smoke bombs? Kevlar? Guns? If street gangs start following their example carrying around guns, we're going to have an all out revolt on our hands. This isn't America, Jinki. I want to know how they got a hold of this shit, and I want to know who gave it to them."
"Leave it to me," he took the files back and left the room. A moment later, he was entering the room on the mirror side of the glass, another detective joining him with coffee. Jonghyun wouldn't be joining him in there. Jinki could handle the manipulation himself, whilst Siwon offered that extra sense of intimidation Jonghyun couldn't. But he was watching every twitch the kid made like a hawk.
Jinki was smiling pleasantly when he sat down in front of a kid who looked barely into his twenties, handcuffed to the seat he sat in. His expression was very serious, while at the same time, it was very blank. And his eyes followed Jinki's every movement.
"Kris," Jinki started, opening one of the files on the table, "it's been a long time since I've seen you in here."
His smile and friendly demeanor did nothing to soften the kid's hard surface. And the reply, when it came, was carefully blank, "it's been a long time since you've dressed me in bracelets, Detective." He lifted his hands the scarce inches he could, handcuffs clinking against the metal of the chair. "What's the occasion?"
"I thought silver suited you better than Kevlar."
"Silver?"
"I'm sorry, would you prefer diamonds?" Jinki pulled a photo from the file loose, holding it up. It was the the crown Kris and his team had very nearly stolen. "And in proud daylight, too. I always thought diamonds were an evening affair." Jinki looked at the photo himself before putting it back down.
His eyes locked with a pair of hard, near-black ones. Kris's expression was completely unchanged.
"Last I checked up on you and your little friends, you were rigging illegal motorbike races. The B.A.P forced Sehun off a bridge, he got hurt pretty bad, didn't he?"
"No thanks to you."
"Look, Kris," Jinki sighed, rubbing a hand through his hair and sitting forward. "I'm just trying to understand who put you up to this, and why. So that we can help you."
"Help me?" Finally, a small smile cracked to the surface. "Chivalry is dead, Detective. Haven't you heard?" Kris leaned forward, doing his best to mimick the way Jinki was sitting, voice lowering. "And who said I needed help?"
Jinki met the challenge unflinchingly, never losing eye contact. "You're handcuffed to a chair."
"Not the first time," that small smile flicked up into a smirk, "miss seeing me like this?"
"I'd rather see you back in school," Jinki's voice lowered a bit sadly, then, the barest of frowns touching his lips, brow quirking down slightly. But Kris was not decieved.
"Feigning to care for someone is not your strong suit, Detective. You should really save it for when you're fucking that hot boyfriend of yours."
The surprise didn't even register on Jinki's face, "who hired you to try and steal the crown?"
"Who said we were hired?"
"If you needed money, you would have just robbed another convenience store; if you wanted diamonds specifically, you would have hit a jewelry store, at night. I know you're not stupid, Kris. You've kept yourself and the rest of your group alive, on the streets, for years. You've broken a few laws in doing so, but you've never been much more than a minor headache. But this," Jinki threw the file to Kris's side of the table, it's contents sliding out. "This is not just another smack on the wrist, community service penance misdemeanor. What you dragged yourself and five of your members into is an extremely serious crime that crosses into international jurisdiction. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Kris only blinked.
"Has the gravity of what you've done hit you yet? Regardless of whether or not you talk, you and Xiumin and Lu Han and Lay, Chen, Tao, you're all going to prison. Not county lock-up. Prison, Kris. For years. The British Royal Family is pressing charges." Jinki got up from his chair, frustration written on his face, and began to pace. "I don't know what you've been promised. What pot of gold you think is waiting for you at the end of this fucked up rainbow, but I can guarantee you that you've been had. Nothing is saving you from this, Kris. And how well do you expect the rest of EXO to survive with half of it's members in prison. You know it's only going to be a matter of time before another gang comes along and swallows up the rest of them. Sehun's still messed up pretty bad, God knows Suho's going to be lost without you."
Kris's expression hadn't changed, but his eyes darkened, head tilting ever-so slightly down and Jinki found his bait. He pulled the young man's chair away from the table, feet groaning on the floor, and he leaned down over him, their faces inches apart.
"You know, we just got a new, very enthusiastic and very clever detective transferred over to the Gang Unit and he's fairly eager to prove himself. The second you six are behind bars, I'll have him tailing the rest of your boys like a hawk. And if they put a single goddamn toe out of line, they'll end up no luckier than you. If they can survive the B.A.P long enough. The pack not important to you anymore?"
Kris was all out glaring at Jinki at this point, breath coming out of his nose harder, but his lips remained pursed together.
"But if you give me something, anything, Kris, even just a name, and I give you my word that I will personally keep an eye on them for you. ...I know you're not bad kids, you do what you have to, to survive in a less than kind world. But you got mixed up in the wrong kind of mess this time, Kris." Sincerity crept into Jinki's eyes, which had yet to break contact. "Let me help you."
The skin around Kris's nose was starting to crinkle, brow drawing together.
"Just give me a name."
From the other side of the glass, Jonghyun stood with his arms crossed. There had been softer voices used and he was having a hard time making the words out. But he saw Kris mumble something, and he saw Jinki's face go completely blank. His partner stood up, and looked at Kris for a long, silent moment. Then, ignoring Siwon's questioning stares, left the room.
"What the hell, Jinki? What did he say?" Jonghyun asked immediately when the man joined him in the darkened room.
"Key," his expression was still blank, voice soft.
"What?" Jonghyun moved closer, putting his hands on his partner's shoulders and gently shaking him so their eyes would meet.
"I asked him for a name. And he said, 'Key'."
"Key?" Realization dawned on Jonghyun before the word was halfway out of his mouth. His hands dropped, looking back through the glass into the interrogation room. Kris was facing him, expression grave.
"Sonnuva bitch."
----->
The department was a flurry of activity, but officers and other detectives moved out of Jonghyun's way as he walked quickly through it, mind a storm of turmoil. It was really a miracle he noticed Kibum at all, barely glancing at the waiting area for half a second. He stopped dead in his tracks, torn. He was very busy, there was a lot that needed to be done in a very short amount of time. But the black-haired man sat still in one of the waiting area's uncomfortable chairs, face etched in worry. So he sighed, and changed direction.
"Kibum."
The man's head snapped up, and he was out of his seat just as quickly.
"Jonghyun."
"If you're here to see Jinki, he's extremely busy at the moment. We all are, there's been-"
"A robbery, I know. A coworker called and told me, he said there were guns and shooting and I just-" Kibum's voice got small and choked.
Jonghyun sighed again, "come with me."
He led him very quickly to his office, opening the door and motioning him in, "wait in here and don't touch anything."
"Sir, that video surveillence footage is waiting for you."
"Thank you, Donghae, I will be right there."
Jjong found his partner on the phone at his desk.
"Yes, sir, I understand that the vault is top of the line in security, but that hasn't stopped this man before, he-hold on, sir," Jinki handed the phone over when Jonghyun waved for it.
"Mr. Han? Head Detective Kim Jonghyun. I'm going to need you to have someone examine the crown in question. Thoroughly. I'll be sending my partner over as soon as possible." And with that he hung up. Jinki's brow was furrowed in question.
"I need you to get over there, but go stop by my office first."
"Why?"
"Kibum's in there. Calm him down, then go straight to the gallery, alright?"
"Right."
Kibum was biting his bottom lip, foot tapping impatiently. He was glad Jonghyun had moved him into his office though, because sitting in the waiting area while literally every person in the building worked one of his cases was enough to make him feel like a priest in a whore house. Scared someone would recognize him. Irrational, since no one knew, but this was the first time he'd done something like that without the aid of a mask. Anything could happen.
When the door opened and his boyfriend finally showed his beautiful face, Kibum's heart leapt into his throat.
"Bummie, what are you doing here?" Jinki barely had the chance to shut the door before he was being hugged very tightly, Kibum's face pressing into his neck.
"Ryeowook called me and told me there'd been a robbery and that there was shooting and you hadn't texted me back-"
"Oh, no no no, Bummie," Jinki's shoulder relaxed a bit, pulling the man closer into the hug. "I'm fine, I promise. If anything had happened, you would have been the first person Jjong would have called."
"I know, I just," Kibum lifted his head, nose pressing into his boyfriend's cheek. "I just needed to see you, just for a second."
"And I'm in one piece," Jinki turned his head so he could kiss the man in his arms, despair running through his limbs when he realized Kibum was trembling the slightest bit. As much as Jinki loved his job, he hated worrying Kibum.
Jinki tucked stray black hair away from the man's face when he pulled back from the kiss. Kibum gave a slight nod, more to himself than anything, it seemed. "Okay, back to work, I know you're busy." Despite his words, he stole one last, warm kiss, murmuring against plush lips. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
----->
Anticipation is a funny feeling, and it's sometimes hard to recognize at first. Mixing in with the acids of the stomach and creeping up into his throat like bile. All the while causing every muscle in Jonghyun's back to stiffen, poise in waiting. He started an hour back in the security footage, an hour before the EXO kids entered the gallery with a bang. Kris uttering a single word told them more than they'd ever known. That their Ghost Thief, for instance, had a name.
Key.
Semi-obvious in the scheme of things, but now they knew that the keys left on the crime scenes weren't always a taunt. The taunt was this. Key was trying to prove that he didn't need a key to steal something. Perhaps he called himself as such because he believes that he is a key. That nothing is ever locked from him. But why would he do it like this?
Why would he hire perfectly good kids to try and steal something like this? Obviously, they weren't going to succeed. Which was why Jonghyun was more than convinced that the kids were just a distraction. But a distraction from what? From Key himself stealing the crown? But the crown was still there. Did he want the security to be upped? Making it more of a challenge when he did intend on stealing it later? This was all conjecture, of course. It could be anything. Which meant Jonghyun had to be prepared for everything. So he got cozy with a shit ton of coffee and the security footage while he waited for Jinki to call him with news.
Because if there was one thing he'd learned in his career, it was how a criminal's mind worked. It's what made him so good at his job, what granted him the position he had at what most would consider a young age. If this was all part of some bigger plan, Jonghyun would bet his career that Key showed up to see it done. Which meant that one of these people, someone in the crowd at the exhibit, was the thief they'd been chasing for the better part of a year. He could feel it in his bones.
He paid the most attention to the people who approached the crown in question, watched their faces and posture for a sign of intent. One of these people was Key. He just had to find him.
Forty minutes and three cups of coffee into the footage, he had a very small list of possibilities, jotted down in a barely legible list. His eyes hurt a bit, but he blinked it away and kept them trained on the monitor. It was fifty minutes in that Jonghyun really saw something. Saw someone.
"Wh-" he breathed to himself, sitting forward, working the controls to rewind. His fingers tapped over the play button and he watched closer. Was that?
"Kibum?"
His mind immediately pulled up the memory of Kibum sitting in their waiting room. Nice grey jeans, black shoes, visibly designer teal-blue sweater and some kind of long, silver chain necklace; paired with a very distraught expression, pursed lips, furrowed brow, the whole package.
He rewound the footage again.
Grey pants, black shoes, a sweater and a handbag. Expression: decidedly not distraught. Very calm, actually, almost bored.
What in hell's name was Kibum doing at the gallery? And mere minutes before the EXO kids. More importantly, why hadn't he been there when himself and Jinki had arrived? Surely he would have made an effort to let Jinki know he was safe.
Jonghyun let the footage play. Watched Kibum approach the crown with the rest of the people in his line, watched him stand on the other side of the rope in admiration. All at once, people started to scatter and panic, smoke started to obscure the camera's vision, and then the video cut out completely. Jonghyun scrambled for the second security disc, from a different camera at a different angle. He replaced to first one and fast forwarded to the same time frame. There was Kibum again, actions repeated, only this time from the front angle. And from this angle, he could see Kris and his pack enter the hall, throw the smoking canisters, and then that camera was shot out as well.
Jonghyun found the third disc quickly, a camera that had been focused on a tiara, but the crown display was clearly visible. Kibum was there every time, he wasn't just imagining it. He was right in front of the crown's display case when EXO came in bullets first. When the crowd panicked like a wave, Kibum was half a second behind, ducking to the ground like everyone else. As soon as the smoke enveloped the display, he disappeared from view entirely, engulfed in it.
His fingers tapped over the pause button when he leaned back heavily in his chair. Kibum wasn't just at the gallery, he was literally right in front of the display. Directly in the line of danger. Standing right there, admiring the very target Kris went after. There were a thousand questions left right there, too. How did he get out unhurt? Why didn't he stick around and wait for the police, for Jinki to show up? Why didn't he even mention being there? When Jonghyun approached him in the waiting area, he said he'd heard what happened from a coworker. Why would Kibum lie about? To keep Jinki from worrying? So Jinki could give his whole focus to the case and not whether or not Kibum was scarred for life or something? Kibum was a smart, rational guy, wouldn't he at least be smart enough to give a statement? He'd been in the perfect spot to see everything that happened.
But even as these questions raced through Jonghyun's mind, his stomach was twisting with something other than anticipation now. Because Kibum wasn't just standing there, admiring the crown moments before the chaos broke out. More than anyone scribbled on the short list of his,
Kibum was showing signs of intent.
A shrill guitar riff made Jonghyun literally jump in his seat, and he snatched up his phone.
"Yeah?"
"It's fake."
"What?" Jonghyun switched ears, popping the disc out of the computer. On the other end, Jinki's voice was more than urgent.
"The crown, Jjong, it's fake. It's an incredibly detailed and extremely convincing fake, but it's still fake. So either the British Royal Family sent out a dummy crown on tour instead of the real one, or the real one has already been stolen and we are royally fucking boned."
Jonghyun didn't reply, realization sunk into his limbs like heavy ice.
"Do you hear me, Jjong? Kris and the boys were a distraction so that this guy could steal the crown literally right out from under our noses. Did you find anything on the security footage?"
Wide brown eyes darted down to the short list under his palm. He swallowed the lump in his throat. "Yeah, yeah I have a few possibilities. I'll get Donghae on them right away. I need you to go straight to Kangin about this."
"Me? He'll be expecting you."
"He likes you more than me. Give him my excuses, tell him I'm pursuing a lead."
"Lead? What lead?"
"Call me when you have news."
"Jjong, wh-"
----->
Jinki and Kibum met on the crime scene of the first Ghost Thief case. Not exactly a romantic setting, which was why Jonghyun had been so surprised when his partner managed to walk away with the hot clerk's phone number. That case remained unsolved, but it appeared Jinki managed to find something other than a culprit. Because Kibum was all he talked about for weeks following. And his cheesy dates and dinners hadn't been for naught, before Jonghyun even realized it, the pair became a very committed couple. And they'd stayed that way ever since. They didn't live together officially, but it was rare for one of them to not be at the other's apartment. And every time the department had a dinner, or Jonghyun threw a party, Jinki brought Kibum to proudly show him off. And everyone could tell that Kibum liked being shown off.
Naturally, when they'd first started dating, Jonghyun did what any good partner would do. A background check. Kim Kibum, 23 years old, born in Daegu and raised in an orphanage there when his parents abandoned him as an infant. Never adopted but finished school. Aged out of the orphanage and took on various jobs to pay for some college classes. Very smart, but never graduated. Currently working at the Choi Art Gallery. Which, according to Kibum himself, was the luckiest break he'd ever gotten. Spotless record. He didn't drive, so there wasn't even a traffic violation on there. He was clean. A good, calm match for his enthusiastically justice-driven boyfriend.
From an outsider's perspective, Jonghyun could easily say that they were in love. Very obviously so. Jinki, who had basically never gone on a date in his adult life, had found what he'd never even stopped to hope for. And Jonghyun knew, for a fact, that Kibum felt the same way; as, intoxicated conversations were very revealing.
All of these facts culminating together made what Jonghyun was about to do feel wrong. Like he was betraying a deep seated trust on the whims of a coincidence. But he was a detective, he wasn't allowed to believe in coincidence, regardless of how much the truth might hurt. And his instincts had never failed him before.
The soft ringing on the other end of his phone finally clicked, a friendly voice chiming into his ear, "Shinsaengwon Orphanage, my name is Choi Sulli, can I help you with something?"
"Yes, ma'am. My name is Kim Jonghyun, I'm the Head Detective of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. I'm calling to inquire about a former ward of your orphanage."
"Sure!" She chirped, and he could faintly hear what sounded like the clicking of computer keys. "Do you have a name?"
"Kim Kibum."
"Kim Ki Bum," she repeated a bit more slowly, accented by more faint clicks. After a few moments, she made a soft 'aha' sound. "Yes, I found him in our system. He aged out almost 6 years ago, that's unfortunate. What sort of questions did you have?"
"If you have any behavioral notes on him? Like, anything at all."
"Mmm, no, there's nothing of note here. Says he was a bit reclusive, but he was only with us for 13 months, so not much is said."
"13 months?" Jonghyun echoed, looking back at his monitor. "But I have a file here that says he was with your orphanage since he was abandoned there as an infant."
"Mm, nope. Says here in our system that he was barely 16 when he joined us. Was formerly part of a traveling circus? Left behind in Daegu, so he came here."
Jonghyun was pulling out the notebook he rarely used, jotting all of this down in short-hand. "Do you have any information on where he went after he aged out?"
"I'm afraid not. It says the director at the time set him up with a job interview that he never went to. He kind of disappeared from there."
"And this was six years ago?"
"Yes, sir."
"Thank you very much, Ms. Choi. You've been very helpful."
"My pleasure."
"Good day."
He hung up with his brow furrowed more than it had been before. But he tried to keep his thoughts calm, he had to process it properly. First things first, how did Kibum get his background information changed in a police database? Why would he get his information changed? Was he lying about who he was because he was trying to escape a less than perfect past? Or was he lying about who he was to protect his future? Most importantly, did Jinki know?
Any direction this went in, it wasn't making Kibum look any better. He'd been a part of a traveling circus that was in Daegu six years ago. He could start looking there. But the biggest weight on Jonghyun's mind was that he knew he needed to speak to Kibum himself.
----->
Only Choi Minho was enough of a dick to make Kibum do a lift and still do work at the gallery all in one day. Because, "we need to get ready for Suh Yongsun's final comeback exhibit. You have two jobs, Key. And you cannot ignore one for the other."
Yeah, ignore, that's what he was doing. Kibum still wasn't so sure why Minho was suddenly interested in art made in this era.
He was yawning when he stepped off of the bus, busy wrapping his headphones around his ipod to put it away. And, tired as he was, he didn't notice Jonghyun. Not until he was passing the man, who sat on the steps of the building next to his.
"Late night?"
Kibum visibly jumped, whipping around. "Jjong, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"You walked right by me."
"Well it's not my fault that you look like a hobo sitting there," he sighed and tried to calm his racing heart, shoving the ipod into his bag and reaching for his keys instead. Jonghyun stood and stepped back onto the sidewalk, joining the black-haired man who was eyeing him semi-suspiciously. But then again, Kibum was always eyeing him semi-suspiciously. Honestly, you try to drunkenly kiss a guy once, and you're never trusted again. Jonghyun didn't even remember doing it.
"What are you doing here, anyway? I'm busy."
"I saw you on the security footage, Kibum, I know you were at the exhibit today." The words were said so matter-of-factly that Kibum was taken aback. But Jonghyun didn't give him the chance to respond. "Why didn't you wait for police to get there?"
He knew something like this would happen. God, he was never going along with one of Taemin's plans again, they were so messy. He gripped his keys tighter in his hand, glancing down to them. "I was scared," he lied.
"Why didn't you tell me or Jinki that you had been there, Kibum? You were literally right in front of the display case when it happened. Did you not think we'd find out?"
He looked back up with a deep breath, ready to lie again, but something in those big, brown eyes stopped the words in his throat.
"Or did you panic for another reason, Key?"
Ice settled into Kibum's lungs, freezing him up even more. He felt like he couldn't even breathe. Jonghyun was stepping closer, never looking away, expression set into something both serious and unreadable.
"Where is the crown?" The question was whispered heavily into the small space between them.
"I don't understand," Kibum managed to force out.
"I will get a warrant, if you force me to. Just tell me where it is." There was an unnaturally hard edge to the man's voice that Kibum had never heard before, and it was sinking like bile in the pit of his stomach.
"I don't know," he whispered back, voice breaking.
"Kibum-"
"I don't have it," he said a bit more solidly. He couldn't rip his eyes away, and the mask he was so used to wearing felt like it was slipping through his fingers.
Jonghyun stared at him then, searching his eyes for anything. Kibum couldn't feel his fingers, or his feet. His head felt like it was starting to float and, actually, lying down sounded like a great idea. He needed to breathe.
Finally, Jonghyun spoke again, "does Jinki know?"
Kibum managed to shake his head lightly, barely breathing out a 'no'. Jonghyun went quiet again and Kibum wasn't sure how he was still standing.
The question slipped passed his lips before he could catch it, "are you going to arrest me?"
It was met with the same hard, searching look. "Are you only with Jinki to keep tabs on your case?"
"No-!" that single word was ripped out of him when Jonghyun was barely done with the question, and it shocked him back into his own mind. He met the challenging look with a dead-set one of his own. "No."
Finally, Jonghyun seemed assured of something. He gave the smallest of nods. "For his sake, this better fucking stop. Right now, Kibum. Do you understand me?" There was finality in his words. No room for argument. So Kibum nodded mutely. Seemingly satisfied, Jonghyun took a step back to leave. But Kibum couldn't leave it like that.
"How did you-" Jonghyun stopped immediately, looking back with something almost akin to pity.
"The Dong Hwa Circus's youngest acrobat, Fairy Princess Gwiboon." One of those stupid, shit-eating grins flashed across his face. "That's embarrassing."
But the smile was gone as fast as it appeared, serious expression back full force. "Tell him you were there. Or I'll have to."
"Have to tell me what?"
Both men were startled at the voice, wearing matching looks of surprise when they turned to find Jinki himself standing only a good seven feet away. Jonghyun immediately put more space in between himself and Kibum. Jinki was watching them both curiously, and somewhat guardedly.
"Jinki, h-how long have you-?"
"I just walked up, you guys were pretty engrossed in your conversation." Jinki moved closer slowly, stepping up to Kibum's side. "Now what is it you guys aren't telling me?"
Kibum looked back to Jonghyun, who raised his hands and shook his head, then looked back to his boyfriend. A lump was forming in his throat, he tried to swallow it.
"Well, ...I, um," again, he tried to swallow, and his once numb hands were starting to shake.
"Kibum was at the Crowned Jewels exhibit, when EXO showed up. He was standing right in front of the crown's display case." Jonghyun put him out of his misery in two sentences.
"What?" Immediately, Jinki's entire attention was on the man in question, looking for affirmation.
Kibum could only nod, adding to his boyfriend's horror.
"What? Kibum, why didn't you say something?!" Jinki gently shook him by his arms.
"He didn't see anything useful, I already took his statement." Jonghyun was pulling out a cigarette. "See you tomorrow, Jinki." And with smoke trailing behind him, he walked away. Which was ignored by his partner, entirely.
"Why didn't you wait for me at the exhibit??" His face was all genuine concern mixed with a hint of fear and panic. And it was all a blunt arrow digging into Kibum's heart.
"I'm sorry," he said thickly, vision blurring with sudden tears. "I didn't-I didn't want you to worry-" Pain throbbed through his nose when Jinki crushed him into a hug, encircling him in his arms. Kibum's heart started to break. "I'm sorry," he sobbed again.
"It's okay, Bummie," Jinki's voice was soothing, despite how Kibum could read the emotions swimming in it. He'd never felt so awful in his life.
Jonghyun was right. For Jinki's sake, this had to stop.