Paper Masks | ᴊᴜɴɢᴋᴏᴏᴋ

16 :: sangria red

The street is filled with police cars and overrun with police officers. You walk towards Jungkook, who is sitting by the ambulance. You take support of the metal rail and jump up, sitting by his side. You notice how he has a bandage on his forehead and you press your lips, look at him apologetically and mumble, "Sorry about that. You okay?"

"Yeah," he chuckles, his eyes turning into crescents. "A lot better than I would be if that psycho would have stabbed me, to be honest." 

The two of you watch the comatose body of Dr. Ross, being wheeled out from the building and placed into a wheelchair. Jungkook looks at you and shoots a question.

"What's your analysis, Special Agent? The doctor tried to kill me and you chased him downstairs into the basement where he tried to kill himself?"

"That's what it looks like," you glower. "That arsehole decided to take the easy way out of this." However, before you could explain what you personally thought, Captain Kim comes forward to the two of you.

"Special Agent. Detective Jungkook!" He stops a feet away from the two of you. "Impressive work. With every cop out there searching for him, it was still my favorite detective and the FBI agent that found him. Care to tell me how?"

Jungkook squeals, hitting the air in victory, "I knew I was your favourite."

"Uh," you stammer around, ignoring Jungkook's joy, worried that your disobedience would be out in the open any minute now.

"It's just solid profiling, Cap. You know how good we are," he winks at his captain who merely rolls his eyes.

Captain Kim turns to you, "In that case, we are grateful for your help, Y/N. Yesterday you expressed your doubts over him being the killer. I presume that given the circumstances today, you do not have any more apprehensions over his guilt."

You pause, biting your lip and chewing at it, "It certainly seems that way."

"You don't seem convinced, Y/N," Captain Kim raises his eyebrows at you and you press your lips tightly. 

"No," you protest slowly. "It's not that. I just want to do my job right."

"So simply catching the murderer isn't enough for you?" You look at Jungkook by your side. He almost nods at you confidently and you proceed.

"Yes. With all due respect, Captain, my profile does match Dr. Ross exactly, but there are still way too many unresolved questions of motive and psychological thinking. Perhaps if I am able to examine his lair…"

"You might be able to reconcile any possible discrepancies you have on this case before his trial," Captain Kim nods. "Good thinking, Y/N."

"Thank you?"

"Come back here tomorrow after the CSU has cleared the scene. In the meantime, you and Jungkook could try and get some rest. With whatever you guys choose to do." He looks at Jungkook, his lips curving up slightly and your eyes widen, your cheeks staining in embarrassment. Captain Kim walks away and you exhale nervously, looking at him talk to a few officers around. 

"You still on the edge?"

"Kind of," you mutter. "Is it noticable?"

"Sort of," he chuckles. "It doesn't take a profiler to put that one together. Don't worry. We should grab some drinks. It'll help you calm down."

"I second that," you smile. "I mean, it would feel nice to go out, be normal and think that not everyone is out there after your life. Right?"

"Right. I know this nice place down here. It's by the beach too so," his voice stretches, hoping you'd say yes.

"I'd like that." You push your hair back. "A lot, actually."

━━━━━━━━━━━

"My ex-girlfriend showed me this place," Jungkook laughed as you sat at the lounge, staring at the sea hitting the beach. 

"And you take me to the place your ex-girlfriend showed you?" You sip on your cocktail, "Great going, dude!"

"They serve great drinks," he laughs. "I'm not letting that pass."

The shore is a graceful arc of sand, glittering under the summer sun, a place for a placid ocean to lap. The waves roll in with a soothing sound, the salty water a brief flurry of sand. Every few meters or so lay a shell, a treasure of the aquatic world just out of reach, and the footprints the people left behind are soon being erased by the sea itself. Almost like it's taking its possession back.

"Did she leave you recently?" You ask, cutting the silence and Jungkook doesn't respond quickly.

"She cheated on me about three months back," he mumbles. You look at him through the corner of your eyes worried that you struck a chord but that doesn't seem to be the case. Jungkook looks at the sea calmly, a smile playing on his lips. 

"The boxes?"

"Oh, she left for another city after that. She messaged me telling me it was a mistake and that she was sorry. It was a drunken mistake. I didn't know what to do," he says. "I realised I couldn't stay with her after knowing that she cheated on me. My head went crazy."

"Hey, hey," you touch his arm. "You did the right thing."

"What's your stitch?" Jungkook chugs down his beer. "Why did the FBI send you here when they could have you take down a whole cartel?"

You try zeroing in on the sound of the waves hitting the shore, calming your heartbeat through that but it doesn't work. You hear it all over again. The sound of a child crying. The sound of the gunshot ringing through the air. The splatter of human flesh. Taeil lying in a pool of blood.

"Uh," you look away. "Let's just say I wasn't ready to take down a cartel mentally. Yeah?"

Jungkook feels your uneasiness: how you weren't ready to talk of your load yet and he is alright with that. As long as he gives you the opportunity to be by his side, he's ready to wait for you to open up at your pace to him.

"Hey," Jungkook calls out for you. You look at him. Your eyes look glassy, a portal to all the sad emotions you chose to hide and all he can frame at that moment to convey is, "Do you want a hug?" You nod, feebly. 

According to you, there are two types of hugs. There is the hug of gentle arms that still gives the space to breathe; then there is the hug of strong arms that tells everything that you are - body, brain and soul - that they are with you. You love both, the duvets and the human shields, each has their time, and Jungkook gives you both, somehow, at the same time.

He wraps an arm around your shoulders and pulls you close, gently rubbing your arm. Despite the heaviness in your stomach and the memory that slowly drowns in your head, it flutters at the feeling of your body pressed against his. You sink into the warmth of his side, appreciative of the simple gesture, the two of you choosing to stay silent in the moment.

Jungkook's hugs are like that. His embrace is warm, and his big, strong arms seem very protective when it is wrapped around your petite body. The world around you melts away in that second, your mind being provided a calm that even the waves and oceans couldn't give you as you squeeze him back, not wanting the moment to end.

"Thank you," you mumble into his chest and a soft laugh slips through his lips.

"That's what partners are for, right?"