Veiled Intrigues | Taehyun

t w o

"Let me just get out and bleed on the street instead of messing up your precious car then."

"Good! You do that."

"What the hell is your issue, Kai??"

"What the hell is yours?! I told you to get out of there. You didn't listen to a word I said. I told you that what you were doing was risky! You ignored me like fifty times!"

"I was going on instinct!"

"It seems like every mission you're going on 'instinct'! The hell do you need me for if you never listen to me?! Half the time you're berating me and the other half you're disregarding everything. I spend ages curating plans and you dismiss everything and go off on your own."

"I told you! I'm going on instinct! Sometimes plans don't fall through and I have to improvise!"

"Sometimes! Not every single damn time, Taehyun!"

"You're so dense! Your plans don't even make sense half the time, Kai! In the field, you have to make split-second decisions. And the fuck do you know about being in the field?? You don't even go in the field anymore!"

The younger boy's grip on the steering wheel tightened further, his knuckles turning white. The frown on his face deepened too.

"You know exactly why I don't go in the field anymore, Taehyun. You know exactly why!"

Taehyun paused.

"Kai, I..."

"Shut up, Taehyun!"

Kai slammed his hand against the steering wheel before unbuckling his seatbelt. He flung his car door open and got out, slamming it behind him.

Taehyun sat there, taken aback by the sudden outburst from his usually calm and collected partner. He didn't know what to say. He could feel the guilt gnawing at him for bringing up a sensitive topic, one they both knew had caused Kai to stop going into the field. It had been a few years ago, a mission that went horribly wrong, and Taehyun understood why Kai chose to stay behind the scenes since then.

He debated getting out of the car to talk to Kai, to apologize and explain himself, but his arm was still bleeding, and the adrenaline had worn off, leaving him feeling drained and sore. Instead, he put on the hazard lights for the car and leaned his head back against the seat. Closing his eyes, Taehyun started taking deep breaths to calm his racing heart.

After a few minutes, someone opened his car door and Taehyun's eyes flicked open. Kai was knelt on the ground outside beside him, a first aid kit open next to him.

The younger boy held out his hand, a gesture for Taehyun to show him the injured arm, and the thief wordlessly complied. Kai also remained silent, not even glancing at the older boy's face as he started tending to the gunshot wound.

"I'm sorry," Taehyun finally whispered, feeling remorseful for how he had acted and what he had said to his partner.

Still evidently pissed, Kai didn't respond. However, his touch was gentle as he treated the injury.