The full extent of Taehyun's agility was showcased as he, in what could only be described as gracefully, ran and leapt from rooftop to rooftop.
Upon reaching the area near the extraction point, he paused before glancing behind him. There was a considerable distance between him and the other guards but he couldn't shake the feeling that she was right behind him.
"Damn it, Taehyun."
He softly scolded himself for allowing a person that he didn't even know to get inside his head. The sharp sting of the bullet wound on his arm brought him back to reality and he gritted his teeth a little as the adrenaline rush was starting to wear off.
Ignoring all the weird emotions swirling around inside of him, he wiped at his arm again before scaling down the building and turning to see the back of a sleek, black car not too far from him.
He quickly ran the remaining distance and opened the passenger door with his uninjured arm. Getting in, Taehyun immediately buckled up before squeezing his eyes shut and leaning his head back against the car seat.
Not waiting for an order from the older boy, Kai stepped on the gas and sped away from the scene. They stayed silent for a while, the only sound being the engine of the car.
At one point, Kai pressed harshly on the breaks. Taehyun's eyes immediately flicked open as he jolted forward. Had it not been for his seatbelt, he would've gone right into the windshield.
He turned his attention over to Kai with an incredulous look. The younger boy only stared straight ahead, a vexed look on his face. His index finger tapped continuously on the steering wheel as he tightly held onto it. He completely ignored Taehyun's presence.
"What the absolute FUCK was that, Kai?!"
Kai remained staring dead ahead, staying silent while poking his inner cheek with his tongue.
"We are stopped in the middle of the damn road, Kai! Dri — "
As Taehyun moved forward, the pain in his arm intensified and he couldn't even finish his sentence as he dropped back onto the seat while clutching onto his bleeding arm.
The younger boy's eyes briefly flickered toward his friend before he went back to focussing on the road and putting the car into park.
"You're getting blood on my seat."
Taehyun shot him a glare.
"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.
"Kai, I — "
When the younger boy shot him a pointed glare, Taehyun understood; nodding and keeping his mouth shut.
As soon as he was done patching Taehyun's arm up, Kai stood up and shut the car door again, making his way over to the driver's side. He got in and put the car in gear, turning off the hazard lights and driving towards their safe house.
As he drove, Kai remained silent, his jaw clenched and his gaze fixed on the road. Taehyun wanted to say something but he didn't even know where to start. The guilt was eating away at him and he knew that he had crossed a line. But he feared that even saying a single word would set off another argument with the younger boy.
The ride back to their safe house seemed longer than usual. The tension in the air was palpable and Taehyun could feel the weight of his actions pressing down on him.
He just sat there, silently, occasionally stealing glance at Kai's profile and noticing the tight set of his jaw and the way his brow was still furrowed as he drove.
They finally arrived at the safe house where Kai parked the car. Without so much as a backwards glance, the younger boy got out and walked straight into the house, leaving Taehyun to follow suit.
When he entered the house, he saw that Kai was heading straight for his room.
"Wait," Taehyun spoke softly as he tried to catch up with his friend. "Kai, I really didn't — "
Kai continued walking, the extreme disdain still evident in his tone as he spoke. "Save it. Just leave me alone, Taehyun."
"But I — "
"Seriously! Leave me the hell alone!" Kai snapped, slamming his room door shut.
Taehyun was left standing alone in the hallway, feeling a whole cocktail of emotions as he stared at the shut door. Head hung low, he leaned against the wall and let out a sigh. The older thief had never seen Kai this hurt before.
Raking his hand through his dark hair, he pushed himself off of the wall and took the few steps to Kai's door. He lifted his hand, his closed fist hovering just inches from the wood. Taehyun let out a breath before knocking thrice softly.
"Kai, please. I — "
"You stubborn-ass prick! Can you not listen to me for once?? Leave me alone!"
Taehyun winced as he heard the tremor in Kai's voice, betraying the younger boy's hidden feelings of sorrow beneath his anger. He really wanted to give him the space that he so evidently wanted, but Taehyun wanted to fix everything.
The fact that the guard had said the artefact was being transported in two days gave them an even shorter deadline. Taehyun didn't know if it was true or not, but he wasn't willing to take any chances. And if he wanted to get the artefact, he needed Kai's help.
Letting out a sigh, he let his head drop forward, gently pressing his forehead against the wood.
"I'm sorry. I messed up. Your plans don't suck, ok? I need you. More than you know."
The sound of a muffled frustrated groan came from inside the room.
"You really are persistent."
The sound of footsteps came closer as Kai opened the door. Taehyun leaned back a little as he stared at the younger boy.
"Talk then, Taehyun."
"I'm sorry. I truly am, Kai. I was just...angry. And I know that's no excuse but I wasn't thinking at all and I didn't mean any of it. And..." Taehyun paused as he finally looked directly into his partner's eyes. "I'm sorry about bringing up that mission...I know how much it affected you and I'm so sorry for even mentioning it. That was incredibly stupid of me. I shouldn't have done that."
After what felt like hours of silence, Kai's shoulders finally slumped slightly; his stiff posture fading as he let out a sigh.
"You're right, Taehyun. You shouldn't have brought it up. But it's not just that. It's about you trusting me. You don't listen to a single word I say, Taehyun. I always feel like you're just using me to get the information that you can't get yourself."
In response to Kai's words, Taehyun's eyes widened slightly. "That's not true. You know that's not true, Kai. You're not just a means to an end...you're not just my partner, you're my friend."
Crossing his arms over his chest, Kai scoffed.
"Yeah. Sure."
"Give me a chance," Taehyun almost pleaded in response. "I promise. I'll prove it to you."
Kai's gaze wavered briefly before eventually softening as he uncrossed his arms and let them drop by his sides. A defeated sigh left his mouth.
"I'm not asking you to abandon your instincts. I don't mind you going off plan if you feel better about it. Because you're right...I don't know what it's like in the field anymore," the younger boy paused as he let out a long breath that Taehyun seemingly did in sync with him. "But I just need you to be safe. I...when I tell you to get out of places, you get out. Ok? You have no idea how terrified I was tonight, Tae. No idea."
"Again...I'm sorry. I promise you that I won't take unnecessary risks and I'll learn to trust your plans more. And, about that mission — "
For a split second, Kai's expression darkened. "Don't mention it."
Understanding the gravity of the situation, Taehyun only nodded in response; changing the subject immediately.
"I promise. I'll listen more. Especially when it comes to something as valuable as my life."
Kai rolled his eyes but there was a ghost of a smile on his lips.
"Just don't go kissing guards that you don't even know."
Taehyun cleared his throat, averting his gaze slightly as he stood in front of Kai. He replied in a hurried tone, clearly trying to divert attention away from that moment. "Speaking of the guard, she said something about the artefact being moved in two days."
The younger boy was about to tease further but his expression immediately switched when he registered Taehyun's words.
"Two days? You can't be serious..."
With a single nod, Taehyun replied, "She could definitely be playing me. But whether it's the truth or not, we have to adjust the plan; we need to be more cautious."
Kai raised a brow, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards slightly.
"Cautious? You?"
Taehyun swatted his partner's arm. "Shut up. Now come," he said, grabbing the boy's arm. "We have to readjust the plan."
Kai's nose scrunched slightly as Taehyun pulled on his arm. He freed himself from the older boy's grasp and Taehyun frowned slightly, confused.
"You know what, Tae? I've got it from here. I'll do some more extensive research and get back to you in the morning. It's late."
"What's wrong?"
Kai's nose scrunched up again and he took a step back.
"Nothing...you should rest up, Taehyun."
"Kai. You're acting weird."
"It's really nothing, man. You should go rest...have a shower maybe..."
"Shower?"
"Yes! Ok?? You reek, dude. How you kissed that guard without her shooting you, I'll never know."
At Kai's response, Taehyun seemed slightly offended.
"She never complained," he mumbled to himself, his eyes drifting to the floor.
"That's because you kissed her and fled, Taehyun. She didn't even have a chance to speak."
"Whatever, man. Fine. I'll go have a shower."
With that, Taehyun turned around while Kai rolled his eyes at his partner's sulky demeanour before entering his room and preparing to find out whatever he could.