The next morning, everyone was awake relatively early. Namjoon took the day off work, and Jin and Hoseok closed the suit shop. We'd be spending today planning everything out and tonight, when the sun sets, we're going to attack. All eight of us so Chae can see just who took him down before he dies. Hoseok just requested he not be in the room when we kill him, which didn't bother anyone.
Namjoon sets down a basic floor plan of the building. "Alright, (Y/N) knows the building the best, so he/she and Jimin will lead us through." He puts a bullet down to mark the two of us. "You guys need to have each other's backs so we can give proper support from behind." He sets down a bullet behind ours. "Taehyung and Jungkook are next. They're to take out strays and prevent the rest of us from getting hit." He places one last bullet down. "And this will be the rest of us. Yoongi-hyung and I will take care of most of the combat, but we all need to be on high alert. I'm not the most accurate shot."
Jin and Hoseok both nod.
"Are we going to have weapons?" Jin asks. "We're not strong, but having a knife or something would make us a little better at defense."
Hoseok's lips pull into a nervous line. "Or bulletproof vests? I know we used to have them."
"They went up in the fire," Taehyung replies with a pout. "We didn't get to pack them before we ran out."
"But," Yoongi cuts in, "with those four reckless people in front, we're not going to have a lot of issues in the back. We just have to breathe and not be a hindrance to them."
Hoseok's hands clench before they relax. "Right. Breathe."
Namjoon puts a hand on Hoseok's shoulder. "It'll be alright, hyung. We have your back." He keeps his hand on the older's shoulder as he gestures to the floor plan. "(Y/N), how should we go through the building?"
I look at the plan, visualizing the building itself on top. "The front doors would be a terribly reckless way to go in. That won't work like it did for the small businesses and cash houses. The sewers are also a horrible idea because it'd take us too long to reach his office. There's a lot of side doors, but you need a special code to go in. I think I copied some down on the USB." I take a marker and circle certain points. "There's doors in all these locations. There's also one back here," I circle a new part, "and I recommend this one. It's Chae's personal escape door, so it's actually one sided. However, it's also closest to a hidden stairwell that goes up to his office." I make a line to the stairwell. "There's also an elevator, but..."
"It's too unpredictable?" Jungkook offers.
I nod.
"People could attack us the moment we hit the top floor," Jimin chimes in. "We have to take the stairs even if it makes us tired."
Yoongi frowns. "How many flights of stairs is it?"
I grimace. "Thirty. Plus some hallways."
He looks around the room, obviously horrified. "I'm sorry, I'm just supposed to accept that? I'll die before we even hit ten."
"What else can we do?" Taehyung asks, scratching his head and looking a bit disheartened at the amount of stairs. "Is there another way we could take?"
I bite my lip. "Either we can hijack a helicopter, or..." I point to the side view of the plan. "We scale the building."
"We are not scaling the building," Jin says immediately. "There are many of us who would not only get tired halfway through, but half of us would die."
"Do any of you know how to fly a helicopter?" I cross my arms. "Do we even have access to one?"
Namjoon smiles bashfully. "I have one on top of my building for emergencies, but I don't know how to fly it."
Everyone's eyebrows raise.
Jimin has a look of mixed surprise and annoyance. "I'm sorry, what? You bought a helicopter, and didn't tell us?"
Namjoon scratches the back of his neck. "I didn't think it was particularly important?"
Jimin gapes, unable to speak.
"I guess that settles that, then," I hum.
"Settles what?" Jungkook asks. "Cause I'm just confused now."
I smile a little. "I know how to fly a helicopter. We'll need to fly high and slowly descend in order to not be immediately caught, but it'll also give us a fast escape. We'll take the helicopter, land it on the roof, and break in from there."
Taehyung blinks. "Why do you know how to fly a helicopter?"
"There was a small period of time where I accompanied Chae on a business trip. I had to learn because he didn't trust anyone else." I shrug. "That backfired greatly."
Jimin chuckles. "I'd say. Alright, so you show off your stupid skills, and we arrive on the building. How do we get in?"
"Through the door," I say flatly. "It's not very sturdy. A kick would take care of it."
His eyebrows go up and his lips part. "It's that easy?"
I clear my throat so my thoughts can get back on track. "Then we have to get past the forty guys who guard the top floor."
"His office isn't the top floor?" Namjoon asks.
"No. He put it two floors down to lower the chances of someone succeeding at a rooftop attack. If he put it on the top floor, we could just put a bomb up there and kill him. Instead, he has the media believe his office is the top floor to throw off his enemies." I shiver. "I was there when someone tried. There were a lot of men lost, but he didn't blink an eye."
Everyone's jaw clenches at the same time. A vein on Jimin's neck defines itself.
Taehyung is the first to speak. "So, we get in there, Jimin-hyung and (Y/N) start the assault, and we follow?"
Namjoon nods, moving the bullets to the top floor on the plan. "Then (Y/N) leads the way to the office, and we take care of Chae."
"What happens if Chae isn't there?" Hoseok says, eyes locked on the bullets. "Even I can't talk our way out of that."
"We'll just have to find him." I run a hand through my hair as I think. "He could be in the basement if they have prisoners, but he spends most of his time in his office. Especially at night."
Jungkook passes over a different marker. "Where does he go besides that? We can memorize the approximate locations and go there if he's not in the office. That way, we have at least an idea of what to do."
I take the marker and circle different rooms in the basement, writing the type of room, what level, and how many men would be around it.
Yoongi picks at the ends of his mint hair. "Does he have bodyguards?"
"His top three most valuable men are always in the same room as him, at the very least. Usually, he has ten grunts with him too." I look to Taehyung and Jungkook. "We'd have to leave them up to you guys. Jimin and I are acting mostly as close combat, so we can't get close without dying."
Taehyung and Jungkook meet eyes for a moment, a silent exchange happening. Then they look back to me.
"We'll take care of them," Taehyung says, Jungkook nodding in agreement.
"Should we do anything about the building after everything's done?" Jimin asks, leaning back onto the counter.
"Should we set it on fire? You know, have a little crime brulee?" Jin makes finger guns.
Most of us just stare, wondering how such a bad joke was come up with, but Jimin cracks a smile and snorts quietly.
"No," Yoongi replies simply.
That made a chuckle come out from everyone else, much to Jin's dismay.
"Alright, then," Namjoon says, a smile tugging at his lips. He takes the three bullets from the plan. "Everyone relax for the rest of today. We need to be energized and ready for tonight. No last minute practicing or agonizing alone. Tell someone your worries if you have them."
And we disperse.
~~~~~
I spent the afternoon taking care of my weapons. I loaded all the bullets I'd need, chose the pistols I'd use, and grabbed four knives of different sizes. I even put an extendable baton in the group, just in case. I needed to talk to Jimin just in case something went wrong, but he was watching a movie with the two youngest. I was sharpening a knife to pass the time until he came back, wondering how to phrase this. I needed to say something really important, but I was so nervous that my chest was hurting. Namjoon said to say our worries, and there's no way I'd be able to work with Jimin if I didn't say anything. I started counting how many times it took to get the blade sharp. I did this for three knives by the time Jimin came to the room. He went over to the dresser and started grabbing his mission clothes.
I set the knife down with a trembling hand. "Jimin, I'm... worried."
He looks up from the drawers, a surprisingly serious look on his face. "About what?"
I clench my jaw and stand up. "You. I can't stop this... this anxiety that's pounding at my head."
He sets his clothes down before going over and closing the door. "This mission is dangerous. You need to worry about yourself before you worry about others."
My chest feels like it seizes. I move my hands behind my back before feeling at the bracelet. My bracelet. A gift from him.
"But I can't." I force my feelings to steel before I meet his eyes. "I would rather kill myself than let you get hurt."
Flame bursts in his eyes. "Don't say that. Don't throw your life away like that."
My body shakes with surprise turned anger. "Then be careful, you dumbass! You're so reckless all the time! I'd throw myself into hell's clutches in a heartbeat if it meant you were safe!"
"I'll be fine! I'd rather get tortured a million times over than see you hurt over me!" He steps closer. "Why do you think I keep protecting you?! Why, on all of the recent missions, I never leave your side?! When you run off, it scares the shit out of me!"
I have to take a step back because of what he's saying. "Don't turn this on me. Protect yourself! I'm more capable!"
He growls, shoving me back. "Don't you think I know that?! I know how you kick everyone's ass, shoot accurately, and disable whoever comes near! I know that you're grounded even in the air! I know that you're always alert, always aware of everything!" His hands ball into fists. "But you don't know everything! I've kept you from getting shot so many times, and you didn't even notice! That's why I went in the damn first wave. Namjoon-hyung wanted you to be in it because you're more well rounded."
That sentence knocked the air out of me. "Then..."
"I went in the first wave so you wouldn't get hurt."
I slam my hands into his chest. "Are you an idiot?! You could've died! Why didn't you let me go?!"
He stumbled back, but he came back in an instant. "Because! Without me next to you, you pull reckless shit and could get hurt!" He looks pained for a moment before grabbing my shirt. "Do you know how much it hurt to see you bleeding in that alleyway?! How worried I was when you ran off in the whorehouse?!"
"How worried you were?!" I grab his shirt and shove him, moving us a little. "Do you know what it did to me to see the pool of blood around your head?! Do you know how my heart broke, watching you unconscious on the bed?! You looked dead! What would I have done if you were dead?!"
He moves forward before pushing me against the wall. "At least you were safe! That's all that matters!"
Fury boiled in my throat. "You fucking bastard. Do not give me that bullshit."
The fire explodes in his eyes, his entire body tensing. Then he tears my hands off his shirt and slams our lips together. Shock locked my entire body up as his body pressed suddenly to mine. His arm has found its way to the curve of my back, and he uses it to fold us together. I couldn't stop the soft groan that came out when he lightly bit my lip. I moved a hand into his hair and used the other to pull him closer. This wave of passion pushed me harder against the wall as he bore down on me, taking away my breath. I gasped when he pulled back for a moment, then I was drowning again. Storms collided and waves crashed. Lightning struck and fire burned. The fire clashed with the water, raging a war even more fierce than the atomic bomb. It destroyed everything in its path, blinded witnesses, deafened the world.
When he pulls back to breathe, his eyes hold that battle in his eyes.
"What diㅡ?"
"Shut up," he growls before pulling me in again.
His lips on mine was a key pushing the right triggers in a lock. It freed this part of my soul that I hadn't even known was locked up. His hand on my back and the other gripping my hair was a feeling unlike any other. The way his mouth massaged mine, forcing sparks down my spine, was enough to make me dizzy. He was my rock and my wings at the same time. I couldn't see, couldn't think, couldn't breathe, it was all him. He flooded my senses, took over my thoughts, burned his way into my body. I couldn't focus on anything but the caress of his lips. Ice flew through my body when he dragged his teeth across my bottom lip. The fires were buried before they came back with a vengeance, and I moved a hand to pull his hips towards mine. He obliged, taking a step closer. Our hips grinded together as his hands started roaming my body. His hands glided over my hips, up my chest, and around the back of my neck, leaving stars in his path. He was the black hole threatening to swallow my light, and he took me over. It was him. All him. He was what I'd been waiting for, the one who looked at that discarded child and merely accepted everything. He wasn't afraid of me, not afraid of what I could do. He was the light beckoning my soul. He'd guided me here with his underhanded comments, harsh glares, and lack of trust. He'd taken my arm and told me where the path was, walked it with me, even as our fire and water repelled.
And nothing felt more right than combining the elements.