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fic advent: day twenty one
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supaari ♥
sehun/luhan/kai
pg-13, 4.1k words
au. mission impossible
supaari ♥sehun/luhan/kai
pg-13, 4.1k words
au. mission impossible
The mark: Lu Han, young heir to a Chinese investment firm, due to step into his father's shoes within the next six months. “Oh,” Jongin says, looking up at the footage that plays onscreen. He looks even younger than Jongin expected, eyes sharp, features delicate, and when he laughs, his whole face changes. Next to him, Sehun clears his throat and Jongin tears his eyes away from the slope of Lu Han's nose, flushing. “That's him?”
Kyungsoo favours him with a look that says all that he's not bothering to say. Sehun doesn't give him the benefit of the doubt. “No,” Sehun says. “No, Jongin, this isn't a mission briefing, this is a set up for a blind date.”
Eyes narrowed, Jongin turns to snap at him, but Kyungsoo cuts him off, slapping a folder down in front of them. “That's Lu Han, incredibly wealthy, groomed from birth to succeed his father at the helm of their company.” Sullenly, Jongin flicks the folder open with a finger and glances over the paperwork. “It's more than likely that he's aware of his father's dealings on the side, but hasn't yet begun to take part. He's our best shot at getting evidence of his father's work.”
“A honey pot?” Jongin asks, and he ignores the way that Sehun scowls. They've pulled this kind of mission before, it's almost routine now. Jongin is the lure, the honey. He knows how to read a mark, mirror their body language, feed them just what they need to hear. He likes the formula of it, likes the way that he gets to worm his way into their heads and pull out all their dirty little secrets and they don't even know his name. There's something safe about it.
Sehun is the safety on these jobs. He keeps his eyes on Jongin, he makes sure that everything is under control. It makes sense, Sehun has never had the patience that Jongin has, to play pretend the way he does. Still, sometimes Sehun chafes a bit under what he sometimes calls being 'glorified backup'. He pretends like he doesn't, but he kicks his feet up on the table in front of them, heels landing squarely on top of Jongin's folder.
“A honey pot,” Kyungsoo confirms. Jongin punches Sehun in the shin and he yelps, dragging the papers off the table with his feet. Kyungsoo drums his fingertips against the tabletop, looking supremely unimpressed. He has that face on again, the one that says and supposedly you're adults and also the country puts it's security in your hands, god help me. “Now, we've done a bit of research, so we know what he likes. Our young heir apparently likes to be in charge.”
“So be at your most twinky,” Sehun says. Jongin bounces a pen off his forehead.
“Enough,” Kyungsoo snaps, and Jongin straightens immediately, looking apologetic. Kyungsoo sighs, pressing his fingers to his temples. “Sorry,” he says. “This is a big one. I've been locked in research with Chanyeol and Baekhyun night and day for the past week.” Jongin's eyes widen. Ah. That explains the headache and the short temper. Prolonged exposure to Park Chanyeol was sure to send anyone a little off the rails. “So let's try to be a little professional about it, alright?”
Sehun shrugs and nods. “We're professionals,” he says.
“Like that means anything,” Kyungsoo says dryly. He pulls out his chair and sits down, propping his chin up on one hand. “Please make all that research worthwhile. Please.”
“Got it, hyung,” Jongin says. He even throws in a salute, which gets him an indulgent smile.
Kyungsoo stretches out an arm to press a button on the desktop console and the screen above them shifts. “Lu Investing is throwing their bicentennial gala in three days time.” The screen cycles through photos showing the interior of the hall as well as blueprints. “Jongin, you're the son of the VP for Shinhan Financial Group, Sehun, you're his hotshot investor pal.” Sehun clicks his tongue and wrinkles his nose sullenly. “The plan is simple. Jongin will sweet talk Lu Junior into trusting him, establish a rapport, and hopefully that will get us a line into his dad's dealings.”
Easy peasy. They've done this a half dozen times before. As Jongin looks up at the screen, Lu Han's face pops up again. “At least he's not old,” Sehun grumbles, twirling his pen in his fingers, and Jongin wholeheartedly agrees.
-
Jongin slides into his persona with ease. After dinner, he strolls into the hall with one hand tucked into the pocket of his expensive, immaculately tailored suit, Sehun at his elbow. The Lus have really gone all out. The old room is filled with people, men and women dressed to the nines. “You can practically smell the money,” Sehun says, and Jongin catches the faint distaste in his expression.
“Agent Oh,” Sehun's handler sighs. “Please keep your comments to yourself right now.”
It's pure training that keeps Jongin from grinning at that. Next to him, Sehun clenches his jaw. “Mark?” Jongin speaks without moving his lips, voice just loud enough to be picked up by his earpiece.
“The bar. He's dyed his hair dark for the party, apparently.” Yifan' voice is a nice steady rumble in Jongin's ear, a calming presence. “Put your Kai face on and go get him, tiger.”
“Tiger?” Working with Sehun on a mission is an exercise in reading the microexpressions that flicker across his face. Right now, it's incredulity and disgust. “No wonder you two never made it to the field. You're too lame.”
“Agent Oh, please,” Joonmyun says. “The mission.”
Sehun peels away, begins to weave his way through the crowd. “Yeah, yeah,” he says. “The mission.”
Jongin takes his time making his way over to Lu Han at the bar. The three of them are, by far, the youngest in the room. This isn't a true celebration, it's an event. The men and women in this room are here to be seen, to rub elbows with their social equals and celebrate their status. Really, Jongin doesn't blame Lu Han for setting up camp at the bar. He would too.
When he finally does make it over, Lu Han is idly watching the crowd move, face carefully blank. His newly dark hair is carefully styled up out of his face, and it lends him a few more years to his almost ethereally young face. The whiskey in his hand definitely looks more exciting than the wine Jongin had been passed by a server. “Oh good,” Jongin says, coming to lean against the bar next to him. “I was beginning to think that I was the only person here under the age of fifty.”
Lu Han takes his time turning to look at Jongin, an amused smile playing across his lips. It is really hard for Jongin to believe that he's nearly thirty, and even has a few years on Jongin and Sehun. “That's your opening line?” Lu Han asks. He takes a sip of his drink and raises his eyebrows. “Really? Everyone here knows who I am, you don't really expect me to believe you're the one person in the room who doesn't.”
The reports were right, he's not easy to flatter. Jongin feels obscurely pleased by this. Lu Han is expecting this to fluster him and Jongin delivers, ducking his head and averting his eyes. “Uh,” he says, articulately. He presses a finger to his lips, and that nervous gesture, that's all Jongin.
These characters, they always blur that line between what's a mask and what isn't, and Jongin can't tell if that's a good thing or not. It makes it easier, at least, to borrow pieces of himself instead of creating a whole new persona from scratch.
“You're lucky you're cute,” Lu Han tells him, and Jongin's smile is hesitant. Tipping his head, Lu Han swirls his glass, the single ice cube clinking against the sides. “Kim Kai, right? Your father is the VP for Shinhan.” Jongin's eyes widen almost involuntarily and Lu Han looks pleased. “Oh, don't be surprised. It's my job to know who everyone is. Part of the whole 'heir to the empire' thing.”
In Jongin's ear, Sehun snorts. “Cute, my ass,” he mutters. “He may not be old but he's clearly blind.”
Thank God Jongin has had years of practice dealing with him, because Sehun is probably the biggest pain on the planet. He bites his tongue and instead shifts his expression to admiration. “Empire,” he says. “Sounds like fun.”
There's a wry twist to Lu Han's mouth when he shrugs, but it vanishes as quickly as it came. “Doesn't it?” he agrees. Jongin edges a bit closer, tipping his hips towards Lu Han. Lonely, he thinks. It's carefully covered, but Jongin's been trained in these things. Lonely at the top. “At very least, I get nothing but the best to drink at these affairs.”
As Jongin leans in, he becomes aware of the gaze of a tall man, dressed all in black. Young, muscular beneath his nondescript suit, high cheekbones, long nose. He watches them from the end of the bar, eyes intense. Bodyguard, no doubt. He's not much on subtlety, it seems. “And occasionally good company?” Jongin suggests, and his smile is at its most earnest. He takes a risk, visibly hesitating before he touches his hand to Lu Han's elbow.
Instantly, the man at the bar moves towards them and without looking back at him, Lu Han raises his hand. “We're okay, Zitao,” he says, amused. His eyes remain fixed on Jongin, turning a bit thoughtful. He's sharp, Jongin thinks. He knows that Jongin's playing it up. Jongin is impressed. “Not bad company,” Lu Han allows.
“Would you like some more?” Jongin is going to kill him. He's going to murder him. He has a license to kill. It's totally okay. Sehun's grin over Lu Han's shoulder is smug as he casually props himself up on Lu Han's other side. In his ear, Jongin can hear Joonmyun squawking with horror.
“A friend of yours?” Lu Han asks, although his tone says he already knows the answer to that question.
Jongin is doing his best to contain his urge to glare a hole through Sehun's head. “Something like that,” Jongin says darkly. He wonders when their tech department will get advanced enough to invent a device to let him beam his rage right into Sehun's brain. He's jeopardizing the whole mission.
Their handlers think as much. Yifan cuts right through Joonmyun's ineffectual complaints with his low voice. “Agent Oh,” he says. He has on that dangerous voice, and even Sehun isn't immune to it. He swallows. Jongin doesn't bother to hide his smirk. Good. He should get in trouble. “Agent Oh, if you could possibly explain to us why you've decided to throw the whole mission plan out the window, that would be great.” Casually, Sehun reaches up and flicks off his earpiece. Great. “Did he turn off his earpiece? Oh, for fuck's sake.” Yifan sounds about as exasperated as Jongin feels right now.
“Aren't you lucky,” Sehun says. “You've got your pick of the two most eligible bachelors in the room.” He leans in and flashes a grin that Jongin recognizes as Sehun on his 'charming' setting. “And at least one of us is pretty good looking.” Yeah, Jongin is going to flat out murder him.
Lu Han takes a step back, slowly looking from Sehun to Jongin and back again. The look dawning across his face is very pleased. “Oh,” he says dryly. “So lucky.”
“Can I buy you a drink?” Sehun asks. Lu Han looks down at his empty glass, clearly considering it. “I'm sure our dear Kai hasn't bothered to offer you anything yet.” He shakes his head at Jongin. “Just because he's filthy rich doesn't mean it isn't nice to have someone buy you things once in a while.”
Jongin is a spy. He is a highly trained agent in the service of the country and he is a professional and there are lots of reasons why he can't strangle his partner in the middle of a gala in China and yet somehow none of them seem mighty compelling. “Thanks for the tip,” he says, doing his best to remain in character. He still sounds a little sharp, and Lu Han's eyes skate back towards him, intrigued.
“I'm always willing to help a hopeless case like you, Kai.” Sehun makes a point of waving down the bartender to get Lu Han a refill. Jongin bristles. Who is he calling hopeless? Jongin is a ladykilling superspy. He doesn't need Sehun's little tips.
Lu Han accepts the drink, but he doesn't say thank you, just tips his head towards Sehun. “I don't know,” he says. “He was doing pretty well before you showed up.” Jongin is so busy shooting Sehun a smug look that he doesn't notice Lu Han is watching him until too late. He flushes, embarrassingly enough, and God, he hates it when they go off the book. As soon as they're back in Seoul, he's asking for a new partner.
“How old are you, anyway?” Lu Han asks. Sehun smirks, straightening his lapels. “I mean, you fill out your suit well, but your pickup lines sound like something a fifteen year old would try.” The change in Sehun's face is instantaneous, his shoulders dropping and his expression turning sullen and petulant.
Jongin raises his glass to his lips. “Ouch,” he laughs.
Lu Han turns to him like he's going to go after him next, and Jongin can't figure out how to get this conversation back on track. He's about to try a new tack, compliments maybe, when out of the corner of his eye, he sees Lu Han's bodyguard drop like a stone. In a second, Jongin's on alert, scanning the crowd around them, drink abandoned. “Sehun?” he asks.
There's a small crowd gathering around his prone body, the light conversation reduced to murmurs. “Nothing,” Sehun says. “Taking advantage of the crowd, I bet.” Jongin nods. Makes sense. If they could infiltrate the gala, it's more than likely someone else could too. And if their first move was to take out the bodyguard of the heir of one of the wealthiest companies in the world, well.
“Zitao?” Lu Han says. He takes a step forward but both Jongin and Sehun move to stop him. “What happened? He just – oh my god.” He stiffens up suddenly, a man unused to feeling unsafe or afraid.
“Exactly,” Jongin says. “Just stay – ” It's only Jongin's reflexes that save Lu Han from the knife that darts through the air towards him. Jongin holds Lu Han tight against his chest as the blade slams into the mirror, shattering it. Screams erupt around them, and suddenly everyone breaks into movement, fleeing. It's a mess.
He can see Lu Han struggling to keep his breathing even, but he's starting to shake. “Agent Kim.” As always, Yifan's voice cuts through the din. “I think this just became a protection mission.”
Jongin glances up at Sehun, who grimaces and then turns on his earpiece again. “Got it. Do you have anything?”
All pretense gone, Sehun has retrieved his knife from the sheath at his calf, eyes scanning the rapidly thinning crowd. “It could be any number of groups. Becoming that rich and influential wins you your share of enemies, and all of them have their own very convincing reasons for knocking out the Lu heir.” Yifan sighs. “Just keep him alive.”
Jongin slides Lu Han around behind him, shielding him with his body. “Can do.” As the people make their hurried way out, there are two men left watching them. They look very calm for having just witnessed an attempted murder. “Two. Easy.”
Of course, that might not be the case. Jongin can feel Lu Han grip his waist as he looks the two attackers over. Neither are particularly tall, but Jongin knows better than to underestimate them. “Who are you guys?” Lu Han hisses against Jongin's shoulder, and Sehun settles himself into a fighting stance, hands at the ready.
“The good guys?” Sehun suggests. Another knife comes flying towards them and Jongin tugs them both down and out of the way.
“You could try to sound more convincing,” Lu Han points out. His fingers tighten in Jongin's suit jacket when one of the men pulls out a gun. Jongin grimaces. How did he get that past security? That seems kind of unfair. “Oh my god.”
Sehun mutters something about bringing a knife to a gunfight and then grabs Lu Han by the waist, hauling him bodily over the wide bar. Jongin scrambles after them, as quickly as he can, and they're just in time to escape the rattle of gunfire across the bar top. The expensive bottles on the bar back explode, sending shards of glass and alcohol flying. “This is fun,” Sehun shouts at Jongin through the noise. His arm is curled protectively around Lu Han's head.
“Super cool,” Jongin makes a face. He sheds his jacket and pulls out his own knives, passing them over to Sehun. “I hate fancy parties,” he complains. “No one is carrying anything useful.”
There's a lull in the gunfire, and Lu Han looks thoroughly rattled and completely pissed off. “Is this your fault?” His eyes are accusatory and Jongin holds up his hands.
“Don't look at us.”
Sehun darts up and tosses the knives in his hands in rapid succession. There's a yelp as he throws himself down again, and a smug grin spreads across his face. “We were just supposed to seduce you to get intel on your mean ole dad.”
“We?” Jongin hisses, outraged. “I was supposed to do the seducing, you just decided to butt in, because you're an idiot.”
Sehun glares right back. “I'm twinkier,” he says sullenly. “It should've been my job.”
The gunfire starts up again, sending what's left of the mirror raining down on their heads. “Really?” Lu Han gapes at the both of them. “Is this really a conversation that's happening right now?”
“He has a point,” Yifan says in his ear.
“Shut up,” Jongin and Sehun reply at the same time.
Lu Han puts his face in his hands. “I knew tonight was going to be bad but I never thought it'd be this bad.” The gunfire seems to be coming from closer range, not good. Jongin starts sifting through the glass on the floor, looking for something he can use. He comes up with the knife that had been thrown at them earlier. He hefts it for a second, feeling the weight. Well-balanced, he thinks, but Sehun has always had the better aim. Lu Han raises his head again, eyes narrowed. “Wait, who told you I like twinks?”
Sehun holds his hand out for the knife and Jongin passes it over. “Never mind,” he says. He begins to inch towards the end of the bar, dragging Lu Han with him. “Sorry about your suit,” he adds. It was a nice suit, really, and now it's getting shredded by the glass on the ground.
Behind them, Sehun is scrounging up some of the unbroken bottles, stretching up to throw them at the remaining assailant. He takes a second to check out Lu Han as he crawls behind Jongin, and when he's caught, he shrugs and mouths what? Jongin just rolls his eyes and keeps going towards the end of the bar. Lu Han doesn't even have an ass.
“It's just a suit,” Lu Han tells him, a bit bewildered.
“For the love of God, Jongin,” Joonmyun says. “Don't try to make small talk with the mark. Just get him out of there.” Jongin can't help the petulant way his lower lip sticks out. Everyone is against him.
They reach the end of the bar and Jongin holds out a hand to stop Lu Han. Past his shoulder, he can see Sehun gathering up a line of bottles as ammunition, flexing his long arms and rolling his shoulders. He catches Jongin looking and he nods. “I'll cover. Try not to die.”
There's dread in Lu Han's eyes “You two are the world's least reassuring rescuers.”
“It's fine,” Jongin tells him. “I haven't died yet.” Lu Han looks completely unimpressed. Whatever.
Sehun holds up three fingers. “I've got this.”
“Get ready,” Jongin says, and he tugs Lu Han up into a crouch. The minute he hears the word 'go' in his earpiece he's off, dragging Lu Han with him.
They run, expensive leather shoes sliding across polished tile floor. Who designs these things? Jongin feels like his feet are going to slide out from underneath him at any second. He's placed himself between the attacker and Lu Han, and he's got his hands full, trying to keep Lu Han upright and in one piece. They're halfway to the nearest exit when the shooter figures out what's going on and turns his gun on them. “How much ammo does this guy have?” Jongin moans, yanking Lu Han forward just as bullets rip through the stone tile behind them. He curls an arm around Lu Han's wrist and pushes him forward.
They make it to the doorway when the gunfire abruptly stops and there's a thud. Jongin cautiously glances around to see Sehun perched on the bar, looking pleased with himself. “Tequila,” he says. “Gets you every time.”
Jongin abruptly realizes that he's still gripping Lu Han tightly against his chest and he lets go, flushing and swallowing hard. Whoops. “Yifan,” he says. “Tell me it was just them.”
“A pair of assassins, hired by Lu's competition. It seems like you're in the clear, for now.”
“Good,” Sehun sighs. “I was running out of bottles.”
“We need you two to stay right there,” Joonmyun tells them. “Security is on the way, and we'd rather not make everything even worse by running away with Lu Junior.”
Lu Han occupies himself with carefully brushing off his knees and elbows, looking thoughtfully at the rips in his knees. “No, we wouldn't want that,” Jongin says.
“So,” Lu Han says, looking up. “What do the voices in your head tell us we should do?”
“Stay put,” Jongin says. “Our handlers and the cavalry are on the way.”
Jongin isn't sure about the smirk that flashes onto Lu Han's lips. “Your handlers?” he asks. “Kinky.”
Sehun shrugs. “Not really. Although, didn't Yifan say something one time about ropes and – ”
Both of them flinch as Joonmyun lets out a horrified shriek. “You told them?” He's so loud that even Lu Han hears him, eyes widening.
“Jesus Christ,” Yifan groans.
“Anyway,” Jongin clears his throat. “We've got some time before they all show up.” He loosens his tie and sits down heavily on the chipped tile floor. “Might be a while. He sounds mad.”
Lu Han nods, and then he looks thoughtfully at the two of them again. “What will we occupy ourselves with until then?”
Sehun looks up from where he's been wrestling the top off of what looks like an incredibly expensive whiskey. “Oh,” he says. Jongin hadn't realized it was possible for him to look even more smug and self-satisfied, but there it was.
It takes a few seconds for it to sink into Jongin's head, but when it does, he can't help but grin. “Oh,” he echoes.
Lu Han takes his time taking off his suit jacket and laying it across the bar, then pulling off his tie. “Well?” he says. “Seducing me was the mission, right?” He tips his head and his smile is almost predatory. “Let's see which one of you does better.”
“Agent Kim, you are on agency time – ” Jongin reaches up very deliberately and turns off his earpiece. Sehun follows suit, sliding off the bar, and as one, they move towards Lu Han.
Hey, they always did make a good team, right?
Kyungsoo favours him with a look that says all that he's not bothering to say. Sehun doesn't give him the benefit of the doubt. “No,” Sehun says. “No, Jongin, this isn't a mission briefing, this is a set up for a blind date.”
Eyes narrowed, Jongin turns to snap at him, but Kyungsoo cuts him off, slapping a folder down in front of them. “That's Lu Han, incredibly wealthy, groomed from birth to succeed his father at the helm of their company.” Sullenly, Jongin flicks the folder open with a finger and glances over the paperwork. “It's more than likely that he's aware of his father's dealings on the side, but hasn't yet begun to take part. He's our best shot at getting evidence of his father's work.”
“A honey pot?” Jongin asks, and he ignores the way that Sehun scowls. They've pulled this kind of mission before, it's almost routine now. Jongin is the lure, the honey. He knows how to read a mark, mirror their body language, feed them just what they need to hear. He likes the formula of it, likes the way that he gets to worm his way into their heads and pull out all their dirty little secrets and they don't even know his name. There's something safe about it.
Sehun is the safety on these jobs. He keeps his eyes on Jongin, he makes sure that everything is under control. It makes sense, Sehun has never had the patience that Jongin has, to play pretend the way he does. Still, sometimes Sehun chafes a bit under what he sometimes calls being 'glorified backup'. He pretends like he doesn't, but he kicks his feet up on the table in front of them, heels landing squarely on top of Jongin's folder.
“A honey pot,” Kyungsoo confirms. Jongin punches Sehun in the shin and he yelps, dragging the papers off the table with his feet. Kyungsoo drums his fingertips against the tabletop, looking supremely unimpressed. He has that face on again, the one that says and supposedly you're adults and also the country puts it's security in your hands, god help me. “Now, we've done a bit of research, so we know what he likes. Our young heir apparently likes to be in charge.”
“So be at your most twinky,” Sehun says. Jongin bounces a pen off his forehead.
“Enough,” Kyungsoo snaps, and Jongin straightens immediately, looking apologetic. Kyungsoo sighs, pressing his fingers to his temples. “Sorry,” he says. “This is a big one. I've been locked in research with Chanyeol and Baekhyun night and day for the past week.” Jongin's eyes widen. Ah. That explains the headache and the short temper. Prolonged exposure to Park Chanyeol was sure to send anyone a little off the rails. “So let's try to be a little professional about it, alright?”
Sehun shrugs and nods. “We're professionals,” he says.
“Like that means anything,” Kyungsoo says dryly. He pulls out his chair and sits down, propping his chin up on one hand. “Please make all that research worthwhile. Please.”
“Got it, hyung,” Jongin says. He even throws in a salute, which gets him an indulgent smile.
Kyungsoo stretches out an arm to press a button on the desktop console and the screen above them shifts. “Lu Investing is throwing their bicentennial gala in three days time.” The screen cycles through photos showing the interior of the hall as well as blueprints. “Jongin, you're the son of the VP for Shinhan Financial Group, Sehun, you're his hotshot investor pal.” Sehun clicks his tongue and wrinkles his nose sullenly. “The plan is simple. Jongin will sweet talk Lu Junior into trusting him, establish a rapport, and hopefully that will get us a line into his dad's dealings.”
Easy peasy. They've done this a half dozen times before. As Jongin looks up at the screen, Lu Han's face pops up again. “At least he's not old,” Sehun grumbles, twirling his pen in his fingers, and Jongin wholeheartedly agrees.
-
Jongin slides into his persona with ease. After dinner, he strolls into the hall with one hand tucked into the pocket of his expensive, immaculately tailored suit, Sehun at his elbow. The Lus have really gone all out. The old room is filled with people, men and women dressed to the nines. “You can practically smell the money,” Sehun says, and Jongin catches the faint distaste in his expression.
“Agent Oh,” Sehun's handler sighs. “Please keep your comments to yourself right now.”
It's pure training that keeps Jongin from grinning at that. Next to him, Sehun clenches his jaw. “Mark?” Jongin speaks without moving his lips, voice just loud enough to be picked up by his earpiece.
“The bar. He's dyed his hair dark for the party, apparently.” Yifan' voice is a nice steady rumble in Jongin's ear, a calming presence. “Put your Kai face on and go get him, tiger.”
“Tiger?” Working with Sehun on a mission is an exercise in reading the microexpressions that flicker across his face. Right now, it's incredulity and disgust. “No wonder you two never made it to the field. You're too lame.”
“Agent Oh, please,” Joonmyun says. “The mission.”
Sehun peels away, begins to weave his way through the crowd. “Yeah, yeah,” he says. “The mission.”
Jongin takes his time making his way over to Lu Han at the bar. The three of them are, by far, the youngest in the room. This isn't a true celebration, it's an event. The men and women in this room are here to be seen, to rub elbows with their social equals and celebrate their status. Really, Jongin doesn't blame Lu Han for setting up camp at the bar. He would too.
When he finally does make it over, Lu Han is idly watching the crowd move, face carefully blank. His newly dark hair is carefully styled up out of his face, and it lends him a few more years to his almost ethereally young face. The whiskey in his hand definitely looks more exciting than the wine Jongin had been passed by a server. “Oh good,” Jongin says, coming to lean against the bar next to him. “I was beginning to think that I was the only person here under the age of fifty.”
Lu Han takes his time turning to look at Jongin, an amused smile playing across his lips. It is really hard for Jongin to believe that he's nearly thirty, and even has a few years on Jongin and Sehun. “That's your opening line?” Lu Han asks. He takes a sip of his drink and raises his eyebrows. “Really? Everyone here knows who I am, you don't really expect me to believe you're the one person in the room who doesn't.”
The reports were right, he's not easy to flatter. Jongin feels obscurely pleased by this. Lu Han is expecting this to fluster him and Jongin delivers, ducking his head and averting his eyes. “Uh,” he says, articulately. He presses a finger to his lips, and that nervous gesture, that's all Jongin.
These characters, they always blur that line between what's a mask and what isn't, and Jongin can't tell if that's a good thing or not. It makes it easier, at least, to borrow pieces of himself instead of creating a whole new persona from scratch.
“You're lucky you're cute,” Lu Han tells him, and Jongin's smile is hesitant. Tipping his head, Lu Han swirls his glass, the single ice cube clinking against the sides. “Kim Kai, right? Your father is the VP for Shinhan.” Jongin's eyes widen almost involuntarily and Lu Han looks pleased. “Oh, don't be surprised. It's my job to know who everyone is. Part of the whole 'heir to the empire' thing.”
In Jongin's ear, Sehun snorts. “Cute, my ass,” he mutters. “He may not be old but he's clearly blind.”
Thank God Jongin has had years of practice dealing with him, because Sehun is probably the biggest pain on the planet. He bites his tongue and instead shifts his expression to admiration. “Empire,” he says. “Sounds like fun.”
There's a wry twist to Lu Han's mouth when he shrugs, but it vanishes as quickly as it came. “Doesn't it?” he agrees. Jongin edges a bit closer, tipping his hips towards Lu Han. Lonely, he thinks. It's carefully covered, but Jongin's been trained in these things. Lonely at the top. “At very least, I get nothing but the best to drink at these affairs.”
As Jongin leans in, he becomes aware of the gaze of a tall man, dressed all in black. Young, muscular beneath his nondescript suit, high cheekbones, long nose. He watches them from the end of the bar, eyes intense. Bodyguard, no doubt. He's not much on subtlety, it seems. “And occasionally good company?” Jongin suggests, and his smile is at its most earnest. He takes a risk, visibly hesitating before he touches his hand to Lu Han's elbow.
Instantly, the man at the bar moves towards them and without looking back at him, Lu Han raises his hand. “We're okay, Zitao,” he says, amused. His eyes remain fixed on Jongin, turning a bit thoughtful. He's sharp, Jongin thinks. He knows that Jongin's playing it up. Jongin is impressed. “Not bad company,” Lu Han allows.
“Would you like some more?” Jongin is going to kill him. He's going to murder him. He has a license to kill. It's totally okay. Sehun's grin over Lu Han's shoulder is smug as he casually props himself up on Lu Han's other side. In his ear, Jongin can hear Joonmyun squawking with horror.
“A friend of yours?” Lu Han asks, although his tone says he already knows the answer to that question.
Jongin is doing his best to contain his urge to glare a hole through Sehun's head. “Something like that,” Jongin says darkly. He wonders when their tech department will get advanced enough to invent a device to let him beam his rage right into Sehun's brain. He's jeopardizing the whole mission.
Their handlers think as much. Yifan cuts right through Joonmyun's ineffectual complaints with his low voice. “Agent Oh,” he says. He has on that dangerous voice, and even Sehun isn't immune to it. He swallows. Jongin doesn't bother to hide his smirk. Good. He should get in trouble. “Agent Oh, if you could possibly explain to us why you've decided to throw the whole mission plan out the window, that would be great.” Casually, Sehun reaches up and flicks off his earpiece. Great. “Did he turn off his earpiece? Oh, for fuck's sake.” Yifan sounds about as exasperated as Jongin feels right now.
“Aren't you lucky,” Sehun says. “You've got your pick of the two most eligible bachelors in the room.” He leans in and flashes a grin that Jongin recognizes as Sehun on his 'charming' setting. “And at least one of us is pretty good looking.” Yeah, Jongin is going to flat out murder him.
Lu Han takes a step back, slowly looking from Sehun to Jongin and back again. The look dawning across his face is very pleased. “Oh,” he says dryly. “So lucky.”
“Can I buy you a drink?” Sehun asks. Lu Han looks down at his empty glass, clearly considering it. “I'm sure our dear Kai hasn't bothered to offer you anything yet.” He shakes his head at Jongin. “Just because he's filthy rich doesn't mean it isn't nice to have someone buy you things once in a while.”
Jongin is a spy. He is a highly trained agent in the service of the country and he is a professional and there are lots of reasons why he can't strangle his partner in the middle of a gala in China and yet somehow none of them seem mighty compelling. “Thanks for the tip,” he says, doing his best to remain in character. He still sounds a little sharp, and Lu Han's eyes skate back towards him, intrigued.
“I'm always willing to help a hopeless case like you, Kai.” Sehun makes a point of waving down the bartender to get Lu Han a refill. Jongin bristles. Who is he calling hopeless? Jongin is a ladykilling superspy. He doesn't need Sehun's little tips.
Lu Han accepts the drink, but he doesn't say thank you, just tips his head towards Sehun. “I don't know,” he says. “He was doing pretty well before you showed up.” Jongin is so busy shooting Sehun a smug look that he doesn't notice Lu Han is watching him until too late. He flushes, embarrassingly enough, and God, he hates it when they go off the book. As soon as they're back in Seoul, he's asking for a new partner.
“How old are you, anyway?” Lu Han asks. Sehun smirks, straightening his lapels. “I mean, you fill out your suit well, but your pickup lines sound like something a fifteen year old would try.” The change in Sehun's face is instantaneous, his shoulders dropping and his expression turning sullen and petulant.
Jongin raises his glass to his lips. “Ouch,” he laughs.
Lu Han turns to him like he's going to go after him next, and Jongin can't figure out how to get this conversation back on track. He's about to try a new tack, compliments maybe, when out of the corner of his eye, he sees Lu Han's bodyguard drop like a stone. In a second, Jongin's on alert, scanning the crowd around them, drink abandoned. “Sehun?” he asks.
There's a small crowd gathering around his prone body, the light conversation reduced to murmurs. “Nothing,” Sehun says. “Taking advantage of the crowd, I bet.” Jongin nods. Makes sense. If they could infiltrate the gala, it's more than likely someone else could too. And if their first move was to take out the bodyguard of the heir of one of the wealthiest companies in the world, well.
“Zitao?” Lu Han says. He takes a step forward but both Jongin and Sehun move to stop him. “What happened? He just – oh my god.” He stiffens up suddenly, a man unused to feeling unsafe or afraid.
“Exactly,” Jongin says. “Just stay – ” It's only Jongin's reflexes that save Lu Han from the knife that darts through the air towards him. Jongin holds Lu Han tight against his chest as the blade slams into the mirror, shattering it. Screams erupt around them, and suddenly everyone breaks into movement, fleeing. It's a mess.
He can see Lu Han struggling to keep his breathing even, but he's starting to shake. “Agent Kim.” As always, Yifan's voice cuts through the din. “I think this just became a protection mission.”
Jongin glances up at Sehun, who grimaces and then turns on his earpiece again. “Got it. Do you have anything?”
All pretense gone, Sehun has retrieved his knife from the sheath at his calf, eyes scanning the rapidly thinning crowd. “It could be any number of groups. Becoming that rich and influential wins you your share of enemies, and all of them have their own very convincing reasons for knocking out the Lu heir.” Yifan sighs. “Just keep him alive.”
Jongin slides Lu Han around behind him, shielding him with his body. “Can do.” As the people make their hurried way out, there are two men left watching them. They look very calm for having just witnessed an attempted murder. “Two. Easy.”
Of course, that might not be the case. Jongin can feel Lu Han grip his waist as he looks the two attackers over. Neither are particularly tall, but Jongin knows better than to underestimate them. “Who are you guys?” Lu Han hisses against Jongin's shoulder, and Sehun settles himself into a fighting stance, hands at the ready.
“The good guys?” Sehun suggests. Another knife comes flying towards them and Jongin tugs them both down and out of the way.
“You could try to sound more convincing,” Lu Han points out. His fingers tighten in Jongin's suit jacket when one of the men pulls out a gun. Jongin grimaces. How did he get that past security? That seems kind of unfair. “Oh my god.”
Sehun mutters something about bringing a knife to a gunfight and then grabs Lu Han by the waist, hauling him bodily over the wide bar. Jongin scrambles after them, as quickly as he can, and they're just in time to escape the rattle of gunfire across the bar top. The expensive bottles on the bar back explode, sending shards of glass and alcohol flying. “This is fun,” Sehun shouts at Jongin through the noise. His arm is curled protectively around Lu Han's head.
“Super cool,” Jongin makes a face. He sheds his jacket and pulls out his own knives, passing them over to Sehun. “I hate fancy parties,” he complains. “No one is carrying anything useful.”
There's a lull in the gunfire, and Lu Han looks thoroughly rattled and completely pissed off. “Is this your fault?” His eyes are accusatory and Jongin holds up his hands.
“Don't look at us.”
Sehun darts up and tosses the knives in his hands in rapid succession. There's a yelp as he throws himself down again, and a smug grin spreads across his face. “We were just supposed to seduce you to get intel on your mean ole dad.”
“We?” Jongin hisses, outraged. “I was supposed to do the seducing, you just decided to butt in, because you're an idiot.”
Sehun glares right back. “I'm twinkier,” he says sullenly. “It should've been my job.”
The gunfire starts up again, sending what's left of the mirror raining down on their heads. “Really?” Lu Han gapes at the both of them. “Is this really a conversation that's happening right now?”
“He has a point,” Yifan says in his ear.
“Shut up,” Jongin and Sehun reply at the same time.
Lu Han puts his face in his hands. “I knew tonight was going to be bad but I never thought it'd be this bad.” The gunfire seems to be coming from closer range, not good. Jongin starts sifting through the glass on the floor, looking for something he can use. He comes up with the knife that had been thrown at them earlier. He hefts it for a second, feeling the weight. Well-balanced, he thinks, but Sehun has always had the better aim. Lu Han raises his head again, eyes narrowed. “Wait, who told you I like twinks?”
Sehun holds his hand out for the knife and Jongin passes it over. “Never mind,” he says. He begins to inch towards the end of the bar, dragging Lu Han with him. “Sorry about your suit,” he adds. It was a nice suit, really, and now it's getting shredded by the glass on the ground.
Behind them, Sehun is scrounging up some of the unbroken bottles, stretching up to throw them at the remaining assailant. He takes a second to check out Lu Han as he crawls behind Jongin, and when he's caught, he shrugs and mouths what? Jongin just rolls his eyes and keeps going towards the end of the bar. Lu Han doesn't even have an ass.
“It's just a suit,” Lu Han tells him, a bit bewildered.
“For the love of God, Jongin,” Joonmyun says. “Don't try to make small talk with the mark. Just get him out of there.” Jongin can't help the petulant way his lower lip sticks out. Everyone is against him.
They reach the end of the bar and Jongin holds out a hand to stop Lu Han. Past his shoulder, he can see Sehun gathering up a line of bottles as ammunition, flexing his long arms and rolling his shoulders. He catches Jongin looking and he nods. “I'll cover. Try not to die.”
There's dread in Lu Han's eyes “You two are the world's least reassuring rescuers.”
“It's fine,” Jongin tells him. “I haven't died yet.” Lu Han looks completely unimpressed. Whatever.
Sehun holds up three fingers. “I've got this.”
“Get ready,” Jongin says, and he tugs Lu Han up into a crouch. The minute he hears the word 'go' in his earpiece he's off, dragging Lu Han with him.
They run, expensive leather shoes sliding across polished tile floor. Who designs these things? Jongin feels like his feet are going to slide out from underneath him at any second. He's placed himself between the attacker and Lu Han, and he's got his hands full, trying to keep Lu Han upright and in one piece. They're halfway to the nearest exit when the shooter figures out what's going on and turns his gun on them. “How much ammo does this guy have?” Jongin moans, yanking Lu Han forward just as bullets rip through the stone tile behind them. He curls an arm around Lu Han's wrist and pushes him forward.
They make it to the doorway when the gunfire abruptly stops and there's a thud. Jongin cautiously glances around to see Sehun perched on the bar, looking pleased with himself. “Tequila,” he says. “Gets you every time.”
Jongin abruptly realizes that he's still gripping Lu Han tightly against his chest and he lets go, flushing and swallowing hard. Whoops. “Yifan,” he says. “Tell me it was just them.”
“A pair of assassins, hired by Lu's competition. It seems like you're in the clear, for now.”
“Good,” Sehun sighs. “I was running out of bottles.”
“We need you two to stay right there,” Joonmyun tells them. “Security is on the way, and we'd rather not make everything even worse by running away with Lu Junior.”
Lu Han occupies himself with carefully brushing off his knees and elbows, looking thoughtfully at the rips in his knees. “No, we wouldn't want that,” Jongin says.
“So,” Lu Han says, looking up. “What do the voices in your head tell us we should do?”
“Stay put,” Jongin says. “Our handlers and the cavalry are on the way.”
Jongin isn't sure about the smirk that flashes onto Lu Han's lips. “Your handlers?” he asks. “Kinky.”
Sehun shrugs. “Not really. Although, didn't Yifan say something one time about ropes and – ”
Both of them flinch as Joonmyun lets out a horrified shriek. “You told them?” He's so loud that even Lu Han hears him, eyes widening.
“Jesus Christ,” Yifan groans.
“Anyway,” Jongin clears his throat. “We've got some time before they all show up.” He loosens his tie and sits down heavily on the chipped tile floor. “Might be a while. He sounds mad.”
Lu Han nods, and then he looks thoughtfully at the two of them again. “What will we occupy ourselves with until then?”
Sehun looks up from where he's been wrestling the top off of what looks like an incredibly expensive whiskey. “Oh,” he says. Jongin hadn't realized it was possible for him to look even more smug and self-satisfied, but there it was.
It takes a few seconds for it to sink into Jongin's head, but when it does, he can't help but grin. “Oh,” he echoes.
Lu Han takes his time taking off his suit jacket and laying it across the bar, then pulling off his tie. “Well?” he says. “Seducing me was the mission, right?” He tips his head and his smile is almost predatory. “Let's see which one of you does better.”
“Agent Kim, you are on agency time – ” Jongin reaches up very deliberately and turns off his earpiece. Sehun follows suit, sliding off the bar, and as one, they move towards Lu Han.
Hey, they always did make a good team, right?
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