Work Text:
It’s been a long night at the office and it hasn’t even struck four a.m. yet. Yoongi sighs, opening up the latest message from his husband.
Seokjinnie [03:34]: is this your way of telling me to leave you alone so you can work
Seokjinnie [03:34]: that’s rude and homophobic and I’ll miss you
Yoongi rolls his eyes. Seokjin has a way of being completely endearing even when he’s being annoying.
Me [03:36]: no. I’m just telling you I will be a little busy for the next hour or so. Writing reports sucks especially when they aren’t MINE.
Seokjinnie [03:37]: That's why you shouldn’t make bets with Taehyung
Me [03:38]: yeah yeah. I've learned my lesson. Although I firmly believe he cheated.
Seokjinnie [03:38]: Sure he did, baby.
Seokjinnie [03:39]: Well, we just got called for a possible tip on the Wilson case so I have to go for now. I’ll message you when I’m free?
Me [03:39]: okay. I may not respond right away so call me if I don’t!
Seokjinnie [03:40]: okay, baby. Love you. See you in a few hours.
Me [03:40]: you better. Be safe. Love you
Seokjinnie [03:41]: always am. I’ll call you.
“Can you stop being gross and actually write my reports?” Taehyung calls from the cubicle directly next to him.
Yoongi looks up from his phone. “Oh shut up, you brat. As if I didn’t have to watch you practically start crying when Jimin brought you a coffee at the beginning of your shift.”
Taehyung flushes. “Like you’re any better? I had to suffer through your gross domestic lunch date with your husband.”
“It wasn’t even domestic!”
Taehyung swivels in his black rolling chair, raising an unimpressed eyebrow. “You two were discussing which dish towels to get on your way home for work.”
It’s Yoongi’s turn to flush. “Yeah well… shut up.”
“Nice, really eloquently put, hyung.”
Yoongi doesn’t dignify that with a response, instead he turns back to his computer, pulling up the last case he has to write for the night. It’s a tragic one from yesterday, that neither him or Taehyung really wanted to write. They saved it for today, making sure to compile all the evidence against the mother into it. This is one of the cases that will absolutely go to court.
Him and Taehyung work in relative silence, throwing random remarks to each other whenever they feel the need to but otherwise getting their work done. Yoongi truly doesn’t want to stay late tonight and hopes that a phone call doesn’t come in before the morning crew gets in. It’s been a relatively slow night and he can practically hear his bed calling for him.
They continue working until they hear a buzz at their front office door. Yoongi looks up from his computer, sharing a look with a very confused Taehyung. The younger's brows are pinched slightly as he stands from his desk, making his way to the back wall of their office. They have a small security television sitting there that lets them see who's waiting at either the back gate or front door.
“Did we have an eye donor coming?” Taehyung asks as he stops in front of the computer.
Yoongi frowns. “They usually don’t run this late. The last one came at…” he clicks out of his case and into their emails. “Five p.m.”
“It’s not an officer,” Taehyung relays back to him, leaning down slightly, his arms crossed across his chest as he gets a better look at the television. “Maybe a family member?”
Yoongi hums, standing as well. He stops next to Taehyung, squinting at the monitor. “It could be. Do you want to handle it or me?”
Taehyung shrugs. “I can. I’ll call you if I need anything.”
“Okay, I’ll be right down if you need me,” Yoongi says as he makes his way back over to his desk.
Taehyung grabs his coat, shoving his phone into his pocket and walks towards the front exit of their office. Yoongi goes back to working, not at all surprised at someone knocking at their front entrance.
It happens a lot. Either police officers stopping by to discuss a case or a family member wanting to know if their loved one was checked in with them.
He doesn’t think much of it until he hears Taehyung open the front door of their office.
“Was it just a f—“ he turns around, words dying on his tongue as he sees the genuine fear in Taehyung’s eyes, a man — one Yoongi doesn’t recognize hovering closely behind him.
“Where is he?” The man asks, eyes wild as he shoves past Taehyung and into Yoongi’s face.
“I’m sorry?” Yoongi says, confused as to what the man wants from him. “Where is who?”
“He killed her,” the man says, his voice edging on frantic. “He killed her.” He repeats.
That’s when Yoongi notices the gun in the man’s hand. He gives a quick glance to Taehyung who has thankfully moved himself away from the man and into his cubicle.
“Sir, is there something I can help you with?” Yoongi asks gently. He needs to de-escalate the situation and fast.
“ You can’t help me with anything. Not unless you can bring her back,” The man says angrily, his face twisting slightly before it smooths into a blank mask. “You took her from me. She was all I had.”
Yoongi tries to take a step forward but the man reacts violently, cocking the gun at him. Yoongi pauses, realizing the severity of the situation as the man stares at him, his eyes void of any emotion. The man isn’t thinking clearly. Probably someone who’s lost everything and has nothing else to lose, which doesn’t bode well for neither Taehyung nor him.
It’s not the first time he’s been faced with a mourning family member, heart broken as they struggle to comprehend the devastating truth of their loved one being gone, albeit too soon. He raises his hands slowly, making sure not to do anything that will startle the man into reacting without any rational thinking.
“I know you’re hurt,” he says softly, his eyes subtly drifting over to Taehyung who is frozen at his own desk. These are some of the only times he wishes they were still able to carry their own guns. “This isn’t going to solve anything. I promise you, this won’t help ease any of the pain.”
The man scoffs, his grip on the gun tightening ever so slightly. “You don’t have the right to tell me what I feel, not when this office is full of nothing but incompetent idiots.”
“Was there something you wanted to talk about?” Yoongi asks gently, making sure to keep any worry that’s weighing heavily on him out of his voice. “I’m guessing we had a family member or someone you love under our care recently?”
Yoongi takes note of how the man falters slightly, the emotionless mask cracking slightly. Yoongi glances at Taehyung before he takes a cautious step forward. He knows it’s dangerous and if Seokjin were in the building, he would probably kill him himself but… he can’t have Taehyung get hurt.
Taehyung who just graduated with his bachelors. Who sometimes draws pretty abstract pictures of Yoongi when they’re working into the later hours of the night just because he thinks the elder has a nice side profile. Taehyung who just went on his second date with Jimin and hasn’t stopped smiling since.
He would rather put himself in the direct line of fire, if it meant that Taehyung would get out of this alive.
“She was murdered,” The man spits angrily. His eyes lock on Yoongi, squinting as he moves completely in front of Taehyung. “She was— your husband failed her.”
Yoongi freezes. He can hear Taehyung inhale sharply behind him, his large hand gripping onto the back of Yoongi’s dress shirt.
“My husband?” Yoongi asks cautiously. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you mean. What husband?”
Yoongi tries his best to keep his face passive, void of any emotion that could possibly escalate the situation. Seokjin had always told him to play coy should he ever find himself in a situation he deemed dangerous. Pretend you’re defenseless to not be seen as a threat. You can reason with a lot of things but you can’t reason with crazy.
The man tightens his grip on the gun, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. Yoongi has seen this form of heartbreak before, countless times. It comes with the job. He’s had to tell young mothers that their children have died in car accidents out of their control. He’s held grieving husbands as Yoongi has zipped the body bag closed.
This isn’t that type of heartbreak. It isn’t the type that leads to heart wrenching wails as the family tries to come to terms with a sudden, unprecedented death. It isn’t the type that leads to weak nods, hands clutched together, murmurs of understanding because it’s been a long time coming.
No. This is the type of heartbreak that completely shatters a person in two.
The type that clouds people’s judgement. Makes them act irrationally because their grief takes away any sense of control from them. Their brains refusing to accept the harsh reality of losing someone they love.
So they instead react detrimentally. Whether it be by drowning themselves in alcohol and drugs as they try to blackout the truth or doing purposefully dangerous acts that could lead to their own demise. Or in this case, trying to seek revenge on the only people they deem responsible, even if they were just doing their jobs and had no actual involvement in the passing of their loved ones.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” the man rages, stepping forward to Yoongi, pointing the gun at him as he gets closer.
Yoongi tries not to visibly react but he can feel his heart thump painfully in his chest as he thinks of his husband who he saw just a few hours ago for a quick lunch. His husband, who was completely unaware that he may never see Yoongi again.
It’s a negative way of thinking but Yoongi knows that people can die in an instant and they have died for less. They are completely unarmed. Their shifts don’t end for another four hours, meaning neither Seokjin or Jimin will start worrying until far after that. Seokjin is currently on a case, or at least he had been half an hour ago when he texted him he loved him and that he would message when he could — meaning Seokjin won’t find it odd if he doesn’t respond to him right away. Hoseok is probably asleep with Namjoon, neither of them having a reason to worry about them.
They are trapped. They are completely defenseless and at the mercy of a heartbroken man with a pension for revenge.
“Who exactly do you think my husband is?” Yoongi asks tentatively, knowing its best to continue playing dumb — at least for now.
“You’re Kim Yoongi, aren’t you?” The man throws his head to the side, pointing out the small plaque that indicates his cubicle. Kim Yoongi is written in bold white letters, easily read against the gold background. “Husband of detective Kim Seokjin?”
Fuck.
“What exactly do you think my husband did?” Playing dumb is no longer an option, unless he wants to anger the man further. “I’m sure this is all a misunderstanding.”
“He let her murderer get away and locked away my wife instead!” The man seethes, his face breaking with the amount of pure agony he seems to be going through as he relives the painful memory.
Yoongi feels the grip on his shirt tighten again, Taehyung seemingly making himself smaller behind him — wanting to hide from the man. Yoongi understands why. That wasn’t his case. It was Taehyung's, and a tragic one at that.
It only happened yesterday evening, at the beginning of their shift. Yoongi was already on a different scene — a suicide — when the call came in about a young girl who had been hit by a car as her and her mother crossed the street illegally. She was only five years old.
After Yoongi finished up his scene, he went to Taehyung's. While Tae was a very competent investigator, he was still relatively new to the job and this was his first intense scene. Seokjin would also be on scene and he hadn’t seen his husband the entire day.
When Yoongi had arrived, it was clear that Seokjin wasn’t marking this up to be a simple accident — the woman in cuffs making that apparent. Usually when people are struck by cars, when not using crosswalks and in the middle of the night, the driver wasn’t charged unless they were driving under the influence. But the woman, sitting in the now wrecked car with her head in her hands indicated that the woman in handcuffs wasn’t the driver.
Later on Yoongi had learned that the mother was under the influence of heavy drugs and led her five year old daughter directly into traffic. Another car had missed the both of them but the one behind it hadn’t been so lucky. The mother had been taken into custody due to being the leading factor in her child’s death and the driver had been let go, seeing as they did all they could and it wasn’t their fault for not predicting that a mother under the influence would lead their daughter into a busy intersection.
Yoongi knows better than to argue with him though. “I agree with you.” It’s a lie, but the man won’t catch it. Too desperate to have his anger validated than to see his obvious uneasiness. “Your wife shouldn’t have been charged.”
The man falters for a moment. “You don’t believe that. You agree with your husband… I— I know you do.”
“No, I don’t.” Yoongi ignores the ache in his chest because right now, the most important thing isn’t the truth. It’s staying alive. “I couldn’t believe he let the driver go. I was angry with him myself. Haven’t even talked to him the entire day. Because how could he let a murderer walk free?”
“He— I don’t… you’re playing a game with me,” The man says angrily. His eyes are conflicted though, his shoulders slumping slightly.
Yoongi shakes his head, forcing himself to remain calm as he steps a bit closer to the man. He has to find a way to get him out of the room without Taehyung so the younger can call for help.
“I’m not. Her name was Marcy, right?” Yoongi recalls. He had been reading her case file just a few moments before the commotion broke out.
“I…” A tear falls from the man’s eyes on it’s own volition. “Yes. Her name is Marcy.”
Yoongi nods, making a mental reminder to talk about the young girl as if she was still alive. “Marcy is a really beautiful name. Did you name her that?”
The man shakes his head, his grip on the gun not faltering but his facade crumbling. “No… her mother did.”
“Her mother loves her very much, doesn't she?” Yoongi asks, trying to keep the man as distracted as he can. He just has to make him believe that Yoongi is on his side, at least until help arrives. The man doesn’t seem like an inherently bad person, just heartbroken and trying to kill his own pain — even if it’s in his own twisted way.
“She does,” the man says vehemently. “She loves our Marcy so much and she… she would never do anything to harm her. But your… your husband labeled her a murderer.”
“I’m sure we can get this all figured out, okay?” Yoongi placates, taking another step towards the man. The man doesn’t react, thankfully. He can no longer feel Taehyung’s grip on his shirt, which is good — he’s moved far enough away from him that Taehyung is no longer in the line of fire.
“I’ll kill him,” The man says, choosing to ignore Yoongi’s own words. He says it with such conviction that Yoongi nearly falters. Yoongi can handle threats being hurled his way, has had people say worse to him but when it comes to Seokjin... his heart can’t bear it. Can’t bear the thought of losing his husband. The person he loves most in the world.
“Would you like to see Marcy?” Yoongi says instead of the million other things running through his mind. He doesn’t let his own fear show. Right now, he has to be the strong one. Someone that Seokjin would be proud of.
The man rears back, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I… I can see her?” He sounds so… hopeful— Yoongi almost forgets the situation they are in.
Grief can make a person become someone else. Can twist someone into something so ugly they become unrecognizable. But love… love can seemingly always bring people back from the edge— even if just for a moment.
“Of course you can,” Yoongi says as gently as he can muster. “She’s just downstairs.”
The man nods weakly, but he doesn’t lower the gun. Instead he presses it against Yoongi’s abdomen with enough force it will surely bruise. Yoongi sucks in a harsh breath, when the man draws closer to him. Taehyung lets out a choked sob behind them, but it goes completely ignored. As if the man doesn’t even remember there is someone else with them as well.
“If you try anything funny…” the man cocks the gun. “I’ll kill you and have your husband come find the body.”
Yoongi feels as if ice runs through his veins at the threat. He nods curtly. “I wouldn’t. I just want you to be able to see Marcy again.”
The man narrows his eyes at him, studying him for any trace of a lie but comes up short of one. Yoongi knows how to keep his emotions from showing. It’s all part of the job.
“Take me to her.”
“I have to take you to the basement and Taehyung has to buzz us in from up here,” Yoongi says, turning to Taehyung briefly so he knows to play along. “But I’ll come with you.”
The man’s gaze leaves Yoongi for the first time since he arrived, settling on Taehyung — who is trying to appear more calm than he feels. To an untrained eye, he’s probably nailing it but Yoongi knows him too well. Can see how nervous he is by the way his eyes seem a bit unfocused as his middle finger presses harshly into his palm, hard enough to leave a small indent from his fingernail.
“You have to buzz me in from up here?” The man asks. Yoongi knows he doesn’t believe them but they have to make him believe what they are saying is the truth. Or this won’t work and they could very well die tonight.
“Yes,” Taehyung says steadily. He’s slipped into investigator mode. He squares his back, eyes focusing as he starts acting confident. “The switch is behind you but I can’t activate it until Yoongi swipes his ID card downstairs.”
Yoongi nods, holding up his medical investigations badge. “It’s a security measure. That’s why there always has to be two people in the office.”
It’s all bullshit. Yoongi could absolutely access the morgue as long as he has an ID on him but the man doesn’t know this.
“I’ll let you two in and then immediately follow you downstairs so you can assure yourself I’m not trying anything funny,” Taehyung tries, wanting the man to agree without being suspicious.
Yoongi catches Taehyung’s eyes, argument already on the tip of his tongue but the younger levels him with a look. It’s a look that tells him he isn’t a child and he knows what he’s doing. The man may be distraught but he’s obviously not stupid if he is capable enough to break into a secure building.
The man pauses, probably letting his options play around in his mind. He could just kill them now, save himself from any chance that either of them would double cross him or he could take the chance and say one last goodbye to his daughter.
“Fine, but I expect you to join us in no less than four minutes after you let us in,” The man finally agrees. Yoongi is thankful that he seems to at least truly love his daughter enough to let it cloud his judgement.
“I’ll be there in three,” Taehyung says easily. Yoongi is impressed. It’s a complete turn around from the scared boy who had just been clutching onto his shirt from behind.
“Okay. Take me to my daughter.” The man presses the gun back into Yoongi, this time at his side.
Yoongi nods, letting the man press the gun more firmly into his side as he leads him to the door they use when about to go on scene. It takes them to the edge of the hallway closest to the double maroon doors that open up to get to the elevator. He’s able to throw one last pleading glance at Taehyung before the man shuts the door behind them.
Once they're in the elevator, he presses the B button that will take them directly to the basement hallway.
As the tip of the gun presses into his side, he thinks of Seokjin.
And how much he doesn’t want to have his husband come to his own scene.
✩
Seokjin throws his badge down onto his desk, rubbing at his eyes as he plops down into his chair. The suspected tip turned out to be nothing to write home about, so he’s back to square one.
“No luck?” Jimin asks, setting down a cup of coffee on his desk. “I thought for sure you were finally going to have a break in the case.”
Seokjin takes the coffee gratefully. Giving Jimin a small smile. “It was an ex girlfriend, she told us she knew someone that hated Wilson but turns out it was just the drugs talking.”
Jimin grimaces. “That’s the worst. Total goose chase then?”
“Yeah.” Seokjin sighs, leaning back into his chair. “I’m going to sift through the security camera footage one more time, see if I can pick up on anything I might have missed.”
“Want some help?” Jimin offers, leaning back against Seokjin’s desk. “I just wrapped up the Robert’s case and we haven’t gotten any other calls tonight. I’m free.”
“That would be wonderful,” Seokjin tells him, always grateful to have the help. Especially from detective Park, who, while still new to the job — is an asset to their team. He’s got a good eye and a fierce demeanor coupled with a huge heart that wants nothing more than to bring justice to those who deserve it.
“I’ll pull up a chair,” Jimin says, getting up from his desk. “You call your husband like I know you’re itching to.”
Seokjin sputters, nearly inhaling his coffee. “I am not itching to call Yoongi.”
Jimin laughs at him. Just straight up loudly laughs at him. To his face. The disrespect. “Sure you don’t. Just call him. I’ll steal a donut from Jungkook’s desk from you.”
Seokjin pretends to glare at him. “Whatever. I want a strawberry donut.”
“Aye aye, captain,” Jimin says as he walks towards Jungkook’s desk — the younger is currently on a stake out with a deputy. They think they may have a lead on a drug ring that’s been operating for years in upper east New York.
Seokjin rolls his eyes but pulls out his phone anyways. He was itching to talk to Yoongi. His husband being the only one that can truly make him feel relatively calm, especially after a bad run.
He presses his husband’s contact, disgustingly saved as ‘Tiny husband’ with a cat emoji behind it and lets it ring.
Yoongi surprisingly answers on the first ring.
“Baby, I missed—“ Seokjin starts but is immediately cut off by a frantic Taehyung.
“Hyung? Oh my god please get down to the office… fuck,” Taehyung stumbles through his words, obviously in a panic.
It has something heavy settle on Seokjin’s chest. If Taehyung is answering Yoongi’s phone that means his husband doesn’t have it on him. Which he never forgets it.
“Taehyung, hey I need you to breathe. Where is Yoongi?” Seokjin tries to keep his composure but he can feel the panic rise in his voice. “Why doesn’t he have his phone?”
“Hyung I’m— I’m sorry. I didn’t know, I didn’t… please come to the office, please . I’m sorry,” Taehyung rambles on. Seokjin can feel the exact moment his heart threatens to stop beating.
He can’t mean…
“ Taehyung,” Seokjin snaps, the panic overpowering his rationality. “Is Yoongi… is he…” he can’t even finish the sentence.
“Oh god hyung, no.” Seokjin can feel his heart start again. “He’s fine… for now. Sorry, I’m just— fuck, I have to go. Just come to the office, down to the morgue doors and bring back up. He has a gun! We have a hostage situation. I have to go. Please hurry.”
The line goes dead and Seokjin is out of his chair before he can think about it. He grabs his badge and guns, placing them in their holsters strapped across his chest and nestled on either side of him. Jimin comes back, reading the situation and grabbing his own badge and gun without question.
Seokjin is extremely thankful to have a detective like him working under him.
“Call back up,” Seokjin says sternly. “I’ll drive.”
Jimin nods, pulling out his phone and calling dispatch.
“What’s the situation and where at?” Jimin asks as he walks up to the passenger door. They both get into the car before Seokjin is turning to him.
“Hostage situation at the forensic office, the subject is armed,” Seokjin says, his chest clenching painfully with each word.
Jimin inhales harshly, most likely thinking of Taehyung. Seokjin nods, foregoing his seatbelt and flooring it.
Jimin finds his composure. “We have a 10-35. Subject is armed and dangerous with two known hostages. Address is four twenty-one, east twenty-sixth street, New York, New York 10016. Requesting immediate back-up from all available units in the area.”
A plethora of 10-4’s start rolling in but it falls upon deaf ears. Jimin is on his phone, nervously biting his lip as he scrolls through what Seokjin presumes are his messages with Taehyung. He has no idea how long they’ve been held against their will, the thought making Seokjin’s skin crawl.
He’s been on the field for nearly a decade now. He’s been involved in active shootings. Has had a gun held to his face. Has been compromised on a recon mission. Has seen his own friends get shot in front of him but he’s never felt fear quite like this.
Seokjin tightens his grip on the wheel, his stomach twisting as he thinks of Yoongi. If he’s too late he doesn’t think he will ever be able to forgive himself. Can’t even imagine trying to live a life without his husband.
How would he start every morning without having to drag Yoongi out of bed, ignoring the string of cuss words his husband lets out until he has a cup of warm coffee in his hands. Who else would randomly drop by the station when he’s having a particularly rough night just to bring him his favorite muffins from the coffee shop just up the street. Seokjin can’t see himself ever loving someone else.
Refuses to see a life without Yoongi.
He probably breaks at least twenty different speeding laws on the way to the forensic office, but Jimin doesn’t tell him to slow down once.
✩
Yoongi pretends he isn’t as scared as he truly is when he swipes his card to the morgue doors. It opens ( without assistance from Taehyung, but their host doesn’t need to know that) and they make their way down the small corridor that leads them to the large metal door to the fridge.
“You know I never wanted to do this?” The man says as they walk into the check in area of the morgue. “I just… I don’t know what to do. I— she was my entire world.”
Yoongi freezes. He can work with this. If the man wants to talk to him rationally, he can maybe get them all out of this situation without adding another body bag to this cooler.
“She is still with you,” Yoongi says gently. “It wasn’t your fault.”
The man sniffles, his shoulders sagging slightly and the gun being pushed away from his side. “Have you ever loved someone so much you didn’t know how to live without them?”
“Yes,” Yoongi answers without hesitation. He couldn’t imagine a life where he doesn’t love Seokjin. “I have.”
“Marcy was… she was the only good thing I’ve ever done. She… you know, she used to always bring two water bottles to school.”
Yoongi can hear how heartbroken the man is. How lost he is without his daughter. “Why did she do that?”
“Because she found out a kid from her school couldn’t afford to bring their own. She was just… she didn’t deserve to die.”
“You raised a beautiful young girl,” Yoongi says softly.
“Is she behind this door?”
Yoongi nods. “She is. I just need to grab the keys to unlock the door from the desk in that room just behind us.”
“Okay,” The man says quietly. “Thank you.”
Yoongi can feel his eyes following him as he makes his way to the small room that holds the computers and desks. There are no doors on either side of the room, making it easy for the man to watch him reach down into the drawer that houses the keys to their second fridge.
He grabs them quickly, taking them and rushing over to their second fridge, the one where all post autopsy bodies are kept until either the funeral homes or the state comes to receive them.
“She’s right through here,” Yoongi says as he begins to unlock the padlock. The man grunts, pressing the head of the gun into Yoongi’s back.
The man begins to say something but they are interrupted by the side door opening, Taehyung making his way into the room.
“I told you I would be quick,” Taehyung says to the man, making his way over to them.
Yoongi locks eyes with the younger, and Taehyung nods at him subtly. Yoongi feels relief flood through him, knowing that Seokjin is now aware of the situation they are in. He knows his husband and how downright terrifying he can be when the job calls for it.
And if there is one thing that Yoongi is sure of, it’s that Seokjin loves him. Seokjin would tear apart the entire office if it meant getting to Yoongi.
Yoongi places the padlock on the door next to them, pulling open the fridge. He forgoes gloves, even though it’s regulation. The man is starting to look more antsy by the minute and Yoongi doesn’t want him to snap on either of them. Not when help is so close.
He leads him into the cooler, passing the various bodies and making his way towards the back where a small body bag sits in the corner on a gurney. The man follows closely behind him, making sure he doesn’t get out of his reach. Taehyung stays where he is, hovering near the cooler door on the right end as they make their way to the opposite end cooler door that leads into the autopsy area.
Yoongi unzips the bag, stepping away when the man shoves past him to see his daughter. It isn’t a pretty sight. As much as the morgue techs try to fix up trauma recipients to make them look presentable, it isn’t an easy task to accomplish. The man gasps, dropping down to his daughter, the sobs escaping him without much control.
He feels a pang of sorrow hit him. Now that the man isn’t completely controlled by revenge, Yoongi can see the human behind him. The broken soul of a father that lost his little girl when he was never meant to be alive to feel her loss.
The man looks at Yoongi, tears staining his dirty cheeks. “I love her.” The man says but he isn’t really focusing on Yoongi. His eyes are glazed as he clutches her. He continues repeating a soft mantra about how he’s sorry, about how much he loves her and that he’s sorry that he wasn’t there when she needed him the most.
Yoongi locks eyes with Taehyung who places one hand on the cooler door nearest him. The younger's eyes flicker towards the door behind Yoongi, a message hidden in brown irises. It’s a good idea but also an extremely dangerous one. Taehyung would be able to make it out, the exit doors feeding into the small parking lot that the morgue receives bodies. But Yoongi’s door leads directly to the open autopsy floors, the only exit reachable if he runs around the entire building and back to where Taehyung is.
The man continues holding his daughter, obviously breaking at the sight of her which in itself is dangerous. Now that he’s seen his daughter and knows she isn’t coming back, he truly has nothing left to lose. People without anything are the most terrifying people to face.
“She’s gone, isn’t she?” The man whispers. He sounds utterly devastated as he pets his daughter's brown hair. “My little Marcy is gone.”
Against his better judgement, Yoongi reaches out, pressing a soft hand on the man’s shoulder. He’s had to deal with plenty of grieving family members before. Sometimes they just need someone to talk to. A listening ear that will help them ease all the pain.
“She loves you very much,” Yoongi says gently. His eyes slide to Taehyung who starts slowly backing out of the cooler and towards the exit. Yoongi gives him a small nod, telling him to get out of here — that he can handle this. “She doesn’t blame you.”
The man looks up at him, stricken. “I should have been there for her. I— I don’t know what I’m doing… she wouldn’t… she wouldn’t want me to be doing this.”
Yoongi refrains from letting out a sigh of relief. The man's expression isn’t so clouded anymore. He doesn’t seem like the same broken, frantic man that Yoongi had first encountered. Instead, he looks like he’s coming back down. Realizing where exactly he is and what he’s doing. Which Yoongi’s thankful for. He’s not naive. He knows how often people experiencing this kind of hurt aren’t able to pull themselves back from the ledge.
“She forgives you.” Yoongi tries to get through to him more. “It’s not too late to leave before you do something that you can’t come back from.”
The man seems to falter a bit, looking back down at his daughter. The gun is still held firmly in his hands but he seems coherent at the very least. Yoongi steps closer, keeping his hand on the man’s back gently.
“You can give me the gun,” Yoongi says softly. The man turns to him, eyes teary. Yoongi offers him a small smile. “You can give me the gun and you can leave. You don’t have to do this.”
The man starts raising the gun, looking down at it and then back to his daughter. He begins to nod. Yoongi doesn’t know if this is the best course of action or if he should just wait for the cops to arrive but the decision is ultimately made for him.
It all happens so fast. One moment the man is sobbing into his daughter’s open body bag, reaching the gun out to hand to Yoongi. And the next he’s pushing the gun against Yoongi’s temple as Seokjin comes rushing through the back exit doors, Taehyung hot on his heels.
Yoongi struggles against the man shallowly, not wanting to move too much and have the situation take a detrimental turn. He locks eyes with Seokjin, watching the way his husband's entire face pales. Both Seokjin and Taehyung stop dead in their tracks. Seokjin goes to draw his own gun.
Fuck. Yoongi forgot the cops were coming.
He was so fucking close to ending it without having it come to this.
“Make another move and I’ll kill him,” the man snaps. His voice isn’t as detached as it was when he first arrived to their office but he presses the gun harshly against Yoongi’s temple, forcing his head to move with it.
Seokjin freezes, looking terrified. Yoongi tries to catch his husband's eye, wanting to convey to him that he’s still alive. He knows Seokjin wouldn’t be able to handle it if something happened to him. He doesn’t want his husband to react before he thinks about it. Everyone should be able to walk out of this alive and unharmed.
“Please,” Seokjin says hoarsely. He raises his hands slowly, not moving a muscle out of fear of retaliation from the man who currently has a gun pressed to Yoongi's head. “Please don’t hurt him.”
The man is shaking behind him. “You took everything from me. Why shouldn’t I do the same to you?”
“You’re anger is with me,” Seokjin pleads. Yoongi isn’t surprised his husband already picked up on what exactly is driving this man — either that or Taehyung filled him in earlier. “Just let him go and take your frustrations out with me.”
Yoongi stares at his husband bewildered, the blood draining from his own face. “Seokjin, no.” He can’t be serious. Yoongi won’t watch his husband put himself in the line of danger for him, especially when this can all be solved another way. There has to be another way.
Seokjin ignores him, slowly grabbing his gun from his holster and placing it on the ground. “I’m the one you’re angry with. We can talk about it, just you and me. I won’t arm myself.”
The man falters slightly behind Yoongi, the pressure from the gun against his temple dwindling. “Why should I? When you… you took the only people I ever loved from me.” He exhales shakily. “Do you love Yoongi?”
Seokjin looks at him helplessly. Yoongi has been in love with Seokjin since they were in high school. Two sixteen year olds still stuck in the closet with major social anxiety. He’s known his husband for over twelve years and he doesn’t think he’s ever seen him look so desperate. Has never seen this type of despair on Seokjin’s beautiful face.
“I do love him,” Seokjin says tightly. “I love him more than anyone else.”
“I want to hurt you the way you hurt me,” the man says sharply.
Seokjin looks between them at a loss for what to do. Yoongi inhales shallowly, not wanting to have his own fear project onto either the man holding him hostage or his husband who looks like he’s a few moments from breaking.
“Think of Marcy,” Yoongi says delicately. He tries to keep his voice as soothing as possible. He catches Seokjin’s eye, silently conveying to his husband not to say a word. “Marcy wouldn’t want you to do this, remember?”
The man wavers, his grip on Yoongi slackening. “Marcy isn’t here.”
“She is, and she always will be.” Yoongi turns slightly, locking eyes with the man. “She will never leave you, I promise.”
“I can’t— I don’t know. I…” The man looks back at his daughter, laying on the gurney.
“Marcy doesn’t have to be the only good thing you have, you can make the right choice,” Yoongi continues, glancing back at his bewildered husband who’s watching the entire exchange. “You know, I haven’t even gotten your name… you know mine.”
The man doesn’t say anything at first, his eyes still drawn to his daughter. “It’s… my name is Will.”
Yoongi offers him a smile, which Will doesn’t return but he at least looks like the same man that Yoongi had been talking to earlier. The one that was only a few moments away from handing him the gun.
“Will. You were a wonderful dad. Marcy was a beautiful young girl, you know? She loved her dad. She wouldn’t want him to get hurt,” Yoongi continues trying to diffuse the situation, his heart hammering against his chest. “She wouldn’t want him to hurt others.”
Will nods, tears building at the corners of his eyes again. He seems so utterly lost, Yoongi wishes he could have helped him before it came to this. Grief is something hard to overcome and it can ruin you from the inside out.
Yoongi thinks it’s over until Will pushes him roughly, his body toppling into the other gurneys in the cooler. Yoongi watches in mute horror as Will raises the gun at Seokjin. His husband has his own gun in hand now, staring at Will.
“Put the gun down,” Seokjin says sternly, keeping his eyes focused on Will. “You don’t have to do this.”
Will looks shattered. His eyes dart between both of them, sweat — or tears, Yoongi is unsure, rolling down the side of his face. Yoongi doesn’t move, when he tries a shooting pain makes its way through his leg. He curses softly under his breath but Seokjin still manages to hear it. His husbands entire demeanor changes in that moment, slipping into the hardened detective that’s been involved in his fair share of hostage situations.
“Will. Put the gun down.” Seokjin cocks his own gun, holding it out in front of him. “Put the gun down or I will have to open fire.”
“Go ahead and take my life. I don’t have anything else.” Desperation clings to every syllable. Will looks at Seokjin so brokenly that Yoongi aches. Wishes more than anything he could help him.
Unfortunately he isn't able to. Will fires the gun. Yoongi screams. Another shot goes off. Seokjin falls. Will falls. Jimin comes bursting through the cooler door, SWAT members following closely behind him.
Yoongi tries to stand, his eyes landing on his husband who’s on the ground, various officers around him as they yell things to each other. Taehyung is there in an instant, putting an arm around his waist to help him walk over to where the love of his life could very well be taking his last breaths.
Taehyung helps him push the cops away, forcing his way into their small circle and he drops to the ground, ignoring the sharp pain that shoots through his right leg. Yoongi looks over his husband frantically, tears already falling. He’s panicking. Can feel the air around him going thin.
He can’t breathe.
He almost completely spirals until a hand grabs his face. Warm hands caress his cheeks, his husband’s voice breaking through the internal monologue of fear running through his mind. His eyes are unfocused, unable to comprehend what’s going on around him.
“Yoongi,” He faintly hears him. “Baby, hey I need you to breathe. You aren’t breathing.”
Yoongi tries but it’s increasingly difficult to force air out of his lungs. Seokjin could have died. He could have watched the only person he’s ever loved die in front of him. All because he failed to deescalate the situation.
“I’m okay, baby. I’m okay,” Seokjin keeps repeating, rubbing his finger across Yoongi’s cheek. “I’m okay. I’m fine, I promise. Come back to me.”
At those words Yoongi can breathe. Seokjin is okay. Seokjin didn’t leave him. Yoongi looks at his husband, his eyes focusing in on his husband’s brown eyes before taking in anything else. The first thing Yoongi fell in love with were Seokjin’s eyes.
Seokjin smiles at him. “Hey baby. You coming back?”
“I…” Yoongi tries. Seokjin waits for him patiently. Yoongi looks down, taking in Seokjin’s entire body. He sees one bullet hole, right below his husband’s heart. God. Thank fucking god for bulletproof vests. “I love you.”
It’s the first thing Yoongi wants to say. The only thing that really matters in a moment like this. Seokjin smiles at him, pulling him into him. Both of them wince slightly — Yoongi from his leg being jostled and Seokjin from moving too quickly, his chest probably already bruising from the impact of the hit.
“I love you,” Seokjin tells him gently. “I’m okay, baby. I’m right here.”
Yoongi sniffles, not wanting to cry in front of the entire NYPD but he can’t help it. “I can’t… what if you… I—“ He can’t finish his trail of thought.
Seokjin presses a kiss to his nose. “I didn’t, baby. I’m right here. You can’t get rid of me that easily.”
Yoongi shoves him halfheartedly. “Don’t joke about that. I don’t ever want to get rid of you.”
“As cute as this is,” Hoseok says. Yoongi looks up, his chief smiling down at him. “EMS would like to check both of you out.”
“Okay, well they can't just check me out, I’m a married man after all,” Seokjin jokes, helping Yoongi get to his feet. “Also if any of them flirt with Yoongi I’ll break their fingers.”
Hoseok rolls his eyes. “I don’t think you’re allowed to threaten people, detective.”
“Yeah, well.” Seokjin waves his free hand dismissively, his other hand firmly on Yoongi’s waist. “I don’t care. I was shot. Don’t be mean to me, that’s gotta be like a moral law.”
Yoongi snorts. “Moral law? You don’t follow any moral laws.”
“Yeah, you literally asked Yoongi out for coffee while a dead man was wedged between a door,” Taehyung chimes in from the exit doors, Jimin standing close enough to him that their arms are touching but far away enough that it can still be deemed professional.
“Or the time Yoongi was flirting with Seokjin while literally taking pictures of a severed foot,” Hoseok teases, helping guide both of them out of the morgue.
Yoongi gasps, affronted and goes to retort but he’s swallowed by Namjoon’s arms. The medical examiner hugs both of them, sighing in relief as he holds them. Then he goes into doctor mode, looking over both of them, taking in their injuries.
“You two aren’t allowed to scare me like that ever again,” Namjoon chastises as he leads them to the ambulances parked in the back parking lot.
Seokjin snorts, letting one of the EMS workers sit him down in the back of the ambulance. “Yeah, I’ll be sure to never go into work again then.”
Namjoon huffs. “I’ll just wrap you in bubble wrap every time you have to go on scene.”
Yoongi smiles to himself as Seokjin comes up with another retort. Namjoon and him argue back and forth playfully, Hoseok joining in to defend his husband’s honor. The EMS woman looks over his leg, telling him he just bruised it badly when he was thrown into the gurney and he should be fine after a couple of days of recoup. When Yoongi tries to tell her he has work for the rest of the week, Hoseok shuts him down.
“You are taking the next two days off,” Hoseok tells him, interrupting Yoongi. “Absolutely no arguments about it.”
“But—“ Yoongi tries to protest, frowning.
Hoseok hushes him. “That’s an order, investigator. Two day’s off. You can come back Monday and if you are still in pain, you are on desk duty.”
Yoongi sighs, accepting his fate. “Fine, but I want updates on…” he pauses. “Wait what happened to Will?”
“He was rushed to the hospital.” Yoongi feels something — guilt — claw at his stomach. “I haven’t gotten an update on his condition but I’ll let you know as soon as I have one.”
“Thanks.” He hangs his head, the entire night finally crashing down on him. He feels exhausted. Maybe two days off isn’t such a bad thing.
Hoseok steps closer, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You did all you could, Yoongi. This isn’t your fault.”
Yoongi looks up at him, trying to keep it together. “I wish I could have helped him. He— he was just… he wasn’t a bad person.”
Hoseok nods sympathetically. “You know just as well as I do how grief affects people. Sometimes, there isn’t much we can do. Now—“ He tilts his head to Seokjin, who’s now pinching Jimin’s cheek while the younger hugs him tightly. “Go home, both of you deserve a few nights together. I’ll work your next two shifts for you.”
He gives Hoseok a grateful smile. “Thank you. Please call me if there’s an update on Will?”
Hoseok ruffles his hair, which Yoongi would normally huff at but today, he just presses more firmly against his hand. “I’ll text you. Now take your annoying husband home so he can stop teasing my medical examiner.”
Seokjin turns to Hoseok, sticking his tongue out at him like the adult he is. “What did I say about bullying!”
Hoseok snorts. “Leave, I need to go check the phones and see what we missed.”
Namjoon offers to help, giving them both one quick hug before following his husband back into the building. Taehyung presses a kiss to Yoongi’s cheek, making him promise to call him tomorrow before he’s pulling a teary eyed Jimin away from Seokjin and into the building.
Seokjin blows an obnoxious kiss to Yoongi while the EMS inspects his chest.
Yoongi pretends he’s not so hopelessly endeared.
He fails.
—
Two hours later, Yoongi finds himself freshly showered and in bed. Holly is curled up next to him, the dog's head resting on his stomach, falling up and down with every breath he takes. Seokjin is next to him, holding his hand even in his sleep.
Yoongi turns to his husband, taking a mental note of every curve of his face. He doesn’t want to think about how close he came to losing him tonight, but it’s all his mind can seem to think of. It’s painful. To imagine a life where he doesn’t get to come home to Seokjin is almost too much to bear.
Guilt also weighs heavily on him.
Hoseok had texted him ten minutes ago. Will was alive, Seokjin purposefully shooting at his leg in order to not harm him too thoroughly. Will wanted Seokjin to kill him, they later find out. Suicide by cop. He was broken, didn’t know how to cope with the loss of his daughter and the reality that his wife was the reason behind it.
He’s getting the help he needs. Which should be what truly matters the most but— Yoongi could have saved him. Was close to helping him step back from that ledge but he couldn’t do it.
Yoongi sighs, knowing he probably won’t get much sleep tonight. He gently moves Holly over, letting the dog curl up next to Seokjin instead. When he removes his hand, his husband frowns in his sleep. It makes him fall in love with him all over again. He stays there until his husband rolls over, muttering something about not letting the rodents win to himself. Yoongi presses a quick kiss to his forehead before he makes his way out of their shared room.
He bypasses their grey couch, pulling back the curtains that cover their balcony door. Fresh air will do him some good and their balcony is one of his favorite things about their apartment. Yoongi sits on the patio chair closest to the door, listening to the bustle of life that comes with living in downtown New York. It’s barely passing five fifteen in the morning, people heading out to work before traffic has the chance to start up.
Yoongi looks up, wishing he could see the stars. He basks in the silence of the morning, blocking out the cars roaming the streets below him.
He doesn’t know how long he sits there — it couldn’t be more than ten minutes, if he’s being honest — but he hears the door slide open behind him. He glances up, confused as to why Seokjin would be up so early in the morning. His husband just smiles at him, two coffee mugs in his hand and presses a kiss to Yoongi’s forehead before sitting down in the chair next to him.
Yoongi takes the mug. “Why are you awake?”
Seokjin takes a sip of his — hot chocolate, Yoongi notes as he takes his own sip. He should have known. “We’ve been together for well over ten years, it’s hard for me to sleep when you’re not next to me.”
“You’re such a sap,” Yoongi says, using his mug to hide his smile. “You fall asleep without me all the time.”
“Yeah, but it’s never a good sleep.”
Seokjin looks out into the city, the lights of the various buildings cascading off of his soft features. Yoongi continues drinking his hot chocolate, his heart nearly bursting with love when he sees the small marshmallows floating around in his cup. Whenever Yoongi is sad, whether it be because of stress or just a bad day in general, Seokjin makes him hot chocolate just like his mother used to make.
His husband started doing it shortly after Yoongi’s mother had passed away. She had left the secret recipe to Seokjin in her will, making sure someone would still be able to take care of Yoongi after she was gone. Seokjin still won’t share the recipe with him, keeping it hidden away. It’s in the third kitchen drawer, under all the holiday towels. Yoongi keeps pretending he has no clue where it’s at.
“I love you,” Yoongi says quietly because — well, because it’s true. He loves Seokjin so much and he almost lost him. Who would make him hot chocolate when he’s sad if he didn’t have Seokjin? Who would cut the larger marshmallows into smaller ones for him because he doesn’t like the bigger ones? Who would hold his hand, even in his sleep because he doesn’t like being alone?
“Baby,” Seokjin says gently, interrupting his spiraling thoughts. “What has you thinking so hard?”
Yoongi looks at him, fully intending to keep it together. He’s strong, but in that moment… he feels weak. Seokjin is looking at him with worry but there is a warmth underneath it. A warmth that’s only reserved for him. Has been since they were sixteen years old.
Before Yoongi can stop himself, he places his cup down on the small table between them and launches himself at his husband — who thankfully took the hint and placed his own hot chocolate down as well. Seokjin easily catches him, wrapping strong arms around Yoongi as the shorter clutches onto him.
Yoongi, by nature, isn’t much of a crier. He’s not complete stoic by any means but when he’s overwhelmed or sad, he doesn’t always feel the need to cry. He deals with his emotions in other ways but during times like tonight, he can’t seem to stop himself from crying.
He wraps his arms around Seokjin’s neck, straddling the elder in their rather large patio chair. Seokjin is holding him, pressing soft kisses anywhere he can reach, whispering soothing words into his skin until Yoongi starts calming down.
“It’s okay, baby,” Seokjin keeps repeating into his hair. “You’re doing so good, just let it all out.”
It takes some time before Yoongi feels like he can breathe again but he eventually gets there. Seokjin smiles at him when he pulls back, pressing a kiss to his nose. Yoongi preens, pulling his husband closer, pressing a kiss to his lips.
“I’m sorry,” Yoongi says once he’s pulled back, but he doesn’t move to get off of Seokjin’s lap. He doesn’t want to be far from him. At least not just yet.
Seokjin tucks a loose strand of black hair behind Yoongi’s ear. “You have no reason to apologize, baby. Just tell me what’s on that mind of yours.”
“I…” Yoongi exhales shallowly. He grabs Seokjin’s hand, currently resting on his cheek and interlaces their fingers. “I almost lost you today.”
“But you didn’t. I’m right here.” Seokjin presses a kiss to their interlaced hands, as if to prove this isn’t some sort of sick dream that Yoongi will wake up from.
“I know you are but… I just...” Yoongi struggles to find the words, doesn’t know how to describe how terrified he felt in that moment.
Seokjin seems to understand that because he presses a kiss to Yoongi’s lips before he can continue talking. “I understand. I… you should have seen me after I talked to Taehyung on the phone. Jimin said he had never seen me look like that.”
Yoongi clutches Seokjin tighter. “I can’t even imagine being in your position. I would have lost my mind.”
“I sort of did.” Seokjin takes a strained breath, his voice a bit heavy. “It was the worst twenty minutes of my life.”
Yoongi squeezes his husband’s hand, not liking the haunted expression on his face. “Hey, I’m here, okay? I’m also safe.”
“I know. I know,” Seokjin repeats but it sounds more like he’s reminding himself of that fact. “You’re okay.”
“I am, Jinnie. I’m right here,” Yoongi says as he presses kisses to his face. “We are fine.”
Seokjin nods. “You aren’t allowed to leave me, we will still be married even after we die.”
Yoongi snorts. “Oh, you’re going to find me in the after life?”
“I would find you anywhere. I’ll always find you,” Seokjin says seriously.
“You’re such a dork,” Yoongi teases, pretending the flush on his cheeks is coming from the warm air around them.
Seokjin just smiles at him, letting them drift into a comfortable silence. Yoongi doesn’t remove himself from his husband’s lap and Seokjin doesn’t make any indication he wants him to get off.
“You know you can’t save everyone, right?” Seokjin asks after a few moments. Yoongi frowns at him, confused. “Hoseok called me.”
“Ah, that traitor. I’m going to tell Namjoon about how Hoseok cried during Bambi the other night,” Yoongi says petulantly.
Seokjin laughs loudly, before Yoongi can hush him because it is still five in the morning. “As if Namjoon would care. He would just find it stupidly endearing.”
“Whatever,” Yoongi grumbles. His facade crumbles when Seokjin flicks his nose.
“I’m serious. You couldn’t have stopped what happened tonight,” Seokjin tells him gently. “He needed help, help that neither of us are authorized to give.”
Yoongi melts into his husband, hiding his face in the crook of his neck. “I know it’s not my fault. I just… I wanted to help him.”
“Because you have such a beautiful heart, baby.” Seokjin runs his hand up and down Yoongi’s back. “But you never let me blame myself for those I lose, so you aren’t allowed to blame yourself either.”
Yoongi groans into his neck. “Don’t use my words against me.”
Seokjin practically giggles. Yoongi just… he just loves him so much. “Let’s go to bed, yeah? We have the next two days off and I want to go get breakfast at our little cafe down the street.”
“You’re off too?” Yoongi asks, as he begrudgingly gets off Seokjin’s lap so his husband can gather their cups.
“Yeah, I guess getting shot warrants you some days off.”
Yoongi punches his arm. “Don’t,” he whines. “It’s not funny.”
Seokjin laughs, pressing a fleeting kiss to his forehead before he moves past him and into their apartment. “Sorry, baby.”
They tidy up quickly, Yoongi making sure the doors are locked behind them before they settle back into bed. Holly had moved to his own bed on the floor in front of their bed, probably annoyed by both of them rustling him while he slept.
Seokjin pulls him close as soon as they are both laying down, keeping Yoongi securely against his chest. It helps, being able to listen to Seokjin’s strong heartbeat and let it lull him to sleep.
They are okay.
They may not always be. It's just the nature of the job but for now? They are okay.