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The job was going way better than Hyunjae had hoped, which meant it was about time for everything to go to shit. Chanhee had the necklace and was crawling through the ducts, Kevin had charmed the access codes for their next job off Madame Choi, and also somehow, someone had gotten sloppy and tipped off the guards.
Hyunjae’s earpiece hissed to life. “We’re fucked!” Eric yelled in his ear. Hyunjae winced and tried to cover it up with a smile at the bartender. They were in the private home of Shin Minhyuk, several stories of luxury overlooking Hannam, probably the largest private residence Hyunjae had ever seen in his life, packed wall to wall with some of the richest people in Asia. And he needed to get the hell out of there. “Is Sunwoo ready?” he murmured, pretending to look at a painting of the ocean.
“Yeah, everyone is out except you, me, and Jacob hyung. I’m going out the hard way. You have to get hyung, he’s doing the thing so he’s not wired up.”
Doing the thing. He’d been performing for the crowd earlier, so that meant now he was performing privately.
Hyunjae wondered why Sangyeon hadn’t told him about this part of the job but he knew, deep down, that if he’d known he’d be distracted and worried about Jacob all night. It was humiliating that apparently Sangyeon knew that too.
“Got it,” he said, casually scanning the room as he set down his drink.
“Go down that big-ass hallway with all the windows and it’s the last door, all the way at the end. He’s with that Niles guy, the one who’s bringing the jewels out of the country.”
The British guy, which is why Jacob got the job rather than Haknyeon. They’d tried using Kevin as the honeytrap for English-speaking foreigners at first, but he was too much of a nervous giggler.
Hyunjae pivoted out of the main room and down the hallway, staggering a little so he looked drunk. At a classy place like this, there wouldn’t be blaring alarms and flashing lights; only Shin Minhyuk’s elite private security, cutting out the intruders like a knife. Any too-hurried moves and they’d be all over Hyunjae. He walked casually down the hall, stopping every so often to look at the view. He looked young -- was young -- compared to most people at the party, so he tried to look wide-eyed and impressed.
It was hard not to run and break down the door, but he managed to get there at a decent pace and then stumble into it. “Sorry, sorry!” he said, a little too loud, hoping Jacob would hear him.
There was a muffled noise and then the door opened. “Give me a sec,” Jacob whispered, stepping back so Hyunjae could get in. “I took care of Mr. Tipton when the guards alerted him. I just need to finish and we can go.”
"Can you just-- are you making him comfortable?" Hyunjae raised his hand, readying the dagger in his palm as he boggled at Jacob, who was dragging the unconscious body of Mr. Niles Tipton into a nice and comfy position.
"No need to be sloppy," Jacob answered, rolling his eyes affectionately at Hyunjae, completely unhurried as he patted Mr. Tipton down. "I'm a professional."
Jacob was wearing some kind of uniform that was trimmed in patent leather and topped with a military style hat and a lace half veil. He had a full face of makeup, and his lipstick-shiny lips peeking out from under the lace was more than Hyunjae was mentally able to deal with at that moment.
"So what were you guys doing before I interrupted?" Hyunjae couldn't stop himself from asking. Images flashed through his mind of Jacob, sitting on that sleazy guy’s lap. Dancing. Pouting. Singing, maybe. And that guy’s gross hands all over him. Hyunjae carefully unclenched his jaw.
“He was boring me to death, to be honest.” Jacob shot him a look that said you’re being weird but Hyunjae ignored him. “He has even less info than we thought, his wife is actually the brains of the operation.”
“His wife is Korean, right? We can send Hakneyon after her.”
Jacob stood, brushing off the knees of his pants and scanning the room carefully. He grimaced, shaking his head. “I’m not sure she’d be open to his charms. Maybe Yoorim instead.”
“Got it.” Hyunjae didn’t care about the Tiptons’ marriage of convenience right now, he just cared about getting Jacob the hell out of here. “We have to go with Plan C, by the way.”
“Ugh, I hate ducts,” Jacob grumbled. “I have broad shoulders.”
Hyunjae was aware. “Yah, complain about how manly you are later, when we’re out of here safe, okay?”
There was a noise outside the room, hushed voices talking together. The door was still open a little and if they rushed to close it, it would look suspicious. But if they came inside, they’d see the body. “Fuck,” Hyunjae whispered, tensing for a fight.
But then Jacob was on him, pushing him against the wall, so they were framed in the slightly open door. Hyunjae couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move, just stared at Jacob helplessly as he smiled gently up at Hyunjae. “Don’t worry,” he whispered, lowering his lips to Hyunjae’s neck.
Hyunjae’s mind whited out. He registered, vaguely, the back of his head hitting the wall and Jacob’s gloved hand holding his face, but beyond that, he could only feel warm breath next to his skin, the sticky-slick press of Jacob’s lips on the underside of his jaw, then the scrape of teeth, and then another kiss, lower down, just above his collar. Hyunjae’s body was hot, then cold, goosebumps prickling all over his skin. He jerked, a strangled whimper escaping his lips as he tried to figure out what the hell to do with his hands.
And then Jacob pulled away, straightening out Hyunjae’s clothes. “Sorry about your shirt,” he said, like Hyunjae cared about that at all right now. “See?” Jacob said with a wink. “I’m a professional.” He leaned past Hyunjae, looking down the hallway. “The coast is clear.”
“What was-- why--” Hyunjae stuttered, but he was already moving on instinct, guiding Jacob with one hand on his back to the laundry room tucked into the end of the hall.
“I wasn’t going to kiss you, don’t worry,” Jacob said, looking suddenly uncomfortable, color high on his cheeks.
There were so many responses to that fighting their way out of Hyunjae’s mouth, but what landed was “Okay but I’m a good kisser.”
Jacob stopped, one foot on the top of the washing machine and the other braced against the shelving unit under the duct. He looked down at Hyunjae. “Okay,” he said.
“So there,” Hyunjae said, like a dumbass.
Jacob, thankfully, didn’t answer, just stared at him for another second and shimmied up the duct.
The better part of an hour later, they were out, walking quickly toward the rendezvous point where Sunwoo was waiting in the car. Jacob had ditched the hat and the coat and rolled up his sleeves, but he still had his makeup on and Hyunjae couldn’t stop looking at where his lipstick was smeared at the corner of his mouth. That was from me, he kept thinking. That lipstick was on him somewhere. He kept reliving it over and over again, the heat of Jacob’s strong body, the smell of his perfume, the sticky touch of his mouth against his skin, and it was unbearable, completely unbearable that he hadn’t felt those lips against his own.
He’d been wanting to kiss Jacob for too long and he was sick of his own rules. Rules sucked and he was weak and now Jacob knew what he tasted like but not the other way around. It wasn’t fair. Jacob was a little ahead of him and Hyunjae quickened his stride to catch up to him, pulling Jacob between two parked delivery vans.
“What--” Jacob said, looking around, but Hyunjae was already on him.
“I wasn’t worried,” Hyunjae blurted out.
Jacob frowned. “Huh?”
“I wasn’t worried. About you kissing me.” Hyunjae closed his eyes and cursed himself. Right. Straight to the point. “I’m going to kiss you now. If that’s okay.”
“Finally,” Jacob said, pulling him in closer with a laugh. “You took your time, I’ve been waiting.”
“I’ve been trying to be good! For you! Just-- forget it.” Hyunjae bent his head and closed the distance between them, finally, finally tasting the sweet, rose-scented flavor of Jacob’s lips. He was nervous, trembling, but Jacob’s hand was shaking too as it curled around his waist just a little too tightly.
“Hey uh, guys”, Sunwoo’s voice crackled through their earpieces, startling them apart. “We can’t stay here much longer, gotta move.”
“On our way,” Jacob said, one hand cupped to his ear. “We’ll be at your position in about a minute. Moving now.” He looked at Hyunjae. “Discuss this later at home?”
“I told you I was a good kisser,” Hyunjae said. He knew he was radiating smugness but he didn’t care.
Jacob cocked his head thoughtfully. “Hm,” he said, tapping his chin. “I’m not convinced yet.”
“Come on,” Hyunjae whined. “I have to be better than Niles Tipton, at least.”
Jacob turned backwards on the street and shrugged, palms up.
“Challenge accepted,” Hyunjae yelled. “Challenge accepted, Bae Jacob, do you hear me?”
Jacob didn’t answer, but Hyunjae didn’t care. Finally. Finally.