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Taehyung's bones ache.
They've been aching for a long time now, but today there seems to be the added factor of unfruitful sleep. There's a crack as Taehyung stretches his arms into the air, the mattress creaking along to the sound of his bones.
He watches the sun fall onto his skin for a moment, allowing himself to process his body awakening. To feel neither the stress awaiting nor the pain in his joints. It's beginning to grow cold outside, and the sun's rays are just enough warmth for comfort.
Taehyung counts to three and gets up. The comforter falls to the side, blocking the scarce space between the bed and the drawer. Taehyung knows the room blind by now, seeking the knobs with groggy eyes.
He doesn't need to look to find his attire either; there's a stack of the same white shirt folded neatly on one side, and another stack of ties on the other. The same goes for his bottoms and underwear. The shoes should still be lying where he discarded them last night, somewhere between the square bathroom and door.
The room isn't large. It doesn't take long before Taehyung is dressed and has crossed it to push the door to the bathroom open. He almost purposely avoids the mirror.
When he's done washing up, he leaves. There's never more to do in this room, anyways. It only serves as a place to sleep. The alarm should be reading seven in the morning, but Taehyung has learned to rely on the clock his body lives by.
The sun is still rising outside of the paneled windows and it makes Taehyung aware of the fact that his body is equally slow to wake up today.
Still, he passes the maze of walls and windows and hallways without giving it much thought. Ten years of the same pattern leaves enough time for the brain to adjust.
-
The agency, officially registered under the name of a placebo chain, is at full capacity. Taehyung barely makes it out his office at lunch time and has already counted five unknown faces. He makes sure to memorize them. Strangers, recruited or not, have yet to earn his trust, and there's no one more threatening than someone Taehyung can't judge. Equally, and paradoxically, there's no one less threatening than someone who doesn't know Kim Taehyung.
There's a flock of recruits following Seokjin a floor upwards. Taehyung pauses by the window to watch his friend maneuver them into a corner to presumably begin a speech. He gesticulates with his hands as he talks.
Taehyung finds himself smiling a little at the scene. Seokjin and he started out at the same time, but the former soon realized that his career would not be worth losing his life over, especially with a family at home. Unlike the agents working in the inner ring among Taehyung, a family outside of the workplace is permitted for Seokjin's efforts to ensure the system runs smoothly.
Taehyung waits for him to usher the group into another room before taking the stairs closest to him. He jogs up without breaking a sweat, shoes squeaking over the stone floor.
"Taehyung," Seokjin greets him as soon as he enters the main floor, "good thing you're here."
Taehyung looks up at that, expecting to be launched into another mission first thing in the morning. Seokjin is in charge of any organisational needs, ranging from tours for the recruits to management of schedules. He usually doesn't pause for a chat amidst his busy routine.
"Are you sending me out?" Taehyung asks, referring to the direct approach.
It's then that he glances to the left of Seokjin, spotting another man. At the same time, Seokjin says,
"Oh, no. It's about the group of newbies you were meant to mentor this spring. Their admission was pushed back. So we assigned you Jeongguk here to compensate for the loss of time."
Taehyung's eyes shift from Seokjin's face to the man standing next to him. A curious shudder runs through him when their eyes meet.
Taehyung hasn't mentored anyone in a long time. Not personally, anyways. His experience is limited to a single group, and they had only been assigned to him for Tactics. It isn't that Taehyung is any less qualified than the colleagues who constantly tend to training the recruits, it's simply common knowledge that Taehyung, well, he's somewhat of a loner. One who prefers to work swiftly by himself and doesn't tend to his social contacts as profusely as the next agent. Perhaps there had been a time things were different, but that isn't a time Taehyung tries to relive. Besides, it's already a long established idea of him, and he doesn't care to change his reputation much, nor does its existence bother him.
And taking a single person into the service for training is strange enough of an occurrence.
"Why only him?"
Jeongguk is young. He's young like Taehyung, and that's too old. The recruits they pick up during the spring are around eleven. Jeongguk can't be younger than twenty, and something about this alone nags at Taehyung's respect. Such an exception bears good reason.
Jeongguk is also beautiful. It's a flashing thought, a simple one. An unwelcome one as well, but it's gone before Taehyung can fetch it back to analyze its depths as he would with any idea.
"We decided to fill in the gap created by Block C's incoming group being deemed unfit. Jeongguk is the only one who convinced us from the batch, but we couldn't throw him into one of Joon's groups as we usually do with leftovers. He's already booked with A and D," Seokjin explains.
Jeongguk doesn't look away.
"So you opted for me as the best fit? Really?"
His tone is less annoyed than it is astounded.
Jeongguk is still eyeing him intently, and Taehyung takes it as cue not to turn away under any circumstance.
"We checked your schedule," Seokjin shrugs, "you're as free as it gets at the moment. And Jeongguk deserves a good mentor for an instance as strange as his."
"I see," Taehyung accepts with a raising eyebrow, "so he's quite good, is he?"
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't speak as if I wasn't there."
The words are quick, but not sharp. His pitch is lighter than Seokjin's, but he uses a low tone.
Taehyung cocks his head, takes in Jeongguk's face once more. His expression is softened by a small strand of hair falling over his eyebrows, loose from the tie that must be holding his hair together somewhere at the back of his head.
"Jeongguk," Taehyung draws out, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't take this special ability you seem to possess as a reason to speak over your superior."
Jeongguk bites his lip, teeth digging into soft flesh. Taehyung turns away.
"You're showing him around, yeah?"
Seokjin nods.
"I had him join the rest for the building tour. I thought I'd show him by your office on the way to the dorms, but forgot it's your break."
Taehyung nods, mind going back to Jeongguk and his eyes following before he can stop himself. He finds Jeongguk looking back at him with matched interest. There's something about his face that reminds Taehyung of something. Not a person, something more abstract, an emotion, or an ideal. But he can't quite pinpoint it, and it upsets him.
"Alright then. I'm intrigued. He starts tomorrow?"
Seokjin gives a curt nod. Taehyung reciprocates and throws a longer look at Jeongguk before finally turning his back on them.
He's swallowed up by the masses again quickly, but the feeling of eyes still piercing his back doesn't leave all the way until he falls back into bed at night.
-
Taehyung wakes up to Jeongguk's eyes.
Not really, no, but it's the first thought to infiltrate his mind when his eyes open to face the ceiling the next morning.
With resignation he lets his body fall limp again. The room is filled with the sound of the creaking mattress once more.
-
Jeongguk is early.
Taehyung has been working his way through a stack of resignation approvals, the rather unpleasant side of his occupation.
There's a knock at the door, no hesitance in it, so Taehyung assumes it's someone else at first. Then he catches sight of a tattooed arm through the glass pane seperating his office from the rest of the building and grows suspicious.
The door handle clicks and Taehyung watches Jeongguk step in quietly. He closes the door behind himself and then it's only the two of them in the room. The silence somewhat stretches, so Taehyung clears his throat.
"Come sit," he offers, nodding to the chair before him.
Jeongguk sets into motion, taking steady strides towards the seat.
"So, I looked over the file Seokjin gave me. I also checked both your evaluation and entrance scores. I don't think we need to go over these again?"
Jeongguk shakes his head no, coming to sit before Taehyung. They're the same height, he notes.
"Right. Still, it's quite impressive, actually. I haven't seen someone pass this easily in a long time."
There's a pause in which Taehyung moves away the folder he'd been flying over while talking to Jeongguk, expecting to be met with thanks.
But there's merely a quiet pause. It makes Taehyung look up questioningly. He finds Jeongguk sitting up straight in his seat, head tilted down as a blush tints his cheeks.
It isn't what Taehyung thought would happen at all, and he's a little apprehensive of what to say next, unused to anyone he meets around the agency reacting with emotion instead of formality.
"Right," he repeats, taking notice of the stream of tattoos exposed by Jeongguk's rolled up sleeves, "I'm sure Seokjin has told you about your training, but I'll repeat it anyways. We meet every day at 7 in the morning, except for Sundays. Those are free days, but you may use the practice rooms with allowance. You'll do single sessions with me and join Block A for outdoor cardio. I printed out your schedule."
He slides a laminated sheet of paper across the table.
"You should've been supplied with a key card, I take it Seokjin was thorough in explaining the security system. I'll pass another folder by you with regulations on weapons. You'll sign the contract and any other formalities with Namjoon later today?"
"Yeah."
Taehyung nods, thankful to hear his voice for the first time today.
"Okay," he says, "Jeongguk."
Jeongguk's eyes flicker up to properly meet his for the first time, and the intensity of his gaze takes Taehyung aback. Now that the roses in his cheeks have disappeared, there's a maturity in his features that Taehyung didn't catch the day before. He's only twenty-four if the information from his profile is correct, and yet there's something dazzling about him, the kind of easy charm that most people train to emit. It irritates Taehyung, he can't quite seem to figure out the core of Jeongguk's appearance.
It would seem like a lot to know for a second meeting, but Taehyung's read his file, knows his background down to the names of his childhood friends, and still he can't sort Jeongguk into a category, only knows he's ambitious and talented surely. A little rebellious.
Taehyung reaches his hand over the table. He's surprised by the strength with which Jeongguk takes it, the shake curt but firm. There's a warmth to his palm that Taehyung hadn't anticipated, contrasting the storming weather outside.
"It's a pleasure to take the role of mentoring you."
The words have fallen from his tongue before, but this time, there's something monumentally important about the moment. It's as if Taehyung's brain is nagging for him to remember it, as if it would be something to treasure later on.
Jeongguk, he smiles. It's small and somewhat misplaced, but Taehyung catches it. He also catches the look in his eyes and how it doesn't quite live up to the curve of his lips.
"Likewise," he says, tone devoid of shyness.