Deranged // Taekook

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Unedited

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"Where have you been?"

Taehyung looked up at Hoseok who was glaring at him, his clone standing right behind him with an identical glare. Taehyung ignored both of them, opting for continuing to the huge kitchen in the mansion. A few other CM's sat around the centre island, quietly talking amongst themselves and barely acknowledging the brooding presence of the redhead as he silently made his way to the fridge.

But of course, Hoseok followed — with his second-half in tow.

"Seriously, Tae, where were you?" The older man pressed. He pointed at an empty chair near the counter island, silently demanding that Kya sit down and get out of their business. The eleven-year-old quickly sat down, moving a knife in and out of her fingers as she turned her back to them. Of course, she was still listening.

"Is it your business?" Taehyung asked calmly.

"It was made my business last night."

The younger man frowned. "What does that mean?"

"Jin and Jimin are on your ass," he whispered, leaning against the counter as Taehyung opened the refrigerator door. He grabbed a glass bottle of Snapple before closing the door and giving his colleague a bored look.

"As always," he said, "and suddenly you're worried?"

"No, Tae, I mean you're going to get yourself killed," Hoseok hissed, snatching the drink out of the redhead's hand. "They know about whatever relationship you have with an Outsider."

Keeping an unreadable expression, Taehyung's eyebrow twitched. His lips flattened in a thin line as he tried to figure out how they had found out. Did they recognize his car when he drove past last night? Did Seokjin have a tracking device in him? He consciously pressed his bare fingers against his neck. He remembered people on Probation would get chips implanted into their necks and wrists do to being untrustworthy. He's seen trainees cut into themselves to dig it out with the pleasurable knowledge that once that chip is out, their life ends.

"We don't have chips," the older man said with an eye roll, "Jimin has information on you."

"Won't you get chipped if they find out you told me?" Taehyung asked, reaching for his drink.

"Not if someone doesn't rat me out."

They both looked at Kya who had obviously and rather indiscreetly been listening to their hushed conversation. The other people had left, leaving only two others who had earbuds in and were minding their own business.

Kya frowned, turning to face them. "I wouldn't rat you out then where would I go if you died?"

Ignoring what she said, Hoseok turned back to face Taehyung, not expecting any reaction from the naturally apathetic man. As expected, Taehyung took a small sip from his drink before turning and placing the bottle on the counter.

"It's okay," he said, "Jimin doesn't know who he's messing with."

Whatever the younger man had planned, Hoseok did not want any part of it.

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Jungkook was at therapy. Taehyung had dropped him off fifteen minutes early before circling around and going back to his apartment. If Jimin and Seokjin had went into the boy's apartment, surely he had violated his safe space. It was the way a classic sociopath behaved: taking pleasure in making the safest spaces on earth for an individual suddenly feel unsafe, corrupted, violated. Stripping away any sense of security and leaving the person naked and vulnerable.