black shield * jeonghan x seungcheol

10

Seungcheol called in a favour. He waited downstairs in the lobby of Jeonghan's building and when the tall dark haired man walked in through the door he held his hand out without breaking a smile. "Nice to see you Seungcheol." Seungcheol shook the hand of his former deputy, now the Detective in charge of the organised crime branch, and smiled widely. "You haven't changed Wonwoo. Still professional at all times."

"You should come around the station." Wonwoo said as they rode the elevator up to the top floor. "The guys always still talk about you and you don't answer anyone's calls." "Wonwoo I'm sorry. But you know, there are just too many memories. Not just bad ones." He sighed as he looked at the roof and then back at his former junior's face. "I still miss it. The job, the people, my old life." Wonwoo sighed a little and nodded. "I understand."

The elevator opened up into the lobby of the penthouse suite and the two men walked out. Seungcheol stopped Wonwoo before they entered the apartment. "Okay, so Jeonghan is a little offbeat, and a bit unpredictable." He warned the other man. "His Manager, Jisoo, is also in there and he can be a bit sour, but he's very competent and he will do whatever you need him to do."

Seungcheol prepared to card the door open and held his breath. The two men walked in to find Jisoo seated on the couch with a pouting Jeonghan on his lap. He was clutching the poor kitten close to his chest and tears streaked his face. The envelope was on the table, the plastic bag torn open, the contents strewn everywhere and Seungcheol frowned. "I told you not to open it." He looked over to Wonwoo and introduced him to the other two men. Jisoo tried to hold his hand out to shake it but he couldn't manage with the grown man curled up in his lap.

Seungcheol tried hard not to explode. "Who opened it?" "I did." Jisoo said with an uncharacteristic defiance. "He has a right to know. And I used the gloves." He indicated a pair of blue disposable gloves on the coffee table. He looked over to Wonwoo who opened the bag he was carrying and put gloves on his own hands. He took plastic sleeves out of the bag and proceeded to individually seal each page of the letter, numbering them in the top corners with consecutive stickers, before finally handing them to Seungcheol to look at.

The words were random and barely coherent ramblings on how beautiful Jeonghan was, how perfect and ethereal he was with his long hair, the usual obsessed stalker/fan content that Seungcheol expected based on the previous letters. But the last page of this had a photo, taken from a distance with a long range lens, of Jeonghan and Seungcheol leaving the mall with the kitten bundled up in the blanket. It was taped to the page and below it was a printed screenshot of Chan Chan from the interview, yawning with his mouth wide open, and the pictures were drawn all over with black sharpie. In the first picture Seungcheol and the kitten were scribbled out furiously and a big heart was drawn around Jeonghan's face. In the second picture the kitten's eyes were crossed out with big Xs.

Seungcheol looked over to Jeonghan and understood why he was so shaken. Someone had been following them and this was the first time they'd been outright threatening. But at the same time he was irritated by Jeonghan's reaction. He looked pathetic curled up on Jisoo's lap like a child and Seungcheol frowned. "Ok this is bad right?" Jeonghan nodded with wide eyes of chocolate brown staring up at Seungcheol as he walked over to the couch. "And you're going to let them get to you like this? Grow up and stop being such a baby."

He unwound Jeonghan's arms from the grateful kitten and put him down on the floor where the poor thing immediately took off in search of his food bowl. "Cheollie why?" was all he said and he went to drop his bottom lip but Seungcheol just shook his head. "Nope. That shit doesn't work on me. Leave the cat alone for five minutes and focus on what we're doing here." He grabbed Jeonghan off Jisoo's lap and moved him over to sit on his own armchair. Alone.

"And you," Seungcheol turned to Jisoo with a furious expression. "He doesn't need to see this. Any future letters or threats are for myself and Detective Jeon here to deal with. He does have a right to know, and I won't keep secrets from him,  but he doesn't need to see this shit." Seungcheol stared Jisoo down and the other man stared back.

They remained locked in a silent battle of wills for who knows how long before the tension was broken by the sound of Jeonghan's voice. Seungcheol turned around to see him leaning right over Wonwoo who was terrified to move an inch. "You're really cute." Jeonghan said softly as his eyes wandered all over Wonwoo's face and body, his hand moving to tentatively stroke his hair, moving closer and closer by the second. "But where's your police man uniform?" Suddenly Jeonghan's mood changed and he frowned and moved away. "Maybe you're not a real police man. Where's your hat?"

Seungcheol looked over at Wonwoo and wondered if the man would just get up and walk out. Instead a little glimmer of recognition tinted with mischief spread across his face. "Maybe you're right." Wonwoo said to the man who had dropped to the floor in front of him. "But if I wasn't a real police man would I have this?" He pulled a leather wallet out of his bag and showed it to Jeonghan. Inside were his police identification card and a shiny silver shield.

"Wow!" Jeonghan's eyes filled with wonder and he blinked up at Wonwoo's barely hidden smile. "Do you want to see something else cool?" Wonwoo reached into his bag and pulled out a teddy wearing a neat black policeman's uniform and a police hat. "This is Officer Tiny Ted and he's my special deputy." Wonwoo handed the bear to Jeonghan who immediately ran off to show Chan Chan. "Looks like I'm not getting that one back." He smiled and Seungcheol laughed loudly. "You've got heaps of them at the station anyway."

When all the letters were bagged and stashed in Wonwoo's case Seungcheol walked him out. "Let's have a drink soon." Wonwoo said and Seungcheol felt himself nod. He'd been trying so hard to put that part of his life behind him but deep down he missed his old friends. "Sure. Send me a text later." They shook hands and Wonwoo left to take the evidence down to the station. He'd come there as a favour to his old superior, he'd do anything for the guy who had saved his life, but now that he'd seen the threats he knew he hadn't been out of line. This could very easily get out of control and Wonwoo felt like if anyone had it under control it was Seungcheol. And he'd been right about his boss. The guy really was something else.

"Cheollie your friend is so cute!" Jeonghan cooed as Seungcheol walked back inside the apartment. Somehow Jeonghan had managed to get dressed and now looked the picture perfect image of an idol. Besides the police teddy clutched in one hand and the kitten in the other. "Put the cat down," Seungcheol said firmly. "Time to go to the company and work on choreography. We've wasted half a day." Jeonghan pouted and turned to Jisoo with tears in his eyes. "I'm not in the mood. I want to stay home." "Okay." Jisoo said but Seungcheol just grabbed him by the arm and dragged him towards the door. "Put the cat down Jeonghan. We're going to the company for a few hours. You're going to work on your choreography and the kitten is staying here. And I won't take no for an answer. Stop being a baby."

Jeonghan couldn't help but smile as he put the cat down and grabbed his coat from Seungcheol. "Can I at least hold your hand on the way?" he batted his eyelashes at Seungcheol who just frowned again.

"No."