Thirteen: Infiltration III (Ocean's Eleven AU)
Title: Infiltration III (5/? of Thirteen Series)
Author: himawarixxsandz
Rating: PG-13
Pairing(s): BangHim, ZiKyung, U-Bomb, TaePyo, DaeJae, JongLo
Summary: Thirteen is their lucky number
A/N: after wednesday, im on christmas break so i /want/ to say expect more updates but that's probably going to turn out to be a lie so just don't expect anything T.T and i had no clue how to ribbon up this chapter so the ending is meh but i blame the entry word limit otherwise i could've fit in another whole section in there bUT actually
The Crew The Crew II Infiltration / Infiltration II // Infiltration III // Reconnaissance
He wakes up drenched in sweat, panting, to Jihoon’s alarmed face hovering over him. Himchan’s fingertips dig into the mattress as he takes deep breaths, rushing to calm himself (to remind himself that he’s in the warehouse-he’s safe-he’s working-he’s in bed) because Jihoon is looking at him like that, clearly having been woken up by Himchan’s tossing and turning (and possibly by some whimpering, but Himchan tries not to dwell on the humiliation of that). “Hyung,” Jihoon says, and the expression in his eyes looks about thirty seconds away from calling Jiho.
(which is really the last thing Himchan needs because Jiho is Jihoon’s go-to and Yongguk is Jiho’s go-to and Himchan can’t have Yongguk hearing about this)
“Just a bad dream,” Himchan smiles lightly, and he’s relieved to hear how steady his voice is.
Even through the darkness, Jihoon’s skepticism is evident.
“Go back to bed, Jihoon-ah,” Himchan tries once a minute too long has passed and it becomes clear that Jihoon isn’t going anywhere until Himchan gives an answer that more closely resembles the apparent truth.
“Are you?” Jihoon counters and doubt is thick in his tone.
Himchan runs a hand through his hair, swallowing dryly. “I thought I’d look over the plans,” he says quietly, and isn’t even surprised when Jihoon’s eyebrows furrow even further.
“Hyung-”
“You’re not calling Jiho,” Himchan says with a sharp smile. “Go to bed Pyo Jihoon.”
He’s thankful-so incredibly thankful-that this happened while it was only him and Jihoon in the warehouse working on the replica vault alone. He’s so incredibly grateful that it was Jihoon of all people who saw him like this because they don’t know each other all that well and Jihoon will be easier to swear into secrecy. Jihoon will prod and poke less and Himchan can better ignore whatever concern the younger man tries to give because there’s less emotional baggage.
Jihoon’s eyes bore into Himchan for another moment before the younger man does pad away wordlessly across the upper floor of the warehouse, back towards his own bed. Himchan waits until Jihoon’s pulled the blankets up around himself, an unmoving lump, before he gets out of his own bed and steps down the ladder towards the half-finished replica.
He’s not going back to sleep if all that waits for him are memories he wishes he could forget.
Tailing Hwang Dongsun is one of the more luxury jobs Junhong’s had in a while. It’s also fairly boring, and more of an assignment than a job, however necessary it may be to the con as a whole. This is the first time Junhong is working a big con-the first time he’s working on a team-and the first time he’s had to answer to someone who isn’t himself. Having to report back to Yongguk or Jiho is neither irritating nor fun, but it’s definitely something new-and odd.
Only two days have passed and Junhong is already considerably bored. Dongsun follows a rigid schedule that involves waking up much earlier than Junhong even wants to be alive, eating breakfast as his team of assistants buzz around him showing him how the stock market is faring, messages from associates, potential business partners that have been propositioning him, and the expected numbers of the resort and casino for the day. He then hits the floor to make sure everything is in order for the evening before disappearing into his office for various meetings and presentations involving expansion of the hotel, minor renovations, and starting a new chain on the east coast.
Once the sun sets and the casino opens, Dongsun changes into something less business-like and far more Vegas and does a few rounds on the floor, entertaining the various dignitaries that have decided to take a light gamble on for the night-occasionally dining with them for a few minutes before excusing himself and disappearing through a door, down a hall, that Junhong supposes must be the security room for floor and resort surveillance.
Despite the obvious routine being established, the general rule of tailing is that it needs to be at least a week-and a few more days in addition, if possible-before they can establish any sort of schedule based on Junhong’s observations. There are five more days to go, and they can’t really do anything until the replica vault is finished anyhow.
Junhong stifles a yawn behind his hand as he stands up from behind the potted plant and makes to follow Dongsun to his two o’clock meeting on loans.
Daehyun likes to think himself an expert on the psychological.
He fits himself into all sorts of roles, every identity imaginable, all professions in existence, most every accent that would be compatible with whatever race his face can pull off, and he can utilize all of that to shape a mark’s thoughts to be whatever is necessary for their money to end up in his pocket by the end of the job. His line of expertise lies in everything underneath the sutures of the skull, and he’s heard enough about Hwang Dongsun to be more than just a little excited about pulling a con on him.
His only wish is that it was under less dire circumstances (and that the two people he’s looked up to his entire criminal life weren’t hiding things from him).
As things stand, he, Kyung, Jiho, Yukwon, and Minhyuk are seated around the long dining table in what they’ve established as Jaehyo’s suite. Jaehyo, Yongguk, and Youngjae are next door looking at the monitors with Taeil and discussing how to possibly tap more cameras before the replica vault is ready. On the table before them, Daehyun has a white board that he vaguely remembers stealing from the downstairs bakery while he was buying Youngjae a garlic bagel the other day for brunch.
He erases yesterday’s doughnut special and starts sketching out a vague diagram of Dongsun’s thought process with the also-stolen dry erase marker.
“He’s tempted by Yukwon-hyung,” Daehyun explains, drawing an arrow from Dongsun’s name to Yukwon’s. “Yukwon-hyung’s made him an offer that he thinks he can use, and we didn’t have visual for the bathroom, but even through audio, I can make a good guess that he still has the hots for you, hyung-just for sex, but it’s still going to be useful to us.”
“Lucky me,” Yukwon says, voice muffled against Minhyuk’s shoulder as the younger man leans into Minhyuk.
“But,” Daehyun grins slightly, holding the marker up straight towards the ceiling before he starts back on the board, angling it to the others and drawing upside down as best he can, “he doesn’t trust you at all anymore. You played him before so now even though he still thinks you’re stupid, he doesn’t think you’re as stupid as he made you out to be. He’s careful now-kind of nervous-maybe even scared-that you could pull something on him even by accident.”
Minhyuk leans forward. “So he’s scared that I’d find out?”
“In the bathroom, he believed it when Yukwon-hyung said that you could do some damage, whether to him or to the business,” Daehyun says. “He tried to play it off like he can’t be hurt, but I think he knows he can be-or he’s worried at least. It’s on his mind as a possibility, so he’s going to try to find a way to see if Yukwon-hyung will really keep it a secret from you, hyung.”
And a slow grin spreads on Kyung’s face as he meets Daehyun’s eyes and finishes what Daehyun hasn’t said yet. “Or we could give him a way.”
Daehyun smiles back. “We could.”
Jongup stares emptily into his glass.
Once Yongguk had arrived and everything had been pulled into full swing, Youngjae had regulated Jongup to taking the next week or so off, so to say, since the greaseman wouldn’t be needed until at least three stages later into the job. For now, it’s all recon and construction, and with the way Youngjae and Daehyun had looked at him before sending him off downstairs to relax and take a break, Jongup is more than willing to bet that they won’t ever forget his little run-out anytime soon.
He wonders how Himchan is doing at the warehouse (wishes that he’d be allowed to drive down there and see him-talk to him).
The greaseman is about to just toss some money onto the counter and head back upstairs despite his drink still being filled to the brim when someone collapses in a heap in the barstool beside him. “Two beers,” Junhong (Junhong? Junhong) says wearily, slapping a few bills onto the bar table and waving at the bartender.
Jongup stares as Junhong grabs one of the bottles the second the bartender slams them down, dripping with condensation, onto the table. The younger man begins to chug the alcohol down and stops only to take a long breath before turning slightly and looking at Jongup as if he’s just realized he was there. “Hi,” Junhong says with a blink.
“I-hi,” Jongup replies automatically. He licks his lips and looks back down into his drink. Junhong goes back to chugging down his beers while Jongup wonders why the younger man is here at the bar when, from what Jongup knows, Junhong should be following Hwang Dongsun right now.
“Taking a break.”
Jongup’s head turns and he stares.
Junhong flashes a quick smile. “You were wondering why I’m not tailing him, right?”
“Did I say that out loud?” Jongup feels his ears heat.
“No,” Junhong shrugs. “You were thinking it probably-weren’t you?”
Jongup looks back into his glass.
“What ‘bout you?” Junhong glances at him.
“They don’t need me right now,” Jongup says quietly and it comes out sounding a little heavier than he’d intended it to. They don’t, after all, literally need him. It has nothing to do with whether they need his company or not (and he doesn’t want to dwell on it like a little kid because he’s sure that more than half of the crew still think of him as Himchan’s foundling-Himchan’s tag-a-long and that probably isn’t helped at all by the prodigy Yongguk brought along who’s seated right beside Jongup at this very moment).
Junhong slides forward slightly, leaning in towards Jongup so that they’re staring at each other full on. Jongup finds himself scooting back just a little-reflexively distancing himself because Junhong’s clear eyes are making the greaseman’s face overly warm. “Lucky,” Junhong says, playfully envious. “You just get to be in all the action. Trust me-watching comms and recon is boring. If I could bend like you,” Junhong whistles wishfully.
Despite himself, Jongup laughs (and his face transitions from overly warm to downright scorching when his laughter draws out a toothy grin from the younger man).
Minhyuk knows Yukwon can take care of himself.
That doesn’t mean he has to like Yukwon constantly being thrown into the line of fire.
At the very least, he breathes easier when they’re working together-when they’re on the field at the same time because at least then if anything went wrong, Yukwon wouldn’t have to break his cover and Minhyuk could break a neck or two. The worst case scenario, the situation Minhyuk hates the most, is the one presently at hand-Yukwon on the floor, in something white, skin-tight, and inappropriate even for casino standards, pretending to gamble away a few or so thousand, while Minhyuk looks on with Jiho over Taeil and Yongguk’s shoulders on the monitors.
He adjusts his earpiece and pulls a chair over, settling in for at least an hour of all-around stress. They have visual feed from every ceiling point in the casino, and Kyung and Daehyun are downstairs on the floor as well (which means Yukwon really isn’t completely alone), disguised (as waiters) and with cameras of their own for a live feed-for close-up sakes. And, of course, there’s crystal clear audio courtesy of Taeil’s talents.
Yukwon is idly playing the slots, the picture of elegant carelessness (eyes drawn dark and heavy, hair pulled down to fall soft and blond over his forehead-and Minhyuk wishes that the younger man wasn’t so painfully, obviously beautiful). He’s only sitting there for ten minutes before Yongguk points a finger at the left monitor and leans into the microphone. “Up behind you, Yukwon-ah,” Yongguk says, and from the Kyung’s camera, Minhyuk watches as Yukwon’s eyes sharpen infinitesimally and his body stiffens with readiness.
Game start-Minhyuk can hear Yukwon’s voice in his own mind.
Dongsun’s hands press into Yukwon’s shoulders. “Guess who,” Dongsun murmurs into Yukwon’s ear, lips nearly grazing the lobe.
Taeil switches to Daehyun’s camera, and Daehyun-from the right monitor-is approaching at a clearer angle, capturing Yukwon and Dongsun’s expressions while Kyung catches their profiles.
“Hyung,” Yukwon says, breathlessly, spinning around and-
Dongsun catches the younger man’s lips in a searing kiss.
Jiho whistles beside Minhyuk.
Minhyuk looks at him.
“Sorry,” Jiho mutters.
It’s unexpected, though-it’s true-and Minhyuk can see the gears in Yukwon’s heads turning as Dongsun tongues him right there on the casino floor. Yukwon was most likely expecting a bit of conversation and leering before anything physical and Minhyuk will never get tired of literally being able to watch Yukwon process his next actions-being able to predict Dongsun’s reactions-how to manipulate them-how to incite the actions and thoughts he needs Dongsun to have.
Once Dongsun pulls away, a blush paints Yukwon’s cheeks (Kyung’s camera zooms in and Daehyun’s camera focuses-Kyung’s camera shakes slightly and on the monitor, Kyung is jostled by a woman passing towards the restroom). There’s a struggle in Yukwon’s body as he weakly tries to push Dongsun away, pathetic and limp against Dongsun’s larger form (and Minhyuk catches an amused grin on Yongguk’s face because Kim Yukwon being weak will never not be funny for all of them, Minhyuk included).
“Hyung,” Yukwon whispers-just loud enough for the audio feed, “not here.”
Dongsun waves a hand dismissively as he uses his other one to grab Yukwon’s waist, lifting him off of the stool and to his feet. “I’ll delete the tapes,” the older man says absently, and Minhyuk rolls his eyes because it’s too blatant of a lie. Dongsun will probably use the tapes to his advantage (not that it matters because Taeil will see that the tapes are destroyed). “Where’s Lee?”
“Minhyuk-hyung?” Yukwon’s eyes widen-picture perfect stupidity. “In our room.”
Dongsun slaps Yukwon across the face.
“Hyung, sit down,” Jiho hisses when Minhyuk reflexively bolts to his feet-and he isn’t even sure why because it’s not like there’s any point to storming downstairs and breaking Dongsun’s legs. Yongguk yanks Minhyuk back into his seat and places a firm hand on Minhyuk’s shoulder as they continue to watch the monitors. The slap was as equally unexpected as the kiss and Dongsun is just full of surprises tonight apparently.
Only a few bystanders in the casino bother to glance at the scene, eyes rolling away with cynical whispers after glances at Yukwon’s clothes.
“You snuck out?” Dongsun hisses incredulously. “Are you fucking stupid?”
And suddenly, Dongsun has his hand cuffed around Yukwon’s wrist, dragging him up and out along-stringing him through the casino, and Daehyun and Kyung instantly start doing their best to weave through the crowds as inconspicuously as possible before Yongguk grabs the mic again and says urgently, “Stop-you’re going to draw attention-we have visual in his office, so take your time getting there.”
Taeil blacks out two of the monitors, and they all watch as Kyung and Daehyun stop moving-as the two slowly disappear from the frames of the remaining monitors, most likely to head back up here. Taeil switches through monitors quickly, finding the best angles to capture Yukwon and Dongsun moving through the crowds in the casino, the emptier resort lobby, past the shops, past the restaurant, and towards Dongsun’s main private office.
The monitors switch onto the cameras that Jongup had installed in Dongsun’s office-very carefully maintained as everything would be shot to hell if Dongsun ever found out about these cameras (as tiny as a fingernail these cameras). They have an aerial view, a view from Dongsun’s desk and a view from the shelf near the door.
Yukwon is thrown into the room, and he falls to the floor with a cry. Dongsun locks the door behind himself, and that makes Minhyuk swallow because even though they’ve been in far more dangerous situations before, he and Yukwon, there’s something about the stakes being higher when the mark has this much history and this much baggage stored with you. This is just a little too personal and that locked door, despite how Minhyuk knows they can just pick it, doesn’t sit too well with the salmon Minhyuk had for dinner an hour ago.
“Why do you have to be such a brainless little whore?” Dongsun screams at the younger man splayed on the floor. “Lee Minhyuk has guards, doesn’t he? He’s a fucking arms dealer, you slut, why can’t you just think for once in your life-I know he must have someone watching you, doesn’t he?”
And that draws a victory grin on Minhyuk’s (and Yongguk’s and Taeil’s and Jiho’s) lips.
Score
Yukwon trembles underneath Dongsun’s gaze. “Yes,” he whispers. And then in a louder voice, high-pitched and defensive, “But I got away from them, hyung-I couldn’t get to you if I-”
Another slap.
This time, Minhyuk manages to stay seated but his hands clench on his knees. This time, Minhyuk knows what’s so utterly wrong about this. Even if on jobs he and Yukwon have done together in the past have involved both Yukwon and Minhyuk getting more than just a little banged up on occasion (oh-how there were weapons involved, and flying punches and kicks and plenty of derogatory everything), this is somehow infinitely worse and infinitely real because while all those other marks only hurt Yukwon physically, Dongsun stabs through the skin even with just a gaze.
There’s history between Dongsun and Yukwon and that’s what makes this seem so wrong to Minhyuk. One slap like that-fifty slaps like that-is nothing to Yukwon, who Minhyuk’s seen endure much worse during their jobs together (and Minhyuk has endured plenty worse as well). It’s only made terrible by the fact that there once was a time when a slap like that was definitely something to Yukwon and the person who turned it into nothing was Dongsun. Minhyuk had pain like that turned into nothing through training-voluntary schooling, everything done with rules and regulations like any other kind of military education. Yukwon had pain like that turned to nothing through conditioning at the hands of this man-monster-man.
“That’s why you wait for me to get you, Kwon-ah,” Dongsun wrenches out through gritted teeth as he fists Yukwon’s hair, yanking the younger man forehead by the scalp. Minhyuk suddenly senses Jiho bristle at Dongsun using Kyung and Jiho’s nickname for Yukwon-an endearment torn into an insult and now Minhyuk is the one putting a hand on Jiho’s shoulder. “Like at the restaurant? An actual, believable situation where I need to have you in private not you fucking sneaking out like an obvious little slut.”
Yukwon whimpers, as Dongsun yanks at the younger man’s hair again, dragging his entire body closer to Dongsun’s legs. “He won’t find out,” Yukwon begs (Yukwon begs-and, oh, how even Yongguk’s lips are tightening-Minhyuk wishes Yukwon wasn’t such a good actor at times), “I’ll make sure-I’ll-”
Dongsun grips the back of Yukwon’s neck, and leans down, placing a mockingly soft kiss on Yukwon’s cheek. “Say you’re sorry,” Dongsun says, disgustingly sweet, “and work harder, Kwon-ah.” He tugs at Yukwon’s neck again, and Yukwon slides in, getting up onto his knees and crawling forward until his hands are undoing Dongsun’s belt and pants.
There’s a strict policy that they all have with each other-a sort of honor, respect, among thieves-and that’s that before going into a job that requires intense roles, there’s always a previous agreement about who is and isn’t allowed to see you going into certain scenes on the monitors. It was ages upon ages ago, but when Yukwon was asked, he said he didn’t mind who sees (it differs for all of them-Minhyuk only lets Yukwon and Taeil watch, Kyung only lets Jiho watch, Jiho only lets Kyung and Yukwon watch, Daehyun only lets Youngjae and Himchan watch, Youngjae only lets Daehyun watch, and on goes the list.)
(Yongguk only lets Himchan watch but Himchan lets no one watch-regardless of how dangerous that is)
All the same, it doesn’t make it any less uncomfortable for Minhyuk to force his eyes on the monitor with three other pairs of eyes watching Yukwon give a very real blowjob on possibly the man that all of them hate with a considerable passion. It’s not something they haven’t gone through before, but there’s a certain level of awkwardness in the room all the same. It’s easier when it’s only one or two people watching, which is why Minhyuk lets only Yukwon watch for obvious reasons and Taeil watch for practical and technical reasons.
Dongsun is clearly still irritated, taking absolutely no care at all-seemingly thrusting into Yukwon’s mouth with the purpose to choke the younger man, sending Yukwon crumpled to the floor with disheveled hair, sticky with fluids, eyeliner smudged and wet with slight tears, face flushed and shining with a light sheen of sweat. Yukwon’s expression is very easily fucked out and dazed, lips pink and swollen. He also sports an extremely apparent erection, and only Yukwon’s will of steel could force himself hard in this kind of situation.
“I was too nice to you in the restaurant,” Dongsun says, zipping up his own pants and nudging Yukwon’s erection with the tip of his shoe. Yukwon begins to pant, shivering, thighs quaking, and his fingers grip at the hem of Dongsun’s now-untucked shirt. “If the next time I find you, and bring you here, you don’t have anything on Lee Minhyuk that I can use, you’re going to wish very badly that you’d never left me, Kim Yukwon.”
“He trusts him,” Taeil whispers, brow furrowed intensely at the screen.
Yongguk shakes his head and Minhyuk silently agrees. “No,” the leader says. “He almost does.”
Jiho stands up, claps Minhyuk on the back. “That’s my cue,” Jiho says lightly, he stands up and looks at Minhyuk’s eyes. “You can stay,” he grins, “just this once though-because Yukwonie is in it too.” As soon as he leaves the suite, Daehyun and Kyung suddenly reenter, placing the small hand-held cameras they’d hidden on their persons onto the table, and shedding their casino waiter disguises.
“He’s wrapping up,” Taeil fills them in as they take off one earpiece and put in another. Kyung takes Jiho’s vacated chair and Daehyun grabs another from the other living area. “We just need to make Dongsun is watching his feeds and that Jiho catches Yukwonie at the right moment.”
On the monitor, Yukwon has left Dongsun’s room, making his way to the elevators and now Yukwon’s voice sounds through their earpieces. “How was it?” And his tone is playful as he stands, waiting for the lift to come down. “Hot?”
Yongguk lets out a shaky laugh that Minhyuk wants to echo. “Badass job, kid,” Yongguk says.
The elevator doors open and Yukwon steps in, pressing the button for this floor, and glancing up at the one camera they did manage to install in the lobby elevators. His grin fills the monitor that Taeil turns on just then. “I know,” Yukwon says with that impish upward turn of his lips. It’s such an out of place expression when Yukwon’s face is covered with smudged eyeliner and tear tracks and sweat and (Minhyuk doesn’t even want to look at the lines of white splattered through the younger man’s hair).
“I’m not hard anymore,” Yukwon says suddenly, glancing down. “Are Dongsun’s feeds going to see that?”
Taeil scoots his chair over to the monitors focused on Dongsun’s office (and Dongsun is indeed seated at his desk, right on schedule, tuning into the cameras that Taeil had purposely linked from a random hallway that Dongsun would think was right in front of their suites but was in actuality just a random hallway on another part of the floor). “No,” Taeil says into the mic, “his angle is too aerial. There’s a side angle too, I think, but it’s too far away and just put Jiho on your left to cover it.”
“Is Jiho hard?” Yukwon asks.
And Jiho’s voice suddenly comes over the comms. “Working on it.”
Yongguk stands up. “Okay-time to clear out,” he says, and Taeil and Daehyun stand up as well. “Call us once it’s over.” The three place their earpieces on the table and file into the next room, shutting the door tightly behind them.
Kyung scoots in closer, pushing aside empty chairs so they can get a better look at the two monitors in question-one with Dongsun watching the feeds, supposedly spying on Yukwon, and the other on the random hallway where Jiho is already waiting. “Just you and me now, hyung,” Kyung grins at Minhyuk.
Yukwon leaves the elevator soon, giving a cheery V-sign at the camera before stepping off and his expression instantly takes on again the mask of weakness and fear. His step instantly loses all the Kim Yukwon and becomes weary and limp and hesitant as he walks through into the left hall and comes across Jiho-all suited up in black, much like the uniforms Minhyuk used to wear years ago.
There’s a deafening silence, and they watch as Dongsun scoots in-entranced.
“Where were you?” Jiho asks stonily. He begins to approach Yukwon.
Yukwon doesn’t answer until Jiho has him backed up against the wall of the hallway. “Nowhere,” Yukwon pleads as Jiho slams hands on the wall, trapping Yukwon between his long arms. “Don’t tell Minhyuk-hyung.”
A smile curls on Dongsun’s face.
Jiho leans in, the barest hint of a smirk on his full lips as they graze Yukwon’s jaw line. “You know I never tell.” He grabs Yukwon’s wrists, pinning them above Yukwon’s own head. “Granted you give me a reason not to.”
And with a whimper, Yukwon fumbles with the belt and fastenings of his own pants, and then Jiho’s, before jumping hastily to wrap his legs around Jiho’s waist. Jiho slams Yukwon harder into the wall, hoisting him up and efficiently blocking both of their silhouettes from the view of the left camera. As he pretends to rut into Yukwon, Jiho’s hands wander all over Yukwon’s thighs, beneath Yukwon’s tight-tight-tight shirt, gripping Yukwon’s hair, biting at Yukwon’s neck, and Dongsun’s face has never looked more convinced (more elated and excited).
Minhyuk and Kyung watch in silence, punctuated only with Kyung coughing.
There are a lot of things that will never not be awkward, Minhyuk supposes, but watching your dongsaeng pretending to have sex with your boyfriend is still more exciting than going over system regulations for yet another overweight CEO
Author: himawarixxsandz
Rating: PG-13
Pairing(s): BangHim, ZiKyung, U-Bomb, TaePyo, DaeJae, JongLo
Summary: Thirteen is their lucky number
A/N: after wednesday, im on christmas break so i /want/ to say expect more updates but that's probably going to turn out to be a lie so just don't expect anything T.T and i had no clue how to ribbon up this chapter so the ending is meh but i blame the entry word limit otherwise i could've fit in another whole section in there bUT actually
The Crew The Crew II Infiltration / Infiltration II // Infiltration III // Reconnaissance
He wakes up drenched in sweat, panting, to Jihoon’s alarmed face hovering over him. Himchan’s fingertips dig into the mattress as he takes deep breaths, rushing to calm himself (to remind himself that he’s in the warehouse-he’s safe-he’s working-he’s in bed) because Jihoon is looking at him like that, clearly having been woken up by Himchan’s tossing and turning (and possibly by some whimpering, but Himchan tries not to dwell on the humiliation of that). “Hyung,” Jihoon says, and the expression in his eyes looks about thirty seconds away from calling Jiho.
(which is really the last thing Himchan needs because Jiho is Jihoon’s go-to and Yongguk is Jiho’s go-to and Himchan can’t have Yongguk hearing about this)
“Just a bad dream,” Himchan smiles lightly, and he’s relieved to hear how steady his voice is.
Even through the darkness, Jihoon’s skepticism is evident.
“Go back to bed, Jihoon-ah,” Himchan tries once a minute too long has passed and it becomes clear that Jihoon isn’t going anywhere until Himchan gives an answer that more closely resembles the apparent truth.
“Are you?” Jihoon counters and doubt is thick in his tone.
Himchan runs a hand through his hair, swallowing dryly. “I thought I’d look over the plans,” he says quietly, and isn’t even surprised when Jihoon’s eyebrows furrow even further.
“Hyung-”
“You’re not calling Jiho,” Himchan says with a sharp smile. “Go to bed Pyo Jihoon.”
He’s thankful-so incredibly thankful-that this happened while it was only him and Jihoon in the warehouse working on the replica vault alone. He’s so incredibly grateful that it was Jihoon of all people who saw him like this because they don’t know each other all that well and Jihoon will be easier to swear into secrecy. Jihoon will prod and poke less and Himchan can better ignore whatever concern the younger man tries to give because there’s less emotional baggage.
Jihoon’s eyes bore into Himchan for another moment before the younger man does pad away wordlessly across the upper floor of the warehouse, back towards his own bed. Himchan waits until Jihoon’s pulled the blankets up around himself, an unmoving lump, before he gets out of his own bed and steps down the ladder towards the half-finished replica.
He’s not going back to sleep if all that waits for him are memories he wishes he could forget.
Tailing Hwang Dongsun is one of the more luxury jobs Junhong’s had in a while. It’s also fairly boring, and more of an assignment than a job, however necessary it may be to the con as a whole. This is the first time Junhong is working a big con-the first time he’s working on a team-and the first time he’s had to answer to someone who isn’t himself. Having to report back to Yongguk or Jiho is neither irritating nor fun, but it’s definitely something new-and odd.
Only two days have passed and Junhong is already considerably bored. Dongsun follows a rigid schedule that involves waking up much earlier than Junhong even wants to be alive, eating breakfast as his team of assistants buzz around him showing him how the stock market is faring, messages from associates, potential business partners that have been propositioning him, and the expected numbers of the resort and casino for the day. He then hits the floor to make sure everything is in order for the evening before disappearing into his office for various meetings and presentations involving expansion of the hotel, minor renovations, and starting a new chain on the east coast.
Once the sun sets and the casino opens, Dongsun changes into something less business-like and far more Vegas and does a few rounds on the floor, entertaining the various dignitaries that have decided to take a light gamble on for the night-occasionally dining with them for a few minutes before excusing himself and disappearing through a door, down a hall, that Junhong supposes must be the security room for floor and resort surveillance.
Despite the obvious routine being established, the general rule of tailing is that it needs to be at least a week-and a few more days in addition, if possible-before they can establish any sort of schedule based on Junhong’s observations. There are five more days to go, and they can’t really do anything until the replica vault is finished anyhow.
Junhong stifles a yawn behind his hand as he stands up from behind the potted plant and makes to follow Dongsun to his two o’clock meeting on loans.
Daehyun likes to think himself an expert on the psychological.
He fits himself into all sorts of roles, every identity imaginable, all professions in existence, most every accent that would be compatible with whatever race his face can pull off, and he can utilize all of that to shape a mark’s thoughts to be whatever is necessary for their money to end up in his pocket by the end of the job. His line of expertise lies in everything underneath the sutures of the skull, and he’s heard enough about Hwang Dongsun to be more than just a little excited about pulling a con on him.
His only wish is that it was under less dire circumstances (and that the two people he’s looked up to his entire criminal life weren’t hiding things from him).
As things stand, he, Kyung, Jiho, Yukwon, and Minhyuk are seated around the long dining table in what they’ve established as Jaehyo’s suite. Jaehyo, Yongguk, and Youngjae are next door looking at the monitors with Taeil and discussing how to possibly tap more cameras before the replica vault is ready. On the table before them, Daehyun has a white board that he vaguely remembers stealing from the downstairs bakery while he was buying Youngjae a garlic bagel the other day for brunch.
He erases yesterday’s doughnut special and starts sketching out a vague diagram of Dongsun’s thought process with the also-stolen dry erase marker.
“He’s tempted by Yukwon-hyung,” Daehyun explains, drawing an arrow from Dongsun’s name to Yukwon’s. “Yukwon-hyung’s made him an offer that he thinks he can use, and we didn’t have visual for the bathroom, but even through audio, I can make a good guess that he still has the hots for you, hyung-just for sex, but it’s still going to be useful to us.”
“Lucky me,” Yukwon says, voice muffled against Minhyuk’s shoulder as the younger man leans into Minhyuk.
“But,” Daehyun grins slightly, holding the marker up straight towards the ceiling before he starts back on the board, angling it to the others and drawing upside down as best he can, “he doesn’t trust you at all anymore. You played him before so now even though he still thinks you’re stupid, he doesn’t think you’re as stupid as he made you out to be. He’s careful now-kind of nervous-maybe even scared-that you could pull something on him even by accident.”
Minhyuk leans forward. “So he’s scared that I’d find out?”
“In the bathroom, he believed it when Yukwon-hyung said that you could do some damage, whether to him or to the business,” Daehyun says. “He tried to play it off like he can’t be hurt, but I think he knows he can be-or he’s worried at least. It’s on his mind as a possibility, so he’s going to try to find a way to see if Yukwon-hyung will really keep it a secret from you, hyung.”
And a slow grin spreads on Kyung’s face as he meets Daehyun’s eyes and finishes what Daehyun hasn’t said yet. “Or we could give him a way.”
Daehyun smiles back. “We could.”
Jongup stares emptily into his glass.
Once Yongguk had arrived and everything had been pulled into full swing, Youngjae had regulated Jongup to taking the next week or so off, so to say, since the greaseman wouldn’t be needed until at least three stages later into the job. For now, it’s all recon and construction, and with the way Youngjae and Daehyun had looked at him before sending him off downstairs to relax and take a break, Jongup is more than willing to bet that they won’t ever forget his little run-out anytime soon.
He wonders how Himchan is doing at the warehouse (wishes that he’d be allowed to drive down there and see him-talk to him).
The greaseman is about to just toss some money onto the counter and head back upstairs despite his drink still being filled to the brim when someone collapses in a heap in the barstool beside him. “Two beers,” Junhong (Junhong? Junhong) says wearily, slapping a few bills onto the bar table and waving at the bartender.
Jongup stares as Junhong grabs one of the bottles the second the bartender slams them down, dripping with condensation, onto the table. The younger man begins to chug the alcohol down and stops only to take a long breath before turning slightly and looking at Jongup as if he’s just realized he was there. “Hi,” Junhong says with a blink.
“I-hi,” Jongup replies automatically. He licks his lips and looks back down into his drink. Junhong goes back to chugging down his beers while Jongup wonders why the younger man is here at the bar when, from what Jongup knows, Junhong should be following Hwang Dongsun right now.
“Taking a break.”
Jongup’s head turns and he stares.
Junhong flashes a quick smile. “You were wondering why I’m not tailing him, right?”
“Did I say that out loud?” Jongup feels his ears heat.
“No,” Junhong shrugs. “You were thinking it probably-weren’t you?”
Jongup looks back into his glass.
“What ‘bout you?” Junhong glances at him.
“They don’t need me right now,” Jongup says quietly and it comes out sounding a little heavier than he’d intended it to. They don’t, after all, literally need him. It has nothing to do with whether they need his company or not (and he doesn’t want to dwell on it like a little kid because he’s sure that more than half of the crew still think of him as Himchan’s foundling-Himchan’s tag-a-long and that probably isn’t helped at all by the prodigy Yongguk brought along who’s seated right beside Jongup at this very moment).
Junhong slides forward slightly, leaning in towards Jongup so that they’re staring at each other full on. Jongup finds himself scooting back just a little-reflexively distancing himself because Junhong’s clear eyes are making the greaseman’s face overly warm. “Lucky,” Junhong says, playfully envious. “You just get to be in all the action. Trust me-watching comms and recon is boring. If I could bend like you,” Junhong whistles wishfully.
Despite himself, Jongup laughs (and his face transitions from overly warm to downright scorching when his laughter draws out a toothy grin from the younger man).
Minhyuk knows Yukwon can take care of himself.
That doesn’t mean he has to like Yukwon constantly being thrown into the line of fire.
At the very least, he breathes easier when they’re working together-when they’re on the field at the same time because at least then if anything went wrong, Yukwon wouldn’t have to break his cover and Minhyuk could break a neck or two. The worst case scenario, the situation Minhyuk hates the most, is the one presently at hand-Yukwon on the floor, in something white, skin-tight, and inappropriate even for casino standards, pretending to gamble away a few or so thousand, while Minhyuk looks on with Jiho over Taeil and Yongguk’s shoulders on the monitors.
He adjusts his earpiece and pulls a chair over, settling in for at least an hour of all-around stress. They have visual feed from every ceiling point in the casino, and Kyung and Daehyun are downstairs on the floor as well (which means Yukwon really isn’t completely alone), disguised (as waiters) and with cameras of their own for a live feed-for close-up sakes. And, of course, there’s crystal clear audio courtesy of Taeil’s talents.
Yukwon is idly playing the slots, the picture of elegant carelessness (eyes drawn dark and heavy, hair pulled down to fall soft and blond over his forehead-and Minhyuk wishes that the younger man wasn’t so painfully, obviously beautiful). He’s only sitting there for ten minutes before Yongguk points a finger at the left monitor and leans into the microphone. “Up behind you, Yukwon-ah,” Yongguk says, and from the Kyung’s camera, Minhyuk watches as Yukwon’s eyes sharpen infinitesimally and his body stiffens with readiness.
Game start-Minhyuk can hear Yukwon’s voice in his own mind.
Dongsun’s hands press into Yukwon’s shoulders. “Guess who,” Dongsun murmurs into Yukwon’s ear, lips nearly grazing the lobe.
Taeil switches to Daehyun’s camera, and Daehyun-from the right monitor-is approaching at a clearer angle, capturing Yukwon and Dongsun’s expressions while Kyung catches their profiles.
“Hyung,” Yukwon says, breathlessly, spinning around and-
Dongsun catches the younger man’s lips in a searing kiss.
Jiho whistles beside Minhyuk.
Minhyuk looks at him.
“Sorry,” Jiho mutters.
It’s unexpected, though-it’s true-and Minhyuk can see the gears in Yukwon’s heads turning as Dongsun tongues him right there on the casino floor. Yukwon was most likely expecting a bit of conversation and leering before anything physical and Minhyuk will never get tired of literally being able to watch Yukwon process his next actions-being able to predict Dongsun’s reactions-how to manipulate them-how to incite the actions and thoughts he needs Dongsun to have.
Once Dongsun pulls away, a blush paints Yukwon’s cheeks (Kyung’s camera zooms in and Daehyun’s camera focuses-Kyung’s camera shakes slightly and on the monitor, Kyung is jostled by a woman passing towards the restroom). There’s a struggle in Yukwon’s body as he weakly tries to push Dongsun away, pathetic and limp against Dongsun’s larger form (and Minhyuk catches an amused grin on Yongguk’s face because Kim Yukwon being weak will never not be funny for all of them, Minhyuk included).
“Hyung,” Yukwon whispers-just loud enough for the audio feed, “not here.”
Dongsun waves a hand dismissively as he uses his other one to grab Yukwon’s waist, lifting him off of the stool and to his feet. “I’ll delete the tapes,” the older man says absently, and Minhyuk rolls his eyes because it’s too blatant of a lie. Dongsun will probably use the tapes to his advantage (not that it matters because Taeil will see that the tapes are destroyed). “Where’s Lee?”
“Minhyuk-hyung?” Yukwon’s eyes widen-picture perfect stupidity. “In our room.”
Dongsun slaps Yukwon across the face.
“Hyung, sit down,” Jiho hisses when Minhyuk reflexively bolts to his feet-and he isn’t even sure why because it’s not like there’s any point to storming downstairs and breaking Dongsun’s legs. Yongguk yanks Minhyuk back into his seat and places a firm hand on Minhyuk’s shoulder as they continue to watch the monitors. The slap was as equally unexpected as the kiss and Dongsun is just full of surprises tonight apparently.
Only a few bystanders in the casino bother to glance at the scene, eyes rolling away with cynical whispers after glances at Yukwon’s clothes.
“You snuck out?” Dongsun hisses incredulously. “Are you fucking stupid?”
And suddenly, Dongsun has his hand cuffed around Yukwon’s wrist, dragging him up and out along-stringing him through the casino, and Daehyun and Kyung instantly start doing their best to weave through the crowds as inconspicuously as possible before Yongguk grabs the mic again and says urgently, “Stop-you’re going to draw attention-we have visual in his office, so take your time getting there.”
Taeil blacks out two of the monitors, and they all watch as Kyung and Daehyun stop moving-as the two slowly disappear from the frames of the remaining monitors, most likely to head back up here. Taeil switches through monitors quickly, finding the best angles to capture Yukwon and Dongsun moving through the crowds in the casino, the emptier resort lobby, past the shops, past the restaurant, and towards Dongsun’s main private office.
The monitors switch onto the cameras that Jongup had installed in Dongsun’s office-very carefully maintained as everything would be shot to hell if Dongsun ever found out about these cameras (as tiny as a fingernail these cameras). They have an aerial view, a view from Dongsun’s desk and a view from the shelf near the door.
Yukwon is thrown into the room, and he falls to the floor with a cry. Dongsun locks the door behind himself, and that makes Minhyuk swallow because even though they’ve been in far more dangerous situations before, he and Yukwon, there’s something about the stakes being higher when the mark has this much history and this much baggage stored with you. This is just a little too personal and that locked door, despite how Minhyuk knows they can just pick it, doesn’t sit too well with the salmon Minhyuk had for dinner an hour ago.
“Why do you have to be such a brainless little whore?” Dongsun screams at the younger man splayed on the floor. “Lee Minhyuk has guards, doesn’t he? He’s a fucking arms dealer, you slut, why can’t you just think for once in your life-I know he must have someone watching you, doesn’t he?”
And that draws a victory grin on Minhyuk’s (and Yongguk’s and Taeil’s and Jiho’s) lips.
Score
Yukwon trembles underneath Dongsun’s gaze. “Yes,” he whispers. And then in a louder voice, high-pitched and defensive, “But I got away from them, hyung-I couldn’t get to you if I-”
Another slap.
This time, Minhyuk manages to stay seated but his hands clench on his knees. This time, Minhyuk knows what’s so utterly wrong about this. Even if on jobs he and Yukwon have done together in the past have involved both Yukwon and Minhyuk getting more than just a little banged up on occasion (oh-how there were weapons involved, and flying punches and kicks and plenty of derogatory everything), this is somehow infinitely worse and infinitely real because while all those other marks only hurt Yukwon physically, Dongsun stabs through the skin even with just a gaze.
There’s history between Dongsun and Yukwon and that’s what makes this seem so wrong to Minhyuk. One slap like that-fifty slaps like that-is nothing to Yukwon, who Minhyuk’s seen endure much worse during their jobs together (and Minhyuk has endured plenty worse as well). It’s only made terrible by the fact that there once was a time when a slap like that was definitely something to Yukwon and the person who turned it into nothing was Dongsun. Minhyuk had pain like that turned into nothing through training-voluntary schooling, everything done with rules and regulations like any other kind of military education. Yukwon had pain like that turned to nothing through conditioning at the hands of this man-monster-man.
“That’s why you wait for me to get you, Kwon-ah,” Dongsun wrenches out through gritted teeth as he fists Yukwon’s hair, yanking the younger man forehead by the scalp. Minhyuk suddenly senses Jiho bristle at Dongsun using Kyung and Jiho’s nickname for Yukwon-an endearment torn into an insult and now Minhyuk is the one putting a hand on Jiho’s shoulder. “Like at the restaurant? An actual, believable situation where I need to have you in private not you fucking sneaking out like an obvious little slut.”
Yukwon whimpers, as Dongsun yanks at the younger man’s hair again, dragging his entire body closer to Dongsun’s legs. “He won’t find out,” Yukwon begs (Yukwon begs-and, oh, how even Yongguk’s lips are tightening-Minhyuk wishes Yukwon wasn’t such a good actor at times), “I’ll make sure-I’ll-”
Dongsun grips the back of Yukwon’s neck, and leans down, placing a mockingly soft kiss on Yukwon’s cheek. “Say you’re sorry,” Dongsun says, disgustingly sweet, “and work harder, Kwon-ah.” He tugs at Yukwon’s neck again, and Yukwon slides in, getting up onto his knees and crawling forward until his hands are undoing Dongsun’s belt and pants.
There’s a strict policy that they all have with each other-a sort of honor, respect, among thieves-and that’s that before going into a job that requires intense roles, there’s always a previous agreement about who is and isn’t allowed to see you going into certain scenes on the monitors. It was ages upon ages ago, but when Yukwon was asked, he said he didn’t mind who sees (it differs for all of them-Minhyuk only lets Yukwon and Taeil watch, Kyung only lets Jiho watch, Jiho only lets Kyung and Yukwon watch, Daehyun only lets Youngjae and Himchan watch, Youngjae only lets Daehyun watch, and on goes the list.)
(Yongguk only lets Himchan watch but Himchan lets no one watch-regardless of how dangerous that is)
All the same, it doesn’t make it any less uncomfortable for Minhyuk to force his eyes on the monitor with three other pairs of eyes watching Yukwon give a very real blowjob on possibly the man that all of them hate with a considerable passion. It’s not something they haven’t gone through before, but there’s a certain level of awkwardness in the room all the same. It’s easier when it’s only one or two people watching, which is why Minhyuk lets only Yukwon watch for obvious reasons and Taeil watch for practical and technical reasons.
Dongsun is clearly still irritated, taking absolutely no care at all-seemingly thrusting into Yukwon’s mouth with the purpose to choke the younger man, sending Yukwon crumpled to the floor with disheveled hair, sticky with fluids, eyeliner smudged and wet with slight tears, face flushed and shining with a light sheen of sweat. Yukwon’s expression is very easily fucked out and dazed, lips pink and swollen. He also sports an extremely apparent erection, and only Yukwon’s will of steel could force himself hard in this kind of situation.
“I was too nice to you in the restaurant,” Dongsun says, zipping up his own pants and nudging Yukwon’s erection with the tip of his shoe. Yukwon begins to pant, shivering, thighs quaking, and his fingers grip at the hem of Dongsun’s now-untucked shirt. “If the next time I find you, and bring you here, you don’t have anything on Lee Minhyuk that I can use, you’re going to wish very badly that you’d never left me, Kim Yukwon.”
“He trusts him,” Taeil whispers, brow furrowed intensely at the screen.
Yongguk shakes his head and Minhyuk silently agrees. “No,” the leader says. “He almost does.”
Jiho stands up, claps Minhyuk on the back. “That’s my cue,” Jiho says lightly, he stands up and looks at Minhyuk’s eyes. “You can stay,” he grins, “just this once though-because Yukwonie is in it too.” As soon as he leaves the suite, Daehyun and Kyung suddenly reenter, placing the small hand-held cameras they’d hidden on their persons onto the table, and shedding their casino waiter disguises.
“He’s wrapping up,” Taeil fills them in as they take off one earpiece and put in another. Kyung takes Jiho’s vacated chair and Daehyun grabs another from the other living area. “We just need to make Dongsun is watching his feeds and that Jiho catches Yukwonie at the right moment.”
On the monitor, Yukwon has left Dongsun’s room, making his way to the elevators and now Yukwon’s voice sounds through their earpieces. “How was it?” And his tone is playful as he stands, waiting for the lift to come down. “Hot?”
Yongguk lets out a shaky laugh that Minhyuk wants to echo. “Badass job, kid,” Yongguk says.
The elevator doors open and Yukwon steps in, pressing the button for this floor, and glancing up at the one camera they did manage to install in the lobby elevators. His grin fills the monitor that Taeil turns on just then. “I know,” Yukwon says with that impish upward turn of his lips. It’s such an out of place expression when Yukwon’s face is covered with smudged eyeliner and tear tracks and sweat and (Minhyuk doesn’t even want to look at the lines of white splattered through the younger man’s hair).
“I’m not hard anymore,” Yukwon says suddenly, glancing down. “Are Dongsun’s feeds going to see that?”
Taeil scoots his chair over to the monitors focused on Dongsun’s office (and Dongsun is indeed seated at his desk, right on schedule, tuning into the cameras that Taeil had purposely linked from a random hallway that Dongsun would think was right in front of their suites but was in actuality just a random hallway on another part of the floor). “No,” Taeil says into the mic, “his angle is too aerial. There’s a side angle too, I think, but it’s too far away and just put Jiho on your left to cover it.”
“Is Jiho hard?” Yukwon asks.
And Jiho’s voice suddenly comes over the comms. “Working on it.”
Yongguk stands up. “Okay-time to clear out,” he says, and Taeil and Daehyun stand up as well. “Call us once it’s over.” The three place their earpieces on the table and file into the next room, shutting the door tightly behind them.
Kyung scoots in closer, pushing aside empty chairs so they can get a better look at the two monitors in question-one with Dongsun watching the feeds, supposedly spying on Yukwon, and the other on the random hallway where Jiho is already waiting. “Just you and me now, hyung,” Kyung grins at Minhyuk.
Yukwon leaves the elevator soon, giving a cheery V-sign at the camera before stepping off and his expression instantly takes on again the mask of weakness and fear. His step instantly loses all the Kim Yukwon and becomes weary and limp and hesitant as he walks through into the left hall and comes across Jiho-all suited up in black, much like the uniforms Minhyuk used to wear years ago.
There’s a deafening silence, and they watch as Dongsun scoots in-entranced.
“Where were you?” Jiho asks stonily. He begins to approach Yukwon.
Yukwon doesn’t answer until Jiho has him backed up against the wall of the hallway. “Nowhere,” Yukwon pleads as Jiho slams hands on the wall, trapping Yukwon between his long arms. “Don’t tell Minhyuk-hyung.”
A smile curls on Dongsun’s face.
Jiho leans in, the barest hint of a smirk on his full lips as they graze Yukwon’s jaw line. “You know I never tell.” He grabs Yukwon’s wrists, pinning them above Yukwon’s own head. “Granted you give me a reason not to.”
And with a whimper, Yukwon fumbles with the belt and fastenings of his own pants, and then Jiho’s, before jumping hastily to wrap his legs around Jiho’s waist. Jiho slams Yukwon harder into the wall, hoisting him up and efficiently blocking both of their silhouettes from the view of the left camera. As he pretends to rut into Yukwon, Jiho’s hands wander all over Yukwon’s thighs, beneath Yukwon’s tight-tight-tight shirt, gripping Yukwon’s hair, biting at Yukwon’s neck, and Dongsun’s face has never looked more convinced (more elated and excited).
Minhyuk and Kyung watch in silence, punctuated only with Kyung coughing.
There are a lot of things that will never not be awkward, Minhyuk supposes, but watching your dongsaeng pretending to have sex with your boyfriend is still more exciting than going over system regulations for yet another overweight CEO