Jongup looked up from his bowl of cocoa pebbles and whole-turned-chocolate milk to eye Himchan. Himchan himself was staring up at Yongguk, who had asked the older of both brothers if they'd like to accompany him in finding the next member of their group. The youngest kept his mouth shut as he watched. He'd do whatever Himchan chose - he was indifferent. Said older brother looked pensive for a moment before nodding and placing his lighter back in his pocket. 

"And for the love of God Himchan, please don't burn anything on this trip."

"Wha- He's a pyro too! I'm not the only one who likes to burn things!"

"Blow up things." Jongup corrected. Himchan glared at him.

"Yeah, well," Yongguk said while grabbing his car keys from the coffee table and readjusting his cap, "if he disappears randomly I know he's setting up a bomb. He's not leaving my sight." The commander looked all too casual for Jongup's taste. Was this why their government seemed to be failing? Because the people in it were too laid back? Yongguk looked to Jongup as if he knew the youngest was thinking of him. "Get ready, you two. The flight is in five hours. I'll be back in one."

"And what are you gonna do?" Himchan asked with a raised eyebrow. Yongguk smiled and exited the penthouse.

The two brothers looked at each other for a while before laughing slightly. Himchan stood up and stretched, glancing around to spot the suitcase he'd arrived with. They never unpacked, aside from a few clothes and bathroom necessities, so they were overall ready. He strode over to his luggage and laid it on its side, ping the zipper and opening the suitcase as a whole.

"Jongup, can you go get me my things from the bathroom?" He requested of his brother as he folded some clothes of his that he found lying around. Jongup got up from his seat and placed his now empty cereal bowl into the sink of their mini-kitchen. The boy left to find all of Himchan's bathroom belongings.

Himchan sighed when his brother was out of sight and pulled out his lighter, flicked on the flame, and stared at it.

~*~*~

Yongguk never thought he'd have found himself going grocery shopping for an upcoming group of criminals and a bodyguard. In fact, the commander didn't find himself going grocery shopping for a long time. The military supplied his food. So unfortunately Yongguk had only a half idea on what was exactly necessary in a household. He grabbed fruits especially, as they were his guilty pleasure. 

Meat, fruit, vegetables, and seasonings he asked a mother of three for advice about. Everything seemed so right until he passed by a childish aisle filled with things a child would grab a box from and sneak it into the shopping cart. He eyed the containers of Nesquik powder and boxes of Fruit Roll Up's or Gushers. 

They were for the two young ones that would be in the group. Definitely. Yes, perfect excuse.

~*~*~

Himchan still snickered, even while they sat waiting for their flight. Even while Jongup let the topic go - in which he was ecstatic at the sight of chocolate powder - Himchan couldn't contain his laughter. Jongup sat quietly, his headphones, same as always, on his head and covering his ears. It was difficult to believe that Himchan was the older brother in their siblingship.

Yongguk sighed for the nth time that day. "Himchan I swear to God I will leave you behind if you don't shut up."

"Ooh-" the other giggled, "will big bad Commander Bang attack me with gushers?" That angry noogie would leave the top of Himchan's head sore for hours. And Himchan's lips were in a pout for the rest of their wait. Jongup and Yongguk glanced at each other with smiles and silent conversations about the annoyed Himchan for the rest of their flight.

~*~*~

"I've never moved around so much within the span of two days." Himchan stated as he plopped down on the bed of a motel, surprusingly not holding a grudge. His face scrunched up in disgust shortly after pressing it to the matress. "Yuck. Tell me again why we're in a hood area? Don't tell me the next member is some type of drug addicted, skinny kid that gets bullied and has a horrible sob story." An eyebrow was raised by Yongguk and Jongup looked at Himchan with a questioning expression. Not long after, he scoffed.

"As if you don't have a sob story, Himchan." The air grew slightly more tense as the brothers made eye contact. Yongguk was forced to break the tension with words.

"Alright, ladies. We have about two hours before we have to go. Who's hungry?" Both siblings made a face at the label 'ladies'. But then, both siblings also perked up and stood straighter at the mention of eating. "We can talk about the next member during lunch. Pick your asses up and let's go to a corner store. They have small kitchens and make sandwiches for you."

~*~*~

Yongguk looked all too happy, a smile on his face as the three walked down the sidewalk of the shady town. There were hooded people everywhere, and more than once has Yongguk had to kindly, but threateningly, move them away from Himchan - or worse, Jongup. If he'd let them take care of it themselves, the commander was sure Himchan would make use of the lighter in his pocket. They reached a small and dusty corner store, a beauty tucked in the nook and cranny of a dark place.

Himchan felt a welcoming air around him when he stepped in, but recoiled when the stench of smoke hit his nostrils. His happiness faded away. Diva Kim Himchan was none too pleased with the way things were. Rotten, shady, dangerous. He'd rather be surrounded by aromatic candles while laying on a princess styled bed as reruns of Gossip Girl played on his smart TV. He'd rather be at the spacy penthouse.

~*~*~

A frown was etched onto the older brother's pink lips, even when they'd gotten their sandwiches and arrived at the motel once more. He sat on the bed, hoping for a lack of termites. After he took one bite out of his lunch, Yongguk started to speak and Jongup listened in silence.

"The next member's name is Daehyun. Jung Daehyun. He's not a criminal though. Just works as a hired body guard for rental. Especially since the town is dangerous, when the mayor visits he's hired first. Daehyun is a good fighter, quite strong. He lives by the 'violence isn't the answer' thing." Jongup cracked a smile at the last sentence.

"Funny." Himchan let out sarcastically. 

"Very." Yongguk looked at the simple black watch on his wrist and glanced back to the brothers. "Let's go, he should be at his usual Nightclub by now." The other two didn't even question how he knew this, who cares, he was part of the military and associated with the government. He knew his stuff.

~*~*~

Jongup looked at the picture of Daehyun once more after so many times. The image of his plump lips, tanned skin, and brown hair was engrained into his mind. He felt as if he knew the man well, yet not at all. When the trio reached the nightclub, Yongguk began to utter some plan to the others.

Jongup cut him off. "I'll do this. Just, let me."  The tone of the younger brother's voice was so determined, it was unlike what Yongguk had seen in the short time he'd known him. Jongup was silent, observant, and usually kept to himself. The boy was normally bored and indifferent, but this particular job seemed to attract him. Himchan was the only one who'd ever experienced this side of Jongup. He side-glanced at Yongguk.

"Let him."

Yongguk pondered for a moment, brows furrowing and unfurrowing constantly. It was only after Himchan began a constant tapping of his foot on pavement and crossing his arms did the commander sigh. "Fine. Fine. You- You can do this on your own. Just forget the plan that I spent hours creating. Yep. Totally. Okay, whatever. Just... don't blow up the club." Jongup smiled and nodded gratefully. 

~*~*~

Daehyun twirled the straw in his hands and stared at his empty glass. He waited for a moment, before an older man slipped into the seat besides him and ordered for two. The brunette smirked and side-eyed the man next to him.

"And just how do you know what I'd like to drink?"

The man, despite how mature he looked, became speechless and panicked. He hoped Daehyun would forgive him for making such a rash decision and possibly getting on the younger's bad side. Daehyun chuckled.

"Mr. Kang. You came. Late. And here I thought I was being left in the dust." The man addressed shook his head and smiled.

"You of all people should know this town is dangerous. I had to avoid some streets to get here. I couldn't get a taxi and had to walk. Imagine the size of the broken bottle I carried." The elder laughed. "Now, onto what I want to hire you for."

~*~*~

Jongup tilted his head in confusion when he saw Daehyun already sitting with someone. Other people with him might make his retrieval trickier. Jongup put this into account when he went to do the first thing on his list. He only hoped the other male besides Daehyun would be gone by the time he finished.

~*~*~

"So you already know I own a liqour store, right? I live on the floor on top. I had a safe there with what I was saving up slowly to move out of... here. Sadly, it got broken into. I know who it was, but I can't exactly rival the Blackjack gang. They're pretty big. But I know your strength, you would be able to. Even alone, you're quite strong. I know I can count on-"

"No." Daehyun declared after his drink was gone.

Mr. Kang was taken aback. "Excuse me?" The brunette sent a sharp glare in the elder's direction.

"I don't start fights. I protect people from them. Look elsewhere, wrinkles. Violence isn't the answer to everything, you know." Mr. Kang said something about that being ironic, but it wasn't a word Dehyun hadn't heard before. He just didn't understand why it applied - if he was honest.

"My savings were about 250,000 to 300,000. I'll give you half if you get it back for me, using violence or whatever methods you have up your sleeve."

Daehyun smiled. "Attaboy. Money talks, if you know what I'm saying. This is the first time my services were used for something different, wonder how it'll turn out, ey?" He stood up. "Just give me the name of the gang and I'll wipe them out right now. Gangs are usually up and running like 5 hour energy flows through their veins instead of blood at this time. Shouldn't be hard to find them." After so long of living in the area, Daehyun had known every gang hideout, drug dealer frequents, and shooting locations ( he stayed away from those ). His familiarity with danger and years of coming close to death were part of the reason he was as he was today.

"Were you not listening? The Blackjack gang."

"If I was honest? Nah." Mr. Kang sighed and took his leave.

~*~*~

If Jongup had taken any longer there was a possibility of him losing sight of Daehyun. Not that it was much of a worry, though. He was sure the other two were waiting outside the club, should he up. But he wasn't in the mood for them to nag and complain about how he didn't even do the job right and needed their assistance. Well, that would mostly come from Himchan's side, he believed.

The boy had finished his task and walked over to Daehyun, the bodyguard not noticing his presence as he stretched an arm. His free hand was occupied with his phone, Jongup caught a brief glance of a picture of a warehouse. He didn't pay it any mind. There were bigger problems at hand to deal with.

Jongup put a hand on the taller's waist. Leaning in to the ear of a startled Daehyun, he whispered softly. Had he shouted, the loud music probably would have drowned him out anyways. The close proximity and contact with Daehyun, however, made the moment all the better. Fortunately he wasn't so tall that the boy would have to tippy toe, but still the height made him self-conscious. He already got enough of that from Yongguk and Himchan, way to make things worse Daehyun. 

"Come with me, unless you like scars." Daehyun contemplated asking questions, but decided against it and followed Jongup's fleeting figure. Should the younger attack or try something funny, Daehyun had his strength and skill on his side. He wasn't too worried.

The brunette walked out and followed Jongup quietly, stopping only when the male before him paused and turned towards him. Two other men were behind Jongup.

"3." Jongup said.

"2." Himchan caught on and smirked.

Yongguk's eyes widened and he facepalmed while groaning. "1."

"0?" Daehyun asked with a tilt of the head. Screams were heard and people started running out of the door of the nightclub. The exterior of the place seemed to be fine, so far. 

"Jongup! I told you not to!" Yongguk scolded him.

"Wrong." The man who'd been guiding Daehyun the whole time, Jongup, said nonchalantly. "You said not to blow up the club. I didn't. I just blew up the inside. Just a little wiring problems and boom. You got yourself an electric explosion. Made by moi. Hold your applause for later."

"Wow~" Himchan smiled. "I'm so happy to see my Guppie talk so much." He pinched a suddenly annoyed Jongup's cheek. "I'm proud of you~!"

"Himchan!" He whined.

Daehyun watched them as his mouth was slightly agape. Yongguk noticed the male's shock and extended a hand with a nervous smile. "Sorry about them. Criminals. I'll tell you more about them later. My name's Bang Yongguk. Commander Bang. We have business to discuss."

The brunette shook his hand. "Uh, hey. Jung Daehyun. Crazy... Uhm, look I'll give you my number - but right now my services are being used so we'd have to discuss a different time. Sorry."

"No!" Yongguk exclaimed suddenly, stopping the siblings' banter. "No, we don't need you for that. Our offer is more long term. However, you might not trust us because of, yeah."

"It's fine, I'm used to danger. Just a little weird. That form was, different." 

The commander grinned. "How about we help you on whatever your services are being used for? Then we can chat."

Daehyun's brow raised. "I'm kinda going against the third biggest gang in town. Not exactly a slice of cake." Yongguk pointed at the brothers with his thumb.

"They can handle that. I would help but I don't exactly feel like it."

"Throwing us into the heat! I see how it is, Bbang!" Himchan complained playfully.

Yongguk waved a hand of dismissal. "You should be used to the heat. And since when did you take up calling me that?"

~*~*~

Daehyun walked over to the entrance of a familiar warehouse, but Jongup stopped him just in time. "Do you want to ruin my chance?" Jongup whisper-shouted, scolding Daehyun.

"And just what do you plan on doing? I could take them down easy." It was just those two. Himchan decided he was better off sleeping rather than helping. Apparently his skill would take more tactic and he needed a beauty nap as well. So much for worrying about his little brother, right? Jongup scoffed at Daehyun's attempt of belittling his ability.

"I plan on blowing this place up. Or a part of it anyways. I could score a good half or more with what I have here." Daehyun raised a brow at him.

"With what you have here? You have hidden bombs or something? Or can you fight?" Daehyun guessed it was the latter due to Jongups toned muscles - but oh was he so wrong. Jongup worked out, yes. Jongup had physically exerting hobbies, yes. However, the boy didn't live, breathe, and sleep fight. No. He mostly practiced his bomb creation and his speed. 

"Yeah, with what I have to make a bomb. Grass, gas, wood, and metal. I guess I could do something with that, if I add a little fire." He picked up a rock and searched the ground for another.

"You are weird. And smart. Weirdly smart. You know that?" Jongup just smiled.

~*~*~

It didn't take very long for Jongup to construct something mildly dangerous. He seemed to be used to all of this. The sight, the sound, the smell. Ugh, the smell was the worst. It smelled putrid, smokey. It reminded Daehyun of all the cigarette smokers he'd have to plug his nostrils around. But he didn't have time to dwell. Soon enough, gang members started to file out of the warehouse, only stopping in a semi-circle when they saw Daehyun.

Jongup had cleared out quite a few of them, but the number was still great. Said boy came up next to Daehyun, headphones still on. The older male had no idea what music was playing, but he didn't find the time to care. He had about forty people to beat the crap out of. Jogup whistled.

"Have fun." He waved teasingly at the gang members before stepping back into the sidelines. All focus was on Daehyun once more. 

"Say, blackjacks. A friend of mine is missing some money." Daehyun picked at his teeth with his pinky nail as if he'd eaten earlier. "You know Mr. Kang, right? Where's the money? Give it to me or... you can guess." The guy at the center, Daehyun labelled him lanky leader, stepped forward, attempting to be threatening. It didn't work so well when he was five inches shorter and a helluva lot skinnier. 

"We won't give you . Get him!" Even his voice was higher than normal! Daehyun couldn't help but laugh straight in his face. The members looked confused as Daehyun doubled over in laughter. "I said... get him!"

The group of people rushing to get a hit in on Daehyun didn't help to die down his laughter. In fact, lanky leader speaking once more made him laugh even harder. Members of the gang were deceived into thinking this was their opening. As one of the members jumped up to hit him downwards with a metal pipe, Daehyun's laughter slowed down and he calmed down, ending the noise with a sigh. As soon as the pipe was inches from his head, a hand shot up and grabbed the metal, swinging it along with the person and crashing them into others.

"Yeah, yeah. Time to get serious." A smirk painted his lips. "Violence isn't the answer, but sometimes a knuckles sandwich is the only way, am I right?" Someone who approached him from behind got an elbow to the stomach, and the pulled back fist shot out to hit another straight in the face. He ducked low to sweep one person off of his feet, and then front flipped, his foot landing roughly on someone's head and crashing them to the ground. Kneeling on the ground, he hummed and stood up. The brunette looked around at the terrified faces.

"Any more?" He mocked them. The leader grew frustrated. 

"Come on! It's one guy! Use collective force!" 

"Daehyun, out!" Jongup's voice rang clear as soon as he saw a few tiny metal balls appear. So he did have hidden bombs. 

"Heh." The man turned and sprinted away, an explosion occurring just as he barely escaped. He peeked over his shoulder at the sight, finding no one but the bloody leader still conscious. After deeming the area safe, he nodded towards Jongup in appreciation and pivoted on the ball of his foot. He walked towards the kneeling leader nonchalantly and kicked him down. "Sweetie, tell me where the money is. Now."

The leader coughed and Daehyun pressed his foot onto the man's throat. He wheezed. The other tapped against Daehyun's ankle and he released some pressure. He coughed again. "It's-" Wheeze. "It's... " Cough. Splutter. "It's in the duffel bag behind the wooden beams on the right." Jongup made quick work of this information and came back in ten minutes with a black duffel bag.

"Looks like a lot." Daehyun grinned when the younger said this.

"Yep. And I'm getting half." The brunette glanced down. "Nice doing business with you." A kind smile was plastered onto his lips. the 

~*~*~

"We make an awesome team." Daehyun stated, sitting in the motel room Jongup invited him to and counting the money he'd received. Yongguk chuckled.

"Is that so? I'm glad. Because we need you to be a part of our team." Daehyun stopped counting money to look at Yongguk curiously.

"Team? For?"

Himchan, who'd woken up a few minutes ago, took it upon himself to repeat the information Yongguk told him. "A help for the government. They want us to take out the enemy slowly, through missions. I don't remember how many people will join our group, but there'll be more. Useful skills or whatever."

Yongguk nodded. "Six people. The next one should be even easier to get on our side."

"And who says I'm on your side?" Daehyun placed the money back into the duffel bag and closed it. 

"You wanna stay here?" Jongup spoke now. He took Daehyun's silence as a no. 

~*~*~

"A ing penthouse?! What?!" The brunette yelled, a bit too excited.

"Government payed. All we really have to worry about are clothes, personal belongings, and food." Yongguk placed his luggage next to the couch and smiled at Daehyun's child-like behavior.

"Food?" Daehyun's eyes narrowed. "Where?"

"Where else ?" Himchan hit him on the head. "Fridge and cabinets." 

Daehyun rushed off to the kitchen area and Himchan immediately regretted telling him that.

♥️

A/N; This chapter is a lot longer than the others lmao. 400 more words and I could have gotten to 4k. Dang. Anyways, sorry for the long wait on the update and here's Daehyun! Woo! Hella strong, especially because of those arms~

Adieu~ ^u^