18; Helping hands

'Surprise...!'

The officer stared flatly at the familiar face of a very smug-looking model of sorts. The tall, broad-shouldered man stood outside his doorstep – hair windswept and coat ruffling coolly – seemingly unfazed by the bland response he'd gotten out of Jimin to his otherwise cheery declaration.

'Hey, hey…,' Seokjin chided; eyes wide and hands shuffling about in front of him. 'What's with that look, huh? I was worried sick when I didn't see you this morning. Be grateful I came to see you!'

Jimin groaned in pain; a tousled tuft of red hair on his head curling up hilariously. An indication of him having practically dragged himself out of bed to get the door.

'Yah, what is this? Do you even know what time it is, Kim Seokjin!?'

The latter cocked an eyebrow bemusedly, glancing at his wrist watch. 'Let's see. It's...'

The convenience store assistant was suddenly interrupted by another familiar form that sprang into action from behind. The man's height was enough to give away his true identity, and nudging Seokjin aside – dressed in a white dress shirt, black pants, and black coat – Namjoon's characteristic, dimpled smile appeared.

'It's time for you to get your rear end out of this house or else I'm going to have to arrest you for looking like an extra-terrestrial.'

Park Jimin's Sunday morning consisted of dark clouds, a couple rays of sunshine, Woon Kyungja, and broken sleep… oh, and no ritual morning jog through the neighbourhood. In other words, Park Jimin’s Sunday morning wasn’t exactly ideal.

Ever since he was nudged awake by his partner upon reaching the police station, the two of them had been quickly thrown into their work once more. It was the end-of-the-week briefing he and Kyungja were to deliver in a few hours, and without delay or complaint, the two set out to compile their files for the meeting.

Jimin was positive – as they sat at his messy desk in the station, littered with all sorts of papers, paper clips, and stubborn ball pens – that he'd fallen asleep sitting a couple of times, however his partner was shockingly tolerant. He expected her to perhaps toss a grenade into his lap for even displaying such 'unprofessionalism', but she was rather mellow; her nose in her work and the occasional penning of information into her folder. She'd even taken the liberty of scribing into his own personal records, which he only discovered later during the briefing itself with a pleasant sort of surprise.

They usually presented on Saturdays, but for reasons concerning the sleepover mission, the commissioner was compliant enough to move it a day later just for this week.

Unlike last week's cringe-worthy state of affair, this time, they were prepared. Even though they hadn't acquired an ample amount of fresh information they would have preferred and despite the exhaustion they both undoubtedly felt, they were still thorough in reporting their findings and suspicions for the week. So much so, even the chief seemed impressed with their work by the end of their presentation. He hadn't offered many words thereafter except a simple 'good work', and perhaps an irrelevant comment pertaining to his coffee, thereafter trudging to his officer where they were both positive the man was going to catnap for the rest of the morning.

Well, Jimin had to admit, he too was taken aback by the cooperation he and the fullmetal RoboCop managed this time around. Perhaps they were making progress with one another, even if just a little at a time. They were getting somewhere. And the realization was a pleasing one.

The hours spent at the station had paid off, followed by Jimin bidding his partner farewell and returning home to his cat eyeing him carefully from the foyer. Of course, his attempts at showing the animal affection upon arriving were treated with utmost disdain. That consisted of the cat wagging her tail at him angrily and her entire body going stiff the moment he attempted her head... then again, Jimin didn't mind how poorly his efforts were received. He was far too spent at that point to focus on his daily relationship building exercises with the feline, quickly wrenching off his jacket and kicking off his shoes, leaving articles of clothing behind as he lumbered into the bedroom.

The officer's mind reeled with all sorts of things at that moment. Thoughts about the case whirled around in his head with the likeness of a blender; the mission proving a troubling one for a brief moment, and Jimin felt himself frown despite the exhaustion he felt.

It was going to be their third week on the case and they hadn't proved much yet. Kyungja was still waiting on her insider for whatever hidden information on the janitor they could find to completely clear him of suspicion, and so far, that was all they had in terms of their bare list of suspects. It was all overwhelming, tiring, and most of all, frustrating because it felt as if they were hitting the same dead end each time they discovered a new lead.

And what on earth's with that preposterous gut feeling both Taehyung and Jihye shared about Byun Baekhyun's father? Jimin found it incredibly uncanny when he heard the information straight out of his partner's mouth at the station, thereafter recollecting his own sources to her. It was something they'd touched on in the briefing, however he was certain they'd have to do more digging on the issue soon enough.

But was that all they really had so far? Suspicions? Gut feelings?

The blender in Park Jimin's head gradually powered down. All the worries and troubles on his mind ebbed away like a receding tide and he fell into a comfortable slumber...

At least that was until he was rudely awakened by none other than his two peers.

And what an ungodly hour of the night too! Jimin was positive he'd only slept for roughly an hour or so when they turned up at his door to drag him out, and was surprised to note he'd actually spent half his Sunday asleep.

Nevertheless, he wasn't impressed. He felt increasingly grumpy and knew he needed the sleep. And somehow seeing the two men sitting across from him looking meticulously groomed whilst he was a dishevelled mess with puffy eyes and stiff cheeks made him feel a lot more antsy than he would have liked.

'Jim, you sure you don't want a drink? You look like you need one.'

Namjoon's eyebrows knit with unmistakable concern; his dark eyes focused on the younger officer who sat looking like a wreck beside he and Seokjin. His hair was anything but styled; the mass pushed back, carrying a windswept look which exposed his forehead entirely; his eyes were sullen and clearly clouded over with sleep, and his body language could have him mistook for a pensioner grumbling about an old football match.

'Jin. We should have sat at the bar.'

'Yah, and what good would that have done? We don't want to encourage that,' that, of course, referring to Jimin in his drunken state. Seokjin argued, holding the disappointed look Namjoon offered in response, before quickly turning his attention to the redhead.

'Jimin, are you upset that we came over?'

It took the officer a moment to respond to the question, however before doing so, he sighed. His fingers wrapping around a glass of chilled water from the table, which he slowly brought to his lips.

'No, not at all.'

He fell quiet again and both the blonde and convenience store clerk glanced at each other, sharing an unmasked look of worry. It wasn't like their youthful officer counterpart to be that sombre.

Even as they dragged him out of his house under the pretence of barely getting to spend time with him after work like they usually always did, Jimin was subdued. Hell, the two didn't even get a squeak out of him when they'd mentioned they were hitting the bar! They expected a quirky outburst or complaint from him considering the mission he was now involved in – turning his schedule into that of a high school student's – but he only mouthed a quiet word of compliance; looking slightly irritable; taking a moment to change into dressier clothing, and joined them silently.

The two of his friends were worried. So much so that they both suddenly took on the appearance of terribly concerned parents faced with a troubled adolescent at the dinner table.

Namjoon was the first to speak up after a moment of silently observing the latter. 'Jimin, does this have to do with Woon...?'

'Yah, that woman? The short, black hair? Stern eyes?' Seokjin's mouth fell open in genuine shock and horror, demonstrating the haircut in question with a single hand slicing across the base of his neck and narrowed eyes.

'I thought you two were getting it on by now, I swear...'

The red haired officer raised his head at the outburst, staring at Namjoon, who stared at Seokjin with a look of disbelief and perhaps some amusement. The store clerk – noting their reactions – grinned uncertainly, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish chuckle.

'Oh, I... guess not?'

The blonde grinned at him; a reaction oozing all sorts of pompousness. '