⭐ Chapter Twelve ⭐

Epilogue

Eleven Years Later

Heechul stood in front of a six feet tall mirror, critically checking out this outfit for tonight. His velvet maroon suit paired up with a black satin shirt did compliment his overall look rather well.

Today was an important day, the black haired man wanted to make sure nothing went out of plan. He had the dinner reservation confirmed- at least thrice- just this morning, also the honeymoon suite he had booked in one of the most luxurious hotels of the city.

Heechul smiled to his reflection, thinking about this very day, eight years ago…

Flash Back:

The sound of gunfires surrounded the air, along with the pungent smell of gun powder. Heechul held his own silenced handgun, posed at ready, as he darted along the dark corridor of the casino; he was assigned to gather Intel about. Things had not gone as planned- frankly, they never do- and now Heechul found himself separated from his partner. Though, Leeteuk’s broken voice was still making its way from the ruined earpiece dangling from the black haired agent’s lobe.

“…m-make… exists… stupid… I swear…” Heechul couldn’t help but snigger at the snippets of threats he could hear from his boyfriend of three years, now. Leeteuk still had trust issues when it came to their partnered missions… the elder man always worried Heechul would act recklessly and land himself in some dangerous situation, which surprisingly always happens anyway.

“I am fine,” Heechul panted into his earpiece after shoving the wrecked device back in his ear canal, back coming to lean on a wall in the pitch black hallway. “I think I am in the corridor that connects to the backdoor. My earpiece is broken, so Teuk, meet me at the back?”

Heechul waited a second more, trying his best to decipher Leeteuk’s half-broken words. Just when the black haired agent was able to make out a suspiciously sounding ‘okay’ he set out to burst through the back door; all the while being mindful to watch out for any lurking security of the casino. However, most of the casino workers were there, in the middle of the gun down show… leaving Heechul’s way clear.

The cool air was nice after the suffocating environment of the casino. The agent walked through the dark alley, brisk and alert. As soon as he rounded the corner to enter the bright and lively streets of the city, Heechul found a harsh grip on his forearm. Quickly swirling around, arms ready to combat, he found Leeteuk’s ashen face in the line of his vision. The relief was visible on elder man’s face before Heechul was engulfed in a bone crushing hug.

“Thank you for being alive,” Leeteuk huffed, chin tucked over Heechul’s shoulder while his arms tightly wrapped over the black haired agent’s boney frame.

“You are so dramatic,” Heechul teased but still returned the hug with equal affection, nuzzling his boyfriend’s neck. “I am a grown man… I can take care of myself.”

“I wonder why I find it hard to believe,” Leeteuk muttered sarcastically before dragging Heechul toward the small convertible parked on the other side of the road. “Let’s get out here before the casino’s owner recognizes you.”

“Doubt it,” Heechul retorted but let himself be dragged by his boyfriend. “I am pretty sure I convinced him I am a top rank e in the city.”

Leeteuk scrunched his nose unattractively, desperately trying to not imagine the kind of looks and touches his boyfriend must have endured while he was busy raiding the empty office of casino owner. “But why did you go back when the guns started going? That was not our fight, Hee.”

“I am aware of that,” The agent replied, easing himself in the gunshot seat while Leeteuk took the place of the driver. In record time they were steering out of the elite area of the city of lights. “I charmed my way into owners good books pretty soon but I just couldn’t cling to him where ever he went, now could I? So I the recorder and slipped it into his jacket’s pocket. Suddenly the fight broke out for whatever misunderstanding but I couldn’t just leave the recorder behind. They would have become more suspicious of us later on.”

“True,” Leeteuk admitted begrudgingly, of course Heechul was always right to choose the course of action… doesn’t mean the elder approved his boyfriend putting himself in the way of danger. “So, got anything important?”

Heechul played the recorder in the car; they listened to the old owner of casino exchanging some valuable information with their trusted clients- not knowing someone could record him and out his secrets.

“That would be good enough for the Chief,” Leeteuk acknowledged while throwing a proud smile toward Heechul. “You did well agent Hee.”

Heechul swat at his boyfriend’s arm, before leaning in to plant a sweet kiss at the stubble jawline of elder man. Soon enough, they reached the hotel room they were staying at for this mission. Entering the small room, containing a queen size bed, a small refrigerator, an ancient looking television with an attach, box-like, bathroom. They took turns to shower.

When Heechul came out, vigorously toweling his hairs, he watched Leeteuk talking to the Chief on an untraceable mobile phone; filling the older man about the success of the initial stage of their mission.

“Chief says he would book our return flights for tomorrow morning,” Leeteuk informed after getting off the call. “We would have to collect our tickets from there as well.”

Heechul hmm-ed in acknowledgement as he pushed the blindfolds over the small window and peered outside at the city of lights, enjoying the excitement going down at the streets because Los Vegas was known for becoming alive after sun down.

“Maybe we should catch a few winks because heading to airport earlier than our designated time would be better-”

“But Teuk, we are in Los Vegas,” Heechul cut off the elder man’s words as he turned to give an incredulous look to his boyfriend. “We can’t just sleep… especially knowing it’s our last night here.”

“Then what do you propose?” Leeteuk tested; subtle caution could be detected in his stance.

“This is the city of lights,” Heechul started, a smirk climbing on his thin lips. “Let’s enjoy ourselves.”

They hit the nearest recommended night club, crowding around the bar before hogging the dance floor. They drank, screamed, made out, grinded against each other… forgetting the fact that they had a ten year old son back home. It was their time to get wild. Wild enough to get weird ideas in their head. Wild enough to think, how Los Vegas was one city that provided with any sort of license without questions asked. Wild enough to ask a couple dancing beside them; if they knew any nearest wedding chapel around the area.

They were not drunk… just tipsy… when Leeteuk got down on his knees, holding a bottle-ring of a vodka bottle while shouting out his proposal. Tipsy Heechul laughed, loud and boastful before jumping on Leeteuk to kiss the hell out of him, all the while screeching ‘YES, YES, YES!!!’ while the crowd around them cheered noisily.

How they managed to; stumbled into a small chapel, chortling and giggling like idiots, clumsily signing the marriage certificate, screaming out their half-assed vows, sloppily kissing each other’s grinning lips, pocketing the marriage license and somehow returning back to their hotel room… Heechul still had no idea.

But he did remember missing their flight back home when they woke up next day, around two in the noon, and totally spent. Heechul also vividly remembered Jihoon’s betrayed face when he realized his parents got married without inviting him. The ten year old Jihoon went on a no-talk-no-smile strike after that… until both Leeteuk and Heechul couldn’t take the torture and threw the biggest wedding party only to appease their son.

.

.

“Our son… Jihoon…” Heechul mumbled as he snapped out of his reminiscing old days.

Frowning, the ex-agent huffed as he realized how the sweet and loving Jihoon had all grown up… no matter how much Heechul wanted to hold onto the drifting time, he couldn’t. It seemed like; only yesterday Jihoon was that sweet scared child, always hiding behind Heechul’s legs, peeking at the world while using his dad as a shield. Then in no time he was joining the trainees at the agency, learning self-defense at its best. Before Heechul knew it, the whole agency buzzed with the rumor of a petite boy natural at combat, intelligent enough to master gun assembling techniques in mere hours, learning to dispose bombs in a few minutes. Jihoon was a fighter, thus he was natural at his new life as a trainee.

In no time, Jihoon was turning eighteen, triumphing over other trainees and securing his position in the newest formed team of agents, Wanna One, just a month ago.

Heechul wasn’t thrilled at the fast happening.

No, Heechul was not against Jihoon becoming an agent, or wanting to move in with his team mates- which of course Heechul absolutely forbade- or wanting to do as many solo missions as the agency could provide… it was more of how the boy was not only growing age-wise, but also in term of hormones. Jihoon’s puberty came crashing on them before Heechul could mentally prepare himself.

Things started going downhill from that moment. Jihoon was not only cute but also a very handsome young man… something anyone with eyes could see… however, Heechul’s protective father side would be damned if he let anyone ‘see’ his baby boy in that way.

The reason why the start of the day had not been so promising, today… Heechul had learned a shocking truth…

Flash Back:

Heechul walked down the corridor, stopping any available agent or trainee to inquire after his son. Desperately asking them if they had seen his cute deer-like eyes son. Nada… he couldn’t get anything worth his while.

Opting to search in the underground combat arena, reserved for only the trainees, Heechul took the elevator to reach his destination quickly. Once near the arena, he could hear sound of small painful groans resonating in the underground corridor. Frowning in concern, Heechul took cautious steps, mindful that his footsteps didn’t echo in the deserted hallway. When he rounded the corner, coming to a halt right outside the double door of the widest combat arena, down here, as soundlessly as probable, the black-haired m