April 9th, 2020

"So, you're here to tell me that this autopsy report came back as positive for strangling? And that the victim had fingerprints on her neck?" Donghyuck demanded, watching Doyoung nod with a sad look on his face. 

"Yes." He said. "And those fingerprints belong to Nakamota Yuta. He's apart of NCT and works side by side with Kim Jungwoo and Wong Yukhei... the two male's we interviewed a few days back." Doyoung added, sipping his cherry coke Donghyuck had bought him. 

Donghyuck sighed, rubbing his temples. "Doyoung, you're telling me that we have to go and interview another member of NCT's gang members just because there's a fingerprint on her neck?" Donghyuck shouted. Doyoung winced at the younger's loud tone before nodding, seeing Donghyuck's face sour even more. 

"Look, Donghyuck, I know that you don't want to go there and confront them again, but we have to. It's apart of our job and catching the killer that currently roams free. We need to get justice for Stacey." Doyoung said, striking up some guilt in Donghyuck's stomach. 

"Fine," Donghyuck muttered. Doyoung smiled in relief, eased that Donghyuck and he didn't have to go through another bout of arguments that would carry on for around another hour. "Have you got a location on where the gang is residing?" Donghyuck asked, seeing Doyoung's lips quirk into a mischievous smirk. 

"Who do you take me for, Detective Lee?" Doyoung asked, reaching behind him and grabbing a file, waving it in front of Donghyuck's face mockingly. 

"Okay, okay, we get it. You're good." Donghyuck murmured, hearing Doyoung laugh. 

"Hyuck, I'm the ing best." Doyoung laughed louder, making Donghyuck roll his eyes.

"Whatever." 

"Make sure to bring the file this time!"

" off, Doyoung!"

"Oww, get back here Donghyuck — yah er!"

~~~~~~~~~~~

Donghyuck and Doyoung pulled up into a driveway. The house in front of them was huge; almost like a mansion. One of those ginormous houses with slick archways and stain glass windows that Donghyuck couldn't imagine paying the price for if some kid accidentally kicked a football into the pictured glass. Donghyuck's mouth fell open. 

"Honey, shut your mouth. You're going to catch a fly one of these days." Doyoung teased, opening the door and climbing out, Donghyuck scrambling after him with a scowl, shoving his silver hair out of his eyes. 

"Don't call me honey again, Kim Doyoung, or you'll have a bullet in your leg." Donghyuck threatened, climbing the steps before knocking on the brass door, the golden edges glinting mockingly at them in the sun. 

"Fine, I'll just call you darling instead. How does that sound, darling?"

"Like absolute ing garbage, Kim. Don't even think of saying what I think you're going to say." 

"You can't hurt me, Donghyuck."

"Watch me, Doyoung." 

The door flew open, revealing a slightly dishevelled male with brown hair and whitish highlights. Donghyuck could personally say that the person in front of them was rocking the hairstyle and both his outfit — the dude was hot overall. 

"Nakamota Yuta?" Doyoung asked and the male stared at them for a moment before nodding, confused. Donghyuck noticed that he tilted his head to the side when he was confused or curious. "May we come in?" Yuta nodded, opening the door slightly wider for them to enter. 

"Great." Donghyuck chirped, slipping underneath Yura's arm and glancing around the huge hall. It was normal, but bare with white walls and three pictures hung on the wall. Despite the fact that it was a huge house, Donghyuck had the feeling barely anyone used the space they were given. 

"Hey, what are you..." Yuta trailed off for a moment before gasping. "You're cops, aren't you?" Yuta whispered and Donghyuck snorted, Doyoung sending him a rather unhidden look of warning. 

"Duh, why the hell else would we knock on your door asking you to come in. Do we look like gang members, huh?" Donghyuck demanded with a raised eyebrow. Yuta examined him. 

"No, you don't." He finally sighed, making Donghyuck scoffed.

"Glad that we're on the same page now." Donghyuck murmured, watching Yuta shuffle uncomfortably. "Oh, is Yukhei and Jungwoo here? I quite enjoyed talking to them last time." Donghyuck mused. Yuta shook his head. 

"They're in a meeting upstairs on the second floor. They're busy right now dealing with important matters, so no I don't think you'd be able to talk with them." Yuta said. 

Donghyuck sighed. "Shame. I'd taken a liking to the couple." 

"You know they're together?" Yuta seemed shocked.

"Yeah," Donghyuck laughed before grimacing. "Do you mind if I use your bathroom?" Donghyuck asked. "I had a lot to drink on the way here and man, when you need to go you need to go." Donghyuck pressed, making Yuta chuckle. 

"Gross," Doyoung said at the same time as Yuta said; 

"Second floor, third room on the left." Donghyuck nodding, sending Doyoung a wink before turning around and waltzing up the stairs, calling a thank you down to Yuta. Donghyuck climbed up the stairs with a smirk, slipping into the second-floor hallway and walking forward until he heard a noise in the fourth door. He placed his ear to the wood. 

"Kim Doyoung and his little kid are suspicious, I'm telling you!"

"Yeah, they know more than they're supposed too!" 

"Shut it, both of you. Kim Doyoung and the other kid are police officers and detectives trying to solve a case of one of Lucas's dead ex's. Of course, it was going to tie back to Yukhei."

"But ... the kid is... he's super smart and observant. It was like he knew everything about us."

"It was like he recognized us the moment he saw us." 

"It was plain creepy!" 

"But, he was nice; he saw that we were together. He was... he accepted us — they both did — and they... they didn't press charges for Yukhei trying to hit the younger."

"That's because the kid put a gun to Lucas's throat." 

"I shouldn't have attacked him." 

Donghyuck recognized Yukhei's loud voice that was unusually quiet like he was being scolded. Donghyuck heard Yuta's shout of realization on what Donghyuck was doing and Donghyuck decided it was time to make his entrance. He twisted the doorknob and opened the door. 

"Yuta now is not the time ~"

"What is it with you gang members that keep on mistaking me for lovers?" Donghyuck chuckled incredulously, leaning on the doorframe as a sense of deja vu hit him full force. He smirked against the itching in the back of his throat. 

"Donghyuck?!" Jungwoo gasped, jerking to his feet as he stared at Donghyuck with surprise written all over his face. Donghyuck laughed. 

"Hello, Jungwoo... Yukhei or should I call you Lucas?" Donghyuck asked, hearing Yuta's pounding footsteps as he ran down the hall, sliding to the side as Yuta barrelled through the door, intent on punching him through his rage of the younger not listening to him. Yuta spun around. 

"You... you, I told you not to interfere with our matters!" He yelled. Donghyuck's eyes darkened until they looked almost black. 

"Don't talk to me like that, Nakamota," Donghyuck said, deathly calm. Yuta charged at him. Donghyuck grabbed his outstretched hand, flipping it backwards and flipping Yuta through the air, body smacking on the floor with a thump. "I warned you, asshat." Donghyuck snarled and was about to punch the man in the nose when Doyoung chose that moment to enter, stepping over Yuta's outstretched legs. 

He glanced at Donghyuck then chuckled. "Come on, Hyuck, get up off the poor guy. I've had enough complaints for one year." Doyoung muttered, making Donghyuck blink at Doyoung. Donghyuck then looked down at Yuta and sneered teasingly. 

"You're lucky my partner was here to stop me, Nakamota or your beautiful face would've been smashed in like the pancakes Doyoung bakes — , what was that for?" Donghyuck demanded, straightening up and rubbing the back of his head that Doyoung had smacked. 

"In no way, shape or form, are you insulting my cooking, Lee Donghyuck, I practically raised you." Doyoung scowled. Donghyuck giggled as Yuta scrambled to his feet and retreated to a male with black hair. 

"Actually, that was Jaehyun, but ~"

"Wait a minute! Kim Doyoung and Lee Donghyuck? The two officers that interviewed Yukhei and Jungwoo, right?" The same black-haired male asked. Doyoung nodded.

"You know us?" He asked and Yukhei chuckled.

"Of course they know you; they did a little bit of digging into you files when you interviewed us just to see if you were a threat. But, you weren't. You two have been top of the department for ages." Yukhei said in awe. Doyoung nodded again.

"Donghyuck's the youngest detective in over two centuries." He said proudly, seeing Donghyuck's ears go pink. He stifled a laugh at the youngers reaction. 

"Yeah, I know," Jungwoo said before turning to Yukhei. "Boss should be here in a minute, right? Along with Lee?" Jungwoo asked and Yukhei nodded, glancing at Donghyuck. 

"This is going to be the best thing I'm ever going to see in my twenty years of living. Did you get popcorn?" Yukhei whispered to Jungwoo, who giggled, shaking his head. Yukhei pouted. 

The door slammed open at that moment and two males strode inside, one with cherry red hair and the other with black hair, both looking very familiar to Donghyuck. He felt his stomach lurch, mind blanching at the two males. 

"Hyung's! We have guests!" Yukhei shouted and the two turned to the new duo. They both blinked in surprise. 

"Lee Donghyuck?" They both asked simultaneously and Doyoung glanced between the three, eyebrows pulling together in confusion. 

"Hyuck, what's... who are they?" Doyoung whispered, watching Donghyuck pale and clutch at his arm. "Donghyuck?" Doyoung hissed. Donghyuck jerked into reality again and exhaled a shaky breath. 

"These two are Mark Lee and Lee Taeyong." Donghyuck introduced, palms beginning to get clammy. 

"As in..." Doyoung trailed off, seeing Donghyuck nod in the corner of his eye. His mouth dropped open at the information. 

"Yes, Doyoung. Mark Lee as in my ex-boyfriend and Lee Taeyong as in my brother." Shocked gasps ran through the room and Donghyuck looked at Doyoung with a hard look. "We have to finish this investigation, Doyoung." He whispered. 

"No, Haechan," Doyoung said, firmly, seeing Donghyuck sag at the name. "No, you're not ready for this. Any of this at the moment. You just — you just healed." Doyoung said, sadly and Donghyuck straightened. 

"I'm strong." 

"I have no doubt about that, but I'm ing worried about you," Doyoung said, trying to convince the younger that learning some useless wasn't worth risking his sanity for. Donghyuck stared at Doyoung, irises darkening. 

"Jaehyun put me on this case, Doyoung, and not even a body bag will stop me from carrying on with this investigation. I'm where I am for a reason ~"

"Yeah, because you risk you ing life twenty for seven, Haechan!" Doyoung shouted. "You used to be fine and in control, before Jaemin died ~"

"Do not bring Jaemin into this, Doyoung," Donghyuck warned, watching Doyoung roll his eyes. 

"When are you going to get over Jaemin's death, Donghyuck? It's been over a year and you're still obsessing over who killed him; you wouldn't even ing come out of your office for weeks just because you thought you were close to solving the murder! Not everything is so perfect, Donghyuck, miracles don't just randomly turn up in a haystack and if you knew that, you'd take a breather on this." Doyoung said. Donghyuck glared at him. 

"I trusted you, Kim Doyoung ~"

"Sometimes you have to break trust for someone you care about, Hyuck. Jaehyun and I watched you grow up; saw that little ten-year-old sitting in the police station bruised and covered in his parent's blood. I saw you flitter from foster home to foster home, foster family to foster family; saw you one moment and then you were being shipped off to somewhere else the next. 

I saw the empty look in your eyes when you returned from that stake out that you, Jaemin and Jaehyun were supposed to be on; saw how you broke when only two of you came back alive. You were covered in blood again and my mind automatically went back to that police station; you didn't cry though, ever, both of those times you didn't cry. It — it was like nothing had even happened. Like Jaemin had never happened. 

Please, Donghyuck, I'm asking — no begging you to go take a breather or even have a small hiatus to clear your head. For me, for Jaehyun, for yourself and for Jaemin ~" Doyoung choked as he was slammed against the wall by Donghyuck, his eyes darkening at Doyoung's words. 

"Never, ever mention Jaemin's name again, Kim Doyoung. You raised me, but Jaemin was my best friend — my brother. More so than the other one in the room." Donghyuck jabbed at Taeyong, who flinched. "Jaemin was my partner, Doyoung, ever wonder why I went solo until you turned up?" Donghyuck demanded. Doyoung raised an eyebrow. 

"Because you had to get a partner that would stop you from beating the  out the criminals before you even got them in a golding cell?" Doyoung asked and Donghyuck stared at him for a moment before throwing his head back and laughing without humour; it sounded crazed and devoid of life. 

"No, as much as the higher-ups liked to put it. Jaehyun told me that I was risking my life too much — called it Cop Suicide because after what happened with Jaemin, I threw myself in front of guns, tackled men with knives and ran right into an area made for a bomb to explode. Wasn't exactly now, was it? And he especially wanted me to have some type of surveillance after I told him my life mission." Donghyuckck said with a chuckle, letting go of Doyoung, who wrinkled his nose in distaste and straightened his clothes. 

"You really are a nineteen-year-old kid, Lee Haechan, but what is your life mission exactly?" Doyoung questioned, seeing Donghyuck smirk evilly, turning to face Lee Taeyong. 

"Why, Doyoung, to take down NCT and kill Lee Taeyong; their Boss!" He chirped, oblivious to the gaping faces of the rest of the mafia gang.