
Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/11763030.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      F/M, M/M, Multi
  Fandom:
      GOT7
  Relationship:
      Im_Jaebum_|_JB/Park_Jinyoung_|_Jr., Im_Jaebum_|_JB/Kim_Yugyeom, Kim
      Yugyeom/Park_Jinyoung_|_Jr., Im_Jaebum_|_JB/Park_Jinyoung_|_Jr./Kim
      Yugyeom, Im_Jaebum_|_JB/Original_Female_Character(s), Park_Jinyoung_|
      Jr./Original_Female_Character(s), Kim_Yugyeom/Original_Female_Character
      (s), Im_Jaebum_|_JB/Park_Jinyoung_|_Jr./Kim_Yugyeom/Original_Female
      Character(s)
  Character:
      Im_Jaebum_|_JB, Park_Jinyoung_|_Jr., Kim_Yugyeom, Original_Female
      Character(s)
  Additional Tags:
      Assassin_Boyfriends, Corruption, Dark_&_Twisted_Im_Jaebum_|_JB, Dark_&
      Twisted_Park_Jinyoung_|_Jr., Dark_&_Twisted_Kim_Yugyeom, Assassins, Slow
      Burn, Enemies_to_Friends_to_Lovers, Dubious_Consent, Eventual_Fluff,
      Toxic_Relationships, Abusive_Relationships, Unhealthy_Relationships, Dom/
      sub, Tags_will_be_updated_as_the_story_progresses, M/M/M, m/m/m/f
  Stats:
      Published: 2017-08-10 Chapters: 2/? Words: 3215
****** The Best of the Best Ain't So Pretty ******
by The_Ringleader
Summary
     No one knows who they are, but everyone knows what they are capable
     of. If you want to hire them for a job, you don't go looking for
     them. They will find you.
     Until someone finally finds them.
     What happens when ruthless meets brutal, when cunning meets violence,
     when the lost meet the lost.
      
     A.K.A: Assassin Boyfriends find the missing piece of the puzzle in
     the form of a corrupt criminal investigator. But when the puzzle
     comes together, is the picture all that pretty?
      
     Note: I promise this won't be as dark as it seems and a lot of it if
     background noise. I will add notes and warnings for chapters if there
     is anything that requires it! However, this will be a little bit (a
     lot) f***ed up. This isn't a romantic story even though there will be
     elements of fluff and romance. Please don’t romanticise this… it will
     be toxic and it will be brutal at some points. End goal will be
     different, but it’s all about the context. Take it with a grain of
     salt. (Please read the tags which will be updated!)
Notes
     A/N: I usually prefer my chapters to be minimum 3000 words each,
     however it means I find less motivation to write. So I’m sticking to
     shorter chapters (with occasional longer chapters) in hopes that it
     will keep me motivated and interested!
***** Prologue *****
They could hear the soft, uneven footsteps tapping quietly along the wet
pavement. Sneakers barely touching the asphalt, but enough to alert them that
they were being followed. There was no need for physical acknowledgement
between them. They were already synchronised enough to know that they all
shared this piece of information. There were no need for words to devise their
next plan of action. Each of them continued on, as if oblivious to the
footsteps trailing them.
 
Hoods up and bloody fists in pockets, they wordlessly made their way through
the quiet city side streets, avoiding busy roads and police street patrols.
They had managed to wash off most of the blood that splattered across their
pale faces, their black clothing hiding the rest. They had been in the business
far too long for rookie errors and gleaming over the basics. They were thankful
for the previous rain. The moist, cool air that was left in its wake helped to
mask the metallic, rusty scent of blood.
 
They had the city streets mapped out in their heads since they were kids. They
knew all the short cuts, the hidden alley ways to evade curious eyes, the
busiest routes that would give them the cover of bodies, and the ones that
would provide them with the most privacy should they need it. They turned
right, into a quiet, dead-end street, filled with fond memories of the sound of
metal crushing bones and fists breaking skin. There they waited, tucked in the
shadows and completely out of sight to any passers-by, unless they were stupid
enough to reach the very end of the dead-end street. But by then it would be
too late.
 
                                     *****
 
Stay close, but not too close, she thought to herself, eyes trained on the
three figures ahead of her. Tonight was the night that she would finally get
her moment to confront them. She had waited months and could feel the built up
tension coursing through her veins, heating up her skin against the cold chill
of the night. The adrenaline was a mix of excitement, anxiety, anger and… hope.
She hoped with all her life that things would go right. That if she could
manage to get them to look past her stalking them, once the anger subsided,
they would be able to reason with her. They were the best in the business and
you didn’t become the best with a short fuse.
 
The figures moved so casually through the streets. Silently but unassuming. Had
she been a regular civilian, she would have thought them harmless and un-
intimidating. That’s all part of the guise, I guess. Lull people into a false
sense of security, gain their trust, then do the job.
 
In the months that she had been studying them, exhausting all her resources to
try and track them down, she had barely learnt a thing about them. They were
off all police radars, mere whispers in the criminal underworld of the city.
All that was known was that they were the best of the best, and that if you had
a job for them, they would find you, not the other way around. This could be
her only chance. They were fresh from a hit, she had to take it or leave it.
 
Twenty metres ahead of her, they rounded a corner to their right. Maintaining
her distance, she snuck up to the wall and peaked around the corner, tucking
her loose hair behind her ear so it wouldn’t fall into visibility. There was
nothing to be seen in the dark alcoves of the narrow blocked street.
 
She knew who were waiting for her at the end of the alley, but she didn’t know
whatwas waiting for her. Taking a deep breathe, she steeled herself. She kept
up her light-footed step as she made her way further down the alley, her eyes
unable to adjust to the darkness in time.
***** Chapter 1 *****
Chapter Summary
     Warnings: Violence, Mentions of Rape & Underage
Tessa felt them before she heard them. A hand clamping down on the back of her
neck, slamming her against the closest wall. The first sound she heard was the
smack of her head against the brick, the second was her own gasp as the air was
knocked right out of her lungs, and the third was the chorus of low, growling
chuckles as her vision began to swim, the darkness swirling in her peripherals.
 
She was pulled away from the wall by the hand moving to grab a fist of her
hair, only to be spun around and kicked in the stomach. She didn’t have enough
time to think before a fist connected with her jaw in a swift uppercut. To her
own surprise, she couldn’t taste any blood. But she didn’t have much time to
think as the hand that was wrapped in her hair moved to her throat, grip
tightening around either side of her neck. Enough to slow the oxygen supply
without crushing her windpipe. The back of her head once again connected with
the brick wall behind her, crunching in her ears.
 
Her own hands came up to wrap around the one gripping her throat, her fingers
seeking purchase, trying to pry the hand away enough to take a decent breath.
She struggled. The low chuckles filling her ears, the only noise besides her
own whines and grunts as she tried to escape.
 
She stopped moving suddenly. It was too difficult to breathe and she didn’t
want to put up a fight. She let her hands fall to her side as she focused on
breathing, in and out, in and out. She needed to put up a brave front. She
needed to be confident and calculated in her actions. To throw them off and
spike their interest. Do what others hadn’t seemed to accomplish yet.
 
When her vision came into focus, her eyes connected with the person who gripped
her throat. She didn’t move, and neither did he. Blinking at him a few times,
he finally cocked an eyebrow, tilting his head ever so slightly. She was unable
to read his expression.
 
“I’m n-not… going to, to beg for my life”, she tried to say, as calming as she
could muster.
 
The man’s eyes narrowed, a wide smirk playing on his lips as he looked back
over his shoulder. The other two men stood close by, crowding her and blocking
any chance of escape. They glanced around at each other, exchanging smirks. The
man who gripped her throat looked down at the ground, chuckling, his grip
loosening on her throat.
 
In a split second, he had her pinned against the wall with his own body pressed
firmly against hers, his hand holding down on her throat, tighter than before.
Using his grip, he tilted her head to the side, forcing her to look at the
other two men, who had moved in even closer still.
 
“Is that so?” he said, his lips grazing her temple as he spoke, “because I bet
we can make you change your mind. You wouldn’t be begging for your life by the
time we’re done, but begging for us to end it”. He ended with a small, quiet
laugh against her temple. His voice, deep and gravely.
 
“I’m not going to beg for my life”, she rasped out, “I want, I want to h-hire
y-you.”
 
The man pulled his face away from hers, eyebrow knitted together as he watched
her intently.
 
“Hire us?” one of the other men asked, voice higher pitched than the man whose
hand remained around her throat. He was the tallest of the three, lean build,
and looking far too young to be the person in the rumours. His hair was smooth,
mostly covering his forehead and falling just over his eyes, adding an air of
innocence she knew was nothing but a mask. “You want to hire us?” he laughed.
 
“I don’t think you could afford us, foreigner,” the last of the three
challenged. He was handsome, almost regal in his appearance. She could have
easily mistaken him for young CEO or businessmen. His face was inviting, plump
lips pulled into a toying smirk. His hair perfectly in place. He looked like he
lived a lavish life amongst the wealthy, but she knew better than that.
 
“What could a cop, possibly want with our… services?” the man with his hand
around her throat asked, eyes flicking down to her lips and then back up, but
never leaving her face. His features were striking. Sharp and alert, could
easily devastate anyone. Inviting but intimidating. The stereotypical bad boy.
The one you should avoid at all costs.
 
Her heart rate spiked. How do they know I’m a cop?  “I’m not a cop,” she bit
back through gritted teeth, “I’m an investigative detective. Freelance
actually, so technically, not a cop.” Her eyes flitted between each of their
faces. “And I don’t want to hire you to kill anyone… actually. I don’t want to
hire you, I want to make a deal with you.”
 
Their loud laughter pierced through the silence in the alley way. The next
second, all the sound around her became distorted when she felt her body been
thrown to the ground with such force that she cried out, unsure if her wrist,
which she landed on, was broken or not. She clutched at it, holding it tight to
her body as she scrambled to get up. She blinked at the stinging in her eyes,
refusing to cry in front of these men.
 
Until that moment, the only person that had touched her was man who had choked
her. The young, tall man stepped closer to her. He reached out slowly, fingers
gently touching her wrist. He pulled on it slightly, not enough to cause any
pain but enough for Tessa to understand that he wanted to inspect it.  He held
it delicately, his fingers prodding at the tender flesh before he looked back
over his shoulder at the man who had choked Tessa, “Jaebeom-hyung… it’s not
broken”.
 
With a swift movement of his own wrist, Tessa screamed through gritted teeth as
she felt the bones in her wrist snap more than once. She fell to her knees,
grunting in pain, her wrist still in the tall man’s grasp. “Fixed it for you
hyung!” He smiled, still looking over his shoulder before he looked back at the
woman on the floor who was trying and failing at holding back her tears. He
smiled wide at the sight. He bent down into a squat so that he was level with
her, trying to catch her eyes. She kept looking away but he followed her
movements, ducking his head whichever way she looked until she finally looked
him in the eyes. The innocent smile was still plastered on his face,
sickeningly sweet, a complete contrast to his actions. Tessa tried to
concentrate on breathing while staring into his face. Tried everything in her
power to not look afraid or intimidated. This was not how the night was meant
to go. “Just because you’re a woman,” he smiled at her, before his face dropped
all pretenses of kindness, mouth turning down and eyes zeroing in menacingly,
“doesn’t mean we won’t kill you too”.
 
He threw her broken wrist back at her, and she grasped it tightly, holding back
the howl of pain that was waiting to rip through her. The man walked back to
the other two, who had been watching silently, their smiles never leaving their
faces. “Thank you, Yugyeom-ah”, said Jaebeom who beamed brightly at the taller
man. Yugyeom bowed his head.
 
“You’re getting stronger, Gyeomie,” the third man spoke, bringing a hand up to
rest lightly on Yugyeom’s chest as he regarded him with a knowing look.
 
“Thank you, Jinyoung-hyung.” Yugyeom’s hand came up to rest on top of
Jinyoung’s squeezing it for a moment before they both let go.
 
Jinyoung stepped forward, pulling back his hood as he crouched down before her.
He watched her, his facial expression neutral and unreadable. Tessa felt on
edge under his gaze, as if he were reading her mind or tearing back the layers
and walls she had built up over the years. “We don’t do deals with cops,
Tessa”.
 
Tessa felt her body temperature drop in an instant, and knew that her reaction
was written all over her face judging by the way they looked at her. So what if
they know my name. I know theirs too.It’s just a name.
 
“Oh sorry… not a cop. But scum nonetheless,” Jinyoung scoffed as he ‘corrected’
himself. “All of you are corrupt. At least we’re honest with what we do. But
all of you… you’re disgusting. You exploit your power and cover with it up with
lies of ‘protecting the public’ or ‘the greater good’. You’re no better than
us. You’re just legal criminals in a uniform.
 
He struck her then, right hook connecting hard and fast. This time, Tessa
tasted blood.
 
“You’re right. We’re corrupted. The whole lot of us. But you’re wrong about one
thing…” she spluttered, spitting out blood and part of a broken tooth. She
reached for the shard of tooth, playing with it between her fingers and
refusing to look up at them.
 
Jinyoung had joined the others, watching her. They remained silent, comfortable
in letting this drag out.
 
“I have no power at all. I’m about to be fired if I don’t solve this next case.
I need your help. You obviously know I’ve done a lot to track you down,
considering no one has managed thus far. I know you’re hired hitmen… assassins.
But I also know you don’t take every job. You’re extremely selective. And it
took me forever to figure it out, longer than I’d like to admit it… but you do
hide your work and your patterns very well.
 
Tessa tossed the tooth away as she felt something shift. The air between them
became weighted and heavy. She could feel the hostility thickening, coiling
around them are they were gearing up to pounce, their patience wearing thin
with the new direction of the conversation. She needed to push forward and act
fast if she wanted to make it out of this one still breathing.
 
“Despite the fact that you are murders, you still have morals. No amount of
money seems to make you change your mind about certain jobs… and sometimes,
you’ll even go out of your way to prove a point. Like that one man, what’s his
name? Oh… Kang Su Min, who hired a hit on his eleven year old son. You didn’t
take it, but killed him instead to prove a point. Not before setting things up
so that his son would inherit a fuck-load of money and live safely with his
aunt. You have a sense of justice, of right and wrong. I need your help.
 
There was a moment of silence after Tessa finished speaking. She felt as if she
were on a tightrope, walking between skyscrapers. It was as if the wind had
stilled, the calm before the storm. Then everything happened in a blur. The
rush of footsteps towards her, the searing pain in her wrist and shooting down
her spine, the impact of the punches and kicks. The onslaught felt like it
lasted for hours, whereas it only last seconds. Jaebeom grabbed her by the hair
again, pulling her up to standing position, though she could hardly manage it
herself. He pushed her back, straight into the chests of Yugyeom and Jinyoung
who held her up.
 
“Who do you work for, foreigner?! What kind of game do you think this is? Who
the fuck are you?” he growled directly in her face, words laced with pure
anger.
 
“Lee Ji Sung. Over the past nineteen years, he has kidnapped, raped and
murdered over thirty children. There is never any evidence or clues. He is
meticulous. His targets are unpredictable except that they are all children
under the age of ten. The only thing he leaves behind is a calling card. A
playing card with cherubs on it, always a spade, and the number is always the
same as the age of the child. Sometimes he leaves notes in the advertisement or
wanted sections of various newspapers. Besides that, the case is cold and they
are about to close it when it hits twenty years. They are going to archive this
case and let a paedophile run free.
 
Tessa could her the hysterics in her voice but couldn’t stop it. She grabbed
onto Jaebeom’s jacket, tugging at it in desperation, his hand still entangled
in her hair, pulling at it. Her eyes darted from side to side, trying to see
Yugyeom and Jinyoung in her peripherals. “Please, help me find him. He can’t
get away with this.”
 
“What do we get in return?” Yugyeom questioned, boredom colouring his voice.
Tessa couldn’t say for sure, but it sounded like an act.
 
“You’ve been kept off the police radar for now, but sooner or later, they will
catch up with you. I’m hardly the best in the force, but I had the resources
and the time to find you. Imagine what someone else with better skills could do
if they hear about you?”
 
Jaebeom pulled her hair even harder, Jinyoung’s grip on her waist and arm
tightened, fingernails piercing her skin, and Yugyeom moved in front of her,
grabbing her throbbing jaw, fingers digging into the hollows of her cheeks and
making her look at him.
 
“I will make sure that doesn’t happen,” she choked out, tears involuntarily
rolling down her cheeks, “I am mastermind at hacking. I will make sure that any
record of you is scratched before it even comes to fruition. I will throw them
off your trail and keep you hidden for as long as I work there.”
 
“Not good enough,” Jinyoung bit at her ear. Tessa could feel the panic set in.
She needed their help. They were the only people she believed were capable of
tracking Lee Ji Sung.
 
“I’ll do anything. Anything you want. Anything. Just… please, please help me
track him down.”
 
“Anything?” Jaebeom echoed.
 
“Anything! I will do anything. Give you anything”, she spluttered.
 
Another pause. The three seemed to be in a silent conversation. Tessa felt the
blood leaking out of her mouth and over Yugyeom’s already bloody hand, mingling
with the blood of their latest hit. Yugyeom absentmindedly wiped the corner of
her mouth with his thumb, moving it slowly back and forth over the corner of
her lip. She leaned into the touch. Her body was weakening by the second and
she began to incoherently mumble, “P-p-lease. Help…. Any… thing, an-any-th-
ing…”
 
She felt her body being moved and maneuvered slowly to the ground until she was
resting her on her side. There were no conversations going on between the three
men, but she managed to catch the word ‘ambulance’.
 
It felt like an eternity dragged on before she heard the distant sounds of
sirens. Her mind was going blank and her vision had already blacked out. Every
breath felt like it was tearing her up inside. She was quickly losing
consciousness, barely on this side of awake.
 
“You’re going to regret your words,” followed by fading footsteps were the last
things she heard.
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