Blue

In Deep

Jungkook hadn't been into Bluebirds for days and it was noticeable. The table he usually sat at, had been empty for the past 4 nights and Vante was sure someone would say something soon so he wasn't surprised when Tommy, the doorman, pulled him to one side after his performance.

"V, I've heard them talking and it's not good. Do you know where that cop is?"

Tommy kept his voice low backstage as Vante walked to his room.

"What cop?"

"Stop messing. I hear more than you know. I'm trying to warn you!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Tommy"

Tommy grabbed Vante and pushed him against the wall, speaking firmly but quietly "Look! I don't know details. I just know what I heard. I'm not telling anyone this, but you! Find that cop because Azure wants your head if you don't!"

Vante knew Tommy was good friends with Hobi but he couldn't trust anyone "Thanks but I don't know what you're talking about."

When in his dressing room, he threw his things in his bag and pulled on some sweats. He knew that Azure wouldn't let him off but was hoping they would be too busy to notice that Jungkook had been AWOL. From his own perspective, it was like a black hole in the crowd, his eyes always looked there, to Jungkook's place, just in case, but night after night there had either been no one there or someone he didn't recognise. It was remedying to see the familiar face, it made his job that bit more enjoyable because he was learning to read the cop's expressions more and more with each performance but primarily, of course, he now needed to use that familiarity to seduce him and extract the information that Blue was convinced he had.

Vante was cramming his costume in his bag when the door opened, slamming into the wall behind it and there stood Azure and Cyan. He whipped his head up, startled by their entrance.

"Where's the cop?" Azure demanded to know.

"Not here, Azure"

"We can see that, Vante!! Now, we want to know why he hasn't been in?"

Cyan was a bit nicer than Azure but he also had a disliking for Vante and being the manager of Bluebirds meant that he had more dealings with him than any of the others. Their dislike was born from the fact that they had to put up with Vante's insolence purely because he was popular and raked in the money. They'd known other workers with the same attitude who thought that their popularity earned them the right to freedom and when their arrogance and blatant insubordination became more of a problem than they were worth, they disappeared without a trace. Cyan and Azure knew that Vante was one of the same kind and his reputation would keep him alive for a limited amount of time, it was the fact that they had to tolerate him until such a time that their patience had worn thin and now they just straight up hated him, both waiting for that day when they could do what they'd wanted a long time ago.

"I don't know." his voice was tinted with irritation and his expression was stoic.

Azure marched forward and grabbed Vante by the throat, practically spitting in his face "Do you think this is a fucking game? I thought we'd made it clear?"

Vante's words came out gurgled, airways being squeezed and his eyes beginning to bulge "Not a game. Seeing him tonight."

"You are?" Cyan's voice travelled from where he still stood by the door.

"Y-yeah" Vante managed.

Azure pushed him away, releasing him from his hold "I want him back in here, where we can keep an eye on him! Stop fucking about and get that information! Next time I will snap your fucking neck, got it?"