At the age of 18, Charlie got kicked out of her foster home. She didn't mind though, her foster parents were a nightmare. The only reason why they decided to foster children was for the monetary benefits, so she was relieved to be out of that damn house, but there was still something missing.

She would spend the day roaming around the streets, finding ways to get food and stay out of trouble, and at night, she would go back to the house that she grew up in, the house that contained horrors and dark secrets from the 8 years that she spent there, but everything had changed two years ago when the couple she was living with decided to foster another kid.

Jungkook had been standing by the window, keeping his eye out for any movement outside as he looked for the familiar figure. A smile formed on his face when he saw Charlie walking towards his window. He eagerly opened it, holding his hand out for her to take as she stepped into his room. The two of them were partners in crime, relying on each other to survive the hellhole they called home, and for the past month, Jungkook had been sneaking her into his room so she would have a place to sleep at night.

"You okay?" he asked while she looked up at him, a grateful smile on her face.

"Yeah, thanks Kookie," she replied, taking off her backpack while he grabbed a pillow and extra blanket, throwing it on the floor. "Hey, I can sleep on the floor tonight," she offered only to have Jungkook stubbornly shake his head.

"There's no way in hell I'm letting you sleep on the floor," he said, laying down before closing his eyes, listening as he heard the slight shuffling of clothes while she changed into something more comfortable to sleep in.

"Done," she muttered, causing him to open his eyes as she climbed into his bed. He stared up at the ceiling, feeling restless.

"Char," he called. The girl hummed in response, letting him know she was listening. "We're going to be fine, right?" he asked, causing her to shift on the bed and face him.

Jungkook was nervous. Tonight was his last night in this house, their last night here, and he couldn't wait to get out, but they were only 18 with no money, no job, and soon, no home. He told Charlie that he would always be there for her, the tattoo on his bicep proof of that as the crescent moon with the date they met was inked on his skin, a contrast to the dark crescent moon on Charlie's bicep.

He recalled the night they went out to get it, a month before Charlie's 17th birthday. They both got into so much trouble with the Hellhounds when they got home, Jungkook taking most of the beating that his foster mother lashed out at them for all the trouble they caused.

He swore to Charlie years ago that he would protect her, no matter what, and that was a promise he intended to keep... But how could he protect her and keep her safe in the streets when he was still a kid himself?

"Of course," she replied, her voice soft as she stared at him, pulling him out of his thoughts as a small smile appeared on her lips. "As long as I've got you and you've got me, we're good," she said while he smiled.

Charlie reached her hand down to Jungkook who took it, refusing to let go until the both of them fell asleep.

~☾~

The first few months living on the streets were the hardest. Charlie and Jungkook were trying their best to collect some change in order to be able to afford a hot meal for the both of them. There was never enough money to pay for a room at a hotel, so most nights were spent huddling up next to each other in a damp alley on old furniture that someone was throwing out, or, if they were lucky, in abandoned houses.

Tonight, they had managed to find an abandoned house not too far from the bustling epicenter of the city. As they lay there side by side, trying to stay warm, Charlie's mind was whirring with ideas to survive the streets when the perfect one came to mind.

"Kookie, I have an idea," she voiced out, causing the boy to let out a heavy sigh since he knew she was probably going to do something that was going to get the two of them in trouble.

"Alright, let's hear it," he gave in, smiling as she eagerly sat up, facing him with a huge grin on her face while he sat up a bit as well, elbows still on the floor.

"Okay, so, since we're 18, I'm sure we could easily get into a club, and since there are a lot of clueless, drunk guys roaming around these places, I'll swoop in and sweet talk 'em, snatch their wallets when they're not paying attention, and bam! Easy money," she shared, watching as Jungkook let out a light laugh before shaking his head.

"I swear, you're crazy," he teased, causing her to punch him while the smile fell from his lips. "Seriously, though, what if you get hurt?" he asked. "Isn't it too risky?"

"Well that's why I have you," she stated. "C'mon, it wouldn't hurt to try, right?" she asked, awaiting his response. "And if anything goes wrong, then we back out, I promise," she added, hoping to convince him to agree to it.

He groaned before falling back onto the floor. "Fine," he grumbled, earning a small cheer from his best friend as she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, eager for their mini mission tomorrow.

~☾~

Charlie stood in front of the dusty mirror of the abandoned house, inspecting her outfit for the evening. The black leather pants she wore clung to her legs, accentuating her curves while the low, dark red v-neck sweater showed off a bit of her midriff since the top was a bit too small. She wore her favorite pair of combat boots and ruffled her fingers through her hair, trying to untangle some of the knots before glancing at her reflection once more to make sure she looked presentable.

"Whoa, you look pretty good," Jungkook complimented, causing her to grin as she turned around to face him, the smile instantly dropping as she glanced at his appearance.

His white button-up was tucked into his jeans, and his hair fell perfectly over his forehead.

"You're not going looking like that," she complained, walking over to her best friend, who was pouting at the insult.

"What's wrong with the way I look?" he asked.

She didn't even bother replying as she started to fix him up a bit. She pulled his shirt out, untucking it before starting to unbutton it.

"Whoa, what the hell are you doing?" he asked, stepping away from her while she glanced up at him.

"Calm down, I'm just undoing the first two buttons. You look like a goody-two shoes, not someone who's about to go clubbing," she reasoned while he sighed, giving in as he took a step forward, allowing her to undo the top two buttons of his shirt. "There, much better," she said, smiling as she looked up at him while he smiled down at her. She dragged her fingers through his hair, ruffling it slightly to create a more rugged look before she was satisfied with his appearance. "Now you look a little more wild." Charlie gave him a quick wink as he chuckled.

"So I guess we're ready to go?" he asked while she eagerly nodded. She was about to walk away when Jungkook pulled her back, concern evident on his features. "Wait, shouldn't we have a signal or something in case you feel uncomfortable with things or if a guy is getting too close?" he suggested, causing Charlie to shrug.

"I guess I could tug on my ear or something?" she suggested while he nodded in agreement.

The two of them set out on exploring the city, walking through the streets in order to find a club suitable for their mission. Once Charlie's eyes glanced at the bright, neon sign of the Bleeding Heart Club, she quickly pulled her best friend with her.

The two of them stood in line while she eagerly glanced around her environment, smiling up at her best friend.

"You remember the signal?" he asked her while she waved him off.

"Yes, now stop worrying and have some fun Kookie!" she replied, causing him to chuckle as they were let through. She latched onto his hand, maneuvering her way through the crowd before finding a small table for them to sit at. Her eyes were glancing around the room, scoping out a potential target when they landed on a man sitting at the bar. He was dressed in a fancy suit, and she noticed a flashy watch on his wrist as he ordered another drink.

She stood up, adjusting her shirt before leaning over towards Jungkook to let him know she found a target, pointing to the guy at the bar while Jungkook nodded, letting her know he'll keep an eye on her. She confidently strode over towards him, easily earning his attention as he stared at her while she took a seat on the vacant stool next to him. She shifted so that she was facing him, flashing him a smile while he grinned at her.

"Hi beautiful," he commented, causing Charlie's smile to widen.

"Hello handsome," she replied, glancing down at his watch to see Versace written on the face of it. Bingo.

She easily struck up a conversation with the man, luring him in as she started flirting with him. Jungkook watched in amusement, shaking his head at the poor sucker who was about to get scammed by an 18 year old. He kept watching to make sure that she was doing okay, but when he heard a small voice from beside him, his attention shifted to the girl standing in front of him, a shy smile on her features.

She looked really cute as she looked up at him, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Sorry to bother you, but my friends and I were talking and... well, you're just, really cute," she admitted, causing him to flush at the compliment while her face was bright red from embarrassment. "I was just wondering, would I be able to get your number?" she asked while he stared at her with wide eyes.

"Uhh, I actually don't have a phone," he admitted. He actually didn't have a lot of things at the moment, including a home, but she didn't need to know that.

He noticed the dejected expression on her face and felt bad, trying to cheer her up, momentarily forgetting about his best friend, who was still chatting up the guy at the bar.

Charlie's fingers brushed against his arm, causing the man to watch her movements before glancing back up at her.

"How about I buy you a drink?" he asked while she nodded, smiling as he turned to the bartender. He asked for some special concoction, turning to her and promising her that she was going to like it, but she didn't notice the look that he exchanged with the bartender, or the substance that the bartender slipped into the alcoholic beverage before mixing it.

"Thanks," she said, eagerly taking the drink, but before she could take a sip, she felt someone snatch the glass out of her hand, causing her to shout out at the person as some of the alcohol sloshed out of the glass and onto her shirt. "What the fuck dude?!" she asked, subtly tugging on her ear as she glared up at the man who now held her drink. The young man simply rolled his eyes, ignoring her outburst before setting the glass down.

"She's not interested," he said to the guy at the bar, grabbing onto her arm and dragging her away from Mr. Versace Watch. "Trust me, sweetheart, he's not a guy you want to be messing with," the man said, finally letting her go when they were a good distance away from the bar. He glanced down at her, noticing her features. "How old are you anyway? Do your parents even know you're out?" he questioned, a comment that easily set her off. Where the hell are you Kook?

"That's none of your fucking business, and for your information, I'm 18, so I'm old enough to be able to look after myself. Who the hell are you anyway?" she asked, frustrated at the fact that he ruined her plans for the night.

He just smiled at her, amused by her short temper. "It doesn't matter, but I promise you, that guy did not have good intentions," he replied. "Just be careful next time, alright? There are a lot of scumbags who look for easy targets, and you seem like a smart girl, so just... stay alert," he advised her while she glared at him.

He turned to walk away, and that's when she noticed his wallet sticking out of his back pocket. Seeing an opportunity, she rushed towards him. "Wait!" she called, walking up to him as he turned to face her. She leaned in close, one of her hands resting on his shoulder while her lips brushed his ear, her other hand slowly sneaking around his waist, fingertips touching the leather wallet. "Thanks for saving me," she purred, pulling away and grinning at him while his face turned red.

He cleared his throat, slightly flustered by her proximity. "No problem, just promise me that you'll be careful next time," he insisted.

"I promise," she said, flashing him a smile before walking away, rolling her eyes before searching for her best friend only to notice that he wasn't at the table where she left him.

She glanced out into the crowd, noticing him dancing with some girl. She shook her head as she walked up to him, clearly annoyed with him while his eyes widened when he saw her, remembering that he was supposed to be watching her.

"Shit, I'm so sorry!" he said, instantly rushing away from the girl, apologizing for having to leave while she pouted at him. He ran to catch up with Charlie, who continued to walk out of the club since she was no longer in the mood to scope out another target after her last interaction. "I really am sorry Char, I should've been paying attention. How did it go?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

"Well, the guy that I was originally going after turned out to be sketchy and then this other guy jumped in to supposedly save me, so I wasn't able to get anything from my target... But, I did end up just taking the other guy's wallet," she shared while Jungkook's head snapped towards her.

"Wait, what do you mean, sketchy?" he asked while she shrugged.

"Don't stress over it, the important thing is that at least we got something and it wasn't a total fail," she said.

"So, how much did you get?" Jungkook asked as they started walking back to their self-proclaimed home. Charlie pulled out the wallet from her back pocket and started looking through it, her eyes catching the name on the identification card. Kim Seokjin. She continued to search through the wallet, slightly disappointed.

"Doesn't look like he kept much cash on him. There's only about $20 here. He has a couple cards, but I'm always nervous using those," she said.

"Yeah, but hey, $20 is enough for plenty of food the next couple of days," Jungkook commented, trying to cheer her up.

Charlie pulled out a card that she had never seen before and inspected it carefully. Her eyes went wide when she finally figured out what it was. She stopped, causing Jungkook to stop and turn towards her. She had a huge smile on her face and he was immediately nervous.

"What is it?" he inquired, anxiously waiting for her answer.

Charlie pulled out the card and held it between two fingers as she put the wallet in her back pocket once again.

"This is an employee access card to the largest casino in this city," she said, smiling up at him, but she could tell that Jungkook was not understanding the situation. She let out a loud sigh, annoyed that she always had to be the brains of these operations. "This is how we are going to get off the streets," she said, smirking up at him while he let out a small groan.

A/N: The first chapter is here!! We hope you enjoyed it! Reminder that this is a collaboration with GalxyDefendr

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