Trinity Six | NCT DREAM

032

"Casa Nostra knows," Jaemin said, pacing back and forth in front of the table where everyone had gathered, "And if one of the world's biggest mafias knows, that means that others know as well. Maybe not about the heist, but they know where we are, which means that it'll only be a matter of time before NCT 127 or EXO show up". I was sitting in Jeno's lap, the man tracing little circles and patterns on the small of my back with soft movements to calm me down. I sniffled a little, leaning into his touch. "We have to stick to the plan, though," Jeno said. His head was resting in the crook of my neck, his voice leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake as it brushed over the delicate skin. I shivered a little, making Jeno smirk at the action. My eyes locked with Jaemin's, the man giving me a strange look as he looked at Jeno and me before he turned away once again. "Casa Nostra has connections all over the world, and that probably includes the Medici Palazzo Ricardi which means that we'll have to be extra careful. The heist has to go down on Wednesday as planned." Jeno said to which the others nodded.

I was angry at myself. Angry, and disappointed that I had let myself be fooled by Leonardo, a charming young man with a warm smile, risking the entire heist and everything that Trinity Six had worked so hard for. I was embarrassed, angry, and disappointed, which is why I was currently standing in the doorway to the hotel's fitness center, or gym, looking at the different weights, dumbbells, treadmills, and bikes before my eyes locked on something else. In the back corner of the room hung a heavy punching bag. It looked heavy, like it would put up a fight, which was exactly what I needed.

I made my way over to my opponent, staring at the smooth black material of the punching bag for a moment before taking a deep breath and giving it a light punch. The thing barely moved, though a wave of pain rushed through my hand and up my arm, making me wince a little at the feeling. I felt anger flare up in my stomach at my weakness that was once again stopping me from getting things done, and I pulled my arm back before throwing another punch at the punching bag, and another one, and another one, letting tears spring to my eyes as I took out my anger on the heavy bag of leather in front of me.

I didn't belong in this world. I didn't belong here with Jaemin and Jeno, or with Haechan, Renjun, Chenle or Jisung. My life was back in my run-down apartment on top of Hongdae. My life consisted of long and tiring trips to school every day where I slaved my way through an education I couldn't afford. My life consisted of cold nights where I went to bed hungry as the rest of my friends spent their nights out, socializing. My life wasn't a life at all, it was an existence, and a sad one at that. And this insane adventure that I was currently on was the highlight of said existence, and I was still failing miserably at it; living.

It hurt, both physically and mentally, but I didn't stop. I poured everything out; blood, sweat, and tears as my broken knuckles kept hitting the punching bag. The sound of the door opening was what brought me back to reality. I looked towards the other end of the room where Jisung and Chenle froze in their tracks, their conversation coming to a halt as well as the three of us looked at each other. My hard and irregular breathing was the only thing disturbing the awkward silence that hung heavily in the air. Both of them looked at me with worry etched across their faces, but before they had the chance to ask any questions, I raised my hand in a silencing gesture, "I-" I began, but I didn't even know what to say, shaking my head instead. I caught a look of myself in one of the many floor-to-ceiling mirrors along the wall opposite the windows, taking in my disheveled and broken appearance with a sigh. I wanted to leave, making my way towards the door where the two men were still standing, only to be stopped by Jisung's hand as he put it carefully on my shoulder.

"I get it," he said, his warm eyes searching mine, "We get it." Chenle nodded. "But you're hurting yourself, which is not the right way to handle your problems, y/n," Jisung continued, "Hurting yourself is never the answer. There's always someone out there who wants to help you. All you have to do is reach out." His eyes were so sincere as he said those words, which made my heart swell as I the tears from my eyes. "Now come on, let us help you instead."

We spent most of the night in the gym, training, laughing, and talking; enjoying each other's company. I didn't even hesitate either when Chenle offered to buy us ice cream. And that how we ended up in the middle of Florence's nightlife, the streets bustling with colourful lights and people of all ethnicities, smiling and conversing. I had stopped in front of a small shop that seemed to be overlooked by the masses as they passed by without as much as looking through the little window. The facade was old and crackling, the orange colour peeling off and revealing pale bricks underneath. Ivy grew wildly over the shop's door and windows, and a little bill chimed softly as I opened the door and made my way inside, leaving the music and noise on the street behind as I entered an entirely different world.

The walls were lined with rows of shelves that held heavy books, their colourful covers creating wonderful little rainbows if you looked all the way down the wall. Bits and bops were exhibited in the windows, placed on tables that seemed to almost overflow with antiques, and hanging from the ceiling were plants, glass orbs, and other ornate decorations. What caught my eye more than anything else was a little stone that reflected the light from the streetlamp outside, throwing pretty patterns of light on the opposite wall. I picked it up, studying the familiar stone for a moment before I realized that it as a copy of the Florentine Diamond, a piece of the city's history. Turns out it wasn't completely forgotten anyways. I gave the shopkeeper a handful of euros, telling him to keep the change with a kind smile before putting the stone in my pocket and making my way back out on the street where Chenle and Jisung were waiting for me.

"Did you find anything you wanted?" Jisung asked, slinging his arm across my shoulders before he went back to practically inhaling his second ice cream for the night. "Not really," I said, not wanting to tell them about my small purchase, feeling a little embarrassed to admit that I wanted to keep the souvenir as a memory of our little adventure for when we came back to Korea once again and my life would go back to normal. For when I had to say goodbye to them, leaving all of this behind. So I brushed it off, giving both men a bright smile as we continued our journey through the beautiful old town.

It was around 2 a.m. in the morning when we made it back to the hotel, staggering up the stairs, giggling at each other as we tried to overcome the effects of the numerous colourful cocktails we had gone through at a small bar by the Arno River a couple of hours earlier. I had to admit, Bellinis were really something. The bartender had told me about the peachy drink's Venetian origins, which had me hooked from the very beginning. "Well, gentlemen, I wish you a good night's sleep," I announced, making an attempt at a somewhat graceful bow before making my way towards the door to the Presidential Suite and stumbling inside. The room was quiet, and I tried my best to tip-toe my way towards the bed as silently as possible, though a little staggering here and there couldn't be helped. I let out a breathy laugh as I finally made it to the bed, throwing off a couple of pieces of clothes before crawling in between the two men that were fast asleep, shuffling my way under the covers with a contented sigh.

"y/n?" Jeno's voice sounded rough and tired as he turned around to face me. He rubbed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair that stuck up in random directions, making him look so, so soft. I let out a small giggle, "Surprise" I said. He lifted one of his eyebrows in confusion, "Are you drunk?" he asked. I shook my head, "I am most definitely not drunk, Lee Jeno," my voice was laced with seriousness, "I am simply in a very good mood this fine evening." I could tell that he tried to hold back his laughter. "It's 2.30 a.m.," he said, to which I simply nodded. He was right, indeed. I told him that. And then I turned around, pulling the covers all the way to my nose as I closed my eyes, enjoying the buzzing of the alcohol that rushed through every vein in my body for a couple of minutes before I felt my consciousness slowly slip away.

A/N:
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