Bad Alive | Jenle

|18| Crimson Confessions

⚠️TW// blood, gore(of sorts), implied bodily harm to another, bodily harm, implied death

24 hours after the accident

The brunette was silent, his eyes red and puff. Exhaustion masked his usually lively features. Body slumped against the counter, his fingers traced the rim of his glass of water. Head resting on his arm he watched clear liquid within the glass sway from his tracing of the rim. Jeno listened to the hushed frantic murmurs between Yuta and Renjun.

"I thought Chenle was going to be safe." Renjun ducked closer to Jaemin, hand tightening on the other boy's for a sense of grounding. "We shouldn't have sent him out, especially after what happened with Jaehyun..." he trailed off.

The Chinese male glanced up at Jeno's rigid figure; the younger's aura was thick with shattered despair, each fragment sharper than the other. He was difficult to approach like a porcupine with it's needles facing up. Each a shambled form of protection against the harsh reality that the boy who had broken down his walls with his bright smile and high-pitched laughter was laying in a hospital bed on the brink of death.

A sharp muffled noise escaped Jeno face now buried in his arm, the hand tracing the rim of his glass fell to the side. Dark brown eyes that used to shine had become dull, no trace of the familiar energy present.

Dress shoes clacked against the wooden floor drawing everyone to attention. Taeyong had entered the room with Dongyoung to his right. A piece of paper was in a knuckle-white grip within the red-haired males hand. He pressed his lips into the thin line, brows furrowed into an unreadable expression.

Heaving a shaky sigh he cleared his throat, the sound breaking Jeno from his hyper focus on the glass. "I need to tell you all something." He placed the piece of paper onto the dining table unrolling it to expose the threat written in dried blood. "This was sent by a rivaling mafia, their leader and I uh...share a history." Numbers of grumbles and murmured concerns floated around the room, Jeno's attention piqued.

Pulling his face from the crook of his arm he moved his head to the right, silently observing the situation with sharp eyes.

Jaemin rose to his feet approaching the unrolled paper, a shocked gasp leaving him before he went back to Renjun. He quietly told the other what was scrawled on it. Both boys glanced to Jeno, worry marred their features - brows pulled together, mouth slightly down turned.

With a frustrated noise, Mark took the liberty to read the paper. "The paper reads; 'Back off or I will pick off each and every member right in front of your eyes.' " Tension covered the room, everyone silent as they processed the threat. No one dared to speak, unsure of the situation they were now placed in with this knowledge.

Taeyong's shoulders were tense, strung together with the weight of the burdened of the threat. Pain flickered behind his iris' when he reached for Dongyoung's hand, intertwining their fingers gently playing with his husband's wedding band. He leaned into the younger for support, the ache of stress and leadership thrummed through his body.

Sharp broken laughter startled everyone, their eyes widening when they found the culprit of the noise. Jeno's eyes darkened, the empty glass in his hand was smashed into the marble countertop, shards of glass flew across the counter space scattering onto the floor surrounding the assassin. Shards pierced into his hand, blood gushed from his hand dripping onto the counter and floor when he shakily rose to his feet.

Glaring at Taeyong he stomped towards the red haired male. "This is all your fault!" Jeno's voice cracked from the pressure building up behind his eyes, tears threatening to spill over. "Jaehyun and Chenle a-are in the infirmary on the brink of death. Y-you just now decided to share this important threat?!" He shoved Taeyong in the chest, a bloody handprint appearing on the material.