Cherri 🍒 @devilcherri - Tumblr Blog

Jun 1

Fear Of The Future - Markhyuck oneshot

Summary: Haechan can't sleep, with graduation coming up he's worried about losing contact with his best friends, but Mark is there to comfort him.

Notes: this is kind of sloppy but I wrote this at like 2am cause I can't sleep.

Haechan couldn't get to sleep, no matter how long he stared at the ceiling of Jaemin's bedroom. His friends were having their monthly sleepover, their last one before graduation. Before a good majority of them go off to college or whatever else they had planned.

Mark's already been accepted into a college, a good one too, hours away in the city. Not that Haechan would ever tell him, but he's glad Mark had to repeat grade twelve with the rest of them.

Renjun's planning on going abroad to study at some high end art school, one he's been dreaming of since Grade nine.

Jeno has a job lined up for himself at his fathers tech company, nepotism be damned, at least he's staying in town.

Jaemin wants to travel around for a bit before applying to colleges. Take a gap year to relax and cover up the fact that he doesn't know what he wants to do yet.

Haechan also doesn't know what he wants to do after graduation, but that's mostly because of the crippling anxiety he's been feeling for the past few months. He's thought about colleges, jobs, travelling the world… but he's afraid of the fact that all their lives seem to be heading in different directions.

When he feels a headache starting to form, Haechan grabs a jumper off the floor, that belongs to who knows which boy, before creeping out of Jaemin's room. He trudges his way to the small kitchen downstairs, squinting his eyes as he flicks the light on. He makes a beeline for the kettle, flicking the switch on before rummaging through the pantry for one of Jaemin's fancy sleep teas, full of weird flowers and a placebo effect.

He leans his back against the counter, staring at the tiled floor as his thoughts start to spiral again. He's so deep in thought that he doesn't hear the soft padding of footsteps coming towards the kitchen, barely registers the sound of someone clearing their throat until he hears his name being called.

“Haechan…” his head snaps up, locking eyes with Mark. The older boy's eyes are still half closed and his hand rubs against his face to try and wake himself up a bit more “you okay?” His voice is quiet in the small kitchen, clearly not wanting to wake anyone but the soft, gentle sound of his voice makes Haechan's chest tighten painfully.

“I uhm… yeah, just couldn't sleep, so I'm making some tea… want one? It's got like lavender in it… and stuff” Haechan rambles out, his gaze dropping back to the tiled floor awkwardly. He hears Mark hum softly, as if thinking.

“Sure… but you should tell me what's bothering you so much” Mark steps forward, grabbing an extra mug from the cupboard before settling in the space next to Haechan.

The younger boy lets out a soft huff of laughter, a more bitter than humorous sound “is it really that obvious?”

Mark shrugs, staring down at the boy who's still having a staring contest with the kitchen tiles. “to someone who's known you since you started grade seven… yeah, kinda”

Haechan sighs, long and drawn out just enough to be a bit dramatic. “It's… it's nothing… it's dumb” he tries to brush it off as he moves to grab the kettle that was finally done boiling, trying to focus on making their tea, but of course that doesn't work.

“It's not dumb if it's bothering you” he says it so sweetly that Haechan kind of wants to punch him for it, or maybe that's just some kind of weird cuteness aggression.

He sighs again before finally looking up at Mark, sliding the mug towards him, he's all soft smiles and the embodiment of comfort. It's sickening how quickly it makes Haechan fold. “I'm just worried… about graduation and college”

Mark tilts his head slightly “like, getting accepted into one? Or…” he gently blows on his tea, not wanting to burn his tongue as he takes a sip.

“No… I'm worried about us all moving away from each other… going to different colleges or even different countries. I feel worried for Jisung and Chenle too, they're gonna be by themselves” His voice comes out raw, it's probably the most honest he's ever been about his emotions. “what if we all lose contact or get too busy and stop talking… maybe I'm being selfish but I can't lose you, or the others.”

“You're not gonna lose us, Haechan” Mark leans in a little closer, just enough for Hsechan to feel the warmth that's radiating from him. “We've all been best friends for years, being apart for a while isn't going to tear us apart. And Chenle and Jisung are tough kids, they may not be very… socially inclined, but they've got each other. Plus Jeno's not moving away any time soon”

Despite Mark's soft words and attempt at comforting the younger boy, Haechan can't stop the hot tears from pricking at his eyes “how can any of us know that… we're all going to be busy with our new lives. We'll meet new people… make new friends” he doesn't even try to hide the bitterness in his tone.

“Maybe… but no one else could ever compare to any of those guys… or you. Change doesn't mean you have to leave old things behind” Mark reaches out gently, pulling the shorter boy into a tight hug, his hand rubbing up and down his back to comfort him “we'll visit each other during holidays and send texts for birthdays and stuff”

Haechan clings tighter to Mark before slowly pulling back “do you really mean it? Like… do you think we'll all actually stay in touch and hang out again?” Haechan has never sounded so vulnerable before and if he was in any other state he'd be kicking himself for it, but there was something about Mark that made it so easy to just fall apart.

“Yeah… well, I'd hope so. ‘Cause I'd hate to not be able to do this again”

Before Haechan can even question him, Mark leans in quickly. Soft, warm lips pressing against Haechans, who lets out a soft squeak in surprise. His brain short circuits but the warm hands grabbing his waist pulls him back in, causing him to melt into the gentle kiss. He pulls back for air, letting out a soft huff of laughter as Mark's lips seem to chase his own.

“Where the hell did that come from?” Haechans asks him, face flushed and completely breathless.

Mark's face turns bright red, like he only just realised what he did and his sudden burst of confidence drained away, his hands dropping from Haechan's waist down to his sides. “Uhm… it's… well… despite being an optimist… hearing you talk about how you're worried we could lose contact made me kinda nervous…”

“So you… kissed me?” It's light and a little teasing but it's makes Mark's face turn even redder.

“I was nervous that I wouldn't get another opportunity to do so…” he admits, squirming awkwardly in place, mere inches from Haechan.

Haechan just grins at him, his mood significantly higher now “well, now you definitely need to keep that promise. ‘Cause I'd really hate to not be able to do that again either.”

Mark gives him a shy smile, nodding and looking like he's on the verge of exploding.

“So… how long have you been holding that in?” Haechan presses even closer, his hands moving to grab Mark's waist this time.

“Uhhhh… since like, tenth grade” his voice cracks at his admission, very obviously embarrassed.

“Three years!?” Haechan voice raises slightly, before he quickly lowers his tone back down to not wake everyone. “That's insane, I've been trying to flirt with you this whole year!”

“What? You've always just been… like that” Mark bites back, earning a playful scoff from Haechan.

“Nah, I think you're just oblivious” and he's totally, definitely not lying. Because Haechan has never been playfully flirtatious with his friends just to get a reaction… oh wait… yes he has.

“Whatever man” Mark clears his throat as his voice cracks once again. Before he can continue speaking, it's Haechan's turn to lean in and kiss the other boy. The taste of the floral tea and the lingering flavour of mint gum on marks lips is slowly becoming intoxicating and Haechan would stay in the kitchen and continue kissing him if he could… but with his racing thoughts finally calming down, he feels a wave of tiredness creep up on him.

Haechan didn't even have a sip of the tea before it's inevitably being dumped into the sink, but Jaemin doesn't need to know that. He leaves the two mugs in the sink before grabbing Mark's hand, dragging him upstairs where they both sneak back into Jaemins bedroom. The two boys now curled up together on the single fold out mattress Mark had been previously sleeping on.

As he drifts off to sleep next to him, Haechan can only hope that Mark keeps his promise. Not just to him, but to their friends as well.

He's still anxious when graduation roles around, even more so when he's in Mark's bedroom watching him pack everything into boxes. Soft kisses and gentle touches were no longer enough to calm him down, but that first letter he gets in the mail is. It's stupidly romantic and he almost bites his hand as he realises that Mark doused said letter in his ridiculously expensive cologne.

The constant texts and updates in their group chat also helps. Renjun sending photos of his art projects and complaining about bad grades from teachers who don't see his vision. Jaemin sending them onslaughts of photos and videos almost everyday from new cities and countries he visits, and one too many shirtless photos of him at every beach he goes to. Mark sends them all snippets of his writing, a mix of poetry, short stories and even some lyrics scattered in, not to mention the fortnightly letters he gets from said boy.

It helps that he and Jeno still hang out whenever they both have time off work or when Chenle and Jisung ask him to tutor them. It's not long before he forgets he was ever anxious about the future.

Of course, they all manage to come home for Chenle’s graduation. All catching up and sharing stories with each other and Haechan even manages to squeeze in a few dates with Mark before he has to go back to college.

Time passes by, but they all keep in contact with each other, they still remain close friends, just like Mark said.

#nct dream #nct #lee haechan #mark lee #nct haechan #nct mark #markhyuck #mahae #nct fic #nct dream fic #nct oneshot

devilcherri

May 25

There Is Something Wrong With Na Jaemin - Chapter 6

Unexplainable Insatiable Hunger

Masterlist

Summary: Haechan thinks he’s a necrophile, Jeno’s on edge, Jaemin’s acting weirder than normal and they’re all planning a small outing to distract Renjun… What's the worst that could happen? Except absolutely everything!

Warnings: this chapter contains graphic violence and gore, lots of blood, cannibalism, mentions/allusions of past rape, mentions of necrophilia, main character death.

A/n: omg soooo last chapter is finally out! Yayyy. This took me quite a while and it's really long but I hope you all enjoy it. I just want to thank the amazing people who beta read it for me and for everyone who actually read this fic!!!

Also Jaemin and Haechan are my Jennifer and Needy

Word count: 6,460

Jeno didn't get much sleep that night after leaving Jaemin's dorm. Not that he's been getting much sleep at all lately, but it gave him time to think, to brew on every little thing he's been trying to ignore. The crushing guilt he still feels every time he looks at Jaemin, his worry for Haechan and the way he's seemingly dropped off the face of the earth. And now… now Renjun…

Jeno's on edge, feeling paranoid and confrontational enough to go track down his isolated friend. Finding Haechan was relatively easy enough, the boy doesn't have many places he likes to hang out during his free time when he's not with his friends.

The designated smoking area is small, tucked away from the main courtyard and behind a few lecture buildings and of course, Haechan's the only one there this early in the morning. His body tenses as he instantly clocks the familiar messy pink hair approaching. He kicks off the brick wall he was leaning on, eyes dropping to the floor as he takes a slow drag from his cigarette.

“Dude, we need to talk” Jeno's voice comes out stern, not leaving much room for refusal.

“Can we make this quick though… I've got practice in a bit” he sighs out, still looking at the ground and praying it'll swallow him whole.

“Bullshit” The older boy hisses out in response causing Haechan's gaze to snap up, clearly not expecting to be called out. “I saw your music professor on the way here… I talked to him, you know… and he said that you guys only have practice Tuesdays and Thursdays so” he takes another step forward, caging the boy in.

Despite the fact that he's taller and practically twice his size in muscle mass alone, Jeno doesn't scare haechan but that doesn't stop the boy from taking a step back, or another one. Because it's not fear making him move, it's shame. Gut wrenching, sickening shame that he's been caught.

“Why have you been avoiding us? Are you… are you okay?” His voice is softer this time as he takes another step towards his friend. He reaches out slowly, soft hands pressing into Haechan's shoulder. His hands feel hot on Haechan’s cold skin. Not the same scorching, wandering touches that have been plaguing his dreams at night, no, it’s the kind of warmth that feels inviting, the kind that makes him feel safe. It’s enough to make him break.

Haechan's body slumps forward, his chin sinking into Jeno’s shoulder as his free hand wraps around him “i’m sorry… i just… i can’t fucking stand it” he sighs out, sounding exhausted and raw “i can’t stand pretending i’m fine, i can’t stand looking at Jaemin… god, all i can picture is his fucking corpse in the front seat of his car every time i look at him” and he’s not lying, maybe not telling the boy he’s clinging to everything that’s eating at him, leaving out how dirty he feels for letting cold, dead hands caress him like a lover, that it’s the entire reason he’s been avoiding them. Afraid his friends might find out what a freak he thinks he is.

Jeno wraps his arms loosely around the shorter boy's shoulders, finger tips slowly tracing patterns against his shirt. He hears him draw in a deep breath, feels the cold exhale of smoke brushing past his neck and ear, no doubt already staining him with the acrid scent.

Jeno sighs, holding the boy a little tighter. “You don't… you don't have to apologise. I get it though… looking at him and trying to pretend like you don't vividly remember what he looks like when his heart stops beating…” his hands squeeze into Haechan's shirt. He lets out a long sigh before pulling away, struggling a bit to unlatch Haechan from him. “But… I didn't come here to talk about Jaemin… or why you've been avoiding us… not really anyway”

Haechan locks eyes with him, teary eyes staring up at him, waiting for Jeno to continue. And so he does, reaching out to gently grasp Haechan's wrists, mostly to ground himself than anything. “Did you, uhm… did you hear the news… about Chenle?”

The raven haired boy's eyes widen slightly, already expecting the worst, but how can he not. “What happened?

“He got attacked last night and he…” Jeno trails off, his gaze darting to the floor, unable to repeat what happened out loud.

Haechan feels his stomach drop, along with his heart, his cigarette and a few hot tears. “Fuck… no… no no no, he can't be… not him” his voice cracks as he speaks, raw and unable to control the emotions pouring out of him. “Is Renjun okay?!” He sounds slightly frantic as he leans forward, forcing Jeno to make eye contact with him.

“No… not at all. He already texted me saying he's not going to any of his classes today… I don't blame him though” Jeno's hands move from Haechan's wrists, slipping down to grasp both his hands. “But… Jaemin and I wanted to plan something for him, with your help. To uhm… to help him relax a bit and get away from everything”

“Yeah… yeah! Of course, even if I was busy I'd drop everything in a heartbeat to help” and they both know Haechan isn't exaggerating.

“we're gonna try and plan something by this afternoon… i only have a few morning classes to attend, but I'll keep you updated” upon mentioning said classes, Jeno glances at the watch on his wrist. Giving Haechan a quick glance over before pulling him into a tight hug. “Just text me if you need anything alright” he waits for a nod in response before he turns, heading off to his classes.

Needless to say, he doesn't really pay much attention to any of them, constantly checking his phone and waiting for the minutes to tick by.

Jeno's practically the first one out of the room as soon as his last class of the day is over, rushing his way outside and letting his feet guide him as he pulls his phone out to text both Haechan and Jaemin to meet him in the student lounge. He's the first one there, which honestly isn't all that surprising. So he just sits down to wait, albeit very impatiently.

Jeno doesn't realise one of them is already there until he feels the couch dip beside him, his head snapping over to look at Haechan, who's already looking at him while his whole body looks tense and ready to snap. “You okay?”

Haechan shrugs “I'm definitely paranoid… maybe going a bit crazy but the jury is still out on that one” he huffs out a dry laugh, something clearly bothering him.

Jeno feels his brows scrunch together as he stares at his friend in concern “Haechan…” He tries to keep his voice soft despite the worry creeping into him.

“I just… I've been thinking a lot today… about Jaemin” Haechan sighs out, averting his gaze from Jeno to stare at his jeans “I've been avoiding you guys because… ‘cause I just can't be around him. It's like my skin crawls whenever I'm near him and he's seemed off, wrong since… he came back. I mean, yesterday morning he was like, dying sick and all of a sudden he's just magically okay? And that's happened like how many times now? It freaks me out, it's like his body is trying to remind him he's supposed to be dead but he's not getting the fucking message” Jeno lets Haechan ramble, lets him finally get everything off his chest without interruption.

“He's a walking corpse, he should be dead… and I feel so gross ‘cause…” Haechan stops for a second, his eyes flicking around the room like he's finally aware of the fact there might be other people around. His gaze snaps back over to Jeno, voice now quieter as he speaks “i… I need to tell you… I did something and I don't want you to-”

Though before he can even start, his words are cut off by the sound of Jaemin's voice, calling out to them with a sickening sweet tone. “Hey guys! Sorry I'm a bit late. I had the perfect idea for what we could do and I didn't want to waste any time” He lifts up the picnic basket he's holding, showing it off to the two boys sitting on the couch as he stops right in front of them.

“A picnic?” Jeno questions, feeling the way Haechan shrinks into the couch next to him to avoid any attention from the approaching boy.

“Yeah! Honestly I thought that just having some lunch with his friends somewhere outside and quiet would help a bit” he smiles softly, seemingly pleased with his idea.

“Where would we even have it? I don't really want to force him to be around a crowd when he's like this, you know” Jaemin seems undeterred by Jeno's questions, a sweet smile still plastered on his face.

“Actually I already thought of that. You guys remember that old park, where that Halloween party was held last year?” Haechan can feel Jaemin's gaze on him, staring holes into him as he awaits an answer.

“was that the one where that guy from the swim team got tetanus?” the pink haired boy asks, drawing Jaemin's attention back to him, much to Haechan's relief.

“Yes…” Jaemin draws out his response, his voice raising in pitch slightly. “But none of us will try to climb up the slide or anything, right?”

Jeno lets out a soft hum in agreement, pulling himself up from the couch “right well, we should get everything ready then” he says as he tugs Haechan up, who is reluctant to stand, or do anything right now.

“It'll be more efficient if one of us goes to pick Renjun up while the other two go to set up.” Jaemin suggests, turning his gaze towards Jeno “me and Haechan can go set up at the park if you feel like driving” his suggestion instantly makes the mentioned boy step in, finally speaking up.

“Actually… Jeno's car is uhm… out of commission. Broken fan belt or whatever it was” Haechan shrugs, trying his best to act nonchalant despite his obvious anxiety. “So… I can go pick up Renjun for you guys”

Jaemin's still smiling softly, the same way he has been for the whole conversation. But the way he tilts his head slightly while looking at Haechan makes him feel uncomfortable, more so than he already does. “Really? Well… we can just take my car then” Jaemin grabs Jeno's wrist, already tugging him towards the exit “come on, we need to go make this perfect”

It feels like someone is walking over his grave as Jeno finally slips into the passenger seat of Jaemin's car. Of course, the last time he was in here was the night Jaemin accidentally plowed into a tree, so he's right to be on edge. Especially when he can still picture the suffocating metallic stench of blood everywhere and the way the dashboard looked crushing into his friend's body… but he really shouldn't be focusing on that, not wanting to be sick in Jaemin's car. He tries his best to calm his thoughts, and not look at every large tree they pass, as they drive closer to their destination.

“I didn't know your car was busted.” The sound of Jaemin's voice cutting through the silence felt like a slap to the face, but at least it drew Jeno's attention away from his darkening thoughts.

“Uhm… yeah. Yeah, broken fan belt” he mumbles out in response, thankful for the fact he actually remembers the lie Haechan came up with “but I have one getting delivered. It should get here tomorrow morning so…”

Silence falls back into the car before Jaemin lets out a quiet hum, his eyes only flicking away from the road as the car finally comes to a slow stop.

Jaemin reaches over to the back seat as he undoes his seatbelt, grabbing the picnic basket before hopping out. Jeno takes a second to follow him, walking slowly behind him as they walk towards the middle of the small field. The grass is slightly overgrown but still short enough to comfortably sit on.

Jeno watches as Jaemin silently sets the basket down, opening it to pull out the thick picnic rug that sits on top, spreading it out across the grass with ease, right near the old rusty playset that definitely looks like a safety hazard. He goes to take a step forward, to actually start helping before he hears Jaemin let out a sigh. It's a downright miserable sound that stops him dead in his tracks.

“I'm glad we're all hanging out again… even if it is because of… unfortunate circumstances.” The usual soft tone of Jaemin's voice is gone, replaced by something more raw. “Everything has been so crazy lately, huh?” He sounds choked up, like he's on the verge of crying. He's still facing away so Jeno can't tell if he's actually crying or not.

“I miss how things used to be… how we all used to be.” Jaemin stops for a moment and Jeno can hear each shaky breath in the silence between them. “Does… do you think Haechan hates me?” He sounds so vulnerable, so unlike his usual confident self that it tugs harshly at Jeno's chest.

“Why do you think he would hate you?” the older boy hesitantly asks, taking a slow step forward towards his friend who is most definitely crying now. Jeno can see his body shake with each quiet sob he tries to muffle.

“Because I… i think i ruined our friendship” Jaemin turns around, his eyes flooded with tears “i… we slept together… but we were both drunk, i think he regrets it… maybe even hates me for it. I mean he's been ignoring me since and he didn't even look at me once today”

Jeno lets out a quiet sigh as he steps even closer, trying his best to hide the shock that is no doubt evident on his face at the sudden news. “He doesn't… hate you, he's just been… stressed, with everything going on. Classes, his recital…” he struggles to find the right words to console the crying boy.

“No… he definitely hates me… and I think I hate me too.” Jaemin whines out as he leans his forehead against Jeno's shoulder, who is quick to welcome him into a tight hug “everything has been weird since that party… everything and everyone feels different… I feel… I feel wrong, Jeno.” He's full on sobbing against Jeno, soaking the fabric of his shirt as he struggles to speak. “Like there's this… pit in my stomach… It hurts so bad… and it won't stop coming back”

Jaemin clings tighter to Jeno as his voice cracks and drops to a whisper “no matter how hard i try, it just wants more and i can't control it…what's wrong with me” Jaemin lifts his head slightly off of Jeno's shoulder “I'm sorry Jeno…”

Before Jeno can even question his friend's odd words, searing pain shoots through his body from where his neck and shoulder meet, like hot oil pouring down his skin and the sound of flesh popping and tearing against sharp teeth makes him feel nauseous. His hands hit and push at Jaemin's stomach, trying his hardest to push him away, but Jaemin has a vice-like grip on the poor boy.

Jeno can feel every grind of Jaemin's teeth, pulling choked screams and pained sobs as it tears at his skin and muscle. The wet squelching sound of His friend chewing on his flesh floods his ears, making it impossible to ignore the sickening sounds. A deep, guttural moan slips from Jaemin's bloody lips, vibrating against the stinging flesh in a way that makes it feels like he's pressing nails into the wound.

Jeno is moving frantically against Jaemin, desperate to get him, and his teeth, off. A sudden, harsh kick to the shin makes Jaemin stumble, enough for Jeno to roughly shove him back. His hand shoots up instantly to put pressure on the wound, coating his hand in hot, thick blood. The scent hits him hard, with Jaemin's head no longer in the way trying to lap up every drop.

The brunette looks deadly, with his pupils dilated, something more animal than human as blood coats his mouth and chin, the viscous liquid dripping down his face and staining his clothes. Jeno watches him swallow before his lips slowly crack apart into a wide, smug grin, blood stained teeth on show. And the sight of him licking his lips, savouring the taste of blood, makes Jeno's blood run cold.

“I meant what I said though… I am really sorry Jeno.” Jaemins speaks, his voice deep and smooth as he stalks closer to Jeno.

“No you're not! You fucking psycho!” Jeno chokes out as he steps back, whimpering and hunching in on himself slightly as a sharp pain shoots through his body again from the sudden movement.

“i am! I'm sorry that it has to be you… that it had to be that poor girl from the library… or that Mark guy… or those countless other students” he takes another step closer with every person he lists, like a predator toying with its prey.

As Jaemin takes another step closer, Jeno tries to throw a punch… tries… he stumbles as Jaemin side steps him, a low, teasing chuckle sounding from the boy.

“And not to mention Renjun's poor baby brother…” he lets out a laugh, a sickening, dry sound that makes Jeno want to punch him.

Despite being able to put the pieces together himself, it's still a punch to the gut. Hearing his friend admitting to killing all those people. “It was you the whole time… killing people” his voice comes out broken, not really wanting to believe it despite all of his, and Haechan's, paranoid thoughts.

Jaemin easily grabs hold of him, nails digging into the back of Jeno's neck as his thumb presses into the wound, causing more blood to ooze out and sharp jolts of white hot pain in his neck. “Yeah… I just-” Jaemin's teasing, cocky words are cut off by a sudden, blooming pain as a sharp rock collides perfectly with his temple, causing him to pull away from Jeno and double over in pain, clutching his now bleeding head.

“You killed my fucking brother! You piece of shit! I'll fucking kill you myself!” Renjun's screaming rips through the small field as he goes to lunge at the blood covered boy.

But Haechan holds him back, arms wrapping tightly around the shorter boy's waist. His eyes lock onto Jeno's injured form, watching the way he stumbles and sways, clinging to the support beam of the rusty playset just to keep himself upright and the bloody wound is so clearly visible, even as Jeno tries to keep his hand pressed against it. Haechan definitely wants to see Jaemin get hurt, but if that's what he can do to Jeno… well, then he can definitely tear Renjun apart.

Jaemin lets out a low chuckle, finding some sick, twisted amusement in the chaos unfolding around him. “If it makes you feel any better Renjun… it was supposed to be you. I thought it was too.” He grins at the boy who is still lashing out against Haechan, clawing at him to get free. “he was wearing your sweater and you two look so similar from behind” the teasing lilt in his voice makes Renjun scream again, all his pain and misery bubbling up and out of him.

“You sick fuck! What is wrong with you? Why the fuck would you want to kill him? or anyone!” this time it's Haechan's turn to yell at him, still holding the shaking, angry boy against his chest.

“Don't be so jealous!” Jaemin sneers at him, his eyes flickering between his three friends to watch for any sudden movement. “you were supposed to be first… you remember that night, after we got drunk together.” His grin widens, teasing and predatory. “You let me walk you home, let me into your house. Who knew all I needed was a bit of liquor, and a spiked drink or two, to make you so trusting, to make you so… pliant”

“Shut the fuck up!” Haechan bites out, half tempted to go over and sock him in the jaw himself.

“i was going to kill you right then and there, slip away under the cover of night. But you so graciously offered me your body like a total slut… how could I resist such an easy fuck.” Jaemin's tongue slowly drags along his bottom lip, lapping at the blood still soaking his face. “So I figured I'd wait until morning to kill you, it was the least i could do after youshowed me such a good time. But you slipped away before i could even wake up… coward”

The loud sound of Jeno's body slumping against the floor makes the field fall into a tense silence. The three boys look over at Jeno, who is now face down in the grass and still bleeding out from his neck.

“What's wrong? Aren't you gonna go check on our friend… he could be dying you know, he lost a lot of blood” Jaemin taunts them, soaking up the concerned and fearful looks of his two friends.

Renjun starts squirming again, slamming his heel down against Haechan's foot to break free from the boy's hold. He doesn't waste any time to stop and think before sprinting towards Jeno's unconscious body, too worried and overwhelmed to think clearly. He's quick but unfortunately for him, Jaemin is quicker and stronger too. It's so easy for him to lunge forward and grab the short boy by the nape, even easier to slam the side of his head against the rusty metal slide. Renjun's body drops like a sack of bricks against the grass.

The brunette lets out a sigh, sounding all too relieved as his gaze slowly turns towards Haechan “this makes things so much easier…”

And maybe Jaemin was right to call Haechan a coward, because before he can even form a thought he's spinning around, attempting to leg it back towards his car. He only makes it halfway across the field before his body is roughly shoved to the ground, a heavy weight on his back and a hand in his hair shoving his face into the grass and dirt keeps him pinned.

He thrashes beneath Jaemin's weight, loud sobs muffled by the soil his face is being pressed against. “What's the matter baby~ I thought you liked this position” Haechan wants to throw up, wants to scream, cry and choke Jaemin to death with his bare hands.

The boy on top of him wrenches his head up, fingers tangling against Haechan's messy black hair to do so. Dirt sticks to his cheeks from the flood of tears pouring down his face, smearing across his skin and leaving behind marks. “Ask me why” Jaemin's voice is low, almost a whisper against Haechan's ear.

“W-what?” Haechan sobs out, confused, scared and in too much pain to understand what the fuck he's going on about.

“Ask. Me. Why!” Jaemin emphasises each word with a harsh shake of Haechan's head, his hand fisting into his messy locks tighter. “Ask why I killed those people”

He yanks harder on Haechan's hair when he doesn't get a response, so hard the boy beneath him feels a few strands get ripped lose, forcing a yelp out of him “Fuck! Okay, Okay! Why! Why are you killing people? Why are you trying to kill us?”

Jaemin instantly lets go of Haechan's hair, letting his face drop harshly into the grass with a thump, torn out strands of hair still wrapped around his fingers. “Have you ever been so painfully hungry? Unable to control the pit forming in your stomach, unable to make it go away until you give it what it wants? What it craves”

Jaemin lifts some of his weight up, just enough to manhandle Haechan around, forcing the boy onto his back before settling his weight down once more. Hands grasping Haechan's wrists before he can even try to fight back, keeping them pressed into the hard soil. “It's like there's this voice… or rather my own subconscious… telling me that this is right. That this is what I should be doing, that I should just give in to this primal hunger inside of me that craves the flesh of the people i care about”

Haechan can't tear his eyes away from the scene above him. Jaemin is still covered in blood and looking near rabid, hungry and with something darker and much more uncomfortable swirling in his eyes. “I tried so hard not to hurt any of you, I really, really did, you have to believe that. I thought that maybe if I went for people that I could tie back to you guys it would be okay!” He sounds rabid too, manic and on the verge of snapping.

“That first girl… I mean her little crush on Jeno is so obvious. And then a few kids that just so happened to be in the same classes as some of you. But that wasn't enough!” Jaemin's hands move away from Haechan's wrists, gripping the sides of his face as he leans down, close enough to just breathe the same air. “So I killed Mark, because you were so stupidly in love with him, he tasted good but… it wasn't you… so when I saw you at that nightclub I just had to do it.”

He dips his head down to Haechan's neck, and the poor boy feels his heart pound in his chest, thinking this might be his last moment. He's too dazed and freaked out to try and fight back, all he can do is sob and squirm. But the feeling of Jaemin gently kissing and sucking against the soft skin of his neck makes Haechan squeal, because honestly it might just be worse than trying to eat him alive.

Jaemin pulls back, one hand moving up to cup over Haechan's mouth, muffling his panicked noises. Jaemin hushes him, slapping away the hands that try to claw at his own. “Even just a quick taste of your skin that night was enough to get me hooked… I needed more, but you left me alone! So really if you think about it, Chenle’s blood is on your hands” he hums as Haechan attempts to shake his head in response, cooing at the fresh wave of tears that flood from the boy's eyes.

“Yeah… it's true. If you stayed, it would've been you, not him” His words come out soft and light, like he's making some weird attempt to be flirty or playful. “And what's worse is that it really was supposed to be Renjun… just think about it Haechan. Our best friend could've died because you were a selfish coward and couldn't face me the morning after” Jaemin knows exactly what he's doing, tearing down the boy beneath him until he breaks, toying with his food until he's serving himself on a silver platter.

“He's gonna hate you when he finds out you're the reason his precious little brother is dead!” Haechan's body finally goes limp under Jaemin, one last pitiful sob muffled beneath his hand. “Hmmm… I bet you're gonna taste so sweet”

Jaemin keeps his hand clamped around Haechan's mouth, muffling his sobs and whines as he presses kisses along his neck, smearing their friends blood against Haechan's skin as he does. Jaemin presses his tongue flat against Haechan's collarbone before slowly dragging it up to his jaw, savouring the taste of blood and flesh.

The hot, wet muscle feels jarring in comparison to the coldness of Jaemin's lips and the sticky blood smeared on his neck. He wants the feeling to end, but he regrets wishing that as soon as it does. Because yeah, the feeling of Jaemin kissing, licking and sucking hickies into his neck is pretty terrible, but feeling Jaemin's teeth sink into his shoulder is much worse.

He gnaws at Haechan's soft flesh, little nips and bites as if sampling the taste. His hands move down to pull at the collar of Haechan's shirt, revealing even more flesh to his drooling mouth. The small bursts of pain across his neck are enough to have Haechan crying harder and begging the boy on top of him to stop.

“Stop?” the brunette asks in disbelief as he pulls his head back to stare down at the boy, pupils blown wide. “I can't stop now… I need to eat. And if not you…” he trails off, looking over his shoulder at their two friends who were both still slumped on the floor “than it has to be them” his gaze snaps back to Haechan “is that what you want? Hmm… you want me to go tear into their flesh to save your own ass, huh?”

Jaemin lets out a quiet ‘tsk’ noise, as if he's genuinely disappointed in the boy beneath him “What a greedy, selfish boy” he draws out, voice condescending and harsh.

He starts shifting in his spot, as if going to stand up, causing panic to flood through Haechan. “Wait! No… no no no, don't… don't hurt them” Haechan wails out, crying harder at the mere thought of his friends being hurt.

“Then are you gonna lay there and let me do this?” Jaemin asks slowly, voice dropping to a whisper. He doesn't move, doesn't tease, just waits for the inevitable submission. And when he gets what he wants, that slow nod of Haechan's head and a whimpered out yes, he finally stops trying to hold himself back from devouring the poor boy.

When Jeno finally comes to, his brain feels foggy and for a brief moment he doesn't remember where he is or what happened. Until he moves and the aching, stabbing pain in his shoulder snaps him back to reality.

Loud screams and sobs fill his ears, mixing with the low taunting voice of Jaemin. “Shh stop crying baby~ this is exactly what you deserve” another sharp cry echoes around the field, a choked, pained noise that makes Jeno's stomach twist.

Jeno's vision is still slightly blurry as he pulls himself up, staggering as he tries to steady himself. It doesn't take him very long to notice the other boy passed out nearby, a trickle of red dripping down Renjun's forehead. He tries his best to focus, checking for a pulse while trying to block out the screaming and his own pain. As soon as he finds one he's moving, uncoordinated and sluggish but overly determined to help his friend.

Haechan can't stop screaming even if he wants to, not with Jaemin on top of him tearing away at his flesh with his teeth. Sure the initial pop of flesh giving way to sharp teeth hurts, and so does the feeling of said teeth grinding down into his bleeding flesh. But it's when Jaemin starts to pull back, teeth still digging in to rip off strips of flesh and muscle that really hurts the most. He's on the verge of passing out from blood loss and pain but a sharp slap keeps him conscious, just enough to feel everything.

Haechan lets out a blood curdling scream, not from pain this time but from a sudden spark of pure terror. The feeling of hot blood splattering against his skin that isn't his own sends his mind reeling. Wide, glassy eyes stare up at the boy who's been eating him alive for who knows how long now. So far gone and fucked up that the look of genuine pain on Jaemin's face makes his heart ache.

The blood soaked metal rod sticking out Jaemin's chest twists, hard and fast. A sickening squelching noise that overpowers the sound of Haechan hyperventilating. Jaemin slumps forward, still hovering over Haechan's body with a smile, even as he's dying. A shoe collides with Jaemin's side, easily kicking his, now weak, body off of Haechan.

Haechan is still hyperventilating and crying as a new face hovers over him, crouching down slowly beside his head. “Jeno… everything hurts” the boy whines out, his voice weak and shaky as he struggles to breathe.

“I know… but it's gonna be okay, I promise” Jeno tries to reassure him, trying his best to ignore the current state Jaemin left him in. But Haechan knows he's screwed, he doesn't have to look down to know how much flesh has been torn off of his body, he can feel the stinging throb and the blood that's still spilling from him. Far too many wounds to try and cover them all quick enough.

He doesn't bother moving, he doesn't pull himself up and try to brush it off. He just shakes his head, not even bothering to argue with Jeno, not as he feels his breathing start to slow down a little too quickly. “Is Renjun okay?”

Jeno nods his head, hands resting gently on Haechan's face, too scared to touch anywhere else. “Yeah… he's okay, probably concussed but alive… all three of us are alive. So come on, we should take you to a hospital before you get any more dirt in those wounds” he's successful in pulling a laugh from Haechan, even if it is more of a shaky huff than anything.

As soon as Jeno stands up, ready to carry Haechan back to the car, the edges of his vision start to go black, like he's on the verge of passing out again. He can't even try to fight it as the world suddenly tips, but his eyes snap back open before he can even hit the ground.

A wave of loud noise crashes over him, leaving him panicking and disorientated. Despite that it doesn't take him long to realise exactly where he is.

His eyes snap towards where he knows Jaemin is, finding him quicker than he did the first time, watching as he happily accepts a drink from a stranger, chugging it down without a second thought.

Maybe Jeno died and this is his own personal hell… forced to relive the night his friend died and everything fell apart… but the body colliding into his shoulder feels very real.

He pushes his way through the crowd of sweaty bodies without even thinking. His eyes are glassy with tears as finally reaches his friend, pushing past drunk college students to grab Jaemin's wrist tightly, drawing his attention towards him. “Dude… you okay?” Jaemin yells out over the music, leaning in closer so the older boy could hear him.

“We're leaving… now” Jeno doesn't wait for a response before he's tugging Jaemin through the crowd, leading him outside.

“Oh come on!” the drunk boy groans out “it's still so early, and I'm not even that drunk yet” it's almost like a sick sense a Déjà vu, how uncomfortably familiar this situation is to him.

Jeno doesn't say anything else, doesn't even try to come up with an excuse for Jaemin. He just needs to get them all away from this place as soon as possible, Haechan and Renjun included.

Jeno instantly spots Renjun and Haechan, it's almost familiar. Except Haechan is on his knees, holding Renjun tightly as he sobs against him. He doesn't notice the two boys approaching but Renjun does, and he looks like he wants to murder Jaemin. Which Jeno can't blame him for.

Jeno tenses, expecting some kind of argument, physical or verbal. It's more shocking that Renjun just turns his head away, trying to console Haechan who's still shaking in his arms.

“Jeez, how much did you drink tonight?” Jaemin asks softly, stepping closer to the two boys kneeling on the grass. The sound of his voice makes Haechan snap his head upwards, eyes wide and still flooding with tears before he's hunching over to throw up all over the grass.

“Im ordering an uber” Jeno says to the three boys, catching the quick nod Renjun gives him before he looks back down at his phone.

“What? No don't do that, that's… that's a stupid idea” Jaemin stutters out as he steps closer to Jeno “I'll drive”

“You're not fucking driving, Jaemin. You're wasted. It's a bad idea.” Renjun bites out, slowly helping Haechan stand up.

“Seriously, I've got a high tolerance, plus if we get an uber, I'm gonna have to get another tomorrow just to pick my car up… it's such a waste of money” Jaemin continues to nag them, but Jeno ignores him this time, already confirming the ride.

“I'll give you a lift tomorrow, shut the fuck up” Jeno hisses out as the boy steps towards him.

“Ugh fine… whatever, you all seem like you're in a shit mood. Did something happen?” Jaemin asks them, a twinge of concern in his voice that makes Jeno look over at him.

“Yeah, rough night I guess… as long as we all get home safe it's fine.” Jaemin seems satisfied with Jeno's answer, because he stops nagging him. Opting to stand by the curb and wait for the uber to arrive.

Jeno lets Jaemin ride shotgun, too exhausted to argue about anything as he slumps against the car door, Haechan already curling into his side from the middle seat, grasping at his own arms with shaky fingers, like he's checking himself over for any lingering wounds. Jeno tugs the boy closer, letting him rest his head against his chest. It takes barely a minute before Haechan passes out asleep to the sound of Jeno's heartbeat.

The sound of a phone ringing in the quiet space catches his attention, looking over to see Renjun with his phone to his ear and a soft smile on his face. Jeno can hear the muffled sound of Chenle’s loud voice greeting his older brother and it makes him smile too… because maybe now everything will be okay. Because now Jaemin can't crash his car into a tree on the way home because he was too busy arguing with Haechan and Renjun. Now they won't leave their best friend's dead body by the side of the road. And he won't come back to life tomorrow, he won't come back wrong…

Right...?

Only… it wasn't the crash.

But how could they have known?

Poor Jaemin had been doomed before they even left that party.

And whatever that hunger inside of him was… it would do anything to keep him alive.