When the gentleman breaks
Chapter 29: War
✦ Seventeen mafia AU ✦ 95 line POV ✦ Rating: Mature ✦ Warnings/contents: threats / guns / blood / character death / emotional damage / grief ✦ Wc: 2.3k ✦ an: Hiii~ How are you doing?
Just. I'm sorry.
Masterpost
Joshua’s POV
Song: Taemin - Veil July
My eyes track Minghao and Jun as they disappear around the corner of the Exo warehouse. In front of me, Jeonghan crouches down and starts quietly picking the padlock on the door. I glance back at Seungcheol and Mingyu behind me. Seungcheol meets my gaze and gives me a small nod, his features emotionless. Mingyu’s attention is trained on the movement of Jeonghan’s hands.
With a soft click, the padlock opens. Jeonghan looks back at me over his shoulder with a wide triumphant grin on his face. He quickly takes the padlock off and slides the chain out of the door handles. I step up next to him and he gets to his feet. He grips both handles firmly. Glances over his shoulder one more time, his features serious once again. He braces himself.
The metal undersides scrape across the ground as he forcefully opens the door. Both of us run off to the left side, silently finding hiding places in the warehouse. Behind me, Seungcheol saunters in, his hands in his pockets, Mingyu following shortly behind him.
“Suho!” He loudly calls, his voice ringing clearly through the space. A shudder ripples through my body.
Jeonghan and I quickly reach our intended hiding spot, and we peek through the steel bones of a large storage rack. Suho’s office is just out of view, and from the right of our vision we see Seungcheol and Mingyu step in. Seungcheol’s body is poised, ready. Mingyu is still half a step behind him, his shoulders tense and his jaw locked.
Suho steps out of his office. Chen and Xiumin behind him, like guard dogs. Suho laughs, the sound round and full. Theatrical. I scoff. My hand rests on the gun in the holster strapped around my upper leg.
“Dear Cheol,” Suho says. “How nice of you to pay me a visit today!” He laughs again. Seungcheol simply raises one brow, but stays silent. “To what do I owe this absolute honor?” Suho continues.
Seungcheol barks a laugh. “Here to settle your latest transgression, Suho. Nothing more, don’t get any ideas.”
Suho looks past Seungcheol at Mingyu. He snickers. “Thought you were here to return my rightful property, but alas.” He narrows his eyes. “But if you wanna play it this way, be my guest.” His voice has dropped to a low growl. He snaps his fingers. Metal scrapes against the ground.
Fuck. The doors.
Behind Mingyu, five bodies step out, closing our brothers in. The rest of Exo. Realization washes over me. Jeonghan looks at me with furious eyes. He is breathing hard. I pull out my phone and start typing. Fuck.
Seungcheol glances behind him, and a sharp derisive laugh falls from his lips. “Is this meant to scare me?” Mingyu swallows hard, his hand twitching. Suho smirks.
“No,” he says, airily, as if discussing his favorite food. “But this is.” He snaps his fingers again, and right across from us, all eight members of Ateez emerge from the shadows. Fuck. That’s sixteen now. I pocket my phone, my fingers shaking.
Seungcheol and Mingyu turn in a smooth movement, their backs towards us. Eyes on the enemies flanking them from the other three sides. Behind Suho, another scathing voice speaks up.
“They’re not so brave anymore, right, boss?” Yeonjun steps out from behind Chen and Xiumin. The light catches on something in his hand. Metal. My heart jumps as I realize he’s holding a gun. “Maybe it’s time to bring out their buddies, too?” He continues, his voice sickeningly sweet.
Suho nods and his eyes connect with Seungcheol. “We know who you have with you. Your assassins.” He clacks his tongue. “Quite rude of you, actually.” He looks around, opening his arms. He raises his voice and it booms around the space. “Minghao, Jun, Jeonghan, Joshua! Come out to play.”
Jeonghan and I share a quick glance. The other two will wait for our decision. There are too many enemies. We need to stall. My phone feels hot in my pocket. I nod, and we step out of our hiding place. Suho’s face opens in a bright smile. We step up right next to Seungcheol. My hand hovers over my gun. Seconds later, Minghao and Jun soundlessly appear. They take place behind Mingyu.
Suho makes a show of counting us, his finger bouncing up and down in the air. “Alright, six of you. All present.” He turns to Yeonjun, who is grinning. “With how many do we outnumber them, dear Yeonjun?”
“That would be seventeen to six, boss.” A honed laugh, stringing the tension in the air even tighter. Suho nods, still smiling widely. “But we can do even better, can’t we, boss?” Yeonjun adds. He twirls the gun in his hand. Suho chuckles, his shoulders shaking lightly.
“Let’s show our full hand, Yeonjun,” Suho answers the question. He snaps his fingers again. Seven men step out and in between the Ateez members across from us. Jay B steps up next to Hongjoong, crossing his arms in front of his chest. To our right, five more bodies move and mix themselves with the five Exo members standing there. Got7 and Red Velvet. My stomach turns over. Mingyu trembles behind us.
“How many is that then, Yeonjun?” Suho’s smooth voice grates against my nerves. Yeonjun cocks his head to the side, bouncing his finger through the air as he counts.
He looks at us, drops his hand to his side, and smirks. “That makes twenty-nine to six now, boss.” Suho opens his mouth to respond, but suddenly light floods in from our right. The sound of metal scraping over the ground. I push my chest forward and force my shoulders down. I look at Suho, and smirk.
“Wanna try that count again?” My voice is taunting, arrogance rippling off me in a way I can’t afford. Circling around the ten enemies on our right, new bodies move in quickly. Soonyoung, Chan and Seokmin fall in line behind us, next to Mingyu. Bang Chan and his seven come up right behind the Exo and Red Velvet, who shrink a few steps back towards Ateez and Got7.
Suho’s face pulls tight, his eyes narrowing. Jeonghan chuckles darkly to my left. “I think that makes our odds slightly better, wouldn’t you agree, dear Suho?” Suho’s eyes shift between Bang Chan to our right, whose intimidating aura seems to ripple off him as he crosses his arms and widens his stance, and Chan behind us. Suho flexes his right hand. I grit my teeth.
Yeonjun chuckles and twirls the gun again. “Impressive,” he says. “But we still outnumber you. Twenty-nine to seventeen. It’s no game.” He starts lifting his gun, and everyone tenses, but Suho waves him down. His eyes lock on Mingyu. His features twist into something unholy.
“Did Minseo enjoy my letter, Mingyu?”
The question hangs in the air for a split second. Then Mingyu steps forward, his body trembling with rage. Seungcheol’s arm moves quickly, his hand halting in front of Mingyu’s chest, stopping him. Mingyu’s hand darts to his back.
“No.”
Seungcheol’s powerful voice halts Mingyu’s movements. His hand rests on the gun tucked against his back. His chest is heaving with effort. His eyes are locked on Suho, fury plain within them.
Hongjoong laughs, the sound hostile. “Still got difficulty controlling your attack dogs then, Seungcheol?”
To his credit, Seungcheol doesn’t move. His eyes stay trained on Mingyu. A shout from the door pulls my attention away from them. The rest of our men join our ranks. Jihoon files in behind Mingyu, while Seungkwan, Wonwoo and Hansol take a place next to Minghao and Jun. Shinyu and Dohoon are half a step behind them, and with a quick hand motion I order them behind me, to Chan’s left.
My eyes flicker back to Suho. His theatricality has fallen, but his eyes are still focused on Mingyu. His voice is vile when he speaks again.
“I’ll ask her myself after we’re done here. Pay her a little visit.”
Mingyu slams Seungcheol’s arm away with his left hand and pulls his gun out with his right. He points it at Suho. A chorus of clicks around the room as twenty-eight enemies pull out and cock their guns. Then another wave as our own cavalry answers in kind.
Only Suho and Seungcheol keep their guns pocketed. I angle myself as a shield in front of Shinyu and Dohoon. Bile rises in my throat as I realize they have no guns. No way to protect themselves. My gun feels heavy in my hand as I point it towards Suho.
Suho simply laughs dismissively and waves his hand. From our right, the sound of approaching footsteps. Monsta X steps forward, mingling with the men from Stray Kids. Shownu takes his place right next to Bang Chan. The Mamamoo women follow them in, staying a little further back. The Monsta X men pull their guns.
Between them and us, Soobin steps inside. Beomgyu, Huening Kai and Taehyun follow him. As soon as he catches sight of them, Suho barks another laugh.
“Beomgyu!” He says, his voice way too joyful. “How nice of you to join, without the information you passed to Yeonjun I wouldn’t have been able to prepare this whole party.”
My veins immediately turn to ice. Beomgyu steps back, a bewildered look on his face. “What? I… what?” he stammers. Soobin pulls his gun, points it at Suho, and steps forward, out into the field. An array of guns follow his every move.
“Stop your lies, Suho.” Soobin’s voice is lethal. “You’ve taken enough from me already.” His eyes flicker to Yeonjun. “Back down.” Suho smiles his theatrical smile. His arms widen. His mouth opens to retaliate. Soobin grips his gun tighter.
A gun fires. The sound is deafening.
The smile falls from Suho’s face and the verbal retaliation gets stuck in his throat. His eyes flicker down at his chest. His right hand comes up and halts halfway through. He falls to his knees. Every movement seems like slow-motion. Blood starts staining his clothes.
I look to my right, and for a moment confusion overtakes me as I expect Soobin to have fired, but he’s lowered his gun. Seungcheol’s face is frozen in shock as he stares at Mingyu.
Mingyu. Mingyu fired.
More guns start firing. Seungcheol regains his composure. “Seek cover!” His voice somehow reaches us over the noise. All my men move as one. Behind the rack. Behind crates. Taking cover. Guns keep firing. My eyes go wide. My ears are ringing. I crane my head around the crate I’m crouching behind.
Suho is on the ground. A pool of blood slowly flows out underneath him.
The rain of bullets stops. Everyone on either side has now taken cover. I scan the grounds. Apart from Suho’s, five more bodies litter the ground. My eyes catch on familiar features, ones that are now way too still. Too unmoving. All sounds disappear from existence. My blood drains from my face. No. Please, no.
Chan.
“Your leader is dead.” Seungcheol’s voice rings out too loudly and I recoil. My eyes go back to Chan’s body on the floor in front of us. My head spins. The floor falls away from underneath me.
Seungcheol signals with his hand and my body acts on its training. All our allies step out in one wave, guns out. They advance slowly, strategically. Jeonghan rushes to Chan’s side. Shinyu and Dohoon stand behind him, their faces a ghostly white. Jeonghan checks his pulse. He looks up at me. Alive. His attention goes back to our youngest brother and his hands start working. I take a step towards them.
“Joshua.” Seungcheol’s command tears my attention away from them. “I need you.” I push a deep breath out my nose. I nod. Automatically I scan the scene. Soonyoung rushes past me, a guttural scream tearing from his mouth. He drops to his knees next to Chan. I swallow hard and turn away.
Mingyu is on his knees, holding his bleeding shoulder. Jihoon and Wonwoo are with him. Good. I motion towards the others, and my remaining men follow me as I step forward. Monsta X is also tending to someone wounded. Apart from Suho, three more enemy bodies lie motionless on the floor. My eyes sweep over them.
Chanyeol, Exo. Jinyoung, Got7. San, Ateez.
I lock eyes with Shownu. “Take my men,” he says. “I’m staying here with Kihyun. He needs me.” My hand quickly touches my chest, right over my heart and I grant him a small bow. Together with his men and those of Stray Kids, we methodically start weaving through the warehouse. We collect dropped guns and ammunition. We spot some tails of scattering enemies. We outnumber them. Their network leader is dead. They’re on the run. They’ve left their dead. Fucking figures.
Slowly we return to the scene, making sure the warehouse is emptied of our enemies. Mingyu’s bleeding has stopped. Shownu has stilled next to Kihyun. Tears stream down his face. I kneel down next to him and put my hand on his shoulder. We say nothing. Other Monsta X men join us. We all stare at Kihyun’s body. Too still. Skin too bleak.
I stand up and remove myself to let them grieve. All our men are now standing around Chan. I push at Minghao’s shoulder to let me through. Soonyoung is crying. Screaming. Wailing. Jihoon has his hands on Soonyoung’s arm, muttering still alive, still alive. My stomach knots together.
I watch Jeonghan’s steady hands work. Chan hasn’t regained consciousness. Not yet. Jeonghan looks up at me. His eyes are frantic and bloodshot. I move around the crowd and kneel down next to Jeonghan. Softly I touch his side.
“You can do this,” I whisper. “Save him.”
Jeonghan doesn’t answer. My eyes lift. They land on Shinyu and Dohoon. Shinyu meets my look. A tear slides down his tense face. A whisper from Dohoon. His voice is full of grief and desperation. His eyes stay on Chan’s still features.
“Hyung.”
The air becomes hard to breathe.
