Thieves and Thrones: An NCT Mafia Story

Pride and Prejudice

He had spent every second since seeing her lying in that bed preparing to look into those eyes again. But he wasn't ready. It took everything in him not to walk out of the room and keep walking until he was as far away from here as possible when he realized it was her.

"Nara," Jaehyun whispers low and slow.

"What? Wait—

Nara tries to sit up but sucks in a sharp breath and rests her head back onto the white satin sheets. Jaehyun stays in his chair. Immovable. Distance is good. For both of them.

"I know you're confused, but I can't stay with you. I have to let my br—my boss know you're awake," he utters, conflicted emotions coursing through him as he takes in the agonized confusion in a face he knows too well.

He grips the ends of his armchair, gathering himself and shoving everything away. "Nara. I need you to pay attention."

He waits for a moment to make sure she'll listen. Her brow furrows, but he can't tell if it's anger or something else.

"You cannot, under any circumstance, tell anyone you know me."

"Jae—

"Promise me."

Sorrow seems to flit across Nara's face before a mask of acceptance buries it away and she nods.

"I'll make sure someone brings you some food and water," Jaehyun offers as he stands.

"Just—why..."

Nara trails off as if she's looking for the right words and then she purses her tender lips as she gulps deeply.

He knows that tell. "Say what you really want to say. Get it over with."

"Same asshole as ever, I see," Nara replies weakly.

He can't help the smile that comes forth.

"When it's time, if you answer my questions, I'll answer yours," he says. "But I am serious about what I said. Nobody can know. Okay? Not yet."

Nara closes her eyes and shakes her head. "I didn't know."

"I know you didn't."

—

"Is someone going to tell me why I had to be dragged up here in the middle of fixing the EM generator?" Haechan sighs, exasperated.

He had finally carved out time to make repairs that were long overdue, and not hours later, Mark had come to pull him off a chore that Taeyong had been hounding him over for weeks.

"Does it have anything to do with the blood behind Mark's ear, or did Yuta get a little too fresh," Haechan quips.

From the pewter colored couch, Mark wipes two fingers behind his ear and clenches his jaw when a hint of blood is seen on his fingertips. He looks over to Yuta who is sitting on the other end, legs crossed, looking lost in contemplation.

Haechan knew that whatever was going on, it had to be serious. The library was where they always met when something major was happening. It wasn't going to stop him from making jokes at the wrong time to lighten the mood, however.

"We're just waiting for everyone else," Jungwoo answers from the center of the couch.

Resigning himself to getting nothing else out of them, Haechan runs his fingers through his black hair and sits in the club chair nearest the door. He starts picking at the hole in his torn whitewashed jeans wishing he could at least tap into the security network to pass the time, but the library was a technological dead zone. A nice little trick courtesy of Mark, which was exactly why it was where they always held their meetings.