Angel ✦ Nomin

19

"What do you want?" an exhausted Jisung asks with groggy eyes.

"Something fucked up's going on," Jeno responds.

"Are you going to tell me about it or are you going to just be vague?" Jisung groans.

"This morning, Jaemin came to visit me. He said you told him about me locking myself up for three days," Jeno explains as he paces around the perimeter of his large bed, which Jisung sits on, watching him.

"I never told Jaemin anything. I don't know how he found that out, but it wasn't from me," Jisung argues, immediately getting on the defensive.

"That's the thing," Jeno mumbles, "Jaemin doesn't know I locked myself up for three days."

"What? But you just said-"

"I think the Jaemin that visited me this morning wasn't actually Jaemin," Jeno remarks.

"That's not possible. How would anyone aside from you, me, Mark, Donghyuck, and Chenle possibly know about that?" Jisung retorts.

"Well, whoever it was knew exactly what happened the night I killed Jaemin.

"Well I wasn't there," Jisung remarks, "And Chenle wasn't, either."

"I know you both weren't. And neither was Donghyuck," Jeno states, "Which only leaves Mark."

"It couldn't have been him. He and Donghyuck left to go report to Taeyong about the Voyeur they managed to capture and send back to hell."

"I didn't think so, anyway. Whoever or whatever visited me said harsh things. It was like they wanted Jaemin and I to stay apart from each other. It seemed like they wanted us to suffer thinking we hated one another," Jeno rambles on as his mind lingers on the memory of how devastating it felt to believe Jaemin didn't want him, anymore and believed he cared more about being a demon than being with him.

"Who would possibly gain anything from separating you guys?" Jisung asks before his eyebrows raise and a lightbulb goes off in his head.

"Xiaojun," they say in unison.

"But I don't think it was Xiaojun. He isn't able to transform into other people at will. That's not how his powers work," Jeno quickly follows up, "And I don't think it was possession because the Jaemin that I saw this morning had brown hair, but the one I just visited now has pink hair."

"Then he must've sent another demon to do his bidding. One that can do that," Jisung suggests.

Jeno bites his lip a moment as he ponders this thought for a second.

He recalls not being able to read Jaemin's mind...just like Chenle...

He remembers how the last conversation he and Jaemin had before their fight was about how it made no sense for Xiao to just let Chenle go like he did.

What if Chenle was somehow a part of this mess?

He considers bringing up the idea to Jisung, but instantaneously dismisses it considering he knew Jisung wasn't one to take accusations against his boyfriend lightly. He was better off investigating on his own.

"I think you're into something," Jeno agrees, "I'll have to search through my books to find something that matches what I experienced."

"Chenle and I can help!" Jisung chimes, "If Xiao's behind this, you'll need all the help you can get."

"No, it's okay. I would know what type of demon best fits the part. Asking you both to help would be sending you blindly into a research project," Jeno declines as politely as possible, "Just enjoy each other's company, and I'll let you know when I figure it out."

Jisung lets out an exasperated sigh, yet still nods in agreement.

"Fine," he drones.

"Wish me luck," Jeno exhales before darting out of his room.