Angel's Kisses

>ten

"Where were you?"

Jeno startles, dropping his keys onto the floor at the sound of someone's voice amongst the pitch black hallway.

He bends down to pick up the keys before answering the question.

"Out," he simply says, toeing off his shoes and walking deeper into the hallway, brushing past whoever was there. He wasn't really interested, anyway. "I thought everybody was asleep?"

A scoff follows from behind him, along with light footsteps.

"I did too, and then I saw your shoes missing."

"Oh, didn't know you cared about me," Jeno mocks, wiggling his eyebrows as he makes his way into the kitchen. "Hyung, have you gone soft for me?"

"There are only two things I care about," Mark says slowly, leaning against the counter as Jeno looks through the fridge. "Dead demons and Renjun."

"Dead demons?" Jeno repeats, crinkling his nose as he grabs the carton of milk from the fridge. He closes the door and opens the beck, staring at Mark. "You a necrophiliac or something? Is that the real reason why you're here?"

"Dude!" Mark chokes, taken aback by Jeno's words. The latter simply drinks the milk from the carton, shrugging his shoulders. "What the fuck?"

"You're not denying it."

"You're a freak, you know that? I'm not a fucking necrophiliac, dumbass," Mark sighs, kicking Jeno with his foot.

"Hm. So what did you mean by dead demons?"

"I meant I care about them because Donghyuck has a rough time tending them," Mark explains briefly. "You know the paperwork and shit."

"Ironic."

"Shut up. I answered your question now you answer mine. Where were you?"

"You're not gonna like it~" Jeno singsongs, walking past Mark and into the living room. He collapses into the couch, unable to melt into the cushions before Mark joins right beside him.

He sighs.

"Dude, literally spill. I already told you there's only two things I care about."

"Fine, since you're so curious," Jeno scoffs, looking Mark in the eyes. "I was hanging out with Park Jisung."

"That mushroom kid?" Mark immediately shrieks, the name ringing a bell in the back of his head.

Jeno purses his lips at the name.

"Yeah, the mushroom kid."

"What did you do? Scare him?" Mark scoffs.

"We had burgers, actually," Jeno corrects, nonchalant as he looks around the dark living room, not really paying attention to anything. He just doesn't want to look at Mark. "And milkshakes."

"Why'd you take an angel out on a date?" Mark asks, and Jeno doesn't have to look at him to know his nose is scrunching in distaste.

"I didn't take him on a date, we reconciled," Jeno corrects, looking up at the dark ceiling. It was extremely quiet through the apartment, Donghyuck and Renjun asleep, no doubt. Why Mark was still awake, he doesn't know, but Mark normally doesn't sleep until early morning anyway. "Did you forget I knew him before dying?"

Mark pretends to think, Jeno can feel it without even having to look at him. He guesses that's the product of being next to someone for decades on end.

"So you seduced him with burgers and milkshakes, and what, he told you how you died?"

Jeno's fingers clench into a fist, where they're resting on the couch next to him.

"He didn't tell me anything," Jeno says, quietly, as to not disrupt the quiet atmosphere between the two of them.

Mark knows better than to assume it's because of that.

"Then what was the point of going out—"

Before Mark can finish his sentence, Jeno stands up from the couch. He's angry and hot, and he feels fire pump through his veins. He's annoyed and he's burning, and he thinks his eyes are probably red.

Judging by the look in Mark's eyes, they probably are.

"Maybe to talk to an old friend? Does there have to be an ulterior motive?" Jeno seethes, sparks flying out of him like a malfunctioning machine.

Mark, who stays sitting on the couch in front of him, remains neutral and stoic, not one bit bothered by what's happening to Jeno in front of him. He's seen worse, anyway.

"Angels aren't our friends," he states, calm with finality in his tone. When he sees Jeno open his mouth to retaliate, he continues before he can. "They're targets and they're nuisances. They dampen our goal and they're unnecessary."

"Don't say that shit," Jeno grumbles, head throbbing with the want to rip Mark's brains out at what he said. If he has any, that is.

"What? Got a second angel wrapped around your finger and suddenly you're more than just stalking them? Are you fucking sick?"

Something inside Jeno snaps, and within a second, he's slamming Mark into the wall behind him, hand tight around the demon's throat.

"Shut up!" Jeno growls, spit flying out of his mouth and eyes the reddest Mark has ever seen him. "I'm Hell's most powerful demon, I can rip your fucking throat out Mark Lee! You can be apart of those dead demons you love so fucking much."

It's then, that Jeno faintly hears footsteps coming into the living room, them no doubt belonging to Renjun and Donghyuck.

"Jen, calm the fuck down," Donghyuck says, more of a groan actually, voice thick with sleep. It's also obvious that he couldn't give lesser of a fuck of what's going on, and Jeno doesn't blame him. "And get your hands off of Mark, he's too pretty to be killed by you."

Spluttering at Donghyuck's words, Mark manages to escape Jeno's hold and into Renjun's, the latter taking him to the kitchen to ice his bruises.

"Are you stupid?" Donghyuck asks once they're done, turning Jeno around by his shoulders.

"Extremely," Jeno spits, eyes calming down from their fiery red, body heat lowering in intensity. "Wait no—"

"You can't even think properly right now, you asshole," Donghyuck tsks, pushing him down to sit on the couch. "I'm all for violence Jeno, but don't put a single finger on Mark like that," he hisses, eyes angry with fire, but still shockingly their normal colour.

"He was being annoying—"

"I don't fucking care Jeno. Not a finger on Mark, not a finger on Renjun, not a finger on me. Check yourself."

Jeno wonders, as Donghyuck leaves him alone in the living room, when he had let angels make him so emotional.