Bad Blood [NoRenMin] ✔

41

He keeps staring at his phone.

They've been in the hospital for a good few hours and exhaustion is slowly winning over, but he's fighting it. Haechan and Doyoung were in a hospital room. In the midst of the exchange, they were injured and needed immediate attention (Jaemin knows this much because the nurse was scolding Taeyong for being so reckless while the doctor was apologizing for her behaviour and assuring them that the two would be okay. The nurse started apologizing when Taeyong collapsed on their way to the waiting room.)

Kun, Jisung, Xiaojun and Jaemin were the least injured of the group. Jaemin currently sat with six stitches in his hand and when asked what happened, he couldn't even retell the tale. Xiaojun claimed he was lying until he retold them of the events that occurred between him and Lucas and Renjun.

Kun wasn't looking at him. No matter how many times they tried to exchange words with him, he never uttered a word. Jaemin felt guilty, considering. Kun must have actually cared deeply for Lucas to be this quiet at the loss. After much questioning on his part, Xiaojun explained who else had been set alight. According to him, Jaehyun was the first to go (and Jisung assured them he was okay. It needed to happen because though it was his brother, he was a vampire as well. And willingly killing people. "He needed to go, okay?") and then the order got mixed about. Lucas of course, and somehow they managed to get Hendery. When there was no point in negotiating with him, Taeyong made the move and just like that, they got the oldest vampire. The last one they managed to kill was Jeno. Jaemin had no idea how to respond and so, he chose not to. The idea that Jeno was officially dead flew right by him. He didn't know whether to be pleased or not.

"Jungwoo called me today," Jisung murmurs to Jaemin when they're alone. Xiaojun went to find Yangyang's room and Kun disappeared to the bathroom. "I told him what happened."

"He knew about vampires?" Jaemin asks quietly, looking over at him in surprise.

"He did. He said he wasn't mad at me because he couldn't stand the idea of Jaehyun killing people, you know?"

Jaemin nods. "And what about your friend?"

"Chenle?" Jisung asks. A moment later, he's shrugging. "We knew each other when we were younger. I knew he was a vampire. But he hated killing people. Hendery put him up to everything," he explains softly. He's clearly exhausted, so Jaemin insists he get some rest.

Jaemin sets out in search of coffee when he bumps into Mark.

"You're here," he says, but he doesn't sound surprised. His eyes are flickering from Jaemin to somewhere behind him and back and then, as if the realization finally sets in, he looks at Jaemin. "You found him."

"Yeah."

"Who? Where? How is he?" The panic has finally set in with Mark who seems to be doing everything he can not to reach out and shake the answers out of Jaemin (who appreciates it. He doubts he could handle that right about now, especially considering how much more exhausted he was growing by the second.) "Who did this?" he asks again when Jaemin doesn't respond.

"Mark—"

"Was it vampires? Warlocks? Was it just some coincidence?" Mark pauses, eyes settling on Jaemin as they narrow. "Or are you a norm?" He whispers as he throws out these questions and continuously looks around in the event that there may be anyone around to overhear.

"Aren't you?" Jaemin retorts. He has to mask his surprise. "How do you know about that?" he whispers.

Frowning, Mark looks around again before he tugs at Jaemin's sleeve, pulling him along until they've turned at least two corners and they're walking into a completely empty waiting room which Jaemin recalls passing on their way to find Haechan and Doyoung's room. He releases his hold on Jaemin and takes a seat. Jaemin follows in his steps and looks up at Mark expectantly.

"I know because of Renjun," Mark says finally. "Is he okay?"

He pauses which doesn't go unnoticed by Mark, though he waits patiently for Jaemin to respond. Eventually, after a few moments of consideration, Jaemin nods. "He is," he replies softly. "But how is it that you know because of him?"

There's a shift on Mark's side, like he's not too sure as to whether he can talk about it. His eyes flicker around the room and when they meet Jaemin's, he releases a sigh. "It was years ago when we were still in school. Renjun was going out with Jeno by then and I don't know what happened, but somehow he got hurt pretty badly. It was either death or turning him—"

"Did Jeno turn him?" Jaemin asks out of pure horror. He couldn't begin to imagine the idea.

"No, no," Mark reassures, waving a hand at the idea as if it were silly. "Jeno didn't know what to do and took him to some vampire that turned him. He knew he didn't want Renjun to die, so the vampire turned him too."

Hendery, Jaemin realizes. He recalls Ten and Johnny's words; them saying how Hendery had saved people. Renjun was saved by Hendery. Which meant Hendery was the one who turned Jeno. Hendery was the vampire that attacked us that night, he thinks. There's a sickening churning in his stomach at the realization.

"I found out by pure accident. He wasn't eating and he looked really pale and I approached him. Thought maybe his mom wasn't home again and he hadn't told me and I was making food and cut myself and when I turned, there were fangs."

"Did he—?"

Mark chuckles. "No. He was across the room and crying and scared as hell. He eventually told me what happened after he calmed down and that's how I know," he finishes off his explanation, smiling. "So, I helped him out. He didn't want to touch another human, you know. So we did the whole hunting animals thing. He goes off for a week, I cover for him and he's back before they ever realize he is gone."

Jaemin recalls the time Renjun was missing. "You were covering for him then too, weren't you?" He queries.

"I was," he admits easily enough. When he looks at Jaemin again, he's still smiling, but he's got this whole new seriousness to him that wasn't there moments before. "Jaemin," he starts. "I need you to look after him, alright? I don't want anything happening to him."

It takes him a moment longer than it should, but Jaemin finds himself agreeing. Mark doesn't ask how Jaemin knows, and he's alright with that. They get up and go off to find coffee. By the time they return to where Haechan and Doyoung's room is, Kun and Xiaojun are back. Rather than being seated on one of the four chairs, Xiaojun is leaning against the wall next to the chair that Yangyang is in. He looks up and offers a smile and when he waves, Jaemin notes the other arm that is in the cast and sling. Winwin still isn't out. Mark disappears when the doctor calls out Haechan's name and just as he follows Mark into the room, Taeyong and Doyoung make their way out.

"Well, then," Taeyong says, smiling. "As eventful as the day was, how about we all just head home and get some sleep."

"What about Winwin?"

"I'll be here for him." Jaemin turns around and he's face to face with one of the vampires. He can't recall meeting him before, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out that this is Yuta. He's slim and boyish hair frames his face. He looks badass compared to Hendery, and otherwise, Jaemin wouldn't have trusted him.

But the look of worry in his eyes has Jaemin nodding.

Jaemin disappears into the room to say his goodbyes to Haechan and Mark (who are both insistent about him leaving and getting some sleep because he 'definitely looks like he needs it') and then he's walking out of the hospital with the rest of the group.

In the car, he finds himself staring at his phone again.