Mystery Tattoo | Norenmin

Chapter 31: Huang Renjun

Renjun heard a hard crack from behind him and turned groggily to see a doctor worriedly crouched beside Jeno who had collapsed to the floor.

"Jeno?" He mumbled and blinked, clearing his vision to see Jeno collapsed on the ground. "Jeno!" Renjun ran over and slid across the floor down next to him.

He was sobbing, his hands were covering his mouth and he struggled to breathe. He reached over to gently grab his head and place it onto his chest. Jeno grabbed Renjun's shirt tightly and buried his face into his old paint covered t-shirt that he often wore to bed.

Renjun tightly held onto Jeno, pressing him again his body and placing his hands firmly against his head and back in an attempt to ground him.

"Oh my gosh Renjun he has cancer," Jeno cried and Renjun pause. He blinked.

"I-I'm sorry I think I misheard you," Renjun laughed nervously, his heart rate starting to pick up as his stomach churned with nerves. "For a second I-I thought you said Jaemin had cancer."

Jeno let out a wail into Renjun's chest and Renjun could feel his tears soaking through the cotton onto his hot skin. Renjun looked up at the doctor with wide eyes, pleading him to tell him that Jeno was mistaken. Jeno was wrong. Jaemin wasn't sick. Jaemin was the healthiest person he knew. Sure he had been feeling under the weather but he'd been the bright and cheerful boy he was up until this morning.

"I'm sorry Renjun."

In this type of situation you can never really tell how you're going to react. Would you cry uncontrollably and grip onto the person closest to you like they were the only thing to stop you from drowning. Would you freeze, unable to control your breathing as you tried to suck in deeper breaths, struggling to process what exactly had been told to you. Would you immediately search for something to do, perhaps comforting the person next to you and tell them to take deep breaths as they rubbed the persons back. Would you argue with the doctor, telling them they're wrong and to check again because they much be mistaken.

Renjun shook.

His hand flew up to cover his mouth, trembling against his lips. His stomach curled into knots and Renjun could feel his skin tingling. His thoughts were all knotted up and swirling around his head, he couldn't focus. He didn't know what was going on, he didn't really...think. His hand tremored against Jeno's head, the boy still clinging to his shirt. Renjun wasn't really sure if he even had any tears left, and he was just going through the action.

Oh my God Renjun was shaking so bad. His felt like his entire body was convulsing. It was kind of like when you had a muscle spasm in your leg if you didn't drink enough water and the pain shot through your nervous system. You couldn't really move but you couldn't just lay their either, so eventually you had to try and massage the spot or get up to get a glass of water, struggling to ignore the pain.

Renjun's body was basically rejecting the idea that Jaemin had cancer. And cancer that bad? Stage 3? How did it even get so bad? How did they not notice? Wouldn't the symptoms been worse? How long had he even had it? Before they met? When they met? During their relationship, when Renjun was in charge of taking care of him?

He was hyperventilating. He knew he was. His hands were shaking so badly and his body hurt so fucking much. He felt like something was holding him, trapping him down, as he tried to get a hold of himself. Jeno needed him for Christ's sake!

Then he stopped.

His head whipped towards the closed door when he heard one of his favorite voices. Not a loud call, but just enough for Renjun's heightened senses to pick up on. A tentative and questioning 'hello' as if yo wonder why no one was in his room. Why no was was with him.

Jaemin was in there alone.

Jeno hadn't heard, not over the sharp, stinging shock of hearing that one of the people he loved the most was sick. Maybe fatally sick. Renjun could tell Jeno hasn't heard because the younger made no move to stand up through his unwilling convulsing.

Renjun grabbed Jeno's arms tightly and dragged the younger up to stand with him. Jeno was practically limp in his arms and Renjun moved to grab Jeno's face in between his two hands.

"Jaemin's awake, we need to be with him." Renjun said, a lot calmer than he felt as he noticed his hands continuing to shake while rested on Jeno's tear-stained cheeks. Jeno widened his eyes and nodded, following a Renjun as he flung open the previously closed door, startling the boy inside.

He was so beautiful.

Na Jaemin was the most beautiful person Renjun had seen in his entire life.

His brown hair was ruffled up in all different directions, most of it sticking up from when he had been laying down. He seemed confused, a small pout on his face in protest that they had just startled him. Renjun could see how pale his skin was now, he had unconsciously noticed before but now that he knew why it was so obvious. Dark circles highlighted his confused and worried eyes. Renjun's watched as he started to panic, taking in their sorry states. But he was still stunning, in the most human and Na Jaemin way. He looked so innocent and confused and gorgeous.

And he was just diagnosed with cancer.

"Renjunnie whats wrong?" Jaemin's eyes flickered between his own and observing the rest of the group that Renjun had felt come up behind him. "What's going on?"

How could you tell someone that they had cancer? How could you tell that to someone who had plans, had expectations, had dreams, had most of their life loosely planned out? How could a Renjun look into his soulmate's eyes and tell him that he was sick. That he might only have months or years left to live. That he was restricted in completing his dreams and he couldn't achieve everything he wanted.

His throat felt dry and he was practically choking on the emotions that were threatening to kill him if he didn't let them out soon. His lips were so dry and his stupid hands were still shaking.

He heard Jeno collapse onto the ground again and Renjun couldn't move to help him. He could only stare into Jaemin's shocked face. He could only watch as Jaemin tried to get up to go to Jeno, to help his boyfriend. He could only struggle to breath and the doctor rushed over to Jaemin to push the arguing boy back onto the hospital bed.

"What do you mean lay back down? My boyfriend just collapsed onto the ground aren't you going to help him? I'm fine!" Jaemin was furiously fighting the doctor.

"J-J," Renjun was so damn frustrated with himself as he tried to talk to his boyfriend. Explain the situation. Explain what was going on. Explain why Jeno was sobbing on the ground. He couldn't even comfort his boyfriends.

"Jaemin please don't tire yourself out," Sicheng brushed past Jaemin, the first of the hysterical group to talk. Ten moved to stand next to Sicheng at Jaemin's side.

All that was left was for Jeno and Renjun to join them. To stand by Jaemin's side when the doctor broke the news to him. To hold his hand and wipe away any potential tears. To tell him that they would stay by his side. That they would stay with him until the end.

A sob forced it's way out of Renjun's throat and his hand flew up to his mouth, as if to shove it back down.

"Renjunnie," Jaemin's voice came again. Soft. Caring. Only wanting to take away any pain Renjun was feeling. Renjun looked into Jaemin's eyes and he broke.

He spun on his heel and ran.

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Okay but like I'd let any member of NCT Dream from this comeback step on me.

I do be depressing though.

Please take care of yourself ♥️💞💕 or I'll have to fight you and bring you care packages myself 😤

Thank you for all your support :)