featherbrain ☆ l.jn ☆ ayakashi series | ✔

jeno [three]

While you had been able to choose your partner, it seemed like Sicheng was setting the others up. Him and Johnny were together, with poor Renjun being stuck between Yuta and Taeyong. Hopefully they'd bicker less without you around.

Everybody split up outside Lenticular Café, routes plugged into your phones. You kept a wary eye on the receding figures of Taeyong, Yuta, and Renjun for as long as you could before returning your focus to your own patrolling with Jeno.

It had rained earlier that day, small puddles splashing underfoot as you walked along with Jeno. As soon as you had turned a corner and were out of earshot of the others, you blurted out something that had been on your mind, "Yuta thought you would've killed me that night in the café, if I had tried to help Renjun."

"He's right," Jeno answered without hesitation.

That definitely shut you up. You expected denial, ridicule for believing such a thing, really anything but that. Your chest was tight as you realized that you had just volunteered to be alone with a man who had essentially just told you he had no problem killing you.

The two of you were silent as you continued on your route. You were mostly unsure of what you should exactly be looking for. If the Wraiths were in their human forms, there was no way that you'd be able to tell. So you only had Jeno to rely on for sensing them. And at that moment, you didn't have a whole lot of trust in him.

Jeno suddenly thrust an arm out in front of you, halting your steps. He looked around warily, eyes landing on a dark alley across the street from you all. Of course the scary evil Wraiths had to be in the dark scary alley. The street was empty, your route having taken you into a rather deserted area of town.

Looking both ways, Jeno sprinted across the empty street, and you quietly followed behind him. As you got closer to the alley, you could hear voices drifting out.

"Yeah, so we've gotta—" The man suddenly stopped, pausing before his oddly familiar voice became sinister, "Wait, you feel that?"

"Yes," another voice agreed, and you swore you'd heard that one before somewhere. "Ayakashi and... something else. What is that? Not a human."

Their voices were getting closer, your anxiety flaring up. Jeno looked over his shoulder at you, taking a small step back from the alley. Following his lead, you backed up as well, both your pairs of eyes focused on where the two Wraiths were.

"Do you think it's her? The one he's been having us keep an eye on?" The second Wraith questioned.

"Maybe. But you know our orders."

"Do I?"

Well that didn't sound good. And Jeno seemed to have the same feeling as you, glancing back over his shoulder to you.

"Go!" He hissed as quiet as possible, barely audible to you.

You couldn't really argue in that moment, remembering what Renjun had said in the café. Without your powers, you were just going to get in the way. But you still felt uneasy about leaving Jeno behind. And yet your feet had made up their mind, slapping against the ground as you fled the scene.

"Hey, looks like we were right!" One of the Wraiths announced with delight, voice much too clear to still be in the alley. The sounds of your feet pounding on the pavement must have drawn their attention.

"Ooh, it's the Tengu," the other said with fake amazement.

Ducking behind a corner, you peered back for a moment. Jeno's wings were out, blocking your view of the Wraiths. Inky black feathers rippled as he stood his ground, facing off with them, but not making a move to attack yet. Hopefully this would end peacefully, that they'd leave him alone. Sicheng had emphasized that you weren't to instigate or start a fight with them. Only defend yourselves.