Trinity Six | NCT DREAM

036

It was a struggle getting everyone back out of the building, and by the time I had finally lined them up along the side of the outer wall, Chenle, Renjun, and Jeno were already starting to regain consciousness. Jaemin had helped support them on the way down, but he hadn't spoken as much as a single word to me. The strong glow of headlights that came our way was what shook me out of my thoughts, the sharp light blinding me as one of the familiar Pininfarina Battistas pulled up in front of the Medici Palazzo. I felt a mix of anger and relief at the sight of Mark stepping out of the car.

I reached him in a couple of steps, bringing my arm back before punching him square in the face, breathing heavily as I watched his head whip to the side at the impact. "I deserved that," he mumbled, a sheepish but sad smile making its way to his face as he looked up at me. "You did," I agreed, "Now go get the other car while I get the others into this one."

In the span of twenty minutes, the three of us had finally managed to move the half-unconscious members into the Battista. I noticed the fond look in Mark's dark brown eyes as he looked down at Haechan's wounded body, holding the man in his arms for a couple of seconds longer than he had done with the others. I didn't question it, though I couldn't help but smile at how tenderly he moved the unconscious man, how soft his touches were as he tried to not look sad at the state that Haechan was in. It was when Mark drove off to the St. Regis that I realized I had made a big mistake. Jaemin let out a pained breath beside me and clutched his ribs before he made his way to the car, leaving me to shuffle after him as I cursed myself for not realizing that, in the rush of getting the others to safety, I would be left with the member that held the most hate for me.

The ride back to the hotel was uncomfortable, to say the least. "What the hell did you think you were doing?" Jaemin growled at me after several minutes of complete silence. His question caught me off guard, and I flinched at the harsh tone he was using before looking up at him. I realized that he didn't know about the fake diamond that I had given Taeyong. I couldn't have told him, or it would have given away the whole thing. If it hadn't worked, none of us would have made it down from that rooftop. "I-" I began, but I was immediately interrupted by Jaemin "You had no right!" he said, raising his voice further as he gripped the steering wheel tightly enough to turn his knuckles white. "Jaemin, I-" I said, but he interrupted me once more, "I don't want to hear it!" he sneered.

He was livid, hands shaking with rage as he turned the steering wheel harshly, pulling down a road that led away from the city, speeding up as his breathing became more strained by the second. It had to be the rib, I thought, but that was the least of our worries as I glanced at the speedometer, noting that we were driving at well over 120 km/h, and this wasn't a highway. "Jaemin, just listen," I tried, but he didn't listen, "Jaemin stop the car!" I said, raising my voice even more as I clung to the seat, closing my eyes. That did it, though. The car slowed down before coming to a halt. I flinched at the sound of the door slamming behind Jaemin, and I felt scared as I looked at the blue-haired man wandering back and forth a couple of meters away from the car. The sun was already rising in the distance, colouring the sky in soft hues of purple, pink, and yellow. We didn't have time for this. We had to leave Italy before anyone else got the scent of the diamond.

I got out of the car and made my way over to Jaemin, placing a careful hand on the man's shoulder. He shook it off, turning to me with a look of rage, "You had no right, y/n," he said, his voice sounded raspy from the tremendous amount of energy it probably took to just stay upright. Broken rib, I noted. "That was our life's work. We spent months planning this heist and then, just like you fucking predicted, you come barging in just to ruin everything!" He yelled at me. The pity I had felt before seemed to dissipate in the span of a single second, and I felt a fire grow in the pit of my stomach as I glared back at Jaemin, "If you would just shut up for once and let me explain-" I began, but he still wouldn't listen to me. "No! he yelled, "y/n, you don't get to tell me that. You don't get to tell me to shut up" Things never go my way. It doesn't matter how much I want something. It always goes wrong!" He raised his voice even more. I felt so small at that moment, so powerless as Jaemin looked at me with wild eyes. Any sign of the man I had come to care for seemed non-existent at that moment, "Someone always gets their hands on it before me." he said.

"But Jaemin, if you would just listen," I tried again, but he turned away from me. I looked at his silhouette as it stood out against the colourful sky. His broad shoulders looked heavy with the weight of burdens that someone his age shouldn't have to deal with. But he wouldn't let me in. His walls were too high for me to help him carry that weight. "Jaemin, the diamond isn't-"

"It's not just the diamond, though," Jaemin said. His voice had gone down again, and I almost didn't hear him. I had expected him to yell at me again. "It's not just the diamond that I want," he said, turning towards me again. "What do you mean?" I asked, feeling confused and a little scared by his sudden change in attitude. "Do you like Jeno?" he asked, completely straightforward as he folded his arms across his chest. I felt a rush of heat spread across my cheeks, cursing at myself for not being able to hide my feelings better. "What does that have to do with anything?" I asked, feeling incredibly embarrassed at the situation he had put me in. "I saw you kiss him the other day. At the party," Jaemin said, his voice stern. "What's important right now is not my relationship with Jeno. We have to get back to the hotel so we can get out of here," I said, turning away from Jaemin as I made my way back to the car.

"Relationship?" Jaemin asked, but I pretended like I didn't hear him, opening the door before realizing that he hadn't followed me. I'd had enough of his childish behavior, "Why do you even care?" I said, raising my voice at the end as I turned back towards him.

"Because I like you as well, goddamnit!" Jaemin yelled, the fire in his eyes dying down and leaving only an ocean of sadness in the dark brown orbs as he looked at me, "Jeno is not the only one who does," he said, a lot softer this time.

I realized that he was crying. Na Jaemin was crying. His blue hair hung messily over his forehead, and he looked so broken, yet so beautiful as he stood in front of the sunset that rose over Florence in the distance. My feet seemed to move on their own, and I made my way towards him, softly reaching out a hand as I carefully wiped away the tears that made their way down his cheeks, washing away the blood. "Jaemin," I said, keeping my voice low and soft, wanting to comfort him, knowing that he was hurting. "Please don't," he said, "I don't want to hear it. I can't take it." The tears kept flowing, and I felt my eyes glaze over as well, my vision becoming blurry as I realized just how sorry I felt. "It hurts so bad," Jaemin admitted, letting out a shaky breath as he clutched his chest again, trying to soothe the pain in his ribcage. "I know," I whispered, "I know."

I didn't know how to help him. But I wanted him to know. I wanted him to know about the diamond, to tell him that we had succeeded and that everything would be okay if we just hurried home. I wanted him to know that I didn't feel that way about Jeno and that even though I had kissed him back, I had realized that my heart hadn't truly been in it.

"Jaemin I-" but he stopped me once again. Feeling annoyed, I grabbed his chin, turning his head to look directly at me, "You need to stop interrupting me," I said. We stared at each other for a moment as the sun finally made its way over the trees in the distance, shining it's bright warm rays at us, bathing us in the warm morning light. My heart was beating at an unhealthy speed, and I couldn't help but smile as Jaemin carefully moved his hands forward, softly cupping my cheeks as he brought me closer to him, placing his lips on top of mine. It was completely different this time. Jeno had been my night, but Jaemin was my dawn. A new start, warm, golden, and at that moment he shone so bright that I couldn't help but feel like I had made it to paradise for real this time.

A/N:
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