Pairing: Jeno (NCT) x Kwon Joohyun (Reader) x Mark (NCT) x Other NCT members

URL: dreamsine00

Trope: Romance, Angst, Friendship, Drama

AU: Mafia!AU

TW: One minor cuss word and mentions of death per AU.

Song Suggestion: By Your Side, flatsound

Plot: A target is placed on Kwon Joohyun's head after she accidentally witnesses a mafia-related murder. With only her dropped bracelet discarded at the scene, the offender seeks out to find the owner with the intent of permanently silencing them. Unaware of the lurking danger, Joohyun tries to return to the normal life she lead prior to the crime, but as the story progresses, unearthed secrets leave the young woman questioning just how well she truly knows her lifelong friends.

Disclaimer: The events depicted within this story are entirely fictional. 

_

    "So you're still not going to tell me how you got the black eye?"

    Joohyun posed the question to a blackened and blue Jeno as the pair sat across from each other in the relatively void library. Peeking up from the textbook splayed open before him, Jeno surveyed the way her arms folded as her eyebrows arched high onto her forehead. Joohyun was usually a pretty cheerful person, so her frown that down-turned the corners of that usually spoke in a sugary tone caused him to stir in his seat, eyes quickly shifting back to the book.

    "I already told you last night."

    Leaning in closer, Joohyun's outstretched hand gently caressed the left side of his face, his head instinctively reeling back before settling into her palm. Delicate were her fingertips as she traced the bruise's outline, Jeno's eyes lulling shut as he allowed his body to relax under her touch. There was a pause as the pair merely sat in silence before a light sigh escaped from Joohyun's lips.

    "Jeno, if you honestly think I'm going to believe that you got a black eyes while studying, then you're out of your mind."

    A small smirk lifted the right corner of his mouth as earthy orbs revealed themselves from once-lidded eyes. Hand sliding up the span of her forearm, Jeno's fingers laced with her's that remained upon his cheek; heat immediately pooling under her skin as she felt her face tinge fire red. Jeno took silent note of the sudden change in her demeanor, smirk only deepening as he lowered both of their hands to rest atop the table's surface - fingers still sewn together.

    "I told you that Renjun accidentally elbowed me in the eye because I snuck up and scared him," Jeno sighed with a slight head tilt, right eyebrow twitching. "Nothing more, nothing less."

    Merely shaking her head, Joohyun felt a knot twist in the pit of her stomach. She knew when he was telling the truth and when he was lying and in this case, everything he had said had been duplicitous. His right eyebrow twitched whenever he was being dishonest, and in that moment, she had just caught him red-handed. 

    With a mere sigh, however, she let the topic drop. It was apparent that Jeno wasn't going to tell her what actually happened and Joohyun knew the more she pressed, the further the gap spaced between them would extend. He would tell her if he wanted to, this much she knew which allowed for her to relax little by little as the seconds ticked away. 

    Too bad he couldn't.

    "Are you working tonight?"

    Joohyun nodded, her hand curling tighter around his as she shifted in her seat, "Yeah, I have another graveyard shift."

    This time it was Jeno's face that feverishly discolored - the shade of scarlet only darkening when he felt her thumb begin to trace absentminded shapes upon his skin. Swallowing hard in an attempt to cling on to composure, Jeno awkwardly drummed his free fingers atop his textbook in a semi-failed attempt to appear as casual as possible.

    "Well, maybe I could stop by after my -- club meeting and hang out around the store," he timidly spoke as his eyes scanned the pages of the textbook.

    Joohyun's nose scrunched curiously, "You have a club meeting tonight? Why? This semester only has a few weeks left until the spring one begins."

    "Which is exactly why we're meeting tonight." Cue an eyebrow twitch. "We have to get everything ready for the next semester."

    Brows knitted together, Joohyun eyed the male sat across from her who silently returned her stare; Adam's apple bobbing slightly as he gulped. Shaking her head, Joohyun's hand tightened around his in a gripping sort of manner; the sudden change causing him to wince in surprise rather than discomfort.

    "You're lying."

    Jeno's eyes widened at her accusation, his mouth opening to defend himself, but a familiar voice beat him to it.

    "He's actually telling the truth," Renjun chimed as he plopped atop the table. "Him and I both have a meeting with the head members tonight."

    "To discuss what?"

    A shrug lifted and dropped the newcomer's shoulders as he replied in utmost nonchalance, "I don't know - they're robot-fanatics, Joohyun. There's really nothing to discuss besides different battle techniques to practice during winter break to strengthen our bots for competition."

    Peachy lips jutting outwards, Joohyun narrowed her eyes into a glare as she switched her focus back and forth between the two males a few times before heaving a sigh. Perhaps she was reading Jeno incorrectly - maybe he had been telling the truth the entire time. Still, the knot that remained in her stomach continued twisting despite the slight mental relief. 

    "Why are you two holding hands?"

    Renjun gestured towards the pair's still laced fingers with a speculative brow raise. Jeno cleared his throat as he grasped her hand with both of his - eyes glued to her wrist as he twisted her arm back and forth. Shru