SUMMARY:

Jaemin apologizes to Renjun for roping him into this mess, and Renjun and Jisung get into quite a pickle - with Chenle. Dunt Dunt Duuuuh!

7llin' in the Dream

Camera Free [Part 3]:  I'm Sorry

Chapter Nineteen

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  "Jaemin, it's okay.  I already said.  You don't have to keep apologizing," Renjun said.
  Jaemin was propped against the car, blocking the window as Haechan gave Mark drops of his blood.  He'd bitten him three times to be able to feed 'him' enough to snap out of his embarrassing baby vamp behavior.  Even now, his cheeks heated at the thought that he'd had to be fed like a little chick.  "I just...," he said, barely louder than a whisper.  Honestly, he felt traumatized and had since he'd nearly passed out feeding from his cousin at home.
  Only now was he fully realizing it and processing it.  His head spun and he gripped the phone tighter.  "I'm just sorry.  Renjunnie?"
  "Hm," he asked sweetly.
  "I love you."
  He huffed, sounding a little flustered.  "I love you too.  I'll let you know when Jeno gets back, okay?  I'll get him to call you."
  "Okay.  I still have to go grocery shopping and-"  Mark looked upset, maybe even angry when he came to.  "I feel like I have more apologies to make.  Lots of apologies."
  "It's okay.  Later, when everyone is home, we'll all talk.  I'm sure it all seems like a bigger deal than it actually is."
  He nodded, then remembered he couldn't see him.  "Yeah.  That's probably true.  We all thrive in drama."
  "Isn't that the truth," he said, laughing.
  He still wasn't convinced he was as happy and cheerful as he was acting.  "I'm sorry again."
  "I'm hanging up on you.  Love you, idiot.  Go buy us some food.  I'll see you later."  He hung up.

-

  Jisung had been taking calming breaths as he went up the stairs.  He could do this.  He'd just tell Renjun Hyung to keep his shirt on-
  "Hey, Sunggie," Renjun said.  He was sitting on the couch and he already had his shirt off.  He looked from his phone to him.  "I know you need to feed.  I can tell.  You always rub your stomach or get this certain look on your face-"
  "What's the matter?"
  His hot cheeks had to be red and he'd already lost the competition, because now if he told him to keep his shirt on he'd mean for him to put it back on.  And that would just make it awkward and probably make him feel bad for having taken it off in the first place.  He swallowed.  It was loud and he hoped it was only because of his vampire hearing.  "N-Nothing," he said.
  Renjun snorted, looking at his phone again.  "N-Nothing," he playfully mocked.  "I'll pretend to believe you.  If something's actually bothering you, you can just tell me.  Jaemin's having a hard time right now."  He looked at him.
  "Actually...  I should probably tell you something.  Something I should've already told you and I'm sorry that I haven't.  I would like to blame it on other people, but I'm taking responsibility for my own choices.  Come here and I'll tell you, then you can feed."
  He blinked, processing all the information.  Heading for the couch he said, "Is everything okay?"  He sat beside him.  Concern had overridden the awkwardness of him not wearing a shirt.  See?
  If he focused on something important, then it wasn't a big deal.  He'd be sure to tell Chenle that.
  "It is a big deal," Renjun said.  He put his phone on the coffee table and looked at him.  His bottom lip was dry and red between his top teeth, where he was worrying it.
  "It's okay.  Just tell me.  Is everyone alright?"
  "Yeah yeah," he said quickly.  "Jaemin's fine.  Now.  Haechan took care of him.  Mark's fine... I think.  It's about Chenle."
  His eyes widened.  "What about him?"
  "Last night..."  He looked down and locked his fingers together.  "I just found out this morning.  It kind of is my fault.  I thought I was helping.  I just made things worse."
  He wanted to shake him, but he knew he had to be patient.  This wasn't the Hyung to try and rush into just spitting it out already.  Not the violent Hyung.  "I'm sure it's not as bad as it seems," he tried to soothe.
  "It is though.  His transition is going to be abrupt-"  He seemed to involuntarily swallow.  "-and violent.  It probably wouldn't have been as bad or sudden at all if I... hadn't convinced Jeno to give him a few drops of his blood last night."
  He couldn't understand the reaction his body had as he thought of Chenle drinking blood.  It made him shiver.  "Why did he do that?  It... heals... doesn't it?  Why did he need to heal?"
  "Because Jeno bit him-   Also my idea.  It was to see if he got euphoric from the bite.  He didn't, so he had to heal him.  According to... Haechan... that just made it worse."
  Ice-cold dread flooded him.  "We have to- to- to-."  He shook his head.
  "See?  This is why the others wanted to keep it a secret.  Just to give him a day to have fun.  He feels better today because of that blood, but..."  He shrugged.
  Jisung swallowed.
  "Here," Renjun said holding out his arm.  "Just feed and we'll talk some more or go and try to track down Chenle and tell him what's going on."
  He nodded.  "Okay.  Maybe if I call his phone he'll actually answer."
  Renjun would usually look angry for having been ignored, but this time he looked worried and guilty.  He didn't like it.
  He took his arm and bit below the bend.  His Hyung went from tense to boneless in a matter of seconds and he helped him lean against him so he wouldn't fall over.
  "You're such a good Magnae," he said.
  Jisung's mouth watered as he drank, the intense feeling of life spreading through him, that he wasn't embarrassed by his words.  It didn't stop him from registering that he was tensing again.  If someone tensed while he fed it could cause unnecessary damage to their skin and muscles.  He removed his fangs and looked at him.  His eyes were wide.
  He followed his line of sight to the stairs.
  Chenle stood at the top and he looked angry.  "I can't believe you kept this from me," he seethed.  He was shaking.  "I left the house with Jeno who also doesn't know?  He probably wouldn't have known what to do if-"  He tensed hard like he was fighting anger.
  "Chenle, please," Renjun said, barely able to form words from the euphoria.
  Jisung grabbed him when he tried to stand up, afraid he was going to hit his head on the table.  "Hyung, don't," he said.
  Chenle took a step away.  "I don't want to hear it.  I-  You-  I can't-"  He ran down the stairs.
  Struggling in his arms, Renjun said, "You have to go after him."  He was breathing hard, moving having tired him out.  "He shouldn't have heard that conversation.  He had to have heard it from an inhuman distance away.  His..."
  He breathed hard again.  He was trying so hard.  "His transition is close.  Go after him.  Now."
  "Hyung, I can't leave you here like this.  You can't even stand up."
  "Jisung, as your Hyung I'm ordering you to go after him..."  He shivered and flailed toward the couch.
  He sat him down.  "Please don't make me-"
  "He might die," he yelled.  "You have to follow him and feed from him when he needs it.  Don't hold back.  Do it.  Go.  Now."  He pushed with weak kitten hands at his chest.  "Go.  Jisung don't let him get away."
  He did the only thing he could.  In the blink of an eye, he was away from his vulnerable Hyung, chasing Chenle out the door, scenting him to the road, and following him.

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Thank you for reading,

Demitria_Teague (Author)

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