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neotism · 2 years

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𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐘 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐍 ➳ ᴢ.ᴄʟ

➥ originally written in part of ❝ 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖈𝖗𝖔𝖜𝖓 ❞ collaboration.

⤷ pairing(s): chenle x fem!reader

⤷ genre(s): pretty neutral mix of both fluff and bittersweetness, con artist!au, mafia!au

⤷ warning(s): mentions of death, murder, and running away???

⤷ word count: 1.594k

⤷ synopsis: a fall from grace; would that still make you the king? prestige, fame, and fear, stripped away quicker than one can blink. whether tainted or pure, notoriety is like a drug. addiction can kill. soon, it might also be your turn to go as well. so, would you run away too?

⤷ a/n: get ready to be disappointed muahaha :>

When he puts it like that, he makes it seem as if he’s a bad boy for you. But in fact, it’s enough to swindle your heartstrings. A real scheming scammer, he is. Just another cruel con man.

Actually, the best and highest paying con artist of the century.

So when he dropped by your house, it is inexplicably only going to complicate things.

“What in the world are you doing here?” Your voice raises into a whisper shout, undaring to wake all your neighbours up at 3 am in the morning.

In a sweater that you grasp closer to your chest, the autumn air chills your skin. Studying his disheveled appearance, your eyes zero in on the bleeding wound on his face. A perfect swipe across his cheek, oozing with his red blood, dripping with deadly potency.

“And who did that to you?”

At the question, Chenle sighs, his shoulders sagging with an undeniable worrisome lack of spirit. He seems to be out of it of some sorts.

“I’m sorry, y/n. I’m sorry.”

His apologies quiver in the cold night.

“I know I shouldn’t be here, but I am.”

His confession is blatant with evidential guilt. It’s been a whole year and he still hasn’t been able to sleep properly.

Observing the shell of a man for a mere second, your shoulders are wrecked with another sigh. “Just come in. It’s late already.” You push the door wider for him to enter and trust that he still can lock the door.

As he wanders in, your back is busily preparing cups of warm tea. His jaded, dull pupils scan your living room. Everything is still in its place, nothing has changed. Part of him is relieved but also dreadful.

It seems as if his impact had merely been a fleeting existence. He didn’t move you like you moved him. It leaves a bittersweet taste; he’s glad you haven’t changed yet bitter to know he wasn’t the change.

When you round the kitchen corner, you find him drifting off into space. His eyes barely flutter, staring mindlessly at a picture frame.

You follow his gaze, spotting the frame with a picture taken in your 4th year of elementary school. The flowers from the trees were abundant, blooming only in the spring. That day, it was windy, sending trails of petals in the wake of the tree’s shade. It was a school trip to visit the cherry blossoms in Shanghai. So as memento, the teacher had a class picture snapped.

On the left end of the photo stood a shy girl, clutching her teacher’s hand with a tiny smile. Following on the opposite end, on the far right, was a boy who was laughing. Shoulder locked with his classmates, he shared their howling laughter and clearly he was popular.

Exhaling once more, you take a seat down, sliding Chenle a cup of soothing tea. He’s awakened from his daze, met with your pretty features in his view. And for a second, your appearance causes him to freeze in place.

“What? Is there something on my face?” You blink in concern as his penetrating look makes you shift around.

Shaking himself out of that trance, he shakes his head. “No, sorry.”

Admittedly, if one of the world’s most notorious con artists’ was to proclaim your beauty aloud, wouldn’t it make you uncomfortable?

Not believing him, you divert your irises, glancing down at your cup before sipping. “Why are you back here, Chenle?”

He hesitates for a moment. “Is it so wrong to visit?”

“Yes.” Your curt and clear answer slices the tension in the atmosphere. “Chenle, you can’t be here.”

Inhaling deeply, his pupils lock with yours. “I know.”

“So then, why? Why are you here?”

“Because I wanted to tell you something before it’s too late.”

You wonder if he knows. That the words of a king are the words of the law. A proclivity to incite the furrowed brows and hunched back, even now is the emperor clutching death like a mantra.

Eyebrows raised, you survey his earnest mood. “Before it’s too late?”

A minute passes before he even begins to speak. “I left you because I was a man of pride.”

In the wake of the sudden subject, you give him the time to compose himself and gather his thoughts.

“But it seems like even though I had pride, I left you because I wanted to protect you. But even that wasn’t enough.” The exhaustion is more distinct as he continues speaking. Almost as if he wasn’t able to have any sleep for several days.

“Y/n,” he says your name softly. “Run away.” His voice is faint, like a whisper, easily lost to the wind.

Shock, surprise, disbelief are just the core feelings that are elicit from you. It’s particularly hard to fathom his intent. Is it to hurt you again? “Why?” Your breathless tone lingers in the stiff air.

“They’ve found you, y/n.” He starts, his tone edging onto the desperate side.

Perhaps you had a lapse in judgment because you firmly shake your head. “They have no evidence.”

Chenle makes a face. “You think they won’t kill you if they don’t have evidence? Y/n, they kill in cold blood.”

“I’m not moving, Chenle.”

His frown deepens. “A raid happened a day ago. NCT has been found. They are planning to wipe us out.”

“And that includes me?” you ask.

He nods. “That includes you.”

“How did they even know if I was related to NCT?”

A strange silence overcomes the space. It encloses the both of you, making the air harder to breathe.

Soon, Chenle finds his words again, or rather the courage to speak the truth. “In our files, mine in particular, someone has put you down as a connection.” He doesn’t meet your eyes. “We even had a separate file on your information.”

Displeased, you cross your arms. “So you guys spied on me? That’s a breach of personal privacy.”

“Security reasons, y/n.” And you can’t argue with his statement.

So, you change the subject. “Who’s they?”

He passes you a blank look. “You don’t know?”

“No? To be fair, you’ve made too many enemies to even begin counting.” You shrug in return.

“Fair enough,” he halfheartedly agrees, waving a haphazard hand. “But, y/n. You need to leave soon. They could be on their way as we speak.”

Tutting your chin out at him, you raise an eyebrow. “Well, if they decide to stop by, I’m always ready-”

Thud.

As if proving you wrong, a loud slam wakes you right up. Jerking his head to scan for incoming threats, Chenle gets up with a practiced stance. Offering a reassuring smile, he takes your hand without a word. “They’re here. Y/n, what are you going to do?”

His question reverberates within your ears, your once warm teas now forgotten.

For once, you’re kind of speechless. Breathing from your nostrils, you sigh. “You weren’t joking?”

“No.” A light smile grazes his cheeks. Despite the urgency of the matter at hand, Chenle took no time to idle about it. Instead, he took the opportunity to stare. At the features he so misses, always endearing to him.

Though, an abrupt bang from within the compound shakes him from his trance. “Don’t die here, yeah? Go, y/n.”

“Run. I’ll hold them off for a bit.” His urgency is heard in the way he tugs on your sleeve, helping you raise to your feet with a hand.

Today might actually be Chenle’s first day to ever see your complexion morph into a glare. Directed at him, he stares at you in confusion. “No… Have you gone crazy, Chenle?”

With your accusing question, Chenle frowns. “No, I haven’t.”

“Then any sane person would go together. Why are you trying to do this by yourself?” you ask, vehemently denying his proposal. “Now, hurry up. You’ve been spouting too much nonsense. They might catch up to us.”

Not a word more as you spin around, prepping with an emergency bag you always had in your closet. Chenle stares blankly at your back, once more, it faces him. How many more times will he have to see it? Why does he keep saying things that make you turn away?

Sighing, running a hand through his tangled locks, he grimaces. “You’re willing to risk that, y/n?”

The sound of thudding and pounding seem to be at a peak, but it scares you little as you put on a brave face. “What’s there to be scared of when I’m with the world’s scariest con man?”

At that, he snickers. “You got me there. Let’s go.” Swiftly, Chenle takes hold of your hand and guides you through the back door.

NCT, a swift tumble from grace, hitting the brick hard concrete with a simple slipup.

Perhaps their era is fatefully ending. But nobles will not sit and wait, not when they have all the resources to reconvene.

Hand in hand, your feet fly across pavements in perfect rhythm. As if you haven’t spent a year apart from him.

Kings all have had to conceal the nasty scars they’ve garnered. He’s no different.

So, as for once a change, your orbs take in the breathtaking smile that you so missed. Chenle turns his head slightly, enough for you to see the debonair grin that crosses his lips.

This king, in deep turmoil, hardly has time. However, he can’t help but to feel content with the sweet affirmation of a smile you return.

Remember, a king, fallen or not, will always have his queen.

⤷ tagged: ☆ (send an ask, comment, or message if you’d like to be tagged! the more the merrier!)

⤷ a/n: oh my, what a strange journey… i haven’t written about mafia dealings in such a long time. so hope this, equating to stretching my limbs, will satisfy the thrill-seeking chenle world domination fans hahah

✧ i do not own any of the pictures used.

#rereading my old stuff is weird #chenle fic #zhong chenle fic #nct dream fanfic #nct dream fic #nct drabble #nct scenarios #zhong chenle drabble #zhong chenle fanfic #zhong chenle scenarios #chenle fanfic #chenle drabble #chenle scenarios

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