Tiger Inside ||Stray Kids Mafia AU||

Chapter Eight

I swirled my spoon within the bowl of the food in front of me, all sense of appetite absent from my body. My eyes watched as the food traveled around the utensil making different shapes. As much as I'd love to say I had thoughts occupying my mind, it remained nothing but static. The distant buzz accompanied by the visual, electrical rendition of a fizzy soda. I bit the inside of my cheek as my eyes continued to defocus into a blur, accompanied by the blankest stare ever known to man.

I had the absolute pleasure of embracing another sleepless night in the house, it was getting real tiring with the nights spent staring at a blank ceiling barely illuminated by the moonlight with no solution to my racing thoughts in sight. Once again I felt like I was back in the position of one issue popping up one after another, setting themselves up like dominos, yet glued to the floor and refusing to ever topple.

"You just sitting here in silence playing with your food?" My daze is broken to the sudden voice, blinking my vision back as I studied Seungmin now leaning against the counter sipping on a fresh cup of coffee, eyes filled with a mix of confusion and concern. Finally releasing my grip on the spoon, I reached up and rubbed my face with a yawn. He tilted his head as I brought my attention back to him with a sigh.

"I guess I was just zoned out, a bit tired." Seungmin hummed in agreement with a nod, holding his mug up slightly with a gesture to offer myself one. I nodded weakly, gratefully accepting the hot drink as he slid it across the counter to me.

"Yeah a lot of the house didn't get much sleep last night." He held the cup up to his lips, pausing before taking his drink. "Especially with people sneaking in and out late at night." He mumbled into the mug before finally taking his sip. I quickly struggled to avoid choking on my coffee, setting it down before glancing around the room to ensure it was just the two of us before continuing.

"Jesus christ, you too? Does the whole house know?"

"What? That you took off and Minho had to chase you down?" I quickly shushed him with a sharp flick of the wrist, attempting to adorn my strongest firm look to ensure he'd shut his mouth. His slight chuckle as he took another sip did nothing to calm my tension. "Relax." He set the cup down beside him, now leaning back and crossing his arms. "I was up with Felix all night going over the codes, no one else knows but us. He just happened to be getting us another cup of coffee when you two came sneaking in." I placed my face in my hand, rubbing circles into my temples. "No need to worry, your secret is safe with us. I'm just surprised you came back without Minho biting your head off."

"Oh trust me, he was just about to." My mind flashed to the brief moment of panic the moment Minho grabbed my arm in the alley, the familiar gut dropping feeling manifesting once again almost immediately. "I just had some things I had to take care of, okay?" My shoulders dropped in defeat, my voice falling to that of a whisper. "I had every intention of coming back." My fingers wrapped around the steaming mug in front of me, the high temperature against my fingertips not causing me the alarm that it definitely should have. My eyes focused on the dark liquid, thoughts drifting back to Seongho once again.

"Just be careful." His joking demeanor was quickly gone, now replaced with a soothing voice, almost concerned. "Now isn't the time to be running off like that. You need to be safe." I gave him a soft smile. I knew he and Minho were right, it was a careless move on my end, but in the moment I didn't know any other option I had. But in turn, I may have been putting myself, and Seongho, in harm's way.

Almost on cue, Minho stepped into the doorframe in silence. I swear this man had the agility of a cat, able to move silently almost as if he was floating across the floor. His eyes glanced between myself and Seungmin, who opted against eye contact and brought his cup to his lips again.