8 is fate // Stray Kids

18

Seungmin

Two weeks had passed in no time. Han would be leaving the next day.

It surprised Seungmin that he actually felt sad about it. He had somehow started to like the human.

Since it was their last night together, they had decided to cancel the training session and spent the time in the common room instead.

Han was currently asleep on the couch, comfortably snuggled up to Chan's side.

They all had avoided talking about Han's departure like it would somehow prevent it from happening. None of them wanted the boy to leave. During the short time he had stayed with them, he had already become a part of their family. He fitted in seamlessly like he was their last missing puzzle piece.

Han brought a completely new and fresh dynamic to the group. With his loud and cheerful personality, he managed to brighten everyone's day. He kept them from falling into self-pity and despair.

Hyunjin had laughed these past two weeks more than in all the years Seungmin had known him. Likewise, Chan's mood was a lot brighter whenever the human was around. It was like he could finally relax for a little and act his age for once. When Seungmin had first met all of them, Changbin had acted as the moodmaker of the group, but lately that side of him had started to disappear. His sole focus now was to take some of the responsibility off Chan's shoulders and to make sure that everyone was coping fine. Han brought his childishness and loudness back, he knew exactly what buttons to push to get Changbin riled up enough to start a friendly banter.

Felix had been fond of the human from the very beginning, but even more so after he had found out that Han liked skinship almost as much as him. Seungmin could imagine that gentle hugs had been a rarity in Han's life so far, which is exactly why he found it so adorable how Han seemed to melt into Felix's embraces. One thing Felix had to learn the hard way though, was that Han didn't enjoy approaches that he couldn't see coming. Felix had once tried to surprise Han with a backhug only to end up on the floor and in a chokehold. Of course Han had apologized profusely afterwards but from then on, Felix had made sure to make his presence noticeable before engaging in any form of skinship. To Seungmin, it only proved that Han hadn't let his guard down fully, as if his body was still ready to fight or bolt at any given chance.

Jeongin had taken a liking to Han quicker than Seungmin would have expected but he couldn't say that it was all that surprising, considering that they had a lot of matching interests. You could always hear them talking animatedly over the weirdest and most random stuff and their shared love for combat only added on to that.

Interestingly enough, even Minho showed signs of friendliness around Han, though he tried to hide it. He would probably prefer to be buried alive before admitting that he had started to appreciate – maybe even like – the presence of the human. Sometimes Seungmin caught how a small smile stole itself onto Minho's lips when Han joked around. Realizinghis slip-up, his smile would then turn into a frown, almost like he wasquestioning his own actions. It amused Seungmin to no ends and he loved to tease Minho for it whenever they were alone. He wondered how much longer Minho would be able to hide his fondness. Just their fighting chemistry alone was enough to prove that the two of them shared an extraordinary dynamic. It still astonished Seungmin how they were able to fight as if they shared one soul.

Even though Minho was adamant on denying that he liked Han, he did share with Seungmin his worry for the human. He had confided in him that Han faced terrible nightmares multiple times a night. Waking up soaked in sweat, with erratic breathing and a trembling body. He had contemplated asking Han what they were about, to offer an ear to listen to but he assumed that the boy wouldn't want to talk about it, especially to him.