Invisible String || PURINZ

23 • finding meaning

Chaewon's heartbeat had slowed down. So much so that she started feeling incredibly tired. She yawned widely, and not-so-subtly squeezed Yunjin's butt. "Now that war's over, can we finally sleep?" She asked.

Yunjin grinned. "Families fight sometimes," She shrugged. "Sleeping doesn't sound too–",

"It's four in the morning! All of you are a million years older than me, I'd think you were responsible enough to go to bed at a decent hour and not stay up and yell, of all things! What do I have to do to get a decent night of sleep around here?" The youngest stepped into the kitchen. She had her arms crossed just like Sakura always did when she was upset, and there was a deep scowl on her face.

Kazuha opened her mouth, but Eunchae snapped her fingers. "Seriously, Kazuha, you need to clean that banana peel in the hall. No one's going to slip on that during the day and it's a safety hazard at night. You really need to get better at playing pranks." She added, rubbing her tired eyes.

"Are you finished?" Kazuha asked, raising her eyebrows.

Eunchae nodded as she moved towards Yunjin and Chaewon. The tall girl took a step back, allowing the youngest to wedge herself between the pair in one big, warm hug.

Heaving a sigh, the Japanese girl pushed herself off the counter. "Sorry for waking you up. I'd be grumpy too," She said, yawning as well. She quickly walked into the hall, not bidding any of them goodnight.

Sakura slowly shook her head when she heard the door to Kazuha's room shut. "No big deal, huh? As if friends just– ugh!" She whisper-yelled, gripping the counter so tight that Chaewon feared it would break.

"Unbelievable. She's so...!"

And so she was the next to storm off. Chaewon felt that 'dense' would be the right word.

"What's that all about?" Asked Eunchae, looking up at her unnies.

Yunjin patted her head, chuckling. "Nothing to worry your cute head about, Manchae." She said.

Exhaling a sigh, the young girl wrapped her arms around the other two. "Can I sleep with you guys? I've been having nightmares all week, and after all the ruckus I'm afraid they'll only get worse." She asked, sounding a little embarrassed.

"Nightmares? About what?" Chaewon frowned.

Eunchae's eyes darted over the girl before they settled on the wooden floor. "It's– I don't know, it's stupid. I'd rather just get into bed than think about it."

"Just like when you were fifteen, isn't that adorable?" Yunjin sang, picking the youngest up by her middle.

The girl didn't protest. Instead she broke out in giggles, holding onto the other for dear life. "I'm much older now! I'm legal everywhere, you know. And instead of watching you two fight when we debuted, I have to watch you make out all the time. I'm not sure which is worse." She had a sly grin on her face as she said that last part.

Chaewon's face pinkened. She attempted to steady the two dorks when Yunjin struggled to carry the other, and let out a long breath of relief when she regained her balance.

She rushed the girls back to their room, afraid of more embarrassing things to be said. She was pleased to see that the banana peel had indeed been cleaned up.

The three of them just barely fit into the bed. Eunchae had grown much taller than she was at fifteen, and somehow that made Chaewon feel a little emotional.

With the girl glued to her side, Yunjin was the first to sleep. After Chaewon heard Eunchae's breath slow down as well, she felt that it was safe to drift off to dream land as well.