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Hak knew it the second he stepped into the room. She could see it in his eyes. Ivaylo left her side to greet the newcomer and she shivered, cold without his warmth.
Her brother noticed.
"Nightmare?" He asked quietly as she rubbed her temples wearily.
Her silence answered for her and she winced as Hani's overjoyed shriek pierced the air, carried clearly from downstairs.
They had undoubtedly started to open gifts. The children and the triplets were never very patient when it came to that but she didn't blame them. They all have had rough childhoods and they weren't even done yet. She was grateful that they still were able to find enjoyment in things now that they were out of those bad places.
But that dream. It made all of her worst fears feel like they had come true. Fragments of memories she had buried a long time ago flashed through her mind with such accuracy that it scared her.
"Oy, it's not your fault they won't leave you alone." Hak berated her, waving his hand in her face to get her to snap out of it. "Don't beat yourself up or I'll show you what that looks like."
"Oh, you think you can beat me?" A cocky grin stretched across her face even though he could see her still shaking. "I'd like to see you try, Marshy."
He raised an eyebrow at the nickname. "Not funny, Bat-Ears."
She stuck out her tongue at him, giggling slightly. "Way funny."
As he helped her up to her feet, he made a show of looking around.
"It's pretty cold in here." Hak noted, glancing at her from out of the corner of his eye.
Her throat bobbing as she swallowed and the way her eyes darted to avoid meeting his gaze confirmed his suspicions.
"You idiot!!" He yelled, almost dropping her in the process as he gestured wildly to the window.
"It's not my fault, don't yell at me!!" Calista whined back childishly, hoping to play it off as one of those things but he wasn't buying it.
The chill that she had caught last night combined with a horrifying dream was a lethal combination. The anxiety building up in her mind festered the longer she attempted to keep it at bay instead of dealing with it and the fact that she was ice cold to the bone didn't help at all.
"Stay right here, I'm getting Shin-ah." Hak decided with finality.
"No!!" She caught his arm as he tried to leave, clouded grey eyes desperate for him not to fulfill that.
He would worry too much. Hak was already overprotective, she didn't want to know how her boyfriend would react.
"I don't want to cause any trouble—"
"Yah, stop it with that." He ordered.
She shrunk back as he glared at her.
"It's no trouble, you idiot. What is trouble is you getting sick when it could've been avoided." He frowned at her, clicking his tongue in displeasure. "I should let Gramps tell you off."
"No!! Okay, okay, okay!!" She protested, surrendering immediately. "I'll be better, I promise!!"
The feared old man didn't mess around when it came to his grandkids' health. To any of them really.
Hak's look of triumph made her roll her eyes and as he started towards the doors again, her fingers crept underneath her pillow. Finding what she was looking for, she shoved it in her pocket before he could see.
"You know, if you want to sleep, you can." He told her seriously. "I'll let the others know that you aren't up for it."
"No, no, I'm okay. It's Christmas. I want to be there with you guys." She reassured him.
She had been looking forward to it for an entire year. She had gotten a custom made dagger for Yona, new spices for Yoon when she went on a mission to Russia, new tech for Zeno to fiddle with, a fancy watch for Jae-ha, titanium parts that Kija needed to improve his extendable claws, tickets for Hak for a concert that he and Yona had been wanting to go to for a while, and a bunch of candy and toys for the younger ones.
She badly wanted to be there when they opened them. Shin-ah's gift was special. She had to be there.
Hak hesitated. His sister really didn't look good. She was sweating a lot and her face was a lot more pale than usual. He knew part of her current condition was swayed by that nightmare she had, serving only to magnify her cold instead of decreasing the symptoms. If she felt as bad as she looked, it was a wonder she was standing at all.
"I'm still getting Shin-ah." He declared.
Calista opened her mouth, ready to protest when he interrupted her.
"You want me to get Yoon instead?"
She shut her mouth at that. The boy would never forgive her for getting sick and then refusing help, which is exactly what had happened and what Hak would tell him. Shoulders slumping in defeat, she shooed him out of the room.
"Go," She gave him a small push when he refused to leave, worried about her. "I'll be down soon, I just need to change."
He stared at her distrustfully and she really was struck with how much he and Tae-yeon were alike despite not being blood related.
She crossed her arm over her chest, an old habit. "I promise."
"Mhmmm...." He hummed noncommittally as Ivaylo followed him out the door. "If you don't..."
Waving her hand at him to close the door, she mumbled under her breath, "Yeah, yeah, I know."
Taking off her sweatpants, she tugged on some jeans. They weren't as comfortable, but it would keep her awake and somewhat focused for the rest of the day.
Fishing around for the thick sweater she wore yesterday, she frowned when she couldn't find it. Crestfallen, she picked up a white sweatshirt from discarded on the floor. She didn't know how it got there, but it wasn't hers. Not that it mattered, they all shared clothes with each other.
They just had that level of comfortability.
She pulled it over her head, shuffling to the edge of the room when the doors creaked open again.
Ivaylo padded back through the door, whining as he bumped his head against her shoulder, coming around under her arm to help her up.
The large wolf came up to her waist and was pretty docile for an animal of his size. She was nearly draped over his back as he led her to the stairs, unable to manage it by herself. He went first in front of her, in case she fell, she suspected. As she hobbled down the staircase, she leaned on the railing for support.
After almost ungracefully tumbling down the steps, she arrived in the kitchen with a little assistance from the black wolf.
The lively chatter and music ceased the instant she stepped into the room. Jam packed with the gang plus the adults and the triplets, she was surprised to see that nothing was on fire. Yet.
Tae-yeon immediately bounded over to her. "Are you okay?"
His cute, little voice was filled with concern that warmed her heart. Patting his head, Calista smiled down at him as he hugged her legs.
"I'm okay, Tae-yeon."
He didn't let go as her friends flocked to her side, crowding her with questions.
Yona's lavender eyes were wide with anxiety. "Are you sure you're alright?! Hak told us what happened!!"
Calista growled. "Hak..."
This was exactly what she didn't want to happen. They always worried too much. He held up his hands in surrender, warding off her evil glare.
"Hey, it's not my fault." He threw her words back at her from earlier, mocking her tone. "They were all worried about you."
Zeno hopped over next along with Hani, the latter talking over the other, frantic with as much panic as a hyped-up-on-hot-chocolate little girl could get. One by one, the rest of the dragons filtered over too, each in their own way asking about her wellbeing.
The triplets were wrangled in by Mundok and Gigan once a certain tall, blue-haired man approached her.
Shin-ah carefully shouldered his way to her side, cradling her jaw to examine her face. His concerned golden eyes studied her carefully, stepping closer when he saw her shiver. An arm looped around her waist, pulling her to him so that she almost face-planted in his chest.
Calista closed her eyes and subconsciously leaned into the palm of his hand. His heat engulfed her body but she definitely wasn't complaining.
His eyebrows knitted together and he frowned as he rubbed his thumb against her cheek. "You're cold..."
She smiled guiltily. He shook his head at her, wrapping his arms around her. Sighing, she leaned into him, knees wobbly. His arms supported her as she fell, steadying her on her feet with a look of absolution in his gaze.
"You need to rest."
Mundok came around the kitchen island and strode towards his weakened granddaughter. His firm instruction left no room for argument and she found herself being carried to the couch in the family room.
The tree they had all decorated together. Years of collecting ornaments from various parts of the globe resulted in one very colorfully decorated Christmas tree. A huge pile of presents barely had a dent in it even though Hani and Tae-yeon already opened theirs.
Shin-ah rearranged her comfortably on the sofa, placing her in his lap and looping his arms around her middle. Trembling, she curled into his chest and picking up on the tell-tale signs that she had a nightmare, he softly pecked her temple.
"You okay...?" He murmured into her ear as the triplets began to open their gifts from Tae-jun, who was currently on an assignment along with Heuk-chi and a few others.
She breathed shakily, trying not to draw attention to herself as the others began to settle around the room, reinvigorating the cheerful atmosphere from before. "Y-Yeah..."
But he could tell she was lying. Instead of calling her out on it, he grabbed one of the spare blankets folded in the corner of the sectional, bundling her in it despite her protesting that she didn't need it.
"Please...?" He begged quietly as she continued to feebly fight against him.
Calista blinked up at him as he caught her wrists, mouth parting in surprise when he pressed his forehead up against hers. His soft, blue hair tickled her face as he nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck in distress.
Exhaling shakily, she forced herself to relax. She managed a small smile for him.
"Okay, Shin-ah." She mumbled, yawning as she slumped against him. "We'll do it your way."
With the blanket and the warmth emitting from his chest, it was all too easy to fall back asleep. She drifted off, in the safety of his embrace.
Twenty minutes passed and she didn't stir once.
Shin-ah was having quite the dilemma. Tuning out the excited chatter as Opal opened his gift from Yona and Kija ripped open one from Yoon, he focused on her.
One on hand, he was glad she had finally accepted his help but on the other, he wasn't sure if what he was doing was right. Usually when she had a bad dream, it involved her locking herself away from the rest of them for a good part of the day. He didn't know what to make of this.
It didn't seem like a simple nightmare.
This one seemed to terrify her in a different way. One that didn't have her running scared, but rather flocking to him for support and a safe place. But that wasn't what bothered him.
When she had a nightmare, it took a physical toll on her. Since she was sick, those symptoms were increased tenfold.
So he didn't know whether to wake her up so she could flush out what she dreamed about or if he should let her rest her body so that it could recover from her flu. Stroking her arm, he closed his eyes. He was upset that it had got this bad and that she hadn't told him. That he hadn't noticed the condition of the loft.
He could've helped. She didn't have to hide it from him.
Of course, he understood why. It was his girlfriend after all. His strong-willed, hard-headed, stubborn yet equally as kind and selfless girl had a mind all on her own. One that probably convinced her to shoulder this herself and not bug anyone about it.
Calista's head rocked from side to side, jolting him out of his thoughts as she opened her eyes. Smacking her lips, which were dry, she croaked out, "Shin-ah?"
He intertwined their fingers together, knowing that a little bit of physical contact would help her. "I'm here..."
She gazed at him, grey eyes glassy with the remnants of sleep and torment.
"... Do you need anything?" He asked, concerned.
His slim fingers brushed the hair away from her eyes, tipping her chin up so that he could see her more clearly. She blushed but it was lost on him as he was more worried about her state of mind and condition that her body was in.
"Yah, you idiot." Yoon's sharp glare broke the moment between them. "Take this."
He thrusted a vial of medicine to Shin-ah and a glass of water since she couldn't hold it properly.
She downed it with a grimace but didn't complain. It made her drowsy but she was determined not to fall asleep again.
Her friends just started to open their presents.
Yona squealed as she opened her gifts, running her fingers over the hilt of the dagger she had gotten her. The pretty boy didn't make a sound as he opened the box that held the rare spices but she saw his jaw drop and the tips of his ears turn pink. Jae-ha whistled appreciatively at the embellished wristwatch, ducking as Gigan swiped at him, demanding that he show some manners and appropriately thank her for giving him such an expensive gift.
Calista waved it off, letting him know that it wasn't necessary. The eldest had been eyeing it for ages, it was prime time that he finally got it.
Kija exclaimed as he saw the parts he had been searching for in order to upgrade his weapons and Zeno was just as excited when he saw the new tech software and motion-sensing cameras that he could install in their backyard. Hak's eyes went wide as he opened his present from her, not saying a word but meeting her gaze, thanking her with just a single look.
Opal squealed excitedly and his brothers shared the same reaction in different ways as the youngest triplet tore open the wrapping along with Hani and Tae-yeon. Each of them called dibs on certain ones they wanted and she was just grateful that no one wanted the same one as the other so there wasn't any fighting.
She giggled, glad that they all seemed to like it.
Gazing up at Shin-ah, she felt herself flush again when she realized his gaze had never left her. "You didn't open your present yet."
"... Later." He reassured her quietly so that he didn't disrupt the enthusiastic conversations and energy in the room.
All he wanted to do right now was take care of her.
She smiled and even though she lacked the strength to keep up with them, her silver eyes shone with happiness at the blessing that they were all able to be together for a day.
"Merry Christmas, Shin-ah." She murmured softly, tracing patterns on his chest.
He closed his eyes, kissing her forehead. "Merry Christmas..."
Golden eyes softening tenderly as he regarded her, willpower breaking off bit by bit as she stared up at him with those beautiful eyes of hers. She would be the death of him. Unable to resist it, he angled his head and coaxed her chin up, kissing her softly.
"... Calista."