Nari's eyes widened as her gaze landed on the man standing in the doorframe.
Woojin uncomfortably shifted, licking his lips nervously as he was stared down by his ex members slowly wandering toward the door. "I'm not here to come inside, or to talk. I'm just here to thank you."
He turned suddenly, motioning for someone to come to him. A small boy, probably eight years old, scampered towards him, hiding in his arms as he shyly looked up at the others with wide eyes.
"This is Duri, my little brother."
Chan pursed his lips, smiling softly at the boy. "Hi Duri," he rasped out, clearing his throat.
"I know I kept him a secret from all of you, and I thought I was doing him a favor by putting him in a group home, somewhere he'd never see me again. Our parents have obviously been gone for a while, and my field isn't the type that's kind to kids," he said, rumpling Duri's hair.
"But in spite of what I did, even though it was for him, you put aside your hurt and anger to help me get him back. To give those kids their lives back. I can't - "
He stopped, looking down at his small brother before making eye contact with Chan. "I owe you our lives. He's here in my arms right now because of you. Thank you."
Woojin released his brother and knelt, putting his face to the ground in a full bow. Nari glanced at Duri and smiled faintly at the confused look he was giving his big brother.
He stood slowly, teetering as Duri leaned back into his arms. "You'll never see me again, but I had to thank you in person and give you my respect. I'm parting from you a grateful man," he finished, bowing again before taking his brother's hand and walking away, interlocked hands swinging.
"Goodbye," Chan called after him hoarsely, watching the two disappear into the afternoon light.
° ° °
The door slammed shut, echoing through the house. No one knew what to say, and Nari tugged at her shirt while she waited for someone to break the silence.
"Well, that's that," Seungmin commented, sitting on the couch with a bowl of hot cheetos, his dirty clothing smearing on the couch. "What should we watch tonight?"
The complete change in attitude threw Nari for a loop, and she quizzically glanced between Seungmin and the others to gauge their reactions.
"Seungmin. You're. Still. Dirty. Get off the couch now," Minho growled, racing and chasing Seungmin around the floor in his wheelchair.
The tension was shattered and a laugh bubbled up in Nari's throat as she watched them. Hyunjin bumped her hip with his, eyes lingering on her lips.
"I'm gonna go get cleaned up too, wait for me?" he asked, nodding towards the couch. "You should sit and eat something."
"I'll try and scrounge something up for everyone," Nari agreed, bringing a hand up to ruffle the hair at the base of her boyfriend's neck.
He grinned and brought his mouth down to her ear, palms sliding up her arms as he realized who's shirt she was wearing. "We can go upstairs to rest if it's too loud down here for you."
Nari's mouth popped opened with surprise as her eyes darted around, making sure no one else had heard his suggestive option. "Don't do that, Hyun," she murmured nervously, avoiding his gaze with pink cheeks.
Lips pouting, Hyunjin drew her close and squeezed, whining loudly when she yanked away to keep herself clean. "Fine, okay, I'm too tired to canoodle anyway."
Chan teleported behind Hyunjin's shoulder. "What? Who's canoodling?"
The younger boy flinched with his hand half raised. "God, Chan," he huffed, bringing the hand to his pounding heart. "Don't sneak up like that if you don't want me to hurt you by accident."
"Don't canoodle under the same roof as me if you want to live on purpose."
Hyunjin's eyes rounded as he wheeled around and darted upstairs, disappearing at the speed of light as Chan arched an eyebrow. "He better watch it," he commented to Nari as she fanned at her warm face.
Her hand was caught by a larger one as Chan waddled away, and Nari was gently twirled around to face Felix.
"Wanna cook something with me?" he offered with twinkling eyes, hair damp from the shower he must have finished minutes ago. Nari couldn't have refused.
Felix danced his way into the kitchen, beaming as he noticed Nari's eagerness to help. "There's dishes stored away that we can heat up for a meal, so I wanna make something sweet. I have a specialty, you know."
"Cookies?" Nari guessed randomly, watching Felix pull bowls and ingredients out of the cabinets. He shook his head and a stray hair fell into his eyes.
"Brownies," he corrected, setting a bag of chocolate chips down on the counter. "Hand me that whisk, would you?"
Over the next half hour, the pair labored over the thick batter and set it in the oven, Felix gleefully explaining the intricacies of his self made recipe as they let the brownies bake.
Jeongin wandered into the kitchen, fresh sweatpants brushing the floor as his eyes lit up. "You're making brownies?"
"They're for after we eat dinner, Jeongin," Felix warned his younger brother. The boy still snagged a handful of chocolate chips and plopped onto a kitchen chair as he munched on them.
Seungmin, fingers lazily scrolling through his phone, sauntered into the kitchen with a steaming Minho on his heels. "Stop running away," the older boy whined, attempting to hit Seungmin's ankles.
"I'm not, I'm taking movie votes."
"I vote horror," Jisung said as he snuck around Felix to swipe some of the remaining brownie batter out of the mixing bowl. Felix glared good naturedly, scraping the bowl and offering Jisung a messy spoon of the stuff for convenience.
"I don't know," Chan opposed hesitantly, joining the group as they began to get dinner ready. "Maybe if we keep the lights on..."
Jeongin shook his head while getting pans out for the food. "You're the leader of a gang but can't handle hauntings and poltergeists? Tsk tsk."
Immediately Chan threw his arm around the kid in a headlock, tightening it in warning until Jeongin tapped out while choking on his laughter. Chan's bicep flexed as he released the boy, shaking his head as Jeongin caught his breath and began cracking up.
"No respect for their elders these days," he complained to no one in particular.
Seungmin arched an eyebrow, pausing his hunt for a horror movie. "'Elders'? You sound so old, Chan."
The leader had no more energy for the playful taunting, and simply fixed Seungmin with a dead stare until the boy muttered an apology.
Nari helped Felix slice and plate the brownies while the boys grabbed all of the warmed dishes to settle in the living room, a random array of food spread all over the floor and sofas.
"Try and keep the couches clean this time," Chan begged as they all sat down. "We barely managed to get those sauce stains out from last time."
"The stains that were not my fault, by the way," Hyunjin announced as he appeared and plopped down next to Nari, his damp hair dripping onto her arm. She shivered and grabbed a napkin to throw at his head, gesturing for him to wring out the moisture.
Jeongin nodded his approval at her movement; he had settled at Nari's feet and was wiping the droplets from Hyunjin's hair off of his shoulders in disgust.
The television blinked on suddenly, and the huge face of a dramatized, terrifying clown popped up. Chan squealed and punched Jisung in the shoulder accidentally, and while he screamed in pain, Changbin and Felix grabbed each other in silent terror.
Startled from the noise, Nari flinched and spilled the pile of brownies heaped on her lap, the crumbs spilling into Jeongin's hair. He yowled in annoyance and threw an elbow back, digging it into Hyunjin's thigh instead by accident.
The room erupted into shrill screams and arguments as the movie began and blasted its opening theme across the living room, Minho and Seungmin simply watching the chaos from a safe distance on a separate sofa.
Slowly, they all relaxed and settled into each other's company, a peaceful silence filling the room once the credits finally rolled and everyone was sprawled across their seat mates, passed out and breathing gently.
Nari sighed and settled into Hyunjin's shoulder, face burrowing against his warm shirt. He stirred suddenly, wiping the blurry haze from his tired eyes as he focused on her.
"Sorry, did I fall asleep?"
Nari only nodded and tried to pull
him back against her, but he stood and scooped her into his arms, ignoring her surprise as he carried her upstairs and tossed them both down on her bed.
"I'm gonna get pajamas on, stay here."
Too sleepy to nod, Nari shut her eyes again, giggling a few minutes later as her boyfriend snuck up and ran his fingers over her neck. She squirmed helplessly as he teased her sensitive skin.
Hyunjin groaned as he laid his aching body down beside her, Nari's hands brushing his apparently bare shoulders as she reached over. She was a little put out that she was too tired to appreciate the view.
He wound his smooth arms around her body, their shared warmth forming a cozy haven in the bed.
"You did take more painkillers right?" Nari grunted, forcing one eye open as she fought sleep.
"Yes."
"Are you hungry still?"
"No."
"Do you want another blanket?"
Hyunjin huffed tiredly, "What I want is to rest and lay peacefully and sleep next to my girlfriend."
"Say that again," she muttered cheekily, brushing her nose against his gently.
Hyunjin leisurely kissed her, pure bliss on his mind as he pecked her lips softly. He pulled back a few inches, smirking at her struggling eyelids.
"I wanna sleep next to my girlfriend."
Content, Nari exhaled into his neck, goosebumps rising on his skin as he drew her even closer. Her breaths were evening out, but Hyunjin had a sudden important realization that he needed to share with her.
"Nari."
Prying her eyes open again, Nari murmured as she tried to look at him. "Mhm?"
"I think... I think I could love you. Like really love you."
Nari smiled drowsily, the impact of his words not quite hitting her as she snuggled back into his chest. "I think I could love you too."
He was glad she couldn't see his face, because he had definitely turned a deep shade of red. It was the first time either of them had felt this deeply, and he was so grateful that she felt it for him.
Hyunjin blissfully locked his arms around his girlfriend, pondering for a moment before he spoke up.
"It's hard to describe love, isn't it?"
Nari looked up, drowsy and confused. "I guess so. The feeling can't really be captured by a few words."
He nodded, playfully mulling around with his vocabulary as he kept her awake. "Bubbly."
"That's a good one," Nari yawned, racking her brain now as well. "What about... radiant?"
"It's still missing something," he mused, stroking her hair softly as he thought. One more word popped into his head.
"Effervescent."
Nari puckered her lips in sluggish approval. "That's definitely my top contender. Look at my smart man go."
He chuckled faintly and let his eyes drift closed, his heart full and content. Nari giggled as he fell asleep almost instantly, his short exhales tickling her skin.
She stared up at his serene face, memorizing and mapping it into her memory. She had almost lost him so many times, almost lost her family so many times. But they were strong, unbreakable together. They were fated.
Safe and warm in the knowledge that they were starting the rest of their lives together, Nari drifted off, the arms of her lover chasing away the nightmares.
last chapter omg😭🫶🏻
what a ride guys
don't worry, epilogue is coming soon<3