"Are you sure we have to say goodbye?" Nari shyly looked up at Iris as they stood outside the cab with raindrops dotting their faces, "Can you come back to Korea with us?"
"I wish I could," Iris smiled sadly and wrapped her in a hug, "but my parents would never let that happen. Besides, I don't know Korean."
Nari looked up at them and spoke excitedly, "Don't worry, I'll teach you!"
"Darling, we can't take them with us," Namjoon laughed, "I don't think that it's legal, Nari."
"It's alright," Iris said and let go, but not before sneaking a kiss on the girl's cheek, "I'll miss you though. Thank you for letting me hang out with you guys. It really means a lot to me."
Namjoon gave them a quick hug, "You're very welcome, Iris. It's been a pleasure to get to know you. Keep in touch, okay?"
"I will." They promised, "And Chelsea, it was nice to meet you too. You and Namjoon are super cute together."
"Awe, I know," Chelsea waved goodbye, "I hope we see eachother soon."
Nari squeezed their hand one last time before they got into the cab, "I'll miss you, Iris."
"I'll miss you too, Nari."
Suga placed a supportive hand on the girl's shoulder as they watched the taxi pull away, "It'll be okay, lovely. You've always got me." He shot a dirty look at the tall boy next to him, "Namjoon threw me out of our room for the next couple nights, do you mind if I crash with you?"
"Of course not," Nari answered immediately, "You're welcome anytime, Shu-ger."
After saying goodnight to the rest of the members, they headed to their hotel suite. Suga grabbed a couple bags from his room and gave one final message before leaving, "Namjoon. At least try to be quiet. Thanks." He slammed the connecting door shut and lazily fell back on to one of the beds in Nari's room, "Alright love, how are you feeling?"
"Sad." The girl immediately responded and plopped down alongside him, "I don't know if I'll ever see Iris again."
"You little pessimist," He teased, "You'll see them soon, don't worry. We can always fly them out to Korea for a little while." The boy sat up and smiled mischievously, "So. Are you guys dating or what?"
Nari blushed, "I don't know. We um," She stuttered, "uh, maybe kissed. Maybe."
"Really?!" Suga playfully shook her shoulders, "That's awesome! Look at you, growing up so fast. I'm such a proud brother." He pulled her into a loving embrace, "It's our last free night in New York, tomorrow we won't get back until early the next morning. Let's spend it the right way: Watching a movie, since we don't have any good books right now."
"Can we watch The Lady and The Tramp?" She asked, eagerly snuggling into his frame. Suga was the best for cuddling. His soft and squishy body supported her in all the right ways, never failing to relax her busy mind.
"Sure, lovely." The boy answered, "Anything you want, Nari."
"Hey Suga?"
"Hm?"
"Do you think Namjoon and Chelsea are gonna get married?"
Suga stopped scrolling through Netflix, slightly surprised by her question, "I'm not sure. What is it, Nari? Are you worried that you won't be the most important girl in his life anymore?"
"No, no, it's nothing like that!" Nari laughed, remembering the sleepy conversation she had with the younger boy a few nights prior, "I've just been thinking a lot about that kind of love lately, that's all. Namjoon and I talked a little while ago about the future, like when BTS is over. Shu-ger, what are you going to do when that happens?"
"Well, I'll continue making music of course, " He answered thoughtfully, "I can't see myself doing anything else, honestly. Maybe I'll form my own record label or something like that. I'll probably have to stay in Seoul, so we'll never be far from eachother, don't worry."
"And are you going to get married? Will you start a family?"
Suga smiled, "Maybe. Like I said a couple days ago, it's not a priority. I know that I'll find my person when the time is right. I'm not going to think about having kids until then either." He chuckled and kissed her head, "Besides, I've got my hands full with you already. I'll have to keep a closer eye on you, lovely, or you'll come home one day with 10 piercings and a whole sleeve of tattoos."
"So mean," The girl pouted, "You told me that you liked my hair!"
"I do, I swear I do," He laughed, "But I offered to dye your hair a couple months before we left, you could have done it then."
Nari shook her head, "Nah. I didn't want to then. I didn't feel like I do now, you know?"
"Ah, I see," The boy answered, "You just needed a little inspiration. I really do like the new look, by the way. When you're older I'll take you to a couple punk shows back in Korea. It's more of an underground scene there, so it's too dangerous now 'cause you're little, but when in a couple years I'll make sure that we go."
"You're the best, Shu-ger."
Nari cuddled deeper into his embrace and let out a yawn as Suga started the movie. He protectively rested his chin on the top of her head, feeling completely at ease as he felt her soft breath against the loose fabric of his shirt. She would fall asleep soon. Just like Namjoon, the girl could fall asleep anywhere as long as she felt safe; and in his arms was the safest place of all.
Lovely Nari, you've grown up so fast, Suga pondered, It feels last week we were sitting at the kitchen table in the middle of the night talking about omurice, and just a few days ago was when we cried together on one of the darkest days of your life. But you're so big now. You've had your first kiss and you're exploring a whole new kind of love. You're starting to leave my arms and go into someone else's.
He subconsciously held her tighter, Sometimes I feel so conflicted about you, Nari. I want you to make your own way into the world, I want you to find love and make new friends and do the things that make you happy. I want you to become the beautiful person that you are meant to be. I'll be so proud of you...but I know that the more you grow up, the closer the day comes where you won't need me anymore. You won't need me to hold you like this when you're sad, read to you before bed, or protect you from all the evils in this world. You won't need a prince because you'll be able to save yourself. Suga gently kissed her head, I know it's selfish of me, and I hate myself for even thinking it, but sometimes I wish that you could just stay little so I'd never have to let you go.
"Shu-ger, what's wrong?" Nari looked up at him with sleepy eyes, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, don't worry," Suga let out a deep breath that he didn't even know he was holding, "Just thinking about how much you've grown up, that's all."
The girl laughed and closed her eyes, laying her head back against his chest, "Don't be silly, Shu-ger. I'm never growing up. You're going to be my prince forever and ever."
"If you say so, lovely," He chuckled, "Nari, you should get to sleep. I can tell that you're tired."
"But what about the movie?"
"It's okay, I'll leave it on. I think that I'll be up for a little while longer anyway."
She nodded and let out another yawn, "Okay. Don't stay up too late, okay? It's not good for you." Little hands cautiously held his shirt a bit tighter, "And don't leave. I want to cuddle with you for tonight. Please."
"I'll be right here," He assured her, "When you close your eyes, be sure to think of me before you fall asleep so you'll have good dreams. I'll think of you too and maybe we'll meet. How does that sound?"
"I love it," Nari mumbled, becoming drowsier by the second, "Goodnight, Shu-ger. I love you."
"I love you too. Sleep tight, lovely girl."
You say you'll never grow up, huh? He smiled, Oh Nari, you have no idea how much I wish that was that was true. Suga placed one last gentle kiss on her head before closing his own eyes, I never thought that these growing pains would be so bittersweet. But that's okay. No matter how big you get, you'll always be loved when you're with me. That will never change.
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Once again, it was dark when Nari opened her eyes. Panic rang in her head as she clung to Suga's shirt. A familiar feeling, but an unpleasant one nonetheless. The girl took a deep breath and pressed her ear to the boy's chest, hoping that his steady heartbeat would help calm her. Suga's warm arms sleepily hugged her as he mumbled.
"Hm? Nari?"
"It's fine," She whispered, "Go to sleep, Shu-ger."
"No, it's okay," Suga assured her and yawned, opening his eyes, "What is it? Another nightmare?"
Nari cuddled into his embrace, "Yeah. Just a little."
"It's alright, lovely," He replied, "Do you want to talk about it?"
"I don't know. There's not really much to tell, I guess," The girl answered softly, "I can't even remember what happens most of the time, just the way that I feel when I wake up."
"They've been happening a lot recently, haven't they?"
"Yeah."
Suga held her tighter, "Don't worry. I'll keep you safe, okay?"
Nari said nothing and allowed the boy to comfort her. He hummed a soft tune and rested his chin on the top of her head protectively. The girl let out a deep breath. Like always, Suga made everything feel okay again. Well, almost everything. The knot at the bottom of her stomach refused to untangle. She clung to the boy and squeezed her eyes shut.
"Are you sure that you're okay?" Suga asked as he felt her tense up in his arms, "If you need to cry, that's alright. I'm here for you."
Finally, the floodgates holding back Nari's emotions burst. Gentle sobs rocked the girl's body even though she didn't quite know what she was crying about. Her mind was completely empty, devoid of anything except the feeling of pure anguish.
"Is it the dirt, lovely girl?" Her older companion said softly.
She nodded through her tears, "Uh huh."
"Where is it?"
"Everywhere." Nari whispered, "I can't escape it. I hate it so much."
"Well, if it's everywhere, we're just going to have to find a way to make it beautiful." Suga said determinedly, "Nari, let's plant a garden."
The girl looked up at him, surprised by his words, "A garden?"
"A garden," He repeated, "Dirt may seem bad, but think about about all the good things that it does for us. We're going to grow a little garden in your dirt, lovely, so you'll always remember how beautiful you are. Here, I'll start." Suga picked up her hands, "For every finger, we're going to plant a strawberry. Ready? Let's count! One, two, three..."
Nari couldn't help but smile as Suga gently traced each finger back to her palm as he counted all the way to ten. She imagined little strawberries popping up from wherever he touched, which made her giggle.
"Okay! Now that we've got the strawberries, let's get some flowers too," The boy placed a hand on top of her head, "We'll plant a sunflower right here."
"How big is it?" Nari asked excitedly, "Can it be a tall one?"
"It can be as tall as you want it to be!" Suga answered excitedly, "Reach your hands to the sky!"
She immediately obliged and reached up high as far as she could, imagining a big yellow sunflower growing taller and taller until it reached the tips of her fingers. Her companion smiled and tenderly intertwined their hands, "There you go, lovely. Now you try. What would you like to plant next?"
"Peaches," Nari replied, "Cause they're sweet. I want them here and here." She tapped both knees before meeting his gaze once again, "Is that okay?"
"Of course it's okay, this is your garden. You can plant whatever you want in it," The boy assured her, "It's my turn now and I choose ivy," He gently traced a path from the girl's tear stained cheeks to her collarbone, "Ivy can grow pretty much anywhere, from the ground, to on trees, and it can even climb the walls of buildings." Suga spoke softly, "Now there's something special I want to do. Close your eyes, okay?"
"Uh huh." She obediently shut her eyes, placing her complete trust in the boy in front of her.
"We're going to plant roses now," He continued, "Nari, what color do you want?"
"Pink."
"Alright, pink roses," Suga pressed a kiss against each of her cheeks, "These flowers are special, okay?" His hands gently cupped her face as he tenderly rested his forehead against hers, "The roses in your garden don't have any thorns and I promise that they will never ever hurt you."
Nari smiled, "Can I open my eyes now, Shu-ger?"
"Not yet," The boy answered and pulled her close, "Just let me love you, okay?" He took a deep breath, "You're made of such beautiful things, lovely girl."
"You promise?"
"Uh huh. I promise." Suga nodded and traced little circles on her back, "I love you, Nari."
"I love you too, Shu-ger."
The girl relaxed deeper into his embrace. She didn't need to open her eyes anymore, she knew that she was safe. Besides, her head was full of such nice things now. Nari pictured the garden that she and Suga built; complete with strawberries, sunflowers, peaches, ivy, and of course, the two thornless roses. In their garden there was never a rainy day and the flowers always bloomed.
Suga just had that special ability to turn everything he touched beautiful. It didn't matter how broken it was, when he was done, it was like nothing bad ever happened in the first place. He was one of the only people who could bring life back into the desolate dirt that covered her heart.
Feeling the grip on his shirt loosen and the girl's breathing become steadier, Suga let out a sigh of relief knowing that Nari had fallen asleep once again. I guess I'll just have to think of you harder, huh? He chuckled, But this time I won't think about sad things before I fall asleep. I'll think about happy ones, like the garden we built and the love we share, so that even when the day comes where you won't need me like this anymore, you'll still know how important you are to me. Always.
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yes i am a sucker for nari + suga moments. yoongi stans and bitches with daddy issues, this goes out to u. also i thought this part didnt have enough angst so i added just a lil in there.