The quiet house felt distinctly like home when Nari walked in. After Chan opened the front door, the boys spilled into the foyer, exhausted expressions on their faces. Nari followed, trudging in like her shoes were filled with water.
It had been not more than six hours earlier that Nari had been taken, and it was almost midnight now. Sighs of tiredness filled the room, but everyone stood up straight and faced their leader.
"Any orders, Chan?" Woojin asked, barely covering up a large yawn. Against her will, Nari copied her senior's action, mouth stretching open while her nose wrinkled cutely.
Chan laughed quietly and tousled Nari's hair, smirking endearingly. "Only one. All of you go get some rest."
Gratefully, the group dispersed to their rooms to get ready for bed. Before Nari could even turn the light in her room on, someone deftly slid in with her and clicked the door place behind his back.
Nari flinched back in fear before she recognized who it was. "Hyunjin, don't scare me like that," she laughed weakly, lifting a hand to her pounding chest. He said nothing, only stood with his back pressed against the smooth wood of the door. Nari squinted in the dark, trying to see him better. "Are... are you okay?"
He inhaled shakily and reached a trembling hand out, grasping the hand she had rested on her chest. "I'm sorry," he whispered, and everything else spilled out. "This whole thing was my fault, I didn't get to you fast enough, I wasn't thinking quickly enough. I put you in danger and - "
"Stop," Nari murmured softly. She closed the space between them and stood on her tippy toes, sliding her arms around his neck in a comforting manner. "Stop Hyunjin. Don't blame yourself, it wasn't your fault."
Shaking, Hyunjin returned her embrace, wrapping his strong arms around her waist and clinging to her, just to make sure she really was safe. He laughed breathily, stirring the hair on her shoulder.
"I couldn't think of anything else while you were gone. I wanted... I wanted to hurt them, to kill whoever it was that took you, to make them pay with blood. Of course, after I realized it was your brother, that plan went down the drain."
Shocked by his intense words, she pulled away to look Hyunjin in the eye. "But why... "
He cocked an eyebrow. "Why what?"
Clearing her throat awkwardly, Nari attempted to finish her thought. "Why would you want to hurt my captors so much? It would have been the same with any of the others," she said, coughing out a fake laugh. Her face burned as she became extra aware of Hyunjin's arms holding her to him still.
Hyunjin blanched and started to disentangle their bodies, stepping a respectful distance away from Nari. "I... um, yeah, that's what I meant. All my members matter to me, and you're one of them now, so... "
Nari couldn't help the disappointment that panged in her chest. Sometimes she felt like Hyunjin returned her feelings, like they had a real connection. And others she felt like she was just his annoying younger sister, clamoring for attention.
"Oh," she relied lamely. "That's really nice."
A few moments of empty silence passed, and Hyunjin almost burst with frustration. He was yelling internally at himself upon seeing Nari's face, beating himself up.
Stupid, stupid, stupid! Can't you see how crushed she looks?
Trying not to make the situation worse, Hyunjin reached for the doorknob. "Well, I should go to bed, and you're probably exhausted, so... goodnight."
He turned the knob and opened the door silently, sliding through the space. Nari's chest pinched as she watched him go, somehow feeling more alone than she had all day. As her head began to pound, Nari pressed her lips together until they turned white. The shadows in her room seemed to grow, surrounding her until she was smothered by darkness. Her heartbeat sped up as her breathing increased, and she clenched her hands into fists.
"Hyunjin!"
The name was out of her mouth before she could stop it, hands sweaty and mouth dry as she fought off the hallucinations starting to rise. Nari squeezed her eyes shut, forcing herself to breathe slowly.
The boy almost got whiplash from turning around so fast, poking his head into her dark room to see what was wrong. "Yeah? What do you... oh hey. Hey, what's wrong?"
Hyunjin immediately became soft and concerned, wide eyes searching the area for threats. When he saw none, he scrutinized her body language: hands fisted, nostrils flaring, eyes shut, and feet fidgeting.
He didn't know what to do, and didn't want to upset her. Carefully, he touched her chin, lifting it up to his level. "What do you need, love?"
Again, the nickname was out before he was able to catch himself, and Hyunjin panicked, watching Nari to see her reaction.
But she hadn't even noticed the name, and instead opened her mouth to release an unsteady breath. "It's really late... and I'm still freaked out from today, s-so I'm seeing things," she whimpered, burrowing her chin farther into Hyunjin's hand.
His heart broke a bit seeing her so vulnerable, yet expressing her problem so unashamedly. "Okay, what can I do?"
Eyes fluttering open, Nari avoided his gaze, afraid that what she was about to ask would be too much. "Could you, um, s-stay with me? Until I fall asleep?" Nari asked, bracing herself for the backlash.
Hyunjin was frozen for a second, his brain struggling to process her request. The fact that she wanted him to comfort her, him, not Chan, not Minho, made him feel more responsible, mature. It made him want to protect her even more.
He was glad it was too dark for her to see him blushing.
"It's okay, you don't have to. I'll be fine if I - "
"No, I'll stay with you," he interrupted, releasing her chin from his grasp as he cleared his throat. Nari blinked a few times in surprise.
"Oh... alright," she murmured, breathier than she would have liked. "I'm going to get changed, so if you want to go and change as well... "
The flustered boy was out of her room before she could finish her sentence, leaving Nari with an unsteady pulse and warm chest. She shook the strange feeling away, as she felt much too vulnerable that way.
Pulling her pajamas off her bed, she slipped a pair sweatpants on and reached for her shirt, which was still the one she had borrowed from Hyunjin. After straightening the thin material, she combed her fingers through her hair and sighed, wishing that she had someone to play with it for her. Nari adored the feeling of someone's hands in her hair, tickling her scalp with soft brushes.
Her door opened again, revealing Hyunjin in a t-shirt and gym shorts. Nari climbed into bed and scooted her blankets back. She tucked her feet under them, drawing the covers up to her elbows with a yawn. The bed felt nice, but she was still on edge, lying there alone.
Her eyes drifted shut and she felt Hyunjin's weight settling down on the other side of the bed. Although she couldn't see him, Nari could feel his awkward aura radiating in waves around her.
"Relax," she mumbled, patting the bed until she found his hand, wrapping her small fingers around his slowly. "I won't bite, I promise."
Hyunjin obeyed, releasing the stiffness in his muscles. He held her hand in response and stared at the ceiling, wondering if Nari could sense the euphoria emitting from his whole body.
While he was trying to keep his cool, Nari inspected Hyunjin's hand by touch. His fingers were very nice - long and thin. Shyly, she turned towards him a little, keeping her chin tucked to her chest. "Hey," she whispered. At her lack of words, Hyunjin smiled.
"Hey."
"Um, this may sound weird, but can you... play with my hair? You know, just mess with it? It calms me down, helps me sleep sometimes, when there's someone to do it."
The request was so pure and simple, there was no way that he could refuse her. So he silently rolled over to face the girl, their breath hitting each others faces, and nudged her on her side, with her back facing him. He gently slid his fingers into Nari's thick hair, caressing her head from her temples to her neck. She almost purred at the wonderful feeling, unconsciously moving a little closer to him. Freezing for a moment, he soon relaxed again, dragging his nails lightly across her head.
They kept this way for a little while, eyes becoming heavier and his hands becoming slower. Soon, Hyunjin's hands migrated to Nari's partially exposed shoulder, thumb sweeping across the skin comfortingly.
Neither one of them had ever felt as peaceful as they were in that moment. The warmth of another person beside them was so welcome, yet intimate, it was pure bliss.
Without a care in the world, the teens fell asleep embracing each other, finding comfort in the fact they were together once again.
i hope you enjoyed this chapter luvs! i
feel like i enjoy writing soft chapters more
than anything
also, scalp massages are heavenly, i find them
very comforting and relaxing