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Come closer, I'll give you all of my love
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After being dragged into the house, Rin sat quietly on the couch, awaiting Chinmae, who had retreated into the kitchen to fetch a snack for the group, despite Chenle's prior polite decline of any hospitality.
Chenle leaned carelessly on the wall beside the door, gaze fixed upon Rin and her house as she sat a small length away from him, mind wandering endlessly.
Rin sported a smile as she wistfully observed every inch of space that surrounded her in the living room, grateful beyond measure for being returned to her home.
Her soft eyes explored the features of the house, not taking a moment for granted as her fingers trailed across the familiar ridges in the fabric of the couch, inhaling the scent of cinnamon that constantly wafted through the house- courtesy to the repetition of lighting scented candles.
Rin hoisted herself onto her feet, waltzing through the house that hadn't changed a bit, a smile resting languidly upon her cheeks.
She wandered along the grey walls and the framed pictures that decorated them- squinting to see the photographs from years prior, where her father, her brother, and herself posed for the camera- tongues sticking out and expressions exaggerated to create the perfect, silly family picture.
Her father had a habit of taking a few too many pictures, and always had a camera on hand- even in the most uninteresting situations, like walking to the store, or even driving to work.
Finding herself approaching a fireplace that had a dire need for a dusting, Rin's eyes drifted across the small trinkets that colorized the bland, red brick, such as uniquely-shaped rocks and a hued matryoshka; small things that the family had acquired over the years.
Among the objects and frames was a heart-shaped, silver locket with a the intricate design of a tree carved into the metal, but, despite its displayable beauty, it was tucked behind a minuscule, clay sculpture of some type of animal.
Her fingers grazed across the cold surface of it before taking it within her grasp, rotating the accessory between her thumb and index finger, examining it thoroughly.
Rin didn't need to open it to know what was inside, but she did anyway- carefully unfastening the item.
Revealing a tiny photograph hidden within it, Rin's eyes studied the face that she had never seen in person, but had dreamed about since she was a young child.
A woman with black hair stared back, dark eyes peering malevolently at the camera as a sly, mischievous smile illustrated her cheeks, radiating an aura of trouble, sending a chill up the girl's spine.
It was her mother, yet the owner of face locked within the accessory was a stranger, never to be met.
Her mother had ditched her when she was only two years old, and Rin had no memory of her, and no information of where she had gone nor what she had become. According to her father, the woman had left in the middle of the night after Rin's parents had participated in a vicious argument over money, and had packed her bags and abandoned her family without a goodbye.
Rin had come to terms with the fact that she probably would never see the woman again, but, at times, it still hurt. Sometimes, it would keep Rin up at night, wondering if it was easy to leave her two children and boyfriend behind, and if the woman ever thought about her.
At other times, Rin would ponder if her leave was Rin's fault, and the girl was just too much for her to care for, despite her constant internal reminders that it clearly wasn't due to her- surely not.
Languidly sighing, Rin returned the locket to its designated position upon fireplace as Chinmae entered the room, holding a tray of food within his grasp.
Turning to face him, Rin smiled kindly as he approached, and made her way beside Chenle as his eyes wordlessly followed her, leaning against the door next to him.
Shooting him a small grin, Rin was greeted by his usual apathetic expression, but she had become accustomed to it, unbothered by his cold gaze.
Chinmae placed the tray of food upon the coffee table stationed in front of the couch, and quickly turned to the soulmates, eyes excited, yet a hint of concern swirled through his orbs.
"So, where have you been?" He asked, tone light and kind, yet a bit of hurt filtered through.
Rin hesitated a moment, eyes drifting towards Chenle before responding.
"Uh, with him," She muttered curtly, unsure if she should share the details of her kidnapping.
Chinmae narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the girl at her nonspecific words, knowing that his daughter usually replied overflowing with words, rather than quite short responses.
"It's been-"
"Dad, I promise I'll explain it later," She interjected quickly, as stiff as a board.
Rin hoped that her father wouldn't pry, but she knew he had the right to; his daughter had just gone missing and came back unharmed, acting as if she had left for a few hours, not an entire month.
Chinmae pressed his lips into a thin line, and distress plucked at his stomach, turning his insides into a churning washing machine of concern, yet he tried to contain it- focusing on the bright side; Rin was home.
Despite his persist desire to discover her whereabouts, Chinmae trusted his daughter more than anyone else, knowing that she wouldn't lie about something so worrisome such as her disappearance, and was certain that she would relay her story onto him in the near future.
"You better," He muttered, eyes fixed on the girl.
Rin smiled thinly, nodding promptly, reassuringly as she watched Chinmae's eyes wander towards Chenle, and soon noticed that Chenle tensed- fixing his posture as his met Chinmae's gaze.
"Chenla-"
"Chenle."
"-What do you do for a living?" Chinmae continued, eyes scouring the boy that was fated with his daughter.
Chenle hesitated; introducing yourself as a gang member never created the best first impression, especially to a soulmate's parent. Chenle didn't know how Chinmae would react, so he glanced uncertainly towards Rin- searching for an acceptable response in his soulmate's expression.
Eyes flickering between the two for a moment, Rin reluctantly nodded, trying to signal to Chenle that Chinmae probably- hopefully- wouldn't overreact.
Shooting the girl an uncertain look, Chenle turned back to the girl's father, strangely nervous in his presence.
"Ever heard of NCT?"
I'm back in my home townnnn