Greeting them really only means saying hi and how are you before everyone else talks privately in a room while I’m sent back. Unfortunately. I’m a bit restless, so I make a stop by my room to grab a book I’m in the midst of reading, before heading towards a cafe. I needed to get some reading done anyway. It’s early morning, but the place is open, and I order myself some coffee. About twenty something pages in, I hear my name being called.

“Daeun?” I look up from the book and see Baekhyun, peering cautiously into my face before smiling. “There you are.”

“Baek.” I wave him over. “Is the, er, meeting thing done?” I ask, putting the book down. 

He laughs. “Yes, it’s done. Sorry for making you wait.”

I shake my head, standing up. “It’s fine.” It isn’t really, I had wanted to know what was going on, but right now I’m just glad to see him. “Nice to know you’re in one piece.”

“It is nice.” He confirms with a smile. “Ah, Jongin was looking for you. He’s in his room I believe.”

“Oh. Why’s that?” I wonder. 

“Well...he’ll tell you.” Baekhyun replies, shoulders stiff all of a sudden. “When he’s ready.”

“Alright.” I respond to his vague comment and start in the direction of Jongin’s room before stopping. “I was meaning to ask…”

“Hm?”

 “Those books...” I trail off. “Those books from earlier were about the Pure One. You were ripping out those pages so SHC wouldn’t be able to know more about the Pure One.” 

“Yeah. It gave us extra time that we needed, Daeun.”

“Baekhyun, you could’ve gotten caught and hurt because of that. They’re going to find out more about it sooner or later. That was dangerous, Baek, I-”

“Daeun.” His smile falters. “I did it for you.”

The statement throws me off, much like the first time I met him. Right now, he looks so sincere and earnest, downright serious rather than the mischievous person I know him as. “W-what?”

A laugh escapes his lips. “Erasing important information like that earns us some spare time to keep you safe. That’s why I did it.” 

“Thank...you…?” I say, my voice unsure and wavering. Baekhyun shakes his head with another brilliant smile.

Before he turns away, he whispers, “Anything and everything for you.” 

It takes my breath away.

When I was younger, way before any of this, Sehun broke his leg by falling off an eight foot brick wall on the playground of our school. He had been pretending that he could fly, only to realize that life was cruel and sometimes you hit the ground hard. He was rushed off to a hospital, got his leg casted, but along the way he contracted pneumonia and for two weeks he was stuck there. Within that time, I visited him daily and he complained that I was tiring him out. I ignored him and continued to bother him. 

Sometimes he’d have to leave the room for a routine check-up, and I’d be left to my own devices while my mom talked to the nurse about how to care for Sehun when he was allowed back home. I’d escape to explore the hospital and create adventures in my head. One time, I stumbled into a room that I thought was empty, but was inhabited by a little boy. Seeing kids around my age at the hospital was rare, so I took advantage of it.

“I’m Daeun, what’s your name?”

“I’m-” He didn’t get to finish before a series of coughing racked through him. I was young, but old enough to understand that coughing up blood was not a good thing.

There was a shelf of books at the far wall of the room, and I grabbed a random one. “I’m not in school yet, but I can read. Do you want me to read for you?”

He nodded. It was fairly easy. The sentences were a few syllables each and the words were rudimentary. When I finished the story, I waved and then left to return to my brother’s room. The next day, I visited the boy again and picked a different story. By the fifth visit, there was one already opened and waiting for me.

On the last day Sehun would be staying at the hospital, I didn’t read to the boy. Instead, I told him that I’d visit as often as I could and I’d bring some of my own books to read next time. “Get better.” I said. “Then I can read as much books as you want.”

“Thank you, Daeun.” He managed in a strained voice. It had been weird to hear, the whole time he had been nearly silent, only helping out once in a while when I couldn’t pronounce a word.

There had been two more visits in the next month. On the second one, I told him to get better quickly, just before I left. He nodded.

“Anything and everything for you.”

The third visit he was gone. I asked where he was, but the nurse shook her head and gave me a sympathetic look. “He’s someplace better now.”

Lung cancer. That’s what he had. That’s what killed him. Or what supposedly killed him. Except he’s alive right now. And he’s a huge slacker who likes to sleep a lot when he’s supposed to be working.

Jongin doesn’t look ecstatic when I enter. I find him with his jaw tight, and without speaking any words, he paces along the length of the room. Instead of interrupting his strange actions, I opt to lean against the wall and simply observe his behavior. I try not to think about Baekhyun in the meantime.

Finally, when he seems to have calmed down a bit, he stops just in front of me. I have to look up to meet his eyes.

“Daeun, you know how I feel about you, right?”

The question takes me by surprise and I clumsily fumble around for words. “What....what?” is the best I can come up with.

Jongin exasperatedly throws his hands into the air before grabbing me by the shoulders. “How. I. Feel. About. You.” He shakes me slightly to emphasize each word. “You understand that I feel very strongly about you. Correct?”

Very strongly. Define that. “Sure.”

A small sound of relief escapes him, and the tension in his arms loosen a bit. If I was nice, I’d let him enjoy that relief. But I’m not, so I decide to provoke him. Playfully of course. “I mean, we’ve grown up together, like siblings you could say, so yes I believe we feel very strongly about each other.”

He glares at me. “Daeun, that isn’t funny.”

I continue on, ignoring him. “Oh, and Sehun’s my brother so I also feel very strongly about him. And since Luhan and Kris have been around for a while I guess I fe-”

With a growl, Jongin slams his hands onto the wall on either side of my head. He’s leaning close, breathing ragged and sharp. “Daeun. I’m serious.”

“Alright, alright. I’m sorry.” I run a hand through his hair and he relaxes into the touch. “I just wanted to tease you about being a bit more clear. What is getting you so upset?”

He laughs once, mirthlessly, before leaning his forehead against my right shoulder. “More clear, she says. I’m already embarrassed by that vague confession.”

“Oh it was a confession?” I tease, poking his side and then poking it harder when he doesn’t respond. “What do you mean by confession? Like, proposing or offering up your undying love? Jongin, hey Jongi-” I stop when he brings his body flush against mine. He is no longer hiding into my shoulder, but staring down at me, hands along the slope of my hips. My breath catches in my throat as he leans closer.

“Does this,” His lips press against the edge of my jaw, fingers skimming along the skin just underneath the hem of my shirt. “Clear up how strongly I feel for you?”

Coherency is not my best friend today. Neither is mental stability. But I make do with what I have. “O-okay, so you’ve made it c-clear. Now answer my other question: why are you upset?”

He pulls away and sighs. “It’s nothing.”

“Nothing.” I repeat. “So you pacing around the room like a madman is nothing.”

“Yeah. Nothing you should worry about.”

“Hm.” He doesn’t look like he’ll say anymore so I don’t push it. “Alright, is that all you wanted from with me?”  

“Needed from you? Yes, that’s it.” There’s a slight pull on his lips as it curves into a smirk. There’s that hungry look again. “Wanted…” He pulls my hips closer. “Not yet.”

Realizing his intent, I try to stop him “Okay, hold o-” but he continues and places his lips on mine. There is a deep burn in my chest and everything feels like it’s on fire. A loud voice in my head is telling me that it’s too early in the morning (4:51 really) for this and that maybe I’m still a bit mad at Jongin for Minkyung, but I tell it to shut up. It’s basically five, and I’ve already forgiven him for most things; except now that I think about it he did remind me about the time he gaver me 100% percent dark chocolate and if you haven’t ever tried it please don’t. If you have, I’m so sorry. But what’s done is done. He’s made it clear that he’s chosen me, and all I can think about is how long it’s been since we’ve really had time just to be next to each other, just us two like this. He drags a hand, cautiously at first, along the bare skin of my back so that his fingers are skimming along the edge of the bra clasp. I tug at his hair, pull him close-

-ne. She’s trapped. 

I pull away. I'm hearing someone's thoughts. “Wait, Jongin. Wait-”

They’re all vulnerable. Get them now

“What’s wrong, Daeun?” He peers into my eyes worriedly, hands cradling my face.

“I-Jongin, we’re in trouble. Someone’s planning to attack-”

Now. 

“Shh. What do you mean? Calm down, Daeun. Breathe, just-”

An alarm sounds. Distant echoing of voices clatter throughout the hall and seep under the crack of the door. Jongin pulls me close, my hair and whispers that everything’s going to fine. I don’t know how true that is, but…

That last voice. That was definitely Yoonmi.

gahh, sorry it's been a while. school is just being,.....unpleasant. I'm sorry if I don't get around to answering all the comments, but seriously I do read them and get excited that you all are enjoying this fic. Sometimes I get exhuasted writing it because I know what I want to happen but it just doesn't come out you feel me, but reading them truly does motivate me to ignore school and write this fic^^ I feel like I say this a lot, but thank you. Really.