finale [fə-ˈna-lē] n. - the concluding event of a sequence

Warning: This is quite a long chapter, so make sure you read this only if you have time to spare.

“Mihyun’s not home?” Luhan asked as he seated himself beside Sehun who had been attempting to read a book for the past hour. After watching Sehun remain on the same page for the past ten minutes, he had decided that he would relieve the younger of the torture and give him a reason to set aside the novel.

“Yeah,” Sehun huffed, unconsciously glancing over at the front door in hopes that she’d return.

“You’re like a puppy,” Luhan cooed, his eyes crinkling into small crescents as he disheveled the front of Sehun’s hair. “Waiting for your master to come back from work, are you?”

Sehun’s eyes narrowed at his Hyung’s teasing, and he swatted him gently away, “Oh Sehun is not a puppy.”

“You know, I was wondering,” Luhan piped up as he stared thoughtfully up into the air, “If you and Mihyun get married, are you going to take her last name or is she going to take yours? Because normally the wife takes the husband’s last name, but Mihyun is clearly the man in this relationship.”

“Hyung I’m going to kill you, I swear to god I will,” Sehun growled under his breath as he shot him a dirty look.

Luhan hummed happily in reply, pretending that he hadn’t heard a single word the other had uttered.

Sehun glanced at him over the top of his book and observed the light expression that was draped across Luhan’s face. “You’ve changed, Hyung,” Sehun smiled lightly. “You’re happier now.”

There was a pause of silence.

“Yeah?” Luhan asked softly. He tilted his head back and gazed up at the ceiling. “Minseok.”

Sehun turned to him with a confused expression, “What?”

“Minseok,” Luhan repeated, his face falling just the slightest at the name. He glanced at Sehun from the corner of his eye, “Before he died, he told me to live my life happily so I won't have any regrets.”

He stretched an arm and waved up at the ceiling as if he could see Minseok himself, “So I am. So when Minseok watches me from up there, he won’t regret giving up his life for me.”

The pair of them fell silent for a few minutes, Luhan’s arm dropping limply back to his side with a quiet thud.

“Were you… were you and Minseok Hyung close?” Sehun asked slowly, glancing quickly at Luhan’s face to gauge his reaction. It was the first time any of them had discussed the older male with Luhan, or at least the first time Sehun had. None of them wanted to reopen wounds that weren’t fully closed, and had been waiting for Luhan to be the first to initiate the conversation.

Luhan pursued his lips thoughtfully before shaking his head, “No, but I guess I have to say that I was the closest to him out of all of you guys. He used to talk to me, you know? Even if I couldn’t respond. He used to tell me about the life he never really had.”

Sehun arched an eyebrow of confusion at his words, “What do you mean?”

Luhan kicked his legs up onto the coffee table in front of him and let out a quiet hum, “I wonder if he’d be okay with me telling you this. He never said that I couldn’t tell anybody, but to be fair, at that time I didn’t speak so I couldn’t tell anybody even if I wanted to.”

He glanced at Sehun out of the corner of his eye and flashed him a smile, “Still, I think he’d be okay with me telling you. He knew how close we were, anyways.”

Sehun stared at him silently, patiently waiting for whenever Luhan was ready.

“Minseok’s parents abandoned him when he was ten years old,” Luhan began, folding his hands together on his lap. “He was sent to an orphanage after that, but he ran away after three years. The place was so overrun with kids that the supervisors wouldn’t have even noticed if he ran for it – that’s what he said, at least. He wandered the streets for a good two years, working odd jobs for shady people, and he’d always move once people got a little too nosey about his background. When he was 15 he began working for a gang; he said the work was dirty but the pay was enough to feed and clothe him.”

“He said he stuck with the gang for a good three years, or at least that’s what he thought – by then he didn’t even really bother to continue to keep track of time. Until there was one job he was assigned to do that he messed up, badly, from how he described it to me. I never knew the details, but it must have been bad enough for them to want to take his life for it,” Luhan continued, examining each of his fingers as he spoke. “He hid out in a ditch from that point on. He said he’d just lie there for hours, and get food from the dumpster nearby. It was right next to a restaurant, so he thought that luck was finally on his side.”

“Can you believe that?” Luhan let out a low, bitter chuckle. “He scored food out of a restaurant dumpster and thought he was the luckiest man alive.”

“Anyways, he didn’t know how long he lived like that, but eventually officials from the Noye house found him and took him in. Said that with a face like that, he’d live a better life becoming somebody’s Noye than to live out in the streets like a bum,” Luhan murmured as he raked through his hair with his thin fingers. “Personally, he said, he didn’t want to have a rebellion. He said that he’d just end up back on the streets, this time with an even bigger price tag on his head.”

Luhan’s hands clenched into tight fists at his side, and his body began to shake as he recalled the painful memory, “That night, that night of the rebellion. He came to me, he came to me and he wrapped his hand around mine to make sure he was still pressing down on the grenade before slipping it carefully out of my hand. He didn’t even say anything, he didn’t explain why he was doing it but I still let him do it.”

Luhan let out a round of forced laughter and scratched the back of his head, “Talking this much after several years of being mute is really tiring, isn’t it?”

“You don’t have to look like that, Hyung,” Sehun spoke up in a low voice.

Luhan froze, glancing nervously over at Sehun, “What do you mean?”

“Minseok Hyung, he wouldn’t be happy to know that you’re forcing away from your grief to pretend to be happy,” Sehun answered thoughtfully. 

Luhan blinked.

And then he cried.

Sehun gazed at the elder with a soft expression, watching as Luhan bawled at the top of his lungs like a child crying for his mother. Luhan was older than him, yes, but Sehun couldn’t help but see him as a child. A child needing to be cared for and watched over and scolded at the right times.

A good fifteen minutes passed by before Luhan’s cries finally died down. As an afterthought, it was kind of embarrassing to cry that loud and recklessly when he was a grown man. He flinched when he heard the sound of a door opening, and inwardly groaned to himself; to make matters worse, the others had been home to hear his tantrum as well.

“It was about time you stopped crying,” Jongin muttered as he rubbed his temples. “No offense Hyung, but you sound like a dying whale.”

Baekhyun slammed his elbow into Jongin’s ribs without even blinking. He turned to Luhan and offered him a kind smile, “I’m glad that you finally released your emotions, Hyung.”

Luhan sniffed, refusing to glance over at the pair.

Baekhyun cleared his throat awkwardly and turned to Sehun with a forced smile, “I uh, wh-when’s Mihyun coming home, Sehun?”

Sehun shrugged in what he hoped was a nonchalant manner before coolly picking his book back up, “How should I know?”

Baekhyun blinked, “Are you trying to look indifferent? Because it’s not working you obvious brat.”

Sehun flushed with embarrassment and threw his book at Baekhyun as his response.

“Yah! You little I’m your hyung!” Baekhyun barked as he dodged the flying object.

“Who are you calling a little ?” Mihyun piped up curiously as she popped into the living room with Jaesuk trailing closely behind her.

“I bet it’s Sehun,” Jaesuk commented.

“Ding ding,” Jongin clapped dully. “You’re right.”

Mihyun took note of the tear tracks that stained Luhan’s cheeks, and she stared questioningly at Sehun. He gave his head a brief shake, signaling not to ask about it for now. She stared at him for a few seconds before mouthing, “Minseok”. He hesitated for a few seconds but nodded his head in confirmation.

Mihyun’s expression lightened, and the corners of her lips curved upwards into a small smile; so he had finally decided to cry for him.

“We brought you guys take out today,” Mihyun announced as she held up the plastic bags containing the dinner for the nigt.

Jongin’s eyes widened with delight and he let out a cry so gleeful Mihyun seriously had to question whether or not it had actually come from him. Chanyeol must have heard Mihyun’s words from the other room as well, because he too let out a happy yelp.

“You guys are offending Jaesuk, you know,” Mihyun frowned teasingly. “Are his meals not good enough for you guys that you’d act like take out is the best thing in the world?”

Jongin shook his head and clapped a hand reassuringly on Jaesuk’s shoulder, “It’s not that, Hyung. It’s just that your meals are very… healthy. And I mean don’t get us wrong, we definitely appreciate our… nutrients, but it’s very, very nice to have food completely drenched in grease and fat sometimes!”

Mihyun hummed in agreement as she opened the boxes of Chinese takeout and fried chicken, “I agree with Jongin.”

Jaesuk looked absolutely appalled with her words, “For whose health do I cook so health conscious for?!”

Mihyun let out a soft chuckle at his incredulous expression and nudged him gently with her elbow, “I’m just teasing, Jaesuk.”

“Agashi!” Jaesuk exclaimed.

Mihyun laughed good-naturely and passed around the plastic plates, “Well, I would assume that you guys are hungry, so go ahead and start.”

“With pleasure,” Jongin grinned as he spooned fried rice and chicken onto his plate. The others quickly mimicked his actions, eager to indulge the greasy goodness.

“You guys forgot about me!” Chanyeol’s faint wail sounded from another room.

Baekhyun’s eyes widened in realization and he immediately left the table to get the other, “Sorry Yeol, I forgot all about you!”

“Anyways, why the special dinner?” Jongin asked with a cocked head, his mouth nearly stuffed full with fried chicken.

Mihyun paused for a few seconds, her eyes practically gleaming with triumph, “It’s a celebratory dinner!”

“What are we celebrating? Jongin’s clear lack of table manners?” Sehun snorted, avoiding the drum stick Jongin flung in his direction shortly after.

“Don’t you dare ruin my kitchen!” Jaesuk barked as he quickly went to clean up the mess the pair had created. He whined to himself after seeing the grease stain on his beloved table mats.

“Let Mihyun talk,” Luhan demanded with furrowed eyebrows.

“Thanks Lu,” Mihyun tossed him an appreciative smile. She stared at the other boys who were gazing back at her with anticipation in silence before a wide grin spread across her face. “The case was settled earlier this evening. You are all officially free of your titles as Noyes.”

Her words were met with silence.

A loud thud sounded across the room, caused by Baekhyun who had suddenly let go of Chanyeol. The fallen male had no complaints, however, and could only gaze at Mihyun with shock at the sudden information.

Jongin stared blankly at the drumstick that was in his hand for a few seconds before staring back at Mihyun, “You mean… we’re…. we’re free?”

Mihyun smiled and nodded her head, “Yeah.”

“We’re free,” Baekhyun repeated the words, testing the sound out on his tongue. “We’re free.”

Mihyun laughed and shuffled the front of the boy’s hair, “Yes! You’re free!”

His eyes lit up like Christmas lights, finally processing the meaning behind the simple word. He threw his arms up in the air and laughed gleefully as he wrapped his arms tightly around Chanyeol’s shoulders, “We’re free! Channie, we’re free!”

“So I heard,” Chanyeol grinned in response, his happiness outweighing the pain of the pressure Baekhyun unintentionally pressed onto his wound.

“We’re not… we’re not Noyes anymore,” Jongin murmured slowly, almost in disbelief. “We’re just… we’re just…”

“You’re just humans,” Mihyun finished for him as she took his hands into her own. She beamed at him, “You’re all just regular, untitled, humans.”

The word human never made them feel so alive.

“W-Wait, but what happened?” Baekhyun asked as he hushed down all the excitement. “What did they say exactly?!”

“According to the court ruling, all slaves that escaped from the revolting Seoul Noye house are now entitled as freemen. Those who had been captured by the city officials are also to be released from the prisons and declared free men as well,” Mihyun beamed. “The only downside was that those whom were already sold as Noyes have to remain as such.” She glanced over at Sehun and Luhan and teasingly added, “So I guess you two are still exclusively mine.”

Luhan and Sehun exchanged looks at her words and responded with simultaneous smiles, “We don’t have a problem with that.”

“So everything we worked for paid off,” Chanyeol breathed, closing his eyes to soak in the reality of the moment. “It all paid off, we’re free.”

“Yeah,” Mihyun smiled as she locked gazes with Sehun. “You’re all free.”

“I don’t understand why I have to wear this,” Sehun frowned as he stared down at his suffocating suit. “We already won, right? So it shouldn’t matter if I show up in like a t-shirt, right?”

“Stop complaining,” Mihyun rolled her eyes as she nudged him gently in the ribs. “Sure we won, but that doesn’t mean we can suddenly show up looking like slobs. And if you think you have it bad, you should try wearing these damn high heels every day.”

“I think they should make a law that t-shirts and jeans are just as acceptable as suits,” Sehun muttered under his breath as he attempted to loosen his tie.

“I would second that,” Mihyun nodded in approval. She swatted away his hand, “And stop messing with that.”

“But it’s too tight,” Sehun whined childishly as he trailed after her.

“You’ll live,” she scoffed. Her lips immediately spread into a smile as she greeted some of the other Presidents that called her over.

“I don’t understand why we have to attend this event,” Sehun muttered as he stumbled over his shoes as he trailed after her.

“Because we have to show our appreciation to these guests for their help,” Mihyun responded, a smile still stretched across her face as she waved politely to a group of men.

“I hope your cheeks hurt at the end of the day,” Sehun murmured bitterly.

“Then I’ll rub the pain away tonight in the bed that I'll be using by myself,” Mihyun retorted without skipping a beat.

“You play dirty,” Sehun huffed with folded arms.

“Just smile,” Mihyun replied as she pinched him gently at his side. “And stop looking like you’re going to murder somebody.”

“I really think I am going to, Mihyun,” Sehun responded under his breath. “My fingers are twitching to wrap around someone’s throat and squeeze the life out of them, seriously, Mihyun. I think the safest way to avoid such an event happening is to leave.”

“Nice try,” Mihyun scoffed as she sent him a pointed look.

“But nobody else had to come,” Sehun whined, resorting to go back to his childish mode. “Even Jaesuk didn’t show up to this thing; that’s how much this .”

“Jaesuk had errands to run,” Mihyun reminded him. “And I said you didn’t have to come along with me, remember? You were the one who insisted on ‘protecting’ me against the evil rich old people.”

“Well I can’t let you go to these things alone,” Sehun muttered.

“You volunteered, so now you have to pay the price,” Mihyun shrugged, bowing to another couple who congratulated her on her victory in court.

“Fine, but will we back home by 6:00? I promised Baekhyun Hyung that I would watch his drama with him. You know he can’t watch anything on his own,” Sehun insisted.

Mihyun scoffed, “Are you sure you’re not the one who’s looking forward to the drama?”

Sehun immediately shook his head, “I’m offended that you would even suggest such a thing.”

Mihyun rolled her eyes.

“No but really, the last episode left off on a cliff hanger on how the company president found out that the main's manager was living with her and I really need to find out what happened after that,” Sehun whined.

“We’ll be back in time for your stupid drama, okay? Are you happy now?” Mihyun sighed as she pressed her hands to her hips.

Sehun frowned,” No.”

Mihyun narrowed her eyes at him, “Why not?”

“Because you called it stupid,” Sehun folded his arms and stared down at her, “Take it back, Mihyun.”

“I am done with you, Oh Sehun,” Mihyun laughed as she gently shoved him away. “Done, you hear me?”

Before Sehun could respond, a loud clang echoed through the room. Both of their heads turned to see the source of the noise, and Mihyun froze once she saw that it was Jaemin causing a ruckus at the front entrance.

“What the hell happened to him?” Sehun murmured under his breath as he eyes raked in Jaemin’s appearance. "He looks like he's been to hell and back."  Mihyun had to agree.

Jaemin appeared as if he had been living on the streets for the past few days. His previously golden hair now looked almost brown from all the dirt and filth that caked each layer. His clothes were torn and smudged with dirt, and he held a small flask of alcohol in his hand.

“Where’s that ?!” Jaemin screamed as he fumbled forward, resisting the hands of the security who tried to surpress him. “Where’s that who ruined my life?!”

His eyes locked onto Mihyun’s from across the room, and he lunged forward in her direction, “There she is! There’s that with her little pet! How does it feel to be free, you nasty, vile creature?!” Jaemin hooted with laughter at his own insults.

“You’re drunk, Jaemin,” Mihyun stared at him with a blank expression. The strong smell of liquor nearly radiated from his clothes, tinged with the dirty scent of urine and filth.

“And who’s fault is that?!” Jaemin bellowed. He held up his arms mockingly, “Do you like what you’ve done to me? Do you feel good knowing that you’ve destroyed my life? Do you, Han Mihyun?! DO YOU?!”

“Take him away!” Sehun ordered the security guards, angry at how they could have allowed it to have gotten this far. He pulled Mihyun behind him protectively when Jaemin stepped closer.

“You’re using your little pet to keep you safe, huh?” Jaemin laughed, resisting when two security guards grabbed onto each of his arms. “What are you doing, do you even know who I am?! I’ll have you both hung, do you hear me?! Let go of me right now!”

Jaemin’s eyes narrowed and he whipped his glare over to Mihyun, “Do you like what you see?! Huh?! I’m going to get my revenge on you, do you understand?! This doesn’t end here, Han Mihyun! I’m going to get my revenge and I’m going to win, you Noye loving freak! Why aren’t you saying anything, you filthy trash?!” He threw his bottle of alcohol at Sehun, and while the glass didn’t shatter, the contents splashed onto both him and Mihyun.

“What are you doing?!” Sehun shouted at the guards. “I said take him away!”

“Having your pet talk for you, huh?” Jaemin laughed bitterly. “Why don’t you say something, you evil ?! You always had something to say before, didn’t you? So say something! Say something now! Are you too afraid to say something since you know I’m going to win? Too afraid to say something since you know I’m going to get my revenge on you?!”

“Can you not hear?! I said take—” Sehun cut himself off when Mihyun laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. He glanced down at the girl when she slowly stepped forward, facing Jaemin with a straight face.

“Gonna say something now, huh?” Jaemin grinned crazily as he his lips. “Well, what are you going to say, witch? Huh? What are you going to say now?”

“When you win, say nothing,” Mihyun murmured as she trailed her eyes over the tattered and soiled state of Jaemin’s body and clothes. She recalled the time she first saw him, when he had his bright blond hair gelled to perfection, and his clothes dressed prim and proper around his body. Things had changed so much in such little time.

She met his eyes with her own – his swimming with anger and craze, hers flushed with sympathy and remorse.

“And when you lose, say less.”

There was beat, if only a split second, of silence in the room following her words before chaos ensued once more.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?!” Jaemin screamed, the guards finally having the brains to pull him from the room. “I haven’t lost anything you crazy ! I’m the winner! I’m going to win! I’m going to—”

His shouts faded away as he was dragged from the building.

“How embarrassing! He should have the honor not to act in such a manner!” one of the presidents exclaimed as he came to Mihyun’s side with a few others.

Mihyun gave him a polite smile, “He must have had a difficult time taking the news. If you don’t mind, Sehun and I will go to the backroom to get cleaned up.”

“Yes, yes, please do so,” he nodded in response.

Mihyun excused the pair of them from the party and they quickly moved to the backroom. She closed the door behind her, drowning out the sound of chatter.

 “I feel like it’s my fault,” Mihyun admitted quietly as Sehun rummaged around looking for something to clean her up with.

“How the hell is this your fault?!” Sehun exclaimed incredulously, stopping mid step from disbelief. “It’s not your fault he’s a complete drunken twit!”

Mihyun chuckled lightly at his insult and shook her head to clarify, “Not for pouring alcohol on us… I mean for how he turned out.”

Sehun glanced at her, “What do you mean?”

“I feel like… he could have been a different person, you know?” Mihyun murmured as she stared down at her stained dress. “He was trying to change. He wanted to change so badly, but… but I didn’t give him the chance. I didn’t give him the chance to change because I was so arrogantly stuck on my beliefs.”

“If I had just… If I had just gotten off of my high horse,” Mihyun muttered as she gripped the fabric tightly in her fists. “If I had just accepted him, maybe he wouldn’t have turned out this way. Maybe if I had given him the chance, he would have changed for the better”

“Mihyun, look,” Sehun sighed as he crouched down in front of her. “You are not responsible for the actions of another. Whether he changed or not was ultimately up to him, and you are not responsible just because he chose the wrong path to walk down. Everybody is their own person, and no matter what you might have done to help him, he would end up where he’s supposed to belong in the end.”

“I know the realization hurts, but at the end of the day you can’t help everybody,” Sehun smiled gently at her as he tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “You know that.”

Mihyun stared down at her hands and gave him a small nod, “Yeah.”

She glanced up in surprise when Sehun stole her lips for a quick peck. He laughed at her expression and patted the front of her hair, “You’re really cute, you know that?”

Mihyun glanced up at him and let a small, cheeky smile form on her face, “I’ve been told.”

Sehun laughed and pulled her in for a tight hug. He ran the long strands of her silky, black hair through his fingers, smiling as the sweet scent of her shampoo wafted under his nose,“You’re such a brat.”

Mihyun hummed in agreement as she buried her face in the uncomfortable fabric of Sehun’s suit, “Sehun?” she breathed out in a soft voice as she traced light circles on the cuff of his sleeve with her thumb.

“Hm?”

“Thank you, Sehun, for always reassuring me and making me feel like everything will be okay in the end,” Mihyun pressed her smile into his shirt. “And I love you.”

Sehun paused briefly at her words before pulling away from her hold. He cupped his hand around her chin and tilted her head upwards until her eyes met his own.The corners of his lips lifted unconciously as he stared down at her face; this beautiful girl belonged to him, and likewise, he to her. 

“Thank you, Mihyun,” Sehun whispered gently as he the tips of her hair. He brought the strands forward and pressed a soft kiss to its ends. “For picking me that day in the hallways and calling me beautiful even if I was a vicious brat.” He pressed his lips against her forehead, smiling when a few strands of her baby hair tickled the bottom of his nose.

“And thank you for saving Luhan from those guards and protecting him from them after that.” He trailed his lips to the tip of her nose, his breath sending shivers down her body as it brushed against her skin.

“And thank you for persuading us to have this rebellion to free the others.” He kissed the corner of her lips, not missing how they immediately curved upwards at the touch.

“And thank you,” he whispered, his lips less than half an inch away from her hers.

“Now for what?” she asked, her voice hardly coming out of . Sehun locked his eyes onto hers, refusing to let them go with his intense gaze.

Sehun answered by pressing his lips against her own, molding them perfectly together like two pieces of a puzzle. Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, bringing his body even closer to her’s. His arm slid around her waist, pressing against the small of her back to force her closer. A few moments passed by before they reluctantly pulled away, each trying to catch their breaths.

Sehun glanced at the blush that tinged her cheeks, and smiled happily, knowing that he was the cause of her flushed state. He pressed his forehead against hers, catching her attention once more.

“For allowing me to see the beauty in people again.”

Sehun woke up in the middle of the night with Mihyun curled up in his arms, a happy smile still spread across her face. They had returned from the celebration party completely worn out. Sehun had missed his 6:00 drama, but he didn’t have any complaints. He had gotten to spend more time with Mihyun instead. A glance at the alarm clock told him that it was one in the morning, and the time forced him to stifle a yawn. He tried to slip his arm from Mihyun’s head without waking her, but failed when she cracked open an eyelid.

“Where are you going?” Mihyun murmured sleepily, caring more for her sleep than what Sehun’s was planning to do.

Sehun had to hold in his fan-boying squeals at how cute sleepy Mihyun was, and he cleared his throat, “B-Bathroom. I’m going to the bathroom.”

Mihyun nodded her head disinterested and rolled off of his arm so he could be free.

“So freaking cute,” Sehun muttered under his breath as he opened the bedroom door as quietly as he could. He quickly made his way to the bathroom to finish his business, eager to get back to bed with Mihyun.

A dim light coming from the living room caught Sehun’s attention, and he quietly stepped in its direction. He paused at the corner of the hallway once he saw Jongin seated on the couch by himself. He was holding something in his hands, and with the stretch of Sehun’s neck he recognized it as the framed group picture.

“Did you hear what Mihyun said, Kyungsoo?” Jongin asked in a soft voice as he lightly brushed his finger against Kyungsoo’s face. “We’re free.”

“We’re free, Soo,” Jongin repeated himself, this time his voice cracking mid-word. He quickly pressed the palm of his hand against his mouth to muffle his sob, his entire body trembling as he cried. Drops of his tears landed onto Kyungsoo’s framed face, and Jongin immediately wiped them away with his sleeve.

Sehun’s heart tore at the sight of Jongin, and he clenched his hand on at his side. He must have been hurting. Sehun missed Kyungsoo, of course, and he knew that both he and the others would never forgot about the stuttering male. While the wounds of Kyungsoo’s death would never fade away from each and every one of their hearts, they had all been given some time since the occurrence. They had all been given time to develop that thin, thin layer of skin that protected that deep wound.

But not Jongin.

Jongin had cared for Kyungsoo on a level far beyond the rest of them, and Sehun knew that Kyungsoo’s death would always be fresh. It would never, ever be even the closest bit to healing. Sehun knew, because he would feel the exact same way if he lost Luhan, and so would Baekhyun if Chanyeol had died.

“Y-you sh-should be here w-with us K-Kyung-Kyungsoo,” Jongin sobbed quietly as he pressed the picture frame to his chest. “You sh-should have eat-eaten dinner with us, and you sh-should have li-listened to Ch-Chanyeol dumb jokes, and y-you should have… y-you should have… god I miss you.”

He buried his face in his arms to stifle his cries, not wanting to attract any attention from the sleeping others. “It-It hurts so-so much. Ev-everyday hurts s-so much with-without you, and now everybody is free and I don’t k-know what to do. I’m s-so alone, Hy-hyung. B-Baekhyun has Cha-Chanyeol, Sehun h-has Luhan and Mi-Mihyun, and it’s j-just me. I-It’s J-Jongin with no-no…nobody.”

Sehun winced at the painful voice Jongin uttered his words in. Was that how he had felt all this time? Did he really believe he was alone? Sehun clenched his fists tightly at his sides as he stepped forward to reveal himself to the crying other, “You’re not alone, Jongin.”

Jongin jumped at the sudden voice, and he quickly rubbed his eyes with the back of his arms, embarrassed to have been caught.

“H-Hey Se-Sehun, what are y-you doing up?” he laughed awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head. “H-Had trouble sleeping too, huh? Ha… haha…”

“Jongin,” Sehun called out his name in a tone that had an even mixture of rough and soft.

Jongin’s face immediately dropped, and a few tears began to glide down the side of his face, “You heard me?”

“Jongin,” Sehun repeated as he stepped towards the male. “You’re not alone.”

At this, Jongin let out a bitter chuckle, “I’d like to believe your words, Sehun, but I don’t think I can.”

“Jongin, you can’t possibly believe that you’re all alone!” Sehun exclaimed as he knelt down before him. “You can’t believe that we don’t all care for you!”

Jongin shook his head and offered him a small, sad smile, “I don’t believe that, Sehun. I… I know you all care for me. I just… I know you don’t care for me as much as you for one another. I’m not, and never will be your Mihyun, or Baekhyun’s Chanyeol.”

“But you don’t need to be, Jongin!” Sehun exclaimed as he cupped Jongin’s face into the palms of his hands. He forced the male to look at him, “You don’t have to belong to somebody to have your place! Why must you have to mean more to somebody than the next person? Isn’t it enough to know that you’re cared for? And if not, who cares? You and Kyungsoo had a relationship tighter than any of us here, but that doesn’t mean you’ll never develop a relationship like that again. Why are you giving up so early, Jongin? Why are you giving up when everything has just begun?”

Silence followed his words, and continued on for several minutes until it was interrupted by the creak of a door. Baekhyun and Chanyeol emerged from their bedroom across the living room and froze once they caught sight of Sehun and Jongin.

“Well,” Chanyeol was the first to speak. He eyed Sehun’s hands embracing Jongin’s face, “There’s a lot of gay going around in here. Should this be something we need to hide from Mihyun… or…?”

“Chanyeol!” Baekhyun barked as he smacked the other on the back of his head. “Can’t you read the moment, you damn piece of ?!”

He sent the pair an apologetic expression, “The giant was hungry again so we were going to go to… were you crying, Jongin?”

Jongin’s eyes widened in realization and he immediately turned his head. Being caught by Sehun was embarrassing enough, and he didn’t want the entire house to know that he had been crying.

“You were,” Baekhyun continued, his eyes furrowing in concern. He propped Chanyeol against the door and immediately went to the other’s side, his maternal instincts kicking in.

“Jongin, what happened?” Baekhyun asked as he sat on the couch besides the male. He wrapped his arms around his shoulders and pulled Jongin’s face into the crook of his shoulders, “Why were you crying?”

Jongin shook his head, tears already beginning to stream down his face once again from the warm embrace of the smaller male. It reminded him of Kyungsoo. He clenched the back of Baekhyun’s shirt tightly in his hands, uttering a soft and broken, “Kyungsoo.”

Baekhyun’s eyes flashed in realization, and he glanced up at Sehun who nodded in confirmation.

“Oh Jongin,” Baekhyun whispered, tears beginning to spring to his own eyes. “Kyungsoo would be so proud of us. I’m sure he’s looking at us from above with high spirits, Jongin.”

A quiet sob escaped Jongin’s lips, and he held Baekhyun even tighter in his arms.

Sehun glanced up when he heard another series of soft shuffles, and saw Luhan and Mihyun appear down the hallway. Her face fell once she saw Jongin and Baekhyun in a sobbing embrace, and her eyes scanned Sehun’s face for an explanation.

Sehun mouthed, “Kyungsoo”, and that was all she needed.

“Jongin,” Luhan whispered in a quiet voice, his heart breaking at how intensely the boy was now sobbing. He took a few steps forward, fresh tears now appearing at the corners of his own eyes. Mihyun pushed him gently forward, urging him to join in on the hug she knew he desperately needed. Luhan let out a loud wail as he wrapped his own arms around the pair, tears nearly pouring down his face.

“Come on, Chanyeol, I’ll help you,” Mihyun murmured in a soft voice and she helped Chanyeol move from his awkward position against the door. She had him settled down on the couch next to Baekhyun so he could rub his lover comfortingly on the back before she made her way to Sehun’s side.

Sehun immediately pulled wrapped her in his arms, pressing a light, gentle kiss to the top of her head as he did so.

“I-I’m sorry for making trouble,” Jongin sniffed once he managed to calm down. He wiped his nose on the back of his arm and stared down at the carpet with shame, “I woke up everybody in the middle of the night.”

Baekhyun shook his head immediately and took Jongin’s hands into his own, “Don’t say that, Jongin. This is what family does for each other.”

Jongin paused as he replayed his words over in his head. “Family?”

“Yeah,” Luhan nodded his head as he glanced over at Mihyun and Sehun who smiled fondly back at him. Chanyeol gave Jongin a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder, and leaned over to wipe away Baekhyun's stray tears with the back of his hands. Luhan stared down at the photo graph that lay forgotten at the foot of the couch, and smiled as Kyungsoo beamed back up at him through the glass frame. He wiped his eyes and nodded his head once more with confidence, “We’re a family.”

“A family,” Jongin repeated softly, the corners of his lips curving up slightly at the sound. He thinks he likes that word.

They were a family.

An incompletely complete, broken, yet still managing to stick together, family.