This gif would have been perfect for chapter 24, but I just found it right now! And I had to share it with you guys. Because Aron is really scared of seagulls XD

And this is just y, sleepy Lay <3 Just casually lying there

Chapter 27

The night was dark and everyone was fast asleep; or was supposed to be asleep. Everyone in the house had been sleeping, but something changed, and what was meant to be a sleepy starry night, turned into a restless scary night.

"Dad," somebody whispered. The room was dark and not a hand could be seen; or maybe it was just because he had his eyes closed. "Daddy." He heard it again. It sounded like a child. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder and he decided he'd better open his eyes.

"Aron? What's wrong?" Yi Fan mumbled as he rubbed his eyes sleepily, before looking at his watch on the nightstand. "It's 1 o'clock in the night. You should be sleeping... I should be sleeping..."

"I had a nightmare," Aron whispered. He looked at the ground and it was only then that Yi Fan noticed his bangs and face that were slightly damp with sweat. Aron looked very tired yet scared, he noticed. Yi Fan pushed himself up on his elbows. "I woke up and couldn't fall asleep again..." Aron pouted.

Yi Fan sighed, feeling too tired, but yet wanting to comfort his son.

"Why don't you tell me about the nightmare?" he said, moving slightly in the bed so Aron could sit down on the edge. But Aron just refused by shaking his head violently.

"I don't want to remember it again," he told him and then shivered.

Yi Fan thought about what he could do. He wished that the boy had woken up his husband instead, as he was better at situations like this, but then again; Yixing was sleeping so peacefully and adorably on the other side of the bed. He sighed. "Do you want to sleep in here tonight?"

Aron quickly nodded and climbed into the bed and under the covers. Yi Fan put his arm around his little boy, and they both lay down more comfortably.

"Just try to see if you can fall asleep, okay?" he whispered, so Yixing wouldn't wake up. Aron nodded and closed his eyes.

Yi Fan had just managed to fall asleep when Aron poked his shoulder. Yi Fan groaned and looked at the watch. It'd only been thirty minutes!

"What is it, Aron?" Yi Fan grumbled. He noticed that the boy had sneaked free from his arm and climbed over him, as Aron was now lying in the middle of the bed between himself and Yixing.

"I can't sleep," Aron whispered. Yi Fan just closed his eyes shut again, feeling exhausted.

"You were asleep just a minute ago," he whispered back.

"How do you know that?"

"I heard you..."

Aron furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't snore."

"Fine," Yi Fan whispered back and mentally rolled his eyes. "Then why can't you fall asleep?" he asked instead.

"I heard a sound... and I thought I saw a shadow outside the window..." Aron said. Yi Fan shushed him, remembering him to speak with a whisper.

"It was probably just the wind making the branches of the trees move and scratch against the window."

"But what about the shadow? It was definitely of a human."

"I'm sure it wasn't, Aron. Just fall back asleep."

"I can't!"

Yi Fan shushed him again. "Well, you have to try. I promise I'll stay awake until you fall asleep."

"You don't even have your eyes open!"

"Shh! Now I have. Just go back to..."

"Can you two decide whether to sleep or not?" Yixing asked from the other side of the bed.

"Look! You've awaken baba!" Yi Fan claimed.

"Actually I think it was both of you..." Yixing commented tiredly. "Aron, what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?" Yixing asked his son as he noticed him lying in the bed. Aron nodded.

"And now I can't fall back asleep."

"Aw, baby, come here," Yixing said and hugged the boy. "You want a glass of warm milk? That usually works." Aron nodded with a small smile. Yixing stood up and grabbed Aron's hand, as the two went out to the kitchen. Yi Fan stayed back, sighing and leaning back against his pillow as he closed his eyes again.

Changjo opened his eyes. He was lying in the top bunk bed in a room downstairs. It was pitched dark, as the boys' parents had pulled the curtains closed, making sure the shining moon wouldn't be a problem. Usually Changjo liked to have the door to his room open, so that a little stream of light would enter, but as he shared a room with four other boys, all wanting the door to be shut, he couldn't find it in himself to argue.

The reason he found himself awake was because he had heard a noise. It had sounded like footsteps outside of the room, but he didn't dare to look. Instead he just pulled his blanket up to his neck.

"You awake?" it sounded with a whisper from across the room. Changjo looked towards the noise and saw blinking eyes looking back at him. Taehyung. Changjo nodded, not really sure if Taehyung could see or not.

"Did you hear the noise, too?" Taehyung asked with a whisper.

"Yes," Changjo answered back quietly.

"I think it was a ghost. I think the house is haunted," Taehyung said and Changjo felt a shiver going through his body.

"Don't say that!" Changjo exclaimed, still whispering so the others wouldn't wake up.

"Sorry..." Taehyung apologized.

"Why are you whispering?" it suddenly sounded from beneath Changjo's bed. Minki.

"So we wouldn't wake you up," Taehyung whispered.

"But I'm awake now," Minki said, not even close to whispering.

"But Junhong and Jonghyun are not, so be quiet," Changjo argued quietly.

"Why are you awake?" Minki asked, now slightly more silent.

"Because we think the house is haunted," Taehyung replied.

"No, we don't!" Changjo said. "Can you please stop saying that." Changjo pulled the covers further up so only his eyes were revealed.

"Is the house haunted?" another voice was heard. He wasn't whispering either and sounded rather confused and tired. He would probably be scared, too, if he hadn't just woken up and was rather groggy.

Taehyung nodded his head, forgetting all about the pitched black room and the fact that Junhong was lying in the bunk below him.

"Junhong, don't believe in Taehyung. I think he's just trying to scare Changjo and us," Minki said, forgetting that he had to whisper.

"But I'm not! I really heard a ghost!" Taehyung exclaimed. Changjo could see that he had sat up in his bed.

"I think it was more likely to be someone trying to get in; ghosts don't have feet and I definitely heard footsteps," Changjo said logically.

"Is it a pirate?" Junhong asked nervously, starting to get frightened.

"Pirates only live on ships," Minki told knowledgeably.

"Oh," Junhong said. "Good."

"Maybe it was a thief," Taehyung thought aloud. "That's more likely."

"Well, I hope they're here to steal you," Minki mumbled.

Jonghyun groaned in his sleep, turning to his side.

"You're waking up Jonghyun," Changjo whispered to the others, reprimanding them to be more quiet.

"Good! It's getting boring without him," Minki mumbled and Changjo heard a little thump when his cousin gently kicked Jonghyun with his foot, as the last boy sleeping was in a bed next to Minki; more precisely in a bed in the middle of the room, pushed in between the two bunk beds. Jonghyun groaned again and then his eyes opened.

"What are you doing?" he whispered when he noticed Minki staring at him. He wasn't aware that the other boys weren't sleeping, therefore the whispering.

"Hi, Jonghyun," Taehyung said and waved at him from his top bunk bed. Jonghyun looked confused up at him.

"What's going on?" he was still whispering.

"They are talking about a thief who is about to break in," Junhong told him, and Jonghyun looked to his other side surprised as he noticed the younger was also awake.

"A thief?!" Jonghyun blurted out. "Why haven't you told our parents yet?!" He sat up abruptly in the bed.

"I still think it's a ghost..." Taehyung mumbled.

"Should we tell them?" Changjo asked.

"Well are you sure it's a thief?" Jonghyun asked. Changjo just shrugged.

"Should we check?" Minki asked Jonghyun. Jonghyun hesitated.

"Um... maybe... but I'm not going out alone! And we need weapons!" Jonghyun argued. He climbed out of his bed, moving towards the door and turning on the light switch without any of them considering the fact that if a thief actually was trying to get in, he or she would have noticed the lights being switched on.

All the boys rubbed their faces with their palms as the sharp light hit their eyes. After a moment, the remaining boys sat up in their beds.

"What weapons are we taking with us?" Taehyung asked. He climbed down from his own bed, standing in Jonghyun's.

"I have a light saber in my bag," Junhong told.

"Good!" Jonghyun exclaimed. "We can use that. Go find it, Junhong." Junhong did as told and grabbed his bag standing by the edge of the bed.

"I found a stick yesterday in the garden," Taehyung said and jumped to the floor, taking it up from the floor.

"And I think I have brought an Iron Man action figure." Jonghyun took his bag from his bed and started going through it.

"I have brought my new remote controlled car," Changjo said and climbed down from the bunk bed, finding his bag.

"But I don't have any weapon," Minki pouted and looked around himself, searching for something to defend himself with.

"Um, maybe you can bring Dongho?" Jonghyun suggested.

"Yeah, he's pretty scary," Taehyung agreed and Minki lightened up.

"I know, he's pretty tough!" he smiled and took the tiger he'd been sleeping next to.

"So are we ready?" Changjo asked nervously, and they all climbed out of the beds, standing close to the door.

"Ready!" they exclaimed with nods of agreement, and Jonghyun who stood in front slowly opened the door. He had his Iron Man action figure in his hands, holding it in front of his chest, as the figure's arc reactor was glowing in the dark hallway. Junhong's light saber was also glowing with its greenish light, providing slightly more light.

"I'm scared," Taehyung admitted and Changjo grabbed his hand.

"Me too," he said.

Minki didn't say anything, but fumbled after Jonghyun's hand, who gladly took it and squeezed it, showing he was also quite scared. Changjo took Junhong's hand in his free hand, and together the five boys moved towards the front door, weapons and lights ready for fight.

As they came out into the hallway to the front door with racing hearts, they realized no one was out there. Nobody was trying to get in, and nobody was moving around in the house. Then they heard footsteps behind them and all their grips on each other tightened, quickly turning around with their hearts taking up pace once again and their weapons raised.

"What are you doing?" Sehun asked with furrowed eyebrows, seeing the five young boys scared to death in the hallway.

"We're looking for ghosts..." Taehyung stuttered.

"And thieves..." Minki continued.

"And pirates..." Junhong added.

"No, I've told you that pirates belong on ships," Minki mumbled to the younger boy.

"Um, okay, but don't you think that you better go to sleep? And then tomorrow you can go... adventuring about ghosts and thieves and... pirates," Sehun said hesitantly and still confused.

"But we heard a noise, uncle Sehun," Changjo told. "And we think it might be a ghost or someone trying to get in."

Sehun looked thoughtful for a moment. Then he said, "I can assure you that there are no ghosts here. And I'm also pretty sure that nobody is trying to get inside the house."

"Can you check please, uncle Sehun?" Minki asked nervously, still holding onto Jonghyun's hand. Sehun suppressed a sigh and nodded. Then he stepped past them and opened the door. He quickly looked outside and then closed it again.

"Nobody's out there, don't worry. But for safety, I'll lock the door," he said, turning the lock around till it made a 'click'. "Now," he turned to the boys again, "it's time for bed." He shooed them forward, like a hen shooing its chicks, until they were inside their bedroom again.

"Lay down in your beds," he said and they all did as was told, after they'd put their 'weapons' on the floor - except for Minki who took his toy with him under the blanket.

"Are you okay now?" Sehun asked and the kids nodded. "Good." He smiled and turned off the light switch and was about to leave, closing the door behind him, when Changjo called him back. "Yeah?" he asked.

"Can you leave the door open, uncle Sehun?" Changjo asked. Sehun looked around at the others to see if they minded it. Luckily nobody objected.

A/N: This was just a cute chapter from the night after amusement park. I hope you enjoyed it ^_^

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