Onew POV:

-Flashback-

Your parents had moved into the house next door to her when you were twelve.  She was a ten-year old super-girly pest, into ballet dancing and dress-up while you had been highly invested in academics and singing.  Despite your obvious loathing, ______ had followed you everywhere, always wanting to be around your friends yet whining about whatever games you were playing.  Inevitably, you would end up irritated and yell at her.  In typical brat fashion, she would then run and tearfully tattle to your Appa (who she had wrapped around her little pinkie within days of the move-in).  You would get the “be a good boy-you’re older and should know better” speech, she would smirk at you, and the whole cycle would start over.  Communication didn’t get better over the years, as first you then she hit puberty and those awful middle-school years.

But somehow, she began to grow on you.  Her parents were nice, always ready with snacks after school, or willing to host you when your mom and dad were away for business.  Slowly, as years passed, she grew to be more of a friend and less of an irritating girl.  Sure, she still got on your nerves sometimes, but she was awfully cute when she apologized.  Besides, she really knew how to convince her umma to make American southern fried chicken.  NOTHING she ever did to you was so bad that a good chicken dinner couldn't convince you to forgive her.

Then, when you were fourteen, you and your parents had gone on vacation.  A snowstorm caught you on the way to the resort, and the car skidded out of control.  You woke up in a small rural hospital, one leg in a plaster cast from hip to toes, groggy and blinking from pain medication.   The way his face felt-worse than when he fell down the stairs at school and managed to break his nose, way worse.  He could feel the pull of tape against the skin of his forehead and right cheek.  His whole body throbbed.   Harry, Min-hee, and _____ were there. 

_____ had slowly crept to his beside and ran a finger along the IV taped to the back of his hand.  Her parents were murmuring to some type of doctor over near the door. 

“_______,” he whispered, “Where am I?”

                “In the hospital, Jinki-ssi.  You were hurt…,” she replied.

“Where’s Appa? Is he hurt too,” you asked with rising panic, “And Umma? Are they...,”

                “They’re…,” she whispered, unable to meet his eyes, “There was a wreck, and they’re gone.  Jinki-ssi, mianhae!  Jung mal, mianhae.”

_______ sniffed and tears ran down her cheeks unchecked as she clutched the bedrail near your hip.  Your face was still; your limbs limp against the thin sheets like a rag doll thrown carelessly to the ground.   

The world stopped.  Your mind, which moments ago had been frantically rushing from thought to thought to piece together what had happened, slammed to a halt.  The words rose in giant letters in your head, endlessly repeating in a silent shout, “They’re gone.  They’re gone.  They’re gone.  They’re GONE.  GONE.  GONE. ”   

You were all alone. 

It was ______’s next words that gave you something new to focus on, words that didn’t slice and dice you into tiny little pieces.  Grateful for even a momentary reprieve, you fastened your pleading gaze to the fall of ______’s hair and strained to catch her voice.

                “You’re coming home with us.  I don’t know what’s happening, but Appa & Umma say that you’re gonna come home with us,” ______ mumbled in a half hopeful, half fearful tone.   “Is that okay, that you come home?  I don’t mind at all, really.  You can have my room, but it’s all pink.  I know you hate pink.  Umma said that you can have that room across the hall, if you want...,"

 -End Flashback-               

You  snapped back to the present when you realized that the smothered giggles underneath ______’s protests about her hair had turned into quiet sobs.  You gentled your grip, and she buried her face against your chest.  A warm damp spot was plastering the cotton shirt to your skin- just above your heart.

“What’s wrong?” 

Around her sniffles, you could feel her take a few shuddering breaths, trying to get in control of the tears.    the silky curls falling down her back, you trailed fingers back to her nape, releasing the silver clasp there and dropping it to the floor.  With one hand massaging the stiff muscles at the base of her neck and the other lightly rubbing soothing circles into her back, you held her close and waited for her answer.

“Look, I just…just miss them so goddamn much.  There were so good together.  It’s just not at all what I thought would happen.  They were supposed to live forever, Jinki, to be there when I got married, had kids, everything,” she sighed brokenly, “And now they’re missing it all!” 

_____  gathered her thoughts and pulled away, scrubbing at her cheeks.  The deep brown of her eyes captured you yet again as she said, “I just don’t know.  I’m sad and angry and confused and guilty and…” 

You held up one hand, in the classic “hold on” sweep.  “Hang on, why should you feel guilty? Their death wasn’t your fault, ______, there was nothing you could have done.  It’s not like you were forcing that jerk to drink and encouraging him to drive home drunk.”  Her eyes widened and she glanced down, cheeks tinting a deep rose.  She looked....embarassed? Bwoh?

Almost immediately you realized that you had absolutely no idea what the heck was going on in her head.