Jongdae fiddled with his mask as he watched the sun slowly rising, the sky becoming a mixture of red, yellow and orange, calming his mind, which was constantly going into overdrive from the thoughts rushing through it. As the moon slowly descended, he could feel that serene and replenishing sensation he craved, which came whenever the moon replaced the sun, becoming weaker as the seconds passed.

His hand reached out and his eyes shut. He sat quietly in that position for a few moments before turning his hand over so his palm was facing the sky. Mom. He his cracked, dry lips. I’m sorry. He let out a soft breath, putting his hand back down on his lap and cradling it with his other, gritting his teeth as a cramp shot through it. After the conversation he had earlier with Luna, he had to scrub the television screen until there were no smudges, which took about five minutes without stopping. His hand was still hurting.

Jongdae threw the mask on the floor and leaned his head against the wall, straightening his legs out on the grass. His head felt light from the pounding migraine he had just gotten over, and as he pondered over the plan again, feelings of doubtfulness left a jittery feeling in his muscles. And his leg twitched, causing him to cross them Indian style.

Would they be able to do it? He was considering just ditching the mission, but he knew if they didn't go through with it, it would definitely jeopardize them in the future.

Ripping blades of grass from the ground, he concluded that his lack of confidence was not going to help him – not now and certainly not ever.

**

“You really gonna leave?”

Jongin nodded, bunching up a shirt that was hanging over his shoulder before placing it in a small bag. “Yes, Ma.” He shut it and placed it on the dining table, sitting down in his seat, then shovelled rice into his mouth. “If I wanna keep you guys safe, then I really need to.”

She crossed her arms and averted her gaze from her son to the familiar brunette in the corner of her eyes. Glaring at the oblivious boy, his mother watched as he sat in their backyard. He was speaking with Amelia and Andy, though, the latter really wasn’t saying much, only nodding every once in a while. Lex looked fairly interested in the conversation, while Taemin was paying no attention to them. “Everythin’s all because of him, ain’t it?”

Jongin glanced outside. “No.”

“Bull!” she snapped with furrowed brows, making her wrinkles more prominent. “Before that stupid boy came, none of this didn’t matter, and you was a normal boy.“

“I’ve always been like this, Ma. I just knew you’d react this way, which is why I didn’t tell ya,” he said.

She scoffed. “He brainwashed you usin’ his damn black magic.”

Jongin slammed his hand on the table, startling her. “Ma! Would ya quit it? Do you really think I just want to leave you all? I love you and Pa and Sulli and Luna and the kids, but if I wanna keep ya’ll safe and make a future where they—“ He pointed at the kids outside. “--can be safe and happy, then I gotta do this.” He stared at her with narrowed eyes, though, they gradually softened after staring at her visibly aging face: the bags, the white and grey hair, sagging skin and wrinkles. The stress was eating away at her, and he felt like crap knowing that he had made her worry so much the past couple of days. Standing up, he quickly embraced her, placing his chin on her head as tears seeped through his shirt.

He ran a hand through her hair. “Ma, I know you’re worried and scared, but I have to do this,” he whispered, placing a kiss on her head. She sobbed and clutched tightly to her son. “I’m sorry. I know you’re scared. I am too, but I need to do this.”

“How do ya know?” Her words were muffled, as her head was still buried into his shoulder.

“I just do, Ma,” he sighed. “I can feel it. This is my destiny – my purpose.” Softly pushing her away and wiping her tears, he smiled. “I promise that I ain’t gonna get hurt, okay? Please don’t worry too much.”

She sniffled. “How can I not? You’re my son.” Her lips formed a straight line. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“The other night. I-I was just scared. I thought you was possessed or somethin’, I didn’t really want them to take you,” she told him. “I panicked. I'm sorry for almost firin' that night light.” She sobbed silently, shoulders shaking as she struggled to keep calm. "My baby, I'm so sorry. You don't deserve that."

Jongin hugged her tightly again. His eyes squeezed tightly together, beginning to water.

“That’s okay, Mommy. It doesn’t matter anymore.”

**

 Amelia handed a few picked daisies to Jongdae with a grin. “Jongdae.” He gingerly took them and placed them in his lap. “Are you and big brother gonna save the world? Like them superheroes?”

“Well,” he said, staring at the flowers in thought, “I guess. Though I wouldn't necessarily say we’re going to save the world. I mean, yeah, we are going to be defeating the bad guys, but it’s more like we’re just putting it back to how it was before.”

“So… like a superhero,” Andy repeated in monotone.

He just shrugged in response. With a sigh, he looked down at the six flowers, twisting them around and observing the white petals. He lifted one up and turned to Amelia. “Here,” he said as he put the stem on her ear, complimenting her fiery red hair. “It looks nice.”

“Thank you.” She reached down and grabbed the rest, carefully following suit and placing one on him. “You can have one.” She put another on a frowning Andy. “And one for you.” Then, she placed one on Lex, who brightened at the sight of the flowers, and a glaring Taemin. “And for you guys too.”

Lex pointed at the last flower in her hand. “What ‘bout that one? Can I have it?”

Taemin scoffed. “She’s givin’ it to big brother, stupid.”

Turning around, Lex lunged at him, resulting in a yelp from Taemin. “Who ya callin’ stupid, stupid!”

“Get off o’ me, stupid,” he shouted. He tried to push her off but covered his head when she started slapping him.

Amelia sat up and brought her knees up to her chest as she sat next to Jongdae, who had moved away from the fighting children and settled against the wall of the wooden house. Andy, noticing that he was suddenly alone in the middle of the backyard, tried to nonchalantly scoot backwards to the two, sliding his bottom across the grass and keeping a poker face on. Amelia burst into laughter when she saw her brother, and Jongdae felt his lips form a small smile.

Once he made it to the wall, Andy turned his head to the left and away from them, grumbling under his breath and ripping grass out of the dirt. Jongdae would have thought the boy looked terrifying, as he looked like he'd murder the both of them if they dared say anything, if not for the fact that despite his narrowed eyes and gritted teeth, his ears were flaming red in embarrassment.

Amelia finally calmed down, wiping the tears from her eyes. Catching her breath, she asked, “Jongdae, can we come with you guys? On the adventure?”