Kyra hadn’t expected to actually fall asleep after the events of last night. Things had taken a grim turn, one she’d been unable to foresee. Part of her felt guilty – even with her headaches finally gone, she hadn’t lost her second sight. But she’d somehow totally missed this.

Because she wasn’t close to Rose? Or because it didn’t directly affect her?

That made no sense – she was usually able to see things about people she interacted with, regardless of her closeness to them. And with Evil using Rose to target the mates… well maybe she was too optimistic, but didn’t she count as one? Or, almost one? She just had to say yes and D.O would claim her – so, it definitely concerned her, right?  

The only thing that made sense to her was that she’d been far too preoccupied to pay attention to her sixth or seventh or whichever sense that made her see the future. Usually, her visions were preceded by some physical symptoms – like an aura – but she was physically already stretched thin due to her fever and so, she’d probably mixed the two.

After they’d finally retired for the night, she’d lain and concentrated on trying to See something about Rose. It had given her nothing, just… blank nothingness.

To test herself – was she losing her ability? – she focused on Raina and instantly visions had flooded her, overpowering in their suddenness.

She sat up, heart thundering. It had been a jumble of images, too fast and too many to make much sense but it left her troubled. It didn’t feature Evil, which was something to be grateful for. Satisfied that her powers were properly functioning, she laid back down, deciding to talk to Lay. The healer also had an ability similar to hers, though he seemed more focused on the Legends and their mates – maybe he could explain it.

Decided, she let her mind wander to more pleasant matters. She hugged her pillow tightly, smiling to herself and rolling around on the bed as she remembered how he’d pulled her into that back-hug.

D.O, she thought dreamily. Ugh, he was just too much for her heart. Everything the Legend did seemed to hit all the right spots for her. Part of her wanted to just rush things and get it over with – there was no way she wasn’t letting D.O claim her – but she wanted to relish being courted properly, just a little bit longer.

She didn’t know when she drifted off but she actually felt freshened up when she woke up in the morning. She’d just gotten dressed – making sure to wear something cute because… well, because D.O had seemed to quite like her get up yesterday – when there was commotion outside.

Turned out that Lily had shown up – which was understandable – but apparently, she was sick. It was a bit sad that Evil seemed to have it for Lily’s family. Kyra went in with Angel and Mei to check on their friend but seeing as the girl was asleep, they let her be. Raina and Tiffany insisted to staying back to wait for her, much to Xiumin’s obvious displeasure but the girls didn’t budge.

After a few minutes of pondering, she headed towards the kitchen, the most likely place to find D.O outside of his room. Sure, she was feeling emboldened by their date yesterday, but she didn’t have the courage, just yet, to go to his room.

Just as she’d hoped, he was busy cooking breakfast. It’d been a bit surprising at first, but he’d told her yesterday that it was a habit he’d picked as a way to relax himself. She observed quietly from the threshold as he went about it methodically, cleaning the vegetables, sharpening his knife before expertly chopping them.

She thought she understood why he found it so relaxing – just watching him was soothing. He seemed to sense her then, looking up to meet her eyes. A soft smile broke out on his face, lips curving into a delightful heart-shape.

‘Morning,’ he greeted, voice naturally husky. It made her want to shiver. She ignored it in favor of smiling back at him.

‘What are you making?’ she asked, sliding inside the kitchen, not even pretending it wasn’t to get closer to him. She wondered how he’d react to a back-hug because with the apron around his waist and thick black glasses, he looked absolutely huggable.

‘Vegetable pancakes,’ he told her, getting back to his chopping.

‘Can I help?’ she asked.

He glanced at her, eyebrow rising thoughtfully as he pursed his lips, probably thinking about what she could do. She tried not to focus too much on his plump lip or how temptingly bitable it looked, swallowing when he furrowed his brows. It made him look even cuter, in her opinion, more huggable and gosh, she was such a loser.

She was so lost, she completely missed what he said. ‘Hm?’ she asked, coming back to the present.

‘I said you could help set up the table, that way we’d get things done faster.’ She nodded, standing up to get the plates, smiling to herself. D.O was so possessive about his workspace, not letting anyone else impede on it while he was working.

She’d set the table by the time others started wandering in, drawn by the delicious scents emanating from the kitchen. She let them be, going back to the kitchen to sit and enjoy the sight of D.O in an apron a little longer. He glanced at her when she entered, busy flipping the pancakes and dropping them in the dish he’d set aside. When he was done, she made to get up but he gestured for her to keep sitting, handing the dish to Chen who’d just shown up.

‘Take these outside,’ he instructed his Shadow, pushing him away. Chen rolled his eyes. ‘Well, good morning to you too, sunshine…’

‘D.O ya!’ Baekhyun followed him inside, not deterred by his growls. ‘If this tastes as good as it looks, I’m gonna marry you!’

D.O huffed irritably as Baekhyun did what Kyra had been fantasizing about, wrapping his arms around D.O’s waist and tucking his chin on his shoulder, making kissy faces at the Legend. D.O frowned, smacking his hands with a spatula that was presumably still hot because Baekhyun jumped back with a hiss, pouting pathetically. ‘You’re mean!’

D.O rolled his eyes, ignoring him and Baekhyun wandered to her side, extending his hand at her. ‘D.O’s being mean to me,’ he whined, pouting at her and making her laugh. Baekhyun could be so childish. ‘Make him stop!’

‘Get out,’ D.O growled, not letting him sit down next to her. Baekhyun jumped behind her, crouching and ducking his head to hide himself. ‘Save me!’

Kyra laughed again. It was funny and a little flattering how Chen, Baekhyun and Chanyeol seemed to think she could get D.O to do anything. She smiled at D.O. ‘Don’t push him, he’s going to leave anyway.’

Baekhyun nodded from his hiding place, grinning up at them naughtily. D.O raised his eyebrows, taking a step forward threateningly, making Baekhyun yelp and rush out. Kyra giggled. ‘They’re so funny!’

D.O shook his head, heading back to the stove. ‘Annoying, you mean.’

‘Well, that too, I suppose.’ She put her chin in her hand, leaning forward. ‘But mostly funny.’

‘Hmph.’ He obviously disagreed still.

She watched him work, leaning her head on her arms to observe him from her spot. A while later, he started humming. It was extremely relaxing, extremely domestic and she was feeling quite giddy by the time he turned around, a tray in his hands.

‘Here.’ He slid it in front of her. ‘Dig in.’

He turned around to take off his apron and Kyra stopped ogling at the food to ogle at his cute backside as he bent to put his apron back in the drawer. When he turned around, she nodded at the chair in front of her. ‘Join me?’

It was extremely pleasant. As she’d found last night, D.O was great company and they chatted comfortably, interspersed with moments of silence as they enjoyed the food he’d made. ‘I know I told you this yesterday but you’re a really good cook,’ she complimented, done with the last bits of the pancake.

He smiled. ‘Thanks.’

Just at that moment, Suho leaned in the kitchen. ‘D.O, Kyra, if you’re done, join us. Lily is awake, and her siblings will probably wake soon too. I’d like to hear your opinions before we talk to them.’

D.O was frowning when Suho left, staring down at the plates he’d gathered to put away.

‘I know you’re not happy with Rose staying here,’ Kyra began cautiously. He focused his gaze on her, not saying anything. ‘But I think Angel was right.’

He sighed, putting the plates down. ‘I know that. But it’s not easy to ignore my instincts.’ He sniffed. ‘The girl reeks of Abyss and that she’s inside our home makes me nervous.’

She nodded in understanding. ‘Still, it’s better to have her here under your observation rather than outside where you’d have no way to keep an eye on her.’

He nodded. ‘We should get going.’

She waited for him to join her before leaving together.

…………………………………

Almost everyone was gathered in the living room when Lily walked out, and she was instantaneously bombarded with welcoming smiles.  Lay made sure to act as a buffer between her and anyone who might be tempted to hug her, stepping aside after she’d been seated.

‘Where were you?’ Raina exclaimed as everyone settled around them. She had been talking her ear off since she’d stepped out, trying to update her on everything while complaining about her abrupt departure. It was endearing.

‘Someplace safe,’ she replied with a smile, making her pout. ‘I deliberately kept it a secret,’ she explained to the girl, ‘so Evil would have a hard time following me or trace my family… not that it worked.’ She frowned.

‘Hm…’ Tiffany sniffed. She’d been giving Lily a cold shoulder after making sure she was alright. ‘I suppose that’s why you decided to leave without telling anyone too.’

Lily winced. She couldn’t say this was unexpected. Tiffany was a fiercely loyal friend and she expected as much in return. Lily taking off without taking her in confidence was betrayal in her book and rightly so.

‘Leave her be, Tiff.’ Raina bumped her shoulder. ‘I’m sure she had her reasons for that.’

The way she glanced at Lily told her she’d be getting the third degree soon as thing were settled, and she nodded to show she understood. She owed her friends this much.

‘I called Chanyeol.’ Suho announced to no one. ‘He’ll bring Nara and her friends over. I figured we should tell them as well. Let’s wait for them, okay?’

There were murmurs of assent. Lily looked around for explanation. ‘Who’s Nara?’ she asked.

Raina grinned. ‘The cutest little thing.’

‘That’s not helpful, idiot.’ Tiffany knocked on her head before turning to Lily. She made a show of sniffing and being reluctant. ‘A lot of things changed while you were away, you see…’

Lily nodded sheepishly. There was no way around it until Tiffany decided she’d had enough. ‘Of course.’

‘Chanyeol found his mate.’ Angel answered for her, shooting a reprimanding look at Tiffany, who huffed and looked away. ‘Nara is a post-grad student at the university, though she’s quite young.’

‘And she’s a genius.’ Mei threw in. ‘She’s very cute…’

‘Not cuter than you…’ Luhan muttered, loud enough to be heard.

‘Get a room!’ Baekhyun and Chen yelled in unison, throwing a couple of cushions at them. Luhan grinned unrepentantly while Mei flushed, looking pleased.

‘These two have turned even more disgusting, as you can see…’ Tiffany commented. Mei stuck her tongue out at her. ‘You’re just jealous.’

‘Of what?’ Tiffany demanded.

‘My marri- oops!’

Except for Tao, Tiffany, Sehun and Kai, everyone turned to stare at Mei, who was blushing crazily and Luhan, who looked more than pleased as he announced, ‘We eloped.’

The look on Mei’s face was priceless as she stared at her mate, disbelief and betrayal written plainly.

‘What?’ Luhan asked defensively.

‘You said we’d wait!’ Mei shrilled.

Luhan shrugged, muttering, ‘For what?’

‘For me to tell my parents before we announced it to the world, you tool!’ Mei yelled, throwing punches at Luhan, who blocked her blows easily, looking unrepentant. ‘You would never have the courage to do it and we’ve been dancing around each other for months now!’

‘Take that back!’ Mei attacked him again.  ‘You said you’d wait until I was ready!’

‘That was before! It’s not my fault you’re so y…’ Luhan defended himself, rolling out of the sofa to avoid incoming blows.

Beside her, Sehun snickered as Kai let out a put-upon sigh. ‘Not this again!’ he groaned, covering his face. 

Lily couldn’t help but laugh as the argument between Mei and Luhan became progressively sillier.

‘You can’t snuggle with me like that and expect nothing will happen!’ Luhan was now hiding behind a sofa, using it as a shield as Mei advanced on him.

‘’What is that supposed to mean?’

‘It means I’m a man with needs and you’re pushing me too much. There’s only so much I can take!’

‘Ugh, Tiffany was right. All men want just one thing!’ Mei huffed, throwing her cushion straight into Luhan’s gaping face. It landed on the floor with a thump. ‘For the record, I am disgusted.’

Sehun was staring at Tiffany. ‘Really?’ he asked, raising one brow judgmentally.

Tiffany shook her head, hurrying to reassure him. ‘That was before… you know. I know you’re different!’

Tao’s cough sounded suspiciously like ‘Yeah, right,’ as the rest of the Legends snickered. Tiffany’s face morphed into a frown before she too threw a cushion at Sehun. ‘You’re disgusting,’ she told him, trying to get away. Sehun latched onto her arm. ‘Take that back.’

Tiffany stuck her tongue out. ‘You. Are. Disgusting.’

Sehun pursed his lips before pushing up, looking ready to drag her away and prove her right. Tiffany, for her part, looked rather excited at the prospect.

Before things could escalate any further, Suho cleared his throat. Normally, that wouldn’t have much of an effect but with all the drama, everyone was already anticipating.

‘Let’s settle down. Luhan, Mei, congratulations on your… marriage, although I suppose it’s long overdue.’ He looked around. ‘Anything else any of you would like to share?’

Everyone glanced at each other. Baekhyun and Chen were pushing each other, giggling, completely non-serious. ‘I hate cucumbers!’ Baekhyun declared passionately. Chen threw his cushion at him. ‘You are disgusting!’

‘Anything serious?’ Suho asked again, rolling his eyes.

‘D.O’s and Kyra need to kiss and get it over with!’ Chen hollered. D.O’s cushion landed on his face quite forcefully, knocking him off his chair. Kyra was blushing and even D.O’s ears were pink. ‘Shut it,’ he growled, eyes flashing red.

‘Settle down.’ Kris only spoke up once, but it was enough to shut everyone up. As the Legends quietened, the door leading to the hospital wing opened, Rose peeking out cautiously.

Instantly, there was tension in the group, the Legends shifting subtly but surely closer to their mates. Rose flinched, looking ready to bolt but Lily stood up, moving towards her with purpose. Lay stepped swiftly between them, effectively stopping her from grabbing Rose’s hand. She belatedly recalled his warning about being physical. Dejectedly she let her arm drop but smiled encouragingly at Rose, who was glancing between her, Lay and the rest of the group with wide eyes.

‘Hello Rose.’ Lay greeted her pleasantly, extending his hand for a shake. She stared at it for few moments before hesitantly reaching out. He gripped it gently, using it pull her further into the room. Lily came to stand beside her, turning to face the Legends with her sister.

Xiumin was looking at them, a mixture of apprehension and reluctance on his face. Lily sniffed, looking away. If he thought she was going to keep her distance from her own sister, he had another think coming. Besides, wasn’t Star his sister? Why wasn’t he being supportive?

Internally huffing, she focused her attention back to Rose and Lay, who was introducing himself and the others to her.

‘You already met Suho and Chen last night. Xiumin, you know who he is. That’s…’ he pointed the others out. Some, like Baekhyun, smiled and waved in greeting. Others like Sehun and D.O looked distinctly hostile, standing closer to their mates. The girls were pretty open, smiling in welcome.

Lay lead Rose to one of the empty seats, a little separated from the rest, though Lily suspected it was her own ease since she looked so uncomfortable. Lily sat beside her, staunchly supportive.

 Just then, someone rang the doorbell and Chen shot off to let them in. Chanyeol filed in with a small girl in tow, holding hands. Lily assumed that was Nara. Another girl and a guy followed them.

Leo showed up minutes later, looking wide-awake and blessedly full of life. Lily was on her feet the moment Lay rolled his wheelchair in but Rose beat her to it, throwing herself at her brother and hugging him tightly, crying and apologizing.

The rest of their audience kept quiet as Leo reached up to pat her head affectionately. ‘I’m fine, Rosie!’ he assured her, ‘thanks to you. Lay here tells me you saved my life.’

Lily understood her brother had meant to reassure Rose but it only worsened her tears, her face crumpling. ‘But I attacked you!’ she sobbed into his chest.

Leo looked at her helplessly and Lily moved forward, wanting to hold Rose. Once again, she was intercepted by Lay, who discreetly passed her a pair of gloves. Lily pulled them on reluctantly before patting Rose’s back and helping her calm down. Rose was reluctant to leave Leo’s side and kept touching him, as if to reassure herself that he was there.

When they joined the rest of the group again, the Legends looked less tense; maybe Rose’s crying made her seem more human to them. Whatever it was, she was glad.

‘Hey man,’ Ken greeted from his place, nodding at Leo. ‘What happened to you?’

He glanced at Rose, who blanched. Leo patted her hand reassuringly. ‘I’m not entirely sure. What’re you doing here? You know these people?’

Ken nodded, gesturing at Nara, who was holding Chanyeol’s hand determinedly. ‘Kind of.’

Suho stood up, clapping his hands to get everyone’s attention. ‘Now that everyone is here… there is a lot we need to talk about.

……………………………………………

A/N

Hey everyone, how're you doing? I actually completely forgot that I hadn't updated this month hehe :) Sorry, life has been very hectic lately. Anyway, I know these chapters are kind of fillers but they're also kind of necessary? So, I hope you're still enjoying it. Since we're at a crucial stage in the story, I don't want to rush and ruin things. Just, hold on a little longer and we'll get there. Until then, hope you have fun and enjoy. 

See ya!