The lights flickered for a moment before switching on, bathing the room in a warm glow. There are groans and complaints with everyone vying for space to toe off their sneakers after a tiring day at practice.

 

They promptly proceeded to collapse into heaps in the living room, Eunwoo claiming the chair, “Thank god I don’t have high school anymore, I don’t think I can stand.”

 

“I can’t feel my long legs anymore. Is this how you feel every day, Nunu?”

 

“What did I ever do to offend you unnie?”

 

“Eh.”

 

“Anyways, I swear to god Kim-saem is paid to kill us, I think I lost 5 kilograms just from sweating today!”

 

“Now, now, don’t be such a drama mama,” Jieqiong laid her sticky body on Eunwoo who could only faintly protest.

 

I reached slightly to return my shoes back to their spot on the highest shelf and started to arrange their. Normally the kids would put their worn sneakers away but after 4 hours of non-stop dance practice to the point of fogging up the mirrors no one had the energy to do anything else.

 

Yewon looked very comfortable slumped face-down on the marble kitchen island, “Arm sho plier mi ban pall asheep might no”

 

“You can what?”

 

“I heard ‘plier’.”

 

“Is that English?”

 

“I’m pretty sure you’re is too tired to repair something now Yewon-ah.”

 

“Oh the living room heater needs repairing though.”

 

“She said ‘I’m so tired I can fall asleep right now’,” Eunwoo grumbled with her eyes closed.

 

“What? How did you even get that?” Minkyung raised an eyebrow at the younger girl.

 

“She mumbles a lot in her sleep, remember when I texted you about the red Indians at midnight, unnie?”

 

“Oh yeah.”

 

“Nayoung unnie are we gonna draw lots for the shower timings again?” A lazy Seungyeon piqued from where she was leaning against Kyungwon’s body (corpse?).

 

“Sure we are Baesong-ah, its fair that way,” I gave her a tired smile.

 

Kyungwon shot up from the cold floor with stunning vigour, eyes squinting. “Oh yeah? I don’t think so. I’m sure Yebin is manipulating her cosmic powers to make sure-”

 

“Unnie no one has time for your conspiracy theories. C’mon let’s just get things done ASAP.” Siyeon growled from against the main door, guess someone couldn’t muster the energy to get across the room.

 

“But it may be true! What if we all have superpowers?”

 

“God, if I had superpowers I would use it to tape you up.”

 

“How can you say that!? I’m your favourite unnie!”

 

“Please, counting from the back of the Pledis-”

 

“All right no more squabbling, we’re all tired now, Ddiddi-yah try to keep a civil tongue in your head for once. Jieqiong dear grab the hat from beside you, will you? Take a lot and pass around,” Minkyung smoothly cut in.

 

“I’m too tired to shower, besides I have to wash up in a couple hours for my flight tomorrow. Gonna crash.” Jieqiong passed off the hat to Yebin before trudging off to her beauty sleep.

 

“Wait for meeeeeee,” Seungyeon dragged herself up and after her roommate, too tired to care.

 

“Okay two down. I’m drawing first. No. 2, all right!” Yebin cheered from the sofa before bouncing off to gather her toiletries.

 

“Hey we said we’re gonna watch a make-up videos together.” Eunwoo yelped after her.

 

“I’ll wait for you!”

 

“Ah ha! See Ddiddi! Yebin clearly used her psychic skill to get a good-”

One flung sneaker at Kyungwon, two minor casualties by long limbs and three long sighs later everyone settled down and managed to finish drawing their lots. Just as Minkyung pulled out No. 6 to leave lucky No. 1 for me my phone buzzed.

 

‘Can you meet me at the company ASAP? Don’t tell the rest why, it’s about Kyla’

 

Well there goes my plans to sleep early. Guess I should make it quick then. I looked once over at the kids and the childishly sulking Kyungwon.

 

“Don’t worry I’ll be out fast then I’ll head to the company to pick up my jacket first. Don’t stay up okay? Remember the two of you have school tomorrow.”

 

I wagged a finger at a nodding Yewon and Siyeon, who was studying the sole sneaker in her hands with sudden interest.

 

“Now, now, don’t hurl that one at me with your super strength!”

 

“Then don’t ask for it.”

 

“Yah, Park Junghyun! I’m your unnie by 3 years!”

 

“So act like it!”

 

I made my way to the toilet while letting out yet a groan. Where did their ill-found energy suddenly spring out from?

 

A good three hours later the company finally let me off. Much to our joy Kyla’s finally returning home! I opted to keep it a secret from the kids first, with a bit more planning I’ll be able to surprise them sometime this week.

 

The door creaked a little as I wearily pushed it. Putting my shoes back on the shelf I realised through bleary eyes someone had taken it upon herself to put the shoes I’d arranged neatly on the floor onto the shelves. I smiled and headed to the dark kitchen to grab a drink. Leaning my back onto the kitchen counter, I let out a heavy yawn as fatigue washed over me.

 

“Nayoung?”

 

“Omo!”

 

Cold water spilled down my shirt as I jumped from the raspy voice coming from behind me. I hastily grabbed some tissue before turning around slowly, only to make out a dark silhouette on the living room couch. I squinted through the darkness. Long hair, lanky, tall,

 

“Minkyung-ah? Is that you?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“Why are you in the living room by yourself?”

 

“I like the silence. Go wash up quick unnie, it’s almost 4am.” She stage whispered from the couch.

 

All well I’ll settle this later. A yawn slipped out again as I quietly made my way to the communal bathroom.

 

 

The living room was still shrouded in darkness as I patted the last drips of moisturiser onto my face, shivering slightly from the chill. I tip-toed over and let out a little sigh upon seeing that Minkyung lying on the couch still using her rolled up towel as a make-shift pillow.

 

I leaned down slightly to shake her awake but paused to study her face. It almost seemed like the past 4 hours of dance torture had zero effect on her physique, the moonlight spilling from the window outlining her profile.

 

Charcoal black bangs lightly framing an oval face; soft eyelashes looking even longer than usual; bright, fox-like eyes hidden by her eyelids resting peacefully shut; high nose gently curving down to sleek, pink lips, half-parted as she breathed out slightly.

 

The pair of lips curled and I looked up sharply, only to find myself at an embarrassingly close distance, close enough to count the lashes on her eyelids and feel the huff of laughter on my cheek.

 

“Like what you see, unnie?”

 

“What? No, I was…” I leaned away from her drowsy grin and straightened myself, “I was just going to wake you up.”

 

“Weren’t you staring at me?”

 

“Of course not… anyways why are you lying here at 4am instead of in your bed?”

 

“Ah, that,” She chuckled quietly, “kind of a long story.”

 

“But basically?”

 

“But basically Yebin doze off in Eunwoo’s bed while waiting to watch videos together.”

 

“So then Eunwoo stole Ddiddi’s bed-”

 

“- Who naturally stole Kyungwon’s- ”

 

“- Who stole yours- ”

 

“- And since Illa’s bed is strictly out of bounds until she’s back, so proclaims Park Junghyun, there’s that.”

 

I blinked away my confusion and paused to look her in the eye. The darkness made things a bit difficult but the mirth from the kids’ antics could still be seen twinkling in her orbs. Trust those little devils to cook up trouble the second I’m gone.

 

“Tell me, why did we even bother splitting rooms? Also why didn’t you just find one of the kids’ bed?”

 

“I didn’t wanna risk waking the second room up when they were just falling asleep so I decided to just sleep here. Plus Yebin brought her blanket over to Eunwoo’s bed ‘cos she doesn’t have a blanket in her bed so high jacking her’s isn’t an option.”

 

I frowned. Her calm reasoning undeniably made sense (as usual), but something didn’t sit quite right. “Minky, the heater here is broken. Plus the couch isn’t suited for sleeping on.”

 

“It’s alright Nana, I’ll live. Go get some sleep now, you need your bed rest.”

 

Wait a minute… that’s right! My bed! I was probably too caught up in worrying about the kids, to the point that I’d forget I still had my bed empty. Is it big enough for me? Of course. Is it big enough for two? Well, it will be.

 

I finally grinned down at Minky, who amidst my realisation had tucked herself comfortably into the rough cushion covers.

 

“Right! Sleep with me tonight!”

“What?”

 

 

“Nana, your bed’s too small for two, just let me sleep on the couch for a night.”

 

“I told you no one’s sleeping on the couch tonight or any night. Now hush, I’m opening the door.”

 

I shot her another look before ever so slowly pushing the doorknob open. The minimal light coming from the window near Yewon’s bed revealed her sleeping peacefully tucked in her bed, mumbling slightly under her breath. I could barely make out Yebin sprawling on Eunwoo’s bed, Gryffindor blanket tangled haphazardly around her waist while a curtain was still drawn tightly around her own.

 

I pulled Minkyung to the last bed in the room, quickly sitting us down. With a soft sigh, I finally wrapped myself up in the soft bedsheets that had been calling out for me ever since we got back to the dorm hours ago. Fatigue hit me like a tidal wave. As I was about to shut my eyes for a moment, I felt the slight shift of weight from Minkyung inching off the edge of the bed. Without missing a beat my hand shot out and latched onto her forearm.

 

“Where do you think you’re going?” I hummed with my eyes closed.

 

“Look,” she whispered back equally softly, “there clearly isn’t enough space so I just going to-”

 

With a swift tug and a soft yelp her body landed close beside mine. No member of mine sleeps on the couch. Certainly not her.

 

“Goodnight and make yourself comfy, Minky, we’re sleeping together tonight. Like it or not.” The warmth of my bed lulled me to dreamland, I reached out and pulled her closer by the waist, tucking her head of black under my chin. Her light breaths tickled my collarbone but it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling.

 

Perhaps the sleepiness was affecting me, for after a pause I could’ve swore I felt an arm timidly encircle my waist too, pulling the blanket tighter around us. Maybe I also didn’t dream up the long legs curling themselves around mine, giving the two of us much needed body heat. It felt nice, lying beside Minkyung in a mini cocoon of blankets. It felt warm, it felt right. Just before I fully slipped away, I felt a kiss pressed onto my collarbone.

 

“I like it a lot. Goodnight Nana, sleep well.”

 

 

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Hi all! This is the first of the many one-shots that I have fully planned out.. and probably will not have time to finish oops. Nonetheless I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Comments are greatly appreciated~ Thank you!