Chan was sitting on the wide brown couch in their living room (which they had had to turn right side up because someone had knocked it over during the chase) just looking at the rest of s – watching like a hawk waiting for its prey, or a kangaroo sneaking up to kick you from behind. It depended on who you asked really. Everyone else was busying themselves with whatever they could find so as not to worry about what was happening in Minho’s room and simultaneously avoid their leader’s intimidating stare. 

However, Chan, for all intents and purposes looking like he was paying utmost attention to what the others were doing, was in fact subtly twiddling his thumbs and silently going over everything that had just happened. He was anxiously racking his brain – what could that thing have been? It’s been more than an hour. Was Minho ok? It was awfully quiet in there. How did that creature get in? What was he going to do? Was Minho ok? Wait, didn’t he just think that? He had to do something.

“Hyunjin!”

He may have said that louder than intended in his excitement, considering how high Hyunjin jumped, almost dropping his phone in the process.

“Yes, hyung?”

If Chan hadn’t gone into some sort of overdrive he would’ve noticed how timid the other boy looked and sounded. But he had, so he didn’t and continued in the same barking tone.

“Go check on Minho.”

And so they argued.

“What? Why me? You go!”

“I’m not going!”

“Why not?”

“Because!”

“Well, same here!”

The others kept looking back and forth between them – it was like they were following a tennis match.

“Well, you’re still going to check.”

“How so?”

“Because I said so and you will listen to me.”

Hyunjin looked at him with an expression lost between confused and incredulous. The rest of the boys also seemed to be similarly puzzled. Chan smiled (evilly).

“Because I am older than you and I am your leader.”

Hyunjin deflated while the boys oohed in the background.

“Fine,” he huffed and marched out the living room and into the hallway to Minho’s door. 

‘This is Chan’s room too. Why couldn’t he do it huh,’ he internally seethed to himself.

He took a steeling breath and firmly knocked on the door – at least he thought it was firm.

“Hyung~. It’s been silent in there for a while…”

He trailed off waiting for some sort of response and grew concerned when none came. Still too afraid to go in and face the beast he decided to keep talking. Maybe Minho didn’t hear him because he was calming it down? Or maybe he was unconscious… Just one more try?

“We thought we had to check if you were still ok. So are you?”

There was silence before he heard Minho’s muffled voice from inside. He came closer to the door to press his ear against it.

“Hyung, I didn’t catch that? You’re not dying in there right? You’re still alive, yeah?”

The sudden thumping that came from inside made him want to back away and stare at the door in definitely-not-fear. He was not fast enough. Not a beat later it flew open and from the darkness a monster with razor sharp teeth and glinting black eyes charged at his head.

What happened next was only natural.

 Meanwhile Chan was rigidly sitting on the couch, his ears practically twitching with the effort he was exerting to try and hear if Minho was at all answering Hyunjin. 

He was vaguely distracted by Felix next to him doing weird stuff to Changbin’s hair – he was supposedly trying to style it – and enthusiastically teaching Seungmin this ‘dying art’. Changbin, with his planet-sized soft spot for the freckled younger, calmly sat on the floor between Felix’ feet and handed him rainbow coloured butterfly hair clips and tiny neon hairbands on demand. All the while their maknae was completely enraptured by the process, hungrily absorbing the new knowledge like a sponge and nodding every minute or so to show that he understood. And then there was Jisung, overseeing the process of annihilating Changbin’s hair from behind the couch, piping in with tips every now and again.

Chan sighed as he watched their antics for a moment. What was he worried about again?

The thought barely made its way through his head when a scream and a familiar screech sent him and Changbin flying to their feet. Felix shouted in both surprise at the noise and protest at the hair clip that flew off Changbin’s head and smacked him in the forehead. He fell sideways on the couch as Seungmin threw himself over and clung to his arm. Quickly as possible Felix lifted his head enough to be able to see past the back of the couch. It was a struggle with the clinging maknae.

In contrast to this flurry, Jisung froze where he stood. Only his head moved to watch the entrance to the room.

Chan had only taken two steps forward when Hyunjin came tumbling in from the corner of the hallway. They all winced when he hit the hardwood floor face-first. Not bothering to get back to his feet, Hyunjin turned to face the hallway and crawled backwards with all the grace and coordination of a panicked fawn.

Changbin was the first to regain his composure.

“What happened?”

“M-mo-mon-mon,”

Chan pulled him up and gripped him by the shoulders, trying to look him in the eye.

“Hyunjin,” he said sternly. “Hyunjin, calm down. Breathe with me.”

He slowed his own breathing, inhaling and exhaling loudly with brief pauses in-between, willing the other to get himself under control. Hyunjin followed well enough, copying him, calming.

“That’s it. Atta boy.”

Chan loosened his grip and began to rub up and down Hyunjin’s upper arms. It was going swimmingly until -

“Hyung, what happened?”

- their maknae made his curiosity known. The panic promptly flooded back into Hyunjin’s eyes, though he seemed to retain the ability to speak this time around. He grabbed either side of Chan’s face and pulled him close. It could have been considered a slap if his hands hadn’t stayed on the assaulted area.

“Monster~” he drawled with a guttural voice. Chan was officially scared for his life.

Changbin was the next to speak – rather forcefully at that.

“What do you mean, monster?”

They didn’t get an answer as Hyunjin didn’t get the chance to get it out. Everyone became immobilized when loud thuds came from the hallway. They stared wide eyed with anticipation and fear.

The thudding stopped just behind the corner. All was silent.

And then Minho’s head popped up from the corner. He took in their expressions, along with Changbin’s still very colourful head, and burst out laughing.

The others were left to stare at him in bewilderment. Or maybe they were staring at the very much furry ears at the top of his head.