Chapter 14 - The Beginning of the End

That was the moment I knew I ed up. When he told me what happened to his brother, I knew I ed up. I was there. I was right there with him. I saw it all happen. And I didn’t do anything. I was too slow. I wasn’t fast enough. 

I looked at the torn card infront of me. It was laid out into the box like scrapes. I touched the smallest piece and let a tear slip. 

“I’m sorry.” I whispered to it. “I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything to protect you.” 

The pieces stayed dead. 

Wiping my tear, I quickly put the box back where it belonged and turned around to look at the warrior lying on my bed, next to me. His arm was bandaged, the cut on his forehead has stopped bleeding and his face was puffy and swollen due to all the crying he did last night. 

After Namjoon broke into my arms, crying and screaming for his brother, I did the only thing I could do. I held onto him. I held him tightly until he cried, until his screaming subsided. Until he stopped blaming himself for everything. I held onto him until he got tired. I held onto him until he could move no more. 

I was distraught at his state. The pain, the anguish he must be feeling was something I could not comprehend. I slowly ruffled his fluffy hair as my other hand rubbed his red cheek. Pulling the blanket up to his neck, I shifted the pillow under him into a more comfortable position. He looked calmed and peaceful. 

When he had calmed down yesterday, I took his dazed state to my house for some refreshments. The boys were surprised to see me dragging an injured warrior into the house but didn’t say anything. Instead, they quickly parted and went out of their way to help Namjoon. 

Kyungsoo fetched the first aid kit while baekhyun went to get some water and some food for the weak warrior. Chanyeol on the other hand pulled the warrior off me and laid him on the couch. He helped Kyungsoo with the bandaging while baekhyun made sure to make Namjoon as comfortable as possible. 

I was touched at their gesture. Without knowing Namjoon, they treated him like one of their own. Leaving the bed, I went downstairs to grab some coffee. There was still some time before my first class of the day started. As I reached the kitchen, I could hear the sizzling sounds of bacon and eggs being fried. Kyungsoo must be up. 

“Good morning D.O.” I called out quietly, hugging my personal chef from behind. He glanced at me before patting my head in acknowledgment. I smiled and went for a coffee. 

“How’s he doing?” I heard him ask as I added the milk. 

“Good I think. He’s sleeping right now. I didn’t want to wake him up.” I commented, feeling a little heavy by the worried atmosphere around me. “He looked relaxed and peaceful.” 

“He always loved sleeping.” I looked at him. 

“You know him?” I asked with raised eyebrows. I wouldn’t be surprised. He knows pretty much all the people here on the campus. 

“I’ve met him before. We... we have a special connection.” He answered hesitantly. I could sense there was more to his sentence that he didn’t want to say aloud. I bit my lip and turned away from him. I keep forgetting it has only been a week since I found him. Even though he has accepted me, it’s hard for him to open up. I could tell. I mean, I don’t blame him. It takes time for someone to open up to a stranger. I guess I’m willing to wait. 

Soon, I heard another pair of feet heading towards the kitchen. It was Namjoon. He was standing at the door like a sleeping koala. His hair were pointed in every direction and his mouth was hanging open as he stared at me. I looked at him in question. Did I had something on my face? 

Shrugging at the thought, I handed one of the cups to the chef beside me and took the other one in my hands. Sipping onto the coffee, I smiled at the silver-hair boy. 

“Good morning Namjoon.” I greeted, hugging his frozen figure. I quickly kissed his cheek and pulled him onto the joint island in the middle of the kitchen area. Letting him sit near the large window so he could bathe in the fresh sunlight, I helped Kyungsoo with the food before motioning him to join us. 

“How are you feeling, Nam?” Kyungsoo asked, as he placed couple of slices of bacon on the boy’s plate and some other side dishes for him to try. 

I looked at Namjoon. He was gawking at the amount of food placed on the table. 

“It’s okay. You can take anything you like.” I assured him. He didn’t reply. Instead, he picked up some kimchi and stuffed it in his mouth. 

“Joonieee....” a voice whined. We all stopped. Suddnely, a frantic looking baekhyun appeared into the kitchen. He was followed by a grumbling Fire warrior. “Why do you always get the first taste of kimchi? That’s not fair.” I rolled my eyes. 

Namjoon looked at the boy in awe. 

“Hyung.” He said, with a hint of surprise. 

“Hello chimpy.” My warrior greeted, ruffling Namjoon’s hair. “Long time no see.” 

“What are you all doing here?” Namjoon asked quietly. I looked at him with raised eyebrows. Wow. He just talked. Only because of my pink hair warrior. Ughhh... I threw a jealous glare at baekhyun. Stupid flesh-eating monster. 

“They’re my pets.” I cut in before baekhyun could reply. “I love taking in stray pets, right monsty?” I smirked at baekhyun who threw a glare at me. 

“The only pet in this house is you, catty.” He sneered. “Always whinning And whinning—“ 

I didn’t bother listening to him anymore. Taking the fork in my hand, I stabbed it in his piles of pancakes with a loud bang. The action was so fast that he jumped out of his seat in fright and fell onto the floor. 

“That’s right. This kitty has claws.” I smirked, clawing at him like a cat. 

I heard two pairs of snickering behind me. I looked at Namjoon who was gawking at me. I smiled sweetly. “Don’t worry, Namjoon. I like koalas.” I grinned, ruffling his fluffy hair with my nails. He gulped.  

From there on, the breakfast was relatively quiet, expect few bickering from the fire and light duo.   I looked at Namjoon who was starring at his empty plate. The boy was quite the eater. 

“Are you still hungry?” I asked him. He shook his head. I frowned. The boys have left to get ready for the day. It was only him and me in here. Stirring his face towards me, I looked into his eyes. “What’s wrong?” I asked quietly. 

He looked nervous. I could see him hesitating. 

“Can I... Can I take some food with me?” 

“Ofcourse.” I said, standing up to grab an empty lunch box. “I was gonna pack you one anyway.” 

“I.. I need... it’s for someone else.” I looked up at his timid voice. 

“Then, I’ll pack extra.” I replied, taking out another empty lunch box from the cupboards. I quickly filled them up with all the different food that kyungsoo made earlier. Even adding some fruits like strawberries and bananas to it. 

“There you go. That should keep you and your friend from whining.” I joked, chuckling at his red face. Oh I know you koala boy. You will probably end up eating half of the stuff I packed for your friend. 

“Thank you for this.” He said, waving the boxes. “I need to go now.” 

“Will you be okay?” I asked. 

He nodded. I smiled at him. Getting on my toes, I kissed his cheek. I noticed a faint pink on his face but I ignored it. 

“Take care, okay?” He nodded before snapping his fingers. His figure instantly vanished into thin air. 

I looked at the spot. 

“Did he just teleport?” 

“No, he went back in his card.” I heard a reply behind me. I turned around to see Kyungsoo, all dressed up. “That way his master won’t know where he was or the fact that he wasn’t in his card.”

I nodded. That’s pretty cool. 

****** 

“Are you sure you are comfortable with me?” I asked the fluffy red hair boy, walking