Dinner went well, and after we cleaned up we went into the game room and watched a few movies to lighten up our spirits. Sometime between Rush Hour, Sister Act, and Lethal Weapon 2 my luggage arrived and I gave out the mango treats that I knew the boys were fond of. For some reason, every time I looked towards my bag, where the note sat closed, a massive headache would come on. I did my best to keep it from the boys-no need in them worrying even more about me.

 When we grew tired of the movies, we changed our clothes into loungewear/pajamas and agreed to meet on the roof for stargazing. My headache grew in strength, and I hoped a shower would alleviate some of my stress.

As I finished showering, slipping into my camisole and loose patterned bottoms, there was a knock at my door. “Come in,” I said, and the door opened to reveal Jay, who looked more exposed than usual. “Hello friend,” I said crossing the room. What is this, feeling I get when I look at him? Curiosity? Fear? As he hugged me, I caught a glimpse of something underneath the sleeve of his black Nightmare Hearts shirt. “You have tattoos?! That’s so cool!!” He looked pleasantly surprised.

“You like them? Not everyone here has the same open mindedness that you have-Junho can’t stand them at all.” He nodded at me, and I ran a finger gently over the starting pattern of a skull and rose, intertwined forever in a river of blood and water. “This is soooo awesome..” Jay gave me an amused smile. “Yeah-I go to the same artists most of the time. These pieces of art will hold my memories so I don’t dare forget them.” I beamed at him. “You’ll have a lot of great memories to put down your whole arm then,” Jay looked at me briefly before blushing, his cheeks warming up.

I couldn’t help it-I tweaked his cheeks, and his fast reflexes caused his own hands to encircle around my wrists as I playfully tugged at his face. “Why do you blush so much, Jay-oppa?” He got free and chuckled, coming to stand behind me as I sat at the vanity and wiped off my face with a sage cloth. “People say I do it because I’m thin-skinned, but some say, some say that I only do it around the people I love...”

Jaybeom reached for the end of my braid that I kept my hair in all day, and began to unwind it gently, taking care with the strands until my hair was in full force, wavy and framing my face and back in great tresses. “I think you should let your hair out more-it suits your beauty..” I winked at him in the mirror. “You’ll finish your arm off and I’ll do whatever you want, my dear.” His returning smile knocked about 5 years off his face, and together we walked up to the roof to wait for the others…

….I exhaled slowly as the clouds parted to reveal the thousands of celestial bodies millions of years away. Jay rubbed my arm as the others appeared, one by one. “They always bring peace to the troubled mind,” I said, as Chansung came up and held me from behind. Nick took a seat next to my legs, sighing as he looked up as well. “It always reminds me of home, and my family, before I joined the group.”

I slid down to join him as the others made themselves more comfortable. “You don’t get to see them a lot, do you?” He looked down and gazed out towards the city, where the capital’s lights sparkled in their own beauty. “No, but I promised them- I promised them that I would do better….”

“…..It’ll get better, I promise-I even think you guys have a break coming up, maybe you can plan within it..”, I murmured to him while I intertwined my fingers with his, and he looked down at our hands and gave me a gentle squeeze of gratitude. I couldn’t explain it, but when he squeezed my hand immediately most of my pain went away…

Junsu began pointing out the various constellations to us all, and Junho wanted his divine fortune read by the celestial observer. Chan came and put his head in my lap; after a moment I began running my fingers through his long hair and he sighed dreamily. “That feels nice, Taren-unni,” he turned his face and blew soft air into my belly button, making me giggle and scratch is scalp. Woo pulled out a deck of trivia cards, and we sat around in a circle and played a fun game until Jay’s watch beeped, signifying it was midnight.

Taec came over and pulled me to my feet. “Come, Taren-ni, you look tired,” he said, and everyone nodded as I put my hand to my forehead. “You’re right-for some reason, I’m absolutely exhausted right now. Do you guys,” I waved at them sleepily, “mind if I turn in early?” Jay spoke. “We completely understand, Taren-ni, it’s been a long day for everyone. Get as much rest as you can; we’ll see you in the morning.”

Taec took me by the hand and lead me all the way back in the room, where he laid me down as he had done before tucking me in and making sure my drapes were closed. “Mmm, you guys are too kind to me,” I murmured as he kissed my forehead. Taecyeon laughed and patted my hip as he leaned up off my bed. “Think nothing of it-I’ll see you in the morning.” The last thing I remember doing was waving flutteringly from the blanket before passing out into oblivion…