"You should be sleeping."

 

"EEEEEEPPP!" I squeal after being startled. "ARGGGGG!" I yell after my cup of hot (very freaking hot) cocoa spills all over me. "Owowowowowow..." I mutter, clutching my head after I fall off my chair.

 

A pair of strong arms scoop me up and take me to the couch, carefully setting me down on the soft cushions. A chilling sensation touches my injured head and a gentle hand caresses my cheek.

 

"Sorry."

 

"You should be," I scowl at Jongup, who adjusts himself to kneel in front of my horizontal body.

 

"I was stomping around! How could you have not known I was there?" Jongup laughs.

 

"My mind was deeply contemplating something. I'm not to be disturbed when I'm thinking." I stick my tongue out at him and sit up. I remove the ice pack from my head and gently rub the cold area. "Jongup, I'm... I'm sorry."

 

"Sorry? For what?"

 

"For being so stupid. For ignoring you. For everything." Look at him and stare deeply into his tired eyes, screaming the desire for sleep.

 

The matoki sighs and runs his hand through his hair. He looks at me, puts his hand on my leg and helps himself up, sitting beside me on the couch.

 

"Look, you're not stupid. You're just...." He looks up, probably searching for a synonymous word. "You're just slow. And you've never ignored me. You always listened and cared for me, but not the way I had wanted. Okay, so I'm a little disappointed I was right about you liking hyung for real, 'cause it was pretty much just a hunch of mine. But I'd rather you be happy and beautiful in someone else's arms, than sad and still beautiful in mine."

 

I feel the heat growing in my cheeks, so I pull my hand away from Jongup's grip and slap my cheeks semi-hard. I clear my throat and avoid eye contact with him, looking more at the little lamp in the corner than the matoki.

 

"Y-you don't hate me, right?"

 

"Of course not! You're like a little sister to me now."

 

"We're the same age." I snap my head around to look at him, only to find a smirk plastered on his face.

 

"Same age or not, it's obvious I'm much more mature." Jongup leans back against the couch, his hands behind his head and his eyes closed. "Now, what were you deeply contemplating?"

 

I scoff and roll my eyes, moving to sit cross legged facing him. "I'm taking some time off work in July so I can leave the country."

 

Jongup opens one eye and looks at me. "Leave the country? Where to?"

 

"The Caribbean. I have an old pal there, and my dad promised me a trip once I finished high school." I scratch the back of my head and smile weakly. "But daddy isn't here to take me, so I'll have to plan on my own."

 

Jongup sits up and puts his hands on his lap, desperation flashing across his features. "W-what about us?"

 

"That's the thing. You guys are from a different planet, so you don't any passports or papers. You guys can't come."

 

Jongup stares at me, wide eyed, jaw hanging and barely moving, like a teen finding out he made his girlfriend pregnant-

 

What the hell, author-nim? Why would you put those thoughts into my mind?!

 

(Your precious author-nim can't answer your call right now. She's... Busy.)

 

I don't care. Change it.

 

(No.)

 

Hey-

 

(Listen. I'm in charge, now, so you have to listen to me. Don't make me write something you'll regret.)

 

You're stupid and nothing compared to author-nim...

 

(What was that?)

 

I nod gently and stand up, placing my hand on the matoki's shoulder.

 

"Go to sleep. You guys have been up for long periods of time these past few days. It's starting to appear on your face and affect your movement." I advise. Jongup nods his head and walks to the basement, his steps slow and smooth. I follow him down and see the five others hard at work.

 

"He-Jin, is there anything wrong?" Yongguk lifts up his mask and turns off his blow torch.

 

I can see the heavy bags under his eyes and even his words are coming out a little delayed and slurred. The other four stop and take off their masks, the same bags under their eyes.

 

"You all need sleep." I walk over to the group, standing beside Zelo. "Your hard work is reaping it's  reward," I point to their 'pretty much finished' ship, "but it's also starting to take it's toll on your health. I want all your tools packed up and your butts in your bed."

 

"But-"

 

"Hey, brainiac. I'm in charge here. My house, my rules." My gaze hardens and the matoki all gulp in unison. 

 

"Right," Daehyun takes of his mask and puts away the tools encircling him. The others follow not long after and leave the basement.

 

Yongguk comes back down to properly organize the tools. I watch him as he nimbly puts things away. Once finished, he yawns, stretches his back and looks at me.

 

"When will you be done?" I ask, walking closer to the spaceship.

 

"We are finished," he stands beside me and looks down at his creation. "Building, I mean. We were working on the design." He yawns again and rests his head on my shoulder. "Goodnight."

 

"Goodnight." I look at him and smile before looking back at the ship. We said our partings, but Yongguk has yet to move his head from my shoulder. "Don't tell me you're sleeping." I laugh gently.

 

"I'm not. I'm waiting." He yawns again and keeps his eyes closed. "But I'll be dead before I'm finished."

 

"What are you waiting for?" I get no answer. I take Yongguk's head in my hands and place a kiss on his forehead. A smile appears on his lips and he cups my face with his hands.

 

"Goodnight." With his eyes closed and a smile controlling his lips, Yongguk leans down and kisses me on the forehead. He slowly turns around and groggily makes his way upstairs.

 

I touch the place he kissed me and smile, a few tears clouding my vision. It's been years since someone kissed me goodnight but it felt almost exactly like my dad's. I used to be able to sense the amount of care and love behind his kisses. I'd cherish every single one and missed them dearly when he left. But Yongguk... It may have been a simple peck, a small gesture of affection, but even I could sense the amount of heart he put behind it. Yongguk was a hard shell with a gummy smile and a heart of gold, no matter how annoying or mean he can be. He simply admitted he liked me but barely changed his persona, save the more caring outlook towards me and lessening his insults. It may not be the same for him, but that 'simple peck' meant so much more.

 

I shake my head, pat my cheeks and look at ship. It has a few obvious changes to the original, such as it's size. The first one was maybe half a metre in diameter, but this one is three times it's size. Instead of multiple windows encircling the ship, this newer one has smaller pieces of rectangular glass covering almost the full circumference of the ship, making it look very high tech. The only space without glass was a matoki sized 'door' with small brass hinges on the bottom.There is no dome on the top like the previous. Just a simple convex metal sheet on the top. The legs on the base are pretty short, standing the ship only twelve centimetres off the floor.

 

I pick up the multiple cans of spray paint, paint brushes, a small mask, some goggles, a pair of gloves and a large tarp, and sit myself down in front of the space ship.

 

"It's been years since I've done this," I mutter to myself, rolling up my sleeves, putting on the various protective gear and shaking two cans of coloured spray paint. "Please, bring back the talent that once existed!"

 

•  •  •

 

"He-Jin... Get up... He-Jin!"

 

"Go away, will ya?" I swat my hand in the voice's direction.

 

"Yah, you'd better get your up now!"

 

"Come on, He-Jin unni. Prom maybe tonight, but we need to get things started." I feel tiny hands pull my arms and another pair of hands on my hip, pulling me over and onto my back.

 

"Prom, smom. I'd rather not go." I grumble, escaping the hands and moving away from them.

 

"We don't care if you don't wanna go." The hands return and pull harshly on my arm. I skid across and fall hard on my back, waking me up instantly.

 

"HyoJae," I hiss, glaring at her through my morning eyes.

 

"Nice to see you, too!" She smiles cheerily and puts up the peace sign.

 

"I'm here too, unni!" Jaexing puts an arm around HyoJae and does the same.

 

"Oh, hello Jaexing." I smile weakly and stand up, using my bed as support. "It's nice to see you, but you know what would be even nicer?" The two shake their head and my smile turns into an emotionless expression. "If you'd both leave." I turn around and crawl back under the covers of my bed.

 

"Oh well," HyoJae says, a dip in the bed following not long after. "Yongguk actually got up in a good mood this morning when we told him tonight was your prom night."

 

"That's nice," I mumble, clutching tighter to my blanket.

 

"You should have seen the smile on his face this morning. The happiest I have ever seen him. Especially when he saw what you did with their space ship."

 

My grip on the blankets loosen and I push them only off my head, peering over them at HyoJae and Jaexing. I looked at their eyes and silently demanded the truth. They simply nod and continue.

 

"Apparently, he went back down during the night when he couldn't sleep and found you asleep on the floor and covered in paint. He had to pick you up, carry you upstairs and wash the paint off as best as he could." Jaexing states, adding a smug look to her words.

 

"When you guys leave, tell him thanks." I fall back under the covers and cover my ears with my pillow.

 

"He said one more thing," HyoJae adds, raising her voice.

 

I can't hear her, I can't hear her...

 

"He said that last night, you looked so peaceful."

 

Go away, let me sleep....

 

"He was happy that he was the one that found you."

 

He didn't say that. He couldn't have said that...

 

"And that he really wanted to kiss you."

 

He was drunk. Yep, drunk...

 

"I'm not lying. It's what he said to me this morning."

 

That's not Yongguk... That can't be...

 

I pull off the covers and sit up to look at them. They're both smiling, but I can't find any hint of a lie. The eyes of people give away the truth when words utter nothing but lies, but their eyes give way to no difference between what really happened. They're probably just really good liars...

 

"I don't have a choice, right?" I sigh, admitting my defeat.

 

"Nope." The two girls reply as one.

 

"DON'T I EVER GET A SAY IN ANYTHING?!"

 

•  •  •

 

(And for the first time in this story, let's change the point of view... It's my turn, baby!)

 

Himchan and Youngjae put the finishing touches on their special element changer device. Zelo, Jongup and Daehyun are still finishing their breakfast and Yongguk is crouched in front of the ship, gently running his hand over He-Jin's magnificent work.

 

The plain sheet of metal on top was now covered in an accurate spray paint job of the six matokis in their original form, their faces that of a victor of war. The door to the ship is that of a robotic version of a matoki hooked up to wires ('Power' album cover), a lightning blue outline of it's features. No matter how many times Yongguk looks at it, he never ceases to become mesmerized.

 

'With every passing day, I don't get any closer to finding out why the hell I like you... Not from the moment we met FOR SURE, but you somehow got me hooked and you have yet to let me loose...' Yongguk thinks, standing up. 

 

"Hyung, I have to ask you a question." Zelo interrupts Yongguk's thoughts, but the elder offers him full attention. "We all know you like He-Jin and we all know she likes you, but why do you still treat her the same way? Why aren't you trying to be romantic and win her heart even more?"

 

Yongguk opens his mouth, but a different voice comes out.

 

"Because he's not a romantic." Himchan places his hand on the leader's shoulder. "He doesn't want to be someone he's not."

 

"But hyung, you are going to try tonight, right?" Zelo asks, desperation and pure pity pouring from his eyes.

 

"He's probably going to try something," Youngjae intercepts before Yongguk can answer, leaving the leader with his mouth agape. "Try, and fail."

 

"YAH!" The leader's booming voice echoes off the walls. "Will you let me answer his questions? They are for me!" The other matoki take a step back. "Right," Yongguk turns towards the maknae, running his hand through his hair. "I wish I was a romantic, but even if I try, I'll just make myself a fool in front of her, and you know I'll never hear the end of that."

 

Jongup steps out of his room, his gaze centred only on Yongguk.

 

"Well, turn into one. A really good one. Tonight must be special." Jongup practically orders.

 

"Okay, chief!" Yongguk salutes him before walking up the two flights of stairs.

 

"Is what HyoJae unni said to He-Jin true? About Yongguk hyung actually wanting to kiss her?" Zelo asks, looking at Himchan for an answer.

 

"No. Yongguk said that he took her upstairs, washed the paint off her arms and put her to bed. Not once did he stop to think about kissing her." Says the second in command.

 

"How do you-"

 

"I heard the same thing and asked him about it. That thought just didn't cross his mind" Himchan shrugs.

 

"HyoJae's caught onto your bad habits." Daehyun punches Youngjae in the shoulder. "She's become very manipulative!"

 

"I know," Youngjae smirks. "And I love it."

 

_____________________

 

Yay...

 

Thanks for reading! 

 

ARIGATOGOZAIMASU!!!