Stray Gods (SLOW UPDATES BUT NOT ABANDONED)

Chapter 3

Together with Chan, you loaded the dishwasher in silence. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence. You were never uncomfortable with any of the guys. But there were some of the boys you could easily sit in silence with for hours without it being weird. Chan was one of them.

'Thanks for your help,' Chan said when you were finished. He petted you sweetly on your head. Your ears instantly started burning and you quickly looked down.

'So, besides helping me clean up and doing the laundry, what else are you going to do on your day off?' he asked, leaning back against the kitchen counter.

'Studying mostly, I think,' you said, pulling a face.

Chan pressed his lips together and nodded. 'Ah, right. I'm glad I never went to college when I see how much work you put in,' he said with a shake of his head.

'You never went to college?' You said, surprised. It was rare for Chan to reveal information about his past. Although he was quite an open person, you didn't know much about who his family was, where he came from originally and what he had been like when he grew up. The same was to be said about the others. They never talked much about their younger years, nor had anyone ever said anything about their original families.

'Why would you ask about that?' Han had said, surprised, when you had asked him about his parents. All of the guys had been there at that moment and there had suddenly been a tense silence. You could've sworn you felt their eyes burning in your back.

'I don't know, just curious, I guess,' you had said nonchalantly. At first, Han had looked at you with a cautious face, but then his expression suddenly turned slightly sad.

'Let's just say my parents were... non-existent...' Han had said with a grim smile. 'But don't worry,' he had added quickly, 'we'll never abandon you. We're your family and you ours,' he had said with a big, genuine smile. Then Seungmin had asked him something and the subject had changed.

You knew he had thought that you had asked because you missed your own parents. But you didn't. You had no memory of them anyway so there was nothing to miss. Besides, you had eight men who took care of you well enough.

You had always wondered if they all came from families with neglectful parents or how they had met each other. You were quite sure they weren't blood-related but their bond just seemed so much deeper than ordinary friends. Like they all had known each other for centuries.

Chan coughed, shaking you from your thoughts. 'Right, no, I, erm, didn't.' He said quickly. 'Would you like some tea?' he added.

It was no use. However much you felt the need to press on, you knew he wouldn't give you a straight answer. Besides, you didn't want to pry. What if their past was all super painful, which is why they didn't talk about it? It would be insensitive of you to do so.

'Sure, tea would be nice,' you responded blandly. Chan started rummaging around looking for clean cups.

'What's the subject you gotta study, then?' Chan asked as a way of small talk. You tried to explain to him as best as you could the boring subject that you had to read about. In the meantime, Chan made both of you a cup of tea.

You decided to brew a cup of coffee as well, for Minho when he'd return.