ATEEZ 9th Member AU

Coming Home Pt. 1

Nari has some surprise guests as she gets ready to go back to the dorm

Nari hummed happily as she packed her bag. Hongjoong had set up a taxi to pick her up in a few hours and take her back to the dorm. Seonghwa was whining about how much he missed her and that Hongjoong was refusing to cuddle at nighttime. She chuckled to herself, placing another piece of clothing into her bag.

He had made the most of her two weeks. While it was filled with lots of shopping, expensive (but amazing) room service, and massages and baths with rose petals, she had truly taken the time to focus on herself and her life.

She had started with the facts. She was Kim Nari. She was in the boy group ATEEZ. She loved her members and she knew they loved her despite how much they seemed to be fighting lately. She knew she loved San and the more she thought about it, the more she realized she probably loved him for a long time before she realized it.

What she couldn't quite figure out was if San loved her. She knew that he did as a member, as a friend. But she didn't know if he did as a lover, as his girlfriend. Things were good in the beginning and she had never seen San get as angry or as jealous with anyone except for her. She also didn't like how he wasn't willing to talk like the adults they were and chose to throw insults or ignore her existence.

It had hurt at first, realizing that maybe just because she loved him, he didn't love her. And if he did, maybe that wasn't enough to stay together. She had seen the strain it had caused the group. Yeosang would barely say two words to her and if he did it was almost always a jab. The others were nice enough, but she felt like they were walking on eggshells. It was suffocating.

She had learned more about herself. She had thought back on her fight with Harin as well. While she was pissed at that moment in time, she was proud and happy. Harin had helped her to realize that she does need to take a step back from other people and work on herself. And proud because it was the first time since knowing Harin for a few years did she see her stand up for herself.

She continued humming, a smile on her face. She was more than ready to go home and face whatever she needed too. Hongjoong and Seonghwa had her back and that was all she needed at the moment. She felt calmer and at ease, more than she has in the past two years. She was worried at first; that this wouldn't work. But it did and she couldn't be more surprised.

She was even more surprised to hear a soft knock at her door. She looked at the time. It wasn't when Hongjoong had said the taxi would be there, let alone would he give out her room information to a stranger. She raised her brow, walking towards the door and looking through the peephole. Her eyes narrowed as she opened the door.

"What are you doing here?" She crossed her arms over her chest, staring at the three boys in front of her. "Nari! We missed you!" Mingi said as he wrapped his arms around her. Yunho smiled sheepishly as Wooyoung attempted to be subtle about sneaking past her. "This room is nice, noona." He said, looking around and making himself comfy on the bed.

She had peeled Mingi off of her, pinching the bridge of her nose. Sometimes she was seriously convinced that Yunho was the only one with manners as he sat politely on the couch. "How did you know where I was?" She was mentally preparing Hongjoong or Seonghwa's funeral before Yunho jumped up, raising his hands.

"Wooyoung kind of went through Seonghwa's phone and saw the messages of where you were getting picked up." Nari glared at Wooyoung who hid his face behind a pillow. "I was worried, noona. You just up and left us without a word and your phones been off. What if you were dead and they just weren't telling us? Hmm?"

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You'd know if I was dead Woo, because my ghost would be haunting you for being so annoying." He winked, chuckling and she looked at the three of them again. "Why are you calling me noona?" She asked and Wooyoung shrugged, swinging his legs over the bed and looking down at the floor. "Because you're older than me?" She scoffed again, leaning back on the chair. "Try again."

He sighed, looking over at Mingi and Yunho who were now both seated on the couch. "We just—wanted to apologize. If we made you feel like you weren't important to us. Or if he hurt you." Mingi said quietly. Her hard gaze faltered for a minute. "So, you're calling me noona only because you think I'm mad at you?" Wooyoung shook his head.

"I'm calling you noona because I don't know where we stand, where you stand." Her eyes softened as his voice got quieter towards the end. She saw Yunho and Mingi bow their heads, Yunho bouncing his leg with nerves. She sighed, standing up and jumping to the middle of the large bed. "C'mere." She patted the bed around her and Mingi and Yunho slowly made their way to the bed as Wooyoung turned around to face her.

"I'm not mad at you all." She said quietly but their shoulders only sagged more. "I know that it's—difficult—when you feel like you're stuck in the middle between friends." Mingi nodded quickly, still not looking at her. She smiled. "I was upset because while you were all still talking to me, it really felt like I was being ignored still. I felt like everyone had taken San's side except for Hongjoong and Hwa."

Yunho looked up, reaching for her hand but hesitated. She chuckled a little, grabbing his hand in hers and lacing their fingers. He smiled, weakly. "We know that now and we're sorry. We really never meant to make you feel that way. Well, us three and Jongho." Mingi said. Nari nodded, smiling and patting his cheek. "I know, love. I just needed time. And I took it and honestly? I feel great."

Wooyoung smiled and ruffled her hair. "So, can I stop calling you noona? Because it's weird and you're not that much older than me." She laughed, bumping her forehead with his and nodding. "Of course, babo." He breathed in relief and she shook her head, pulling them all in for a hug and before she knew it, they were all sprawled across the large bed, just talking.

"What's gonna happen when you go back?" Wooyoung asked and Nari shrugged. "Honestly? I'm not sure. I'm just gonna go with whatever. I don't want to force anything." He hummed and Mingi cleared his throat. "What about—you know—San?" Nari felt a pang in her chest and she turned her head to look up at the ceiling. Yunho squeezed her hand, knowing how she was feeling about that without her having to say anything.

"I don't know, Mingi. But please, can we leave that between me and San? I really don't want it to affect the group." They all hummed and Yunho squeezed her hand tighter, turning and smiling at her.

"We've got your back, Nar. More than we ever have and we'll be better, promise."