The Family That's Ours (Sequel to Family)

They're gone, Youngie

 A week. A week this continued. Every night Dae would wake up at an ungodly hour and find Stray Kids at the dining table, discussing some sort of plan. They talked quiet now, careful not to wake Dae or allow her to hear their plans.

This bothered Dae endlessly, enough to go back to ignoring them until necessary. It wasn't always like that. She at first tried to be overly cute to convince them to tell her.

"Channie!" Dae burst when she saw 3Racha enter her classroom after a long day of work. She ran over to the oldest boy, embracing him lovingly, secretly hoping he wouldn't see through her plan.

He didn't, instead happily accepted her hug, excited to see her not being so bothered over silly things.

"Hey, baby!" Chan responded, passionately wrapping his arms around her. "How was your day?"

Dae hummed, thinking about the question. "Boring and tiring. But the students are nice to Youngie and me, so it wasn't too bad."

"That's my girl," Chan pat her head, smiling brightly.

"Hey, Channie?"

"Yes, baby?"

"Can you tell me what's been going on?"

Chan sighed and let go of her embrace, gently pushing her away. "So this...cuteness, was a manipulation tactic."

Dae looked at the floor, interlocking her hands in front of her. Not saying anything.

"Pretty shitty of you if you ask me."

"I'm sorr-"

"I don't want to hear it."

Dae's eyes filled with tears. Chan had always been quite understanding of her ways of getting what she wants. He's never been this annoyed over something like this.

After that incident, she just ignored them. Not completely avoiding them, but just enough that they know what they're doing is bothering her.

However, she deeply regrets that decision now, for now, she wished she had spent more time with them.

On the seventh day, the seventh day they've had their meetings in the dining room hall. Dae paid no mind to their gathering, knowing she would just get threatened and sent back upstairs. She was awake though, working at her desk. Lesson plans and such; adult things.

However, when she heard the garage door open, she panicked. They never go out at this hour. Police are too active at night and surveillance is awake at night.

Dae flew down the stairs and rounded the corner to the garage. She ripped open the door to find Stray Kids with suitcases packed, in their work uniform.

Jisung drew his gun, pointing it at Dae. She paid no mind to the weapon pointed at her and instead stared helplessly at Felix.

"You're... leaving?"

"Go. Upstairs," Jisung commanded, cocking his gun, directing it at the door.

"Lixxie, when will you be back?"

"Upstairs!" Jisung shouted, shooting the gun upwards, making Dae flinch horribly.

Dae's eyes watered with tears and she just kept looking at Felix with his 2 suitcases, silently begging her to tell her what's going on.

Finally, Felix cracked. "Lower the gun, Han. She's our daughter, not an intruder. She deserves to know what's going on."

"Felix," Chan snarled, "We fucking talked about this."

"I don't care, let me have a word with her."

Chan shoved Felix towards Dae, making it clear he didn't want this.

"We'll be waiting in the car. You have 5 minutes or we're leaving your ass."

Felix took Dae's hand and led her upstairs to her room.

"Lixxie, please tell me what's going on,"

"We're going on a mission, Love."

"Stop lying!!" Dae burst, tears springing out of her eyes. "Lixxie, I trust your judgment but please stop lying to me."

Felix sighed, pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose. "I can't tell you, baby. It's confidential. All I can say is we're leaving."

And with that Felix slipped out of Dae's room, locking the door behind him. One thing about Dae's room, it locks from the outside in. So when Dae was younger and was sent to her room, she couldn't leave until permitted.

Dae screamed dryly, her voice cracking in the process. She heard Felix run down the stairs and the door to the garage being ripped open. She ran to her window, just in time to see her eight fathers driving out of the garage. She made eye contact with Felix, he was crying. Hyunjin was too, but Dae could tell he's trying his hardest to hide it.

She pounded on the window, but the glassed was tempered; it wouldn't break.

"Dad!" She screamed, throwing herself on the floor, sobbing. "Don't leave me!"

Dae ran to her phone and called Felix, but he didn't pick up.

She called Seungmin, but he didn't pick up.

She called Chan, but he didn't pick up.

For all eight members, she called, but they didn't pick up.

Jinyoung had slept through the whole ordeal but had awoken when he heard Dae's screaming. He grabbed his gun off his nightstand and ran upstairs to Dae's room.

He noticed the door was locked, and quickly unlocked it, ripping open the door.

What he saw broke his heart for lifetimes to come.

Dae. On the floor, knees pressed to her chest, phone to her ear, and helpless tears rolling down her face. She rocked back and forth in that position, trying to impotently compose herself.

"What happened, Sunshine?"

"They're gone, Youngie. They left us by ourselves."