Hybrid - NCT dream ( HRJ; LDH)

dinner

Stopping a few times on the way to buy ice cream or take pictures of the beautiful landscape, the three arrived in front of the Lee family's house a little after 3pm. Mr Lee was seen emptying the inflatable swimming pool, setting up the backyard for their dinner party when the three entered the house.

"Seol-ah! Oh my! You look much better than the last time I saw you!" Mrs Lee was all over the girl, ignoring her son's complaints about nobody helping him. Setting the box down on the kitchen floor, he grabbed some scissors and cut open the thick layer of wrapping before opening it.

"Wow, you really weren't kidding when you told us about what you bought!" He said while eyeing the still living crayfish move their legs. "I knew my future daughter-in-law was a real catch! And you even chose the good ones."

"I had help from a kind older lady, who saw my struggles of wanting to buy everything they had. She also helped me with the amount when I told her how many of us would be eating. Oh, and she also recommended to make sashimi with the fish!"

Seol excitedly walked around the box, and fearlessly grabbed a fish, explaining how she was thought to clean and slice it. Watching her pull out the octopuses next with bare hands made both males step back, feeling scared of their soulmate.

Before she could continue her cruel manhandling of the poor creatures, Mrs Lee pushed her away as she wanted the girl to rest and not worry about the food. "Don't worry about the dinner sweetheart, your mothers also said that they'd come help with preparing, so just rest until dinner."

Silently thanking his mom, Hyuck dragged the pouting girl to his room, with Renjun following suit. Dropping their bags the three crashed on the bed, falling on top of eachother. "Too warm... Can't breathe... Let me go..."

Seol stood up and rummaged through her bag for her swimming shorts before dashing into the bathroom, emerging minutes after looking much more comfortable. Throwing her body on the two males earned her a few groans, but neither of them felt like moving a muscle in this heat.

"You two going to stay in skinny jeans or change too? I mean... Just concerned about your future... " She was met with confused stares until Renjun shot up, whispering something to Hyuck before both dashed into the bathroom to change.

Feeling comfortable on the fluffy blanket, Seol slowly closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. "Heh, look at her sleeping like a baby after giving us such a scare." Hyuck threw his body on his gaming chair, while Renjun sat on the other side of the bed.

"Let her be, she must have been tired... She woke up early to go to the fisherman's market." Looking at her tiny body with fond eyes, Donghyuck couldn't help but wonder what the other was thinking. "You like her?"

Renjun's eyebrow raised in a questioning matter, but answered nonetheless. "Of course I like her. She's been my best friend for half of my life, so how could I not like her?"

"I didn't mean it like that Renjun. You've been acting different around her, being more attentive and ...caring?" Donghyuck tried to find the right words to describe his friend's behaviour, remembering how he was with the girl.

"I don't know... I just have the urge to protect her and keep her safe, especially since she was not in a good state."

"I get that, but... Maybe it's because I'm not used to seeing you this soft with her. It's like you're always keeping an eye on her, going the extra mile to make sure she's okay and happy. When I arrived yesterday I honestly felt like third wheeling at a married couple's date." Donghyuck laughed, but his friend was deep in thought.

"I didn't realize... Do I really act like that?" Renjun was taken aback, as he didn't feel anything wrong or different from how he always acted around the girl. Getting a nod from the tan male he could only sigh, hoping that their parents wouldn't catch it and tease him.