hold me 𐦍 yeonbin

023 ᯓᡣ𐭩

Bora is at the door to greet them with a smile by the time they step onto the porch.

“Welcome back, lovebugs! How did the star gazing…” Her eyes widen and she pulls them inside, slamming the door shut behind them. “What happened? Are you hurt?”

In the light of the foyer Soobin realizes how much of a mess he and Yeonjun look—covered in purple, hair tousled, eyes red from tears and exhaustion.

“We’re fine,” Yeonjun says as he pulls off his mask and coat.

Bora takes them along with Soobin’s and tosses them in the coat closet instead of hanging them up, quickly turning back to Yeonjun for an explanation.

“You can stop worrying,” Yeonjun says. “You’re safe as long as Siyeon is here. He hates her.”

“Who—”

“Welcome back,” Siyeon says from the bottom of the stairs. She’s more worried than Soobin has ever seen her. “Bora, would you take Yeonjun upstairs? The tub should still be hot.”

Bora looks to Soobin for more and Soobin doesn’t know what to tell her. He doesn’t want her to worry, and he also doesn't want to think about it anymore tonight.

“I’ll fill you in later. It was...a lot. And I promised Yeonjun a bubble bath when we got back. I can help him instead—”

“No, no, I can.” Bora tosses their boots onto their coats and turns to Yeonjun, her hands on his shoulders as she searches his face for any sort of reaction. “You’re okay, right?”

“I’m okay.”

Bora lets out a deep breath and wipes some more dust from his shoulders and neck. “Wow, you’re a mess. This stuff doesn’t stain, right?” she asks Siyeon.

“It might. Don’t worry about that now, love, I’ll take care of it.”

“You never let me do any chores around here,” Bora grumbles, taking Yeonjun’s hand. She shivers and takes a deep breath, a smile quickly replacing her concern. “Let’s go! You’re gonna smell sooo good after this.” She doesn’t wait for him to answer before tugging him to the stairs, beaming with excitement. “I wasn’t a fan of baths until I met Siyeon. I preferred showers, you know, cuz they’re quick,” she says, disappearing up the stairs. “But then Siyeon used her secret bubble formula for me once, and I smelled like green tea for weeks! She said if you use a little bit of green pixie dust...”

Her voice fades when they disappear up the stairs. Soobin hears the bathroom door close behind them and lets out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. Under Siyeon’s roof, nothing can hurt them. He’s never felt safer in his life, never felt the need for this level or protection. What was Siyeon thinking, letting them go outside on their own when there are creatures like Taehyun lurking about?

“Hey,” Siyeon says, staring up at him and running her hand up and down his arms the way she would comfort him in high school after a panic attack. “You here?”

“Yeah, sorry. Um, Taehyun—”

“Wait.” Siyeon holds a finger to his lips. “Go sit on the couch, I’ll make us some tea, and then you can tell me why the fuck you two came back covered in panic and love dust.”

“Yes mom,” he mocks.

Soobin lays on the couch, picking at the dust still on his pants and socks. He looks like a kindergarten craft table after a unicorn art class. Most of what is left on him is a deep purple the color of the ocean right after sunset. There are traces of several hues of blue and pink when he shakes out his hair.