(Word count: 15898)
Early morning sunlight passes over the Province in a way that kisses it into life, the slight breeze the early hours seem to bring slipping in through stained windows left ajar and underneath too wide doorjambs to tickle lightly at the nape of Sunoos neck, eliciting a series of little shivers every now and then.
For the most part he feels warm though, even if it does have less to do with the weight of the sun as it spills brilliant gold across the small, cluttered kitchen and more with the absolute chaos each morning seems to bring to the crooked little home atop the hill.
He doesn't think he's ever been part of something quite so....rowdy, and that's saying something after having spent years in an overly crammed orphanage fighting tooth and nail for a share of supper.
As morning breaks and the cabin just about erupts with the onslaught of too loud, too obnoxious chatter and heavy footfalls weighed down by fatigue, he finds himself smiling- not for the first time- at how full of life it feels here.
Breakfast is a busy affair, the eight of them gathering around a rather chipped, worn wooden table to scarf down whatever's infront of them, mouths full and conversation stilted until they're awake enough to actually function.
And once they are...
To his left Sunoo's treated to Jake's loud, near ferocious roar of a laugh as Sunghoon leans far into his space to tell him something funny that happened yesterday over patrol, and to his right he finds himself having to continuously dodge Ni-ki's arm as it flails every which way whilst he recounts a particularly harrowing training tale, sending an attentive Jihyun into absolute fits. At one point the younger almost knocks over a whole jug of milk mid wave, an eagle eyed Jay just about saving it in time, before he's sending a glowering Heeseung a sheepish look in apology.
It doesn't seem to matter much though, for no more than five minutes later he manages to knock the milk jug over for real, Jay having been too preoccupied in hushed talks with Jungwon this time to pay enough attention to their youngest's inability to keep his limbs under control.
Heeseung's huffing and puffing as he cleans the mess up, and the entire table descends into snickers when he slaps at the back of Ni-ki's neck with his milk soaked cloth, the artist letting out a pitched yelp before he's apologising all over again, lips tugging downward.
"Just once I'd like to have a meal without the potential of having to eat it off of the table." The eldest titters, shooting Ni-ki a dirty look. "What happened to your fierce warrior reflexes, huh?"
"Those are non existant so early of a morning." Jake quips, spooning porridge into his mouth with such vigor Sunoo actually takes a moment to check he's breathing as he does.
The room's full of the sound of clinking tableware and muffled speech, and though it's far too loud to deal with so early in the morning, when sleep still threatens to drag Sunoo on under, he finds himself leaning into it all the same, drawn in by the warmth the bustle brings. He's not used to sleepy chatter and easy laughter so early in a day.
"Well that doesn't forebode so well for us, does it?" Heeseung bites back."What if you woke up to someone atop of you? What then?"
"I think he already does." Ni-ki remarks beneath his breath, and Jake immediately descends into a choking fit over his porridge. Sunghoon turns so red Sunoo actually grows a little concerned, and for a small beat of a moment there's a lull off silence, almost painful as the words sink in, before Heeseung's slapping at the table and descending into a fit of laughter so violent, so obnoxious that Sunoo wouldn't be surprised if it could be heard from the very bottom of the hill.
