Phantom Legion

CHAPTER 14: A QUIET MORNING

Namjoon woke up to the sound of his alarm. His hand instinctively reached out to silence it before it could disturb the peaceful quiet of the room. He stretched, feeling the stiffness in his muscles, and glanced over to the next bed. For a moment, he was confused, but then the memories of the previous night filtered in, and he remembered why Taehyung hadn't made it back to bed.

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he thought about the night before. After their late lunch of pizza, everyone had gathered in Jin and Yoongi's room to watch a movie. Jin's room was the unofficial movie theater, with a small projector and a cozy setup. Yoongi, being Yoongi, immediately claimed his right to choose the first movie since it was, after all, his room. Namjoon sat cross-legged on the floor beside Hoseok and Jin, his back leaning against the side of the bed. Hoseok had settled on his left, while Jin sat next to him, busy scrolling through his phone, probably reading up on something unrelated to the movie.

Namjoon wasn't particularly interested in the movie Yoongi had chosen—it was an action-packed thriller with too many car chases for his taste—but the atmosphere more than made up for it. Jimin was lying sprawled across the bed behind him, lazily munching on chips they had passed around. Jungkook and Taehyung were huddled together at the foot of the bed, sharing a blanket and a bowl of popcorn, whispering to each other as they tried to predict the next plot twist.

By the time the movie ended, Jin announced he'd whip up something simple for dinner—noodles, of course, his go-to. Jimin jumped up to help him in the kitchen while the others took turns taking quick showers. Namjoon's eyes wandered to the coffee table, where empty beer cans and snack wrappers were strewn around—a sign of the relaxed, unstructured evening they'd had. He and Hoseok collected the trash while Yoongi scrolled through more movie options, seemingly oblivious to the chaos of the maknae line wrestling over the remote. Dinner was quick and informal. The team grabbed their bowls of noodles and sat wherever they could—Jungkook and Taehyung plopped down on the floor again, leaning against the bed as they slurped up the noodles noisily. Namjoon sat by the small kitchen counter, quietly eating while the others bantered back and forth. Jin moved around like a mother hen, making sure everyone had enough food, occasionally scolding Jimin and Jungkook for fighting over who got more noodles.

After dinner, Taehyung and Jungkook had a brief argument over what to watch next, but it was playful. Namjoon had been momentarily worried, unsure if he should intervene, but seeing that Yoongi and Jin were unconcerned, he relaxed. Jimin ended up taking advantage of their bickering and slyly picked a movie of his own—something light-hearted and animated that left them all chuckling by the end.

The maknaes, true to their nature, fell asleep in the middle of the second movie. Jungkook was the first to pass out, his head slumping onto Taehyung's shoulder. Taehyung followed soon after, and Namjoon watched as the two tangled themselves in the blanket, creating a heap of limbs on Jin's bed. Jimin, grinning mischievously, squeezed himself between them, wiggling under the blanket and joining the cuddle pile.

Namjoon couldn't help but chuckle softly at the sight. It was a familiar scene—one he had only witnessed from a distance before, but now it felt like he was part of it. As the older members began to wind down for the night, Namjoon found himself smiling, a rare sense of peace settling over him. No voices in his head, no painful memories interrupting the quiet contentment he felt. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept so well or woken up feeling this... light.As Namjoon moved ahead with his morning routine, a sense of happiness still lingered from the night before. After finishing his workout, he returned to the dorm, feeling energized. As expected, he found Hoseok in the kitchen, sitting at the small table with his usual mug of coffee in hand, eyes fixed on something on his phone. The scene was always the same—Hoseok was an early riser, and the smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the room.

When Hoseok noticed Namjoon, he looked up and smiled warmly, "There's still some coffee left. You can have it."

Namjoon nodded, momentarily abandoning his plan to shower. He grabbed a mug and poured himself a steaming cup of coffee before sliding into the chair next to Hoseok. They sat in comfortable silence, the quiet hum of the dorm filling the background. Namjoon relished the peacefulness, sipping his coffee slowly, feeling the warmth spread through his body. Hoseok, engrossed in his phone, occasionally glanced up with a faint smile, but neither of them felt the need to speak.

A few minutes later, Jin shuffled into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes and looking like he had just rolled out of bed. His hair stuck out in all directions, and he mumbled a sleepy "Morning" as he made his way to the chair beside Hoseok. Without hesitation, he leaned his head against Hoseok's shoulder, eyes half-closed as he settled into the warmth. Hoseok put his phone down and instinctively wrapped an arm around Jin, a small, content smile on his face. It was a quiet gesture, but it spoke volumes about their closeness.

Namjoon chuckled softly at the sight and greeted Jin, "Good Morning."

Jin let out a small grunt in response, still half-asleep. "You guys should get breakfast at the dining hall today," he mumbled, voice groggy. "I have a meeting with the chief later."

Hoseok nodded, taking a sip of his coffee before replying, "I'll let the others know. What's the meeting about? Did something happen?"

Jin shook his head, finally standing up and stretching. "No, it's just the monthly briefing with the leaders," he explained, yawning as he made his way out of the kitchen. As he disappeared down the hallway, his voice trailed off, "I really need to take a shower..."

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Hey Guys!!!

So I got a new keyboard and it's fun to type on that hence double update today!!!

Enjoy!!!