Roulette ♧ 엑소

s i x t y s i x

$ s i x t y s i x $

As Miran led her sisters into the hotel suite, Baekhyun stood awkwardly in the doorway. It was as though there were an invisible barrier, prohibiting him from entering the room. But perhaps that barrier was the venomous glare that Miran's sister was shooting him. Miran noticed this, his inability to enter the room and a warm smile formed on her lips. 

Lately, he was back to his old self--the cheerful and happy Baekhyun that she knew well, from when they first met. It was one of the reasons that he had been given the name Light when he joined the pack. Because Hani and Minha always mentioned how he was the light of their pack, and how his smile could light up a room. Miran thought the name fit him perfectly. Although for a while, he had been slowly poisoned by his jealousy against his brother Kyungsoo. But things were already back to normal in the Pack, and they were stronger than ever.

She left her sisters' side to return to him, sticking her hand out for him to take, which he did immediately. Baekhyun always thought his hand fit so perfectly with Miran's. "Come inside, Light. We'll all have lunch together and you can get to know my sisters." She suggested happily, not at all sensing the tension in the room. Behind her, she couldn't see the glares Yoonah was tossing him, or the look of fear that ten year old Mijin had in her eyes. They definitely didn't want to share lunch, or even be in the same room with him.

Baekhyun heaved a sigh, but replied to her with a shake of his head, refusing the offer. It wasn't that he didn't want to be with her, but he knew that her sisters didn't want to be anywhere near him. He did it for the sake of making them feel comfortable, because he knew it was important to Miran for them to be happy with her. "I'll send someone up to bring lunch. But I think I'll go and eat with Fire today. Since most of us have girlfriends or wives, I worry that he might be lonely. Also, its been so long since he and I have talked, and we're best friends, you know."

Miran smiled at that. She loved spending all of her time with him, he was her other half, and she couldn't imagine anything otherwise. But she also loved seeing him spend time with his brothers, something he didn't do often either because of duties for the Pack or because he was spending all of his free time by her side. She knew that it was selfish to wish him by her side at all hours, so she didn't protest when he said he wanted to see his brothers.

"Okay, daddy. Take care." She said to him with encouragement.

"Always, baby." He told her in return, the tiniest cheeky smile forming on his lips. Them and the others hardly used the term of endearment jagi with their significant others anymore. Ever since Jagi had claimed it as her name, it was hard to imagine calling anyone else like that.

Before he could disappear down the hallway, she pulled him in for a kiss on the lips, his arms easily settling around her waist. They pulled away after a moment and he left her in the room with her sisters.

As promised, about fifteen minutes later, room service arrived with a cart full of the best dishes served at the casino's restaurant. Miran licked her lips hungrily at the dishes spread out onto the cart before her. The employee then went ahead and silently arranged everything onto their dining room table in the suite. "Light went all out on our lunch. He really must be trying to make a good impression on my sisters." There was a smile on her face as she muttered to herself.

But her sister Yoonah rolled her eyes and scoffed at her.

Her reaction took Miran by surprise. "What's wrong?" She wondered, looking towards her younger sister for an answer.

With her arms crossed over her chest and a scowl that was almost permanently etched on her face, she started, words full of venom. "That man is a terrible person. I really don't understand what about him has you so...so submissive." She commented, remembering the way in which he broke into their house, and took Miran, only to return several months later to take her and her younger sister. Her parents had been right. All they wanted was to take them in order to abuse them and get them pregnant like they did with Miran. She definitely had Stockholm Syndrome, Yoonah thought to herself. She looked at that man like he should be put atop a pedestal.

Miran was taken aback. She was clearly heavily poisoned against Baekhyun and the other members of the Pack. But Yoonah didn't know them like she knew them. "Light is a good person, and he loves me so much. He would never hurt me, while our parents have hurt me twice. They gave me away like a slave, uncaring that I might go to people who would abuse me. Then they locked me up in a mental hospital and tried to kill my baby. Light saved me from them. That's why I know I can trust him."

"If he's forcing you by his side and is forcing you to say these things to us, you can tell me." Yoonah continued, her anger dying down. Now instead of anger, there was more concern on her face and even pity, which Miran spotted right away. "If he's not letting you out of this room, we can all make an escape attempt together. We don't even need mom and dad to be happy, if you don't want to return to them. It can be just the three of us--" 

Her older sister stopped her by raising a hand. "I don't know where you get the idea that Light is holding me hostage, or that he has ever forced himself onto me." She stopped as she recalled that she actually knew exactly where all this hate towards him stemmed from, her parents. She heaved a sigh and began to explain. "Please don't believe the things our parents have told you. Light is everything to me, and I love him. All I can do is ask that you stay here a few days and give Light a chance. If you really feel like you want to leave after a week or two, I will personally ask Light to get you plane tickets to any place your heart desires."

It was the same offer Baekhyun made her so long ago.

He was willing to let her go, as long as he knew that it was the only thing that would make her happy. 

Yoonah thought it was a reasonable bargain. She didn't think her opinion of Light would change. But she did think it would give her time to make plans. Maybe she could even convince her sister to escape with her and Mijin. But she definitely didn't plan on staying at that casino too long. She envisioned her and her sister leaving that place by the end of the week. 

-

a slightly filler chapter for this story right now. i was going to split it and include a scene with yixing and chanyeol still talking about silver in his office. but this chapter turned out so long that it just took up the entire space i was planning to use. 

right now i think im going to go put gas in my car and then buy a breakfast bowl on the way back because i am obsessed with our breakfast bowls. they are so fucking delicious.

i buy them all the time when i get my thirty minute break at work. 

-clary