ATEEZ 9th Member AU

NTCOM: Jongho

Nari takes care of Jongho

Nari loved her boys, more than anything. She appreciated everything they do for her and does whatever she can to repay them for it. Hongjoong was always there to scold the others for teasing her too much and always showing her how she was just as much a part of their family as anyone else. Seonghwa made sure to always see a smile on her face, even when there were tears pouring down her face. Yunho never failed to make her laugh, even when he was feeling down. Mingi was always there to cuddle her when she was feeling lonely and make sure she didn't isolate herself when she wasn't feeling okay mentally. San, loves her like no other, and is always there for her no matter what, having her back and supporting her. Wooyoung is always making sure she feels beautiful, even if he has to tell her that a million times a day. Yeosang, even though they argued far too much for anyone's liking, was always by her side when she was feeling hurt and wouldn't leave it until she was feeling better. Jongho was always there to help Nari when he felt like she was being picked on or treated unfairly; she may be his noona but he is in no way, shape or form going to let her feel like she is less than amazing.

Nari needed them to know that she was there for them just as much as they were for her. She didn't care what time of day it was, where it was or who it was; she was always going to have their back. They welcomed her into their family, their group, their friendship and she would raise all hell to anyone who tried to rip them apart. Just like they were the first people to defend her, she would be the first to defend them, even if that meant she had to get physical. Sure, debuting was her dream, her goal to become one of the best rappers in the world, but keeping her family together, letting them know they were never alone is her life goal. It didn't matter if a year from now they had to disband, it didn't matter if 20 years from now they were too old to keep going; she had made it her ultimate life goal to never leave their side and always be a constant in their life.

Jongho hadn't been his usual bubbly self and Nari was the first to notice. She babied him because he was the youngest and seeing that he wasn't the smiling, happy, energetic, apple-breaking Jongho that he is on most days was frustrating to her. He was still acting like normal, but she could see that his energy was not 100% into it. He had also been taking on more vocal lessons and staying later and later into the night to practice on his vocals. Nari didn't understand why; she wholeheartedly believed that Jongho's voice amazing and unique and she loved to hear it. It helped to calm her down during panic attacks when he would sing to her and if she was having trouble falling asleep, he would always be willing to sing her a lullaby. But he hadn't done that in a few weeks, and it was upsetting her.

She had tried asking him, but he had brushed her off, claiming that he was just tired and his throat a little sore. Nari had made him some medicine and warm tea to help soothe his throat but he hadn't taken the medicine nor drunk the tea when she came back for the cup later on. Nari had always made it a point to be as honest as possible with everyone in their group, not wanting to lie to them because it would only cause tension and unnecessary stress. She expected the same in return from her members and when one of them blatantly sat there and lied to her face she was furious. Furious enough that she had left her schedule early to march to the vocal room, determined to have a few words with Jongho. However, once she reached it, she couldn't bring herself to yell at him.

She had heard him singing and his voice shook a little before it cracked. She heard him cough and then sigh and mumble something to himself that she couldn't catch through the door between them. She stood on her tiptoes, peeking through the small window and saw him sitting on one of the chairs, elbows on his knees and face in his hands. She frowned, knocking on the door once before opening it. Jongho didn't need to look up to see who it was, he knew she was going to come eventually. "Jong," she murmured quietly, kneeling down in front of him. He looked at her with one eye through his fingers and Nari sighed. She grabbed his hands, pinching his cheek lightly.

"Tell me what's wrong, baby." She said and Jongho sighed, leaning back in the chair and staring at the ceiling. "I can't help if I don't know what's going on, Jong." Nari said, doing her best to keep her irritation out of her voice. Jongho looked at her with a blank face. "You can't help, noona." Nari rolled her eyes, irritation already hitting it's peak. "Try me." She crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes slightly at him. He sighed again, knowing she wasn't going to give up until he at least told her what was bothering him. "Fine. I'll tell you. But I don't want you to say anything or do anything." She thought about it for a moment but nodded her head reluctantly. "Deal, kiddo." She ruffled his hair and he scoffed.

"Some people don't like the way my voice sounds. I've been trying to make it cleaner and smoother. That's why I'm practicing so much. It's just getting to me a little because I don't hear any changes with it yet." Nari went to say something, wanting to immediately know who said something and why because she wouldn't hesitate to knock them off their high horse for thinking they could say something like that about her baby. However, she remembered their deal a few moments ago and sighed, reaching up and cupping one of his cheeks in her hand, looking him directly in the eyes. "Well, I like your voice. It helps me a lot." Jongho raised his eyebrow, not believing her.

"Seriously. When I'm panicking, your singing really helps keep me grounded. And if I can't sleep your lullabies always help. Not mention I think your voice is pretty unique in the industry. That's why you're our main vocal, Jong. Solely because it's different. In a good way." Jongho looked at her for a few moments and then she saw the small smile take form. "I guess you're right. I was overthinking it." Nari laughed a little, glad to see a genuine smile on his face even if it was a little one. He ended his practice, not wanting to damage his throat because it was already pretty sore from the constant hours and days of him overusing it thinking he needed to change and they went out for a meal.

Later that night, when Nari woke up from a nightmare, she immediately crawled into Jongho's bed, startling him awake. "Noona! You scared me. What's wrong?" She didn't say anything, just shrugged her shoulders, slipping under the covers and snuggling up against him. "Can't sleep?" He asked and she hummed in response quietly. "Can you sing to me?" She asked and he smiled, singing a soft lullaby into her ear until her breathing evened out and she was fast asleep. He smiled, laying down next to her and leaning his cheek on the top of her head. "Thank you, noona." He said quietly before drifting back off into dreamland.