ATEEZ 9th Member AU

Nighttime Remedies

Nari is clouded by memories of her past

San groaned inwardly as his eyes shot open. He rolled over, clicking the button on his phone and squinting at the bright light. 02:00AM. He inwardly sighed again. He'd only been asleep for about 3 hours and he was really wanting to get more than that tonight. He sighed, quietly, swinging his legs off his bed, careful not to wake Yunho who was snoring soundly above him. He threw sweatpants over his boxers, quietly walking out of the room and towards the kitchen. He could at least get a head start on the dishes from dinner.

He sleepily made his way in the kitchen, flipping the light switch on with a small 'click.' He moved towards the sink full of dishes, frowning. Why did they eat so much? And why couldn't anyone clean up after themselves? He sighed again, turning around and trying to rub the exhaustion from his eyes, to no avail. He looked up, jumping slightly at the small form that could barely be made out in the living room. "Nari?" He said in a low voice. The figure didn't respond but San knew the only person who'd ever be up this late was Nari. "Nari?" He said a little louder. Still no response.

He moved quietly towards her, flipping on the lap. She didn't look towards him, didn't acknowledge the presence of someone else in the room, didn't make a sound. San noticed her body trembling slightly and he could hear her uneven breathing. His eyes widened slightly, feet moving quicker and kneeling in front of her. She was gripping the skin on her arm, her nails digging into it, causing little droplets of blood to form. San took her hand in his without hesitation, using his other to hold her face in place to see his. "Hey, baby," he cooed, keeping his voice low and steady.

"I need you to see me, Nari-ah." He wiped some of the tears that were streaming down her face way and she blinked a few times, eyes finally focusing in on his brown ones. He smiled softly, squeezing her hand. "Nar—oof!" She threw herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and burying her face into his shoulder. She let quiet, but powerful sobs rack her body and San felt his heart breaking at each one. He gulped, doing his best not to cry as well as he wrapped his arms tightly around her, pulling her so their bodies were flush together. One of his hands came to rest on the back of her head, gently running his fingers through the knotted mess.

"I'm here, baby. I'm here." He said quietly, kissing her head. She started singing softly, squeezing her tighter every time another sob racked through her body. He doesn't know how long they sat there, her uncontrollably sobbing and him whispering sweet nothings in her ear while he kept his fingers going through her hair. Eventually, she calmed down, her breathing returning to a semi-normal state. "I'm sorry," she murmured into his neck and he couldn't help the goosebumps that plagued his skin. "You don't need to be sorry, love." He said quietly, reluctantly peeling her off of him.

"What's wrong, Nar?" He asked, wiping some stray tears. She sniffled, pulling her knees to her chest and resting her chin on them. San couldn't help but smile at how cute she looked with the oversized sweatshirt that reached the middle of her shins and her now, messier, hair. Her eyes were red and swollen, cheeks puffy from crying and some snot running down her nose, but he still thought she looked perfect. Beautiful. And he took a mental picture, stowing it away for when he needed it again. "I've just been so lost in thoughts and memories."

San hummed, nodding his head and urging her to go on. "About my parents. About what happened." He frowned, tensing a little. This was the one subject that Nari wasn't open about, wasn't open on talking about and thankfully, the one subject that their fans, even the crazier ones, and tabloids had yet to find out about. "I just miss them, so much, San-ie-ah. I just wish they were here. That they could come to our shows. That I could call them when I needed them. That I could just hear their voices again." A new wave a tears made their way down her cheeks and San desperately wiped them away.

"Hey, Nar. Look at me." She looked up at him with tired, swollen, teary, brown eyes. "I know it's hard, I know you miss them. But I know that wherever they are, they're looking at you, cheering you on. They're proud of you, kid." He said and she smiled slightly. "How do you know?" San smiled, shaking his head. "Because I know you, Nar. And if they were anything like you, they'd be more than proud." She sighed, going quiet for a few moments before shaking her head. "You're right. We should sleep. Why are you even awake?" She said and San smiled in relief. "I just woke up and was going to clean, then I saw you." She chuckled a little. "Clean? At two in the morning?" San shrugged, feeling exhausted all over again. "Now I'm too tired."

Nari stood up, dragging him with her. "Can I sleep with you?" She asked quietly, fiddling with the hem of the long sleeve. San blushed slightly but nodded his head. "Of course." She followed him back to his room, quietly and both slipped in the small bed. Nari cuddled up to his side, San wrapping his arm around her and kissing her forehead. "We can go visit my parents soon," he said quietly. "You know my mom already practically adopted you as her daughter." Nari giggled quietly, nuzzling her head deeper into the crook of his neck.

"That sounds really nice."