The 22nd Member | Nct x OC

⁘ 𝘐𝘕𝘑𝘜𝘙𝘠 ⁘

I'm sorry if the members are ooc  :(

The dark blanket we called the sky littered with twinkling stars . The beauty of the night sky is always masked by the artificial lights and airplanes soaring across . The air cooled and the crickets sang. Most of the halls and pine-floored rooms were quiet , not a single silhouette was in sight , all rooms except for one .

Screeches Of sneakers and rumbles of heavy breathing were rupturing the quiet night . The light was hovering above a figure dancing across the floor . The amber light managed to capture the concentration of the teenager . The room was a reek of sweat but it wasn't overwhelming . In the middle of the room , Naoki was huffing from the intense dance practice he was going through .

He was practicing the choreography for My First and Last . Although the dance was not as hard as many think , the dance sure does need a lot of floorwork .

Naoki was known to be quite a perfectionist to the other members . He often overworks himself and his members have to drag him home sometimes . Taeyong , being the caring hyung he is , always advised the younger to limit himself but the word didn't phase him just yet . However , these past few days , almost all of his members have been nagging him for overworking himself . He waved it off and continued to practice .

To say Naoki was struggling was an understatement for himself . He always thought he was the worst performer amongst his teammates . His schedule wasn't helping him either since the amount of comeback he had to make was bizarre . After practicing the choreography for NCT Dream's song , he has to practice the upcoming comeback all of them have been anticipating .

The choreo of My First and Last requires a lot of teamwork so that they will all be in sync . He noticed that he was out of sync and decided to practice a bit more since he has some free time . He quietly listened to every beat of the song as he indulged himself in the rhythm of the song .

POP

A whimper was soon heard echoing in the room . He hit the floor too hard . He even managed to land on the wrong timing . Pathetic , he thought .

He tried to get up from the floor but was soon found on the floor again . At the same time , a sharp pain was attacking the back of his feet . Maybe he should practice later . His feet need to rest after all .

The thought of all his members practicing hard came to his mind . He has lost count how many times he wished he could dance like Ten , having a stage presence like Taeyong , singing as stable as Chenle even when he was younger than him , and to pour his heart onto the stage the twenty-one works of art that stood by his side had always worked hard on .

"Nao ?" A familiar voice startled Naoki from his trance .

"Taeyongie~" The younger grinned towards his beloved hyung . He always admired him . Well , who wouldn't .

He lifted himself up but plopped down on the floor once again . Oh no , Taeyong will get mad at him . Taeyong must be upset with him for overworking himself , again .

"What are you doing ?" the older male folded his arm and rested it upon his chest . His expression morphed into displeasure .

"I fell and ... I can't get up ?" Naoki asked rather than answering Taeyong's question .

"Let's go to the clinic , just in case . " Taeyong demanded since he knows that Naoki probably won't listen to him .

"It's okay , I just got sore ." Naoki smiled trying to cover his pain but flinched when Taeyong brought him up by the shoulder .

"It's clearly not ." He said while pointing to the bruise that was forming on his skin .

~

"I'm sorry ?" Taeyong widened his eyes . A loud gasp almost leaves his mouth .

"He has an Achilles Tendon Injury . But , don't worry it's not severe . It will probably heal if he didn't do any rough activity for about five months ." the doctor calmly explained .

He widened his eyes and thanked the doctor. He glanced towards the younger male beside him as they exited through the door .

"I'm sorry for the trouble ." Naoki meekly says to Taeyong . His eyes trying to avoid Taeyong's gaze . He prepared himself for an earful but instead was pulled to a warm surface .

"I-I'm sorry , I just want the dance to be per...perfect" he stuttered, hiding his face in the older's chest . He felt guilty , angry and all sorts of feelings he can't describe .

"It's okay . As long as you're not hurt ." Taeyong whispered sweet nothings beside Naoki's ear . His hand gently patting his head . The strands of Naoki's soft hair felt like silk in his hand .

The younger soon calmed down and let out a sigh of relief . Taeyong managed to convince Naoki to go home despite his small tantrum .

~

Right as he opened the door , the members were storming towards them . Worry plastered over their faces . Naoki frowned when he remembered that he had bad news to tell them .

"I'm sorry that I made you guys worry about me . I...um , I can't join for the next comeback . " Naoki casted his eye downwards . Anxiety started to bubble up , maybe his members will hate him now ...

"It's okay .Your health is more important . " Yuta managed to say when he saw the younger one was about to break down . His heart hurt seeing him like this .

"Want to get some ice cream ?" Winwin quickly says, trying to break the tense atmosphere .

Naoki nodded and grinned towards the other member . His thought now focused on ice cream flavours .

~

It was a usual evening with the members having no schedule . They were resting peacefully .

Naoki , however , was busy cuddling and playing with Jaehyun's fluffy hair when a notification suddenly appeared on his lockscreen .

" Hello. This is SM Entertainment.

We appreciate all the fans for the great attention on the teaser images of NCT 127's second EP 'Limitless' that were revealed today. We're here to make an announcement for the fans who've waited for Naoki.

Last year, Naoki, who joined promotions for 'Firetruck', has been treated for a Achilles tendon Injury .We believe that artist's health is first priority and most important, we decided for him to focus on treatment and take a break for this promotions until he fully recovered .

We ask fans to understand and give many support and encouragement for his fast recovery.

Once again, we appreciate all the fans who support NCT 127. NCT 127 will work their best to repay the love.

Thank you."

Naoki furrowed his eyebrow reading this . At least they didn't say he had excessive training which caused the injury to happen in the first place . He doesn't want the fans to be worried about him .

He felt an arm wrapped around his shoulder and remembered Jaehyun was with him .

"What's wrong ?" the older said, tilting his head when he saw the frown on his face .

"The fans knew about my injury ..." he pouted .

"Don't worry , the fans won't hate you"

"But..." the younger felt a bit insecure . What if they say he was faking it ?

"No worries , now let's cuddle . " Jaehyun demanded while burying his head in Naoki's chest . He led his head to Naoki's hand , wanting him to pat it .

Jaehyun was really a puppy like hyung .What would he do if all of his members weren't there for him ? He was truly blessed .

Days later , he found out that the fans took it well and supported him nicely after all .