Genre: Fluff, slice of life

Synopsis: When you get a call from Soren, a male idol whom you used to work for, you're surprised and a bit concerned. You had all been blacklisted by his group and their company a few years back, having had no communication with any of them. He gets straight to the point, ordering you to come pick him up without any explanation or chance to question him. You were hesitant about this, but you're glad you did. 

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Music was playing through the studio as the members of the popular boy group, Reveled, relaxed, dancing like maniacs to the pop music pumping through the speakers. William, as usual, was absent, huddled in his own little space with his laptop as he worked on a new song. Everyone else had opted for a well-earned break.

It wasn't anything special, just hanging out in the practice room, dancing and singing to whatever happened to come on the radio. Spotify was on shuffle, each member having chosen their own set of songs to add to the playlist. One second it was an English pop song, the next it was Japanese rock and then a Korean ballad. The mix of genres and languages was highly amusing to you as the members switched their acting to match the mood of each song.

You sat at the back of the room on the sofa, watching with amusement as the boys went wild. No matter what you were feeling, they always managed to make you smile and you couldn't help but be grateful for that. To you, working for Reveled was literally the best job in the world.

Virian held out a can of soda as he took the seat next to you. "Henry has so much energy, I'm exhausted!" As if to prove his point, he huffed dramatically and let his head fall onto your shoulder.

You chuckled, pushing him off of you playfully. "You're all young, you should have an endless amount of energy." The soda was ice cold and crisp as it slid down your throat.

He hummed, turning his body to face you. "What about you? Were you energetic at our age?"

You went to answer but quickly caught yourself, looking away with a sheepish grin. Actually, you had been a pretty lazy kid growing up. Laying on your bed or sitting at your desk and browsing the web, watching videos or playing games. You rarely left your house unless it was necessary.

He called out your name when you didn't answer, tilting his head to the side.

"Umm, well... I guess everyone is different."

Virian turned smug as he poked your shoulder repeatedly. "You were lazy, weren't you?"

You scowled, batting his hand away. "I can neither confirm nor deny that accusation."

He burst out laughing, hopping off the couch and running towards the large pile of bodies in the center of the room, probably to tell everyone the breaking news that their security guard was, in fact, a lazy geek.

Your phone vibrated in your pocket, but you hesitated when you saw the caller ID. Why would Soren be calling you? It had been months since you last spoke and last time you checked, you were public enemy number one to the company he worked for. You glanced around the room, satisfied that everyone was pre-occupied, allowing you to slip away from the room without being seen.

You took a few steps down the hall before finally answering the call, setting it to your ear. "Hello?"

"Where are you?" Same old Soren. He didn't bother with niceties or greetings, he just got straight to the point.

It annoyed you enough to not answer the question. "That's really none of your business, is it?" You could hear him scoff on the other line.

"I need you to come to pick me up."

You raised a brow in question, looking out the window which covered the entire wall from ceiling to floor. It let you have a beautiful view of the snow-covered street below. "Do I look like a taxi to you?"

"Just do it. I'll send you the address." He hung up the phone without waiting for a reply. True to his word, a text came through just a moment later revealing his location.

You groaned in annoyance, resting your head against the glass. What the hell did he want with you? Did he finally have enough and ran away from his company? You highly doubted it. What if he was in trouble? A part of you couldn't just ignore that possibility. You've seen plenty of crime shows and listened to more than enough reddit stories to know what's out there.

You groaned again, this time in frustration, as you headed for the office where William was working. You knocked but didn't wait for a response to enter. You knew him well and you knew he wouldn't be doing anything indecent – he took his music too seriously. "Hey, can I talk to you for a sec?"

He removed his headphones and swiveled his chair to face you. "Sure, what's up?"

"Umm, a personal issue just came up. I gotta leave early. Can you let your manager know please?"

"No problem." He wanted to ask what the situation was, but he knew if you wanted him to know you'd tell him voluntarily. That was another thing you respected about him.

"Thank you, Will." You offered him a smile before backing out of the room, heading for the elevator.

As soon as you stepped out of the building, the cold air hit your exposed skin, stinging like the prickling of a dozen needles. The snow wasn't deep, but it was enough to be a bit of a nuisance, especially when it came to walking across an icy path. Thank god your boots had a good grip.

You loaded up the address into the GPS on your phone and started up your car. It took about twenty-five minutes to reach the destination, which turned out to be a house in a quiet neighborhood. You parked on the side of the street and stepped out, walking around the stone fence until you found the gate.

Soren was sitting on the porch steps, bundled up from head to toe – it was fairly obvious that he was cold, but that isn't what shocked you. No, that emotion came from the thing wrapped tightly in his arms – it was a child, about three or four years of age.

He scowled at you when you approached. "It's about damn time."

You were too surprised to reply and could only watch as he stood up with the boy and headed toward your car. You followed behind, claiming the driver's seat as he climbed into the back. You didn't own a child seat for obvious reasons, so he kept the boy in his lap before wrapping the seatbelt around both of them so the child would be at least a bit safe.

You turned up the heater before turning in your seat to get a better view of the pair. "You should have told me you had a kid with you, I would've – "

"Gotten here sooner?" his scowl was still in place.

"Why the hell didn't you go inside?"

"Gee, why didn't I think of that?"

You glared at him, not appreciating his sarcastic remark. 

His eyes softened slightly. "I came outside to get the mail and when I came back, the door was locked. My keys are inside, and the only spare is with my mom." He sensed the question forming and answered before you could ask. "My mom is on a.... trip with my aunt and cousin. They left this morning and won't be back for another week."

"And the kid...?" You started the car and began toward your apartment.

"My nephew, Eun. He was too young to go with them."

"Okay." You wanted to ask why he chose to call you, of all people, but you figured the best thing to do for now was to get the kid safe and warm. You didn't really want to open that can of worms yet, anyway.

You made it to your apartment without a word being spared between the two of you. Your keys landed on the table beside the door and you watched as he set the boy down in front of the coffee table.

"Do you have any toys or coloring books?"

"No," you shifted in thought. "The people next door have a boy about his age. I'll see if I can borrow something." You didn't wait for a reply as you headed back out into the cold. 

Being around him was stifling, the atmosphere heavy. He knows that the relationship is rocky at best, so why bother calling you? It was driving you crazy, but at the same time, a part of you didn't wanna know his reasoning.

You knocked on the door, shoving your hands into your pockets. You didn't have any problems with your neighbors, but you weren't close to them by any means. Sure, you'd say hello in passing, but that was the extent. As far as you knew, though, they were fairly nice people.

The door swung open and a man appeared, probably about thirty years of age. He smiled kindly. "How may I help you?"

"My friend and I are babysitting, but we don't have anything to occupy him. Do you happen to have some crayons or something we can borrow?"

"Yeah, of course. Please come in."

"Thanks," you smiled softly as you stepped inside. The apartment was full of life, with paintings decorating every wall.

A woman exited the kitchen, throwing a dishtowel over her shoulder.

"Honey, this young lady is looking for some crayons for a child she's watching. Can you go grab a pack?"

"Sure!" She smiled at you before heading farther into the apartment.

The man turned to his son as he played with Legos. "Jae loves to color, but he tends to lose or break the crayons, so we keep several spare packs on hand. How old is the child you're watching?"

"About the same age as yours."

The woman came back with a large pack of crayons. "Here you are, sweety."

"Thank you very much," you bowed, politely.

"Anytime!"

After saying goodbye, you headed back over to your apartment. Soren had taken some blank paper and was showing Eun how to make different shapes with a pen he found. You handed him the crayons.

"Thank you," the small boy squeaked excitedly.

You smiled at how cute he was, rubbing his black hair. "You're welcome, kiddo."

"Are you hungry?" Soren questioned. You noticed that his tone of voice was much softer than the one that you had gotten used to. "I'll make you something."

You followed Soren into the kitchen, taking a seat at the small table. 

He gathered ingredients from the fridge, not sparing you a look. "What took you so long?"

"What?" You hadn't expected him to speak given the thick tension still hanging above you both.

"What took you so long to come and get us?" His voice was even, but you knew how easy it was to sway his mood – he could get pissy pretty easily, especially when it came to you.

"I was working."

He scoffed. "With your new boys."

You raised an eyebrow at the tone of his voice. "Yes, I work for Reveled now."

He scoffed and it suddenly dawned on you. Your lips twitched up into a grin as you leaned toward him. "Oh my god... you're jealous!"

"What? That's ridi – ow, shit!"

You jumped up when he nicked his finger with the knife. He turned on the faucet and ran his bleeding finger under the water. 

You came up behind him, your hand over his to keep it under the water, free arm resting across his torso. "You are jealous," you grinned.

With his infamous scowl, he pulled away from you and went back to cooking. The cut was minor so it stopped bleeding pretty quickly and didn't even need a band aid.

For a good minute, you just watched him continue to cut onions. "You know I gotta get back to work, right?"

He acted as if he didn't hear you, not even bothering to acknowledge your words.

You knew teasing him like that would put him into a pissy mood, but it had been too hard to resist. You kinda regretted it now, though. "If you need anything, just give me a call." You set your bank card on the counter beside him. "Feel free to use it."

He didn't respond, not like you expected him to. With a sigh, you headed back to work.

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You glanced at your watch. It had been about three and a half hours since you returned to work and it was starting to get late. You figured Soren would probably need help with Eun, so you decided to call it a night. Just as you were about to approach the leader of Reveled, your phone rang. The number seemed familiar, but you didn't immediately recognize it.

"Hello?"

"Hello, dear." It was the little old lady that lived across the hall. She was very kind and motherly, probably because she has so many grandkids. "I just wanted to let you know that a group of boys just entered your apartment."

You recognized the description she gave you as Soren's bandmates – Charley, Brett, Sammy, and Kai. "Thanks for letting me know, granny. They're friends, so don't worry."

"Alright, dear. I just wanted to let you know."

You hung up the phone, sliding it back into your pocket. If the boys are over there keeping him company, there's no reason for you to go home just yet. 

Arms wrapped around your shoulders and Darren's face appeared in your vision. "Are you leaving already, sis?"

"Nope. Did you guys finish gathering your things?"

"We're ready~" Henry gave you a peace sign as he followed their manager out the door.

"Alright, let's get going. Who's riding with me?"

"Me!" Darren, Virian, and Mason raised their hands and spoke in unison, grins on their faces.

You chuckled, following after them. As expected, Henry had taken the front seat, leaving the others to pile into the back. The ride to their dorm consisted of constant radio station changing and loud, purposeful off-key singing.

When you made it back to their dorm, you carried Darren and Virian's bags inside for them, taking them to their respective rooms while the boys debated on what to eat. Normally, you didn't mind being the one to order food for them, but since Soren had your card and you only had about ten bucks on hand, their manager split the bill with a couple of the older boys.

After eating and helping them take out the trash, you decided it was finally time to head back to your place for the night. You spent ten minutes saying bye to them – which consisted of one hug each, aside from Henry and Darren, who insisted on two hugs each.

You didn't live too far from their dorm, so it didn't take long for you to reach your apartment. The sun had set by the time you arrived and, upon entering, you found the boys asleep in your living room.

Brett had taken the recliner. Charley was on the floor using Brett's leg as a pillow. Kai was on the couch with Eun between him and the cushions. Sammy was on the floor below them with only a pillow below his head.

You followed the sound of clinking and found Soren washing the dishes. He must have heard you enter because he spoke as soon as you stepped inside the kitchen.

"Soon is not five hours."

Pissy Soren was still around, you see. "Does it matter? You had the boys here."

He rolled his eyes, turning the water off and brushing past you, muttering about taking a shower. Feeling annoyed at his attitude, you followed him down the hall, stopping the bathroom door from shutting with your foot.

He scowled at you. "What are you doing?"

"Finding out what your problem is," you scowled back. You entered the bathroom, closing the door behind you before leaning back against it, preventing him from leaving this conversation. "You've been pissy since I picked you up. If you were gonna act like this, why call me?"

"You're the one who left." He was getting angry, but so were you.

"I left because your group told me to. You all decided I was guilty without even hearing my side. I'm not even allowed in the building anymore!"

He bit his lip, knowing that what you said was accurate. You expected him to yell and only get angrier, but his eyes changed – they became glassy and he swallowed hard. His lips parted and he exhaled.

His words had been so soft, you weren't able to catch them. "What?"

"I missed you!" He grabbed you, wrapping his arms tight around your shoulders. "I thought... I thought you chose Liam over me... over us."

"Why would I do that?" you lowered your voice, not sure if you should hug him back or not.

He shook his head, squeezing you tighter. "I really missed you."

"I missed you, too. I figured you hated me like the others."

"Never." He slowly pulled away, shoving his hands in his pocket and acting like the hug hadn't happened. "And the others don't hate you either."

You didn't wanna pull back the bandage any further so you let the subject drop, choosing to remain silent.

"Now get out." He turned around, pulling his shirt off.

You grinned at his back. "What if I wanna watch?"

"Out!" He threw the rolled up shirt at you but you dodged, leaving the room before it hit you. You didn't miss the smirk playing on his lips before the door closed behind you.

Feeling almost nostalgic, you headed back to the kitchen and grabbed a glass to pour yourself some soda. You saw movement out of the corner of your eye and you looked up to see Sammy standing in the doorway. He was biting his lip and holding his left elbow, keeping his eyes trained on the floor.

When Liam left the group and you took the blame for it, Sammy had been the angriest at the time. Being around him now was extremely awkward and tense, but you never had anything personal against him despite everything, so you opted to play nice.

"You uh... want something to drink?" you offered, holding up one of the glasses that Soren had just washed.

"Water... please." He took a seat at the table and you grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge after pouring your soda. "Thank you."

You nodded, taking a seat across from him as you sipped your drink to avoid talking.

"I'm sorry."

You nearly choked, staring at him blankly. Had you misheard him? "What was that?"

He repeated the apology, finally meeting your eyes. You were surprised to see tears welling up. "I over-reacted back then. The things I said... I... I didn't mean them. I was just..."

"It's fine, Sam. I understood then and I understand now."

He nodded, but the tears had already begun to roll down his cheeks. He sniffled, apologizing for beginning to cry. You were about to comfort him when Soren entered the room, his hair still wet from the shower.

"You made Sam cry?" He pushed you over to the next chair before taking your seat, ignoring your scowl.

"No, she didn't do anything." Sammy palmed at his eyes, wiping his tears away with a small smile. "I'm going back to sleep. Goodnight."

Soren watched the older male disappear into the living room before looking at you suspiciously.

"He apologized," you said simply, falling back against the chair.

"Really?"

"Yeah." You rubbed the back of your neck, glancing at him. "I guess he overheard us arguing."

"Told you he doesn't hate you."

"Wipe that smug smirk off your face, brat."

"Brat?" he scowled. "You're only three years older."

"Your point being?" You raised a brow, ruffling his hair as you headed for your bedroom, Soren at your heels. "Why are you following me?"

"There's nowhere to sleep in the living room." He shrugged, pushing past you into your bedroom. "I'm sleeping in here with you."

You didn't bother to argue, knowing you wouldn't win. You rarely ever did when it came to him. "If you hog the covers, I'll stab you."

He just scoffed, turning his back to you.

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Kai stirred in his sleep, but something prevented him from re-entering dreamland. Something felt off, like it was missing. He sat up, rubbing at his tired eyes as he tried to figure out what that something was. And then it hit him like a bucket of ice-cold water – Eun was gone. He jumped up off the couch, forgetting about Sammy being on the floor beneath him. 

Being stepped on forced him awake with a grunt of pain. "What... what's happening?"

"He's gone!" Kai whispered loudly.

"Who?"

"Eun! He's not here!"

Hearing that information knocked all of the sleep out of the older male as he jumped up, eyes scanning the room. "Check the front door."

While Kai did that, Sammy checked the glass door leading out to the balcony. Both were shut and locked tight without any sign of disturbance. From there, they woke up Brett and Charley, the four checking everywhere for the young boy – under furniture, inside the clothes hamper, inside cabinets. Anywhere they could think of. 

At one point, Charley even checked the cookie jar, earning a disapproving look from Brett.

Without any sign of the young boy, they realized what they had to do – face Soren.

After a quick game of rock-paper-scissors, Brett, being the loser, slowly pushed open the bedroom door, peering into the darkness. With a gulp, he flipped the switch and bathed the room in light, only to feel his heart skip a beat in relief.

Eun was in the bed, curled up against his uncle while holding your hand tightly in his smaller one. Panic now replaced with mischief, he pulled out his cell phone and snapped a picture before making a quick escape.

The other three looked at him expectantly, but he only snickered and held up his phone. The three let out a collective sigh of relief. After going from straight panic to relaxed, Kai and Brett passed out pretty quickly after – Kai back on the couch and Brett sprawled across the coffee table. 

The sun would rise soon. Since both Sammy and Charley had schedules, going back to sleep would serve no purpose so they headed back to their dorm.

When Soren woke up a few hours later, he found himself in bed alone. He entered the kitchen with a yawn. Eun was sitting at the table, eating the pancakes you had made him. You were sitting across, playing on your phone.

He grabbed a bottle of water and leaned back against the counter. "Are you going to work?"

"Kind of have to. I was just waiting for you to wake up," you answered, putting your phone away and giving him your attention.

"As long as you come back," he muttered to himself. 

You still heard though and responded with a grin. "I don't really have a choice, now do I? It is my apartment."

"Not funny," he huffed, smacking your shoulder when you walked by.

"I'll see you later. Don't trash my place!" you joked, grabbing your keys and leaving the apartment.

Soren ruffled Eun's hair before heading into the living room.

Brett was beginning to wake up and he grinned when he saw the younger male. "Sorennie~! Guess what?"

"Don't call me that."

Brett pulled out his phone and showed Soren the picture.

Soren's eyes widened, grabbing the phone in the blink of an eye. "When did you...?"

"Last night," he grinned proudly, but that grin disappeared when Soren started tapping the screen. "What are you doing?"

"Deleting it."

"What? No!"

By the time Brett got his phone back, the picture had been deleted. He facepalmed, wondering why he hadn't made copies or sent it to someone first.

Little did he know, Soren had sent the picture to someone before deleting it; himself.