Still A_Stray: Living With Stray Kids (ot8 fanfic)

Chapter 17 ★

Hey, you wanna come in?

For the next few days, things began to get better, both in Stray Kids and myself. Aside from a few curious glances from Chan and Hyunjin and a gentle inquiry from Felix, the members didn't speak up when I finally emerged from my room the next day—Tuesday—after binging ramyun and cheesy kdramas with Changbin the night before. I smiled at Chan and Hyunjin and assured Felix I was okay, and that was that. Thoughts of my past had dwindled; they were still there, but less intrusive now that I'd gotten over my guilt over depending on Changbin.

True to his word, Chan stopped spending so much time working; he made sure we went over to the other dorm for dinner almost every night, ordering takeout when Minho, Felix or I didn't feel like cooking. We went out as a group more often: bowling, hiking, visiting amusement parks and arcades. I learned that Jeongin and Hyunjin stole the other members' clothes so much that most of their closets didn't actually belong to them anymore; I learned the reason why there was a sign on the blender that read for protein shakes and smoothies ONLY, looking at you, Changbin; I learned that spatulas were banned at the dorm because of some incident involving the ATEEZ members (mainly Wooyoung). I learned that under no circumstances should Stray Kids ever be allowed to go bowling again.

This was all mixed in with Stray Kids' busy schedule; I was alone for almost as much time as I was with them, waiting at the dorm for them to come home from interviews and whatnot. It was good to have time to myself—I called Claire, walked around, breathed a bit—but without the constant shouting and rambunctiousness of the members, the house felt strangely still with just me to fill it.

After a while, though, things shifted again: not like before, with Chan overworking himself too much and 3Racha practically absent 24/7, but not like the past couple days, where they were always together. Rather, it was some murky in-between, where Chan would hang out with the members in the daytime and make up for it by working late into the night, the light from under his door spilling into the hallway until 3 or 4 in the morning. I worried for him, but I wasn't sure if it was my place to step in. I was living with the members, but I still wasn't a Stray Kid, after all.

The week passed in a blur of colors and voices, clamor and quiet; the end of it was bearing on me before I knew it, marking my second week living with Stray Kids.

Thursday night, there was a knock on my door. I knew it was Hyunjin before he poked his head in: 3Racha had left for the studio that afternoon, still working to complete the demos for their new tracks. "Yeji-noona, I was about to reheat some of the galbitang from last week. Did you want any?"

"Sure," I said. "Are the others not coming over for dinner, then?"

Hyunjin shook his head. "Minho-hyung's giving the maknaes a refresher on our cult protocols, so they're in for the rest of the evening."

I got up, following him out the door. "You guys have a cult protocol?"

"We need to." Hyunjin walked into the kitchen, pulling open the fridge; I slid into a chair on the counter table so I could still face him as he talked. "Jeongin has the uncanny ability of being a magnet to whatever cult, mafia, or gang that resides in the city he's in. The last time he got kidnapped, we had to stay up all night getting him back, and it messed up all our sleep schedules, so no one's inclined to repeat past mistakes."

I blinked. "What do you mean, 'the last time he got kidnapped?'"

Hyunjin raised his eyebrows at me from across the counter, placing the leftovers in the microwave and turning it on with a sharp beep. "I think you know exactly what I mean."

As I struggled to process that tidbit of information, Hyunjin continued, "Anyway, we go over the protocols once every other month or so just to make sure we're prepared. Usually Channie-hyung does it, but he's busy now and Minho-hyung is pretty much in charge of the maknae dorm, so..." he shrugged.