Make Me STAY

Silent Cry

Stray Kids were starting off their world tour with three nights in Seoul and Rose was trying to focus on her work rather than the fact that she would be meeting Chan's mother after the first show tonight. When Chan had first told her that his mother was coming over from Australia for the concert and would like to meet her, Rose's first thought was: she knows about me?

Not only had Chan mentioned Rose to his mother, but he had also told her that Rose was his soulmate. This surprised Rose since she and Chan didn't have the typical soulmate relationship. Yet, they had been getting closer recently and she might call them good friends. They spent many evenings together talking while she made sure that he ate dinner and ever since the movie night with the other members, they had shared more skin-ship.

Although she enjoyed the skin-ship with Chan, it also made things more difficult for Rose. The more affectionate her soulmate was towards her, the more her desire for a relationship closer than friendship grew. Every time he patted her on the head, she could feel her cheeks begin to turn red. Every time he hugged her goodbye, she desperately failed not to think about how his body felt pressed up against her. Every time she reminded herself that they were just friends, and he acted the same way with the members of Stray Kids.

Before the first concert, Rose was doing a final check on all of their first performance outfits. It had become routine for the boys to get a once over from her before they performed ever since the time that Minho had difficulties with his outfit.

"Shouldn't this be Chan's outfit, but without the t-shirt underneath?"

Rose was adjusting Changbin's jacket. It was very cropped with straps that wrapped around and tied up at the back, but he wore a black t-shirt underneath so that minimal skin was exposed.

"Yeah Chan, where's your crop top today?"

It was hard not to notice that Chan had been favouring cropped tops this comeback. Every stage performance they had done his outfit had consisted of a cropped top or jacket, allowing the leader to show off his abs easily and frequently.

"I thought Red Lights was sexy enough without showing some skin."

Smiling as she listened to some of the other boys tease their leader, Rose turned back to Changbin and ran her hands over his shoulders.

"It accentuates your broad shoulders, that's why. Comfy? You're all done."

The rapper looked as though he was going to say something more but changed his mind.

"Thanks, Rosie-Noona!"

Each time they came to change their outfits the boys stopped by Rose for a once over before heading back onto the stage. It gave her a nice feeling. She felt as though she was being accepted as part of the family, but also that they trusted her to look after them. It was also fun to be included in their antics.

"Noona, untuck Changbin-Hyung's shirt! Otherwise, how is he going to be able to show STAY his abs?"

"Yah! You little -"

For the last performance, Chan was wearing a particularly cropped jacket with a belt attached below the hem to provide the illusion of being fully covered. Rose felt her mouth go dry as she took in the sight of her soulmate.

"Chan, isn't this too much..."

Running her hands over the fabric to straighten it out, Rose brushed her fingers across the exposed skin of his stomach and felt the muscles beneath tense at her touch.

"You- You don't like it? Does it not look good?"

"No. No, it's not that... You look great. GO on, STAY is waiting for you."