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He stirs to the trembles of a baby dragon’s body underneath his hand, still resting in the same position he put it in before going to sleep, cradling the children averaging 9 years old against his chest.
He wakes fully as he registers the muffled sniffling accompanying the trembles.
Protective instincts those of a parent rise in alarm as Cale Henituse scans his immediate surroundings to make sure there is no imminent physical source of distress for his child as Raon lies curled in on himself, trying to control his trembles.
On and Hong are also awake, nuzzling their heads against Raon in an attempt to comfort their distressed youngest.
He registers the rattling of the windows of his room as the wind slams into them, storm raging outside.
The rain relentlessly pounds all corners of the Henituse estate, and out of the corner of his eyes Cale catches a flash of lightning which is followed by a startlingly loud clap of thunder.
He checks the time on the grandfather clock in the corner of the room, reading 3 am in the dim glow of the lone candle lit on his bedside table.
Cale sits up in the bed and pulls the baby dragon into his lap, rubbing soothing circles on his back.
On and Hong follow suit as the three of them snuggle tightly against the warmth of their guardian.
On, ever the perceptive one, lifts her head to motion to the window before going back to snuggling against Raon. Cale understands.
“Raon-” he starts, but is interrupted by the frightened, unsure voice of said dragon.
“I am a great and mighty dragon, I am – I am not afraid of such a puny storm” he mumbles, curling in on himself and hiding his head.
Cale understands.
“Of course you are great, you can even create storms bigger and more fearsome than this” he hums as he continues stroking Raon’s round head, his other hand coming up to stroke On and Hong’s fur.
They sit in silence, listening to the raging storm as he runs his hand over Raon’s head, the dragon’s trembles slowly subsiding.
He waits.
Raon lifts his head and gazes at him, deep blue eyes shining effervescently in the dark of the night.
“The thunderclaps – they sounded like, like the whips… in my dream” he whispers so quietly that Cale has to strain to catch all of the whispered words.
Raon buries his head in Cale’s lap again as Cale continues to pet the three children, pulling them impossibly close against his chest.
He understands.
The storm rages on, bolts of lightening illuminating the room. Unbidden, a record slides into preview.
The dying embers of the fire crackle half-heartedly as Kim Rok Soo shifts to lie on his back. His bones feel like lead and the large gash in his left arm throbs dully.
Minor – considering the high-level unknown monster their team had been dispatched to deal with a few miles out of Seoul.
T hey had neutralised the threat with 0 casualties, but were so utterly spent, with numerous minor injuries, that they didn’t have the energy to move, let alone travel back home.
They had decided to take a chance and get some rest before starting for home in the morning.
Rok Soo turns his gaze to the night sky, illuminated by millions of stars – a view not possible before the apocalypse.
He tries to trace out the constellations he knows – there’s Orion, the hunter with his bow. There’s Pegasus, Rok Soo imagines a pure white winged horse. There’s the big bear, Ursa Major. Ah, there’s also the small bear. There’s the-
“Can’t sleep?” Team leader Lee Soo Hyuk murmurs, mindful of Choi Jung Soo sleeping soundly only a few feet away from him.
The five other members of their team also slumber, scattered around the fire of their makeshift camp in a loose circle.
Far enough away not to disturb each other’s personal space, but close enough to form a defensive position in case they are chanced upon by any monsters.
Rok Soo slides his eyes over to the team leader. He grunts.
Team Leader Lee takes first watch as he sits leaning against a maple tree on the edge of the small clearing they decided to risk resting in for the night.
It’s not safe spending the night in a forest like this, they all know this.
But they are too spent to care, and they trust in the skills of the team to defend against any threats if need be.
The forest is on the outskirts of Seoul, it’s not particularly big or dense, thus it is not known to house any big or vicious monsters that would pose any serious danger to their team, experienced as they are.
“Rok Soo-ya, you need to rest. You haven’t slept in two days, and you’re exhausted after using Record nonstop. At this rate you won’t last to make it home tomorrow.”
He’s right, Rok Soo knows this. And yet-
“I’m fine,” he mutters.
Team Leader Lee raises his brows, unimpressed. He fiddles with the hilt of his blade, eyes not leaving Rok Soo’s own. Neither of them say anything.
Team Leader Lee sighs before crossing his arms and leaning his head against the tree.
Rok Soo goes back to observing the sky, holding in a groan at the jolt of pain that shoots through his arm as he shifts slightly.
He hears a light snort before the Team Leader whispers, voice laden with mischief, “do you want me to sing you a lullaby to sleep?”
Rok Soo turns his head to the Team Leader, frowning.
“Team Leader, please don’t say such useless things” he sighs.
Team Leader Lee huffs out a laugh, chuckling even more when he sees Rok Soo rolling his eyes.
They sit in silence, Rok Soo with his eyes wide open, still staring at the sky, Team Leader Lee observing him.
It starts so softly that Rok Soo has to strain his ears to catch it, thinking he’s imagining it. A low voice, humming a tune that carries through the breeze to him.
Kim Rok Soo lets out a sound of incredulity as he whips his head to where the Team Leader sits leaning against the maple tree, arms and legs crossed, eyes closed, throat bobbing as he hums.
He is smiling faintly.
He cracks open one eye to shoot Kim Rok Soo a grin and a thumbs up.
Kim Rok Soo shakes his head and huffs as he turns to lie on his left side, facing away from the Team Leader.
His injured arm screams in protest at the pressure, but he doesn’t really care at the moment.
Team Leader Lee’s humming soon gives way to words as he continues, actually singing a lullaby.
Team Leader is actually singing a lullaby. Kim Rok Soo snorts in disbelief.
“When the night is falling, and you have lost your way,
When the rain is storming, and your world's turned to gray,
When the world's a wait outside,
And you feel like, you've nowhere to hide,
Oh, don't you worry, just remember,
Remember when I said,
Darling close your weary eyes,
Everything will be fine,
Let the breeze wipe away your tears,
There is no need to cry”
Kim Rok Soo doesn’t realise when his full attention gets pulled towards his Team Leader’s voice as he lies there, staring at, but not really seeing the grass blades.
His thoughts halt, whether from the ridiculousness of being sung a lullaby or because his Team Leader actually has a soothing decent voice, he doesn’t know.
“You can lay down,
No one will hurt you,
Let your fears be carried by the stream,
The twilight gleams watches over you,
Let this lullaby, guide your dreams,
Then when the morning arises,
I shall be by your side ”
Team Leader Lee’s deep voice carries across the light breeze that rustles through the forest to Kim Rok Soo, who lets his eyes close and exhales.
“When the seedlings turn to trees,
And bridges turn to dust,
When the sun rays seem to freeze,
And swords are covered by rust,
When you wander in the wild, and your voice always seems to sigh,
Oh, don't you worry, just remember,
The shadows soon will fade,
Darling close your weary eyes,
Everything will be fine,
Let the breeze wipe away your tears,
There is no need to cry, ”
Team Leader Lee continues humming the comforting, melancholic melody. Record stops recording somewhere in between.
(Unbeknownst to Kim Rok Soo, Team leader Lee continues humming before lulling to a stop some time later.
“Rok Soo?” he whispers.
He slides off his sword from his lap and stands up, toeing slowly to where Kim Rok Soo lies with his back towards him.
He peaks over Kim Rok Soo’s shoulder to find his eyes closed, corners of his lips upturned slightly. His chest rises and falls rhythmically.
Team Leader Lee smiles, satisfaction and relief clear in his eyes, before taking up watch again beside the maple tree.)
Cale looks at the three children averaging 9 years old, and comforts them the only way he knows how to.
He hums the same melody his Team Leader once did, unsure and a little awkward at first because he doesn’t sing, he’s never sung in front of anyone, let alone a lullaby to children.
He hopes he doesn’t sound as bad as he thinks he does.
The children’s ears perk up, three pairs of innocent, innocent eyes settling on him in bewilderment as they hear the guardian father humming.
“When the night is falling, and you have lost your way,
When the rain is storming, and your world's turned to gray,
When the world's a wait outside,
And you feel like, you've nowhere to hide,
Oh, don't you worry, just remember,
Remember when I said,
Darling close your weary eyes,
Everything will be fine,
Let the breeze wipe away your tears,
There is no need to cry”
Cale rubs Raon, On, and Hong’s heads with hands (warm, they’re so warm to the children).
Raon’s trembles have long since subsided as he listens with rapt attention to the soothing voice of his human.
“You can lay down,
No one will hurt you,
Let your fears be carried by the stream,
The twilight gleams watches over you,
Let this lullaby, guide your dreams
Then when the morning arises,
I shall be by your side”
The raging of the storm fades far into the background, giving way to something warmer, safer, reassuring.
Cale pets the children in tandem with the melody, noticing their little bodies relaxing further and further, eyes drooping slowly in the arms of the person who is their home.
“When the seedlings turn to trees,
And bridges turn to dust,
When the sun rays seem to freeze,
And swords are covered by rust,
When you wander in the wild, and your voice always seems to sigh,
Oh, don't you worry, just remember,
The shadows soon will fade,
Darling close your weary eyes,
Everything will be fine,
Let the breeze wipe away your tears,
There is no need to cry, ”
Cale hums, continues humming, until the children’s breathing has evened out and they’re sound asleep.
He stays half sitting in the bed, unwilling to disturb the kids when they have finally fallen back asleep.
And if Ron finds the young master asleep in that position come morning, two cats and a dragon snuggled closely against his chest, he says nothing and closes the door to the room to let them rest longer.