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Marion was exhausted.
Sure, studying day and night is draining as a whole but, classes have become public enemy number one. Although, he recognized the comforter where she was sleeping was not from her apartment. She shot up from where she had laid, a little bit too fast and fell back down.
“Well, that’s what I get…” They uttered with a groan. She honestly felt like he was suffering from a hangover although they clearly remember not drinking. He’s a student so there was no time for anything like that.
“Oh, Mari’s awake!” A familiar voice rang in their ears, their steps echoing in her head as his splitting headache felt like ringing bells in her brain. As her thoughts caught up to her and he had finally sat up, she could barely make out where she was, if it weren’t for the glaringly obvious signs she was at home.
Naea smiled as she hopped over, a glass of water in hand that threatened to spill over. “Sorry for dragging you out of your apartment, Mari.” The glass of water trembled as it moved to Marion’s tired hands, almost slipping through their fingers as he lifted it to their lips, sipping it in silence for a second.
“What on earth happened last night?” Marion then asked.
Jouichiro had then entered, gasping with feigned shock as to how early she was up before completely calming down with a smile, “I expected you to be down for the count all day.” He flicked her forehead as the half-drunken glass was clutched to Marion’s chest.
Marion just glared before looking back at the glass of water in their hands. “Mari’s awake?” AJ walked in, curiously. “Yes, I’m awake. Now will someone explain what happened last night?” The slightest hint of irritation felt foreign in her tone as Marion drank more of the water.
“Oh, nothing happened. We dragged you out of your apartment and went trick-or-treating. You completely crashed when we got back and we all thought it’d be funny if we messed with you a bit.” Jouichiro shrugs like they didn’t give her a minor anxiety attack over everything she could have possibly done.
Marion fell quiet. “Get out.” She sighed without looking at Jouichiro who just laughed and stepped behind the couch, laying over the part that Marion wasn’t near to avoid getting smacked at in her obvious exhaustion. Marion faintly remembered being yelled at…
Oh, that’s what happened…
“Marion Arlette! Open the door!” Someone had pounded on her door, nearly terrifying the ever living hell out of her as she practically tumbled out of her chair to answer the door.
Black hair was the first thing she saw before noticing the innocent smile on Jouichiro’s face, as if he hadn’t scared her half to death over opening the door. She gives him a house key and this is how she’s paid back.?
“Jouichiro… and Naea…” Marion muttered as Naea popped her head into the apartment from the side, curious as to where her elder sister had been staying.
The walls had some photos strewn up from when Marion was still in high school. The camera had long since collected dust in Marion’s closet but the photos varied from those of her friends or family, or just some beautiful scenery which was most often sunrise. The bed wasn’t anything special, but it had a few plushies on it from when they went to the fair.
“What’s with the sudden home visit? And better yet, how did you find out I lived here?” She asked as Jouichiro pushed into Marion’s small apartment. “Secret.” He just smiled as Naea entered and looked around. It wasn’t boring but it wasn’t the most extravagant apartment ever. The only thing that may have been out of place was the box in the corner of the room.
When Naea looked inside, it had a handful of plain-looking books. “Are these photo albums?” She suddenly spoke up, taking a floral patterned one that she faintly remembered Marion buying about 4 or so years ago. It was a purchase that Naea couldn’t wrap her head around due to her sister’s obvious joy over the clear-paged book.
As Naea opened the book, it was filled page-to-page with carefully taken photos. They were so filled with life that it almost seemed like another world had been taken in each photograph.
Marion and Jouichiro were busy doing whatever else they were doing as Naea stood in the corner of the room, looking through the photo albums. Most of them, Naea didn’t even remember. There was one of Seung holding her when she was still a baby and most if not all of her first moments.
Some flowers, or just other people. Why weren’t these hung up? They were pretty enough to be strung up like the other ones.
“Jouichiro, stop messing with my stuff.!” Marion panicked as Jouichiro picked up a vase of flowers to terrify the ever living hell out of the already stressed college student. As Jouichiro set down the porcelain vase back on the counter, he placed a large hat over Marion’s face.
She couldn’t see until she pulled it back. Witch hat… “Mission accomplished, Naea!” Jouichiro suddenly announced as he pulled the hat over her face again and started pulling her out of her apartment. Naea snapped up and put the photo album back to help Jouichiro get Marion, who was trying her best to fight them off with her heels digging into the floor.
So, Marion had ended up in Jouichiro’s car, shoved into the passenger seat as the others, AJ, Sezim, Seung, Naea and Ji-Eun were shoved into the back seat as Jouichiro handed Marion some kind of outfit to change into… It was a bit big and loose so Marion just threw it on over his normal clothes.
The large hat that Jouichiro kept grabbing to cover her face had been set in her lap. It was a minor headache to deal with but better than nothing.
Marion was already running ragged to constant all nighters and staying up late that he completely crashed when they stopped at the house.
“... I’m going back to my apartment.”