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BEST READ WITH :
come out and play
— billie eilish

. . . . . .

"here!"

at the airport, two distinctive voices called sicheng and jace out. they turned to it only to see johnny and chia in front of a subway restaurant counter, accompanied by their two luggage bags of varying sizes.

coincidentally, all four adults were wearing black sunglasses and trench coats which weren't carbon copies, but had the similar plain brown with some black prints here and there look. their uniformed outfits and heights which weren't that far from each other while gathering together made them look like suji's bodyguards.

her first decision with meeting her parents after days of being apart was to spread her arms, asking her dad johnny for a hug. he didn't anymore waste the opportunity. after all, how could he resist? johnny effortlessly lifted her up, and even spun her around during the process. it made both of them erupt into giggles.

"how are youuuuu?"

they each exchanged waves and quick pats on shoulders, breaking into small talk there and then. it was mostly about how japan was, and how they dealt with the kid (chia was surprised with jace not throwing a fit about how it was his worst week because of that, and was even more surprised when he said he had an awesome time without using his sarcastic tone).

"we'll see you around?"

"text me when you get home, bestie."

"i always do that," chia answered.

"just a reminder."

before they could walk away from the couple just like that, suji asked johnny to put her down, turning around to sicheng and jace one more time. she flashed her brightest smile which displayed her crooked teeth overflowing with purity.

the words that spilled from her mouth weren't matching her physical purity though.

"for fuck's sake!"

why—

she exclaimed, it almost echoing within the airport. a teenager nearby, despite wearing earphones, heard and snorted, walking much brisker away when she realized they heard her. her parents who were shooting disappointed looks at their freaked out best friends, but just agreed with sighing it off and continuing to walk.

they watched even as the family walked away. their daughter in the middle was the one who captured their attention the most though, especially with her having those cute little hops while walking. jace and sicheng, on the other hand, intertwined their fingers in awe, leaning towards each other.

though the moment felt bittersweet, they were thankful that her departure means the heavy feelings from their chests which have only made their ways there last thursday would be removed. like the fear of her randomly saying 'for fuck's sake' for every minute they're spending together dying down, or not anymore needing to hide phones because she's going to begin asking what games you have and not shutting up until you lend it to her, or being extra cautious while in their room because she might barge in any second and judge even the smallest things you do.

pushing all the memories of the not-so-great but also not too bad things they've went through away, one thing they were certain about was that they both were so gonna miss her though.

"not gonna lie, that was actually fun." jace's exhale afterwards ended with him plastering a beam. not letting go of the hand he was holding, he shifted his standing position from sicheng's side to his front. it gave him a better view while continuing to talk. "what if we . . . . "

"you want a kid too?"

he scrunched his nose up, actually considering it for a while. then again, despite him knowing that they had enough inner capacity to adopt a kid of their own and handle them with much care taking in their memorable encounter with their best friends' daughter as proof, more cons spread out in his head. as a result, he replied :

"nah, let's just adopt another cat."

"come on!"

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