𝐓𝐎𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑, 𝐭𝐱𝐭

mia, it's me

july, 2020

quarantine had been hard on Mia, considering the time she'd been forced to spend with the boys the past year and a half was only extended thanks to the harsh laws placed in the country.

isolation meant her brain started working overtime, inevitably bringing her back to the worst night of her life.

her body began to shake in the fetal position she'd put herself in during her nap, breathing heavy.

the lights from the car flashed before her eyes, regrets of not doing something to stop the girls from getting hurt following not too long after.

the door to her shared room was wide open, the group's leader the only one home with her. SooBin was in the kitchen when he heard a small whimper coming from the room, ears perking up in alert when he remembered Mia'd mentioned something about being exhausted earlier.

the boy carefully stood from his chair, silently making his way to the middle children's shared room as to not accidentally wake her out of her sleep. SooBin peeked inside, eyes widened as he came across Mia's trembling body.

tears poured from the girl's eyes with no foreseeable end, forehead wrinkled as the deafening sounds rang through her ears as well.

SooBin knew he couldn't let this go on for any longer – he'd hate himself for life if he forced himself to hear the girl he cared so much about cry for even a second longer.

surprisingly he did. they'd shared a minimal amount of words in the time they'd shared as members, outside of the public's eye. SooBin had undoubtedly been the most understanding with Mia's reluctant attitude towards opening up to them. he wanted to be comfortable with her, but he knew he wouldn't ever be able to force her to do something she was uncomfortable with — so he was patient.

until now. he never knew how comfortable she was with skinship — yet he remembered the one time Ara'd briefly mentioned how she often woke the girl with head massages when she had nightmares. might as well

the boy once again took silent steps towards the girl's bed, slowly crouching beside her laying figure before hesitantly raising his arm to allow his hand to rest in her long hair.

his fingers soon began to move along her scalp, the boy unknowingly holding his breath as he watched for her reaction.

as if the action held some sort of magic for the girl, Mia's breathing slowly began to normalize as the tears noticably began to diminish. he softly smiled as he felt her subconsciously lean towards his touch, feeling his cheeks burn with a faint tint of pink.

it took a few moments more for the girl to zone back into reality, the smell of the insence BeomGyu'd been so persistent on burning for a better sleep in the room luring her into the comforting presence of her current home.

little did she know the youngest Choi had spent hours researching what scents were clinically proven to help with resolving night terrors and which ones were linked with comfort, all for her.

she let out a nearly silent mumble, "언니?"

SooBin softly chuckled, finally letting the breath he'd been holding out. "Mia.. it's me,"

the male's voice made her want to freeze in her spot, terrified at which of the members were the witnesses of her worst terror by far. she reluctantly opened her eyes, meeting gazes with the bunny-like leader.