𝔹𝕖𝕤𝕥 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕐𝕠𝕦//_[𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧]

35: ꜱᴜᴘᴘᴏʀᴛ ᴍᴇ

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Althea's squeezed firmly against Bang Chan's chest. His arms wound securely around her form yet trembling after hearing her story. His face burrowed deep into her kinky curls to hide his face. Althea would've found it endearing had she not been using every ounce of focus to keep from curling up in shame. She can't believe she actually just shared her trauma. 

"I'm so sorry," Chan gasps. "You're so strong....I hate him."

"So that's why you were so wary of us..." Seungmin murmurs. 

She didn't realize she was crying. Just that her cheeks were wet. Though she didn't realize Bang Chan was crying either until something moist hit her shoulder. She rubs his arm and tries to avoid looking at everyone in the room. She wants to hide. Her throat's so tight with anxiety but at the same time, it feels like a huge weight was just lifted off her chest.

Lorraine, Felix, and apparently all the other Stray Kids members who could understand her, look a mixture between concern, mortified, and enraged. Lorraine embodying the latter emotion. Althea knows the other members got in somewhere at the start of her story but it's still surprising to see them all present. Felix approaches her shakily with tears dripping from his cheeks. Althea extends one of her arms and he crashes into her chest sobbing. 

He was trying to translate to the other members. Though when she started talking about her suicide attempt, he stopped talking so Seungmin was left to pick up the slack. The rest of Stray Kids looked horrified when he was finished. Hyunjin's full on bawling while Changbin and Minho look ready to commit murder. Jeongin's terrified, Jisung looks anxious, and Lorraine has a vein bulging on her forehead. 

"I ga kill him."

"The fact you almost confronted him tonight nearly killed me. Please respect my wishes and don't do anything," Althea laments. 

Chan squeezes her tighter and Althea, uncaring of who's looking, kisses his temple. The corners of her lips quirking up at the way his ears redden. She huffs a laugh as she feels his lips brushing against her neck from where he's muttering against the skin. She knows they'll most likely have a little chat alone later but for now she's appreciating his embrace. 

When Althea looks back at Lorraine, there's a conflicted look in her face. It's like she wants to comment on what she just saw but also be angry at Althea's statement. She shakes her head and Althea notes she decides on the latter. Althea knows she'll get hounded for kissing Chan later and she's not sure if she's looking forward to that conversation. 

"So what you gon do? Just keeping gettin' abused?!" Lorraine spits while pacing the room. "Althea you can't keep going through this! The fact that it went on so long already-"

"Youne fuckin' hear me?!" She lurches forward in anger but Chan holds her back. "You makin' me regret tellin' you dis bey. I done say it was hard to talk to you bout this shit!" Althea swallows as her anxiety starts up. "Maybe you shouldn't be involved-"

"No Thea...I'm sorry," Lorraine retracts sighing. "It's just...ine understand why you still with him." Althea opens her mouth but Lorraine interrupts. "I get that he means a lot to you and y'all helped each other with bully trauma, but it's like for me I just...can't fathom why anyone would stay in that situation. Whether they helped me or not. Ain't nobody ga lay a hand on me."

"You think ine know dat? It kills me how many chances I've given him and how dependent I is...I know I'm fucking pathetic okay?! I know it'd probably seem like I like gettin' abused in the eye of our people and maybe deep down das how you feel bout me too." Lorraine reels back as if slapped by the insinuation. "And the thing is like you said...for you dat might be the case. But I'm not you. You wasn't there for the hard times. For the bullying. For the attempted suicide. You wouldn't know the loneliness. The relief of someone knowing, caring, and understanding what I been through. And I can't expect you to cus youne experience it. Leon had his shit and I had mine. And we supported each other through it. As shitty as he acts, he was the only person I had for a long time..."