Nayeon x Reader- Stay, Stay, Stay With Me- Complete!

Chapter 2

Y/N grabbed her chair, the same chair she sat in yesterday at the corner of the small table. It was stuck and took an effort to get out from underneath. But she managed. And she promptly sat down, immediately scrolling through her phone like it was an extension of her, like it was yet another limb. And she immediately put her kpop playlist on shuffle.

Her eyes fell shut as Mamamoo's vocals reached out at her like a sweet caress, as a shiver ran down her spine- as goosebumps ran down her skin like they were in the final sprint of a marathon- as every muscle in her body tensed for a moment to relax, to lay slack in the next.

She almost didn't register when someone sat beside her. Her vision was bleary when she finally did peel her eyes open, and she had to blink a few times to register that the sight before her was real.

Nayeon was hunched over in the seat beside her. She held up her head with a hand that was covering her eyes. Her lips were pursed in thought- her nose scrunched up in distaste. Her hair was a giant mass of tangles as if it hadn't been touched, let alone brushed. And her body was lost somewhere in the midst of a T-shirt that looked at least two sizes too big, her sweatpants so long they dragged on the ground, clearly made for someone several inches taller than her.

Y/N reached out to touch her on the shoulder when Nayeon murmured, "I'm fine. Or I'll be fine. I just need some time in Process today."

Y/N retracted her hand but pulled an ear bud out. "Are you sure? You seem kinda..." She searched for a word, but nothing was quite good enough. Disheveled? Distressed? Nothing was good enough for Nayeon.

"I just need time in Process," Nayeon said, running her hand down along her face. Y/N finally saw Nayeon's eyes and just how tired she looked. "We're here to get better. I've gotten better. And I will get better again." She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths before asking, "Are you gonna play any kpop in Music Therapy?"

Y/N took out her other ear bud and placed her phone on the table, her headphones splayed in a mess on top of it. "I've been listening to some Mamamoo," she admitted.

Nayeon smiled slightly, almost wistfully. "Mamamoo are great." She nodded at nothing in particular. "You should suggest Mike plays Mamamoo then."

"Mike?" Y/N asked, moving a lock of hair behind her ear and sitting up straight. She didn't like not knowing something. There was a part of her that wanted to impress Nayeon, and she couldn't do that when she knew nothing about this place.

"Music Mike- or Magic Mike if you prefer," Nayeon said, peeking an eye open to give Y/N a weak smirk. "Everyone messes up and calls him that at some point. He doesn't get offended when you do."

"I called him that my first day here," Sam called, and Y/N jumped slightly, not having realized he was there, let alone that he was listening. But there he was at the infamous vending machine, punching buttons and just hoping it would work just once. Something finally fell, and he did a little cheer as he plucked the tiny bag of chocolate chip cookies out and ripped it open.

But he didn't eat it. He promptly tossed it to Nayeon, who managed to catch it in her elbow. Her face was tired, but she didn't argue and started munching on the cookies before offering Y/N one.

She accepted it with the quietest of thank yous. Another woman that she didn't recognize sat down across from her, and Nayeon gave her one too, despite a strange look from Sam that Y/N didn't understand. She knew that some people only came in three days a week and only for part of the day as she would be expected to do later on in her treatment. But, even as the woman sent her a small smile and introduced herself as Isabelle, she found herself withdrawing again.