Dreamcatcher Imagines - Oneshots | (Girl x Girl)

🐰🐼 My Comfort - Jiu & Dami

One after the other, shot after shot fired at myself, breaking away my strength and busting through my once stoic exterior. Tears that I didn't realize had accumulated underneath my eyelids spilled down my cheeks while my lungs fought hard to keep up with the fast pace of my heart. Everything hurt and I felt trapped inside myself. I was sure I'd never be able to break free from the prison of my mind and escape the incessant torture of negative thoughts.

Until I heard a soft voice.

"Y/N." Though it was distant, it started to ground me. To pull me from the darkness that consumed me. I felt the cushion of a couch beneath me and one hand on my shoulder, the other on my leg. "Hey, look at me." Another pair of hands felt soft and warm as they were gently placed on my cheeks. The contact willed my eyes open and forced me to look up at her through my tears. Focusing on anything was difficult, but Dami seemed to understand this, calmly repeating "breathe" over and over followed by a deep inhale and exhale of oxygen each time. I closed my eyes again and focused on her rhythm, eventually breathing in and out with her. Slowly, the thoughts started to dissipate one by one, my mind zeroing in only on the sound of air leaving her lungs. The excruciating hammering of my heart gradually slowed to a normal, bearable rate as I leaned forward into her touch. Just as my forehead met hers, everything seemed to calm and my mind was finally at peace once again.

"You're okay." She whispered, smoothly brushing her thumbs across my cheeks to collect the stray tears falling down them. "I'm right here." She reminded me. I weakly reached up to hold onto her wrists, finding comfort in the feeling of her skin against mine.

Dami took the contact as a good sign and hesitantly leaned her head back so that our foreheads were no longer connected, but left her hands cupping my cheeks. When I opened my eyes and sniffled, I found her looking at me with a concerned expression, yet she granted me a small smile in hopes that it might lift my mood. "I'm sorry." Was the first thing I thought to say. My voice came out weak, groggy from the crying fit that had irritated my throat.

A different hand appeared in my peripheral, raising to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear, drawing my attention to a member I didn't realize was sitting next to me on the couch until now. "Don't apologize." Our group leader spoke gently but assuredly, her eyes glazed over with unshed tears upon seeing one of the women she loved have a panic attack right before her, rendering her helpless.

I let out an unsteady exhale before leaning back against the couch. Dami released her hands from my face, instead placing one on my thigh and the other in one of mine: a silent reminder that she was still there with me while my attention shifted to Minji. "I ruined the performance." I voiced one of the many negative thoughts that had previously plagued my mind. It was true, after all.

"That doesn't matter." Minji shot back, unhappy with the fact that I would ever blame myself for something like this.

"Yes it does." I pushed back, now fully aware of just how big of a deal this was. "We have been preparing for this all year and I ruined it." The back of my throat started to burn, warning of oncoming tears.

"You couldn't control it." Minji insisted, her perfect, pink lips pulling down further into a frown the more I berated myself. "That's not your fault, baby." She inched closer to me, affectionately brushing her hand across my cheek, making me look into her eyes. It was obvious she was trying hard to convince me to see the truth in her words, but the damage from my previous thoughts had already been dealt.

"That doesn't matter." I repeated her words. "People were counting on us to do well." My eyes focused somewhere in the distance, no longer looking at her or Dami. All I could think about were our Somnias and how much I had let them down. "The fans have been waiting for this all year and I blew it." My jaw clenched while I tried desperately to fight back the tears.

"I guarantee you not a single fan cares about the performance right now." Dami replied matter-of-factly. Truth be told she was a little angry that I cared so much about the performance when that was the most irrelevant concern in her mind right now. They both knew I was stubborn and often tough on myself but this had taken it to a whole nother level.

"Everyone out there is only worried about your well-being." Minji added, using her thumb to tilt my chin up so that I was looking at her again. "You getting better is all that matters right now, you got that?" She cocked an eyebrow, her tone less gentle in order to get her point across.

Sighing, I gave in, "yes." I accepted, pushing the blame to the back of my mind for now.

"Good." Minji finally allowed herself to smile. The mere sight of it never failed to make me feel better. "Now let me go get you some water." She said before getting up to leave the small dressing room.

Dami squeezed my hand, bringing my attention back to her. "Are you okay?" She asked quietly, scooting closer to my side in her own sort of protective way, never tearing her eyes away from me. I knew she was still worried, especially since this had never happened before.

I sat up straight, turning more towards her before replying, "I'm okay." Squeezing her hand back, I leaned in closer, finding comfort in her warmth like before. "Thanks to you." My words elicited a smile from her: a real, genuine smile. I couldn't resist myself, scooting even closer to kiss it off her face in a show of gratitude. Just like earlier, she held my cheeks in her hands, keeping me there as if I might dissolve into thin air or pass out again if she didn't support me.

"You really scared me for a second there." She mumbled when we separated, her voice unsteady. It was rare for Dami to show such vulnerability; that's how I knew her words weren't an exaggeration. She had seen it all happen in slow motion, her heart stopping dead in her chest when I dropped in front of her. Both her and Minji were quick to rush to my aid, not caring one bit about starting the performance. The other members carried on reluctantly, despite their obvious concern, knowing at least someone had to remain on stage to see the performance all the way through. Had it been up to them, they would've blown it off just to make sure I was alright.

"I know." Was all I could manage in response. It came as a shock even to me, so I really can't imagine how surprised and horrified they were. They all had such big hearts, especially Minji; it was very likely that seeing me in such distress was more painful for them to witness than it was for me to experience. "But I'm okay now." I reassured the younger member, placing my hands on top of hers and giving her my best convincing smile. She reciprocated, though hers still appeared uneasy.

"Here, my love." Minji's voice prompted Dami to release me from her hold, allowing me to grab the chilled water bottle the leader was handing me. I thanked her and took a sip as she resumed her spot next to me on the couch. Her hand instantly raised to comb her fingers through my hair while I drank, apparently not wanting to go a second without showing me affection. A silence washed over us as they both just watched me take slow sips of the water, allowing my mind and body to finally find some relief.

Once I had drank enough water, I screwed the lid back on the bottle. Before I could put it on the small table in front of us, Dami carefully grabbed it from my hands and did it for me. Though I could've done it myself, I found her extra cautious and caring behavior heartwarming.

"The members were wanting to see you, but I told them to give you some space for now." Minji informed me, her hand now playing absentmindedly with my fingers while she stared at me lovingly, her head propped up by her other hand on the back of the couch. "Whenever you're ready, we can go over there or I can send them over here, but there's no rush." She interlocked her fingers with mine, her patience and thoughtfulness causing familiar butterflies to rage in my stomach. "I also want you to get checked out by medical staff... just in case." Her lips pursed as if just remembering what happened all over again and the thought of it brought her discomfort.

"Okay." Was all I replied, along with a gentle smile of thanks. Though, I didn't feel it was enough, so I tugged on her hand, edging her towards me. She got the hint and leaned in to close the distance. Her lips moved rather hesitant against mine, almost like she didn't want to harm me any further. I let go of her hand and brought mine up to her face to pull her more into me, sighing against her cheek in content.

Even just a simple kiss from either of them could wash away all the bad feelings I had ever felt. They were my comfort, and, from here on out, I swore to never take that for granted.

- Love you guys ❤️