"Hyuck.." Aera called out and Donghyuck looked to his side to face her- exhaling out to keep himself composed and trying his best to not jump into conclusions.
"Hyuck I—" "Aera.. I'm saying it again, you don't have to talk it out just because you feel compelled to explain yourself- take your time, I'll wait" Donghyuck paused, sharply inhaling before deciding to divert the topic.
"Let's go, I'll drop you at your dorm" Donghyuck stood up, gesturing her to exit and she wordlessly followed him to his car.
Aera fell silent, unsure of how to start the conversation and she kept glancing at Donghyuck who had his eyes focused on the road ahead, not a word being exchanged between the two.
In fact, Aera never spoke about her past- Jisung witnessed it himself, Mark, mom and dad already knew about the happenings even before adopting her into their family.
She never had a conversation with anyone about her past- just beginning to talk about all her haunting memories, she felt uncomfortable and stressed but things were different with Donghyuck.
Something about him made her feel better— may it be how he never specifically raised any questions about her past though he was well aware about her nightmares or how he always assured her about his presence and that her past wouldn't change anything in between the two at present.
Donghyuck's words never failed to ease her mind- his mere presence ceased all her nightmares and she knew it was about time to explain herself to him willingly.
"I.. I was diagnosed with PTSD ever since I was seven Hyuck" Aera began and Donghyuck's widened eyes hastily flickered to observe the girl and much to his surprise she appeared calm and poise.
"Fire or flames trigger my past cause my parents died in a fire accident and I witnessed everything, everything when I was just seven- it was a lot to take in at first, I had to undergo a four-month cognitive therapy but refused to go through the exposure therapy. I was too afraid to confront situations that trigger those memories cause.. cause it hurts, physically and mentally- maybe that's why the nightmares are still recurring"
Donghyuck did not interrupt her, silently paying attention to everything she spoke about- his heart aching to know his soulmate endured it all and kept it buried within herself despite it burning her insides.
"That's why I feel like I am burdensome to everyone around me. I know you all take care of me purely out of love and concern but I can't help but feel guilty.. if only I was normal it would've been better, I'm sorry" Aera bit down on her lip feeling her vision blur out with tears.
Donghyuck brought the car to halt at their destination, finally turning to face her- his eyes wordlessly ranking over her features with a contented smile dancing on his lips and they maintained the eye contact for a few seconds.
Donghyuck cupped the side of her face- thumb gently wiping away the tear that rolled down her face.
"You are normal Aera, you're perfect the way you are and I like you for being you- all those little imperfections of yours only make you more beautiful in my eyes. Everything about you means a lot to me- I adore you, your appearance, your smile, your love, your nightmares, your cries, everything" Donghyuck paused before leaning forward and planting an endearing kiss on her forehead earning a chuckle from her subsequently.
"I'm glad I've you Hyuck" Aera let out- the corner of her lip innately curling up as all his words replayed in her mind and she felt like the most luckiest and the happiest girl alive on this planet.
"You're beautiful inside-out baby, trust me" Donghyuck whispered out, softly leaning his forehead on hers- smiles reaching their eyes feeling euphoric that by every passing day they were strengthening their bond and getting closer to one another.
Though both had their own tormenting pasts and imperfections, in each other's eyes they were perfect and that was all that mattered to them- the two were indeed meant to be soulmates...
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Yoooo I love writing Hyura somehow they are both mature and cute🥺🥺
You're probably wondering wtf is PTSD so here it is- PTSD is 'Post Traumatic Stress Disorder' which majorly begins at a very young age (in children mainly) and if not fully treated when still young by therapies like- cognitive and exposure, it could persist as they grow and thereby results in nightmares and fears which then makes the adult wholly dependent on medications for cure like- antidepressants etc..
