TAE POV:

There's no hesitation as I run after Kookie and (Y/N), fear and worry causing my stomach to twist unpleasantly, the sight of her clammy pale figure rushing out of the room still engrained into my mind and behind me I hear another set of footsteps follow. I round the corner to see (Y/N) disappearing into the female changing rooms, door flying shut behind her.

Kookie dithers outside it for a moment, debating whether or not to go in but seeing as the studio is empty apart from our group- he follows, shyness and trepidation is wiped away to be replaced with determination and worry- overpowering the hesitance easily.

I follow behind, Jiminie hot on my heels and yet we find ourselves uselessly coming to a stop when it's clear that she's locked herself in one of the large toilet, the sound of heaving being heard. My heart flips with empathy, for how ill she's been but has been hiding it, pushing it aside for the sake of dancing. And I have a strong feeling that she pushed through with it because Jimin had posed the question initially, and because of that she'd been unwilling to deny him or the others of dancing together.

There's worry on their faces as we helplessly stand outside, desperately wanting to be there for her, to rub her back and hold back her hair as she's ill; giving her the tiniest sort of comfort when she was clearly feeling so down. And yet we couldn't do that, not with the door closed.

And as Kookie dithers with a lost look, I step forward to rap my knuckles against the door.

"(Y/N) let me in." I call.

But there's no response, even as she's stopped heaving for now, there's just awful silence- silence that makes me fear whether she's even conscious inside.

That worry only grows when I continue to call for her and there's no response- only a silence that stretches out.

And just as Kookie voices a fearful '(Y/N)', there's the sound of her being sick again, sounds that make me feel useless as Jiminie comes to stand beside me, a frown on his face as he stares at the door, as if somehow the door will melt away if he continues to gaze at it.

It's long minutes afterwards that there's the sound of the flush, then water and then the door unlocking, being pulled back to reveal a chalky looking (Y/N) who's leaning heavily onto the side of the doorframe, clutching at it as sweat beads on her face. She looks even worse now and I'm mentally kicking myself for not having pushed further before they'd even begun dancing, angry that none of us had picked up on the fact she wasn't fully recovered and she'd been dancing intensely- I knew just how hard they pushed themselves, physically saw it and could attest to it.

"Aigoo...you should've stopped if you were ill!" Jiminie says, moving forward to get closer to the physically weak and drained looking girl.

Kookie's face is a mixture of disappointment and worry but that doesn't prepare me for the way he opens his mouth to not ask her if she's fine but to scold her instead.

"Why on earth were you pushing yourself through that? Your first priority should be and needs to be you, then anything else!" he exclaims but contradicting the slight raise in his reprimanding volume is that he places his hands on her shoulders- the full black sleeved arms curving in slightly when he leads her forward to sit down on a bench.

"There's no way you're continuing dance like that." He states firmly.

And the look in his eyes he's shooting her, the firmness to his words and the tightness to his lips are clear indicators of how worried he really is, and the fact that he's chiding her is just proof of how close their friendship has grown.

"Let's get her back to the studio. I'll give Mi-sun a call so she knows." Jiminie states, eyes soft and concerned as he drops in front of her, looking up at her.

"Your health first (Y/N). It's clear you got sicker than I had been." He murmurs, giving her knee a soft squeeze before stepping back so she can rise to her feet.

She sways for a moment, eyes fluttering and Kookie's arms fly out in a panic- hovering around her and eyes alert, ready to attend to her.

And though I'd insisted on being here, refused to miss another chance to meet (Y/N), somehow it feels like my presence here isn't doing much, as if the side of her I'm seeing; this pale shaky version of her is someone I'm not doing anything to help, and it feels awful.

And she gestures for us to step outside, pointing to her bag with a clear silent instruction for us to leave so she can change, hurrying out and waiting outside for her to emerge.

And when she does, for a moment I'm struck by how tiny and vulnerable she looks drowning in the large oversized jumper, the way it swallows up her frame and makes her seem even more fragile in this moment. but I also can't ignore the way she looks incredibly soft and inviting, the urge to cuddle her so strong, that I physically have to restrain myself from scooping her close.

But even so I silently try to give her support as we walk her back, eyes darting to her constantly- not knowing she'd picked up on it when she turns to shoot me a soft reassuring smile, giving me the comfort instead of taking it; somehow sensing how uneasy I felt.

She makes an okay gesture with her hand, signalling both that she's fine and that whatever's happened is okay.

And when we step back into the studio, Hobi hyung has already prepped for her return- face serious and gentle as he holds a towel as he waits for us to step in, waiting for her to sit down in the corner where he's set a soft mat up, kneeling down in front of her as he gently dabs at her face, fingers deft and careful not to brush against her skin; clearly the reminder of the way she'd flinched from Yoongi hyung's hand fresh in his eyes too. His eyes are soft and he's looking at her sympathetically as he gives her another electrolyte drink, intently watching her drink until he's satisfied with how much fluids she has in her.

"I've called Mi-sun, she said she'll be here in a bit." Jiminie announces, eyes falling to her small figure.

She nods listlessly.

"Do you want any medication?" Kookie asks, eyes intently scanning her for any pinch of discomfort or pain.

She shakes her head.

Her fingers fumble for her phone, typing out a message- screen angled towards us. My eyes read the text.

She's already had her first dose; she can't have any now.

And I don't know whether to be exasperated or worried about her more.

But when she shoots me a sheepish smile, seemingly picking up on my expression I find that they all slip way to give way to concern for her. I plop down on the spot next to her, lamenting aloud.

"What am I going to do with you my little sick dancer?" I sigh, head resting against the wall and I turn to shoot her a wounded look.

She smiles, a smile that isn't forced or drained. A smile that indulges my antics.

A smile that silently says, 'deal with it'.

HOBI POV:

I sigh with worry looking down at her, even if the knot around my chest eases when she seems to relax with Tae's exasperated teasing and fond words, seeing the way she smiles even as her head droops tiredly against the wall, head turned to look back at him.

Kookie's looking at the two with a mixture of a worried expression and something akin to relief when he sees that she's not about to keel over any second, leaning back into Jiminie who's wrapped an arm around his waist.

And as we continue to look over her, my eyes roving intently for any sort of injury or strain she might've gotten from pushing herself whilst being ill, Tae making amusing comments to keep the smile on her face, Kookie interjecting occasionally and Jiminie holding a silent fussy expression in his eyes.

And it's like that, when I've just taken the bottle back from her- now empty that the studio door which had been left ajar suddenly is filled with two people. One is Mi-sun and the other is the tall male from the other day when she'd auditioned.

And the two make an immediate beeline for her, heads dipping quick greeting as they sink into crouches peering at her.

"Aish...this is why you listen to me! You should've stayed at home until you were will. This is the last time you're getting away with this." The male fusses, hands brushing tenderly across her cheek and cupping it, the panic in his eyes lessening and the tiniest smile when she immediately curves into it.

Mi-sun turns to shoot us a thankful look.

"Thank you Hoseok, really. And you Jimin...all of you. For keeping an eye out for her." she murmurs, head turning to tend to (Y/N), gently drawing her up, wounding her arm around her waist and supporting her weight on her, hand running affectionately up and down her back.

And then the man's eyes catch onto Jungkook, shooting him a wide smile.

"Jungkook ssi, we meet again- looks like I'll constantly be in your debt at this rate." He comments wryly, something exchanged between the two of them with those words.

Jungkookie shakes his head.

"It's no worry Habaek ssi, she's a friend." He says easily.

"But you should get her home, she's strained herself when she was still ill." He adds.

He's already nodding, stepping closer to Jiminie who's got a hold of her bag and coat.

"Thank you." he murmurs, taking the items from his hand, gently threading (Y/N)'s arms in one by one through the sleeves of the large coat, transferring her weight to his side as Mi-sun fixes the other sleeve. The two of them fuss over her as they zip the coat up, briefly pinching her cheek softly.

The gestures of looking after her are so achingly familiar to the way we take care of each other, assuring me that she's in perfectly good hands.

But even so the worry doesn't lessen, because once she's zipped up and Habaek has slung her bag over his shoulder as he stands behind her, I'm struck with how small she is, how tired she seems and how much more the elements must've battered her far more than they had Jimin.

But she still shoots us a cheery smile, stepping forward close to show me a message she's typed out.

Sorry Hoseok, I'll come back to the next session fully recovered. Sorry for cutting the session short.

I shake my head quickly at her.

"Even though you were negligent with your health, I'll let it go this once. But promise you'll be back next week only if you're recovered?" I bargain, silently thinking over the time we'd witnessed her dancing to beyond exhaustion. Instead I hold out my pinky finger expectantly, waiting for her to complete that promise.

And just when I think of withdrawing my finger, that maybe it's uncomfortable for her I realise she's struggling to pull her hand free from the large sleeve that drapes over her hand, she raises her hand to intertwine her pinky with mine- a brush of soft warmth and then she brings her thumb forward, waiting for me to bring mine forward too so we can seal it.

The small gesture she's indulged me in feels like a personal milestone, that she didn't shirk away from my touch and that she's promised to take care of herself. It makes me feel relieved and even though the other two say their goodbyes as they lead her from the room, I can't help the pang of wistfulness that rises as she leaves, the part of me that wishes that I could've tended to her better, could've seen her taken care of immediately.

And when the door closes, there's a stilted silence and then Jiminie breaks it.

"She's so much like you Kookie..." he says

"And at this moment it's not the best thing." Tae adds, eyes staring at the door which she's just left from.

Then Jiminie sighs, plaintive.

"I feel like we'll have to keep a better and closer eye on her." he confesses.

But somehow that thought isn't off-putting but warming. That I'll get to keep an eye over her, extend those silently fretting instincts to make sure my dongsaengs are happy and taken care of and give in to them- vocally too.

It makes me look forward to when we'll meet her, knowing somehow she means to keep her promise.

And the thought of having another dongsaeng under my wing is a pleasing, exciting notion.

----

"How was dance?" Jin hyung calls as we enter, head briefly turning away from the open kitchen entrance which gives him a glimpse of us in the hallway.

When he doesn't hear an answer, he steps out, wiping the slight flour on his hands onto the apron- the pink smattered with a dusty layer.

"What is it?" he prompts when he sees the silent tension brewing between the four of us.

"How was (Y/N)?" he decides to ask then.

But then sees the slight fidget in our expressions, the way our faces give away our feelings.

And then he turns to me, knowing full well that I can't lie effectively.

All it takes is him to open his mouth, one low uttered word.

"Hoseok-ah." Deep and firm.

"She wasn't in the best shape. It turned out that she'd also gotten sick in the rain the other day but far worse." I confess, watching as a burst of expressions go through his face before stopping on a worried concerned look.

"And you guys let her dance?" he asks incredulously, shooting us disappointed looks.

A look that makes me want to shrivel up with shame, because he's right- none of us clocked until it was too late.

"We didn't know! And she's far too stubborn...just like Kookie." Tae tags on, muttering at the end and barely avoiding the elbow he gets in response.

"We cut practice short and made sure she was taken home first." Jiminie adds, trying to appease to Jin hyung, who's worried look is growing and his eyes take on a frantic gleam that we always associate as protective eldest hyung mode switching on.

"You should've dropped her home yourself! You should've checked her temperature, given her fluids, medicine too!" hyung frets as he spins to head back into the kitchen.

I urge the maknaes to head off before entering the kitchen after hyung where he seems to be frustratedly measuring dry ingredients.

"Hyung you don't need to worry. We did as much as we could for her before we let her go." I say, wounding my arms around him and tugging him away from where he's staring intently at the weighing scales.

He sighs, dropping back to lean on me.

"I worry sometimes about her. I don't want her to ever hurt alone, that there should always be someone there for her." he confides.

I squeeze his waist.

I know exactly how he feels, because he shares the same sentiment as me.

"I know hyung. I worry too." I admit.

Somehow only realising in that instance that she's slowly begun to make a place in my mind too. That quite often I wonder how she is and what she's doing. And that when I'd seen her so sick, it had sent a bolt of fear through me so intense it had halted my movements for a bit. That the reason I hadn't run after her was because I had to remember how it was to move, to spur myself into action and get the other things ready for her.

And that I liked her smiling and happy and passionate. 

And that her being unhappy, hurting or upset bothered me. 

That she had long since become a friend as well as my little dance fairy.

(THERE YOU GO MY LOVES! THE SECOND PART THAT WAS ORIGINALLY GOING TO BE IN THE LAST CHAPTER BUT IT WAS LONG SO HAD TO GET DIVIDED! WE'VE SEEN THEM ALL FUSS AND DOTE OVER HER AND I HOPE YOU WERE ALL HAPPY WITH IT! NEXT UP IS LOTS OF JOON BONDING HOPEFULLY IF ALL GOES TO PLAN AND I DON'T GO OFF TRACK- IF THEY ALL STICK TO THE PLAN AND DON'T DEMAND ANYTHING ELSE THAT IS!! I LOVE SEEING THEM TRYING TO DRAW HER BACK OUT TO NORMALCY, THAT THEY'RE REALISING HOW MUCH SHE MEANS TO THEM...BUT I WONDER WHEN THEY'LL REALISE THAT THIS ISN'T PLATONIC ANYMORE! AHH! SO EXCITED! HOPE YOU ENJOYED! LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND STAY SAFE LOVELIES!)

QUESTION...ONE CHANGE YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO FEEL ABOUT?

Mine is...during sixth form which is basically college (but a different system) I used to have this habit of staying awake until 4 ish then forcing myself to sleep even if I wasn't tired because I had school, then wake up at 6. Some of my friends truly questioned how I was still able to keep my energy levels high and bright in the morning when they'd be exhausted with more sleep! Now I love sleep and my stamina has vamooshed. Why can't I stay up past 1 without dozing off?!

Borahae! 💜💜💜

PurpleQueenie <3