𝑩𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒍 //𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒚 𝑲𝒊𝒅𝒔 𝑭𝑭//

~𝟱𝟮~

(Third person, Lee Know's perspective)

It upset all the boys to hear the horrific story Ava told, and even more so when they saw how she just completely broke down afterwards. But Lee Know was the most upset. When Ava had let go of his hand and looked at him, he knew something bad was about to come out of her mouth. But what she said was so much worse than he could have imagined. He was surprised she even got halfway through the story without breaking down.

But with every shuddering breath she took, his heart broke a little more for her. And when she just completely let go, it hurt him so much to just sit there and watch. He told himself he couldn't touch her, that she would get scared or flinch away from him. But he just felt so sorry for her. He probably wouldn't have been able to make it through half of what she did, but he would go through it all a hundred times if it meant she wouldn't have been hurt the way she was. He wanted so badly to comfort her.

So he went against his better judgment and reached out to her, placing a comforting hand on her back. It completely surprised him when she collapsed into him, his body going stiff for a second. But then he just went with comforting her as best he could. He had learned the technique he used on Ava in college, having had a friend who got frequent panic attacks. It always worked on her, so he thought he might try it. It actually worked, but it still broke his heart to hear those shuddering sobs come out of Ava's mouth and feel how her shoulders shook with each breath she took.

He felt like he could hold her forever if that was what she needed. Somehow he managed to get her shoulders to stop shaking. It made him feel a lot more at ease. Then after a while of just staring down at her as she cried herself out, he noticed she had stopped moving, her breathing softer and slower. He realised she had fallen asleep. He shifted slightly and looked up at the rest of the boys, all looking at Ava with worry in their eyes.

"You should take her to bed," Chan said, grabbing Lee Know's attention.

"She's had a rough day; she should get some sleep."

Lee Know nodded, looking down at Ava again. Unlike all the other times he had seen her asleep, she didn't look troubled. At all. She seemed so peaceful. He smiled at her fondly before slowly getting up with her in his arms. He managed to get her up the stairs and into her room without her waking up.

He gently put her down on the bed, tucking her in underneath the covers. He smiled at her soft, peaceful features, admiring how strong she was for telling them. Until she groaned, shifting in her sleep. He quickly turned, walking towards her door. Until he heard her speak, making him stop in his tracks.

"Wait."

(First person, Ava's perspective)

The fuzz from sleep cleared from my mind and I groaned and shifted, trying to figure out where I was. I opened my eyes to find Lee Know retreating out of my room.

"Wait," I said, wanting him to stay. I saw him stop in my doorway, not turning around.

"Please don't go. I... I just..."

"Need some comfort?" he asked softly, making me look up at him.

He finally turned around, looking at me with hurt in his eyes. And I realised, he was hurting for me. He slowly came over to my bed as I sat upright, bringing my legs up to my chest and resting my chin on my knees. He gave me an unsure look before taking a seat on the foot of my bed, leaning back against the footboard. He looked at me sadly.

"Don't look at me like that," I said, looking away from him.

"Like what?"

"Like you just saw me break like a piece of glass... Like you just saw me shattered and vulnerable. Like I need to be protected from everything... Most of it was my fault anyway. If I had just-"