Forget-me-not

Cynthia

A/N: Trigger warning for a panic attack and PTSD flashbacks.

_ _ _

"I'm super shy, super shy!"

Cynthia's eyes groggily opened to the sound of soft singing and footsteps. Hums and claps came from over in the kitchen. Congestion continued to clog her nose and the pressure of a headache gnawed behind her left eye.

The couch was cold and lonely without the warmth of Seungmin's body heat. The blanket wasn't nearly as warm without him. She sniffled and shifted to see who was in the kitchen.

Behind her, Hyunjin had his headphones pulled over his ears. His hips shifted and his head bopped. His attention was on something sitting on the granite counter. She couldn't see what he was doing due to her lower height on the couch.

There wasn't any sign of Seungmin in the area. Judging by the light filtering through the blinds, it was sometime during the day. She let out a soft sigh and pushed off the blanket. Her dry mouth had come back in full force and she craved water.

Pushing herself up, she mumbled Hyunjin's name while she approached him. Hyunjin's volume was cranked as he danced to NewJeans. With a grumbling stomach, he raided the fridge and found a bunch of fruit. He was halfway through cutting it up when Cynthia entered the kitchen.

Unaware of his new viewer, he continued to hum and dance. The knife gleamed in the sunlight as he lifted it up and danced with it. The moment Cynthia saw it, her heart dropped. She couldn't breathe and she couldn't move.

Flora's voice came back to her and pierced her ears. All of a sudden, she was back in Flora's apartment. Flora was standing with a knife against her throat and threatening to kill herself. The memory caused Cynthia's brain to go into overdrive.

The fear trickled in and spread. It spiraled around her spine and caused the hair on the back of her neck to shoot up. Hyunjin continued to dance unaware, but Cynthia couldn't even see him anymore.

She remembered every word Flora spoke. She remembered Flora's threats and the silent vow of determination in her eyes. Her hands trembled down at her sides and tears filled her eyes. She struggled to take in a lungful of air. It was like a rubber band had been wrapped around her lungs.

At some point, Hyunjin felt himself being watched. He spun around and paused when he saw Cynthia's tears. Confusion hit him as he pulled down his headphones, so he could speak to her. "Cynthia?"

The knife remained in his hand. It was the only thing Cynthia could focus on. Her eyes never left the knife, not once. Hyunjin took a step closer towards her. "Cynthia, are y-"

"Get away from me!" She snapped as she took a step back. "Put it down!"

"What? Put what down?" Hyunjin was so focused on her that he didn't realize the knife was in his hand.

"Put it down!"

It took him a moment before he suddenly let go of the knife. It hit the tile floor with a clatter and Hyunjin took another step forward. Instinctively, Cynthia shifted a few more steps back. Hyunjin's eyebrows furrowed in confusion while he studied her. Her reaction wasn't making any sense, it was just a knife.

The tears fell past her waterline and slipped down her cheeks. Hyunjin's heart ached at the distraught sight of her. "Cynthia, I-"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" She squeezed her eyes shut and shoved her fingers in her ears to muffle the sound of his voice. All she could hear were Flora's past threats. All the screams and all the insults.

Back in the back of the dorm, Han paused his TV show once he heard screaming. Felix stopped eating his popcorn with a handful of it frozen mid-way to his mouth. "Is Cynthia yelling?"