queen || nct's 22nd member

Painkillers

Crying. It was so muffled that Ana almost passed the room, still, the sniffles made her take a halt. Should she enter? It was Jaemin's room, why did her little sunshine cry?

Then she heard someone whispering soothingly. Ana then decided to entere the room, though trying not to startle the members inside. She knew that not everyone was okay with being seen while crying.

"You alright?" Ana asked with her head peeking through the open door. In the room sat Jaemin crying, next to him Chenle and Jeno. "Shouldn't you all be attendding Practice?"

"Is it this late already?!", Jeno jumped ready to grab the other two.

"Stay, I'll tell Mark that I took you out and forgot the time. And you three tell me what happened, deal?"

"Deal", Chenle chirped, pushing Jaemin, who had stood up while Ana spoke, to Ana's direction. Ana opened her arms and Jaemin basically threw himself into her embrace.

"So, tell me, what's going on?"

"You know that Jaemin has a problem with his back...", Chenle started, trailing off not sure what exactly to say.

"Yeah?"

"I won't be", Jaemin stopped speaking, tears streaming down his cheeks again. He then hid his face into Ana's left shoulder. "I won't be in the next comback with the dreamies."

"Oh baby", Ana squeezed Jaemin. "Do the others know?"

"He just got the results", Jeno mumbled, not knowing what to do.

"Jeno, why don't you call Taeyong and Chenle calls Mark." It wasn't a question, it was an order. They should leave the room and get the others, she would talk to Jaemin.

"Yes Noona."

"Let's get your face washed and then we can talk further, okay?"

"Thanks Noona."

"Always."

Ana guided the younger one to the bathroom. Jaemin sat on the toilet lid, waiting like a little child for Ana to wash his face with a washcloth. After wetting part of the washcloth, she first softly cleaned his face, then she took some tonic on her hands and patted it softly onto his skin.

"Better" she mumbled, sitting on the floor, eyes on Jaemin's face. "Now tell me, there's more to this than just sitting out this comeback."

"I'll go back home until the doctors allow me to perform again."

"Hey, it can't be that bad, you miss your family don't you?"

"Yeah, but- but-, you all are my family too, and- and I don't wanna miss family milestones. I don't want you all to forget or that somebody comes and replaces me. I- I don't want to go home, 'cause there will be no Kun or Taeyong or Ten or Johnny and...", his voice hitched and Jaemin had some hard time breathing normally. His eyes were glassy from the tears that had collected, ready to run down his cheeck again.

Ana stood up to hug the younger one, taking a weird seating on the back of the toilet. She was about to cry herself, this was one of her little boys in such a distress and she didn't know what to do. She couldn't tell him not to worry, this was idol business and in NCT it was even easier to suddenly add a member, replacement or not.

"I can't promise you that they won't add a replacement. I can only promise you that you won't be forgotten. You are always a part of NCT, no matter what, okay? And hey, there are still your parents and I bet that they missed you just as much as we will miss you. So no more crying, okay Nana?"

"Will try Mum."

"Let me promise something Nana. How about every comeback you still have to sit out, I'll try to not get spoilered and watch the music video and first stage with you. Deal?"