𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗦, minho (tmr)

Chapter Fourteen

Florence felt her eyelids fluttering closed, begging her for a moment's rest. Her back ached relentlessly as she was curled into the chair in an awkward manner. She let out soft breaths every few moments, her chest rising and pressing into the corner of the armrest of the chair, and then falling and relieving her of the sharp pain.

She refused to leave Ben alone. Both Clint and Jeff offered to watch him for the night, but she rejected them, and reassured Minho that she would be perfectly fine sat beside Ben's bed.

Ben was mostly still as he laid in the bed. He would twitch or cry out ever so often, which would jolt Florence from her almost-asleep state, but he was mostly quiet. He looked so fragile, as though he would break at any given moment.

It had been a few days since he was stung, and Florence wasn't sure how much longer he would have to endure it. It was slightly different for everyone, she had been told, but ranged from a few days up to a week. She had only seen Gally deal with the Changing.

She knew that he would be different afterwards. It broke her heart to think about it. The confident, sweet boy she knew as her friend would be changed. She didn't want him to change. She didn't want him to be different.

As the boy let out a whimper in his unconscious state, Florence untangled her legs from under herself, and got up to stand at his side. He was barely recognisable. His skin was deathly pale, accentuating the green veins that ran over his body, and self inflicted dark blue and purple bruises were beginning to form along his arms and chest.

She began to shush him, her hand going ever so gently onto his shoulder. He flinched, but then he melted under her touch and his whimpering stopped. She squeezed his shoulder gently to calm him, but the 'hallucinations' were still strong in his mind.

"It's okay, you're okay." She mumbled soothingly. She had no idea if he could hear her, but she hoped he could.

"I'm guessing you're staying here again today?"

Minho.

His unexpected voice startled her, but she was careful to not jolt Ben as she turned to scold the other. Her expression softened as she saw his concern for the bed-bound boy, and she let out a sigh instead.

"You know I have to. Clint and Jeff will have their hands full with shucking Slicer injuries, and I need to keep an eye on Ben."

Minho held back his disagreement, knowing she was too stubborn to have her mind changed, and instead approached the girl. Standing just behind her, he snaked his arms around the girl's waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. The gesture sent Florence's heart wild, and she hoped that Minho would not hear it beating so rapidly.

"He's gonna be different afterwards Minho." Her voice came out as a whisper to avoid it cracking, and now Minho knew she should stay too. It was obvious she was overly stressed about him, and she would not be able to keep her focus out in the Maze.

"I know." He had no other words to comfort her. He knew that Ben wouldn't be the same, so there was no point arguing that, and so all he could do was hug her and hope it would bring her some reassurance. 

It did.

"Besides, new Greenie today huh? You gotta greet him." His breath tickled the girl's neck, giving her goose bumps. A weird sensation came over Florence; a mixture of nervous excitement for the Greenie, and a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

I've really been here two months. I'm really going to be stuck here for the rest of my life.

"I forgot about that. What time is it?"