Dive Deep into Creativity: Your Ultimate Tumblr Experience Awaits
Inspired by 'relight me' so feel free to skip if it's too similar! request for a 9th member sitting down the guys/or just channie if you prefer, to ask for their support/help bc she feels herself slipping back into unhealthy habits/scared to eat/feeling so icky about it, angsty angsty but they're so proud she's asking for help
hihi~ similar request to 'relight me' but just channie and reader hehe . i liked the idea of this one too . you are loved, everyone x
pairing: bang chan x 9th member!reader
summary: you decide to tell chan about what you've been going through. his reaction isn't what you expected...
genre: super soft, really angsty, idol!au, soft channie, mentions of ed, not being able to eat, drinking water in place of food, reader is brave for opening up, chaotic binnie, hannie, and minho, mentions of eating, drinking, lighthearted stabbing joke (no skz was harmed in the making of this fic)
a/n: this is pretty much 'relight me' in a different font . div by @strangergraphics
skz masterlist
"Minho, eat your food."
"I am."
"No, you're not. Stop stabbing Jisung with your chopsticks and eat quickly. We have a dance practice to get to."
Minho groans and slouches over the table, mimicking Changbin's voice in an extremely overexaggerated, high-pitched drawl. "We have a dance practice to get to."
"Shut up."
Jisung laughs as Changbin throws a tissue at Minho, who retaliates and lifts his water bottle, threatening. "Calm down, seriously..."
You're watching as the three of them bicker from the other side of the table, head leaning on your crossed arms. Normally, you'd be the first to initiate these sorts of petty, playful arguments, but you're weighed down by a heavy, drooping tiredness. And it's not letting you do anything.
At all.
"Aren't you gonna eat, Y/n?" Jisung asks, peering around Changbin (who is currently attempting to headlock Minho). "You haven't eaten at all today."
You sigh and sit up, downing the contents of your waterbottle. Ice fills your stomach, freezing its soft lining. You feel stiff.
"I'll eat later," you say. "Promise."
You cross your fingers under the table. Jisung shrugs and looks away, wolfing down the rest of his food. Minho and Changbin, seemingly blind to the interaction, eventually pipe down and do the same.
You sigh and watch as Minho shamelessly stuffs his face, and the sight makes you smile as Jisung and Changbin do the same. At least they're eating properly. But it quickly fades, and you snap out of your thoughts just as Changbin pokes your side.
"...Hey, Y/n. You're not listening."
"O-oh," you stutter. "Sorry."
"Why did you zone out? You always listen to me," he whines.
You always listen to me.
The phrase sparks a dangerous idea in your head. It's so immediately distracting that you stand up, scraping your chair across the floor. Minho and Jisung both look up in surprise at the sudden movement.
"Where are you going?" Minho asks curiously.
"I gotta go," you say, and promptly turn away to leave.
The three members stare after you in confusion.
.
You knock on the door to Chan's studio. The hallway leading to his door is dark, and you trail a hand along the wall as you wait for the call to come in.
There's shuffling, a thump, and then the padding of footsteps as Chan comes and then opens the door. His hair is wild, half of it skewed from his headphones. One of the muffs is placed over the back of his ear so he can hear without taking them off entirely.
"Hey," he greets, unruffled by his very-much-ruffled appearance.
"Hi," you say, suddenly feeling vulnerable.
Chan pauses. "Everything okay?"
You pause for a split second, mind whirring. Why are you here, anyway?
"Um..." you begin feebly, trying to compose a singular thought.
There's a a few seconds of quiet between the both of you before Chan takes your hand gently. You exhale, knowing that he knows something's wrong.
Leading you inside the studio, he sits you down on the black couch behind his desk, taking off his headphones entirely. The cold water from earlier sloshes unpleasantly inside your stomach, doing nothing to quieten the hunger pangs gnawing at your insides. Like filling up a bathtub without the plug in, it can never truly be full.
And neither can you.
You watch as Chan begins to click on files at his desk, dragging and dropping and typing things quickly before he closes down the software entirely. You rise from your seat on the couch, suddenly feeling guilty.
"Chan-"
"Sit." He pushes you back down gently with nothing more than a flick of his wrist. You sigh and try and relax into the cushions, but it's like trying to untense limbs made of rock. You shift uncomfortably as Chan turns around.
He's so much taller right now as you're sitting down; the blue glare of his screen dims slightly as the computer goes to sleep, sending a warm halo of light over the fluffiness of his unbrushed curls.
You gulp as he sits down next to you, sliding down on the couch slightly as he tilts his head to look at the panelled ceiling. The lights up there are off; the only source of illumination comes from a small table lamp in the corner.
"Something's wrong, hmm."
He says it not like a question at all; rather than something he already knows, and he's waiting for you to confirm it.
So you do.
"Yeah." You can't stop fidgeting.
A gentle smile caresses his lips, his gaze still locked on the ceiling. "Are you going to tell me what it is?"
You exhale, a low whoosh from your very core. You're in it now.
"I- I can't eat." Your voice sounds thin, dissipating as soon as the words leave your mouth.
Chan is still looking up, but he's silent for a moment. "When was the last time you ate a full meal?"
You can't answer.
He does look at you then; for the first time you see the true softness of his gaze, the way it seems to reach out and caress your jaw. Your cheeks warm from its steady intensity.
"Don't be ashamed, Y/n," is all he says.
You can feel tears prickling at the corners of your eyes, but you will them away. You don't want to cry in front of him.
"But I am," you say, almost inaudibly. "There's- there's something wrong with me, Chan, and I can't-"
"Hey, hey," He sits up and cups your face, heat flooding into your skin. His palms are warm and dry, slightly rough, but you relish the touch anyway. "There's nothing wrong with you, okay? Nothing at all. Sometimes we just forget how much we're worth, and our habits follow."
You sniff. "I don't have a worth."
"Yes, you do." He scoots closer on the couch, folding you into his arms. "You always have had a worth, and you'll continue to have it. Sometimes you just forget it. And that's completely okay..."
You lean into his shoulder, squeezing your eyes shut. "Chan..."
He continues. "See it like this," he reaches across, letting go of you slightly, and pulls the table lamp closer to him. "Tell me what you see."
You sniff again, feeling a little stupid. "A lamp."
Chan nods. "What's inside the lamp?"
"A light bulb."
He hums and reaches across to the powerpoint, trailing his fingers down the wire til they meet the plug. He rips it out of the socket, the light flickering and dying. The room dims, so much so that you can only just see the outline of Chan's hands around the cord. "Now what do you see?"
You look at him, confused through your misery. "It's still a lamp."
"And what's inside it?"
"A- a light bulb?"
Chan nods simply and sets the lamp down on the floor in front of you, still holding the cord in one hand. "No matter how we change the lamp, no matter what shape, size, colour, or texture it is, the light bulb inside remains the same.
"Even if we damage it, or forget to take care of it," he turns to you then. "I've had this lamp for three years, and I've knocked it over countless times, spilled coffee over it, scratched it, done all sorts of damage to this thing."
You can't fight a tiny smile. He really is clumsy.
"Nevertheless," Chan continues, "It's still working. It's still shining and bringing light to this room, to me. And, like I said, no matter the damage, no matter how the outside changes..." He reaches over to the powerpoint again and plugs the cord back in. Warm light floods the room once more. "The same light keeps shining."
You don't even realise how wet your cheeks are until he swipes a gentle thumb across your face. "Even if the light turns off, it's still there. Sometimes, Y/n, we just need someone to help us bring our light back."
He wraps his arms around you. "It's okay if you can't eat. You don't have to force yourself overnight. Just take it step by step. Snack a little. Have sliced fruit. Keep hydrated, and take breaks during practices. You'll find that eating comes normally once your body's system realises that's what's missing. It's nothing to do with your worth."
You sniffle, wiping your nose on your sleeve. "Are you sure?"
"Positive," he says simply. His voice is solid, steady, as warm as the light emanating from the lamp. The oversized hoodie draped over his torso is pillowy against your wet cheeks.
Chan is still talking softly, and both of you know that you don't have to listen. All you need to do is bask in the glow of the light and his comfort. You can feel the soft, deep vibrations of his voice from within his chest, along with the steady pulsing of his heart.
You close your eyes, and relax.
a/n: man it's been so long since i wrote something (it's been a week)
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