I might break sometimes

When Daehyun walks in the next day, he crumbles to the ground, a tangle of limbs and tiredness and he just lays there. The new concert routines are merging with the old concert routines and he must have stopped practice more than a few times because he couldn’t get his mind in order. But by the time he figures out enough to get his routines in order, it was three in the morning and the other members aren’t even speaking to him. Not even Jongup.

He’s been on the floor for more than twenty minutes when he notices the apartment is dark and Aria has yet to come into the living room. He sits up on his elbows, brown hair stuck to the back of his neck still despite the cool air in his apartment.

“Aria?” His voice rings through the empty apartment. Standing up, he walks slowly towards the bedroom. “Aria?” Still empty. He racks his brain to see if there was something she had to do today, but could think of nothing. But it’s late and his mind is worn and now he’s frantic. Maybe she left. Maybe she’d had enough. He’s half out of his jacket when the door clicks open and soft footsteps invade his ears.

“Aria?” He croaks, hoping. Wishing.

“Oh! Daehyun! You scared me!” She locks the door before taking off her shoes, walking quickly towards him. “I thought you weren’t coming home because of practice?” Her hands help to pry off the jacket and he immediately sinks into her embrace. “Dae?” She can feel the wetness from his tears against her skin, but she doesn’t want to bring it up.

“It’s been a long day,” he mumbles against her neck. Slowly, so he doesn’t have to let go, she falls back against the sofa, Daehyun still in her arms.

“Do you wanna talk?”

“I thought you left,” he whispers. “I thought you’d grown tired of everything and l--”

“Never,” she proclaims, patting his back. Daehyun has these days. Days where he feels useless and unwanted. Days where the insecurity from years before haunt him and his every step. He’s quiet. The shakes in his body as the tears pour out the only reminder that he’s present. He tries to quiet them, silence them. But perhaps it’s too much tonight.

“I’m so tired,” he admits. “I’m tired of making mistakes. I want to make my parents proud, but how can I? I’ve only made mistakes.”

Aria rubs soothing circles on his back. “That’s not true. You’ve come a long way.”

“I want to make them proud.”

“You are.”

Daehyun sighs, sitting up. His eyes are puffy from crying, but at least he’s stopped. It’s not that she particularly likes to see Daehyun cry. That’s not it at all because when Daehyun smiles, the world shines and she can feel her heart burst, but when he cries, she’s certain her heart breaks. No, it’s more that she appreciates that he trusts her enough to cry in front of her. It’s the way his body easily molds to hers for comfort. The way his arms tremble until they’re securely wrapped around her. Perhaps that’s selfish and distorted, but Aria thinks it’s an honor. An honor that Daehyun trusts her this much because he trusts a precious few.

When Daehyun cries, it’s enough to make Aria cry as well. But when Daehyun is breaking, it rips her apart and really, all she wants to do is soothe the ache. Because Jung Daehyun is amazing and hardworking. He’s thinking of others and he’s caring and sometimes she thinks it’s unfair that there isn’t more awards or fame under his belt because she knows he deserves it.

“I should be buying them a house and a car. Paying off their loans...”

Aria sighs. This isn’t really reasonable. So she waits. Waits until his big brown eyes meet hers in defeat. He’s impossible. It takes years before one can pay back their parents. And he wants to do it in days, hours, minutes, seconds. He wants to give until there’s nothing left on him.

“I messed up a lot today,” he confesses. “There’s something wrong with me.”

At this she speaks up immediately. “There’s nothing wrong with you!” He glances at her skeptically. Of course no one is perfect, but Jung Daehyun is a little different. Sometimes he’s hasty and closed off. Sometimes he says things rashly. Sometimes he’s an . But he’s always Jung Daehyun. And so, how can there be anything wrong?

Daehyun scoffs, but the ends of his lips curve into a soft smile.

“We all have our days when everything is just a little harder than usual.”

Daehyun sighs. “I just have them--”

“Once in a while. Like everyone else,” she interrupts, glaring.

Daehyun laughs, shaking his head. It’s quiet again. Longer this time. “Thank you,” he finally sighs.

“For?”

“Staying.”