Chapter Text
Xiaoting didn't really notice how big her hands were. Holding hands with someone was practically a norm for her since dance sports was never a solo performance. Her male partners almost always have bigger hands than hers, except for a few who were of equal size.
She never paid any attention to them. Not until she got herself into the idol business.
Skinship was not that prominent back home so it came as a bit of a culture shock when she moved to Korea and somehow, all of the girls she became friends with were all up in her personal bubble (whether she liked it or not).
They, especially, liked to hold her hands.
If she had to be honest, she kinda– actually, screw that, she was super conscious of how big her hands were when compared to her members'.
Hikaru, ever so blunt with her observations, would always comment about how gigantic her hands were whenever she clung to Xiaoting and lures her in to smush their cheeks together. Xiaoting would dismiss it with a casual rolling of the eyes and lovingly pinch Hikaru's cheeks afterward, much to the younger girl's complaints.
Bahiyyih shared the same woes regarding bigger-sized hands with Xiaoting, and proudly self-proclaimed themselves as comrades. She would go to great lengths to show Xiaoting that she was not alone in her concerns and made it a point to join their equally-sized hands together in solidarity. Xiaoting lets out a chuckle every time over how ridiculous this might seem to outsiders, but she would gladly take Bahiyyih's eager show of companionship any day.
Chaehyun, however, never failed to compliment on how pretty her hands were; whether it be during a nail-polishing session at the dorm on their day off, or whenever she ordered way too many accessories online and gave away some of her rings to Xiaoting to make them look prettier. Xiaoting was sure that she didn't need that many gifts from her, but it was hard to resist Chaehyun and her oh-so-charming ways.
Dayeon loved to watch Xiaoting dance. She admired how elegant and mesmerising her hands were in motion; the way her wrists flicked to the beat of the music, how supple her fingers moved. She mimicked her movements at one corner of the practice room while Xiaoting rehearsed her solo performance, unaware of the fact that the professional was trying to stifle her laughter over how endearing she was.
For how much Xiaoting felt regarding the size of her own hands, she did think they could be pretty helpful at times.
Youngeun gets cold easily. So cold that Xiaoting wondered whether they should start calling her an arctic fox instead. When the days started dipping and the air turned to frost, Xiaoting learned to spot the signs well. When Youngeun said little to no words on the trips to their schedules, Xiaoting would nudge a packet of herbal cough lozenges into her palm. When Youngeun bundled herself into a cocoon and lingered near her, Xiaoting would reach out and interlock their hands without another word. Youngeun always accepted the extra layer of warmth with a content smile.
Mashiro didn't get to cook as much as she would like to now that she has debuted, but whenever the group had a few days off, she breaks out the pots and pans, puts on an apron, and gets to work to whip up a feast. Xiaoting never lets her do it alone. If Mashiro had trouble opening a tight jar of spices, Xiaoting was there. Needed an extra pair of hands to chop up the vegetables? Xiaoting prepped them in a flash with surprising skills. The last packet of noodles was out of reach in the top pantry? Xiaoting grabbed them with ease. They worked like a well-oiled machine and Mashiro always rewarded her by letting her taste-test the food, much to Xiaoting's delight.
Yujin had a heavy burden to carry on her shoulders. Sometimes, being a leader took its toll on her but she shook off the worries and exhaustion with a cheery smile. Xiaoting looked past the facade. When the days ended after a particularly long schedule and everyone else had gone back into their rooms, Xiaoting would pull her leader out by the hand to the balcony of their dorm; coaxing Yujin to share with her if anything was weighing on her mind. Yujin would casually dismiss it but when Xiaoting gently clasped her hand and started caressing her knuckle with her thumb, Yujin caved in.
She may not like the size of her hands, but someday, Xiaoting will learn to treasure them.