Chapter Text
“Mizi… please wake up.” A soft voice reached out to her like an angel from heaven. The world was dark, and her head pounded.
Mizi’s eyes slowly opened. She was back in her dorm room at university, and her tired roommate crouched down next to her bed to wake her up in the dead of night. Sua’s familiar voice rang through her ears again. “Hey… Mizi? Are you okay? It seemed like you were having a terrible nightmare again.”
Mizi’s eyes widened upon seeing her again, alive and well. She pulled her into the tightest hug possible and immediately broke down crying, “Sua… you’re alive… please don’t leave me. I’m so scared that I’ll just lose you when I blink again…”
She let out all her jumbled thoughts at once while Sua just tried to get her to stop squeezing so tightly around her. Sua gently put her arms around her roommate, “It’s okay. I… I promise I won’t disappear if you close your eyes. As long as I'm holding you, everything will be okay.”
Mizi’s frantic breathing calmed down for a moment. She couldn’t tell what was real, and what was a dream anymore. But Sua’s warm hug was confirmation that she was finally awake. She spoke in a weak and tired voice, “I-I’m so sorry… just need a moment to process everything. And a trip to the bathroom….”
Sua’s eyes widened as she saw her friend’s eyes start to stare blankly at the wall. She quickly helped Mizi over to the dorm’s bathroom and sat her down in front of the toilet, where she began to puke out the entirety of last night’s dinner.
“Mizi…” Sua shook her head. Now wasn’t the time to ask questions, her friend’s health was significantly more important. Sua crouched over next to her friend and held her hair back as she puked. This was the first time she’d ever seen Mizi like this. She never went to parties, drank more than what she could handle, or acted irresponsibly in any way. It was alarming to say the least.
After Mizi’s stomach began to calm down a bit, Sua asked again in a concerned voice, “Mizi, are you okay? Did you eat something weird last night? Should I call a doctor?”
Mizi was an absolute wreck. The image of Sua’s dead body just kept flashing through her mind. She sat on the bathroom floor, staring at the blank space in front of her as Sua wiped the puke off her lips.
“I… I don’t know.” Mizi spoke weakly, trying to organize a single thought in her jumbled head.
Sua ran her hand over Mizi’s forehead. Unsurprisingly, she was burning up. The pink-haired girl looked up at Sua with a blank expression. She seemed completely out of it. Sua let out a sigh and picked her up. “No wonder you’re acting so weird… Here I was thinking you got all drunk or something.”
She returned Mizi to her bed, tucking her snugly beneath the covers. Mizi’s breath was hot and fast-paced. Not something Sua never wanted to see. She searched diligently through their shared dorm room, grabbing anything her friend would need. The glowing letters on the alarm clock read 3:25 am, and classes started at 7 am. Sua shook her head, thinking to herself “I’ll stay up as long as I need to take care of her. She would do the same for me.”
Sua’s face remained determined to help Mizi. She rummaged through their food cubby for something soft to eat.
Mizi watched Sua walk around the room with her fuzzy vision. Her head pounded, her body felt heavy, and she wanted to throw up again. The visions of the nightmare danced around inside her head, never letting her forget what she did. Spiraling deeper into her sickness, she eventually fell asleep.
...
Mizi’s eyes opened again slowly once she felt Sua nudge her shoulder and whisper her name. The pounding of her head and the sickness came back soon after.
Sua smiled gently, holding a tray with a warm bowl of chicken noodle soup and a glass of water on top. She set it down on her lap, “Hey, how do you feel?”
“Ugh… everything hurts. My head feels… messed up in so many ways.” Mizi’s voice was quiet and raspy. She couldn’t speak louder than a whisper.
“Mmm… Wanna talk about it?” Sua sat down on Mizi’s bed, looking over at her sick friend with a caring expression.
“...I’m sorry.” Mizi started to break down again, but she tried to wipe away her tears. “Is it okay if I tell you everything…? Maybe not right now, but someday.”
“That’s okay! I'm always available to listen, no matter how crazy it sounds. It hurts when I see you suffering so much, so let me carry part of the burden too.” The girl smiled and wrapped her arm around her roommate’s shoulder from the side. “I’ll stay here as long as you need.”
“Thanks…” Mizi smiled weakly, and looked down at the tray of food “Oh, I should finish my food first…”
Sua giggled and nodded. “No rush~”
Mizi loved how patient her roommate was with her. Sometimes it felt like Sua’s compassion had no limits toward her, which is why she was so angry when Luka disrespected her like that. She ate slowly while Sua hummed a quiet melody to keep herself awake. The song, of course, was ‘Sweet Dream’.
The room was mostly quiet, aside from Mizi’s occasional coughing and sniffing and Sua’s humming. Only a small night light illuminated the room since the main lights would probably hurt Mizi’s eyes. The other remaining light came from the moon's glow outside the window. Sua began to hum another song, ‘My Celmantis’, which caused Mizi to stop eating and break down again.
Sua’s eyes were immediately filled with anxiety as she saw Mizi grip her hands over her ears. Her voice sounded concerned as she moved before Mizi’s line of sight, “I’m right here, Mizi… there’s nothing to be scared of anymore.”
Mizi’s mind still fought to discern reality and nightmares. Her golden pupils looked away quickly, but her roommate eventually pulled her back to reality by holding Mizi’s trembling hands. Sua wanted to say something, but couldn’t find the right words. She just wipes away Mizi’s tears with her thumbs.
Once Mizi could speak again, she whispered, “I’m sorry for being a helpless mess tonight. Listening to you hum that song just… made me remember again. We were supposed to sing it together, but… you disappeared when I turned around.” Mizi’s hands tighten around Sua’s, ”It's hard to tell if you're real, or just a fleeting image that will disappear when I blink…”
Sua’s eyes widened, realizing why Mizi was horrified and holding her hands so tightly. Nightmares often show you what you’re most terrified of, and Sua knew her roommate well enough to know her greatest fear.
A blurry image of a young Mizi crying on a swingset envelopes Sua’s mind, but she quickly shakes it away. Sua wrapped her arms around Mizi’s waist and laid down on the bed, pulling Mizi down with her. She quietly whispers into her ear, “Let’s sing my clematis together, okay? If I disappear again, you’ll know it’s all just a dream and that I’ll be there to wake you up again in the real world.”
A small part of Mizi just wanted to refuse and hold onto this version of Sua, whether she was real or not. But the frailty of the unknown made her even more terrified. After a moment, Mizi nods her head and whispers back, “Alright… I… I trust you.”
Sua nodded and adjusted her voice. “Ready?”
Mizi hesitantly nods, tightening the hug around Sua. Internally, she prayed to her god. She didn’t want to constantly question everything because of a stupid nightmare. She just wanted to be with Sua…
Mizi takes a deep breath and sings quietly, “Oh, my Clematis, Hope bloomed through the abyss…”
Scared of what she might see, Mizi closed her eyes, but when she reopened them, Sua's beautiful, smiling face greeted her.
“Oh, my Clematis, Always be by my side~”
The girls continued to sing together in harmony once again. Mizi’s expression was filled with relief and happiness as she sang. She didn’t mind how raspy and nasally her voice sounded. The relief of knowing this wasn’t another dream filled her with all the comfort she needed.
They sang until Mizi went silent. Once her mind became at ease, Mizi gave in to her exhaustion and fell asleep. Sua remained committed to staying with her, so she snuggled next to Mizi like they were kids again.
Sua giggled and whispered, knowing Mizi was already out, “Night Mizi… Love you.”
…
The sunlight from the new morning peeked through the curtains. A new day for these exhausted college students had begun, yet both remained in bed enjoying each other’s comfort as they slept.
Unfortunately, Sua only slept for a couple hours before she needed to head off to class. She made sure to stay quiet as she prepared her things. But before she left, she leaned down and kissed Mizi’s forehead, leaving a small lipstick mark behind.