Work Text:
“Bye, Blooms!! And thank you for tuning in to our livestream again!! See you soon!”
When Ms. MQ has confirmed that the live stream has ended, all the staff and the girls (except for Colet and Aiah) sluggishly stood up to go back to their own rooms to get that much needed sleep. As per usual tradition, the stream was yet again held in the shared room of the elder girls.
Aiah looks at Mikha and Maloi who are both just seconds into falling asleep, “Col, I think kailangan mong alalayan ‘tong dalawang ‘to. Parang ‘di na nila kayang mag-lakad mag-isa pabalik sa rooms nila.”
Colet nodded, “Uyab, Mikhs tara.”
Gwen, Sheena and Stacey look to have more energy than the others so Aiah was not too worried about them but just to be sure she still asks, “Gwenny, Shee, Staks, kaya niyo naman ‘di ba?”
“Yes, Ate Oiah”, Sheena replied and together with the other two made their way out of the room.
Aiah’s attention was then diverted to the lone person left who was eerily quiet when the livestream has ended.
“Jhoanna”, Aiah softly called out.
Jho met Aiah’s gaze and said, “Hmm?”
“Dito ka muna?”
“’Di ba ako makakaabala sa’yo?”, Jho replied.
She looks so unsure and worried that Aiah couldn’t help but give her some re-assurance, “You’ll never be a bother to me, Jho.”
Aiah then pats the space beside her, “Come here”.
Once Jho was within Aiah’s reach, she gently pulls her into her arms and settles them into a comfortable position with Jho resting her head into Aiah’s chest and her right arm resting on top of Aiah’s stomach. They were basically cuddling at this point.
“You okay?”, Aiah soflty whispered at the top of Jho’s hair.
“Yeah”, Jho whispered back.
“Sure? I saw you coughing kanina. Did you drink your meds today ba?”
“Opo. Kanina pagdating natin sa hotel, ‘yun ang una kong ginawa.”
“Okay, that’s good. Make sure you time it, okay? Kailangan masundan ‘yan, Jho.”
“Yes, mom”, Jho teasingly replied. Even if Jho couldn’t see her face, Aiah rolled her eyes and lightly slapped Jho’s back.
“Aray! Masakit ‘yun, Aiah ah”, Jho looked up at Aiah to meet her eyes and pouted.
“Sorry na, ikaw kasi eh”, Aiah then gently caressed the ‘wounded’ area.
“Stop worrying about me, Aiah. I can take care of myself, you know?”
“I know, but I couldn’t help it so just let me, okay? I like taking care of you.”
Jho looked up at her and lets out a soft smile. Aiah could’ve sworn that her heart skipped a beat once she met her gaze, “Okay”.
A comfortable silence was shared between the two of them as Aiah found herself getting lost in Jho’s eyes. Aiah was beyond grateful of being part of a girl group and the chaos that comes with it. But if there’s one thing that she would always treasure, it is moments like this where she can just be with Jho and bask in her soothing presence.
“What are you thinking?”, Jho asked, breaking the silence.
“Nothing, I’m just happy that you’re here.”
“Me too.”
Aiah who was so busy admiring Jho, was slightly surprised when Jho reached out to gently caress her cheek. She unconsciously leans into the touch and closed her eyes.
God, how I wish we can stay like this forever, Aiah thought.
“Can I stay the night here? I’ve missed this.”
“More than happy for you to. Colet’s probably staying the night in Maloi’s room anyway.”
Jho lets go of her cheek and settled her arm on Aiah’s stomach again. She then laid her head back on top of Aiah's chest, where she can listen to her heart beat - it's soft rhythmic pattern already lulling her into a peaceful slumber.
And before Aiah can stop herself, she placed a soft kiss on top of Jho’s hair and mumbled, “Sleep now, love.”