the first line came to me and the rest kinda followed lol - just a noodle, ~600 words
The girls know this because she often talks in her sleep, nonsensical phrases about turtles and rainbows that made Rumi and Mira giggle during their trainee days whenever they’d nap in the shade of the trees to escape the summer heat. They'd ask her questions, silly things like math problems and hypotheticals, both - what's five moose multiplied by five geese? what would the world be like if dolphins could fly? - and then have to smother their laughter at Zoey's mumbled replies. They're careful not to actually pry, to give her time to share what she wants, when she wants, when she's awake.
Nowadays, when she does, it's to Rumi and Mira's faces, and this morning is no different, but the level of fondness is too much for Zoey to handle first thing out of her dreams. She hides her face in her pillow and whines. "Did I say something again?"
Gentle fingers comb through her hair. "You were very cute," she hears from her left, hears an accompanying snicker from her right. Pouts and strikes out - grins when she makes contact, at the satisfying smack and the hiss she gets for her efforts.
Frowns when she feels a tug on her ear. "Zoey."
She pouts further and burrows blindly into Rumi's arms. "It's you guys' fault for talking to me while I'm sleeping. What am I supposed to do - not answer?" Feels a soft laugh shake Rumi's chest, knows without looking that Mira's rolling her eyes.
"You could at least tell me what I said," Zoey continues plaintively. "Or what you guys asked me." Yelps when her cheek is pinched; kicks out instinctively; misses.
"It's her fault for being so cute," Mira says, pitching her voice up in an annoyingly good imitation of Zoey: "What am I supposed to do - not bully her?"
Zoey whines, trying to hide in Rumi's shirt. Tries not to sigh when those strong arms squeeze her tightly. "Hm. That's true - what is a maknae if not for bullying?"
"Hey -!" Zoey's yelp dissolves into giggles when the hands pressed against her back shift from reassurance to tickling her waist, turns into shrieks when two more hands join in.
(What Zoey doesn't know is that while they still ask her silly things - like, how would you make a rainbow into a bucket hat? or, which type of turtle would look cutest in rainboots? - Rumi and Mira spend most of their time now asking her questions that are less for Zoey to answer and more for her to understand - truths that have yet to fully land and take root: You know we love you, right? How did you make yet another song that is just as amazing as you? Did you know you're perfect just the way you are?)
They relent, eventually, ending up in a floppy, breathless pile amidst the tangled sheets. Rumi nuzzles into Zoey's stomach as Mira curls around them both.
"The most bullied maknae," Zoey huffs in complaint, a full pout on her face.
"The most loved," Rumi corrects with a kiss to Zoey's sternum; smiles when she feels Zoey's posturing melt away.
"The most adored," Mira adds as she combs through Zoey's wild hair and plants her own kiss there. "The most treasured."
"Okay! Okay, geez, enough with thesaurus time," Zoey covers her burning face with her hands and tries to squirm away. Rumi and Mira just hold on tight as they exchange a fond glance. (They know what they'll be telling her the next chance they get; that the next time Zoey falls asleep, they'll make sure to speak in the language of her dreams.)
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