synopsis. manon decides she can no longer keep solani’s secret and calls a meeting with the other kats (minus lani). they decide they can’t let this go on any further and choose dani to confront solani, who immediately panics when she learns they all know.
tags. heavy hurt/comfort, solani’s a stubborn mf, a little tough-love + a lot of comfort, sodani centered mainly but that was an accident believe it or not, guess who my bias is level impossible, eating disorder (bulimia), mature language, panic attack, grief
los angeles, september 15th 2025
the last twelve hours have felt like nothing short of hell for the fifteen year old.
after her fight with manon, solani had done what had become instinct lately—she ran. she'd spent the better part of the night curled up on megan and lara’s couch, phone glowing in her hands as she mindlessly scrolled through thousands of comments. every so often the pressure would spike and she'd press the heels of her hands into her eyes, trying to keep frustrated tears from falling.
it wasn't until nearly midnight when she finally left, slipping out of megan and lara's unit. she crept down the hall, checking through her own apartments peephole first to make sure the lights were off before letting herself inside. she scurried straight to her bedroom, locking the door with trembling hands before finally collapsing into the mattress. she stayed there, face pressed against her pillow, until exhaustion finally managed to drag her under.
the next morning—september fifteenth, exactly two months to the day since her mothers death—solani woke to a pounding headache and swollen eyes. muffled voices coming from the kitchen signaled the other girls had already begun inviting themselves into the apartment. megan's contagious laugh, dani being unnecessarily loud per usual—the normalcy of it all usually brought solani comfort, but today it just made her stomach twist.
she knew the girls knew something—they had to at this point. not everything, but enough to have manon pushing obnoxiously and holding secret meetings in the kitchen with hushed voices and to share sad glances whenever solani entered a room.
she hadn't meant to snap at manon; she felt sick with it now. but at least she doesn't know the real truth, solani reminded herself. let them think it's only grief. let them believe it's anything other than this.
an hour passed before solani decided she couldn't hide forever, despite how much she may want to. she rehearsed an apology under her breath, telling herself that if she said the right things and acted the right way, it would pass. manon would accept it and they'd move on.
"morning, guys." solani greeted timidly, voice fragile as she stepped into the kitchen. she rounded the counter, offering sophia an automatic hug as she passed. she pulled away just as quickly as she'd offered, deliberately avoiding manon's eyes until she had no choice but to meet them.
and when she finally did, the teenager stopped in surprise, taken aback by the look on the older girls face. she didn't look angry at all—instead, she looked gentle. maybe a little too gentle.
manon plasters on a smile, though her eyes betray her concern. "morning, baby," she greets softly, turning from the pot she'd been stirring at the stove, "how are you doing?"
solani hesitated, sensing a trap as she glanced around the kitchen. all six of the older girls' eyes filled instantly as they all stared at the youngest member; at her frame, her shoulders, her wrists, the hollow of her collarbones. they said nothing aloud, but dozens of questions tangled in their minds—had she always been this thin? when had she lost so much weight? how had they not noticed, not seen it happening right in front of them?
unbeknownst to the teenager, the older girls had met in their leaders apartment earlier that morning; manon had ultimately decided to break her promise of silence. after what daniela overheard the other night, the risk was too great; manon feared the purging she witnessed weeks ago was not the ‘one-time thing’ solani claimed it to be, and daniela’s description of the muffled, heartbreaking sobs she'd heard coming from the teens bathroom only confirmed these fears.
manon admitted she'd rushed too fast last night, and she wouldn't make the same mistake twice. they'd elected daniela to approach solani tonight: she wasn't the groups leader, wasn't who had first cornered her during a vulnerable moment. dani was solani's roommate, someone who saw her every day and every night, and she had her own segway into the conversation—she'd heard the teen crying the other night. it seemed simple enough...yet dani couldn't shake the feeling of dread curling in her stomach.
solani shared similar dread now, suspicion flickering as she scanned the room. this definitely felt like a trap. she'd braced herself for coldness, maybe even another confrontation, but not this—smiles stretched too wide, voices too sweet, tears brimming at the edges. "i'm okay...you?" she asked cautiously, testing the waters.
manon nodded far too quickly and solani scanned the kitchen, chest tightening. "okay...well, do you guys need any help?" she offered, though she secretly hoped they would decline her offer; she couldn't wait to leave the kitchen. based on how odd and different everyone was acting, solani guessed manon must have told them, guessed they had to know what transpired between the roommates last night.
"no, we got it handled. thank you though, baby." manon responded with a soft smile and solani let out a internal sigh of relief, knowing just by that one soft nickname that things between them were okay.
"okay, i'll be in my room then. let me know if you need me." solani returned the older girls smile and began to retreat from the kitchen when sudden footsteps sounded from behind her and she turned, immediately finding herself pulled into a crushing hug by daniela. solani froze, taken aback. her arms hung loosely at her sides as dani held her.
and just as she thought the older girl was loosening her grip, a second pair of arms wrapped around her and solani looked up just enough to recognize manon, followed by each of the other girls joining—sophia, lara, megan, yoonchae—and before solani could even register what was happening she was swallowed whole in the center of a suffocating group embrace.
when they finally loosened, pulling back one by one, solani just stood there for a second, staring at each girl who stared back with soft, gentle gazes and worried eyes as if they were looking straight into her soul, as if they knew.
panic surged suddenly and without a word solani bolted back to her room, slamming the door shut behind her and sliding down against it until she hit the floor, pulling her knees to her chest.
confusion gnawed at her. why were they acting like this? did manon say something about catching her in the bathroom, did daniela spill what she'd overheard the other night? had they put it all together? she couldn't keep track of what each girl knew, or guessed, or suspected.
the hours crawled by and solani stayed locked in her room, running mental drills like a soldier preparing for battle. if she could just get through dinner, if she could eat everything on her plate like a normal person, laugh at their jokes, answer their questions, then no one would look twice. no suspicion, no questions. she repeated the strategy until it was carved into her bones: chew, swallow, smile, water. no hesitation.
when dinner finally came, solani forced herself into the role she had rehearsed. she sat at the table, fork in hand, a bright smile pinned to her face. "this is great, you guys," she complimented, scooping mashed potatoes onto her fork. "chefs kiss." she chewed deliberately: bite, swallow, sip. again and again. she answered their questions, contributed to conversations, laughed at the right times, all while her mind raced to keep the rhythm perfect.
to her, it felt flawless. she was flawless. nobody could suspect a thing.
but what solani had forgotten was that these girls knew her better than she realized. they had lived with her, traveled with her, shared late nights and early rehearsals. they had seen every version of her, not just the one she tried to project. and they could tell the difference between the real solani and the mask she wore.
they watched her, every one of them, and for the first time since shee started this 'diet', none of them were fooled.
that night had gone as well as solani could have hoped.
she smiled at the right moments, laughed when the others laughed, played her role so perfectly she almost started believing it herself. she ate her dinner at the table with everyone else, every bite measured out carefully in her head, every smile forced through gritted teeth. she swallowed each forkful while her stomach screamed in protest and her brain did its frantic math: calories, carbs, fat.
after dinner, when the plates were scraped clean and the chatter shifted into movie debates and board games, solani slipped away unnoticed. her excuse was simple—she was tired. the other girls barely blinked, accustomed to the youngest retreating to her room after long days. but the second her door shut, her carefully constructed mask crumbled and she didn't waste a second before locking herself in the bathroom. kneeling over the toilet, she forced her body to rid itself of everything she'd consumed, desperate to undo the damage before it stuck.
she thought she was careful, thought she was hidden. thought no one would know.
but just a few feet away, in the quiet of her own bedroom, daniela was unraveling.
for nearly an hour now the older girl had been pacing a track into her carpet, wrestling with the gnawing weight in her chest; the five remaining girls waited anxiously in the living room, giving her space to rehearse exactly what she wanted to say to the teenager. and as nauseous as it made daniela, she knew that the others had chosen her for a reason, not just because they didn't want to risk upsetting solani themselves.
because she wasn't just the teens roommate; she was one of the oldest. protecting the girls, protecting solani, was her job. it was all of their jobs—and if they didn't step in, who would?
as the eldest manon had already tried, and that had gone about as well as using gasoline to put out a fire. and with manon having not only been the one to catch her purging weeks earlier, but also having argued with her the night before, asking her to try again would only risk making things worse.
sophia was the groups leader, and solani worshipped that girl like no other. to the youngest girl sophia’s approval meant stability, safety, and the absence of it could unravel her faster than anything else. coming from her would only make solani feel backed into a corner, like there was no room left to breathe without disappointing the one person she looked up to most.
at first, dani felt confident in her role. she was steady, gentle yet firm, and she'd always felt close to solani, especially given their shared language and similar culture. they were both big on physical touch as their love languages, constantly hugging or leaning against each other, existing in each other’s space without needing permission. dani felt like she knew what to say and how to say it, knew what she wanted to convey; she’d gone over it in her head more than once, making sure they wouldn’t come out too sharp or accusing. there was a rhythm to solani, one dani had learned over time, and she trusted herself to meet her there, to ease into the conversation instead of forcing it.
but simply knowing what to say and actually saying it were two completely different things.
daniela's legs felt as if they were full of lead as she forced herself across the short distance to solani's door. the other five girls were waiting anxiously in the living room, watching her move down the hall. each step sounded louder in her head than it really was, her pulse thundering in her ears. she stood there for a long moment, hand hovering over the wood, before finally exhaling and knocking.
"come in!" came solani's voice, muffled but casual.
dani eased the door open and stepped inside, her smile strained. solani was curled in bed, blanket pulled high with a book balanced in her lap. the lamplight cast her face in a soft glow, accentuating just how thin her cheeks had become. dani's chest tightened. how had they missed this?
"hey, lanibaby.” she greeted, forcing her tone light.
solani glanced up, eyes narrowing in suspicion though her tone remained casual. “hi dani. you okay?"
"yeah, i'm okay.” daniela said softly, though her smile never met her eyes.
the younger girl tilted her head slightly, suspicion flickering across her features before she shrugged and looked back at her book. in her mind, she was sure this was about the previous night—dani overhearing something that wasn't meant to be heard, then going and spreading it to manon. she figured the older girl was here to apologize, and maybe that was fine. she wasn't angry anymore, but she still expected some acknowledgment.
"lani, can we talk?" dani finally asked, voice careful as she perched on the edge of the bed.
solani sighed, slipping a placeholder into her book and setting it aside. "dani, if this is about last ni—"
"it's not," dani interrupted gently. "though i am sorry for invading your space the other night. but i'm not sorry for worrying about you—we'll always worry about you. it's in the job description." she tried to smile, poking at solani's knee through the blanket.
"thanks." the teenager gave a weak smile back, but unease crawled beneath her skin. "so...what is it then?"
daniela hesitated, the words clogged in her throat. "wanna watch a movie?" she blurted out, gesturing to the tv mounted in one corner of the bedroom.
the abrupt change made solani blink. "uh, i was reading, but i guess..." she shrugged, grabbing the remote. "what'd you wanna watch?"
"your choice.” dani answered. “you never get to pick our movie nights.”
rolling her eyes, solani scrolled for a few seconds before clicking randomly. "this one's fine."
"ooh, mean girls! good pick." daniela crawled onto the bed, sliding right beside the younger girl and reaching to pull her close. solani let her; it felt normal again, dani pulling her close like she always did. the comfort was familiar, even if the air buzzed with something unspoken.
for the first half hour, dani didn't watch the movie at all. she stared at the screen but saw nothing, her mind rehearsing and discarding sentences over and over. her arm stayed draped protectively around solanis, the steady rise and fall of the younger girl's breathing calming her even as her own heart raced. halfway through, daniela finally whispered, "i love you, lanibaby."
"love you too, dani.” solani responded, entirely relaxed in the older girls arms now, her previous worries of being caught having faded away.
"i want you to know that all of us will always be here for you, no matter what." daniela continued carefully, feeling her heart pound as she inched closer to the conversation she was dreading to have. "through the good and bad. if you’re struggling, if you want to talk about your mom…we’re here."
"i know, dani.” solani responded without turning around. "i love you guys too—now let's watch the movie you so badly wanted to watch."
dani went silent again, braving herself to say the words. she knew once she started the rest would come, but the first step was always the hardest. finally she took a deep breath, forcing the words out in a whisper: "lani...i know."
solanis breath hitched instantly. her body went rigid under dani's arm. for a long moment she said nothing, the only sound her pounding heart. "know what?" she asked finally, voice far too thin and sharp to pass as casual. her heart slammed against her ribs; daniela couldn't possibly know, could she? manon had promised not to say anything, and she had no reason to belive solani hadn't held up her end of the deal. she'd had been too careful to leave any cracks behind. how on earth could dani know? how could anyone know?
dani reached for the remote and paused the movie, turning to face the solani. she felt the teens palm become clammy as the girl pulled it from her grasp, tucking both hands inside the pocket of her sweatshirt. "lani, we know about your struggles with eating." she finally finished, watching the teens reaction carefully. "we know about the purging."
solani's stomach dropped and her vision tilted as if the floor had disappeared beneath her. she couldn't breathe, couldn't think. the secret she held so tightly guarded for months had been ripped out into the open with a single sentence. tears burned her eyes and her chest squeezed.
"lani breathe, baby.” dani urged, rubbing her back. "everything's okay, just breathe."
but solani shook her head, gasping, hands clawing at the collar of her hoodie as if she were suffocating. her breaths came fast and shallow, her whole body trembling. nothing felt real. she didn't feel real, and the words coming out of dani's mouth surely didn't sound real. they couldn't be, it didn't make any sense. they couldn't know. solani had worked too hard for any of them to know.
"i'm just gonna take your sweatshirt off, okay? you'll breathe easier." dani reached forward gently, trying her best to keep her voice level.
solani, however, was in hysterics as she shook her head, harshly pushing daniela's hands away. "no!" she shrieked, shoving to her feet. she couldn't belive this was happening right now; all her hard work was going to go to waste. she had been so close to her goal and finally being comfortable in her own skin, and now that was all going to be taken away right when it was just within reach.
"lani, it's okay. i promise it will be okay, but this needs to come off or you will pass out." dani tried again, a bit louder but still gentle. she knew that she needed to work quickly before solani's growing panic attack advanced any further.
but solani only fought harder, backing further and further away. "no! get out!"
"i said get out!" solani shrieked, all reason gone. "get—get—" she gasped, hands desperately pulling at her hoodies collar, "get megan or sophia or-or literally anyone but you two!" she shouts, referring to both of her roommates.
the words should've hurt dani but she didn't care about any of that right now, instead rushing to the doorway and calling out for the other girls waiting in the kitchen. within seconds footsteps thundered down the hall. sophia appeared first, voice soft as she slowly moved inside, "lani, baby."
solani panted, eyes bloodshot as she continued to gasp for breath. it was strangely reminiscent of the vma awards. "soph—"
"i'm here, i'm right here." sophia soothed, slowly inching closer as she tried to speak reason into a shaking solani. "listen to me, baby. we need to take your sweatshirt off or you're going to pass out."
solani shook her head violently but her arms had grown too weak to fight. sophia's hands were steady as she gently tugged the hoodie over her head, revealing a loose tank top that clung to nothing. she didn't notice that the other four girls had gathered in the doorway by now, their eyes widening at the truth laid bare. the lines of solani's ribs, the frailty of her arms, the way her collarbone jutted against skin—the evidence was undeniable.
sophia kept her voice steady, holding the teenagers trembling shoulders. "breathe with me, lani. in and out, nice and slow."
eventually, the frantic breaths slowed. solanis tears streaked her face, hands shaking as she snatched her sweatshirt from sophia and yanked it hastily over her head, disappearing back inside it. she slowly looked over at the girls hovering in the doorway, each clearly devastated but trying to hide it. the teenagers face quickly grew warm under their gaze and she swiped at her tears, retreating to her bed and turning away, shoulders rigid.
she couldn't believe all six of her group members now knew her secret. and it's not like she could've hidden it, especially not after the stunt she just pulled—they would never believe that. it was official—the entire group knew her biggest, darkest secret and there was nothing solani could do about it.
"lani?" daniela's voice was soft but steady as it cut through the jagged silence of the room several minutes later; sophia had guided the others out into the living room, voices hushed and trembling as they whispered concern.
meanwhile solani had retreated as far as her bed would allow, curled into the corner as though she could disappear into the wall if only she tried hard enough. she hadn't moved or spoken a single word since sophia had first entered the bedroom.
"solani.” daniela tried again, moving closer. she was careful with her movements, lowering herself onto the edge of the mattress like one might approach a frightened animal. the younger girl made no move to acknowledge her and dani let out the faintest sigh, reaching out to rub slow circles along solanis back. her hand moved up toward her hair, fingers combing lightly through the dark strands until, finally, the teenager stirred, turning just enough that her face came into view. her eyes were red rimmed, lashes clumped with tears, but she still refused to meet dani's gaze, staring instead at the blanket bunched in her fists.
"talk to me, lanibaby." daniela whispered, leaning closer. "please don't shut us out. it's me, lani. it's me." her hands came up to cradle solani's face, thumbs brushing away the fresh tears that slid stubbornly down her cheeks. "i'm right here."
solani didn't answer, not at first, and the silence stretched long and heavy, punctuated only by the sound of her unsteady breaths. then, from the doorway, quiet footsteps padded in as the others returned, careful and watchful as though they feared one wrong move would shatter her further. they hovered at the threshold, gauging the temperature of the room before cautiously creeping closer to gather around the bed. megan reached her first this time, slipping beside solani and sliding into the space at her back. she wrapped her arms around her as the younger girl leaned instinctively into her chest.
“how?" lani asked, too exhausted to fight back any longer. there was no use anyway—her secret was no longer hers. she'd spent two months building walls and crafting alibis; every day had been a performance, a constant choreography of lies and rituals meant to keep suspicion away. and yet, here she was: the curtain had been pulled back. it was over; and although she wished her group members didn't know her secret, the smallest part of her was a bit relived. what started off as a harmless diet had quickly spiraled out of control and consumed every part of the teens life, and solani was simply tired. at the end of the day, she really just missed her mom. it was an ache far worse than hunger.
"because we love you, lani." megan smiled sadly. "you are beautiful, and those thoughts telling you otherwise are not real—we know the real you, and we love her."
there was a beat of silence before lara stepped foward, holding out a hand. “can you get up for a sec, baby?” she asked gently.
solani hesitated. as much as she wanted to just lie here until the mattress swallowed her whole, she didn’t even have the energy to deny lara. she took the outstretched hand, slowly rising on shaky legs.
lara helped her up, pressing a brief kiss to the top of the teens head before guiding her by the shoulders across the room. they stopped in front of the full-sized mirror hanging behind solani’s bedroom door. “can you look up, lani?” lara asked, standing behind the teen as the other girls waited back by the bed.
solani knew exactly what lara was trying to do, and she wasn’t having it. instead she shook her head, gaze fixed intensely on her carpeted floor.
“come on, lani.” yoonchae chirped gently from the other side of the room. “just do it.”
reluctant, solani lifted her head until her eyes caught the mirror’s reflection. lara let out a soft sigh at her compliance. “what do you see, lani?”
“i see that my mirror’s dirty.” solani answers bluntly before immediately returning her gaze to the floor.
“well, do you wanna know what i see?”
solani shrugs her shoulders. “not really.”
lara looked sadly at the younger girl’s reflection. solani looked like a hollowed out version of herself, as if something had been dimmed from the inside. her eyes carried too much at once—grief that had nowhere to go, and a sharp self-hatred that sat beneath it all like a second skin.
“i see a girl who’s been trying so, so hard to be strong and brave on her own,” lara said gently, voice steady but softened at the edges, “that she forgot she doesn’t have to be.” her gaze flicked down briefly, catching the way solani’s bottom lip started to tremble. it made something twist uncomfortably in lara’s chest, a quiet guilt threading through her for how direct she was being, even if it was necessary. but she didn’t step back from it. she knew solani needed to hear it, even if it hurt.
“it won’t bring her back, baby.” she continued, voice lowering further, almost a whisper now. “no matter how small you try to make yourself, or how hard you try to be perfect and quiet and just right…it won’t bring your mom back.”
finally, solani’s body sagged as though something inside her had given up on holding itself together all at once. she let out a sound between a broken sob and a gasp, face crumpling before she collapsed abruptly, letting herself fall into the arms that had been waiting to catch her for months now.
lara lunged forward instantly, sliding both arms under solani's and gently lowering the teen to the floor. her expression tightened as she sank beside her, pulling the younger girl in close as she wept for everything all at once, as if there had never been enough space for it until this moment.
solani cried for herself—for the fragile, exhausted girl who’d been carrying this alone. she cried for her brothers back home who had depended on her. she cried for her mother, for the absence that never softened, only sharpened with time, for the reminders of her that still lingered in everything she did. for her group members who became her best friends—no, her sisters—whom she lied to.
but mostly she cried for herself, for the little girl she used to be who hadn't known hunger or shame, the one who hadn't known what it was like to measure worth in calories.
finally manon moved closer, sliding in close until she could gently pull solani from lara's arms into her own, gathering the younger girl into her embrace as she had done so a hundred times before and would do so a hundred more. solani immediately clung to her, sobs deepening as she buried her face against her roommate.
"it's okay, baby." manon murmured, rocking gently. "let it out. we're here, you're safe. we're going to help you get better, you'll be okay." she repeated, one hand moving in slow circles along solani's back as she bent to kiss the top of her head. "i promise, i promise."
the others leaned in around them as solani's sobs went on and on, echoing throughout the apartment. manon kept her cheek pressed lightly against solani's hair, her hand still moving in slow, repetitive strokes along her back. only when the teens breathing began to settle into something less fractured did manon glance up at the others. no one wanted to move first, but they all understood the same thing without saying it: she needed rest more than anything now.
carefully, they worked together to guide a disoriented solani back toward her bed. the younger girl made a faint sound of protest as she felt the contact change, instinctively reaching out for manon. the groups eldest slid in beside her without hesitation, wincing at how small solani felt when she curled into her side, one arm wrapped tight across manon's waist.
the others whispered soft goodnights, retreating one by one to their own bedrooms and apartments. manon stayed, of course—she couldn't imagine leaving.
she adjusted slightly, careful not to wake solani, and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head; the night had gone nothing like any of them had expected, and though she felt a strange peace in holding her, manon knew this wasn't the end. they were all too aware that this was only the beginning of an uphill battle, one they would climb together.
but that was tomorrows worry. for now, she let her sister sleep.
