Chapter Text
Ena heaved as she at last forced herself up a porch and onto her front door
It had been a good half hour since she was left to haul her body back from that damned cafe, although it’d be no lie to say the girl was very irritated from the heat radiating off her skin to stick against her shirts fabric from running so suddenly, including an additional warmness coming off of a box within her grasp
Yet, none of it could compare to the choking cold feeling of anxiety in her throat
She didn’t know what happened, or why, but she knew it was her fault in a way
After all, your girlfriend of over seven years surely wouldn’t just bail on you for no reason, not when such a distant look clouded any other expression on their face
Ena probably knew Mizuki better than Mizuki could know herself, the brunette was constantly reminded of so when her caring instincts came in during any of her lovers lower times, it always tugged at the girls heart strings to see how self loathing they could all be, especially when each one meant so much to her
Still, at rare instances like these, Ena questioned herself with such assumptions
Sliding a key into the door lock elicited a small click, before the handle was pushed down and said door was now harshly flung open, creating a small waft of refreshing and much needed cooler air from the living space’s air conditioning, however the cold draft did not subdue any worried shivering
The artist stepped into Niigo’s household, at first, it took awhile to even do that, to build up the courage, she didn’t want to fight with anyone especially after causing what had happened, but surely tension was thick in the air and Ena had a gut feeling something went wrong if the earlier encounter wasn’t enough to prove so
Just as she stepped in, the lingering smell of metallic smoke filled her nose, causing the girl to take a small step back in surprise
Ena dropped her handbag carelessly on the shoe rack, not even bothering to try and kick off her own footwear as she ran towards the kitchens doorway making a slight squeak as a blur of pink sprinted out the end of their hallway, just to disappear into her own room with a loud thud
The artist blinked with wide dumbfounded eyes, subconsciously taking pace forward until a certain scent cut her path off abruptly
Sizzle.. sizzle..
Turning her honey brown head to face the growing heat, Ena’s heart dropped to a new low inside her own rib cage
Their stove was on fire.
Their stove was on fire.
Her. Fucking. Stove. Was. On. Fire.
She thinly bit back a scream- quick- quick she had to put it out-!?
Ena ran forward- discarding any rational thoughts as she blindly grabbed what could only hope to be some sort of wash cloth before throwing it over the crackling pot- hastily fanning it with pure terror written all over her face
Shit- shit shitshitshit should she call for help-?!
The artist mentally screamed, audibly panting with the heat, quicken heart pace and panic arising to mix into one shock inducing experience
Sure, the fire didn’t look big enough to cause real damage to the quartets home, but a smokey smell combined with by now, charred noodles that were erupting into flames inside its metal pot could put anyone sane into a full blown hysteria
So with one big fanning motion of the towel- Ena’s horror only inflated to a sense of impending doom
The fire wasn’t going out.
The brunette stumbled back with her chest rising and falling harshly, eyes darting around for anything- water-?
But suddenly, another presence stepped in with a demeanour almost eerily calm for the spectacle happening
A rush of purple moved in front of the burning appliance, giving the former girl some split seconds of shelter from the warmness until that wave faltered completely as the light dimmed and fled
As the taller turned around, brown eyes found uninterested purple ones
Ena’s gaze slowly trailed down as if in slow motion, meeting the sight of the very same so called life threatening pot which was now safely returned to an non fire engulfed state, paired with a lid atop
Oh
Mafuyu’s eyes narrowed, as if she was ever so perplexed “Fire can’t survive without oxygen, you fanning it would add more” she stated in a straight manner, as if it was common knowledge
The shorter snapped her back a glare, attempting to mask the still remaining nervousness in her “Well- how should I have known? Its not everyday someone comes home to a burning stove”
“You also didn’t turn the stove off-“
“I wasn’t even here-!?”
The ravenette shut closed her mouth quickly, glancing away to the side with an unreadable expression that could only be hinted at with the small down curve of her lips
And despite the thumping of both shock and frustration running through the brunette, her gaze softened, relaxing the tensing between her shoulders with a small sigh
Moving closer to the other slowly, Ena brought a pair of hands up to the others face gently much mirror her own expression, a bit of appreciation would be appropriate as of now for how the younger had just saved her life
“Hahh- thank you though, love. I’d still be freaking out right now if it wasn’t for you, I suppose..” She muttered, bringing the lyricist’s head lower to place a small kiss on her temple
Standing back up straight, Mafuyu peered down with a slither of fondness “it’s nothing, but at least call me next time”
“Yeah yeah, how could a fire possibly start in the presence of our Ms. nurse” The artist huffed, a subtle yet much more welcomed pleasing feeling building up in her stomach, until it shattered upon an unsteady gaze
Mafuyu.. seemed suddenly alarmed
Such action caused the previous questions to fizzle up into the brunette’s head, two most prominent ones coming to surface more noticeably
Just what had caused that fire, especially when there were people at home-?
And where the hell was Mizuki!
Ena hardened her stare, albeit keeping a more softer tone “Mafuyu, is everyone okay? Did Mizuki come back yet-“
“I think we need to talk” A new voice cut in, more quieter but strained and equally as worried
Turning around, she caught a glimpse of Mafuyu slightly nodding in agreement, and a bluenette standing weakly in their doorway slumped against the framing with a determined look
But Ena didn’t even spare a glance at that, what her eyes almost immediately darted to was the gauze wrapped around Kanade’s arm
Just what the fuck had happened in 30 minutes?
______________________
Apparently a lot can happen in 30 minutes
Kanade, Mafuyu and Ena all were situated at their kitchen table, and Ena was- to be put bluntly, both conflicted and utterly baffled
“Wait- so Mizuki pushed you?” She asked, only to receive violent head shakes from the shortest
“No-! Hugged. But I got startled and dropped the spoon I was using to stir- which caused the water to splash up” Kanade repeated, anxiously picking at the wrapping around her lower arm as blue eyes trembled, to which a ravenette lightly tapped her hand with a small ‘stop’ mumbled
Ena softly grunted, slumping her shoulders down in confusion “I know Mizuki wouldn’t just run off on purpose-! Something had to have happened, but I just can’t think of what”
“Maybe you yelled-“
“I did NOT yell at her! Hell- the most I did was tease her for being late, and at that she made a joke and everything seemed fine?” The brunette rebutted with a facepalm, completely confused at the current predicament in hand
Kanade warily glanced between the two, her hand going back to scratching at her nail beds before quickly stopping at the tallest’s glare
She slightly jerked when noticing all eyes were on her, and without thinking she quietly muttered out something inaudible to the two
“What was that?” Ena piped up, trying her best at not seeming completely frustrated right now
“Mafuyu…” followed by another string of hushed words
“Mafuyu what?” The artist crossed her arms, both of the opposing girls interests peaked with wary gazes
The composer visually shirked into herself with a nervous expression, blue hues contrasting in emotions before she finally exhaled defeatedly “Mafuyu.. kind of said something..? I don’t know if it’s the reason ‘Zuki acted so different at the mall but she did seem hurt by it”
To which earned a softer look from the illustrator, Ena sort of understood
Some days, their purple headed lover could be a bit harsh with words which she knew of first hand, but the girl never truly meant it in an uncaring way, it was just- communicating verbally wasn’t exactly her strong suit, which they all knew of well
With a sigh, Ena passed a stern but not devoid side glance at Mafuyu, lifting her palm up in offering to which the other sheepishly laced with
“I told her-..”
A soft squeeze
“I told her she’s touchy- and.. blamed her for burning Kanade”
Oh, so this may be more difficult than imagined
The artist sighed, slowly standing up from her seat to beckon the other two
“Well, we all definitely need to talk, before anything escalates” Ena said with a small reassuring nod, although it did beg one question- why did Mizuki run off during their date?
She’d be better off asking directly, since dancing around these situations usually ending up in it as a whole becoming much more difficult to each person, so it was decided
______________
Ena raised a steady hand to the door which belonged to their pinknette, aside from still being somewhat down about getting ditched on, she knew better than to let her anger persuade her to cut to conclusions
And seeing as both her two girlfriends were shaken from the whole ordeal, Ena seemed by default the most stable to genuinely communicate which was most needed as of now
With a light three knocks to the door, the trio waited for a response
…
Silence
She knocked again
….
Silence
The brunette was about to kick down the door from how frustrating the lack of answers were, before a particular someone beat her to it
Mafuyu pushed passed, noted quite rudely but it was good that the one person their animator probably didn’t want to see wasn’t breaking their walls down, so she let it slide safe from a small glare
“Mizuki, open the door” The ravenette glared at the solid structure “Now”
“Please? You’ve been acting weird since you came back today” A softer voice added, Kanade coming up to the front as she pleaded
For a few more agonizingly passing seconds, it was uncomfortably silent
Until a soft click shattered it, followed by the door being so slightly cracked to reveal a somewhat swollen, soft pink eye that had noticeable smudges along its edge
A small sniffle came from the girl, before she attempted a greeting in a shaky tone “Hey guys.. wow, you look terrible” Mizuki cracks a strained smile, the corners of her lips faltering
Ena audibly huffs, stepping forward as she places her foot between the opening creating a stopper so the other couldn’t lock it again “Could say the same about you”
A soft worried nudge prods at the brunettes side causing her to look down to their composer, who was once again, starting to pick at her bandages in uneasiness, causing a guilty squint from the tallest “Uhm- can we come in? We need to talk”
Mafuyu nods quietly, before passing a cornered stare to the designer “Let us in” She states, moving to push on the door which elicited a started gasp
“Wait-! Wait- can’t we do this later? S-so I can-“
“What? So you can sulk in your room until night? Nope, not again” The artist announced with soft sternness, using her own body weight to help Mafuyu pry the doorway open, all the while Kanade gave a conflicted look to the three
Finally, the pinknette opened it more, frantically waving her hands out as a sign to stop “Alright- fine fine we can talk-!” She ushered, drawing out a collective sigh
Ena however, had to hold back a very surprised expression at the youngest’s appearance, who only made her feel badder by the distress which drowned the other
Mizuki had her pink curls down, albeit it was uncharacteristically frizzy with unkept dried mascara stains along her cheek, even the girls outfit lacked any brightness to it with the muted grey sweater
As she blinked, the brunette could already make out the animator shuttering back as their bluenette tried offering her hand, and even wincing when Mafuyu attempted to place her arm around the others
Ena frowned, it took awhile to finally get them all seated down on the pinknette’s arguably softest bed of the three, but the sharp tension trapped in the room had no sign of leaving anytime soon
Mizuki was situated in the middle, a heart shaped pillow being crushed against her lap as she clinged onto it while the girl’s shoulders caved, seemingly trying to make herself smaller while very advertently avoiding any contact with the others
Kanade sat to her right, legs pulled up to her chest with fleeting worry practically spilling off her, despite the many times she tried gently lacing hands with the other, her palm was met with coldness as Mizuki simply shifted away with an unreadable gaze
Mafuyu sat with her back to the headboard, looking at the three from her view with uncertainty, but so far, she kept quiet aside from occasional sighs
Ena, was on her left, albeit the artist was very confused, and rightfully so
Gosh, she just wanted to understand right now
Unfortunately, it sounded like no one was going to do anything in the moment, still, with little knowledge to why she had ran during their date, and exactly what had come over the other to hug their bluenette so aggressively, Ena was hesitant
“So..” she started “this morning at the cafe, you arrived late- which is totally fine-! But after we got our drinks, you began to seem more.. distant in a way?” Ena glanced over to try and see how the girl in question reacted, but untidy soft locks were obscuring her face, the only thing telling that Mizuki was paying attention was the subtle head nod
The artist then continued “After that, when I looked back you were gone, what happened..? Did I get the wrong drink? Or make you uncomfortable-“
“I’m sorry…”
“Hah-?!” The illustrators eyes blew wide, her mouth left to part agape
“I-I’m… really sorry- to everyone”
Kanade instantly leapt forward, taking the others hands into her own with newfound alarm swimming in blue hues
Mizuki immediately recoiled at the touch with her expression matching their brunette’s own confused , surprised one, nearly falling off the side of her bed before a sturdy hand held onto her side eliciting yet another squeak
“W-wait wait- are you not all mad.. at me..?” She choked out, however her face only grew more dumbfounded as it was met with shocked stares
And in that frozen in time moment, Ena had to hold back on slapping the other into oblivion at that statement
“Aren’t you mad at us-?!” She chose to question instead of physical violence, which earned her a stupid, meek shrug
“Why do you think we’re mad at you?” Mafuyu piped up, her hand slowly trailing to lace with the pinknette’s unoccupied one as she narrowed her own purple gaze, and suddenly, Mizuki wanted to crawl back into a hole buried deep underground and repent
The composer hummed in acknowledgment, tilting her head upwards to try and meet her designers eyes, but the pink orbs were glancing everywhere but their lovers
“Well- I uh-…”
“If it’s because I got burnt, then your already forgiven” Kanade quickly commented, her head leaning against Mizuki’s nape as the girls blue gaze travelled to her bandaged arm “it doesn’t hurt anymore”
Mizuki visibly gulped, before flashing a plastered smile “Aha.. that’s good! Gee, I feel so much better-“
“Wonderful, now explain why you ran out” Ena grunted, her arms crossed stubbornly with a certain demanding yet conflicted undertone
“It’s really not important” The tallest tried, dismissively attempting to wave her weighed down hand in an action to shoo the prompting questions away, whilst nervously glancing at a very. specific. Area.
Ena followed her gaze through narrowed eyes, following down to-
Oh
Where Mafuyu’s hand laid atop her own, a thumb subconsciously rubbing circles while the girl seemed elsewhere
To that, the brunette glanced at Mizuki’s shoulder which was tense at the contact with the shortest’s head, her body absentmindedly slumped against Mizuki’s like a little greedy leech
Ena’s stare softened immediately upon realizing, although it wasn’t a perfectly clear conclusion, she was nearly entirely sure it was the reason to the sudden shift in behaviour for her pinknette
So with a gentle sigh, the artist glanced up to meet a pink gaze, taking a few seconds of silence to properly find her concise wording, bracing her unsteady heartbeat for that cold feeling of rejection, nervousness fogging up her throat before she finally asked the dawned upon question which came out like a bare, withering leaf “Do you not like our receiving touch, Mizuki?”
All three heads snapped to stare at the brunette, wide eyes watching with different hurling typhoons of emotions at her sentence- mostly being alarmed
But to her surprise, Mizuki of all, looked the most taken aback- offended if you will
In the fraction of a second a pair of hands were clasping at Ena’s shoulders for dear life as if she’d fade away right then and there, pink orbs open with slips of water and pure fear pooling up in them, a reaction that the shorter was least ready for
“No- Never?!” The animator yelled, startling the two behind “Do you really want to know why-? Its stupid- so so fucking stupid, and that’s worst of it all”
The room filled with a stretched out uneasy quietness, purple and blue sat frozen, shocked. None daring to make a move in case the scene got even more agitated. On the other hand, pink and brown were locked into a daze, only seeing each other with very different views
I don’t understand…
You should understand
Mizuki exhaled slowly, her shaky hands falling from Ena’s shoulders to clasp together and hide close against the girls chest, gaze shying away from any other
“I just- I don’t get it” Ena said in a somber lowered tone, head tilting in simple confusion and hurt “I thought maybe… maybe we crossed a line or something, that at we made you uncomfortable and you didn’t want to say it, so you left"
"It’s not that Ena-“ She quickly objected, although the cracks in her voice made it seem more like an uncertain question
“It’s not you" Mizuki bitterly stated, sounding one more sniffle away until she was about to create a domino effect of tears, that is until a coaxing voice momentarily tuned them out
"Then what is it?" Kanade asked from the head of the bed, her glance as soft as ever, save from the dejected look on the ravenette girl leaning in her arms “Take your time, love”
The pinknette opened her mouth in a retort, then slowly closed it, hesitating on what to say as if one wrong word could ruin everything, concerned stares only intensifying the drowning struggle
"It’s me” The designer finally whispered out, pulling her sleeves further down as if attempting for the fabric to swallow the girl whole, she wished for nothing more than that in the moment "I… I love being close to you all. Little things, hugs, holding hands. Even when you guys lean on me when you’re tired, it makes me feel wanted."
“But I guess I got too used to it.. I thought maybe if I could do it back, I could show how much I love you all that way, it just felt..” She paused, lowering her head
Her gaze then slowly met Ena’s, forcing down another ugly whine to not upset the other further "Then- in the mall you looked away when I tried to nudge you or hold hands- and I thought, 'Oh. I messed it up. I made it weird. Of course I did.' So I panicked, I didn’t want to see your face change- so I left."
“S-so” She choked back an overdue sob, tilting her head up to blink back any unwelcome tears daring to spill “If you want me to stop I’ll stop, Mafuyu already made it clear that it’s too much to be around me.. if you want me to leave I can-“
Mizuki couldn’t even finish that very sentence before a weight shoved the girl down into the mattress, nearly suffocating the taller who struggled to breathe in the moment as her hands instinctively moved forward to support the added force
However, as pink glossy eyes blinked back its cloudiness, Mizuki barely had a moment to process before she was being violently shaken by a pair of hands placed atop her sulking shoulders, purple orbs narrowing nearly into slits as the latter squinted through harsh tears
“You know that’s not what I meant!-“ Mafuyu yelled out, tone echoing in the tense room “I didn’t meant it like that-!”
The pinknette fell silent on her own words, lips slightly parted as she sat shocked from the sudden burst of pure concern and despair in the others voice, seeing that even her two girlfriends winced a bit, exchanging glances between one another of unease
“But-“ The ravenette sighed after a few beats of quiet stillness “But, I was just irritated at that moment- and I was being insensitive about it.. I’m sorry” she let out a small sob “I really am”
Her volume was lowered to something that rivalled a whisper, on the verge of completely shattering from the guilt it held which only made the frown on Mizuki’s face deepen
This issue wasn’t her girlfriends fault, it was her’s, they shouldn’t be the ones getting upset
The taller slowly brought a hand up to the weeping girl’s cheek- although reluctantly as if asking for permission before the shorter met her gaze and leaned into it, the feeling of soft skin with traces of stray droplets met her palm, not the most ideal situation yes- but Mizuki’s favourite feeling
Before the animator could even open her mouth to speak, a second body of not so much weight threw itself at the pinknette once again, this time from her side which caused her to falter a bit, placing an unoccupied hand to catch the three before she could topple over
“Don’t say that” Kanade, who was far before also silently crying whispered out “Please don’t- your love is always welcome here”
The composer then pressed her face into the animators side, getting her sweater slightly damp, nonetheless Mizuki quickly slung and arm around her midriff, wincing a bit at the similarity it struck from earlier “Kanade- your arm-“
“It doesn’t hurt, and you didn’t cause it” She interrupted to a pinknette’s confusion
“When I hugged you- you got scared, right? Which made you panic and get burned though..” Mizuki grimaced with a remorseful look, lifting her hand to instead tread through the long silvery locks to divert her attention whilst simultaneously rubbing the nurse’s back
“Why do you keep making assumptions-?” The bluenette suddenly shouted, lifting her gaze towards the designers with fury “I dropped the ladle because I wanted to lean into your hug! Not because I didn’t like it-!”
Mizuki blinked in surprise, her hand momentarily freezing until an annoyed huff came from Mafuyu, resuming its gentle strokes “you- you weren’t uncomfortable?” she carefully inquired
“No! Gosh- who is making you think this?!”
The pinknette stilled, her grasp slightly slackening as she felt her former anxiousness slip into overwhelming fatigue, tired from the constant stream of emotions and scenes from solely today
As she sighed, blatantly too tired to acknowledge the furious weak pokes from the bluenette, another warm sensation was placed on her jaw and softly tilted, making the shaky pink gaze meet calmer browns
“Mizuki” Ena began softly, tone much more firmer than the other two “Kanade’s right, we aren’t rejecting your love, or touch for that matter”
Her honey hues slightly scrunched up from the sad smile being drawn onto quivering lips, brown eyes lacing with small tears “You know how blunt ‘Fuyu can be, and we all sometimes say things we don’t mean, especially her”
“I wasn’t there when Kanade got injured, but I’m sure if she’s saying that you didn’t do it, you should listen” the artist added with a small, reassuring head tilt to emphasize
"I know you’re really touchy. You always have been. You cling quite a lot, you always try to step on my shoes.. you hug without warning, and yeah, sometimes it catches me- us, off guard“ Ena glanced down fondly towards their now moping composer, before returning her warm gaze back to Mizuki’s fidgeting one
“But that’s you isn’t it? That night when we all confessed, we confessed to you, and if it just happens to come with a sappy, little limpet, then so be it” she soothed, looking over the others expression for any reaction
To which Mizuki sucked in a breath, eyes fluttering wide in… relief? Happiness? Ena couldn’t quite make it out
But, what she most definitely made out was the soft pink lips being clashed against her own in a desperate way, a pair of hands eagerly looping around the brunette’s torso to haul the other into their lap with an audible sigh
After it was made clear that the fashionista wasn’t in any mind to come up for air, Ena pulled away from the hungry collision with a wail “‘Zuki-! At least warn me next time?” She lightly scolded
The designer however, couldn’t care any less before she was going back to try and pull the other close again- a slithering grin forming on her lips “Eh? Did you not say you’ll put up with it?”
The artist exhaled as her face was turning ever more cherry, cheeks puffing out in a pout “Geez- I say one thing and then you decide to use it against me” she clicks her tongue “typical”
The last remains of water atop the taller’s faces are easily swiped away by delicate hands, being replaced by a mischievous yet warm smile
“Geh- K! ‘Fuyu! Enanan’s being so mean- eh?”
Staring squarely at the very inconsiderate duo was a pair of cool coloured gazes, one more annoyed than the other “Are you two done?” Mafuyu stated with an expectant stare
Unintentionally while the earlier pair were making (out) up, Mizuki had ‘misplaced’ her hands from the steady, comforting rhythm of caresses on her two girlfriends, whom were not very fond of the loss
The composer softly chuckled, bringing a hand to cover her mouth as she very blatantly whispered something into the ravenette’s ear, electing a very troublesome thin smile to stretch on the other
Glancing between the two, Ena spoke up in a skeptical tone “And what are you two plotting?” she questioned
….
And she was answered by a body throwing itself at the startled pair, Mizuki squealing as the lyricist fell on top of her while Kanade simply crawled over to the eldest’s side, slipping under her arm as they both fell beside the struggling to breathe pinknette, Ena suppressing a taunting smile as the watched the inevitable match
In the end, Mizuki laid defeatedly in the middle of the fours cuddle pile, completely out of both air and alleged fighting spirit
Mafuyu and Ena clung on to either side, more or less like a remora feeding off of the youngest’s warmth while the shortest laid atop her, head tucked right underneath the pinknette’s chin
It was quiet- not the earlier tension filled one but a soothing background to the radiating love from the four, creating the perfect atmosphere to lull them all to sleep
Mizuki turned her head to the nurse’s side, placing a small kiss atop it with a small murmur “‘night love, sorry for interrupting you so suddenly like that.. must’ve been scary” she softly joked
Mafuyu however, barely even perked open an eye as she merely huffed, lightly head butting the other tiredly “Did we not already say to stop apologizing..?”
“Yes, yes I know” The tallest scoffed, gently flicking her in the forehead, before proceeding with her goodnight kisses “You all worry so much!”
The composer tilted her head up slightly to peer at the other with a small smile, slowly nudging the makeshift pillow to prod at the others attention “You were assuming that we hated your touch a few minutes ago” she hums
The brunette quietly snickered, placing a fond hand against their bluenette’s head to pet it, all whilst growing ever so questioning about the knowing look on the animators face
“What are you thinking now” Ena snapped, side eyeing Mizuki
“Oh, nothing at all my dearest! But, this does beg one question ..” She trailed, purposefully tapping a finger to her chin as if in thought “If you weren’t surprised by your one and only trying to- playfully might I add, prod at you back at the Café, why look so shocked and shy away?”
The brunette’s face instantly turned a shade darker, before pinching the ego attacker’s cheek and turning her face away “Yup, I’m drinking the white hot chocolate I brought home for you” she mumbled with an eye roll
Her opposing statement earned a mocking gasp “Heh?! How dare you, thief-!” the girl exclaimed a bit too loud
The ravenette’s head moved to send a startling glare up at the duo, if she were a a cat, her eyes would have far been pulled to aggravated slits by now, however luckily for the three a more tame voice interrupted
“Hehe, Ena’s blushing” Kanade cooed softly, reaching a hand out to prod at the brunette’s puffed cheeks
The artist feigned her own hurt gasp, lacing digits with the shortest’s own as she ignored Mafuyu’s venom stare
“Joining sides with Princess charming, Kana? Traitor” she said playfully
Mizuki watched the exchange fondly, opting to simply soak in the as of modern times not so rare tender moment of the four, feeling the familiar sensation of exhausting spill over he presence
This- this warmth, this closeness, wasn’t something she had to earn or try to reach for
It was already hers.
So, the pinknette let her eyes close, body sinking into the steady rhythm of the people wrapped around her
They were here.
And that was enough.
And apparently, she was too.