Shirayuki is used to being strong by herself, used to holding herself together like string holds together a scarf, and she doesn't know how to feel right now. She has friends to trust and to talk to, and she's fallen in love. And she's never been this vulnerable or at least not since her grandparents had died, and she's trying right now to be strong.
And yet, somewhere in the noise of a still late going party, her ears start to ring, her hands are shaking, and she's feeling more lost than secure. She's far, far away from the crowds, far away from others and yet, she feels a ghost like chill run down her back, a feeling like ice down her shirt, freezing her even deeper than that.
And her head is spinning. The world threatens to go dark, and she tries to steady herself, tries to push her weight down onto her feet, tries to remain cool. She's never felt like this before. And then her knees go out, and her legs lose all strength. And she totters, the world spinning fast around her, once, twice, thrice.
Shirayuki falls. Arms catch her, but she doesn't feel safe. She feels lost and stolen and hasn't stopped shaking. She doesn't feel well at all. A wave of nausea rolls over her, feeling as heavy and powerful as an ocean wave, so much like the rocking of a boat over a storm.
"...irayuki? Shirayuki? Shirayuki!" And she faintly hears frantic almost screaming, still somewhat muffled to not draw attention from the party to her.
She blinks her green eyes, tears pooling around them, that she didn't feel until just now. So cold as it rolls from her eyelids down her cheeks and across her chin. She shivers and yet even her trembling and shaking hasn't really stopped.
"Take a deep breath. Okay?" Zen's eyes look frantic, but all she can see is the ocean within them and therefore Umihebi, "With me?"
It makes no sense.
Shirayuki's head has never felt so distant, but yet she tries to follow along. A deep breath followed by another followed by another followed by another. She doesn't count them, can't think to even begin to count them, and she just mirrors. At least ten times, they breathe together, breath after breath after breath.
And then, it feels like air in her lungs for once. And she can faintly hear music again and some loud chatter, can see the wood of the deck they are on, can see that Zen's blue eyes are not a raging ocean. Slowly, her ears begin to stop ringing, and she feels lighter somehow. The wood is sturdy beneath her.
And most importantly, it is not rocking. It doesn't feel like the cool wood of a boat, and it isn't as rough.
"Shirayuki. Are you okay?" Zen's worried.
She buries her head into his chest and just cries for a moment. She isn't alone. Now her body quakes and shakes with sobs, but he's holding her. And Zen's warm, and she's safe right here, safe right now.
Shirayuki doesn't trust herself to stand yet, and she isn't yet willing to test her legs and their returning sturdiness.
For now, she's content to bury herself in Zen's arms and trust that somehow they'll be okay. They'll be okay.