Stay Strong Seventeen

Choi Hansol Vernon

Vernon was so quiet lately.
It was hard to notice at first when eveberkn was busy and everything was just so loud around them, but these days his quietness is throbbing louder than anything else around them

Everybody seemed to notice that Vernon was just drifting away from them and questions have been rising among the members.

Today, Vernon came back home exhausted, he silently took a shower and immediately went to bed skipping dinner, again, saying that he wasn't hungry.
He just flopped on his bed and minutes later, he went into deep sleep.

Mingyu was staring at him sitting on his bed across from the younger scanning him as his chest went up and down in a slow motion.
Mingyu then exchanged a worried glance with S.coups who was at their desk doing  whatever on his laptop.

Coups seemed worried as well, he gently closed his laptop and whispered to the younger
"I'll wake him up and talk to him so you go make sure no one comes inside"
Mingyu nodded and stood up leaving Vernon and S.coups alone for a while. It was about time to talk to talk to him and see what was wrong exactly

Seungcheol moved next to Vernon on the bed, he ruffled the younger's hair pushing his bangs away until he slowly stirred and woke up looking confusedly at his leader.

"Humm what is it?" Vernon asked, slowly sitting up pressing on his elbows to meet to worried eyes of his leader

"We need to talk Vernon"

S.coups said with a gentle voice helping the boy to sit up on the bed and face him, Vernon looked rather puzzled looking at him

"Are you okay? You've been crying in your sleep Mingyu had to shush you"
S.coups asked, Vernon looked clueless "I was?" He couldn't remember what happened about ten minutes ago and he shrugged his shoulders and said "I'm okay, I'm sure it—-"

"Don't you dare lie to me Vernon"

S.coups said firmly "You don't look good, I can see that Vernon, please if there's something wrong just tell me, tell us, at least one of us"

Vernon's eyes dropped to his lap, he tried to hide his face from the older but where will he hide now that he's facing him ?

"Hyung ... I'm..."

Vernon said, he couldn't even look at Scoups in the eyes, he was a stuttering mess, he wasn't sure wether his words would make any sense, he wasn't sure if he could even express them right

"Hyung ... actually, I ... it's complicated I don't know ..."

"Vernon you're scaring me, what is it?"

Seungcheol was getting really worried and somehow impatient, his eyes anticipating the younger's answer

"Hyung, do you think it's normal for your heart to ache without a reason?"

S.coups frawned "Your heart ?" He asked rather confused

"Yeah"

Vernon suddenly pressed his palm on his chest and clutched the fabric around it, his hands turning into fists "It hurts" ... "It beats funny, everything feels weird" ..."It's hard for me to smile freely" ... "It feels heavy"
"It hurts"

Vernon said, his tone really desperate, dull and just so sad. As he spoke, he kept his eyes and head down, his mind goin f somewhere beyond the patterns on his own blanket until he felt his body being engulfed in a warm feeling

Seungcheol simply hugged him so tight, the leader's warm body against Vernon's shaking self felt soothing. Vernon let out a sigh in his leader's embrace, still holding the fabric around his chest, he gasped for air as he sobbed so hard, tears floating from his eyes

"Why does it hurt so much Vernon?" S.coups asked, still holding Vernon in his arms "What happened that made it hurt?"

Vernon gasped "I don't know" he whispered loud enough to reach the leader's ears "All I can do, is sleep it off every time" he continued

Coups tightened his grip around the boy and now playing soflty with his hair until he calmed down a little

"Do you want to go see a doctor?" Seungcheol asked when Vernon calmed down a little but couldn't let him go yet so they stood there cuddling for a while. Vernon closed his eyes, enjoying the older's warmth and comfort, he couldn't be more grateful.

"No" he muffled

"Don't you think that you need to get some professional help?" Seungcheol hesitated before he said what he said but he felt like he had to

"I have all the help I need right here" Vernon said tightening his grip around the leader's waist.
Seungcheol smiled "But I still want you to consider it, I'm worried"

Vernon looked up "Don't worry, I won't do anything stupid"

Seungcheol smiled ruffling the boy's hair
"I know, I just wan to be sure"

Vernon finally rested his head on his own pillow drifting back to sleep. Coups watched the younger as he fell asleep and immediately called for an emergency meeting with the rest of the members, he told them about everything, how Vernon was feeling and how important it is to keep an eye on him, do whatever it takes not to leave him alone, monitor every step he takes and just make sure he was okay.
Then he hurried to find the lost contact number of that warm-hearted doctor he personally met about year ago when he himself wasn't feeling like himself and hoped that she will be able to do for Vernon the same she did for him.