Teasing the heart

Vernon and Minghao had always had a close relationship. As two members of the same K-Pop group, they spent a lot of time together and had developed a strong bond. But there was one thing that Vernon loved to do more than anything else - tease Minghao.

He loved to see the different expressions that Minghao made with each tease and taunt. Vernon couldn't resist teasing his hyung. It was just too easy to make him flustered and watch as his face and his cute elf like ears turned red. Minghao always tried to remain calm, but his face was a mirror of his emotions, and Vernon found it irresistible.

But one day, Vernon went too far by teasing him about something that turned out to be sensitive. Vernon walked into the living room of the dorm and saw Myungho struggling to move a heavy wooden coffee table.

Vernon: "Need some help there, Myungho hyung? Don't hurt yourself. You're so pretty and fragile, after all."

Myungho frowned, "I'm not that fragile, Vernon. I can handle it."

Vernon smirked, "Oh really? I bet you can't even lift it off the
ground."

Myungho rolled his eyes, "Fine, I'll show you." He tried to lift the table, but it was too heavy for him.

Vernon chuckled, "I knew it. You really are delicate, aren't you?"

Myungho's face fell, "Stop calling me that, Vernon. It's not funny."

Vernon continued to tease him, "Come on, Myungho hyung. You just have this really delicate look to you. Like you're made of glass or something. Hasn't anyone ever told you?."

Myungho's eyes filled with tears, "Stop it, Vernon. You don't understand. Yes, people have always made fun of me for being too girly and not manly enough. I try so hard to be a good member of the group, but I feel like I'm not enough."

Vernon's expression softened as he realized the impact of his words, "Oh, Myungho hyung. I didn't mean it in a bad way. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

He had made a careless comment about Minghao's appearance, and it broke something inside of him. The comment Vernon made wasn't really focused on hurting him in any way or crossing his lines but since Minghao's insecurities and body image issues stem from a difficult childhood and growing up he was often teased and bullied for his small stature and slight build it hurt it a lot. Tears streamed down Minghao's face as he ran to his room and locked himself in, refusing to come out or speak to anyone.

Vernon was beside himself with guilt. He had never meant to hurt Minghao, and he had no idea how deep his insecurities ran. Minghao's insecurity was a long-standing issue that was exacerbated by Vernon's teasing.He tried to apologize, but Minghao ignored him and pushed him away.

Days passed, and Vernon continued to try to reach out to Minghao. He was desperate to make things right. He texted him, called him, and even left notes outside his door, but Minghao didn't respond. Minghao only left his room when nobody was outside and during schedule he just focused on his work. Vernon felt like he was going crazy with worry, and he knew that something had to be done but didn't where what to do and where to start.

Many days passed and one day when Minghao emerged from his room to get some water from the kitchen. He felt dizzy and weak, but he pushed himself to keep going. As he walked back to his room, he suddenly collapsed in the hallway.