SEVENTEEN | SICKFICS - HURTFICS I

Vernon | Abused Part II

But tonight, something felt different.

Vernon entered the living room, exhausted as usual, expecting the quiet of the dorm to greet him. But instead, he found his hyungs waiting for him. Their faces were serious, their eyes searching, as if they had been waiting for him to come through the door all along. It made him pause for a moment, his heart skipping a beat. He could feel their gaze on him, the air charged with unspoken questions.

"Vernon," Seungkwan said, his voice laced with concern. "Why are you always coming home so late lately? You've been gone almost every night this week. What's going on?"

Vernon hesitated, his hand instinctively moving to tug his sleeve down further, as if he could hide the truth by covering his arms. He wasn't ready to explain. Not yet. He didn't want to burden them with what he'd been going through. They were already so busy with their own schedules.

"I've just been practicing a lot for the solo album," Vernon replied with a forced, casual smile. "You know, working extra hard to make it perfect. Nothing to worry about."

But the moment he said those words, he saw the skepticism in their eyes. Woozi was the first to step closer, his expression unreadable but intense.

"Vernon," Woozi said quietly, "we know you're working hard. But we also know something's off. You're barely eating, and you're always so tired. We can tell something's wrong. Are you okay?"

Vernon felt a cold shiver run down his spine. They were starting to see through the façade, and he wasn't ready for that. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could come up with a response, Seungkwan was already taking a step forward, his gaze locking onto Vernon's arms.

"Vernon, what's that?" Seungkwan asked, his voice dropping with concern. He pointed to the small bruises that had begun to show from under Vernon's sleeve. Vernon froze, his stomach twisting. He had been so careful, but he hadn't realized that some of the marks had slipped out from beneath his jacket.

The moment Seungkwan noticed, the rest of the members quickly gathered around him. Joshua, who had been standing quietly near the couch, took a step forward as well, his expression full of worry.

"Let me see," Joshua said, his voice soft but insistent. Vernon instinctively pulled away, but Seungkwan was already there, gently tugging his sleeve up to reveal more of the bruises, the deep purple and dark blue marks staining his skin.

The room fell silent.

"Vernon..." Joshua started, his tone trembling with concern. "What happened to you?"

Vernon tried to shrug it off, but his voice wavered. "It's nothing. Really, guys, I'm just working really hard. I've been practicing late, that's all."

But as he spoke, the words felt hollow, like they didn't match what his body was telling them. The truth was there, written in every bruise, every cut. And his members weren't buying it.

"Vernon, don't lie to us," Woozi said, his voice barely above a whisper. "This... this isn't from just practicing. Who did this to you?"

Vernon's heart raced, panic setting in. He had promised himself he wouldn't tell them. Not yet. Not until he figured out how to fix it. But now, standing in front of them, the truth was spilling out, leaking from the corners of his mind, from the cracks in his carefully constructed walls.

"I... it's nothing. It's just the dance practice," Vernon stammered, feeling the weight of their stares burning into him. "It's really tough, but it's just how it goes. I'm fine, I swear."

But the more he spoke, the less convincing he sounded, and he could see the disbelief in their eyes.

"Vernon," Seungkwan said gently but firmly, his hand resting on his shoulder, "you're not fine. This isn't normal. If someone is hurting you, you need to tell us."