1400 words.
Vernon had always known he was different.
Not in a bad way—just different.
The way lights felt too bright sometimes. How certain fabrics against his skin made him want to crawl out of his clothes. How conversations in crowded rooms drained him faster than a full day of dance practice.
He had learned to manage it over the years, to navigate a world that often felt like it wasn't made for him. And he had the members—his second family—who helped in ways they didn't even realize.
They knew.
They had known for a long time.
But they never made a big deal out of it. Never tiptoed around him like he was fragile, but never ignored the things that made life harder for him either. They just... adjusted, in their own ways.
Seungkwan took charge of steering conversations when Vernon started getting overwhelmed in interviews. Jeonghan made sure to never surprise him with sudden, unannounced touch. Mingyu, despite being the most affectionate, never took it personally when Vernon shrugged off a hug—because he knew that on rare occasions, Vernon would seek one out when things got too overwhelming.
And then there was music.
Music had always been his safe place. The one thing that worked 98% of the time. The one thing that made sense when everything else was too much.
~~~
The day had been long.
They were filming for hours under harsh studio lights, surrounded by a flurry of noise—staff moving, cameras flashing, instructions being called out over and over.
Vernon had been holding himself together fine at first. He always did.
But then came the retakes. The constant stop and go. The lights feeling hotter, the sounds layering on top of each other until they blurred into an unbearable static.
It was too much.
His fingers curled into his sleeves. He counted his breaths, focused on grounding himself, but his head was starting to pound. The world was pressing in too close, too loud, too bright—
A hand brushed against his arm. Not sudden. Not forceful. Just there.
He looked up.
Joshua.
His expression was casual, but his eyes were careful, scanning Vernon's face like he already knew. He didn't say anything. Just gave a slight nod, almost imperceptible, before stepping in front of Vernon slightly—blocking some of the flashing lights from hitting his face directly.
Vernon exhaled. Not fixed, but better.
A minute later, Jeonghan handed him his headphones without a word.
He took them, barely needing to think. Slipping them on, he pressed play on his phone. The low hum of music filled his ears, cutting through the noise, smoothing out the static in his head.
Better.
The world settled.
Seventeen kept moving around him, the way they always did, seamlessly adapting without drawing attention to it. No one asked if he was okay, but not because they didn't care. Because they already knew.
That night, after schedules were done and they were back in the dorm, Vernon sat in his room, music still playing softly in his ears.
The day had drained him. He could still feel the weight of it in his limbs, the remnants of overstimulation clinging to his skin.
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K-pop sickfics/hurtfics
Fanfiction** requests are close** Some K-pop sick/hurtfics/littlespace about my favorite K-pop group. I take request. This story is considered a mature because some chapter could be triggering for people, but there is and will be no smut in this book.
