#verncheol

little!Vernon x caregiver!Seungcheol | ANGST+FLUFF

Wc: 1.1k+

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Shadow

Days off, most often, were either spent sleeping or out, and it seemed almost fifty-fifty this time, some of the members choosing to go out and drink and the others; Seungcheol, Jeonghan, Joshua, Jun, Wonwoo, Seungkwan and Vernon having alone time or drinking at home. The ones who hadn’t locked themselves in their rooms had gotten quite rowdy by the time evening had come, their dinner finished off with too many bottles of soju. Effectively, they managed to drink just as much as they would have if Soonyoung had convinced them to go out with the rest of the guys.

Vernon had been lugging around his kitty for most of the afternoon, the white plushy keeping him company even from beside him on the sofa as he’d eaten with his hyungs. With the chaoticness of the dorm sometimes when the guys grouped together could make it more lonely than you’d think if no one noticed he was regressed. But with his kitty there, he felt a lot better, it also being a signal to the other members that he was feeling small. Even if he wasn’t fully regressing, like today.

Seungkwan and Jeonghan dragged Cheol, Joshua and Vernon into their drunken shenanigans, Jun and Wonwoo managing to slip out while everyone was distracted to have some peace and quiet. Likely to game, phone or otherwise.

It was another night of drunk karaoke and Jeonghan forcing Joshua to teach him how to make a dish that even Joshua didn’t know how to make. Vernon managed to keep to himself, smiling every so often as he listened in on their jokes, loitering at the edge of the kitchen instead of being glued to his phone, unaware and off in his own world like he usually did. He was drained and, for some reason, just a touch emotional. Hence the subconscious choice to have his kitty with him for the afternoon, even though he was never often clingy with the couple of plushies he did own.

The same typical business, the other members had barely noticed when he started walking around with his plushy, so quietly trying to get the attention of his Hyungs. He wanted their comfort. Or to go to bed. Or both. But he didn’t want to be alone.

“Hyung?”, Vernon went to his closest friend, Seungkwan, who had tugged on Jeonghan to get him out of the kitchen and back on the mic, only succeeding in being bumped around. So Vernon gave up and toddled back to the other side of the kitchen.

“Hyung??”, he tapped on Joshua’s shoulder, but Seungkwan’s tug of war with Jeonghan knocked him back. But thankfully right into Cheol’s sturdy arms.

“Woah there.”, Cheol had caught him, but there was a touch of alcohol on his breath. Vernon turned his nose, worried, though Cheol himself hadn’t had much to drink.

“Yah! Stop shoving around the kitchen. You almost knocked Hansol on his ass!”, Cheol helped Vernon stand straight, taking him by the shoulders and directing him back to the living room while the others drunkenly teased, bickered and jerked each other around.

“What’s going on with you?”, Cheol was light hearted when he shook the boy, his arm around Vernon’s shoulders but the tone of his voice was steady and serious.

“I don’t-“, Vernon paused, “I-“, he ran his thumb over a wet patch on the fabric of his plushie, his face contorting into a panicked expression before his lip began to quiver and silent tears paved multi-lane highways down his reddening cheeks.

“Hey.. hey, hey. What’s going on??”, Cheol sat up straight and leaned forward to look Vernon in the eye, or try at least as his eye line was fixed on the floor.

In just a couple moments of scanning, Cheol also spotted the purple stain on the previously snow white fabric.

“Yah…. Those *********”, he grunted, standing and pulling Vernon and his plushie up with him.

Vernon let himself be tugged along, confused and teary eyed until they stood in the laundry room, Cheol finally releasing his hand to dig for something on a shelf.

“Here it is…”, he retrieved a chunky pen and held out his hand again.

Buffering for a moment, Nonnie’s puffy eyes looked between his hand and Cheol’s before resting his hand in his Hyung’s palm again.

“You’re too cute~”, Cheol groaned, more than a little annoyance in his voice as he shook the hand off and again held out his palm, “Your kitty, Hansol.”

This upset Vernon deeply. His day had been anything but as he planned and his kitty was already collateral damage. But even so he still needed it and clung to it, defensively as if Seungcheol had asked him for his kidney.

“I’ll give ‘im back, Nonnie. I’m just trying to fix him up for you since those knuckleheads stained him… I know he’s important to you, alright?”, Cheol promised, his resting expression melting from something harsh to one that made Vernon reconsider and recognize that he could always trust his hyung.

Slowly, he released the tension in his arms, not realizing just how tightly he’d been squeezing to it and let Cheol go to work on the ugly purplish stain. After a few minutes, he then opened the washer and set it inside.

“Wait!”, Vernon finally spoke again, distressed, shouted even, his hand reflexively reaching out.

“Yah, I’m not gonna drown ‘im, he just needs a quick bath. We can watch a movie, I’ll have one of those numskulls dry him up and he’ll be all done… good?”, Cheol raised his eyebrows in question, getting the youngests’ permission before going ahead and starting the washer, shooing him out of the back room before the scary noises could start.

Reluctantly, Vernon allowed himself to be pulled back to the living room where the big noise coming from two men in particular was a lot more welcoming in the arms of someone he felt safe with. Just as Cheol had promised, he let Nonnie pick out a nice movie and curl up next to him on the sofa.

“Yah, why is Hansol taking up the whole sofa? Let me sit!” Seungkwan drunkenly huffed, crossing his arms in fit but quickly, Cheol shuts him down.

“Hansol, lay down comfortably. Come here and don’t pay attention to him. He’s just jealous you get all of Hyung’s attention tonight.”, He lifted his arm and nodded to reassure Vernon that it was really alright.

“And, Boo, go sit on the other sofa, it won’t kill you.”, Cheol grinned, a little more friendly than before.

Seungkwan gave up pretty fast. Though he was a little dense when he was drunk and a little confrontational always, all of them had a soft spot for their second youngest maknae.

“He loves you too, ‘non”, he smirked as Boo plopped down on the other sofa, with a silly pout on his face.

Vernon’s night was going a little better thanks to a certain hyung, so he rested, much more comfortable and a lot less alone in his regression. Even regardless of the rowdiness of his fellow members, it was calm.

🧸Endnote: this was a fairly unconventional duo for me to write but after observing their friendship over my time as a carat I’d have to say their relationship is so soft and sweet! Cheolie and Nonnie best boyos!! 🥰💖 ~ 🐶🐰🍓