17 Days - SVT

008

Morning came quicker than expected. Seungkwan was first to awake on the third day, breathing heavily.

His anxiety hit him at random times. Sometimes, he just feared... everything. He hated how weak he became when those times came.

He tried to calm his racing heartbeat, but he couldn't. He started sweating, tears coming to his eyes. He hated this. Why couldn't he just have more control over himself?

Beside him, Vernon started to stir. Seungkwan mentally cursed. Why should Vernon have to worry about his problems?

"Seungkwan?" asked Vernon quietly.

Seungkwan stood up quickly and ran out of the tent, tears streaming down his face. Vernon hurried after him worriedly.

"Seungkwan! What's wrong?"

"Don't! It's my burden!" cried Seungkwan, turning away to face the water.

Vernon wrapped his arms around Seungkwan and turned him back around. Their eyes met, and Seungkwan froze.

"You can tell me anything, Kwan."

Seungkwan's face reddened at the use of his nickname. "I don't want to bother you with my problems."

"Do you really think you'll bother me?" asked Vernon, his tone surprisingly gentle. "It's better to tell someone than bottle it up. Just tell me."

Seungkwan sighed. "I had a panic attack, but don't worry. I'm better now."

"No, you're not. You're still shaking violently." said Vernon, pulling Seungkwan closer to his chest. "Why were you panicking?"

"I don't know." said Seungkwan, attempting to catch his breath. "I just woke up in a cold sweat... and I ran because I didn't want you to see."

"Lean on me, Seungkwan." said Vernon suddenly. "Lean on me whenever you need. I'll always be there."

"You don't see me as weak?" asked Seungkwan, looking up.

"Of course not." said Vernon softly. "No one is ever weak for being scared. It's okay not to be okay."

Seungkwan shivered. Those words... he'd heard them before. But when Vernon said them, he felt like he'd remember them forever.

Someone cleared their throat from behind them. "Well, good morning, lovebirds."

Wonwoo stood there, a small hint of a smile on his face. Seungkwan coughed, embarrassed.

"Hyung." said Vernon, patting Seungkwan on the back. "Did you sleep well?"

Wonwoo nodded. "It seems that you two did, as well. I never knew I'd see love on a deserted island."

"Shut up." blushed Seungkwan. "Anyway, it's not like Seungcheol-hyung and Jeonghan-hyung weren't up till midnight sucking each other's faces off last night."

Wonwoo choked on air. "Excuse me?"

"They're dating now." added Vernon.

Wonwoo stared back at them in shock.

"I know, it's strange." said Seungkwan. "Most of us just met, but they've been acquaintances, at the least, for a few years now. I figured if anyone were to fall in love here, it'd be them."

"Why were you even considering that?" asked Wonwoo.

Seungkwan covered his mouth, embarrassed. "Don't worry about it."

Wonwoo chuckled, amused. "I'd say someone's in love, but what would I know?"

"Anyway, we should eat before the rain comes." said Vernon.

"Fair point." said Seungkwan.

"I'll go find something." said Wonwoo. "You two stay here, and if you see anyone, try to attract their attention in any way possible."

Seungkwan and Vernon nodded in understanding. Wonwoo gave a small smile, surprising the younger boys, and turned away into the small maze of trees.

Small specks of rain started to stain his glasses. He swore and quickened his pace, looking desperately for something, anything, to eat.

He spotted a patch of raspberries and knelt down. They would have to do. He wasn't sure what he expected to find. It was a deserted island, after all.

He picked a handful of berries and hurried back to the group as quickly as possible. Most of the others were awake by now, but Wonwoo noticed Mingyu was missing.

"Is Mingyu still asleep?" he asked.

Minghao nodded. "We were about to wake him."

"I'll do it. Here, take some berries." said Wonwoo, handing the berries to Minghao and going into the shelter they shared.

Sure enough, Mingyu was still asleep on the ground, looking a little distressed. Wonwoo frowned. He must be having a bad dream.

He reached out a shaky hand and placed it on Mingyu's shoulder, shaking him gently. "Mingyu, wake up."

Mingyu's eyes fluttered open, a small smile forming on his face when he saw Wonwoo. "Hello, friend."

The word made Wonwoo smile too. "Good morning, sleepyhead."

"You know, I really like it when you smile. You look so pretty." said Mingyu. "But even when you're not, you're equally beautiful."

Wonwoo's face reddened. "What brought this on?"

"What do you mean? I just want you to know how much I admire you." said Mingyu.

Wonwoo shivered. "No one's ever said that to me before."

"You deserve to hear it all the time." said Mingyu.

Wonwoo blushed. "Are you always like this in the morning?"

"Only when I'm with you. I'm hungry."

What was this feeling Wonwoo felt? And why did he feel it? It was only an emotion he'd experienced in his books...

"I just brought some berries back from the bushes. I hope the others didn't eat them all already."

Suddenly, Dokyeom's loud voice echoed from outside.

"WE'RE OVER HERE! HELP, PLEASE! I-" He sighed and turned to the others. "I don't think this is working."

Wonwoo and Mingyu hurried out of the shelter, squinting to see faint silhouettes in the distance. "Those must be the people looking for the ship." said Mingyu. "Can they not see us?"

"Probably not. The visibility is really low." said Joshua. "And we're too far away to be heard, even with Dokyeom."

"So we're stuck here." summarized Seungkwan.

"Basically, yes." sighed Junhui.

"No, what are you saying? We can't lose hope." said Joshua, standing up suddenly. "I know things seem a bit hopeless right now, but there has to be a way. We can't just die here! We have so much to live for! We're still so young! With the exception of Seungcheol and Jeonghan, we haven't met our partners. We haven't had children. We haven't even grown old! To be completely honest, I want to grow up together, the thirteen of us. And that's why we need to make it through. But we can't do that if we lose hope."

There was a short silence after Joshua's words, the boys letting his speech sink in.

Joshua took the silence as a signal to keep talking. "I watched my parents die, both of them. I could have saved them, but the current was too strong. I was forced to watch as my parents screamed and cried, begging for me to save myself. I was forced to watch as my parents drowned in the sea, their bodies floating below the surface. But I'm still here, aren't I? If I can survive that, I can survive anything. And if I can survive anything, you can too."

His voice cracked, but he stood tall, aware of everyone staring at him. Jeonghan slowly stood up and hugged him.

"We can do this." said Joshua quietly. "Now we just have to realize that ourselves."