Another week had passed and Jeonghan was upset that he only got to visit Seungcheol once during that time. The higher ups at Pledis decided that the members had had enough time to adjust to the absence of their leader and were pushing more activities and events into their schedules, being less lenient with them when they asked for time off to visit the Choi's. Every time they asked, they were shut down immediately and were then called into their CEO's office for long lectures about their role as an idol and how they couldn't afford to waste their time with these "silly" trips because they should be more focused on preparing their album. It was stupid and frustrating but as much as Jeonghan wanted to argue back, these were his bosses and if he still wanted to be an idol then he would have to follow their orders without fail.

So grudgingly, Jeonghan woke up early that morning and met with the other members of Seventeen's vocal unit so that they could leave for a photoshoot that was apparently thrown into their schedule last minute. Jeonghan was annoyed but he played it off, not wanting to ruin the mood so early in the day, and took his seat in the van between Joshua and Dokyeom. 

At the photoshoot, Jeonghan was busy getting his hair and make up done when his phone lit up from the dressing table, indicating that he had received a message. He checked who the sender was and saw that it was from Seungcheol's mother. He immediately reached for the device, which earned him a slight scolding from the make up artist, and then read the contents of the text.

"Good morning sweetie! I just thought I'd let you know that Seungcheol seems to be making some progress with his therapy. He's doing so well with his balance exercises and his physical therapist even told me that soon Seungcheol can start some mobility exercises! :D"

"I'm so happy to hear that!! Thank you so much for letting me know!"

"Anything for my angel. Will you and the others be visiting any time soon? I miss my boys."

"I'm not sure. Our boss won't let us have too much time off :( But I promise I'll try my best to come soon!"

"Alright. Just make sure that company doesn't work you too hard. I don't need any more of my little ones getting hurt!"

"Yes mom! I have to go now but I'll text you soon! Love youu <3"

"I love you too, angel! Bye!"

Jeonghan put his phone away and instantly felt better. He had been doing his own research during the past few weeks on physical therapy and if Seungcheol was improving on his balance then he'd just need to work on strengthening his muscles and then it'd only be a matter of time before the other started walking again. And if the other could walk again then that meant he was one step closer to fully recovering and returning to Seoul. 

Jeonghan was also excited for the news because maybe it would give Seungcheol some boost in his self-esteem. It was something Jeonghan wanted to ignore, but over his past visits it was painfully obvious that the other was feeling down in the dumps because of his current situation. And who wouldn't? Seungcheol, who was always strong and had prided himself on his own athletic ability, was now totally dependent on those around him for even the simplest of tasks such as eating and bathing. It would be demoralizing for anyone, and Jeonghan couldn't even imagine the impact these negative feelings were having on his leader. So it was nice to hear that Seungcheol was making so much progress in such a short amount of time. And Jeonghan couldn't wait to see Seungcheol to tell the other just how proud he was of him and his accomplishment.

And with his own mood suddenly lifted up, Jeonghan was able to tackle the day without any complaints. Dokyeom even pulled him to side to make sure the other wasn't going crazy because this was the first time in days that Jeonghan was this energetic. Jeonghan just laughed and let his dongsaeng know the news about Seungcheol, unable to hide the relief and happiness in his voice.

It was another 2 days before Jeonghan was able to find the time to visit Seungcheol. He only had an interview planned during the middle of the day but with enough begging, Joshua had kindly taken his place so that he could tag along with Woozi and Wonwoo all the way to Daegu. The ride was long and Woozi had brought his laptop along with him to play some samples of songs that he was working on which somehow turned into him forcing Wonwoo and Jeonghan to help him with some lyrics. Jeonghan hated it because as cute as Woozi looked, the other could turn into an evil dictator when it came to producing and writing. 

He was about to accept his early death and tell Woozi that over the past 2 hours he come up with nothing when their driver turned around and told them they they were 5 minutes away from Seungcheol's house. Jeonghan sighed in relief and pretended that he was still working hard until they reached their destination. 

At the front door, they were greeted by Seunggil who smiled and let them in. The older Choi led them to the living room and went to get them some water before sitting down to fill them in on Seungcheol's condition.

"He's doing better. He may not be thrilled by his progress but any improvement is better than no improvement."

"Your mother told me that he can start walking again soon?" Jeonghan asked hopefully.

"Not too soon but yes, he's closer to that point in his program."

"What does that mean?" Wonwoo asked.

Seunggil took a moment to think about his answer before replying. "Well....Seungcheol is doing okay with his balance but he has almost no strength in his muscles. So far his therapist has been having Cheol do these basic small exercises that mostly involve sitting and standing and even then he needs to lean onto something to hold himself up for more than 2 seconds. But the important thing is that he can stand...Cheol is still frustrated with the whole thing since it takes a lot out of him but his physical therapist said that that's normal and with time he'll be able to stand on his own with no help at all."

"So...he's not gonna start walking soon." Woozi said, sounding disappointed by the news.

"Like I said, not soon, but sooner than we expected."

Jeonghan didn't want to hear anymore so he took it upon himself to change the subject. "Where are your parents?"

Seunggil understood what Jeonghan was doing with the sudden change of topic and he gave a grateful smile towards the other. "Dad had to go back to work since he already used a few vacation days to stay home with us and mom was preparing some rice porridge before you all came so I think she should be feeding Seungcheol by now."

And as if on que, they all heard Mrs. Choi yell.

"Seungcheol! What were you trying to do?!"

After hearing the yell, the boys didn't waste a second to run up the stairs and into Seungcheol's room. When they came through the doorway, they saw Mrs. Choi kneeling next to Seungcheol who had somehow ended up on the floor by his window. Mrs. Choi continued to question her youngest son while trying to help him up but Seungcheol just sat there unmoving and avoiding his mother's gaze. A few seconds later, Wonwoo and Seunggil also tried to help Seungcheol up but they were only shoved away and yelled at to leave.

Seungcheol refused to face anyone in the room directly and he was breathing heavily and it was then that Jeonghan saw the tears forming in others' eyes. One could have easily mistaken his expression as pure anger but Jeonghan knew better. He also noticed the porridge that Mrs. Choi had made sitting on the side table of the bed so he thought quick and told the others that he would talk to Seungcheol and try to get him to eat. They all agreed and after a few moments, Jeonghan was left alone in the room with a very upset Seungcheol.

"Coups...." Jeonghan's voice was soft and gentle, "what happened?"

He was met with more silence. Okay...new plan.

"You know, your mom made some pretty good porridge. If you don't eat it then I will." Jeonghan said as he sat down next to the other and side eyed him. Still no reaction and that made Jeonghan puff his cheeks. He didn't like being ignored so he gently grabbed Seungcheol's face between his palms and forced the other to at least look at him.

"You're warm." 

"What?" Jeonghan was certainly not expecting that to be the first words he heard from Seungcheol.

"Your hands...they're warm." Jeonghan didn't say anything and let the other go on. "The window...it was open and it was getting cold. Everyone was downstairs at the time and I didn't want to call someone up for something so small so I....the window.....it isn't even that far from the bed so I thought I could-"

Seungcheol didn't finish his sentence due to the fact that he was now crying. But he didn't need to because Jeonghan understood completely. The window was open and Seungcheol wanted to close it. Indeed it was a small task, but for someone who was recovering from a brain injury, something so simple could prove to be a much greater challenge. 

"I'm so pathetic!" Seungcheol berated himself and all Jeonghan could do was hold the other as he continued to slander himself. Jeonghan felt his heart ache at hearing the other say such insulting and untrue things about himself and it didn't take long for Jeonghan to decide that he had heard enough.

"Shh....Please stop Cheol. You're not pathetic or stupid or any of those things. You have to remember that you're recovering. You're supposed to be taking it easy. Not putting yourself at risk from further injury."

"But-"

"No." Jeonghan refused to give the other another chance to speak so lowly of himself. "I know you want things to go back to normal but it's gonna take time. And until then just let others take care of you."

"...how much time?"

"I don't know Seungcheol. But no matter how long it does take, there are always gonna be people there for you. You are so loved Cheol and we all just want you to get better. So please, don't feel burdened or embarrassed to ask anyone for help, because we would be more than happy to. Okay?"

Seungcheol pulled away slightly, nodding with a small smile and Jeonghan returned the gesture with his own and then took the opportunity to wipe away the older boy's tears. And after a few moments, it was Seungcheol who broke the silence.

"Sing for me?"

Jeonghan was shocked by the sudden request but complied with a simple "fine" before he racked his brain for a song he could sing that would fully calm down the other. He decided on a classic that was both of their favorites and after a few more moments, the room was filled with Jeonghan's sweet and melodic voice:

~ Please listen to my heart just once
Everyday, every night I am missing you
Even if you are not by my side
Even if I can't see you now
In my heart, you are still the same ~

By the end of the song, Seungcheol seemed much more relaxed and Jeonghan took the chance to help him back up onto his bed without any fuss. Seungcheol had even asked Jeonghan to sit with him and the younger agreed on the condition that Seungcheol ate the food that his mother had prepared. Seungcheol easily agreed and Jeonghan went to grab the tray on the bedside table before situating himself on the bed, making sure to be careful or Seungcheol's still healing arm and ribs. 

They joked and laughed as Jeonghan fed Seungcheol the porridge, even stealing a few spoonfuls himself which just led to more laughter from the two boys. Jeonghan guessed they were laughing louder than he had thought because they soon heard a knock on the door followed by Woozi and Wonwoo entering the room to join them. They all continued to hae a good time until Seunggil came in to give Seungcheol his medication. And just like before, the members who had come to visit decided that that was their que to leave and said goodbye to Seungcheol.

On the way home, Wonwoo and Woozi asked Jeonghan what had happened with Seungcheol earlier in the day but Jeonghan kept his answers simple, thinking that Seungcheol wouldn't want him to talk about it so freely to everyone else. However, he did text Joshua saying that they needed to talk because though he wouldn't show it, Jeonghan was rather bothered with having to see Seungcheol break down like he had and he couldn't shake off the horrible feeling.

And when they were finally home, Jeonghan immediately grabbed Joshua from the couch and pushed the other into his bedroom and shut the door.

"Okay....what is wrong?" Joshua asked, sounding concerned at Jeonghan's behavior.

"It's Cheol-"

"Seungcheol? Is he okay? Did something happen to him?"

"Yes....no.....Kinda? He fell...today. But it wasn't anything too bad. I mean he just lost his balance when he tried to walk....even though he's not supposed to be straining himself like that.....dummy....I mean we all told him to take it easy but noo-"

"You're rambling."

"Right...Sorry. So he fell and then he got really sad and angry....but angry at himself. And then he started crying and I didn't know what to do. I managed to calm him down after a while but it hurt so much." Jeonghan took another long moment before finally admitting what he wanted to say. "Seeing him look so small and hearing him talk about himself like that. It hurt my heart...so much Shua.....Why does it hurt? Why is my heart in pain?"

"Because you care about him." Joshua said as he pulled Jeonghan into a hug. They stayed like that for a while until Jeonghan told the other that he was tired and then went to his bed to finally get some sleep.

A few days had passed and Jeonghan found that he was unlucky with his schedules. Pledis was really trying to get the boys to do anything and everything and that meant that there was little time to spare for long trips to Daegu. Jeonghan still kept in touch with Seungcheol's mother, and during his last visit he even got Seunggil's number so Jeonghan felt a little better on the days that he couldn't go for a visit because at least those two would keep him updated. 

From their texts, it sounded like Seungcheol was doing fine. No more falls since the last time and that was a relief. But it was still annoying that he couldn't check up on Seungcheol himself and had to rely on the texts. He didn't complain out loud (too much) but anyone around him knew that he was beginning to get pissed at the company for denying the Seventeen members any opportunity to visit their leader and they would slowly move away from the singer when he would constantly check his phone and angrily put it away after seeing that he had no new texts messages. 

Another few days later and Jeonghan had received a text from Seunggil saying that things had gotten easier around the house since one of Seungcheol's old school friends had decided to come by every now and then to help take care of Seungcheol. Seunggil wouldn't say who it was but he just said that this person was really helping Seungcheol out and that they did a much better job with comforting the Seungcheol when he needed it much better than his own family members could. Jeonghan was really curious after that piece of information but decided to let his curiosity go, being happy that Seungcheol had yet another person to look after him. Hell, if they were as great as Seunggil was saying they were, then Jeonghan would have to thank them personally for being so helpful towards his friend and leader.

Jeonghan decided to that this was a good thing and even let the rest of s know. They all seemed to like the news as well and Minghao had even suggested that they should meet this person so that they could all thank them. Jeonghan just laughed and told them that maybe they could if they ever met this mystery person and left it at that, changing the subject to something else. 

They ended up making light hearted jokes about each other and it was all fun and games for Jeonghan until Jun brought up his motherly tendencies. This then then led to Mingyu joking about how Seventeen had their own set of parents with Jeonghan being their mom and Seungcheol being their dad and Hoshi joined in saying that Jeonghan and Seungcheol even acted like a married couple. Jeonghan wanted to tell them stop it but that was done for him when their dance instructor had come back into the practice room and told them that their break was over. Jeonghan sighed and mentally prepared himself for another long day of practice. As he stretched, he absentmindedly thought back to what Joshua had told him a few days ago, about caring for Seungcheol, and then to just a few minutes ago where the others had joked about them being more than just friends and Jeonghan didn't know why but he felt a blush creeping up on his cheeks at the mere thought of it all.

A/N: Another chapter!! And just in time for me to go to sleep lol

If you guys couldn't tell, in this fic Joshua is one of Jeongcheol's biggest supporters and Joshua is me LOL (man I love 95line so much)

Btw, the song Jeonghan sang was Fly to the Sky's "Missing You" and it really is a classic. I love it and you guys should check it out and love it too lol

Anyway, thanks again for reading and please remember to comment/subscribe!! Bye guys!! <3