Haneul's eyes widened, his face growing pale and worried. He clutched the stuffed tiger tighter, his small hands digging into the soft fur. "Is he going to be okay...?" he asked, his voice shaky and scared.

Seungcheol bit his lip, trying to keep his expression neutral. He didn't want to scare Haneul any more than necessary, but he also didn't want to give him false hope. "The doctors are doing everything they can to help him. He's stable, but he hasn't woken up yet."

Haneul's face fell, his small shoulders slumping. He looked like he was on the verge of tears, his bottom lip trembling. "When will he wake up...?" he asked, his voice small and wobbly.

Seungcheol felt a pang of sympathy and pity in his chest at the sight of Haneul's sadness and fear. He wanted nothing more than to be able to give him a definite answer, to promise that Jeonghan would definitely wake up and be okay.

But he couldn't do that. The truth was that the doctors didn't know when or even if Jeonghan would wake up.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know, kiddo," he admitted, his voice soft and tired. "The doctors aren't sure. We just have to wait and see."

As soon as the first tear rolled down Haneul's cheek, the dam seemed to break. He burst into tears, sobs wracking his small body as he clutched the tiger plushie tightly against his chest.

The members all looked stunned and worried as they watched Haneul cry. None of them had ever seen a child cry with such raw, heartbroken emotion.

Seungcheol felt a lump form in his throat as he watched Haneul sob. He had never been good with crying children, and he didn't know what to do to comfort or soothe Haneul. He felt helpless and awkward as he stood there, watching the child's small body shake with sorrow.

The other members looked just as helpless and unsure. They knew they should do something to help Haneul, but they had never been in a situation like this before. The only one who seemed to be any kind of comfort was Hoshi, who was kneeling beside Haneul and patting his back awkwardly.

Hoshi looked up at the other members, his expression panicked and pleading. "What do we do?" he whispered, his voice filled with worry. "He's crying so hard we have to do something."

Nobody had any answers. They all stood there, feeling useless and helpless as they watched Haneul cry his heart out. It seemed like he would never stop, his small body shaking and shuddering with each sob.

Seungcheol watched Haneul cry, feeling a pang of helplessness and anxiety in his chest. He had never been particularly good at comforting or dealing with emotional situations, and he felt utterly out of his depth.

"Hoshi," he said, his voice firm but surprisingly gentle. "Go get him some water."

Hoshi nodded, standing up quickly and heading for the kitchen. The other members looked at each other, unsure of what to do or say. They could all hear Haneul's sobs, and it tugged at their hearts.

Without thinking, Seungcheol moved forward and knelt down beside Haneul. His heart was beating fast in his chest, and his palms were sweaty. He wasn't sure what he was doing, or why he was doing it. He just knew that he couldn't stand there and watch Haneul cry any longer.

He gingerly reached out and placed his hand on Haneul's back, wincing inwardly at how small and vulnerable the child felt. He began to rub small, gentle circles against Haneul's back, hoping that it might provide some measure of comfort.

The other members watched in surprise as Seungcheol kneeled down beside Haneul and began to rub his back. They had never seen their leader act so tenderly and gently with anyone before, let alone a small child.

A small part of Seungcheol's mind was screaming at him, telling him to get up and stop this. He was the leader of a gang, for god's sake. He didn't comfort little kids who were crying. He didn't do gentle, tender things.

But the other part of his mind, the part that he rarely ever listened to, told him to keep going. To keep stroking Haneul's back and trying to bring him comfort.

As he continued to rub small, gentle circles against Haneul's small back, Seungcheol found himself becoming more and more attuned to the child's physical reactions. He could feel the tension slowly draining from Haneul's body, his sobs slowly quieting to hiccuping gasps and sniffles.

Without thinking, he cupped one of his large hands against Haneul's face, gently cupping his rounded, wet cheeks.

The other members watched in silence, stunned by how comfortable and tender Seungcheol was being with Haneul. They had never seen him act like this before. It was like he was a completely different person.

Haneul's cheeks were warm and damp from his tears, and Seungcheol could feel the child's small, uneven breaths against his palm. He continued to rub small circles against Haneul's back with his other hand, hoping that the gentle touch would continue to soothe him.

Haneul's body seemed to relax even more under Seungcheol's gentle touch. His tears slowed to an occasional watery sniffle, and his breathing began to even out. He seemed to calm down more and more with each passing moment, his small frame growing limp and weary.

As Haneul's cries subsided to small, shaky breaths, Seungcheol felt a sense of relief and satisfaction wash over him. He couldn't believe he had done it. He had comforted a crying child, something he had never thought he would be capable of doing.

Hoshi came back into the room, his face surprised and curious at the scene before him. He took one look at Seungcheol soothing Haneul's hiccups and tears, and his eyebrows shot up into his hairline.

Hoshi set the glass of water on a nearby table and came over to where Seungcheol was kneeling, taking in the sight of their normally tough and cold leader being tender with a crying child.

Hoshi opened his mouth to say something, but Seungcheol shushed him with a sharp look. He didn't want to break the fragile calm and quiet that had settled over Haneul, nor did he want to draw attention to his own uncharacteristic behavior.

He closed his mouth, looking like he desperately wanted to comment on the situation but also not wanting to ruin the current atmosphere. The other members all wore similar expressions, their faces a mix of surprise and awe at their leader's unexpected nurturing actions.

Hoshi handed the glass of water to Seungcheol, who took it gratefully, careful not to jostle Haneul too much. He continued to rub soothing circles on the child's back as he held the glass to Haneul's lips, encouraging him to take small sips of water.

His small mouth opening and closing as he took small sips of water. He looked exhausted and weary from crying, his eyes red-rimmed and swollen, his small face crumpled and tear-streaked.

As Haneul drained the glass, Seungcheol set it aside, still gently rubbing the child's back. He could feel the steady rise and fall of Haneul's small frame as he breathed, and he couldn't deny the strange feeling of protectiveness and tenderness that had settled in his chest.

With Haneul's tears finally subsiding, the room was quiet and calm. The members all looked at each other, unsure of what to do or say now that the crisis had passed. Hoshi spoke up first, his voice soft and tentative.

"Haneul," he said gently. "Are you hungry?"

Haneul glanced up at Hoshi, his small face still red and tear-streaked. He nodded weakly, his stomach grumbling audibly in answer to the question.

Hoshi smiled, his eyes kind and reassuring. "Alright, let's get you something to eat, bud," he said, standing up and stretching. The members nodded in agreement.

The members all stood up and began to head towards the kitchen, chattering and discussing what they could feed Haneul. Seokmin offered to make pancakes, while Wonwoo suggested some leftover pizza from the night before.

Seungcheol stayed knelt on the ground beside Haneul, his hand still resting on the child's back. He could hear the muffled sounds of the members' conversation and laughter as they began to prepare food in the kitchen, but he stayed where he was, continuing to rub small circles on Haneul's back in a calming and soothing gesture.

Seungcheol gently lifted Haneul into his arms, making sure to support his small body with care. As he carried him over to the bed, Seungcheol couldn't help but notice how light and fragile Haneul felt in his arms. It was almost like he weighed nothing at all.

As soon as Seungcheol placed Haneul gently on the bed, he headed towards the kitchen where the other members were. As he approached, he could hear a flurry of activity and conversation, the sound of cabinets opening and closing and dishes clattering against each other.

Seungcheol leaned against the doorway, watching as the members moved around the kitchen. Seokmin was flipping pancakes on the stove, his eyes trained diligently on the pan. Wonwoo and Mingyu were chopping up fruit, their knives flashing through tomatoes and kiwi as they worked.

Seungcheol watched the members with a small, amused smile on his face. It was true, the members were not really known for their cooking skills. They usually relied on takeout or delivery for their meals.

"I haven't seen y'all working in our kitchen like that in my life." he said, "It's a miracle none of them have burned the place down yet."

The members all looked up at Seungcheol's voice, grinning sheepishly as they were called out on their lack of culinary skills.

"Hey, we're doing our best," Seokmin protested, flipping a pancake with a flick of his wrist. "It's better than ordering in again."

"Speak for yourself," Mingyu grumbled, brandishing his knife menacingly. "I'd take pizza over your questionable pancake-making any day."

Seungcheol chuckled, watching as the members continued to banter and tease each other as they worked. Despite their lack of cooking skills, it was clear that they were all putting in their best effort to make something edible and comforting for Haneul.

Seungcheol looked over at where Dino was struggling with a blender, attempting to blend together some kind of mixture. The blender made a loud, grinding sound, and Seungcheol winced at the sound of it.

"Uh, I think you might want to be careful with that, Dino," he said, eyeing the blender warily.

"Yeah, I'm trying!" Dino grumbled, looking frustrated as he wrestled with the blender. "It's stuck or something, I can't get it to blend properly."

Jun was the one who finally spoke up, his voice firm and commanding.

"Hey, you're going to break that thing if you keep trying to force it like that," he said, coming over to where Dino was and gently taking the blender from his hands.

He wondered how he had never really noticed this before, how well they all worked together. Maybe he had been too caught up in his own thoughts and responsibilities to really pay attention to how the members interacted with each other.

He watched as Wonwoo chopped up some fresh fruit, his movements precise and efficient. He watched as Seungkwan mixed ingredients together in a large bowl, his expression focused and determined. He watched as Hoshi cracked eggs into a pan, his hands moving with practiced ease.

After some time, the members had finished preparing the food - pancakes, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, and even some sausage and bacon. It wasn't a gourmet meal by any means, but it was simple and comforting, just what Haneul needed after his earlier emotional outburst.

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I myself don't know why I forgot to publish yesterday..