River-R1t3s

No one’s POV.:

Felix was exhausted. They had had a day off and unable to pass up the opportunity, the Aussie had slipped into his headspace as soon as he had woken up. There were so many things he had been waiting to do as soon as he had the time to, so it was safe to say, it had been a long and busy day. Felix had actually gotten around to doing all the things he had been looking forward to. He had gone to the mall with Chan and Jeongin because the maknae had promised to buy him a new plushie. Before leaving the mall, Chan had treated them to ice cream and dropped them off at Minho’s family’s place, so his dongsaengs could pet the cats. Minho had taken Felix to the park once the boy was done showering Minho’s furry brothers with affection and they met up with Seungmin to feed the ducks. With the ducks fed and the little absolutely hyped, his two caregivers had chased him around the park, playing tag for a while before Changbin and Jisung took him out for dinner and a movie. By the time, the two rappers brought Felix home, he was already beyond tired but that didn’t mean he’d miss one of the most important parts of the day. He’d get to sleep over at the 3racha dorm and play Uno with Hyunjin until it was time for bed.

Minho had helped Felix pack his most important littlegear before dropping the younger off at the other dorm. Considering they had all gotten to spend time with the little already, 3racha retreated to Chan’s room to work on some music, so Hyunjin could have his time playing and taking care of his dongsaeng too. With how exhausted Felix was from being out all day, he barely realized how his momma seemed almost as tired as him and they only played a few rounds of Uno before getting ready for bed. Brushing their teeth side by side, they washed up and Hyunjin took his time to comb Felix’ hair before making sure the boy had his paci. The younger, of course, had to change into his onesie first before he’d be ready to sleep but the two eventually got comfortable under the blanket. With Felix clinging to his side, face nuzzled into his arm, Hyunjin turned off the light and told the little a bedtime story, he already knew by heart.

After such a long and exciting day, Felix was out cold before Hyunjin even finished the story. Hearing the slow and deep breaths, the caregiver stopped speaking and sighed in relief. He loved taking care of little Lixxie but today somehow hadn’t been his day and he was glad that it was finally over. What better day was there to end the day than to cuddle with the most precious little he had ever met?

When Felix woke up, everything was dark. It seemed his momma had forgotten to plug in the nightlight. With how often Felix slept over, both dorms were equipped with the most important items like nightlights and pacifiers, so for him to wake up in darkness was a first. “Momma?”, the little mumbled anxiously as he tried to take in his surroundings. There could be monsters everywhere, hiding in the shadows, and it creeped him out to no end. Hyunjin didn’t react though, not even when Felix started to tug on his shirt. After a few more tries, the Aussie managed to at least get a soft groan from the other, relieved that the monsters hadn’t killed him but that was as good as it got. He couldn’t see his momma’s face in the dark but clumsily reached for it, only for his hand to come away damp. Felix whined in confusion before trying again with the other hand. Hyunjin’s face was unnaturally hot and covered in sweat. ‘Scary’, the little thought, wiping his hand on the blanket. Was that even his momma? Maybe it was one of those shadow monsters, that would explain why it felt so wrong.

Now thoroughly terrified, Felix scrambled out of bed and broke into tears. He had to get away as fast as possible. Sobbing, the little rushed out into the hallway, relieved when he was some light under the door to Chan’s room. It seemed 3racha were still working and with his paci bobbing rapidly between his lips, Felix barged into the room, scaring his caregivers. Crying, the little attached himself to Changbin’s arm while the rapper tried his best to calm him down and figure out what had happened. “Did you have a nightmare, bub?”, Changbin whispered, stroking his dongsaeng’s back. Shaking his head, Felix whimpered: “Momma gone an’ shadow monstas evewywhere.” Chan chuckled lightly. The younger always saw monsters when it was dark. “Do you want hyungs to go and scare the monsters away?”, the leader asked softly, opening his arms for Felix. The little nodded, hugging Chan tightly before being picked up. They quietly made their way down the hallway, when Chan hummed: “Now, where did you say your momma went?” Still not sure what exactly he had felt in the dark, Felix only shrugged, growing tense as Chan reached for the door handle.

Switching on the light, Chan raised an eyebrow while Felix slipped two fingers into his mouth and looked around the room. There was nothing out of the ordinary, no monsters, only a sleeping Hyunjin in his bed. The dancer hadn’t even woken up when the light turned on. Something didn’t feel right to Chan though and he carefully handed Felix over to Jisung, who gently bounced the little in his arms. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, the leader pulled the blanket down a bit to get a better look at Hyunjin’s face. “Woah, he’s really not looking good”, Changbin commented from where he stood behind Chan. The oldest hummed in agreement, brushing a few sweaty strands of hair out of his dongsaeng’s face. Resting the back of his hand against Hyunjin’s forehead, Chan frowned: “He’s burning. Did he say anything about not feeling well to anyone?” – “Not that I know of”, Jisung denied, shushing Felix when the little let out a worried whine. Shaking his head, Changbin frowned: “Not really. He said it wasn’t really his day and that everything kept going wrong but that’s as much as I can tell you.”

“Hyunjinnie- hey?”, Chan hummed, gently shaking the younger. Grimacing, Hyunjin groaned and lifted his head. He was surprised to see four of his friends in his room and why was it so freaking bright. Weakly shielding his eyes, the dancer rasped: “What’s going on?” – “Good question, we were about to ask you the same thing”, Chan chuckled, motioning for Changbin to turn off the light, “Are you feeling alright?” In the dim light streaming in from the hallway, Hyunjin’s eyes looked incredibly glossy. “I don’ kno’”, the dancer slurred, laying his head back down, “Feel like I been hit by a train.” – “Momma”, Felix whined, making grabby hands at his caregiver.

When Jisung placed the Aussie down at the foot of the bed, he immediately crawled up to hug Hyunjin. Gently patting Felix’ head, the older breathed: “Hey there, baby. Momma’s okay.” The little hummed, handing Hyunjin his plushie before snuggling against his side. “You’re running quite a fever, which might explain why you feel like that”, Chan explained, “Is anything else bothering you?” – “Jus’ achy an’ sweaty an’ my head’s pounding”, the dancer shrugged, closing his eyes as his hands toyed with the plushie. Lightly tapping Felix’ arm, Changbin whispered: “Come on, Lixxie. Give your momma a chance to go and wash up. I don’t think he can sleep comfortably while everything’s sticky.” The Aussie whined but allowed the rapper to pick him up. Pecking Felix’ cheek as praise, Changbin carried the little to the kitchen, so Chan and Jisung could focus on Hyunjin.

“How about I run you a cool bath to bring that fever down?”, Chan offered, slowly removing the blanket, “You might feel more like yourself after cleaning up and by the time you’re done, we’ll have some medicine ready for you.” Yawning, Hyunjin gave a tired nod and sluggishly shuffled out of bed. As he tried to stand, his ears started to ring while his vision darkened for a moment. Chan instinctively grabbed his dongsaeng’s arm even though he had barely seen him sway in the dark. Holding on to the leader’s shoulder, Hyunjin muttered: “Need a moment. Gosh! Everything’s spinnin’….” – “Take as long as you need”, Chan hummed, wrapping his arms around the dancer’s waist to steady him, “Deep breaths, you’ll be okay.” When Hyunjin eventually gave a little nod, the oldest walked him to the bathroom and ran him a bath as promised while Jisung stripped the sheets off his friend’s bed. Tossing the sweat-damp sheets into the hallway, the rapper remade his hyung’s bed with fresh sheets before heading the kitchen to check on his friends.

Felix sat on the kitchen counter and watched Changbin cut up some kimchi for Hyunjin to eat after his bath. “Hey there, sunshine”, Jisung smiled, standing between the Aussie’s legs, “You okay?” Felix gave a small nod as his paci bobbed cutely between his lips. He had gotten over his scare when he realized his hyungs had the situation handled. Now he just wanted to take care of his momma like his momma always took care of him. It was reversed just like earlier when they had played Uno. “I’ll go grab the fever reducers, you got him?”, Changbin asked softly, watching Jisung pull funny faces to make Felix laugh. The younger nodded, pulling the Aussie into a hug before blowing a raspberry against his neck. With the pacifier, the squeal came out a bit muffled but it still made the two caregivers laugh fondly. Cupping Felix’ cheeks, Jisung hummed: “Do you wanna help hyung pick out some comfy clothes for your momma to wear?” The little nodded enthusiastically, he’d do anything he could to take care of his caregiver.

Placing Felix down on the freshly made bed, Jisung opened the closet and explained: “We should stick to t-shirt and shorts, so he doesn’t overheat.” Going through the different stacks of clothes, the rapper muttered to himself: “Maybe we can find those shorts he wears all the time…. I think they’re the most comfortable.” Felix let out an urgent whine, catching Jisung’s attention. When his caregiver was finally looking at him, the Aussie pointed towards Hyunjin’s desk chair. “Thank you, sweets. Wouldn’t have seen them there”, the rapper praised, throwing the shorts over his shoulder. Having put together a comfortable outfit, Jisung handed the clothes to Felix and smiled: “You can bring them to the bathroom. Meet me in the living room after, yeah?” A wide smile formed behind Felix’ paci as he nodded before waddling off. Now he could finally be helpful.

While Hyunjin finished washing up, 3racha entertained Felix in the living room. They had a cartoon playing on low volume and Chan was distributing Uno cards. Sluggishly shuffling into the living room, Hyunjin smiled fondly. He knew his dongsaeng loved the game and though one might think his mental age would be far to young for such a game, the little did really well. “Here, we prepared a bite for you to eat, so you don’t have to take the pills on an empty stomach”, Changbin stated calmly as he handed Hyunjin the bowl. Nodding, the dancer thanked him before he lifted a bite to his lips. He wasn’t necessarily hungry but he most definitely wasn’t in the mood for an upset stomach. With how run down he felt, it took a while for him to finish his food and he gladly rinsed down the pills his hyung handed him. Hopefully, they’d improve his headache soon. Yawning, Hyunjin announced that he was ready to go back to sleep now, so Chan and Changbin walked him back to his room. He was a little sad to see that Jisung was keeping Felix, already having looked forward to some more koala-cuddles, but it would probably be for the best.