#random request event

Kihyun shuffles into the dorm, sighing as he goes to take a seat on the couch. He reclines his head back, closing his eyes to just take a moment to relax. The dorm seems to be quiet for once, lacking the exaggerated grunts and breaths of Hoseok working out or the shouts and clicks of any of the others playing video games. He doesn’t know where the others are right now, and he doesn’t particularly care. For now, he just wants to relax in the calm and quiet of being home alone after a day of dance practice…

A calm and quiet that only lasts a second longer, however, before he hears a horrid retching from off in the distance.

The main vocalist straightens up immediately at the sound, his heart stopping. God no, not again. One of the other members can’t be sick again already… He’d just managed to help Changkyun through a cold! What if this is a cold, too? What if this is contagious? Dear God, the last thing any of them need right now is a dorm-wide pandemic.

With a grunt of dissatisfaction, Kihyun gets up from the couch and goes to find out who the source of all this is. When he gets to the bathroom, he isn’t entirely unsurprised to see Hoseok there, kneeling with his bag curved upwards as he empties his insides into the toilet. Kihyun sighs, breathing through his mouth as he shuffles gingerly forward. He holds his shirt up to his nose as a germ precaution before getting a washcloth from a drawer and wetting it.

“K-Kihyunnie…” Hoseok whines, the pained tone of his voice making Kihyun have just a bit more sympathy for him. He kneels down beside the older and presses the cool cloth to his forehead, his touch incredibly gentle.

“It’s alright, hyung, I’m here. I’ve got you.”

Hoseok pulls away from the mouth of the toilet long enough to give his boyfriend a grateful smile, but then he’s back at vomiting all that he’s eaten in the passed day.

Once Hoseok has weakened himself beyond belief and expelled all there was in his body, Kihyun leads him to his room. He gently sets him down on the bed, his own body screaming at him at having to shoulder the weight of the bulkier man. But, he manages, and he starts to wipe at Hoseok’s face to get any dribble off him as soon as he’s settled.

“When did this start?” Kihyun asks, his voice kind as he brushes Hoseok’s bangs from his face. Hoseok leans into the touch, his eyes fluttering shut.

“Around an hour ago… I don’t know what it could be. I was feeling fine yesterday.”

“It might be the flu,” Kihyun begrudgingly states, rubbing at his eyes with his free hand. “Kyunnie had it not too long ago, so you had a chance to catch it.”

“It… doesn’t feel like flu,” Hoseok argues, pouting in confusion. “I’m not as shaky as I am when I have the flu.”

“Well, what have you eaten recently?” Kihyun presses on, eager to have it be mere food poisoning. That, at least, isn’t contagious. Hoseok hums in thought, opening his eyes to stare up at the ceiling. Kihyun patiently waits beside him, petting his head to help him stay relaxed.

“I… had eggs and toast and rice and soup and some leftover pizza for breakfast,” Hoseok starts, earning a knowing chuckle from Kihyun. If there’s one thing he can say about his boyfriend, it’s that the man can certainly pack it away. “Ramen last night after I worked out, and I went and had clams with Minhyukkie for dinner…”

Kihyun hums, chewing on the inside of his cheek.

“Did Minhyuk eat the clams, too?”

“I think he had some… um… what’s it called? The raw fish stuff with the rice and the—”

“Sushi, hyung,” Kihyun snickers, unable to help himself. “It’s called sushi.” Hoseok frowns at him defiantly, and he softly apologizes before standing. “Well, you probably have food poisoning. I’ll go and get you some stomach medicine and some different broths.” He turns to leave the room, but Hoseok reaches out and clutches onto his wrist with a surprising amount of strength. Kihyun looks down at the hand before meeting the older’s eyes, his smile so affectionate at the pleading look in Hoseok’s eyes.

“Jutht text someone to get it,” Hoseok practically begs. “I want to cuddle…”

Kihyun coos, a soundless laugh escaping him as he goes to set the cloth down nearby. He pulls his phone out of his back pocket, sending a quick text to Jooheon before settling next to Hoseok. He presses a kiss to Hoseok’s forehead before the older cuddles up to his side, using his chest as a pillow. His strong arms nearly squeeze the breath of the main vocal, but he doesn’t mind.

Hoseok huffs out a breath, fixing his hair one final time in a panel of the wall made up of floor-length mirrors. He sees one of the better students, Mrs. Lee, walk towards him, and he shoots her a bright smile like all the mothers in the room like as he turns around with a respectful bow. Mrs. Lee always picks up the choreography fairly well, fast and precise, and she isn’t high maintenance like some would assumer her to be due to her expertly quaffed hair and well-done makeup. She’s one of those soccer moms who’d never break a sweat in front of another person, as if the glands themselves had been removed. His own mom wouldn’t have liked her one bit, despite her being one of the best tippers in the class. “Hoseokkie, you’re just so dashing,” Mrs. Lee says, pulling at his cheek affectionately. Hoseok chuckles sheepishly, glancing away in embarrassment. “I wish you’d let me set you up with my daughter. She’s getting her grades up and will be going to a distinguished university here in the city once she graduates.” “I’d be honored, Mrs. Lee,” Hoseok says, giving the usual spiel, “but I’m not really looking right now…” Mrs. Lee makes a small noise of disappointment in her throat before clicking her tongue and pulling out her wallet. He tries to tell her, as he does every week, that he’s a volunteer and isn’t supposed to accept tips, but she waves off his words and gives him a solid ₩100,000. Hoseok bows until the top of his head is parallel with her waist, and she gives him an affectionate pat on the head before turning on her heel to leave. Hoseok pockets the money, smiling to himself as he stares at the floor. While he genuinely enjoys the work here, helping the coaches teach workout routines and helping people better their lifestyles through dance, he can’t honestly say that the tip money isn’t also a draw. With this, he can help his youngest brother with school supplies, for sure! He tries to think of where he’d be if Mrs. Lee weren’t one of those rich wives who’d been sent to western boarding school when she was young, if she hadn’t chosen to keep up her self-taught tradition of tipping when she came back… Well, he’d be working two shitty part-time jobs, instead of just one. That’s for sure. Hoseok starts to think that maybe, just maybe, he should go out with Mrs. Lee’s daughter to try and make up for her kindness… He gets his bag and takes out his wallet, sighing as he puts the new wad of cash into it. Yeah, he definitely needs to at least try, just to repay her… Sounds of the other Zumba class next door float through the air. Hoseok decides to look in, figuring he has a bit of time before Hyungwon comes by with the car. He peeks in, nodding his head to the complicated EDM beat. He scans the room through the cracked-open door, figuring this to be the advanced class he’d tried to get a volunteer slot in but just didn’t get his information in in time. Then, at the front, watching intently at the reflection, is the most gorgeous tan boy Hoseok has ever seen… His palms get clammy, his heartbeat picks up, his eyes widen to mere discs. Hoseok gulps thickly, pressing a palm to his chest as he tries to calm his own pulse… Oh, shit. Not again.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Hyungwon notes as Hoseok practically scrambles into the car. It’s still a bit chilly outside, so he’s surprised to see his older brother waiting outside the community center already with nothing on but his tank top and shorts. The older boy still looks to be sweating… Maybe the class had run late? Hoseok trips over his own bag as he throws it into the floorboard, nearly slamming his ankle with the door as he shuts it. He stares straight ahead, fiddling with his thumbs in his lap. Hyungwon gives him a suspicious once-over, big doe eyes pursing as he stares at him up and down. He then merely shrugs, putting the family car into drive once more and starting off towards home. It won’t take long for Hoseok to spill the beans, surely. It never does.