Yoongi feels like a new man when he wakes in the late morning and is able to draw a breath in through his nose. He’s not shivering, not sweating, not sniffling. Even if he’s not completely one hundred percent, just waking up without a stuffy nose for the first time in over a week seems like something to celebrate.

He gets out of bed and grabs a hoodie before making his way to the living room. 

“Hey!” Seokjin says when he sees Yoongi, jumping up off the sofa. “You’re awake! I was just about to come check on you and give you some meds.”

“How are you feeling?” Hoseok asks.

“I feel great,” Yoongi exclaims, the words bursting out of him. “I mean, I’m still recovering and I should probably still rest today, but–” He cuts himself off, ducking his head. “Sorry, I’m just really fucking relieved.”

And then he bursts into tears.

Seokjin is at his side instantly. He guides him to the sofa and sits him down next to Hoseok, who wraps an arm around Yoongi and pulls him against his chest. 

“You just cry all you need to,” Seokjin coos, rubbing Yoongi’s back. “I’m so glad you’re feeling better.” 

“I don’t know why I’m crying,” Yoongi huffs out after a minute, scrubbing at his eyes. 

“Hey, it’s just like you said. You’re feeling relieved. It’s totally normal, Yoon.”

“Here, hyung.” Jungkook has a glass of water that he offers to Yoongi. “Do you want some tissues?”

Yoongi sniffs and accepts the water with a wobbly smile. “Yes, please. Thank you.”

Jungkook grabs a box of tissues for him. Yoongi sips some of the water and then blows his nose.

“Sorry,” he laughs, cradling the tissue box to his chest. “I don’t want to cry. I just felt so overwhelmed all of a sudden.” 

“We’re really glad you’re feeling better, hyung,” Jimin says. “And it’s totally okay if you’re feeling overwhelmed.” 

Namjoon picks up the remote and points it at the TV. “If you want, we can watch a game. We were just about to turn it on.”

Yoongi nods, feeling grateful for the change in subject. “Who’s playing?” he asks, knowing full well none of them will know until they see it on the screen.

For a few minutes, everyone hovers around Yoongi, making sure he’s comfortable and has everything he needs. Yoongi feels a little embarrassed by his emotional outburst, but also touched that they all care about him so much. 

“Just make sure you take it easy today,” Seokjin says quietly once they’re ten minutes into watching the game. “Don’t try to overdo it.”

“I’m just gonna sit here and watch football, hyung,” Yoongi promises.

Yoongi does everything he can to be awake and alert for the game, but finds that he doesn’t have to try very hard at all. For once, he’s not too exhausted to stay awake for more than a couple of hours at a time. He grins to himself when the game ends and he’s still awake, though he catches Jimin looking at him and schools his face into a more neutral expression. Jimin beams at him in return and Yoongi gives up on fighting back his smile.

Jungkook and Hoseok go for a snack and coffee run after the first game, and Yoongi is awake when they return, too. They hand him a peace iced tea, and he drinks it along with a plate of fruit and toast that Taehyung brings him. 

He’s still awake an hour later when the next game starts too. Now that Yoongi has declared that he’s feeling better, no one worries about being quiet. Taehyung insists on yelling every time there’s a goal, and though he’s also almost fully recovered from his cold, it sets him off coughing every time. 

They divide themselves up on the sofa by which team they’re rooting for– Jungkook, Hoseok and Jimin on one side, and Yoongi, Seokjin, Taehyung and Namjoon on the other. Yoongi smiles so much during the game that his cheeks hurt by the end.

“You feeling okay?” Hoseok asks him as they all get up and stretch before the next game. “Do you want to lie down for a bit?”

Yoongi shakes his head. He’s high on World Cup excitement. But then he sees Seokjin watching him carefully from across the room, and he looks at Hoseok. 

“Actually, maybe I will rest for a little while. But you have to wake me up before the next game starts if I fall asleep.”

Hoseok grins. “I promise I won’t let you sleep through it. Here, you can lean on me if you want.” 

Yoongi lets Hoseok tuck a blanket around him, snuggling against his chest. 

Hoseok wraps his arms around Yoongi and kisses the top of his head. “This is fun,” he murmurs. “I think I finally understand football now.”

Yoongi laughs loudly. “Good. I’m going to be watching every game. We still have three more weeks of this.”

“Three weeks?” Jungkook plops down next to Yoongi and leans against his shoulder, sandwiching Yoongi between himself and Hoseok. “That’s a lot of football.” 

“Oh! You don’t feel warm at all.” Seokjin pulls his hand away from Yoongi’s forehead and stands up. “I better get the thermometer to check. You might finally be rid of this fever!”

Yoongi tries not to feel too hopeful and Seokjin fetches the thermometer from the bathroom. 

While he waits, Yoongi grabs a tissue so he can blow his nose. Early this morning he’d been so stuffed up that his sinuses hurt, but now his nose won’t stop running and he can’t figure out which has been worse. 

Seokjin returns and takes his temperature, confirming that Yoongi’s fever is officially gone.

“Congrats,” Seokjin smiles. “That’s a good sign, right?”

Yoongi nods and reaches for another tissue. “Hope so.”

“Is there a game today?” 

“There’s a game every day, hyung. Multiple games.” 

“Shall we go set up camp on the sofa, then?”  

They make their way to the living to find that Taehyung has already beat them there, and appears to be asleep. He wakes up with a start when Yoongi sits down on the end of the sofa, sucking in a huge breath before sneezing loudly into the blanket he’s lying on. 

“Bless you!” Seokjin says. He hurries to get Taehyung a tissue when he sees him wipe his nose on his hoodie sleeve. 

“Thanks, hyung,” Taehyung sniffles. “Ugh.”

Seokjin sits down next to him and rubs his back. “Is your throat feeling any better?”

“Yeah, but my nose is stuffed up now. I’ve used like a hundred tissues.”

Eyeing the pile of used tissues on the floor, Seokjin raises an eyebrow. “I can see that.” 

“You want to do the steam thing?” Yoongi asks. “It helps a lot.”

Taehyung nods his head. “Yes please.”

Seokjin gets Taehyung set up on the sofa while the water boils, wrapping a blanket around his shoulders and setting the towel on the coffee table next to a hot pad. 

As soon as the pot of boiling water is set before him, Taehyung leans over and inhales deeply, sighing at the steamy warmth that envelops his face. Seokjin chuckles fondly and drapes the towel over his head. He sits down next to Taehyung and rubs his back while he breathes in the steam, readying tissues when Taehyung lifts the towel with a panicked expression. Taehyung almost sneezes, dabs at his nostrils with the tissues, and then actually does sneeze, and is barely stopped from lurching forward towards the pot of hot water by Seokjin’s quick reflexes. 

Yoongi turns on the TV and tries to focus on the game. One by one, the others drift in and find a place on the sofa to watch too. Jimin sits next to Taehyung and carefully tucks blankets around him until he’s completely covered up to his eyes. Namjoon sits next to Yoongi and they share a blanket across their laps. Jungkook sits on the floor, stealing a pillow for his head. Hoseok brings snacks to the living room and distributes them before sitting down next to Namjoon.

For the first half of the game they’re watching, Yoongi is awake, but he falls asleep at halftime and doesn’t wake up again until the second half of the next game. He rubs his eyes, yawning, and tries to make sense of what time it is.

“Hungry? We just started dinner.”

Seokjin is holding out a bowl of food. Yoongi takes it and sets it in his lap. It looks great, and he can even faintly smell it, but he has no appetite at all. Still, he tries to take a few bites.

When he’s eaten enough for Seokjin to stop watching him like a hawk, Yoongi leans forward and sets his bowl on the coffee table. He feels energized after getting some food in his belly, and he’s pleasantly warm, which is a nice change from the too-warm fever heat that he’s been dealing with the past couple of days. 

“I’m gonna head to bed early,” Taehyung announces shortly after everyone is finished eating. He sounds much less congested now, but he looks sleepy, and Jimin jumps up to help him get to his room.

“You wanna get some sleep too?” Seokjin asks Yoongi, but Yoongi shakes his head. He’s been getting plenty of sleep, and he’s pretty sure he can last through the rest of the current football game before he’ll need to sleep again. 

Yoongi feels almost proud when the game is over and he’s still awake. He lets Seokjin usher him to bed, basking happily in his accomplishment, and climbs into his bed with a smile.

“Rest well tonight,” Seokjin says, tucking him in and leaning down to kiss his forehead.

Yoongi wakes up in his own bed, buried under a pile of blankets. He’s hot and sweaty, but he remembers shivering his way through the night, drifting in and out of a restless, feverish sleep. 

Weakly, he kicks off the blankets and presses the back of his hand to his forehead. His face feels really hot. He’s thankful Seokjin has been keeping track of his medicine doses, and hopes that it will be time for more soon, because he feels awful and he isn’t sure if he’ll be able to fall back asleep now.

It turns out, Yoongi has no problem falling back asleep. He’s woken up by Seokjin coming into his room and sitting on the edge of his bed.

“I have some medicine here for you,” Seokjin tells him, carding his hands through Yoongi’s sweaty hair. “Would you like to get up for a bit?”

Yoongi squints at Seokjin, considering the question.

“We can get you set up on the sofa,” Seokjin smiles. “They’ve got the game on.”

Yoongi nods. He does want to watch the game, whichever one it is. Even the parts he’s been awake for have been fun to watch, and a nice distraction from the fact that he’s so miserably, endlessly sick.

“Are you feeling any better?” Seokjin asks as he helps Yoongi sit up. “This cold is really wearing you out, huh?”

Yoongi leans into Seokjin’s chest. He wants to whine to his hyung about how unfair it all is. He wants to pour out his guilt about getting everyone else sick, and hear Seokjin tell him it’s okay. He can’t seem to actually get any words out– but Seokjin seems to know exactly what’s on his mind.

“You poor thing,” he whispers, stroking Yoongi’s hair. “It’s okay, Yoon. Hyung is going to make sure you get better so soon, okay?” 

Nodding, Yoongi feels hot tears prickling at his eyes. “Okay.” 

For a few moments, they sit there like that, until Yoongi leans back and looks around for a tissue.

Seokjin hands him the box. “Well, I may as well tell you the bad news before we go out there,” he says, but he’s smiling like he’s amused about something.

“Bad news?” Yoongi sniffles and wipes his nose.

“Tae is sick. Woke up with a sore throat.”

Yoongi groans. “Fuck.”

“He’ll be okay. I don’t know if this makes it better or worse, but we’ve all been feeling much better after a couple of days. You’re the only one having a harder time shaking this cold. Also, there’s no one left to get sick now.” 

Yoongi hums. “I think that makes it a little better. I do feel really guilty about it all, though. It sucks that Kook and Jimin and now Tae are all sick.” 

“Actually, Jungkook slept for seventeen hours straight last night and woke up fever-free. He’s hardly even congested anymore, either. He’s back to his usual energetic self.” Seokjin stands and offers a hand out to Yoongi. “C’mon, let’s go watch football.” 

As they make their way down the hallway to the living room, they hear Taehyung sneeze very loudly, followed by a grumpy-sounding yelp of protest.

“The hell, Tae?” 

Jimin is sitting next to Taehyung, glaring angrily at him from within a cocoon of blankets. 

“Could you not do that when I’m trying to sleep?” Jimin practically growls, and Yoongi gathers he’s just been woken up by Taehyung’s booming sneeze. He silently sits on the sofa and tries not to feel personally responsible for the fact that Jimin and Taehyung are arguing.  

“Usually you can sleep through anything,” Taehyung frowns.

“Well usually there’s not some guy sneezing right in my ear,” Jimin retorts.

“Some guy?” Taehyung gasps. “Is that all I am to you? Some guy?”

“You know I don’t mean it like that,” Jimin mutters, turning away with a pout. 

Taehyung doesn’t seem to care that Jimin isn’t facing him anymore. He leans into the space between them and hooks his chin over Jimin’s shoulder. “Okay. I’m sorry. I won’t sneeze anymore.”

Jimin doesn’t turn back around yet, but he hangs his head with a sigh. “You can sneeze all you need to. Just not in my ear.”

“Deal. Sorry, Jiminie.”

“I’m sorry for getting grumpy with you,” Jimin murmurs, turning his head just enough for his cheek to press against Taehyung’s mouth. “Can I lie down in your lap again?” 

Taehyung kisses Jimin’s cheek and nods his head. He scoots over, tugging Jimin down and wrapping his arms around him.  

“Hey, hyung,” Namjoon says from Yoongi’s left. “You can lay your head in my lap, if you want.”

Yoongi smiles wide. “Thanks. I think I’ll take you up on that.” 

He makes himself comfortable lying down, and Namjoon immediately starts running his fingers through his hair. 

“Feels nice,” Yoongi whispers. 

“You can sleep if you want,” Namjoon whispers back. He adjusts the blanket over Yoongi’s shoulders. “I’ll wake you up if something exciting happens.”

Yoongi squints at the screen and tries to determine which teams are playing. 

“I want to lie down,” Jungkook says, looking hopefully back and forth between Seokjin and Hoseok.

“We’re going to run out of room,” Seokjin teases, but he pats his lap. “Go ahead.” 

Once everyone is settled, they watch the game rather quietly. The game isn’t very eventful, but Yoongi is also pretty sure everyone is being mindful of keeping their voices down since so many of them are probably going to fall asleep at some point. He’s sure he’ll be the first.

“Need anything, hyung?” Namjoon asks at halftime, leaning forward to look at Yoongi’s face.

Yoongi is so sleepy that it takes him a second to realize Namjoon is talking to him. He shakes his head. “M’good, thanks.”

Namjoon squeezes his shoulder and smiles down at him. “Let me know if that changes.”

Yoongi smiles back– or at least, he hopes he’s smiling back. He has that heavy, sluggish feeling again, and he’s barely keeping his eyelids open. But Namjoon doesn’t seem to care whether Yoongi’s face is cooperating or not, and just squeezes his shoulder again before sitting up and resuming his gentle petting of Yoongi’s hair.

Yoongi wakes up with his heart pounding in his chest.

As his eyes adjust to an unfamiliar darkness, he hears footsteps approaching. Something tells him they’re safe footsteps, but his body still reacts, tensing all over in anticipation of the person’s approach.

Yoongi has absolutely no clue where he is. He definitely isn’t in his room. It isn’t until a figure comes into his line of sight– a silhouette that looks like someone he knows– that he also notices the shadowy outline of a bottle and a tissue box, both within reach.

“Hey,” the figure whispers, kneeling down in front of Yoongi’s face.

Seokjin.

A strange sound comes out of Yoongi’s throat when he tries to speak. 

“Shh, it’s just me,” Seokjin murmurs. He rubs his hand up and down Yoongi’s arm. “Just taking your temp.”

Yoongi clears his throat and tries to talk again. “Hnghh.”

“Here, let’s sit you up so you can drink some water.”

Seokjin turns on a lamp and helps Yoongi sit, then hands him the bottle of water from the coffee table. Afterwards, he hands Yoongi some pills from a different box than the cold medicine.  

“Fever reducers,” he explains when Yoongi hesitates. “You’ve been running a fever since yesterday evening. I don’t even need a thermometer, I can feel that you’re still very hot.”

Yoongi swallows down the pills and tries to recall yesterday evening, but nothing comes to mind. 

“Is that why I’m on the sofa?” He croaks, which makes Seokjin laugh.

“You fought everyone who tried to get you to move to your bed. We just made you as comfortable as possible here on the sofa instead.”

Feeling just a tiny bit guilty for being difficult, Yoongi asks, “are you going to make me move now?”

“Well, only if you want to,” Seokjin replies. “Wouldn’t you be more comfortable in your own bed?”

Yoongi groans and starts slumping sideways. “I can’t walk that far,” he says, his own voice sounding terribly whiny.

At least he has a fever to blame.

“Okay, okay,” Seokjin soothes immediately, his hand returning to Yoongi’s arm. “No one is forcing you. If you want to sleep here that’s completely fine.”

Yoongi slumps the rest of the way until he’s horizontal again. It’s as if his body is shutting down now that he’s awake and aware of the fever. 

“Do you want another blanket?” Seokjin asks, but Yoongi is already dozing off again, uncertain about how many blankets he even has to start with. 

The next time Yoongi wakes up, it’s light outside. It’s still a little disorienting at first to wake up on the sofa, but it doesn’t take as long to adjust this time.

Whatever medicine Seokjin had given him in the night– the morning?– seems to have chased most of the fever away. He feels a little more clear headed, but still exhausted, like he wouldn’t be able to stand up without a lot of effort.

Yawning, Yoongi slowly pushes himself upright and rubs his eyes. He’s hungry and thirsty. He also has almost no energy, and doesn’t want to even think about getting up from the sofa.

Luckily, he’s saved by Hoseok.

“Good morning, hyungie,” Hoseok says softly, coming into the living room. “How did you sleep? How are you feeling?”

Yoongi hates how worried Hoseok looks. He tries to say as much, but Hoseok is already heading in the direction of the kitchen without waiting for Yoongi’s answer.

“I’m going to make you some tea,” he calls over his shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”

Yoongi leans his head back against the sofa and closes his eyes. Tea does sound really nice. 

A minute later, he’s startled by a trio of sneezes from someone behind him. When he turns to look, he sees Jungkook standing there, wrapped up in an oversized hoodie and a large blanket.

“Hyung,” he pouts when he spots Yoongi on the sofa. “I’m all stuffy.”

Yoongi can’t help but laugh at that. “Come sit. Hoseok is making tea.” 

Jungkook obediently shuffles over and plops down onto the sofa. He slumps against Yoongi and huffs out a breath. “Can’t breathe through my nose,” he complains.

Yoongi wraps an arm around Jungkook’s shoulder. “Sorry, Kookie.”

For a moment, Jungkook is silent. Then, he sniffles. “Joonie-hyung said you slept out here on the sofa.”

Sighing, Yoongi nods. “Didn’t intend to.”

Jungkook reaches over and settles his hand on Yoongi’s stomach, turning sideways. He rubs his hand in small circles, a motion that seems more like he’s doing it for his own comfort as much as for Yoongi’s. He sniffles a few times and then nuzzles into Yoongi’s armpit.

“You’re warm.” 

“Yeah. Uh, apparently I have a fever.” 

Jungkook leans back and looks up at Yoongi with wide, shimmering eyes. “Do I have a fever?”

Yoongi starts to shake his head, but as he sets his palm against Jungkook’s forehead he pauses. “Oh. Wait. You’re pretty warm.” 

When Hoseok returns with two mugs of tea, Yoongi gestures at Jungkook’s head. “Does Kook feel warm to you?” 

Hoseok sets the tea down on the coffee table and crouches down in front of Jungkook, pressing the back of his hand to Jungkook’s forehead. “Hmm. Maybe just a little? I’ll ask Seokjin for the thermometer and we can double check.”

“Do you feel like you have a fever?” Yoongi asks Jungkook.

“Dunno. Just feel really weird.”

“Our poor Jungkookie isn’t used to being sick,” Hoseok coos, handing Jungkook a mug. He hands the other one to Yoongi. “You two just sit here and rest, okay? Ask any of us if you need anything at all.” 

Jungkook and Yoongi sip on their tea in silence, until Jungkook’s nose starts running and he has to scramble for the tissue box.

Yoongi spots his phone on the coffee table and picks it up, surprised to see that it’s fully charged. He has no clue who even put it there, or when. He’s also surprised to see that it’s already nearly 11 a.m.

“I think I need to eat something,” he says, and Jungkook nods in agreement. 

“Hobi-hyung!” Jungkook calls out. 

Hoseok practically comes running into the room, followed closely behind by Seokjin and Namjoon.

“We’re hungry,” Jungkook tells them. “Can we please have something to eat?”

“Of course you can,” Hoseok smiles. 

Jimin and Taehyung come into the living room while Hoseok is getting food in the kitchen. Taehyung tugs Jimin by the hand over to the sofa and sits them both down.

“Jiminie is sick,” he announces gravely, wrapping a blanket around Jimin’s shoulders.

“Oh no,” both Yoongi and Seokjin say at the same time.

“I’m fine,” Jimin says, but he’s so congested he’s hard to understand. 

“You sound all stuffed up,” Seokjin says, frowning. “Do you need some medicine?”

Jimin sniffles and scrubs a finger under his nose. “Yes, please.”

Seokjin makes a trip to the bathroom to collect medicine. He brings a thermometer too, and takes Yoongi’s temperature, then Jungkook’s.

“Yoongi still has a little bit of a fever,” he says. “Jungkook, that’s…well, a low grade fever, technically. We’ll keep an eye on that.”

Jungkook makes a sad sound and tucks his face against Yoongi’s side.

“You’ll be feeling much better by tomorrow,” Yoongi promises him softly, wrapping his arm around the maknae again.

“Are there any World Cup games on today, hyung?” Taehyung asks Yoongi. 

“Yep. Should be a few on. Not that I can stay awake long enough to actually watch any of them,” he adds with a grumble. 

Hoseok brings food to Yoongi and Jungkook, setting it up for them on the coffee table. Namjoon helps him get snacks and drinks for everyone else while Taehyung turns on the TV to find the football game.

Yoongi is gathering up a change of clothes when there’s a soft knock on his bedroom door.

“Come in,” he calls out, as loudly as his hoarse voice allows. 

“I have cold medicine,” Jungkook announces as he enters. “For you, me, and Seokjin-hyung.”

“Oh, shit,” Yoongi swears. “You’re sick too?”

Shrugging one shoulder, Jungkook plops down onto Yoongi’s bed. “I guess.”

“What do you mean, you guess?”

“Jimin-hyung was worried because I sneezed like, two or three times this morning.” 

“You have been sneezing all morning, Jungkookie,” Jimin accuses from the doorway. He crosses his arms. “Did you give Seokjin-hyung his medicine already?”

Jungkook’s nose scrunches. “No. He said I’m not allowed to even look at him when he’s sick. I think he locked his door.” 

Jimin sighs. He motions for Jungkook and Yoongi to take their dose of medicine, then holds out his hand for the bottle. 

“I’ll see if I can get him to unlock his door.” 

Interested in the outcome, Jungkook trails along behind him to Seokjin’s room, and Yoongi follows too. Jimin knocks on the door, then tries the knob. 

To all of their surprise, the knob turns. Jimin pushes the door open.

Seokjin doesn’t seem to register the fact that he has visitors right away, because he’s mid-sneeze, holding a wad of tissues under his nose. He only blinks up at them afterward, his eyes narrowing slightly. 

“Why do I have an audience?” he asks before sneezing again.

“We have medicine for you,” Jimin replies, holding it out. 

Jungkook flops down onto Seokjin’s bed and leans against him.

“Hey! I already told you to go away,” Seokjin groans, pushing weakly against Jungkook’s chest. “Don’t want you to see me like this. Don’t wanna get you sick.”

Jimin chuckles. “He’s already sick.”

Seokjin gasps loudly. “What? Since when? Jungkookie, why didn’t you say something?” 

“I only have, like, a tiny bit of a sore throat.”

“That’s how it started for me,” Seokjin sighs. “Then your nose will get stuffed up and your head will feel like it’s going to explode and your chest will feel like there’s a Jungkook sitting on it, crushing you– aghh!”

“I will crush you,” Jungkook threatens, pushing Seokjin onto his back and sprawling out on top of him.

Jimin shakes his head and tosses the medicine onto Seokjin’s pillow. “Good luck.”

He turns to leave, and Yoongi follows. Jimin reaches out to rub his back. 

“How are you feeling today, hyung?”

“Still sick,” Yoongi grunts. “I was just getting ready to take a shower. Think it’ll help me feel less disgusting.”

“Aw, yeah.” Jimin smiles at him. “Let me know if you need anything?”

In the shower, Yoongi spends a long time under the hot water in a sleepy haze. The steam from the shower helps loosen his congestion and works against the slight ache in his muscles, and by the time he steps out he’s so drowsy he almost goes straight back to bed. 

The call of football is too strong, though. He’s determined to watch at least one of the games in full today. By the time he makes his way out toward the living room, the others have already gathered.

Jungkook is the only one not on the sofa. Instead, he’s lying on the floor, his head propped up on a pillow and his arm curled around a tissue box.

“Who’s playing first?” Taehyung asks, fiddling with the remote. “Yoongi-hyung, wanna sit by me?”

Yoongi doesn’t have the heart to reject Taehyung, even knowing that he’ll probably spread his cold to him more easily by sitting next to him. Still, it’s not like Taehyung is going to get away with not getting sick, considering the fact that he’s been in close proximity with sick people the entire week. It’s only a matter of time.

Taehyung snuggles happily against Yoongi’s side when he sits down. “Are you warm enough, hyung?” 

“Yeah, I’m good. Thanks, Tae.”

“Do you need a blanket down there, Kook?” Namjoon asks.

Jungkook shakes his head, sneezes three times in a row, and then changes his mind. “Yes, please.” 

With a fond grin, Namjoon drapes a blanket over Jungkook before settling back down on the sofa.

“First game is Panama vs. England,” Yoongi murmurs, still sleepy from his warm shower and now from the warmth of Tehyung leaning against him. 

“Who are we rooting for?”

“Hmm…Panama?” Yoongi has his favorite teams, but he also likes seeing the underdogs win, so he’s not too invested this early in the tournament. It’s almost a sure thing that England will win anyway.

Seokjin falls asleep before halftime, his head resting in Hoseok’s lap.

Jungkook ends up falling asleep shortly after, snoring softly from the floor.

“Did we accidentally give them the nighttime medicine?” Jimin whispers, giggling softly. 

Yoongi tries to stay awake. He really, really tries. Maybe they did get the nighttime medicine. That would surely explain the heavy tiredness that’s settled over him. Or maybe it’s simply the fact that his body is over being sick. 

Yoongi isn’t sure what draws him towards Seokjin’s room as he makes his way down the hall the next morning. 

Initially, he had been heading for the living room, but for some reason he stops outside of Seokjin’s door, listening for–

There. A cough. Coming from inside Seokjin’s room.

Yoongi pushes the door open and peers inside. “Hyung?”

Seokjin seems unsurprised by Yoongi’s entrance. He’s lying in his bed, his comforter pulled up to his nose. 

“I’m sick, Yoongi,” he groans. 

Yoongi tries not to hear the accusation in his tone. He crosses the room and sinks down onto the edge of Seokjin’s bed.

“Sorry, hyung,” he whispers. 

“Don’t let anyone else in here,” Seokjin says, sitting up and gesturing towards the door. “No one else needs to see me like this, understand?” 

A surprised laugh bursts out of Yoongi. “Like what? With a cold? Haven’t they seen you–”

“No one!” Seokjin yelps. 

Yoongi presses his lips together. He tilts his head to one side, taking in Seokjin’s appearance. Still handsome as ever, but there’s a faint flush to his cheeks, a faint whistle to his breathing as he pulls in air through slightly parted lips. 

“What about me?” Yoongi asks. “Am I allowed to see you like this?”   

“Well, you have to take care of me, of course,” Seokjin sniffs. 

“You’re so dramatic,” Yoongi mutters. He flops onto his back and wiggles his way under the covers next to Seokjin.  

“Oh, you poor thing,” Seokjin tuts. “You still sound so congested today. Have you taken your medicine yet this morning?” 

Yoongi raises an eyebrow. “I thought that I’m supposed to be taking care of you?”

“Yes. You can bring me back some medicine too.” 

Reluctantly, Yoongi pushes the comforter back off and gets up. 

As Yoongi gathers medicine and tissues from the bathroom, he can hear Namjoon and Jimin and maybe Jungkook out in the living room. He makes his way out there and sees that they’re all setting up their spots on the sofa to watch the next World Cup game. 

“Hyung! I thought you were going to sleep all morning,” Taehyung exclaims, coming from the kitchen with an armful of snacks. “The game is about to start.”

Yoongi looks longingly at the TV, and then glances down the hall.

“Actually,” he says, “I think I’m going back to bed for a little bit.”

“Okay. Rest well!” 

Seokjin is dozing when Yoongi gets back to his room.

“Sit up for a sec, hyung.” Yoongi says softly, reaching out to rub his shoulder. “I have some medicine for you to take.” 

Seokjin blinks up at him, then coughs openly into the air.

“Wow. Good thing I’m already sick,” Yoongi mumbles. He hands Seokjin a dose of medicine and then takes some for himself, washing it down with a sip of water.

“Drink some water.” He offers a second water to Seokjin, who chugs down half of the bottle. 

“My throat is killing me,” Seokjin groans, tucking himself back under the covers. “I’m going to stay in bed all day.”

“That’s not a bad idea.” 

Yoongi lies back down next to him, and Seokjin fixes the comforter so it’s covering them both. 

Even though Seokjin is determined not to let anyone else see him sick, Yoongi thinks he should probably at least let the others know, in case someone comes looking for him. He grabs his phone and types out a quick text to Namjoon, then sets it on the nightstand and rolls over to face Seokjin.

Seokjin’s eyes are already closed. Yoongi closes his eyes and easily follows Seokjin to sleep.

A strange click-clacking sound draws Yoongi back towards consciousness. 

He opens his eyes and feels confused by his surroundings for a moment before he remembers he’s in Seokjin’s bed.

Interestingly enough, the door is wide open now. From the living room, Yoongi can hear voices and the sound of the TV.

“You awake?”

Yoongi rolls over and sees that Seokjin is sitting up against his headboard, playing a game on his laptop. 

“Want to play?”

Glancing at the screen, Yoongi frowns. He doesn’t even know what game it is. “No thanks.”

“Gooooooooooooooooool!” Taehyung screams from the living room.

“Which team?” Seokjin shouts back. Yelling makes him cough, but he has a bottle of water tucked against his thigh that he grabs to take a drink.

“Brazil,” Jungkook hollers. “It was offside!”

Yoongi sits up and shuffles over so he’s leaning against Seokjin’s shoulder.

“You were snoring very loudly,” Seokjin tells him without taking his eyes off his computer. “How are you feeling?”

“Terrible.” Yoongi sniffles. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m just peachy,” Seokjin replies, forcing a cough.

A few minutes of silence pass. Yoongi feels tired and achy, and in desperate need of more medicine. And more water. He glances over at the nightstand, but his bottle seems too far away to reach. Oh well.

“Oh well, what?” Seokjin asks him.

Yoongi closes his eyes. He doesn’t know the answer. He’s too exhausted

“Hey, are you ignoring me?” Seokjin squawks. 

Seokjin’s wide shoulder makes a pretty good pillow. Yoongi nuzzles into the fabric of his shirt, snuffling sleepily. 

“How are you just…fine?”

Namjoon pauses mid-nose-blow, looking at Yoongi over the top of his tissue.

“I’m not,” he insists before blowing his nose harshly into the tissue. “See? Still sniffly.” 

Rolling his eyes, Yoongi tucks his hands into the pocket of his hoodie and slumps back against the sofa. “You’re basically fine,” he mutters, envious of how quickly Namjoon seems to be recovering from his cold.

Yoongi is on day four of his cold already and he doesn’t feel any better. In fact, he feels worse today than the day before. It must be karma for getting both Namjoon and Hoseok sick, he thinks. 

“I have warm blankets!”

Yoongi looks up to see Jimin waking in with an armful of blankets, fresh from the dryer. Jimin had taken it upon himself to wash all of the blankets on the sofa, because apparently they were getting gross, which means Yoongi has been without his blankets for one half of a football game so far and counting. 

Taehyung hops off the sofa and takes some of the blankets from Jimin’s arms. “Thank goodness. Hyung has been shivering.” 

Yoongi frowns– he didn’t think he was that obvious about how cold he is– but Taehyung goes straight over to Hoseok and starts draping warmed blankets over him. 

“Thank you, TaeTae,” Hoseok rasps, nuzzling into the warmth with a happy, congested sigh. 

“Here you go, hyung,” Jimin says, stopping in front of Yoongi. He tucks one blanket around Yoongi’s shoulders, and then another over his lap. “Nice and clean.”

“Thanks,” Yoongi says– or, he tries to, but it barely comes out. He’s been slowly but steadily losing his voice this morning. 

The warm blankets feel amazing. As soon as they’re covering him, Yoongi instantly feels himself growing sleepy, his body finally able to relax. He tries to keep his eyes open, determined to remain awake through one entire game, but he ends up falling asleep shortly after halftime ends.

When he wakes up next, Yoongi hears someone beside him yelling something. Another goal scored, then.

He cracks one eye open to check the score on the TV. Somehow, it’s not the same game he fell asleep to, which means he’s been sleeping for quite some time.

Jungkook and Seokjin are both standing up, play-punching each other as they watch the TV. 

“Spain is going to win,” Seokjin declares, smacking Jungkook’s shoulder.

“Nuh-uh. Uruguay is going to win,” Jungkook retorts, grabbing Seokjin’s wrist and twisting his arm behind his back. “Oh– go! Go!” 

They both freeze like that, eyes glued to the screen, and don’t move until a minute later when a penalty is called. Seokjin hip checks Jungkook, but it’s not enough to free his arm, and Jungkook retaliates by grabbing his other arm too and hugging Seokjin against his chest. 

“I’ve got the water, hyung,” Taehyung announces. He enters the living room carrying a huge pot, which he brings over to the coffee table.

“Use a hot pad, please!” Seokjin calls over his shoulder, still struggling against Jungkook’s hold.

“I got it,” Namjoon tells Taehyung, jogging into the kitchen to fetch a hot pad. He sets it down on the coffee table, and Taehyung sets the pot on top of it. 

Yoongi tries to look at what’s inside the pot, curious. He’s not particularly hungry, but he supposes he’ll be strongly encouraged to eat something. However, the substance inside is colorless, and looks more like steaming water than any type of food.

A muffled sneeze from behind startles Yoongi, and he flinches. A second later, Jimin appears from the hallway, guiding a very sleepy-looking Hoseok towards the sofa. 

“The water is ready,” Taehyung tells them, gesturing at the pot on the coffee table. “Hobi-hyung can sit next to Yoongi-hyung.”

Jimin nods and steers Hoseok in that direction. Hoseok sits down next to Yoongi and muffles another sneeze into the crook of his arm. He looks…bad. Yoongi feels terrible just looking at him. 

“Bless you,” Jimin coos, rubbing Hoseok’s back and handing him a tissue. “We’ll get you cleared up in no time.” 

Seokjin says something to Jungkook that magically makes Jungkook release him immediately. They both wander back over to the sofa; Seokjin sits down next to Yoongi, and Jungkook takes the end. 

“Do you want to go first, Yoongi?” Seokjin asks, his hand sliding across Yoongi’s back. 

“Okay,” Yoongi replies, unsure of what he’s agreeing to do first.

Taehyung hands Seokjin a towel, which Seokjin then drapes over Yoongi’s head.

“Lean over the water,” Seokjin instructs, carefully dragging the pot so it’s right in front of Yoongi. “Not too close. Just breathe in the steam, okay?”

Yoongi is leaning forward and taking in a deep breath before he registers what’s happening. He tries to sit back up, but Seokjin’s hand is on his back and someone else’s hand is on the back of his neck to hold him in place. 

Yoongi gasps, unprepared for the heat of the steam. The towel over his head traps it all in next to his face, and his inhale pulls it into his airways. All at once, his nose starts to run and his face starts to sweat, his cheeks hot and his heart pounding in his chest.

“There you go,” Seokin soothes, his hand rubbing back and forth across Yoongi’s back. “Just stay like that for five more minutes.”

Sniffling wetly, Yoongi tries to sit up again, but he’s not strong enough to push against Seokjin’s hand.

“Hey, that’s a foul!” Jungkook shouts from his right.

Clenching his hands into fists against his thighs, Yoongi sniffles again. “Need…need a tissue,” he croaks out, and thankfully his voice is loud enough to be heard.

“I’ve got you, hyung!” 

Taehyung lifts the towel from the top of Yoongi’s head, revealing his face to the living room air. It feels freezing cold in comparison to the steam. Taehyung is right there in front of him, leaning across the table. He grins at Yoongi, wipes his nose for him with the tissue, and then lowers the towel again. 

Yoongi makes a belated sound of protest, but the deed has already been done, and now he’s breathing in steam again. It’s just making his nose run again, but he doesn’t dare ask for another tissue.

When his five minutes are up, Seokjin carefully peels the towel back and allows Yoongi to sit up again.

“Oh, look at your face,” Seokjin coos, apparently endeared by his appearance. 

Yoongi can only imagine what he looks like, with his nose running freely and his face probably redder than a tomato.

Jimin hands Yoongi a box of tissues. “How do you feel now, hyung?”

Yoongi isn’t sure how to answer the question. He feels less congested, sure, but he also feels like a bowl of steamed gyeran-jjim.

No one seems bothered by his lack of response. Seokjin and Jimin and Taehyung are now focused on Hoseok, helping him lean over the pot of water. Seokjin drapes a towel over Hoseok’s head and chuckles when Hoseok lets out a long, relieved-sounding moan.

“Deep breaths,” Seokjin encourages. “Let that steam clear everything out.”

Jungkook, who has taken Seokjin’s vacated spot next to Yoongi, leans over and rests his head on Yoongi’s shoulder. “I think Belgium is gonna win, hyung,” he murmurs.

“Mmm.” Yoongi nods. He could have sworn it had been Germany’s flag when he last checked the TV, but now that he’s looking again he sees that Belgium and New Zealand are playing. 

Jungkook is a nice warm weight against his side. Even though Yoongi is still recovering from the intense steam attack, he is breathing a little easier now, and he soon finds it harder and harder to keep his eyes open.

Yoongi wakes up the next morning to a blaring alarm and terribly congested sinuses.

He manages to grab his phone after what feels like several minutes of patting around on his nightstand, unwilling to leave the warmth of the blanket that’s pulled over his head. He pushes what he hopes is the snooze button for the alarm and lets go of his phone, cringing when he hears it hit the floor with a thump.

His lips are chapped and his mouth is uncomfortably dry. Probably from sleeping with his mouth open the entire night. Yoongi woke himself up at least twice with his own snores. Each time he woke up in the night, it had been harder to fall back asleep again, and now he feels completely exhausted and gross.

Somewhere in the house, Yoongi can hear someone singing. Or talking? He can’t quite tell through the haze of his congestion. Either way, it’s not too loud to stop him from dozing off again, and he feels himself slowly start to slip back into unconsciousness despite his miserably stuffy nose and dry throat. 

Suddenly, there’s a knock on the door.

Yoongi jolts awake, coughing when he sucks in a breath that makes his throat tickle. The door opens and footsteps pad across the room, and then there’s a person lying half on top of him.

“Hyung,” Hoseok groans. “You got me sick.”

“Fuhh…off.”

Hoseok pokes Yoongi’s side. “Don’t curse at me–” He breaks off with a sharp inhale, then lets out a dramatically loud sneeze. “See? I’ve been doing that since I woke up this morning!" 

At least Hoseok can sneeze. If Yoongi sneezes now– and he really, really hopes he won’t– he’s pretty sure his whole head would explode. 

“You’re warm,” Hoseok murmurs, shifting so he’s covering even more of Yoongi’s body with his own.

“Heavy,” Yoongi grunts. Oh, how speaking makes his throat ache. “Nam…Namjoon got you sick.”

Hoseok lets out a whiny-laugh. “Maybe you both got me sick. It’s not fair. “Hey.” He pokes at Yoongi's side again. “Why are you still in bed, anyway? They’re all watching the game already.”

Yoongi tries to swallow, and ends up making a pathetic, congested sound. “Nuhh…it’s on at ten.”

“Hyung, it’s 10:45.”

Groaning, Yoongi forces his eyes open. How can it be so late, when he had set his alarm last night before going to bed?

“Namjoon is bringing us medicine, by the way,” Hoseok continues, not realizing Yoongi hadn’t meant to sleep in. “I made him get it since he got me sick!” 

“Shhhh.”

Hoseok gasps at being shushed, but then remains quiet until there’s a soft knock on the door.

“Come in,” he says. “Hyung is awake!”

Awake is barely how Yoongi would describe the state he’s currently in. 

Namjoon enters, carrying a box of cold medicine pills and a bottle of water. He passes out the pills to each of them and hands the water to Hoseok first.

Somehow, Yoongi manages to drag himself upright. He perches on the side of his bed. Watching Hoseok and Namjoon sniffle and take medicine makes Yoongi’s stomach clench uncomfortably. 

“I’m so sorry I got you guys sick,” he whispers hoarsely. 

“It was inevitable,” Hoseok waves him off, sounding too cheerful for someone who had barged in just minutes ago complaining that Yoongi had gotten him sick. “We’re fine. You, on the other hand…” He passes Yoongi the water bottle.

“Do you need anything else, hyung?” Namjoon asks, frowning at him in concern.

Yoongi shakes his head and pops the pills into his mouth.

“Are you going back to sleep?” Hoseok asks after he swallows them down with water, carding his fingers through Yoongi’s hair. 

The comforting gesture makes Yoongi feel sleepy and heavy. He almost nods his head, almost decides that his bed is where he wants to stay for the rest of the day, but then he remembers that he’s already missing the first World Cup game of the day.

“Gonna go watch,” he rasps. 

“It’s been a good game,” Namjoon says, leading them all out of the room. “Really close, I think they’re still tied." 

Jungkook is sitting in the middle of the sofa. When he sees Yoongi, he smiles and scoots over to the next cushion, arranging the pillows and blankets for Yoongi before patting the spot.

“What’s the score?” Yoongi asks as he sinks down into the space Jungkook prepared for him. He squints at the TV, but feels like he can’t quite make sense of what he’s seeing on the screen.

“What did you say?” Jungkook asks with a confused little giggle. “Oh, the score. They’re tied 1-1.”

Yoongi sniffles. It feels like the medicine is working already to soothe his throat and his headache, but it’s done nothing so far to ease the congestion in his sinuses. 

Hoseok and Namjoon settle on the sofa– Hoseok next to Yoongi and Namjoon on Hoseok’s other side– and Jimin is there immediately to drape blankets around their shoulders. He has a blanket for Yoongi, too, adding to the several he already has surrounding him.

Everyone else is watching the game except for Seokjin. Yoongi tries to think of where he might be, but he can barely think about anything right now. Maybe work. Yoongi isn’t even sure what day of the week it is.

Luckily, his question is answered when Seokjin comes into the living room about ten minutes later carrying two steaming bowls of samgyetang. He hands one to Hoseok, and one to Namjoon, then turns around and disappears back into the kitchen. He returns just as quickly with two more bowls, which he hands to Yoongi and Jungkook.

“Thanks, hyung!” Jungkook chirps.

Yoongi stares at the food for so long without taking it that Seokjin ends up setting it down on the coffee table instead. He reaches out, tucking some of Yoongi’s hair behind his ear, and smiles. 

“It might need a few minutes to cool down,” he says softly.

Yoongi tries to thank him, but Seokjin is already walking back to the kitchen before he can croak out a word.

After Seokjin brings samgyetang to Jimin and Taehyung and gets a bowl for himself, the football game is almost over. He sits on the sofa and watches Yoongi, Hoseok and Namjoon while he eats. Yoongi can tell he wants to say something to him about eating, but the idea of putting in the effort to even grab his bowl from the coffee table seems like too much at the moment.

“Hyung?” 

Yoongi blinks drowsily at the box of tissues that suddenly appears in front of him.

“I’m gonna put these on your lap so you can reach them,” Jungkook tells him, setting the tissues down onto Yoongi’s blanket-covered lap. 

Yoongi sniffles, and– oh. His nose is running. Enough that Jungkook noticed, even if Yoongi didn’t realize it himself.

He grabs a tissue and clumsily wipes at his nose. Jungkook is watching him, and Seokjin is still watching him, and there’s too much attention on him. 

“Stop,” he tries to say, but it just comes out as a pitiful whine.

A hand settles between his shoulder blades, rubbing soft circles.

Hoseok sneezes somewhere to his left, the sound oddly faraway. 

Yoongi closes his eyes. He probably needs another tissue. 

There’s maybe an hour before the next football game starts. Yoongi doesn’t even know for sure if the first one is still going. Or which teams were playing. 

“Go! Goal! Goal! Ohh, no!” Taehyung shouts.