#sickfics

okk so disclaimer kinda, theres like two oposite headcanon types in the ‘sickie’ section bc i lwk can’t make my mind up and switch between them every time i write. choosing isn’t an option anymore or this would stay in my drafts until next century historians discover it. buckle up ladies bc this is my 3:45am comeback after 7 months 💋♥︎

SICKIE

• this part is messy messy bc im bipolar when it comes to i.n. i can see him 100% avoiding human interaction and willingly isolating for the sake of his mental sanity. but i can also see his brain rebooting and making him clingier and actually not allergic to skinship for once in his life. so choose as you will, i’ve crossed some hcs that im not sure about but didn’t wanna delete

• energy’s down, his smile is nowhere to be seen

• when he tries to hide what’s wrong he’s good at pretending

• but it’s not really because of being a burden

• the members baby him enough as it is, the attention is too much sometimes

• plus he doesn’t want to appear weak. he feels like being sick will cause unnecessary worry just because of his maknae status. and while the others don’t mind the worrying, he does

• the members don’t want to let him work, which adds to his reasons to downplay it

• angstiest sickie, kinda??

• ‘don’t look at me like that, it’s fine’ while crying, but boy means it

• the boys literally need to catch him crying/mid fainting or throwing up for him to admit he’s sick

// either that or he’s dying/drained/sleepy and actually speaks up

• doesn’t notice but he tends to gravitate towards minho or seungmin bc they’re the most calm when they notice he’s behaving off — no questioning or excessive worry and doting cough cough han/hyunjin

• if he just feels a bit unwell, he might mention ‘my throat hurts’ ‘i have a headache’, but in his mind that doesn’t count as being worry-worthy sick. it’s like talking about the weather. cue the glares and annoyed sighs at the concerned looks the boys shoot him the rest of the day

• gets headaches often — if it’s a migraine he does speak up because he can’t handle noise at all and skz is loud loud in their natural habitat

• methodical and organised. he’ll take meds when he has to, will go to the doctor alone or call his parents if he doesn’t know what to do // or not idk he could also be a mess when taking meds on time like that kinda tracks

• if he’s bedridden he feels useless and upset. has cried himself to sleep more than once over it

• would choose death over waking someone up at night to help him, but if the boys find him throwing up or sth alone he knows they will never trust him to sleep by himself again. so if he’s dying he looks for someone

• tbh he does whatever he can to be left alone as much as possible, even if it means asking for help trivially

• the type to tense up at physical comfort until he’s pretty much forced to accept it

// or not. might melt into the contact but rarely finds it in himself to hug back

• however he’ll let the others touch him if they don’t know he’s sick or if he doesn’t know that they know he’s sick

• if you wanna take care of him let’s pretend you’re not worried

• ‘i.n-ah, i’m taking care of you because literally why wouldn’t i. no big deal’. that argument usually works, kinda

• see lee know is nonchalant about it and that’s what i.n needs

• oh but please don’t leave him if he has a nightmare — somehow he always gets the most horror-movie-like trauma-inducing nightmares, has a hard time coming to his senses

FEVER

• :(

• his body temp is trump-elon typa unstable no bc i wrote this back when they were having some type of drama but it ain’t like that anymore 💀

• boy’s freezing one moment and burning up the next

• legit jumps from normal to 39°C so cue the mood swings. being so mentally unstable that's the title of a gorgeous wattpad minsung fic btw upsets him bc he feels like a bitch for being so bipolar with the members 😭

• feels really bad when he suddenly wants to be alone after enjoying company, he doesn’t want to come off as spoiled or sth specially bc he knows the members like to take care of him

• either curls up under blankets sipping on sth hot to warm up or spends an hour in the shower to cool off bc he’s overheating

• hoodies scattered everywhere bc ‘i was cold but not anymore’

• gets really tired and his head hurts

→ so he actually doesn’t bother to pull away when the members hyunjin and han baby him like they usually do, but he doesn't explicitly say that he’s unwell

→ laughs at the euphoric look in their eyes when he willingly rests his head on their shoulder or lap — sth that over time he's started to do more bc it's actually comfy ??

→ tiredness and headache are usually the only physical symptoms he has. no rosy cheeks or eye bags or paleness. sometimes he doesn't even notice he's sick bc he gets headaches often and being tired is not much of a symptom (except it is)

→ whoever is playing with his hair or clinging to him ends up noticing the unnatural heat ‘oh he's not accepting my love, just sick’

• lwk loves someone touching his hair bc it makes the headache better

• hyunjin will be by his side 24/7 since i.n finally lets him cuddle him. jk he’s actually super soft and caring and doesn’t try to squish i.n to death for once. seriously treats i.n like he’s made of glass which the maknae finds as heartwarming as excessive (appreciates the intention tho)

• you know we know lee know he’s bad feverish when the nightmares hit, and they’re awful awful

→ he’s left all teary and clingy and the boys can’t even find him cute because he looks genuinely terrified

→ it’s one of the only times he willingly lets himself be comforted so everyone appears by his side like puff 🪄

→ not even 2min make jokes until the scare is over, everyone is so soft and protective — they’re still always caught off guard by the way the maknae clings to them tho, it’s so out of character and sad

→ what scares them the most is when he’s left dazed and zoned out and doesn’t acknowledge nor notice their presence, almost like he’s in another world.

→ sobs to the point of getting dizzy or throwing up, it’s the worst

STOMACH PAIN/BUG

• eats weird shit at sketchy places and somehow is fine

• he has a strong stomach when it comes to food or bugs so he rarely gets food poisoning from it

• unlesssss he’s not that lucky, very rare case in which he dies 😍

→ when he actually catches a bug or gets food poisoning he’ll willingly jump off a bridge.

→ his stomach will hate him. half the time he’s nauseous the other half he’s glued to a hot water bottle

• his stomach does get upset sometimes for no reason tho so it makes up for the lack of bugs he catches

• and it’s so bad with stress or nerves

• he used to get nervous to the point of shaking before performances so… (canon 🙂‍↕️)

• doesn’t happen usually but the cramps can get bad. like crying bad

• super insecure when he gets bloated. the members find it cute but he does not

• his stomach gets rumbly when sick — not exactly loud but he can feel it bubbling when he touches it

• doesn’t always fancy being alone when his stomach hurts but if he’s throwing up he dislikes being watched, it’s like losing dignity

• isn’t scared of throwing up unless he has a migraine bc he’s sure his brain will short-circuit and kill him

• since his head hurts often, it makes him carsick sometimes

• gets super overheated when he’s gonna be carsick but cold and shaky when the ordeal is over

COLD / FLU

• voice is gone gone

• coughs really dry but very frecuently, his chest ends up sore af

• sounds super congested so he can’t hide it. the elephant in the room addresses itself

• cute flush on his cheeks in the shape of that w blush makeup look. bc his nose is rosy from blowing it constantly

• runny nose more often than stuffy

• but when he gets a stuffy nose he dies, it feels like is head is stuffed with cotton but hard heavy cotton

• always dabbing at his nose with his sleeve, it’s cute

• sneezes like a fox as we’ve seen (canon)

• ‘cuteee’ is all he hears when he has a sneezing fit. he’d punch the members but where’s the energy to do so

• sleeps all day, unintentionally. falls asleep anywhere and everywhere but he doesn’t notice until he’s being woken up

• feels bad about interrupting work with his unplanned sleep

• dies when he gets the flu. fever on top of a cold means not sleeping because his dreams terrorise him but being awake and exhausted lowkey isn’t any better ♥︎

• laying down whenever he can, the others take advantage of it and somehow he always ends up with his head on someone’s lap

• always cold when he has a cold. there’s no unstable temperature shit he’s just freezing

• how to bring down a fever without abandoning your hoodie and blanket no glue no borax

CARETAKER

• see this is where my opinion becomes unpopular

• stepping into abandoned territory rn but walk with me

• nothing clueless about this boy he’s naturally caring and protective so he’s a good caretaker

• no awkwardness

• hates despises when someone won’t tell him and specifically him what’s wrong bc he’s the youngest

• has probably gotten in a few arguments bc of that

• feels quite useless and slightly offended when sickie goes to some else after having told him they’re fine

• quite perceptive, easily spots what’s wrong

• zero fucks given about sickie being clingy, unlike his normal social distancing behaviour

• lowkey can tell when something’s wrong with someone hyunjin bc they won’t be all over him squeezing his cheeks trying to kiss him

• protective in like a hot attractive way iykyk

• dare i say especially protective of han and chan

• and of his bf felix of course but that’s just daily basis

• not squeamish 90% of the time. unless there’s blood involved which didn’t send him spiralling but is just kinda unsettling

• won’t show his discomfort in front of sickie/whumpee obviouskt

• the type to play with sickies hair i feel like

• worried face like really obvious concerned frown

• probably does get scared if someone faints

• the best at respecting sickie’s alone time bc he gets wanting to be alone when you feel like shit

so it’s 3am and i.n’s birthday, and i decided to do something useful with my blog for the first time in over half a year 💋

as you can observe this has been in my drafts for way too long but it’s finally seeing the light

i’ve also finally finished my headcanons <3 i lowkey edit sth every time i reread them bc i love inconsistency and change my opinion every day

happy bdayyy to i.n ♥︎♥︎ his bday is legit the only reason i finished this

all skz members now have fully developed frontal lobes 🥺

@lixiesstories @tiffxfiree the way i actually posted sth

"Hyung?" he calls out, finally working out the nerve to ask to turn back early.

"Yeah?" Just as Changbin turns to look, his foot slides on a patch of gravel. It seems as if he moves in slow motion as his knee gives out and his whole body hurtles towards the ground. Crying out, he collapses onto the path and several yards down the mountainside. A sickening snap sounds from his knee and an audible thud echoes from his body slamming onto the rocks. Changbin grasps at his right knee, his knuckles turning white from the force of his grip.

"Changbin?" Seungmin's face pales completely as he jogs towards the older's side. His knee is shifted slightly out of place, leaving a hollow dip where his kneecap should be resting. Upon rolling up his sweatpants, Seungmin's stomach lurches—and not from his illness. The skin is already tinted an angry purple color, making it incredibly clear that they now needed to make it to the hospital, not home like Seungmin had just been about to ask.

"It's okay. It's… fuck," Changbin finally curses, no longer able to keep up with his tough persona as he takes in deep breaths to calm his nerves. He can tell the joint is dislocated, and with as severe as it looks, he won't be dancing for a while. He's letting his members down, letting STAY down, all over dragging his friend out for a hike that he wanted to do. The only thing that snaps him out of his spiral was the sight of his friend fighting back tears.

Seungmin, not often one to cry, is fighting a losing battle. Seeing his hyung so injured, yet remaining so calm, elicits a tearful reaction. That's how he knows he's getting sick—he's never so emotional otherwise. Thick, hot tears roll down his cheeks as he tries to help Changbin up off the gravel.

"We need to get you home. There's no way we can go any further," Seungmin sniffles, stating the obvious. "Hyung, it looks so bad."

"Yeah. Yeah, okay. Just… let's go slowly, yeah?"

Seungmin clears his throat and slowly, painfully helps Changbin stand up.

An immediate shriek. "NO! No, no, no, put me down!" At Changbin's panic, Seungmin lowers him to the ground as fast as he safely can.

"I’m so so sorry, Bin," Seungmin squats down next to him. "I don't think we can move you safely."

Like a cruel joke, the universe chooses this moment to open the skies. Mercifully, it is only drizzling.

"You have to be fucking with me," Changbin starts to truly panic as Seungmin digs in his backpack for his poncho. "No, Min-ah, you take it!" He protests as Seungmin puts the raincoat over his hyung's head.

"You need it more than I do," Seungmin chokes out. He is in completely over his head and has no idea what he should do. Rain is coming down in sheets, pattering against the dirt. Worst of all, his headache is wringing his brain out, making him impossibly dizzy and his thoughts sluggish.

"I… I'm going to call for help."

Changbin's eyes immediately narrow. If they could get through to help, it would likely be a whole public scandal. STAY would panic. STAY would get mad. Mad at JYPE, for 'letting their idols run loose and risk getting hurt,' or mad at Chan for 'not taking care of his dongsaengs.' As much as he wants to avoid the whole potential situation, he realizes that they are quite honestly fucked, and lets Seungmin dial 119.

Seungmin stares at the call that won't go through. Once, twice, three tries, to no avail. The drizzle turns into a steady tapping against Changbin's poncho as Seungmin tucks his phone back into his bag, the "Call Failed" screen causing the tears that had been brewing to finally roll over. He swallows hard and the movement spikes the pain in his throat, causing it to shoot up into his temples.

"Changbin," Seungmin croaks out as he curls up next to his side. "It won't go through."

"What? We can't just sit here!" Changbin continues grabbing his thigh. The higher pressure seems to ease the pain below it, even if it's only in his head.

"We have to go back down. I can try to get you up again," Seungmin suggests shakily. He thinks back to where they are. Luckily, due to the nature of how the trail loops around, they're about a kilometer from the company car they took out today. Unluckily, it's almost completely on a steep decline.

"Slowly, Min," Changbin warns, and they try again. Seungmin awkwardly maneuvers the bigger man up over his shoulder until he can straighten out his body, then acts as a crutch on the same side as the swollen knee.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

Ever so slowly, they set off down the trail. Every lurch makes Changbin's knee hurt more and more as the adrenaline wears off. Not only is Changbin's condition worsening, Seungmin isn't as stable a crutch as he ought to be. With the fever burning full force in the base of his skull, dizziness threatens to send them hurtling hundreds of feet down. It's a wet, rocky slip and slide.

Suddenly, "I need to stop."

The quiet words don't come from Changbin, but from Seungmin.

"What?"

"I need to stop. Hyung, I'm dizzy, I don't want to drop you," Seungmin's voice cracks as he turns Changbin into a hug against his chest. Taking his weight on more evenly helps calm the gray blurs in the younger's vision.

"What? Why are you dizzy? The altitude isn't that high, Min-ah," Changbin replies through gritted teeth.

"No. No, Binnie, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Seungmin tears up for the third time that afternoon. His face is soaked with an indistinguishable combination of salty tears and thick raindrops. Underneath the dampness, his skin is flushed a deep, red color.

Changbin leans all of his weight into the singer. "What? Why are you sorry?"

"I… I was running a fever this morning. But you were so excited about this hike, and I wasn't feeling too bad, and now my throat is on fire and my head is spinning, and I feel achy, and I'm scared I'll drop you, and what if we both die out here-"

"Whoa, whoa!" Changbin frowns. This entire rant is news to him. "We're not dying. But Seungmin, you can't hide stuff like this!" The rain continues falling in heavy sheets.

"I'm so sorry, hyung. But we need to get back, now. You need a hospital," Seungmin cries and tries to head forward again until the dizziness sends him tipping and he has to fold strategically to get Changbin sitting back on the ground with his poor knee stretched out in front of him.

"Fuck!" Changbin yells out. All of the adrenaline has worn out at this point, making every movement beyond painful.

"I genuinely… I can't…" the younger scrambles to explain. His hands shake with guilt and he struggles to justify his hiding his condition. There really is no excuse.

"I'm not mad at you, Minnie, just… there's at least 300 meters until we're back flat. And then another 400 to the car."

An idea strikes Seungmin. Despite the violent shivering wracking all of his limbs, causing a trembling all the way through to his fingers, he takes off his jean jacket.

"You'll freeze!"

"Hear me out!"

He lays the jacket out on the gravel and helps Changbin sit squarely on the thick body of the fabric.

"Let me know if this hurts too bad," Seungmin rasps out. He stumbles forward, dragging Changbin by the sleeves. When he walks slowly, he's able to progress without straining himself so much, and Changbin is able to slide without hurting so badly. It's not a perfect method. The gravel claws at Changbin's lower back through the denim, sending sparks of pain straight through him, and sometimes they advance a bit too far and risk tumbling down. But the rain acts in their favor for once and they make it down to the bottom of the incline after nearly thirty agonizingly long minutes.

The company car is in sight at this point, across the rest of the trail and through the flat expanse of parking lot. Both men are entirely soaked through. Seungmin is shivering violently, his throat screaming in pain, and his whole body weak and achy. Despite the poncho, Changbin's clothes are also completely wet, and his pants are torn from being dragged along the path.

Back to playing 'human crutch.'

Powered only by pure determination to get Changbin help, Seungmin drags him up to a standing position.

"See the car, Binnie? We're close. So close."

Step. Shift. Drag. Step. Shift. Sway. Recenter. Drag.

It takes forever. Even more screaming. Stopping for dizzy spells, for pain breaks, and for readjustments. But there are no cars in the parking lot (Seungmin supposes everyone else checked the weather), and so they can cross it more easily.

Mercifully, they finally reach the car. Seungmin fishes the keys out of his pocket, so ready to finally climb back in, turn the heat on, and get his hyung medical attention. With Changbin still hanging off his chest, Seungmin clicks the unlock button.

Nothing happens.

Again.

Nothing.

Of course the key won't work. It's been sitting in water for nearly forty minutes, the battery is clearly brokem.

"Changbin-hyung?" He croaks. "The fob. It's not working. Can you hold onto the side of the car? Give me a minute." Changbin obeys, leaning all his weight across the hood. His teeth are gritted in agony but his full trust is in his member to get them out of this situation.

Seungmin steps around to the driver's side, his hands shaking violently as he fumbles with the slippery key. Eventually, he manages to pop out the blade using his thumbnail. Into the lock, turn, click. A small mercy. He stretches across the seat to turn on the ignition and blast the heat.

Seungmin exhales shakily and comes back around to face Changbin.

"We've got to get you in," he rasps.

Changbin shifts his weight from the hood as Seungmin resumes his position as a crutch. Together, they hobble as close to the side of the seat as they can. Support, pivot. With a strong heave, Seungmin pulls Changbin up so that he sits down with his legs hanging out the door.

"Be careful," Changbin pleads.

"I know," Seungmin pants. He reaches for the seat's lever and lets his hyung's seat scoot back enough so that he can rotate him to face forward in the car. It's a slow, bit by bit process, and when they finally make it, Seungmin could cry from a mixture of relief and sheer exhaustion.

The click of the seatbelt buckle is a victory cheer as Seungmin makes his way back into the driver's side and closes the door.

Now, as they soak through the front seats of the company car, Seungmin's symptoms wash over him like a wave. His entire body is trembling from head to toe. Each breath causes fire to explode down his throat and into his lungs. The mixture of sweat and rain cause his wet clothes to cling uncomfortably to his skin.

Dizziness clings to the edge of his vision even as he sits down and pulls hit seatbelt across his chest. Every tiny movement amplifies the pain in his joints.

A soft voice breaks the silence.

"Seungmin?" Changbin gasps, forcing his own breathing to stay steady even as he leans left to check on his dongsaeng.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you so much."

"What for? I got us into this situation. I put us at risk!" Seungmin's voice cracks.

"You didn't make me fall," Changbin interrupts, adjusting the heat so it blows onto Seungmin's side. "You helped me. You saved me. I didn't want to worry you up there, but I was so scared we would get stranded, or… or hurt even worse. I'm so proud of you."

"It's supposed to be you manhandling me, not the other way around," the younger hiccups.

"Seungminnie. Thank you."

Seungmin responds with a full body sob. It's a totally body release of the day's stress, exhaustion, and illness. He swallows, hard, trying to steady himself.

Changbin watches him closely. "You don't have to be strong right now, Min-ah. But we need to go."

The singer blinks rapidly as he tries to focus. He runs the windshield wipers once, then twice. The rain is still coming down, they're miles from the nearest hospital, and his fever is making his head spin.

He looks over at Changbin, who is currently leaned back into his rain-soaked seat, clutching his knee.

"I… Okay. Let's go." Seungmin puts the car into reverse but doesn't proceed backward.

"Are you alright to drive like this?" Changbin's brows furrow. He can't believe that he's about to watch a blubbering, fever-ridden sickie try to navigate the downhill, winding roads, through thick fog and the constant downpour.

"I have to be. I guess we'll find out," Seungmin makes an attempt at levity.

The joke doesn't land. But truly, they have no other choice. Changbin can't even point his toe, and there would be no way he could operate the gas pedal. Ironically, the fever-ridden boy was their best bet.