#sicktember2024

No one’s POV.:

Jeongin had been pretty run down for the past two weeks, which wasn’t really surprising considering the busy schedules he’s had. For weeks, he had constantly been stressed, unable to catch a break and it got to the point that he even stressed about being stressed. Tired didn’t even come close in trying to describe what he felt, so right now that they finally got a weekend off to rest and recuperate, Jeongin couldn’t imagine getting up at all. His limbs were heavy as lead and struggled to roll over and pull his blanket tighter but the light was peaking through the curtains and burned his eyes, keeping him from going back to sleep.

Chan had spent most of the night editing a track he had been working on and ended up sleeping almost till noon. When he finally emerged from his room, he figured Jeongin had already eaten breakfast and probably gone out to spend the day with some of the other members. He might even be visiting his family, though he didn’t mention anything the day before, at last not as far as Chan could remember. Only when the Aussie heard the bathroom door open and shut did he start to question his assumptions. He had figured Jeongin would join him as soon as he was done but the maknae simply went back to his room. Since he hadn’t seen his dongsaeng since the day before, Chan decided to check on him and was surprised to find the curtains drawn and the younger already back in bed, curled up under his blanket.

With the blanket pulled up to his chin, Jeongin turned to Chan, hair ruffled and cheeks flushed. He looked dazed with sleep still, which was weird as it was already lunchtime. “Hey there”, Chan hummed, crouching next to the boy’s bed. He smoothed Jeongin’s hair down and whispered: “Are you okay? You do feel a little warm to me. Want me to fetch the thermometer?” The younger shook his head and mumbled: “I might be a teeny tiny bit sick, but it’s fine. Don’t need to know if I have a fever or not.” – “Sick how?”, Chan frowned worriedly, cupping Jeongin’s flushed cheek. He was pretty confident that the maknae was running a temperature. “My body is one big ache”, Jeongin sniffled, closing his eyes, “And no matter how much I sleep, ‘m still exhausted.”

Chan took a seat on the edge of the bed and stroked Jeongin’s hair, humming: “I’m pretty sure you have a fever, so good thing you can take a sick day and rest as much as you need. Can I get you anything?” – “Some water please? Been kinda thirsty an’ my head hurts but the distance to the bathroom already felt so incredibly long”, the younger muttered. “Of course, I think I’ll also get you some Emergen-C. Might help giving your immune system a little boost. Do you think this is a virus you caught or is it stress induced?”, Chan inquired, his finger trailing down Jeongin’s neck to feel his lymph nodes. The maknae sleepily blinked up at him and yawned: “Could be stress induced, ‘cause it neither feels like a cold nor some kind of stomach bug. ‘m jus’ so lethargic and aching all over.”

“Do you feel like eating?”, Chan asked softly as he watched Jeongin sip his drink, “I could get you some ibuprofen once you got some food in your tummy, so we could get your fever down and maybe ease the aches and pains a little.” – “Not hungry. Think all I really need is rest”, the younger mumbled, placing his glass on the nightstand. Helping him settle back down under his blankets, Chan smiled: “Do you want me to leave you alone, so you can sleep?” Jeongin just shrugged at that. Being alone hadn’t really helped him sleep earlier, so maybe some company while he waited out his misery would be nice. “Or I could get my laptop and sit with you for a while. If you’d like that”, the leader offered, knowing his dongsaeng wouldn’t openly ask for it. When he received a tiny nod, he smiled: “Alright, be right back.”

With his headphones dangling around his neck, laptop under his arm, Chan returned to Jeongin’s room and handed the maknae an icepack. “Here, this should help bring your fever down and ease the headache a bit”, he explained, waiting for Jeongin to scoot over, so he could take a seat next to him. Getting comfortable curled up against his hyung’s side, Jeongin pressed the icepack against his forehead and sighed in relief. With how nice it felt against his flushed skin, there was no way he wasn’t running a decent fever but he hoped he'd be able to sleep it off soon.

“Are you still awake?”, Chan frowned, when the younger was still squirming an hour later. Jeongin nodded and groaned: “Can’t get comfy, everything hurts.” – “Okay”, the Aussie sighed sympathetically, “How about a bath? It might help?” – “Too much effort”, the maknae whined, making Chan chuckle. Petting his hair, the eldest teased: “Silly. You won’t even have to do anything. Let me go fill the tub, I’ll carry you there.” Before Jeongin got another chance to argue, Chan had already disappeared to the bathroom. He made sure the water would only be lukewarm, so it’d lower the boy’s fever and hopefully make it a little easier for him to rest comfortably.

“You ready, baby bread?”, Chan smiled as he tugged on Jeongin’s blanket, “Come on, hold onto my shoulders. I got you.” The younger groaned, his muscles protesting being moved. It almost felt like a bruise with how badly Chan’s touch ached but he knew it was still better that having to walk. Settling his dongsaeng on the closed toilet lid, the Aussie instructed: “Get undressed and into the water, yeah? I’ll fetch you a change of clothes. Do you want one of my hoodies?” Jeongin gave a pathetic nod and sluggishly tugged off his shirt, a borrowed hoodie enough to bribe him.

He sighed as he sank into the water. It should’ve been uncomfortable with the slight chill he had but for some reason it was soothing against his overly sensitive skin. When Chan returned to the bathroom, he placed the stack of clothes onto the sink and sat on the closed toilet lid. “Minho and Jisung are coming over later”, the leader announced, waving his phone around, “Most of the others are out but they were enjoying a quiet day and Minho was in the mood for a home cooked meal, so when they heard you’re sick, they decided to make soup.” – “’m still not hungry”, Jeongin mumbled guiltily, his heart clenching at the thought of his hyungs going out of their way for him on their day off without him even being able to really appreciate it.

Sensing that Jeongin was growing sleepy, Chan offered to wash his hair for him and steadied his shoulders as he climbed out of the tub, swaying lightly on his feet. Bundled up in a large fluffy towel, the maknae plopped down on the closed toilet lid and sniffled softly while Chan dried his hair for him. Cupping Jeongin’s cheeks, the leader cooed: “Your cheeks don’t look as flushed as they did earlier and you don’t feel as warm, so that’s good. How about a change of scenery? Do you want to lay on the couch? We could turn on the TV, so you don’t get bored if you don’t manage to fall asleep.” The younger nodded but reached up his arms, muttering: “Carry me, hyung?”

Chan got Jeongin settled on the couch with the instructions to pick a drama, while he went to collect a few blankets to bundle the boy up in. “Here, I also grabbed a pair of fuzzy socks, so your feet will stay warm. My mom warned me about catching a cold when my feet got cold. It’s probably too late for that but I doubt warm feet could hurt”, Chan rambled, throwing a blanket over the maknae’s body before sitting down at his feet to put the socks on him. Finally feeling more comfortable in his own skin, it didn’t take long for Jeongin to drift off to sleep.

When Minho and Jisung arrived at their friends’ apartment, Chan was quick to shush them with a finger against his lips and over the leader’s shoulder, Minho could see their dongsaeng asleep on the couch. “Oh, honey”, the dancer cooed as he kicked off his shoes. Jisung gave Chan a small smile and followed the Aussie to the kitchen, so he could put the pot of soup on the stove. Crouching next to the couch, Minho felt Jeongin’s forehead and frowned: “How long has he been this feverish? Oh, hey darling. I didn’t mean to wake you.” – “We already brought his temperature down quite a bit”, Chan informed, while Jeongin blearily glanced up at Minho, “He hasn’t taken any medicine yet though because I couldn’t convince him to eat.”

Hearing that, Jisung turned on the stove to heat up the soup before joining them in the living room. “Hey, Innie”, the rapper smiled plopping down on the floor next to the couch, “You’ve finally run yourself into the ground, huh?” The younger gave a sad nod and muttered: “This sucks. Just when we finally got some time off.” – “I know, lovely”, Minho shushed, stroking Jeongin’s flushed cheek, “We’ll make the best of this free day though, right? Hannie and I had planned a quiet day anyway, so our plans weren’t so different. We can just hang out together and I bet you’ll feel so much more like yourself once you’ve had some meds for that fever.” Closing his eyes, the maknae sighed before pushing himself into an upright position. “’m not hungry in the slightest, sorry”, he mumbled, “I know you cooked for me but….” – “It’s okay, baby bread”, Minho chuckled, “I didn’t think you were and I’m not expecting you to eat much. Just have a few bites so the pills won’t upset your stomach. I won’t be upset or offended if you can’t finish, I just thought forcing yourself to eat wouldn’t suck as much if it was warm soup.”

With the promise that it was okay if he couldn’t finish all of his soup, Jeongin eventually let himself be talked into eating a little. Chan was quick to supply the medicine he had set out earlier, glad that Minho could sweet-talk their dongsaeng so easily. Maybe he should’ve called the dancer sooner instead of having Jeongin suffer on his watch. Jisung helped the maknae pick out a new drama to watch together, while Chan and Minho changed the sheets on their dongsaeng’s bed. They didn’t want him having to go back to sweaty sheets later and were glad how readily he let himself be taken care of, though that in itself was a testament to how bad he must be feeling.

Anticipating more resistance from Jeonghan, Chan simply set back to his task, refilling the kettle with water and setting it on the stove. A slight pout on his face, Jeonghan moved so he could hover in the doorway as Chan slowly buzzed around the kitchen, preparing the tea he’d set out to make for himself because he was an adult fully capable of doing so. And he had been doing so well, too, until he turned too fast from the cabinet with the honey to the stove when the kettle started whistling. A spattering of black sparks exploded across his vision, a wave of dizziness clouded his brain. He reached for the counter, fingers slipping against the edge. He stumbled. Jeonghan caught him by the shoulders. 

“Just let me do it.” Jeonghan kissed Chan’s feverish temple before physically moving his body away from the utensils he had previously been using. The vocalist immediately moved to the bowl on the counter where someone had thankfully bought lemons, and went to grab a cutting board. Chan moved back towards the counter, reaching for the honey again when Jeonghan once again pushed him out of the way. 

Chan crossed his arms over his chest, aware how petulant the action was, but unable to stop it. “Hyung, I can do it!” 

“I beg to differ.”

“Why?”

“Because you are my baby,” Jeonghan stated plainly. 

Chan groaned. “Hyung, I’m not actually a baby,” he exclaimed with as much energy he could muster. The sniffle that followed felt rather pathetic to Chan, but such was life. 

Jeonghan clicked his tongue. “Let’s not be ridiculous now.” He paused to cup Chan’s cheeks in his hands. “You will always be my baby.” Against his will, tears filled Chan’s eyes. Something about the genuine love and care in his hyung’s eyes, the warmth of his hands against his skin, the way his fingers were gentle yet firmly supportive. Something about it demolished his resolve, ushering in the crushing reality that he felt awful. Chan’s lips quivered. 

“Oh, my.” Jeonghan pulled Chan to his chest as the younger man hid his face behind his hands, crying softly. He clicked his tongue again, holding Chan by the back of his head, rubbing his hair soothingly. “Don’t cry, love. I didn’t mean it. I know you’re not a baby, I just love that joke, and I didn’t realize it upset you so much…”

“No!” Chan pulled away, swiping at his face with his sweatshirt sleeve. “No, I’m not upset about that. I just…” He sighed, shoulders slumping. “Hyung, I don’t feel good.” 

Steve stroked Eddie’s cheek as his boyfriend’s face scrunched in tired frustration.

Eddie’s leg off Steve’s, taking Steve’s soft forehead kiss as acceptable payment for leaving the bed. 

The warmth from the bed only lasted a few seconds as Steve wished for a shirt as he stumbled across the room and to the hallway. He reached the phone seconds before it went to voicemail. 

“Hello?” His voice was raspier than he expected and he swallowed. “This is Steve.”

“Oh I was hoping to not wake you,” Joyce’s voice tutted from the other end of the line. “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

He blinked rapidly as the bright light in the kitchen seemed to stab at his half-asleep eyes. He didn’t have his watch on, but the digital clock on the microwave read 8:34. He paused, wondering how Joyce knew about Eddie, but then remembered the call he’d made to her place at some time closer to 2am, when Eddie could barely keep down water.

“Hey, yeah, we’re okay. It was rough for a bit last night, but it’s cooler downstairs and I think moving him to the guest room helped.”

“Okay, good. Jonathan’s got the same thing and is still feeling pretty rough. You call me if you need anything, okay?”

“Okay. Thanks, Joyce.”

She reminded him to check Eddie’s temperature and Steve assured her he would before they hung up.

Steve set the phone back on the cradle, still squinting in the bright light of the morning. He rubbed his eye with the back of his hand; it was later than he realized, which meant Eddie was on his fourth hour of uninterrupted sleep. 

Maybe this was the corner he’d been hoping to turn all along. 

Steve absently filled a glass and it was only when the water touched his dry tongue that he realized how thirsty he was. He gulped the rest of the glass, quickly refilling it to down it just as fast. He’d been so focused on getting water in Eddie, that he’d forgotten to hydrate himself. The water refreshed him, removing the last of the sticky sleepiness between his bones. Joyce’s call reminded Steve of how sick Eddie had been last night, and winced at the memory of Eddie’s choking gags and heaves as he struggled to bring up everything he’d eaten in the last week. Steve lost count of how many times Eddie had pushed himself over the toilet bowl before Steve had to assist and the hours blurred as they moved between the bedroom and the bathroom.

Steve fought a yawn as he refilled the glass to bring back to the guest room. It was late but if Eddie was awake, maybe he’d be up to try some water and medicine.

The guest room door was ajar and as Steve approached, he caught the sight of Eddie’s arm sleepily hanging off the bed first. As he entered the doorway, Steve saw that the rest of Eddie was curled comfortably in the pillow dent left by Steve’s body. The sheets tangled around Eddie’s ankles, stubbornly kicked off sometime in the night. Sweat gathered at Eddie’s temple and dampened the pillowcase, making Eddie’s baby hairs stick to his temple and neck and dampening the pillowcase into a darker blue. 

Despite being sick, Steve was astonished at how beautiful Eddie was like this. The ponytail Steve tied last night had fallen loose, and Eddie’s hair was now spread across the pillows like a curly black storm cloud. His boyfriend’s back was a sight to take in; Steve had each divot and dimple memorized. Eddie’s outstretched arm was inked in tattoos, each a few inches apart. His fingers were long and slender, and Steve could make out the faded reminders written in Sharpie on the back of Eddie’s hand. Whatever bug Eddie was fighting stole most of his color, but his cheeks were still rosy, but nothing like the raging red they were last night.

For the first time in days, Eddie looked comfortable.

Relief came in a warm glow that seemed to expand through Steve’s chest, and Steve leaned heavier against the doorway. It’d been a long few days, and his own body wanted nothing more than the return to bed with Eddie. But the thought of waking Eddie or worse, the movement of the bed making Eddie’s nausea return, was a risk he didn’t want to take.

He'd crash in his bed, but their bedroom upstairs was still a mess from the last few days.

But, a clean bed was what they both needed.

The thought of curling up with Eddie in clean sheets gave him the momentum he needed and he headed upstairs to begin.

His bedroom was at the end of the hall, and he was hit with a heavy stuffiness and the same sour smell. Sickness seemed to hang in the air like an invisible fog. The sunlight shone in from the open curtains, casting the window panes in rumpled shadows over the unmade bed. He crossed the room to unlatch the lock on the window and cracked it open. The whoosh of air that came in carried the chilly bite of the oncoming winter, but it instantly cut through the stuffiness, making the room feel less suffocating.

Steve surveyed his room, taking in each part of the mess. Various painkillers and medicine for fevers were scattered across the surfaces of his room. His nightstand looked like a mini city of medicinal skyscrapers, the bottles of cough syrup to Pepto-Bismol and half-full glasses of flat Sprite, all clustered together. The thermometer lay nearby untouched crackers on a napkin, and a used washcloth hung off the side of the nightstand. The backup thermometer sat near the lamp, skewed to the side from Steve's rush to grab the trashcan when Eddie had first felt sick. Steve adjusted it and then picked up the TV remote next to it, trying to remember why he’d brought up the TV from the kitchen. The screen was off, but he remembered when he caught sight the open VHS case of Lord of the Rings. The cassette was still in the player, and although Steve lived by the be kind, rewind rule, but knew Eddie would want to eventually finish the movie.  

Maybe later this afternoon, if Eddie feels better.

The thought was a comfort as Steve started clearing the nightstand. He moved easily, taking a thing and finding the proper place for it, finding a rhythm with cleaning. The cough syrup, now capped, sat closed in the medicine cabinet. He tossed the used tissues in the trash, and the crumpled washcloth was replaced with a clean one. He set out a new pair of shorts and a shirt for Eddie on the dresser to wear later.

The bed was last. 

The quilt came off first and with a few tugs, the top sheet followed. The sheets were next, and Steve leaned on one knee to pull each corner free. The fibers of the sheets seemed to shake sickness off into the air, sticky and sweaty, and Steve was thankful for the open window. The pillowcases were stained and crusty, and he pulled those off, piling them with the sheets gathered at the end of the bed. He added Eddie’s abandoned shirt he stripped off days ago, along with the one Steve tossed to the side sometime yesterday. 

Steve wasted no time getting the pile to the laundry room to wash.

On his return upstairs, Steve paused in the doorway of the guest room again to check on Eddie and smiled at the sight. Eddie had turned over into a full stretch across the bed, still sound asleep. His back glistened and Steve could see the stain of sweat against the pillow from where he slept. Hopefully, Eddie would sleep even better in clean sheets and fresh pajamas.

No one’s POV.:

It had already been a couple of hours since Changbin had returned from the studio. He hadn’t been feeling his best lately, which was why Chan had sent him home early today, and he had gone straight to bed once he got back. That didn’t mean he’d be able to sleep though. Changbin had lain awake for the past few hours, trying to doze and hoping the incessant headache that had been bothering him lately would ease up a little once he got some rest. Rest wouldn’t come easy though and the rapper shuddered. His room hadn’t felt this cold earlier but he couldn’t seem to find the energy to get up and adjust the air-conditioning. It also didn’t seem like it was enough of a reason to call out to Hyunjin and ask the dancer to check his air-conditioning, just because Changbin didn’t feel like getting out of bed.

Sluggishly pulling his blanket tighter, Changbin rubbed his nose into the fabric. He had been a little stuffed up the day before but that was no comparison to his runny his nose had gotten since Chan had sent him home. The tissues on his nightstand had long since run out, so if he wanted to blow his nose, he’d have to go to the bathroom and that sounded like far too much effort. With how heavy his limbs felt, Changbin couldn’t picture himself moving anywhere anytime soon. Too bad that he had made plans to watch a drama with Hyunjin later that night. Oh well, if his dongsaeng was serious about their plans, he’d come and collect him at some point. Changbin could still hope that the other forgot about it somehow.

Of course, Hyunjin didn’t forget. Scrolling through his phone to see what they could order for dinner, the dancer leant against Changbin’s doorframe and hummed: “What are you hungry for, hyung? You didn’t eat dinner yet, right?” Only when he glanced up from his phone, did he see the pitiful state his friend was in. “Could you- Could you check the AC settings, Hyune? It’s so freaking cold”, Changbin rasped, his voice coming out unexpectedly husky. “Oh wow, you sound rough”, Hyunjin commented, walking up to the wall controller, “Hyung, I don’t think you wanna hear this but- the AC is off….”

After a stunned moment of silence, Changbin propped himself up on his elbow, causing the congestion in his sinuses to shift. Catching a wet sneeze in his blanket, he sniffled: “Why’s it- why’s it so cold though?” – “I mean, you certainly look like you could be running a fever”, Hyunjin frowned, clicking his tongue, “Hang on, I’ll go fetch the thermometer and… tissues?” The rapper nodded gratefully and closed his eyes. A fever would probably explain why he felt so awful. It also wasn’t like this had come out of nowhere. Changbin had been coming down with something for a few days now, he just hadn’t paid his body enough mind to realize he wouldn’t get away with a mild case of the sniffles this time.

When Hyunjin returned, Changbin gratefully accepted the tissues and went through multiple blowing his nose. For the first time in what had felt like hours, he could at least somewhat breathe and he gave a stuffy sigh of relief, that inevitably turned into a cough. “Here, open up”, Hyunjin instructed, tapping the thermometer against the rapper’s chapped lips. The older complied and held it under his tongue as he leant back into his pillows. When the device beeped, Hyunjin plucked it from Changbin’s lips and scowled: “No wonder, you feel so cold. I expected you to run a fever but I didn’t think it’d be this high.” – “Too high for another blanket?”, the rapper breathed, shuddering pathetically. Guiltily biting his lip, the younger hummed: “I could get you that fuzzy throw blanket from the back of the couch. It’s not all that thick, we just need to monitor your temperature closely.”

Bundled up under two blankets, Changbin sleepily glanced up at Hyunjin when the dancer mused: “I’d have a much better feeling about this if you took something for your fever, hyung. Do you think you could eat a bite before that though?” – “My throat hurts”, the older mumbled, pulling both blankets up to his chin. “I could make a smoothie”, Hyunjin offered, running his fingers through the other’s hair, “That way, you could also get your vitamins in.” Changbin gave a tired nod but pouted when the younger left. It had been nice to not be alone. Hyunjin wasn’t gone for long though and also kept him company while he sipped his smoothie. Once dosed up and warmly tucked into bed, Changbin drifted off pretty quickly and Hyunjin left, trying to find something useful to do.

The dancer had tidied up their shared dorm a little, glad that he hadn’t heard from his friend for the past three hours. Changbin tended to get restless with fevers but he was quiet. There was no rustling of sheets indicating that he was tossing an d turning in his sleep, nor the occasional distressed groan. Hyunjin could hear him snoring softly and decided to sneak in and set up the humidifier to hopefully help him breathe a little easier. He frowned a little, seeing Changbin’s forehead glisten with sweat, and tried to tug one of the two blankets off but the older kept an iron grip on it.

Hyunjin had decided to let Changbin keep his blanket for the fear of waking him but worried about the rapper’s temperature spiking, so he draped a cold washcloth over his forehead, causing his hyung to stir. Great. That was exactly what he had tried to avoid. “Hey, how are you feeling?”, Hyunjin whispered, cupping Changbin’s cheek. Drawing a raspy breath, the older mumbled: “Like shit.” He was so hot. Changbin clumsily kicked his blankets off the bed and immediately shuddered. Maybe he shouldn’t have done that. Wrinkling his nose at the way the rapper’s shirt clung to his body, Hyunjin offered: “I think I’ll run you a cool bath. You should feel more like yourself after getting rid of all that sweat. You can put in fresh pajamas afterwards and I’ll put clean sheets on your bed. There’s no way you could rest comfortably like this.”

Changbin didn’t have the energy to argue though he also didn’t know where he should find the energy for a bath. With Hyunjin’s help, he managed the short walk to the bathroom and was glad that the dancer had convinced him. The cool water soothed the burning ache in his muscles and refreshed him. Like he had promised, Hyunjin took the opportunity to change the sheets and brought Changbin fresh pajamas to change into afterwards. When everything was set up, he prepared a pot of herbal tea and placed it onto the rapper’s nightstand along with a cup and a bag of cough drops.

“Drama?”, Changbin rasped as he shuffled out of the bathroom, running the cuff of his sleeve under his nose. Joining him with a towel, Hyunjin hummed: “In a moment, let’s dry your hair first, hm? Wouldn’t want you getting worse.” When he was satisfied that Changbin’s hair was thoroughly dry, the dancer smiled: “Get to bed and I’ll join you with the laptop in a second. There’s tea on your nightstand. Drink something, yeah? You need to stay hydrated.”

Plopping down on the edge of his mattress, Changbin shakily poured himself a cup of tea. He sipped the warm drink slowly and sighed when it soothed his inflamed throat. Sure, getting out of bed and having a bath had drained a good amount of his energy but he felt so much better now that everything was fresh and clean. Hyunjin had even remembered his favorite cough drop flavor, which made Changbin smile after popping one between his lips.

There was a soft knock before Hyunjin joined him, carrying his laptop on his arm. He shot Changbin a smile while opening the right page and waited for the rapper to shuffle under the blanket. “Are you comfy?”, Hyunjin asked before placing the laptop down at the foot of the bed. Nodding, Changbin patted the space next to him. Not feeling cold in the slightest, the dancer sat down atop the sheets and offered his friend his shoulder to rest on. Changbin cuddled closer and gave a pathetic sniffle, making Hyunjin click his tongue and frown: “How did you manage to get yourself sick like this? You’re usually the one to eat healthy and take care of yourself….” – “Guess it can’t always be avoided”, the rapper forced out, massaging his throat, “Thanks for taking care of me though.” – “Of course, I’d take care of you when you don’t feel well”, Hyunjin shushed petting Changbin’s hair but the older shook his head.

“That’s not what I mean”, Changbin denied, “You do more than take care of me than get me food and medicine. You wouldn’t have had to change the sheets but you went out of your way and did and I’m grateful because it’s comfy.” Before he could ramble on, already tearing up, Hyunjin shushed: “Then maybe don’t use the phrase ‘take care of you’. I care for you and that means more, it means that I want you to be comfortable and happy and if there’s anything I can do to help with that, you can be damn sure, I will do it. I want you to feel better, hyung. You can’t tell me that laying down in damp sheets would’ve made you feel better.” – “It’s- I don’t even know why I’m so emotional”, Changbin sniffled, wiping his eyes, “I just- Thank you.”

“It’s probably the fever”, Hyunjin smiled, rubbing his friend’s back, “Don’t worry. It’s okay to feel emotions a little stronger sometimes and hey, at least, you now got something to blame if you cry mid-episode.” – “I never cry mid-episode”, Changbin argued before they both cracked up laughing, knowing full well how easily the rapper cried during when a scene got emotional. Not that Hyunjin was one to point a finger though, always being the first to tear up when the two of them watched something. That was also why they made the perfect pairing as dorm mates, enjoying the same dramas and reacting oh so similar to them and Changbin was glad they did because he now had company and wasn’t rotting away in his bed by himself.

Joshua pulled out his phone. “I can call our company doctors and see if they…”

“No, no doctor.” Seokmin cut him off with a violent shake of his head. “I’m fine. It’s probably just overuse.” He missed the way Jeonghan and Joshua’s eyes narrowed at that excuse, how they made eye contact. 

“Okay, first of all, overuse doesn’t cause a cough like that,” Jeonghan argued. He crossed his arms over his chest, worried hyung-mode activated. “Second, you take incredibly good care of your voice so it doesn’t get overused. And third, we haven’t even done anything recently that could even cause…”

“Okay, hyung, I hear you.” There was an edge in Seokmin’s voice none of them were used to hearing. Seungkwan grabbed Joshua’s shoulder, confusion and worry clear on his face. 

“What’s with the attitude?” Jeonghan asked. 

“It’s not an attitude. I just don’t appreciate being treated like a child.” Jeonghan scoffed at that, and Seokmin glared up at him. “I’m serious, hyung! I can make my own health decisions, and I say no doctor.”

“Seokmin, you’re being ridiculous. It can’t hurt to at least see a doctor…” 

“I’M NOT GOING!” Joshua and Seungkwan both jumped at the volume of Seokmin’s voice. Jeonghan flinched away too. All three were frozen in shock as Seokmin bent over coughing again. When the fit finally left him, gasping wheezily, he whispered, “Please don’t make me go. Please.” With those words, Seokmin shrunk in on himself, hiding his face in his hands. The silence that followed was palpable. The remaining three members’ eyes volleyed back and forth.

Joshua moved first, sliding into the chair next to Seokmin. He gently wove his hands with the younger man’s, noting how Seokmin’s muscles tensed at his touch. “Why don’t you want to see a doctor?” Joshua asked, voice quiet, as if they were the only people in the room. 

Seokmin finally raised his eyes. Joshua did his best not to flinch at the tears clouding his friend’s vision. “Cause last time I was there, they said it might be my tonsils and that I’d have to get them out!” The last word was choked by a sob that sent the tears pouring down his face. 

“Oh, honey.” Joshua pulled Seokmin to him, allowing the younger vocalist to completely break down. Seungkwan ran to the other side of Seokmin’s chair, rubbing his friend’s back. 

“It hurts so much,” Seokmin cried, words muffled in Joshua’s shoulder. 

“I’m sure it does, if it’s your tonsils,” Joshua replied. 

“Hyung, it might not be the worst thing to get them out, though,” Seungkwan suggested carefully. “That would stop the pain.”

“But…” Seokmin took a shuddering breath, sitting up from Joshua’s embrace to look at them both. “But what if something goes wrong?” 

“Goes wrong?” Joshua asked. He gently tucked Seokmin’s hair behind his ear, attempting to maintain as much contact as possible. 

Seokmin nodded, clearly trying not to sob again. “What if they ruin my voice and I can’t… I can’t sing any-anymore?!” The hiccup in his voice triggered another cough.  

Joshua smoothed away a tear from Seokmin’s cheek. “Baby, that has to be so rare.” 

“But not impossible!”

“Minnie, look.” Jeonghan, who had appeared without any of them realizing it, thrust his phone between the trio, pointing to a highlighted quote on the screen. “I’ve been doing research and it says that it’s a myth that tonsillectomies change your voice. They don’t even touch your vocal cords.” Seokmin took the phone, rereading the screen several times. He clicked out of the article, scrolling through other articles from Jeonghan’s search. “Plus, if you do get your tonsils out, that means unlimited popsicles.”  

“That’s not helping right now,” Seokmin admitted simply, eyes still glued to the phone. Joshua patted Jeonghan’s back, a ‘thank you’ for trying. 

“Well you know what might help?” Seokmin didn’t even have time to respond before Seungkwan threw his arms around him from behind, crushing him in a hug that nearly squeezed the phone from his hand. With the speed of vipers, Joshua and Jeonghan swooped in, capturing their sunshine from all sides. “What do you say now? Feel any better?”

“A little bit,” Seokmin conceded, even though fresh tears were brimming in his eyes. But that had more to do with the love of his members than the pain in his throat or the fear that came with that pain. “Thank you.”

“What else are we good for?” Jeonghan joked. A ripple of laughter passed through the group hug. 

“But I still don’t want to see the doctor.”

“It’s not a matter of want anymore, hyung,” Seungkwan replied. “

Seokmin rolled his eyes. “I said I didn’t want to, not that I wouldn’t go.” 

“Well now you’re just being difficult.”

“Did I… miss something?”

Instead of breaking apart, the four men assembled in the group hug simply craned their necks to see Jihoon standing in the doorway looking desperately confused. 

“Dokyeomie needs to get his tonsils out,” Jeonghan explained. “So we are providing him moral support and positive vibes.” 

Without a word, Jihoon hurried to join the hug. “I’m so sorry, Kyeomie.” 

“It’s okay. I had a bad feeling it was coming when the doctor said it last month.” He laughed once, a tad of embarrassment hidden in the noise. “And I may or may not have overreacted a bit about it this morning.” 

“What? You? Overreacting? Never!” Jeonghan gasped much to the delight of his dongsaeng who nudged him, shuffling the whole hug in the process. 

“I assume that means you haven’t told anyone about this yet?” Jihoon sighed. 

Joshua shook his head. “It was kinda hard to call a manager with a friend so severely upset.” Seokmin gently rested his forehead against Joshua’s shoulder, a soft ‘thank you’ for the support that shoulder had provided just moments before. 

“So what I’m hearing is that you have no real confirmation that your tonsils need to come out…”

“Hyung, please don’t give me hope. I want to keep my delusions low.”

“Hey, babe, what are you doing?” he called. Taehyung paused, turning slowly to look back at Seokjin, as if seeing him for the first time. His expression didn’t change, but Seokjin assumed he was taken by surprise at his presence. There was probably too much of a haze in his head to care. 

“Going out,” he replied plainly, voice gravelly and even deeper than normal. He slid on his coat.

Seokjin's eyebrows knit together. “Where are you going?”

“We’re out of milk.”

The older man shook his head, resisting the urge to laugh. “No we aren’t. Get back in bed. You’re drunk.”

“But I didn’t even drink anything…” Taehyung replied hazily, sorting through the foggy memories he had of that morning. “Not even water… well, actually yeah, water. Jimin gave me water, but Jimin doesn’t spike drinks…”

“Tae, it was joke,” Seokjin replied. “And the fact that you didn’t get it means that you’re way too sick to be out of bed, and definitely too sick to go out for milk.” 

“But…”

“No buts,” Seokjin cut him off, sliding his chair away from the table and gliding over to his sick friend. “Jimin would probably kill me if he knew I’d let you out of the house, or even out of bed. And you don’t want Jimin to go to jail for murder right?”

“No.” Taehyung shook his head vehemently. Seokjin smiled, quickly placing his hand on Taehyung’s forehead to confirm that, yes, he was probably very delirious, but nothing serious enough to warrant an adventure to the hospital. 

“Then why don’t we go back upstairs?” Jin offered lightly, smoothly pulling the coat from Taehyung’s shoulders and stringing an arm around the younger man’s waist before leading him back to the stairs. Taehyung simply nodded in response, allowing himself to be moved. Seokjin probably could have gotten him to do a lot of things right now, to say some pretty hilarious shit, but that would’ve been very cruel. Funny, but cruel.

The stairs were much easier to traverse than Seokjin had expected, Taehyung still in full capacity of movement despite how heavily he was leaning against Seokjin as they climbed the flight. 

“Alright, Tae,” Seokjin grunted as they reached the room the younger vocalist shared with Jimin. He gave Taehyung a very gentle (don’t want to hurt him now) push towards the bed. “Climb on in.” Taehyung did as instructed, curling up on his side and coughing roughly into his wrist. “Want some more water? Promise I won’t spike it.” 

Taehyung smiled up at him, sincere and sweet. He’d remembered that joke. “Thank you, hyung.” 

No one’s POV.:

A cold had been passed around the group recently and just when Felix thought he had managed to evade it, he was the last member to come down with it. It wasn’t so bad when he first woke up, noting how his nose felt blocked on one side and his throat itched. Figuring he just needed a drink to soothe the dryness in his throat, Felix rolled out of bed and was hit by a wave of vertigo, that made him plop back down on his bed. It took a minute for his head to stop spinning before he could make another attempt. “Oh, you’re up early”, Seungmin commented, when the Aussie joined him in the kitchen. Nodding, Felix mumbled: “Needed some water.” They both looked shocked at how croaky his voice had come out and Seungmin quickly poured him a glass of water. “Are you sick?”, he frowned, brushing the backs of his fingers against Felix’ forehead while the older sipped his water.

Felix set the glass down on the counter and cleared his throat, humming: “Didn’t think I was. I dunno. My throat kinda hurts.” – “Yeah, you still don’t sound so great”, Seungmin agreed, “You don’t feel warm but I wouldn’t be surprised if you started to run a fever later. A sore throat and shot voice were how it started for most of us.” – “Ugh, I really hope I won’t”, the Aussie muttered, massaging his throat, “We got stuff to do.” Having stuff to do had rarely been enough to convince fate not to hit, so Felix shouldn’t have been so surprised when he already grew sleepy again once he got in the car. His mind has been hazy all morning and Seungmin probably had a point. Still, Felix hoped he’d be able to hold out a little longer before the cold did him in.

Knowing how unrealistic it was that Felix should be the only one evading the group’s germs, Seungmin slipped a few packs of tissues into his bag. If his predictions were right, the Aussie would need them sooner rather than later. Good thing he did because Felix woke up from his unintentional nap to a completely blocked nose, that started to run like a faucet as soon as he got out of the car. “Oh dear, it finally got you too, mate”, Chan greeted, taking a single glance at his dongsaeng. The younger hadn’t even needed to say a word, that would’ve given away the rough shape his throat was in. Nodding defeatedly, Felix breathed: “Could’ve disregarded it as a fluke this morning but it’s getting worse. I’ll just see how long I can last.”

Though they would’ve liked Felix to rest, Chan knew there was little he could do or say to convince the younger and he didn’t want to pull the leader card. At least, not yet. He could just keep an eye on Felix and make sure he took it easy today. If he developed a fever, it should make it easy to get him to stay home the next day and since the rest of them had just recovered from the same cold, Chan could just pretend to be tired himself, so that was why they needed to take more breaks. The leader sold it almost convincingly but eventually, Changbin caught on. Well, it was rather hard to miss when Felix muffled cough after cough into the crook of his elbow, the sound low and painful. “Sip this slowly”, the rapper instructed, handing Felix his water bottle. Steadily rubbing his dongsaeng’s back, Changbin hummed: “Do you wanna sit down for a bit? You look wiped.” – “If I sit down, I don’t think I’ll get back up again”, the Aussie croaked, tears stinging his eyes, “Worst is my throat anyway and that won’t get better by sitting.”

“Perhaps not by sitting but maybe if you suck on a cough drop?”, Jeongin offered, holding out his hand. He still had a bunch in his bag but didn’t need them anymore, at least not as badly as Felix did. The Aussie accepted it and popped it between his chapped lips. All the mouth breathing he was doing was drying out his lips. For the moment, it did soothe the irritation in his throat a little but that didn’t last long and the further the day progressed, the worse the pain got. Eventually, Chan decided to send the younger home because he could barely talk and his eyes had finally developed that feverish gloss. Felix wasn’t particularly pleased with the decision but knew there was no point in arguing. The entire group had been through this cold, all of them taking at least one sick day, so why should he be the exception? He’d need to rest and wait it out just like everyone else.

On the way to his dorm, Felix started to shiver. Yup, the chills were most definitely setting in. More of a reason to take that nice hot bath, he had been contemplating. He had the time and really wanted something to clear up the congestion, so he’d dig out the eucalyptus bath salt his mom had gifted him once and enjoy a nice long soak. Hopefully, it’d soothe his achy muscles too.

Chan had also instructed him to have some soup for nourishment and because he figured that being typical ‘sick people food’, it’d soothe Felix’ sore throat but he hadn’t considered, just how little appetite the boy might have. Besides, the dancer felt in no mood to cook and he didn’t like the canned soups Seungmin kept on hand at their dorm, so while he had promised Chan that he’d eat something, it was unlikely going to be soup. Resting his head against the edge of the bathtub, Felix closed his eyes and took a deep breath, relieved that it slowly got easier. His nose was running a little now but he didn’t mind, at least his sinuses were clearing up. At first, the warmth of the water had felt odd and uncomfortable against his skin, sensitive from the fever, but it grew comfortable as he got used to it and his muscles finally relaxed.

Felix had a hard time not accidentally falling asleep in the tub because he knew that was dangerous but it was so comfy that it made him drowsy. The only thing the bath hadn’t improved in the slightest, was the bothersome headache still thumping behind his temples. Maybe some painkillers didn’t sound too bad but what could he possibly convince himself to eat. Anything he could think of would hurt his throat and it didn’t seem worth the pain. Ugh, he’d also have to get out of the tub if he wanted to get food and medicine. He should’ve thought this through earlier. No way he had the energy to get out now.

Turns out, he did find the energy somewhere in him but only because something had loosened in his chest and he kept coughing. A drink suddenly sounded far better than staying in the warm water for longer. Bundled up in a thick sweater, with a pair of fuzzy socks on his feet, Felix shuffled to the kitchen and poured himself some water. Sipping it slowly, he went through the different cabinets and drawers in search of something quick but relatively pain free to eat. Nothing looked appealing at all, so he grumpily checked the fridge and perked up when he reached for the freezer. If the Aussie remembered correctly, they still had some ice cream. That’d be smooth and the cold would numb the pain in his throat, so it had to be perfect right?

It was almost perfect. Smiling happily because they indeed had some ice cream, Felix grabbed a spoon and made his way over to the couch, already shuddering because the bowl was so cold in his hands. Well, one more instance in which he was glad that they always kept a fluffy blanket draped over the back of the couch. Placing his ice cream onto the coffee table, Felix wrapped himself in his fluffy blanket and huddled on the couch before he continued eating.

Worried about his dongsaeng, Chan decided to accompany Seungmin home after their schedule concluded, so they could check on Felix together. The dancer had taken his medication after he finished his scoop of ice cream and even managed to take a little nap once it kicked in. Now that it was wearing off though, Felix had to consider his options. There was one small serving of ice cream left, so he could have that now but what then? He’d have to figure something out for the upcoming days because he doubted his throat would be any better by then. Possibly even worse if this cough kept tearing it up.

Deciding that his future self could worry about that, Felix pulled the fluffy blanket tighter around his shoulders and padded to the kitchen. He didn’t even bother to scoop the ice cream into a bowl this time. There was so little left, he could just eat it out of the tub. Once again, the first few bites sent shivers down his spine but he sighed in relief because it numbed the back of his throat a little, the oain temporarily forgotten. Just as Felix was finishing off the last bite of ice cream, Seungmin let Chan into the apartment and kicked off his shoes. Spotting the younger in the living room, Chan waved and smiled: “Hi there, Lixxie. How’re you feeling?” – “I’m okay”, Felix rasped, placing the empty container onto the coffee table before rubbing his arms to quell the chills. “Now, who decided ice cream is ‘sick people food’?”, the leader questioned, walking over to help the dancer fix the blanket. Glaring at his hyung, Felix snapped: “Shut it, Christopher! My throat’s killin’ me and this helped. We ran out though, so if anyone was willing to get me more tomorrow, that’d be highly appreciated.”

With the way Felix’ voice had given out towards the end, nobody doubted his statement and Seungmin volunteered to head to the mini-market and pick up some more ice cream. Chan took a seat next to Felix and pulled him into his arms to warm him up, softly explaining the arrangements he had been able to make to his schedule, so he’d get the time to rest and recover. He felt a little guilty for teasing the younger about his meal choice because he still remembered how inflamed his own throat had been not even two weeks ago. That didn’t mean that he didn’t cherish Seungmin for also bringing home a few bags of frozen fruit for Felix to blend into smoothies as it would no doubt be the better alternative long-term if they wanted their friend to get the vitamins he’d need.