“hyung, honestly i think she'll get even more sick if she eats your food.” mingyu yawns, trying to neaten his messy bed-hair.

wonwoo rolls his eyes. they've been friends for years, but it seems like mingyu will never get sick of making fun of his cooking. “that's why you're here to help.” he shoves a spoon of porridge into mingyu’s mouth. “how is it?”

seeing how mingyu grimaces as he swallows the mouthful, that said enough. “i don't know how the heck you did it, but it's sweet.”

“oh you can taste it?” wonwoo replies, gently stirring the porridge in the pot. “i added some strawberry syrup, it's her favourite fruit.”

mingyu feels kinda sorry for you.

“h-how about i cook it?” mingyu stands from his seat and slowly takes the wooden spoon away from wonwoo's devil hands. “i have this really good porridge recipe and i think she'll like it.”

wonwoo pouts. “but then it won't be my cooking.”

“but your cooking is so bad.” mingyu so badly wants to say. as much as he admires how determined wonwoo was wanting to take care of you, mingyu is certain that whatever the hell wonwoo cooked in that pot will make you get food poisoning on top of your high fever.

“i-” mingyu’s words get cut off when the kitchen door opens, with a sleepy junhui entering. “good morning-” junhui stops in his steps, eyes narrowing at wonwoo wearing an apron, standing in front of the stove. “oh no i'm hallucinating. redo, redo.” he mumbles, shuffling out of the kitchen and making mingyu giggle in amusement.

junhui enters again, this time with his eyes closed. when his eyes open, he’s still greeted by the sight of wonwoo in front of the stove. he rubs his eyes. “wonwoo? are you cooking?” wonwoo sighs and nods. “i'm cooking some porridge for her.”

“oh.” junhui scrunches his nose, walking over to examine the porridge. “but something smells weird, are you doing it right?”

“don't be silly, of course i am. and it doesn't even taste that bad, right mingyu?”

mingyu freezes, unable to say anything. right now, he wants to run away and lock himself in his room, too afraid to offend his hyung.

“hey guys.” jihoon shuffles out from his room, blinking sleepily. “are y'all cooking breakfast?” he takes a whiff of the smell wafting across the kitchen and his brows furrow. “something smells weird. that better not be our breakfast.”

“wow you guys are demoralising as hell.” wonwoo says, feeling slightly dejected as he turns the stove off. “is my cooking really that bad?”

mingyu sighs and puts the wooden spoon down. “hyung, you know i love you.”

wonwoo nods.

“and you know that i love her, as a friend and like a little sister.”

wonwoo nods again.

“and you know that all of us love her, as a friend and like a little sister.”

wonwoo, jihoon and junhui all nod.

“and you know that-”

“get to the fucking point, mingyu.”

“okay, okay.” mingyu throws his hands up defensively. “we all want her to get better. but this,” mingyu points at the pot. “tastes bad. like, really bad. it's not gonna make her feel better. if anything, it'll give her food poisoning. and we don't want that, do we?”

wonwoo, jihoon and junhui all shake their heads.

“what did you put inside anyways?” junhui peers into the pot. “why is it kinda red?”

mingyu’s too ashamed for wonwoo’s sake to answer. but wonwoo isn't.

“strawberry.”

“STRAWBERRY??” junhui yells in disbelief, while jihoon sighs and slaps his own forehead with his hand.

“okay hyung, how about i teach you how to make it? this way, you'll still be the one making it and she won't get food poisoning!” mingyu suggests, fingers crossing that wonwoo will agree. and he does.

wonwoo pours out the contents inside the pot (ignoring his members’ faces scrunching in disgust) and gives it a thorough wash. he cleans it dry and puts it on the stove, rolling his sleeves up with a determined look on his face. “alright, i'm ready.”

“let's start.” mingyu claps, with an interested jihoon and junhui perched on the kitchen stools, excited to watch the cooking process.

»»——————————　♡　——————————««

you stir awake, eyes stinging from the sudden brightness of the room and there's a gentle call of your name.

“w-wonwoo.” you mumble, voice still hoarse. “is that you?”

“yep.” wonwoo places the breakfast tray on your bedside table before helping you sit up on your bed. he rests the back of the palm onto your forehead, checking your temperature. “good, i think your fever’s gone down.”

“i must've sweated it out.” you yawn, stretching your arms. “i slept with the heater on. plus, minghao told me to sleep with extra blankets.”

wonwoo smiles, gently ruffling your hair. indeed, it was a little damp with sweat. you smile back, eyes slightly droopy and cheeks tinged with a light shade of pink. nevertheless, wonwoo still found you adorable. “oh! and i made breakfast for you.”

you're taken aback, letting out a soft “huh?” as you watch wonwoo gesture to the breakfast tray next to you. “but honey, you can't cook.”

“i know i can't.” he laughs lightly, reminded of his members’ reactions earlier that morning. “but i tried, for you. mingyu guided me through it and he already approved of it.”

“ah.” you reply, a little more relaxed upon hearing mingyu’s name being involved in the cooking process.

“do you want me to feed you?”

you nod. wonwoo takes a spoonful of porridge, making sure to get some shredded chicken as well for you to have.

“hmm tastes a little funny.” you say while chewing down the food. “is it supposed to taste this way?”

wonwoo smirks. “that's because i added a special ingredient just for you.”

“oh god please don't tell me you-”

“it's love.”

you burst out laughing, blushing slightly from wonwoo's unexpected answer. “i can't believe mingyu approved this.”

"well, mingyu is kind of stupid.” wonwoo chuckles, pressing a soft kiss against your lips.

a disapproving scoff comes from down the hall. “i heard that!”

"and then i told you to wear a coat and what did you do?"

"...i went out in my pajamas."

you sigh, handing a thermometer to seungcheol as you turn away. he unwillingly sticks it into his mouth and watches the number increase.

37.3...37.8...38.4...38.9... shit

seungcheol side-eyes you. seeing that your back was turned to him, he sneakily takes the thermometer out of his mouth.

38.9...38.3...37.7...37.1...

"choi seungcheol, put that thermometer back into your mouth."

seungcheol groans, sticking the thermometer back into his mouth before sulking like a kid who just got his lollipop taken away from him.

you bite your lip to prevent the smile that's forming on your face. you'll never admit it but whenever seungcheol acted childish like this, it always made your heart flutter just a little. sometimes you wonder if your boyfriend was a 26 year old adult or a 6 year old child.

the thermometer starts to beep and seungcheol cringes when he hears his temperature. "38.8." you shoot him a glare, conveying a message along the lines of "this is what you get for not listening to me", a glare that he pretends to not see.

you leave the bedroom and return shortly, holding a glass of water and a small bottle that looks too familiar for seungcheol's liking. realising what it is, he crosses his arms and scowl. "i am NOT eating that."

"sorry babe, it's not a choice." you say, taking a pill out from the bottle. you hold it out on your palm. "you bought this upon yourself."

"i don't care, that thing taste like shit." seungcheol huffs, pulling the blanket over his head.

"seungcheol."

"seungcheol is unable to reach you at the moment. please don't try again."

"it's for your own good, you need to get better."

seungcheol gags, even though you can't see it. "i'll rather stay sick than eat that."

there's a moment of silence. you sigh. "fine then, suit yourself." seungcheol's eyes widen a little, not expecting you to give up so quickly. unsure, he waits another minute, but you remain silent. seungcheol grins, thinking he won and mumbles a small 'yes!' in victory before uncovering himself.

however, he finds himself straddled and there's suddenly a gentle force on his lips. he blinks in confusion, and it takes him a while to realise that you are, in fact, kissing him. seungcheol kisses you back slowly, though a little hesitant and puzzled. you trace over his lips and when he opens his mouth a little to let you in, he feels something slip into his mouth, something small and horribly bitter.

he pulls back in shock, a pure look of betrayal on his face. "drink." you say simply as you hold the cup of water in front of him, a victorious smirk on your face.

»»——————————　♡　——————————««

not long after, you were forced to face a sulky seungcheol. after much struggle to swallow the pill, he still doesn't feel better and it's also probably because he was tricked by his girlfriend to get that pill into his mouth.

"see? that wasn't so bad right?" you say cheerfully.

"wasn't so bad?? i almost DIED and you would've been the cause of it."

you roll your eyes, slightly amused. "don't be so dramatic. i did it to make you better, if anything you should be thanking me."

"you tricked me." seungcheol pouts for what seems like the 100th time today, turning to his side so he doesn't have to look at you. "i don't wanna talk to you."

"seungcheolllll don't be mad anymore." you whine. "i'm sorry, i just wanted you to be healthy again."

"you tricked me." seungcheol repeats, his pout deepening. "i've been betrayed by my own girlfriend."

you laugh. "are you just upset that i didn't kiss you for real?"

"whatever." seungcheol pulls the covers over his head. "goodnight."

you laugh even harder, tugging on the covers. "honey, it's 4 in the afternoon."

"i said, goodnight."

you succeed in pulling the covers away and swiftly land a kiss on seungcheol's lips. you smile widely. "i love you."

seungcheol's cheeks redden almost immediately and you silently coo at the way he suddenly turns shy. "t-that's not fair!" he whines. "you can't just-just trick me and then be all lovey-dovey with me..."

you lean down, kissing him again on the lips. "i love you." you repeat.

seungcheol sighs in defeat. "i love you too."

you giggle, gesturing for him to scoot over before you tuck yourself in his arms. "you can't resist me."

"i don't know why i even bother." seungcheol mutters. "you always manage to manipulate me somehow."

"hey!" i frown, gently slapping his arm. "you fell for me, i didn't manipulate you." seungcheol grins cheekily. "whatever you say."

you lean in for another kiss but seungcheol pulls away quickly. "sweetheart, you'll get sick."

"but i already kissed you?"

"then you'll get more sick."

you laugh as you gently hold seungcheol's face in your palms before landing a soft kiss on his lips. "there."

he groans, even though you see a hint of smile on his lips. "you'll blame me tomorrow when you get sick, i just know it."

"pfft. i won't even get sick."

»»——————————　♡　——————————««

"go away."

"i told you you'd blame it on me! honey, you kissed me first!"

you groan. "well you shouldn't have let me kiss you."

"i tried but you didn't listen!"

"whatever." you pull the covers over your head. "goodnight seungcheol."

"it's 2 in the afternoon."

"babe?" you called out.

"yeah?" a voice came from outside the bedroom.

"can you come here for a while?"

not long later, a head popped into the room. "you called?"

"uhhhh did you happen to buy a mini piano?"

"oh that." jeonghan laughs. "mhm, i did. it's for our new pet!"

"a pet?" your brows furrow slightly. "what kind of pet plays the piano?" realisation hits and you frown harder.

"wait, a new pet? hannie, i know we both want pets but you know how busy we are. we don't have time to take care of a pet."

"i know. but don't worry, it isn't gonna need too much attention."

"what kind of-" your words get cut off by the doorbell ringing. "i'll get it! it must be our new pet." jeonghan exclaims, grinning as he skips away to open the door.

you sigh as you start to think of different reasons to convince your boyfriend that you can't have a pet. what if something happens to it when you both aren't home? hiring a pet-sitter would be a waste of money too. wait no, what kind of pet even plays the piano???

although...you do admit that you've always wanted to have a little puppy of your own. the thought of having a cute puppy waiting for you when you come home is pretty comforting- wait no. shit. stay focused. jeonghan have schedules almost everyday and you have five reports waiting to be completed. that means NO TIME.

you briskly walk to the living room, where jeonghan is excitedly opening a small brown box.

you stare at the box. it was too small to fit a cat or a dog. maybe it was a hamster? though you don't remember jeonghan mentioning wanting a hamster before.

jeonghan gently takes out his new pet.

and you gawk at what's in his hand, letting out a breath you didn't even know you were holding.

a rock.

it's a rock.

your new pet, is a rock?

"jeonghan..." you start slowly. "is that our-"

"-pet!" he finishes, gazing happily at the new addition to your home.

you don't believe your own eyes.

you peer into the little brown box the rock came in and pull out a tiny straw hat, jeonghan's eyes lit up unbelievably brighter. "right! it comes with a hat."

he carefully places the hat on top of the rock and coos. "isn't he adorable? i already thought of a name for him too! 'doljjong', what do you think?" jeonghan asks, clearly thrilled.

for a second you thought he was joking, waiting for him to burst out laughing and say "i'm kidding! it's a rock, how can it be our pet?"

but you don't see an ounce of amusement on jeonghan's face. instead he looks ecstatic, like a kid who just got offered a free trip to disneyland. seeing his expression, you don't exactly have the heart to say "but it's a rock???"

"it's very..." you speak slowly, unsure of your own words. "...unique?"

jeonghan nods fondly, heart eyes towards the inanimate object. "he is! he'll be a perfect pet for us."

"although..." his expression changes and he grimaces. "we will need to potty train him."

your right eye twitches a little. it's a fucking ROCK

seeing the exasperated look on your face, jeonghan doubles over, bursting out giggles. "honey, i'm joking! i know it's a rock."

you let out a sigh of relief. "that's good. for a while, i thought you were insane."

"we both want a pet but since we're too busy, i thought that a pet rock will make a great pet! it says online that he's a great companion that revives your heart and helps relieve stress!"

truth be told, you can't think of anything bad about a pet rock so you had no objections. plus, you don't need to take care of it. peculiar, but not a bad choice jeonghan, not bad at all.

however... "why would a rock- erm i mean doljjong- need a piano?"

"he needs to have his own room right? it'll be a pretty decoration and our doljjong deserves the best of everything!" he pulls out his phone, shoving it into your face in excitement. your eyes cross a little as you try to make out what's on his screen.

it's a list of what's in your shopping cart. as you scroll down, you realise a lot more items were added:

miniature wooden bed (complimentary pillows)

miniature electric guitar (red)

miniature flat-screen TV

miniature canned beer (set of five)

the list goes on and basically it's a lot of mini items. all for a pet rock. privileges of being jeonghan's pet is being spoiled, apparently. well, it wasn't like you could tell jeonghan you didn't want a pet rock, the guy was already looking at the rock like it was sent from heaven.

"alright then." you say, bending down to pat doljjong. "welcome to your new home!"

»»——————————　♡　——————————««

over the next few days, jeonghan has been getting extremely attached to doljjong. not that it was a big problem, seeing jeonghan taking care of doljjong was pretty endearing.

he had drawn a cute smiley face on doljjong, set up a corner to make a small, lovely room for it, and even gave it a bath, saying "he was a little frightened at first but i calmed him down and after that, he was really good!!"

once before you went to bed, you could've sworn you heard jeonghan discussing with doljjong about why banana milk was better than strawberry milk. and then going on to tell him that it didn't matter if he was lactose intolerant, 'it's important to face adversity in its eyes!' he had said.

he's having way too much fun with this.