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sickonthedancefloor · 2 days

Note

Hello! I just discovered your page, so excited to see more Ateez sick fics! Could I request a fic where Seonghwa has a really bad fever? And he gets really dizzy, maybe even fainting. Thank you <3

⌛⭐Passion Young Fever

Sickie: Seonghwa

Caretaker: Hongjoong (+ Yunho)

Seonghwa just wanted to sleep. He didn’t think it was such an unreasonable wish. They have had a couple of strenuous weeks and he really had looked forward to a full night of rest.

Sadly, his members didn’t seem to get the memo.

Seonghwa had taken a shower after dinner, put on his pajamas and about twenty minutes ago he finally had made himself comfortable under his bed covers in the room he shared with Hongjoong. That, for some reason, hadn’t been enough of a neon sign apparently.

Already Wooyoung had wandered in, looking for his favorite pajamas of all things. Yes, they were in the wash. No, Seonghwa couldn’t have done that earlier. The suggestion to do his own laundry also wasn’t appreciated. Spoiled.

Just as he had convinced Wooyoung that his other sleep clothes were just as nice and comfy as the missing pair, Yunho came looking for somebody to play a game with him. No, Seonghwa did not want to play LoL or whatever the younger one wanted. No, not even animal crossing. Pouting, Yunho had left. Seonghwa would make it up to him some other time.

Right now: Sleep.

Seonghwa barely resisted the urge to scream when Hongjoong came into the room, loudly talking on his phone.

“Oh, you’re here”, Hongjoong said. Why did he sound so surprised? It was their shared room. Seonghwa was here more often than Hongjoong himself was.

“Yes, I am here and I very much would like to sleep”, Seonghwa hissed through clenched teeth.

“Jeez, who rained on your parade?”, Hongjoong groaned, raising his eyebrows, “no, I’m talking to Hwa, eomma, not you. Yes, I know I live with them - that’s exactly why I am talking to Seonghwa when I am on the phone with you - he also lives here. Yes, I’ll tell him ‘hi’. Eomma says ‘hi’, if you haven’t figured that out yet.”

“Can’t you just talk somewhere else?”, Seonghwa asked, ready to throw hands if Hongjoong didn’t get the memo to leave him alone soon.

“Yeah, fine”, Hongjoong muttered and rolled his eyes, “can’t get peace anywhere here.”

Funny.

At least he left.

At last - silence.

Still, Seonghwa couldn’t sleep. Now, buried under the blankets he was too hot. Everything felt stuffy. But when he kicked the blankets off he started to shiver.

Great.

Today was just not his day, huh.

⌛

About an hour later Hongjoong came back into the room and nice as he was, he didn’t even turn on the lights even though Seonghwa knew he would - like always - stub his toe on the ladder up to his bunk in three, two …

“You can turn on the light, you know”, Seonghwa said, resigned.

Hongjoong jumped, cursing in shock, and ended up stubbing his toe on the desk chair instead, howling in pain. Sometimes Seonghwa was amazed by just how clumsy a person could be. It wasn’t like the chair was new.

“Christ, you scared me”, Hongjoong muttered but after a moment of fumbling he did turn on the lights.

“You can call me Seonghwa”, Seonghwa said, a bit amused, “I don’t feel very much like a messiah. Tired, yes, but holy? No.”

“I hate your humor sometimes”, Hongjoong replied, shaking his head. He leaned against the desk to look down at Seonghwa. “I thought you wanted to sleep like three days ago.”

“I can’t sleep”, the eldest whined, “and do you know what is even worse? I have the line “I can’t sleep” from The Rose’s Insomnia stuck in my head. It’s mocking me.”

“Poor you”, the captain chuckled. Then he turned more serious. “What’s up?”

“I don’t know”, Seonghwa mumbled, suddenly close to tears, “I just feel too warm with the blankets but I’m freezing without them. I’m so tired my thoughts barely make any sense and I can’t get com … what are you doing?”

He interrupted himself as Hongjoong laid a hand on his forehead, moving from his position by the desk to sit on the bed by the elder’s hip.

“Did you know that you are running a fever?”, he asked worriedly.

“I … what? No?”, Seonghwa replied, confused. His head pounded in his skull.

“You’re feeling really warm, Hwa”, Hongjoong explained patiently, stroking back the disgusting, sweaty hair, “you’re pale except for the lovely blush on your cheeks that some noonas might kill for and I’ve never seen you this emotional except when you’re sick.”

Seonghwa had to admit it made sense.

“Great, just great”, he muttered.

“Let me get you some fever reducers and some water”, Hongjoong said, standing up, “no use in suffering.”

Seonghwa nodded but before the captain was able to leave his reach, he grasped his wrist. “Can you get me something for my headache, too?” Seonghwa hated taking medication with a passion but if they got him to sleep? Great!

“Of course.” Hongjoong smiled softly and left.

⌛

Five minutes later he returned, carrying a water bottle, medication bottles and a fever thermometer. When he noticed Seonghwa looking at in dismay, he shrugged. “Better safe than sorry. Besides, we should keep track of it in case it gets worse.”

“Fair enough”, Seonghwa muttered and shoved the device under his tongue.

As it beeped they both peered at the reading in vague interest. 38.1°C. Could have been better. Could have been worse.

“Take the pills and try to sleep”, Hongjoong advised, “maybe you’ll feel better by morning.”

⌛

To both of their surprise, Seonghwa did feel better in the morning. Much better. The medication had knocked him right out and he had still managed a solid eight hours of sleep before Hongjoong’s obnoxious alarm went off.

“37.7°C”, Hongjoong read out the numbers, “that’s nearly half a degree down.” The captain had practically shoved the device in Seonghwa’s mouth the moment he had come down the ladder of the bunk.

“That’s not even a fever anymore”, Seonghwa agreed, “and I feel good. Maybe my body just wanted me to rest.”

“Maybe it did. Take it easy for today, okay? We don’t want that back”, Hongjoong said.

“I will. Just don’t tell the dongsaengs and the managers? I don’t want them to worry”, Seonghwa requested, “maybe it was just a one time thing.”

Hesitantly, Hongjoong nodded. “Alright, just tell me if you feel bad again.”

⌛

Seonghwa must have jinxed himself. There was no other explanation why he was fine the whole morning but the later the hour the worse he felt. No, not bad - just worse than normal. No need to inform Hongjoong.

A six hour dance practice was awful on a normal day. Maybe that was it. Dancing was always hard. After just one hour the mirrors in the practice room were so fogged up by humidity that Wooyoung and Jongho - Seonghwa had no idea where the maknaes got the energy or the ideas from - started painting with their fingers on them during a short break. He blinked. Were they really playing TicTacToe? Unbelievable.

Hongjoong had seen them too and stalked over to them to tell them off. Mingi and Yunho were talking with the choreographer and San was sprawled over an unhappy Yeosang. Well, the older looked unhappy - Seonghwa doubted he actually was. He would have shoved San off if he truly was.

Seonghwa himself had sat down by the couch, trying to rehydrate. He was sweating buckets already, his body feeling more like he had just taken a swim than danced for a rather short time considering he was an idol. Ah, nevermind.

He would be fine.

⌛

Hour four and Seonghwa was doubting it.

Every runthrough was getting harder to manage. His muscles burned. His chest heaved from the effort. He could barely catch his breath. His vision was a bit blurry. He felt light and heavy at the same time.

And to his embarrassment he was making the stupidest mistakes. Already he had tripped over Yunho twice. The other seemed to take it in good humor at least.

“You’re worse than Hongjoong-hyung, today”, he teased as he stopped Seonghwa from falling over him the third time.

“Sorry, Yunho-yah”, Seonghwa apologized, staring down at his feet. Interestingly enough the floor seemed to move a bit so he looked up at the others.

“Aish, Yunho, respect your elders”, Hongjoong admonished in good humor, “not everybody can have your dancer’s grace.”

“Yeah, but nobody else nearly gets himself knocked out every game we play, hyung”, Yunho countered.

“That last one was your fault! You literally hit me”, Hongjoong complained, sulking.

“You walked where my fist was, that’s not my fault.” Yunho shrugged.

That’s when Wooyoung decided he wanted to annoy Hongjoong too. “Yunho-hyung”, he said sweetly, “leave Hongjoong-hyung alone. You should pick on somebody your own size.” He barely managed to finish the sentence before he started to wheeze with laughter. The rest of the team - bar Seonghwa and Hongjoong, obviously - joined in.

Seonghwa groaned. He did not want to referee anything today. Besides, couldn’t they just go on with practice?

His savior came at the right time.

“Maybe we should just go on?”, San, of all people, suggested, nodding a bit in the direction of the choreographer who was watching them with amusement in her eyes.

Seonghwa agreed quickly. He really just wanted to be done with practice today, desperate to go home and shower. He really felt disgusting. Also, he could do without the swirling.

⌛

Hour five and Seonghwa was seriously considering asking to just sit out for the rest of practice. Tiredness clung to his body, making it hard to move. His vision wasn’t really doing him any favors of showing him where he was. He was tired and exhausted and he was starting to feel a bit nauseous. His water bottle had been empty for some time but he never had found the strength to get up and refill it at the fountain.

The few precious breaks were spent on the ground just trying to catch his breath.

“How are you feeling?”, Hongjoong asked, coming over to him and holding out a water bottle, “I can see how tired you are and it’s not like you to make these kinds of mistakes.”

“I’m okay. It’s just exhausting. It’s been an exhausting month.” Seonghwa waved him off.

“And yet you are the only one looking like death warmed over. Be honest with me, Seonghwa. Can you continue? If not, tomorrow is another day. No need to dance with a fever.” Hongjoong’s voice was quiet but it held a warning edge.

“I can do it”, Soenghwa said and pushed himself to his feet. He nearly fell as everything started to swirl but he was able to stay upright. Hongjoong looked at him with an unimpressed expression and handed him the water bottle.

“At least drink something.”

⌛

Hour six and they were done. Hallelujah.

Seonghwa had never been so close to crying at seeing the apartment door. He was finally able to relax in the near future.

“First shower, kawibawibo!”, Wooyoung shouted in Seonghwa’s ear and he nearly fell over in shock. He had not noticed the younger creep up beside him.

“Not tonight, Young-ah”, Hongjoong said quietly, opening the door for all of them, “Seonghwa gets to shower first.”

“What, why?”

Seonghwa gave the captain a hard stare as he turned around. There was no need to tell the kids. But Hongjoong just winked. “Because I say so. Besides, he never gets the first shower because he cooks for us. I’m ordering take-out, so Seonghwa can have the first shower for once.”

“Thanks, Joong-ah”, Seonghwa said, appreciating the captain more than ever.

He quickly got himself ready and stepped under the amazing warmth. It soothed his muscles and he was starting to get really sleepy.

That was when the dizziness really hit.

Seonghwa, especially being a hyung, should have known better. Nothing good came out of taking a hot shower when already dizzy and feverish. Yes, he had no illusions about that - he had been running a temperature all afternoon, he was sure of it. But the hot water felt good until it didn’t.

Quickly he shut the water off and stepped outside to dry himself off. The heat of the shower was misty in the bathroom air. Seonghwa forwent any skincare and hair product routines in favor of just putting on his clothes and fleeing the oppressive heat.

Once outside in the hallway he managed to take a deep breath of colder air. Already he was sweating again and the shower was slowly becoming useless. Even worse, the dizziness didn’t stop. The hallway was swirling in front of his eyes and he felt himself tilt to the side.

⌛

“Hyung?”, a loud voice called and somebody was tapping his cheek. Annoyed, Seonghwa groaned and tried to slap the hand away. Instead whoever it was caught his hand in theirs and held on tight.

Slowly Seonghwa blinked open his eyes to stare into the wide-eyed gaze of Jongho, who looked like he had a halo around his head. Another blink and Seonghwa realized that it was just the overhead lights that made the maknae shine.

“Wha’ happ’n’?”, he slurred, his tongue uncooperative in his mouth.

Jongho moved a bit away and Seonghwa was able to see that he was laying in the middle of the hallway, his members surrounding him. Hongjoong and Yunho were kneeling next to the maknae. Yeosang and Woyooung were cuddled up in San’s arms somewhere by Seonghwa’s feet. Mingi was nowhere to be seen.

“You fainted when you came out of the shower”, Hongjoong explained, his voice a bit shaky, “you are lucky Yeosang managed to catch you.”

“Oh, uh, thank you?”, Seonghwa mumbled and tried to sit up. Yunho pressed his hand to his chest to keep him from getting up.

“No, stay down for a moment, Hwa-hyung”, he said concerned, “you just fainted, we don’t need that again. Let’s wait until Mingi returns with the manager.”

“In the meantime, let’s take your temperature again”, Hongjoong added and suddenly Seonghwa had the familiar but unwelcome metallic taste in his mouth. He mustered up a glare but from the way Yunho cooed he probably didn’t succeed.

“39.5°C”, Hongjoong whispered, his voice sounding a bit wet, “Seonghwa, you absolute idiot! Why didn’t you say anything? You promised you would tell me if you didn’t feel good.” The captain wiped at his eyes, refusing to let the tears he was obviously suppressing fall.

“I didn’t feel that bad then”, Seonghwa mumbled. He hated burdening his best friend with his issues. Hongjoong already had so much on his plate with his captain duties, the dongsaengs and producing. Seonghwa hadn’t wanted to be another strain pulling on him. Besides, he truly hadn’t felt so bad.

“How do you feel now?”, Jongho asked carefully.

For a moment Seonghwa just lazily watched Yunho place a comforting hand on Hongjoong’s shoulder to calm down the agitated leader. Then the question hit him.

His head was hurting badly and everything felt heavy. Even thinking was hard.

“Like I’m stuck in a bog”, Seonghwa settled on. It must have made more sense in his head, seeing the confused faces of his members.

Luckily that was when Mingi arrived with a manager in tow.

“Running a fever of 39.5°C and he passed out after his shower. He isn’t really making much sense”, Hongjoong said before the manager even had the chance to ask.

“I’m good”, Seonghwa groaned, ignoring the huffs from the youngers.

“Hm, I’m sure of that”, the manager placated. Seonghwa pouted. He didn’t want to be treated like a child. At least not like a petulant, whining child. Some cuddles could be acceptable.

“Can I just go to bed and sleep this off?”, he asked impatiently. The manger felt his forehead, then stroked back his hair.

“I think so. I really want to avoid a hospital visit. Let Yunho-yah and Mingi-yah help you to bed and we’ll get you some medication. I’ll sleep on the couch tonight and if you start getting worse I’ll take you. Hongjoong-ah can keep an eye on you.”

“Okay”, Seonghwa agreed. Yunho and Mingi knelt down next to him and wrapped his arms around their shoulders. Then they stood up.

Oh God. Everything was tilting, swirling, moving, falling at the same time. Seonghwa’s knees buckled beneath him and only the quick reflexes of Yunho, who barely managed to grab him in a better hold, had him stay on his feet.

“Down”, the dancer commanded and Seonghwa found himself back on the ground. The manager tapped his cheek again. This time Seonghwa was too focused on not puking everywhere to do anything about the annoying hands. It felt like he was losing his balance even while laying on his back. It was disorienting to say the least so he closed his eyes, clutching the hand holding his own.

⌛

When Seonghwa was able to open his eyes again the hallway was much emptier. Only the manager, Hongjoong and Yunho were kneeling beside him.

“Hey, you with us?”, Hongjoong asked worriedly, biting his lip. It was his hand in Seonghwa’s that had kept him grounded. But Seonghwa knew it was comforting the captain as much as it was comforting him. He gently squeezed it,

“Yeah, I just got dizzy”, Seonghwa mumbled.

“No kidding”, the manager agreed. “Do you think you can sit up? Laying down to standing apparently wasn’t the best idea.”

Seonghwa nodded, pleased that the vertigo wasn’t as bad as it was before. Gently he was lifted to lean against Yunho’s strong chest. Comfy.

“Drink and take the pills”, manager-hyung said, holding out a bottle. “You’re surely dehydrated.”

Hongjoong opened the bottle for him and helped Seonghwa drink as his hand was shaking too badly to hold the bottle himself.

“Where are the kids?”, Seonghwa asked after he had drunk about half. He hadn’t even noticed how thirsty he was. But now that the need was quelled he was starting to get tired.

The manager smiled at him. “We sent them to the living room. They are really worried about you but we figured you might enjoy some privacy.” Seonghwa nodded, thankful. He had felt a bit like an animal trapped in a zoo with everybody staring at him.

“Can you eat a cereal bar?”, Hongjoong asked, holding out an already unwrapped bar. Seonghwa’s favorite. He wasn’t necessarily hungry but he knew it was Hongjoong’s way of helping him. Also, some sugar might do him some good.

He slowly nibbled on the bar, taking the pills between bites with sips of water.

“I want to sleep”, he mumbled, once he was finished. It was so hard to keep his eyes open.

“Of course”, Yunho said and Seonghwa felt himself lifted to his chest. It was a bit nauseating but the prospect of getting to bed overruled every other feeling.

It was as if he had blinked and then he found himself tucked under warm covers. Hongjoong was sitting at his side in a repeat of the day before. Gently he stroked Seonghwa’s hair back.

“You have tomorrow, and the day after, off. Sleep.”

And sleep Seonghwa did.

⌛

If he woke up in the middle of the night to find a Hongjoong-sized teddy bear by his side he didn’t complain.

Complain he did when he wasn’t allowed out of bed the next day, his dongsaengs fussing over him.

But he loved them too much to be very annoyed and he knew their worry also came from love, so he didn’t really mind.

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sickonthedancefloor · 3 days

Text

⌛ATEEZ Headcanons - Headaches & Migraines

🐿️ Hongjoong

Started developing migraines around the time he joined KQ and was prescribed medication pretty early on

Sometime around “Answer” he didn’t get one for nearly eleven months

Just as he thought he was maybe better Maddox had to call an ambulance for him

During production he suddenly lost most of his hearing, his vision got fuzzy and his neck turned stiff and he started vomiting

Maddox thought he was having a stroke at first - but turns out silent migraines are a thing

Basically all the neurological symptoms but no pain - barely makes it better

When he subconsciously started rubbing his neck the members know he is going down and will have him in a safe, comfortable environment with Seonghwa and Jongho

“Seonghwa-yah, don’t freak out.” Yeah, these words would immediately calm Seonghwa down. Especially after knowing that Hongjoong was supposed to be at dance practice like half an hour ago and none of the members had been able to reach him, Maddox or the manager.

“What’s going on?”, Seonghwa asked Maddox over the phone, fear seizing his chest in a tight hold, “where is Joong-ah?”

“We’re at the hospital”, Maddox said the dreaded words, “it’s nothing bad, Hongjoong just has a silent migraine and I freaked out.”

That didn’t explain anything, did it? Seonghwa told the producer as much and got a sigh in reply.

“Before I tell you what happened, know that Joong-ah is going to be fine. His manager is currently working on his release papers.”

“Okay, that is good”, Seonghwa agreed, nervously biting his lip. The kids were all staring at him with various degrees of concern.

“So: let me explain:”

(5 hours earlier in the studio)

“Hyung?”, Hongjoong asked out of a sudden, eyes wide. Maddox looked up to find the younger man looking a bit pale. “I … I don’t feel so good.”

In all the years they had worked together Maddox had never heard Hongjoong sound so scared and he had never before admitted to not feeling well. A wave of panic washed over him but he tried to stay calm.

“What’s wrong?”, he asked gently. Hongjoong was holding himself stiffly, a hand rubbing at his neck. Something was definitely off - he wasn’t looking at Maddox at all. Well, it looked like he was trying but he was staring at a spot beside Maddox’s head instead. His voice was surprisingly loud.

“My vision is really blurry and … uh, I can’t really hear well.” The slightly slurred words at first didn’t even register with Maddox, then he was out of his seat to squat down in front of the younger.

Hongjoong was slow to look at him and Maddox could see the panic on his face. As the older producer tried to get him to follow his fingers with his eyes Hongjoong failed badly.

“I’m scared”, Hongjoong whispered, “what is happening to me?”

“I don’t know”, Maddox said shakily, lying through his teeth. He could only hope Hongjoong didn’t pick up on it, not wanting the younger to guess what he himself was afraid of. “I’m going to call an ambulance just in case, okay?”

Hongjoong tried to nod but winced as his neck cramped.

Quickly Maddox gave their details to the emergency line before sending a quick message to Hongjoong’s manager.

“Hyung? I don’t …”, Hongjoong whispered before he broke off with a gag, spilling his lunch all over himself. Maddox couldn’t do anything but to brush his hair back and pray.

⭐ Seonghwa

He regularly started getting headaches when his hair got longer

At first they didn’t connect the dots but it’s all the pulling his hair into a bun/braid/ponytail

Stylists are now very careful now to pull it not to tight

As he prefers not to take medication he will just power through and mostly not mention anything

Hongjoong does see the lines in his face though and will convince him to let his hair down

Running his hand through Seonghwa’s hair calms both of them and the members have found them asleep on a couch with Hongjoong’s hand still in his hair multiple times

Don’t tell them but the blackmail pics are so cute

Wooyoung squealed when he saw

Seonghwa launched himself on top of Hongjoong’s lap. The captain had sat down on the couch to play some sort of mathematical game that Seonghwa didn’t even try to understand. They were just done with their part of the M/V filming but had to wait for Yunho and Jongho to finish up.

His head had been aching all day but now mostly alone Seonghwa allowed himself the vulnerability to lay his head on Hongjoong’s thigh. He had been contemplating taking some medication for some time now but they were done and he could relax. So here Seonghwa was in pain and holding Hongjoong hostage.

The captain sighed in fake annoyance. “And here I was, thinking I could relax for once without the kids.”

“Tough luck”, Seonghwa mumbled but then Hongjoong put his phone away and plunged his hands into Seonghwa’s long hair. His body shivered and he groaned. It felt so good. Gently Hongjong tugged the hair tie off and the pain went down a notch.

Then Hongjoong started playing with his hair for real, running his soft fingers through it and humming some song. Seonghwa closed his eyes and let himself relax. God, that felt good.

Just as he was about to drift off, Hongjoong commented: “I can see the lines on your face when you are in pain, you know. You don’t have to power through.”

Seonghwa grumbled some form of answer he wasn’t sure were actual words, then he was asleep.

He woke up an hour later to soft giggles and the sound of a phone clicking as it took a picture. Opening one eye he saw the blurry figures of Yunho and Jongho but he was too tired to figure out what they were doing. Hongjoong’s hand was heavy on his head, the comfy kind of heavy.

The captain was asleep too, then. So Seonghwa closed his eyes again, sure somebody would wake them if needed.

🐶 Yunho

Has had migraines since he was young

Regularly gets them but they are really random, seemingly following no other pattern than maybe stress

Driving for long distances seems to trigger the migraines too

Usually starts having problems speaking around an hour before they hit - he keeps slurring and mispronouncing things so others usually know before him

Then he gets dizzy

Before the pain really strikes the nausea does

Will get really nauseous but won’t always throw up if he manages to fall asleep early enough

Once he falls asleep he is knocked out until he is better which is why they try to get him to sleep as soon as possible

All members know to just give him the medication (which Mingi always has on hand) and put him to bed

Will appreciate not being alone

“Yunho-hyung, we should take a break”, Yeosang suggested, a frown on his face. The two of them had been sitting at their kitchen table for the past two hours and were studying together for Yunho’s university exam.

Well, it seemed more like Yeosang was studying for Yunho’s exam. At first the younger had been a bit annoyed - after all it wasn’t his exam and he had kindly offered to help, seeing how stressed Yunho was. Only to be repaid by a spaced out Yunho. Sure, all their schedules were a bit stressful at the moment but Yunho could have been a bit more focused on his own stuff.

But when he had managed to get Yunho a bit on track again Yeosang had noticed the older slurring his words.

That explained everything, actually. No wonder Yunho was spacey if he was about to have a migraine. That also explained why Yeosang was still waiting for an answer.

“Yunho?”, Yeosang repeated.

“Huh?”, Yunho said, eyes a bit glazed with the first sparks of pain. Yeosang sighed.

“Let’s get you medication and then into bed, hm? You’re getting a migraine, I think.”

“Oh, uh. I think so too”, Yunho agreed and let Yeosang feed him the strong pill they conveniently kept in the cupboard in the kitchen with a glass of water.

“Come on”, Yeosang said and carefully dragged a stumbling Yunho to his bedroom, leaving all the lights off. Silently he dragged the trash can over, hoping feverishly that Yunho would not get sick before he managed to fall asleep.

“Try to sleep”, Yeosang said and pulled the blankets over Yunho’s shoulders, “I will call Mingi-yah for you.”

👑 Yeosang

If it’s convenient he takes medication as soon as he feels a headache come on

But they make him really really sleepy

Probably falls asleep on the nearest member

If it’s inconvenient (during schedules e.g.) he will refuse to take medication due to the side-effects

Which ends up in the members noticing quickly how light sensitive and pained he becomes

Seonghwa will try and force him to take medication

He may be stubborn but he is also not feeling well so he is pretty easily convinced to take meds

They will find a way to work around it

If he really can’t be knocked out, he will be coddled by the members, who will do everything for him

“Take them”, Seonghwa hissed, pushing a bottle of painkillers at Yeosang. The younger felt like crying at the harsh words. Everything was overwhelming - he was in pain, everything was too loud and bright, and he still needed to work.

Hongjoong came over to them, apparently noticing the rising tension. Wooyoung came up to them as well, wrapping his arms around Yeosang’s middle and hooking his chin over his shoulder. Yunho and San were standing to the side, quiet but watching. Mingi and Jongho were yet to arrive from their individual schedules.

“What’s going on?”, Hongjoong asked, sounding unimpressed. Yeosang sighed and leaned back against his best friend. Seonghwa sighed too and explained: “Yeosangie has a headache and refuses to take his meds.”

“I will be totally knocked out if I take them. We need to record. Besides that’s rich coming from the guy who rather nearly dies of coughing and inhaling instead of taking cough syrup”, Yeosang countered, angry. He just wanted to be left in peace with his pain and get through the recording so he could lie down in the dorm.

Now Hongjoong sighed as well. He placed a gentle hand on Seonghwa’s arm and beckoned him to leave to calm down. Seonghwa ducked his head, slumping into himself but let Yunho take him outside.

“Sang-ah”, Hongjoong started, placing his small hand against Yeosang’s cheek, “you don’t have to suffer through this, you know? Let Wooyoungie take you home. We can record your lines tomorrow too, we likely won’t get through everything today anyway.”

Wooyoung nodded and pressed a sweet kiss against Yeosang’s hair. “Please, Sang-ah, I hate seeing you in pain”, he whispered.

Defeated, Yeosang nodded. Truth be told, he did not want to work with the way his head was pounding and everything was aching. Laying down in a dark room with Wooyoung for once quiet sounded like a dream.

“Thank you”, Wooyoung said and gently led Yeosang out of the studio, where they immediately stumbled into Seonghwa and Yunho. The eldest looked shaken and crestfallen and he nearly teared up when he saw Yeosang.

“I’m sorry, Sang-ah”, he said with a wobbly voice, “I didn’t mean to yell or be hypocritical. I am just so worried.”

“It’s okay, hyung”, Yeosang said and buried himself into the taller’s chest. At least there it was dark. “I wasn’t nice either.”

“Get well soon and let Wooyoungie spoil you, okay?”

⛰️ San

Doesn’t get migraines but really really bad headaches that have him unable to function anyways

They hit pretty sudden - one minute he is fine the next he feels the pain start sparking

Usually lasts around half an hour before he has to admit defeat - he can’t concentrate, his eyes and ears hurt, he gets nauseous

Mostly tension headaches, so he lies down in a dark room with a heating pillow under his neck/shoulders and an ice pack over his eyes

He’ll take the pain medication that leaves him shaky for hours afterwards without complaints

Is really insecure about the headaches - they aren’t classified as migraines so he hasn’t got it as bad as Jongho, Yunho or Hongjoong, right?

“Hyung, I have a headache”, San whispered, sitting down in the kitchen while Seonghwa was preparing breakfast. The oldest abandoned his pots and pans at once, coming to stand beside San. The dancer tiredly leaned his head against Seonghwa’s stomach, staring up at him.

He despised getting headaches this early in the morning. He hadn’t even done anything that could have triggered it. It was annoying. But he really didn’t feel good.

“Go back to bed, San-ah”, Seonghwa said sympathetically, running a hand through his hair, “we only have practice today and you can afford to miss a day. I’ll bring you pain meds soon, okay?”

“Hyung, I can try to push through”, San said, doubting his own words. But it wasn’t that bad yet.

“Mingi-yah”, Seonghwa asked their third roommate who had just come into the kitchen, “can you make sure San-ah gets back to bed? Headache.”

Mingi nodded and San was wrapped in a tight hug before the younger pulled him into his side to guide him to his room. San was deposited on his bed while Mingi plugged in his heat pillow. It was basically just a small, flat rectangle with a heat spiral going through it but it helped the headaches a lot.

“Take off your shirt and lay down, hyung”, Mingi said gently. San did as asked, a bit dazed. His ear hurt a bit from the sound and he longed for sleep. But they had a schedule today. He knew he could miss it, might even be able to join them in the afternoon but guilt gnawed at him. Hongjoong, Yunho and Jongho often pushed through their migraines and here he was, flat on his back for just some minor pain. (Which he knew wasn’t as minor as his mind whispered at him).

“I’m sorry”, he mumbled. Mingi sighed and sat down at his side. Apparently he knew what San was talking about.

“It’s okay, Sannie-hyung”, he soothed with his deep voice, “you’re in pain. Maybe not as much as some other people might be but pain is different for everybody. Besides, if I am correct, your eyes and ear hurt and you’re a tad nauseous.”

“Yeah”, San sighed, letting Mingi stroke his hair back.

“Here are the pain meds”, Seonghwa said, carrying in a tray with tea, water, a cup full of crackers and the medication, “I already called Hongjoong. He said you can rest as long as you need. Also, Yunho doesn’t have a schedule this morning so he is coming over to check on you. If you give him your puppy eyes I’m sure he will even massage out some pain, hm?”

“Okay, thanks”, San mumbled.

🐣 Mingi

Despises getting headaches

They hurt and he can’t deal

Likely seeks out Hongjoong’s studio because it’s dark and quiet and the clicking of the keyboard is soothing

If he’s at home he will still go to Hongjoong though - it’s like he is pulled to the older man who is so fond of him

Hongjoong knows to abandon everything if a pale Mingi appears because Mingi will cuddle or cry

Members choose cuddle of course

Always has medication on hand - the problem really is until they kick in

After that he will be fine

Hongjoong turned around in his swivel chair as the door to his and Seonghwa’s shared room opened. Seonghwa was out, as were all the other kids but Mingi.

The captain had decided to go live earlier and he enjoyed the interaction with ATINY a lot but now seeing Mingi’s pale face he regretted that particular decision. It was clear something was up, especially since he knew Mingi had thought about going out on a walk earlier but had stayed in.

“Hey, Mingi-yah”, Hongjoong said, conscious that thousands of people were watching, so he raised an eyebrow in a ‘follow my lead’ gesture. “Are you here to talk about the new song?”

Mingi, while sometimes clueless, caught on quickly. “I am, hyung. If you are busy with ATINY though…”

“I’m sure ATINY are looking forward to the comeback”, Hongjoong said and turned back to the screen. Comments flooded the section at top speed. The captain winked at the camera. “Well, ATINY, if you want an amazing comeback I need to go now. Please stay healthy!”

As soon as he turned the camera off his attention was all on the younger. “Headache?”, he asked tenderly. Mingi nodded, biting his lip.

“You didn’t have to end the live though, hyung”, Mingi said quietly.

“It’s no trouble, I will go live some other time. Did you take some meds?”, the captain asked, opening his arms for a hug. Mingi nodded.

“That’s good, baby. Now, come on, let’s lie down and cuddle, okay?”, Hongjoong suggested.

“Okay.”

Five minutes later Hongjoong held a deeply asleep teddy bear that was bigger than him by a lot in his arms. Oh, well, work could wait.

🦊 Wooyoung

He doesn’t get headaches

How? Every other member is really envious

Until he did and it was bad

At first couldn’t even understand what was wrong until the pain hit badly

Started crying in fear and everybody was tripping over themselves trying to figure out what was wrong

Since he sweated and cried so much San and Yunho tag teamed to calmed him down with a hot bath

“What’s wrong?”, Yunho asked Wooyoung. They, together with San, were working on a choreo together but Wooyoung had been silent and - Yunho hated saying this - useless most of the time.

Wooyoung looked up at him with teary eyes. “I don’t know”, he whispered, causing alarm bells to ring in Yunho’s head. San stopped the video of the choreo he was watching to wrap Wooyoung in his arms. The younger immediately sunk into his friend’s embrace, burying his face in his shoulder, crying softly.

Bewildered, Yunho and San stared at each other over the crying second maknae’s head.

“Baby, can you tell me what is going on?”, San said, “what are you feeling?”

“Don’t feel good”, Wooyoung sobbed, not specifying more.

“Let’s get you home, okay?”, Yunho suggested, rubbing Wooyoung’s hip. Wooyoung nodded and let himself be lifted onto San’s back. They had wanted him to put on Yunho first but it became clear that Wooyoung would not let go of San.

Worried as hell, they hurried back to the dorm San shared with Seonghwa and Mingi, hoping that their eldest was home. He wasn’t. Neither were any of the other members.

“Young-ah, you are worrying us”, San said, close to tears himself as he watched his best friend struggle. They had all cuddled up on the couch together, hoping the closeness would help.

“I … I feel weird. My head”, Wooyoung finally whispered.

“You have a headache?”, Yunho asked, surprised. All of the members were so jealous of the young member who never ever had headaches ever. They joked that (the member who gave all of them) headaches couldn't get headaches (himself). Like he really never got a single one. And yet, here he was.

“I’m sorry, baby”, San said, wiping at Wooyoung’s tears with his thumb, “how about we get you a painkiller and then you can take a hot bath? It will relax you and help the pain, hm?”

“Okay”, Wooyoung whispered, letting San carry him to the bathroom bridal style.

When Seonghwa returned to the dorm hours later he found the three members cuddled up on San’s bed, peacefully asleep. Huh. He closed the curtains, fixed the sheets and tiptoed out. He would find out in the morning.

🧸 Jongho

Has had migraines since he was a child so he knows what to do with himself

Luckily he only gets about one or two a year

Will lock himself in a cold, dark room and pray for death

Doesn’t want anybody to disturb him - he is really light- and sound sensitive

The only time members are allowed in is if he threw up and somebody needs to empty the bucket - he cries silent tears during that

The migraine might last up to over thirty hours at times and at that point all hyungs are anxious wrecks

During his migraines all sound is forbidden - movies get watched with subtitles, music is only allowed with headphones and cooking is a no-go

It got easier to take care of him when they switched to the smaller dorms - Hongjoong will kick Wooyoung out and silently work (read: listen for any suspicious sound) in the living room

Will be shaky and headachey for a few days after but after enduring hours of pain alone he will be found with at least one other member all times

Hongjoong was worried. Really, really worried. It was hour twenty-one of Jongho’s migraine and the maknae was not doing good. Well, as far as Hongjoong knew. He had tried checking in on Jongho around four hours ago and had only received a ‘Go away, hyung’. At least Jongho had stopped throwing up at around hour ten, seeing the maknae cry in humiliation as he emptied out the bucket hurt.

There had been so much pain in Jongho’s voice when he spoke. The room itself had been cold and dark with the extreme black-out curtains Hongjoong had bought when they moved in. It was terrible knowing he was suffering on his own without anybody able to help.

Abandoning his laptop, Hongjoong pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged himself, resting his head on his knees. He was exhausted but he wouldn’t go to sleep until he knew Jongho was better. Seonghwa and Yunho had both offered to switch with him but Hongjoong felt like it was his responsibility as leader.

It was always frightening whenever Jongho had to endure a migraine, so he hoped that keeping the others away would make them able to stop worrying.

The first time when they didn’t know what to do Hongjoong had called the maknae’s parents crying and begging for any advice. They only told him to leave Jongho alone. After it was over Jongho had explained what happened - he was in too much pain to sleep, would only occasionally pass out. Medication barely put a ment in it all.

This time they had come home from an interview and Jongho had announced he did not want to be disturbed. So Hongjoong had made Wooyoung go to San’s dorm and had waited. He barely had the focus to work on music, watching a movie just with subtitles had him nearly fall asleep and anything else was too loud.

Hongjoong despised these times of waiting.

He was startled out of his thoughts by a presence slumping onto the sofa next to him. He lifted his head to find an ashen Jongho look at him, eyes still clouded with pain but much better than just hours before. He was wrapped in his blankets and he looked half-asleep.

But the migraine was gone - leaving only a bad headache behind.

Without making a sound Hongjoong pulled Jongho to his chest and laid down on his back, cuddling the maknae and pulling the blankets over them.

Now they both could rest.

27 notes · View notes

sickonthedancefloor · 4 days

Text

⌛🐶🌹❤️Oh, love is something good for us to share

Sickie: Yunho (+ Dojoon & Jaehyeong)

Caretakers: Woosung & Hajoon (+ Hongjoong & Seonghwa)

Coachella was too hot. California was too hot. Yunho was too hot.

He had thought that filming the “Pirate King” and “Treasure” M/Vs in the Moroccan desert had been bad. But back then they had been able to take breaks in the shade, been able to drink between takes.

On the Coachella stage under the sweltering Californian sun in front of thousands of people no real breaks had been possible. Wherever they had stood there had been sun. It had been exhausting. Within the first fifteen minutes he had gotten a bad headache, constantly blinded by the light, and he started feeling dizzy and unwell. The muscle cramps had started shortly after.

Yunho had tried to drink between songs but he had gotten too nauseous too soon.

It wasn’t like it was his fault that he couldn’t deal with heat well.

He had been glad when their part was over (though he had loved seeing so many people be there for them) and they could get cooled down. So at the first opportunity once they were off-stage, Yunho had walked away from the group in search of a cooler place than their waiting area. The others had been too preoccupied with celebrating their successful stage and trying to deal with the heat as well. Poor Yeosang had looked downright sunburned, now matter how much sunscreen the stylists had put on him.

Yunho managed to stumble upon a bathroom, located at the far side of the artists’ area. To his surprise it was empty.

Even better: Everything was deliciously cooled by an A/C and seemed clean enough. Not caring if he was delirious or thinking about any germs, Yunho just laid down on the cold tiles, feeling them absorb his body heat instantly.

Wow, that felt good. His clothes were soaked in sweat but the freeze on his back was amazing.

He closed his eyes, his heavy eyes with the hazy vision, and tried to catch his breath. He would get up soon to find his group. He would be fine for a moment here, he just didn’t want to brave the heat again.

Yunho nearly dropped off to sleep when he was irritated by loud voices from outside the door.

“Leo, I told you that eating fast food was a bad idea”, somebody said in Korean. Yunho didn’t even have time to be confused about that - after all they were in an English-speaking country - then the door was pushed open and a few people came in.

Yunho seriously couldn’t care less. As long as they let him lie there, he was happy.

But then there was a surprised shout, a curse and somebody gently shook him.

“I’m good, it’s just hot”, Yunho slurred and blinked open his eyes.

As his vision cleared, he was taken aback.

“Woosung-sunbaenim?”he asked, confused, brain not quite catching up to his eyes. Of course he knew that The Rose sunbaenims were at Coachella too and they had hoped they would run into them. He just hadn’t expected that so soon. Mingi would be so jealous of him.

At the moment the only feeling he himself could muster was some form of shame - here he was laying on a hopefully not too dirty bathroom floor, exhausted to the core. It didn't make for a good first impression.

“Isn’t that ATEEZ’s Yunho?”, a different voice asked.

“Leo, get to that sink before you actually puke everywhere”, Woosung commanded, not looking away from Yunho. It was kinda weird holding eye contact with his sunbaenim, Yunho mused. But he could only blink. It was as if his body was mush. “Jeff, go with him. Dylan, come here, help me with him.”

What was up with his sunbaenims? Were they okay?

It was kind of a coincidence they had all ended up in the same bathroom in this huge area. Maybe they had looked for a more private area too? Yunho didn't actually care enough to ask. He just wanted his peace. Probably would not get that but so be it. At least he could brag to Mingi.

A second person knelt down by Yunho’s side. Ah, Hajoon-sunbaenim, their drummer. The older man looked really worried for some reason.

“Why are you here alone, Yunho-ssi? What happened? Where is your group?”, Woosung asked gently.

“Uh, I was too hot. It’s cool here, dunno where they are, sunbaenim”, Yunho mumbled. Maybe it should phase him that he didn’t know where his members were but he was so tired.

“No, stay awake”, Hajoon said, placing a hand against Yunho’s neck, “hyung, his pulse is really fast.”

"Yunho-ssi, what else do you feel?", Woosung-sunbaenim asked urgently.

"Head hurts, kinda nauseous, my muscles were cramping. I just wanted to be cool again, it's so hot." Yunho groaned. Couldn't they let him sleep?

“Heat exhaustion”, Woosung said grimly, addressing Hajoon probably, “if not heatstroke. They just performed under the sun, no wonder he isn’t feeling good. Do we have water and where the fuck is that electric fan?”

“We only have this left”, Hajoon answered and handed Woosung a half-full water bottle before jumping to his feet, “I’ll see if I can get more and find his group. Do we need a medic?”

“Yunho-ssi, do you have your phone?”, Woosung asked. Yunho just shrugged and let Woosung pat his pockets. The older man came up empty.

“Go get water and maybe ice first, Hajoon-ah. If you find a manager or whoever have them call ATEEZ. No, hey, Yunho-ssi, stay awake, please. You said you feel nauseous? Do you think you might need to be sick?”

“Maybe”, Yunho admitted shyly. He was really making a great first impression. Not.

“It’s okay, stuff happens. Don’t be embarrassed. Are you dizzy?”

“A bit.” Ah, to hell with impressions. He just wanted to close his eyes again.

“Can you sit up for me?”

Yunho shook his head a bit. Sitting up sounded like it would make his nausea and exhaustion worse. Why did his sunbaenim have to insist on this? He was happy enough alone on the floor.

“Jeff, help me sit him up, please. He needs to drink. Oh, you have the fan, gimme please.”

Suddenly everything swirled as he was propped upright and Yunho gagged dryly. Nothing came up, probably everything that was in his body had vaporized already. Did that make sense? Yunho wasn’t sure.

Somebody tapped his cheek and Yunho tried to swat at the annoying hands. At least the breeze on his face from the fan felt good and the cool of the wall on his back was welcome. “No, open your eyes, Yunho-ssi. Or I will call an ambulance.”

That had Yunho awake. He did not want to go to the hospital. And he really did not want to see Hongjoong-hyung’s sad, pouting, disappointed face if he ended up there. Or any of the others’, really. Besides, they were at Coachella - he wanted to enjoy it.

“Drink”, Woosung said with a bit of force in his voice, “slow sips, we don’t want you to get sick. But you need to hydrate a bit. I am a bit scared of delivering you into Hongjoong-ssi’s care like this. He might kill me.”

“Joong-hyung is a marshmallow. Or a minion or something”, Yunho complained but drank a few sips of the offered water. Woosung gave him a bright smile and stroked Yunho’s sweat-soaked hair back from his forehead.

“Can you hold the fan yourself? Here you go. I’m sure he is, just not when I return you looking like this. Hell, I nearly fought RM and Suga once when they brought a sick Jaehyeong to me and I didn’t know what happened.”

“Sounds like a story”, Yunho mumbled as he took the fan from Woosung’s hand and took another sip. The bottle was empty then and he pouted. Drinking had helped a bit to clear his surroundings and he finally was able to focus on something else than Woosung’s face which previously had been the only thing he had been able to see clearly.

“It was - should have seen his tiny ass trying to threaten a guy nearly a head taller than him”, somebody said and Yunho turned to look at who had spoken.

The man had his back to them, leaning over the sink, so Yunho couldn’t be quite sure. But considering their earlier conversation and that the other man by his side had blond hair (so Jaehyeong, their bassist and maknae who still was like five years older than Yunho), he assumed it was Dojoon, their keyboardist, vocalist and whichever other instruments that dude could play. Mingi was so enamored.

“Is he alright?”, Yunho asked worriedly. It was a bit curious to see his sunbaenims like that.

��Huh? Who? Leo? Yeah, that dumbass just thought that eating fast food before jumping around in the heat during sound check was a great idea, especially when I told him not to. Sometimes I am right, aren’t I, Leo?”, Woosung grumbled but he did look a bit concerned when he mustered his ill member.

“Fuck off, Sammy”, Dojoon replied, sounding very nauseated and ending his sentence with a harsh swallow. Uh-oh. “California, our worries make no sense”, he added in English. Why he suddenly switched languages Yunho wasn’t sure but he congratulated himself in understanding it. Maybe it was one of their songs? He'd have to ask Mingi. He was too tired to remember.

“That was not what I was going for with the lyrics. Like not even close”, Woosung complained, “and I told you multiple times that a large order of fries with a burger was a bad idea. I am from California, I know what I am talking about.” That at least answered the lyric question.

“Can we stop talking about food now?”, the third member, Jaehyeong, cut in, “besides: California, where people make freedom.”

He, too, didn’t look so good, Yunho thought. Well, that was a lie. His sunbaenims did always look good. He himself was probably looking pathetic though.

“You too?”, Woosung asked, exasperated, “Freedom to make dumb choices, I guess. I can’t go with you lot anywhere.”

“Stop picking on me, when I am not even there”, Hajoon complained from the doorway, holding a few bottles of water and an ice pack in his arms. That looked like a lifeline, pun intended.

“I wasn’t”, Woosung complained, but added a suspicious: “You didn’t overeat before practice, did you?”

“I’m not stupid”, Hajoon commented, earning himself a "fuck off" from Jaehyeong, at the same time that Dojoon apparently lost the fight against his stomach and raced to a bathroom stall. Disgusting sounds echoed through the bathroom and Yunho cringed. Hearing that did his own stomach no favor.

Woosung sighed and gestured at Yunho. “Joon-ah, you got him for a moment? I’ll check on … Joon-ah. Fuck your names.”

Hajoon rolled his eyes but he gave Yunho a kind smile as he knelt down by his side and pressed the ice to his neck. Oh, God, that felt good. Yunho moaned at the refreshing feeling, not even caring anymore how he was kind of embarrassing himself.

“Hi, Yunho-ssi”, Hajoon said, “can you try to drink a bit more? Oh, Jeff, you too.” He pushed one of the bottles to Jaehyeong, causing it to collide with the other man’s legs. Jaehyeong just groaned.

“Idiots, all of them”, Hajoon commented and grinned when he got Yunho to giggle a bit. “I wasn’t able to locate your members but do you know any of their phone numbers?”

Quickly Yunho gave him Mingi’s phone number - the only number of his members he knew by heart. Hajoon typed it into the keypad. Before he dialed he looked up and called: “Sammy, you know, you could have just asked him if he knew any of the phone numbers.”

“Sorry”, Yunho mumbled, feeling himself flush. He should have thought of that. If only his head didn’t hurt so badly.

“Wha…? Oh”, Woosung’s voice came, then a middle finger appeared under the stall.

“Hey, I didn’t do anything. Neither did you, Yunho-ssi, he’s just a grumbling old man”, Hajoon said with a laugh. He seemed happy to tease his hyung. Somehow he reminded Yunho of Jongho.

“Wait until you turn thirty, I will make so many jokes”, Woosung called, then went back to comforting an obviously still very nauseous Dojoon.

“You’re still over a year older than me, hyung”, Hajoon teased and winked at Yunho. Oh, teasing to make Yunho more comfortable with his sunbaenims. That was actually kind of nice.

“I’m going to call Mingi-ssi now”, Hajoon said and put the phone on speaker.

“Hello?”, Mingi’s deep voice filtered through the air. Yunho smiled a bit, he did want to be reunited with his members. Just somewhere cool.

“Hi, Mingi-yah”, Yunho whispered before Hajoon could say anything.

Mingi gasped and he sounded panicked when he answered: “Yunho? Yunho-yah? Where are you? We were so worried? Hyung, no, wait….”

“Yunho-yah?”, Seonghwa’s worried voice came instead. His overprotective eldest hyung must have snatched the phone from Mingi.

“Urgh, give that to me”, Hongjoong said, sounding further away and then louder: “Yunho, baby, where are you? Whose phone are you calling from?”

Yunho hid his face in his hand. His members were embarrassing - Seonghwa and Hongjoong actually acted like parents sometimes.

“Uh, mine,” Hajoon said, obviously suppressing a laugh, and introduced himself: “Hajoon from The Rose.”

Instantly the other side of the phone turned quiet. “Sunbaenim? What’s going on? Thank you for calling”, Hongjoong asked, trying to sound polite and not overly scared. He failed spectacularly at the last part.

“Yunho’s just not feeling so good”, Hajoon started to explain. It was very obvious at that moment that Hajoon was one of the younger members of The Rose - he had never learned how to deliver bad news and not make anybody’s leader panic.

Before he could get any further, however, he was interrupted. It would have been rude in any other situation but it was actually kind of sweet how worried Hongjoong got.

“What’s wrong? Where are you?” There were probably a thousand bad scenarios running through the leader’s head at that phrasing.

Hajoon quickly gave a description of their whereabouts to Hongjoong who promised to be there as soon as possible and was about to hang up when Yunho mumbled: “Hyung, I really don’t need all of you to come. Take Seonghwa-hyung. Don’t bring Mingi.”

“Alright”, Hongjoong said softly, “hold on, baby, we’ll be there soon.” The call ended.

Hajoon had his eyebrow raised when Yunho looked at him. “Why don’t you want Mingi? Aren’t you like best friends?”, he asked curiously.

How did Hajoon know? It would be something an ATINY would know but that didn’t really make sense, did it? Urgh, thinking hurt.

“We are”, Yunho confirmed instead, “but he is totally a Black Rose. I doubt that he wants, uh, this to be his first real interaction.” He awkwardly gestured at Jaehyeong, who had sat down by the sinks and was slowly sipping on the bottle of water Hajoon had given him.

“Fair enough”, Hajoon agreed, grimacing. "Actually, thanks, I guess."

They looked up when the stall door opened and Dojoon and Woosung stumbled out. Dojoon was still very pale and Woosung had a stabilizing hand on the small of his back. But Dojoon was looking much better than earlier.

“How are you?”, Jaehyeong asked dejectedly when Woosung deposited Dojoon next to him. The older man just groaned but accepted the bottle of water their leader pressed into his hand.

"Thanks for asking, Jeff. Oh, me? Yes, I am feeling better too, thanks", Jaehyeong said rhetorically, a bit annoyed. He acted a bit like San when he was pouty. Weird.

"Be nice, kid", Dojoon replied, causing them to argue quietly.

Woosung ignored them and came to crouch down by Yunho’s side again. “Are you feeling better then? Or should I prepare to run from your leader?”, he asked teasingly.

“Uh, what?”, Hongjoong asked from the door. None of them had noticed him and Seonghwa entering. With all eyes on him after the rather not eloquent question he turned beet-red. “Sunbaenims”, he muttered and pulled at Seonghwa to make them bow.

“Don’t bow, Hongjoong-ssi, Seonghwa-ssi”, Woosung said with a smile.

It was Seonghwa’s turn to flush. “You know us, sunbaenim?”

“Of course”, Hajoon agreed, “Woosung-hyung is totally an ATINY. I think he has merch, actually. We all love your music. Also we tried to do the Bouncy challenge and I nearly ruined my ba… too soon?” He glanced at Woosung who just rolled his eyes.

“Yes, three weeks is too soon, brat”, Woosung replied, “also, may I remind you that you cried more than me that day?”

Hajoon seemed to choose to ignore the second part though he ducked his head a bit. The cough that he muffled with his hand sounded suspiciously like “grandfather” but Woosung just gave him a simultaneous warning and exasperated glance before focusing his attention on ATEEZ's eldest.

Hongjoong and Seonghwa both seemed as taken aback as Yunho by Hajoon’s confession of being ATINY. It was not everyday that a sunbaenim who you adored adored you right back. Wow. While Hongjoong had turned a bit red again (maybe he just had sunburn though?) Seonghwa couldn’t quite hide his shock, evident by his wide eyes and open mouth.

"I'm glad you are here, Hongjoong-ssi, Seonghwa-ssi", Woosung said, pulling them out of their awe, "I think it's only a case of a bit of heat exhaustion but you should get Yunho-ssi checked out by a medic, just in case."

"Thank you, sunbaenim", Hongjoong replied, distractedly, and rushed over to Yunho now that the greetings were over. Well, to be fair, the only thing that probably had stopped him before had not actually been social conventions but rather confusion.

Hajoon scooted to the side to make space for him and ended up beside Yunho, also leaning against the wall. With his head pounding and eyes dropping, Yunho leaned sideways and rested his head on his shoulder. Maybe it was a bit inappropriate - after all they had known each other for less than an hour but he was tired. Hongjoong only looked worried and surprised but nobody said anything about it.

"Baby, we were so worried when we realized we didn't know where you were", Hongjoong mumbled, placing a cool hand tenderly against Yunho's cheek, "you can't just run off, especially if you don't feel well."

Yunho flushed a bit under the attention. All eyes were focused on him and it made his skin crawl. He had not wanted attention. That had been the first reason why he had run away. Apparently you couldn’t feel unwell anywhere in peace. Deep down though, he was glad.

"Didn't want to make you worry", he mumbled, staring down at his lap. Now that the excitement had died down again he felt like he was hit by a truck. And not an ice-cream one. "I was just a bit too hot."

"You never handled the heat well", Seonghwa sighed, taking Yunho's hand in his own, feeling the pulse in his wrist. “Remember filming Pirate King and Treasure?”

Hongjoong groaned. “Yeah, that was fun. Sorry, Yunho, we should have paid more attention. I hope he didn’t bother you, sunbaenims?”

If Yunho hadn’t been so comfy he would have been offended. Being a “bother” was Wooyoung's job. But he was content to just watch with half-lidded eyes.

“Not at all. He’s a delight”, Woosung replied, “and please, stop calling us ‘sunbaenim’. ‘Hyung’ or our names are fine, ‘sunbaenim’ makes us feel old. Hajoon, I am warning you.”

The drummer had opened his mouth to probably make another joke but decided he wanted to live another day. Yunho giggled a bit. Their dynamics were funny, he had to admit.

“Alright, thank you. Hyung”, Seonghwa said, “we don’t want to keep you here, surely you have other things to do?”

It was at that moment that he looked around and seemed to take in Dojoon’s and Jaehyeong’s complexions for the first time. He faltered for a moment then his face turned worried.

“Are you alright?”, he asked. God, he really was a mother sometimes. Even to people like four or five years his senior.

“Yeah, they will be fine. They are just regretting their decision to eat before jumping around in the heat. Turns out, what a surprise, it wasn’t a good idea”, Woosung explained before the two could defend themselves.

“You’ll hold that over our heads for the rest of our lives, won’t you?”, Jaehyeong whined, throwing his empty water bottle in Woosung’s general direction. He missed spectacularly.

“We had that particular problem before”, Hongjoong said pointedly, staring at Seonghwa.

“Oh, that’s what yesterday was about?”, Yunho asked. Seonghwa flushed and stuttered: “I … uhm, I’m sure the food was just out in the sun too long.”

“Yeah, sure”, Hongjoong deadpanned, “but you are right, we should get going. We already sent the kids back to the hotel. They fought hard to stay and are really worried about you, but we all deserve a night off. The only thing they can do at the moment is rest. But I fear Mingi may have paced a hole in the hotel’s carpet by now. Anyways, Yunho-yah, do you think you can stand? We’ll take you to the medics to get checked out and then how does a nap sound?”

“Heavenly”, Yunho mumbled, “hyung, I am so tired. My head hurts too. But I can stand.”

“Still nauseous?”, Hajoon asked gently. Shockingly, no. Yunho shook his head.

“Okay, that’s good”, Hongjoong agreed, “medical and then you can sleep.”

“Up you go”, Seonghwa said and with his and Hajoon’s help Yunho was standing. Well, leaning on his Seonghwa-hyung but he was on his feet. Hongjoong reached up and smoothed Yunho’s hair out of his face.

“Why do you have to be so tall, Yunho-yah?”, the captain asked fondly.

“You’re just tiny, hyung”, Yunho quipped, causing Seonghwa, Hajoon and Jaehyeong to laugh.

Hongjoong groaned. Woosung patted his back in a sympathetic gesture. “I feel you, Hongjoong-ah.”

They all burst into laughter again. Hongjoong and Woosung both had similar pouting expressions on their faces.

“Okay, let’s actually go”, Hongjoong said, shaking his head, and turned to Woosung and Hajoon, who had come to stand beside his leader, “thank you so much for your help, hyungs.” He bowed a bit.

“We’re happy we could help. Feel better soon, kiddo”, Woosung replied and turned to Yunho. To the dancer’s shock he actually hugged him. Oh, wow. Hajoon followed suit.

“Thank you”, Yunho mumbled and looked at Dojoon and Jaehyeong who were cuddled up together still, “I hope you two feel better soon as well.”

“Thank you”, they echoed. Jaehyeong waved and Dojoon added: “I’d hug you too but I think I’d puke again if I have to stand up.”

“Great, let’s get you idiots back to the hotel too”, Woosung mumbled and knelt down beside his two unwell members.

Yunho, Seonghwa and Hongjoong waved at them until they left the bathroom.

⌛🌹

A health check by a medic and an order to rest and drink plenty later, Seonghwa and Hongjoong led Yunho back to the hotel. He nearly fell asleep on Seonghwa’s shoulder in the elevator but was shaken awake by Hongjoong. He whined.

“You can sleep soon, you big baby”, Hongjoong said fondly, “just, you scared us today. Really scared us and I hate to think what would have happened if The Rose-hyungs hadn’t found you. We’ll talk about that another time but for now be prepared to have five anxious dongsaengs fuss over you.”

The captain unlocked the door and as soon as they entered the hotel room, Mingi practically assaulted Yunho with a tight, comforting hug.

“What happened? Yunho, why were you with The Rose-sunbaenims?”, Mingi asked, never letting go. Yunho was content to be just held.

“Well, the The Rose-hyungs found me, actually”, Yunho said and couldn’t help but brag: “Woosung-hyung called me a ‘delight’.”

Mingi’s shocked and envious face definitely was worth getting heat exhaustion.

But he would never dare admit that particular sentiment to his Hongjoong-hyung.

Yunho liked living.

Notes: Guys, I’m not from America and have never been to Coachella. I tried to research a bit but I couldn’t really find much about security and backstage areas for the artists. I doubt they will just walk around with the other people though, so a more comfortable and sanitary backstage area is what I imagine. Correct me if I am wrong and get me a ticket then:)

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much or more than I did writing this crossover!

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sickonthedancefloor · 4 days

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I’m really tired of seeing people broken up into labels of absolutes.

People are not just “good” or “bad”.

People are not a list of labels.

People are complex, situations are complex.

I know, that makes it a lot harder when you want to just write off everything someone’s ever done as bad – but that’s not how people actually are, and it would do everyone good to stop pretending they are.

I am tired of hearing about the fear people have in putting themselves out there. And it is a scary thing! Putting yourself out there means subjecting yourself to people who want a really good reason to tear you down, who will jump at the first chance to feel “good” by labeling someone else as “bad”.

I reject this. I reject the idea that there should be fear in speaking up and talking about experiences and trying to reach an understanding of a situation.

I’m unhappy to see people spitefully urging others to cut off ties with their friends under the guise of “well, that person’s just inherently bad, so if you talk to them you’re bad too.” That is fucked up. You definitely have the right to let the friend know you don’t want to hear about whoever troubles you, but you do not at all have the right to decide who their friends should be. This includes guilt trips.

Anyway, just try to be more aware of others. Everyone else is a person like you. They might not have the same experiences as you. They might not understand how their words are harmful, or how what they’re doing is wrong. They certainly won’t if you never tell them.

Most people are trying to be good, but they’re going to mess it up sometimes. Try to keep that in mind. Even when people do really fucked up shit, sometimes they are trying to do good. “The road to hell is paved with good intentions” and all that.

Nothing gets solved, no growth happens when you put people into a box from which you’ll never let them escape.

Yes, you absolutely must be careful about people who have tendencies and patterns that are harmful to you. Sometimes people try to overcome those patterns and they fail, and you have to distance yourself from them: that is the sad reality of life. Sometimes though, they can overcome it. But they certainly won’t if the first thing you do is write them off after a fuck up.

Be sincere. Use your best judgment.

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sickonthedancefloor · 4 days

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Be Kind 💛💕💜

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sickonthedancefloor · 5 days

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⌛🐶 I will stay for you

Sickie: Yunho

Caretaker: Seonghwa and Hongjoong (mostly)

„Fifteen minutes until stage“, the lead manager called through the waiting room where the ATEEZ members were relaxing until they started their concert. He sounded frantic. “Where is Yunho-yah?”

Seonghwa looked up from his phone, having checked the Twitter messages from ATINY who were looking forward to the concert. Yunho had been sitting next to him since they were both done with make-up, hair and styling. At one point the younger had excused himself to the bathroom and since then he hadn’t returned. Taking a look at the clock, Seonghwa realized he had lost track of time – he was sure that his dongsaeng must have been gone for over twenty minutes now.

“Seonghwa?”, Hongjoong said, looking around too, “wasn’t he with you?”

“Uh, yeah”, Seonghwa admitted, “he went to the bathroom, I think, but he’s been gone for some time. Should I go look for him?”

The manager looked like he wanted to protest, probably not eager to lose another member so close to the concert but then a loud curse had them look at Wooyoung. The younger member had somehow managed to spill his soda all over his stage outfit, the white shirt sticking to his skin. He and San stared at each other in shock, frozen in their game of catch.

Hongjoong rolled his eyes next to him. Yet Seonghwa recognized the worry in how he held himself, and also the guilt of not having noticed they were missing a member. Seonghwa squeezed his hand in comfort.

“Yeah, go look for him. I’ll get them sorted out”, the manager sighed. Seonghwa nodded and put his phone on the table. Stretching slightly he got up and left the waiting room, looking up and down the hallway to figure out where their dance leader might have disappeared to. It wasn’t like Yunho to just vanish without a trace – especially half an hour before one of their concerts. There must have been a bigger reason for that.

Not sure where to search Seonghwa decided to check the bathrooms first, especially since Yunho had said he needed to go there. He just hoped that the younger man wasn’t sick or anything – maybe lost somewhere in the admittedly not so large venue.

When he pushed open the door to the bathroom he heard the strangled sound of heaving and he was immediately assaulted by the stench of vomit. It seemed like his fear had come true – this was a disaster. Deciding that logistics of the concert could be the manager’s problem he went to check on his dongsaeng.

“Yunho-yah? Are you okay?”, he called as he knocked on the only locked stall door, mentally face-palming. The sounds coming from the stall were most certainly not an indication that Yunho was okay.

There was another retch and then a hesitant: “Hwa-hyung?”

“It’s me, let me in?”, he asked and after a second he heard a click but the door didn’t open. He pushed down the handle, glad that the door opened to the outside and peeked inside. What he found was a truly heart-breaking sight.

Yunho was kneeling in front of the toilet, resting his head on his arms which were crossed over the bowl so he could get sick without moving and maximum comfort – at least as comfortable as was possible in such a position. The parts of his skin that Seonghwa could see were nearly translucent and, like his hair, full of sweat. All in all he looked pitiful.

While normally a clean freak, Seonghwa didn’t hesitate to kneel down behind him, placing a hand on his back and tentatively rubbing circles. For the moment Yunho seemed to have a respite from vomiting so Seonghwa, full of concern, asked: “What happened? Why didn’t you say earlier that you felt sick?”

“I don’t know what happened”, Yunho rasped, voice nearly gone from the constant strain on his throat and soundly strangely muffled from his position practically inside the toilet, “I was fine all day, even during make-up and then from one second to the next I started feeling like I was going to be sick so I came in here.” He stopped to cough with triggered a dry-heave but he didn’t bring up anything for the moment.

“I wanted to go back and say that I can’t perform but I haven’t had more than a few minutes without vomiting since I started. I don’t know why I can’t stop vomiting.”

Seonghwa sighed and squeezed his shoulder with his free hand. “I’m sorry you’re feeling so sick”, he offered helplessly. “Can I do anything for you?”

“Uh, could you…” Yunho broke off as he burped and then he jerked forward as he started to bring up his stomach contents again. Seonghwa gently held back his hair from his forehead, letting Yunho rest his head against his palm, while rubbing his back again. He watched how Yunho spat out wave after wave of stomach contents, trying not to feel too queasy at the sight of the noodles from lunch making an encore appearance in a less appetizing way.

“Oh, Yunho-yah”, Seonghwa whispered, panicking internally. This was not in his job description of being the oldest hyung. What do you do when you were holding a violently sick idol in your arms when you both need to be in stage in less than ten minutes? Why didn’t an idol contract came with a ‘how to deal with your (sick) dongsaengs’ handbook?

Finally Yunho stopped bringing up anything for the time being, so Seonghwa helped him lean back against the stall wall. He ripped off a piece of toilet paper and gently wiped Yunho’s mouth, the younger having closed his eyes in exhaustion. Seonghwa threw the soiled paper into the toilet and flushed. It really didn’t do anything for the smell anymore.

“Yunho? Uh, I have to find the manager and Hongjoong, there is no way you can perform like this. Do you want to come with me to the waiting room or stay here?”

“I don’t think I should move too far away”, Yunho whispered and hiccoughed wetly.

“Okay, I’ll be quick, sweetheart. You won’t be alone for long, I promise.” Seonghwa pressed a kiss against Yunho’s forehead – a silent promise – and pushed himself up.

He left the bathroom quickly but before the door close he could hear Yunho throwing up again. He jogged back to the waiting room and was nearly hit in the face by the door. The manager apologized and pulled him inside.

Inside all the members were ready to go on stage, but there was worry in their face. Hongjoong was desperately trying to keep a cool façade but Seonghwa could tell that the captain was anything but relaxed.

“Where were you?”, the manager hissed, not malicious but stressed, “why did you take so long? You have to be on stage in five minutes! Didn’t you find Yunho-yah?”

“Yeah, about that”, Seonghwa started, feeling like he just walked to his doom, “Yunho-yah is in the bathroom. He can’t stop throwing up, I don’t know what is wrong…”

For a moment the manager just stared at Seonghwa and he wasn’t sure if the manager was about to cry or laugh.

“Please tell me you are joking”, he pleaded instead.

Seonghwa shook his head. “I really don’t want to eat noodles anytime soon.”

“Right, uhm, yeah, uhh… shit”, the manager mumbled, then activated his headset. “Move the beginning of the show fifteen minutes back.”

“What do we do now?”, Wooyoung asked the question they were all asking themselves.

“There is no way Yunho can perform”, Seonghwa said, turning to the manager.

“But…”, the manager started, but stopped himself.

Hongjoong stepped forward, playing a hand on the manager’s arm. “I won’t allow a sick member to perform, especially if he is off as badly as Seonghwa described. I will go check on him, the rest of you figure out how we can get him home. ATINY won’t care that we are missing a member, they will be worried if anything.”

With that Hongjoong left the dressing room, not unlike a man on a mission.

⌛

Hongjoong wouldn’t admit it but he was close to freaking out. A sick dongsaeng was always an issue but especially when missing a concert. Not only had the fans paid to see them but the sick member would feel like they were letting down the team and ATINY. Besides, in their dorms illness spread like wildfire.

The moment he entered the bathroom he heard the sobbing. Steeling himself, he walked towards the stall where he could see Yunho’s shoe peeking out. His dance leader really was too big for these stalls.

He knocked on the door, just an acknowledgement not asking for entrance. Behind the door he found Yunho leaning against the plastic wall, one knee pulled to his chest, the other leg stretched out. He had his head resting on the knee, arms wrapped around, hugging himself.

“Hey, baby”, Hongjoong whispered, kneeling down. Yunho didn’t lift his head, just turned slightly so he could look at him. Hongjoong reached out and brushed his sweat-soaked hair away from his glazed over eyes.

“Hyung?”, Yunho suddenly said, voice hoarse, “shouldn’t you be on stage?”

“Don’t worry about that, Yunho. We pushed the beginning of the show back so we can take care of you”, Hongjoong soothed.

“But ATINY, the concert”, Yunho said, body shaking as he cried.

Gently Hongjoong took the younger’s hands in his own. “ATINY will understand. Your health is more important. You know you can’t perform like this.”

Yunho just continued crying but soon the sobs turned into heaves. Quickly Hongjoong helped his dongsaeng back over the toilet as bile spilled from his mouth.

Exhausted, Yunho slumped back into his captain the moment he was done. Buried under his tall member, Hongjoong just wrapped his arms around him, trying to help him calm down. He wished he had brought a water bottle or anything so they could try to get Yunho at least a bit hydrated.

As if they had heard his prayers, the door to the bathroom opened and they were quickly joined by Mingi and Jongho.

“Oh, hyung”, Jongho giggled a bit. Hongjoong assumed they must make quite a picture, the smallest member trying to hold up the biggest member all the while unable to even wrap his arms completely around his chest.

They helped Hongjoong move Yunho back against the wall and Mingi knelt down next to his best friend.

“Yunho? I know you feel terrible but can you try to drink some water for us?”, he asked, holding out a bottle.

Reluctantly, but likely too tired to protest, Yunho let Mingi place the bottle against his lips and took a few sips. At that time, Jongho turned to Hongjoong. “Manager-hyung send us to fetch you two. We set up the couch for him, Yunho-hyung can rest there until we go home. The managers and the stylist noonas said they would keep an eye on him.”

“Thank you, Jongho, Mingi”, Hongjoong said, relieved. While he wished that they could get Yunho home and into bed as soon as possible, he was reluctant to send him home alone. This way they could check on his during outfit changes and the break.

Hongjoong stepped out of the stall, so that Jongho and Mingi were able to help Yunho to his feet in the narrow space. Slowly they made their way back to the dressing room.

The other members smiled at them as they entered, Wooyoung clutching Yeosang’s and San’s hands, while Seonghwa was talking with the manager. As promised the couch was set up with a blanket, a pillow and a bucket. Carefully Jongho and Mingi helped Yunho lay down and immediately San was kneeling by his roommate, running his fingers through the black hair.

“Hey, Yunho”, he whispered, “don’t worry, we got you. Sleep.”

And sleep Yunho did. Through their whole concert and the frequent check-ups by his members; in fact he was barely awake when Mingi and Seonghwa led him to their car home. Hongjoong and Seonghwa sat down in the seat next to the sick dancer, holding his hands – and when the nausea combined with the motion of the car got too much – a plastic bag.

Once he was cleaned up and changed into comfortable pyjamas, Hongjoong expected Yunho to fall back asleep as soon as he was horizontal. Yet Yunho blinked open his eyes and grabbed Hongjoong’s hand.

“The concert?”, he rasped, voice gone from the repeated vomiting.

“We missed you terribly, as did ATINY, but they are were worried and are sending you all their love”, Hongjoong soothed, rubbing his shoulders, “nobody minded, just get better soon.”

“’Kay”, Yunho mumbled, his last reserves of energy depleted, “stay?”

“I’ll stay, baby, don’t worry”, Hongjoong said, exchanging a glance with Seonghwa. They had decided earlier that the two eldest would stay with Yunho during the night, sharing San’s bed. San would have to bunk with one of the others or could enjoy the freedom of a room for himself for once if he decided to sleep in the hyung’s room. But they way Yunho was tugging at Hongjoong’s hand was clear.

Without further ado, Hongjoong slipped into bed with Yunho, wrapping him in his arms. Seonghwa placed a trash can by the side of the bed, then he turned of the light and got under San’s covers.

“Sleep well”, Hongjoong whispered, pressing a kiss to Yunho’s forehead.

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sickonthedancefloor · 6 days

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happy hobi (cr. namuspromised)

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sickonthedancefloor · 7 days

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Drunk in myself

This one's here is for @dudadragneel :)

hope you like it!! thanks again for the idea 💞

Prompt: Soobin with a high fever that gets mistaken for being drunk (I added my personal touch, a little bit of angst between him and Beomgyu)

His body is so saturated with heat, it's almost painful. His skin is hot to the touch, his breath is short and heavy. His pulse is pounding, and his head throbs with every passing moment. Even though he knows that he needs rest, it's impossible to relax. Every inch of his body craves water or movement or sleep, but nothing seems to satisfy. And in the back of his mind, the fever continues to grow.

Soobin's body has been wracked with fever all day, his head pounding and his body overheating from the slightest activity. He's been trying his best not to make too much noise or disturb anyone, even though he knows his teammates would be more than happy to care for him. He's been trying to drink plenty of water, but even with each sip he feels as though the liquid is just evaporating from his stomach before it can be absorbed.

The heat is getting even harder to handle, if that's even possible. His head and body are both on fire, his heart practically thudding outside of his chest. The fever is unbearable, but he can't stop trembling. Every muscle in his body feels tense and twitching at once, like the whole thing just might explode. His eyes burn, his throat is like parched sandpaper, and his breath is ragged and hoarse. He needs to find some way to cool off.

But first, he needs to get home, he was out all day practicing and practicing, it was really dark by now, he had mentioned he would go out with some friends if he felt like it but at the end he didn't, he was too focused on practicing the new dances they were taught.

It was somewhat an easy task to arrive, but he was struggling with not falling asleep on the taxi he took.

And the last thing he was expecting was having to argue with Beomgyu.

The argument had started off when Beomgyu burst into the living room and started yelling at him, convinced that his friend was drunk. Soobin was so flustered by everything, he could barely keep his thoughts straight. His body was already wracked with fever and the pounding headache, but the reality was that it was just a by-product of the fever. "I swear, I'm not drunk, I just..." He was interrupted by yet another coughing fit, his body racking harshly.

"Yeah, you get to have fun but we all need to stay here in this routine because we do are busy unlike you Mr. Perfect."

The argument soon got loud enough for Yeonjun, Kai and Taehyun to hear it from across the hallway. It had started off as an innocent question, but as it went on, it became more and more heated. Beomgyu was convinced that Soobin was drunk, and Soobin was adamant that he was not. The shouting match was interrupted yet again by Soobin's coughing, his body wracked with fever and shaking intensely at this point. Yeonjun, Kai and Taehyun exchanged a look before stepping into the room to assess the situation.

They were just about to ask if they could help, but then another coughing fit hit Soobin. His head was spinning and his body heat was intense, the fever making everything so much worse. Yeonjun stepped forward and looked Soobin over, his voice becoming concerned. "Are you okay?"

Soobin struggles to control his body's tremors, his fever making him so incredibly shaky. His head is pounding as his stomach continues to churn up more. He can just hear Yeonjun asking if he's okay, but he's too delirious to answer clearly. His breathing quickens as the fever worsens, his hands and legs growing numb. Yeonjun and Taehyun grab him, Kai just watching, too shocked to move, and as his vision fades, he hears a voice...

"—ung?". Beomgyu. That concerned voice was the last thing Soobin heard.

Soobin feels his head being lifted and his body being carried. His vision is hazy, but he gets brief glimpses of Yeonjun's and Taehyun's faces. He can barely stay conscious at this point, and he can hear his heartbeat hammering out of his chest. Yeonjun is asking him something, but his head is spinning too much to make out his words. He can feel his body being taken somewhere, but his sense of awareness is starting to slip.

Then Soobin drifts into a feverish delirium as his body is placed onto a bed of some sort —his bed—. It's quiet now, but his fever is still getting worse. He feels his temperature rising and his body shaking. He can just make out a voice talking to him from somewhere off in the distance, but he's not sure if it's real. The fever and fatigue are taking over, and soon, he no longer is able to perceive anything around him. Darkness takes hold of him, and he drifts off into a deep, restless sleep...

ʕ⁠·⁠ᴥ⁠·⁠ʔ

Soobin is slowly beginning to come to. He's lying in bed and can feel the residual heat and discomfort of the fever. He's still trembling, but not as badly as he was before. As he begins to get his bearings, he becomes aware of his surroundings. The room is quiet, and only his own breathing can be heard. It's comfortable here, but it's also lonely. Soobin just wants to sleep again and forget about everything for a few more minutes.

Just as Soobin closes his eyes, he hears a knock on the door and a voice. With a sigh, he knows who it is before looking up. Beomgyu is standing at the door, his own worried look on his face. Once Soobin meets his eyes, the worry turns to relief. "Hey," Beomgyu murmurs quietly, and Soobin gives him a small nod. Despite their recent argument, there's something comforting about seeing him. Beomgyu steps into the room.

Beomgyu walks over to the side of the bed and looks at his friend. "How're you feeling?" he murmurs quietly, placing a gentle hand on Soobin's forehead. Soobin's temperature is significantly lower than earlier, but it's still enough to make him feel like he's swimming. He offers a small smile and nods. "I'm still a little dizzy..."

Beomgyu nods, his eyes full of sorrow. "Yeah... I'm sorry." Soobin's eyes widen a bit, surprised at his friend's apology. Beomgyu shrugs. "I shouldn't have reacted the way I did when I first saw you," he murmurs regretfully, his hands moving to his arms. "But I could've sworn you were drunk, you only look like that when you drink."

"I should've just listened to you," he continues, shaking his head slightly. "I don't know... it could've just been my paranoia getting the best of me. I shouldn't have assumed..." Soobin raises an eyebrow, even more surprised, and then says softly, "You didn't let me explain myself before you started yelling."

"That's... yeah, you're right on that..." Beomgyu sighs and hangs his head, his brows knit together with regret. "You think you know what's happening, and then one thing sets off your alarm bells, and then you just... I don't know... you just lose it, I guess."

"Beomgyu, it's fine, I know y'all are stressed because of the comeback and everything, but it's okay I forgive you." Soobin said with a small smile.

Beomgyu smiles apologetically. "I really am sorry. For jumping down your throat like that and for not listening to you." Soobin shrugs, smiling a bit himself. "It's alright. Yeah, it was upsetting when it happened, but I get why you reacted the way that you did." Beomgyu nods, and the two friends exchange a look of mutual understanding. Then, he leans forward and wraps an arm around Soobin's shoulders, offering him more comfort than he's given to anyone all day.

"Okay you two, no more fights about nonsense, Soobin needs to rest" Yeonjun once again, the maknaes behind him, the mood was lighter now.

Soobin took some more days to fully recover but Beomgyu claimed to be the one who looked after him to fix his mistake, sure everyone else still took care of him but the latter took the task as serious as he could, making sure everything remained okay between them.

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sickonthedancefloor · 7 days

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FACE ECONOMY

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sickonthedancefloor · 8 days

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Frost

Hello everyone! Here's one of the Beomgyu fics, as promised! I'll start working on the Junki one and hopefully it'll be out by the end of next month. If the anon who requested this would like anything changed, as always, please let me know and I'd be happy to do so! Love you all so much! Stay safe and healthy out there <3<3

Summary: Beomgyu gets sick in the middle of the night during TXT's first US tour. Heavily inspired by this video

TW: emeto, fever, hospitals, disorientation, memory loss but not really, rpf

“Good job today, you guys! I know you’re all tired, so get some good sleep. Lights out - no exceptions.” Soobin ordered from the cabin area of the tour bus. TXT were in the middle of their US tour, and while they were all having the time of their lives, the concerts and constant traveling took an understandable toll. Beomgyu’s legs ached already just thinking about the dancing he’d have to do the next day.

A chorus of goodnights muffled by bunk curtains rang out, and the lights turned out, plunging the bus into darkness. Beomgyu could hear Soobin settle into the bunk above his own.

Beomgyu sighed, letting his face sink into the pillow. Behind him, he could feel Taehyun get into bed and underneath the covers. It was comforting, somehow - the dip and roll of the bed as another warm person laid down next to him. He still felt incredibly tired, but now he could rest, and he could do it knowing he wasn’t alone.

Unfortunately, the rest Beomgyu was hoping for couldn’t seem to come. Between the cold air and the nauseating rocking of the tour bus as they made their way to a rest stop, Beomgyu’s sleep was fitful at best. He could have sworn he spent more time trying to get back to sleep after being jolted awake than he did actually sleeping. At some point, though, the bus parked for the night, and he managed to find enough warmth under the covers to stop clenching his jaw from the cold.

It didn’t last long. After what felt like a mere ten minutes in the grip of blissful unconsciousness, Beomgyu found himself opening his eyes to darkness. Despite multiple layers of blankets between him and the still, stale air, it was so cold. The kind of cold that reaches down to your bones and wraps them in a layer of frost. It was painful, with Beomgyu’s already exhausted muscles cramping and aching even more than they had just a few hours ago. It all felt strange - like the cold was slowing him down. Thinking was so hard and took so long. Feeling anything other than cold and pain was next to impossible, except for the nauseating gurgling of his stomach. He whimpered quietly, his body shivering so badly it was hard to grip the covers tighter around himself.

Meanwhile, Taehyun was fast asleep. Or at least he had been. He woke slowly, vaguely realizing that although the bus wasn’t moving, the bed was. What was going on? It felt like a small earthquake. But then he heard a quiet, muffled noise from behind him. Was it Beomgyu? He must be talking in his sleep again, he thought to himself.

Eyes still only half open, Taehyun turned over to face his fellow member. He was surprised to find a practically vibrating lump of blankets with a mess of long dark hair sticking out from the top. Was he shivering?

“Beomgyu-hyung. Are you awake?” Taehyun asked blearily. Beomgyu answered only with a muffled whimper.

“Why are you shivering?” Taehyun asked, growing more concerned by the second. Quickly, he reached up to turn on the personal bunk light. The yellow glow illuminated the sheen of sweat on Beomgyu’s forehead, glistening almost like sequins.

It took more energy than Beomgyu would have liked to admit to unclench his jaw and make his numb lips move to form words. “It’s so cold. My body hurts.”

“What’s going on?” Soobin’s voice, deep and rough from lack of use while he slept, came from above. He stuck his head upside down to see what was going on in the bunk.

“I don’t know.” Taehyun said, hand on Beomgyu’s shaking shoulder. “He just started shivering and making noises. He says his body hurts and that it’s cold.”

Soobin’s eyebrows scrunched together in worry. Wordlessly, he withdrew his head before jumping quietly down from his bunk to join the other two. Sitting at the head of the bed, he gathered up Beomgyu in his arms and palmed his forehead.

“Jesus, Gyu. You’re burning up.” The leader exclaimed. Before he or Taehyun could say anything else, Beomgyu threw himself away from Soobin’s lap and promptly collapsed onto all fours on the floor. With a great shudder, Beomgyu heaved the contents of his stomach onto the carpet.

He was surprised at himself, and judging by the gasps from Taehyun and Soobin, so were they. His stomach had been bothering him, but apparently he hadn’t realized quite how much. It was only a horrible underlying discomfort beneath the cold and the pain until it suddenly wasn’t. Now, he couldn’t stop puking.

His mouth and throat burned with stomach acid, and even between gags saliva dripped out of his mouth in thick, heavy strings. Soobin and Taehyun patted his back, and although it did little to actually make him feel better, Beomgyu appreciated the vague comfort. Eventually, his stomach gave him a moment of respite. By some miracle, none of this had awakened Yeonjun or Kai, and Beomgyu thanked the heavens for his tendency towards silent puking. The guilt for stealing Soobin and Taehyun’s much deserved sleep was already settling on his shoulders like a lead weight. Soobin and Taehyun, careful to avoid the puddle of vomit, quickly helped Beomgyu to a trash can. They helped him kneel down and lean over it, Taehyun smoothing his bangs off his sweaty face and holding the rest of his hair out of the way.

“Do you think you’ve got more in you?” Taehyun asked.

“Dunno.” Beomgyu slurred, face buried in his arms. He could hear Soobin and Taehyun whisper quietly, but he simply didn’t have the energy nor, in fact, the desire to hear what they were saying.

“Hey, buddy. I’m gonna clean up and tell the driver. We’re gonna take you to a hospital to get checked out, okay?” Soobin’s gentle voice said. Beomgyu didn’t answer, but Taehyun nodded.

“You go, I’ll stay with him, hyung.” Taehyun gave the leader a quick, comforting smile and knelt down next to Beomgyu.

“How are you feeling?” Taehyun asked the sick idol, gently patting his head.

“Bad. Cold.” Beomgyu mumbled. Taehyun jumped up to grab the blanket from their bunk, draping it over his shoulders and giving them a vigorous rub. Beomgyu stifled a burp, swallowing back the urge to vomit again.

Taehyun began to gently brush Beomgyu’s hair away from his face, stopping every now and then to mop up the ever-present sheen of sweat on his skin. Behind his calm “it’ll be okay or else I’ll make it okay” mask, Taehyun was really worried. Beomgyu was never one to be very agreeable in situations where he had to be taken care of. Now he hardly seemed to be aware of it, let alone in a position to argue.

And Taehyun would be right in his worry. Beomgyu felt, in a word, miserable. He felt incredibly nauseated, and the chill in the air still had a tight grip on him despite the addition of the thick blanket. His stomach felt like one of those cement-mixing trucks with the rotating cylinders - slow, churning, heavy, and, for lack of a better word, sludgy. His throat was still recovering from his earlier bout of vomiting and burned more with each nauseous gulp. He did not want to throw up again.

Unfortunately, whatever illness he had was not on his side. A chill ran down Beomgyu’s spine, and he lurched forward, retching into the trash can. The chunky liquid came up in a couple of awful waves, and Beomgyu was left gasping over the stench. He felt like a wrung-out washcloth, damp and limp.

“Good job.” Taehyun breathed, tracing comforting patterns on Beomgyu’s back. “You’re doing great, hyung, I’m right here.”

“I don’t wanna be sick anymore.” The sick idol whimpered shakily. He panted, out of breath. “I don’t–” he was cut off by another gag, his head dipping below the lip of the trash can. The first two rounds had been mercifully short, but this time his body didn’t seem to want to stop. Beomgyu couldn’t do anything but surrender to the will of his clenching stomach. At some point the liquid rushing out of him became nothing but a yellow-green trickle of bile, his stomach long since emptied. He could hardly breathe, save for a few desperate gasps here and there. At more than a couple points, he choked and coughed hoarsely.

“Gyu? Taehyun? What’s going on? Is he okay?” Yeonjun’s voice came suddenly from behind. It made Taehyun jump, whipping around to find both Yeonjun and Kai standing dumbfounded by the situation they had just woken up to. Beomgyu groaned as he finally stopped vomiting. Just then, Soobin came back from talking to the driver.

“Ok, we’re gonna– oh, you two are awake too? That’s good, I’ll only have to explain once.” Soobin took a deep breath to center himself. He pointed to Beomgyu.

“The manager is letting us use his car to take Beomgyu to the hospital. He’s got a really high fever, and -” Soobin craned his neck to peek at the trash can “- he’s throwing up a lot and is probably pretty dehydrated. Those of us who stay behind are gonna find a good hotel to stay at and wash up in while they disinfect in here. For now, we need to get him to the car.”

The three other lucid members nodded. Taehyun gently took the trash can from him and wiped Beomgyu’s mouth with a spare towel. Yeonjun grabbed one of Beomgyu’s arms and Taehyun the other, and they dragged him to his feet. Kai and Soobin helped them navigate the stairs as Beomgyu was too dizzy to walk by himself. The shivering alone made it hard enough.

They got him to the car, where the manager helped them arrange the idol in the backseat and give him a spare bucket in case his stomach had more to reject. Taehyun made sure to wrap the blanket tight around him.

“Okay guys. I’m sorry, but they’ll probably only allow one or two visitors at a time. Besides me, who’s coming?” The manager sighed, knowing this was a necessary evil.

Taehyun raised his hand. “Can I go with Beomgyu?”

Soobin looked conflicted at that. “Are you sure? Only one of us can go, the manager said. I’m the leader, I should be the one to take care of you guys…” He trailed off, feeling guilty and worried about his dongsaeng.

Taehyun sensed his discomfort and paused, uncertain. He was torn, realizing Soobin wanted to be there for Beomgyu and also really wanting to be there for him himself. He almost started to say he’d stay behind, but was stopped by a weak grip on his wrist.

“Don’t go…” Beomgyu whined, clearly a bit disoriented. He lifted his head temporarily from the bin to look dazedly up at Taehyun. Taehyun’s heart ached, and he looked up at Soobin, who bit his lip worriedly.

“No, you should go. He wants you.” Soobin relented. “Just… keep me updated as much as you can, okay?”

“Of course, hyung.” Taehyun said, giving him a quick hug before jumping in the back with Beomgyu. He watched in the rearview mirror Soobin, Yeonjun, and Huening Kai waving as they drove away, holding each other's hands in worry.

It was safe to say that being in the car did not exactly help settle Beomgyu’s stomach. He spent most of the ride leaning over the bin between his legs, excess saliva dripping into it. Taehyun helped him rest against his shoulders, gently rubbing the sick idol’s stomach. Three times, Beomgyu gagged and heaved, only bringing up trickles of bile. He had stopped sweating at some point, but not because his fever was down at all. He felt even hotter than before - Taehyun could have sworn you could cook an egg on his forehead.

No, Beomgyu was dry from dehydration. Even though Taehyun tried to get him to take a sip of water every now and then, it didn’t even make it to his stomach before it was violently brought back up. His gaze, although somewhat glazed earlier in the night, was outright unfocused now. It took all of Beomgyu’s might to keep his eyes open, let alone focus them on anyone or anything.

Beomgyu wouldn’t remember much of that night - merely glimpses every now and then. The car door opening and the warmth of Taehyun’s body being ripped from him as they took him out. A concerned face or two above his own nearly drowned out by white fluorescent lights. A few words from a doctor whose face he couldn’t remember - “severe dehydration”, “IV”, “overnight” to name a few. His memory picked up fully almost 20 hours after the car ride, with the first lucid memory being Taehyun’s slender hand on his forehead.

“Hyung? Are you awake?” Taehyun looked exhausted, his big doe eyes heavily lidded and surrounded by purple dark circles. Beomgyu blinked - the light was far too bright.

“Mmhmm.” Beomgyu hummed. The fog was beginning to clear. What time was it? It was still dark outside, judging by the window of the room they were in.

“How do you feel?” Taehyun asked, holding Beomgyu’s hand. Beomgyu took a moment to figure it out.

“Good, I think.” He said after thinking for a moment. Taehyun sighed in relief, closing his eyes and leaning back in his chair.

“What a relief.”

“What happened?” Beomgyu asked. “We were in the car, then…” He squinted, trying and failing to recover the events afterwards.

“We got to the hospital and they took you in immediately. They said you were severely dehydrated, so they put you on an IV to get some fluids in you. It took you five whole bags before you could stand up without passing out. Don’t you remember?” Taehyun explained.

“Not really.” Beomgyu admitted. He ran his hand through his hair sheepishly.

“It doesn’t matter.” Taehyun said. “As long as you’re okay.” He smiled tiredly.

“You look tired.” Beomgyu said. Taehyun chuckled.

“It’s been almost a day since they admitted you. You really needed the rest, I guess.”

“And you haven’t slept at all?” Beomgyu exclaimed, horrified. Taehyun only smiled, embarrassed.

“Come up here. This bed’s big enough for the two of us.” Beomgyu held out his arms, grinning his signature mischievous Beomgyu grin. Taehyun grinned back and obeyed.

“Thanks for taking care of me, Taehyun.” Beomgyu said seriously, hugging the idol in his arms.

“Of course, hyung. No way I’d let you be sick and not do anything about it.” Taehyun’s voice was a bit muffled from his face being squished into Beomgyu’s chest. “But I don’t wanna suffocate.”

“Oh! Sorry!” Beomgyu laughed, and Taehyun finally seemed to relax. He’d missed their sunshine-y Beomgyu, but now, all was well.

"Sleep well."

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sickonthedancefloor · 8 days

Note

can you please do a Taehyung sicktember fic on-

8. Persistent fever.

Caretaker of your choice.

Thank you <3

Finally! Sorry it took so long, but I finally got something out here~

Sickie: Taehyung Caretaker: Jimin, Jin Content: fever, sinus issues, nausea, vomiting (mentioned)

‘Home early’, Taehyung types in the chat with Jimin, answering the two billion question marks he had sent while he was on the flight. Taehyung was set to do some photography in Tokyo for the next few days, but his managers and one on-site nurse told him they’d postpone and reschedule in two weeks, when the photographer had another open period. Taehyung didn’t think he was doing that poorly, certain the fever was mostly from the hangover and the stage lights, but his manager didn’t believe him for a second. So they packed up, wished him well, threw him in a mask and took the chartered jet back to Seoul.

Taehyung was under strict orders to ‘rest and recuperate’, and with a scoff he just maneuvers himself and his suitcase into his apartment and wishes his manager-hyung good night.

“I mean it,” his manager said, “I’m only leaving you alone because you said you can take care of yourself. So you better. I’m checking on you daily.”

“Hyung, it’s not that bad,” Taehyung dismissed that day, accepting the small hug and rough back pat before his manager moved back. He didn’t even bother checking his messages, didn’t even worry about his suitcase and let it drop in the living room. Shoes off, door locked, security on, Taehyung just ended up flopped in his bed and conking out for the night. He doesn’t catch his manager laying medication out on his dining room table, or the water bottle set at his bedside table next to his phone, before he let himself out and trusted Taehyung to sleep on his own.

~*~

Something felt… off. When Taehyung awoke again, he felt all sorts of wrong. His sinuses felt heavy and swollen, and he just felt overly warm and sweaty. His limbs felt heavy, but he really needed to be awake for a few minutes. He managed to get up for a little, when an odd emptiness bothered him into finally making his way into the kitchen to get something to eat. He didn’t have many fresh groceries, concerned most of it would spoil while he was out, but he did have juice. He grabbed a bottle of orange juice and then raided the pantry for his dry salvageables.

Ramen, perfect. Low-energy, little effort, still delicious. He heated up a small cup, oddly not wanting more. His stomach didn’t feel very solid… but this exhaustion just clung to him like a second skin. This wasn’t normal jetlag; jetlag didn’t normally come with sore limbs and a growing headache. But no food usually came with a headache, he remembered that much.

As his ramen cooked, he took two paracetamol from a pack laid out and sat at his table, checking his phone to send a thanks to his manager. A wonderful 6%, which had him going to find his charger while he waited for the painkillers to kick in. And he smiled. His darling Jiminie had sent him a message, full of emojis and silly aegyo-inspired phrases to greet him. He wanted to know when he was free, they could hang out or call while they didn’t have an agenda.

‘Anytime you want,’ Taehyung answered. ‘I’m free whenever.’

‘You’ve been back for 12 hours, why are you ignoring meeee?’

‘sleepg :(‘ came Taehyung’s lazy reply.

His ramen was done. Taehyung brought the cup to the table with a pair of chopsticks and began to lazily munch away. Just as he shoved a mouthful in, his phone began to buzz—with Jimin’s name flashing over the screen. Taehyung didn’t think twice before opening it, mumbling a weak “Jyiminie!” over his noodles.

Jimin frowned at his friend’s appearance on the camera. “Tae-yah… you don’t look so hot. Did you get sick?”

Taehyung shook his head, but the feeling had him grimacing a little. “Nah… just a headache,” he grumbled. “I think I’m still sleeping off the plane.”

That had Jimin’s frown growing. “But you were only in Japan… Taehyung, what happened?”

Taehyung shrugged. He knew Jimin was off traveling with his family in Europe, he didn’t want to worry him, especially given he was so far away. “They rescheduled everything for a few weeks, when the photographer’s open again. It’s no biggie.”

“Yes it is… Did they send you home sick?”

Taehyung’s deep sigh answered it all. “I’m fine, Jimin-ah. I have meds, I’ll sleep it off. It’s just a cold.”

That had Jimin sighing. He took a moment to doublecheck, asking what medication Taehyung had in his cabinet, offering to order him something if necessary. Taehyung waved him off, assuring Jimin of the cold medication he still had and a half-empty bottle of cough syrup. He showed Jimin the boxes as they chatted, for his friend’s approval. Jimin didn’t keep him on the phone long, telling him to sit still and eat his noodles. Taehyung put on light jazz and ate quietly, before he just trudged his way back to his room.

He was out by the time his head hit the pillow.

~*~

Taehyung woke to the sounds of something clanking around his kitchen. Worried about an intruder—a sasaeng, maybe?!—he sat up carefully, eyes darting around the room to look for any hidden cameras or ropes or odd people. Intruders to celebrities could be dangerous, and despite his apartment complex having top notch security, there had been a few incidences here and there. He felt wide awake, immediately although a thick feeling creeping up his throat made him want to cough. Taehyung slapped both hands over his mouth to stifle his sounds, then sipped at the water.

Then worriedly stared at the water: what if it’s poisoned?!

But… it tasted like water. It was warm, boring… maybe not poisoned. Taehyung glanced at his phone, to realize it’s been plugged into the bedside charger. Weird… When he tapped the screen, he noticed a few messages, all from Jimin.

Oh gods, Jimin could help.

Taehyung didn’t hesitate to open the contact information, ignoring the texts in favor of dialing him immediately.

There was a ding from the living room, followed by a light ringtone that Taehyung recognized instantly. And Jimin’s soft, light voice asking aloud, “Who could be calling right now?”

Taehyung didn’t move the phone until he heard the ringtone stop. Then Jimin’s voice on the other line, lighthearted but very confused: “Tae-yah? Why are you calling?”

“Jiminie… Are… are you in my house?”

That had the smaller boy huffing out a laugh, followed by footsteps shuffling to his room. When the door opened more than just a crack, he could see his best friend standing inside, his dyed-blonde hair peeking from underneath a beanie. Immediate comfort flooded Taehyung’s senses, and as he dropped his arm with the phone, he just huffed in a mixture of relief and exhaustion.

“You moron, you scared me!”

Well… that was valid. Now that Taehyung mentioned it, Jimin realized he didn’t really leave many clues. Just the message, as he pointed to Taehyung’s hand. “Well, I texted you I was coming over. I’m sorry.”

Groaning, Taehyung laid back on the bed. He felt drained again already, ready to sleep that fear out of his bones. Jimin just walked in, smoothing down his hair. “Sorry, friend. You didn’t seem like you were doing so well, so I came to check on you. I’m making soup.”

Oh.

Well, that was nice.

Taehyung smiled, a wide, dopey look as he leaned back on one arm. “You’re literally the best friend I could ever ask for.”

“Good!” Jimin danced back to the kitchen with a little wiggle, which had Taehyung laughing as he watched him head back. Feeling far more relieved, he flopped back against his pillow and opened his messages, clicking through them lazily. A response to manager-hyung—he’s fine, and a bonus Jimin!—and some emojis to Jimin himself, and one back to the group chat to send kissy faces and tell everyone he’s fine. He was just tired. He lets out a loud, obnoxious sneeze, before he just sniffles and turns onto his side.

He didn’t mean to doze off, but he woke up when Jimin calls his name, sitting on the edge of the bed. Jimin’s tiny hand reached up to smooth back his hair. “Tae-yah?”

“Hmm?” Taehyung’s eyelids felt so heavy. His limbs felt weighed down, but so warm.

“Taetae… your fever feels like it’s gotten worse. Have you taken any medication? Today?”

Taehyung just shrugged. “Dunno… when did you first text me?” Honestly, Taehyung wasn’t even sure when he got back. How many hours had it been since hyung took him home? He figured it’s been more than enough time, and shrugged, sitting up. Jetlag is a bitch. “It’s okay, Jyiminie. You cooked, right?”

Jimin nodded. “Food, then medicine, then you can rest some more.” But his words had an edge of finality to it. Taehyung knew this voice well: it meant Jimin was going to get his way because he said so. But the idea of food is enough to get Taehyung out of bed. He flopped himself over Jimin’s shoulder, laughing when Jimin complained about him stepping on his heels, and the two trekked into the dining area. Honestly, Taehyung just had a dining table because he had drinking guests; usually, they ended up in front of the television to eat and chat, but the table was a good place for shots and bigger course meals. All two times a year he hosted anything.

The soup Jimin made was absolutely delicious. There was minimal kick in the spice, gentle for Taehyung’s sensitivity to spicy foods, but flavorful enough it makes him smile. He drinks more broth than noodle, picks around a few of the vegetables, and nearly yawns into his spoon. He’s just… drained.

“I hope this helps bring down your fever,” Jimin says softly, reaching over to stroke his curly hair. It’s a mess, hardened with old hairspray and oils he hasn’t washed yet. “Have you had any other symptoms? Are you coughing?”

Taehyung just shakes his head. “Not really… most of it’s just drainage. I had to blow my nose a lot yesterday.”

Or, what he thought was yesterday. This fever just makes him feel foggy, warm and heavy-limbed and exhausted. A tickle in his throat has him leaning his head into his hands, letting out a few wet-sounding coughs. He wipes leftover spittle onto his napkin.

“Okay. Medication then sleep.” That sounded great. Jimin gets some nyquil into him, and some tea, makes him wash his face, and tucks him into bed with the promise that he’ll be there when he wakes up.

~*~

When Taehyung wakes up, his body is sore and he feels rotten. His limbs ache and he feels overheated, enough that he roughly kicks his blanket before he kicks too hard and finds a leg.

Jimin looks over. He’s typing away at his phone, playing some sort of game, but pauses when he catches Taehyung trying to free himself from his blanket. To help, he reaches a hand over and tugs the blanket down to his legs.

“Taetae-yah, what’s wrong?” he asks softly.

“I’m… hot.”

Jimin tries not to snicker. “Well. Yeah, you’re sick. Feeling overheated?”

Taehyung groans, turning onto his stomach. Jimin sets a hand on his back and begins to rub his spine, but the sensation makes him feel itchy and uncomfortable, and he wiggles. “N-no…”

“No?” Jimin’s hand stops. “Taehyung, talk to me. What are you feeling?”

Taehyung groans. Laying this way doesn’t help either. Just laying here feels uncomfortable, and he turns on his side, freeing his legs completely. His pajamas feel too rough, but the idea of standing to move, change, or remove anything seems to be the worst thing. When Jimin moves his hand to touch Taehyung’s neck, the younger one squirms a little.

“No, Jyimine, it hurts,” he whimpers into the blanket.

“What hurts? Did you injure yourself?” Jimin asks, but he’s kind enough to move his hand back, shifting closer to Taehyung’s face. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

Taehyung barely shakes his head into the pillow, groaning as he does so. Why did every terrible symptom have to hit him then? His headache is back, with a slow, steady throbbing. He feels nauseous from it. “No just… anything touching me… it hurts.”

“Oh…” Jimin knows this too well. When he feels too sick, his old injuries flare up and he feels nothing but pain in the worst areas for hours. But it’s been a while since Taehyung’s last dose, and he’s slept long enough that he could take some more. “Can you sit up? Let me get you some painkillers, we can see if that helps.” Not the strongest, not while he’s like this, but… Tylenol should help. Jimin slides from the bed to get the pills and water ready, leaving Taehyung to work the strength to sit up. When he finally manages to, he takes the pills from Jimin and lets his friend help him with the water. With the pills flushed down his system, Taehyung drops heavily back onto the bed, groaning when Jimin places a cold compress on the back of his neck.

But it… feels good.

“Thanks, Jyiminie.”

“Anytime, Taetae. Get some more sleep.”

~*~

By day three, Jimin had called in reinforcements. Reinforcements come in the form of Jin making a good soup, bringing in good OTC medication, and an extra person to cuddle on the couch. Taehyung felt absolutely rotten by this point, taking to dragging around his comforter around his shoulders any time he left his room. He ends up tucked into Jin’s side, letting Jin feed him whenever he got hungry for some snack or another.

Taehyung doesn’t remember much about day three.

~*~

On the fourth day, more so later that evening, Jimin tugs the thermometer from Taehyung’s mouth and frowns. Taehyung takes the chilsung cider offered and sips at it slowly, enjoying the cold feeling. The carbonation isn’t comfortable for his throat, but it settles his stomach. The nausea had worsened overnight, to the point where Taehyung was struggling to keep food down. Besides a bit of broth from that afternoon, he hasn’t had much luck.

The chills are worse, and he’s buried deep in his comforter and still asking for another blanket. His legs have been aching, on top of all of that.

“Your fever’s up, jagiya,” Jimin says softly.

“What’s new?” Taehyung responds, pouting around his straw.

Jimin strokes his hair gently, what little he can reach from Taehyung’s comforter, and the younger one leans into the touch. While the rest of him is sore, Jimin’s touch is light and familiar, and comforting. He’s worried, Taehyung can tell, but he’s too drained to do anything about it. He trusts his hyung and his soulmate, he’ll be okay.

If he listens vaguely, he can hear Jin on the phone. The eldest had stepped away to make a phone call, but Taehyung can tell it’s either to their team doctor or to the staff’s nurse team. “—up to 38.9 now,” Jin murmurs. Or rather, Jin could be speaking normally, but things sound muffled. Taehyung just leans into Jimin’s touch and closes his eyes. “It’s not spiking, just… steadily climbing. He said he’s achy, he had a headache earlier, and right now he’s been nauseous. Ne, ne. He vomited earlier, but I think he’s trying not to again. Mm.” Jin trudges back into the room. “Tae-yah?”

Taehyung groans. “Hyung?”

“Do you think we can get you to the car? The nurse says we should get you—”

That has the sick boy groaning, shaking his head. “I ‘on’t wanna,” he groaned. “I can just sleep it off. It’s only been a day.”

“Tae-yah, you’ve been home for four days. Your fever is persisting for too long, and you’re literally not getting better…”

Taehyung groans, shaking his head. He tugs the blanket over his face, pulling away from the solace of his friend’s gentle touch. When he feels a hand press on his shoulder, he flinches and tucks himself in further.

“Jin-hyung, don’t—” Jimin protests. His voice is muffled, but the hand goes away, and Taehyung’s shoulders droop, but he’s trembling. Taehyung whines into the blanket.

Gentle fingers reach for the blanket, easing it away from his face. “Tae-yah, you’ll overheat. Jin won’t touch your shoulder, okay?”

“Do I have to get up?” Taehyung asks softly. “Jiminie, I don’t want to leave…”

Jimin hesitates, looking up at Jin. Jin, frowning at them, turns into the phone. “Can the doctor come to us? Taehyungie’s not sure he can get up right now. He can? Oh that’s perfect. We’ll be here. I’ll give him some more ibuprofen while we wait.”

Perfect. Jimin releases the breath he didn’t realize he was holding, but he grabs the water bottle while Jin opens the ibuprofen and knocks four pills into his hand.

“Okay, Tae-yah. The doctor’s coming to you, but you have to take some medicine first.”

Awful. But a deal is a deal. Taehyung grumbles, propping himself up on one arm, his opposite hand reaching out for the tablets. He lets Jimin help him with the water and washes down the medication quickly. It’ll be irritating, on an empty stomach, but the doctor knows best. If the nausea settles, if his fever goes down, he’ll get to eat again. As Jin looks at him with worry and gently scratches his hair, Jimin glances up and hopes to see his friend’s health make a turnaround soon. Both help him lay back on the couch before Jin joins Jimin to sit on the floor. As Taehyung begins to doze again, the two older ones take a breath and let it out slowly. Their doctor is coming. Taehyung will be okay.

#whit writes #bts sickfic #sick!taehyung #caretaker!jimin #caretaker!jin #cold and flu season #fever

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sickonthedancefloor · 9 days

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*sunshine cures grumpy sneezes*

y'all i'm crying at this "idea" I just found in my docs

(and yes all of my ideas/outlines start out like this lmao)

should I continue this and who should the grumpy sickie be???

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sickonthedancefloor · 10 days

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Part 7

the sickfic without a title

“You tired of baths yet?” Namjoon jokes, holding his hand under the faucet to gauge the temperature of the water before he begins to fill the tub.

“Never,” Jungkook murmurs. He’s leaning against the counter, wearing nothing but his boxers. The steam filling the bathroom is already doing wonders for his congestion.

Yoongi comes in and slings his arm around Jungkook’s shoulder, pulling him close and kissing his cheek. “I can’t believe you slept for sixteen hours,” he chuckles. “How’s your stomach feeling?”

“My stomach feels fine,” Jungkook replies, leaning into the touch. “But I’m never taking that medicine again. Not the liquid kind, and not the pills either.” Before Namjoon or Yoongi can say anything, Jungkook holds up his hands. “It’s because it gave me weird dreams. Sixteen hours of really weird fucking dreams.” He sniffles, and Yoongi kisses him on the cheek again.

“I’m sorry, baby. We can try one of the other kinds of medicines next time,” he says, but Jungkook looks skeptical at the idea.

Namjoon adds a generous amount of lavender bubble bath to the water and then joins Jungkook and Yoongi by the sink.

“Want me to get in with you?” Namjoon asks, rubbing between Jungkook’s shoulder blades.

“Yes, please.” Then, he looks at Yoongi and smiles. “The tub is big enough for all three of us.”

Yoongi laughs. “That’s debatable,” he says, but he pulls his shirt off and shimmies out of his pants so he can join them too.

“How is Jimin feeling?” Jungkook asks as soon as he gets into the tub, sinking into the hot water with a contented sigh. “I feel like I haven’t seen him and Tae in forever.”

Yoongi motions for him to lean back and then pours a few handfuls of water over his head to wet his hair. “Tae and Seokie just took a bath with Jimin, sweetheart. He’s sound asleep right now. I think Tae is napping with him.”

Closing his eyes, Jungkook smiles. “I’m glad,” he murmurs. “I hope they’re both able to get some good rest.”

Namjoon sits at the other end of the tub and pulls Jungkook’s feet into his lap, giving him a foot massage before working his way up to his calves. Jungkook’s entire body begins to relax, and his eyelids droop. Even though his nose is running, he can’t bring himself to care, too caught up in the relief that the warm water and his partners’ touch brings him.

After he washes Jungkook’s hair, Yoongi massages his temples, then moves down, gently pressing his fingers along the sides of Jungkook’s nose and against his cheekbones.

“That feels amazing,” Jungkook moans, his eyes closed and his mouth open in bliss.

Chuckling affectionately, Yoongi grabs a washcloth and swipes it under Jungkook’s nose to catch the results of the sinus massage. He tenderly cleans Jungkook’s face and then cranes his neck to press a kiss to the younger man’s temple, smiling when Jungkook lets out a long, pleased hum.

By the time they’re done, Jungkook is almost asleep, and Yoongi gently shakes him awake and helps him stand. The three of them get dried off, and then Seokjin stops by, poking his head into the bathroom. “How are you feeling, baby?” He asks Jungkook. “Want me to dry your hair for you?”

Jungkook nods, smiling as he pulls his towel tighter around his waist, sitting down on the closed toilet seat. While Seokjin uses the blow dryer to help him dry his hair, he closes his eyes and nearly falls asleep again, basking in the warmth.

“That looks like it feels good,” Namjoon notes as he watches Seokjin dry Jungkook’s hair for him, gently massaging his scalp as he goes. “Can I get that later?”

Seokjin smirks and wiggles his eyebrows up and down. “Sure. If you do the work of washing us, I’ll dry us off.”

Jungkook smiles and snorts softly through his nose, his eyes still closed. “Cute,” he murmurs.

Namjoon turns red and sputters at the implications. “I-I didn’t mean like that,” he huffs out.

“It’s okay,” Jungkook says, knowing he’s only saying that because he doesn’t want him to feel left out. “As long as I can get in on the action later too.”

Seokjin leans around to kiss his cheek. “Of course, love. You’ll be getting so much action once you’re feeling better.”

Now it’s Jungkook whose face is flushing. He smiles, feeling warm and loved, and then finds himself growing teary as he thinks about how well all of his partners have been taking care of him, grateful to have them by his side.

Yoongi holds up a box of pills in a silent question, and Jungkook frowns, his shoulders sagging.

“This is the non-drowsy kind,” Yoongi says. “It’s just to help with the symptoms, if you want it. Won’t make you fall asleep or have weird dreams.”

Wordlessly, Jungkook holds out his hand for them, reluctant but also knowing that he’ll probably regret not taking anything later. He swallows the pills down and then stands, running his hand through his now-dry and fluffy hair.

Yoongi leads him to his bedroom to help him get dressed. Jungkook pauses in the middle of the room, face scrunching up as a weird sensation runs through him.

“Uh.” Jungkook puts a hand on his stomach. “I’m not sure if it’s just a mental thing, but my stomach is starting to feel kind of weird already.”

Yoongi reaches out and puts his hand next to Jungkook’s, rubbing back and forth. “That’s okay,” he says, trying to keep the frown off his face. “We’ll just take it slow. Let’s get you into something comfortable so you can sit down and rest, okay?”

Jungkook swallows thickly and nods. He sits on the edge of the bed while Yoongi gathers up an armful of things– a pair of pajamas, socks, chapstick and a box of tissues– and then gets dressed, allowing Yoongi to help him put on his socks.

Yoongi rubs his belly again and hands Jungkook the chapstick, and then he sits with Jungkook for a while, until he notices Jungkook’s eyes are closed again.

“Is your stomach feeling better? You want to go back to sleep?” He asks softly, brushing Jungkook’s hair back from his forehead.

“No,” Jungkook replies, and Yoongi can hear that he’s already congested again. “I just woke up.” But even as he says it, he lets his head fall onto Yoongi’s shoulder, yawning loudly.

“It’s okay.” Yoongi reaches behind them to pull back the covers so Jungkook can get back under them. “You’re still sick, you need a lot more rest.”

It doesn’t take any more convincing to get Jungkook to lie down, and it’s not long before his eyelids are drooping. “Rest well,” Yoongi whispers, kissing him on the forehead before making sure he’s tucked in warmly before leaving the room.

“Hey, babe. How was your run?”

Namjoon is panting hard, sweat dripping down the sides of his face and neck. He drags his forearm across his forehead and grins. “It was great,” he says. “It’s hot outside, though.”

The afternoon sun is high in the sky, and Seokjin eyes the way Namjoon is leaning heavily against the wall as he removes his shoes. He goes into the kitchen to get a glass of water, and when he returns Namjoon is still standing there, cheeks flushed red and eyes closed.

“You okay?” He asks, hurrying over to Namjoon and pressing the glass of water into his hands. “You’re shaking.”

With trembling hands, Namjoon lifts the water to his lips and drinks.

“Come sit down,” Seokjin says as soon as he finishes the glass. He leads Namjoon into the living room, nudging him to sit down on the couch before going to the kitchen to refill his water. When he gets back Namjoon is sitting with his head in his hands, and Seokjin’s stomach plunges.

“Shit,” he hisses, rushing to sit down next to Namjoon. “Joonie, what’s wrong? Are you hurt? Sick?”

Namjoon lifts his head and swallows thickly. “I think I’m okay,” he says. “Just a little overheated, maybe.” He gratefully accepts the water from Seokjin and gulps it down while Seokjin watches closely, his eyes scanning Namjoon’s face for any sign of what might be wrong.

“I’m fine, really,” Namjoon says, glancing sideways at his worried partner. “I just need to cool off a bit.”

“Are you sick?” Seokjin asks, putting his hand on Namjoon’s back. “You’re drenched in sweat, baby.”

Namjoon chuckles, but the sound is shaky and weak. “I went for a run in the sun. Of course I’m a little sweaty.”

“You’re in pain, though,” Seokjin presses him. “Is it your stomach?”

“No,” Namjoon insists. “I’m fine. My stomach is fine.”

Seokjin puts his hand against Namjoon’s forehead, frowning at the heat he feels. “You’ve caught Jimin and Jungkook’s cold, then.”

Namjoon shakes his head, but Seokjin is already gone, off to fetch the thermometer from the bathroom. With a long sigh, Namjoon leans back against the couch cushions. In all honesty, he is feeling a little…off. He doesn’t think he’s sick, but he feels worse than he should after a run that he’s done a hundred times before.

When he returns, Seokjin takes his temperature, and then uses his hand again to feel Namjoon’s forehead, then his cheeks, then his neck as if he’ll determine something different.

“Your face is so red,” he whispers, brows furrowed as his hands move across Namjoon’s forehead.

“You worry too much, babe.”

“Please, just tell me how you’re honestly feeling.”

Namjoon takes in all of the worry in Seokjin’s face, the look of desperation in his eyes, and he gives a small smile.

“I’m hot,” Namjoon begins. “Because I went for a run in the heat.” Seokjin shoots him a warning look and he holds up his hands. “Okay, okay. I’m hot. I’m sweaty. I am more tired than I usually am after a run. I have a little bit of a headache. When I first got home, I felt a tiny bit nauseous.” He shakes his head quickly before Seokjin can respond to that. “I’m not nauseous anymore, and my stomach feels fine. Drinking water helped a lot.”

He takes Seokjin’s face in both hands and leans forward, pressing his lips to the older man’s forehead. “I don’t want you to worry about me. I’m okay.”

Seokjin bites his lip, and Namjoon can almost see the wheels turning in his head.

“What if I agree to rest? I’ll lie down on the couch and take a little nap and when I wake up, you can check on me and see that I’m still doing just fine.”

Immediately, Seokjin stands and ushers Namjoon to lie down. “You just get comfortable,” he says, reaching down to adjust the pillows for him. “I’ll get you another glass of water. If you need anything at all, call me.”

Namjoon smiles at the way Seokjin is fussing at him, and he wiggles around, trying to get comfortable. His face feels hot, but the rest of his body seems to be cooling down already and after Seokjin brings him more water, he closes his eyes.

He sleeps for an hour or so, and when he wakes up his face still feels hot while the rest of him feels shivery. He sits upright, rubbing his eyes and looking around until he spots Hoseok sitting across the room.

“Feel better?” Hoseok asks, standing from his chair to come sit down next to him. He peers at Namjoon’s face and lifts his hand, pressing the back of his fingertips to his cheek.

“I still have a headache,” Namjoon says. “But I do feel a little better now.”

“You’re really, really sunburned,” Hoseok tells him. “I think you were out in the sun too long.”

“Oh,” Namjoon replies. “That makes so much more sense.” He lifts his hand to his face, wincing when he touches his cheeks. “Ouch.”

“Seokjinnie is convinced you have the flu,” Hoseok chuckles. “But he’s still going to worry over you until this heals.”

“I can’t believe I forgot sunscreen,” Namjoon pouts. “My face is on fire.”

“I’ll bike into town in a bit and get you some aloe gel to put on your face,” Hoseok says. “And no, you can’t come with me. You get to stay inside for the rest of the day. Tomorrow too, maybe.” He leans forward and presses a gentle kiss to the very tip of Namjoon’s sunburned nose when he frowns at the thought of staying indoors, and Hoseok can’t help but chuckle at the way he’s still pouting.

“I’ll stay in with you and make it worth your while,” he promises.

Jimin shifts uncomfortably on the couch, sniffling. His nose is stuffy and his blanket keeps getting tangled up around his legs, making it hard to find a comfortable position. He tries to bite back a groan and presses his face into the pillow beneath him, wishing it was cooler to ease the heat on his cheeks.

As he lies there, drifting in and out of sleep, he hears someone humming softly nearby. He forces his eyes open and squints around, trying to make out where the sound is coming from.

It’s Hoseok, who’s in the kitchen making tea. When he brings two mugs out to the living room, he smiles at Jimin, face lighting up.

“You’re awake!” He sets the tea down on the coffee table and sits down on the end of the couch. “How are you feeling, baby?”

“Uh.” Jimin clears his throat and sniffles. “I’m okay.” His voice comes out raspy and as he pushes himself into a sitting position, the congestion in his sinuses shifts around and makes his nose tingle. He shakes his head back and forth with a strangled gasp, pulling his knees to his chest, and lifts the edge of the blanket to cover his face just in time for a fit of sneezes.

“Goodness, bless you.” Hoseok hands him a tissue. “Bless you!”

Blushing, Jimin wipes his nose with the tissue and rests his chin on his knees. His nose and cheek are pink and his hair is disheveled from his nap on the couch.

“Thanks. I’m so ready to be over this cold.”

“I know, sweetie,” Hoseok frowns. He hands Jimin his tea and then reaches over to rub his back.

“Thank you for making me tea.” Jimin blows on the hot liquid before taking a sip. He can hardly taste it, but it feels wonderful going down his throat, warming his insides.

"No problem, baby. Whatever you need, I’ll get it for you." Hoseok smiles and runs his hands through Jimin’s hair, smoothing it down. He puts his palm on Jimin’s forehead, letting it linger for a moment. “You don’t feel too warm, at least.”

Scooting closer, Hoseok wraps his arm around Jimin’s shoulder, tugging him closer, and Jimin sighs and leans into him while he sips his tea. Soon, the warmth of the tea and the blanket have Jimin feeling sleepy again, and he begins to nod off, his head slumping to the side and coming to rest on Hoseok’s shoulder.

“Hold on, sleepyhead,” Hoseok whispers, quickly reaching over to take the mug from Jimin's hands. He sets it on the coffee table and then helps Jimin lie down more comfortably on the couch. He sits with Jimin’s head in his lap, tucking a pillow beneath his head and pulling the blanket up over his shoulders. As Jimin falls back asleep, Hoseok absently runs his fingers through his hair, keeping up the soothing action even after Jimin’s breathing evens out into soft snores.

Jungkook is tossing and turning, trying to find a comfortable position, when he hears the door to his room open.

“Hey,” he hears Yoongi whisper, and he rolls over to see him padding across the room, guitar in hand.

Jungkook smiles excitedly, suddenly not caring about how uncomfortable he is. “You’re really going to play for me?”

“Of course,” Yoongi replies. “I promised, remember?”

He sets the guitar on the bed and gets in beside Jungkook, sitting cross-legged against the headboard. His hand finds Jungkook’s forehead and Jungkook sniffles, leaning into the touch.

“You’re warm,” Yoongi comments. His thumb brushes along Jungkook’s cheekbone. “And you’re all flushed. When did you last take medicine?”

“Like an hour ago,” Jungkook replies hoarsely. His voice is starting to go.

Yoongi leans forward and grabs his guitar, pulling it into his lap and strumming a few chords before looking down at Jungkook with a fond look.

“My eomma used to sing me this song,” he tells Jungkook before starting to play, something soft and melodic that’s slightly familiar.

After a moment, Jungkook picks up on the melody and starts to hum along, closing his eyes and letting the sound of the guitar wash over him.

Suddenly, the music stops.

“Hey,” Yoongi scolds. “You should be resting your voice.”

Jungkook frowns, but stops humming. Then, he has an idea. He gives Yoongi his best puppy-eyes, licks his lips, and then croaks, “Will you sing, then?”

Yoongi has always had a good singing voice, never confident enough to use it in public, but Jungkook has heard Yoongi singing when he thinks he’s all alone and he loves the way he sounds.

“I’m not a singer,” Yoongi responds, rolling his eyes. “That’s why I have the guitar.”

“I’ve heard you sing,” Jungkook says hoarsely, ignoring the fact that he really shouldn’t be talking. “You have a beautiful voice. Please?”

The blush on Yoongi’s cheeks is bright enough to rival the fever-flush on Jungkook’s cheeks, but he presses his lips together and nods, starting up the song again.

As he plays, he sings along, and even though Jungkook is growing sleepy he keeps his eyes on Yoongi’s face, on the way his expressions convey the emotions of the song. Soon, the song is over, and as the last chord rings out Yoongi finishes with a short, low adlib, hummed so quietly it’s barely heard over the guitar’s final notes. When he’s done, he smiles, almost to himself, eyes trained on something in the distance like he’s remembering something.

Jungkook sneezes then, completely caught off guard by a sudden tickle in his nose, and Yoongi jumps in surprise next to him, sending the guitar sideways dangerously close to Jungkook’s head.

“Sorry,” Jungkook squeaks, narrowly avoiding the instrument. He squeezes his eyes shut as another sneeze builds, one hand cupped over his mouth and nose, and sniffles wetly. “Need a tissue,” he croaks, cracking one eye open.

Yoongi chuckles. He sets his guitar to the side and grabs the box of tissues, holding it out to Jungkook. Jungkook takes out a couple and sneezes once more before blowing his nose.

“Thank you,” Jungkook whispers, then yawns immediately after.

“Stop talking,” Yoongi says. Then, “close your eyes. I’ll play until you fall asleep.”

Jungkook does as he’s told, and when Yoongi starts the next song, he lets the music fill his mind, a soothing lullaby to carry him to sleep.

He wakes up what feels like only a few minutes later to a strange sound, and realizes in embarrassment that it's his own snoring that has woken him up.

“Hey,” Yoongi smiles over at him, reaching over to card his hands through his hair. “You okay?”

Jungkook nods, a little surprised that Yoongi is still here in bed with him. The guitar is propped up against the side of the bed and Yoongi has his phone out, and Jungkook can tell by his screen that he’s indulging in his guilty pleasure- watching cute cat compilations.

He sniffles and leans over so he can rest his head on the older man’s shoulder, wincing at how stuffed up he feels, and at how tired he still is.

“You sound so stuffy, sweetheart,” Yoongi frowns, lifting a hand to Jungkook’s face. “Can I?”

Jungkook nods, closing his eyes and Yoongi moves his fingertips to the side of his nose and begins to stroke downward, massaging the area where his sinuses are aching. He works for a few minutes, until Jungkook can feel his nose running. Yoongi hands him a tissue and he holds it to his nose while Yoongi continues to gently knead his face.

“Better?”

Jungkook sniffles a little, testing. It’s a relief to be rid of the congestion even though he knows it’s probably only temporary.

“Yeah,” he answers. “Thank you.”

Yoongi smiles and rubs his thumb back and forth over Jungkook’s cheek and then holds up his phone. “Want to watch this cute cat video I found?”

“Bless you, bless you, bless you!” Hoseok says cheerfully in English after Jungkook sneezes for what feels like twenty times in a row. He pulls a handful of tissues out of the box between them and tucks them into Jungkook’s hand.

“You don’t have to say it a hundred times,” Jungkook grumbles congestedly, but he still smiles a little because it’s such an endearing habit of Hoseok’s.

“Well, you don’t have to sneeze a hundred times, and yet here we are,” Hoseok retorts playfully, handing Jungkook the whole tissue box when his breath catches again.

“Hhh–! Guhh…ugh, it’s not my fault,” Jungkook whines, leaning sideways against Hoseok.

“M’kay, sneezy.” Hoseok reaches over and touches Jungkook’s red nose, brushing his fingertip lightly over the broad tip of it until he notices Jungkook’s nostrils flaring.

“huhh–! hhhHoseokie–!” Jungkook scrambles to get a hand up to his face. His breath hitches once, twice, and he forces out a breathy whine, eyebrows furrowing as he attempts to lean away from Hoseok’s ticklish touch. “Stop it!”

Hoseok laughs, but relents. “Sorry, my love.” He watches Jungkook sneeze another handful of times, face buried into his handful of tissues, and then leans over to press a kiss to the side of his head as he blows his nose.

There’s a knock on the door and Seokjin pushes it open with his foot, his arms full of laundry. He walks over to the bed and dumps the load on the end of the bed, pulling a throw blanket out from the pile.

“I bring you a gift,” he says, tossing the blanket into Jungkook’s lap before he starts to fold everything.

Jungkook sniffles wetly as he pulls the blanket over himself. “I fucking love you so much,” he moans in pure bliss, closing his eyes. “You’re so much nicer than Hoseok.”

Seokjin lifts an eyebrow, taking in the pile of tissues and the grin on Hoseok’s face. Jungkook sniffles a few more times, and then he peeks out from under his blanket, red-nosed and sniffly.

“How many loads of laundry have you done this week?” Jungkook asks, feeling guilty as he takes in the pile of clothes. He hasn’t done a single chore in their time at the lakehouse so far. He knows he shouldn’t feel guilty for being sick, but it still creeps in anyway, like a weight sitting on his chest.

Next to him in the bed, Hoseok sighs. “He’s done too much laundry,” he says. “He won’t let anyone help him.”

Jungkook frowns. “Jinnie,” he says, the warm blanket making him feel sleepy. “Come take a nap with me.”

Seokjin smiles. “I have to finish folding the laundry first.”

“Why?” Jungkook whines. “I’ll fold the laundry later. Come take a nap with me. Please.”

“I have a better idea,” Hoseok says, standing and beginning to gather up the clothes into his arms. “I’ll take the laundry into the other room and fold it, and you two can both take a nap.”

“I changed my mind,” Jungkook says around a yawn. “Hoseok, you’re nice and I love you.”

“Love you too.”

Jungkook scrunches up his nose and turns to Seokjin. “I have a warm blanket,” Jungkook says, wiggling his eyebrows enticingly.

Rolling his eyes, Seokjin climbs into the bed, slipping under the covers with Jungkook. “Are you gonna share the warm blanket, though?” He asks.

“Of course not.” Jungkook grins, his eyes already closed as he snuggles against Seokjin’s side. “Now be quiet and sleep with me.” A moment later, though, he pulls the blanket over so it’s covering both of them, and then wraps an arm around Seokjin’s waist, and they both let themselves revel in the comforting warmth as they doze off for a nap.Just as Jungkook is drifting off to sleep, he hears a very, very loud sneeze come from another room– it’s Taehyung, without a doubt, given the volume of it– and he knows in his gut that it’s not a good sign, but before he can dwell on it the warmth and the sleepiness finally pulls him under and he’s out seconds later.

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sickonthedancefloor · 11 days

Text

Part 6

the sickfic without a title

Jungkook sleeps in late the next morning.

He wakes up once, when the others are up and getting ready for the day, and listens to them whisper and move around in the rest of the house, but as soon as he sees what time it is he rolls over and pulls the blankets over his head, falling back asleep quickly.

The second time he wakes up, it's almost noon, and when he sits up his head throbs at the change in position. It takes a long few minutes to drag himself out of bed, and he only does so because he has to use the bathroom. He climbs back into bed afterward, pulling the whole tissue box under the covers with him, and blows his nose what feels like a dozen times before he can lie down without feeling like he’s going to choke on his own snot.

Hoseok stops by his room about thirty minutes later, just when Jungkook is about to give up on trying to fall back asleep.

“Hey,” he whispers, sticking his head into the room. “You doing okay in here?”

Jungkook sniffles and rolls over to face the door, only his eyes visible from his blanket cocoon. He’s so stuffed up that it’s a struggle to breathe, and Hoseok frowns in sympathy.

“What are you guys doing today?” Jungkook asks, not really answering Hoseok’s questions, wondering if he should make himself get up for the day now just so he can say he didn’t lie in bed the entire day.

“We’re just hanging out here today. Don’t worry about getting up,” Hoseok tells him, as if reading his mind. “You need all the rest he can get.”

That, Jungkook can agree with. If only he could actually get some rest. Maybe he should stay in bed the entire day.

“How’s Jimin doing?”

Hoseok smiles. “Jimin is doing okay. Still sniffly, but Taehyung is giving him lots of cuddles and love.”

Jungkook hums, hopeful that Jimin will recover quickly from his cold, but he still can’t help feeling so worried about his partner.

“I’ll bring you some medicine and something to eat,” Hoseok offers, but Jungkook takes into account his raw throat and the precarious state of his stomach and quickly shakes his head.

“No thanks,” he replies. “I’m just gonna try to go back to sleep.”

Hoseok frowns again, worry creasing his forehead. “Fine, but when you do get up later, come cuddle with me on the couch and I’ll give you medicine out there.”

Jungkook shrugs noncommittally and lifts his head to look around for the tissues. His head feels so heavy, and so do his arms as he reaches for the box. He blows his nose, the sound muffled, and Hoseok sighs.

“Okay. Sleep well, baby. Text us if you need anything.”

Once again, Jungkook pulls the blanket up to completely cover his entire body, cocooning himself in the warmth, and he falls asleep only a few minutes after he hears the sound of the door closing.

Jungkook shuffles out of his room and plops down on the couch sometime in the early afternoon. He still looks half asleep, hair sticking up on one side, his nose red and his eyes puffy.

“Hey, beautiful,” Hoseok greets him, wrapping his arms around him and kissing his temple. “How did you sleep?”

“Ngh.” It’s almost a whimper, hoarse and congested. “I s-slept–” Another whimper, and then Jungkook sneezes twice, ducking down to hide his face in the crook of his elbow. “Sorry. I slept okay. Are there any…” He trails off, eyelashes fluttering and mouth falling open, but Hoseok understands what he’s asking for and presses a tissue into his hand. Instead of sneezing though, he yawns, but he lifts the tissue to his face anyway, blinking at it in slight confusion as he recovers.

“I’m glad you slept well,” Hoseok chuckles, kissing him on the temple again. “You sound way too stuffed up, though.”

Jungkook nods and sniffs forcefully, then folds the tissue over his nose. As he blows his nose, Hoseok holds up the bottle of cold medicine, but before he can say anything Jungkook is shaking his head.

“No, thanks. I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine, Jungkookie. You’re sick. It’s okay to be sick.”

Feeling tears well up in his eyes, Jungkook sniffles. “But I was just sick. I’m supposed to be better now.”

Hoseok tugs Jungkook against him and rubs his back. “I know, Kookie. I’m so sorry, baby.” He cups the back of Jungkook’s head, resting his cheek against Jungkook’s hair when the younger man sags against him in defeat. Jungkook is quiet but Hoseok can tell that he’s crying by the way his sniffles increase, his breath coming out of his mouth in shaky, hot puffs of air.

“What can I do to make you feel better right now? I don’t like to see you so sad.”

For a long moment, Jungkook is silent. He reaches up with a trembling hand and swipes at his eyes, sniffling. “I just want to have a vacation,” he finally says, voice croaky and soft. “I want to go fishing with Jinnie. I want to go on a bike ride with Namjoonie.” He pulls back, just enough to look into Hoseok’s eyes with his own teary ones. “I want to go sit out by the lake with you and relax in the sun.” He buries his face back into the crook of Hoseok’s neck. “And maybe make out for a couple of hours or something,” he adds, mumbling the words against Hoseok’s skin.

Hoseok chuckles and wraps his arms tightly around Jungkook’s frame, “Oh, baby, I know. I want all that too. And we’ll have plenty of time for all that still, when you’re feeling better. We still have the rest of the summer.”

“Yeah,” Jungkook grumbles, squirming in Hoseok’s embrace. “But I already wasted this first part of the summer by being fucking sick, twice.”

With a sigh, Hoseok presses his lips to Jungkook’s temple. He rubs his hands up and down his back, then pulls the blanket off the back of the couch and tucks it around his shoulders. “I promise I’ll make it up to you when you’re feeling better,” he whispers. “I’ll make sure we get to do double the fun stuff. Okay?”

Jungkook hums. “And double the making out?”

Hoseok cackles. “Of course, Jungkookie. Triple the making out, even. But I get you all to myself for that. Everyone else can schedule their make out sessions with you for a later date.”

“But I wanna make out with all of you,” Jungkook says, but he’s laughing too. He leans back again, eyes sparkling with glee now instead of tears. “You can watch, if you want.”

Barely resisting the urge to lean in and kiss Jungkook right there and then, Hoseok presses a kiss to his forehead instead, mindful of germs for the time being.

“God, I love you. Want to watch some TV with me?”

Jungkook nods, a smile on his face that makes the last of Hoseok’s concern fade away.

He bundles Jungkook up with a second blanket, sitting on one end of the couch so Jungkook can put his head in his lap. Jungkook keeps a tissue box cradled under one arm, and he goes through almost the entire box in less than ten minutes, blowing his nose between frequent bouts of yawning. Hoseok spends most of that time frowning down at him, listening to his cacophony of sniffles and sneezes, concern growing in the pit of his stomach until Jungkook finally closes his eyes and drifts off to sleep with his blanket clenched to his chest with one fist and a crumpled up tissue in the other.

“Hey, Seokjin?” Namjoon leans over the back of his couch and hooks his chin over Seokjin’s shoulder, watching him play video games on the TV. “Have you seen Jungkook?”

Seokjin shakes his head and pauses his game. “He’s not in his room?”

“He’s not in his room. No one else seems to know where he is.

“Well, that’s…” Seokjin cranes his neck to look up at Namjoon. “Where would he even be?”

They both seem to have the same thought at the same time, and Seokjin springs up from the couch. They make their way to the front door, quickly pulling on their shoes.

However, they don’t have to make it past the front porch. There on the porch swing is Jungkook, curled up on his side under a blanket and sniffling into a tissue as tears slide down his face.

Namjoon kneels in front of the swing and cups Jungkook’s wet cheek. “Oh, Kookie. What are you doing out here, baby?”

He glances up at Seokjin, who’s typing something on his phone– probably texting Yoongi or Hoseok.

Jungkook sniffles wetly and closes his eyes. He’s quiet for a moment, chin trembling and brows furrowed, and then he opens his eyes and blinks as new tears immediately fall, his lashes wet and his nose running profusely.

“I’m just tired,” he whispers hoarsely. “Of being sick.”

Namjoon bites his lip and pulls the sleeve of his sweater down over his hand. He wipes beneath Jungkook’s eyes, even though he’s still crying, and Jungkook scrubs at his runny nose with his crumpled tissue when he’s done. His nostrils flare and Namjoon looks around hurriedly for more tissues– but there aren’t any, and Jungkook has to press his used one to his nose, cupping his hand over it as his nostrils flare again with a ticklish wave of irritation.

Namjoon strokes his hair as the sneeze builds, Jungkook’s breath congested and crackling as it hitches, until the last minute when the sneeze backs off and he coughs instead.

“Fuck. My stomach hurts,” he groans, curling up even more, pulling his knees closer to his chest. “It’s sore,” he clarifies when he hears Namjoon’s sharp inhale. “My abs hurt.”

“I bet.” Namjoon dries his cheeks some more with his sleeve, noting that they’re pink, either from fever or the chilly air outside. He bites back the urge to scold him for coming outside when he’s so sick. Instead, he stands and pats Jungkook’s hip, then holds out his hand. “C’mon. Let’s go inside where it’s a bit warmer.”

Jungkook slowly sits up, shivering violently when the blanket slides down to his lap. He presses his fingertips to the side of his nose and winces, swallowing thickly and staring at Namjoon’s hand.

The door opens, and Yoongi steps out onto the porch, followed by Hoseok.

“I have some medicine,” Hoseok says, holding up the bottle of cold medicine.

Jungkook pauses, just about to take Namjoon’s hand. “No, thanks.”

Yoongi blinks rapidly a few times. “I’m sorry–? What do you mean, no?”

Hoseok sighs and adds, “Jungkook, you were fine taking fever reducers and medicine for your stomach earlier this week. Why are you being difficult about this?”

Seokjin sighs. “Hey, everyone relax. Jungkook, we’re not gonna force you to take medicine. You’re an adult. But…can you at least tell us why? I mean, you seem so miserable, baby.”

“Everything already hurts,” is all Jungkook says in response, still massaging the side of his nose.

Seokjin nods like he’s not completely confused. “Um. Okay.” He exchanges glances with Namjoon, Yoongi and Hoseok, and the four of them are quiet for a minute, waiting for him to continue.

“That shit upsets my stomach,” Jungkook finally says after a long pause, not realizing they’re waiting for him to explain himself further. He shivers and scrubs at his nose some more, wrapping his free arm around his midsection. “If I take it, I’m gonna puke, and that’s gonna make everything hurt worse.”

It makes more sense, then, knowing that he’s hesitant to take medicine that might make his stomach upset when he’s already spent such a long week being sick to his stomach.

“Would you be willing to try some other things? Not medicine, but maybe some tea and maybe a steam treatment to start with?”

“I’ll go inside and start the kettle,” Hoseok says, and Yoongi follows him inside to look for something suitable for Jungkook to eat.

“My eomma always used to put boiling water in a pot and then have me stick my head over it to breathe in the steam when I was sick as a kid,” Seokjin tells Jungkook. “She put a towel over my head and it felt like a tiny sauna or something. But it always cleared me up pretty well.”

Without warning, Jungkook bursts into tears, and Seokjin is stunned for a moment before he springs into action. Namjoon moves at the same time, and they sit on either side of Jungkook on the porch swing, wrapping their arms around him as he cries.

“I don’t wanna be in a sauna,” he sobs.

“Of course not,” Seokjin soothes, reaching out to swipe the tears from Jungkook’s face with his thumb. “No saunas.”

“You poor thing,” Namjoon murmurs, carding his hand through Jungkook’s hair. “You’re really not feeling well, are you?”

When his tears finally subside, Jungkook’s nose is bright red and running profusely. In the absence of tissues, Namjoon lifts the corner of the blanket up to his face and gently wipes his nose.

“I’m sorry,” Jungkook whispers hoarsely. “I don’t know why I’m so emotional. I feel like I can’t stop crying today.”

Seokjin rubs his back soothingly. “No need to apologize, sweetheart. Cry all you need to, remember?”

After Jungkook catches his breath, Namjoon lifts him into his arms and carries him bridal-style back inside. He can feel how much he’s trembling against him, and he exchanges a look with Seokjin as he holds the door open for them, seeing the same look of concern in his partner’s eyes.

“You don’t have to carry me,” Jungkook croaks, but then changes his mind and lets his head fall against Namjoon’s chest. “Actually, yeah, maybe you do. I feel really weak right now.”

“How did you even get yourself out here in the first place?” Namjoon asks, holding Jungkook close to his body.

Jungkook tenses in Namjoon’s arms, then turns to hide his face in his chest. “Is it bad if I say I don’t really remember that part?” He lets out a shaky breath. “I guess I just wanted some fresh air.”

Namjoon can hear the pout in his voice and it makes him smile. “I’m glad you thought to bring a blanket with you at least.”

Hoseok meets them in the entryway. He takes in Jungkook’s watery, puffy eyes, his mouth turning down into a frown that’s so deep it makes him look angry.

“I really think you should take some medicine,” he says, pressing the back of his hand to Jungkook’s forehead. “If you take it with food, I don’t think you’ll have to worry about it upsetting your stomach.”

“Plus, you’ll be able to rest better,” Namjoon reasons as he carries Jungkook through the house.

Jungkook doesn’t reply, his eyes not meeting theirs.

In the living room, Yoongi has hot tea and a dose of medicine ready for Jungkook. He sets everything on the coffee table and then sits on one end of the couch, motioning for Namjoon to bring him over. As soon as he’s sitting, Yoongi wraps another blanket around his shoulders and then pulls Jungkook against his chest, frowning when he feels how hard he’s shivering.

“Oh, hon. Let’s warm you up,” he murmurs as Jungkook sniffles into his chest.

After a few minutes of cuddles, Jungkook’s shivering subsides a little, and Yoongi leans away just enough to get a good look at his face.

“Your poor, poor nose,” Yoongi murmurs, pressing a very gentle kiss to the very tip of Jungkook’s reddened nose. “It’s so red, baby.”

“D-don’hh–!” Jungkook barely even gets out a full word before he sneezes explosively, tucking his chin to his chest and pulling the blanket up over his face. He groans loudly afterward, sniffing into the blanket, and when he emerges his eyes are watery.

“Not my fault your nose is so kissable,” Yoongi mumbles guiltily. He pulls Jungkook back against his chest in a tight hug. “Sorry.”

“We got a new thermometer!” Hoseok announces, holding up the thermometer he and Namjoon had found in town. “It’s the kind you put on your forehead. Really would have come in handy this past week, huh?” He chuckles and watches Jungkook sniffle some more.

“Here,” he says, grabbing the box of tissues from the table and holding it out to Jungkook.

Jungkook sniffles yet again and hugs the box of tissues to his chest, pulling one out with trembling fingers.

“You made your runny nose worse by going outside,” Hoseok scolds him lightly, but Jungkook sneezes right as he says it and it makes Hoseok chuckle.

He holds the thermometer to Jungkook’s forehead, waiting for it to beep. “You’re a little warm, but it’s not too bad,” he announces, showing him the reading on the thermometer. “With some medicine and some rest, you’ll probably be able to shake the fever pretty quick.”

Still sniffling, Jungkook only frowns as presses another tissue to his dripping nose.

Yoongi picks up the mug of tea, blowing across the top to cool it down and then taking a sip to check the temperature before handing it to Jungkook. As Jungkook sips it, it’s as if he’s moving in slow motion. Every few minutes or so, he has to set the mug down, reach for a tissue, and then bring it to his face with a tired sigh as he blows his nose. Then he tosses it into the rapidly growing pile of used tissues in front of him, sniffles, and picks up his mug of tea again. He can’t seem to stop sniffling, as as he nears the bottom of his tea he starts yawning again.

Before he can get too sleepy, Seokjin slides a plate with a single piece of toast on it in front of him.

Jungkook dutifully begins to eat, accepting a second cup of tea to go with it. They can hear how stuffy his breathing has gotten as he tries to chew and breathe through his mouth at the same time, and he goes through the same routine of pausing every so often to blow his nose.

He nibbles very, very slowly on the toast. The next time he starts to set it down so he can reach for a tissue, Namjoon beats him to it, plucking one out of the box and bringing it directly to his face. “Go ahead,” Namjoon says, cupping the tissue over his reddened nose.

Jungkook freezes, his cheeks turning pink. He squirms a bit, obviously a bit embarrassed in the moment by the action, but the need to blow his nose outweighs any awkwardness. He blows, resisting the urge to sniffle as Namjoon dabs at his nostrils.

“Just shove some tissues up my nostrils,” Jungkook whines hoarsely when he’s done. “I’m so fucking tired of blowing my nose.”

“You look sleepy, sweetheart,” Yoongi says, eyeing how much of the toast is still left with a slight frown. “Why don’t you close your eyes for a bit?”

Jungkook nods, lying down and closing his eyes, but he opens them less than a minute later so he can grab yet another tissue.

While he blows his nose, Seokjin clears the dishes and brings them to the kitchen. When he returns, he puts a hand on Yoongi’s back. “Want to come take a nap with me? All of Jungkookie’s yawning has me feeling tired.”

Jungkook rolls onto his side and pouts up at them both. “It’s not my fault.”

Bending down to kiss him on the forehead, Seokjin chuckles. “I know it’s not. Now, get some rest. You’re welcome to come join us if you want.”

Jungkook offers him a weak smile, nodding and snuggling down further into the couch. “‘Kay.”

Yoongi and Seokjin leave, and it’s quiet for a bit as Namjoon and Hoseok sit with Jungkook on the couch.

The next time Jungkook blows his nose, he snorts halfway through, blinking rapidly against a sudden tickle in his sinuses.

“Oh,” Namjoon says, looking over at the strange sound. “You okay?”

Jungkook’s nostrils flare. He uses the tissue to scrub his nose, then nods and lies back down.

But still, Jungkook can’t seem to get comfortable. He crooks a finger under his nose, his face scrunching up as he rubs back and forth across his septum with his knuckle.

Namjoon smiles. “Something bothering you, baby?”

“Ngh.” Jungkook digs the heel of his hands against his twitching nose. “There are like, at least three sneezes stuck in there.”

“Ohh, baby, you poor thing,” Hoseok says. “Maybe if you give in to the sleepiness, the sneezes will come out? Close your eyes and try to relax, maybe it will feel better.”

“I’m already trying to relax,” Jungkook grumbles under his breath. His eyelashes flutter rapidly, and he’s suddenly blinking away tears. But before Namjoon or Hoseok can say something to comfort him, his lips part with a shaky gasp and they realize he isn’t about to cry, but is instead gearing up for a sneeze.

It’s almost as if Namjoon can physically see the tickle in Jungkook’s nose work it’s way far enough back in his sinuses to finally trigger the sneeze that’s been teasing him; Jungkook’s nostrils suddenly flare wide, his top lip curling up on the left side, and his left eye twitches once before a tear trickles out of the corner.

The first sneeze is massive, an explosive release as his body attempts to expel all irritants as forcefully as possible after such a long build up, but the seven or so sneezes that follow are rapid and much quieter. For a moment, it seems as if he won’t ever stop sneezing, caught in a vicious cycle; he sneezes, then pants open-mouthed, gasps shakily, nose red and raw and twitching in anticipation, irritated tears pouring from his eyes each time he squeezes them shut for the next sneeze.

He doesn’t open his eyes when he’s done sneezing. He has one hand cupped tightly over his mouth and nose, and Namjoon grabs several tissues out of the box, gently nudging Jungkook’s hand away so he can help him clean up.

Jungkook groans unhappily but still doesn’t open his eyes. His nose is red and the skin along the edges of his nostrils is inflamed and raw.

Hoseok eyes the small cup of liquid cold medicine that’s still sitting on the coffee table. “Why don’t you sit up and take some medicine now?” he suggests, his voice soft and soothing.

Jungkook crosses his arms over his chest, eyes still closed, but allows Hoseok to help him sit up. Namjoon reaches out to brush a strand of hair off his forehead.

“Jungkookie,” he says quietly, cupping the side of Jungkook’s face with one hand. “I’ve got a dose of this cold medicine ready for you,” he continues. “I’m going hold it for you and all you have to do is drink it, okay?” He lifts the cup to Jungkook’s lips, waiting for them to part before he tilts it into his mouth.

Jungkook cracks one eye open as he swallows the medicine and grimaces. He huffs out a breath through his stuffy nose, swallowing again and smacking his lips a few times at the bitter taste. “Fuck. That’s disgusting.”

“So dramatic,” Namjoon teases, whispering the words next to Jungkook’s ear. He kisses him on the cheek and then brushes more hair away from his face. “Let’s get you to bed now, okay? You’ll be so much more comfortable there.”

Nodding, Jungkook allows himself to be pulled onto his feet, leaning on Namjoon when he wraps his arm around Jungkook’s waist.

“Do you want me to take you to nap with Yoongi and Jinnie, or would you rather be alone?”

“Alone,” Jungkook replies quietly, and Namjoon tries not to read too much into the sad intonation of his voice.

“Smart,” he chuckles and they make their way down the hall. “You’ll actually have some peace and quiet that way.”

Suddenly, Jungkook stops in his tracks. He sucks in a breath, eyebrows furrowing, and Namjoon looks over to see him blinking rapidly.

“Kookie?”

Jungkook squints up at him, his eyes watering, face twisting in discomfort. “Namjoonie– I think I’m gonna throw up,” he rasps. “My stomach...”

“Fuck. Okay.”

Namjoon quickly guides them toward the bathroom instead, and Jungkook temples as he lowers himself to the ground, bringing up the contents of his stomach as soon as he’s crouched down in front of the toilet.

Seokjin, Yoongi and Hoseok all come running as soon as they hear Jungkook throwing up.

“Oh, no,” Seokjin groans softly when he sees Jungkook hunched over the toilet. It brings tears to his eyes to see his partner so miserable still, and he lets them fall freely, leaning against the doorframe with fists clenched at his sides as he watches helplessly.

Namjoon, kneeling next to Jungkook, rubs his back and whispers apologies.

“Oh, fuck,” Jungkook pants before gagging loudly. “Fuck. This is fucking…” Another gag, and then he coughs, the sound congested. His nose is running like a waterfall and his eyes are streaming, and he’s panting hard, out of breath.

Yoongi leans over to flush the toilet when it seems like he’s done, and then sits down on the floor on Jungkook’s other side. He gathers the younger man into his arms, rubbing his back and

Hoseok hands him a cloth that he wets at the sink, and Yoongi uses it to clean Jungkook’s face.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispers, his own voice trembling. “We should have listened to you.”

Jungkook coughs and wraps both of his arms around his stomach, more tears falling down his cheeks.

“I guess you probably didn't get any of that medicine in your system,” Namjoon frowns.

Jungkook glares at him, but his expression falls a moment later and he spits out a tired-sounding sneeze. He slumps against Yoongi’s side, sniffling. “I’m not taking more of it.”

“Hoseok,” Seokjin says. “Did you only buy the liquid medicine?”

“No,” Hoseok shakes his head. “I think we got some pills, too.”

Seokjin turns to Jungkook, a hopeful expression lining his features. “Would you take it in pill form? We probably should have thought of that earlier. I think it would be a lot easier on your stomach.”

Jungkook looks offended. “I just fucking threw up because I took medicine,” he says, his voice hoarse. “I don’t want to take more.”

“Right, right, of course not,” Seokjin says, wincing apologetically. “I just mean…maybe later. Tomorrow.”

Cupping his hands over his mouth and nose, Jungkook sneezes again, groaning afterward at the overwhelming discomfort it brings; the sharp pain in his throat, the pounding in his head, the ache in his stomach. He stays frozen in place for a few moments, trying to catch his breath and fighting back tears, and Yoongi rubs his back throughout.

Finally, Seokjin offers a hand down to Jungkook. “Let’s get you cleaned up and into bed,” he says, helping Jungkook stand.

After Jungkook brushes his teeth and blows his nose several times, Yoongi helps him back to his room. He gets Jungkook settled in his bed, propped up by several pillows so he’s not flat on his back and bundled up under a mountain of blankets, per Jungkook’s request. Yoongi sets a new box of tissues on his nightstand and a trash can right next to his bed.

Namjoon wordlessly leaves a box of pills by the bed, and then kisses Jungkook on the cheek before leaving the room.

Hoseok and Seokjin bring him a mug of tea and a plate of toast, setting both on the nightstand and tucking the blankets around him.

“How are you doing?” Seokjin asks. “How is your stomach feeling now?” Jungkook can see the guilt on both of their faces, but also the exhaustion, and both things make him feel upset.

Before he can answer, he sneezes harshly, burying his face into the crook of his elbow.

“Bless you,” Hoseok says, rubbing his back.

“Every time I sneeze it feels like my head and my stomach are gonna explode,” Jungkook groans. “This sucks.”

Hoseok nods in agreement and stifles a yawn into his fist.

“You should go get some sleep,” Seokjin says, reaching out to cup the side of his face. He brushes his thumbs beneath Hoseok’s eye, where the skin is darker. “I’ll be there in a bit.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Hoseok says with a small smile. He leans down and kisses Jungkook on the forehead, his lips lingering there for a moment like he’s trying to gauge the warmth of his skin, and then he stands and makes his way out of the room.

“I made you some more tea,” Seokjin tells Jungkook. “You can eat another piece of toast if you think you can stomach it, and then I’ll sit in here with you until you fall asleep.”

Jungkook scrunches up his nose. “Do you promise it will knock me out?” He asks.

“What?”

“The medicine. The pill. Will it make me fall asleep?”

Seokjin nods. “Promise. It knocked Jimin right out. It usually knocks me out for a long time too.”

“Then if I’m sleeping, you’ll all sleep too?”

With a sigh, Seokjin sighs again. “Yes, baby, we’ll sleep too. But don’t worry about us too much. I want you to worry about getting as much rest as possible.”

Jungkook finally holds out his hand, and Seokjin hesitantly places the capsule in his palm. He swallows it down with some water and then opens his mouth when Seokjin holds up the toast.

“You want me to feed you?” Seokjin asked, torn between amusement and concern.

Blinking innocently up at him, Jungkook nods. “I don’t want to move my arms out of the blanket.”

So, Seokjin feeds him, and he somewhat reluctantly begins to eat the toast, having to pause after every bite to take in a breath through his mouth and then sip on his tea when the toast irritates his throat. He’s so stuffed up he can’t taste a thing, and he only gets halfway through the toast before he gives up.

“I want to sleep now,” Jungkook whispers. He doesn’t know if he’s feeling the effects of the medicine already, or if it’s just the exhaustion spreading through him. He slides down in the bed, pulling the blankets up to his chin. He closes his eyes, taking in as deep of breaths as the congestion will allow, nostrils flaring with every intake of air.

“Sleep well, sweetheart,” Seokjin says, smoothing the hair back from his face. “I know you must feel so awful, but we’re gonna get you feeling better. I promise.”

20 notes · View notes

sickonthedancefloor · 12 days

Text

The Voice of a Leader (3/3)

Title: The Voice of a Leader

Word Count: 2015

Summary: Namjoon works through feeling like shit until he can’t any more.

Sickie: Namjoon

Caretakers: OT7

A/N: Written for this request

This part has a lot of nausea but no actual vomiting and may or may not have a fuck ton of typos

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Namjoon wakes up to Jungkook sprawled out on his bed, one arm and leg on top of him pinning him down as he snores away without a care in the world.

He’s immediately hit with a strange sensation in the back of his throat, one that coupled with the churning in his stomach signals that he might be about to puke.

Namjoon is determined not to let that happen. He swallows repeatedly, jaw clenched as he fights the awful sensation. He feels shivery all over his body, skin prickling with goosebumps even though his face feels like he’s been in the sun too long. He shudders violently and then squeezes his eyes shut until the feeling of nausea passes.

Eventually, it does, and Namjoon begins to work on freeing himself from the tangle of limbs. When he manages to ease himself out from underneath Jungkook’s weight, he sits up, and the shift of congestion in his head makes his nose prickle uncomfortably. With Jungkook blocking the way, he can’t exactly reach the tissues, so he pulls the blanket up over his face instead and hopes for the best.

The three resulting sneezes come out hoarse and scratch roughly at his throat, bringing tears to his eyes. As he winces and brings a hand up to massage the base of his throat, he hears a soft sniff and looks over to see Jungkook blinking sleepily up at him, rubbing at his eyes and nose with the sleeve of his shirt.

“Oh no, hyung,” he murmurs. “Those sounded bad.” He yawns and pulls his arms against his chest, rolling onto his side and curling up so small in contrast to how he was spread out before. “Are you okay?”

“I’m–” The word comes out as a croak and Namjoon stops abruptly when he realizes he still can’t really talk. He clears his throat, frustrated at not being able to use his voice, and more tears well up in his eyes when Jungkook yawns and grabs his phone off the nightstand for him.

Namjoon swipes the back of his hand roughly over his eyes, hoping Jungkook didn’t catch a glimpse of his tears, and looks down at his phone. He types something out and tilts the screen so Jungkook can see.

I’m okay

how did you sleep?

Jungkook yawns, and then smiles tiredly up at him. “How did you sleep? You were snoring so loud the whole night, hyung.”

Guilt courses through Namjoon like a jolt of electricity. His hand clenches around his phone as he tries to type out an apology, but Jungkook seems to know without even seeing his phone screen what he’s doing.

“Don’t feel bad about it, hyung.”

He says it so simply that Namjoon relaxes a little, his shoulders slumping. He drags a hand down his face. His body is heavy, and the pain in his throat is amplifying with each waking moment. He watches Jungkook yawn again, and feels sad knowing Jungkook will probably catch this from him and have to go through this misery next.

As if sensing his distress, Jungkook reaches over to squeeze Namjoon’s hand, and then he sits up and stretches his arms above his head. He scoots over so he’s sitting next to Namjoon, resting his head on Namjoon’s shoulders and wrapping his arms around his waist. Jungkook yawns so loudly that Namjoon can hear his jaw pop, and then he moves his hand to his stomach and begins to rub soft, soothing circles, almost absentmindedly, the touch making Namjoon relax even further.

“I let Seokjin hyung know we’re awake,” Jungkook says around another yawn. “He’s gonna bring you some medicine and breakfast.”

As if on cue, the door opens, and Seokjin comes in holding a tray. He has water, a bowl of dakjuk and a bottle of medicine, but Namjoon is mainly interested in the water. He gratefully accepts the glass and gulps it down, the cool water soothing his sore throat.

It’s touch-and-go with his stomach the entire time he’s eating, his discomfort alternating between faint nausea and his burning throat. While Namjoon eats, Jungkook leans against him with his head on his shoulder, quiet as he scrolls through his phone.

As Namjoon finishes the last bite of food he can manage without making himself sick, he glances over at Seokjin and sees that his eyes are glued on Jungkook’s face, smiling fondly at the younger man. Namjoon moves his gaze down and sees that Jungkook has fallen asleep, his head resting on his shoulder and his lips parted just slightly. He hands his bowl over to Seokjin, trying not to jostle Jungkook, smiling as he reaches up to cup the side of Jungkook’s head to hold him steady.

“Are you up for a bath?” Seokjin whispers. “Or a shower? It might help with the congestion a little.”

Namjoon grabs his phone, still holding Jungkook against him.

idk if I can stand in the shower but goddamn I want a really hot shower so bad right now

Seokjin bites his lip. “I don’t know about a hot shower,” he says. He presses the palm of his hand to Namjoon’s forehead, then slides it down to his cheek. “You’re already so warm.”

Namjoon frowns.

plzzzz

a hot hot hot bath?

Seokjin frowns right back.

Namjoon glares down at his phone and opens the group chat.

Yoongi hyung, would you mind if I borrow one of your bath bombs for a HOT bath?

Yoongi texts back immediately, responding that he’ll start the water right away, and Namjoon smirks triumphantly as he types out one last message: extra hot pretty please since I’m sick :(

“You’re impossible,” Seokjin whispers as he watches the message come through, but there’s a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Namjoon’s phone buzzes again, and the sound wakes Jungkook up with a start.

“Huh?” He smacks his lips together and looks blearily back and forth between Namjoon and Seokjin. “What?”

Namjoon chuckles, which comes out as more of a squeak, and shakes his head, mouthing an apology to Jungkook.

Seokjin reaches out and brushes a strand of hair from Jungkook’s forehead. “I’m gonna borrow Namjoonie for a bath,” he tells Jungkook. “There’s food in the kitchen if you’re hungry.”

When Namjoon gets out of bed, he feels heavy and has to blink against a wave of dizziness before he can begin to walk. Seokjin sticks close to his side as he guides him into the bathroom, where Yoongi is already waiting. They both help him out of his clothes, and he doesn’t miss the way they frown at each other when he shivers violently at the loss of warmth.

“Want me to get in with you?” Yoongi asks, his hand resting on the small of Namjoon’s back.

Namjoon nods, knowing he’s probably too weak to do everything by himself, and Yoongi quickly strips down to his boxers and climbs into the tub with him.

The hot water feels incredible, warming him instantly and helping to soothe the aches in his muscles. “Fuck,” Namjoon croaks blissfully, barely making a sound. He clears his throat and winces at the pain, but he still attempts to speak because he needs Yoongi to know how grateful he is. “Thank you for actually making it hot,” he whispers hoarsely.

“Stop talking,” Yoongi scolds, “You’re going to make it worse.”

Namjoon doesn’t know how it could get any worse, but he closes his mouth and presses his lips together. Yoongi’s expression softens, and he rubs Namjoon’s arm.

“Sorry,” he says with a sigh. “I know it must be frustrating.”

Namjoon lets his silence be his response. He closes his eyes, and Yoongi sighs again and begins to wash his hair for him, taking time to massage his scalp before moving down to his neck and shoulders. Namjoon falls asleep twice, drowsy from the hot water and the gentle, comforting ministrations, and when he’s woken by the sound of the water draining he groans in disappointment.

“I know, I’m sorry,” Yoongi murmurs apologetically. Somehow, he’s already out of the tub and changed back into his clothes. “I’ll let you get dried off and dressed,” he says, handing Namjoon a towel. He gestures at Namjoon’s phone on the counter. “Text us if you need anything.” He leaves, closing the door behind him, and Namjoon wraps the towel around his waist, shivering slightly now that he’s out of the warm water.

As he steps out of the bath, a wave of nausea washes over him, and he sits down heavily on the edge of the tub, wrapping one arm around his midsection. For nearly ten minutes he sits there, uncertain if he’ll actually get sick or not, but not wanting to leave the bathroom or even stand up just in case. He’s cold now, shivering and achy, and the longer he sits there the more tired he feels.

There’s a knock on the door, and Namjoon blinks back tears he hadn’t realized were there.

“Hey?” The door opens and Seokjin sticks his head into the bathroom. “Everything okay in here?” He eyes Namjoon, still sitting on the edge of the tub, and then the pajamas still folded in a neat stack on the counter.

Without a word, he helps Namjoon get dressed, towel drying his short hair and helping him brush his teeth and freshen up afterwards.

“Do you want to go back to bed?” Seokjin asks. “Or would you prefer to lie on the couch?”

Namjoon points to the living room.

“Good,” Seokjin chuckles. “Because Jungkook fell asleep in your bed again and he’s literally taking up the entire bed. He’s like a starfish.”

Namjoon chuckles soundlessly along at that, easily imagining Jungkook sprawled out on his bed like he had been earlier.

After Seokjin helps him get settled on the couch, Namjoon finds himself drifting in and out of sleep, unable to do much except lie there. He feels it when his temperature climbs again, making the achiness in his body worsen and his chills increase until he’s shivering under his blanket, jaw clenched to fight against the chattering of his teeth.

That’s how Jimin and Taehyung find him when they return from their trip to the store, arms loaded with bags full of throat lozenges and ice pops and enough tissues to last the seven of them a couple of months at least– or a couple of weeks, if Jungkook gets his hands on them.

“Oh, hyung,” Jimin tuts, pressing the back of his hand to Namjoon’s overheated cheek. “You’re burning up.” He helps Namjoon sit up so he can drink some water with another dose of medicine.

Taehyung finishes unpacking the groceries in the kitchen and then returns with three ice pops, handing one to Namjoon and one to Jimn.

The ice pop feels soothing on Namjoon’s sore throat, and he closes his eyes and he sucks on it, half sitting and half lying against Jimin.

“He’s falling asleep,” he hears Taehyung say, his voice sounding far away and distorted, and then he feels someone taking the half-eaten ice pop from his hands.

Something cold touches his forehead, making him shiver, but then he’s wrapped up in a blanket as Jimin and Taehyung ease him back into a reclined position, warm hands soothing over his arms and carding through his hair until he falls asleep.

Later, when he wakes up drenched in sweat, Hoseok is there with a fresh change of pajamas. Hoseok sits on the couch with him and puts on a documentary they’ve both been wanting to watch. He stays at the other end of the couch, mindful of germs, but he pulls Namjoon’s feet into his lap.

Even though Namjoon can feel himself dozing off again less than fifteen minutes in, he’s grateful for Hoseok’s presence, knowing that his friend will happily rewatch the documentary with him when he’s feeling better. The last thing he feels before he succumbs to sleep is Hoseok pulling the blanket over his feet, making sure he’s properly tucked in so every part of him stays warm and comfortable.

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