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cuddlepilefics · 10 days

Text

Three mistakes

Fandom: P1Harmony

Sickie: Keeho

Caregivers: P1Harmony

Prompt 'bloodshot' @whumpril

No one’s POV.:

He should’ve expected this, Keeho scolded himself, lightly palming at his middle to try and soothe the angry churning under his palm. As the leader of P1Harmony, he had been stuck in a meeting with their management for most of the afternoon, while the rest of the group was practicing. He hadn’t even really had the time to eat his meals over the course of the day, hurriedly forcing down a granola bar while they had a bathroom break. It always sucked attending meetings without any of the members present because it meant that he had the full responsibility to defend the members needs, which felt like an uphill battle for a single person versus a multiple people management team but he had known that this was what awaited him in his position as the leader. Still, he was exhausted and to say he felt starved once the meeting finally ended. That was also why he grabbed some takeout as soon as it was over, hurriedly digging in. Checking the time, Keeho realized that his group was probably already heading back to the dorm by now, while he finally ate dinner but he couldn’t afford to go home yet.

Having missed the group practice session in order to attend the meeting and represent his group, Keeho had already decided to stay back at the company building and practice by himself for a while. He barely took the time to really chew his food, mainly swallowing bite after bite, so he could head to the practice room faster and hopefully get to go home soon too. That was his first mistake. He occasionally struggled with indigestion when the group wasn’t given enough time to eat during busy schedules and he forgot to chew his food properly, so yeah, he should’ve known that shoveling down a full meal after barely eating all day would give him a stomach ache but that ship had sailed. All Keeho could do now was to try and slowly sip some water while stretching to warm up for practicing his dance moves.

Since Keeho really wanted to go home soon, he only went through a short warmup before selecting the song and playing it on speaker. That was his second mistake, Keeho thought bitterly as he doubled over after only the third run through. Bracing himself on his knees, he breathed hard and swallowed against the rising queasiness. He should really give his hastily eaten dinner a chance to settle before dancing but he so badly wanted to go home. The day had already been so long and he knew he couldn’t leave before polishing up some of his dance moves. Gosh, how badly he wanted to be back at the dorm. Keeho had barely seen the members all day and since they were so used to being around each other close to 24/7, it was weird practicing by himself, especially while knowing that everyone else was united and he was the odd one out.

With his stomach growing increasingly unsettled, Keeho was pretty close to caving and just calling it a day. If only there wasn’t that small voice at the back of his head reminding him that he needed to catch up on the practice time he had missed. Plopping down next to his bag, he pulled out his phone and slipped one hand under his shirt. As he read over their group chat, he felt how tight his abs felt despite his middle seemingly swollen. Apparently, the rest of the group had decided on having movie night and asked whether he’d be home soon to join them. Patting his chest, Keeho forced a burp and winced when it brought a rancid taste to his tongue. He had hoped it’d relieve the pressure a little but it had barely helped. Sighing, the leader accepted that with the way he was feeling at the moment, he wouldn’t make progress nearly as fast as he had thought, so he replied that he would still need a while and to start movie night without him.

Putting his phone down, Keeho struggled back to his feet and tried to give the choreo another try but his stomach cramped up so badly, all he could do was drop into a crouch barely able to breathe as he broke into a cold sweat. His hands trembled when he shakily pushed himself back up, only to limp back to his bag. There was no way he could keep practicing. He should’ve just gone home when he had still been able to walk properly. By now, every step was agony, the pain in his stomach so intense, it made him sweat like crazy.

“Oh, hyung! You’re back already?”, Intak exclaimed when the front door opened and Keeho tiredly kicked off his shoes. If he hadn’t felt so miserable, the leader would’ve laughed at the phrasing. ‘already’… As if it hadn’t taken him ages to drag his sorry ass back to their dorm. Slowly trudging to the living room, Keeho sighed: “Yeah, it wasn’t going so well and I wasn’t making any progress, so I decided I’d just work harder to catch up during our next group dance practice.” – “Are you okay”, Jiung asked, brows furrowed when he noticed the leader’s pinched expression. Nodding, Keeho have his stomach a quick rub and admitted: “I was really starved when I got out of that meeting and wanted to quickly practice, so I could join you. There was no way I would’ve had the energy to dance without eating something first but I also couldn’t waste any time. Forced down some takeout as fast as I could before dancing. Yeah, please congratulate me on my amazing life choices. I got a stomach ache now.”

Keeho had managed to downplay his current struggle well without having to lie to the members. They had asked him if he still wanted to join them in watching a movie although they were already halfway into the storyline. The offered cuddles and heating pad had sounded nice but all Keeho really wanted was his bed. Apologizing to the members for his stupidity, he said as much before shuffling to the bathroom to get himself ready for bed.

“Hey, I brought you tea. You really holding up alright?”, Taeyang asked softly, slipping into Keeho’s room while the leader was sorting out his blankets, “You look awful, honestly. Like, really pale and… are you sure you’re not running a fever? You look sweaty. Might be from dancing still but….” Dropping his head into his hands, Keeho sighed: “Feel awful too but it’s not right to complain when I brought this onto myself.” – “Awful how?”, the eldest pressed, handing his friend the cup. “My stomach’s killing me, so much that I keep sweating but I don’t feel warm in the slightest”, Keeho mumbled, shuddering a little as he clutched the warm cup, “Also feel really shaky but I don’t think I’m sick-sick ‘cause it only started after my rushed dinner.” Taeyang’s cold hand on his forehead sent a shiver down his spine, the older frowning: “You don’t usually run fevers like this from indigestion. Maybe you just really pushed yourself today and will feel better after a good night’s sleep. Can I get you anything?” – “Thanks, I think I’ll just try to sleep this off”, Keeho muttered, shifting a little in an attempt to get comfortable despite the pain.

He had fallen asleep not long after Taeyang had told him to get some rest, which had been a true blessing because he had feared he wouldn’t be able to sleep due to the pain. Sadly, he didn’t manage to sleep through the night, waking up drenched in sweat to a dark dorm. The other’s had long since gone to bed and it took Keeho a moment to realize what had woken him. The cramps in his stomach had eased, the pain almost completely gone only to be replaced with unbearable nausea. His mouth already watered, so there was no denying it. He was going to be sick and soon.

With his adrenaline surging, Keeho rolled out of bed. The movement triggered an empty gag and he was glad that he made it out of the room without waking his two roommates, who were sleeping peacefully. Already feeling the acidic burn in his throat, Keeho’s heart started to race. Almost there! Relief washed over him when his hand reached the bathroom door. He would not make a mess! With barely a second to spare, Keeho yanked on the handle but the door wouldn’t budge. There came a muffled ‘occupied’ from the other side of the door just as the leader’s stomach lurched, hot sick rushing up his throat. Registering the splatter and that he had in fact made a mess, Keeho burst into tears. Why couldn’t anything go right today?! His cries weren’t loud but the hitching sobs still messed with his already bubbling stomach.

Luckily, the door swung open before Keeho got sick again and he pushed past Jongseob in a panic. The maknae startled, watching his hyung crash to his knees in front of the toilet. Weakly clutching the toilet seat, Keeho heaved up a large wave of barely digested takeout. “Um, can I get you anything? Water maybe?”, Jongseob mumbled, feeling a little lost. Squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to hold off a gag, the leader drew a deep breath. “Taey-“, he managed to choke out before losing the fight, getting sick again. Glancing at the puddle by the door, chunky sick still trailing down the door, Jongseob promised: “Be right back.” No sooner than the maknae left, taking a large step over the mess at the door, Keeho stopped holding back his sobs.

It didn’t happen often that he cried this hard but he was feeling miserable and the day had already left him drained. Though it felt like forever, it had barely been a minute before a steady hand appeared on Keeho’s back. Crouching next to the leader, Taeyang soothed: “You’re okay. Deep breaths.” A harsh sob tore from Keeho’s throat, making him gaga again. “Ssssh. Try to calm yourself down”, the eldest shushed, “You’ll only upset your stomach more if you get worked up like this.” Drawing a shuddering breath, Keeho looked up at Taeyang and winced when the bright ceiling light stung his bloodshot eyes. “What happened? I see you weren’t able to sleep it off but did you get any rest at all?”, the eldest hummed, running his hand up and down Keeho’s back when the leader crossed his arms over the toilet bowl and rested his head on them. Closing his eyes, the younger rasped: “Been asleep for a while but woke up like this.”

“Are you sure this isn’t a stomach bug?”, Taeyang asked when Keeho hadn’t thrown up in two minutes. The leader flushed the toilet and hummed: “I felt fine before dinner, so I don’t think so though it’s worse than my usual indigestion when I eat too fast. Honestly, I swallowed my food so fast, I wouldn’t have been able to tell if something tasted off about it, so… could be food poisoning, I dunno.” Apparently, not paying attention to the condition of his food was Keeho’s third mistake. Feeling the back of Keeho’s neck Taeyang nodded despite his dongsaeng not able to see it. “That’d explain the mild fever you’re running. It can’t still be from dancing. Like, you’re not burning but it’s definitely there”, he observed, “Do you think you’re done? We should get you cleaned up and back to bed.”

Getting up on shaky legs, Keeho paled fast as his stomach churned. Only when he looked up did he spot Shota at the door, the younger having woken up when Jongseob came to wake Taeyang. Keeho’s bloodshot eyes met his dongsaeng’s worried ones and he mumbled: “I’m okay. Sorry for waking you up. You can go back to bed.” Shota only shook his head, watching the leader rinse his mouth and wash his face before following the two eldest to the room Taeyang shared with the two maknaes. The three of the were all up already, so why risk waking Jiung and Intak. “Alright, you lie down and try to get some rest”, Taeyang instructed, “I’ll go clean up and fetch a bucket really quick.” Nodding in defeat, Keeho couldn’t help but feel guilty for making a mess but a tap on his shoulder pulled him out of his thoughts. Jongseob handed him a glass of water and encouraged him to have a few sips before Shota pulled the leader to bed and climbed him behind him. “I don’t think you want that”, Keeho slurred tiredly, “I’ll probably be up puking again soon.” The younger only commented that with a Minecraft sound while curling up against the leader’s back, shyly slipping a hand under his hyung’s shirt.

Under Shota’s light touch, Keeho relaxed and felt himself sink further into the mattress. With how drained he had been, was already asleep when Taeyang returned und placed a bucket next to him.

#whumpril #fanfic #fluff #comfort #fanfiction #sickfic #sick #emeto #p1harmony #whumpril2024 #whumprilday8

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cuddlepilefics · 13 days

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Reassurance

Fandom: Stray Kids

Sickie: Chan

Caregiver: Changbin

prompt @whumpril

No one’s POV.:

Chan was glad that they didn’t have any real schedule today, only having some songwriting with the rest of the members. It was somewhat special to have the entire group hang out at the 3racha dorm to write music together because it was so much more complex the more people were involved but at the same time, the songs were more meaningful if more members contributed their ideas. Doing it at one of their dorms was also a pleasant change as compared to the studio because they didn’t feel as pressured and Chan was glad to not have to go out at all. The thing was that the leader had come down with a bit of a cold over the previous night and woke up with an annoying buzz in his sinuses, making it hard for him to focus. He didn’t plan on telling the members about not feeling well, mainly because he didn’t feel like it was bad enough to be mentioned but also because he was the leader and eldest. He was always fine.

It wasn’t like Chan could hide his symptoms forever though. Sure, the headache and fatigue were easy to play off but his nose really made him struggle. It always felt like it was running but when he tried to blow it, it was blocked and gosh, did it itch! With Chan constantly scrubbing at his nose, it had turned an irritated shade of pink not long after he had gotten up. Hyunjin had pointed out the slight rasp to the leader’s voice but it was still early, so the dancer was easily convinced that it was just his hyung’s morning voice. Getting everyone settled in the living room was a little chaotic, so no one noticed Chan heading to the bathroom to blow his nose but they did hear the forceful sneeze he triggered. For some reason, blowing his nose had only left it more sensitive.

On his way back to the living room, Chan grabbed himself a glass of cold water because his throat was slowly starting to ache, the harsh sneeze no doubt having strained it. Plopping down on the couch, the Aussie felt like all his strength had left him and he leant into Seungmin’s side, trying to get comfortable despite the deep ache all over his body. Thinking Chan just wanted to tease him again, the vocalist shrugged him off and reminded: “Hyung, just because we’re at your dorm doesn’t mean that we don’t have to work, so let’s please just do something useful.”

The rejection hurt though Chan understood his dongsaeng’s reasoning and also knew that if he admitted to not feeling his best, they’d probably be a lot more understanding, but he didn’t want his cold to interfere with their work. Well, he didn’t intent for it to interfere with their work but there was only so much control that he had over it. Not wanting to annoy the members with his sniffles, Chan tried to avoid it at all costs and instead sat with the cuff of his sleeve permanently pressed against his nose, the fabric slowly growing damp while his skin started to chap. He couldn’t fight off the urge to sneeze though.

Though Chan usually had the habit of blessing himself after every sneeze, his sneezes soon came too frequently to bother. Besides, he was already causing so much disruption and didn’t want to cause any more by commenting on it every time. Maybe he should just tell the members that he was sick. His eyes were already watering badly from the congestion and the sinus headache and fatigue made it close to impossible for him to focus on his task anyway. Chan didn’t really have much time to ponder it though, his breath already hitching again. Ducking his face into the crook of his arm, the leader caught two loud sneezes and despite his best efforts at muffling them, they still startled Jisung enough to make him drop his pen. “Next time a warning would be nice”, the rapper muttered as he shakily picked up his pen. Rolling his eyes, Seungmin teased: “I’ll probably suffer from hearing loss due to a burst ear drum by tonight if you keep going at this rate.”

Knowing that their comments were just friendly banter, Chan tried to not let it get to him but for some reason it still left him feeling self-conscious. He had tried stifling his sneezes before and knew from experience that he wouldn’t be very successful and only get a worse sinus headache in turn, so it wasn’t really worth it. Feeling his nose tingle again, Chan’s heart started to race and he hurriedly scrubbed the back of his hand against his nose to ease the sensation. It didn’t do much except for making his skin burn but he really didn’t want to sneeze again. Sadly, there wasn’t much the Aussie could do about it and he soon lost the fight. The sneeze ended up wetter than expected and had Chan scramble to grab a tissue, making Jeongin chuckle: “I guess I’ll bring an umbrella next time I come over.”

By now, Chan expected that he was probably running a fever too. The members’ teasing wouldn’t usually affect his emotions like this, so there had to be more at play here because right now, he felt ready to cry. Sure, he was well aware that his sneezes were quite loud but he didn’t choose for them to be this way. To make matters worse, Chan’s nose was still itching and he could feel the need to sneeze rise again. Harshly rubbing his nose into the cuff of his sleeve, he tried to fight it off but his breath already hitched desperately. Chan caught a throat-scraping sneeze in his fist and gave a scratchy cough afterwards, eyes watering as they locked with Changbin’s. Something about the hoarse sound told the rapper that there was more going on than his hyung’s nose being sensitive, so he offered for all of them to take a short break.

While Chan made a beeline for the bathroom to properly blow his nose, knock back some medicine and to also get away from the members’ prying eyes, Changbin headed to the kitchen and brewed a cup of tea. The rapper also stirred in a generous spoonful of hones to hopefully soothe Chan’s throat because those last few sneezes had sounded rough. Everyone was still doing their own thing when Changbin approached the leader, steaming cup in hand. “Hey”, the rapper smiled softly, “I made you some tea. If I asked you how you’re feeling, would I get an honest answer?” Gratefully wrapping his hands around the warm cup, Chan sniffled: “Thank you. Tired, frustrated and humiliated, I guess.” – “Now, why’s that?”, Changbin frowned as he led the older to his room, so they’d have more privacy to talk.

Almost tearing up, Chan took a seat on the edge of his bed and muttered: “I-I, I don’ wanna sneeze so much. I don’ wanna sneeze so loud. It’s – It’s annoying and gross and –“ – “And it hurts, doesn’t it?”, Changbin hummed, rubbing the other’s back when he received a pathetic nod, “It’s not annoying or gross or anything like that. It’s natural. You’re sick, I bet you’re running a fever with how warm you feel through your clothes.” Chan hummed in confirmation, admitting: “Just took something for it. Mind’s foggy an’ my emotions are all over the places.” – “Is the teasing getting to you? I noticed you were really quiet… except for all the sneezing”, the rapper asked, gently brushing Chan’s bangs out of his face to get a proper look at his glossy eyes and bright pink nose. The older shrugged and mumbled: “I know they mean no harm….” – “That doesn’t mean it doesn’t affect you”, Changbin pointed out, “You don’t need to be self-conscious, hyung. You’re sick and sick people sneeze. That’s okay.”

Changbin decided that there was no use in Chan trying to write anything while his mind was so hazy that he couldn’t focus. Repeatedly running his fingers through the Aussie’s hair, he hummed: “How about I go talk to the others? We can postpone our session to either tomorrow or maybe in a couple of hours when your fever went down a bit?” – “But we already started and everyone’s here”, Chan sniffled, twisting to his side with a forceful sneeze. The younger handed him a tissue and promised: “They’ll find something else to do, hyung. There’s no way they will get bored. Maybe some will continue noting down their song ideas for a little longer, maybe they’ll enjoy a few fun hours of free time. Nobody will be upset at you though, don’t worry. You should only focus on resting. If you want, I’ll stay with you for cuddles. We could watch a movie or something, at least till you fall asleep.” – “I keep sneezing all the time though”, Chan frowned, giving a thick sniffle as if to prove a point. “You really think I would’ve offered if that was a problem?”, Changbin sighed exasperatedly, “You’re human, that’s only natural and it’s okay.”

After telling the group about Chan’s condition, Changbin joined the leader in his room, carrying a box of tissues and a bag of cough drops. “Is there a specific movie you want to watch or should we just cuddle?”, the rapper hummed as he placed the items on the nightstand. Scooting to the other side of the bed to make room for his dongsaeng, Chan mumbled: “You can pick a movie, so you don’t get bored. I’m perfectly content with just cuddles. Might fall asleep soon anyway.” – “That’s okay”, Changbin smiled, slipping under the blanket next to Chan, “I’d be so happy if you managed to get some sleep. You’re exhausted, aren’t ?” With a hoarse hum of confirmation, the leader nuzzled his face into Changbin’s chest, relaxing when the other draped an arm around his shoulders.

Though Changbin repeatedly reassured Chan that he wasn’t bothered by his sneezing at all, the Aussie still tried his hardest to hold back. That was close to impossible, his nose so unbearably itchy. Scrubbing at his nose with the cuff of his sleeve, Chan attempted to soothe the itch but only managed to earn himself a scolding from Changbin for messing with the already raw skin before sneezing anyway. “Why do you insist on hurting yourself?”, the rapper sighed. He had eventually turned on the TV to watch a random drama, mainly to give Chan the impression that he wasn’t paying attention to him and his struggle, so he’d hopefully stop being so insecure about it.

The truth was that Changbin only paid attention to Chan, completely drowning out the TV, so he of course picked up on every little sniffle and frustrated whine as the older struggled to breathe through the tingle in his sinuses. Occasionally, his breath would start to hitch but when he lifted his hand to rub at his nose, Changbin caught it and linked their fingers. The leader whined hoarsely, nuzzling his face into Changbin’s shirt to quell the itch but it didn’t help. With his hand trapped, Chan aimed two rough sounding sneezes down at the blanket, giving a stuffy cough afterwards. Lightly patting the Aussie’s curls as a blessing, Changbin handed him a cough drop. Though Chan usually didn’t like his hair being messed with for the fear it’d fall out faster, Changbin’s touch was so light and gentle, it made him drowsy in no time and he was soon too out of it to try and fight the urge to sneeze.

When the rapper was confident that Chan wasn’t going to rub his skin raw anymore, he let go of his to at least allow the older to cover. Knowing too much attention would fluster the leader, Changbin refrained from blessing him but acknowledged each sneeze with some form of affection, either running his nails against his scalp or holding him a bit tighter for a moment. Just showing that he was there and that he cared without calling the older out. It was just the reassurance, Chan needed.

#fanfic #fluff #comfort #fanfiction #sickfic #sick #stray kids #skz #snz #whumpril2024 #whumprilalt5 #reassurance #changchan #2chan

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cuddlepilefics · 18 days

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Can’t Sleep

Fandom: Stray Kids

Sickie: Chan

Caregivers: Stray Kids

Prompts: Can’t sleep, eyes rolled back, weak pulse, urgent care, no time to rest

@whumpril

No one’s POV.:

Chan had been nursing a cold for the past week. It hadn’t been more than a scratchy throat at first but that was soon joined by a persistent, pounding headache. Since they were preparing for a comeback, Chan didn’t allow himself time to rest. There were things that needed to be done and even if he lay down and tried to sleep, his thoughts would be racing, circling everything that was still left on his to-do list and keeping him awake. If he couldn’t sleep anyway because there were so many tasks left to be completed, might as well go about completing those tasks. At least, that was the leader’s reasoning. His dongsaeng’s had told him to rest and recover from his cold first but they hadn’t been successful and not even the reminder that he would end up making himself a lot sicker wasn’t enough to keep Chan from working.

They had seen it coming, well, everyone except for Chan had seen it coming. The other members weren’t all too surprised when their hyung’s health took a turn for the worse. Changbin and Jisung were sweating while working at the studio despite wearing short sleeve but Chan, bundled up in a thick hoodie, was still trembling with chills, so they had to keep the air conditioning off. It was obvious that the Aussie was running a fever. If the chills hadn’t given that away, the flush in his cheeks, that stood out against the sickly pallor of his face, and the glossy shine in his eyes surely would have. His eyes watered from looking at his laptop screen and no matter how many times he dabbed away the tears with the cuff of his sleeves, they were always replaced by fresh ones. The light not only made his eyes water, it also sent stabs of pain through his already aching skull but it couldn’t be helped.

Changbin and Jisung had repeatedly asked Chan to lay down and sleep. He could even take the studio couch if he didn’t want to go back to the dorm but no, the eldest still insisted he couldn’t sleep, so what use was there in laying down? “Hyung, for fucks sake, just rest your eyes or something. There’s no way you can actually see through all those tears. Even if you don’t sleep, your eyes need a break. You need a break”, Jisung argued, frustrated with his hyung for not listening and destroying himself for absolutely no other reason than being stubborn. Nodding along, Changbin hummed: “We’re perfectly on time with our schedules and you can easily afford taking a break. You’ve already made yourself sicker than you would’ve needed to be. Jeonginnie had this cold too but he rested and took care of himself, so it was little more than the sniffles. You on the other hand refuse to do any of that and already managed to start running a fever. Maybe listen to your body’s signal now or how far are you intending to push it?” The rapper just barely refrained from reminding Chan how bad his immune system was due to his usual sleep deprivation but the implication was there.

Jisung was impressed that Chan actually let them drag him back to the dorm when Changbin announced they were done for the day. He would’ve fully expected Chan to argue and insist on staying back at the studio on his own. Little did he know that the leader didn’t find the energy to argue back because his throat hurt too badly to speak and his fever was rising. Sluggishly throwing his belongings into his bag, Chan winced because every move, no matter how careful, made his head thump and he could feel his heart beat pulsating inside his skull. He weakly nudged his sleeve against his septum and gave a wet sniffle, eyes tearing up even more when the pressure in his sinuses increased. Yeah, maybe his bed didn’t sound so awful in the end.

Chan’s vision darkened as he got out of his seat, forcing him to tightly hold onto the edge of the desk. Alarmed by the leader’s quick and ragged breaths, Changbin spun around and cursed when he saw the faraway look in his hyung’s eyes before they rolled back. Wrapping his arm around Chan’s chest, he pushed the leader backwards into his seat and held him there, so he couldn’t fall. “Hey, you with us, hyung?”, the rapper asked but received no reply. Chan’s head had dropped onto his chest, no muscle tension left in his body. Worriedly fanning the older with a stack of lyrics sheets, Jisung muttered: “We should’ve taken him home a very long time ago.” Changbin hummed in agreement, lightly patting Chan’s burning cheeks. He sighed in relief when the Aussie finally came to.

It was safe to say that they took Chan straight home, arms linked because he still looked a little wobbly on his feet. “I’m fine, really”, the leader rasped tiredly, “My blood pressure just dropped for a moment when I got up.” – “Yeah, and your blood pressure regulation would work a lot better if you weren’t feverish as hell and got an adequate amount of sleep”, Changbin shot back and tightened his grip on the leader’s arm when he tripped himself. Jisung rushed to unlock the door and then headed to the kitchen to make some tea for Chan while Changbin guided the leader to his room. Chan was glad to already be wearing sweatpants because the way home had zapped his energy and he simply flopped onto his bed, coughing into the pillow.

When Jisung joined him, he was carrying not only a steaming cup of tea but also an icepack. Shuddering, Chan wrapped his hands around the cup and thanked the younger quietly. Though the steam made his nose run, the warmth and the sweet honey soothed the pain in his throat and the Aussie sipped it slowly, giving watery sniffles in between. It was funny in a way, how his heart could race as though he was running a marathon when all he really did was sip his tea and bury himself under his covers. Was it really that straining? Perhaps he could try sleeping again even if the chances of him succeeding were slim.

Satisfied that their hyung was settled, Changbin and Jisung left the older to get some rest, hoping he’d feel a little better when he woke up. Chan groaned as he tried to get comfortable in his bed. His muscles ached and he couldn’t really find a position that made the pain better but he had to. There was no way he could fall asleep while he was hurting like this. It wasn’t even like he could afford to take a break in the middle of the day. There were still so many things that needed to be taken care of for their upcoming comeback. How could Changbin and Jisung be so stupid to keep him from working? Didn’t they realize how things would get out of hand and their schedules messed up if he didn’t keep track of everything? There was no time to rest.

Feeling his heart race, Chan threw off the blanket and scrambled out of bed only to be hit by a wave of intense dizziness. Right, his low blood pressure…. Chan took a few deep breaths to brace himself for the walk to the door but barely managed to take a few steps before his knees buckled and he could feel himself fall. He had also lost his vision on the way down and groaned when he found himself sitting on the floor, the light assaulting his already sensitive eyes as soon as his vision returned. Chan’s ears were still ringing when he struggled back to his feet and shuffled out of his room.

Changbin and Jisung had holed themselves up in one of their rooms to keep working at the dorm within shouting distance from Chan in case the leader needed anything. In his fever muddled brain, the eldest was convinced to be home alone though. Maybe even hoping his dongsaengs had returned to the studio to keep working. He almost tumbled when he slipped on his shoes but managed to get to the front door, already calling a driver to take him to the company building. Knowing his fellow 3racha members wouldn’t be pleased to know that he returned to work, Chan made up his mind. He’d simply have to use a different studio.

The dance racha was still working on a new choreography to go with their comeback track when Chan arrived at the company building. They almost ran into each other because Chan passed the dance rooms mere seconds before Felix exited to go to the restroom. It was impressive really how the leader’s determination kept him going despite the high fever he was running. He even found himself an empty studio but needed multiple attempts to punch in the code because his hands trembled from the exertion and his vision blurred. Chan heaved a shaky sigh of relief when he finally succeeded and stepped into the studio, shutting the door behind him. His head was spinning once again and he didn’t even get a chance to sit down before his eyes rolled back.

Changbin was satisfied that he hadn’t heard the slightest noise from Chan’s room in a very long time, convinced the older was sleeping deeply. Chan would get frustratingly restless whenever he ran the slightest temperature, so not hearing him toss and turn and fuss with his comforter was a pleasant change because it meant he was too knocked out to move, right? Jisung contemplated checking on his hyung when he needed to use the restroom but decided against it, afraid he’d wake him by accident. Eventually, Changbin deiced to go check on Chan, if only to replace the water bottle by his bed in case it was empty to make sure the leader would stay hydrated. It was safe to say that the rapper was dumbfounded when he realized Chan’s room was empty, comforter balled up at the foot of the bed.

It took a few seconds for the realization to sink in before Changbin started to panic, calling Chan’s name. The leader didn’t answer though, instead Jisung came running, worried that something had happened. A quick check of the dorm proved that their hyung wasn’t anywhere near and he also didn’t pick up his phone when Changbin gave him a call, so the two rappers texted their group chat, asking if any of the members had seen Chan but nobody had. Jisung couldn’t help beating himself up for not checking on his hyung earlier. Chan’s fever had been pretty high after all, so what if he had gotten delirious and wandered off somewhere?

Within minutes, the entire group was on high alert, spreading out to search for their leader. The dance racha was searching different studios on the floor, wondering if Chan’s workaholic self would be self-destructive enough to return to work in such a rough condition. Minho’s head shot up when he heard Felix yell a little further down the hallway. The younger had finally come across Chan’s crumpled form, panicking as he checked for a pulse. Feeling Chan’s wrist, Felix was relieved to find a pulse even though it was fast and weak. Minho was by their side in an instant, elevating Chan’s legs and shaking his shoulders. Eventually, he got a weak groan from his hyung.

Chan tried to sit up despite the lingering dizziness but there were hands on his shoulders, keeping him down. “Take it easy”, Felix warned, brushing the unruly curls out of Chan’s face to get a better look at his glossy eyes. Feeling the leader’s pulse, Minho frowned: “Do you remember what happened?” – “Hm, Bin an’ Han took me home but…”, Chan muttered, rubbing his face, “That was wrong. I got no time to rest.” – “Yes, you do”, Minho scolded and felt the other’s forehead, “You were supposed to sleep.” The leader only rolled his eyes at him and tried to sit up again. This time they let him.

“Why are you so stubborn?”, Felix asked sadly, still shaken up from having found his friend unconscious, “We talked to Changbin-hyung and Sungie. You’re perfectly on schedule, maybe even a bit ahead of it, so no ‘I got no time to rest’. You do, you just refuse to. Why? You need sleep, you got the opportunity to sleep, yet you come back here to work. Why?” Chan’s eyes flooded with tears as his chest tightened. The younger immediately felt guilty for being so stern only moments after Chan regained consciousness. Scrubbing at his tears, the leader tried to keep his voice from cracking as he mumbled: “Can’t sleep.” Felix pulled the eldest into a hug, heart breaking. “I try and- try b-but. I jus’ can’t”, Chan hiccupped, resting his pounding head on Felix shoulder.

Chan could hear his dongsaengs talk quietly but his mind was too hazy to keep up with their conversation, besides, he was content where he was. Felix was comfy. At some point, Minho left so it was only the two Aussies at the studio. “Chan, we’re going to take you to urgent care”, Felix hummed, tracing his nails down the leader’s back, “You fainted multiple times today, your fever is bad and we can’t even trust you to stay put if we tell you to rest, so taking you home to sleep it off seems pretty useless.” – “No”, Chan whined, almost too exhausted to really argue, “I promise I’ll stay put this time. You could just give me my laptop and I promise- I promise I’ll only get up to use the restroom.” – “Nuh-uh, too late for that”, the dancer denied, gently nudging Chan off of him before getting up and offering him a hand.

Getting back to his feet was a struggle for Chan and he swayed for a moment, leaning heavily into Felix. “Come on”, the younger smiled sympathetically, “Maybe you can get something for your insomnia too at urgent care. At least temporarily till you’re over this cold. I know fevers always make you restless.” Minho had already informed the other members, him and Hyunjin arranging a ride to take Chan to urgent care. Since the dance racha was already with their leader, they decided that Hyunjin and Felix would accompany the eldest, while Minho would meet up with Changbin to talk to their managers together.

Considering how stubborn Chan had been earlier, he put up close to no fight now. Probably because the headache truly made him miserable or simply because he knew that with how lightheaded he was. There was no point in running from Hyunjin and Felix if their arms were the only thing keeping him on his feet…. He was glad that he didn’t have to go alone though. Already not being in a clear state of mind, Chan would’ve felt too vulnerable to accept the mild sedative the doctor offered him if he didn’t have his friends with him. It made him drowsy as he lay on the bed and waited for the IV with fluids and fever reducers to finish, knowing he’d be allowed to leave and sleep off his illness in the comfort of his own bed. How he’d get there, he didn’t know yet, but knew he could rely on his dongsaengs to figure something out.

“How’re you feeling now, hyung”, Hyunjin hummed softly, stroking the hair iut of Chan’s face. Blearily blinking up at the dancer, Chan yawned: “I was hurting all over, that’s better now. Really tired though. Might fall asleep.” – “Please do”, Felix muttered under his breath before smiling: “That’s good to hear. Wouldn’t it be great if you fell asleep? You’d wake up feeling so much better because that’s exactly what your body needs. Don’t worry, we’ll make sure to get yiu home safely. Sleep, hyung.”

#fanfic #fluff #comfort #fanfiction #sickfic #sick #stray kids #skz #whumpril2024 #whumprilday11 #whumprilday12 #whumprilday14 #whumprilalt7 #whumprilday24

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cuddlepilefics · 23 days

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HI! I love your stories and I don't know if you've already done it (if so sorry in advance) but you could do a story with Felix who is sick (migraine, stomach cramps whatever you want) but stubborn and only admits it when he hurts himself due to a fall during training and others (specific;chan and hyunjin pls) take care of him??? pls and thank you ❤️

Dizziness

Fandom: Stray Kids

Sickie: Felix

Caregivers: Chan & Hyunjin

Prompt @whumpril

No one’s POV.:

Felix had already felt a little odd when he had gone to bed the previous night, muscles achy with exhaustion that didn’t even feel justified considering their schedule for the day hadn’t been that draining. Though he had gotten a decent amount of sleep, the exhaustion hadn’t improved at all and it took all his willpower to get out of bed. At least he was lucky enough to not run late, unlike Minho, Seungmin and Jeongin, who completely missed their friend’s struggle in their rush to get ready and out of the dorm on time. With how tired he was, Felix would’ve almost fallen asleep on the drive to the company building if it wasn’t for the weird swimmy feeling in his head. Every time the car took a turn, the Aussie’s head was sent spinning and watching the buildings pass by did little to anchor him. Since looking out the window barely helped at all, Felix eventually gave up and closed his eyes, resting his head on Hyunjin’s shoulder.

Thinking the younger was falling asleep, Hyunjin gently rubbed Felix’ knee, which earned him a low hum of acknowledgement. In reality, the Aussie was trying his best not to get carsick but his stomach was starting to feel a little fluttery by the time they arrived at the company building. “You good?”, Hyunjin whispered as he helped his dongsaeng out of the car. Still a little unsteady on his feet, Felix yawned: “’m tired.” - “Maybe you can nap between the recordings”, the older chuckled as they made their way to the studio. Luckily, their schedule was starting off with a recording session and they’d have dance practice after lunch, so Felix still had some time to properly wake up and get into the groove. He could only hope it’d be enough because he doubted he’d be able to dance well anytime soon.

The mood in the studio was a little tense because adrenaline was still running high in Minho, Seungmin and Jeongin after the hectic morning they had had, so Felix didn’t dare ask if it was okay for him to lie down for a bit. His head was beginning to hurt as he read over his lyrics, the words blurring in front of his eyes. At least, the nausea he had experienced during the drive was slowly dissipating but he still didn’t have an appetite when Chan asked if they should get anything for breakfast.

Thinking that having something in his stomach might quell the remaining queasiness, Felix figured he could just have some fruit and crackers and he even volunteered to go to the store with Jeongin to get breakfast for everyone. His main intention was to get out of the stuffy studio, hoping the fresh morning air would settle his stomach and maybe wake him up. It did turn out to be a mistake though because he still felt far from steady on his feet but he didn’t want to worry Jeongin when the maknae was still reeling from that morning’s events. Pretending to just be in a bit of a cuddly mood, Felix linked their arms and held onto Jeongin’s arm to steady himself.

The trip to the store had taken more out of Felix than he would have expected but he was glad that he had been able to get out of the studio for a bit because the tension and chaos had almost driven him mad. Once they had sorted out everyone’s food orders, Felix plopped down in his seat and suppressed a groan. Nobody seemed to notice how quiet the Aussie was as he slowly nibbled his crackers. The crackers settled alright but by the time Felix finished his banana, his stomach was in knots. He had been determined to finish both though because he really wanted to take something for his worsening headache and knew he shouldn’t do so on an empty stomach.

“Are you okay, Lixxie?”, Chan asked softly, “You’re so quiet today, mate. Like, something about your energy just feels off.” – “I’m tired”, Felix chuckled, though the little, forced laugh aggravated his headache. He didn’t want to worry Chan, so he wouldn’t let the older know that he wasn’t feeling well at the moment. Especially because he didn’t think he was sick, just having a bit of an off day. Ruffling his dongsaeng’s hair, Chan smiled: “Alright, speak up if you need anything though. Had you said something earlier, you could have taken a nap here but now we’re short on time and need to leave for dance practice soon.” – “Hyung, it’s nothing really”, Felix insisted, too stubborn to crack now because he could’ve asked about taking a nap earlier. It was his own fault that he hadn’t. Poking Chan’s side, he reminded: “I’m tired, not dying. We’ve all been tired before.” – “I guess so”, Chan sighed, getting back to work.

Felix was feeling more miserable by the minute but he decided that he had missed his chances to speak up. That didn’t mean that he would turn down the painkillers Seungmin offered him. The vocalist had noticed how Felix flinched whenever there was a loud noise and pressed long enough for the Aussie to admit to having a headache. Felix could only hope that his stomach too would settle once the pain improved or else he had no idea how he’d get through their dance practice session.

Luckily, his headache did improve and though his stomach still felt funny, he was only the slightest bit queasy. What Felix hadn’t considered though, was the intense vertigo that hit him the moment he got to his feet to head down to the practice rooms. Squeezing his eyes shut, he clutched Hyunjin’s arm for support and was grateful that the older wrapped his arms around his waist to steady him. “Woah, you good?”, Hyunjin frowned worriedly, hesitant to step back even after his dongsaeng had found his balance. Felix nodded but it was barely convincing, still, he muttered: “Got up too fast. We’ve been sitting for too long.” – “Well, guess it’s a good thing we’ll be moving for the next couple of hours”, Hyunjin hummed, patting the Aussie’s shoulder. And boy were they moving.

Felix didn’t know how he did it but he had made it through the first two hours of dance practice with only minor slip ups. Sure, his moves weren’t as sharp as they usually were but hey, that was still pretty good considering that he felt like he was dancing aboard a wonky ship that was tossed about a stormy sea by relentless waves crashing against its hall. His stomach was churning once again, almost as if he was getting motion sick from his own dance moves. Still, he had only gagged into his mouth once and had been able to turn away from his group, so that nobody noticed. When Minho eventually called a ten minute break, Felix didn’t take a single step more, shakily sitting down on the floor right where he had stood.

Chan seemed worried about Felix despite the younger’s best efforts to hide his struggle. By now, the boy was too out of it to notice Chan’s concern though. Felix’ stomach cramped horribly and it was almost impossible to move but somehow, he still managed to get to his feet and resume practice once the short break was over. How he was able to stay on his feet, the dancer didn’t know because his head spun and his vision blurred. Felix wasn’t even sure if his moves were on beat, not hearing the music over the ringing in his ears, and he also didn’t notice how he lost his balance, realizing a moment to late that the blurry picture was tipping sideways.

Without as much as an attempt at catching himself, Felix crumpled to the floor, the impact sending shock waves through his body and making his head pound. “Shit, you alright, mate?”, Chan frowned as he crouched next to his dongsaeng. Felix’ eyes seemed out of focus despite the leader being pretty sure that the boy hadn’t hit his head, which confused and worried the older greatly. Dazedly sitting up, Felix slurred: “Gonna be s-“ Before choking up his meager breakfast over his lap. He almost slumped over, had it not been for Chan catching him by the shoulders, steadying him as he retched. Hyunjin was by their side in an instant, carefully brushing Felix’ hair out of his face, impressed by how long it had gotten. Tugging the hair tie out of his hair, Hyunjin tied his dongsaeng’s hair into a messy ponytail and gently rubbed the younger’s back.

A few unproductive heaves later, Felix collapsed backwards and Chan slowly lowered him to the ground, so he wouldn’t hit his head. “You with us, Lix?”, the leader asked softly, taking the other’s hand and lifting up his arm to examine it. Humming in confirmation, Felix squeezed his eyes shut and tried to fight off the unbearable dizziness that threatened to send his stomach over the edge again. It was only now that he was taking stock of his body that he felt warm liquid running down his arm and the moist warmth that soaked through the fabric of his pants. Realizing that his stomach contents were currently seeping through his pants, Felix tried to roll onto his side and gagged emptily. He couldn’t even really prop himself up because Chan was still holding onto his arm. Felix tugged in the arm in Chan’s grasp, whining hoarsely.

There were a few muffled voices in the background but Felix couldn’t decipher what anyone was saying until Chan’s calm voice right next to him promised: “It’s okay. Your elbow is bleeding though, so don’t put it on the floor. We wouldn’t want you getting any dirt into that wound.” Or vomit but Chan didn’t say that out loud. “His knee’s bleeding too, hyung”, Hyunjin mumbled and Felix could feel him tug on his soiled pants. Barely even lifting his head, the younger winced: “Could you stop, please?” The skin on his knee stung already and Hyunjin’s fussing was making it worse. “I’m sorry, do you think you can sit up and change into some clean shorts though?”, the older hummed, “If not, at least keep your eyes open, so we know you’re still conscious.” – “Dizzy”, Felix breathed but shakily sat up to wriggle out of his pants.

Taking a seat behind Felix, so his dongsaeng could lean against his chest, Chan whispered: “Did you hit your head or have you been dizzy before?” – “Been dizzy for a while. Wouldn’t have toppled over that easily if I hadn’t”, the dancer muttered but relaxed into his hyung’s arms. Minho had handed Chan a towel, so the eldest could wipe the sweat from Felix’ pale face, while Hyunjin had removed the younger’s vomit stained pants and was making quick work of cleaning the mess of his thighs, so he could patch up his knee. “Can you tell us how you’re feeling now?”, Chan hummed as he cupped Felix’ cheek, “And the truth please, no more, I’m-fine-just-tired-BS.” Drawing a deep breath, the other shuddered: “Dizzy an’ my head hurts. Stomach really doesn’t this merry-go-round.” – “Can I have your arm, please?”, Hyunjin asked softly once he had finished patching up Felix’ knee.

“How long have you felt like that?”, Chan continued, feeling his dongsaeng’s forehead, “You feel pretty warm and I don’t think that’s just because you’ve been dancing.” Leaning into the leader’s touch, Felix yawned: “Went to bed exhausted as hell and woke up feeling odd. Didn’t think I was sick though.” – “Well, I think you’re sick though”, the eldest countered with Hyunjin adding: “Same here.” The were quiet sounds of confirmation from the other members, making Felix sigh: “I guess. Just really wanna go home.” – “We’ll take you home”, Chan promised, “Could you sip some water first?” Weakly shaking his head, the younger admitted: “Wouldn’t stay down.” – “Okay, we’ll try later. Would you like some gum?”, Hyunjin offered, handing Felix a strip of gum when the boy nodded. He really wanted to get this awful taste off his tongue.

Minho lent Felix his spare pair of shorts and they hoisted the boy to his feet afterwards. Felix hadn’t been kidding when he said he was dizzy, almost tumbling down again if it hadn’t been for Chan and Hyunjin steadying him. “Easy there”, Chan shushed, rubbing Felix’ back when the younger slumped against his chest with a tired whimper. He really didn’t feel good at all and why was he still so dizzy? Clutching the leader’s shirt, Felix sniffled: “I really want my bed and not to get up anytime soon.” – “That sounds like a great plan actually”, Chan smiled. With how stubborn his dongsaeng had been earlier, he had already feared how difficult it would be to get him to rest but it seemed the young dancer was done putting up a fight. “Come on, let’s get you home and to bed”, Hyunjin whispered, taking Felix’ arm to guide him on their way.

#fanfic #fluff #comfort #fanfiction #sickfic #sick #stray kids #skz #emeto #whumpril2024 #whumprilday6 #dizziness #chanlix #hyunlix

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cuddlepilefics · 25 days

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hiiiiii

I love your writes, can I ask one where Heeseung gets sick during a trip and the members take care of him?

A lot of high fevers please, like the members think is only carsick but it gets worse

Thank you it's my first request 😘

Swaying

Fandom: Enhypen

Sickie: Heeseung

Caregivers: Enhypen

prompt @whumpril

No one’s POV.:

The members of Enhypen were absolutely hyped. Not only did they get a prolonged break from their schedules, they even got to go on a trip together, so they could get away from their hectic idol lives and do some bonding as a group. Everyone was excited to get going, though one of the members couldn’t shake a faint feeling that something was wrong. Heeseung was a little uneasy when they got into the van, his stomach feeling bubbly with what he figured was nerves. The whole situation felt wrong to the eldest but he guessed it was just because they had never gotten such a long break, so his sub consciousness couldn’t help but distrust it. “Cheer up, hyung”, Niki giggled as he plopped into the seat next to Heeseung, “There are two weeks of freedom ahead of us.” The eldest sighed, trying to relax into his seat. Niki was right. There was no reason to hold on zo all this tension in his stomach.

To all their surprise, Heeseung fell asleep only thirty minutes into their five-hour-drive, seemingly more rundown from their recent schedules than he had been aware of. That made the prospect of a two week vacation, so much more alluring. He’d catch up on all that lost sleep soon, so good thing he had already started. The members toned it down immediately when they noticed their hyung sleeping and with the atmosphere in the van quieting down, Jake and Sunoo were out cold soon too.

Sadly, Heeseung didn’t stay asleep for long, despite the others’ best efforts to let him rest. The low rumble of the engine that had been so soothing earlier was now slowly getting on his nerves, while the stuffy interior of the van almost made him feel claustrophobic. It was like there was no oxygen left and no mater how fast he breathed, it could never be enough. Jay turned to Heeseung when he noticed his hyung’s ragged breathing, softly asking the eldest of he was alright. Grimacing, Heeseung requested: “Could we crack a window or something? It’s so stuffy in here.”

Struggling out of his hoodie, Heeseung fanned himself with his hands, face flushed and small beads of sweat forming on his forehead. “Aren’t you sweating?”, he frowned, glancing at Jungwon who had covered himself with his coat, “It’ so freaking hot.” – “Are you sure you’re feeling okay, hyung? It’s not hot and you look really flushed”, the leader hummed, reaching for their cooler to hand Heeseung a cold drink. Rubbing his face, the older muttered: “I don’t know. Might be getting carsick. My stomach feels funny.” – “You didn’t eat anything today”, Jay pointed out, “Maybe it’s hunger. Do you want a protein bar?” Though he really didn’t have an appetite, Heeseung let himself be talked into nibbling a protein bar and also accepted a small bag of crackers from Niki.

Eating turned out to be a bad mistake, making the boy feel sicker by the minute. “How’re you feeling?”, Jay asked after a little while, hoping the snack might have settled Heeseung’s stomach. The eldest shook his head and groaned: “’s getting worse. Feel like ‘m gonna puke.” – “Shit”, the younger cursed, glad that Sunghoon was already talking to the driver to ask him to pull over as soon as possible while Jake rummaged through his backpack in search of a plastic bag, “Hang in there, hyung.” Niki comfortingly rubbed Heeseung’s back, which helped the older stay calm enough to take slow, controlled breaths to at least and ward off the nausea for the time being. Not much later, Jake pressed the bag into Heeseung’s hand but they were already pulling onto a parking bay, so the eldest unbuckled his seatbelt while the car was still moving and threw open the door the second they came to a halt.

Heeseung staggered away from the car, shoving the bag into his pocket before doubling over. Bracing himself against the guardrail, he gagged over the grass and felt his stomach lurch but only a small, watery trickle came up. Jay walked up next to him and gave him a few gentle pats on the back, a little surprised when his hyung pitched forward a large wave splattering onto the grass. Another hand appeared on Heeseung’s shoulder, giving it a light squeeze as the eldest kept retching. “You’re okay, hyung”, Jake hummed softly, steadying Heeseung when the older swayed forward and almost toppled over the guardrail. Taking in large gulps of air, Heeseung rasped: “Gosh, I knew my stomach was upset but I didn’t expect it to be this angry.” He gagged unproductively again before spitting onto the grass and straightening back up. For a short moment, Heeseung lost his balance, stumbling into Jake’s side before composing himself and walking back to the car with his friends close by his side.

“Have some water, hyung”, Jungwon encouraged, handing the older his water bottle. Still queasy, Heeseung didn’t dare have a drink yet but he rinsed his mouth and gladly accepted the mint Sunoo offered him. His hands still trembled when he handed the water back and rubbed at his face. Though Heeseung didn’t feel as nauseous anymore, his stomach was still cramping and his head had started to pound when he threw up, the headache lingering now and gosh, he was so tired despite his little nap earlier. Since it was only a small parking bay, they couldn’t really take a longer break there for Heeseung to catch his breath and calm down, so they found themselves back on the road sooner than any of the would’ve liked. They had switched seats though, Jay and Jake sitting on either of Heeseung’s sides. The eldest had retrieved the plastic bag from his pocket and held onto it tightly as he closed his eyes and rested his head on Jake’s shoulder.

Groaning softly, Heeseung squeezed his eyes shut, body tense in his seat. “What are you feeling, hyung?”, Jake whispered, desperate to ease the other’s suffering. Swallowing thickly, the eldest breathed: “My stomach’s turning and my head hurts.” – “Do you feel like you need to be sick again?”, the Aussie asked, glancing at the bag in his friend’s hands. Heeseung weakly shook his head and slurred: “Jus’ wanna sleep.” Though surprised by how drained their hyung seemed, the members were glad that he fell asleep almost immediately. Hopefully he’d be able to sleep through most of the remaining drive and thereby avoid his carsickness.

They only had another hour to go when Heeseung woke up from his nap, beads of sweat running down his temples. Before anyone had even noticed him being awake, the crinkle of the plastic bag caught Jake’s attention. A moment later, Heeseung sleepily lifted his head from the Aussie’s shoulder and brought the bag up to his ashy pale lips, gagging hard. “Oh dear”, Jake sighed, rubbing the other’s back while Jungwon and Sunoo cracked the windows, “You’ve never gotten this carsick before, hyung. What’s up with you today?” The only reply was a hoarse whimper after a gush of stomach acid made the bag grow heavier in Heeseung’s hands. Patting his hyung’s knee, Jay informed: “There’s a gas station just a few kilometers away. We’ll take a break there. Maybe being on solid, unmoving ground and getting some fresh air will calm your stomach down.

Heeseung felt weak when Jay got out of the van and helped him climb out as well. Swaying on his feet, the eldest leant back against the van and drew a shuddering breath. Somebody took the plastic bag from him but he didn’t find the strength to look up. “Hyung, there are a few benches over there”, Sunghoon hummed, taking the other’s arm, “Do you wanna lay down for a bit? You look about ready to fall over.” Giving a slow nod, Heeseung let the younger guide him to a bench and flopped down on his back. He covered his face with his arm and took a few slow breaths to ease the churning in his stomach. His head ached so badly it was hard to grasp a clear thought. Slipping his hand under his shirt, Heeseung palmed at his tense abs and tried to soothe the cramps but it was to no avail.

Feeling his stomach clench, Heeseung rolled onto his side and gagged weakly. His mouth watered and he didn’t have the energy to swallow or spit it out, so he just let the saliva drip onto the pavement next to him. Sunghoon worriedly brushed the hair out of Heeseung’s face while making eye contact with Jay, who made his way over to them. Jay’s steady hand ran up and down his back while Heeseung gagged uselessly. His throat was already raw but Heeseung doubted his stomach would calm down unless he managed to empty it completely. Remembering how Jay had made him throw up so hard earlier, the eldest sniffled: “Cou-could you pat my- my back again?” – “I think you’re empty, hyung”, Jay frowned, his hand stilling on the other’s back, “Maybe you should try to take a few deep breaths instead.” – “Jay, please”, Heeseung whimpered, tears of desperation dripping from his lashes.

Jay couldn’t stand to see his hyung suffer any longer and hesitantly delivered a few firm pats between the other’s shoulder blades. Heeseung retched hard and finally brought up a small wave of bile, barely hearing Sunghoon’s voice over the ringing in his ears. The younger had made a discovery when brushing Heeseung’s hair out of his face and advised Jay to feel their hyung’s forehead. While Heeseung slowly caught his breath, Jay’s palm gently cupped his forehead and then his cheek. Clicking his tongue, Jay muttered: “I don’t think you’re carsick, hyung. You’re burning up and you’ve felt overly hot in the car earlier. This looks more like a stomach bug to me.”

Wiping his lips with the back of his hand, Heeseung turned onto his back and rasped: “A fever would explain why my head hurts so badly.” – “Why didn’t you say anything, hyung?”, Jay frowned, helping the older sit up when Niki approached them with water and tissues. “I wasn’t sure”, Heeseung admitted, “And I didn’t want to ruin this trip for you guys.” – “Hyung, it’s not your fault that you’re sick”, the maknae sighed, wetting a tissue to clean the other’s hand and lips, “And you didn’t ruin anything for anyone. We’re on a two week break, more than enough time for you to recover and still have a fun vacation. Do you feel like you could stomach some water?” Heeseung weakly shook his head but accepted the bottle to rinse his mouth.

“We bought antacids and pretzels”, Sunoo smiled, holding up a small plastic bag from the gas station. Rummaging through his backpack, Jungwon mumbled: “I have painkillers if you want to take something for the headache and to bring your fever down. You should probably eat some of the pretzels first.” – “Thanks”, Heeseung rasped tiredly, “I don’t think I could keep it down right now but I might try in a few minutes.” Jake had pulled a towel from his luggage and held it out to Niki, so the maknae could pour some of the water onto it. Gently draping the cold cloth across his hyung’s neck, Jake hummed: “We only have another hour to go, so we’re not really in a rush. You can take your time to catch your breath. Take as long as you need and let us know when you feel ready to continue or for some medicine.”

They got Heeseung laying down on the bench, elevating his legs on Sunoo’s lap when his blood pressure dropped, leaving him lightheaded. “When we get to the vacation rental, he can lie on the couch and we’ll unload the car and set his room up first”, Jay laid out his plan, “I don’t like how high his fever is and that he’s still so nauseous despite being empty.” – “I searched up the hospitals in the area around the rental”, Jake hummed, holding up his phone, “I got the address in case we need to take him to urgent care.” – “That’s a good thing to keep at the back of our minds but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that”, Jay agreed but tried to keep the group calm, despite his own worries. If Heeseung wouldn’t manage to at least keep some water down soon, a trip to urgent care wouldn’t be all that unlikely.

Not wanting to keep the group stuck at all gas station when they could be at their vacation apartment instead, Heeseung eventually nibbled a few pretzels before getting medicated and asking his friends to help him back to the car, so they could continue. Did he feel ready to? Absolutely not. It couldn’t be helped though if they wanted to get to their destination. Swaying on his feet, Heeseung clung to Jake and Niki, afraid he’d trip himself while his balance was so off. “You got more bags? Pretzels aren’t sittin’ so well”, the eldest slurred, head dropping onto his chest. Easing his hyung into his seat, Sunoo hummed: “We grabbed a bunch from the gas station. Don’t worry, hyung, we’re prepared.”

Heeseung pretty much melted into his seat, too weak to keep himself upright. Jake carefully buckled the eldest in and made sure he was set up with a plastic bag in his hand. They could only hope they’d make it to their destination without anymore incidents but chances were slim. Grabbing the damp towel, Jake dabbed at Heeseung’s burning forehead before folding it and draping it across the back of his hyung’s neck. The older was still so awfully feverish, his eyes glazed over and out of focus. He groaned lowly when the van started to move again, making his stomach drop.

The mood had been so lighthearted and excited when the had first departed on their trip but now a tense silence hung over the group, all of them hoping their eldest hyung would just sleep through the rest of the drive, so nobody dared making a sound for the fear of waking him. Heeseung wasn’t asleep though, merely drifting in his feverish haze only half grasping the situation. His stomach still rolled, throat sore from how much he had been throwing up. A wet burp slipped from his lips, head dipping forward as he clumsily fiddled with the bag, hands trembling too badly to obey him. “I got you”, Jake promised, plastic bag crinkling as he took it from the older and held it under his chin. Shuddering, Heeseung gasped for air before he pitched forward again. He coughed hard when bits of the pretzels got stuck in his throat, stomach already lurching again.

Lowering the bag when it didn’t seem like Heeseung would be able to bring anything else up, Jake muttered in English: “There goes the medicine.” The eldest was too out of it to understand but Jay did, nodding in acknowledgement. He knew their situation was serious but he really hoped they wouldn’t have to drag their exhausted hyung to urgent care. They were lucky though, finally pulling into the driveway of their vacation rental after a drive that had felt like forever to the members. Jake got out of the van and disposed of the sickbag, while Jay and Niki helped Heeseung out of the van. Niki caught his hyung around the waist when the older tripped himself, still swaying when he was supported by two of his dongsaengs.

As soon as they made it inside and kicked off their shoes, they deposited Heeseung on the couch and unloaded the van, leaving their luggage in the hallway and only unpacking the most essential items. “Hyung, your room is ready and we put a trash can next to the bed”, Jungwon informed quietly, “Is there anything else we can do?” Gently sitting Heeseung up, Jay requested: “Could you cook some rice? I’ll make some jook later and it’d save me a lot of time if there’s some cooked rice prepared.” The leader nodded, already heading to the kitchen.

Slinging Heeseung’s arm across his shoulders, Jay pulled his swaying hyung up from the couch and down the hallway to his room. The older was incredibly grateful to finally be on solid ground for good and tiredly flopped down on his bed. “The trash can is right next to you”, Jay hummed as he helped the other sort out his blanket to properly cover him, “I’ll grab you a drink and a cold cloth for your forehead. We gotta try to bring that fever down if we can’t give you fever reducers.” – “Thank you”, Heeseung rasped, draping his arm over his eyes. He felt guilty about ruining the groups vacation but Niki’s did have a point. It was a two week vacation and he should hopefully be better within a couple of days.

By the time Jay returned and draped a cold cloth over Heeseung’s forehead, the eldest was already deeply asleep and the other members settling in and unpacking their luggage. A heavy weight lifted off their chests now that they had finally arrived and knew their hyung was getting the rest he needed.

#fanfic #fluff #comfort #fanfiction #sickfic #sick #enhypen #emeto #whumpril2024 #whumprilday4 #swaying

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cuddlepilefics · 25 days

Text

Stray Kids Headcanons - Emeto

Bang Chan

Will never ever admit to sickness and rather hide in the studio

Doesn’t let you see that he is sick so good luck

Doesn’t want to let the kids down or see him weak, so he might even prefer a manager by his side or one of his GOT7 hyungs or TWICE noonas - though being alone is preferred

The younger members hate it and it causes Lee Know to feel like Chan didn’t think he could rely on him

Lee Know/Minho

As a caretaker: You’re his baby now

But sheesh, when he is sick

You’re a dongsaeng? He hates you with every fiber of his being

You’re Bang Chan? He still hates you but also you’re the one he feels like he can admit sickness to

He doesn’t want to burden his dongsaengs too much, so he would seek out Bang Chan

But his Hannie is the only one he doesn’t absolutely despises so he gravitates towards him even if not consciously

Very quiet and will try to hide because of embarrassment

Might get motion sick on planes or tour buses

The others can usually tell when he gets quiet and pale

Changbin

Has overworked in the gym to nausea before

But otherwise doesn’t really get sick

If he refuses food you should start to get worried

Would go to Chan if he can’t hold out on his own anymore but really doesn’t mind getting fussed over by everyone when they notice

Strong stomach and is the one who will carry you to bed and clean up after you

Very soft for Seungmin and Felix in particular

Hyunjin

Surprisingly good with the maknaes, especially the three youngest

Probably because unlike the rest of the hyung line he is naturally quiet

Very self-sufficient, yes, he can be a drama queen but not when sick

Will tie his hair back and sit in the bathroom alone but not without telling somebody just in case

The others are seldom able to tell when he isn’t feeling good so it might come as a surprise

Might allow Chan in with him, if he is desperate, or Lee Know

Gets car sick occasionally and needs somebody to hold his hair because he gets so dizzy

HAN/Jisung

Nerves make him nauseous, oh god, help him

Every member has seen him puke before

Not good with it when he is sick himself but seeing others be sick? No prob

Is whiny and you will know when he is sick (with the stomach flu)

Constant hiccoughs and holding his stomach

Poor guy really isn’t good at being sick

Kind of scared because it gets so hard to breathe, so hold his hand, Minho-hyung, and cuddle him

Will not make it to the toilet - try to locate a bag or bucket and pray

Felix/Yongbok

Feels the tiniest bit of nausea? You’ll find him glued to his Channie-hyung

Might accept Hyunjin or maybe even Changbin as alternatives but please get him Chan

It’s not even that he’s emetophobic or scared he just hates feeling unwell

Camps on the bathroom floor

It’s so different to his normal happy-go-lucky operating system that he doesn’t know how to cope

Definitely wants chicken soup when vomiting (don’t tell bbokari)

Seungmin finds it hilarious and has once placed bbokari on the tray with the soup

Felix threw up on him in revenge - I.N. couldn’t stop laughing at Seungmin’s shocked and betrayed face but Seungmin had to admit it was funny in retrospect

Felix does still feel a bit bad about it but justice for bbokari!

Seungmin

Migraine boy and they make him absolutely miserable and useless

Actively would seek out Hyunjin if he has a migraine because the other is quiet and knows how to stroke his hair just right

Migraines make him so damn nauseous, you’ll find him draped over the toilet at least every few weeks - stress triggers them

He is very loud when sick and ironically it hurts his head even more

Has thrown up in bed or on the floor before when he already woke up with a migraine

If it’s a stomach bug he would hide it though

Since he is down with migraines so often he doesn’t think he should go bother his hyungs even more

Has thrown up on Hyunjin’s shoes during dance practice before because he tried to hide he caught the stomach bug passing around

I.N./Jeongin

kinda learned from Lee Know hyung: he will hate you

No seriously, leave him alone

Let’s everybody know he is sick but threatens to throw up on them if they bother him

Hides with a bucket in his room

Everybody hates that he won’t let them in but respect his privacy

Might seek out Seungmin (or if really desperate Felix) though if he is feeling particularly bad - somehow having his fellow maknae(s) was better than a hyung

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cuddlepilefics · 27 days

Text

ATEEZ Dizzy/Feverish Headcanons

Hongjoong

Gets dizzy so fucking easily that it’s a surprise he hasn’t fainted more often

Dizzy spells from low blood sugar because he so often forgets to eat when in the studio

Fainted into EDEN’s arms before and ever since all of EDENary and Maddox keep sugary cereal bars on hand to fed to him

But from experience he knows how to keep himself from fainting if he notices soon enough - locks his knees, squats or sits down etc.

Gets super nauseous from fevers - sometimes he just gets really nauseous and pukes before anybody even realizes that he is running a high temp - mostly because they hold his hair back and when they touch his forehead they find it burning and be like ??? !!!

“Shit, I’m late for practice”, Hongjoong muttered, looking at his smartphone. He had been so deep into producing with Maddox and Eden that he had completely forgotten the time.

“Go, we’ll make do without you”, Eden said, rolling his eyes.

“Thanks”, Hongjoong replied and jumped up.

Only for the whole word starting to turn into a twisting kaleidoscope. He stumbled, vision going black.

“Joong-ah”, Maddox called and as Hongjoong opened his eyes again he found himself back in his chair, his mentor squatting down in front of him. Maddox looked worried, while EDEN had a rather unreadable expression on his face.

The oldest producer slid a cereal bar over to him and Maddox helped Hongjoong open the bar, as his fingers shook too much.

“You need to remember to eat, Hongjoong”, EDEN said, worry and displeasure fighting in his voice, “I’ll call Seonghwa to let him know you will not be going to practice. We’re having dinner now.”

Resigned Hongjoong nodded.

Seonghwa

Doesn’t really run fevers, so when he does he doesn’t notice

Like having a fever is so unexpected for him that he only believes it when Hongjoong shoves the thermometer in his face

After that he is done, once he knows he is sick it’s like his body gets the permission to fall apart

Has fainted from a fever once as he didn’t even realize how bad it was

Scared the shit out of Yeosang who had to catch him

Has a complex about being the oldest, so he doesn’t tell anybody if something is up

“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 their 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.”

Yunho

Gets dizzy when it’s hot and he’s dehydrated

Reluctantly tells one of the hyungs

He really doesn’t want to but he knows if he faints he might injure himself and he wants to avoid that

Besides, he’s so tall, he knows they won’t be able to get him of the floor

Also he really doesn’t want Mingi to worry so he speaks up in time

Every single illness is accompanied by a fever - everybody else has a slight sniffle? Yunho has a fever - somebody is puking from a stomach bug? Yunho is too but he also has a fever

“Hyung?”, Yunho whispered, tapping Seonghwa’s shoulder. They had an M/V shoot in the middle of the hottest day of the year and it was … wow, everything was tilting.

“Yunho?”, Seonghwa asked, already alarmed after seeing the younger’s sweaty and pale face. A few patches of skin were red from the sun. “What’s wrong?”

“Dizzy”, Yunho mumbled, slumping forward, “everything’s spinning. Don’t wanna faint.”

Seonghwa’s eyes widened and he called over their manager. Together they dragged the tallest member to some shade where the three maknaes were sitting. Immediately Yunho was fussed over by his best friend.

“Yunho, drink”, Mingi encouraged, “you’ve been dancing in the hot sun all day and you are so bad with heat. Knowing you, you didn’t even drink enough. Slow sips.”

With a sign, Yunho complied.

Yeosang

Has no idea how to say he isn’t feeling good, so he kinda doesn’t

Whenever he gets dizzy which often happens when he’s feverish he just stumbles into people because everything is spinning

That’s how they know

In a reverse to their normal roles he does get clingy towards Wooyoung

He has a fever? He just sleeps

Honestly waking a feverish Yeosang is the hardest task Seonghwa had ever had to face and it nearly made him cry

“Sang-ah?”, Seonghwa whispered, shaking the younger’s shoulder. They had sent Yeosang to bed yesterday evening when he had stumbled into Mingi during recording and they noticed his high fever. Now he was due for some fever reducers and some food.

But Yeosang showed no sign of waking up. No matter what Seonghwa tried. Ten minutes later the eldest gave up, shakily getting to his feet. Tears burned in his eyes but he refused to let them fall. He didn’t need worried dongsaengs beside one very sick one.

As he stumbled out of the room, ready to ask Hongjoong to call an ambulance, he was stopped by Wooyoung in the living room. “Couldn’t wake him?”, the second maknae asked. Seonghwa shook his head, not even questioning how Wooyoung knew. His worry overshadowed everything else.

“Don’t worry, hyung. Sang-ah is just a really deep sleeper when sick. Nothing we can do but wait.”

Seonghwa was dragged back to the bedroom and handed the thermometer.

“It’s only 38.2°C”, he said in astonishment.

“Told you, deep sleeper”, Wooyoung replied and jumped into the bed, only to immediately get hugged by the still asleep Yeosang. He grinned.

San

Tries to push through illnesses - at least that’s always his plan

He doesn’t hold out long though and tells Yunho who gets him lying down asap when dizzy

Fevers make him really really emotional and he keeps crying

Misses his parents and grandparents a lot when sick and is constantly on the phone with them once his fever gets too high

Hongjoong had once had to stop his grandparents from coming all the way to Seoul because San called them with a very high fever and not making much sense

Wants cuddles from every member but especially his Seonghwa-hyung or his personal pillow aka Jeong Yunho

“Hyung, everything hurts”, San cried, big fat tears rolling down his cheeks.

“I know, San-ah”, Yunho replied helplessly, wiping at the tears. He had been woken by his younger roommate in the middle of the night. At first a sleepy Yunho had been worried why a simple nightmare had turned his dongsaeng into a blubbering mess but when he had felt the heat radiating off him, he had understood.

“Everything’s spinning”, San mumbled, “make it stop.”

“Come here”, Yunho whispered and wrapped San in his arms, carefully laying back so that the smaller was resting on his chest. “Sleep, I’ve got you.”

“I miss my family.”

“I know, baby, we’ll call them in the morning, okay?”

“‘Kay.”

Mingi

Gets scared when his body betrays him and immediately seeks out his Hongjoong-hyung

Basically becomes a baby which makes it hard for Hongjoong since Mingi is so much taller than him

Has never fainted before because people get him sitting or laying down as soon as he speaks up

Generally has a high body temperature so it takes some time for him to actually run a fever

“Hongjoong-hyung, I don’t feel good”, Mingi said.

Not sparing a second Hongjoong stopped his work, spinning around in his desk chair to muster the younger who had just entered his studio. The younger man was pale and his eyes were blown wide with … fear?

The captain jumped up to reach out to him, gently holding onto his arm. “What’s wrong?”

“I … uh”, Mingi whispered, “I’m kinda feeling dizzy.” Shit. Okay.

“Let’s sit down okay?”, Hongjoong said and tightened his grip on the younger. Then pulled them over to the couch before anything could happen. Mingi was just too damn tall for Hongjoong to completely hold him up, especially if it was unexpected. Hongjoong gently helped the younger lay on his back, feet raised on the armrest. He gently stroked his hand through the messy, slick hair.

“Hey, princess?”, the captain asked then, tapping Mingi’s cheeks. “Let’s rest for a moment and I’ll get you something to drink. Then Yunho and I will take you back to the dorm, okay?”

Wooyoung

Contrary to what people might think he doesn’t get whiny

He gets quiet which is much more scary

Gets bad headaches from fevers but doesn’t say anything

He is kinda scared people will judge him or wave him off because he normally is dramatic

Just suddenly faints (well, only suddenly to everybody else) and got a concussion from that once

“Wooyoung?”, San asked, “what do you think about going home now? Wooyoung?”

San turned around and his heart nearly stopped. The younger was slumped against the mirror of the dance practice room, eyes closed and body so limp it was clear he wasn’t conscious.

“Oh God”, Hongjoong exclaimed and ran over to the younger, kneeling down by his side.

San was frozen in shock. They had just decided to end practice early since Wooyoung had been off all day, quiet and closed off, which was so unnatural to their sunshine demon. Now the younger was unconscious with Hongjoong, Yunho, Yeosang and a manager kneeling by his side. Seonghwa appeared by San’s side, pulling him into his side in a protective embrace and together they walked a bit closer.

“Wha’?” San was sure he had never heard a more beautiful sound.

“Hey, baby”, Hongjoong whispered, stroking back Wooyoung’s hair as the younger’s eyes flickered open.

“How are you feeling?”, Yunho asked, a bit of guilt in his voice. It was his dance practice that had gone wrong after all. Hongjoong must have heard it too as he placed a hand on Yunho’s back.

“Tired, dizzy, my head hurts”, Wooyoung mumbled. Yeosang sneaked a hand to his forehead.

“No wonder, Young-ah, you’re burning up. Bed, now.”

Jongho

Doesn’t get sick often

But when he does, oh boy

All his reserves of wanting to be Maknae on Top crumble and he goes to any of his hyungs, but likely Hongjoong because he isn’t overwhelming and not as touchy as the others

Kind of wants hug but also doesn’t because he’s hot and sweaty and just bah

Dizziness is really disorientating to him, so he immediately speaks up because he cannot stay upright

Gets the worst chills

“Hey, Jongho-yah”, Hongjoong greeted from the doorway, finding the maknae curled up under a lot of blankets, “still not feeling any better?”

Jongho shook his head, shivering. He had really scared the group when he had sat down unexpectedly during recordings earlier that day, complaining of dizziness. One second he had been singing, the next he had been on the ground, clutching Mingi’s legs to keep himself upright.

They had crowded the maknae a bit, Hongjoong had had to admit but Jongho hadn’t even cared much. Instead he had asked the captain to take him home. Soft for his baby and worried when finding him burning up Hongjoong had done as asked, not even sparing a thought for the recordings. Maddox, who had been watching in worry, and Mingi had it under control.

“Hyung, can you lie down with me?”, Jongho asked timidly, “I am so cold.”

“Of course.” Hongjoong crawled under the blankets, hugging the younger to his chest. He could feel the chills wreck the whole bed and just how sweaty Jongho was. He didn’t care at all.

“I’m sorry”, the maknae whispered, burying his face in Hongjoong’s shoulder, “I’m disgusting.”

“Shush, you’re just sick”, the captain replied quietly, “it’s okay.”

43 notes · View notes

cuddlepilefics · 28 days

Text

ATEEZ Emeto Headcanons

Hongjoong

Loud because he keeps coughing since he’s scared of choking

Doesn’t really want the other members to know when he’s nauseous - “I’m the captain, I’m fine”

Gets easily embarrassed but doesn’t want to be alone either - it’s a real struggle

Appreciates Seonghwa by his side but if Seonghwa isn’t available another member is fine - just not more than one

Mostly gets sick in the night when it’s a stomach bug and he camps out in front of the toilet scared to make a mess

Does get motion sick and has a few food intolerances so everybody has seen him puke before which he isn’t very happy about

More likely to make a mess than other members but just on the chance that he is sick so often

“Hyung? Are you motion sick?”, San asked quietly, looking at the pale captain beside him.

“... maybe”, Hongjoong reluctantly admitted. He hated the long drives to M/V shoots.

“Here’s a bag”, San muttered and rubbed the elder’s back, as Hongjoong leaned forward. San had not expected anything else - he was surprised that Hongjoong had even admitted to nausea. Maybe he was feeling worse than expected or he had just given up on hiding.

It was an unspoken rule that Wooyoung was not allowed in the same car with Yunho and Hongjoong on long drives - but was to be accompanied by the members with stomachs of steel aka Yeosang, Seonghwa and Jongho. Which did, however, mean that San was on his own with Mingi letting Yunho sleep on his shoulder.

“I …”, Hongjoong started but was interrupted by a loud retch before he spilled his stomach into the back. San just sighed, patting his back through the violent coughs.

Seonghwa

Bad complex about being the oldest

Locks himself in the bathroom and only Hongjoong even stands a chance of coaxing him out in fact Hongjoong once spent five hours sitting against a locked bathroom door until Seonghwa let him in

But he doesn’t get sick often and if he does it’s mostly both ways which is why he doesn’t want an audience

No real signs of nausea he just gets pale which he easily hides under make-up

His biggest issue is that he never finds a hair tie in time and sometimes holding back your own hair is difficult so he needs to shower after

“Hwa, if you don’t let me into the bathroom in the next five minutes, I will pick the lock”, Hongjoong called as he listened to retching for what felt like the hundredth time that day. He had woken early in the morning to the bathroom door slamming shut and ever since Seonghwa had not allowed one of them entrance. Hongjoong did understand but he was worried.

Just as he was about to get ready to open the door from the outside the lock clicked. Hongjoong took his chance and barreled inside to find his pale hyung leaning over the toilet. He must have reached out one long arm to turn the lock just to get back to his original position.

Seonghwa looked the definition of ill - ashen and green at the same time and there was sick in his long hair.

“Let’s get you cleaned up”, Hongjoong sighed.

Yunho

Gets so motion sick - managers know to keep plastic bags in the cars, busses, planes whatever for him and Hongjoong

But medication doesn’t work

Feel sick for ages without puking until he suddenly does or it happens without any warning - goes from fine to puking in like five minutes

Isn’t really good at telling when he’ll puke - so most likely to make a mess

Wants his Seonghwa-hyung and cuddles

Since they split up into the three dorms and he doesn’t have to considerate towards Wooyoung’s emetophobia he just spends the time on the sofa with a bucket

“Seonghwa-hyung?”, Yeosang said into the phone in his hand, “can you come over? Yunho is not feeling good.”

He looked down at his roommate, who was curled up on the sofa, hugging the designated sick bucket to his chest.

“I’ll be there”, Seonghwa promised.

Five minutes later the eldest was sitting beside Yunho on the couch, holding him in his arms.

“How long have you felt sick, love?”, he asked gently.

“A few hours?” Yunho just shrugged and let Seonghwa place the bucket down.

Another five minutes later Yeosang ran back into the living room after hearing the tell-tale sound of retching. Seonghwa was nearly as pale as Yunho was. Sick was covering his lap and shirt.

“Remind me not to put the bucket away”, he said weakly.

Yeosang

Doesn’t really get sick?

Stomach of steel and therefore a comforter for Wooyoung, San and Jongho

Tries to handle it himself, just sets himself up with a bucket and hopes for the best

If he is sick he does tell the members just on the premise to keep Wooyoung away and calm

Mostly just pukes one time and is fine though - it’s a lot that comes up but then eh, it’s out

Telltale sign is the hand to his stomach which other members don’t even really know about since it’s so seldom

“Hyung?”, Jongho asked worriedly, standing in the doorway to their shared room. The members had gotten a text from him asking to keep Wooyoung away. Seeing the bucket next to Yeosang’s bed the maknae understood. “Are you okay? Do you need anything?”

“I’m fine”, Yeosang reassured nonchalantly, a hand splayed on his stomach.

“Yeah, is that why there is a bucket here?”, Jongho asked dryly.

“You might want to leave”, Yeosang advised before leaning over to hurl into the receptacle. Wave after wave of sick came up and for a few minutes Jongho was scared it would never stop. Finally it did and Jongho watched in astonishment how Yeosang just picked up the bucket to carry it to the bathroom.

“Hyung, let me help. You just threw up!”, he exclaimed.

“Chill, Jongho, I’m fine now.”

San

Has puked from overdancing before

Like everything he does it’s dramatic

They know to get him to a trash can when he presses his palms to his mouth in the most cliché way

Does want comfort but doesn’t ask for it - over time members learned to just hold him

If he is sick he just spends the day in bed cuddling whoever is closest (preferably Seonghwa or Yunho but he honestly doesn’t care that much) with a bucket by his head

Rub his stomach, he loves it

Also has been sick due to nerves before - please don’t make him stand on a stage alone

“Are you okay, Sannie-hyung?”, Mingi asked. San, Yunho and him had been practicing the choreo for some hours now and the last few tries had San turn paler with every movement.

Then the dancer had stopped in the middle of a move, hands pressed to his mouth, eyes wide.

“Mingi, get the trash can”, Yunho called and Mingi did as asked on reflex.

As soon as he had the bucket by his head, San leaned over and started retching loudly. Mingi winced. The strangled sounds his youngest hyung made were disgusting to say the least. Yunho knelt down next to him, stroking San’s hair back. “Let it out, it’s okay!”, he encouraged.

When San was done, he slumped back into Yunho’s arms, practically sitting on his lap.

Mingi ran a warm hand over San’s back, feeling him still heave from the effort of dancing and being sick.

“What do we learn from this?”, Yunho asked, raising an eyebrow. San just glared at him for a moment before taking Yunho’s hand decisively and placing it on his stomach.

Mingi

Needs Yunho to hold his hand

Or Hongjoong but nobody else

Otherwise really relaxed about it to everybody’s surprise

If he is anxious he can get nauseous but has never thrown up from anxiety before

Prefers the privacy of bathrooms

“This is horrible”, Mingi groaned, pressing Yunho’s hand tightly. The older one had to agree. Food poisoning was not fun at all.

They had spent the better part of the afternoon on the floor of a bathroom at the company with Mingi occasionally throwing up.

The other members had been worried when Mingi had admitted to not feeling his best but if he was honest, Mingi wasn’t phased. It was just a part of life. And if he got to hold onto Yunho’s hand during it everything would be fine.

Wooyoung

Super emetophobic so he doesn’t handle it well when others feel sick

He does get a bit panicky and restless when he feels sick but when he feels really sick he doesn’t have enough capacity/strength to panic

So when he is nauseous and exhausted and not panicky he knows to go to the bathroom and always tells another member before he does

Wants San, Yeosang or Seonghwa or all of them really

Doesn’t hesitate about waking anybody in the middle of the night

Cuddles on the bathroom floor because he’s scared to move away

“Sang-ah, I don’t feel good.” The five words had Yeosang awake and sitting up straight in bed. But the panic he had feared wasn’t there. Wooyoung was just pale and had a hand on his stomach. “I think I need to be in the bathroom.”

So Yeosang dragged the younger member there, hoping that Wooyung would soon feel better. He was too tired himself to deal with a panicked Wooyoung. But even when it became clear that Wooyoung would be sick, he kept burping and swallowing, the fear wasn’t there. Just deep exhaustion.

“Can I do anything for you?”, Yeosang asked his best friend, who was curled up in his arms.

“Just hold me, please.”

Jongho

His hyungs immediately know when he is about to hurl

Any strength vanishes and he gets so weak that he has no choice but to slump down wherever he is

Keeps holding the back of his hand to his mouth when nauseous

Rather quiet when being sick but keeps hiccuping

Wants his Hongjoong-hyung to stay close

Talk to him, so he can focus on something else

Give him a bucket, he will never make it to the bathroom in time and he doesn’t feel like getting up anyway

Has gotten sick due to anxiety before

“Uh-oh”, Mingi said and Hongjoong whirled around. Their maknae had just stumbled out of his room after an impromptu afternoon nap. However, Jongho barely made it any further than the threshold of the living room before his knees buckled. Yunho and Seonghwa, who were closest to him, leapt forward to catch him. Hongjoong rushed over to their poor youngest who had the back of his hand pressed to his mouth.

“Hyung, I don’t feel…”, Jongho whispered, a hiccough cutting him off.

“Mingi, get a bucket”, Hongjoong ordered, “the rest: Leave!”

The rapper barely managed to return with the sick bucket before Jongho was puking up everything in his system. Giving them a sad smile, Mingi left them alone. He knew not to overwhelm their youngest.

Hongjoong hovered beside Jongho, close but not touching.

“It’s okay, you’re doing great. Hyung has got you!”

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cuddlepilefics · 28 days

Text

Baby bear in a blanket nest

Fandom: Ateez

Sickie/Little: Jongho

Caregivers: Ateez

Prompt: blanket nest @whumpril

No one’s POV.:

Jongho groaned hoarsely as he rolled over in his bed. It had been close to a week now, since Jongho had come home from vocal practice with a strained voice and sore throat. He had been convinced that he had just overdone it but when Hongjoong had come to wake him the next morning, he hadn’t been so sure anymore. His throat had been on fire ever since and the headache flared up on and off, indicating fever spikes. Hongjoong had cleared his dongsaeng’s schedules and sent the vocalist to get his throat checked, which was unsurprisingly badly inflamed. Jongho got a prescription and was taking care of himself pretty well but with how long he had already been sick, he was more than tired of spending his days alone at his dorm. He was usually very self sufficient, so his craving for his hyungs’ company shocked himself but he blamed it on the force of habit. The constant chaos and lack of privacy had become a habit over the course of time they had spent together as a group, so now that he was feeling low, he yearned for the safety and familiarity of his group.

The only member Jongho had interacted with that day was Hongjoong when the leader checked on him in the morning, bringing his dongsaeng water before leaving for his schedule. The older had asked him how he was doing and if he needed anything, so he might actually care but with how stiffly he had stood at the door, it seemed more like he felt it was his responsibility to check on the members than him actually caring. It hurt Jongho to remember how the other members fussed over each other when they were sick but now that he, the maknae, was sick, it didn’t seem, to matter to anyone. Sure, he was grateful that Hongjoong had brought him water because he was too sore to move and occasionally got dizzy when he tried to get up but there weren’t any words of comfort really. Maybe if they hadn’t split up their dorms, someone else would’ve come to check on Jongho to cheer him up a little before he’d have to stay back alone but with only two dorm mates, who were in a hurry to get some ready for their schedule, Jongho was mostly on his own.

Not even Seonghwa, who always watched out for his dongsaengs and kept an especially close eye on those who weren’t doing their best, had texted him today and Jongho didn’t want to be the one reaching out for the fear of bothering anyone when they had work to do. Eventually, Jongho found the energy to get up but only because his bladder forced him to. His mood had been deteriorating for the past couple of hours, since he had been awake and he couldn’t handle it anymore. Jongho didn’t frequently use his littlespace to escape his negative emotions but he had nothing else to do today and he was alone anyway. Considering San was openly little, the group knew what age regression was, though they didn’t know about Jongho specifically and the maknae wanted to keep it that way.

Filling his sippy cup with water, Jongho sat down on the edge of his bed and sniffled back tears. For heaven’s sake, he just wanted a hug when he was already feeling so awful but nobody seemed to care. They wouldn’t have left him all alone if they cared, right? Picking up his teddy to nuzzle his fever-flushed face into the soft material, Jongho’s eyes landed on his phone. He could call someone, right? They surely wouldn’t come home for him, just because he felt so unbearably lonely but maybe hearing a familiar voice would help a little.

Jongho didn’t need to think for long, already knowing who he was going to call. Anxiously biting his nails, he waited for the call to connect while his chest grew tight. A tear slowly made its way down the little’s cheek. Of course, nobody would pick up for him. They didn’t care. “Hey, Jong-ah, how’re you holding up?”, Seonghwa panted. He had barely heard his phone ring over the music but was glad that he had gotten to it just in time. More tears spilled from Jongho’s eyes as he whimpered: “Eo-Eomma….” His voice cracked painfully, making Seonghwa’s heart clench. “Love, are you little?”, the eldest whispered, gripping his phone tighter when he heard a hoarse hum of confirmation, “It’s okay, I promise, it’s okay. I’m on my way.” Hongjoong shot his only hyung a questioning look, so after ending the call, Seonghwa quickly explained what happened and the leader decided that they’d all head to his dorm.

Seonghwa was tense with worry as he waited for Hongjoong to punch in the code but San was the most anxious, knowing how badly he himself would fair if he was sick and little at the same time. Jongho startled when the door to his room opened, surprised enough to stop crying for a couple of seconds. “Eom-ma”, he stammered, making hesitant grabby hands for the older. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, Seonghwa stroked Jongho’s sweaty hair out of his face and shushed: “I’m here, baby bear. You’re okay.” The maknae was already getting worked up again though and made more urgent grabby hands at his hyung. Finally pulling the little into a hug, Seonghwa winced at the heat rolling off of the boy.

For a few minutes, Seonghwa just sat with Jongho in his arms to give the youngest a chance to calm down and get used to being held. He was already surprised that Jongho tolerated his touch for so long, not usually fond of skinship but now he was really melting into the embrace, so Seonghwa wouldn’t be the one to pull away first. The group was in awe but didn’t want to overwhelm their maknae, keeping their distance while the eldest comforted him. Spotting the sippy cup on the nightstand, Yeosang went to refill it before handing it to Seonghwa, so he could make the little drink something. Jongho whined when he had to lift his head from Seonghwa’s shoulder and gagged on his drink, when a sudden jab of pain in his throat took him by surprise. The older rubbed his back but accepted that he didn’t want to drink anymore.

“Should we set up the living room, so we can get him all comfy to watch movies together?”, San whispered to Wooyoung, well aware that affection and distraction would help Jongho more than medicine ever could in his current situation. The dancer was quick to agree and the pair gathered whatever pillows and blankets they could find before getting to work in the living room. Hongjoong was taking stock of their medicine cabinet, while Yunho and Mingi had resigned themselves to buying takeout for the group, figuring that they’d probably be at this dorm for the rest of the day to take care of Jongho or at least keep him company. Yeosang had joined Seonghwa and Jongho on the little’s bed, tracing shapes on his back to calm him down.

Mingi had the brilliant idea to pick up some popsicles on their way back to Jongho’s dorm, hoping the cold treat would be able to numb the pain in his throat some. They generally knew how to care for a little, considering how long they had already been looking after San when he slipped but Jongho was a different story entirely. San was always childish even when he wasn’t in his headspace but Jongho…. The vocalist tended to be the most mature member at times, despite being the youngest, so it was hard to see him any differently. Besides, he usually hated skinship and only tolerated it from little Sannie because he knew the little would cry if he was pushed away. Watching Jongho cling to Seonghwa as if his life depended on it was nothing that any of them had thought they’d ever witness.

Jongho had eventually let go of Seonghwa but only because Yeosang had coaxed him out of bed and carried him to the living room where San and Wooyoung helped him settle the boy between loads of blankets. The pair had truly build a cozy blanket nest, which was far easier to access than Jongho’s bedroom and should make taking care if him a lot easier. Hongjoong had already laid out his dongsaeng’s next dose of medicine and now set about making tea when Seonghwa joined him. “Would you have expected Jong-ah…?”, the eldest whispered, earning a disappointed shake of the head. Not even looking up, the leader muttered: “I lived with him for years, hell, I talked to him earlier. How could I not notice?” – “You need to stop your train of though right there”, Seonghwa hummed, having picked up on the implication. Hongjoong was doubting himself as a leader again and while Seonghwa fiercely disagreed with that, the eldest himself felt like an awful hyung for not picking up on his dongsaeng’s struggle.

San soon had to expand their little blanket nest because Jongho refused to rest there on his own, laying in Wooyoung’s arms while Yeosang indulged their little baby bear in head pats. Seonghwa laid the table, so everything would be ready once Yunho and Mingi returned. Crouching in front of the blanket nest, Hongjoong smiled: “Are you comfy, Jong-ah?” A shiver ran down Jongho’s spine at the sound of the leader’s voice and he burrowed himself deeper in Wooyoung’s embrace. Frowning at the reaction, Hongjoong took a seat on the floor and hummed: “Are you upset with me, bear?” To all of their surprise, Jongho nodded against Wooyoung’s shoulder, which made the leader’s heart race in his chest. Gently rubbing the little’s back, Yeosang whispered: “Why are you upset with hyung, cub?” They saw Jongho’s lips move but none of them caught what he said, so Yeosang leant in closer, encouraging his dongsaeng to repeat himself.

“Yeah, that’s a valid reason”, Yeosang nodded as he looked into Hongjoong’s wide eyes. The older was going crazy with nerves what he had done wrong to hurt his dongsaeng to the point that he visibly shuddered in his presence. It confirmed what he had feared. He was indeed a bad leader and hyung. Holding back a laugh, Yeosang smirked: “You really dared to leave him for your schedule without a hug goodbye, hyung?” – “What?!”, Hongjoong stammered. He would’ve expected anything but this. The Jongho he knew would’ve thought him crazy had he tried to hug him goodbye.

“You had wanted a hug?”, Hongjoong whispered, extending a hand to the maknae. Looking up at the leader with glossy eyes, Jongho tried to hold back a sob but his chest still hitched. Scooting a little closer, Hongjoong opened his arms and cooed: “I’m sorry. I didn’t know, baby bear.” Sluggishly pulling away from Wooyoung, Jongho crawled into the leader’s arms and rested his burning forehead against the other’s neck. “Oh wow. That’s a pretty bad fever you’re running. You really don’t feel good, do you?”, Hongjoong winced in sympathy. Shaking his head the slightest bit, Jongho cuddled closer and tried to absorb as much of his hyung’s warmth and comfort as he possibly could. He only looked up when Seonghwa tapped his shoulder, showing him his sippy cup. The eldest had transferred the tea Hongjoong had made as soon as it had cooled to drinking temperature. With his throat still painfully raw, it did take some convincing but with Hongjoong holding the sippy to his lips, they were able to coax him into drinking half of it.

As soon as they got back, Yunho started dishing their meal and Mingi approached Jongho, humming: “Hey there, cub. Hyungs brought chicken. Do you want to eat some too?” Sniffling softly, the little shook his head. The fever had taken away his appetite and his throat was far too sore anyway. “That’s okay”, the rapper assured, stroking Jongho’s back, “Would you like a popsicle instead? The cold might feel nice on your throat.” After a moment of contemplation, the maknae gave a tiny nod though he didn’t seem too pleased when some of his friends left to eat. Seonghwa and Hongjoong stayed with him though and Mingi brought him the promised, affectionately ruffling his hair as he handed it over.

The cold treat really did feel nice on Jongho’s throat but it made his chills so much worse. The little had eventually traded Hongjoong’s lap for Seonghwa’s, his eomma comforting him in ways no one else ever could, but that didn’t mean the leader would just stand idly by. Watching their dongsaeng shiver, Hongjoong started wrap him in blankets and smiled as Seonghwa rocked the blanket bundle in his arms. Yunho eventually took Hongjoong’s place, so the leader could eat something too but Seonghwa was stuck. Taking pity on their eldest hyung, Wooyoung brought a plate to the living room and sat next to the older. He held the plate for Seonghwa, so he could eat while rocking Jongho in his arms. There was a cartoon playing quietly in the background, something San had picked in hopes of creating a soothing atmosphere but it turned out that they didn’t need to try so hard. Jongho was already getting drowsy, resting his head on Seonghwa’s shoulder.

#fanfic #fluff #comfort #fanfiction #sickfic #sick #little #agere #ateez #age regression #littlespace #sfw little #sfw littlespace #sfw agere #whumpril2024 #whumprilalt6 #blanket nest

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cuddlepilefics · 1 month

Text

Without words

This story used to be Wattpad exclusive but I thought I'd leave it here for you even though it's not really anything new.

Little Channie falling ill and the members trying to figure out how to best care for him.

Chan groaned as he collapsed onto his bed. This week had been hell and he was relieved to be back at the dorm now. He had barely gotten any rest at all and to make matters worse, his nose had started to run a few days ago. With some of the members being even more sniffly than him due to hay fever, Chan didn't think much of it. He didn't have any allergies that he knew of but that didn't mean it would be impossible for the high pollen count to get to him, right? Clearing his throat, Chan winced at the irritation in his throat before getting back up to fetch himself a bottle of water. Once he had had a few sips to soothe his throat, he crawled under his blanket and closed his eyes, hoping to be able to sleep off the headache that had been bothering him all day.

The past week had been torturous for all of the members, their schedules only getting more stressful, the more fame they achieved. Somehow, it did seem to get to Chan the most, the other members worriedly watching their leader struggling to carry the burden of being the oldest and the one in charge. Chan had opened up about his headspace a few months before, which led to his friends worrying even more for him as he powered through the last remaining hours of their schedule before they'd be off for a two-day break. With how often the oldest had winced and massaged his temples, it didn't take long for the members to catch on to him having a headache though whether it had been brought on by sleep-deprivation or the neglect of his headspace was pure speculation. Minho had made sure his hyung always had his water bottle close by, so he wouldn't get dehydrated and make his headache worse.

Of course, they had also noticed the slight rasp Chan's voice held and how frequently he ran his sleeve under his reddening nostrils but when asked, the leader would brush it off, shrugging that he didn't know what was bothering his nose. They'd soon find out though. Only two hours after they had returned to the dorm and Chan had gone to bed, he woke up to an even more ferocious pounding in his head, that brought tears to his eyes. He could barely breathe through his nose and his mind was too fuzzy for him to comprehend his situation. All he knew was that something wasn't right at all and he needed one of his caregivers to fix whatever was wrong. Chan's head spun and he could only take a few wobbly steps before he lost his balance and plopped down on his bum, a pained cry leaving his lips as the impact sent shockwaves through his skull.

Chan didn't know how he did it but despite his muscles burning, he managed to crawl to Changbin's bedroom and found himself sitting on the floor next to the rapper's bed, weakly tugging on his caregiver's arm. Though he was exhausted to the bone, it didn't take long for Changbin to wake up, dazedly propping himself up to look at his hyung. The little glanced up at him with glossy eyes, tear tracks still visible on his cheeks. "What's going on", the rapper slurred sleepily but only received a sad sniffle in reply, "Are you small?" Chan only continued to look at him, not really comprehending his caregiver's words.

By now, Changbin was wide awake though hooking his arms under Chan's and hoisting the other up onto the bed. That was also when he noticed the heat radiating off of his friend. "Gosh, someone's running a nasty fever", Changbin cooed, palm resting across Chan's forehead, "When did you start feeling this bad, bub?" The Aussie only whimpered in reply. That was what was odd. Chan usually slipped somewhere between four and six years old and had never been nonverbal before. Seemed he had slipped for younger tonight. Giving a miserable cough, the little looked up at Changbin. He had come here for the other to fix this, why was his caregiver not doing anything. Easing Chan down on the mattress, the rapper pulled the blanket over his friend, promising: "Hyung will be right back, yeah? Hang in there."

While Chan studied the ceiling, occasionally allowing a few tears to spill down his flushed cheeks, Changbin rushed to fill the other's sippy cup with water and fetched a cold cloth. Worriedly clicking his tongue, the rapper took a seat next to Chan and gently helped him sit up before carefully tipping the sippy against his lips. Changbin then cradled the feverish little against his chest, brushing the curls out of his face before dabbing the sweat off his forehead. Chan kept whining softly but was shushed quietly by Changbin, who promised: "Hyung's got you, Channie. You'll be okay, just go back to sleep, so your body can recover."

It was tough to get Chan to fall asleep, the little too restless from his fever to stay settled for long. He kept whining, shifting in Changbin's arms as no position felt comfortable with how achy and sore his body was. It took another two hours of Changbin rocking him in his arms for the little to cry himself to sleep. By the time Chan had fallen asleep, the rapper was exhausted, picking up his phone and texting their group chat to inform the other members that Chan had fallen ill and had slipped into his headspace. He also mentioned how the leader seemed far younger than they had ever witnessed him slip before, maybe even babyspace, so he requested for the first member to wake up and read his text to come and check on them because he doubted he had the situation handled by himself.

Seungmin did as requested after waking up first. He got changed and made his way over to the other dorm, where he let himself in. The vocalist quietly made his way to Changbin's room, relieved to find both of his hyungs deeply asleep. He carefully felt Chan's forehead and winced in sympathy before picking up the sippy cup and going to refill it. After placing the full sippy cup onto the nightstand along with a bottle of water for Changbin, Seungmin stood in the kitchen, cooking porridge in preparation for the day to come. He doubted it'd be easy to convince Chan of eating anything, especially if he had slipped so young he couldn't even communicate with Changbin. Being so deep in thought, he startled when the front door clicked and Minho snuck in. The dancer made his way over to Seungmin, asking whether he could help the younger with anything. Receiving a shake of the head, Minho instead went to check on Chan and Changbin again.

This time, Chan was up when the door swung open quietly. Looking up at Minho with teary eyes, the little made grabby hands at his caregiver, who carefully picked him up. The dancer wanted Changbin to catch up on the sleep he had lost the previous night so he quietly carried a sniffly Chan to the living room, taking a seat on the couch with the Aussie in his lap. He too noticed the flushed cheeks and glossy eyes, cooing: "Our little kangaroo isn't feeling well today, huh?" Chan didn't reply, only giving a scratchy cough before slipping his fingers between his lips. He had trouble soothing himself though, his nose so stuffy he couldn't breathe while suckling on his fingers. Seungmin made his way over to them, studying the pitiful bundle that was their leader. While he still tried to assess what they were dealing with, they heard a thud from down the hallway followed by some slurred curses. Chan curiously lifted his head and Seungmin went to investigate. Turns out, Hyunjin had had to use the bathroom but was still so drowsy that he had managed to walk into the doorframe. Soon he was wide away though when his dongsaeng explained why him and Minho had come over.

After using the bathroom, Hyunjin joined them in the living room, heart breaking as he heard Chan's hoarse whines. What was worse, was that they didn't know what the little wanted. All he did was keep whining and pouting, frequently shifting in Minho's arms, obviously discontent but he couldn't voice his needs. "Maybe he'll calm down once we manage to get his fever down", Seungmin mused, affectionately ruffling Chan's sweaty curls, "I'll get some porridge, so he has something in his tummy and can have medicine. Bet his headache from yesterday hasn't improved in the slightest, poor thing." The leader whined, fisting his hands in Minho's shirt as the dancer tried to comfort him. "What can I do, bubs, what do you need?", Minho whispered, helplessly stroking his friend's back to calm him down. Hyunjin frowned, getting to his feet, so he could collect Chan's sippy cup and fetch some medicine.

Hyunjin had tried to sneak into Changbin's room as quietly as possible but the older still woke up when the dancer picked up Chan's sippy cup from the nightstand. Slurring something unintelligible, Changbin looked up at his dongsaeng. "We got him, hyung, go back to sleep", Hyunjin promised but the other shook his head and sat up. He needed to check on Chan for himself. When Changbin trudged to the living room, Chan looked up at him with tears in his eyes as he chewed on his fingers. Bending down to brush away the tears, the rapper cupped Chan's flushed cheeks and cooed: "Are you still tiny, baby? And so icky, huh? Your cheeks are on fire." That only caused more tears to spill down the little's cheeks. He was scared of fire. Not that he really understood what was going on but fire was never a good thing in his mind.

Minho sighed, softly bouncing the boy in his arms to try and calm him down. Seungmin hadn't been able to convince Chan of eating a few bites but knew that they had to figure something out soon. By now, the little was coughing pretty much constantly, choking on his sobs. Sleepily scratching his head, Jisung trudged into the living room and yawned: "You're okay, bub." He knelt down in front of Chan and smiled softly: "You're icky, aren't you? Let hyungs make it better, yeah?" Spotting the bowl in Seungmin's hands, he added: "Our Seungminnie made breakfast for you, Channie. Can you have a few bites for us?" Chan gave a frustrated whine, scrubbing at his face. He didn't want to eat, he wanted to be better.

Eventually, Jisung was able to feed Chan a few spoonful of porridge before the little whimpered and turned his head away. Getting the leader to take medicine was surprisingly easy and once he was medicated, Seungmin took him from Minho and the two laid down on the living room carpet. Chan was so exhausted, he barely had the energy to move but still managed to spread out like a starfish in an attempt to cool down. He was panting softly, closing his eyes as his caregiver lay next to him, gently scratching his scalp. Going in and out of consciousness, Chan didn't bother to open his eyes when Felix and Jeongin joined them, the group united to take care of their baby.

Though he really tried, Chan didn't manage to fall asleep. His throat itched and he was barely able to cough while laying flat on his back. Seungmin noticed, sitting him up and patting his back. The vocalist's heart ached at the sad pout he received when Chan had caught his breath again. "I know, baby, I know", he shushed, supporting the little's back when Felix approached them with a sippy cup full of tea. After struggling to get Chan to accept a sip, the leader realized how nice the warm drink felt on his throat and he greedily gulped all of it down. Though stunned, the members were relieved because they wouldn't really have to worry about their friend getting dehydrated if he was drinking so well. Hiding his face in the crook of Seungmin's neck, Chan sniffled and closed his eyes again. He was finally able to go back to sleep in his caregiver's arms, too exhausted to keep his eyes open any longer.

Seungmin had eventually stretched out on the carpet with Chan cuddled into his side, the little snoring softly from the congestion. Unable to really move Chan while he slept, the members had decided to have a Disney movie marathon, setting in the living room, so they'd be close by should their little need them. Luckily, when the leader woke up a few hours later, his fever had gone down a bit and his head wasn't hurting as badly. He was still just as little though. He gave a muffled whine behind the fingers lodged between his teeth. "Had a good nap?", Seungmin whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to Chan's messy curls. The little babbled something unintelligible, crawling away from Seungmin and curling up in Felix' lap. When the dancer looked at him, Chan made grabby hands at the coffee table, the members watching him in confusion and desperation.

"You want some more tea?", Felix guessed, picking up the sippy cup from the coffee table. Chan nodded but refused to get out of his caregiver's lap. Chuckling, Changbin took the sippy from Felix and went to refill it while the members paused their movie to fuss over their little instead. Chan seemed to enjoy the attention, giggling at the funny faces Jisung pulled at him. Hyunjin had gone to collect the thermometer, smiling when he returned and found Chan eagerly latching onto the sippy cup, Changbin held to his lips. The little gave a weak cough when he moved away from the sippy, his swollen throat making it difficult to swallow without choking. Lightly patting Chan's back, the rapper muttered praises before allowing Hyunjin to take their little's temperature. It seemed the medicine was doing a great job for the time being, so the members found themselves in a rather tricky situation. They had a baby to entertain.

What was tricky about that, was that Chan only had little gear tending to his usual headspace range and with how tiny he had slipped, he found no interest in his coloring books, blocks and jigsaw puzzles. After searching up activities for infants, Jeongin had an idea. He decided to introduce Chan to tummy time. Laying down on his tummy, a picture book in his hands, the maknae waited for Felix to place Chan next to him. The little seemed to like the position, intently studying the illustrations while he listened to Jeongin telling the story.

While their youngest kept Chan occupied, the other members had a meal and Jisung found a small container, that he filled with beads and wrapped in tape as a makeshift rattle for their baby leader. After finishing their story, Jeongin traded places with Changbin, so he too could eat something. The rapper encouraged Chan to drink a few more sips, wanting him to stay hydrated in hopes of kicking this cold fast. The little soon grew fussy again though. While his fever was still down, the urge to cough had returned with a vengeance and he struggled to go five minutes without coughing.

Still lying on his front, Chan buried his face in his arms, muffling cough after cough. All the coughing was upsetting his tummy, especially while lying on it, so he was grateful when Minho helped him sit up. A hoarse whine left his lips before he choked out another cough, tearing up as Minho rubbed his back through the fit. Seungmin had gone to refill Chan's sippy cup with apple juice, tipping it against the little's lips when the coughing had finally tapered off. Whining, Chan shook his head and moved away from the sippy. His tummy was not happy and he didn't want any more liquid swishing around in there. "Just a few sips to soothe your throat, bub", the vocalist shushed, cupping his friend's cheek. Eventually, Chan accepted a few sips just because trying to argue his point seemed impossible.

What he really wasn't happy about though, was when they placed him down on his tummy again. It triggered a bout of hiccups, which made him even queasier. Changbin showed Chan the rattle Jisung had created but the little wasn't really interested. Hiccupping again, he whined in discomfort. Thinking the little was simply confused by his body's workings, Changbin chuckled and traced Chan's back. He had almost calmed the other down another hiccup rocked the Aussie's already upset tummy. Whimpering, the little rested his forehead on his arms and tried to breathe through the queasiness. Chan soon realized that this wouldn't end well if he didn't relieve the pressure on his tummy, so he lifted his head and braced his palm against the carpet, trying to push off the floor enough to roll over. The fever had zapped his strength though, causing him lay his head down again, swallowing the saliva pooling in mouth.

Though Chan heard his caregivers talk, he couldn't focus enough to figure out what they were saying. Holding his breath, he tried to suppress the hiccups but failed miserably, a sickly burp slipping out. Chan's heart raced and he tried to focus on the hand stroking his back, so he could distract himself from his twisting tummy. The members knew that Chan was not content but with him being nonverbal, they had a hard time figuring out what he needed. No matter what question they asked, the little would only respond with whines and whimpers. Whispering soothing nothings, Changbin stroked Chan's back in hopes of comforting him till they had figured out what was bothering him but they shouldn't get the chance to. Chan was barely able to lift his head from his arms as his stomach lurched, cloudy liquid gushing from his lips. Though startled, Changbin reacted immediately, slipping his arm under the little's chest and hoisting him up into a sitting position.

It was only now that they could see his face properly, that the members noticed how ashy pale Chan's skin looked as he hung limp in Changbin's arms, the rapper cradling him against his chest. Hiccupping nauseously, Chan squeezed his eyes shut and got sick again. Tears spilled down his cheeks and he whimpered as Minho crouched next to them, holding a bucket under the little's chin just in time to catch the next round of sick. "Oh, bub", the dancer cooed as Chan's chest hitched with a helpless sob. With one arm still looped around the leader's chest, Changbin used his other hand to pat his friend's back as he coughed up another mouthful. Switching from patting his back to tracing it, the rapper whispered: "Breathe, baby. It's okay, just catch your breath."

It took a while for Chan to calm down but he eventually leant back against Changbin's chest, completely spent. He tuned out the hushed conversation between his caregivers, too exhausted to pay attention. Only opening his eyes again when Jisung picked him out of Changbin's arms, Chan sniffled, trying to figure out what his caregiver was doing. The rapper had made a beeline for the bathroom, setting Chan down on the rug as he ran the Aussie a warm bubble bath. With his tummy still churning, Chan whimpered when Jisung wanted to get him out of his soiled shirt. Lifting his arms over his head caused Chan's stomach to give an angry gurgle but Jisung shushed the little quietly before he could break into tears again. The rapper had some difficulties getting Chan into the tub but once the Aussie was settled, clutching his rubber duck, the tension melted off his face.

While the rest of the group went about cleaning up the mess, Changbin headed to Chan's bedroom to pick out a fresh change of clothes for him. Minho rushed to join Jisung as he expected the younger to be struggling to take care of Chan on his own. Surprisingly, he wasn't. With the warm water and mountains of bubbles flowing around him, the little had finally stopped fussing and calmly floated. Smiling, Minho crouched next to the tub and hummed: "Your tummy feeling okay now, bub?" Chan gave an uncertain hum, keeping his eyes closed. He lightly squeaked his duck and smiled at the sound. Chuckling, his caregivers relaxed too. If the leader cheered up that easily, he couldn't be feeling too bad. "Channie, can you sit up so hyung can wash your hair?", Jisung tried, picking up the bottle of shampoo. All he got in response was another uncertain hum, Chan too focused on his toy to pay his caregiver any attention. Gently cupping the leader's flushed cheek, Minho repeated Jisung's question and managed to get the other to sit up. Chan rested his back against the side of the tub, while Jisung massaged shampoo into his wet curls. Seeing that his dongsaeng had everything handled, Minho excused himself to check on the rest of the members.

With so many helping hands, the living room had been cleaned in no time and they had also aired the common area out to get rid of the smell. Two blankets had needed to be washed, so Felix and Jeongin had taken a trip back to their own dorm to collect some more blankets. They were a little shaken, not having expected a cold to turn into this, and Jeongin couldn't help but blame himself for encouraging tummy time as it had obviously gone so very wrong. While Felix tried to comfort his dongsaeng, Hyunjin and Seungmin stood in the kitchen and stacked some saltine crackers onto a cute plastic plate. They hoped they could help Chan settle his unhappy tummy and maybe he wouldn't be so fussy anymore. It was truly difficult to take care of the little when he wasn't able to tell them what he needed.

After placing Chan's fresh clothes onto the sink, Changbin made his way to the living room and set up the humidifier to help the stuffy little breathe a little easier. The rapper also made sure to set up the couch with a few more pillows and a bucket, so they wouldn't be caught by surprise again. Minho joined him, carrying Chan's wolf plushie that he had collected from the leader's bed. Now, they could only hope they had finally figured it out.

Chan was so incredibly drowsy when Jisung helped him out of the tub and wrapped him tightly into his towel. It was difficult to get him dressed but once Jisung picked him up, Chan rested his head on the rapper's shoulder and closed his eyes. "That's it, bub", Jisung cooed, bouncing him gently, "You can go to sleep if you're tired." A sleepy whine was muffled into Jisung's shoulder. Something wasn't right, Chan could tell but how could he show his caregiver? He could feel himself being manhandled out of Jisung's arms and whimpered. The rapper had been so warm and comfy, why did they have to change anything? A new pair of arms embraced Chan and the little was shushed quietly. Minho calmly stroked Chan's back after Jisung had placed the leader into his lap. "You're okay, Channie", the dancer whispered, "Do you want Stormy? Here, you always want Stormy, don't you?" The little sleepily lifted his head and glanced at the plushie, clumsily taking it into his hands and stroking its fur.

When Felix and Jeongin returned, they were certain that Chan had fallen asleep against Minho's chest and to be fair, the little had gotten pretty close to that, if only his nose wasn't tingling so much. Placing down the blankets on the other side of the couch, Jeongin was startled by a frustrated whine. "Aigoo, what's wrong, baby?", the maknae cooed, cupping Chan's feverish cheeks. The little looked at him with watering eyes, giving an itchy sniffle before rubbing his face into Stormy. Catching on, Jeongin plucked a tissue from the box on the coffee table and carefully took Chan's plushie away. He held the tissue to the little's face and lightly brushed the edge against the side of the Aussie's increasingly reddish nose, finally tickling out the stuck sneeze. After catching two more sneezes, the maknae helped Chan blow his nose only to earn a whine from the little afterwards. When he noticed the urgent grabby hands, he hurried to hand Stormy back. Chan really was protective of his favorite plushie.

"Baby, how does your tummy feel now?", Changbin asked softly, crouching in front of his hyungs. He had refilled the sippy cup with only water this time but still worried Chan wouldn't be able to handle it. Placing the sippy onto the coffee table, he explained: "Your hyungies found some crackers for you. Maybe they'll help your tummy calm down a bit." The little only watched him wearily, so Hyunjin stepped forward with the plate. Chan knew this plate. It was the one they always used when he was in his headspace because he tended to be a pretty active kid and could get a little clumsy when he was excited, so only plastic plates and cups were allowed when the leader was little. The Aussie curiously tilted his head, so Hyunjin handed him one of the crackers, relieved when his friend lifted it to his lips. Slipping the cracker between his lips, Chan suckled on it as he cuddled back into Minho, who stroked his damp curls in praise.

It took almost twenty minutes for the last remnants of the cracker to disappear but Chan's stomach couldn't be too upset if the little willingly accepted food, so Seungmin helped him take a few sips of water before handing him the next cracker. This time, Chan looked between the cracker and Stormy before deciding that he had already had one, now the stuffed wolf needed to have one too. Minho tried to suppress a chuckle as he watched Chan try to feed his plushie, whining sadly when the toy didn't accept the cracker. "It's okay, Channie. Stormy already ate while you had a bath, so I don't think he's hungry", Seungmin cooed, encouraging the little to eat the cracker himself. Eventually, Chan did but he continued to give the plushie betrayed looks.

The caregivers had a hushed conversation while Chan nibbled his cracker, his eyelids already getting droopy again. They were startled by a panicked whine but luckily Felix was the first one to react, rushing to pick Stormy back and hand it back to Chan. The little had dozed off, dropping his plushie in the process only to scare himself awake again when he realized his comfort item wasn't there anymore. "Ssh, everything's fine, Channie. Stormy is okay", Felix hummed, stroking his friend's arm. Not fully believing his caregiver, Chan babbled something unintelligible, clearly agitated by what had happened. Minho wrapped his arms tighter around the leader, shushing: "I promise Stormy is fine, baby. Go back to sleep." Giving his caregiver a frustrated glare, Chan hugged Stormy to his chest to make sure the plushie wouldn't fall again. Still, he tried to stay awake, so he could keep Stormy safe.

Chan only lasted ten more minutes, during which his head kept dropping onto Minho's shoulder before he picked it back up. It made the dancer sigh in resignation. Minho knew, that his friend needed the sleep, so why was he so desperately trying to resist it? Exhausted and barely able to resist sleep, Chan broke into tears. He couldn't allow himself to sleep, what if he dropped Stormy off the couch again? "Hey bubs", Jeongin cooed sadly, "What's wrong, hm?" Chan made grabby hands at him, so Minho waited for the maknae to take a seat on the couch before he shifted the little into his dongsaeng's lap. "I really think it's time for you to sleep, baby", Jeongin whispered, cupping Chan's cheeks, "You're so, so tired, aren't you?" Choking on a sob, the little nodded and muffled a cough into Stormy's fur. Patting his back, Jeongin frowned: "Then why don't you let yourself sleep, hm? Why are you fighting it, bub?" Chan whimpered, afraid he had upset his caregiver because the other clearly sounded disappointed and confused. Babbling worriedly, Chan held his plushie out to Jeongin and finally it clicked. "Hyung will make sure you don't drop Stormy again, okay?", the maknae tried but it wasn't enough.

Still trying to argue with Chan that his plushie was safe, Jeongin watched Hyunjin and Felix pick up the heap of blankets and arrange them on the carpet. When they were done, Felix crouched in front of Chan and offered: "Should we cuddle down on the carpet? Nothing can fall off from there." A small smile spread on Chan's lips. Finally, someone understood. He nodded waiting for Jeongin to place him on the carpet, so he could crawl towards the blankets. Spotting the fluffy blanket Felix usually kept on his bed, Chan immediately made his choice. He loved that blanket as it reminded him of all the nights he had slept over at the other dorm after a day of playing in his headspace. Curling up on the soft material, the little hugged Stormy to his chest and closed his eyes. He was already drifting off when Hyunjin picked up one of the other blankets and tucked it around his body. Sandwiched between Huynjin and Felix, the two dancers playing with his hair and tracing his back, Chan was finally able to stop resisting and fell into a deep slumber.

He didn't even wake up when Felix traded places with Jisung, the rapper wanting to get his share of snuggles while his twin went to help Minho prepare a pot of soup. Not wanting to disturb Chan's sleep now that he finally got it, the other members left the living room. Changbin went to check on the laundry, hoping the blankets were ready to be put in the drier because with how things were going, the more blankets they had available, the better. Seungmin and Jeongin had taken to the internet, scrolling through age regression blogs to figure out how to best tend to Chan's current mental age. That was also how they had first learned how to take care of him when he had told them about this little secret of his.

Quietly sharing some ideas, they had come across, the two maknaes decided to take a trip to the mall. They didn't want to be away from the dorm for too long but with how drained Chan had been, it seemed unlikely he'd wake up any tie soon. Strolling through the baby isles, it didn't take long for Seungmin to spot exactly what he was looking for: white baby bottle decorated with pink and blue dots. They also picked a matching teether before gathering a few baby-appropriate snacks, well aware that Chan would barely have an appetite but still had to eat. Rushing back home, Seungmin made a beeline for the kitchen to clean the baby bottle and teether, so they'd be ready to be used right away.

It was a good thing they had returned so soon because it didn't really seem like their hyungs had the situation handled. Chan hadn't been able to sleep for long. With the medicine slowly wearing off, the blankets and combined body heat, his fever had started to rise again, making his head pound and his mind fogging up even more. At first, his whimpers were still muffled by the blankets but Huynjin soon removed it, frowning at the sweat coating the little's forehead. "Channie?", the dancer hummed softly, rubbing the Aussie's arm to catch his attention. Chan's glossy eyes seemed to look through him not focusing on anyone or anything. By now, Hyunjin was panicking quite a bit, cupping Chan's cheeks and calling his name in an attempt to get his attention.

Realizing something was severely wrong, the other members rushed to the living room too. With Jisung's help, Minho sat Chan up, the overwhelmed little desperately collapsing into Minho's arms. Though shocked when Chan buried his face against Minho's shoulder and started to suckle at his shirt, the dancer only tightened his arms around the other, whispering sweet nothings to calm the worked-up boy down. Chan was so out of it, that he barely noticed Changbin taking his temperature, only whining at the feeling of having something inserted into his ear. "Mhm, gone up quite a bit", the rapper confirmed, "He could have another dose of medicine but I wouldn't have him take anything on an empty stomach. Wouldn't wanna make him sick again." – "True, though I don't know how we'll get him to eat anything", Minho hummed, lightly swaying the boy in his arms. Getting dizzy, Chan whined miserably unable to stop the tears flowing from his eyes.

Watching his hyungs worriedly, Seungmin went to fill Chan's new baby bottle with water and quietly took a seat next to Minho. Though nervous, the dancer handed Chan over to his dongsaeng, who tapped the bottle teat against the little's chapped lips. Sniffling softly, Chan latched onto the teat and started to suckle. The cool liquid felt nice and soothing on his dry throat, taking some of the pain away. Seungmin only let him have half of the bottle though, afraid of upsetting the other's stomach. Not understanding why he couldn't have more, when it so obviously made things better, Chan whined and reached for the bottle only to have his caregiver move it away further. "Hush, baby", the vocalist cooed, "You're doing great but we need to take it slow. You can have more in a minute or two." He tried to comfort Chan but having realized that water made him feel at least a tiny bit better, the Aussie wasn't having it.

Seungmin eventually had to relent but shot Jisung a pleading look, so the rapper pushed the bucket a bit closer just in case Chan's stomach couldn't handle it. They didn't have to worry too much though, as a tired but relieved smile spread on Chan's lips after finishing his water. The little weakly dropped his head onto Seungmin's shoulder and closed his eyes. Having napped so much, Chan wasn't able to go back to sleep but with the fever raging, he didn't really have the energy to do anything, so he found himself in a daze just waiting for this misery to pass. "Channie, we made some soup earlier", Minho whispered, stroking the little's hair, "You think your tummy would be okay with that?" Chan didn't really understand what his caregiver wanted, so he just glanced up at him curiously before squeezing his eyes shut with a whimper. Accidentally glancing into the ceiling light had aggravated his headache and he found himself unable to look at Minho.

"Hush, baby", Seungmin breathed, stroking Chan's back as they waited for Felix to turn off the light. Switching on fairylights instead, the dancer asked: "That better, Channie?" When Chan dared to open his eyes, he looked around in wonder. The dim glow was so homey and comfortable, not affecting his headache at all. Changbin and Jeongin had a hushed conversation before the maknae approached Chan, tearing open a small pack of animal cookies. "He already had an entire bottle of water, so I don't know if soup is such a great idea", Jeongin explained, looking at Minho apologetically, "We do have some animal cookies though. You want some animal cookies, baby? Look, it's a lion!" The little's lips formed a small 'o' as he accepted the cookie and stared at it with sparkling eyes. Adoring his snack seemed to be as good as it got though and Chan's eyes eventually started to get droopy again without him having taken the tiniest bite. This wasn't how they'd get him medicated anytime soon.

Realizing that Chan wasn't going to eat his cookie, Jeongin pulled out another one and smiled: "Oh, this one is a hippo. Look, Channie! You can eat it." The maknae then slipped the hippo-shaped cookie between his lips and gave Chan a smile, indicating that it tasted good. What shocked Jeongin though, was how rapidly the littles eyes welled up with tears before a sob tore from his sore throat. Seungmin stiffened as Chan broke down entirely in his lap. The Aussie tightened his grip on the cookie in his hand, afraid his caregiver would eat the lion too. Calmly swaying them from side to side, Seungmin tried to soothe Chan but the little just kept on sobbing, occasionally choking out a cough.

Eventually, Changbin took Chan from Seungmin and kissed the little's heated temple, cooing: "Hush, Channie. It was just a cookie, it's meant to be eaten." The leader only shook his head, the cookie in his hand slowly crumbling from how tightly he gripped it. "He ate the saltine crackers earlier", the rapper mused, bouncing the sobbing little in his arms, "Do we still have some? Might be worth a try." Hyunjin nodded rushing off to fetch Chan something else to eat. They really wanted to get some fever reducers into their friend before he had cried himself to sleep.

"Bub, can you look at hyung?", Hyunjin tried, patting Chan's curls, "You want some crackers?" The leader eventually looked at him, eyes swollen from all the crying, but made no move to take the cracker from Hyunjin. Lightly poking Chan's pouty lips, the dancer hummed: "It's yummy, see?" He earned a soft whimper but got Chan to part his lips. The little finally accepted the cracker, sleepily nibbling on it. It would take an eternity for him to eat an acceptable amount but that was alright. They were in no rush and as long as Chan ate something, it'd be alright. If only he hadn't exhausted himself like this.

Chan was currently on his fourth cracker when his eyes fluttered shut. "Gosh, I think he fell asleep", Jisung chuckled, making his way over to his hyungs. Rubbing Chan's back to wake him back up, Jisung hummed: "You can sleep in a moment, baby. Could you finish your cracker first though? Hyung will go and fetch you some medicine as soon as you're done." The little whined softly at being pulled from his sleep. He hadn't even understood what Jisung had asked of him but went back to the one task on hand anyway, nibbling his cracker. Changbin had settled on the carpet again with Chan in his arms. Waiting for him to finish eating, the rapper pulled Stormy closer. He wanted the plushie to cheer Chan up when he had to take his medicine.

Jisung soon returned, carrying the bottle of liquid medicine. Most members winced in sympathy, none of them fond of the intense artificial taste. Felix rushed to refill Chan's sippy cup, so he'd be able to quickly wash away the taste, and by the time he returned, the little's cracker was finally gone. Jisung had already measured out the correct amount and nervously chewed on his lip as he approached Chan with the measuring cup. Crouching in front of the little, Jisung hummed: "Baby, hyung has something to make you feel less icky." No sooner than Chan had lifted his head to look at him, the rapper already tipped the measuring cup against his lip. Chan swallowed out of instinct, before gagging on the disgusting flavor. Felix instantly held the sippy to his lips, encouraging him to wash the taste away but the damage was already done. A fresh wave of tears washed over Chan, the surprise attack while he was already so vulnerable too much for him to handle.

"Congratulations, squirrel. Now you made the baby cry", Minho sighed, watching Changbin as he tried to distract Chan with Stormy. Exasperatedly throwing his hands into the air, Jisung huffed: "What did you expect me to do? I thought quick and painless would be the best option, like ripping off a band-aid." – "Does that look painless to you?", the dancer countered, his heart sinking as he watched Chan study his fist. Curiously opening his fist, the little's eyes fell onto the crumbs covering his palm. It took a while for him to connect the pieces but he eventually realized that those crumbs were all that remained of his lion cookie. He had hurt his lion. Now, he was just as bad as Jeongin.

At this point, trying to calm Chan down seemed like a lost cause but they also couldn't just let him cry. Felix grabbed to towel and gently cleaned the little's hand, hoping he'd forget about the cookie soon. Desperately clutching Stormy, Chan rubbed his tearstained face into Changbin's shoulder as the rapper rubbed slow circles on his back. Seungmin scanned the living room, eyes falling onto Jisung's makeshift rattle on the coffee table. Picking up the taped box, Seungmin approached Chan and lightly shook the rattle. The sound was enough for the little to curiously lift his head, so Seungmin shook it again. Maybe it'd be enough of a distraction.

His tears slowing, Chan babbled something unintelligible and reached for the box in his caregiver's hand. The vocalist gave Chan a smile as he handed him the rattle, waiting for the little to shake it. Chan curiously gave the rattle a shake, sniffling as the tears finally stopped. Changbin sighed in relief, patting his friend's head. "That's it, Channie", the rapper smiled, "You like that sound?" Chan gave the rattle another shake before thrusting it into Changbin's hand. The rapper chuckled, shaking the makeshift rattle. It earned him some soft, sleepy giggles as Chan rested his head on his shoulder, waiting for his caregiver to shake the rattle again.

The sound of his rattle, seemed to work wonders. Chan had finally cheered up and was slowly drifting off in Changbin's arms. The rapper continued to lightly shake the rattle, so Chan could fall asleep to the soothing sound. Anytime the little made a whiney sound in his sleep, Changbin was quick to press a gentle kiss to the crown of his head, successfully shushing him. He continued to hold the other for almost half an hour, so they could be sure he was deeply asleep. Eventually, Minho and Jisung helped him lay Chan down on the carpet with his head in Felix' lap, neatly tucking Stormy into the little's arms, knowing all hell would break loose if he ended up waking up without his plushie. While Felix comfortingly ran his fingers through Chan's hair, Jeongin went to fetch a cold washcloth. Realizing the little's face shone with tears and sweat, Jeongin carefully cleaned him up before folding the washcloth and draping it across his burning forehead.

"Does anyone want to eat soup for dinner or should we just order take out?", Minho asked quietly after glancing at the clock. Shrugging, Hyunjin hummed: "Why don't we eat both? A small serving of soup as an appetizer and take out as the main course? That way, we'll still have enough soup left for Channie tonight or tomorrow but not so much that it will end up going bad." – "That sounds pretty good actually", Changbin agreed, "Though, we need to make sure we'll get the delivery notification on our phone 'cause if the doorbell wakes Channie...." The members nodded in agreement, none of them wanting their leader to wake up before he had had a chance to sleep off his illness.

While Chan slept, Felix kept turning the washcloth to try and break his fever. With how badly the little was burning though, it didn't take long for both sides to be warm, so Minho brought a bowl filled with cold water and took over from his dongsaeng. Flopping onto his back, Felix gazed at the ceiling, mind blank. Today had been a mess. "You okay?", Changbin whispered, running his fingers through Felix' hair. The dancer gave a low hum before closing his eyes. "Well, if today wasn't a rollercoaster", Felix muttered tiredly. Collapsing onto the couch, Hyunjin agreed: "It really was. Don't get me wrong, baby Channie is adorable but I hate feeling so helpless, like... I'd love to help you Chan but please tell me how." – "Yeah, it is a bit of a guessing game but come on, I don't think we did that bad considering it was the first time he slipped this young", Seungmin shrugged, plopping down next to the older, "At least, we know what to expect if it happens again." – "Mhm, note to self, no tummy time after having a drink and no animal cookies", Jeongin whined, pressing his face into a pillow. Laughing, Jisung pulled the maknae into a hug and chuckled: "You couldn't know, Innie, but yeah, we'll keep that in mind."

As night time rolled around, Jeongin had carefully taken Felix' place, allowing the dancer to use the bathroom without waking Chan in the process. Though all of the members felt pretty drained, none of them felt ready to go to their room to sleep. Hyunjin and Jisung had eventually fallen asleep on the couch, so Seungmin covered them with a blanket before snapping a few pictures. The vocalist then brought Jeongin a pillow, so he could try to get some sleep on the carpet with Chan. After that, Seungmin didn't really know what else to do, so he was glad when Changbin returned with whatever pillows hadn't yet ended up in the living room. The rapper chuckled at how lost his dongsaeng seemed and took his hand, pulling him along. The two of them curled up together next to the couch, so they too could be close by, should Chan need them. Cooing when he found his friends cuddling, Felix was quick to join them and after replacing the cold washcloth on the little's forehead, Minho laid down next to him and finally allowed himself to go to sleep too.

The living room was still illuminated by fairylights when Chan woke up panicking. Not wanting to cry, he hugged Stormy closer before scanning his surroundings. All of his caregivers were there, deeply asleep. He knew they needed the sleep but he was scared. Would they be okay with being woken up right now? Sniffling softly, Chan sat up and nudged Jeongin. "Hyung", he whined, nudging the maknae again. Sitting you, Jeongin rubbed his eyes and yawned: "What's wrong, baby?" – "Channie nuh baby but scaweds anyway", the little muttered, scooting closer. Rubbing his back, Jeongin hummed: "No baby, I see. How old are you, Channie, and what's going on?" – "'m foive", Chan mumbled, looking around the living room, "Had scawy nightmare." Pulling the little into a hug, Jeongin felt his forehead and was relieved to find it not as hot as earlier. "Do you wanna tell hyung about your dream?", he offered but Chan shook his head. It had been so terrifying, he just wanted to forget. "That's okay", Jeongin agreed, getting to his feet, "Let's get you changed though. Seems like your fever broke, You're all sweaty."

Yawning, Chan grabbed his caregiver's hand and let the other pull him to his feet. A startled whimper escaped the little's lips as he clung to Jeongin, the maknae instinctively returning the hug. "What's wrong, kangaroo?", Jeongin frowned worriedly. Burying his face against his caregiver's neck, Chan sniffled: "'m dizzy...." Chan froze when Jeongin picked him up and placed him on his hip. "Hyung, Channie big. Big boys nuh be cawwied", the little mumbled, clearly flustered. Jeongin shook his head though, arguing: "Big boys can be carried too. That's okay, no need to be embarrassed." – "Embarrassed 'cause I wike it", Chan breathed barely audible, "Nuh s'posed to 'cause 'm foive aweady." – "Oh bub", the maknae sighed, "Five is in no way too old to be carried."

Jeongin placed Chan down on his bed and made his way over to Chan's closet, humming: "Let's see, what do you want to wear?" – "Ma Pokémon jammies, pwease", the Aussie requested, making Jeongin smile. It was so easy to take care of Chan as long as he was able to talk. Even when in his headspace, the leader would be incredibly polite and also understood when his caregivers weren't too confident in what they were doing. It always worked out well because they could talk about it. "Here, let's get you out of those sticky clothes", Jeongin smiled, placing the pajamas onto the bed next to Chan. While Chan was old enough to change his clothes himself, he needed his caregiver to help him peel off his sweaty shirt because it stubbornly stuck to his back and just didn't want to come off. When he was done changing, the Aussie looked at Jeongin expectantly. The maknae ruffled his hair and praised: "Good job, you wanna go and wash your face too? We can go back to the others for more cuddles afterwards." Chan nodded, breaking into a hoarse giggle when his friend picked him up.

Those adorable giggles soon turned into a cough though before Jeongin placed the little down onto the closed toilet lid, patting his back. Tears dotted Chan's lashes as he glanced up at his caregiver. "Hy-yung, 't huwts", he choked out between coughs, a single tear spilling down his cheek. The little hurriedly wiped the tear away. He was already five after all. Rubbing Chan's back, Jeongin cooed: "I bet it does. Almost there, kangaroo." The maknae already wet a washcloth, so he could clean Chan's face as soon as he had caught his breath. The sooner they were done, the sooner they could go back to the living room and get Chan some water in his sippy cup. When the fit had tapered off, the little remained a bit lightheaded and hugged Jeongin's middle to steady himself, while the other washed his face. "Come here, bub. Let's go get your sippy", Jeongin cooed, helping Chan to his feet, so he could pick him up. The leader sniffled softly as he rested his aching head on his caregiver's shoulder. With the little on his hip, Jeongin made his way to the living room.

"There you are", Minho sighed in relief. He had noticed his friends being gone a few minutes ago and had started to get worried when they didn't return. "Yeah", Jeongin hummed, "Hyung, could you please grab his sippy cup and get us some water?" – "Of course, one second", Minho agreed, hurrying to the kitchen, sippy cup in hand. His dongsaeng followed him with Chan still in his arms. The little tiredly lifted his head and accepted the sippy cup when Jeongin passed it to him. Realizing Chan was more independent, Minho smiled: "How are you feeling, bub?" – "Still sniffly", the Aussie pouted, his nose starting to run as if to prove a point. "Oh dear", Minho cooed, tearing off a paper towel. Trading his sippy cup for the paper towel, Chan blew his nose, while Jeongin explained: "Our big boy is five. His fever went down a bit since earlier but it's not entirely gone. We were just getting him some fresh clothes because he sweat through the ones he was wearing." – "Wow, five years", Minho gasped, "What a big boy we got." Chan gave him a shy smile before hiding his face against Jeongin's shoulder. The maknae felt the other's chest hitch against his own and got worried, the little might be crying. Chan wasn't crying but his nose had started to itch really bad.

When rubbing his nose against Jeongin's shoulder didn't help, he pulled away and caught two throaty sneezes in his paper towel. "Bless you! Those sounded like they hurt", Minho cooed, handing Chan his sippy cup again to soothe his throat. Taking a few sips, the little gave a pathetic nod. Though hesitant, Chan made tiny grabby hands at Minho, hoping the dancer would get the hint. Taking the little from Jeongin, Minho hummed: "What can hyung do to make it better?" – "Mh, cuddwes pwease?", Chan whispered shyly, wrapping his arms around the other's neck. Nodding, Minho carried the Aussie back to the living room, where the little happily reunited with Stormy. He was a big boy but he loved his plushie. As he waited for Jeongin to join them, Chan muffled a painful cough into the wolf's soft material, involuntarily waking Felix, who detangled himself from his friends and made his way over to Chan.

"Hey, sweetie", the dancer hummed lowly, "What're you doing up again?" – "Channie hads nightmare an' needs cuddwes", Chan rasped, looking up at his fellow Aussie expectantly. It was no secret that Felix gave the best cuddles, so no sooner than the dancer had sat down next to him, Chan had already wrapped his arms around the other's middle. Picking up one of the blankets, Felix wrapped it around the little's shoulders and rubbed his back through it. Chan gave a thick sniffle as he cuddled closer. "That's it. Are you cold, Channie?", Felix asked softly. When the other gave a tiny nod, Felix pulled him against his chest, wrapping the blanket tighter. Rocking the sniffly bundle in his arms, the dancer smiled: "Let's go back to sleep. You gotta be so tired, hm?" – "Channie sweepy", Chan slurred, nuzzling his face into his caregiver's chest, closing his eyes. Scratching Chan's scalp, Felix promised: "Go to sleep, hyungs will be there when you wake up."

And they were. For the first time in forever, Chan slept in really late but he didn't wake up alone. The members had taken turns eating breakfast, so there'd always be at least two members with their baby. Though Chan was still in his headspace when he woke up, he wasn't nonverbal anymore and made sure his caregivers knew exactly what he needed: "Mowe cuddwes pwease 'cause 'm stiww sniffwy."

https://www.wattpad.com/story/338937253?utm_source=android&utm_medium=link&utm_content=story_info&wp_page=story_details_button&wp_uname=cuddlepilefics

#fanfic #fluff #comfort #fanfiction #sickfic #sick #stray kids #skz #little #agere #emeto #snz #littlespace #sfw #sfw little #sfw littlespace #age regession #sfw age regression #sfw agere

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cuddlepilefics · 1 month

Text

And I'm back!

I hope you'll enjoy it!

This fic is based on a TikTok I saw!

THE ONLY HYUNG

Idols tend to receive tons of gifts from fans to the point where the companies issue a statement that they won't be accepting any more. But that also has to do with their safety, you never know what a sasaeng can do.

One day, Chan and Lee Know decided to go live to open some of the gifts they had recently received.

They had managed to get the staff away so they could be a little more carefree during the live, but still paying attention to what they said.

They enjoyed opening up all the presents and fan letters, some even made them tear up.

It was all going well until things unexpectedly took a turn for the worse. Before going live they had lunch and since eating Lee Know was feeling bloated, as if he ate a serving for three people.

As they went on he kept on taking his hand to his stomach and rubbing it in useless attempts to calm it down. But he kept his composure, as much as he could, the last thing he wanted was to get sick live.

Chan had picked up on Lee Know's obvious discomfort and placed a hand on his thighs, trying to comfort him without saying anything.

Lee Know tried his best to focus on his hyung's touch and the presents, but eventually, it got too much. His stomach was churning and his head started to hurt as well.

Before he even noticed he had lowered his head so it was now resting on his hand and Chan immediately stopped everything he was doing and turned his attention to Lee Know.

- hyung...I feel sick...

Chan got closer to him and started massaging his nape. He knew that if Lee Know admitted to feeling unwell, it meant it was really bad.

The staff that was monitoring the live from another room, had gone to the room where they were but before they could get in, Chan glared at them, and a single nod made them leave. He knew Lee Know wouldn't want attention right now.

- Do you want some water?

- No...I feel nauseous...

He said, bringing his hand to his stomach one more time and letting out a sigh. Chan grabbed Lee Know's hand and started rubbing it with his thumb.

- Do you wanna go to the bathroom?

- hm...I want to throw up...

- Let's go. Hyung will help you.

Chan placed his arms under Lee Know's and helped him up, being in a standing position was not something his stomach had agreed to so he lurched forward suppressing a gag with his hand.

- Hang on just a little more, okay?

He embraced his dongsaeng and guided him to the bathroom and into one of the stalls, locking the door behind them.

Usually, Lee Know would rather deal with this on his own but he acted like a dongsaeng when he was with Chan. The difference in how he acts is huge.

Lee Know bent over, hands on the edges for support, and started gagging unproductively.

He kept on rocking back and forth, spitting out saliva and retching, but whatever it was that made him feel like that was not coming up.

Chan was rubbing his back up and down, with the softest expression on his face.

- hyung...

Lee Know whined.

- I know it hurts... it'll be over soon.

Lee Know squeezed his eyes when his stomach cramped badly making him gag unproductively again.

Chan took his chance to help his dongsaeng by gently rubbing his abdomen in a circular motion.

Lee Know retched a few times before a wet burp triggered his sensitive stomach, bringing up partially digested food. Chan could swear he saw chunks of what was Lee Know's lunch from earlier and grimaced at the gross sight.

His stomach did not give him a break and before he could even breathe, it sent up a thicker stream of putrid vomit immediately followed by another making the poor boy go red from the effort and sway forward.

Chan tightened his hold on Lee Know so that the boy wouldn't fall and used his other hand to rub Lee Know's chest, trying to comfort the sick boy.

- Agh...

Lee Know groaned at the discomfort he was feeling before another bout of vomit gushed out with a wet burp, arching his back.

- You're doing good. Get everything out. It must have been the lunch. You'll feel better when it's all out of your system.

Lee Know spat out thick saliva and then his stomach gave him a break. But now his head was throbbing from the ordeal and he felt a little dizzy, like someone was squeezing his head.

- Minho-ah? Do you think you're done?

- Hyung...I need to sit down...

- Are you feeling dizzy?

- hm...

Lee Know just nodded swallowing hard. Chan carefully guided him so he was now sitting down on the floor. Thank God for the ridiculously clean bathrooms of the company.

The younger boy was kind of in a daze with how things went south in a matter of minutes, so Chan stepped up to keep on helping him, getting some toilet paper to wipe Lee Know's mouth.

- Thanks hyung...

- How are you feeling?

Chan asked sitting beside Lee Know who was resting his head on his hand again and kept on rubbing his back reassuringly.

- Sick...my stomach is churning and now my head hurts...

- Do you want to move to the studio?

- No... I feel like I'll throw up again...

- Okay. We'll stay here then. I'll be right here with you.

Chan reassured, grabbing Lee Know's hand and squeezing it.

- Agh..

Lee Know winced again...

- What is it?

- My head is throbbing....Hyung...can I rest my head on your hand?

- Of course.

Chan couldn't deny that he was taken aback by the sudden request, Lee Know being this vulnerable was a rare sight, one that was mostly only shown to Chan.

Lee Know rested his head on his hyung's hand, allowing the whole weight to be held by Chan. The pressure against his forehead miraculously helped with the throbbing pain.

Even so, Chan kept rubbing Lee Know's back, and for a while, the young boy seemed to have calmed down.

- Minho-ah, were you feeling like this before?

- Only after lunch...my stomach felt too full...

- I think it might've been the lunch.

The young boy was still resting his head on his hyung's hand when he started shivering a bit. Chan could feel Lee Know's forehead was starting to feel hot and that was an indicator that this wasn't a case of food not sitting well, it was most likely food poisoning.

- It's cold in here...

- I think you're starting to run a fever, Minho-ah. I'm pretty sure this is food poisoning.

- Great.

Lee Know said, clearly getting mad at the situation. He hated feeling sick, weak, and vulnerable but he felt safe to feel like this when he was with Chan.

The chills just wouldn't stop and his stomach was determined to get everything out.

It cramped badly again making him gag, startling Chan a bit, who was still holding the boy's head.

- Hyung...I'm gonna be sick...

He said weakly gagging again on his hand and failing to contain a bit of liquid that escaped his mouth but thankfully hit the floor and didn't get on his clothes. He already felt too weak so Chan had to help him to the toilet, holding his forehead and keeping the boy's hair away from his eyes.

Lee Know didn't even have time to think before his stomach contracted making more vomit rush up his throat. The thick wave that came out still had chunks of food, given that he had just eaten, and it triggered another wave that was followed by another one leaving him breathless.

- You're really not okay.

Chan said, somewhat impressed by how quickly his symptoms worsened, which meant that Lee Know's immune system was not in good condition.

The older boy kept on rubbing Lee Know's back and then moved to his chest when he choked, the bout that followed made food come out of his nose as well.

Fuck. He cursed inside, today just wasn't his day, and if it was really food poisoning, then this suffering would last a few days.

He straightened his back and took a deep breath in, trying to control his body, but gagged a few times before he was over the toilet one more time retching up what felt like it was yesterday's dinner.

After this bout he was dry heaving, just barely bringing up thick saliva and bile. Chan decided to flush the toilet before the stench and sight triggered Lee Know's stomach again.

- Grab my hand.

Chan offered but he didn't even need to, as Lee Know did that immediately, trying to take deep breaths to control the nausea that persisted.

- Come on, breathe with me, just like what we did that day.

Lee Know was still squeezing Chan's hand as he was guided through the breathing exercise. A few minutes after, he was more calm.

- Better?

- Yeah...

- Do you feel like you're gonna puke again?

- No...not now at least.

- Do you wanna move to the studio?

- Yeah...hyung, can you help me up? I feel dizzy...

- Sure, come on.

Chan placed his arms under Lee Know's again and lifted him, most of the boy's weight being held by his hyung.

- Let's rinse your mouth first.

While Lee Know did that, Chan wiped the sweat off his damp forehead and only then noticed that Lee Know's face was already pretty flushed because of the fever.

And the dancer couldn't deny, his whole body ached because of the fever, even Chan's hold on him hurt.

The oldest carefully guided Lee Know to his studio and lay him on the couch, covering his shivering body with a blanket and leaving a bin nearby.

- Minho-ah, hyung will go tell the manager what happened and see what we'll do okay?

- Yes...

When Chan got to the practice room, he was met with worried eyes, that were clearly asking what happened without saying a word.

- Chan-hyung, where were you?

- You were doing a live with Lee Know hyung, right?

- Yeah. Kids, gather here. Lee Know got sick, he probably has food poisoning. He threw up a couple of times and he's running a fever.

- Where is he?

- I took him to my studio, that's the place where he'd get more privacy.

At that time, their manager came into the room and upon noticing one member missing went straight to the gathered group.

- What happened? Where Lee Know-ssi?

- He got sick during the live. He threw up a few times and he's running a fever. I'm guessing it's food poisoning. Should we take him to the hospital?

- Going to the hospital can be a hassle, especially because of the possibility of encountering fans and god forbid, saesengs. Let's take him home and see if we can make him stay hydrated and fed, if in two days he doesn't manage to keep anything down, well take him.

- Okay.

- Since you have no official schedules, if you want to you can go home as well kids.

- I think Lee Know-hyung would want to keep his privacy for a while. We'll go have lunch and go back home later.

- Okay then.

The manager said, leaving the room to inform the other staff about the situation.

- Kids, can you gather Lee Know's thing for me? I'll go check on him.

- Yes, hyung.

Chan promptly left the room, worried about the sick dongsaeng in his studio. Opening the door, he found Lee Knows hunched over the couch spilling more of his stomach's content into the bin.

He went to his side, sitting on the edge of the couch, repeating the same process from earlier, holding his forehead and rubbing his back, and noticing that the fever had worsened, he could feel the heat through Lee Know's clothes.

- Hyung...it hurts...

- I know... we'll take you home in a few minutes okay?

- Okay.

- Can I dispose of this? Or are you gonna vomit again?

- I feel empty...but the nausea is still here...

- Okay.

Chan went to the bathroom and quickly returned.

- The boys gathered your things, the managed will take us home.

Lee Know stood out his arms so Chan could help him sit up and then waited a few seconds to see if he would throw up again.

- You good?

- Yeah...

- Want me to carry you?

Lee Know's face which was already red due to the fever had gotten even more red.

- Uhm...

He hummed in agreement, head down a little embarrassed. Chan just smiled fondly, even though Lee Know couldn't see.

The leader positioned himself kneeling in front of Lee Know so he could climb on his back, wrapping his arms around his hyun and burying his face.

Chan walked out of his studio and was greeted by their manager holding Lee Know's bag and a big coat which he used to cover Lee Know who was still shivering.

Thankfully their van was parked in the garage so no chance of paparazzi.

Chan settled Minho inside the car and sat beside him, pulling his head so it was resting on his shoulder.

- Manager-nim, do we have a plastic bag?

- I think we do, hold on.

The manager looked inside the glove box and found a plastic bag from one of the many grocery shopping he did with the kids, and handed it to Chan.

- If you feel sick, just let me know okay?

- hmm...

Lee Know just hummed, his fever making him sleepy and dizzy. Chan offered his hand for the sick boy to hold and he did it without hesitation. And again Chan was surprised by how hot he felt, it was high enough to mess with his breathing, and they didn't have a thermometer in the studio so he had no idea how high it was.

A few minutes into the ride home, Lee Know felt increasingly nauseous, burping wetly from time to time. Then he felt something creeping up his chest, a foul taste in his mouth.

He squeezed Chan's hand as he began to swallow convulsively, not wanting to throw up in front of their manager.

- Are you feeling nauseous again?

Lee Know just nodded, swallowing hard and then suppressing a gag, his stomach clearly mad at him for trying to swallow it down.

- Don't hold it in, Minho-ah. He's seen us sick before.

Chan reassured, not letting go of Lee Know's hand and putting the bag under his chin.

The boy helplessly ducked his head closer to the bag just in time for a wet burp to bring up a wave of putrid liquid hitting the bag. Lee Know kept squeezing Chan's hand, that was the only thing keeping him sane and grounded at the moment. Another queasy burp brought up another mouthful of vomit, and by now both he and Chan were thinking he was vomiting everything he ate during the week.

- We're almost there Lee Know-ssi.

Lee Know Just spat out some thick saliva and then just leaned his whole weight on Chan, who was holding the dirty bag, wanting to get rid of it as soon as possible, before the stench filled the car.

When they arrived at the dorms, the manager quickly got out of the car and went to Chan's side to get the bag and dispose of it.

- Minho-ah. We're home.

Chan said softly, caressing the sick boy's arm in an attempt to wake him up. Lee Know was barely conscious but he managed to move so he was sitting on the edge of the car's seat for Chan to pick him up.

- Here we go. Are you okay? Do you feel nauseous?

- No...

- Okay, I'll start moving then.

The manager carried their stuff while Chan carried a flushed face Lee Know, who also looked a little pale.

Entering the dorm, Chan sat Lee Know on the couch and the manager put their things in their bedrooms.

- Call me if you need anything, okay? I'll leave you two alone. Get better soon, Lee Know-ssi.

- Thanks, hyung.

Lee Know said before ducking his head and looking between his knees, he brought a hand to his stomach and sighed. Chan had gone to the bedroom to get Lee Know a fresh set of clothes and a thermometer.

- Let me take your temperature and then I'll help you take a bath, okay?

- yes...

Just as Chan suspected, the fever was really high 38.8°C.

- Minho-ah, we need to cool you down and we need to try to take some medicine, okay?

Just the thought of having to take a pill and most likely taste it was enough to trigger his stomach.

- hyung...

Lee Know called grabbing Chan's arm for dear life.

- bathroom...

He already felt something coming up his throat so he didn't manage to say a proper sentence.

- Come on.

Chan promptly helped his dongsaeng up, grabbed the change of clothes, and rushed to the bathroom with him.

Lee Know went straight to the toilet, vomit spewing out without much control and getting on the edges and the floor.

- Don't worry about that, hyung will clean it up.

Chan reassured placing the clothes on the sink and then going to Lee Know's side to rub his back and his chest for the nth time that day. Chan was scared at how much content was still coming out after the few rounds from earlier, he was getting afraid they'd have to take him to the hospital. As the oldest hyung, he just wanted his dongsaeng's well-being but avoiding the hospital is something everyone wanted.

As Lee Know continued to puke his guts out, Chan prepared his bath.

When he was done, Chan helped him out of his sweaty clothes and helped him into the shower, thankfully they had a bathtub because Lee Know was in no state to keep standing.

- Minho-ah, do you want hyung to wash your hair?

- please...

All this cuteness and vulnerability just showed how awful he was feeling. Chan carefully washed his hair and hoped the bath would help reduce his fever.

- Thanks, hyung

- Don't mention it. I'll let you take your bath now but I'll stay here just in case.

Lee Know slowly washed himself, the water hitting his skin making him wince from how much it stung. What usually would be a means to relax, today was almost a torture session.

When he was done, he surprisingly asked Chan for help getting dressed, and so his hyung did. He was now clean, wearing comfortable clothes and completely drained of his batteries.

- Come on, let's get you to bed. Do you feel like you're vomit again?

- No...not now...I'm tired...

- I know, let's go.

Chan cooed, wrapping his arms around Lee Know and guiding him to his bedroom. Since Lee Know shared a bedroom with another member, Chan thought it would be better for the young boy to sleep in his bedroom. That way he could keep an eye on him, and Lee Know could be more comfortable since he didn't like to show this side to the others.

Lee Know lay down on his hyung's bed and was promptly covered with a blanket by him.

- I will get you an antiemetic first and see how you'll hold up, okay? You need to put something in your stomach, water, a sports drink, soup. I'll be right back.

The poor boy's fever was so high, it was tearing up his eyes, and his head was still throbbing. He just sunk into the pillow and closed his eyes to ease some of the pain until Chan came back.

- Minho-ah. Here take these and let's wait.

- Hyung...my head is still throbbing...

- I'll sim the lights for you. let's see if the antiemetics work, then you'll try to eat something so I can give you painkillers, okay?

- Yes...

Chan stayed with Lee Know in the bedroom and within a few minutes the medication seemed to have worked.

- Do you think you can stomach some soup? Or bread? It might help better than soup actually.

- Bread...

He answered weakly, eyes half open.

Chan came back with a few slices of bread and gave them to Lee Know, who hesitantly took it.

- Just a few bites okay?

The older boy helped Lee Know to sit up on the bed, he was wearing a black hoodie and was half-covered with a blanket. Lee Know was fairly muscular but to Chan, at that moment, he looked so tiny.

He sat at the edge of the bed and stayed with Lee Know while the poor boy took small bites and slowly ate the slices.

- How do you feel? Nauseous?

- No...feels settled...for now.

- That's good.

Chan set the tray aside and placed his hand on Lee Know's forehead.

- It's still high. Let me check it.

The thermometer showed almost the same temperature from earlier, 38.5°C.

- it's still pretty high. Do you think you can stomach some pills?

- Yes...

- Take them with a sports drink, that way you won't feel the taste.

Chan quickly left and came back with the medication and the drinks. Lee Know took them and gagged but managed to swallow it. They waited a few seconds to see if he'd vomit but it didn't happen.

Lee Know was falling asleep even while sitting, so Chan carefully laid him down on the bed, placed an ice pack on his forehead, and covered him before leaving the room to eat something and get a mattress.

Then he was met with the rest of the kids who had just returned home.

- Hyung! How's Lee Know-hyung?

- He threw up again but after taking some medication, he managed to eat something. He was pretty tired so he's asleep now. He'll stay in my room for the time being, okay?

- Okay hyung.

- Let's just keep quiet. I don't want to wake him up.

They all had dinner, took a shower, and then went to do their own stuff but before telling Chan to tell Lee Know they wished he gets better soon.

Chan entered the bedroom and found Lee Know still asleep, his breathing was a bit off but it was due to the fever. He hoped the sick boy would sleep well through the night, but those prayers were not heard.

Chan checked on Lee Know one more time before going to bed himself but was woken up after 1h or so.

Lee Know was sleeping rather peacefully when his stomach decided to remind him he was going through a food poisoning process.

It started churning again, in complete turmoil making Lee Know toss and turn on the bed but no position was comfortable enough. He lay on his back and squeezed his hands in an attempt to control the urge to vomit.

It didn't work, he turned to his side and that must've been the worst decision he made that day. As soon as he turned his stomach jumped shooting up its contents way too fast, Lee Know rushed out of the room, hand covering his mouth so he wouldn't make a mess on the floor, that would be too humiliating.

He got to the bathroom, hurriedly closing the door behind him and bending over the toilet as a stream of bread mixed with stomach juice gushed out, immediately followed by another bout.

The motion of getting up so quickly and being bent over made him feel really dizzy, so before he could actually fall, he managed to sit down next to the toilet. His stomach was cramping badly, sending queasy burps repeatedly but not actually making him vomit, even though he felt like there were still things to come out.

He was starting to feel even more miserable than before, and he was sure his fever spiked again, even his clothes were hurting his skin.

He sat for a few seconds on the floor not sure of what to do, then he noticed his phone inside his hoodie pocket.

- Hyung. Can you come to the bathroom? Just need to know you're here.

Chan was already half awake when he got the message.

- Be right there.

He got up and made his way to the bathroom, but he didn't go in. He respected Lee Know's request of just being close, if the sick boy needed him inside with him, he'd say.

He sat by the door and gently ordered one of the members who had woken up to use the other bathroom, wanting to secure Lee Know's privacy as much as he could.

Chan kept hearing Lee Know retching over the toilet but never heard anything splashing in the water and he thought that maybe Lee Know had nothing else in his stomach.

But a few minutes later, he got another message.

- Hyung...come in, please...

Chan got up and politely knocked on the door, letting Lee Know know he was coming in.

Chan's heart dropped to his stomach when he saw Lee Know's state. His face was bright red from the fever that was obviously higher than before, he was sitting next to the toilet holding his stomach and with a pained expression on his face.

The leader locked the door behind him and walked up to Lee Know, grabbing his hand and feeling the heat of his skin.

- Minho-ah...

- hyung...it hurts...

Lee Know said, tears swelling up in his eyes. Chan immediately pulled him into an embrace, allowing him to break down if he needed to. It was a rare occurrence to see Lee Know cry, so whenever he needed to, Chan was always there to provide him the safe space he so much needed.

Lee Know broke down into sobs from frustration, pain, and embarrassment. Chan tightened his grip around him, gently rocking him from side to side, rubbing his back.

- It's okay. Hyung's got you.

When Lee Know finally calmed down, he kept looking down, still embarrassed by everything that was happening.

- hyung...I've been trying...but nothing's coming up...and it hurts so bad...

- Do you want hyung to help you?

- hmm.

Lee Know nodded shyly, hating to admit he was desperate for a comforting touch.

He leaned over the toilet, his stomach still cramping but only making him dry-heave and nothing came up.

Chan was by his side and rested his hand on Lee Know's abdomen and it felt heavenly for the sick boy. Because of his scar, Lee Know wasn't too comfortable with people touching his abdomen, but right now he really needed that.

- Can I press on it a bit? I think it'll help bring something up.

- please...

Lee Know pleaded, clearly done with how awful he felt, he was accepting every and any help.

Chan first started rubbing circles to soothe some of the pain and gently pressed the middle, earning a wince from Lee Know.

- I'm sorry...but it'll be over soon.

The motion seemed to be working as Lee Know started burping wetly and for a while, gagging unproductively.

Chan proceeded to press on his stomach until Lee Know retched wetly and a thick stream of putrid pale brown liquid hit the toilet water with a sickening sound, followed by another harsher one, leaving Lee Know breathless.

He coughed a few times because something got stuck in his throat, and Chan changed his approach to run his chest again as well as his back providing some comfort in the middle of the ordeal.

Another wet cough brought up small chunks of food mixing with the mess inside the bowl.

Lee Know scooted away from the toilet for a while, allowing Chan to flush it and get rid of the unsettling sight. He grabbed a few napkins to clean Lee Know's mouth and pulled the poor sick boy into his embrace so he could try to relax for a bit.

- I'm sorry hyung...

- You don't need to apologize.

- But I took over your room and now I can't even let you sleep...

- It's not your fault, Minho-yah. You had no idea you'd get food poisoning.

- What about the others?

- I made sure they'd stay away from the bathroom and my room, at least for now. I know you don't like much attention when you're sick.

- Thanks...I feel dizzy...

- It's because of the fever. Let me check your temperature again.

Chan took the thermometer from the cabinet and put it under Lee Know's arm.

- 39.1°C. It spiked.

It was obvious his fever got higher, he was looking red as a tomato, even his breathing felt hot, and despite wearing sweatpants and a hoodie he couldn't stop shivering.

- Minho-yah. Do you wanna take another shower? Or do you think you can stomach a fever reducer? If we don't get your temperature down, we'll have to go to the hospital.

As if on cue, Lee Know's stomach shot up what felt like it was the last of its contents barely giving him time to reach the toilet bowl, thankfully Chan helped him, otherwise he'd soil his clothes. The older boy gave him a glass of water so he could rinse his mouth and helped him brush his teeth.

- Thanks hyung...

- So, what do you wanna do?

- I don't wanna take another shower...my skin hurts every time something touches me.

- Then we'll try the pill again. Let's go back to the bedroom.

Chan offered a hand but Lee Know was far too exhausted to get up on his own, let alone walk.

- Come here, hyung will help you.

He put his arms under Lee Know's and carefully helped him to his feet but his legs almost instantly gave up on him.

- I'll carry you, okay?

- hmm.

Lee Know was in no state to protest, and honestly, he didn't want to. His hyung's presence and touch helped him more than Chan could imagine.

Chan hugged Lee Know and gently lifted him, one arm around his waist and the other around his legs. The image of a father carrying a son, that's how one would describe it.

He walked slowly to the bedroom, being extremely careful to not upset Lee Know's stomach, which seemed to have calmed down for a while.

He settled Lee Know on the bed and looked for a clean shirt and hoodie.

- Let's get you changed up. You sweat too much, your clothes are soaked.

Chan helped Lee know out of his hoodie and shirt and before putting on the clean ones, he wiped Lee Know's upper body, then helped him put on the new set.

- Can we take the medication now?

- Hmm

- Here, take one antiemetic and wait for a bit. Then take the fever reducer and another antiemetic.

Lee Know hesitantly took the pills from Chan's hand and contemplated for a bit, clearly afraid of vomiting again. He didn't want that, his whole body hurt because of the strain and the fever, and his throat was hurting as well, to the point his voice was raspy.

- Trust hyung, okay? You can keep it down, I know you can.

Chan reassured grabbing Lee Know's hand and started rubbing circular patterns.

Just like before, the first sip of water with the pill made him gag, but he managed to take everything.

Both he and Chan stayed sitting on the bed, waiting until Lee Know felt safe enough to lie down.

- How are you feeling? Still nauseous?

- just a bit...

- Do you wanna lay down?

- Yeah.

He lay down and Chan covered him, then lay down on the mattress next to the bed.

- Hyung...

He heard a soft whiny voice coming from above, it was Lee Know standing out his hand, after moving to the edge of the bed.

- What is it?

- Can you hold my hand?

- Of course.

Chan grabbed Lee Know's hand and just held it until he fell asleep. But he didn't let go, he knew Lee Know needed that, so he found a way of sleeping while holding his hand.

Thankfully, the medication seemed to have worked, at least for the night, because Lee Know slept until morning without any other incidents during the night.

When Chan woke up the first thing he did was check Lee Know's temperature.

- 38°C. It went down a bit, thank god.

He said quietly. Since Lee Know was in deep sleep, Chan quietly left the room to get breakfast and see the other kids.

- Good morning, hyung.

- Good morning kinds.

- How's Lee Know-hyung?

- He's still asleep. He managed to keep a few pills down yesterday, so his fever went down a bit, but it's still high.

- And you, hyung? How are you doing?

- I'm okay. He's got food poisoning, so I think we are all in the clear.

- Aren't you tired? We know you. We know you didn't get enough sleep.

- I'm doing good, kids. Don't worry about me. My concern now is getting Lee Know better.

Chan said walking to the kitchen to prepare something for him and a soup or some toast for Lee Know.

When he got back to the bedroom he found Lee Know sitting on the bed but still covered with the blanket, eyes puffy and face still red.

- Good morning.

- Good morning hyung...

Lee Know answered, voice raspy and weak, signs of a rough night.

- How are you feeling?

- Tired...

- And your stomach?

- A little nauseous but not that much...and a bit hungry.

- I made you some food. Wanna give it a try? There's soup and some toast.

- Can I try both?

- Sure, but don't force it. Take as long as you need. Want me to turn on the TV?

- Yeah.

Just like the previous night, Chan stayed in the bedroom with Lee Know as the boy slowly ate his meal. He then took the medications again and sunk into the bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

Chan left the room one more time and was met with six kids demanding him to rest. They knew Chan always took care of them, no matter what and he wouldn't say anything even if he was too tired.

- Hyung. You need to rest as well. We'll take turns.

- Thanks kids.

Chan said opening his arms to give all of them a big hug.

With that settled, Jisung was the first one to stay with Lee Know, the sick boy accepted cuddles from him and they helped him stay calm and asleep.

And just like they said, everyone took turns to stay with Lee Know and help him whenever he got sick the following days. They were some tiring 5 days for all of them, with Lee Know vomiting a few times during the day and night and his fever refusing to go lower than 37.5°C.

When the ordeal was over, they were all tired but relieved to see their dancer back to full health. Lee Know being one to not show his weak side to many, had to let go of his pride in order to get better, and deep inside he was grateful to all of them, especially his only hyung.

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cuddlepilefics · 1 month

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Sorry to hear you're thinking about leaving tumblr, I'd be really sad to see you go because you're such an important part of this community imo. I absolutely lovelovelove your fics and they deserve much more attention tbh <3

I wrote my first fanfic (SKZ) on October 4th 2020 and have been active on here ever since. It never really felt like I was part of this community, probably because I did my best not to get involved with any drama happening on here. That doesn't mean that I didn't witness it or that it didn't affect me.

Now it feels even less like I belong here and with the way new blogs are popping up, I think it's time for my generation of fanfic authors to step back and let the younger ones take over. I don't plan to stop writing anytime soon but this is probably not the right platform to share my content anymore.

There are two oneshots for #whumpril2024 in my drafts and if I end up writing more for that event, it will obviously be published here on Tumblr but what happens afterwards or outside of this event will probably be exclusive to Wattpad, simply because I feel more comfortable there.

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cuddlepilefics · 1 month

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where can I find your wattpad?

This is the most recent SKZ book but please check out my profile page for more content and other groups.

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cuddlepilefics · 1 month

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I'm thinking about leaving Tumblr for good because I dislike what has become of this community.

If you still enjoy my writing, you can find even more writing on my Wattpad (same username) because I don't post everything on here and would've probably stopped posting here a long time ago if it wasn't for some prompt lists that I wanted to explore.

I have two more oneshots in my drafts but I can't make any promises how long I'll keep using this account, so...

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cuddlepilefics · 1 month

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Aaaand the second one! This one is an original of mine!

Based on the audio and scenes from Over Drive with Mackenyu. (Minutes 56:00 and 1:21:00 for those interested)

HECTIC LIFE

The end of the year was by far the most packed time of the year for K-pop idols. There were a lot of back-to-back performances, most of the time 2, 3, 4 days in a row, even more. A lot of these took part in different countries, which meant different time zones and of course, no rest.

They could be in Korea one day for a performance, finish this performance, and go straight to the airport to go to another country for another one. Inhumane is not enough to describe this hectic schedule.

Some of these events were MAMA, Gayo Daejeon, Gayo Daejejeon, Gayo Daechukje, you name it.

It was hectic and exhausting but it also had some of the best performances from all the groups, which meant fans were both angry at the packed schedules and excited for the performances.

Stray Kids had already performed in Korea, went to Japan, then Hong Kong, and now back to Korea, to say they were tired was an understatement.

They were now scheduled to perform at MAMA and the nerves were up to the roof. MAMA was known to not work properly in a lot of ways, awards, cameras, and stages, sometimes it felt like something went wrong every single time. Wanting to know if they would win an award and if everything would work out, just added to their nervousness.

Getting to the venue, they were all dressed beautifully, earning defeating screams from STAYs and blinding flashes all around.

They would pose with a smile or a serious face, but no matter what, Lee Know's expression just wasn't normal.

Even before leaving the dorm, Lee Know was already feeling weird, tired, and more nervous than he thought. There was an eerie feeling lingering in his mind, telling him something would go wrong today.

At first, they went to the gallery for the first part of the awards, where all the fans could see them and they could watch the other idols' performances.

While the others were clearly enjoying the performances, Lee Knows was a bit restless but still tried to jump in with the others, knowing that his strange actions would catch the attention of the fans and the members.

They would perform towards the end and that was almost killing him, he wasn't feeling his best and he just wanted to get this performance done with and rest in the dressing room or go back to the dorms.

Halfway into the ceremony, that eerie feeling had gotten a little stronger and more present, he felt his chest tightening as if he couldn't breathe properly. Anxiety? He didn't know, but he needed to get away from all this and try to recollect himself.

- Hyung.

He said leaning towards Chan. Usually during these ceremonies, they needed to ask the staff to leave the area, for safety reasons.

- What?

- I need to go to the restroom.

- Okay.

Chan called one of the staff, so they could accompany Lee Know. He didn't really want that, he needed space, especially because if something happened the staff would let the members and their own staff know as well. And despite feeling weird and unwell, he still didn't want to disappoint STAYs and not perform.

He left with the staff following him and the walk to the restroom made his apparent anxiety a little worse. And he could only hope the staff didn't notice his increasingly rapid breathing.

Getting to the restroom he locked the door behind him and went to the sink.

He looked at his complexion in the mirror and noticed he was a little pale and starting to sweat. But that was not his concern at the moment, he needed to calm down before he started to hyperventilate.

He grabbed the edges of the sink, closed his eyes, and focused on his breathing. He tried mimicking what Chan did with him once when he had a panic attack because of his acrophobia.

He counted inside his head, trying to match his breathing to the tempo Chan taught him. It took a few minutes, which worried him that the members would notice and question him, but it worked.

However, after this, he noticed he was a little more sweaty than before and his makeup was mostly gone, and getting back to where the others were like that, would raise suspicion and worry the fans.

He gently wiped the sweat off his face, got out of the restroom and, asked for his staff to touch up his makeup before returning and hoped they wouldn't notice anything. And they didn't, thankfully.

He got back to the others and they didn't ask him anything either so he thought he was safe but little did he know Chan had already picked up on his strange behavior since earlier.

Another hour into the ceremony, they had won an award and Lee Know shivered at the thought of going on stage before the performance. He sucked it up and proudly walked on stage with the member, trying to keep his face as natural as possible, and gave a brief speech of acceptance.

After this, there would be one performance, then it was their turn so they went to the dressing room. And that's when the eerie feeling Lee Know felt earlier completely settled in.

They were all hyped, going over the choreo, getting their makeup done, hair, and clothing, mentally and physically preparing for a 9-10 minute non-stop performance. It was no easy task even when they were in top condition, let alone when they weren't feeling well like Lee Know was.

The dressing room was full of people, with the members and staff altogether. As Lee Know was getting dressed, he started to feel off again, but this time it was stronger.

The eerie feeling from before, which made him have a mild anxiety attack, now came back as a strong wave of nausea. His stomach was flipping and turning and he could feel something creeping up his chest. He was going to be sick.

He quickly finished getting dressed and left the room without anyone noticing. Once he was out of that crowded and stuffy dressing room, the nausea grew stronger, as if his body knew he was alone and wanted to get everything out. He darted off to the bathroom when he felt something hit the back of his throat. Some people in the hallway noticed him but he didn't care, he just needed to get to the bathroom and pray no one else was there, the last thing he needed was someone hearing him being sick.

Thankfully the bathroom was empty, he entered one of the stalls and locked the door behind him, as he bent over the toilet, hands on the wall for support. He squeezed his eyes and tried breathing deeply, he knew it wouldn't matter but even so, he also knew that getting sick right now could jeopardize his performance in a few minutes.

He only managed to control it for a few seconds, and then his stomach jumped and contracted, making him lurch forward as he threw up the food he had earlier.

Back in the dressing room, the boys were almost all ready so Chan was checking if everything was in place and everyone had their outfits and makeup done, and then he noticed Lee Know wasn't there, and his instincts told him something was definitely wrong, like he suspected earlier.

- Kids, has anyone seen Lee Know?

- No. But I think he left a few minutes ago.

- Okay. I'll go look for him, the rest of you finish getting ready, we're up in a few.

- Okay, hyung!

Chan left the dressing room to look for Lee Know, but he knew exactly where his dongsaeng was, so he went straight to the bathroom.

Getting there, he moved to the one stall that was locked and he heard a rather loud retch coming from inside then something hitting the water in the toilet. Just like he suspected, Lee Know was sick.

Chan wanted to get in there and help his dongsaeng but if he dealt with it alone until now, it meant he didn't want to show this side of him, at least not today. As a leader and hyung, he knew that trying to reach out to Lee Know could have the opposite result and get the boy even more worked up.

So he just stood by the door, listening as Lee Know retched and gagged up another strong wave. Chan couldn't help but grimace a little and make the decision of not helping him. He could only hope Lee Know would be able to perform like he knew he wanted, and that nothing happened on stage.

Chan went back to the dressing room and was immediately questioned about Lee Know, and he only gave a lame excuse and said he was just in the bathroom and coming back to get ready.

Back in the bathroom, Lee Know was feeling like his stomach still had a lot to get rid of. He was still in the same position, bent over the toilet, spitting out saliva, only waiting for the next wave, which came eventually.

As liquid hit the back of his throat, a foul taste took over his mouth and immediately came out, mixing with the putrid mess inside the toilet. He knew that it was getting close to the time of the performance so he needed to recollect himself and head back to the dressing room. He spat out one more time before flushing the toilet and then straightened his back and took deep breaths, trying to control himself and his stomach.

He finally calmed himself down and walked out of the stall to rinse his mouth and look in the mirror if his clothes had any vomit on them. Thankfully everything was clean, his expression looked tired but he still had to get his makeup done which would help hide it a bit.

He headed back to the dressing room and just like Chan, said he was only in the bathroom. He sat on the chair to get his makeup done.

Everyone was ready, only the final touch-ups, and headed to the stage. Ash they were lined up, Chan made sure everyone was good to go and then went to Lee Know.

- Hey, you good?

- Yeah. I'm fine.

- Okay, then. STRAY KIDS ALL AROUND THE WORLD, YOU MAKE STRAY KIDS STAY.

Chan yelled to get their spirits up and entered the stage.

The screams from the fans were deafening but incredibly encouraging and for a brief moment, Lee Knows forgot how he was feeling and started the performance.

He sang and danced like he was on his best day while being one of his worst so far. A few minutes into the performance, Lee Know felt tired and weird, his stomach was jumping, flipping around, and hurting with each movement, and thought he wouldn't be able to finish the performance.

At one point in choreography, he kneeled and Chan was right in front of him and mouthed.

- Are you okay?

Lee Know just nodded, whatever strength he had left he needed to store to finish everything and get out of there.

Throughout the rest of the performance, Lee Know couldn't quite hide his painful expressions anymore but danced and sang through his discomfort, and Chan glued his eyes on him, preparing for anything that could happen.

By the end, Lee Know was exhausted, he didn't know how he was still standing or how he hadn't thrown up yet. He kept his composure until the moment the lights were out, that's when his exhaustion took over him.

He would've fallen on the ground if Chan didn't catch him on time. The older boy tried helping him to his feet but he had lost all strength in his legs, so Chan basically carried him out, followed by six worried kids.

Once they were backstage, Lee Know felt something rush up his chest and broke away from Chan's hold, he knew he was gonna vomit and he wanted to get away from him, to not risk it getting on him.

He stumbled to a walk and leaned on it as a thick stream of vomit gushed out of him hitting the ground with a sickening sound and startling everyone.

- Minho-ah!

Chan ran to his dongsaeng's side quickly holding him as the boy swayed when another wave came out.

- That's it, get everything out, hyung is right here.

Chan was Lee Know's only hyung in the group and his warm presence always allowed him to act like a dongsaeng, it always broke his walls.

Chan started rubbing Lee Know's back and chest to help the boy get through another round of vomiting, the boys watching back with worried eyes.

- Chan-hyung, what's wrong with him?

- I don't know exactly but he's been acting off since we left the dorm and I caught him vomiting when we were getting dressed. I didnt-

He was interrupted by the sound of retching coming from Lee Knows as his stomach contracted bringing up more putrid liquid, arching his back painfully.

- Keep going, Minho-ah. You're doing good.

After this wave, Lee Know was feeling ten times more exhausted than before, his breathing was still erratic and his vision was getting blurry and dark.

He tried to deal with this on his own all day, containing every need to call his hyung, even when he really wanted him by his side and now that he was, he felt completely worn out.

- Hyung....I really don't feel well...

He said, leaning most of his weight on Chan before fainting, the oldest managing to hold him and gently guiding him to the ground and laying him on the ground.

- Can someone get the medical staff? Quickly!

Chan ordered and the staff quickly scattered to find them, while the boys stood nearby, with worried faces.

- Why didn't he tell us?

- You know how he is. Just like me, he doesn't want to show, he prefers to deal with things on his own. I knew but didn't tell you out of respect for him. Not my best decision as a leader.

The medical staff came and checked his vitals, his heartbeat was still fast but mainly due to the performance and his blood pressure was a bit lower than normal.

- We need to move him to the dressing room, he might need an IV.

- Alright.

Chan picked him up on his back and took him to the dressing room, followed by the staff and the members.

The staff stretched out a mattress on the ground for Lee Know and Chan carefully settled him there. The medical staff lifted his legs up, so his blood would flow back and started prepping the IV.

- How many times did he vomit?

- For all I can tell, twice.

- Okay. We'll put him on IV fluids just for precaution that he might be a little dehydrated and exhausted. It might've been a case of overwork and anxiety, I don't think it's a bug or anything since he doesn't have a fever.

- Alright. What should we do?

The leader asked.

- Just let him rest. He shouldn't move for a while, I'd advise a little break but that's a decision for your doctor and the company.

- Thank you.

As they were talking, Lee Know's senses started to come back, and as a common symptom of fainting, he felt incredibly nauseous all of a sudden. He was barely awake when he gagged, catching the attention of the members and medical staff.

- Turn him to his side.

Chan helped the staff move Lee Know so he wouldn't choke as he threw up a thin stream of vomit mixed with bile, Chan rubbing his back and keeping still.

Lee Know coughed a few times and another tiny wave came out.

He was still getting back to his senses, trying to understand what was happening and who were all these people, he was so confused he reached out to his safe place, Chan.

- Hyung....what's going on?

He asked weakly, looking at the access on his arm and holding Chan's shirt.

- You don't remember?

- It's kind of fuzzy...

- You threw up as soon as you came off stage and then passed out. The medical staff said it might've been a case of overwork and anxiety. They put you in IV fluids because you might be dehydrated.

- I'm sorry...I'm sorry for worrying you...

- Don't apologize. I noticed but I figured you wouldn't want anyone to see you like this.

- Sorry...

- Stop apologizing. But what were you feeling exactly?

- I don't know...I just felt weird when we left the dorms...like, something would go wrong. When we were watching the performances, I felt unwell, it felt like a panic attack and then before going on stage, my stomach felt off.

- Then it might've been exhaustion.

- Hyung, we'll stay here with you for a bit before we leave for the gallery again.

Changbin said smiling and kneeling beside Lee Know

- Thanks...

- How are you feeling?

'm tired...and really nauseous...

- Do you wanna puke again?

- Not now...

Lee Know closed his eyes to try to recollect himself, his heartbeat was back to normal as well as his breathing, but his stomach was still in turmoil.

The other members took this time to take a breather and Changbin stood by Lee Know's side and gave him a massage on his neck to try to relax his hyung.

- Woah... This feels good...thanks Changbin-ah...

- you're welcome, hyung.

Lee Know enjoyed the massage as much as he could before he started feeling nauseous again.

- Changbin-ah, can you help me up?

- Sure.

Changbin put his arms under Lee Know's gently helped him sit up and stood behind him keeping him steady.

- Hyung, are you gonna throw up?

- Maybe...

- Can someone pass me a bucket?

- Here.

Chan brought the bucket and placed it in front of Lee Know. Now that he was conscious, he didn't want to be sick anymore, even though everyone knew he was sick, he still didn't want to show.

He closed his eyes and took deep breaths, focusing on Changbin who was still massaging his nape. He suppressed a gag and started swallowing convulsively, clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white, his mouth went numb and his eyes were watery.

- Hyung, if you need to be sick just go ahead. No one will judge you. We are all family here.

Changbin started rubbing Lee Know's back up and down trying to relax him and stimulate him, but he was still fighting the urge. Chan noticed it and talked to the others, telling them to back away and focus on other stuff, while he moved to Lee Know's side blocking him from the others' view.

- Hey, hey. Hyung's right here, okay? No one is seeing you.

Changbin kept on rubbing his back while Chan stood by his side, blocking the view and keeping a firm hand on his shoulder.

The motion of rubbing his back from his lower back to his shoulder blades seemed to have stimulated him enough as he leaned a bit forward letting out a wet burp. Chan decided to grab the bucket and get it a little closer to Lee Know, who let out one more wet burp that was immediately followed by a gag that brought up more of his stomach's content.

Changbin was still rubbing his back while he puked up another wave of putrid liquid, the stench starting to fill the room.

- That's it, hyung.

Changbin reassured.

Lee Know took a couple of deep breaths but his stomach was on a mission to make him feel miserable and made him lurch forward, his back arching painfully.

- Oh god.

Chan said as he and Changbin held Lee Know firmly, steadying him so he wouldn't fall over.

He lurched forward one more time, ducking his head on the bucket, Chan decided to hold his dongsaeng's bangs out of the way as Changbin pat his back to help him vomit whatever got stuck in his throat.

After another round came up and then he was left dry heaving, face pale and sweaty and his skin felt clammy to the touch as Chan noticed. He also noticed Lee Know was panting again, his chest heaving up and down.

- Hyung...it's hard to breathe...

He said weakly, his expression was clearly uncomfortable and his difficulty breathing was evident.

- Let's get you out of this clothes. They are too tight. Can you stand for a while? Just so we can change your clothes? Hyung and Changbin will hold you.

- Thanks hyung...

Chan and Changbin put their arms around Lee Know and slowly propped him up and made sure he wasn't dizzy before moving him to a more secluded place. Lee Know had a scar on his abdomen that he didn't like showing around, only the members saw it and out of respect Chan decided to take him somewhere else to change clothes.

Lee Know's legs were like jelly, he could barely put any strength on them, so Chan and Changbin were basically caring him. When they were out of view, Chan started to help Lee Know undress and Changbin stood behind ready hold him in case he felt faint again.

- Raise your arms.

Chan helped him out put on a loose shirt, he was sure those tight clothing were doing more harm than good, and some sweatpants. But all the movement upset his stomach again. Damn it, he just didn't seem to be able to take a break today. But this time he was so tired he couldn't even warn them about it and just lurched forward as his stomach continued on its mission to empty itself.

- Oh!

- S-sorry-.

- No no, it's okay. Don't worry about it.

Chan said as he held him steady. He didn't have much left other then stomach fluids and the last bit of what seemed to be last week's food.

- Let's get you on the couch. You need to lay down or you'll faint again.

They did the same and guided Lee Know to the couch, carefully laying him down and covering him. The medical staff checked his vitals one more time, they were mostly normal, except for his blood pressure which was still low, so they kept him in IV fluids for the time being.

And then it was time for the others to go back to the gallery to watch the rest of the ceremony and hopefully win other awards.

- Minho-ah, try to rest okay? We'll come back soon and go home, okay?

- Okay...thanks hyung...

Thankfully they had really awesome managers and they stayed with Lee Know when the others left. They helped Lee Know as he got sick a few more times before basically passing out.

The group did win other awards and upon getting to the stage to get the award and make a speech, they knew everyone would noticed the absence of a member.

So Chan took the responsibility of explaining what happened without much details, saying Lee Know felt unwell after the performance and was resting and that he was happy to get the award.

The ceremony was finally over and the members rushed to the dressing room to check on Lee Know and the managers explained he vomited a few times and then was knocked out.

They changed their clothes and gathered everything so they could leave the venue and get Lee Know home so he could properly rest.

The company later issued a statement explaining Lee Know's absence on stage at the end of the ceremony and announcing he'd take a little break to fully recover.

He didnt like to miss out on any schedules, especially performances but he was thankful for his hyung and his dongsaengs who took care of him during the week he was recovering.

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