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fairyniceyeah · 4 months ago

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💎🐢 I need you

Title from Two Minus One (SEVENTEEN)

Summary: It's Seokmin's and Vernon's birthday - a day for celebration. Instead Vernon spends it feeling miserable, throwing up with the stomach flu.

CW: emeto

Sickie: Vernon/Hansol Caretakers: S.Coups/Seungcheol + Joshua + Seokmin/DK

“Wake up, Hansollie”, a voice sang into his ear. “Happy Birthday!”

Vernon blinked his eyes open just in time for a heavy weight to land itself on him, cuddling him tightly. Seokmin - his mind supplied. Ever since they had found out about their birthdays being on the same day a year apart, Seokmin had been so excited for that day to come around every year.

It was tradition now for Seokmin to come into his room early in the morning to cuddle Vernon - who really hated getting up directly after waking up - awake and into getting up. All the while the rest of the room’s occupants - Jun, Hoshi, Wonwoo, Minghao and Dino - would leave to prepare things. Seokmin seldom was successful though and it always ended up with the rest of the members streaming into the room, carrying cake and singing. Vernon didn’t mind at all - it was really sweet of them.

“Happy Birthday, hyung”, he whispered to Seokmin, wrapping his arms around the older and closing his eyes again. He was still so tired - apparently he had even slept through the other members leaving the room earlier. It was no wonder really though. Their schedules had picked up a lot after debuting and Vernon had been struggling all day yesterday already, sleepy and ready to be in dreamland for a full night straight.

Sadly the ten hours he must have gotten at least didn’t stop the tiredness and lethargy. If anything, he felt worse. There was a slight pain in his head and his stomach felt … weird. Unsettled.

Well, he hadn’t eaten in a long time - it was probably just that.

“Don’t fall back asleep, kiddo”, Seokmin said with a small laugh, peppering Vernon’s face with kisses. “The others are …”

It was then that the door opened and as Vernon tried to adjust his eyes to the bright light that was suddenly flooding the room. All the members were wearing party hats with turtles on them, smiling brightly and singing ‘Happy Birthday’ on top of their lungs which sounded pretty bad considering they were all idols. Hoshi and Woozi were both carrying a cake each.

Once the awkwardness of listening to the others' singing (which was only made better by Seokmin holding him tightly) had passed, Seungcheol sat down on the bed beside them. “Happy Birthday, you two”, he said, wrapping both of them into his strong arms.

Vernon sighed and rested his head against the leader’s shoulder. He appreciated what the others did for them a lot, he truly did, but all he wanted to do was fall back asleep. Now that he was a bit more awake Vernon realized that his stomach really was angry. It was rolling inside him and there was the uncomfortable heat of nausea all over his body. It was hard to swallow and his throat felt weird.

Oh, God, please, no. Vernon did not want to be sick on his birthday. Not on his eighteenth birthday.

Remembering back to all the coming of age birthdays Vernon was sure the members had something special planned and he did not want it to go to waste.

So he pretended. Normally he was the first one to speak up about feeling unwell, hating sickness with a passion and wanting a hyung by his side, but he couldn’t do that now. He didn’t want to be sick, not on his birthday. The day was supposed to be special and filled with happiness and laughter.

But all Vernon felt was sick.

He endured all members hugging and cuddling him, some ruffling his hair or kissing his forehead.

It was then that Seungcheol dropped the bomb: “I negotiated with the managers. We all have a free day except for your birthday v-lives.”

Cheers broke out, members falling into each other's arms and Hoshi even nearly dropping the cake when he tried to hug Seungkwan in happiness only to get scolded by Woozi. Vernon felt relief flood his body. He wouldn’t have to work today - except for the half-hour v-live. It did not get better than this.

Unceremoniously, Vernon let himself fall backwards into his bedsheets. Seokmin giggled, tickling Vernon’s stomach. “Don’t sleep when we have a whole day just for us”, he complained, laughing.

Vernon couldn’t help but laugh as well. He was incredibly ticklish which the rest of the members found very cute and loved to take advantage of. Right now though? It was the worst thing that could happen to him. His stomach contracted as he laughed causing his stomach contents, unhappy with staying inside of him, to rise up his throat.

💎

It was his last resolve crumbling.

“Hyung, stop, I’m going to …”, he said, hoping that Seokmin would get the message. Before Seokmin even had a chance to react, Vernon gagged harshly and twisted to his side.

His nausea boiled over and hot vomit sprayed from Vernon’s mouth, splattering on the floor in front of Seungcheol’s feet. At the disgusting sound of his wretching and the brown liquid hitting the floor, the room seemed to freeze.

Vernon was vaguely aware of Seokmin scooting away but all he could really focus on was the next torrent of sick that forced its way out of his mouth and into the rapidly growing puddle by his bedside. A hand came to rest on his shoulder, another combing his sweat soaked hair from his face, and Vernon threw up again and again.

It seemed like hours later that he was finally able to stop turning himself inside out. Opening his eyes, having closed them when the sight of vomit became too much, Vernon found the room empty. Only two figures were still with him, sitting on the bed in such a position that Vernon at first wasn’t sure who it was.

Tears spilled over his hot cheeks as Vernon realized what had happened. He had thrown up - not only onto the floor but also with all his members watching. It was so embarrassing and he still felt awful.

“Oh, Nonie”, a voice cooed and then Vernon was wrapped in a warm hug, comforting strong arms holding him against the chest of the person. Vernon sobbed, his emotion too big for him at the moment - something Jun always said when Vernon was overwhelmed. The person was holding Vernon tightly and another was rubbing his back in comforting circles until the young raper managed to calm down.

Breathing deeply, Vernon only then realized that the person holding him was his leader, Seungcheol’s familiar perfume penetrating his muddled senses and comforting him. He nuzzled his head under Seungcheol’s chin, happy to stay where he was. He felt unwell, his stomach upset in a way he knew he would need to be sick again at one point and his whole body wrecked with chills. But being safe in Seungcheol’s arms was drowning out the uncomfortableness.

“Are you feeling better now that you got that out?”, Joshua asked behind him, voice gentle and unassuming. Vernon was glad to have the other American with him, his connection to his Shua-hyung very special and comforting. He always wanted Joshua with him when sick.

With a slight whimper, Vernon shook his head.

He just felt awful.

Why did it have to be today? There were 364 other days in the year and he had to wake up puking on this one?

“I’m sorry, hyungs”, he mumbled, his stomach twisting as he looked at the mess below him. Vomit was pooling on the floor, soaking into his bed sheets and, gross, some was even on his sleep shirt.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, baby”, Seungcheol said, brushing back his sweat-soaked hair, “you’re sick. It happens. It just sucks it’s today.”

Joshua lifted his hand to Vernon’s forehead and he nuzzled into it. It soothed his hot skin.

“You’re burning up”, Joshua mumbled, “we need to get …”

💎

But Vernon couldn’t listen anymore. Another wave of nausea crashed over him.

"Hyung", he gasped out, bringing a hand to his mouth, struggling to get up.

"Can you make it to the bathroom?", Joshua asked, radiating his usual calmness. Vernon nodded. He wasn't sure, but he sure as hell was gonna try. So he let Joshua help him up and hurry him to the door across the hall.

Vernon mentally thanked every deity he knew that the bathroom was so close. However, the toilet was way too far, he realized, and pulled Joshua towards the sink with him. The second they reached it, he was throwing up again. He saw the half digested noodles from dinner coming up, splattering into the porcelaine, and he had to close his eyes. Joshua just opened the tap and let the water wash away the sick. The man was a heaven-sent. He held his dongsaeng’s hair away from his eyes and rubbed his stomach, while pressing Vernon's back against his front to keep him upright. Between his heaving and sobbing Vernon was able to hear his hyung whisper soothing nothingness in his ear.

Once he was done, he sunk back against Joshua, trusting the other to keep him upright. Gently Joshua pulled him over to sit down on the closed toilet lid. Vernon leaned forward, wrapping his arms around his hurting stomach. Joshua moved away and before he was aware of it, Vernon let out a whining sound. Joshua chuckled lightly. "I'll be back soon, okay?", he promised, "I'll just get a wet flannel and some new clothing. Cheollie is getting your room cleaned up. We thought you might get too overwhelmed with all of us fussing over you." Vernon nodded, thankful.

He blinked and Joshua was already back, holding a fresh t-shirt and boxers in one hand, a flannel in the other. Gently he wiped the flannel across Vernon's face. He relished the cool sensation against his hot skin. He opened his eyes, which he hadn't noticed had slipped shut, when he felt a slight tugging on his hair.

"Sorry", Joshua whispered and smiled at him, "you have a bit of sick in your hair. I'm just cleaning it off."

Vernon nodded, trying to ignore how vomit had gotten even there. He shivered. Damn fever. "Arms up", Joshua commanded and helped him change his shirt. Then he lifted Vernon to his feet and held him steady as he put on the new pair of boxers. He did feel better now, that he was cleaner and not completely soaked in sweat.

"Let me take your temperature?", Joshua asked, though in a voice that didn't give him a choice. How he suddenly had a thermometer, Vernon wasn't sure. He might be losing some time. He opened his mouth and Joshua put the cool metal inside. But Vernon had to pull away as soon as it touched his tongue, gagging.

"Fuck", he mumbled, tears again in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, baby, but I need to know your temperature", Joshua said. In the end it took them five tries and Joshua had to hold Vernon' hand to keep him from pulling away. "38.9°C, that’s, uh, 102.0°F", Joshua read. "No wonder you feel so shitty. Do you think you can try to keep down some medicine?"

"'m not even sure I could keep down water."

"Okay, you don't have to."

"You wanna go back to bed?", Joshua asked after a moment. "Everything is clean again, I just went to check with Cheollie"

"Huh?", Vernon asked, bemused.

"Oh, love", Joshua said, stroking his back. "You didn't notice that I was gone just now, did you?"

Vernon shook his head. Fevers more often than not hit him hard and he often forgot things due to them, so he wasn't particularly worried.

"So, you wanna go back to bed?"

Vernon took stock of his body. On one hand he felt tired and shaky, the bright light of the bathroom aggravating his eyes. But on the other, more pressing hand, he still felt nauseous enough to want to be close to a toilet.

"Stay", he decided. Joshua nodded. "Let me get us some stuff, okay?"

💎

In the end, Joshua had to make two trips to bring all the stuff he thought they would need. One blanket to sit upon, one to make a maknae-burrito, multiple pillows to get comfy, some water and their phones.

First of all he finally put out the bright light, just switched on the small night light above the sink. They had bought it some time ago specifically for Woozi’s migraines, when he needed darkness, but his caretakers still needed to see. Due to the warm light the producer was able to tolerate it.

Next the singer spread out the first blanket and helped Vernon sit down on it, then wrapped the second one around him. He put the water and their phones on the ground and arranged the pillows, so that he himself had one to soften the wall he was leaning against and another one on his lap, so Vernon could lay down.

He curled into himself on Joshua’s lap, his hyung’s hand resting on his aching stomach, some of the warmth and the familiar feeling helping the tension.

They stayed that way for some time, Joshua just stroking Vernon' back, softly humming a song or talking quietly. Vernon still had to throw up a few more times, and it was as awful as always. But he was glad for the privacy, no prying if worried eyes from his members.

A few minutes later Seungcheol stuck his head into the bathroom, smiling softly at the scene in front of him. Joshua lifted his index finger to his lips in a gesture of shushing him.

Seungcheol quietly walked inside and knelt down next to them. "How is he?", he whispered. "Pretty sick. He’s been throwing up so often but he’s finally getting some rest", Joshua reported, equally quiet. Seungcheol stroked Vernon's face gently and the maknae unconsciously leaned into the touch of his leader.

"Hey, hyung", Vernon mumbled sleepingly from his position on Joshua’s lap, blinking up owlishly at Seungcheol.

"Hey, yourself", Seungcheol answered smiling. "How about we get you to bed? I already put a bucket close by and, I am really sorry, but we kinda need this bathroom. Hoshi has been denying he needs to pee for the past twenty minutes and Woozi looks ready to hit him."

Vernon giggled, able to perfectly imagine the scene in his mind - surely with Hoshi being a dancer even his potty dance would be impressive. With a glance at Joshua, Seungcheol swept up Vernon into his arms. Carefully he laid down their dongsaeng on his bed and a second later, Joshua was sitting next to his bed. "Go back to sleep", Joshua whispered and Vernon did.

"I'll clean up the bathroom", Joshua said, turning to Seungcheol, "you already had the worst of it. Stay with him." Seungcheol grimaced but nodded, already halfway in bed with his hip-hop maknae.

💎

The room was dark and the blinds closed when Vernon woke up again. He was shivering and he knew he still was feverish, but he was also thirsty. He was surprised there was nobody by his side but he also wasn’t sure what time it was. For all he knew it could be the middle of the night.

He quickly pulled on a pair of sweats and a thick pair of socks and grabbed a hoodie which he knew belonged to Jun. Then he slipped out of the room.

Seungcheol, Joshua, Wonwoo and Seokmin were sitting at the kitchen island, talking quietly.

Wonwoo saw him first and greeted him with a low: "Hey Nonie." The others all turned around and waved at him. Vernon had the whole hyung-cuddle-menue in front of him but now all he could focus on was one in particular. Stumbling forward Vernon let himself be wrapped into an embrace by Seokmin and buried his face in his neck.

"Hyung", he said or rather tried to say. Nothing much came out, except for a hoarse whisper that caused him to cough. Fantastic, apparently spending the whole morning vomiting might leave you with no voice. "Aw, love", Seokmin said, though chuckling a bit. Vernon pouted.

"Sit down", Seungcheol said gently, "you still look a bit wobbly. How are you feeling?" Vernon paused for a moment and then decided he didn't give a fuck, he was still ill so sue him, and plopped down sideways on Seokmin’s lap. He hadn’t gotten to finish cuddling him this morning and now he craved his Seokmin-hyung’s hugs. Seokmin ust laughed softly and wrapped his arms around him. Seungcheol smiled fondly at them, then raised his eyebrow, waiting for an answer.

"Cold. Bit queasy, but not nauseous anymore. Head hurts", Vernon whispered. That way one could at least understand him. "You're still a bit warm, Hansollie", Joshua mumbled, reaching out to feel his forehead, "Do you feel up to eating?"

Vernon contemplated his answer. He didn't think he was going to throw up again, but his stomach was still not happy with him. "I'll try", he finally decided, "maybe some rice?"

Wonwoo immediately got up and searched for the requested food. "At your service, kiddo. Do you want tea as well?", he asked, without turning around. Vernon nodded and nudged Seokmin. "Yes, he does. With honey?" Vernon nodded again. "With honey."

Soon Wonwoo put down a plate and Vernon's favorite mug down in front of him. Vernon grabbed the mug and cradled it in his hands, savoring the warmth.

"Let me get the thermometer just in case", Seungcheol said and disappeared into the hall.

A few minutes of Vernon half-heartedly spooning some rice to his mouth, he appeared again and handed Vernon the thermometer, who put it in his mouth. When it beeped he handed it to the nearest hyung who happened to be Wonwoo. "38.2°C”, the rapper read. "Still a bit raised, but it's a low fever."

Seungcheol handed Vernon a pill, who swallowed it without complaint.

"So, Doctor Seungcheol, what do you prescribe?", Seokmin asked, clearly only half-joking and actually hoping for their leader’s advice.

"Lots of fluids. If he behaves he may stay on the couch and watch some TV."

"I'm still here, you know", Vernon protested, rolling his eyes.

Half an hour later Seokmin (who had refused to let go of the sick maknae) and Vernon were cuddled up on the couch together. Seungcheol was sitting on the armchair and Wonwoo and Joshua were on the second couch.

After a long discussion of what to watch - it was pretty pointless, really, they all would do everything to make Vernon happy at this time so he easily won - they settled under the blankets, a bucket by Vernon’s feet just in case.

💎

"Happy birthday, kiddo", Seokmin mumbled, "we'll truly celebrate when you feel better again."

Vernon sighed and snuggled up even closer to him. But before he could even enjoy the movie, Vernon was fast asleep again.

Notes: Happy Birthday to DK and Vernon!!!

Masterlist links: Fairy's Masterlist 2024 Fairy's Masterlist 2025 Fairy's Masterlist - SEVENTEEN

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fairyniceyeah · 2 months ago

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💎🍚I can’t take it no more

Title from Pretty U (SEVENTEEN)

Summary: There was a sudden pang behind them. Seungcheol screamed loudly and much higher than any of them had ever heard his voice. And he jumped towards Jihoon, ignoring the previous warning and wrapping his hands around Jihoon’s waist in a desperate attempt of a hug.

CW: Emeto, escape room horror setting

Sickie: Jihoon/Woozi Caretakers: Seungcheol/S.Coups + Jeonghan + Minghao/The8

“Guys, I booked three escape rooms for tonight! We’re having team fun!”, Jeonghan announced cheerfully as he stepped into the practice room. “Be ready, we start at eight.”

Twelve heads turned to him, looking at him in a mix of astonishment, shock, confusion and happiness.

Seungkwan cheered, already telling Dino he was going to best him. Wonwoo looked mildly interested, happy about entertainment and puzzles and not having to organize it.

“Hyung, what if I have plans tonight?”, Jun asked, raising his eyebrow.

“Well, do you have plans tonight?”, Jeonghan replied.

“No…”

“It’s settled then.”

So by 07:55 pm they found themselves in front of the escape room building complex, most of them bouncing on their feet. They had done escape rooms for Going Seventeen before and some of them privately had done one or two but most of them were just along for the ride.

“Good evening”, a woman greeted them warmly as they entered. “My name is Mina and I will be your host this evening. In the control room there are Soojin and Insu who will take over watching two of the rooms but I’m here to explain and answer questions.”

The members greeted her, looking around. It was a stylish place, monitors showing scenes from the various rooms they hosted and there were puzzles on the walls, setting the atmosphere.

“Let me explain the three rooms and then you can sort yourself to them”, Mina continued. “First we have “Cartellage”. You are private detectives who have to solve the mysteries of the city of Shanghai and find the cartel lords in time. The second room is called “Prison Break” and just as the name says you are trying to break out from a prison before the guard comes back. Lastly we have “Witches and Witchers”. You are witchers in medieval europe trying to escape the torture chambers of the catholic church. I’ll give you some time to sort yourselves into groups.”

Surprisingly it went pretty well. Since Wonwoo and Seokmin had already done the Prison Break room they now opted for the Cartellage room. Mingyu refused to do the torture chambers. Seungcheol was about to join him in agreement when Jeonghan called: “I wanna do the witch room. It sounds fun. Cheollie, you are coming with me.”

“I am not”, Seungcheol protested, panic in his voice. “I will cry and it will be embarrassing for us all.”

“Hush”, Jeonghan said, “we’ll take Hao and Jihoonie with us. They are good at horror stuff. You’ll be fine and I am sure Jihoon will carry you out in a damsel in distress style if you need him to.”

Jihoon sighed and nodded. If he was honest, he truly didn’t care which room he had to do. Earlier he had looked forward to the evening. It had been too long since he had spent just quality time with his friends. But over the past hour some tendrils of unwellness had sneaked up on him. His stomach felt off and he was hot and cold at the same time. His throat felt tight in the worst possible way.

He just wanted to lie down and sleep. But now he was here and he was not going to let some unwellness ruin their night.

So it was decided. Seungcheol, Jeonghan, Jihoon and Minghao were doing the “Witches and Witchers” room. Joshua, Wonwoo, Seokmin, Seungkwan and Dino going into the “Cartellage” room. The rest - Jun, Soonyoung, Mingyu and Vernon - would try to break out of the “Prison Break”.

💎

Whoever had built the escape room clearly had gone all for immersion. Insu, the game host, opened the door and led them inside. “You are witches and witchers in the 17th century, hunted and caught by the catholic church. You are imprisoned in the torture chambers that have taken the life of many of your ancestors and your friends. You are waiting to die but the magic in the walls is strong. Maybe you can escape before dawn. You have one hour left.”

Jihoon and his members looked around in awe. Indeed, they were standing in a dark room, a cell. There was a lantern on the wall, barely enough to illuminate the darkness. Grey walls of stone made the room look impossibly small and there was a faint wetness on the floor.

“I need two of you to go into this separate cell”, Insu told them, “and I will lock you in. Don’t be worried, it’s crampy, yes, but you will soon be able to get out. And if it’s truly too much, I can always hear and see you and I can let you out if needed. Who wants to go in?”

“Nope”, Seungcheol said immediately, “I do not want that.”

“Thanks for volunteering”, Minghao teased. “Jihoon-hyung, go with him. You’re closest.”

Jihoon didn’t protest. He didn’t mind the small, dark room. They had done worse on Going Seventeen. As the host locked the door behind them, Seungcheol tried to take Jihoon’s hand. The producer turned around and pointedly took a step back. “Hyung, if you scream or touch me, I will punch you.”

Seungcheol pouted. “Punch Jeonghan instead, he insisted I come.”

“Jeonghan is currently locked in a different cell. For now you are…”

Jihoon stopped himself as an audio recording crackled to life. It was creepy, he had to admit it. It did sound like what you would imagine the tortured soul of a middle ages witch to sound like. Seungcheol took a step closer but recoiled when Jihoon glared at him.

“Okay, we have different crosses hanging here. I’ll pull on one to see what happens”, Minghao’s voice sounded from the other cell.

“No, don’t …”, Seungcheol groaned.

“Something moved here”, Jihoon replied, ignoring the tiredness and the unwellness. His adrenaline was too high to care now. “Hold on. There is a symbol. A cross with two lines through it.”

“Oh, I think I can stick them in here”, Minghao said. “Done. Let me pull the next.”

💎

It took a bit of back and forth communication, hurried, determined. Jihoon and Seungcheol described the crosses they saw pulled while Minghao sorted them to the corresponding symbols. It needed careful descriptions, many of the cross symbols looking pretty much the same unless you described them well.

Minghao placed the last cross into place and there was a loud whoosh. Seungcheol tensed.

“What happened?”, Jihoon asked, not seeing anything changed in the darkness of their cell.

“The door on our side opened. We can now access the next room”, Jeonghan replied. “Oh, wow. Charming. A guillotine. An axe. Chains. Is that … oh.”

“What?”, Seungcheol asked, his voice trembling.

“It’s just a prop”, Minghao said with a laugh. “A fake tree stump with blood on it. Hyung is having the time of his life with the axe prop. There is a cage too. Lovely aesthetic, you have to climb to a second level for it.”

“Can we just work on getting us out too?”, Seungcheol asked.

“You want to go into the torture dungeon?”, Jihoon asked, incredulous.

“Well, I don’t want to stay in the dark cell with … oh my God, is that? Why does the writing on the wall say “knock-knock”?”

“Oh, that makes sense. We have a kind of morse code here and sentence ideas. Knock five times. It means hello, cell neighbour.”

Seungcheol actually whimpered when Jihoon knocked. And then, an audio, sounding like it came directly from the wall beside them. More knocks.

“I think whoever is in the next cell greeted us.”

“Knock three times, wait a second. Knock two times”, Minghao ordered.

Jihoon did.

💎

Smoke hissed as fog descended over the room. It was fake, of course, but in the tiny, stale room it clogged your nose and the back of your throat. Jihoon coughed and suddenly it all hit him again.

The tightness in his throat. The nausea in his stomach. The weakness in his limbs. He felt awful. The adrenaline couldn’t mask it anymore.

But before Jihoon could sort himself out, there was a sudden pang behind them. Seungcheol screamed loudly and much higher than any of them had ever heard his voice. And he jumped towards Jihoon, ignoring the previous warning and wrapping his hands around Jihoon’s waist in a desperate attempt of a hug.

The sudden pressure on his upset organ was not what Jihoon needed. His stomach lurched and he clamped his mouth shut, instinctively hitting Seungcheol - maybe harder than necessary - to make him give up his grip. His hyung yelped but let go. Jihoon tried to take a deep breath but it was hard with the fog clouding everything. The taste of it made him want to retch.

“What happened?”, Jeonghan asked, his laughter barely hidden.

“Something opened, I think”, Seungcheol choked out and both him and Jihoon turned around. Indeed, behind them a small chamber had opened, maybe the size of a microwave. Inside, various keys.

The leader scrambled forward and grabbed as many keys as he could. “Maybe this will get us out”, he muttered. Jihoon sighed and moved to help him. They tried key after key but none of the first ones they grabbed fit the lock to let them out of the cell.

Seungcheol grabbed the second handful of keys but in his desperate attempt to get out quicker, he dropped them and with a metallic cling they fell to the ground. Jihoon sighed, leaning against the wall. It was slowly becoming unbearable in the small cell with the fog, the slight chill in the air and the … general mood. Right now Jihoon had to admit himself that he would currently prefer anything less horror.

“I am not touching the floor”, Seungcheol declared.

“What?”, Jihoon asked.

“It looks wet and slimy. I am not touching that!”

“You were the one who dropped the keys”, Jihoon argued back. “And you are the one who so desperately wants to get out.”

Well, that last statement was a lie but Seungcheol didn’t need to know that.

“I also said I am not doing horror. You love horror”, Seungcheol replied, “just do it, Jihoonie. Please.”

Jihoon sighed but he didn’t feel like arguing. He knew Seungcheol would not do it unless he was forced and he wasn’t cruel. Besides, he truly wanted to get out now too and arguing was only going to prolong that.

He squatted down, careful to not let his jeans get soaked by whatever awful stuff was on the floor. His knees pressed against his unhappy organ and the waistband dug in. It was a horrible experience. He had to swallow hard and focused on humming one of their new songs in his mind, trying to remember the dance choreo they were just learning.

It helped marginally against the slimy, wet feeling of keys stuck in yuck. He quickly gathered them with shaking hands and stood up. He swayed upon being upright, everything spinning around him. Oh, that was bad. He took a flat breath, not keen on inhaling more fog, and turned his attention to the lock.

This time they were luckier and the fourth key he tried actually opened the door.

💎

Seungcheol stuck uncomfortably close to Jihoon as they walked into the second room that Jeonghan and Minghao were already discussing. The rapper’s breath was hot against his neck and a shiver ran down his spine. Jihoon turned around.

“Seriously, hyung. Don’t crowd me.”

“Sorry”, Seungcheol muttered sheepishly and instantly pressed himself to Jeonghan’s side. The second oldest didn’t even stop his conversation with Minghao as he turned to press a kiss to Seungcheol’s temple. “My brave hero”, he said with fondness and teasing in his voice, “you survived the opening of a door.”

Seungcheol grumbled something Jihoon couldn’t understand and didn’t care for. He looked around. The room was as Jeonghan and Minghao had described. A torture chamber, basically. He sighed, crossed his arms and leaned against the ladder that led up to the second story which was only big enough for a cage that might be able to contain a tall child, maybe.

He was content to let the others work on the next door puzzle. They were distracted and fueled by determination enough to not notice that Jihoon wasn’t participating. He truly felt bad and there was no doubt in his mind he was sick. Food poisoning maybe, but a stomach bug was just as likely.

His head ached. His stomach was churning so badly he could basically taste the bile. His limbs felt weak in that awful way that came before you were violently sick, draped miserably over a toilet while your body put you through a personal torture. It was almost poetic in the setting.

Another scream from Seungcheol, followed by a scream from Minghao.

“Hyung, you scared me”, Minghao complained but pushed past his hyungs to go first into the next room. Jihoon managed to peel himself off the comforting support and hardness of the ladder and followed behind Jeonghan and Seungcheol (clutching Jeonghan’s hand).

💎

The next room was less spooky. It looked more like an old cellar than torture chamber. Until Seungcheol shrieked. “Is that a skull? Are all of those skulls?”

“Yup”, Jeonghan replied, swinging their hands between them. “Atmospheric, I love it.”

“Okay, there is a rope puzzle. And we should be able to do something with the map and the skulls”, Minghao narrated, “let’s split up.”

Splitting up meant Jihoon in one corner, pretending to be busy, Seungcheol hindering Jeonghan's work by sticking too close and Minghao being the only one to actually work.

“Okay, let’s try pulling the rope like this”, Minghao finally announced. And indeed, his idea worked.

More fog spilled from the machines, heavy and burning. Jihoon swallowed harshly, again and again. He felt so bad. His hand wandered to his stomach, trying to soothe himself. It barely helped.

Then the door on the second level of that room swung open, giving them access. One by one they hurried up and Jeonghan actually squealed with joy.

“Look at that! So many jars. Uuuh, are those teeth? Fingers? A spider?”, he squealed, barely containing his excitement. “It’s getting more witchy, less tortury. I love this room so much.”

Jihoon barely wanted to lift his head and when he did he winced. It really gave off witch vibes now. Rows and rows of jars all over the place, each content more disgusting. There was a cauldron in a corner and a fake fire in the next. Small wooden pieces with symbols were spread over the room and there were charts.

“It’s a puzzle, I think”, Minghao said, pointing at a wall. There was a flowchart painted on wood, with symbols all over, in the middle a green cauldron. Some spaces of the flowchart were already filled in, clues. “We might need to find out which ingredients turn into what. That’s so cool.”

Jihoon walked over slowly and lowered himself onto the floor in front of the wall. The floor was dry there and so he was on eye level with the puzzle. It made sense from an outside perspective for him to be in this position. Truthfully, he didn’t know how much longer he could keep standing on his shaking legs. The stairs had taken all his strength.

“Okay, according to this paper fingers and beetles make … is that a fish?”, Jeonghan said, “doesn’t make sense but I don’t think it’s supposed to. Jihoonie, put in the right piece, will you?”

With shaking hands Jihoon filled the spaces one by one by the orders of the others, wondering how his friends didn’t notice how hard his fingers were shaking.

“I think this is it”, Jeonghan mumbled. A loud hiss sounded and, of course, more fog.

💎

This time, with his less than strategic position on the floor, it blew directly into Jihoon’s face. His eyes watered and the smoke filled his nostrils and mouth. The taste was chemical, metallic. Disgusting. To his horror, his stomach jumped and his throat tightened. A low gag was forced from his lips, making him lean forward as he instinctively placed his hands to his mouth.

It didn’t help much. Vomit still rushed up his throat, filing his mouth with sour bile. Jihoon couldn’t suppress a low whimper and the tears gathering in his eyes. He had thrown up in his mouth, in the middle of an escape room, while his members were just behind him.

With the greatest effort, Jihoon managed to swallow it down without retching again. To his surprise still nobody had noticed. Instead they were focused on the next part of the puzzle.

“Maybe we need to put the jars into the cauldron?”, Minghao asked, peeking at the equipment.

“I thought so too”, Seungcheol agreed, “but we don’t have a jar containing an eye. And the picture on the painted cauldron is an eye.”

“But we have the recipe to make the right ingredients”, Jeonghan figured.

Jihoon turned around, still sitting on the floor. He wrapped his arms around his stomach and tried to take a deep breath to calm the storms inside of him. The physical one, yes. But more so the emotional one.

He had just thrown up. He knew he would need to be sick again soon, his stomach already protesting the rejected emptying of its contents. He felt dizzy, awful. Cold sweat was covering his body and he was too hot and too cold at the same time though he didn’t feel like he had a fever. Worst of all, he just wanted to cry out of frustration.

He had wanted to have fun with the team. The escape room idea had been spontaneous, yes, but well received. The others were having fun, even Seungcheol had warmed up to the room.

He imagined the other rooms. Wonwoo making the cartel room team look old with his wits, while Seungkwan and Dino argued over everything. Joshua and Seokmin would be having the time of their lives too. And in the Prison Break room Soonyoung would probably make the others laugh until they were breathless, while Jun found creative solutions to riddles, while Mingyu would scream at every little thing and Vernon probably still hadn’t understood the game but was on the ride along.

And here he was. Miserable. Sick to his stomach. Just wanting to sleep.

He didn’t want to ruin the mood. He didn’t want to stop the fun. He didn’t know how to speak up.

Sorry, guys, I think I’m about to puke all over that puzzle?

He couldn’t. He really couldn’t.

💎

But he had to.

He cleared his throat, as much as he could without coughing and gagging, to speak up but he couldn’t find his voice. It was terribly awkward. Terribly embarrassing.

Every cell in his body screamed at him to not speak up.

But he did not want to be the guy who threw up in the escape room. He didn’t want the hosts having to deal with that. He didn’t want any negative attention.

Yet, he had no choice.

He knew the host, Insu, was watching them. He had given them clues before. He heard and saw them. So Jihoon turned to one of the cameras in the room, wetting his lips with his tongue before speaking up.

“Excuse me, I … I think I need to get out. Can I get out, please? I don’t … I don’t feel well.”

💎

The words hung heavily in the air. In an instant Seungcheol, Jeonghan and Minghao turned to look at him. Jihoon hid his face in his knees, unable to meet their eyes. He heard more than saw somebody kneel down in front of him.

“Jihoonie?” Seungcheol’s voice was soft, caring. There was no trace of the previous fear in it. A cool hand touched Jihoon’s cheek, tilting his head up. Seungcheol exhaled deeply. “You’re awfully pale, baby. What’s wrong?”

“Is it the room?”, Minghao asked gently from behind Seungcheol, his face worried. “Are you claustrophobic?”

“No … and yes”, Jihoon mumbled, swallowing heavily as his throat jumped again, sourness in his mouth again. “It’s my stomach, I don’t know. I wasn’t feeling great before but … I think the room made it worse. I just want to get out.”

The intercom sprung to life at that moment. “Don’t panic, we’ll get you out”, Insu’s voice rang through the room, “you just need to get to the ground-level and there is an emergency exit open. Can you do that or do you need further help?”

“I can do it”, Jihoon mumbled, not wanting to face further embarrassment. He didn’t know how he would get down the stairs but he would do it, even if it was the last thing he did.

“Let’s get you out of here, baby”, Jeonghan said, his voice full of compassion and worry. “Come on, we’ll help you up.”

Jihoon’s knees nearly buckled as Seungcheol and Jeonghan helped him to his feet, only their hands on his waist steadying him.

“I’ll go get some water and stuff ready”, Minghao said and darted down the stairs, skipping the last three steps in his hurry.

It only took a few steps past the jars Jihoon refused to look at until the three of them reached the top of the stairs too. They were awfully steep and narrow. Not even two people could stand next to each other there.

💎

“You’re not walking those down”, Jeonghan said.

Jihoon felt tears of frustration shoot to his eyes. “How else do you suggest we get down?”, he snapped, “I just want to lie down too but I don’t have a choice, do I?” Immediately he regretted his harsh words, muttering a quiet sorry.

“It’s okay”, Jeonghan mumbled, his mood not dampened by the rudeness. “You’re sick. And knowing you, terribly embarrassed. You can be frustrated all you want. Just don’t bite Cheol’s pretty head off.”

Seungcheol laughed softly. "How did you know what I was about to suggest?"

He squeezed Jihoon’s hand. “Baby, you are too unstable to walk. You look like you are going to vomit any second. I know you will hate it, but please, for the safety of it all, just scoot down.”

“Already did”, Jihoon muttered, embarrassed. “Throw up, I mean.”

“What?”, Jeonghan asked with a hint of panic in his voice, “where …?” He mustered the area behind them, then Jihoon’s shirt.

“Swallowed it down. I wasn’t going to puke on this set”, Jihoon mumbled, cheeks heating from his words. And then heating worsened as he lowered himself to sit on the highest step with Seungcheol’s help. The leader walked down in front of him, holding onto the railing and watching Jihoon.

💎

The producer felt the tears that had threatened all evening spill down his face as he scooted down the stairs, one by one, on his ass. He felt so embarrassed. And he wasn’t even just surrounded by his hyungs, but also the game hosts able to see it on their screen and sooner rather than later the other members would find out too.

When they were downstairs, Seungcheol bent down and gently wiped the tears with his thumbs. “Don’t cry, baby. You’re allowed to feel bad but don’t make this harder on yourself. If this was anybody else in your position you would want them to be safe too.”

Jihoon nodded, the words only soothing him a bit.

Seungcheol and Jeonghan helped him to his feet, lifting him to standing and then guiding him through the emergency exit. With every step Jihoon’s strength waned more and more.

And the nausea grew. It churned in his stomach, pushing upwards.

He barely registered Minghao and Insu coming towards them, just whimpered: “Bathroom, please, I need …”

He swallowed harshly, afraid to speak more.

“Down the hall, left and left again”, Insu instructed, a lilt of panic in his voice.

Seungcheol and Jeonghan didn’t rush him but they quickened their step, guiding Jihoon’s stumbling steps into the right direction.

The door was pushed open and Jihoon didn’t even manage to stumble to one of the stalls. He took a few staggering steps towards the sink and barely was able to brace himself with his forearm against the mirror before a harsh gag seized through him.

With a loud half-retch, half-cough vomit finally spilled from his lips into the porcelain below. A hand appeared on his back, another hand turned on the faucet. Water and disgusting, chunky sick rose in the sink until the hand … the hand reached inside the mess and pulled the plug from the drain, letting whatever had gathered in the sink run down it.

Jihoon gasped and his stomach clenched again. A burp rose up and with it more vomit. Jihoon squeezed his eyes shut, unable to look at the pale yellow puddle. The smell was bad enough. Sour, clearly reeking of sickness.

And yet, there was a hand on his back, running gentle circles and a soft voice in his ear. “Jihoonie, you’re okay. Hyung’s got you.” Jeonghan. His comfort hyung.

Finally Jihoon felt safe.

He was still embarrassed. He felt bad about ruining the night. He knew the other teams would soon finish and then worry would overshadow their joy of solving the rooms.

And he was still sick, his stomach churning and he knew he had a long night in front of him.

💎

But Jeonghan just soothed him and when Jihoon at last was done, he washed his hands and then gently wiped Jihoon’s mouth with a wet towel.

“You’re okay”, he whispered and pulled Jihoon into a warm embrace. Jihoon nuzzled his face into the crook of Jeonghan’s neck and took a deep breath in. The smell of the fog was replaced by his hyung’s perfume and laundry detergent. By familiarity and love.

Suddenly Jihoon felt his knees go weak and he leaned more into Jeonghan.

“Let’s get you laying down on one of the waiting room sofas”, Jeonghan said gently. “We’ve got you.”

And they got him. Minghao had borrowed (read: stolen) the big oversized hoodie Mingyu had abandoned earlier when he had been too warm and slipped it over Jihoon’s head, the huge piece of clothing swallowing him whole and wrapping him in cozy warmth down his knees. Seungcheol had set up a sofa for him, cleared it of the uncomfortable throw pillows and instead had sat down so that Jihoon could lie down with his head in his lap.

“Rest”, Seungcheol whispered. “We’ve got you.”

Notes: Big thanks to @fadedsoprano who motivated me to actually sit down and write and who beta-read this for me!

Masterlist links: Fairy's Masterlist 2024 Fairy's Masterlist 2025 Fairy's Masterlist - SEVENTEEN

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