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fairyniceyeah · 7 months ago

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⌛🐿️ Wash it away, oh, make it rain now

Title from MATZ (ATEEZ/MATZ)

Summary: Translation issues cause Hongjoong to eat something he has an intolerance to at Coachella and he needs Seonghwa to help him out of the public eye.

CW: emeto, kind of public emeto, medics, IVs

Sickie: Hongjoong Caretaker: Seonghwa

"We should get some food", Wooyoung mused, looking around at the other members.

He, Yunho, San, Hongjoong and Seonghwa were exploring the Coachella grounds together while Yeosang, Mingi and Jongho had decided to rest up a bit at their trailer in the backstage area of the festival. Their show yesterday, while fun, had been very tiring and nobody was surprised that the three of them wanted some peace and quiet.

"I'm hungry", San agreed, "no, hyung, don't you dare."

"Hi hungry, I'm Hongjoong", the captain quipped, though he was the only one finding it remotely funny.

"And you wonder why ATINY keep referring to you as the dad of the group", Wooyoung groaned, rolling his eyes and, just for funsies, decided that pushing Hongjoong hat into his face would be a great idea.

"I'm just living up to what they already expect", Hongjoong countered, not even bothered by the action, just adjusting his hat. He was used to much worse. "What do you want to eat?"

"I'm not hungry, it’s too hot", Yunho mumbled, trailing behind the three of them with Seonghwa.

The eldest sighed and turned to look at him from where he had been busy waving at a group of fans. "Yunho-yah, I know you don't like the heat. But unless you think you are going to puke if you eat, you should get some nutrition into your body especially if you want to come to the concerts tonight. If you do think so, we should get you laying down in the shade."

"I'll be fine", Yunho groaned, fanning himself, "it's just so warm."

“It’s California”, San said, his voice a mix of teasing and concern, “what did you expect?”

“Less heat?”, Yunho said weakly, “fine, I guess something small can’t hurt.”

“Good, I was worried”, Seonghwa said.

“Also, this is why ATINY calls you mother”, San added onto the previous joke. Seonghwa just laughed and halfheartedly swatted at him.

It was Hongjoong’s turn to roll his eyes. The kids - uh, the younger members - really were a handful. So he decided to change the topic: “What do you feel like eating, Yunho-yah?”

“Something cold?”, Yunho suggested, “I don’t think I want hot food now.”

“Ice cream?”, Wooyoung suggested sneakily.

“Despite what ATINY thinks, you are not actually a child, so I am not going to stop you from eating ice cream for lunch. I am just going to say it’s a stupid idea”, Hongjoong remarked.

“Well, who is in?”, San asked, raising his hand in time with Wooyoung. Hongjoong, Seonghwa and Yunho sighed.

“What about these Açaí Bowls or whatever they are called?”, Hongjoong suggested, “I think they are cold. I never had them but always meant to try them.”

“As long as they are cold, I am in”, Yunho agreed and Seonghwa nodded.

After a quick talk with their managers and security team they split up to get their respective foods. Since all their English had significantly improved Hongjoong wasn’t worried at all about letting Wooyoung and San go off alone with some staff.

Luckily for Yunho, Seonghwa and Hongjoong the line for the food wasn’t so long so they managed to order pretty quickly. Not that Hongjoong was really sure what was in the bowls itself - the problem of short lines: no time to really translate food names which was still one of the harder things he struggled with - but they looked great and so the three of them decided to order three different versions to share.

As expected the food was pretty good and to their relief Yunho seemed to feel better after eating a good portion of the cold food. Maybe he really had only needed a cold drink, some sugar and most importantly the shade of the picnic table they were at. Wooyoung and San both had gotten huge orders of ice cream and Hongjoong couldn’t even fault them for it. All the food was so good.

⌛

Two hours later Hongjoong found himself at the VIP area of one of the stages, watching some artist he had forgotten the name of. Well, he had forgotten how the name was spelled and the pronunciation he had in mind didn’t make sense.

It didn’t matter, Seonghwa had wanted to go and so naturally Hongjoong had agreed to come. They had been joined by Mingi, Yunho and Jongho a few minutes ago, while WooSanSang were off somewhere else.

They were vibing to the music and Hongjoong could tell that the other members really enjoyed the set, as well as the staff that had joined them. While the staff, especially the managers and security, obviously had to stay with the members for the most part, they had managed to work out a schedule where the different staff members were able to see the sets they wanted to see. Hongjoong had only thought it fair when they had started to plan everything - for many of them it was their only chance to enjoy Coachella too.

However, it was maybe only twenty minutes into the set when Hongjoong started to think something was going wrong. While just a few minutes ago he had been enthusiastically jumping around to the music, enjoying the different styles of music they got in contact with at the festival - now he was starting to feel … off. He couldn’t describe it any other way.

There was tiredness in his muscles he hadn’t noticed before and he wasn’t able to motivate himself into jumping and enjoying the show anymore. Everything was slightly tilting, the effect barely even there. Still he was questioning if it really was dizziness he was experiencing or if he was just affected by the stage lights. All his enthusiasm was gone - replaced by exhaustion and a weird, heavy feeling in his stomach.

Maybe he was just a bit dehydrated and exhausted by the past week. Hongjoong slipped away from Seonghwa’s side for a moment to approach a manager.

“Hyung, do we have something to drink?”, he asked, trying to be as quiet as possible while the music was blasting in the background.

“Uh, I think we have some beer? And coke?”, the manager said.

Hongjoong grimaced. He didn’t feel like having a sweet, sugary drink and, even less so, alcohol. “I was actually hoping for water?”, he said reluctantly.

“Let me check”, the manager said and went to check in with one of the other managers. A minute later he re-appeared with a half-full bottle of water, holding it out in a sympathetic way. “That's all that’s left. It’s luke-warm but don’t worry, the others had distributed it into cups before.”

“Thanks, hyung”, Hongjoong said and took a sip. He nearly spat it out again - as the manager had said, it was lukewarm and very unappealing. But better than nothing, he supposed, and swallowed. Water was water after all.

Hongjoong returned to his spot between Jongho and Seonghwa, deciding to just watch the show, not dance as hard as Seonghwa, Mingi and Yunho did and turn in early tonight.

The water sat heavily in his stomach, making everything uncomfortable. The captain was sweating hard, even despite the sun setting quickly, and his last reserves of energy were quickly fading into nothingness. There was a dull ache in his stomach, not unlike when he drank too much before doing a heavy workout or dance practice. For a moment he considered crouching down for a moment, just to rest, but he was still an idol in a public space. He had of course noticed the few cameras on the group, especially with how much the other members were enjoying the music. No, he could hold on.

⌛

Hongjoong could most definitely not hold on. He had finished the sips of water but he was starting to think that that might have been a mistake. The stomach pain had turned into painful cramps, he was hot and cold at the same time and he was starting to feel really nauseous and weak. While he did not want to admit to feeling unwell, he knew he could not endure. If anything went wrong, there were so many eyes on them…

So all that was left for him to do was to decide who he asked for help. He would have just gone back to the manager but he didn’t want to worry the members with just disappearing. Yunho and Mingi weren’t next to him and they were having too much fun for Hongjoong to disturb them. Jongho, too, was deeply enamored with the performance and Hongjoong didn’t want to bother the youngest. They all knew how much the maknae was stressing out about being the “K-Pop boy with the cool high notes” in the eyes of the public at the moment, how Jongho was so worried about each performance he had thrown up before their set the day before. No, he could not take these moments of happiness and relaxation from him.

The only option left was Seonghwa. Seonghwa who had looked forward to this artist but would drop everything for any of his dongsaengs if the need arose. Hongjoong was too selfish and, frankly, too unwell to really care at the moment. He just wanted to lie down away from the public eye. Preferably with some medication for the nausea but he would take being away for now.

So, dropping all his reservations, he tugged at the sleeve of Seonghwa’s jacket, leaning a bit closer to his friend. Seonghwa smiled at him and leaned down a bit, so that he could face Hongjoong. “What’s up?”, he asked, happiness painted on his face.

For a moment Hongjoong faltered. He wanted Seonghwa to keep looking this happy but he also didn’t feel like falling flat on his face from exhaustion and nausea in front of ATINY, so he mumbled into Seonghwa’s ear, the older having turned a bit so he could hear Hongjoong better. “I don’t feel good.”

Seonghwa frowned and turned to look at him. “You need to speak up, it’s so noisy”, he half-yelled. Right, concert. With a sigh, Hongjoong nodded. He didn’t think he could speak much louder, his throat feeling weird, but he had to. So when Seonghwa turned his head again so he could speak, Hongjoong called as loudly as he could but careful that nobody else could hear: “Hyung, I don’t feel good. I want to go back to the trailer.”

Seonghwa whipped around to look at him, worry shining in his eyes as he mustered Hongjoong. Hongjoong, who was still clutching his sleeve and hopefully didn’t look as bad as he felt. “What’s wrong?”, Seonghwa asked, placing a hopefully unobtrusive arm around Hongjoong’s waist.

“I don’t know, I just started feeling nauseous and not good”, Hongjoong admitted, resisting the urge to rest his head on his hyung’s shoulder.

“Alright, come on”, Seonghwa said, but before they could leave he leaned across Hongjoong to speak with Jongho. Hongjoong couldn’t hear what Seonghwa said but Jongho’s eyes widened in alarm before he nodded.

Hongjoong let Seonghwa pull him to the managers standing behind them, one hand still on Hongjoong’s back. “Hyung”, Seonghwa said to the same manager Hongjoong had spoken to earlier, “Joong-ah is not feeling well. We need to go back to the trailers.”

The manager instantly had a worried frown on his face and nodded, waving two security guards over. “Let’s go”, he said.

Honestly, Hongjoong was a bit overwhelmed by how quickly everything progressed but he was glad that it did. He really was starting to feel awful, his stomach cramping badly and the nausea getting worse with every step. In the sight of ATINY in the enclosed VIP space Hongjoong had resisted the urge to wrap his arms around his bloated stomach, but now he couldn’t bring himself to care. His stomach was killing him.

It was awful really, how fast everything was going downhill. His legs were shaking with each step, causing Hongjoong to be afraid they would give out under him any second. His stomach felt unsettled in a way he wasn’t sure which direction his food wanted out, he only knew it would leave at some point. He just hoped he could make it to some private area.

Now further away from the music, in the crisp night air, Seonghwa was walking closely beside Hongjoong. They were blindly following the manager, the security guards taking up the rear.

“How are you feeling? Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”, Seonghwa asked quietly, aware that Hongjoong would not want everybody to know how badly he was feeling. Hongjoong sighed, wincing as his stomach cramped again. He stumbled a bit, only Seonghwa’s quick reflexes helping him keep his footing. At least they were mostly alone with most people at one of the shows.

“Hyung?”, Seonghwa called before Hongjoong could say anything, “can we stop for a second?”

The manager turned around, a sorry smile on his face. “It’s only a few hundred meters till we arrive at the VIP area, we can take a break there. Unless, Joong-ah, you really can’t go on.”

Hongjoong shook his head. While he really was not doing good and he had to keep swallowing a few times until he could speak, he did want to be in private. “I can hold out.” Satisfied, the manager nodded and obediently they followed.

⌛

Once they reached the VIP area, Hongjoong couldn’t help but collapse against Seonghwa, energy spent. He just wanted to lie down. Why did Coachella have to be so big? It took ages to get around. Hongjoong truly thought he couldn’t walk to the trailer anymore. It would still be another ten-fifteen minutes walk after all.

Seonghwa supported him to a set of lounging chairs and Hongjoong could have cried in relief when he was able to sit. Standing was exhausting. Immediately he doubled over and pressed his hands against his stomach.

“I’ll call for a golf cart to take us back”, the manager said, squeezing Hongjoong shoulder in silent support before moving away a bit to talk on his phone.

In the meantime, Soenghwa had knelt down in front of Hongjoong, pushing back sweaty hair from his face and taking Hongjoong’s small hand in one of his. “Joong-ah?”, he asked quietly, his voice comforting, “help me figure out what’s wrong. I’m so worried right now.”

“I just started feeling off, so I thought I was dehydrated and drank some water. But now my stomach is killing me, it hurts really badly, and I’m nauseous and bloated and I don’t feel good”, Hongjoong whispered, close to tears. He just wanted to sleep, not feel anything for a moment. He curled over further as his stomach cramped again and he had to swallow harshly.

Seonghwa recoiled a bit, moving to the side, though not letting go of Hongjoong’s hand. “Are you going to be sick?”, he asked, an edge of panic in his voice.

“Maybe”, Hongjoong admitted, pressing his wrist to his mouth in hopes it would help. They sat like this for a few minutes, Seonghwa patiently holding Hongjoong’s hand and at times rubbing his back, whispering comforting nonsense all while Hongjoong desperately tried to stop himself from throwing up.

Suddenly his stomach lurched again, at the same time as it cramped and Hongjoong groaned in pain. That seemed to be the last straw. “Hyung”, he gasped, panicked, “hyung, I …”

Seonghwa, bless him, seemed to have understood and he was already pulling Hongjoong to his feet, leading him over to an area of palm trees. Hongjoong didn’t even have time to pull his hand away from his mouth before he was sick for the first time. He heaved again nearly immediately, his stomach contents splattering against the bark of a poor tree.

Hongjoong just hoped nobody recognized them, just thinking he was some visitor who had had a bit too much to drink. Seonghwa seemed to sense his fear and whispered: “Don’t worry, it’s okay. Nobody is watching, the security guards are blocking the view and looking away themselves. You’re okay, focus on yourself.”

It took a few minutes until Hongjoong felt like he could breathe again, his stomach slowly stopping its assault. Wiping his mouth with his wrist, he let himself fall back against his hyung, knowing Seonghwa would always catch him.

“Feel better?”, the older man asked quietly and Hongjoong nodded weakly, closing his eyes. He was so exhausted he could barely muster the energy to be embarrassed. Seonghwa gently led him back to the lounging chairs and Hongjoong dropped down hard.

The manager held a bottle of water and asked Hongjoong to hold out his hand, pouring some water over it to clean off the puke. It would have to be enough for now. Then the manager handed him the bottle of water and gratefully Hongjoong took a few sips. He wasn’t sure they would stay down, honestly he doubted it, but if he was to throw up again he wanted a bit of time without the terrible taste of puke on his tongue.

“Hyung, when will the golf cart be here?”, Seonghwa asked the manager.

“It should be here soon, I hope, they couldn’t say”, the manager replied.

“Okay. What are you thinking? Heat exhaustion? Stomach virus? Bad food?” Seonghwa turned his attention to Hongjoong, sitting down on the chair next to him.

Hongjoong shrugged. “We had the same food all day and you and Yunho seem to feel good, so I doubt it’s that. Honestly, I don’t know. If it’s the heat shouldn’t that have happened earlier?”

“Excuse me?”, a female voice called out in English and all three of them whipped their heads up. Three girls stood with the security guards, looking at Seonghwa and Hongjoong with wide eyes. “We’re really sorry to disturb you but we’re ATINY and we wanted to ask if it’s possible to take a picture?”

Hongjoong sighed internally. He didn’t want to interact with them, no matter how nice the girls seemed. He loved fan interactions but … no, he couldn’t deal with that today. The manager was already shaking his head but Hongjoong could see the sadness and embarrassment in the three girls’s faces.

“One picture we can do”, he replied, brain taking a bit longer to switch to English than normally. The look on their faces was worth it though. Seonghwa painted a smile on his face, knowing he could not give away his worry.

They got up from the chairs and Hongjoong congratulated himself that he only stumbled slightly. His stomach didn’t hurt as badly as it had before and standing up for a few minutes for ATINY was doable.

The girl who had spoken at first handed the manager her phone and the two idols posed with the girls. Hongjoong hoped he looked presentable enough - he had never feared that he would at one point need to take pictures when he had puked just a few minutes ago. He just took great care in not touching them - not sure his hands were completely clean and not wanting them to get sick if he was infectious. Hopefully, they didn't notice anything off, maybe write off his hesitation as respect.

“You’re my bias”, one girl said shyly to Hongjoong and he thanked her quietly. One of the other girls complimented Seonghwa’s looks and his Wonderland performance of the day before.

Luckily, the three of them were very kind and respectful, so after thanking them profusely they left rather quickly. The moment they were out of sight, Hongjoong stumbled, his knees going weak. One of the security guards and Seonghwa managed to grab his arms before he could fall and then, finally, the golf cart arrived.

The manager took the front seat, Seonghwa helped Hongjoong settle in the middle row so he could face forwards and the security guards hopped into the back row, facing backwards.

“Do you think it was the Acai bowls? Maybe one of the ingre…?”, Seonghwa asked but was interrupted by Hongjoong, who moaned. “Don’t talk about anything food-related.”

“Okay, okay”, Seonghwa muttered comfortingly. “Rest, you can lie down soon. Just a few minutes.”

The few minutes were terrible. The ride was anything but smooth, it was as if they could feel every small blade of grass. Hongjoong could do nothing but clutch Soenghwa’s hand in the hidden space between them and pray.

⌛

The moment they arrived at their trailer, Hongjoong couldn’t hold it in anymore. He jumped down from his seat, knees nearly giving out under him, and stumbled a few steps to place his hands on his knees. He gagged and gagged until a tiny splatter of sick came up. With just how nauseous he was he thought more would come up but apparently it wasn’t to be so.

“Let’s lay you down inside”, Seonghwa said, a hand on the small of his back. “Manager-hyung is trying to organize the car to the hotel but there seems to be some problem. You can rest here now, though. A medic is on the way, just in case.”

Completely exhausted, Hongjoong just let Seonghwa help him inside. His legs were so tired and shaking he nearly stumbled on the steps to the trailer but again Seonghwa saved him. Yet, with the couch in sight, Hongjoong’s knees completely gave out and he sank against the wall - vertigo too much to overcome.

“No, no, come on. We’re practically there”, Seonghwa said and Hongjoong was dragged to the couch, immediately laid onto his side. He curled into a small ball, knees pulled to his chest in hopes to alleviate the cramps in his middle. Seonghwa crouched down beside him, brushing back his hair.

The manager arrived beside them, holding out a trash can and placing it in easy reach. “Just in case”, he said, “anything else we can do for you?”

“I just want to sleep”, Hongjoong mumbled, his eyes closing on their own accord. He opened his eyes at a cold touch at his fingers - Seonghwa was rubbing hand disinfectant on his still dirty-feeling hand. It barely made Hongjoong feel better or cleaner. He closed his eyes again.

“Alright, I’ll be in the sitting area over there. Try to stay awake until the medic is here. Call if you need me, I’ll let you know when the car to the hotel is close. Feel better soon, Joong-ah”, the manager said, leaving them alone. As one of their long-time managers he knew how much Hongjoong valued privacy in moments of vulnerability.

Staying awake, like the manager had suggested, didn’t prove to be a problem. Barely a few minutes had passed when Hongjoong started to feel the unpleasant, burning sensation in his chest and his mouth started to taste sour. He scrambled to sit up, startling Seonghwa who quickly handed him the trash can.

Hongjoong groaned, pulling it into his lap and spat out a mouthful of disgusting bile. Seonghwa took a seat next to him, rubbing his back and whispering comfort. Sitting up hardly helped against the acid reflux - Hongjoong had to keep spitting out wads of sour saliva, strands dangling from his mouth. He pressed a hand against his aching chest, choking slightly as he tried to swallow against the accumulating saliva. It hurt.

Hongjoong didn’t even notice he was crying until Seonghwa used the sleeve of his long-armed shirt to wipe his face. “It’s okay, you’re okay, breathe, Joong-ah”, the elder whispered gently, “you’re okay.”

“It hurts, Hwa”, Hongjoong whispered, fighting to stay composed. He hated being sick. He hated being sick in public. And he especially hated being sick when he and Seonghwa and their manager and the security guards could have been enjoying the concert. He hadn’t wanted to ruin the fun with his own stupidity.

After Seonghwa had mentioned their lunch, he had come to the realization he must have either mistranslated or overlooked an ingredient in one of the bowls. It was so stupid, he knew he had a lot of intolerances and still, here he was, throwing up.

“I’m sorry I am ruining your evening”, Hongjoong apologized, adding onto his last statement before Seonghwa could reply.

“I know it hurts, Joong-ah”, Seonghwa said, running his hand through Hongjoong’s hair, “and I know you feel guilty. Please don’t. We don’t know if it was the food or what else. Just focus on feeling better, okay?”

All Hongjoong could do was spit up another mouthful of bile, which finally - as he had feared it would - caused vomiting again. He harshly gagged, breathing taking on a faster pace in anticipation and anxiety. Purplish sick, a reflection of all his bad choices of the day, splattered against the plastic bag, mixing with the previous yellowish bile. Hongjoong had to close his eyes at the sight of chunks - some kind of berries he would never be able to look at or eat again.

Then panic set in. A chunk of something was starting to block his airways and he coughed, trying to dislodge it. He couldn’t help but let out a low whine, scared as the oxygen was kept from him. Fresh tears ran down his cheeks as he fought for breath.

Seonghwa switched from rubbing his back to first gently then a bit rougher patting it until Hongjoong was able to bring up whatever was blocking his airways. He heaved in a deep breath, eyes burning badly from the tears.

⌛

And amidst everything - there was a knock on the trailer door before it opened and two paramedics entered. Both were carrying the typical huge backpacks and smiled at the two members. The manager came to greet them and soon Hongjoong was crowded by the two while the manager took the bucket to wash it out in the trailer’s bathroom.

“Hello Hongjoong”, the woman greeted with a smile, managing to not completely mispronounce his name, “my name is Laura and this is Will. Can you tell us how you are feeling?”

Hongjoong nodded but needed a moment to gather himself. While he spoke English well enough he most certainly didn’t have much knowledge in the area of medical jargon. Maybe he should have watched more of Wooyoung’s medical dramas with him. “I started feeling sick at the concert, uh, I threw up a few times? My tummy hurts. I think I ate something that … wasn’t good for my body?” He really didn’t know how to explain food intolerances in English.

“Okay, I’m sorry to hear that. Let us take your pulse and temperature and all that, okay?”, she said. “Food poisoning can be bad.”

Oh, so he had said it wrong. Or there was some miscommunication.

“No, I … uh … I have like … lactose intolerance? But with, uh, fruit and vegetables”, he tried and received a nod from her.

“Do you have any trouble breathing?”, the other paramedic asked. Hongjoong shook his head, leaning back against Seonghwa while they did their tests. Neither him nor Seonghwa, nor the manager who had joined them again, understood much of what they were doing but they didn’t look too worried.

“You’re really dehydrated”, the female medic said, “we’d like to do …”

That was about all Hongjoong could translate and so the man pulled out a needle and a bag of fluids. Great. Really great. Defeated, Hongjoong nodded his agreement and let the woman poke at his elbow. Luckily he normally had good veins and she didn’t have much trouble putting the line in. It was uncomfortable, yes, but Hongjoong could deal with it if it helped.

Then the woman showed them her phone screen, displaying google translate: “Eat crackers and drink plain water and sports drinks for a day or two. Nothing too sweet or spicy. If you continue throwing up after tonight or show other symptoms go to a hospital.”

“Yes, I can do that”, Hongjoong said, his strength vanishing and getting replaced by exhaustion and a heaviness in his limbs.

“Try to sleep. We will be back to take out the IV in about half an hour.” The woman’s phone read.

Sleepily, Hongjoong nodded. The paramedics backed up and left, but before Hongjoong could doze off, the manager knelt down by his side: “Stay awake for a second, Joong-ah. The car will be here in about half an hour too. The concert will be over by that time, so the rest of the members will come with us. Is that alright with you?”

“Yeah”, Hongjoong mumbled. He didn’t necessarily fancy having the younger members see him like this but it would be unfair to make them wait.

“Alright, nap time”, Seonghwa said, brushing back Hongjoong’s hair. He helped the captain lie back down on the couch without disturbing the I.V. line. At least the acid reflux seemed to have gotten better, making it possible to lie flat again, but the stomach cramps had not gone away. The movement of laying down triggered another wave of pain and Hongjoong gasped, instinctively curling into himself and pulling his knees to his stomach.

“Let’s try to stretch out your legs”, Seonghwa suggested, a comforting hand on Hongjoong’s hip. “It might help the pain.” Carefully and slowly the eldest moved Hongjoong’s legs, giving Hongjoong the chance to tell him to stop if the pain got worse. It didn’t - in fact it was much better once Hongjoong’s legs were fully stretched out across the couch.

“Better?”, Seonghwa asked and Hongjoong mumbled an affirmation. He was already half-asleep when Seonghwa lifted his upper body to rest Hongjoong’s head on his lap.

“Tell me if I should stop”, Seonghwa whispered and for a moment Hongjoong was confused. Then his shirt was lifted and a warm hand came to rest on his aching stomach. Hongjoong sighed in comfort. It helped a lot. Then Seonghwa started to rub soothing circles against taunt muscles and Hongjoong was definitely in some sort of heaven.

⌛

That sentiment held for about twenty minutes until the captain woke up suddenly and immediately had to lunge for the bucket just in time to get sick again. It most certainly was not a nice sensation to wake up to and Seonghwa seemed startled too. The pressure of his hand was too much and Hongjoong grasped Seonghwa’s fingers, pulling his hand away from his upset stomach to interlace their fingers. It was a lifeline that Hongjoong clung to, next to Seonghwa stroking his hair. Hongjoong wasn’t even sure he was hitting the bucket but slowly the heaving stopped. He stayed leaning over the receptacle just in case.

“What the…?”, San asked loudly.

When Hongjoong looked up he saw Yeosang, who had entered behind San, turn around on the spot and push Wooyoung back out the door, much to the loud confusion of the younger. Better for Wooyoung not to see, there was no need for an emetophobia-fueled panic attack. Hongjoong sank back down into Seonghwa’s lap, feeling much worse than he had before his nap.

“Hyungs?”, San questioned, worriedly, and came closer, “Seonghwa-hyung? What’s wrong with Hongjoong-hyung?”

“Probably ate something he shouldn’t have”, Seonghwa explained, “I got this. Go check on Wooyoung, if you stay here he won’t be able to share with you and I’m not going to help you figure out roommate arrangements today. I got this under control.”

San agreed and turned to leave, when he was stopped by the manager. “The cars are here. San-ah, did you guys see Yunho, Mingi and Jongho?”

“No, but Jongho-yah texted they are on their way back, that’s why we came back”, San replied and left.

He was nearly immediately replaced by one of the paramedics who unhooked Hongjoong’s I.V. and deemed him ready to go. Hongjoong was so tired that the conversation passed in a blur and he was only pulled back to really when the uneasy looking manager asked: “Okay, Hongjoong-ah, think you can make it back to the parking lot?”

Of course Hongjoong could. Especially with six worried dongsaengs outside.

But when Seonghwa helped him to his feet, Hongjoong’s knees buckled under him and he was only saved by the elder wrapping his arms around Hongjoong’s back. The cramps in his gut had not let up and the captain wasn’t able to stand up straight, muscles too out of sorts to let him uncoil his body.

“Are you sure you can walk?”, the manager wondered.

“Yes”, Hongjoong said through gritted teeth. He would not show vulnerability to the outside world, not more than he already had. “Just let me take it slow.”

They stepped out into the cold night air and Hongjoong shivered. Immediately a warm jacket was wrapped around his back. Jongho was already looking like he was freezing but he had a determined look on his face.

“Don’t protest, hyung. I will ride with WooSanSang and we’ll be at the car faster than you. Besides, I’m not the one throwing up”, the maknae pointed out. Hongjoong sighed and thanked him.

Wooyoung, Yeosang, San and Jongho hurried in front of them while Seonghwa, Yunho and Mingi walked slowly to accommodate Hongjoong’s small steps. Each meter they walked seemed like an ocean and a mountain range at the same time and by the time the cars were in sight, Hongjoong would have cried if he had any fluids left.

⌛

The rather long ride to the hotel - apparently there had been an accident which was why the cars had taken especially long to get them - passed in a tired and nauseous blur. While Hongjoong normally loved looking out the window, especially as it helped his motion sickness, but now he was just grateful for any second he wasn’t staring at the bottom of a plastic bag or at his stomach contents in said plastic bags.

Not to be overdramatic but Hongjoong might have actually dryly cried in relief when the hotel came into sight. They were quick to get to their rooms and once they had bid Yunho and Mingi good-night, the two disappearing into the rooms they respectively shared with Jongho and Yeosang, Hongjoong collapsed onto his bed, fully-clothed.

He was sweaty, coarse sand stuck to every part of him and make-up nearly cried off but he couldn’t care less.

Seonghwa, however, cared. But he was as gentle as he could be, taking off Hongjoong’s outer clothes and wiping the dirt away with a wet towel, then cleaning off his face with a make-up remover.

“Think you can eat some crackers?”, he asked, sitting down next to Hongjoong onto the bed. Hongjoong shook his head. He was just glad for any moment he was not being sick, he was not going to risk setting anything off.

“Drink some gatorade at least”, Seonghwa said and lifted Hongjoong’s head. Too tired to fight him, Hongjoong complied and but groaned at the disgusting taste. Sports drinks had never been his favorite and combined with the taste of bile it was rather disgusting.

“Water?”, he asked, wanting to wash the taste away and nearly immediately Seonghwa tipped a bottle of the clear fluid against his lips.

“I put the trash bin beside you. Wake me if you need anything, and I mean anything, Joong-ah. You can rest now”, Seonghwa said and placed a feather-light kiss against Hongjoong’s temple.

The captain was asleep before Seonghwa even had the chance to get up from his side.

Masterlist links: Fairy's Full Masterlist Fairy's Masterlist - ATEEZ

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