#seonghwa sick

[feverishly-kpop]

Ateez - Flu - Part 10 (Final Part)

When Hongjoong woke up he felt as if he was coming to from a coma. He hadn’t slept so soundly in a long time, but within seconds he wished that the coma would pull him back under. This flu was wreaking havoc on his body.

He sat up, confirming that Yunho was still asleep before stepping out of his room. All that hydration had left him in need of the washroom but, to his surprise, he found the door closed. Knocking quietly, Hongjoong listened for a response but did not receive one. After another knock met with silence he entered and nearly jumped out of his skin when he found Jongho lying on the washroom floor with a long-dried face cloth draped over his eyes and forehead.

“Jongho” Hongjoong whispered, nudging the maknae’s shoulder as he sank to the ground next to him, too exhausted and poorly to keep standing. Jongho stirred slowly and reached up to toss his compress aside but made no effort to respond to Hongjoong. “What are you doing on the floor, Jongho-ah?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Jongho responded in the most Jongho way possible, which is not at all what Hongjoong wanted to deal with in the middle of the night while his head was swimming with fever.

“I’m sick, Jongho” Hongjoong responded flatly. “I’m sick and had to use the washroom but here you are, laying in the damn floor. Your turn.”

Jongho sighed before responding. “I woke up with a headache so I got up to take my temperature.”

That was enough to send Hongjoong into hyung mode immediately. “Why didn’t you wake Seonghwa?”

“I can take my own temperature, hyung” Jongho quipped back before continuing. “I’m running a fever” he added nonchalantly. “And the floor was cold, so I just laid down with a cool compress. It’s fine. I’m fine.”

Hongjoong rolled his eyes. This situation was so very Jongho. He was about to inquire about any other symptoms when the door flung open again, this time by Yeosang who nearly face planted, tripping over Jongho’s outstretched legs, as he barreled toward the toilet to be sick again. Jongho reached out an arm to pat Yeosang’s back in silent support but was too weak to do anything beyond that.

It took Yunho less than a minute to appear in the doorway, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. Hongjoong sighed before speaking up, realizing that everybody would be looking toward him to take control despite him being as sick as the rest of them and it being 3:30 AM.

“Yunho-ah, what are you doing out of bed?” He asked, willing his voice not to break as he spoke.

“I heard somebody getting sick. Now I feel queasy again” Yunho replied weakly, sounding half asleep. Hongjoong’s eyes darted to Yeosang, who was still draped over the toilet. He was out of ideas until Jongho acted quickly, reaching over his head and tossing the waste paper bin toward Yunho’s feet. Yunho muttered a weak “thank you” before taking the bin into the hallway and sitting down outside the washroom door. A wave of guilt and pity washed over Hongjoong as he heard his dongsaeng getting sick in the bin but there wasn’t enough room for a fourth member on the washroom floor and he sure as hell wasn’t about to get up from his cozy spot next to Jongho.

“It’s alright. You’re going to be just fine” Hongjoong slurred, unsure if the sentiment was directed more strongly to the others or to himself.

*~*~*~*~*~

Seonghwa woke up to muffled sounds coming from the washroom followed by the sound of retching. For a split second he contemplated rolling over and going back to sleep before he heard another set of feet pattering toward the washroom. Knowing that eldest-hyung duty called, he sat up in bed quickly - perhaps too quickly - his head quickly hitting his pillow again before he even realized that he needed to lie back down. He suddenly felt a shift of pressure in his sinuses.

Dammit.

He was sick.

Unfortunately, so was somebody else based on the cacophony of sounds emanating from outside his closed door. With a deep breath he sat up again, much slower this time, and headed toward the door, bracing himself for what he may find when he opened it.

Seonghwa almost stepped on Yunho as he closed the bedroom door behind him. He knelt down in front of him, giving a light tug on the waste paper basket that Yunho was nearly falling asleep in. Seonghwa placed a hand on Yunho’s cheek, quickly realizing that he was no longer able to very accurately feel for a fever now that he too was running one of his own. Despite his own body being feverishly warm now, he could still tell that Yunho was feeling even warmer.

“Yunho, love, you’re feeling very warm again” Seonghwa said quietly, noticing now how sore his throat was. “Did you forget to take your medication? You haven’t been running this high since it was prescribed…”

Yunho shook his head in response. “I didn’t forget. I didn’t want to take it. It makes me feel funny…”

Seonghwa cut him off, trying to mask the frustration he felt rising in his chest. “You know what else makes you feel funny? A high fever. You seem to be feeling really funny now, hmm? The medicine isn’t optional, Yunho. It’s…” Seonghwa stopped abruptly when a wave of dizziness struck. In the moment it took for him to center himself he took in how absolutely pathetic Yunho looked sitting on the hallway floor. There would be a time to discuss this, but that time was clearly not now. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves before speaking up again.

“Sweetheart, why are you out here in the hallway anyhow?” He asked, his tone much calmer than a moment ago.

“Because they are in there” Yunho said with some effort, indicating vaguely toward the washroom.

“Who? Who’s in there?” Seonghwa asked but Yunho was already beginning to doze off again. There was nothing Seonghwa could do about that at the moment. He couldn’t lift Yunho on a good day, and his running nose suddenly reminded him that this definitely wasn’t a good day. Making a mental note to wake Jongho to have him help Yunho off the floor and back to bed, he slowly opened the washroom door.

So much for that mental note.

Seonghwa felt close to tears. He was in over his head. This flu had done the impossible, taking out eight grown men in the span of a couple of days. Admitting defeat, he unlocked his phone, texting a manager:

“Sorry to wake you hyung. But we need you.”

*~*~*~*~*~

When the manager arrived, not even an hour later, his jaw dropped as he surveyed the scene.

Seonghwa had miraculously gotten everybody off the floor and into the living room. Jongho sat at one end of the sofa, his head resting in his hand as he shivered too violently to make sleep possible. Hongjoong, on the other hand, was curled up into the maknae’s side, having had no trouble at all finding sleep again. Yeosang was stretched out across the middle of the couch with blanket haphazardly draped over his legs that threatened to fall to the floor at any slight movement. Yeosang had left almost no space for Yunho, though Yunho didn’t seem to mind curling up in a tight ball in the small amount of space he did have, in a way that seemed physically impossible for a person of his stature.

The manager almost instantly jumped into action. He had years of experience wrangling his own sick kids in addition to sick ATEEZ members, but he struggled to recall a time when seven of the eight were sick at once.

“San, Mingi, and Wooyoung?” He asked quietly, turning to Seonghwa. Seonghwa finished his thought on his behalf.

“Sleeping. Hopefully” Seonghwa supplied helpfully as he stood with his arms crossed across his chest.

“I’ll be honest,” the manager said after a few moments of thought. “I’d like to take anybody with a fever to the hospital. This flu clearly is nothing to mess around with.”

Yeosang piped up at that. “I don’t have a fever, so I don’t need to go” he announced, his tone laced with pride despite not even opening his eyes as he spoke.

The manager turned to Seonghwa, wordlessly looking to fact check Yeosang’s statement. Seonghwa nodded slowly. “He’s telling the truth. I checked his temperature a few times yesterday afternoon and before you got here. Normal temp, somehow.”

Yeosang pulled up the blanket as he snuggled deeper into the couch, content that he’d be able to stay home, but Seonghwa wasn’t finished.

“No fever, but he’s vomited several times. I think he should go.” Seonghwa’s words cut Yeosang like a knife.

“You can’t just change the rules like that, hyung” Yeosang responded with a huff. Seonghwa couldn’t help but smirk at Yeosang’s petulance.

“Well I can. You’re going to have to come with me, kid. I’m sorry” the manager said in response, slowly pulling Yeosang’s blanket off and folding it before stuffing it under his arm. While he was clearly not happy about it, Yeosang sat up, resigned to his fate. “Fine, but it’s still not fair” Yeosang said with a pout.

Yunho was the next to speak up, although his voice was muffled, barely audible as he spoke into the couch cushion.

“What was that, Yunho?” The manager asked as he knelt down in front of him, his voice gentle, knowing that Yunho always needed a little extra care and comfort when he was sick.

“I don’t need to go. I don’t have a fever” he repeated, a little louder this time. The manager sighed, laying a cool hand over the nape of Yunho’s neck. “I don’t think that’s quite true, is it? Hmm?”

Yunho ignored him, relishing in the comfort of his touch before his hand warmed from the contact with Yunho’s fevered skin.

“And your hyung said you were throwing up again? Is that true?” The manager questioned, brushing Yunho’s hair back from his face. Yunho only shrugged. “Let’s get you up, nice and slow” he said, taking his time untangling Yunho’s limbs one by one.

“I don’t see the point in playing games,” Jongho said as the manager helped Yunho sit up. “I have a fever. It’s not high, but it’s a fever. But I also don’t want to end up like that” Jongho said bluntly, gesturing toward Yeosang and Yunho’s end of the couch. He didn’t have to elaborate further. Everybody knew what he meant by that. “So if I have to go, I’ll go.”

The manager signed internally, relieved that at least one member wasn’t putting up a fight.

“Oh, and I mean I’m sure it goes without saying,” Jongho added, level headed as always. “He’s going to have to go.” Jongho looked down at Hongjoong, who had remained fast asleep through the entire conversation.

The manager nodded as he pulled Seonghwa aside. “I’m going to go ahead and take these four.” I’m sure it’s going to take some time to get them checked in and settled.” Seonghwa nodded as the manager continued, pinching the bridge of his nose, a clear indication of his current stress levels. “Call me once the other three are awake. If they wake up still feverish, which they will be, I’m sure, I’ll come back and get them.”

*~*~*~*~*~

Getting Hongjoong, Yunho, Yeosang, and Jongho packed up and into the van with the manager went about as well as Seonghwa had assumed it would. Four overnight bags, four sick men who struggled to take more than a few steps without needing a break, a frazzled manager who was growing more and more concerned by the minute that their van would get towed before they had everybody loaded up, and Seonghwa, who was putting on the show of a lifetime, not wanting to tip anybody off to how sick he was.

Seonghwa drew in a sigh of relief as he put the last of the members’ bags in the trunk, feeling out of breath and weak. Just as he was about to slide the door closed Yunho broke down in tears.

“Hyung, my pillow” he said between sobs. “I forgot my dog pillow.” Seonghwa felt about ready to go upstairs and throw the damned pillow out an open window and hope for the best, but he smiled instead, ruffling Yunho’s hair and assuring him he’d be right back down with it.

*~*~*~*~*~

Seonghwa all but collapsed against the stone pillar at the dorm building’s entryway as the van pulled out of sight. The sun was beginning to peak out, a reminder that San, Mingi, and Wooyoung would be waking soon and he’d be repeating this entire process again.

The energy to go back upstairs was alluding him until a woman emerged from the building. A nurse decked out in scrubs, clearly on her way to work for the day. She looked down at Seonghwa, sitting miserably on the cold concrete in his pajamas.

“Are you okay, honey?” She asked kindly. Seonghwa could feel his cheeks heating up even more than they already were from sheer embarrassment. “Did you lock yourself out?”

Seonghwa shook his head, hopping up regrettably fast to his feet and pulling his key out of the pocket of his sweat pants. “I’m just fine, thank you” he said with a tired smile. “Eventful morning is all.”

The woman smiled as she continued to the parking garage. “Hope the day turns around for you” she added over her shoulder. Seonghwa flashed a friendly wave, knowing that it would only get worse from there.

*~*~*~*~*~

Seonghwa had managed to get another hour or two of sleep on the couch before Mingi woke up.

“It’s so quiet…” Mingi grumbled, running a hand through his hair as Mingi collapsed heavily at the other end of the couch.

“Well, it’s just you, me, San, and Wooyoungie here right now. And San and Woo are still asleep” Seonghwa replied, tip toeing around the matter at hand.

Mingi simply raised his eyebrow, sensing that his hyung had more to say.

“Listen Mingi,” Seonghwa resumed, uncharacteristically frazzled. “Don’t shoot the messenger but manager-hyung was here this morning. He put his foot down, anybody running a fever this morning has to go to the hospital.”

The silence hung heavy for what felt to Seonghwa like an eternity before Mingi replied.

“Well, I’m not going” Mingi said with a shrug. Seonghwa closed his eyes, his head pounding uncontrollably.

“Mingi, I’m sorry but it’s not up to you. Fuck, it’s not even up to me” Seonghwa said but Mingi remained unmoved.

“I’m not Yunho and I’m not Wooyoung. I’m more than capable of taking care of myself…” Mingi was cut off by Seonghwa.

“Mingi that’s mean and uncalled for” he said firmly.

Mingi sighed, relenting. “I didn’t mean it that way. It came out wrong. But I really don’t need to go. My fever is hasn’t gone up.”

“But it hasn’t broken?” Seonghwa asked, locking eyes work Mingi in a way that made it clear that the debate was over.

“No, it hasn’t broken” Mingi replied, rolling his eyes like a spoiled teenager.

“Pack your bag with anything you’ll want at the hospital. You might be there overnight so pack accordingly.” Seonghwa was too tired to scold Mingi when he threw the pillow at the end of the couch to the floor and stormed off to his room, slamming the door behind him, causing the pain behind Seonghwa’s eyes to pulsate.

*~*~*~*~*~

If San and Wooyoung hadn’t been awake before, they certainly were now. San emerged from his room, promptly laying down on the couch and using Seonghwa’s lap as a pillow. They were both silent until San spoke up.

“Wooyoung was talking in his sleep. Asking for his mom” San said with a sigh, covering his eyes with his forearm. “I’m tired, hyung.”

Seonghwa’s heart broke at the fatigue in his voice.

“I heard you tell Mingi we have to go to the hospital. I packed my bag and started Wooyoung’s but…” San’s statement was cut off by a spell of harsh coughs. “I’m sorry, hyung. I felt too weak to finish.”

Seonghwa stroked San’s forehead, trying to comfort him before helping San sit up and laying him back against a pillow. “When did you get so big, my little Sannie-ah?” Seonghwa asked lightly as he draped a blanket over his dongsaeng. “I’ll take care of Wooyoung and get him packed up and ready to go.”

*~*~*~*~*~

Wooyoung was still burrowed into Yunho’s bed when Seonghwa entered. Tears stained his cheeks, confirming to Seonghwa that he, beyond a doubt, was still running a fever. Seonghwa silently took the bag that San had started packing for Wooyoung, to Wooyoung’s own room, adding a cozy sweatshirt that would keep him comfortable in the hospital, as well as his headphones and a few hair clips, knowing that Wooyoung would get restless if his hair was in his face.

He pulled his phone out and sent a text to the manager as promised:

“The kids are up. Ready to get them to the hospital when you are.”

*~*~*~*~*~

The process passed in a blur this time. Seonghwa could tell his fever was up, leaving him feeling like his head was floating as he went through the motions. He left the bickering with Mingi to the manager, confident that he had done his part earlier that morning. San, always feeling like he had something to prove, slung his own bag over his shoulder as well as Wooyoung’s, and headed down to the van, that, once again, the manager was convinced would get towed if they took much longer.

Seonghwa pulled the front door closed, the last one out, carrying Wooyoung on his back after it had become clear that Wooyoung was too dizzy to walk. With the last of his dongsaengs safely buckled into the van, Seonghwa turned to go back inside. It was becoming more apparent that he had a finite window of time to get himself back upstairs and into bed before his body gave up.

The manager was about to pull away when he rolled the window down. “Hwa” he called out, putting the van back in park. “Hongjoong texted me. He’s sharing a room with Yunho. He said Yunho is asking for you.”

Seonghwa tensed at that. He meant it with all the love in the world. He adored each and every one of his dongsaengs with his whole heart and he’d do anything for every single one of them without so much as a moment of delay.

But, in the most loving, caring, concerned way -

Not a fucking chance, Yunho.

And with that, that finite window of time closed on Seonghwa.

“I know you’re exhausted. Being a dad is a lot of work, isn’t it?” the manager said with a good-natured chuckle. “If you want to come for a bit I can bring you back in a few hours.”

Seonghwa felt his breath coming faster.

“I can’t breathe” he mumbled, losing his balance and tripping into the side of the van with a thump.

He was now coughing, gasping for breath. It all happened in slow motion. He looked into the window of the van, seeing Wooyoung sleeping with his head in San’s lap.

Sleep.

That sounded so fucking good right now.

“Hwa!” He heard a voice call out. Strangely it sounded somehow far too loud but also so far away, simultaneously.

“M’ tired, hyung” Seonghwa said with a final sigh, giving in to the immediate need to sleep.

*~*~*~*~*~

It took no time at all for Seonghwa to realize where he was when he came to. The stark white walls and ceiling, the ambient sound of beeping equipment and the overwhelming smell of sanitizer that, even completely congested, was still evident.

Yep. He hand landed himself in the hospital with the rest of the members.

Eight makes one team and all that, I guess.

Seonghwa couldn’t help but feel bitter for a moment. He had made sure everybody else had a soft blanket packed in their bag but here he was, covered in one that felt like paper.

He closed his eyes again, the pain behind his eyes no match for the bright fluorescent lights overhead. That’s when he heard the voice of his manager talking to somebody outside his door. The voices were muffled, which was further compounded by the fact he couldn’t seem to hear very well out of his right ear, but he was able to make out a few words.

“Private room.”

He turned his head, cracking his eyes slightly. He did have a private room. He sighed in relief at that. No members bothering him when all he wanted, no, needed, to do was sleep.

“Bruised shoulder.”

Yeah, that checked out too. His shoulder felt tender where he had made contact with the side of the van before he…before he fell asleep? Passed out? What exactly had happened?

And the last thing he heard before the door opened:

“Sedative.”

Before he could process that a nurse appeased his bedside. He opened his eyes for a moment as she laid a hand over his forehead. It felt far more heavenly than a simple touch had the right to feel. She looked familiar.

“Sorry that the day didn’t turn around.” She stated as she slipped a thermometer probe under his tongue. So that’s where he recognized her from. The parking lot earlier that morning. It beeped in a matter of seconds.

Seonghwa tried to sit up to get a glance at the reading on the box-like device in her hand but was gently pushed back.

“What’s my temp?” He asked, his voice surprisingly gravelly. She sighed with a sad smile, as she injected something into his IV line. She was silent for a moment, concentrating on dosing Seonghwa with the right amount of medication.

“You’ve got a fever, honey” the nurse replied as she released the IV bag and stepped across the room, grabbing an ice pack and wrapping it in a cloth before draping it over Seonghwa’s brow. He could see her lips moving but couldn’t make out what she was saying. She even picked up the thermometer again and showed him the reading but his eyes couldn’t seem to actually make it out. Couldn’t be too bad he supposed. Or maybe, more so, hoped.

Sedative.

That’s right.

“You’re going to feel sleepy. Don’t fight it” he heard the nurse’s voice.

Fight it? After sleepless nights, dealing with endless crying, puking, fainting, sweating, sneezing, coughing, and arguing? No, fighting it didn’t even cross his mind.

[likeathunderoverflow]

I am so cooked this comeback

[maximura]

Park Seonghwa at Coachella 2024 | Original photography by Frazer Harrison

[fairyniceyeah]

⌛🐶 I’m ready for the dark

Title from This World (ATEEZ)

Summary: Yunho is struggling to get through a grueling dance practice. He drops the moment it’s over.

CW: emeto, fainting

Sickie: Yunho Caretakers: Hongjoong + Seonghwa + Mingi + Jongho

It was hot.

And loud.

And Yunho was exhausted.

None of these things usually bothered the dancer much. Dance practice was the definition of heat, music volume on max and some sort of exhaustion. Yunho didn’t have problems with that. He liked dancing and even, if not especially, dancing till he was exhausted and the mirrors fogged up.

They were on their sixth hour of that day’s practice and for once Yunho was glad he was not leading it. The choreographer-noona was nice, talented and she pushed the group in all the ways they needed. She saw every detail, every tiny mistake, from her position at the front of the room - unlike Yunho who would miss mistakes when dancing himself - and she didn’t hesitate to call them out on it.

“From the top”.

“Again.”

“Jongho-ssi, you need to be a bit to the left.”

“Hongjoong-ssi, a bit faster.”

“Seonghwa-ssi, don’t look so scared. If you time it right you won’t run into San-ssi.”

“Yunho-ssi, pick it up.”

⌛

It went like this for a long time and hours blurred together. It was hot. And loud. And Yunho was exhausted. His limbs felt like lead, unable to move right. Jumping was strenuous in a way he didn’t remember it being this morning. 

At least he already had the dance down, remembering his every move with muscle memory, so he didn’t have to think about it.

“Hongjoong-ssi, you need to kneel down on three not on four.”

“Sorry, seonsaengnim”, Yunho heard his hyung apologize, “I’m a bit dizzy. I think I need to sit down for a moment.”

All attention snapped to their captain and the choreographer called out “take ten” the moment she spotted his complexion. Hongjoong indeed looked a bit pale and crouched down to the floor the moment she gave her okay. Yunho wiped the sweat from his brow and winced as droplets of the salty liquid dripped into his eyes, burning them, nevertheless. 

Seonghwa and Wooyoung were already with Hongjoong, helping him sit down with his head between his knees while Yeosang ran to get some water and a sweet snack. Good. They didn’t need Hongjoong to faint during practice - again. Reassured that Hongjoong was in good hands and knowing not to overwhelm his embarrassed captain, decided to drink something himself.

But when he turned to walk to his bag, a sudden wave of dizziness washed over him, nearly bowling him over. Yunho lifted his hand to his head and took a deep breath. Why was this happening now? He had been just fine earlier when he was dancing. Why was walking an issue?

Slumping down by his bag, Yunho for the first time realized that he felt … off. He couldn’t describe it any other way. The tiredness he was feeling wasn’t post-work out exhaustion but just exhaustion. His head felt weird, heavy and light at the same time. An annoying ache was spreading down his neck and into his upper back.

He wanted to blame the fact that he had slept badly or not enough. But he had gone to bed at a reasonable time and he had even woken up a bit late that morning to Yeosang shaking his shoulder and telling him he had overslept his alarm. That normally didn’t happen to Yunho, he liked being punctual, but they all had weird one-offs. He had been tired then too, achy. A shower and a coffee later he had felt much better, so he hadn’t thought anything of it. Now everything was hitting him again.

It was only an hour left. He had endured six hours of it, one more would be no problem. 

“You okay?”

The question startled Yunho badly enough that he nearly dropped his bottle he had been trying to fumble open for some time without success at this point. He hadn’t even realized he had taken it into his hands.

Mingi frowned down at him, holding his own - open - water bottle in his hand. 

“Huh? Yeah, I’m fine. Just can’t get this stupid bottle open”, Yunho replied. What else was there to say?

Mingi laughed at that, a loud, joyous sound. But for some reason it annoyed Yunho to no end, scraping at his ear drums. 

“Give it here, you big baby”, Mingi offered, grinning at him.

Yunho pouted. Mingi was the big baby, not him. But he couldn’t deny that he was thirsty, so he handed it to his best friend, who opened it without an issue. 

“You sure, you’re okay?”, Mingi asked then, raising one worried eyebrow.

Yunho nodded. He was fine. 

⌛

They continued practice soon after. Hongjoong was still sitting out, sipping on an apple juice and munching on a muffin somebody had found. You know that it happens sometimes, he had said, don’t worry, you know I just need to raise my blood sugar and rest a bit.

So they continued as seven. It was a bit more difficult now, the dance was made for eight and everything looked just a tiny bit off now. Maybe it was just Yunho, though. The earlier dizziness hadn’t vanished, in fact he now saw some members twice at times. It was confusing but Yunho was too tired to care. When he blinked everything returned to normal with his vision, so it was fine. A bit more annoying was the cold water that was sitting heavily in his stomach since he had drunk. It was a bit painful, a bit cramping and a bit nauseating. 

But it happened sometimes. It wasn’t the first time a member would need to sit out after eating or drinking too close to doing their extreme sport. It had been a rule to sit down when that happened ever since Jongho had thrown up on San’s shoes years ago. It was just a normal part of idol life.

Just, if Yunho sat out now, with Hongjoong already on the sidelines, then the practice would make no sense anymore. With two members missing the choreography wouldn’t work.

So Yunho carried on.

Despite the heat.

Despite the pain in his neck and back.

Despite the fact that he could barely see what was happening due to the stinging sweat in his eyes.

Despite the deafening music that seemed so much louder than normally, threatening to burst his ear drums or split his head.

Despite the nausea and pain in his belly that were becoming worse with every move.

⌛

“Alright, good job everybody”, the choreographer called out. 

“You did very well”, Hongjoong added, having joined them for the last few run-throughs. “Let’s go home for tonight.”

Wooyoung and San high fived each other and collapsed in an exhausted but happy pile on top of Yeosang, dragging their third down with them.

Seonghwa clapped Hongjoong on the back, asking one more time if he still felt faint, which the captain denied.

Jongho and Mingi were leaning on each other, panting but content.

Yunho’s knees buckled.

“Jong-”, he whispered, finding himself falling into the maknae’s direction. It hadn’t felt like his voice was very loud but apparently it was enough for the younger to hear him. It was a bit painful as he collided with Jongho’s shoulder, teeth rattling in his skull but at least he was lowered to the floor and didn’t bash his head in.

“Hyung”, Jongho called, his voice frantic, as he struggled to keep Yunho from falling even further. “Somebody help me!” 

His face was swimming in Yunho’s blurred eyesight. Yunho felt his back connect with the cool floor, the contact not painful at all. Then Jongho’s fingers tapped annoyingly against Yunho’s cheek. Hongjoong’s face entered his vision and gentle fingers started carding through his hair. Yunho closed his eyes, the bright overhead light stabbing at his retinas.

Suddenly yelling started up and the tapping on his cheeks became more pronounced. 

“Stop.” He wanted to protest loudly. It barely came out as a whisper.

“Don’t go to sleep, baby”, a familiar voice said. Right, Hongjoong-hyung. “Open your eyes for us, okay?”

“Too bright”, Yunho mumbled, turning his face towards the hand that was now caressing his cheek instead of tapping it. It was nice. Comforting. 

“He’s slurring and light-sensitive.” Was that Seonghwa? “Did he hit his head?”

Yunho wanted to protest, because Jongho had caught him. But no sound but a small whine left his lips.

“No, I caught him. I mean, he collided with my shoulder a bit but it wasn’t that bad”, Jongho said. His voice came from further away than expected. Hadn’t he just been by Yunho’s side? Who else was there?

Yunho blinked open his eyes, realizing that somebody had dimmed the lights. Still hot tears fell down his cheeks into his hair. Blinking to clear his vision he found himself surrounded by Hongjoong, Seonghwa and Mingi, all with similar faces of worry on their faces.

“There you are, love”, Seonghwa said, smiling down at Yunho. It was his hands in Yunho’s hair. “How are you feeling?” 

“Wha’ happ’n’?” The words were difficult to say, like lead was holding his tongue prisoner. 

“We were hoping you could tell us”, Hongjoong replied lightly, but even in his confused state Yunho could hear the underlying worry. “You collapsed against Jongho after practice ended. Do you have any idea what happened?”

Yunho tried to remember what had happened. He hadn’t been feeling well, had he? Hot. Loud. Sweaty. Pained. Nauseous.

Oh, God, the nausea.

Now that he remembered, he felt the churning in his stomach and the sourness at the back of his throat. 

“Don’ fe’ g’d”, he mumbled, swallowing.

The members discussed something over his head. Yunho was too tired to pay attention. So he just let his eyes slip shut. Now he wasn’t hot anymore but the shivering that was taking over his body covered in cold sweat wasn’t better. His head pounded. His neck felt stiff. Light and sound were exhausting. And he still was queasy.

Somebody started tapping his cheek again. Yunho groaned.

“Do you think you’re having a migraine?”, Mingi asked, a bit of hesitation in his voice. “You’re slurring. You seem to be in pain and you can’t tolerate sound and light well.”

… it made sense. A lot of sense. 

Yunho hadn’t even spared a thought to what made him so miserable but a migraine? That would explain a lot. The pain. The nausea. The general feeling of bah.

“Yeah”, he mumbled. “Think so.”

Hongjoong hummed in sympathy, knowing from first hand experience how bad it could be. And nearly fainting after practice was probably pretty bad.

“Do you think you can make it home?”, Seonghwa then questioned.

That was the question, wasn’t it? Yunho had no idea. 

Collapsing in a heap on the way would probably be very embarrassing but he, now that he first thought of it, wanted to be in a cold, dark room with a comfy bed and maybe Mingi cuddling him. It would not get better than that. But for that he also needed to get home. His thoughts were so fuzzy.

“Yeah”, he mumbled, hoping that it would work. 

“Let’s sit up first and see how it goes”, Hongjoong suggested, “how does your stomach feel?”

Oh yeah, that was a good question. Not very good, at all, was the answer. As if his body decided to react to Hongjoong without him having a say, Yunho gagged. 

There was a curse and then somebody shoved him into a sitting position. It was enough to also move his stomach up his throat. 

“Oh, Yunho”, Mingi whispered as Yunho bent forward and warm sick fell from his lips, the sound of it hitting a bucket echoing back at him. His stomach rolled and his head pounded and then he threw up again. And again. And again.

His heartbeat was drumming in his head and Yunho grit his teeth in a moment of respite, hoping to fight the nauseating pain. Now that he had started vomiting he knew that the real migraine pain would hit soon. What had happened before was just a warning, a mild pain compared to what would come. 

He groaned as more rancid throw up splattered into the bin, burning his throat, and he slumped forward even more. A blessedly-cool hand on his forehead stopped his descent head first into his own puke.

Then it was over. Somebody wiped the spit dangling from his lips away and a cold cloth washed away the sweat. Yunho was leaned back and he rested his head against the comforting shoulder of whoever sat behind him. Mingi?

The comforting rumble in the person’s chest clued him in as Mingi spoke. “Ready to go home?”

“Still feel sick”, Yunho muttered, only really realizing when he was speaking that indeed his stomach was still cramping unhappily. Maybe he really was out of it or maybe the nausea he felt was even more in his head and throat than in his stomach, uncomfortable nevertheless. 

“We got the bucket here, don’t worry”, Hongjoong said. 

“‘Kay.”

⌛

Yunho barely remembered the drive home. He was in a car with Mingi who was combing through his hair in a comfortable motion and Hongjoong was holding his hand, as far as he knew. A manager probably had been there too, because Seonghwa couldn’t drive and the others hadn’t been there. All Yunho could do was cling to the plastic of the bucket, comforted by knowing it was there.

Had he thrown up on the way home? Likely. He didn’t remember it though.  

Now, he was in bed, buried under a layer of cool sheets. The room was dark. Mingi was a warm weight by his side. Hongjoong’s fingers were carding through his hair.

It would likely not get better until the migraine went away.

So Yunho slept.

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

[darl-ingfics]

Sicktember Day 13: Mononucleosis

Fandom: ATEEZ

Sickie: Wooyoung, Yeosang (mono)

Caregiver(s): Hongjoong, Seonghwa

Word Count: 2,199

Notes: I am, admittedly, not the most thrilled with how this turned out, but c'est la vie. I also finished this one pretty last minute cause I had several little bits of dialogue that needed to be strung together. I also know so little about mono, and everything is from Google.

When Wooyoung stumbled out of his room, feeling like death warmed over and craving a little attention from his members, he did not expect to find the room dark except for the light of the muted TV and the couch already occupied. Yeosang was curled up, looking just as bad as Wooyoung felt: skin dully pale, shadows under his eyes, body laying as if it weighed a thousand pounds. Their eyes locked. 

“Mind if I join?”

“Welcome to the party.” Yeosang curled his knees even closer to his chest to make room for Wooyoung on the other end of the couch.

“Your throat hurt like hell too?” Wooyoung asked as he collapsed on the other end of the couch. He stuck his feet under Yeosang’s blanket, and the other didn’t fight him. 

Yeosang nodded. “Tired as hell?”

“You know it.” 

“Great. Glad we can die of the plague together.”

“No one else I’d rather go down with.” 

Yeosang hummed. “I’m actually kinda worried, Woo. I felt totally fine last night, and now even the thought of moving is painful.”

“Funny you say that, cause I was starting to think the same thing. The ‘I was all good last night’ bit. I actually wasn’t all that worried. Until you just said that.” Yeosang’s foot reached out and met Wooyoung’s. “Now I’m less nervous.” Yeosang chuckled at that, but the sound quickly became a groan. 

They laid there, staring blankly at the TV, for an indefinite amount of time. Wooyoung had forgotten his phone in his room, and there was no way he was moving back there on his own. It wasn’t like Yeosang could help him. They were stranded on the couch until someone else found them. 

And that person ended up being San. “Good morning!” he chirped happily, passing the couch on his way to the kitchen. “You two have a sleep over without inviting the rest of us?”

“Something like that.” 

San stopped dead in his tracks, turning back to the couch comically slow. Wooyoung’s response may’ve been cheeky, but his voice was… off. He walked back around the couch, taking a good look at both Yeosang and Wooyoung. Lips pouted in confusion, San flipped on the lamp on the end table. His eyes went wide. “Oh my god, what’s wrong with you?”

“Is it that bad?” Yeosang asked. 

“You look like actual zombies,” San replied. 

“Maybe that’s what we’ve got, Sangie: Zombie flu.” Wooyoung tapped Yeosang’s foot this time, earning a single chuckle from the other man. San’s eyes flew wide, and he immediately brought his shirt up to cover his mouth and nose as he backed away. “San, it was a joke!”

“I know, but I’m guest MC-ing Music Core this week, and I really can’t afford to get the flu right now, zombie or otherwise…” Wooyoung couldn’t decide if he felt bad at San’s panic, or if he wanted to laugh at how ridiculous he was being. “I’m getting Hongjoong and Seonghwa…”  

“Noooo! Don’t wake them!” Yeosang whined, burying his face deeper in the throw pillow. San made a mental note to lysol off the whole couch. Maybe burn it. 

“I’m waking them.” He set off before either of them could complain. 

“Has he always been such a germaphobe?” Wooyoung asked. 

Yeosang shrugged. “I mean, I get it. I wouldn’t want to have zombie flu on camera either.”

“Fair point.”

“Now what’s going on here?” Yunho appeared seemingly out of nowhere, standing in front of the couch, hands placed on his hips as if inspecting some sort of silly shenanigan. This was not a silly shenanigan, thank you very much. 

“We are becoming zombies,” Yeosang announced simply. 

“Okay. How did that happen?” Yunho played right along, noting the glaze in the younger man’s eyes, and hoping to either a.) keep him awake long enough for the MATZ line to check his out, and/or b.) get him to say something funny. 

“Your guess is as good as mine. We have not been in contact with any other zombies or hazardous materials.” 

“Yeah, we both just woke up like this.” Wooyoung attempted to pose without sitting up at all, the movement awkward and looking more like contortion than modeling. Yunho tried his best not to laugh, and was thankfully saved by the entrance of Hongjoong and Seonghwa, San trailing behind them. 

“Now what is this about a zombie flu?” Seonghwa asked. Both and Hongjoong had their arms full of supplies from the medicine cabinet, and after depositing them on the coffee table, he immediately moved to lay a hand on Wooyoung and Yeosang’s foreheads simultaneously. 

“Hyung, I think we’re dying,” Wooyoung announced before Hongjoong slipped the thermometer in his mouth. 

“How so?” the captain asked. “Give me symptoms.”

“Extremely tired. Very sore throat. Entire body aches. Felt fine last night,” Yeosang rattled off. 

“See? Dying!” Wooyoung exclaimed around the thermometer. Hongjoong flicked his forehead. 

“Relax. You probably just caught Yunho-hyung’s cold,” Jongho rolled his eyes. Neither Wooyoung nor Yeosang had noticed him enter the room, but he was currently sitting in the recliner, supervising as Hongjoong and Seonghwa desperately tried to play doctor to the group’s most impatient patient. And Yeosang too. 

“Not nice. Mingi had it first!” Yunho poked the maknae’s shoulder. 

“And I didn’t have a fever,” Mingi (when did he get here?!) pointed out. “And I don’t think Yunho did either.” 

The dancer shook his head. “Nope. And neither of us were this fatigued.”

“Wouldn’t classify it as a ‘very sore throat,’” Mingi added, starting to count on his fingers. 

“Okay, okay we get it,” Wooyoung whined around the thermometer again, rolling his eyes as he slumped back against the couch. He frowned, whole face creasing as Seonghwa pointed the thermometer gun at Yeosang’s forehead. He thankfully waited until Hongjoong pulled the device from his mouth before asking, “Why did you only use the forehead reader on Sangie?”

“So you’d be quiet for a little bit,” Hongjoong answered plainly, assessing the numbers on the screen. Seonghwa showed him Yeosang’s reading as well. 

“Rude.”

“Also, kinda gross to put the same thermometer that was just in your mouth in his,” Mingi commented. 

“Can we put a pause on the peanut gallery?” Wooyoung asked, pointing puppy dog eyes at Seonghwa. The eldest ran his fingers through Wooyoung’s hair, similar to a puppy, but the feeling soothed him somewhat.

“Well, you’re both burning up, so it’s probably not the cold the rest of you had,” Hongjoong commented, starting at the thermometers as if doing so would give him answers. “But I’m stumped. Fever, fatigue, sore throat, but nothing else…”

“Should we get them looked at by a doctor?” San asked from the back of the room. To Wooyoung, it almost looked like he was hiding behind Mingi. As if that would save him from their germs. 

“Most definitely.” Hongjoong was tapping away at his phone now, likely alerting their managers to the situation. 

“Do we have to go right now?” Yeosang’s voice bordered on a whine. Hongjoong couldn’t help but pout with him, ruffling the dancer’s hair affectionately. 

“Well, it’s only 6:30 in the morning. The doctor isn’t in yet, buddy. So you two can rest here for a bit longer. Hopefully they can fit you in ASAP.”

“Cuddle with me, Sangie!” Wooyoung lunged forward towards his friend, resting on his abdomen. Yeosang squirmed away with an annoyed whine, t-shirt riding up over his hips from Wooyoung’s grabbing hands. He pulled it roughly back in place, as if seriously upset that Wooyoung would even consider touching him right now, which did confuse Wooyoung as touching feet earlier had not been a problem…

“Wait! Sangie, hold still.” Both members froze as Seonghwa gently lifted the hem of Yeosang’s t-shirt. Yunho gasped as Seonghwa revealed Yeosang’s abdomen and chest, covered with an ocean of red spots. 

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.” San continued repeating the words like a protection spell, covering his mouth with his hands and beginning irritatedly pacing far away from the couch. Seonghwa nodded to Yunho, who immediately suggested he and San go take a walk outside. 

“Wait, what the fuck?” Yeosang gasped. “What is this? I didn’t even feel anything!” His breathing started to pick up. “Hyung, what the fuck’s happening to me?!” Wooyoung simply stared at his friend’s abdomen, frozen in panic. 

“Oh Sangie, shhhh,” Seonghwa soothed, opening his arms and nearly falling back into the coffee table from the force of Yeosang clinging to him. “You’re okay. You’re o-kay. You said you didn’t even feel the rash, right?” 

“No!” Yeosang shook his head against Seonghwa’s shoulder. 

“Well, you’re not gonna like it, but I think this means you have mono, bud.” The eldest glanced over to Wooyoung. “You too, love.” 

Wooyoung blinked, shaking his head as if Seonghwa had just told him there was a dragon living in their basement. “What?” he exclaimed. “There is NO WAY we have mono! Isn’t that the kissing one?”

“Yeah, Hwa, are you sure?” Hongjoong asked, kneeling down on the other side of Yeosang. Seunghwa nodded sadly. “My brother had it once when we were in high school. It’s not just kissing, you can get it from other things too,” he explained, petting Yeosang’s hair gently. The dancer had stopped hyperventilating, but his grip on Seonghwa had only gotten tighter. “Sharing drinks; that’s how my brother’s got it. Sharing chapstick. Maybe even toothbrushes…”

“We don’t share toothbrushes!” Wooyoung insisted. 

“Maybe even toothbrushes touching,” Seonghwa finished gently. “Maybe. It’s possible that you may’ve mixed water bottles with another group at some point, maybe that’s how…” He was cut off by Yeosang lurching away from him, glaring daggers at Wooyoung.

“YOU kissed me!” he exclaimed, immediately wincing at the pain in his throat. “You kissed me when I asked you not to, and here we are!”

Wooyoung’s head cocked to the side. “When?!”

“After our all kill! During the encore stage? You got too excited and grabbed my face and I tried to squirm so you hit my mouth instead of my cheek.”

“That was a month ago!”

“Yeah, about that, mono does have a four to six week incubation period.” Hongjoong held up his phone, where he’d been fact checking mono symptoms. 

Wooyoung clapped his hands to this mouth as his face drained of color. “Oh my god…” Yeosang continued to glare at him. 

“Well, good thing we’ve been super strict about not sharing water bottles,” Hongjoong muttered to Seonghwa, who nodded emphatically. 

“Who would’ve thought there would be an upside to half the group sharing a cold.”

“And that it would be that the rest of us wouldn’t get mono.”

“I can’t believe you gave me mono,” Yeosang huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and physically turning his body as far away from Wooyoung as he could.

Wooyoung’s jaw dropped open. “Um, who said I gave it to you? Maybe YOU had it first and gave it to ME!”

“No. You kissed me. That means it’s your fault.” Now both Yeosang and Wooyoung were pouting on their separate side of the couch. Hongjoong and Seonghwa made the mistake of making eye contact and nearly burst out laughing. 

They were saved by the reappearance of Yunho and San, the dancer’s arm wrapped protectively around the vocalist’s shoulders. 

“Good news, Sannie. They aren’t contagious unless you kiss them!” Mingi cheered. 

“Well why would I ever want to do that?” San replied, pulling a face. Wooyoung threw a pillow at him, causing San to squawk in fear and dodge behind Yunho to not get hit with anything potential contaminated, despite Mingi’s earlier explanation. 

“Okay kids, settle down,” Hongjoong said, holding up his hands for a ceasefire. “I need everyone who’s healthy to go start getting ready for schedules. Yeosang and Wooyoung, I need you two to make up and take care of each other until manager-nim can come get you.”

“Kiss and make up, more like it,” Mingi snorted to himself as he disappeared down the hallway. Wooyoung wound his arm up to throw another pillow at him, but Seonghwa held him back. 

“Rest, Woo,” the eldest said gently. “I know it’s frustrating to be sick, and scary cause we don’t actually know what this is. But all you two can do is rest and let your bodies heal.”

“Okay,” Wooyoung relented. Hongjoong shook his head. Why didn’t Wooyoung ever listen to him like that? “Sangie, I’m sorry I may have gotten you sick.”

“Yeosang?” Hongjoong prompted. 

Yeosang sighed, releasing his arms from their cross. “I’m sorry I may have gotten you sick, and I snapped at you about it.”

“There we go! I think that’s earned you both popsicles later.”

Wooyoung’s eyes lit up immediately, but surprisingly so did Yeosang’s. The dancer never gave into bribery by snack, so he must’ve really wanted that popsicle to be so visibly excited. 

And sure enough, one doctor’s visit later, Yeosang and Wooyoung were curled up together in Wooyoung’s bed, officially diagnosed with mono and contentedly enjoying the promised popsicles, content with the assurance that there were plenty more in the freezer for them over the next few weeks.

[sickonthedancefloor]

Y'all remember that Ateez teaser I wrote a billion years ago? Well.

Yunho wears himself down at the beginning of promotion season. Seonghwa notices, he always does.

Sickie: Yunho Caretakers: Seonghwa, Wooyoung

It’s just how Yunho operates, and yet it worries Seonghwa every time. Seonghwa had seen how tired the taller dancer had been lately, how this comeback seemed to be taking his energy from him every day. A new live filming at 4 in the morning, flying early to another concert performance, more interviews, more youtube specials. For the past week, Seonghwa has seen his soft eye bags darkening with each passing day, but in true Yunho fashion, there’s never any complaints.

It was the performance on M-Countdown that had been the first downfall. The performance went well, Atiny were energetic, and the group was in a rare form of ultra excitement. But during the wind-down, as they filmed tiktok challenges with other idols, Seonghwa had caught Yunho leaning heavily on their manager, walking oddly as they moved backstage. Yunho waved Mingi off with a smile, but Seonghwa caught the wince when Yunho placed weight down on his left foot. It was later when he’d learned that Yunho had stepped wrong during their last performance, and the adrenaline had kept he pain away until he was winding down.

Ice and painkillers and propping it up, the stationed medic recommended. It wasn’t broken, wasn’t very swollen, but if he hurt his muscle, it would just need some time to rest up. Annoying, Yunho had told Seonghwa later. But just a sprain. I’m okay.

Annoying in the sense that he can’t just shove both of his feet in his shoes and go. Frustrating that he needs to take a Tylenol and ignore the throbbing to perform, but his responses to the staff are just that he’s okay to power through it, he can walk just fine. They wrap it with bandages for a performance, and the pressure helps, but Seonghwa can see it taking its toll. Slowly but surely.

“Let me know if you need anything, okay?” Seonghwa tells him softly.

“I will, hyung.” He won’t.

But Yunho naps the hour-long flight to Tokyo, and he’s stiff and limping when they get up and takes a few moments to stretch before deboarding. He tells them he just wants to nap it off for a little when they get settled, and they let him when they arrive and get settled in their stay. They tug out his futon first and leave him to rest; and he wakes up with Wooyoung curled against him, drooling on his pillow.

The show goes well. Rehearsal was smooth, everyone felt great, Yunho even performed a freestyle cypher for the dance battle when he got into it. And when they came back, Yunho, being Yunho, goes to reassure Atiny that he’s fine. He was too forthcoming on their apps, a little too honest; but he just likes that transparency between himself and their fans. He likes being at least a little honest with them, even if it’s not always positive. His ankle doesn’t hurt much, and he’s tired, but he will be okay.

Yunho is not fine, which is why Seonghwa goes to join him. Yunho was fine enough that Atiny doesn’t catch on, and the two end their somewhat chaotic toktoq live with laughter and smiles while they tease San over his own live. Once the camera gets put away, app closed and schedule officially done for the night, Seonghwa watches as Yunho leans back onto the floor, letting out a deep breath as he closes his eyes.

Seonghwa doesn’t hesitate to lean over and look at him. Really look at him. He looks tired, even underneath the remnants of makeup, and he winces when he turns to his side when he moves his problem leg. His ankle must be bothering him again, Seonghwa realizes. But his cheeks, oddly enough, are glowing pink under the fading foundation. His oldest dongsaeng is just pushing through the day, he can tell.

“Yunho-yah?”

“Hmm?” Yunho doesn’t move.

“When’s the last time you took any medication?” Seonghwa squats next to Yunho’s side, placing a slim hand on his forehead. There’s an unnatural heat, but he doesn’t feel scorching; it’s a fever probably just high enough to feel uncomfortable. Yunho leans into the touch and doesn’t answer for a long while. For a moment, Seonghwa’s concerned he fell asleep.

Then: “…before soundcheck, I think?”

That was… hours and hours ago. They had done soundcheck in the morning because of the festival’s length, and had done lunch, costume changes, the performance, even a dance cypher that had Yunho jumping around in pure excitement. They’d had a late breakfast then gone straight to the venue. No wonder he seemed so drained when the adrenaline wore off. Yunho hadn’t complained at all.

“Come on, let hyung get you something for the pain.” Seonghwa sighs, stroking back Yunho’s bangs. “Do you have any cold medicine with you too?”

Yunho nods, gesturing towards his smaller bag on the table. “In my bag. I can get it in a second. You don’t have to worry about it.”

But Seonghwa doesn’t wait. The older one just heads up to get the bag, rummaging through it until he finds a little pouch where Yunho keeps his medication. There’s just acetaminophen, some general cough suppressant, and a blister pack of heavier-strength cold medicine. He takes a few moments to read the labels before heading back to Yunho with his water bottle from the table. With a dramatic sigh, Seonghwa sits onto the floor next to Yunho, nudging his arm with his knee.

“Come on, Yunho, sit up for me?”

Seonghwa spares a glance over to Yunho, who slowly pushes himself upright, before just rolling to his side and setting his head on Seonghwa’s leg. “Can I just sleep here, hyung?” Yunho asks. His tone is light, like a joke, but Seonghwa can tell his dongsaeng is more than ready for some uninterrupted rest. Well, they won’t be up much longer. Meds, cleaning up and brushing his teeth, then sleep. He pops two pills out of the blister pack and puts them in Yunho’s waiting open hand. He then adds a Tylenol, then glances at the cough suppressant.

“Have you been coughing, Yunho-yah? I haven’t heard anything from you.”

Yunho shrugs idly. “Not much, just usually if my nose is runny, from the drainage. But it’s been okay today.”

Okay today. How many days has it been? Seonghwa nods in acknowledgement, deciding to set that pill aside for if those symptoms occur. He opens the water bottle and watches Yunho take the medication, encouraging him to drink a little more to keep from getting dehydrated. Yunho drops his head on Seonghwa’s shoulder, yawning softly.

“Hyung… I’m tired.”

“I know, Yunho-yah. Come on, let’s get ready for bed. Do you want to go take a shower and I’ll go find your pajamas?”

Yunho nods against Seonghwa, but he doesn’t move for a few extra moments. It’s only when Seonghwa’s sure he’s about to fall asleep does he bump him and tell him to get up, watching as the tall puppy-like member slinks towards the bathroom. Seonghwa goes to his suitcase and opens it, pleased to see Yunho’s organization habits were still the same; his pajamas and casual clothing were still tucked on one side together, everything folded by outfit plans. Seonghwa grabs a set of clean pajamas and underwear, delivering it to the bathroom. He sneaks into his own room to change briefly, figuring he could just do his skincare once Yunho fell asleep. Yunho came from the bathroom after a bit after, dressed and clean and a little dazed from the extra steam. Seonghwa just tucks him into his futon, covering him with the comforter and making sure his feet are covered up. He keeps Yunho’s foot propped on an extra pillow. The taller man smiles sleepily at him.

And in a lazy, cute little sing-song voice, to the tune of their song Thank U¸ he says: “Thank you.” And the two of them giggle.

“Go sleep, silly.”

“Don’t stay up tonight worrying about me, okay, hyung?”

Seonghwa smiles. “Of course. Good night.” He flips off his main light and stays in until Yunho falls asleep, then heads off to his own room.

~*~

When Seonghwa slips into Yunho’s room the next morning, he sighs when he sees his younger member fast asleep still, alarm beeping from across the room. Seonghwa turns off the phone’s alarm, a little surprised to see that Yunho didn’t stir at all. The tall member was curled on his side, sweat-soaked hair clinging to his forehead, blanket haphazardly pushed down to his waist. His shirt was also damp with sweat, breaths coming out in a rapid, huffy pace. At one point, his body trembles as he coughs roughly, before he stills.

Touching his forehead, he frowns; Yunho’s definitely gotten worse overnight. The touch has Yunho stirring, the man groaning as he slowly wakes up.

“Yunho-ya,” Seonghwa calls softly, pulling his hand away.

“Hmm…?” Yunho squints his eyes open. “Hyung?”

“There you are…” Seonghwa smiles. “Good morning.” He tries to keep himself calm, to not upset Yunho too early, especially as he’s waking up. He can see Yunho trying to get his bearings, glancing around the room before he turns on his side to cough again. Seonghwa is quick to rub his back, reaching over with his other hand to grab Yunho’s water bottle. He’s glad to see Yunho drank more throughout the night, so at least he was trying not to become dehydrated. When Yunho’s coughing spell stops, Seonghwa hands him the water bottle, and he takes a sip.

When he sets the bottle down, Yunho pushes himself to sit up, grimacing as he moves. “Good morning,” he mumbles. He pulls at his shirt from where it clings to his stomach. “Ugh…”

“Not feeling any better, huh…” Seonghwa guesses. He moves a hand back to Yunho’s back and continues to rub circles, trying to be somewhat comforting. “Did you sleep all night?”

Yunho shakes his head with a sigh. “Woke up coughing… So I took more medicine, went back to sleep.” At least he was trying. After a moment, he just shakes his head again and leans forward, ripping off his shirt. When the air conditioning hits his shoulders, he shudders.

“Yunho— At least let me get you a new shirt!” Seonghwa hurries to Yunho’s bag, grabbing another tee. He helps Yunho into it, pulling the blanket up to his stomach.

“Seonghwa-hyung… can you grab me new shorts too?” Yunho mumbles. His ears turn pink at the request, feeling a little embarrassed.

Seonghwa nodded, but paused to glance over his shoulder. “Do you want to take a quick shower? Maybe a little rinse off may make you feel better.” Especially if his fever is breaking, even if he took one yesterday.

Yunho shakes his head, but grimaces and sets his forehead into his hands.

“Oh… headache?”

“Mhmm.”

Well, that didn’t help. Seonghwa goes back to Yunho’s medicine bag to see if he had any headache medication on him as well, but he sighs when he doesn’t find it. Yunho hasn’t had any terrible headaches in a while, so Seonghwa isn’t surprised that he left it at home. He just hopes Tylenol and more rest will help it pass. He tugs the medicine container over, along with a new pair of boxers and sleep shorts from Yunho’s suitcase. They’re not strangers to changing in front of each other, but as Yunho seems to be a little more sensitive at the moment—probably from the illness, rather than shyness—Seonghwa just focuses on trying to pull out new medicine while he changes. He laughs when he sees Yunho throw the dirty clothes in the direction of his suitcase, landing in a heap a few feet away from it.

“Do you remember what time you took your medicine last night?” Seonghwa asks.

“Uh… around one thirty or something? It was dark, I used my phone to find them but… didn’t really look at it.” Which honestly explained why it was further away. Yunho probably just tucked himself back into the futon and went back to sleep once he grabbed the pills. Seonghwa hums but knocks out an assortment of tablets, setting them in Yunho’s hand. The blonde doesn’t even question it, just tossing all the pills in at once and swallowing the water—which leads to another coughing fit. Seonghwa just rubs his back with a sigh.

“Next time, one at a time, okay?”

Yunho just nods in agreement. His eyes are closing, and as the fit subsides, he finds himself leaning into Seonghwa’s embrace. The older one just helps him lay down, fixing the blanket over him.

“Sleep, honey.”

He falls into slumber easily.

~*~

Yunho isn’t sure what he dreamt about, but he awakens in a panic, his heart racing and eyes glancing every which direction. He’s breathing heavily, and just from the force, his chest aches. His eyes burn with unshed tears, and as his shoulders begin to shake, he feels a pair of arms wrap around him and hold tightly. Wooyoung’s soft voice flits in his ear: “It’s okay, Yunho-ya, you’re okay. It was just a nightmare.”

Just… a nightmare. Yunho just focuses on his breathing, turning his head where he can hear Wooyoung’s voice coming from; he can barely see anything, with the room being dark and his vision blurring as he blinks falling tears. Wooyoung just continues to hush him, letting Yunho tuck his head into the crook of Wooyoung’s neck. His fingers run through his hair, and he rocks him gently while Yunho gets his bearings straight.

“Woo…”

“Yeah… You’re okay, Yunho. Deep breaths, breathe with me. In…” They take a breath in. “Out.” And a shuddered breath out from Yunho. His shoulders droop. Wooyoung makes him take a few more deep breaths before he eases his grip, his hands moving to Yunho’s cheeks, thumbs brushing away the moisture on his cheeks.

“Yuyu… You just had a nightmare, that’s all. You started thrashing around.”

Yunho frowns, his face pressing against Wooyoung’s hands. Wooyoung just leads his to his shoulder and hugs him again. “I don’t… remember it. I just…” He groans. His mind feels so foggy, his headache mostly gone but lingering in the back of his mind. He feels so disoriented, and it takes him a little longer with Wooyoung just rubbing his back and smoothing down his hair to realize that he really is awake. He feels sore.

“Ssh, ssh, you’re okay. Do you want to try something to eat? It may help…”

He doesn’t want to move, to be honest. Yunho’s back hurts, but Wooyoung’s hand is easing away the tension that’s formed and he’s slowly beginning to feel like putty in his grasp. His eyes close, and with a soft sniffle, he turns his head to the side where it rests more comfortably. Wooyoung’s hands pause, and all it does is garner a soft whine from Yunho.

“Don’t fall asleep on me, silly!”

“ ‘m not…” He was.

That’s when Yunho hears a second set of footsteps enter, and given how light the steps were, he’s sure they’re Seonghwa’s. “He’s awake?”

Wooyoung leans back a few inches, bringing Yunho with him while he cranes his head backwards. “He’s trying to fall asleep again.”

“We should probably feed him,” Seonghwa says with a soft laugh. “He hasn’t eaten since yesterday and it’s almost noon…”

Wooyoung and Seonghwa’s voices, as soft and gentle as they were, merely lull him back to slumber, curled right up where he was against Wooyoung’s shoulder. Thankfully, the shorter member doesn’t nudge him for a few good minutes, and Yunho rouses to a delicious smell of ramen. When Wooyoung pulls him to sit up, he catches Seonghwa sitting next to him, a tray resting beside him with a warm meal. And it looks delicious. Yunho blinks sleepily, a small smile forming.

It's from their favorite ramen shop in Japan. They’d ordered, knowing Yunho would appreciate the little pick-me-up. The dish was more broth and vegetables than toppings, which worked for him as he wasn’t overly hungry in the first place. He doesn’t complain as Wooyoung repositions the two so Yunho is laying with his back to his chest, slouching between Wooyoung’s legs. Seonghwa scoots over, and he swats Yunho’s hand away when he reaches for the spoon.

“You’ll spill.”

He would. Seonghwa was right. Yunho just drops his hands on either side, and they find Wooyoung’s quickly. Wooyoung gives his hands a gentle squeeze. The two members talk casually on the morning earlier while Seonghwa feeds Yunho, updating him about Mingi’s accidental build-kit purchase and the lego snacks he found. Apparently, there was already a goody bag of snacks with Yunho’s name on it for when he was doing better. That had Yunho smiling while he chewed his latest spoonful. It was nice knowing his friends were so caring, especially while he was unwell like this.

When Yunho accepts another spoonful, he blinks as his eyes go foggy. It takes him a small sniffle to realize that he’s already about to cry, and when he finally blinks, a few small blinks in succession, tears roll down his cheeks.

“Oh, Yuyu!” Seonghwa smiles, setting down the bowl to reach for Yunho’s cheeks. Gentle hands wipe at the tears while Wooyoung hugs him a little tighter, curling in over his shoulder.

“I—I just.. I love you guys so much!” Yunho babbles, and the tears just fall harder.

That gets Wooyoung laughing softly, planting a kiss on the crown of his head. “We love you too, silly! Don’t cry!”

“I didn’t wanna…”

Wooyoung lets go of his hands so Yunho can wipe at his cheeks, but the smaller one hugs him closer because of it. The pressure from Wooyoung behind him, and the firmness of Seonghwa’s hands at his cheeks with the softness of his thumbs brushing his face, is a reassuring comfort. It doesn’t take him too long to stop crying, but the episode gives him sniffles. Seonghwa makes him blow his nose before he reheats the ramen and returns to feeding him. And the two keep the conversation lighter, talking about some new drama they watched, in the hopes of keeping Yunho from getting too overwhelmed again.

It has an adverse effect. As he eats, he droops, and after half the bowl, he decides he’s done. “Here, take these.” More meds from Seonghwa, but Yunho doesn’t even look at them all, just takes them two at a time as Seonghwa gives them to him. And after a few moments, he rests again.

“Comfy, Yunho?” Wooyoung asks him softly.

“I feel like… every time I close my eyes, I get sleepy.” Yunho’s begun mumbling. He’s exhausted.

Seonghwa just laughs. “Then rest, silly.”

And he does, knowing that even if he doesn’t say what’s wrong, he knows his team will find out. And they’ll care for him. Curled up to Wooyoung’s side, Yunho sleeps just a little easier.

[whats-k-popping]

Hello! For the prompt list, could you write 5 & 49 with Seonghwa as the sick one and San as the caretaker? I love their brotherly dynamic~ Thank you!

I'm so sorry this request is about 9 months old! If you're still here, anon, I hope you enjoy this fic. I really did enjoy writing it and I love the dynamic between these two!

Pairing: Seonghwa x San - platonic intentions, but read as you please

Prompts: "Try and get some food down. Anything" || "Sorry. I'm… I'm really dizzy" 

Words Count: 2489

Warnings: Illness || Emeto || Graphic Descriptions of Sickness

San doesn't usually wake up in the middle of the night. He has a very thorough nightly routine that he completes meticulously each evening. He spends upwards of an hour in the bathroom each night, completing his skin care and dental care and emptying himself of anything that might disturb his precious hours of uninterrupted sleep. He swears by this routine. Sleeping in his own bed is a luxury these days, so he doesn't even want to waste 1 precious minute on something as trivial as using the bathroom. 

So he's naturally disgruntled when he wakes in the middle of the night unable to quickly doze back to sleep. Despite his nightly rituals, he still finds himself having to pee at half past 3 in the morning. He blames it on drinking Mingi's leftover coffee. Can't let precious caffeine go to waste either. He only feels a hint of remorse. 

Begrudgingly, he throws the covers off of himself and hustles down to the bathroom. If he's quick, he might be able to get it done without losing the fuzzy feeling of sleep. In and out, then back to sleep. That's the plan. 

That plan comes to a screeching halt when he enters the bathroom to find Seonghwa draped across the toilet seat, skin white as a ghost. And if the sight isn't enough of a clue, there's an overpowering stench of vomit lingering in the air. 

"Hwa-hyung!" San exclaims. He stands petrified in the doorway, like he's awaiting further instruction. He's not really sure what he's supposed to do. Seonghwa is the caretaker of the group, how is he supposed to take care of him. 

Seonghwa lifts his head to look at San, a pained expression on his face and a vacant look in his eyes. He shushes the younger, "You'll-" He cuts himself off with a nauseous burp, "You'll wake Mingi."

Of course, even draped helplessly over the only toilet in their apartment, looking minutes away from comatose, Seonghwa is still thinking about the others. San clicks his tongue. And Mingi, of all people, a historically heavy sleeper. The building could be mid-demolition and he'd be none the wiser. "No I won't," San says confidently. Still he lowers his voice just for good measure. 

The remnants of sleep are gone and he's on high alert now. He knows he won't be able to go back to sleep knowing that his hyung is feeling so miserably unwell. So he enters the small bathroom and closes the door behind him for privacy. He also turns on the bathroom fan, to hopefully ventilate some of the smell out of the room. 

"Don't come any closer, San-ah." Seonghwa stops mid-command to gag. It's unnaturally loud, echoing in the now sealed room, but unproductive. "I might be contagious." 

"I don't care." San replies without thinking, like it's the most natural response in the world. "You need help." 

Seonghwa shakes his head, not making any eye-contact with the younger. "I can take care of myself." He says in such a way that San can't help but be skeptical. "You're younger than me. I'm not your responsibility." 

"You're my hyung," San stands his ground, already resolved to help Seonghwa. At least through the night, he can let Hongjoong know in the morning and they can work out a more long-term plan from there. "And my family is my responsibility." 

Seonghwa looks like he has another objection queued up, but before he can respond he bows his head into the toilet bowl when the formerly unproductive gag returns. This time, a slurry of sick pours out his open mouth. The oldest whimpers and moans as he stomach convulses to get every last drop out of him. 

San notices it's mostly clear and speculates that Seonghwa has been throwing up for so long that he's empty. Since they all ate the same thing, he concludes it's likely a stomach bug, not a lone case of food poisoning. While Seonghwa continues to stare into the bowl, San takes the opportunity to approach his hyung. He crouches down next to him and runs a hand along his back, "You're okay. Get it out. That's good." He whispers sweet reassurances until the episode is over. 

All the tension leaves Seonghwa's body at once, leaving him slack against the toilet seat. San's hand on his back distracts him from the cramping in his stomach, so for now he stops trying to shoo the younger away. The attention actually feels kind of nice, reminds him of home, of being the youngest in the family. Reminds him of how much he misses it. 

The porcelain seat is cold, but San's body is teeming with warmth. He craves that warmth, the comfort that comes with physical contact. It's more alluring than the ceramic bowl. It takes way more effort than it should, but he pushes himself off the toilet seat and into San's open arms. 

San sees Seonghwa's intention and helps him settle in, wrapping his arms comfortingly around his hyung. He uses just enough pressure so that he's hugging, but not squeezing. "Poor hyung, you really must not be feeling well." He soothes, pressing a kiss to Seonghwa's sweaty temple.  

Seonghwa whines, a long drawn out sound that might be an affirmative. He mumbles something about "hurt" and "cold" but all the words are muffled against San's shoulder. 

"C'mon, why don't we get you back to bed?" San suggests. He contemplates getting his hyung in the shower, but decides against it given the elder's weak state. Maybe when some of his energy returns, he'll push for a shower. 

"Couch," Seonghwa counters. 

San's eyebrow raises in curiosity, "You don't want to sleep in your bed. It's much more comfortable than the couch." He recommends, "If you're still worried about waking Mingi, don't be. His door is closed." 

Seonghwa shakes his head the tiniest bit. If San hadn't been critically analyzing his hyung's every movement, he would have missed it. "Not about Mingi," Seonghwa insists. His eyes start to water and his lower lip quivers. "Please, just couch." He begs through a sob. 

Though San doesn't totally understand why, he can tell it's a sensitive topic and surrenders. "Okay, okay," he hushes, "I'll take you to the couch. I'll set up a nice, soft blanket for you and get you extra pillows. Okay, how does that sound?" Seonghwa does like the sound of that, he affirms it with a small "mmhm." 

San pushes Seonghwa away just long enough to stand up on his own. Once he's on his feet, he holds out a hand to his hyung, "Can you stand?" 

Seonghwa holds the outstretched hand, squeezing it with all the might he can muster. He uses his other hand to hold into the edge of the sink, trying to get himself up. He makes it onto his knees, but can't make it any further. With a sniffle, he shakes his head sadly at his dongsaeng. 

San doesn't question it or force anything more from his hyung. He simply steps in and helps Seonghwa to his feet, shouldering much of his hyung's weight onto himself. "There we go, wanna try walking?" When Seonghwa doesn't object, San takes a tentative step forward, out of the bathroom. Seonghwa follows on wobbling knees. 

They make it to the entrance of the living room area when Seonghwa nearly throws himself against the wall. He clings to the wall, slowly sliding down until he's on the floor, head pressed against the wall. San crawls next to him, "What's wrong?" 

"Sorry, I'm… I feel really dizzy." He explains his sudden transition to the floor. "I just need a minute." 

There's a cold hand pressed against Seonghwa's forehead, something to focus on that will hopefully make his world stop spinning. Even with his eyes closed, he feels like he's riding a carousel at 160 kph. "You're burning up." The younger gasps like this is new information. Seonghwa has known of the fever for hours. "And you're probably dehydrated too. We've gotta get some liquid in you." 

A panic shoots through San as he scans the room, hoping that by some miracle someone might be there to help him. But he knows deep down that it's a lost cause. It's still the middle of the night. And the only other person in the apartment is sound asleep. So it's all up to him. "Stay here, okay?" He encourages, "I'm gonna get stuff ready for you." 

Seonghwa just nods, hand resting on his bloated stomach. Without San's cool hand to ground him, his mind is back to whirling around the carousel. He presses his head against the wall and whimpers until San's return. He has no way of knowing if seconds, minutes, or hours pass in his misery. 

San can hear Seonghwa's lonely cries as he passes through the apartment. He starts in the kitchen, setting on a kettle for tea and rummaging through the mostly barren cabinets, swearing up and down that he'd seen a sleeve of crackers lying untouched just a few days ago. When the crackers don’t turn up, San whispers out a curse and peers around for something else that would be easy on his hyung’s stomach. A bowl of jook would be ideal, but that will take a long time to prepare. Seonghwa needs nutrients now. 

He creates a tray of snacks, containing stray food they had in the apartment. He slices up every kind of fruit he could find, microwaves an instant noodle cup and set the flavor packet aside, and he borrowed one of Mingi’s favorite jello cups. San pours the whistling kettle over a peppermint tea bag and allows it to steep for only 1 minute, not wanting the tea to be too strong. Then he adds an electrolyte drink to the tray for good measure before carrying it out to the coffee table. 

He passes through the corridor again, paying Seonghwa little mind. It seems the older has started to drift off as he rested against the wall. San figures it just buys him time to finish setting up the living room. He takes a quick detour to his hyung's room to gather some additional supplies. 

Upon entering the room, San's hit with the smell of vomit. It doesn't take him long to notice the shallow pool of vomit beside the bed. He follows the trail up and sees another small puddle among the bedsheets. It's suddenly abundantly clear why Seonghwa was so adamant about not returning to his room, feeling too sickly to face the mess he'd made at some earlier point in the night. 

He decides to leave the mess for now, recentering his goal of getting Seonghwa nourished, medicated, and rested. He pulls out some fresh clothes for his hyung, figuring that his current outfit is either sweat soaked or vomit stained. Likely a putrid combination of both. 

He forgoes stealing the blankets off Seonghwa's bed and opts to take the bedding from his own room. But he makes sure to pick up Seonghwa’s Star Wars blanket for some familiarity and comfort. It's a child sized blanket. It hardly covers his torso effectively. But it's a great comfort to Seonghwa, especially when he's feeling sick or overly tired. 

Once San spreads out all the blankets to cover the scratchy fabric of the couch, he returns to find his hyung dozed off right where he's left him. He nudges the older awake. “Hwa-hyung, wake up.” He whispers, “You shouldn't sleep here.” 

Ever the light sleeper, Seonghwa rouses, though he immediately resumes his whimpers. “don't wanna get up.” A sob dies out in the back of his throat, “don't feel good.”

“I know you don't hyung,” San sympathizes, “but I have some things set up that will make you feel better.” He doesn't allow time for Seonghwa to refute before he's helping the older man to his feet and guiding him to the couch. 

Seonghwa's whole weight falls onto the couch, ready to sleep as soon as his head hits the pillow that San had laid out for him. He draws the Star Wars blanket close to his face and lets out a relaxed sigh. It feels like home. 

“No, not just yet hyung.” San nearly shouts just to get his hyung's attention. “First, try and get some food down.” He gestures to the options displayed on the coffee table. “Anything, please.” 

“Sannie, my stomach hurts” The older man slurs. “I don't think I can eat anything.” 

“Hyung,” San's voice morphs into a gentle scolding tone. “You need to eat something.” 

“No!” Seonghwa whimpers. “I just need to sleep.” 

“You know if the roles were reversed, you'd be trying to make me eat something.” San doesn't back down, despite his hyung's bratty behavior. He gives up on asking, opting to use a bit more force. He picks up the electrolyte drink and points the straw to Seonghwa’s lips. “take a sip.” 

When Seonghwa opens his mouth to refuse, the straw slides between his lips. He manages three small sips before he pushes the straw out of his mouth. “Cold.” He whines. 

“How about some tea, it's nice and warm by now.” San replaces the drink bottle with the tea cup. “Sit up a bit, I'll help you.” 

Seonghwa finally does as he's told. Propping himself up enough so San can tip the cup against his lips. The tea is warm, sends a wave of comfort through his chilled limbs. And the weak peppermint flavor coats his bubbling stomach. Still, he pushes San away before he's finished the cup. He just found this new comfort, he doesn't want to risk it by filling up too fast. 

San sets the cup down, “jello or apples?” He offers, figuring that the noodles may be too much for his hyung's stomach right now. He's not ecstatic, but he's satisfied with the amount of liquid Seonghwa managed to take but just wants a few bites of food in him as well.

He decides on the jello, likely a result of his natural sweet tooth winning out. San spoon feeds him an astounding five bites before he purses his lips and puts a hand on his stomach. “Done.” The sick man insists. 

“Okay,” San confirms. “Take a little medicine, then you can sleep again.” 

Seonghwa nods and takes the pills San hands him. He only sips a bit more of the electrolyte drink to force the pills down. And finally, he lays back down, settling into the couch and curling himself into a small ball. “You'll stay?” He looks pitifully at San. 

“Of course, hyung. I'll stay.” He leans against the front of the couch, resting his head on his hyung's thigh. 

“Thanks, Sannie.” Seonghwa’s breathing starts to even out as sleep overtakes him, “for taking such good care of me.” 

“Sleep well, Hwa.” San also starts to drift back to sleep, the adrenaline of the past hour finally dying down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Sorry again for another long absence in sharing fics. I have a few more request fics I'm actively working on and some original ideas I want to flesh out. I know my motivations have been wavering, but I'll get through them in time. I'm finally starting to feel more like myself again, so hopefully, I'll get out of this funk soon. But I make no promises to timing. Just know that I'm still here, still writing as I'm able to. Please accept this overdue Ateez fic as a token of my gratitude.

As always, thanks for reading to the end! I really appreciate each and every one of you who make it this far! Feedback is always appreciated. And please let me know if I missed any tags or TWs. And please call me out for any errors you notice!

🧡 Aki

[yunwooz]

230617 ©️ hongj1998ng

[cheollipop]

i was busy rewatching the mv like three times sorry but we know sounds fucking amazing im ascending

[kimjoongie]

I'm not doing fine.

[k-sickies]

Hiii for your drabble prompts, could you do #3 with Seonghwa as the sickie and Hongjoong as the caretaker? The not wanting to lay on the floor sounds very Seonghwa like as soon as I read it haha. Thank u~

Warning: passing out

"Hyung? Are you okay?" Hongjoong asked.

Seonghwa smiled softly "Yeah. I'm fine." 

Hongjoong didn't believe him and he had every right too. Seonghwa was pale and his hands were shaking. His every move was slow and sluggish. To be honest Seonghwa didn't feel so good. He felt hot and cold at the same time. It felt like he was swimming and his ears were ringing. While dancing he stumbled to the side. He leaned against the wall to support himself. His eyes focused on the ground. Everything was blurry but still the whole room was spinning. He felt like passing out. Hongjoong was quick by his Hyungs side. He grabbed him by the waist and pulled him over to the bench. 

"Hey? Hyung? Can you hear me?" Hongjoong asked, his voice laced with worry. 

Seonghwa nodded. The action making the dizziness worse. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. Only to open it to see a bottle of coke in front of him.

"Take a few sips?" 

"No. Just give me a minute." Seonghwa said. 

Hongjoong tried again but to no use. His Hyung just wouldn't take a sip from the coke. Hongjoong was a bit overwhelmed with the situation. Not really knowing what to do but he couldn't possibly force his Hyung to drink something. Maybe he is right and he would feel better in a bit. 

A few minutes later Seonghwa decided that he felt good enough to continue dancing. He didn't feel better it was just that the dizziness wasn't as bad anymore. It was still there but it subtled down a bit. However, it didn't took long for the dizziness to overtake again. He turned his body. Moving to the rhythm of the music. Staying in beat. Turned again and suddenly his side met the wall. He tried to hold himself up. The whole room spinning. His breath laboured. He was sweating a bunch but still he was shaking so bad that it seemed like a tiny breeze could knock him over. 

"Hwa? Hyung? Seonghwa Hyung?" Hongjoong called out. 

Seonghwa couldn't hear him. His ears ringing. His mouth couldn't form any words. All the could feel was how the room kept spinning and his knees wobble underneath him.

"H-Hyung?" By now Hongjoong was full on panicking. He doesn't know what to do. He felt so scared. He was never in such situation and now he was all alone with his Hyung. The situation overwhelmed him. Hongjoong pulled on his hair. He had a few tears in his eyes. "Fuck." He cursed.

The leader wrapped one arm around Seonghwas waist. "Work with me, okay? I will lay you down now" 

Seonghwa shook his head.

"I'll help you, don't worry." Hongjoong tried to sound as gentle as possible.

"It's dirty." Seonghwa could manage 

"What?" Hongjoong asked in confusion. 

"The floor.." The older mumbled again.

Now Hongjoong understood him. The older doesn't want to lay on the floor because it's dirty. If Hongjoong wouldn't have been so overwhelmed he would have laughed but right now he couldn't. 

"It's okay, just lay down, will you?"

By now Seonghwa had lost all his colour. He was pale as a ghost and shaking badly. Still he was stubborn enough to not lay down. "No..no one cleaned it. I don't wan' to.." he said, his words becoming slurred. 

"Fuck, Hyung!" Hongjoong cursed. 

The leader didn't know what to do so the best thing that came in his mind was to lift up the older and carry him like a bride over to the bench. There he laid him down as carefully as possible. The leader took off his jacket and placed it underneath Seonghwas head. Then he quickly went over to grab the coke and offered it to Seonghwa. The older was so out of it he couldn't hold the bottle by himself. Hongjoong helped him take a few sips. Seonghwa was conscious and his breathing slowly returned to normal again. His face slowly getting more colour.

Temporary relief took over the leader and he sat down on the ground next to the bench. He hid his face in his hands and took a deep breath. Tears formed in the corner of his eyes. He just needed a second to gather his thoughts. He was so overwhelmed by the situation. He doesn't know what would have happened if his Hyung really would have passed out. He felt so scared and small. Even noe he doesn't know what to do. Should he call someone? Should he wait? What was he supposed to do? Hongjoong leaned his hand back and stroked his hair out of his face. Stressed about the situation he took another deep breath.

Suddenly there was a hand wiping a tear from his cheek. He looked up only to meet his Hyung smiling softly at him.

"I'm okay, don't worry too much." Seonghwa mumbled.

"You're not..you almost passed out…" Hongjoong said as took a deep breath. "You gave me a real scare." He said as he reached out to hold his Hyungs hand. 

"I'm Sorry. I didn't realize it would get this bad." Seonghwa admitted. Feeling guilty to give the leader such a scare. "Can we go home?" 

Hongjoong smiled softly and nodded. "We will as soon as you can stand up."

[feverishly-kpop]

Ateez - Nauseous at Work Vignettes - 2/8 - Seonghwa

Seonghwa had been worried about Wooyoung when he put him to bed the night prior after the two of them had gone out drinking. They didn’t have schedules the following morning, but the thought of looking after a hungover dongsaeng the following morning was not necessarily how Seonghwa had hoped to spend his day off.

So it came as a surprise to him when he was shaken awake by Wooyoung, who was already dressed and looking completely well.

“Hyung, the photo shoot got moved up to today” Wooyoung said with some urgency. “There’s a huge storm coming tomorrow so they moved it up.”

Seonghwa nodded, his head aching as he did so. He glanced up at Wooyoung, who had easily downed twice as much soju than Seonghwa himself and had to be carried home on Seonghwa’s back.

Damn him.

“No hyung, please don’t close your eyes again. Hongjoong-hyung is all worked up trying to get everybody up and out within the next half hour” Wooyoung pleaded with him, shaking his shoulder again.

“Okay, okay I’m getting up” Seonghwa said, the volume of his own voice coming out far too loud despite being hardly above a whisper. Wooyoung seemed to notice Seonghwa wince as he sat up, offering him an understanding smile as he pulled out some clothes for his hyung.

“Are you feeling okay?” Seonghwa questioned, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to dull the pain settling behind them. Wooyoung nodded in response, stepping out for just a moment before returning with a few pain tablets and a bottle of water.

“I’m fine, hyung. Sorry I was so…messy…last night.” Guilt seeped into Wooyoung’s timid apology as he realized how unwell Seonghwa was feeling after he had spent the last hour of their night sitting with Wooyoung, rubbing his back and offering him sips of water after round of sick.

Seonghwa smiled in response as he swallowed his tablets. “It’s okay, Wooyoungie, I’m just glad you’re feeling better this morning. I’m sure I will be too once the meds kick in.”

*~*~*~*~*~

Seonghwa did not feel better once the meds kicked in. Hell, he wasn’t even sure that they had kicked in at all. He did his best to keep the discomfort he was feeling to himself, not wanting to add additional stress to what was already a very stressful day for Hongjoong. This was one of the more complicated shoots they’d done and the fact that it was so suddenly pushed forward had the captain on edge. He didn’t need Seonghwa’s hangover to further complicate things.

He could sense Wooyoung’s eyes on him throughout the shoot. Luckily it was not physically taxing in any way, but his outfit was heavy and uncomfortable, and much too tight around his waist with his stomach, making the nausea that was beginning to set in that much worse.

They had just about finished with group shots when the photographer announced that they’d do individual shots next and that Seonghwa would be first.

Seonghwa did his best. He really did.

The hot sun overhead did nothing to help his pounding head and looming nausea. He knew if he waited any longer, he’d have an embarrassing mess on his hands. After making the split second decision, he bowed quickly to the photographer, muttering something about the washroom, before he stumbled off the set.

Wooyoung noticed immediately and instantly dropped the snack bar he had been eating to race to Seonghwa’s side.

“Wooyoung-ah” he managed to gasp between heavy breaths. “I’m going to be sick.”

With that, Wooyoung pulled off the long jacket he had been wearing, using it as a makeshift curtain to give Seonghwa some privacy as he doubled over, immediately regretting every bit of food and drink he had consumed in the last 24 hours.

“This is so embarrassing” Seonghwa whined once he felt like he had finished for the time being. Wooyoung didn’t respond, more focused on finding some solitude and shade for his hyung.

“I’m sure they got plenty of good shots to use. You were just about done when…” Wooyoung’s voice faded off, not wanting to rehash any details unnecessarily.

Seonghwa nodded before adding weakly, “I’m just so nauseous still. But Woo, you don’t need to stay. I’ll just close my eyes for a little while to see if it’ll pass…”

Wooyoung signed, brushing Seonghwa’s hair from his face. “Hyung, you took care of me last night. Let me return the favor so we can call it even.”

[joong-tori]

y’all this comeback has me going FERAL and i’m abt to be going ✨🌶️SLOW IT DOWN MAKE IT BOUNCY 지금부터 FLY🌶️✨ forever until the end of time i’m so serious

[maximura]

Ateez for Elle Singapore (October 2023)

[fairyniceyeah]

⌛🐿️🧸 Day 16: Toxin/Poison

@sicktember

Summary: “Are you feeling okay, Jongho?” Jongho wondered what prompted the question. Hadn’t he just established that he was fine and enjoying the tour a lot?

CW: emeto, diarrhea in the context of illness

Sickie(s): Hongjoong + Jongho  Caretaker(s): Seonghwa + Yeosang

“Are you feeling okay, Jongho?”, Hongjoong asked as they entered the hotel again.

As tradition dictated Hongjoong would invite a member to dinner each week in order to give them some captain-member bonding time and the possibility to just speak as two individuals not members of the same group. It was greatly appreciated by all of them and tradition was never broken - not even on tours. So Jongho counted himself very lucky that it was his week when they were in LA of all places and Hongjoong had chosen a really good seafood restaurant.

Jongho wondered what prompted the question. Hadn’t he just established that he was fine and enjoying the tour a lot?

“I’m fine, hyung”, he replied, “just tired. You know how it is.”

“That is true”, Hongjoong said, interrupting himself half-way through the sentence with a yawn. “Well, see you tomorrow, I guess. Sleep well, good night.” 

“Good night, hyung. Rest”, Jongho replied and trudged to the next room, the one he shared with Seonghwa. For a moment he watched as Hongjoong fumbled with the keycard reader, the captain known for losing his card or generally always having issues with it, but he got into the room he shared with Yeosang easily. Jongho waved and entered his room.

Seonghwa was sitting on his bed, freshly showered and hair still dripping a bit, reading on his phone. 

“Hey, Jongho-yah, how was dinner?”

“Very good”, Jongho said, “you done in the bathroom? I want to take a shower too.”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

Once Jongho had cleaned up himself he fell into bed easily. He was exhausted, so much was true. Concert tours were always draining, like he had told Hongjoong earlier. Going to sleep early wasn’t a luxury they had on most days and so, after talking quietly with his oldest hyung for a bit, Jongho dropped off into sleep easily.

⌛

Sleep didn’t hold for long. A glance on his phone revealed that it was only two hours he had slept. As he became more aware he noticed that Seonghwa was talking rapidly on the phone with somebody. 

Jongho was about to tell his hyung where he could stick the device in the middle of the night, when Seonghwa ended the call with a concerned: “Don’t worry, Sang-ah. I’ll be there in a moment.”

“Wha’ ‘s go’n on?”, Jongho slurred, body more asleep than brain.

“Hongjoong isn’t feeling well, Yeosang just called me”, Seonghwa explained, running his hand through his hair, silhouette barely visible in the low light coming in through the curtains. “I’m gonna go see how I can help. Go back to sleep.”

“Hm, okay”, Jongho said, turning onto his other side. Maybe he should be a bit more worried about his captain and hyung but as he had pointed out earlier, tours were draining. He was so tired and he certainly didn’t want to get up if Seonghwa and Yeosang had it under control. 

Seonghwa slipped out of the room soon after and Jongho tried to fall back asleep. Now, however, as the opportunity presented itself, he couldn’t. He was so hot. Sweat was making the sheets cling to his body. Damn him for drawing Seonghwa as his roommate - his mat-hyung was a cool roommate normally but he was well known for liking warm temperatures. Why had he turned the A/C off? They were in California after all. 

The maknae fumbled a bit to stick his legs out under the blanket, hoping that like turning his pillow around, it would cool him down. It did. He shivered. Great. He just wanted to be comfortable, damn it.

Jongho had nearly fallen back asleep, already barely awake, when the door opened again.

“Hyung?”, Jongho asked.

“Hi, Jongho-yah”, Yeosang greeted with a sigh, “sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s okay”, Jongho assured him, now wide-awake again, and turned onto his back. “I wasn’t asleep, I think. What are you doing here? How is hyung?”

“Hongjoong-hyung said he felt nauseous earlier and went to sit in the bathroom just in case. He really didn’t look good, I have never seen him that pale. Told me to stay away and wouldn’t let me come in or call anybody for help”, Yeosang explained, sounding exhausted. “Next thing I know I am waking up to the lovely sound of puking. He refused to let me in, so I called Hwa-hyung to deal with him.”

“Oh, damn.” Illnesses on tours were always the worst. Jongho still had vivid nightmares of the time Yunho had the stomach flu in Madrid. That had not been fun at all with the heat, the older feeling like he had been dying. Jongho had been quarantined with his then-roommate, trying to help him and yet wishing he was with all the other members chilling at the pool during the day. He wished that fate on nobody, least of all on his hard-working captain.

“Yeah. Are you feeling okay? You were out eating with him, if this is food poisoning…”

Oh, please. No. It would however explain why Hongjoong had asked earlier how Jongho was feeling. Maybe he had already been feeling off back then. Jongho didn’t though, so he was fine.

Jongho felt fine, didn’t he? A bit hot but that was to be expected if one shared rooms with Park Seonghwa.

“I feel fine”, he assured Yeosang. 

“That’s good”.

Considering the time of day (or well, night), Yeosang slipped under the covers of Seonghwa’s bed and just fell back asleep. Jongho was a bit envious. He had now been awake for over half-an-hour and he was so exhausted. Yet sleep didn’t come.

Now that he wasn’t distracted by talking with his hyungs, Jongho was for the first time realizing that the A/C was indeed whirring in the warm room and considering how Yeosang, who like Jongho liked it cool, had still buried himself under the blankets he started to assume that maybe the room was indeed cold.

With the realization also came the first agonizing cramp in his stomach that had the maknae nearly whimpering in pain. He curled into himself, pressing his hands to his aching abdomen. It hurt so badly, leaving him breathless. He tried to breathe through the pain anyways, but it didn’t do much.

It was then that Jongho started to wonder if maybe he was experiencing food poisoning, considering that Hongjoong was sick as well. It would make a sick (pun not intended) form of sense. God, he hoped not.

Yet, as if understanding the situation gave his stomach permission to worsen everything, he felt a pressure deep down that he did not ever want to experience. His brow slick with sweat, Jongho groaned, cursing their food choices. Then, a wave of nausea hit, nearly making him throw up then and there.

Jongho barely had any time to wonder if the pain and his messed up bowels were causing the nausea or if he was nauseous from the food itself, before he had to fling himself from the bed and rush to the bathroom.

Though he was embarrassed knowing that Yeosang would be able to hear everything if he woke up (the hotel was fancy, the sound-proofing was not), he had no time to lose or any caution for silence to spare.

He barely managed to close the bathroom door behind himself and sit down on the toilet before everything decided to leave him at once. Jongho quickly had to understand that his nausea did indeed come from an upset stomach and not just the pain. He felt himself sweat badly, body expelling itself violently and loudly. Yet Jongho didn’t have the time to feel embarrassed before his stomach decided that down was not the only way his food wanted to come out.

Jongho gagged violently, leaning over sideways to throw up in the bathtub that was luckily directly next to the toilet. His stomach cramped anew at the terrible position he was in but at least he wasn’t throwing up on the floor. 

It was truly disgusting, seeing the waves of pale yellow and chunky vomit splatter onto the previously clean porcelain. Honestly, all of Jongho felt disgusting. 

To make matters worse, there was a knock on the bathroom door and then Yeosang’s voice asking if he could come in.

If he didn’t die of this illness Jongho was sure he was going to die of humiliation.

“No”, he yelled between gags, hoping his hyung would respect his wishes. He didn’t think he could ever look Yeosang into the eyes again, if he saw Jongho this way: Pale and sweaty on the toilet, his body evacuating from both ends at the same time. No, he would not survive that.

“If you need help, yell”, Yeosang said and hopefully left to go somewhere far away. Deep down, Jongho knew that Yeosang would never leave when his maknae was this obviously, this violently sick, but he could dream.

Another wave of vomit splashed into the disgusting puddle in the tub but then luckily it stopped. Everything stopped. All Jongho was left with was awful cramps and a still very nauseous feeling in his stomach. Plus a very terrible clean-up.

Just standing up was a problem, his abused stomach muscles hurting and pulling at every movement. In the end, Jongho barely managed to clean himself up, flush and wash out the tub with water. Though he didn’t want to face Yeosang, he knew he had no choice. All he wanted was to sleep this off.

When he exited the bathroom, he saw Yeosang sitting crosslegged on Seonghwa’s bed, typing or playing on his phone. He looked up as he heard the hesitant steps coming towards the second bed, mustering Jongho up and down. 

“How are you feeling?”, the dancer asked, his tone carefully void of emotion. Jongho had expected him to sound a bit more worried, if he was honest, and even if he didn’t want any fuss it was suddenly weird. He flushed, looking down.

“Awful. My stomach really hurts”, he admitted, curling into himself.

“I can imagine”, Yeosang mumbled and stood up, reaching up to feel Jongho’s forehead. “You’re really clammy.” And then. “You said you were fine.”

“Cleary I lied”, Jongho snapped. He was in pain and sick and confused and whatever game Yeosang was playing he was rapidly losing.

Yeosang sighed, moving his hand to Jongho’s nape.

“Sorry”, he apologized, “I’m so worried about you, maknae-yah. Why didn’t you say you felt sick too, especially after it was clear that hyung was unwell?”

“It all happened so quickly. I’m sorry.”

⌛

Earlier:

“Sorry, I didn’t know what else to do”, Yeosang said, wringing his hands. “He told me to go to bed but I was on my phone and I got worried when he didn’t come out, so I asked if he was okay. He said he was really nauseous and wanted to stay in the bathroom just in case but he didn’t want my help but now he is throwing up and …”

“Breathe”, Seonghwa interrupted the rambling, wrapping his arms around his shaking dongsaeng. “I got him. Joongie is probably not keen on anybody seeing him like this anyways.”

“You’re probably the only one who can get through to Hongjoong-hyung at this point”, Yeosang admitted, gesturing helplessly at the closed bathroom door.

“Go sleep in my bed”, Seonghwa suggested, running his hand through his hair, “no use in staying awake here.”

“I will. Thanks, hyung”, Yeosang replied, “I’m sorry, I wish I could be of more help.”

“You called me, that’s help enough”, Seonghwa assured, “if Jongho is still awake, ask him how he feels, please. I’m not sure if I want this to be food poisoning but that’s better than a stomach bug.”

“Yes, hyung.”

Once Yeosang had left, Seonghwa dared knock on the bathroom door. “Joongie? It’s me. Can I come in?”

“Hwa?”, Hongjoong asked, his voice raspy. Likely from getting sick, Seonghwa mused. He really didn’t sound good. “I…”

Hongjoong stopped talking then and for a moment Seonghwa was incredibly worried but then the lock turned. When Seonghwa opened the door, he found Hongjoong curled up on the floor, only a towel keeping him from laying on the tiles. The stench of vomit nearly made Seonghwa gag but he knew he needed to focus on Hongjoong.

The captain was incredibly pale and there was vomit drying around his mouth and on the toilet seat. Seonghwa wouldn’t be surprised if anybody looked up the definition of sick and found a picture of the young rapper there. 

“Hey there”, he whispered, kneeling down by Hongjoong’s side, brushing hair out of his face. He suppressed a shudder as he realized that Hongjoong even had vomit caking in his hair. The poor man was really sick.

“Hwa”, Hongjoong repeated his hyung’s name, moving one hand from the tight grip he had on his stomach to reach out for him. Seonghwa grasped his hand gently, knowing that any disgust he felt was nothing in comparison to how awful Hongjoong must be feeling. There were deep lines of pain on his face. “Jongho-yah … is he okay?”

How typical, always worried about the maknae - or any other member than himself - first. 

“I’m more worried about you right now”, Seonghwa said, “if Jongho is sick, which I didn’t notice when I just spoke to him, he has Sangie with him. Do you wanna get cleaned up?”

“Not sure if that would make a difference right now”, Hongjoong muttered bitterly.

“Feeling nauseous again?”

“Never stopped.” Hongjoong moaned in pain. “But yeah, uh … help me up?”

In one swift motion Seonghwa managed to hold Hongjoong over the toilet just in time for a wave of vomit to spill into the murky water below. Clearly Hongjoong had been too ill to even flush.

Hongjoong seemed to be mostly empty, barely anything coming up. He shook violently in Seonghwa’s arms and the older was sure he would be crying if he could produce tears.

Seonghwa tore a bit of toilet paper off, wiping Hongjoong’s mouth, then taking new pieces to wipe his whole face. Gently he leaned Hongjoong against the tub, where the leader pulled his knees to his chest, hugging himself. 

“Let me just clean up a bit, okay?”, Seonghwa explained. “Then we can see about getting you back to bed with a bucket.”

Hongjoong nodded tiredly.

Seonghwa had barely managed to clean the splatters of puke from the seat and thrown the paper into the toilet to be flushed with everything else, when Hongjoong whimpered in pain. As he turned around, the oldest saw the deep pain on his face and the way Hongjoong was fighting against the cramps assaulting him.

“Are you …?”

“Get out!”, Hongjoong pressed out, teeth clenched.

“What?”

“Out.”

Understanding dawned on Seonghwa and he rushed out, not wanting to make Hongjoong feel any more humiliated than he probably already did.

He blocked out the sounds of Hongjoong facing a very different problem now and texted Hongjoong’s manager. Considering how sick Hongjoong was, they would need medicine or a doctor soon. Then he texted Yeosang asking for updates, receiving an immediate reply:

Maknae is sick too.

Shit. Great.

“Hyung?”, Hongjoong called weakly. Seonghwa felt his heart break - Hongjoong only called him hyung when he was feeling particularly vulnerable and in need of comfort. “Can you bring me new pajamas?”

“Sure”, he called back, feeling awful for the younger. He didn’t want to imagine how embarrassed Hongjoong must have been to ask the question.

He grabbed a pair of comfy clothes from Hongjoong’s suitcase and knocked on the door. “Can I come in?”

“Yeah.”

Hongjoong had wrapped a towel around his lower self, shaking in the cold. His trousers lay abandoned, wet from a poor attempt at cleaning, in the tub.

Seonghwa rushed over to Hongjoong, handing the fresh clothes over, looking away but holding onto Hongjoong’s shoulder to help his balance as he changed.

“I’m sorry”, Hongjoong whimpered once he was changed.

Seonghwa shook his head and pulled him against his chest, feeling Hongjoong take shuddering breaths. “There is nothing to be sorry about. You’re sick.”

“I mean, I … Hwa, I’m dizzy.” Hongjoong interrupted himself, a wave of panic in his voice and clutching Seonghwa's shirt frantically.

Seonghwa held him more tightly, knowing that Hongjoong was prone to fainting and that the best way to help him was to lie down flat. But it was too late. As he laid Hongjoong on his back, feet propped up against the tub, the captain’s eyes fluttered shut and he went limp.

They needed a doctor now.

⌛

Now:

Their conversation was interrupted as Yeosang’s phone began to ring. Jongho managed to catch a glimpse of Hongjoong’s manager’s name before Yeosang lifted the phone to his ear.

“Yes. Yes. Yes, alright. Be there soon.” Yeosang hung up.

“Hongjoong-hyung fainted. They are taking him to the ER to get some meds and fluids. The manager wants you to go too before anything happens.”

Jongho felt his eyes fill with tears against his will. He didn’t want to go to the hospital. All he wanted was sleep. But he knew to not challenge a manager’s decision in the middle of the night, especially since he had no good defense for himself. So he just nodded, resigned.

“It’s probably for the better”, Yeosang comforted, wrapping the overwhelmed maknae in his arms. “You’ll feel better with some fluids and meds.”

The ride to the ER was more than unpleasant. Jongho had given up on sitting straight within a minute and had slumped into Yeosang’s side. The only thing that kept the maknae sane was his hyung’s embrace, he was sure otherwise he would have freaked out with his symptoms in an enclosed space with no bathroom near.

Hongjoong, while he had woken up, was incredibly sluggish. He was laying stretched out in the backseat, head on Seonghwa’s lap. 

By the time they pulled into the parking lot, Jongho was in extreme pain again, holding back barely an option. Yeosang pulled him into the building and to the nearest bathroom with only seconds to spare. Red-faced and humiliated in Jongho’s case and very worried in Yeosang’s, they reunited with the manager twenty minutes later.

“They already took Joongie to a room to give him meds and fluids”, the manager explained, sighing. “Seonghwa-yah is with him. I’m going to get a nurse, you’ll be admitted too, Jongho-yah.”

Jongho bit his lip, turning his face into Yeosang’s shoulder to hide. He didn’t want to be prodded by nurses and doctor’s all night, he just wanted to sleep. He didn’t know how to deal with the situation anymore but cry in his hyung’s arms.

“Do they know what is wrong?”, he heard Yeosang ask. The older was tenderly stroking Jongho’s hair, seemingly very aware that he was the only thing keeping the maknae from breaking down.

“Diarrhetic shellfish poisoning”, the manager replied, “apparently they have been getting cases all evening and night. A batch at the seafood restaurant they were at must have accidentally been contaminated.”

That was when the tears started to flow.

⌛

Getting an IV took ages, despite a doctor being available immediately after the manager had gotten a nurse. They had led Jongho into a private waiting room but with the overwhelming situation, Jongho was barely able to sit still for longer than a few minutes before having to rush back to a bathroom. With how badly he was dehydrated it was difficult to find a vein for the IV.

It hurt and Jongho had given up on being embarrassed by the time he was crying on Yeosang’s lap while the young doctor carefully spoke to him while placing the IV, chatting to keep Jongho distracted. 

By the time Jongho was wheeled into a private hospital room, hiding his face in the pillows and clutching Yeosang’s hand as the bed he was laying on was pushed through the vast hospital halls, Jongho felt emotionally numb.

He looked up when he felt another familiar hand hold his other one in theirs.

“Hwa-hyung?”, Jongho asked quietly, blinking up at their eldest. His brain was too foggy to even question why Seonghwa was suddenly there.

“Hi, baby”, Seonghwa greeted him, placing a kiss against Jongho’s forehead. Normally Jongho would have hated it but right now it was the most comforting feeling ever. “How are you feeling?”

“Awful”, Jongho whispered, “tired.”

“Sleep.”

⌛

Hongjoong couldn’t remember the last time he had felt this sore when he woke up. His stomach hurt and his head was pounding in time with his heart. 

“Good morning, Hongjoong-ssi”, a woman’s voice greeted him. He blinked open his eyes, wincing at the bright light, to look up to what appeared to be a nurse. “My name is Nali, I’m a nurse here.”

Hongjoong was still incredibly sleepy, his head filled with what felt like cotton, so he was glad the nurse was speaking Korean. They were in LA, weren’t they? He truly was in luck, except for, you know, the whole hospital thing.

“Good morning. Where are …?”

“Your manager drove your friends back to the hotel, he should be back soon”, the nurse explained, “Jongho-ssi is asleep next to you.” She gestured to the other side of the room where Hongjoong could spot his maknae curled up under the covers, face slack in sleep and still very pale.

“How is he? What…?”

“You’re both still a bit dehydrated and might experience some slight nausea and diarrhea the next few days”, the nurse explained. “Let me take your vitals and then we can see about waking Jongho-ssi up.”

Numbly, Hongjoong nodded. The nurse seemed happy enough with his vitals, blood pressure a bit low but not as bad as he had experienced in the past. Indeed did he feel a bit nauseous still and he was glad for the kidney dish resting on the bedside table even though he didn’t feel like he would be sick in the close future.

“Can I wake Jongho-yah?”, Hongjoong asked just before the nurse turned to the still knocked-out maknae. “He isn’t really a fan of strangers … no offense.”

“No, of course. Go ahead. Just take it slow.”

Hongjoong slowly sat up, breathing through the slight vertigo he felt. He slipped down from the bed and, clutching the IV stand for support, wobbled over to Jongho. He was grateful for the chair at his bedside, sinking into it with a sigh. He was much more exhausted than he would have imagined from the barely five steps he had taken. 

“Maknae-yah”, he whispered, “wake up, baby.” He ran his hand over Jongho’s upper arm, hoping the stimulation would help. Jongho looked so young in his sleep and yet, so exhausted. 

It took some time until he woke up but then Jongho mumbled a sleepy: “Hyung?”

“Hey”, Hongjoong replied, “try to wake up a bit, hm? You’re in the hospital and a nice nurse wants to take your vitals.”

Jongho yawned and slowly opened his eyes. 

Hongjoong gestured at the nurse to start looking him over. If they waited until Jongho was really awake, they might sit there awhile. He always needed a bit extra help waking up when he was not feeling well.

By the time Jongho seemed truly able to understand where he was, the nurse was mostly done.

“What happened?”, Jongho asked, sounding painfully confused, “I remember feeling awful but … where are Sangie-hyung and Hwa-hyung? Aren’t you also sick, Joong-hyung?”

“Manager-hyung drove them back to the hotel”, Hongjoong explained patiently, intertwining their hands, “I feel much better than last night. How about you?”

“My stomach hurts”, Jongho mumbled, “what made us this sick?”

Right, that Hongjoong didn’t know yet either. He turned to the nurse expectantly.

“You both have Diarrhetic Shellfish poisoning. A seafood restaurant uptown apparently got a tainted batch.”

Hongjoong felt horror was over himself. He had chosen the restaurant.

“God, I’m so sorry, Jongho-yah”, he apologized, feeling even more terrible as he saw how long it took the younger one to puzzle the information together.

“Not your fault”, Jongho finally said, “you didn’t know and the food tasted good. I thought you chose it very well.”

“He’s right”, the nurse said, “nobody could have known. The restaurant didn’t either until the first cases started to come in. Just focus on resting. Do you want help getting back to your own bed?”

Hongjoong was about to nod, knowing he was never going to make it on his own, but then Jongho scooted a bit away from him. “Stay, hyung. Cuddles.”

It was so un-Jongho-like that Hongjoong for a moment wondered if he wasn’t hallucinating it all, but the honest and yearning look in Jongho’s eyes decided for him. Jongho hated hospitals and strangers and sickness, and Hongjoong couldn’t fault him for wanting to be close to his hyung when he was still obviously feeling so bad.

So, until the manager came back with Yunho and San to take them home, Hongjoong and Jongho stayed cuddled up on the bed together asleep, the maknae resting his head on his hyung’s chest. 

Masterlist links: Fairy's Full Masterlist Fairy's Sicktember 2024

[darl-ingfics]

Sicktember Day 10: The Sniffles

Fandom: ATEEZ

Sickie: Hongjoong (cold)

Caregiver(s): Seonghwa, Mingi, mostly

Word Count: 2,239

Notes: So this is the second Sicktember fic finished in the nick of time (literally stayed up to string all the pieces together an hour past my normal 'bedtime,' per say). This idea got away from me, and there will be more it coming post-Sicktember. This is just a "small" snippet, and, of course, fully of nonsense side plots. I also have learned that I have no idea what to do with San in these fics; he's the one member I have no figured out to at least a working degree, so we're gonna keep working on that. Really for all of the members... ramble over.

Sunday

Hongjoong woke up coughing. And not the kind of ‘clearing the throat from sleep’ cough, but rather the ‘hacking up gross shit’ cough. Lying down, he almost felt like he was choking. But even after vaulting into a sitting position, he immediately doubled over with the force of the cough, face buried in his hands. The sudden movement caused something to shift in his sinuses, and before he’d even gotten his breath back under control, he was thrown forward by a string of sneezes that left him feeling dazed and breathless. 

Hongjoong groaned. The nap had not helped. The universe had not been on his side. He was sick. He was sick and he had to be on camera in an hour. 

Well shit.

*

“Hongjoong-ah, we have you sitting in between Seonghwa and Mingi right there.” Their manager was smiling, but there was pity in his eyes. But he very casually slipped him a bottle of water, a blister pack of pills covertly tucked against his palm, so Hongjoong couldn’t stay mad at him. The captain nodded, mouthing a ‘thank you’ before moving into the room. A series of crafty items were spread around the table, and the members were so busy taking it all in no one had seen him yet. 

“How was the nap, hyung?” Mingi, who only knew the figure shuffling towards the table was Hongjoong because he’d heard their manager say his name, asked. Hongjoong noticed that San and Wooyoung were still missing. 

“Fine.” Five pairs of eyes snapped to him, and Hongjoong felt his body physically shrink into his hoodie. He fought the sudden urge to clear his throat. “What?”

“Hyung…” If he’d thought the manager’s pity was bad, it was ten times worse from Yunho’s pouted lips and wide eyes. 

“What?!” Hongjoong repeated. He felt his cheeks heating up from the scrutiny. “I’m fine.”

“Oh, sweetheart, that is so far from true.” Seonghwa had pushed out his chair and was moving around the table towards him. 

“Don’t!” Hongjoong held up a warning finger to his friend. Seonghwa, the disobedient little shit he was, did not stop moving until he had his hand pressed against Hongjoong’s cheek. The captain swatted his hand away, tried to step back out of his reach, but Seonghwa (whose reflexes weren’t compromised by a cold) was faster, catching Hongjoong’s wrist and feeling his forehead this time. 

“You’re warm, but not fever warm,” the eldest muttered, lips quirked to the side. 

“See? The nap worked…”

“But you look and sound so much worse,” Seonghwa finished, settling back in his heels, arms crossed over his chest. Hongjoong glared at him. Which lasted all of two seconds before a cough bubbled up in his throat. Elbow thrust against his mouth, he turned his back on his members, as if that could hide his very obvious illness. 

“Hyung, you can always go back to bed,” Yeosang offered. There was that pity again. Fuck. “ATINYs will understand if you sit this one out.”

“Seriously, Joong-hyung. You look rough,” Jongjo replied. His voice was so much softer than usual. “Like, rough enough that ATINYs are going to notice and worry about you. Not to mention we’ll be worrying about you.”

“And, if your own wellbeing and ATINY’s worries aren’t enough to convince you, the rest of us would very much like to not have whatever you’re having right now,” Yunho added, his tone teasing, but the sentiment clear. 

Hongjoong sighed, pushing the heels of his hands against his eyes. It was too much. All of this: the managers worrying about him, his dongsaengs worrying about him, ATINYs worrying about him… This was why he couldn’t be sick. Ever. Ever ever. This was so stupid! He felt a hand on his shoulder, but shrugged it off. 

“Joong…” This time, both of Seonghwa’s hands grasped his shoulders. Hongjoong dropped his hands away from his face, fixing Seonghwa with a frustrated glare. Seonghwa’s face was a mix of concern and patience. “Are you overwhelmed?” The captain blinked. He hadn’t expected that question. But… He nodded. “How are you feeling? Tell me honestly.”

“I feel okay. I’m just stuffed up is all.” His statement was punctuated by a congested sniffle. “But I got meds, so I’ll be fine.” He shook the blister pack for good measure.  

Seonghwa arched one eyebrow at him. “You’re sure?” 

Hongjoong nodded. “It’s just a bad case of the sniffles.” 

Seonghwa turned to face the other members, a silent conversation happening between them all. Hongjoong hated being the subject of said conversation, wanted to shrink back into his hoodie again. “If you’re sure, then, let’s get ready to go.” Seonghwa returned to his seat, gesturing for Hongjoong to follow. The captain nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he moved to his own chair. As he sat down, he felt Mingi’s hand against his lower back, warm fingers rubbing against sore muscles. Hongjoong smiled, nodded towards his fellow rapper. Maybe this wasn’t going to be as bad as he thought. 

*

Hongjoong was, once again, wrong. The universe had truly decided to fuck with him today. Despite popping the pills from the manager ten minutes before the live started, Hongjoong had yet, at fifty minutes in, to feel any positive changes in his condition. In fact, he felt worse than before. Extra lights had been turned on to brighten up scene, and the additional heat from the lights had immediately made him uncomfortable. Hongjoong may not have been running a fever, but something about the additional light was unsettling him. His skin felt too close against his body, his limbs felt all shuddery, his head was starting to beat with a consistent, almost rhythmic pain. He spent most of the live silently puttering around with the art supplies immediately in front of him, barely listening to his members’ chatter. 

And none of that compared to the absolute mortification his respiratory system was causing him. It was almost as if his body had decided to completely betray him the minute the camera turned on. He had, of course, started the live with their team chant, which had been fine. But, as he attempted to explain their activity for the day, his voice had caught in his throat, prompting a cough that lasted a second too long. Yunho had covered him that time with a joke about how their time with ATINYs had just started and wouldn’t be over for a while, so there was no reason to be getting choked up yet. Hongjoong would have to thank him for that later. He would also have to thank Seonghwa for picking up his explanation for the activity for him. And Mingi for pushing his water bottle into his hand. 

Really, he’d just have to thank his whole team for putting up with him today period. Cause if he wasn’t absentmindedly doodling on the paper before him, completely checked out, he was trying his damnedest not to draw attention to himself, which was increasingly hard given how often his body decided to be disruptive. What had been a sore throat and stuffy nose had become a near constant urge to cough and sneezing every few minutes. At first it was easy to stifle it all into the collar or sleeve of his hoodie, but as time wore on, the more tired he became, and the harder it was to control his own body. 

“Hongjoong-ah, what are you drawing?” San called, attempting to lean around Yeosang, Wooyong, Jongho, and Seonghwa to see. The captain had been too quiet, and San wanted to make sure he didn’t completely slip away. 

Hongjoong met San’s eyes then stared down at his paper, also wondering what he was drawing. He opened his mouth to respond, but immediately held up a finger to pause as he was cut off by an abrupt sneeze that he barely caught in his wrist.

“Whoa! Bless you!” San exclaimed, slightly taken aback. From the other side of the table, he’d been the least aware of his hyung’s condition. “You good?”

“Uh-huh…Huh-ET’huh! ET’Chuh!” This time he had more warning to turn away from his members, from the camera, hands covering his face. He felt a hand on his back (Mingi, probably) rubbing between his shoulder blades. Another hand pulling at his arm (gentle but firm, definitely Seonghwa), moving one hand from his face to pass him a travel pack of tissues that he gratefully accepted. 

“Hyung, are you good?” Wooyoung exclaimed, pointing to the iPad screen in front of him. “ATINYs are worries that you’re sneezing so much.” 

“No, he is not ‘good.’” Seonghwa jerked his thumb accusingly at Hongjoong despite his focus on the picture he was coloring. “He’s got a cold.”

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me.” Hongjoong smiled brightly at the camera, so brightly that for a moment he almost didn’t look like he was on the verge of collapse. “Just the sniffles is all.”

“I can literally hear you breathing,” Mingi said. The captain shoot him an unamused glare, trying very hard not to smile at the way that Mingi shrunk down, giggling like a child who knew he’d be getting away with something. 

“Hyung, I’m never gonna forgive you if you get me sick,” Yunho joked. 

Hongjoong rolled his eyes. “For the last time, none of you are gonna get sick…”

His statement was immediately followed by Seonghwa turning away from the table, catching two delicate sneezes into his sleeve. Hongjoong glared as the eldest broke into the brightest fit of giggles. Yunho, San, and Mingi all OOoooOOOO-ing loudly, pointing at him, did nothing to lift his mood.

“Hyung, I think your sniffles are contagious,” Wooyoung commented, to several chuckles from around the table. 

“No, no, it was the markers…”

But Seonghwa’s dramatic pointing at the pack of scented markers he and Jongho had just opened was cut off by an overly dramatic fake sneeze from Mingi that caused Yunho to nearly fall out his chair laughing. 

“Oh no, it’s the sniffles, they’re contagious!” Mingi chuckled. 

Hongjoong pouted. “Be nice to meeeee!” he whined, leaning his head heavily against the table, earning even more laughs. “I’m siiiiick!” 

“We kid, we kid.” Mingi patted his back. 

“I’m sorry, that timing was not good,” Seonghwa laughed, also rubbing a hand against the nape of Hongjoong’s neck. 

“I would argue it was perfect,” Jongho replied. 

“I think they smell good,” Yeosang spoke up, intently focused on his drawings. 

“I’m not arguing that point. They’re just strong,” Seonghwa replied, once again cut off, this time by San yelling at Wooyoung, who had quietly been adding purple dots to his craft. 

“AhhHHHH!!! You’re ruining it!” San exclaimed, standing up in a rush of emotion as Wooyoung cackled.

“I just wanted to see how long it would take you to notice!” 

“Aaaaaaand, we have run out of time. And just in time, cause I think we are all losing it a little bit,” Jongho announced formally to the camera. “Thanks for tuning in to another episode of unhinged chaos.”

The rest of the members said their goodbyes, the red light on the camera finally went dark. Hongjoong had only just lifted his head from the table to wave goodbye to ATINY before letting it fall back against his arms. Seonghwa’s fingers were still massaging his neck. That was maybe the only part of his body that felt good right now. 

“How’d those meds work out for you?” the eldest asked. His tone was light, but Hongjoong (and everyone else) could hear the edge to it. 

“They did not.” 

“What happened to ‘it’s just the sniffles?’”

“Well, that’s not really a lie, is it?” He coughed roughly into his fist. “It’s just… slightly more than that.” Mingi pouted, carding his fingers through his captain’s hair. 

“I’m sorry you don’t feel good, hyung,” he said gently. 

“Hey, not to change the mood, but I would like it to be known that Yeosang and I carried this live on our backs,” Wooyoung interjected, raising his hand like a child in school. “While the rest of you messed around, we made art.” Yeosang held up a picture of the eight of them as stick figures against an elaborate, colorful background. “Okay, maybe not this art specifically, but…”

“What’s wrong with this one?”

“I didn’t mean…”

“I want to frame this one.”

“No one said you can’t…”

“What if I want it to hang in your dorm?”

Jongho scoffed. “Oh please, hyung, you know those colors don’t match the aesthetic of our dorm.”

Yeosang’s glare was sharp. “Stay out of this.” 

Jongho held up his hands in surrender, a smile breaking on his lips at his own joke. Hongjoong chuckled in spite of himself, glad for the momentary distraction. But the laugh only made him cough again. Damn, he was already so over of this. 

“Alright. Live’s over. Let’s get you back to bed.” Seonghwa clapped his hands, summoning them all to movement. “And the rest of you, I suppose I can’t force you to go to bed, but…”

“You can try…”

“BUT, I can ask you to be respectful of your ailing captain who needs you to be quiet about whatever you choose to do with yourselves,” Seonghwa finished, talking over Wooyoung as he guided Hongjoong by the shoulders towards the stairs. Hongjoong let himself be maneuvered around, too tired to fight it at this point.