#sick jongho

[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

[feverishly-kpop]

Jongho & Ateez - Concussion - Part 1

Yeosang had warned them several times.

“Hyungs are going to get home and flip if they see you guys playing in the house.”

That did nothing to stop them.

“You’re going to break something.”

Still, nothing.

“Everybody else that’s home is sleeping right now. They really need the rest and you’re going to wake somebody.”

But it seemed there was nothing that Yeosang could say to get Wooyoung and San to settle down. They had the day off and were full of energy but the cold rain pattering against the windows had them cooped up in the dorm, leaving them restless.

It was Wooyoung that had pulled out the rugby ball in the first place. San immediately ran down the hallway, indicating for Wooyoung to throw it. Their game of catch quickly grew more physical as the pushing and tackling started. Out of respect they had heeded Yeosang’s warnings to an extent, moving the game from the common area to San and Yunho’s room.

Yunho, who was now curled up on the couch asleep next to Yeosang while Yeosang allowed himself to be consumed by his video game, had warned San that if anything in their room was damaged that he’d be held responsible, but San brushed him off, promising that they’d be careful. And they were, until San whipped the ball a little too hard into the wall. Wooyoung burst out in laughter until the sound of a crash emanated from the next room over, followed by a startled cry and a groan.

“What the hell just happened?” Yeosang called out. There was no response which Yeosang found more concerning than comforting. Just as he paused his game and stood up, Jongho appeared in his bedroom doorway. He held a hand up to his head and leaned heavily in the doorway.

“The shelf above my bed fell off the wall. I think it hit me in the head…” Jongho said, his voice sounding off. Yeosang wasted no time getting to his side, carefully moving Jongho’s hand from his temple. He was relieved that it wasn’t bleeding but a large red welt was forming.

As Yeosang assessed the situation carefully, San and Wooyoung sheepishly emerged from San’s room, realizing the severity of what they had done. Yeosang’s eyes darkened considerably as he looked at them.

“Put the ball away” he said, his tone sending shivers up and down San and Wooyoung’s spines. Yeosang then turned his attention back to Jongho. “Let’s get you back to bed.”

Jongho nodded, but was unsteady on his feet. Yeosang slung his arm around Jongho’s waist, helping him lie down again. Gently taking Jongho’s wrist into his hand he felt for a pulse, unsurprised that it was elevated. Jongho was always one to keep a cool exterior in difficult situations but it was clear that the shock of being woken by a blow to the head had his anxiety up.

“Hyung, I feel…weird” Jongho muttered. Yeosang quickly instructed San and Wooyoung, who were now hovering in the doorway, to get an ice pack and some water. “What feels weird, Jongho?” Yeosang pressed, grappling to take control of the situation.

There wasn’t even time for Jongho to respond. His stomach did a somersault and sent its contents down Jongho’s front. Under any other circumstance Jongho would have been mortified, but right now the only thing he felt was confusion and fear.

San and Wooyoung quickly returned, carrying a bucket with them, much to Yeosang’s relief. Yeosang, running on pure adrenaline and instinct at this point, put the bucket on Jongho’s lap as he dug through Jongho’s drawers to find him a clean shirt to change into.

“Listen to me carefully” Yeosang said, glancing over his shoulder to make sure he had San and Wooyoung’s attention. “Please nicely wake Yunho and tell him that Jongho needs a ride to the hospital and nicely ask if he could drive.” They scurried off, leaving Yeosang to attend to Jongho.

“Hyung, what’s going on?” Jongho’s tone reminded Yeosang that, for all of his bravado, Jongho was the maknae.

“Just a little bump to the head” Yeosang replied, lifting the ice pack to have a look at Jongho’s injury. Calling it a little bump may have been a stretch but there was no reason to worry Jongho more than he already was.

Yeosang could hear Yunho stirring in the living room and could pinpoint the exact moment that he was told that he needed to get Jongho to the hospital, his slow, sleepy movements suddenly becoming rushed. The jingle of keys and sound of the front door opening and closing signaled to Yeosang that Yunho would have his car pulled around within minutes. He carefully pulled Jongho’s soiled shirt over his head, replacing it with a clean one and helped Jongho out of bed and downstairs.

*~*~*~*~*~

“They’re dead. I will kill them myself” Yunho muttered, anxiously waiting for the light to turn green. A shiver went down Yeosang’s spine, thinking of the consequences that San and Wooyoung would deservedly face.

“Relax, Yunho-ah,” Yeosang reminded him quietly, “focus on the road.” Yunho nodded silently before glancing in the rear view mirror at Jongho, who was holding the ice pack to his temple still. “Are you doing okay back there, Jongho?” Jongho responded with a weak “yeah,” which could not have been less convincing.

*~*~*~*~*~

The ride left Jongho nauseous and dizzy. Yeosang and Yunho helped him out of the car once they arrived at the hospital. Yeosang assured Yunho that he would be calling Seonghwa and Hongjoong once Jongho was settled in, encouraging Yunho to go back home. Yunho hesitantly agreed before Yeosang spoke up again.

“Yunho, don’t do something you’ll regret” he reminded gently but firmly. “Hyungs will deal with them when they get home. Go back to bed or go hang out with Mingi in his studio. But don’t…just leave it be.” Yunho sighed and nodded tiredly. “I think bed seems do be a good option for you. You’re almost dead on your feet” Yeosang added with a smile as Yunho got back in his car and pulled off.

*~*~*~*~*~

Yeosang held his breath as he sent the text:

“There was a little accident at home. I’m with Jongho at the hospital. I think he has a concussion.”

He waited under a minute to receive the phone call he had been dreading. Yeosang picked up the phone and wasn’t even able to get a quick greeting out before Hongjoong began frantically speaking.

“Sangie, what happened? How did maknae end up with a concussion? Are you okay? Who else was home? Did anybody else get hurt?”

Yeosang couldn’t respond to any of the questions being lobbed at him through the phone, which didn’t escape Seonghwa’s notice. He muttered something unintelligible to Hongjoong which immediately silenced Hongjoong. Seonghwa then spoke up calmly asking Yeosang to explain what was going on.

“Something fell on Jongho’s head and he isn’t feeling too well so I brought him here…” Yeosang stopped there, deliberately trying to keep things vague, knowing that, when the full extent of the situation was known, heads would roll.

“You did the right thing, Yeo. I know this must be scary. We’re 20 minutes away. Just stay calm” Seonghwa’s assurance brought Yeosang a little comfort but the questions continued after that. “Who else was there? Did anybody else get hurt?”

“It was me, Yunho, San, Woo and Jongho” Yeosang said, his voice shaking with anxiety. “Nobody else got hurt. I was playing a game and Yunho was napping.”

There was a momentary pause that seemed to have lasted an eternity. The tension was palpable, leading Yeosang to suspect that the hyungs were putting the pieces together.

“And San and Wooyoung? What were they doing?” Hongjoong asked, suspicion heavy in his voice. But luckily the conversation was interrupted and effectively ended by a nurse letting him know that Jongho was settled in and that he could come back now.

*~*~*~*~*~

“So let me get this straight. Dumb and Dumber were playing rugby in the dorm despite being told not to? And hit the wall so hard it knocked the shelf off the fucking wall?”

Jongho had dozed off shortly after Seonghwa and Hongjoong’s arrival, prompting Hongjoong to pull Yeosang out in the hallway as he demanded an explanation.

“You aren’t in trouble Yeosang,” Hongjoong said quietly. He was visibly shaken upon hearing what had transpired. “You did everything right.”

Yeosang nodded awkwardly, biting his lower lip. It was clear that Hongjoong wasn’t finished with him.

“And Yunho drove you here?” Hongjoong repeated back to Yeosang, making sure he had the story correct. Yeosang nodded again, feeling more like a bobblehead doll than a human at the moment. “And Yunho is where now?”

Yeosang immediately knew where Hongjoong was going with this. “Yunho went home. I told him to go to bed, but he was pissed when he left.”

After taking a few minutes to process, Hongjoong told Seonghwa that he was going home to “make sure everyone was still alive.” Yeosang was glad that he wasn’t going to be home to see it play out, but he texted a quick heads up to Yunho:

“Hongjoong-hyung is on his way home. If you aren’t asleep, it’s probably best to pretend you are.”

[likeathunderoverflow]

I am so cooked this comeback

[darl-ingfics]

Sicktember Day 12: "You're not fine, you're throwing up."

Fandom: ATEEZ

Sickie: Yunho (stomach bug)

Caregiver(s): Jongho, with some Hongjoong

Word Count: 912

Jongho woke up to a sound he wasn't able to identify. He rolled over, hitting his phone screen. 7:30am. He sat up, frowning as his brain attempted to make sense to what he was hearing. That’s when it hit him: the distinct sound of gagging over the roar of the shower. 

Jongho was up and outside the bathroom door in seconds.

“Hyung?!” Jongho knocked. The only response was another gag. The youngest member pushed open the door, crossed the room in two steps, and ripped back the curtain. Yunho was on his knees, at the mercy of his body, throwing up in the shower. “Oh, hyung,” Jongho muttered. He reached over and turned off the water.

“Nooo.” Yunho reached a hand up towards the tap before he was cut off with a violent cough that turned into more retching. Jongho knelt on the floor outside the shower, rubbing at Yunho’s spine as he coughed up another wave of sick. 

“It’s okay,” the younger man soothed quietly. 

After a second, unproductive cough, Yunho sat back on his heels, scrubbing at his face. “Water was helping.”

“Helping with what, exactly?”

“Cleaning…” 

“That’s the last thing you should be worried about right now, hyung.” Jongho’s hand hadn’t left Yunho’s back, massaging up and down his spine. He felt the dancer’s body contract once, twice, before he was leaning over again, at the mercy of his stomach, but bringing up nothing. 

“This sucks,” Yunho whined.

“I know, I know. How long have you…?”

“I don’t know. What time is it?”

Jongho consulted his watch. “7:36.”

“Then I’ve probably been here for about fifteen minutes.”

“Fifteen minutes?!”

Yunho waved his hand. “Not… not the throwing up part. I came to take a shower fifteen minutes ago, got sick maybe… God, I don’t even know.”

“Well, at least it wasn’t fifteen minutes cause that would be a problem.” Yunho smirked at that. He closed his eyes, appreciating the feeling of Jongho’s hand on his back. The cold air hitting his wet skin, though, was less welcome, sending shivers through his body. “We should get you out of the shower.” 

“Okay.” Yunho didn’t move. Jongho squeezed his shoulder before standing up himself. He offered his hands out to the older man, carefully pulling Yunho to his feet. It was then that Jongho noticed that that dancer still had his boxers on. “Hyung, why were you wearing your underwear in the shower?” 

Yunho shrugged. “In case I passed out.”

Jongho blinked at him. “So you knew you weren’t feeling good, and you got into the shower? The most dangerous place to slip and fall?”

Yunho shrugged again. “I thought the water would feel good.”

“Did it?”

Yunho nodded. “Until I threw up, it was heavenly.”

Jongho nodded, restraining himself from sighing as he helped Yunho out of the shower. He wrapped a towel around the older man’s shoulders. “Think you can make it to your room to change, or do you want me to go grab you clothes?”

“I can make it,” Yunho replied, curling deeper into his towel. “I actually feel a lot better. Puke and rally, right?”

“Sure, hyung.” Jongho rolled his eyes as soon as Yunho moved past him and through the doorway. He would see to it that there would be no rallying for Yunho; Jongho could feel his fever plain as day while they sat in the shower. 

Still, there was work to be done. Jongho texted the group: no one use the upstairs shower for a bit. He then peeked under the sink to see what cleaning supplies were currently on hand. He didn’t find what he wanted, and resolved to simply turn the water back on and wash the shower out first, then go back with the disinfectant later. 

Hongjoong appeared a moment later. “What happened?” 

“Yunho threw up in the shower, so I want to clean it before anyone else uses it.” 

“Is he okay?” 

Jongho shrugged. “Definitely feverish. He should not be practicing today.”

Hongjoong nodded, pausing as Yunho rounded the corner from his room, dressed in his dance clothes.  

“What the…?” Hongjoong shook his head. “Yunho, what are you doing?” Jongho peeked his head into the doorway. 

Yunho shrugged. “We’re going to dance.”

“No. We’re going to dance. You’re going to bed,” Hongjoong relied. 

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine, you’re throwing up,” Jongho insisted. 

“No, I threw up. Past tense. I’m good now.”

“That’s not how it works, and you know that,” the leader explained, moving forward to place his hand against Yunho’s forehead. “You have a fever, bud. That means no practice for you.” Yunho whined, shoulders slumping forward. “I know, I get it, but you know the rules.”

“But I wanna dance,” Yunho said in reply, attempting to hit Hongjoong with his most convincing puppy eyes. 

“And you’ll be able to dance a lot better sooner if you take today to rest your body,” the leader insisted, patting Yunho’s shoulder affectionately. “Besides, no one wants to see you puke in the middle of the practice room.”

Yunho gasped. “I would never!”

“Well let’s not tempt fate, shall we? Bed.” Hongjoong pointed towards the room, and Yunho shuffled off, all the fight leaving him. Hongjoong sighed. “In your professional opinion, Jongho, should he be left alone?”

“Probably not,” the youngest chuckled. “I don’t mind staying with him.” 

“You’re the hero we need.” Hongjoong cuffed Jongho’s shoulder before walking away to notify their manager of Yunho’s upcoming absence. 

[maximura]

Ateez for Elle Singapore (October 2023)

[cheollipop]

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

[smtown-tourist]

How long do y’all think Jonghyun was in heaven before he got his kazoo privileges taken away?

[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

[bombuni]

do not be alarmed followers … I am Bom. How we liking the new pfp?

[gfwooyo]

DON'T BUY MERCH FROM HELLO82 😭

[hongtonie]

there are already ateez cb rumors too .. if both are true im going to riot

god for real they all need rest

[fairyniceyeah]

⌛🐶🧸 Day 1: “I’m not hungover, I’m just sick”

@sicktember

Summary: After going out drinking together, Yunho is sick and Jongho is hungover.

CW: emeto, alcohol

Sickie(s): Yunho + Jongho  Caretaker: Jongho + Hongjoong

Yunho groaned, nauseously bent over the toilet in the dorm Hongjoong, Wooyoung and Jongho shared. He had been in there for at least an hour, if not more.

He kinda wished he had not drank so much the night before, rather not drank at all. His stomach had felt off back then and still he had tried to drink Jongho under the table. Jongho, of all people. Their maknae probably had the best alcohol tolerance out of all of them. What had he thought?

A burp and sour bile slithering up his throat stopped his further train of thought. Instead he moved his head from where he had rested it on the cool toilet seat over the water again, just in time for a mouthful of bile - puke? alcohol? bad decisions? - to spill into it. 

Whatever it was, it hurt his throat a lot. No matter how disgusting it was, Yunho was too exhausted to flush. His head throbbed and he could feel the hot fever burning under his skin, making him hot and cold at the same time. The offending thermometer that had revealed his fate when he doubted he could feel that bad just from being hungover laid at his side.

While he was kinda glad that Jongho had dragged him to his apartment - his own dorm mate Yeosang was visiting his sister with Wooyoung, so Yunho would have been alone - he was still alone. He wasn’t sure if Hongjoong was even home and Jongho was surely deeply asleep in his own alcohol haze. 

Oh God, what Yunho would have given to be asleep at the moment too.

Or have somebody stay with him. He felt tears prickle at his eyes, knowing he was overly tired and emotionally from the rather high fever.

Yunho must have drifted off even in his less than optimal sleeping position, as he woke up to laughter.

He blinked his eyes open, wiping away the crustiness with one hand, and winced at the light stabbing his retinas. Why had somebody turned on the lights?

“You really can’t hold your liquor, hyung”, Jongho teased, “why did you even try?”

The maknae sounded much too gleeful and too full of schadenfreude for this hour. 

“I hate you”, Yunho moaned. 

His stomach lurched and he only barely managed to turn his head over the toilet bowl before a bit of bile came up.

Even while he loved teasing his hyungs, Jongho was also responsible and kind. So Yunho wasn’t surprised to feel a hand on his back, rubbing gentle circles. 

Coughing a bit, Yunho wiped his mouth and slumped backwards against the wall, squeezed in between the toilet and the sink cabinet. 

“Jeez, how long have you been in here? You’re basically empty”, Jongho said, now a bit worried. Yunho shrugged. He didn’t know. He hadn’t gone to sleep after they had come home, trying to calm his churning stomach down before having to sprint to the bathroom nevertheless.

Jongho sighed, reached up to flush the toilet, washed his hands and then reached out to Yunho.

“No, don’t come closer”, Yunho protested. He didn’t want to get Jongho sick.

The maknae raised his eyebrows. “Dude, you’re hungover. The only way that is contagious is if the other person went drinking with you. And I don’t get hungover.”

“I’m not hungover either”, Yunho mumbled and then pouted, “I’m just sick.”

“Yeah, sure, you tell yourself that”, Jongho said with a laugh, clearly not believing him. 

“Jongho”, Yunho replied, a bit annoyed and his patience running thin. He didn’t want to be mocked. “I am running a fever and I started throwing up before I even stopped being drunk. I’m not hungover, I already threw up all the alcohol before it could start.”

Jongho’s eyes widened nearly comically. 

“I’m so sorry, hyung”, he apologized, stumbling a bit over his words. It was then that Yunho realized that Jongho, unlike himself, was still slightly drunk. “I didn’t know.”

“I’m sorry too, I shouldn’t have snapped”, Yunho replied, patting Jongho’s knee. “Why don’t you go back to bed and sleep it off?”

Yes, Yunho wanted company. But he wasn’t going to subject his maknae to this.

“Nope”, Jongho said, “I’m staying. I’ll help you.”

⌛

Even hours later Yunho was so nauseous. While he wanted Jongho to get some sleep, he wished the maknae hadn’t fallen asleep about an hour ago.

Jongho had turned out to be a perfect caretaker, silently rubbing his back and fetching him water if needed, even turning into a pillow. Now, however, he was sitting up against the closed shower door, head dropping down and snoring a bit. It couldn't be comfortable but Yunho didn’t have the strength to wake him.  

Yunho’s stomach was so empty it was cramping with hunger but he knew he would just throw up again if he ate. He was also pretty sure his fever had risen since he last took his temperature.

Maybe he should take it again but the thought alone made him gag. His body jerked forwards but he couldn’t be bothered to move over the toilet. He was empty anyways. Spit and bile dangled from his lips, his throat seizing …

And then a sleepy Hongjoong walked in. 

The leader jumped half a meter into the air in shock before exclaiming: “Jesus, Yunho, you scared me.” But to his credit, he rushed over to his sick dongsaeng without hesitation, coming to kneel in front of him.

Hongjoong tenderly stroked back Yunho’s sweaty hair and grabbed a few pieces of toilet paper to wipe the younger’s mouth. 

“Morning, hyung”, Yunho mumbled, “welcome to the party.”

“It’s more of a pity party, hm?”, Hongjoong replied with a glance at Jongho. “How long have you been in here? Do you feel better? I guess, I can spare myself the told you so?”

“I’m not hungover”, Yunho repeated the words he had said to Jongho earlier, “I’m just sick. I’m running a fever and I started puking before I even had a chance to get hungover.”

“Oh, baby, I’m so sorry”, Hongjoong whispered, pulling Yunho into his arms. Yunho sighed, finally feeling content with hugging his hyung. “Do you want to go to bed?”

Yes. Above all, Yunho wanted to lie down. He nodded against Hongjoong’s shoulder and the captain ruffled his hair before pulling back.

“Can you get up?”

That was the question, wasn’t it? It was soon very clear that, no, Yunho could not get up. His legs had fallen asleep and were so shaky they couldn’t hold him up anyways, not even with Hongjoong supporting him. Their height and weight difference was too high.

“Maybe you should wake Jongho-yah”, Yunho muttered, resigned. 

Hongjoong nodded. “He took care of you before?”

“Hmhm. And then the traitor fell asleep. He was kinda drunk so I can’t even blame him.”

Hongjoong laughed a bit and then rose to his feet to gently shake Jongho awake. “Hey baby, wake up. We need your help for a moment.”

Jongho nodded slowly, and let Hongjoong pull him to his feet. Once upright, his face suddenly turned a pale green and before either of the other two could react, he stumbled to the sink and instantly threw up. 

Hongjoong cursed and raced after him, patting his back. 

“You’re sick too?”, he asked worriedly.

Jongho washed out his mouth with the tap water and then shook his head. “I’m not sick, I’m just hungover.”

“I thought you didn't get hangovers.”

“Fuck off.”

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

[feverishly-kpop]

Jongho, Yunho, & Ateez - Weekend Trip Flu

The staff had the best of intentions when they offered to rent a cabin for the members for a couple of nights. They were all exhausted after their most recent comeback and tour stops and desperately needed some R&R.

With the weather forecast looking just about perfect they all agreed, excited to get out of the city and take a few days away from any obligations. Their responsibilities would be waiting for them when they came back, but for a few days they’d be able to enjoy time away from staff, cameras, schedules, and studios.

Their excitement, however, was dulled about an hour into the four hour drive when Jongho, who had been napping on Seonghwa’s shoulder, suddenly woke up, asking the driver to pull off to the side of the road before immediately jumping out to be sick.

Yunho followed him out as he was closest to the door and rubbed Jongho’s back from an arms length. He felt absolutely miserable, his stomach completely unrelenting no matter how many times he bent over to be sick. After a few minutes Jongho sat down on the guardrail, completely drained from the exertion of getting so sick. Having a seat next to him, Yunho handed Jongho a bottle of water, softly coaxing him to take a few slow sips.

“I’m so sorry, I think I must be motion sick” Jongho said with a sigh, handing the water bottle back to Yunho. “This has never happened to me.”

“Why would you apologize for something like this? It’s not your fault” Yunho said with a sad smile. Jongho only nodded in response, silently heading back to his seat so they could continue their drive. Despite the fact that the thought of getting back into the moving vehicle made him want to throw up again he knew the sooner they continued on their way the sooner they’d get to their destination.

“Are you okay, Jongho-ah?” Seonghwa asked as his dongsaeng collapsed into the seat at his side, once again resting his head on his Seonghwa’s shoulder.

Jongho only hummed in response, not feeling confident that his stomach wouldn’t somersault again if he opened his mouth to speak. Seonghwa pulled him in closer to his side, lightly rubbing a hand over his stomach in hopes that it would help settle it but he knew that they were in for a difficult ride.

*~*~*~*~*~

Much to Jongho’s dismay, he didn’t fare much better for the remaining hours of their drive. He lost track of how many times they had to pull off for him to be sick and each time it was just as bad if not worse than the last. Hongjoong had taken it upon himself to empty all of their snacks from the plastic bags they had packed them in just in case, which ended up coming in handy a time or two when they couldn’t get off the road fast enough.

By the time they arrived to the cabin Jongho was on the verge of collapse, both mentally and physically.

“You’ll feel better once you lie down for a little while” Yunho piped in, grabbing his overnight bag from the trunk as well as Jongho’s.

Jongho nodded, leaning heavily into San’s side, waiting for the staff member who drove them to unlock the cabin door. Once they were able to enter San led him to the closest bedroom, sitting him down on the bottom bunk before pulling his shoes off and helping him get comfortable.

“I’m sorry, hyung” Jongho muttered as his eyes fluttered closed.

“Hey, stop apologizing. Get some sleep. We’re grilling tonight” San said as he pulled the blankets up over his dongsaeng. Jongho smiled but truthfully the thought of eating anything, let alone a heavy dinner, made him queasy.

“Thanks, hyung” Jongho whispered, mustering as much false enthusiasm as he could in the moment.

San closed the door behind him, feeling confident that Jongho would be up and about in no time.

“Well, this is definitely one way to start the weekend…” Wooyoung said tentatively, carrying the last of the bags inside.

“He’ll feel better when he wakes up” Yunho replied, doing his best to bring up the mood. “I used to get motion sickness all the time. It’s miserable but I always felt better after a quick lie down.”

The rest of the members nodded, knowing that Yunho was right. They had seen him painfully sick plenty of times on long flights and drives but it took no time for him to bounce back once he was finally on solid ground, so they continued unpacking and deciding who would stay in each of the three bedrooms, waiting for Jongho to wake up so they could start getting ready for dinner.

*~*~*~*~*~

When he woke up an hour later, Jongho was not feeling better like Yunho had assured. Quite the contrary, actually. He was shivering uncontrollably, his head ached, and his nausea was beginning to return. He tried to make sense of what his body was feeling, but his mind couldn’t get past the gnawing discomfort in his stomach.

As he stood up the Earth seemed to tilt even further on its axis, leaving Jongho feeling dizzy and unsteady on his feet. But he needed to get to the washroom immediately. Without another moment of hesitation he stumbled to the door, whipping it open and making a bee line for the washroom.

There were seven sets of eyes on him the moment he opened the bedroom door but he didn’t have time to explain himself, instead simply rushing across the small common area where his hyungs were sitting and into the washroom where he promptly collapsed to his knees to be sick for the umpteenth time that day.

This can’t be happening. I think I’m dying.

And to die in the middle of nowhere? How embarrassing.

Jongho’s thoughts were racing. He had never had motion sickness before and could only hope it would pass soon.

Yunho was the first to his feet, stepping into the washroom and closing the door behind him, signaling that he’d like for everybody else to stay put and give them some privacy.

The tension amongst the members was palpable, nobody quite sure what to say next.

Mingi finally spoke up, saying what was on everybody’s mind. “I can’t say for sure, but I can’t think of a time that Yunho got motion sick and didn’t feel better after being put to bed. Especially after an hour…”

Nobody responded but they all shared a concerned expression, knowing that there was nothing they could say or do until they figured out what was going on behind the closed washroom door.

*~*~*~*~*~

“Go away” Jongho pouted as Yunho sat down cross-legged on the floor next to him. Yunho chose to ignore him, knowing that there was no way he could be left alone in his current condition.

Once he was finally done he sat back, leaning against the wall to face Yunho who’s face was fraught with concern.

“I can’t believe I still feel so sick” Jongho said, taking a handful of toilet paper from the wall behind his back and wiping his mouth. “And I’m freezing.”

Yunho’s brow raised in concern. It wasn’t cold outside nor in the cabin so there was no reason for Jongho to be so uncomfortably chilled. Yunho instantly rose up to his knees, resting a hand against Jongho’s brow and confirming his suspicion. He was warm. Much too warm.

“I don’t think this is motion sickness Jongho” Yunho muttered. “I think you’ve got a fever.”

Jongho groaned, resting his aching head in his hands. They had been working so hard for months and finally had an opportunity to recharge and enjoy themselves. Why did he have to be sick?

“I know, it’s okay, just try to relax. You’ll be okay” Yunho replied, standing up and opening the washroom door. “Slight problem…” he called out to the rest of the group. He didn’t have to say anything else for them to understand what was going on.

“Should we call manager-hyung to come back to get us?” Wooyoung asked tentatively, breaking the tense silence.

“And do what, drive us four hours back home with him like this?” Hongjoong replied, feeling his stress levels increasing by the second. “It is what it is” he concluded with a level of finality as he stood up to help Yunho get Jongho back to bed.

“Easy, let’s take it slow” Hongjoong directed Jongho, who was less than steady on his feet. Once he was situated Yunho tried to coax him to drink some water but he refused, pushing the bottle in Wooyoung’s hand away weakly.

“Please try” Hongjoong pleaded with him. “You’re going to wind up dehydrated at this rate. Honestly you probably already are.” Jongho sighed, not wanting to further upset his hyung, taking a few small sips with Yunho’s help.

“Good boy” Hongjoong said, his tone unintentionally patronizing, patting his head as he laid down. “Now get some sleep. We’ll be right here when you wake up.”

Jongho didn’t have to be told twice. He was absolutely exhausted and took no time at all to doze off.

*~*~*~*~*~

The mood was markedly low for the remainder of the evening, nobody able to fully relax knowing that their maknae was so poorly. Wooyoung, San, and Seonghwa put their focus on getting dinner on the table while Mingi and Yeosang finished unpacking Mingi’s bags. Mingi was initially going to be sharing a room with Jongho but was diverted to the room being shared by Yeosang, Wooyoung, and San as they were hesitant to allow Mingi to share a room with Jongho in the event he was contagious.

Once dinner was ready San knocked quietly on the door to Jongho’s room before opening it a crack finding Jongho asleep with Yunho sitting at the edge of his bed rewetting a compress and placing it back on Jongho’s forehead. Hongjoong was sitting on the top bunk furiously typing on his phone with his brow knit.

“Dinner’s ready. Table is set outside when you’re ready to come out” San said quietly, not wanting to wake Jongho.

“The closest pharmacy is an hour away. And that’s by car” Hongjoong said out loud, tossing his phone onto the mattress next to him. “And I didn’t bring any medication. San-ah, ask around to see if anybody brought anything.”

San nodded, excusing himself from the doorway. Wooyoung was the only one he brought any medication at all, a bottle of pain killers in anticipation for a possible hangover from a night of alcohol-fueled fun that didn’t appear to be coming to fruition.

“It’s better than nothing I guess,” Seonghwa said as he poured a couple tablets into his hand. “I can’t believe I didn’t bring my med bag” he muttered under his breath as he disappeared back into their cabin, leaving the rest of the members outside picking at their food completely helplessly.

“When did it get so windy?” Mingi asked after a few minutes of silence, drawing Yeosang, San, and Wooyoung’s attention to the change in the weather that they had all failed to notice, too engrossed in their own thoughts.

“Shit, look behind you” Yeosang said, looking up from his plate for the first time since Seonghwa had gone back inside. There were dark clouds rolling in as the wind continued picking up.

“Awesome,” Wooyoung mumbled, standing up and grabbing his plate in one hand and Yeosang’s in the other. “It’s going to storm. Bring everything inside.”

They were only a few hours into their vacation and it was already shaping up to be a memorable one. Just not memorable in the way they had hoped.

*~*~*~*~*~

Nobody slept well that night.

Between the rain pelting the roof and the windows, the thunder, and Jongho getting up repeatedly to be sick, everybody spent the night lying awake before dozing off, just to be startled awake again by another boom of thunder.

“I’m so fucking tired” Mingi grumbled into his breakfast plate. “I was tired when we left the city and now I’m even more tired.”

“Hyung said it wasn’t supposed to rain but it hasn’t stopped raining since last night. And why is it thundering so much?” Wooyoung whined, piling on to the negativity.

Everybody else was silent until Yunho emerged from Jongho’s room where he had spent the night trying to keep their maknae comfortable. Hongjoong had spent part of the night up with them as well until Yunho sent him away, assuring him that all was under control.

“How’s he doing?” Seonghwa asked, feeling guilty for how exhausted he sounded, knowing that Yunho had to be exponentially more tired after his long night with Jongho.

“I don’t know. He’s sick. I don’t think he’s any different than yesterday” Yunho responded as he flopped down at the kitchen table. He looked and sounded miserable.

“I’ll give him some more of the medication today. We can deal with what we have, but I don’t want him getting worse” Hongjoong chimed in, doing his best to keep his head from drifting down to the table. “And you, Yunho, need to take a rest. I’d like for you to head to bed after you’re finished eating, understood?”

Yunho was looking down at the food on his plate, seeming oblivious to everything going on around him, including Hongjoong’s instruction.

“Yunho” Seonghwa interjected softly, resting a hand on his dongsaeng’s forearm but he was cut off by the sound of Jongho’s door opening.

“Yunho-hyung” Jongho called weakly from the doorway, his eyes red from crying.

Leaving the rest of his breakfast on his plate, Yunho quickly put an arm around Jongho’s shoulders and guided him back to his bed.

*~*~*~*~*~

Jongho had woken up from a nightmare to find that Yunho had moved from his spot next to him on the bed where he had sat all night, easing Jongho back to sleep when he was startled awake by the thunder or yet another bought of nausea.

“Yunho-hyung” Jongho tried to call out but his voice was hardly above a whisper, his throat raw from vomiting repeatedly.

He couldn’t help but feel guilty. He knew for a fact that Yunho hadn’t gotten any sleep the night prior but he was craving his comforting presence.

Maybe it was selfish of him but he was cold, emotional, and felt sick and in a great deal of pain. And he wanted his hyung.

He managed to get himself to the bedroom door with some effort, using the wall to steady himself before opening it and calling for his hyung. Yunho was at his side almost instantly, helping him back to bed and under his blankets.

“Hyung…” Jongho said, wiping tears from his eyes and off of his cheeks. “I had a nightmare. There was an accident. None of you were okay…”

Yunho quickly hushed Jongho, not wanting him to have to recount what had happened. “We’re all just fine. You just saw everybody at the table, right?”

Jongho nodded, fighting to keep his eyes open. Yunho smiled tiredly and encouraged him to get some sleep.

“I’ll be right here when you wake up.” he assured, pushing Jongho’s hair from his warm forehead. “I promise.”

*~*~*~*~*~

With nobody in a very talkative mood they all got up one by one from the table. Wooyoung mumbled something about trying to take a nap and was followed quickly by Mingi and Hongjoong who decided to do the same.

“Want to watch a movie?” San asked the rest of the members, garnering an unenthusiastic response.

“I don’t know, we could have done that at home” Yeosang said with a sigh. “But yeah, sure, I guess that’s fine.”

“It’s not like there’s much else to do” Seonghwa added, glancing at the continuing downpour outside.

This trip was turning out to be a major bummer.

*~*~*~*~*~

The storm didn’t let up at all for the rest of the morning and into the afternoon. Everybody had managed to get a little sleep, their bodies simply too exhausted to allow the rain and thunder to keep them up any longer. Even Jongho managed to get a few hours of rest without waking up to be sick.

Their rest, however, was cut short when a deafening crack of thunder sounded nearby the cabin, followed by a bolt of lightening that illuminated the dark, cloudy sky.

And then silence and darkness.

The TV that Seonghwa, Yeosang, and San had on for background noise went black, the constant whirring of the overhead fans in the bedrooms suddenly ceased, and every light, even the tiny displays on the stove and microwave, had gone dark.

“What the fuck just happened?” Wooyoung’s voice called out from the bedroom where he had been napping.

“Is everybody okay?” Seonghwa asked, his voice sleepy from his nap.

In a matter of moments everybody emerged from their respective rooms, trying to figure out what was going on.

“No power? Seriously?” San said with a frown. He had been trying to remain positive but was rapidly approaching the end of his rope.

“Hyung, I want to go home” Jongho whined, emerging from his bedroom for the first time since they arrived, not including his nauseated dashes to the washroom. Everybody’s frustration was quickly replaced by intense sympathy for their maknae, who was looking unnaturally pale, save for the red spots on his cheeks from the temperature he was still running.

“Jongho, come back to bed bed” Yunho said, appearing in the doorway behind Jongho and grabbing him around the shoulders for support before he could collapse.

“I’m tired of being in bed. I want to stay out here” Jongho responded with a pout. Yunho’s eyes flitted to Seonghwa who nodded slightly, giving Yunho permission to bring Jongho to the couch where he promptly laid down, pulling the blanket off the back of the couch in an attempt to subdue his chills. “Somebody start talking. Tell a funny story. Anything to take my mind off of being sick.”

The members quickly obliged, as Yunho took a seat next to Mingi, resting his head heavily on his shoulder.

“Have you gotten any sleep since we’ve gotten here?” Mingi asked quietly. Yunho responded with a shake of his head before Mingi ran a hand through his hair, trying to get him to relax.

Hongjoong turned to Mingi with a look of concern.

“Did he sleep?” Hongjoong mouthed to him from across the room. Mingi shook his head. Yunho sighed at the movement before closing his eyes again.

“That’s it, just shut your eyes and get some sleep” Mingi whispered and within minutes he was out like a light.

*~*~*~*~*~

By the time Yunho woke up a few hours later he found himself unexpectedly alone on the couch. He sat up slowly glancing around for the rest of his team before he heard muffled voices.

“He can’t take any more tablets for another few hours, hyung.”

“I don’t know what else to do, he’s burning up.”

“Sang-ah is drawing him a cool bath.”

Yunho felt disoriented, unable to identify who’s voices he was hearing and where they were coming from. Logically he knew that the cabin was small yet the voices sounded kilometers away.

“Do you really think that will be enough?”

“I don’t know but it’s worth a try…”

“Keep your voice down. Yunho’s asleep. He needs the rest.”

Yunho couldn’t think clearly. He collapsed back into the couch pillows wondering if he had actually woken up or if he was still asleep and currently. But his train of thought was cut off as sleep pulled him back under.

*~*~*~*~*~

Yunho had no concept of time when he woke up again. He could have been asleep for minutes or hours but the cabin was quiet again.

Despite getting a bit of rest Yunho still felt exhausted and out of sorts.

And then his stomach turned violently.

It took him a moment to realize what was happening and even once he realized that he was feeling sick he still felt confused. He suddenly realized that he didn’t quite remember where they were or why it was so dark. The silence in the cabin made him feel uncomfortable as he tugged at the collar of his sweatshirt.

Why is it so stuffy in here?

Am I the only one here? Did everybody else leave?

What if they forgot me here?

Maybe they left me here on purpose?

His thoughts continued to race until the silence was broken by soft voices coming from one of the bedrooms. He let out a sigh of relief, glad to know that he wasn’t alone and cautiously made his way to the door which had been left open a few inches. He peered inside, still unable to place the voices he was hearing.

“This was a mistake. A huge fucking mistake.”

Hongjoong was currently pacing across the floor as Seonghwa sat watching, knowing better than to try to interject when Hongjoong was worked up into such a state. He’d settle down shortly and Seonghwa would be there to reassure him once he did, but for now Hongjoong just needed to let it out.

“Renting a cabin? In the middle of nowhere? Why did any of us think this would be a good idea?” Hongjoong added, throwing his hands in the air. His voice was hushed and hardly audible over the sound of rain drops pounding on the roof overhead.

“And all we have is fucking ibuprofen? How stupid are we, Hwa? We can’t even take care of the maknae…”

Yunho’s heart began to race. He felt like he was suffocating. There was something about the conversation that made him feel like he shouldn’t be listening in.

“Don’t even get me started in this storm. How many times did we look at the forecast? It came out of nowhere. And the power…” Hongjoong’s frustration had reached a fever pitch before he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. “Hwa, I just can’t handle anything else going wrong. Seeing Jongho that out of it and Yeosang crying while trying to get him into the bath…”

Seonghwa finally intervened. “None of this is within your control, Joong. It’s not in anybody’s control. But we’re going home tomorrow morning. What else could go wrong at this point?”

Yunho’s head started to spin.

What else could go wrong?

The last thing he wanted to do was cause his hyungs further stress. But something was going wrong. Very wrong.

Yunho raised his hand to knock on the door but suddenly he felt too weak, instead tripping into the bedroom deliriously, startling both Seonghwa and Hongjoong. And then there were words coming out of his mouth. He wasn’t even sure what he was saying but he could hear his own voice ringing in his ears. He looked up to see Hongjoong approaching him. His mouth was moving but he couldn’t hear a word he was saying. He was able to take one more step forward before his body gave up, doubling over and vomiting all over the floor.

“Sorry, let me clean that up” Yunho said before stumbling into somebody’s arms. And that was the last thing he remembered clearly.

*~*~*~*~*~

Seonghwa had spoken too soon. Apparently there was more that could go wrong, and it happened to burst through the door almost immediately after the words had left his lips.

Yunho was babbling nonsensically - an attempted apology that seemed to go off the rails almost immediately. Seonghwa wasn’t even sure if the words coming out of Yunho’s mouth were actual words at all or if he was simply stringing together a handful of syllables incoherently.

Hongjoong’s pacing immediately stopped as he rushed to Yunho’s side.

“What’s going on, Yunho-ah? Are you okay?” Hongjoong asked. A stupid question, he realized immediately. Clearly Yunho was not okay.

And then with no warning he was sick. Seonghwa sprung up from his seat on his bed, doing his best to ignore the vomit pooling at Yunho’s feet grabbing Yunho just in time for him to crumble into his arms.

*~*~*~*~*~

The only reason he knew that he hadn’t passed out completely was because he could feel Seongwha shouldering the majority of his weight and helping him to a bed. It suddenly dawned that this bed had been intended for him. He was supposed to share that room with Seonghwa and Hongjoong but he hadn’t gotten around to using it having stayed up all night with Jongho.

Jongho.

Jongho was still sick.

“No” Yunho whined, turning his head as Seonghwa laid the back of his hand on his cheek to check his temperature.

“Please relax, Yunho-ah” Seonghwa said quietly but his voice full of desperation. “You need to taken a few deep breaths.”

Yunho felt a hand lightly rubbing his chest, trying to get him to slow his breathing.

“No. No please. Jongho…” he managed to get out between shallow, panicked breaths.

“Jongho is fine, he’s asleep. Let’s focus on you.” Yunho heard Hongjoong’s voice assuring him.

Then there was another voice.

“What happened?”

“Wooyoung, please get him a bottle of water. And some towels so we can clean this up.”

“Yunho”

He could hear his voice being called by yet another voice but he couldn’t seem to remember how to speak.

“Jagi”

The voices seemed to be getting farther away.

“Don’t leave me. I’m scared” he muttered, feeling a hand wrap around his own.

“I’m not going anywhere. You’re alright. No need to be scared. I’ve got you.”

Mingi.

That was Mingi’s voice. And Mingi’s voice was the last thing he heard before being pulled into unconsciousness.

*~*~*~*~*~

Jongho was inconsolable.

“First I ruined our trip, now Yunho-hyung is sick because of me!”

It wasn’t often that they saw their maknae let his mask down. Yeosang was sure that he could count on one hand the number of times the number of times he had seen him cry like this, which made it even harder for him to handle.

“Calm down, Jongho. This isn’t your fault. None of it is your fault. Yunho doesn’t blame you for anything. These things happen.” Yeosang said as he ran a hand across his dongsaeng’s forehead and through his hair, catching tears as they slid from his eyes.

Yeosang’s ministrations we’re interrupted by the sound of Yunho getting sick in the bathroom again, derailing any progress he had made in calming Jongho down.

Hongjoong heard his latest sob, thinking quickly and grabbing his noise canceling headphones that he usually reserved for long work sessions in which any interruption would be detrimental, as well as Seonghwa’s black sleep mask.

“Alright maknae, no more of this” Hongjoong said lightly as he entered, seeing a look of relief cross Yeosang’s eyes. They took a moment to connect the headphones to Jongho’s phone and slipped them on along with the mask. The tension in Jongho’s body almost immediately dissipated and within a few minutes his breathing evened out indicating that he had fallen asleep.

“How’s Yunho doing?” Yeosang asked quietly just before a pained groan sounded from the washroom.

“Just about like that” Hongjoong said with a sigh, not wasting another moment before leaving Jongho in Yeosang’s care to check on Yunho.

*~*~*~*~*~

Yunho was sitting on the washroom floor, leaning heavily into Seonghwa’s side as Mingi dabbed the nape of his neck with a cool cloth. Wooyoung stood in the doorway, caught between wanting to help and not wanting to get in the way.

“You’re so warm, love” Seonghwa cooed quietly in Yunho’s ear. “Can we try a little food and medicine?”

Yunho shook his head against Seonghwa’s shoulder, eliciting an audible sigh from Mingi.

“Yunho, please try. We’ve got to get your temp down” Mingi’s tone was pleading. Hongjoong overheard and knew that it was time to step in.

“I know you’re not feeling well Yunho. We can do a little food and meds, or we can do a cool shower. The choice is yours” Hongjoong said kindly but in a tone that indicated that there was no third choice. “And no, Hwa-hyung isn’t going to save you from your mean old captain” he added.

“No shower” Yunho mumbled, getting a quick nod from Seonghwa.

“Alright, let’s get you off the floor then” Seonghwa said, giving Yunho a comforting squeeze around his shoulder before helping Mingi get him to his feet.

*~*~*~*~*~

The following morning came early but, as far as everybody was concerned, it couldn’t come early enough.

San and Wooyoung packed everybody’s bags the night prior, leaving out a set of clothes for everybody and a set of pajamas for Yunho and Jongho to travel home in. By the time their manager pulled up to get them all everything was already outside the door and ready to be loaded into the van.

And, as luck would have it, the sun was shining outside and the power had kicked back on that morning.

“Did everyone have fun? The weather at home was stunning, was it nice here too?” Wooyoung and San didn’t respond, simply grabbing bags to pack into the van.

Once everything was packed and they were ready to leave Hongjoong emerged with an armful of pillows and blankets, followed by Seonghwa with an armful of Yunho and Yeosang with an arm full of Jongho. They silently got the two sick members situated for the ride home as best as they could and stashed a collection of plastic bags for emergency purposes before setting off.

“Hyung,” San said quietly to the manager, who still wasn’t entirely sure what had happened. He had dropped off seven excited boys and one who had to sleep off some motion sickness and had picked up five exhausted and miserable boys and two who looked extremely feverish and fluish. “We appreciate the thought from you and the other staff for booking our trip. But please, never send us to a cabin again.”

[essenteez]

Bubbly speaks, bubbly writes, bubbly spits FACTS. HELP ME THIS IS SO ACCURATE 🫠

the type of dom who uses faux sympathy on his sub who keeps whining about being edged only to tut at them and remind them how they ended up in this situation in the first place 🎀

[leenaur143]

just watched the mv for the first time and its safe to say i am still as lost as i was before but as per usual i am THRIVING AND BOPPING AHHHH

[jjunberry]

ateez! when you wipe away their kisses

pairing! ateez x reader

genre! fluff, humor

synopsis! you try pranking your boyfriend by wiping away his kisses

wc! 600

hongjoong! is confused. he didn’t remember putting any product on his lips. so why did you wipe his kiss away? frowns and leans over kissing your cheek again. you smiled before wiping it off. “y/nie.” he cried out kissing your cheek again. only for you to wipe it off. “stop wiping my love away.” you giggled and hugged the boy. “i’m sorry.” you cooed before kissing him properly.

seonghwa! is baffled. you’ve never done this before, even when you were upset with him. he decided to see if it was just a mistake. so he placed a kiss to your cheek. you smiled then wiped it off. seonghwa was sick. his eyes wide mouth a gape. “babe?” he asked. you couldn’t hold in your giggles at his face. you kissed his cheek. “i’m sorry baby! it was a joke.” he groaned. “a cruel one.” he grumbled.

yunho! frowns. “baby.” he said before kissing your cheek again. “yeah?” you asked while wiping it off. his eyebrows furrowed. “stop it.” he whined kissing you again. “stop what?” you wiped his kiss away again. “are you trying to break my heart?” he cried out giving you puppy dog eyes. you instantly caved before giving him all the kisses he wanted.

yeosang! scoffs. if you didn’t want his kisses then he simply wouldn’t give them to you. after you wiped his kiss off he refused to kiss you for the rest of the day. successfully ruining your prank. “yeosang.” you pouted before kissing his cheek. “so now you want my kisses?” he smirked. you nodded. “too bad.” he patted your head before taking off with you chasing after him.

san! throws a tantrum. how dare you? he’s pretty sure his heart broke when you wiped away his kiss. “baby.” he said before kissing your cheeks then your lips. you giggled then wiped them away. san stomped his foot and crossed his arms. “do you not love me anymore?” he asked. you couldn’t help the giggles. san sighed. “stop the pranks before i die.” he groaned. you kissed him. “so dramatic.”

mingi! immediately goes in for another kiss, that you of course wipe away. the boy is quite literally heart broken. he loves kissing you and you just wiped it away. “stop it.” he whined grabbing your face and kissing your lips. before you could wipe it away his hands hold yours and he leaves kisses all over you. “okay okay, stop.” you laughed. “it was a prank.” his eyes furrowed. “you’re so mean to me.” he whined.

wooyoung! throws a tantrum part two. screams about how much you don’t love him. all you did was wipe away the kiss he gave you before he was supposed to leave for practice. “i can’t believe you don’t love me anymore.” he cries falling to the floor. you laugh before kissing him. “it was just a prank now go before you’re late.” he laughed kissing you before leaving.

jongho! blinks in confusion. why did you just wipe away his kiss? you’ve never done this before. tries to figure out if he’s upset you. he decided to test the waters and kiss you again. when you wiped it away he gasped. “why?” he whined. you smiled rarely did you see jongho this way. you couldn’t hold in your laughter. his eyebrows furrowed when he realized it was one of your pranks. he scoffed and playfully shoved you but accepted the kisses you left on him.

author’s note! had so much inspiration for ateez lately soooo i’ve been on an ateez kick lmao

tag list! @jjunieworld @304files

love, echo ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪

© jjunberry