Here We Go

"Have Courage and Be Kind" - Kpop (and Anime) Sickfic Writer - '95

[darl-ingfics]

Hello!

Welcome! Happy to see you 😊

This side-blog had been a many-years-in-the-making sort of things for me; I've been a sickfic and hurt/comfort fan for years, yet everything I wrote was always just for my eyes only, or rarely/heavily edited when published. But the more I've begun to explore this genre, the idea of making this blog a reality became, well, a reality. And here we are.

What to Know About Me:

She/her

Born in '95

Literature nerd, avid dancer, and certified Disney adult

I've been a Kpop fan since 2018! I am currently an incredibly proud Carat, EXO-L, and Shawol.

Masterlist

Requests are: OPEN

Current Requests (to be fulfilled in any order, as the muse decides):

SVT - Vernon, allergic reaction

SVT - Vernon & Joshua, flu

ATEEZ - Hongjoong, bronchitis

ATEEZ - Seonghwa, tonsillitis

My Current Fics in the Works:

Couch Sickie Scenarios (feat. Taemin, and Hoshi/The8)

I have... two SHINee ideas forming... just FYI

Sicktember 2026 (2/30 complete)

Ongoing Series: None right now...

Groups I Stan and Will Write For: Seventeen (Joshua bias), EXO (Xiumin bias), SHINee (Onew bias), BTS (Jungkook bias), ATEEZ (Seonghwa bias)

Groups in my Stan Orbit: none at this time

Groups I Enjoy Listening to, but Probably Won't Write For: Stray Kids (Han bias), Red Velvet (Seulgi bias), Mamamoo (Moonbyul bias), f(x) (Luna bias), Monsta X (Kihyun bias), NCT (Doyoung bias)

Groups I Casually Listen to: Girls Generation, Aespa, Blackpink, (G)I-dle, Got7

Chances are good I'll throw in some anime pieces too, cause I have A TON of those in the back logs. You will primarily see content for Haikyuu and Attack on Titan for those pieces.

What I Will Write: General illness; snz (to a degree, we’re figuring it out); hurt/comfort; some emeto

What I Won’t Write: allergy snz (not it for me, folks); graphic emeto; scat; major illness or character d/eath; non-con anything; NSFW sexy times; age regression

A Reminder: All writings published on this blog in any Kpop fandom are strictly based on my perceptions of the personas presented by the idols. These are real people, and absolutely nothing on here is a true representation of these artists as individuals. These fics are manifestations of my enjoyment of these artists in a medium that I find creatively rewarding, but the maintenance of the line between fiction and fact is a necessary part of these creations.

Feel free to pop in my asks anytime! Thanks for reading!

(Follows and Likes as pretty-eyes-jaeger)

[darl-ingfics]

Sicktember Poll #2

Which of the following workaholic members will try to use the 'my boss won't let me take a sick day' excuse? (No ATEEZ as of now cause it was gonna be Hongjoong, and he already won the 'parents' one)

Choose your sickie:

Woozi (SVT)

Suga (BTS)

Hoshi (SVT)

Other?! (Suggestions?)

Darling's Option so I can see the results cause I am impatient

Remaining time: 1 day 18 hours

[darl-ingfics]

Nothing to Whine About

Fandom: SHINee

Sickie: Kibum (strep throat)

Caregiver(s): Jonghyun

Word Count: 2,198

Notes: Back in November, @haifa896 sent the idea of someone having to stay at the dorm over a holiday, and another member staying back with them. The request was for Key and Jjong, and I'm happy to have FINALLY cranked this fic out!!!

Kibum knew he was a complainer. It was just part of his DNA. He had a lot of opinions, and couldn’t help that everyone else was just wrong about so many things in life. But at the end of the day, Kibum acknowledged that about two thirds of the time, his whining was more for the sake of humor and dramatics.

But right now, when Kibum was laying in bed, staring up at his ceiling, trying to ignore the sharp stinging pain in his throat and the fever aches gripping every single muscle while his members all left to visit home for the Chuseok holiday, fell into the other third, when his complaints were absolutely, irrevocably justified. 

It had all started with Minho, naturally the source of most of Kibum’s problems. Minho had been the one to bring strep into their dorm. Because he was Minho, he’d ignored the sore throat at first, no matter how severe, claiming he was fine and didn’t need a doctor, just water. He fought the member’s worried caretaking attempts and insistence to keep his distance from them, assuring them it was just a cold. Then the fever hit, spiking so high he physically couldn’t move from bed. Jinki and Jonhyun had had the unpleasant task of manhandling Minho to the car, a terrible experience for all involved as Minho was finally in enough pain to give up the tough guy act, and barely had the strength to stay upright for more than a minute at a time. It was a genuine shock for everyone; they hadn’t seen Minho fall apart like this, ever. Of course he’d had his fair share of breakdowns over the years, but never had the members seen him so helplessly vulnerable. The manager who took him to the doctor said Minho cried basically the whole trip. And the tears didn’t fully stop until he’d taken his first dose of antibiotics and slept for five hours. Only then was the world back in order, and three days later, Minho was right as rain.

It felt almost cosmically divined that on that third day, when Minho regained his health, Jinki woke up with a sore throat. Unlike Minho, he understood the severity of the situation immediately and didn’t refuse rest, medicine, or isolation. Unfortunately, like Minho, the fever hit hard and fast, rendering their leader an anxious mess. He’d lost his voice almost immediately from the coughing and swollen tonsils, which maliciously transformed into flashbacks of his vocal polyps experience, when he feared he might never sing again. Scared and in pain, with no way to communicate clearly, Jinki had spent the better part of three days inconsolable, which broke his members beyond belief. While Minho’s body had reacted to the antibiotics right away, it took Jinki’s a bit longer, which in itself was unusual and further cause for concern from the members, unable to do much else for their leader until his body figured it out.

With Jinki so distressed, it had been difficult to keep Taemin away from him. Taemin couldn’t resist snuggle time on a good day, and given that Jinki was currently having several very bad days, and the members were terrified to leave him alone, they unfortunately had to let their young starfish do his thing and pray for the best. 

So it wasn’t at all surprising that Taemin got sick next, but it was a pleasant turn of events that his symptoms ended up on the more mild side, given how intensely the same bug had knocked out Minho and Jinki. Sure, he was still feverish and fatigued, and more than a little loopy because of it. But the sore throat only lasted 24 hours for Taemin, which created a new problem: keeping him at rest. Even with the fever, Taemin tried to weasel his way to practice after the allotted antibiotic time, insisting that he felt ‘so much better’ and ‘really wasn’t that sick anyway.’ Naturally, he’d failed to convince all of his hyungs, and was forcibly kept at home for three extra days to prevent a relapse. Not to be completely defeated, Taemin bartered for extra cuddles, which all of his members (Kibum excluded) were happy to oblige. 

So it really wasn’t a shock either that Jonghyun went down after, given that he was Taemin’s roommate and thus his preferred cuddle companion, because, even though he didn’t have the antibodies, Jonghyun couldn’t deny Taemin anything. His experience fell somewhere in the middle, not as blissfully mild as Taemin’s but also not as severe as the first two. The cough had been the worst for him, keeping him up most of the night, and also stealing his voice away. It was heart breaking and downright painful to listen to him talk, but that didn’t deter Jonghyun at all from chattering up a storm whenever his members came home from their daily activities. He was down for the count for just about five days. And then all five of them breathed a sigh of relief that they’d finally, after nearly a month, overcome their strep-apocalypse, believing wholeheartedly in Kibum’s immunity. 

It took three more days to prove them all wrong. 

But it made little sense to Kibum how he’d gotten sick. The previous pattern made sense: Minho to his roommate, Jinki to his starfish, Taemin to his roommate. But Kibum had avoided all of them through it all. Even when they’d all let Jonghyun chill on the couch 24 hours post-antibiotic, he’d worn a mask for Kibum’s sake (as had Kibum), and stayed in the same spot on the couch so it would be ‘easier to disinfect later.’ He had done everything right to stay healthy. And it hadn’t worked. 

Which brought Kibum back to this moment, staring at the ceiling, pitying himself. He’d replayed the same loop again and again, trying to divine the moment his body betrayed him. He was so far unsuccessful, and no closer to improving his mood. It stung that he’d gotten sick at all, but the fact that he was too sick to travel home for the Chuseok holiday? That was cruel and unusual punishment. Even though Kibum could have moved his travel arrangements a day or two after the first 24-hours on antibiotics, he felt wrong about it, not willing to risk infecting anyone else despite wearing a mask. He also felt absolutely horrible, and knew there was no chance he’d actually survive the trip down to Daegu.  

The creak of his bedroom door interrupted his melancholic musings. Kibum sat up, brows furrowed, as Jonghyun peeked his head in and gave a small wave. 

Kibum’s scowl stayed put. “What the hell are you doing here?” His voice was borderline menacing in spite of how raw and croaky he was. 

Jonghyun’s smile widened as he pushed further into the doorway. “Hanging out with you, duh.”

“Why?”

Jonghyun shrugged. “So you aren’t alone for Chuseok? Come on, Bammie, I thought you’d be happy.”

Kibum resisted the urge to cross his arms, afraid to look too much like a petulant child. “But your mom…”

“Has my sister. And I can go home tomorrow, or the next day. And Taemin’s going to stop over, and Jinki and Minho are coming back a bit early too. Cause it’s not fair to leave you wallowing in misery by yourself after you looked out for all of us this past month…” “I really didn’t help with any of you,” Kibum interrupted. A stab of guilt shot through his chest, but he swallowed it back down, which was incredibly difficult given the shrieking pain in his throat when he so much as moved. 

Jonghyun rolled his eyes. “Come on, be fair to yourself. You may not have been holding our hands, but you were the one making soup in the kitchen and running to the store for popsicles.” 

Kibum shrugged, glancing at his window blinds. “Listen, the popsicles were the only way to keep Jinki-hyung hydrated and Taemin quiet.”

“Okay. Be a brat, that’s fine.” Jonghyun’s smile grew irritatingly larger at Kibum’s glare. “But regardless, I’m staying home with you. And I thought we could have a little picnic!”

“Picnic?” “Yeah. I made us dinner, and I can either bring it in here, or we can move out to the living room cause I know you don’t like crumbs in your bed. However, few of the foods I made even have crumbs, because they are all soft, easy on the throat things.”

Kibum blinked, waiting for his brain to catch up. “You… made us dinner?” Jonghyun nodded. “When?”

“Last hour or so.”

“But… everyone just left. How did you…?” “No, they left about two hours ago, bud.” Kibum’s eye widened comically. Jonghyun did his best to contain his smile. “It’s normal to lose some time when on those meds.”

“I guess…” Kibum trailed off, looking away in slight embarrassment. He hid it behind a wince as he attempted to swallow again. 

“So, picnic in here or living room?”

“Living room please.”

“Alright! I’ll go set up, and then come back for you!” 

As Jonghyun disappeared, Kibum settled back against his pillows, utterly baffled by this turn of events. Sure, Jonghyun’s family lived the closest to the dorm, and he could go visit them in a day or so, but something about the older man willingly sacrificing his holiday to spend it with Kibum? When he was in peak whining condition? It made him want to cry. 

Especially because he felt like he’d actually been quite a jerk several times throughout the past month. Germaphobe that he was, Kibum had been snappier and more closed off, especially to whichever member was ill at the time. He knew it was mean, knew it was out of their control, but he couldn’t temper the voices in his head. 

But… the more he thought about it, with Jonghyun’s words as a guide, maybe Kibum had been more involved than he’d assumed. A few memories began to tug at his heart…

~ “Is he…?” Kibum turned from the doorway to see Taemin lingering in the hallway. His fingers were knotted in the hem of his t-shirt. The maknae bit his lip, avoided Kibum’s eyes. “Is Minho gonna be…?”

Kibum swept forward and pulled Taemin close. “Of course he is, bug.” There hadn’t been a way to keep Taemin from watching Jinki and Jonghyun basically dragging Minho to the manager’s car, but Kibum could hold him now. Focusing on Taemin’s distress over Minho’s distress helped Kibum ignore his own distress…. ~

~ “What’re you doing?” Kibum asked, leaning in the doorway to Jinki and Minho’s room. 

Taemin, sprawled atop Jinki’s bed with the sleeping leader curled up next to him, looked up only briefly from his Gameboy. “Helping.” 

Kibum settled against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest, lips pursed. “How?” 

“Whenever hyung starts moving around, you know, with a bad dream or something, I pet his head, and he stays asleep.”

“Okay, that’s… actually quite attentive.” Kibum shifted the box of popsicles in his hands. “Next time hyung wakes up, can you call me? We need to make sure he eats at least one of these?” Taemin’s eyes lit up. “Can I have one?”

“Sure. When hyung wakes up. AND!” Kibum held up a warning finger, “When he wakes up naturally, Taem.”

Taemin rolled his eyes. “I’m not that selfish, hyung….” ~

~ “Here. Chug this.” Kibum threw a bottle of Robitussin on the coffee table, clattering next to the amoxicillin that was nearly empty after passing between four separate people in the past two weeks. 

“Oh my god, in 24 hours, I’m giving you the best thank you kiss of your life,” Jonghyun exclaimed, relief evident in his entire body even as he winced in discomfort reaching for the new medicine. Despite the fact that Jonghyun was already 24 hours post-antibiotic, the joke had become a house favorite throughout the strep-apocalypse. 

“Um, no. You can kiss me in five to seven business days.” 

Minho snorted from the kitchen. “If you haven’t caught it by now, Kibum, one kiss won’t kill you.”

“You wanna make it seven to ten days?” Kibum shot back, head snapping sharply towards the now cackling rapper. 

“NooOOOO!!!!” Jonghyun cried, eyes wide in panic. 

Jinki cuffed Minho on the back of the head as the rapper continued laughing. “Stop being a menace!” 

“Hey.” 

Kibum shook his head, glancing towards the doorway, where Jonghyun had returned. “Ready for our picnic?” He cocked his head to the side when Kibum just stared back at him. 

“Why… why me?” Jonghyun waited as Kibum puzzled through his words. “I just… I don’t deser-“

“Don’t say that,” Jonghyun interrupted, rushing to the bed. He cupped Kibum’s face, forcing eye contact. “You deserve the world, Kibum. Whether you think you do or not, you do. We all know you do. You don’t need to earn love, okay?”

The tears spilled down Kibum’s cheeks before he knew what was happening. His throat tightened ever so slightly, which was more significant given his already swollen tonsils. “Okay,” he choked out. Maybe, just maybe, he’d have one less thing to whine about now. 

[darl-ingfics]

To the dear, sweet anons who sent in my three most recent requests... I'm so freaking excited!!!

[darl-ingfics]

Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

Fandom: ATEEZ

Sickie: Mingi (carsickness, ear infection)

Caregiver(s): Yunho & Wooyoung

Word Count: 4,262

Notes: In the original SHINee version of the second half of this fic, we had Key and Minho as the two caretakers, and their dynamic is naturally more argumentative, so I had to engineer a fight. And coming up with a reason for any of the ATEEZ members to be fighting was difficult, but I hope this worked out.

Mingi awoke to the car making an abrupt stop and his members piling out around him. He blinked his eyes open, swallowing against a dry throat (probably the fault of the recycled van air), and became immediately aware of an unsettled feeling in his stomach. That wasn’t terribly unusual. Even though he could will his body to fall asleep the second he felt the tiniest bit carsick, it wasn’t a completely foolproof method. The queasiness usually eased with time away from the moving vehicle. 

“Enjoy your nap, sleeping beauty?” 

Mingi smirked up at Jongho, who was smirking back at him as he emerged from further back in the van. “Best sleep of my life.”

Jongho snorted. “I find that hard to believe, hyung.”

“Don’t knock it ’til ya try it.”

That day, the group had taken part in a brand deal at a studio two and a half hours out of town, meaning about forty minutes of the ride was city traffic, and the rest was windy, bumpy backroad that made everyone’s stomachs flip a little bit. Mingi’s more than most, though; he’d always been a bit more prone to motion sickness than his peers. But luckily he’d developed the ability, talent, really, to fall asleep the second he felt the first hint of nausea in the car. A talent he’d used to full effect on the way home today. 

Mingi had, however, missed some crucial updates in the day’s drama…

“Any progress between you know who?” Mingi asked as he slung bag over his shoulder, sliding out of the car behind Jongho. He squinted against the setting sun reflecting off their building’s windows, the sudden blast of light sending an unwelcome wave of pain through his head. 

“Absolutely not,” Jongho scoffed, staring at the backs of the members who were somehow so far ahead. San was the only one waiting, holding the door for them. He threw them a cute little wave. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Yunho get mad like that.”

“It’s rare,” Mingi said, hoisting his bag further up onto his shoulder as he replayed the events from earlier in the practice room. He winced, his muscles aching a bit from sleeping in such an odd position - the only downside of instant-sleeping in the car“But leave it to Wooyoung to find a way to bring it out of him.”

“Is it… true?” Jongho asked, slowing his step just enough to prevent their conversation from being overheard through the open door. “Do you have any idea? Did Yunho actually sabotage Woo’s tape?”

Mingi sighed. “I don’t know, Jongho. But…” He sighed, rubbing at his neck, which also felt suddenly sore, another side effect of the car nap. “That doesn’t sound like him.” Jongho nodded, seemingly in agreement, but his face remained troubled. “Why? Do you think otherwise?”

“No, not at all!” The maknae was suddenly defensive in the face of Yunho’s best friend. Mingi waved off his concern. Still, Jongho continued, brow furrowed. “That’s the problem, actually. There’s no way Yunho of all people would have tampered with anyone’s audition tape.”

San was smiling as they approached, but his smile faltered slightly as he heard Jongho’s last words. “Catching Mingi up, huh?” he asked as the duo slid past him with grateful nods. 

“Yeah, he asked,” Jongho said by way of explanation as they walked towards the elevator. “You don’t think Yunho interfered with Wooyoung’s choreo audition, do you?”

San sighed, pulling his hands down his face in exasperation. “I don’t knnoooooowwwwww!” he whined, taking an exaggerated breath through his nose and sighing dramatically. “Cause I can’t imagine Yunho sabotaging anyone, but also… Youngie’s dramatic, but not like that. So I just… I’m very confused, and I don’t want to take sides, and I think Wooyoung’s mad at me for it.” Jongho squeezed his shoulder in support as Mingi nodded in solidarity. 

It had been a tense filming session today. In the middle of the photoshoot, one of the newer staff had read an email stating that Yunho had been chosen as the primary choreographer for one of their upcoming B-side tracks. After a round of congratulations and celebration, Wooyoung had checked his phone. He’d checked again a few minutes later. The members noticed him checking his phone consistently over the next two hours. And then, thankfully after both he and Yunho had finished their solo shots, he blew up. 

Wooyoung had, not so kindly, accused Yunho of sabotaging his choreography audition. Yunho responded with shocked: “What are you even talking about?!” Wooyoung went on yelling about the hours he spent working on an audition tape, creating several rounds of choreo and painstakingly putting them together into a reel that he’d burned onto a disc and placed atop Yunho’s own audition disc. Yunho shot back that he hadn’t seen a second disc at all, and couldn’t believe Wooyoung would even consider that he’d done something to undermine his audition, that he wouldn’t want to ‘fight’ fair and square. 

Hurtful words followed from both sides. More so from Wooyoung, who had a harder time checking his tongue when his emotions got the better of him. It didn’t help that Yunho, contrarily, shut down when upset, letting Wooyoung’s tirade reach a fever pitch before he raised his voice back. It ended with both of them yelling, crying, nearly coming to blows before Hongjoong and Seonghwa stepped in, physically separating them (not anyone’s fault, of course, they were all busy attending to brand deal duties.) Thankfully it all happened in their dressing room, where the only witnesses were the members. No one needed a brand partner seeing them at their worst like that. 

Mingi guessed the ride home would have been tense, given that it was dead quiet before he’d conked out. It seems he’d guessed right. 

“Let Woo cool off, Sannie,” Mingi said as they approached the dorm door. “He’s worked up right now. You’re in the right for not taking sides. Remember that.” San nodded sullenly as Jongho unlocked the apartment door. 

The room was quiet, nearly deserted, only Yeosang left at the table. He offered the trio a wave and a “Dinner’s gonna be here in about thirty minutes.”

“Perfect,” Jongho replied with a thumbs up as San barreled forward and pulled Yeosang into a hug that the other man tried to squirm out of. Mingi snorted to himself at their antics, shaking his head as he shuffled off to this room. His stomach was still turning a bit too much for his liking, and a steady pounding beat had begun in his head. Classic carsickness side effects, often treatable with a nap. Without turning on the light, Mingi closed the door to his room and went through the motions of pulling off his outside clothes and pulling on a hoodie and sweats. He fell onto the bed and curled up on top of the covers, closing his eyes and falling into a restless sleep. 

So restless, in fact, that Mingi didn’t even realize he’d fallen asleep until a gentle hand on his shoulder shook him awake. Blinking against heavy eyelids, Mingi groaned on impact, pouting up at Seonghwa. 

“I know, I know. Shoot the messenger all you want.” The eldest smiled fondly down at him. “But dinner’s here, and I thought you’d want to eat it hot.” 

Mingi nodded, but immediately winced as the motion sent a flash of pain through his skull. “Aaah.” As he pressed at his temple, Mingi also became aware of the dull ache still sitting in his stomach. So the nap had been for nothing then, huh?

“You okay?” The question caught Mingi off guard. He blinked again, rapidly this time, as he met Seonghwa’s steady gaze. The eldest cocked his head to the side, studying Mingi in a way that made the rapper’s cheeks burn.

Mingi took a second to consider. He dropped a hand against his midsection. “Yeah, just… still a bit unsettled from the car, I think.” His lips pouted as his hand began to move in circles across his stomach. “Too many bumps today.”

Seonghwa scoffed. “Don’t have to tell me twice.” He then held out a hand. “Maybe eating will help?”

“Worth a shot.” Mingi accepted the offer and vaulted to his feet, only swaying a little bit from the change in height. Seonghwa, bless his soul, wrapped his arm through Mingi’s and walked with him down the hall to the kitchen. 

They entered to the smell of dinner on the table, takeout from their favorite noodle shop. The smell, usually so mouth watering and incredible, caused Mingi’s stomach to give a violent flip. He paused, pretending that his shoe was stuck. This was… unpleasant. Sure, the sleeping trick wasn’t foolproof, but he usually didn’t still feel sick upon smelling food. 

So Mingi pushed himself to the table. Yeosang and San were engaged in some sort of cheery conversation, very clearly trying to dispel the palpable storm cloud of tension spread between Yunho and Wooyoung. Mingi was honestly surprised the two had been allowed to sit at the table together, but assumed it was the MATZ duo’s current strategy to force them to apologize. At least the members had done a good job of putting as much space between the two as possible. 

As Mingi slid into the open seat between Yunho and Hongjoong, the captain handed him a plastic to-go container. As Seonghwa also joined the table and the obviously forced conversation, Mingi went though the motions of opening it and downing a few bites. But he only got to four before his stomach resisted, acting as if that was enough to satisfy him. 

“Mingi, is something wrong with your order?” 

The rapper’s attention snapped up to Yunho, along with everyone else’s. The sudden rush of attention made Mingi want to shrink into himself. Instead, he plastered on an easy smile. “Nah.” He dropped his hand against his midsection again, just as he did for Seonghwa earlier. “The car trick didn’t work super well today. Might have to save this for later.” Yunho didn’t look quite convinced. 

“That’s okay. As long as you have something in your stomach, you should be okay,” Hongjoong replied from Mingi’s right. “I’m sorry the car was so bumpy.”

“Not your fault.” Mingi shook his head a bit too energetically, and winced before he could stop himself. “But I do think I’m gonna skip out on the rest of dinner, if that’s okay.”

“Why don’t you go take next shower?” San offered. No one resisted. So Mingi stood from the table and, after depositing his still mostly full container into the fridge, trudged down the hall to the bathroom. 

The bathroom lights sent another pulse of pain through Mingi’s head, his stomach doing an impressive flip along with it. He groaned, rubbing at his eyes with one hand while leaning against the counter with the other. What was happening to him? He’d never had carsickness linger like this before. Hopefully, the shower would fix what the nap and meal couldn’t. 

At first, the water seemed to be the magic trick Mingi had been looking for. His muscles relaxed, his head felt clear, his stomach stopped roiling. After two minutes under the heat, though, Mingi felt an intense wave of dizziness. The shower tilted violently, and he shot out both hands to steady himself, one clamoring noisily against the shower door. His back hit the tiled wall behind him, all but his feet removed from the water’s boiling torrent. A tinny ring began to echo in his ears as Mingi tried desperately to control his breathing, which was quickly getting away from him. Squeezing his eyes closed, Mingi willed the world to stop. 

It refused. 

Even with his eyes closed, Mingi still felt the world tilting at a dangerous angle. Lowering himself to his knees, an involuntary whimper escaped his throat as he realized he needed to turn the water off. After three shaking breaths of steam-filled air, Mingi crawled forward under the scorching water just enough to reach one shaking hand up to the knob. He cried out from the heat burning his skin even as it dripped to a stop, but knew if he stopped moving now, he’d ended up lying on those wet, slippery shower tiles. So he pushed through his dizziness to open the shower door and unceremoniously crawl out into the bathroom. 

The room continued to spin as Mingi collapsed against the wall. While the heat of the shower had been suffocating, the cool air of the bathroom was no better. Even though he could breath again, Mingi’s ears were still ringing and now his muscles were tensing up from the sudden temperature change. Starting to shiver, Mingi reached for his towel on the rack, pulling it down around his lower body. He pulled a second, random towel down as well, draping it over his shoulders, too cold and disoriented to process that it was someone else’s. Wrapped up in his towels, Mingi squeezed his eyes shut and willed the world to calm down. 

~

Dinner had gone down hill quickly after Mingi left. When Yunho had tried to push the issue with Seonghwa and Hongjoong, Wooyoung had accused him of not only playing favorites, but trying to suck up to the older members so they’d take his side in the ongoing argument. Jongho had been the first to tell him off for the uncalled for comment, but that hadn’t stopped Wooyoung from spitting the words, “You just always have to be the favorite, no matter who you step on to get there. Too scared to find out just how mediocre you are when the spotlight moves to someone else.” 

The room went silent. 

Yunho seat his spoon down with an ominous click, never breaking eye contact with Wooyoung. He folded his hands on the table. “Takes one to know one, huh?” Wooyoung’s lips disappeared, they pressed together so tight. “Or I guess that’s not true. I don’t need to beg for attention…”

Wooyoung was out of his chair before anyone could stop him. 

But Seonghwa was ready to pull Yunho back just before Wooyoung’s first hit landed, giving San the time to detain him in a not-so-gentle hug. Both continued yelling, even as they were physically pulled apart. 

“Alright, that’s enough!” Hongjoong’s voice cast the room into silence once again. Seonghwa let go of Yunho, but San wisely refused to release Wooyoung as the performer continued to buck against his chest. “The hell has gotten into you two? We don’t solve problems like this. You both know better.” The captain’s eyes flicked back and forth between the two, careful not to linger too long on either, as that could be taken as a sign of favoritism in this tense climate. “So can we talk about this like adults?”

“Not right now,” Seonnghwa answered for them, as neither Yunho nor Wooyoung could look at one another, or any of the other members for that matter. “I suggest a cool off period. Both of you, to your rooms. We’ll call you in a bit.”

“I’m not a fucking child,” Wooyoung spat, pulling away from San’s arms. 

“Then stop acting like one.” Seonghwa’s voice carried an authority that, even this agitated, Wooyoung didn’t have the energy to fight. Instead, he sneered at the eldest before storming off down the hall, a slammed door echoing after. Yunho followed after, eyes trained on the floor. After his door closed, much quieter, Seonghwa said, “I’m sorry you all had to see that.”

“Nothing we haven’t seen before,” Jongho replied with a sad shake of his head. “Perks of living together.”

As the other five finished their dinner through stilted, awkward conversation, they decided to throw on a multi-player video game to bring some joy back to their night. The fight was soon forgotten, and the volume in the room grew to near catastrophic levels. 

Yunho sighed, hearing his members’ chaotic racket from behind his bedroom door. Did he want to be having fun with them? Of course. But he couldn’t stomach the thought of seeing Wooyoung again right now, even in passing. It was hard to describe the feeling in his body at the moment. The things Wooyoung said to him, about him, shattered something inside; he wasn’t just angry, but hurt and confused and humiliated and honestly devastated to hear someone he trusted and loved so much confirm his deepest insecurities. But hadn’t Yunho done the same to Wooyoung? The bitter regret of his own insults didn’t make the confusion any easier. Yunho knew he’d fucked up, but Wooyoung had to, and Yunho wasn’t ready to apologize so there was no way in hell Wooyoung would be. 

Mind racing, Yunho pushed himself off the bed, and crossed to the door. He figured Hongjoong and Seonghwa couldn’t bar him from taking a shower. 

That was how Yunho opened the door to find Mingi, dripping wet, curled in a ball, shivering on the bathroom floor against the tub. 

“MINGI!”

Yunho collapsed to the floor, pulling Mingi into his arms, cradling the rapper close to his chest. He could feel Mingi trembling as the rapper’s still dripping wet hair soaked into his t-shirt. Yunho tugged the towel more firmly around his best friend’s shoulders. “Mingi?! Are you with me?”

“Uhh… uh-huh,” came the raspy, shaking reply. 

That certainly wasn’t enough for Yunho. “What happened?! Are you hurt?”

“I… was trying to take a shower, and I got dizzy, so I sat down.” Mingi pulled in a deep breath before trying to sit up from Yunho’s hold. The second he moved, though, he gasped in pain and fell back against his best friend. Yunho’s arms wrapped tighter around him, one hand snaking up around the back of Mingi’s head. That’s when he felt an unnatural heat radiating from Mingi’s skin. 

“Please forgive me for this.” Yunho clasped his hands over Mingi’s ears before he turned his head towards the door and yelled, “HELP!” Mingi whimpered at the noise, so loud, so close. It made his ears ring and his head swim. “I’m so sorry, Minki. I’m so sorry. But I need…”

Wooyoung careened around the doorway, wide eyes growing wider at the sight before him. His gaze locked onto Yunho’s. A beat of tense silence passed between them before Wooyoung’s eyes slid to Mingi. “What do you need?” he asked, sliding onto his knees in front of the pair. He reached a hand out, carding a loose strand of the rapper’s sopping hair behind his ear. 

“Do you have your phone?” Yunho asked. Wooyoung nodded, pulling his cell from his pocket. “Can you call a manager? I think we need a doctor.”

Wooyoung nodded, pulling up their manager’s contact. Then he paused, eyes snapping up again. “What’re his symptoms? They’re gonna ask.”

“Um, fever? Weakness? Uhh.” Yunho turned to Mingi, searching him over with his eyes. 

“How high’s the fever?” Wooyoung asked. 

“I don’t know. I haven’t checked yet, just…” Yunho’s fingers pressed against Mingi’s cheek. “He’s really warm.”

Wooyoung nodded, accepting the answer. “What else, Min?”

“Dizzy….” Mingi slurred, his head slumping further against Yunho’s sternum. 

“Are you still nauseous?” Yunho asked, lightly jostling Mingi in an attempt to rouse him without outright shaking him. Mingi groaned, nodding against the dancer’s chest.

“Okay. Fever, fatigue, nausea, dizziness… that’s enough, right?” Wooyoung asked, searching Yunho’s eyes, earning a tight nod from the dancer. “Okay. Be right back!” Wooyoung scrambled to his feet and stepped into the hallway to make the call. 

“Wait. Hold on.” Mingi pulled his head away from Yunho again, craning his neck up to squint in the general direction of Yunho’s eyes (the bathroom lights were way too bright for this shit). “I thought you two were fighting.” 

Yunho’s entire body stiffened beneath him. “Yeah, kind of, I guess. But he responded first… And that’s no reason to leave you helpless on the bathroom floor.”

“Junghyun-hyung’s on his way!” Wooyoung announced, returning to his position on the floor. “I also tossed some clothes in the dryer for our Mangi.” He reached forward, ruffling a dry towel against the rapper’s wet hair.

“Thank you, Youngie,” Yunho sighed. “I couldn’t get up to get another towel…”

“I know. I can’t imagine how hard it must be to move a dry Mingi, let alone a waterlogged one,” Wooyoung joked. He checked himself quickly, though, wiping the smile from his face. He turned back to Mingi’s hair with renewed vigor, which was how he noticed the detail they’d all been missing. “Yunho, he’s holding his ear.” Wooyoung pointed towards Mingi’s hand which was absentmindedly pulling at his left ear. “Oh my God… That’s why you’ve felt so nauseous since the car!” He placed a warm hand on Mingi’s knee, squeezing tight. “You probably have an ear infection that’s throwing you off balance.”

“W-what?” Mingi stammered. “I can’t have… that’s impossi- impossible…”

“Not necessarily,” Wooyoung replied. 

“Yeah necessarily. I’m not five.”

Yunho and Wooyoung scoffed in tandem, eyes meeting for fleeting moment before darting to Mingi again. The tension was easing, and neither was quite ready to deal with that. 

“Bacteria can get inside your ears at any age, dummy,” Wooyoung said, resuming his towel dry a bit more gently. Mingi pouted, dropping his chin against Yunho’s shoulder. “Maybe you got water stuck in it during the WANTEEZ game with the water guns.”

“That means it’s San’s fault,” Mingi grumbled. 

“Well, I’d wait to declare that until the doctor confirms our suspicions,” Wooyoung replied as he pushed up to his feet. “Let me go grab those clothes…” 

As Wooyoung wandered off, Mingi grabbed Yunho’s hand. “You’re quiet.”

“Not much to say when you find your best friend collapsed on the floor, shaking like a wet dog,” Yunho said with a sad, little smile that Mingi saw right through. “You gotta say something, Min…”

“Yunho, I genuinely didn’t feel this bad until I was already under the water,” Mingi explained in earnest, squeezing the other’s hand. “You know I would have spoken up otherwise. I literally thought it was carsickness side effects…”

Yunho sighed. “I know. I just feel bad that I didn’t do anything to…”

“You couldn’t have. End of story. I love you.” Mingi kissed the back of Yunho’s hand, earning him a genuine smile as Wooyoung returned with a pair of fresh and warm pajamas.

It was a test of will and patience for the three of them to get Mingi to his feet, let alone dressed. Even without the heat from the shower, Mingi felt incredibly dizzy and disoriented, and need to move incredibly slow. There were three close calls where he was sure he was about to throw up or pass out or both, but they survived all three without an incident. 

All in all, it took fifteen minutes from the trio to get back to Mingi’s room, but only three for the rapper to fall asleep after he’d slipped a fever reducer in his mouth and collapsed into bed, Yunho perched next to him. 

When Mingi began that just-barely-there snore, indicating he was deeply asleep and at no risk of waking up, Wooyoung backed out of the room, content to leave Mingi in Yunho’s capable hands. But he froze in the doorway at the soft sound of his name. He turned around, meeting Yunho’s eyes. “I’m sorry they didn’t consider your choreo for the comeback.” Wooyoung felt his spine stiffen, but held his tongue as it was clear Yunho wasn’t finished. “But I need you to know, I never touched your tape. I swear on my life. That’s not… I never want to be in charge if it means crushing someone else’s chances, someone’s dreams. Especially yours. I really thought it was a fair and square choice, not… whatever happened.” He paused, staring off at the floor. Wooyoung realized there were tears building in his eyes, and Yunho didn’t want him to see. Didn’t want him to think it was a guilt trip. “And I… I didn’t mean any of that shit about you being attention seeking. I just… I’m so sorry, Wooyoung.”

With a nod, Wooyoung took a step back into the room. “Yunho, I…” The dancer glanced up at him, his eyes so earnest, Wooyoung came up short for words. He bit his lip, trying to get it right. “I’m sorry I went off on your like that. I took my anger out on you because it was easy. You didn’t deserve that. You’re not mediocre, you’re not attention seeking either… you didn’t deserve it. Even if you had messed with…” He scoffed, cutting himself off as he felt his own throat rise with the threat of tears. “I can’t believe I ever even said you could do something like that. I don’t think that of you at all.” A lone tear escaped and Wooyoung gasped back a sob. “Please forgive me.”

“Already done.” Yunho opened his arms and Wooyoung rushed into them, hugging away all the anger and shame and disappointment of the day.  

(That was how Yeosang found them a moment later. He’d been intrigued at Mingi’s slightly open door, hoping that the rapper felt better enough to join in the next game round. It was quite the shock to see the turn of events the rest of the members had missed entirely because they were too loud to hear Yunho’s calls for help. Yeosang considered it a win for everyone, and gently closed the door.)

[darl-ingfics]

Hello!!! I missed you and your work so much!!! Seeing your update notifications, I immediately read it hahaha

Just wanna put this here.. https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSQko69Gk/

Turns out (this is a funfact that i js knew too) mingi gets roadsick and also has the ability to sleep it off immediately. Idk if that’s considered a blessing or a curse lolol

It’ll be a nice sickfic/comfortfic I think.. maybe at this one trip, sleeping it off doesnt work and it still lingers even hours later. So just clingy minki bcs he feels unwell..

Thats all!! Its really nice to hear from you again!! Cant wait to read more when you update

Hope you're ready, cause this one's dropping tomorrow, and she's LOOOOOOONG

[darl-ingfics]

Friends, Followers, Fellow Readers,

I need ya help! Given SHINee's recent comeback, they're all I can really think about at present. I have a rather long SHINee fic in the works that I am having a blast writing, as well as two shorter ones, cause again, Atmos is on replay in my brain forever now.

HOWEVER. I got an idea for a scene in the long fic that COULD, theoretically, be a stand alone moment and written with another group, to break up the imminent SHINee content flood. What I'll give you about the scene: Involves 1 sickie, 2 caretakers, in-fighting amongst caretakers, and an incident with the shower.

Thus, my question for you:

Should the scene be written for...

SHINee, as it was intended

Seventeen

ATEEZ

BTS

EXO

Voting ended onJun 12

[darl-ingfics]

You have spoken. The fic is currently above 2,000 words, and it is not close to done. I am mixing it with the 'Mingi carsickness' request. Here's a sneak peek to keep me accountable:

After two minutes under the heat, though, Mingi felt an intense wave of dizziness. The shower tilted violently, and he shot out both hands to steady himself, one clamoring noisily against the shower door. His back hit the tiled wall behind him, all but his feet removed from the water’s boiling torrent. A tinny ring began to echo in his ears as Mingi tried desperately to control his breathing, which was quickly getting away from him. Squeezing his eyes closed, Mingi willed the world to stop.  It refused.  Even with his eyes closed, Mingi still felt the world tilting at a dangerous angle. Lowering himself to his knees, an involuntary whimper escaped his throat as he realized he needed to turn the water off. After three shaking breaths of steam-filled air, Mingi crawled forward under the scorching water just enough to reach one shaking hand up to the knob. He cried out from the heat burning his skin even as it dripped to a stop, but knew if he stopped moving now, he’d ended up lying on those wet, slippery shower tiles. So he pushed through his dizziness to open the shower door and unceremoniously crawl out into the bathroom.  The room continued to spin as Mingi collapsed against the wall. While the heat of the shower had been suffocating, the cool air of the bathroom was no better. Even though he could breath again, Mingi’s ears were still ringing and now his muscles were tensing up from the sudden temperature change. Starting to shiver, Mingi reached for his towel on the rack, pulling it down around his lower body. He pulled a second, random towel down as well, draping it over his shoulders, too cold and disoriented to process that it was someone else’s. Wrapped up in his towels, Mingi squeezed his eyes shut and willed the world to calm down. 

[darl-ingfics]

Sicktember Poll #1

For the prompt "Parenting while sick," I need to know which 'parent' y'all wanna see. Also, there will be at least one more poll coming... maybe not today.

Pick Ya Parent(s)

S.Coups

S.Coups + Jeonghan + Joshua

Hongjoong

Seonghwa

Hongjoong + Seonghwa

RM

Jin

RM + Jin

Entire BTS Hyung Line

Onew

Suho

Voting ended onJun 29

[darl-ingfics]

SHINee Masterlist

Onew

Cowboys Cry Too Part 2 (vocal polyps)

“How did you end up like this?” (cold)

How Much Do You Love Me? (cold)

Worst possible timing (injury & chest cold)

"Your boss’s called..." (stress)

Jonghyun

Key

Christmas Chaos (general illness) feat. SM Family

Fever Nightmares (fever)

Flushed Cheeks (fever)

"I don't think I've ever seen you ill before." (general illness)

“I know ice cream is good for sore throats but that’s way too much!” (cold)

Medicine (bronchitis)

the way I used to - Key (fever)

Unlikely Caretaker (general illness)

Minho

How Much Do You Love Me? (drunk, alcohol consequences)

Standing Vigil (hangover, stomach ulcer)

Taemin

“Couldn’t you keep your cold to yourself.”  (cold; feat EXO)

Hospital (exhaustion)

“I’ll make you some tea,”/tea (heat exhaustion, feat. EXO) 

"You can't catch it... Probably... Maybe." (food poisoning)

Multiple Member Fics

Finish Your Glass of Whine (Key, Taemin - cold)

“Great. I Got a Cold for My Birthday.” (Minho, Onew - cold)

Hazard to Society (Onew, Taemin - flu)

How Much Do You Love Me? (Onew + Minho)

Pulling a ‘Ferris Bueller’ Part 1 (Taemin, Jonghyun, Onew - flu)

'Pulling a Ferris Bueller' Part 2 (OT5 - flu)

[darl-ingfics]

Seventeen Masterlist

S.Coups

Blame it on the Chlorine (cold)

“Don’t you think you should stay home today?” (stomach bug)

Cowboys Cry Too Part 3 (knee injury)

Overwhelmed (fever/anxiety)

Positive Energy Providers ('stomach bug')

Vulnerability (flu)

Jeonghan

"I don't get sick" (cold)

"I want my (comfort item)" (stomach bug)

Sick on a Road Trip (carsick)

Joshua

Delirious (fever, strep)

"I'd kiss you right now if you weren't contagious" (cold)

Infection (sinus & ear infections)

Put Me In, Coach! (flu)

Sunday Morning (cold)

Jun

Challenge Accepted (bronchitis)

Falling asleep in the wrong place (fever)

Sent Home From Work (cold)

Under a Spell (cold)

Hoshi

Burning Up then Freezing Cold

Get 'Em, Tiger (chest cold)

“You sure I’m sick? Because I feel fine.” (fever)

Wonwoo

ALT - First Aid Kit (cold)

Guiding sickie back to bed (fever)

Woozi

Came back worse/round two (flu/stress)

“Get your butt back in back!” (flu)

Stomach ache (obvi)

Sweater Weather (cold)

DK

"Don't lie to me. You're pale, you're sweating, and you can barely stand." (cold)

For You (stomach bug)

The Gingerbread Chronicles (stomach virus)

Lost Voice/Strep Throat (obvi)

Rogue Organ (tonsilitis)

Mingyu

Bad Timing (fever)

Day Five (general illness)

“Why are you so sweaty?” (general illness)

"Who decided __ is ‘sick people food?’" (cold)

The8

Sharing Blankets (flu)

Spoon-Feeding (flu)

Seungkwan

From better to worse (cold)

“I feel like I’m dying,” (fever)

“My body is one big ache” (flu)

Sideline Sadness (knee injury)

Vernon

Denial (stomach bug)

“I didn’t mean to wake you up.” (flu)

Dino

Lee Chan and His 12 Useful Hyungs (flu)

Overdramatic Patient/Caretaker (fever)

Shower Sniffles (cold)

Summer Flu (flu)

"You're going to get yourself hurt" (flu)

"You're not being needy. You're being human." (flu)

Multiple Member Fics

Come Lean Your Back On Me (95 Line - pneumonia) | Part 1 | Part 2

“Could you just hold me?” (Maknae line - food poisoning)

Famous Last Words (all, at some point) | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | ALT extra piece!

Jealous, Much? (BSS feat. Latte)

“Is it me or is it really warm in here?” (Woozi & Vernon, cold)

Our Chaos (OT10 - flu)

Too Much of a Good Thing (S.Coups & Joshua - cold)

Want You With Me (BSS - cold)

“You didn’t use my cup, did you?” (Woozi, Jun, Mingyu - strep)

“You’re adorable when you’re sick,” (97 line, flu)

[darl-ingfics]

EXO Masterlist

Xiumin

Birthday Boy (cold)

Clean Sheets/Fresh Pajamas (flu)

ALT - Forced to Work (flu)

Pneumonia (obvi)

Suho

Cowboys Cry Too Part 5 (general stomach bug, self doubt)

Don't Get too Close (general illness)

I Guess They Call It Falling - Suho (cold), Kai (broken heart)

Overdoing It (injury & fever; crossover with SHINee)

Someone Call the Doctor (alcohol/medicine reaction)

“This is non-negotiable" (general illness)

Lay

Baekyun

Whiny Sickie (cold -> worse; SuperM fic)

Chen

Chanyeol

DO

“I’m not hungover, I’m just sick” (stomach bug)

Lullaby (general illness)

Kai

“Couldn’t you keep your cold to yourself.” (cold; crossover with SHINee)

"I don't think that's exactly hygienic." (stomach bug)

I Guess They Call It Falling - Suho (cold), Kai (broken heart)

“I’ll make you some tea,”/tea (heat exhaustion; crossover with SHINee)

Red eyes (fever/flu; plus Suho as exhausted caretaker)

Sehun

Not a Cat Person (flu)

Multiple Member Fics

8 Times Oh Sehun Actually Prayed for His Hyungs | Suho (food poisoning) | Xiumin (fever/flu) | Lay (hemophilia) | Baekhyun (hypothyroidism) | Chen (laryngitis) | Chanyeol (stomach bug) | DO (sinus infection) | Kai (exhuastion)

Borrowed Hoodie (All, flu)

What the Heart Wants (Xiumin, Suho - flu)

[darl-ingfics]

BTS Masterlist

Jin

"I'm sick, not stupid" (general illness)

Lost Dog (h/c)

Pharmacy Run (no one's technically sick... yet)

Quiet Time (cold)

"You need a tissue?” (cold)

Suga

“It’s the middle of the night, why are you up?” (fever)

Slow Recovery Time (shoulder injury & stomach flu)

“Well, it sounds to me like you need a little bit of TLC.”  (cold)

J-Hope

Dizziness/Vertigo (exhaution)

Ear-Infection (obvi)

“I’m still not used to being taken care of.”  (flu)

"We better get you cleaned up before (blank) sees you like this." (cold)

RM

Cowboys Cry Too Part 1 (fever, exhaustion)

Suffering in Silence (fever/strep)

Jimin

V

Doctor's Note (lost voice)

Toxin/Poison (general illness)

“You’re burning up!” (fever)

Jungkook

Aches and pains (cold)

"I told you to wear something warm!" (cold)

Under the Weather (cold)

"You're adorable when you're sick." (flu/fever; crossover with Seventeen)

Multiple Member Fics

Cancelled Plans (Suga & J-Hope, flu)

The Guilt Trip (All of BTS, but J-Hope and Suga focused - flu)

[darl-ingfics]

ATEEZ Masterlist

Seonghwa

Bedridden (flu)

Best I Can Do (flu)

Caught in the Rain (returned fever)

Concert Cootie (cold)

Control (fainting)

"Did you seriously think I wouldn't notice?" (flu; feat. Jin, Onew, Xiumin, S.Coups, & Bangchan)

If You Go Down, I'm Going Down Too (cold)

It's Because We Love You (bronchitis)

Refusing Medicine (flu)

Hongjoong

A Likely Distraction (cold)

Cowboys Cry Too Part 4 (fainting; vasovagal syncope)

“I’ve Got You” (cold/snz)

If You Go Down, I'm Going Down Too (cold)

“Our date can wait! You’re far more important.” (general illness)

Refusing to Leave Work (cold)

Sneaking Out of Bed (cold)

The Sniffles ™ (cold)

“There’s a frog in my throat,”  (tonsilitis)

Yunho

Forced to go to school/work while sick  (strep)

“I know you want to help but you’re only making things worse.” (migraine)

“I wouldn’t even trust you to boil tea in your condition!” (cold)

“You’re not fine, you’re throwing up” (stomach bug)

Yeosang

Ghostly Pale (fever/general illness)

"It's just a cold." (pneumonia)

Medication Bribery (flu)

So Stupid (general illness + drunk shenanigans from San and Wooyoung)

“This is the worst headache of my life,” (alcohol consequences)

San

Friends Like These (flu)

Think Your Flu Shot's Gonna Hold Up? (flu)

Whatever Helps (sinus infection)

Mingi

Wooyoung

"Jeez, if that's your bedside manner, I'd rather take my chances on my own." (appendicitis)

No known cure (cold)

Sobbing (fever)

Sneezing Fit (cold)

Jongho

Cool Wash Cloth (tonsilitis)

"Is that my hoodie?" (cold)

“You’re safe, it was just a dream.” (fever)

“You’re too sick to (travel)" (fever)

Multi Member Fics:

Contagious (OT8 - flu)

If You Go Down, I'm Going Down Too (Hongjoong, Seonghwa - cold)

Misery loves company (OT8 - Hongjoong - cold)

Mononucleosis (Wooyoung & Yeosang - obvi)

Tales From the Waiting Room (Yeosang & Mingi - flu)

We Broke Up (Yunho - cold; Yeosang - heartbreak; Hongjoong - drunk)

“We’re going to the hospital,” (Seonghwa, Yunho, San, Mingi - flu)

[darl-ingfics]

Heads Up

In a minute, I'm gonna be posting Masterlists for the groups I write for. I wanted to clean up the main Masterlist, so that does require me to interrupt the feed with these new pages. Apologies in advance!!!!

[sicktember]

It’s time…

Sicktember 2026 Prompts:

1. Crash Out

2. Worried sick

3. Forced to care for a rival

4. Medical restraints

5. “Stop whining, you’re fine,” (They’re not fine)

6. Doctor visit

7. Sick on a date

8. “I can’t keep anything down,”

9. Sick in a snowstorm

10. “Stop getting out of bed!”

11. Wrapped in blankets

12. Sick in front of a partner for the first time

13. A usually shy pet begins to curl up to the sick character more

14. Infected wound

15. Rehab after a severe illness

16. Sick while camping

17. Caregiver burn out

18. Character gets spoiled by their caregiver

19. “I can’t afford to go to the doctor,”

20. Parenting while sick

21. Gaunt face

22. Carnival food poisoning

23. X-Ray

24. “My boss won’t let me take a sick day.”

25. Out of medicine

26. “I just want my parent (s),”

27. Work from home day

28. Dizzy

29. “You made the soup wrong!”

30. Mental health day

Alt Prompts:

1. “I don’t need anyone to take care of me!” (Loves being dotted on)

2. Pillow fort

3. “I’m bored.” “You wouldn’t be bored if you took a damn nap,”

4. Flowers

5. Tucked into bed

[darl-ingfics]

Plotting begins now…..

[darl-ingfics]

Friends, Followers, Fellow Readers,

I need ya help! Given SHINee's recent comeback, they're all I can really think about at present. I have a rather long SHINee fic in the works that I am having a blast writing, as well as two shorter ones, cause again, Atmos is on replay in my brain forever now.

HOWEVER. I got an idea for a scene in the long fic that COULD, theoretically, be a stand alone moment and written with another group, to break up the imminent SHINee content flood. What I'll give you about the scene: Involves 1 sickie, 2 caretakers, in-fighting amongst caretakers, and an incident with the shower.

Thus, my question for you:

Should the scene be written for...

SHINee, as it was intended

Seventeen

ATEEZ

BTS

EXO

Voting ended onJun 12

[darl-ingfics]

Oh these prompts are so peak. I really love:

“staying up at night with with worry, holding their sick lover to their chest and watching over them”

I’ve been craving sickie San lately (you know me 😭) and maybe either Hongjoong Yeosang or Seonghwa as the caretaker? Or multiple?

If you’re not feeling those members for this prompt though anyone in Ateez would be fine! Or just ignore this all together if it’s not sparking anything 💜

-Tilly

Think Your Flu Shot's Gonna Hold Up?

Fandom: ATEEZ

Sickie: San (flu)

Caregiver(s): Seonghwa & Mingi

Word Count: 1,080

Notes: @tilly-poppies, I literally sat down and wrote this in an hour, and I didn't even realize that much time had passed because I had a BALL! Maybe not as serious as the prompt called for... but I had fun. Thank you, friend!

Seonghwa pushed open the door to San’s room as quietly as he could. Blinking a few times to adjust to the darkness, blackout curtains drawn against even the nighttime street lights, the room lit only by the bedside lamp, his eyes immediately flew to the bed, where Mingi waved at him. “How’s it going?” Seonghwa asked quietly, leaning in the doorway. 

“He’s like… a little creature? A little goblin creature?” Mingi said, voice at normal volume as he gestured down to the entire Choi San slumped against his chest. San certainly sounded like a goblin-esque creature, snoring deeply around the congestion in his head. 

“Please don’t ever tell Wooyoung that, he will either kill you for it or never let Sannie live it down,” Seonghwa replied, stepping further into the room. He placed two fresh water bottles on the nightstand, and offered a soda to Mingi, who took it with pure joy in his eyes. “You wanna swap out?” 

“Nah, we’re good.” Mingi frowned down at the pre-opened pop can. “Very smart, hyung. You’re always thinking. But we would’ve survived a little tsssk. I mean, we’re talking full volume right now.”

“Better to be safe than sorry.” Seonghwa shrugged. He knelt next to the bed, pushing San’s hair away from his sweaty forehead. “How is he, though? For real this time?” He pressed his fingers more deliberately against San’s skin. “Temp feels lower.”

“Yes, I think his fever finally broke. He’s been very snuggly and also rather sweaty. Also snotty,” Mingi answered with a long suffering sigh. “I am very glad this hoodie is thick, and fear I may have to burn it after today.” 

Seonghwa grimaced as he nodded in sympathy. “Thank you for your service. Still think your flu shot’s gonna hold up?”

“Oh, totally.” Mingi’s eyes glanced downward as he readjusted his arms while San shifted slightly in his hold. “Really though, he’s been asleep for most of the time I’ve been in here, which I think is a good sign given the past few days.”

“Seriously.” Seonghwa shook his head, turning a soft smile to the sleeping man before him. “You don’t do anything by halves, do you Sannie?”

San had given them quite the scare earlier that wake, waking up in the middle of the night with a high fever and losing his balance on his way to the kitchen, hitting his head on the counter in the process. While one late night ER visit later left him with a flu diagnosis, he mercifully didn’t have a concussion on top of it, just a headache and a gnarly bruise. But it terrified Seonghwa and Mingi regardless. They refused to leave their third roommate alone for even a second until his temperature returned to normal. Management had been cooperative, giving them some time off to be with San, but they drew the line at other members stepping in to play babysitter, scared of the virus spreading farther than it had to. Seonghwa and Mingi were considered potentially unavoidable collateral damage, but had thus far proved resist to the bug. Which was honestly a miracle given San’s seeming inability to cover his mouth. 

“Are you sure you don’t wanna swap out?” Seonghwa asked, gazing back up at Mingi. 

The rapper shook his head. “We are a-okay, hyung.”

“Huh?” San’s head pulled back from Mingi’s chest, his hair smushed up to the side as he blinked heavy eyelids. He took in Seonghwa’s face then swung his neck around to look at Mingi. “Hey, it’s you guys.” He sniffled wetly, a sound that had only just stopped making his roommate’s cringe about 24 hours ago.

“It’s us,” Mingi replied with a small laugh. 

“Who else?” Seonghwa added, rubbing a hand over San’s hip, exposed from the blankets that he’d seemingly kicked down. 

“Dun know. Thought maybe Woo would be here. Or Yeosang. Hongjoong.” San yawned wide, sniffling agin as he pawed at his nose with the sleeve of his pajamas.

Mingi clicked his tongue. “Yuyu and Jongho are gonna be pissed,” he stage whispered over to Seonghwa. San poked his cheek, sending Mingi cackling at a reasonable, indoor level. 

“Everyone wants to come see you, babe, but management said not while you’re still contagious,” Seonghwa answered. 

“That’s dumb,” San declared, pouting. 

“Is it?” Mingi asked coyly. “Cause I feel like you’re a…”

Without warning, San lurched forward, sneezing almost directly on Seonghwa’s face. As the older man fell back in shock, Mingi swung his own sweatshirt covered arm around just in time to catch a second sneeze. 

“A walking health code violation,” Mingi finished his earlier sentence with a dramatic shake of his sleeve. 

“Oh my GOD! I’M SO SORRY!” San cried, actual tears brimming in his eyes as Seonghwa rocked towards them again.

“It’s… it is what it is.” Seonghwa grabbed a few tissue from the box on the nightstand, handing them to San before taking a few more to wipe at his own face. 

“Hyung, I’m so sorry…” San whined guiltily. 

“Nope. We’re not feeling bad,” Seonghwa interrupted with an exaggerated shake of his head. 

“Hyung…”

“And you know what? I’ve had worse.” Seonghwa pointed up at Mingi. “That one’s thrown up on me before.”

“Hey, it was just on your shoes, and it wasn’t nearly as bad as that time Yeosang…”

Seonghwa held up a hand to cut Mingi off. “I do not wish to go back there.” The rapper nodded in understanding. “Case in point, I’m not mad, Sannie. Please don’t cry.”

“But please blow your nose, you’re dripping,” Mingi said, voice light and joking yet simultaneously serious. Swiping at his eyes once to clear the tears, San pushed away from Mingi before pressing the tissues to his face and blowing his nose. He coughed after, deep in his chest. 

“Did you…” San paused, sniffling, before he peeked over his shoulder at Mingi, “call me a goblin earlier?”

“Sure did.”

San shrugged. “Cool. It fits.”

“Okay.” Seonghwa pushed to his feet. “I’m gonna go wash my face quick. Then, since Sannie’s up, maybe we think about dinner?”

“Okay. I’m still sorry, hyung,” San whimpered, smashing his face back against Mingi’s chest. 

“Still think your flu shot’s still gonna hold up?” Mingi asked Seonghwa as the elder turned to go. Seonghwa glared back at the rapper’s barely contained, shit-eating grin. 

“If I fall, I’m taking you with me,” he threatened, not waiting for a reaction before he walked out of the room.