Healing Embrace
Characters: Jongho x Female Reader
Genre: idol!au, fluff
Synopses: Your fibromyalgia is flaring up and Jongho does all he can to help you through the pain.
Fibromyalgia: a chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues.
Word Count: 1.7K
It is late when Jongho returns from work, tip-toeing as quietly as possible as he approaches your bedroom. He had promised to stop by after work, but the practice time had gone on a bit longer than usual, causing him to end up leaving hours later than he had anticipated.ย
Opening the door, he peeks in to find you fast asleep on the bed. For the briefest of moments he contemplates closing the door and going home to let you sleep peacefully alone, but he canโt bring himself to do so. Heโd had such a long and tedious day. All he wants is to slide in beside you and hold you as you sleep. Itโs all he needs to help calm his overworked body and mind.
Stopping at the edge of the bed, Jongho gazes down at your sleeping form using the pale light from his phone screen. You look so beautiful, even with your brows drawn down. Your eyes shift side to side beneath your lids. Were you dreaming or possibly having a nightmare? Smiling affectionately at you, he walks around to the other side, pulling off his pants to then crawl in beside you and hug you from behind. Just as you are what helps ground him, he hopes the feel of his arms around you will push away whatever is causing that worry on your face.
He hears you whimper and stiffens.
โY/N?โ he whispers, gently stroking your hair.
You cringe away from his touch and he knows. Itโs not a nightmare. You were in pain. Pulling back the covers, he looks down at your nearly naked form. Definitely pain. You only slept like this when your fibromyalgia was acting up. Youโd once explained that when the flare-up was bad enough, even the clothing touching your skin sent pain shooting throughout your body and you could not bear keeping anything on. You did say that oddly enough, though, the weight of a heavy blanket helped soothe some of the pain.
Kissing the back of your head, he pulls away and quickly pads over to the bathroom. Once there, he turns the water on in the tub. Jongho knows just what you need. His exhaustion slips away as the need to care for you takes over.ย
As he waits for the water to heat up, he lights a few three-wick candles and then locates the Epsom salt along with a small bottle of lavender and wintergreen oils. He plugs the tub and pours the mixture into the now steaming water, giving it all a swirl before turning off the lights. He didnโt want the bright lights to add to your discomfort. The candles offer a soft amber glow to the room that would help you see where you were going without hurting your eyes.
โY/N,โ he calls softly to you. โY/N, wake up.โ
You begin to stir, whining as you ball your fists and hunch your shoulders even more.
โJongho?โ you murmur, your eyes fluttering open.
โYeah,โ he smiles softly. โWhere are you hurting?โ
You return the gesture with a small smile of your own. He knows you so well.ย
โMy arms,โ you pout. โThe pain is so bad, my fingernails hurt.โ
โAwe,โ he coos. โHave you taken anything?โ He asks this, though he already knows the answer. You guiltily shake your head and he sighs. He hates to see you suffer. โCome with me.โ
You hiss as you uncurl yourself and then lift up gingerly. He watches on helplessly, moving out of the way when you finally inch off of the bed. He motions you to follow him to the bathroom. Blinking away the sleep from your eyes, you trail behind him.
โFor me?โ you whisper as you take in the ambience of the bathroom.
โYeah.โ He nods once as he approaches you. โDo you need me to help you take those off?โ
You look down, eyes meeting your bare chest. Actually, all you had on were a pair of black cotton bikini underwear. Once upon a time you would have wondered why he was not trying to fuck you when you were only in a pair of panties, but not any more. You had no doubts of Jonghoโs love for you. He understood you better than anyone and you loved how he put your health first before any carnal needs.
โWould you mind?โ you ask, your face crinkling at the mere thought of having to use your hands.
He tugs your underwear down, gently holding your waist to help you balance. You step out of the small piece of cloth and he tosses them into the laundry basket. Guiding you to the bathtub, his hands again return to your waist as he helps you into the now filled tub.
Turning off the faucet he asks, โDo you mind if I join you? It was a really long day for me today.โ
โOf course,โ you smile sympathetically.
You watch as he quickly strips out of his clothes. You admire the strength in his body as muscles ripple beneath his tanned skin with every movement he makes. He was quite a sight to see with nothing to obscure any inch from your appreciative gaze.ย
โWant a massage?โ he asks as he approaches.
You sigh, โPlease.โ
โScoot forward,โ he advises. โLet me slide in behind you.โ
You wriggle in the tub and water sloshes gently against the sides. Jongho settles in behind you, his legs locking you in place. โIs this ok?โ
โYes,โ you nod, enjoying the feeling of him surrounding you. When you were in pain, sometimes having him near was enough to soothe some of it away.ย
He knows heat helps you a lot, therefore, using a cup, he pours the steamy water over your arms, shoulders and back. Your joints throb at the contact. You glance over to see him add a few drops of oils into his palm. Rubbing them together, he then brings his hands to your shoulders and begins to knead at the tight muscles there. Closing your eyes, you try to focus on his gentle gestures and not on the burning feelings deep in your joints.ย
โIโm glad I decided to stay,โ he sighs contentedly from behind you as he leans forward to give you a loose hug and a kiss on your neck.
His smooth chest presses against your spine while his hands snake down your arms to your elbows. His touches are soft and gentle as he manipulates the inflamed area. Your elbow feels sore and bruised, but every time his fingers squeeze, you also feel relief from the pain.ย
โWere you not going to come here?โ you wonder.
โNo, itโs just I saw you sleeping and didnโt want to wake you,โ he admits, his hands never stopping their ministrations. โYou just looked so peaceful.โ
โOh,โ you blush at the thought of him just watching you as you slept. โWell, Iโm glad you decided to stay, too.โ
โCan you turn around so I can get at your hands?โ
โSure.โ
He helps maneuver you around and you are both a giggling mess by the time you are facing each other. He takes your hands in his and gently presses and glides his thumb over your palm with a gentle pressure.
โWas practice rough today?โ you ask as you look up from your hands to his face.
He meets your gaze and offers an exhausted smile. โIt was. We started a new choreographyโฆโ
โAh,โ you nod in understanding.
โLetโs not talk about that right now, though,โ he wrinkles his nose in distaste.
โBut you must be as achy as me,โ you point out, your eyes worrying as you look into his eyes.
Leaning forward, he drops a kiss on your nose.
โThis bath helped my achy muscles,โ he smiles. โAnd so did being here with you.โ
Your eyes water at his sweetness. This man had not one selfish bone in his body. You truly were so lucky to be loved by someone like Choi Jongho.
โYou really are the best,โ you sigh.
He chuckles bashfully.
โCome on. Letโs get you dried up so we can apply the pain ointment.โ
You allow him to help you up and out of the tub. When you grab for the towel, he shakes his head and dries your body with it himself. Your heart swells as your eyes mist over with emotion again.ย
How did you get so lucky?
โI love you so much, Jongho,โ you whisper after he hangs the towel.
His eyes that had been so focused on his task, soften as they meet yours and he brushes his knuckles tenderly across your cheek.
โI love you, too.โ
His lips briefly press softly against yours and you wish you werenโt in so much pain so you could show him just how much you mean those words. Instead, you accept his want to take care of you. You stand patiently as he locates the pain cream and begins to apply it to your shoulders, elbows, wrists, and fingers.
โAll done?โ You ask on a yawn.
The bath and massage combined with the late hour and the exhaustion from the pain are reminding you how sleepy you are.
โYes,โ Jongho smiles, turning to wash his hands. โLetโs get you to bed.โ
You can feel the pain ebbing already. Jongho blows out the candles before hurrying to the bedside to pull the covers back. He helps you into bed then lays the comforter gently over you before walking over to the other side to also slip into the bed.
โThank you,โ you whisper. โI appreciate you so much.โ
โYouโre welcome,โ he smiles, his cheeks flushing. โNow go to sleep. Youโll feel so much better in the morning.โ
You do as he asks, not only feeling cherished, but safe with Jongho next to you.ย
Your eyes slip shut and his heart warms. It doesnโt take you long to fall asleep and he canโt help but watch you a little longer. You look so relaxed now. This is what he wants for you. No pain lines creasing your forehead. Just a smooth, pain-free countenance that he knows he helped you achieve.
Jongho feels blessed and loved as his own eyes close. He hopes you will let him take care of you like this for years to come.
Moodboard Credits
Jongho pics: ATEEZ official Facebook page: 1 and 2
Created using InCollage app
*all other photos within the collage came from the InCollage app
Divider by kodaswrld
