as you guys have probably noticed, I haven't been writing much, and I think it's because this blog has burnt me out, unfortunately.
lots of stuff happened on here that reminds me of not so great times in my life, so I'm moving on to a different blog which I will link below in the tags if you're interested in following it.
I just want to say that I still love bts and writing, but I've been thinking about this for a while and it's time to let go. I will be deactivating this blog.
thank you guys so much for everything! see you on the flip side.
Summary: The members send Hoseok off to the military. Jungkook is feeling extra emotional about it.
Sickie: Jungkook (cold/snz)
Caretakers: Jimin, Taehyung, Namjoon and Yoongi
A/N: this is how I’m coping, I guess…
The morning that Hoseok is set to enlist in the military, the sky darkens with clouds and then starts to dump rain on the Earth in a steady downpour, filling the streets with puddles and the air with a cool, gloomy atmosphere.
They’re glad to be together as a group today. There are lots of hugs, and a lot of laughter despite the situation. It’s still not easy, but it is easier now that they know what to expect, and getting to have Seokjin there with them helps too.
There’s a lucky break in the rain when they arrive at the training center together in the van. They take their turns saying goodbye to Hoseok– though Hoseok insists it’s not a goodbye. Jimin goes first, wrapping his arms tightly around Hoseok before giving him a very small, very quick kiss on the cheek and making Hoseok’s face go red. Yoongi is next, and he doesn’t care about the optics as much as Jimin does, plus there’s no one around to see. He kisses Hoseok on the cheek, and then again on the temple just so he can hear Hoseok giggle. Namjoon’s hug completely envelops his friend and Hoseok leans into Namjoon’s chest for a long time, until Jungkook laughs and pulls them apart. Seokjin cracks joke after joke until Hoseok is about to fall on the ground with laughter, and then he shakes Hoseok’s hand firmly. Taehyung is next, draping himself over Hoseok and rubbing his hands all over Hoseok’s short hair.
Jungkook goes last. Until his turn, he’s been waiting off to the side, quiet and still, but now he tucks his nose against Hoseok’s neck and wraps his arms around his waist, murmuring something the others can’t hear before he’s sniffling and blinking away the tears that threaten to spill over.
It’s only by some miracle that Hoseok doesn’t immediately burst into tears watching Jungkook cry. Somehow, he manages to keep it together, keeps a big smile on his face as he swipes Jungkook’s tears away with his thumbs. He doesn’t see Namjoon turn away to wipe away tears of his own.
When it’s time for them to pile back into the van, Namjoon and Yoongi take the front seat. Jimin and Taehyung take the middle row. Jungkook climbs into the back row by himself, despite offers from both of the pairs for him to join either of them, and curls up against one side. He buckles his seat belt and then rests his forehead against the cool pane of glass, closing his eyes and tugging his bucket hat a little lower in the front as if to shield his eyes.
Jimin eyes him for a moment, but then Taehyung is pulling him down and fumbling with his seatbelt as he stifles a yawn.
“Someone is sleepy, hm?” Jimin chuckles.
Taehyung, who’s absolutely exhausted, nods and then rests his head on Jimin’s shoulder as soon as they’re buckled in, his eyes staying closed longer and longer each time he blinks.
“It’s okay, Tae,” Jimin murmurs. “You can sleep.”
He wraps an arm around his friend’s shoulders and tugs him a little closer. Taehyung clasps his hands together and tucks them between his thighs, then scoots his butt further away from Jimin so he’s slightly more horizontal. His breathing evens out as soon as he lets himself close his eyes.
Behind them, Jungkook sniffles wetly. It’s not an unusual sound, especially coming from him, so no one thinks twice about it until Jungkook sniffles again, and then a third time. Jimin’s heart breaks. He hates that the younger man is so emotional about sending Hoseok off.
“Sorry,” he whispers to Taehyung, trying not to wake him fully as he slowly turns around to look at Jungkook. It doesn’t work– as soon as he’s twisting around, it’s like Taehyung can sense Jimin’s worry, and he sits up straight, blinking heavily and bringing one fist to rub at his tired eyes.
“Wha’s wrong?” He asks, watching Jimin look toward the backseat.
Jimin looks at Jungkook. He’s still wearing his face mask, and his hat is covering his eyes, so Jimin can barely see any of his face. Jungkook gives a particularly hard sniff and raises a hand to his face, and Jimin isn’t sure if it’s to hide his emotions from Jimin or to wipe a tear from his eye or–
“ehhCHOO!”
Oh. So Jungkook wasn’t crying, he just needed to sneeze. Jimin presses a hand to his chest, startled by the sneeze, but he’s relieved that Jungkook seems to be okay emotionally.
Except, after Jimin turns back around and pulls Taehyung’s head to his shoulder again, Jungkook starts sniffling again. The sound is increasing in frequency and volume and again, Jungkook sniffling in general isn’t all that uncommon, but Jimin can’t help but worry a little about him.
“Are you okay, Kook–” Jimin asks, trying not to move anything but his head as he turns to look, but he’s cut off by Jungkook sneezing again.
“Heh-choo! Uh-hehhCHOO!”
The second and third sneezes catch the attention of Yoongi and Namjoon in the front seat. Taehyung, who’s asleep again, stirs a little but keeps his head on Jimin’s shoulder.
“Bless you,” Namjoon calls softly over his shoulder before turning back to face the front. It’s something he picked up from Hoseok, blessing them in English when one of them sneezes, and it makes Jimin feel a pang of sadness that Hoseok isn’t there to say it himself.
Jungkook breathes out a heavy sigh and lets his head fall back against the window. “Thanks.”
“Are you okay?” Jimin asks him.
“Yeah, I’m good.” Jungkook sniffles again. “I caught a cold or something in the U.S.”
Namjoon, Yoongi and Jimin all turn to fully look at him, surprised to hear the admission. None of them had even noticed that he was sick, but now that they know it, it’s hard to miss how nasally and hoarse Jungkook is sounding.
“What?” Taehyung drags himself upright again. He yawns so widely that his jaw cracks, and then he looks around at everyone in confusion.
As if they have the exact same thought at the exact same time, Yoongi and Jimin both unbuckle their seatbelts and, despite the fact that the van is still very much moving on the road, they both stand. With a little chuckle, Yoongi motions for Jimin to move first, so he does, maneuvering himself into the backseat to sit next to Jungkook. Yoongi joins them next, sitting next to Jimin and buckling them both in.
“How long have you been sick?” Jimin asks, sliding his hand under Jungkook’s hat so he can place a palm on his forehead. The skin there is warm, but not alarmingly so, so it’s probably due to the hat he’s wearing.
“Mm. A day or so,” Jungkook replies.
“Do you need anything? Water? Medicine?” Yoongi asks.
Jimin, Taehyung and Namjoon look at Yoongi as if they’re expecting him to pull a bottle of cough syrup out of his jacket pocket, but Jungkook lifts his head from the car window and shakes it.
“Nah, I’m good. I took something for it this morning.”
Taehyung glances down at the time on his phone. “What time this morning?”
Jungkook pinches the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut as he slides his thumb and forefinger up and down the side of his nose. He makes a noise that sounds like something between a cough and a sneeze and then clears his throat, sniffling a couple of times afterward. When he looks up, the other four members are staring at him.
“Huh?”
The question comes out so congested it’s hardly a word.
Taehyung chuckles fondly. “What time did you take medicine?”
“Umb.” Jungkook rubs at the bridge of his nose again. “Early. I don’t know.”
“You need more medicine, then,” Yoongi surmises.
He really does. They all know what Jungkook is like with a cold. He always seems to experience the symptoms rather severely, and it’s torture on his poor sinuses. Cold medication makes the difference between a sneezy, stuffy, miserable Jungkook and a slightly uncomfortable Jungkook.
“I don’t have any more with me,” Jungkook says. And then he sneezes, loudly. “HtchSHOO!”
“Bless you,” says Namjoon.
Yoongi unzips his jacket and looks into one of his interior pockets, pulling out a small travel-pack of tissues. He opens it and tugs one out, handing it over to Jungkook. Jungkook pulls his mask down under his chin. His nose is already red and his lips are chapped, and they can all see the moisture glistening just inside his nostrils.
“Thank you.” Jungkook takes the tissue and folds it neatly in half before pinching it lightly over his nose. He starts to blow, but a second later another sneeze bursts out of him. “Huh-CHOO!”
He curses loudly, fumbling with the now soaked tissue, and Yoongi takes two more tissues out of the pack and passes them over.
“Hmm.” Taehyung is resting his head on his arms, facing backward to look at Jungkook over the seat. His eyelids are heavy and he’s yawning almost as much as Jungkook is sneezing. “That’s a bad cold you’ve got there, Jungkookie.”
Yoongi is digging around in another coat pocket. He pulls out a tiny bottle of hand sanitizer and pops the lid open with his thumb. One by one, he squirts hand sanitizer into each of their palms. He waits for Jungkook to finish blowing his nose and crumple up the used tissues to stuff them into his pocket, and then gestures for him to hold his hand out too. He squeezes a generous amount out for Jungkook, and then sanitizes his own hands before pocketing the bottle.
Jungkook, who still has his mask under his chin and is still rubbing the hand sanitizer between his palms, freezes suddenly, a panicked look crossing his face. His breath hitches once, twice, and then he turns to the side so sharply he almost smacks his forehead on the window. His shoulders shake violently as he struggles to keep the impending sneeze at bay long enough to press his mouth and nose into the crook of his elbow.
“ehhTCH!”
Trying to fight the sneeze off and then half-stifling it makes Jungkook have to cough afterward, his sinuses and throat thoroughly irritated.
“Oh, Kookie,” Jimin says, rubbing his back. “Poor thing.”
Yoongi pulls another couple of tissues out of the pack. There’s only one left after this.
“Thanks,” Jungkook says wearily as he accepts the tissues. His voice is fading fast. He blows his nose once again, but this time, he seems to hit a wall, the sound thick and congested instead of wet. The next set of tissues go into Jungkook’s pocket along with the others. He pulls his mask back over his mouth and nose and then pinches the bridge of his nose again, sighing heavily.
“Here, come rest,” Jimin says, patting his lap to indicate that Jungkook should lie down.
“Hey,” Taehyung pouts. “You’re supposed to be my pillow.”
“Sorry, TaeTae,” Jimin smiles. “I’ll be your pillow next time.”
Yoongi rolls his eyes, grumbling something to himself as he unbuckles yet again to shift up a row, to Jimin’s previous seat next to Taehyung. Taehyung latches on to him with a happy coo, both arms wrapping around Yoongi’s waist as he tucks his face against Yoongi’s neck.
Taehyung looks like he’ll fall asleep within minutes, and now Jungkook is looking tired too. Jimin tugs Jungkook down into his lap, pulling the hat off of Jungkook’s head so he can run his fingers through his soft, wavy locks.
“Oh, you cut your bangs,” Jimin notes. “Cute.”
He keeps moving his fingers through Jungkook’s long hair, watching as Jungkook’s eyelashes flutter for a minute before his eyes close completely. It takes him a little longer than Taehyung to fall asleep, made more difficult by his stuffy nose and budding headache, and he shifts around for a while before the sniffles give way to loud snores.
While Jungkook and Taehyung sleep, Jimin, Namjoon and Yoongi determine that they’ll all go over to Jungkook’s place instead of Namjoon’s so that Jungkook can rest. Traffic is awful due to the rain, so it takes almost an hour to arrive.
Waking Jungkook up when they get there is a difficult task. Taehyung, who pops up immediately looking refreshed, leans over the back of the seat and pushes Jungkook’s bangs off his forehead with his long fingers.
“Wake up, Jungkookie.”
“Kooookie,” Jimin tries. “We’re home.”
Even Namjoon tries, singing something silly loudly and off-key, but Jungkook’s apparently too used to that because he doesn’t even stir.
Eventually, Yoongi ushers them all out of the van, and then he climbs into the backseat and unbuckles the sleeping man, hoisting Jungkook’s arm over his shoulder and practically pulling him across the street until Jungkook groans and squints at him with one eye, and adorable pout on his face.
“Huh?” He asks hoarsely, letting Yoongi keep tugging him out of the van.
“We’re home,” Yoongi tells him, waiting a moment so Jungkook’s brain can catch up for him to use his legs.
They emerge from the van together, Yoongi’s arm wrapped firmly around Jungkook’s waist while Jungkook scrubs roughly at his nose through his face mask and blinks sleepily up at the sky, which has brightened since it stopped raining again just before their arrival. He reaches up to pull his hat down to shield his eyes but realizes he’s not wearing it anymore, patting his head as if to double check before stopping in his tracks.
“What is it?” Yoongi asks, coming to a stop with him.
“My hat,” he says. “I left it in...”
“I’ll grab it!” Namjoon offers, jogging back to get the hat. When he returns, he hands it over to Jungkook with a smile.
But Jungkook doesn’t respond, nor does he take the hat from Namjoon. Instead, he cups both hands around his mouth and nose, over the face mask, head tilting back as his eyes close, then open, then close again.
“Hh! Hh? Hhh…” His breath is coming out in short little huffs.
Namjoon looks confused for a moment. He’s still holding out the hat toward Jungkook, and he leans in close, thinking he’s missed Jungkook saying something.
“What?”
Jungkook leans forward now, his chest expanding. “Hold-on–” He manages to gasp, changing his mind and leaning back instead, turning his body until Yoongi releases him. He takes one step away, panting into his cupped hands.
Jimin looks like he’s holding his breath in anticipation, his eyes wide as he watches Jungkook struggle with the sneeze that won’t come out.
“Hh-ehh…hhHH–!”
Finally, Jungkook exhales sharply, then sniffs hard, a shiver running through his body before his shoulders sag in defeat. He lets out a breathy string of curses and pulls down his mask a little so he can scrub at his nose with his fist, which is now an angry shade of red, nostrils flaring with each swipe of his knuckles.
“Wow, Kookie, you had me on the edge of my seat there,” Jimin says, laughing. “Are you okay?”
Jungkook nods, but he doesn’t really look okay. He looks dazed, or maybe a bit distracted, and his eyes are watering. There’s a crease between his eyebrows that deepens when Yoongi nudges him to start walking again.
Once they’re on the walkway, they let Jungkook go first, and he slowly shuffles his way to his front door, fishing his keys out of his front pocket. It takes him a good half a minute to unlock the door, but it’s hard to tell if it’s because he’s tired, or because his hands are trembling a little, or because he pauses more than once to rub his nose.
Inside, Jungkook beelines straight for the sofa and practically dives onto it.
“It’s so nice to be home,” he murmurs congestedly into a cushion. Then, he sits up, his tousled hair flying around his face. “Sorry, I’m not being a good host.”
“Don’t worry,” Namjoon says, coming up behind Jungkook and leaning down to press a kiss to the top of his head. “You don’t need to do anything. We know where things are. You just lie down and rest, okay?”
It’s all the invitation Jungkook needs. He pulls off his mask, dropping it onto the table, and collapses back onto the sofa with a soft moan.
“I’ll go grab the medicine,” Yoongi says, making his way toward Jungkook’s bathroom, and Taehyung follows him. Taehyung returns a moment later, from the direction of Jungkook’s bedroom, carrying an armful of blankets. He dumps them onto the coffee table and sorts through them, pulling one fluffy blue one from the pile, which he wraps around his own shoulders, and then a soft gray one that he drapes over Jungkook’s body.
“Thank…thank…thankyou-hh-uhhCHOO!”
The tickle that’s been teasing Jungkook’s nose since he got out of the van finally catches him, and he sneezes tremendously into the edge of the blanket.
Jimin,who’s filling up a glass of water in the kitchen, hums sympathetically. “Bless you, Kookie!” He calls.
Namjoon is quick to round up both the box of tissues from the guest bathroom and the box from the spare bedroom, setting them both down on the coffee table within Jungkook’s reach.
“You don’t have any cold medicine in your bathroom,” Yoongi says, coming down the hallway. “I’ll run out and grab some in a second.”
Taehyung shakes his head. “That’s what delivery apps are for, hyung,” he says, holding up his phone. “I’ll order it now.”
Jimin carries the water into the living room and sets it on the coffee table next to the tissues. He looks at Jungkook, who’s attempting to blow his nose with little success, and frowns. After another futile blow into a handful of tissues, Jungkook groans and pinches the bridge of his nose.
“Sit up a little,” Jimin instructs, waiting for Jungkook to lift his head before sitting down on the end of the couch. He pats his thigh, and Jungkook lies back down, his head in Jimin’s lap.
When Jungkook is settled, Jimin uses one hand to rub at Jungkook’s scalp, his thumb soothing circles along his temples. He slides his other hand down Jungkook’s back, over the blanket that’s covering him.
“This blanket is so soft!” Jimin lifts the corner of the blanket and rubs it against his cheek, then starts to tuck it around Jungkook’s shoulder before he pauses, his small nose twitching.
“Oh,” Jimin says, lifting the blanket to his face again and smelling it. “This blanket smells like Hobi-hyung.”
Jungkook, who’s sniffling into a handful of tissues, frowns. He nuzzles into the blanket, trying to draw air in through his stuffed-up nose and making a sad, broken sound when he can’t.
“I…I can’t smell it,” he says.
And then he bursts into tears.
The four of them are surrounding him in an instant, Namjoon and Taehyung kneeling on the floor in front of the couch and Yoongi settling at the end by Jungkook’s feet. Jimin leans down and cradles Jungkook’s head in his arms, petting his hair and shushing him as he sobs.
“Shh, it’s okay, Kookie. It’s okay.”
Jungkook sobs harder at that, and the four of them rub his back and wait, letting him cry until several minutes pass and he sucks in a shaky breath, trying to calm down.
Taehyung hurries to grab some tissues from the box on the coffee table when he sees how badly Jungkook’s nose is running now. Jungkook is too occupied with crying to take them, though, so Taehyung uses one tissue to start drying the tears from his cheeks, and wads up a couple more to hold against Jungkook’s nose.
“Sorry,” Jungkook croaks, trying to regain control of his emotions. “I’m being dumb.”
The four of them exchange glances with each other– their eyes are all shining with tears now too.
“You’re not,” Jimin says firmly. “Don’t say that.”
“It’s not dumb to miss Hobi-hyung,” Taehyung says. “I miss you guys if I go even a week without seeing you. It’s perfectly normal.”
“I miss him too, Jungkook-ah. Like, a lot.” Namjoon takes a long, steadying breath, and Yoongi reaches over to rub his shoulder.
Jimin, who’s still petting his hair, leans down and envelops Jungkook in a hug. Then, he tucks the gray blanket even more snugly around Jungkook’s body.
“Even though you can’t tell right now, this blanket seriously smells just like Hobi-hyung,” he tells Jungkook. “So this is kind of like he’s here with us, giving you a big warm hug.”
That makes Jungkook splutter out a wet sound that’s half a sob and half a laugh, but he smiles after, tears glistening on his cheeks.
“Thanks.”
Jungkook’s voice is a crackly mess. He clears his throat as Jimin stands up, and the other three lean down to hug him one by one.
“Love you, Jungkookie!” Taehyung says, burning his face in Jungkook’s hair.
Yoongi hands Jungkook another tissue from the box and cards his hand through Jungkook’s hair, smiling down fondly at the younger man before wrapping his arms around him in a gentle embrace.
“We love you so much, Kook-ah,” Namjoon says and he pulls Jungkook to his chest. “And we’re always together, even when we’re apart.”
Jimin returns from where he’s been wandering around Jungkook’s house, holding up a candle in one hand and a scarf in the other.
“When you can breathe through your nose again, I’m gonna make you smell all the things that smell like Hobi-hyung.”
They all laugh at that, and then Jungkook laughs even harder when Jimin sniffs a lamp and exclaims, “Wow, your house smells really good, Kookie!”
“We should turn on a movie and snuggle,” Taehyung suggests, turning on the TV. His tongue pokes out of his mouth as he concentrates on his task, but he finds what he’s looking for quickly. The screen fills with a familiar superhero’s face, and Jungkook smiles and pulls the blanket up to his quivering chin.
“Thank you,” he tells Taehyung with a sniffle. “We don’t have to watch this…”
“Nonsense,” Taehyung interrupts. “We love watching Iron Man with you. Now, scoot over.”
Taehyung squeezes his way next to Jungkook on the sofa, and soon they’re joined by Jimin, Namjoon and Yoongi. Taehyung starts the movie, and they all fall into a comfortable silence, interrupted only by the sound of Jungkook’s loud, congested snores less than ten minutes later.
Summary: "Nice to see you too, Kookie -" Hoseok cuts off when another spasm grips him, slamming his head back with a pained gasp. All the muscles in his legs are locked up tight, unrelenting pressure making him unable to relax. "I'm - I'm fine." He manages after an agonising pause. "What are you doing here?"
It's late and Hoseok is the last person left in the practice room. They have a new choreography to learn and as their dance leader, it is his duty to make sure he has the moves down perfect so he can help the members later.
It's one of the toughest choreographies they've gotten so far. He'd stayed back after their group dance practice to work on their new choreography and lost track of time, but he guesses it's been at least six hours since he started. Dancing is as natural as breathing for him - it's easy to let his mind get absorbed into the rhythm of the beat and his body move accordingly, and forget completely about the time passing.
There's a sweet ache building in his muscles, the satisfying kind that comes from hours of hard work. He's gotten most of it already, but he needs it to be perfect before he can teach it to the rest of the members. Perfection is the only standard he'll allow himself. During one of his breaks, he kneels in front of the wall mirror and rests his forehead against it, letting his breath fog up the cool glass.
Focus, Jung Hoseok!
Hoseok ignores the soreness in his muscles to drag himself back into starting position.
Just a couple more times, he tells himself. He's sure he can have the entire choreography memorised by the end of the night, then he can finally go home to rest. It may be a bad idea to dance to the same one song to the point where he's starting to hate the entire track, but the choreography is hard, even by his standards, and they don't have much time left before comeback practice starts in earnest.
~~~~~~
Hoseok finds out just how much of a bad idea it really is when, in the middle of the next routine, his legs suddenly seize up, sending him crashing painfully to the floor. It hurts - it feels like his muscles are liquefying, burning fire racing up the lengths of his legs. Lying on the floor of the practice room, Hoseok can only whimper miserably and wait; he's helpless to move until some of the cramp eases in his legs.
Crap, looks like I really overdid it this time.
He stays frozen in the same position until the pain lessens slightly and Hoseok can drag himself towards the practice mirror to sit with his back against it, willing the uncontrollable spasms and twitches in his legs to go away as soon as possible. Muscle cramps happen occasionally to dancers, but he admits it's been some time since he's pushed himself this hard. Even so, it's one of the worst cramps he's gotten in a while. Hoseok closes his eyes and takes deep, measured breaths. He just needs to ride the pain out until the cramps ease, then he can head back to the dorms for some clearly overdue rest.
That's how Jungkook finds him half an hour later, pressed up against the wall, teeth clenched tight in pain. The song that he had been dancing to is still playing on an endless loop, since he's unable to get up to turn it off. Hoseok's pretty sure he officially hates the song now. "Hyung!" Jungkook gasps when he sees him, running quickly to the rapper's side. "Hobi hyung, are you alright? Are you injured?"
"Nice to see you too, Kookie -" Hoseok cuts off when another spasm grips him, slamming his head back with a pained gasp. All the muscles in his legs are locked up tight, unrelenting pressure making him unable to relax. "I'm - I'm fine." He manages after an agonising pause. "What are you doing here?"
The youngest frowns in clear disbelief. "You don't look fine at all, hyung. It's past 1am and you weren't answering your phone, so the hyungs sent me to look for you." Hoseok grimaces - it was that late already? He feels bad for worrying the members, and for troubling their maknae. Jungkook looks genuinely upset when he asks - "Hyung, why didn't you call us?"
Hoseok glances to the far end of the room, where his bag with his phone in it is sitting on the floor. In his current state, he would probably have to crawl over to reach it. But if he tried to explain that to Jungkook, he thinks the maknae might actually burst into tears right there. Hoseok shakes his head. "It's nothing major. I overexerted myself a little, that's all. I just need to rest for a while before I can go back."
Jungkook doesn't look like he believes him, and if their positions were reversed Hoseok wouldn't have either, with how his breath is coming in stuttering little gasps because of the pain.
Jungkook's hands flutter uselessly over his body, as if unsure where to touch in case it causes Hoseok even more pain. "What happened, hyung?" Jungkook asks, sounding like he's close to tears anyway. It's rare to see their sunshine member in pain, and even rarer that it's so apparent like this. "How can I fix it?"
Hoseok chuckles softly at that. Jungkook was the type of person who cared by trying to fix every problem in sight, and the one thing their maknae hated the most was feeling helpless when someone else was suffering. He was a lot like Namjoon in this way, Hoseok surmises to himself. "Just your regular old muscle cramps, Jungkook-ah, it's no big deal. There's no fix, just time." Hoseok tilts his head to the side. "Although, could you do your hyung a favour and turn the music off? I've been dancing to it for ages and it's starting to get annoying."
Jungkook scrambles to comply, then returns immediately to his side. The cramps in Hoseok's legs have eased a little, but he'll definitely need painkillers, the strong ones, if he wants to even think about sleeping tonight. They've seized up so much that it feels like his muscles are locked in place. Jungkook looks worried, like he thinks Hoseok intends to continue practising the choreography after this. Hoseok only wishes he were that invincible.
Jungkook tugs on his shirt bottom, worrying his lip ring between his teeth. "You can't practise anymore in this state, hyung. Let's go home?"
And therein lies the problem.
"Ah - sorry, JK. I'd like to go back too, but…" Hoseok laughs a little helplessly at the irony of his situation. "I can't really move right now."
Jungkook chews on his lip. "That bad?"
Hoseok nods wordlessly.
"Hyung…"
Hoseok lets out a startled yelp when Jungkook picks him up bridal-style, instinctively clinging to the maknae's shoulders. Despite being three years younger, Jungkook is taller and bulkier than him - with how easily Jungkook is holding him, it seems that Hoseok's weight was no match for the boy's strong physique.
"This really isn't necessary, Kook-ah…" Hoseok mutters in embarrassment.
"You're clearly in pain, hyung. This is necessary." The youngest insists firmly.
Jungkook carries him all the way to the car parked outside, placing him in the back and buckling his seatbelt for him comically gently, like settling in a baby. Then he climbs into the backseat beside him, asking the driver to get them home as quickly as possible.
~~~~~~
Jungkook had updated the hyungs on the condition he found Hoseok in on the way back, and they were all eager and ready to spoil the dancer once he was home. Hoseok had remained white-lipped and silent during the entire drive, which only made Jungkook's worry rise. Muscle cramps and other types of physical injuries were common in their profession, but he'd never seen Hobi hyung have an episode so bad that he was unable to speak. The members swarm around Jungkook the moment he carries Hoseok through the door.
"Put him on the couch, Kook-ah -"
"I brought the pain relievers!"
"Lie still, Hoseok, I'll take your shoes off for you -"
The couch dips beside his head. "You work so hard for us, my dongsaeng…" Jin says, as he runs his hand through Hoseok's hair worriedly. It had been a week since Hoseok started staying back at the studio to work on the new choreography, and the dancer usually got home only after most of them had already gone to sleep. They should have taken more care to make sure he wasn't overworking himself. On the other end of the coach, Yoongi places Hoseok's feet on his lap and silently starts massaging his calves.
"With my only two hyungs spoiling me like this, how could I not?" The dancer replies jokingly, although his voice is tight and tired from strain. When Yoongi's fingers press into a spot on his calf that sends shooting pins and needles up his leg, Hoseok cries out in pain, and Jin shushes him gently.
"It hurts, hyung…" Hoseok can't hold back a sob as he curls into Jin's side. Jin's arms wrap around his back in a tight hug. With Jungkook, Hoseok had tried to stay strong for his maknae's sake, but his ability to hold it together broke quickly in the face of his hyungs' comforting presence.
Yoongi makes an apologetic sound as his fingers continue kneading mercilessly into Hoseok's calves. "Hang in there, Hoba," the older rapper murmurs lowly. "It'll get worse before it gets better."
Out of everyone there, Jungkook looks the most distraught at the sight of Hoseok sobbing into Jin's stomach. Hoseok was one of the best at keeping his feelings hidden, so the maknae probably hadn't realised just how much pain the dancer was in before they got home and put him in Yoongi and Jin's care. If he thought it'd been bad back at the practice studio, he's only realising the full extent of it now as he watches Hobi hyung cry and shudder violently in the oldest members' embrace. Yoongi's face is pinched as he continues to massage Hoseok's legs, even as the dancer jerks reflexively in an attempt to escape his unforgiving grip - the oldest rapper clearly feels guilty to be causing Hoseok even more pain, but it was necessary to avoid Hoseok's muscles from cramping up even more tomorrow.
Jungkook hadn't realised he was crying until small hands wiped away the tears crawling down his cheeks. "Hobi hyung will be fine, Kookie," Jimin reassures, pressing a small kiss to his cheek. "You did well bringing him home from the studio. Why don't you go take a shower first? You can cuddle with Hobi hyung later once he's feeling better."
The maknae glances uncertainly towards the sofa, reluctant to leave his suffering hyung but also feeling like he can't bear to watch any longer. Thankfully, the decision is made for him when another person drapes himself across his back. "Let's go bathe, Kookie. We can go together like we did when we were trainees." Taehyung says teasingly in his deep voice.
Not waiting for an answer, Taehyung grips Jungkook's wrist and tugs him down the hallway towards the bathroom, the maknae stumbling a little over his feet as he has no choice but to be dragged along.
With Jungkook settled, Jimin returns to the others who are sitting on and around the coach. Hoseok is still curled tightly into Jin's side, his whimpers only slightly muffled by the elder's shirt. Jimin sits on the floor beside the couch and rubs the dancer's back. He winces in pity when Hoseok turns to face him at the touch - his hyung's lips are practically white, and his forehead pinched so tight in pain that it almost looks like it would leave a permanent line. Jimin is no stranger to muscle cramps himself, which is probably why he was the calmest in this situation among all the members - but this seems like a particularly bad episode, even for him.
He leans over and kisses the furrow in Hoseok's brow. Hoseok smiles shakily at him, but it quickly turns into another grimace when Yoongi's thumbs drag down his calves once more. "Poor hyungie." Jimin plays with Hoseok's bangs, wiping away the cold sweat beading at his hairline. His hyung could really use some pain relief, if he was feeling up to moving, that is. "Do you want to sit up to take some painkillers?"
Thankfully, Hoseok nods, and Jimin calls out to Namjoon. The leader had been typing furiously on his phone beside them the entire time - trying to clear Hoseok's schedule with the managers for the next few days so the dancer can rest - but he looks up immediately at the sound of his name. There's a tray of extra-strong painkillers and water balanced on his lap, already present from the time Jungkook brought Hoseok home from the studio.
Yoongi releases Hoseok's legs and Jin helps him sit up, keeping one arm securely around his waist. Cold sweat soaks through Hoseok's shirt and into his, but Jin doesn't pay it any mind as he lets the younger rest his body against his own.
Namjoon hands Jimin a strip of painkillers, nearly knocking over the glass of water in the process. "Oops." The leader says as he rights the glass, looking sheepish. Hoseok giggles weakly, and Jimin's heart warms at the sound. Jin seems to feel the same, as he nuzzles his nose into the side of Hoseok's face, eliciting another giggle when he kisses his dongsaeng's cheek with a wet sounding smack.
After taking the painkillers, Hoseok leans heavily back against Jin's chest with a heavy sigh. "Thank you," the dancer breathes, sounding winded even though he's only been lying in the same position for the last half an hour. "And I'm sorry for troubling all of you like this. I shouldn't have let it get this bad… I won't let it happen again, I promise."
"Nonsense." Yoongi's voice, warm and strong, speaks firmly over Hoseok's. "It could have happened to any of us, and we'll take care of you just the same. You're not a burden, Hoba."
Jimin pokes Hoseok's arm affectionately, getting the elder's attention next. "In fact, it's exactly the opposite, hyungie. We wouldn't be half as in sync as we are without you helping us with the choreography every time. We love you."
"Love you too," Hoseok replies sweetly, and the four members surrounding him return his blinding smile with matching ones of their own.
After a while of lying on the couch in comfortable silence, Jin can tell the painkillers are kicking in by how the tension drains out of Hoseok's body and the dancer going boneless and relaxed against him. He pats Hoseok's cheek gently, smiling fondly at how his dongsaeng's eyes seem to already be closing. Gods, but he had to be exhausted from the long night he's had in the practice room, poor thing. "Don't fall asleep yet, Hoba - Are you up for a shower first? We've still got to get you out of those sweaty clothes."
"Oh, yeah - yeah. I feel gross." Hoseok wrinkles his nose as Jin chuckles. Being the most hygiene-conscious one out of all of them, Jin knew Hoseok wouldn't want to go to bed dressed in his day clothes if he could help it.
"I'll go get the bath ready." Jin gets to his feet, gently manhandling Hoseok into leaning against Yoongi instead. "Namjoon-ah, help him to the bathroom later?"
"Of course." The leader gives him a thumbs up.
Jimin bounces gracefully to his feet as well. "I'll go check on Tae and Jungkookie. Tae should be keeping him distracted, but I bet Kookie's still pretty restless right now. Get well soon, hyungie. I'll see you later." Jimin presses another kiss to Hoseok's cheek before disappearing down the hallway to the maknae's room.
Hoseok startles a little when Yoongi sighs quietly into his hair. He's leaning entirely into the elder's side, Yoongi's arms having automatically encircled his waist after Jin handed him over. "I should go get you a change of clothes," he says, but he seems reluctant to leave Hoseok's side just yet. The dancer understands why when Yoongi's arms tighten further around him, the rapper not making eye contact when he adds, "I… don't like seeing you in pain, Hoba. I'm sorry if I hurt you just now."
Hoseok blinks at him, not comprehending for the first few seconds. With the painkillers in effect, the sharp edge of pain keeping his mind on alert had worn off, and he struggles to think through the exhausted haze that had settled over him in the absence of the pain. "Hyung…" Hoseok finally realises. "Are you referring to the massage earlier?"
Yoongi's ears are reddening rapidly, which is all the answer he needs.
If he'd been in a better state of mind, Hoseok might have laughed out loud at his hyung's cuteness. Instead, he feels the biggest smile he could possibly muster threatening to split his face. "You worry about the strangest things, hyung. Why would I ever blame you for helping me? I appreciate it so much, hyung, really. Thank you."
The only response he gets is Yoongi - gently - shoving him away and into the sofa cushions. "How do you say shit like that so sincerely?" Yoongi mutters crossly. Hoseok bites his lip to keep from laughing, turning his face away to hide his smile. "Anyway, it was nothing. I'll go get your clothes." The oldest rapper flees to the bedroom with that statement, but not before Hoseok sees the pink dusting his cheeks.
Hoseok does laugh out loud, then - but it turns into a squeak when he's suddenly lifted off the sofa by Namjoon, in the exact same way he'd been picked up by Jungkook earlier.
"This really isn't necessary," Hoseok says for the second time that night, cheeks once again burning in embarrassment. "I can walk on my own, Joon-ah."
Unlike Jungkook, Namjoon just shrugs. "But I want to," he replies easily. Hoseok doesn't have any good response to that, so he latches on to Namjoon's shoulders (did they somehow get even broader?) in silence. Hoseok is used to spoiling and caring for the other members, but he's certainly not used to being cared for by them in this way, given how rarely he tends to fall ill or get injured. Despite his sunny personality, he's someone who gets easily embarrassed when faced with open displays of affection, especially from people close to him.
"Manager-nim's given you three days off to rest," Namjoon tells him as he walks towards the restroom, carrying Hoseok as easily as a bag of potatoes - his and Jungkook's muscles are terrifying, Hoseok reminds himself never to piss them off ever again - "so that means bed rest, at home, for the next three days. I don't want to see you anywhere near the dance studio during that time, you hear?"
Namjoon's using his Leader Voice now, and Hoseok knows better than to argue. "I hear you, I hear you. Thank you, Joonie." Hoseok says sincerely. Then pauses. Flails a little in Namjoon's arms when he realises something else. "Wait, but comeback practice -"
"Will be fine without you for three days, Captain Jung." Namjoon says sternly. His voice softens when he sees Hoseok's wide eyes. "Seriously, Hobi, you've already overworked yourself trying to learn everything before we do just so you can help us better. You need rest. We can start with the basic choreography first, and you can take us through the details when you're back in full health."
Oh. Oh, well, that's fine then. Hoseok deflates in Namjoon's hold. He feels a little silly not remembering that Namjoon always has everything under control.
"That took you a bit of time. I had to keep refilling the hot water, utility bills aren't cheap, you know?" Jin complains, when they finally get to the bathroom and Namjoon sets Hoseok, who's swaying mostly from exhaustion and lingering soreness in his limbs, down on the closed toilet seat. He starts tugging off his clothes on autopilot with some help from the other two - they've seen each other in so many states of undress over the years that they're no longer bothered by such things.
"Seok was being silly about missing comeback practice for three days." Namjoon answers as he expertly strips Hoseok of his boxers by lifting him almost entirely off the toilet seat with a single hand - again, never piss Namjoon off or suffer the consequences.
"They gave him three days off?" Jin hums contemplatively, checking the temperature of the bath water one last time before going to help Hoseok up from the toilet and over to the bathtub. "That's good. It's longer than I expected."
Namjoon laughs, the throaty one he usually makes when he cracks a joke that he thinks is particularly funny. "The company probably thinks we need as much time as we can possibly get to catch up with Hobi."
"Hobi yah, you've got to give people like Namjoon and I a fighting chance!" Jin instantly plays along with the younger. "I'm super handsome and Namjoon's super smart, but there isn't a single right foot between us."
"I resent that, hyung."
Hoseok giggles sleepily from the bathtub. The hot water is loosening all his sore muscles, and he finds himself sinking further and further into a drowsy haze, feeling like he could go to sleep right there and not wake up for the next 12 hours.
Jin speeds up with the shampoo and soap after realising just how tired his dongsaeng was. Between him and Namjoon, they manage to get Hoseok out of the bathtub and towel-dried in record speed, the dancer too exhausted and uncoordinated at this point to help much.
"You'll be fine helping him to the bedroom, Joon?" Jin asks after they're done, picking Hoseok's discarded clothes off the floor. "I'll clean up here if you are."
"Of course, hyung." Namjoon replies, hoisting Hoseok up easily into his arms again. The dancer yawns heavily and leans his head against Namjoon's shoulder, feeling like he could really just fall asleep any minute without a care. Compared to the pain he'd been in earlier, he feels extremely warm and comfortable now, and the pull of fatigue is heavy on his mind.
Namjoon notices, and pushes his nose into Hoseok's fluffy, towel-dried hair. "You can go to sleep if you want to, Hoba. We've got you."
The next thing Hoseok knows, he's being lowered gently onto his bed - which was already occupied. He immediately finds himself in the middle of three warm bodies, as hands start stroking his back, his chest, and playing with his hair. He doesn't even need to open his eyes to know who they are. Hoseok sighs happily, dimly registering Namjoon's chuckle and him leaving the room. He's in bliss.
There's movement from behind him. "Hyung," Jungkook's voice says quietly into the darkness. The maknae is molded tightly against his back, head pressed into the back of Hoseok's shirt. A whiff of french cologne tells him that Taehyung is squished up against Hoseok's front, facing him, which leaves Jimin as the one who's draped across all three of their legs. Hoseok has never been one to reject skinship from his members, and being surrounded by his maknaes is literally one of the best ways he could fall asleep.
But Jungkook's voice sounds small and a little sad, so despite the sleepiness threatening to take over him completely, Hoseok wriggles around to face him. Taehyung immediately adapts to the new position, fitting himself against Hoseok's back and throwing a leg over his body.
The maknae's doe eyes are wide and shiny in the dark. Instinctively, Hoseok kisses his forehead, making a soft enquiring sound in his throat. Whatever's bothering Jungkook, he knows the maknae will speak when he's ready.
Jungkook presses his face into Hoseok's neck. There's silence for a while, then Jungkook sniffles once, and says, "You scared me a lot today, hyung." Hoseok feels wetness where Jungkook's lashes meet his skin.
"It's true. Kookie was shaking the entire time we were in the shower." Taehyung rumbles, then nips the back of Hoseok's neck. "We were all worried. You need to stop working so hard, okay hyungie?" From the foot of the bed, Jimin makes a sleepy noise of agreement.
"Ah… you guys…" It's physically impossible to look at both Jungkook and Taehyung and the same time, so Hoseok turns onto his back, and the two instantly cuddle in closer to his sides. Hoseok wraps his arms around each of them and strokes up and down their shoulders. The position feels awkward because they're both taller than he is, but the sad little noises they're making as he comforts them are breaking his heart, so he does his best despite the weird angle his arms are in. Hoseok is grateful that his maknaes care about him so much, but he feels beyond guilty for making them worry, too.
"Aigoo, don't cry, hyung is sorry," Hoseok soothes. "It will never happen again, alright?"
"Promise?" Jungkook asks quietly.
"You should know we'll hold you to that, hyungie." Taehyung adds.
"Yes, I promise. Hyung will never overexert himself to the point where I'm physically unable to call one of you to come get me. Happy?" It's impossible to avoid any more muscle cramps from happening in the future, and there will definitely still be moments when Hoseok has to work later than the rest to learn the choreography, but this was the best he could promise now.
"That still seems like going a little too far, but I'll accept it as long as you're able to contact us."
"Fine, I guess… but if you ever break your promise, I'll get Jin hyung to beat you."
"Wonderful," Hoseok yawns, feeling sleep pulling at him even more strongly now that he's done reassuring his maknaes. "Now shush, my babies, and cuddle your hyung to sleep." He tugs Taehyung and Jungkook even closer, then wriggles his feet to get Jimin's attention. "You too, Jimin."
Grumbling, Jimin drags himself up the length of Hoseok's body, then faceplants into his chest with a soft "oof". "Goodnight, Hobi hyung," Jimin mumbles incoherently. Light snores start up from where he's lying in seconds.
Amused, Hoseok closes his eyes with a smile, reflexively tightening his embrace around the two youngest tucked into his sides. He has the best members in the world.
The thought follows him as he drops off into a peaceful sleep.
(Jungkook feels sick and faints in the shower, Taehyung and Yoongi come to the rescue)
Word count: 710
It's short but I hope you enjoy!!!!
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"Oh, fuck—" Jungkook really thought a shower would wash away his pains and the quelling nausea that has been bothering him all day. Apparently not. He feels so light headed and he thinks the tiles beneath his feet are getting closer and closer. Jungkook hears ringing in his ears and a pounding ache in his head before—
Thud
Well shit. Taehyung walks up to the bathroom door, "Jungkook-ah? You alright? Did you drop the shampoo bottle again?" Taehyung says with a light-hearted laugh. That is until he hears a miserable moan from behind the door. Yoongi walks down the hallway just in time, "everything okay, Tae-yah?" The rapper says, noticing Taehyung's wide eyes.
"I don't know hyung—Jungkookie?? I'm coming in." Taehyung thanks the lord that the maknae forgot to lock the door and he enters easily. Yoongi isn't far behind, and as soon as they get in they see a pale Jungkook on the floor of the shower. "Oh my god—Kookie—" Taehyung shuts off the water and moves the hair stuck to Jungkook's forehead.
Yoongi slowly helps the youngest sit up. Taehyung is shaken to the core and honestly, so is Yoongi. "What happened, kiddo?" Yoongi brushes the maknae's cheek and Taehyung grabs a towel to give the poor boy. "Hyungs—I feel dizzy-" Jungkook whimpers, tears building up in his eyes. His head hurts and all his muscles ache, his stomach is churning and it prompts him to turn his head away from Taehyung and his own lap.
Jungkook throws up clear liquid, coughing and trying to aim for the drain. The sudden act shocks Yoongi and Taehyung. "Oh baby, deep breaths." Taehyung uses the towel to wipe the edge of Jungkook's mouth and lips that are as pale the rest of his face.
Yoongi presses a hand to Jungkook's forehead, "he's got a fever, it seems mild but that's probably why he passed out." Yoongi is doing that worry-frown as he takes Jungkook's hand in his. "M'sorry f-for scarin' you.." Jungkook slurs out, eyes closed as he tries to centre himself so the room stops spinning.
"Hey, we'll talk about that later, are you still feeling dizzy?" Yoongi asks, not liking the way Jungkook's eyes are glazed and unfocused. "So dizzy, think I need to throw up again.." Jungkook replies, a quivering hand coming to cover his mouth. "Okay Kookie, lets get you over the toilet," Taehyung helps his dongsaeng crawl the few meters to the porcelain and Yoongi lifts up the seat, open and ready.
"My head hurts, hyungs.." Jungkook whines, voice echoing with his face buried in the toilet. "Poor Kookie, we'll give you medicine when you're feeling better." Taehyung comforts, working circles into Jungkook's bare back and Yoongi keeps a hand to Jungkook's forehead, keeping him steady so he doesn't plummet into the water.
Jungkook heaves productively and grips the sides of the toilet. Jungkook feels the nausea nag at the back of his throat and he swallows down the building saliva. The sick feeling tenfolds and Jungkook spews up more liquid.
Jungkook hates the heaviness in his head, swirling and making him feel like he's on a merry-go-round. Jungkook tries breathing deeply and the nausea lessens some. Yoongi is massaging the nape of his neck but he heaves again.
"I don' feel good, Suga-h-hyung, Taehyungie-hyung.." Jungkook moans, goosebumps crawling on his arms as his body prepares to throw up again. A string of spit dangles from Jungkook's mouth and within 4 seconds a rush of yellowish bile comes out. "I'm so sorry, Kookie..." Taehyung coos, looking at Yoongi worriedly.
Jungkook coughs and swallows, moving his head away and sitting back on his feet beneath him. Jungkook moans, "that was horrible.." he murmurs, burping hollowly. "It was, are you feeling better?" Yoongi asks, rubbing at Jungkook's spine.
"Sort of. Can I lie down? I don't think I can be upright anymore.." Jungkook closes his eyes, forehead coming to rest on Taehyung's shoulder. "Sure bunny, let's take Yoongi's bed since it's the biggest." Taehyung smirks and Yoongi doesn't say anything so both the youngest are equally excited to have some cuddle time with the rapper.
"Come on then." Yoongi sighs, fighting back a smile.
Hello! I love your writings and you're really talented at doing sick fics which can be a hard thing to do sometimes and I appreciate the work that you put into yours. If I can make a request, can you do a sick Tae based on that clip of when he's on the floor backstage after performing seven sets in a row, and the staff is helping him with an oxygen mask? He has a fever and overworked himself too hard and that moment when he's on the floor he's feverish, nauseous, dizzy and having a hard time breathing. The other members come to check on him but then Tae keeps passing out? And he starts throwing up and overall in a really bad state? Sorry if this sounds like a lot, Im really bad at making requests.
Thank you so much for your request, @babie-angelle! I absolutely loved everything you included in this request here, and I hope I managed to capture everything you wanted to read in this fic! I know exactly the clip you're referring to, and tbh I've always wanted to write something for it ever since i saw it, so thank you for giving me the chance. 🥺 I love bullying Tae and i think that’s evident from the long word count for this one, haha. XD
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By hook or by crook
Words: 4,728
Sickie: Taehyung/V
Caretaker(s): OT7
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Maybe he overdid it during yesterday's concert, maybe the stress of touring non-stop had finally caught up to him, or maybe it was a bug that had been lying dormant in him until today. Whichever it was, Taehyung wakes up on the last day of their tour feeling especially lethargic, and he's had enough experience to know that this isn't just regular post-performance fatigue that's currently turning his limbs into sludge.
For once he's grateful that the members aren't sharing hotel rooms on tour, because that allows him to drag himself out of bed and to the first aid kit the staff had left in each of their rooms with no one the wiser. A quick check with the thermometer confirms it: he has a low grade fever, which could be easily fixed with some fever reducers.
His physical state, however, not so much - the members are always busier, more distracted, when on tour, but Hobi hyung can still sense any hint of physical discomfort in the members' movements like a shark scenting blood, and Jimin is somehow always the first to catch on when Taehyung isn't feeling his best. Even Yoongi hyung sometimes surprises them with an offhand comment about someone looking unusually pale or sweating more than their usual. If his fever persists, it's going to be hard hiding it from his members.
But one thing at a time, Taehyung tells himself as he pops two fever reducers from the strips he found in the first aid kit. It's the last concert of their tour and there's no way he'll disappoint ARMY. He can do this.
~~~
At least, that's what he tells himself, until they review the setlist for tonight's performance for the first time.
"We'll end it with a bang," Namjoon tells them all excitedly. It's clear from the bags under his eyes that the leader had been up most of the night going over their setlist with the staff. "All the group and solo performances that ARMY wants to see most - let's give them our very best tonight."
Looking at the setlist, Taehyung knows exactly what Namjoon means, and in normal circumstances he would wholeheartedly agree. But the medicine he'd taken that morning had already worn off, and the fever sits like a throbbing headache behind his eyes. Jimin is sitting beside him, so he resists the urge to press his fingers into the bridge of his nose in case he gives himself away.
When Jimin's elbow nudges into his side anyway, Taehyung startles when he realises that it's because Namjoon is talking to him now. His focus had drifted without him realising - the leader's tone is slightly annoyed after calling his name for a while.
"Taehyung, you'll have the most difficult slot, because 'Singularity' is right after the medley and before 'Fake Love' and 'Idol'." He meets Namjoon's eyes, and the leader visibly softens, probably seeing the exhaustion (but hopefully not the illness) written all over Taehyung's face. "Can you do it?"
Taehyung knows that Namjoon will let him say "No". But doing so would result in a whole horde of last-minute changes that would inconvenience everyone and likely affect their rehearsals, too. I can do this, Taehyung's been telling himself since morning. He takes a deep breath to steel himself, and answers, "Yes".
Namjoon smiles at him, clearly relieved. "I know everyone's tired, but let's end this coolly. I believe in us. Bangtan forever!" The leader's encouragement has warm determination curling and solidifying in Taehyung's chest.
He has to do this.
~~~
Lunchtime comes around, right after their first round of rehearsals, and Taehyung's fever isn't helped at all by the intermittent waves of nausea now rolling through him. He barely exerted any energy in rehearsals - none of them do, not stupid enough to risk an injury right before a performance - yet he's still sweating like he's just gone through three hours of Hoseok's most intensive dance drills.
He only manages a few mouthfuls of greasy rice for lunch before escaping to a quiet corner with an apple and a bottle of water. The rice has left an oily film over his tongue, only contributing further to his nausea, but the apple is refreshingly sweet when he bites into it. He washes it down with tiny sips of water, careful not to overload his already unstable tummy. If he stays away, right up to the performance, he can probably make it through without anyone noticing -
"Hyung?"
Taehyung curses internally. There's only one person it could be.
Jungkook peers down at him, big doe eyes shining with concern. Taehyung musters up the biggest grin he can.
"Are you bored, Kookie?" He asks, trying to sound enough like his regular self so Jungkook doesn't get even more suspicious. "Does Jimin-ssi not want to play with you today?"
"No, I just -" Jungkook looks like he's debating with himself about what to say. Taehyung watches his dongsaeng's internal struggle idly, taking another bite of his apple, absently thinking to himself that the furrow between Jungkook's eyes makes him look like an angry bunny. It's cute.
"You didn't eat much during lunch, hyung. Are you okay?" Jungkook finally blurts out. Taehyung raises an eyebrow at him, and Jungkook cringes imperceptibly. For all the bravado he displays on stage, Jungkook is actually ridiculously shy about confronting his hyungs, being someone who generally tries to avoid conflict. Taehyung knows how he must look - cheeks flushed, hair a sweaty mess, sitting cross-legged and quiet in the corner when he'd usually be playing with Jimin and Jungkook right about now. Not exactly the picture of health. But there's only a few more hours left till their performance, and Taehyung can't risk the maknae alerting the rest of the members to his condition. I can do this.
He makes a big show of stretching, chucking the half-eaten apple at Jungkook, who catches it one handed with ease. "Jungkookie, Jungkookie…" He tuts. "It's a new way of conserving energy, I thought you and your muscles would know that."
Taehyung unfolds himself with some difficulty and slides down until he's lying starfished on the floor. "The less you eat, the less energy your body spends digesting. Lying on the floor makes the digestion go even slower! It's science, Jungkookie." He pats the floor. "You should try it."
"I don't think that's how it works…" Jungkook says doubtfully, even as he obediently lies down beside him.
The second he's horizontal, Taehyung rolls over and throws an arm and leg over the maknae. "Science!" He insists, burying his nose into Jungkook's collar. There's still a little fresh laundry scent clinging to Jungkook's shirt, and Taehyung inhales deeply. It's actually pretty comfortable on the floor, Taehyung decides, and they still have some time before the next rehearsal.
"Lie still, Kookie. Sleepy sleep time. More rest, less digest." Taehyung says, closing his eyes, clinging tighter to Jungkook like his own personal body pillow.
"I still don't think -"
"Shhh," Taehyung shushes. "Don't kick it till you've tried it, Kookie-bun."
An arm comes around his waist, hugging tight. "I think the term is 'don't knock it till you've tried it', hyung," says Jungkook. Then a bemused huff into Taehyung's hair, Jungkook's arm tightening further around him. "But fine. For science."
~~~~
Hoseok wakes him up some time later.
"Aigoo, my babies can still nap right before a performance? I admire that." The dancer shakes Taehyung lightly, then tickles under his chin and along his arms. "I'm sorry to wake you, but soundcheck starts soon, so up you get, sleepyheads."
Taehyung blinks his eyes open, and notices Jungkook also coming awake with a small grumble beside him. The maknae must have fallen asleep with him earlier. Hoseok coos at them, grinning widely. Taehyung is glad that Hoseok is the member who's waking them - the other hyungs may not have been as forgiving in the throes of pre-concert stress.
Hoseok's earlier shaking didn't help much with his dizziness, though. He didn't think it was possible to feel even worse after a nap, but his nausea has increased tenfold, in addition to the dizziness he now feels. Taehyung barely hides a groan as he climbs unsteadily to his feet. "Still sleepy, hyung…"
Hoseok's smile dims. "You okay, Taetae? Your voice sounds funny."
Crap. How could he have forgotten that Hoseok was also one of the most perceptive members when it came to the members' physical conditions? Taehyung feigns clearing his throat. "I just had a really good nap. My voice hasn't woken up yet."
"I'm not so sure…" Hoseok says, sounding doubtful as he peers directly into Taehyung's face. "You look a little pale too. Are you aching anywhere? Dizzy?"
He shakes his head frantically, ignoring how the movement (ironically) made him even dizzier. "I'm fine, hyung." Taehyung says, a little too quickly. It doesn't convince Hoseok in the slightest, as the dancer steps forward and cups the back of his neck, frowning when he feels the obvious heat there. There's no way Hoseok can't tell he's running a fever now.
"...Please don't tell the others,' Taehyung whispers.
A soft sigh from his hyung; the hand around his neck tugs him gently forwards, and Hoseok presses a warm, lingering kiss to his forehead. "I get that you don't want to inconvenience anyone, but you have the toughest slot tonight. You have to tell us if you're not up to it, okay? We can rearrange the setlist. You know Namjoonie won't be upset with you." Hoseok says softly.
But Taehyung wants to do this, whether he's up to it or not. He can't let everyone down. He just can't. "I can handle it, hyung. I promise." Taehyung makes sure to widen his eyes and bat his eyelashes at Hoseok for good measure - his tried and true method for getting his hyungs to go along with whatever he wants.
"Aishh, you know I can't resist when you act cute like that." Hoseok peppers kisses all over Taehyung's face - and, because he loves all his maknaes, over Jungkook's as well - before stepping back. "I'll try to delay the soundcheck a little for you. I trust you know your limits, Tae - take some medicine before you join us, and tell your hyungs if you're feeling unwell, understand?"
No one argues with Hoseok when he gets serious like this. Taehyung nods. "Does this mean you won't tell the others?" He adds, hopefully.
A wry chuckle from Hoseok. "Are you kidding? I may be older than Namjoon, but he'll have my head if he finds out I knew and didn't inform him. I'll have to tell them about your condition, but we'll leave it up to you to decide if you're able to perform or not."
It's the best Taehyung could hope for, he supposes, and at least they aren't going to force him to sit out of this concert as long as he can prove he's alright. He'll be fine.
~~~~
"Tae, why didn't you tell me you were sick? No wonder you were so quiet during rehearsal…" A pouting Jimin is next to pounce on him, after Hoseok informs the others of his condition.
They're in the final few hours before the concert, when they're being fitted with their mics and outfits, and the stylist noonas are wrestling their hair and makeup into the sweat-proof, extreme-dance-choreography-proof looks that have to hold throughout the night. The backstage is awash in a buzz of pre-concert excitement and nerves. Taehyung had been sitting quietly in his makeup chair trying to conserve energy before Jimin came and flopped dramatically down into the chair beside him.
"Sorry, Jiminie." Taehyung murmurs back. He couldn't spare enough energy to talk, trying to rest as much as he could before they had to perform. It seems that the other members had picked up on this, as they had all left him alone instead of goofing around with him as they usually do. Namjoon especially was watching him with worried eyes. Taehyung felt bad for making them worry - but he was grateful that none of them were attempting to talk him out of performing, no doubt thanks in part to Hoseok talking to them after lunch.
He's feeling a little bit better after taking some more fever reducers, the nausea subsiding somewhat after he's had another apple and warm water, but Jimin's hands coming down onto his shoulders and massaging out the tension there feels nothing short of wonderful. He blows out a breath, tilting his head back to look at Jimin upside-down. His friend's eyes crinkle into a sweet smile when they meet his.
"Terrible," Taehyung breathes, tilting his head further back until it hits the other's chest, "I could actually be dying, Minnie."
The pout returns to Jimin's face. "Don't say that." He emphasises the statement with a light poke to the back of Taehyung's neck. "Kookie won't like me anymore if he becomes the only dongsaeng I have left to bully." Then he adds, hesitantly, "There's still some time left before the concert. If you're feeling that bad, maybe Namjoon hyung…"
"No! Gods no, I was only kidding, Minnie. I'm okay enough to perform, I swear." Taehyung swivels around to stare wide-eyed at Jimin, who holds his hands up in surrender.
"Okay, okay," Jimin says placatingly. "I believe you. I'm just saying, I don't want you pushing yourself past your lim- Tae? Hey, what's wrong?"
Jimin startles when Taehyung suddenly sits bolt upright, face white as a sheet. There's an acidic taste in the back of his throat, saliva filling his mouth in a way that is familiar, even if he hasn't felt this way in a long while. Taehyung clamps one hand over his mouth, looking around frantically, he knows he won't make it to a toilet in time - there.
He staggers out of the makeup chair and over to a nearby wastebin, crumpling to his knees in front of it. The first gag brings up the semi-digested apples he had for lunch, their overly sweet taste now burning his throat instead. It's followed by the heavier food he had for breakfast, and all the water he's been drinking throughout the day.
"Tae!"
Jimin's the first to reach him, the other members not far behind once they realised what was happening. A hand holds his sweaty hair back from his forehead; another strokes up and down his back reassuringly.
Taehyung coughs and gasps when he's done, swiping the back of his hand across his mouth. This would have grossed him out under normal circumstances, but right now he's too overwhelmed to care - the fever, the smell from the wastebin, the burn in his throat - thankfully, a strong arm pulls him gently away from the mess and guides him to lean back against a broad chest.
"You okay, baby?" Jin asks, thumbing a stray tear away from his cheek. The other members surround where they're seated on the floor, concern written all over their faces. Hoseok brings over a paper cup of warm water, looking guilty.
"Sorry, Jin hyung. I knew about his fever from this afternoon. I should have watched him…"
"Shush, Hoseok-ah, it's not your fault. You couldn't have predicted he’d throw up like this." Jin runs an arm along Taehyung's, who still hasn't spoken. "Tae? Baby? You with us?"
Taehyung sniffles, leans his head back against Jin's collarbone. "I still wanna perform, hyung. I can do it, I promise."
Brows furrowing, Jin looks up at Namjoon with a "what do we do?" look. The leader sighs.
"As much as I hate to say it, if Tae thinks he can perform, then we let him perform. It's too late for us to rearrange the setlist, so his only other option is to sit it out." Taehyung whimpers at that, and Namjoon bends down automatically to pet Taehyung's hair; a silent apology.
"Joon is right. We've about an hour left to the concert," Yoongi agrees gruffly. "Taehyung, if at any point you feel unwell - don't push yourself any further. The last thing we want to do is to worry ARMY."
"Okay, hyung." Taehyung's voice is quiet and thick with guilt when he answers.
Jin kisses the top of his head. "You work too hard, Tae baby. Let's get you some medicine and you can rest up before the concert starts."
~~~~
The medicine and the short nap he took helped Taehyung feel marginally more human before they had to perform their very first song of the night. Stepping out on stage to ARMY's clapping and cheering boosted his mood even further, and in that moment, Taehyung was sure that yes, he could do this. The adrenaline of being onstage again was more than enough to wash away the lingering headache lurking at his temples, the nausea still gnawing away in his stomach.
That all changes when he passes out for the first time that night.
They had just walked offstage after performing their third song, breathless from exertion, when Taehyung takes a step and the floor suddenly disappears from beneath him.
It was only a couple of seconds, barely longer than a sigh, but it was enough to send him crashing into Jungkook, who had been walking in front of him. Thankfully, the younger was quick to catch him, grabbing him by the waist just as Taehyung blinks disorientedly back to consciousness.
"Taehyungie-hyung? You alright?" Jungkook asks, concerned. He didn't seem to have noticed Taehyung blacking out.
"Just tripped," Taehyung reassures hastily. "I'll take it easier in the next few performances before the medley." He adds, when it looks like Jungkook was about to say more.
Jungkook removes his arm reluctantly from his waist. "You're still unwell, hyung. Don't push yourself too hard, please?"
“You know I won’t,” Taehyung promises, feeling only a little bad for lying. The middle segment was the climax of their concert - he had to keep up with everyone else’s energy or else he might ruin it. The maknae gives him a brief hug, tight in concern, before they’re being rushed away again by the staff to prepare for the next song.
The medley comes and goes, the group performing easily six to seven songs in a row, and Taehyung still doesn’t know how he stopped his knees from buckling the moment he steps backstage. Right after this is “Singularity”, and the only reprieve he has is how long the staff will need to set up the stage for his solo performance - that moving bed is pretty heavy, after all.
Currently, he’s pressed against one of the support beams right underneath the stage, sweaty and exhausted and completely incapable of moving even if he wanted to. Dizziness cages in on him and he’s not sure if the oppressive heat he’s feeling now is from performing multiple songs in a row, or from the fever that he’s pretty sure has gotten worse since the concert started.
Someone brings a nebulizer over to him, and Taehyung plonks his entire head down into it, uncaring of the cameras he knows are around him. He prays it’s enough to hide his face from his hyungs, who would probably be able to tell how bad he’s feeling from just one look at him now.
His luck runs out when the staff come back to get him changed for the Singularity stage. They each take one of his arms, and even though Taehyung braces himself for it, is prepared for it when they help him up - he doesn’t expect his legs to cave entirely underneath him and send him pitching forward into his second blackout of the night.
“Ai!”
“Taehyung!”
The startled shouts come from both the staff holding him up and the other members, when Taehyung’s body suddenly sags limply into the staffs’ hold. Yoongi is at the second youngest’s side in an instant, pulling him down into his lap and leaning over him when his eyes flutter open again.
“I’m okay,” is the first thing Taehyung gasps the second he regains consciousness.
“You’re really fucking not, Tae,” Yoongi returns, ignoring Taehyung’s flinch at the harsh words. “Your fever’s getting worse and you can barely stand, so why are you still insisting that you’re fine?”
“What Yoongi means to say -” Jin cuts in, shooting a quick not now look at the rapper, who shakes his head exasperatedly, “is why are you pushing yourself so hard, Tae? The fans will understand if you’re too unwell to perform.”
Tears are brimming in Taehyung’s eyes, and Jin can feel his resolve practically melting away. He had planned on insisting Taehyung sit out the rest of the night, but now…
“It’s our last concert of the tour, hyung,” Taehyung cries. “I want to finish it well with everyone. I… I don’t want to disappoint anybody, least of all ARMY.”
Everyone blows out a breath at that; that was a sentiment they could all understand. As idols, as artists - it was their worst nightmare to risk disappointing their fans because of an unforeseen circumstance or illness. Despite their concern, they knew that they’d all feel the same if they were in Taehyung’s position right now.
“The choreography for Singularity is fairly simple, but we have to perform “Fake Love” after that…” Jimin whispers worriedly. Hoseok frowns in agreement, clearly having had the same thought.
“But it’s one of the last songs of the night. We can play a VCR or something after Singularity instead so Taehyung has more time to rest before Fake Love. Can we?” Namjoon addresses one of the staff, who nods quickly and hurries off to make the arrangements. The leader looks back at them, expression grim. “This is the best we can do, I think. Taehyung, you’ll have to perform Singularity, but if you’re not feeling up to doing Fake Love…”
“No, I can do it, hyung.” Taehyung sits up against Yoongi, eyes shining with gratitude as he looks at Namjoon. “Thank you.”
“I still say that we make him rest instead,” Yoongi mutters, but the words carry no heat as he carefully helps Taehyung to stand, letting the younger lean against him until he’s more steady on his feet.
Namjoon holds Taehyung’s shoulder in a strong grip, looking a little guilty. “I’m sorry you have to do this, Tae. I’d rather you to rest too…”
“I will after the concert.” Taehyung promises brightly. He’s relieved and grateful that no one is forcing him to stop, that the hyungs are all respecting his decision to perform even if they were worried about his health.
His members are the best.
~~~~
One way or another, Taehyung actually makes it through the entire concert, although he’d be hard pressed to say exactly how he managed it. All he’s aware of are his shaking legs by the end of it, which also ends up with him crumpling straight into Jimin’s arms after their last song of the night.
Thankfully, they’ve already made it backstage by this point, and Jimin is startled but not surprised for when it happens. He catches his soulmate with a softly uttered “Tae!”, heart clenching in worry when he feels just how hot the other’s skin is. Jimin lowers them both to the floor carefully, tucking Taehyung’s head into his shoulder, whispering soft reassurances into his ear as Taehyung trembles violently against him.
“Is he alright?” Jungkook crouches down worriedly beside them, Hoseok right behind him after obtaining a bottle of water from the staff. Taehyung remains unresponsive, continuing to hide his face in Jimin’s neck as the members all clamour around them, along with some worried staff members. Everyone feels terrible looking at their second-youngest member, weak and shaking in Jimin’s embrace.
Jin finally makes a decision for them. “Jimin and Hoseok can stay with him first. The rest of us should go get changed before coming back. The sooner we’re done here, the faster we can get Taehyung back to the hotel,” he instructs. When it comes to the members’ well-being, no one disobeys Jin-hyung; Yoongi, Namjoon and Jungkook peel themselves reluctantly away from their sick member and follow Jin to the dressing room, leaving Jimin and Hoseok behind to care for him.
Taehyung hears but doesn’t pay attention to all these conversations going on around him. Despite some of the sounds being blocked out thanks to Jimin pressing his head against his shoulder, the general chaos of the backstage still contributes to his still-pounding headache, and he’s unsettled by a familiar discomfort growing steadily in his stomach. He grasps blindly for the water that Hoseok offers him, taking large sips hoping to soothe his aching stomach - but that turns out to be entirely the wrong decision.
The water sloshes down his throat carelessly, causing him to gag, and what happens next is almost inevitable. Taehyung rips himself away from Jimin, sitting bolt upright before he curls over, arms crossing over his middle - and throws up all over himself. There isn’t much left in his stomach to come up, mostly the water he drank earlier and whatever little of the dinner he had managed before the concert, but he still gags and retches painfully until it stops. It should be humiliating, having thrown up on himself in front of the concert staff, but with how out of it he was Taehyung couldn’t care less. He sniffles quietly when he’s done, as Hoseok wipes his mouth and Jimin pulls him back to rest against him once more, uncaring of the bile currently all over his lap and clothes. It’s disorienting and messy and Taehyung curls up further against Jimin, crying out for the one member whose comforting touch he needs right now in his feverish state.
"J-Jin hyung…"
It's barely louder than a whisper in the cacophony of the backstage, but Jin, already rushing out of the dressing room, hears him loud and clear and is at Taehyung’s side in an instant. He doesn't know how, but if asked, Jin would probably say that it had been pure instinct - like how some animals can pick out the distress call of their own offspring among thousands of others. Jimin relinquishes Taehyung to him and Jin pulls him flush against his chest, murmuring soothingly all the while to the ill singer. “Shh, aghi. You’re okay. Hyung’s got you.”
As Taehyung clings to him and cries, Jin looks up to meet the worried gazes of Hoseok and Jimin, telling them, “I’ll bring him to the van so he can have more privacy,” surreptitiously urging the two to go get changed as well. They nod in understanding and hurry away, while Yoongi, having joined them sometime in the last few minutes, slips away as well with a quiet “I’ll go get his things.” Namjoon is with the staff, debriefing on his own with the managers, so this leaves Jin with Taehyung and a concerned, hovering Jungkook.
Jin presses his lips to Taehyung’s temple. “I’m going to pick you up now, alright baby?” He murmurs softly. He takes Taehyung’s soft whimper as answer and hoists him up with a grunt, letting Jungkook lead the way towards their van, meant to bring them back to their hotel after the concert.
The van is unoccupied when Jin sets Taehyung down in the backseats. It’s better - quieter, in their van, without any of the staff around and he can assess their second youngest’s condition in private. His dongsaeng’s handsome face is blotchy from crying, and his temperature feels way higher than Jin is comfortable with, not to mention the vomit that still stains the front of his clothes. At least Yoongi will get here soon with Taehyung’s belongings, and they can get him changed here in the privacy of their van.
And Jin’s proud, of course he’s proud of Taehyung’s immaculate professionalism and determination to finish the concert while smiling through it all without none of the fans noticing anything was wrong, but - “I hate that you had to put yourself through this, aghi,” Jin sighs, gently running a hand through Taehyung’s hair. Taehyung doesn’t answer, only letting out an exhausted sigh and clinging harder to his side.
Soon, Jin promises silently. Soon when the members are all gathered back here and they can finally go back to their hotel, they’ll make sure Taehyung is properly taken care of, then give him the best possible spoiling of his life.
welcome back!!!! i missed u sm. i'm so happy you're back and i can't wait to read more from u. this community is slowly coming back to life and i love to see it <3 <3
hi nonny!! you're so sweet 🥹💗💗 and I know! it's what truly motivated me to get back into writing again, like it was the last push I needed to see my moots coming back 💗
If your requests are still open and if you have time, can I request a scenerio where a member eats something way too late at night (like ramen or something) and wakes up in the morning really nauseous? My brain is screaming either Jungkook or Namjoon but I’ll leave the sickie up to you! ❤️ thanks in advance!! I love your writing
thank you so much for the request, anon!! I'm so so sorry it's taken me literally forever to get to this, and that I kind of derailed a bit when it came to the original plot 😭😭 I hope this is still to your liking!
sickie: jungkook
caretaker: namjoon
word count: 2125
jungkook knows this will be a bad idea the moment he sets out the (six) ramen cups neatly on the table, but rational thinking isn't really in his ballpark right now. he's been feeling stressed out from their tour lately, and feels as if he hasn't been performing as well as he should be, so he thinks he needs a good stress-eating session to get his mind off of things.
but as jungkook takes a step back and looks at the ramen cups laid out, he can't help but laugh to himself. "this is so stupid." he murmurs, pulling out his phone. this is something he thinks army might enjoy. plus, he's been trying to be more active on Twitter recently. he captions the photo with something funny and his hashtag before setting his phone down and beginning.
just as he finishes getting through the first cup and a half, lips already zinging with spice, he feels his phone vibrate against the table. he picks it up and sees it's a message from namjoon.
rapmon hyung: jungkook what the hell are you doing
rapmon hyung: I saw your post -_-
jungkook feels a sheepish smile spread across his face.
jungkook: … I'm eating my emotions
jungkook: :D
rapmon hyung: good god jungkook
rapmon hyung: this screams bad idea, you know
rapmon hyung: your stomach is going to hate you tomorrow :/
jungkook: ill be fine hyung dw
jungkook: we've got a off day tomorrow anyways, it'll be fine
rapmon hyung: you know jimin wants to go sightseeing tomorrow
jungkook: yeah, I know, I'll be okay for it :)
jungkook: please don't worry hyung, it cant turn out THAT bad
jungkook can practically hear namjoon sighing from his hotel room a few doors down
rapmon hyung: okay fine
rapmon hyung: I trust you
rapmon hyung: but don't say i didn't warn you
jungkook: ay ay captain
with that, jungkook returns to his food.
this was definitely a bad idea, jungkook thinks to himself when he's all done. well, mostly done. by the last two he couldn't bring himself to finish off the soup at the bottom. his stomach is already bloated and full beyond belief.
he decides to make light of the situation and posts an update to twitter with one photo of the (nearly) empty ramen cups and one selfie of him looking, very rightly, in pain. his lips feel swollen and his nose won't stop running and itching from the spice, eyes watery too. he throws all the cups away and shuffles into the bathroom, washing his face down and stifling a burp into his hand. he shudders and sighs. "you idiot, jungkook," the singer whispers to himself, voice thick. he pushes himself back out to his room and gets into bed. maybe lying down will help him digest, he thinks, all lessons he's ever learned in his entire life failing to come to him as his eyes start drooping closed. he feels like he's going to be sick already and he doesn't like it. maybe he'll just… rest his eyes for a moment. let the world fall silent around him. yeah, yeah that's what he'll do.
against his will, jungkook begins to fall asleep, and he drifts off before he's even able to stop himself.
jungkook wakes up in the middle of the night, sweaty and stomach cramping. he winces and sits up instantly. "oh god- fuck-" he swings his legs over the side of the bed, but that alone forces stomach acid up that burns his throat as he burps. he places a hand over his mouth and cringes, swallowing. "shit-" he freezes in place with no idea what to do. how did this happen? he feels so much worse than when he did when he-
he fell asleep. a groan leaves his lips. he just had to have fallen asleep. his stomach is killing him, bubbling and churning. he thinks he's going to throw up.
moving slowly, he shuffles to the table and grabs his phone. more stomach acid burns up his throat, swallowing again. he goes to text namjoon since he seemed to be the only one who was caught up with his shenanigans the night before and sees that he missed a message right before he fell asleep.
rapmon hyung: jungkook you look terrible-
rapmon hyung: did you really eat all of that??
jungkook sighs before reluctantly sending a text of his own, deciding to ignore namjoon's. he only hopes that namjoon is either still awake or won't wake up from the message notification. he just wants someone to know what's happening
jungkook: I feel sick
jungkook: really sick
jungkook: I'm really sorry :(
jungkook shuffles back to bed and sits down, not wanting to lay back in case it makes whatever acid reflux is going on worse. he jolts with a hiccup and grimaces, untucking his shirt from the jeans he'd forgotten to change out of that keep digging into his stomach. he slips his hand in between the hemline and his abdomen to give it some leeway, sighing when it provides the slightest bit of relief. he knows he should get up and change, but he doesn't want to risk it. he feels like the tiniest movement will set his stomach off.
his phone vibrates in his other hand to jungkook's surprise and he lifts it to look at the screen to see namjoon having responded to his message.
rapmon hyung: god kid I told u
rapmon hyung: hold on
rapmon hyung: I'm coming over
jungkook's eyes widen, mortified already. namjoon cant come, he knows he looks a mess.
jungkook: no no no-
jungkook: hyung it's fine really
jungkook: I just felt like someone should know
jungkook: hyung-
as jungkook types out his next text, he hears knocking at the door followed by a hushed, "jungkook? are you in there?"
jungkook suppresses a groan and slowly pushes himself to stand, stifling a low whimper when his stomach churns in protest. he makes his way to the door, unable to straighten properly from just how full and in pain he is, and opens it with cheeks flushed with both shame and the beginnings of what might be a fever. jungkook doesn't know at this point. "hey, hyung." he murmurs. he can't bring himself to meet namjoon's eyes.
he hears the leader sigh and make his way in, warm hands coming to rest by jungkook's sides. "you idiot, come on. let's go back to bed. I'll grab you some clothes."
jungkook manages a few short nods, trudging his way back to bed and laying down in a curled up position, fighting back a grimace and laying his hand back over his stomach. he can vaguely make out namjoon shuffling around the room, grumbling under his breath. probably something to do with jungkook's clothing organization. or lack thereof; jungkook has always had a bit of an unorthodox way of storing his clothes while on tour. it's just how his brain works, okay?
still keeping his gaze averted, jungkook feels the bed dip next to him. he allows himself the smallest of glances and notices the clothes on namjoon's lap. jungkook can't help but smile; those are some of his favorite pyjamas to wear on hard days. he didn't know that namjoon had picked up on it.
"arms up." namjoon orders gently. jungkook reluctantly complies. he can't help but blush when namjoon pulls his soiled, sweaty shirt off, feeling embarrassed that namjoon has to deal with this. to top it off, jungkook shivers when the air conditioning hitting him, realizing belatedly that his bloated stomach is now on display and painfully obvious. jungkook finds himself wrapping his arms around it as quickly as possible and curling in on himself.
namjoon sighs. "jungkook-ah, look at me please."
jungkook shakes his head stubbornly. but before he knows it, namjoon's hand comes up to his cheek and tilts his head up, their eyes meeting. jungkook finally clocks just how welled up with tears his are, and he can see it when namjoon clocks it, too. "jungkook, are you crying??"
at that, jungkook feels his bottom lip quiver. a sob bubbles up out of him, unexpectedly. "fuck, I'm sorry-" he tries to look away again, but namjoon doesn't let up.
"hey hey, no, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound like such a big deal I just-" namjoon sighs again. "you're feeling really sick, huh?"
jungkook manages a pathetic nod. another sob.
namjoon gives a nod back. "okay, that's okay." he says; it sounds like he's talking more to himself than jungkook, but the maknae is too caught up in his self pity to notice it all that much. "we can get through this, not the first time one of us has gotten knocked down."
"but… the sightseeing… the others-"
"will understand if you can't make it tomorrow." namjoon promises with a gentle smile. "now let's finish getting you changed so you don't get more sick from the cold hitting you."
it's been an hour and jungkook has yet to fall asleep. namjoon lays next to him, having already drifted off a while ago, snoring away without a care in the world. jungkook is extremely jealous. his stomach is still gurgling and churning and it doesn't seem to want to provide him with any relief any time soon.
slowly, carefully, jungkook pushes himself up into a sitting position, afraid that he might choke on the productive burps that keep crawling up his throat. he worries at his fingers. his breathing feels short and heavy and jungkook swears under his breath. he hates this. he hates being sick. arguably more than anything in the world. he hates feeling so gross and out of control and-
great, he's crying again. jungkook shoves his head into his hands and tries not to make too much sound. this is all his fault, and he knows it, and that makes the whole situation so much worse somehow; this disaster is a product of his own making.
jungkook's head continues to swim and swirl with thoughts, and before he knows it, something heavy rushes up his throat. his mouth waters dangerously, a sour feeling coating the back of his tongue and weighing it down. he's definitely going to throw up. he feels it coming on, and fast.
throwing the sheets off himself as quickly as he can, jungkook hurries to the bathroom and shuts the door behind him, hand clamped over his mouth. he crouches in front of the toilet with a few heavy pants, white-knuckling the sides of the bowl. the first wave of vomit comes out of him with a guttural gag before jungkook can even fully process that it's happened. and then another wave comes out. and then another. and then he's rolling; more specifically, his stomach is rolling. agonizingly so.
jungkook tries his hardest to be quiet. he really, really does. but it's difficult to do so when each round of puke rips his breath from his chest and burns the way up his throat, eliciting involuntarily whimpers and groans and pants.
he feels a warm hand on his back before he registers the fact that someone has joined him in the bathroom; namjoon. jungkook can't help but give a choked sob. "i-i'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you, I-"
"shh," namjoon hushes. "it's okay. just get everything up, it'll help you feel better."
namjoon's calm, deep voice helps some of the tension leave jungkook's muscles, but they quickly seize up again when he has to throw up once more.
after another five minutes or so go by, the last few filled with nothing but weak, unproductive gags and pants as jungkook tries to regain his breath, namjoon decides to make the executive decision that jungkook is done. the leader reaches over to flush the toilet and helps jungkook to his feet. "come on, let's wash out your mouth and go to bed."
jungkook gives a weak moan but lets himself be dragged to the sink, pliable. now that his stomach is left with nothing more than a dull ache, and waves of relief continually washing over him from the nausea finally being gone, jungkook is tired. so, so tired. he barely feels it as namjoon guides him through washing out his mouth and leading him back to bed, helping jungkook sit on the edge as namjoon shuffles off to grab a new shirt, jungkook having soiled the one he'd changed into from sweat.
the boy is practically already out cold by the time he's been changed and tucked in. the last thing he registers is a gentle touch brushing back his hair and the familiar voice of his leader whispering for him to "sleep well, jungkookie."
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