Heechul | One-Shot | “Gomawo”
Pairing: Heechul x Reader
Theme: Angst / Fluff
Word count: 3718 words
Description: You and Heechul are like cats and dogs, you tolerate each others presence but bicker whenever you can. But you can’t help but take care of him when the stubborn idol falls ill.
The bright light of morning shining through the window reached his eyes as he slowly awakened with a soft groan. His clothes were drenched from the sweating, his muscles aching from the trembling he had done that night. But he already felt less miserable than he remembered feeling. He could still feel the dampness of the towel that had been placed on his forehead to cool his fever, though the coldness had long since disappeared.
His eyes wandered down to his right hand, placed on top of his chest and clutching tightly to hers as he had done during his sleepy feverish delirium, he remembered someone being by his side and taking care of him but only now did he clearly realize who it was.
His eyes followed the hand he was holding onto and met with her still sleeping face. Her dark locks were covering part of her face. The light somehow illuminated her soft, milky skin as he could hear the steady beat of her breathing. She looked so peaceful and innocent, something he wasn’t sure would ever be possible and yet he couldn’t help but smile at the sight. His heart was beating faster as his eyes were glued to her sleeping face, admiring her facial features as his left hand subconsciously reached out to gently brushed some of her locks out of her face. Quickly he retracted his hand as she softly stirred, fearing he had somehow awakened her but she soon fell silent again.
He looked around searching for his phone to capture the moment, to cherish for later or use as blackmail, depending on the situation. His phone was resting on the bedside table, his right hand automatically wanting to reach up but stopped as he remembered he was still holding onto hers. What if he removed his hand and woke her up, aside from missing out on getting a token for future blackmail, she just looked so peaceful and happy that he didn’t want to ruin that for her. But still, he wanted to reach out for his phone and attempted to do so with his left. It was a far stretch to get close to his phone due to his somewhat awkward position, his fingers barely touched it when the device slipped through his hands and dropped onto the ground with a thud.
The sound made him cringe as he turned his gaze back to the slumbering girl, only to find two drowsy eyes staring at his face. She slowly sat up as she took her hand out of his grasp, leaving a chilling emptiness that he didn’t think he would feel. She rubbed her eyes as a soft yawn escaped her lips, he could tell she needed a second to realize where she was and what was going on before the realisation clearly hit her eyes, widening as they turned to him again.
“Are you okay? How are you feeling? Do you need anything?” She fired question after question frantically as her eyes wandered up and down his body to check his status. “I’ll get you something to drink, or maybe refresh the washcloth to--” She was on her way to getting up but he quickly reached out for her arm.
“Yah, will you calm down?” A soft chuckle escaped with his words as he pulled her back down to her seat, silently touched by the amount of worry that radiated from her words and her expression. “I’m fine, don’t worry.”
“Are you sure? Let me check if your fever has gone down!” She continued, trying to reach up for his head but he blocked her hand stubbornly. She clicked her tongue as she reached out with her other arm, placing the back of her hand against his cheek. The softness of her skin felt soothing against his and for a second he could feel his heart skip a beat, another sensation he had rarely felt before. “Well, you don’t feel hot...”
Quick, as if in a panic, he redeemed himself and pushed her hand away with complaint. “Yah, what are you talking about? I’m always hot!”
“Hmm, you sound delirious, maybe I should check again...” A mischievous tone danced with her words as she reached out her hand again, he quickly snatched her hand before she could letting out a loud moaning protest, but refused to let go.
“Yah, pabo-yah!” He clicked his tongue as he lowered both their hands. “What are you even doing here? Why sleep on this stupid chair when you could have been sleeping in your own bed and be comfortable, are you insane?”
“What? How could I have gone to my own place when you were so sick?!” She huffed softly, as if insulted by the question. “You wanted me to leave you alone to suffer all night?”
His dark brows knitted together in a frown, “I was in that bad of a shape, huh?”
“I almost called the hospital, you looked like you were dying!” She continued with the same insulted tone of voice, though the same hint of worry that her words carried before was hidden underneath. “And I couldn’t reach anyone in your phone to come help you so I just… stuck around all night.”
“All night..?”
•☆•☆•☆•
He had been feeling terrible all day, his entire body was shaking with fever and he was breaking out in cold sweats so much he had gone through five different wardrobe changes because his clothes were drenched. But, being the stubborn man that he was he insisted to keep to his schedule regardless of what the company staff advised him. It wasn’t until the show’s director told him to go home and rest or else he would have been banned from ever appearing on the show ever again, that he reluctantly gave in and made his way back to his apartment.
His manager had to run through some errands to cancel the remainder of his schedule, leaving him on his own after he had been dropped off. The more steps he took trying to get to his own home, the more he felt the fever affecting him. His entire world was spinning and he had a hard time keeping balanced while walking, sweat dripping down his brows as he headed for the elevator. People passing him stared at him and muttered, they weren’t in on how terrible he was feeling and assumed he had been drinking himself into the miserable state he appeared to be in, but for now he couldn’t care less. All he wanted was to reach his bed and sleep.
He pressed his floor and waited for the doors to close before turning around and leaning his forehead against the mirrored wall of the elevator. It felt cool against his skin, granting him a faint sense of relief for a brief few seconds before the sound of the elevator reaching his floor snapped him out of it and he reluctantly turned around. He stumbled out of the elevator and stayed close to the wall while reaching his door.
“Aigoo, look at you!” Her voice rang through his ears as a bell, her disapproving tone irking him even more than usual. “Is this how you earn money? Look pretty and drink miserably?”
“________-ah! Not today, please!” Usually he wouldn’t shy away from bantering with his next door neighbour. Although he was a public figure and she was - for lack of better terms - just an ordinary person, she didn’t seem to let that stop her from teasing and scolding him, and he gladly argued with her. They were like cats and dogs, usually at opposite ends of a discussion unless it involved food. Both sharp tongued but never with ill intentions. And he was somehow grateful for that.
“Ah? Already having a hangover? Did you dive in a bath of soju, you look drenched!”
“Yah! I said not today! Aish!” He practically yelled for as much as he was still capable considering the way he had been feeling, every word and movement drained his energy even more and made him feel like he was dying. He glared at the woman from underneath his messed up bangs, watching as she merely stared back at him, startled by his outburst.
“Fine. Whatever.” She huffed, raising her chin as she headed for the elevator. “I’m far too busy for you anyway.” She heard him mutter something under his breath as she passed him and ignored it, she wasn’t sure what had gotten him in this crummy mood but she didn’t feel like getting yelled when she didn’t deserve it.
As she reached the elevator, the sound of something heavy and loud dropping to the floor echoed through her ears as she glanced back to realize where the startling sound was coming from. He had collapsed onto the ground, slumped sideways against the wall and panting heavily.
Quickly she ran to his side, eyes widened and panicked as she took his shoulders and tried to pull him up in a seated position. “Y-yah! Are you alright?” She frantically looked around for anyone to help her out. “Hello? Is someone there?”
The cold sweat trickled down his face, his weight desperately leaning towards the wall as his eyes were pinched closed, trying desperately to not give into the fever.
“Oppa…” She begged him, her voice sounding more and more distance to him. He felt something soft and soothingly colder against his cheek, followed by a gasp. She had pressed her hand against his face to check his temperature and was surprised by the almost burning sensation tingling against her skin. “Omo! You’re burning up!”
“It’s… fine… ” He panted with a strained voice as he tried to push himself away from the wall, but to no avail.
“Give me your key!”
“W-what?”
“You are in no position to get inside like this, give me your key!” She urged on. He wanted to keep arguing and act tough but he couldn’t find the energy to do so anymore. He dropped the card key he was holding onto the floor as he let his head rest against the wall again, trying to find some comfort to relieve him from the burning that ran through his entire body, contradicting with the cold chills rising up the hairs on his arm and in his neck and aching his muscles with ever shiver it caused.
She got up and unlocked the door before getting back to his side, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as she desperately tried to get him back on his feet. It didn’t help that he was taller, broader and therefore much heavier than her, not to mention the fact that he was barely capable to keep himself up so she was left to carry dead weight - for lack of a better term. He slumped in her grasp as the two of them slowly made their way inside his apartment and straight to his bedroom.
Reaching the bed was as much of a relief for him as it was for her. His entire body had been screaming for the soft comfort of his bed as his eyes were still closed tightly to try and ignore the fever that continued to flare. For her it was the relief that they made it inside without her collapsing under his weight.
“Wait here, I’ll be right back, alright?” She told him, not that she expected him to go anywhere in his condition but it was a habit most people had. She went back to the front door and closed it, kicking off her shoes as she remembered her mannerisms when entering someone’s house.
He had spread himself over his bed and had just barely managed to kick off his shoes, his recently made bed feeling soft and cool against his body as it soaked in the heat that his entire body was radiating. Her footsteps entering his room were drained by the ringing in his ears as her voice sounded far away.
She had slipped his phone out of his pocket, knowing fully well that if he was in any better state he would have chased her down the entire apartment for repercussion and normally she wasn’t one to take another person’s phone, much less do anything with it. But desperate times called for desperate measures, she needed to try and reach someone close to him to come over and care for him and the only way she knew to reach those people was to call people from his contact list. She tried calling his manager, stylists, best friends, but they either didn’t answer the call or had to reject helping out because of their own schedule or situation. The list of potential caretakers grew smaller and smaller and after several calls she finally decided to give up.
“Ah, what is wrong with these people…” She muttered desperately as she moved back to his bedroom, to find him spread across his bed with a pained expression on his face and heavy breathing. His hair was damp from the sweating and his skin was paler than she had ever seen before, it was like staring at a ghost. “Alright, first things first… How about I get you something to drink?”
No response, he didn’t move nor react or even open up his eyes. She approached closer as she placed the back of her hand against his forehead once more. His skin was burning up worse than she had ever felt, it was in no wonder he was in no state to reply. In reflex she reached for her phone and hovered her finger over the numberpad. Who could she possibly call for advice? She could call a doctor but she wasn’t sure what effect that would have on the situation, him being a public figure and all. She wasn’t sure if their secrecy oath also included not informing the media that they were summoned to help a celebrity. No, that probably wasn’t such a good idea. Could she call her parents? No, they would worry about her and if she tried to explain it wasn’t for her own health they would just jump to conclusions. Her friends? No, she couldn’t even tell them, they couldn’t be trusted with this information anyway.
“Alright… I remember from tv that a person having a fever and cold sweat should not stay in their drenched clothing....” She stared at his face for a moment, eyebrows knitting into a worried frown. “Oppa… We need to get you out of those clothes… Can you… Are you… ” She fumbled with the words as they rolled off her tongue, it felt awkward asking him to take off his clothes even if she meant well. But he didn’t seem to hear her, her eyes wandered down to his chest and watched as it rose and fell with a rapid speed, shallow breathing accompanying the movement as the fever had finally taken its toll and he had fallen asleep almost forcefully. But that was good, she decided, sleep always helped when a person felt sick. “Oppa… I’m going to change your clothes, alright? Don’t be mad, please...” She was also fully aware that he didn’t like anyone touching him unless they were paid to do so to make his appearance fit his image as good looking idol.
Carefully she unbuttoned his shirt and took off his wet clothes, changing him into a simple sleeping attire. She tossed the old clothes aside as she headed into the bathroom and came back with a cold, damp washcloth. It was the only thing she could think of that could help calm down the fever, carefully placing it on his forehead. As the cold, wet fabric touched his skin she noticed his face flinching and she held her breath for a moment hoping it didn’t wake him up, he stirred slightly before his breathing continued in the same rhythm it did before, his expression slowly relaxing a tad.
She pulled up a chair and placed it next to his bed, letting out a deep sigh as she watched him for a moment. This was the first time she had ever seen him vulnerable. He had always been this strong, loud, obnoxious man living across the hall who happened to be good looking and talented enough to become a public figure. She had always looked up to the passion and dedication that he had for the things he did and admired him for looking so confident and in control. It was like he was some sort of superhuman, unbreakable even when everyone was on opposite ends with him. She always looked forward to bumping into him in the hall or around town, having a heated yet amusing discussion turning into a battle of wits and stubbornness, equal rivals at that.
And now, he looked vulnerable and helpless. Sick and not being able to fight the fever, not being able to complain and whine and banter with her, tease her about her hair or complain about her voice being too loud. She made a mental note to use this against him once he felt better.
She stuck around for hours, preparing some food and tea for him to eat when he woke up, if he would even be able to get anything down. She tried making more calls to reach people to take over her “shift” to take care of him but people were either too busy or not able to take her call. Which was understandable considering the group of people he surrounded himself with, but still felt harsh in some way, wasn’t this considered as some sort of emergency?
Returning to his bedroom, his breathing had slowed down and the sweating had decreased considerably, though he was still looking as pale as a ghost. She replaced the cloth on his forehead with a new, cold, damp one as it seemed to have been helping his condition. Her hand trailed down to pull up the covers up to his chest, patting them down gently.
As she pulled back her hand, his right hand moved and grasped hers. It startled her as she glanced down at him, expecting his eyes to be opened and glaring at her for daring to touch his self proclaimed holy body, but instead he seemed to be stirring, dreaming about something that made his reflexes react in reality. He muttered something incoherent as his grasp on her hand tightened to the point where she didn’t dare to pull back in fear of waking him up. With a soft sigh she lowered herself down onto the chair and stared at both their hands before her eyes wandered back to his face as he continued sleeping. “Ah, what am I going to do with you?”
•☆•☆•☆•
“I didn’t want to wake you so I decided to stay around and then I guess I fell asleep...” She muttered thoughtfully, wondering about it herself as she didn’t remember feeling sleepy at any point.
“Aish, pabo!” He muttered as his free hand reached up to her forehead and flicked it, “Why would you do that? You should have just left home instead, nobody asked you to stay!”
“Yah!” She snapped back. “How could I? No one answered my calls to come help you and you wouldn’t let go of my hand when you were sleeping! Were you dreaming about strangling someone?!”
“I told you, you didn’t have to stay!” He continued to argue, his voice rising in frustration.
“Well what could I do?!” She argued back almost as loud. “Is it a crime to be worried and feel responsible?”
“Yes! When you do something nobody asked you to do it’s a crime!”
“Aish… Fine, I’ll leave!” She growled, getting up from her seat and wanting to walk away. But instead of releasing her hand, he got up from the bed and pulled her back towards him, wrapping both arms around her smaller frame in one swift movement the moment she collided with his chest. The sudden gesture had taken her by surprise as her eyes widened even more, her entire body stiffening within his embrace, not certain how to react.
“Who told you to worry about me, hm? Isn’t it a man’s job to worry about the woman instead?” He muttered as a small smile curled his lips as the very thought of it touched his heart. He had slowly began to realize why his heart had been racing all along, and why he had enjoyed bickering with her with such passion. It wasn’t to annoy her per say, it was his way of showing he cared, for showing that he liked her in a way. “I’m sorry if I had you worried...”
“Oppa...”
“I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble and for yelling at you...” He continued, his voice softening and more soothing. “And thank you… Even though I want to be the one to take care of you, I am thankful that you care enough to take care of me even when I’m too stubborn to admit I need help.”
She pulled back slightly and glanced up at him, her eyes meeting his as she searched them for some sign that he was joking, that he could snap at her at any moment like she was used to. But there was no hints pointing to his words being insincere. Instead she took the time to admire the smile that decorated his face, something she had always loved about him was how beautiful his smile was whenever he was genuine. This was a side of him she hadn’t seen before and was speeding up the rate of her heartbeat in a way she never felt before.
“I’d always be here to take care of you oppa, you know that.” Her eyes dropped to the hem of his shirt in a way to avoid eye contact, trying to steady her heartbeat as he could have sworn he noticed a blush flush her cheeks.
Her words made his smile grow even bigger, “I know that...” His hand reached up and rested underneath her chin, lifting up gently to force her eyes to look at him once more and leaned in closer. Their faces were close enough their foreheads connected.
“Gomawo.”