Work Text:
seonghwa has been on high alert ever since he found out that there's a case of the stomach virus going around in hongjoong's school.
he makes sure his hands are constantly washed, he makes him drink plenty of water, even started making him take vitamins in the morning after breakfast.
now he knows for a fact that hongjoong can't swallow pills so he bought him the gummy ones- which the younger absolutely loves. he loves how chewy it is and how sweet it tastes.
(sometimes he even brags to his hyungs that hwa gave him a special gummy that only he can have.)
"now remember, if you have to sneeze or cough, you cover your elbow, like this~" seonghwa made sure the younger was looking when he pretend to sneeze and cough into his elbow.
hongjoong gripped the straps of his backpack watching intently what the older is demonstrating. seonghwa doesn't want to scare him by telling him about some stomach bug going around, so he kind of tip toes around it.
he double checks his backpack to make sure his lunch is packed and off they go to school. it reassures seonghwa the cute little babbles he hears the younger let out, trying his best to tell hwa what they're doing in school and what projects he made.
and when he drops him off, it's always hard for seonghwa to say goodbye. he loves that hongjoong is comfortable and happy going to school, but that's his baby. he just wants to be with him 24/7.
as soon as joong enters his class, the few kids that are there already run up to joong and give him a gentle hug. he's just happy his baby is in a safe environment and is making new friends.
"bye mama! I y'ove you!" hongjoong rubs his nose into seonghwa's neck, giving him the greatest biggest hug ever.
"bye baby, I love you, too. now go learn new things! I can't wait to hear all about it when I come back" he places one last kiss on his temple as he watches the kitten take off his backpack but keep his sweater on as he runs to his teacher and gives her a hug.
--------
"hwa~" hongjoong whines, coming in the room clutching his belly.
seonghwa closes his laptop, turning his attention to his child. "what's wrong, my honeybear?"
hongjoong whines further, holding his belly tighter as he moves closer to his hwa. "tummy hur'..."
seonghwa picks him up and placed him on his leg. hongjoong slumps on his shoulder, whining as his tummy tightens, making him curl in on himself.
seonghwa uncurls his arms and places a hand over his belly. "do you have to go potty?"
a shake of the head.
"are you hungry?"
another shake of the head.
seonghwa definitely feels stumped now. he figures its nothing too serious, but definitely keeps his guard up. he carries him upstairs to get him ready for bed. he passes the living room where he sees his toys abandoned on the floor where he was playing not too long ago.
"it's okay, honeybear, let's go get dressed for bed. we'll watch a movie in bed, how does that sound?" seonghwa places him on the bed to grab his pajamas from his dresser.
"dinney mo'bie?"
seonghwa ruffles his hair as he places a kiss onto his forehead. "any movie your little heart desires, baby bear."
he helps the younger curl into bed, holding him in his arms. hongjoong is given his pacifier and his cat plushie as seonghwa sets up the movie hongjoong would absolutely love.
"hwa my p'incess movie!"
"yes it is, my sweet starshine. come to hwa, bubba." hongjoong curls into the older's arms, feeling seonghwa lift his shirt slightly and rub his belly.
"does your tummy still hurt, baby?"
hongjoong absent-mindedly shook his head. he was too focused on hwa rubbing his tummy and his favorite disney movie playing.
-
"mama...wa'e up, mamaaaa~"
seonghwa shot up out of bed and in a haste put the bedside lamp on. he saw hongjoong holding his belly even tighter, tears streaming down his face.
"oh, honey, is it your tummy?"
hongjoong mewled as he nodded, but this time he pointed to his throat. "s'are, mama..."
seonghwa rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. quickly, he carried hongjoong from the bed to the bathroom. he knew what was going to happen, he's just nervous for his baby.
he's never felt nauseous or thrown up before, so he can't imagine how scared joong must feel. he kneels joong over the toilet and rubs his back soothingly.
the poor baby's lower lip wobbles, tears profusely falling down more rapidly. "mama...wan' mama"
seonghwa places a kiss to his sweaty forehead "I'm right here, baby, mama is right here...joongie, your tummy hurts huh, baby?"
the kitten miserably nods, cat ears pressed down in fear. that yucky feeling comes back to his tummy but this time it crawls up his throat.
"I know, baby, it's going to be okay. just let it all out, honey"
seonghwa makes sure he's leaning over the toilet just in time for when the younger releases what contents were in his stomach. his poor baby tries to grasp at his mama as he's crying his heart out.
"ma...ma" he garbles out, chest pounding from nerves. it pains seonghwa to see his child in such distress, but tries his best to soothe him.
he combs his sweaty bangs out of the way "shh, baby. it'll help your tummy feel better. mama is here, my angel"
hongjoong leans over the toilet, with seonghwa's encouraging hand gently pushing him near it in case he misses.
he believes hongjoong is finished when he's quiet for a moment. all that's heard in the bathroom is the younger's heavy breathing and sniffling.
he turns around slowly, making eye contact with hwa. when they meet eyes, hongjoong's dam breaks once again.
the most heartbreaking cry is let out from his baby. but before seonghwa can comfort him, he has to clean him up.
the kitten mewls as he desperately holds out his arms, wanting to feel nothing but his mama's warmth.
seonghwa works around to cleaning around his mouth and changing his shirt from the sweat; his pants as well, he didn't even realize the younger had an accident until he looked down to see his pajama pants damp.
it was a process to get him clean and changed. it hurt his heart to see his poor baby visibly shaken up. but when he all cleaned up and placed in a pull-up is when seonghwa held him in his arms.
"my baby bear, you're okay now. I know that was scary, it's all over now" the younger wrapped wrapped legs tightly around the older's waist. seonghwa held a hand on the back of his head as he gently rocked his baby in his arms.
"shh, baby. mama is here, you let it all out. it was very scary, huh?"
hongjoong barely nods, sniffling into seonghwa's sleep shirt. his tummy was feeling a little better, but the idea of throwing up made him shiver with fear. he did not like that at all. it was horrifying to experience that.
seonghwa opened the window a little to get some cool air flowing in the room. he held his shaking baby closer in his embrace.
he briefly glanced at the digital clock next to his bedside table; glowing green lights that read 1:49 A.M.
'this is gonna be a long night' he thought.
before climbing on bed, seonghwa brought a trashcan over in his reach. he managed to get joong to go back to sleep, still continuing the stroking of his fingers through his hair. seonghwa followed right after.
-
a garbled whine suddenly jolted the older awake. he looked over and saw his baby curled in on himself, eyes clamped shut as he clutched his belly tighter. his heart hurt looking at his baby visibly in pain.
he leaned over and pressed a sweet kiss to his cheek, "baby, wake up. does your tummy still hurt?"
hongjoong's eyes snap open, shooting to sit up in bed. his hands begin to shake as he points to his throat. a loud whimper echos in the room the minute seonghwa brings up the trashcan. he knows what that's for.
"it's alright, baby. I know this is scary, I know sweetheart. mama is here, honeybear, mama is right here." seonghwa maneuvers the younger in front of him in between his legs.
the poor kitten mewled in pain as he tried to turn around in seonghwa's arms. he was definitely afraid of throwing up again, but the older was there to reassure him as best as he could.
then hongjoong began to empty whatever was in his stomach. his eyes are clouded with tears. he kept trying to push the trashcan away but the older made sure it was next to him as he was still releasing what contents were left in his belly.
"mama....m-mama..." the poor baby mewled out, his hands were still shaking. his fluffy tail began to spike up. seonghwa just wrapped his arms around him, trying his best to rub his belly.
"mama is right here, baby" he squeezes his arms around his waist so he can feel him right next to him. "it's going to be okay, I'm right here..."
hongjoong placed a shaky hand on top of seonghwa's, but the older took hold of it and squeezed it reassuringly.
the younger desperately catches a breath, slumping against hwa's chest. just like before, it's quiet in the room- but not a moment later, the younger began to mewl almost painfully, his cries echoing in the room.
seonghwa immediately took action- he quickly placed the trashcan onto the floor and carries joong to the bathroom.
hongjoong was placed on the counter and after a quick wipe of the mouth, he helped him brush his teeth. it was hard to work around the younger when he constantly held his arms open. more tears kept flowing when he saw his hwa leave the room.
"easy, baby. mama just has to help you get cleaned up and then I can hold you." he returned with the trashcan to clean it out properly. but the younger didn't listen to a word that he was told. instead, he lets out a loud meow, face becoming tear stained by the minute.
"alright, baby, come here~" the older stumbled in his spot with the force of hongjoong jumping into his arms.
seonghwa held him tightly as the pair make their way towards the bedroom. he bends slightly to grab his blanket and wrapped his baby in it.
as he gently rocks hongjoong around the room, he takes a glance at the clock on his bedside table; 3:18 A.M.
he himself can't go to sleep knowing his baby isn't feeling well, so a sleepless night looks like where the pair are headed.
throughout the night, hongjoong is encouraged to drink some sips of water and even almost bribed to eat something.
("If you eat this, I'll buy you a new cat toy" or "if you eat at least one cracker, hwa will let you buy any book you want at the bookstore".)
hongjoong however was slightly apprehensive to eat something cause he was afraid his tummy wouldn't hold it down and he would throw it right back up.
but like always, seonghwa is there and will always go at the younger's pace. although he wishes he ate something more fulling, having him nibble on a cracker- with stray tears pooling his eyes- will have to suffice.
to distract him of his rumbling and disagreeing tummy, seonghwa let him get all nice and cozy in their bed with his favorite disney movie.
"hwa~" hongjoong mumbled "is y'ion mobie"
seonghwa felt horrible watching his baby like this. he's always so excitable and sometimes loud, so to see him mumbling and quiet, he knew for sure that he wasn't feeling well.
"yes, baby" he said as he climbed into bed with him. hongjoong claimed his favorite spot in seonghwa's arms as he nuzzled closer. "It is your favorite lion movie."
the kitten slowly lowered his hand from his mouth. he let out a small "mm-hmm" as he handed the cracker to the older.
"you don't want to eat it anymore?"
"my hea' hur'..."
seonghwa placed the little cracker on the nightstand, placing his palm onto his forehead. he let out a small gasp, hongjoong was definitely warm.
"oh, baby, you feel a little warm..." he helped the younger lean back against his pillows as he swung his legs over and stood on the rug. "wait right here, baby, I'm gonna go get the thermometer"
but before he could step one foot away from the bed, hongjoong desperately caught his arm. his eyes glistening with tears when he looked up at the older. "m-mama...no y'eave"
seonghwa slightly cooed, he moved closer to press a kiss onto his forehead, cringing at how warm it is. "baby, I'll be right back. mama isn't going far"
but hongjoong refused, shaking his head as he clings harder onto his arm. the older sighed, pushing his bangs away from his forehead. "okay, honey, you can come with me. no more tears, hm?"
he made sure hongjoong was wrapped in his blanket before leaving the bedroom. he felt his neck begin to grow wet, mostly likely due to the kitten trying to suck on the skin. he gently patted his back as he dug around the hallway closet to find the thermometer.
once he retrieved it, he carried him back to the bedroom and placed him carefully on the edge of the bed. "hwa is going to take your temperature, okay? it's not going to hurt at all, I promise."
once he brought the thermometer up to hingjoong's forehead, the younger began to whine, gripping onto his blanket. seonghwa soothed him, rubbing his thumb on his cheek.
when the thermometer beeped, seonghwa took a breath of relief. 'okay, that's good...he doesn't have a fever' he thought.
but when he placed his palm back onto his forehead, he frowned. his head definitely felt warm to the touch. "come, baby. hwa is gonna give you some medicine and then we'll take a nap together."
hongjoong buried his head once again in the nape of his neck, sniffling from the leftover tears. even if hwa was just going to the other side of the room, the kitten still refused to leave his side.
"does your tummy still hurt, joongie?"
the kitten faintly nods "my hea' hur', hwa..."
he looked up at him with the widest pair of glossy eyes. his cute little button nose was the softest shade of pink and his pudgy little cheeks adorned the same color.
even though his baby doesn't feel well, he can't help but feel a burst of warmth when just simply looking at him. he's absolutely enamored with hongjoong and everything about him- from his curly brown hair, all the way to his little wiggly toes that give him a struggle when putting his socks.
he feels kind of selfish in a way, he only wants hongjoong to be in his care and no one else's; which gets him thinking, what if hongjoong never escaped the shelter? what would happen if someone else took him under their care? would they treat him with gentleness? would they know that he loves to drink milk and loves homemade food? would they let him use a bottle or a pacifier?
he was so wrapped up in his head, he didn't even realize he teared until he felt a small hand wiping at his cheek. "mama..sa'?"
seonghwa blinked away the rest of the tears and shook his head. "no, honeybear," he pressed a kiss onto his warm forehead "mama isn't sad, mama was just thinking about something...let's go get that medicine. I'll even warm up a bottle for you."
-
"I love our time together as we start each happy day.
I love our bathtime silliness, the way we splash and play.
I love to lift you way up high, so you feel really tall.
we'll climb the highest mountain tops, hold tight and you won't fall.
I love to share the magic of the shining skies above.
and think of all the different ways that we can show our love."
hongjoong gently grazes his fingertips along the illustration of the book. soft sniffles accompanied with the sound of the younger sucking on his pacifier fill the quiet room.
after another vomiting scare, seonghwa held off on giving him any medicine in fear of it upsetting his stomach further on. his poor baby cried his heart out once more, definitely shaken up, as the older held him close and rocked him softly in his arms.
he walked around the room for a while before deciding to read a few books to him to help him get some ounce of sleep. he helped him get all cozy in bed leaning against seonghwa's chest.
the green numbers of the clock started almost right back at him; 4:36 A.M.
they've been up all night, the least he can do is try to get some sleep. he decides to pull out the books reserved for 'winding down time' as seonghwa likes to refer to it as.
he decides to start with hongjoong's favorite book to subside the tears. his sleep shirt is grasped tightly in his little hand, the other grazes along the hardcover pages of the book.
" like when we're touching noses,
playing chase,
or seeing friends.
our love is always with us and it never, ever ends.
so snuggle safely in my arms, our day is nearly done.
I love you to the moon and stars, my precious little one."
-
"mama?" hongjoong woke up, slight panic raising in his voice. he sat up a little in bed, hastily wiping the tears that cascaded down. he was still drowsy from sleep searching for the one person he wants the most.
seonghwa must've felt the younger sit up, and in his sleepy haze, wrapped his arm securely back around his waist. "mama's here, lovebug, shhh"
his voice sounded groggy and rough, but hongjoong felt reassured and slowly slid back and rested his head on the pillow.
after the long night they've both had, seonghwa doesn't complain about the both of them waking up so late in the morning the next day.