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Chan closes the door quietly behind him, releasing a sigh as he rubs his hand over his face.
"How's he doing?" Changbin asks, his voice is laced with concern.
"Not good." Chan responses with a sense of resignation. "He's running fever and his body aches."
Hyunjin had woken up feeling feverish and dizzy that morning. Chan promptly checked his temperature, leading to Hyunjin being placed under strict isolation. Concerned about the possibility of contagion, Chan was determined to prevent whatever Hyunjin had from spreading throughout the dorm.
"I gave him some medicine though. He will be fine in no time." Chan adds, offering a reassuring smile to the younger boy in an attempt to lift the mood.
"What’s going on?" Seungmin walks towards them.
"Hyunjin's sick, but we've got it under control." Chan replies.
"He insisted he was fine yesterday." Changbin assures.
Changbin, Jisung and Hyunjin went to dinner together last night and they noticed something was off with Hyunjin. When they asked, he simply said he was tired.
Chan turns to Changbin, concern is etched on his face as he places the back of his hand on Changbin's forehead. "How are you feeling, Binnie?" The younger man takes a step back. "I am feeling fine, hyung!"
"Okay, okay. But tell me if you start feeling sick too." He pauses before speaking again. "Speaking of yesterday, Jisung was with you too, right?"
Changbin nods.
Chan groans, his brow furrowed with worry. "I hope he is feeling well and didn’t catch what Hyunjin has. Where is he anyway?"
"He's at the dance studio with the other members." Seungmin chimes in, emerging from the bathroom.
"Maybe I should call Felix and ask how Jisung is doing."
Just as Chan reaches for his phone, the front door bursts open and three figures stumble in; Felix and Jeongin, supporting a half-conscious Jisung between them.
"Hyung!" Felix calls out, breathless. In an instant, Chan is by their side, scooping the limp Jisung into his arms. "I've got him."
Chan gently lays Jisung down on the couch. "Shit Felix what happened? He is burning up!"
"We don't know." Felix replies, his hands shaking. "We- we were just dancing, and then all of a sudden, he collapsed." Jeongin, standing a few feet behind, looks on the verge of tears.
"Seungmin!" Chan calls out before quickly moving toward the youngest member. "Hey, baby, what's wrong?" He asks, caressing Jeongin's cheek.
"I'm scared. Jisung is so pale." A tear escapes and he quickly wipes it away. "Everything is going to be fine Innie. I promise." Chan reassures him.
As Seungmin enters the room, Chan carefully pushes Jeongin and Felix towards him. "Take them to their room and bring them some tea. They're very wound up. Can you do that?"
"No problem, hyung. I'll take care of them." Seungmin says, ushering the boys out of the room.
Chan returns to the couch, where Jisung still lies, a glass of water beside him and Changbin sitting next to him, holding his hand.
"Hey Jisungie, how are you feeling?"
"C-cold." He stutters.
"Hyung." A weak voice comes from down the hall.
Chan startles, looking up to see a pale Hyunjin standing there in his pajamas, leaning against the wall for support, his legs trembling.
"What are you doing out of bed, Jinnie? You need to go lay down." Chan says, concern etching his features.
"I am cold, and I don’t wanna be alone." The younger boy cries.
Jisung whines beside him and Chan doesn’t know how to comfort both sick boys at the same time.
"I've got him, hyung." Changbin says, getting up from the couch and walking towards Hyunjin.
"Come on Jinnie. Let's go to bed." Changbin says gently, guiding the younger boy.
Back in the room, Changbin realizes that Hyunjin's pajamas are sticky and damp against his skin.
"Hyunjin, you must feel uncomfortable in your pajamas." Changbin observes. "Let’s change them."
"No don't touch me, it hurts! Everything hurts. Please make it stop." Hyunjin is on the verge of tears again.
"Okay, it’s okay Jinnie." Changbin says, trying to calm the younger boy, concealing the concern he's feeling. He turns to the bedside table and grabs some medicine and a glass of water. "Can you at least take these for me? They'll make you feel better." He says, holding three pills in his hand. "I just wanna sleep." Hyunjin whines. "And my throat hurts."
"Can you swallow them if I make you some tea with honey?" Changbin tries again. Hyunjin pauses for a moment and then nods.
"Okay I will be back real quick." Changbin says, hurrying out of the room to prepare the soothing tea.
————
Meanwhile, Chan continues to attempt to take Jisung's temperature, but without any success. "Chan-hyung leave me alone. I just wanna sleep." Jisung pleads.
"I know Jisungie, but I need to take your temperature first." Chan says, desperation evident in his voice.
"I want Minho-hyung! Where is he?" In a rush, Jisung tries to get up and look for his hyung, but Chan is quicker and gently pushes him back down.
"Whoa, whoa, slowly, Jisung. You're not going anywhere in this condition."
"I want Minho-hyung." Jisung cries out.
"Okay okay I am going to call him." Chan gives in.
Chan knows Minho is out for the day, discussing tour details with their managers, and he didn't want to disturb him. However, he has to admit, he needs his support to take care of the sick members.
"Hello?"
"Minho?"
"Yeah? Chan, is everything alright?"
"No, Hyunjin and Jisung are sick. When are you coming home? I need your help."
"Just about to leave the building. I will be home in 15 minutes."
"Thank you."
Minho enters the dorm and can already feel the tension in the air.
"Jisung please. It takes just a few seconds."
"Leave me alone. Where is Minho-hyung?"
He hears Chan and Jisung from the living room.
"I know you want Minho, love. He will be here soon." Chan's voice sounds desperate and exhausted.
As soon as he reaches them, he crouches down in front of Jisung.
"I've got it from here."
"Minho? Oh god I am so glad you are here." Chan says relieved.
"Minho-hyung?" It takes Jisung a few seconds to realize its him in his confused state of mind.
"Yes I am here jagi." He turns toward Chan. "And you go sit down for a minute. You look exhausted." Chan exhales loudly. "Can't, I've gotta go check on Hyunjin." He stands up and walks towards Hyunjin's room.
Chan peeks into Hyunjin's room and luckily finds the boy asleep.
Exhausted, he walks into the room next to Hyunjin's and takes a deep breath, sinking into a chair, intending to rest his eyes for just a few moments. Before he knows it, he's fast asleep.
————
He doesn’t know how much time has passed since he fell asleep, but he's awakened by whining and a loud voice coming from Hyunjin's room. He groans and rubs his temples. His head is pounding, but he attributes it to stress.
"Please Hyunjin be quiet. I want to sleep. Please. You know I love you, but god stop the whining." When he enters the room, he sees Seungmin standing in front of Hyunjin's bed, also in his pajamas. Hyunjin sits in bed, crying and shaking uncontrollably.
"Hey, what is going on here?" Chan asks, confused and still half asleep. "Hyung, I want to sleep but I can’t because Hyunjin here has been crying like a baby for the last half an hour." Seungmin explains to Chan, glaring toward Hyunjin.
"But why are you in your pajamas? It's the middle of the afternoon." Chan asks confused.
"I am not feeling good, hyung. My stomach is cramping, and I just want to lie down." Seungmin says, his face contorted in pain.
Hyunjin groans in his bed. "Hyunjin stop it!" Seungmin seems very agitated.
"Seungmin please, I know you are in pain and tired but you are not helping the situation. Go back to bed and try to sleep. I will take care of Hyunjin." Chan pleads. There’s a pressure behind his eyes he can’t seem to get rid of and his headache is getting worse by the minute.
After Seungmin left the room, Chan sits down beside Hyunjin, and rubs gentle circles on his back. Hyunjin flinches at the touch. "Chan-hyung it hurts!"
"What hurts Jinnie?" Chan asks worried.
"My hole body. It feels like I am laying on needles. And I am so cold."
"Poor Jinnie. I am gonna take your temperature again and bring you some meds. But if the fever won’t break down, we need to go see a doctor."
Hyunjin's eyes widen in panic, and he grabs Chan's shirt. "No doctor, please, you know I'm scared of needles." He says, coughing harshly between his words. "Shh shh, Jinnie. Please don’t cry, we don’t wanna upset Seungmin more than he already is."
"Why is Seungmin upset?" Minho stands at the door, looking confused.
"I'm going to talk to Minho for a second. I'll be back." Chan says to Hyunjin, quietly closing the door behind him once they're both out in the hallway.
"Minho, listen. Seungmin has some kind of stomach cramps and can’t sleep because of Hyunjin's crying. So he is not in the best mood right now, but we should go check on him.
"Can do." Minho nods.
"How’s Jisung?" Chan asks, concerned.
"He is running a fever as well and he didn’t wanna fall asleep, without me being next to him, but I gave him some calming tea and Felix is now with him, reading some stories to him. Hopefully, he'll fall asleep soon."
"Okay, good. I need to check Hyunjin's temperature, he's still burning up too."
"Shit, okay. Call me if you need everything." Chan nods and disappears back into Hyunjin's room.
————
Minho softly knocks on Seungmin's door. "Minnie? How are you doing in there?"
"Go away hyung." A muffled voice comes through the door.
"I just wanna check if you are feeling okay." Minho says again.
"No, just go."
"Okay, that’s it Seungmin I am coming in." Minho has had enough. Luckily the door is unlocked and he steps inside. The room is dark and he can make out a silhouette under the covers. Seungmin lays there in a fetal position and squeezes his eyes shut when a sliver of light from outside the room shines in.
"Minnie how are you feeling? Your stomach still hurts?"
Seungmin nods almost unnoticeably and groans.
"Do you need anything?"
"Just sleep hyung. Please. Let me sleep." Seungmin pleads.
Minho sighs. It's never easy to get through Seungmin's stubbornness, but he knows better than to push further.
"Alright, but please call someone if it gets worse or you need help."
As soon as he exits the room he is met with a tiny Jisung standing in front of him with a teddybear in his hands and red, swollen eyes.
"Sungie, what are you doing out here? Why are you not in bed?" Minho caresses Jisung's cheek and the younger boy leans into the touch.
Felix is behind him, looking guilty. "He was asleep for a few minutes and I kinda dozed off too and all of a sudden, he scrambled out of bed in a panic, looking for you."
"It's fine Felix. I will take care of him. Why don’t you go eat and drink something?"
Felix nods and walks toward the kitchen.
"Sungie look at me." He's met with a pair of sad, feverish eyes. "You are going to be alright. I promise. Let’s go back to bed." He tucks a strand of hair behind Jisung's ear.
"Will you stay with me?" Jisung asks in a small voice, holding back a sob.
"Of course baby."
————
As evening approaches, Chan is utterly exhausted. His entire day has been consumed by caring for his sick members, and now he feels the weight of it all bearing down on his body. A throbbing headache threatens to make him nauseous, and he suspects he's running a fever himself. He desperately wants to rest for a few minutes, but he knows he can't because the sick ones still need him. Instead, he decides to splash some water on his face, hoping it will help cool him down a bit.
On his way to the bathroom, he nearly collides with Changbin.
"Woah, Chan-hyung, I didn't see you coming." Changbin says, his smile fading as he takes a closer look at his leader. "Chan-hyung, are you okay?" Beads of sweat gather on Chan's forehead, and his eyes appear glassy. "Are you running a fever too?" Concern seeps into his voice.
"Don't worry about me Binnie. I am fine. Can you go check on Jisung?"
"Uhm sure, but are you sure you are alright? Maybe you need to sit down for a bit."
"I will, after I checked on Seungmin, okay?"
Changbin is seemingly satisfied with Chan's response and leaves him be.
Chan lets out a relieved sigh. He doesn’t want the other member worry about him additionally.
As he reaches the bathroom, he locks the door, closes his eyes, and takes a few deep breaths. Turning on the sink's water, he splashes cold water on his face.
It feels good.
Suddenly, someone tries to open the door, and because it’s locked, urgent knocks echo from the outside.
"Just give me a minute." Chan hopes he gets a few more minutes alone but the person keeps knocking. "Hyung please open the door." It's Seungmin, he sounds distressed.
"Seungmin I will come check on you in a minute okay?"
"No, I need to-"
Chan opens the door and Seungmin almost falls inside the bathroom, stumbling towards the toilet, before he doubles over and starts to vomit into the bowl.
Chan's fever induced mind needs a second to process what just had happened before he kneels beside Seungmin and pats his back.
"Oh Minnie, I didn’t know you were feeling sick like that. We didn’t you call me or Minho?"
"I just woke up. And felt so nauseous all of a sudden. It wasn’t like this before." Seungmin looks so pale and he wraps his arms around his stomach in pain.
"Stay here, I am getting some more help."
Chan hurries into the kitchen, where he finds Jeongin and Felix speaking quietly to each other.
"Jeongin, Seungmin is sick in the bathroom, can you please go and check on him? Give him a glass of water and some crackers maybe?"
"I can help too." Felix offers, getting up from his chair.
"No Felix, you can’t. You will have a panic attack as soon as Seungmin vomits again. Jeongin, you will go."
Jeongin nods. "Sure hyung." He collects a few items and leaves the room.
————
Jisung finally fell back to sleep, after Minho had given him some more medicine and cuddles, and Minho has a quiet minute for himself. But then he hears gagging sounds coming from the bathroom, followed by the sound of someone vomiting. Chan passes him and notices the questioning look on Minho’s face.
"Seungmin." He sighs. "Again. But Jeongin is with him."
"I am going to check on them, just to be sure." Minho says and as he walks towards the bathroom, he hears more gagging noises from inside. However, as he enters the bathroom, he is astonished to find that it’s not Seungmin who’s being sick into the toilet, but Jeongin.
"Oh gosh Innie." Minho sighs, falling to his knees beside Jeongin and rubbing his back.
"Hyung I am sorry." Jeongin sobs. "I tried to hold it in, I really did, but it happened so fast." He chokes on a sob and a the next heave brings up another mouthful of vomit. Minho looks over to Seungmin who’s sitting beside Jeongin with a blank expression, looking very pale.
"Seungmin, how are you feeling?"
"I am okay hyung, don’t worry." He says, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
Jeongin gags again and Seungmin scrunches up his face, then holding a hand over his mouth and the other around his stomach.
"For fuck's sake." Minho curses. "Seungmin try find Chan or Changbin, they should take care of you, I will stay here with little maknae."
————
It's nearly midnight, and Chan finally makes it into his own room, hoping to get some much-needed sleep after this day. He collapses onto the bed and closes his eyes.
"Hyung?" A soft voice calls from the door. Chan cracks his eyes open, knowing sleep has to wait. A small figure stands by the door, holding a teddybear.
"Sungie?"
"Can I come lay down with you? I am so cold." He whimpers.
"Of course baby." Chan scoots over to make room as Jisung walks over to his bed.
He cuddles into his side, and immediately Chan feels the heat radiating from the younger boy, sweat is sprinkled across his face.
"Are you still not feeling better?" Chan asks gently.
Jisung slowly shakes his head but winces immediately. "My head hurts, hyung."
"My poor Jisungie." Chan coos while patting his hair softly. He quietly hums a lullaby, and finally, Jisung's breath evens out as he drifts off to sleep once again.
————
"Changbin-hyung? Channie-hyung?" Seungmin calls out, bent over with one hand clutching his still cramping stomach. He is trying to find Changbin or Chan as instructed, but they are nowhere to be found. Another wave of nausea hits him, and he falls to his knees, taking a few deep breaths. "Hyungs? Someone? Please help." He pleads. But his voice is no more than a hoarse whisper.
Finally he hears footsteps, coming from the living room. Through his blurred vision, he can make out a boy with blond hair. "Felix." He whispers, but Felix keeps on walking in a fast pace, seeming to be looking for something. Seungmin groans in pain, loud enough for Felix to come to a halt and turn around.
"Seungmin!" Felix exclaims. Shock is written all over his face as he finds Seungmin literally crawling on the floor. He rushes towards him and kneels on the floor beside him. "What is happening? Are you okay? Ah, what a stupid question, sorry. Obviously you are not okay." He rambles.
Seungmin's world turns and spins, and he feels like he's going to be sick again. "Felix I am gonna be sick." He manages to get out.
Felix can barely stand up before Seungmin empties his stomach once more. Felix just stands there in shock, eyes wide. "I am sorry Felix. I know you hate puke. You need to go." Seungmin pants, still kneeling beside the puddle of vomit. Felix's eyes remain glued to the spot on the floor as his breathing starts to quicken.
Changbin walks out of Hyunjin's room and into the hallway, and is immediately hit by the stench of vomit. His eyes land on Seungmin kneeling on the floor and Felix standing frozen, hands shaking and face white as a sheet.
"Woah what is happening out here?" He rushes over to Seungmin but the boy shoos him away. "Take Felix away, he is starting to have a panic attack because I puked in front of him."
Changbin's eyes shoot up to the Aussie boy, feeling the panic radiating off of him.
"But I can’t just leave you here, Minnie. You are sick." He contradicts.
"I can take care of myself. Just go." Seungmin sits up, while breathing heavy. "Get Felix out of here, I beg you." Changbin groans, unsure of what to do. "Okay. But you get Chan, he’s in his room I think." Seungmin gives him a weak thumbs up and Changbin gently pushes Felix toward the couch.
"Come on, Lix, let's go over here." Changbin says softly, guiding the panicked boy away.
After just a few steps, Felix comes to a immediate halt and claws at his chest, his breathing uneven and shallow.
"Hyung. I- I- I- can’t breathe." His pupils are blown wide in panic and Changbin's heart starts racing as well. "Shit Felix what should I do?" He asks panicked, but Felix just squeezes his eyes shut, still rubbing at his chest. "Uhm fuck, Chan-hyung or Minho-hyung would have known what to to in this moment!" Frantically he looks around the room. "You wanna sit down? Maybe you should sit down." He ushers the boy over to the couch, gently rubbing his back, but it doesn’t seem to help. Changbin sits Felix down on the couch and kneels in front of him. "Hey, look at me. You're okay." He tries to soothe, but Felix just shakes his head frantically.
"Changbin help me." He cries out, gasping for air.
"Okay, okay uhm… Think of something nice."
"And what’s that?" Felix still has his eyes shut but tries to listen to what Changbin is saying. "Uhm… Ramen!" Changbin calls out, smiling. "Ramen is nice." Even in his panicked state, Felix is able to give Changbin the side eye. "Okay, not Ramen. What about…" Changbin thinks for a second. "Our concert next week." But the thought makes Felix's breathing even more frantic and he contorts his face in pain as his chest constricts even more. "Okay don’t think of it, never mind." Changbin looks around the room again and spots a picture on the wall that Felix has taken on the beach in Australia. "Okay Felix, think of the ocean. Focus on the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, the salty sea breeze and the sun warming your cheeks." Changbin's voice is low and calming.
This finally seems to help Felix and his breathing is slowly staring to even out. "You are doing so good Felix. Here we go."
He grabs a glass of water and encourages Felix to take a few sips. They sit there for a few more minutes until Felix's face turned a normal color again and his breathing is even.
"Do you feel okay?" Changbin asks, wiping away a stray tear from Felix's cheek.
Felix nods and looks at him. "Thank you, hyung."
Changbin gives Felix's hand a reassuring squeeze, relieved to see the younger boy being calmer again.
In the meantime, Seungmin has cleaned up his mess on his own, and on unsteady feet, he is making his way toward Chan's room. He quietly opens the door just a crack and peeks inside. There’s Chan and Jisung cuddled up together in Chan's bed, sleeping comfortably. Seungmin doesn’t want to wake them, knowing Chan was exhausted and needed the sleep. So he decides to close the door again and walk into his own room, hoping he would be able to get some sleep too.
————
Chan is awakened by Hyunjin, but this time it wasn't by Hyunjin's crying. It was his coughing - a painful, unrelenting cough that seemed to have no end. Chan glanced at his phone. 1:08 AM.
Slowly he peels himself out of Jisung's arms, the younger boy in what seems like a comatose state, not stirring even a bit as Chan makes his way out of bed. He decides to get Hyunjin some cough sirup and grab some migraine pills for himself. Unfortunately his head is still pounding and he feels hot and cold at the same time.
In the bathroom, he retrieves the cough syrup from the medicine cabinet and fils a glass with water. He swallows down two migraine pills, hoping they would kick in soon and dull the painful throbbing in his skull. The hallway is dimly lit, and he can hear Hyunjin's harsh coughs echoing from down the hall.
With the cough sirup in his hand, Chan quietly pushes open the door and and then kneels beside the bed, placing a hand to Hyunjin's forehead. Hyunjin's eyes shoot open in alarm.
"It’s okay. It’s just me." Chan says in a calming voice, running his fingers through Hyunjin's hair. Hyunjin's eyes focus and he relaxes immediately, though another coughing fit overtakes him, and he turns his head away from Chan.
"Hmm, I think your fever finally broke down. How do you feel?" Chan murmurs, feeling Hyunjin's forehead again.
"I do feel better. My throat is just killing me because of this annoying coughing."
"Here, drink this. It will help you." Chan says, offering the cough syrup to Hyunjin.
The boy grimaces at the thick syrup but still swallows it down. Chan hands him the glass of water to wash it down.
"Thank you, hyung." Hyunjin slurs sleepily.
Chan smiles softly. "Of course. Now rest, okay. I’ll check on you in a bit."
————
"You think you are done?" Minho asks Jeongin, who finally seems to be finished puking. He is still pale and his hair is soaked with sweat but he hasn’t puked in a while so that is a good sign. He nods his head and attempts to stand but a wave of dizziness causes him to sway. Minho acts fast and grabs his upper arm to steady him.
"Here, drink this. You are dehydrated." He offers him a glass of water, which the maknae accepts without protest and drains it in one go.
With Jeongin's arm draped around his shoulders, Minho guides him towards the bedroom. But then they encounter Chan in the hallway. Concern etches across Minho's features as he takes in Chan's pale and trembling form.
"Chan, what's wrong?" Minho asks concerned.
"It was Hyunjin, but he is fine, I gave him some coughing sirup." Chan replies, his voice tense.
"That’s not what I meant." Minho inspects Chan more closely. "You look terrible. How do you feel?" Chan dismisses the concern with a wave of his hand.
"That doesn’t matter at the moment." He turns his attention to Jeongin, rushing towards the young boy and cradling his face. "Innie what is going on with you? You don’t look good. Are you hurt?" Chan asks, his voice is laced with worry.
"He puked his guts out when I went into the bathroom to check on Seungmin." Minho explains. "He seemed much worse than him, actually."
Chan's eyebrows raise in concern at that and he waits for Minho to continue. "But he is fine now. I will bring him to bed."
"Oh my god, I should have never sent you to help Seungmin. Why didn’t I do it myself?" Chan paces before them, running his hands through his hair and tugging at the strands, as if to relieve the increasing stress.
"Hyung, I am okay. Please stop hurting yourself." It’s Jeongin speaking for the first time since they encountered Chan. "I don’t want you to worry, it happened out of nowhere, it wasn’t your fault."
"How should I not worry? You guys are my family." Tears form in the corner his eyes and he’s shaking and his trembling intensifies.
"Hyung you need to sit down." Minho urges. But again, Chan ignores the command. His stress levels are too high for him to note the advice, his mind is consumed by worry and guilt.
"By the way, where is Seungmin now?" Chan asks, looking around.
"I thought he came to you?" Minho replies.
"No he didn't."
"Maybe he sought out Changbin." Minho voices his thoughts aloud.
As if on cue, Changbin emerges from Felix's room, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion and stifling a yawn.
"Changbin!" Chan swiftly approached him. "Did you see Seungmin? Did he look for you?"
"Well yes I saw him, puking in the hallway on all fourths not to long ago and-"
"What?" Chan exclaims, interrupting Changbin. "Where is he now? Why are you not with him?"
"Hyung, listen." Changbin speaks quickly, telling the rest of the story. "I wanted to help him, but Felix saw him puking, and he ended up having a panic attack. Seungmin told me I should take care of Felix first. But I told him to get you."
"Oh god." Chan rubs a hand over his face. "How’s Felix? Where is he?"
Changbin smiles tiredly. "He is in bed sleeping."
"Okay, okay this is good." Chan exhales. "But where is Seungmin?" He asks for the third time.
Changbin shrugs. "We need to find him." Chan's voice is shaky and he seems very upset.
"I can help." Changbin offers, but Minho intervenes. "I will go with Chan-hyung. Can you bring Innie to bed? He can sleep in Felix's room, so they are not alone."
Changbin nods. "Okay, I will, hyung."
————
Minho and Chan hurry through the dorm, looking for Seungmin. They check the bathroom first, then the kitchen, before making their way through each bedroom, flinging open doors in desperation. Finally, they find Seungmin curled up under the covers in his bed.
"Oh thank god." Chan sighs in relive. He rushes over to Seungmin and finds him being awake.
"Seungmin hey." Chan murmurs, gently driving his fingers through Seungmin's dark hair. "How are you feeling? You scared us." His voice is gentle, careful not to startle Seungmin.
But before the younger boy has the chance to answer, Minho starts lecturing him.
"Seungmin I told you to go find someone to help you, you almost gave Channie-hyung a heart attack." His voice is wavering with emotion. "What if you had passed out alone in some corner, with no one there to help you? Imagine feeling worse and worse, and us being unable to find you. Do you understand how serious this situation is?"
To Seungmin's astonishment, Minho's voice is shaky, and he is on the verge of tears. They really did worry about him. Guilt washes over Seungmin, realizing he had caused his hyungs such distress. All he wanted was them not to worry about him. And he did the opposite.
"I am sorry hyungs." He says softly, his gaze downcast. "I didn’t wanna be a burden, you already had enough on your plate. Besides, I am feeling much better now. I never meant to scare you, really."
Relief fills Chan but simultaneously the adrenalin drops as well and the lack of sleep and the strong ache in his head catches up to him. He feels dizzy, taking a step back from Seungmin but almost tripping over a chair as he did so, unable to find his bearings.
Minho turns and his eyes grow wide in worry.
"Hyung, are you okay?"
"I need to sit down” Chan mutters quietly, his words slurred. Blindly, he feels for the chair, and Minho rushes over, helping him sit down. He places a hand to Chan's forehead and flinches. "Shit, you are burning up hyung!" He states with shock.
"Here, drink this." He grabs the water bottle from the nightstand, handing it over to Chan, who accepts it with shaky hands. But Chan shakes so hard, water spills out from the bottle.
"Hyung, let me do it." Gently, Minho takes the bottle out of Chan's hand and carefully brings it to his lips and Chan takes a few sips.
He looks awful, his eyes are closed, his face is dead white and his shirt is sticking to his skin with sweat. His chest is rising and falling erratically. He looks like he’s about to pass out.
"Chan, what is happening? Do you hear me?" Minho asks alarmed.
"I am fine." Chan chokes out.
Minho rolls his eyes annoyed. He pushes hair back from Chan's face. His expression is tight with pain. "You are obviously not okay." Minho states. "Open your eyes." He says quieter. Chan shakes his head and groans as the movement makes his head throb even more, if this is even possible.
Something is really wrong.
"Shit what is it Chan? What hurts?"
Chan groans again. "My head." He grits out between his teeth.
"Migraine?" Minho guesses.
Chan just grunts in respond. He still breathes hard.
"You need to go to bed."
Chan mutters something.
"What?" Minho leans in.
"I can’t get up."
Without a second thought, Minho slides an arm around Chan's waist. "Lean on me. I’ll help you."
Chan looks like he wants to protest, but Minho tugs at his waist, pulling him to his feet. As soon as he gets upright, he freezes. His face gets even paler and he wavers.
"Do you need to throw up?"
"No."
"Okay, then let’s go."
His fingers clench tightly into Minho’s shirt as Minho gently pushes him toward the bedroom. As they reach the bed, Chan pretty much collapses onto the sheets.
"What can I do hyung?"
"Go check on the other members."
"Wrong answer, try again."
"Minho, I'm-" Chan flinches, grimacing as another wave of pain hits him.
"Okay Chan stop it. You are hurt and not okay. Now tell me how I can help you." Minho’s voice is firm.
Chan lifts his hands, rubbing his temples. He looks so weak.
"Here, let me do it." Minho says softly, and starts drawing little circles on Chan's temples. Chan's body immediately loosens.
"It's okay. I am going to take care of you." Minho whispers.
After a few minutes, Chan is breathing deep and slow. Minho checks on him and realizes with a smile, that Chan has fallen asleep.
————
Chan stirs, his eyes fluttering open as consciousness slowly returns. He blinks a few times, trying to clear the hazy fog of sleep from his mind. The first rays of sunshine cut through his half-open eyes, making him grimace and squint against the glare.
A tickling sensation in his nose catches him off guard, and he has to sneeze even in his half-asleep state.
With a groan, Chan attempts to shield his eyes with his hand, but the sunlight still manages to seep through the cracks between his fingers. He sneezes again, the sound echoing in the quiet room.
"Bless you." Felix giggles as he enters the room. "How are you feeling?" The familiarity of his English words feel comforting to Chan.
"I am feeling okay, actually." Chan replies in English after taking a moment to check in with himself. He notices his headache has significantly decreased, leaving only a dull pain. His fever seems to have lowered as well.
"Ah, you are awake." Another familiar voice fills the room. Minho strolls in, handing Chan a glass of water. "Here drink this, you must be thirsty."
"How long did I sleep?" Chan asks confused.
"Around five hours." Hyunjin replies, now joining the others in the room. He looks much better, but Chan still worries. "Hyunjin, don’t you need to be in bed? How are you feeling?" Chan makes a move to get out of bed but Hyunjin stops him gently. "Hyung I am fine. I am feeling much better since you gave me something for my cough." He assures.
Chan's gaze sweeps across the room, taking in each member's presence. "What about the others?"
As if on cue, the remaining members gather in the room. They are all smiling, looking healthy and fit again. Relief washes over Chan. Jeongin approaches the bed, placing a small package with a green substance on the nightstand.
"Chan-hyung, here is some jelly if you are feeling hungry." He offers. He takes a step back as Changbin approaches with a damp washcloth, which he gently lays across Chan's forehead. Chan stares at them in disbelief, struggling to comprehend the situation unfolding before him. "But, but..." He stutters, his brow furrowed.
"What about Jisung's headache and Seungmin's stomach ache?" Seungmin steps forward, smiling fondly. "We are all feeling better, thanks to you and Minho-hyung. Now let us take care of you." Chan wants to protest, but he knows it would be pointless. And truth be told, he doesn't feel completely recovered yet. So he accepts their care, which, if he's honest, feels quite nice.
With all the members nursing him back to health, Chan regained his strength in no time.
This experience reminded him that they can overcome anything as long as they stick together.