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The first thing Jeno notices when he wakes up is that it’s still dark. Too early for the sun to rise, too cloudy for the moon to shine through the curtains, he wakes up to complete darkness.
The next thing he notices is that he’s hot. He’s slick with sweat and he whines pitifully at the feeling, kicking off his sheets in an attempt to cool down. His whole body feels hot and heavy, and even with his nest of blankets off of his body he still feels too warm.
The house is quiet in a way it can only be with everyone asleep. Jeno, who had fallen asleep big, was feeling very little now that he had woken up so uncomfortable. He should probably call for Mark or Jaemin - his caregivers would wake immediately at any sign of distress, both in their rooms across the hall - but the utter silence and all-encompassing darkness surrounding him felt suffocating. He would just try to go back to sleep, he decided. He had a tendency to bury himself under as many blankets as he could, he probably just used one too many and woke up from how warm he was getting. He wasn’t sick, there was no reason to wake them.
Jeno ignored the ache in his limbs and the discomfort in his stomach and rolled over to face the wall, willing himself back to sleep. He would feel better in the morning.
-
Despite his wishful thinking, Jeno did not, in fact, feel better in the morning. He woke this time shivering, curled up into himself since he had torn off all his blankets just a few hours earlier. The sun was shining now, high enough in the sky that Jeno knew he should be getting up by now, even if his entire body was protesting.
He slowly got out of bed, his younger headspace making his already achey body less willing to cooperate. He stumbled slightly as he stood up, grasping at the bedframe to steady himself. He was starting to feel smaller with every passing moment and the ache in his tummy was becoming hard to ignore so he made quick work of exiting his bedroom and beelining to the closest room to his own.
He only had to wait a few seconds before a disheveled Mark answered his knock, peeking his head around the door with a frown at being woken up. It quickly dissipated into a smile when he recognized the glassy look in Jeno’s eyes, opening the door all the way and opening up his arms. Jeno let himself fall forward, tucking himself into the crook of Mark’s neck and wrapping himself tightly around the older boy.
“Morning, baby,” Mark chuckled, voice still raspy from sleep. “Are you my little boy this morning?”
Jeno didn’t bother responding, just basking in Mark’s warmth. He felt cold but warm at the same time and was beginning to feel a bit nauseous as Mark rocked them back and forth. He whined and stiffened his body, preventing Mark’s movement. Mark frowned, carefully peeling Jeno back a few inches to examine him a bit closer. Jeno’s eyes were half-lidded with more than just drowsiness and his face was flushed, cheeks stained a ruddy red.
“Hm…” Mark trailed off, bringing the back of his hand to Jeno’s forehead. He was warm to the touch and Mark gently wiped away the beads of sweat brimming on his skin. “You’re burning up, honey. Are you feeling sick?”
Jeno, stubbornly refusing the idea that he truly was sick, shook his head. He just needed to sleep it off still, it wasn’t a big deal. He wasn’t sick.
His stomach cramped right that moment as if to prove him wrong, causing him to wince and hunch over in pain.
Mark gasped and grabbed Jeno’s arms to keep him upright, eyes scanning over the younger boy. “I don’t think you’re telling me the truth, honey. What’s wrong?”
Jeno couldn’t even get a word out before his face crumpled and he burst into tears right there in the hallway. He felt silly getting so worked up over a little stomach bug but he couldn’t help himself. He was feeling so small and he just wanted to feel better, he didn’t want to be sick and everything hurt and he just wanted to cuddle but his tummy hurt and he was hot and shivering and dizzy and -
“Oh, Jen…” Shocked by the sudden switch in Jeno’s disposition, Mark had the little back in his arms within seconds. “You’re okay, you’re okay,” he shushed the little, lifting him up onto his hip. “Appa’s got you, you’re okay.”
“A-Appa…” Jeno choked out around a sob, grabbing fistfuls of Mark’s t-shirt in an attempt to hold him even tighter. “Hu’ts… tummy.”
“Your tummy hurts?” Mark attempted to translate Jeno’s words through his tears and his regressed state. Jeno nodded against his caregiver’s neck, rubbing his tear stained cheeks and snotty nose over his shoulder. Mark bounced him gently in his arms, letting the boy cry himself out.
It was then that Jaemin finally emerged from his own bedroom, announcing his presence with a dramatic, exaggerated yawn as he stretched his arms above his head. Jeno’s cries stutter to a pause at the interruption and he blearily lifts his head to find the source of the sudden noise.
“Mama!” Jeno cries out when he sees his other caregiver, his sobs starting anew as he scrambles out of Mark’s hold to reach out to Jaemin. Jaemin, thankfully, notices and catches Jeno before he falls out of Mark’s arms.
“Oh my goodness, what’s got Nono so upset this morning?” Jaemin gasps, holding Jeno tight to his chest and patting him rhythmically on his back. Jeno only cries harder in response.
“We’ve got a sick baby on our hands,” Mark sighed, rubbing Jeno’s back above Jaemin’s hand. “His tummy hurts and he’s burning up.”
Jaemin cooed, nuzzling his nose into Jeno’s hair. “My poor baby…” He could feel how hot Jeno was against his skin, sweaty and feverish yet still shivering and trembling in his arms as if it was cold outside. He brought his hand to Jeno’s forehead, brushing back his bangs to test his temperature as Mark had earlier. He was warm but it didn’t seem too concerning. “Mama’s gonna run you a bath so you can cool down. Mark, can you run to the pharmacy please?”
“No m’cine!” Jeno whimpered but Jaemin only shushed him, turning to walk down the hall to the bathroom. Jeno only cried harder, lightly hitting Jaemin’s back with a closed fist to try to get his attention - he hated being sick and he especially hated taking that gross, gross medicine.
Jaemin could tell that Jeno was regressed much younger than usual, assuming it was due to how poorly he felt, so he didn’t reprimand the little for the minor tantrum he was throwing. “I know you don’t like taking medicine. But you’re a baby, and babies need to take medicine when they’re feeling yucky. It’s going to stop your tummy from hurting.” They had finally reached the bathroom so Jaemin gently pried Jeno off of him and set him on the counter as he turned to start running a bath. Jeno sniffled and rubbed his fists over his eyes, attempting to stem his tears.
“No, no….”
“I know, baby,” Jaemin hums, starting the water and turning to scoop the boy back into his arms, settling the both of them on the edge of the tub. He bounced Jeno softly on his knee as he waited for the bath to fill, testing the temperature of the water every now and then to make sure it wasn’t too warm. Jeno laid his head against Jaemin’s shoulder as he waited, breath hitching every few moments as he tried to calm down.
Jaemin made it a short bathtime; Jeno felt too weak to play with any of his toys and fussed when he attempted to wash more than his body, just wanting to get out and cuddle with his caregivers, so Jaemin foregoes washing his hair and quickly wraps Jeno in a towel before he starts crying again.
He had significantly cooled down from when Jaemin had first felt his feverish skin but he didn’t want to dress him in anything too warm, opting for just a pull-up and a short sleeve shirt for the time being.
Mark was waiting on the couch, having arrived back from the pharmacy while they finished their bath. Jaemin carefully transferred Jeno onto the older boy’s lap and the little immediately cuddled into Mark’s chest with a whine.
“Aw, puppy,” Mark murmured, “I know. You’re so brave, I know it’s not fun being sick.” He rubbed a hand soothingly over Jeno’s back, glancing over his shoulder to watch Jaemin prepare both a baby bottle with cool water and a syringe of the liquid medicine he had bought.
Jeno watched warily as Jaemin returned from the kitchen, breath quickening at the sight of the pink medicine in the syringe. “Nooooo…”
“I know it’s yucky, baby, but it’ll help your tummy, remember?” Jaemin crouched in front of the two, leaning in to try to slip the syringe between Jeno’s lips. The boy quickly turned his head, planting himself face first in Mark’s chest.
“Don’ want.”
Jaemin sighed, rubbing a comforting hand on Jeno’s knee. “It’s only yucky for a little bit, and then Mama’s got a bottle for you.”
“No no no!” Jeno repeated, refusing to move even as Mark attempted to turn him around. Jaemin was a little desperate at this point - Jeno was an easy baby when he regressed but he was incredibly stubborn when he wanted to be and Jaemin hated to force him.
“How about this: Appa will take it first, and then you. Does that sound okay?”
Mark’s head snapped up in surprise at the offer, something he had definitely not agreed to beforehand, meeting Jaemin’s desperate eyes over Jeno. He shook his head furiously, only stopping when he felt Jeno finally lift his head, meeting his eyes with a pitiful gaze. “Appa take m’cine?”
Jaemin knew how much of a sucker he was for Jeno’s puppy dog eyes. It was the reason Jeno always came to him to ask if he could have ice cream before dinner, or if he could stay up to play games even though Jaemin had already said no. He was incapable of saying no when Jeno looked at him like that.
Mark sighed in defeat and Jaemin didn’t even wait for a response, already standing with a satisfied smirk to go fill another syringe with the medication. “...Yeah, baby, Appa will take the medicine first. No problem. I actually love that medicine, did you know that?”
Jeno found himself smiling softly despite himself. “Nuh-uh. Yucky, you’re lying…”
“I’m not! See?” Mark, emboldened by seeing Jeno’s smile, reached out to take the syringe of medicine from Jaemin who had returned with a second pink syringe. He didn’t waste a moment, afraid he would chicken out, and dispensed the syringe as quickly as he could, squeezing his eyes shut as the medication hit his tongue.
He must not have been able to control his reaction to how sickly sweet and bad-tasting it was, however, because he could hear Jeno break out into giggles. Mark finally swallowed the entire dosage, fighting the urge to gag. After a moment he opened his eyes to meet Jeno’s amazed expression and Jaemin’s amused gaze. “See? It’s not that bad!”
Jaemin snorted quietly in disbelief. Mark seriously was crazy. He then squeezed Jeno’s leg lightly to get his attention, watching the boy finally turn his way. “Appa took his medicine and now it’s your turn, baby. Can you open up for me?”
Jeno was still a bit hesitant, eyes flickering between the syringe and Jaemin’s face, but he was more or less appeased by Mark’s brave feat. He finally opened his mouth just a bit, and Jaemin quickly took the opportunity to slip the syringe between his lips, gently closing his jaw with his thumb to prevent him from spitting it back out.
Jeno’s nose scrunched up at the taste and he let out a pitiful sob as he swallowed down the taste of artificial cherry, reaching out desperately for the bottle of water in Jaemin’s opposite hand. The younger gladly handed it over and Jeno collapsed back onto Mark’s chest as he drank, eager to get the taste out of his mouth.
“Poor baby. I know, so yucky, hm? Mama’s so mean to you. Don’t drink too fast, okay?” Jaemin laughed softly, squeezing his leg once more before joining the two on the couch, cuddling in on Mark’s right. Jeno only whined in response, shuffling his body so he was half sitting in Mark’s lap and half in Jaemin’s, hand not holding the bottle reaching out to grasp for Jaemin’s fingers. He was a little mad at Jaemin for making him take that gross medicine, but he still wanted him close.
Mark turned on the television while they got situated, turning on some kid’s channel that none of them were really paying attention to. Jeno’s medicine hadn’t taken effect yet and he was uninterested in whatever was playing on screen, too focused on the pain in his tummy that wasn’t yet relieved. Jaemin, seemingly reading his mind, reached out to rub the boy’s stomach gently.
Jeno closed his eyes as he basked in the attention from his caregivers, hoping that he would feel better soon.
-
When Jeno woke for the third time that morning it was peacefully, the pain in his stomach reduced to a small ache and his fever had finally broken.
He didn’t even remember falling asleep but he must have at some point, eyes slowly blinking open to take in his surroundings. He was lying on top of someone - Jaemin, he realized after a moment - on the couch with his head pillowed on their chest, the younger boy’s hand carding through his hair every few seconds. The bottle he had been drinking from was gone, replaced with a pacifier that was currently hanging lax from his lips and he could hear sounds of movement in the kitchen. Jeno sleepily lifted his head to look up at Jaemin, meeting the man’s soft gaze right away.
“Morning, baby,” Jaemin whispered, hooking a finger in the loop of Jeno’s pacifier and tugging it gently from his lips. “How’s your tummy? Feeling any better?”
Jeno chewed on his bottom lip and nodded. “Little bit.”
“That’s good.” Jaemin helped the two of them sit up against the couch once more, situating Jeno inbetween his crossed legs. “Appa’s making lunch, do you think you can try to eat something?”
Jeno didn’t feel very hungry, lingering nausea from this morning crushing his appetite. But Jaemin looked hopeful so he nodded once more. “Little bit,” he repeated, shuffling forward to nuzzle his nose to Jaemin’s cheek. Jaemin cooed and hugged him close, peppering kisses over his hair.
Jeno was engrossed in the television when Mark entered the living room, balancing a couple plates in his arms. “Babies, time for nom noms!”
Jaemin shot him a raised eyebrow but Jeno giggled, watching Mark set the food down on the table. “I’ve got some soup for you, baby, do you think you can try it?” The older boy lifted up a small bowl in offering.
“I try little bit,” Jeno agreed, leaning forward and opening his mouth like he had earlier for his medicine.
Mark squealed, gathering a spoonful of soup and carefully guiding it to Jeno’s lips. “ Aigoo , my sweet boy. So cute. You eat so well. Want another one?” Jeno blushed furiously at the attention but opened his mouth again, letting Mark feed him another spoonful.
Jaemin watched fondly as they ate, Jeno getting halfway through the bowl before pressing his lips into a tight line and shaking his head when Mark attempted to feed him anymore. They didn’t try to force him, letting him relax back into Jaemin’s arms with a fresh bottle as his caregivers began eating their own lunch.
They spend the rest of the day like that, Jeno cuddled between the two on the couch, happy to just be small and to let himself be taken care of. Jeno really hated being sick but as long as he had Mark and Jaemin, he would be just fine.
-
(And when Jaemin inevitably falls sick a few days later, Mark is more than happy to give him the medicine himself, Jeno giggling as he hands the younger a glass of water to wash it down.)