Work Text:
Jisung was going to ruin Chenle’s nice toilet. It was more modern than the ones they had back at the dorms, with extra buttons for more niche functions. Jisung resisted the temptation to rest his head on the toilet seat. It may be fancy, but it was still Chenle’s toilet and there was no telling what it had seen.
Instead, he hovered his head over the bowl, swallowing nervously. Chenle had invited him to stay the night, after they had gotten carried away gaming late into the night. His stomach had woken him up, churning dangerously, and he had quickly made his way to the ensuite bathroom. It had only been a couple of minutes since then, but his stomach had yet to make a decision. His one hand pressed against it while the other braced himself on his knees.
It was a bit embarrassing, waking up at his friend’s place feeling sick. Jisung was used to being sick privately in his own space. He felt a bit panicked at the situation. Maybe, if he was lucky, his stomach would calm down and he could sneak out in the morning.
His stomach cramped and he lurched forward with a loud gag, interrupting his thoughts. It didn’t bring anything up, but it left him feeling dizzy and even more nauseous. He ducked his head closer to the toilet, heart beating in his ears. He thought he heard some shuffling coming from the bedroom, but became distracted by his stomach heaving again.
His hands grabbed the toilet seat to steady himself and he vomited, the world around him blurring. His senses were overwhelmed by the unpleasant experience, body aching with each heave. He felt both hot and cold at the same time. When his stomach finally let up, he gasped for air.
“I’m glad you made it to the toilet,” Chenle said.
Jisung turned his head, vision blurry, to look at him. Chenle stood in the doorway, looking sleepy. His hair stuck up awkwardly and he squinted against the bathroom light, which Jisung had instinctively turned on.
Jisung felt overcome with guilt. “S-sorry,” he quickly apologized, voice hoarse and weak.
“You don’t need to apologize.” Chenle stepped into the bathroom and grabbed a rag from the sink counter. He wetted it a little, then approached Jisung and held it out. “Here.”
Jisung took it and wiped his face, the fabric cool against his skin. It ended up being pointless, however, as seconds later Jisung was leaning forward to violently heave again.
“Gross.” Despite his disgust, Chenle remained by Jisung’s side and patted him on the back as he threw up.
It took a minute before Jisung’s stomach finally stopped heaving. He leaned back on his heels, breathing heavily. He wiped his mouth with the rag again, then grimaced when he swallowed. Chenle’s hand made its way to Jisung’s head, resting on top of it.
“You think you’re done for now?”
Jisung’s stomach ached fiercely, but the nausea had subsided. There was only some lingering uneasiness. “I think so.”
Chenle shrugged. “Good enough. You should brush your teeth before heading back to bed. Your mouth must taste disgusting.”
Jisung weakly pushed himself up. His legs were shaky, so unlike how steady they were normally. Chenle hovered neary him, making sure he didn’t fall or start puking again. Jisung made it to the sink and grabbed his toothbrush, the one he bought for Chenle’s place after staying over so many times. He slowly brushed his teeth, then rinsed his mouth out a couple of times to get rid of the bitter bile taste.
He turned to leave, but was stopped by Chenle moving in front of him. He reached up to feel Jisung’s forehead with the back of his hand.
“You’re kind of warm,” Chenle determined, “but mostly sweaty.”
Jisung felt himself unintentionally begin to lean into Chenle’s hand, the little energy he had dissipating quickly.
Chenle pulled away and grabbed Jisung’s arm instead. “Woah, please don’t pass out on me, we’ll both go down. Let’s get you to bed.” He wrapped his arm around Jisung’s back and escorted him out of the bathroom, pushing him towards the bed.
Jisung crawled into the bedsheets, curling up on his side and wrapping his arms around his stomach. His eyes closed as soon as his head hit the pillow. Behind him, Chenle made a soft noise. He heard Chenle walk away, and maybe leave the room, but he was too tired to pay much attention.
He drifted off momentarily, only to be disturbed by Chenle shaking his shoulder.
“There’s a trash can next to the bed if you can’t make it to the bathroom. Please don’t throw up on me.”
Jisung pressed his face deeper into the pillow. “M’kay.”
-
Jisung was dizzy. He had been sleeping, but now he was awake and confused. The room was dark. He felt overheated underneath the sheets. Everything felt wrong and upside down.
His stomach twisted and his jaw clenched. Briefly, he remembered what Chenle had told him. He rolled over to the side of the bed, found the trash can, and just barely managed to grab it before he threw up again.
He took a moment in between heaving to sit himself up and bring the trash can into his lap before once again becoming familiar with it. A couple of moments later, he felt a warm hand patting the back of his neck. Chenle had been woken up.
Jisung felt miserable. When he finished vomiting, he couldn’t help but whine. He heard Chenle hum, sympathetic, followed by rustling as he got up. The lamp clicked on, illuminating the room. Jisung winced at the sudden brightness.
“Guess it’s not a one off thing, huh?” Chenle said, taking the trash can from Jisung.
Jisung shook his head, pouting. Chenle reached over with his free hand and ran it through Jisung’s hair.
“Let me throw this away, then I can help you wash your mouth out.” He left the room in a slight rush, eager to get rid of the gross trash bag.
Jisung waited on the bed, trying not to think about the fact that he once again woke Chenle. He reached over to his phone and checked the time. It was almost 4AM. He knew they had schedules later in the morning and it wasn’t as early of a work day as it could be, but losing sleep was still going to make the work day rough. He felt his heart twist with guilt.
Chenle returned with a fresh bag in the trash can and a glass of water. He set both down and turned to Jisung. “Want to wash your mouth out again?”
Jisung nodded and slowly got up, feeling his head rush with the movement. Stars started to gather in his vision and he grabbed onto Chenle, stabilizing himself. Once it passed, Chenle helped him make his way back to the bathroom.
Chenle sat Jisung on top of the toilet and grabbed the younger’s toothbrush, putting toothpaste on it before handing it to him. As Jisung brushed his teeth, Chenle opened one of his drawers and dug around. He pulled out a thermometer, the kind that one could point at a forehead to get a temperature. Chenle lifted Jisung’s bangs and pointed the thermometer at his forehead. After a few seconds, it beeped and Chenle read the number.
“You’ve got a slight fever,” Chenle told him as Jisung got up and rinsed his mouth out. “Not too high, but still there. I think you might have a stomach bug.”
Jisung frowned, realizing how close Chenle had been to him all night. “You’re going to get sick too, then.”
Chenle waved his worries off. He wrapped an arm around Jisung again and helped him walk back to bed. “We’re all way too close to each other constantly to not be sharing germs. IT’s probably going to go through all of dream. You’re just patient zero.”
Jisung made his way back into bed, trying to get as comfortable as possible. It was hard with how crampy his stomach felt.
“I’ve already started placing bets on who will get it next.” Chenle walked over to his side of the bed and turned off the lamp. The room returned to darkness. “I think it’ll be Mark. His stomach is wimpy.”
The bed dipped as Chenle climbed in. Jisung hummed in response, drowsy. He felt a hand in his hair, playing with the strands. It was soothing and helped him drift off once again.
-
Jisung managed to sleep until mid morning before his stomach woke him again. The third time was mostly stomach acid and burned his throat worse than before. Chenle had to coax him to drink some cold water to try to soothe it. He threw that back up too. He didn’t go back to sleep after that, instead tossing and turning as his stomach cramped.
It was now an hour later and Jisung was still in bed, Chenle’s laptop playing a TV show nearby. Their schedules had been cancelled for the day as it turned out Jisung wasn’t the only one who had come down with a stomach virus (the other victim was Jeno, much to Chenle’s disappointment). Management was bringing medicine to Chenle’s place for Jisung, seeing as he was far too sick to leave Chenle’s apartment.
The bedroom door opened and Chenle walked in, holding a small bag in his hands. He brought the bag over to Jisung’s side of the bed and placed it on the nightstand. “Do you think you could sit up and try drinking some fluids again? Manager said you need to keep hydrated.”
Jisung sighed, dreading his body’s reaction, but pushed himself up anyway. Chenle propped the pillows up and Jisung leaned back against it.
Chenle pulled out a bottle full of pale blue liquid and unscrewed the cap. “Try this. It has electrolytes and stuff in it, which your body needs.”
Jisung took the bottle and sipped at it. It was almost flavorless, with only the hind of something fruity in it. He scrunched up his nose and looked at the bottle, reading its label.
“I never understood those rehydration drinks,” Chenle said, walking over to his side of the bed. “you can just drink water, why buy something overpriced with the concept of a flavor in it?”
Jisung weakly smiled, amused at Chenle’s words. He took a few more sips. The liquid was cool against his throat.
Chenle pulled out his phone and scrolled through some messages. “Have you checked your phone recently? Everyone is thanking you and Jeno for getting schedules cancelled. No one was looking forward to going over the new choreo today.”
Jisung had to agree with them. The new choreo looked amazing, but it was exhausting to pull off. “I’m glad my suffering is benefiting others.”
Chenle patted Jisung’s hair. “Your sacrifice will not be forgotten.”
Jisung took a couple more sips from his drink, then set it down. He felt he had given his stomach enough fuel to rebel if it chose to. He curled up on his side, facing Chenle, and pressed his arm gently against his stomach.
“Everyone is saying to feel better soon, by the way.” Chenle looked up at Jisung, smiling softly.
Jisung closed his eyes, trying to relax and focus on the scent of Chenle’s bedsheets. “Tell them thank you.”
Jisung listened to the sound of Chenle tapping at his phone and the show on the laptop. He was exhausted, but his body was refusing to sleep. Besides his stomach, his whole body also ached like he had done back to back dance practices.
The episode of the show ended and Chenle grabbed the laptop, pulling it closer to himself. “Do you mind if I put on some basketball? I have a game I want to watch.”
Jisung hummed. “I don’t care.”
Chenle grinned and eagerly started working on pulling up his game. A minute later, Jisung heard the sounds of the game start playing on the laptop. He could practically feel the glee radiating from Chenle.
“You know, this season has been pretty intense. They’ve been having some troubles with keeping their plays consistent,” Chenle began to ramble, not caring that Jisung had no reaction.
Jisung figured he was talking about his favorite basketball team, the one he couldn’t remember the name of despite how many times Chenle mentioned it.
“There have been some pretty close games. There was this one match where…” Chenle continued to chatter away, saying things that Jisung didn’t understand. Chenle was chatty by nature and was even worse when it came to his favorite topics.
While it wasn’t interesting, his chatter did prove to be enough of a distraction for Jisung from his upset stomach. He began to drift off, Chenle’s words and the game turning into white noise. Sometimes, when Chenle would cheer at a play, Jisung would startle awake again, but all Chenle had to do was start explaining what was happening and he’d be right back to sleep.
Jisung just hoped that Chenle wouldn't ask him about the game later.
-
Jisung managed to keep fluids down over the next couple of hours. Mid afternoon, Chenle decided to try a small meal. Jisung had been nervous, but managed to keep it down. The nausea was gone, though his stomach kept cramping.
After laying in bed sick all day, Jisung wanted to take a shower. He knew he was gross and sweaty and it was bothering him. Chenle was unsure if it was safe, however, so he consulted the group chat.
Jisung sat on the toilet, watching Chenle in the doorway. He had his phone in hand and was reading through the other members’ replies. “Renjun says you should be fine, but I should keep the door cracked in case you start feeling unwell. Jaemin says I should watch you shower.”
Jisung grimaced. “Please don’t.”
Chenle grinned, mischievous. “Why not? It’s nothing I haven’t already seen.”
Jisung felt his cheeks turn red. He hid his face in his hands, groaning loudly.
Chenle cackled, enjoying teasing the younger. “I’m kidding, I don’t need to watch you. Don’t push yourself, though. If you fall and hit your head, Jaemin will never let you shower alone again.”
Jisung sighed and dropped his hands. “I promise I won’t fall. Could you grab me some clean clothes while I shower? Mine are gross.”
Chenle nodded. He turned and left, leaving a crack in the door.
Jisung was careful as he showered, keeping the water warm but not too hot. He felt better and cleaner by the time he was done. He dried himself slowly, then wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped out of the shower. He spotted the clothes Chenle had left him on the counter and picked them up. It was a pair of sweatpants Jisung had left behind before and one of Chenle’s oversized shirts. The clothes smelled of Chenle and were soft against Jisung’s skin.
After standing for so long, however, Jisung felt lightheaded. He changed into the clothes while sitting on the toilet, then hunched over as he tried to reorient himself. His head spun and his wet hair dripped on the floor. He wasn’t sure how long he stayed sitting for, but his silence must have been long enough to worry Chenle as he poked his head into the bathroom.
“Feeling okay?”
Jisung shrugged. “I got dizzy, so I sat down. I think I stood for too long.”
Chenle entered the room and approached Jisung. He took in the younger’s state. “Do you feel like throwing up?”
Jisung shook his head, then winced as it made him dizzier. “No. Just tired.”
Chenle nodded and thought for a moment. “Your hair is still wet. You shouldn’t lie down with wet hair.”
“I’ll probably let it air dry first, then.”
“Here, I’ll blow dry it,” Chenle opened up one of his drawers and grabbed his hair dryer, “that way you can keep sitting.”
Jisung hadn’t thought of that, but it was a good idea. Chenle plugged the hair dryer in and turned it on, the noise quickly feeling the room. The heat of the dryer was nice and Chenle was mindful not to put it too close to his head.
Chenle’s hands worked through Jisung’s hair, gently pulling and brushing it out to dry it thoroughly. His fingers practically massaged Jisung’s scalp as they weaved through. Jisung didn’t notice it himself, but he kept leaning more and more into Chenle’s touch, much to his amusement. By the time Chenle finished drying Jisung’s hair, he felt relaxed and much less dizzy than before.
Chenle set the hair dryer down, satisfied now that Jisung’s hair was fluffy and dry. He spotted his skin care bottles on the counter and a thought occurred to him. “Do you want to do your skin care?”
Jisung looked over at the bottles. He had forgotten about his usual routine, the one he and the other members followed religiously. “I probably should.”
Chenle grabbed the bottles and brought them to the edge of the counter where Jisung could grab them. Jisung thanked him and went about his usual routine. It was a little weird to apply it without a mirror in front of his face, but the muscle memory guided him through it.
“You’re cute, even if you are sick,” Chenle stated in a matter of fact tone.
Jisung flushed, caught off guard by the compliment. He scrunched his nose. “Don’t be sappy, it’s weird.”
Chenle grinned, satisfied with Jisung’s reaction. He returned the bottles to their usual place. “Do you think you could try some more food?”
Jisung considered it. “I guess so. My stomach still feels gross, but maybe the vomiting stage is over.” The rest of his body still felt like garbage, but at least his stomach wasn’t trying to perform an exorcism anymore.
“We can try some medicine with the meal, too.” Chenle held out his hand for Jisung.
He grabbed it and stood up, blinking through the slight head rush. “Okay. Can we go to the living room? I’m kind of tired of being in bed.”
Chenle nodded, gently pulling Jisung out of the bathroom. “That’s a good idea.”
They exited the bathroom and headed to the living room. The whole time, Chenle didn’t let go of Jisung’s hand.
It left Jisung’s heart feeling warm.
-
Jisung’s stomach had eased a bit on the cramping by evening. Midway through watching a movie with Chenle, however, it started to ache again. He shifted uncomfortably on the sofa and pressed a hand against his abdomen, frowning.
Chenle was pressed up against Jisung and felt the younger shift. He looked over, picking up on Jisung’s discomfort. He watched for a moment, trying to gauge how bad it was. “Do you feel nauseous?”
Jisung sighed, then shook his head. “No, my stomach just hurts.”
“Do you want to lie down? It might be more comfortable.”
Jisung nodded. He waited until Chenle scooted to the end of the couch, then laid down and placed his head in Chenle’s lap. He curled his knees up a bit, easing some of the discomfort. He pressed his face into Chenle’s thigh and sighed. “I’m over being sick.”
Chenle hummed. “I don’t blame you.”
“I will never take for granted my stomach not hurting ever again. This sucks.” Jisung’s voice turned sulky, but he couldn’t help the whining after how sick he had been.
Chenle smiled. He threaded his fingers through Jisung’s hair and began to play with the strands. “You’ll forget about in like, a day or so.”
Jisung didn’t respond, distracted by the sensation of Chenle’s fingers in his hair. When Chenle’s hand moved to massage Jisung’s neck, he couldn’t help the small sigh that slipped out.
“Does this help?”
Jisung could feel his muscles releasing tension as Chenle’s hand pressed into him. He could still feel the discomfort in his abdomen, but it was less overwhelming. “Yes. Thanks, for taking care of me.”
“It’s no big deal,” Chenle brushed off, nonchalant as usual when it came to compliments. “I know you’d do the same, mostly ‘cause you can’t stop fretting over me.”
Jisung laughed softly. Chenle was absolutely correct. Jisung had his work cut out for him if Chenle got sick. It’d take more than a stomach bug to shut Chenle up. He closed his eyes, letting himself focus on the sensation of Chenle’s fingers against his skin.
…he was kind of glad he got sick at Chenle’s place, in the end.
-
(Chenle did not, in fact, shut up when he got sick. He also didn’t sleep after he threw up the first time. Jisung nearly lost his mind.)
(Mark was the only one not to get the stomach bug, in the end.)