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“Minhyuk.”
Minhyuk groaned from where he had plopped down on the ground after practice, his head hanging between his knees. He was winded and sweating, and as much as he usually liked getting special attention from Shownu, that tone in his hyung’s voice warned of a potential lecture. Minhyuk had not done well during practice that day, even he knew that much.
“Say something if you’re hurting,” was how the lecture started, which surprised Minhyuk. He lifted his head to see Shownu kneeling down in front of him, gesturing slightly at his knee. “You shouldn’t push yourself too hard. If it hurts, stop.”
Minhyuk stared for a second, then huffed out a slight laugh. It had been awhile since he’d hurt his knee, long enough where he didn’t need to take it easy anymore. There hadn’t been pain there in so long he’d nearly forgotten he’d ever injured it in the first place. That was just like Shownu though, worrying over something that didn’t even matter now. Minhyuk had worked very hard in his physical therapy to do everything he was supposed to do to ensure he’d be back in top shape in as little time as possible (and a good deal of that “everything” was resting, which for him was the hardest instruction to follow. Minhyuk did not do well with sitting still for too long.
“It’s fine,” he assured his hyung, then punctuated his claim with one of his bright (albeit a little tired) smiles. Shownu didn’t look like he was buying it, his expression still set in one of grave concern. Minhyuk tugged at Shownu’s wrist gently, widening his smile even more. “Shownu hyung, I’m fine, I promise. Blame it on Jooheonnie. He stole some of my food this morning so I don’t have as much energy as usual. I’ll do better tomorrow when I’ve eaten more.”
This time it was Shownu who dropped his head with a loud sigh. Offering Minhyuk one final pat on the shoulder, he pushed himself up and trotted over to Jooheon, who was just starting to make his way out of the practice room to head to the shower. “Jooheon! Stop stealing food from Minhyukie; he’s too thin already. He should be the one stealing food from you.”
Jooheon paused to look dutifully insulted. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Minhyuk laughed as the boys disappeared into the hall, still arguing, but his humor was short-lived as he moved to stand up and overbalanced himself. “Whoa,” he breathed, wavering on his feet a bit as he rode out the dizzy spell. Maybe it was a little more than just a couple missing pieces of toast; dehydration, probably. Shaking his head, he made certain to grab another bottle of water for himself and chugged it all the way empty before he, too, headed for the shower.
~~~~~~~
“Hey, wake up, it’s getting late,” Changkyun called, shaking the pile of blankets that were hiding Minhyuk from the world. When all Changkyun got for his efforts was the slightest of groans, the maknae of the group straightened up and put his hands on his hips for a moment as he pondered over what to do. It was always a little surprising to him that Minhyuk could be bouncing off the walls pretty much every moment of every day, but he was also one of the hardest to wake up in the mornings. He was like some sort of crazy wind-up toy who had a faulty crank, so it took a bit of work to get it running.
Today it seemed like the crank had broken entirely.
“Minhyukah, you’re going to be late,” he tried again, reaching out a hand to shake where he thought his hyung’s leg might be.
“Doooon’t,” Minhyuk groaned more loudly, but at least it was a real word that time and not just an unintelligible noise. In his muffled tone with his head still firmly beneath the blankets, he grumbled out, “Leave me alone.”
“I can’t. Not until you get up. We have practice in less than an hour.”
There was a long pause, then the blankets finally began to shift...except not in any way that would be grounds for celebration on Changkyun’s part. They just sort of folded in on themselves, creating a rounded mass at the center of the bed as Minhyuk presumably curled into a tight little ball. He let out yet another groan, this one loud and long for maximum drama. It made Changkyun roll his eyes.
“Sorry, Minhyung, but this is for your own good,” he said, the only warning he gave before he gripped the top of the blanket mound and yanked with all his might, pulling the protective shell off the back of the cantankerous hermit crab.
Minhyuk, much to Changkyun’s surprise, did not put up much of a fight in return. Normally the offense would’ve had him up and alert, tackling his maknae to the floor in a mock show of anger, after which he would huff and puff about his bed being ruined so he couldn’t possibly go back to sleep in it now, even if he wanted to. Then he would order Changkyun to fix it for him so it would be ready for the evening while he got himself ready for the day.
This morning, however, instead of doing any of that, he simply moaned lightly and curled in on himself impossibly tighter, keeping his eyes firmly clamped shut against the daylight filtering in through their curtained windows. Changkyun studied him for a moment, taking in the slight flush to his cheeks and noting the way he was inhaling and exhaling in careful, measured breaths.
“Hyung, are you sick?” Changkyun asked, then reached a hand out to touch his forehead beneath his fringe of bangs, his hair clumped together in what could only have been dried sweat. Changkyun didn’t have to compare with his own forehead to notice that his friend was definitely running a fever. “Eesh, you’re hot.”
“‘m cold,” Minhyuk muttered in return, a shiver running through his thin frame despite how warm his skin was to the touch. Changkyun hastened to cover him again with a blanket (but just one for fear of his groupmate roasting himself alive inside his cloth cocoon), then laid a comforting hand on his arm.
“You should’ve said you weren’t feeling well,” he scolded lightly. “I’ll go tell Shownu.”
Minhyuk responded by pulling the blanket back over his head.
~~~~~~~
“Minhyukie,” Shownu called gently as he unearthed the younger boy’s face from the bedding. I.M. was right; Minhyuk’s cheeks were definitely flushed a bright, unhealthy red, and the way he was breathing wasn’t natural. Shownu recognized that symptom for what it was almost immediately - a means of controlling nausea. Minhyuk was doing everything in his power not to get ill in front of his brothers. With a show of sympathy, Shownu stood and tossed a thicker blanket over the window to hide the harsh light, fetched a garbage pail and damp rag, and made certain to shut the door to the room so the others couldn’t see anything that might be embarrassing. Only when he was sure everything was set right did he disturb his friend again. “Here. Minhyukie. Use this.”
Minhyuk finally opened his eyes then, cautiously at first, but then they shown with a dull gratitude at his hyung’s thoughtfulness to dampen the light. Aside from that flicker of emotion though, they were absent of his usual brightness, his exuberant personality all but hidden in a feverish void. The wrongness of it was startling to Shownu, so much so that he had to look away for a moment. He directed his gaze down to the garbage pail and shook it slightly to draw Minhyuk’s unfocused attention to it as well.
After a moment of trying to decipher what Shownu wanted from him, Minhyuk scrunched up his nose in sheer defiance. “No. It’s gross.”
“Come on, Minhyuk, you’ll feel better if you do,” Shownu insisted.
Acting like a petulant child, Minhyuk turned his face into his mattress so that Shownu could barely understand his grumbled reply. “Everyone always says that, but it’s never true. Throwing up doesn’t feel good. It feels gross, it smells gross, and it tastes like stinky tofu.”
Shownu smirked. “You liked the stinky tofu. You complained a little, but you kept eating it.”
“You liked it,” Minhyuk countered. “I only pretended to so Heonnie wouldn’t be so afraid to eat his. I wanted to see his grossed-out face.”
Shownu’s smirk grew into an appreciative grin. Even devoid of his usual sunshine, it seemed Minhyuk hadn’t quite lost his sense of humor (even if it was the bordering-on-mean kind, but any sign of normalcy was a good one in the group leader’s book at the moment). Still, Min needed to do what his hyung was telling him. He would never get better if he kept straining himself like he was.
“Please, Minhyuk,” Shownu urged, placing one hand on his friend’s head. “If you don’t let it out, you won’t be able to rest properly, and if you don’t rest, you can’t get better. Just this once, then I’ll get you some Tylenol and rice porridge to settle your stomach so you don’t get sick again, okay?”
In the end, it was Shownu who won out, but he wasn’t sure if it was due to his coaxing or if Minhyuk simply couldn’t contain it anymore. He purged his illness into the pail for several agonizing minutes before he was finally finished; pale, breathless, and with tears stinging his eyes that Shownu wiped away with the rag before cleaning any remaining sickness from his lips.
“There,” he said softly once he’d helped settle Minhyuk back into a comfortable position. “Don’t you feel better now?”
“No,” Minhyuk groused. “I feel like I just finished doing three hundred crunches, and my mouth tastes like vinegar and alcohol.”
“And stinky tofu?” Shownu couldn’t help but joke.
“And stinky tofu.”
The eldest group member smiled again, relieved to see that Minhyuk was already starting to look more relaxed despite all his arguments. His breathing was better at least, and his muscles didn’t look quite as tense.
“Go back to sleep,” he stated. “I’ll be back in a little bit with the porridge and Tylenol.”
“What about practice?” Minhyuk asked, looking genuinely concerned. “You’ll miss it.”
Shownu shook his head. “It’s okay. Wonho can run it today. Someone needs to stay and take care of you.”
Minhyuk opened his mouth in what looked to be the beginning of another debate, but then his expression softened into something else as he gave in to his sorrowful state. “Thank you, hyung,” he said instead, a hint of shame coloring his tone.
“It’s nothing,” Shownu waved off. He tucked the blanket a little more snuggly around Minhyuk’s shoulders, then waited long enough for the younger boy to start drifting back to sleep before he left to inform the others of what was going on.
~~~~~~~
In the end, all the boys were a little late for their practice. Kihyun took it upon himself to make the rice porridge since he was the best at cooking, Wonho volunteered to go get the medicine since his own knack for falling ill made him the expert on what would work the best, Hyungwon accompanied him just to make himself feel useful, and Jooheon more or less just worried himself in circles in the living room, trying to make a case for all of them to just stay and take care of Minhyukie instead of practicing (Changkyun silently nodding his approval of this plan). Shownu finally put a stop to his rants by gently reminding him that silence and sleep were what their bandmate needed more than anything else - having too many of them around would only disturb him and it would take longer for him to get better. Not that Shownu could blame them for worrying. They had been the same way when Changkyun, their youngest, had injured himself, already putting them on edge and thus feeling even more out of balance when Minhyuk had hurt his knee soon after, but at least back then Minhyuk was able to ward them off with his usual chipper temperament. In his current state he was too ill to play their resident mischief-maker and cheerleader, and the calm quiet that settled over the dorm in response to that was making everyone a bit uncomfortable.
“Go, go,” Shownu insisted of the rest of the group once the porridge was finished and the volunteer errand-runners had returned from their mission, also bringing back a cooling pillow and a plush Spiderman toy in hopes of raising Minhyuk’s spirit a little. Shownu accepted the items, complementing the boys on their kindness before finally herding them all out the door, leaving the dorm feeling eerily empty. It felt a bit like the time when he was left in his hotel room in Hong Kong all day, his mood only brightening once Minhyuk came to keep him company at his request. Now it was his turn to keep Minhyuk company, even if the younger boy was unaware of his presence for the most part.
Getting everything all together on a folding tray, Shownu entered the darkened bedroom and whispered his friend’s name. It wasn’t enough to stir the boy, which was no surprise considering how hard it was to wake him on a normal day. Quietly, Shownu worked his way to the side of the bed and slowly flipped the legs down on the tray, setting it carefully on the floor before he turned his attention back to his sick bandmate.
“Minhyuk,” he called again, keeping his voice low but loud enough that it caused a frown to touch Minhyuk’s lips and an agitated crease to form across his brow. He made a small sound in his throat that fell somewhere between a weak sign of protest and a pitifully heartbreaking whine. It was almost enough to make Shownu turn around and leave him alone, but it wouldn’t be good to leave his stomach so empty or let him try to fight the sickness on his own without medication.
“Sorry, Minhyukie,” he winced as he pulled the blanket back a bit and received a full pouting scowl for his efforts. “Kihyun made you porridge, and you need to take medicine for your fever. Drink all the water with the pills, too. You need the fluids after throwing up this morning.”
Minhyuk whined again, but despite that, he rubbed at his eyes a bit and made an effort to sit up. Seeing him struggling just to lean up on his elbows, Shownu stepped in and fluffed the pillow up behind him, then half lifted him into a more upright position. He felt so warm even through the fabric of his t-shirt, and it made Shownu feel guilty. He knew something was wrong with Minhyuk the day before. He should’ve pressed the issue more, and he made a mental note to do so in the future. As the leader, it was his responsibility to make sure everyone under his charge was properly cared for and in good health. There was nothing he could’ve done differently about Minhyuk’s knee, but this, this was different. If he’d been paying more attention he would’ve sent Minhyuk to bed before practice was over and gotten the Tylenol into him sooner. He may not have been in such bad shape now if he’d taken it easy the day before.
“Here,” Shownu alerted as he handed the plushie up to Minhyuk’s face. “From Wonho and Hyungwonie. They said Spiderman will make you stronger.”
The smallest of smiles touched one corner of Minhyuk’s lips as he reached for the doll and crushed it against his chest with one arm in such a way so that he could rest his chin down on the plushie’s large head. With the other hand he pointed at the tray on the floor. “Can I have the water, please?” he requested, his voice cracking with the combination of sleep and illness.
Shownu grabbed the glass but made sure to dump a couple of the pills into Minhyuk’s palm first, not handing the water over until they disappeared into his parched mouth. Then he watched as Minhyuk, looking dazed as he stared off into space, head still propped on his toy, took small sips of the water as if running on complete autopilot. Seeming expressionless was supposed to be Shownu’s talent, not Minhyuk’s, who always wore every one of his feelings openly on his face like a child who was always eager to interact with the world. It was part of what made him so very endearing to both his fans and to his groupmates. This sick Minhyuk was more a robot than Shownu could ever be, and it made him eager to get that little glimpse of a smile back.
“Okay,” he grunted slightly as he lifted up the tray and straddled it across Minhyuk’s lap before he perched himself on the side of the bed. Mindful not to spill, he scooped up a spoonful of the porridge and raised his brows at Minhyuk in a playful manner. “Are you going to take this like a man, or do I have to play airplane with you?”
Minhyuk, as expected by this point, scrunched up his face in disgust. “I don’t want any.”
“Come on. You have to eat. You don’t want to disappoint Mom, do you?”
This time the younger boy turned his head away and hid his face deeper into his plush doll, but Shownu would not be deterred. With the slightest grin, he started to emit a soft humming sound, not unlike an engine, increasing its volume as he steered the spoon closer to Minhyuk’s face.
“Open up for the Porridge Plane,” he said as he “flew” the spoon on a winding path directly into Minhyuk’s line of sight.
Minhyuk jerked back and tried to pull away, but he was already as far against the back of the bunk as he could be, so really he didn’t have anywhere to go. Feeding him became a game of a jet trying chase down its own runway, Minhyuk twisting his head back and forth until Shownu managed to poke the spoon into his face enough times to finally turn his increasingly-flustered protests into a surrendering chortle.
“Okay, okay, okay,” Minhyuk finally gave in, and leaned forward with an open mouth to accept his porridgey fate.
“You like it?” Shownu asked.
Minhyuk gave him a sharp nod. “Yeah, it’s good. The temperature’s just right.”
“You sound like Goldilocks,” Shownu laughed. “It fits your hair.”
Smiling a little wider, Minhyuk rested his head back against the wooden bunk, his eyes still cloudy and his face still flushed, but at least he was regaining some of his personality. “If I’m Goldilocks, you’re Papa Bear, Kihyun’s Mama Bear, who’s Baby Bear?”
“Kkukkungie,” they both said at once, and shared another laugh. After that it was pretty easy to get Minhyuk to finish off the bowl, but it seemed he’d used up all his energy in the process of getting through his meal. It didn’t take long before he was asleep again, laying on his back with his head turned to one side so the cooling pillow could drain some of the heat from his neck and face, his Spiderman plushie held tightly against his stomach.
Shownu took a moment to feel Minhyuk’s skin before leaving the room and frowned his displeasure. “Still too hot,” he mumbled, and went in search of a thermometer after he’d cleared the tray away, but he didn’t plan on using it until next time he woke Minhyuk up to get more water into his system. Until then, he needed to keep himself busy so he wouldn’t worry himself into a fit like Jooheon had earlier, so he sat down to play video games for awhile just to keep his mind occupied, making certain to mute the volume on the tv. If there was so much as a whimper from Minhyuk’s room, he would be ready to react to it.
~~~~~~~
He got more than a whimper. It was less than an hour later and Shownu was startled by the sound of the bathroom door being thrown open followed immediately by the sounds of retching. Forgetting about his game entirely, he rushed down the hall to find Minhyuk hugging the toilet, shaking and pale as he divested himself of what his body refused to digest of his earlier meal...which seemed like a good deal of it, and then some. The only thing Shownu could do for him in the process was to wet a rag and hold it against the back of his neck for minimal comfort, then helped him stand afterwards so that he could wash his face of bile and tears. The tears were what bothered Shownu more than anything else in that moment.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” he tried to soothe, and pulled Minhyuk against his chest where he held him there until he calmed down a bit. “Let’s get you back to bed, then I’ll sit with you, okay?”
Minhyuk nodded and clung to Shownu as they made their way the short distance back to his bunk, trying to keep a brave face as his hyung got him tucked back into bed. “No more porridge plane today,” he pleaded, his voice low and breathy with exhaustion. “I just killed all the passengers.”
“That’s fine,” Shownu agreed, too worried to go along with the joking attitude anymore, “but you need more water. Let me get you some, and I need to take your temperature. Don’t fall asleep.”
Minhyuk nodded, but he closed his eyes anyway, as if his eyelids had a mind of their own. Shownu hurried to get the thermometer, along with a new cloth and a fresh bowl of water, and rushed back into the room just as it seemed Minhyuk was on the verge of unconsciousness. He got his temperature first (38.8 - high, but not alarmingly so), but only managed to get about a third of the small glass of water into him before Minhyuk nearly choked on it, a sudden cough interfering with his ability to drink.
“Easy, easy,” Shownu coached as he helped his friend breathe through the fit, then laid him back down. “You can sleep. I’ll wake you later and we’ll try again.”
His reply came in the form of Minhyuk curling his fingers around his hand and drifting off without another word. Shownu sighed and used his free hand to awkwardly pull the cloth out of the bowl, squeezed it out as best he could, and wiped it gently across Minhyuk’s cheeks and brow. Then he got as comfortable as he could with one of his hands being held hostage; it looked like he was probably going to be there for awhile.
~~~~~~~
As the day passed by, things went from bad to worse. The fluke cough turned into regular fits that left Minhyuk winded and hurting, he was having trouble keeping down any amount of water that went over a few sips, his headache had gotten worse, and his fever had climbed to 39°. He was going from sweating enough to soak through his thin t-shirt one hour to shivering from chills the next, all his various symptoms combined keeping Shownu busy just trying to keep up with the best ways to cater to them all. By the time the others returned home from the studio, he was just as exhausted as all the rest of them.
“Wonho,” he called out softly as soon as he heard the door open, grateful that the returning members were being respectfully quiet as they stepped inside. It only took a second for Wonho to appear in the doorway, an expectant look on his face as though he were ready and waiting for whatever Shownu was about to ask of him. One look at Minhyuk and he didn’t need to bother asking how their brother was doing. Not good was the very clear answer. “I know you just got back,” Shownu started a bit apologetically, “but he needs something for a cough. And can you get someone to run a bath - not very warm, but not cold, either.”
“Does he need more porridge?” Kihyun asked at nearly a whisper, appearing beside Wonho seemingly out of nowhere.
Shownu’s face screwed into an agitated frown at the question. “He’ll throw it up. I don’t think he’s even kept down much of the Tylenol.”
“I can make him ginger tea,” Kinhyun offered.
Something that sounded almost like it could’ve been, “I don’t like tea,” came out of Minhyuk’s mouth, but it was so quiet and garbled that it was hard to catch. The boys all knew him well enough to know that’s exactly what his protest was though, and it made them smile just a little bit, even if the smiles they wore were clouded by worried expressions.
“I’ll make it sweet,” Kihyun promised, then addressed Shownu. “It won’t be too heavy. It’ll help settle his stomach some.”
And just like that, Shownu found himself surrounded by a group of eager, helpful members, even moreso than they had been that morning, all of them wanting nothing more than to bring back their bubbling ray of sunshine. Minhyuk wound up being gifted with two different types of cough suppressants (a syrup but also a rub for his chest in case he couldn’t keep the syrup down), sweet ginger tea cooled enough to drink easily that he sipped at from a brand new Avengers cup equipped with its own straw, and a lukewarm bath that smelled slightly of lavender to help relax him more.
The bath experience itself had been a bit interesting. It took more than a little bit of coaxing to get Minhyuk to crawl out of bed willingly, but when he did, it was obvious that he was more than a little unsteady on his feet. He leaned on Shownu heavily as they made their way to the bathroom, the others hovering a bit but keeping a respectful distance. Despite his weak protests that he could bathe by himself, Shownu was afraid to leave him alone, worried that he might fall while trying to undress or stepping in and out of the tub. In the end they compromised - Shownu could stay, but only if Minhyuk was allowed to keep his boxer shorts on while in the tub. He would only exchange them for a dry pair afterwards once he was robed and able to maintain a little decency.
Shownu had nearly slapped himself at that because he had forgotten to grab a robe on the way down the hall, but the second he turned towards the door, Jooheon was already there with all necessary post-bath garments in hand.
“He’s going to be okay, right?” he asked, brows knitted in anxious concern for his roommate. It was times like this where Shownu was truly made aware of how much like actual brothers they’d all become, because while Minhyukie and Jooheonnie could sometimes squabble like children, they also cared very deeply for each other. They were allowed to pick on one another, but if anyone else tried it outside of their little family, they would have each other’s back. In this case they were battling sickness, but it was a battle they had all volunteered themselves to fight.
Shownu glanced back at Minhyuk who was sitting listlessly on the edge of the tub. “It’s Minhyukie,” he stated, flashing a small grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “He’ll bounce back quickly.”
Heonnie put on a casual smile in return. “Yeah,” he huffed out a laugh, “like one of those clown balloons, the ones that you punch and they come right back.”
“Exactly.”
Jooheon gave him an appreciative nod before leaving them alone, closing the door behind him to give them some privacy. Shownu helped Minhyuk undress by basically standing there and offering himself as a post to lean on whenever the younger boy lost his balance or suffered a coughing fit, but otherwise he didn’t do anything that might injure Minhyuk’s pride. He was feeling weak and vulnerable enough as it was, he didn’t need his hyung to physically help strip him. He did, however, grip Shownu’s forearm tightly as he was stepping into the tub, using it like a bar to lower himself carefully so he wouldn’t fall. Finally, after all his struggles, he was able to relax back against the bath pillow and let the water absorb some of the heat from his fever as well as wash away the layer of sweat he’d been caked with. Despite his reluctance to accept help with his clothing, Minhyuk did allow Shownu to wash his hair and scrub his back, all the previous physical activity having drained him too much to care anymore about being embarrassed by that point.
“Can I sleep here for a little bit?” he murmured once he was resting back against the pillow. “The temperature’s really comfortable.”
“Sure, sure,” Shownu agreed, “but just until your fingers start to wrinkle. The water will be too cold after that.”
As expected, Minhyuk drifted off rather quickly given his hyung’s consent, so Shownu sat with his back against the tub, ready to watch over his friend until it was time to take him back to his bed.
~~~~~~~
It was a quiet evening in the dorm, Wonho working on music with his headphones on, other members playing video games with the television muted, the remainder of them either reading or writing, anything to create as little disturbance as possible until it would be time for them all to go to sleep. Shownu had bundled Minhyuk back to his room a few hours before, the medicines, tea, and bath having served their purpose in making him more comfortable and lowering his temperature somewhat - just a fraction really, but it was better than nothing. He was at least sleeping comfortably, only the slightest of coughs rattling up from his chest that weren’t strong enough to wake him.
When it came time for bed, everyone got ready as swiftly but silently as possible, and then by some sort of wordless agreement, all the members who normally roomed with Minhyuk shuffled into the other bedroom to share the four bunks there. Shownu stayed with the sick member, taking over Jooheon’s bed so that he could be at Minhyuk’s side instantly if he needed anything.
While the night went peacefully, with the morning came a new onslaught of violent coughing that ended with Minhyuk huddled painfully over the trash bin again. His fever hadn’t gone back up, but he looked so ragged and miserable that Shownu decided a trip to the doctor was in order for the day. Hyungwon drove them while Minhyuk leaned heavily against Shownu’s chest in the back seat, receiving whatever comfort he could in the way his hyung’s hand rubbed up and down his arm. He stayed pretty much glued to Shownu’s side as they made their way into the hospital lobby, but thanks to Hyungwon’s rather stern insistence, they didn’t have to wait long before a doctor was able to see them.
“As you suspected, just a bad case of the flu,” the doctor informed them, and basically instructed Shownu to just keep doing what they’d been doing. It would take a few days, but with enough rest, fluids, and medication, Minhyuk would be back on his feet without issue. A prescription was given for stronger cough suppressants and an antibiotic just for precautionary measures, but other than an order to bring him back in should his fever go up again, they were sent back home to deal with Minhyuk’s remaining sickness on their own.
None of the members seemed to mind. Minhyuk had spent enough time in the hospital already. He belonged in the dorm with them, and they all promised to do their part to make sure he got well as soon as possible.
~~~~~~~
By the morning of the third day since they had arrived home from the doctor’s visit, Shownu was exhausted from all the endless care he was doting on Minhyuk, but his brain was trained to wake up at the slightest sound of something being off. Somewhere in his sleep-deprived mind he registered the fact that his patient was sliding out of bed, and he forced himself into consciousness with the certainty that he’d be comforting Minhyuk once again as he vomited into the toilet. Instead, however, a second sound floated down the hall from the kitchen, not the bathroom - a muffled cough. That was then followed by a bit of hushed conversation that Shownu latched onto as he made his way out of the bedroom.
“Oh, hyung, did we wake you?” Minhyuk asked apologetically as he sat at the table, casually watching Kihyun as he pulled out supplies for cooking breakfast.
Shownu grinned. “It’s a good sight to wake up to. You seem better.”
Then there it was, one of Minhyuk’s signature smiles - not the blindingly bright kind, but the softer, appreciative kind, one that spelled out “all is well” for the first time in days. He still looked like a sickly kitten at the moment, his eyes a bit sunken and his skin still pale, but it was clear that the worst of the sickness had definitely passed, especially if he was up as early as Kihyun.
“Minmoongi said he wanted beef,” their resident cook and designated Mom laughed.
Minhyuk pouted at that. “What? I’m hungry! I’ve only had tea, broth and water for days! I want real food!”
Kihyun and Shownu both shook their heads. “Porridge and toast,” Kihyun stressed. “Keep it down and maybe you can have more for lunch.”
“Mom,” Minhyuk muttered with an obvious pout.
“Says the person who’s been a sick baby for almost a week.”
Minhyuk’s jaw dropped. “I wasn’t being a baby!”
Kihyun pointed his wooden spoon at his brother. “You cuddled your doll the whole time! We’ll have to wash it. Spiderman has your sweat and snot and spit all over him now.”
Shownu couldn’t help but notice how Kihyun was kind enough to leave out the tears. Minhyuk had cried into the doll more than a few times in the moments when he’d wanted to sleep but his aching body wouldn’t let him. Calling him a baby now was just the beginning of slipping back into normalcy, not meant to actually offend. None of them could really blame Minhyuk for being a mess when he was sick; he’d been hit by the flu harder than any of them had seen in a long time.
“Speaking of washing,” he stated changing the subject somewhat, “why don’t you take a bath while Kihyunnie makes breakfast. It’ll be good to clean the rest of the sick away and put on fresh clothes.”
Minhyuk nodded, turning down Shownu’s offer to help him. He still looked a bit shaky on his feet; it would probably be another couple days before he’d be ready to return to practice, but otherwise he was vastly improved, apparently enough to start trouble with the other waking members when he took longer than necessary in the bathroom when the others needed to use it.
Jooheon did a bit of a funny dance outside the door. “Minhyukie, open up! I really have to pee!”
The door opened a moment later and Honey rushed inside, only to toss out a laughing Minhyuk, shutting the door in his face. He stumbled a bit, but Changkyun was close by to catch and steady him.
Wonho slid past and ruffled his hand through Minhyuk’s damp hair, making it stick up everywhere. “Minmoongi! Good to see you up,” he smiled as he headed towards the kitchen.
All in all, the dark mood that had smothered everyone like a thick fog over the past several days suddenly lifted, burned away with the rising of the sun. The teasing and joking commenced all the way through breakfast, everyone’s spirits high as they herded themselves out the door for practice (all of them promising to come back for their lunch break just to keep Minhyuk and Shownu company).
“You could’ve gone today,” Minhyuk said from his perch on the couch as he lazily watched Shownu practicing the choreography on his own. “I’m okay now.”
“Maybe tomorrow,” Shownu shrugged. “I’m not comfortable leaving you alone yet.”
Minhyuk bit at his lip for a moment, then scrambled off the cushions to grab Shownu from behind in a tight hug, halting all attempts at practicing. “Thank you, hyung,” he said, his voice muffled as he buried his face into Shownu’s shoulder. “Sorry I caused so much trouble.”
Shownu reached back and patted Minhyuk’s arm. “I’m the leader. It’s my job to look after you.”
Minhyukie squeezed harder. “You’re a good leader...and a better friend. I’m going to work harder to be a better person so I can be like you.”
“You don’t have to,” Shownu said, shaking his head as he turned around in Minhyuk’s hold so he could properly return the hug. “Everyone likes you just the way you are. You give us energy and help us stay positive when things get hard. Why do you think we were all so worried when you were sick? Try not to do that again and I’ll be happy.”
“Then I swear never to get sick again.”
Minhyuk said it so seriously that Shownu almost believed he could actually pull it off. It would be impossible though, but that was okay. If he got sick again, Shownu and the others would be there to help him through it just like Minhyuk would be there to help any of the rest of them. It wasn’t just about them being bandmates, either; it was about them being friends, being brothers, and taking such good care of one another when sick or injured was just something that brothers did. It was something they would always do. As a family. Together.
~The End~