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Keonho woke up feeling like he swallowed a cactus. He did not like this.
He tried to get up from his bed, feeling like an elephant was sitting on top of him but he still did got up.
He looked across the room and saw Martin's bed empty, with blankets neatly folded and an organized pillow.
weird.
He thought. Usually this happens when his Martin hyung will be away for like a day or something.
Probably went to Dongmyo to visit his grandma.
He sighs, he could really use a warm cuddle from Martin now.
Then his eyes pans towards Seonghyeon who was sprawled on his bed, still asleep.
He groans at thought of cuddling Seonghyeon. Don't get him wrong, he loves his same age friend.
And seonghyeon for sure wouldn't mind, except he will probably just get teased for the next few weeks by Seonghyeon.
Keonho sighs and gently massaged his own neck that was kinda sore from yesterday's practice.
Then he realised its not just his neck that is hurting from yesterday's dance practice, it was his entire body, when he stood up from his bed.
He softly whines at the pain. He slowly made his way to the other bedroom, where James and Juhoon was.
or at least that was where they are supposed to be.
James bed is empty. He dramatically stomp his feet but not too loud, not wanting to wake up his juhoon hyung.
though knowing how much of a deep sleeper juhoon is, the sound of keonho stomping his feet like a petulant child is almost impossible to wake juhoon up.
What he wants now is a warm cuddle for comfort. Again, don't get him wrong.
It's not that he doesn't want a cuddle from juhoon. juhoon definitely gave one of the best cuddle.
its just that when juhoon is asleep, again, its almost impossible to wake him up.
so if keonho laid down next to juhoon, it will just feels like laying down with a plushie. a big and pale plushie.
juhoon probably wouldnt even stir from the commotion if keonho tried to laid down on juhoon's bed.
keonho whines again, feeling tears welling up his eyes. he's getting a little agitated.
he swallowed down a whimpered but that just become a reminder of his throat that doesn't feel like it's in the best condition
He walked out of the room and was about to head back to his room, shuddering a little at the cold air and a little scared from the dark living room.
he was still whining in a very quiet voice the whole time. he feels like he could cry any moment.
as his hand grab the doorknob to the bedroom he shared with seonghyeon and martin, suddenly he heard a sound from the kitchen.
that scared him. the sound of the glass clinking and feet shuffling, more accurately, feet that seems to be wearing house slippers.
yup that scares him so he hurriedly went inside his room and closed the door a little too loud that made seonghyeon stirred a little in his sleep.
he rushed towards his own bed, slumping. then went under the blanket.
he pulled his blanket up until his shoulder before hugging a pillow and closing his eyes, still a little shaken from the sound he heard in the kitchen, and his head feels like it's pounding.
he was about to fall asleep after around 10 minutes of laying down again but the sound of feel walking with house slippers came again.
this time, it sounds like it's going towards his room.
his eyes widened and pulled his blanket to cover his entire body.
'no no I can't die like this" he thought.
he got up and ran towards seonghyeon's bed, his hand grabbed seonghyron's arm, about to shake it to wake him up but before he could do all those, the door opened.
he was about to scream but he realised... it's James.
"keonho?" James's voice echoes across the room.
it just James.
"Keonho? what's- wait are you okay?" James asked, his voice concerned this time.
James stood at the entrance of the room, one hand still holding the doorknob as he studied Keonho's face.
flushed, with sweats dripping down the side of his face, and a flustered expression on his face.
as Keonho realised it's James, he let's out a sigh of relief and within a split second, he ran towards James, giving him a bone crushing hug.
James froze, honestly confused with what's going on.
"what are you-" James said but was cut off by Keonho's soft sobs.
"Hey what's wrong? aegi?" James called him with a pet name.
And with that, Keonho thought, 'life's suddenly better'.
Keonho, the ever so playful, stubborn and occasionally affectionate is sobbing as he clings to James.
"hey what's wrong? what hurts?" James's tone softened, hand coming up to comb keonho's hair with his fingers.,
James knew that the two maknaes, can be stubborn. They can be playful. They can be a little clingy. and he loves that for the two.
but when they're in this state? there's only two meaning. physically in pain or mentally in pain.
this made James alarmed, not liking when his dongsaengs, who sometimes hard to take care of, are in any way of pain.
"keonho-ya. breath. what's wrong?" he asked again.
"my throat hurts- my head- and I woke up- you weren't there" honestly keonho is not making any sense now as he tried to talked through his sobs.
and James is very much still don't know what's going on with the youngest maknae, but all he knows is he isn't feeling too good.
and that's all that James needs to know.
"hey hey. calm down" james tried to comfort keonho who is still actively sobbing.
"come, let's go to the living room" James said as he gathered keonho's arm and pulled him into a hug.
they slowly walked to the living room where it is now dimly lit with the down light, james not forgetting to close the door to the bedroom.
keonho saw on the floor, where there is a mattress the manager put since the boys like to lounge around in the living room as they watch tv during their breaks, have some pillows and fluffy blankets on it.
keonho is a little confused. usually the mattress is just there for then to lay down, rarely pillows and blanket on it. is James sleeping on it?
but why?
because juhoon?
why juhoon?
the ever so quiet and observer member.
keonho decided to brush it off for now and asked later.
james led him to sit on the mattress but keonho, for some reason, went straight to laying down, which james automatically followed him since he's in james' hold.
they stared there as keonho lightly sniffles, clinging to james, one hand holding james' shirt tightly.
"aegi are you okay" james asked.
keonho explained the best he could, through his sobs, sniffles.
james managed to put pieces together after a while.
"wait here" james said as he got up, which earned a whine from the very whiney maknae.
james rushed to the kitchen while keonho stays in the living room, laying down on the mattress, almost dozing off.
james returned with a glass of water and cold medicine.
"keonho get up and take this" James said.
keonho grunted as his eyes met with James', face scrunching up in disgust before avoiding eye contact.
"come on. don't make this harder than it should be" james warned.
keonho was yet again in the verge of tears. he indeed get up but was trying to get away.
"ahn keonho" james said his full name this time, tone more stern, matching his face expression, causing the maknae to whimper and eventually comply.
"hyung" he whimpered but james slipped the pills between his lips, pushing it past his teeth and pressed the glass of water to his lips.
"good" james said before putting aside the glass of water.
james then joined him on the mattress again, this time, pulling a blanket to cover both of them up until their shoulder.
keonho was comically immediately drifted off to dreamland, as james suppressed his own laughter at the sight of keonho eyes drooping.
that night, james made sure to hold keonho tight as he sleeps, something all the members like whenever they asked james for a cuddle in times of not feeling well, homesick or whatever.
after all, their james hyung is the best