Work Text:
The living room was quiet in a way that didn’t feel fully comfortable. It wasn’t completely silent, because the TV was still on low volume in the background, but it didn’t really help fill the space. It just added a soft flicker of sound and light that made everything feel slightly more distant. The curtains were half drawn, letting in a grey afternoon sky that made the room look dull and flat, like the colour had been drained out of it. The sofa sat against the wall, slightly worn in the middle, with a blanket already draped over one arm of it, half folded like it had been left there earlier and forgotten. Cups and small bits of clutter sat on the table in front, nothing dramatic, just the kind of mess that builds up when no one feels like cleaning properly.
Eggchan was already sitting there, but not in his usual way.
Normally he filled space. Even when he was still, there was something active about him, like he was always half thinking about moving, talking, doing something. Now he just looked slowed down. His shoulders were slightly hunched, and he was leaning back into the sofa more than sitting on it properly. His phone was in his hand, screen lit, but his thumb only moved occasionally. He’d scroll a bit, stop, stare at nothing for a few seconds, then scroll again like he’d forgotten what he was doing.
Wemmbu noticed it without meaning to at first. He was just in the same room, doing nothing in particular, but the quiet felt different. Not calm, just off.
“You alright?” he asked eventually, not moving from where he was standing.
Eggchan didn’t look up straight away. “Yeah.”
It was immediate. Too immediate.
Wemmbu frowned slightly. “You’ve been quiet.”
“I’m always quiet.”
“That’s not true.”
Only then did Eggchan look up properly, but only for a second. His eyes looked a bit unfocused, like it took extra effort to actually land on something and stay there. There was a faint flush across his face that didn’t really match the room temperature.
He shifted on the sofa, pushing himself up like he was about to stand.
It didn’t look smooth.
He got to his feet slowly, paused halfway upright for a moment too long, then fully straightened. For a second he just stood there without doing anything.
Then his balance slipped.
It wasn’t a dramatic fall, just a small sway, but it was enough that his hand shot out and grabbed the edge of the table beside him.
Wemmbu straightened instantly. “Oi—”
“I’m fine,” Eggchan said quickly, like he could overwrite what just happened by saying it fast enough.
But he didn’t let go of the table.
His grip was tighter than it needed to be, fingers pressing into the edge like he was using it to stay anchored. His head tilted slightly forward, and he blinked slowly a couple of times.
Then he muttered, quieter:
“…I feel weird.”
That made Wemmbu step forward properly.
“What do you mean weird?”
Eggchan didn’t answer straight away. His eyes moved slightly, like he was trying to focus on the room but it kept shifting out of place. He swallowed once, then let out a small breath.
Wemmbu reached up without thinking and placed the back of his hand against Eggchan’s forehead.
He pulled it back almost immediately.
“You’re burning up.”
Eggchan frowned. “What?”
“You’re really hot.”
“I’m not ill.”
“You are definitely ill.”
Eggchan tried to straighten again like that would prove something, but his movement was slightly delayed. His knees didn’t fully cooperate, and he had to catch himself again on the table.
That was when Wemmbu stepped in front of him.
“Sit down.”
“No.”
“Eggchan.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not standing properly.”
Eggchan stared at him for a second. His expression had a flicker of irritation, but it didn’t fully form. It faded halfway through, like even being annoyed took too much energy.
“…you’re overreacting,” he said instead.
Wemmbu didn’t move. “Sit down.”
There was a pause where neither of them spoke. Eggchan looked like he might argue again, but then his shoulders dropped slightly.
“…fine.”
Wemmbu guided him back to the sofa, keeping one hand near his arm in case he stumbled again. Eggchan didn’t resist properly this time. He just lowered himself down heavily, like sitting up had been the last bit of effort he had left.
Once he was down, he leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on his knees, head dipping a little. His breathing looked slower than normal, not dramatic, just heavier.
Wemmbu stood there for a second, unsure what exactly he was supposed to do next.
Then he moved.
He grabbed a glass, filled it with water, and picked up the blanket from the arm of the sofa.
When he came back, Eggchan hadn’t moved much.
“Drink,” Wemmbu said.
“I don’t want it.”
“You need it.”
“I’m not ill.”
“You literally just almost fell over.”
Eggchan gave a small, tired exhale, like arguing wasn’t worth it anymore. He took the glass anyway, but his hand was less steady than usual. He noticed it, frowned slightly at himself, then quickly took a small sip and handed it back.
“That’s enough.”
“It’s not.”
“It is.”
Wemmbu didn’t push it further. Instead, he unfolded the blanket and draped it over him, adjusting it so it covered his shoulders properly.
Eggchan didn’t complain this time.
That silence said more than anything else.
After a while, Eggchan had shifted into a lying position on the sofa. His head was turned slightly to the side, eyes half closed. The flush on his face hadn’t gone away, and every so often his brows would tighten like he was uncomfortable, then relax again.
Wemmbu came back with a cold cloth and hesitated before placing it on his forehead.
Eggchan flinched slightly.
“…cold.”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t like it.”
“Not the point.”
Eggchan didn’t move it away.
His breathing slowly evened out again, but he still looked tired in a way that didn’t seem like it would go away quickly.
As the light outside shifted, the room got dimmer. The TV flickered softly, but neither of them really watched it. Wemmbu sat closer now, not right on top of him, but near enough that he didn’t have to keep getting up.
Every so often, he checked him. Light touches to the forehead. Adjusting the blanket when it slipped. Watching the way his breathing changed.
At one point, Eggchan shifted slightly in his sleep and his hand moved under the blanket until it found Wemmbu’s sleeve.
He held it loosely.
Wemmbu noticed and went still for a second, then just relaxed again instead of moving away.
“…don’t go,” Eggchan muttered, barely awake.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Wemmbu said quietly.
Eggchan didn’t respond after that. His grip stayed, but his breathing slowed again as he drifted deeper into sleep.
Night came slowly.
The living room was darker now, lit mostly by the faint glow of the TV and the soft light coming from the hallway. Everything felt quieter, heavier. Time didn’t feel very clear anymore.
Wemmbu stayed awake more than he meant to. Not doing anything important, just sitting there, watching, checking. Every small movement made him look over. If Eggchan shifted too much, he adjusted the blanket. If his breathing changed, he leaned in slightly just to make sure.
It wasn’t confident care. It was careful, slightly awkward, but constant.
Eggchan woke up a couple of times during the night, just briefly. Each time he asked for water in a quiet voice, and Wemmbu helped him sit up enough to drink before letting him lie back down again.
He never fully woke up properly.
By morning, the light in the room was softer. The grey had shifted into pale daylight that made the space feel less heavy than before.
Eggchan was the first to properly wake.
He blinked slowly, staring at the ceiling for a few seconds before shifting slightly. His movements were still tired, but steadier than before.
That’s when he noticed Wemmbu still sitting there, half slouched, clearly having stayed the entire night.
Eggchan looked at him for a moment.
“…you stayed.”
Wemmbu blinked awake properly. “Yeah.”
“You didn’t have to.”
“I know.”
There was a pause.
Eggchan looked away slightly, then spoke quieter than usual.
“…thanks.”
Wemmbu shrugged, trying to make it feel normal again. “You were terrible, by the way.”
Eggchan huffed a small laugh, weak but real.
“Shut up.”
But he didn’t move away.
Instead, he leaned back into the sofa again, pulling the blanket around himself properly. After a moment, he shifted just slightly closer, not saying anything about it.
Wemmbu noticed.
He didn’t say anything either.
He just stayed there.