#SEO experiments | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

skzoologist · 2 years ago

Note

Hiya, I absolutely love your work

I'm not sure if you have already done this but could you do a sort of compilation of times Bae took care of each of the members

Thank you

word count: ~7.4k words, roughtly 800-1000 words per member

warnings: descriptions of getting a cold, Jisung having a bad mental day, Felix twisting his ankle (but the latter two are not thoroughly described)

genre: fluff with some angst sprinkled in

a/n: Hey-ho anon! First of all, I deeply apologise for making you wait for so long, I really meant to write and post this a week ago. But then I wanted to write more, so did, and then the word count just kept increasing... Second of all, thank you very much for requesting such a sweet scenario and for loving my work! It really brought a big, dorky smile on my face. I really hope you like it, I did my best! ^-^

Please let me know if I left a warning or anything out, I will add it in! Reblogs, likes and feedback are greatly appreciated!

!I don't condone anyone stealing my work and posting it anywhere without my permission, or feeding it to AI!

!This is just fiction, my interpretation of Stray Kids. By no means is this how they are and how they behave in real life!

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

Bang Chan:

Their leader was doing it again, like always. It was a dance they had been doing for years now, a never ending cycle of exhaustion. He would lock himself in his studio -even remain there for several days if he had nothing else to do in his schedule- and just leave the others wondering about his well being.

The members would try to coax him out, usually to no avail. In the worst case scenario, Chan would even get angry and send them out, locking the door ultimately afterwards. It was never a pretty sight, so everyone was careful about their approach, as if they were in the enclosure of an angry predator.

But even with the chance of being yelled at, Bae always remained by Chan’s side.

He would go to the studio, even if he had a long day and it was nearing midnight, it didn’t matter to him at all. Bae would remain by the locked door with his back against the wall next to it, sitting on the floor on a pillow he always brought with himself in scenarios like this. He always knocked on the door when he arrived, but never expected an answer or for it to open.

So, he simply sat there, a big bottle of water and some easily consumable grocery food laying next to him. Bae left those there every single day, and when he arrived in the next, they were gone; so at least he could relax a bit, knowing Chan was eating and drinking at least that much every day.

Nonetheless, he worriedly remained in his place, chatting with the others on his phone -if they were still up, that is- and calming them a bit. It was a hard task to accomplish, seeing as this whole back and forth between him and Chan put a strain on his own well-being as well. He thought he could hide the eyebags and little yawns successfully, but the calculating eyes of Minho never failed to notice them. If he tried to avoid meeting with his feline resembling bandmate, he would be pestered into sending a selfie -god, his phone blew up so much it vibrated non stop-. He could never escape him and his nagging.

But that was how Bae was, putting others before himself and he couldn’t help it, especially not when he knew his beloved leader was putting so much work on his own shoulders. Just the thought pained him enough to put a permanent crease between his eyebrows, lips arching down slightly.

The sound of a lock clicking and a door opening broke him out of his thoughts, his eyes meeting with dull ones.

“Dal, what’re ya doin’ here?” - Chan slurred out, confusion written on his exhausted face. “Taking care of you.” - was the only answer that left Bae’s lips, his body already up, hands offering the prepared food and water to the older male.

With a heavy sigh, Chan accepted them and downed most of the water, if not all, before tearing open the plastic packaging of a bread bun and wolfing it down. Bae eyed him critically, making sure he ate everything well, not leaving a single crumb behind. As if sensing it, Chan showed Bae the empty packages before pocketing them to throw them away later. Satisfied, the taller one nodded and took Chan’s bag before he stepped in front of him. With a little crouch and a swift grab, Bae took Chan onto his back who just let out a strangled little noise in response.

“D-dal, what’re you doing? I can walk. Hey… Hey, Dal, can you hear me? Put me down, come on mate…” - but as he didn’t get a response, he sighed and finally accepted his fate.

Of course he got no response, Bae knew how stubborn the man was. The moment he let him down, Chan would stumble around and Bae would be forced to watch. It had happened before, so Bae adapted to it and changed his tactics to the current one.

Footsteps and quiet grumblings -cursing directed at him, for sure- were all one could hear as the two made their way to the dorms. Luckily they lived in the same one, so Bae wouldn’t have to walk back to his own one at the crack of dawn after making sure his leader was safe and resting.

By the time they reached the door, only soft snores could be heard, Chan’s breathing tickling Bae’s nape with every breath. He smiled, happy the man finally let himself fall asleep, at least for a little bit. He quietly made his way into the dorms, more specifically Chan’s room, not wishing to wake anyone up. Carefully placing the sleeping male onto the bed, Bae took off his shoes and tucked him in, blanket up to his chin.

Looking over the male one more time, Bae let out a satisfied sigh and took out his phone to take a photo. It was immediately uploaded into their group chat, thankfully no one saw it -it was 5 am after all- right away. Happy that everyone was now sleeping, Bae made his way into his own room, but only after glancing at Chan one last time.

Lee Know:

Bae’s menace of a hyung -even if only by a few months- was resilient, the man rarely got sick or hurt. He was precise in what he did, especially in their dance practices, so it was really worrying to see him make several smaller mistakes in a single session. But when confronted, he brushed them off and continued as if nothing had happened.

It continued like this for a few days, Minho looking worse and worse as time went by, but only slightly. His hair was a bit too dishevelled, he cleared his throat just a bit more than usual and asked back when he didn’t quite catch or understand what they said a suspicious amount of times.

None of it escaped Bae’s attention, and he quite frankly had enough of Minho just brushing them off as if nothing was wrong.

“Minho hyung, you’re sick.” “No, Bae, I’m n–” “You. Are. Sick.” Minho merely blinked back at the taller one, surprised he was talked back to so confidently.

“Oh damn, Bae hyung is not playing around anymore.” - Felix commented, Seungmin muttering a ‘Finally’ as everyone quickly left the room, leaving the two to battle it out. Not even Chan’s leader or hyung privileges could help in the situation, so with a pat on Bae’s shoulder, he left as well.

But before Minho’s sick brain could catch up and retaliate, Bae grabbed his wrist and dragged the male after everyone to the dorms. Naturally, halfway through Minho realised what situation he was in and started loudly whining, unsuccessfully trying to pull his hand out of Bae’s hold. No, the taller had none of it, he simply dashed towards Minho’s room and carefully, but firmly plopped the other onto the bed.

“Rest. I’ll be back.” - he said with a pointed stare, not even waiting for a response from the other.

On his way to the kitchen, he bumped into Seungmin and asked the younger one to make sure Minho didn't escape.

“What’s in it for me?” “You can ask me to do anything, even on camera.” “Sweet, jackpot.”

With his soul being sold to the devil, Bae continued on his way to the kitchen to make a nice, hot soup for his sick hyung. He probably caught a cold, if his sniffing and throat clearing was anything to go by, and that called for homemade chicken soup. Thankfully, everything he needed was available in the dorms -pros of having Minho as one of the residents-, so he could get started right away.

Whenever he could step away for a few minutes, he checked up on Seungmin, to see how he was doing and if he was doing his job. But with the rare reward he got in exchange, Seungmin dutifully did his job and held the door closed.

After an hour or two of cooking, Bae could finally grab a bowl and fill it with steaming, hot soup. Putting it on a tray along with the correct utensils, a glass of water and some medicine, he made his way to Minho's room. He thanked Seungmin for keeping their sick hyung in the room and went in, a dark pair of eyes immediately zeroing in on his form.

“Baeee, I told you I’m not sick.” - Minho whined from the bed, standing up to escape. “And I’m the Santa Claus.” - Bae replied, quickly putting down the tray onto the bedside table and grabbing onto the back of Minho’s shirt, swiftly dragging him back.

Naturally, this earned him a slew of whining and high-pitched noises, but only until the older’s throat gave out and his voice cracked, immediately turning raspy. Minho blinked and confusedly touched his throat, all the while Bae looked like he really wanted to say he said so.

But he didn’t, he wouldn’t.

Instead, he just gestured towards the bed with his head, his hyung sighing and finally giving up the fight, sitting down on the bed with his back propped up against the headboard. Not even a second later the tray was put into his lap, Bae sitting down next to him. He brushed a lock of hair away from Minho’s forehead, putting his hand on it afterwards. Thankfully the male didn’t really feel warmer, which earned a happy sigh from Bae.

“Thank you.” - quietly said Minho after he finished, the bowl and cup empty, medicine taken and being digested.

Bae simply nodded, a small smile forming on his lips at his hyung’s pout that freshly sat upon his face.

“Sleep, I’ll be back.”

And he would be, checking up on the male every few hours, and luckily so. By the morning Minho was absolutely done, the cold knocking the energy right out of him. The most he had the energy for was whining, something he constantly did, much to the annoyance of everyone, especially a certain someone.

“Baeeeeee, my head hurts, gimme a head massaaaaaaageeee.”

The man in question just closed his eyes and sighed, but stood up to saunter over towards Minho anyway.

The things he did for his bandmates.

Seo Changbin:

Changbin was always a very careful person around the gym, constantly making sure his and the others’ stances were good and proper. He never failed to help the others or ask for help if needed, not an ounce of shame or shyness in his voice while doing so -not like there was anything to feel like that for-.

That was why it caught everyone who were at their private gym by surprise when he let out a sudden yell, followed by the loud thud of a weight hitting the floor.

Chan was the first who reached him, quickly assessing the situation and taking control. Jisung was lingering nearby, anxiously following their every move and ready to dash and grab something if needed. It was chaotic, especially with Changbin’s loud cursing when he moved his arm in the wrong way, but the boys managed to support the injured dwaekki and got him to sit down while the physiologist arrived there.

Chan was no stranger to accidental injuries, he worked quickly and efficiently, hence why the first thing he did was calling a medical expert. In the meantime, Jisung updated the others via their group chat, his hands still slightly shaking from worry.

The few minutes they had to wait for the physiologist to arrive felt like hours, their heads already filled with countless scenarios about how severe the injury could be and how long it would take to heal. Don’t get them wrong, the most they worried about was their bandmate’s health, someone they spent so much time with they considered family. But being an idol was a demanding job, and a serious injury could have harsh consequences.

Thankfully, it was nothing like that, Changbin merely pulled a muscle and it would heal in a few weeks.

All three of them heaved out a relieved sigh, the physiologist smiling at their reaction, before giving instructions on what to do and leaving. The three went back to the dorms after that immediately, Changbin’s right arm now wrapped in bandage and resting in a sling. If he wanted it to properly heal fast, he had to rest it a lot and ice it too, so he had no choice but to begrudgingly wear the sling.

He didn’t like it one bit, his training schedule now completely turned upside down and he was not happy about it. The whole way there he whined, much to the dismay of the other two. But they endured it, already used to how the dwaekki usually was, especially when annoyed like this.

The moment they opened the dorm’s front door, 6 pairs of eyes greeted them back. Felix immediately rushed over to them from where he was pacing the room, looking over Changbin’s form and assessing the situation himself. As much as Changbin whined on the way over, he voiced nothing of the sort when he answered the sunshine incarnate, merely trying to calm the boy down.

Bae watched it all silently while he was listening to the physiologist’s instructions from Chan, the elder already knowing the situation would be completely under control with their tall member there. Bae nodded once Chan was done and with a pat on the shoulder, he left to check on Jisung and calm his anxiety if needed. A quick glance told him there was no need for such, the quokka already with Minho who expertly took the younger’s mind off of the accident.

So, Bae simply walked over to ruffle Jisung’s hair, then went over to his injured bandmate -who had a Felix stuck on his uninjured side like a koala- with a raised eyebrow.

“Yah, don’t look at me like that, it was an accident! I don’t know what happened, I guess I moved the wrong way or something.”

Bae hummed in reply with a slight nod, brushing a lock of hair away from Felix’s eyes and quietly asking him to move away. Once that was done, he ushered the loud little dwaekki onto the couch to rest, knowing fully well the man would not stay still alone in his own room. But even with all that, he refused to lay down.

“No, I don’t wanna!” “What do you mean?” “I don’t wanna just lay down and stay still!”

If looks could kill, Changbin would have been a dead man long ago. He noticed it too when he took a peek at Bae, so he quickly corrected himself.

“I will only lay down in your lap!” “... Eh?”

The tall man was shocked into silence, his ears already reddening before his mind could properly process what had happened. The others merely bursted into laughter, not that surprised by their bold bandmate.

“Just give up Bae hyung, you know how he is.” - Hyunjin added in, a sly smile dancing on his lips.

Curse them, they all enjoyed the situation a bit too much.

But Bae could only accept it all, since they were right: it was the only way Changbin would rest, and Bae cared for him more than he cared for his own pride. So, with a heavy sigh he sat down and patted his lap while looking anywhere, but his bandmates’ eyes. The sheer joy could be heard in the noise Changbin made and he wasted no time to situate his head comfortably on his victim’s lap.

Since he had to lay on his back to not aggravate his injury, he had the perfect view of Bae’s bashful expression, giggling at it in glee. He absolutely loved flustering his shy hyung, it was one of his favourite things to do. Bae merely playfully glared at him as he pressed a wrapped up ice pack onto his injured arm -that Chan passed to him-, revelling in the little hiss he let out in response.

“Yah, why are you so rough? Will you poke out my eye too when you’re feeding me??”

Yep, there went Bae’s normal skin complexion along with his ability to form sentences, all the while the others just watched in amusement -and maybe they filmed it too, who knows-.

Hwang Hyunjin:

It was a rare moment where they all had a little break from their hectic schedules and they decided to go to a water park, wishing to cool down on a hot summer day. Of course they would be filming there a bit too, but it was going to be much less strict compared to the shooting of a music video or the preparation for a tour.

Everyone was brimming with excitement, some even unable to contain it as they hopped around in place or pestered someone. Bae couldn’t blame them, really, he himself was extremely excited too, given how much he loved water and peacefully swimming in it. Naturally, this meant everyone teased him about being an otter -Jisung as their leader- just like his skzoo, but it was fine. Worst case scenario, he would drag them into the water with himself and reprimand them there, knowing it would shut them up for a solid 30 minutes before it all started up once again.

“Which car will you go in, Hyung?” - bounded over Felix, the epitome of energy.

Right, the park was an hour long drive away and because they were let go by themselves and weren’t driven around in a van, they had to split up.

But before Bae could even consider his options, a quokka and a cat grabbed his arms -one each- and stole him away, leaving a blinking Felix behind. It all happened so fast, Bae could only blink and gape like a fish out of the water after he was shoved into the backseat of a car, the perpetrators sitting in the front -with Minho driving- and quickly buckling up.

“Did you get kidnapped, Dal hyung?” - asked the soft voice of Hyunjin, who apparently sat next to him the whole time.

He simply nodded in response and quickly put on his seatbelt, seeing as the car already started up and they zoomed out of the parking lot.

“Yea, snatched him right out of Felix’s hold. You should have seen his face!” - laughed Jisung, his fingers already scrolling on his phone to search for a playlist and blast it through the car’s speakers. “Huh… Good job Han, you did something great for once in your life.” - Hyunjin replied as he scooted as close as he could to Bae and laid his head on the older’s shoulder. “Hey, what do you mean by that?!” “Oh you know what I mean.” “No I don’t, Mr. Drama Llama, please elaborate.” “You know, when you kept–” - but Bae flicked Hyunjin’s forehead before he could finish his sentence, earning a loud and dramatic whine from the younger.

He also glanced back at Jisung -who was clinging to the back of his seat so he could face them better-, who sputtered out an apology and turned back around as Minho just laughed in amusement at their antics.

“Why did you hit me so hard, aish.” “It wasn’t hard and you know it. Now come here, you dramatic princess.” “P-princess–”

But Bae turned Hyunjin’s head to face him anyway, gentle fingers swiftly soothing the slightly red skin on the younger’s forehead. This immediately shut Hyunjin up, as he now peacefully enjoyed the rare moment and caring touch of his shy hyung. Naturally, once it was over he resumed his spot on Bae’s shoulder and the car ride continued with relative peace amongst the lively chatting and loud music.

It was all fine and well until Bae sweeped his hand over Hyunjin’s forehead to tuck a stray lock of hair away, when he realised something was wrong. Hyunjin’s skin was slightly cold and clammy, a thin layer of sweat coating it. If Bae concentrated, he could hear how the younger’s breathing was slightly off; laboured and a bit forced.

“Jin?” - he gently asked, only earning a quiet hum in return.

This worried the older even more, making his eyebrows furrow in concern, something that Minho noticed from the rearview mirror and gave voice to it.

“Jin is not okay, can you pull over somewhere Hyung?”

No further elaboration was needed as silence took over the car, the lively chatter dead and the music reduced to a mere quiet background noise.

“Jin, what’s wrong? Talk to me.” - Bae tried once more, his hand now actively running through the younger’s hair in a calming effort. “Don’t feel good… Nauseous.” “Good job, thank you. Rest now, we’ll stop soon.” - Bae replied back, brushing his nose against the crown of Hyunjin’s hair as he glanced at the rearview mirror, eyes meeting with Minho’s who nodded to confirm they would indeed stop soon.

Jisung was already on the phone, talking to the others to tell them they would be late and that he would update them as soon as he could. Bae was really grateful he had such competent bandmates who he could call family, who he knew so well they could understand each other with no words.

The moment the car stopped, they all undid their seatbelts -Bae did it for Hyunjin, with the state the poor man was reduced to- and coaxed their sick bandmate out. It took a while, but when Hyunjin got out of the car he immediately hunched over and emptied his stomach, Bae holding his hair away and rubbing soothing circles into his back. The other two rummaged through the car for some water and a bag for Hyunjin in case of an emergency, not wanting to just stand around and do nothing while their friend suffered.

A few minutes of resting -and somehow making Hyunjin drink a bit-, they all sat back into the car.

“Jin, lay down.”

Even in a sick state this surprised the blonde, because it meant his head would be resting in his hyung’s lap.

“It’s fine, just lay down, don’t worry.”

Bae’s statement left no room for argument and with that, off they went to catch up to the others at the water park.

Han Jisung:

That day was no different from any other, everyone’s schedule full as they went their separate ways to get things done. Bae spent his whole day in the practice room alone, doing their new choreography over and over again, until it seared not only into his mind, but his muscles as well. And when that was done, he did it one more time for good measure before stretching down and tiredly walking back to the dorms he shared with half of the boys.

Upon arriving, he called out a loud greeting in case anyone was back already and indeed someone was, namely Hyunjin, who greeted him back. A quick chat later Bae went to shower and hole himself up in his room, but not to rest, rather to work away on his computer.

While he was not part of the 3racha and he didn’t edit songs, he still had his own computer-related studies he had to cram into his spare time. Thus, he put an earbud in -just one, in case he was needed by someone- to listen to some instrumental music as he slaved away in front of the bright screen in the dark room, the notion most probably damaging his eyes, but he couldn’t really care at that moment.

He was fully immersed in his work, mind focused on one task only, when suddenly a noise caught his attention.

It was so faint he almost missed it.

Pausing his music, Bae took out his earbud and swivelled around in his chair towards the door, waiting to hear the sound again and confirm he was not just hallucinating it -wouldn’t be the first time-. And sure enough, there it was, somehow even fainter than before. He didn’t hesitate for a second as he called out and invited in whoever was on the other side, although he had an inkling about their identity as this had happened before already.

The door opened up just enough for a dark mop of hair to peek through, nothing else could be seen from their dark silhouette due to the lack of light in the room. But Bae could tell, there was no doubt in his mind about who it was, saddened that it was one of those days again.

“It’s alright, come in Ji.” - he called out gently with a nickname he only used when needed.

Jisung stepped into the room and closed the door, but did not really approach his hyung, he merely fidgeted in place -only told by the rustling sounds one could hear from the darkness-. Knowing how things went by now, Bae patted his leg in silence and carefully watched as Jisung slowly made his way over to him and climbed into his lap.

With his knees folded, head buried in the crook of Bae’s neck and arms tightly wound around his hyung’s form, Jisung seemed small, extremely so. His vulnerable form softened Bae’s eyes immediately, the elder hugging his form into himself even more if possible.

“Hard day, baby?” - he hummed out, his protective and doting side taking over as he drew little shapes into Jisung’s back and sides.

All he got was a weak nod in response before the younger buried his head deeper into the crook of his neck, a broken breath leaving his tiny form.

There were days when everything got too much for Jisung, when the weight on his shoulders felt impossibly heavy, crushing his very soul; when he felt like he couldn’t go on any longer, like he just wasn’t enough. And on those days, if he had enough power, he seeked out one of his calmer, quieter bandmates. It was normally Bae, especially after their dorm change, because he was the one around when needed. But the taller one didn't mind this one bit, he simply opened his arms and silently welcomed the other every single time without fail, mending the unseen wounds just with his calming presence.

They stayed cuddling like that for minutes or for hours, none of them knew; the computer screen had turned off due to inactivity a long time ago.

In the dark room only the occasional rustling of clothes could be heard, along with Bae’s mindless humming, his soft voice a calming companion.

Soon enough, the slowly calming breathing that tickled his neck evened out, turning deeper as the hold on his clothes weakened with every breath the younger took. Bae patted Jisung’s head, fingers gently gliding through soft locks of hair before he carefully tightened his hold on the sleeping male’s form and stood up. He only had to take a few steps to reach his goal: his bed, still untouched from when he made it that morning, so he skillfully peeled the blanket away with one arm and delicately placed Jisung down, tucking him in. The younger’s grip was still strong, he barely managed to break away from it without waking the other up, just so he could change into his pyjamas quickly.

Before Jisung could start tossing around, undoubtedly looking for him, Bae slipped back into the bed and watched with a warm expression as the little quokka’s hands immediately found his shirt and latched onto it.

“Good night, Ji.” - he muttered out, the exhaustion he had been ignoring was coming back with full force. But if this was the price to help the others, he would do it in a heartbeat all over again.

Lee Felix:

Their younger little aussie was flexible and talented when it came to doing dance moves that were on the more dangerous side, they all knew he would be fine. But that did not stop them from worrying whenever he got the bright idea of doing a dangerous tiktok or a random taekwondo move out of nowhere. If Chan was nearby, he would immediately put down whatever he was doing and give the boy all his attention, ready to move and catch him if needed. Sometimes it was needed, sometimes not, but usually everything turned out fine in the end. They would laugh it off after Chan sent Felix a reprimanding glare, the latter not attempting to do the move once again in fear of his dad’s wrath.

Such was the law of the jungle.

But Chan wasn’t there with them at the moment, no, it was only Felix and Bae in the practice room, fooling around. Well, the younger was, dragging his hyung along in the process, knowing fully well Bae couldn’t really say no to his younger bandmates and their charm.

“Come on Bae hyung, it will be fun!” - Felix pleaded, hands swinging one of Bae’s around in desperation. “No, Lixie, we won’t do it. No one else is here to catch you if needed, I don’t want you to get hurt.” “But pleaaaase…” “No, and that’s final.”

With that, Bae gently pried his hand out of Felix’s hold and went to his phone to put on some music to practice to, shaking his head when he heard the younger quietly calling him ‘no fun’. He would gladly be the most boring person if it would mean the ones he cared about were safe, but of course, things had to go wrong.

All he heard were the squeak of a shoe, a thud and a yell before he turned around so fast he became lightheaded.

There laid Felix on the floor, his left ankle bending a bit too much than it should be able to. Bae didn’t hesitate a moment to grab his phone -tearing out the cord that connected it to the speakers- and sprint over towards his fallen bandmate, sliding on his knees in the process.

“Lixie, look at me and tell me where it hurts.” - he started questioning, his hands on the sides of Felix’s face. “I–... Nowhere? I’m fine, Hyung, why?” “Okay, it hasn't hit you yet. That’s fine-, no, Lixie, look at me, stop squirming around. Whatever you do, don’t move your left leg, okay? Do that for me, please?” “Woah, I haven’t heard you talk this much in a while.” “Just promise me, okay?” The younger boy nodded -as much as he could in Bae’s hold- and watched his hyung type away on his phone and put it up to his ear.

He felt fine, really, but based on the rushed reaction of Bae, he must have successfully injured himself. It wasn’t his goal at all, he just wanted to move around a bit, but… Guilt ate away at his soul, remembering how his hyung warned him exactly of this situation.

“I’m sorry, Dal hyung.” “I’ll do that, yes and– Felix? Why are you sorry?” - Bae asked confusedly, his attention now split between the phone and the injured sunshine incarnate. “You warned me and yet–” - Felix tried to say, but failed as a hiss left his mouth, face scrunched up in pain. “Alright, see you later Hyung. And Felix, it’s okay, we’ll talk about it later. For now, just continue keeping your promise and wait here. I’ll be right back.” - Bae replied with a small smile on his face as he patted Felix’s head once more and stood up, sprinting out of the room, somehow managing to pocket his phone in the hasty process.

It didn’t take long for him to get back, to Felix it was over literally in the blink of an eye as all he could do was grimace through the pain, teeth on the brink of breaking from how tight he was grinding them together.

“This will be cold, I’m sorry Lixie.” - was all the warning he got before cold mixed together with the pain, earning a loud hiss and a muffled grunt from him.

Scooting closer to his face as much as he could, Bae started carting his fingers through Felix’s hair in a calming effort, desperately hoping it would work.

“Chan hyung and the others will be here soon, along with the medics. Just a bit longer, Lix.” - he hummed out, voice even and steady.

But as much as he tried to hide it, his hand shook for a second and he wished the younger didn’t feel it. He didn’t want to make him feel worse or make him panic too, so he hid his own feelings with a gulp of air, putting on a composed exterior.

Felix would be fine, it was probably just a sprain; at least he kept telling himself while simultaneously holding the cold soda can gently to the younger’s leg and petting his head.

Suddenly the door bursted open and he was gently ushered away, only being able to watch as Felix was quickly taken away to be properly checked over and treated. He simply knelt there and watched, the world seemingly cold and numb to him. He could barely register the touch on his shoulder that never left his side ever since everyone arrived, how it softly squeezed the flesh there and drew little circles in place.

His name sounded a bit far away, but a blink later everything crashed back into him.

“Chan, I was so scared.” - he muttered into the crook of the elder’s neck, his shaking body in his hyung’s steady hold. “I know Dal, I know. It’s gonna be alright.” - Chan whispered back, face buried into Bae’s neck as well, the rarely ever seen scared form of his bandmate worrying him.

“Don’t worry, it’s gonna be okay.”

Kim Seungmin:

They were all at a photoshoot, getting ready for their next comeback with full force and determination. Everyone was excited about it and they couldn’t wait to see STAYs reaction to their new album. The boys desperately hoped they would like it, since all of them really poured their heart and soul into each song and music video. Every single day was spent working on it, from morning till night, and as much as they loved their jobs, they were starting to get a bit tired of it.

“Hey, Dal hyung, you wanna come over tonight? We could watch some marvel movies.” - Jeongin suddenly asked after they were finished with the shooting. “Oh? Yeah, come over Bae hyung, we all can do a marvel movie marathon tonight!” - Felix joined in the moment the word ‘marvel’ hit his ears, a wide grin already sitting on his freckled face.

Not expecting this even after so many years -he really should have been used to it by now-, Bae simply blinked at the two pleading faces in front of him. Knowing that it would be loud with the rowdy boys, he worriedly glanced at the two remaining roommates: Seungmin and Minho.

But before he could even open his mouth to voice his concerns, the two answered it for him.

“No, Dal hyung, it’ll be fine. So come over freely.” “Bae, don’t even think about refusing it, or I will personally drag you over, so shush.” Well, that settled it, so Bae simply nodded and watched as Felix and Jeongin did a happy little dance, somehow dragging Seungmin into it in the process.

After getting their makeup taken off, they were all ready to go back and Bae told his roommates about his nightly plan. Naturally, since it wasn’t a rare occurrence, all he got were ‘Have fun’ wishes and rough headpats that left him disoriented.

It didn’t take them long to arrive back in the dorms, everyone quickly changing into comfy clothes the moment their feet were free from their shoes; even Bae, who had a small stash of clothes for whenever he stayed over. He wasn’t allowed to move a finger even in getting the snacks ready, so he simply sat on the sofa with Seungmin, who was somehow roped into joining them.

The boy looked like the definition of exhaustion, his hair dishevelled and looking like a bird’s nest at best, his eyes slightly unfocused and duller than usual. “Minnie, you can go to bed, it’s okay.” - Bae softly spoke out, afraid that if he spoke any louder, the boy would startle. But Seungmin simply shook his head sluggishly, adamant in his decision of staying up with everyone else.

The older could only let out a sigh of acceptance, his attention taken away shortly afterwards by the other 3 appearing in the room; hands full of snacks of every kind. And then the problem came: who would sit on the other side of Bae? It was always a full on war between the boys, wanting to cling to the taller and tease him until he turned red. Bae couldn’t stop it, trust him, he tried so many times in the past.

Instead he let them fight it out, their sly little maknae sitting next to him while Felix and Minho were busy cat-fighting. Their reaction when they finally noticed was priceless and Bae couldn’t help but burst into laughter. The two could only grumble as they sat on the other side of the sofa, Felix having to hold Minho back as Jeongin made funny faces at him.

A quick forehead flick later, Bae put on the first marvel movie -they were watching them from the beginning, according to the timeline- and let the maknae seize one of his arms as a pillow. He didn’t need it anyway.

As time went by the snacks dwindled in number until none was left even before the end of the first movie. No one else seemed too sleepy yet, all except Seungmin, whose body slowly but surely started slumping against Bae’s side. The older didn't mind one bit, letting their little menace sleep on his shoulder peacefully. Even when Jeongin noticed the sleeping puppy and tried to poke at him, Bae quickly put a stop to it, knowing how rare it was for Seungmin to just fall asleep in the middle of doing something. The boy clearly needed some rest, and he would be damned if he didn’t let him have it.

Bae continued on with his guard duties until the end of the marathon, but he didn’t have a hard time as Jeongin fell asleep too, later joined by Felix. His arms were completely numb by now, so he carefully wiggled them out one by one and waited for some feeling to return in his tingling fingers. Unfortunately, the notion stirred the youngest awake and Bae immediately apologised, but was brushed off by the yawning maknae.

“I said don’t worry, I’ll just go to bed now. Good night guys.” He was quickly followed by Minho and a now awake Felix -Minho may or may not have shaken him awake violently-, only Bae and a sleeping Seungmin remaining.

Looking over at the younger, Bae let out a fond sigh and picked him up into his arms, careful not to jostle him too much. He already knew where everyone’s rooms were like the back of his hand, so it wasn’t hard for him to find Seungmin’s room and carefully tuck him into bed.

He knew how hard the younger was working, how much he sacrificed for the band and he wished he would give himself some slack.

“Good night, Minnie.” - with one final, gentle pat on the head, Bae quietly walked out of the sleeping puppy’s room.

Yang Jeongin:

“Innie.” - Bae’s voice cut through the silence, firm and cold even over the mask he put on. “No, I won’t let you in.” - came the raspy reply, voice muffled by the locked door. “Jeongin.” “Nooo, go away!” “Yang Jeongin!”

After a minute of silence, only a sigh and some shuffling could be heard from the other side of the door, before a click cut through the air, indicating the path inside was clear. Bae didn’t hesitate to go inside not even a second later, a tray of warm soup and medicine balanced on one of his hands.

“But now you might get sick too…” - muttered Jeongin before sniffling, quickly reaching for a tissue for his stuffy nose.

His hyung merely placed down the tray on his desk and gestured towards it, giving him no choice but to sit down and slowly eat the still scalding hot liquid.

“I don’t care, Innie. I did the same with Lino hyung, you are no different.” - Bae answered simply as he sat down on the bed, watching the younger’s movements closely.

Jeongin did not look okay. The cold he caught -most probably from Minho- just did him dirty: he couldn’t breathe through his nose, his voice was raspy and almost gone, his breathing was forced and heavy. Not to mention the coughing rushes that sometimes attacked him, every single one sounded as if he was going to cough his whole respiratory system up. Just hearing it made anyone nearby flinch, eyebrows furrowed in worry and pity.

Naturally this meant Bae too, the man having rushed over the moment he heard of the news.

This surprised no one of course, as it was a common occurrence, hence why they teasingly called him mom sometimes. That earned them a lesson, which consisted of being chased around and tickled to death, but they never stopped with it. Bae had to accept his fate, just like he did before he came into Jeongin’s room with the soup and medicine. No matter, he would get them for it later, he had already made a mental note for it.

Seeing as how the younger had finished eating, Bae stood up and went to the headboard of the bed, stacking the pillows and plushies up so the sick little fox could lean against them and hopefully sleep in a half-sitting position finally. Glancing back at him, the older noticed the untouched packet of medicine hidden behind the bowl, a sad attempt made by Jeongin.

“Innie…” - he sighed out, already walking back towards the other. “W-what? I finished, Hyung.” - Jeongin stuttered out, his hands hovering above the tray, not knowing where to grab. “You didn’t take your medicine.” “I-I did!” “Innie…” “ Sigh Fine, I didn’t. But it tastes horrible, I hate it!” - the younger pouted, arms crossed in front of his puffed up chest.

It was an adorable sight, even with how sick he was.

“Hmm, then I guess I’ll eat this by myself.” - Bae replied as he took out a packet of sweets from his shirt’s pocket.

Just by the gasp it elicited, he knew he had won, he had gotten one of Jeongin’s favourites after all.

“Buuut, I’ll let you have it if you take that medicine for me.”

He didn’t even have to wait for a reply, the maknae simply tore the packet open and after dissolving its contents in a cup of water, downed it in one go. Face scrunched up in disgust, Jeongin blindly held out his hand for his prize and Bae gave it to him, even offering an extra head pat as a reward.

Satisfied, Jeongin’s face immediately brightened up as he opened the packet and happily munched away on the sweets. It was amusing to watch, especially how he did a happy little dance after an extra delicious piece. It was probably thanks to the sickness and its numbing effects on the mind, but Bae didn’t mind it one bit. Jeongin kind of reminded him of Hyunjin at the moment and his little americano dance. Either way, he watched the younger absolutely devour the pack of candy with amusement dancing in his eyes, his lips arching upwards under the mask at the sad pout once the sick little fox realised there was no more candy.

“Alright, time to rest now Innie.” “I don’t wannaaaaa.” “Don’t whine at me, I know you couldn’t sleep at night because of your nose. Now use your nose spray and get into bed.” “Yes moooooom…” - Jeongin mocked Bae, but with a sharp glare he quickly stopped and did as he was told to do, sitting in bed not even a minute later.

Bae saw how the maknae’s eyes started drooping, the spray working -at least for a while- and allowing him to breathe through his nose. So, he gently pushed the younger into the wall of pillows and carefully carted a hand through his dark mop of hair.

“Good night, Innie. Have sweet dreams.” - he whispered, Jeongin already at the edge of sleep as he took the empty tray with him and tiptoed out of the room, turning off the overhead lights on his way out.

69 notes · View notes