#thesickficwithoutatitle

[bultaoreunheyyy]

Part 1

the sickfic without a title

part 1 - word count: 5,020

“Go fishing without me, Jinnie. I’m just gonna sleep.”

As soon as Jungkook gets the words out, he yawns, then shivers slightly before leaning his head back against the headboard with a barely-contained grimace of discomfort. 

Seokjin takes in his youngest partner’s pale face, the way that he’s wrapping his arms around his midsection like he’s trying to hold himself together, and he frowns deeply.

“I have a whole month to go fishing, baby,” Seokjin replies. He sits down on the edge of the bed and reaches out to cup the side of Jungkook’s face with his hand. His cheeks are warm beneath his palm and Seokjin wonders if there’s a thermometer somewhere in the house. “I’d rather stay here with you if you’re not feeling well.” 

Without warning, there are tears trickling down Jungkook’s cheeks and Seokjin startles when he feels them hit the side of his hand. 

“Please,” Jungkook sniffles, lip trembling. “I don’t want you to stay here because of me. Please go.” 

“Don’t cry,” Seokjin hurries to soothe him. “Okay, don’t cry. Whatever you want, okay?”

Before Jungkook can say anything else, there’s a knock on the door, and then there are five others shuffling into the room, worried expressions and fussing hands reaching out as they surround Jungkook’s bed.

“Why are you crying, Kookie?” Namjoon asks, joining Seokjin on the side of the bed.

“Aw, c’mere.” Taehyung, who is followed by Jimin as he climbs onto the middle of the bed, wraps his arms around Jungkook. He kisses the top of Jungkook’s head and nuzzles into his long wavy hair, and Jungkook lets out a quiet, watery laugh.

“Get off,” Jungkook murmurs, but he leans into the touch anyway. His eyelashes are wet with tears. “What if I’m contagious?” 

Jimin hooks his chin over Taehyung’s shoulder and smiles softly at Jungkook. “We’re not worried about that, Jungkookie. We just want you to feel better.” 

“What do you need right now?” Yoongi asks from his spot near the foot of the bed. He’s frowning, expression almost angry due to concern. Jungkook almost never gets sick. “Have you taken anything for your stomach yet?” 

Hoseok, standing next to Yoongi, nods. “We can go into town and pick up anything you need, Kookie.” 

Jungkook sniffles and pulls a sleeve down over his hand so he can wipe the tears from his eyes. He rests his head against Taehyung’s shoulder, looking around the room at all of them and then sniffling again. “I want you guys to go fishing and have fun. I’ll be fine, I promise. I’ll just sleep this off and tomorrow I think I’ll feel a lot better.”

“Hey!” Taehyung whispers conspiratorially. “Are you just trying to get out of fishing with us?” 

Behind him, Jimin snorts, and then breaks out into a full fit of laughter, toppling over onto his other side and causing the others to laugh along with him, until some of the tension and worry in the room seems to let up. Even Jungkook giggles, but he’s still holding his stomach and his eyebrows furrow at the movement as he’s jostled around a little.

Finally, Seokjin rolls his eyes and huffs out a breath. “I’m going to be doing all the work anyway. And none of you will even eat the fish I catch!” 

“Of course I’ll eat your fish,” Jungkook responds immediately, but none of them miss the way his face turns an almost greenish shade at the mention of eating. 

“Okay, Kook-ah,” Namjoon says, leaning forward to press a kiss to Jungkook’s forehead. “Get some rest. We’ll check on you when we get back, okay?”

Jungkook swallows thickly and nods, then slides down in the bed until he’s flat on his back. They each take a moment to say goodbye to him, kissing him on the forehead and fixing the comforter around him gently, and then they’re leaving, looking no less worried than when they had entered the room.

Three hours later, when the six of them return with seven small fish between them, they find Jungkook in the bathroom hunched over the toilet and throwing up so violently that the sound reverberates throughout the entire lakehouse, alarmingly loud. 

“Fuck,” Yoongi hisses, dropping to his knees next to Jungkook and quickly combing his hair back from his face for him, gathering it up into a messy bun that he ties up with one of his bracelets. 

Beside him, Seokjin rubs between Jungkook’s shoulder blades. “Oh, Jungkookie,” he murmurs. Jungkook’s shirt is drenched in sweat and Seokjin turns to look over his shoulder, catching Jimin’s eye.

“I’ll go grab a change of clothes,” Jimin nods, already anticipating what he’s about to ask, and he hurries out of the bathroom and down the hall.

“I’m gonna go grab him some water. Be right back,” Hoseok says, leaving after Jimin does.

Namjoon squeezes himself in on Jungkook’s other side, in between the tub and toilet, one hand rubbing up and down Jungkook’s arm while he uses his other to pull his phone out of his pocket. Seokjin doesn’t even have to see his phone screen to know he’s searching on Naver, probably for advice on what to do next. 

“Do we have a thermometer here?” Namjoon asks a moment later. “We should check his temperature.”

Taehyung, who’s hovering in the doorway biting down on his lip hard, wrings his hands together. “I’ll go look for one,” he tells Namjoon, and then he heads toward the main bathroom where they keep the medicine and other first aid supplies. 

“He’s burning up,” Seokjin notes, his palm still pressed firmly to Jungkook’s back. Jungkook groans loudly and then whimpers before the next round of vomiting hits. Beads of sweat drip down the sides of his face, his neck, and after a couple more long minutes of awful, forceful retching, he sags forward against the toilet, shaking hard and gasping for air.

“You’re okay, baby,” Yoongi whispers, tugging him away from the toilet by the shoulders. “We’ve got you.”

Jungkook starts to sob, then, the sound of his crying pained and raspy. Heat is coming off of him like a furnace and he’s listless in Yoongi’s arms, barely able to hold himself upright. Yoongi holds him to his chest, cupping the back of Jungkook’s head to keep him there, and he looks over to share a worried glance with Seokjin while Jungkook cries into his shirt.

“How long has this been going on, hm?” Yoongi murmurs, tucking his face into Jungkook’s sweaty hair. “Is this the first time you’ve thrown up since we left?”

With a sudden shiver that hits him so hard they can hear his teeth clatter together, Jungkook whimpers and then nods against Yoongi’s chest. His tears and snot are already soaking a spot against the fabric. The three of them move closer towards Jungkook instinctively; Namjoon reaches out to cup Jungkook’s clenched jaw, rubbing gently until he relaxes a little, while Seokjin keeps rubbing his back and Yoong wraps his arms even tighter around the shivering man.  

“Here,” Hoseok announces from the doorway. “Got some water.” 

He kneels down and waits for Jungkook to lift his head away from Yoongi’s chest. He tips the bottle of water towards Jungkook’s lips, helping him drink, but halfway through Jungkook shivers again and water dribbles down his chin.

“Sorry,” Jungkook hisses, jaw clenched again as a fresh wave of tears roll down his cheeks. “Fuck, I’m so cold.”

“Shh, it’s okay,” Hoseok replies quickly. “I’ll go grab a blanket for you, okay? Then we can try some more water in a few minutes.”

Jimin appears in the doorway then with a fresh change of clothes. He hands them off to Hoseok and wordlessly goes to grab said blanket, and Hoseok and Yoongi help Jungkook strip out of his sweat-soaked shirt so he can change into the dry one. Jungkook shivers the whole time, quiet as he lets himself be manhandled into the new shirt. His skin is hot despite his claims of feeling cold.

“You’re just running a little fever,” Yoongi says when Jungkook is tucked back against his chest. “Once Minnie comes back with a blanket and you sip some more water, we’ll take your temperature and get you some medicine. Okay?” 

Jungkook doesn’t react to that. He just lies there against Yoongi, sniffling every minute or so, tears silently falling. 

“This came on kind of fast, didn’t it?” Namjoon asks, voice almost a whisper. He’s on his phone again, eyebrows creased together with worry.

Hoseok, Yoongi and Seokjin don’t respond, but they’re all thinking the same thing– none of them have ever seen Jungkook this sick before, and so regardless of the timing, it came on much too fast for any of their liking. Their worry hangs in the air, tense and almost stifling, and they’re all silent until Jimin returns with a blanket.

“Here, Kookie,” he says, joining the five of them on the bathroom floor before tucking the blanket around Jungkook’s trembling shoulders. His mouth falls open in shock when his hand brushes the back of Jungkook’s neck.

“Uh.” Jimin swallows. “Should we…is the blanket too much?” He’s pressing his palm to Jungkook’s neck, then the side of his face, alarmed at the heat he finds. “Shouldn’t we try to cool him down?” He moves his hand to Jungkook’s forehead, then flips it around and feels it with the back of his hand too, like it might make a difference. “He’s really hot.”

Jungkook makes a choking sound, something between a sob and a cough, and Yoongi nearly shoves him in the direction of the toilet in a panic, his body twisting awkwardly so he can prop Jungkook up above the bowl.  

Instead of throwing up, though, Jungkook just cries, tears pouring from his red-rimmed eyes.

“I’m not–” Jungkook breaks off with another sob. “I’m just…I’m sorry…you can take the blanket.”

They can barely make out what he’s saying through his cries. Yoongi keeps him in place by the toilet, and Hoseok and Seokjin rub his back, whispering encouraging words as they wait for him to start vomiting again. 

After a few moments where Jungkook just cries, and shivers, but doesn’t do much else, Jimin gasps in realization. 

“Oh shit. I’m sorry, Kookie. I’m sorry, you’re not too hot! You can keep the blanket, okay? Just, calm down, okay?”

Jimin motions for Yoongi to release Jungkook, and he gathers the younger man in his arms, tugging the blanket snugly around his frame. 

“I’m so sorry,” he whispers against Jungkook’s ear. “I didn’t mean to worry you, sweetie. You’re not too hot, okay? Just a little bit sick, that’s all. Please stop crying, okay? You can keep the blanket. Is it making you feel better?”

He rubs Jungkook’s back vigorously through the blanket, shoulders sagging in relief when Jungkook nods his head at the question. 

“Sorry,” Jungkook rasps. “I can’t stop crying.” 

“Cry all you need to,” Jimin tells him. “And you don’t have anything to apologize for.” 

“Hey.” Taehyung appears in the doorway, triumphantly holding up a thermometer. “Finally found it.” He looks at everyone and tilts his head to one side. “Why are we all on the floor still?”

Jungkook shivers violently and then groans, but he lifts his head to squint up at Taehyung. “I’m on the floor ‘cause I’m sick. I don’t know about the rest of them.”

Hoseok snorts into a laugh, causing everyone else to chuckle along, but they all stop suddenly when Jungkook groans again. 

“Fuck,” he says weakly. “Fuck.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” Seokjin murmurs. “Do you need to throw up again? Do you want to try some water?”  

The only response he gets from Jungkook is a soft whine and a bout of shivers that shake him and Jimin both.

“Hey, there’s no room for me,” Taehyung says, but squeezes himself next to Jimin and Jungkook anyway, careful not to jostle them as he does. He slips the thermometer into Jungkook’s mouth and maneuvers it under his tongue, and Jungkook gags immediately, eyes flying open wide.

“Shit, sorry–” Taehyung flinches backward, and Yoongi lunges forward to help guide him back over the toilet. 

Jungkook grabs onto Jimin’s shirt with both fists and uses what little strength he has left to brace himself against the movement, not letting Yoongi move him. 

“No! I’m…” He pauses, takes a breath through his nose. Jimin closes his eyes and waits for the worst.

“I’m not gonna…”

Even though Jungkook is saying he’s not about to throw up, he’s so pale his face matches his white t-shirt, and he’s sweating again, drops of moisture running down his forehead from his hairline. He presses his lips together tightly, nostrils flaring wide as he sucks in another breath through his nose only. A second passes by, and then another, and then he lets out a trembling, shivery sigh.

“I’m good, I just…wasn’t expecting it to be a mouth thermometer,” he finally gets out, voice weak and shaky. His gaze flits over to Taehyung. “Thought it would go on my forehead or something,” he says.

Taehyung nods frantically. “I should have warned you first. I’m really sorry, Jungkookie.”  

Yoongi reaches over to push back a few stray sweaty strands of hair off of Jungkook’s forehead. “You ready now? It shouldn’t take too long to get a reading.” 

Jungkook nods, and Taehyung eases the thermometer past his lips again, slow and careful with his movements. Jungkook still gags again once it’s under his tongue, but he manages to keep it together, his eyes squeezed shut while they all wait for the thermometer to beep.

“I’m so sorry, love,” Taehyung whispers. “It should just take a second.”

“You’re doing so well, sweetheart,” Hoseok tells him, rubbing his arm. 

Fresh tears spill out of the corners of Jungkook’s eyes, down his cheeks, and his lips tremble around the thermometer. When it beeps, Taehyung slides it out quickly and peers down at the number with a frown. 

“I can’t stop crying,” Jungkook whispers. “And I can’t stop shivering.”

“That’s okay, baby,” Seokjin replies. He strokes Jungkook’s cheek with the back of his hand. “You cry all you need to, okay? None of us mind. We’re sorry you’re feeling so bad.”

While Taehyung shows Namjoon the number and Namjoon uses his phone to convert the number to Celsius, Jungkook’s sniffles grow more persistent. Yoongi unrolls some toilet paper and uses a wad of it to dry the tears from Jungkook’s cheeks, then wipes gently under his nose. Jungkook is still again, leaning heavily against Jimin’s chest while Taehyung fixes the blanket around him and Hoseok rubs his back. 

“It’s not actually very high,” Namjoon tells them once he figures out the conversion. “37.7 degrees.” 

“Feels higher,” Jungkook replies miserably. “Hate this.” 

Before any of them can respond, Jungkook stiffens, then scrambles to sit upright, and he frees one arm from the blanket so he can clamp a hand over his mouth. Yoongi, still on high alert from before, peels the blanket the rest of the way off and tosses it to Hoseok, then wraps an arm around Jungkook’s waist, shuffling on his knees as he guides him back next to the toilet. 

Jungkook’s entire body is so tense that they can see the muscles on his neck staining, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he tries not to take in too deep of a breath. His eyes are wide and panicked, and his stomach makes a loud gurgling noise.

“Let’s give him some space,” Seokjin whispers, tugging Taehyung and Jimin off the floor and leading them out into the hallway. 

Hoseok follows too, and he leans against the doorframe with the still-full bottle of water in his hand, watching anxiously as Jungkook finally has to give in to his body’s demands and begins to hurl into the toilet bowl. 

When he’s done, Jimin grabs a washcloth and wets it with warm water, handing it down to Namjoon, who’s still on the floor with Jungkook. Namjoon wipes Jungkook’s chin with the cloth while Yoongi pulls more toilet paper off the roll to dry Jungkook’s tears and wipe his nose.

A shudder runs down Jungkook’s spine and he snuffles miserably into the wad of tissues that Yoongi holds to his face. 

“Fuck,” he croaks. “Hate this.” The last word breaks off into a sob that sounds so sad it brings tears to Yoongi’s eyes.

“Baby, I know,” he coos, wiping his eyes discreetly and rubbing Jungkook’s back. “This sucks. I’m so sorry.”

Jungkook shivers and wraps one arm around his stomach with a wince.

Before anyone can really say or do anything else, Jungkook gags loudly, and then grabs onto the toilet seat with both hands to brace himself. 

Namjoon can’t help the shocked expression that crosses his face. “Again?”

Jungkook doesn’t even have time to nod. 

There’s not much left for him to get up. When he’s done dry heaving, he lets him fall sideways into Namjoon’s body, his head lolling to the side. Namjoon cards his fingers through Jungkook’s sweat-drenched hair– only half of it is still tied up with Yoongi’s bracelet– and presses a kiss to his temple. 

“Let us know if you think there’s more,” he whispers.

Jungkook moans loudly at that, his voice broken and crackly. “No, fuck. I hope not,” he says. “Fuck.”

They stay there for a few more minutes while Jungkook catches his breath, Namjoon and Yoongi on the floor with him while Hoseok, Seokjin, Jimin and Taehyung wait just outside the bathroom. Eventually, Seokjin kneels back beside Jungkook and takes one of his hands, squeezing gently. 

“Do you think you can stand up? We’ll get you back into bed.”

Jungkook nods, but it takes three of them to get him off the bathroom floor and help him stand. Seokjin and Namjoon get under his arms on either side of him and they start to guide him out of the bathroom, watching with worry as his legs visibly shake and his chin drops to his chest as if he doesn’t have the strength to even hold his head up. 

Jimin goes into the bathroom as they leave and flushes the toilet, and he’s opening the cabinet under the sink to check for cleaning supplies when Jungkook stops walking and glances back, tears filling his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers hoarsely, and then he’s crying hard, body shaking with the effort. “I’m sorry, I–” 

“Don’t apologize, sweetie,” Jimin cuts him off. “You’re sick and it’s not your fault. I don’t mind cleaning up a little, okay?”

“You’d do the same for any of us,” Hoseok says, ducking down to meet Jungkook’s watery gaze. “We just want you to rest and feel better. Okay?”

Jungkook sniffles and nods, but tears are still pouring down his face when he starts walking again. They’re halfway back to Jungkook’s bed when his entire body tenses, and that’s the only warning they get before he’s vomiting again, held up on either side by Namjoon and Seokjin gripping his elbows so he doesn’t hit the ground when his knees buckle.

*

That had been the start of their month-long vacation at the lake. 

Now, three days later, there’s no doubt that this is something Jungkook can’t just sleep off. 

In fact, he hasn’t gotten much sleep at all since becoming sick– none of them have, really– but he’s so tired he can barely get out of bed. By the third day of his illness, they’ve all developed a sort of routine taking care of him, bringing him water and medicine and small amounts of food around the clock even though he can’t keep much down. They all have plenty of practice taking care of each other, and even though they can count the number of times Jungkook’s been sick since they’ve been dating on only one hand, they easily fall into roles like they’ve been assigned them.

“I brought some crackers,” Hoseok announces hesitantly, knocking on the open door and peeking into Jungkook’s room. “And some broth.”

He can tell that Jungkook is biting back a response, his two front teeth digging into his lower lip and his eyebrows drawing together just slightly in the middle.

“I know, I know,” Hoseok sighs. He makes his way over to Jungkook, setting his tray down on the nightstand before settling down on the edge of the bed. “But I also bring kisses and hugs.”

The covers are pulled all the way up to Jungkook’s chin. Hoseok pulls them down just enough to help guide Jungkook a little higher on the bed, stuffing a pillow between him and the headboard so he’s halfway propped up. Jungkook shivers at the loss of blankets even though he’s wearing a hoodie. Hoseok presses a kiss to his warm forehead, and then another kiss to his cheek.

“Sorry,” he whispers afterward, patting Jungkook’s chest. “Just a few crackers, okay?” 

He holds up a cracker. He’s found that Jungkook is much more willing to eat if he doesn’t have to feed himself, and he seems to be more willing to let Hoseok feed him out of all of them.

Jungkook swallows thickly, then closes his eyes and lets his mouth fall open with a tired sigh. When Hoseok slides the cracker between his front teeth, he dutifully bites down, taking the tiniest bite he can get away with and chewing it slowly. Hoseok can hear his breathing pick up as he eats, his breath puffing in and out of his nose while he keeps his lips pressed together, a tight thin line. 

Hoseok brushes his fingers against the little crease between Jungkook’s eyebrows once he has eaten one single cracker. It takes him several minutes to finish, and when he’s done he’s looking much paler than before.

“How about a second one?” 

Jungkook’s chin begins to tremble. He opens one eye to squint up at Hoseok.

“You’re doing so good, love,” Hoseok whispers. “So good.”

It’s enough encouragement, apparently, for Jungkook to keep going. He eats another cracker, and then a third, and then he lets Hoseok hold a mug of warm broth to his lips. 

Hoseok kisses the tip of Jungkook’s nose when he finishes the crackers and a few sips of broth.

He holds Jungkook’s hand while he takes deep breaths through his nose to quell the nausea that arises almost instantaneously after he adds a sip of water on top of it. 

And five minutes later, when Jungkook is throwing it all back up, Hoseok rubs his back and whispers apologies and holds his hair back from his face. 

*

In the late afternoon, Jimin grabs two water bottles from the fridge and makes his way into Jungkook’s bedroom.

“Hey,” he greets the younger man when Jungkook yawns and looks up at him sleepily from where he’s curled up on his side, blankets clutched tightly to his chest. 

There’s a sheen of sweat on Jungkook’s face and Jimin frowns, glancing down at the thermometer on the nightstand. He sets one of the bottles of water down and wipes the condensation from his hand on his pants, then settles in the chair that one of them had placed next to Jungkook’s bed at some point. 

“How are you feeling?” He asks, pressing his palm to Jungkook’s forehead. “Do you think you could drink some water for me?”

Jungkook’s skin is hot and his face is flushed pink. He yawns again and warily eyes the bottle of water that Jimin holds out toward him until Jimin clears his throat and motions for him to sit up a little.

Sitting up seems to take a lot of effort out of him. As soon as he sips enough water for Jimin to be satisfied, he slumps back down against the pillows, tugging the blankets up until only his nose and eyes are visible. Jimin can’t help but reach out and put his hand on Jungkook’s forehead again, and even though worry twists in his gut at the warmth he feels, he smiles when Jungkook leans into the touch with a relieved sigh.

“Can you…keep it there?” Jungkook asks, and Jimin nods, adjusting his palm to cover all of Jungkook’s forehead. He brushes his thumb over his brow in a soothing motion and smiles when less than a minute later, Jungkook appears to fall asleep, soft snores drifting through the air.

After a few minutes, Jimin feels his arm growing tired, but he doesn’t dare move his hand and risk waking Jungkook up. He clears his throat again, then looks around until he finds the second bottle of water he’d brought in the room with him. Uncapping it with one hand, he chugs the water down until the bottle is empty. Just as he’s finishing it, Jungkook startles awake, entire body jerking with a shiver.

“Ugh,” he groans, shivering again and curling up as tightly as he can. “My face is hot but everything else is cold.” 

Jimin tuts sympathetically and presses the backs of his fingers to Jungkook’s cheeks.

“Yeah, your face is pretty warm. Want a cool cloth?”

Jungkook shakes his head. “No. Too cold.”

Jimin chuckles. “Aw, sorry, Kookie. I wish there was a way I could make you feel better right now.”

“You are making me feel better,” Jungkook responds quietly. His tongue darts out to wet his lips. “My lips hurt,” he croaks after a moment. “Sorry. I don’t mean to complain so much.”

Jimin frowns, already patting his pockets. “Complain all you need to. You’re allowed to when you’re feeling so sick.” He pulls a stick of lip balm from his back pocket and leans forward to apply it to Jungkook’s dry, cracked lips. Jungkook tries to rub his lips together afterward, but even that seems like a great effort for him so Jimin uses his pinky to help spread it around evenly. 

“Thank you.” Jungkook swallows, then swallows again. Calmly, albeit shakily, he pushes himself up onto one elbow. “I’m gonna throw up.” 

They make it to the bathroom just in time. All that comes up is bile and water, and Jungkook cries in between each heave, his nose runny and his eyes puffy and red. 

Namjoon comes to check on them just as Jimin is flushing the toilet and Jungkook is blowing his nose. He helps Jimin get Jungkook to his feet, and then they both tuck him into bed, settling on either side of him and running their fingers through his hair while he shivers and drifts off into a fitful state of half-consciousness.

*

“I’m awake.”

Seokjin freezes, one hand hovering above Jungkook’s face as he switches out the cloth on his forehead for a fresh, cool one. It’s the middle of the night, and moonlight spills into the room through the large window opposite the bed.

“Hey, Jungkookie. How are you feeling?”

“Don’t want that,” Jungkook grumbles in response, eyes still closed. He flinches when Seokjin adds another wet cloth to the side of his neck that’s most exposed. “Too cold.”

“I know, hun,” Seokin sighs. “But your temp is up a little and I’m worried about you overheating.” 

“I’m not gonna overheat. I’m too fucking cold.” 

Seokjin sighs. He drags a hand down his face and watches Jungkook shiver and reach up to remove the cloth from his neck, his eyes squeezed shut the entire time. “No need to bite my head off,” he murmurs softly. 

Jungkook is silent for a long moment. When he opens his eyes, Seokjin can see tears shining there. 

“I’m sorry,” he says. His shivers hard and his teeth chatter. “Fuck, I’m sorry. I don’t want the washcloth.” 

“Apology accepted,” Seokjin replies. “I’d be grumpy too, if I were you. Also, you’re too stubborn, you know that?” 

“I’m not grumpy,” Jungkook huffs. “I’m not stubborn.” 

Seokjin bites back a smile. “Okay, well, you’re running a high temperature and that’s a fact. I’ll take a reading right now so you can see for yourself.” 

Jungkook is quiet as Seokjin takes his temperature. He’s quiet when Seokjin shows him the reading. He’s quiet when Seokjin moves the cloth back to his neck and presses a kiss to the tip of his nose afterward, but he’s shivering harder now, chills wracking his body. In the moonlight, Seokjin can see a single tear slide down his face, and when he reaches out to brush it away with his thumb Jungkook turns pleading eyes on him. 

“Please,” he whispers, voice thick with sleepiness and desperation. “I’m too cold.”

Jungkook’s teeth are suddenly chattering louder than Seokjin’s ever heard anyone’s teeth chattering before, and it’s unsettling. He relents, removing both the cloth from Jungkook’s forehead and the one from his neck, and then he fetches another blanket even though it feels like he shouldn’t be adding any more layers. He tucks it around Jungkook’s body carefully, smoothing it out to keep his hands busy, heart pounding at the way Jungkook is shaking so hard.

“Fuck.” Moments later, even though he’s still shaking violently, Jungkook is pushing the blankets off. “Fuck.” 

“Are you still cold?” Seokjin asks uncertainty, and even though Jungkook shakes his head, he’s still shivering violently.  

“My insides are burning up,” he chokes out, and another shiver wracks his body. “I’m…fuck, I don’t know. I’m cold and hot,” he whimpers. His breath catches, breaks off into a sob. “I’m so cold.” 

Seokjin grabs one of the wet cloths again and gently wipes it over Jungkook’s forehead, from his temple down his cheek, across his pulse point under his jaw. He feels helpless, at a loss for words in a way that he usually isn’t, intense worry twisting in his gut. He swallows back the sudden urge to cry and pulls his phone from his pocket.

By the time Jungkook announces he’s going to puke, Seokjin has already texted for backup, and Yoongi arrives just in time to help him haul Jungkook to the bathroom.

Afterward, when Jungkook is slumped over both of their laps on the bathroom floor, Seokjin presses another cool cloth to his forehead and Jungkook doesn’t have any energy left in him to protest. 

Part 2

[bultaoreunheyyy]

Part 5

the sickfic without a title

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 - word count: 5,130

Jungkook doesn’t feel like having breakfast. His appetite hasn’t quite returned yet, and the thought of eating a meal makes him feel borderline-nauseous still. 

He joins the others– everyone except for Jimin, who’s sleeping– at the kitchen table anyways, folding himself into a chair and resting his chin on his knees while he watches his partners mill about, grabbing plates and silverware and cups of coffee. 

Earlier, when he had just woken up, he had felt warm and comfortable despite his itchy nose and full bladder. Now, however, he’s starting to feel cold again, and he is certain he’s the only one since he’s in sweatpants and a hoodie while everyone else is in short sleeved shirts. Jungkook hopes that the aircon is what’s cooling him down, due to it being the middle of the summer and already warm outside despite it being still morning– but he also knows that Seokjin would never allow the aircon to be running when it’s still morning. 

Another fever, then. Fuck.

Breakfast smells good. Good, but not appetizing. Jungkook wraps his arms more tightly around himself, shivers a little, and sniffs the air tentatively. He’s grateful that his stomach doesn’t protest, but his nose unfortunately does, sinuses tingling in the same itchy way as earlier when he woke up. He lifts a hoodie-covered arm up to rub his nose, but that only elicits a sneeze as soon as he pulls his sleeve away. He winces at how sore the movement makes his abs feel, stomach muscles still tender from a week of vomiting. 

“Bless you!” Hoseok chirps from over by the refrigerator. 

Taehyung, passing by with a sleepy yawn, stops behind him and ruffles his hair. “Bless you,” he says, echoing Hoseok.

As the others sit at the table and eat breakfast, Jungkook goes to fetch a box of tissues to bring back to the table with him. It must be the spices in the air getting to him– whenever Yoongi is cooking, he likes to make sure things are well seasoned– but he feels another sneeze brewing and he doesn’t want to sneeze all over the place while everyone is eating.

Namjoon, sitting in the spot next to Jungkook at the table, gives Jungkook an odd look when Jungkook returns with the tissue box. 

“You alright?” He asks around a mouthful of gyeran bap.

Jungkook nods and pulls his legs back up onto the chair. 

“Eat some rice, Jungkookie,” Yoongi says quietly from his left. He pushes a small bowl of steamed white rice in front of him and uses his own chopsticks to lift a bite of it to Jungkook’s lips. Jungkook eats it to appease him, but it’s hard to swallow and he decides quickly that he will not be eating anything else if he wants to keep his stomach happy.

Instead, he sips on water and keeps quiet. He’s pushing the uneaten rice around in the bowl with his chopsticks when the lingering sneeze finally comes– and so much for bringing the tissues to the table because he’s completely unprepared for it, barely getting his sleeve up to his face in time.

“Bless you,” Hoseok says.

Namjoon passes him a tissue. 

Jungkook sniffs hard and realizes his nose feels a bit stuffed up when he does so. Suddenly, he’s struck with a terrible realization. Saliva pools in his mouth, but he knows resolutely that he is not about to throw up, because it’s the same feeling he gets when he’s nervous about something, an uneasy dread that sits in the pit of his stomach. 

He sniffles again. His throat is dry– but not just dry, it’s sore. His nose is stuffy and he keeps sniffling and sneezing. He feels like complete shit even though he’s supposed to start feeling better already. He takes a few more minutes to be completely sure, and he’s practically waiting until someone else notices too, because now that he’s realized what’s going on he’s sure it’s obvious as fuck. However, no one pays his sniffling much attention until everyone is finished eating and they’re all lazing around the kitchen table, nursing cups of coffee– or, in his and Taehyung’s case, glasses of water. 

No matter how many attempts he makes, he can’t quite rub away the sneezy feeling in his nose, and he ends up sneezing three more times in about as many minutes before it draws the attention he’s been expecting.

“Damn, Kookie,” Namjoon chuckles as he plucks yet another tissue from the box for him. “You are sneezy this morning.”

“Yeah, you really are,” Hoseok adds.

“Something bothering your nose?” Seokjin asks.

“Um.” Jungkook accepts the tissue and sniffles into it as he looks around the room. “I don’t…I think I don’t feel well.”

Yoongi stands abruptly. “Can you make it to the bathroom? Or do you want me to bring a trash can to you?”

Namjoon starts rubbing his back, frowning hard, and Seokin, Hoseok and Taehyung also stand and make their way around to Jungkook’s side of the table. 

He feels Taehyung’s fingers carding through his hair. “Oh, Kookie. We thought you were feeling a little better this morning. You poor thing.”

“Let’s get you to the bathroom,” Yoongi decides, pulling Jungkook up from the chair.

“Wait,” Jungkook says, dreading what he’s about to admit. “I’m fine! I’m not going to puke right now.” 

The five of them, huddled around him in a near panic, exchange looks of confusion. 

“But you feel like you might soon?” Seokjin asks for clarification. “Do you want to sit back down? I can bring the trash can to you.”

Jungkook sighs. “No, I mean…my nose hasn’t stopped running since I woke up and my throat is really sore. I don’t feel well.”

He does sit down, but he looks up at them as they shuffle somehow even closer, forming a semi-circle in front of his chair. He sees it the moment it clicks for them– the realization, the devastation. 

The denial. 

Taehyung is shaking his head frantically. “Your throat is sore from throwing up? Or, like, did you sleep with your mouth open last night? Were you snoring?”

“He wasn’t snoring,” Yoongi supplies, looking Jungkook in the eye. “He woke up with a dry throat and itchy nose.” 

“You’re always kinda sneezy when the pollen count is high,” Namjoon adds, but his fingers are twitching around the phone in his hand and Jungkook knows he’s dying to check the actual pollen count. 

Hoseok palms his forehead. Jungkook can’t tell what he deciphers from it, because Hoseok’s frown doesn’t change, but he’s sure he has at least a low grade fever and he has no clue if it’s from the stomach bug he’s recovering from or the cold he’s starting to come down with.

“I’m okay,” Jungkook rushes to say, hating that they’re all going to worry about him tenfold now. “It’s just a cold.” 

But now they can all hear it in his voice, the nasally, congested sound, and they look more worried than before. 

“Well,” Seokjin says quietly, and they all turn to stare at him. “Fuck.”

*

“Let’s go sit out by the lake.”

It’s late morning, and Jungkook is just emerging from the shower. He feels refreshed, though now that he’s back in the kitchen and away from the steamy bathroom his nose is running anew. 

“All of us?” Hoseok asks in response to Taehyung’s idea.

“Yes! Well, Jimin is still sleeping, I think. We can leave him a note.” He looks over at Jungkook. “And it’s not cold outside, but not too hot yet either. I think it would be the perfect time to get some fresh air.” 

Yoongi turns to Jungkook. “You feeling up for a short outing?”

Jungkook rolls his eyes, though he’s glad they’re including him because he’s desperate for an outing. He knows they’ll still fuss over him whether he’s in his bed or sitting out by the water. 

He nods and gives a smile. “Yeah, let’s do it.”

There’s a flurry of movement as they all gather supplies. Yoongi gets bottles of water and then makes Jungkook take a fever reducer when Hoseok reminds him of Jungkook’s temperature. Taehyung grabs blankets for them to sit on, and Namjoon snags bread from the kitchen so he can feed the ducks. Hoseok gets his camera and Seokjin, armed with an entire backpack to carry everything in, stuffs various snacks in wherever they fit around everything else. 

Jungkook watches them all shuffle to the door, arms full, and rolls his eyes fondly.

“Don’t you think this is all a little overkill?” He asks, gesturing pointedly at the box of tissues in Taehyung’s hand and then the second box of tissues tucked under Seokjin’s arm.

“Nope!” Taehyung replies. He hands the box of tissues to Jungkook to carry. “Let’s go!”

Jungkook follows behind, grumbling to himself when he has to use a tissue almost immediately after stepping outside into the sunshine. The bright light catches him in the eye and it makes his nose prickle with a sneeze, and it’s followed by a second sneeze, then a third.

“Bless you,” Hoseok says, patting his shoulder. “You sure you’re up for this?”

“For walking down the path and then sitting down?” Jungkook asks dryly, wiping his nose. “Yes, Seokie. I’m fine.” 

“Well, you’re not fine, really. You’re sick. My poor sick baby.”

Jungkook dodges Hoseok’s hand, aimed for his forehead, and laughs. “Race you there!” He calls out, and then he darts off, leaving the five of them behind, sputtering in surprise.

By the time they catch up to him, Jungkook is already at the edge of the lake. He settles on a retaining wall, sweating a little and breathing heavily from the exertion, and swipes at his nose with a tissue in annoyance. 

“My nose won’t stop running,” he complains to Yoongi and Taehyung when they sit down on either side of him. 

Taehyung wraps his arms around Jungkook and rests his chin on his shoulder. “Do you want me to go back up and see if we have some medicine to help with that?”

Jungkook quickly shakes his head. ‘No thanks. Just wanted to complain.”

Taehyung snorts. “Well, now you know why we brought so many tissues.” He taps the box that Jungkook is holding in his lap. 

Jungkook sticks out his tongue and wriggles out of Taehyung’s grasp. Mostly because he’s annoyed, and totally not because he needs his arms free so he can grab one of said tissues to blow his nose.

Taehyung pulls his earbuds out of his pocket then, turning on his music and putting one in his ear. He offers to share an earbud with Jungkook, but Jungkook declines. He’s content to sit and listen to the sounds of nature, and the sounds of his partners. He sits and watches them all and keeps his tissues close. His nose is running profusely and the sound of his sniffles and nose blowing fills the air, but he can also hear talking and laughter and it makes him smile.

Namjoon is standing a short distance away, feeding the ducks while Seokjin watches, naming each duck something silly just so he can make Namjoon laugh. Hoseok takes pictures of everyone and everything. Next to him, Yoongi is quietly reading a book.

Jungkook sighs and admires how the mid-day sun shines on the treeline across the lake. 

“Wish I had my iPad so I could do some drawing.”

“No work,” Taehyung reminds him firmly.

“Not work drawing. Just drawing. It’s always so pretty out here.” 

“I brought some of my art supplies. We could do sketching or painting when we get back to the house.”

“Art supplies? I thought you just said no work,” Jungkook smirks.

Taehyung elbows him lightly. “It’s art! Not work.”

Jungkook laughs, and the sound catches Seokjin’s attention. He strolls over, pushing his sunglasses up onto his head, and stands between Jungkook’s legs. 

“How are you feeling?” He asks, feeling Jungkook’s forehead under the guise of brushing some hair away from his face. 

“I’m good,” Jungkook replies. He sniffles and leans into Seokjin’s touch. 

“I’m heading back up to the house to check on Jimin. Want to come with?”

“No, I’ll stay out here for a bit longer.”

Seokjin nods, then kisses Jungkook on the forehead. He does the same to Yoongi, and then Taehyung, and then he heads up the path towards the house. 

Despite doing nothing but sitting, Jungkook feels completely drained of energy by the time they’ve been outside for an hour. He finds himself listing sideways, tissue box still clutched to his chest, until he’s resting his head on Yoongi’s shoulder. The sound of Yoongi’s breathing, of him turning pages, is enough to make Jungkook feel like he could drift off at any moment, if not for the tickle in his nose. It starts out small, an annoying, buzzing itch in his sinuses, and he closes his eyes and scrunches up his face a few times in hopes that it will go away.

It doesn’t. The tickle soon grows enough for it to be a problem, but he doesn’t open his eyes, nor does he move to do anything about it. A few seconds later he sneezes openly and Yoongi makes a noise of protest.

“You’re supposed to take a tissue out of the box and sneeze into that,” he complains. “Not just sneeze at the box itself.” 

“Not my fault,” Jungkook says around a yawn. “I’m sleepy.” 

Hoseok and Namjoon make their way over. 

“Let’s head inside,” Namjoon decides. “I’m hungry and it’s just about lunch time.”

Eating lunch sounds unappealing to Jungkook, but he’s otherwise content, warm from the sunshine and lungs full of fresh air. Congestion is starting to settle in his sinuses, though, and by the time he makes it back to the house he’s breathing heavily again, nose stuffy and head pounding once more. 

While the others put together food for lunch, he heads to his room, sheds his hoodie and sweatpants, and climbs into bed, and he falls asleep within minutes.

*

Jimin is snoring loudly, sound asleep when Hoseok opens the door to his room.

It takes a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, and when they do he squints as he scans the room for what he’s looking for. It’s on the nightstand, illuminated just barely by the soft glow of the digital clock behind it, and it’s sitting next to what must be a box of tissues, judging by the shape. 

Hoseok takes a step forward, and then another, eyes glued on the item he’s after. He walks as quietly as he can, sneaking across the room until he’s a meter from Jimin’s bed. He stretches out his arm and knows it’s probably just one more step until he can grab it, and then he can sneak right back out of the room and Jimin will be none the wiser. 

He’s almost there when Jimin suddenly snores so loudly that he wakes himself up.

“Huh?” He snorts, snuffles, smacks his lips together. “Wha’?”

Hoseok is frozen, hand outstretched toward the bottle of cold medicine on the nightstand.

With both hands, Jimin scrubs at his eyes, then his nose, then his entire face. When he pulls his hands away, he squints, sleepy gaze finding Hoseok’s wide eyes.

“Seokie?” Jimin’s voice is hoarse, thick with congestion, his words slurring as he struggles to make out what’s going on. “Time is it?”

Hoseok unfreezes. He grabs the medicine and squats down next to the bed so his face is level with Jimin’s. “Sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to wake you up. I was just grabbing the med– uh, nevermind. You can go back to sleep.”

Jimin peers blearily at the clock on his nightstand. “Medicine? Not time for more yet,” he croaks.

“Um.” Hoseok freezes. “Right. No, yeah. Um…go back to sleep, okay?”

But Jimin doesn’t go back to sleep. He pushes himself up onto one elbow, sneezes softly down toward his chest, and then looks up at Hoseok with a wet sniffle. 

“Why are you holding that, then?” He asks, breath crackling with the congestion. “Are you taking it? Who is it for? Who else is sick?”

Tears are already welling up in his eyes, and Hoseok’s shoulders slump in defeat. He reaches out to cup the side of Jimin’s face. As much as he wants to keep the information from Jimin, he knows he’ll find out sooner or later anyway. 

“It’s for Jungkook.”

There’s a soft, surprised exhale of air, and then Jimin’s head thumps back down onto the pillow. “Oh.” 

A second later Jimin is crying, a hoarse, sad sob escaping his throat.

“Oh, no, no baby,” Hoseok soothes. “No, it’s okay. It’s not your fault!” 

Jimin drags a sleeve under his nose with a wet sniffle, his nose running profusely now that he’s crying. Hoseok grabs him a tissue and presses it into his palm. Jimin doesn’t use the tissue. He sniffles again, the sound thick, and from the dim light of the clock Hoseok can see the tears on his face. He plucks another tissue from the box and brings it up to dry Jimin’s cheeks, but when he moves to wipe his nose Jimin turns into the pillow, hiding.

“Stop crying, Minnie, baby. You’re gonna get all stuffed up. It’s going to be okay. Please just stop crying.”

Jimin muffles another congested sob into his pillow. 

A knock at the door startles Hoseok. He stands and turns around to see a figure in the doorway– Taehyung. 

“I tried not to wake him up,” Hoseok whispers, voice trembling. “Fuck, I should have been faster.”

“Don’t blame yourself,” Taehyung whispers back. “He’ll be okay. I’ll sit with him,” he says softly, pecking Hoseok on the cheek before going over to sit on Jimin’s bed. “Hey, love. How are you feeling?”

Jimin only sobs again in response. 

Hoseok slips out of the room, his own eyes filling with tears, and when he closes the door behind him he takes a moment to scrub a hand roughly over his face before taking the bottle medicine and heading towards the living room.

*

“I feel heavy.”

Jimin’s on his back. With his head and upper body propped up with a couple of pillows, he’s slightly elevated, enough to help combat the congestion that’s already settled in his sinuses. He stares at the ceiling with red rimmed eyes and a sorrowful expression and Taehyung, watching with a mixture of worry and slight amusement when Jimin practically forces a pout, lies down on the bed next to him.

“I bet,��� Taehyung replies. He traces lines on Jimin’s forearm with his fingertip. “You’re all sick and stuffed up.”

“I’m really stuffed up,” Jimin agrees sadly.

“You know what would feel nice? A hot bath.”

Jimin scrunches up his nose.

“A nice, hot, steamy bath,” Taehyung continues. “With a bath bomb, and some nice lavender soap, and–”

Jimin cuts him off with a soft sneeze that he hastily aims into a hand cupped over his mouth and nose, grimacing afterwards and quickly snagging a tissue out of the box next to him to wipe his hand and then his nose.

“Ohh, Minnie,” Taehyung tuts. “Please? Don’t you want to stop sneezing?”

Another sneeze, and then Jimin scrubs roughly at his nose with the tissue before rolling over onto his side, facing away from Taehyung. He sniffles and pulls yet another tissue out so he can blow his nose.

“You won’t have to do a single thing. I’ll wash your hair for you, I’ll massage your shoulders, and I’ll even hold your tissues and wipe your nose for you!”

“Ew,” Jimin croaks. “No. I’m not leaving this room. I’m not spreading more of my germs around.” 

Taehyung sighs. “Jimin. Walking to the bathroom for a bath is not gonna get anyone else sick.”

“Except for you!” Jimin argues. He glances over his shoulder at Taehyung. “I’m already really mad at you for being in here.”

“Really mad, huh?” Taehyung bites down hard on his lip so he doesn’t smile. “Well, I’m probably already gonna get sick anyway, so it’s not like I can get un-sick.” He gives a dramatic sniff and clears his throat. “Yep, I think I can feel it.”

Jimin is frowning so hard at him, Taehyung thinks he might get permanent angry-wrinkles.

“Feel it?”

“Yep. It’s already inside of me. The big, bad, cold virus. Jungkook is healthy and strong, he’ll get over it really quickly. But me? You’re gonna have to take care of me for weeks, Minnie. You’re gonna be the one wiping my nose.”

“Kim Taehyung! Ew! Stop saying that!” Jimin turns his head back away, the protest making his throat irritated, and barks out something that sounds halfway like a cough and halfway like sneeze. 

Taehyung wiggles closer.

“Jimin, my love. How can we get married someday if we don’t agree to take care of each other in sickness and in health?”

“It’s to love each other in sickness and health. You can love me from another room.” He sniffles. “And married? Are you trying to propose to me? When I’m sick and–” He breaks off, head bobbing forward with a pitiful sneeze. He sneezes again as he’s trying to reach another tissue, and then a third time, and by the time he gets the tissue to his face he’s sniffling so frequently that Taehyung can hear all the work the sneezing had just done for Jimin’s congestion being undone again.

“Blow your nose,” he instructs softly, patting Jimin’s back. “Stop sniffing it back in.” 

“Blow your nose,” Jimin retorts, but he grabs another tissue.

“You always turn into such a grumpy little firecracker when you’re sick, you know that?” Taehyung laughs. “What happened to my sweet angel?” 

“You know what always happens?” Jimin asks, ignoring him. “I get sick. I always get sick. Everyone else is perfectly fine and healthy, and then I get sick. Multiple times a year, I catch whatever my students pass around, and then I bring it home and spread it around to all of you.” 

He mumbles something that sounds suspiciously like germy little motherfuckers, then sniffles wetly. “You’d all be so much healthier without me in your life!” 

Taehyung tugs Jimin by the shoulder until he’s forced to roll over and face him. “Take it easy on the ranting, sweetheart,” he says. “Your voice is going hoarse now.” 

Jimin’s nose scrunches up. Taheyung can see it coming, but Jimin doesn’t seem to realize until the very last second, tucking his chin to his chest and aiming the sneeze down towards the blanket in a way that does practically nothing to stop some of the resulting spray from landing on Taehyung’s hand and arm.

“Perhaps,” Taehyung says pointedly as he wipes his hand on the front of his shirt, mildly disgusted, “If you covered your sneezes, you wouldn’t get us all sick.” 

“Sorry,” Jimin whispers. He sounds even stuffier now. “But also, no one asked you to get into bed with me when I’m sneezing so much.” 

Taehyung raises an eyebrow. Jimin blinks innocently up at him, nose still twitching dangerously. There’s a moment when Taehyung is positive he’s going to sneeze again, but then Jimin scoots closer until he’s nuzzling against Taehyung’s chest, burying his face in the front of his shirt. He snuffles and clears his throat a few times before letting out a long, heavy sigh. 

“Tae?” 

“Yeah, angel?”

“How is Koo doing? I’m really worried about him.”

Taehyung smiles. “Jungkook is doing okay. A weak little case of the sniffles won’t hold him back, you know that.”

Jimin huffs. “It’s not just a little sniffle! He was already sick. He must be so miserable,” he says sadly. 

“Well, you know Jungkookie. He won’t complain much when he’s actually miserable. Also, Jinnie is babying the fuck out of him and Yoongi is hovering and fussing over him per usual.” 

They lie in silence for a few moments. 

“Tae?”

“Hmm?”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Can you carry me to the bath, please?”

Taehyung grins. “There’s my angel.” 

*

By the time Jungkook heads to bed that evening, they can tell that he’s in for a miserable time. 

Yoongi knows by how quiet Jungkook has been the entire day. He can see it in the way he clutches at his belly each time he sneezes, his abdominal muscles sore from his bout with the stomach flu. He can see it when Jungkook swallows, his poor throat raw and inflamed from vomiting already, and now tender from the sore throat from his cold. 

He finds Jungkook sitting up in bed when he stops by to bring him a dose of medicine and a mug of hot tea, looking at his phone through squinted eyes.

“Hey,” he says, pushing the door open. He sets the tea and medicine on Jungkook’s nightstand and climbs over Jungkook’s legs, settling down on his other side.

Jungkook lets his phone fall to his lap. He reaches up to rub at one eye with his fist. He glances at the nightstand, but instead of reaching for the medicine or tea, he reaches for a tissue and folds it over his nose, rubbing back and forth a few times. Yoongi can hear him sniff once, his brows drawing together, and then Jungkook lets out a stuffy sigh. 

“Nose bothering you?” Yoongi asks sympathetically, and Jungkook nods, turning a sad gaze towards him.

“Itchy,” is all he says, voice sounding croaky. 

Yoongi hums and wraps an arm around Jungkook’s waist. “You poor thing.” 

“Hmm,” Jungkook replies, voice rising slightly in pitch like a whine. His face scrunches up, and he sucks in a breath like he’s preparing to sneeze, but then doesn’t. After a pause, he pinches his nose for a moment until the tickle seems to be calmed.

Yoongi lifts his hand up and gently cards his fingers through his hair, pushing some strands off his forehead. He’s surprised to feel the skin there still warm to the touch. 

“You really can’t shake that fever, huh?” He asks, frowning hard. It’s not a terribly high temperature, at least that Yoongi can tell by touch, but the low grade fever is surely adding to Jungkook’s misery. 

Jungkook huffs out a congested breath, through his mouth only. In the span of just twelve hours, his cold symptoms have gone from zero to one hundred. When he lowers the tissue, Yoongi can see how red his nose is. 

“Brought you medicine and some tea,” Yoongi tells him, gesturing toward the nightstand. “Hoseok said you didn’t take anything earlier.”

Jungkook makes a face. He doesn’t take the medicine, but he does pick up the mug, holding it close to his chest and ducking his head to slowly breathe in the steam that’s coming off the hot liquid. Just as quickly, he’s setting the mug back down, nose twitching as if irritated by the steam. 

He raises the tissue back up to his face. He’s panting hard, almost like he’d trying to fight against it, but the irritation is unstoppable and he pitches forward with a congested sneeze.

“Poor thing,” Yoongi reiterates. “I’m so sorry you’re feeling so bad, baby.”

Jungkook scrubs away any further irritation from his nose with another tissue. He’s still quiet, hardly uttering a word.  

Thirty minutes later, Yoongi has convinced him to finish the tea, but the medicine remains untouched on the nightstand. Yoongi doesn’t push it, though, because Jungkook looks so tired and miserable. He slides further and further down until he’s on his back, and then rolls onto his side, yawning sleepily in between sneezes, and by the time Yoongi gets up Jungkook is snoring loudly, mouth open and nose bright red.

*

Yoongi pauses outside of Jimin’s door, one fist raised to knock. The door is closed, and he can’t hear anything from inside, but he’s pretty sure Jimin is awake because just before he had made his way down the hall, he’d been sitting in his own room when he had heard a strange noise coming from Jimin’s room– a strange repetitive sound, not particularly loud, that had lasted for a few minutes– that he had eventually realized was one of the longest fits of sneezing he’s ever heard in his entire life. Yoongi had counted eighteen sneezes before he decided to check on Jimin.

He knocks softly, but then he reaches for the door handle without waiting for an answer.

“Can I come in?” He asks, peering into the room. It’s late, and the main light is off, but Jimin’s bedside lamp is on, casting a warm glow across the room.

Jimin is lying on the bed, facing away from the door, dozens of tissues scattered across the blankets that are bunched around him. He lets out a long, stuffy sigh, and then glares at Yoongi over his shoulder. “No,” he replies, but he doesn’t seem to have the energy to argue when Yoongi comes in anyway. 

Yoongi sits on the edge of the bed and reaches down to rub Jimin’s back through the comforter.

“How are you feeling?” He asks. 

Jimin shrugs. “I feel gross.” 

Yoongi palms his forehead and is glad to find that he isn’t warm. “I’m so sorry, baby.”  

“You should leave. I don’t want you to get sick.”

“I’m not worried about getting sick. I’m worried about you.” 

Jimin sniffles wetly and clears his throat. “Well, you should worry about getting sick.” 

Ignoring him, Yoongi stands. “Did you take some medicine?”

Jimin nods and brings a hand up to his face, swiping under his nose. “Yeah, but I think it just made my nose more runny.”

“Probably the decongestant,” Yoongi chuckles. He walks around to the other side of the bed and climbs in, lying on top of the covers. 

“...Oh.” Jimin’s face flushes pink. “Yeah, that makes sense.” He frowns. “My head is too clogged up to think properly.” 

Yoongi wraps his arms around Jimin and rubs his back. “My poor Jiminie,” he whispers. 

Jimin snuffles against his chest and wiggles closer. 

Soon, his breathing begins to even out, and Yoongi can tell that he’s falling asleep. He keeps rubbing Jimin’s back, feeling sleepy himself. Stifling a yawn, he moves his hands up to Jimin’s hair, running them gently through the soft strands. 

Once he’s certain that Jimin is asleep, he strokes his hair for a few more minutes, then presses a kiss to his forehead before carefully easing himself out from underneath him. Jimin stirs, but doesn’t wake, snuffling for a moment until he settles back into sleep. Yoongi rearranges the covers over him, tucks him in with gentle pats, and then kisses his forehead once last time before slipping out of the room.

[bultaoreunheyyy]

Part 4

the sickfic without a title

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 - word count: 4,120

Namjoon and Hoseok make their way towards the town that’s adjacent to the lake on their bikes in the heat of the day, sweat dripping from their brows and skin golden and shining under the sun. 

They stop halfway there, at the highest point on the road, and walk a quarter of a kilometer up the dirt path to a viewpoint that looks out over the lake. It’s one of Hoseok’s favorite spots to visit when they go hiking in the area every summer, mostly because he loves to look at their house across the lake from this perspective. It looks tiny from up here, and sometimes Hoseok likes to imagine it’s a little model that Namjoon made of his dream house for all his boyfriends to live in. He’s told Namjoon as much, multiple times, just so he can sit and watch Namjoon talk when he launches into an explanation of how he only made blueprints on paper and not an actual miniature model of the house.

“We’ve gotta bring Jimin up here when he’s feeling better,” Namjoon says as he looks out over the lake. “We haven’t been on any hikes yet. And he would love this view.”

Hoseok leans against a tree and watches Namjoon admire the view until Namjoon catches him looking, and subsequently flushes a bright pink under his intense stare.

“What?”

“Mm. I just agree with you. Jimin would love this view.” 

Namjoon rolls his eyes and motions with his hand. “Let’s get going,” he says, but he playfully grabs a handful of Hoseok’s ass as he brushes past him. 

The tiny grocery store in town looks the exact same as it does every time they visit. The owner greets them warmly, asking about how their summer has been. She’s known them for years now, and when she hears about Jimin and Jungkook, she immediately starts to gather up a bag of extra supplies and food. 

“I hope you’re taking very good care of those boys,” she tells them as they check out. Hoseok is pretty sure she thinks they’re all brothers, or cousins. “Come back for a visit if you need anything at all.” 

After promising that they’re taking the best care of Jimin and Jungkook, and bowing profusely in thanks, Namjoon and Hoseok make their way back to their bikes.

“Popsicles are gonna melt before we get back,” Hoseok comments as he adjusts all of the groceries in the basket attached to his bike. He wipes the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

“We better ride fast, then,” Namjoon replies. He gets on his bike and then suddenly Hoseok is in his space.

“Oh, I can ride very fast,” he says, voice low.

Namjoon darts his head forward and plants a kiss on Hoseok’s lips. “I know you can, baby,” he smirks, and Hoseok squeaks and looks around wildly. 

“It’s okay,” Namjoon chuckles. “No one was watching.” He pushes his kickstand up with his heel. “Race you home!” He shouts, and then he takes off, pedaling fast and leaving Hoseok to gape at his retreating form.

“No fair!” Hoseok shouts after him, jumping onto his bike and nearly losing his balance as it wobbles unevenly with the weight of the groceries. “You could have at least taken one of these bags!” 

*

When Namjoon and Hoseok return, both Jimin and Jungkook are still asleep, and Seokjin is in the living room playing video games while Yoongi and Taehyung watch.

“How was town?” Seokjin asks, pausing his game. He glances over at Yoongi and Taehyung, who look far too tired for his liking, leaning against each other on the couch. Namjoon and Hoseok don’t look much better, drenched in sweat from their bike ride and hiding yawns behind their hands. 

“Good,” Namjoon replies. “It’s like that little town never changes. We got everything we needed and then some. We picked up some pre-made food for dinner, too. Figured it would be nice not to have to cook tonight.” 

“I need a shower,” Hoseok says. He yawns. “And a nap.” 

Taehyung stands with a stretch. “You two go shower. I’ll put the groceries away.” 

“I’m joining you,” Namjoon says to Hoseok once he sees Yoongi join Taehyung to unpack the groceries. “I’m so sweaty and gross.” 

They all pretend to not see the eyebrow wiggle Hoseok gives him in return.

Seokjin sends Yoongi and Taehyung off for a nap too once everything is put away. Since Jimin and Jungkook are both sleeping, Seokjin decides he can always wake one of the others up if he needs anything, or if they’re all still sleeping by dinnertime. For now, all he wants to do is sit on the couch and play video games.

A full hour passes by before Seokjin takes a stretch break, standing up and arching his back until he feels a satisfying crack. He makes a trip into the kitchen for some water and a snack, and then heads back to his comfy spot on the couch. He’s just settling down for another round of KartRider when he hears a door open somewhere down the hall, and then soft footsteps approaching. He sets down his controller and watches Jimin shuffle into the living room, and he can’t believe he missed that the younger man was sick earlier with how he looks now, exhaustion visibly weighing him down. Jimin’s eyes and nose are red and he’s wearing what looks like one of Jungkook’s oversized black hoodies, sleeves hanging all the way past his fingertips and hood pulled up over his hair.

“Hey sleepyhead,” Seokjin greets him. “How was your nap?”

Jimin yawns, and then sneezes four times in a row, looking slightly dazed afterward.

“Hey,” he croaks, pressing a knuckle against his septum. His eyelashes flutter and Seokjin can tell he’s got another sneeze coming. 

After a moment, he sniffs hard, rubs aggressively at his nose, and then shuffles a few steps closer. Seokjin pats the couch next to him and Jimin plops down onto the cushion with a series of wet sniffles, knuckle still resting against the underside of his nose. 

“Taehyung says you’re not feeling well?’

“He…?” Jimin trails off, face scrunched up in confusion, and then he sighs. “Oh.” he sniffles thickly and leans his head back against the couch. “That’s why I feel like shit.”

“Sounds like you might have caught a cold.”

Jimin presses the heel of his hand to the underside of his nose, then pulls his hand away quickly, frowning at the moisture left behind in disgust and wiping his hand on his pants. “Ugh. I thought it was the cleaning stuff that was irritating my throat and sinuses. And I’ve had a headache but…I thought I was just tired, we’ve all been so tired…Am I the only one? Is everyone else feeling okay?” Jimin peers at Seokjin. “Are you feeling okay?”

He barely waits for Seokjin to nod before he’s groaning loudly.

“Oh shit! I let Jungkook use my chapstick! And I’ve been cuddling with him– What if he catches this too? I should…I should go stay at a hotel or something, I–”

“Jimin, love. Take a breath,” Seokjin interrupts. He tugs Jimin to his chest and runs his fingers through the younger man’s hair. “You’re not staying in a hotel. Don’t be ridiculous. Jungkook won’t catch your cold, but we don’t want you catching what he has on top of a cold, either. Best to stick to your room as much as you can.” 

Jimin nods against his chest, sniffling softly, sadly. 

“And we’ll double disinfect everything. It’s going to be fine, we just need to be careful until you’re both feeling better.” 

Another nod. Seokjin smiles and presses a kiss to Jimin’s temple. Belatedly, Jimin jerks upright, scooting down the couch away from Seokjin with a gasp.

“Jinnie! You shouldn’t be cuddling me right now!” 

Jimin looks like he’s about to cry. He makes a sad sound in the back of his throat, and then he’s sneezing again another four times in a row, his face scrunching up in irritation.  

“Goodness,” Seokjin tuts. He looks around until he spots a box of tissues on a nearby end table, which he fetches and brings back to the couch. “Blow your nose.”  

Jimin complies, going through several tissues before he slumps back against the couch with a stuffy sigh.

“Now,” Seokjin says, pressing a kiss to Jimin’s temple. “I’m going to make you something hot to drink. Go rest, please.”

“I was just resting.”

“You can never have too much rest. Especially on vacation. Especially when you’re sick. Namjoonie and Hoseokie went into town earlier and got tissues and cold medicine.” 

“For me?”

Seokjin chuckles. “Of course, love. All for you. You’re the one with a cold.”

“I can’t believe I didn’t even realize,” Jimin groans. He’s so congested now that his words are hard to make out. 

“Go on. I’ll bring everything to your room.”

Jimin nods and wordlessly shuffles back down the hall, looking defeated.  

He’s already drifting off to sleep when Seokjin gets there with an armful of supplies– cold medicine, tissues, throat lozenges, and a mug of hot tea– so Seokjin sets everything down on the nightstand as quietly as he can, presses a kiss to Jimin’s forehead, and leaves him to nap in peace. 

*

“You’re gonna get pruney in there.”

“Hmm?” Jungkook feels sleepy. He looks over at Namjoon without moving his head. “Oh. Don’t care,” he murmurs. He really doesn’t. It feels so good to lie in the warm water, to finally not be shivering with chills. “It’s warm. It’s worth it.” 

In the bath, Jungkook can kind of pretend he almost feels back to normal. He’s relaxed, he's at a comfortable temperature, he’s not covered in his own sweat, and he’s not in bed nor hunched over a toilet seat.

The others slowly trickle into the bathroom one by one and remind Jungkook that he’s actually still sick. Sick enough that they’re all still hovering, all wanting to keep an eye on him. Soon, they’re all in the bathroom– everyone except Jimin, which is odd considering he hasn’t seen Jimin yet today, and it’s already late in the evening. 

In fact, Jungkook realizes he hasn’t seen Jimin since yesterday morning, when he’d woken up in Seokjin’s bed. 

“Where’s Jimin?” He asks, turning his head to the side so he can look at Namjoon next to him.

“He’s in his room,” Namjoon answers, voice even, but Jungkook sees his jaw tense at the question. 

He glances over at Taehyung, who’s also suddenly tense, and not meeting Jungkook’s eyes.

“He’s just been sleeping. Catching up on some rest,” Yoongi says. He’s looking down at his phone and he’s frowning.

“Is he okay?” A sudden, uneasy feeling washes over Jungkook. “Why are you all acting so weird?”  

A few moments pass by in silence. Finally, Seokjin speaks. “He caught a little cold and he doesn’t want to pass it on to you.”

“What? Jimin has a cold? Shit,” Jungkook curses. “Is he okay? How is he feeling?” He sits upright and pulls the plug from the drain. “How did he get sick?”

“Slow down, Kook,” Namjoon says, but Jungkook is already standing and reaching for his towel.

“Is he asleep right now?”

The lack of response he gets to his question tells Jungkook that the answer to that is no. He can go check on Jimin now if that’s the case. 

“Jungkook, it’s okay, baby,” Seokjin says as he watches Jungkook towel dry his hair with a sudden urgency. “It’s really just a little cold. Jimin is fine, and he’s resting in bed right now. Joonie and Hoseokie already went into town to pick up some more medicine and stuff for him. They got some popsicles for you, too. Want one now? You haven't had anything to eat yet tonight.”

Jungkook shivers at the thought of eating a cold popsicle. He’s fucking cold again, and he’d be sad about that fact if not for the worry that’s overtaking him. “No, thanks,” he responds. “Maybe later.” He had skipped dinner on purpose, his stomach clenching dangerously at the thought of a meal.

He quickly pulls on his clean clothes that Taehyung presents him with and then makes a beeline for Jimin’s room, skillfully maneuvering past his boyfriends all crowded in the bathroom before they can stop him. 

“Uh, wrong way.” Hoseok catches up and grabs him gently by the elbow before he gets too far. “You’re not going to see Jimin right now! The last thing you need is to catch his cold, Kookie.”

“What– I’m not going to catch his cold,” Jungkook argues. He’s getting a little frustrated now. “I just want to check on him and see if he needs anything.” 

“We’ve already checked on him,” Yoongi promises. He rests a hand on Jungkook’s back, rubbing back and forth softly.

“I can check on him too, though. I’m not a fucking baby–” 

A soft cough interrupts, and they all look over to see Jimin poking his head out of his room. 

“Hey,” he says. He sounds stuffed up and sleepy, and his eyes and nose are a bit red. He’s only looking at Jungkook, and Jungkook lets out a sad sigh.

“Jiminie,” he says, voice trembling. “I’m so sorry you’re sick.” 

“I’m okay, Jungkookie,” Jimin replies. He sniffles and leans out a little farther into the hallway. “Don’t worry about me, okay?” He coughs, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth. 

Jungkook bites his lower lip. “Of course I’m going to worry about you. I’ve already been worrying so much that any of you are going to catch what I have. Now you have a cold?” He pouts. “How did you even catch a cold?” 

Jimin shakes his head and clears his throat. “I have no clue. Actually…” He lowers his gaze. “I guess, if I’m being honest, I haven’t been feeling my best for a few days now. I just didn’t realize it.” 

“It always takes you so long to realize it when you’re sick,” Taehyung tells him with a soft laugh. 

“Well, I’m still sorry you’re sick. I’d come give you cuddles but apparently I’m not allowed to.” Jungkook rolls his eyes in mock annoyance. 

“Of course you’re not!” Jimin gasps. “Jungkookie, you’re still sick too! Please don’t come near me.” 

Jungkook crosses his arms. “Nobody was even gonna tell me that you’re sick,” he complains.  

“We were going to tell you,” Yoongi corrects. “We just knew you would go into instant-worry mode and you don’t necessarily need that on top of already being sick yourself.”

Jungkook sighs, and then shivers visibly, his still damp hair making him feel cold. 

“Okay, rest time for Jungkookie and Jiminie,” Seokjin says. He puts his hands on Jungkook’s shoulders. “We know you’re not a baby, Jungkook. But just like you’re worried about Jimin, we’re all worried about the both of you. So the sooner you let us take care of you, the sooner you’ll feel better, and the sooner you and Jimin can cuddle.” 

“Fine,” Jungkook says with another shiver. He’s really, really missing the warm bath. He wraps his arms around himself and shoots Jimin a tired smile.

“Feel better soon, so we can cuddle soon,” he orders, and Jimin breaks out into a smile. 

Seokjin starts to guide Jungkook to his own room, but after a few steps he stops short.

“Jinnie?” Jungkook asks sweetly, turning to his oldest partner. “Can I please borrow your slippers? The pink fluffy ones?” 

Even though it’s a bit of an odd request, as Jungkook has never asked to borrow Seokjin’s slippers once in his life, Seokjin is quick to nod and hurry off to retrieve them. 

As soon as he gets back and hands them over, Jungkook ducks around Hoseok so quickly he doesn’t have time to react and makes a break down the hall towards Jimin. He gets there before any of them can react, and he kneels at Jimin’s feet and sets the slippers down in front of him.

“You can’t walk around barefoot when you’re sick,” he says, nodding down at Jimin’s bare feet. 

Jimin snorts out a startled, stuffy laugh. “Oh, Jungkookie.” He wiggles his toes and slips his feet into the slippers with another giggle, smiling fondly down at Jungkook when he reaches out to help him with the second one.

Jungkook sits back on his heels, one hand wrapped around Jimin’s calf, looking up at him with the same fondness. 

“Feel better soon. I’m really sorry that you’re sick.” 

Jimin’s eyes are suspiciously wet when he responds. “Thank you, my sweet Kookie. I’ll get better very fast, I promise.” 

“Love you,” Jungkook says, and with one last pat to Jimin’s leg, he stands and takes a big step backward to keep some space between them. “Rest well.” 

“You too, sweetie,” Jimin replies, also taking a step backwards into his room. 

After that, Jungkook lets Hoseok finally take him back to his own room. He feels so suddenly drained of energy that he curls up on his side as soon as he’s on the bed, achy and shivering, and he doesn’t realize until Yoongi holds up a fever patch that it’s because his temperature is up again.

“Joon and Hoseok got these at the store earlier,” Yoongi tells him. “Thought it might be more comfortable for you than the cold washcloths.”

Jungkook nods, because he knows from past experience that Yoongi is right. He closes his eyes as Yoongi places it on his forehead and then kisses the tip of his nose. 

“Did you get the honey throat lozenges?” Jungkook asks, eyes still closed. He hears a soft laugh from his right.

“Yes,” Namjoon responds. “We know what Jimin likes, you know.”

Jungkook nods, and immediately regrets it when it makes him feel dizzy even though he’s lying down. 

“Sleep, baby,” Seokjin says from somewhere above him. 

Jungkook sleeps. 

*

Several different things hit Jungkook all at once when he wakes up the next morning. 

The first is that it’s morning. That means he actually slept through the night. Without waking up to puke, without waking up drenched in sweat, without waking up too hot or too cold or too uncomfortable. He’s warm and cozy under his blanket and the early morning light is filtering through his window.

The second is that he’s on his stomach, which is his preferred sleeping position, but he hasn’t really been able to sleep on his stomach when his stomach has been so upset. His stomach feels fine though in this position, and the pressure almost feels nice. 

However, it also means there’s pressure on his bladder— another thing of note, because it means that he’s not as dehydrated as he has been lately, if he actually has to pee upon waking up. 

But the most pressing matter that fights for Jungkook’s attention isn’t the time of day, nor the position he’s in, nor his full bladder. 

It’s the fact that he has an itchy nose. 

A very, very itchy nose. 

Jungkook huffs out an irritated breath into his pillow and scrunches up his face sharply. Not only does his nose itch, but his throat is also very dry and irritated. He needs water, he needs to pee, and he needs desperately to scratch his nose, but he doesn’t want to have to deal with any of that because he’s nearly comfortable for once and he doesn’t want to move from the warmth of his blanket. With a sleepy sigh, he rubs his nose against his pillow, which kind of helps with the itch, except now it’s more on the inside than the outside. He scrunches up his nose, wiggles it around, and then sniffs hard, and that makes it way worse– it makes him feel like he needs to sneeze. Without meaning to, he whimpers in frustration, breath catching as the maddening tickle in his nose intensifies. 

“Oh? Good morning,” A voice murmurs in his ear, and it completely scares the sneeze away just as it reaches its crest, leaving him teary-eyed and a little out of breath. 

“Uhh?! Hmph.” 

A deep chuckle, and then Yoongi is rubbing his back, in between his shoulder blades. “Are you still asleep?”

“Nghh.” Jungkook sniffles and shifts uncomfortably. 

“What’s wrong, love? You feeling okay?”

“I have to pee and my nose is itchy,” Jungkook whines, his voice muffled in the pillow. 

Yoongi lets out a snort and then a soft chuckle. “Okay. Get up and pee then.” Then, when Jungkook doesn’t move, he asks, “Do you need help getting to the bathroom?”

“No.” 

Yoongi waits for a beat. “...Okay?”

“Don’t wanna move.”

Another chuckle. “Don’t blame you. You look so cute and cozy right now. Did you sleep well?” 

“Hmm,” Jungkook answers non-committedly. He probably did, but now he can only focus on all of the discomforts of waking up. He turns his head and squints up at Yoongi. “Yoongi?” He uses his softest, most pleading voice he can muster.

“What do you need, baby?”

Jungkook feels Yoongi lean closer. He nuzzles into his pillow some more. “Can you please get me some water? And will you scratch my nose?”

Yoongi blinks at him, mouth dropping open. 

“Please,” Jungkook begs. “It’s so itchy and I don’t wanna move.” 

“You want me to scratch your nose for you?” Yoongi gapes at him. 

Jungkook whimpers on purpose this time, for dramatic effect. 

“Get up to pee and scratch your own nose,” Yoongi grumbles, but he shuffles even closer. “Where does it itch?” His fingers hover over Jungkook’s nose, waiting. 

Jungkook scrunches up his nose again. “Everywhere.”

“That’s helpful,” Yoongi replies dryly. 

“Yoongi,” he whines with a sniffle. 

“Okay, okay.” Yoongi begins dragging his fingernail down the side of Jungkook’s nose, an amused smirk on his face. 

“Left,” Jungkook grunts, nose scrunching at the touch. “Now right. Okay, now on the tip– ohh, wait, yeah…yeah I think…” Jungkook sniffs sharply. “Ugh, nevermind. It’s not working. It still itches.” He clears his throat loudly and sticks out his lower lip.

“I did all that work for nothing?” Yoongi asks incredulously. He frowns when Jungkook clears his throat again and then coughs once.

“You okay?”

“Mm.” Jungkook swallows, clears his throat. “My throat is dry.”

“You’re full of complaints this morning, aren’t you?” Yoongi says, rolling his eyes, but Jungkook can hear relief in his voice too. He knows that they’ve all been so worried about him, but if he’s up to complaining, it’s a sign he’s feeling better. 

“I’m sorry your throat hurts. I’ll make you some tea in a bit.” Yoongi frowns. “Did you throw up again last night?”

All amusement in his expression is gone, replaced by concern. 

“No,” Jungkook quickly responds. “No, I’m just thirsty.” He bats his eyelashes a few times. “I could really use some water right now.” 

“Oh my god, Jungkook! Get your ass up, drink some water, go pee, and scratch your own damn nose!” 

There’s a startled gasp from the doorway, and they both look over to see Namjoon standing there.

“What’s going on?” he asks cautiously, narrowing his eyes at Yoongi. 

Jungkook finally sits up and scrubs both of his hands over his entire face, pawing at his nose a few times after until the itch in his nose is gone. “Good morning,” he tells Namjoon when he’s done. “How’s Jimin?”

Namjoon, still looking confused, approaches the bed and sits down on the end. 

“Jimin is doing okay. Hoseok just checked on him.”

As if summoned, Hoseok enters the room and hops on the bed. “Good morning, cuties,” he says cheerfully. “Jimin just fell back asleep. He’s doing alright, all things considered.”  

“Jungkook, how do you feel?” Namjoon asks. 

Jungkook is about to respond, but then the itch in his nose that had plagued him earlier returns, tickling at the insides of his sinuses persistently and making his breath catch. On his next inhale, the feeling spreads and he gasps sharply, face scrunching up, and then sneezes.

It feels terrible. His nose is suddenly runny, his dry throat aches, and his full bladder protests at the sudden outburst. 

“Bless you,” Hoseok coos.

Namjoon gets up and retrieves a tissue for him when he sees Jungkook sniffling, his face still scrunched up. 

Yoongi leans over and rubs him on the back. “You okay?” He asks.

“That was really, really not great,” Jungkook gasps, squeezing his eyes shut until the discomfort passes. “I almost just pissed myself when I sneezed.”

Hoseok bursts into laughter at the admission, but Yoongi yanks the blankets off him and all but shoves him off the bed.

“Go to the fucking bathroom already!”

Part 5

[bultaoreunheyyy]

Part 2

the sickfic without a title

part 1 | part 2 - word count: 5,270

Taehyung remembers the day Namjoon showed them the blueprints for the lakehouse like it was yesterday. 

“I’ve technically been working on this blueprint since I was a kid,” Namjoon had told them, showing them what they had at the time thought only to be a theoretical house. “When I was in grade school, I sketched my first house with seven rooms because I thought it would be nice to live with a lot of people I love.”

Even back then, when they were all much younger and barely out of university, they all knew that their connection was something special. Special enough that they wanted to live together even if it was crammed together in a two-bedroom apartment in the city or in a seven-bedroom house by the lake that Namjoon designed for an anniversary present. Now, sitting on the porch swing on the large porch Namjoon had designed for them, Taehyung is just as enamored with the house, and with Namjoon, as he had been that day.

“The breeze is picking up,” he says, threading his fingers through Namjoon’s hair. “We should go inside soon.”

Namjoon nods against Taehyung’s thigh. He’s stretched out sideways on the swing, long legs hanging part way off the end, his head resting in Taehyung’s lap. The moonlight is bright enough that they don’t need the porch lights on. The light breeze ruffles both of their hair and Taehyung pulls the blanket that’s covering Namjoon higher over his shoulders before pulling the blanket that’s wrapped around himself a little tighter in the front.

“Yeah.” Namjoon sighs. He yawns loudly. “We should.” 

“What are you two doing out here? It’s late,” Yoongi’s voice comes from the doorway, silky soft and low. He slips out onto the porch, making his way over to the wicker chair next to Taehyung, curling up with his feet pulled to his chest.

“Can’t sleep either?” Taehyung asks him, tugging the blanket off his shoulders and passing it over to Yoongi. 

Yoongi pulls the blanket into his lap with a grateful nod. “It makes no sense. I feel fucking exhausted, but I’m still not able to sleep.”  

The three of them sit in silence for a few minutes, listening to the gentle sounds of the nighttime.

The faint creak of the front door opening and closing again draws their attention, and soon Seokjin is standing in front of them, hands on his hips.

“You’re going to mess up your sleep schedules if you keep staying up so late,” he says. “There’s probably, like, only two hours until the sun rises.”

“You’re awake too,” Yoongi retorts, one eyebrow raised. “Come sit with us for a while. We’re on vacation, don’t forget.”  

“Well I’m heading to bed soon, and we should all be trying to sleep,” Seokjin replies, but he joins them anyway, plopping himself down into Yoongi’s lap. Yoongi wraps his arms around Seokjin’s waist and pulls him close, presses a kiss to his temple, content and cozy. Seokjin melts into his embrace with a resigned sigh.

Hoseok and Jimin find them half an hour later, peeking out the front window at them before making their way outside. 

“I’m so sad that Jungkook isn’t feeling well,” Namjoon says around another yawn. “He never gets sick and he’s so sad about it. It’s breaking my heart.”

“I know,” Taehyung agrees. “Poor thing.” 

“How is everyone else feeling, by the way?” Seokjin asks. “No one else feels sick?”

They all shake their heads in tandem. 

“Good. I hope no one else catches it. At first I thought it might just be food poisoning, but it’s definitely some kind of bug. Probably contagious.” 

“That ship has already sailed, I think,” Yoongi says. “Not much to do to prevent it at this point.” 

“How’s Kookie doing now?” Namjoon asks, turning to Hoseok and Jimin.

“He’s okay for now,” Hoseok replies. “Jimin and I were just lying down with him. He was mostly just dozing for a bit here and there, but there are too many things making him uncomfortable. We finally got him to fall asleep and he was snoring when we left the room, but I’m not sure how long he’ll be out for.”

Jimin sniffles, his nose running from the chilly air. “I’ll go check on him again.”

Ten minutes later, Jimin returns with Jungkook by his side, arm wrapped around his waist to help him walk out onto the porch. Namjoon sits up and they tuck Jungkook between him and Taehyung on the swing.

“Look who I found shuffling down the hallway,” Jimin teases, lightly pinching Jungkook’s cheek. “He was practically sleepwalking.” 

Jungkook yawns and snuggles against Taehyung’s side. He’s shaking visibly even as they wrap all the blankets they have with them around his body. He remains quiet as they fuss over him, Namjoon arranging and rearranging the blankets while Jimin pets his hair and places a hand on his forehead to gauge his temperature. 

“Wanted to be with us, baby?” Taehyung asks, eyebrows furrowing when Jimin’s hand lingers on Jungkook’s forehead, a frown forming on his face. He nudges Jimin’s hand aside and feels for himself. Jungkook leans into the touch and Taehyung finds himself frowning too at the heat he feels. “You should be resting.” 

“Sorry,” Jungkook croaks, suddenly teary-eyed. “I don’t mean to worry you. I feel like I’m ruining our whole summer.���

“Well, that’s a bit dramatic,” Yoongi jokes, but then his expression softens. “But don’t you dare apologize for being sick. We’re still here spending time together, aren’t we? You’re not ruining anything.”

Namjoon nods in agreement. “You know we don’t mind taking care of you.” 

“We’re gonna worry no matter what. Just ignore us and focus on feeling better, ‘kay?” Hoseok tells him.

Jungkook turns his face into Taehyung’s shoulder with a shuddering sigh, quiet for a long time. Ten minutes pass by, and then another ten minutes, during which none of them really speak, content to just sit together. When Jungkook finally turns back, his gaze lands on the water, the reflection of the moon on the surface of the lake matching the sparkling, bright reflection of it in his eyes.

“It’s so peaceful out here,” Jungkook whispers after a moment, still trembling against Taehyung’s side. His face is visibly flushed from the fever and the cool air outside, his eyes are glassy and he can barely lift his head from Taheyung’s shoulder, but the ghost of a smile that suddenly forms on his lips has all of their breaths catching collectively.

“Yeah, baby, it really is,” Namjoon whispers back. His fingers card through Jungkook’s hair and he leans over to kiss Jungkook’s cheek. “Love you.”

“Love you, too.” Jungkook closes his eyes. “Love all of you.”  

“We love you so much,” Jimin says, sniffling wetly.

“So much,” Seokjin agrees, snuggling into Yoongi’s chest.

“Love you guys,” Taehyung hums happily. His grip tightens around Jungkook’s shivering frame and Hoseok leans over from his chair, stretching across Namjoon to pat Jungkook’s thigh. 

The seven of them sit in content silence until they’re all sleepy, more than half of them yawning in regular intervals. 

“Um.” Jungkook suddenly clears his throat, and they all look at him. “I don’t want to ruin this moment. And I don’t want to throw up outside,” he says. “But I’m about to ruin this moment and throw up outside.” 

“Can you make it inside, to the bathroom, if we help you walk?” Hoseok asks, keeping his voice as level as possible even though his expression betrays his alarm. He jumps out of his seat and crouches in front of Jungkook, holding out both hands. His heart pounds so hard it feels like it might escape his body.

Jungkook makes it to the hall bathroom, just barely.

Hoseok’s heart stays inside his chest, just barely.

After they clean Jungkook up, and then clean the bathroom, they’re all so exhausted they end up in bed together in their massive master bedroom. Jungkook is already asleep on the side closest to the door of the mattress that’s named after some state in America that only Namjoon ever remembers– one of the most important parts of the original blueprint, according to Namjoon– tucked under a thin blanket and curled up on his side. The bed is just big enough that they can fit all seven of them if they squeeze themselves in tight, wrapped around each other like they can’t get enough of their bodies pressed together, skin on skin on skin. 

They’re all asleep by the time the sun rises, just barely. 

*

After breakfast the next morning, Jungkook falls asleep sitting upright. 

Namjoon isn’t actually sure if he’s truly asleep, but he’s dozing at least, back up against the headboard and head lolling to one side. 

He’d been uncharacteristically cranky during breakfast, and had only eaten three or four crackers before trudging to his own bedroom to sit on the bed and do seemingly nothing other than stare at the wall in front of him. It wasn’t until Seokjin followed him shortly after and took his temperature that he discovered his fever had spiked sometime since waking, and that’s when Jungkook had broken down into tears, delirious with renewed anxiety about falling sick while on vacation.

Now, Namjoon eases Jungkook down onto his back, shushing him when he stirs with a moan, eyelashes fluttering in an attempt to open.

“Go back to sleep, baby,” Namjoon whispers, carding his hands through Jungkook’s hair until he stills again.   

He tucks a heating pad under the covers with Jungkook, placing it on his stomach, and Jungkook whimpers and then sighs, expression relaxing. It takes less than five minutes for him to stop shivering, his chills and stomach pain eased by the heat.

Namjoon holds his hand and watches him sleep.

*

The rest of the day passes by rather uneventfully. 

Jungkook wakes up less than two hours later drenched in sweat, fever broken and feeling so weak and achy that he uses his phone to text Taehyung that he’s awake and needs help getting to the bathroom to pee. 

Jungkook sits on the toilet and Taehyung hovers just outside the bathroom door waiting for him while Hoseok changes his bedding and Seokjin cooks some white rice. Jungkook manages to eat an entire scoop of rice, even though his stomach lurches dangerously throughout the meal, but he’s able to keep it down and feels marginally better once he drinks the cup of hot ginger tea that Yoongi brews for him afterward. 

In the afternoon, Jungkook convinces Yoongi and Hoseok to watch movies with him on the couch when they try to convince him to take a nap.

“You need to rest, bub,” Hoseok tells him, rubbing his back with enough force to also nudge him down the hallway a few steps.

Jungkook puts on his brakes and pouts. “I don’t want to rest,” he says, a shiver running down his spine. He’s starting to feel cold again and he’s dreading the incoming fever he can feel trying to claw its way back, prickling along his skin no matter how many fever reducers he seems to be taking. “I’m tired of being in bed.”

“Come rest in my bed, then,” Yoongi offers, but Jungkook shakes his head.

“Let’s watch a movie or something,” he tries, and Yoongi and Hoseok relent as soon as he turns his wide, pleading eyes on them. 

“Fine, but you have to rest on the couch. We’re gonna watch a documentary or something boring.” 

Jungkook does not pick out a documentary. He picks out a Marvel movie, and he lets himself be wrapped up like a burrito in several blankets and manhandled until he’s leaning sideways, resting against Yoongi’s side with his head on Yoongi’s shoulder. Hoseok snuggles up close on his other side, but he’s careful not to put too much weight on Jungkook so he doesn’t squish him or jostle his sensitive stomach too much.

Halfway through the second movie, when Hoseok spends five minutes just watching Jungkook fight sleep– his eyelids drooping with slow, sleepy blinks– he gets an idea.

“Come put your head in my lap,” he says, turning to sit sideways on the couch with his legs crossed in front of him. He sets a throw pillow in his lap and pats it.

Jungkook yawns and brings up one fist to rub at his eyes. When he sits up straight, Yoongi not so subtly rolls his shoulder and stretches his arm out in front of him, shaking the numbness away, but Jungkook doesn’t even notice, too focused on his task of lying down with his head on the pillow in Hoseok’s lap. Yoongi adjusts himself to a more comfortable position, sliding down so he can rest his head back against the couch cushions, and then tugs Jungkook’s socked-feet into his own lap so that he can stretch out lengthwise along the couch.

Hoseok starts by combing his fingers gently through Jungkook’s hair over and over again, untangling his wavy locks until they’re all smoothed back away from his face. Jungkook nearly falls asleep from that alone.  His eyes close as Hoseok continues the repetitive motion. Then, Hoseok takes a section of Jungkook’s hair and starts to braid it– it takes him a few tries to remember the right way to do it– but eventually he gives up on trying to make it look right and just plays with Jungkook’s hair until he hears a light snoring sound.

When he looks down at Jungkook, however, he’s surprised to see that Jungkook is awake, eyes glued on the TV screen. He frowns in confusion, but then he hears the snoring again and he looks around in confusion. 

That’s when he sees Yoongi, asleep on the other end of the couch, snoring softly with his mouth parted just slightly as his chest rises and falls in a slow, even pattern. The sight makes Hoseok snort in surprise. Jungkook startles, looking up at Hoseok when he nudges him, and then follows his gaze over to Yoongi.

Jungkook giggles.

It makes Hoseok’s heart flutter, to hear the sound after not hearing it for too long since Jungkook has been sick.

When Yoongi sucks in a breath mid snore and awakens with a little smack of his lips before looking over at both of them, corners of his lips turned down in a sleepy frown at being woken up, Jungkook giggles again, the sound light and joyful and so, so wonderful.

Yoongi’s frown is wiped right off his face, and even though he’s blushing at being caught asleep, he leans over and nuzzles into the blankets covering Jungkook’s legs, wrapping his younger partner’s lower half in a gentle, happy hug.

*

“How do you make drinking water look so sexy?”

Jimin sputters, nearly spitting out a mouthful of water, and he turns to glare at Taehyung while he coughs a few times and then drags his sleeve over his mouth to wipe up the spilled water.

“Sorry, sorry,” Taehyung says, not sounding very sorry at all. 

He settles next to Jimin at the counter and pats Jimin’s back while he takes another careful sip of water and then leans forward on his elbows. Jimin clears his throat several times and then rests his cheek on one hand, still glaring, eyes tired. 

“Sorry I made you almost choke on your water,” Taehyung says, his sweet tone making Jimin roll his eyes. He frowns after, then disappears for a moment before returning with a tissue in hand. “Here, your nose is running.” 

Jimin takes the tissue and wipes his nose.

“Yeah, I think some water came out of my nose,” he replies testily, sniffling into the tissue.

“Sorryyy,” Taehyung repeats, dragging out the word before leaning over to plant a quick kiss to Jimin’s cheek. “Um…would you like to go on an evening walk with me?” He asks sheepishly, batting his eyelashes prettily.

Jimin sighs and resists the urge to roll his eyes again. “I’m tired, Tae,” he says softly, sniffling again before cleaning his throat.

“It will just be a short walk. It’s so nice outside tonight!”

Jimin is silent for a moment, but he’s weak to Taehyung’s hopefully, puppy-like expression.

“Fine.”

When they step outside, Taehyung holds his hand out, palm up, and Jimin huffs out a breath and rolls his eyes but takes it anyway, lacing his fingers through Taehyung’s. 

“Thank you,” Taehyung says softly, once they’ve walked for a bit. “For coming with me. And for holding my hand. I love you.” 

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” Jimin retorts, but there’s a smile on his face. He clears his throat. “Love you too. This is really nice.” 

Taehyung swings their arms back and forth between them as they walk on the path that encircles the lake. When they’ve been walking for ten minutes or so, he suddenly stops, turning to face Jimin.

“We should dance in the moonlight,” he says dreamily, his hands moving to Jimin’s waist. He sways from side to side, a cheesy grin on his face, and Jimin just rolls his eyes in fond annoyance. 

When he stops moving, Taehyung pulls Jimin close, until their chests are flush against each other, and leans forward to press his lips to Jimin’s forehead. 

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispers, voice low and silky. 

“Taehyung?”

Jimin looks up into Taehyung’s eyes. His tongue darts out over his lips.

“Yeah, love?”

“My feet are tired. Will you carry me home?”

Taehyung’s face falls. 

“Carry you? How am I supposed to carry you all the way back? We’re on the other side of the lake!”

“You’re the one who said it would be a short walk,” Jimin reminds him. “Oh– hold on, I–” He breaks off abruptly to sneeze, head bobbing forward with the soft sound that catches them both off guard. 

“Oh! Are you getting cold out here?” Taehyung asks, already shrugging out of his jacket. Halfway through he hears Jimin suck in a breath and he stops, instead reaching out instinctively to grab Jimin’s shoulder as he sneezes a second time and his body lurches forward.

“Okay, okay,” Taehyung says with a chuckle. “Take my jacket and then climb onto my back.”

Jimin sniffles as he wraps Taehyung’s coat around his shoulders– he does feel extra cold now, though he has been cold all day– and then jumps onto Taehyung’s back when he crouches down in front of him. 

Taehyung gives him a piggyback ride all the way back to the house. When they return, Taehyung makes them both hot chocolate and they curl up under a blanket on Taehyung’s bed to watch a show on his iPad, snuggling until Jimin falls asleep with his face smushed against Taehyung’s shoulder. 

*

One of Yoongi’s favorite parts about being on vacation is having slow, lazy mornings.

He’s never really considered himself a morning person anyway, but work usually has him awake and on the move early, sometimes before the sun is even fully up, a cup of coffee the only thing to get him through the first hours of the day without feeling irritated at the world.

This morning, he’s working on music, sitting on his bed with his guitar in his lap. Jungkook is asleep in his own bed, Jimin and Taehyung are watching TV in the living room, and Seokjin, Namjoon and Hoseok are out on the lake for a morning of fishing. Yoongi will be happy to spend time together with his boyfriends later in the day, but for now he is content with spending time by himself. It’s resulting in half a song written so far– not for work, but for fun, something he hasn’t done in far too long.

Yoongi feels more than hears Taehyung enter his room, the floor vibrating with bouncing footsteps, a slight movement in the air like a gentle summer breeze as the door is whisked open and then just as quickly pushed shut before he marches over and climbs onto the bed that shakes under his movement. 

He settles in front of Yoongi on his knees, waiting with his arms crossed until Yoongi strums one final chord and then jots something down on his notepad before speaking. 

“Why is everyone trying to work when we’re on vacation?” Taehyung pouts, lifting Yoongi’s arm so he can worm his way in between the guitar and Yoongi’s body. “Hoseokie was revising his sub plans for absolutely no reason, and earlier I caught Jinnie working on his supply order spreadsheet for September.” 

“This isn’t work work,” Yoongi murmurs, a small smile playing at his lips. He sets his guitar to the side. “Just…a song.” 

“Hmm.” Taehyung straddles Yoongi’s lap and throws his arms around his neck, leaning forward until their foreheads are touching. “Is it a song for me at least?”

“I just had something I couldn’t get out of my head.”

“You know what I can’t get out of my head?” Taehyung asks, leaning back just slightly, his gaze moving to Yoongi’s lips and then back up to his eyes. 

“Why don’t you show me?” Yoongi replies with a chuckle, and Taehyung is eager to oblige, tilting his chin until their lips meet. 

Yoongi is pleasantly surprised by Taehyung’s little intrusion. He slides his hands down to Taehyung’s waist and relaxes against the headboard, letting Taehyung deepen the kiss, chasing after him like a man on a mission. Taehyung kisses him with a skillful yet frenzied passion, taking exactly what he wants, and Yoongi is more than content to let him have it.

They’re still kissing several minutes later when Jimin knocks softly on the door. 

“Oh,” Jimin says when he spots them on the bed, lips red and swollen. “Oh?” 

Taehyung lets out a sound that’s between a whine and sigh, and Jimin is by his side in an instant, settling on the bed next to both of them. 

“C’mere, Minnie,” Taehyung whispers, and Jimin smiles into a kiss, one of his hands finding Yoongi’s while the other slides up to cup the back of Taehyung’s neck.

The kiss is short, a little messy, and afterward Taehyung blinks up at Jimin and smirks.

“Now kiss hyung,” he orders, voice raspy, and Jimin easily complies, turning his head and slotting his lips against Yoongi’s.

Their kiss is more gentle, a little slower, two pairs of lips moving in time to a single beat, tongues dancing together only briefly before Yoongi hums a low sound and pulls away to catch his breath. He’s aware of Taehyung’s eyes on him, burning and hungry, and he feels a pleasant warmth spreading throughout him, radiating from low in his belly.

“Hyungs?”

The voice that calls out is so weak and distant that they almost don’t hear it, but the moment it registers the three of them are scrambling out of the room and down the hall to Jungkook’s room.

“Kookie? What’s wrong?” Taehyung gets there first, rushing to the side of the bed.

Jungkook flops onto his back and looks up at him with tired eyes. “Oh, I wasn’t sure if anyone was here,” he says, his breath catching on the last word as a wave of pain makes his stomach clench. “I, uh, thought you all might be outside…it’s been so quiet.” 

“Are you okay? What do you need, sweetie?” Jimin asks, eyebrows furrowed as he inspects the younger man. “Do you need some help getting to the bathroom?”

“No, I just–” He rolls over onto his side, dragging the blanket with him, his hands in fists as he brings them up to his chest. “I just wanted…to see if anyone could lie down with me for a bit.” The last part of his sentence is mumbled, and he shifts restlessly on the bed, unable to get comfortable. “You don’t have to,” he’s quick to add, gaze moving between the three of them. “If you’re busy, it’s okay.”

Jimin is still stuck in a state of worry, but Yoongi and Taehyung both snort at the same time, their entire bodies relaxing with the knowledge that nothing is seriously wrong with Jungkook. 

“Of course we can stay!” Taehyung beams at Jungkook. “We were just making out, but we can do that any time. We’d much rather cuddle with you.” 

He waits while Jungkook, confusion etched on his features, scoots over in the bed to allow room for him to get in, and then he slips under the blanket next to him. 

“Ohhh, you’re hot. Let’s get this sweatshirt off of you, ‘kay?” 

Jungkook still looks adorably confused but he lets Taehyung tug his hoodie over his head before speaking. “What do you mean you were making out?” He asks when he’s in just a t-shirt, Taehyung pressed up against his side.

“Umm…” Jimin gets in the bed on Jungkook’s other side, desperately trying to think of a way to switch the topic, but Taehyung just laughs. 

“It was so hot, Kookie. You should have seen Jiminnie and Yoongi kissing each other. When you’re feeling better, we’ll show you, okay?” 

Yoongi bites back a smile and settles down on the other side of Jimin, arm resting on the pillow above Jimin’s head so he can reach over to run his fingers through Jungkook’s hair. “Don’t listen to Tae, baby. We weren’t doing anything, really. We’re more than happy to lie down with you for as long as you want us to.”

They all watch in amusement, and then alarm, as Jungkook finally processes the words, his mouth falling open wide for a moment before his bites down on his lip and his eyes well up.

“Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. You were having a good time and I interrupted. I’m so sorry!” 

Hot tears pour down Jungkook’s face and Jimin frantically shakes his head, wrapping his arms around Jungkook’s waist. “No! No, Jungkookie, you didn’t interrupt!” 

“Oh, baby!” Taehyung laughs, cupping Jungkook’s cheek. “I wasn’t telling you to make you sad. I was just trying to distract you. Now I’ll have to make it up to twice as good to you when you’re all better.” He leans in close, whispers like he has a secret for only Jungkook to hear even though Yoongi and Jimin are still listening. “Bet you’d be so good listening to me tell you how to take your hyung apart with those lips, hmm?”

Jungkook, still crying, snorts out a watery laugh and covers his face with both hands, cheeks burning pink.

“Can’t wait,” Jimin giggles, leaning down to press his lips to Jungkook’s hot cheek. “Oh, you really are very warm. Can I take your temperature?” 

“Let me,” Yoongi says, climbing out of bed to fetch the thermometer. 

Jimin makes room for him to crawl beside Jungkook when he returns, and he sits on the bed and carefully guides the thermometer under Jungkook’s tongue one-handed. In his other hand is a folded wet cloth, and he uses it to wipe the tears from Jungkook’s cheeks while they wait for a reading. Jungkook groans loudly when a wave of nausea hits hit at the same time that Yoongi tries to place the cool washcloth on his forehead, mouth tightening around the thermometer, and for a moment the three of them freeze, worried he might be about to throw up right then and there; after several long, tense seconds, Jungkook shivers hard and his face relaxes slightly. 

The thermometer beeps then. Yoongi takes it out and looks at the temperature, tilting it side to side so Taehyung and Jimin can both see the number– 39 degrees even.

“Please, no,” Jungkook whispers, his body shaking with chills. “Too cold.” 

It takes a moment for Yoongi to realize he’s referring to the cloth on his forehead. “Doesn’t it feel nice and cool, though? Your skin is so warm, baby.” 

All it takes is one pout from Jungkook for Yoongi to sigh and remove the washcloth. He carries it and the thermometer back to the bathroom and then returns to settle back in the bed on the other side of Jimin again. 

As the three of them shift around him to get comfortable, Jungkook swallows thickly and squeezes his eyes shut. His jaw is set and Taehyung sees him swallow again, seemingly in pain. 

“What’s wrong?” Taehyung asks. He pulls his sleeve over his hand and uses it to wipe the beads of sweat forming along Jungkook’s brow. 

“Hurts,” Jungkook whimpers, hands clutching his belly. 

“Do you want me to rub your tummy, sweetie?” Jimin asks, and Jungkook nods through a groan.

“Let me know if you feel like you’re gonna throw up or something,” Taehyung tells him.

Jungkook sighs when Jimin slips a hand under his shirt and starts rubbing circles on his stomach, but after less than a minute he makes a small sound in the back of his throat– for a split second Taehyung fears the worst, but then Jungkook yawns widely, his body shuddering along with the motion.

“Ohh, sleepyhead,” Taehyung chuckles, kissing his forehead. “You’re so cute.” He smiles when Jungkook blinks sleepily up at him. “You’re making me feel tired.” 

Jungkook frowns at that. “I don’t want to keep you awake if you’re tired,” he whispers. He looks over his shoulder at Jimin and then props himself up a little so he can look at Yoongi too. He’s about to say something, but then he yawns again and it sets off a chain reaction of yawns– first Yoongi yawns, and then Jimin and Taehyung yawn at the same time, giggling softly afterward. 

“Hyungies are so tired,” Jungkook pouts. “Please go rest. I’ll be okay by myself now.” 

Jimin’s hand stills on his stomach. “Kookie, we’re fine. You’re the one who needs to worry about getting rest.” 

“Please,” Jungkook says. His voice is shaky and hoarse. “Please. I don’t want you to run yourselves down looking after me.” 

“How about this,” Yoongi interjects quickly. “You fall asleep first, then we’ll all go and take a nap too.” 

Jungkook sticks out his lower lip. “If I fall asleep first, how will I know if you keep up your end of the bargain?” 

Jimin laughs and resumes rubbing his belly. “Jungkook, we promise. None of us are going to say no to a nap right now.” 

Jungkook is silent for a few moments while he thinks it over.

“If you fall asleep first, we’ll go take a nap and I'll play guitar for you later,” Yoongi offers, sweetening the deal. 

They all see the way Jungkook’s eyes light up at the offer, and they exchange grins as he curls onto his side and tugs the comforter to his chin. 

“Okay. Look, I’m going to sleep.” He closes his eyes and squirms a little until he’s more comfortable, tucking his hands between his cheek and the pillow. He’s still for a moment, and then he cracks eye open and looks at Taehyung in front of him.

“Have a good nap, hyung,” he whispers, and then closes his eyes again, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

Jimin chuckles and pats Jungkook’s hip. “Okay okay. We’re all going. You have a good nap too, sweetie. Please call us if you need us, okay?” 

Jungkook hesitates to respond, already thinking of how he’d use his phone to call one of the others in case the three of them actually do go take a nap– or some other activity in bed– but then the three of them are slipping out of his room, footsteps light, and he feels the warm tug of drowsiness tugging him closer to sleep, and he lets it pull him all the way under without a fight.

part 3

[bultaoreunheyyy]

Part 3

the sickfic without a title

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 - word count: 5,020

“Jungkookie finally made it out of the bathroom. He’s in bed and almost asleep again,” Jimin announces as he walks into the kitchen. He’s holding disinfectant spray and a pair of rubber gloves, and he sets them next to the sink before bringing his sleeve up to his face just in time to catch a sudden sneeze. “I just cleaned the hallway bathroom, and I disinfected all the doorknobs I could find.”

“Bless you!” Hoseok says. He wraps himself around Jimin’s back and kisses the side of his neck. “Thank you for doing all that.” 

“Sandwiches are almost done!” Taehyung announces from where he’s standing next to the fridge. He and Yoongi are making a late lunch. “Everyone sit and we’ll bring the food to the table.” 

“Thank you,” Namjoon moans. “I’m so hungry. You’re both amazing.”

Taehyung beams, and then glances nervously at Seokjin who may or may not be sulking the tiniest bit at not having caught a single fish that morning. 

Seokjin, however, just joins everyone at the table with a small smile on his face, the sadness from not being able to provide lunch replaced by his growing hunger. He sits down next to Hoseok, who’s resting his head on the table, half-asleep despite how loud the kitchen is, and his smile morphs into a worried frown as he reaches over to lightly scratch at Hoseok’s scalp with his fingertips. 

“You need a nap,” he says softly to Hoseok, his smile returning when Hoseok hums happily at the touch, leaning into it in a way that reminds Seokjin of a puppy.

“I think we should all try to get more sleep than we’ve been getting,” he says a little louder, turning to the others as they settle in their chairs. “We can sleep in pairs, take shifts for naps during the day.”

Taehyung is the last to sit, serving everyone a sandwich first before taking two from himself and setting the remainder on a platter in the center of the table. He sits and watches Seokjin rub his fingers through Hoseok’s hair, head tilted to one side as he eats.

“I think that sounds fair,” Jimin says, then twists to the side with a sneeze. “Ugh. The smell of that disinfectant is going to be permanently stuck in my nose,” he complains with a sniffle. 

“Here,” Seokjin says, handing Jimin a napkin. “You and Namjoon can go first, okay?”

Jimin blows his nose and then shakes his head.

“Hoseokie should go first,” he says. “He’s falling asleep at the table.”

“Not asleep,” Hoseok mumbles, finally pushing himself upright so he can eat. “Besides, I’m having coffee with lunch, so someone else should go first. I wanna stay awake long enough to go out fishing again with Jinnie after we eat.” 

“Jimin and Joon will go first,” Seokjin repeats, and they all nod in agreement.

The rest of lunch goes by quickly, and then Jimin is clearing dishes from the table while Hoseok, energy renewed thanks to his iced coffee, starts washing them in the sink. He ushers Jimin away when he tries to help dry them, waving him and Namjoon out of the kitchen.

“Sleep well,” Seokjin tells them.

Jimin smiles at him, then follows Namjoon out of the kitchen, both of them looking slightly guilty but also relieved.

“I know Joon is gonna set an alarm,” Seokjin says as soon as they’re gone. “I’ll turn it off once he falls asleep. We’ll let them sleep until they both wake up, and then the next pair can go. That will be Taehyung and Yoongi, okay?”

Taehyung, Yoongi and Hoseok all nod in agreement.

“I’ll start a load of laundry,” Taehyung says, pushing himself up from the table with a yawn. 

“I’m gonna finish the dishes.” Hoseok says from his spot at the sink. “Then I’ll take an inventory of what groceries we need when I’m done.” 

“I can make a run to the store while you and Seokjin go out on the lake,” Yoongi offers, joining Hoseok at the sink to help him dry the dishes. “Text me if you end up catching any fish and we’ll plan dinner around that.” 

Seokjin is about to say something in response when they hear a gagging sound from down the hallway, and he holds up a hand to stop Yoongi and Hoseok from following before he turns and hurries toward Jungkook’s bedroom.

“Jungkookie?”

He gets to Jungkook’s room just in time to see Jungkook drop to his knees on the floor, halfway between his bed and the door, tears streaming down his face and one hand clamped over his mouth. Rushing to his side, Seokjin gathers Jungkook in his arms, peering over the top of his head to see what kind of mess they’re working with; Jungkook, as if sensing exactly what Seokjin is doing, aims a broken sob into his chest and shakes his head back and forth.

“I didn’t throw up,” he gets out between shaky, gasping inhales. “I just thought I was going to and…I don’t know what happened.” He breaks off into another helpless sob and leans back a few inches to angrily swipe the tears from his face with the sleeve of his hoodie. “I got dizzy.” 

“Okay, sweetheart, it’s okay,” Seokjin soothes, both relief and worry swirling in his chest. “Do you want me to help you to the bathroom, just in case?”

His question only makes Jungkook cry harder, and he sags back against Seokjin’s chest. 

“Don’t know what’s wrong with me,” Jungkook whispers after a moment, voice raspy. “Thought I was feeling better.” 

Hoseok appears in the doorway then, knocking softly on the frame. “Hey,” he says. “What’s wrong? What do you need?”

“Help me get him back into bed?” Seokjin asks, standing, and the two of them help Jungkook off the floor. 

They settle him on the edge of the bed, sitting on either side of him, Hoseok rubbing his back comfortingly while Seokjin smooths his hair back from his face and tucks some of it behind his ears. 

“Maybe we can put a trash can next to your bed,” Seokjin suggests. “So you don’t have to keep getting out of bed. I don’t know why we didn’t think of that before.” 

Hoseok jumps up, leaving the room to return a few minutes later with a lined trashcan that he sets next to Jungkook’s nightstand. 

Jungkook’s crying has subsided to an occasional sniffle, tear tracks streaking down his face until Seokjin wipes them away with gentle swipes of his thumb. Jungkook closes his eyes and buries his face in Seokjin’s shoulder before he can dry them completely, sighing heavily.

“Sorry.”

“What was that?” Seokjin cups the side of Jungkook’s face he can reach. “I didn’t hear you?”

“I said I’m sorry,” Jungkook mumbles, just as quietly, voice muffled into Seokjin’s shirt.

“What? Hoseokie, did you hear something?”

“Nope,” Hoseok teases along. “Didn’t hear a thing.”

Jungkook lifts his head, then, and glares at them both.

“Just let me feel bad for needing so much help!” He huffs out, nose scrunched in frustration. 

“Mm, nope!” Hoseok replies cheerfully, leaning forward to nuzzle his nose against Jungkook’s affectionately.

Seokjin feels Jungkook shiver against him, and he pulls the comforter back with one hand. “Why don’t you get some more rest for now?” He stands and waits for Jungkook to crawl under the covers, checking that he has fresh water on the nightstand and that the trash can is within reach. 

“If you need anything– anything– please call one of us,” Hoseok says.

“Do you want us to stay until you fall asleep?” Seokjin asks, and Jungkook nods sleepily. 

“Will you…will you just talk for a little bit first? Tell me about your plans for this afternoon? I don’t even know what day of the week it is.” 

“It’s Thursday,” Seokjin laughs. “Hoseokie is gonna come out fishing with me. He and Namjoon already joined me this morning, but we didn’t catch a single thing,” he laments.

Jungkook yawns, then blinks tiredly up at both of them for a moment, eyelids drooping. “It’s because you didn’t have your hat,” he finally says. 

“My what?”

“You fishing hat,” Jungkook clarifies, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. His eyes are closed now, but he gestures vaguely in the direction of the desk that’s under the window and Seokjin looks to where he’s pointing. There, sitting on the desk, is Seokjin’s hat he always wears when he goes fishing fishing.

“You can’t catch fish without it,” Jungkook whispers, his voice fading quickly as he starts to fall asleep.

Hoseok chuckles quietly. “It is your good luck charm,” he says, fetching the hat from the desk for Seokjin. “Can’t believe we didn’t notice you were missing it this morning.”  

“I can’t believe you’re both implying I’m not a skilled fisherman if I’m not wearing my hat!” Seokjin protests, but he still tugs the hat onto his head anyway, grinning. 

“Look cute in your fishing hat,” Jungkook mumbles, barely audible.

Seokjin’s cheeks turn pink. “Your eyes are closed, you’re not even looking at me!”

“Can see it in…in my head…”

“Okay, sweetheart,” Seokjin laughs. “Sleep, already.”

“Rest well, love,” Hoseok tells Jungkook. He tucks the blanket around Jungkook and kisses him on the cheek. 

“Get better so you can join us fishing soon,” Seokjin whispers, pressing a kiss to Jungkook’s forehead before he and Hoseok leave.

*

 

“I just want to sleep.”

The words come out raspy and so small, so sad. Jungkook hates that he sounds so desperate but honestly, at this point, they’re all desperate and there’s no use hiding it. 

“We know, sweetheart. Sleep,” Jimin urges softly, his hand never stilling where it’s rubbing wide, soothing circles on Jungkook’s back. 

Jimin’s touch makes Jungkook feel both warm and cold at the same time, heat from the friction warming his aching muscles while also making him miserably aware of the chills that are shaking the rest of his body, relentless and prickling along his skin. He shivers hard and Jimin adds his other hand, sliding his palm up and down Jungkook’s upper arm as he hums in concern. 

Jungkook hates this. Hates that he’s feeling so much worse again, after the false promise of feeling slightly better earlier. Hates that his boyfriends look so exhausted, so worried. 

So sad. 

There’s a moment of quiet, and for that moment they all let themselves hope that maybe Jungkook might actually fall asleep. Jungkook doesn’t have to open his heavy eyelids to know that Namjoon is clenching his jaw, his body tense as he tries to stay still and stay quiet. Jimin’s hands never stop, but he’s holding his breath. Yoongi and Taehyung are in the doorway, fingers loosely interlocked, matching dark circles under their eyes as they look at their youngest partner in concern. Seokjin and Hoseok are in the other room, catching up on some much needed sleep, and Jungkook thinks about them tucked into bed together, cozy and resting well, and he longs to get some rest too.

“I can’t,” Jungkook whimpers hoarsely, breaking the silence too soon, and the tiny sound of his pitiful crying that follows has them all rushing to his side. “I’m trying, but I can’t.”

Fuck, he hates how sad they all sound as they comb their fingers through his hair and press kisses to his too-hot forehead and tell him it’s okay.

It’s not okay.

“I’m sorry,” he tries to get out, but he’s silenced with more kisses to his face, even as hot tears spill down his heated cheeks and drip onto his sweat-soaked pillowcase. Even his eyes feel hot, and his ears, and his throat, and oh fuck–

“Shit,” Yoongi hisses, lightning-fast as he grabs the trash can from the floor next to the bed and gets it up to Jungkook’s face just in time for the first dry heave. 

Jungkook can barely hold himself upright and so he’s mostly lying on his side as he gags over the trash can, his stomach attempting to empty itself. There’s nothing left for him to throw up at this point, which makes it even more painful– that, paired with the raw throat and the fever and the sore abdominal muscles is enough to have him sobbing hard again despite the voices begging him to calm down and take a breath.

“Please,” comes Taehyung’s desperate plea. “Breathe, baby. Breathe.”

Jungkook gags again, throws up a pathetically small amount of bile, and then slumps back down on the bed with one of his arms trapped underneath him and the other wrapped loosely around his stomach. He can’t stop crying, but he’s stopped vomiting for now, and he feels someone wiping his nose with a tissue followed by a warm wet cloth wiping at his chin and chapped lips. 

“There you go,” Jimin whispers, nearly breathless, in his ear. “There you go, sweetheart. Deep breaths, good job. You’re doing so good, Kookie.” 

Jungkook’s not doing good at all, and he’s not sure why he’s getting praised for anything right now, but Jimin’s voice is soothing and he’s suddenly aware again of the hand rubbing circles on his back, slowing nearly to a stop as Jungkook’s sobs die down.

“Don’t stop,” he manages to croak out, and thank fuck Jimin understands what he’s asking and resumes the steady, circular motion.

There’s a hand combing through his hair, and he cracks one eye open to see Yoongi’s face in front of him.

“You don’t have to wipe my nose for me,” Jungkook murmurs, face flushing when he spots the balled-up tissue still in Yoongi’s fist. He sniffles, cringing as he thinks about all of the ungodly things that have come out of his nose in the past few days, and then yawns while Yoongi just watches him with a small smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes.

Fuck, he’s so tired.

Jungkook feels like he hasn’t slept at all for four days straight and it’s scarily close to the truth. Every time he’s just about to drift off, he’s jolting awake to rush to the bathroom or lean over the trash can so he can throw up, or curling in on himself because his stomach is in knots, or shivering uncontrollably because he’s burning up with fever. On top of everything, he’s starting to feel so guilty for how much of a burden his illness is becoming on his other partners– something they’ve been denying, but Jungkook can see in their exhaustion and their worry– that it’s making him feel so, so much sicker. 

The guilt is compounded by the fact that they’re at the lakehouse because they’re supposed to be on vacation, and he had gotten sick with the stomach flu on the very first day of said vacation, and he’s been too weak and exhausted to even leave his bed most of the time– which means his partners have been spending their entire vacation so far helping him do every little thing that he can’t do by himself. 

“Sleepy?” Yoongi asks hopefully when Jungkook yawns a second time. 

Instead of answering, Jungkook sniffles and closes his eyes again. Yoongi sighs and slides his palm across Jungkook’s forehead. The cool touch feels heavenly on his overrated skin. 

“I can wipe your nose again,” Yoongi says, and it’s more of a statement than an offer, but he gives Jungkook a moment to either accept or deny. Jungkook hates the feeling of the slightly runny nose he has after throwing up, so even though it’s a bit embarrassing he nods and scrunches up his nose a little, waiting for the tissue.  

“I have to pee,” Jimin says as Yoongi very gently dabs at Jungkook’s nostrils, apologetically patting Jungkook on the hip. “I’m sorry– I’ll be right back.” 

He gets out of the bed and Taehyung takes his place, climbing in behind Jungkook.

“Oh,” he hears Taehyung mutter to himself, and then there’s a patting sound and Jungkook can tell he’s feeling the sheets, realizing how grossly sweaty they are. 

“Sorry,” Jungkook tries to say, but his voice is so wrecked from all of the vomiting that it doesn’t come out and no one hears it. He clears his throat a few times, shame rising up to join the lingering uncomfortable nausea. For a moment, he’s worried he’ll throw up again, but then Taehyung’s arms are wrapping around him, his hands settling on his chest to rub small circles, and Jungkook closes his eyes and sinks into his embrace.

When Jimin returns, he’s holding a cup of water with a straw in it. 

“Can you try to take a few sips?” He asks Jungkook, taking Yoongi’s place by his head and holding out the water.

Jungkook pushes himself up onto one elbow, which feels nearly impossible, and then reaches out a hand for the water, but the second his fingers wrap around the cup his arm starts to tremble and his grip falters. He’s grateful that Jimin is still holding the cup so it doesn’t spill everywhere.

He keeps his eyes open as he takes one, two, three tiny sips of water, so he sees Jimin exchange a look with Taehyung over Jungkook’s shoulder, and then a look with Namjoon. When Jungkook lets the straw fall from his lips, Jimin clears his throat and reaches out a hand to cup Jungkook’s cheek. 

“We gotta change the sheets, ‘kay?”

Jungkook bites back a groan and nods. Changing the sheets means he has to move. It means he has to get out from under the blankets and he’s already so fucking cold, and even though the sheets are all sweaty again and he desperately needs a change of pajamas, getting out of bed and being temporarily colder seems so much worse at the moment.

“We’ll make it quick,” Taehyung promises, fingers combing through Jungkook’s sweaty hair. “You can go sleep with Seokjin and Hoseok for a bit, hm?”

As he talks, Taehyung gently pulls Jungkook up into a sitting position, letting him lean back against his chest so Yoongi and Namjoon can help him strip out of his clothes and into new ones. Jungkook shivers the whole time, even with the warmth of Taehyung against his back, his teeth chattering audibly as Namjoon tugs a clean hoodie over his head and then kneels to put a pair of warm socks on his feet.

‘C’mere,” Namjoon says when he’s done, scooping Jungkook up off the bed like he weighs nothing– and maybe that’s a little closer to the truth today than it had been a week ago, before he got this stupid fucking stomach bug.

He feels like he’s nothing.

Namjoon carries him into the other room and deposits him on the bed between Seokjin and Hoseok, and the two of them hardly wake as he settles under the comforter, both of them curling sleepily around Jungkook while he shivers and blinks back the sudden tears that form in his eyes. 

“Baby,” Namjoon coos sympathetically, reaching over Hoseok to thumb away a tear that Jungkook hadn’t even felt escape. He watches Jungkook shiver. “Don’t cry. I’ll go get you the heating pad, okay?”

Jungkook falls asleep less than five minutes after Namjoon tucks the heating pad under the covers with him, the warmth seeping into his body through his aching stomach and spreading quickly along with the heat of his fever, and he dreams that he’s out on the lake on a boat that’s too tiny, and when he looks down at the water it’s bubbling up everywhere, boiling hot, steam rising and so thick he can’t see the shore.

When he wakes up, he’s completely drenched in sweat and Hoseok and Seokjin are gone. 

He blinks up at the ceiling and tries to shake the strange dream and the awful, exhausted haze that he seems to be stuck in constantly since getting sick. Someone shifts nearby and he turns his head just enough to see that Jimin is sitting on the edge of the bed, arranging a tray on the nightstand.

“Oh,” Jimin says when Jungkook yawns loudly, looking over in surprise. “You’re awake.” 

“How long was I asleep for?” Jungkook asks, voice crackling, barely there. He knows it was a long time by the way his throat is so dry and his tongue feels too big and his eyes are scratchy and his limbs are stiff, even though it wasn’t a restful sleep in the slightest and he somehow feels more tired than before. 

“Seven hours,” Jiimin replies. “I tried to wake you up a couple of times but you were a bit cranky with me.” The corners of his mouth are turned up just slightly, and Jungkook ducks his head against his chest sheepishly as he imagines what he might have said to elicit that response. 

Jimin laughs softly and reaches out to run his fingers through Jungkook’s hair, fondness in his gaze. “I don’t suppose you’re feeling hungry?” He asks, holding up a single cracker from the tray.

Jungkook shakes his head, because he’s achy as fuck and he has zero appetite even though he hasn’t truly eaten in days, but he reaches a shaky hand out to accept the cracker anyway.

As Jungkook pretends to nibble on the cracker, Jimin suddenly raises a hand to his face, cupping it over his mouth and nose. Then, he sneezes, his head bobbing forward in a tiny motion to match the tiny sound of his sneeze. He blinks rapidly after, looking surprised and a little dazed, hand still cupped over the lower half of his face.  

Jungkook is grateful for the distraction. He sneakily sets the half-eaten cracker on the nightstand and pulls a tissue out of the box to hand to Jimin, smiling at how cute his partner is. 

“Are you smiling?” Jimin asks, mouth falling open as he drops his hand from his face to accept the tissue.

“Cute,” Jungkook croaks in explanation, his smile growing when Jimin brings the tissue to his nose only to sneeze right into it, just as sudden and unexpected and cute as the first time.

There’s a flush across Jimin’s cheeks that matches the underside of his nose after he scrubs at it for a few seconds with the tissue. 

“I’m not cute,” he protests, and then immediately sneezes again afterward, the sound cut off halfway through as he attempts to stifle it into silence. He blinks a few times, wiggles his nose, and then gives a sharp sniff, seemingly recovering from his apparently itchy nose. 

He fixes his gaze back on Jungkook and narrows his eyes. “You need to eat that cracker. A few crackers, preferably. Do you want some tea? Water?” 

Jungkook rolls onto his side, biting back a groan and pulling the comforter up higher so it’s tucked under his chin. 

“Want ice water,” He murmurs around a yawn, a shiver running through him. “And I’ll finish one cracker.” 

It almost makes Jungkook smile to see the expression that crosses Jimin’s face, one of mixed confusion and exasperation, and he seems to start to say something twice before he sighs loudly and drags a hand over his face.

“Ice water?” Jimin sighs again. “Okay.”

Jungkook hums, pleased.

“With a straw?”

“Yes, please,” Jungkook whispers hoarsely. He closes his eyes and listens to Jimin stand, and something rustles near his head– the crackers, he guesses. He hears Jimin say something about sitting up to eat, but he’s already drifting off, his body pulling him towards a place of unconsciousness so quickly that he’s asleep before Jimin returns with his requested tumbler of ice water. 

*

On a normal day, Jungkook hates to be still for very long. 

It’s afternoon, and Seokjin is sitting on the edge of the tub, watching Jungkook. Watching him lie in the bath, eyes closed, completely unmoving. It’s unsettling to see him so still, so quiet. Seokjin doesn’t like it one bit.

“Does the water feel okay?” He asks quietly. 

Jungkook breathes in slowly through his mouth, and then seems to hold it for a moment, and Seokjin feels the urge to hold his breath along with him, matching the stillness, the tense silence. 

“Hmm?” Jungkook’s eyelashes flutter. His gaze belatedly slides over to Seokin, his eyelids heavy. “Oh, yeah. It’s warm. Thank you.” 

He doesn’t say anything else for the rest of the bath.

When he’s done, Jungkook sits still while Seokjin drains the tub and helps him stand. 

He’s still when Seokjin towels him dry. While he sits on the closed toilet seat and lets Seokjin help him into a fresh, warm pair of pajamas. While Seokjin spends ten minutes drying his hair with the hair dryer, using a brush to comb through until it’s fluffy and dry, even though on a normal day Jungkook would fuss at him for how that affects his wavy hair.

Once Jungkook is back in bed, Seokjin watches him toss and turn, biting back whimpers and groans of discomfort when he realizes Seokjin is staying in the room with him, and drags a hand down his face wearily. 

“We can do another warm bath later tonight, if you want,” he offers, climbing in bed behind Jungkook and pressing himself up against Jungkook’s back, draping one arm over his waist. 

Jungkook sighs softly, a shaky exhale. He doesn’t respond verbally. 

Seokjin falls asleep with his face tucked against the fever-hot skin of the back of Jungkook’s neck.

Jungkook, unable to fall asleep, tries to be as still as possible. 

*

“What are you doing?”

Jimin jumps, startled, and slams his laptop shut with a guilty frown.

“Nothing!”

Taehyung has both hands on his hips. He narrows his eyes and slowly walks over to where Jimin is sitting on the porch swing.

“Nothing?”

“Nothing.” 

“It didn’t look like ‘nothing’,” Taehyung replies. “It looked like you were working.”

Jimin rolls his eyes and crosses his arms, not meeting Taehyung’s gaze. “Leave me alone,” he mumbles, pouting. 

“Why are you working? We’re on vacation.”

“Get the fuck off my ass, Tae,” Jimin snaps, finally meeting Taehyung’s eyes; his anger completely melts away, however, when he sees the hurt look on Taehyung’s face.

“Fuck, I’m sorry,” Jimin winces. “I didn’t mean to snap at you.” 

Taehyung plops down onto the swing next to him. 

“I know we agreed we weren’t going to work this month…” Jimin trails off with a heavy sigh. He rubs at his temples. “I just have a headache and I’ve been really tired, and…” He sighs again. “No, never mind. I shouldn’t make excuses. I’m sorry.”

“I forgive you,” Taehyung says, opening his arms wide. “Come here, love.” 

Jimin sinks into his embrace, nuzzling against his chest and wrapping his arms around Taehyung’s waist.

Suddenly, so suddenly that Jimin himself seems completely caught off guard, he sneezes right into Taehyung’s chest, all over his shirt.

“Oh, no thank you!” Taehyung grimaces, playfully shoving Jimin away from him. “I’m pretty sure even your kindergarteners know better manners than to sneeze on people like that!” 

Jimin scrubs at his nose with a fist. He glares at Taehyung, sniffling. “It was an accident!” Then, his shoulders sag. “Sorry.”

“I forgive your accidental sneeze.” 

Jimin is about to respond, but he pauses to lift a hand to his face, and Taehyung ducks away for fear of being sneezed on again. Instead, though, Jimin yawns, prompting Taehyung to stand and crouch down in front of him.

“Climb on my back,” he instructs, and Jimin does, letting Taehyung carry him inside.

In Jimin’s room, Taehyung pulls back the covers of Jimin’s neatly made bed and points. “In.”

He crawls in after Jimin, settling behind him and tossing a leg over Jimin’s lower body, spooning him from behind and keeping him firmly in place. 

It doesn’t take long for Jimin to fall asleep. As soon as he’s sleeping, soft stuffy snores fill the room, and Taehyung listens carefully to the way he’s breathing, congested and solely through his mouth. He waits a moment longer, then sneaks a hand up to Jimin’s forehead to check for a temperature– thankfully, he’s not warm– and then carefully extracts himself from where he’s wrapped around him.

Taehyung quietly makes his way out to the living room. Namjoon and Hoseok look up as he enters, both of their faces falling when they see his worried expression.

“What’s up, tiger?”

Taehyung sinks onto the couch in between them and sighs. “I was just with Jiminie and he fell asleep, and his breathing is all stuffed-up. I started thinking about earlier today– he’s been sneezing a lot, and he has a headache. I caught him working, and I initially thought he was stressed about work, but I think…I think he might be getting sick.”

“What?” Namjoon gasps. “Why would he hide that from us?”

“No,” Taehyung replies quickly. “I don’t think he’s hiding it. I don’t think he’s even realized it yet.”

“Shit,” Namjoon curses.

“Do you think it’s bad?” Hoseok asks.

Taehyung shakes his head. “No, and it’s not even what Kookie has. No stomach problems, and no fever. It’s just a cold, I think.”

“Shit,” Namjoon curses again. He sighs. “Still, we’ll have to keep him and Jungkook separated from now on.”

“Don’t you think it’s kind of late for that?” Taehyung asks, remembering how close they’ve all been with Jungkook and each other. “Any one of us could come down with what Jungkook has, or now with what Jimin has.”  

Namjoon sighs. “Okay, true. I’ll go into town and pick up cold medicine,” Namjoon says. “I was gonna get popsicles for Jungkookie anyway.”

“Do you want me to drive?” asks Hoseok.

“Nah, I was thinking I’d ride my bike.”

“Okay, I’ll ride with you.”

“I’ll stay here and hold down the fort,” Taehyung offers, and immediately Namjoon and Hoseok are chuckling.

“What, you don’t want to come with?”

“Maybe you can learn how to ride a bike this summer, Tae!”

Hoseok grins. “It’s nice and flat, not too many places to fall over!’ 

Taehyung waves them off, ignoring the teasing remarks. “Have fun in town!” 

part 4

[bultaoreunheyyy]

the sickfic without a title

I'm making a little master post of sorts for this fic, since it is turning out to be very long. (update: 25k words so far but I keep adding to it 😬)

I'll link each part/chapter here after I post it, and then I'll probably post the whole thing to ao3 after. it is still a wip so I'm not sure when it will be completed, but I'm thinking about 7-8 chapters? and each one is about 4-5k words so far.

giving a little background in the summary because it's very lazy writing and very self indulgent so it might be confusing/not well written for most parts lol

enjoy?

summary: jungkook, a graphic designer, goes on a summer vacation with his six boyfriends (seokjin owns a bakery, namjoon is an architect, yoongi is a music producer and part time barista, hoseok is a dance instructor at a university, jimin is a kindergarten teacher, and taehyung is an art therapist) but he's hit with a stomach bug on the very first day. it's all kind of downhill from there when he catches a cold just as he's recovering, but he has six wonderful boyfriends to take very good care of him

tags/warnings: emeto, vomiting, stomach flu, fever, snz, common cold, cough, sinus infection

main sickie is jungkook (side sickie jimin and sickie taehyung) with ot6 caregivers. none of the descriptions of vomiting are graphic, snz/cold descriptions are my usual level lol

Part 1 - 5,020 words

sick Jungkook (stomach pain, vomiting, fever)

Part 2 - 5,270 words

sick Jungkook (stomach pain, vomiting, fever)

Part 3 - 5,020

sick Jungkook (stomach pain, vomiting, fever)

sick Jimin (cold, sneeze)

Part 4 - 4,120

sick Jungkook (stomach pain, fever, ...sneeze?)

sick Jimin (cold, sneeze)

Part 5 - 5,130

sick Jungkook (nausea, fever, cold, sneeze)

sick Jimin (cold, sneeze)

Part 6 (coming soon)

Part 7 (coming soon)

Part 8 (coming soon)

Part 9 (coming soon)