Family Doesn't Require Blood (ATEEZ)

Chapter 9

Trigger Warning

Attempted Sexual Assault. Please don't read if this is triggering in any way

Seonghwa woke up in his feeling uncomfortable. Extremely uncomfortable. His skin felt hot and the blankets on top of his body made it feel so much worse. He whined slightly and peeled his eyes open slowly, feeling exhaustion seep into his bones. Great, he's sick and he has jobs that he needs to do. He can't afford to be sick, especially this sick. He took a deep breath before sitting up, holding back a noise of pain as his entire body seemed to ache. He looked around the room to see most of the other beds empty. All the servants sleep in rooms together, not given much space but then again, they are servants. His room has 10 beds in it, with just enough room between them to walk. The only bed that wasn't empty was the one that Wooyoung was sitting in, tying up his shoes.

Wooyoung turned around when he heard some movement behind him, looking to see Seonghwa sitting up. It's weird for Seonghwa to sleep this late, but there's still a little while until it's mandatory for them to be awake, so he wasn't going to wake him just yet.

"Morning Hwa," he said, smiling softly. Seonghwa glanced over at the younger and tried to give him a small smile, but it came out more pained. Wooyoung frowned worriedly, noticing that Seonghwa seemed a bit off.

"You ok," he asked, walking over and sitting on the edge of his bed. Seonghwa sighed and nodded opening his arms for the younger. Wooyoung quickly moved forwards and fell into his arms, hugging him tightly. He sat up almost instantly though and placed his hand on Seonghwa's forehead. He gasped as he felt the heat radiating off his skin.

"Seonghwa, you have a fever," he said softly, brushing his hair back. Seonghwa let out a breath, leaning closer to Wooyoung and resting his head against his head.

"Hwa you're sick, you can't work today," Wooyoung said.

"I have to work Youngie, I'll be ok," Seonghwa said, shaking his head and sitting up. He quickly plastered a smile on his face, trying to hide how bad he really felt.

"You can't Seonghwa," Wooyoung said. He knows they aren't really allowed days off, but Seonghwa has a very bad fever and he doesn't think the day will end well.

"Wooyoung I'm Hongjoong's personally servant, I don't get days off. We don't get days off, I'll be fine," Seonghwa said.

"I'm just worried about you. I've got lots to do today, so I can't keep an eye on you," Wooyoung said, nibbling his bottom lip nervously.

"I'm fine Wooyoung, and I will remain fine," Seonghwa said firmly. Wooyoung sighed but nodded. His emotions have been all over the place since that night a few days ago so he's probably just overreacting.

"Ok. Just don't overdo it alright. I need to get going because I have to clean the rooms on the south side," Wooyoung said with a sigh.

"Go get working. I have to head up to our royal Highness's room in a bit," Seonghwa said. Wooyoung bit his lip one last time before giving Seonghwa a quick hug and leaving. Once Wooyoung was gone, Seonghwa let out a breath and relaxed, the exhaustion seeping back in. He stood up slowly, before bending down and reaching under his bed to grab pull his crate out. He grabbed a change of clothes and laid them out on his bed. He peeled his clothes off, chucking them down onto the bed before getting changed into the new clothes. His vision got blurry for a few seconds and he swayed slightly, just managing to steady himself on the side of his bed. He blinked a few times, his vision clearing once again and he breathed a deep sigh of relief. Today is going to be interesting. He slipped his shoes on and left the room, walking through the small hallway and into where it connected with the kitchen. People were already preparing different foods inside, most likely making peoples breakfast. He'd usually stop and have a slice of bread, but he really didn't feel like it right now, so he walked straight through. He made his way through the halls, his limbs feeling slightly heavy but he pushed forwards. When he got to Hongjoong's room, he knocked quickly. He waited a few seconds but received no answer, so he tried it once again. He waited another few seconds but there was still no answer so he concluded that Hongjoong was already out. He quickly opened the door and walked inside. As usual, Hongjoong's sheets were all over the place, the Prince never really knowing how to fix his bed. Or perhaps he's just never been bothered to, who honestly knows. Seonghwa sighed and walked over to the bed, getting to work fixing it up and making it nice again. It took him a little while and by the time he was finally finished, he was beginning to feel dizzy again and quickly sat down in the chair beside the bed. He rested his elbow on his thighs and dropped his head into his hands, groaning at the feeling. He rubbed the sides of his temples slightly before sitting back up. His clothes were beginning to feel uncomfortable once again and he grabbed the collar of his top, tugging at it to try and relieve some of the heat but it didn't help much. God, he's still got most of the day to get through, it's barely even started.