Alley Cat

8: Not Good 🤒

Living out in the cold will take a toll on anyone no matter how good your health is or was before it started. Yoongi has been homeless for a while. Hoseok brought the hybrid a heavier blanket, gloves, a beanie, and a hat, a few days ago when the fall weather took its turn towards winter with high winds making the already cold days. He's not surprised when he goes to visit Yoongi one morning and hears the hybrid sneeze, followed by some bad coughing. As he walks up to the lump of rags, he hears another sneeze and watches as the pile shifts around. "Uh oh. That doesn't sound good." Hoseok puts his bag down against the bricks and pulls out a stethoscope and a thermometer. They're required pieces of equipment to carry around like an EMT would just in case. He sits down close to the hybrid. "I'm fine," Yoongi says before once again coughing, the wet sound concerning. When he's finally done hacking up half a lung, Hoseok sees him physically shiver and can hear the chatter of his teeth. "Come on, just a quick check-up." Hoseok gets a glare from the hybrid, but he complies sitting up and shivering again as he meets with more of the frigid air.

                                                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The medical training Hoseok has gotten has prepared him for simple overviews like this. His classmates had practiced listening for lung and heart sounds in each other and sick people at an open clinic attached to the hospital. Hoseok's somewhat confident for the first time around. Getting to do something that he's trained for and won't screw up under the hybrid's piercing gaze. Talking to him has been so difficult because he's not a psychiatrist and he's been afraid of saying the wrong thing, though it has gotten easier each day as they find their rhythms with each other.  "Open your mouth please, tongue up."  He uses his best cheerful voice and Yoongi gives him another pointed glare, which Hoseok makes a note of. "Please." He says again, this time with a neutral voice. The hybrid opens his mouth and Hoseok sticks the thermometer in quickly before he changes his mind. Then rubs the end of the stethoscope against his palm to warm it up. "I don't have to touch your skin with this, we can do it through your shirt, but I'll have to get under the sweater is that okay?" He doesn't want to scare Yoongi. He knows the hybrid doesn't trust people and they haven't had a reason to touch up until now. Even when he gave food directly to him, their fingers had never crossed. In fact, as they sit here in the little alleyway, Hoseok realizes it's the closest he's ever gotten to the hybrid. The two of them now sitting facing each other mere inches away. Yoongi had always maintained a certain distance and Hoseok was respectful of it, never coming closer for more than the moment it took to give him food.

                                                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Even in sleep, he hadn't dared to approach. Yoongi looks straight into his eyes, piercing light green-yellow eyes and orbs that gaze into his own deeper green ones. Hoseok stays firm looking right back, but not forcefully, he wouldn't make the hybrid do something he's uncomfortable with, but he is worried that whatever this illness could be, could be worsened by being out on the street. Finally, after what feels like an eternity of being judged, Yoongi nods his head in agreement. Hoseok lets out a sigh of relief and puts the earpieces in. The hybrid pulls the dirty sweater away from his torso and being careful not to touch more than he needs, Hoseok moves the stethoscope under and up to his chest.  "Take a deep breath for me and try not to cough, I'm going to listen to a couple of different spots."  The hybrid does his best and only coughs once on the first try. Hoseok firmly pressed down and listened to the hybrid's breathing. When he's done, Hoseok pulls out the earpieces and can't hide the frown on his face.

                                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The thermometer goes off at that time and he takes it out to find that it's exactly what he thought. "Looks like you caught the flu." Hoseok sighs heavily. If it were just a cold he wouldn't be as worried, but with a decently high fever and a few crackling sounds in the lungs, Yoongi is in danger of developing pneumonia, which could threaten the hybrid's life if he isn't treated. "That's not good." Yoongi quietly murmurs as he cuddles down into the rags seeking warmth. Once again accidentally looking tiny and helpless pulling on Hoseok's heartstrings without meaning to. Not knowing how much he has gotten attached to him. "No, it's not. I'll bring you some medicine tonight, something to make the cough a little better."