stray kids sickfics

Jeongmin-Seungmin's sore throat

It was still dark outside when Seungmin's alarm woke him up. When he sat up, he realised that his throat felt a little sore, and that he felt quite dizzy; he convinced himself that his sore throat would go away with some water, and blamed his headache on a lack of sleep.

Sedately, Seungmin stumbled downstairs, his bleary eyes finding it difficult to adjust to the light of the living room. Minho and Hyunjin were already downstairs; Lee Know smiled warmly at Seungmin as he entered, and Hyunjin was too busy cooking his breakfast to notice Seungmin's presence. Seungmin walked over to the fridge and opened it, wincing as his eyes met the bright lights inside it. He didn't feel very hungry, so poured himself a cup of orange juice and sat down, sipping it slowly. "Seungmo, are you not going to eat anything?" Lee Know asked, as he poured honey on his pancakes. "Not hungry," Seungmin replied. He cringed at how hoarse his voice sounded, so he cleared his throat and drank more of his orange juice.

Soon after, the rest of the team came downstairs, had their meals and they left together to go to the recording studios.

"Guys, we're going to spend a few hours here before we go and practice our dance," Bang Chan said cheerily. "We'll have a few breaks and a lunch in between." The team nodded in approval. Seungmin was a bit worried that his voice wouldn't be good enough for recording, but he simply swallowed his worries along with his water and hoped for the best. He was coughing quite a lot, but other than that, he felt alright.

His frequent coughing became more noticeable and severe over time; many times, the members had asked if he would still be able to record. He shrugged off their questions, determined to get through the day without letting his sore throat affect him too much.

Han had barely started his part, before he heard Changbin telling him to stop. Han saw Changbin run off to the adjacent room, and, because of his curiosity, went out of the recording room and followed him. He saw Seungmin sitting on the ground, coughing a lung out as the members crowded around him and tried desperately to help him breathe. Seungmin thought that rubbing his throat would help soothe the pain he felt, but all it did was trigger coughing fit after coughing fit. After 2 straight minutes of Seungmin struggling to breathe, he got up shakily and limped over to the recording room, whilst leaning on Jeongin's shoulder for support.

He went and prepared himself, running the lyrics over and over again in his head. Seungmin was motivated to push through, and he started off strong; however, half-way through the pre-chorus, he couldn't hold his coughs in anymore and he collapsed against the wall, doubling over and gasping for breath. He apologised profusely to Bang Chan and Changbin, who has rushed over to Seungmin with some water, and continued. However, his voice was yelling at him to stop; it began to sound tired and over-used. It became super difficult for Seungmin to sing the main melody, let alone the high notes, and he slumped into his chair in frustration. Bang Chan reassured him, saying that he could record his parts another day, but he couldn't hear him. He didn't care. All he did was persevere but yet, no matter how many times he tried, he would make mistakes.

It was time to go to lunch. The whole team sat down and ate well; however, Seungmin simply stared at his food and sipped at his water hesitantly. Hyunjin finally convinced Seungmin to try some of the abalone; Seungmin took a bite and choked, as Innie patted his back and looked at him worriedly. The whole group shot Seungmin concerned looks. "Minie, are you sure you're alright?" Jisungie asked, stroking Seungmin's bangs out of his eyes. "You've been coughing a lot, and your voice is quite raspy..." Seungminnie answered weakly, "Hyung, I'm alright. Don't- *cough cough* worry about me-"

It didn't take much time to get to the practice rooms. They had several breaks, but Seungmin was constantly distracted by the burning sensation he felt in his throat. He was so exhausted that he was continuously forgetting the choreography. By the time the 2nd chorus started, Seungmin had had too much. He ran to the far end of the room, seized the wooden bar and had a huge coughing fit, the worst he had ever experienced; his throat hurt more and more with each cough and his body shook as he struggled to keep himself upright. He could hear his blood pounding in his ears. His knees threatened to buckle under the weight of his body. He winced and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to think about something other than the unbearable pain he was experiencing. I.N. ran over to Seungmin and crouched down in front of him, cupping his cheeks in his hands. "Hyung? Hyung! Seungmin hyung! What's up?" Seungmin coughed a bit more into his fist, then opened his eyes slightly, before mustering a small smile. "Jeongin-ah..." he breathed. Jeongin stepped forward with his arms open, and, unexpectedly, Seungmin collapsed into his arms. Innie held him tightly (but not too tightly, so he could breathe better) and muttered, "Hyung? Oh, hyung..." before yelling for his group leader. The members rushed to Seungmin; Felix folded his coat up and placed it on the floor, before carefully lowering Seungmin's head onto it. Seungmin lay there, unconscious, as the members bustled about, getting him towels, water and medicine. "We should take him home, but don't give him any medicine yet. He probably has a sore throat, so it'll be hard for him to speak or eat," Bang Chan said. Stray Kids agreed with him and waited for Seungmin to wake up.

"Innie?"Seungmin rasped, trying to sit up. His eyes opened slightly and he fell into another coughing fit. The members smiled at each other, glad that Seungmin was awake, as Jeongin held Seungmin's hand and stroked it softly, in an attempt to calm him down. "Hyung, I'm here, alright? Don't worry, you'll be alright. I'll keep you safe." Seungmin nodded and whispered, "Can we *cough* go *cough* back home now?" The team weren't sure whether Seungmin was whispering because he has completely lost his voice or if it was to cover up how much pain he was in. Changbin took the now limp boy in his arms. "He's lighter than usual...Since when did he lose so much weight?"Changbin thought aloud, placing his hand on Seungmin's forehead. "Maybe he lost his appetite, due to his sickness. He didn't have any breakfast," Lee Know replied, as he buckled Seungmin's seatbelt for him. Seungmo was only half-awake; he leaned on Jeonginnie's shoulder and slept for most of the journey home.

Changbin carried Seungmin upstairs; I.N. had insisted that his sick hyung would sleep with him. Seungmin lay in bed for 30 minutes, wide awake but with his eyes closed. He could just see Jeongin reading a book in a chair next to his bed, and he wanted to open his mouth and thank him for taking care of him, for being there for him, for catching him when he fainted, but his throat was so dry and it felt like it was on fire. Seungmin even doubted that he would be able to drink water comfortably without it hurting his throat. Convinced that his hyung was asleep, Jeongin got up to leave. However, Seungmin was enjoying his presence; it made him feel secure and safe. He made a tiny sound, praying that Jeongin would hear it; luckily, he did. He froze at the door, turned around and said, "Minie? Are you alright? Do you need anything? Do you not want me to leave?" All he got in response was a cough and a feeble nod, so Jeongin ran to Seungmo's side and stroked Seungmin's face tenderly. "Do you want me to come and sleep with you?" Jeongin asked, smiling warmly at Seungmin. Seungmin's eyes were still closed, but the trace of a faint smile appeared on his lips and he gave just the slightest little nod. Innie got changed and clambered into the bed beside his hyung, placing a careful arm around his waist. Seungmin mustered all of the remaining strength he had to turn and face Jeongin; he buried his head into Innie's collarbone, took a deep but laboured breath and had a rather severe coughing fit, but he had his baby bread running his hand up and down his back. In an attempt to help Seungmin fall asleep easier, Jeongin sang "Congratulations" by DAY6 quietly. Seungmin savoured every syllable, every note, every word he sang; his voice was captivatingly beautiful. Seungmin nuzzled against Jeongin's pajama collar and whispered softly, "Jeonginnie?" Innie was quite tired already, so he replied sleepily, "mmmm...?" He yawned and kissed Seungmin's forehead affectionately. Seungmin said weakly, "I-I just wanted to thank you, for always being there for me..." Jeongin smiled and sat up, holding a spoon of medicine to Seungmin's mouth, saying, "It's fine, hyung. I'd do anything for you." Seungmin let out a few more chesty coughs before putting Innie's hand on his forehead. "Do I have a fever?" he asked hoarsely, staring at Jeongin's beautiful dimples. "i-hyung,you're-" "In love with you? I know I am." Seungmin interrupted. Jeongin face-palmed and Seungmin laughed;however, he soon ended up in another coughing fit due to his lack of air. I.N. patted Seungmin gently on the back and said, "Me too, Hyung. Get well soon though. Life's no fun when you're sick." Seungmin poked Jeongin playfully. Jeongin's eyes fluttered, before closing completely. Soon after, Seungmin fell asleep too, his head still buried into Innie's collarbone.