Without Words ✔️

Fussy Baby

Chan groaned as he collapsed onto his bed. This week had been hell and he was relieved to be back at the dorm now. He had barely gotten any rest at all and to make matters worse, his nose had started to run a few days ago. With some of the members being even more sniffly than him due to hay fever, Chan didn't think much of it. He didn't have any allergies that he knew of but that didn't mean it would be impossible for the high pollen count to get to him, right? Clearing his throat, Chan winced at the irritation in his throat before getting back up to fetch himself a bottle of water. Once he had had a few sips to soothe his throat, he crawled under his blanket and closed his eyes, hoping to be able to sleep off the headache that had been bothering him all day.

The past week had been torturous for all of the members, their schedules only getting more stressful, the more fame they achieved. Somehow, it did seem to get to Chan the most, the other members worriedly watching their leader struggling to carry the burden of being the oldest and the one in charge. Chan had opened up about his headspace a few months before, which led to his friends worrying even more for him as he powered through the last remaining hours of their schedule before they'd be off for a two-day break. With how often the oldest had winced and massaged his temples, it didn't take long for the members to catch on to him having a headache though whether it had been brought on by sleep-deprivation or the neglect of his headspace was pure speculation. Minho had made sure his hyung always had his water bottle close by, so he wouldn't get dehydrated and make his headache worse.

Of course, they had also noticed the slight rasp Chan's voice held and how frequently he ran his sleeve under his reddening nostrils but when asked, the leader would brush it off, shrugging that he didn't know what was bothering his nose. They'd soon find out though. Only two hours after they had returned to the dorm and Chan had gone to bed, he woke up to an even more ferocious pounding in his head, that brought tears to his eyes. He could barely breathe through his nose and his mind was too fuzzy for him to comprehend his situation. All he knew was that something wasn't right at all and he needed one of his caregivers to fix whatever was wrong. Chan's head spun and he could only take a few wobbly steps before he lost his balance and plopped down on his bum, a pained cry leaving his lips as the impact sent shockwaves through his skull.

Chan didn't know how he did it but despite his muscles burning, he managed to crawl to Changbin's bedroom and found himself sitting on the floor next to the rapper's bed, weakly tugging on his caregiver's arm. Though he was exhausted to the bone, it didn't take long for Changbin to wake up, dazedly propping himself up to look at his hyung. The little glanced up at him with glossy eyes, tear tracks still visible on his cheeks. "What's going on", the rapper slurred sleepily but only received a sad sniffle in reply, "Are you small?" Chan only continued to look at him, not really comprehending his caregiver's words.

By now, Changbin was wide awake though hooking his arms under Chan's and hoisting the other up onto the bed. That was also when he noticed the heat radiating off of his friend. "Gosh, someone's running a nasty fever", Changbin cooed, palm resting across Chan's forehead, "When did you start feeling this bad, bub?" The Aussie only whimpered in reply. That was what was odd. Chan usually slipped somewhere between four and six years old and had never been nonverbal before. Seemed he had slipped for younger tonight. Giving a miserable cough, the little looked up at Changbin. He had come here for the other to fix this, why was his caregiver not doing anything. Easing Chan down on the mattress, the rapper pulled the blanket over his friend, promising: "Hyung will be right back, yeah? Hang in there."

While Chan studied the ceiling, occasionally allowing a few tears to spill down his flushed cheeks, Changbin rushed to fill the other's sippy cup with water and fetched a cold cloth. Worriedly clicking his tongue, the rapper took a seat next to Chan and gently helped him sit up before carefully tipping the sippy against his lips. Changbin then cradled the feverish little against his chest, brushing the curls out of his face before dabbing the sweat off his forehead. Chan kept whining softly but was shushed quietly by Changbin, who promised: "Hyung's got you, Channie. You'll be okay, just go back to sleep, so your body can recover."