8 Makes 1 Family

BURNING UP (pt.2)

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"Burning Up"

By Yeo_Mama

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OR: The first time Jongho ever gets the flu.

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"Again."

Seonghwa cracked open his eyes, squinting against the room's fluorescent lights with a wince. His vision stumbled over to find Hongjoong in the same exact state, staring at him from across the room. His husband sat in a hard plastic chair, shoved into the corner, with his arms crossed over his chest. It didn't look comfortable, but the bed Seonghwa currently laid on wasn't much better. It felt like he was sleeping on a stale cracker. The bony chin digging into his clavicle also wasn't great.

They'd been at the hospital for nearly two hours now, as per Jongho's diagnosis. Upon getting him checked in it was rather easy to see that his fever wasn't slowing, nor that it wasn't responding to medication either. Instead, his son's cubby digits were soon being clenched within Seonghwa's own to keep his arm steady as a nurse pierced his soft inner elbow with a needle. There was a bit of resistance as administering any kind of sharp object underneath the skin was never pleasant, especially for a four-year-old, but his son was swiftly wuelled by a firm hug and sticker sheet. He only got better from there as the fluids kicked in and did their job of cooling him down. Although, it left the trio stuck there as they waited for the iv to finish.

An episode of Pororo had been put on by a nurse to fill the boring silence, playing quietly on a tv in the corner of the room. And while the penguin and his friends' adventures were quite entertaining, Jongho got bored rather quickly. He lasted maybe twenty minutes before he started to get squirmy and impatient, growing increasingly fussier from his lack of sleep. Fatigue and preschoolers didn't go hand in hand, so tears were easily spurred on and the couple had to tag team in an attempt to soothe him back down.

They both knew that he was tired and uncomfortable. Sitting in a foreign room with scary equipment attached to your arm was incredibly overwhelming for any little kid. Seonghwa could only hold him while Hongjoong reassured, moving Jongho's attention to his baby blanket that sat limp in his lap. The brunette tickled their son's cheek with the edge, only stopping when he received a delighted giggle in response. Their son pawed at him, going "Appa, no!" and the couple were pleased to find that he was no longer upset. From there on they just resumed their waiting game.

Seonghwa began to hum after some time, drawing little circles into the palm of Jongho's hand. It was a sneaky effort to get him to sleep, and it worked. Before he knew it the four-year-old was slumped against him, huffing out quiet breaths. The blonde simply tucked his blanket around him, patting at his back while he continued to sing. Hongjoong eventually nodded off for himself, slumping down into his seat with a faint snore. And Seonghwa kept up his song until he too was falling asleep, suddenly dropping off on a random note as his eyes closed without warning. However, it didn't last long as his husband's voice was soon waking him back up, leading them to their current situation.

"I like it when you hum."

Hongjoong whispered shyly, readjusting himself with a grunt. His ass had probably gone numb.

The hollow bags underneath his eyes made it obvious that he was fully intent on going back to sleep until it was time to leave. Seonghwa was right beside him in that matter. And so, he resumed his humming for a bit longer, letting his loved ones sleep. Yet admittedly, he ended up dozing off again. Though Hongjoong didn't wake him up this time around, remaining completely knocked out in his own respective chair. Instead, the blonde was being shaken awake by a nurse, informing them Jongho's iv had finished.

"We'd like to make sure he can keep food down before you leave."

She had said while handing them a release form, their son's arm now sporting a cotton ball taped over with purple.

With that, the couple was given a small pack of crackers and a tin of juice with the firm instructions that Jongho keep most of it down. They went through the motions of waking him up, which only made Seonghwa feel absolutely evil. The little boy had been sleeping so soundly! Still, the blonde settled him on his lap, kissing away the sleepiness for a moment as Hongjoong attempted to feed him bits and pieces of a saltine. Their son was hesitant, but so far, he routinely ate what he was given. The parents shared a hopeful smile between the two of them.

"Do you wanna try a little sip?"

His husband offered up the juice, peeling back the lid. This one took a bit more coaxing, but the moment Jongho got a taste of the surgery beverage, he was completely onboard. Seonghwa had to take over to avoid spillage, but he helped his son to drink until the whole thing was gone. He wiped juice from his lips with the edge of his sleeve, anxiously waiting to see if it would all come back up. When it didn't, Seonghwa and Hongjoong reveled in the victory. Soon Jongho were given the okay to leave and upon finishing up some paperwork, all three of them were finally on their merry way back home.

They pulled up into their driveway a little past eight, all the boys gone for school as they walked inside. And while the temptation to lay down on the couch was rather strong, they focused on getting Jongho settled back into bed before they did so themselves. They joined forces to make the process faster; one remaking their son's bed while the other dressed him in pajamas. Before they knew it, the four-year-old was tucked away with Mr. Bear by his side and the parents were free to do as they pleased.

Hongjoong instantly gravitated towards the bedroom, but Seonghwa forcefully dragged him into the shower instead. Hospitals were a breeding ground for diseases and he didn't fancy the idea of contaminating their sheets. His husband nearly fell asleep when the warm water touched his skin, but the blonde was fairing no better. It was honestly a mystery they both managed to clean themselves and remain unscathed by the end of it.

Finally, at around ten, the couple fell into bed with sopping wet hair and clothes haphazardly thrown on, groaning as their heads hit the pillows. However, it was no surprise at all when they both woke up a few hours later with low-grade fevers and chills; Jongho's infectious body squished between their own being the culprit behind it all. They could only look at each other with crestfallen expressions, sighing in unison.

"Get the Tylenol."

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Author's Note: This ended up being way shorter than I had originally anticipated...I could've just made it one story 😅

Still, I hope the wait wasn't too long!

Anyways, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!

✨Where to find me!✨

Instagram: _j.w_illustrations_
I now have a Twitter: @yeo_mamaa, where I post teasers and snippets for all of my wips!
(Both are linked in my bio!)

All stories are cross-posted on Ao3