Seventeen | Sickfics - Hurtfics I

Joshua | Stomach Bug

It was 2:43 am when Joshua started to feel the discomfort that had been growing steadily over the past few hours. A headache, chills, and stomach cramps gnawed at him, making it hard to get any rest. After dance practice, he had felt fine, but now he was awake, tossing and turning in bed, clutching his aching stomach, and drifting in and out of sleep from sheer exhaustion.

At around 7:00 am, Joshua woke up to an intense pain in his stomach. Slowly, he sat up in bed, reached for the water on the small table beside him, and took a sip, trying to soothe the dryness in his throat.

As he prepared to get up and take some painkillers to ease the pain, the door suddenly opened. Standing in the doorway was their youngest member, Dino, his face bright and full of energy.

"Hyung, good morning! We can have our breakfast now," Dino said cheerfully.

"Good morning, Dino-ya," Joshua replied, forcing himself to speak despite the weakness in his voice, not wanting his maknae to notice the struggle he was going through.

Dino, always observant, frowned a little. "Hyung, are you okay? You seem weak today."

Joshua tried to brush it off with a small smile. "Just tired from yesterday's practice."

Dino didn't seem convinced but pressed on, "Can you attend today, hyung? You can rest here at the dorm if you want. I can tell the others for you."

"No," Joshua said with a weak but determined smile. "I'm fine. I'll be there in five minutes."

"Alright, hyung. We'll wait for you," Dino said, still looking a little worried but leaving Joshua to get ready.

Once Dino left, Joshua slowly stood up, clutching his stomach, and made his way to the bathroom. He was clearly not feeling well, but he tried to push through, hoping he could make it through the day. Inside the bathroom, he searched for painkillers for his headache and stomach ache, feeling a burning sensation in his body. He reached for the thermometer and took his temperature. After a few moments, he saw the reading—38.8°C. A fever.

Joshua sighed, hoping the medications would take effect before dance practice started, so he could make it through the day. He headed downstairs to join the others for breakfast, his stomach ache slightly better but still present.

Seungkwan greeted him with a bright smile. "Shua-hyung, in here! Let's dig in!"

Joshua took a seat beside Jeonghan, though his appetite was still off. He barely touched his food, only picking at a banana slowly.

Cheol noticed his lack of appetite. "Joshua, aren't you going to eat more? We have an intense practice again today."

"I'm not that hungry right now," Joshua replied, his voice quiet. "I'll have a bigger meal later for lunch."

Jeonghan leaned in with a concerned look. "Are you sure? You aren't sick, right?"

Joshua reassured him, though his voice was faint. "I'm sure. I'm not sick."

They continued eating, though Joshua hardly touched his meal. After breakfast, they took about two hours to get ready for practice. Joshua, feeling the exhaustion settling in, decided to sit in the back seat of the van for a bit of rest before the practice started. He was hoping to catch up on some sleep, hoping his body would cooperate for the intense day ahead.

As the van made its way to the studio, Dino sat in the middle, with Woozi beside him and Jeonghan in the passenger seat. Seungkwan and Joshua were at the back. Dino couldn't help but notice that Joshua seemed unusually quiet, his head resting against the seat as he dozed off. From his peripheral vision, Dino could tell that Joshua had fallen asleep, and he began to wonder if his hyung was sick or just exhausted from the previous day's practice.