Fluffy ATEEZ Oneshots🧸

Better out than in🌡️

Sickie: Seonghwa
Caregiver: mainly Hongjoong

No one’s POV.:

Seonghwa always loved visiting new places and making memories with his friends, so he was ecstatic to learn that they’d get some time to explore the cities while on tour in America. The weather too seemed to be on their side, blessing their outings with sunshine. A little too sunny from time to time, maybe. With the comfortable air-conditioning in their hotel, it was hard to convince anyone to go out and explore but Hongjoong didn’t want to disappoint his hyung, who had been looking forward to spending his free time outside. Exploring was always more fun together and going alone could get overwhelming, so it was understandable that Seonghwa was so desperate to convince someone to accompany him. With a sigh, Hongjoong reapplied his sun protection before joining the eldest and humming: “Let’s go. Anywhere specific you wanted to see?”

The leader already regretted his decision a couple of blocks down, as he was drenched in sweat despite not having gone very far yet. Seonghwa was in high spirits though, only tugging on his shirt occasionally to get it unstuck from his sweaty skin. Long hair could really make one’s neck sweat, he discovered, running his fingers through his hair. This was the hottest he had been since growing out his hair and he couldn’t help but fantasize about a short hair cut, despite usually liking his longer hair. Hongjoong swiped his wrist across his forehead, brushing off droplets of sweat before fanning himself with his snapback. “That looks like a mini-market ahead”, the leader panted, “Let’s grab something to drink there. Pretty sure, I already lost all my fluids through my pores.”Seonghwa chuckled at that but no matter the whining, he was still glad that the younger had agreed to accompany him.

While Hongjoong bought a bottle of cold soda, Seonghwa decided to wait and only buy a drink once he felt thirsty. He didn’t want to carry a bottle around and he also didn’t want to force himself to finish it quickly, so he wouldn’t need to look for a restroom while they were out. “You sure you don’t want anything?”, Hongjoong asked after drinking a few sips, “The cold feels amazing.” – “I’m sure. Maybe we can get some ice cream somewhere. That would be the perfect refreshment for a hot summer’s day like this”, Seonghwa laughed, wiping the sweat off his neck. It still took a while of touring the crowded streets for the two of them to come across an ice cream truck. Having just finished the last sips of his soda, Hongjoong frowned: “I just had a fizzy drink. There’s no way I could eat right now.” – “More for me, I guess”, the older beamed, getting multiple scoops.

After accidentally dripping some melted ice cream onto his shirt, Seonghwa proposed taking a break and the two of them found a shaded bench in a small park, where they could sit and rest for a bit. They probably wouldn’t be out for very long anymore anyway because it was simply too hot but there were a few sights, the eldest still wanted to visit and who was Hongjoong to deny him? As they resumed their walk though, Seonghwa was slower than before. It took a while for the leader to notice because he himself felt his energy zapped by the unbearable heat but when his friend slowly developed a limp, he couldn’t help but get concerned.

“It’s probably just because I ate something cold but my stomach kinda hurts”, Seonghwa admitted quietly. As if to prove his point, the organ grumbled noisily, making him blush. Shooting the older a crooked smile, Hongjoong reminded: “You know, we can head back if you want to. Maybe you’ll feel better if you lay down for a while and we can see if we get a chance to come out here once it cooled down a little.” – “You just wanna go back to the hotel, don’t you?”, Seonghwa chuckled weakly but agreed, “Since the heat probably isn’t helping, I guess, we can go back now, though I don’t think we’ll have another opportunity.” He grew quiet after that and they slowly strolled in the direction of their hotel. Seonghwa’s stomach was definitely churning now and he winced as every step jostled it.

Despite the sun beating down on them, Seonghwa suddenly felt cold and goosebumps covered his arms. Hongjoong seemed none the wiser and was mostly glad that the older finally decided to head back. This was no weather the leader enjoyed being out in and he couldn’t wait to stretch out on his hotel bed and let the air-conditioning blast cold air down on his overheated body. Deep in his fantasy, Hongjoong startled when Seonghwa gripped his shoulder hard.

It had become increasingly difficult for Seonghwa to place one foot in front of the other. Partly due to the pain in his abdomen and partly because the heat seemed to affect his circulation and he found himself growing a little lightheaded. The pain slowly morphed into nausea and he broke into a cold sweat, hands trembling as he tried to keep himself upright. This wasn’t good. Their hotel was still a couple of blocks away and Seonghwa could only hope they’d make it back there before he collapsed, or even worse, ended up puking in public.

Seonghwa’s prayers went unanswered and he stumbled, catching himself on Hongjoong’s shoulder as his stomach lurched. Shocked, the leader spun around and rushed to grip Seonghwa’s arm, steadying the older while muttering a curse under his breath. Strands of Seonghwa’s long hair fell into his face as he doubled over retching and Hongjoong quickly gathered them in one hand. “I got your hair, it’s fine”, the leader hummed, using his free hand to pat the other’s back. Unsteady on his feet, Seonghwa only tightened his grip on his friend’s shoulder as another wave splattered onto the pavement, the tips of his ears burning with humiliation. When his stomach finally stopped throwing a fit and he managed to straighten up, he was pale as a sheet, except for his ears. Tugging the older away from the puddle, Hongjoong frowned: “What’s going on? I expected your stomach to hurt, yeah, but that’s a little worse than you mentioned.” – “Don’t feel so good anymore”, Seonghwa mumbled, rubbing his face. “I can see that”, Hongjoong nodded but couldn’t get anything else from the older.

Linking their arms, Hongjoong guided Seonghwa back to the hotel, their pace slow. The eldest still felt incredibly dizzy though he couldn’t tell if it was the heat or anything else. Hongjoong too was confused. Seonghwa wouldn’t have gone on their nerves begging to explore the city if he had already been feeling low earlier, so what could’ve happened in the short time span they had been out? “The more I think about it, the more I suspect it was the ice cream”, Seonghwa groaned, slipping a clammy hand under his shirt to palm at his bloated middle, “Felt fine before that but now…” He muffled a queasy burp against his fist, which left a sour taste on his tongue. “Better out than in then, I guess”, Hongjoong sighed. Trying to speed up, Seonghwa stumbled into Hongjoong and the leader frowned: “Are you going to be sick again?” He crossed his fingers that the answer would be no because the hotel wasn’t even in sight yet but he wasn’t so lucky, Seonghwa giving an urgent nod.

By some strike of luck, Hongjoong managed to pull the older between some trashcans at the back of a building before gathering the sweaty strands of his long hair at the back of his head. Swallowing back bile, Seonghwa braced both of his hands against the bricks to steady himself against the wave of dizziness that washed over him but could only fight hack the nausea for so long. With Hongjoong reassuring him that he was perfectly concealed where they stood and that his hair was out of the line of fire, the eldest took a shaky breath and gave up fighting. A harsh retch tore at Seonghwa’s throat and made him shudder. He couldn’t even see the puddle at his feet as sweat had run from his brow into his eyes, blurring his vision. Was it still so hot? He had no sense of temperature but the air was still humid and hard to breathe, making him lightheaded.

Seonghwa stumbled, knees almost buckling before Hongjoong caught him around the waist and steadied him. “Breathe”, the leader shushed, pulling the older back and guiding him a few steps away. Slumping against the wall, Seonghwa winced. The warm bricks against his back reminded him of his damp shirt, completely drenched with sweat. It was definitely hot. He could feel it now. Lifting the hem of his shirt, he wiped his face and sniffled: “Gosh, I really wanna take a shower.” – “We’re almost there”, Hongjoong comforted, rummaging through his bag, “You want some gum? It’s your call when you’re ready to continue.” Gulping miserably, Seonghwa accepted the gum and pushed away from the wall. He swayed for a moment but groaned: “Let’s go. I really want that shower and I’d prefer the privacy of a bathroom next time.” Though Hongjoong had expected it, hearing Seonghwa confirm that he probably wasn’t done throwing up for long did stress him out a bit.

The peace lasted long enough for them to reach the hotel though and Seonghwa even managed to take his shoes and shirt off before finding himself draped over the toilet, heaving uselessly. Hongjoong had quickly pinned his hair back with cute, little clips and out of his face before running a towel under cold water and draping it across the back of his neck. “Let me get you some water and a fresh change of clothes”, the leader whispered, patting his hyung’s bare back before getting up. He hurried and also adjusted the air-conditioning. The water bottle he pulled from the mini fridge had condensation on it when he placed it onto the sink. Panting, Seonghwa pulled the wet towel off his neck and wiped his face on it. Only when he lowered it again did Hongjoong see the tears in his eyes. Gently removing the hairclips, the leader ran his fingers through Seonghwa’s hair and whispered: “You’ll be okay. Do you wanna take that shower now? Might help you feel a little better. If you’re not too dizzy, that is?”

Seonghwa decided to take a quick shower, though he opted for sitting down and he took Hongjoong up on his offer to wash his hair because his stomach cramped painfully when he tried to lift his arms above his head. Still, it took a lot out of him to wash up, especially after he spent another five minutes dry heaving over the drain. It was absolutely worth it though. Being clean made him feel more like himself, allowing him to relax after stretching out on the bed. Hongjoong set the trashcan next to the bed and draped a cold towel across Seonghwa’s forehead, humming: “Should I set the temperature a little warmer? You still got goosebumps.” – “Nah, it feels nice”, the eldest breathed, keeping his eyes shut, “Thanks Joong. And thanks for going out with me in the first place.” – “You’re welcome. Get some rest now”, the leader smiled, “I’ll be here.”