Nine Kids Room

Fever Like I've Got the Flu

Wherein we discover what happens when the unstoppable force that is Seungmin's sickly stubbornness meets an immovable object in Woojin's constancy.

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"Seungmin-ah!"

     Minho startled from his daze, looking up from his spot on the black leather couch next to Chan. The leader looked at him apologetically before redirecting his attention to the other side of the dance studio.

      "Come here a minute," Chan called to the fluffy-haired boy who was sitting against the wall watching Felix and Jisung do... whatever the hell it was the Felix and Jisung were doing. Seungmin stood up and started to shuffle over, and Chan turned back to Minho.

      "Would you mind running to grab Bin from the studio? He should be pretty much done," he asked. "Then we should have everyone. Well, almost. The other two should be here around 7. But we should start without them, I think."

      The "other two" in question were Jeongin and Hyunjin, who hadn't been seen since five am. Both boys had had to leave early for school for a last-minute rehearsal for their afternoon showcase at their high school, so they had dragged themselves out the door much earlier than normal. Literally dragged themselves- Chan didn't think their feet left the ground once the entire morning. They looked like the walking dead. He hoped it was just exhaustion- the two SOPA students had been putting in double-time between their showcase and their regular practice schedules. And he already had one sick band mate on his hands.

   Seungmin's condition had been off for a few days- that much was obvious. He had been struggling in vocal practice and clumsier in their dance practice, and he was tired all the time. He had also been abnormally stroppy, throwing attitude around left and right. He had been scolded more in the last four days than he had in the last month, easily.

     Chan had approached him multiple times to ask him how he was feeling, the most recent being this morning when he thought he saw a pained grimace flicker across the younger's face, but Seungmin had brushed him off every time. But the boy was obviously getting more ill, and Chan would be damned if he let his members work themselves sick. Some may call him a hypocrite.

"How are you feeling, Seungmo?" He asked, standing up as the younger approached him. The younger really was looking worse- his cheeks were flushed and the dark circles under his eyes had gotten worse.

"Fine, Hyung," Seungmin said. His voice was tired. And really, how did this kid think he was fooling anyone?

"Fine, huh?" Chan said, raising his eyebrow. "You don't look fine to me."

"Gee, thanks," Seungmin said. "Not all of us can be visuals."

"Don't be snarky," Chan scolded mildly. "I'm serious. You look like death warmed over in the microwave. Go home and rest."

"No, I'm okay," Seungmin said.

"You're sick, Min."

"No I'm not."

"You are," Chan countered, not giving the younger any room to budge, reaching his hand up up to feel the boy's forehead and inwardly rolling his eyes when it was instantly batted away. "You're spacey and you look like you're coming down with a fever. You need rest. Go home."

"I don't have a fever and I'm not going home!" Seungmin argued, crossing his arms and squaring his shoulders.

"Yes you are," Chan said.

"No I'm not."

     Chan sighed frustratedly and ran his fingers through his hair. He opened his mouth to respond, when Woojin walked up from where he had been putting an end to Felix and Jisung's prior shenanigans and put a gentle hand on his shoulder.