Chapter Text
Jungkook woke up sweating, bed covers soaked through underneath him. Lungs screaming for air in the hot room, he tried to shake the grogginess from his head. Where am I?
Legs swung over the side of the bed as he tried to stand up slowly. His body was shaking uncontrollably, skin tingling as the sweat dried against him. His lungs gasped as a door opened, cold air hitting Jungkook violently. Legs caving, he hit the floor hard, a yelp escaping him.
“Shit, Jungkook-ah,” hands grabbed his arms. Jungkook felt pain surge through his limbs as he sat pathetically on the floor. A sob escaped his lips, eyes still attempting to adjust to the room, head still layered with fog.
“Jungkook-ah, look at me,” a hand gently shoved his chin upwards. Tears still streamed down Jungkook's face, his eyes searching for the others in the dark room.
“Jiminie?” Jimin huffed, letting the nickname slide. Jungkook's voice was strained, exhausted when it tried to leave his throat. Jungkook tried to move his body so his legs weren’t pinned underneath him, slowly rising up onto his knees with the help of the hands of the other.
“What happened? Why are you wet?” Jimin helped Jungkook sit back on the slightly damp bed. Jungkook groaned, the fabric now cold against his bare thighs.
“I don’t know…” What Jungkook did know was how desperately he wanted to shower and get a glass of cold water. His body was still hot, sweat dripping down his spine, hair stuck to his forehead. A hand met his forehead softly, pausing his thoughts.
“You have a fever, I’m going to get Joon-hyung, stay here.” The hands left his body, and Jungkook slowly realized he was alone again. His thoughts were muddled, fever eating away at the amount of time he was sitting there. Was somebody here with me? Jungkook couldn’t remember; he let his body command him to stand up again, swaying in the dark room. Before he could move his feet forward towards the hallway, hands were on him again, pushing him to sit.
“Jesus Jungkook-ah,” Jungkook sighed at the deeper voice near him, hands seeking out the older man. Joon grasped at Jungkook's wandering hand, holding his shaking body steady. Jimin muttered something in the dark that Jungkook would’ve heard clearly if his ears weren’t heavy with silence and pain.
Slowly, he was helped to stand, feet shuffling against the cold floor. The two older men helped him into the bathroom, slowly lowering him onto the closed toilet. The lights blinded Jungkook immediately, a yelp jolting his hands forward into his palms to attempt to block out the stabbing light. A sob wracked his body next as the pain seeped back into his bones. A brisk curse, the lights being turned off, and an apologetic hand on his neck let Jungkook know the two hadn’t left him alone in the bathroom.
“Is everything okay here?” A gruff voice echoed into the tiled room. Jungkook didn’t know what time it was, but felt sorry for waking the new third person.
“It’s okay, Yoongi-hyung, he has a fever, can you go tell Jin-hyung to call Sejin and cancel our schedule for tomorrow?” The response to Namjoons question was a low grunt and then footsteps receding down the short hallway. Jungkook hadn’t moved from where he silently cried on the toilet, bare legs shaking against the cold porcelain.
Jungkook recognized the bath behind him being turned on, the door being slowly closed, but not shut, leaving a small sliver of air to escape the room. Jungkook groaned as a hand reached for the edge of his shirt, guiding him to remove it. Under different circumstances, Jungkook realized he would be embarrassed, but right now, in his fever muddled brain, he was thankful.
His hyungs had seen him naked before, on many occasions, and all of them cared for him like a younger brother. Jungkook could feel that love now as he was lowered into the warm water, the gentle smell of lavender hitting his nose.
“Thank you,” his voice was soft in the silent room, but the two elders heard it. Jungkook still hadn’t reopened his eyes, letting his muscles relax in the water as the two others came up with a care plan for the rest of the night.
A soft knock at the bathroom door interrupted the conversation.
“I’ve cleared tomorrow's schedule,” that was Jin’s soft voice. Jungkook smiled. He pulled a hand out of the water, reaching out slowly into what he assumed was the dark bathroom. A light chuckle echoed near Jungkook's ear, then a hand grasped his. Thin fingers danced across the back of his palm, slightly cold in Jungkook’s now super-heated hold.
“Hey, baby boy,” Jungkook smiled again, “let these two take care of you, okay? Come find me after you’re all dressed for bed.”
Jin's hand slowly pulled out of Jungkook's grasp, a small whine leaving the younger's throat. The door squeaked as it was shut again. Jungkook didn’t know how long he sat there for, but when the water began to feel too comfortable, he blindly searched to tap the shoulder of the person crouched next to him. Jungkook guesses he tapped something on someone, as a silent message passed through the air, and hands guided him up and out of the tub.
Wrapped in a fuzzy towel, Jungkook was guided back across the hallway to his bedroom.
Eyes slowly peeling open, Jungkook acknowledged that a few things had changed since he was led across the hallway earlier that morning. One, his bedsheets had been changed; two, the window was now open slightly to let the fresh night air in; and three, the room now smelled like Taehyung. Jungkook smiled softly at these realizations.
Jungkook's legs were still trembling, albeit not as violently as before, but he was still assisted in dressing. An oversized sweater slipped over his head, legs guided into soft sweatpants, feet clad in fuzzy socks. He sat down on his bed slowly, letting his body be guided by the smallest of the eldest. Joon had disappeared at some point; Jungkook didn’t even realize he had slipped away.
“It's okay, he’ll be right back,” Jimin whispered against Jungkook's shoulder as he crawled into bed next to the maknae. Jungkook hummed in response, letting Jimin wrap his body in a warm hug. The bedroom door opened slowly, and Jungkook peeked to see five bodies shuffle in.
“You need to drink this,” Jin shoved a plastic bottle into Jungkook's limp hand. The younger sat up obediently and slowly sipped at the bottle, accepting the offered tylenol next. The bed dipped as bodies moved to create comfort around the youngest as he placed the bottle down.
“Poor Jungkookie,” a hand laced itself through his hair. Jungkook preened at the attention, fever fever-muddled body sinking back into the bed. Arms and legs wrapped around each other on the large mattress, voices whispering and hums leaving Jungkook in response to targeted questions.
Sleep started to overtake Jungkook's mind, body no longer shaking under the covers, warmth spreading through his back as fingers pushed into sore muscles.
“Thank you,” he whispered again, forehead coming to rest against the chest of the person curled around his front. Body succumbing to sleep, Jungkook slipped quickly into a peaceful rest, leaving six worried eyes watching him.
“Do you think it’s just a cold?” Taehyung whispered into Jungkook's hair. Namjoon had decided to rest at the foot of the bed where he could keep an eye on all six of his members at the same time.
“I have no idea, it seems like it came on really fast? And none of the rest of us are sick,” Jimin let his fingers softly trace Jungkook's back, forgoing the earlier massages. More muttering around the room, a huff of air as Hoseok roughly rested his head into the crook of Yoongi's neck.
“We’ll keep an eye on him tomorrow,” Namjoon stated, “make sure he stays hydrated, make sure he eats soft foods, nothing spicy.”
“He won’t be happy about that,” Taehyung chuckles. The sound makes Jungkook shift in his sleep, a sigh leaving the sleeping boy's body. The other six freeze, watching to make sure he doesn’t wake again. The relief is palpable when Jungkook settles again into Taehyung's chest.
“If it gets worse?” The question is expected. Yoongi is scared that if it gets worse that they’ll have to take Jungkook to the doctor. Take is used lightly; drag Jungkook is more appropriate.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” The answer from Joon feels very final. The muttering stops, and the deep breaths of the youngest seem to lull the rest of them into a partially peaceful slumber. None of them are able to fully rest, knowing inches away Jungkook is in pain. But the night passes quickly regardless.