Lonely Kitten

50

"What do you need, Min?", Chan asked softly. He really wanted to get back to Jisung fast. Minho was shocked to hear the Aussie's voice and not his mate's, definitely panicking by now and stuttering: "H-Hyung? Where- Where's Jisung?" - "Sungie can't answer right now", the older sighed, "He has a bad headache and I had to take the phone outside because the ringing was too loud for him to handle." - "What?!", Minho frowned, his phone almost slipping from his shaky grasp again. There was a moment of silence before Chan hummed: "He took some painkillers and is resting on the couch for now. Your shift should be over in an hour, right? Maybe you could come pick him up after that. We would've taken him home but one of our managers is going to stop by at any point of the day, so we can't leave here."

It took a moment for Minho to let everything sink in. "I'll definitely come pick him up as soon as I can, hyung. Where did this come from so suddenly though? He seemed fine although a bit sleepy this morning", the hybrid worried. Maybe he should've really let Jisung sleep in this morning. Chan shook his head although the other couldn't see and stated sadly: "Sometimes things just happen without any obvious reason and we need to make the best of it. Changbin and I have everything handled for now, so don't worry too much. Was there any specific reason why you called?" - "The longer I think about it, the more certain I become that I called because Jisung's not feeling well. I had a headache and felt really on edge. Jeongin told me to call Jisung, so I did", Minho hummed, feeling his heart break. Chan could hear the other was still on edge, so he decided: "Here's what we're going to do, you get back to your shift and finish, so you can come to the studio afterwards. I'll end the call now and go back to Jisung." Minho agreed and they ended the call, the hybrid still beating himself up for not noticing anything off this morning.

When Minho returned to the counter to thank Jeongin for holding the fort, while he was gone, the younger could instantly tell something was wrong. "What's going on, hyung?", Jeongin asked worriedly, his friend not looking any calmer than he had looked before. Running one trembling hand through his hair, Minho admitted: "Jisung is sick. Chan-hyung said it's a headache but apparently bad enough that I couldn't even speak to Jisung directly because the phone was too loud." - "Oh, that sounds bad", the younger frowned, "You should go and be with him. It's less than an hour till your shift ends and I'm here anyway, I'll just take over a bit earlier and you can leave, yeah?" Minho bit his lip. The offer really did sound tempting but he couldn't keep Jeongin from studying and make him work an hour longer than he usually would've had to. "Hyung, it's fine but you should really be with Jisung. Whenever I'm feeling bad, it gets so much more bearable just from Seungmin being there without him actually having to do anything. I got, just give me a moment to collect my papers and put them in the back", Jeongin insisted already rushing to collect his books and papers.

The younger had just stored his things in the break room and returned, tying his apron behind his back, the money for his drinks in one hand, so he could put it into the register, when Minho smiled: "I already covered your drinks. Thank you so much, Innie." - "You wouldn't have had to do that, hyung", Jeongin frowned but Minho insisted: "I owed you a lot for this. Sorry for keeping you from your studies." - "No worries, hyung. I couldn't focus anymore anyway but you should really get going", the younger urged and Minho nodded. The hybrid waved to him one last time before rushing to the back to collect his things and leaving the café.

Jisung whimpered in pain when there was an urgent knock on the studio door. The rapper figured it was their manager and he dreaded it. It was already bad enough that his friends saw him in such a pathetic state, no need for anyone work-related witnessing this. Changbin sat close to the couch and gently cupped his dongsaeng's ears to protect him from the noise and Chan hurried to open the door, hoping he could take their manager to a different room without having to let him into the studio first. The Aussie was surprised when it wasn't their manager standing outside their door but Minho, who's shift wasn't over yet. The hybrid was panting from running all the way and his worry only grew when he saw over Chan's shoulder that the entire studio had been darkened. Chan only raised one finger to his lips before stepping back and letting the younger into the studio. Minho was grateful for his night-vision. It made it easy for him to spot his mate on the couch.

The rapper looked miserable, eyes swollen and red, dried tear tracks on his cheeks and Changbin only moved away from covering his ears now that he realized it was Minho who had joined them. Crouching next to the couch, the hybrid took Jisung's hand and smiled when the boy recognized him by his touch without having to open his eyes. "H-Hyung?", Jisung groaned, slowly turning his head into the direction he knew the older was in without opening his eyes. Massaging the back of his mate's hand, Minho whispered: "I'm here, Sung. We should get you home, hm?" Despite the older trying so hard to be quiet, Jisung still winced at the noise. "Please", the rapper breathed, desperate to be home. He wouldn't feel better there but he'd rather be miserable at home than at work. Remembering that Changbin had covered the younger's ears earlier, Minho did the same before whispering to the other two rappers: "Could you get me his bag, so I can take him home and to bed? Or do you think I should take him straight to a hospital?"

Chan and Changbin made eye contact, Changbin quietly starting to pack up Jisung's belongings, while Chan mouthed: "He'll be fine, just take him home. It's not the first time he has a headache like this and he knows how to handle it." Minho looked at the Aussie with wide eyes. If Jisung knew how to handle whatever this was, it had to be something that happened frequently. Feeling his hand get wet where it rested against Jisung's face, the hybrid glanced over at him and gently brushed the tears away with his thumb. Changbin held up his dongsaeng's bag, indicating everything was ready for them to go. Chan pulled something from his bag and approached Jisung with it. Minho moved back a little watching the two worriedly as Chan breathed: "I'm going to put my sunglasses on you. Minho has your bag and the two of you will go home now. Feel better, Sungie." The younger hissed in pain when the sunglasses applied pressure on his temples but he knew it was better than going out into the daylight without them.

Jisung was a little unsteady on his feet when he tried to get up from the couch, the blood thumping in his head at the change in position. He needed a moment to get adjusted, Chan and Minho supporting him from either side. Minho quietly offered him to carry him on his back but Jisung refused, insisting that the older would step too hard. Minho highly doubted that, considering his feline genes but he wouldn't push it. His mate would decide what he was or wasn't comfortable with. When the rapper deemed himself ready to move, he desperately clung to Minho's arm. On one hand because everything was spinning since he had stood up, on the other hand, he'd rather keep his eyes closed and relied on the older for guidance.

Minho shot the other two rappers a sad smile as a goodbye, not wanting to talk more than he absolutely had to as he risked hurting Jisung with it. Chan and Changbin waved at him, as the hybrid carried his mate's bag on one shoulder and had the other arm wrapped securely around the younger's waist. It took the pair an eternity to get to the building's exit as Jisung struggled with every single step, the shock sending waves of pain through his skull and he was certain, his brain didn't fit into small bane cavity anymore. It would only be a matter of time till his skull exploded and the rapper felt sorry that Minho would be there to witness it. Jisung felt the other's thumb move up and down against his side, trying to comfort him while still keeping a secure grip. The tears continuously dripped out from underneath the sunglasses but the rapper didn't even notice, too focused on trying to set his feet down smoothly. He could tell that moving around didn't do him any good as his stomach started to churn but he really wanted to be at home.