Lonely Kitten

52

When Jisung woke up later that afternoon, Minho was still by his side, not having moved an inch. He hadn't even dared to go to the bathroom, too worried about his mate to leave the younger alone, even though he was asleep and most likely wouldn't have noticed. The rapper groaned softly, rolling over to bury his face in Minho's chest. "Hey", the older breathed, placing a hand on Jisung's back, "How're you holding up?" - "'s better than earlier", Jisung winced, "I don't feel like I'm dying anymore but it still really fucking hurts." He almost teared up but knew that it would make the pain worse, so he tried his hardest to keep from crying. Hearing the suppressed tears in his mate's voice, Minho's hand went up to the back of the younger's head, gently playing with his hair. Gently scratching Jisung's scalp, the hybrid whispered: "Can I get you anything, some water maybe?" - "Jus' stay like this please", Jisung breathed, "You're comfy." Who was Minho to refuse?

Minho continued to play with Jisung's hair, lightly scratching his scalp. It didn't put the younger back to sleep but it brought him great comfort. At some point, the hybrid did need to use the bathroom though. He ignored it at first but as time passed, it became a more pressing issue. "Sungie, I really, really need to go", Minho admitted quietly. Jisung didn't get it at first but when it finally clicked, he unwillingly rolled back onto his back, so the other would be able to get up. Collecting the now warm icepacks, the older promised: "I'll get you fresh icepacks and a drink on the way back. I'll be right back." Jisung hummed in acknowledgement and draped his arm over his face. He really wanted to take more medicine but he doubted it was time for that yet. He didn't know how long he had been asleep but didn't want to check the time, afraid of straining his eyes and making the pain worse again.

The bed dipped beside Jisung and the rapper removed his arm from his face again. Minho noticed the pained crease between his mate's eyebrows and gently stroked his thumb over it, whispering: "Try to relax your face. It's only going to hurt worse if you tense up." Jisung tried but doubted he was doing a good job. Relaxing felt impossible but Minho continued to stroke his finger over the tense crease on the rapper's forehead until he had mostly smoothed it out. Then he carefully slipped his hand under Jisung's head and lifted it up, just enough to slip a fresh icepack underneath. He draped the other icepack across the other's forehead and noticed a single tear escaping the boy's eye. Gently wiping it away, Minho wanted to ask what was wrong and what he could do, when Jisung opened his mouth. "Hyung, do you know when I can take more medicine?", the rapper whimpered. Minho's heart broke as he took the other's hand and squeezed it comfortingly, frowning: "Can you last one more hour? I'll get you some plain rice before that, so it won't upset your stomach more than necessary."

Though Jisung wasn't pleased, he knew the older only wanted what was best for him. Minho was still holding his hand, so Jisung tugged lightly, wanting the hybrid to cuddle him again. It might not take the pain away but it at least distracted him a little. Minho got the hint and laid down beside his mate. Though he struggled to move, Jisung cuddled into the other's side. The icepacks slipped and Minho tried to readjust them without jostling the sick boy too much. He tried to keep one icepack between Jisung's forehead and his own chest, shuddering at the cold. Reminding himself that it was helping the rapper, Minho did his best to suppress another shiver and bear the discomfort because his mate was experiencing much worse discomfort. Picking up the other icepack, the older held it to the back of Jisung's head and used the other hand to trace shapes on the boy's back. Jisung gave a soft sigh as he melted against Minho's chest, which was enough to encourage the hybrid to put up with the cold.

Minho wasn't sure whether the other had fallen asleep, so he breathed as quietly as he could: "Sungie?" Jisung squeezed his side in response, so the older continued: "If you let me get up, I can get you some rice and more medicine now." Reaching for the icepacks to hold them in place, the rapper shifted off of Minho, who squeezed his shoulder before getting out of bed and hurrying off to the kitchen. He knew Jisung wouldn't want to eat much, so he only took a small bowl of rice with him because he didn't want the younger to upset his stomach again. Plus, the medicine should stay in Jisung's body long enough to help with the pain. He didn't know whether the painkillers the younger had taken at the studio had even gotten the chance to do that, with how soon he had gotten sick after leaving the building.

When he returned, he found his mate in the exact same position, he had left him in. "Sungie? Can you sit up or do you need help?", Minho asked carefully. A soft groan escaped Jisung's lips as he rolled onto his side and pushed himself up. He knew it would be better if he moved himself because he had the experience how to move to trigger the least pain. Minho was quick to stack up the pillows, so the younger could lean back against them, praising: "Good job. How are your eyes? Do you want me to move the curtain just a little, so you can see your food?" - "No but if you open the bedroom door wider, that should do", Jisung requested, rubbing his face. After opening the bedroom door further, Minho took a seat on the edge of the mattress, holding the bowl of rice. Handing the chopsticks to his mate, he instructed: "I'm going to hold this for you and you just eat as much as you can stomach. We wouldn't want you getting sick again but you should have a few bites in your stomach before you take the medicine." Jisung agreed and accepted the chopsticks with shaky hands.

For a moment, Minho was worried the younger might not be able to feed himself with the way his hand was trembling but he managed. After a few bites, Jisung lowered the chopsticks and took a shaky breath. His stomach felt funny. "You okay?", Minho whispered worriedly, brushing the rapper's hair out of his face. Taking another deep breath through his nose, the younger muttered: "I-I think so, jus'- just give me a moment." - "Take as long as you need", the hybrid cooed, glancing towards the trashcan sitting on the floor. He really hoped they wouldn't need it. Eventually, Jisung continued eating or rather, tried to. His hands shook even harder now and he ended up dropping the chopsticks into his lap. "Do you... want help?", Minho asked hesitantly, watching the younger. The rapper blushed but admitted: "I think that'd be easier." - "No need to be shy, it's not the first time", Minho chuckled, making Jisung blush even harder at the memory of burning his hand.

Jisung actually managed to finish all of his rice, though he had to take a few short breaks in between. He gladly accepted the pill Minho handed him afterwards and rinsed it down with a few small sips of water. Minho instructed him to drink a little more while he'd go to the kitchen to wash the bowl and they could cuddle again afterwards. While in the kitchen, the hybrid contemplated having a protein shake, as he had only had breakfast today and it was close to dinnertime now. He couldn't though, feeling to worried to stomach anything at all right now. Little did he know that Jisung remembered. When Minho joined the rapper, the younger was laying down with his arm over his face, so his voice came out muffled when he mumbled: "Did you eat anything while I was asleep?" The hybrid lied, saying that he did but Jisung wasn't fooled. "Hyung, I can tell when you're lying", Jisung sighed, "Go eat something!" - "Well, I couldn't just leave you when you needed cuddles", Minho defended himself.

There was a tense moment of silence till the rapper spoke again: "I still need cuddles but I don't want them unless you've eaten something." - "I'm not hungry, I don't want to eat", Minho argued. Shrugging, Jisung mumbled: "Then, I don't want cuddles either." - "But you need cuddles", the older frowned worriedly. Slightly annoyed, the rapper sighed: "And you need food." Huffing, Minho got up and left the bedroom, which made the younger feel guilty. He hadn't wanted to upset the other but he also didn't want to be the reason his mate starved himself.

After a few minutes, the hybrid returned, announcing quietly: "I had a protein shake and a banana, are you happy now?" - "Yeah, please don't be mad at me, hyung", Jisung whimpered, making the other's heart clench. He felt the mattress dip next to him, before Minho cupped his cheek, cooing: "I'm not mad, Sungie. I was just so worried that I really didn't have an appetite. Can I cuddle you now though?" - "Please", the younger breathed, instantly curling up in his mate's embrace and resting his still pounding head on his chest. Though Minho's heartbeat was soothing, Jisung needed something else and shyly requested: "Could you, ya' know..., purr?" - "Won't it hurt you more?", the hybrid asked worriedly but Jisung was confident he could handle it now. Minho purred as quietly as he could and it was exactly what the younger had needed, melting into the hybrid's warmth as the older caressed his puffy cheek with the tip of his tail, lulling the rapper into a deep sleep.