Fluffy ATEEZ Oneshots🧸

Cold Sweat🌡️

Sickie: Seonghwa

Caregivers: hyung-line

No one's POV.:

Seonghwa had felt fine all day, or well, at least for most of it. There had been a moment during their dance practice when he had suddenly flushed with heat and started to sweat more than he had before. It didn't concern him much though, as they had been dancing for hours. This was probably just his body telling him it had had enough for the day. His head spun when he plopped down next to his bag, shakily uncapping his water bottle to take a sip. Yeah, it was really time for them to wrap things up. Hongjoong seemed to agree, announcing that they would only do two more run-throughs before packing up and heading home. Sometimes Seonghwa wondered if their leader was able to read minds or if he just knew all of them really well by now because Seonghwa wasn't the only one looking drained. San and Wooyoung laid sprawled out on the floor in the center of the room, chests heaving still as they tried to catch their breaths. Jongho sat slumped against the wall only a few feet away from his oldest hyung, gulping down the last few sips of his water. Yunho, Yeosang and Mingi forced themselves to stay on their feet and walk around the room a little, knowing they wouldn't have the energy to get back up if they allowed themselves to sit.

When Hongjoong called them back to the center of the room, so they could finish and go home, Seonghwa dropped his head back against the wall. How was he supposed to get back up? As he tried to find the strength it would take for him to finish this practice session, Yunho approached the older and offered him both of his hands. Seonghwa stumbled for a second when Yunho pulled him to his feet but quickly regained his balance and gave his dongsaeng a grateful smile as they got on their starting positions. It was funny how quiet and put together everyone seemed, San and Wooyoung having stopped whining about being tired and sore about half an hour ago, not having the energy to complain and just trying to get it over with. Not that Seonghwa could blame them, today's practice had really been intense. By the time they struck the ending pose for the last time, the oldest had shifted to autopilot, his body moving to the beat from muscle memory only. This time he wouldn't make the same mistake again and tried to learn from Yunho, Yeosang and Mingi. He stayed on his feet as he threw his empty water bottle into his bag, bracing himself against the wall with a trembling hand. It was time to get home.

Seonghwa was still running on autopilot when they returned to the dorm, not even trying to call dibs on showering first. He just dropped his bag and stretched out on the couch, while his dongsaengs took turns showering and ate dinner. He wasn't that hungry anyway or at least not hungry enough that he'd be willing to get back up and eat something. At some point, the oldest must have fallen asleep because someone shook his arm, telling him that he should go and take a shower now. How fast had everyone finished washing up or had he really been asleep that long?

After Hongjoong had told him to wash up, Seonghwa made his way down the hallway, suddenly wondering where he was going. He still remembered that he was about to do something but had completely forgotten what. "Hey, I picked out some clothes for you, that look pretty comfortable", Yeosang smiled, handing him a stack of clothes, "The bathroom's free now." Oh, right! He had been on his way to take a shower. Rubbing his face, Seonghwa thanked the younger and shuffled into the bathroom to wash up. His muscles burned when he peeled off his sweaty practice clothes but the water felt nice. For a few minutes, Seonghwa only stood there, allowing the cool water to soothe his muscles as he leant against the tiled wall. Before he could fall asleep and topple over though, he remembered to wash his hair and finish up, his bed the only motivation for him to get moving again.

The members were surprised when they didn't see him again that evening. They had heard the water stop running a while ago but hadn't seen their hyung since. It was only when Hongjoong checked their shared bedroom, that he spotted the older knocked out on his bed, his hair still damp. Clicking his tongue that the other would most likely catch a cold if he slept with wet hair, the leader grabbed a towel from the bathroom and carefully rubbed his hyung's hair dry. It was a miracle that Seonghwa didn't wake up, which only confirmed what Hongjoong had already expected. He really needed that sleep.