Lonely Kitten

66

Surprisingly, Minho had fallen asleep about halfway into his movie. He was lucky that he did because he barely felt it when the cramps started to set in. His nap was restless, yeah, and he kept turning but he didn't consciously register the pain. Jisung however was a different story. After already having been on edge all week, today was even worse. He had struggled to focus all morning and Chan had even considered sending him home to get some rest despite them still not nearly being done with their work. Neither Chan, nor Changbin wanted their dongsaeng to push himself to the point of breaking down again. Jisung soon grew restless in his seat, frequently shifting his position. His midsection ached but he couldn't pinpoint a specific spot where he was hurting. When Chan asked him why he seemed so uncomfortable, the younger admitted: "My stomach doesn't feel too happy right now. It doesn't really hurt, at least not yet, but it's probably just a stress stomachache anyway, so...."

While Jisung was at the studio, trying to downplay the way he felt for the sake of continuing to work, Minho curled up tighter on the couch. It didn't take much longer till the little startled awake after a particularly harsh cramp. Whimpering, he bit down on his paci as he bunched the blanket up in tight fists. He tried to ride out the pain but grew anxious as his mouth started to water. Minho shakily sat up and placed his paci on the coffee table. Having anything in his mouth right now felt wrong. With his stomach churning, Minho broke into a sweat and glanced at his phone laying on the coffee table. He really wanted, no, needed his dada. Before he got a chance to pick up the phone and dial Jisung's number though, the little's throat tightened with a gag and he panickedly clamped both hands over his lips.

With his eyes nervously darting around the room, Minho soon spotted the plastic bag filled with his snacks on the coffee table and quickly dumped its contents onto the coffee table. His hands shook as he lifted the bag to his lips and he squeezed his eyes shut. Minho sniffled a little before his breath was cut off by a gag. He could taste the artificial strawberry flavor on his tongue but now it had a disgustingly sour note to it that almost made him gag again. The little was confused and terrified how he could get so sick so suddenly. Sure, he had had a headache for a while already but now he felt seriously sick and Jisung wasn't there and he didn't know what he was supposed to do all by himself. It took a few minutes of steady breathing for Minho to realize nothing was happening and he dared to reach for his phone.

Jisung picked up after the first ring when he saw Minho's number. His nerves might not be caused by himself but potentially by his mate being in danger. "Hey, what's up, hyung?", the rapper asked tensely. He didn't get an answer, the crinkling of plastic the only thing he heard. Nervously calling Minho's name, Jisung looked at his phone. Maybe it was a pocket call. It seemed like the only logical explanation to Jisung until Minho choked out: "Dada- Min- Min nuh feew goo-" The rapper cringed when he heard his mate be sick on the other end of the line. "Hyung, I need to go home", Jisung stated, getting up in a rush, "Minho is sick and he slipped again like at the park." Chan nodded understandingly but grabbed his dongsaeng's arm when the younger was about to run off. He let go as soon as Changbin pressed Jisung's bag into his hand. Now he was ready to go home.

"Dada's coming, you hear me?", Jisung worried, hurrying out of the building. The only reply was a strained whimper before Minho threw up again. Had he really been so busy and distant lately, that he didn't notice his mate falling ill? The older had mentioned a headache when they had gone to bed last night but Jisung had thought that was the worst of it, which was why he had let him sleep in that morning. Giving a weak cough, Minho cried: "M-Ma tu-tummy weally hu-huwts." By now, the rapper had started to run, panting: "It's okay, dada's almost home. You'll be fine, kitten. Can you take a deep breath for dada?"

Minho tried to breathe deeply till Jisung got back but the smell coming from the plastic bag in his hands only made his stomach turn and he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to fight off a retch. His phone was on speaker on the coffee table next to his snacks. The thought of food only made him feel worse and he weakly burped up a small trickle of strawberry milk. Crying helplessly, Minho didn't hear the door lock click and startled when a hand appeared on his back. "You're okay", Jsiung panted. He hadn't even taken off his shoes, rushing straight to his mate's side. The little's hands trembled so hard that Jisung was afraid he'd drop the bag, so he carefully took it. Minho hiccupped pitifully before lurching forward and the rapper quickly held the bag under his mate's chin, whispering reassurances as the boy continued to be sick.

When it seemed like Minho was done for the time being, Jisung tied up the bag and walked the hybrid to the bathroom. The boy walked with a bit of a limp as his stomach still cramped, causing him to hunch over slightly. He was quick to curl up on the bathroom rug, while the other disposed of the bag. "Hey", Jisung breathed with a sad smile as he knelt down next to Minho, "Can you tell dada what's going on? How long have you felt sick for?" Minho shifted a bit, so he was half laying on his mate's lap, sniffling: "Ma tummy huwted when I got home." - "I see", the rapper whispered, petting Minho's ears, "You felt alright before that, right? You wouldn't have bought snacks if you didn't." Minho curled in on himself with a whine, not wanting to think about the snacks right now at all as Jisung felt the little's forehead. "You don't have a fever", the rapper informed softly, brushing Minho's bangs back in place, "Did you eat anything weird today that could've upset your tummy?"

At first, the hybrid shook his head. He had had a bowl of cereal that morning and a protein bar during his practice with Hyunjin and Felix. That was nothing out of the ordinary. Then he remembered: "Min hab stwawbewwy miwky." - "You what?", Jisung asked astonished, "Min, you're lactose-intolerant." Minho furrowed his brows in confusion. "Min ish wha'?" - "Lactose-intolerant", Jisung repeated with a sigh, "It means dairy makes your tummy unhappy." Staring up at his mate with tears in his eyes, the little stammered: "Buh- bu-buh ish yummy?! I- ..." - "Kitten, I know that's frustrating but no matter how tasty milk is, it will make you sick", the rapper explained, gathering Minho up in his arms when the boy started to cry. Jisung pressed a kiss to his mate's sweaty forehead, cooing: "Do you want to have bathtime, so you feel less icky?" The hybrid shook his head. He just wanted to be in his dada's arms for now. "Okay", Jisung breathed, "Do you feel like you need to be sick again?" Minho shrugged. His tummy was still churning but maybe if he tried really hard, he wouldn't?

Not wanting to spend the rest of the day in the bathroom, Jisung set up their bedroom with a bucket and filled Minho's bottle with tea. After he had helped the little rinse out his mouth and wash his face, Jisung carried him to the bedroom. The hybrid instinctively started to nest, rearranging the pillows and kneading the blankets to make himself feel as comfortable and safe as he possibly could but the nest was only complete once his mate collected the baby blanket from the living room.

Exhausted from his hard work to build a good nest, while he still felt moments away from throwing up, Minho eventually settled down and closed his eyes. His breaths came in nauseous little huffs, which broke Jisung's heart as the rapper placed the cleaned pacifier onto the nightstand, next to the baby bottle filled with tea. "Kitten, is there anything dada can do to make you feel better?", Jisung asked quietly as he leant closer to stroke his mate's hair. Sleepily blinking his eyes open, Minho made grabby hands at the other. Now that he was sure that the little accepted and even wanted him in his nest, Jisung carefully climbed in next to him, spooning his mate from behind. Minho's hand trembled a bit from the exhaustion when he took Jisung's and guided it under his hoodie. Luckily, the rapper got the hint and started to draw slow circles on Minho's bloated tummy, cooing: "I got you, kitten. Why don't you try to take a nap? Dada will be here when you wake up."