Grumpy Alphas need lots of love✔️

12

"Sink!", Minho urged, realizing the bathroom would be too far away. Clamping his hands over his mouth, Chan struggled to his feet and stumbled, glad that Felix caught him and helped him stagger towards the kitchen sink. His stomach lurched and he barely managed to lean over the sink in time as the rice rushed up his throat. Felix gently patted his back when the older coughed but helplessly looked at Minho. Hadn't the older said he felt better? Minho was by their side in an instant, quickly wrapping his arm around Chan's waist after seeing the leader's legs tremble. Chan clutched the counter so hard, his knuckles turned white, as his throat strained with a forceful retch. His throat felt shredded yet he just couldn't seem to stop trying uselessly. He barely managed to bring anything up besides the few mouthfuls of rice he had just forced down, cursing himself for going against his better judgement. Even when he was mostly empty, Chan kept coughing, the strain making his head pound and bringing tears to his eyes. It was hard to really get a full breath of air in, his stomach cramping before his lungs could fill up.

"Try to breathe through it", Felix whispered, a steady hand on Chan's back as the alpha grew more worked up. He was hurting and he couldn't breathe, his lungs not cooperating. Every cough threatened to make him sick again and he just couldn't handle it anymore, feeling overwhelmed. The leader looked up with tears in his eyes when Minho nudged his hand, pressing a glass of water into it, which the older shakily lifted to his lips. Chan rinsed his mouth a few times before taking a small sip to help him stop coughing. It took a while but the fit eventually tapered off, the leader progressively slumping into Minho's side as the second-oldest did his best to keep his hyung on his feet. Felix kept rubbing Chan's back, while the leader sipped some water, but the omega was spooked, anxiously looking at Minho, praying the older had the situation under control because he himself surely didn't.

The ordeal had zapped what little energy Chan may have had, leaving the oldest shaky and faint. His hand trembled, the water swishing around in the glass as his grip threatened to slip. "N-Need sit", the leader slurred weakly as he set down the glass. Noticing how unfocused his eyes were getting, Minho hurriedly wrapped his arms around his hyung and lowered both of them to the floor. He propped the older up with his back against the cabinets, instructing: "Deep breaths, you're gonna be fine. Just focus on catching your breath." Panting, Chan tried but his vision was growing progressively blurry as he drew his legs up to his chest and rested his forehead on his knees, so he wouldn't fall over. Felix crouched next to him and comfortingly messed with the hair at the nape of his neck. "Talk to us, hyung. What are you feeling?", the omega hummed, praying their hyung wouldn't faint on them. Drawing a shaky breath, Chan muttered: "Dizzy. Thought- I-I thought, I'd faint but it's getting better. Now, I just- I just feel really, really dizzy."

When it seemed that Chan was in the clear, Minho got back to his feet and rinsed out the sink, the leader tiredly leaning against his leg. Felix continued to mess with his hyung's hair and stroke his back, noticing how the back of the alpha's shirt clung to his skin. Chan was burning, sweat running down his temples but at the same time he felt chilled to the bone. Seungmin watched them and went to get a fresh shirt for the alpha when he realized how much he was sweating. When he passed the nest on the way to the bedrooms, Seungmin noted with relief that at least some of them were able to rest well. Hyunjin and Jisung were completely knocked out, holding on to Jeongin, who slept peacefully in Changbin's arms. They had been lucky that Jeongin had slept through the entire incident because if he hadn't chances were high it would've set the maknae's stomach off too. The rapper too seemed to be asleep, though he had merely been dozing and had listened to Chan being sick again. Holding the sleepy bundle in his arms, Changbin felt his heart ache. At least in his own eyes it would've been his job to be there for Chan, yet he was trapped and couldn't get out of the nest.

"Hyung, do you feel okay enough to move?", Seungmin asked quietly, "I fetched you another shirt 'cause yours is completely sweat-through." – "Thank you", Chan sniffled before struggling to take his sweaty shirt off. Minho and Felix helped him as the sticky fabric clung to his skin and winced in sympathy as the leader shuddered. It seemed his fever was getting worse and now he didn't even have anything in his stomach, so he couldn't take any medicine. Seungmin guided Chan's hands into the sleeves and carefully pulled the fresh shirt over the alpha's head. He felt sorry that he couldn't get the older a hoodie with how shivery he still was but was worried about his fever. Chan didn't seem too fond of moving still, so Minho, Seungmin and Felix sat on the floor with him, as the leader tiredly rested his head on Felix' shoulder. Watching the older worriedly, Minho hummed: "Why did you say you were feeling better, hyung? See where pretending you were got you." A tear ran down Chan's cheek and he wiped it away with his sleeve. "I-I want to either take care of Innie or have you guys take care of Innie for me but now you're sitting here with me", the leader whimpered, "You shouldn't, I'm fine but my pup needs to be taken care of."

The three sat in stunned silence before Felix frowned: "What are you saying, hyung? You're not fine and we wouldn't just leave you here by yourself. Innie is taken care of and sleeping soundly, just like you could if you weren't so stubborn." – "Lix is right", Minho whispered, reaching for Chan's hand, "I get why you would try to protect our youngest but hyung, here are still six healthy members. Don't you think we can split up and take care of both of you? Yes, Innie is sick and needs to be taken care of but so are you and although you might manage to get by on your own, you deserve to be taken care of all the same." He gave Chan's hand a comforting squeeze as more tears dripped from his lashes but this time the leader didn't bother to wipe them away. A chill ran down his spine, making Seungmin sigh: "I know you don't want to move, hyung, but come on. We can get you somewhere more comfortable, your bed, the couch, the nest,... anything is better than the floor. You're not going to feel warmer if you stay down here." – "It's okay, we won't let you fall. I know it's tiring but it will be worth it", Minho promised, running his thumb over the back of Chan's hand.

After some more prodding, Chan eventually had to agree to move, even if it was only because he felt so cold. His bedroom was out of question pretty quickly though, the distance way too far for his sore legs to cross. Leaning heavily on Minho and Seungmin, he managed to shuffle into the living room, where Felix helped him settle into the nest next to Changbin and Jeongin. "Hey", the rapper whispered, reaching out to cup Chan's cheek, "You know, I was just teasing, hyung. You always take good care of all the pups but you need to see your own limits instead of spreading yourself too thin, hm? We are here to help too, it's not all on your shoulders. We're a pack and we help each other. Yes, you're leading us and we are glad to follow your lead but we're still in it together." The leader gave a small nod, resting his head on Changbin's shoulder. It was still pounding and the omega's calm presence seemed to soothe the pain a little. Maybe that was why Jeongin slept so peacefully. There was this safe aura enveloping the nest, no wonder it had knocked Hyunjin and Jisung out too. Chan wondered if this was all Changbin's doing, the rapper having pretty strong pheromones considering he was an omega. It was shocking how calm and soothing Changbin always seemed to be when interacting with his pack. From the outside, he seemed intimidating and well, he could be if somebody threatened his dongsaengs but that didn't happen often Chan's glare usually stopping potentially dangerous people dead in their tracks. His pack knew him better though, his dongsaengs not in the slightest intimidated by him. They truly enjoyed roughhousing with their mate, who somehow was so in control of his strength that no one ever ended up hurt. Changbin was their steady rock, a secure presence to rely on, when things seemed to spiral out of control.

Deeply inhaling his dongsaengs' pheromones, Chan wasn't only exhausted anymore. A comfortable sleepy drowsiness had settled over him and when the other members joined them, he couldn't even lift his head from Changbin's shoulder anymore. Felix purred softly, curling up between his mates. In his sleep, Hyunjin's hand found Felix' and the Aussie linked their fingers before closing his eyes. Chan gave a content hum when Seungmin draped a blanket around his shoulders, trying to show his appreciation towards his dongsaeng despite being barely awake. The beta smiled, carefully tucking the edges of the blanket in. Gently caressing the leader's cheek, Changbin whispered for him to finally go to sleep. Chan weakly reached out and took Jeongin's limp hand into his, unintentionally causing the boy's kneading instinct to start back up. A faint smile played around Chan's lips as his youngest dongsaeng lightly squeezed his fingers. Surrounded by his pack, with his pup right beside him, the leader followed Changbin's instructions and fell into a peaceful slumber.