Grumpy Alphas need lots of love✔️

14

It hadn't taken Jisung long to fall asleep himself, the feverish warmth of his mates making him drowsy. Jeongin had eventually let go of his hand and instead grabbed his sleeve, bunching up the fabric between his fingers. When he woke up close to two hours later, the youngest felt flustered. He hadn't meant for his hyungs to see his kneading. Well, maybe they hadn't because it only started after they fell asleep? Glancing at the two sleeping figures, Jeongin couldn't help but wonder how they had ended up there. Considering his fingers were still tangled in Jisung's sleeve, he gave the rapper a little tug. Expectedly, nothing happened. Jisung had always been a rather heavy sleeper. Whining softly, Jeongin nudged the other's arm and this time the rapper at least moved a bit, so he repeated his action. "Hmm?", Jisung groaned, opening his eyes for a moment. Seizing his opportunity, Jeongin tugged on his sleeve again and whispered: "Hyung!" – "Huh, yeah? Wha's wrong?", the rapper slurred, opening his eyes though he was still a little bleary. "What are we doing here?", the younger questioned, still confused by the setting. Sitting up straight, Jisung rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck. He rubbed his face and yawned: "Having a sleepover, what does it look like?" When Jeongin pouted, he added: "You felt like you needed to be sick but fell asleep instead and we wanted you to stay asleep, so we couldn't move you and just decided to join."

Jeongin had more questions but both of them froze when Chan stirred. The leader eventually sat up and looked at them questioningly. "Everything okay?", Chan hummed, his voice thick with sleep. He had an easier time waking up than Jisung, relieved to find his head not hurting as much as it had before. It seemed he had really been dehydrated because he felt less dead now and carefully reached out to smooth Jisung's messy hair down. The rapper yawned, explaining: "Innie was confused how we ended up here." – "Oh", Chan frowned, surprised that his dongsaeng didn't remember, "How're you feeling, Innie?" The younger shrugged, avoiding Chan's eyes. Fiddling with his sleeves, Jeongin admitted: "My tummy seems okay but.... Everything hurts, my head hurts and it's mushy. I feel... slow. Like thinking... it's hard." – "Do you feel confused, pup?", Chan asked gently, his voice soft and understanding. It was enough for a tear to drip from the maknae's lashes. He didn't know why he was so emotional but something about the haziness in his mind made him feel vulnerable. Jisung wrapped his arm around Jeongin's shoulders, pulling him into his side.

After pressing the backs of his fingers to Jeongin's forehead, Jisung hummed: "Still feverish but not too bad. How do you feel, hyung?" – "Better? I don't know", the leader shrugged, "My head hurts but not as bad. I'm still as achy but I feel more alert and not dizzy at all." Jisung motioned for him to come a little closer and felt his forehead. "You too are still pretty warm but your eyes don't look out of focus anymore", the rapper stated. Chan nodded, adding: "My stomach feels alright and the broth stayed down. Maybe Innie's dehydrated. Would explain why his brain is 'mush' even though his fever isn't that bad." – "Probably", Jisung agreed, nuzzling his face into Jeongin's hair, scenting him, "You wanna try and sip some broth too, Innie? Might help with the headache." Jeongin shrugged, breathing: "I can stop if my tummy's not happy about it, right?" – "Of course, you can", Chan cooed, while Jisung continued to scent their youngest, "I really feel like it helped me feel more like myself, so maybe just getting some fluids and electrolytes into you could already make a big difference." With the promise of not having to force himself, Jeongin agreed to at least try but wanted to enjoy Jisung's affection for a little longer.

When he was ready to move from their position, Jeongin was facing another problem. Every fiber in his body burned and he doubted he'd be able to move at all. His legs shook when Jisung helped him to his feet and Chan was quick to support his other side. Whimpering, the maknae clung to his hyungs. His arms burned but he still held onto them, desperate to stay on his feet. Jisung was quick to scoop the boy into his arms, afraid he'd fall. When the rapper saw the protest in Chan's eyes, he hummed: "Hyung, why don't you go ahead and already warm up some broth for him?" At that, the leader nodded and rushed out of the bathroom, leaving Jisung to shake his head. He understood that as the pack-alpha, Chan felt especially protective of Jeongin and wanted to be the one taking care of him but he was still sick himself, despite feeling a bit better. The fever was still there and he shouldn't strain himself too much too early, especially not when there were other members who could help them out. It seemed Chan really needed to have a task, as his mind would otherwise convince him that he was useless and his pack didn't need him. That was complete nonsense but the alpha often felt like he wasn't enough for his dongsaengs, not good enough as a leader.