Lonely Kitten

75

When Chan returned to the kitchen to retrieve Jisung's tea, he was shocked by the state he found Minho in. Hurriedly picking the hybrid up, Chan swayed him in his arms and cooed: "What's wrong, Min? You're okay." – "T-too high", Minho whimpered, clinging too Chan as if his life depended on it, "W-Wan'- I-I wan' ma dada, p-pwease." – "Gosh, I'm so sorry", the Aussie frowned, feeling guilty for leaving his friend there by himself. Carrying the little to the living room, Chan waited for Jisung to sit up. As soon as he did, Chan placed Minho into Jisung's arms, smiling as the hybrid's cries were reduced to soft sniffles. Scratching his mate's ears, Jisung wanted to reassure him but he just couldn't get out a sound.

Satisfied that the pair was okay as long as they had each other, Chan made his way to the kitchen to get Jisung's tea. He poured the rapper a cup before placing the tea pot onto the coffee table, humming: "As soon as it cooled down a little, you should try having a few sips. The younger nodded, drawing a shaky breath between his chapped lips. Breathing itself already felt like torture and Jisung couldn't figure out what had suddenly happened to his throat. It had to be Changbin's fault though, his earlier lie having jinxed his health. Jisung had never really been superstitious but his hyung had really been challenging fate earlier.

In his sleepy haze, Jisung struggled to remain aware of his surroundings but he knew that Minho was with him, right in his arms. At some point, his phone appeared in his hand and he dazedly glanced up at Chan, who smiled: "To help you communicate. Just type whatever you wanna say and try to avoid using whatever is left of your voice." While the rapper nodded, Minho felt his heart clench. His daddy's voice was his second-most favorite thing on earth, right behind his daddy himself, and he couldn't imagine it being gone. It was all his fault too. He had known that his daddy had strained his voice and still made him sing him to sleep.

"Min ish s-sowwy", Minho choked out, nuzzling his face against Jisung's neck. He only started to cry harder when the rapper pulled away. Confused, Jisung wanted to look at Minho's face. Why would Minho be sorry? Getting even more worked up by his caregiver trying to get out of the tight hug, Minho choked on a sob and barely even felt the hand steadily running up and down his back. Jisung shot Chan a helpless look, thinking maybe the older knew what was going on but he didn't. Crouching in front of the pair, Chan asked worriedly: "Why would you be sorry, little one?" Minho desperately shook his head as his breaths came shorter and shorter. He didn't have enough air to explain. Heart breaking at his mate's struggle, Jisung hugged the hybrid tightly, swaying them from side to side and kissing the other's hair. If he couldn't tell Minho that whatever was upsetting him so much was okay and that they would be fine, he just had to show him.

After almost ten minutes, Jisung had managed to somewhat calm Minho down. "I-I made chu- I made chu s-sing fow punishmen' an' now-", the little wept, hands fisted in the fabric of Jisung's shirt. The rapper's lips formed a small 'o' as everything fell into place. Picking up his phone, he typed: 'I said a bad word earlier and as punishment, I had to sing him to sleep.' Chan raised an eyebrow before chuckling at his friends. Rubbing Minho's arm, the Aussie shushed: "It's not your fault, Minnie." The little doubtfully looked up at him, tears still glistening in his eyes, so Chan explained: "Your daddy is also running a nasty fever, so he probably caught an infection or something. He wouldn't have a fever from singing too much."

Minho had eventually accepted Chan's explanation but only after seeing Jisung nod along. "His voice won't be gone forever, he just needs to rest it for a little while", Chan smiled at the little, handing Jisung his tea, "What we can do to help him recover faster, is to make sure he stays hydrated and gets lots of rest." Minho nodded eagerly, relieved that his daddy's voice would eventually come back. Taking a small sip of tea, Jisung winced and could already see himself visiting a doctor once morning came because wouldn't be able to stay hydrated if he could barely swallow. "Just keep taking small sips and I'll go and see if I can find some medicine, you can take before going back to bed", Chan instructed softly, earning a tried nod from Jisung, who was relieved that someone was there taking charge of the situation.

Chan eventually returned from the bathroom with two pills for the pain and fever, smiling at Minho snuggled into Jisung's arms. It did worry him a little because he feared his dongsaeng would overheat once again but that didn't mean he'd deprive the pair of the comfort they so dearly needed. Chan and Jisung made eye contact, the pain evident in the younger's eyes. He could barely get half of his tea down and at this point, he was starting to doubt whether it was worth it. Taking the pills seemed impossible, his throat too swollen and painful but they would make him feel better, right? By the time, Jisung had managed to get take the pills, one after the other, he had tears streaming down his feverishly flushed cheeks. "Back to bed?", Chan asked sympathetically as his dongsaeng muffled a rough cough into the crook of his arm. The younger nodded but made no move to get up. How could he anyway with Minho sitting in his lap?

"Min, come on, it's time for you two to go back to bed", Chan whispered, giving Minho's sleeve a light tug. The hybrid yawned but clambered out of Jisung's lap and looked at the rapper expectantly. Holding out his hand to the younger, Chan smiled: "We can take it slow. If you get dizzy, just hold onto me." Minho watched worriedly as his mate forced himself up. Jisung had to rely heavily on Chan as he shuffled back to his bedroom. The distance had never seemed so far but now it took all his strength to get there and he weakly collapsed onto the mattress, muffling a painful cough into his pillow, completely drained from the ordeal. While Minho climbed onto the bed to make sure his caregiver was okay, Chan went back to the living room to collect Jisung's cup and teapot. Pouring the younger another cup, he left both on the nightstand and asked: "Do you need anything else?" Jisung shook his head but immediately had to sit up, so he could cough. "Do you have a humidifier? If yes, please tell me where it is", Chan mused, "Might help keep you from coughing long enough to fall asleep."

After Jisung had pointed him to the wardrobe in the hallway, Chan went to fill the water tank and set the humidifier up in the bedroom. He could tell Jisung was exhausted but couldn't go to sleep. The same was the case for Minho, his ears twitching as his tried eyes scanned the room. The little was so fidgety and anxious, it broke Chan's heart. Motioning for Minho to follow him, the Aussie took him back to the kitchen. With Minho's instructions, he made the hybrid a bottle to hopefully ease his nerves and he popped back into the bathroom on their way back to the bedroom to fetch a cold washcloth. "Sung?", Chan hummed softly, earning a sad look from his dongsaeng, "Come on, let's stack your pillows up a bit, so you can breathe easier."

While Chan fluffed up his pillows, Jisung forced down a few more sips of tea before finally settling back into bed. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, Chan draped the washcloth across the younger's burning forehead and whispered: "I'll keep you two company till Min has finished his bottle and then I'll be on the couch. If either of you needs anything, find me, yeah?" Minho nodded, the teat of his bottle lodged between his teeth as he snuggled into Jisung's side. "T-thanks, hy-yung", the rapper forced out bare audible, only to be shushed by Chan. Cupping Jisung's cheek, the Aussie shushed: "It's all good, just please save your voice. It already seems like we'll be taking a trip tomorrow." Jisung nodded defeatedly. He disliked doctors but he hadn't felt this bad in a long time, so he knew he should probably get help. Plus, Minho would worry about him if he didn't and his mate was already so scared for is voice. As Minho's bottle slowly emptied, a soft purr started and Jisung could feel his sore muscles melting into the mattress. His mate always had such a soothing effect on him, he drifted off within minutes while Chan tucked Minho in before going to sleep on the couch.