Fluffy ATEEZ Oneshots🧸

Baby bear in a blanket nest🌡️🍼

Sickie/Little: Jongho

Caregivers: Ateez

No one's POV.:

Jongho groaned hoarsely as he rolled over in his bed. It had been close to a week now, since Jongho had come home from vocal practice with a strained voice and sore throat. He had been convinced that he had just overdone it but when Hongjoong had come to wake him the next morning, he hadn't been so sure anymore. His throat had been on fire ever since and the headache flared up on and off, indicating fever spikes. Hongjoong had cleared his dongsaeng's schedules and sent the vocalist to get his throat checked, which was unsurprisingly badly inflamed. Jongho got a prescription and was taking care of himself pretty well but with how long he had already been sick, he was more than tired of spending his days alone at his dorm. He was usually very self sufficient, so his craving for his hyungs' company shocked himself but he blamed it on the force of habit. The constant chaos and lack of privacy had become a habit over the course of time they had spent together as a group, so now that he was feeling low, he yearned for the safety and familiarity of his group.

The only member Jongho had interacted with that day was Hongjoong when the leader checked on him in the morning, bringing his dongsaeng water before leaving for his schedule. The older had asked him how he was doing and if he needed anything, so he might actually care but with how stiffly he had stood at the door, it seemed more like he felt it was his responsibility to check on the members than him actually caring. It hurt Jongho to remember how the other members fussed over each other when they were sick but now that he, the maknae, was sick, it didn't seem, to matter to anyone. Sure, he was grateful that Hongjoong had brought him water because he was too sore to move and occasionally got dizzy when he tried to get up but there weren't any words of comfort really. Maybe if they hadn't split up their dorms, someone else would've come to check on Jongho to cheer him up a little before he'd have to stay back alone but with only two dorm mates, who were in a hurry to get some ready for their schedule, Jongho was mostly on his own.

Not even Seonghwa, who always watched out for his dongsaengs and kept an especially close eye on those who weren't doing their best, had texted him today and Jongho didn't want to be the one reaching out for the fear of bothering anyone when they had work to do. Eventually, Jongho found the energy to get up but only because his bladder forced him to. His mood had been deteriorating for the past couple of hours, since he had been awake and he couldn't handle it anymore. Jongho didn't frequently use his littlespace to escape his negative emotions but he had nothing else to do today and he was alone anyway. Considering San was openly little, the group knew what age regression was, though they didn't know about Jongho specifically and the maknae wanted to keep it that way.

Filling his sippy cup with water, Jongho sat down on the edge of his bed and sniffled back tears. For heaven's sake, he just wanted a hug when he was already feeling so awful but nobody seemed to care. They wouldn't have left him all alone if they cared, right? Picking up his teddy to nuzzle his fever-flushed face into the soft material, Jongho's eyes landed on his phone. He could call someone, right? They surely wouldn't come home for him, just because he felt so unbearably lonely but maybe hearing a familiar voice would help a little.

Jongho didn't need to think for long, already knowing who he was going to call. Anxiously biting his nails, he waited for the call to connect while his chest grew tight. A tear slowly made its way down the little's cheek. Of course, nobody would pick up for him. They didn't care. "Hey, Jong-ah, how're you holding up?", Seonghwa panted. He had barely heard his phone ring over the music but was glad that he had gotten to it just in time. More tears spilled from Jongho's eyes as he whimpered: "Eo-Eomma...." His voice cracked painfully, making Seonghwa's heart clench. "Love, are you little?", the eldest whispered, gripping his phone tighter when he heard a hoarse hum of confirmation, "It's okay, I promise, it's okay. I'm on my way." Hongjoong shot his only hyung a questioning look, so after ending the call, Seonghwa quickly explained what happened and the leader decided that they'd all head to his dorm.