A Spoonful of Suga

Niah knew something was wrong when she woke up at three in the morning, sweaty and cold at the same time. After crawling out of bed to take a quick shower, she realized that not only was she freezing even with the warm water pouring over her body, but she also felt achy in her arms and legs. By the end of her shower, Niah’s head was starting to hurt.

Three hours later, Quinn wandered into Niah’s bedroom to find her coughing and shivering. Quinn called in Karissa as she took a seat on the edge of Niah’s bed, who took one look at Niah and immediately went to find a thermometer.

“Sweets, you don’t look so good.” Quinn observed, leaning over her roommate’s prone form. She placed a hand on Niah’s forehead, pressing her free hand to her own umber forehead with a frown, “Rissa, she’s really warm.”

Karissa returned to the room with a medical kit, complete with a thermometer. She took Niah’s temperature quickly, confirming that their roommate was definitely sick, “NeeNee, you poor thing. You’ve got a fever.”

Niah groaned from her bed, huffing in annoyance, “I can’t have a fever. I have class, practice, and work today.”

Quinn tsked, shaking her head, “You’ll just have to cancel. You’re not going anywhere with that temperature.”

“I can let your professors and the coach know you won’t be there today,” Karissa added, removing a cooling patch from her first aid kid and placing it on Niah’s forehead.

“And I’ll tell the coffee shop. Don’t worry about it.” Quinn agreed, standing up to tuck Niah into her bed.

Karissa left some aspirin and a few other pills at Niah’s bedside, “Take these if your head starts hurting,” she instructed, while Quinn disappeared to grab a bottle of water. When both ladies were satisfied that Niah was taken care of, at least for the time being, they turned to leave her room.

“Guys?” Niah called out, causing the other two women to stop in their tracks.

“What’s up, Sweets?” Quinn asked, leaning against the door frame.

“Don’t tell Yoongi I’m sick, ok? I don’t want him to worry.” Niah requested softly.

Karissa giggled, but Quinn shook her head, “Too late for that. You should have told me that before I texted him.”

Niah sighed heavily, “Queenie! When’d you even have time for that?”

Quinn shrugged, “When I went to get your water bottle,” she replied, stepping away from the door frame. She grabbed the door knob, flashing a grin at her best friend, “Feel better, babe.”

Niah replied with another loud groan, burying her face in her pillow. Thanks to the cooling pad on her forehead, she felt a little more comfortable and fell fast asleep in no time. She woke up to the sound of the door bell ringing several hours later.

Groggily, she threw a hoodie on over her tank top and pulled the cooling pad off of her forehead, slowly making her way to the front door. From the camera, she could see her boyfriend, Min Yoongi, standing on the other side of the door, plastic bags in either hand. Seeing him there made her excited, but also worried. He was dressed fashionably in a leather jacket and ripped jeans, his silver hair styled immaculately. Niah could see he was even wearing makeup; a telltale sign that he had probably just left a photoshoot or interview.

Niah took a breath before she opened the door wide, trying her best to put on a brave face, “Yoongi, what’re you-?”

Yoongi stepped into the apartment, setting all the plastic bags on the floor without a word. He fixed Niah with a frown, stepping out of his shoes and into his slippers that sat in the entryway. When he was finished, he placed his hands on her shoulders, examining Niah’s appearance carefully. She was wearing sleep shorts and one of his hoodies, and from the way she was leaning against the door, he could tell something was up.

“Jagiya, you weren’t going to tell me you were sick?” He questioned lowly when he was finished, stepping into his girlfriend’s personal space.

Niah blanched, closing the door while shaking her head with a nervous laugh, “It’s not like that, babe, I just didn’t want you to worry.”

Yoongi pushed out a breath, running his fingers through his hair. He reached forward and pulled Niah against him, brushing her braids out of the way so he could press his forehead against hers. Niah stood still, her heart thudding in her chest at Yoongi’s closeness.

“Damn, you’re really burning up.” He commented, cradling Niah’s face in his hands. He kissed her lightly on the forehead, “You should have called me, Jagiya.”

Niah pouted, “You’re supposed to be nice to sick people. Don’t fuss at me.”

Yoongi smirked, chuckling as he hugged Niah tightly in his arms, “I’ll forgive you just this once.”

Niah nodded, burying her face in his shoulder. They stayed that way for only a moment though, as Niah began to feel a bit lightheaded, “Yoongi, I think I need to sit down…”

He nodded, releasing his hold on her just a little bit, “Do you want to go lay down?” When Niah nodded, he stepped in front of her, kneeling to the floor.

“W-What are you doing?”

“Come on,” Yoongi told her, patting his shoulder.

Niah giggled, climbing onto his back slowly, “What, are we in a drama or something?” She replied, with a laugh. It wasn’t like he was carrying her that far. When the two of them arrived in Niah’s bedroom, Yoongi made sure she was warm and comfortable once she climbed in her bed.

“You don’t have to do this, you know? I’ll be alright by myself.”

Yoongi shook his head obstinately, pulling his leather jacket off, “I’m not going anywhere.”

Niah protested, “But what about work?”

Yoongi pressed a finger to Niah’s lips, effectively silencing her, “I’m not going anywhere, Jagiya,” he repeated, stressing the words so she could see that he was sincere about not leaving her.

“Fiiiinnee,” she sighed, covering her eyes with her hand. Niah heard rustling from beside her, but she was suddenly feeling too tired to lift her head.

“Jagiya, have you had any medicine yet?”

Shaking her head, Niah uncovered her eyes just as Yoongi leaned over her. He lifted her chin, kissing her heavily, running his tongue against the seam of . When Niah parted her lips underneath his , he pushed two pills in with his tongue. He pulled away, pleased with himself, while Niah covered with the back of her hand, cheeks flush from fever and Yoongi’s brazen tactics.

“Here, have some water,” Yoongi ordered, opening up the water bottle that Quinn had left on Niah’s night stand. Niah took the bottle and did as she was told, still unable to meet Yoongi’s eyes. She handed the water back after she had drunk her fill.

“Do you still want me to leave?” Yoongi questioned with a smirk, and Niah rolled over on her side, ducking her head to hide her reddened cheeks.

“You’re not supposed to bully sick people either.”

“Jagiya, I’d never bully you,” He replied, and Niah giggled, as her eyes slid closed once again.

“You’re a horrible liar, Min Yoongi.”

Yoongi chuckled as he curled up on the bed beside Niah. He laced his fingers with her’s, wrapping an arm around her waist, “Go to sleep.” Again, Niah complied with his wishes and in no time, she had fallen into a deep sleep.

She woke up from her second nap of the day around noon to an empty bed. She could hear sounds and smells coming from the kitchen, but her bladder was calling first. Just as she crawled back into her bed, Yoongi appeared in the doorway with a tray of food. He had removed his makeup and had changed into a pair of Niah’s basketball shorts, looking much more casual than when he arrived.

He sat the tray down as Niah propped herself up in her bed, looking over the food that Yoongi had made for her. It was simple chicken porridge with a few side dishes, but Niah realized she hadn’t eaten anything since the night before.

“I get to try your cooking!” Niah said excitedly, reaching for her spoon instantly.

“You sound really happy about that.”

“Are you kidding? Everyone online talks about how well you can cook, and I still haven’t tried it. How’s that fair?” Niah took a heaping spoonful of the porridge in front of her, making a happy noise at the back of , “Oohh, this is *so* good.”

Yoongi bit his lip, covering his mouth behind his fist so Niah wouldn’t see his contented smile. He handed her a glass of water between bites, making sure she ate well and didn’t burn herself. Niah was kind enough to share her food too, and between the two of them, not a grain of rice remained on the tray.

“Ah, I feel like I ate three days worth of food,” Niah commented, as Yoongi moved the empty tray to her desk, out of the way. He crawled back in bed with her, while Niah moved to grab her laptop. She a random Netflix show and leaned against Yoongi, snuggling into his shoulder.

“Thank you so much for coming over. I know you were really busy,” Niah began to say, yawning as Yoongi began to rub her back gently.

“Jagiya, stop saying that. You don’t have to thank me.”

Niah shook her head, “But you left work to come here.”

Yoongi shrugged, “I just took my pictures first, it’s not a big deal.”

Niah pouted, “But-”

Yoongi sighed in exasperation, “Jagiya, if it worries you so much, you can pay me back.” Yoongi turned towards his girlfriend, tracing her jawline with his fingertips. Niah wasn’t sure if she was hot from her fever or Yoongi’s touch.

“Pay you back?”

Yoongi nodded, his dark eyes glittering in amusement, “Want me to tell you how?” Niah watched him curiously, indicating he should elaborate on his words. Yoongi grinned, a mischievous expression crossing his face, “Get me sick too.”

Niah balked, “Say what?”

In reply, Yoongi chuckled lowly, “Share your fever with me, Jagiya. Then you’ll have to take care of me,” he murmured, brushing his lips against Niah’s cheek. Her breath hitched in when she felt his breath ghosting over skin.

“H-How am I supposed to share my fever with you?” She asked, her lips at her boyfriend’s close proximity.

Yoongi figured it would be better to show her, rather than tell her. He started with a featherlight kiss on her lips, deepening the contact when Niah buried her fingers in his hair. He could feel her body heat seeping through her clothes, making him feel significantly warmer as well. When Niah emitted a soft sigh underneath his lips, he took the chance to explore the inner reaches of with languid swirls of his tongue.

Niah was feeling way overheated from the combination of Yoongi’s kisses and her fever. She was hot; entirely too hot to keep up with him today. When he pulled away to give them both a chance to catch their breath, she leaned her forehead against his, touching their noses together.

“Yoongi, it’s too much,” she whispered hotly, fanning herself with her hand to cool down, “I can’t take it.”

“Even your cheeks are red,” Yoongi laughed, rubbing his thumbs against her flushed cheeks. He reached for Niah’s hoodie, “Take this off first and cool down.”

Niah nodded, allowing him to help her get the garment off. They returned to their previous position and Yoongi did his best to stay awake, but Niah’s raised body heat was making him drowsy as well.

“Sorry… If I don’t get you sick,” Niah said, emitting a sleepy giggle.

Yoongi yawned, turning off her laptop and moving it off of the bed so he could stretch out, “We can always try again later.”

Niah agreed, and adjusted her position in Yoongi’s arms, having used up the little energy that she had. They both fell asleep in minutes, and Niah found herself dreaming of caring for a sick Yoongi.

The End