Kihyun sniffles loudly, his head pounding so hard his vision shakes. His body aches with fatigue, and he can't help but succumb to the coughing fit wracking his body. He leans against the countertop, the tragic sounds echoing throughout the silent kitchen. 

Ugh, this cannot be happening. He absolutely cannot get sick, not now! Changkyun has just gotten through a bout of the cold, one that Kihyun just had to help him through as the others are always hopeless with this kind of thing, and he's just finished up cleaning the remnants of illness out of the dorm. 

"Oh, God," Minhyuk suddenly says from behind, causing Kihyun to turn slowly towards him. The slightly-older shies away, wrinkling up his face in disgust. "You're the worst when you're sick... Get to bed right now, and I'll send Hyunwoo-hyung in. He's the only one that can deal with you like this." Kihyun rolls his eyes at the man's dramatics. 

"I'm fine, Minhyuk-ah," he protests, but Minhyuk's already gone to find their leader. Kihyun grumbles in defeat, knowing it's for the better if he isolates himself now, before he gets anyone else sick. He shuffles out of the kitchen and to Hyunwoo's room, snatching the most comfortable bed in the dorm for himself.  

 

Minhyuk doesn't have much trouble finding Hyunwoo, as the oldest is in his favorite room: the bathroom. He bangs his fist against the door, pursing his lips in dismay. 

"Hyung!" he shouts through the wood, earning a hum of acknowledgment from the older. "Hyung, Kihyunnie's gone and gotten himself sick. You need to take care of him." There's a pause a bit too long for Minhyuk's taste, and he starts to wonder if Hyunwoo had even heard him. But, then Hyunwoo answers, and Minhyuk's job is done. 

"O-Okay..." Hyunwoo mumbles. Minhyuk grins, satisfied. 

"Great," he replies, "I'll be out with the maknaes. Call if you need anything~" He then turns and hurries from the door before Hyunwoo can protest, hoping to get his dongsaengs out of there before they get roped into helping. 

If he thought Kihyun was annoying before, it's nothing compared to when he's sick. 

 

Kihyunnie's sick, Hyunwoo thinks as he flushes and washes his hands. How do you take care of someone who's sick? I've never had to do this before... What if I mess up? What if I make him even more sick?  

The man releases a long sigh, leaving the bathroom. He guesses he should first figure out what's wrong... So, with that in mind, he goes to his own room, only to find his boyfriend already there. 

"A-Ah..." he mutters, his own unease clear in his voice. Kihyun glances up at him through lidded eyes, his pale cheeks dusted a light pink. 

"Hyung," he says in a strained tone, "I'm thorry... I don't mean to be a bother. My bed'th jutht on the top, and I don't feel up to climbing right now." Hyunwoo frowns, though not at how Kihyun's using his bed, but at how weak Kihyun's voice is.  

"Shhh, it's okay, Kihyunnie," he says softly, kneeling beside his boyfriend. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you. Conserve your voice, okay? Don’t overwork it." Kihyun nods, smiling brilliantly as his eyes positively shine with gratitude. He doesn't know what he's done to deserve such a special man, but he's terribly grateful for whatever it was. 

Hyunwoo glances around, finding the thermometer with ease—as Hyungwon always keeps it close to his bunk—and pointing it towards Kihyun's lips. The younger complies with the silent request, parting his lips to allow the older to stick in the thermometer. He knows what's wrong with him, but he guesses the older just needs some official confirmation. Though, it's pretty obvious as he'd just helped Changkyun get over something similar.  

When the thermometer beeps, Hyunwoo takes it out and studies it with a typically-stoic expression. He then leaves the room without a word, Kihyun's eyes following him as he goes.  

He goes to the kitchen, staring around at the pristine countertops. The younger's temperature had been dangerously close to triple digits, and he knows he should probably get Kihyun to eat something to keep his strength up...  

But, what do sick people eat? Soup? Hyunwoo doesn't know how to make soup. He can't even fry up an egg without burning down the kitchen, as the rappers have about countless times ever since that cooking V-Live. He guesses he could make the younger some tea, but he doesn't really like tea all that much... 

Broth, he suddenly thinks remembering seeing some bouillon cubes in the overhead cupboard last time Kihyun had been cooking. He can do that. He can make broth. It's just boiling water, right? Yeah, he can boil water. 

So, with that in mind, he moves quickly around the kitchen, searching for a pot. It takes him longer than it probably should, because, well, Kihyun doesn't exactly like having him in the kitchen any more since that damned V-Live... Not that Hyunwoo minds, really. It just means more time for him to watch the shorter scurry about adorably to get meals prepared for their makeshift family. 

After succeeding at finding a pot, he retrieves the jar of cubes and fills the pot with the necessary amount of water. He plops in two cubes, and stands there silently, watching unblinkingly as he waits for it to boil. 

As the seconds tick by, he suddenly realizes that he should probably get a wet rag to put on the younger's forehead. That's supposed to help bring his body temperature down or something, right? Isn't that what that's for. They never explain just why characters do that in dramas, but it'd make sense if that's why they do such things.  

He turns on his heel, heading to the bathroom. He makes quick work of wetting a clean rag with cool water, and then goes to give it to his boyfriend. Kihyun seems to be awaiting his return with baited breath, a silent question in his eyes. 

"I'm making you broth," Hyunwoo tells him simply, leaving no room for debate. He kneels down by the bed and sets the rag atop the younger's feverish skin. A faint smile plays its way across his plump lips as he brushes Kihyun's gray-brown bangs. Kihyun hums at the familiar fingers of his soft yet strong fingers swiping against his skin. It's such a gentle, comforting touch. It makes him feel immensely better, almost like magic. 

Hyunwoo falls into a trance, falling deep into the sparkling abyss that is Kihyun's gaze. So distracted that he manages to forget that he's got a pot set to boil in the kitchen. 

! 

The older quickly retracts his hand, hurrying from the room without an explanation. He reaches the kitchen just in time to shut the heat off. He removes the pot from the burner to allow it to cool before pouring it into a mug. He takes it to his boyfriend, who's watching for him with a confused frown contorting his beautiful features. 

"I had to get your broth..." Hyunwoo says. He then offers it forward, standing their motionless as Kihyun scrunches up in the sheets into a sitting-up position. He takes the mug and sips from it, humming low in his throat. 

"Thank you, hyung~" he sighs, eyes shining gratefully up at the older, his voice a bit more stable than before. Hyunwoo grins, a gummy sort-of grin plastered to his face as he sits cross-legged beside his love. 

"Just sleep, Kihyunnie," he tells him, reaching up to hold onto the younger's arm. Kihyun nods, finishing off the broth in a matter of seconds and slipping back down into the covers.  

Hyunwoo watches over him as he sleeps, that stupidly smitten smile never leaving his face.