It was like thunder.

The sharp sensation that hit you awake and caused you to jolt up.

It was like thunder.

The cold sweat that ran down your forehead as your entire body started to ache.

Eyes wide and apprehensive, your mouth dry and bitter.

Bitter.

Remembering the awful taste, you lay back down on the soft, red couch. Putting an arm over your eyes, you groan.

"Damn."

"Hey, what happened to you?"

You remove your arm to see four beautiful faces peering down at you with worried looks distorting their pretty features.

Your eyes immediately dart towards the glass of water Suho is holding. "Water," you say, sitting up and gingerly taking the glass from him. You down it in one go.

Cold and bland.

That's how it should be.

"Noona, are you all right?" Suho asks, his thin lips parted in concern.

"You just suddenly fainted," Xiumin states as a matter of fact, but you can see that his normally puffy cheeks are now deflated.

Kris a quizzical eyebrow at you, and stares at you intently. "Your neck," he says as his eyes gaze at your body part. Soon, five pairs of eyes are looking at your neck.

"It's--"

"It's red, isn't it?"

They all nod.

"We were so worried," Suho says as he sits on the edge of sofa, just few inches away from your toes. His mahogany hair is untidy, and there are black spots underneath his eyes; you could tell that among them, Suho was the most stressed. "Is there something you're not telling us?"

But you avoid his question, and instead, focus on the thermometer tucked inside his polo's pocket. "Suho, did you stay up all night just so you could check my temperature?"

He nods.

You reach out your arm and lightly pat his head. "The maknae shouldn't be the one exhausting himself."

"He's not the only one, you know," your roommates scoffs as he sits behind you.  "You have no idea how stupid we all looked--dragging you out the restaurant, looking for a taxi in the midst of the heavy rain, and collapsing here in the lobby."

You adjust your position so you can see Lu Han. And true enough, his porcelain skin is marked by blotches of black below his pretty, doe eyes.  

"We were up all night trying to understand what the hell was happening to you," he pouts, fiddling with the white comforters they surrounded you with.  

"I know, I know, and I'm sorry. I should have told you sooner," you apologize. You rub the back of your neck. "Anyway, I better say this now while my voice hasn't cracked yet." You move closer to Lu Han so Kris and Xiumin can take a seat.

You take a deep breath.

"To say that I'm allergic is an understatement," you begin, "I guess the more appropriate term would be 'highly sensitive' and 'zero tolerance.'" The confused faces they were giving you obviously meant that they were comprehending nothing.

You clear your throat; it will only be a few more minutes before your vocal chords will start to react.

"I'm weak against alcohol."

"That sounds like an understatement, too," Xiumin jokes.

"It is, I know. What I meant was...I'm absolutely weak against alcohol. My body can't stand it, and my tongue can detect even the faintest amount of it."

"And one sip of a spiked drink is all it takes to have you fainting?" Kris finishes.

You nod in affirmation.

"How about wine?"

You nod.

"So that means you can't eat tiramisu?"

You nod again.

"Wow, that . Tiramisu is--"

"Yes, Xiumin, I know. But not for me; one bite of the cake had me out for hours." You clicked your tongue. "Damn that waiter; do I look old enough to drink?"

"Well, you did take it."

You gave them a glare. "I thought it was orange juice," you mumble.  

 "And your erratic temperature and blazing red neck?" Lu Han asks.

"They're side effects...And...there's one more."

Just in time, you start to cough, and you feel your tonsils hurting. And when you speak up, your voice is nothing but a mess of hoarse pitches and raspy croaks. "This," you choke out. You cough violently, and you want to barf out your entire stomach there and then because it was just so painful. The boys leap up, and start pacing around the lobby in a frenzy. Suho runs to the kitchen to get you another glass of water, Xiumin is frantically fanning you with a folder he found on one of the study desks, and Kris, whose usually calm demeanor is now broken and hysterical, is dialing all the emergency numbers he could think of.

"Lu," you manage to croak out, "Get my medicine. It's in the second drawer of my desk."

Lu Han comes back as fast as he went, and hands you the pills. After consuming your pills and finishing the water, you set down the glass on the coffee table, breathing out a satisfied (but ugly-sounding) "Ah~"

"Thanks," you say, but your voice is still weird and horrible. "Unfortunately, it'll take a few more hours before the antihistamin takes in full effect." You clear your throat. "God, I sound like a--"

"Like a frog that's just been run over by a ten-wheeler truck," Lu Han teases you, his playful eyes twinkling.

"You la--"

"Anyway," he yawns, effectively cutting your impending retaliation, "I need some shut-eye. Have to make up for all those hours I was awake, taking care of you." With a stretch of his arms, Lu Han stands up and proceeds to his and your room. But your hand on his blue sweater stops him, and he looks back at you.

"At least let me say thanks," you croak. "Thanks for the hard work, man." You glance at all of them. "Thanks, dudes. I sound really ugly right now, but I hope you can hear past that and understand how thankful I am."

You flash them a tiny smile.

And it's like something in your heart does what would seem like a metaphorical somersault; as if gears are turning and you feel something stir within you.  And even though you didn't want to admit it, it was there. That wonderful feeling of camaraderie.

After two months of trying to adapt to the new environment, of trying to live a life without those five boys, you finally feel like you're in the right place with these four.  

They beam right back at you, and Lu Han decides to bring down all the pillows in his and your room so that all five of you could sleep at the lobby.

Like a family. 

Author's Note:

Hello, everyone~

Just a little family!friendship! drabble here

And yes, this happened during their freshman year, so Grandpa Suho is still our maknae :)))

Now, is it really possibly to have that kind of tolerance (or lack thereof) for alcohol? I honestly don't know. Haha. I actually got the idea from a little Korean web comic called Pinocchio. You should try reading it! It is adorable and hilarious!

In other news, I should really get back to working on Taemin's story!

:))

Again, thanks for reading, subscribing and commenting!

Voice out your thoughts every once and a while, all right? I don't bite! 

Till next time!