Even though Jongin was better when we got home, Kyungsoo hyung confirmed that Jongin’s temperature was unstable so that Jongin could not take part in the schedules today. He volunteered to watch over Jongin and cook good food for him.

Joonmyun hyung disagreed and wanted to take that place, being everyone’s protector.

But Jongin gave another idea.

“Hyung, is it okay if Sehun stays?” he asked.

Joonmyun hyung, who was holding the bathroom door handle, turned around. “You want the baby to watch over Baby Two?”

“Oh come on,” Jongin pouted. “Please?”

Joonmyun hyung smiled and shook his head.

“Please?”

Jongin gained the same result.

“Fine.” He sighed. Jongin took a deep, deep breath and made googoo-gaagaa eyes. “Pweeeeaase?”

Joonmyun hyung sighed in defeat. “Okay.” He stepped inside the bathroom. “Let me wash will ya.”

Jongin did a victory dance outside the bathroom.

“Jongin, come on, take your medicine!” Kyungsoo hyung called from the kitchen. He, Chanyeol hyung and Baekhyun hyung ate on the table while I ate on the couch watching TV. There was no Pororo today so the hyungs preferred not to watch.

Jongin dragged his feet to the kitchen and shook the bottle before pouring the contents onto a spoon and drinking it. He took his bowl of pasta from the table and came to sit beside me. He took the remote control and changed the channel, expecting Pororo. “Man what is this?! No Pororo?!”

“This .” He grumbled to himself. He changed the channel back to what I was watching.

I turned to see Jongin’s face. “You better now?” I asked, scooping into my almost-done pasta.

Jongin shrugged. “I was though, last night. It just comes and goes.”

“Wanna ask hyung to go see the doctor?”

“Naah.” He scrunched and made a face. “It’s fatigue. Had it since I was born.”

And suddenly the hyungs were neat and ready, leaving us in any second.

“Take care, guys. Don’t mess up,” Joonmyun hyung said.

“Okay hyung, be careful.”

We closed the door and then Jongin slumped himself onto the couch.

I took a rather quick shower and sat on the floor leaning to the couch watching TV. Jongin was asleep. I was wondering if I should give him a blanket but it would make him fidget in heat even more, so I decided to leave it as it is. From my position close to his legs, I scooted closer to Jongin’s hand, and I took it, watching his slumber face. Will he remember when he wakes up?

Jongin’s hand curled inwards into mine, like a baby’s hand that grasps tight to whatever it was holding. He shivered in his sleep and it pained me.

I used my other hand to let go my hand from Jongin’s, then I tried to find the washcloth Joonmyun hyung always had in his dresser. He showed it to me once in case things like this happen. I took the cloth and wet it under the cold tap water.

I came to the living room with a squeezed wet cloth, kneeling beside the couch to place the cloth on Jongin’s forehead. He shivered as the cold cloth landed on his forehead, and instinctively grabbed whatever was close; my arm. He was in small, pained voices. His neck was also boiling and I don’t have enough knowledge to fix it outside letting him sleep and drink enough water. I did not like seeing it the way he would not like feeling it.

I hope Jongin gets better soon.

I kept on this awkward position until he let go of my arm. His usually warm breath, although slow, was sharp with heat.

I waited and turned the washcloth, Jongin’s gripping hand off of my arm. Maybe I should have just taken the blanket and let the heat break in fever sweat after all.

I was sitting asleep on the floor leaning on the couch when single drops of water flowed down my temple. I slowly woke up to see hands dangling from my neck and resting on my belly, I looked up and was hell surprised to see Jongin’s sleeping face only inches away. He was curling abnormally on the couch, trying to hold me. He woke up for me waking up.

“What time is it?” he mumbled with a hoarse sleepy voice, and we both turned heads trying to find the clock. It was twelve sharp. I tried to make sense of it and realized that I had to cook for both of us. I folded Jongin’s hands to where they belong and stepped to the kitchen. I fumbled around the fridge and the cupboards hoping to be able to find something decent and healthy enough to eat.

My search was rather fruitless but I found a can of cream soup. Pretty close to the criteria.

“What’s that?” Jongin asked, standing beside me. He found the answer. “Is it okay if I am huggy? Being sick makes me want to break…”

I only looked at him with a weird look but he was already sticking on my back like a slug. Good question to ask, because he was the least touchy guy in the whole dozen, along with Yixing hyung and I.

Jongin sighed as I stirred the soup.

“Let go, I need to take the bowls for you,” I complaint.

Jongin complied instead and took me two bowls for me to pour soup in, and sticked to my back again. I took one bowl and carefully filled it with half of the pan. I gave the filled bowl and filled mine, then we ate on the couch beside each other.

I finished eating faster because I was the one in charge. After leaving the bowl on the sink, I took Jongin’s bottle of medicine and snatched his spoon from him, the soup clean before pouring and feeding him his fever syrup.

I washed the dishes and gave him a whole jug of water. “It doesn’t have to be a whole jug, Oh Sehun.”

“It does, Kim Jongin.” I rolled my eyes. “Now drink.”

“No.”

I grabbed the hem of his shirt and pretended to threaten. “DRINK.”

Jongin rolled his eyes and took the empty glass from my hand, then poured the water for himself. Yay.

Jongin yawned. Man, the drug’s really quick. Jongin should really use this for his insomnia.

“Just go sleep in your room. I can go to Anabel’s or the minimarket if you need anything.”

He yawned again. “I don’t feel like moving…” he said lazily. I pulled his arm and made him stand up. He heavily followed me to his own room. I sat him on the bottom bunkbed and laid him down. I was just about to take a blanket for Jongin but Jongin held me down.

He made me lie in front of him and we laid there facing each other. I was laying down staring into his sleepy eyes. “Go to sleep,” I whispered, brushing a secret kiss on his forehead. Although his eyes were droopy, Jongin shook his head and looked endlessly into my eyes.

Jongin, after about a minute of staring, reached his body up to me and leant in to my face wanting to kiss me. I slightly turned away in anxiety.

I might have to take back my statement of the fever syrup being good for his insomnia.

I put his head closer to my chest and his hair continuously. He curled and drifted to sleep, being the child he secretly always is.