"Are you okay babe? Taemin honey...."

I felt someone gently shaking me, a hand my hair. I groaned. What was happening?

"Taemin, are you okay?" I heard Onew ask, a hand now rubbing my back.

I felt like .

Without opening my eyes I slowly straightened up, stretching carefully. I felt terrible, like I didn't know where I was and that I had done something very unnatural. I normally didn't take naps in the day, but my joints were so stiff. I could sleep for another 100 years if I was allowed.

"Babe, you're really sick. You've got a fever," said Onew as I twisted around in my swivelly chair. I opened my eyes a crack and saw his blurry figure. 

"Hyuuunnnggg," I whined, wanting to be in his arms. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to go to sleep! You can cut it out of my pay or something I don't know how I just-"

"It's okay Taemin, but I think it's best if you go home," said Onew.

I poured and rubbed my eyes. "I can't believe I fell asleep," I grumbled.

"Whoa whoa whoa!"

I didn't realise I had been tipping forward until Onew dove in front of me to catch my leaning body, my forehead resting against his shoulder. 

"Oh Taemin," he sighed as I hugged him and snuggled against him, his arms encircling me. "You're taking the rest of the day off and tomorrow as well, at least."

"Okay," I said, happy in the snuggly warmth, even if I couldn't breathe through my nose right now.

"Let's get you up." 

He helped me stand, me wobbling and slinging my arm around his shoulder.

"So can you walk by yourself?"

"I'm not sure," I said. "Hyung, I feel terrible."

"Aw, my poor Taeminnie," said Onew. "Come on, let's get you a taxi straight to bed. I'll help you out of the building and hail you one."

We slowly started walking out together.

"My bag!" I panicked briefly.

"Don't worry, I got it," Onew said.

"Oh Onew, what would I do without you?" I wailed. "You're such a nice boss. I wish I could kiss you right now."

I leaned against him pitifully, stealing some more head rest against his shoulder time since my head hurt.

"I wish you could kiss me-"

"Taemin?"

Me and Onew jumped at the female voice and my heart sped up. Oh my god did she hear us? What did we look like? Did we look suspicious? But the sudden movement made my head spin sickly, and I felt lightheaded but wanted to throw up at the same time. 

"Noona!" I exclaimed. "Victoria noona, I.. oh no..."

My body stopped working before my head, and I could feel myself falling.

When I opened my eyes I was sitting on the floor, slumped in Onew's arms.

"Oh my god Taemin!" I could hear Victoria screaming and more female voices and footsteps running towards us.

"What happened?"

"Is he okay?"

They all squawked the same variation of this over and over and I groaned, putting my hands on my head.

"Breathe Taemin, breathe," Onew's soothing voice said next to my head and I realised I was panting."Can you guys move and give him some room to breathe, please?" he said firmly to the girls surrounding us.

"Calm down, calm down," Onew said as I kept breathing funnily, holding me against him. "It's okay Taemin, you're okay."

"Here's some water," said Soojung to Onew, handing him a glass.

"Thanks Soojung. Taemin, we're just gonna have a rest right now, have a drink of water."

But I could feel my nose wanting to be runny again.

"Isss...is..." I said weakly, touching my face worriedly in case I had already started leaking.

"Calm down," said Onew. "Just catch your breath."

"I need a tissue," I managed to say. " I need a tissue I need a tissue I need a tissue."

I was surprised when I felt a tissue press up against my nose. 

"Thanks," I said weakly, trying to grab it off Onew.

"No, let me," said Onew.

"No way," I said, hanging on his arm. "There is no way I am doing that. That's gross."

"Taemin, I have a baby. I've seen everything there is," he said as he wiped my nose for me.

"You should go to a doctor Taemin," said Victoria. "You should call someone to pick you and take you there now."

Thoughts of possible people swam through my head. Key? Joon? Definitely not Joon, the thought of seeing him made me feel sick. But oh my god Joon would be lapping this up right now, he loved poor helpless things and feeling like a man. 

I took shuddering breaths as the girls and Onew watched me, Onew patting my back and me still leaning against him.

"I want to go home," I said. "But how can I go home? I can't even walk properly!"

I felt terrible and yet there was so many steps left between here and my bed, and I didn't want to take them. I couldn't even physically take them. I just wanted to give up. But I couldn't just expire on the floor of my work. I just wanted to go home. Frustration built inside me and I started crying weakly.

"What am I going to do?" I moaned. "I don't-"

The girls all gasped and I wondered why when all of a sudden I was lifted into the air. I hadn't noticed Onew slipping his arm behind my knees and I stopped crying for a minute in shock as well as I was elevated. I clung to Onew's neck, still a little stunned.

"I'm taking you to the hospital," he said softly, looking into my eyes. If I wasn't already flushed I would definitely be now.

"Okay," I said quietly. This meant more time with Onew. More time with Onew pampering me? Okay.

"Can you tell someone, Soojung?" asked Onew. "I'll also call but just give them a heads up to where me and Taemin are?"

"S-sure," she stuttered, looking at us wide eyed. 

"Let's go, Taemin," said Onew.

"You don't have to do this," I whispered as we stood in the elevator. Onew was so warm. "I can stand if you get tired."

Onew slightly tossed me in his arms and smiled.

"I'm just sad that I still can't kiss you," he whispered back. "But it's okay if I kiss you here, right?" 

He kissed my hair gently, and kissed my forehead as well. Sort of like how Sehun's appa had kissed his head. And I had been jealous of that. But this man was literally carrying me, and he was giving me the little kisses that I had wanted too. Onew was just so good to me.

I started breathing funnily again.

"What's wrong?" asked Onew, alarmed.

"Nothing, I'm just going to cry," I giggled, closing my eyes and relaxing.

"You should go to sleep," said Onew. "Don't worry, I've got you. I promise I'll look after you. I promise you won't wake up in a dumpster."

I laughed, but I seriously was nodding off even if I didn't want to.

"I don't deserve you," I whispered against his shoulder. "I don't know what we're doing, but I don't deserve something so nice."

I let all the tension flow out of my body, getting ready to fade into sleep. The elevator was silent, and I guess Onew thought I already did.

"My baby Taeminnie," he whispered against my hair. "I am disgusted at the person I'm becoming. But I can't let go of you, baby."

“Unfortunately, there’s not much we can do for viruses except wait for them to take their course,” said the doctor as I sat pathetically on the chair. “I will prescribe antibiotics to take everyday, but it’s not going to cure it. You need to take it easy, get lots of rest, drink lots of fluids, eat healthily. I don’t recommend going to work tomorrow. You’re very lucky that after tomorrow is the weekend. You might get a sore throat later, so maybe have some lozenges. If you develop a cough, please come back and we’ll write you another prescription for it.”

I pouted as the doctor typed onto his computer. I had the flu.

I had woken up to the seat belt being retracted and sliding up my chest, and Onew preparing to carry me into the reception of the hospital, to my embarrassment. I was sleepy, but imagine a grown man carrying another grown man into the hospital! They would have thought something there was something really wrong with me when even I knew I had the flu.

“But Taemin did this thing where he started hyperventilating, is that normal?” asked Onew.

He was in the room with me and he had told the doctor he was my brother because he thought it would be funny.

“Hyperventilating?” asked the doctor, looking at me. “You couldn’t breathe?”

“Aniyo Onew hyung, aniyo,” I said shaking my head and trying to dismiss it. “I have uh, anxiety issues. It’s fine.”

The doctor nodded. “You have it under control? It’s okay if you don’t. If your brother could leave the room and then we can talk about it if you want.”

I shook my head. “It’s okay,” I said.

“Okay,” he said, rummaging in his drawers to pull out some flyers to hand to me. “You should read these sometime.”

I rolled my eyes. ‘Tips to manage stress’ and ‘Depression is serious” where the ones I could read easily.

I saw Onew look at me with a frown.

“You have anxiety issues?” asked Onew as we walked out.

“Mmmmm,” I said uncommittedly as his phone rang.

“Sorry I have to get this,” he apologised as he looked at the screen and pressed it to his ear. “Taeyeon jagiya.”

My stomach clenched it had been stabbed. No. Onew was mine. He should be calling me jagiya. No.

“Yeah I did,” he sighed. “It was crazy. One second I was helping Taemin stand and walk and then he just goes down like a brick. Scared the out of me.”

I frowned. I didn’t like how he was talking about me like this. I sounded dumb. But worst of all- I sounded unimportant.

“Yeah, we just finished. I was just gonna drive him home, and make sure he’s fine. I just feel a little bit responsible, and he’s so young and has no family here. I don’t think I could sleep tonight if I didn’t help, you know.”

Excuse me? Was I a charity case? Onew smiled apologetically at me and rubbed my arm as we stood in line for the pharmacy.

“Yeah, that’s how I feel. I’m glad you understand. How’s my little aegi?” he cooed into the phone and I wanted to punch him.

I was sick, and he called me his baby. I was his baby!

“Hello hello! Appa will be back soon,” he kept cooing.

I gave the pharmacist my slip, and wished Onew would shut up.

He babbled on some more, and said “I’ll tell him. I love you,” before hanging up the phone.

“I’m sorry,” he said to me. “I didn’t want her to suspect.”

I sniffed and gave a fake smile and laugh.

“You made me sound like a poor little orphan,” I said.

I might be sick, but I still hadn’t lost my spunk. I needed Onew to feel lucky to be with me. I needed to make him want me. That phone call made me feel like a needy little kid. No. I was not that. I was shining star. I wanted to him to talk about me like I was someone special. I needed him to look at me and treat me like I was something special. He made me feel like I was, but in the end, he knew I had dumped a “boyfriend” for him. I needed him to fight for me. Just a little bit.

“I’m sorry,” said Onew. “But right now, you are my poor little boy.”

Excuse me! At least it was the perfect opportunity to make a fight.

“I’m not poor,” I said sharply. “And I’m not little. And I’m not your boy.”

Onew’s brow crinkled.  “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“And I didn’t see it like that,” I said.

“Sorry,” he apologised. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

I wasn’t going to let this go so easily.

“I’m not poor,” I mumbled. “I might have no family here but that doesn’t mean I’m not strong. I’ve been through stuff and you know it.”

“I know Taeminnie, I was just talking to Taeyeon, it just came out. I’m sorry I mentioned it.”

I really wasn’t going to let this go easily at ALL. I sat in his car, giving him silent treatment as we drove to my apartment.

“Is something wrong?” asked Onew worriedly.

“No, I’m just tired,” I said, looking out into the traffic.

We got to the front of the apartment.

“Do you want me to walk you up?” he asked as I unbuckled my seat belt.

“No,” I said. “It’s just an elevator, and there is no parking here. I’ll be fine Onew,” I said. “I just want to go to bed.”

“Are you still… upset from what I said?”

“Thank you for helping me today Onew, I really appreciate it. You didn’t have to,” I said. “But I’m not poor!”

I slammed his car door and ran into the lobby of my apartment.

A/N Taemin, are you PMS-ing or..?

No he's just sick with the flu! And very good at being manipulative, which he'll explain in the next chapter. But look at Onew too. Smooth liar! Is anyone actually 'good' in this fic?

Comments make me feel more confident and make me write! Was this chapter something you liked? Anything you would like to see more of, like more angst or something?

Thanks for reading!

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