The dorm was silent and still except for an empty ticking of the kitchen clock. The other SHINee idols were out and about their busy scheduled lives with interviews and performances while Kibum lay still on the living room couch. He had overworked himself with a cold over the past week and their manager had finally coaxed the boy to take a break and rest until he felt well enough to go with the others. Bored of the plain closed in walls of the idols bedroom, Kibum had stumbled his way over  to the couch earlier but after several minutes, the living room had proved itself just as unexciting.

The patterned texture of the couch that pressed against his cheek hurt and ached, but Kibum decided against moving his head for it protested with a nauseating dizzy spell when doing so. It was also the same reason that prevented him from turning on the television and relieving his boredom.

A dull, pulsing pressure also frequently came and went, along with a warm, uncomfortable spell that would spill down his neck and arms. His white tank top and gray boxers were damp with sweat, and the thin cotton blue blanket covering part of his back spilt over onto the floor. He had dragged it from the bedroom earlier to keep himself from getting cold but the constant heat spells prevented him from wrapping up in it. Small beads of sweat slowly ran down his forehead, forcing Kibum to wipe his hand across his forehead and into his damp blonde hair, trying to rid himself of the itchy, wet feeling.

He hated feeling so uncomfortable and gross. Colds like this didn't appear often, but when they did Kibum knew there would be hell to pay.

Just as if he called the feeling from Satan himself, Kibum’s stomach churned and left a stinging, aching feeling, causing the boy to curl his knees into chest as he laid there. He gently hugged his knees close to him, trying to will the nausea away with slow, deep breaths.

Kibum groaned quietly, opening his eyes to quickly glance for a bag or a bucket –just in case. A black rug… dirty sock… and Taemin’s cherry chapstick.

‘No bag. Great.’ Kibum grumbled as he lifted his head up to survey the house. ‘How far away is the bathroom…?’ Three chairs and a book shelf away. Woo.

A flash of heat spread across the boy’s body, making his head pulse again and encouraged the nauseating feeling just waiting to break free from the pits of his empty stomach.

‘Crap. Not going to make it to the bathroom. Kitchen garbage? Shouldn’t be too far.’

Quickly picking himself from the couch, Kibum’s head spun painfully as he tried to locate the white kitchen garbage underneath the counter. The feverish boy forced his legs to shuffle awkwardly across the carpet onto the tiled kitchen floor and reached out for the garbage, falling to his knees before painfully emptying his stomach. His stomach contracted again and again, even when there was nothing to give, making Kibum cough pitifully with tears in his eyes. Wiping his mouth with his wrist, the idol took deep breaths to calm down. When he was sure that he wouldn't heave again, Kibum used the garbage to pick himself up off the floor and grabbed a water bottle from the counter.

He shakily took several sips to rid himself of the sour aftertaste and slumped with the bottle held gingerly in his fingers. Kibum's head now ached and pounded even more than before, and his throat was becoming raw with every breath he took.

'Maybe I should text Jinki or Jonghyun... to see when they're coming home... I don't know how much more of this I can stand by myself...' Kibum thought tiredly.

Slowly crawling across the kitchen floor and back to the couch, Kibum picked up his phone and laid his head on a couch cushion, keeping his legs on the floor. It took so much effort for the boy to find Jinki's number in his phone and letter by letter he asked the elder what time he was getting home.

Click. [Message sent]

Kibum slumped his arms and let go of the phone to close his heavy eyes, listening to the soundless pulse of his head. Another flash of heat spilled down the idol's neck and shoulders causing him to shift uncomfortably. A bead of sweat fell onto his nose and Kibum let it run down onto his cheek.

'So hot... Maybe the bathroom...?' he thought foggily, dragging the blanket off the arm of the couch. He slowly lifted himself up onto his feet, and shuffled his way across the carpet, pushing the bathroom door open. Dropping the blanket, Kibum lowered himself to the floor, wincing as his face came in contact with the cold tile. Lying on his side facing the toilet, the boy's eyelids soon felt heavy and let his sleepiness take him.

---

"You're on in five minutes, Jinki," the director called.

"Of course! Thank you," Jinki smiled in reply. The eldest was all dressed up on the set of Royal Villa, ready to get back to filming another episode. His lunch break was almost finished and Jinki was excited to get back to work. As he threw his sandwich bag in the trash, his pocket vibrated loudly, catching his attention.

'I must have forgotten to turn it off...' Jinki thought as he reached into his pocket and pressed a button to make it silent. He was just about to put it away until he saw who the sender was.

'Key must still not feel well... I wish I could go help him but my break just ended.' Jinki frowned.

'I'll call Jonghyun.'

---

Shutting the door of the car, Jonghyun thanked his driver and picked up his bag, heading for the dorm. The dino was sweaty and exhausted from a hard morning of dance practice with Minho and Taemin. The three had decided they had the dance pretty much down and agreed to call it quits and leave for the day. Wanting to get ice cream and other things from the mall, Minho and Taemin told the elder that they would be back later.

'I can't wait to sit and take a nap. Taemin is becoming too quick to keep up with,' Jonghyun laughed to himself as he pressed the button to call the elevator. The idol usually didn't use it but it didn't hurt once in a while. Walking into the elevator, his phone vibrated and he pulled it out of his sweatpants.

"Hello?"

"Hey, sorry to bother you but Kibum texted me and I'd go help him but we're not done here yet. Can you go check up on him, please?" Jinki asked quickly.

"Yeah, I'm actually on my way up to the dorm now," Jonghyun yawned.

"Awesome! I've got to go, thank you!"

"Bye." Jonghyun pressed end as the elevator chimed, opening the door to his floor.

'Kibum usually doesn't bother Jinki at work... His cold must have gotten worse. I hope he's okay.' Jonghyun thought worriedly as he fumbled with his keys. Pushing the key in and opening the dorm, Jonghyun slipped off his shoes and dropped his bag by the door.

“Kibum!” he called as he looked around, “I’m home!” The living room was empty. Walking across the kitchen and into the bedroom, Jonghyun saw the younger’s bed sheets messy, but also empty. Jonghyun ran his hand through his damp blonde hair and bit his lip.

‘Where could he be? I hope he didn’t leave the house…’ he wondered as he walked through the hallway. Seeing the bathroom door open, Jonghyun peeked inside quietly to find Kibum lying on the floor asleep with a blanket at his feet. Beads of sweat covered the boy’s forehead and neck, and his face flushed a faint pink.

“Oh, Kibum…” Jonghyun whispered as he kneeled down at the younger’s side and placed his hand on his forehead. “You’re burning up… The bathroom floor isn’t the best place for you right now, no matter how good the floor feels.” Gently shaking Kibum’s shoulder, Jonghyun attempted to wake the sick idol, hoping not to upset him.

“Kibum. Kibum… I’m sorry to wake you but you can’t stay here… Key…” Jonghyun called softly, the boy’s damp hair.

The younger groaned quietly and rolled over into Jonghyun’s knee. Forcing his heavy eyes open, Kibum smiled sadly up at the elder.

“Hey…” he croaked quietly; his throat raw from not being able to keep anything down.

“Hey, baby…” Jonghyun smiled and brushed his damp hair away from his face. “Still not feeling well?”

“..nope. The floor feels good though… nice and cold…” he mumbled.

“Well, you can’t lie here all day… Can you sit up? I’ll help you to bed and get you some medication.” Jonghyun helped support Kibum by his shoulder as he sat up slowly and Kibum winced as his head began to pulse and pound painfully again.

“Ugh… I’ve had a painful headache all day… It just won’t seem to go away…” Kibum closed his eyes and rubbed his temples in attempt to get rid of the pressure. Jonghyun stood up and stopped at the door.

“I’ll go get you something for it, okay?” Jonghyun smiled, and headed for the medicine cabinet in the kitchen. Just as Jonghyun left, Kibum began to feel his insides spinning uncomfortably again, a heat wave spilling down his shoulders.

‘Please not again...’

--

Jonghyun rummaged through the cabinet and grabbed a bottle, reading the label for the dosage before pouring out some pills and putting all but two back. Grabbing the water bottle on the table, the elder walked quickly across the dorm to the bathroom.

“Kibum I –”

“…nnn,” Kibum whimpered as he clung to the toilet. His eyes were filled with tears as painful shaking racked his frail body trying to rid itself of the illness poisoning his insides. Kibum sobbed and coughed as he gagged on nothing, trying to breathe in deep breaths when he could. Jonghyun’s heart broke to see the usually confident, strong boy in this broken and sickly state on the floor. Kneeling down on the floor next to him, Jonghyun set the water bottle and pills down and gently rubbed Kibum’s back as it shook. With his other hand, Jonghyun held the boy’s hair back out of his eyes.

Kibum spit into the toilet again and breathed heavily, staring into space. Grabbing a towel from the wall, Jonghyun tenderly wiped the younger’s face with a sad smile.

“Are you okay, Kibum?” Jonghyun asked softly, wiping the idol’s teary eyes with his thumb. Kibum just slowly shook his head and let his hair fall in his face. The pressure in his head made him think of a balloon about to burst, his throat hurt horribly, and not only did he have to endure this pain, but also the embarrassment of being so helpless and disgusting in front of the one person he cared about most.

His head fell forward onto Jonghyun’s chest in defeat as his boyfriend’s arms encircled his back, pulling him closer. Kibum’s heart fluttered as he felt Jonghyun kiss his head softly and smiled sadly into his shirt.

“Thank you, hyung,” Kibum whispered quietly, his head pulsing slightly less in Jonghyun’s embrace. “I’m sorry you have to put up with me…”

“You’re never a bother, Kibum. You know that. I’d do anything to see your happy face smiling at me instead of crying into a toilet,” he chuckled.

“Hmph,” Kibum pouted, a bit offended by the comment but soon the feeling left him as the elder grasped his and picked him up koala style, making the idol gasp at the sudden movement.

“A l-little warning would have been nice!” Key protested, a faint blush speckled his face as he held onto the singer tightly.

“But I like seeing you flustered, I don’t get to see it often,” Jonghyun smiled teasingly as he carried his boyfriend into their room and placed him gently on his bed. “I think we can wait on the pills for a little while though, just to make sure they don’t come back up again.”

“Yeah, I suppose…” Kibum agreed softly. “Can I have some water anyways though? My throat is still sore…” The idol fidgeted with his blanket and looked up at the elder miserably. Jonghyun smiled warmly and left the room, bringing back the water bottle upon his return. Taking a few small sips, Kibum noticed Jonghyun’s gaze as the puppy sat down on the bed next to him and could feel his face growing warmer.

“What..?”

“Even sick and feverish, you’re still so flawless…” Jonghyun mumbled, never breaking his gaze which made the younger fiddle with the water bottle and look down at his hands shyly.

“… why would you think that?” Kibum commented quietly, “I’m sweaty, I smell like barf, and I’m a whiny mess.”

He shivered as Jonghyun leaned toward him, slowly leaving tender kisses down his ear and neck. “But you’re my sweaty, barf smelling, whiny mess so it’s okay.”

“I-If you’re –ah! trying to make the fever go away… you’re going about it… all wrong…” Kibum moaned quietly as Jonghyun’s lips traveled from his adam’s apple to his bare shoulder, making him melt into putty.

“Why, Kibbummie? Do you want me to stop?” the singer teased playfully, pulling and nipping at the younger’s collarbone.

“N-no… but I –ah! Don’t think I can do this today, Jjong…” Kibum loved the attention he was getting from the elder but he ached so much, exerting anymore energy than sleeping seemed to be out of the question.

"Just... one kiss then, hm?" Jonghyun hummed softly, leaning in to capture the blonde's soft, plump lips. His eager tongue that was swiped along Kibum's lower lip was easily granted entrance and lovingly explored his wet cavern, causing Kibum to moan quietly. Gripping the elder's shirt, Kibum was almost swept away into the moment, looking for anything to distract him from the pulsing headaches and crippling nausea. But the younger caught himself and tried to resist Jonghyun, pulling his lips away only to have his boyfriend follow him relentlessly.

"J-Jjong...mm... You're going to...get sick..." Kibum breathed softly in between Jonghyun's kisses, a faint blush blossoming across his already pink cheeks.

Jonghyun grinned and rubbed the younger’s cheek tenderly, loving the way his feline eyes swirled with a cloud of arousal and concern.

“Well, if it means staying home with you, all the better…” he teased lovingly. Gently lowering Kibum on his back, Jonghyun gently pressed his lips to the blonde’s in a quick kiss before covering him in a quilt.

“You should go back to sleep… If you’re feeling better in a couple hours, we’ll try the medication, okay?” Kibum smiled shyly, burying himself deeper into the soft fabric.

“You know… I’ve been alone all day, and you just got here… would you stay with me a little while?” he looked up at the elder and bit his lower lip, a smile teasing its way across his face. Even though the boy was sweaty and possibly contagious, that adorable look along with the faint blush from his fever made Kibum’s offer just too tempting to resist. Plus, if he was going to catch Kibum’s cold, he probably already had it. Grinning, Jonghyun carefully climbed over his boyfriend’s legs and nuzzled close, lying on top of the covers on his side.

“It’s like you read my mind. Believe it or not but I was planning to take a nap when I walked in the door,” he said kissing the younger’s nose. “Now get some sleep, Bummie.”

“Thank you, Jonghyun…” Key felt his eyes becoming too heavy to keep open, even though he could honestly stare at the puppy’s face all day. “I love you.”

Jonghyun’s heart fluttered as Key slowly drifted off into dreamland. Even though the couple had been together for years, those words made the idol’s heart skip a few beats every time they left Kibum’s pretty lips.

“I love you too… Get better soon, love,” Jonghyun kissed the boy’s forehead softly before lying his head on the soft pillow, smiling happily.

--

“Guys! I’m home! What’s for supper?” Jinki called as he opened the door to the dorm. He was dead tired and starving after the day of recording for the drama. All he felt like doing now was scarfing dinner and crawling into bed for a full night of well deserved sleep.  The elder shut the door loudly and kicked off his shoes only to be hushed by Minho and Taemin in the living room. Peeking around the corner, Jinki found the two idols happily munching on pizza with a variety show quietly playing in the background.

Jinki grabbed a piece of pizza from the kitchen table and retreated to the living room, inhaling the pizza as he walked.

“So what’s with the shush?” the elder asked with a mouthful of food.

“Key and Jonghyun are sleeping.” Taemin replied as he took a swig of Minho’s soda.

“Hey!” Minho frowned, “That’s the last grape soda!” Taemin smirked as he lifted the can to his mouth to drink more of the carbonated beverage.

“Then come and get it, frog.”

“Oh you asked for it, you brat!” Minho set down his pizza on the side table before lurching toward the maknae, Taemin laughing and leaning away, trying to drink the remaining bit quickly.

“If you two are going to spend the night face, I’m going to bed,” Jinki groaned as the two wrestled playfully on the couch.

“Oh! Before I forget, can you change the garbage, hyung? It looks like Kibum 's cold took a turn for the worst while we were gone today,” Minho called from the couch.

“Really, guys? You’ve been home for hours now and you just decided to leave it for me to clean up?” Jinki whined, wrinkling his nose as he looked toward the garbage can.

“It was either that or leaving the mess Comme Des left earlier,” Taemin grinned as he successfully gulped down the rest of the can, leaving Minho grumbling. “Which would you have rather taken?”

“I’ll take the barf bag…”